Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/144



to such, trusting full to Gods mercie, and that he forgiues thy sinne. Vnde August, de conse. distinct. 4. 'Nemo tollit peccata mundi nisi solus Christus qui est agnus, tollens peccata mundi.'

The 7. article is this: That I should say that lower curates haue not here power of binding and assoiling, by meane of pope and bishop, but of Christ without money; and therefore neither pope no bishop may reuoke such maner power for time and place at her will.

Thus said I not, but not for thy it seemes me thus, that no man should graunt anie thing after his owne will, ghostlie, ne bodilie. But euerich man should be well aduiset, that hee graunt nothing but if it be the will of God that he so graunt it. And it is no doubt that ne God grauntes by meane persons, as does Antichrist to torment Christes people. Vnde et loh. 19. 'Ait Pilatus. Nescis quia potestatem habeo dimittere te?' Et Christus. 'Non haberes potestatem aduersum me vllam, nisi esset tibi datum desuper.'

The 8. article, that our bishop puts me to, is this: That I should say that the pope may not graunt such maner indulgence of yeares; for there shall not be so manie yeares unto the daie of doome, as bene conteined in his buls, or in the popes indulgences: whereof it followes that indulgences bene not so much worth as they semen and bene preached.

This article I saide not thus; but I say that the pope may graunt indulgences written in his letter of yeares, all so far forth that he may graunt him in Gods law: so far to graunt, and farther not: yeares may he graunt no mo then God hath set. If indulgence ben forgiuenesse of sinne, I wot well all onely God forgiues sinne. If it bee releasing of paines in purgatorie ordeinet of God, if God haue bidden him release so many, or ordeined that hee should release so manie, he may then release hem: yet if it be in his owne disposing to release whom him likes, and howe much, then he may destroy purgatorie, and let none come there, and release his own pain, as charitie wots. So it seemes he may be liker to be saued, if himselfe list. If anie go to purgatorie, then it seemes hee full failes charitie. If buls ben the indulgence that men bringen from the court, then ben they not so much worth, as they costen there; for lightlie they might bee lost, drenched, or brent, or a rat might eaten them: his indulgence then were lost. Therefore sire, haue me excuset, I know not these termes: teach me these termes by Gods law, and truely I will learne hem.

The 9. article is this that I should haue said: That it is not in the popes power to graunt to any man (doing penance) remission from paine, ne from blame.

Leude I am, but this article said I not thus leudly: but thus I say, that sithen it is onlie due to God to giue and to graunt plenarie remission from paines and from blame, that what euer he be, pope or other, that presumptuouslie mistakes vpon him that power that is onlie due to God; in that (in as much as in him is) he makes himselfe Christ, and blasphemeth in God, as Lucifer did, when he said: 'Ascendam et ero similis Altissimo.' Farther I say, if the pope holde men of armes, in mainteining his temporalties and lordship to venge him on hem that gilten and offenden him, and geues remission to fight and to slay hem that contrarien hem, as men sayden he did by the bishop of Norwich, not putting his swerd into his sheath, as God commanded Peter. 'Mitte,' &c. he is Antichristus, for he dos contrarie to the commandementes of Jesus, y$t$ bade Peter forgiue to his brother seuentie sithe seuen sithe. 'Si peccauerit in me frater meus, quotiens dimittam ei? Septies?' &c. ' Et Christus: Non dico tibi septies, sed septuagesies septies.'

The 10. article is this, that our bishop puts to me: That I should haue said: that a man geuing his almes to anie man after his dome (not hauing need), sinnes, in so giuing.

This article soothlie I saide not in these termes; but of this matter I haue spoken, and will, with protestation made before, on this wise: that it is medefull to giue almes to ich man that asketh it bodily or ghostlie, but not to giue to ich shamelesse begger, strong and mightie of bodie to get his lifeloode leuefull and will not; and in vhat degree so he be, men owen not to geue it to such a one, that hee vnreasonablie asketh, for if he giue it to him wittinglie, he sinnes as fautor of his idlenessie. Vnde Sap. 12. 'Si bene feceris, scito cui bene feceris, et erit gloria in bonis tuis multa.'