Papists Churches 9 Or that the ancient Church gaue diuers charges and offices to Saints to one ouer one Country to another ouer another Countrey to another ouer an occupation c. 10 Or that the ancient Church beleeued that the Pope can giue and take away Kingdomes and dispence with subiects touching their oath of fidelity cannonize Saints and dispence with vowes and oathes made to God 11 Or that in the ancient Church the Pope by his pardons distributed the supererogatory satisfactions of Saints for remission of the punishments for other mens sinnes 12 Or that the Pope then set vp pardons in one Church not in another making priuiledged Alters to the which sometimes hee granted two or three hundred thousand yeeres of pardon 13 Or that the ancient Church did beleeue that there is a place called Limbus for yong children 14 Or that it adored the hoste which the Priest holdeth in his hands with Latrian worship and that to the same end the Priest lifteth vp the hoste in the Masse 15 Or that the ancient Church euer esteemed the books of Machabees to be Canonicall bookes 16 Or that it beleeued that the Bishop of Rome cannot erre in the faith 17 Or that the ancient Church did beleeue that Iesus Christ by his death and passion did satisfie for the faults and for the sinnes by men committed before baptisme but that for sinnes committed after baptisme it belongeth to vs to satisfie for them either in this life or in the fire of Purgatory Vpon euery one of these points I will content my selfe with two places alleadged by them out of the foure first ages CHAP. III. The fiue manners or wayes of Euasions set downe by Mr. Arnoux to confute the Ministers THe carefull and zealous reading of the holy Scriptures and the ancient doctors the vnderstanding of the Latin Greeke and Hebrew tongues and the knowledge of histories and of Philosophie are things required to be in a Diuine But the onely intelligence of the Scriptures ought to suffice if all of vs were wise and of one accord But the sickenesse of this age and the starting-holes which error hath digged are the causes that diuers other things are required in a Diuine Father Gontri deceased acknowledging that and feeling himselfe to be destitute of many necessary aides therin as of the knowledge of the Greek Hebrew tongues yet desirous to win reputation inuented certaine means and wayes whereby an ignorant person voide of all learning might maintaine a disputation and to that end published diuers smal Pamphlets which serue to forme and frame the manner and order which those that dispute or conferre with vs should hold to whom he giueth these two counsels The first is neuer to yeeld to make any answere nor to binde themselues to defend the Romish Religion but alwayes to put questions and to force vs to the defence of our confession And if they be pressed to proue their beleefe by the Word of God instead of answering vs that they should say It belongs not to you to examine me of my beleefe for I am in possession and you haue no commission to examine me Seeing you are reformers it belongs to you to reforme mee and to produce your proofes And who told you that this is the holy Scripture The other counsell which hee giueth is that when wee come to make obiections and to produce our proofes not to allow of any thing whatsoeuer we shall say if wee shew it not in the Scripture in as many words and syllables as wee alledge it and that if we frame an argument whereof both the propositions are in the Scriptures to deny that they are bound to allow the conclusion because Aristotles rules doe not binde the faith And that if in our discourse we shall happen to vse these words That is to say or by consequence they should force vs to finde those words That is to say and by consequence in the Scripture And that if we produce a place in the Scripture for the clearing and interpretation of another place in the Scripture they should say vnto vs shew mee a third place in the Scripture which saith that this place ought to be expounded by that place And that if we doe not answere them to their desires then that they shall breake off conference and thereupon make and raise clamors and slanderous libels full of triumphant words that they haue brought the Ministers to their Shifts of that is to say and by consequences and to say that a Caroach also is a consequence because it followeth the horses There is no Cobler in the Countrey but that in a quarter of an houre he may become a Diuine if it be sufficient alwayes to put questions and neuer to answere Certainely all this is but a small masse or lumpe of scould-like wrangling which onely learneth a man to defend himselfe with his clawes like a Cat and to prolong a disputation neuer entring into the matter But this dresser of craftinesse and deceit neuer reaped any benefit by his proceedings for at the first encounter with the least of the Ministers his nose fell a bleeding and all his craft vanished away like a tempest driuen backe with the winde of a Hatte and so withdrawing himselfe like