holy Doctor and then approv'd of by all the world and ever since accepted and applauded in God's Church be defective or deceitfull then a translation made since the pretended Reformaâ—ion by men not only engaged in that new doctrin but maintain'd therby and so addicted to the pleasures and profits of this world as the first Reformers and their Successours the Protestant Clergy are known to be not only in England but in all other parts of Christendom Let them be pleased also to consider whether the judgment of the Roman Catholick Clergy in these Kingdoms who in being of that judgment can have no motive but conscience as is manifest by the incapacities and penalties lay'd vpon them for not conforming to Protestancy be not a more impartial and less to be suspected rule for any prudent person to follow then the judgment of the Protestant Clergy rewarded and promoted to the greatest employments both in Church and state for being of that opinion they profess and who would forfeit all their being if they declared them-selves contrary to Protestancy This being as maturely and impartially considered as the importance of the matter doth require non will believe that the vulgar Translations made by Protestants is holy Scripture they being so contrary to our vulgata in latin translated out of the true Greeck and Hebrew copies writen first by a holy Martyr and after revewed by a St. whose sincerity and learning were sufficient to canonize his Translation had it not bin the word of God and most holy of it self and so declared by the testimony and approbation of the Church for the space of 1200. years before the Councel of Trent In vain therfore do Protestant Writers tell us that theiâ— Translations are taken immediatly from the fountains of the Greek and Hebrew so is our vulgata only with this difference that ours was taken from the fountains when they were cleere and by holy and learned men that knew which were the crystal waters and true copies but theirs is taken from fountains of trouble'd waters by lewd and vicious persons and after that the Arians and other Hereticks had poyson'd and corrupted them with their false and filthy doctrin Thus much against the Protestant letter of Scripture now to their sense of Scripture SECT V. The Protestant interpretation is not the true sense of Scripture THE principal part and as it were the soule of Scripture is the sence which was delivered to the Church togeather with the letter For as St. Hierom in ep ad Galat. sayth the Ghospel is not in the word but in the sence not in the bark but in the sapp not in the leaves of the words but in the root of the meaning So that though we should grant the Protestant Translations to be true yet if we prove their interpretation false we demonstrat they have no Scripture nor the least pretext or colour for their Reformations And first that the Church received togeather with the letter the true sense of Scripture is as evident as it is that God would not speak words without sense or leave the interpretation of them to men whose capacities reach not the mysteries of Religion contained in the words Therfore our learned Adversaries are obliged to confess that no man doubteth but that the primitive Church received from the Apostles and Apostolical men not only the text of Scripture but also the right and native sense therof The dispute therfore between Catholicks and Protestants is not whether the Church ever received the true sense of Scriptures but whether that sense continued as well as the letter in the Church and whether the interpretations of Luther Calvin Cranmer Hamond c. or of the Prelaticks of England ought to be preferr'd before that of the Roman Catholick Church because the true sense of Scripture is supposed by all Protestants to have bin lost for many ages and that the whole visible Church of God was either so careless as to forget the ancient sense or so wicked as to forge a new sense of Scripture And first it seems against reason to believe that any Christian Congregation could be less carefull of the sense of Scripture then of the letter because the sense is that which importeth most for preservation of the faith Therfore if the Prelats and Pastors of the Church have bin so watchfull and diligent in all ages as to find out and correct all heretical corruptions of the letter of Scripture how is it possible they would neglect the same industry for preservation of the sense which is the principal part of God's word And if Protestants think the letter was safe in the custody of the Roman Chatholick Church from which they received it how can they suspect the purity of that sense which was kept and delivered to them by the same Church and authority And if God's providence as they confess was engaged in keeping the leaves and letter of Scripture from corruption surely it could not be so vnconcern'd for the integrity of the sence and substance as to permit it to perish Besides it is much easier to keep the sense of Scripture incorrupt and pure then the letter The letter was writ only in paper or parchment the sense in the heads and hearts of the Bishops Doctors and People of the Church a dash of a pen may alter the letter but cannot have access to the sence which lodgeth in the hearts and heads of the faithfull The precept of receiving the sense of Scripture from the Church is not only agreable to reason but prescrib'd in Scripture as the only way of saluation Go not from the doctrin of the elders for they have learned it from their Fathers and of them thou shalt learn vnderstanding and to answer in the time of need Eccles. 8.8 The first Protestant Reformers observed not this they went to no precedent Church nor Fathers for their interpretation of Scripture and therfore the words of Ieremy 18.15 may be literally applyed to them They have stumbled from the ancient ways to walk in ways not troden The Protestant Clergy ought to say and confess ingeniously that of holy Iob 8.8 Jnquire therfore I pray thee of the ancient generation and prepare thy self to search of their Fathers for we are but yesterday and ought not intrude their own Imaginations as the true explanation of God's word They do not imitat St. Gregory Nazianzen and St. Basil who as Eusebius relates Hist. l. 11. cap. 9. did seek the vnderstanding of the Scriptures not from their own presumption but from the writings and authority of their Ancestors They do not follow the rule of Origen saying tract in Math. 29. That in our vnderstanding of the Scripture we must not dâ—part from the first Ecclesiasticall tradition nor believe other-wise but as the Church of God hath by succession delivered to us Nor that of Tertulian l. 1. de prescrip c. 6. What the Apostles preach'd what Christ reveal'd to them ought not be otherwise proved
r. known p. 296 l. 29 for Sect. 8. r. Sect. 3 4 8. p. 30â— l. 8 omitted not p 302 l. 18 for reverences r. revenues p. 309 l. 31 for reverences r. revenues p. 315 l. 8 for became r. began p. 326 l. 17 for foundeth r. founded p. 327 l. 31 omitted Lutheran Book p. 328 l. 12 for tought r. sought p. 341 l. 23 for Pabam r. Papam p. 355 marg l. 3 for fol. 30 r. fol. 301 p. 156 l. 26 for greer r. geer p. 367 l. marg l. ult for 993 r 789 p. 371 l. 21 for 57 r. 53 p. 377 l. 2 Institiam r. Justitiam p. 378 marg l. 20 for three r. two p. 393 l. 4 for eidoolan r. eidolon p. 393 l. 32 for with r. which p. 396 marg l. 9 for Mat. c. 17. r. Mat. c. 27. p. 396 marg l. 11 12 13. these words Et in Harm in Mat. 26. ver 39. are to Be expung'd p. 407 l. 18 for 1 Thess. r. 2 Thess. p. 417 marg l. 5 for orgilat r. or great p. 424 l. 27 for he r. I p. 425 l. 4 for notice r. Notes p. 430 l. 24 the word and must be expung'd p. 444 l. 8 for restored r. retorted p. 453 l. 5 for report r. detort p. 457 l. 31 for rot r. not p. 458 l. 10 for Pramhalls r. Bramhalls p. 473 l. 9 for ad r. and p. 475 l. 7 for praeras r. praeeras p. 481 marg l. 19 for Figurinis r. Tigurinis p. 482 l. 13 for ad r. and p. 482 marg l. 13 for le r. de p. 495 marg l. 17 thy r. they p. 503 l. 30 for at r. as p. 528 l. 11 r. mentibay nefas in the same line r. hoc for tue p. 508 for 22 r. 32 p. 515 l 10 for our r. your p. 525 l. 21 after return is omitted to p. 540 l. 31 for them r. then p. 549 l. 23 for Anion r. Anjou p. 560 marg l. 6 for Matth 11.12 r. Matth. 11.21 Ibid marg l. 7 for Joan. 10.26 r. Joan 10.25 Ibid marg l. 9 for Joan 2.23 r. Joan 3.2 p. 562 l. 20 for receive r. revive p. 566 l. 5 for this r. thus p. 571 l. 16 at Waldensis omitted cap. 63. n. 6. p 573 marg l. 24 for Moral r. Dialog p. 584 l. 15 for 1664. r. 1604. p. 613 l. 27 for Regal r. Legal pag. ult of the Conclusion l. 8 for Actions 1. Nations A TREATISE OF RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT FIRST PART Of the beginning progress and principles of Protestancy in general and of the Prelatick Church of England in particular SECT I. Hovv necessary a rational Religion is for a peaceable Government What Religion ought to be judged rational That the truth of mysteries of Faith is more credible then cleere A digression concerning the Notions and Natures of things and in particular of a Body Hovv unreasonable it is to judg of impossibilities in order to Gods omnipotency because they seeme so to our human understandings How dangerous it is for a temporal Soueraign to pretend a spiritual iurisdiction ouer his subjects and how the Catolick world ever acknowledged the Bishop of Rome his spiritual iurisdiction ouer all Christians AMongst our Adversaries discourses against the Roman Catholick Religion the inconsistency therof with the soueraignty and safety of Princes seemeth to be most applauded The Protestant Ministers ceas not to proclaim from pulpit and press that Kings are but Tenants at will to the Pope and that his spiritual iurisdiction depriues them of all temporall power We shall rid I hope protestant Princes of that iealousy when we treat of this point by manifesting the calumny In this part of our Treatise we confine ourselues to matters of fact reserving to dispute of the right herafter And indeed none can frame a true iudgment of this or of any other Controuersy before he be informed of the historical part therof Therfore our method is to set down in the beginning of this work the state and belief of the visible Christian and Catholick Church untill the yeaâ—â— 1517. wherin the world heard first of protestancy afterwards we shall proceed to examin whether the soul and state may be better gouerned by the principles of protestancy then of Popery We doubt not with Gods assistance to retort against our adversaries their own arguments and to proue that as no Religion is a safe way to salvation but ours so likewise not any is so fauorable to the soueraignty of lawfull Magistracy and to the peacebleness of human gouernment as the same Roman Catholik We need not inculcat to States-men how euer so Irreligious that the support of gouernment is Religion and that thâ—ir own Masterpiece is to keep the multitude in awe of the lawes not so much by force of armes an expedient more dangerous then durable as by a religious fear of God and a firm persuasion that Soueraigns are his Vice-gerents and divine prouidence so concerned in the maintenance of their authority and prerogatives that neither can be opposed without infallibility of eternall damnation to the opposers This persuasion must not be the sole work or word of the Soueraigns themselves or of their state Ministers their testimony would be suspected by the subjects as partial it must be grounded upon authority credibly reported to be divin as among Christians the holy Scriptures explained by the ancient tradition and sense of Councels and Fathers which by another name we call the Church or Clergy that is men to whom God hath committed the charg of soules and commanded us to follow their directions in spirituall matters as being Jnterpreters of the divin Law which Soveraigns must observe There could not be an expedient more satisfactory then the institution of such a Church Clergy and spiritual Court of Iudicature For if interpretation of Scripture had bin left to the Soveraign the subjects would mistrust his sincerity in explaining the same if to the lay subjects the Soveraign would be as diffident of their explications Wherfore to avoid differences and disputes God appointed the Clergy for spiritual Iudges as being by their institution less concerned in temporal affaires and therfore presumed to be more conscientious and less partial in their sentences then lay persons and Tradition for the rule wherby they must direct their judgments to the end their doctrin be Apostolical not arbitrary or altered from the primitive but rather all novelties and differences concerning matters of Faith be still suppressed and therby all unlawfull pretensions which both Soveraigns and subjects frequently claim under the pretext of Religion be remedied or prevented for that souveraignty is as apt to degenerat into tyranny as subjection into rebellion if not regulated by a religion that makes it as vnlawfull for lay men to intermeddle with the doctrin of the Church as it is improper for Church men to intrude themselves into matters of state But because neither Soueraigns nor subjects are bound to submit their judgments in matters of
which may be seuerally wrought and wrought upon by a corporeal instrument If an Atom be so thick that a corporeal instrument may touch one side therof and not touch or reach the other side there is ground and room enough for Gods power to separat one side from the other for if one side of a Body or Atom can be wrought upon independently of the other it may exist also or be moued independently of the same and by consequence is distinct and separable from it And indeed if to be toucht and not to be toucht be not contradictions sufficient to prove real distinction between the sides or extremes so denominated no kind of contradictions can inferre real distinction To say as Mr. Bonart doth pag 301.303 passim that to be toucht and not toucht argues only a verbal not a real distinction in the Atom wherof one side is realy toucht the other not realy toucht and to pretend that this is cleerly deduced from the first notion or nature of a Body or extense because forsooth the notion of Parts must suppose not only one extense but many with a certain manner and measure of extension and that therfore an Atom may be extended and yet not partible To maintain this discourse I say seemeth to me a begging of the question and as difficult as any other opinion in this matter For 1. It is not easy to conceiue how any extension whatsoeuer can include in its first notion or nature an exclusion of division 2. In M. r Bonart his own principles it seemeth in-intelligible how any Body or Atom that hath so much extension that is so much length bredth and profundity as to be capable of being toucht on the one side with out being toucht on the other is not composed of parts distinct one from the other For pag 303. he grants that if in the expansion or extension of an Atom did appeare any little line or point that line or point would conclude a real distinction of parts in the Atom Now why the touch of any corporeal instrument suppose of a Painters pencil framed and managed by Gods hand may not leaue an impression of it selfe which impression you may call a line or point in that place or side of the Atom that is toucht no reason can be giuen and by consequence there can not be any for denying real distinction and division of the parts in the Atom Lastly It must be concluded that the Atoms are either partible or penetrated Because if they be not partible they do touch each other wholy and euery where according to their dimension and extensions and if they touch in such a manner they are penetrated or in one and the same place And if they be penetrated or penetrable impenetrability can not be the essence or property of the Body which they compose and wherof it only consists This is only sayd by the way to shew that the best wits may mistake the notion and nature not only of a spirit but also of a Body and that they are not the best Guides when they steere themselues and others more by their own privat discourses then by the common sense of the faithfull in mysteries of faith wherof it is a property to be more credible then cleere But if the euidence of sense be fallacious and the reflections of our mind fallible what certain knowledg can we haue of any thing Must we al turn Stoiks or Sceptiks Shall we doubt of all Geometrical Demonstrations No we haue certain Knowledg of our own existence and of some other euident truths And as for the Demonstrations of Geometry Euclid himself neuer pretended that his notions of a point line superficies perfect circle c. did point at the real existence of any such objects as indivisible points lines perfect cercles c. he knew and Mathematicians confess there are no such things in rerum natura And seing Mathematicians are so ingenuous as to acknowledg that their cleerest notions are not real natures or immutable essences I see no reason why Philosophers whose demonstrations are not so cleere should be so positiue in defining things as if they were defyâ—ing Gods omnipotency to make them otherwise then they haue dictated in the Schooles or published in their Bookes And he that thinks to declare the reasonableness of Christian Religion by making the mysteries therof agree rather with his own Philosophical notions then with the common sense of the Church will involue himselfe into a labyrinth of errours The reasonableness therfore of Christian Religion must not be measured by any cleere euidence of truth that human reason discouers either in the works of nature or in the diuine mysteries for we shall proue herafter such euidence to be inconsistent with faith but rather by the cleere euidence of an indispensable obligation that euery man finds and feeles in himselfe of submitting his judgment to the Church when he reflects upon the signs and sufficiency of its authority in order to propose diuine doctrin To submit our reason to a Church or Clergy that hath no cleere and authentick signs of diuine authority is simple and sinfull credulity not to submit to its sufficient authority that is to authority signed with supernatural signs is heretical obstinacy As for the meanes wherby euery one concerned in this spiritual subjection to the Church and Clergy ought to be informed of their miracles authority and jurisdiction they are the same which all men practise and judg to be sufficient for knowing and acknowledging the true and lawfull Heire of a Kingdom or estate The right to temporal dominion is decerned by succession and that succession by Tradition so also the right to gouern soules and decide Controuersies of faith must be acknowledged to reside in them that by a continual succession of Episcopall hands deriue their spiritual caracter or mission from the Apostles and neuer varied from the Apostolical doctrin of which succession of Caracter and continuance of doctrin the best proof is a neuer interrupted Tradition or Testimony of honest and knowing persons in euery age against whose verdict there can be no Lawfull exceptions That Church or Clergy whose doctrin caracter miracles and jurisdiction is witnessed by this Tradition ought to be obeyed as hauing the spiritual superiority wherunto Christ our Saviour commanded both Soueraigns and subjects to submit their iudgments in the mysteries and Controversies of Religion Though this expedient of a Church and Clergy so qualified ought to be acceptable and satisfactory to lay Princes and people yet modern Politicians stand upon such nyceties that the greatest danger and difficulty which they apprehend in the government of a Christian Commonwealth is to order so affaires that the spiritual and temporal jurisdiction may not clash they feare that by mistake or ambition of the Clergy the temporal may be too far intrenched upon and made not only subordinat but subject to the spiritual and the spiritual at length become
reasonable subjection Therfore besids many other works in the yeare 1520. Luther writ a book called Praeludium captivitatis Babilonicae wherin he maintayned that Christians are not subject to human Lawes at least in foro Conscintiae Christ hauing made them all equall by the Gospell but that the Pope Prelates and Princes had tyranically usurped a Iurisdiction ouer them and kept them for many years in gross ignorance and wors then in a Babylonian captivity therfore that God had sent him to reforme these abuses and restore vnto all oppressed people the Christian liberty which they had received in Baptisme and by his reformation they might enjoy so fully as to judg and govern all omnia judicemus regamus Then he published his doctrin of justification by only faith so resolutly that he doubted not to preach though mens words be the greatest blasphemies and their works the most damnable villâ—nies If they haue as much confidence to belieue without doubt as impudence to act without scruple they may be sure that God hath receiued them into his fauor and cannot be damned unless they doubt of their saluation This abominable presumption Luther grounded upon the infinitness of Christs merits as if forsooth our Sauiour had suffered to the end we might not only be happy in heauen but by his passion hah waranted our wickedness upon earth grossly mistaking and confounding the sufficiency of Christs merits with the sufficiency of their application none can deny but that the least drop of our Sauiours Bloud is sufficient to redeeme millions of worlds because it is of infinite value but all Catholicks euer held that though his Bloud and merits be infinitly sufficient in themselues yet are they not sufficiently applyed to sinners unless they concurr to their own reconciliation and justification not only by faith but by good works Sacraments and other meanes which God hath appointed for that purpose Yet Luther pretended that faith alone is a sufficient application of Christs merits and that men needed not mortify their bodys nor endeavour to secure their salvation by good works thinking it a diminution of our Redeemers glory and a disrespect to his person that with our free will we should cooperat with his passion and help our selues and vpon this ground do Protestants raise all their batteries against Indulgences Purgatory Pilgrimages praying to Saints Confession of sins Penance Satisfaction Merit austerity of Monastical life Works of supererogation c. A reformation so indulgent to liberty and sensuality could not want Proselits and in a short tyme appeared the effects therof the Peasants of Germany rebelled against their Princes and Lords in defence of that Euangelical liberty which Luther had preached and in the space of one summer were on both sides a hundred thousand men slain Some Princes to make themselues considerable by heading the multituds which ran to Luther professed his Religion and protected his person and he layd for the foundation of his reformation the ensuing principles SVBSECT I. The fundamentall principles of Protestancy THe first principle and foundation of Luthers and of all Protestant reformations is a supposition that the whole visible Church fell from that primitiue pure doctrin and true meaning of Scripture which Christ our Sauior and the Apostles had planted and the first Christians had professed All râ—formed Churches do and must agree in this supposition the very name of a Doctrinal reformation implies a change and decay of doctrin though they disagree in the tyme and other circumstances of the change Untill Luther had conferred with the Devill he durst not vent this principle he appealed indeed from the Pope to a generall Councell and from a generall Councell when he perceiued one was summon'd to the Church diffusiue but after his conference with Satan he ventured to say Lay aside all the armes of orthodox antiquity Schooles of Diuinity authority of Councells and Popes consent of so many ages and all Christian People we receiue nothing but Scripture yet so that we must haue the certain authority to interpret the same Our interpretation is the sence of the holy Ghost that which others bring though they bee great though many proceedeth from the spirit of Sathan and from a distracted mind The reasons why Luther and all Protestants run this desperat course is because hauing examined and found that orthodox antiquity was Roman Catholik and not one Church parish or person ever Protestant before 1517. they are inforced to maintain by mis-interpreting Scripture that the whole visible Church erred and that God sent them to reform it The second principle of Protestancy is to admit of no rule of faith but only Scripture of no other infallible Judg of the letter or sence of Scripture or of any controversies in Religion but every particular Church and person interpreting Scripture according to their best endeavors and discretion This is expressly declared in the last mentioned words of Luther and inculcated by the Devill to him in his Conference and though few are willing to speake the same words yet is there not one Protestant in the world that doth not practise the very same doctrin and defend it when the matter is argued It necessarily followeth from the first principle Because if the whole visible Church fell from the pure faith and from Gods meaning of Scripture the belief tradition and testimony of that visible Church Councell and Fathers can be no true rule of faith nor themselves fit Iudges of Religion or of the sense of Scripture Therfore every privat Protestant must be his own Guide and Iudg in matters of saluation and Scripture For though Luther Calvin or any Protestant Congregation should pretend that their sense and interpretation of Scripture is that of the holy Ghost and the interpretation of others Diabolical yet no privat Protestant doth look even upon their own reformers or Churches as infallible in this or in any other particular but in as much as he Iudges it agreeth with Scripture and therfore every one that supposeth the fall of the Roman Catholik and visible Church and the fallibility of the Reformers and reformations as all Protestants do will deny that him-self hath any obligation to submit his Iudgment in controversies of Religion to any interpretation of Scripture or decision of doctrin besids his owne and so becoms his owne Guide and his owne Iudg of controversies and makes his owne interpretation of Scripture his only rule of faith The third principle of Protestancy is that men are justified by only faith and that he who hath once justifying faith can neither loose it nor be damned This tenet is cleerly professed as the doctrin of all Protestant Churches in the Catholik doctrin of the Church of England art 11. pag. 5â— seqq And pag. 54. The Papists are declared heretiks for holding that men are to remain doubtfull whether they shall be saved or not From these principles flow that infinit variety of Protestant Religions
vs as sacred Thus much have I thought good to remember that Volanus may receive answer from himself when he so often inforceth against vs the authority of learned men and the consent of the Church c. And truly Socinus doth defend his error concerning Christ with as many and as cleer texts of Scripture not vnderstood in the sense of the Roman Catholick Church as any point of Protestancy is maintained by other Protestants The Puritans now called Presbiterians vse the same way of arguing against the Prelatiks and with no less success then socinus against Volanus as may be seen in Cartwright in his second reply against episcopacy p. 1. pag. 484. And that it may appear saith he how justly we call this Canon of the Councell the first generall of Nice in the Canon touching the Metropolitan which the Prelatiks vrged in favor of Episcopacy vnto the tuch stone of the word of God let it be considered c. In the same Councell appeareth that to those chosen of the ministery vnmarried it was not lawfull to take any wife afterwards c. Paphnutius sheweth that not only this was before that Councell but was an ancient Tradition of the Church in which both him-felf and the whole Councell rested c. If the ancient Tradition of the Church can not authorise this neither can ancient custome authorise the other The Prelatick Clergy would fain hould Episcopacy by virtue of Tradition and of the authority of the Nicen Councell and yet would have Priests marry contrary to the same tradition and authority In like manner as the same Mr. Cartwright well observeth ibid. pag. 582. the Bishops of the Church of England would needs have the Nicen Councell be of sufficient authority to maintain Arch-Bishops but not the Pope wheras the on is as cleerly expressed as the other and no less necessary for the government of the Church If saith he an Arch-Bishop be necessary for calling a Provincial Councell when the Bishops are divided it is necessary there be also a Pope which may call a generall Councell when division is among the Arch-Bishops for when the Churches of one Province be divided from other as you ask me so I ask you who shall assemble them togeather who shall admonish them of their duties when they are assembled If you can find a way how this may be don without a Pope the way is also found wherby the Church is disburdned of the Archbishop When Prelaticks dispute with Presbiterians about Episcopacy and ceremonies c. they extoll the four first general Councells but when they dispute with Roman Catholicks about the vnmarried life of Priests the Pop's supremacy or any other point of Popery then they extenuate the authority of the same Councells and will admitt of no other rule of faith but Scripture So that a Prelatick Protestant against Presbiterians is a Papist and against Papists is a Presbiterian what he is or would be if both did argue against him at the same time is not well known to me nor as I suppose to him-self but if he admits of the two main pillars wherby protestancy is supported which are the pretended fall and fallibility of the visible Church and the arbitrary interpretation of Scripture he may be any thing he pleases and to speak more modestly of him then Modestinus of Calvinists he is in a faire way to be a baptised Iew Mahometan or Arian and can not miss that way if he will be guided by the Protestant principles and follow the track of the most learned of the reformation Both Luther and Calvin dislik't the word Trinity on sayd it sounded couldly the other barbarously and Luther by omitting in his Translation of the new Testament this Text of Scripture There-be three which give witness in heaven the Father the word and the holy Ghost and these three be one sheweth how little inclined he was to believe that sacred Mystery and by saying that his soule hated Homusion and that the Arians did very well to reject that new and profane word from the rules of faith he declareth how his Protestant rule and reformation doth direct men to heresy and to all kind of infidelity for there is not a more refined heresy then Scripture mis-interpreted and mis-applyed and Scripture may be as easily mis-interpreted and mis applyed against the Trinity or the second Person 's equality and consubstantiality as applied to any on point of Protestancy The Anti-Trinitarians of Poland Transilvania and Hungary think themselves as good Calvinists as any French Hugonots and better Protestants then English Prelaticks or German Lutherans because they not only agree with all reformed Churches in the Fundamentalls of Protestancy that is in supposing the Apostacy of the Catholick Church and in reforming it by privat authority and their own interpretation of Scripture but go a step further in the Reformation by denying the Trinity By the principles of Protestancy and the practise of the first Protestant Reformers it is left to the choyce and discretion of every particular Church and person what articles of Popery are fitt to be rejected by their privat interpretation of Scripture and indeed it is impossible for men not tyed to any rule but to their own fancies of Scripture to agree in the points of Popery what to reject or retain They who confine with the Turk's Dominions venture to deny the Trinity and the Divinity of Christ and laugh at their brethrens arguments against their impiety as deduced only from Tradition Councells and Fathers and call them old Roman raggs long since torn in pieces by the Protestants them-selves in other points of Protestancy c. Hi sunt vetusti panni quos vos laceratis in aliis fidei articulis c. lacerata jamdudum calceamenta Nullus Nemo H. 9. They are say they patcht showes worn out long agon but heer in England France c. where no neighboring Nations deny the Trinity or Incarnation Protestants make those Misteries fundamental articles of faith but in Transilvania and Hungary The principles of Protestancy are not kept in such awe as heer they make bold there to apply Scripture against any mysteries of Christianity Wherfore we must not admire that they as Mr. Hooker tells vs Eccles. Polâ—â— l. 4. pag. 183. Of the reformed Churches of Poland think the very belief of the Trinity to be a part of Anti-Christian corruption and that the Pop's triple Crown is a sensible mark wherby the world might know him to be that misticall Beast spoken of in the Revelation in no respect so much as in his doctrin of the Trinity Nor when they say that St. Athanasius his Symbol is the Symbol of Sathan and brag that Luther did scarce vntile the Babilonian Jower of Rome but that they do vtterly demolish it and dig vp its very foundation By which words they give cleerly to vnderstand that the Protestants of Germany England Denmark c. are but superficial Protestants
to the Earl of Arundell that she would marry him and by promising other favours to the Duke of Norfolck had by their solicitations gained most of the nobility and the Lords and Gentlemen who had the managing of elections in their several Counties had retained such men for 〈◊〉 of the House of Commons as they conceived moâ—â— likely to comply with the Queens new design in reviving that Religion which but five years before them-selves and the whole Kingdom had rejected as damnable heresy and groundless novelty devised by some lâ—w'd revolted Friars and Priests and had observed how all sober and conscienâ—ious men weâ—â— troubled to see so shamefull a change introduced only for maintaining the weakness of a title against the cleer right of the Stewards and fearing least this scruple might spread and work vpon the consciences of the illiterat multitude it was thought fit to command Bishop Iewell the fittest man for so impudent an vndertaking to assert the antiquity of the particular Tenets of the New Church of England and so in forme of a Challenge against all Roman Catholicks he published at Paules Cross that the Religion which the Queen and Parliament had then established by Law was no novelty nor new invented sense of Scripture but the same which our Saviour and his Apostles delivered to the Church and all Orthodox Christians held for the first 600. years which thing he vndertook to demonstrat by vndeniable Testimonies of the Holy Fathers that lived in those six first Centuries The words of this Challenge we have set down heretofore as also the confutation therof One Rastal having writ against this challenge Iewell togeather with the rest of the Bishops and learned Protestant Clergy composed that famous Apology for the Church of England both in Latin and English it came out first in the name of their whole Church though I believe Iewell had the wording of it because afterwards his name was set to it and to the defence therof but without doubt all the able men of the English Clergy had their hands and heads in the work Against it divers appeared in print Stapleton Sanders and Harding whervpon saith Dean Walsingham in his search of Religion pag. 166. Mr. Iewel within few years after set forth the reply to D. r Harding which was esteemed to have bin made by joynt labours of the most learned men in England both in London and the Vniversities But in these their labours they were convicted of a thousand and odd falsifications and yet saith Harding of 26. articles only five have passed our examination Imagin then what number is like to rise of the whole work I will mention but one or two of every controversy I hope that is sufficient to prove that no one point wherin Protestants differ from Roman Catholicks can be maintained even by the most learned Protestants without frauds falshoods and impostures And do choose to instance particulars out of this Apology and defence of the Church of England because it is not only the work of their first Bishops and Clergy and the very bulwork of their Church but as D. r Heylin truly says the Magazin from whence all the Protestant Controversies since that time have furnished them-selves with arguments and authorities We will omit most of their corruptions of Scripture in the Apology because we have convicted them elâ—â—where of that crime but that they may not imagin we what matter even in this work of theirs let the curious read 〈…〉 Epistle to M. r Jewell set before his return 〈◊〉 vntruthâ— where he tells him you have falsifyed and mangled the very Text of Holy Scripture namely of Saint Paule in one Chapter nine times as the reader may see in the third article of his Book fol. 107. SVBSECT I. The Protestant Clergy convicted of falshood in their Apology concerning Communion vnder one kind BIshop Iewell and his Associats maintain with most Protestants that to receive the B. Sacrament 〈◊〉 one kind only is against the institution of Christâ— and therfore could not be allowed nor practised by the Church nor ever was during the first six hundred years So that the Controversy between the Church of England and Harding is whether in the first 600. years after Christ any Communion were ministred vnder one kind or no which they vnder the name of M. r Jewell deny against whom Harding giveth an instance out of the Ecclesiastical History of one Serapian that was Communicated in his death vnder one kind only Mr. Iewell seing him-self convicted replieth That it is not our question we vnderstand not of privat Communion but of publick in the Church and yet in the first proposing of the Question there was no mention of the Church or Publick and the whole controversy between Catholicks and Protestants is whether with out breach of Christ's Institution any man might communicat vnder one kind only Then Mr. Iewell is demanded whether if it may be proved that sick persons have received the Communion vnder one kind in the Church it will satisfie him wher to he answereth no saying the only thing that I denied is that yee are not able to bring any one sufficient example or authority that ever the whole people received the Communion in open Church in one kind within that time then he is vrged further whether if it can be proved that in closs chappels and Oratories in wilderness and caves in time of persecution the communion was practised vnder one kind this would satisfie him for so mucâ— as this proveth Christ's Institution not to forbid Communion vnder one kind But M. r Iewel leapeth also from this saying the question is whether the Holy Communion were ever ministred openly in the Church It being manifest that for the first 300. years vntill Constantin's time the Christians in most places particularly at Rome had no open Churches but privat Oratories and caves At length being demanded whether Infants receaving the Communion vnder one kind openly in the Church was a sufficient example Jewel answereth Mr. Harding maketh his whole plea vpon an Jnfant and yet of Infants as he knoweth I spake nothing Mr. Harding presseth him with the example of the two disciples to whom Christ our Saviour did give the Communion vnder one kind only at Emaus as by the Text of Scripture and Jnterpretation of ancient Fathers is plain he alledgeth also the examples of S. t Ambrose and S. t Basil who receaved the Sacrament vnder one kind though they were Priests Wherunto M. r Iewel answereth this is not to the purpose for the question is moved of lay people M. r Harding bringeth examples of Christ and two disciples who were of the number of 72. and therfore it may well be thought they were ministers and not of the lay sort I demanded of the layty M. r Harding answereth of St. Ambrose and St. Basil which were Bishops Which evasion is not only fraudulent but foolish as if forsooth Priests
be 〈◊〉 with in other questions not diligently digested nor yet made firm 〈◊〉 authority of the Church there error is to be born with but 〈◊〉 not to go so farr that it should labour to shake the very 〈◊〉 of the Church The Bishop sayes this can not be 〈◊〉 of the definition of the Church though St. Austin 〈◊〉 expressly of the authority therof but of Scripture But 〈◊〉 afterwards the words might be vnderstood of the 〈◊〉 of the Church or general Councells to the end that 〈◊〉 might not imagin St. Austin thought such definitions were 〈◊〉 or vnquestionable he adds But plain Scripture with 〈◊〉 sense or a full demonstrative argument must have room 〈◊〉 a wrangling and erring disputer may not be allowed it And 〈◊〉 neither of these but may convince the definition of the 〈◊〉 if it be ill founded And to shew that this is no fancy of 〈◊〉 but the doctrin of St. Austin he quotes his words 〈◊〉 see them in the margent with an F. referring the word 〈◊〉 to Scripture So that if you believe the Bishop and rely 〈◊〉 his quotations St. Austin doubted not but that the 〈◊〉 of the Church in general Councells may be contrary to 〈◊〉 and confuted by full demonstrative arguments I confess that when I read this page and part of Bp. Laud's 〈◊〉 with Fisher I found my self much troubled vntill 〈◊〉 the matter and then I resolved never more to 〈◊〉 him or any Protestant writer however so Saint-like or 〈◊〉 by report or in appearance The truth is St. Austin 〈◊〉 place cited by the Bishop hath nothing at all either 〈◊〉 Scripture or evident sense or demonstrative arguâ—â—â—ts but addressing his speech to the Manicheans he writes 〈◊〉 Apud vos autem vbi nihil horum est quod me invitet ac 〈◊〉 sola personat veritatis pollicitatio and then follow the words 〈◊〉 by the Bishop quae quidem si tam manifesta monstratur c. 〈◊〉 truth so bragd of and promised by the Manicheans to 〈◊〉 demonstrated in that epistle called Fundamentum saith St. Austin if it be demonstrated to be so cleer c. is to be preferred where you see St. Austin's quae referred not to Scripture but to that fictitious truth which the Manichees pretended to be in their doctrin Nay St. Austin is so far from doubting of the infallibility of the Church and general Councells in that very place quoted by the Bishop that he disputes ex professo against the possibility of its erring or of its definitions being contrary to Scripture and sayes that if the doctrin of the Catholick Church could be contrary to Scripture he should not be able to believe rationaly and infallibly either the one or the other not the Scriptures because he receives them only vpon the authority of the Church Not the Church whose authority is infringed by Scripture which is suposed to be brought against her Si ad Evangelium me tenes ego ad eos me teneam quibus praecipientibus Evangelio credidi his jubentibus tibi omnino non credam Quod si forte in Evangelio aliquid in apertissimum de Manichaei Apostolatu invenire potueris infirmabis mihi Catholicorum authoritatem qui jubent vt tibi non credam qua infirmata jam nec Evangelio credere poterâ— quia per eos illi credideram ita nihil apud me valebit quicquid inde protulâ—ris Quapropter si nihil manifestum de Manichaei Apostolatu in Evangelio reperitur Catholicis potius credam quam tibi si aâ—tem inde aliquid manifestum pro Manichaeo legeris nec illis nec tibi illis quiÌ„a de te mihi mentiti sunt Tibi autem qui eam scripturam mihi profers cui per illos credideram qui mihi mentiti sunt Aug. cont Epist. Fundament cap. 4. Wherfore St. Austin doth not suppose as the Bishop pretends that Scripture or reason can be contrary to the definitions of the Church he professedly teaches the contrary in the very place cited and vses the alledged words quae quidem si tam manifesta monstratur c. only ex suppositione impossibili in the same manner as St. Paul speaketh Gal. 1. Jf an Angell from heaven teach otherwise then we have taught you let him be accursed St. Paul well knew it was impossible that an Angell from heaven should teach contrary to the Ghospel and so did St. Austin that the definitions of a general Councel should be contrary to Scripture or reason as appeareth by his own discours against the Manichees Vincentius Liâ—inensis abused by Mr. Laud to prove the fallibility of the Church pretending that learned Father supposed and sayd she might change into Lupanar errorum à strumpet or stewes of errors BUt A. C. tells us further saith Mr. Laud that if one may deny or doubtfully dispute against any determination of the Church then may he also against an other and so against all since all are made firm to us by one and the same divine revelation sufficiently applyed by one and the same full authority of the Church which being weakned in any one can not be firm in another First A. C. borrowed the former part of this out of Vincentius Lirinensis and as that learned Father vses it I subscribe to it but not as A. C. applyes it For Vincentius speaks there de Catholico Dogmate of Catholick Maxims c. which are properly fundamental but here the Bishop is mistaken for Vincentius speaks also of not fundamentals as of the celebrating of Easter according to St. Victor's decree the not rebaptizing of those who had bin baptized by hereticks c. now in this sense saith the Bishop give way to every cavilling disputer to deny or quarrel at the maxims of Christian Religion c. And why may he not then take liberty to do the like of any other till he have shaken all But this hinders not the Church her self nor any appointed by the Church to examin her own decrees and to see that she keep the principles of her faith vnblemished and vncorrupted for if she do not so but novitia veteribus new doctrins be added to the old the Church which is Sacrarium veritatis may be changed in Lupanar errorum I am loath to english it Hitherto the modest Bishop who quotes Vincent Lirin in his Margent for his lupanar errorum c. and for the whole discours Vincentius Lirinensis is so far from expressing any fear or suspition of danger that the Church should be changed into lupanar errorum a stews of errors by addition of novelties or falling from the primitive doctrin that as if he had foreseen this corruption of his meaning and cutting short his words practised by Mr. Laud he declares in that very place by him quoted that only hereticks and vngodly men can entertain any such thoughts of Christs spouse sed avertat hoc a suorum mentibus divina pietas sitque hoc potius impiorum furor
conferences of Religion wherby their title to the churchs-livings may be questioned They will pretend and preach â—hat it is against the rules as well of piety as of policy to inquire into the truth of doctrin or into the right of possession after 100. years prescription But they do not consider or at least would not have others consider that the Roman Catholicks prescriptioÌ„ of 1000. years in England and our Prelats legal possession of lands for the same space of years was not judged by Q. Elizabeths Bishops or Parliaments a sufficient Plea against the pretensions of the Crown to the Church revenues notwithstanding the Church then was thought to be infallible in doctrin and the revenues therof were first intended for and annexed to the Prelats and preachers of the same Roman Catholick doctrin and Church Now if the Protestant Bishops think that the Catholick Bishops were legally and lawfully dispossessed of their revenues and their Doctrin legaly and lawfully condemned and changed by Luther Calvin Cranmer or the Prelaticks interpretation of Scripture confirmed by Act of Parliament how can they imagin to make the world believe that it is now either a sin or sacriledge to be dispossessed themselves of the Church revenues by an Act of Parliament confirming as probable an interpretation of Scripture as theirs or as that of Luther or Calvin is especially seing they confess their doctrin fallible and that the revenues were never intended by those that gave them for preaching or promoting any kind of Protestancy Doubtless this incoherency and their backwardness in reasoning of Religion will render their Zeal for the Church revenues as much suspected as their forwardnes in persecuting tender Consciences hath renderd their persons odious And that there may be no ground for them to work vpon nor to doubt of the Roman Catholick Clergy's loyalty and sincerity in petitioning and pressing for publick conferences of Religion it will be found I doubt not in case any such security be desired or valued that we shall as readily now as in Queen Maries reign resign all the right we can pretend to the revenues of the Church and as then bestow them vpon the Crown for the use and ease of our Country By this it may appear that we have no design but the duty of subjects or the devotion of Christians in desiring that the Protestant Clergys title be examined But they deterr the illiterat layty from this necessary scrutiny by often repeating the word Sacrilege without declaring its signification We know and so do they that it hath bin the ancient practise of God's Church to contribut with all that is Sacred without the least fear or scruple of Sacriledge to the maintenance of the State when the layty is so much empoveris'ht with wars and taxes as we are both in England and Ireland Wee see that in all Catholick Countreys the Clergy doth imitat the example of the ancient Church in the same practise Why our English Bishops Deans and Chapters ought to be exempted from so reasonable and general a custom vnless it be that they are burthend with wives and Children I do not vnderstand But sure their having wives and Children can neither â—make their revenues more Sacred nor â—heir Contributions more Sacriledge on cases of publick necessity As a â—ompetency of maintenance for themselves and for their Childrens education and application to some honest Trades is an act of Charity so to apply the rest of the Church revenues to publik uses for soldiers and seamen and to the payment of the Crown debts is not against Christianity In the conclusion of this Preface I must endeavor to excuse the bulk of my book and the positivenes of my Assertions For the first I could hardly draw into a narrower compass so transcendent a subject and yet I have placed in the end of this Treatise an Index wherin the substance of the whole book is contained to the end every one may find out with ease any point he hath a mind to read As to the positivenes of my assertions most of them being articles of my faith or deductions from my Creed I could not but utter them in the Tone of our infallible Church But becaus I speak to Protestants that condemn our infallibility I attempt to demonstrat their censure against the same is as rash as they fancy our belief is ridiculous J must also ingenuously confess that it is part of my design to diminish the authority of the Protestant and Prelatick writers but seing my arguments are taken out of their own writings and are no other then their wilfull and vndeniable falsifications of Scripture and Fathers I hope none that detests so horrid a crime will condemn my Censure or defend their credit Whether I have bin faithfull in setting down their falsifications I must submit to the Iudgment of my Readers as also beg pardon for intermedling with so much of government as necessarily depends of Religion and ought to be proportioned therunto our Protestant Statesmen will not only pardon but protect me when they reflect vpon the impossibility there is of regulating the motions or appeasing the mutinies of a body politik by a faith so vncertain as that of the fallible Church of England or by a rule of Religion so applicable to rebellion as the letter of Scripture is when left to every privat mans arbitrary interpretation THE TABLE Part I. Of the Beginning Progress and Principles in general And of the Prelatick Church of England in Particular HOw necessary a rational Religion is for a Peacable Government Pag. 1. Wherein the Reasonableness of Religion Consists Pag. 8. How dangerous it is for a Temporal Soveraign to pretend to a Spiritual Jurisdiction over his Subjects Pag. 10. The Grounds of Peace Piety and Policy Pag. 10. The Catholick World ever acknowledg'd the Bishop of Rome's Spiritual Jurisdiction over all Christians Pag. 11. The same Religion which St. Gregory the great held was by St. Augustine taught to our Ancestors Pag. 19. Of the Author and beginning of Protestancy and of Luther's Disputation and Familiarity with the Devil Pag. 22. How weakly Protestants Excuse Luther's Conference with the Devil Pag. 29. The Mass a Visible and True Sacrifie proved by the Councils and Doctors of the Church Pag. 36. The Sacrifice of the Mass offered for the Dead Pag. 37. Of the Principles and Propagation of Protestancy Pag. 39. The Fundamental Principles of Protestancy Pag. 43. Protestants affirm that if a man have an Act of Faith sin does not hurt him Pag. 46. Protestants affirm that all Christians Men and Women are Priests by Baptism Pag. 50. Of the Protestant Church of England in K. H. VIII's Reign Pag. 53. Henry the VIII weary of Queen Catharine Pag. 53. Anne Bullen's Incest and Leudness Pag. 54. Henry the VIII's Tyranny Pag. 56. Tyndal's Translation of the Bible abolish'd Pag. 59. Of the English Religion and Reformers in K. Edw. VI's days Pag. 60. The first Reformers of the Prelatick
