worke Nay rather let them vnderstand if they be the children of God that they are made plyable by Gods Spirite to doe the thynges that ought to be done and when they haue done so to yeld thankes to him by whom they were made to do so For they are made plyable bycause they should do something not bycause they should do nothing c. Which saying doth make euident vnto vs that eche of these two are to be founde in Freewill both that it is made to do when it doth well and agayne that it selfe also doth when it is made to do So that herein is no contrarietie at all but that it may both demeane it selfe by suffering and also by doing and to aunswere for Luther with Luthers owne wordes to witte after diuers and seuerall sortes and after the common phrase of speach in diuers and seuerall respectes For in respect of the worke it selfe whenas will occupyeth the place of an Instrument or toole it both doth is made to do euen as other tooles do in any matter whereunto they are applyed But if you haue relation to the efficient cause or workeman to whose vse it serueth in steéde of a toole in this respect the will of man demeaneth it selfe altogether sufferyngly as the which in respect of procuryng of Gods Grace from whence issueth all motion of good will it worketh nothyng at all but simply obeyeth suffereth For in any good worke what is mans will elles then an instrument of the holy Ghost voluntary in deéde bycause it is moued whether soeuer it is moued of her owne accord yet is it an instrument notwithstandyng bycause of thynges well done it is neither the cause it selfe nor any sparcke of the cause in respect of the worker but a seruaunt rather and a handmayde onely whose seruice the Spirite of God being the worker doth apply to do these things which it pleaseth him to haue to be done in vs for the accomplishyng wherof it ministreth no helpe at all as of her selfe But the Papisticall generation can not disgest this by any meanes to whom sufficeth not that Freewill shal be taken as an instrument or as it were a workeshoppe onely vnlesse it beare as great a stroke or rather with Gods Spirite workyng together with it nor doe they thinke it sufficient that the whole action of our Election and regeneration bee ascribed to the onely freé mercy of God vnlesse we also as felow workemē be coadiutours of this worke together with God For euen the same doe Osorius wordes emporte manifestly which folow in this wise Do ye not therefore perceaue sayth he by Paules owne wordes that Freewill is approued by his authoritie which Luther doth practise to ouerthrowe For to what ende would he haue called vs fellow workers with God if none of vs did further the worke that GOD worketh in vs to what purpose would he haue admonished vs to worke our owne Saluation if to do it were not in our owne power We are together Gods labourers as Paule reporteth 1. Corinth 3. Where I know that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie together labourers But what is this at the length to the purpose doe you not here playnly put the old Prouerbe in practize to witte I aske you for Garlicke and you offer me Oynyones I desire to borrow sickles and you lyke a churlishe neighbour deny that you haue any Mattockes How carefull the Apostles were in plantyng the doctrine of the Gospell we are not ignoraunt nor do deny And it is not to be doubted that Gods prouidence vsed them as most choyse instrumentes to addresse and husband his Uynearde yea and that not without singular profite But we make no enquiry here as now how much mans industry did bryng to passe by the outward preachyng of the word or whom it profited most but the question is here touchyng the fruite of inward cōuersion whether Freewill of her selfe do worke or not worke any furtheraunce towardes the embracyng of fayth towardes repentaūce towardes spirituall righteousnes towards attainement of Saluation and towardes the regeneration of lyfe So that the state of the question be now to witte Whether mās mynde and will beyng of the selfe same nature that it was when we were first borne be endued with any actuall or effectuall power able to worke together with Gods holy Spirite towardes the begynnyng of our conuersion and entryng into our godly consideration of good purposes and actions of inward obedience Wherein many writers doe vary in Iudgement and opinion yea that not a litle But Osorius propositiō alledged here of the Apostles together workers maketh nothyng to the purpose nor auayleth to the maintenaunce of Freewill a rushe For to admit that the Apostles were together workers with God yet that those same together workemē should be hypred to worke in this Uyneard and sent abroad into the Lordes haruest proceéded not of their owne voluntary motion or Freewill but of the freé Election and callyng of God onely Agayne this their Ministery as farre forth as concerneth their own persons euen then when they laboured most earnestly was extended no further then to the outward preachyng dispensation of the word for as touchyng the inward conuersion of the hearers nourishment of their fayth this was the onely worke of the holy Ghost and not of the Apostles Paule did plante Apollo did water But what doth this helpe to Freewill when as neither he that plāteth nor he that watereth are any thing at all but God onely who geueth the encrease And what is the reason then why they are sayd to bee nothyng Is it bycause he that plāteth and he that watereth and he that ploweth doth nothyng at all was Paule nothyng or did he not worke at all who beyng continually trauailyng is reported to haue laboured more then all the rest or shall we say that the rest of the Apostles did nothyng which did employ not their trauaile onely but shedd their bloud also in furtheryng the worke of the Gospell Yeas veryly wonderfull much if you respect the outward Ministery of Preachyng the word and their function But we doe enquyre of the inward operation of conuersion and the renewyng of the myndes which is the onely worke of God not of Freewill nor of mans outward endeuour Godly Preachers in deéde doe pearce into the eares of men with outward voyce set downe before them the wordes of fayth and truth And yet thus to do springeth not of their own Freewill but from the freé callyng of God whereby they are lead to do the same but to beleue the doctrine inwardly to become faithful hearers of the wholesome word is the onely worke of the holy Ghost who by secret inspiration doth dispose the myndes doth renew the hartes doth inspire with fayth finally of unwillyng doth make willyng so that here is no place left now for Freewill to challēge but that he onely possesse
forgeuen but through the merites of Iesu Christ. What then doth not Paul affirme truly that Iewes and Gētiles are all cōcluded vnder sinne Doth not the Propheticall kyng Dauid likewise lōg before him pronoūce truly There is not one righteous person no not one there is not one that will vnderstand not one that will seeke after god All are gone out of the way they are all together become vnprofitable there is not one that doth good no not one If there be not one righteous mā no not so much as one what shal be come of the worthynes of your workes then yea euen amōgest the most perfect and godly If there bee no man that will vnderstand then also the best workes of the godly are of no value If no mā seéke after God what can be duly performed of any person If all haue declined out of the way where be they that haue walked perfectly in the right way Lastly if there be no person that doth good whether then are all your excellent workemaisters vanished a Gods name if all I say all as well Iewes as Gētiles that is to say if all generally are concluded vnder sinne where can those pretie holy men bee founde of whom ye will neédes haue some but Paule vtterly none at all Through the sinne of one man sinne is poured vpon all fleshe to condemnation These be the expresse wordes of Paule which will not admitte any startyng hole yet your Mastershyp notwithstandyng will vrge a certeine perfection of our workes contrary to the manifest authoritie of sacred Scriptures But this Prelate doth make more accompt of the wordes of Christ our Sauiour saying Not he that sayth Lord Lord but he that doth the will of my Father shal enter into the kingdome of heauen And then hee demaundeth If the yoke of sinne bee so alwayes fastened vnto our shoulders that it can by no meanes be remoued how we may then obteine the state of righteousnesse through the grace and goodnesse of Christ Your selfe haue told it wise man truely euen through the very same grace and goodnes of Christ which you haue named And therfore Dauid being full of the holy Ghost lifting his hādes vp vnto God cryeth out in this maner Wash me throughly from my wickednes and clense me frō my sinne for I knowledge my faultes and my sinne is euer before me Why should we desire to bee washed if we did not welter in the filthy puddle of sinnes and why should we require to bee clensed and throughly purified if we were not corrupted wholy defiled with the stinckyng dregges of sinne As by the fall of one mā sayth Paule sinne is deriued by way of propaganaciō vpon all men vnto condēnation euen so by the righteousnesse of one good is extended vnto all men to iustification of life Agayne The same Paule God hath shut vp all men vnder vnbelief that he might haue mercy vpon all Frō our selues therfore proceédeth euill vnto damnatiō And from God commeth Iustification vnto lyfe Of our selues riseth vnbelief but mercy issueth from God But let vs heare our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ him selfe most sweétely cōfortyng vs with these wordes Come vnto me all ye that doe trauaile and be heauy laden and I will refresh you And therfore all anguish and grief of sinne all burden of trespasses wherewith we are ouerladen and haled down not onely to the groūde but euen to hell gates spryng out from our owne selues euen so the asswagyng of all sorrowes and ease of all our importable burdens come from Iesu Christ onely If you bee ignorant of these sentences good Syr wherewith the holy scriptures doe euery where swarme so plentyfully what is it I pray you that you vnderstand in the Gospell if you doe know them why doe ye so maliciously inueighe agaynst those learned men and singular seruauntes of God without cause especially being as now departed this life agaynst whom if they could speake for them selues ye durst not mutter one worde For what are you beyng compared with them But to let them passe whom I did not vndertake to defend what extreme amazednesse is this in you to rehearse my wordes and cull them out of purpose to carpe at them and from them to glaūce away to Luther and Caluin if your quarell be to me why do you not let them alone if ye liste to striue with them then also cauill not with me Doth not reason require this and is not my request allowable Surely it is extreme maddenesse to challenge me vnto the Barriers and then to sckyppe ouer away to others and to pursue them with your venymous toung You say further that it seemeth by my maisters doctrine for so it pleaseth you to tearme thē that the force of sinne is not as yet extinguished in vs through the bloud of Christ. Truely you and I both may acknowledge those men whose names you did recite before to be our maisters not in Diuinitie onely but in practize of pietie also But whereas ye would haue them to teache that the force of sinne is not as yet extinguised through the bloud of Christ I doe expresse here your owne wordes This is onely your horrible and most shamelesse slaūder agaynst them For vnto this marke alwayes they bent their whole endeuour to expresse vnto you Iesu Christ liuely before your eyes the same also crucified to emprint throughly in the very bowels of your soules the most precious bloud of Iesu Christ shed for vs vpon the Crosse to preach vnto vs remission of sinnes through his bitter death and passion to beate into the blind and deafe eares of the world this glad tydyngs of the Gospell beyng ouerwhelmed oppressed by your couled generatiō massemongers confessours and mens traditions altogether choaked buried vnder grounde through the silence of holy Scriptures and to disclose agayne abroad into the open light and put miserable captiues in remembraunce of the sayd doctrine beyng vtterly subuerted by the tyrannous trechery of your gallauntes And therfore in all their sermons lessons and writynges they vsed these and such like speaches The bloud of Iesu Christ doth clense vs frō all sinne You do know that you were redemed from your vayne conuersation which you receaued by the traditiō of your forefathers not with transitorie thyngs as gold and siluer but with most precious bloud as of an vndefiled lambe c. neither whoremōgers nor worshippers of images nor adulterers c. shall inherite the kingdome of God And such ye were but you are clensed but you are sanctified but you are iustified through the name of Iesu Christ and through the spirite of our God You heare men clensed from all sinne redeémed from their vayne conuersation washed sanctified and iustified through the bloud of Iesu Christ Ye know likewise that these men did take vpon them alwayes infinite labours and trauaile about the establishyng and enlargyng of the Gospell of Christ
if a Turke or Infidell should pleade before the same Christ his Iudge And why bycause the one is very much holpen by yeldyng his fayth to the promise the other hath none other ayde to trust vnto but the rigour of the law But let vs proceéde that we may come at the last to the pricke that is shot at I vnderstand therfore by these wordes of Christ what shal be betyed of thē at the last that haue liued well that vnto those that are founde such in the Iudgement shall geuen possession of eternall life I heare this well But I would fayne know at the length what the Cause should be why this mercyfull Iudge will vouchsafe to reward those workemen so highly For our controuersie consisteth not in this point that reward is geuen but in this for what Cause reward is geuen Whether of any desert or without all desert whether for the proper worthynesse of the workes them selues whiche you call good or rather for the Fayth of the person from whence those workes doe obteine both to bee called good and to bee esteémed for good You will say that the spring of this together working grace floweth vnto vs out of the founteine of Fayth from whence all abilitie to do good deédes is so aboundant within vs whiche being receiued afterwardes through the bountifulnesse of Christ fruites of holy workes do issue out from vs which do make vs worthy to be Iustified and to place vs in the possession of euerlastyng kyngdome I do aunswere that ye do neither speake as much as ye ought nor that altogether true that ye doe speake For albeit we confesse that all the good whatsoeuer we do proceédeth from the bountyfull gift of God yet this is farre wyde from the marke of our controuersie now in hand neither is this matter in handlyng now to know from whence the fruites of good workes do spryng but after they are come vnto vs the question is how much they do auayle vnto vs whether they them selues through their owne worthynesse do worke our Iustification before God or whether they stand destitute of any other ayde whereby they may be Iustified them selues whether doe ye thinke workes of their owne nature so effectuall as to bee able alone to endure the heauye burden of Gods Iudgement or that the operation of the Fayth of the beleuer rather thē of the worke doth present the persons together with their workes to Gods freé Imputation and so accomplish Iustification But I doe heare a continuall ianglyng of this Portingall Coockoe chatteryng alwayes one maner of laye in myne eares Not fayth but workes sayth hee wayed in the ballaūce of Gods Iudgement do purchase either Saluation or Damnatiō vnto vs. Where finde you this Out of the wordes of Christ And those that haue done well shall goe into euerlasting life but those that haue done euill into euerlasting destruction I aūswere it is most true that the Lord speaketh but most vntrue that Osorius concludeth hereof Christ comprehendyng the fruites of workes together with the whole treé and ioynyng the Causes together with the persons doth encourage them with the hope of eternall lyfe which do yeld their endeuour manfully to their vtterest abilitie to performe the rule of the Gospell not defiuyng what the proportion of their workes doe deserue but declaryng how bountyfully and manifoldly he will require their labours whiche haue suffered any kynde of afflictiō for his names sake Osorius framyng hereof meérely false propositions doth with his crafty conueyaunce wrest force those thynges to the workes them selues onely whiche the Lord doth apply to his faythfull that liue vertuously and so at length turnyng awry that is to say From the Concreto to the Abstractum to vse here the termes of Sophistry seueryng the persons from the thyngs doth conclude disorderly after this maner of false conclusion Faythfull and godly Christians liuing vertuously shal be rewarded with eternall lyfe Ergo Good workes by them selues wayed in the ballaunce of Gods Iudgement doe deserue eternall lyfe What cā be more falsely imagined or more foolishly cōcluded thē this lye In deéde workes are the fruites of Christiā fayth and tokens not causes of Saluation Euen as a treé that bringeth forth fruites if the treé be good it appeareth by the fruites not bycause the fruite maketh the treé good but bycause the treé maketh the fruite good In lyke maner the deédes of the godly haue nothyng in them selues that may enable them to stand vpright in Iudgemēt But if they finde any grace or reward the same may not bee ascribed to their owne merite but partly to Mercy partly to Imputatiō through the sonne that is the Redeémer to Mercy I say which doth forgeue our euill deédes to Imputation whiche accepteth our good workes though they be of them selues neuer so vnperfect as though they were perfect and doth reward them with a crowne of glory so that the glory hereof is not now to be ascribed to men but to God not to righteousnesse but to grace not to workes but to fayth not to Iudgement but to mercy For confirmation wherof if we seéke for authoritie who may require any one a more faythfull witnesse or of more approued authority then the Apostle who beyng sent vnto the Gentiles as to his proper peculiar charge what doth he preach vnto thē Not by the workes which we haue done sayth he but for his mercy sake he hath saued vs If wordes may obteine any credite with you what can bee spoken more playnely if the authoritie of the witnesse may preuayle what more assured testimony can be sought for then Paule that speaketh him selfe But Osorius lacketh not a shift of descante here thinkyng thereby to craze the force of veritie For whereas Paule affirmeth that we are saued for his mercyes sake he doth interprete this saying to be verified after this sort Bycause mercy doth endue vs with abilitie and power to worke that hereof those godly deedes of pietie doe ensue which may make vs vs righteous before God and that hereof likewise it commeth to passe that all whatsoeuer true righteousnesse appeareth in vs doth proceede from the mercy and bountie of God and not from our own nature Such is the doctrine that he scattereth abroad euery where in these bookes in those other also which he hath entituled De Iustitia followyng herein as it seémeth his forerunner Hosius who maskyng in the like maze doth affirme that life euerlastyng is geuē to men so farreforth through the grace of God as it is deliuered to mens merites which do issue out of the mercy and grace of God But Augustine will helpe to vnlose this knot easely so will also all the most famous and auncient interpretours of the Greeke Latine Churche who altogether with one voyce doe so ascribe all our saluatiō to the mercy of God not that which is obteined by doyng good deédes