a light horseman vnhorst went into another towne there to be dealt withall in the like manner If we would giue the like measure to those that vse these iugling trickes we could at the first word that they speake aske them who they are and who sent them and vpon their answere that they are Priests and Doctors of the Church say vnto them what know wee whether there must bee a Church or not or that there is a Church and thereupon if they speake any thing say vnto them shew that in as many words in the written or vnwritten word And if they chance to come out with Therefore or for that cause say vnto them shew me that word in the vnwritten word and who shall be Iudge c. And so like them vse that simple wrangling which is fit onely for mad-men and malitious wranglers that feare the touch and dare not shew their faces in open field Mr. Arnoux followeth this instruction fit for a man that is meanely furnished and decking himselfe with other birds feathers hath drawne these subtilties into a kinde of Art and reduced them into fiue heads intitling his discourse Meanes or wayes of euasion Wherevnder pretence to discouer our shifts as they say hee sheweth his owne and frames a discipline of small and slender subtilties fitter rather to stay and hinder disputation then to instruct To each of these Euasions we will say somewhat that we may not let any thing passe without replying CHAP. IIII. The first way of Euasion THe first of our wiles which he noteth is that when we are put from a place of Scripture we produce our own interpretations and saue our credits by That is to say Whereunto I reply That if
hee wanteth common sense to content himselfe to learne the beliefe of his aduersaries by their enemies inuectiues or by popular report rather than by their owne confession Whereby it happeneth that all the disputation is a manner of skirmishing in the ayre which striketh no man and a fantasie of an imaginary controuersie forged to storme or bestirre themselues against But this is the manner which at this day they vse with vs for they that preach or write against vs make vs as blacke as Pitch with slanders and forge another confession for vs. When wee reade our Aduersaries writings wee might imagine that they write against another Religion than ours if we saw not our names at the beginning of their Bookes and in the titles of the Chapters And what protestations soeuer wee make that we beleeue nothing that they make vs to say yet they are resolute and will perswade vs that wee doe beleeue it Master Arnoux Booke written against our confession iustifieth the same which in stead of refuting our confession changeth it in such manner that fighting against his owne inuentions his quarrell is against himselfe Whereupon I am forced in a briefe Table to set downe what kinde of confession of the faith our Aduersaries attribute vnto vs and how they paint out our confession like a horrible Monster which they shew vnto the people to get money thereby Peter Cotton the Iesuite made a Booke intituled Catholique Institution at the beginning whereof hee hath made a Preface to those of the pretended reformed Church wherein hee comprehendeth all our beliefe in 28. Articles which are these that follow 1 THat the Children of Christians may be saued onely by the faith of their Parents without baptisme and therefore that baptisme is not absolutely necessary 2 That the Bread in the Supper of our Lord is onely the figure of the Body of Iesus Christ 3 That the Church may erre 4 That we must not allow of any traditions 5 That Angels and Saints which are in glory know not our necessities and cannot heare our prayers 6 That Priests and religious persons may breake their vowes 7 That single life is not to bee preferred before marriage 8 That the Bookes of Macabees Wisdome Ecclesiasticus Tobias the rest of Daniel and Baruc are Apocripha 9 That the Soule of the Sonne of God did not descend into Hell to fetch the soules of the holy Fathers from thence which there stayed for his comming or that before the Ascension of Iesus Christ the soules of the Saints were receiued into Heauen not into Limbus nor into any other third place 10 That we must confesse our sinnes to God onely 11 That faith onely iustifieth 12 That when the fault of sinne is remitted the punishment also is remitted 13 That God did not create men in one and the same condition but that he created some to be saued and the rest to be damned perpetually 14 That euery particular man hath an Angell that watcheth ouer him 15 That it is not lawfull to salute him nor to call vpon him 16 That God doth not suffer sinne to be done but that he will haue it to be done that hee thrusteth vs forward vnto it and constraineth vs thereunto 17 That the Scripture is easie to be vnderstood and that the vnderstanding thereof is giuen vnto all men 18 That there needes no ordinary or extraordinary vocation to preach the Word of God 19 That we must beleeue nothing but that which is written 20 That God hath not giuen power to the Church to remit sinnes 21 