Protestant Church of England Pag. 62. Cranmer a meer Cotemporiser and of no Religion at all Pag. 63. Who fram'd the 39 Articles Pag. 64. Of the 39 Articles of the Church of England Pag. 67. Protestant Bishops well pleas'd to see themselves Religiously Worship'd Pag. 70. Protestants though they have chang'd their Form of Ordination yet cannot have a true Clergy till they change also the Character of the Ordainers Pag. 80. Of the Effects immediatly produc'd by the 39 Articles Pag. 82. Dudely Earl of Warwick's Endeavours to have his Son to Reign after K. Edw. His Marrying him to the Lady Jane Gray Pag. 83. Queen Mary's Troubles Pag. 84. The Roman Catholicks willing Resignation of the Church Livings to the Crown Pag. 86. An Act of Parliament in the first year of Q. Mary concerning the fraud and force of K. Henry the VIII's unlawful Divorce from Q. Catharine Pag. 88. Other Effects of Protestancy after it was reviv'd in England by Q. Elizabeth to exclude the Royal Family of the Stewards from the Crown And of the Nullity of her Clergies Character and Jurisdiction Pag. 95. Decreed in Parliament that any Natural Issue of Q. Elizabeths Body should enjoy the Crown after her Death and so the Line of Stewards to be Excluded Pag. 100. Reasons why Q. Elizabeth in her 44 years Reign could not make her Prelatick Clergy and Religion acceptable Pag. 103 How Injurious Protestancy hath been to the Royal Family of the Stewards and how Zealous they have been in promoting the same Pag. 109. K. James the I. declared that Catholicks and their Religion had no Hand in Gun-powder Treason Pag. 112. Of K. Charles the First Pag. 112. Part. 2. Of the Inconsistency of Protestant Principles with Christian Piety and Peaceable Government THe foundation whereon all Reformations are built Pag. 117. The Protestant evasion of the clearness of Scripture against Roman Catholick Doctrine and also of the Invisibility of their own Church Confuted And the Incredibility of the suppos'd Change and Apostacy prov'd by the difference of the Roman Catholick and Protestant Principles Pag. 121 Protestants mistaken in the Canon of the Scripture maintain'd by the Church of England and by Dr. Cousins Bishop of Duresin Pag. 131. Dr. Couzins Exceptions and Falsifications against the Councel of Trent's Authority answer'd Pag. 137. New Definitions are not New Articles of Faith Pag. 141. Protestants so grosly mistaken in their Letter and Translation of Scriptures that they cannot have any Certainty of Faith And are forc'd at length by their Principles to question the Truth of Scriptures and of them who writ the Canonical Books thereof Pag. 149. Particular Instances of Protestant Corruptions in the English Bible Pag. 157. Protestant Interpretation is not the true Sense of Script Pag. 163. Protestants Mistaken in the Ministry and Mission of their Clergy in the Miracles of their Church in the Sanctity and Honesty of their Reformers Pag. 168. Calvin's Miracle Pag. 180. Beza's Lasciviousness He prefers his Boy Andibertus before his Girle Candida Pag. 181. Protestants mistaken in the application of the Prophesies of Scripture concerning the Conversion of the Kings and Nations of the Gentils from Paganism to Christianity foretold as an Infallible Mark of the True Church and whereof the Protestant is depriv'd Pag. 183. Calvin sends Ministers to Convert Gallia Antartica from Heathenism And what success they had Pag. 190. Protestants mistaken in the consistency of their Justifying Faith with Justice or Civil Government Pag. 193. The Protestant Doctrine of Justifying Faith most dangerous and Damnable Pag. 198. Protestants mistaken in the consistency of Christian Faith Humility Charity Peace either in Church or State with their making Scriptures as interpreted by private Persons or Fallible Synods or fancied General Councils composed of all Dissenting Christian Churches the Rule of Faith and Judge of Controversies in Religion How every Protestant is a Pope and how much also they are overseen in making the 39 Articles or the Oath of Supremacy a distinctive Sign of Loyalty to our Protestant Kings Pag. 207. How the Fundamental Principles of Protestancy maturely examin'd and strictly followed have led the most Learned Protestants of the World to Judaisme Atheism Arianisme and Mahometanisme c. Pag. 222. The Protestant Churches of Poland Hungary and Transilvania deny the Mystery of the Blessed Trinity Pag. 230. How the Indifferency or rather Inclination of Protestancy to all kind of Infidelity is further demonstrated by the Prelatick Doctrine and distinction of Fundamental and Not Fundamental Articles of Faith The design of their fundamental distinction laid open The Roman Catholick the sole Catholick Church And how it has the Authority of Judging all Controversy of Religion Pag. 233. The Roman Catholick Church is a Competent and Impartial Judge of Controversies of Religion Pag. 241. Of the Justice and Legality of our Roman Censures against Protestancy Pag. 242. All Christians were never Judges of Religion one Party always submitted to the Judgment of the Other that was in Obedience to and in Communion with St. Peters Successor the Bishop of Rome Pag. 247. Gods Veracity is deny'd by Protestancy and by the Prelatick Distinction and Doctrine of Fundamental and not Fundamental Articles of Faith Pag. 251. Protestancy is Heresie Pag. 254. Protestancy contradicts Gods Veracity Pag. 255. The Infallibility of the Roman Catholick Church in Matters of Faith prov'd against Protestants Pag. 256. The Protestant Doctrine of Fundamentals Confuted Pag. 257. The same further demonstrated and prov'd that neither the Protestant Faith nor the Faith lately Asserted in a Book call'd Sure footing in Christianity is Christian Belief Pag. 260. The Resolution of Protestant Faith Pag. 262. The Infallibility of the Church prov'd by Gods Veracity Pag. 268. Heresie Explain'd by Rebellion Pag. 269. The Unreasonableness of them who pretend a private Spirit and refuse to submit to the Authority of the Church for want of Clearer Evidence than the Roman Catholicks hath of Gods Authority Pag. 269. Reasons for Liberty of Conscience And how much both Piety and Policy is mistaken in making Prelatick Protestancy the Religion of the State by continuing and pressing the Sanguinary and Penal Statutes against the Roman Catholick Faith and the Act of Uniformity against Sectaries Pag. 271. Queen Marys and the Inquisitions Severity against Protestancy can be no President or excuse for the Statutes against Popery Pag. 283. Part 3. Containing a plain Discovery of the Protestant Clergys Frauds and Falsifications whereby alone their Doctrine is supported and made Credible The Conscience and Conveniency of Restoring or Tolerating the Roman Catholick Religion Demonstrated THat either the Learned Protestants or Roman Catholick Clergy are Cheats and how every Illiterate Protestant may easily discern by which of the two Clergies he is Cheated And therefore is oblig'd under pain of Damnation to examine so near a concern And to renounce the Doctrine and Communion of that Church wherein he is Cheated Pag. 287. With what Impudency and Hypocrisy Bishop Jewel
Catholick Doctrine is inconsistant with the Sovereignty and safety of Kings and with civil Society between Catholicks and Protestants Pag. 443 Bishop Mortons Falsifications about the Lawfulness of killing a Tyrant Pag. 444 Bishop Mortons Falsification of Catholicks against the Sovereignty of Princes and how he excuses himself by saying he received it from the Archbishop of Canterbury Pag. 445 Mortons Answer in which see an Imposture continu'd against Catholicks by the whole Convocation of the Protestant Clergy in their Synod held Anno 1603. Pag. 546 The Protestant Falsification to perswade that the Canon-Law doth warrant deposition of Kings by the Pope Pag. 447 A Protestant Falsification to perswade that Catholicks may cheat any Excommunicated Persons of their Lawful Debts Pag. 449 Bishop Mortons Falsification to perswade that Catholicks hold it Lawful to Murther and Massacre Protestants Pag. 451 Bishop Morton's Falsification to Assert the Kings Supremacy Pag. 453 Ten Falsifications set down together by Bishop Morton to prove that we hold that Popes cannot be deposed nor be Hereticks Pag. 457 Primate Bramhalls Falsification to prove that Popes may and have Decreed Heretical Doctrines Pag. 458 It is prov'd by Reasons and Examples that no Religion is so little dangerous to the Sovereignty and safety of Kings or so Advantagious to the Peace and Prosperity of Subjects as the Roman Catholicks notwithstanding the Doctrin of the Pope's Supremacy Pag. 459 Protestants cannot clear their Religion from their Doctrin and danger of Deposing Sovereigns and Disposing of their Kingdoms Pag. 470 That Protestants could never prove any of the wilful falsifications wherewith they charge Roman Catholick Writers but themselves are convicted of that Crime wheresoever they Attempted to make good their charge against us Pag. 473 Bellarmin accused by Sutcliff of Falsifying the General Council of Chalcedon in favour of the Popes Supremacy Pag. 474 How Protestants are Convicted by Bellarmin of holding twenty ancient condemned Heresies and how Sutcliff and Bishop Morton to clear them of six only fourteen seems they confess do falsifie the Fathers and Catholick Authors about worshipping of Images Pag. 476 Two Pelagian Heresies imputed to Protestants and how they falsify to clear themselves of the One and say nothing of the other Pag. 477 Two Novatian Heresies Imputed to Protestants the one answered with Silence the other with Falsifying Pag. 478. The Manichean Heresie against Freewill Imputed to Protestants and how pittifully Answered by Bishop Morton Pag. 479. How Bishop Morton Answers to Bellarmin's Imputation of Arianisme unto Protestants Pag. 479. How Morton Falsifies and Abuses Bellarmine who Imputes the denyal of Christs Real Presence in the Sacrament to Protestants Pag. 480. Falsifications Objected against Cardinal Baronius by Mr. Sutcliff Pag. 483. Calumnies and Falsifications of Luther Calvin Archbishop Laud and Primate Usher to Discredit Catholick Religion against their own Knowledge and Conscience Pag. 487. Of Calvins Calumnies against Catholicks and their Doctrine Pag. 488 Frauds Falsifications and Calumnies of Primate Usher against the Real Presence and Transubstantiation Pag. 491. Usher's Falsifications against Confession Pag. 492. His Falsifications against Absolution of Sins Pag. 493. Against Purgatory Pag. 494 Against Worshiping Saints and their Reliques Pag. 496 Against Prayer to Saints Pag. 499 Of Archbishop Laud's Frauds and Falsifications HOw unsincerely Bishop Laud would fain Excuse the Modern Greek Heresie concerning the Procession of the Holy Ghost Pag. 502 How Bishop Laud Abuses St. Augustine to make Protestants believe that General Councils may Err against Scripture and evident Reason Pag. 504 Vicentius Lirinensis abus'd by Laud to prove the Fallibility of the Church c. Pag. 507 How Bishop Laud falsifies Occham to infringe St. Augustin's Authority concerning the Infallibility of the Church in succeeding Ages as well as in that of the Apostles And is forc'd by his Error to resolve the Prelatick Faith into the Light of Scripture and the private Spirit of Phanaticks which he Paliats under the Name of Grace and thereby Warrants all Rebellions against Church and State Pag. 509 Divers Frauds and Falsifications of Bishop Laud to defend that Protestants are not Schismaticks Pag. 512 Whether it be Piety or Policy to permit the Protestant Clergy of these three Kingdoms to enjoy the Church Revenues for maintaining by such Frauds and Falsifications as hitherto have been alledged the Doctrine of the Church of England which also they acknowledge to be fallible and by consequence for all they know false And hâ—re the said Revenues may be Conscientiously apply'd to the Vse and Ease of the People without any danger of Sacriledge or any Disturbance to the Government if a publick Tryal of both Clergies Sincâ—rity be allowed and Liberty of Conscience granted Pag. 521 The same further demonstrated and how by Liberty of Conscience or by Tolerating the Roman Catholick Religion by Act of Parliament the British Monarchy will become the most considerable of all Christendom Peaceable at Home and recover its Right Abroad How evidently it is the mutual Interest of Spain and England to be in a perpetual League against France and how Advantageous it is for Spain to put Flanders into English Hands Pag. 534 The King 's Right to France Pag. 544 My Lord of Clarendin's Policy Censur'd by all Wise Men. Pag. 548. Part 4. The Roman Catholick Religion in every particular wherein it differs from the Protestant confirmed by undenyable Miracles THat such Miracles as are approved by the Roman Catholick Church in the Canonization of Saints are true Miracles and the Doctrine which they Confirm cannot be rejected without denying or doubting of Gods Veracity and how every Protestant doth see true Miracles though he does not reflect upon them in Confirmation of the Roman Catholick Faith Pag. 553 The Miracle of St. Januarius of Naples Pag. 555 The Famous and undenyable Miracle of St. Francis Xaverius wrought on the Person of Marcello Mastrillo Pag. 556 Antichrist's Miracles are not Credible if compar'd with Ours Pag. 561 Of Visible Miracles seen though not observ'd by every Protestant in Confirmation of the Roman Catholick Faith The difference between true and false Miracles Pag. 562 Of True Miracles related in the Ecclesiastical History by men of greatest Authority in every Age to confirm the particular Mysteries of our Catholick Faith and that sense of Scripture wherein Roman Catholicks differ from Protestants Pag. 566 Of Miracles related by St. Chrysostom St. Gregory Nazianzen c. in Confirmation of Transubstantiation Adoration of Christ in the Sacrament the Sacrifice of the Mass Communion under one Kind and Purgatory Pag. 567 Primate Usher's Falsification to discredit two Miracles Pag. 569 How Protestants falsify and corrupt the very Statutes and Law-Books Pag. 572 Miracles for the Mass. Pag. 573. Miracles for Purgatory Pag. 573 Miracles to Confirm the Worship and Virtue of the Sign of the Cross. Pag. 576 Miracles in confirmation of the Catholick Worship of Images Pag. 581 The Protestant Distinction of Civil and Religious Worship misapply'd by Ministers to delude
Faith to a doubtfull authority therfore vnless they who pretend to be the Clergy can evidence by vndeniable miracles either wrought by themselves or by their knowen spiritual predecessours that professed the same Faith their iurisdiction and doctrin they can not rationaly pretend to have the charge of soules or any divine authority for determining controversies of Religion Because seeing the principal part of Religion doth consist in a perfect submission of the vnderstanding to diviâ—e authority even against the appearence of sense and the probability of reason vnless the Church or Clergy wherupon we rely doth make it evidently credible by supernatural signs that their authority and doctrin is divine their religion is not rational and therfore no rational person is bound without that supernatural evidence to acknowledg in them a spiritual jurisdiction or to follow their dictamens and forsake his own privat dictamens and principles of probability or the seeming evidence of his senses Some men do require more then this and are of opinion that a Religion can not be rational vnless the truth therof be cleerly discerned or demonstrated by the light of natural reason and judg it a great folly in men to believe what they do not comprehend But this maxim is destructiue to Religion and reason it doth ouerthrow the very foundation of both which consists in acknowlegding an incomprehensible Deity whose perfections are infinit his thoughts and revelations and by consequence the mysteries of Religion inscrutable and therfore to be revered not examined by so limited and imperfect creatures as we are that can hardly diue into the bottom of ordinary difficulties and discern the immortality of our own soules or the nature and composition of any visible body And albeit an excellent wit of our age in a late Treatise hath endeavored to cleere by natural reason the mysteries of Christian Faith and in order to facilitat the beliefe of Transubstantiation doth teach that one body can not be in many places at one tyme nor be penetrated with another body and therfore is for'ct to say that Christ hath as many bodys as there are consecrated pieces of bread yet I think it more agreable not only to Catholik Religion but to natural reason to believe that the very same body of Christ that was born of the blessed Uirgin and is in heaven is also under every consecrated species otherwise it must be sayd that Christ our Sauiour is a monster that hath not only as many heads but as many bodies as there are Consecrations But if this argument be thought more popular then philosophical I hope schollars themselves will judg it unreaâ—â—nable that Divines or Philosophers be too positive in defining the immutable essences of things or which is the same in determining what is possible or impossible for God to do and in deducing conclusions from such notions as they call natures If we consider that we owe all our human knowledg to the evidence of sence which is often fallacious and to reflections of the mind which are alwayes fallible we must grant that we may be frequently mistaken in the ground of our demonstrations and do sometimes take our own fancies and false conceits for true objects which haue no real existance in themselues nor any other immutability in order to Gods power besides that tenacity or obstinacy wherwith men stick to their own opinions This is sufficiently proved by the great discord and diuersity of opinion that is in the schooles euen concerning the essence or nature almost of euery thing and particularly of a body or quantity Wherfore it is more probable that M. r Bonart is as much mistaken in placing the nature or essence of a Body in actual extention as he takes others to be in their contrary opinions concerning the same subject otherwise Christ hath non only as many Bodys as there are consecrated species but also it followeth if his Body can not be penetrated or in the same place with another that he united to his Diuine person a nature which he cannot command to be whersoeuer himselfe as God is pleased to be I am no Vbiquist and therfore I grant that the hypostatical vnion doth not make Christs body to be every where or whersoeuer the Diuinity is but I think all Christians ought to belieue that it is possible for Christ as man to be in any particular place and penetrated with any Body whatsoeuer where his person and Diuinity is And as for Mr. Bonart his way of defending how Christs Body did and may penetrat other Bodys I see no difference between it and that of the heretiks which himselfe derides and condemns Pag 257. but that the Heretiks say he did shew his body to the assembled Disciples through some chinck of the wall or through the Key-hole of the doore and M. r Bonart says Christ shot or thrust his Body in through the indiscernable pores which are in euery body and how the whole or the parts of a human body such as that of Christ then was and now is can be conueyed entire through one or many such litle and distant pores without loosing all human shape if a perfect penetration be not allowed I do not understand And I belieue M. r Bonart will hardly be able to declare how the substance of Christs Body is not lost as well as the shape by Christs passing through the pores for that according to his principles pag. 243. the substance of euery Body consists in such a greatness and figure of the parts as compose that body and upon this ground he proceeds when he sayes ibid. that the substance of bread and wine is changed into the Flesh and â—loud of Christ because the greatness and figure of the parts of bread and wine are changed though al the rest doth remain If therfore the greatness figure and by consequence the shape of Christs Body and its parts be changed or proportioned to the pores of the penetrated body as they must of necessity be before they can pass or be shot through them Christs Body and the parts therof do loose the substance as well as the shape of a human body according to M. r Bonartes doctrin Hence we conclude that actual extension doth not so cleerly nor so catholickly declare the essence of a Body but that it must leaue or breed some doubts of Christs humanity of Gods omnipotency and of his Mothers virginity Besides if the least particles or Atoms of a Body are of the same nature with the whole and haue real extension by the addition wherof they make a body greater as this Author holds it can not be well comprehended how the Atoms can be so litle as not to be capable of being lessend by Gods power especially seeing M. r Bonart doth grant one side of an Atom may be toucht and the other side not toucht For if so How can any that believes Gods omnipotency imagin that God can not separat or divide sides
his religious habit though he had left the Monastery sayd Mass and was much tormented in his Conscience for running so desperat a cours as to appeale from the authority of Popes Fathers Councels and Church upon a punctilio of his mistaken honour How often saith he did my trembling hart beat with in me and reprehending me object against me that must strong argument Art thou only wise do so many worlds err were so many ages ignorant what if thou errest and drawest so many into error to be damned with thee eternally c. And again Dost thou O sole man and of no accounpt take upon thee so great matters What if thou being but one offendest Jf God permitt such so many and all to erre why may he not permit thee to erre Hitherto apartaine those arguments the Church the Church the Fathers the Fathers the Councels the Customs the Multituds and greatness of wise men whom do not these clouds and doutes yea these seas of examples ouerwhelm Being thus tormented and tossed between his passion of pride and a perplexity of mind himself relates at larg tom 7. Wittemb edit an 1558. lib. 1. de Missa angu how vpon a certain tyme he was sudainly awaked about midnight and how sathan began his disputation with him saying Harken right learned Doctor Luther Thou knowest thou hast celebrated priuat Mass by the space of 15. years almost euery day what if such Masses were horrible Idolaty c. The deuill speaking thus to me I burst forth all into a sweat and my heart began to tremble and leap voce forti gravi utitur the deuill had a graue and strong voice c. And then I learned how it came to pass that somtyms early in the morning men were found dead in their beds To the Deuill I answered I am an anoynted Priest receaued consecration from a Bishop and did all things by order of my Superiors In these streights and agony I would fain vanquish the Devill with the armes of Popery and did object the intention and faith of the Church c. But Sathan with greater force and vehemency did pursue Go to shew where it is writen teaching Luther to appeale to Scripture alone that a wicked and incredulous man can assist at the Altar of Christ and consecrate in the Churches faith c. If men have taught it without the express word of God it is altogether vntrue But in this sort are you acustomed to do all things in the dark under the name of the Church and so set to sale your owne abominations for Ecclesiastical doctrin c. After this disputation Luther was so well acquainted with the Devill that him self saith tom 2. Germ. Jen. fol. 77. Believe me J know the Devill very weell for now and then he walketh with me in my Chamber When I am among company he doth not trouble me but when he catcheth me alone then he teacheth me my manners And in Conc. Dom. Reminiscere fol. 19. apud Cochlaeum J am troughly acquainted with the Deuill for I haue eaten a bushell of salt in his company Yea confesseth in Colloq Germ. fol. 275.281 that the Devill was his Bed-fellow and lay with him more frequently and â—loser to him then his beloved Kate the Nun. And in litteris ad Electorem Saxoniae he saith The Devill doth so run to and fro trough my brain that J can neither write nor read And in Colloq Germ. fol. 283. brags thus J have a couple of rare Devills who attend and wait vpon me most diligently they are no petty Fiends but great Devills yea great Doctors of Divinity among the rest of the Devills One of these two great Doctors of Divinity continued his disputation thus against Luther Now I urge this that thou didst not consecrat in thy Mass but didst offer and adore only bread and wine and proposedst the same to be adored by others c. The institution of Christ is that other Christians may communicat in the Sacrament but thou art anointed not to distribute the Sacrament but to sacrifice and against Christs institution thou hast vsed the Mass for a Sacrifice c. And that which Christ did ordain for eating and drinking for the whole Church and to be given by the Priest to other Communicants c. of this thou dost make a propitiatory Sacrifice O! abomination aboue all abomination And after that Zealous and learned Devill had thus exclaimed and argued against the Sacrifice of the Mass the authority of the Church Transubstantiation and adoring of the B. Sacrament he reasons also against the intercession and prayer to Saints his words are set down by Luther in the same place thus We Spirits being rejected do not confide in Christs mercy neither do we look upon him as a Mediator or Savior but feare him as a cruell Judg such was thine and all other Papists faith c. Therfore ye did shun from Christ as a cruell Judg to Mary and the Saints and they were Mediators betvveen you and Christ so is Christ deprived of that glory In this disputation the Devill had so good success that Luther was convinced and resolued to become a Protestant and to preach and print not only against the Mass and the other particulars mentioned in his Disputation but upon these words of the Devill So is Christ deprived of glory did Luther ground his opinions against the necessity of good works in favor of Iustification by only faith against merit satisfaction Purgatory c. and maintained these his Diabolical opinions with so great obstinacy and so litle respect to Scripture Church Councells Fathers Princes and Prelats that such parts of Scripture as did not favor the Devills argument he either rejected them as apocrijphal or altered the words and sence in his Translations and Comments against all exemplars and copies either in Greek Hebrew or Latin And all Princes and Prelats that contradicted his errors he vilified in so virulent and villanous terms that none but a soule directed by the Devil could resolve to print them His Bull against all Bishops is full of most vile stuffe as also against the Duke of Brunzuick the Elector of Mentz c. In so much that his owne Scholler Sleidan acknowledgeth his manner of writing to be unworthy Base Scurilous c. In his Book and answer against K. Henry 8. he calls him an envious mad foole babling with much spittle in his mouth more furious then madness it self more doltish then folly it self indued with an impudent and vvhorish face without any one veine of princely bloud in his body a lying sophist a damnable rotten vvorme a Basilisk and progeny of an Adder a lying scurill couered with the title of a King a clounish wit a doltish head most wicked foolish and impudent Henry All this he says tom 2. Wittenberg fol. 333.334.335 fol. 338.334 he saith The King doth not only lye like a most vaine scurre but passeth a most wicked knave
doctrin and therfore resolved to accomodat the doctrin of the Church of England to his humour Hooper and Rogers agreed vpon an ecclesiastical Government inconsistent with Monarchy which was that over every 10. Churches or Parishes in England there should be a learned Superintendent appointed who should have faithful readers vnder him and that all Popish Priests should clean be put out And to draw all publick matters of state and Religion to them-selves they composed a Treatise to prove That it is lawful for any privat man to reason and writ against a wicked Act of Parliament and vngodly Councel c. see Fox pag. 1357. col 1. num 72. And Hoopers prophecy against the Prelatick protestants for not conforming them-selves to his Puritan and Presbiterian disciplin pag 1356. And of his contention with Cranmer and other Prelatick protestants about the oath of Supremacy c. Fox pag. 1366. Both Cranmer and Ridly made apear to the Protector and Councel that Hoopers Presbiterian disciplin was not consistent with the Constitution of Parliaments and the refusal of the oath of Supremacy to be of dangerous consequence in a tyme that Deuenshir Northfolk and many other Shires had taken arms in defence of the Roman Catholick faith It was further considered that so sudain a change from on extreme to an other in matters of religion as it would have bin from ceremonious Popery to plain Preâ—bitery was against the rules of policy therfore seing the people had bin so long accustomed to the Mass and to Ecclesiastical ceremonies it was judg'd expedient to make the vulgar sort believe the chang was not of Religion but of language that the common prayr was the Mass in English that the substance of the Catholick faith was retained in the Prelatick caps copes and surplises and what alteration there seem'd to be was but of things indifferent or petty circumstances and had bin resolved vpon by the King and Parliament more to preserve vniformity then to promote novelty as may be seen by any that wil observe the words of the statuts confirming the common prayr book administration rits ad ceremonies of the Sacrament 2. Ed. 6.1 and the Councels letter to the Bishops recited by Fox pag. 1184. col 1. Whereof long tyme there had bin in this Realm of England divers forms of common prayer And where the Kings Majesty hath hereto fore divers tyms assayed to stay innovations or new rits To the intent that an vniform quiet and godly order should be had concerning the premises hath appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury should draw and make one convenient and meet order of common Prayer and administration of Sacraments to be vsed in England Wales c. The which at this tyme by the ayde of the holy Ghost with vniform agreement is of them concluded c. in the Statut. But in very deed the whole substance of Catholick Religion was changed and nothing retained but so much therof as seemed necessary to keep the name of Christians and had not bin rejected by most of the ancient condemned hereticks as shal appeare by our obseruations vpon the 39. ensuing articles of Religion of the Church of England SECT V. Of the 39. Articles of the Church of England WHosoever considerâ—â— these 39. Articles of Religion composed by Cranmer and his Divines may easily perceive their drift was rather to humour factions at home and dissenting Protestants abroad to countenance sensuality and grant a liberty of not believing the particulars of Christianity then to instruct men in the doctrin of Christ or to prescribe any certain rule of Faith For their method is to word so the matter of the Articles that where Protestants disagree among themselves every one of the dissenting parties may apply the Text to his own sense In so much that the Presbiterians except not against the doctrins themsel-ves rightly explained that is according to their explanation but against the wording and expressions therof which say they are ambiguous and capable of more senses then one and so may be and are wrested to patronise errors In the mistery of the real presence they speak clearly against it because it was resolved in Parliament That England should be Zuinglian in that point against the Catholick faith of Transsubstantiation Wherfore after Cranmer and the other his Contemporisers had set down in five of their six first Articles the belief of the Trinity Incarnation Passion and Resurrection wherof no Protestants then doubted they dare not declare themselves in the third wheein they speak of Christ descent into Hell whether it was to that of the damned or to a third place for that if they denyed the first they would have offended Calvin Jf they denyed the last they were sure to disoblige some Lutherans that admitted of Lymbus or a third place In the sixt Article they free all men from an obligation of believing any thing that is not read in Scripture or proved therby and make it their ownly rule of faith and themselves the Judges therof wherin they agree with the ancient Hereticks Arians Donatists Eunomians Nestorians c. But for that some Protestant doctrins are expresly reproved by many Parts of Scripture they make those parts Apocrypha because forsooth they were doubted of by some Churches in the primitive tymes And truly if a man will reflect vpon these words of thâ—ir sixt Article We do vnderstand those Canonical Books of the ould and new Testament of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church he may cleerly see that they believe many parts of the new Testament not to be Canonical Scripture because many parts therof have bin doubted of in the Church before the Canon was determined See after part 2. In the 7. they only declare that Christians are not bound to observe the ceremonial but only the moral law of Moyses In the 8. they tel vs of foure Creeds wherof S. Athanasius his symbol is one are to be believed because they may be proved by Scripture and yet S. Athanasius himself declared in â—he Councel of Nice that the doctrin of his Symbol that is the mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation could not be proved by Scripture alone or without Tradition In the 9. and 10. Article they follow the heretick Proclus the Messalians Zuinglius Luther and Calvins doctrin concerning Original sin In the 11. Article they teach with some of the Pseudo-Apostles with Eunomius and with the same Zuinglius Luther and Calvin that men are justified by faith alone See herafter of the justification by only faith how inconsistent with any solicitude or care for good works And in the 12. would faine but in vaine free themselves and their Doctrin from the aspersion of neglecting good works though they maintain them not to be necessary for justification In the 13. Article they say all virtuous moral actions of men â—hat are not in grace have the nature of sin And in the 14. they follow Eunomius Vigilantius
Helvidius Jovinian Faustus and Ebion hereticks saying that works of supererogation that is not commanded but councel'd by God cannot be taught without arogancy and impiety and yet Christ taught them and S. Paul commends them In the three subsequent Articles they seeme to agree with all Christians But in the 19. they differ from all Catholicks And as the Arians did maintain the fallibility of the Nicen Councel and the Donatists the fal or invisibility of the whole Church â—o do Protestants and therby open a wide gap for all heresies In the 20. they contradict themselves and the former articles by saying that the Church hath power and authority to decree controversies of faith for there can be no authority in a Church to decree or define matters of faith without there be in the faithful an obligation of conscience to submit and conform their judgments to the said Decrees and definitions and sâ—ure there can be no obligation of conscience in any man to submit or conform his judgment in points of faith to a Church that doth acknowledg it self may err therin and lead men to heresy idotry and damnation True it is that the Protestant Church of England can never remedy it's want of authority vnless it pretends to infallibility and that now can hardly be don seing in the 2â— Article next ensuing it denys that same prerogative to general Councels which are of greater authority then our English Convocations In the 22. Article Cranmer and his Associats because all other Sects of Protestants do the same speak cleerly against the Roman Catholick doctrin of Purgatory Pardons worshiping of Images Reliques and invocation of Saints and are pleased to censure it a fond thing invented and grounded vpon no waranty of Scripture but rather repugnant to the word of God as if forsooth the Jews Atheists and Apostata Friars who composed these 39. Articles knew better the right sense of the word of God then the whole Catholick Church and the general Councels which practised and thaught the Roman doctrin and the lawfulness of these things and condemned the contrary as heresy These errors were rays'd by Aërius n. 342· Xenaias and other hereticks Aërius because he was refused a Bishoprick taught that Episcopacy was not distinct from single Priesthood He denyed Prayrs and masses for the Dead ought to be offerred and by consequence the doctrin of Purgatory as also that the Church could command men to fast but that every man might fast when he thought fit Xenaias was the first who made war against Images· Vigilantius against Reliques praying to Saints c. S. Hierom. ad Ripar Desider Presbiteros Vigilantius orsus est subito qui contra Christi spiritum Martyrum nâ—gat sepulchra veneranda damnatqae Sanctorum Vigilias ex quo fit vt Dormitantius potiùs quam Vigilantius vocari debeat Haeretici assumunt sibi linguas suas vt cordis venena ore pronuncient O proescindendam itaque linguam in partes frusta lacerandam meam injuriam patienter tuli impietatem contra Deum ferre non valui S. Hierom laughs at the folly of Vigilantius the heretick and cals him Dormitantius for being in these points a Protestant and says that his tongue ought to be cut and carved into a thousand pieces for blaspheming against God in his Saints And truly it is a hard case that Scripture should warrant our worshiping of Prophets or recommending our selves to the Prayers of Saints when they convers with vs vpon earth and yet that it should not be lawful for vs to do the same when they ar in heaven as if their enjoying the presence and sight of God did diminish their dignity or charity Or as if a Saint in Gods glory were not as fit an object and as capable of our Religious worship as a Prophet Apostle or Bishop is in this world to whom we kneel out of the religious respect we own to their spiritual caracter or Ecclesiastical dignity though their natural qualities deserve not such respect My-Lord of Canterbury they say commends very much the religious piety of some Ladys for craving his benediction vpon their knees which reverence is not exhibited by them nor expected by him as he is M·r Sheldon but as he pretends to be Archbishop of Canterbury And if it be not only lawful but comendable to kneel to his Grace or at least to others who are true Bishops and to shew a religious respect of the like nature to his picture or presence and that all this may bee don without daunger of Idolatry or of derogating from the Deity I see no reason why men should condemn in vs the like worship of Saints in their Images or Reliques It is not the outward action but the inward intention that maks the worship unlawful So long as we do not adore Images as Gods or Idols we may bow and kneel to them with as much ceremony as Protestants do to their Prelats or Episcopal pictures The simplest Papist can hardly be so stupid by nature or at least so destitut of instruction as to believe a stock or stone can be God or that there is no difference between the worship due to Saints whom they know to be but Gods servants and the worship due to their Master and Creator The 23. Article is set down in such general and ambiguous terms that neither Presbiterian nor Prelatick Clergy is therby established nor any caracter of Priesthood or Episcopacy asserted but according to the doctrin of all the first Reformers a private ministery of preaching and baptising insinuated to be common to all Christians Be you most certain saith Luther lib. de Captiv Babylon and let every-man who is a Christian know that we are all equaly Priests that is we have the same power to preach and administer the Sacraments The same doctrin teacheth Zuinglius and Caluin Though to avoyd confusion it be not lawful for any man to take vpon him the office of publick preaching or ministring the Sacraments in the Congregation before he be lawfully caled and sent to execute the same And because in the 25. Article they declare it is not necessary that this caling or ministery be ordination by imposition of Bishop's hands or by Apostolical succession and by consequence may be extraordinary vocation or election they leave the authority of caling as doubeful as not determining whether the power be in the secular Magistrat or in the ecclesiastical Congregation albeâ—â— they seeme by virtue of the English Supremacy to place it in the King their words are And those we ought to judg lawfuly caled and sent which be caled and chosen to this work by men who have publick authority given vnto them in not by the Congregation to call and send Ministers into the Lords vineyeard So that they seem to place all spirtiual authority and jurisdiction in the Kings and reserve only the application therof and the choice of the persons authorised to themselves But they were loath to explain
since the Apostles then to take the bare word of Cranmer a man who married and vnmarried K. Henry 8. to as many women as his Majestie lik't or dislik't dissolving the holy Sacrament of Matrimony as often as the King seemed to be weary of a wife a man whose religion was nothing but his conveniency and incontinency and therfore did alter his faith as often as the tyms changed and factions prevailed and sided with every Rebel against his Prince and was so carnaly given that even in Henry 8. days when Priests were not permitted to have wives he kept a wench so constantly that he carried her about in his Visitations Let any Christian I say be judg whether this man together with Ochinus a Jew Bucer an Atheist Peter Martyr so indifferent for any doctrin that he framed his faith at Oxforâ— according to the news from London and the Parliament Diurnals Hooper Rogers and Latimer ambitious and discontented Presbiterians Bâ—le and Coverdale two lewd and runigad friars whether I say these men ought to be believed in this important point of salvation rather then the holy Fathers and Councels who as hath binâ— said hertofore cal the Mass the visible Sacrifice the true Sacrifice the dayly Sacrifice the Sacrifice according to the Order of Melchisadech the Sacrifice of the Body and Bloud of Christ the Sacrifice of the Altar the Sacrifice of the Church and the Sacrifice of the new Testament which succeeded all the Sacrifices of the old Testament Must the word of Cranmer and his fellows be a sufficient ground for prudent men to believe as an Article of Religion that the doctrin delivered as Catholick by the holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church are but fables and themselves but a company of Cheats The 32. Article was made by Cranmer and his Camerades to excuse their lewdness legitimat their bastards and make their wenches wives The second Parliament of King Edward 6. had bin so importuned by Apostata Priests and Friars who had coupled themselves with women that their petition having bin rejected by the first Parliament Edward 6. at lengh against the inclination and judgment of both houses they obtained now by meer importunity an Act to take away all positive Laws of man made against the marriage of Priests statut an 2. Edward 6. cap. 21. But then they are told in the very Act that it were not only better for Priests to live chast sole and separat from the company of women c. but that it were most to be wished that they would willingly and of themselves endeavour to keep a perpetual chastity and abstinence from the vse of women And 1400. years before that Origen Hom. 23. lib. 8. contra Celsum declared the doctrin even of the Greeck Church in these words Jt is certain the dayly Sacrifice is hindred in them who serve the necessities of mariage therfore it seemeth to me that it appertaineth only to him to offer the dayly Sacrifice who hath vowed himselfe to dayly and perpetual chastity with whomâ—agree the other Fathers S. Jerom in Apologia ad Pamachium cap. 3. desires them who like not of this doctrin not to be angry with him for telling them of it but with the holy Scriptures vvith all Bishops Priests c. vvho know they cannot offer Sacrifice if they vse the Act of mariage and said to Vigilantius c. 1. who in this point also was a Protestant and seemed to confess his owne frailty What do the Churches of the East of Egipt and of the Apostolick Sea vvho receive none but unmarried or continent Priests or if they have vviues they must cease to be Husbands And against Iovinian cap 19. 14. ad Pamachium Apol. cap. 8. Truly thou dost acknowledg that he cannot be a Bishop vvho in that state getts children if he be convicted therof he vvil not be taken for a Husband but condemned as an Adulterer But it seems out Protestant Bishops know the Scripture and the doctrin and disciplin of the primitive Church better then S. Hierom Origen and all the ancient Fathers and Councels both of the East and West Since the King 's most happy restauration they were not content to enjoy their wives and see the legitimacy of their children approved of but in the first Parliament wherin they were permitted to vote as I have bin credibly informed they atâ—empted the house of Lords should declare their spiritual peerage did communicat the same honours and privileges to their Ladys that the law doth give to Baron's wives but seing the house smile at the motion and one of the first Peers begin to rally according to his witty way vpon a subject so proper for his genius one of the Bishops not so much concerned in the suit because he was not married in the name of all the rest waved the pretention by saying there had bin a mistake in the motion Jn the two following articles they would fain prevent diversity of opinions and schisms among the Protestants of the Church of England and gain authority for the Prelats therof and reverence for their ceremonies and censures But this design is frustrated by maintaining the lawfulness of their own revolt and separation from the Church of Rome as also the Roman Catholick fallibility and fal from the true Apostolick Religion without any farther proofe or evidence of so great a fault or frailty then the fancy and privat interpretation of Scripture of some discontented and dissolute persons pretending divine inspirations and illuminations for the same and for their warant to depose their spiritual Superiours and to reform the doctrin of the whole visible Church which reformation they also introduced in so tumultuous and seditious a manner that none who considers the principles practises and circumstances of the chang can prudently commit his soule to the reformers charg or condescend to any spiritual jurisdiction and authority in their Successours For besids that they have nothing to shew for their presumption and intrusion but obscure texts of Scripture interpreted by them selves in a sense contrary to that of the whole visible ancient Church that hath bin confirmed by continual and vndeniable Miracles they can give no assurance or probability of them selves being or continuing in the right way of saluation because if all the Roman Catholick Churches did err in doctrin how can their reformations pretend not to be subject to the same mis-fortun or mistake And if the supposed frailty and fallibility of the Church of Rome be a sufficient cause to question and condemn it's authority how can the Church of England or any other Protestant congregation exact from their Sectaries greater respect and obedience then the first reformers gave to their Roman Superiours Presbiterians Independents Quakers Anabaptists c. pretend to as pure doctrin as Divine a Spirit and as much Scripture against Prelaticks as Prelaticks do against Papists and thinck there is as much reason for them to be Iudges of the truth of
