first say your mind T. H. But I beseech you do YOV that is to say your Church of England most willingly professe this Catholicke opinion Alas that your Apologist hath so iustly called God to reuenge this falshood vpon his soule let him intreate our Lord to pardon that prouocation of his iudgement The Answerer First in generall I said indeed wee but I said not we all If now that which was spoken indefinitely in these words We professe nothing the common opinion of our Church must necessarily be enforced vniuersally as M. Higgons doth to signifie all why did the Apostle without distinction condemne the Corinthians for not sorrowing at the wickednesse of the incestuous or generally reprooue the Galathiās as being bewitched reuolted from the Gospel Wil M. Higgons his diuinity cōclude that euery Christian man in Corinth and in Galathia were reprehensible If all such indefinite speeches may be thus racked then may all humane diuine writings be condemned of falshood for Both Apostles Prophets saith Cardinal Bellarmine do often reprehend all the people as though there were not one good when notwithstāding diuerse good ones are among thē I further demand doth he think the opinion of the reall descent Catholick that is vniuersal yes he wil say it is among all Romanists vniuersall and yet knoweh that their great subtle schooleman Durandus held it to be but a vertuall descent T. H. And in the meane time I will demonstrate his falshood by foure euidences FIRST if YOV be of this opinion as he pretendeth why are your Bibles infected with this absurd Translation Thou wilt not leaue my soule in graue Is this to submit your sense vnto the Scripture or it is not rather to draw it vnto your preiudicate opiniō This is to measure the yard by the cloth and thus while you should be faithfull Translators you become corrupt Interpreters of the Scripture SECONDLY why was your Church so distracted in this matter vpon the Sermon and Treatise of D. Bilson How came it to passe that D. Reinolds his Caluinian resolution in this matter was confuted by M. Perks and why did M. Willet the Synopticall Theologue as he is phrased by D. Barlow oppose himself against M. Perks his answer Why do your Ministers publickly in Sermons and in print impugne this true and Catholicke opinion THIRDLY why is no Minister punished for his repugnancie vnto this truth which is of greater consequence then crosse cap surplice or any ceremonious thing or whatsoeuer institution of your Church for which many haue suffered depriuation of their liuings FOVRTHLY the testimonie of M. Rogers whose booke hath a speciall approbation as you may see before will conuince D. Morton of notorious falshood For though his purpose was to deliuer the Catholicke doctrine of YOVR Church yet when he cometh vnto this Article he saith that in the interpretation of it there is not that consent which were to be wished some holding one opinion thereof and some another Wherefore yeelding no certaine doctrine but leauing men vnto their choise he addeth TILL we know the natiue and vndoubted sence of this Article c. The Answer Here are many questions which may be answered by questioning First in our Church-Bible it is read Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell why then did M. Higgons insist onely in the Geneua translation Notwithstanding if this one place were in all Bibles translated hell yet it is but a fond peece of Sophistrie to conclude a generall from a particular and that also negatiuely which is all one as if he should haue said Not long before my publike reuolt I writ a booke against the Romish doctrine of veniall sin Ergo before that time I held not any point of popery Again let him ingenuously satisfie vs if their Church hold the Article by force of the word Hell in Scriptures then why were some of their Romanists suffered to say as their Iesuit Valentia affirmeth that the word Infernus that is Hell in Scriptures is nothing else but the graue Why durst their Iesuite Pineda confesse that the word Sheol which many Romanists appropriate vnto hell is sometimes in Scripture vsed for the graue Or why might Pineda expound the vulgar Translatiō Hell Iob. 17. 13. to signifie Graue contrarie vnto their expositors who as he saith did interprete it to betoken the paines of hell Thirdly why doth M. Higgons charge me with the fore-knowledge of M. Willets opposition against M. Perks or the testimonie of M. Rogers whose bookes were published after my Apologie and he might well thinke that I was no Prophet to foresee what would afterwards be written by other men Fourthly if such kind of coniectures may be called demonstrations let him answer for their Councell of Trent which prescribed as it selfe saith A Creed vsed by the Church of Rome as the principle wherein all the professors of Christ do consent holding it as the onely firme foundation against which the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile in so many words as it is read in all Churches I beleeue in God c. why it did chuse that forme wherin this Article of descent into hell is not expresly mentioned which forme two of your Iesuits did follow euen then when they sought to catechize people in the rudiments of faith The most of these their owne aboue-mentioned differences M. Higgons did no doubt perceiue in my booke of Apologie whence he tooke his obiections and yet hath aduentured to make this his