your owne Doctours and their whole doctrine is yours They were tractable for a tyme in the mariage of Priestes in the receauyng of the Sacrament vsing the necessitie of the present tyme but in all the rest as much as in them was they did gorgiously garnishe their Romish kyngdome And therefore in this last place you were fondly foolishe to affirme that your owne chieftaines displayed banner vnder your enemyes enseignes Truly either your memory is very slipperie or your wittes went a wollgatheryng when you were ouer earnest in your slaunderous imagination Yet are you much miscontented with these men likewise bycause they seéme to varie amongest them selues For they correct I will vse your intricate wordes by your leaue they alter they turne in and out they blotte out the old and make new places c. When you name places I suppose you meane common places of Scriptures or litle bookes of common places If it be so you ought to haue remembred the Grecian Prouerbe The secoÌ„d determinations are accoÌ„pted wiser then the first Neither can any thyng resemble the Christian modesty more nearely then if we amend our selues as neéde requireth We haue a notable example hereof Aurel. Augustine who made a booke of his errours entitled a Retractation But you are in an other predicament That is to say you are apprentices and so addicted bondslaues to these drowsie dreames the dayly practize whereof hath so betwitched your senses that no streÌ„gth of the truth caÌ„ mollifie your harts cloyed altogether in that phantasticall puddle of schoolemyre But howsoeuer you shall remaine stiffenecked your selues you ought not yet reproue the modestie of others whiche fashion them selues nearest to Christian simplicitie Neither was any exaÌ„ple at any tyme more coÌ„mendable in the Church of Christ then this of Augustine was You seé now what a stinckyng reward you haue gotten for this pursuyte of Sectaries and yet as if you had besturred your stumpes haÌ„dsomely you triumph in these wordes What can you Replie to this was there a generall consent betwixt them that sprang out of Luther no disagreement no contradiction in opinions But how much better had it bene for you to haue reuerenced that lead whereat you scorne so much then to haue opened such a gappe to so moÌ„struous pestiferours errours I aunswere that these your metie questions concerne me nothyng at all For I am an English man not a Lutherane I stand for England and not for Luther agaynst you Yet do I pronouÌ„ce this also that there was a generall consent amongest the Lutherans no disagreément no contradiction in opinions For they all sticke fast to Augustines coÌ„fession nor will suffer them selues to be drawen from it But that confession say you I do not allow Neither is this matter now in question what maner of confession that was for howsoeuer that be it is most certeine that the Lutherans did perseuer stedfastly therein As for the rest whiche you heape together are either fayned or coyned by you or banished from all men as well from vs as from you Or els they be your owne sweéte sworne brethren sauyng that they haue somewhat more modestie discretion then you Therfore this is but a slender ArgumeÌ„t to enduce me to reuerence your lead except I were too too leaddish by nature But sithence you haue shronke from your tackle and forsaken the leaden Bulles of your Monarche in so succourlesse a shipwracke without helme or cable in such dispayred perplexitie you are to be esteémed not onely a leadden and woodden but a durtie aduocate also of your Romish Monarchie if at the least any thyng may be more filthy then durte Yet that ye may the better proceéde you spitte on your handes and take hold of my wordes which are these But there came a thundercracke into our eares out of the heauenly authoritie of the sacred Scriptures that made our consciences afrayde and compelled vs to abandonne and forsake all mens Traditions and too putte our whole confidence in the onely freémercy of God Well I acknowledge this speache to be myne owne yea and gladly also And I finde nothyng therein blameworthy But what sayth Osorius to this grace Doe ye not say gramercy to Luther sayth hee that linked you so fast with such a singular benefite to abandonne all fearefulnes from you What is the matter my Lord what Planet hath distempered you I haue nothyng here to do with Luther nor with his doctrine of fayth I shewed that our consciences were terrified with the authoritie of sacred Scriptures and constrained to fleé to the freé mercy of God you say Luther hath written erroniously touchyng fayth forsooth these two hang together like a sicke mans dreame As if a man would argue in this wise Osorius is a most impudent rayler Ergo his companion of Angrence is a perfect Logician Are you not ashamed to cite whole sentences from an other writer beyng vnable to frame any probable obiections agaynst any one of them For as concernyng Luther albeit I haue not vndertaken to defende him as I haue oftentymes protected yet this doe I suppose that neither he nor any other interpretour of that Scriptures ought to bee admitted vpon euery particular Assertion but to haue relation to the whole discourse and meanyng of the Authour If this especiall regard bee had vnto Luther as in deéde it ought he shal be founde a profounde scholemaster both of fayth and a good workes and so farre to excell you in learnyng that ye shall not be worthy to beare his bookes after him howsoeuer you delight your selfe to gnaw vpon a few wordes of his vnaduisedly throwen out in some heate of disputation But by the way you stuÌ„ble also at an other straw of myne bycause I wrate that we haue forsaken and reiected the traditions of men And with many iâ—gglyng wordes challenge vs that we are beholdyng herein to Luther Zuinglius Melancthon Bucer Caluin and Peter Martyr O my ouer tedious and toylesome lucke that hoped to dispute with a learned and discrete Diuine who would without good grounde haue blamed nothyng nor vsed any cauillatioÌ„s but now finde all contrary For I am pestered with a fonde brabblyng clatterer which delightyng altogether in vncessaunt chatteryng snatcheth and snarleth at thynges ratified and approued by all men I am therfore constrayned now to play the child agayne in the principles of Diuinitie as he doth and those questions must be debated wherof no man hauyng any skill can be ignoraunt In the same maner therfore we haue cast away traditioÌ„s of men as our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ hath pronounced in the Gospell vnder the person of Esay the Propet But in vayne they worshyppe me teachyng the doctrine and traditions of men And as our Lord Iesu a litle before rebuked the Phariseis You haue made frustrate sayth he the commaundement of God through your owne traditions We geue eare vnto men as they be men but if they ones teach contrary
disagreé from his frend nor the Scholer from his Maister nor the Seruaunt from his Lord ne yet the wife from the husband That is to say it is not conuenieÌ„t that the frend from his frend the Scholer from his Maister the Seruaunt from his Lord or the wife should disagreé from her husband What say you Osorius is any of these not spoken after the Latine phrase are they not vttered playnly and properly doe ye not in all these conceaue the negatiue and not the affirmatiue Are you not ashamed doe ye blush nothyng at all at this manifest fault and marke of your follie I haue a boye of sixten yeares age whom I keépe to Grammar Schoole who shoulde haue felt the smarte hereof if hee had made so foule an escape in these Grammer principles Truely I am wery long sithence gentle Reader to bee so childishly occupyed in siftyng out the titles and sillables of wordes after this maner but you may note the amazednesse and ouerthwartenes of myne aduersary to whom the fault must be imputed accordyng to reason which beyng both bussardly blynd in ponderyng bare wordes and also fondly franticke and senselesse in the substaunce of thynges doth altogether deny any difference to be in this how farre so euer a sunder the head bee separated from the members so that they be vnited in one fayth Surely experience hath not onely taught vs here in England but the practize of all other natioÌ„s also doth playnly bewray his singular ignorauÌ„ce and blockishnesse what it is to be seuered from Italy by farre distaunce of regions when as in matters of Religion iustice equitie could not bee ministred but it must bee procured with immesurable charges and tedious pursuite of many yeares From whiche inconuenieÌ„ces we have good remedy prouided through the speciall goodnesse of God For we haue in our owne Realme both Iudges and Consistories But our reuerend Father caÌ„ not disgest this by any meanes that the Queénes Maiestie should entermedle with the Churche and after a long friuolous preamble after his accustomed maner at the length choppeth downe to a sentence of myne videl The Queenes Maiestie is Lord ouer all maner of persons in England And these wordes he supposeth to be spoken barbarously bycause the gouernement of a kyng is not with force Tyranny nor tendeth to keépe his CouÌ„trey people whom he hath vndertake to defende of a fatherly loue in seruile subiection nor is referred to the consideration of his owne profite but to the publicke sauetie of his subiectes And therfore sayth he it is false that a kyng doth rule as a Lord vnlesse we should take him for a Tyraunt rather then a kyng Harken I pray you harken vnto this AldermaÌ„ brable harken vnto this most subtill corrector of the Latine toung There was neuer such an other Valla or Varro in our tyme for this our notorious Prelate doth farre surmount all Vallaes and Varroes who by his fine pythe and polished Iudgement hath fishte a Poole and caught a Foole and with his new sharpenesse of witte hath espied that wherof no man could euer conceaue so much as a shadow in his dreame what say you my Lord Byshop doth no maÌ„ rule as a Lord except he be a Tyraunt Ergo no man is a Lord vnlesse he be a tyrauÌ„t if at least he bare any rule Truly you had neéde of Helleborous to purge that Calues braynes Our Lord Iesus Christ is sayd sometymes to bee a Lord of the quicke and the dead sometymes to be a Lord in heauen and in earth and in all the holy Scriptures throughout is called by this name Lord. Therefore this your blasphemous and horrible Grammar distinction ought be accompted a TyrauÌ„t this can not be denied Becommeth you an old Byshop to vtter such mockeries can you beyng a Prelate either through fury or maddenesse to be so frame shappenly translated to bee openly franticke and make your selfe a laughyng stocke to litle boyes Truely I am ashamed in your behalfe for I did neuer seé so great so foule so monstruous absurdities in a maÌ„ of such yeares that hath bene all his life long conuersaunt in learnyng Afterwardes you do make a very subtill distinction I promise you of the authoritie of kynges that is to say though they gouerne all their subiectes yet are they not Lordes ouer all causes Yes in deéde good sir they are Lordes ouer all causes aswel Ecclesiasticall as Temporall which may seéme to apperteine to the good gouernemeÌ„t of the coÌ„mon wealth And yet they do not minister in their own persons in matters Ecclesiasticall as I wrate before for how can they so do but they doe assigne and authorise other Magistrates vnder them who may execute euery thyng in due order In like maner albeit Emperours be onely chief of their Armyes yet haue they vnder them Centurians LieutenauÌ„ts Serieauntes Corporals and other meaner officers which do trayne in due order and exercize the whole affaires the rest of the Souldiours So doe Maisters of Nauies and Shippes appointe vnder them their Mates and Boateswaynes and other meaner degreés to their seuerall offices by this meanes to preserue their course the better at Seaboorde whereby appeareth that the chief authoritie is resiaunt alwayes in the chief and knowen estates but the trauaile toyle and execution of orders is ministred by inferiour Magistrates But ye require to make demonstration how these things can be so First of all your question is worthy to bee scorned beyng so voyde of reason to haue euident demonstration to be made of those thynges which common course of mans lyfe and dayly practize of all common weales may assure you were you neuer so voide of sense But I will satisfie that captious grossehead of yours in this matter with threé wordes I do affirme that the authoritie of kynges is aboue all other and yet that kyngs them selues do not minister in Ecclesiasticall matters Which two are most manifestly proued aswell by the gouernement of kyngs in the old TestameÌ„t as also in the later age in the tyme of the new Testament For Dauid Salomon losias Ezechias and other godly kynges amongest the people of Israell did commaunde the Priestes in matters of Religion yet did not they entermedle with execution of any thyng In the tyme of the Gospell Paule that great teacher of the Gentiles coÌ„mauÌ„deth That intercessions and publicke prayers bee made with fayth and truth first of all for kinges then for all others that are set in authoritie Peter also that excellent Elder For other name then Apostle or Elder did hee neuer acknowledge howsoeuer you do coÌ„uey your false Papisticall Seé froÌ„ him Peter I say in open and expresse wordes doth verifie my saying when as he geueth commaundement in this wise Submit your selues to euery humane creature for the Lordes sake whether it â—ee to the king as most excellent or to the Magistrates as to them that are sent by him assigning the punishement of