their own Canon and sense of Scripture and of the falshood of the Canon and sense of Scripture of the Church of England as there is for the English Church to make it self judg of the falshood of the Canon and sense of the Church of Rome As for the authority which the Prelatick religion receives from the laws of the land that gives but little advantage seing the Roman Catholick doctrin hath bin confirmed by the temporal laws of every Kingdom Country and Citty besor and at the tyme that Protestancy succeeded and prevailed and yet that legality was not valued by the Reformers The 35. Article is to authorise some Puritan homilies as the 2. wherin the danger of idolatry in Popery is much insisted vpon as if Christians could easily mistake Images for Idols or Saints for Gods Jews and Hereticks have often endeavoured to confound the one with the other Catholicks never The ancient Fathers as also the second Councel of Nice have long since declared the Protestant Doctrin against Images to be heresy and the Councel of Trent confirms the same decree of Nice and demonstrats how far that the Catholick doctrin of worshiping Images is from any danger of Idolatry The words of the Councel sess 25. are The Images of Christ of the Virgin Mother of God and of other Saints are to be had and retained especialy in Churches and that due honour is to be imparted vnto them not for that any Divinity is to be believed to be in them or vertue for which they are to be worshipt or that any thing is to be begg'd of them or that hope is to be put in them as in tyms past the Pagans did who put their trust in Idols but because the honour which is exhibited to them is referr'd to the first pattern which they resemble So that by the Images which we kiss and before which we vncover our heads and kneele we adore Christ and his Saints whose likness they beare we reverence that which is ratified by the Decrees of Councels especialy of the second of Nice against the impugners of Images In the 36. they make it an Article of Religion that their new form of ordaining Priests and Bishops is valid and containeth all things necessary but since his Majesty's happy restauration they have judged the contrary and therfore thought necessary to add thervnto the words Priest and Bishop Yet this wil not serve their turn for before they can have a true Clergy they must change the Caracter of the Ordainers as wel as the form of ordination a valid form of ordination pronounced by a Minister not validly ordained gives no more caracter then if it had continued invalid and never bin altered The present Protestant Bishops who changed the form of their own Ordination vpon their Adversaries objections of the invalidity therof might as wel submit to be ordained by Catholick Bishops as alow by altering the from after so long a tyme and dispute that it was not sufficient to make themselves and their Predecessours Priests or Bishops In their 37. Article they give a spiritual supremacy to the temporal Soveraign But because the world laught at that vanity and at the statuts 1. 8. Eliz. 1. Wherin is declared that the English Soveraignty is so spiritual as that it may give to any person whatsoever whether man or woman lay or ecclesiastick power and authority to exercise any spiritual function and consecrat Priests and Bishops they would fain make vs now believe that they did not attribut to the Queen and her Successours any power of ministring God's word or the Sacraments notwithstanding that the aforesaid Statuts yet in force certify the contrary And indeed if none can give what himself hath not seing the Kings of England can give power and authority to any person watsoever to consecrat Priests and Bishops and to exercise all kind of spiritual ministery and jurisdiction concerning God's word and Sacraments this power and ministery cannot be denyed to be inherant in themselves In the 38. and 39. articles they endeavour to supress some errors of the Anabaptists which necessarily follow from the foundation and principles of Protestancy for if it be lawfull to deprive men of a spiritual authority and jurisdiction wherof they are in present possession and which their Predecessours had peaceably enjoy'd tyme out of memory the consequence of the lawfulness to deprive men of their temporal jurisdiction Dominions riches and goods is evident by a parity of reason for if peaceable and present possession confirm'd by a prescription of many ages be not sufficient to ground right for the Roman Bishop and Clergy to govern souls and to enjoy the Church livings ther is no temporal Prince or person can be secure or have a right to govern subjects or possess his Dominions So that by the same warrant wherby Prelatick Protestants have taken from the Pope and Roman Clergy their spiritual jurisdiction and temporalities the Anabaptists and all others may evidently demonstrat that all goods are common and no one person can pretend right to Superiority or any thing he doth possess SECT VI. Of the effects which these 39. Articles of Prelatick Protestancy immediatly produced in England and may produce at any tyme in every state wher such principles are made legal and how the Roman Catholick Religion was restored by Act of Parliament of Queen Mary AFter that Prelatick Protestancy had not only bin permitted but established by Parliament in England ensued the destruction of many thousand innocent people as also of the Protector Seamor and K. Eduard 6. togeather with the exclusion of Q. Mary and others the lawful Heires of the Crown and the in trusion of the Lady Jane Grey and in her of Dudly's son and family vnto the Royal throne These were effects of Protestancy not events of fortunc they were designs driven and directed by the principles of the Reformation the like wherof any politick and popular subject may compass as wel as Dudly witness our late long Parliament and Oliver Cromwel's proceedings Though K. Edward 6. was but a Child and his vncle the Protector no great Polititian yet they had a grave and wise Councel but against the liberty and latitude which men are allow'd by the principles of Protestancy no conduct can prevail nor government be safe as appeareth in many examples and in our late Soueraign's Reign and death Jt's in vain to make particular articles of Religion or temporal Statuts if there be a general principle admitted as if it were the word of God wherby both are rendred vnsignificant One of the general principles and indeed the foundation of Prelatick Protestancy is that it is lawful for privat men and subjects such were all the first Protestant Reformers to despise and depose their spiritual Superiours by their own arbitrary interpretations and applications of Scripture notwithstanding the peaceable possession immemorial prescription legality and exercise of their sayd Superiour's authority and jurisdiction From hence it
every day rather loose then gain ground and the generality of these Nations can not be wrought vpon either by fair or foul means to thinck wel of that Religion or to submit their Judgments and consciences to the direction of the Bishops and Prelatick ministery The reasons are obvious to such as are not obstinat 1. The incredibility of their pretented spiritual caracter and jurisdiction 2. The incoherency of their doctrin with the fundamental principles of Protestancy Their Episcopal caracter and jurisdiction is as incredible as King Henry 8. spiritual supremacy Queen Elizabeths legitimacy and the validity and solemnity of their first Bishops consecrations They have indeed of late endeavored to excuse the latness of their Masonian Registers discovery and to cleere them from the suspitions of forgery but so faintly and fraudulently that their vindication though pen'd and published by on of the ablest Prelats of their Church hath furnished their adversaries with so many new demonstrations against their Caracter that in steed of a reply the Protestant Bishops have resolued vpon a submission to the evidence of our arguments and changed the controverted and essential part of their forms of Ordination As they endeavored of late to vindicat their Registers from forgery so they long since explained the Queens supremacy but so contrary to the known laws of the land and cleer words of their Oaths both of supremacy and Episcopal homage that neither can bear their fond interpretations and if they could the Bishops would have nothing to shew for their pretended spiritual function and jurisdiction it being manifest they cannot deduce either of them by succession from any Apostolick Church or orthodox Councel and therfor must content them-selves with what they can buy from a lay soveraign and temporal Statuts or acknowledg the truth and confess ingeniously they are but lay-men and have no lawful authority to take vpon them a spiritual function and jurisdiction seing they have no Catholick Predecessours and degenerat from the first Protestant Reformers and are ashamed to claim with Presbiterians and Fanaticks the extravagancy of a privat spirit and extraordinary vocation The incoherency also of the Prelatick doctrin maks these nations averse from the Prelatick Church and Clergy â—n the 39. Articles of Religion they declare with Luther and the first Reformers that no visible sign or ceremony and by consequence no such thing as imposition of Episcopal hands was instituted by Christ or is the necessary matter of a Priest's and Bishop's ordination and yet now of late that visible sign and ceremony is held by them-selves to be so essential that without the same no caracter of Priesthood or Episcopacy is thought to be given to the party ordained and therfor they reordain such Presbiterian Ministers as did neglect or contemn imposition of Episcopal hands 2. They maintain in the same 39. Articles that the Roman Catholick Church hath falen into damnable errors and acknowledg that only such a fal can justify the Protestants separation or excuse them from sin and schism And yet when they are pressed with a consequence that necessarily follows out of this supposition to wit that if the Roman and visible Church had so erred Protestants can have no Christian faith nor certainty of the Scriptur's being God's word or of the Trinity and Incarnation c. which they received and retain vpon the sole Testimony of the Roman Catholick Church having in their own 39. Articles declared the Greeck Church Heretical for the doctrin of the Holy Ghost's procession and therfor it 's testimony even in other Articles is invalid and it's concurrence in those other Articles with the Roman Church is vnsignificant And yet they again contradict them-selves and confess that the Roman Catholick Church is infalible in all articles necessary for saluation 3. The same inconstancy and incoherency they shew in denying that doctrinal Traditions are the word of God or that Tradition it self is a sufficient ground of Divine belief and yet when they are demanded to shew a proof by cleer Scripture of the distinction between single Priesthood and Episcopacy v.g. then they maintain that traditional doctrin is God's word and the testimony of the Roman visisible Church a sufficient evidence therof Their wavering and inconsequent way of proceeding doth manifest to the world that as wel in this as in other particulars of Christian Religion nay even in declaring which are necessary or not necessary points of faith the Prelatick Clergy hath a greater regard to their own conveniency then to God's veracity and to the revenues of â—he Church then to the saluation of souls Otherwise why should they take our Roman Catholick word for Episcopacy and not for the Pop's supremacy for the letter but not for the sence of Scripture for not rebaptising or for receiving relaps'd penitents more then for Purgatory or Transubstantiation or for keeping Sonday and not praying to Saints c. Seeing all these doctrins are equaly proposed to them as Catholick truths by the sole credible testimony and tradition of our one and the same Roman Catholick Church the testimony of the Greeck and all other Churches as hath bin sayd being rendred invalid by the hereticks wherwhith Protestants confess they are infected Some are of opinion that if the more modern Prelaticks had not forsaken their ould way of being ordained Bishops by the Queens letters patents or by some such publick testimony and superficial ceremony of their Congregations without troubling them-selves with the doctrin of the inward caracter given by imposition of Episcopal hands so contrary to the principles of the reformation a broad and to the 23. and 25. of their own 39. Articles at home they had not bin so hard put to it by their Presbiterian Brethrens arguments who stick to the Tenets and Rules of pure and primitive Protestancy detesting those formalities and dregs of Popery which Prelaticks of late have so much affected in ordaining of Ministers Mr. Hooker Dr. Couel and some other Prelaticks in their writings towards the end of Queen Elizabeths reign began to inculcat the doctrin of making Ordination a spiritual caracter imprinted in the soul by imposition of Episcopal hands and not a bare formality of the secular Magistrat's election by some outward ceremony or letters patents as all English Protestants had believed and practised vntil Hooker and Couel broacht this among their other Popish novelties and therfor were publickly blamed and complained of by Prelatick Writers and particularly by Dr. Willet in his worck vpon the 112. Psalm printed 1603. and dedicated to the Queens Majesty page 91. he saith From this fountain have sprung forth these and such other whirlpoints and bubles of new doctrine and amongst others he sets down as a novelty in the Church of England this That there is in ordination given an indelible caracter and then addeth Thus have some bin bould to teach and write who as some Schismaticks the Puritans have disturbed the peace of the Church one
length most vnworthily murthered by the joynt consent of a Protestant Queen and Parliament and her son and Family excluded from the British Empire in case Queen Elizabeth should have or at least own any natural issue which many suppose was the true cause why she or the Parliament would never declare her Successour King James having bin brought vp in this schoole of affliction attained to more then ordinary wisdom dissembled with his enemies in England and strengthned him-self with as many friends and Allies as he could in foreign Nations to the end he might recouer his right after Queen Elizabeths death which he and the best part of the world every day long'd son He kept faire with France Spain and even with the Pope He succord Tyrone Tirconel and the Jrish Scots in Irland against Queen Elizabeth but vnder hand He corresponded with the Catholick party in England and was civil even to that party that contrived and pressed his Mothers murther By his marriage he obtained the confederacy of Denmarck and the Protestant Princes of Germany for recovering of England Cecil and others of the English Councel observing how prudently this young King had ordered his affairs and prepared him-self for being their Master courted him and vnknown to the Queen gave him dayly intelligence and thought it their best course to fix vpon him for her Successour seing they could hardly keep him out they invited him to the Throne after his enemie's death and he finding that very Protestancy by which his mother and him-self had bin so long excluded from their right and would have bin for ever if Queen Elizabeth had bin as capable as t' is sayd she was desirous of Posterity was deeply rooted in the hearts of most of his English subjects who either did not see he chang or not observe the motives and Mysteries therof King James J say reflecting vpon this inclination of the people to Protestancy conformed him-self vnto that Reformation which had bin setled by law in England discountenanced the Puritans by whose doctrin he had bin persecuted in Scotland and would have tolerated the Catholick if the gun powder Treason wherunto some few discontented and desperat Papists were cunningly drawn by Cecil to make their Religion odious had not blasted our hopes and blotted out of his Majestie 's memory what we had suffered for his Mother and how not only our persons but our principles had bin persecuted for supporting the title of his Family to the British Empire By King James his learned works and discourses it is manifest he had a design to reform the principles of Protestancy and reduce them to some rules of reason and confine that dangerous liberty which they give to every privat Protestant of being supreme Judg in all spiritual Controversies to one certain interpretation of Scripture that might be less prejudicial to Monarchy Monarchs peace and all civil Government then the Protestant arbitrary interpretations have proved hitherto To that purpose he commanded the Bible to be truly translated and those fraudulent and foolish corruptions to be corrected which had bin imposed vpon the people for God's word by Queen Elizabeths Clergy for maintaining her title and securing the revenues of the Church to them selves But his command was not obey'd some falcifications in the ould and new Testament were corrected but very few in respect of what remain and pass now current for true Scripture He declared that Catholicks and their Religion had no hand in the gunpowder treason those few persons excepted which had bin executed He was not afraid to acknowledg that the Pope was the first Bishop of Christendom and Rome the mother Church he suspended the rigor of the sanguinary and penal Statuts commended not apostatised Priests that became Protestants as he said to get wenches and benefices These things he did not out of any inclination to Popery but out of his zeal to Protestancy which he perceived would in a short time become as infamous as it is intolerable to Monarchs in case it's principles were not corrected and brought neerer vnto Catholick Tenets After King Iames his death his son King Charles 1. pursued the Father's design but found by sad experience that the Protestant liberty of interpreting Scripture cannot be restrained to reason by any human industry of the wisest Princes especialy so long as they are guided by a fallible Church that confesseth it's own vncertainty of doctrin King Charles the 1. was persuaded by his Councel and Clergy that the Laws which had bin enacted in favour of the Prelatick fallible Church and doubtful jurisdiction were of sufficient force and authority to contain Protestant subjects in awe and obedience and to stop the cours and consequences of those fundamental and violent principles of their reformation against superiority at the Church of Rom's doore and keep them from passing further or entrenching vpon the Church of England But the mistake soon appeared they who are allowed by the Prelatick principles to rebell against their Roman Superiours vnder the pretence of a Religious interpretation of Scripture and evangelical Reformation could not then nor cannot for the future be contain'd or deterr'd by any authority from rebelling against their Protestant Kings and Bishops vpon the same score whose superiority could not be more authentick then the Roman Catholick And therfor because the King had engaged in the Bishops quarel he drew vpon himself the odium of all Protestants that with the spirit and zeal of Reformation stuck to the fundamental principles of Protestancy which is to contemn all authority both spiritual and temporal which any privat person judges contrary to his own interpretation of Scripture and seeng the Prelatick Church of England doth grant this doctrin was lawful in Luther Calvin Cranmer Parker and other particular persons Churches and States against the Pope and others their then acknowledged spiritual and temporal superiours it will be very difficult to shew why now a Presbiterian or Fanatick Congregation may not as rationally pretend and as lawfully practise the same doctrin as their primitive Protestant Predecessours had don And so in vertue of this fundamental principle of Protestancy was the sacred person of a good King judged and murthered by a rude and wicked multitude without regard to innocency or respect to Soveraignty And by a remarkable revolution of tyms and interests the grandson came to loose his head for vpholding that same Prelatick Religion and Clergy which by Q. Elizabeth had bin rays'd for the destruction of his Grand-mother and the exclusion of his family from the crown Since Christian Soveraigns have reign'd the like Tragedy hath not bin acted many Princes have bin murthered by their Subjects but never by any such formality of Law and a publick Court of Judicature pretending superiority in themselves and Scripture for their rule and warrant Wherfore they that looke into the principles and privileges for the future in so zealous and resolute a people as the English who stand much vpon
enjoying their temporal liberties and much more vpon the spritual prerogative of Protestancy which according to Luther the first Author and Apostle therof is omnia judicemus regamus Let us judg and govern all things and not only his German Scholler Brentius but our English Bishop Bilson and all Prelaticks grant that the people must be discerners and Judges of that which is taught And the Catholick doctrin of the Church of England explaining the 39. Articles therof saith Authority is given to the Church and to every member of sound judgment in the same to judg controversies of faith c. And this is not the privat opinion of our Church but also the judgment of our godly brethren in forain Nations And it is not only the Tenet of Calvin but of all Protestant Writers that temporal laws oblige not in conscience any Christians to obey It being therfore a principle and priviledg even of Prelatick Protestancy and agreable to the 39. Articles that every member of sound judgment in the Church hath authority to judg controversies of faith and by consequence all other differences that may be reduced thervnto how is it possible for any King to be a Soveraign among Protestants who are all supreme judges both of faith and state for that State-affairs are subordinat to Religion and must be managed according to the Protestant sense of Scripture that is according to the judgment and interpretation of every particular Protestant or of him that can form or foole the multitude into his own opinion Wherfore we ought not be astonished that men constituted supreme Iudges and Interpreters of Scripture by the legal authority and articles of the Church of England and by the Evangelical libertys of Protestancy should presume to make them-selves the King's Iudges For my part I shal thinck it a great providence of God and extraordinary prudence in the government to see any King of England during the profession and legality of such principles in his Kingdom escape the like daunger and do continualy pray that their good Angel may deliver them from the effects of their own Religion His Majesty that by miracle now Reigns long may he live and prosper hath bin forced to lurck for his life in one of those secret places wherunto Priests retire when they are search't for God giving him to vnderstand therby that the most powerfull Princes where Protestancy prevails even in their own Kingdoms are never secure and may be often reduced to as hard shifts and as great extremities as the Poorest Priests and meanest Subjects RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT THE SECOND PART Of the inconsistency of Protestant principles with Christian piety and peaceable Government SECT I. Proved by the very Foundation of the Protestant Reformation which is a supposition of the fallibility and fal of the visible Catholick Church from the pure and primitive doctrin of Christ into notorious superstition IN the beginning of the first Part it hath bin sayd that the groundworck as wel of Policy as of Peace and Piety consists in making that persuasion to be the Religion of the State which is most credible or most agreable to reason because no commands duties taxes or charges will seem intolerable to subjects for the preservation and propagation of such a Religion nor for the maintenance of the spirititual and temporal Ministers to whose charge is committed the government of such a Church and Common-wealth How far all kind of Protestancy even the Prelatick is from having this prerogative we shall demonstrat in this Part of our Treatise and in this Section prove the same by the absurdity of the fundamental Protestant principles Common as well to the Prelatick as to all other Reformations The foundation wherupon all Protestant Reformations are built is this incredible or rather impossible supposition Viz. That all the visible and known Christian Churches of the world â—ell from that purity and truth of doctrin which they had once professed into superstition and damnable errors vntil at length in the 15. age God sent the Protestant Reformers to revive the true faith and Religion whose separation from the Roman Catholick Church and all others then visible is pretended to be free from sin and Schism by reason of the falshood of the Roman Catholick doctrin not consistent with saluation But this supposition is incredible 1. Because Protestants confess the fall and change of Religion was not perceived vntil 1300. or vntil at least 1000. years after it happned and such an imperceptible change in Christian religion involues as plain contradictions as a silent thunder For either it must be granted that all the Pastors and Prelats who lived in the time that any alteration of doctrin began were so stupid as not to take notice of so important and remarcable an object or so wicked as to observe and yet not oppose novelties so destructive to the souls committed to their charges Both which are proved to be groundless calumnies by the acknowledged zeal learning and integrity wherwith many Prelats and Pastors were endued in every age since the Apostles as their works yet extant do testify The truth of this Protestant supposition is not only incredible but impossible because the supposed chang of Christian Religion into Popish superstition is not pretended to have bin only a chang of the inward persuasion but of the outward profession visible and observable in ceremonies and practises answerable to the Mysteries believed as the adoring of the B. Sacrament worship of Jmages Communion in one kind publick prayer in vnknown languages c. How then is it possible that any Christian man or Congregation could begin so discernable and damnable novelties as according to the opinion of our Adversaries The adoration of the Sacrament Transubstantiation worship of Jmages Communion of the layty vnder one kind the Sacrifice of the Mass and publick prayers in an vnknown language the Pop's supremacy the doctrin of Purgatory Jndulgences Praying to Saints the vnmarried life of Priests c. How is it possible I say that any one should begin to teach and practise any of these supposed damnable doctrins and yet never be noted or reprehended by any one Prelat Pastor or Preacher who ar according to Esay the watâ—chmen of te visible Church vntil Luther's times or at least vntil these supposed superstitions had bin so vniversally spread so deeply rooted and plausibly received as Catholick truths and as ancient Traditions of Christ and of the Apostles that they who censured and opposed any of them were for so doing immediatly cryed down and condemned by the then visible and Catholick Church and Counsels as notorious hereticks How come the Preachers and Professors of these pretended Popish errors to escape for so many ages as Protestants confess they had continued vncontroul'd from the censures of Christ's pure Protestant Congregation if there was any vpon earth during that time was there not one Bishop Priest or Preacher in all the world for so many ages
the Fathers contradicted his protestant doctrin bouldly affirmed the ancient Doctors and Fathers of all former ages to have bin blind and most ignorant in the Scripturs and to have erred all their life time And in Colloq cap. de Patribus Ecclesioe Luther saith of sundry Fathers in particular thus Jn the writings of Jerome there is not a word of true faith in Christ and sound Religion Tertullian is very superstitious J have holden Origen long since accursed Of Chrysostom I make no accompt Basil is of no worth he is wholy a monk I way him not a haire Cyprian is a weak Divine c. Adding further that the Church did degenerat in the Apostles age and that the Apology of his scholler Philip Melancton doth far exceed all the Doctors of the Church and exceed even Austin him self And in his Treatise de formulâ Missae in tom 3. Germ. folio 274. Jf the Councel should in any case decree this the Communion vnder both kinds least of all then would we vse both kinds yea rather in despite of the Councel and that decree we would vse either but one kind or neither notwithstanding Christ's precept and the necessity of that spiritual refection and in no case both But this man's bare word ought not to weigh more then the Testimony of all the Fathers and Councels that went before him or be preferred before the constant Tradition of 15. ages especialy if we reflect vpon the pride and passion which he declares in all his writings not only against the Doctors of the Roman Church but against his own Disciples and as hath bin said how in the begining of his reformation when his spirit was in it's primitive fervor he doth plainly confess that he did favour Idolatry to contradict Carolstadius for anticipating his commands in a point of the reformation viz. for abolishing of the adoration and elevation of the B. Sacrament in his absence I did know saith he the elevation of the Sacrament to be Idolatricall yet nevertheless J did retain it in the Church at Wittenberg to the end J might despite the Devill Carolstadius And yet this wicked friar's authority is the first foundation of protestancy Therfore notwithstanding his known impiety he is termed by their writers Holy saint Luther a man sent of God to lighten the world the Helias Conductor and Chariot of Israel to be reverenced next after Christ and Paul greater then whom lived not since the Apostles tims The Angel and last trumpet of God whose caling was immediat and extraordinary c. Let the most peevish Protestant I say once more be judg whether it be not more probable and possible that one privat proud and passionat man did mistake the true sence of Scripture and misapply the words therof to humour his passion of pride and revenge then that all the primitive Fathers and Christians of the world did conspire to forsake the known true letter and cleer meaning of God's word or if all did not conspire in the Apotasy that there should be no monument left or mention made in record history or tradition of the fidelity of the party that resisted Secondly this supposed change is proved incredible not only by the impossibility of an insensible change in a thing so remarkable and important as the doctrin and Profession of Christian Religion but also by the impossibility that a change and corruption of Christ's doctrin should be made to the detriment of the wary layties temporal interest and to the disadvantage both of the layty and Clergie's liberty For when men resolve to go out of the narrow way which leads to heaven they are not so foolishly wicked as to retire from the wide world into deserts or Monasteries and to impose vpon themselves or their followers an obligation or principles of a more strict course of life then that which they had forsaken as dayly experience doth cleerly demonstrat If protestancy therfor was the primitive and pure Christian Religion the fall from it to Popery must have bin rather condessending then contrary to sensuality and liberty And yet if the doctrin of the reformation and it's exceptions against Popery be considered we shal find that in every particular wherin they differ Protestancy doth favour liberty and vice Popery doth favour temperance and virtue We shal declare herafter to what great crimes and carlesness of life men are encouraged by the Protestant doctrine of predestination and justification by faith alone Christ's sufferings and satisfaction for our sins they apply not to themselves by imitation of his virtues and mortification of the flesh but think it a diminution of his glory and a disrespect to his person that men endeavour by God's grace to help themselves and to cooperat with Christ's passion and vpon thiâ— ground they rayse their batteries against Indulgences Purgatâ—â—y â—â—lgrimages Prayer to Saints Confession of sins Pennance the three Vows and the austerity of a Religious life Works of Supererogation c. and censure Catholicks as guilty of superstition and folly for believing that though Christ's passion be infinitly sufficient to redeem vs from the guilt and penalties of sin yet is it not sufficiently and actualy applied to actual sinners without their own concurrence good works and the Sacraments of the Church As for their pretence that Christ hath satisfied for all they may as wel say that he hath prayed fasted and given almes for all and so discharge men of all such Christian-duties and devotions And as to other particulars we desire to know what can the Protestant Clergy's design be in allowing Priests mariages and a liberty to dissolve mariages change wives and husbands in case of adultery departure infirmity by child-birth or otherwise but lust and sensual liberty contrary to the instition of matrimony and to the purity and practise of Christianity which Roman Catholicks observe From whence proceedeth their allowing of eating of flesh and fish promiscuously on all days of the year but from gluttony Their Clergy's denyall of the Pop's superiority which their betters in virtue birth and learning acknowledg but from want of humility And their placing it in the temporal Soveraign but from excess of flattery Their dulness in confounding the substance with the appearance of bread and wine in the Sacrament but from sensuality Their denial of the Church's infallibility and yet assert in themselves an vncontroul'd authority but from pride and obstinacy Their fond expressions of their own prelatick reformation and doctrin but from want of Christian modesty and from their for-fathers the ancient hereticks whose presumption and obstinacy was neuer more manifestly absurd nor more legaly condemned at Nice Ephesius Calcedon or Constantinople then the Protestant Tenets have bin at Trent as wil appeare to any that wil read the history of those Councels and compare the objections and exceptions made by Arians Nestorians and Eâ—â—tychians e. against the Authority and decrees wherby they
were censured in these four first Councels with the Protestant exceptions and objections against the Councel of Trent especily if they wil pervse but the very first leaves of Cardinal Palavicino his confutation of Fr. Paulo Suarez or Servita his history wherin they wil find above tree hundred lyes and calumnies of that Apostata Friar in matter of fact so notorious and vndeniable that our English Prelatick Clergy wil or ought to be ashamed of the Preface they have set before it and of abusing King Iames and his Subjects with such impostures by their extolling so improbable and infamous a Libel Seing therfore the supposed change and fall from primitive Protestancy to popery hath bin from presumption and pride of a privat and censorious judgment against the publick testimony and sense of the visible Church to submission and humility of an obsequious and prudent belief from notorious rebellion against spiritual and temporal superiours to religious and dutifull obedience from gluttony to abstinence from incontinency to chastity from sincerity to flattery from Cloysters and austerity to Sacrilege and liberty from a pretence of faith alone to the Christianity of faith and good works c. It must be concluded that either Protestancy was not the pure and primitive Religion or if it was that the change therof into popery hath bin for the better and by consequence that the first Papist introduced into the world a more sacred and sincere profession then had bin taught by Christ and his Apostles But this being impious and as impossible as it is that men abandoned by God should exceed God's servants in piety or that they should establish and practice more Godly principles and more zealously promote virtue when they fel from God and the way of salvation then when they were in the same it must be granted that Popery is the pure and primitive Religion taught by Christ and his Apostles and that only weak brains or such tender plants as in their infancy received strong impressions of the possibility and existence of an invisible Christian Church vpon earth can fancy an insensible change of it's doctrin profession and ceremonies into so remarkable and different a worship of God as Popery is compared with Protestancy Congregations of Protestants living in the same Provinces Citties and Parishes with Papists and dissenting from them in the outward and oral profession of faith if they did not profess protestancy which they suppose was Christ's faith with the mouth they were dissemblers and could be no part of the true Church in the Canon and sense of Scripture in the administration and number of Sacraments in Rites and Ceremonies in the substance and language of the Liturgy in adoring the B. Sacrament in worshiping of Images in receiving of the Communion c. such Protestant Congregations I say to be invisible and never heard of in 1500. or 1000. years nor observed nor persecuted by the prevailing Papists among whom they lived is not a thing possible or intelligible much less prudently credible We see by experience in these Kingdoms how impossible it is for a Recusant not to be discerned and discovered Papists are known though not convicted Many of them through the mildn'ss and prudence of the government escape the penalties and rigour of the Law but none the observation of their neighbours and very few the menaces of both ecclesiastical and civil Courts The invisibility therfor of the Protestant Church and the insensibility of it's change to Popery is a fitter subject to ground ther-vpon a ridiculous Romance then a religious reformation Perhaps it wil be sayd that Protestants were vntil the last age among the ten tribes as the Jews of whose appearance ther hath bin of late so much talk but we heare not of Protestants among them neither did Luther Zuinglius Cranmer or Calvin pretend that they came from those Israelits or from Terra australis incognita they were born and bred neerer and they brag'd that them-selves were the first Reformers Now to their Scripture SECT III. Protestants mistaken in the Canon of Scripture maintained by the Church of England and by Doctor Cousins Bishop of Duresme OUr second Argument against the probability or possibility of Protestancy being the word or work of God is taken from the Protestants mistake of Scripture and their altering of the Canon And wheras our learned Adversaries do agree with vs in saying that neither the Scripture it-self nor the privat spirit can determin which parts of Scripture are Canonical or holy but confess that this controversy must be decided by the Testimony and authority of the Church and that above 300. years after the Apostles some of their writings were not held by all orthodox Catholicks to be Canonical which now are comprehended in the Canon and admitted as the word of God by many Protestants it foloweth 1. That the Canon of Scripture was not so sufficiently proposed to the whole Church for the three first ages as to make the denial or doubt therof Heresy 2. That the 6. Article of the Prelatick-Religion of England which admitted only such books of Scripture for Canonical of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church is false and the ground therof fallible For as all men vers'd in the Ecclesiastical History wel know and learned Bilson the Protestant Bishop of Winchester doth acknowledg in his survey of Christ's sufferings c. printed 1604. pag. 664. The Scripturs were not fully received in all places no not in Eusebius his time which was above 300. years after the Apostles he saith the Epistles of Iames Iude the second of Peter the second and third of John are contradicted as not written by the Apostles the Epistle to the Hebrews was for a while contradicted c. The Churches of Siria did not receive the second Epistle of Peter nor the second and third of Iohn nor the Epistle of Iude nor the Apocalips c. The like might be sayd for the Churches of Arabia Wil you hence inferr that these parts of Scripture were not Apostolick or that we need not receive them now because they were formerly doubted of This Argument of Bishop Bilson we apply to the Machabees and to the other books declared by the Church of England to be Apocryphal Doctor Cousins writ a book caled a Scholastical History of the Canon of Scripture for which him-self and his friends think he wel deserved the Bishoprick of Duresme that he now enjoys in defence of the Prelatick Protestant Canon and of the 6. article of the Church of England And because he tels us in his Preface that men of knowledg pressed him to publish it as a piece that would give more ample satisfaction and cleere the passages in antiquity from the objections that some late Authors in the Roman side bring against Protestants then those other writings of home or foreign Divines have don that are extant in this kind I thought fit to give Protestants a proof of the soundness of
their doctrin and of the sincerity of their Doctor And though it seemeth to me impossible for any man to know what parts of the new Testament the 6. Article and Canon of the Church of England declares Canonical it being so intricatly worded that either it must be non sense or els exclude from the Canon the Epistles of Iames the second of Peter the second and third of John the Epistle of Iude the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Apocalips seing the authority of all and every one of these hath bin doubted of in the Church and the 6. Article of the Protestant Religion of the Church of England is that In the name of the holy Scripture we do vnderstand those Canonical Books of the old and new Testament of whose authority was never any doubt of in the Church Though I say it 's impossible for me to comprehend how common sense and Christianity can meet in this Article but that if the words therof signify any thing out of the English Protestant new Testament must be excluded all the aforsaid Epistles and Apocalyps yet leaving this difficulty to the decision of that Church I wil suppose at the present with D. r Cosins that all these Epistles and Apocalyps are included in the English Canon and come to the examination of the Arguments wherby he pretends to defend it He therfor foreseing the impossibility of giving any reason why the parts of the New Testament hertofore doubted of should rather be received by Protestants into their Canon then the Books of the Old Testament no more questioned by the Church of Christ then the aforsaid epistles and the Apocalyps thought to avoyd the force of this pressing parity by flatly denying pag. 5. alibi That ever any intire Church or any National or Provincial Counsel or any multitude of men in their confessions and Catechisms or other such publick writings rejected or doubted of the sayd epistles c. In case so many solemnities had bin requisit for the questioning of Canonical authority which his Lp knows are not necessary It seems his lordship did not peruse Eusebius his works though he quotes them very often or at least did not thinck that the ancient Churches of Syria and Arabia deserve to be called Churches not that the Lutherans of Germany Denmark Suethland c. who stick to Luther's principles and Canon can make one or many Churches It s a gross mistake in the Doctor to say pag. 4. 5. that Luther or his Lutherans recalled or recanted their error concerning the Epistle of St. James he might see the contrary in the very book him-self cites of Chemnitius the famous Lutheran whose authority and words he placeth in his addition of certain Testimonies in the same rank with sentences of St. Augustin and St. Thomas of Aquin c. This Chemnitius in most of his works as in his Enchirid. pag. 63 and in his examin of the Councel of Trent p. 1. pag. 55. 56. declareth his own sense and that of his Church in these words The second Epistle of St. Peter the second and third of John the Epistle of Jude and the Apocalyps of John are Apocryphal as not having sufficient testimony of their authority His lordship might also have bin better informed of Luther's sence and Church by the saying of Illiricus an other pillar and Writer therof whom Mr. Bell in his regiment of the Church pag. 28. termeth a very famous Writer and most worthy defender of the Christian truth his words are Luther in his preface vpon St. Iem's Epistle giveth great reasons why this epistle ought in no case to be accompted for a writing of an Apostolick authority vnto which reasons I think every godly man ought to yeeld Luther's reasons are to be seen in the ancient editions of Jene and are comprehended in these few words of his The Epistle of Iames is contentious swelling dry strawy and vnworthy an Apostolick spirit And because these words and others were omitted in the later editions of Wittemberg by some Divins that would fain reform Luther's Canon Religion and Church the chief Lutheran Doctors mett in a Synod at Altembury complained of their Adversaries corrupting Luther's books and resolved to stick to the ancient editions and to the literal sence of his words So that in case it were true the Canon of Scripture could not be sayd to have bin questioned by any Protestant Congregation whithout declaring their doubt in a publick confession of faith we see the Lutheran doth so as also in their confession of Wittemberg quoted by Belarmin lib. 1. de verb. Dei cap. 7. init which is seconded by all hereticks of these tims saith Belarmin the Calvinist only excepted But the Doctor is so much mistaken in the necessity of such a formality that the Arians were condemned as hereticks notwithstanding that in their publick confessions of faith they endeavored rather to disguise then declare their errors It is wel known that Lutheran Churches in Germany not only do reject from their Canon the Epistles of S. Iames Iude the second of Peter and third of S. Iohn the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Apocalyps but are so obstinat in denying them to be in any wise Canonical Scripture that they do not as much as print them in their Bibles And if my Lord of Duresme thinks that the rigid and moderat Lutherans half Lutherans and other Protestant Congregations wherin are many as learned Ministers and Writers as him-self deserve not the name of a Church he may expect that they wil censure his Church after the same manner and perhaps with as much reason But lett them agree as wel as they can it concerns not vs. Yet I hope he wil not pronounce so severe a Censure against the Greeck and Latin Churches and vn-church both Wherof S. Hierom in epist. ad Dordunum testifieth that the Greeks doubted as much of the Apocalyps against the common consent of the Latins as the Latins did of the Epistle to the Hebrews against the common consent of the Church Seing therfor it is evident by the confession both of ancient Fathers and modern Proâ—estants that in the primitive Church the Canonical Scriptures were not generally received all at once but in so great variety of pretended Scriptures great care and search was requisit to determin which Scriptures were Canonical and which not wherby it came to pass thaâ— sundry books and parts were for a long time misdoubted by some Churches and Fathers and by some Councels omitted or not received which yet afterward vpon greater search and consideration were generally acknowledged it must be very great obstinacy in Doctor Cozins and other Protestants to reject the Canon which the Councel of Trent proposeth and embraceth because forsooth some books therin contained were not as soon believed by all Catholicks to be Canonical as the others Or to deny the authority and authentikness of some books of the old Testament because they were not in
