seede of Abraham t cap. 9.28 We be Moses disciples u vers 41. We see x Ier. 8 8. We are wise and the law of the Lord is with vs y ca. 18.18 The law shall not perish from the Priest nor counsell from the wise nor the word from the Prophet and yet they persecuted Christ the sonne of God who only is the Truth How then may we now be assured that the Church of Rome is not the same to the church of Christ as they then were to Christ himselfe How may we poore creatures certainely vnderstand that those rich creatures are not subiect to error and mistaking as well as we Well if we will not beleeue it we may chuse but assurance M. Bishop can yeeld none He can tell vs a discourse what Christ said to Peter but that Christ euer spake either of Pope or Cardinall he can shew vs nothing And yet as if this matter were cleere he telleth vs of this church of theirs that whereas we are subiect to mistaking and errour God hath ordained and appointed the same to be a skilfull and faithfull mistresse and interpreter to assure vs both what is his word and what is the true meaning of it But againe we aske him where hath God so ordained and appointed in what Scripture hath he written it or by what words hath he expressed it that the church which he meaneth should bee our mistresse to tell vs what is Gods word what is the true meaning of it If he haue euidence authority for it let him shew it if he haue not what shall we thinke of him that dareth thus to bely the maiesty of God But if he considered the matter aright he would conceiue that those rich creatures of his haue no other or better meanes to assure what is Gods word and what is the meaning of it than other poore creatures haue By what touchstone they can make triall thereof by the same can we also as well as they Which comparison of the gold-smith and the touchstone which he himselfe vseth if it be rightly explicated serueth notably to set foorth the fraud and falshood of that church for which he pleadeth True it is that the church in this behalfe may rightly bee compared to the Goldsmith Now the Gold-smith for the discerning of true and perfect gold doth not take his owne fingers ends but goeth to the touch-stone and no otherwise can hee either make triall himselfe or giue assurance thereof to other men In like sort therefore the church which is the Gold-smith must vse a touch-stone for the assuring of that which it propoundeth to bee receiued and beleeued Now then whereas M. Bishop saith that we must rely vpon the churches declaration to be assured which bookes of Scripture be Canonicall I answer him that we cannot be assured thereof by the churches declaration vnlesse the church declare it and manifest it by the touch-stone The touch-stone whereby we are to take assurance heereof is the constant and perpetuall tradition and testimony of the former church And this testimony we first deriue from the church of the Iewes z Rom. 3.2 to whom the words of God were committed and to whose Scriptures a Luk. 24.44 the law and the Prophets and the Psalmes and to no other b Aug. cont Gaudent lib. 2. cap. 23. quibus dominus testimonium perhibet tanquam testibus suis Christ himselfe hath giuen testimony as witnesses of himselfe reckoning them for c Luk. 24.27 all the Scriptures and wherof the Iewes in their dispersion giue acknowledgment vntill this day God so prouiding that d Aust in Psa 58. Per omnes gentes dispersi sunt ludaei testes iniquitatis suae veritatis nostrae ipsi habent codices de quibus prophetatus est Chrislus in Ps 56. Codicem portat Iudaeus vnde credat Christianus Christian faith should be prooued out of those bookes which are acknowledged for true by them that are enemies thereto This testimony the Christian church receiued of the Apostles and hath continued the same together with the acknowledgment of those other bookes of the new testament which by the Apostles and Euangelists were added to the former What bookes then haue had this generall and vndoubted auerment and witnesse of the church continued from time to time those and no other are to be holden for Canonicall bookes and this is the true touch-stone for trial of certaine and vndoubted scriptures By which touchstone the church of Rome is found to bee not a faithfull Mistresse but a false harlot bringing her bastards into the Church and forcing men to take them for lawfully begotten And whereas it is the tradition and declaration of the former church which hath beene from the beginning by which both they and we are to be instructed as touching the true bookes of Canonicall Scripture they force vpon vs the tradition of their owne church now deliuered vpon their owne word howsoeuer contrary to that which the church formerly hath declared If we follow the declaration of the ancient church then are no other bookes to be taken for Canonicall but what are now accknowledged and approoued in our Church the same onely being testified concerning the old testament by the Church of the Iewes concerning both new and old by the whole Christian church both the Greeke and Latine the Easterne and Westerne churches as e Of Traditions sect 17. before hath been declared But the church of Rome perceiuing the authorising of some other writings to be likely to gaine credit to some broken wares whence her thrift and gaine ariseth hath taken vpon her very presumptuously as a Mistresse or rather a goddesse to giue diuine authority to those bookes reiecting the testimony of that church which in this behalfe should bee mistresse both to her and vs. In a word whatsoeuer is to be attributed to the church in this respect it is idlely by M. Bishop referred to the church of Rome as if all other churches must rely vpon her declaration we our selues being able by the touchstone to make triall of true Scriptures as well as the church of Rome and therefore there being no cause why we should rely vpon them more than they vpon vs. And as vainely doth he apply to his purpose the saying of Saint Austin that he should not beleeue the Gospell except the authority of the church mooued him thereunto there being nothing therein meant but what may bee applied to the church England as well as to the church of Rome Saint Austin speaking generally of the vniuersall church thorowout the world without any maner speciall intendment of the church of Rome But how leudly they abuse those words of Austin wholly against his meaning and purpose I haue f Of Traditions sect 22. before sufficiently declared and neede not heere to repeat againe As for the churches declaration for vnderstanding the Scripture that is also to be tried and made
not Apostolical traditions which appeare certainely so to be and yet woorthily we reiect those vnwritten doctrines and counterfet traditions of the Papists which are falsely fathered vpon the Apostles It is by these vnwritten doctrines and counterfet traditions that the grounds of our faith are impeached and shaken We therefore cannot be said to shake the grounds of faith who retaine the meere simplicity of those grounds and refuse all other strange and bastard stuffe but they shake the grounds of faith who become patrons of such tradition coloured with the names of the Apostles when notwithstanding they plainely crosse the written doctrine of the Apostles 2. W. BISHOP But let vs descend to the particulars wherein the truth will appeare more plainely Thus beginneth Master PERKINS with the Creede First of all it must be considered that some of the principall doctrines beleeued in the Church of Rome are that the Bishop of Rome is the Vicar of Christ and head of the Catholike Church that there is a fire of Purgatory that Images of God and Saints are to be placed in the Church and worshipped that Praier is to be made to Saints departed that there is a propitiatory sacrifice daily offered in the Masse for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead These points are of that moment that without them the Roman religion cannot stand c. And yet marke the Apostles Creed which hath beene thought to containe all necessary points of religion to be beleeued and hath therefore beene called the key and rule of faith This Creede I say hath not any of these points nor the expositions made thereof by the ancient Fathers nor any other Creed or confession of faith made by any Councell or Church for the space of many hundred yeeres This is a plaine proofe to any indifferent man that these bee new articles of faith neuer knowen in the Apostolike Church and that the Fathers and Councels could not finde any such articles of faith in the bookes of the old and new Testament Answer is made that all these points of doctrine are beleeued vnder the article I beleeue the Catholike Church the meaning whereof they will haue to be this I beleeue all things which the Catholike Church holdeth and teacheth to be beleeued If this bee as they say wee must beleeue in the Church that is put our confidence in the Church for the manifestation and the certainety of all doctrine necessary to saluation And thus the eternall truth of God the Creatour shall depend vpon the determination of the creature And the written word of God in this respect is made insufficient as though it had not plainely reuealed all points of doctrine pertaining to saluation And the ancient Churches haue beene farre ouer-secene that did not propound the former points to be beleeued as articles of faith but left them to these latter times Thus farre Master PERKINS Wherein are hudled vp many things confusedly I will answere briefly and distinctly to euery point The first is that in the Apostles Creede are contained all points of religion necessary to be beleeued which is most apparantly false as the Protestants themselues must needes confesse or else grant that it is not necessary to beleeue the King to be Supreame-head of the Church or that the Church is to be gouerned by Bishops or that we are iustified by Christs iustice imputed to vs or that there be but two Sacraments or that the Church seruice must be said in the vulgar tongue or that all things necessary to be beleeued to saluation are contained in the Scriptures To be short not one article of their religion which is contrary to ours is conteined in this Creede of the Apostles therefore to affirme as he doth all necessary points of religion to be contained in this Creede is to cast their owne religion flat to the ground and to teach that not one point of it is to be beleeued this Creede may neuerthelesse be called the key and rule of faith because it containeth the principall points of the Christian religion and doth open as it were the doore vnto all the rest and guide a man certainely vnto the knowledge of them by teaching vs to beleeue the Catholike Church which being the pillar and ground of truth 1. Tim. 3.15 Ioh. 16.13 directed and guided by the spirit of truth will alwaies instruct her obedient children in all truth necessary to saluation Then saith M. PERKINS The eternall truth of God the Creatour shall depend on the determination of the creature Nothing lesse for Gods truth is most sincere and certaine in it selfe before any declaration of the church but we poore creatures that are subiect to mistaking and error should not so certainely vnderstand and know that truth of God vnlesse hee had ordained and appointed such a skilfull and faithfull Mistris and interpreter to assure vs both what is his word and what is the true meaning of it Like as pure gold is not made perfect in it self by the Gold-smithes touch-stone but other men are thereby assured that it is true and pure gold euen so the word of God doth not borrow his truth from the Church but the true children of God are by the holy Church assured which is the same his word If we did hold as we do not that the written word containeth all points of doctrine necessary to saluation yet were it most necessary to relie vpoÌ„ the Catholike churches declaration both to be assured which books of scriptures be Canonicall which not whereupon Saint Augustine a man of far better iudgement than any of these daies said Con. Epist. Iud. cap. 5. that he would not beleeue the Gospel vnlesse the authority of the church mooued him therunto as also to vnderstand them truly because the words of holy Scripture without the true meaning and sense of them do but deceiue men and lead them into error and to that end haue alwaies beene and yet are by Heretikes abused to draw others after them into destruction The like may be said of other ancient Creeds and confessions of faith which holding the Apostles Creed did adde some few points vnto it namely such as were in those daies called into question by Heretikes of greater fame and who were followed of many not touching in particular diuers other articles generally beleeued of all true Christians or else by soâ—e fewe and obscure men onely questioned Wherefore to argue that no other points of faith are to be beleeued but such as are expressed in ancient Creeds is to cut off a great part of our faith Lastly it is most vntrue to say that those ancient Fathers and Councels knew not of these articles of faith by him mentioned for they haue most plainely taught them in their writings yea and expresly condemned of heresie most of the contrary positions now againe reuiued and holden by the Protestants as in those seuerall questions I haue before prooued R. ABBOT How M. Pirkins vnderstood that all necessary