That all sinnes are mortall 22 That a man cannot merit by grace 23 That it is impossible to keepe the Commaundements of God although he ayde vs. 24 That God doth not recompence good workes 25 That there is no distinction of blessednesse among the Saints and that they are all equall therein 26 That we must not vse the imposition of hands which the Apostles vsed vpon those of Samaria and Ephesus 27 That the precept to annoynt sicke persons with oyle whereof St. Iames speaketh ought not to be practised in the Church although it was vsed by the Apostles 28 That prayer for the dead was not vsed in ancient times nor yet in the Machabees time Vpon these eight twenty Articles he asketh vs proofes out of the holy Scriptures but he should aske proofes of all these Articles of those that beleeue such things and not of vs to whom all these poynts are in a manner slanderously imputed Vpon the which I will briefly say something to the Reader and run ouer all these Articles 1 IT is false that we say that Children may be saued onely by the faith of their Parents Touching the necessity of Baptisme with water the Church of Rome beleeueth it not The Councell of Trent is of opinion that a vow supplyeth the want of Baptisme with water and our Aduersaries say that the Baptisme of bloud and the Baptisme of the Spirit that is martyrdome and regeneration without baptisme with water may saue a man 2 It is false that wee beleeue that the Bread in the holy Supper is onely the figure of the body of Christ The Scripture teacheth vs that the Sacraments also are seales to confirme and that the bread which wee breake is the communion of the body of Christ 3 It is false that we simply say that the Church can erre The Church that is spoken of in the Creede which is the Church of the Elect cannot erre in deciding of the doubts in faith because it neuer assembleth to decide any thing Touching the visible vniuersall Church it was assembled in the persons of the Apostles which did wholly gouerne it then it could not erre Now it is diuided into particular contrary Churches seperated from communion It is impossible to assemble the same to decide any causes Touching particular Churches as the Greeke Romane and the Syrian c. There are some that may erre and there are some particular Churches wherein it is impossible to be saued that is those that are idolatrous where the benefit of Iesus Christ is corrupted 4 It is false that we reiect all traditions we reiect those onely which add something to the doctrine of faith contayned in the holy Scriptures 5 It is false that we beleeue that Angels and Saints know not our necessities they doe generally know that the Church of God is persecuted and hath great combats to resist The Angels that God hath appointed to be our gardians know our necessities and what estate we are in 6 It is false that we simply say that Priests ought not to keepe their vowes if they make a vow of possible things and conformable to the Word of God they ought to keepe them 7 It is false that we say that single life is not to be preferred before marriage single life that is continent and hath no euill desires hath great commodities and aduantages aboue marriage and more liberty to serue God 8. 9. The eighth and
rules not thinking thereon being insensibly thrust into them by the force of reason Whosoeuer will haue no consequences produced abolisheth all common sense and all vse of reason which onely consisteth therein The rules of Lodgique are no Articles of faith but instruments to mannage all knowledge by order and certainty and by consequence also matters of Diuinitie CHAP. VI. The third Euasion THe third Euasion which Master Arnoux saith we vse is that we serue our turnes with the circle in this that we proue those things to be Scripture by our particular spirit and proue that particular spirit by the Scripture Which is false and slanderous We leaue that particular spirit to mad men none of vs makes our selues Iudges of the Scriptures That is the Popes and his Prelates property who being assembled boast that they pronounce Iudgement touching points of faith and beleeue they cannot erre And our Aduersaries say that euery particular person of the Church of Rome doth certainly discerne the true Church which spirit or particular iudgement is meere blindnesse seeing that the poore people haue no other proofe to know that the Church of Rome is the true Church then onely the witnesse that the same Church giueth of itselfe Touching the circle if any serue their turnes therewith it is our aduersaries for they ground the authoritie of the Scripture vpon the testimony of the Church and yet ground the authoritie of the Church vpon testimonies of the Scripture as one that hauing placed the walles of a house vpon the foundation afterward should place the foundation vpon the walles When we aske them how they know that wee must beleeue the bookes of the new Testament They answere and say because the Church saith it and ordaines it to be so and when we say that how know you that wee must