was publiquely professed because a great part of the Gentills were not then conuerted not only their bookes and writings were tolerated but their religion it selfe although it were most grosse Idolatry was permitted Besides in England the Catholikes being many wise and learned do not cease by alledging most pregnant proofes important reasons and authenticall testimonyes to mayntaine the truth of their cause and to draw others to imbrace their doctrine In which regard it standeth the Protestants vpon and especially the Ministers to read their bookes thereby to defend themselues and others as well as they can from the force of the Catholike arguments brought against them And for the same cause in France and in Germany and in all other Countreyes where many religions are allowed the Catholike Students and other secular men are vsually permitted to read all kind of bookes the better therby to refute their errours Which this good Bishop thought good to conceale for his owne aduantage But in those other Catholike Countreys which were neuer yet infected with Heresy and where there is no occasion to impugne it there it importeth that the Pastours be very vigilant to keep it out For Heresy being once gotten in it crepeth like a canker and at last breaketh out like a raging fire and burneth so dreadfully that whole Cittyes and Kingdomes and Nations haue been consumed with it in a very short space as may appeare in Greece in Asia in Africa other Countreys And therfore in all ages not only the Fathers Doctours and Prelates but also Men Women and Children of the Catholike Church haue euer concurred with all speed and with might and mayne to quench and ex inguish the least sparke therof By which meanes it is wonderfull to consider in how short a tyme the bookes and writings of all the ancient Heretikes in former ages haue been consumed and abolished by the zeale of Catholikes In so much as of so many millions of their Volumes there is not at this day one left remayning But this good man the Bishop is of another mynd who if it were possible would dig those authours out of hell againe to see whether they were truely cited by chose that wrote against them And for the present he would permit without any occasion such mens workes to be familiarly read whom the Apostle forbiddeth to be saluted Our mother Eue out of a vayne curiosity conferring with the serpent whome she might thinke to be an Angell Gen. 3.2 fell into Heresy but this man out of a curiosity more then monstrous Ioan. 10.3.5 would perswade the sheep of Christ to heare the voyce of a stranger and to conferre with that serpent whome they know and confesse to be the Diuell Wherfore this spirit of his being so contrary to the spirit of the Church to the spirit of the Apostle to the spirit of Christ himselfe and in fine contrary to the light of reason in the Gouernement both of Church and Common Wealth you may easily indge from whence it commeth and to what end it tendeth Whereby you will also coniecture what vnion and coniunction may be of the East and of the West of the North and South with the desire whereof this good Bishop is so much tormented For it can be nothing els but a horrible confusion of them all and the vtter ouerthrow of Christian Religion as we shall see hereafter In the meane tyme that you may the better perceiue his naturall and inborne desire of vnity wherewith his poore hart is so much tormented he wil make it knowne himselfe you vnto by the effects thereof For presently after he tells you that he deuided himself from the vnion of that Society wherunto he was vowed and separated himselfe from the body of that order whereof he was a member like a branch from his vyne from the which being once cut of it was likely he could be good for nothing but to be cast into the fire The great comendations he giueth of his owne learned laborious life whiles he was in Religion I can hardly belieue For writing this booke as he doth to no other end but only to blaze his owne prayses you need not doubt but that euery where he speaketh the most of himselfe or more then the most And supposing it to be true it amounteth God he knoweth but to a very small matter especially being done for humane prayse wherewith he payeth himselfe insteed of others that should reward him for it It may be that in respect of his proud and vnquiet spirit his Superiours were inforced to proue him in many things to see what good they might make of him But in the end it should seeme by his going forth which was like to be vpon some discontentment that they found him fit for nothing The Order of the Society of Iesus may fittly be compared to the sea that casteth forth the dead bodyes or to a vessell of new wine which purgeth all the trash and corrupt matter that is mingled with it and therefore they easily permit such as be not fit for them to depart from them least by staying amongst them being stopt vp close like corruption togeather with the pure wine they should breake the vessell it selfe wherein they are inclosed And albeit for this cause it be more easy for such as are ill disposed to quit themselues of the Society then for any other Religious men to be freed frō other Orders yet the dreadfull iudgments of God haue beene so many and so wonderfull vpon those that haue wrought themselues out of their Company that an honest and a pious mind should be more terrified therewith then with the prisons and fetters of other Orders Whereby also God himselfe hath made manifest to the world that the dispensation which is somtime giuen to those that are dismissed the Society doth acquit them of their vowes according to the cause of their departure which if it be good and sufficient it taketh away the whole obligation but if it be not as I feare me this mans was not they are not discharged before God and their conscience but they remayne still in the laps and in the state of Apostasy from their Religion But you will say he wanted not sufficient cause to depart for he that desireth to be made a Bishop desireth a good worke and this man went forth to be made a Bishop To which I answere that the worke of a Bishop is good but not the desire to be made a Bishop Chry. hom 3. in oper imperf hō 3. in Matt. To desire Primacy in the Church according to S. Chrysostome is neither iust nor profitable And Primacy sayth he desireth those that desire it not and abhorreth those that desire it And the reason is because the worke of a Bishop is a calling of such perfection and such dignity also danger ioyned with it that whosoeuer he be that thinketh himselfe so sufficient for it and so worthy of it as to sue and
hidden What shall I say more sayth S. Augustine vpon these words of our Sauiour but that they are blynd who cannot see so great a mountayne From hence also it doth necessarily follow that the doctrine of the Church is infallible and priuiledged from errour For according to the Protestants themselus that only is the true Church wherein the word of God is truly preached and the Sacraments truely administred And therefore if the Church should erre it should cease to be the true Church and should not contynue but the Gates of hell should haue preuayled against it Matt. 16.18 which is directly against the Scriptures And in particuler this priuiledge from errour is expresly promised in the old Testament Esa 59.21 in many places as where the Prophet Esay speaketh therof in these wordes This is my couenant with them sayth our Lord My spirit which is in thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart from thy mouth nor from the mouth of thy seed Oze 2.19.20 nor from the mouth of thy seeds seed from this tyme forth for euermore And where in Oze God sayth of his Church I will espouse thee for euer and I will espouse thee to me in iustice and iudgment in mercy and commiseration and I will espouse thee vnto me in sayth for euer Ephes 4.11 Epipha in Aâ—corato circa princ Matt. 16.18 Matt. 17.18 1. Tim. 3.5 IoaÌ„ 14.26 according whereunto it is also sayd in the new Testament That there should be Pastours and Doctours in the Church for euer that we be not carryed about nor deceiued with new doctrine that the Gates of hell by which is meant Heresy shall not preuayle against it that he who did not beleeue the Church should be compted as a Heathen or Publican that it is the Piller and foundation of truth that the holy Ghost should teach all things and suggest all things to the Pastours therof that God would giue them the spirit of truth IoaÌ„ 14.16 to remayne with them for euer In conclusion if you list to see more of the largenesse of these induments and of the flourishing greatnes of the Church of Christ you may read 4. whole Chapters of the Prophesyes therof in Esay 60.61 and 62. and Micheas the 4. which I thinke no man can read without the acknowledgement and admiration of them SECTION XXIII The force of the former Motiue is further declared out of the authorityes of S. Augustine and out of the effects of the contrary Doctrine AMONG all the ancient Fathers as there is none more opposite to the Protestant Ministers then S. Augustine so there is none more respected in outward shew and more esteemed by them which is vnto vs on the other side a notable argument of the excellency of the