good by the touchstone because no exposition or sense of Scripture is to be admitted the doctrine whereof is not to be iustified by other Scripture and they that bring other senses and meanings do but deceiue men and leade them into errour as other heretikes formerly haue done and as the Papists now doe abusing the Scriptures to draw others after them into destruction Heereof also enough hath beene said g Of Traditions sect 21. before whereof I wish the Reader duely to consider for his satisfaction in this point That which he saith of other ancient Creeds and Confessions of faith that they containe not all points of Christian doctrine I eaily admit but yet let him vnderstand that it is a maine preiudice against them that neither any ancient Creed nor any exposition of the Creed or confession of faith conteineth sundry pointes which they now make to be matters of the meaning of the Creede Let him shew that euer any ancient Creed or expositour of the Creed did vnderstand or deliuer that the name of the Catholike church in the Creed hath any speciall reference to the Church of Rome that the Catholike church is to be defined as they now define it by being subiect to the bishop of Rome that the certaine declaration of the Canonicall bookes and of the true sense of Scripture is alwaies infallibly to be expected from the sentence of that Church that all Christians are fully to beleeue and wholly to relie vpon that Church for resolution of all points of faith necessarie to saluation Which and such other points made by them matters of the Creed because neuer any ancient writer hath found to be conteined or intended in the Creed therefore we iustly affirme them to be new Creed-makers coiners of new articles of faith and thereby peruerters and corrupters of the true Christian faith As concerning the Articles mentioned by M. Perkins now holden by the Romish Church that the Pope is Christs Vicar and head of the Catholike Church that there is a purgatorie fire after this life that images of God and of Saints are to be worshipped that praier is to be made to Saints departed and their intercession to bee required that there is a propitiatorie sacrifice daily offered in the Masse for the sinnes of quicke and dead M. Bishop answereth that the Fathers haue most plainly taught them in their writings and expresly condemned of heresie most of the contrary positions But what Fathers are they and in what writings haue they so done Surely if the Bishop of Rome in the ancient Church had beene taken to bee the Vicar of Christ and head of the Catholike church it cannot be but that we should haue very currant and frequent and memorable testimonie thereof as a matter vniuersally receiued and euery where practised But now let M. Bishop shew vs one let him shew so much as one that for diuers hundreds of yeeres after Christ did euer dreame of any such thing Which though indeed he cannot doe yet hee telleth vs of that and the rest that in those seuerall questions he hath before prooued what he saith whereas hee hath not spoken of any more of these points saue onely one and in that one point cannot be said to haue prooued any thing because whatsoeuer hee hath said standeth hitherto reprooued And surely if he haue no better proofes than hitherto he hath brought in all the questions that hee hath handled the Protestants will but scorne him as a very vnproouing disputer and aduise him to bestow his time a while longer in the Schooles to know what it is to prooue 3. W. BISHOP Touching beleeuing in the Church which he thrusteth in by the way we vse not that phrase as the very Creed sheweth following therein S. Augustine with others who hold that to beleeue in a thing is to make it our Creatour by giuing our whole heart vnto it in which sense we beleeue not in Saints nor in the Church albeit some other ancient Doctors take the words to beleeue in not so precisely but say that we may beleeue in the Church and in Saints that is beleeue certainly that the Catholike church is the onely true company of Christians and that to the lawfull gouernours thereof it appeâ—taineth to declare both which bookes be Canonicall and what is the true meaning of all doubtfull places in them so we beleeue the Saints in heauen to heare our prayers to be carefull to pray for vs and to bee able to obtaine by intreaty much at Gods hands in whose high fauour they liue Thus much in answer vnto that which M. PERKINS obiecteth in generall Now to that he saith in particular R. ABBOT a Greg. Nazia de sp sancto orat 6. Sâ—â—reatuÌ„ est quo pacto in ipsum eredimu c. Non enim idem est in aliquem credere de eo credere nam illud diuimt atis est hoc cuiusuis rei It is one thing saith Gregory Nazianzene to beleeue in any one another to beleeue of or concerning him the one belongeth to the Godhead the other is vsed of euery thing And heereby hee prooueth that the holy Ghost is God because wee beleeue in the holy Ghost By which argument our Sauiour Christ also teacheth vs to acknowledge him to be God when he saith b Ioh. 14.1 Yee beleeue in God beleeue also in me where c Hilar. de Trin. lib. 9. Vniens se fidei dei naturae eius vniuit c. deumse per id docens cum in eum credendum sit ab his qui in deum credant vniting himselfe to the beleefe of God saith Hilarie he vniteth himselfe also to his nature thereby teaching that he himselfe is God for that they who beleeue in God must beleeue in him I might further enlarge this point by the testimonies and expositions of d Aug. in Ioan. tract 29. de ciu dei l. 18. ca. 54. Euseb Emissen Ruffin Venant in symbol Apost Austin Eusebius Emissenus Ruffinus Venantius and others who all acknowledge that that phrase belongeth to God and is not to bee applied to any creature But it shall not neede because the Elucidatour of the Romane Catechisme according to the doctrine of the Catechisme it self as he pretendeth though quite contrary both to their doctrine and practise otherwise doth tell vs that e Elucidat Catech Roman c. 9. q. 5. Cùm dicimus nos credere in deum patrem in filium in sp sanctum phrasis haec loquendi significat nos ita credere deum patrem filium spiritu sanctuÌ„ vt etiam in eis omnem fiduciam nostram collocemus quam in deo solo non autem in creaturis ponere possumus ex quibus tamen ecclesia composita est when wee say wee beleeue in God the Father in the Sonne in the holy Ghost this phrase of speaking doth signifie that wee so beleeue God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost as that also we place all
when I saw M. Bishop thus confidently auouching that I belied them I thought vndoubtedly that euen for shame in their latter impressions they had altered those words neuer imagining that he would be so shamelesse as to charge me with belying them in a thing apparent to the sight of euery man Thus I meant in simplicity to haue passed it with referring the Reader to the old books though it were changed in the new But now I pray thee to doe the same that in the end for more assurance I thought good to doe Looke to their edition of the Canon Law printed at Paris Anno. Dom. 1601. and there thou shalt finde it still as I cited it i Extrauag Ioan. 22. cap. Cum inter in glossa Parisiis Anno dom 1601 Cum priuilegio Gregorij 13. aliorum principum Credere dominum Deum nostrum Papam sic non potuisse statuere c. haereticum censeretur To beleeue that our Lord God the Pope might not so decree should be accounted heresie Now whether shall we thinke heere to be more impudent the Pope or M. Bishop Surely the Popes sin is the greater who by k Optat. lib. 3. Passus est homines per se sie iurare tanquam per deum in quo si vnusquisque hominuÌ„ errauerat ipse prohibere debuerat cùm non prohibuit deus sibi visus est Optatus his argument because he doth not forbid this stile taketh vpon him to be our Lord God the Pope M. Bishop hath some grace to be ashamed of it but little grace hath he to deny that which is so open for euery man to see By the hardnesse of his forehead in this thou maiest take occasion to esteeme what hee is in all the rest 12. Againe he saith that it is l Answer to the Epistle sect 13. p. 119. a lie which I cite out of the Decretals that they say the Pope is not a meere man The words are m Decretal Greg. de translat episc Quantò Non puri hominis sed veri Dei vicem gerit in terris Where I doubted not but that by a phrase of speech often vsed where the word of double gouernement hath his proper signification onely in respect of the latter not of the former which it gouerneth the meaning is that he hath not the condition of a meere man but is the vicar of the true God And this meaning is elsewhere confirmed where it is said that n Sext. proaem inglossa Ostenditur per mutation mâ—nominis facta mutatio hominis cùm enim prâ—ùs esset purus homo nunc vicem veri deigeâ—it interris by the changing of the Popes name is imported the changing of the man for where he was before a meere man now he is Gods vicar vpon the earth leauing it to be vnderstood that therefore now he is not a meere man But yet because I knew they might make another construction of those words I would not thereupon rest the proofe of that that I said that the Canonists perswaded the Pope that he was not a meer man but added for that purpose their noble verse whereby they say to the Pope o Clement Prooem in glâ—ssa Nec deus es nec homo quasi neuterâ—es inter vtrunque Thou art neither God nor man but as it were a neuter or mungrell betwixt both euen as elsewhere it is said p Dist 96. Constantinus in glossa In hac parte Papa non est homo sed vicarius dei The Pope in this behalfe is not a man but the vicar of God Tell vs now M. Bishop did I lie or not or doe not you rather dally with your Reader in cauilling thus vainely at one place when you saw the thing that I said purposely iustified by another Surely you take a wrong course this is not the way to recouer the credit that you desire 13. His next quarrell is concerning a place of Beda I alledge out of him that q Answer to the epistle sect 31. pag. 199. in his time the Scriptures were in foure seueral languages of so many seueral nations in this Iland beside the Latin tongue common to them all thereout to search the knowledge of Gods truth This he saith is a lie also but to perswade his Reader that it is so he leaueth out the words wherein I conceiued the proofe to stand The words of Beda are these r Beda hist eccles gent. Anglor lib. 1 cap. 1. Haec in praesenti iuxtra numerum librorum quibus lex diâ—ina scripta est quinque gentium linguis vnam candemque summae veritatis verae sublimitatis scientiam scrutatur confitetur Anglorum videlicet Britonum Scotorum Pictorum Latinorum quae meditatione scirpturarum facta est omnium communis This Iland at this present according to the number of bookes wherein the Law of God is written doth in the languages of fiue Nations search and confesse one and the same knowledge of the highest truth and of true sublimity or height namely of the English the Britons the Scots the Picts and the Latines which by meditation of the Scriptures is become common to all the rest Where I confesse that in those words according to the number of bookes wherein the law of God is written I vnderstood Beda his meaning to be that they studied Gods truth according to the Canonical Scriptures which are contained in a certaine number of bookes not conceiuing such was then my dulnesse that it might be taken that as the Law of God is written by Moses in fiue bookes so this Iland in fiue languages did study and search the knowledge of Gods truth which in further waighing the words I since considered Now M. Bishop to shew his fidelity leaueth out those words imagining that the Reader might perhaps take my first meaning to be as likely as this latter These be S. Bedes wordes saith he This Iland at that time did study and confesse one and the same knowledge of truth of the highest truth he should haue said in fiue sundry languages But if he had meant honesty and plaine dealing he would not haue done thus he would haue set downe the words and left them to the consideration of the Reader that it might appeare what it was that might induce me to that that I affirmed thereupon Albeit setting those words aside I would aske him and he indeed should heere haue told vs how this Iland should in fiue languages study and search the knowledge of the highest truth if they had not in fiue languages the bookes of the highest truth Tell vs M. Bishop we desire to know of you and if you would needes answer the place you should haue declared it how they should study the highest truth without hauing the bookes of the highest truth And that they had so we cannot doubt because it was said by Theodorâ—tlong before Å¿ Theodoret. de enrand Graecor affectib lib. 5. Hebraici libri non