beleeue the Church because say they that the bookes of the New Testament say so and ordaine it to be so for there it is written Tell it vnto the Church c. Certainely as often as they alledge the Scriptures to ground and authorize their Church they ouerthrow that which they will haue men to beleeue which is that the authority of the Scripture is grounded vpon the authority of the Church And thereby are tyed to rowle the circle as Diogenes is to his tub and ouerturne their owne wits by this circulation But when we aske one of them and say how know you that your Church teacheth the true Doctrine or how know you that it is conformable to the ancient Church There they are at a stay and the circle rowles no more and so they are dumbe by necessity For how shall they know the true Doctrine seeing the rule of the true Doctrine which is the holy Scripture is hidden from them And how should they know whether their Church is conformable to the ancient Church seeing it is not knowne but by an infinite number of Greeke and Latine Bookes which the people vnderstand not Then the people must know that the Church of Rome teacheth the true Doctrine onely because those that teach it say so which is to belieue at hazard and to haue a humane Religion grounded vpon coniectures without the Word of God and to allow a man to be a witnesse and a Iudge in his owne cause Therefore Master Arnoux giueth markes to know the true Church without speaking of the holy Scriptures Pag. 119. which are all false First The consent of the people But there are a greater number of the people that disagree with the Church of Rome than those that agree therewith And Iesus Christ saith that broad is the way that leadeth to destruction Math. 7.13.14 and many there be which goe in thereat because straite is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth vnto life and few there be that finde it Then he addeth the testimony of Martyrs a false marke for there shall neuer be any Martyrs found that died for calling vpon Saints or for Transubstantiation or for Purgatory They suffered death for the doctrine of the Gospell for the which our poore Churches haue suffered so many martyrdomes by meanes of the Church of Rome which suffereth no more but maketh martyrs suffer For a third marke he placeth the authority of the Fathers But the Fathers are contrary to the Doctrine of the Romish Church the people cannot looke into them And Master Arnoux speaketh by heare-say for in his Booke he alledgeth but foure or fiue places out of the Fathers which are not found to be false and corrupted For a fourth marke hee puts the eminence of the Doctrine I thinke that by the eminence hee vnderstandeth the excellency which consisteth in purity and conformity to the Word of God Without proofe to say that the Church of Rome hath the purity of Doctrine it is without proofe to pre-suppose that which is in question To the contrary we haue proued against Master Arnoux that Poperie is a heape of errours and a corruption of Christianitie And how should the people know that purity of Doctrine seeing they hide the rule of purity which is the holy Scriptures from them For the last marke hee seâ—teth succession neuer interrupted It he vnderstandeth a succession of doctrine wee deny it if he vnderstandeth a succession of chaires without Doctrine that succession is nothing Many other Churches also which condemne the Church of Rome haue their succession and that ancienter than the Romane And schismes haue often broken the succession of the Romish Bishopricke And how can the people know any thing touching this succession which cannot be learned but by reading of infinite Histories and Greeke and Latine Authors that haue written for the space of one thousand sixe hundred yeares CHAP. VII The fourth Euasion THe aduersary noteth another Euasion wherewith wee serue our turnes as he saith which is to produce diuers places of Scripture one with another whereof the one serueth to interpret the other For example he saith that wee expound these words This is my body by this place I am the Vine wherein hee slandereth vs. We know well that these words I am the Vine are not the exposition of these words This is my body Wee note not those places I am the Vine I am the dore This cup is the Couenant The rocke was Christ to interpret these words This is my body but to shew that whosoeuer will alwaies take the words of the holy Scripture literally and leaue these interpretations whereby the Scripture expresseth it selfe should often fall into great absurdities and to shew that ordinarily the Scripture nameth the signes and Sacraments by the names of that which they represent CHAP. VIII The fift Euasion THe fift Euasion which Master Arnoux imputeth vnto vs is a Chaos of confused calumniations He saith that we attribute things to the Church of Rome which shee beleeueth not That we charge the Popes with injuries That wee reiect the originall Text of the Scripture that is the Hebrew and the Greeke