the Canon of the Iews as if the Jews might not doubt and omitt to put some books divinely inspired into the Canon as wel as the primitive Christians or as if the Apostles might not supply that defect and declare some books of the old Testament wherof the generality of the Jews doubted to be Canonical SVBSECT I. Doctor Cozins exceptions and falsifications against the Councel of Trent's authority answered The difference between new definitions and new articles of faith explained THe Protestant obstinacy is not excusable by the exceptions made against the number of Bishops that voted in the Councel of Trent or against the pretended novelty of the Canon which they decreed As to their number the authority of defining matters of faith in a general Councel is no more limited or diminished by the absence of members legaly summoned and long expected then the authority of a lawful Parliament by the absence of many Lords and commons especialy if there be a necessity of applying present remedies to the distempers of Church or Common-weal Doctor Cozins doth confess that the Catholick Church stood in need of a reformation and that the Councel was too much diferr'd and delay'd After they had met at Trent Seing the Bishops were not as many as the Pope and his Legats expected and wished for the greater solemnity of so important a decision as that of the Canon of Scripture whervpon they were to ground their further definitions they put of that session for 8. months and at the end of them hearing that besids those who were at Trent many Bishops were setting forth and others in their Journey they differred the definition of Canonical Scripture for three months more to the end as many as could possibly come might be present If through neglect contempt age infirmity or other accidents wherof the Pope was not in fault many Bishops were absent that could no more prejudice the authority of the Councel at Trent then the like circumstances disanull the authority or make voyd the Acts of our Parliaments But sure the learned Protestant Pastors cannot but smile at the simplicity of their illiterat flocks when they consider the zeale and earnestnes wherwith they except against the smal number of Bishops and their presumption forsooth in the Councel of Trent For the declaring the Canon of Scripture and other Divine truths and yet them-selves accept the Canon of Scripture and doctrin of their own Churches vpon the bare word of one Luther Zuinglius Calvin or vpon the sole authority of the 12. or seven men appointed by Parliament in the reign of Edward 6. Besids our Canon of Scripture was confirmed by the whole Councel of Trent afterwards together with the other points of faith therin defined And though Doctor Cozins pag. 208. tels how the Princes and reformed Churches in Germany England Denmark c. immediatly set forth their Protestations and exceptions against the Councel aleadging that the caling of this Councel by the Pop's authority alone was contrary to the Rights of Kings and the ancient Customs of the Church That he had summond no other persons thither nor intended to admitt any either to debate or give their voice there but such only as had first sworn obedience to him that he took vpon him most injustly to be Judg in his own cause c. Yet it is sufficiently manifested to the world by the very Acts of the Councel that the Pope did nothing but what his Predecessors had don and the Catholick Princes and Church had approved in the like occasions and that though Protestants were not admitted to vote at Trent yet they were not only permitted but invited in a most secure and civil manner by the Councel to reason dispute and debate their controversies and answer for them-selves and their doctrin and this way of proceeding is no more vnreasonable in a general Councel then it is in a Parliament not to permit any to vote therin before he taks an oath of alegiance not to say any thing of the oath of Supremacy and much less to admit of Lords or Commons accused of treason or rebellion to sit in the House vntil they prove their innocency or acknowledg their fault and obtain their pardon by a dutiful submission and profession of repentance And granted that nothing had bin resolved in the Councel of Trent by the Fathers therof but what first was canvass't at Rome by the Pope and Conclave which is false yet we conceive that to be no more against the constitution or freedom of a Councel then it is against the constitution or freedom of a Parliament that no Bill pass vnto an Act vnless it be first signed by the King and approved by his Councel and yet we know that to have bin the constant custom in one of his Majesties Kingdoms since the reign of King Henry 7. As for the Pope or Church of Rome being Judg in their own cause it is a prerogative so absolutly necessary for the authority and govermnent of Magistracy and the quiet and peace of the people governed that no Monarchy or Commonwealth can want it without falling into great inconveniences and confusion A subject t' is true may sue the King but the sentence must be given in the King's Courts and by his authority notwithstanding any objected dependency or parciality of the Judg explaining the laws and customs in favor of his Soveraign And he who would not acquiesce in such a sentence but would needs have the cause decided by a foreign Prince or People is a rebel If this be reasonable and just in temporal Courts and fallible sentences how much more in spiritual controversies and infallible definitions of the Church which definitions of the Church if not acknowledged to be infallible the Church can not have any jurisdiction or authority in matters of faith as not being able to satisfie doubts and setle the inward peace of Christian souls either perplexed in them-selves or in daunger of being perverted by others whether hereticks or pagans neither of which can be indifferent Judges or competent Arbitrators between the Catholick Church and her Children And seing doubts and differences are vnavoidable in both Church and Commonwealth and that there can be no appeale to Infidels or Foreigners without doubt it is more agreable to Scripture to the law of nature and light of reason that Parents and Pastors be Judges in any cause of their Children and inferiors then the contrary or that there be no Judg at all nor jurisdiction either spiritual or temporal But that which Doctor Cozins and all Protestants most press against the judicature of Popes and the councel of Trent is that they do not judg according to Scripture and to the right sense therof wheras Kings and their Judges are regulated by the laws of the land even when the suit is against the King or his pretended prerogative To this we answer that Popes and Councels are as much regulated by Scripture in their definitions
of the Councel of Nice and most vnconscionably cuts of the words immediatly following where Belarmin says the quite contrary of what Cozins imposed vpon his Readers to make good his English Canon of Scripture The words immediatly following are Excepto libro Iudith quem etiam Hieronimus postea recepit Except the booke of Iudith which also Hierom afterwards received as Canonical So that where Cozins says Belarmin confesseth that S. Hierom sayd the Councel of Nice declared not the book of Iudith Canonical Belarmin in that very place says the quite contrary And in the same page cap. 12. Belarmin proves by S. Hieroms testimony and words that the book of Iudith was declared Canonical in the highest degree by the Nicen Councel It were to be wished that Ecclesiastical promotions had bin better bestowed then upon 139 men whose labour and learning 〈◊〉 altogeather employed in seducing souls concealing the truth of Religion from their flocks and corrupting the writings of the ancient Fathers and modern Doctors of the Church for no other reason but because they speak so cleerly against the Protestant Doctrine of these times wherby our Prelatick Ministers are maintained vsurping vast revenues from the Crown and come to the greatest preferments both of Church and State I have not seen any one Protestant Writer free from this fault 't is strange that after so manifest and manifould discoverys as have bin made of Mortons Andrews Fox Sutclif Jewell Barlow Whitaker Willet Vsher Lauds and others falsifications frauds and labyrinths there should be men yet found to follow their examples and much more to be wondred that they should thrive by a trade so base vnconscionable and distructive notwithstanding so manifest and frequent discoveries of their impostures As to this work of Doctor Cosins it may be properly called a Cosenage independently of an allusion to his name had not his book bin sufficiently confuted by the absurdity of his fundamental principles denying that the Apostles or Christian Church could declare any book of the old Testament Canonical which the Iews omitted or rejected and affirming that no parts of the New Testament were ever questioned by any Church ancient or modern I should set down many more of his willful falsifications and weake evasions but that labour being rendred superfluous by the incoherency of his own doctrin and by the inconsistency of his principles with including in that Canon of Scripture which he vndertakes to defend the epistles above mentioned of Peter Iohn Paul and Iude and the Apocalyps for it is evident by the quoted testimonies both of ancient Fathers and learned Protestants that these epistles of Iohn Iude Peter and Paul as also the Apocalyps were doubted of by many Christian Churches for three or foure ages I do not think fitt to trouble the Reader nor my self with a more particular confutation of this rather fantastical then Scholastical History of the Canon of Scripture fantastical J say because he fancies to him-self that the authority and sayings of men who writ before this controversy had bin decided by a general Councel and at the same time professed a faith which obliged them so submit ther writings and judgments to the decrees of Councels can be of any force against that general Councel by which the contrary was decided and they would have bin guided by if they had bin now living as St. Austin saith of St. Cyprian in a point of doctrine which was determined by a general Councel against the holy Martyrs opinion long after his death Whosoever can take delight in seing the pittifull shifts and sleights wherby interested writers endeavour to blind mens eyes and vnderstandings let him peruse this book of Doctor Cozins and he will find more sport in observing how he tosses and turns the sayings of the Fathers against them-selves then could be wished in so serious a subject When the Fathers call the books of Macabees Tobie Judith c. sacred and Divine Scripture Canonical Scripture prophetical writings of Divine authority c. Holy inspirations revelations c. he tels you pag. 93. alibi passim all this must be understood in a large and popular sence though the contrary may appeare to any vnbyass'd judgment that will read the words by him cited pag. 92. alibi in the Authors themselves as for example let any one observe how Doctor Cozins mingles and mangles S. Austin's words concerning the controverted books of the Machabees and afterwards see what the St. him-self says he will â—â—rce believe the words are the same and may swear the sense is not For S. Austin lib. 2. de doctr Christ. cap. 8. sets down as his own sense the same Canon of Scripture which the Councel of Trent accepts and confirmeth and he subscribed unto in the third Councel of Carthage And because he knew that this Canon had not bin defined by a general Councel and therfore many Churches and Fathers doubted of some books which he and the 3. Councel of Carthage held for Canonical he gives some instructions how they who do not follow his Canon shall proceed vntill they be more fully informed or the matter decided and these instructions which he sets down for others who doubted and differ'd in opinion from him Doctor Cozins wilfully mistakes and misapplies to St. Austin him-self as if he could be ignorant of his own belief of the Canon He is also troubled that St. Austin doth favour so much the doctrine of Purgatory and the authority of the Catholick Church in declaring books of the Old Testament to be Canonical which were rejected by the Iews as to say lib. 18. de Civit. Dei c. 36. That the books of the Machabees are accompted Canonical by the Church although not by the Jews To weaken this testimony he brings an other that strengthens it and quotes St. Austin's words Ep. 61. ad Dulcitium wherin confuting the error of the Circomcellions who to cloake their self-homicides with text and examples of Scripture excused that doctrin with the examples of Eleazarus and Razias related in the Machabees which pretext St. Austin largly confutes not only in his epistle ad Dulcit but in his 2. book against the epistle of Gaudent cap. 23. not by deminishing the Canonical authority of the books of the Machabees as Doctor Cozins falsly imposeth vpon his Readers pag. 108. seq but by declaring how the Scripture doth indeed relate yet not commend the self-homicide of Eleazarus and Râ—zias nor canonize them Martyrs or propose their deaths to be imitated though it cannot be denyed but that they shew'd great worldly courage and contempt of life Did Doctor Cozins imagin that Dulcitius Gaudentius and other learned Circumcellions were such Coxcombs as to prove their Religion by Scripture and then to quote for Scripture a book which their Adversaries admitted not at least for so Canonical as that controversies of Religion could be therby decided or doth he think that St. Austin would not have put them in
by faith in Christ not by good works which they in no wise did affect We Catholicks do not pretend to have no evill-livers in our Church but this we may say with truth and I hope without offence that the difference between Protestant and Catholick â—â—â—ll-livers is that when Protestants sin they do nothing but what they are encouraged vnto by their justifying faith and the other principles of their Religion but when Catholicks sin they go against the known Tenets of their faith and profession Even our Pardons and Jndulgences how-ever so plenary are so far from encouraging vs to a continuance or relapse of sinning that they involue as a precedent and necessary condition a serious and sincere repentance of our former offences and afirm purpose and resolution of never returning to the like crimes and after all is don we pretend to no such vndoubted certainty of being pardon'd either by confession or Indulgences because we are not certain whether we do al as we ought as Protestants presume to have of their justification and saluation by only faith The nature of this justifying faith and of other Protestant principles considered We Catholicks have reason to thanck God that the prudence â—f the Prince and moderation of his Ministers is so extraordinary that it keeps the indiscreed zeal of a multitude so strangly principl'd if not as much with in the limits of Christianity and civility towards their fellow subjects as were to be wished yet so that the execution of the sanguinary and penal statuts is not altogeather so distructive as the Presbiterians and others endeavor Untill the generality of these Nations reflect vpon the impiety of the first Reformers and vpon their own mistakes in preferring the mad fancies of a few dissolute Friars concerning the nature of Christian faith before the constant Testimony and doctrin of the whole visible Church we cannot expect that they who govern so mistaken a multitude can make justice the rule of the publick Decrees which depend of the concurrence and acceptance of men whose greatest care is to promote Protestancy and persecute Popery SECT IX Protestants mistaken in the consistency of Christian faith humility Charity peace either in Church or state with their making Scripture as interpreted by privat persons or fallible Synods or fancied general Councells composed of all discenting Christian Churches the rule of faith and Iudg of Controversies in Religion How every Protestant is a Pope and how much also they are overseen in making the 39. Articles or the oath of Supremacy a distinctive sign of Loyalty to our Protestant Kings LVther Zuinglius Calvin Cranmer and all others that pretended to reform the doctrin of the Church of Rome seing they could not prove their new Religions or Reformations by testimonies from antiquity or by probability of Reason were inforc't to imitat the example of all Heretiks who as S. Austin says l. 1. de Trin. c. 3. endeavour to defend their falls and deceitfull opinions out of the Scriptures If on shall ask any Heretick saith that ancient Father Vincentius lyr l. 1. cons. Haer. c. 35. from whence do you prove from whence do you teach that I ought to forsake the vniuersal and ancient faith of the Catholik Church Presently he answereth scriptum est It is written and forthwith he prepareth a thousand testimonies a thousand examples a thousand authorities from the law from the Apostles from the Prophets This shift is so ordinary and notorious that Luther him-self postill Wittemberg in 2. con 8. Dom. post Trin. fol. 118. Dom. post Trin. fol. 118. affirmeth the sacred Scripture is the book of Heretiks because Heretiks are accustomed to appeale to that book neither did there arise at any time any heresy so pestiferous and so foolish which did not endeavor to hide it self under the vaile of Scripture And yet Luther Calvin Cranmer c. finding nothing to say for them-selves either in History or Fathers and seing Tradition so cleerly bent against them that they could not name as much as on Parish or person which ever professed their protestant doctrines they appeal'd from the word of God proposed by the visible and Catholick Church and Counâ—â—ls to their own Canon and Translations of Scripture and from that sense of Scripture which the Church and Councells had follow'd for 1500. years to that which their own privat spirit temporal interest or fallacious reason diâ—â—â—ted to them-selves and so did others that followed their examples making every privat Protestant or at least every reforâ—â—d Congregation Judg of Scripture Church Councells and Fathers In so much that Luther tom 2. Wittemberg cap. de Sacram. fol. 375. setteth down this rule for all Protestants to be directed 〈◊〉 The Governors of Churches and Pastors of Christ's sheep 〈◊〉 indeed power to teach but the sheep must judge whâ—â—â—er they propose the voice of Christ 〈◊〉 of strangers c. Wherfore let Popes Bishops Councells c. decree order enact what they please we shal not hinder but we who are Christ's sheep and heare his voice will judge whether they propose things true and agreable to the voice of our Pastor and they must yeeld to us and subscribe and obey our sentence and censure Calvin though contrary to Luthâ—â— in many other things yet in this doth agree as being the ground wherupon all protestant Reformations must rely in his lib. 4. Institut cap. 9. § 8. he says The definitions of Councels must be examined by Scripture and Scripture interpreted by his rules and Spirit The same is maintained by the Church of England as appears in the defence of the 39. Articles printed by authority 1633. wherin it is sayd pag. 103. Authority is given to the Church and to every member of sound judgment in the same to judg controversies of faith c. And this is not the privat opinion of our Church but also the judgment of our godly brethren in foreign Nations And by Mr. Bilson Bishop of Winchester in his true difference c. part 2. pag. 353. The people must be Discerners and Judges of that which is taught How inconsistent this doctrin is with Christian faith is evident by the pretended fallibility and fall of the visible Church which all Protestants do suppose and must maintain to make good the necessity and lawfullness of their own interpretations and Reformations For if the Roman Catholik and ever Visible Church may and from time to time hath erred as the Church of England declares in the 39. Articles no reformed Congregations whether Lutheran Presbiterian or Prelatick can have infallible certainty but that them-selves have fallen into as great errors as those which they have pretended to reform in the Roman Church And if they have not infallible certainty of the truth of their reformed doctrin they can not pretend to Christianity of faith that involves an assurance of truth which assurance is impossible if that the Church can be mistaken in it's proposall So that Christianity of faith including
as an essential requisit the vndoubted assurance of the truth of what is proposed by the Church as revealed by God and Protestancy necessarily supposing fallibility or possibility of error in that same Church and proposal Christian faith is ther by rendred impossible and the Protestant Doctrin demonstrated 〈◊〉 be inconsistent with the nature of Catholick Religion with the certainty of Divine faith and with the Authority of Christ's Church Neither is the Protestant doctrin in this particular less consistent with Christian charity and humility then with Catholick faith For what judgment can be more rash injurious and contrary to Christian charity then to assert that so many holy and learned Doctors as have bin and are confessed Papists and even the whole visible Church for the space at least of 1000. years could either ignorantly mistake or would wilfully forsake the true sence of God's word so cleerly shining in Scripture as every petty Protestant doth pretend or what is more repugnant 〈◊〉 Christian modesty and humility then that homely Doctors and half witted wits should preferr their own privat opinions in matters of faith before the common consent and belief of 〈◊〉 Fathers of the Church the Definitions of general Councels the Tradition and testimony of so many ages Jt is both a ridiculous and sad spectacle to see how every student of the University that hath learn'â— to conster 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 or to quibble or scribble some-what in Greek English or Latin takes vpon him to talk of Religion and to censure St. 〈◊〉 St. Austin St. Christom c. and contemn both ancient and modern Catholick Avthors preferring before the whole Church him-self and his Poâ—antick Tutors or Fellows of Oxford and Cambrige Collâ—gâ—s Nay the illiterat people even the women are grown to that height of spiritual pride an infallible 〈◊〉 of Heresy that they pitty our Popish ignorance and fancy they can 〈◊〉 with the Text of their English Bibles falsly translated and fondly interpreted the greatest Roman Divines So true is the saying of St. Hierom in Epist. ad Paulinum Scripture is the only art which all people teach before they have learn't The pratling woman the old doting man c. And therfore advers Lucifer bids men not flatter them-selves with quoting Scripture to confirm their opinions seing the Devill him-self made vse of God's word which consists more in the sense then in the letter How impossible is it to govern peaceably so pratling and presuming a Protestant multitude either in Church or state is too manifest by the last experiences in England wher the endeavours of reducing this Protestant arrogancy to some kind of reason was the occasion and object of the Rebellion King Charles I. and his Councel for attempting to make the inferiors subordinat to their superiors in doctrin and disciplin and the subjects obedient to the laws of the land were aspers'd as Papists and destroy'd as enemies to the Evangelical liberty of Protestancy and as subverters of the fundamental principles of the Reformation Popish rebellions happen because the Promotors therof fall from that fervor of their faith and devotion which they ought to practise but the English Protestant Rebellion was raised and continued by the most devout pure fervent and zealous sort of Protestants in persuance and maintenance of their Religion Other rebellions are commonly vnexpected chances springing from a sudain fury or feare of desperat people but the late Rebellion was and is to this day pretended by many to have bin a pious and sober proceeding the King's murther only excepted of the prudent and Religious men of the Nation assembl'd in Parliament and is so justifiable by the principles of Protestancy that he must be thought not only a wise but a fortunat King of England that can prevent or suppress the like revolution in his Reign so long as Protestancy doth reign with him The reason is as manifest as the experience and the cause as the effect For if a Common-wealth were so instituted that every privat person might pretend by his birth-right or Privilege to admit of no other Iudg or Interpreter of the laws but him-self or at least might lawfully and legaly appeale from all Courts of Judicature even from the highest which is the Parliament to his own privat Judgment what intollerable confusion would it breed what justice subordination peace propriety or prosperity could be expected in such a government The same laws and authority which ought to decide all differences would be the subject and occasion of perpetual quarrells This is the condition and constitution of Protestant Churches and States Every privat person is a supreme Iudg of Religion and sole Interpreter of Scripture he may appeale both from Soveraigns and Bishops from their temporal and Ecclesiastical laws to his own privat judgment or spirit and him-self must determin the difference and conclude whether the Decrees of Church and State be agreable to God's word that is to his own Interpretation therof which commonly is byassed by privat interest or some singular fancy of his own And though the Governors and Clergy of his Church and Country tell him he ought to suspend his judgment and submit the same to 〈◊〉 Parliament or to a general Councel not like that of Trent but to one composed of all Nations and Christian Congregations called by the joynt authorâ—â—y of all temporal Princes but in the mean time he must 〈◊〉 to the Decrees of the Church and state wherof he is a member when they inculcat this lesson vnto a zealous Protestant◠〈…〉 not so simple as to believe that they who read this 〈◊〉 speak as they think or that they believe any such general Councel is possible for that every 〈◊〉 knows temporal Princes will never agree about the President time place and other circumstances of such a Counceâ—â— and though they should and the Turck and other Infidels give way to such a sâ—spitious Assembly of Christians yet when they mâ—tâ— nothing could be resolu'd â—or want of their agrement in a 〈◊〉 of judging of controversies every sect â—â—icking to it 's own principles and proper sence of Scripture So thaâ— every Protestant vnderstands the design of this doctrin to be but a fetch of their own Clergy to make it-self in the mean time solâ— Judg of Religion contrary to the principles and privileges of Protestancy and therfore laugh at the folly of such a proposal and pretext We Roman Catholicks need no such Devices nor delays we are content to submit to such general Councels as may be had our Popes and Councels define according to the tradition and sense of Scripture of the true Church our Censures must suppose known causes and crimes and if with all these cautions the Pop's spiritual jurisdiction is thought to be so dangerous to the soveraignty of Kings and peace of subjects least forsooth it might be indirectly applyed to temporal matters that all Protestants vpon that score renounce the Papal authority with how much more reason
ought every one to renounce his own judicature of Religion and Scripture tyed to no rules but to his own discretion and to an indiscernable and privat spirit There is greater danger that Protestants may abuse this spiritual Soveraignty by an indirect application therof to temporal affaires then the Pope his who being a stranger and at such a distance can not if he would have the conveniencies oportunities and occasions of plotting rebellion which Natives and subjects may lay hold on with less danger of a discovery and greater hopes of success It is sayd that in time of a Parliament wherin many of the lower House stood vpon higher termes then was thought convenient for the state though warranted by the purest Protestancy a Gentleman presented a petition to King James who seemed to admire that any would sue to him in a time ther were as his Majesty said three hundred Kings sitting in the House of Commons and therfore bid the Gentleman repaire thither for relief We see in the late long Parliament how some few membres of the House of Commons prevail'd against K. Charles I. in his own Court and Citty by making them-selves popular vpon the score of the Protestant Religion and Scripture How afterwards these and their faction were supplanted by Cromwell's sense of Scripture and how that he wanted only the name of King How after his death every Commander had hopes to succeed him in this power and Protectorship and without question some might had not the Duke of Albermalâ— bin so honest We have grounds therfore to say that every Protestant that hath wit and valor and will take hould of the advantages of his Religion may hope to be a King or Protector and we cannot but admire that any states-man doth except against the Roman Catholick Tenets for admitting of one Pope wheras according to the ground and principles of all Protestant Reformations there are as many Popes as Proâ—â—stants and every one of them much more absolute then the Bishops of Rome and their supremacy less consistent whith the security of Princes and peace of the people then his spiritual jurisdiction Besids the stay and security of a state consists in a discreet distribution of publick charges and employments and this in the choyce of persons qualified with such signs of conscience and loyalty as can hardly be counterfeited or misapplied wherof the principal is the profession of the Religion of the state therfore we see non trusted in weighty affaires of the Common-wealth but such as are of the Prince his Religion But if that Religion have no certain rule or only such a rule that maks men of no certain Religion it can be no more a sign of conscience and loyalty or fit to direct â—he King and Councell in their choyce of persons for their purpose and â—ust then a plume of feathers or a garniture of ribands fancied for it's colours The reason is obvious and concluding because the security of a King and the prosperity of his Kingdoms is grounded vpon the loyalty of his subjects and servants who are intrusted with secret designs and publick employments both in the civill and military list their loyalty is directed by their conscience their conscience by their Religion their Religion by their rule of faith If therfore their rule of faith be but their own fancy of Scripture or Scripture as it is interpreted by every man's privat judgment without any obligation of conscience to submit to the contrary interpretation of their national Synâ—â— or Church because neither of them pretend to be infallible then loyalty conscience religion government and King are as subject to the changes of fortune and animosities of faction as the fickle fancy of every privat person is apt to vary according to his weackness of Iudgment or strength of passion and to declare for that party which will be most for his interest This inconstancy of the reformed Religions is acknowledged by them-selves Duditius a learned and zealous protestant quoted and highly commended by Beza for his piety and elegant witt ep 1. ad Andraeam Duditium pag. 13. lamenteth the condition of his reformed Brethren in these words They are carryed about with every wind of doctrin now to this part now to that whose Religion what it is to day you may perhaps know but what it will be to morrow neither you nor they can certainly tell pag. 5. ep Bezae cit In what head of Religion do they agree that impugn the Roman Bishop If you examin all from the head to the foot you shal almost find nothing affirmed by on which another will not averr to be wicked And their Divines do dayly differ from them-selves Menstruam fidem habentes coyning a monthly faith Now what smale hopes there are of remedying this mis-fortune Sands ingeniously confesseth in his relation fol. 82. The Papists have the Pope as a common Father Adviser and Conductor to reconcile their jarrs to decide their differences to draw their Religion by consent of Councels vnto vnity c. wheras on the contrary side Protestants are as severed or rather scattered troups each drawing adiverse way without any means to pacify their quarrels no Patriarch one or more to have a common superintendance or care of their Churches for correspondency and vnity no ordinary way to assemble a generall Councel of their part the only hope remaining ever to assuage their contention To this we may add the saying of Melancton as remarkable as true Quos fugiamus habemus sed quos sequamur non intelligimus we know who we should avoyd meaning the Papists Religions is to believe what you think fit according to your best vnderstanding of a writing you can not vnderstand by any human and privat industry of your own and will not learn from any publik authority of the Church because by following the interpretation of the Church you fancy that you may be mistaken so that for feare of being mistaken in or by publick authority the protestant either falls into obstinacy in his own privat opinion or into an indifferency for all opinions and so becoms to be an Heretick or of no Religion Among the protestant Confessions of faith the 39. Articles of the prelatick Church of England is estem'd an excellent piece and yet the same Articles acknowledg that the visible Church of God hath erred and may err from time to time and by consequence the prelatick may have erred in this very assertion as in most of the 39. Articles How this acknowledged vncertainty of truth can agree with the certainty or Christianity of faith or with any hopes of salvation I can not comprehend But albeit these articles seem as insufficient for salvation as men are vncertain of their truth yet are they thought usefull to the government for though they want the substance that is the certainty of faith yet they have the face of religion and formality of law because they talk of God Christ Trinity c. And are
confirmed by acts of Parliament But that which makes them to be so much insisted vpon is that they are so indifferent and appliable to all Protestant Religions that with much reason he is censured a very wilfull Presbiterian and fanatick who will not submit and subscribe to articles so indulgent and indifferent Therfore not only now but formerly in the beginning of all distempers grounded vpon Diversitie of Protestant opinions it was thought good policy to commit the 39. Articles to the press therby to please all dissenting parties and this hath bin practised not only in Queen Elizabeth and King Iames Reigns but also in King Charles I. an 1640. when the rebellion began to break forth and was cloak't with the authority of a legall Parliament as well as with the zeal of the Protestant Religion against the Church of England And an 1633. when the Symptoms of that rebellion were first discerned there was printed by special Command a Book setting forth the agreement of the 39. Articles with the doctrin of other reformed but rebellious Churches of France Germany Netherlands Basil Bohemia Swethland Suitzerland c. The Title of the book is the Faith Doctrin and Religion professed and protected in the realm of England and Dominions of the same expressed in the Articles c. The sayd Articles analized into propositions and the propositions proved to be agreable both to the writen word of God and to the extant confessions of all the neighbour Churches Christianly reformed Perused and by the lawfull authority of the Church of England allowed to be publick London printed by John Legatt 1633. So that no mervaile if the 39. Articles have not proved to be a better antidot against Rebellion then we have seen by experience they being so agreable to the doctrin of Churches raised and maintained by rebellious people and principles against their vndoubted lawfull Soveraigns The French Hugonot Ministers in their assembly at Bema 1572. decree that in every citty all should sweare not to lay down arms as long as they should see them persecute the doctrin of salvation c. In the mean time to govern them-selves by their own protestants rules See Sutcliff in his answer to a libel supplicatory pag. 194. See the Catholick doctrin of the Church of England art 19. pag. 94. agreeing here in with Confes. Helvet 2. Saxon. art 11. Wittemberg art 32. Sueu art 15. all quoted ibid. pag. 95. Dresterus the Protestant writer in part 2. Nullenarii sexti pag. 661. acknowledgeth that all the warrs of Germany against the Emperour and lawfull Soveraigns happned ex mutatione Religionis Pontificiae in Lutheranam See Crispinus of the Churches estate pag. 509. how the reformed Church of Basil was founded by the rebellion of some Burgesses against the Catholick Senators whom they ejected c. The Rebellion of Holland and the other Protestant Provinces is well known as also of Geneva Zuitzers or Helvetians See Chitreus in Cron. an 1593. 1594. pag. 74. seq How the King of Swethland being a Catholick was by his Subjects the Lutherans forc't so content him-self with Mass in his in his privat Chapell and to assent that no Catholick should beare office in that Kingdom and at length an other made King We may say without either vanity or flattery that were it possible to maintain the Soveraignty of a King the peace and prosperity of a people togeather with the principles of Protestancy the English Nation would have don it wanting neither witt or judgment to find out the expedients after long experience of 100. years since the pulling down of Popery and yet we see that nothwithstanding the wisedom of them who govern the learning of the Clergy the worth of the gentry the sincerity of the common sort and the natural inclination to loyalty of the whole Nation since Protestancy came among vs we have violated the laws of nature and Nations we have by publick acts of State don many things wherof but one perpetrated by a privat person whithout any countenance from the governement were sufficient to make not only him-self but his whole family and Country infamous Murthers of Soveraigns by a formality of justice breach of publick faith for the Protestant interest were never heard of in England nor acted by English men vntil they were Protestants Therfore the infamy and reproach therof must be left at the doores of the English Protestant Church without blaming our English Nation or nature It is the nature of an arbitrary Religion to pervert good natures It confounds the state more then any arbitrary government The worst of arbitrary governments have some regard to the honour and word of the Prince and to the publick faith An arbitrary religion dispenseth with all An arbitrary government is reduced to one supreme an arbitrary government doth pretend reason for the Prince his ComCommands an arbitrary Religion by pretending to be above reason commands against reason How arbitrary and applicable all Protestant Religions are to every particular interest and fancy notwithstanding their publick professions and confessions of faith is visible by the 39. Articles of the Church of England that hitherto could neither setle the judgments of subjects in any on certain belief nor tye them to their duty and alleigance to the lawfull Prince though the sayd articles wanted no countenance of law to gain for them authority And yet the profession of the 39. Articles togeather with the oath of supremacy is made the distinctive sign of truth and loyalty in our English Monarchy But the Articles being applicable to contrary religions and interests and an oath asserting a thinâ— so incredible as the spiritual supremacy of a lay Soveraign must needs expose the government to continual dangers that flow from a plausible and popular tenderness of conscience and from the contempt of so indifferent and improbable a Religion and therfore though many do abhorr yet few do admire our late King's mis-fortune his Majesty having grounded his Soveraignty and security vpon Councellors servants and souldiers of whose fidelity he had no other evidence but the profession of 39. Articles so vncertain that they signified nothing and dispensed with every thing and an oath of a jurisdiction so incredible that they who took it either vnderstood not what they swore or if they did by swearing a known vntruth disposed them-selves to violat all oaths of alleigance and learn't in all other promises to preferr profit before performance conveniency before conscience Were not this true and were the prelatik Religion with all it's laws and oath's capable of establishing Monarchs or of making subjects loyal and servants faithfull how were it possible that so just and innocent a King as Charles 1. The ancientest by succession and inheritance of all Christendom should be so generally and vnworthyly betray'd by them that profess'd the 39. Articles and took the oaths of supremacy and alleigance By the laws of the land it is enacted and accordingly practised that non be permitted
and being desirous to know the cause J found there had bin Popes And proceeding from this conceipt of the Popes prevailing against Christ in vtter overthrow of the whole visible Church he concludeth that he who founded and purchased the Church with such pains and at so deere a rate could not be Christ because he wanted power or providence to preserve it and therfore Ochin tourned Iew and taught circumsion and Polygamy Upon the same motives Adam Neuserus a most learned Protestant and chief Pastor of Heydelbergh turned Turk and was circumsised at Constantinople persuading many of his flock to become Mahometans Allemanus esteemed and beloved by Beza for his learning seing that the predictions of the Prophets were not fulfilled in the Protestant Churches and being resolved not to be a Papist held that the Messias was not come and so renouncing Christianity became a blasphemous Iew. Calvin the Oracle of Protestant learning and the most plausible Reformer of Popery is not only by Catholicks but by sundry Protestants charged with Judaism in so much that the famous Protestant Writer Egidius Hunnius Doctor and publick Professor in the University of Wittembergh and chief Disputant in the conference of Ratisbone against the Catholicks writ a Book intituled Calvinus Judaizans And another Protestant book was printed 1586 and reprinted 1592. the Author wherof is the learned Ioannes Modestinus and it's Title A Demonstration out of God's word that the Calvinists are not Christians but only baptized Jews and Mahometans and an other very learned Protestant John Scutz in lib. 50. causarum cap. 48. affirmeth Mahometism Arianism and Calvinism to be brothers and Sisters and three pair of hose made of one cloath The Calvinists do and may say the same of the Lutherans and of every other Sect of Protestants they are all made of one cloath and differ only in the fashion according to the diversity of their fancies They all agree in cloathing and covering their errors with Scripture but some like one mode some an other Calvin and his faction seem to approve most of the Arian to which also most Protestants incline by reason of difficulty they find in the Mystery of the Trinity explained after the Catholick manner But non of them will tye himself to an others fashion seing their Rule of faith is their own fancy Wherfore notwithstanding the Confessions of faith of their sundry Churches they do not hold them-selves obliged to Profess that or any faith longer then it agreeth with every on 's privat sense of Scripture which he changes as often as further study information or seeming reason moves him to the contrary So that not only Mahometism Arianism and Calvinism are three paire of hose made of one Cloath according to Scutz expression but his Lutheranism and all other Protestant Reformations are remnants of the same piece with different trimmings and patches and though they be hose this day to morrow they would perhaps be Turbants or Jews garments had not those formes and fashions bin so generally cry'd down as ridiculous in these parts of the world that the learned Protestants who think them more Religious then their own despaire of ever making them the mode So true it is that the bare letter of Scripture without Tradition the rule of faith makes men Hereticks Turcks Jews and the worst of Infidells The learned Protestants who are not Iews Turks or Arians become Atheists or meer Rationalists Because there is not any thing moves learned men so much either to Atheism or to have no Religion but naturall reason as the diversity of Religions and the confessed vncertainty of such as are professed The interpretation of Scripture and Fathers being left by their principles of the Reformation to every particular person's discretion maks Protestants differ as much in Christian belief as in human opinions concerning any ordinary and obscure matter and their supposition of the fall of the visible Church into errors of doctrin togeather with the acknowledged fallibility and vncertainty of their own Congregations takes away as we proved in the last Section all certainty and Christianity of belief What doubt therfore can be made but that such learned Protestants as turn not Jews Mahometans or Arians will either become Atheists Socinians or meer Rationalists such as observe that the Prophecies sett-down in Scripture concerning the spendor extent and propagation of Christ's Church vpon Earth are not accomplished in their own petty Reformations and withall are so peevish and maliciously bent against the Roman Catholick faith as not to examin it's truth turn Jews Mahometans or Atheists But such as are ashamed or afraid to renounce the name of Christians and yet are as obstinat against the Roman Catholick doctrin as the aforsaid Protestants fall from on reformed sect to an other and at length perceiving there is no reason to preferr on before an other renounce all and rely only vpon their own reason most of them follow Chillingworth Fauckland Stilling-fleet and become Socinians denying or doubting of Christ's Divinity and are driven to that impiety partly by the incoherency of the Protestant Tenets and partly by their contempt of Tradition but most of all by the foolish presumption of their own wit and judgment and by that secret pride so manifest in Protestants and proper to Hereticks There is not any one Protestant Writer in whose works you may not find this heretical Strain Neither is it to be admired that men whose Religion is occasioned by pride and grounded vpon singularity of judgment do betray and declare those passions in their discourses they being the chief ingredients of their Symbols and the Conclusions most cleerly deduced from their principles I will omit all others at present and only mention a passage of Socinus against Volanus pa. 2. wherin you may see to what a pass Protestants are brought by their own proud and privat spirit and by their contempt of Catholick Tradition Thus therfore he saith To what purpose should I answer that which thou borrowest from the Papists c. especially where thou opposest to vs the perpetuall consent of the Church very excellently doubtless in this behalf hath Hosius a Papist discours'd against you wounding you with your own sword And therfore you are no less fals in urging against us the Churches perpetual consent for the Divinity of Christ then are the Papists in their vrging therof against you and vs. And ibid. pag. 222. We propose to vs in this question concerning the Divinity of Christ non for Master or Interpreter but only the holy Ghost c. we do not think that we are to stand to the judgment of any men though never so learned of any Councels though in shew never so holy and lawfully assembled of any visible Church though never so perfect and vniversall Even Uolanus himself disputing against the Iesuits is inforced to reject the examples sayings and deeds of Athanasius Hierom Austin Theodoret and other Fathers whose authority he now opposeth against
and are as yet far short of that substantial and fundamental Reformation whervnto the principles of Protestancy and the Protestant rule of faith or an arbitrary interpretation of Scripture doth direct and incline all Churches of the Reformation As for our English Presbiterians and Fanaticks they agree with the Polonian Hungarian and Transilvanian protestant Arrians and Anti-Trinitarians in believing the Protestant Reformations can not be pious and perfect so long as they retain any on point of Popery and indeed there is as much reason and ground in Scripture to reject all as any on and the Protestant principles warant the deniall of the Trinity and Incarnation as well as of the Mass and Transubstantiation The prelaticks perceive this to be true and therfore in the 39. Articles to avoyd scandal and discredit profess the belief of many mysteries that according to the very foundation of their Reformation they ought to deny and though they seem not to be guilty of impiety in their resolution of retaining some yet are they convicted of incoherency in not rejecting all as we shall now manifestly prove SECT XI How the indifferency or rather inclination of Protestancy to all kind of infidelity is further demonstrated by the Prelatick doctrin and distinction of fundamental and not fundamental articles of faith The design of their fundamental distinction layd open The Roman Catholick the sole Catholick Church and how it hath the authority of iudging all controversies of Religion VNity of doctrin being a confessed mark of the true Church which is called One in relation to one and the same faith and Protestants perceiving they want this vnity and the means to bring them to it every particular Church and person challenging a right to interpret Scripture after his own manner as well as Luther and Calvin c. who could not assume to them-selves that liberty without granting it to others and that not only their sundry Churches and confessions differ extreamly in doctrin but even the members of one and the same Congregation agree not among them-selves in the explanation of their Articles nor in the Authority of their Church to command and determin what articles ought to be believed this I say considered by Protestants some of their chief writers and particularly the English Prelaticks have invented a distinction wherby they hope to foole their flocks and make them believe that there is not only an vnity but an vniversality of faith amongst all dissenting Protestants and by consequence that they are true Catholicks They divide therfore the articles of Christian Religion into fundamentall and not fundamentall Fundamentall they call those wherin all Christians do agree not fundamentall they make every article wherof them-selves or any other Christians doubt how ever so fundamentall it may be held by the rest By which doctrin they make Arians Nâ—â—torians and all ancient Hereticks good Catholicks and their errors not fundamentall or destructive to salvation because forsooth they are Christians though deny the consubstantiality of Christ. This is no wrested consequence of ours but their own confessed Tenet The great prelatick writer Doctor Morton late Bishop of Duresme in his approved and applauded book of the Kingdom of Jsrael and of the Church dedicated to Queen Elizabeth pag. 94 sayth The Churches of Arians are to be accounted the Church of God because they do hould the foundation of the Ghospell which is faith in JESUS Christ the son of God and Saviour of the world And pag. 91. He giveth this general rule Whersoever a company of men do joyntly and publickly by worshipping the true God in Christ profess the substance of Christian Religion which is faith in JESUS Christ the Son of God and Saviour of the world ther is a true Church notwithstanding any corruption what soever c. Thus they plead for the Arrians declaring in their favour that consubstantiality of the son or his being the natural son of God is not the substance of Christian belief A man would think that the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament is a substantial point of faith seing ther of dependeth the reality of our Sacrifice the feeding or famishing of our soules and the verifying or falsifying of Christ's plain and express words and yet Bishop Iewel the greatest piller of the Church of England in his Apology for the same pag. 101. edit 1600. obâ—erving that Protestants were divided in the belief of that mystery tells vs it is but a matter of indifferency The Lutherans and Zuinglians saith he are both sides Christians good friends and Brethren they vary not between them-selves vpon the principles and foundations of our Religions c. But vpon one only question the real presence neither weighty nor great Doctor Reynolds in his 5. Conclusion annexed to his conference pag 722. affirmeth the real presence to be but as it were the grudging of a litle ague if otherwise the party hould the Christian faith And all Protestants conspire in this heretical shift because their change and choyce of articles of faith can not be maintained by any other way but by denying that therby they touch the foundation of Christian Religion So Luther defended his Consubstantiation as may be seen in Amandus Polanus in his Synop. pag. 446. And Iacobus Acontius lib. 3. Stratagematum Sathanae pag. 135. saith It 's evident concerning as well those who hould the real presence of Christ's Body in the bread as those others which deny it that although of necessity one part do err yet both are in way of saluation if in other things they be obedient to God Jn this Protestant distinction we must distinguish two things 1. The design 2. The doctrin wherupon Protestants ground their design In this Section J will discover the design and declare the weakness therof In the next I will demonstrat the falshood of the doctrin wherby they intended to carry on their design Protestants proceed in this affair as weak Ministers of state when they find by experience they have bin mistaken in taking their measures and in the management of publick concerns they would fain be reconciled and make strict leagues with such Potentats as formerly they had disobliged and them-selves now stand in need of their friendship and fancy they can effect all by inculcating vnto them general notions of a common danger grounded vpon the power and pride of some neighbouring and emulous Prince So Prelaticks reflecting vpon the weackness of their cause occasion'd through the dissentions of the Reformed Religions and vpon the incoherency of their own 39. Articles with the foundation and liberty of Protestancy would fain by a generall notion of Christianity vnite all heretical Churches to them-selves against the Roman Catholicks pretended pride and power In which proceedings they commit two great indiscretions 1. They do not consider how they have disobliged the Greek and most of the Eastern Churches by declaring in their 39. Articles the doctrin of the Holy Ghost's procession from the Father and