THE THIRD PART OF THE DEFENCE of the Reformed Catholike Against DOCT. BISHOPS Second part of the Reformation of a Catholike as the same was first guilefully published vnder that name conteining only a large and most malicious Preface to the Reader and an Answer to M. PERKINS his Aduertisement to Romane Catholicks c. Whereunto is added An Aduertisement for the time concerning the said DOCT. BISHOPS Reproofe lately published against a little piece of the Answer to his Epistle to the King with an Answer to some few exceptions taken against the same by M. T. Higgons lately become a Proselyte of the Church of Rome By R. ABBOT Doctor of Diuinitie Cypr. l. 1. epist 3. Haec est verè domentia non cogitare nec scire quòd mendacia non diu fallant noctem tamdiu esse quamdiu illucescat dies c. LONDINI Impensis GEORGII BISHOP 1609. THE PREFACE to the Reader GOOD Christian Reader thou shalt vnderstand that vntill the greater part of this Booke was printed I thought I had giuen thee therein an answer to all that Doct. Bishop had published vnder the name of his Second part But being at Southwell not long since to doe my dutie to the most Reuerend Father the L. Archbishop of Yorke his Gr. being pleased to vse speech to me concerning a point in the said Second part and shewing me thereof the booke it selfe I perceiued a defect in that that I had answered finding there handled the other questions of the Reformed Catholike which he had left vntouched in his former booke and whereof in the booke which I had receiued there was conteined nothing In turning the booke I found a fault of the Print in the answer to the Aduertisement corrected in the end of the questions whereby I presently perceiued that he first printed his vngodly Preface here conteined and the said answer for some cunning deuice what it might be I leaue to thee to ghesse did thus publish the beginning and end of the booke and left the middle part to be added at his pleasure afterward As it first came foorth so I receiued it enquiring after no more because I thought I had receiued all and knowing of no more I haue written to no more and had I knowen of the rest before I had printed so much of this I would haue suppressed this till I had confuted that as I haue done this And heereby thou vnderstandest the cause why I haue in diuers places of this booke taxed M. Preface sect 22 pag. 190. Aduert sect 1. pag. 193. c. Bishop for the omitting of those questions because hee himselfe had then diuulged his book without them neither had I heard that he had written any thing of them which taxations though now I cannot alter yet by this Preface I reuoke and doe wish thee to passe them ouer as if they were not there at all Albeit where I might alter them I haue so done and therefore recalled from the Presse the copie of my Preface and aduertisement heere adioyued wherein I had further noted that omission by meanes whereof and for the adding of an answer to some few exceptions taken against mee by M. Higgons lately reuolted from vs so soone as I could get the sight thereof this booke hath been somwhat longer in comming foorth than otherwise it should haue beene To which being though not by my default thus maimed and vnperfect I haue done some disgrace by withdrawing from it the Dedication which I had intended being notwithstanding good Reader to intreat thy gentle patience to take this in good part till God shall giue me opportunitie heereafter to adde the rest Heereafter I say because it shall first be necessarie for mee to returne a Counterproofe to Doct. Bishops Reproofe lately published against a little peece of my answer to his Epistle Concerning which worke of his being such as I presume will in the end make him odious and hatefull to all men that will take knowledge of it I haue heere added some aduertisement for the time and giuen an answer to his Preface wherein he hath taken vpon him to haue said so much as may suffice to discredit me with all indifferent men that whereas it will require some longer time to examine his Reproofe in that sort as I intend it I may notwithstanding in the meane time somewhat abate the edge and remooue the scandall of it whilest by discouery of some of his iuglings if at least being so grosse and palpable they deserue to be called iuglings the Reader shall be able to conceiue what he is in all the rest I will heere amplifie nothing further but refer thee to those obseruations that I haue giuen thee thereof God giue his blessing both to my writing and to thy reading that we may both grow in hatred of Antichristian error and in the knowledge and loue of the trueth of God Thine in the Lord R. ABBOT THE ANSWER TO Doctor BISHOPS Preface to his second part of the Reformation of a Catholike c. 1. W. BISHOP CHristian Reader I suppose it shall please thee better if I doe entertaine thy studious minde with some serious discourse than if I went about to court it with the ordinary complements of a curious preamble Wherefore I purpose by thy gentle patience to handle here a matter of maruellous great importance which M. PERK towards the latter end of his booke laieth out against vs in maner of a most grieuous complaint it is that we Catholikes among many other capitall crimes by vs as he fableth defended doe bolster and vphold the most haynous sinne of Atheisme The man is not a little troubled to deuise wherein we doe maintaine any such point of impietie For compelled by the cleere euidence of trueth he confessed that we doe rightly acknowledge the vnitie of the God-head in the Trinitie of persons yet that hee may seeme to say something therein against vs he flieth vnto the threed-bare ragges of their common slanders of mans merits and satisfactions and such old stuffe and stretching them on the tenter-hooks yet one nayle further then his fellows striueth to draw out of them a certaine strange kinde of Atheisme in this maner The Roman religion makes the merit of the works of men Rom. 11.6 to concurre with the grace of God therefore it ouerthrowes the grace of God Item they acknowledge the infinite iustice and mercy of God but by consequence both are denied for how can that be infinite iustice which may any way bee appeased by humane satisfaction And how shall Gods mercy be infinite when we by our owne satisfactions must adde a supply to the satisfaction of Christ There needs apretie wit I weene to vnderstand how these points appertaine to Atheisme For suppose that we defended that the merit of the works of man concurred with Gods grace as two distinct agents which wee doe not for we hold that no works of man haue any merit vnlesse they spring and proceed
vnwittingly to spread the same further yea and by the word obsequium he saith that d Ibid. Hoc ad pietatis suae obsequium redigit quod contra illum humana crudelitas exarsit God forceth that ad pietatis suae obsequium to the seruice of his piety wherein humane cruelty burneth or rageth against him In a word e Ibid. Cui cognitae debet nostra actio deuotè famulari ne ei etiam nolens seruiat si hanc superbieus declinat our action saith he euen against our will serueth the heauenly will of God when in our pride it shunneth the same And thus Bellarmine saith as wee haue seen before that f Bellar. de Amiss grat c. c. 16. supra sect 10 God so gouerneth the wils of wicked men as that he maketh them perforce and against their will to serue him And wheras M. Bishop inferreth so learnedly that therefore God cannot in iustice punish the poore wretches for being obedient as he dreameth to his will and working Bellarmine answereth that g Ibid. by the iust iudgement of God they are greeuously punished for that which in the meane while they willingly doe For albeit God by his wisedome and power doe turne their euill to his good purpose and vse yet they doe it not as with any purpose therein to serue God but to follow the sinfull lust of their owne wicked hearts and therefore are iustly punished for the doing of it Now are those speeches tolerable and true in Gregory and Bellarmine and doth Caluin offend in the vsing of them We should greatly condemne M. Bishop heerin but that we know he must doe as his master teacheth him who is wont one-where to make absurdities of those things which he is forced otherwhere to approoue As touching the other point of Gods predestinating men to hell it is heere very idlely repeated and I haue before sufficiently answered him thereof But letting these things passe The Commandements how affirmed possible or vnpossible he commeth in heere with another question How we can defend the iustice of God who hold that he hath tied vs to such lawes as are impossible to be kept where I answere him briefely that we doe not hold that God hath tied vs to such lawes as are impossible to be kept and yet we do hold that it is impossible for vs in that state as we are to keepe those lawes which are possible to be kept For as we hold that it is not vnpossible to see the Sunne and yet it is vnpossible for a blind man to see the sunne euen so we hold that it is not vnpossible to keepe the commandements of God and yet it is a thing vnpossible for sinfull man to keepe them h Iob 14.4 Who can make him cleane saith Iob that is conceiued of vncleane seed i Ier. 13.23 Can a black-Moore change his skin saith Ieremy or a leopard his spots No more can yee doe good that are accustomed to doe euill k Rom. 8.7 The wisedome of the flesh is enmitie against God saith Saint Paul for it is not subiect vnto the law of God neither indeed can be Doe you heare it M. Bishop the wisedome of the flesh cannot be subiect to the Law of God and therefore it is vnpossible that it should keepe the commandements of God But yet he wil say that by the grace of God it is not vnpossible to keepe them And so say we that when the grace of God shal haue his perfect work we shall perfectly and fully keepe the commandements of God and in the meane time all that are partakers of the beginnings of grace doe begin to keepe them which sheweth that they are not vnpossible to be kept Yet neuerthelesse so long as we haue receiued l Rom. 8.23 but the first fruits of the spirit of grace and m Gal. 5.17 the flesh yet remaineth lusting against the spirit so that we cannot doe the things that we would So long it shall be vnpossible for vs perfectly to keepe the commandements of God which yet are possible to be kept And what will M. Bishop say the contrary If he doe we will insult and triumph ouer him because his owne conscience shall condemne him As for that which he further saith that Christ shall condemne men for transgressing his lawes and what iustice shall that be if it were not possible for them to doe otherwise I answer him that the iustice of Christ needeth