The idle papists are preferred by ceremo nies. Yea, and how cometh it that a poor layman having wife and twenty children, and not able to find them, though all his neighbours know his necessity, shall not get with begging for Christ's sake in a long summer's day enough to keep them two days honestly; when, if a disguised monster come, he shall, with an hour's lying in the pulpit, get enough to find thirty or forty sturdy lubbers a month long, of which the weakest shall be as strong in the belly when he cometh unto the manger, as the mightiest porter in the weigh house, or best courser that is in the king's stable. Is there any other cause than disguising and ceremonies ? For the deeds of the ceremonies, we count better than the deeds which God commandeth to be done to our neighbour at his need; who thinketh it as good a deed to feed the poor, as to stick up a candle before a post, or as to sprinkle himself with holy water? neither is it possible to be otherwise, as long as the signification is lost. For what other thing can the people think, than that such deeds be ordained of God, and because as it is evident, they serve not our neighbour's need; to be referred unto the person of God, and he, though he be a spirit, yet served therewith? And then he cannot but forth on dispute in his blind reason, God is greater than man, so is that deed that is appointed to serve God, greater than that which serveth man. And that when it is not possible to think them ordained for superstinought, what can I otherwise think than that they were ordained to justify; and that I should be holy thereby, according to the pope's doctrine, as though God were better pleased when I sprinkled myself with water, or set up a candle before a block; than if I fed or clothed, or holp at his need him whom he so tenderly loveth, that he gave his own son unto the death for him, and commandeth me to love him as myself? that as And when the people began to run that way, the prelates were glad, and holp to heave after with subtle allegories and falsifying the Scripture; and went and hallowed As long as signification of the we had the ceremo nies, so long they able; but the signification be were suffer ing gone, the ceremois mere ny tion. When the people by ignorance waxed su then the clergy holp them forward with falsifying the Scripture. perstitious, the ceremonies, to make them more worshipful, that the lay people should have them in greater estimation and honour; and to be afraid to touch them for reverence unto the holy charm that was said over them, and affirmed also that Christ's death had purchased such grace unto the ceremonies to forgive sin, and to justify. O monster, Christ's death purchased grace for man's soul, to repent of evil, and to believe in Christ for remission of sin, and to love the law of God, and his neighbour as himself, which is the true worshipping of God in the spirit, and he died not to purchase such honour unto unsensible things, that man to his dishonour should do them honourable service, and receive his salvation of them. Christ's death purchased grace for man's soul. This I have declared unto you, that ye might see and feel every thing sensibly. For I intend not to lead you in darkness. Neither though twice two cranes make not four wild geese, would I therefore that he should believe that twice two made not four. Neither intend I to prove unto you, that Paul's steeple is the cause why Tenterden Thames is broke in about Erith, or that Tenterden steeple steeple. is the cause of the decay of Sandwich haven, as M. More jesteth. Nevertheless, this I would were persuaded unto you (as it is true) that the building of them and such like, through the false faith that we have in them, is the decay of all the havens in England, and of all the cities, towns, high-ways, and shortly of the whole commonwealth. For since these false monsters crope up into our consciences, and robbed us of our Saviour Christ, making us believe in such pope-holy works; and to think that there was none other way unto heaven, we have not ceased to build them abbies, cloisters, colleges, and religi- chauntries, and cathedral churches with high steeples, striving and envying one another, who should do most. And as for the deeds that pertain unto our neighbours, and unto the commonwealth, we have not regarded at all, as things which seemed no holy works, or such as God The build ing of abbies, cloisters, ous houses have been a great decay to the good state of this realm. would not once look upon. And therefore we left them THE SOLUTIONS AND ANSWERS UNTO M. IN the first chapter, to begin the book withal, to bring you good luck, and to give you a say or a taste, what truth shall follow, he feigneth a letter sent from no man. THE SECOND CHAPTER. ping. IN the second chapter, besides that it is untrue, this Worshipuse to have been ever since the time of the apostles, he maketh many sophistical reasons about worshiping of saints, relicks, and images, and yet declareth not with what worship, but juggleth with the term in common, as he doth with this word church, and this word faith, when the words have divers significations: for all faiths are not one manner [of] faith, and so forth, and therefore he beguileth a man's understanding. As if a man said, The boy's will was good to have given his father a blow, and another would infer, that a good will could be no sin, and conclude that a man might lawfully smite Subtle juggling and words, True wor shipping of saints. True worshipping of God. Bodily exercise. his father. Now is good will taken in one sense in the than he is, or had more pleasure than he hath, is of a worldly imagination. And all the spirits that be in heaven are in as good case as they can be, and have all the delectation they can have, and therefore to wish them in a better case, or to study to do them more pleasure than they have, is fleshlyminded popishness. The pleasure of them that be in heaven is, that we hearken to God and keep his commandments, which when we do, they have all the pleasure that they can have in us. If in this life I suffer hell gladly, to win my brother, to follow God, how much more if I were in heaven should I rejoice that he so did? If in this world when I have need of my neighbour, by the reason of mine infirmities, yet I seek nought of him, save his wealth only, what other thing should I seek of him, if I were in heaven, where he can do me no service, nor I use any pleasure that he can do me? They that ven do chiefly desire that are in hea we hearken to God, and do his will. All popish imagina tions are idolatry. THE devil desired to have his imaginations worshipped as God, and his popish children desire the same, and compel men so to honour them, and of their devilish nature describe they both God and his saints. And therefore I say, all such fleshly imaginations, as to fast the Wednesday in the worship of St. John, or of St. Catharine, or what saint it be, or to fast saints' eves, or to go a pilgrimage unto their images, or to offer to them, to do them pleasure, thinking thereby to obtain their favour and to make special advocates of them, as a man would win the favour of another with presents and gifts, and thinking that if we did it not, they would be angry, are plain idolatry and image service, for the saint delighteth in no such. And when thou stickest up a candle before the image, thou Candles. mightest with as good reason make an hollow belly in the image and pour in meat and drink. For as the saint neither eateth nor drinketh, so hath he no bodily eyes to delight in the light of a candle. Another is this, God giveth not the promises that are |