God for hee is gracious and mercifull flowe to anger and of great kindnesse Nowe these are the wordes of the Acte of Parliament that is not yet dissolued in the last Session holden at Westminster from the xvi day of January last past vntill the xviii of Marche following I leaue the former Statutes and lawes Be it declared and enacted by the authoritie of this present Parliament that all persons whatsoeuer which haue or shall haue or shall pretend to haue power or shall by any waies or meanes put in practise to absolue persuade or withdrawe any of the Queenes Maiesties subiectes or any within her Highnesse Realmes and dominions from their naturall obedience to her Maiestie or to withdraw them for that intent from the religion now by her highnesse authoritie established within her Highnesse Dominions to the Romish religion or to mooue them or any of them to promise any obedience to any pretended autoritie of the Sea of Rome or of any other prince State or Potentate to bee had or vsed within her Dominions or shall doe any oucrt Act to that intent or purpose and euery of them shalbe to all intents adiudged to bee traitours being thereof lawefully conuicted shall haue iudgement suffer forfaite as in case of high treason And if any person shall after the ende of this Session of Parliament by any meanes bee willingly absolued or withdrawne as aforesaid or willingly be reconciled or shall promise any obedience to any such pretended authoritie Prince State and Potentate as is aforesaide that then euery such person their procurers and counsellers there unto being thereof lawfully conuicted shall bee taken tryed and iudged and shall suffer forfaire as in cases of high treason Heereupon may one hardly and heauily as me thinketh reason against you is this case of treason And if I may bee so bold as to deale with so great Clarkes thus after my rude maner make I my blunt arguments Whosoeuer at this day by profession hold y t our dread soueraigne Queene Elizabeth is an excommunicate person and the present state hereticall or schismaticall and so to be abhord are reputed traitours and so ought too be taken But all English Romanistes that call themselues Catholikes are such that is at this day by profession hold that our dread soueraigne Queene Elizabeth is an excommunicate person and the present state hereticall or schismaticall and so to be abhord Ergo. All English Romanists that cal themselues Catholikes are reputed traitours so ought to be taken No religion that approoueth the Popes authoritie doctrine practise in excommunicating and depriuing of Kings Queenes c of their estate whom he calleth heretikes is vniustly touched by vs English men to teache disobedience and rebellion against their Princes But all Catholike Romane religion approoueth the Popes authoritie doctrine and practise in excommunicating and depriuing of Kings Queenes c. of their estate whom he calleth heretikes Ergo No Catholike Romane religion is vniustly touched by vs English men to teach disobedience and rebellion against their Princes Al persons that by writing or otherwise persuade any within her Maiesties Realmes and Dominions from the religiō now by her Highnes authoritie established to the Romish religion thereby withdrawing them from their obedience to her Maiestie to yeeld the same to the Sea of Rome are by the law heere reputed traitours But you M. Howlet your authour N. Mortone N. Saunders Allen Bristowe with other like doe so that is by writing or otherwise persuade within her Maiesties Realmes and Dominions from the religion nowe by her highnes authoritie established to the Romishe religion thereby withdrawing them from their obedience to her Maiestie to yeeld the same to the Sea of Rome Ergo M Howlet your authour N. Saunders Allen Bristow with other like are by the lawe heere reputed traitours No religion that condemneth Queene Elizabeth our Soueraigne of heresie so foorth to the great preiudice of her royall estate and person and so the common hurt of vs all is vniustly touched for disobedience or rebelliō against her maiestie But your pretended Catholike religion condemneth Queene Elizabeth our Soueraigne of heresie so forth to the great preiudice of her royall estate and person so the common hurt of vs all Ergo Your pretended Catholike religion is not vniustly touched for disobedience and rebellion against her Maiestie If these arguments in zeale defence of our soueraigne and the state presse you or be thought sharpe to touche the quicke thanke your selfe that by entring your commō places odious cōparisons forcibly drawe the same from vs. Once the Syllogismes or arguments be scholasticall y t is good perfect enough in the perfectest moodes perfectest figure You heare now the opinion y t is of you heere not of one man