whom though some may bee of opinioÌ„ to excell in the knowledge of the Ciuill Law yet will not forthwith vnder that title yeld vnto me the lyke commendation in the interpretyng of holy Scriptures All this matter is resolued at a word O counterfait GrammariaÌ„ For if accordyng to the doctrine of Peter and Paule certaine degreés bee limited in eche dignitie and by the same doctrine likewise determined that the royall dignitie of a Kyng doth excell aboue all other power Then is it manifest by the same decreé that the authoritie of the kyng must be honored without all coÌ„parison as chiefest But after your wonted guise ye runne at raundon with many wordes concernyng the meanyng of Paule and of a distinction to bee made betwixt the ciuill and Ecclesiasticall authoritie First of all no maÌ„ can so snaffle that vnbridled touÌ„g but that it will roue and raunge triflyngly whether it lusteth And yet the meanyng of Paule and Peter can not bee vnknowen to any men that will haue but a will to vnderstand it for they doe make a diuision or speciall distinction of Magistrates by certaine degreés and in the same doe precisely and manifestly ascribe chief rule and highest authoritie to kyngs And albeit ye triumphe iolylye in your differeÌ„ce of tymes yet this will nothyng preuayle you For ye beleue that this speache of the Apostles ought not to be applyed to ChristiaÌ„ kynges bycause it was written in the tyme of wicked Emperours which were enemies to Christian Religion Consider the sayings of the Apostles more aduisedly peéuish Prelate and acknowledge once at last your owne vnskilfulnesse Peter writeth in this maner Submit your selues to euery humane creature for the Lord whether it be to the king as to the most excelleÌ„t or to the Rulers as vnto them who are sent by him to punishe the wicked doers and to aduaunce the well doers Now therfore I demaunde this question of you Osorius whether God did send Nero that sauadge and beastly cruell Tyraunt as you know an horrible bloudsucker of Christian professioÌ„ to punish the wicked aduaunce the well doers if ye affirme that he dyd you are madde if ye deny it then all your former AssertioÌ„ lyeth in the durte Let vs seé likewise what Paule sayth Whose sentence herein is much more plentyfull Princes sayth he are not fearefull to well doers but to the wicked wilt thou not feare the power doe well then and thou shalt haue prayse of the same for they be the ministers of God appointed for thy wealth But if thou doe euill then feare thou for they beare not the sworde in vayne For they bee the ministers of God to take vengeauÌ„ce on them that do euill What say you now could this speach of Paule touch Nero in any respect whiche embrued his sword in the bloud of innumerable ChristiaÌ„s who alwayes oppressed the innocentes who wallowed all his lyfe long in all maner of outrage and crueltie No discreét or sober person will thinke so But albeit the Apostles beyng enspired with the holy Ghost gaue these preceptes in the time of tyrannous Emperours yet they had relation thereby to Christian and godly kynges because they should vndertake the defence of their subiectes and should be nurses of the congregation of Christ accordyng to the Prophecie of Esay And yet due obedience is not thereby forbidden to be geuen vnto kynges in Ciuill causes though they bee inâ—idels as appeareth manifestly both by the example and doctrine of our Sauiour Christ. You are contented that kinges should be placed aboue the Nobilitie Ciuill Magistrates and other officers in temporall causes accordyng to the saying of Peter but not to be aboue the holynesse of Churches nor the profession of Religâ—ous persons ne yet to reconcile the fauour of God Paule commaundeth euery soule to be in subiection to the hygher power amongest whom the kyng is chiefest And therfore all ye Byshops together with all other what soeuer Ecclesiasticall orders are holden subiect vnder the authoritie of the kyng vnlesse ye bee without soules as perhappes your maistershyp is if then ye be subiect to kynges ye ought to obey their commaundementes vnlesse they prescribe agaynst God And yet they beare no function in your Churches nor â—it in your Churches as rulers of them nor administer the Sacramentes but they may and ought to chastize you reduce you into good order if happely ye neglect your dueties or behaue your selfe vnseémely in your function which is to be approued by the authoritie of both the old and new Testament as it is ofteÌ„times repeated before To coÌ„firme your AssertioÌ„ you bryng for example Core Dathan and Abyron of a singular blockishnesse and ignoraunce For they made Rebellion agaynst Moses and to vse the very wordes of the holy Scriptures They were gathered together agaynst Moses and Aaron and sayd vnto them Ye take enough and to much vppon you seyng all the multitude are holy euery one of them and the Lorde is amongest them Why lifte you your selues vppe aboue the Congregation of the Lord Behold here in this their execrable speach ouer and besides a most pernitious rebellion we heare also in the same one onely equabilitie in all degrees For asmuch therefore as they did abrogate all maner of authoritie from Magistrates beyng appointed by God as the Anabaptistes of our age do practize they were accordyng to their desert swallowed vp of the gapyng gulfe prouided by God for that purpose But why do ye thrust these persons into the stage who caÌ„ occupy no part of the play For we doe neither entreate of any Rebellion nor of any trayterous suppression of Magistrates but our coÌ„munication tendeth to this ende whether kynges haue any lawfull gouernement ouer Ecclesiastical persons No lesse foolishly haue ye patcht to your purpose Oza Ozias and Balthesar whom ye do affirme to haue bene greuously plagued of the Lord bicause they did rashly handle holy thynges and thus ye say was done accordyng to their deserte Likewise should our kynges be worthely punished of the Lord if they would vndertake to minister Baptisme to infantes or would in their owne persons distribute the Lordes Supper or clymbe vp into pulpittes and vsually preache For they should entrude into other mens functions namely Ministers and Elders whom God hath peculiarly chosen to execute those orders in Ministerie Euen so the Lord hath aduaunced kynges in hyghest superioritie bycause they should commauÌ„de and prouide that all matters should be executed by others their subiectes in due conuenient order This doctrine beyng both â—ounde and profitable approued by the testimonies and examples of the purest ages and most applyable to the ordinauÌ„ce of holy Scriptures yet this our pelting Prelate seémeth so squeymishe at it that he spareth not to curse vs to the pitte of hell bycause we will not agreé with him in his most friuolous Assertions Ye maruell much why I am so hatefully bent agaynst the Byshop of Rome why
euill and peruerse disposed persons Yet such is the maner of of Osorius disputation as though no man could be founde that would amende his life or embrace godlynes at the preachyngs of the Gospell And as though nothyng ensued therof els but vnbrideled licentiousnesse and outragious boldnesse to rushe and range headlong into all vnpunishable libertie and lust the decay and ouerthrowe of all vertue the subuersion and drownyng of all godly discipline finally the very sinke and receptacle of all abhomination whiche as is most falsely belyed vpon him so I can not yet gesse to what end it is alledged vnlesse he meane thereby to persuade vs to abandone and banish the preachyng of the freé mercy of the Gospell and so to slide backe agayne to old Iewishnesse with the Scribes and Phariseés and that in steéde of Christ Paule Moyses may rule ouer our consciences agayne Cicero may be preached in our Churches Truely this is the marke that Osorius or rather in Osorius the auncient enemy of mankyng seémeth to shoot at who hauyng now spent all his shot and pouder vnable at the last to enfeéble or resiste the glory of Christ any longer practizeth by subtill engynes of crafty lyeng and slaunderous cauillations to vndermyne and batter his doctrine and to bryng this deuise to passe findeth none so fitte an instrument as Osorius chief champion of his garde I haue now set out vnto theé gentle Reader the substaūce of Osorius Diuinitie the grauitie of his doctrine and the forme of his accusation Whereby thou mayest perceaue the poysoned fistula whereof he would empeache Luther For this is his practize to enduce men to beleue that Luther doth teach extreme Desperation boldnesse to sinne and contempt of good workes Now remaineth to discusse by the sequele of his discourse what force of Argumentes and sleight of deuise he is furnished withall to mainteine his challenge And therefore Paule doth not in any wise promise inheritaunce of the kyngdome of heauen to those persons who rest them selues vpon the onely fayth of Luther but vnto them which do exercize them selues in good workes and do direct all their labour and trauaile to set forth the glory of Christ through the whole course of their lyfe c. In one sentence two euident lyes the one imagined agaynst Luther the other deuilishly deuised agaynst S. Paule First of all wheras hee burtheneth Luther to be the founder of this doctrine of Onely Fayth it is as false as there is no truth in Osori mouth In deéde Luther wrate much touchyng Fayth onely but neither he alone nor he the first nor taught he other doctrine then many famous Doctours of aūcient antiquitie did teache besides him Who did not onely excell him farre in learnyng but lyued many hundred yeares before he was borne And namely amongest all other S. Paule who through all his whole Epistles doth with a wonderfull vehemencie harpe as it were alwayes vpō this one string That true righteousnes cōmeth to no man by the law nor by the workes of the law but through the fayth of Christ freely without workes and so without workes as it hath often bene spoken before that if any mā will take hold of workes he is excludeth forthwith from Fayth But Osorius will say That no mention is made any where in S. Paule of this exclusiue word Onely Whereupon these Lutherans doe stand so much In Letters perhaps as you say Osorius or in sillables But why prye we after sillables when we hold the substaunce of the worde or to what purpose striue we about wordes when we are assured of the matter First of all I suppose no man will deny but that Paule doth denounce men to be Iustified by fayth Now hee that doth tye righteousnesse so fast to fayth that he vtterly abandoneth the law and all the workes of the law from Iustification what doth he meane els thereby though he professe it not in bare wordes then that fayth is the chief yea and onely foundation and builder of Iustification vsing herein the very same rule that Logicians doe vse in their Schooles framyng a sounde probable Argument from the proposition Exponent to the Exclusiue Euen as if a man disputyng with you would proue by Argument That Christ is the knowen and assured head of the Churche would argue thus that besides Christ is none other head of the whole Church vpon earth I beseéch you Syr what meaneth he elles that argueth so then that Christ onely ought to be acknowledged the head of the whole Church If it be so that this word Onely seéme so haynous to you and others of your fraternitie that it may not be admitted as in any respect tolerable yet can ye not accuse Luther for the same but you must withall endite guiltie of the same crime the best and most approued Doctours and interpretours of elder age who to expresse the meanyng of the Apostles doctrine more liuely haue not onely accustomed them selues sundry tymes to this word Onely in their Commentaries but also deliuered the same to the posteritie to be vsually frequented so that Luther now shal be founde to coyne no new thyng herein but rather make report of the studious carefulnesse and carefull trauaile of the auncient Father in this behalfe And first of all we will begyn with Ambrose vnto whom I pray you geue eare what he writeth herein who as it were one of the same number whō Osorius doth reproch to be wholy bent to this doctrine of Luther many hundred yeares before the name of Luther was knowen hath written in this maner God hath decreéd from eternitie sayth hee that the beleuyng man shal be Iustified by Fayth Onely Whereby appeareth that this word Onely came not first from Luther but from Ambrose rather But bycause the truth shall not want substaunciall witnesse and authoritie worthy the same witnesses we will adioyne to Ambrose the like testimony of Ierome whose wordes if may obteyne any credite with Osorius will be of such force efficacie for our present purpose as that they will seéme to haue bene written for none other entent then to cōuince this Iewish opinion of Osorius And these are his wordes The Iewes sayth he did affirme that he which trusted to Fayth Onely was to bee abhorred But Paule on the contrary part doth auerre that whosoeuer trusteth in Fayth Onely is blessed c. I beseéche you tell me for your Myters sake what can be spoken agaynst you more substaūcially Let vs now conferre your saying with Chrisostome You do adhorre them as Lutherans which doe rest them selues vpon Fayth Onely bycause Paule doth promise the kyngdome of heauen as you say to them that worke good deédes on the contrary part Chrisostome doth note them for Iewes especially and accompteth them execrable which deny that men ought to trust to fayth vsing this reason bycause Paule sayth hee doth professe those men blessed that trust to Fayth
is well enough known what meanes he vsed for the suppressing that tēptes of Carolastadius the Suenfeldians Zuinglius in hys booke entitled Elenchus contra Catabaptistas Caluin de hereticis Bullenger of Tiguirine in hys inuectiue agaynst the sectes of our time the Basileanes against the Georgianes The Heluetianes and people of Sauoye and Lumbardie how seuere and earnest pursuers were all these in rooting out of wicked opinions how estraunged and alienated from all desire of Faccions all these I say haue geuen vnto vs notable presidēts and examples therof And to speak nothing of other Churches what hath bene done in England long sithence yea and of late also towardes the ouerthrowing and confuting of erroneous opinions Let your Portugall Marchaūt certifie you by letter your notary what soeuer he be or in what corner soeuer yee lurcke whō I suppose to be sent ouer into England not for any other purpose but to become Osor. hys spye Go to where is now the experience of Osorius by the wh he hath found out in Luther as he sayth so many sectes and diuersities of opinions But the names of Sects had neuer bene so raked vp together no nor any sound of any such should euer haue bene heard at any tyme. If abode had bene made in the Fayth of the Pope and of the Romanistes So likewise also I suppose that if weé had not bene diliuered from that Ethnick Paganisme of the old Idolatrye this Botche had neuer infected our Churches neyther had Ierusalem bene euer troubled at anye tyme vnlesse Christ had bene borne neyther had so great and so many swarmes of Heretickes flusht abroad vnlesse the Apostles had preached the Gospell why therefore are we not weltered back agayn into that puddle of Paganisme or Iewishnes hauing shaken away from our shoulders the most sincere and pure religion of Christ according to the choppe Logicke of Osorius that wee may shroud our selues safely from the company of those wilde faccious Sectes and daungerous diuisions But Osorius though fallen away at the last from his tackle of mans experience hath gathered more courage yet vnto hym takyng handfast of the Ankerholde of Christ his owne wordes for the proofe of the Popes Chayre so that nowe this Seé seémeth no more humayne or terrestryall but heauenly and Angelicall Affirming that this power is established not by the ordinaūce of man but chiefly by the very words and ordinaunce of our Lord and Sauiour Christ himselfe Surely if Osorius can perswade that to be true he shall beare the bell away But by what reason will he make it apparaunt vnto vs not with one nor with a simple and naked reason but with a double horned Argument that shall cutt like a sworde for besides the authority of holy Scriptures and the Testimonyes of all auncient antiquitie also whereof he boasteth himselfe not a litle skilfull he affirmeth that he knoweth it to be true by experience But go to it remayneth that you declare vnto vs what authoritie of the sacred Scripture that is at the length and wherein that testimony of auncient antiquitie is to be found Thou must needes attend a whiles perhappes he will tell theé hereafter gentle reader For as now because Osor. is not at leysure to tell theé let it suffice theé that the man hath spoken it and vouchsafe at this present to interprete all hys speaches to be very Oracles as sweéte as honny And this much hitherto touching the Maiesty of the Seé of Rome The next vnto this hath he placed in order the obedience that they yelde vnto Princes which I maruell if any man can reade and not laugh at so also I beleue sure that Osor. himselfe could not stay but laugh at himselfe or els doughtles he was disposed to dally with vs when he wrate these wordes so pleasauntly deuised and so cunningly coulered But we sayth he do not refuse the aucthoritie of any lawfull power Howe truely you speak herein how reuerētly you esteéme of princes how obediently you behaue your selues to the higher authoritie and how hūbly you do acknowledge it and how you refuse no commaundement of the Magistrate Weé will take a taste if it please you by the conference of faythfull Historiographers by the course affayres of experience whereof the actes monuments of Princes doe make mencion Finally by search of antiquitie it selfe whereof you make your selfe experte and well beseene And to beginne first with the Empire of Greece the lawfull succession whereof contynued from Constantine the founder thereof about 500. yeares more lesse if the Bishop of Rome at that tyme would not haue refused to be subiect to the authoritie of the higher powers why then did Hadriane and after him Leo 3. hauing rooted out the kingdome of Desiderius and the Lombardes contrary to their faith an allegiaunce presume to be so hardye as to pluck away the imperiall maiesty afterwardes from the right and true heyres vnto the whiche aswell they the Bishops thēselues as also all the Italiane Natiō had submitted and obliged them selues by othe no lesse then the Greékes and why did they at theyr owne appointemente trāslate the same frō the Greékes to the Frenche nacion And although Charles him self vnto whom the Diademe Imperiall was geuen seéme worthy to be registred amongst the most vertuous famous Princes as one that endued the Church of Rome with greatest treasures possessions and liberties Yet was not that cause sufficient wherefore the maiestie of the sacred Empyre should beé vyolated and oppressed with manifest iniuries Namely sithēs the ouerthrow of that state could not choose but draw after it wonderfull troubles rancour of hartes Which thing happened in very deéd not long after For euen by the meanes thereof chiefly it came to passe that not only the Emperours of the East West were enflamed agaynst ech other with perpetuall deadly and vnquenchable hartburning hatred and enmity but also that Greéce being left naked of those helpes became an open Road to the Turkes and Sarracens for the suppressing of whose powers and recouery of which countrey I knowe not whether the whole power of the Romanistes when they haue retched it to the vttermost will be euer able to preuayle But to admitte that this translation of the Empyre came either of the speciall prouidence of God or to attribute the same to the worthines of Carolus or the Necessitie of the tymes or to mittigate the matter with some plausible and colourable excuse Yet is not this excrable sawcines of these Romish Bishopps sufficiently accquited hereby which durst be so presumptuously arrogant at that tyme or the Popes of this present which do imagine that their authoritie which they claime from Peter may priuileadge their insolent vsurpacion ouer the kingdomes of the earth and theyr iniurious transposing them where they liste nor doth waraunt their shamelesse challenge of lineall succession in the same authoritie as deriued from Peter himselfe vnto