1260. years And pag. â—4â— From the time of Constantine vntill these our days even 1260. years the Pope and his Clergy hath possessed the outward visible Church of Christians And their chief Doctors ingeniously acknowledg that their Churches were either so obscure or so opprest that notwithstanding their own serious examinatiâ—â— and diligent search into all histories both sacred and profane they can not find in the space of at least 1300. years as much as a record or Tradition of any on person to beare witness that their faith sense of Scripture or Reformation was preach't by Christ and his Apostles Sebastianus Francus in ep de Abrog Statutis ecclesiast saith Statim post Apostolos c. Presently after the Apostles times all things were turneâ— vpside down c. And that for certain through the work of Anti-christ the externall Church togeather with the faith and the Sacraments vanished away presently after the Apostles departure and that for these 1400. years the Church hath bin no wher externall and visible Peter Martyr so much commended by Calvin and sent for by Cranmer to help to frame the Religion of the Church of England pag. 462. of his work de caelibatu votis saith as for the judgment of the Fathers because our Adversaires the Papists both in this and other controversies are accustomed to appeale to them J do not think it the part of a Christian to appeale from the Scriptures of God to the judgments of men And pag. 476. So long as we go no further then the Councells and Fathers we shall always remain in the same errors This Sophister would faine make Protestants believe that the question is whether the Fathers sense of Scriptures ought to be preferred before the sense of the Protestants them-selves confess that both Councells and Fathers are contrary to their interpretation Whitaker on of the learned'st Protestants that ever writ answering Duraeus and acknowledging the truth of the assertion coms off with this poore evasion l. 7. pag. 478. Jt is sufficient for us to know by conferring the Popish doctrin with Scripture that they do not agree let Histories say what they list So litle do the Ecclesiastical Annals favour Protestancy that never any point therof is mentioned without mentioning also how it began and was comdemned as heresy Now let Protestants examin our Roman Catholick witnesses we do not stop as they must at the last age 1500. we produce in every Century of years the most eminent persons for Sanctity and learning that then lived who not only professed our faith living but also dying as by the Traditions of all Christendom their own writings and the confession of our Adversaries is manifest wherof the Divines of Magdeburg hertofore quoted writ copiously in their Centuries These Fathers and Doctors of the Church in each respective Century delivered the Roman Catholick faith to the next succeeding not as a privat opinion of their own but as the publick pure primitive Apostolick saith which they had received as such from the precedent age confirmed by the vnanimous testimony of their known Catholick immediat Predecessours What exceptions or objections can Protestants pretend against the holy and learned Fathers so impartial Iudges and witnesses They could not be ignorant of what was the publick and vniversal faith or Church in their times and they were men of so great integrity that they would not for any temporal interest conceale the truth in a matter wherof depended eternity They were not angry saith S. Augustin disputing against the Pelagians advers Julian l. 2. prope finem lib. 3. c. 17. lib. 4. c. 12. neither at you or vs what they have found in the Church that they have holden they have taught what they have learn't what they have received from their fore-fathers they have delivered to posterity The most learned Protestants decline the Fathers judgment and testimony for no other reason but because they find them to be Roman Catholicks in their writings so that the question is not whether they by for vs but whether their testimony for vs averring that the Roman Catholick sense of Scripture is the same which Christ and his Apostles deliuered ought to be preferred before the contrary testimony of Luther Calvin Cranmer or of the other Convocations and Parliaments of England of Edward 6. and Queen Elizabeth who prove not their reformed sense of Scripture by ancient tradition but by a new arbitrary interpretation of Scripture And in what Court of Judicature would such an vncertain guess pass for a legal proof Wheras tradition is the only evidence wherby the greatest civil controversies even of regal successions and titles are decided in the Protestants Courts Therfore it ought not to be excluded as superfluous or superstitious from the Church SVBSET III. AS to their exception that the Roman Catholick Church is but a part and ought not to be judge of all other Christians we answer that not by all Christians but by on part were all controversies in the Church decided since the Apostles times and the other part which did not submitt to the judgment of that one in matters of faith and disciplin were censured hereticks That the Judgment and censures in all ages were issued but by on part and this the Roman Catholick party that lived in communion with the Bishop of Rome and the Councells that acknowledged his jurisdiction we prove by the confessed examples of every Century In the first the controversy of the legal ceremonies was determined by S. Peter and the Apostles in a Councell wherin S. Peter presided Act. 15. In the second Century the Christians were divided about celebrating E'aster the controversy was decided by S. Victor Bishop of Rome as S. Peter's successor and because the Churches of Asia would not conform themselves to his sentence he excommunicated them Euseb. l. 5. hist. c. 23. 24. And though S. Irenaeus approved not of S. Victor's severity yet he never questioned his jurisdiction or supremacy or the legality of his censures And because some Christians persisted obstinatly in not conforming to the Pop's Decree of celebrating Easter they were for that obstinacy declared hereticks and as such numbred in Catalogues by S. Epiphanius haeres 50. S. Augustin haeres 26. and by Tertullian de praescript in fine and called Quarto-decimans In the third Century by the Pope Cornelius and his Roman Councell the Novatian heresy was condemned Euseb. ex versione Rufini lib. 6. histor cap. 33. and though there were not as many Bishops in that Roman Councell as at Trent yet the whole Church thought the authority sufficient and legal to declare the Novatians hereticks The same Pope and Stephen his Successour condemned such Christians as thought and taught that they who had bin baptised by hereticks ought to be rebaptised In the forth Century the Arian heresy was condemned by the Councell of Nice wherin were but 318. Bishops whose testimony was thought sufficient and legal against a far greater
when certain officers known by the vsual marks and badges of their Master's Soveraignty and their own military or civil charges propose his orders either by proclamation letters patents or otherwise so Protestants will acknowledg that all Christians are bound to believe it i◠a sufficient proposal of the 〈◊〉 existence of Divine Revelation and that God speaks or commands whensoever his mind is declared to them by that Church and Ministers who beare at least as authentick marks and badges of God's authority and of their own ministery to evidence their trust and jurisdiction as the Officers of state and Justice do in a Republick or 〈◊〉 Government In a word all that we desire of Protestants is that they will give as much credit and respect to God as to Princes and no less to the Ministers of God's Church then to Senators or to the Officers of a King's Court. But their fundamental distinction dispenseth with all such duties and leads them a quite contrary way 〈…〉 not obliged to believe the mysteries of faith as they are proposed by the Roman Catholick Church though the sayd Church be more authentickly waranted thervnto by God then any Ministers or Magistra◠are waranted to 〈…〉 of state by their Prince vnless it be clearly evident 〈…〉 evidently credible will not serve their turn that God revealed what the Church proposeth as his word and command Such Doctrines of the Roman Church as they fancy cleer or self evident either by their owne privat spirit and discourse or by the vnanimous and general acknowledgment of all Christians such and only such do Protestants believe as points of faith and call them fundamental articles or articles necessary for salvation all others either they hould only as probable opinions and things of indifferency or reject as superfluous and superstitious And because the mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation are generally professed in these parts of Europe by all Christians though not by all in the Catholick sense but with certain interpretations Therfore the learned Prelatick Protestant Writers both ancient and modern reduce all the articles and the total summe of Catholick faith and of the foure first generall Councells to a belief of the Trinity and Incarnation that is to some Kind of faith though it be but the Arian in JESUS Christ the Son of God and Saviour of the world as Doctor Morton Bishop of Duresme and others teach who vpon this score maintain that the Arian Churches and by consequence all ancient hereticks are to be accounpted members of the Church of God We have quoted their words num 3. of the precedent section That no King's Ministers or Magistrats have so authentick marks and badges to evidence in them-selves their Master's authority for exercising their respective charges and jurisdictions as the Roman Catholick Church hath of being entrusted and apointed by God to deliver his Divine doctrin declare his sense of Scripture and decide Religious controversies is manifest by the signs and marks of God's Church compared with the marks and badges of Princes Officiers Omitting many other marks of the true Church J will touch but three which are Conversion of Kings and Nations from paganism to Christianity Succession of Pastors and doctrin from the Apostles to this present and miracles All these are visible only in the Roman Catholick Church and are more authentick because they cannot be easily counterfeited then any human euidences even the most esteemed which is the King's hand and Seale To say because some pretended miracles have bin impostures no miracles at all are true or none ought to be credited is no less vnreasonable then to cry down all current money because there is some fals coyne and is as ridiculous and rebellious as to disobey and reject all royall commissions and orders of Councell because some may or have bin counterfeited and subreptitiously obtained But suppose as Protestants pretend that miracles were ceased I hope the Conversion of so many Nations and Kings of the Gentils to Christianity and a continuall succession of the Roman doctrin and Pastors are neither ceased not counterfeited no other Church but the Roman Catholick hath these signes of God's providence and as non can deny but that they are more convincing arguments and greater evidences of the super-natural Ministery and jurisdiction which the Roman Church doth claim then any human signes badges or commissions can be of the Royal authority exercised by King's officiers either civil or military so likewise it must be acknowledged that there is a cleerer and greater obligation vpon men to submit their judgments and wills to the definitions and Decrees of the Roman Catholick Church and Councells proposing or declaring God's revelations and commands then there can be vpon subjects to obey the orders of temporal Souveraigns published or proclaimed by their chief Ministers and subordinat officers Therfore as it is notorious Rebellion in subjects against their King's authority to contemn his commands when they are proposed by Ministers that shew his commissions so is it manifest heresy and a denial of God's veracity to contemn or doubt of the doctrin proposed as Divine by the Roman Catholick Church so authentickly qualified with the aforesaid supernatural marks And as it is want of duty and alleigance in subjects and a ridiculous excuse for not obeying Orders to pretend they have not cleer evidence that the King signed them or for all they know that his Minister or Officer may be an Impostor and his commission or warrant counterfeit so must it be concluded want of christian belief and excess of hereticall obstinacy in Protestants to excuse their contempt of the Roman Catholick doctrin and authority by pretending a possibility of mistake in the same Church because forsooth they are not convinced of it's infallibility and authority by a Demonstration or revelation so evident that though they would they cannot deny it Such evidences are not necessary nor even compatible with Christian belief as shall be proved herafter less are sufficient to convince them-selves and all rational men of a strickt obligation to believe and obey a temporal Prince and Magistrat and sure they are vnreasonable if they imagin God deserves less belief duty and subjection then Princes That Protestants believe not their own Churches or Congregations with out doubts and feares of being mistaken in the reformed doctrin and authority of proposing the same we do not admire because not any on of their churches doth pretend to infallibility nor could hitherto or can yet shew any sign or seale of God for their sense of Scripture or reformations but that they should think them-selves obliged to take a Herald or Trompeters Coat and a Constable or Cathpol's staffe and other such badges so easily counterfeited for sufficient evidences of the King's authority and yet except against the authentickness of the conversion of Kings and Nations the Succession and sanctity of Pastors and doctrin of the Roman Catholick Church Which are things that cannot be
counterfeited must needs be the effect of prejudice and passion proceeding from want of christianity especialy when they see that others as learned cautious and conscientious as them-selves after weighing all objections and circumstances submit their judgments to the sufficiency of these signs for making the Roman Catholick authority authentickly Divine and that we believe what is proposed with out the least suspition or feare either of fraud or frailty in the Roman Catholick Councells which are the Proposers and Ministers of God's word Besids if Protestants did consider the nature of Veracity and God's Providence they would never doubt of the application of his power to preserve the Roman Catholick Church from error seing it hath so many signs of his truth and Ministery as the conversion of Nations succession and Sanctity of doctrin and Doctors miracles vnity of faith c. For Veracity as Aristotle and all Philosophers define it is a Virtue inclining to speak truth And he is not inclined to speak truth that countenanceth falshood in so particular a manner as God doth the doctrin and jurisdiction of the Roman Catholick Church A King that might if he would and yet doth not hinder his Ambassadors and Ministers or any other persons from abusing other Princes or his own Subjects by their speaking or commanding in his Majesties name or at least in speaking other-wise then he really intended they should and had prescribed by his commission or instructions such a King I say is not inclined to speak truth because he willingly permits his officers or others that pretend to speak in his name or really do speak by his Orders to vtter falshood and misinterpret his words and meaning notwithstanding that he may easily prevent that fraud and frailty and reapeth no benefit by either an evident argument that he is not avers to such false practises No Protestant doubts but that my Lord Chancellor speaks truly the King's mind and sense when he pursues his Majesties speech in Parliament in his Royal presence and hearing and to think other-wise would be not only to tax my Lord Chancellor with folly but the King with an inclination to falshood and a fault unbeseeming the dignity of a Prince the care and charge of the Country's Father as also the sincerity and veracity of an honest man Seing therfore God is as much inclined to speak truth as any thing can be to love it self for God is truth by essence if it be against the dignity of a Prince and against the nature of human veracity and honesty which is but a shadow of the Divine to permit falshood in Ministers of state or in servants sent but of ordinary errands when their Masters can easily prevent it how much more repugnant must it be to the nature of God and to his Divine veracity to permit the Roman Church in his own presence name and hearing tell lyes and disguise them and it self with so probable and plausible signes of his Divine truth and Commission as to seale it's doctrin with marks and miracles so vndeniably supernatural that the most learned Protestants acknowledg they are and can only bewrought by God's power light can as litle concurre to produce darkness as truth to favor falshood Even men that love truth hate to heare others tell lyes and do contradict vntruths if them-selves be present and quoted for Authors of the stories They will not entertain servants given to that vice nor permit them weare their livery much less employ them in matters of concern wherin they may abuse their Master's word and prejudice his friends or Tenants Can Protestants then imagin that God doth not only permit the Roman Catholick Church to weare his livery and his authority but that he doth promote the stories and lies of that Church in case it's doctrin be fals for the space of so many ages with so great signes and testimonies of his Divine approbation that the wisest and wairiest men of the world after much study and examination did and do still preferr it before all other Religions Do they think that God is not as much concern'd in preventing frauds faults and frailties in his Ministers and Messengers as temporal Princes are concern'd in the credit and truth of theirs Wherfore if Protestants judg it a breach of faith or want of truth and worth in a temporal Prince not to endeavor to the vtmost of his power that his Ministers and messengers deceive not his subjects and Allies by mistaking or misapplying his Commands or demands they can not but see the absurdity of believing that God doth permit Ministers and Messengers so supernaturaly qualified as those of the Roman Church are to err in proposing his revelations vnto all man kind his Veracity being as highly concern'd in the infallibility of the Proposers as his power makes him capable of preventing their human mistakes and of confounding the Devill 's malice But Protestants have found out a new device and defence of their distinction They grant it is against God's Veracity to permit the Roman Catholick Church to err in proposing the Fundamental articles of faith that is such articles as Protestants fancy absolutly necessary for saluation which are say they that Scripture is the word of God and JESUS Christ the son of God and Redeemer of the world some add the Mystery of the Trinity hitherto we could never obtain from them a more exact Cathalogue of their Protestant Fundamentals As for the other doctrines of the Roman Catholick Church 〈◊〉 and proposed as Divine Protestants think they may be denyed and questioned without any offence to God denyal or doubt of his veracity I could never heare any other reason or dispâ—rity for this their distinction but that the measure of the infallibility of the Church ought to be our salvation because it was the end proposed by God in the institution and constitution of his Church In such articles therfore say they as are absolutly necessary for salvation the Church cannot but be infallible in the proposal otherwise we could not believe them and consequently not be saved because we can not be sure that God revealed them But this their Fundamental distinction still destroys the foundation of Christian belief which is God's veracity They make their own conveniency and not God's veracity the motive of crediting the Mysteries of faith as if truth it self or God's inclination to speak truth could be greater in on matter then other or that the belief of any article could be more Fundamental or of greater importance and necessity for salvation then to believe that God is as much concerned and as necessarily inclined to speak truth as well by the mouth of his Church as if him-self spoke immediatly as well also in the least matter as in the greatest and by consequence he is as much engaged to preserve the Church from error in on as in the other So that to believe the testimony or proposal of the Church in a matter
absolutly necessary for salvation and not to believe it in a matter not absolutly necessary when equaly proposed by the same testimony and authority is as much as to say that God can speak by his Church litle vntruths but not great vntruths or that he may permit his veracity to be violated or vitiated in litle but not in great matters as if forsooth the authority and infallibility of the Church were to be measured by the matter it proposeth and not by the manner and supernatural marks of the proposal and by the dignity of the speaker More over their pretence of the Churches fallibility in not Fundamental articles hath no solid ground for the Protestant Church is either fallible or infallible in saying so and in it's doctrin of Fundamentals if fallible non can prudently rely thervpon either in this or in any other matters of faith if infallible then the Protestant distinction of Fundamentals must be a fundamental article of faith because they admit not any Church to be infallible in articles that are not fundamental And yet the same Protestants say the Roman Catholick Church is also infallible in fundamentals but the Roman Catholick and Protestant Church contradict on the other in this doctrin of fundamentals Therfore one of both must erre and that on must be the Protestant because it maintains that two Churches teaching contradictory doctrins may both be infallible therin Add hervnto that if the Roman Catholick Church be infallible in fundamentals or in all articles necessary for salvation how can Protestants excuse their reformation and separation from the guilt of a grievous sin and schism so vncharitable a breach is not justifiable by less then damnable or dangerous doctrin in the Church that is forsaken And what damnable doctrin or danger of damnation could or can be in adhearing to the Roman Church it being confessedly infallible in Fundamentals that is in all things necessary for salvation If therfore God's veracity is denyed even according to the Protestants doctrin and distinction by saying that the Church is fallible in fundamentals it can be for no other reason but because the fundamental articles are sufficiently proposed by the Church as revealed by God and seing the not fundamental articles are proposed by the same Church and testimony and by consequence as sufficiently as the fundamental Protestants must grant that God's veracity is no less denyed by maintaining the fallibility of the Church in not Fundamentals then in Fundamentals So that they must either acknowledg the infallibility of the Church in all articles and matters of faith whether absolutly necessary or not necessary for salvation or deny God's veracity and the foundation of all Christian belief SECT XIII The same further demonstrated and proved that neither the Protestant faith nor the faith lately asserted in a book called sure footing in Christianity is Christian belief where also is treated of the resolution of faith NOt the maâ—â—er believed but the Motive and manner of believing makes a belief Christian There may be an historical or imaginary faith of Christ as well as Divine and real that is men may believe the mysteries of Christianity 〈◊〉 they believe the roman history and fancy that such a belief is not human but Divine This we maintain to be the Protestants case and faith which is not grounded vpon Divine revelation but vpon human persuasion and vpon an imaginary evidence of God's revelation They assent not to the mystery of the Trinity or to any other because God revealed it but because they think it vndeniably evident either by the publick confession of all Christians or by the privat suggestion of their own spirit or by the principles of natural reason or by their pretended cleerness of Scripture that God revealed such mysteries as they are pleased to make choyce of for the Articles or fundamentals of their Reformations And therfore according to the diversity of the evidences wherupon they build their faith the Protestant sects are framed and divided into Prelaticks whose Motive and evidence is the concurrence of all Christians in their fundamentals of Christianity and into Fanatiks amongst whom we include Presbiterians c. who rely vpon the evidence of their spirit and the cleerness of Scripture and into Socinians who make evident reason the rule of their Religion c. That these Protestant persuasions are not grounded vpon Divine revelation or vpon God's Authority and veracity we proove because it is impossible to make an authority the motive of our belief vnless we believe all things that are equaly proposed and delivered to vs as depending of and asserted by that authority St. Austin says non can believe that the Ghospel of St. Matthew is the word of God vnless he doth likewise believe that the Acts of the Apostles is the word of God because they are both delivered as God's word by the same authority The same testimony and the same visible Church which delivered to the first Protestants the mystery of the Trinity and Incarnation as revealed by God delivered also to them Transubstantiation Purgatory c. as revealed by God and they or their followers can not pretend to have any other testimony for the engagement of God's veracity in certifying them of the truth and revelation of the articles they retain but the same testimony which delivered to them the articles they reject Therfore the reality and Divinity of the revelation being equally testified and applicable by on and the same testimony to both articles aswell to the retained as to the rejected it is impossible that Protestants can believe those they retaâ—â—â— moved thervnto by God's veracity or for being revealed by God seing the same veracity and revelation is equally and as cleerly applyed by the testimony of the Catholick visible Church to the other articles which they reject as not revealed If you ask a learned Protestant why doth he believe the mystery of the Trinity or Incarnation He will answer as all Hereticks ever did aswell as Catholicks because God revealed it But if you inquire further why doth he believe that God revealed it He will tell you because it is manifest in SVBSECT I. I Am right sorry to number among Protestants and Manichees who hould also this error of believing nothing which they did not fancy to be self evident the Author of a book called sure footing in Christianity who will needs have it self evident by virtue forsooth of tradition that God revealed all the points of our Roman Catholick doctrin Jt's pitty he stumbled so irrecoverably at his very first step pretending to see so cleerly and tread so surely vpon a plain ground had he bin as wary in the choice of his principles as he is witty in deducing his conclusions I should have followed him as an excellent Guide but he striving to raise Christian faith vnto a greater height of evidence then is consistent with it's nature and with our merit and liberty or convenient for the Government of God's
commission The Roman Church therfore being prudently taken for the Organ of God's voice it is as impossible we should be misledd by it's doctrin as it is that God should go against his infinit inclination to truth or should violat his own veracity Had God's veracity bin limited to his own personal or immediat speech and not extended to what-soever he delivers by the mouth and ministery of others and of his Church it had not bin infinit his credit would have ended with Christ's preaching to the Apostles and though they were bound to believe their Master non could be obliged to believe them But seing God's veracity is infinit and his words must continue for ever they can be as little confined to the persons or Pastors of any on certain age as infinit veracity to on particular truth or infinit excellency and goodness to any one degree of perfection Now seing that God's worth and veracity or his infinit inclination to speak truth cannot be greatet in on matter nor in on age then in an other and that according to on 's inclination to any thing must be the application of his power to effect it we must conclude that God is as much engaged by his worth and goodness and as much inclined by his veracity and as much applied by his omnipotency to speak truth by the mouth of the Church as by his own and in the least matter as much as in the greatest and in every succeeding age as in that of the Apostles and that vnless his worth wisdom veracity goodness and omnipotency faile that Church which beareth the miraculous marks of his authority and exerciseth his ministery must be infallible in proposing and declaring his will and word in all Controversies whatsoever So that they who grant the Church 〈◊〉 infallible only in fundamental articles of faith deny Godâ—â—oodness worth veracity and omnipotency and they who believe not the doctrin of the Roman Catholick Church as the word of God because forsooth they have not cleer evidence that it is the word of God do no more believe nor trust God in the other they assent vnto then he who says he believes and trusts a man whose word or writing he will not take for 100. pounds vnless he delivers to him at the same time that summe of money not only sealed but seen in a bag The reason of this last assertion is cleer because one of the differences between the word of God and the word of men is that you mistrust men for the truth though you heare their own voice and have evidence that they speak the imperfection of their nature making their speech subject to falshood and themselves to frailty therfore we may mistrust their veracity and doubt they be mistaken or deceive vs though they pretend and profess to speak nothing but truth It is not so with God whose nature being infinitly perfect and truth it self it is manifest by natural reason that he can neither be mistaken nor deceive vs by his words and by consequence if we knew evidently that him-self speaks or that the words or doctrin vttered by the Church are his we can no more mistrust or not believe him then mistrust his Deity or feare a flaw in his perfections and fraud in his proceedings So that Protestants resolving not to believe the doctrin of the Church of Rome made sufficiently credible by supernatural signes to be Divine vntill it be made cleerly evident to them that it is the word of God resolve their faith into heretical obstinacy because they resolve not to believe or trust God that evidence which they exact not being compatible with the merit trust obscurity and obsequiousness of Christian belief nor with the duty of rationall Creatures They may be compared to some Irish or Scotch Rebells refusing to obey the King's Lieu-tenant and Commissioners because for-sooth they have not clear evidence that the commissions and commands are signed by the King though they see his Majesty's hand and seale for the authority set over them which also is obeyd and acknowledged by the better sort and greater part of both Nations yet the Rebells will not submit to any Orders vnless the King leave England go in person to rule them and satisfie every particular fellow that he hath named such a Lieu-tenant or Commissioner or vnless his Majesty will immediatly by him-self exercise his royal Jurisdiction signe and seale his commissions in their sight c. Some will think there is a great disparity in the comparison for that God may without trouble or prejudice to him-self reveale his will and pleasure to every particular person which Kings can no more do then be in many places at one time Therfore what inconveniency can it be that God make evident to every particular person either by a clear signe of his presence or by an evident proof of his spirit which doctrin is Divine which not without obliging men to believe that the Roman Catholick or any other Church is infallible and can not propose falshood for God's word To this we answer that God might not only reveale his mysteries to every person but save us also without subordination to any Church or Pastors or dependency of Sacraments but all Christians agree that he hath bin pleased not to do so so that the question is not what he could have don but what he hath don But it appears by the light of reason that ther is a certain distance and decorum due to Majesty and superiority by virtue wherof God or even a Creature that is supreme in any government may command his inferiors and subjects by subordinat officers and warant these officer's authority by some outward signes and seales of his Soveraignty which signes though they may be possibly counterfeited yet oblige the People so governed to obey Ministers so qualified as submissively as if him-self had immediatly delivered his own commands Wherfore though it were possible that a King might without trouble write and deliver all his oâ—ders immediatly or without the assistance of Secretaries Ministers and Messengers yet it were not fit And why the Protestant Doctors that write of this subject should think fit that God ought to deprive him-self of a decency and decorum due even to human Majesty to humor their curiosity or to comply with their obstinacy J can not comprehended nor attribute to any other thing but to want of humility and excess of heresy the malice wherof consists in contemning God's authority and denying his veracity when sufficiently appearing in the Church and though not self evidently yet so convincingly as to make our obligation of submitting thervnto evident Jt is therfore agross absurdity to think or say that the reverence due to the Divine authority obligeth vs not to submit or not assent therunto vnless it be more then moraly evident and by consequence more them sufficiently evident vnto us that we can not be mistaken in our submission or assent For hence
protestant principles to the discovery of the frauds and â—â—â—â—â—fications wherwith the prâ—â—atick Clergy doth disguise them and divert their flocks from reflecting vpon those sad effects which they have wrought and must work wheresoever they are 〈◊〉 the Religion of the staâ—e A TREATISE OF RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT THE THIRD PART Containing a plain discovery of the Protestant Clergies frauds and falsifications wherby alone their doctrin is supported and made credible The conscience and conveniency of restoring or tolerating the Roman Catholick Religion demonstrated SECT I. That either the learned Protestant or Roman Catholick Clergy are Cheats and how every illiterat protestant may easily discern by wich of the two Clergieâ— he is cheated and therfore is obliged vnder pain of damnation to examin so neer a concern and to renounce the doctrin and communion of that Church wherin he is cheated of the true Church being so conspicuous and manifest by such eminent and visible marks Christ might well forbid the faithfull to communicat with Hereticks and Schismaticks for that their conventicles 〈◊〉 never be mistaken for the whole or even a part of the Catholick Church vnless men â—ill be so simple as to take their â—are word when they say Hic est Christus aut illic wheras if it were possible for learned men to be innocently mistaken Christ's command had not bin obligatory for in such â— case we were not bound to believe that Christ is rather in one Church then other seing each Church had reason sufficient to excuse learned parties from schism and â—â—resy But it being impossible that God should command vs to believe on Congregation of Christians and not believe others that pretend also to be the true Church of Christ without confirming the testimony and doctrin of that one Congregation which he bids vs believe and preferr before the rest with such cleer signes of the truth and so evident marks of Divine authority that the others compared therwith can have no probability two things must be granted 1. that the Catholiâ—â— Church of Christ cannot be composed of all or any dissenting Congregations 2. That the one only Congregation which is the true and Catholick Church can never be so eclipsed but that it must appeare much more eminent in sanctity miracles conversion of Nations and much more credible in it's testimonies then any other Wherfore we conclude that either the learned protestant clergy or the catholick must be cheats seing that notwithstanding the evident and eminent signes and marks of God's Church can not be found in both or in any two Congregations dissenting in their doctrin and rule of faith yet each of them make their illiterat flocks believe that their own is the true Church of God whervpon the signes and seales of his authority and veracity do cleerly shine No human art or industry if not born-out with more then ordinary and notorious impudencie can pretend to discredit or darken the spendor of true Miracles Sanctity Successiâ—â— become Masters of the Comerce as shall be proved I hope these considerations will invite and incite them to examin which of both the Clergies the Roman Catholick that petitions for â—r the Prelatick Protestant that opposeth liberty of conscience are the cheats And that they may find it out withouâ— much trouble I have thought sit to lett them know there is not any one controversy between them and vs which hath not bin handled in English and argued to the full on both sides now the summe of our disputes being this whether the primitive Church was Roman Catholick or rather Protestant in the controverted points as Praying to Saints Transsubstantiation Purgatory worship of Images the Canonicall letter and sense of Scripturâ— c. To decide the Controversy each side quotes the words of Scripture Councells and Fathers because the true doctrine hath bin preserved and recorded in these writings Let him therfore that doubts of the sense of the Text and of the sincerity of him that quotes it compare the Authors words with the 〈…〉 he will infallibly find out who is the Cheat. For he that doth corrupt the words or change the sense of Scripâ—â—re Councells and Fathers doth not stick to the doctrin of the primitive Church And because I have spent some time both before and after my conversion to the Catholick faith in examining the falsifications and frauds of Protestants and their objections against Papists in the same kind I may speak with more assurance then others who have not so much experience and do protest that I never thought it possible before I found it was so de facto that men pretending not only to the name of reformed Christianity but to the Reality and Sanctity of an Episcopal caracter and charge of soules could be so vnconsiderable vnworthy and vncharitable in matters of eternity as I have â—ound the Protestant writers and in particular the prelaticks of the Church of England Let any who desires to satisfie his conscience or curiosity pervse and compare either the books of Jevel and Harding or of Bishop Morton and Father Pesons the nature or essence of a body Or whether quantity be a thing distinct from that which we call a corporeal substance SVBSECT I. VVith what impudency and hipocrisy Bishop Ievell and other prelatick writers began to maintain the Protestancy of the Church of England And how they were blamed for appealing to antiquity by some of their own Brethren TO manifest the impudency and hypocrisy wherwith Prelatick Protestancy was broach't and imposed vpon the layty in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths reign I will begin with Bishop Jevell's famous challenge and his Seconds that offered to maintain the primitive antiquity of Protestancy and the novelty of Popery His words are As I sayd before I say again I am content to yeeld and subscribe if any of our learned Adversaries or if all the learned men that be alive be able to bring one sufficient sentence out of any one Catholick Doctor or Father or out of any old Generall Councell c. for the space of 600. years after Christ c Protesting also that he affirmeth thus much not as carried away with the heat of zeale but as moved with the simple truth least any of you should happily be deceived and think there is more weight on the other side then in conclusion will be found c. And then he brake into this vehement Apostrophe O mercifull God! who could think that there could be so much wilfulness in the heart of man Then exclaimes O Gregory O Austin O Hierom O Chrysostom O Leo O Dionise O Anaclâ—tus O Calixtus O Paul O Christ Jf we be 〈◊〉 acknowledged the impossibility of defending the Protestant Religion by Tradition or by any monuments oâ— examples from antiquity or by the sayings of Fathers and Councells Insomuch that Archbishop Whitgift in his defence against the reply of Cartwright pag. 472. 473. doth not stick to say that almost all the Bishops and learned Writers of
all Papists in these words what shall J say here O ye principall posts of Religion and ye Arch-Governors of Christ's Church Is this your reverence which you giue to God's word to bid them avant away c. no mervaile if these men dispise us and all our doings which set so litle by God him-self and his infallible saying Thus they write and inveigh against Hosius and all the Roman Church even after they knew and had bin twice admonished that the whole ground was fals and forged by them-selves Hosius his own words are there is sprung vp a certain new kind of Prophets who have not bin afraid by the authority of Scripture to take away all authority from the Scripture Behould whither Satan at length hath brought this matter c. And after Nihil Scripturâ sanctius c. Nothing is more holy then Scripture nothing more noble or excellent there is nothing next to God himself more worthy of all veneration and reverence but what thing can there be so holy which the enemy of man-kind may not abuse to man's destruction c. Thus Hosius how hardly his words could be wrested or mistaken by Iewel and his Confederats all the world may see and ought to detest a Reformation that can not be otherwise maintain'd then by such palpable impostuâ—es SVBSECT IV. Falsificatïons and Frauds against the Bishop of Rome his supremacy JEwel and his Associats cyting a Constitution of the Emperour Iustinian against the Pope's supremacy say The Emperours words stand thus Sancimus c. Senioris Romae Papam primum esse omnium Sacerdotum Beatissimum autem Archi-Episcopum Constantinopolios novae Romae secundum habere locum which words Mr. Iewel Englisheth thus We ordain that the Pope of the elder Rome shall be the first of all Priests and that the most holy Arch-bishop of Constantinople which is named new Rome have the second place Of which Mr. Iewell and the English Church inferr that the Pope's Authority and preeminency in those days consisted only in sitting in the first place and that this dignity also was given him by the secular power of the Emperour First Iewell and his Camerades by â—n c. did hope to make the Emperour spiritual head of the Church and by consequence derive the same prerogative to all secular Princes in their own Dominions for they fraudulently omitted the words wherby the whole matter is cleered the words as they stand in the Constitution of Iustinian are these Sancimus secundum Canonum definitiones sanctissimum senioris Romae Papam primum esse omnium Sacerdotum c. we do ordain according to the determination of the Canons c. But had they not concealed these words they had discovered the weackness of their doctrin of the Queen's supremacy because those few words according to the definition of the Canons import that this ordination or declaration of the Emperour was grounded vpon the authority of the Canons of the Church which he did but confirm and command the execution of the Decrees and Declarations of Councells by his Imperial power The second fraud is that they translate primum esse omnium Sacerdotum thus that he shall be the first of all Priests wheras the Emperour vseth the present tense declaring that the Pope is the Chief of all Priests not shall be By Iewel 's falls Translation they intended to impose vpon such as vnderstand not Latin or at least are so careless as not to compare this Text with the English that Popes had not bin the first or chief of all Priests before that Decree of Iustinian and that spirituall supremacy came to them by vertue therof Not content with this fraud they add an other in the very next words of this Constitution which are these We ordain also that the most Holy Arch-Bishop of Justiniana the first which is our Country shall have for ever vnder his Iurisdiction the Bishops of the Provinces of Dacia Dania Dardania Mysia and Panonia and that they shall be invested by him and he only by his own Councell and that he in the Provinces subject vnto him shal have the place of the Apostolick sea of Rome c. Out of which words Mr. Iewel and his English Prelatick Clergy inferr thus Heere we see the Bishop of Iustiniana set in as high authority and power with in his own Iurisdiction as the Bishop of Rome with in his But had they bin as honest as the Protestant Layty take them to be all the world might have seen the Roman truth and their falshood for they deceitfully cut of the ensuing words that expound and declare the whole matter the words cut of are secundum ea quae sanctus Papa Vigilius constituit we ordain that these things shall be don and observed according to that which the Holy Pope Vigilius had constituted so that as in the former decree the Emperour professeth him-self to have ordained according to the definitions of the Canons so here in particular he professeth to have confirmed the Constitutions of the holy Pope Vigilius who had made the Arch-Bishop of Iustiniana to be his legat and to hould the place of the Apostolicâ— Sea of Rome in those Provinces not vnlike to that of St. Gregory who according to venerable Bede in his history gave the like Authority to St. Augustin our first Arch-Bishop of Canterbury by which Concession they have always bin called Legati nati sedis Apostolicae Not content to conceale the words and the truth of Imperial Decrees and Ecclesiastical Histories Iewel and the English Clergy were neither ashamed nor afraid to corrupt Scripture to the same purpose against the Pope's supremacy For pretending that the words of Christ to St. Peter Thou art a Rock and upon this Rock will I build my Church and again feed my Lambs feed my sheep were spoken as well to all the Apostles as to St. Peter in the Apology of the Church of England is quoted for profe hereof an other saying of our Saviour Quod vni dico omnibus dico that which I say to one I say to all which sentence is not found in Scripture but an otherlike it though to an other purpose to wit about the watchfulness which our Saviour would have all men vse for the day of Iudgment Quod vobis dico omnibus dico vigilate That which I say to you here present I speak to all both absent and to come be watchfull of this day wherof Mr. Iewel and his Collegues could not be ignorant and yet thus he insulted Mr. Harding affirmeth That to the rest of the Apostles it was not sayd at all feed ye c. to Peter and to non els was it sayd feed my Lambs feed my sheep yet Christ him-self saith quod vni dico omnibus dico that y say to one I say to all And quoted for it Marck the 13. SVBSECT V. Frauds and fond devices of the protestant Clergy of England to deny and discredit the Sacrifice of the Mass.
