conscientiæ sed, et contentioso foro plenarie, ita vt super huiusmodi criminibus, peccatis, & excessibus etiā de quibus vt præfertur inquisiti, conuicti, & condemnati estis, nullo modo puniri, inquietari, seu molestari possitis, absoluimus & liberamus, ac ecclesiæ vnitati, ac aliorum Christi fidelium consortio aggregamus, ac omnem inhabilitatis & infamiæ maculam, ex præmissis circa vos quomodolibet insurgentem, penitus et omnino tollimus, et abolemus, vosq̀ in pristinum, et eum in quo ante præmissa quomodolibet eratis, statum restituimus, reponimus, et redintegramus, præmissis, ac regula de insordescentibus edita, ac quibusuis alijs constitutionibus et ordinationibus Apostolicis, cæterisq̀ contrarijs, non obstantibus quibuscunq̀. Volumus autem vt omnem eam pœnitentiam, & alia pro præmißis, per nos seu alium, vel alios a nobis ad hoc diligendos, vobis, et cuilibet vestrum iniungenda, quæ vos subituros expresse profeßi estis, & promisistis cum effectu adimplere, omnino teneamini. Alioqui præsentes vobis nullatenus suffragentur. Datum in palatio regio apud S. Iacobum prope Westmonasterium. Anno. a natiuitate domini millesimo, quingētesimo, quinquagesimo sexto, quinto nonas Iulij, pontificatus sanctissimi in Christo patris, et domini nostri, domini Pauli, diuina prouidentia Papæ 4. Anñ. 2.
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M. Antonius faita Secretarious.
D. Lampsonus.
Re. Cardinalis Polus Legatus.
MarginaliaThe slaunders of Fecknam reproued. THe sondaye after these xvi. were condemned, Fecknam Deane of Paules preached at Paules crosse, where he declared, that they had as many sondry opinions, as there were sondrie persones. Whereupon they hearynge therof, drue out their fayth, & set to their hands as hereafter followeth, & directed the same to their frendes, and the faithfull congregation.
John Strype printed a copy of this apology in his Ecclesiastical Memorials (III, 2, pp. 469-71). He states that it came from Foxe's manuscripts; however, it no longer survives.
MarginaliaA letter apologetical.BE it manifest to al, vnto whō this our certificat shalbe seen that wher vpon saturday, being the xiii. daye of Iune at Fullam, before the Byshop of London. xvi. of vs, (whose names here vnder ar subscribed) were condemned to die for the moste pure and sincere truthe of Christes veritie, whiche moste godly truth hath ben from the beginning, with the wicked aduersaries thereof continually defaced, and is by the Deuil and his impes euen at this present likewyse daylie slaundered: vpon whiche occasion derely beloued brethren, we are moued, yea constrayned, in the eares of all men to manifest our beliefe, and also briefly the articles wherfore we were cōdemned, for the auoidinge of false reportes and slaunderous tongues, whiche myght happen by the moste vngodly and vncharitable sermon, late preached at Paules crosse the xiiii. daye of the sayd moneth, being sonday, by Doctor Fecknam, nowe Deane of the same churche, where he in that moste worthy audience defamed vs to bee in xvi. sondrie opiniōs, which were a thing most preiudiciall to all Christian veritie. And for a true testimoniall thereof, this here vnder written shall aunswere our cause, and therfore we praye you that are of God to iudge.
[Back to Top]The first, we beleue we were baptized in the faythe of Christes churche, and incorporate vn
to him, and made a member of his churche, in the whiche fayth we continued. And although we erred for a certaine tyme, yet the roote of faith was preserued in vs by the holy Ghoste, whiche hath reduced vs into a ful certaintie of the same, and do persist, and will by Gods assistaunce to the ende. Now marke, although the minister were of the churche malignaunt, yet his wickednes did not hurte vs, for that he baptized vs in the name of the father, the sonne, and the holy ghoste.
[Back to Top]There was both the worde and the elemēt, and our Godfathers and Godmothers renouncing for vs the Deuill and all his workes, and confessing the articles of the christian faith for vs, and also a wytnesse that we were baptized, not in the faithe of the churche of Rome, but in the faithe of Christes churche.
[Back to Top]Marginalia1.Item, there are but twoo Sacramentes in Christes churche, that is, the sacrament of baptisme, and the Lordes supper. For in these are conteined the faythe of Christe his churche. That is, the two testamentes, the lawe and the Gospell. The effect of the lawe is repentaunce, and the effect of the Gospell remission of synnes.
[Back to Top]Marginalia2.Itē, we beleue that there is a visible church, wherein the worde of God is preached, and the holy sacramentes truely ministred, visible to the wicked worlde although it be not credited, and by the death of sainctes confirmed, as it was in the time of Helias the Prophet as wel as nowe.
Marginalia3.Item, the Sea of Rome is the sea of Antichrist, the congregation of the wicked &c. wherof the Pope is head vnder the Deuil.
Marginalia4.Item, the masse is not onely a prophanacion of the Lordes supper, but also a moost blasphemous idoll.
Marginalia5.Item, God is neither spiritually nor corporally in the sacrament of the altar, and there remayneth no substaunce in the same, but onlie the substaunce of bread and wyne.
Marginalia6.For these the articles of our belief, we being condemned to die, doe willlingly offer our corruptible bodies to be dissolued in the fier, all