assault being twise conuicted in himselfe both by the friuolousnesse of his reasons and also by the regest of their owne like contradictions But of this article more remaineth to be deliuered after that I haue answered vnto my last taxation T. H. If this be not a sensible conuiction of M. Doctors singular vntruth I must confesse that I haue done him iniurie and will be readie to make any satisfaction that he can reasonably demaund Meanewhile he must giue me leaue to detect another of his excellent sleights and ther I will referre him vnto his best thoughts As it was a notable vanitie in him to affirme that YOV do willingly embrace the Catholicke opinion in this Article so that is a delicate collusion which ensneth within the compasse of three lines à VOBIS c WE in England differ from YOV Papists concerning the place vnto which Christ descended For WE say that he descended vnto the hell of the damned hut YOV say that he descended onely ad Limbum Patrum the region of the Fathers The Author cited by him is Feu-ardentius whose opinion he imputeth here as generally vnto the Papists as he applied the other vnto your English Church But forasmuch as M. Doctor doth continually deale with BELLARMINE and in the words immediatly precedent alledged him particularly also in this matter as you see why did he now pretermit him and select another I will shew you
A DIRECT ANSWER VNTO THE SCANDALOVS EXCEPtions which Theophilus Higgons hath lately obiected against D. Morton In the which there is principally discussed Two of the most notorious Obiections vsed by the Romanists viz. 1. M. Luthers conference with the diuell and 2. The sence of the Article of Christ his descension into hell IOB 31. v. 35. 36. Though mine aduersaries would write a booke against me Would I not take it vpon my shoulder and binde it as a crowne vnto me LONDON Printed for EDMVND WEAVER 1609. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE RAPH LORD EVRE LORD PRESIDENT OF the Principalitie Dominion and marches of Wales and Lord Lieutenant of the same THe many tokens of that interest which by your fauour right Honorable I haue in your fauour hath thus emboldened me in this little Treatise to manifest my due acknowledgement of your Lordships loue towards me but much more vnto the truth of Christ which doth ennoble you both in the sight of Angels and of men Not many nobles saith the Apostle but he addeth according vnto the flesh that we should not wonder at this defect but deplore it for we know that the Spirit of Christ which called the faithfull of Thessalonica noble because of their diligent studie in the sacred Scriptures and zealous inquisition of the truth of the Gospell doth teach vs to esteeme of all such as the off-spring of right Nobilitie which issueth not from generation but from regeneration the praise and glorie whereof is not of men but of God My speciall intendment in this dedication right Honorable was to giue your Lordship notice what kinde of conflicts I am daily to expect seeing that after the assault of a Moderator and a Mitigator now one T. H. a Motioner is sent to insult vpon me vnder a pretence of charging me with falsifications But how farre my disposition hath bene from this wickednesse I haue presumed to appeale vnto your Honours experience What my desert is the examination of his particulars will best discouer which I referre vnto the equanimity of your Lordships censure submitting my selfe either vnto the abalienation of your Honorable fauour or else your further approbation of me according as I shal be found in these points innocent or obnoxious Our Lord Iesus preserue your Honour vnto the glorie of his sauing grace Your Lordships in all due thankfulnesse TH. MORTON To the Reader THe speciall occasion of this Answer Christian Reader was in thy behalfe lest thou shouldest stumble vpon me as vpon a Falsificator who professe my selfe a publisher of truth I haue read my Aduersarie his pretended Motiues and haue since also vnderstood of his true motions which occasioded him to reuolt and comparing them together I could not but recken him among the number of that people who as histories relate did first execute men whom they called Malefactors and then afterward examined their cause For if T. H. had not first run out in a passion and afterwards deuised pretext of Reasons which he calleth his Motiues the law of charitie and of humanitie would haue chalenged him to haue consulted with those Authors whom he doth impugne with whom the Motioner did then stand in the termes of brotherhood As for my selfe I perceiue he hath read my Apologie in which there are many hundreds of testimonies alledged out of the Romish writers wherein they are found to contradict one another almost in euery question and to conuince their owne men of manifest slaunders against Protestants and almost in euery Article to iustifie the grounds of our Religion out of all which M. Higgons hath singled out onely fiue which it may seeme he thought to be more singularly false then any others These haue I examined and after due triall am now prouoked to expostulate the matter with my Aduersarie as Iacob did with Laban saying What haue I trespassed what haue I offended that thou hast pursued after me Seeing thou hast searched all my stuffe what hast thou found suffer me to change a word to charge me withall Put it here before thy brethren and mine either