The refutacion of
Wynchesters declaration.

YOur entrye to the mater
is fitte for your processe:
for neither dyd I
euer write suche articles, ne Barnes was
burnte for preachinge
onely faith iustifiethe.
I was by Barnes
choise, his scolemaister
at the which tyme we entreted the article
of onely faith iustifieth: as shal hereafter
appere.

MY entrie into the matter was
very fitte for my processe: for
although another might perchau~ce
write these articles, yet do this your
owne derke declaration and pertinate
defence of the~ shewe the same
to be yours, althoughe they had not
borne your name. For neuer did the
child so lyuely resemble his owne father,
as do these articles & their declaracion
expresse the bysshoppe of

B

Romes antichristen doctrine, by you
both preached and in your other bokes
writen for his defence, therebye
declaring your selfe to be his owne
obedient sworne sonne. It had bene
therfore more honesty & lesse shame,
yea & more godly for a christen byshop
being of a christen kinges cou~cell,
pretendinge to be his frend and
faithfull subiecte, for the estiewinge
of so violente a suspicion, yea rather
so bold a manifest declaration, your
selfe to stande yet so styll vppon the
popes parte agaynst your so gentle
and louynge a prince, to haue vtterly
renyed and renownced them for
your articles, seing they be so directely
against ye worde of god, against
the olde holy doctours, againste the
abolyshment of the pope, only stinkinge
of Pelagiane, leauened with
the popes pharisaical sower leauen.
Ye speke to me in your preface as excusing
your selfe of doctor Barnis
death, that he was not burnt for the

article of onely faith iustifieth. How
ye handled doctor Barnes your scoler,
better learned than his maister,
I can not tell. But this wel I wote
by your owne wordes, in youre preface,
that anon after, the maister and
scoler coulde not agre vpon this article
of our faithe, & his maister had
openly forgeuen him, the scoler was
sent into the tower, and in conclusio~
brent in smithfelde. Howe smothely
soeuer ye haue here firste of all for
your defence painted your excuse in
washinge your handes with pilate
yet by your owne wordes, the contention
in this matter of faith was onely
betwixt you and him, onelye you
he troubled, onely you he offended,
onely you, he openly (to use your termes)
encombred with shamefacenes
only you complayned of hym so greuously
to the kynges maiestie. And
who compelled him to recante openly,
I can not tell. Onelye you accuse
him of heresy in your boke, ye might

B.ii.

perchaunce with the olde holy spirituall
pharisais and byshops,
Nobis
non licet interficere quemquam. It
is not lawfull for vs to kyll anye
man. And so after ye haue accused &
condemned pore christ, deliuer him
vp into the seclar handes to do execucion,
because so holy bishops wold
not pollute their sacred anointed fingers
with innocent bloud. But this
is plaine: openly he asked you forgeuenes
at saint Maries spittel, where
ye gaue it him in an outward signe,
but whether in herte, god knowethe
it. And he stondinge at the stake asked
the shryue the cause of his death
and he saide he knew it not. And the~
last of al, doctor Barnes as one suspecti~g
only you, sayd these wordes.
If doctour Steuen bishop of Winchester
be the causer of my deathe,
oure lorde my god, for christes sake,
forgeue it him, as I wolde my selfe
be forgiuen. And besides all these euidences,
the comon fame can not be

stylled. But this so waighty a cause
in a bisshop, that shulde be an edifier
and no destroier, a feder, a nourisher
to minister life, and not a bloudsouper,
I leaue it to the iudgemente of
God, when doctor Barnis and you
shall both shortely stande before the
iudgement seat of Christe,

It is of lyke truth that ye affirme of
me, that I shuld by these articles proue
that workes must iustifye, I neuer went
about to proue that, how so euer it liketh
you to reporte of me, I neuer wrote so, I
neuer preached so, I neuer affirmed so ne
enterprised to teache Barnes so.