wherin they speak of the Sacraments for wheras Cranmers 25. or 26. article says nothing of Holy orders by Imposition of Hands or any visible sign or ceremony required therin Parker and his Bishops having taken vpon themselves that calling without any such ceremony of Imposition of Episcopal hands declared that God ordained not any visible sign or ceremony for the five last commonly called Sacraments wherof Holy Orders is one This alteration and addition you may see in D. r Heylin's appendix to Ecclesia restauratâ— pag. 189. And by order of the same Convocation was printed the Scripture and in that their edition of 1562. Ordination by imposition of hands was translated ordination by election as you may see part 1. and part 2. of this Treatise And though Cranmer cared as litle for any visible signes or ceremonies in ordinaâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 the other first Protestant Reformers and according to their 〈◊〉 had abjured the Priestly and Episcopal caracter which he had received among Catholicks 〈◊〉 you may gather by his own words related by John Fox in his degradation thus Then a Barbar dipped his hair round about and the Bishop scraped the tops of his fingers were he had bin annointed wherin Bishop Bonner behaved himself as rougly and vnmanerly as the other Bishop was to him soft and gentle Whiles they were thus doing All this quoth the Archbishop needed not I had my self don with this 〈◊〉 long ago Albeit I say Cranmer cared not for any Episcopal Ordination which he had received in the Catholick Church yet he did not think to make the denial therof an article of the Protestant faith but Q. Elizabeths English Church in their Convocation 1562. seing they could not obtain the Episcopal caracter by Imposition of true Bishops hands thought 〈◊〉 to make it a part of the Protestant belief that no such visible 〈◊〉 or ceremony was necessary or instituted by Christ and therfore concluded holy Orders was not a Sacrament And though the prelatick Clergy now teach and practise the contrary and 〈◊〉 K. Iame's reign Ordination by imposition of hands was restored to the Text of Scripture and by consequence ordination by election declared to be a Cheat or corruption yet this change of the matter doth no more make them now true Priests and Bishops then their last change of their forme of Ordination since the most happy restauration of K. Charles the 2. SVBSECT XI In Advertisment to the Reader concerning Bishop Iewell BEcause Jewell was the most famous and learned man of the Church of England in so much that M. r Hooker termes him the worthiest Divine that Christendom bred for 〈◊〉 hundred yeares past and that his Apology and defence of the Church of England was the work of that whole Clergy and that Withaker after Iewell 's death sayd to Campian Jewell's chalâ—â—â—ge and speech concerning the first 600. yeares was most true and 〈◊〉 all the Church of England did stand to it and that Heylin 〈◊〉 all the Protestant Controversors since Iewell take from his Apology and defence their arguments and authority Because 〈◊〉 the man is such a pillar of English Protestancy and most 〈◊〉 that Religion pin their Faith upon his sleeve and work and think the Holy Ghost directed his pen in his Apology and defence of their Prelatick Church I thought fit to let them Know that they who were intimatly acquainted with him give this testimony of him he was first a Catholick and continued so untill Protestancy was made the religion of the state in Edward 6 Reign then he turned Protestant and remained so untill Queen Maries dayes then he abjured protestancy as heresy and seemed to be so forward and zealous in professing the Roman faith that he was permitted to be one of the Notaries of Cranmer and Ridleys diâ—â—putations in the Vniversity D. r Heylin sayes all this his forwardness in Popery proceeded from feare When Queen Elizabeth succeeded in the Kingdom Jewell embraced her Religion and writ what you haue seen against our Religion which himself had twice professed as the only Catholick This much is confessed on all sides Chark or Fulk I know not which of them is Author in the Answer to the Censure Edit 1583. fol. 78. complains that as Papists say Luther was the son of an Incubus or the Divill and dyed drunk Oecolampadius was killed by the Devill or by his own hands Peter Martyr had a familiar Martin Bucer consulted with his Cow and his Calf so they say that Iewell had all his knowledge from his Cat or from a Weesel and dyed recanting his opinions embracing a Popish Cross with protestation that he sinned against his own conscience and knowledge That Jewell sinned against his own conscience and knowledge is 〈◊〉 by his falsifications which we have set down having bin himself a learned man and besides having bin advertised of them by others and therfore his mistakes could not proceed from ignorance And that he said to some of his friends who put him in minde of his fals dealing the Protestant Religion could not be otherwise defended we have heard credibly reported as also how he replied to his Amanuensis that excepted against some of his falsifications that not one Reader amongst a thousand would examin his corruptions and Translations or compare them with the Text all which makes it â—â—â—dible enough that he went against his knowledge but for my own part I am not beholding to the relation of others for my ill opinion of Jewell I am convinced that he was a wilfull falsifier and Impostar and do Iudge his own writings to be the best evidence therof If he recanted at his death I hope he was saved though he hath bin the damnation I feare of millions that have bin seduced by his Books And as for his cat and his Wesel I dispute not whether the Devill vsed to conferr with him in such shapes But I am sure the substance of his Apology and the manner of defending his doctin could proceed from no better Author and I belieue every rational man will be of the same opinion if he peruse and examin his workes SVBSECT XII Examples of learned Protestants converted to the Roman Catholick Religion by observing the Frauds and falshoods of the Apology of Iewell and of the Protestant Clergy for the prelatick Church of England THough it is to be feared that millions of soules have perished by the falsifications and frauds of Iewell and of the Protestant Clergy in publishing and maintaining even to this day their Apology and defence of the Church of England yet many have bin saved by occasion of the notoriousness of the falshoods therin contained I will speâ—â—fy only three mentioned by the learned Author of the three conversions of England who had it from their own mouthes â—â—mitting others saith he which for just respects may not be named Heare his own words The first is S. r Thomas Copely who oftentimes hath related unto me with much comfort of
that from Christ to the victory of Constantin against Maxentius there are assigned by Eusebius 318. years and yet did not this persecution cease then neither but continued vnder Licinius and other Tyrants for divers years after see then how just these numbers fall out neither more nor less all which being considered I find no one thing so true or credible in all this revelation saith the Author of the three Conversions who confuted Fox his Acts and Monuments as those words of the spirit vnto him saying Thou fool for that this maketh him a fool indeed by revelation What credit Protestants give to Fox his revelations I do not know but sure Iam they give too much to his relations notwithstanding the absurdity of the whole work in composing a Catholick Church of condemned hereticks without subordination or succession and making wicked Malefactors Câ—â—â—st's Martyrs the Protestant Clergy who could not be ignorant of so abominable a deceit cryed vp the book as a most godly and sincere history and by publick authority endeavored to make it authentick placing one in every Parish Church like a fifth Ghospell recommending the reading therof to all persons both in their houses and Congregations All this was don with design to make the Roman Catholick religion odious and to exasperat the generality of the people against the Priests and professors of the same And though judicious Readers may easily discern in perusing the Book the weaknes of the Author and of the cause he vndertakes to maintain yet the vulgar sort are much taken with both and doubt not but that Protestants have as much reason to put Catholiks to death as Catholiks had to punish those mad fellows whom Iohn Fox calls Martyrs and would needs dy rather then recall those blasphemies against God or submit their fond opinions to that sense of Scripture which our Saviour and his Apostles delivered to the Church and had bin derived by the publick Testimony and vndeniable Tradition both of holy Fathers and general Councells from one age to an other vntill this present To the end silly seduced souls may see their mistake and how litle credit Iohn Fox his Protestant Church and Martyrs deserve compared with the Roman-Catholick I will set down his Calendar SVBSECT I. The Foxian Calendar THe number of all his saints are 456. wherof Bishops Martyrs 5. to wit Cranmer Ridley Hooper Farrar and another whom I remember not What litle credit they deserved we have shewed heretofore every one of them changing his religion with the times and their opinions having bin confuted as heresy in vniversities by publick disputations Bishops Confessors 1. Virgin Martyrs none Mayd Martyrs 3. Kings and Queens Martyrs and Confessors 1. who was Edward 6. other men and women Martyrs 393. other men and women Confessors 5â— These were of divers sects and opinions and contrary in many points one to the other as for example Waldesians and Albigensians 13. Lollards and Wickleffians 36. Hussits and Lutherans 78. Zuinglians and Calvinists 268. Anabaptists Puritans and doubtfull of what sect 59. Again of these were husbandmen Weavers sawyers shoomakers Curriers smiths and other such like occupations 282. poore women and spinsters 64. Apostata Monks and Friars 25. Apostata Priests 38. Ministers 10. publick Malefactors and condemned by the lawes for such 19. of age running away from his Master and finding an old English Bible sincerely translated you may be sure lying in 〈◊〉 the Chappell of Burntwood fell to reading therof and therby presently became a Protestant in divers opinions and would needs burn for the same Rawling White is recounted by Fox to have bin an old poore fisherman in Wales and hearing of certain new fresh doctrin to be had out of the Scriptures in English and grieved that himself was not able to read them he put his litle boy to schoole to learn to read which being somewhat instructed in that art he caused him to read Scriptures vnto him and profitted so much therin with in a litle time that the old fisherman began to be a preacher and so leaving his occupation went vp and down Wales with his boy after him bearing the Bible out of which he took vpon him to preach at every town and Tavern therof seeking therby to pervert such as were no wiser then himself nor could he be restrained from this folly vntill the Bishop of Cardiff apprehended him whom afterwards they were forced to burn for that he stood obstinat in his fantasticall opinions which were extravagant and â—â—â—rce agreed with any sect of Protestancy We have seen heretofore how Laurence Sanders the married Priest seing a litle bastard of his was so tenderly affected therunto as in great vehemency of spirit he sayd to the standers by what maâ—â— of my vocation would not dy to make this litle boy legitimat and prove his mother to be no whore And indeed such of the Protestant Clergy as were executed were brought to the stake for the love they had to their wenches and bastards and because they thought it was against their honor to recant It 's remarkable that of some hundreds of Heresiarchs who have since the preaching of the Apostles risen against the doctrin of the Catholick Church not above two or three wherof Berâ—â—garius was one would recall their opinions no marvaile therfore if Cranmer Latimer Ridley c. should be so obstinat These motives and persons I say well considered rational Protestants will find no parity between Foxian and Catholick Martyrs nor any reason to persecute Priests and Papists by their new Statuts because Protestants and sectaries were persecuted by Q. Mary and other temporal Soveraigns according to the ancient Laws of all Christendom They will find a parity between Fox his Martyrs and Fanaticks for the old Protestants were look't vpon in those days when they first began as themselves look now vpon fanatiks and Quakers only with this difference that these may complain of harder measure now received from their prelatick Brethren then prelatick Protestants from papists because prelatiks have nothing against presbitery 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 that their doctrin and conventicles are prohibited by the temâ—â—â—al lâ—â—es of the Land which can not be a competent rule of faith they can not condemn them by any Pâ—â—â—â—stant general Councells ancient Tradition or by the primitive Protestant principles or by any sense of Scripture ever yet held to be Catholick by the visible Church of Christendom wheras Roman Catholicks did and may censure prelatick Protestants by every one of these rules and do demonstraâ—â— that their prelatick reformation is contrary to all the Testimonies and evidences of Christian and Catholick antiquity SVBSECT II. VVillfull falsifications committed by Iohn Fox in his acts and Monuments FOx having searched and inquired after Protestants and their Church and not finding any one person he durst call by that name for the first 1200. years after Christ and that particularly here in England the Roman Catholick Religion as his
be properly applyed to the Saints but not to Gods thoughts To this demand Protestants answer first that the Saints do not heare us and yet they grant that Devills and evill Spirits heare witches Conjurers or Magitians when they are called vpon and shall we think that the evill Spirits are enabled by nature and permitted by God to heare what they are invited to work mischiefâ— and that the Blessed Spirits are deaf and have their power of doing good â—â—strained when we devoutly pray vnto them They tell us we injure Christ by praying to Saints If it be no injury to Christ's merits and mediation to pray vnto holy men vpon 〈◊〉 or to recommend our selves vnto their prayers why should it be an injury to pray to the Saints who are in heaven Jf the Apostles and Martyrs saith St. Hierom against Vigilâ—ntius dwelling in corruptible flesh could pray for others 〈◊〉 they ought to be carefull for themselves how much more afâ—â—â— their Crowns Victories and Triumphs They tell us that according to Esay 63. Abraham knoweth vs not and Jsrael is ignorant of vs we answer with St. Hierom that those holy Fathers knew not the Iewes with the knowledge of approbation or liking because they had abandoned the law of God so our Saviour saith the foolish Virgins were not known nesâ—io vos Doctor Reynolds giveth a reason why we pray to the living and not to the departed Because saith he the living may vnderstand our griefs either by word or message the Saints can have no notice of them Therfore they cannot make particular intercession for us or we use any supplication to them But these two wayes of knowledge are not proper only to the living in this world The Saints of heaven also vnderstand our afflictions by word and sight when being as St. Ambrose and St. Hierom teacheth they may be by incredible swiftness and celerity of motion every where present and converâ—â—â—â— amongst us being as St. Ambrose addeth beholders of our life and actions they see our distress and heare the complaints we make They know our estate by message also and report of others by the report saith Saint Austin of the soules that depart from hence and by report of the Angels God's trusty messengers and our faithfull Guardians who have dayly intercourse between them and vs. Besides the Saints resident in heaven have certain knowledge of our actions and thoughts as far forth as it may be needfull for us and expedient to them according to that of St. Gregory what can they be there ignorant of where they know him that knoweth all things Every Saint nature not being abolished but perfected by grace has a natural desire to know the state of their friends to vnderstand the 〈◊〉 they make vnto them and therfore to fullfill the 〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 they must have notice of them 〈…〉 in heaven rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner and by 〈◊〉 are not ignorant therof How can we Jmagin 〈…〉 Blessed parents and other relatioâ—â— of sinners can be ignorant of their repentance Therfore St. Gregory Nazianzen and St. Austin say that God openeth and revealeth to the Saints 〈◊〉 to his intire friends whatsoever is behoofull for them â—o know And according to this not only the holy Doctors of the Christian Catholick Church but the Iewes did invoke Saints departed Jacob sayd the Angell which hath delivered me from all evills bless these children Gen. 48. Job was councelled to pray to the Saints Call if there be any who will answer thee and turn to some of the Saints Iob. 5. Moyses intreated the patronage of the Patriarchs in these words Remember Abraham Isaac and Israel thy servants The like did Daniel Dan. 3. Take not away thy mercy from us for Abraham thy beloved and Isaac thy Servant and Isâ—â—el thy holy one and King Salomon Remember O Lord David and all his mildness which God himself approved 4. Reg. 19. I will guard this citty for my own sake and for David my Servant's sake St. Gregory Nazianzen implored the helpe of St. Basil St. Ierom of St. Paulâ— St. Gregory Nyssen of St. Theodore St. Austin of St. Cyprian St. Athanasius prayed to our Blessed Lady thus Jncline thy eare to our prayers and forget not thy people O Lady Mistress Queenâ— and Mother of God pray for vs. And St. Austin O Blessed Mary receive our prayers obtain our suits for thou art the special hope of sinners St. Ephrem invocateth her by the name of hope refuge advocate safety and Mediatrix of the world And must we preferr Doctor Abbots and the English Clergyes corruptions before all these evidences of Scriptures and Fathers To conclude this matter J admire how Protestants can Imagin that Cranmer Abbots and their Camerades who conspired to falsifie Scripture or the Ministers that continue to preach their falsifications for true scripture did or do scruple to maintain their pretended Eâ—â—â—â—opal caracter 〈◊〉 the forged Registers which Archbishop 〈◊〉 produced to the Priests in prison of Parker and the 〈◊〉 Protestants Bishops ordination at Lambeth I hope men 〈◊〉 contrive continue and countenance so horrid a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the corrupting of publick Scripture may be presumed 〈…〉 and foist into privat Registers a fictitious consecration therby to enjoy their revenues but as it was never heard of before Archbishop Abbot's time so was it no sooner proâ—â—ced then suspected and contradicted by ancient and consciâ—â—tious persons who lived in London when this Consecration at â—ambeth is pretended to have bin celebrated and yet they never heard a syllable of so rare a novelty notwithstanding their continual inquiry into a matter wherin both Catholicks and Protestants were so much concerned Let this suffice for a tast of those innumerable corruptions and falsifications which yet are continued in the English Bible though reviewed and corrected by King Iames his command and passeth now current in these Kingdomes among Protestants for the word of God wheras it is the word and work of men not only by reason of their false Translations but much more of their vngodly and fond interpretations contrary to the true sense of Scripture delivered by the holy Ghost in the primitive Church and ever since continued by tradition among Catholicks and visible in the writings of the Fathers and General Councells The Prelatick Clergyes design in this new Translation was to keep as J sayd before their authority and the Church Livings which they had vsurped by gaining Credit for their new Episcopacy and ceremonies against puritans or presbiterians and for their Protestant doctrin against the Catholicks but fearing that their corruptions would be observed by both partyes in their epistlâ— dedicatory to King James they desire his Majesties protection for that on the one side we shall be traduced say they by Popish persons at home or abroad who therfore will 〈…〉 Jnstruments to 〈◊〉 God's holy 〈…〉 the people when they desire still to keepe 〈…〉 on the other side we shall be
〈…〉 who run their 〈◊〉 wayes c. But truly I 〈◊〉 no reason why they should Iudâ—â— so rashly of Roman Catholicks 〈…〉 to persuade the King and the whole world that we are so impious and envious as to conceale from the people the light of the Ghospell seeing we stick to the old letter and sense of Scripture without altering the Text or rejecting any parts therof or devising new Interpretations and we are dayly imployed not only in preaching and explaining God's word in Europe but forsake our own Countreyes and conveniences and travell with great difficulties and dangers both by Sea and Land to Asia Afrik America and the Antipodes with no other possible design but to publish the doctrin of Christ and enlighten the Nations of Gentillâ— who are in 〈…〉 ignorance And as for their self-conceited presbitâ—â—ian 〈…〉 Brethren who run their own wayes in translating and interpreting Scripture we do not excuse them but only say that we see no reason why prelaticks should 〈…〉 for a fault wherof themselves are no less guilty Do not prelaticks run their own wayes as well as those other Sectaries in translating the Bible Do they stick to either the Greek Latin or Hebrew Text Do they not leape from one language and Copy to an other accept and reject what they please Do they not fancy a sense of their own every iot as contrary to that of the Catholick and ancient Church as that of their Brethren the Presbiterians and others is acknowledged to be And yet they are nether more learned nor more skilfull in tongues nor more godly then those they so much contemn and blame But to the end every Christian may more cleerly discern 〈◊〉 Cheat and divert himself with some variety in the method of this tedious but convincing argument I will give 〈◊〉 a brief relation of a remarkable passage much to the 〈◊〉 purpose which happned in the beginning of King James 〈◊〉 Reign by which he may in one man's case see the 〈◊〉 and sincerity of all the Protestant prelatick Church and 〈◊〉 in King Iames his time and Iudge what satisfaction 〈◊〉 may have in this world or whether they may expect 〈◊〉 in the next by relying vpon the authority and 〈◊〉 of the Prelatick Protestant Church of England SVBSECT II. Of Deane VValsingham's search into matters of Religion before his change to the Catholick how he repaired for a Resolution of his doubes to King Iames as to the head of the Church who remitted him to the Lord of Canterbury and he to other men and how after finding no satisfaction he betook himself to the reading of Catholick and Protestant Authors for discerning on what side was the true or false Dealing I Will reduce into as narrow a compass as I can Deane Walsingham's relation which he dedicated to K. Iames concluding his epistle with these words most humbly on my Knees I beseech your Royal Majesty to pardon me this 〈◊〉 resolution wherunto I protest vpon my soule and Conscience that no earthly motive drew me but only my love and obedience 〈◊〉 to him that is King of all Kings c. That 〈…〉 pag. 〈…〉 as you have seen to change my Iudgment and yeild to the manifest evidence of truth which I found to be on the Catholick side and nothing 〈…〉 shiftâ— and deceits on the contrary This 〈◊〉 speake here Good 〈◊〉 as in the sight of Almighty God and as in truth of conscience I have found and no way out of passion or evill affection or wordly respects in which every man will easily see how much I prejudice my self by this new course taken But that both reason and Religion prudence and all true piety doth â—â—â—quire that the everlasting salvation of our soules should be preferred before all other human respects whatsoever which is the true and sincere cause of this my resolution And this I desire thee Good Christian Readerâ— to believe and assure thy self to be most true as aâ— the last day when we shall all appeare before the Tribunal of 〈◊〉 Saviour and all hearts be made known will evidently appeare In his preface to the Reader he gives an account of his Protestant education and Religion wherin 〈◊〉 was so zealous that he took all occasions to deale with others either for their confirmation or gaining to 〈◊〉 and to this effect was wont to send Books of that profession to any that would read them By which occasion it fell out that one of his acâ—quaintance that seemed backward in the acceptance of a Book was content to receive it from him vpon condition saith he that I should promise him to read an other Book he would lend me wherof I accepted This book was inittuled a Defence of the Censure given vpon two bookes of William Chark and Meredith Hanmer Ministers which book I litle esteemed at that time thinking it should serve me for some disport especialy for gathering out some absurdities against Papists wherâ—ith I did Imagin all their books to be abundantly stuffed But finding whersoever I lighted certain passages which I could 〈◊〉 well digest and many proofs alledged wherunto I could 〈◊〉 â—â—swer I cast â—t ofâ—en aside and then took it in hand again 〈◊〉 â—oon after I felt my self so strangely troubled and turâ—â—â—led in Iudgment and conscience vpon the reading therof 〈◊〉 my soule had taken pills indeed and could not beare 〈…〉 I conferred divers of my difficulties with 〈◊〉 â—â—nisters without specifying that I had them out of such 〈◊〉 but they could give me very litle satisfaction or 〈◊〉 at all Wherupon I made divers Iourneys to London 〈…〉 to see Books of sundry sorts as also to conferre with 〈◊〉 of my friends And having wearied my self in this sort 〈◊〉 the space of divers moâ—thes at last I betooke my self to a â—ore strange resolution but yet such as then seemed to 〈◊〉 most necessary for appeasing of my mind and this was 〈◊〉 so much as I had taken two or three several times the oath 〈◊〉 supremacy first to the Queene and afterward to his Majesty that now reigneth I 〈◊〉 persuade my self that my best comfort of conscience would come from the superiour powers but especialy from his learned Majesty who governed the Crown as from God's Lieutenant and substitute in all causes and affaires whatsoever Wherfore after much deliberation not daring to conferr â—ith any Papist or almost to entertain any Good thought 〈◊〉 them or of their Religion I determined with my self to â—ake a short memorial vnto his sayd Majesty and to deliver him the summ of my afflictions and doubts together with the â—â—ok it self which had bin the cause therof and to entreat him by his supreme authority to give order for my sound satisfaction therin and so binding vp the old book in the comeliest manner I could I got me to London and thence to Greenwich and there after many difficulties of audience I exhibited the same together with my Memorial both tyed and conjoyned in one
of the two parties are guilty of counterfeiting evidences that is of changing the ancient letter and sense of Scripture and of corrupting and falsifying the Catholick Fathers and Councells It is but matter of fact and may be soon resolved We have given our charge against our Adversaries long since in our printed Books and in this do renew the same Let the Court command them to put in their answer And because the Protestant Clergy hath alwayes endeavored to make vs odious and obnoxious to the state as vnnatural subjects and ill patriots and will strive now to persuade the world that our zeale in manifesting their frauds and falsifications proceeds not from a desire of manifesting the truth but from covetousness of possessing their lands we doubt not but that in case reason and equity appeareth to be on the Catholick side the Catholick Clergy will resign vnto his Majesty all their claim and right to the Church livings of the three Kingdoms to be freely disposed of in pious and publik vses as he and his Parliament will think most fit for the honor of God and defence of this Monarchy against forrein enemies and seditious subjects Wherin we do no more then duty and our Brethren did in the like occasion in Q. Maries reign And as our offer can have no design but duty so this Tryal can not be against conscience and may prove to be of great consequence both for the salvation of soules and satisfaction of his Majestyes subjects It can not be against the tenderness of Protestant consciences because Roman Catholicks who pretend to a greater certainty of doctrin as believing the Roman Catholick Church to be infallible have admitted of such a tryal in France an 1600. in presence of the King then a Catholick the princes and of all the Court and hath bin translated into English in the third part of the 3. Conversions In hopes that Protestants may be moved by such an example and follow the same Method I will set down the summe of the Tryal SVBSECT IV. A brief relation of a Tryal held in France about Religion wherof the Lord Chancellor of France was Moderator IN the year 1600. there came forth a book in Paris vnder the name of Monsieur de Plessis a Hugonot and Governor of Samur against the Mass which book making great shew as the fashion is of abundance and ostentation of Fathers Councells Doctors and stories for his purpose great admiration seemed to be conceived therof and the Protestants every where began to tryumph of so famous a work Iust as our prelatiks have don of late when Doctor Ieremy Taylor 's Dissuasive from Popery was published in Ireland printed and reprinted in England wherupon divers Catholick learned men took occasion to examin the sayd book of Plessis as others have don lately with Doctor Taylors Dissuasive and finding many most egregious deceits shifts and falsifications therin divers books were written against it and one in particular by a French Iesuit discovering at least a thousand falshoods of his part And the Bishop of Eureux afterwards Cardinal Peron Protested vpon his honor in the pulpit that he could shew more then 500. Falsifications in the Book for his part Hereupon the Duke of Bovillon Monsieur Rosny Mr. Digiers and other Protestant Lords began to call for a tryal of the truth for that it seemed to touch all their honors as well as that of their Protestant Religion It were to be wish'd that some of our English Protestant Nobility and Gentry did imitat the French Hugonots rather in this example of the sense they shewed both of honor and conscience then in the fashion of their cloaths cringies and congies The English Protestants have more reason to vindicat Doctor Taylor 's Dissuasive from the aspersions of frauds and falsifications layd to that Bishop's charge then the french Hugonots had to vindicat de Plessis his Book which was but the work of a Lay-man or at least not set out by order of the Hugonot Clergy as Bishop Taylor 's Dissuasive was resolved vpon and published by order of the Protestant prelatik Convocation of Ireland and both the book and Taylor the Author or Amanuensis so much applauded in England that the Dissuasive hath often bin printed at London and the Dissuader's picture in his Canonical habit placed in the beginning of his book with a stern and severe countenance as if he were sharply reprehending St. Ignatius and his learned Jesuits for cheating and selling of soules of which crime they are accused with Mottos set vnder and over their pictures after Taylor 's preface If you add to this insulting dress the impudent drift of the book which is to dissuade all the Irish and English Catholicks from popery you will find that the credit and Religion of prelatik Protestants is more deeply engaged in maintaining the truth of Bishop Taylor 's cause then the French Hugonots in vindicating Monsieur de Plessis and defending his book against the Mass. But to our story Though Plessis had challenged Peron to prove the falsifications that Peron had layd to his charge yet when he saw that Peron accepted of the challenge Plessis began to shrink and seek delayes but by the King 's express command both parties appeared before his Majesty at Fontainbleau where Plessis came with five or Six Ministers on his side to which sort of people it seems he gave too much credit and vpon their word took all his arguments as appeareth by the words of Peron After that Peron had offered to shew 500. enormous and open falsifications in his only book of the Mass he addeth and moreover I say if that after this our conference ended he will take vpon him for his part to choose amongst all his citations of his Book or Books any such authorities as he thinketh most sure against vs I do bind my self for conclusion of all to refute the whole choice and to shew that neither in his sayd Book against the Mass nor in his Treatise of the Church nor in his Common-wealth of Traditions is there to be found so much as any one place among them all which is not either falsly cited or impertinent to the matter or vnprofitably alledged c. neither do J hereby pretend to blame him for any other thing then that he hath bin over credulous in believing the fals relations and Collections of others that have endeavored to abuse the industry and authority of his pen. This disputation saith Peron in his answer to Plessis Challenge shall not be like to others in former times wherein were examined matters of doctrin and the truth therof c. In examination wherof the shifts and sleights of the Disputers and other disguising of the matters might make the truth vncertain to the hearers But all Questions in this disputation shall only be questions of fact whether places be truly alledged or no for tryal wherof it shall only be needfull to bring eyes for Iudges to behold whether
due to Saints Bishops Priests c. 〈…〉 of that religious and supernatural excellency or 〈◊〉 which God hath given them And to Saints we pray 〈◊〉 God's servants not as to Gods as Mr. Vsher would 〈◊〉 Proâ—estantâ— We are calumniated by him as St. Hierom St. Austin and all Catholicks were by Vigilantius and Faustus Manichean Heretick St. Austin his words are The hereâ—â—ck Faustus doth calumniat us because we honor the 〈◊〉 or reliques of Martyrs affirming that we have them for our Idols The Christian people doth celebrat with religious 〈◊〉 the memories of Martyrs therby to stir vp themâ—â—â—ves to their imitation and that they may be assisted with their prayers and made partakers of their merits But with the worship termed in Greek latria and which the latin language can not express in one word it being a certain subjection and servitude due properly to the Deity only we do not honor any but God alone c. Coilyridians who holding our Lady for a Deity adored her 〈◊〉 latria and offered sacrifice vnto her And yet he doth 〈◊〉 how St. Epiphanius in that very disputation inveighed 〈◊〉 against such as did not honor our Lady with due 〈…〉 but let our Lord be adored saith he 〈…〉 none adore her as God for though she be 〈…〉 and most worthy of honor yet not worthy to be 〈…〉 wit with latria And the same Saint condemneth as 〈◊〉 those who do not give due honor to the mother of God 〈◊〉 who give her that of latria For as these saith he 〈…〉 Imaginations of Mary do sow pernicious 〈…〉 in mens minds so these others inclining too much to the 〈…〉 to be in the wrong So that we see 〈…〉 of Latria and Dulia is no Idle invention of the 〈…〉 necessary doctrin of the ancient Fathers Against prayer to Saints MR. Vhser in his answer to the Iesuits chalenge treating of this controversy proceeded with the same fraud he vsed in that of Purgatory Finding that the ancient 〈◊〉 prayed to Saints and that God wrought many miraâ—â—â— at their shrines and Reliques he endeavors to change the 〈◊〉 of the question and place the whole controversy in points 〈◊〉 making his Reader believe that we Roman 〈◊〉 now a dayes do not believe as the ancient Church but 〈◊〉 that the souls of Martyrs are present at their shrines 〈◊〉 when miracles are wrought and other things 〈◊〉 the manner of their intercession and knowledge of our 〈◊〉 and prayers so that saith Mr. Usher pag. 405. to 〈◊〉 good the Popish manner of praying vnto Saints that 〈◊〉 at the first was but probable and problematical to wit 〈◊〉 sayings of the Master of the sentences Scotus Biel and other schoole Divines must now be held to be de fide This calumny and fraud is cleerly confuted by the words Concede nobis Domine quaesumus veniam delictorum 〈…〉 sanctis quorum hodie solemnia celebramus talem nobis 〈◊〉 denotionem vt ad eorum pervenire merâ—amur societatem 〈…〉 â—orum merita quos propria impediunt scelera excuset 〈◊〉 accusat quos actio qui ijs tribuisti coelestis palmam 〈…〉 nobis veniam non deneges peccati Grant us O Lord we 〈…〉 remission of our sins and by the intercession of the Saints 〈◊〉 solemnity we celebrat bestow vpon us such devotion that we 〈◊〉 serve to attain vnto their fellowship And immediatly folâ—oweth let their merits help us that are hindred by our own sins 〈◊〉 their intercession excuse us who are accused by our own 〈◊〉 and thou o Lord who hast bestowed vpon them the palme 〈◊〉 heauenly triumph deny not vnto us the pardon of our sins 〈…〉 pag. 408. quite omitting the first part of 〈…〉 translateth the later part as if it were rather an 〈◊〉 then a supplication thus can their merits help us 〈◊〉 own sins hinder can their intercession excuse us whose 〈◊〉 doth accuse themselves But thou who hast bestowed vpon 〈◊〉 palme of thy heavenly triumph deny not vnto us the 〈…〉 sins You see how he adds interrogations and makes 〈◊〉 on his own head and not only translates the latin 〈…〉 fraudulently but changeth the whole sense and 〈◊〉 into the Text At insteed of and tu which is not 〈◊〉 latin and makes the whole order of the 〈◊〉 as also that of the Benedictin Monks hereticks as 〈◊〉 of that which no Roman Catholick ever called in 〈◊〉 What credit think you doth such a man as this deserve 〈◊〉 collections of antiquities when they agree not with his 〈◊〉 Protestant Religion he who venters to contradict a 〈◊〉 so generaly known and to corrupt a writing so common 〈◊〉 in so many Libraries and Books what will he not 〈◊〉 or hath not don in Papers and Copies which he fancies 〈◊〉 must take vpon his sole word and Testimony Whosoever desires to have a full view of Primat Vsher's vnsincere dealing in maintaining protestancy which we attribute more to the of the Roman Church whose words he quotes were of 〈◊〉 that as the Greeks expressed themselves it was a 〈◊〉 not simply fundamental 〈◊〉 for his Lordship's backwardness in denying the Greeks 〈…〉 Church that is of accusing them of heresy 〈◊〉 forsooth they seem to maintain the equality and 〈◊〉 of the persons so great a prelat and writer ought 〈◊〉 known that a Church may be a fals and heretical 〈◊〉 for denying the generation and procession as well as 〈◊〉 the equality and consubstantiality of the persons 〈◊〉 indeed can the one be denyed without denying the other 〈◊〉 task is to examin the Bishop's sincerity not his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first fraud is to pretend that Catholick Authors 〈◊〉 him in the Protestant distinction of fundamental and 〈…〉 articles wheras we hold every article by 〈…〉 motive though not of the matter to be 〈◊〉 that is of necessity the matter how ever so small 〈◊〉 believed by us vnder pain of Damnation whensoever 〈…〉 proposed to us as revealed by God or which 〈…〉 whensoever we know any matter to be either 〈…〉 Scripture or declared by Catholick Tradition or 〈◊〉 by the Church we are bound to believe it and can 〈◊〉 if we deny or doubt of it So that doctrin which 〈…〉 grievous â—rror in the greek Church we must call it plain 〈◊〉 which makes them no Church because their error hath 〈…〉 heresy by the Church 〈◊〉 second fraud in this matter is that he conceals from 〈…〉 the true state of the question and abuseth the 〈◊〉 â—uthors he cites as if they had vnderstood it as his 〈…〉 doth set it down or had excused the modern Greeks 〈◊〉 and argues with their sayings and authority in favor of pâ—â—â—estancy The question is whether the modern Greeks 〈◊〉 that the holy Ghost proceeds from the son as well as 〈◊〉 the Father The Bishop pretends they do and that they 〈◊〉 pain of Damnation and proved this saying by these words 〈◊〉 Austin this is a thing founded An erring Disputant is to
these are his words and concealed by the Bishop who also striks out of Vincentius Lirin other words wherby it did appear what a kind of keeper the Church is of the truths deposited with her and how litle danger there is of corrupting the old or admitting of new doctrin The Bishop pag. 38. sets down the sentence thus Ecclesia depositorum apud se dogmatum Custos c. Denique quid vnquam Conciliorum Decretis enisa est nisi vt quod antea simpliciter credebatur hoc idem postea diligentius crederetur c. But in Vincentius Lirinensis It is thus Christi vero Eoclesia sedula cauta depositorum apud se dogmatum Custos here first he skips over these two words sedula cauta diligent and wary because they spoiled his plot of persuading us that the Church might by negligence of its Pastors be insensibly changed and corrupted To the same intent he conceales with an c. the rest that followes which would have cleered all and left no room for the Bishops fraud for Vincentius Lirin his words are But the Church of Christ is a diligent Depositary or Keeper of the truths committed to her never changes any thing at all in them lessens nothing adds nothing nether cuts away things necessary nor adjoyns things superfluous neither looseth what is hers nor vsurpes what belongs to others Let any Christian or honest Pagan Iudge whether these words be not Diametrically contrary to what the Bishop pretends vnto in this passage viz. suspition and possibility of the Churches adding novitia veteribus novelties to the old doctrin of making a change of that faith she first received from Christ and his Apostles and of becoming Lupanar errorum which this good man and holy Martyr sayes he is loath to english and yet leaves out cuts and corrupts the Latin text of set purpose to fix vpon Christs Espouse the greatest infamy How Bp. Laud falsifies Occham to infringe St. Austins authority concerning the infallibility of the Church in succeeding ages as well as in that of the Apostles and is forced by his error to resolve his prelatick faith into the light of Scripture and the privat Spirit of Fanaticks which he palliates vnder the name of grace and therby warrants all rebellions against Church and state AN act of divine faith must be prudent that is men are not bound to believe any article therof v. g. that Scripture is the word of God vnless there evidently appear prudent and sufficient motives to exclude all moral possibility that any but God is the Author of the doctrin proposed to be believed These motives of credibility we call the signs of the Church and are the miracles of Christ and his Disciples sanctity and succession of his doctrin and Doctors Conversion of Kings and nations to christianity c. These signs or motives of credibility though they do not evidence demonstratively that our faith is true or that the Church or Congregation of men wherin they be found is the Catholick yet they demonstrat an obligation in us of believing it as we have proved elsewhere in so much that if no such signs or motives of credibility had bin none would be bound to believe any point of Christian Religion with certainty of faith and therfore St. Austin sayd he would not believe the Scripture had he not bin moved therunto by the authority of the Church because Scripture of it self hath no sufficient arguments and signs to ground a prudent and undoubted belief of its being the word of God but the signs and motives of credibility invest the Church with sufficient authority to declare both that and all other mysteries of faith and to make our Ecclesiastical Ministery and Mission more authentikly divin then any Regal Commissions or human Badges can set forth the truth and dignity of Ministers of state and officers of war Therfore as not to believe or to contemn men so qualified when they command in the Kings name is by the light of reason and consent of all nations judged obstinacy and rebellion not to be excused by pretending ignorance or want of greater evidence then those vsual signs of their employments afford so must it be obstinat heresy not to believe that what is proposed by the Church qualified with the aforesaid signs is revealed by God This supposed the main Controversy between Protestants and Catholicks is about the resolution of Christian faith for though both parties pretend that they believe because God revealed to the Prophets and Apostles the Mysteries of faith yet we say that Protestants can not shew how it may be prudently believed that Christ preached or revealed any such doctrin as is pretended vnless it be acknowledged that the Church of every succeeding age was and this present is as truly and realy though perhaps not so highly quoad modum infallible in delivering the Apostles doctrin as the Apostles were in delivering that of Christ. We do not say that Tradition or the Testimony of the Church confirmed by the foresaid signs is the prime motive and last resolution of faith but that the Tradition and Testimony of the present Church is infallible to the end it may infallibly apply the prime motive which is Gods veracity to vs and we prudently assent thervnto But the Bishop denying this is driven with Presbyterians and Fanaticks to an inbredâ—light of Scripture and to the privat Fanatick spirit with this only difference that where they say they are infallibly resolved that Scripture is the word of God by the Testimony of the Spirit within them his Lordship pag. 83.84 averrs he hath the same assurance by grace And because we object and admire that no Catholick could ever perceive this inward and inbred light of Scripture wherby all Protestants pretend they are assured it is the word of God he concurrs pag. 86 with Fanatitks in telling vs that blind eyes can not and pervers eyes will not see it It s strange his Lordship did not foresee the sad effects which this Protestant principle and presumption wrought against himself and his Prelatick Church within a very short time after he writ this doctrin and applyed the same against the Roman Catholicks He might be sure it would be retorted against the Church of England for why may not every Protestant Sectary pretend that the Prelatick Church of England is as blind and pervers in not seing the light of Scripture as Luther and Laud pretend the Roman Catholick is It is but every particular mans fancy and word no other proof is required by Protestants nor indeed can any better be produced to make good that so many honest and learned searchers of Scripture as have bin and are in the Roman Catholick Church can not or will not see the pretended light of Scripture so largely diffused among Protestants and distributed to every Fanatick Presbyterian and Prelatick whose faith can not be maintained without this rash judgment and most dangerous