through the malice trechery of your holy Fathers and their fraternitie So that this whole Seé of yours may seéme to haue attayned that loftyness of absolute power and sole superioritie to none other end then to teare rende abroad and dissipate lawfull authorities Potentates and Magistrates established by the ordinaunce of almighty God What happened but of late dayes by the attēpt of Pius the 2. I thinke is not yet slipt out of your remēbraunce who would not graūt to the cōfirmation of the Bishop of Iseberg vnlesse he would promise that the Bishop of Mentz should neuer assemble the Electours before the Pope were made acquainted yea gaue his cōsent thereto Which if the pope might haue cōpassed once doughtlesse he had wonne the spurres for the suppressing of the authoritie of the Electours for euer This insolēcy the Byshop of Iseberg did stiffely oppugne whom beyng for the same scorched with the horrible lightening of the popes curses deposed from his Byshoppricke the Palatine Fridericke vndertooke to defend in this righteous and lawfull cause apperteinyng to the state of the Electours and sauety of Germany By meanes wherof when the matter came once to handy stroakes the iust and righteous cause preuailed Now I beseéche you Osorius Such as challenge vnto them selues a Lieutenauntshyp not of one Citie onely but of the whole world such as teach that Emperours do not reigne of them selues but vnder the Pope such as affirme that all right to create Kynges and Princes doth belong vnto them selues were these persons euer of the mynde to geue due honor to the high powers whenas they acknowledge no power on earth aboue them selues whenas of late yeares Pope Clement the 7. bent his thunderboltes of excommunication agaynst Henry the 8. Kyng of England whenas also of late Pope Pius 5. waxed very wroch agaynst our most Souereigne Lady Queéne Elizabeth and threw out agaynst her his truell curse and seditious Bull whenas he cutteth her of frō her Regall dignitie and the congregation of Christians assaulteth her with slaunders and reproches nameth her pretensed Queéne proclaimeth her refuge for runneagates whenas he procureth her subiectes to become traytours and teazeth them to armes agaynst their naturall Princesse yea whenas he releaseth them in this behalfe of their Oathe of allegeaunce do these Prelates obey the counsell of Paule◠Wherein euery soule is commaunded to submitte it selfe to the highe powers Which place of Paule Chrisostome interpretyng Doth say that not onely Byshoppes Prophetes and Euangelistes but also the Apostles them selues are subiect to the same law Let vs briefly runne ouer the remnaunt of Osorius Fable So that hereof it cōmeth passe that we doe Decree that nor onely the Cannons of the Byshops but also the ordinaunces of Princes beyng not directly contrary to the Lawes of God ought to be obeyed most duetyfully To this end tendeth his talke to witte◠That these holy Fathers may not seéme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to warre against God For whosoeuer resisteth the lawfull Magistrate resisteth God And therfore you do decreé that the ordinaunces and lawes of Princes beyng not contrary to the lawes of God ought to be as duely obserued as the Popes Decrees But you may pype vppe this kynde of caterbrawle Osorius to such as are not yet well acquainted with your Catholick maskings in some other world if it please you in Noua Hispania or els in Calecute For with vs thinke not to finde any so foolish to follow you fantasticall all deuise and to credite your affirmatiōs who being ouermuch enured to your ingglyngs are sufficiently instructed in those your wyly beguilye are to well acquainted with your ambitious hawtynes your continuall cruell combattes with Princes your suppressing of Kynges your exemptions from politique and Ciuill lawes so many hundred yeares Now that you haue brought to passe by your vnmeasurable and vnsatiable Tyranny that the Monarches and chief Potentates of this world are become subiectes vassalles vnder your authoritie daryng not to mutter no nor so much as to hisse once agaynst your cōmaundementes vnlesse your fatherhoodes gape vpon thē Osor. like a fine man steppeth forth endeuouryng to persuade with his sweéte eloquēce that all the Packe of their Popish priesthoode is already trussed vpp offereth it selfe alwayes most humbly applyable to all the ordinaūces Commaūdemētes of Princes and higher powers which are not repugnaunt agaynst the lawes and ordinaūces of God But come of now let vs take a tast of this your Seraphicall obedience and let vs set down for example that which may come to passe hereafter or at least that which is hartely wished for to come to passe in deéde Put the case that this your noble Sebastian Kyng of Portingall whom for the reuerence I beare him I name a puissaunt Prince should geue you an expresse commaundement that all Idolles Pictures and Images should be pluckt out of your Churches Surely this commaundement were nothyng disagreable to the ordinaunce of God I beseéch you tell me what would Osorius do here would he obey the commaundemētes I dare scarsely beleéue him But there is no such matter commaunded by your kyng nor shall euer be commaunded What your Prince shall do hereafter neither doe you know your selfe Osorius neither am I inquisitiue to knowe whereabout your Noble Kyng of Portingall doth bestew his tyme at this presēt but I speake what he ought to do And what if the Lord in whose handes are the hartes of Princes do by secret inspiration of the holy Ghost enduce him to cōmaunde it at one tyme or other The Pope say you would not permit it yea Syr I do beleéue this in deéde And therfore the king should not aduēture to geue any such attempt though he were wholy bent thereunto Neither would Osor. obey though he did it Yet surely the word of God would permit it though the Pope and all his Cardinalles do spurne and kicke agaynst it In the meane tyme O wonderfull authoritie of Kynges in those Nations and O miraculous obedience of Catholickes whereas neither Princes are at libertie to enact and establish that in their owne common weales that they ought to do nor is lawfull for the Subiectes to obey their Princes lawes in matters approued by the word of God vnlesse the Popes authoritie beyng farre higher then either the authoritie of man or power of God be obteyned first By whose crafty deuises after that the Lordes and Princes be forced to that issue that it may not be lawfull for them to institute any ordinaunce but such as shall please the Byshops and Priestes then are all those shauelynges at elbow by and by to execute whatsoeuer their Princes commaunde them whenas the Princes may not commaunde any thyng in deéde but as they shal be guided and lead as it were by the lippe of their owne Subiectes O singuler superexcellent obedience of such Subiectes towardes their Magistrates Departyng a whiles frō Portingall let
bycause she loued much And agayne where excludyng all other by helpes he willed the Maister of the Synagoge to beleeue onely and sayd vnto an other all things are possible to him that doth beleeue And to the sicke of the palsey all sinnes are forgeuen thee without openyng mouth to any confession at all what shall we say that Sinnes are not therfore forgeuen bycause this word of confession was neuer heard of before or shall we say that God hath not heard their confession bycause there wanted priestes at that tyme If it suffice not to open the secretes of the hart vnto GOD what do these wordes of Chrisostome emporte where writyng vpō the 51. Psalme Homel 2. If thou be ashamed sayth he to confesse thy Sinnes to any mā confesse them dayly in thy hart I bidd thee not to confesse them to thy fellow seruaunt which may reproche thee cōfesse thee to him that may heale thee And agayne in an other place I bidd thee not to come before the people nor that thou accuse thy selfe to others But I will haue thee follow the wordes of the Prophet saying Open thy sinnes vnto the Lord. Confesse thy faultes therfore vnto God open thyne offences vnto the true Iudge with harty prayer not with thy toūg but with a remorse of consciēce c. And yet I speake not this as though that priuate confession of sinnes ought not be receaued in the church as vnprofitable whereas the counsell of a godly Minister is desired or consolation required by troubled consciences where the exercize of priuate absolution which is the word of the Gospell is by authoritie of the Gospell vttered by the Ministers And yet I doe so allow of it as that this name priuate Confession wherewith you haue wickedly entangled Godly consciences may neither participate with any nature of a Sacrament nor be deliuered to any as cōmaūded by Gods law Moreouer neither so necessary at all tymes as though without it sinnes were not forgeuen to the contrite and sorowfull in hart groūdyng them selues vpon the infallible fortresse of Fayth Wherfore if you be so farre in loue with this sacred eare cōfessiō Osori you may a Gods name go to your Priest as oftē as much as ye liste If we content our selues to be washed in the bloud of Iesu Christ if we repose all our hope affiaunce whatsoeuer in him alone trouble vs not nor hinder vs I beseéch you For thus are we directed by the authoritie of the Scriptures to beleéue that to be dypped ouer head cares in this most comfortable and sacred fonte is sufficient for the clensing and purgyng of our sinnes and agayne that neither this most blessed bloud of Iesu Christ is any other wayes effectuall vnto vs nor appliable to our comfort any other wayes then through Fayth onely which is to beleéue in his name Whatsoeuer Resemblaunce of truth your decreés do expresse vnto vs doughtlesse the Scriptures cannot lye wherein we are taught that our hartes are washed cleane by Fayth and that remission of sinnes is receaued through Fayth which is in Christ Iesu. Addyng moreouer the testimony of all the Prophetes that it must come to passe that as many as beleeue in Iesu Christ shall obteine forgeuenesse of their sinnes So that neédelesse Stole of your Catholicke confessours is altogether fruteles towardes the cleansing of our consciences In the meane space if the soule be afflicted with some more greéuous scrupule wherein brotherly consolation may seéme to be requisite we gaynsay no man that will goe to some godly learned Minister nay rather we do hartely allow therof we our selues also do the same many tymes yet such is our repaire togethers as tendeth rather to seéke counsell and comfort then for any necessitie to craue pardon for our sinnes Neither do we compell any man to do so nor do we make to speake Chrisostomes owne wordes a necessitie of Freédome neither make we a Sacrament therof Nor yet require we a Beadroll of all their Sinnes neither doe we enforce any person to state tymes of the yeare Finally we do not burdeine them with any clogge of satisfactory penaunce which of all other is most horrible Wherein it is a wonder to seé what is be fallen vpon you and the rest of your Catholickes Osorius I thinke veryly that Dame folly her selfe if could speake with toung would neuer vtter nor do any so wittles a foolery as hauing first pardoned acquited the offendour cleare from crime to enioyne him afterwardes to penaūce whereby he should be compelled after pardon receaued to make satisfaction notwithstandyng and so to send him after into Purgatory where he must satisfie to the vttermost far thyng I beseéch you Right Reuerēd Father for the honor of your great wisedome if all the filthynes of your consciences be thoroughly clensed first by Confession to what purpose serue any satisfactory and penall lawes where the offence beyng pardon remaineth nought now to be satisfied If they be not throughly clensed whereunto then auayleth that Priestly Stole Priestly crossing what becommeth of that absolution which you promise who will euer say that his offence is forgeuen which must be forced to make satisfaction by some maner of composition Moreouer if Christ haue made full satisfaction for our Sinnes and if his satisfaction be a generall release of punishmēt and crime what other neéde is there of any humaine satisfaction Agayne if Christes satisfaction be not a full satisfaction but that there must be enioyned a Temporall punishment then do I demaunde further what is it that the Priestes Stole and Crossing or the Popes pardons cā geue more to the releasing of punishment and crime thē the bloud of Iesu Christ the sonne of God was able to geue But to proceéde Now that this Catholicke people haue with this spunge of penaunce cleane purged all the spottes and blottes of conscience so happely what do they stay here No I suppose but steppyng foreward from vertue to vertue The myndes beyng furnished after this maner they doe forthwith addresse thē selues to that most holy mystery of all other most miraculous the Euchariste not rushyng rashely thereunto nor with vnwasht handes as the Prouerbe is but with feare and tremblyng doe humbly kneéle vpon their kneés with great reuerence open their mouthes to the priest ready to receaue that heauenly banquet in that which they tast not any bread at all no wine at all no nor any other terrestriall matter nor yet that substaunce which they do seé with their eyes and handle with their fingers but all substaunce of bread and wine beyng vtterly driuē away they do at one morsell receaue swallow down the very same body of Christ which was borne of the virgine Mary and the naturall bloud shed out of his side though vnder the forme colour and kynde of wine and not of bloud contrary to all sense and feélyng of
albeit of the same matter hath bene spoken sufficiently already And because as semeth by his writing the same doth consist chiefly in this that it may restrayne the lictiousnes and vnbrideled lust of men and may exclude from the congregation of Christians such as persist their wickednesse wilfully and obstinatelye c. Doubtlesse mankinde may thinke that the state of mans life is come to good passe if it be so that the generall ordering of publique chastity must hang vpon your authority and regiment ◠semeth to me to be of this cōdition as if the ouersight of the common treasory should be credited to a Spēdall or a Dicer or the Liuetenaūtshippe of a Prouince should be cōmitted to a notoryous Traytor And surely hereof I thinke it comes to passe that we are so much beholding vnto them for the vnspeakeable virginity of our maydens and for the incredible chastity of the matrons that we haue also so few hoorehunters and adulteries cōmitted in our parishes that there be no Brothell neastes of filthy foules in the city of Rome and that we heare of no priestes Concubines within nor without the walles of that Citye so great and so wonderfull silence vsed in holy confessions So that it is altogether neédeles now to rippe vp the remēbraunce of that Constantinopolitane Deacon matrone for whose cause Nectarius the Byshoppe there did abrogate all manner of priuate confessions And that I may now passe ouer in silence innumerable other in no respect more chaste examples and factes of Byshoppes and Priestes which being notwithstanding not vnknowne vnto your selues ye lulle a sleépe in confesūons As it is not my part in deéde to rippe abroad the rude reuelles of your liues nor to sturre abroad the stincking dunghill thereof pype vp and play your pageauntes as priuely ye liste though not so chastely as ye ought yet as couertly as ye canne your mysteries appertayne not vnto me There is one that beholdeth you whose eies ye can neither deceaue nor escape his iudgement This one thing will I be bold to speake that it is not all golde that glistereth nor are they al gelded which vowing that vow of chastity are presmounted to Byshoppes and priestly dignitye Nay rather it is greatly to be feared least among those selfe same counterfeyt Eunuches are ouer many which vnder the visor of yealing Eunuches play the partes of crauine Chereas But if those flames and firebrandes of lust and lechery heé throughly mortified by this pontificall prouision as you say herein surely I do commend your diligence and allow wel your prouidence But this maketh me to wonder in the meane space what should be the cause that whereas you yeéld ouer all other forrayne haynous offences to the sword of the ciuill magistrate ye reserue to your coram and court of conizaūce onely all manner of presentmentes touching lechery incest adulteries fornication and other such filthy stench of inordinate incontinēcy And I know not whether there lurke also any other mysticall matter of closer conueyaūce to be decided by that Censure Apostolique For where this your vnmaried life which you professe contrary to the commō course of nature is subiect to so many the more horrible filthinesse you haue bene very wisely circūspect in this behalfe to sequester the ciuill magistrate from intermedling herein reseruing the consideration thereof to your owne courts and conūstories and that of some singuler suttlery and pollicy as it seémeth By meanes wherof if any thing fall out vnhonestly handled amongest men of your coate the same may be coucht close in your couert confessions but if any lay persō shall chaūce to tread his shoe awrye the commodity thereof may redound to your coffers as profitable for the pursse wherein