or spightfully vttered but commonly too well grounded for you to deale with either repent craue pardon come home and liue like dutifull Subiects y t such violent arguments proceede no further which with all my heart I wish you to doe or els if you like that best prouide answere to solute such like arguments which will be very harde for you to doe I will say no more heerein but a parls Dilemma or streight are your Romane Catholikes brought into if you bee argued against in the pointes of doctrine and demeanour for obedience to our dread Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth out of your owne Popish schole doctrine and practise of old at this present and out of the lawes of this Realme nowe in force and withall bee put to make a direct answere thereunto Presse vs no further in the matter if you bee wise rather take heede that by your doctrine and demeanour towardes her Maiestie and the State yee bee not brought within the compasse of the lawe and there an ende But that cannot bee vnlesse you alter the course you haue of late taken and still doe or the whole state for your pleasures only bee altered I wishe and desire for your owne sake M. Howlet though I know you not that you bee not of the opinion and vsage of suche Catholikes as I haue set downe that yee take heede thereof or leaue the same in some time that yee may bee 〈◊〉 taken in the number of good dutifull subiects you your author w t others So as y t which I haue spokē vpō supposition onely of your agreement with the rest of your fellowes at Rome Rhemes c. and namely N. Saunders may not bee vnderstanded of your owne persons but of those and suche Catholikes onely as seditiously from beyonde Sea write and accordingly practise against her Maiestie and the State heere further woulde I not haue my woordes stretched to touche any particular person vnlesse his owne Conscience tell him hee agree with them or her Maiestie the State and his owne doinges finde him culpable This may serue to checke the great and waightie Motiues that you heere
is a great blocke in your waye that you can neuer prayse your duetifulnesse to her Maiestie but you must euer with all craue pardon for your vndutifulnesse in the greatest matters as you here doe for not leauing Pope and Poperie and conforming your selues to religion c. And yet yee doe the same cunningly and vnder couerte of conscience forsooth grounded on the reasons that are in the treatise which must stande in steade of al satisfaction to her Maiestie where-of in place God willing wee shall see I am sorie I am enforced to followe and examine your wordes I woulde there had been some grounded matter for I am afraide as I wearie my selfe so doe I some wise and discreete readers but I must craue pardon in respecte of other that are more simple and rude who it were pitte shoulde be by glosing seduced or deceiued 8 ANd that the Catholike religion in generall for I medle with no mans particular fact is vniustly touched by any sect of our time for teaching disobedience or rebellion against their princes it may appeare plainely by the different doctrine which eche part deliuereth vnto his followers First Iohn Wikliffe one of their progenitours teacheth That a Prince if he rule euil or fall into mortal sinne is no lōger Prince but that his subiectes may ryse against him punish him at their pleasures Secōdly Mar. Luther following the same steppes teacheth That Chistians are free and exempted from all Princes lawes Whereof followed immediatly that famous rebellion of the countrey men againste their Lordes in Germanye in the yeere 1525. and in the same two hundred thousande slaine in one day Thirdly Iohn 〈◊〉 not dissenting from the rest teacheth That princes lawes binde not subiectes to obedience in conscience but onely for externall and temporal respect Wherof enseweth that if by any occasion this externall feare for the which only the subiect obeyeth be taken away as when he were able to make his partie so strong as he feared not his Prince then he should not sinne in rebelling against him And in another place holding plainely the doctrine of Luther he sayth That the consciences of the faythfull are exempted from the power of all men by reason of the liberty geuen them by Christ. Lastly the writing against the regiment of women in Queene Maries time for that the gouernment then liked them not all men can remember Which errours all the Catholike Church vtterly condemneth teaching her children together with the Apostle true obedience to their Princes for Conscience sake euen as vnto God him selfe whose roome they doe possesse and to whom they are bounde vnder the paine of mortall sinne eternal damnation patiently to obey how hardly so euer they deale with them in their gouernment otherwise By the