That we say that a Verse is sliden from the Margent to the Text. That wee reiect the common translation receiued by all the Fathers That we adde vnto and take away from the holy Scriptures That wee forge metaphors and improprieties of phrases That we esteeme that to be spoken per Ironia which is said vpon oath that we tye a conditionall particle to a period to draw it from the absolute sense thereof and make thirty manifest places of the Scripture intricate by one obscure place This cart of confused calumniations without any proofes deserueth no answere It is an easie thing to speake euill of a man without any proofe And I beleeue that Master Arnoux hath made a collection of faults wherein the Doctors of the Romish Church are culpable to impose them vpon vs for in Master Arnoux Booke wee finde that in euery place hee changeth our beliefe and maketh vs say things which wee abhorre as much as he doth Hee knoweth or ought to know that the Doctors and Writers of the Romish Church say and speake a thousand iniuries of Popes and detest their liues and doctrine He knoweth that the Church of Rome reiecteth the originall text of the Bible which is the Greek the Hebrew and preferreth the vulgar translation before it which neuerthelesse is so much corrupted that if you compare the vulgar translation with the Hebrew you will say that there is no Booke in the world so badly translated Sixtus Seuensis the Popes keeper of his Library acknowledgeth the same in the seauenth Booke of the Library * Heres prima Editionis venetae p. 921. 92◠Vulgata edito quae Hieronymi esse dicitur in multis à Graeca veritate distat where hee saith that the vulgar Edition which is said to be Saint Hieromes in many things differeth from the truth of the Greeke That which Bellarmine acknowledgeth is so farre a Bell. lib. 2. de Verbo Dei ca. 2. Heretici huic temporis odio editionis vulgatae nimium tribuunt editioni Hebraicae c. from accusing vs of reiecting the Hebrew or Greeke Text that to the contrary he accuseth vs of holding too much with it and of referring too much vnto it Heretiques saith hee in hatred of the vulgar Edition attribute too much to the Hebrew Edition For Caluin and Kemnitius will haue all examined and corrected by the Hebrew Text. To the contrary hee b Eodem cap. 2. §. His ergo Scripturas Hebraicas non esse in vniuers deprauatas opera vel malitia Iudaeorum nec tamen esse omnino integras maintaineth that the Scripture in the Hebrew is corrupted in many places and contradicteth the opinions of Hierome and Augustine that will haue the Latine translation to be examined and corrected by the Hebrew and the Greeke c Cap. 11. Fontes scripturarum anteponendi riuulis versionem quando constat fontes non esse turbatos Nunc autem fontes multis locis turbidos fluere iam ante ostendinus For he will haue the vulgar translation to be preferred before the Greeke and Hebrew And that men should haue their recourse to the little Riuers because the spring is troubled But those of the Church of Rome that haue some remnant of equity in them and that plainely perceiue that this opinion is an entrance into Atheisme and maketh nothing certaine in the Word of God ioyne themselues with vs and not onely reproue the vulgar translation as Sixtus Seuensis aforesaid but also they themselues haue made translations of the Bible according to the Hebrew as Sanctes Pagninus a Luquois Monke and Arias Montanus a Spaniard between the which translations and that which is vsed in our Churches there is great conformity Whereas Master Arnoux saith that the vulgar translation hath beene receiued of all the Fathers hee sheweth that hee neuer lookt into the Fathers for in Saint Augustine there are two thousand places of the holy Scriptures alledged in other words than they are set downe in the vulgar translation And Tertullian vseth a different translation from all the rest and in Hierome we haue diuers places of the old Testament by him truely translated according to the Hebrew and Bellarmine in the tenth Chapter of his second Booke de Verbo Dei saith that the vulgar translation began to be receiued in the Church of Rome in the time of Gregory the first that is sixe hundred yeares after Iesus Christ And Saint Augustine acknowledgeth that in his time the diuersity of Latine translations were infinite in the second Booke of Christian Doctrine Chapter 11. In all these things De Doctr. Christianae l. 2. ca. 11. as also in the rest of the smaller calumniations which he setteth downe he sheweth that he knoweth not what we say nor what he himselfe saith and that he hath no knowledge of antiquity nor of the nature of our Controuersies and had done wisely if hee had shewed his Booke to men of some iudgement before he published the same in stead of taking all his defence out of Father Gontri without any other examination which Iesuite if he were liuing would aske for his feathers againe and so Mr. Arnoux should be starke naked The reproach which hee giueth vs to take from the Scriptures without telling wherein and how it is done is vnseemely in the mouthes of those