s thre times a daye / he
made his petition and praised his Godd / and so opened he his
confession to Godd. This same most holy prophet of Godd mighte
seme to be beside hymself thus willingly to procure euill to
hymself / and as it wer without neade to prouoke the enemies of
Religion against hym: but the scripture doth not settfurth vnto
vs ony error / no vnconsideratnes or rashe boldnes in this
matier / but doth teache vs playnly to yelde vnto Godd
confession in deedes and in wordes. Vnto theis examples of the
holy scripture we will now adde other thinges which do agre with
them (for thos thinges which do diagre from the scriptures we
passe litill or nothing at all / what autoritie so euer they
haue amonge men)

[[Ecclesiast. hist. lib. 6. cap. 28.]]

This we will do out of the Ecclesiasticall historie. Eusebius
entreating of such things as Origen did / makith mencion that
Origen did mightily oppugn a new heresie which did springe vpp
in his tyme / it was called the heresie of Helchesaites / and at
lenghth he did happily extinguishe it. He shewith that they among
many other things did holde this heresie / that if a man did
denie in persequution he synned not at all / forbicause that he
which is stable and confirmed in his harte / although he doth
denie with the mouthe for necessitie / yet as touching the harte
he abidith in faithe. By which wordes truly euery man may
perceyue that the same pestilent errour is brought agayn as it
wer out of hell / in our age / and se that he ought cheifly to
beware of it as of an heresie condemned. The same Eusebius in
the viij. booke doth sett furth notable examples of many martirs
of Christe which did frely confes the truith / out of whom I
will recite vnto your godlynes theise few thinges / wich without
doubt will be acceptable vnto all. They whos mynd (saithe he)
was more readie and their faithe more stronge / suffered
torments. Sum wer beaten with whippes / other were tormented with
iron houes / sum other wer burned with fierye plates / of whom
many indeed being weried did gyue ouer. But other did abide
paciently euen to the end. Sum of the persequutours them selues
verely / as thoughe they hadd vsed pitie / did bringe many of
our men to the wicked sacrifices / and made a noise as though
thay hadd sacrificed / when indeede they hadd not sacrificed. Of
sum other when they hadd not so mutch as come nighe the vncleane
sacrifices / they did crye out / that they had already
sacri