which your Maiestie may perceyue howe falsly the Catholike religion is charged by her enemies of the contrary crime 9 Besides this if your Highnesse wisedome shall but enter into a litle consideration of the demeanour of Catholikes and of other of newer religions towardes their Princes this day in Europe it shall easyly appeare whiche of them are of the quieter spirites and milder in obedience I will not make mention of greater matters but onely to quite this aforesaide Puritane which so falsely hath infamed vs I will set downe here certaine propositions gathered out of two sermons of two of his preachers by a minister present there in Stamforde at the generall fast this last Sommer Which fast being prohibited with the preachings at the same by the expresse letters of the Lorde Superintendent of Lincolne bearing date the 5. of September to the Alderman and Comburgeses of the said Towne the preachers would not obey but stepping vp into the pulpit vttered as followeth 1. In such actions as may further the publique fast flesh and blood must not be called to counsell to doe the Lordes commaundement but they must be vndertakē without such warrant 2. The religion that Ionas preached did not as ours now doth depend and hange vpon Actes of Parliament For we when we go about such actions as God is to be glorified in 〈◊〉 first inquire whether there be any acte of Parliament to warrant our doings or no. 3 It is the manner of her officers and Counsellers now 〈◊〉 dayes to reforme matters by acts of Parliament and by pollices and not by Ionas his preachings 4 Her Counsellers neuer inquire what newes at Poules sermō but what reports are abroad that if any disliking thing should come to the Kings 〈◊〉 they might stop it from thence 1. He is of no spirite that will not promote that whiche God commandeth though all Edictes be contrary for we must not obey fleshe and blood 2. They that are ruled by the Edictes of men will change their religion with the Prince and they are of no conscience though they be neuer so much grounded in diuinitie 3. What if nether the Queene Counsell nor Bishoppe haue been present at the Fast nor allowed thereof yet wee ought to vndertake it Put case it is not in the Queenes chappel what then 4. This fast hath been hindred by certaine prophane carnall wretches 10 Here loe your Maiestie may see with what temperate spirite these men doe proceed and what they would teach and doe if they shoulde be contraried in great matters seeing they boult out suche doctrine against their Magistrats for crossing their appetites in so small a matter as is a litle phantastical age of fasting sodainely come vpon them for a desire they haue to heare themselues speake ten or twelue houres together after their continuall railing against fasting for these twentie one yeeres past But this is their spirite to rushe into euery thing with inordinate violence and to like of nothing that order and obedience layeth down vnto them The which your Maiesties great wisedome considering together with the quiet and modest proceedings of the Catholike part shall I doubt not easily perceiue what daunger it were to permit muche to such kinde of spirites and to bereaue this your Realme of so important a stay as Catholikes are in euery of your countreys against the perilous innouations of these and the like men whose finall ende is as their doctrine declareth to haue no gouernour or ruler at all 11 And this may bee one great Motiue vnto your Maiestie in respect of the safetie quietnes of your whole 〈◊〉 to extende some more mercye and fauour to your trustie and afflicted subiectes the Catholikes Who as they were moste ready at the beginning according to their bounden dueties to place your highnesse in that Royall roome wherein nowe by the fauour of God you stande So are they and will bee alwayes in like sorte ready with the vttermost droppe of their blood to defende the same in all safetie peace and quietnesse vnto the ende In consideration of which goodwil and seruice they can not
your pleasures without good warrant or ground and so may be reduced to cōformitie prescribed by superiours Your owne S. Thomas in his summe saith Q. 79. art 13. that conscience is no speciall facultie or power of the soule because it may bee laide away which the other cannot but bee that as it wil be A corrupt conscience such as yours is may and ought to bee laide away The reasons in your treatise as in place we finde deale little or nothing to proue the contrary to this I tell you or deale as you doe very hollowly being grounded altogether vpon supposition which not grounded on Gods truth in matters of Religion is a rotten post for conscience to leane vpon Trye your consciences in religion by right iudgemēt and good vnderstanding taken out of