THE POPE CONFVTED The holy and Apostolique Church confuting the Pope The first Action Translated out of Latine into English by Iames Bell. PSAL. 27. Dominus illuminatio mea salus mea quem timebo Imprinted at London by Thomas Dawson for Richard Sergier 1580. The Translator to the Reader THe Authour who coÌ„piled this litle booke contented with the testimonie of a good conscience hath by an honest veyle made the concealement of his name excusable with all such as bee indued with like mildnesse of spirit And it becommeth his modesty very wel whosoeuer he be Whose example I purposed once to haue imitated and had in deed deliuered my simple labours herein without notice of name likewise had I not by good chaâ—nce whâ—les I was yet trauailing in my translation chaunced vpon an enemie of the truth whereof there be to many lurking in corners if it might please God otherwise a friend of the Pope who vpon conference vpon some matters confuted in this tâ—eatie charged me with my falling from them I meane from their common errours in this behalfe adding withal that it was not thought credible amongst many of the like stragglers that I had slipped the coller and become as he tearmed me an Apostata Whom after I had assured of my calling with some circumstances of the maner of mine escape out of that Laâ—erane Laberinth not without some earnâ—st praiers for his like reclaime though to no purpose I began to bethinke my self that I could do no better than to manifest my name in this place yeelding most heartie and humble thanks to the Lord that I happened vpoÌ„ so good an occasion to wipe away my blemish In deed I wandered long in the selfe same mizmaze nooseled therin by the gray headed of that schoole whose countenance caried mee from my Christ to the Swinstie of Sorbone which had swalowed me vp if the Lord had not preuented me with his mercie betimes I was I say as they are I am now as I am Christ Iesus be thanked a conuert I confesse The Lord graunt I may stand fast to the glorie of his name and the good example of others whose like conuersion I do hartily wish in the Lord. And so desiring thy good praiers to Iesus Christ gentle Reader to assist me with his grace that I may perseuer in this his gracious calling to the ende I wil no longer abuse thy pacience The Lord Iesus gouerne and guide thee in the true obedience of his glorious Gospel to the glorie of his name Amen Thy louing fellow seruant in the Lord Iames Bell. ¶ The Athour to the freendly Reader WHEREas this little treatise offereth it selfe to the viewe without the Authors name herein whosoeuer he be that compiled it whether hee bee Dutch French or English desireth to hold him excused Hee thought it more conuenient to produce the holy vniuersall and Apostolique Churche it selfe speaking in her owne person name and voyce that so she might debate her owne cause being publique not priuat against her aduersary the Pope with greater grauitie and maiestie For as the Lorde hath not geuen equabilitie of estate to all persons alike as one and the selfe same maner of speache accordeth not with all sortes of men So was it not seemely to depende the generall greeuaunce of all nations the vniuersall complaint of all people vpon the mouth of any one priuate person as neither woulde one maner of pleading in so weightie a matter become any one priuate Aduocate With another maner of couÌ„tenaÌ„ce speaketh Cicero as a Consul and Iudge then when as a priuate Orator hee pleadeth at the common barre Certes our lot hath beene so vnluckie to light vppon these dayes nowe all matters being so on all parts enuenimed with poyson and so on all sides waxen cankred and incurable that neither indeuoure nor petition praier nor wholsome admonition of any priuate person were able in any respect to auaile For this Romane rufler maketh not so slender an accompt of his Peacockes plummes as to vouchsafe any priuate counsale or correction This hydeous Hydre requireth too be matched with mightier countenances and powers of greater estate whether the Lord Christ himself wyl vouchsafe to destroy this monster with the breath of his mouth froÌ„ out of heaueÌ„ or whether the excellent maiestie of mightie Potentates and Monarches of the earth vniting all theyr Councelles in one wyl not disdaine of their authorities royal to become publique Vmpieres here yeeld their princely assistaÌ„ce to the suppressing of this insoleÌ„t outrage Wherfore if ought in this treatie may seeme gentle Reader to haue byn vttered with ouermuch bitternesse of speach Imagine in thy minde of this discourse as though it proceeded not from any one particular member of the Churche alone but from the whole Church it selfe or from Peter or Paul or else froÌ„ the whole parliament of the Apostles proclaiming their generall consentes voyces and mutuall agreements by their authoritie Apostolique who as did in times past with incredible trauaile and industrie plant and enlarge the boundes of Christs Church so if they were liuing now and beheld with their eyes the merueilous misdemeanors and disorders of the Churche without all peraduenture they woulde thunder out far more bitter and