Protestants or Romanists that they may iudge betweene vs both I can say no more but laying open the parcels wish that the Brethren of both sides would iudge betweene vs both are in some sort chargible hereunto not onely by my Aduersaries chalenge who intitleth this part of his booke thus Trie before you trust but much more by the Apostles authoritie exhorting all men concerning things of this nature to Trie all things and to keepe that which is good The Lord Iesus blesse vs and by his preuenting Grace prepare vs alwaies for a comfortable appearance before him in the great day of Triall Thy friend and seruant in Christ Iesus TH. MORTON A DIRECT ANSWER VNTO THE SCANDALOVS EXCEPTIONS WHICH Theophilus Higgons hath lately obiected against D. Morton Theoph Higgons THE PREFACE IF you consider the deliberation of D. MORTON in the contexture of his APOLOGY or his pretended sinceritie therein it may seeme very strange that this worke which was borne after so long trauell should be surcharged with impertinent trifles or subtile collusiōs or malicious vntruthes The Answer I doubt not but my sincerity will indeed seeme strange vnto any that shall consider aright with what insinceritie and impietie it is impugned T. H. For which respects Iames Gretzer a verie noble author hath exorned it with a speciall encomion viz. Hoc opus c. This censure because it proceedeth from an aduersarie and a IESVITE also with whose order it pleaseth D. Morton to contend more eminently then with any other may peraduenture seeme vniust but yet the equitie of it or credibilitie at the least may appeare vnto you by the sequele which being a part doth delineate the condition and qualitie of the whole The Answer I cannot enuie Iames Gretzer your exornation of a very noble if you adde Rayler for although I haue seene many Doctors yet neuer read I of any other that was professor in that kinde whose onely phrases and emblemes of vnciuill Rhetoricke vsed against learned Protestants in that one booke here cited by you I haue seene collected into such a swelling bulke as may bewray that your noble Author in writing it laboured of a tympanie which since hath bene so skilfully vented by the reasons of a learned Protestant that we stand in good hope of his better temper hereafter Concerning whose censure of me you haue said in my behalfe that it proceedeth from an Aduersarie whom my selfe might haue incountred with by the testimony of a friend euen of his own Nation Omnes docti qui hîc sunt c. but I abhorre this folly Yet I wish that I had bene so much beholdē vnto you M. Higgons as to haue examined the particular exceptiōs which Iames Gretzer hath taken against me to haue noted any one thing wherin I haue bene iustly charged of subtle collusion or of malicious vntruths I should
alledging that misconceiued testimonie taken out of Del'rio to haue vsed a mentall reseruation as thus so saith Del'rio for ought you shall know had I lied or no If I had not how can you accuse me of lying but if notwithstaÌ„ding the mental reseruatioÌ„ I had lied then accursed by your newly deuised Art of lying which is so notably diuellish that as long as it is defended it shal be impossible for any to giue the Diuel the lie seeing that he is taught by you to answer I lied not because I did aequiuocate T. H. 6 Finally doth D. Morton beleeue that this historie is true or doth he repute it to be false If false why doth he vrge it If true then he must remember that there is some efficacie in the signe of the Crosse to terrifie his infernall Serpent If he say with Brentius that the Diuell doth flie it in subtiltie to draw men into superstition I answer that Pagans and Protestants do symbolize as well in this deuise as in many others For when Iulian admired to see that the Diuels fled away at the signe of the Crosse the Magitian answered oh Sir it was not for any feare of that signe but for detestation of your fact The Answer I am perswaded he thinketh that by this Dilemma he hath posed me but I answer that although I can allow many reports of Del'rio no better then I can do this storie of S. Dunstane whoÌ„ he beleeueth to haue catched the Diuell by the nose with a paire of pincers for I maruel what mettall his nose and the pincers were of yet do I thinke that this other of the crosse might be true but so as that in repelling his consequence I shall appeare to be neither Iulianist nor Papist that is neither profane nor superstitious For it may be obserued that in the daies of Iulian the Crosse was vsed in such cases by holy men in at least a secret inuocation of Christ crucified whom that wicked Apostate contemned but not as the Papists do by attributing to vse M. Higgons word an efficacie or vertue to the Crosse it selfe as though the Diuell could not possibly endure it Which bringeth into my remembrance a storie which Banks told me at Franckâ—ford from his own experience in France among the Capuchins by whom he was brought into suspition of Magicke because of the strange feats which his horse Morocco plaied as I take it at Orleance where he to redeeme his credit promised to manifest to the world that his horse was nothing lesse then a Diuell To this end he commanded his horse to seeke out one in the preasse of the people who had a crucifixe on his hat which done he bad him kneele downe vnto it not this onely but also to rise vp againe and to kisse it And now Gentlemen