Gods booke runne not vpon false suppositions and we shalbe soone at an ende I still maruell M. Howlet how you can exempt your cōsciences from 〈◊〉 and so from her 〈◊〉 that before condemned these sentences as errours That the consciences of the faithfull are exempted from the power of all men that Chistians are fre and exempted from all Princes lawes as touching their consciences c. For you admit this exposition of the former sentence in saying that Caluin and Luther holde therein one doctrine whereof I haue spokē in his place The matter is that your Secondary faith and alleageance sworne vnto her Highnesse as to the sub stitute of God thus yee speake is at the Popes pleasure broken and nowe discharged of that faith by his warrant and the same bestowed vpon him and such as hee wyll appoint without good warrant from God or her Maiestie In the meane while we will take as graunted by you this Maxime or supposition That conscience dependeth of iudgement vnderstanding and not of affect will albeit in your case this wholy raignethin you therefore seemeth not be conscience But because pretended conscience is the grounde of these mens whole matter and the only shift of excuse that both M Howlet and his authour haue to cloke their disobedience withal let mee be bold with thee gentle Reader somewhat at large to vnfolde some parte of their Popish 〈◊〉 in this case of conscience which that I may the better doe I will first set downe some of both their wordes agreeing in this point together Then examining in generall the popish doctrine whereon they grounde themselues without all Scripture yea contrary to Scripture common reason and hon estie also as the same is deliuered vnto vs in their bookes by the principall 〈◊〉 of their religion I will shewe howe godlesly and howe hollowly they may be found to speake write and thinke in the whole enough in my opinion to bring their religion into vtter 〈◊〉 detestation and hatred for broching vs such abhominable abhominations Afterwarde God willing returning to M. Howlets wordes againe and comparing them with the doctrine of the Scripture will I so much as I shall thinke needefull answere the same particularly Thus writeth M. Howlet of this matter heere at large 12 Now because as the Philosopher saith that is onely good vnto euery man which ech mans vnderstanding tel leth him to be good vnto the which the Scripture and 〈◊〉 agree when they say that wee shall bee iudged at the last day according to the testimonie of our conscience 〈◊〉 followeth that what soeuer wee doe contrary to our iudgement and conscience is according to the Apostle damnable Because wee decerne it to bee euill and yet doe it So that howe good soeuer the action in it selfe were as for example if a Gentile shoulde for feare say or sweare that there were a Messias yet vnto the doer it should be a damnable sinne because it seemed naught in his iudgement and conscience and therefore to him it shall bee so accounted at the last day Which thing hath made all good men from time to time to stande very scrupulously in defence of their conscience and not to commit any thinge against the sentence and approbation of the same All Princes also Potentates of the woorlde haue abstained from the beginning for the very same consideration from enforcing men to Actes against their consciences especially in religion as the histories both before Christe and since doo declare And amongest the very Turkes at this day no man is compelled to doe any act of their religion except he renonuce first his owne And in the Indies and other farre partes of the worlde where infinite Infidels are vnder the gouernemente of Christian Princes it was neuer yet practised nor euer thought lawfull by the Catholike Churche that suche men shoulde bee inforced to any one acte of our religion And the reason is for that if the doing of such actes shoulde 〈◊〉 sinne vnto the doers because they doe them against their conscience then muste needes the inforcement of suche Actes be muche more greeuous and damnable sinne to the inforcers Mary notwithstanding this when a man hath receiued once the Christian Catholike religion and will by new deuises and singularitie corrupte the same by running out and makinge dissention in Christe his bodie as all Heretikes doe then for the conseruation of vnitie in the Church and sor restraint of this mans furye and pride the Churche hath alwayes from the beginning allowed that the Ciuill Magistrate shoulde recalle suche a fellowe by temporall punishment to the vnitie of the whole bodie againe as all the holy Fathers write to bee most necessarie especially suche as hadde most to doe with suche men as Cyprian Ierome Optatus Augustine Leo Gregorie and Bernarde And Saint Austin in diuers places recalleth backe againe his