although to say the truth I cannot tell what certeintye I may determine of your dealings yet this one thing doth minister me much matter of suspicion That amongst so many dayly and hourely whooredomes and adulteries wherof some lay men now and then paye for the pottadge especially the poore neuer any priest hetherto hath bene knowen to be cited to your courtes for whooredome or adultery or put to any penaunce for the same But to confesse thus much vnto you which cannot well be denied that in all well ordered common weales consideration ought to be had of no one thing more circumspectly then that prouision to be made vpon some greéuous penaltye for the punishment of filthy lust and vnbrideled licentiousnesse of leud liuing yet do I not seé any such great necessitye why the authority and ouersight of such punishmentes should be more appropriate to the iurisdiction of your consistories then to the temporall magistrate And to admitte that in some respect it may be lawfull for you to determine in such cases of incontinency Yet this importeth no such necessity as that the christiā people should aduaūce your pontificall royalty to so outragious an excesse or that the popes and byshops them selues should magnifye their maiestie with such Pompeous Lordlines so farr aboue Kings and Emperors as to ouerlord thē or that they should ouerflow in such an vnmeasureable excesse of Possessions and treasure or that they should become so mighty Monarches of the world ruffling in so glorious glittering a shew waited vpō with so huge a train of attendauntes and seruice or that they should in so princely pallaces lead so delicate and sumptuous liues in idlenesse and lust pampering vp palfraies for their pleasures and dogg◠for delight or that they should not be contented to be caried on horse backe but as the Arke of God in the olde time vpō mens shoulders beyng hoyst vp aloft vpon the shoulders of Dukes offerre themselues to the gaze of the multitude not so much to be uewed as to be kneéled vnto and worshipped And can you say now that this Seraphicall maiestie was either deliuered vnto them from others or raked to themselues by their owne tyranny for the punishment of lust and not rather to support and mayntayn it As though if popes and byshoppes were orderly vsed as sitteth meétest for their personages the world should want meéte magistrates to punish fornication and adulteries I speake not this to the derogatiō of the authority of godly ministers and bishopps which I do hartely with they may throughly enioy yet would I the same to be no vsurped power but a true and lawful authority Neither do I desire the authority of good and Godly Byshoppes to be empayred that authority I meane whereunto they are authorized by Gods word but I like not that Tragicall Tyranny of counterfait Cloysterers and popish prelats Let them therefore enioy that authority that Christ hath endued them withall a Gods name so that they employe the same to publique commodity and aduauncement of Christes glory and not to their priuate profit and cherishing of idlenesse Pompe And forasmuch as the countenaunce of euery Ambassadour dependeth vpon the maiesty of the person whom he represēteth
Cannons made for the vse of the Masse ech contrary to other botcht vpp partly by Gratian which afterwards were enlarged with new vpstart and more horrible blasphemies by Pope Gregory the 9. about the yeare of our Lord 1227. and after him by Pope Boniface the 8. about the yeare of our Lord 1330. And this is euidently to be found in Historyes euery where Touching Images Idols pictures pilgrimages worshipping of Sayntes and praying for the dead yf antiquitye be demaunded what it can say I would desire you to aunswere me at a word Osorius whether you thinke those Ages and Churches to be more auncient that neuer hadd the vse of them or els those which haue had them Concerning the Celebrating of the Communion If you can Iustify by any probable recorde or testimony that the florishing age of the Apostles or of the auncient Fathers that euer any mention or motion was made of the lifting the bread aloft of transubstantiating it of worshipping it of hanging it vppe of carrying it about of sacrificing it for the sinnes of the people of deuouring it alone or of any of all these toyes which you haue chopt into the Church at this day you shall winne the victorye But if you can not Surcease then at the length for very shame to vrge Haddon so earnestly to defend his Noueltye seing your selfe are not able to defend your owne by any manifest or probable authoritye Agayne for mariage of Priestes forbidden by publique authoritye Choyce of meates Uigilles State holydayes and Imber dayes ouer much babbling in your intercessions and prayers ioyned with a certeine opinion of Religion and obteining forgeuenes for the same Be it generally spoken as before I will not speake much of your Canons Decrees Decretalls by force whereof you haue erected to your selues a plaine Emperiall kingly and poltique Superioritye in the Churche contrary to all Antiquitye and cleane contrary to the nature of the Gospell It is vndoughted true that the Sonne of God was sent from aboue not to establishe any worldly or seculer principalitye in this world but a spirituall and euerlasting kingdome which is vnited and knitt together by the preaching and ministery of the word not by any humaine power force of Armes Imperiall dignity bodely pollicy And as for your infinite rable of Lawes innumerable decrees and Cannos partely Sinodals partely Prouincialls some prerogatiues of the Pope others peculiar of seuerall Bishopps wherewith Christian consciences are so miserably entangled to what end tend they all at the last or what doe they emplye other then vnder the title of the Church to fortify you a kingdome Tyranicall Ierarchye vpon the earth Which no power nor potentate of this world may be able to counteruayle Otherwise what doe these wordes of your Decretalls emport wherein you chalenge vnto Peters chayre the authoritye of the temporall sword If any man gaynesay you herein you doe forthwith exclayme that he doth not well vnderstand to speake your owne wordes that saying of the Lord. Putt vppe thy sword into thy sheathe Agayne where you force th one sword vnder subiection of the other so that the Temporall sword must of necessitye be subiect to the spirituall sword And at the last measuring the proportion of your Authoritye by ynchmeale as it were how much and by how many degreés it surpasseth the Temporall authoritye you alledge for profe these wordes Whereas the earth is seuē times greater then the Moone and the Sonne eight tymes greater then the earth it remaineth therefore according to this proportion that the Popes superexcellency must surmount in dignitye all kingly royaltye fiftye times sixtye degrees At the length hauing on this maner enthronized your Ierarchye ye haue forced the matter to this passe That if any man will be so hardy as once to mutter agaynst the Maiestye of this triple dignitye you haue Decreés and Cannons farre worse then Cannonshotte to hale the poore Heretique to the stake and consume him to Ashes I come now to the orders and armies of Monckes and Friers and that whole generatiō of Cowled Crauines whos 's first foundation if you search for we shall finde that they are start vp long sith the age of the Apostles and that purer age of the primitiue Church If you desire to know to what ende they were erected the matter will declare it selfe manifestly that these cācred Caterpillers were sent for a speciall plague onely to deuoure the Gospell of Christ and to fill vppe the full measure of the mystery of iniquitie which is enough thoughe I speake no more of them Howbeit I deny not but that in the tymes of Augustine Ierome and Basile wanted not a great nomber of men and wemen who either forced through cruelty of persecution or loathyng the losenes licentious life of the commō people did abandon them selues into desertes and solitary places chusing rather to liue farre from company with a few then amyddes the turmoyles and troubles of worldly affaires to be carried from the quiet and tranquillitie of their myndes But Monckery was then a sequestration departyng frō the world not a profession in the world And euen those Monckes were thē in nomber but few none other but of the lay people whom not Religion not coates not cowles not colours not rules not vowes did sequester from the company of the laytie nor were they soiourning then in the Cities or Townes But coucht close vpon toppes of moūtaines or in vnhaunted woodes and fennes nor lay snortyng in slouth or pamperyng the paunche vpon other mens purses but either liued moderatly with their own reuenewes or gatte their liuyng with the sweate of their browes Emongest whom was no foundation layed as yet of those threé Vowes with the other trinckettes apperteinyng to the same vowes namely wolle flaxe colour cowle leather belt or gyrdle of knotted coard shoes cut or whole fish egges pulse heary cloth scilence night Orisons The Seraphin had not yet ouerspread the world with his sixe Monckish wyngs wherof the first was all orderly obedience the second Euāgelicall pouertie the thyrd immaculate virginitie the fourth most humble humilitie the fift peacemakyng Simplicitie the sixt Seraphicall Charitie of whom though I dare not affirme that they were not altogether voyde of those godly gifts yet was not so Celestiall and Seraphicall a profession of them flowen from out the fiery Firmament into the earth as yet And no maruell for as much as these Seraphicall fraternities of Cowled Cloysterers nor the roysting vpstartes of Religious rowte had not yet cloyed the earth namely first the Carthusians whose founder was Bruno erected vnder Pope Vrban the 2. in the yeare .1084 Then the order of Cistersians which start vppe within a whiles after in the yeare .1098 Emongest the which was Bernarde not the least ornament of that order out of whō sprang a fresh sprought of momish Monckes After them followed
the Fathers and Elders which did apperteine to the well ordering and gouernmēt of outward discipline Yet euen in these was such a moderation consonauncy obserued as should nether extinguishe the glory of the Gospell nor entāgle consciences with combersome charge but serue onely for preseruation of necessarye orders For due obseruation of the which was graunted to the Church a certayne authoritye and power to dispose and determine according to the nature of places and necessitye of tymes such thinges as might seéme most agreéable and couenable for their assemblies But this authority hedged in as it were within her certein limits and boundes as was but humaine so forced it not such a necessitye of obseruance as did those other commaunded immediately from God For lyke consideration may not be taken of humaine precepts commaunded by men onely as must be had of thordinaunces of God Hereof commeth it that the breach or not performaunce of that one being done without arrogant cōtēpt or reprochful disdayn is not punishable as mortall deadly sinne In lyke maner the godly ministers of the Church were not without their due honor and authority yet such it was as exceéded not the appointed lymittes and measure For as then function ecclesiasticall was a Ministery and seruice not a Maistry or Lordshippe which consisteth in two thinges chiefly In preaching the worde and ministring the Sacraments and in directing outward discipline and ordering maners and misdemeanours In which kinde of ministery although cōmaundement be geuē to yeald due obediēce vnto the pastors yea though we heare these wordes spoken of Ministers He that heareth you heareth me Yet tend they not to this end that they may after their owne wittes and pleasures make new innouations frame new fashions of doctrine and coyne new Sacraments thrust in new worshippings and new Gods or thereby to erect a kingdome in the Church But their whole power and authoritye is restrayned to the prescript rule of the Gospell not to dispence and dispose thinges after their owne luste but to be the dispensors and disposers of the misteries of God Wherevpon in matters appertayning to Gods Lawe conscience is bound to yealde due obediēce to the pastoures according to this saying He that refuseth you refuseth me In other thinges that concerne the Tradicions of men or that haue no assurance of their creation by any principle of doctrine herein ought speciall regard to be had First to what end they are commaunded then also by what authoritye they are brought into the Church For the ordinaunces which are thrust in vnder such maner and condition as may enfeéble true confidence in the Mediator as may dispoyle cōsciences of their freédome and ouerthrowe the maiestie of gods grace or are linked together with a vayne opinion of righteousnes of worshipping of remission of sinnes of merites of Saluation or of vnauoydable necessitye Such I say ought without all respect to be hauished and abandoned as pestilent batches from the communion and congregation of the Church Consideration also must be had of the difference betwixt these thinges which the Church doth charge mens consciences withall by mans authoritye onely and the thinges which are established and proclaimed by the expresse word and commaundement of God For although the Church may of duety require a certein subiuection to the ecclesiasticall ministers as that we ought to obey the ordinaunces that are instituted for preseruation of ciuill societye and couenable decency Yet must the ministers be well aduised least vnder pretence and colour of ecclesiasticall authoritie they eyther commaund the things that are not expedient or oppresse the simple people with vnmeasurable Burdeines or thinke with them selues that the Church is tyed of neccessity to any Lawes established by men Euen so and the same that hath bene spoken of mēs Constitutions may in effect be applyed to Iudicall Courts Iudgementes For although authoritye be committed to the Church to iudge and determine of doctrines and outward misdemeanours although the resolution of doubtfull cōtrouersies the discouerie and opening of matters obscure the declaring and debatyng of matters confuse the reformation and amendement of matters amysse be left ouer to the Censure and iudgement of the Church many tymes Yet is not this ordinary authoritye so arbitrary and absolute but is also fast tyed to the direct rule of the worde So that in matters of controuersie this Authoritie came conclude commaunde nothing but that which the word of the Gospel must make warrantable Neither hath this authoritye any such prerogatiue to make any alteration of Gods Scriptures or to forge false and vntrue interpretations which may auaile to establishe an authoritye of men or of orders or to make any new articles of fayth or to bring in straunge Inuocations which are directly repugnant to the manifest authoritye of the Scriptures And therfore we creditt the Church as a Mistres and a teacher foreshewing the truth yet after an other maner altogether then as we be bound to obey the word of the Gospell preached in the Church by the mouth of Gods faythfull ministers which authoritye when they put in execution according to the authoritye of Gods word we doe beleue them yet so neuerthelesse beleue them as that our creditt is not grounded now vpon the testimonie of the Church nor vpon men but vpon the worde of God namely because their iudgemēt is agreable and consonant with the rule of the sacred scriptures and with a free confession of the Godly iudging directly accordyng to the voyce and worde of God The Church therfore hath authoritie in decyding controuersies of doctrine Yet so that it selfe must be ouerruled by the authoritie of the word Otherwise the Church hath neither authoritye nor iudgement contrary to the consonancy of the Scriptures In lyke maner in discipline and reformation of maners the Church may determine and iudge But here also consideration must be had of the differēce For the censures ecclesiasticall are of one kinde but Iudgements temporall of an other kinde For in forinsicall and temporall causes when Iudgementés are geuen although they receaue their authoritie from the word of God yet are they in force in respect of the authoritye of the Prince and the Magistrate And therefore they minister correction with punishment corporall according to the qualitye of the trespasse But the iudgements of the Church are farre vnlyke For in those maner of offences which appertayne to the ecclesiasticall Consistorye the Church hath her proper iudgements and peculiar punishments Wherewith it doth not afflict or crucifie mens bodyes notwithstandyng nor pursue vnto death but cutteth of from the congregation onely and common society of men such as doe wilfully and stubburnely sett themselues agaynst the Ministerye and such as doe harden themselues and obstinately perseuer in wickednes agaynst order and conscience and continue in errors and other notorious crimes contrary to the prescript rule of sound doctrine