This is may iust reporte of you in
my former booke gathered of youre
articles. That ye wolde proue that
workes must iustifye, that is, with
our workes, we must merite the remission
of our sinnes, whiche whither
it be of lyke truthe, with my former
saienges, your owne wordes wtin
.viii. lynes folowynge declare it,
sayenge. Ye wolde not be afrayde to

"vse that speache, that with our workes
we must merite the remission of
oure sinnes, if I and other had not
distained ye word, merite. And in the
next leafe ye saye, we with the grace
of god doing the workes of penau~ce
taste and fele the passion of Chryste.
Whiche taste and felynge commeth
by doinge the workes of penaunce."
Which what els is it then by doing
the workes of penaunce to deserue
the taste of christes passion, felynge
therby ye remission of our sinnes? For
to tast & fele christes passio~ is to tast
and fele certainly oure remission of
synnes as Ihon declareth it, by the
eatinge of his fleshe, and drinkinge
of his bloude, by our faith, therof the
iustified to lyue. And if by doing the
workes of penaunce (as ye teache)
we deserue this taste and felynge, so
deserue we by your penaunce doing
our iustificacion. And eue~ by and by
ye confirme this your false doctrine
of meritinge. Sayenge. That good
men haue called it meritinge to vse

the benefites of Christes passion.
Whiche your iuglynge I shall disclose,
when I come to the place. And
in the laste lyne of the same syde, ye
saye. "And sinners be called to grace
to do the workes of penaunce, wher
by to recouer yt fauour of god with
remission and forgeuenes of their
sinnes." And in the next lefe, ye saye.
"So as Christ merited and deserued
thorowly, we by participation in vsinge
his giftes, merit and deserue.
And saye ye not that they that wyll
enioye the remission of their synnes
muste fulfill your condicion?" which
condicion ye declare to be stuffed ful
of all your owne good workes, callynge
them Winchesters workes.
Turne to your .xlix. lefe folowinge,
and ye shall see it true that I saye.
What els do ye seme to proue, but
by workes to merit our iustificacio~?
And yet is your doctrine so intricate
perplexe and repugnant, that in many
places ye fight against your selfe
to seeke oute youre shiftes to make

youre popish parte to seme true to foles,
that haue neither learninge ne
iudgeme~t. What els didde I confute
with the manifeste scriptures against
you, then youre meritinge by
workes youre remission, you euer
sweatinge youre feble defence
with pelagians papistry, as it shall
appeare hereafter? And therfore neuer
denye it for shame that ye euer
went about to proue it or to write it
or to preache and teache it. Ye haue
gone about it in deade, for ye neuer
coulde hit it with all the shaftes ye
haue shotte. It is greate shame for
one that wolde be sene so highly learned,
and a byshop to, so sone to eate
his owne wordes, & deny his owne
hand writing, whe~ he seeth his part
naught, and so false that he is not able
by scriptures to defende it.
I wolde not be aferde to vse this spech
(with our workes we muste merite the remission
of our sinnes) had not you and other,
to the worlde diffamed and sclaundered
the worde (merite).

It is in dede a sclaunder, not of
vs geuen, but of you superciliouse
pharisais receiued: who for youre
concupiscence of the flesh, & of your
eyes, and for your pryde, be the very
worlde in deede, as Ihon painteth
your romysshe court. For a receiued
sclaunder is when a thinge wel done
or saide, is sinistrely of malice euell
taken, as Mathew describeth it.
But as touchinge the churche of
Christ takinge it, I tell you againe
as Elyas tolde kinge Achab. It is
you and your fathers house of rome
for that ye haue forsaken the lordes
preceptes, & be gonne after Baalun
folowing your fathers false doctrine
Pelagiane, whiche haue diffamed
the very onely trewe merites of christes
passion with your owne stinki~g
merites of your sinful workes therby
to deserue remission of youre sinnes.
Which ye so laden with mo merites
then ye nede of in youre superfluouse
supererogations, that ye sel

B.v.