opinion whiche hee sometimes helde to the contrary So that wee keeping still our olde religion and hauing not gone out from the Protestantes but they from vs wee cannot bee enforced by any iustice to doe any acte of their religion HEnce yee gather y t because ye alleadge your conscience in this cause of yours Therfore neither may ye do there against vnder paine of damnatiō neither be enforced to doe otherwise then you doe vnder like paine to the enforcers and because yee sawe you shoulde be excepted vpon two wayes yee prouide answere for the same first If it bee alleadged against you as is by vs very truly alleadged that the thing yee are called vnto is godly honest and good and seemely to bee yeelded vnto and therefore no reason you shoulde in this case bee left to your pretended conscience to followe that whiche is euill but that you shoulde giue ouer and take a newe course Yee affirme howe good soeuer the action in it selfe bee whervnto yee are called yet the yeelding is damnable sinne to the doer because it seemeth naught in his iudgement and conscience and therefore to him it shall bee so accounted at the last day So he must bee left to his
to recouer it Notwithstanding any prohibition of her maiesties by proclamation c yee can and doe write print publishe and scatter your bookes and sedicious libels still although with little vantage and I hope shall with lesse still euery day then other for now you beginne to take in hand not so much to improue our religion or to proue your owne as to inueigh against the ciuill state to confute her Maiesties lawes Actes of Parliament proclamations c. These be fit argumēts for your wise politike head to treate of Such is the respect ye haue to her maiesty y e state your dutie of obedience herein Thinke not M Howlet they be afrayde of you without all cause nowe that when the time was if euer offered your side disputation which your men then refused as I sayde howe and vpon what occasion not they onely but her Maiestie the state and honorable here can very well tell the thing was not done in hucker mucker It seemeth now aboue twentie yeres after that time out of season to craue disputation yet tel me I pray you M. Howlet one thing whether if your request and your fellowes were graunted of Disputation before her Maiestie or such as her highnes should please to appointe thereto if it should so fall out by Gods prouidence that yee should take a fayre fall in the wrestle at your aduersaries hands her maiestie or the other appointed geuing sentence against you would yee acknowledge yee had a fall no nor yet that yee were foyled would yee yeelde and geue ouer your romish profession it is no parte of your meaning I feare me you would plaine of disorder and want of indifferencie and competent iudges c. Some thing or other you would finde to shift of the matter as yee did in the former conference would yee or would yee not What gayned you by that you say You knowe you cannot bee vanquished herein you make no doubt but that Gods truth is clere on your side Indeede there is the matter it is easier to cast you downe than to stop your mouthes If yee cannot dispute yet can you braule and wrangle that is not harde to be done it is an arte easily learned among you For disputation sirs to leaue the disputation in the happie dayes of her maiesties raigne and other long ago to note onely one time were they not of our side that in conuocation in queen Maries dayes disputed with the greatest clarkes of your side when your men ruffled and ruled the rost was not the like agayne done at Oxenford by those reuerende fathers of our side which neuer came thence after but sealed in your vniuersitie after disputation that truth with their bloodes which they had before preached and taught why set you vs not out these disputations truely that the worlde maye see them You are ashamed as seemeth Seeing you write and printe dayly If Gods truth be so clere on your side Why haue ye not al this while set it vs downe in steed of your seditious pāphlets Or why doe ye not yet set it vs downe in your books ye sēd so fast ouer amōg vs cōtaining in maner now a daies nothing but braules grēning groining snarring against the state and her 〈◊〉 wholesome lawes proclamations c for repressing of poperie superstition sedicious and rebellious vsage and dealing that we might haue some fit matter for our profession to answeare more than hath beene alreadie seene wayed and answered furbushing nowe and then vp as hādsomely as you can your rusty stuffe you geue vs but woordes onely without matter your coine that carrieth the Popes marke being brought to the touch and waightes is by long and often triall found to bee a counterfaited coine in steede of good siluer it is knowne to be baser than copper when we