sharper stormes of reproouing speaches against this horrible aduersarie of Christe The Lorde Iesu blesse thee Christian Reader Faultes escaped in the printing Fol. 5. a. for least reade last fol. 6. a. so not for not so fol. 8. b for insolencie reade influence fol. 11. a. for soueraigne reade soueraigntie fol. 14. a for vvhereas reade vvhenas fol 21. a for death reade the death fol. 21. b for be prooued reade ye prooued folâ— 22. a fâ—r your mightie maiâ—stie reade the mightie maiestie fol. eodem b for neither kingâ— reade vvhether king fol. 28. b for heare therefore reade heere â—herefore fol. 24. b for vvill iustifie reade vvill I iustifie fol. 37 a for light of the vvoâ—rde reade light of the vvorld fol. 42. for VVith reade VVhich fol. 59 b for byhange reade Byhanger fol. 60 reade causes linked vviâ—h fol. 62. a for of the supercelest reade but of the supercelestiall fol. eodem a reade to the great fol. 95. a for elsevvhere in reade elsevvhere then fol. 65. b for hope revvarde reade hope of â—evvarde fol. 69. a for righteously reade righteous by fol. 71. b. for in any our reade in any one thing fol 75. b. for our selfe same reade one selfe same folâ— 76 a for eare reade â—aâ—e Fol. 83. b. for this maner reade his maner A DEFENCE OF THE holy and Apostolyke Church against the Bishop of Rome THE FIRST ACTION HOwe long at the length wil you abuse our gentle suffâ—raunce ye Pope of Rome Howe long shall your fury and counterfeyte hypocrisie delude vs What kynde of inordinate licentiousnes is this that so much disteâ—â—pereth you What doeth your outragious insolencie import what doeth it practize whether will iâ— raâ—ngeâ— what measure
froÌ„ what auÌ„cieÌ„t brood were broached at y â— first their absoluâ—ions pardons â—â—pish buls romish stations continual gaddings to the apostles toÌ„bs dedication of temples shryâ—ing of saincts conâ—uringâ— of salt water of coâ—ps bowgâ—s that endles consecration of such like trumperies couple heerewith also mâ—â—kishe vowes rules shauings plates myters attires besmearings palls iubiles and I maruel that circumcision and the sacrifices of the olde lawe were not likewyse chopt in amongst the rest But when the Apostolique doctrine displayed his bright beames to the world first as it was heauenly and auaileable for the sauety of the world so did they proclaim nothing else but that which they sawe with their eyes heard with their eares they published nothing but what was foreshadowed before by many waies figures foretold agreable with the oracles of the Prophets And where I pray you at the leÌ„gth haue these meÌ„ euer heard with eares which they debate so lustely of purgatory of satisfactorie merites of choise of meates not to be receaued with thanksgiuing of matrimony not free nor grauÌ„ted indifferently to al men of ymages setvp to bee woorshipped or out of what puddle were plumped first their proude crakes of the absolute power of the vniuersal bishop of the Apostolique succession of the Romish Sea of the keye that neuer erred of the absolute authoritie therof which ought to be esteemed better then al councelles not to be comptrolled of any person The Apostles which established the principal part of our saluation in the power of faith taught vs long ago on this wise namely that Christ was our rightuousnes our wisdom sanctification redemption And from whence then receaued these men this which they wil enforce vs to beleue that man of his own power worketh works meritorious that wee meritte euerlasting life euen by due desert That the blessed virgin may commaund her sonne reigning with the father to graunt this or that mans petitions In the Apostles tyâ—ne it was decreed by publique authoritie and by inspiration of the holy ghoste that it should not be lawful for any man to charge the Gentiles with grieuous tradiâ—ions neither did any man wheÌ„ Paul preached grieâ—e his brother for eating fleshe so that it were priuately and without offence to the weak brother And from whence now haue â—ssued these so great fluddes of mâ—ns traditionsâ— wâ—erewith consciences are clâ—gged both publiquely and priuately far more rigorous then the state of the Iewes so that he shal be in daunger of losse of life as an heretique whosoeuer shal dare touch an egge in the lent or oughâ— else then that which the Pope authoriseth yea though sicknes or necessitie require him therto Is any man so madde as to think these burdeins and clogges proceeded froâ— the holy ghost whom sithence it pleased to make churches free in the time of the holy Apostles surely it is not likely that he would now alter his good pleasure and charge the churches w t more grieuous burdeins then before In like manner in times past Bishops were created by the voices of the people not without the consent of Princes Emperours this also vpon due examination of learning life according to the institution of the old Canons Now to passe ouer many other things at the naming wherof godly hartes may tremble for feare fain would I haue them aunswere me how this canonical election without al examination whithout the peoples voices without allowaunce of the prince hath bene poasted ouer to a fewe