so dere your owne ouerplus merites
your misses, fat fastinges, myndles
prayers, vnwylfull watchinges, &c.
Your holy father Paul .iii. of Rome
hath yet in store, & nede be, his churches
treasure, an infinite chiste full
of your saintes marites, yea and of
Christes merites to, wherout by participation,
for mony, he is readye to
lash out this your marchaundise of
merites, and yet in nothinge (to vse
your wordes) diminishing theffecte
of christs passio~. This is your diffamacion
of merite, whose good name
ye ought to restore by gods worde, if
ye wil not be sene to stand vpo~ your
father the popes side. Of what elles
foundacion stode al your abbeis monasteries
chauntries, yea and youre
bisshoprikes to, but vpon these your
popisshe merites, in prayers and
mysses, for the deade, to plucke them
out of your fained purgatorye? And
therfore be thei worthely subuerted
Christ so prophecienge of them. Euery

plantacion which my heuenly father
hath not planted, shalbe vproted.
Your byshoprikes therefore do
but tarye the verifienge of the same.
Neither I, ne anye true christiane
knoweth any other merites for sinne
then the plenteouse merites of christes
passion, by his mooste preciouse
bloude, perfitly & perpetually deseruinge
for al that beleue in him forgeuenes
of their sinnes. And am certified
by this his almyghtye euerlastinge
worde. That man is frely iustified
by the grace of god thorowe
faith in Iesu Christe: so that this
worde gratis, frely, excludeth all the
merites of any worke of the law, fro~
faithe iustyfyenge, but not from the
faithfull iustified man. If this sayenge
be sclaunderouse to meryte, so
be Hierome and Austen great sclanderers
of Meryte, whiche constantelye
affyrme agaynst the Pelagyans
man to haue no merytes. If thou
wylt (sayth Austen) be quite & voide

6

of grace, bost thy merites. And god
croneth his owne giftes, and not thy
merites. And the scriptures affirme
euery where all rewarde celestiall to
be geuen vs oute of the free mercye
of god for christes sake, and not for
any of our merites, Ye myght haue
sene it clearely, yf ignorau~ce & malice
had not blyndened you, by the so manye
mighty argumentes made of
Paule. ex conte~tione, of these contraries:
workes and grace, merite and
free gyfte, ryghtewysenesse of the
lawe and of faith, from vncertaine
to certaine, from to haue any thinge
of grace, and of dewtye deserued, fro~
the waueringe infirme vnperfit deades
of the lawe, to the ferme promise
receiued by faith, that merites and
grace, ne faith and workes beynge
so contrary in this cause of conte~cio~
can neuer be co~currant into one, and
the same acte of our iustificacion.
The scripture holly consenteth that
all our beste workes of the lawe be

sinne & filthy, & therfore not to haue
that dignitie to deserue remission of
sinnes, as I haue sufficientlye proued
it in my co~futatio~ of your false
articles, which ye haue not yet, ne ca~
disproue. The lawe is the wyll and
mynde of god, holy, spirituall, iuste,
and good, and requireth suche perfit
holy, and iust workes, as be not corrupte
ne stained with any carnall affect
of man, but suche workes were
there neuer perfourmed but onelye
of him, of whome the father testified
This is he in whome I am pleased
Wherfore man so longe as he is called
fleshe, can not deserue by doinge
the workes of the lawe. God promiseth
rewardes to the fulfyllers of ye
law, but because it is impossible for
man called fleshe to fulfyll it, therefore
he sent his sonne Christe to fulfyll
it, that his fulfyllynge by oure
faith apprehened, shulde be oures,
thus made of the father our rightewisenes,
our holynes, wysdome. &c.