one and of the impudency of the other Now therfore if the word of S. Augustine be of force with you whome in regard of his antiquity learning wit vertue his aduersaryes themselues do so much respect read but the 6. Chapter of the first booke of that worke which is called Confessio Augustiniana for it cannot be that relying vpon the sayth of S. Augustine which could be no other then the sayth of the whole Church but that your vnderstanding should be wholy conuinced by it In regard wherof considering that it would be to long to alleadge the testimonyes of the rest of the Fathers and that men now a dayes are loath to seeke after that which they are affrayd to find with some temporall preiudice although it be the means of their saluation I thinke good to shew vnto you before I go any further the weight and force of this motiue out of the iudgment sayth and perswasion of S. Augustine For this was that which oueruled him so much as that he spared not to say I (a) Aug. cont epist Fundam c. 5. would not beliue the Ghospell vnles the authority of the Catholike Church did mooue me thereunto I (b) cont Faustum lib. 15. c. 3. must needs beleeue the acts of the Apostles if I beleeue the Ghospell because both those Scriptures the Catholike authority doth equally commend vnto me It being of necessity that one of those bookes must be fals speaking of the acts of the Apostles and of some other Apocriphy booke to which do you thinke we should rather giue credit either vnto it which the Church began by Christ himselfe continued by the Apostles with a constant course of succession euen vnto those tymes dilated ouer all the world doth acknowledge approue to haue beene deliuered and conserued or vnto that which the same Church doth reiect as vnknowne Those whom I beleeued saying vnto me Beleeue the Ghospell why should I not obey saying vnto me beleeue not Manichaeus Choose which thou wilt If thou sayst Beleeue the Catholikes they admonish me not to beleeue you Wherfore beleeuing them it is of necessity that I beleeue not you If thou say Beleeue not the Catholiks thou canst not with any reason compell me to beleeue Manichaeus because I beleeued the Ghospel it selfe by the preaching of the Catholikes If thou say thou didst well to beleeue them preaching the Ghospell but thou didest not well to beleeue them discommending Manichaeus dost thou thinke me such a foole as without any reason giuen to beleeue what thou wilt haue me and what thou wilt not not to beleeue Be not deceiued with the name of truth speaking as to the person of the Catholike Church the truth thou only hast in thy milke and in thy bread but in this Church of the Manichies or any other which is not Catholike there is the name of truth but the truth it selfe is not And of thy great ones thou art secure I frame my speach to thy little ones I call to thy tender issue that with garrulous curiosity they be not seduced from thee but rather let him be accursed of them who shall preach otherwise then that which they haue receiued in thee Know (c) Conc. ad Cathecum cap. 20. beloued that true sayth true peace and eternall saluation is only in the Catholike Faith For it is not in a Corner but it is euery where if any man depart from it and deliuer himselfe ouer to the errour of Heretikes he shall be iudged 〈◊〉 fugitiue seruant and no adopted sonne neither shall he rise to eternall life but rather to eternall damnation By (d) cort Faust l. 13. cap. 13. what manifest signe therefore I being yet a little one or a yong scholler and not able to discerne the pure truth from so many errours by what manifest token shall I know the Church of Christ in whome with so great manifestation of things fortold I am compelled to belieue the Prophet followeth on and hauing as it were orderly heard the difficulty or doubt of mynd of this new beginner Hier. 17. he sheweth him the Church of Christ fortold to be the same which is more apparant and
Bishop against the Pope â—â—erthroweth the principall grounds of the Protestant Religion pag. 259. SECTION XXXII Wherin is declared how the Bishop in all aâ—ging the example of S. Cyprian and S. Stephen falsifieth the truth of the story against himselfe p. 264. SECTION XXXIII Wherein the Bishop is manifestly conuinced of Schisme out of the Authority and example of S. Cyprian alleadged by himselfe and the same authority for as much as it seemeth to concerne the Pope is sufficiently answered pag. 269. SECTION XXXIIII Many testimonyes plaine places are produced out of S. Cyprian whereby the Bishop is euidently conuinced both of Schisme Heresy p. 274. SECTION XXXV The conclusion of the Bishops booke togeather with a short Conclusion of the whole Treatise p. 277. THE DALMATIAN BISHOP DISCOVERED By C. A. to his Friend P. R. Student of the Lawes in the Middle Temple WORTHY SYR I haue receaued your Letter The Occasion of this Treatise togeather with a little Lattin Booke or rather a Preface to our fugitiue Bishop dated at Venice printed in London In my mynd you wil be able to make no other vse of him but only to shew him for a tyme vp and downe the streets and after that he may serue you for a stale to publish more Bookes in his name For giuing him his diet and some other small contentment you may do with him what you please In which respect I thinke he may be fitly surnamed Monsignor fate voi wherof euery one that hath been in Italy may be able to giue you the reason by recounting vnto you the Originall story of this application But if you suffer him to write himselfe or that the Booke he promiseth come forth as it came from him though it were as big as the horse of Troy coÌ„tayning in it an innumerable number of our errours besides the Confutation of them as he pretendeth and though it were longer a making Pag. 4.14.21 then the warre of Tray indured as himselfe confesseth yet in my opinion as he hath shamed himselfe already by leauing his Countrey so will he shame you also by his comming thither Which I am bold to say because in this his first peece which he hath exposed to your view like a greene Bush for the sale of his new wyne euery body may easily see the Diuell sitting And in those few degrees which he maketh of the course of his Conuersion he discouereth so many vices that it cannot be denyed the way he tooke could no more bring him to the knowledge of the truth then the fall of Lucifer could end in heauen Which to giue you some tast of the mans wyne and some knowledg of that which hereafter may be expected from him I will take the paines to shew vnto you out of his owne words and out of the seuerall passages of the booke you sent me which for this time I will suppose to be his owne without any addition or alteration by such a speciall priuiledge as now a dayes is not vsually giuen or permitted in that Kingdome His meaning therfore and scope therein is only to proue as he professeth that his sodayne flight from Venice which he calleth his Profection The argument of the Bishops booke and change of place in going for England was vndoubtedly the vocation of Almighty God intending by this discourse to preuent in time those stormes of false imputations as he saith that are like to come vpon him Not that he feareth any thing if yee will belieue him but least it might hinder the fruit of good edification in some and occasion some others to take scandall therat Wherfore he is now pleased to reueale the Secrets of his Counsells and writeth this booke to iustify the same and to make it so manifest vnto the world that God himselfe was the Authour of it as that no indifferent Reader shal be able to doubt therof and they that will presume to write against it being so fully answered before hand shal be wholy confounded by this Apology The old Prouerb saith it is good to expect the lame Post and the last newes are euer truest In the meane time the Bishop excusing himselfe before he be accused which is an ill signe setting that good face vpon the matter which you haue seene and knowing as he saith that we ought not to belieue euery spirit but that spirits must be tryed according to S. Iohn he putteth himselfe to the tryall of his spirit 1. Ioan. 4. and seemeth to proue his Vocation and Profection to haue proceeded from the Spirit of God First Negatiuely because it could not proceed from any other And secondly Affirmatiuely by some other reason His Negatiue proofes are two The first begineth in his probationibus pag. 4. and endeth with Curergo pag. 5. And briefly it is this in effect Continuing in this probation and triall of spirit full ten yeares togeather I neuer aduised nor spake with any mortall man about it nor euer read any Authour against the Roman doctrine whome I detested all that while supra modum aboue measure and therefore this change of mynd neuer came from man But on the other side during all this long space of time I gouerned my thoughts by those rules of spirit which the holy Ghost hath set downe in Scripture and by the Fathers Therfore I haue no cause to suspect it came from an euill spirit And therfore it came from the spirit of God I will not stand to shew the insufficiency of the consequence But I would haue you begin to obserue how contrary to that which he pretended he seemeth now altogeather to neglect his Reader who should haue been edified and as you will perceiue more plainely anone he laboureth as it were to satify himselfe And which is a strange thing seemeth to haue published a Book to persuade himself alone of the truth of the matter Marke therfore I beseech you how with this first argument of his consisting of 2. parts as he sets it downe he so concludeth as he leaueth his Reader altogeather a stranger to the truth of either For who knoweth but himselfe with whome he spake what he read and what rules he obserued And if the rest of his proofes be such as these surely in my opinion it had been better for him that men should haue trusted him still with their courteous construction of the cause of his comming rather then by meanes of this Booke first to bring the matter in question and afterwards for iustification therof to take vp in great all that he saith vpon the courtesy of his Readers credit and to set the truth of this whole booke vpon his score of Trust But especially in the latter part of his argument he was much to blame wherein he proueth that his change proceded from the spirit of God because he obserued those rules for the triall of spirit which the holy Ghost hath left in Scripture For if his proofe be not all one it is