quoth he I thinke my horse hath acquitted both me and himselfe and so his Aduersaries rested satisfied conceauing as it might seeme that the Diuell had no power to come neare the Crosse If M. Higgons be become a man of the same faith to ascribe vnto the very signe such an efficacie let him suffer me to spurre him with a question The fore-named Iesuit Del'rio telleth vs of the ApparitioÌ„ of a Diuell vnto an holy Virgin in the forme of S. Vrsulae carying a crucifixe before him and accompanied with a traine of other Diuels representing Virgins But she suâ—â—ecting some delusion If saith she you haue any message from God then worship these holy Relicks which are about my necke What then Then for I shall tell you a maruell saith Del'rio those infernall hagges prostrated themselues in worship of those holy Relicks Now then M. Higgons either you beleeue that this Apparition was true or not if you thinke it possible that the Diuell did carie a crucifixe and kisse holy relicks then why may he not be said sometimes to vse or flit it in subteltie or how shall the Diuel be thought altogether to feare the verie signe And if you answer that the storie cannot be true then must you necessarily stumble vpon Del'rio and by acknowledgement of his fabulous booke returne backe againe at least one steppe from Babylon T. H. §. 2. How D. Morton defendeth Caluin from the note of Iouinianisme 1 AMongst sundrie errours of Iouinian a Father of Protestants whence Luther saith that Hierome wrote pestilent bookes against Iouinian but he at that time had more learning and iudgement in his little finger then Hierome in all his bodie this was one A man cannot sinne after baptisme if he were truly baptized that is to say if he truly receiued faith and grace This errour is imputed by Bellarmine vnto Caluin and the reason is because Caluin teacheth that true faith which in his opinion is inseparable from grace can neuer be lost For though Caluin doth not by way of position defend that a faithfull man cannot sinne yet the question is now whether it follow out of the aforesaid principle by way of necessarie deduction Bellarmine affirmeth it D. Morton denieth it and pretendeth that this Iouinianisme may be imputed as well vnto Augustine or Campian as vnto Caluin 2 The sentence which he produceth out of S. Augustine is this Horum fides quae per dilectionem operatur aut omnino non deficit aut reparatur priusquà m haec vita finiatur I grant that S. Augustine saith so but what is this vnto Caluin For first S. Augustine doth not teach that faith cannot be seuered from grace Secondly he doth not affirme that a man can neuer fall from faith or grace Thirdly he doth not teach that onely the elect can haue these gifts but he sheweth the contrarie in that place who knoweth not that many haue lost both faith and grace Lasily S. Augustine doth there distinguish betwixt the elect reprobate teacheth that the faith of elect which worketh by Charitie either doth not faile at all or if it do as sometimes it doth yet it is repaired againe before their departure but in the reprobate the case is verie different for they may haue faith and grace but faith and grace endure not in them with perseuerance a gift proper onely vnto the elect 3 Wherfore there is no correspondencie betwixt S. Augustine and Caluin in this point For Caluin annexing grace inseparably vnto faith and auerring that faith can neuer be lost must ineuitably thence inferre that a faithfull man doth neuer lose grace also and consequently he doth neuer sinne mortally because a mortall sinne excludeth grace from the soule 4 The sentence of Campian is cited in these words Nisi Diui è coelo deturbentur cadere ego nunquam potero and here your Doctor pretendeth that Campian euen as Caluin himselfe did beleeue constantly that he could neuer fall from faith but was certaine of his saluation Which if it were so then iudge of the soundnesse of your Diuinitie according to the principles whereof Campian
matter T. H. 2 This position with me is an impregnable bulwarke of my Religion viz. Whosoeuer doth pertinaciously reiect any point of faith accepted by publike consent of the CATHOLICKE Church he is an HERETICKE and no member of her communion For which consideration I am as tenderly affected in this article as in any other of my Creede esteeming my selfe obliged thereunto for two respects FIRST because the essentiall truth thereof is clearely reuealed vnto me by God both in his word written and by Apostolicall Tradition In his word written for what can be more perspicuous then this saying Thou wilt not leaue my soule in hel c. By Apostolicall Tradition for what can be more plaine then this Article He descended in hell 3 SECONDLY I am moued by the authoritie of the Church For who saith Augustine denieth that Christ descended into hell vnlesse he be an INFIDELL And for the sence of this Article he hath this cleare resolution Who is he that was not left in hell Christ Iesus but in his SOVLE onely Who is he that lay in the graue Christ Iesus but in his FLESH onely For the NATVRALL vnion of his bodie and soule was dissolued but not the HYPOSTATICALL vnion of either with his Person 4 This truth being so patent and perspicuous I aske you now what reason haue you for any part of your faith if you haue not assurance in this And if you fall from this what certaintie haue you in any other point Therefore