waigh and trie by Gods truth that you would haue vs takefor good gold in al the offers yee make vs we finde nothing but drosse Let vs not bring guilefull ballances sayth your cannon Lawe out of Ierome where to weigh that we wil after our owne pleasure saying this is heauie this is light but let vs bring gods ballance of holy scriptures as out of the Lordes treasures and let vs therein weigh what is heauier c. Your reasons in sumine thus waied are nothing but colourable wordes and shewe which in this cleere light of the Gospell wil not satisfie nor serue In vaine therefore seemeth to be your petition your replication explanation supplication your earnest vrging by frendship by request by letters to diuers preachers c. which I thinke is as false as that you report here of the dealing therin with the Byshop of London and thereupon you did well to put it in that parenthesis Ifye be not deceiued As in little or nothing yee be otherwise You forget greatly M. Howlet with whom you deale and to whome you write You make great vauntes and in words offer much you perfourme in deed nothing In your margin is quoted An humble demande of disputation You bring vs that foorth often we know this geare so well at the first sight now as we cannot easily be deceiued It is not the setting on of a fayre glosse or glosing the matter that will nowe serue Is the trueth cleere on your side Why call you it in controuersie then why so earnestly demand and seeke you for disputation for resolution of mens doubtes c. If yee demand conference for your satisfaction or to resolue your doubtes you haue not beene refused nay you haue beene and are still offred it yee are sought vpon and the best of your side here refuse it That may be priuately done if that be your end and some good come thereof But ye demaunde publike disputation yee are earnest therein ye demaunde it againe and againe what is the reason Why woulde you so faine haue publike disputation There must be some honest and necessary end alleadged there must be also by her 〈◊〉 appointmente some Moderators and some order lawefully to proceede therein First haue you talked with the rest of your side are yee all ageed vpon the sute to her Maiestie humbly to desire publike disputations Next if this bee the ende of disputation as you say for the tryall of Gods truth that mens doubtes may bee resolued most necessary for you all to your eternall saluation Will ye then being required yeelde to Gods truth when your doubtes shall bee resolued and sufficiently resolued by the Scriptures and y t in the iudgement of her 〈◊〉 who by Gods appointment hath the moderating of the whole in this realme And in the iudgement of the State here wil you of that side not stand any longer obstinat in your former opinions but giue ouer as Gods faithfull seruants to his truth become professors of the Gospell of Christ abiuring all erroneous and Popish fancies Rearing your religion out of Gods holy booke the sacred
Turne you turne you from your euill waies Oh mark this word well For why will you die O yee house of Israell Though your sinnes wereas crimsin they shalbe made white as snow though they were red like scarlet they shalbe as wooll This is a true saying by all meanes worthie to be receiued that Christ Iesus came into the world to saue sinners So God loued the worlde that hee hath giuen his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shoulde not perish but haue euerlasting life For God sent not his sonne into the worlde that hee should condemne the world but that the worlde through him might be saued Hee that beleeueth in him c. reade forwarde to the 22. verse These and such like be the very first wordes that are spoken and they shall dayly heare to their comfort that resort to our Churches But still marke the condition of leauing our owne defections from God of repentance and turning from our owne wicked wayes c. Turne therefore from Popery and hearken to this doctrine and tell vs truely and in deed whether religion is more true and more comfortable vnto you This which is Christes and therefore ours we wish and will no other Or the Popes deliuered in this treatise that condemneth you as you heare And yet if all bee well marked for all this comfortable doctrine of y e gospel that is of God his mercy grace vnto sinners that by the way I may answere y t Popish cauill Preach we not carnall libertie wee set not open any windowe to sinne we make not men slouthfull and negligent in godly life and good workes c. as the Papists sclaunder this doctrine In opening this plentifull fountaine of God his grace to troubled and weake consciences we stop not vpp nor let not the brookes riuers course that issue thence of godlinesse and good life nay wee further aduance the same greatly I woulde the