whoring with their hill altars, for what cause I pray you did the prophetes rebuke the people so much, as for their false worshipping of God after their owne mindes, and not after Gods word? For what was so much as that was? Wherefore the false prophetes ceased not to maligne the true prophetes of God: therefore they beate them, they banished them, &c. How else I pray you can you understand that saint Paule alleadgeth, when hee saieth, what concord hath Christ with Beliall? either what part hath the beleever with the infidell? or how agreeth the temple of God with images? for yee are the temple of the living God, as GOD himselfe hath sayde; I will dwell among them, and will bee their God, and they shall bee my people: wherefore, come out from among them, and separate your selves from them (sayeth the Lord) and touch none uncleane thing: so will I receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sonnes and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Judith, that holie woman, would not suffer her selfe to be defiled with the meates of the wicked. All the saints of God which truely feared God, when they have beene provoked to doe any thing which they knew to be contrary to Gods lawes, have chosen to die, rather than to forsake the lawes of their God. Wherefore the Maccabees put themselves in danger of death for the defence of the law, yea and at length died manfully in the defence of the same. If we doe praise (sayth S. Augustine) the Machabees, and that with great admiration, because they did stoutly stand even unto death, for the lawes of their country; how much more ought we to suffer all things for our baptisme, for the sacrament of the bodie and bloud of Christ? &c. But the supper of the Lord, such a one (I meane) as Christ commandeth us to celebrate, the masse utterlie abolisheth, and corrupteth most shamefully.

H. Latimer. Who am I that I should adde any thing to this which you have so well spoken? Nay, I rather thanke you, that you have vouchsafed to minister so plentifull armour to me, being otherwise altogether unarmed, saving that hee cannot bee left destitute of helpe, which rightly trusteth in the helpe of God. I only learne to die in reading of the New Testament, and am ever now and then praying unto my God, that he will be an helper unto me in time of need.

Anto. object. 13. Seeing you are so obstinately set against the masse, that you will affirme, (because it is done in a tongue

not understanded of the people, and for other causes, I cannot tell what, therefore) it is not the true sacrament ordained of Christ; I begin to suspect you, that you think not catholickely of baptisme also. Is our baptisme which we doe use in a tongue unknowne to the people, the true baptisme of Christ or no? If it be, then doth not the strange tongue hurt the masse. If it be not the baptisme of Christ, tell me how you were baptised? Or whether will yee (as the anabaptists doe) that all which were baptised in Latin, should bee baptised againe in the English tongue?

M. Ridleyes answer. Although I would wish baptisme to be given in the vulgar tongue for the peoples sake which are present, that they may the better understand their owne profession, and also be more able to teach their children the same, yet notwithstanding there is not like necessity of the vulgar tongue in baptisme, and in the Lords supper. Baptisme is given to children, who by reason of their age are not able to understand what is spoken unto them, what tongue soever it be. The Lords supper is, and ought to be given to them that are waxen. Moreover, in

8 The better understand.] Thus in a Supplication of the Poor Commons, presented to king Henry VIII. in the last year of his reign, the suppliants complain against the clergy: "They baptize our children in the Latin tongue, bidding us say volo, and credo, when we know not what it is they demand of us. By this means it is brought to pass, that we know not what we promise in our baptism; but superstitiously we think, that the holiness of the words, which sound so strangely in our ears, and of the water that is so oft crossed, is the doing of all the matter. Yea, we think that if our children be well plunged in the font, they shall be healthfull in all their limbs ever after. But if they suffer by any misadventure, or have any hurt in any of their members, incontinently we lay the fault, thinking that member was not well christened." Strype's Eccles. Memor. vol. i. p. 402.

"Aske the people what they understand by their baptisme, and thou shalt see that they beleve how that the very plunging into the water saveth them : by the promises, they know not what is signified thereby. Baptism is called volowing in many places of England, because the priest sayth Volo, say ye.' The childe was well volowed (they say); yea and our vicar is as fayre a volower as ever a priest within this twenty miles.

"Beholde howe narrowly the people looke on the ceremony. If ought be left out, or if the childe be not altogether dipt in the water, or if, because the childe is sicke, the priest dare not plunge him into the water, but pours water on his head, how tremble they! How quake they! How say ye, Sir John (say they), is this childe christened enough? Hath it his full Christendome?" Tindal's Obedience of a Christian Man. Works, p. 153.

baptisme which is accustomed to be given to children in the Latine tongue, all the substantiall points (as a man would say) which Christ commanded to be done, are observed. And therefore I judge that baptisme to be a perfect and true baptisme: and that it is not onely not needfull, but also not lawful for any man so christened, to be christened againe. But yet notwithstanding, they ought to be taught the catechisme of the Christian faith, when they shall come to yeares of discretion which catechisme whosoever despiseth, or will not desirously imbrace and willinglie learne, in my judgement he playeth not the part of a Christian man.—But in the popish masse are wanting certaine substantials, that is to say, thinges commanded by the word of God to be observed in the ministration of the Lords supper: of the which there is sufficient declaration made before.

H. Latimer. Where you say (I would wish) surely I would wish, that you had spoken more vehemently, and to have saide it is of necessitie, that all things in the congregation should be done in the vulgar tongue, for the edifying and comfort of them that are present, notwithstanding that the childe it selfe is sufficientlie baptised in the Latine tongue.

