A16573:572
The complaint of verity, madeThe complaynt of veritie, made
The complaint of verity, made by John Bradford. An exhortation of Matthew Rogers, unto his children. The complaint of Raufe Allerton and others, being prisoners in Lollers tower, & written with their blood, how god was their comfort. A song of Cain and Abel. The saying of master Hooper, that he wrote the night before he suffered, upon a wall with a coal, in the new In, at Gloucester, and his saying at his deathThe complaynt of veritie, made by Iohn Bradford. An exhortacion of Mathewe Rogers, vnto his children. The complaynt of Raufe Allerton and others, being prisoners in Lolers tower, & wrytten with their bloud, how god was their comforte. A songe of Caine and Abell. The saieng of maister Houper, that he wrote the night before he suffered, vppon a wall with a cole, in the newe In, at Gloceter, and his saiyng at his deathe
London: printed for Owen Rogers?, 1559
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Satisfaction, they call amends making unto God for their sins, by their undue works, Opera indebita, Works more then they need to do, as they term them▪ This is their penance which they preach, write, and allow. But how true this gear is, how it agreeeth with Gods word, how it is to be allowed, taught, preached, and written, let us a little consider. If a man repent not, until he have a just and full sorrowing for his sins (dearly beloved) when shall he repent? For in as much as ⟨image 29⟩hell fire, and the punishment of the devils, is a just punishment for sin: In as much as in all sin, there is a contempt of God, which is all goodness, and therefore there is a desert of all illness: alas, who can bear or feel this just sorrow, this full sorrow for our sins, this their contrition, which they •e so discern from their attrition? Shall •ot man by this doctrine, rather despair, •hen come by repentance? If a man repent •ot until he have made confession of all his sins in the ear of his ghostly father: if • man cannot have absolution of his sins until his sins be told by tale and number in the Priests ear (in that, as David saith) none can understand, much •esse then utter all his sinnes, Delicta quis intelligit? Who can understand his sins? In that David of himself complaineth else where, how that his sins are overflowed his head, and as a heavy burden do oppress him, alas, shall not a man by this doctrine, be utterly driven from repentance? Though they have gone about, something to make plaster for their sores of confession or attrition, to assuage this gear, bidding a man to hope well of his contrition, though it be not so full as ⟨image 30⟩is required, and of his confession, though h• have not numbered all his sins, if so be• that he do so much as in him lieth: dearly beloved, in that there is none, but that herein he is guilty (for who doth as much as he may) trow ye that this plaster is no like salt for sore eyes? Yes undoubtedly when they have done all they can, for the appeasing of consciences in these points, this is the sum, that we yet should hope well, but yet so hope, that we must stand in a mammering and doubting, whether our sins be forgiven. For to believe, Remissionem peccatorum, that is: To be certain of forgiveness of sins, as our Creed teacheth us, they count it a presumption.