lesse pouerty of meanes and matter in buylding without a foundation as much want of proofe to persuade in giuing you nothing but wordes insteed of other substance But you will reply whatsoeuer he sayth here he promiseth to proue and pursue hereafter in his Booke of Ecclesiasticall Common Wealth I pray you were it fit that when a souldier cometh into the feild to fight he should come without weapons and should thinke either to ouercome his aduersary or to satisfy the beholders of his prowesse by saying that he hath an excellent sword a making Were it not absurd that a Scholler comming to dispute of any Probleme should thinke to satisfy the arguments of his aduersary or to perswade his auditours that the truth were of his side by affirming that he would or that he had composed a great volume of that matter This booke being made by the Bishop to proue his spirit to disproue his aduersaryes and to approue his change of Religion to all those that should here thereof now was the tyme to vse his Weapons to shew his Wisedome and to bring forth his euidence And therefore if he sayle of his proofes it is an euident signe that he is altogeather destitute and vnprouided of them Neither is it true which he sayth That when his worke cometh forth whatsoeuer he hath heere affirmed shal be there proued For how will he proue that Rome hath coyned not a 100. or a 1000. new articles of Fayth in one day but as he sayth innumerable and that euery day How will he proue that the Church of Rome suppresseth the Councells Doth it not make them a rule of Fayth hath it not alwayes preserued them doth it not mayntayne and defend them from the calumniations and contradictions which the Heretikes of these dayes oppose against them How will he proue that we belieue the whole spirit of Christ to remayne in the Pope alone and that all which hath been sayd heretofore in the honour of the vniuersall Church must be applyed to the Court and Pallace of the Pope alone Do we belieue that to be Catholike one holy visible to haue conuerted Nations and Kingdomes which are some of the supernaturall prayses and excellencyes of the Catholike Church whereby she shyneth like the sunne in the Firmament aboue all other Congregations or assemblyes Do we belieue I say as an article of our Fayth that these things agree to the Pope and his Pallace alone That the Pope or his Court is extended ouer al the world That the Vnity Holynes Visibility and Miracles of the Church and of the Pastors and Saints thereof are only to be found in the Pope and his Pallace and that all other Catholike Nations and Kingdomes are excluded from the participation of these graces can this be proued thinke you And can it stand with the grauity and reuerent authority of a Bishop to affirme these things with promise to confirme them making them also the ground of his conuersion Could any ignorant shamelesse Minister whose learning were nothing els but lying Could any Zani or Counterfait that had been hyred to rayle against the Pope haue spoken more fondly more intemperatly or more absurdly The innumerable new articles whereof he speaketh and the whole doctrine of so many Churches impugned by the Church of Rome which he vndertaketh to defend can surely contayne no lesse then all the points in Controuersy betwene you and vs which are so farre from being decided in his Ecclesiasticall cōmon Wealth that for the greater part of them they cannot be so much as mentioned therin For as it appeareth by his owne description therof the 4. first bookes proue only in effect that all Bishops and their Churches by the Law of God are equall And that neither S. Peter nor the Pope nor the Roman Clergy should haue any Primacy or Papacy or Prehemynence aboue the rest In his 5. and 6. Booke he taketh away all kind of iurisdiction from the whole Church not only in temporall but also in Ecclesiasticall matters In his 7. booke he disputeth of the rule of Fayth In the rest that follow he speaketh of nothing els but only of the temporalityes and immunityes of the Church In the 8. he considereth the external gouernemēt of the Church by Lawes and Canons which if he affirme to be lawfull it is directly contrary to his 5. and 6. booke wherein he reiecteth all kind of Iurisdiction from the Church of Christ So that this great booke wherof he braggeth so much contayneth in effect but one Controuersy alone And he that should proue the Popes Primacy and Supreme Iurisdiction ouer the Church of God should ouerthrow the substance of this whole Volume For thereof it would follow directly that the gouernement of Christs church vpon earth is Monarchicall against his first and second booke that the gouernours of the Church are not equall in authority by the Law of God against his third booke That the Pope and Church of Rome hath preheminence ouer other Churches against his fourth booke That the Church of God hath Iurisdiction both Ecclesiasticall directly and temporall indirectly the latter being necessary for the maintaynance of the former against his 5. and 6. booke That the decree of the Pope as Head of the Church in a generall Councell is a sufficient rule of Fayth against his 7. booke The resolution also of the matters contayned in his 3. other bookes is of no great importance and may easily be deduced from the former conclusion Wherefore if he thinke to discharge himselfe of all other poynts in Controuesy by handling the titles of these bookes alone he shall behaue himselfe like a Banquerupt who insteed of the whole debt should scarce make payment of one in the hundred SECTION VI. Concerning the Popes Supremacy The state of the question is proposed and S. Peters Supremacy is proued by Scripture BVT now as oftentymes it falleth out that vnder the fayre shewes of Banquerupt Merchants vnder their goodly inscriptions of many rich commodityes and dissembling text letters vpon pots packs and boxes there is nothing to be found except perhaps some poore refused brockage that is not salable so to make it manifest that vnder these glorious titles of the ten Bookes which the Bishop promiseth there is nothing contayned but false wares and idle tryfles lapt vp in so many bundles of wast paper And to giue you withall some satisfaction in this one point of Controuersy of the Popes Supremacy the occasion being so fit the labour not great the way so well beaten by others I will briefly set you downe some of those euident proofes wherewith the Catholikes are wont to demonstrate the Popes Supremacy in spiritual matters Whereby also it will appeare how well the Bishop hath spent his 10. yeares in reading of the Fathers whether he haue more attended to his study or to his belly For the greater breuity and more perspicuity in handling this ample and copious matter I will reduce all that I