that from the Law of God cut off a whole Commaundement that is the second Commaundement wherein the worshipping of Images is prohibited But we must of force say something touching the reproach which he giueth vs that we attribute things to the Romish Church which she beleeueth not To auoid this blame in the defence of our confession of the faith against Master Arnoux I haue drawne our Aduersaries beliefe from the Councels of the Church of Rome and specially from the Councell of Trent as also from the Decrees and Canons of Popes and from the Text of the Masse And where there is any discord betweene our Aduersaries I haue not hidden it to the end that an error which belongeth but to one part of the Romish Church should not be imputed to the whole body thereof And if I haue alledged any particular Doctors they are some of the notablest at the fore-front of whose writings the approbation of the Doctors and of the faculties of Theologie is apposed In controuersies of Religion to impute contrary things to the aduerse party which he beleeueth not is expresly to make warre against God and to feare that the truth should be knowne that is to make controuersies where none are as if wee had not true controuersies enough without forged false controuersies It is a confession of a bad cause and an acknowledging of the truth of the contrary opinion when before wee speake against it wee seeke to disguise it To be short it is a confessing that if the opinion of the Aduersaries were truely propounded it could not be contradicted Or if any man doth it without malice he sheweth that
THE IESVITES SHIFTS AND EVASIONS OR His deportment in Controuersies of RELIGION OR A Treatise wherein the causes are examined why Mr. Arnoux the Iesuite refuseth to answere to seauenteene questions propounded by the Ministers of the Church of PARIS Wherein also the Treatise of fiue euasions which he hath added to the examination of our confession is likewise examined and answered BY PETER DV MOVLIN LONDON Printed by T. S. for Nathanael Newbery and are to be sold at his Shop at the signe of the Starre in Cornehill and in Popes-Head-Alley 1624. To the Christian READER COurteous Reader I would not haue thee to imagine that our Author would haue vouchsafed to bestow his labour vpon the confutation of such silly shifts and sorry Euasions as our moderne English Jesuites and Popish Priests sucke out of their fathers plants and cast foorth with more malice then wit in paltry pamphlets amongst vs to seduce simple people for alas they are not worthy any wise mans view much lesse his paines for confutation But these of Mr. Arnoux are of an higher straine and of more especiall moment which being fully cleared and displayed by our worthy Author and added as a Supplement to his Buckler of Faith a Booke that is now re-printed as most necessary and profitable in these disputing times I could not with-hold this peece from thee any longer because I supposed it would be very vsefull vnto thee also as a light Sword to offend our common Aduersaries the more readily in lighter skirmishes either ioyntly with or seuerally without the Buckler which is fit to defend vs in our strongest Incounters with them I doubt not good Reader but thou shalt in both of them finde such satisfaction as shall giue thee great content and make thee stand the more stedfestly and boldly in the breach against the enemies assaults amidst a multitude of staggerers and backe-sliders which that thou maist be inabled to do to the glory of God and the saluation of thy own soule I shall alwayes pray and indeuour my selfe to yeeld thee what helpe I am able Vale. THE IESVITES SHIFTS AND EVASIONS OR His deportment in Controuersies of RELIGION CHAP. I. The demaunds of the Pastors of the Church of Paris made to Mr. Arnoux the Iesuite THere is nothing more easier than to propound questions but the difficulty consisteth in answering well An ignorant person will put more questions in an houre than a wise man can absolue in a yeare A knot is easily knit but it is not so easily vnknit againe from thence it proceedeth that in Controuersie for Religion he that feeleth himselfe to be too weake or that his cause is ill-grounded alwaies seekes to make difficulties and to finde some meanes to blame his aduersaries beliefe but as much as he can or may exempteth himselfe from yeelding a reason of his owne faith and is wary to enter into any proofe of his Religion Master Gontri late deceased giueth this counsell in a booke which he made touching the manner how to confer with vs for hauing by experience found how dangerous it is to be too forward that the surest meanes is to bind vs to proue that which we say and still to finde some cauilation in our confession he giueth this counsell to his Disciples either to be warie how to make answere to our demaunds or to defend themselues against our accusations and neuer to enter into a proofe of the Catholicke Romish Religion This counsell liketh Master Arnoux exceeding well for hauing in the presence of his Maiestie