none of his lies for the defence of it Christ shall iustly condemne the transgressours of his lawes because the impossibility of keeping those lawes ariseth not from the lawes but wholly from themselues Againe their owne thoughts shall accuse them that they haue left many things vndone which they might haue done and haue done many things which they might haue forborne to doe To driue out one naile with another let vs aske M. Bishop how he maketh it good in the iustice of God that an infant dying vnbaptised in whose power it lieth not to helpe it selfe should be condemned euerlastingly to hell fire Let him resolue vs how this is iust with God and wee shall easily answer him for the rest As for vs we say in all these things that n Iob 33.13 God giueth not account of all his matters that o Aug. ep 99. Alitèr se habet sensus humanus aliter iustitia creatoris the conceit of man it one thing and the iustice of God another and p Lactant. Insti l. 1. c. 1. Nihil inter deum hominemque distaret si consilia dispositiones illius maiestatis aeternae cogitatio assequeretur humana there should be no difference betwixt God and man if the vnderstanding of man could reach to the counsels and dispositions of his eternall maiestie But of these things enough hath beene said q Answer to the Epistle sect 19. Of free will sect 17.18 Of Iustificatition sect 38.39 c. before and M. Bishop if he would not yeeld should rather haue applied himselfe to answer that that hath beene there said then thus simply to sing ouer the same song againe Now of misconstruction followeth an idle conclusion consisting of vaine repetition seruing to lengthen his booke but in no sort touching vs. 12. W. BISHOP Now to those that be against our Sauiour Christ Iesus I haue before touched their errors concerning his Godhead here I will speake of those that be against his Man-hood and Mediatorship First it must needes argue in them a great want of good affection towards our Sauiour that they are so backeward in his blessed Mother the holy Virgins praises not hearing with pacience any body that would so much as salute her with the Haile MARY Luk. 1. which notwithstanding is recorded in the Gospell and are besides so ready vpon euery litle occasion to speake in her dispraise that we may with good reason reprooue them as men either wanting iudgement which they will not
seruice M. Bishop sheweth himselfe to be a man of a leaud and dishonest tongue that will make any comparison of the Church of Rome to our Church And thus we are come to an end of his long preface wherein what mature iudgement he hath shewed concerning a matter of so great moment it remaineth for the Reader to iudge for my part I iudge he did very ill bestow his time in blotting so many papers with so much folly and vntruth But his transition is woorthy to be noted Now to the rest of his questions saith he according to his own â—â—â—der whereas of twelue questions consequently handled by M. Perkins he speaketh not a word but onely passeth to an aduertisement in the end where hee thought least harme might befall to him Heere is some want of plaine dealing which may iustly cause his Reader to bee suspicious and doubtfull of him A confutation to D. BISHOPS answer to Master PERKINS his Aduertisement W. PERKINS An aduertisement to all fauourers of the Roman religion shewing as he weeneth that the said Religion is against the Catholike principles of the Catechisme that hath beene agreed vpon euer since the daies of the Apostles by all Churches Which principles be foure The Apostles Creed the tenne Commandements the Lords praier the institution of two Sacraments Baptisme and the Lords Supper 1. COR. 11. v. 23. 1. W. BISHOP I Had once determined to haue wholly omitted this goodly post-script because it containeth in manner nothing else but an irkesome repetition of that which hath beene I will not say twice before but more than twenty times handled ouer and ouer in this former small treatise notwithstanding considering both how ready many are when they see any thing omitted to say that it could not be answered and also for that these pointes heere reiterated are the most odious that he could cull out of all the rest to vrge against vs I finally resolued to giue them a short answer And further also by prouing their new religion to be very opposite vnto those old grounds of the true religion to requite him with the like that I die not in his debt Thus he beginneth The Roman religion established by the Councell of Trent is in the principall points thereof against the very grounds of the Catechisme the Creede the tenne Commandements the Lords praier the two Sacraments THe Catholike religion embraced and defended by the Church of Rome was planted and established there by the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul fifteene hundred yeeres before the Councell of Trent and hath been euer sithence by the Bishops of Rome their lawfull successours constantly retained and most sincerely obserued and maintained some articles thereof called into question by the Heretikes of this latter age were in that most learned generall Councell of Trent declared and defined And great meruaile it were if the principall points thereof should be against the grounds of the Catechisme which is in euery point most substantially expounded by the decree and order of the very same Councell Or is it credible that the Church of Rome with which all other ancient Churches and holy Fathers did desire to agree and which hath beene euer most diligent to obserue all Apostolicall traditions should in the principall points of faith crosse and destroy the very principles of that religion that hath been agreed vpon by all Churches euer since the Apostle daies as he saith Is it not much more likely and probable that the Protestants who slander all Churches euer since the time of the Apostles with some kinde of corruption or other and who hold no kinde of Apostolicall tradition to be necessary is not not I say more credible that they should shake those grounds of faith which come by tradition from the Apostles and haue beene euer since by all Churches agreed vpon I suppose that few men of any indifferent iudgement can thinke the contrary R. ABBOT M. Bishop is desirous to seeme to haue omitted nothing because many saith he are ready when they see any thing omitted to say that it could not be answered and yet he hath cunningly omitted the handling of twelue questions as I haue already noted which are more than the third part of the booke which he vndertooke to answer In that which here he hath sent vs he taketh vpon him as to answer M. Our religion and not Popery is the old religion Perkins so by way of requitall to prooue that our new religion as he calleth it is very opposite vnto the old grounds of the true religion But if his eies were open he would easily see that that new religion and the true religion are all one our new religon as to him it seemeth being indeed no other but that onely true religion whereby all the faithfull haue been saued from the beginning and so shal be to the worlds end And if he will haue our religion to be taken for a new religion he must first impeach those grounds of antiquitie wherby we haue hitherto iustified the same against his vaine and wilfull cauilations As for that which he saith that the religion now defended by the Church of Rome was planted and established there by the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul it is the begging of the question a fond presumption an idle headed dreame who but fooles and madde men beleeue it when they see the writings of the Apostles Peter and Paul and therein finde no mention of the religion that is now at Rome neither of the Pope nor of Purgatorie nor Pardons nor Iubilies nor Masse nor Images nor any other of that filth If the successors of that See had constantly reteined the faith that by the Apostles was deliuered we should now haue that religion at Rome which is taught in the Epistle to the Romanes which now is our religion and was then the religion of the church of Rome Of that religion those heretikes whom no otherwise he so nameth but according to the a Act. 24.14 Iewish phrase called nothing into question they only questioned impugned those additions and alterations wherewith the church of Rome hath defiled and disgraced that religion The Councel of Trent a mockerie of the world The Councell of Trent which declared and defined against them was neither learned nor generall It was a base and a vile collusion and meere mockerie of the world partially assembled by the Pope guilefully managed by his Agents directed wholly by his intelligence nothing there to bee concluded but what hee first approued yet all in sine left at his will by that damnable clause neuer heard of in any former Councel b Conc. Trid. sess 7. in princip sess 25. cap. 21. de reformat Salua semper in omnibus authoritate sedis Apostolicae Sauing alwaies and in all things the authoritie of the See Apostolike Some Diuines there were of qualitie and worth who gaue their assistance in that businesse but as for the Bishops of which
he hath promised euen as hee who hath receiued a seale presumeth that thereby hee hath in effect the thing that is sealed vnto him And shall a man say that Christ in giuing vs this seale hath bequeathed to vs no other but a figure a signification or representation of somwhat and not the thing it selfe that is represented thereby If it be absurd to say so in humane testaments and wils what meaneth M. Bishop to transferre such an absurditie to those things that are diuine I need not stand vpon this matter I say briefly that it is idle to say that the Sacrament is the chiefest legacie that Christ hath bestowed vpon vs. He hath bequeathed vnto vs himselfe the fruit of his passion the riches of his grace the inheritance of eternall life which hee will vndoubtedly giue to euerie true beleeuer and in the meane time hath giuen his Sacrament to bee to our faith the pledge and assurance thereof And thus M. Bishop telleth vs that he is come at length to the end of his booke wherein I ghesse he hath taken small ioy because he hath quite left out the middle euen whole twelue questions handled by M. Perkins and which he notwithstanding pretendeth to haue answered as hath beene before obserued We are beholding to him for that he giueth vs leaue if any thing heerein bee amisse to impute it partly to his slender skill ouersight or negligence And surely what betwixt his slender skill one way and his ouersight and negligence another way he hath sent vs so many things amisse as that the Reader hath small cause heereby to bee confirmed in that which he by a wrong name calleth the true Catholike faith Thou hast gentle Reader what hee can say on the one side thou hast what I haue had to answer on the other side it is now left to thee to iudge of both which so doe as being thy selfe to giue answer of thy iudgement to Christ the Iudge of all AN ADVERTISEMENT for the time concerning Doctor Bishops Reproofe lately published against a little peece of the Answer to his Epistle Dedicatory to the King With an answer to some few exceptions taken against the same by M. TH. HIGGONS lately become a Proselyte of the Church of Rome 1 THou maiest well remember gentle Reader that it was full three yeeres in February last since I published an answer to Doctor Bishops Epistle to the Kings Maiesty whom he had thereby solicited to entertaine the now-Romane religion pretending many great and waighty reasons that it should be expedient and necessary for him so to doe Wherein how vnfaithfully and vndutifully he demeaned himselfe towards his liege and Soueraigne Lord seeking by false glosses and colours very trecherously to abuse him I was carefull in the said answer to make it plainly to appeare for the satisfaction of all who in that behalfe were desirous to be satisfied With what conscience of fidelity and truth I haue carried my selfe in all that businesse from the beginning hitherto it is knowen to God who shall be both M. Bishops Iudge and mine and doth appeare to them who without preiudice or forstalled opinion doe take knowledge of the cause betwixt him and me That to M. Bishop himselfe it seemeth not so it is no wonder because by ouerstudying himselfe in the schooles of Rome he is growen squint-eied and can see nothing aright or rather hood-winketh himselfe that he may not see that which indeed he doth see By reason whereof it commeth to passe with him as in the like case with the rest of his consort which Saint Augustine said of the Donatists long agoe a August con epist Parmen lib. 1. cap. 7. Cum eos obmutescere compellit veritas tamen silere non permittit iniquitas Though truth compelleth them to be dumbe yet iniquity suffereth them not to be silent They see themselues ouermastred in the cause but a state they haue to maintaine and somewhat they must say for it whether it be right or wrong From this iniquity it hath proceeded that M. Bishop though conuicted in his conscience that the answer aforesaid was such as that howsoeuer in some things he might cauil at it yet in the maine he could not tell by any meanes how to contradict it yet that he might from his Romish masters receiue the thankes which vpon an infamous ouerthrow and losse of a whole army Terentius Varro receiued by the policy of the Romane senat b Liu Decad. 