tymes their own bloud their friends and nearest kynred to whome in vertue piety they were not comparable against whome no other cryme could be proued but the ancient religion of Christendome commonly either iustified or not condemned euen in the consciences of those that apprehended them prosecuted and executed the former lawes vpon them and if we might shew vnto them how by this means they haue crucifyed our Sauiour not once or twise but againe and againe for so many yeares togeather in his holy members I cannot but thinke that representing these things vnto them in vertue of that Word which deuideth betweene the soule the spirit the ioints and the marrow awaking in them the guilt of their owne consciences and the feare of Gods iugments we should inforce them to knock their breasts with the Iewes conuerted at the Sermon of S. Peter and to cry out vnto vs with teares of repentance Act. 2.17 Quid faciemus viri fratres men and brethren what shal we do SECTION XVI The absurd and pernicious grounds of the Bishops 10. Bookes and his Christian Commonwealth are further discouered and confuted AND now to returne to our Bishop I thinke by this tyme you perceiue that albeit this little booke of his be great bellyed like the Father yet his other ten bookes conceaued therin are but like so many bladders full of wind which if euer they come forth are like to shame not only himselfe but you also Not only because the former proofes of the Popes Supremacy are in themselues vnanswerable especially admitting as he doth the authority of the Councells Canons and Fathers of the Church but also in respect of that most absurd and most pernicious Position which he maketh the argument of his fifth booke and is indeed the very foundation of his Christian Commonwealth and the mayne ground of his Diuinity wherein he professeth to hold that there is no Iurisdiction in the Church of Christ Iurisdictionem omnem ab Ecclesia procul reijcio all Iurisdiction sayth he I cast far away from the Church that is to say all power and authority to commaund or to make spiritual lawes or to impose any punishment for the transgression of them A miserable deuise no lesse furious then dangerous and no more repugnant to the Popes Supremacy then directly contrary to the Councells Fathers and to the practise of the Primitiue Church in making lawes Canons and imposing censures vpon transgressours directly contrary as well to the institution of Christ in the authority which he gaue to S. Peter as you haue seene as also to the doctrine and proceeding of the Apostles themselues wherof no man that can read the Scriptures should be ignorant Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers sayth S. Paul for there is no power Rom. 13.1 but of God c. Therefore he that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist purchase to themselues damnation Rom. 13.5 And a little after Therefore be yee subiect of necessity not only for auoyding wrath but also for Conscience sake Out of which place we may argue thus The Church hath receiued power and authority from God and therefore they that resist the same resist and disobey the ordinance of God and purchast to themselues damnation That the Church hath receiued power and authority to gouerne from Almighty God is to too manifest for so all the Fathers expound the words of our Sauiour to S. Peter Whatsoeuer thou shalt bind c. and to the Apostles Matt. 16.19 Matt. 18.18 whatsoeuer you shall bind c. And that binding signifieth the imposing of some law or commaundment we find in the 23. Matt. 23.4 of S. Matthew They bind sayth our Sauiour burdens heauy and importable vpon the shoulders of men but they with their finger will not moue them and in the same manner the Fathers expound those other words Ioan. 21.11.16.17 feed my sheep of the gouernment of Christs sheep as you haue heard And our Sauiour signifying how much we are bound in conscience to obey our Prelates sayd vnto them Luc. 1◠16 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me And againe as my Father sent me Ioā 20.21 so send I you and he that will not heare the Church let him be to thee as an heathen and Publican Act. 16.4 According whereunto it is sayd of S. Paul S. Timothy that passing through the Gittyes they deliuered vnto them to keep the precept of the Apostles and of the Elders 1. Thes 2.23 And to the Thessalonians he sayth You know what commaundments I haue giuen vnto you he that despiseth them despiseth not man but God that gaue his holy spirit vnto vs and if any do not obey our word note him by an epistle 1. Tim. 5. and do not accompany with him that he may be confounded So he writeth to Timothy not to receiue my accusation against a Priest vnder 2. or 3. witnesses And to the Corinthians the weapons of our warrefare sayth he are not carnall but mighty to God 1. Cor. 10.7 vnto the destruction of munitions destroying Councells and all loftynes extolling it selfe against the knowledge of God and bringing into captiuity all vnderstanding vnto the obedience of Christ Act. 15.20 and hauing in a readynesse to reuenge all disobedience c. And in the first Coūcell the Church of Hierusalem made this Decree It seemeth good to the holy Ghost and to vs not to impose any other burthen vpon you but only these necessary things to abstayne from meats offered to Idolls from strangled meats from bloud Can. Apost Can. 62. and fornication And the punishment of those that did eate bloud or strangled meat afterward was so great in the Primitiue Church as that Clarks were deposed and lay men were excommunicated for the same Neither is this most pestilent assertion of the Bishop contrary to Scripture alone and to the Fathers and Councells as hath been shewed but also to the practise and doctrine of the Church of England For I would aske this wild Bishop whether the authority the English Bishops in their spirituall Courts be from God or no If it be then according to S. Paul all men are bound to obey them in that which is iust vpon paine of damnation If it be not then it is no small vsurpation in them to take vpon them such authority whereof the Bishop should do well to admonish them as his friends before he go about to reforme the Catholike Bishops whome he supposeth to be his enemyes In conclusion the necessity of Iurisdiction is so euident in it selfe and the institution thereof so palpable in Scripture that the Puritans themselues who deny the same to Bishops are inforced notwithstanding to challenge so much to themselues as may suffice to excommunicate all those who are obstinatly disobedient in their Congregations And therefore I thinke there is
none but himselfe so drunke at this day with heresy in Christendome as to deny the lawfullnes of all Iurisdiction in the Church of God And as this position is most pernicious to all kind of Churches or spirituall Cōgregations whatsoeuer they be in taking away al obligation of obedience from them so also it is most dangerous to kingdomes and commonwealthes for such as in our tyme haue opposed themselues to the Iurisdiction of the Church haue likewise for the most part denyed their band of obedience to all temporall gouernement And their principall ground or reason is the same in both For no man say they that seeth not another mans conscience can bind the conscience of his brother And that all being made free by Baptisme ought to enioy the liberty of the Ghospell Whereof it followeth that neither sonnes nor seruants nor wyues nor subiects are bound to obay their Superiours for conscience sake but only and at the most either for feare or els for the auoyding of some publike scandall which doctrine if it were once receiued would in short space make Christians worse then Heathens And therefore I marueile how your English Bishops could let such doctrine passe being no lesse contrary to their authority then to the Popes Supremacy and no lesse perillous to themselues then to the gouernement of the whole kingdome vnles perhaps finding their case to be desperate they desire more to offend their enemy then to defend themselues would be cōtent their heresy should sinke so the Catholike Religion might be drowned with it But the Bishop being reputed to haue gotten some learning when he was yong and not being yet so old as to dote for age aboue all it is to be marueiled how he could suster himself to be so much deceiued by the Diuell as to ground his 10. yeares studyes the 10. books of his Christian commonwealth and in a word his whole religion and the saluation of his soule vpon an absurdity so grosse so fowle enormous dangerous to Church and Common-wealth as this is and the strangenes of his illusion is so much the greater because he was so blinded therewith that he saw not how manifestly he was inforced to contradict himselfe not only in other places of this his booke where he grāteth that Christian Princes haue power to do many thinges in the Church and challengeth vnto himselfe I know not what authority ouer Bishops in some cases which should make the Bishop of Canterbury to looke about him but also in the very title of his Booke which he calleth his Ecclesiasticall Cōmonwealth because it doth inuolue a manifest contradiction to this his strange position For vnles it be meerly a dreame and much more fantasticall then Platoes Idaea no man can imagine how any Cōmonwealth should be framed or est ablished without some Iurisdiction or power of gouernement giuen thereunto If he had contayned himselfe within any reasonable bounds and relyed his proofes vpon the Scripture alone interpreting the same according to his own sense how strang soeuer he might perhaps haue made some shift therewith for a while as his fellowes haue done before him But to pretend and contend as he doth that according to the Fathers Councells and Canons there is neither superiority of gouernment in the head nor power of Iurisdiction in the body of Christs Church is an euident signe that as he hath forsaken God so also God in his iustice hath not only forsaken him but also in great part hath taken his wits and reason from him For as S. Augustine sayth of the Prophesyes of the Church that they are more cleere in Scripture then the prophesyes of Christ himselfe because the tryall of all other Controuersyes dependeth vpon the knowledge of the Church so also for the same reason God Almighty in his prouidence hath so ordayned that the Iurisdiction of the Church and the authority of the head therof should be more expresly taught and aboundantly