gloryous name coūterfaytyng the hornes of the immaculate Lambe doth vnder the person of Chrystes Uycar on earth attempt nothyng els in very deéde but that he may be the chiefe Monarch of the whole world and that all others Princes and Potentates of the earth may become buxam and bonnair vnto hys beck and commaundement For may it be lawfull Osorius for a man to speake the trueth franckely and in playne wordes to call a Toad a Toad Let that vysor of presumptuous pretence be pluckt from your pates and but a litle whyles turne downe that tytle and cloake of the Church wherewith you couer your selues and lette vs behold the thyng as it is in deéd to wytte the whole course of your conuersation your treasury myghty Maiesty gallant trayne pryncely pallaces stately dignyty pompous pryde terryble Lawes your lofty Castles presumptuous power what difference shal we seé betwixt the hyghest gouernemēt of an Empyre and the supremacy of the Pope betwixt the courtes of Kinges and the Reuelyng Rout of Rome betwixt Princes parliamēts and the Popes generall councels Now if you lyst to take a view of the gallaunts themselues what is the Pope himselfe other thē the Monarch and chiefe Ruler of thys world sauyng that other worldly Prynces be crowned wyth one single Dyademe onely but thys Ruffeler can skarse be satisfied wyth a Tryple Crowne Cardynalles what do they represent els then kynges and kynges Sonnes what do the Patryarches Archbyshoppes Byshopps and Abbottes in that pontificall kyndome shew themselues other then earthly prynces Dukes Earles equall or rather exceédyng them in sumptuousnesse wayted vpon wyth stately trayne wheresoeuer they goe and Ryde and many of them also Rynged and Chayned to whom a man may lawfully lyncke the Lubberly Rowt of monstruous Mounckes and false Fryers in stead of a gard Finally what one thing is done in any common wealth or pryncely courtes that these iolly Rufflers haue not conueyed into the Church of Christ by ambytious emulation Kynges and Emperours enduced hereunto for necessary preseruation of theyr state doe ioyne vnto them counsellors and Piers Those haue theyr Ambassadours and Messengers they haue also theyr pryuy ligiers and skowtes what doth the Pope want his consistory hath not this most holy father his Synodaryes doth he lack his legates nati legates de latere who wheresoeuer they be sent vse no lesse pompe thē any other Piere or potētate of highest nobility yea though he be neuer so sumptuous No more is he destitute of his skowtes and spyes whom he hath priuelye lurkyng euery where armed with treason at a pynche in princes courtes in theyr councels yea in the closettes pryuy chambers of Kynges and Queénes Do ye not thinke that thys is a comely concordaunce Osorius and a reasonable resemblaunce of Chrystes lyfe and commaundementes agreéable with the Apostles and Euangelists with the auncient Fathers with the ordinaunces of the primitiue Church and with the former presidēt of the Elders The Lord cryeth out in the Gospell As my lyuing Father sent me euē so do I send you What and do you thinke that he was so sent into the world that he should establish a new Regyment on earth and like an other Romulus builde an other stately and Emperiall Rome Or do ye thinke that the ministers of Chryst were sent after any other sort then the Sonne himselfe was sent from the Father Christ proceédeth yet foreward Receaue ye the holye Ghost sayth he whosoeuer Sinnes you shall forgeue the same are forgeuen them whosoeuer Sinnes you shall retayne the same also shal be retayned Other power then this he neuer did entitle his Church withall nor yet gaue this power to any but vnto them onely whom he purposed to endue with his holy spirite If we will value the Church of Christ by Christ his owne Lawes and not after the decreés of Popes what can be more euident then the wordes which he spake vnto his Disciples Ye know that such as will seeme to rule ouer Nations are Lordes ouer them theyr Princes haue dominion ouer them But it shall not be so with you for he that will be greatest shall humble himselfe minister to all the rest For the Sonne of man came not to be ministred vnto but to minister to other himselfe and to geue his lyfe to be a redemption for many Agayne Who made me iudge betwixt you we are taught like wise in Paule that the weapons of our warrefare are not carnall but mighty in the power of God wherewith we captiuate all vnderstanding and wisedome in subiection vnto Christ. And agayne Let euery man so esteeme of vs as the ministers of Christ and Stewardes of the misteryes of God And the same Paule in an other place Not because we be Lordes ouer your faith but we be helpers of your ioy For by fayth you are made perfect In the same sence also Peter Not being Lordes ouer the Clergy sayth he And agayne in the thyrd chapter of the same Epistle meaning to expresse the efficacy of the Gospell he doth call it a ministery not of the flesh but of the spirite And therefore to the end he may make vs more spirituall he doth wisely forbidde not the ministers onely but generally all other to be alike fashioned to this present word what would he now say If he did beholde the shape and vgly deformity of the Romish Church as it is now if heé aduised well the Royaltyes of S. Peter the fulnes of power the authority of both swordes the Keyes of all Churches stollen away and hanged all vpon the Romish bunch the toppe gallaūt of the pontificall maiesty the Cardinalles the Legates preuayling aboue Prynces the empalled and Mytred Byshoppes the orders of Shauelings the swarmes of Mounckes and Fryers the Lawes Bulles decreés which they vse as forcible as Cānon shotte theyr might and power fearefull yea terrible also to Princes The Lord hymselfe cryeth out mightely in the Gospell that his kingdome is not of this world nor canne away with the thinges that are mighty of the earth But our pontificall prelate will storme and waxe wroth if the world enioy any thyng that is not subiect vnto his power And this Ierarchy meane whiles more then wordly they fayne and God will to be the Church at whose becke as at the sight of Gorgones vgly face they make astonyed all the Monarches and Tetrarches of the earth And the same haue they magnified with the name of Catholicke forsooth By vertue of which name they will haue to be notyfied not a congregation dispersed vpon the face of the whole earth agreéing together in one conformity of doctryne and worshypping of Christ whyche doth make a true Catholicke Church But they meane hereby that onely Ierarchy which they will haue tyed fast to the Romyshe Seé And hereunto for the greater aduauncement of the authority they haue deuised a trymme tytle of Antiquity
entred into any order Ecclesiasticall foreswearing to be coupled in wedlock should sweare them selues to obserue perpetuall vow of vnmaried lyfe If any man be of opiniō that this Tyrāny was brought in by the Apostles and not rather directly agaynst the ordinaūce of the Apostolicke Church is much deceaued in imagination whereas that law was neuer begon nor euer heard of before the tyme of Hildebrand And although I can not deny that there were many vnmaried Ministers many dayes agoe in the Church of Christ at that tyme when as there was not such a huge multitude of Priestes and more plentyfull giftes of chastitie possessed Christian Churches yet did neuer any man read or heare that this necessitie of vowyng chastitie became a publique cōmon coaction before Hildebrād was borne How earnestly the Germaines did set them selues agaynst this wicked prohibition decreéd by Pope Gregory the 7. at what tyme the Archbyshop of Mentz Sollicitour of this Popish decreé was almost slayne let the Histories beare witnesse As touchyng what was done in England I will note somewhat my selfe For on this wise writeth Henry Huntyngton in his Chronicle Anselme sayth he did prohibite Mariadge of Priestes in England which was neuer prohibited before Which seemed to some a matter of wonderfull continēcie but to other very pernitious and perillous least whiles they should couet for a cleannes that surmounted their power they might rushe healong into horrible filthynes to the great reproche and dishonour of Christian name This much he with whom also accordeth the testimony of Monumetensis touchyng the same matter Herbert Byshop of Norwiche sayth he by the commaundement of Anselme and a Decree of a Prouinciall Synode did endeuour by all meanes possible to sequester the Priestes from their Wiues in his Diocese And when he could not bring it to passe he was constrained to send to Anselme for Counsell This is to be founde in a written History pag. 240. The same also happened to Gerrarde Archb. of Yorke about the same tyme. Now what will Osorius say to this If I shall be able to shew him out of our own auncient Recordes more then 40. Recordes and Rolles which doe make mention not onely of our Priestes companying together with their Wiues but also that do by publique authoritie and law of the land prouide that their Wiues ought to be endowed in landes and possessions There was an old Decreé in the Councell of Gangren That no man should make any difference betwixt an vnmaried Priest a maried Priest as to Iudge the one more holy then the other in respect of his vnmaried lyfe I will annexe the wordes of the Coūcell If any man doe take exception betwixt a Maried Priest at that in respect of his Mariadge he ought not to minister the Communion and so sequester him selfe from Communicating with him let him be accursed There ensued after this the Councell of Areletens the 2. wherein was a contrary Decreé made that no person should be admitted to Priesthood that was Married to a Wife vnlesse he vowed to depart from his Wife c. Whereunto also agreéd a Decreé of Pope Lucius long after the other Whereby Priestes and Deacons and such as serued the Altares should lyue continently And this hetherto tollerable enough But what kynde of cōtinency he did meane let vs marke by the sequele But if it happen sayth he that a Minister doe go to bedd to his Wife after he haue once receaued orders let him not enter within the Chaūcell nor be made bearer of the Sacrament nor yet come a neare the Altar c. As touchyng Images Inuocation Sacrifies for Sinnes and Freéwil hath bene spoken sufficiently before And what shall I adde more of the rest of the rascall rable to witte of Purgatory of Satisfactory Constitutions of vowes of other lyke peltyng pelfe of the newfangled Romish Traditions and of the antiquitie of all the rest but euen as they be in deéde namely that in them all appeareth no countenaunce of true Antiquitie but are deuises altogether of mens inuētions bastardes and misbegotten chaungelyngs of Scholeianglers and cowled crauens not grounded vpon any authoritie of the Scripture altogether vnknowen vnto the aūcient primitiue Church the most part wherof hath bene hatcht thrust abroad into the world within these 500. yeares within which compasse of tyme that noumber of yeares began to be fulfilled which was long before Prophecied of for the lettyng louse of Sathan into the world whose libertie out of that bottomles gulfe of hell was foretold by the Propheticall Scriptures should be after a thousand yeares to the end he might now preuaile to deceaue the people dwelling vpon the foure corners of the earth Gog and Magog c. By meane of which pestiferous deceauing it is scarse credible to be spoken what mōstruous ruine dissipation of Empires and Kyngdomes with in these 500. yeares what an alteration hath ensued in that church chiefly how much of Christian force hath bene decayed through Ciuill warres priuate grudgynges how greatly the power of foreine Nations hath increased to our destruction and vndoyng And how in the meane tyme whiles the Turke doth inuade the Christian Church without seékyng with foreine force to vndermine it The Popish Prelates be no lesse busily bent to builde vppe their fortresse of furious Tyranny euen within the bowels of the same Church and to fill vppe their Coffers with Treasures they moyle and turmoyle all thynges Procure warres and bloudshed for the establishment of their primacy sturre vppe Ciuill warres and commotions turne all thynges vpsidowne Wherupō commeth to passe that doctrine is nought sett by by how much their treasory aboundeth in ouer flowing-plenty by so much to speake with Ierome their vertues are pyned away with famine skarsity Idolatry ambitiō superstitiō haue growne to an vnmeasurable excesse all things are defiled with abuse Religiō ruleth the roast with violence cruelty Finally all things are come to nought Trueth is turned to playne lying and treachery The place of sincere fayth possesseth false hipocrisie Praying for the dead kneéling and crowching to Images supplyeth the place of the true and pure worshipping of God The word of the Lord is troden downe with mans authoritye The most godly and auncient ordinaunces are transformed into new fangled traditiōs the simple meaning of the Scriptures is entāgled with scholetrickes and Sophystrye Luste and vnbrideled licentious outrages preuayle aboue godly conuersation and seueritye of discipline Presūptuous pride and greédy desire of Lordlynes and superioritye doe wrestle agaynst lowlynes and humilitye huge heapes of new Noueltyes increase dayly errors and falshode flocke abroad vnmeasurably Finally the whole state of the auncient Church is become a very stage of an earthly Monarchye and a filthy forgeshoppe of foolishe fond ceremonies But now assoone as the Lord of his louing mercy good pleasure towardes vs vouchsafed to amend this dayly drowsy darkenes with
but sturred vpp by the flaming fyrebrandes of the furyes of hell and that they applyed themselues not to teach men but to peruert men Of the discention and variable opinions of Deuines and Churches hath bene spoken of before so that it shall be but neédeles to repeate the same agayne onely I will aunswere here to the argument God is not the Author of discention but of peace I doe know this and confesse it to be most true So also is the same God the fountayn of all righteousnes and father of all consolation The same is also Author of Matrimony and of all good thinges Go to now where can you finde in all the estates courses and actions of this transitory lyfe that fulnes and absolute perfection of righteousnes of consolation or of peace yea in the most holy estate of matrimonye as may be aunswerable to that absolute patterne of perfection Lett it suffice vs to haue receaued the first fruits thereof though we possesse not the Tenthes There will come a day and a place when as no darkened cloud of discention shall ouershadow this perfect peace betwixt vs. In the meane space whiles we lyue in this vale of misery men with men we shall neuer be destitute of one thing or other that will alwayes argue vs to be men dwelling in the tabernacle of Imperfection And therefore if Osorius will be so nyce as to exact of vs so precise a knitting together of vnvariable minds as may in no poynt swarue frō ech other lett himselfe become a president hereof in his owne Coūtrey and shew himselfe an Angell emongest his owne people And what maruell is it if in so great varietie of Iudgemētes and amongest so many men two men onely dissent somewhat in matter of so small importaunce whenas in this your so vniforme a Church whereof ye boast so proudly there is no parcell of Religion almost or order in profession wherein Schoole agaynst Schoole Uniuersitie agaynst Uniuersitie Colledge agaynst Colledge Councell agaynst Councell Canon agaynst Canon doe not mainteine continuall iarryng How is it then Osorius that with shuttevppe eyes ye can so lightly ouerlooke and not looke vpon so many and so monstruous Beames ouerspreadyng your Churches and not passe ouer one litle moate in our Church without controllyng your brethren but that ye must burst out into such whotte fury of hellish firebrandes With the Spirite of God say you is no dissensiō This is most true And so it is true also that Luther Zuinglius be not taken for Gods which can not erre nor dissent eche from other in some pointes Neither doth it therfore follow hereupon that bycause they do not reteigne a mutuall constaunt cōsent of myndes in all thyngs that therfore they were not raysed vppe by God Otherwise after this Logicke how many auncient and godly Fathers will you banish out of all Churches was there neuer any iarryng betwixt Moyses and Aaron That contention betwixt Paule Peter about the mainteynyng of the libertie of the Gospell and agayne that separatyng a sunder of Paule from Barnabas is well knowen to all mē It whiles the Lord him selfe lyued vpon the earth the Disciples them selues could be at variaunce about preéminence and superioritie what maruell now if his Disciples do not so well agreé together in all pointes sithēce Christ is not present emongest them who were more familiar then Basile and Gregory Nazienzene and yet in this marueilous consent of qualities and studies wanted not a certeine offence and breache of that mutuall amitie Victor did not of all partes agreé with Policarpus How earnest a conflict deuided Iohn Byshop of Constantinople and Epiphanius Byshop of Cypres Neither did Augustine in all thynges agreé with Ierome And yet I thinke you will not say that these men were not raysed vppe by the grace and Deuine inspiration of God Well now Let vs seé what this so great dissention was betwixt them which as you say proceéded from Luther What a brable was there betwixt them say you about wordes what varietie and inconstancy of opinions how disorderly how intricately and ouerthwartly do they speake in how many sondry matters and Argumentes do they not onely not agree with others but also disagree eche from other Forsooth if you will know Osorius and sith you require the same I will shew you in few wordes what and how monstruous this cōflict was betwixt thē First they do all togethers with one voyce confesse one God they doe all with one Fayth acknowledge the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost They do all with one mynde agreé togethers in the Articles of the Christian Creede with the true auncient and Catholicke Fayth of the Church of Christ. Of this Church they do all acknowledge the authoritie of the Scripture to be chief next vnder Christ the second place and dignitie they do yeld to the Church to the auncient and approued Councels The godly and auncient Fathers they do all with one consent allow and yeld vnto so farreforth as euery of them is founde to agreé with the expresse word of God Heresies and false opiniōs reproued by the authoritie of holy Scripture and the sacred antiquitie of the Church they do all generally oppugne besides this authoritie of Scripture the most couenable proportion of Fayth whatsoeuer hath priuily crawled and crept in by stealth into the profession of Fayth and true worshyppyng of God they do all vtterly and worthly abhorre whatsoeuer is most aunciēt in Fayth and most approued by cōstaunt allowaunce of antiquitie the same is had amongest thē in greatest admiration In the acknowledgemēt of one onely Mediatour in heauen one onely Sacrifice for Sinnes which is resiaunt not in the earth but in heauen in confessyng one onely generall head of the vniuersall Church in all these is there no discention nor brawlyng about wordes or Sentences Moreouer in this they agreé together all be of one mynde and iudgement all namely that the Pope of Rome is the very Antichrist whereof they haue assured and vndoughted proofe by the certeine and infallible Rules and forewarnynges of the holy Scripture and by his horrible persecution of the word of God Besides this also that all Idolles and Images ought to be abolished out of the Church of God That those choppyng chaungyng of Pardons ought to be abhorred That all affiauce of righteousnes of God ought to be settled in the onely Fayth of Iesu Christ and in nothyng els That superfluous vowes and Traditions of men which do yoake fast and clogge Christian libertie and well disposed consciences ought vtterly to be abolished That Ceremonies and Constitutions which are ioyned with an opinion of righteousnesse of worshyppyng of Saluation merityng ought worthely to be banished abandonned that Priestes Concubines ought to be conuerted into lawfull Matrimony that those mōstruous vpstartes of disguised professions rules and orders ought be rooted out that all thyngs may be reduced and leuelled