snatcht at the margents of the confession of our faith and exclaimed against some cotations of the places of the Scripture by vs noted he presseth vs to defend them and to iustifie our allegations And hath made a booke wherein hee disciphereth our confession of the faith from the one end to the other Which booke and all his accusations wee hope we haue in some sort satisfied whereby I am perswaded that he will not hereafter enter so easily into the lists againe And not content to defend our selues we haue taken on vs the Challengers part and haue also pressed him to defend his Religion to see if he hath so much capacitie in him to answere as he hath readinesse to put questions And in counterchange of that which he doth seeking to snatch at the places of Scripture noted in the margent of our confession we haue produced the allegations of the extrauagant vnam sanctam made by Boniface the 8. and the places of Scripture alledged by the last Councell of Lateran as for example the Apostles hauing said here are two swords the Lord made answere and said It is enough And in the beginning of Genesis it is said that in the beginning God created heauen and earth And Psal 72. it is said all the Kings of the earth shall worship him And Iesus Christ said all power is giuen me in heauen and in earth Math. 28.18 which places and many the like are vsed by the said Pope and that counsell to proue that the Pope hath soueraigne power as well ouer temporall as ouer spirituall things and that Kings must worship him and that he hath all power in heauen and in earth Whereupon we aske Master Arnoux whether he will approue such allegations or whether in the margents of our confession he findeth any places of Scripture noted with such horrible licentiousnesse and manifest prophanation And in counterchange for asking vs a proofe of our Religion by the Word of God we summon and defie him to proue his Religion by the Word of God and to that end haue propounded these seauenteene questions following vnto him 1 In what place of the holy Scriptures God hath commaunded vs to call vpon dead Saints 2 Where God hath commaunded vs to represent the Trinity in stone or in picture 3 In what place of the holy Scripture we are commaunded to worship and serue the Images of Saints or to adore them as it is ordained by the second Councell of Nice 4 In what place of the Scripture it is commaunded to sacrifice the body of Iesus Christ in the Eucharist and where Iesus Christ established sacrificators of his body 5 In what place of the Scripture God hath commanded to withhold the Cup from the people in the Sacrament 6 In what place of the Scripture the Bishop of Rome is established and made S. Peters Successor in qualitie of head of the Church 7 Where God commaundeth vs in the Church to reade the holy Scriptures to the people in a language which they vnderstand not 8 Where God hath commaunded vs to pray vnto God without vnderstanding what we pray praying in a language that he which prayeth vnderstandeth not 9 In what place of the Scripture it is said that the death and passion of Iesus Christ hath satisfied for the punishment and for the fault of sinnes committed before baptisme but touching the punishment for sinnes committed after baptisme it belongeth vnto vs to satisfie the iustice
the interpretation which we giue to a place in the Scripture be drawne out of the Scripture it selfe it is not we that are the interpreters but God himselfe interpreteth For example when to haue the vnderstanding of these words This is my Body wee expound the word This by the bread which I breake and these words my Body by the remembrance of my Body we are not the interpreters but the Apostle S. Paul and Iesus Christ himselfe which giue vs this interpretation So when the Apostle to the Hebrewes 13.16 saith for with such sacrifices God is well pleased We deny that those sacrifices whereof he speaketh are masses and say that he speaketh of doing good and of Christian liberalitie and proue it by the same verse where he saith But to doe good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased But in Mr. Arnoux iudgement such expositions are not allowable if I bring him not another place of Scripture that saith that the same interpretation is true and that this place ought to be expounded by that place So it is requisite that some of the bookes of the Scripture should be commentaries vpon the other bookes and that in the Scripture there should be a Commentary vpon the Psalmes and another vpon the Prophets that should expound euery verse seuerally and that should say that such and such a verse ought thus to bee interpreted but seeing there are no such Commentaries in the Scriptures it appeareth that Mr. Arnoux hath no other intent but to inquire absurd and impossible things of vs and so neuer to haue the Scripture to be interpreted by the Scripture and thereby to impeach and hinder all instruction For example of our That is to say Mr. Arnoux produceth the 2. verse of the 16. Psalme where word for word according