A14350:26
The Common Places
The common places of the most famous and renowned divine Doctor Peter Martyr divided into four principal parts: with a large addition of many theological and necessary discourses, some never extant before. Translated and partly gathered by Anthony Marten, one of the sewers of her Majesties most honourable chamber.The common places of the most famous and renowmed diuine Doctor Peter Martyr diuided into foure principall parts: with a large addition of manie theologicall and necessarie discourses, some neuer extant before. Translated and partlie gathered by Anthonie Marten, one of the sewers of hir Maiesties most honourable chamber.
Imprinted at London : In Pater noster Rowe, by Henry Denham and Henry Middleton at the costs and charges of Henry Denham, Thomas Chard, William Broome, and Andrew Maunsell, 1583Imprinted at London : In Pater noster Rovve, by Henry Denham and Henry Middleton at the costs and charges of Henrie Denham, Thomas Chard, VVilliam Broome, and Andrew Maunsell, 1583
No title page in the transcription: set from the catalogue record.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Now last of all, though with grief and lamentation of hart, I convert my speech unto you the pretended Catholics of England. O ye blind guides, the leaders of the blind into the destruction of their souls! I bewail your woeful case, howsoever ye your selves rejoice in your evils. The God of this world hath blinded your minds, for ye disdain the glorious Gospel of Christ, and deride the plain sincerity thereof; ye are enemies to the true church, ⟨image 7⟩even to them that Christ bought with his precious blood; ye hate your own flesh and blood; ye storm and rage against your mothers children; and that more furiously and maliciously than against the Turks and infidels that have no knowledge of Christ. Ye are deceived and seduced in the way of the Lord; and your ignorance is wilful because ye will not take up the book of the holy scriptures, and labour earnestly therein, that ye might try and search out the truth: but ye follow your own ways, and the deceivable paths of your forefathers: neither will ye suffer the simple sort to read it, or the true interpreters of it. Ye know that there is but one true religion, and that there be assured marks to know the same by: but ye in so divine a thing choose rather to try a certainty by such uncertain marks, as the corrupt hart of man doth devise, than by the infallible rule of the word of God. Ye know that all things in the world, which are out of square, must be compared by that rule and pattern from whence it was derived. The picture of a man is examined according to that man whom it representeth, or by the first lineaments taken from him. A house to be built is set up according to the platform drawn for the same. A key is shapen according to the print of the original. Every offence committed against the law of man, is examined by the law provided against that offence. If it so fare in temporal things, and that by reason of the uncertainty of mans judgement, humane things must be tried not by mans will, but by mens rules; how much more then must the doctrine of Gods religion be tried by the rule of Gods word, and by no other means? Howbeit, ye will have no other judges of controversies but your selves, nor any others to interpret the truth, but your selves: you consider not that ye be our adversaries, and that no adversary parts may be their own judges:
Now last of all, though with griefe and lamentation of hart, I conuert my speech vnto you the pretended Catholiks of England. O ye blind guides, the leaders of the blind into the destruction of their soules! I bewaile your wofull case, howsoeuer ye your selues reioise in your euils. The God of this world hath blinded your minds, for ye disdaine the glorious Gospell of Christ, and deride the plaine sinceritie thereof; ye are enimies to the true church,