And here I write it yet againe, that
ye laye so heuily to my charge. Euen
that god commaundeth to man, so
longe as he is called caro (whiche is
as longe as he lyueth) thinges impossible,
as Paule, and Christe, and
Austen testifieth saienge. Man hath
not in his power to be good, eather
not seynge for hys ignoraunce what
maner one he oughte to be, or els, if
he see it, yet is he not able to be suche
one, as he seeth him selfe to oughte
to be: And therefore sayeth he in many
places. God co~maundeth impossible
thinges to man, that he knowinge
his owne imperfection and impossibilite,
shuld seke helpe of him in
who~ is all perfection, & helpe in our
nede. And all to depresse mans arrogancy,
and to shewe him to hym selfe
to be but a synner, so to be saued only
by the grace and mercye of god and
not for his owne merites not to glorye
in our selues. Thus is the lawe
the vssher of ye scole to take vs forth

to christe, it sheweth vs our synnes,
it woundeth vs but healeth not, It
prouoketh vs by faith to seke helthe
in Christe, that all the glory myghte
be geue~ to the grace of god in Christ
Which geueth not his glory to any
other nether by participation, nor by
retaliacion. And then ye saye playne
contrarye to all your owne doctryne
in your hole boke thus.
Christes passion in the sight of god, is
(only) sufficient sacrifice for the sinne of
all the worlde, so ful and so perfite, as nedeth
not any addicion or suppleme~t of any
mannes desert to the appeacynge of gods
iuste wrath against man for synne.
By this exclusiue (onely) & youre
absolute speche, it shulde folow that
all men without faith, shulde be saued.
yea and without youre condicions
to. Ye shulde haue added therefore,
is onely sufficiente sacrifice to
the beleuers in him. But howe standeth
this peece with your so manye
good condycyons, so full of youre
workes to deserue your remyssyon?

which all, ye saye, be required to thattainement
of oure iustification. All
your principles, argumentes, reaso~s
autorities violently wrested, youre
collettes, versicles, with sancte marie
& omnium sanctorum meritis,
With sancta maria ora pro nobis,
sancte Georgie, with al your lyke papistry,
tend to the contrarye that ye
haue here sayd. For euen your owne
prophane vaine voice of your participation,
maketh christe but halfe a
deseruer, halfe a satisfier, and but a
party patched sauiour. For what is
it els to merite and to satisfiye (as ye
say) by participation, then to diuide
part or halfe to him, and part to vs.
It behouethe a lyer, euer to haue a
good memory, lest his wordes fight
against him self, compelled to vtter
his lyes with his owne mouthe, as
your selfe hath here done openly. Diuide
not gods essenciall indiuisible
names from him. Halt not thus (for
shame) with Baalts byshoppes into

both partes, as Ely the prophet forbiddeth
you, Eyther let christe be an
hole entire sufficient sauiour, deseruer
and satisfier for synne, or elles
none at all: Diuide not his glorye
to your synfull merites and satisfactions.
Christe is not diuided saithe
Paule. It was he that al alone trode
the wine presse in his bloudye robes
none of all the worlde to haue holpe~
him, I saie .lxiii.
Christ onely is our hope, only Christe
is our lyfe, our waye, onlye Christ is oure
sauiour, holly thorowly perfetly absolutely,
totally, entirely .&c.
If christ be suche one, then away
with all your meritinges, satisfaccions
contentacions for sinne, awaye
with all your condicions for thattainement
and enioyinge of the remission
and saluacion. Here may euery
reader see howe shamefully repugnant
is your doctrine
The contencion is not of the preciousnes
validite and effect of christes passyon
but of the vse of it.

C.

A goodly shameles shifte lo. Be
ye slypte now from theffect so sodenly
to the vse? Euen an euident token
of a gilty conscience, that mistrusteth
and is a fraide of his owne doctrine,
Do not the remission of oure sinnes
pertaine to the preciousenes of Christes
passion? Is it not the validite &
theffect therof that iustifieth and absoluteth
the beleuers from synne?
Saye ye not youre selfe firste of all.
Theffecte of Christes passion, requireth
a condicion? ye neuer saide the
vse thereof requireth the condicion.
Theffect therof was euer the marke
that ye dyd shote at, and I confuted
it. The contencion was euer betwixt
vs. whether by faith onely, or by workes
or by faith and workes together
ma~ is iustified, & at the same marke
yet bend ye al your feble ordina~ce in
this your declaracio~. And as for the
vse of Christes passio~ ye neuer spake
of tyl now for a shifte as one wery of
his false part. The vse therof presupposeth