Anto. object. 14. Forasmuch as I perceive you are so stiffely, I will not say obstinately bent, and so wedded to your opinion, that no gentle exhortations, no wholsome counsels, no other kind of meanes can call you home to a better mind, there remaineth that which in like cases was wont to be the onlie remedie against stiffnecked and stubborne persons, that is, you must be hammered by the lawes, and compelled either to obey whether ye will or no, or else to suffer that, which a rebell to the lawes ought to suffer. Doe you not know that whosoever refuseth to obey the lawes of the realme, hee bewrayeth himselfe to be an enemie to his country? Doe you not know that this is the readiest way to stir up sedition, and civill warre? It is better that you should beare your owne sinne, than that through the example of your breach of the common lawes the common quiet should bee disturbed. How can you say, you will be the queenes true subject, when as you doe openlie professe that you will not keepe her lawes?

M. Ridleyes answer. O heavenly Father, the father of all wisedome, understanding and true strength, I beseech thee for thy onlie son our saviour Christes sake, looke mercifully upon mee wretched creature, and send thine holy Spirit into my breast, that not onely I may understand according to thy wisedome, how

this pestilent and deadlie dart is to be borne off, and with what answere it is to be beaten backe, but also when I must joyne to fight the field for the glorie of thy name, that then I being strengthened with the defence of thy right hand, may manfully stand in the confession of thy faith, and of thy truth, and continue in the same unto the ende of my life, through the same our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now to the objection.-I grant it to be reasonable, that hee which by words and gentlenes can not be made to yeeld to that is right and good, should be brideled by the streit correction of the lawes that is to say, he that will not be subject to Gods word, must be punished by the lawes. It is true that is commonlie said: Hee that will not obey the gospell, must be tamed and taught by the rigour of the lawe. But these thinges ought to take place against him, which refuseth to doe that is right and just, according to true godlinesse; not against him, which cannot quietlie beare superstitions, but doth hate and detest from his heart such kind of proceedings, and that for the glorie of the name of God. To that which ye saie, a transgressour of the common lawes bewraieth himselfe to be an enemie of his countrey, surely a man ought to looke unto the nature of the lawes, what manner of lawes they be which are broken. For a faithful Christian ought not to thinke alike of all manner of lawes. But that saying ought onely truely to be understanded of such lawes as be not contrarie to Gods word. Otherwise, whosoever love their countrey in truth (that is to say in God) they will alwaies judge (if at anie time the lawes of God and man be the one contrarie to the other) that a man ought rather to obey God than man. And they that thinke otherwise, and pretend a love to their countrey, forsomuch as they make their countrey to fight as it were against God, in whom consisteth the onlie stay of that countrey, surely I doe thinke that such are to be judged most deadly enemies, and traytors to their country. For they that fight against God, which is the safetie of their countrey, what do they else but go about to bring upon their countrey a present ruine and destruction? But they that doe so are worthy to be judged enemies to their countrey, and betrayers of the realme. Therefore, &c.

But this is the readiest way (yee saie) to stir up sedition, to trouble the quiet of the common wealth therefore are these thinges to be repressed in time, by force of lawes. Behold,

:

Sathan doth not cease to practise his old guiles, and accustomed subtleties. He hath ever this dart in a readines to hurle against his adversaries, to accuse them of sedition, that he may bring them (if he can) in danger of the higher powers. For so hath he by his ministers alwaies charged the prophets of GOD. Achabe saide unto Elias, art thou hee that troubleth Israell? The false prophets also complained to their princes of Jeremie, that his words were seditious and not to be suffered. Did not the Scribes and Pharisies falselie accuse Christ as a seditious person, and one that spake against Cæsar? Did they not at the last cry, if thou let this man go, you are not Cesars friend? The oratour Tertullus, how doth hee accuse Paule before Felix the high deputie? We have found this man, sayeth he, a pestilent fellow and a stirrer of sedition unto all the Jewes in the whole world, &c. But I pray you were these men, as they were called, seditious persons? Christ, Paul, and the prophets? God forbid. But they were of false men falsely accused. And wherefore I pray you, but because they reprooved before the people their guiles, superstition and deceits? And when the other could not beare it, and would gladlie have had them taken out of the way, they accused them as seditious persons, and troublers of the common wealth, that being by this meanes made hatefull to the people and princes, they might the more easilie bee snatched up to be tormented, and put to death. But how farre they were from all seditions, their whole doctrine, life, and conversation doth well declare.

For that which was objected last of all, that he cannot be a faithfull subject to his prince, which professeth openlie that he will not observe the lawes which the princes hath made: here I would wish that I might have an indifferent judge, and one that feareth God, to whose judgement in this cause I promise I will stand. I answere therfore, a man ought to obey his prince, but in the Lord, and never against the Lord. For hee that knowingly obeyeth his prince against God, doth not a dutie to the prince, but is a deceiver of the prince and an helper unto him to work his owne destruction. He is also unjust which giveth not to the prince, that which is the princes, and to God that is Gods. Here commeth to my remembrance, that notable saying of Valentinianus the emperour for choosing the bishop of Millaine. Set him' (saith he) in the bishoppes seate, to whom if wee (as man)