Cardinales or peraduenture solde to the faâ—test in purse where this tooke thâ— original of antiquitie or when it first sprang vp Therfore to conclude this discourse of antiquitie if according to Tertulâ— iudgement that which is most auÌ„cient must be deemed most true again whatsoeuer is crept vp of lâ—te must be taken for couÌ„terfait if Irene combatâ—ng against the heretiques of his time bee adiudged to haue don wel in that he appealed to the most auÌ„cieÌ„t churches as the w t drawing neerest vnto christ were beleued to erre lest finally if we ought to holde that for autentick w t was established by the authority of the Nicene câ—uÌ„cel Lâ—t the ancient determinaâ—ioÌ„ stand if likewise we following tâ—eir â—xaÌ„ple be willing to returne to that purest pateâ—ne of the most ancient Church which you haue forsaken wil cal backe our selues al our acâ—ions to the direction therof wil any maÌ„ accompt this in vs to be a departure from the Church or an accesse rather to the primitiue Church But much matter is vsually obiected heere touching the visible church wherin for as much as both good and bad be conuersaunt they say that the good ought to be receaued and the ill neuerthelesse not to be reiected for the churches sake wherin they abide We deny not that in y e visible church be alway resideÌ„t both good euil so also as we do embrace the good we do not cast out the euil rashly for the churches sake And yet foloweth no good coÌ„sequenâ— herevpon that they w t do shunne the coÌ„pany of the wicked in the church do therfore reiect the church it self For although in the church the wicked are mixed togither w t the good yet be not these euil persoÌ„s the church of christ It behoueth therfore to make euideÌ„t now which be those good ones which be those wicked ones of whome weâ— speke here now an â—stimaâ— must be made not in respect of their conuersation but in respect of their religion that so as oâ— the one side we may deeme theÌ„ properly good w t teach purely sincerely Iesus Christ the sacrameÌ„ts so on the other side we cal theÌ„ euil which defile the sinceritie of Christian faith depraue his sacramentes vnder colour of the church do persecute the true churche of Christ. Such to haue bene in al Churches and in al ages of the Churche euen from the first age of the Patriarches Prophetes and Aposâ—les alwaies vntil this prâ—sent is more then manifest which hauing no sparke of true religion but a false vysor of counterfaicte holynes haue abused the name and title of pietie chiefly to ouerthrow true pietie Of this number were Ismael and Esau in the tyme of Isaac and Iacob â— in the tyme of Ioseph his owne naturall brethren who lyke treacherous traytoures conspireâ— the murthering of their innoceÌ„t brother Those also that ioyned in confederacy against Moyses with Dathan and Abyron and many other times likewyse they that ioyned traiterously in armes against Dauid their liege Lorde and king Such were the false prophets that withstood Elias Michea Esaias and the true prophets of God such were they who when Ieremy did prophecy exclamed against him The teÌ„ple of the Lord The temple of the Lord when as in deede their speech was nought else but very lyes like as the scribes pharisees vpbraided Christ himself that they were the generation of Abraham when
the doctrine and opinion touching the substaunce and fayth of this sacrament was then in that olde auncient age amongest those Catholike and godly auncient fathers and howe farre this your newe vpstart chaungeling of â—raÌ„substantiation doth differre not only from al auncient antiquity but also from the trueth of the scripture it selfe which many of your own frateâ—ny Impes of this later age did not onely very wisely forsee but very frankely confesse as your selfe do know wel ynough For I suppose the name of the Author or the wordes of the Author at the least bee not vnknowen vnto you who albeit neuer durst deny transubstantiation himselfe yet feared nothing â—o vâ—ter his iudgement thereof freely The Churche saieth hee did but very lately set down the determination touching transubstantiation for before that it was thought sufficient that the true body of Christ was conteined really either vnder consecrated bread or by any meanes els but afterwardes when the churche began to looke more narrowly into the substaunce of the matter and to enter into more exact consideration therof it gaue foorth a more resolute determinatioÌ„ of the same c. To the same effect almost writeth also Iohn Fisher bishop of Rochester not the least Apostle of the Romish church who in his booke entituled A Defeâ—ce for the King of England discoursing vppon transubstantiation and the vse of the sacrament commeth at the last to this conclusion to wit that TraÌ„substantiation is grouÌ„ded more vpoÌ„ the authoritie aud determination of the church then can be iustifiable by the scriptures of God the Gospel Wherein he did not amisse For who doth not know that in that first nourcery of the Primitiue Churche yea and many hundred yeeres after whenas Bede Bertram and Rabanus Maurus were liuing in the world euen vnto that vnlucky hatching of Hildebrande