proued by the Doctours Pastours and ancient Fathers then any other point in Controuersy So that he might better haue gone about to proue and maintayne out of the Fathers Canons or Councells that the Sonne is not equall with the Father or the holy Ghost not equall to the Sonne or not proceeding from the Father and the Sonne or that our Blessed Lady ought not to be called the Mother of God or some other of those anciently condemned and rotten heresyes then to proue that there is no Iurisdiction in the Church nor any inequality of gouernment amongst the Pastours thereof And therefore as most impudently he denyeth the latter so it is much to be feared that he faltereth also in the former whereof he giueth many shrewd signes and apparant tokens in this little booke and much more is it likely he will bewray himself in the greater whē it cometh forth For being borne vpon the confines of Turky and Greece in which Countrey those ancient heresyes haue tirannized heeretofore and worse succeeded them in latter ages the suspitions wherewith as he professeth he was troubled when he was yong by all reason were more in fauour of the Easterne heresyes which he knew then of these of the West which he knew not And the bookes of the Arian Greciin heresyes being no lesse forbidden in Italy then the hereticall writers of these westerne parts whereby his suspitions were much more increased it is very probable that they swayed his mind more to that side then to this His maisters also do commonly dispute more against them then against these whome they are content to pretermit in these parts there being no vse of the knowledge of them And therefore by al likelihood his suspitions increased most in fauour of those opinions whereunto he was naturally most affected and wherewith he had more to do and which did more belong vnto him to know then the other did And besides all this that which he maketh his chiefe quarrell against the Pope is only the excommunication and condemnation of those opinions for heresyes which he sayth are not sufficiently condemned by the Church although it be manifest and he denyeth it not that they haue byn condemned by generall Councells And that inborne desire of peace Pag. 35. and vnity which he pretendeth of the East and West seemeth to consist in nothing els but only in permitting euery Bishop at the least to abound in his owne sense and to hold what he list as long as he doth not separate himselfe from the rest nor condemne their opinions And lastly to returne to the matter which we haue in hand by taking away all Iurisdiction from the Church of God he maketh voyd and repealeth the Anathema and excommunication of all former heretikes and by condemning the Fathers and Councells for condemning them without iudiciall authority he restoreth them all to their first pretended pleas and old forged titles And the renewing of these ancient censures condemnations of Heretikes by the Churche of Rome at this
as long as they could they haue run themselues out theyr brookes are dry their memory is scarce to be found or that they haue been (y) In psal 203. con 1. Thou shalt alwayes be firme if thou departest not from this foundation for she is the predestinated piller and foundation of truth (z) In psal 110. con 1. It shall not be inclyned from age to age because it is predestinated the foundation and piller of truth Tyconius (a) cōt ep Parm. l. 1. cap. 1. all the voyces of the sacred Leaues beating about him awaked and he saw tho Church diffused ouer all the world as it was foreseene and foretold by the harts and mouths of the holy Prophets Which hauing perceiued he began to auouch and to make manifest to his fellows that no foule sinne or wicked cryme of any man whatsoeuer could preuaile against the promises of God nor effect that Gods word of the Church to come to be diffused euen to the ends of the earth which was promised to the Fathers and is now exhibited or performed should come to nothing (b) De vnitat Eccl. Why do you make voyde the testament of God saying that it is not fullfilled in all Nations and that the seed of Abraham hath fay led in all those Nations where it was (c) In psal 47. But perchance that Citty which hath possessed all the world shall one day be ouerthrowne God forbid God hath founded it for euer If therfore God hath founded it for euer what doest thou feare least the foundation should fayle (d) In psal 101. conc 2. But that Church which was the Church of all Nations is now no more it is perished So say they that are not in her Oh impudent voyce Is not she because thou art not in her Take heed least for the same cause thou thy selfe be not for she shall be though thou art not This abhominable speach detestable full of presumption and falshood not supported by any truth not inlightned by any wisedome not seasoned with any salt vayne temerarious head-strong pernicious the spirit of God foresaw c. Thus S. Augustine whome perchance you neuer imagined to haue spoken so much so playnly and so vehemently for the infallible authority and vniuersall extension with equall visibility and perpetuall continuance of the Church of Christ as you see he hath and yet this is the least part of that which might be alleadged out of S. Augustine alone to the same purpose Whereunto if you add those former testimonyes for the proofe of the Popes Supremacy which I haue cited in the 11. Section of this Treatise thereby you may easily iudge if S. Augustine had been an English man and were now aliue whether he deserued not to be hanged at Tyborne as well as other Priests and Iesuits that haue been martyred there That is to say whether hearing your Ministers teach that the Pope with the whole Catholike Church haue erred and deceiued the world or that the Church hath fayled or remayned inuisible for more then a thousand yeares togeather he would not haue admyred as much as we do now at their deafnes to the voyce of the Prophets at their blyndnes in reading the Scriptures at their impudency temerity and madnes of their abhominable and detestable doctrine and whether he would not pronounce them many tymes accursed as he did the Donatists and other Heretikes of his tyme for the same opinions And now that you may the better perceiue with what great reason S. Augustine was so vehement against this their pernicious doctrine Let vs consider a little I pray you the consequence and effects therof in many of the greatest Maisters and Apostles of the Protestant religion For this made Sebastian Castalio in his Preface to the great Latin Bible dedicated to King Edward the 6. to doubt of those promises of God to his Church set downe in Scripture See Prot. Apology p. 106. sequent For if any man sayth he will affirme that they haue been performed I will demaund of him when If he say in the Apostles tymes I will demaund how it chaunceth that neither then the knowledge of God was altogeather perfect and afterward how in so short a tyme it vanished away which was promissed that at should be eternall and more aboundant then the flouds in the sea The more I do peruse the Scriptures the lesse do I find the same performed howsoeuer you vnderstand the foresayd Prophesies And Dauid George vpon the same grounds came to deny Iesus our Sauiour to be Christ For if that he had beene the true Christ the Church erected by him should haue continued for euer Whereupon also he fell to that madnes that he tooke to himselfe the name and office of Christ and secretly drew many to his opinion for the which he was taken vp burned three yeares after his death by the Protestants of Basil vnto whom he fled before being expelled from the low Countrys for holding the opinion of the Sacramentaries against the doctrine of Luther then there professed His story was written by them of Basil about the yeare 1559. In like manner Bernardinus Ochinus a man so renowned amongst the Protestants as Caluin demaundeth whom Italy it selfe could oppose against him and Iohn Bale sayth of him That he made England happy with his presence and miserable in his absence This renowned man as he confesseth in the preface of his dialogues began to wonder how it was possible that the Church which was founded by the power wisedome and goodnes of Christ washed with his bloud and enriched with his spirit should be vtterly ouerthrowne wherof he sayth the Popes were the cause and afterwards began to teach Circumcision and wrote a booke of Poligamy which Beza sayth that the aforsayd Sebastian Castalio translated out of Italian into Latin and finally became as Beza sayth an impure Apostata against the diuinity of Christ Alinianus a learned Swynglian for the same cause came to be of opinion that the Messias was not yet come so renouncing Christianity became a blasphemous Iew. And to omit Adam Neuserus a learned Caluinist chiefe Pastour at Heidelberg who in the end turned Turke and was circumcised at Constantinople and diuers other Protestants as well of forraine Countreyes as of our owne Nation who haue at length denyed the diuinity of Christ Caluin himselfe was greatly suspected therof in so much as Doctor Hunnius publick Professor in the Vniuersity of Wittemberge wrote a booke called Caluinus Indaizans and since that tyme there is another booke published by a Protestant Lutheran with this title A demonstratiō out of Gods word that the Caluinists are not Christians but only Baptized Iewes and Mahomets which was also reprinted And of this argumēt you may see sufficient matter in that learned booke of M. William Reynolds intituled Caluino-Turcismus which euidence also that according to the Protestants opinion God hath fayled of his promise in aduancing and defending his