the hauing therof whiche is
the iustification by onely faith. Whiche
once obtained we well vse it in yt
we reme~ber it wt perpetual thankes
geuing, lauding & praising our heaue~ly
father, thorow our sauior christ
for so ryche inestimable a benefite.
What faithful man doubted of this
vse after he had enioyed the gyfte?
And this vse of it, is the gift of god.
Nowe what contencion and matter
can ye moue or make of this vse? Except
ye wyll contende to shewe your
highe witte and wilye rethorike to
fynde a knotte in a rishe, as haue the
prouerbe. "In youre scole with Barnes
ye saye ye traueled to enstructe
him of the condicions before theffect
& agreed vpon faith to be one, & then
ye brought in mo co~dicio~s & workes
as to forgeue your neyghbor, & your
incorporacio~ into christ by baptisme
or returning to him by pena~ce. whiche
all, for that they go before the forgeuenes
(after you) they can not be ye
vse of the thinge not yet obtayned,

C.ii.

wherfore nether with hi~, ne in your
articles is there, ne coulde be any co~tention
of the vse of christes passion.
But I wyll by waye (as they saye)
of communication, admitte your cauillacion,
and trappe you in youre
owne wordes, thus saing in the next
syde of your lefe.
And we with the grace of god, doinge
the workes of penaunce, taste and fele the
passio~ of Christ, and as good men haue called
it meritinge and deseruinge to vse the
benefites of Christes passion.
Before ye were in the vse of christes
passion, and now ye be fledde to
the meriting to vse the benefites therof.
And this is your mistye maze ye
wold leade your readers into, more
to wonder at your highe lerninge &
wyly witte, not perceiued ne vnderstanden,
then to gette any frute ther
by. This is your iuglynge cast with
your wide wordes of (use, and meritinge
to vse) as ye iugled with your
confuse condicio~ so ful of your yong
condicions. Nowe euerye man seeth

the benefites of Christes passion to
be infinite and innumerable, and
euerye one to haue his proper vse
And thus haue ye broughte vs
into a confuse wylde wyldernesse
wherin ye maye with your wilye romyshe
foxe, wynde your self into many
perplexe wayes as into an C. angles.
Amonge therfore so manye benefites,
for youre pleasure, to take
your course with your worde (vse)
let ye remission of our sinnes in christ
by faith (if it so lyke you) be one of
these benefites. To vse a benefit wel,
is to encrease it, remember and acknowledge
it with thankes geuing
dailye to thautor therof. This vse
we must deserue with the workes of
penaunce (saye you) ere we haue the
benefit vsed: a goodly godly dreame
lo. I had wende that the vse of this
benefite, as to acknowledge it, to remember
it, to encreace it, & to tha~ke
god, had ben also the giftes of hym
that saith, without me ye can do nothinge,

C.iii.

no not so muche as to thinke
wel, to wil wel, or to begin any good
worke: Or els after you & your good
men, these benefites we must deserue
to vse them with ye worke of penau~ce
Now hath penance hir vse, ergo we
must wt a nother former worke deserue
the vse of penau~ce, and so with
a nother former to deserue that vse, &
thus haue ye brought vs by your fo~d
dreme into your infinite intricate &
endeles maze of your meriting to vse
If (ye say) I obserue not how charyly
ye speke, saieng thus. And we wt the
grace of god doi~g ye workes of pena~ce
tast & fele ye passion. Uerely I so obserue
it, yt I se it maketh against your
self. For christes passio~ is tasted & felt
by faith. And god geueth no ma~ such
a grace as by workes to deserue another
grace, for so shulde he make his
grace no grace, as Paule proueth it.
Rom .xi. Then ye saye addynge.
And by the strength of christes passion we
deserue to do penaunce for synne.
This tale repugneth to the former