and Innocent the thiâ—de not so much as this name Transubstantiation was euer hearde of vntill at the length in a Councell holdâ—n at Laterane in Rome the solemne edicte was established of banishing the substaunce of bread quytâ— out of the sacrament For if at any tyme before that councel the church had defyned any certain and grounded docâ—rine touching the same how falleth it out theÌ„ that there is such a continual falling â—ut amongest theÌ„ that folowed after in diuersities of opinion and iudgement about that transubstantiatiâ—n which some of them do stoutly maintaine some do vtterly deny it some do by coniecture think that others wil not graunt vnto some others haue supposed some doo so deliuer out that the substaunce of bread wyne doth remaine Lombarde himselfe doth think that there is a certain enterchaunge but what manner of enterchanuge that is whether formal or substantial or of some other fashion hee dareth not of himselfe determine any certainty Likewyse Gabriel Biel sticking fast in the same quauemyre vnable too vnwelde him selfe cleane from out the same is faine at the length too set downe by a plaine denial that in the whole Canonical scriptures can not possibly be founde in expresse woordes whether this transubstantiation dooth beginne by enterchaunging of any somwhat into the body or do without enterchaunging beginne too bee the body with the bread the substaunce and accidentes of bread remaining still What shall wee say to this that euen by the testimony of Pope Innocent the thirde his owne mouth were some persons knowen that did affirme that as the very accidentes of bread did remaine after consecration so also did the very substaunce of bread remaine withal Whereby appeareth manifestly that before that late councel of Laterane was no certaine doctryne established touching transubstantiation To the lyke effect wryteth Nicholas Cusanus Some of the auncient fathers saieth hee are founde too haue beene of this minde that the bread is not transubstantiated but is inuested with a certain substauÌ„â—e of more high valour O notable groundwoorke of transubstantiation perdy builded vppon none other platte fourme then vppon so brittle a fundation as that ridiculous decree of the Romish Church being so late an vpstarte as the which was not so much as by name onely euer hearde of or knowen which neuer peeped abroade into the worlde before Satan being let loose out of Hell after the thousande yeeres of his captiuitie was permitted too raunge openly abroade and too defile all thinges with abhominable stenche and corruption For on this wyse dyd Satan after hee was let loose beginne his first practises very neere the tyme wherein Hildebrande or not long after him Innocent the thyrd began too prop vp theyr Ierarchie ouer the worlde O Sacred and Catholike doctrine of Transubstantiation issuing from so gracious a stocke forsooth and grafted in suche an holy and seasonable a time O neate and fine forgers of fraude of whom notwithstanding if any man will demaunde for the firste Originall of y â— theyr doctrine they wyll not be ashamed to fetche the pedigree thereof euen from the very Apostles themselues and too deduce the auncientie of this theyr transubstantiation euen vnto Melchisedech not much vnlike too theyr neere Cozens the Gebaonites which too colour theyr falshoode shewed foorth theyr olde shoes so do these Romanists make a shew of the auctoritie of theyr owne Churche and the same aduaunce alofâ— as it were Gorgones heade before the eyes and eares of the vnlettered multitude with very solemne protestations Wherein theyr fraudulent guâ—le had not beene altogeather amisse if that the holy Scriptures had not long before discouered vntoo vs that same gracious Church of theirs which they glorifie with the title of Catholike to bee none other then that abhominable strumpet of Babylon And yet for all this these Gentlemen spare not too claime holde of Christe himselfe also as an especiall Patrone of theyr error but not muche vnlike their owne great graundsire Satan who long sithens gaue assaulte vpon the same Christ in his owne person with the words of Scripture synisterly wrest after the bare sense of the letter and as the Iewes doe at this present hacke the Propheticall Scriptures of the old Testament of whom Ierome maketh mention Who following the bare construction of the letter sayeth hee slew the sonne of God The selfe same almost may seeme very aptly appliable vnto them who following the bare letter of the newe Testament doe change the Sacramentes into Idolles doe extinguishe the spirite of the Scripture and doe crucifie Christe with the Iewes a frâ—she in his members againe besides this also because they doe not perceiue sufficient sauetie enough set downe for them in the scriptures they runne by heapes to the chiefe Fortresse of Gods omnipotent power What say they did not Christe affirme in plaine woordes This is my body shall wee doubt that hee was not able to perfourme that which hee spake If Christe woulde vouchsafe vpon his departure from hence to leaue behind him too his dearely beloued Spouse some speciall token or remembrance of him selfe