weeke they haue disputations of the matter giuen them in that weeke And euery moneth as the 3. Maisters of Logicke Phisicke and Metaphisicke can agree they meete togeather in the same Schoole withall their Schollers and dispute one against another in the matters of that moneth wherunto as being more publique other Maisters and Doctors are inuited And besides all this they haue other priuate exercises and helps of learning in their particuler Colledges At the end of the yeare such as haue studyed best are preferred to defend Conclusions publique of the whole yeare and they that haue heard their course of three years and are the most worthy of all their fellows defend conclusions of all Philosophy with great solemnity and concourse of people Which course of study breedeth such emulation among them and draweth them on with such delight of their owne profit that their Superiours haue more ado to keep them from studying too much then els where Maisters are wont to haue in keeping their schollers from doing nothing Their course of Diuinity lasteth foure years The manner of their Lectures disputations is almost the same with the former of the Philosophers sauing that they haue three seuerall Maisters who read euery day in seuerall matters and explicate the most difficult places of the Scripture and Fathers as their former Maister did expound Aristotle and other Philosophers And insteed of Mathematikes morall Philosophy they haue other Lectures of Tongues of the Text of Scripture Besides Philosophy and Diuinity for such as haue lesse tyme or lesse strength of mynd or body there are two other Lectures euery day of Positiue Diuinity which cōmonly is called Cases of Conscience a study as litle knowne to Protestants as there is little care or vse of Conscience amongst them Their course of Philosophy and Diuinity being thus ended such amongst the Iesuits themselues as are thought to be most fit for Schooles are permitted for two yeares to go ouer the whole body of their studyes agayne by their owne priuate industry conferring the same with the doctrine and opinions of other writers afterward they are appoynted and made Maisters to read Philosophy and with tyme Diuinity if their strength and talents do so deserue By this meanes you see that almost of necessity they must haue excellent Maisters and excellent schollers the one is a great help and a great encouragment to perfect the other Besides all this that hath beene sayd of their course of study it is of great moment to consider that all the Maisters and the greatest part of their schollers are Religious men or liue religiously in Seminaryes and Colledges where being freed frō all kind of worldly care and occasion of passion disorder or temptation hauing their set tymes for prayer and honest recreation and such as be Priests offering dayly sacrifice to Almighty God and such as are none confessing and communicating once a weeke at the least they enioy that quietnes of mind sweet peace of conscience which togeather with Gods benediction is most fit for science And thus they cōtinue not only for a while as elswher schollers are wont to do vntill they marry or get preferment but al their lines long without any secular distraction or deniation whatsoeuer And that which I haue sayd of the Iesuites may be also affirmed either wholy or in great part of many other secular Doctours and almost of all Religious Orders the Dominicans Franciscant Augustines Carmelits Benedictins Bernardines and the rest who for euery houre which your schollers or Ministers do commonly spend in study or prayer they that study pray least spend 2. at the least one with the other especially considering the constancy continuance of ours in these exercisus for all their liues and the great inconstancy and discontinuance of yours which is notorious And therfore if the grounds of all kind of learning being soundly layd constant prayer and good life and the study of Scripture be the fittest meanes to find out the truth of Religion and to obtaine true wisedome at the hands of God It cannot be denyed but that the possession and perfection therof must rather be found in the Catholike Clergy then among the Ministord of any other sect of Religion in the world Whereof our Catholike Deuynes in this present age haue also made euident demonstration by their workes and wrytings For whether you respact their erudition in the sacred Tongnes their explications of all arts and scyences and especially their readings vpon all questions of Diuinity their commentaryes vpon all the parts of Scripture their treatises as well of deuntion piety and perfection of Christian life with the meanes to attayne thereunto as also of prayer both vocall and mentall which is againe deuided into meditation and supernaturall contemplation of which later parts the Protestants haue neither the practise nor scarce vnderstand the meaning the number and the excellency of those bookes which the Catholikes haue published in this age of ours is so great and so emiment that no former ages of the world for aboundance and perfection of Scyence put togeather may be compared with it Wheras if you will reflect a little and iudge indifferently you shall scarce find three bookes published by the Protestants vnlesse you will except those of Poetry printed in vulgar languages and in respect of the matter are not worthy to be excepted which are not already contemned by the Protestants themselues and are therfore no way likely to remayne vnto posterity Thus we haue shewed the authority of the Catholike professours for the truth of their Religion whether you respect their number or wisedome or learning or perfection of life to be such as doth most euidently and notoriously exceed the testimony of any other Church or Congregation whatsoeuer Vnto which authority of the secular Clergy and Layty and of all the seuerall Orders and Religious bodyes of the Catholike Church at this tyme if you ioyne the authorityes of all the holy and ancient Fathers whose naturall tallents and supernaturall gifts of learning sanctity wisedome are aboue all comparison And if vnto these againe you ioyne the authorityes of so many general Councells as haue been receaued by the vniuersal Church wherein so many tymes all the learning and wisedome of the whole world haue met togeather And lastly vnto all this if you adde the testimonyes of all Christians for a 1000. yeares togeather as the Protestants themselues confesse and of all the former ages euen from the tyme of Christ as we haue proued by the Fathers of those times vtterly cōdemning the opinions of the Protestants and being mutually condemued by them they come to be so many worlds of witnesses as there hath been ages since the tyme of Christ and visibly make vp that great Mountayne of authority which filleth the world and which all those that will not ascend to know the truth must needs be crushed by it if they resist it and eternally perish
vnder it if they contemne it This is that great benefit which S. Augustine in his booke de vtilitate Credends acknowledgeth that the world in these latter tymes hath receiued of Almighty God who of his infinit goodnes hath prouided that the Catholike Faith being so austere to the eye of flesh and bloud so much aboue reason and so contrary as it is to our corrupted nature should be recommended vnto vs as it were by the generall consent and common beliefe of all people This saith S. Augustine the diuine prouydence hath brought to passe by the predictions of the Prophets by the humanity and doctrine of Christ by the trauells of the Apostles Aug. de vtil Cred. cap. 7. by the contumelyes crosses bloud and death of Martyrs by the laudable life of Saints and in all these things by such myracles as were fit for matters and vertues so great as these according as the oportunity of times required Wherefore seing the assistance of God to be so great and so great the fruite and benefit thereof shall we doubt to cast our selues into the lap of his Church Considering that now euen by the confession of mankind it selfe she hath receaued the prohemynence of all authority from the Apostolike seat by succession of Bishops the Heretikes in the meane tyme hauing barked about her all in vayne partly by the iudgment of the people themselues partly by the grauity of Councells and partly by the Maiesty of miracles hauing been all condemned To which Church not to grant the highest degree of authority is either extreme impiety or precipitate arrogancy For if our soules haue no certayne way to attayne true wisedome and saluation but where fayth beliefe prepareth and adorneth our reason what is it els to resist authority indued or est abbshed with so great labour but to be vngratefull to this help and assistance of Almighty God Thus far S. Augustine of the notable benefit that our faith