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NEW LEARNING.

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and fight against the king in his ministers and officers; they rise with the church, and fight against the church, which is the congregation of faithful men; they rise for the commonwealth, and fight against it, and go about to make the commons each to kill other, and to destroy the commonwealth. Lo, what false pretence can the devil send amongst us! It is one of his most crafty and subtle assaults, to send his warriors forth under the badge of God, as though they were armed in righteousness and justice.

THE NEW LEARNING.

Now I tell

But ye say, It is new learning. you it is the old learning. Yea, ye say, It is old heresy new scoured. Now I tell you it is old truth, long rusted with canker, and now new made bright and scoured. What a rusty truth is this, "Quodcunque ligaveris," Whatsoever thou bindest on earth shall be bound in heaven? &c. This a truth spoken to the apostles, and all true preachers their successors, that with the law of God they should bind and condemn all that sinned; and whosoever did

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repent, they should declare him loosed and forgiven, by believing in the blood of Christ. But how hath this truth over-rusted with the pope's rust? For he, by this text, "Whatsoever thou bindest," &c. hath taken upon him to make what laws he listed, clean contrary unto the word of God, which willeth that every man should obey the prince's law. And by this text, "Whatsoever thou loosest," he hath made all people believe, that for money he might forgive what and whom he listed. So that if any man had robbed his master, or taken any thing wrongfully, the pope would loose him, by this pardon or that pardon, given to these friars or those friars, put in this box or that box. And as it were, by these means, a division of the spoil was made, so that it was not restored, nor the person rightly discharged; and yet most part of the spoil came to the hands of him and his ministers. What is this but a new learning, a new canker to rust and corrupt the old truth? Ye call your learning old it may indeed be called old, for it cometh of that serpent which did pervert God's commandment and beguiled Eve; so it is an old custom to pervert God's word, and to rust it, and corrupt it.

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OBSERVANTS.

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CATHERINE PARR.

`I have heard say, when that good queen* that is gone had ordained in her house daily prayer both before noon and after noon, the admiral getteth him out of the way, like a mole digging in the earth. He shall be Lot's wife to me as long as I live. He was, I heard say, a covetous man, a covetous man indeed; I would there were no more in England. He was, I heard say, an ambitious man; I would there were no more in England. He was I heard say, a seditious man, a contemner of common prayer; I would there were no more in England. Well he is gone; I would he had' left none behind him.

OBSERVANTS.

St. Luke hath "observantes," observants; that is, watchers, tooters, spies, much like the Observant Friars,† the barefoot friars that

* Catherine Parr, who married the lord admiral Sey

mour.

+ A branch of the order of the Franciscan or Grey Friars, so called, because they bound themselves to a lit

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were here; which indeed were the bishop of Rome's spies, watching in every country, what was said or done against him. He had it by and by, by one or other of his spies; they were his men altogether; his posts to work against the regality. In the court, in the noblemen's houses, at every merchant's house, those observants, were spying, tooting, and looking, watching, and prying, what they might hear or see against the see of Rome. Take heed of these observants. To understand the word "observantes," mark what the poet saith in his comedy, "Observa Davum,"* take heed, beware and mark "Davum ;" for they will be stirring in every town, in every gentleman's house, yea, at their very tables. Well, be wise, beware of them.

LATIMER'S EXAMINATION.

r The highest promotion that God can bring his unto in this life, is to suffer for his truth. And it is the greatest setting forth of his word,

eral and strict observation of the rules of their founder. Some of this order, in greater humility and mortification, went barefoot. In 1534, the Observants, for their clamarous opposition to the divorce and other proceedings, were suppressed in England. * Terence.

LATIMER'S EXAMINATION.

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it is God's seed. And one suffering for the truth, turneth more than a thousand sermons. I will tell you an example of this, how God giveth mouth and wisdom.

I was once in examination before five or six bishops, where I had much turmoiling every week thrice I came to examination, and many snares and traps were laid to get something. Now God knoweth I was ignorant of the law; but that God gave me answer and wisdom what I should speak. It was God indeed, for else I had never escaped them. At the last I was brought forth to be examined, into a chamber hanged with arras, where I was before wont to be examined: but now at this time the chamber was somewhat altered; for whereas before there was wont ever to be a fire in the chimney, now the fire was taken away, and an arrashanging hanged over the chimney, and the table stood near the chimney's end; so that I stood between the table and the chimney's end. There was among these bishops that examined me, one with whom I have been very familiar, and took him for my great friend, an aged man, and he sat next the table's end.

Then among all other questions, he put forth one, a very subtle and crafty one, and such a one indeed as I could not think so great danger in. And when I should make answer; I pray you,

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