3. lib. 2 in fine Quòd de rep non desperasset For that he had not despaired of the state of their common-wealth he would make shew by writing some kind of reply be it what it might be to carry still a courage and no whit to distrust the quarrell that he had taken vpon him to defend This is the drift of his Reproofe which he hath lately published which goeth abroad amongst his complices vnder a name and with an applause that I am answered I am now answered as if he had made me some great answer whereas if wee respect them aine question and controuersie of religion saue onely that he hath giuen a snatch at one or two points by the way hee hath written whether it may be said he hath answered it resteth further to be considered onely to foure sections of my first booke the second third fourth and seuenth which he hath inched out with enlarging sundry retorsions and matters of discourse and diuers silly excuses and defences of the traiterous speeches and practises of himselfe and his confederates against the King and the State in answering the Epistle Dedicatory and Preface to the Reader and the first and thirty foure sections but the maine substance of the booke concerning the suggestions and motiues by him pleaded to peruert the King he hath by a figure of preterition quite let goe c Reproofe pag. 259. 286. remitting the points thereof to be handled ad calendas Graecas in their proper questions because hee was loth forsooth first lightly to skimme them ouer in hast as I had done and afterward to recoile and turne backe to them againe 2. But hee should haue remembred that hee wrot that Epistle to his Prince and Soueraigne where being charged to haue dealt perfidiously with his most excellent Maiesty and to haue very leaudly attempted to abuse him with many falsehoods and lies with many broken and lame conclusions and that he could not make good that which he had written he should haue thought that whatsoeuer became of the rest of his booke it concerned him in all loialty and duty to yeeld to his Maiesty a speciall and cleere iustification of that Epistle Againe he knew wel that there were many points handled by occasion of his Epistle which belong not to any question after ensuing and that the rest though handled other where yet being heere written to the King were to be answered by me and therefore maintained by him in the same nature wherein they were written
aduersary moued to let slip now and then a word or two Yea and let it be noted how one sweet pen-man in this case excuseth another M. Bishop his fellow Watson after that he had with all importunity and fury thorowout his whole booke of Quodlibets runne vpon the Iesuits e Answer to particulars against D. Bishop pag. 17. Sory I am saith he that to some blemish of his former vertues certaine bookes set out of late carry the letters of his name because the stile seemeth too sharp and some thing in them soundeth harshly in Catholike eares But to mitigate the matter the occasion of writing which time and place ministred must be duely considered and withall how he and others were before grieuously hurt in their reputation by the other party and that in defense of their honour they might lawfully discredit the iniurious aggressours Now if any man looke vpon me with the same eies wherewith M. Bishop looked vpon M. Watson he will easily see that the reputation and honour of our religion being so deeply touched and so many infamous aspersions being cast vpon our whole doctrine and ministery by his malicious and slanderous libell the zeale of truth and importunate impudencie of such an iniurious aggressour must needs wrest from me what spleene or passion I had to shew in the seruice of my Prince and in the cause of Iesus Christ And this I hope shall excuse me in this behalfe with all that are friends and welwillers to the cause in hand or if any take exception further I must say to him with the words of S. Bernard f Bern. in Cant. serm 12. Inhumanè corum redarguis opera quorum onera refugis temerariè obiurgat rirum de praelio reuertentem mulier nens in domo Thou dealest vngently to blame the doings of them whose burdens thou refusest it is rashnesse for the woman that sitteth spinning in the house to checke the souldier returning from the warre g Hieron Apolog ad Pammach Delicata doctrina est pugnanti ictus dictare de muro It is a daintie kinde of teaching saith Hierome to sit vpon the wall and to appoint the man in fight in what maner he shall strike Consider that thou art but as a beholder and looker on but I was as hee that felt the blowes and therefore do not maruell if I were more moued than thou yea esteeme of me in this businesse by the experience of thine owne affections in that that toucheth thine owne cause But I must needs heere intreate thee gentle Reader by the way to note how this sweet peÌ„-man carieth himselfe in that kind wherein he obiecteth so great fault to me The flowers of his speech are h Preface to his second part sect 10. Of the same accursed crue was Melancthon Caluin in his institutions to hell i Reproofe Pag. 50. craking impudencie and impudent craking k Pag. 64. a vaine craking iangler and notorious liar l Pag. 211. deuoid of all good conscience honest dealing m Pag. 264 past all shame and worthy to be thrust into an Asses skin n Pag. 272. base and bastardly minded Ministers o Pag. 283. cosening companions false hypocrites most impudent liars p Pag. 281. the spirit that possesseth his heart to wit the father of all lies q Pag. 283. he that will be fed with lies let him take the diuell to his father and M. Abbot or some other such like of his lying Ministers to be his master Nay the terme of lying is nothing euery where and it is wonderfull to see what a rare dexterity he hath to multiply lies vpon me as for example fiue lies in a place where indeed there is no lie r Reproofe Pag. 83. A lie it is saith he that I denied to his Maiesty such authority as would serue for the taking order how God might be rightly serued in his Realm whereas my words are that he denieth to his Maiesty that supreme gouernment in causes ecclesiasticall whereby he should take vpon him so to doe which he so far denieth as that against this Å¿ Pag. 170. 171. c. Supremacy he hath said more than of any one matter thorowout his whole booke What authority he dreameth would otherwise serue so to do that to me is nothing Another lie it is saith he that the Popes lawes doe inhibit Princes to meddle with matters of religion whereas the law is plaine t Dist 96. Si imperator Ad Sacerdotes deus voluit quae ecclesiae disponen da sunt pertinere c. Non publicis legibus non a potestatibus seculi sed a Pontificibus sacerdotibus opus deus Christianae religionis voluit ordinari c. The ordering of matters for the Church God would haue to belong to Priests not to the secular powers not by publike lawes not by secular powers but by Popes and Priests would God haue the worke of Christian religion to be ordered u Sext. de haeret Quicunque Inhibemus ne cuiquam laica personae liceat publicè vel priuatim de fide Catholica disputare Qui contra fecerit excoÌ„municationis laqueo innodetur We forbid any lay person either publikely or priuately to dispute or reason concerning the Catholike faith he that doth so let him be excommunicated Againe he saith A third lie it is that I affirmed Kings to hold their crownes immediatly from God but that his foolery may the better appeare he adeth Which though it be true in that sense he taketh it yet it is false that I said so in that place for I meddle not with those termes of immediatly or mediatly So then he saith so but yet I lie in saying that he saith so because he saith not so in that place whereas notwithstanding I neither charge him with mediatly nor immediatly in that place but onely repeat his owne former words that of Gods meere grace and bounty Princes receiue and hold their diadems and princely scepters Yet againe The fourth lie is that the Pope denieth Princes to hold their Diadems and Princely authority immediatly from God but are to receiue them by his mediation whereas the Pope himselfe saith of the Emperour x Auent Annal lib. 6. Imper ator quod habet totum habet a nobis Ecce in potestate nostra est imperium vt deâ—â—us iâ—ud cui volumus propterea constituti à deo super gentes regna vt destruamus euellamus edificemus plantemus c. Ex epist Adriani 4. What he hath he hath it wholly of vs the Empire is in our power to giue it to whom we will being therefore appointed of God ouer nations and Kingdomes to destroy and to pull vp to build and to plant Which words I alledged vsed by y Bull a Pij 5. apud Sander de schism Anglic. Pius Quintus against Queene Elizabeth and applied generally to that purpose by the z Extrauag de maior
man should answer him in this sort The thing that he reporteth is indeed a very lie and a tale meerely deuised by themselues but yet it goeth for a tradition at Rome and he will heereupon haue it to be beleeued But that which Holinshed setteth downe is a matter of record extant and to be seene in the ancient u Inter leges S. Edwardi cap. 17. Lambert de priscis Anglor legib lawes of our land and therefore hath testimony sufficient to mooue vs to giue credit vnto it And that the matter might not rest vpon the silly poore credit as he speaketh of Holinshed onely of whom notwithstanding I may assure any man that he was a man of much more fidelity and honesty than M. Bishop is I cited also Stow as a witnesse thereof a man knowen to haue beene too well affected to the Romish religion so as that for his partiality that way hee is commonly alledged by themselues as a most authenticke authour specially by Parsons in his three Conuersions of purpose by him to thwart M. Fox the vttermost he can and therefore of whom M. Bishop cannot doubt but that he found it in good record x In lib. Constâ—â— tut London as he professeth to haue done or else he would haue made no such mention of it Now what might be the cause that he could heere see Holinshed and could not see Stow but that he desireth to make some shew of exception where notwithstanding he himselfe knoweth that iustly he can take none 7. Now we see that Stow for countries sake findeth more fauour with him than Polydore Virgil whom I cited as testifying Siricius Bishop of Rome to be y Answer to the epistle sect 8. pag. 60. a noueller in forbidding the mariage of Priests and he saith that I prooue it by the worshipfull verdict of Polydore Virgil Surely Polydore Virgil was no Protestant he was a writer of their own and deserued well of them a man of great learning and knowledge of history one that would write nothing in fauour of vs and therefore his verdict in reason and equity should be strong for vs. Yea that which he wrot he wrot by the warrant z Polyd. Virgil de inuent rer lib. 5. cap. 4. Siricius primus sacerdotibus diaconis vt ait Gratianus dist 82. coniugio interdixit of Gratian the Collectour of the Decrees the founder of their Canon Law and saith no more than the receiued Glosse of the Canon Law mentioneth as a thing commonly receiued a Dist 84. Cum in praeterit in glossa Dicunt quòd olim sacerdotes pâ—terant contrahere antâ— Siricium Men say that of old before