it importeth your Church to shew a due conformitie in this Article of the Creed Finally you may remember that S. Athanasius in his Creed which your Church pretendeth to admit throughly c. hauing premised this denuntiation Whosoeuer keepeth not the Catholicke faith entire and inuiolate without doubt he shall perish euerlastingly doth afterward subnect this Article of Christ his descent into hell as parcell of that CATHOLICKE faith The Answer No man may iustly discommend M. Hiogons resolution if he can make good all that he professeth The heads be three the first is the equall necessitie of this Article with any other and secondly the equall euidence for the proofe hereof and lastly a generall conformitie of profession herein For the weight and necessitie he pretendeth to be as tenderly affected in this Article is in any other I would willingly beleeue him but that in my booke of Apologie in the same Chapter from whence he now maketh his obiection I propounded the iudgement of their learned Professor and Iesuite Suarez who determined this question in these words There followeth saith he a doubt whether the truth of Christ his descent into hell be not onely a matter to be beleeued but also an article of faith the reason hereof is this because it was not in the Nicene Creed nor set downe by the Apostles and because the Fathers as namely Augustine Tertullian Irenaeus Origen haue omitted it in their expositions of the Creed I answer saith he that it is not altogether certaine that the Apostles added this Article if by an Article of faith we vnderstand a truth which all faithfull men are bound explicitly to know and beleeue I thinke it not necessarie to reckon this among the Articles of faith because it is not a matter altogether so necessarie for all men and for this cause peraduenture it was omitted in the Nicene Creed the knowledge of which Creed may seeme to be sufficient for the fulfilling the precept of faith This resolution M. Higgons doubtlesse there saw wherein an ods of necessary vse of this article is professed by your eminent Iesuit Schoolemā and yet doth our yong Antagonist exact an equall necessity of this with any other Article The equall euidence of this Article is the second point wherein he doth insist requiring as good an assurance and certaintie for this as for any other point accounting it an essentiall truth clearely reuealed vnto him by God both by Apostolicall Tradition and by the word written and by custome of the Church as though he had obserued a certaintie hereof among the Romanists which he could not finde among Protestants not vnderstanding that their foresaid Iesuite hath said concerning his first hold that it is not certaine that the Apostles added this Article And as for the Scriptures which they produce for the proofe of the Romish sence thereof the same Suarez saith some Catholicks so expound these Scriptures as destroying and denying this Article and of the Article it selfe their Iesuite Salmeron durst pronounce saying We doubt not that this article is not so euidently declared in Scriptures as the other Articles are which concerne the humanitie of Christ insomuch that Scotus and Durand thought as he saith that it could not be proued out of Scriptures and yet their nouice M. Higgons presumed that all Romanists held it as most perspicuously deliuered in Scriptures As for his ground taken from the testimonie of S. Augustine this wil proue maruellously preiudicial to the Romish sence The last point which he professeth is conformitie in this Article of the Creed whereby he would be thought to auouch their owne consent herein notwithstanding he knew that among their Romanists there hath bene broached these differences one saying that Christs descent into hell was onely vertuall and not personall the second sort of them who held a personal descent but some applying it vnto the reall hell of the damned others onely vnto a Limbus Patrum which wil be proued out of S. Augustine to be no part of hell As yet the Romanists affoord vs neither an absolute necessity of the Article nor euidēce of their sence either from Apostolicall tradition or from perspicuous places of Scriptures nor yet entertaine among themselues a conformitie of consent So that as yet we cannot perswade our selues of M. Higgons equall tendernesse of affection in this behalfe but now concerning my selfe T. H. His Accusation §. 2. D. Mortons pretence of his Churches vnity in this point is clearely refuted NOw see your Doctors syncerity who may cal God to reuenge it vpon his soule if he deceiue any man with his knowledge First he citeth the opinion of Bellarmine in these words Opinio Catholica haec est CHRISTVM VERE SECVNDVM ESSENTIAM FVISSE IN INFERNO As much as to say Christ in his soule substantially did descend into hell Then he addeth Hanc vestram sententiam NOS quoque iuxtà cum Augustana confessione libentissimè profitemur non tamen quatenus vestram sed quatenus veram We also together with the Augustane confession do most willingly professe this opinion c. It is well that he left out the Scottish French Belgian and Heluetian confessions for he knoweth that the true Caluinists are hereticks in this behalfe The Answerers Iustification I concealed not the different expositions of some other Protestants who notwithstanding are no more guiltie of heresie in this point then are the Romanists as will appeare But