A68831:831
The whole works of W. Tyndall, John Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy martyrs,…The vvhole workes of W. Tyndall, Iohn Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy martyrs,…
The whole works of W. Tyndall, John Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy martyrs, and principal teachers of this Church of England collected and compiled in one tome together, being before scattered, [and] now in print here exhibited to the Church. To the praise of God, and profit of all good Christian readers.The vvhole workes of W. Tyndall, Iohn Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy martyrs, and principall teachers of this Churche of England collected and compiled in one tome togither, beyng before scattered, [and] now in print here exhibited to the Church. To the prayse of God, and profite of all good Christian readers.
London: printed by John Daye, 1573London: printed by Iohn Daye, 1573
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.
Who slew the Prophets? Who slew 1Christ? Who slew his Apostles? Who the martyrs and all the righteous that ever were slain? The kings and the temporal sword at the request of the false Prophets. They deserved such murder to do, and to have their part with the hypocrites, because they would not be learned, and see the truth them selves. Wherefore suffered y• Prophets? 2because they rebuked the hypocrites which beguiled the world, and namely Princes and rulers and taught them to put their trust in things of vanity and not in Gods word. And taught 3them to do such deeds of mercy as were profitable unto no man but unto the false Prophets them selves only, making merchandise of Gods word. wherefore slew they Christ? even for rebuking 4the hypocrites: because he said, woe be to you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven before men Math. xxiij. that is, as it is written. Luke. xj. ye have taken away the key of knowledge. 5The law of God which is the key wherewith men bind, and the promises which are the keys wherewith men loose, have our hypocrites also taken away. They will suffer no man to know Gods word, but burn it and make heresy of it: yea and because the ⟨p. 139⟩people begin to smell their falsehood they make it treason to the king and 6breaking of the kings peace to have so much as their Pater noster in English. And in stead of Gods law, they bind with their own law. And in stead of Gods promises they lose & justify 7with pardons and ceremonies, which they them selves have imagined for their own profit. They preach it were better for thee to eat flesh on good Friday then to hate thy neighbour: but let any man eat flesh but on a Saturday or break any other tradition of theirs, and he shall be bound & not loosed, till he have paid the utter most farthing, either with shame most vile, or death most cruel, but hate thy neighbour as much as thou wilt and thou shalt have no rebuke of them, yea rob him, murder him, and then come to them and welcome. They have a sam ctuary for thee, to save thee, yea and a neckverse, if thou canst but read a little Latinly, though it be never so sorrily, so that y be ready to receive y beasts mark. They care for no understanding: it is enough, if thou canst roll up a pair of Matins or an Evensong and mumble a few ceremonies. And because they be rebuked, this they rage.