hath receiued from the Common consent of so many Nations therein which he calleth the confession of mankind and of the wonderfull meanes which God hath vsed for the procurement of this vniuersall testimony vnto the truth thereof For albeit when the Apostles began first to preach all rules and principles of humayne wisedome were inforced to giue place vnto that diuine authority wherewith they were sent to their gifts of Tongues to the myracles they wrought to the power of that spirit which spake by them and to the splendour of those celestiall vertues which proceded from them yet since that time the sweetnes of Gods prouidence hath so ordayned that both these authorityes Humayne and Diuine the wisedome of God and the wisedome that naturally directeth worldly men should be ioyned togeather to the end that all mens wills might be drawne more easily gently and connaturally to imbrace the doctrine of Christ And that all vnderstandings great or small might either be conuinced or conuicted by it The voice of the most the testimony of those that are true and honest and the iudgment example and practise of the wisest being the best part of that light of nature which God hath lent vs for the direction of our liues his infinit goodnes and perfect iustice could neuer haue permitted this authority of the Catholike Church to haue grownâ— to this vnmeasurable greatnes nor could haue made it so inuincibly victorious against all those that haue opposed themselues vnto it confirming the same with so many Prophesies of Scripture and promises of his owne and not only with the ostension of miracles and heroycall constancy of innumerable Martyrs but also with the glory and splendour of so many other benedictions of excellent learning diuine wisedome admirable vnity piety and perfection of vertue as hath been shewed vnlesse it had been so ordayned by him for the recommendation and preseruation of that Truth which himselfe descended from heauen to teach the world and to dye the death of the Crosse for the eternall memory and fructification of it For if in any thing we should be deceiued by the power and greatnes of his authority we might well say it was no fault of ours but rather as S. Augustine affirmeth it were either extreme impiety or precipitate arrogancy Not to be so deceiued what need there any other reuelations or miracles as S. Augustine also obserueth in a case so cleere as this If so many Nations haue been conuerted to the obedience of this supernaturall faith and for so many ages haue been preserued in vnity therby without signes and miracles this it selfe is a most sufficient apparent and perpetuall miracle for the testimony of the truth thereof SECTION XXVI The same Authority and the grounds of Christian Fayth are further declared AS the obiect of reason doth farre exceed the knowledge of our senses so the truth of things supernaturall and diuine do no lesse surmount the light of reason And therfore the end of man and the meanes to attaine vnto it being both of them supernaturall diuine as it was necessary that God should reueale and deliuer the knowledge thereof to his Prophets and Apostles obliging all men to beleeue them so it was also expedient that there should be some certayne meanes ordained and established by Almighty God wherby we might infallibly know what it was that was so reuealed vnto them For otherwise if there be not such supernaturall and certaine help to attaine the knowledge of those Diuine Misteryes which do so much exceed the power and faculty of human vnderstanding to perswade our selues that we shall be able to arriue to any certaine knowledge of them by any human diligence or naturall endeauour alone were as wise a matter as for a man to go about to read in the darke or for him that hath no eyes to iudge of colours Nay it were much more ridiculous For such a kind of darke reading or blind iudgment might be practised or aduentured for some little wager or to make men pastyme but Christians that make their beliefe the rule of their life and death laying not only their fortunes but also their soules vpon it vnles they haue some Diuine help and infallible assistance of the spirit of God to know those things which they beleeue to haue beene reuealed to the Apostles and can no way be discerned by human reason they can neuer be excused from meer madnes and ridiculous folly Vpon what grounds the Catholiks beleeue the doctrine and preaching of the Apostles which is the Ghospell and the obiect of their fayth to haue beene reuealed from the mouth of God and that the Church is perpetually infallibly assisted by God himself in the preseruation of the foresayd doctrine from all stayne or touch of errours hath beene shewed already Almighty God hauing so magnified and fortifyed the authority of his Church as if the will of man be not too much peruerted it is impossible for his vnderstanding to resist it And therefore as S. Augustine sayd
Church according to the Scriptures must needs haue been one chiefe cause of those swarmes of Athiests in Protestant Countreyes whereof their principall writers do so much complayne Whereat I wonder nothing at all For to what end did our Sauiour come into the world but only to espouse his Church in Faith To what end did he instruct her with his preaching redeeme her with his death and Passion and sanctify her with his holy Spirit augment and confirme her with the labours of his Apostles and with the bloud of so many millions of Martyrs but only to make her such a glorious Kingdome euen vpon earth according to all the former Prophesies so constant so stronge so imoueable that she should vphold the glory of his name against Princes and Potentats against Kings and Emperours against Schismaticks Heretikes and wicked Christians and against all the force of the world and on the Diuell himselfe that would seeke withall his arts and engines to suppresse it Wherefore if our Sauiour be the true Messias whose Name was foretold to be Deusfortis Emmanuel Esa 9 6. Esa 7.15 the strong God God with vs and who according to his owne speach came into the world to bynd the strong man which is to say the Diuell that held all the world in peaceful captiuity before his comming then it must needs follow that the Kingdome which he erected shall stand for euer Matt. 16.18 and that the Gates of hâ—ll shall not preuaile against it But on the contrary side if it were true which the Protestants affirme that his Church hath erred ceasing to be the true Church or which is all one that his Kingdome was destroyed and that there came one after him stronger then himselfe that is to say the Diuell who did bynd his body whereof he was the head defiled his Spouse bereaued him of this Kingdome Matt. 12.20 and tooke his vessells and riches from him then of necessity it must be granted either that the former Prophesies of him were not true and that the Scripture is false or els that our Sauiour was not the true Messias who contrary to the Prophets and to his owne promises and protestations to maintayne his Church for euer hath suffered it to perish and therfore was not able to defend it This argument therefore of the largnes glory contynuance visibility and inuincible constancy of the Church is of great force to induce any man whatsoeuer whether he haue the Name or not so much as the Name of a ChristiaÌ„ to become a Catholike For the Scriptures euen as they are in the hands of our enemyes the Iewes â—iâ—t full of the Prophesies of those excellent perfectioÌ„s of the Kingdom of Christ which according to the present tymes and according to the historyes of all former ages we shewe to haue been performed since the death of Christ in the Catholike Church that was planted by himselfe and propagated by his holy spirit which according to his promise was giuen to his Apostles and their successours after them to remayne with them for euer And if it be manifest that this world in respect of the beauty and perfection therof Rom. 1. is the worke of Gods hand condemning all those that do not acknowledge him to be the Creatour of it much more manifest is it Eph. 5.27 that this glorious Kingdome and Church is the worke of God wherein he sheweth the riches of his power of his wisedome and of his infynit goodnes condemning all those that will not acknowledge it and subiect themselues to the gouerment therof SECTION XXIIII Foure other particuler motiues of the Conuersion of Nations of the Miracles of the Martyrdoms and of the vnion of the members of the Catholike Church are briefly propounded VNDER these generall tearmes of Holy Catholike Church are comprised many other partiticuler gifts and graces which being all supernaturall and diuine ech of them is a sufficient motiue to perswade any mans coÌ„science that the Catholike Church is the only blessed of God and the elected spouse of Christ our Sauiour Whereof being entred into this matter of Motiues I thinke good to giue instance in some few remitting you for the rest to other Catholike authours who haue treated more largely of this matter Diuers therfore haue been induced to belieue that the Catholike Fayth is the only true Religion by obseruing that all Nations and Countreys which at any tyme professed the Name of Christ haue been conuerted by Catholikes