to the Hebrew It is My goodnesse extendeth not to thee And wee say that thereby Dauid acknowledgeth that the good which he doth is no benefit vnto God and that God hath no need thereof which ouerthroweth merits Mr. Arnoux reiecteth this interpretation which notwithstanding is the interpretation of his owne Bible which is translated Bonorum meorum non eges thou hast no need of my good deeds This man with a blinde zeale giueth a blow to euery thing and to contradict vs contradicteth himselfe That which Mr. Arnoux addeth that euery one of vs boasteth of a particular Spirit and of a Iudgement sounder then that of the vniuersall Church is a slander none of vs attribute such a spirit vnto our selues such a particular spirit is an vniuersall folly CHAP. V. The second Euasion THe second Euasion wherewith Mr. Arnoux saith wee serue our turnes is that we haue our recourse to consequences which saith he we would not doe if we had a formall place of Scripture And that to confirme our consequences we make Sillogismes the formes whereof proceede from Aristotles forge which cannot binde mens consciences nor strengthen faith All this is the Iesuite Gonters fense which alwaies held his first trade He knew not that a place of Scripture from whence we draw a consequence is neuerthelesse formall when the consequence is plaine and necessary If the Scripture saith For there is no man which sinneth not 2 Chron. 6.36 Is not that a formall place to prooue that the Apostles sinned seeing they were men When the Law of God saith Thou shalt not commit adulterie Is it not a formall place to shew that the Pope doth euill to permit adulterie and yet it followeth by consequence And when the Gospell commandeth euery man to beleeue in Iesus Christ is not that a formall place to prooue that Philip and Anthony ought to beleeue in Iesus Christ and yet that followeth by consequence So when S. Paul Romans 9.19 saith For who hath resisted his will And when Dauid Psal 115.3 saith But our God is in the Heauens he hath done whatsoeuer hee pleased Are not these formall places to prooue that God guideth all things by his prouidence Neuerthelesse the Iesuites will not allow of such proofes and when I say that God guideth all things by his prouidence they say vnto me prooue that by the Scripture and then if I alledge these places out of S. Paul and the Psalmes they reiect them because they containe not the same words and the same syllables but consequences drawne from them by reason Acts 17.3 and 18.28 By this meanes they condemne S. Paul and Apollos who by the Scriptures prooued to the Iewes that Iesus is that Christ although that in those places of the Scripture which they alledged to the Iewes the same words are not therein found but are drawne from them by necessary consequence So S. Peter Acts 10.43 saith To him giue all the Prophets witnesse that through his Name whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Which neuerthelesse is not found in the same words but is drawne from thence by consequence So the Fathers in the Counsell of Nice by the Scriptures proue that the Son is consubstantiall with the father and the first Counsell of Ephesus that the Virgin Mary is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deipara These words are not expresly found there but are drawne from them by consequence Gregory de Nazianze in his fift Oration of Diuinitie saith There are things which although they are not named in expresse words yet men gather things which make and prooue them by necessitie Cardinall Iohn de Turre Cremata saith A thing is contayned in the Scripture by these two meanes Summa de Eccles lib. 4. c. 8. either in expresse word as in this sentence Christ was a man or obscurely that is that which followeth by good and necessary consequence of things formally placed on earth as from this proposition Christ was a man therefore it followeth that he had a reasonable soule Peter de Alliaco Cardinall of Cambray saith I say In 1. Sentent Quest 1. art 3. that to speake properly a Theologicall discourse is composed of propositions contained in the Scripture or of those that are drawne from it c. Cardinall Bellarmine in his third Booke of Iustification Cap. 8. saith Nothing can be certaine touching the certainty of faith if it be not immediately contained in the Word of God or drawne from thence by euident and true consequence For it is not faith if it be not grounded vpon the authority of the Word of God and thereof neither Catholickes nor Heretiques make any doubt Then Mr. Arnoux which doubteth thereof by the iudgement of a Cardinall and a Iesuite is no Catholique Where as hee saith that hee would haue no Sillogismes allowed of there is a meanes to content him by speaking with him as with children seeing hee reiecteth the naturall rules of reason which are not Aristotles inuention as he thinketh Zeno Eleates and diuers others before him wrote of that matter a Diog. Laertius in Zenone Eleate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plaine Countrey people vse those