the time of Siricius Priests might marry Being then a man of so good worth and speaking vpon so good ground doth M. Bishop with the flout of a worshipful verdict thus scornfully turne him off But it is nothing with him thus to spurne at their owne writers when they stand in his way and therefore telleth vs afterwards that Matthew Paris the Monke who wrot three hundred yeares ago b Reproofe Pag. 2â—9 did ignorantly and saucily reprehend Gregory the seuenth for forbidding men to be present at the Masses of maried Priests whereas c Matth. Paris in Willielm 1. ex Chronico Sigeberti anno dom 1074. Matthew wrot the conceit and opinion of many that liued in that time and borrowed the same from Sigebert the Monke that liued before him 8. I come at length to examine how in the processe he maketh good that horrible crimination which he hath expressed in the title of his booke of my abusing mangling misapplying falsifying both scriptures and fathers Now whereas a man in the entrance of this accusation would expect some great and waighty matter which might worke some impression in the Reader the more strongly to apprehend the rest that followeth see how coldly hee beginneth for want of better matter with a ridiculous and childish cauill that by the very beginning it may be conceiued how idlely he carrieth himselfe in his whole discourse In my Epistle d Epist dedicat to the Answer to D. Bishops epistle to the Kings Maiesty I noted the necessary vse of the course intended by his Highnesse as touching the answering of the dedications and supplications of these Popish Proctours for the discouering of the impudency of the petitioners for the gaining of such as may be gained to the acknowledgment of Gods truth and that as Saint Bernard saith though the heretike arise not from his filth yet the Church may be confirmed by the faith From these words he taketh his example of my misapplying the sentences of the fathers because Bernard meant not thereby e Pag 7. to disswade any man from the Romane faith and doth in that discourse describe those heretikes to be such as denied Purgatory and praier for the dead and inuocation of Saints c. Where I pray thee first to obserue that the words by me alledged import only a phrase of speech no sentence or argument for proofe They serue fitly to signifie the thing by me intended but for any waight they haue one way or other it had beene all one to haue set them downe as mine owne words without adding Bernards name And who knoweth it not to be a thing vsuall to borrow the phrases and speeches of Poets Oratours Philosophers yea of heretikes of schismatikes of Apocryphall bookes or writings without respect what they meant that spake them so long as they fitly expresse the minde of him that vseth them Bernard meant not by those words to disswade men from the Romane religion no more did Aratus the Poet meane to disswade men from Paganisme by those words f Acts 17.28 For we are also his generation the generation of God and yet Saint Paul vseth them to that purpose Neither did Menander by those words g 1. Cor. 15.33 Euill words corrupt good maners intend to reproue them that denied the resurrection of the dead which he himselfe beleeued not and yet the same Apostle forbeareth not to turne them that way and will M. Bishop enter an action against the Apostle for misapplying the Poets words Neither did Petilian the Donatist meane it well and yet who doubteth but that by his words it may be truly said h Apud Aug. cont lit Petil. lib. 2. cap. 8. Laqueo traditor perijt laqueum talibus dereliquit Iudas the traitour perished with a halter and to such as himselfe he left the halter Let M. Bishop take an example of this vsage from M. Higgons their late conuert who alleaging it to be said of him by the Apostles words i Gal. 5.7 He did run well who did let him that he did not obey the truth saith thereto thus k Motiues booke 2. in the preface Vnto these men I returne a louing a faithful and iust answer founded in the demand of an eminent professour of their Gospell Will you be any longer
led by them who thus grosly abuse you and noteth in the margent Doct. Abbot against Doct. Bishop part 2. in fine These words I vsed to withdraw M. Bishop from the Romish religion and yet M. Higgons thought that without offense he might take my words to serue him for an answer why he had now embraced the same presuming it to be the custome of all writers to take words euen out of the aduersaries mouth and to retort them vpon himselfe how ill he hath done it I will not heere say Now therefore in like sort though Saint Bernard had beene mine aduersary professedly writing against me yea though the words had beene M. Bishop words yet nothing could let but that thereby I might thus expresse the benefit of answering their bookes that to vse M. Bishops words though the heretike arise not from his filth yet the Church may be confirmed in the faith But the words as they are deliuered by Saint Bernard doe serue fully and directly to that purpose whereto I applied them He handleth that which is said in the Canticles l Cant. 2.15 Take vs the Foxes where by m Bernard in Cant. Ser. 64. Vulpes haereses vel potius haereticos ipsos intelligamus Capiantur non armis sed argumentis quibus refellantur errores corum ipsi verò si fieri potest reconcilientur Catholicae reuocentur ad veram fidem c. Homo de ecclesia exercitatus doctus si cum haeretico homine disputare aggreditur ille intentionem suam dirigere debet quatenus ita errantem conuincat vt conuertat c. Nec propterea sanè nihil se egisse putet qui haereticum vicit conuicit haereses confutauit verisimilia a vero clarè aperteque distinxit c. nam etsi haereticus non surrexit de faece tamen ecclesia confirmatur in fide Foxes hee vnderstandeth generally all heretikes which annoy and trouble the Church of God whom he will haue to be taken not with weapons but with arguments whereby to refute their errours that so they may be reconciled to the Catholike Church and recalled to true faith He saith that he that disputeth with an heretike should propound to himselfe to conuince his errour that so he may conuert him and thereupon to take away all obiection of losing his labour therein he addeth that though he will not be conuerted yet hee that hath conquered and conuicted him is not to thinke he hath done no good for though the heretike saith he arise not from his filth yet the Church is confirmed in the faith which is fully answerable to the drift of my speech where I vsed the same words What will he tell vs that he is not the heretike and therefore the words are misapplied But then I will deride his folly that chargeth me with misapplication onely vpon his owne conceit of the point in question He saith I am the heretike I say that he is so He saith it only but prooueth it not but he himselfe standeth by me conuicted of many hereticall positions and doctrines deliuered in his epistle and otherwise in his booke so as that he cannot finde how to trauerse the euidence thereof Yea but S. Bernard in that very place describeth those heretikes to be such as denied Purgatory and praier for the dead c. But M. Bishop therein saith vntruly for Bernard in that place speaketh of heretikes in general as I haue shewed and therfore leaueth his words to be applied to M. Bishop who doth patronise and defend so many wicked and damnable heresies True it is that in the two sermons following he speaketh particularly of some heretikes in his time and noteth them for some points by M. Bishop set down as namely Purgatory and praier for the dead but those matters he bringeth in a great way after in the end of the second Sermon and we doubt whether for those onely without greater cause he would haue noted them for heretikes in as much as Petrus Cluniacensis Bernards equall doth testifie as the Centurists haue obserued n Magdeburg Centur. 12. cap. 5. pag. 839. Petrus Cluniacensis ter in ea ipsa epistola fatetur Catholicos quosdam de sacrificijs orationibus pro defunctis dubitare that some Catholikes did then doubt of sacrifices and praiers for the dead and consequently of Purgatory which dependeth thereon He noteth them for other points wherein they are more like to the Papists than to vs as namely first that o Bernard in Cantic ser 65. Firmauerunt sibi sermonem nequam Iura periura secretum prodere noli c. Quod immobili iure sancitū est non peierandum scilicet hoc tanquam indifferens pro sua voluntate dispensant they dispensed with themselues to sweare and forsweare for the concealing of their owne secrets as now the Iesuites and Priests by their equiuocation and mentall reseruation teach their pupils to do They p Ibid. Contubernio faeminarū nemo inter eos qui careat c. Vxornè tua Non inquit nam voto meo istud non conuenit ser 66. In operimentum turpitudinis cōtinentiae se insigniere voto porrò turpitudinem in solis existimant vxoribus reputandam vowed continency but yet would not be without the company of women yea their vow of continency was but for the couering of their filthines thereby forbearing marriage as vncleane but in the meane time committing fornication as Popish Priests and Votaries are accustomed to doe q Ibid. Quidam dissentientes ab alijs inter solos virgines matrimonium contrahi posse fatentur Some of them permitted the first marriage but the second marriage they held vnlawfull and the Church of Rome now denieth to it their sacramentall benediction They also condemned the eating of flesh as a thing vncleane as the Maniches did they thought they might euery day at their owne tables consecrate for themselues the body and bloud of Christ they derided the baptising of infants which things with other like were such as might iustly moue S. Bernard to inueigh against them And these things hee spake as he was aduertised concerning them of whom hee spake but whether hee were truely aduertised it may bee doubted because he himselfe saith that not onely r Ser. 66. in fine Non solum laici principes sed quidam vt dicitur de Clero necno◠de ordine Episcoporum eos sustinent Princes of the laity but some also of the Clergy and of the Bishops were fauourers of them which it is not likely they would haue beene if they had beene men so ill conditioned as he reporteth them howsoeuer he vpon an vnlikely rale impute it to their taking bribes of them As for those matters which M. Bishop nameth it is no wonder that Bernard liuing in a time of so great corruption and declination of Christian faith were somewhat intangled in the superstitions of that time wonder it is rather that in the
