Besides, in that you send to me; yea that you send to public view, “your confession, I marvel, brethren, yea I greatly marvel, what your meaning should be, both in respect of the end and the fact. For if ye have set it forth to that end, that ye might purge your selves, I pray you brethren, wherefore do ye desire, to purge your selves with so many souls; who have not known you as yet to be accused; who can never take knowledge of the right or wrong of your accusation; and who are not called unto it by any lawful means? and (that which is worse) wherefore would ye have this done before so many“ deadly enemies to God and the Church, who thirst after nothing so much as the blood of the Church of God, and do rejoice that we undiscreetly make a publishing of these wounds: that they by these very wounds might spoil the Church, that precious body of Christ, of the blood of verity, and juice of charity? Finally, why do ye this before so many weak ones, who not yet knowing, that ye are borne (as I may so say) are offended, rather with a carcass like stink of schisms in the Church, before they know certainly the body whereunto they may cleave? ⟨p. 33⟩Alas brethren, is your purgation so much worth unto you that therefore the public good of the Church should be brought into so great danger? A Christian an humble, and godly mind ought to be otherwise affected, and setting aside the respect of their own private good, constantly thus to determine, let the earth rather first swallow me up (as the Poet saith) and let me rather be accursed for my brethren, then that by me, and for my credit sake even one of these little ones should be offended and kept from coming to Christ, and abiding in Christ my Saviour. Verily let what will of my estimation go to wrack, who am a Christian, let me be trampled under all mens feet, so that by my fact, I take nothing from Christ, from his body, no not the lest thing. “And that you my brethren are thus determined and resolved bending all your counsels to this end; I am as strongly persuaded, as he that is most. But the end which you have in common, alas for grief, in this particular case (pardon if I speak more freely, for ye would have me to speak) from it ye seem to have erred.
Besides, in that you send to mee; yea that you send to publicke viewe, “your confession, I marvell, brethren, yea I greatly maruell, what your meaning should bee, both in respect of the ende and the fact. For if ye haue set it foorth to that end, that yee might purge your selues, I pray you brethren, wherefore doe yee desire, to purge your selues with so many soules; who have not knowē you as yet to bee accused; who can neuer take knowledge of the right or wrong of your accusation; and who are not called vnto it by any lawfull means? and (that which is worse) wherfore would yee haue this done before so many“ deadly enemies to God and the Church, who thirst after nothing so much as the blood of the Church of God, and doe reioyce that we vndiscreetly make a publishing of these wounds: that they by these very wounds might spoyle the Church, that pretious bodie of Christ, of the blood of veritie, and juyce of charitie? Finally, why doe yee this before so many weake ones, who not yet knowing, that yee are borne (as I may so say) are offēded, rather with a carcasselike stink of schismes in the Church, before they knowe certainely the bodie whereunto they may cleaue? ⟨p. 33⟩Alas brethren, is your purgation so much worth vnto you that therfore the publicke good of the Church should bee brought into so greate danger? A Christian an humble, and godly minde ought to bee otherwise affected, and setting aside the respect of their owne priuate good, constantly thus to determine, let the earth rather first swallowe me vp (as the Poet saith) and let mee rather bee accursed for my brethren, then that by me, and for my credit sake even one of these little ones should be offended and kept from comming to Christ, and abiding in Christ my Sauiour. Verily let what will of my estimation goe to wracke, who am a Christian, let me be trampled vnder all mēs feete, so that by my fact, I take nothing from Christ, from his body, no not the lest thing. “And that you my brethren are thus determined and resolved bending all your counsels to this end; I am as strōgly perswaded, as he that is most. But the end which you have in common, alas for griefe, in this particular case (pardon if I speake more freely, for yee would have me to speak) from it yee seeme to have erred.
- “Confessionem.
- “Infestis.
- “Atque hoc quidē fratres vobis esse constitutum deliberatunq. huc adlaborare consilia vestra, tā sum persuasus, &c. Sed quem fin•m in communi habetis, ab eo &c. videmini aberrasse.Atque hoc quidē fratres vobis esse constitutum deliberatūq. huc adlaborare consilia vestra, tā sum persuasus, &c. Sed quem fin•m in communi habetis, ab eo &c. videmini aberrasse.