Citty which is governess over the whole world to have an entire faith in and concerning God But saith his Lordship there is no promise nor prophecy in St. Gregory that Rome shall ever so do And to make this the more cleer to his illiterat English Reader he leaves out the word ever in the later part of his Translation and in his gloss vpon the sentence omitts the same word again saying only it became that Citty very well to keep the faith sound and entire But How long Semper saith St. Gregory for ever Therfore Bishop Laud thought fit to conceal that semper At length he acknowledgeth a double semper in S. Gregory but misplaceth the later His words are plain saith he semper decet c. wheras St. Gregory saith not semper decet c. it alwayes becomes but decet it becomes that Citty which Governs the whole world semper de Deo integram fidem habere alwayes to have the entire faith of God Now who sees not a manifest difference betwixt these two propositions It alwayes becomes that Citty to hold the entire faith And It becomes that Citty to hold the entire faith alwayes The first only signifies the keeping of the faith entire whensoever it is don is a thing well becoming the Citty of Rome The second signifies to keepe the faith so that it must never fail or cease to keep it entire is a thing well becoming the City which Governs the whole world Besides the Government wherof St. Gregory speaks must be vnderstood of souls or spiritual because Roma vetus did not govern in his time temporaly seing the Emperour resided in New Rome that is Constantinople Therfore St. Gregorys words are to be vnderstood of the Popes spiritual Iurisdiction who governed the souls of the whole world as supreme Pastor vnder Christ. But Patriarch Laud can not endure this and will needs haue all Bishops or at least all Patriarchs equal with the Bishop of Rome by Christs institution and proves it p. 200 by the authority of St. Hierom whom Mr. Laud mistakes for the St. speaks only of the caracter of Episcopacy and sayes that all Bishops are ejusdem Sacerdotii ejusdem meriti and by Gersons Book de Auferibilitate Papae when Gerson saith he writ this Tract de Auferibilitate Papae sure he thought the Church might continue in a very good being without a Monarchical head Therfore in his Judgment the Church is not by any command or institution of Christ Monarchical Gerson par 1.154 Answ. Gerson that famous Chancellor of Paris writ that Book in time of Schismes and Troubles wherin for the peace of the Church doubtfull Popes may be deposed as also Hereticks But Gerson never meant that a Pope may be so deposed as none other should succeed he defends the contrary earnestly and expresly consid 8. His words are Any civil monarchy or regal Government may be taken away or changed into an Aristocracy the law still continuing in force but it is not so in the Church which was founded by Christ in one supreme Monarch throughout the world Because Christ Instituted no other Government vnchangeably Monarchicall and as it were regal besides the Church Can any words be more express against Mr. Lauds assertion and yet his assertion is so positive that I have known a Catholick Divine deceived by his authority in this particular but after examination wondred at the Bishops confidence I conclude this matter of Protestant falsifications with this fair offer let the learned men of that side shew but any one saying of any ancient Orthodox Father or Councell quoted by the reformed writers of any Nation or quality whatsoever to confirm protestancy and if it be not found either impertinent or corrupted by addition omission translation or concealing the words going before or coming after whervpon depends the true meaning of the Text let them J say but shew one of these that speaks cleerly in favour of Protestancy and I will confess in print that J have bin mistaken in the opinion I have of their Religion and of its want of truth But if not as much as one Orthodox Doctor can be produced to support their Tenets and the credit of Protestant writers I hope they will not take it in ill part that we advise our Contreymen and all Christians to renounce their Conduct and Communion SECT XII VVhether it be piety or policy to permit the Protestant Clergy of these three Kingdoms to enjoy the Church Revenues for maintaining by such Frauds and Falsifications as hitherto have bin alledged the doctrin of the Church of England which also they acknowledge to be fallible and by consequence for all they know fals and how the said revenues may be conscientiously applyed to the vse and ease of the people without any danger of sacrilege or any disturbance to the Government if a publick Trial of both Clergies sincerity be allowed and liberty of Conscience granted THat it cannot be piety in a Prince or people to cast away so vast a Treasure vpon so vncertain a Religion and Clergy as we have proved the Protestant to be needs no proof Neither is there any doubt but that it was policy though not piety in Q. Elizabeth whose title could not stand with popery to bestow the sayd revenues vpon any men that would call themselves a Clergy and engage to fool the vulgar sort with fals Scripture for framing a Religion or reformation agreable to her title and interest against the Royal line of the Stewards lawfull heires of this Monarchy As litle question can be made that the present possessors and pretenders of Bishopricks and Benefices will endeavor to justify and continue Q. Elizabeths cours though the case be altered and that such of the layty as have vnlawfull designs in their hearts will side with the Bishops and strive to gain or make a party and win the hearts of ignorant and seditious people by pretending great zeal for that prelatick Religion wherby Q. Elizabeth vsurped the Crown and her Creatures the revenues of the Church not despairing but that as she by the advice of her Councel and Clergy forc't or foold this Nation out of their loyalty and duty to the Stewards by pretending that popery is Idolatry so themselves may vpon any occasion and perhaps vpon the motion of liberty of conscience have the like success against K. Charles the second as Q. Elizabeth had against the Queen of Scots This is the only objection can be made against liberty of Conscience from which say they will spring Popery and will be the plea of policy against piety in case the falshood of prelatick protestancy and the frauds of the faction interested therin should be as zealously cryed down as we presume it to be cleerly discovered in this Treatise Our answer to this plea is 1. That liberty of conscience and legal changes of Religion in England have bin alwayes made by Acts of Parliament as we may see
convenient and fit for that Uniformity of faith and union of Hearts which cements the People with their Soveraign and among themselves It is indeed so growing a Religion that it hath spread it self over the whole world not by force of Arms but of truth not by allowing leud liberty or licentiousness but by working miracles by professing and observing abstinence chastity poverty and obedience to spiritual and temporal Superiors by mortifying our Passions and the perverse inclinations of a spiritual pride and proper judgment this pride and property of judgment the source of Heresy we renounce by submitting our opinions to the Church acknowledging in the same God's Infallible assistance and authority and this our submission proceedeth not from simplicity credulity or rashness but we are induced thereunto by evident marks of Gods favour and providence clarly appearing in our Roman Catholick Church and in no other as Miracles Conversion of Nations Succession and Sāctity of Pastors c. whereby the most Learned Men of the World in every Age since the Apostles have been evidently convinced of an obligation to conform their Faith to a Church so supernaturally qualified and therefore did prudently believe that none but God is Author of the Roman Catholick Doctrine and we judge our selves bound under pain of damnation to follow their example For these Signs of Divine Providence are so far above the force and course of Nature and so visible to all the World that not only the Learned but all sorts of people who are not wilfully obstinate must confess a sufficient evidence of Gods Commission and Authority in our Church and by consequence they deny Gods veracity who contradict the Doctrine of a Congregation that hath so notorious and significant badges of his Divine trust for proposing Articles of Faith and composing all differences in Religion So that having for our guide a Church of so Authentick Authority a Testimony to rely upon so visibly confirmed by supernatural Miracles marks of Gods Commission the same Church must needs have his Infallible assistance in discharging her trust of instructing Mankind wherefore we Catholicks may do uniformly agree acquiess in her Difinitions with as little fear of being seduced as of God being the Seducer He must be very unreasonable who after being informed of these motives of credibility or marks of Gods Church will refuse to submit his judgment to so convincing arguments of the Divine Authority and this is the reason why not only the Natives of one Country or the Subjects of one Monarch but whole Kingdoms and Kings of most different tempers and interests do so easily constantly and unanimously submit and adhear to the Roman Catholick Religon both now and in former Ages whereas they who at any time opposed the same could never agree among themselves or with themselves but were and are divided into as many opinions as there are fancies or occasions offered of changing their inclinations or of raising their fortunes And now our States-men may easily conclude which of both Religions is not only most conscientious for the soul but most convenient for the power and peace of the State if they will reflect upon the different ways of planting and preserving both Religions the Catholick and Protestant To omit other examples let them consider how St. Austin our Apostle of England arrived at Kent with forty Monks and Preachers entred into Canterbury as our Adversary Fox confesseth p. 150. in procession with a Crucifix carried before him and singing Litanies and how they converted that Kingdom and all England from Paganism to the very same Roman Catholick Religion we now profess in every particular not by force of Arms or by Frauds of falsifying the Letter and Sense of Scripture but by working confessed Miracles in confirmation of our Roman Text and Sense of Scripture which they Preach'd and by the example of a Godly life How this same Religion continued for almost a thousand years in this Island and in all that time never was there any Rebellion upon the score of our Doctrine or of Interpreting of Scripture much less did the Subjects pretend Scripture or the Word of God to warrant a Superiority over their Sovereign or to try Him by a formal Court of Justice On the other side our Statesmen will find in all Histories and this Treatise that in this one Age since Protestancy began that Reformation hath not entered without Rebellion or Tyrany into any one Kingdom Country or City that he who first Preached this Reformation Luther did see it divided into more Sects than himself had years tho' he lived to be an old Man That never any of these Sects continued long without embroyling the State That never Miracle was wrought to confirm any kind of Protestancy nor the Author of any of these Sects or Reformations lived with the esteem I do not say of holy but of honest conversation No marvel therefore if People so naturally honest as the English cannot be brought to uniformity in a Reformation so unlikely to be Divine that was begun by a dissolute and drunken Friar who had no Rule of Faith but his own fancy the marvel indeed is that any sober man can be persuaded 't is possible to bring pious prudent men to reject the old Religion confirmed with so many supernatural signs renouned for so long successful subjection to Lawful Kings for a new fangled device introduced into England by an Illegitimate Queen in opposition to the Title and known right of our lawful Sovereigns Seeing therefore our Adversaries do confess that the Roman Catholick is a growing Religion even in this groaning and sad condition wherein we are kept in these Kingdoms who doubts but that if made the Religion of the State and countenanced by Law or even tolerated it will soon grow to such a hight that all other persuasions will be rendred contemptible and incapable of thwarting the Designs and Decrees that will be resolved upon by the King and Parliament when Law Religion and Reason walk hand in hand there is no room or pretext left for Rebellion upon the score of conscience And what can be more legal than an Act of Parliament what more agreeable to Religion and Reason than that every man ought to submit his judgment to Authority so Authentikly Divine and so prudently judged to be Infallible as that of the Roman Catholick Ghurch For what more convincing arguments can there be of Divine and Infallible authority than the undeniable Miracles Sanctity Succession both of Doctrine and Doctors Conversion of Kings and Nations c. of the Roman Catholick Church He who denies any of these must consequently resolve to believe nothing and even to doubt of himself of his Parents Country and Relations because no Man hath or can have a more credible Testimony or a more constant Tradition for any one of these particulars concerning his Parents Country c. than he hath for the Miracles wrought in
Sidon they had long since don pennance in sackcloth and ashes The works which I have don in my Fathers name beare witness of me And though you believe not me believe my works And again We know that thou art a Teacher come from God for no man could do these miracles thou dost except God were with him And the reason why miracles oblige vs in conscience to believe the doctrin by them confirmed is because they are a sufficient and moral evidence of Gods authority and as it were the great Seal wherwith he warrants his Ministers and the Church to preach and propose his doctrin and Commands Now if he could put this seal to any fals doctrin or therby authorize an erroneous Church men might prudently doubt whether he doth not do so now de facto and in every particular but with such a prudent doubt none is bound to obey any Church authority and by consequence there could be no obstinacy heresy or infidelity against Gods revelations and veracity how ever so authentickly and sufficiently proposed by miracles which are the signs and badges of divin authority and the most authentick marks of the true Church To that ordinary objection of Anti-Christs miracles which though fals and feigned yet will seem so true to many that most of the world will be seduced we answer 1. That there will be an apparent difference between Anti-christian and our Catholick miracles though for want of due reflexion prudence and piety men will not consider the difference nor compare his miracles with ours 2. Christs words and warning of Anti-Christs feigned miracles is a sufficient evidence of their falshood becaus we must not credit our selves or any outward appearances against the express words of Christ. This is the reason why in the Sacrament of the Altar we are not deceived by the Species or appearance of bread and wine Though there were no other argument that Anti-Christs miracles are fals but this that the miracles of the Church both in the old and new Testament are first and that we have a Caveat to beware of such miracles and miraculists as shall come afterwards to confirm contrary doctrin whosoever is moved by Anti-Christ or his fore-runners to forsake the ancient faith and signs of the Church for novelties how ever so plausibly or prodigiously confirmed deserve damnation For there are two qualities that oblige men in reason and conscience to preferr one thing before another how ever equall they both may seem to be in other respects 1. priority of time 2. present possession We see what priviledges and prerogatives are given by the law of nature and Nations to such as are antienter by birth or nobility then others and how possession is sayd to be eleven points of the law These qualities are most properly found in our Roman Catholick doctrin it is most antient and always hath had the precedency of all pretended Reformations both in time and in the possession of the hearts of the faithful The same we say of our Catholick miracles Therfore we ought to preferr them before any others that shall appear afterwards in opposition to them Besides those miracle so credibly reported that no man can deny them without being guilty of obstinacy and rashness and besides those others continualy visible as that of St. Januarius there is an other kind of true miracles seen but not observed by every Protestant vpon which if they did reflect as many of them as mean well would become Roman Catholicks The difference between true and fals miracles is that true miracles are works besides or against the order of nature and of secundary causes and therfore may be don only by the divin power as to receive the dead to cure diseases of the body and distempers of the mind without the application of any natural means or remedys And becaus the Devil hath less power over souls then over bodys the cure of a distemper of the mind wherof no natural cause appeareth is a greater and more authentick miracle then any cure of the body how ever so prodidious Fals miracles are only such as may be don by the application of natural causes and remedies as that of Vespasianus of whom Suetonius recounts that he restored sight to a blind man and the vse of his feet to a lame man But Cornelius Tacitus doth acknowledge lib. 4. Hist. that the Physitians being consulted did answer those diseases were not incurable and Tertullian in Apologetico cap. 22. saith that both the disease and the cure was a work of the Devil Anti-Christs miracles also will be such as as may be don by the cours and concurrence of natural causes That miracles don vpon mens minds are greater then any â—â—res or changes wrought vpon the body is granted by our Adversaries and St. Bernard recounts as one of the greatest miracles of St. Malacâ—ius that he converted an obstinat soul to recant his opinion against the real presence of Christs Body in the Sacrament And for the most remarkable miracle of St. Bernard himself it is recorded how with the blessed Sacrament in his hand he did so terrify William the prowd Duke of Aquitain that he fell prostrate at his feet and he whom the most powerfâ—ll Monarchs of Christendom could not rule submitted himself to the disposal of a poor Monk becaus he threatned him with that which in appearance seemed to be and Protestants hold to â—e no more in reality or in substance then a wafer cake These things supposed as vndeniable in Philosophy and Divinity it may be easily proved that every Protestant doth or at least may see true miracles in confirmation of our Roman Catholick â—aith For without question it is either a miracle of God or of the Devil that all the Roman Catholicks not only now but for so many ages past should contrary 〈◊〉 the evidence of sense and to our natural inclination of judging according to that evidence adore for our Savior JESUS Christ that which in appearance is but a wafer cake or a Cup of wine We are either abused and seduced by Sathan or inspired and enabled by the Holy Ghost to contradict our senses which contradiction being in a matter so long and so much controverted in publick schools and general Councells and a thing wherupon depends our Salvation we can not â—e presumed if we err that we err for want of examining and comparing the reasons of both sides Catholick and Protestant especialy if we consider the number learning and integrity of the Roman Catholick Examiners and the great difficulty which they as well as all other men find in believing or judging against the evidence of sense and in denying that to be bread or wine which doth smell look tast feel and feed like bread and wine Now if we prove that this marvellous and vnanimous contradiction of our senses can not be a miracle of the Devil protestants must grant it is a miracle of God and from thence may
to have tasted any meat or drink for the space of fiveteen years together except only the B. Sacrament of the Altar which she received with great devotion and with extraordinary Ioy and Iubily of mind every Sunday And which was most admirable she was able to find out one only consecrated Host amongst a thousand that were not consecrated Thus he and without doubt this last was no less a miracle then the former because the consecrating of one Host among many depends vpon the intention and inward determination of the Consecrator which none but God can know But from Norfolk let 's pass to London I will now relate a story saith Waldensis wherof I my self was an eye witness in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in London where the venerable Arch-bishop Thomas Arundell of happy memory the son and Brother to an Erle sat in Iudgment in his Bishops chair assisted by Alexander the Prelat of the Church of Norwich and others At which time he propounded certain Interrogatories concerning the faith of the Eucharist vnto a Taylor of the parts of Worcestershire taken in the crime of heresy but when as the obstinat fellow could not be persuaded by any reason to embrace the right faith nor would believe nor call the consecrated Host any other thing but only holy bread he was at last commanded to worship the said Host but the Blasphemous heretick answering sayd verily a Spider is more worthy to be worshipped then it is when behold a Monstrous horrible Spider came sudenly sliding down by her thred from the top of the Church directly vnto the blaspemers mouth and endeavored very busily to get entrance even as he was speaking the words neither without much adoo could the many hands of the standers by keep her from entring into the wretch whether he would or no. Thomas Duke of Oxford and Chancelor of the Realm was there present and saw this wonder Then the Arch-bishop stood vp and declared to all that were present that the revenging hand of God had denounced the man to be a blasphemer Harpsfeild relates the same miracle out of the Register of Arch-bishop Arundell but we may doubt whether that old Register was not reformed as well as the old Religion by the Protestant Prelats Such cleer evidences are seldom preserved entire by the enemies of truth We see how frequently the very law books and ancient English statuts are corrupted by our English Protestants to favor the Kings spiritual supremacy as is largely proved by Persons against Sir Edward Cook and Bishop Morton in a particular book against Cook and in his Sober and quiet Reckoning with Thomas Morton wherin he discovers the vnworthy practises of Justice Cook and others falsifying the Charters of our ancient Kings c. As for example that of King Kâ—nulphus pleaded by Humphry Stafford Duke of Buckingham 1. Henry 7. for the sanctuary of the Monastery of Abindon which as it is printed by Pinson in Catholick times says that Leo then Pope did grant the said immunities and privileges c. and is yet so read in the Lord Brooks Abridgment tit Corone pl. 129. But since King Henry 8. spiritual Headship Pope Leo hath bin left out in most printed Statuts and Iudge Cook quotes them so corrupted as good evidence against the Bishop of Romes jurisdiction pretending that the Kings and not the Popes gave spiritual jurisdictions and immunities St. Optatus Bishop who lived before St. Austin the Doctor relates how the Donatists to vex the Catholicks who did worship the Blessed Sacrament cast the consecrated Hosts to their dogs But they escaped not Gods heavy Iudgment for the raging dogs with revenging teeth saith Optatus tore their own Masters in peeces as if they had bin strangers and enemies yea as if they had known them to be theeves and men guilty of our Lords Body Miracles of the Mass. ST Austin reporteth of his own time and Countrey how that one Hesperius having his house infested with wicked Spirits to the affliction of his beasts and servants desired saith St. Austin in my absence certain of our Priests that some would go thither c. one went and offered saith he there the Sacrifice of the Body and blood of Christ praying what he might that the vexation might cease and God being therupon mercifull it ceased The like miracle doth Theodorus who lived in the fifth Century write happened to Coades King of Persia who being desirous to enter into a Castle placed in the confines of his Kingdom towards India was hindred by many wicked spirits which haunted the said Fortress and notwithstanding that as well the Persian Sorcerers as also those of the Iews had employed all their magick art yet could not entrance be obtained At last a christian Bishop was called vpon who with once saying Mass and making the sign of the Cross put forthwith to flight the infernal powers and delivered vp the Castle to the King free from all molestation Miracles for Purgatory ST Gregory the Great telleth of a Monk called Justus who saith he was obsequious to me and watched with me in my dayly sickness this man being dead I appointed the healthfull Host to be offered for his absolution thirty days together which don the said Justus appeared to his Brother by vision and said J have bin hitherto evil but now am well c. And the Brethren in the Monastery counting the days found that to be the day on which the thirtith oblation was offered for him The same St. Gregory writes how Paschasius Deacon of the Roman Church was tormented with the pains of Purgatory after death for having adhered vntil neer his death vnto Laurence the Schismatick but at length was delivered from those pains by the prayers of St. German Bp. of Capua We will not her detain the Reader with more particulars but confirm the whole bulk of our Roman Catholick Doctrin with the vndeniable miracles of St. Bernard a known Papist against the Petrobrusians Henricians and Apostolici whom Protestants claim as members of their own Church for denying the real presence sacrifice of the Mass extreme vnction Purgatory prayer for the dead prayer to Saints the Popes authority worship of Images Indulgences c. Against these hereticks St. Bernard was commanded by the Pope to preach and accompany his legat Cardinal Albericus to the Countrey of Tolosa where he wrought innumerable miracles to confute and confound the aforesaid Hereticks as may be seen in the writers of those times in so much that the Saint in his return declined all Common roads to avoyd the multitudes of people that flockt to reverence him as an Apostle Though afterwards in his 241. Epistle to the Tolosians he saith to keep them constant to the truth as St. Paul did to the Thessalonians we thank God for that our coming to you was not in vain our stay indeed was short with you but not vnfruitfull the truth being by us made manifest
all antiquity did believe and record 3. They may be ashamed of the first broachers of their Protestant doctrin against the worship of Images Iews Saracens and condemned hereticks who as Tarasius proved in the second Councell of Nice corrupted the holy Scriptures to assert their heresies But leaving these things we will mention a few miracles Eusebius and others in the Ecclesiasticall History relate how the woman that was cured by touching Christs garment Math. 9.21 returning home set vp for memory of this benefit the statue of Christ as also her own adoring him and that he himself had seen them and that an vnknown herb did grow at the bottom of Christs statue which so soon as it came to touch the garment of the statue did cure all diseases In the year 362. Iulian the Apostata vexed to see this statue worship't and the worship therof confirmed with so many miracles commanded the same to be thrown down and broken in peeces and sett vp his own in steed therof but his was immediatly destroyed by fire from heaven and the Christians gathering together the peeces of Christs statue placed it in the Church where it was as Sozomenus writeth vnto his time The honest Centutists against all truth of History not having the Authority of as much as one Writer thought by lying impudently to conceal the evidence of this miracle from the illiterat Protestants and some English have imitated their example in so shamfull an imposture saying that Christs statue not Iulians was destroyed by fire from heaven An other miracle you may read in the second General Councell of Nice produced by 350. Bishops as an vndeniable evidence against the heresy of the Image-breakers for the confutation wherof they were assembled and the miracle happened but some 20. years before The wicked Iews in the City of Beritus in Syria crucified the Image of Christ and peirced with a lance the side therof whence suddenly issued such abundance of blood and water that the Churches both of the East and West received reliques therof and with it all diseases were cured By so great and so many miracles those obstinat people were converted and the Church of God appointed a day to celebrat the memory of so notorious a favor And Athanasius a learned Bishop of that age writ a Book intituled De Passione Imaginis Domini The conversion of Iews to Christianity hath seldom bin effected without great miracles None can be moâ—e stupendious then that which St. Vincent Ferrer an 1412. wrought vpon their whole Synagogue in Salamanca wherinto he entred with a Crucifix in his hand on their Saboth and preaching with great fervor of that mystery On a suddain both men and women found white Crosses vpon their Cloaths which made such an impression in their hearts that they all were baptized and turned their Synagogue into a Christian Church which they called of the holy Cross. This Saint Vincent was a Dominican Frier whose preaching against hereticks and Iews God confirmed by miracles 38. dead were revived by his intercession he cured all diseases with the sign of the Cross holy water c. and was of so great esteem among Catholicks that when Martin King of Aragon dyed without issue the naming of a Successor was left to St. Vincent and all the Competitors acquiesced in his choice See all this in St. Antoninus tit 23. cap. 8. The chief Champion of Gods Church against the heresy of Image-breakers was St. Iohn Damascen and therfore was so much hated by the Emperor Leo Jauricus by whose tyranny and Decree that heresy was professed and the Catholicks persecuted at the instance of a Jew his Favorite that Iohn Damascen being in high esteem with the Prince of the Saracens at Damasco the Emperor by the means of Skilful scribes counterfeited his hand and sent a letter to the Saracen pretended to have bin writ by John Damascen to his Majesty inviting him to besiege Damasco and giving him assurance of assistance and good success Whereat the Saracen Prince was so enraged that he commanded Johns right hand to be cut off The Saint retiring to his Oratory and prostrated before an Jmage of our Blessed Lady beggd her intercession for the restitution of that hand which had bin employed vntill then in defending her sons honor and her own against the Iconoclasts and should continue for the future if restored in the same service Wherupon he seemed to sleep and had a vision of the Mother of God and when he waked found his hand joyned as it had bin formerly to his arm The Saracen Prince seing the miracle earnestly intreated him to remain in his Court But St. John Damascen retired to the desert and there writ the praises of our Lady and three excellent Treatises yet extant in defence of the worship of Images All which you may see more at large in his life writ by John Patriarck of Ierusalem and other Authors of those times Jn the Ecclesiastical History it is recounted by Zonaras how in the time that Leo Armenus persecuted Catholicks for worshipping Jmages his son Sabatius Constantinus who had bin dumb came to the statue of St. Gregory Nazianzen praying inwardly in his heart to the Saint that he might obtain of God the vse of his tong which immediatly God was pleased to grant There is scarce a Countrey or County where the exercise of Catholick Religion is publick which aboundeth not with Miraculous Jmages I will only at this time mention that famous miracle don at Sichem an 16â—4 Related by Iustus Lipsius and found to bee true by sundry Protestant Gentlemen attending on the Earle of Hartford Ambassador in Flanders who did see and conferr with the party cured and were satisfied by the publick and credible testimony given to them of the whole matter as followeth Iohn Clement whose Mother being at her delivery of him cut therupon died leaving behind her this her son lame from his Nativity and of a monstrous composition of body his thighes and feet were contracted and turned towards the forepart of his breast so as his knees did grow and stick thereto his body was round or spherical vnfit to stand ly or walk Having from his birth continued in this estate for 20. years and so known to the Jnhabitants of Bruxells and other places adjoyning he was moved in his mind to go to our Ladies Chappel in or neer the town in Brabant called Sicham where he had heard of many miraculous cures credibly published to have bin don Being come thither in a Wagon and having confessed his sins and received the B. Sacrament hee did in the end feel his contracted and bound feet to bee loosed and stretched forth so as presently he stood on his feet himself and the beholders being â—mazed therat Many such or greatet miracles have bin don at â—oreto Zaragoca Guadalupe c. Neither can they be denyed 〈◊〉 any who is not either very obstinat or ignorant Let the most precise and peevish Protestant
desired him at her death to remember her in his Sacrifice of the Altar Calvin saith it was but an old wives request which her son never examined according to the Scriptures and after his own privat affection would have the same approved by others As Calvin Luther and all the first Protestant Reformers contemn the Catholick Churches authority in matters of doctrin when it is contrary to their new interpretations and extravagant fancies of Scripture so do they and their Successors in that of miracles Jf any Miracles be recounted that confirm the mysteries which Protestants reject though delivered by the same Author and in the same book they must needs be old wives tales not duly examined c. And yet the foolish and fals stories of such a frantick and crackt-braind fellow as Iohn Fox was known to be and his Acts and Monuments shew him to have bin are credited by persons that have no other ground to beleive his fables and follies but their education in Protestancy and aversion to Popery His lies and simple storyes must pass for a true Ecclesiastical History notwithstanding that they are contradicted by all the Histories of the world and that many of his Martyrs were found following their trades after that he had described their torments and deaths very particularly and patheticaly his miracles in confirmation of protestancy and indeed his whole book are so ridiculous that I admire some Protestant zealots if they would have the reformation be thought a Religion do not suppress or reform the work He tells for a stupendious miracle that a stone fell from a ruinous building vpon Luthers stool after he had bin eased or weary of sitting vpon it An other that a multitude of German Clowns debauched Clergy men and libertins embraced Luthers reformation it being so indulgent to liberty sensuality and vice and that the Bishop of Rome and other Catholick Prelates Censures did not stop the violent cours and Torrent of their pervers inclinations He makes dreams revelations Merchants Expounders of the Apocalyps and not to seem partial how himself was made a fool by revelation But in steed of suppressing or correcting Fox his foolish Acts and Monuments the Protestant Clergy have reprinted that book divers times since his death with new comments chronologies and great commendations of the work every Parish Church is to have one and few privat families will endure the want of so great a spiritual treasure And though the Bishops know it is not only a very absurd piece but also the chief thing that makes Puritanism and Presbytery spread and so popular in England yet becaus it persuades the simple and vulgar sort that Popery is idolatry they countenance a book so prejudicial to themselves Our Catholick miracles are of a different nature and not related by such lying foolish fellows as Fox but by the greatest Saints and wisest men of Gods Church men so much esteemed for their vertue learning and judgment that Protestants themselves are ashamed to vndervalue their testimony in matters of faith and a fortiori ought to beleive them in matters of fact if they intend to believe any thing at all that is not mentioned particularly in Scripture I say particularly because Christ our Saviour assured us in generall as our Adversaries confess that miracles should continue in the Church forever as signs of the true belief Marc. 16. 20. Ioan. 14.12 2. Cor. 12.12 The Conclusion I have sayd as much as I think necessary for the information and instruction of such Protestants as desire to know the truth and do not find my conscience guilty of any one falsification in this whole Treatise And truly it were a great absurdity in me to commit wittingly that crime which J so much cry down in others Such mistakes as have crept into the printed book will J hope he attributed to the Printer or Transcriber I am sure I have bin so diligent in examining the quotations and assertions pro and con the Catholick cause that want of care cannot be objected and if there be no want of sufficiency in the work that commendation is not due to me but to the goodnes and evidence of the cause I maintain For what acutenes of wit is requisit to defend a Religion that never was impugned but by persons so leud and vnreasonable that at the very first appearance of their opposition they were condemned as hereticks by the whole visible Church that then was What profundity of judgment can be thought necessary to demonstrat that the ancient primitive letter and sense of Scripture ought to be preferred before the Devils interpretation therof embraced by Luther or before any new Canon and fancies of the like debauched fryers and Priests What litle learning is not more then sufficient to discover so palpable frauds and falsifications as the Protestant Writers practise to make their Reformations seem agreable to Gods word What Erudition is so mean that doth not surpass the history of one age or of Protestancy a Religion so lately sprung vp and raysed from the pride ambition liberty and lewdnes of the first reformers and confined to the Northern parts of this least part of the world How can such a Religion be Catholick either in length of time extent of Territories or Conversion of Nations Jts true that for the space of 100. yeares England hath bin so blind as not to see such gross errors but this misfortune was occasioned by their fondnes of Q. Elizabeth to make good her title to the Crown they separated themselves from the communion of the Church and when her interest vanished with her death and for want of posterity few were living after her long reign that observed the motives of her reformation most Englishmen beleived the changes she made had no relation to her illegitimacy but proceeded from pure zeal of the Ghospell Her new Clergy both then and eversince have endeavored to confirm the people in that persuasion by falsifying Scripture Councells and Fathers but the discovery of the frauds and the principles of Protestancy practised against the late innocent King have opend the eyes of many to discern the flaws of the Reformation and the fallacies of their own education And now that it is as much the concern of the whole Nation to tolerat the Roman Catholick faith as it was Q. Elizabeths interest to change it into protestancy I doubt not but that every particular persons ease in the addition of a revenue to the publick will excite both conscience and curiosity to examin whether the prelatick Religion and Clergy of England have not more of human invention then of divin institution And if after perusing this Treatise and proposing the arguments and instances therof to their learned Ministery no satisfactory answer can be given to the particulars wherwith their doctrin and function is charged to what purpose should men continue in mistakes so damnable to the soul and dangerous to the state But if the Protestant Clergy
the tendernes of her conscience was satisfied there could be no scruple of Sacriledge in applying with consent of the true owners ecclesiastical livings to pious and publick vses And now I hope I may conclude this Treatise with humbly desiring a Conference or examination of Protestant and Catholick books at least of one for each side let the quotations of Doctor Taylors Dissuasive be viewed and that book or any other writ against the Roman Religion stand for the Protestants sincerity t is like he writ nothing carelesly or rashly his declared drift being to make a whole Nation Protestants and professing himself to be only Amanuensis to a prelatick Convocation of reformed Bishops which in his Preface he compares with that Assembly of the Apostles wherin choyce was made of Iudas his Successor and sayes the lot of St. Mathias fell vpon himself and that some other like himself was Barnabas the just Jf this holy Convocation of Protestant Apostles should set forth a Book that hath more lyes then leaves I hope men may advise their friends to consider whether a Religion that cannot be maintained but by such men and means and a Clergy that practiseth such frauds and falsifications ought to be preferred before a Religion and Clergy that not only professeth as all others do to write truth but presseth to come to a publick trial therof in a â—egall way and rather then fail herein are content that the controversy be decided by them that are known to be most zealously devoted to Protestancy I do not instance Bp. Taylors Dissuasive from Popery for the Trial as if his falsifications to maintain Protestancy were more numerous or more enormous then those of other writers that have defended the same cause No. He is more waâ—y then many and more moderat then most of his predecessors or equalls But I instance his book to give my adversaries all the advantages that the learning of the Author and the Authority of a Convocation can afford Jf they have a better opinion of the sufficiency of Bishop Jevell then of Bp. Taylor they may fix rather vpon his Apology for the Church of England then vpon Doctor Taylors Dissuasive from Popery authorized by the Church of Ireland To Jevells Apology we oppose Harding Stapleton and Rastalls Answers To Taylors Dissuasive Worsley Lengar and Sergeants Annotations But if they refuse this offer as pointing but at two particular Doctors of their Church let them be pleased to have the truth of their Reformation and the sincerity of their whole Clergy examined by answering to the frauds and falsifications wherwith I charge their whole Church and calling in this book FINIS The Summe of this Treatise Containing the Substance of every Section THE FIRST PART Containing the Matter of Fact of the Beginning Progress Principles and effects of Protestancy SECTION I. HOw necessary a rational religion is for a peaceable government and wherin doth the reasonableness of Religion consist How dangerous for a temporal Soveraign to pretend a spiritual supremacy over his subjects Heathen Princes durst not assume it without a persuasion in their subjects that it was due by descent from some Deity or that the Gods signified their approbation therof by prodigies and miracles The great Turk notwithstanding his tyranny thinks it not policy to pretend a spiritual jurisdiction over his subjects though slaves The ground of policy piety and peace consists in establishing by law a Religion confirmed by miracles that such a Religion will make the Prince powerfull and popular the Prelats respected the people willing to obey and pay taxes It takes away all pretexts of rebellion vpon the score of a tenderness of conscience How necessary it is for the Government to have a devout Clergy and that Clergy at the Soveraigns devotion and Some of them emploied in State affairs Therby all disputes between the spirituall and temporall jurisdictions are prevented With how much reason Statesmen dread such disputes For the space of 1500. years the Catholick world believed that the Bishop of Rome had the supreme spiritual jurisdiction over souls as being Christ's Vicar vpon earth and that only such as were of his Communion and vnder his obedience were members of the Catholick Church and therfore the Greeks for exempting the Bishop of Constantinople and themselves from that obedience were declared Schismaticks others were condemned as Hereticks for teaching and professing doctrin contrary to the Roman Both the doctrin and authority of the Roman Bishops and Clergy hath been confirmed by vndeniable true miracles even here in England Jt was held to be the only Catholick doctrin in St. Gregory the great his time That faith which wee Roman Catholicks now profess is the same in every particular with that of St. Gregory and of all Orthodox Christians of his time and for confirmation wherof true miracles have been wrought SECT II. OF the Author and beginning of Protestancy The first Preacher therof was Martin Luther an Augustin Friar who from his youth had bin lianted by the Devil and presumed to have bin possessed He resolved to preach and write against the Mass praying to Saints and other Catholick Tenets after that the Devil had appeared to him and convinced him by Protestant arguments How weakly the Protestant writers endeavour to excuse Luthers disputation instruction and familiarity with the Devil Others acknowledge it and maintain that the Devils doctrin ought to be believed when it agrees with the Protestant interpretation of Scripture that is with every privat interpretation contrary to the sense of the whole visible Church How much it is against piety and policy to make the Protestant or any other privat interpretation of Scripture the Religion of the State or to preferr it before that of the Church and of the holy ancient Fathers quoted subsect 1. passim SECT III. OF the principles ad propagation of Protestancy How Luther begun his reformation by gaining Poets Players Painters and Printers to discredit by their Poems Pamphlets pictures and ballads the Roman Catholick Religion and its Clergy How he drew also many dissolute Friars and Priests to his side and married nine of them to so many Nuns in one day taking also one to himself How he made his reformation plausible to Libertins by teaching that only Faith was necessary for Salvation without troubling themselves with good works and popular by preaching that no Christian ought to be subject to an other and how therupon the Clowns and Tenants of Germany rebelled against their Princes and Landlords The three fundamental principles of Protestancy are 1. That for many ages the whole visible Church had bin in damnable errors and so continued vntill Luthers reformation 2. That there is no rule of faith but Scripture as Protestants are pleased to interpret it 3. That men are justified by only faith How from these principles have issued innumerable Protestant Religions contrary one to the other Luther did see his own reformation divided into 130. disagreing sects of
of England Of his design to reform the principles and liberty of Protestancy intending therby to render it less dangerous to lawfull Soveraigns and Monarchy How K. Charles 1. pursued his Fathers design but his sufferings and death demonstrat the impossibility of confining the Protestant liberty within the rules of Government or reason By the fundamental principles of Protestancy every particular person is a Supreme Iudge in spiritual affairs and may more easely apply and abuse that prerogative to the prejudice of his Soveraign then the Pope can his papal Supremacy Therfore it s a great providence of God when any Protestant King of England escapes to be judged and deposed by his Subjects THE SECOND PART OF the vnreasonableness of Protestancy and of the inconsistency of the principles of Protestancy with Christian piety and peaceable government SECT I. THe vnreasonableness and inconsistency of Protestancy with Christian piety or policy proved by the very fundamental principle of all Protestant reformations which principle is a supposition of the fallibility and fall of the visible Catholick Church from the pure and primitive doctrin of Christ to damnable errors and notorious superstition Such a change is demonstrated both incredible and impossible SECT II. THe Protestants proof of such a change is their pretended cleerness of Scripture It is demonstrated that their Sense of Scripture is not clear in any texts controverted between Catholicks and Protestants That the principles of Protestancy incline to vice the Catholick principles to vertue proved in many particulars The invisibility of the Church a ridiculous comment SECT III. THe Protestant letter and Sense of Scripture is not the word of God Doctor Cossins his Scholastical History of the English Canon of Scripture confuted as also his exceptions against the authority of the Roman Catholick Canon The Lutheran Churches of Germany agree not with the English Canon of Scripture SVBSECT I. DOctor Cossins now Bp. of Duresme his exceptions against the Councel of Trent answered The legality of a Councel as well as of a Parliament may stand with the absence of many members if they were summoned and expected The absurdity of Protestant writers excepting against the want of Bishops in the Councel of Trent wheras themselves made new Religions and reformations by a Single voice of Luther Zuinglius Calvin c. and in England by the vote of the major part of twelve persons named by the Parliament to determin matters of faith and Sacraments seaven men were thought sufficient to do the work and cast the Roman Catholick Religion Protestant Bishops can no more pretend to sit and define in a general Councel then proclaimed rebells can pretend to vote in a lawful Parliament It s as reasonable the Bishop and Church of Rome should condemn hereticks and judge all controversies of faith as it is that a King and Parliament condemn rebells and judge suites in law A new definition of Pope or Councel is no new article of faith it is only a declaration of our obligation to believe that which formerly had bin revealed but not sufficiently proposed Doctor Cossins his egregious falsification of Belarmin his wresting words of St. Austin and St. Hierom. SECT IV. THe Protestant translations of Scripture are fraudulent and fals no certainty of Christian faith can be built vpon them Protestants admit no Coppy or translation to be authentick to the end they may be at liberty to reject what they do not fancy of the letter of Scripture as well as of the sense The vulgar Latin is authentick Scripture How corrupt are all English Bibles How in K. Edward 6. his reign Cranmer and the first Apostles of English Protestancy changed the very text of Christs words This is my body three several times Protestants make the Apostles fallible in doctrin even after receiving the holy Ghost and by consequence must hold their writings or Scripture to be fallible SVBSECT I. MAny particular instances of Protestant corruptions in the English Bibles to asert the Protestant and prelatick doctrin of the Church of England Against images Against Ordination by imposition of hands Against the single life of Priests Against the Sacrifice of Masse Against vowes of chastity To favor the Kings Supremacy How fondly these corruptions are excused by Whitaker and how absurdly Scripture is made speak according to the Protestant translations What small hopes there are that a Clergie which corrupts Scripture or continueth and countenanceth corruptions of Scripture will repent or recant their errors and how little reason the Protestant layty hath to rely vpon their Clergys sincerity or vpon their English Scripture SECT V. THe Protestant interpretation is not the true Sense of Scripture The principal part of Gods word is the sense he delivered to the Church together with the letter It s against reason to believe that the Church would be more carefull of preserving the letter then of preserving the sense of Scripture and therfore Protestants are vnexcusable for taking the letter from the Roman Church and rejecting the sense The holy Fathers bid us receive the Sense of Scripture as well as the letter from the Church An infallible mark of heresy to do the contrary It is at least 16. to one that the Roman Catholick Sense of Scripture is true and the Protestant fals SECT VI. NO Protestant Church hath a true Ministery Miracles Succession of doctrin or Sanctity of life Their extraordinary vocation is ridiculous and incredible it being impossible that God should send Ministers to contradict doctrin confirmed with so many signs of his own authority and approbation as the Roman Catholick is God never sent such vitious men as the Protestant reformers were to reform his Church either in the old or new Testament If the Protestant doctrin had bin true God would have wrought miracles to confirm it for the conversion of the seduced Papists as Protestants confess he doth for the conversion of the Jndians Iaponians and China What wicked men were Luther Zuinglius Calvin Beza Cranmer and the rest of his Camerades that framed the Religion and Liturgy of the Church of England and how little credit in matters of faith deserves the Parliament that confirmed the same Calvins miracle at Geneva foretold by Tertullian SECT VII THe conversion of pagan Kings and Kingdoms to Christianity foretold in Scripture is a more cleer sign of the true Church then any other miracles and not to be found in any other Church but in the Roman Catholick acknowledged by learned protestants Of Barlows three-score invisible Queens converted by protestants No greater an absurdity then their invisible Church The vain endeavors of Calvin and other protestants to convert Heathen nations Bezas despair of Success in that Ministery and his advice to protestants to leave that labor to the Jesuits and rather busy themselves at home Tertullians saying that its a sign of hereticks to pervert Christians not convert pagans may be properly applyed to Protestants Their success in propagating their new Ghospel no