most materiall points therof which most neerely concerne our iustification and eternall life he continued so sincere and sound as we finde he did Who although he had a conceit that the church of Rome should not erre in faith as M. Bishop alleadgeth out of his Epistle to Innocentius yet if he liued now would disclaime that conceit because he should see the church of Rome oppugning that Doctrine of the imputation of righteousnesse by Christ which he maintaineth at large in that epistle as I haue Å¿ Of Iustification sect 6.8 before cited him in the handling of that point Yea in sundry points from place to place I haue shewed how Bernard fully accordeth with vs and condemneth the doctrine which the church of Rome hath since drawen out of the puddles of her owne schooles so that howsoeuer hee were misted with some superstitious fancies yet that letteth not but that by his iudgement M. Bishop is one of those heretikes against which hee would haue the church coÌ„firmed in the faith For his further censure of the Bishop church of Rome I refer the Reader to that which hath been before said in the second part pa. 70 72. For conclusion of this point I note how in answering my Epistle to the King he taketh the same exception of misapplication to two other sentences borrowed by mee from S. Austin The one is prefixed vnder the title of the booke t Answer to the Epistle ex August de ciu Dei lib. 2. cap. 1. Eorum dicta contraria si toties refellere velimus quoties obnixa fronte statuerunt non curare quid dicant dum quocunque modo nostris disputationibus contradicant infinitum esset If we would so often refute their gainsayings as they resolue with impudent faces not to care what they say so that they may in any sort contradict what we say there should be no end Forsooth S. Austin pronounced this against infidels and with what countenance could M. Abbot cite it against vs Christians which in S. Austins meaning concerneth vs not Forsoorth M. Bishop because S. Austins words of those Infidels do sitly expresse the dealings of such Christians as you be whâ—se peruersnesse and wilfull obstinacie in error is such 〈…〉 howsoeuer plainly your vntrueths be reprooue â—â—â—d conuinced yet you verifie of your selues those other words of S. Austin concerning other such Christians as you be u Aug. de bapt cont Donat. lib. 2. c. 13. Malunt peruersis vocibus veritati reluctari quà m confessis erroribus paci restitui They chuse rather with froward words to striue against the trueth than by the confession of their errors to be restored to Christian peace In the x Epist dedicat to the ansvver to Doct. Bishops epist other place mentioning M. Bishops threatning the King that if he did not yeeld to them God knowes what that forcible weapon of necessity would driue men vnto at length I said that they thereby verified in themselues that which S. Austin said of their predecessours the Donatists Where they cannot by slie and wily cosenage creepe like Aspes there with open professed violence they rage like Lions Heere M. Bishop noteth that both this sentence and the former out of Bernard I set downe in general not quoting the very place because I knew they made nothing for my purpose But I would haue him to note that I penned that Preface being from my bookes and though I did well remember the words yet I could not by memorie particularly note the place But the words he saith are not to my purpose because they were pronounced against the Donatists Yes they are therefore to my purpose because as they serued to expresse the vsage of the Donatists of old so they serue to set foorth the vsage of Popish Donatists and Circumcellions now S. Austin compareth heretikes to Aspes and telleth that y August in Psal 57. Aspides insidiosè volunt venena immittere spargere Aspes lurkingly seeke to thrust in their poison and to disperse the same This he applieth to the Donatists and declaring how Christian Emperours by barring them from the vse of Churches resisted them in that course he sheweth how these proceedings were iustified against the Donatists by the example of the Donatists dealings amongst themselues so as that their mouthes were stopped they had not to plead further for themselues z Ibid. Non est quod respondeant c. Ideoque vbi non possunt lubrica fallacia serpere vt aspides aperta violentia fremunt vt leones profiliunt saeuiunt armatae turbae Circumcellionum dant stragem quantam possunt And therefore saith he where they cannot by their wiles and subtilties creepe like Aspes to spread their poison being by lawes restrained from their wil there by open violence they rage like Lions the troupes of Circumcellions come foorth armed and they murther and kill all that they can Now doe not these words fitly agree to M. Bishop and his fellowes who because they cannot be suffered like Aspes to spread the poison of their hereticall corruptions do fall therefore to raging and threatning to practises of surprising and blowing vp with gunpowder and if they durst to open tumulting and in the meane time saying both M. Bishop and his father and fellow Parsons for they are both in one note that patience often prouoked is turned into furie heereby to imprint in their followers that it is no wonder being so hardly dealt with as they pretend that they take their opportunitie to play the Lions to rauen vpon them by whom they are so ill intreated that so howsoeuer they cleere it for the time as M. Bishop doth yet they may haue them in affection prepared when time shall serue though their * Reproofe pag 30. Parsons Answer to the Apologie for the oth of allegiance pag. vlt. eies I hope shall rotte the while and they shall neuer see it serue But heere is to be noted that he saith that those words may be applied to the Lutherans in Germany and Protestants in England But how I pray M. Bishop seeing S. Austin knew them not nor meant any thing of them He will haue it thought because the Lutherans and Protestants doe in like maner as the Donatists did But then M. Bishop I pray you vnderstand that the words of Austin concerning those Pagans and Donatists are not misapplied to you when you carrie your selfe in the like sort as did the Pagans and Donatists or else by your owne crooked rule you haue abused S. Austins words which you apply to me p Preface to the Reproofe pag. 16. ex August cont Gaudent lib. 1. cap. 19. Nihil affert praeter lassum quassum He bringeth nothing but what is weared and spent because Austin spake those words against Gaudentius the Donatist and I am not Gaudentius 9. Another tricke no lesse shamefull he obiecteth to me in misconstruing the words of the fathers He maketh it to
modò in Graecum idioma conuersi sunt sed in Romanam quoque linguam Aegyptiam c. semelque vt dicam in linguas â—mnes quibus omnes gentes in hunc diem vtuntur that the bookes of the old Testament were translated noâ— onely into the Greeke tongue but also the Latine Aegyptian Persian Indian Armenian Scythian all tongues which all Nations vsed at that time But of that that Beda saith that the Latine tongue by meditation of the Scriptures became common to the rest M. Bishop maketh a very poore and simple collection that they needed not to haue learned the Latin tongue for the studying of the Scriptures if the Scriptures had beene translated into their owne mother languages As if he should say that because we haue the scriptures now translated into our English tongue therefore we need not for the studying of the Scriptures learne the Latine Greeke and Hebrew tongues The absurdity of which connexion is such as that we may thinke M. Bishop out of his wits that would so much disgrace himselfe as to be the authour of it 14. Another notorious vntruth and most malicious slander he saith I cast out against Austin the Moonke whom he tearmeth our English Apostle of whom I say in my answer that t Answer to the Epistle sect 31. p. 198. he being offended at the bishops of the Britons for that they refused to be subiect to his Romish authority prouoked against them Ethelbert then King of Kent by whose procurement an army of Infidels was sent to slay them who cruelly and vnmercifully performed the slaughter not sparing them who in their shirts came foorth to them to intreat mercy For the iustifying wherof he saith I can produce no ancient authour but am glad to shroud my selfe vnder an old namelesse Chronicle cited by the Arch-liar and late partiall writer Iewel I doe not maruell that Bishop Iewel in his reckoning is a liar because he knoweth that where Bishop Iewel is not taken for a liar there he and his fellowes must be accounted so to be But as touching the story if his eies had serued him he might haue seene that I cited not the old Cronicle onely alleaged by Bishop Iewel but also Galfridus Monumetensis whom in the beginning of that narration I quoted as a witnesse therof who out of the ancient British story reporteth that u Galfrid Monumetens lib. 11. cap. 12. Augustino petenti ab Episcopis Britonibus subiectionem c. Dinoâ—t diuersis argumentationibus ipsos ei nullam subiectionem debere respondit Et. c. 13. Edelbertus rex Cantiorum vt vidit Britones dedignantes subiectionem Augustino facere c. hoc graâ—issime ferens EdelfriduÌ„ regem Northanumbrorum caeteros regulos Saxonum instimulauit vt collecto grandi exercitu in ciuitatem Bangor Abbatem Dinoot caeteros Clericos qui eos spernerent perditum irent c. Edelfridus ciuitate capta cuÌ„ intellexisset causam aduentus MonachoruÌ„ vt pro salute populi sui orarentâ— iussit in eos primum arma verti et sic mille duâ—enti corum in ipsa die martyrio decorati regni caelestis adepti sunt sedem in the city of Bangor there was a most noble Church of 1200. Monks all liuing with the labour of their hands Their Abbot was named Dinoâ—ch a man maruellously well learned who by diuers arguments made it appeare when Austin required the Bishops to be subiect vnto him that they ought him no subiection Edelbert therefore the King of Kent assoone as he saw them refuse to yeeld obedience to Austin and despise his preaching sturred vp Edelfride other princes of the Saxons to gather a great army and to goe to Bangor to destroy Dinoochand his Clergy Who taking the city commanded the swords of his men to be turned first vpon the Monks and so twelue hundred of them the same day decked with Martyrdome entred the kingdome of heauen By which record it is plaine that though that slaughter were not committed by Ethelbert as M. Bishop saith yet by the procurement of Ethelbert as I affirmed it was done Albeit our English Chronicle cited x Defence of the Apology part 5. in the beginning by M. Iewell deliuereth that both the Kings Ethelbert and Edelfride ioyned their power together and so the murther was committed by them both Austin also meeting them at Leicester as they were going to the place where that act was done Moreouer he citeth a Chronicle written in French by one y Ibid. Thomas Gray aboue two hundred yeeres agoe wherein it is said that Austin being so refused of the Bishops and other learned of the Britans made such complaint thereof to Ethelbert King of Kent that foorthwith he leuied his power and marched against them and slew them in most cruell wise hauing no more regard of mercy then a woolfe hath vpon a sheep So then it should seeme that neither Austin nor Ethelbert were free of that bloudy and cruell murther howsoeuer M. Bishop doe his good will to cleere them both Yea by that which Beda reporteth it may be well coniectured that Austins hands were not free of it for that he threatned them when he saw they would not yeeld to him z Beda hist li. 2. cap. 2. fertur minitans praedixisse quòd si pacem cum fratribus accipere nollent bellum ab hostibus forent accepturi that if they would not accept of peace with their brethren they should finde warre of their enemies But it may better be coniectured by the same answer as in two written Cronicles in the Library of Baliol Colledge in Oxford it is expressed where it is not they should finde warre of their enemies but * Polychron magn Polychron Monachi Cistrensis Quòd qui pacem cum fratribus accipere nollent bellum ab eisdem forent accepturi if they would not accept of peace with their brethren they should ab eisdem of them or from them finde warre and reuenge plainely importing that he himselfe would procure the same For whereas M. Bishop alleageth out of Beda that Austin was dead and buried many yeeres before that slaughter happened Bishop Iewel sheweth that therein they haue for Austins credit falsified the Latine story of Beda because by Beda translated by Alfred seuen hundred yeeres agoe into the Saxon tongue the contrary plainely appeareth that Austin after that slaughter was aliue Yea he produceth a Charter of the Church of Canterbury yet extant and to be seene which was granted and confirmed by King Ethelbert and by Austin accepted and subscribed the same yeare that that was done whereby it is without all controuersie manifest and cleere that it is false which M. Bishop saith that Austin was dead many yeares before And for some further coniecture of this matter I wil not omit to note out of Doct. Powell his history of Wales certaine verses of that famous and renowmed Poet Ambrosius Telesinus or Taliessin surnamed in his time
