selfe; and there openly read his abjuration, and subscribed it, and delivered it to the bishop, which then did absolve him: and for his penance enjoyned him, that he should abide in the prison, appointed by the cardinall, till he were by him released and moreover the next day he should goe before the procession, in the cathedrail church of S. Paul, bare-headed, with a fagot on his shoulder, and should stand before the preacher at Pauls Crosse,

all the sermon time.

convicted; that is to say, that men should pray only to God, and to no saints. Item, that christian men ought to worship God and no saints. Item, that christian men ought to set up no lights before images of saints. Item, that men do not well to go on pilgrimages. Item, that man in no wise can merit by his own deeds. Item, that miracles daily shewed, be wrought by the devil by the sufferance of God. Item, that no pope has such power and authority as Peter had, except he be of like purity of life and perfection as Peter was. And in these articles, and in all other, I here expressly consent unto our mother the holy church of Rome, and apostolick doctrine of the same, and both in mouth and heart make knowledge, that whosoever hereafter doth preach, teach, or affirm, any of these articles, or any other heresies, contrary to the determination of the holy church, is worthy to be excluded from the communion of the same. And in case hereafter I do teach, preach, hold, or affirm any of these foresaid heresies, or any other, contrary to the determination of holy church, which by the grace of God I intend never to do, then I shall submit myself to the correction of my ordinary, according to the holy canons and for these my trespasses and offences, I desire of you penance, which I promise by these holy evangelists and contents of this book by me bodily touched, truly to do, observe and fulfill. In witness whereof, to this my present abjuration, I have subscribed my name with my hand, and set to the sign of the cross."

To

To the Reverend Father in Christ, Cuthbert, Bishop of London, Thomas Bilney wisheth Health in Christ, with all Submission due unto such a Prelate.

"In this behalfe (most reverend father in Christ) I thinke myselfe most happie, that it is my chance to be called to examination before your reverence, for that you are of such wisdom and learning, of such integritie of life (which all men doe confesse to be in you) that even your selfe cannot chuse (if yee doe not too lightly esteeme Gods gifts in you) as often as you shall remember the great things which God hath done unto you, but straightwaies secretly in your heart, to his high praise, say: Ile that is mightie hath done great things unto me, and holy is his name. I rejoyce, that I have now happened upon such a Judge, and with all my heart give thanks unto God, which ruleth all things.

"And albeit (God is my witnesse) I know not my selfe guiltie of any errour in my sermons, neither of any heresie or sedition, which divers doe slander mee of, seeking rather their owne lucre and advantage, than the health of soules; notwithstanding I doe exceedingly rejoyce, that it is foreseene by Gods divine providence, that I should bee brought before the tribunall seat of Tonstall, who knoweth as well as any other, that there will never be wanting Jannes and Jambres, which will resist the truth; that there shall never bee lacking some Elymas, which will goe about to subvert the straight waies of the Lord; and finallie, that some

2 Some Elymas Acts, chap. 13. Pythonissa. Acts 16. Nicolaite. Apocap. 2. Fox.

Demetrius,

Demetrius, Pithonisse, Balaams, Nicolaites, Cains, and Ismaels, will be alwaies at hand, which will greedilie hunt and seeke after that which pertaineth unto themselves, and not that which pertaineth to Jesus Christ. How can it then bee, that they can suffer Christ to be truelie and sincerelie preached? For if the people begin once whollie in every place, to put their confidence in Christ, which was for them crucified, then straightwaies that which they have hitherto imbraced instead of Christ shall utterly decay in the hearts of the faithfull. Then they shall understand that Christ is not in this place, or in that place, but the kingdome of God to bee in themselves. Then shall they plainely see that the father is not to be worshipped, neither in the mount of Samaria, neither at Hierusalem, but in all places, in spirit and truth. Which thing if it come once to passe, the beasts of the field will thinke all their gain and lucre lost. In whom the saying of Ezechiel (Ezech. 34.) is fulfilled; My sheepe are dispersed because they had no shepheard, and are devoured of the beasts of the field, and straied abroad: my flocke hath erred and wandred in every mountaine, and upon every high hill, and is dispersed thorowout all the earth, and there is no man which hath sought to gather them together: no, there was no man which once sought after them. But if any man would seeke to reduce those which were gone astray, into the fold of Christ, that is, the unitie of faith; by and by, there rise up certaine against him, which are named pastors, but indeed are wolves, which seeke no other thing of their flocke, but the milke, wooll, and fell, leaving both their owne soules, and the soules of their flocke unto the divell.