head sentence. For there penau~ce deserued
to tast christes passion: & here
by christes passio~ we deserue to do penau~ce,
here is wondres shiftinge wt
these two thi~ges one to deserue ye tother,
now by pena~ce to deserue to tast
the passion & anon by the strenght of
the passion to deserue to do penance.
Suche is the inco~stant doctrine of ye
vnlerned papists, plaing for to hole
wt their penaunce & christes passion.
Ye know well yt christes passion not
tasted by faith profiteth nothi~g at al
ye infidele turke or false christian, but
is the fauour of death vnto death to
the~. And how then can ye by ye stre~gth
of it do penaunce before it be tasted,
by faith? ye said first that penaunce
goth before ye tast: ergo that penance
before faith tasting the passion ca~ be
but a sower and an vnsauery pena~ce
eue~ such one as was in Esau Iudas
& in the turkes penaunce, whiche yet
haue not by faith tasted ye swete sauor
of their forgiuenes in christes passio~

C.iiii.

And euen this lo, is your popysh penaunce
ye wolde teache before fayth
iustifieng. Now then sith there be so
many workes, and partes of youre
popish penaunce, tell vs playnly by
whiche parte or worke of youre penaunce,
taste & fele ye christes passion?
nether by youre broken contricions
and attricions neuer healed, ne
by your neuer satisfyed satisfactions
ne satispassions in your purgatorye,
ne by yours to skant contentacions
or whisperinge dome absolutions,
ne by your auricular confessions, hauynge
not one worde ne promyse of
God to tast so great a benefite, do ye
taste and fele Christes passion, or by
whiche worke of youre penaunce enioyned
vnto your gostly children do
they taste it? I haue herde (the more
shame it is) your ghostly fathers in
their auriclar confessions to haue tasted
and groped ryght knauyshelye
their goostly. But neuer therby to
haue tasted Christes passion. For yt

onely so bitter cup, none tasted therby
so to merite but Christ, and yet ye
skof, with
potestis bibere calicem.
&c. Maye ye drinke the cuppe whiche
I shall drinke? It appearethe
here by your wordes, sayenge, It to
be necessarye some to taste and fele
of Chrystes passyon by youre penaunce
and alledginge of the texte, yt
ye neuer tasted it your selfe, ne tasted
the true vnderstandyng of Christes
wordes, by
potestis bibere calice~.
&c
Iudas dyd all youre workes of penaunce.
He came and confessed openly,
(which agreeth better with gods
worde then auricularly) his sinne to
the highe byshops your predicessors
he made restitution to them of the
monye, which they gaue him to betraye
Christe, he was heuye, contrite
and attrite. They gaue him their absolution
with.
Quid ad nos? what is
that to vs? if thou hast betrayed the
iust bloud.
Tu videris.
Take hede to
thy nowne charge, and let vs alone.

And yet so farre was Iudas from ye
taste of christes passion, for all these
his & your workes of penaunce that
of a desperate mynde he hanged him
selfe. And wherfore came Iudas wt
his & this your penau~ce to this wretched
ende? verely because it proceded
not oute of the roote of faithe in
Christe ne of the knoweledge of the
mercy of god in Chryste, oute of the
whiche faith and knoweledge what
penance or worke soeuer procedethe
not, it is syn. And yet wil you so i~pudently
co~tend & sweat for your workes
of your pena~ce to go before faith
iustifyeng, & to merite ye fayth where
by we taste and fele Christes passion
and the remissio~ of our synnes. Here
is holsome doctrine that ye teache.
"Ye saye good men haue called penaunce
meritinge and deseruing to
vse the benefites of christes passion.
Euen suche good papistes as ye be
to restore your misteres, merit meretrix
to hir spirituall spouse the pope

