In like manner these men in the North country, they make pretence as though they were armed in God’s armour, gird in truth, and clothed in righteousness.  I hear say they wear the cross and the wounds before and behind, and they pretend much truth to the king’s grace and to the commonwealth, when they intend nothing less; and deceive the poor ignorant people, and bring them to fight against both the king, the church, and the commonwealth.

They arm them with the sign of the cross and of the wounds, and go clean contrary to him that bare the cross, and suffered those wounds.  They rise with the king, 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.

But if we will resist strongly indeed, we must he clothed or armed with the habergeon of very justice or righteousness; in true obedience to our prince, and faithful love to our neighbours; and take no false quarrels in hand, nor any feigned armour; but in justice, “having your feet shod for [the] preparation of the gospel of peace.”

Lo, what manner of battle this warrior St. Paul teacheth us, “to be shod on our feet,” that we may go readily and prepare way for the gospel; yea, the gospel of peace, not of rebellion, not of insurrection:  no, it teacheth obedience, humility, and quietness; it maketh peace in the conscience, and teacheth true faith in Jesus Christ, and to walk in God’s laws armed with God’s armour, as Paul teacheth here.  Yea, if bishops in England had been “shod for the preparation of this gospel,” and had endeavoured themselves to teach and set [it] forth, as our most noble prince hath devised; and if certain gentlemen, being justices, had executed his grace’s commandment, in setting forth this gospel of peace, this disturbance among the people had not happened.

But ye say, it is new learning.  Now I tell you it is the old learning.  Yea, ye say, it is old heresy new scoured.  Nay, I tell you it is old truth, long rusted with your canker, and now new made bright and scoured.  What a rusty truth is this, Quodcumque ligaveris, “Whatsoever thou bindest,” &c.  This is 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 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 bindeth,” hath taken upon him to make what laws him listed, clean contrary unto