"These men, I say, rise up like unto Demetrius, crying out, This hereticke disswadeth and

seduceth

seduceth much people every where, saying, That they are not gods, which are made with hands, (Acts 19.) These are they, these I say (most reverend father) are they, which under the pretence of persecuting heretikes, follow their owne licentious life: enemies unto the crosse of Christ, which can suffer and beare any thing rather, than the sincere preaching of Christ crucified for our sinnes. These are they unto whom Christ threatneth eternall damnation, where he saith, Voe bee unto you scribes, pharisies, and hypocrites, which shut up the kingdome of heaven before men, and you yourselves enter not in, neither suffer those which would enter, to comę in. These are they which have come in another way, to the charge of soules, as it appeareth. For if any man (saith Christ) come in by me, he shall be saved, and shall come in and goe out, and find pasture, (John 10). These men doe not find pasture (for they never teach) and draw others after them, that they should enter by Christ, which alone is the doore, whereby wee must come unto the father: but set before the people another way3, perswading

them

3 Set before the people another way.] This is illustrated by a passage from another letter of Bilney to bishop Tonstal. "But here, whether Christ have been a long time heard, I know not, for that I have not heard all the preachers of England; and if I had heard them, yet til it was within this yeere or two, I could not sufficiently judge of them. But this I dare be bold to affirme, that as many as I have heard of late preach, (I speake even of the most famous) they have preached such repentance, that if I had heard such preachers of repentance in times past, I should utterlie have been in despaire, And to speak of one of those famous men (not uttering his name): after he had sharpely inveighed against vice, wherein he pleased every godly man, forsomuch as it could not bee sufficientlie cried out upon, hee concluded; Behold, (said he), thou hast lien rotten in thine owne lusts, by the space of these sixty yecres, even as a beast in his owne dung, and wilt thou presume

them to come unto God through good works, of tentimes speaking nothing at all of Christ, thereby seeking rather their own gaine and lutre, than the salvation of soules in this point being worse than they which upon Christ being the foundation, doe build wood, hay, and straw. These men confesse that they know Christ, but by their deeds they deny him.

"These are those Physitions, upon whom that woman which was twelve yeeres vexed with the bloudie flixe, had consumed all that shee had, and felt no helpe, but was still worse and worse, untill such time as at the last, shee came unto Christ, and after shee had once touched the hem of his vesture through faith, shee was so healed, that by and by she felt the same in her bodie. O mightie power of the most highest! which I also miserable sinner have often tasted and felt. Which before that I could come unto Christ, had even likewise spent all that I had upon those ignorant physitions, that is to say, unlearned hearers of confession, so that there was but small force of strength left in me, (which of nature was but weake) small store of mony, and very little wit or understanding: for they appointed mee fastings, watching, buying of pardons, and masses: in all which things (as I now understand) they sought rather their owne gaine, than the salvation of my sicke and languishing

soule.

in one yeere to go forward toward heaven, and that in thine age, as much as thou wentest backwards from heaven towards hell in sixty yeeres?Is not this think you a goodly argument? Is this the preaching of repentance in the name of Jesus? Or rather, to tread downe Christ with Anti-Christ's doctrine? For what other thing did he speak in effect, than that Christ died in vaine for thee? He will not be thy Jesus or Saviour: thou must make satisfaction for thyself, or else thou shalt perish eternallie." Fox's Acts, p. 918. "But