and to you againe. If your penau~ce
shulde deserue to vse these benefites
of christes passion, so shuld one dede
and euer the worse dede deserue to
do a better (a wise doctryne, I warraunt
you) sette in a circle withoute
hed & taile, ye shuld loke vpo~ ye scriptures
rather the~ on your good pope
holy men. Which scriptures tel vs, yt
al our best dedes be corrupt & filtheli
stained wt sinne, so yt they be not able
nether to deserue any reward gostly
ne to sustaine ye iudgement of god,
but will condempne you before hym
so farre of be thei to merite. And ther
for said Auste~. Thy good workes ar
ye giftes of god lest y=u= shuldest thinke
the~ to be thy merites. It is not in the
willer nor doer to wyll or to do well
but it belongeth to the mercy & grace
of god preue~ti~g thy wil wt his grace
to do good. what is it yt god biddeth
vs to do but he biddethe vs to aske
grace of him to do the same, telli~g vs
plainly yt if it were in our power to

do it, so were it no nede for vs to ask
the doyng therof. For no man asketh
the thinge which he hath.
Penaunce hath ben called lykewise satisfaccion,
as wherin man satisfieth, that is
contenteth God.
It hath ben lykewise so called in
dede, euen of lyke papists, with lyke
autoritie out of no scripture, but like
wise against gods worde in like blasphemye
to christes merites, and his
satisfaccions. To satisfye is to content
god, ye saye. And here ye make a
sodaine stoppe, ye shuld haue added
boldely, to content god for synne, as
ye saye in your boke of your necessary
enstructions, affirminge that it declareth
"a desire in man, to co~tent god
his father for his synne." And yet in
the same boke, as in this, ye say clene
contrary. That chryste onelye is the
sufficiente, ful and perfit satisfaction
for sinne, which is the truth. The fathers
almyghty voice so testifienge
of Christe, to be his derely beloued
sonne for whose sake onely he is contented,

satisfied, and appeared. God
geue ye grace once to euomite these
antichriste~ popish blasphemies, & to
know christes onely sufficient satisfaccion
and merites for your sinnes.
If you coulde satisfye and contente
the iustice of god againste your synnes
with your rightwisenes of workes,
so were Christe deade for you in
vayne. Paule to witnes. gala. ii. neyther
were you subiecte to the rightewisenes
of god. Rom. x. But yet happy
is your sely satisfaction, that she
hath gotten hir a newe name called
now (co~te~tacio~). The fathers iustice
coulde not haue ben contented with
man, vntyll one had contented and
satisfied him, fulfyllinge the whole
lawe in euery poynte, but suche one
was onely that innocent lambe oure
sauiour Christ, as testifieth the scripture.
wherefore awaye for shame, wt
your counterfaited contentacio~, and
with youre synfull satisfactions to.
And at laste to wynde vp youre tale

of merites, ye bringe vs in a blynde
collet out of your popishe portewes,
with. Meritis & precibus beate Marie
& omnium sanctorum. by ye merites
and prayers of blessed marye, and of
all saintes, for wante of scriptures.
Peter byddeth you to speake and
alledge the scriptures, for your doctrine,
Therout to geue a rekeninge
thereof. For the ferme worde of God
muste assewer vs of the true doctryne
and not the deade dreames of
lyenge men.
That thynge whyche I commaund
the to do or to say, do it saith the lord
Deuteronomii. xii. nether shalt thou
adde to, ne minishe any thynge therof.
Nether wyll we receiue of you any
thinge in thys contencion which
the worde of god hathe not or with
the worde fighteth, yea shulde there
an aungel out of heuen affyrme it.
God hathe sufficientlye shewed it by
Nadab and Abiu, Leuiti. x, where he
wolde not anye straunge fyer to be

offred vpon his altare nor broughte
into his temple, but vehemently dyd
he so abhorre humane tradicions &
mennes deade dreames, that with
their owne straunge fyer he destroyed
them as he shall destroye you and
confounde you with youre owne
straunge doctryne, as in this your
declaration it shalbe sufficiently declared.