alone And in this last age since the Protestant religion began they haue reduced and subiected very many Kingdomes vnto the yoke of Christ whereof Philippus Nicolaus Coment de reg Christil 1. pag. 315. p. 52. Sym. Lyth in respons altera ad alteram Gretseri Apol. p. 331. Tertul. de praescrip c. 42. a Protestant numbreth more then 20. In so much as another Protestant in his answere to Gretser the Iesuit sayth The Iesuits within the space of a few yeares c. haue filled Asia Affrick and America with their Idols Whereas in the meane tyme the Protestants haue only sowne tares among the wheat atteÌ„ding as Tertullian sayd of the Heretikes of his tyme not to conuert the heathen but to peruert those that were before conuerted And although they haue sundry tymes attempted to conuert some heathen with hope to possesse their Countreys yet no King or Kingdome or Countrey or Prouince Sarauia in defension tract de diuersis gradibus Ministrorum pag. 309. was euer conuerted by them And Beza sayth plainly that the Protestants may leaue such peregrinatious to those locusts that belieue the Name Iesus Which conuersions of so many sauage and barbarous Nations by the words of a few poore men with a little broken language to imbrace a Religion so far aboue the reach of Nature and in respect of the austerity therof so contrary to flesh bloud and especially to their former intemperate liues and brutish customes as it shewath Gods promises by the Prophets to be dayly fullfilled in them and proueth our Church thereby to be the Church of Christ So it is most euident that their conuerters were supernaturally assisted by the strength of Gods Arme which is sufficient to perswade any indifferent man that the doctrine they preach can be no other then the true Ghospell reuealed by Christ to his owne Apostles Which also is a manifest token that the grounds of Christianity and of our Catholike doctrine are the very same And that the Protestants for want of them can neuer conuert any Heathen Nation to Christian religion denying as they do the grounds therof which are the same with the grounds of the Catholike doctrine Secondly therefore many haue submitted themselues to the obedience of the Catholike Church by consideratioÌ„ of those notorious miracles which in all ages haue beene wrought therin being such marks of truth as no man can deny them to be the seales of God and the signes of his owne hand If I should
descend to particulers in this kind I should neuer make an end and many bookes haue beene written of the miracles of the B. Sacrament alone of our B. Lady in fauour of those that in their necessityes haue recommended themselues to her prayers of the soules in Purgatory demaunding reliefe of Masses and other pious workes or giuing thanks for help receiued by those meanes and so forth of other miracles which God hath vouchsafed to worke by the hands of his holy seruāts aliue and dead that were pleasing vnto him not deriued from any Apocriphall or vnapproued writers whom the Protestants are wont to deride but testified either by the ancient Fathers themselues S. Augustine S. Hierome S. Bernard S. Bede and the rest or by the oathes and depositions of many lawfull witnesses taken before Bishops or other secular Magistrats Wherunto not to giue so much as morrall credit were to extinguish one chiefe part of reason and to take away all credulity and so by consequence all beleife both human and diuine out of the world Thirdly many haue relented and rendred thēselues beholding or reading the admirable constancy of Catholike Martyrs For albeit there haue not wanted those that haue dyed for the maintenance of most ridiculous heresyes and their owne absurd opinions yet there is a great difference both in life and death between our Catholike Martyrs and those other mad men or malefactors For as our Martyrs haue for the most part beene men of rare perfection most exemplar life and of excellent talents both of grace and nature so the others haue beene no lesse scandalous and infamous for their former lewd conditions commonly very meanly qualified of no extraordinary parts but rather desperate or sottish or halfe besides themselues And in their deaths as our Martyrs haue all suffred contrary to the inclination of the pride and selfe loue of our corrupted nature in obedience to God and his Church for the same truth and the same poynts of doctrine without any disagreement between them which could not be done without the speciall assistance of Gods grace so the others haue beene iustly punished for the mantaynance of their own peeuish opinions out of pride and selfe loue and euer more haue obstinatly dissented not only from the commō iudgmēt of others but also from the priuate deuices of one another And therfore as the humility modesty meeknes discretion charity and other vertues of our Martyrs haue made their passions or sufferings to be pleasing sacrifices in the eyes both of God and men and their deaths most amyable and admyrable to the beholders so on the other side the pride vaine glory arrogancy presumption fury and folly of the others is sufficient to make their deaths most odious detestable and infamous to all posterity Which if you please to read the examination of Fox his Calendar of Saints you will easily see and ingenuously acknowledge this diuersity and difference which I haue noted betweene the Martyrdomes of those Catholikes whom you may haue seene to suffer in our time and the gracelesse and distempered ends of those which Fox relateth And to omit the innumerable companyes of those that haue giuen their liues for the testimony of the Catholike fayth in former ages which are at least 1000. for one of those that haue suffred for heresy and their owne priuate opinions and likewise to omit those excellent men and women that haue suffered from the beginning of the last Queens raigne vnto this present in our infortunate Countrey whome not only vertue piety and wisdome but also their nobility dignity and highest Maiesty haue made famous to the world what man of iudgment is there that will not be more moued with the death of Bi. Fisher and Sr. Thomas More alone the two great lights of the Clergy Laity of England then with al the rabblement of Foxes new Martyrs though they were ten tymes so many as he doth falsly make them Fourthly many others obseruing the obedience of all Catholiks through the world to one supreme head and the vnity which thereby is preserued amongst them and on the other side being ashamed of the infinite dissentions amongst the Protestants euery man following his owne head and being the founder of his owne religion haue beene induced thereby to forsake the troublesome inconstancy of the one and imbrace the constant peace of the other For this also is so euident on both sides as the principal Protestants themselues are inforced to confesse it M. Whitaker sayth Whita de Eccl. cont 2.9.5 pag. 327. That the contentions amongst the Protestants are for Fayth and Religion the contentions amongst the Papists are vaine and friuolous as much to say not for Religion but about matters of no moment The consent and peace of the Popish Church sayth M. Fulk proueth nothing M. Fulk against Heskins c. p. 295. Sands relation fol. 8. but that the Diuell then had all things at his will and therefore might sleepe More expresly Syr Edwin Sands declareth the same in these words The Papists haue the Pope as a common Father aduiser and conducter to reconcile their iarres to decyde their differences to draw their religion by consent of Councells into vnity c. whereas on the contrary side Protestants are as seuered or rather scattered troupes ech drawing a diuers way without any meanes to pacify their quarrells Who also further obserueth That in all this age they could not find the meanes to assemble a generall Councell on their side for the composing of their differences Beza also Beza ep theol ad Andr. Duditium in an epistle to his great friend Andreas Duditius whom he estemed a most eminent and adorned man and much respected of him for his piety learning and elegant wit repeateth the words of his friend in a letter to him which make this poynt yet more manifest Although say you there are many horrible things defended in the Roman Church vpon a weake and rotten foundation yet it is not deuided with so much dissention and it hath the plausible shew of venerable antiquity ordinary succession and perpetuall consent and if that be the truth which the auncient Fathers did professe with one mutuall consent it stands wholy for the Papists Thus say you of the Papists But ours at length what are they scattered say you whirled about with euery wynd of doctryne and being blowne vp aloft are carried sometymes to this part and sometymes to that what their opinion of Religion is to day perchance you may know but what it will be to morrow you cannot certainely affirme In what poynt of religion do these Churches agree among themselues that haue proclaymed war against the Church of Rome If you run them all ouer from head to foote you shall scarce finde any thing affirmed of one but that another will presently cry It is impiety These things you write my Duditius in the same words as I haue set them downe Thus farre Bexa Where himselfe