to witte That the Church is a multitude of people such as is bounde to obey the Pope of Rome seuered from other Nations by certeine Ceremonies which the Popes haue ordeyned fast tyed to the ordinary cōtinued course of Succession of Byshops and to that onely interpretation of Scriptures which the Byshops and Councels doe deliuer And this is the true proportion and full Definitiō of your Church if I be not deceaued But this Definitiō the learned in Logicke will deny to be good sounde where the thyng defined is not of all partes equiualēt with the Definitiō Which rule is not obserued here For to admitte this vnto you that in the true Church of Christ must be Popes Byshops who must be obeyed who also must haue an ordinary outward succession and who may challenge vnto them selues a speciall prerogatiue in the interpretation of the holy Scripture yet is not this by and by true that all Popes Byshops which are entituled by the name of Popes and Byshops which do pretende a continuall succession which do carry the countenaunce of consentes which do challenge a right in the interpretatiō of Scriptures are the true sheapherds of the Lordes flocke And why so forsooth bycause that thyng wāteth which makyng specially for the purpose you haue specially left out namely the truth of sounde doctrine which may be able to treade downe and crushe in peéces errour and hypocrisie That is to say That Byshops do truly and vnfaynedly become the same in the sight of God which in vtter shew they would fayne seéme in the sight of men Agayne that Succession be not of persons onely but a speciall Succession of Fayth vertuous lyfe that the obedience of the people may not proceéde so much of feare of punishment as of harty affection and willyngnesse of mynde that the interpretation of scriptures be not wrested to the maintenaunce of errour and mens sensualitie but be directed and aunswerable to the meanyng of the holy Ghost and the true naturall sense of the Scripture For these be the true markes Osor. whereby a true Church is discernable from a false not the title and name of a Church not the authoritie and Succession of Byshops not the opinion of a multitude besides the truth of Gods word But the very Rule of the word must be kept which will so describe vnto vs a true Church by true markes tokēs boundes and foundations That it be a Congregation dispersed abroad euery where ouer the face of the whole earth vnited agreéyng together in soūd◠doctrine of Fayth and the true worshyppyng of God which beyng sanctified by the holy Ghost and admitted by partaking the Sacramentes do truly beleéue in God through the Sonne of God Iesu Christ accordyng to the doctrine of the Gospell although some be enlightened with more spiritual graces gifts and some with lesse By this standard and Rule let vs measure now the Argumentes of Osorius Luther and Melancthon are fallen away from the Pope of Rome and his Cardinalles Ergo Luther and Melancthon haue rent in sunder the vnitie of the Church The onely Church of Rome hath an ordinary succession from Peter Ergo The onely Church of Rome is the true Church The great part of Christendome doth acknowledge the Church of Rome Ergo The Churche of Rome is the Mother Churche and Queene of all Churches The Churche of God hath a promise that it shall neuer erre Ergo He that doth interprete the Scriptures otherwise then after the meaning of the Church of Rome or that doth not acknowledge him selfe obedient to the Romish Decrees in all thynges is an heretique and doth sequester him selfe from the boundes and communiō of the Church To this aunswere shal be made briefly and logically These be meére fallacyes and deceites of the Equiuocation deriued from a false description of the Church and the succession thereof and from false markes For as touching the names and Tytles as touching the long pedigreés of neuer interrupted course of Succession as touching the consent of the multitude and the promises made by God if the other tagges were tyed to these poyntes and made suteable namely sound doctrine true godlynesse surely it would seéme somewhat to the purpose that Osorius mayntayneth But now whatsoeuer they bragge and vaunt of tytles and other reliques without the especiall coupling and cōioyning of the Euangelicall and Apostolicall doctrine is altogether nought els but smoake and winde nothing auayleable to establish the true vnity of the Church First as concerning the name of the Church we do heare Christ himselfe speaking Many shall come in my name Touching Successiō we heare out of Ierome Not they that sitte in the places of Sainctes c. Touching the multitude Augustine doth teach vs. That the consentes of voyces must be weyed and measured not numbred Touching Gods promise made for perseuerance in the trueth harken what Iohn Baptist speaketh Do not say we haue Abrahā to our Father For God is of power to rayse vppe sonnes to Abraham out of these stoanes If Osorius will argue after this maner why should not these arguments be of as great force The high Priest of the old law in the Iewish Regiment did beare the face and name of the Church with full allowaunce and cōmon consent of all the multitude yea euen in the tyme of Esay Ieremy Amos Elias and Christ. The same also did conuey theyr Succession from the priesthood of Aaron And did vouch also theyr authority seat lawe and the promise agaynst Ieremy agaynst the Prophettes and agaynst Christ. The Law say they shall not perish from the Priestes Ergo Those high priestes did enioy a true Church nor coulde possibly erre at any tyme. But if Osorius shall thinke with him selfe that these Argumentes were not forcible enough in the olde Church why should they be more effectuall in the new Churche In the olde lawe it was lawfull to examine the very prophettes themselues if they spake the word of the Lord yea certayne infallible tokens were set downe whereby they might be discerned In like maner euen in the new testament we are commaunded to proue the Spirites if obey be of God being forewarned by the spirite of God that we beleue not euery spirite And what kinde of people then be these Popes and Cardinals of Rome which of a more then Imperious Lordlynesse doe commaund and require all men to receaue and reuerence their Satutes Ordinaunces Ceremonies opinions and all theyr wordes and deédes ingenerall without exception and contradictiō vpon greéuous paynes and Penalties that shall ensue agaynst him whosoeuer dare presume to make a question of the right of their authoritye or to make any doubt of any theyr deuises and imaginations And so geuing the slippe to all those he commeth downe againe to our Church with a maruailous blaff of windy words but with no reason at all imagining to proue
word of God Ergo They are worthy to be accursed whosoeuer will spurne agaynst this Catholicke doctrine And because they may seéme to speake this not without some good ground they haue scraped together a few shreddes out of Auncient Fathers namely Cyprian Hesychius Ierome Ambrose Irene Oecumenicus wherewith they may bolster vpp not their credytt but their false packyng shuffled in among to delude the simple people withall Out of Cyprian is vouched first this sentence in an Epistle of hys For why rather sayth he the priest of the high God then our Lord Iesus Christ who did offer a sacrifice vnto God the Father and did offer the selfe same that Melchizedech did namely bread and wine to witt his body and bloud c. And immediately after As therefore it is sayd in Genesis that the representatiō of the sacrifice did goe before by Melchizedech consisting of bread and wine which thing the Lord performing and accomplishing did offer the bread and the cupp mingled with wine and he that it fulnesse it selfe hath fulfilled the verity of the prefigured representation Whereupon groweth this Argument We are commaunded to do the same that Christ did Christ did at his supper offer the Sacrifyce of his bodye and bloud Ergo We also ought to do the same if we beleeue Cyprian I do acknowledge the wordes of Cyprian I doe allow the authority neyther doe I sist out ouer narrowly how he doth agreé herein with the trueth of the hebrue letter because he sayth that Melchizedech did offer bread and wine and that vpon this offring hys Pryesthood was grounded because he did offer bread and wine As though Melchizedech were not a Pryest before he offered bread and wine Neyther doe I presume to take vpon me to aunswere herein as Augustine did aūswere Crescentius I am not bound to the authority of this Epistle because I doe not accompt the Epistles of Cyprian as canonicall but I do measure thē by the Canonicall scriptures And whatsoeuer I finde in him agreable with the authority of Gods word I doe allow of it and cōmend him therefore but whatsoeuer is contrary to Gods word I do by his patience refuse it c. And therefore lett those sayinges of Cyprian be true and autentick for me Goe to then and what aduantage hereof may be gathered for the ratyfiyng of the popish sacrifice wherein they do say that they do offer the sonne of God really for a propitiatory sacrifice which is auayleable not to the Receauer onely but to the quicke and dead also We are commaunded sayth he to do the same that Christ did at his last supper But he did not offer sacrifice for himselfe at his last supper as I suppose And how then doth the Pryest do the same thing that Chryst did yet neuerthelesse he did offer at his supper his owne body and bloud Did he offer it for sinnes yea or nay If you say yea The Apostle will deny it who did acknowledge none other sacrifice of Christ but onely one and doth likewise affirme that Christ was offered once onely to purge and wype away the sinnes of many If you say nay how then doe the Priestes the selfe same who do sacrifyce for sinnes as they say But I returne agayne to Cyprian Christ sayth he accomplishing in effect and trueth that which went before in a shadow dyd offer his owne body and bloud This is true in deéd But where did he offer it at his supper surely so say the Papistes But Cypriā doth not say so For whereas he speaketh of bread and wyne mixt together what he meaneth thereby he doth imediately declare in the same Epistle very playnely and doth interpret himselfe openly that it may appeare that this was not done at the tyme of hys supper but doth confesse that the same was performed at the passion and death of our Lord which was foreshewed and prefigured before And agayn a whiles after he shall wash sayth he his garment in wyne and his vesture in the blood of the grape Now when it is named the blood of the grape what els is declared then the wine of the cupp of the blood of the Lord And thus much Cyprian not meaning the supper surely but the crosse of Christ which doth appeare euidently by this that he annexeth forthwith in the same place denying that we are able to drinke the blood of Christ vnlesse Christ had bene troden and prest in the wine presse first and had dronken of the Cupp before of which Cupp he should haue tasted first to the beleeuers Which speéch of Cyprian forasmuch as can not be aptly applied to any other thyng then to the sacrifyce of the Crosse it may easily appeare hereby what aunswere ought to be framed to the Argument The same which Christ did must be imitated of vs. Christ did offer at his supper hys bodye and his bloud according to the Testimony of Cyprian But this is false For Cyprian throughout all that whole Epistle did neuer affirme that Christ dyd offer his bodye and bloud at hys supper but vpon the Crosse. If an Argument must neédes be framed from out the wordes of Cyprian we shall argue much more probably on thys wyse The same that Christ did offer we must offer also Christ did offer the same that Melchizedech did Ergo We must offer the same that Melchizedech did But Melchizedech did offer bread wine according as Cyprian doth witnesse Ergo We also must offer bread and wine Is there any sillable here that may helpe the Papistes cause or vtterly ouerthrow it rather Here is an other boane to pycke vpon raked out of Ierome where he sayth Melchizedech in the Type of Chryst dyd offer bread and wyne and dyd dedycate a Christian Mystery in the bloud and body of our sauiour c. This knott also is cleane cutt away with the very same two-edged Axe for I am not ignoraunt that the Ecclesiasticall writers doe make comparison now and then betwixt the presentes of Melchizedech which he gaue to Abraham and the sacrifice of Christ vpon the Crosse to witte that one figuratiuely this other truely and in veryty Be it now as they say Yet is thys no good proofe notwithstandyng to iustify that the Priest doth forth with offer the Sonne of GOD in the mysticall Supper really to God the Father in full remyssion of sinnes And yet here also do not all the holy Doctours agreé amongest themselues in all poyntes whereas some do compare the oblation of Melchyzedech with the Sacrifice of the Crosse Agayne other do compare it with the Celebrating of the holy communion yea and do make it equiualent therewyth Some do neyther agreé with thēselues applying the Allegory now this way now that way and many times both waies Finally though they should be vniforme in theyr Allegory yet how true that Argument is that is deriued from an Allegory accordyng to that saying which is commōly frequēted in
the pacyfying of quarells determined and ended complaynts and forced them to vnitye aud concord all which he ought to haue submitted to the pōtificall iurisdiction Moreouer this also was a part of no lesse insolencye in him to presume to fitt emongest the Byshopps in the Councell of Nyce as Theodoret doth testify to direct them with his councell commaunding thē earnestly to foreseé that in determining and decyding all matters of Religion they should haue a speciall regard to the wrytinges of the Apostles and Prophetts The same may be veryfied by the Emperor Theodosius who as Socrates reporteth did not onely sitt emongest the Byshopps and was present at their disputation but was president and chiefe of the Councell also and did vtterly condemne the opinions of the heretiques In the councell of Chalcedon when as Dioscorus Iuuenall Thalassius were condēned for heretiques who gaue sentence vpon them the ciuill Magistrate or the Byshoppes of Rome lett Osorius make aunswere at his best leasure In the 3. Councell of Constantinople the Emperour Constantine did not onely sitt together with the Byshopps but subscribed their decreés also with his owne hand on this wise We haue readd sayth he and haue subscribed them Lykewise in the Councell of Arausium we reade the same was done I doe not say of the Princes themselues but of thambassadours of Princes and states of the Potentates also who did not onely vtter their mindes in matters of Religion but did adde also their owne subscriptions emongest the Byshopps When as Iustinian the Emperor made a law touching the reformation of lyfe and the restrayning of the insolent licētiousnes of Priestes and when as he deposed two Popes Siluerius and Vigilius striuing together for Peters chayre In lyke maner here in our litle Brittaine when as Athelstane Edgar Egelrede and Canutus doe establishe Byshops in their Seés when as they doe make lawes touching the Sabbath touching payment of Tythes touching Ceremonies touching worshipping touching cases of Matrimony of Penaūce and Excommunication did they thinke that they had no charge committed vnto them for Reformation of Religion And what shall we aunswere to Ierome then who writyng agaynst Rufinus touching the lawfull aucthoritye of Councells Tell me sayth he what Emperour did commaund that Councell to be sommoned What shall I speake of August lykewise who taking vpon him to confute the error of the Donatistes emongest other many reasons forced this Argument chiefly Why did you conuent Cecilian Byshopp of Carthage before Constantine sayth he If it be not lawfull for an Emperour to determine vpon matter of Religion Moreouer how shall Chrisostome be aunswered who by the authoritye of that place of Paul before