Papistes and Poperie did the like but that will they neuer doe we are faine to be occupied in scowring clensing where they haue troubled with their filthie mudde that our doctrine and religiō may herein the better be knowne This foundation doe we lay therof This order with the holy Apostle in summe doe wee keepe The grace of God that bringeth saluation vnto all men hath appeared and teacheth vs that we shoulde denie vngodlinesse and worldly lusts and that we should liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present worlde looking for that blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the mightie God and of our Sauiour Iesus Christe who gaue himself for vs that he might redeeme vs from all iniquitie and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe zelous of good workes So then the cleere manifestation of God his healthfull grace or the preaching of the Gospell of the grace of God which is the worde of life is so farre of from ouerthrowing godly life and good workes that it is the fountaine thereof it establysheth and setleth the same and like a good Schoole maister is occupied in faithfully teaching all 〈◊〉 towardes God and man God make vs good and meete schollers This we beleeue and this we professe this we dayly professe this we dayly propounde and teache in receiuing and following this course we are not deceiued we erre not nay we are sure we goe the right way we please God and subscribe to the docrine of the holy Ghoste rayle the aduersarie as much as he list against our doctrine and profession But I cannot let this Censurer passe thus that not onely cruelly handeleth his companions but her Maiestie the State the Lawes and Magistrates here If this saith he bee true as it is if God bee not vntrue where warranted tell vs bare affirmation suffiseth not then in what a miserable case standeth many a man in England at this day which take othes receiue Sacraments goe to Churche and commit many a like act directly against their owne consciences and against their owne knowledge you shoulde say against fantasticall opinion c. Nay what a case doe they stande in which know such thinges to 〈◊〉 directly against othēr mens consciences and yet do cōpel them to doe it As to receiue against their will to sweare agaist their will and the like c. First we tell you Sir for the Scriptures yee cited before for this purpose that yee corrupt the same and that which yee say is false and ill applyed Next wee say in iust defence of her Maiestie our dread Soueraigne and the State that yee 〈◊〉 them for there is no such enforcement by your owne confessiō but that it might be borne the going to church is simplie a willing free actiō in those of your religiō y t doe it here you say they receiue against their wil swere against their wil y e like Fol. 21. You say cōtrary y t it is not against their wil but a willing fre actiō absolutely simply speak thus stil ye answer for her maiestie the state condemn that you here say so you cōclude of it Wher things done by outward violence compulsion are simplie inuoluntary actions And yet if it were otherwise her maiestie the state 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cause all the packe of of you false Catholikes as much as in them lyeth to 〈◊〉 by the doctrine of the Gospell instructed and to be priuately also conferred withall for the remoouing of you from your foolish that I say not deuilish opinions They knowe what euer you brag of conscience that if you will not hearken and geue ouer to the Gospell and word of God it is but wilfull obstinacie and peeuish standing in your conceiued opinions It is senselesnes and not consciēce They know see that your proceedinges and busie stirres needes some sharper seueritie than hither vnto seeing you haue so greatly abused her maiesties former lenitie and clemencie According to dutie therefore to God in their calling doe they proceede Lastly they haue for their warrant the example of godly Emperours Kings and States both before Christ since set down in histories their lawes This am I forced often to tell you and your fellowes that so much and often maliciously repeate this intollerable and wicked 〈◊〉 For the other point of your allegation of Scriptures finde vs the wordes in the fourteenth chapter to the Romanes you set vs downe which ye shall neuer be able to doe looke euen vpon your owne translation Or else confesse when you are taken with the manner that you are a corrupter of the Scripture Is a mans corrupte or erroneous conscience or knowledge and fayth all one think you such knowledge if ye so will call it is one thing c onscience is another and faith differing from both a third thing Errour and falshod in knowledge bastard and corrupt the same be enemies to faith no friends to conscience