charity towards Catholicks is but forc't and feigned Whatsoever is required that a Church be truly Catholick is visible in the Roman It may judge and censure all other dissenting congregations without note of partiality or illegality Protestants have no credible nor legal witnesses to testify that their doctrin is the same which Christ and his Apostles taught Roman Catholicks have If all sects of Christians were admitted to general Councells and therin Judges of themselves and of their faith greater illegality it would be and greater partiality then that only Roman Catholicks be Judges of their cause Since the Apostles time one part of the Christians judged the other and the part that judged the other was that which obeyed and stuck to the Bishops of Rome as St. Peters Successors proved in every age vntill this present SECT XII HOw Gods veracity is denyed by Protestancy as also by the prelatick doctrin of fundamental and not fundamental articles of faith The belief of Gods veracity consists not in acknowledging that whatsoever God sayd is true never any heretick denyed that and all hereticks deny Gods veracity but consists in believing that God will not color nor countenance falshood with supernatural and evident signes of truth Protestants give less credit and obedience to Gods Ministers and Orders declared by the Church though qualified with vndeniable signes of Gods truth then they do to a Constable Catchpol or any other the meanest officers of a Court or Commonwealth though their warrants or badges may be more easily counterfeited then the miracles or signes of the Roman Catholick Church They will not believe God speaks or commands by the Roman Catholick Church though it hath the supernatural signes of his trust and sheweth his great seal Miracles but they believe that the King speaks and commands by any Minister of state or inferiour Magistrat No Ministers of judicature or officers of war have so authentick marks of the Kings authority to command the subjects and to end Suits of law as the Roman Catholick Church hath of Gods authority to instruct mankind and determin controversies of faith As it is rebellion to contemn the Kings authority represented by the authentick badges therof in his Ministers so is it heresy to contemn Gods authority represented in the Roman Catholick Church by supernatural signes as miracles sanctity Conversion of nations c. Gods veracity might be lawfully questioned if it were lawfull to judge that he permits the Roman Catholick Church to err in any point of faith whatsoever Proved by a similitude of my Lord Chancelor delivering the Kings mind to the Parliament in his Majesties own hearing and presence Veracity is a vertue inclining to speak truth not only when the person speaks but when any other speaks by his commission for then the person that employes an other to speak is bound by virtue of his own veracity to endeavour to the vttermost of his power that his Minister or Messenger vtter nothing but truth and this is to be vnderstood not only in matters of great but also of small importance Protestants make their own conveniency not Gods veracity the motive of their faith and measure therby which articles are fundamental which not The most fundamental article or the foundation of faith is to believe that God can not permit his Church to err even in not fundamentals A Demonstration ad hominem against the Protestant doctrin of the Churches fallibility in not fundamentalls SECT XIII THe same further demonstrated as also that neither the Protestant faith nor that of the Sure footing in Christianity is christian belief Not the matter believed but the motive and manner of believing makes our belief Christian. Protestants and the Author of the Sure footing believe not any thing in matters of faith which they do not imagin to be evident in it self or evident to them that it is revealed They agree in making cleer or self evidence the rule of faith but vary in the application of that rule the Author of the Sure footing applies it to all or most of the Roman Catholick Tenets Protestants to few The doctrin of the Sure footing can not be excused by the opinion of some Schoolmen that say an act of faith is possible and consistent with evidence of the revelation Christian faith must have a mixture of obscurity Mr. Robert Boyles expression that faith and twilight agree in this property that a mixture of darknes is requisit to both for that with too refulgent light the one vanisheth into knowledge as the other into day is not only witty but agreable to the sense of the ancient Fathers and to Scripture Hebr. 11. To believe is to trust the person believed and take his word for the truth as you doe a mans word or bill for mony Gods worth and veracity being infinit we ought not to admit of any doubt in matters of faith our assurance of faith must not be grounded vpon evidence either of the object or of the revelation but vpon an impossibility that God should by evident signes oblige mankind to believe that he revealed the mysteries of Christianity and yet not reveale them or permit the Church to deceive us God were not omnipotent did he permit the Church to err in any matter of faith though not fundamental because according to the proportion of ones inclination to any thing is the application of his power to effect the same and Gods inclination to truth even in not fundamentalls being infinit he must be infinitly concerned and applied to preserve the Church from falshood in the least articles as well as in fundamentalls The different manner of believing God and men Wee could not believe God if it were evident to us he spoke what we assent vnto Wherin doth consist the guilt of heresy Declared by that of rebellion The absurdity of the privat spirit and of all other Protestant pretexts against the publick testimony and authority of the Roman Catholick Church SECT XIV PIety and policy mistaken in making prelatick Protestancy the legal Religion of the state and in continuing the Sanguinary and penal statuts against the Roman Catholick faith It was want of Christian piety in Q. Elizabeth to introduce the Protestant Religion but not want of human policy because she had no title to the Crown but by Protestancy The title of the Stevards is vnquestionable and therfore they need not the Support of Protestancy How dangerous and damnable a thing it is to make the temporal laws of the land the rule of faith the Protestant prelatick Religion hath no better The Principles and priviledges of Protestancy being inconsistent with Soveraignty and government every Protestant Commonwealth found it necessary to mold and moderat those principles and priviledges by human lawes according to the customs and constitutions of every Kingdom and therfore Episcopacy without which our Parliaments could not be legal was here in England continued with prelatick Protestancy though contrary to the Tenets of Protestancy and to
people are abused Many Protestant mistakes wherwith the common sort were fooled are now cleered and their own conveniency wil invite them to examin further the errors of doctrin incident to education from which errors the Protestant Church doth acknowledge it self not exempted If the Protestant faith be true such a trial as we desire will be of great satisfaction to the Professors therof and confirm them in their religion and convert Papists and Sectaries to the same if it be falfs besides the salvation of souls by a discovery and prosession of the Roman truth these kingdoms will be able not only to defend themselves but offend foreign Enemies after we are enabled thervnto by a conscientious addition of a million sterl per an to the publik revenue No danger of sacriledge in applying the Church revenues to pious and publick vses for the preservation of the people practised by the ancient Catholick Clergy Not one good reason why the Church of England ought not to admit of such a publick conference as we propose and desire Bishop Lauds reason to the contrary confuted The denying and differring it a sign that Protestants are guilty Catholicks grant conference to Protestants whensoever they demand it The Protestant layty have reason to question their Clergies Ordination and caracter as well as their doctrin The new change of their formes of ordination very suspicious That the Roman Religion is such a growing Religion proves it is the true Religion fit to be made the Religion of the state THE FOURTH PART THe Roman Catholick Religion in every particular wherin it differs from the Protestant is confirmed by considerable Miracles recorded not in vain Legends or modern Authors but in the most authentick histories of the world and by the ancient Fathers and Doctors of Gods Church SECT J. SUch Miracles as are approved by the Roman Catholik Church are true Miracles The doctrin confirmed by those Miracles cannot be rejected without doubting of Gods Veracity Every Protestant doth see though not observe true Miracles in confirmation of the Catholick faith What great scrutiny is made by the Roman Catholick Church into true Miracles and the lives of men that are to be canonized for Saints There can be no combination or cheat in such matters Some Miracles permanent that be seen by all men as that of S. Ianuarius in Naples An vndeniable Miracle of S. Francis Xavier wrought vpon Marcello Mastrilli most remarkable for many circumstances Miracles to confirm Popery related by the Magdeburgian Centurists but by them absurdly attributed to the Devil or said to be seigned True Miracles cannot be wrought to confirm falshood 't is against Gods veracity to permit the same Miracles oblige vs to believe the doctrin in confirmation wherof thy be wrought The difference between Antichrists and Catholicks Miracles or true and fals Miracles That all the Roman Catholicks adore the Sacrament and believe Transsubstantiation as also other points of Popery is an evident Miracle of God and can not proceed from the Devils power or art The Devil temps men to be hereticks by the means and ministery of their senses and by humoring the same not against the evidence and inclination of sense The general signs and marks of the Church are vndeniable Miracles No other Church besides the Roman Catholick can shew those signs SECT II. OF particular miracles that confirm the Roman Catholick Tenents and our sense of Scripture related by S. Chrysostome S. Gregory Nazianzen S. Austin S. Nilus S. Cyprian the Martyr S. Optatus S. Gregory the great and others in confirmation of adoring the B. Sacrament Transsubstantiation the Sacrifice of the Mass Communion vnder one kind prayer for the dead and Purgatory Primat Vshers falsifications and fraud to discredit some of these Miracles discovered Of Miracles in England related by Waldensis and recorded by the Archbishops of Canterburyes Register How Protestants falsify the very statuts and law books Miracles wrought by S. Bernard to confirm every controverted point of the Roman Catholick doctrin against the Protestant Protestant writers confess S. Bernard was a Saint and yet say his Miracles were wrought by the Devil How absurd SECT III. MIracles to confirm the worship and vertu of the sign of the Cross recorded by St. Paulinus St. Cyril of Jerusalem St. Athanasius St. Hierom St. Gregory Tuâ—onensis Nicephorus and Theodoret. How by Tradition from the Apostles the primitive Christians were accustomed to sign themselves frequently with the sign of the Cross. The first and worst Heretiks were enemyes of that sign Christs Cross multiplyed by miracle in St. Paulinus his time Protestant miracles are but cheats Not one of them true Protestants agree with Pagans heretiks and Magitians in contemning miracles and the sign of the Cross. How the Devils dread the same SECT IV. MIracles in confirmation of the Catholick worship of Jmages related by the most eminent authors of the Ecclesiasticall History and by the 2. Councell of Nice an 787. wherin were 350. Bishops St. Peters shaddow was the Image of his body and by scripture Act. 5.15 it appears to have wrought Miracles The Protestant Imposture concerning Christs statue that Iulian the Apostata broke confuted S. Iohn Dâ—mascens hand that was cut off by the practises of Image-breakers restored by his praying at our Ladies Image The Protestant evasion of civil and religious worship confuted SECT V. MIracles related by S. Austin S. Ambrose S. Gregory Nazianzen S. Chrysostom S. Hierom S. Optatus S. Bede S. Bernard S. Anselm and others in confirmation of prayer to Saints worshipping their Reliques of the vertue of holy water the Sacraments of Confirmaon Confession and extrem Vnction The doctrin of Indulgences confirmed by the same Miracles that confirm worship of Saints Pilgrimages c. The truth of all S. Thomas of Canterburyes Miracles evidenced by one that Fox recounts and picks out to discredit the test What litle reason Protestants have to suspect our Catholick Miracles of forgery How severe the Roman Church is in the scrutiny and punishment of such Impostures Reflections vpon Bishop Taylors Treatise of Confirmation Confession and extrem Vnction maintained to be Sacraments by ancient Fathers S. Bedes holiness and learning acknowledged by Protestants He relates Miracles wherby the errors of Protestancy are confuted How absurdly Protestants contemn the authority of the holy Fathers in Miracles admitting it in matters of faith How ridiculous John Fox his Miracles are how vnwisely the Prelatick Clergy countenance his Acts and Monuments that have so spread Puritanism in England A Paralell between Protestancy and Mahometism FINIS THE CONCLVSION To the right Honorable the Committee OF PARLIAMENT FOR RELIGION May it please your Honors VEnerable St. Bede in his History of the Church of England recounteth how St. Austin the Monk and our Apostle Sent by St. Gregory the Great Bishop of Rome to convert our Saxon Ancestors from Paganism to Christian Religion arriving at the Isle of Tanet in Kent gave notice vnto King Ethelbert then a
Aug. cit cap. 20. [3] Aug. cit 16. Concil Tolet. 1. Can. 5. Cyprian de Coena Dom. post med Origen in num hom 23. [4] Cyprian lib. 2. epist. 3. Augustin de Civit. Dei lib. 16. cap. 22. passim Aug. [5] de Civit. Dei lib. 22. cap. 8. lib. 20. contra Faustum cap. 18. Hieron lib. 3. contra Pelag. August tom 8. in Psalm 33. con 2. saith Ipse de Corpore et Sanguine suo instituit Sacrificium secundum Ordinem Melchisedech S. Chrisost. in lib. 1. cor hom 24. saith of Christ Ipsum mutavit Sacrificium et pro caede brutorum seipsum jussit offerri [6] Aug. in Enchirid. cap. 110. de cura pro mortuis cap. 18. [7] Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 10. cap. 20. Cyprian de coena Dom. [8] S. Ireneus lib. 4. cap. 32. August de gratia novi Testam cap. 18. [9] Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 17. cap. 20. S. Clement the Apostles scholler in Apost Constit. edit Antverp 1564. lib. 6. cap. 22. fol. 123. [10] Tertulian ad Scapul cap. â— saith Sacrificamus pro salute Imperatoris [11] Chrysost. hom 27. in Acta Apost Pro infirmis etiam sacrificamus [12] Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 22. cap. 8. saith one went and offered in the house infected the Sacrifice of Christs Body praying that the vexation might cease and by Gods mercy it ceased immediatly [13] Basil in Liturgia fol. 40. Chrisost. in Mart. Rom. 83. Cyprian de Coena Dom. prope initium Origen Athan. c. quoted by Crastonius cit [a] Osiander a Protestant writer epist. cent 16. pag. 90. saith Leonard Keppen on the 7. day of April 1523. brought to Wittemberg nine Nuns from the Monastery Nimptsen among which number one was Catharin Borenâ— whom afterwards Luther married Peter Martyr and Bucer married Nuns Luthers example of marriag was followed by all the Disciples though professed Monks not only in Germany but in euery other country Here with us these Protestant Bishops ensuing Hoopâ—r of Worcester Barlow of Chicester Dounham of Chester Scory of Herefort Barkley of Bath and Wells Couerdale of Excester all Monks Cranmer of Canterbury and Sandes of York Priests [b] S. Austin haeres 82. saith of Jouinian teaching the Lawfulness of Priests and Votaries mariage This heresy was quickly extinct neyther could it euer preuail to the deceiuing so much as of any one Priest And lib. 2 retrac cap. 22. that Jouinian with his heresy deceiued but only nonnullas Sanctimoniales some few Nuns But Luther deceiued Priests Monks and Nuns or rather they concurred with him to deceiue others [c] Luther de seculari potestate in tom 6. Germ. saith Among Christians no man can or ought to be Magistrat but each one is to other equaly subject c. Among Christian men none is superior save only Christ And in his Sermons englishd by William Gage pag. 97. and tom 7. Wittemberg fol. 327. he saith Therfore is Christ our Lord that he may make us such as himself is and as he cannot suffer himself to be tyed and bound by laws c. So also ought not the conscience of a Christian to suffer them Afterwards he taught to moderat this liberty by explaining that subjects ought to haue an obedience rather of policy then conscience which is as much to say as to dissemble and obey when they cannot help it but if euer they can rebell with probability of success they may do it with a safe conscience And therfore in the same Sermons pag. 261. he doth admonish we obey the ciuil Magistrat prouided it be not pretended that it is necessary for saluation to obey Most Protestants follow this obedience of policy not of conscience see Whitaker in resp at Rat. Camp rat 8. pag. 154. And Danaeus against Belarmin pag. 1127. [d] Luther in Comment ad cap. 2. ad Galat. saith When it is taught Faith in Christ doth indeed justify but with all its necessary to keep Gods commandments there Christ is denyed and faith is abolished because that which is proper of God alone is attributed to the commandements of God or to the Law See also Luther in Colloq Mensal Ger. fol. 152. 153. M. r Willet in his Synopsis Papismi pag. 564. saith The Law remaineth stil impossible to be kept by vs through the weakness of our flesh neither doth God giue vs ability to keep it but Christ hath fulfilled it for vs. D. r Whitaker de Eccles. pag. 301. We say that if a man haue an aâ—t of faith sins do not hurt him this truly Luther affirming this we all say Hofman de Poenitentiâ edit 1540. lib. 2. fol. 113. saith according to the Protestant principles Whosoeuer truly belieueth suffereth God to work for him and dispose eternall life for him himself taking no labor nor working any thing for himself [a] Lutherus lib. de servo arbitrio contra Eras. edit 1. Cnoglerus symbola tria pag. 152. nullus nemo G. 6 pag. 153. [b] The Catholik Doctrin of the Church of England pag. 103. in the explanation of the 20. article of Religion saith Authority is given to the Church and to every member of sound judgment in the same to judg in controversies of faith and so in their places to embrase the truth and to avoyd and improve Antichristianity and errors and this is not the privat opinion of our Church but the straight commandment of God him-self particularly to all teachers and hearers of Gods word and generally unto the whole Church and also the Iudgment of our Godly Brethren in forreign Countreys [c] Mr. Bilson Bishop of Winchester in his true difference c. part 2. pag. 353. saith The people must be Discerners and Judg. of that which is taught The Catholik Doctrin of the Church of England art 19. Proposition 6. pag. 94. saith The visible Church may and from tyme to tyme hath errd both in Doctrin and conversation pag. 95 concludeth This with us the Churches in their Confessions do acknowledg Dr. Whitaker de Eccles pa. 301. We say that if a man have an art of faith sins do not hurt him this truly Luther affirmeth this we also say [d] Jrenaeus l. 1. c. 5. saith Videmus nunc eorum inconstantem Sententiam cum sint duo vel tres quemadmodum de iisdem eadem non dicunt And c. 18. Cum autem discrepant ad invicem doctrina traditione qui recentiores eorum adnoscuntur affectant per singulos dies novum aliquid invenire c. Durum est enim omnium describere sententias Tertullian de Praescrip adv haer cap. 42. saith Mentior si non etiam a regulis suis variant inter se dum vnusquisque proinde modulatur quae accepit quemadmodum de suo arbitrio composuit c. Denique inspect haereses omnes in multis cum authoribus suis dissentientes deprehunduntur And see cap. 37. Chrystom oper imperfect in
tom 5.22 * See thee nulity of the Prelatick Clergy of England cap. 2. and D. Bramhal in his vindication therof pa. 92. pag. 10â— Dr. Stapleton in his return of vntruths against Jewel fol. 130. and in his Counterblast against Horn fo 79 301 Dr. Harding Confut. Apol. fol. 57. 60 part 2. fol. 59. edit 1563 fol. 57. 59 edi 1566 Stat. 8. Elizabeth 1. Stat. 8. Eliz. 8. See the nullity of the Clergy and Church of England edit 1659. Bramhal in his vindicâ—tion pag. 132. Demonstrat Discipl cap. 8. ¶ 1 2. pag. 43. 2. part See this Act of ParliameÌ„t in the life of the Queen of Scots Written by Mr. V. dal and dedicated to King James pag. 200. 201. See 1 p. seâ— 1. Primat Bramhal's succession and vindication of the Prelatick Clergy was answered by the Author of the nullity of the Church of England and by an other book after he had both these aÌ„swers by him and durst not reply but rather coÌ„curred with his Brethren in adding the words Priests and Bishop to their forms of ordination as appeareth in their last edition of the CommoÌ„ praier rites c. of the Church of England See in the epistle Dedicatory and our Preface the Act of Parliament preferring any natural issue of Queen Elizabeth to the Crown before the royal family of the Stewards See Udal a ProtestaÌ„t in his history of the Queen of Scots wher he proves how the bastard Mâ—rry by the means of John Knox and others that he employed changed the ancient Religion in Scotland to the end him self might be made King by the Protestants and how afterwards by the same way he murthered King James his Father and persecuted King James and his mother all vnder the pretext of a Protestant Reformation Luther in epist. ad Argentinenses anno 1525. Christum à nobis primò vulgatumau demus gloriari See part 2 sect 5. n. 5. See M. r Belson Bishop of Winchester in his true difference c. part 2. pag. 353. See M. r Rogers in the Catholick doctrin of the Church of England pag. 103. pervsed aÌ„d published by the Lawful authority of the Church of England an 1633. Calvin in Dan c. 6. v. 22. 23. Abdicant se potestate terreni Principes duÌ„ insurgunt coÌ„tra Deum c potius ergo coÌ„spicere oportet in illorum capita quam â—llis parere c. (a) Perkins in his exposition vpon the Creed p. 400. vve say that befor the days of Luther for the space of many hundred years an vniversal Apostacy overspread the vvhole face of the earth and that our Church vvas not then visible to the world Mr. Napper upon the revelations dedicated to King Jams pag. 143. saith from Constantin's time vntill these our days even 1260 years the Pope and his Clergy hath possessed the out ward visible Church of christianity [b] vpon thy vvalls ö Jerusalem have I set vvatchmen all the day and all the night for ever they shal not be silent Esay 62.6 see Ephes. 4.11 (c) Dr. Powel in his consideration of the Papist's supplication pag 43. Buchanan in loc com pa. 466. And Whitaker contra Camp rat 7. pag. 101. 102. contr Duc. pag. 277. This Whitaker after vainly attempting to shew the beginning of Popery and seing the insufficiency of his particular instances doth at length acknowledg his weakness and runs with the rest of his Protestant Championâ— to divert the Reader from the evidence of truth so deceitful and silly similituds (d) Luther tom 2. Wittemb anno 1551. lib. de se. arbit pag. 434 [e] Luther in parâ—a Confess to 3. Germ fol. 55. in Colloq mons Germ. fol. 210. (f) Mr. Gabriel Povvel in his consideration of the Papists supplication pag. 70. [g] Fox act and Mon. pa. 40 Jewel in his Apology p. 4. c. 4.5 2. and in his defence of the Apology edi 1571. p. 426 (h) Andreas Museâ—lus in praef in libellum Germ. de Diaboli Tyranide Nicolaus Androphius Conc. â— de Luthero [i] Conrad Schlusletbur Catal. haeret l. 13. pa. 314 seqq (k) M. Cartwright in M. whit gifts defence pag. 17. [l] Luther contra Regem Angliae fol. 344. I pass not if a thousand Austins a thousand Cyprians a thousand King Henry's Churches stood against me Et libro de se. arbit contra Eras. edit 1. Lay a side all the arms of orthodox antiquities c. see also nullus and nemo G. 6. pag. 153. And Cnoglerus his symbola tria pag. 152. [m] Danaeus pag. 939. in his answer to Belarm of the confess'd austerity of life of S. Bernard S. Francis S. Dominick the Monks c. says they were all fools And M. r Willet who maketh a special Treatise against the austerity of the ancient Fathers in pag. 358. of his Synopsis reproved S. Bazil S. Gregory Nazianzen for plucking down themselves by immoderat fasting and concludeth Wher in all the Scripturs learn'd these men thus to punish their bodys Oseander reprehended S. Anthony the Eremit for the same and saith his Religion was superstition And Calvin lib. 4 cap. 12. sect 8. that the austerity of the ancient Fathers was not excusable and differeth much from God's prescript and is very dangerous And Iunius in his animadversions pag. 610. 611 attributs S. Simon Stilletes his austerity and Miracles to cunjuring melancoly and his prophecies to suggestion from the Devill [n] Bucer one of the Composers of the Common prayer-book and of the Religion of the Church of England whom Mr. Withguift Archbishop of Canterbury in his defence pag. 522. termeth a Reverend learned painfull sound Father teacheth in his applauded work of the Kingdom of Christ and translated into English that it is lawful to procure liberty by a libel of divorce to marry again not only in the case of adultery but in case of the on 's departure from the other in case of homicide theft or repairing to the company or banquets of immodest persons likewise in case of incurable infirmity of the woman by Child birth or of the man by lunacy or otherwise See his own words in the aforsaid work l. 2. c. 26. 27. pag. 99. 100. cap. 28. pag. 101. saies that who ever will not induce his mind to love his wife with conjugal charity that man is commanded by God to put her away and marry an other And in Math. cap. 19. saith that the wife repudiated either justly or vnjustly if she hath no hopes to return to her husband and desirs to live piously and wants a husband may be marryed to an other without sin The whole University of Cambridg comends this Bucer for a man most holy and truly devine and this letter of commendations is printed with Bucer's Book wherin he teacheth this doctrin see it pag. 944. Luther's words in Serm. de Matrim are notorious If the wife will not or can not come let the mayd come Et ibd fol. 123. tom 5.
Wittensbâ—rg he is so vehement against the wifes refusal of her husband's bed that he saith if the Magistrat omit it's duty in punishing her the husband must imagin that his wife is stole away by theeves and dead and consider how to marry an other for saith he yet further we cannot stop St. Paul's mouth c. his words are plain that a brother or sister are free from the law of wed lock if the one depart or do not consent to dwel with the other neither doth he say that this may be don once only but leaveth it free that so often as the case shall require he may either proceed or stay In which case as he signifieth to Wittemb fâ—l 112 a man may have ten or more wives fled from him and yet living Nay he doubteth not in case of adultery to give liberty even to the offending advlteror to fly into an other country and marry againe Luther loc cit fol. 123. Melancton consil Theol. part 1· pag 648. [o] Mr. Whitgift the Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury in his defence pag. 472. saith The doctrin taught and professed by our Bishops at this day is much more perfect and sound then it commonly was in any age since the Apostles tims pa. 473. asuredly you are not able so recken in any age since the Apostles time any Company of Bishops that taught and held so perfect and sound doctrin in all points as the Bishops of England do at this time In the truth of doctrin our Bishops be not only comparable with the old Bishops but in many degrees to be preferred before them c [a] Hooker lib. 1. Polit. Eccles pag. 86. lib. 2. sect 5. pag. 192. It is not the word of God which doth or possibly can assure vs that we do wel to think it his word for if any book of Scripture did give testimony of all yet stil that Scripture which gives credit to the rest would require an other Scripture to give credit vnto it Neither could we come to any pause wher on to rest vnless besids Scripture there were some thing which might assure vs. c. Which he lib. 3. sect 8. pag. 146. lib. 2. sect 7. pag. 116. Acknowledged to be the authority of God's Church Whitaker against Stapleton lib. 2. cap. 6. pag. 270. saith The testimony of the spirit being privat and secred is vnfit to teach and refell others and therfor we must recurr to Ecclesiastical Tradition an argument saith he ibid. cap. 4. pag. 300. Wherby may be argued and convinced what books be Canonical and what be not M. r Fulk in his answer to a counterfeit Catholick pag. 5. saith the Church of Christ hath judgment to discern true writings from counterfeit and the word of God from the writings of men and this judgment she hath of the holy Ghost M r Jewel in his defence of the Apology pag. 201. And afther the edition of 1571. pa. 242. saith the Church of God hath the spirit of wisdom wherby to discern true Scripture from false [*] See Pomeran in Epist. ad Rom. cap. 4. Vitus Theodorus in annot Test. pag. vl The Century writers of Magdeburg cent 1. lib. 2. cap. 4. cent 2. lib. 3. cap. 4. Hafferoferus in loc Theol. lib. 3. stat 3. loc 7. pag. 222. Adamus Fancisci in Margarita Theol. pag. 448. giveth this testimony of the Protestant Church wherof him-self was a member The Apocriphal books of the new Testament are the Epistle to the Hebrews the Epistle of Iams the second and third of Iohn the second of Peter the Epistle of Iude and the Apocalyps And all the Authors heer mentioned give the like testimony in behalf of their Protestant Churches wherfor we can not but admire Doctor Cossins confidence in affirming a matter so notoriously contradicted and much more the carelesness of them who ground their faith and Canon of Scripture vpon it s not being ever questioned See Cozins in the 17 chap. per toâ— [a] Salvus Conductus datus Protestantibus sess 13. 14. Concil Trident. Vt Protestantes de iis rebus quae in ipsa Synodo tractari debent omni libertate conferre proponere tractare c. ac articulos quot illis videbitur tam scripto quam verbo afferre proponere cum Patribus c. conferre absque ullis convitiis concontumeliis disputare nec non quando illis placuerit recedere possint Placuit praeterea Sanctae Synodo vt si pro majori libertate ac securitate eorum certos tam pro commissis quam pro committendis per eos delictis Iudices eis de putari cupiant illos sibi benevolos nominent etiamsi delicta ipsa quantumcunque enormia ac hoeresim sapientia fuerint New definitions are not new articles of faith See this largly proued in 3. part of this Treatise pag. 101. seq (a) S. Hierom in lib. de 〈◊〉 illustr extremo in Praefat librorum quos latinâ—s â—ecit (b) Hierom. epist. 89. ad Aug. quaest 11. inter ep August S. Hierom. in his Preface before the new Testament dedicated to Pope Damasus Novum opus c. [c] Luther being admonished of his corruption would not correct his error but saith tom 5. Germ. fol. 141. 144. sic volo sic jubeo sit pro ratione voluntas c. Lutherus ita vult And concludeth Therfore the word alone ought to continue in my New Testament although all Papists run mad yet they shal not take it from thence It grieves me that I did not add those two other words Omnibus omnium The Church of England in Edward 6. time Translated some times This signifieth my Body other times this is my Body other times neither is nor signifieth but insteed therof a blanck as not yet resolved vpon which was true See Knot in his Protestancy condemned Edit 1654. pag. 87. Bible 1562 Bible 1562. Cor. 7. v. 1. Bible 1577. 1579. Chemnit in examin part 2. fol. 74. Saravia in defens tra diversis mini â—r gradibus pag 3. Jewel in his defence of the Apology 157. pa. 35. Tertullian in lib de praescr Qui estis vos vnde quaÌ„do venistis vbi tam diu latuistis S. Hilarius l. 6 de Trinit ante med Tarde mihi hos piissimos doctâ—res aetas nunc â—ujus â—â—culi protulit c. S. Hierom in epist ad Pamaâ—â— â—ce an 〈◊〉 pâ—st quadring 〈◊〉 now 1600 annos docere nos 〈◊〉 quâ—d anâ—â—a neseivimus Vsque in haÌ„c diem sine isra doctrina mundus christianus fuit Luther in â—p ad Irgentineneses auâ— 1525. Christiana nolaâ— primo vulga tun audemu gloriari [a] Georgius Milius in August Confes. explic art 7. de ecclesia pag. 137. [b] Dr. Feeld in his Treatise of the Church lib. 3 cap. 46 Mr. Abr Hartwell in his report of the Kingdom of Congo printed 1597. in his epistle to the reader Symon Lythus in respons altera ad alteram Gretseri Apol pag. 331
God give us ability to keep it but Christ hath fulfilled it for us [a] Luther in his Sermons translated into English an 1578. pag. 147. 176. [b] Acts and Mon. pag. 1338. [c] Mr. Wotten in his answer to the Popish articles pag. 92. pag. 41. [d] Mr. Fulk against the Remish Testament in Epi. Ioan. Sec. 5. fol. 447. Dr. Whitaker de Eccles. pag 301 We say that if a man have an act of faith sins do not hurt him this truly Luther affirmeth this we all say [e] Acts and Mon. pag. 1335. Sinit quisquis vere credit Deum pro se operari disponere sibi vitam aeternam ipse plane ad eam rem nihil operis seu laboris sibi sumens Hofmannus de paenitentia edit 1540. l. 2. fol. 113. Whitaker contra Campian rat 8. pag. 151. Christus conditionem nobis aliam multo faciliorem proponit Crede salvus eris [f] Dr. Fulk in the Tower disputation against Campian the second days conference 1. 6. [g] Whitaker against Campian rat 8. pag. 143. fides aut perpetua est aut nulla est The Protestant doctrin of justifying faith most daÌ„gerous and damnable My Lord Chancellor in his speech to the Parliament at Oxford Luther in postilla super Evang Dom. 1. Advemus Dominica 26 post Trinit [a] Osiander in epitom Centur. 16. part 2. pag. 647 saith of David George vtebatur enim publico vir Dei ministerio Basiliensi egentibus elëemosy nam subministrebat aegrotos consolabatur c. [b] Historia Georgij Davidis published by the Divines of Basil and printed of Antwerp 1568 si Christi Apostolorum doctrina vera perfecta fuisset c. [c] Osiander in epitom Centur. 16. pag. 818. Schlusselb in Theol. Calvin l. 1. art 2. fol. 9. [d] Idem Schlussenburg cit fol. 9. where he brings many other examples of Protestants to the same purpose as also Osiander centur 16. pag. 207.208.209 Concerning that known Text I and my Father are unum one thing Ioan. 10.30 Calvin avoydeth it as the Arians did saying Abusi sunt hoc loco veteres vt probarent Christum esse Patri homousion Neque enim Christus de activitate substantiae disputat sed de consensu c. Calvin in Ioan. 10. Calvin in admonit ad Polonos explant in Tract Theol. pag. 794. Sententia Christi Pater major me est restricta fuit ad humanam ejus naturam ego vero non dubito ad totum complexum extendere Stancarus contra Minist Geneuenses Tigurinos fol. 94. 95. 118. 123. affirmeth that the Reformed Churches professing the faith of Geneva and Tigure be Arian and saith Conclusum est ô Calvine doctrinam tuam de Filio Dei esse plane Arianam a qua resilias quam primum te oro atque obsecro [a] The word Trinity is but a humaÌ„ inventioÌ„ and soundeth couldly Luther in Postil majore Basileae apud Hernagium in enar Evangel Dom. Trinit Calvin ep 2. ad Polonos in tract Theolog pag. 796 saith Precatio vulgo trita est sancta Trinitas vnus Deus miserere nostri mihi non placet ac omnino barbariem sapit (b) Luther in lib. contrâ— JacobuÌ„ Latomum 〈◊〉 2. Wâ—tteâ—b latine edito anno 1551. The later editions are altered and corrupted herin as in many other things Osiander in Epitom cent 16. pag. 169 Symbolum Athanasiivocant doctrinaÌ„ fidem Satanasii vanissime insuper jactitant Lutherum vix tectum Babilonicae turris detex isse se vero ex imis fundamentis eam ex scindere [a] Whitaker contra rat Camp pag. 78. And in his answer to Mr. William Reynolds cap. 6. pag. 135. art 136. saith The Fathers thought by their external disciplin of life to pay the paines due for sin wherin they derogated not a little from Christ's death c. Which though it be an errour yet were they notwithstanding good men and holy Fathers From whence followeth that Indulgences Purgatory Satisfaction Prayer for the dead Merit c. may be held by learned and holy men Mr. Bunny in his treatise tending to pacification sect 17. pag. 104. excusing some points of popery and amongst others the worshiping of images saith in these therfore or such like whosoever will condemn all those to be none of the Church that are not fully persuaded therin as we are c. committed an vncharitable part towards his Brethren See Doctor Some against Mr. Penry pag. 176. Tindall act Mon. pag. 1338. I doubt not but S Bernard Francis and many other holy men erred as concerning Mass. Mr. Francis Iohnson in Mr. Iacob's defence of the Churches and Ministery of England c. pag. 13. Did not Iohn Hus that worthy Champion of Christ and others also of the Martyrs of fore times say and heare Mass even to their dying day c. Did not divers of them acknowledg some the Pop's calling and supremacy some the 7. Sacraments some auricular confession c. Morgenstein in tract de Ecclesia c. pag. 41. These things were pardonable in the Godly who held the Pope to be the Vicar of Christ and Head of the Church the Papacy for the Church Saints for mediators and the Mass for the supper of the Lord. Luther de vtraque specie saith If thou coms't to a place were the Communion is ministred vnder one only kind take it with others The like indifferency is affirmed by Melancthon in centur epist. Theolog. pag. 252. and not denyed by Bishop Iewell in his reply pag. 110. 106. The Roman Catholick Church is a competent and vnpartial Judg of Controversies of Religion Quid praediâ—averinâ— Apostoli quid illis Christus revelaverit c. non aliter probari debere nisi per easdem Ecclesias quas ipsi condiderunt Tertul. l. 1. dâ— praescri c. 6. All Christians were nâ—ver Iudges of Religion one part always submitted to the judgment of the other that was in obedience to and in communion with saint Peter's Successor the Bishop of Rome See Bishop Morton cit and Bishop Taylor in his Dissuasive pag. 8. edit Dubl Protestancy is Heresy Protestancy contradicts God's veracity The infallibility of the Roman Catholick Church in matters of faith proved against Protestants The Protestant doctrin of fundamentalls confuted See Ariagae disp 4. de fide sec. 4. per totum The infallibility of the Church proved by God's veracity Heresy explained by Rebellion The vnreasonableness of them who pretend a privat spirit aÌ„d refuse to submit to the authority of the Church for want of cleerer evidence then the Roman Catholick hath of God's authority Esay 49.28 Suinglius lib. 4. Epist. Brentius in Confes. Wittemb cap. de Sacra Script in Prologo contra PetruÌ„ a Sâ—to l. 2. sect 6. pag. 112. See heretofore â— part sec. 1. how the centurists and other learned Protestants confess the Councells and Fathers defended worship of Imamages TransubstantiatioÌ„ Purgatory Indulgences and all other points of Popery Bale in his Act. Rom.
noâ—is Ecclesiae cap 9 Apparatus ad Tom. 1. pag. 49. Sutcliff pag. 199. Sutcliff pag. 279. Instit. lib. 2. cap. 20. Luther de Captiuit Babylon in cap. 15 Ioan. in 6. art against the execrable Bull c. Melancton disp de paenitentia prop. 7. Concil Trid. Sess. 6. c. 8. Catech. ad Paroch de paen Sacram pag. 290. Luther lib. 1. de natura hominis art 4. Luther lib. contra Ambr. Cathar Luther in Concil Germ. cap. de Anti-Christo Calvin lib. 3. Instit. c. 20. â— 21. Calvin Instit. lib. 3. c 4. §. 1. See part 2. 3. Cor. 7. Cyprian ser. de caena Domini See St. Cyril of Hierusalem Cateches Missagog 4. S. Ambros lib. 4. de Sacram. c. 4. de ijs qui Mysterijs initiantur c. 6. St. August vide Canonean do consec dist 2. Answer 85. St. Basil. in Regulis brevioribus Interrogatione 288. St. Ambrose l. de paenit cap. 6. St. Austin hom 49. c. 3. Aug. lib. de vera falsa paenitentia cap. 10. cap. 14. St. Gregory Nyssen orat in eos qui durius alios judicant Petro Francisco Zeno. Interpret Pag. 128. St. Ambrose l. 1. de paenit cap. 2. ser. 10. in psal 128. St. Hierom. in proverb cap. 11. saith it is to be observed that although there be no hope of pardon after death yet be there soâ—e who may be absolved after death from such light sins as they carried with them out of this life They may be absolved I say either by suffering punishment or els by the prayer almes and masses of their living friends But to whom soever these things are don thy are don to them before the last Judgment and for lighter faults De hac quaestione nihil Ecclesia definiuit sunt autem multae opiniones Belarm lib. 12. de purgat cap. 6. initio pag. 178. passim St. Bernard ser. 66. in Cant. St. Gregory Nyssen orat de mortuis Purge me o Lord in ths life c. that I may not stand in need of that ameÌ„ding fire which is for those who shall be saued but so as by fire Aug. in psal 37. It is manifest that they aged persons dying in smaller sins being purged before the day of Judgment by temporary pains which their souls do suffer they shall not be deliuered to the punishment of eternal fire Aug. l. 20. de Ciuit cap. 13. Vsher's Answer pag. 179. Answer pag. 182. See Sir Edward Sands in his relations cap. 53.54 Hieremias Constantinopol Resp. 1. c. 12. 13. Gabriel Alexand ep ad Clem. 8 Hypathius Ruthenorum legatus in professione fidei Graeci Venetiad Card. Guisianum q 10 Zaga Zabâ— Ethiop in Confessione fidei Aethiop Gennadius Scholarius c. Purgatorio sec. 1. 5. Answer pag. 420 Reply against Harding p. 379. St. Austin contra Faust. Manichaeum lib. 20. c. 21. Answer pag. 377. Mathew 4. v. 10 St. Epiphan Haeres 79. parag 6. 7 Ibid parag 2. Vsher translates But thou o Lord and adds interrogations to help his fraud Adjuvent nos eorum merita quos propria impediunt scelera excuset intercessio accusat quos actio qui eis tribuisti caelestis palmam triumphi nobis veniam non deneges peccati Pag. 24. against Fisher Aug. serm 14 de verbâ— Apostoli in fine Laud pag. 33 Ibid. Pag. 34. B. Laud. E. Quae quidê si tam manifesta monâ—ratur vt in dubium venire non possit praeponenda est omnibus illis rebus quibus in Catholicateneor Ita si aliquid apertissimuÌ„ in Evangelis St. Aug. contra Fund c. 4. Pag. 38. Vincent Lirin cap. 23.24 he sayes the Pelagians erred in Dogmate fidei and yet they erred not in a prime maxime but in a superstructure Vin. Lirin cont haer c. 31. Impiorum turpiumerrorum lupanar vbi erat ante castae incorruptae Sacrarium veritatis Bp. Laud pag. 38. Pag. 39. Christi vero Ecclesia sedula cauta depositorum Custos nihil in ijs vnquaÌ„ permutat nihil minuit nihil addit non amputat necessaria non apponit superflua non amittit sua non vsurpat allena Vincent Lirin cap. 22. Se hertofore part 2. Ego vero Evangelio non crederem nisi me Ecclesiae commoveret authoritas Aug. lib. 1. contra Epist. Fund c. 5. Bishop Laud pag. 81. edit 1639. Vbi Ecclesia Catholica Episcopos populos à tempore Apostolorum vsque in hodiâ—rnum diem sibimet succedentium importat sic accipit nomeÌ„ Ecclesiae Augustinus cum asserit quod non crederet Evangelio niâ—â— eum authoritas Ecclesiae c. Ocham Dial. part 1. lib. 1. cap. 4. Hos. 4.15 A.C. pag. 58. Guilielm Malmesbur in prolog lib. 1. de gâ—stâ—s Pontif. Angl. p. 195. St Bed lib. 5. Eccl. Hist. cap. 20. Bede lib. 1. Eccl. Histor. cap. 29. See this Treatise par 1. sec· 1. Concil Afrik Can. 101. Ut Romam liceat Episcopis provocare ut Clericorum causae apud suarum provinciarum Episcopos finiantur etiam litteris nostris ad eundem venerabilis memoriae Zozimum Episcopum datis insinuari curâ— vimus c. Concil African ep ad Bonifac pap to which St. Austin subscribed St. Irenaeus l. 3. cap. 3. Gregor Nazian in Car de vita sua See D Lauds labyrinth p. 135. 136 Hierom. ep ad Evagrium Auferibilis non est usque ad consummationeÌ„ saeculi Vicarius sponsus Ecclesiae â— quin aliquis certus ei praeficiatur c. Gerson Consid 20. A faire offer to Protestants See the petition and instrument of the Catholick Clergyes resignation in Doctor Heylins Ecclesia restaurata pag. 43. and the Stat. 1. Mar. and in this Treatise part 1. No sacrilege to apply the Church revenues to the Crown in some cases See the Sentence of Pope Julius 3. sent to Queen Mary an 1554. And the reasons therof set down by Dr. Burges in his book No Sacrilege nor sin c. 52. 53. wherof the last reason is seeing the goods and possessions of the Church even by the authority of the Canon laws may be aliened for the redemption of Captives and that the same may be don by that Church only to whom such possessions do belong it is fit and reasonable that such dispensations should be granted for continuing of possession already gotten for so great a good of publick concord and vnity of the Church and preservation of the State as well in body as in soul pag. 54. edit 1660. A publick Trial and Conference desired by Catholicks See Doctor Allen in his Apol. for the Seminaries And Persons in his Defence of the Censure Arch. Lauds reason confuted See the Nullity of the Protestant Church and Clergy See also my Erasus junior and an other book of mine called Erastus seni See the late or last EditioÌ„ of the Common prayer book since his Maj. happy restauration and there you shall find the words Priest and Bishop put into this their new form which are not