rehearsed doth restraine euery humaine creature not exempting the very Apostles and Euangelistes themselues to the dutiefull obedience not of one Byshopp but of euery of his owne particular Prince Furthermore what shall we say of the Apostle Paule himselfe who purposing to be tryed in the controuersie of Religion doth make his appeale not to Peter sitting as the Papistes doe say at Rome but to themperor Nero notwithstanding he was a most horrible Tyrant So that concerning the duetye of obedience on the behalfe of the subiect not the person that is in highest authority whether he be Kyng or Queéne but the estate it selfe which is ordeyned from God is to be considered Which beyng most certeynely true what cann be more voyde of shame then Osorius face more vnsauory then his writing and more false then his opinion who raking a heape of wordes together to bring vs to be more maligned and enuied Barketh agaynst vs Englishmen with his doggish Eloquence Who haue submitted the Sacred affayres of holy Churche not onely to a king which you doe accompt a haynousnes vnpardonable but also to a Queene contrary to all equitye and right contrary to the holynesse of most pure Religiō and contrary to the prescript ordinaunces of almighty God and haue translated also the Sacred dignitye of the highest Byshopp violently taken away from lawfull Byshopps to the gouernement and direction of a woman c. Loe here gentle Reader the substaunce of a most greuous complaynt agaynst the Sacrilegous Englishmen haynous enough considering the force of our accuser Osorius which because you shall not think but that it is in ech respect as true as it is cruell and odious and least his declamation may happen to light emongest such as be hard of beliefe and therefore skarse finde any place of creditt behold now with what Arguments with what force and with what kinde of proofe he iustifieth his accusation and therewith enforceth creditt not by reason onely but with aucthoritye and doth make it vnreproucable by the testimony of an Oracle so that now no man cann be so distrustfull as to conceaue any ill opinion of the Accuser being a man vncontrollable Namely because himselfe hath spoken the word euery of whose wordes be inuincible sentences Goe to then what is it that Osorius vpon his superexcellent creditt doth warrant vnto vs Marke well you wretched Englishmen you outcast and abandoned Nation which haue made subiect to a womans gouernement all holy Church and all holynesse rēnonucing the Pope of Rome his aucthoritye harkē vnto your cōplaint wherewith Osorius doth charge you Which thing verely I do affirme to be an haynous offence a beastly and sauadge wickednesse and a detestable and execrable abhomination It is enough for so our Tomme told vs. Neither hath he told it onely but hath proclaymed it also and doth so proclayme it not as the Iewes did sometyme exclayme whē Christ was accused for they cryed out on this wise We haue no king but Caesar. But Osorius pypeth vpp an other note wee haue no Kyng but the Pope And as for Priestes and Byshopps to be subiect to a womās aucthoritie he accompteth it an vnpardonable haynousnes worthy of a thousand Purgatories And I beseéch you Syr what was there done at Rome when as Ioane an English woman beyng Pope all Churches holynes were subiect not onely to the Iurisdiction of a woman but were at commaundement of a Strumpett But I lett this passe and retourne agayne to you who recompt it a matter intollerable that the affaires of holy Church should be ordered by any Magistrate other then by the Popes aucthoritie By what Argument do you proue this to be true Forsooth bycause Osorius hath spoken the word But farre otherwise spake and did Augustine Ierome and Chrisostome of whom we made mention before Otherwise also spake Gelasius a Bishop of Rome who doth franckly and boldly professe that the priuiledges of the Church are in the power of the Emperour deliuered vnto him from aboue I speake not here of the person man or woman nor yet of the maners of Princes but of the authoritie which whether happē to mā or womā if their prerogatiue be warranted by the ordinaunce of God there is no cause why it
should be defaced for the peéuish pratyng of one Portingall Surely if the aucthoritie of a woman haue not prerogatiue in decidyng determining Ecclesiasticall causes Gregory did not demeane him selfe discreétly who in a cause of purgatiō of a certein womā named Mēna sent backe that Appeale to Brunichelda the Frenche Queéne as to her lawfull Princesse Gouernesse What shall I say of Eleutherius Pope of Rome who writyng vnto Lucius kyng of Englād called him the Uicar of God within the precinct of his owne kyngdome and therfore doth exhort and require him that he gouerne his Realme with wholesome ordinaunces established by the word of God If Christian Kynges and Princes euery one within their owne seuerall Realmes do as it were represent the Uicares of God vpon earth I beseéch you Osorius what is more proper vnto God then to prouide circumspectly for the well orderyng and good dispositiō of such thynges as apperteigne to the Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction But of this enough and more then enough But of all other this is a most pleasaunt iest very fitt for a Rhetorician Where you complayne bitterly that the Popes Byshops are dispoyled of their lawfull authoritie which seémeth to me euen as much in effect as if AEsopes Crow should take an action agaynst the litle byrdes for entryng vpon possession of their owne feathers which were their own of right But bycause this matter hath bene sufficiently enough debated already take here a resolute aunswere Osorius for the knittyng vppe of this knotte in fewe wordes Peruse throughly this whole Papane whatsoeuer which you call by the name of a lawfull aucthoritie I speake not of the personages that haue supplyed the place I say behold agayne and agayne the whole forme and proportion of that Seé and Pontificall royaltie as it is at this present the conuersation the practizes the orders the insolency the pryde the greédynes the cruelty the slaughters executed the infinite vnspeakeable Martyrdomes the Idolatryes the blasphemyes the immoderate iniuries and tyrannies of this Popish Church behold I say search out examine and circūspectly consider with your eyes and emprinte in your imaginatiō all the premisses withall compare all the same to the notes signes and Prognostifications of the Propheticall Scriptures and if it do not approue by the infallible Prophecies and most certein tokens and for eshewynges and markes of the sacred Scripture that this same Prelate◠euen he whom you do propp vpp so proudly in that Pontificall Prelacy whom you defend so stoughtly is the very naturall Antichrist that Child of perdition Behold here I will yeld ouer my right and will become your bondman But if this cā not be denyed to be an vnuanguishable veritie nor gaynsayd by you by any reason nor can be mainteyned by you by any proofe or due Argumentes what will you say then Osorius Where is that authoritie violently taken from your lawfull Byshops which you haue most wickedly vsurped so long not without execrable iniury of other Christian Princes Wherefore either defend if you can that he that doth supply the place of that Romish Papane is not very Antichrist or cease from hēceforth to barcke so currishly agaynst the gouernement of our Mayden Queéne vnto whose authoritie we Englishmen do most humbly acknowledge our dutyfull subiection by the prouident appointment and most happy ordinaūce of almighty God whose Princely prerogative established from aboue neither are you able to suppresse but you shall withall become an errand rebell agaynst Gods ordinaūce nor yeld the souereignty thereof to that proud Prelate but that you shall herein conspire with Antichrist and denounce your selfe an open traytour agaynst Christ the Sonne of the liuyng God From hence now is our Portingall Parrott taken his flight hoppyng from one treé to an other and passing ouer many bushes and brambles that he may at the last come to his appointed marke to witte that last place of his booke wherein the seély Childish babe Haddō doth sayth he teare his owne flesh with his owne nayles and hath withall geuē him selfe a very deadly wounde c. If this gallaunt challēger were as valiaunt in armes as he can face out the matter with a carde of tenne surely he were mā good enough to ouerthrow all the Pigmees in the world Here is a great noyse of woundes yea and of deadly woūdes but God be praysed not so much as one dropp of bloud shedd we heare a sounde o◠mostruous stormes and horrible thundercrackes but neuer a droppe of rayne wherein to my conceipt happeneth to Osorius a chaunce not much vnlyke to that wherof the old tale maketh mention of an husbandman not all of the wisest that did sheare his Dogge Good Lord quoth he what a noyse is here and not so much as a locke of wolle But passing ouer those outcryes and painted speaches of Osorius Let vs consider the matter it selfe somewhat aduisedly The place of Haddon wherein this Scourgeluther doth so much whyppe Haddon is on this wise What now sayth Haddon shall this most sacred doctrine of the Gospell wherein we haue alwayes cōtinued by the space of xxx yeares together except that troublesome tyme of vi yeares wherin the Queenes Maiestie hath bene trayned and instructed from her infancie wherein her highnesse hath hadd so many trialles of Gods great bountyfull liberalitie towardes her wherein hath bene a generall consent of all estates wherein hath bene a settled stay of most excellent lawes and ordinaunces shall this so pure and syncere worshipping of God so circumspectly defended and established by the Royall Maiestie of all partes be defaced and disgraced thorough the crakes of a peeuish ` Portingall These be Haddones wordes in that which place will be worthe that notyng to seé what scarres Osorius hath espyed out The first is wherein Haddon doth name the sacred doctrine of the Gospell to be the Discipline of Luther Zuinglius Bucer Caluine and such lyke frantick fellowes Truely this is a greuous wound And why so forsooth because those men haue not onely with the rules of their doctrine but also with the euill example of their lyues haue rooted out all shamefastnes Modestye Ciuilitye and obedience First here be two lyes at a chopp but lett vs search out the other woundes Moreouer in steed of fayth and freedome they haue bestowed vpon their familiars presumptiō and rashnes together with vnpunishable lycentiousnes of sinning They haue in steede of true righteousnes brought in a false and deceitfull righteousnes They haue made God the Authour of all wickednes The decayed Church which they promised to Restore to her auncient integritye they haue defiled with more abhominations so that by how much the more a man doth encline to their discipline so much the more is he estraunged from all shamefastnes and Chastitie c. These be old winde shaken Broomes worne out before to the bare stumpes and which hath bene handled before sufficiently but haue you any new
marke of Circumcision haue glorified your Church carrying the marke of the Beast vpon your crownes that Barbour of Horace whatsoeuer he be will serue for your turne much more fittly Upon which wordes of the Poet you proceéde forewarde But by what meanes doe you know me so well Who did euertell you say you that I haue not bestowed longer tyme vpon the Readyng of holy Scriptures then vpon Cicero Demosthenes Aristotle and Plato Truly if you perfourme in deéde Osorius as your wordes do emporte you are much to be commended But your bookes declare otherwise Howbeit we do nothyng mistrust but that you are busily exercized in readyng the Scriptures as your function and dignitie requireth nor did Haddon obrayde you with any such matter as that you did litle or nothyng at all apply the perusing and conference of Scriptures and so also did he meane nothyng lesse then to forbidd you beyng a Byshop as you say and a Priest from the study and practize of Gods holy Testament Wherein you doe vnhonestlye slaunder him and belye him without cause And therefore I cann not seé to what end these wordes of yours which you inferre hereupon and wherewith you seéme to fight with your owne shadow as it were do preuaile on this wise Is it lawfull for you to geue full liberty to wemen to Porters and Carters to tattle and clatter without Iudgement of matters of Diuinitie and will you presume to prohibite me I do not say a Byshop I do not say a Priest finally I do not say a mā many yeares exercised in the most sacred Scriptures furnished with no small encrease of knowledge but as you doe affirme a man of vnderstandyng and wisedome that I may not medle with this most holy learnyng Abate somewhat of your courage good my Lord Byshop I pray you if you can And lett vs reason together vpon some true allegations Tell vs a good fellowshypp where in what place when and at what tyme in whose presence with what phrase of wordes did Haddon euer forbidd you the study of heauenly Philosophy in speach or in thought If you can not Iustifie agaynst him by any meanes to what purpose then is all this so gorgeous and glorious floorish of wordes about the Mooneshine in the water But this braue Marchaunt would neédes blaze out his bracelettes and Iewells lately transported vnto him from out the Calecutes and therefore on this maner ietteth forth this Buskine Portingall Moreouer by what law by what authoritye by what power may it be lawfull for you being a Cyuilian to pearch so presumptuously to handle Gods booke Renouncing the proctorshipp for old Rotten walles windowes and gutters vyle and base contractes Couenaunts and bargains and pleading with pelting libells and may not I who am called to this function to instruct my flock committed vnto me with the word of God be so bold to employ some labour and diligence vpon the interpreting and expounding thereof without your comptrollement c. You haue heard an accusation tragicall enough if I be not deceaued and a very haynous complaynt of this babler For the rest now harken to the Morall of the Fable You offer me a double iniurye sayth he for you doe both entrude vpon an other mans possession and you dispossesse me from my right with most iniurious prohibitions c. Yea but if a man may be so bold vnder correction by your leaue being so great a Byshop so wise a Priest so great a Clarke to speake as the trueth is your selfe haue made two lyes together Osorius without touch of breath For neither he beyng a Ciuilian forsaking his pleadyng of walles windowes gutters doth entrude vpon any other mans possessions nor yet doth force you out of your owne right nor doth prohibite you with any such kynde of prohibitions but that you may proceéde in that course of studies which beseémeth your age profession best bestow as much trauaile thereupon as you can by all meanes possible Yea rather he doth earnestly perswade your holynesse thereunto Enioy therefore a Gods name those possessions which you clayme as your right as much and as longe as you may Haddon will neuer interrupt your course no more will any Christian man els driue you from your interest therein But in the meane space lett vs behold what maner of possessions these be whereof you speake verely if you meane the knowledge of Christ the word of lyfe holy Scriptures readyng hearing of heauenly Pphilosophye Certes I seé no cause why you should haue any more especiall prerogatiue in these possessiōs then any other Nor why this treasure ought apperteigne more to Osori because he is a Priest then to Haddon being a Ciuiliā for as much as by Godes institution this one learning aboue all other is prescribed to all persons indifferently as the chiefe and principall rule of this lyfe vnlesse we will accompt this saying Search the Scriptures to be spoken to Priestes onely and that for this cause Lawyers and Ciuilians ought not intermedle therein But if it were lawfull for Bartillmew Latomes being a Lawyer to write agaynst M. Bucer in matters of highest Diuinitye If Iulius Phlugius a professed Ciuilian might be warrāted by themperour Charles the 5. to sitt in Synodes and disputations of Deuines If Albert Pius Earle of Carporites writing agaynst Erasmus a Deuine and a Priest If King Henry the 8. doing the lyke agaynst Luther and descending into disputation in matters of Diuinitye being neither a Byshopp nor a Priest was supposed neuerthelesse to doe nothing vnseémely his Regall magnificence nor contrary to order Why is Haddon accused then as an encrocher vpon other mens possessions because being a Ciuilian he dare presume to encounter with a priest in matters of Religion But he should haue yelded ouer the charge of writing against you to Deuines and Byshops rather Truely it is not to be doughted but he would haue done so Osorius If in this kinde of conflict he could haue bene perswaded that he should haue contended agaynst a Deuine But whenas he perceaued by the course of your writing that your whole discourse sauored of nothing but of a Rhetorician and a Philosopher and that in your treaty of Diuinitye you alleadged skarse any one sentence of true Dyuinytye and sound doctrine he being himselfe a Rhetorician and withall throughly studyed in the same kinde of exercizes did conceaue in his minde that there could be no fitter match for him then being a Rhetorician to deale agaynst a Rhetorician as Bithus did in tymes past with Bachius that so with one manner of weapō and one kinde of furniture he might encoūter your lyes wherewith you doe so nimbly seéke the ouerthrow of the verytye In this poynt therefore of Haddons determination touching the debating of this cause he did nothing vncomely or vnseémely for his personage nor did he for this cause relinquish his owne walles and encroch vpon your possession yea so much