them as many times it is with whoremongers and drunkards who are content to liue otherwise in penury want so that they may haue but to continue them in their beastly and filthy life But M. Bishop we too well see that you and your fellowes haue too little cause to complaine thereof A friend of yours could once familiarly tell an acquaintance of his what base reckoning is made of our Ministers but for them how they were magnified and honoured and where they came had all things at command The trueth is that according to the world it is better with you than it is with many of them whom you enuy for their Bishopricks and Deanries and many other also that are honester than you be As for Tyburne you haue not to feare it for religion but for treason only because you yeeld your loyaltie and fidelity from your Souereigne and naturall Prince to an vsurping forren Priest So long as you doe so whatsoeuer your colours be iustly shall Tyburne belong to you I know how much adoe you haue made both in the beginning and end of your booke to acquit your selfe in that behalfe You shot out your bolt to the King God knoweth what that forcible weapon of necessitie may constraine and driue men vnto at the length You are desirous to perswade vs that that was but a friendly caution against that you feared might come to passe not any threatning of any thing to be done And although the words were vsed when the powder-treason was in hand yet it was not meant therof neither were any of their part consenting or willing to it but a few greene heads some rash vnaduised Catholicks for the greater part decayed in their estates But his disloiall and traiterous minde therein appeareth that he thus dreiueth this matter to a few greene heads when as by course of legall proceeding and by the Kings Maiesties Declaration to forren States it is made manifest that that hellish designment had the priuity and consent of sundry their principall Iesuites and there were then commonly amongst them all prayers for the successe of some speciall enterprise in their behalfe though they knew not what it was For my part concerning all that iustification of his I briefly answer with the words of S. Austin k August in 1. Ioan. tract 3. Opera loquuntur verba requirimus Quis enim malus non benè vult loqui Your deeds speake and shall we listen after your words for who is so bad but he will say well S. Austin sayd to Petilian the Donatist l Idem cont lit Petilian l. 2. c. 64. De vestra mansuetâ—dine non tuae voces sed Circumcellionum fustes interrogentur Of your gentlenesse we will not aske your words but the bats and clubs of the Circumcellions So say I to M. Bishop Of your fidelitie wee will not question your words but the continuall and manifold plots of villanies and treasons that haue proceeded from your consorts 24. The conclusion of his Preface concerneth me He telleth his Reader that he shall seldome light vpon any Diuine that dealeth more vnsufficiently or perfidiously that I set a brasen face vpon the matter speake confidently conuey cunningly gild artificially seeming some iolly fellow and a rare flourishing writer and being one of the most shallow and beggerly writers of these dayes a very Mount-banke setting forth for fresh and new merchandise the very rif-raf and refuse of other Protestant authours bringing nothing that hath not been by their part so shaken battered and beaten that it can not be but a foule disgrace among the learned to put into light and to set to sale so base ouerworne threed-bare and ragged stuffe But what M. Bishop is all that I haue sayd so threed-bare so ouerworne so many times answered in so many of your books and could not you all this while contract so much marrow and pith out of your large volumes as should serue to reply to one whole part of that that hath been answered to you I smile at his folly heerin and can not withall but pitie him that he hath not so much wit as to thinke that euery man will wonder that against such a writer and such an answer he should not be able in three yeeres and more to defend so much as his Epistle to the King yea and that to make good that which he saith he can bring no better exceptions than he hath heere done I see that he is not willing to make sale of me he would faine haue me sticke stil to him and so God willing I will till my rags haue choaked him and my threed-bare stuffe haue worne him so bare as that he shall be ashamed to come any more into the companie of honest men 25. In the meane time and vntill I can giue further defense against his Reproofe I pray thee gentle Reader by some few examples to take knowledge what sinceritie or fidelity thou art to expect of him who hath so deeply charged me with the want thereof And heere first I wish thee to obserue how that he may lay an imputation of vntruth vpon me he sticketh not to eat and deny his owne words I sayd in my Epistle Dedicatorie to the King that he chargeth the religion professed by his Maiestie with heresies impieties blasphemies c. He answereth me thus m Reproofe pag. 25. 26. You in the weightier part falsly slander me which I will proue euen by your owne testimonie for I say as it may be seene in your owne booke that I will let passe their impietie that make God the authour of all wickednesse and say nothing of their blasphemy who touch our Sauiour with doubting if not with despaire of his owne saluation in which speech I tax by the way Caluin and Beza and som other c. Whereas both in my booke and in his owne his words are generall as touching the Protestants religion which the King professeth n Answer to the epistle sect 13.14 pag. 109. 121. Thus much for my first reason collected from the vntruth of the Protestants religion The second shall be grounded vpon the vngodlinesse of it where I will let passe that high point of impietie that they make God the authour of all wicked actions c. and will beside say nothing of that their blasphemy against our Sauiour c. See heere the protestants religion the vngodlinesse of it they make God the authour of sinne their blasphemy against our Sauiour all in generall no shew of restraining it to Caluin and Beza and yet as if he presumed that the books were all lost and no further to be seene he dareth to challenge me for slandering him and to refer me thereupon to mine own booke where he saw and where it is open for euery man to see that he himselfe lieth but this is a trifle perhaps to denie his owne words thou shalt discern him much more plainly in the vsage of mine In o
men iust occasion to detest him crying out of falsifying and corrupting of cosenage and deceit when hee himselfe intendeth and practiseth nothing else Such as thou hast seene him heere gentle Reader such shalt thou finde him almost in all his answers throrowout his whole booke which when I shall haue stript out of those ragges wherewith he hath clothed them thou shalt see him a poore Doctour and shalt well perceiue that he was put to a cruell shift and streining of conscience for the writing of this booke 34. In the meane time I callenge him to giue an answer to this aduertisement He hath with wide mouth cried out vpon me for false and corrupt dealing I challenge him to make good his accusation against this briefe Defense I know he loueth not to meddle with the answering of long books and when I shall haue giuen checke to his Reproofe he will not be at leisure to giue me at large a countercheck I challenge him therfore to cleere himselfe if he can against those exceptions that I haue heere taken against him and setting downe plainly the authours words in their owne tongue as I haue done to make it appeare if it bee so that in charging me with falshood and lying hee hath done the part of a trusty and honest man being no further so to be taken if hauing made such a clamour against me of lying lying it now prooue to be but a cry of course not for any matter in me but onely of forme in him I pray thee gentle Reader to vrge him by all meanes thereunto Tell his friends and followers that if in these few matters hee cannot better acquit himselfe it shall be a shame for them to suffer themselues any longer to bee deluded by such a shamelesse man If he say he will doe it in his second part vnderstand that he doth but mocke thee The booke that he hath now published was comming foorth without any name of the first part The Presse being then surprised they haue since by some common aduice amongst them reuiewed and better furnished it and now for a colour haue called it The first part Thou hast beene three yeeres and more in the expectation of this little peece let him not hold thee three yeeres more in the expectation of another part But whether it be this peece or that part thou maiest now by thine owne experience iudge of both If God continue my health and strength and the vse of those eies at the distemper and sorenesse whereof hee so often sporteth himselfe I will by the assistance of his grace giue thee further experience of him in the rest Albeit I thinke thou wilt not wish that I either trouble thee or my selfe with all his wandring discourses his idle descants his fond surmises his imagined contradictions Much worke he maketh that I should say n Reproofe pag. 50. I would stop the aduersaries mouth and leaue him nothing to reply But let him remember that to that part whereof I said so he hath yet replied nothing and let him vnderstand withall that I take not euery dogs barking to be a reply He chargeth me with o Ibid. pag. 62. contradiction for that I say that in his dedication he had no hope to preuaile with his Maiestie and yet I say that in his booke he thought himselfe to haue performed some great exploit that is saith he to preuaile maruellous much with his Maiestie But his Commentarie fitteth not my text because his great exploit there intended was not in preuailing with his Maiesty but as I there declared in writing a famous and woorthy worke the marrow and pith of many large volumes contracted and drawen into a narrow roome Another contradiction he fancieth in that I p Ibid. pag 267. 268. c. say that he reuealed a counsell and secret of his owne and his fellowes in saying God knoweth what that forcible weapon of necessitie will driue men vnto at length and yet I bid him be of good cheere and tell his fellowes that we knew their mind before I answer him that in their desire it is a secret which by all means they conceale and hide and which they would not haue vs by any means or in any sort to imagine of thē and yet by experience wee haue learned to iudge of them that they are as there I said trecherous false-hearted faithlesse waiting for time and opportunitie if power would serue to compell his Maiestie to their order Now to what end should I spend either time or paper for the examining of such dreames To the matter and question of religion or if there be any thing else materiall I will answer him if God will the rest which serueth onely for the lengthning of his booke I will passe by with contempt 35. Now then to leaue M. Bishop for the time I come to M. Higgons who hauing vpon meere discontentments lately reuolted from vs and being strangely become a proselyte of the Church of Rome to the great griefe of his father the vntimely death of his mother the wonder of all who haue knowen what formerly he was hath of figtree leaues like Adam made him a mantle to couer this nakednesse and shame deliuering vnder the name of motiues certaine fantasticall apprehensions whence as he pretendeth he tooke the occasion of this reuolt In these motiues taking vpon him to censure the state and proceedings of our church and to tax sundry of our men who by writing haue applied themselues for the defense thereof he picketh heere and there some petit quarels against me amongst the rest as if in writing against Doct. Bishop I had not dealt syncerely and vprightly in the report and allegation of some things The matters are but few and those such as that I shall not need to stand long vpon any of them The matter that chiefly troubled his head gaue him occasiō of this apostasie was as he pretendeth our deniall of Purgatorie and praier for the dead which he now vpon the sudden hath learned to be an Apostolicall tradition And amongst other reasons that haue induced him so to conceiue of it one is a proposition deliuered by Doct. Field that q First Motiue of T.H. book 1 part 1 ch 2. § 2. num 8. whatsoeuer all or the most famous in all ages or at least in diuers ages haue constantly deliuered as receiued from them that went before them no man doubting or contradicting it may be thought to be an Apostolicall tradition This he affirmeth to be true of praier for the dead that the most famous and renowmed in all ages haue constantly deliuered it as receiued from them that went before and none haue gainsaied it but damned heretikes and therefore that it must by Doct. Fields rule be taken to be an Apostolicall tradition Whence saith he I was compelled to inferre that Doct. Abbot doth willingly deceiue himselfe saying that praier for the dead is a tradition and ordinance of the Church to which