most trusty witnes by the verdit of Iohn Caluin whose iudgemeÌ„t you will not I suppose discredit of antiquite in the doctrine of the churche come and affirme as muche Who writing to Paulinus of praieng for the dead saieth Allbeit it were not read in the olde scriptures yet the authorite off the vniuersall church is not small which in this custome is euident VVhere in the praier of the priestes which are offred to our Lorde God at his aultar the commendation of the dead hath his place Io here S. Augustin calleth it a custome of the vniuersail churche to praie for the dead at the aultar of God And vninersall is that by the meaning of S. Augustin which euery where and at all times is and hath ben which in all places euen from the Apostles them selues hath ben obserued Epiphanius also coufuting Aerius affirmeth it to be a tradition of the Apostles to pray for the dead Thus much then of the first parte of your first reason M. Grindall that we haue no commaundement in Scripture to praie for the dead but the place of the Machabees Nowe Sir as touching the second parte that you saie the same place of the Machabees is not in the Canon of the Scriptures I maruail not much hereat considering of what race youre doctrine procedeth For as you haue lerned of the olde heretike Aerius condemned aboue twelue hundred yeares past to disproue praier for the dead so haue you lerned off a numbre of olde heretikes to denie for scripture suche places as ouerthrow your heresy For euen so did the Marcionistes allowe but 9. of S. Paules epistles whereas the church alloweth 14. So did the Manichees take awaie the first chapter of S. Mathewes ghospell and reiected allmost all the olde Testament as S. Augustin witnesseth So the Arrians disallowed the epistle of S. Paul to the hebrewes as Theodoret recordeth in the prohem of his commentary vpon that epistle So Aetius also denied much of the olde Testament as Epiphanius mencioneth of him Briefly it was the manner of all heretikes so to do as Tertullian in his prescriptioÌ„s noteth Therefore as I saied I maruail the lesse at your demeanour herein considering that it is no new thing for an heretike to denie scripture it self wheÌ„ al other shiftes faile What theÌ„ M. Grindal Must we proue vnto you that the bookes of the Maechabees are in the canoÌ„ of the Scriptures O the blessed daies of our time wherein not only al the articles almost of our belefe but the Scriptures theÌ„ selues also are called in coÌ„trouersy and that of such meÌ„ as beare the persoÌ„s of Prelats and rulers in Christes church What authorites theÌ„ may be sufficient to proue that those bookes are of the CanoÌ„ You bring against vs S. HieroÌ„ you tel vs he saieth that these bookes of Machabees be not sufficieÌ„t of them selues to establish any doctrines in the church of God You quote vs his preface vpoÌ„ the boo kes of Salomon Sir if you reade the place againe and marke it wel you shal finde that he saieth this of the Prouerbes of SalomoÌ„ and of the Ecclesiastes not of the Machabees though in dede he saie in that place that they are not of the Canon And this saying of S. HieroÌ„ in that place I may wel expouÌ„d by his wordes in an other place In his preface vpoÌ„ these bookes of the Machabees he saieth expressely that they are not in the CanoÌ„ of the Iewes but of the church of Christ they are receiued inter diuina volumina amoÌ„g Gods bookes But what if S. HieroÌ„ do not acknowledg them for Canonicall scripture What if in reakoning off the Canonicall Scripture he folow the Hebrewes and Iosephus especially as lerned men haue noted of him What if in his time they were not with full authorite receiued The whole corps off scripture was not you know at one push approued It was longe doubted of the epistle to the Hebrewes off the second epistle of S Peter of S. Iohns Reuelation and yet afterward without doubte and controuersy they were in all Christendom receiued and reuerenced for holy Scripture Shall it nowe be lawfull for euery heretike to condemne such parcells of holy Scripture as haue ben so many hundred yeares of all Christendom vniformely receiued bicause they were ones doubted of It is not sitting for the wisedome of a Prelat it staÌ„deth not with the Charite of a Christen maÌ„ to renew suche doubtes and to make a schisme in the church of God vpon priuat presumption and affectioÌ„ But to matche the authorite of S. Hierom whom only you alleage and to knitt vp this matter shortly you shall see what we can saie for the bookes of the Machabees The 85. canons of the Apostles allowed for such by the generall Councell helde at Constantinople in Tâ—ullo in reakoning vp the bookes of Canonicall scripture recite the thre bookes of the Machabees amonge them The third Councell of Carthage helde not longe after the time that S. Hierom liued reakoneth them vp also for Canonicall Scripture Isidorus declareth also that in his time they were vndoubtedly approued for holy Scripture S. Augustin is most clere in this point for not onely in his bookes de doctrina Christiana where of sette purpose he reakoneth the whole corps of the olde and new Testament he placeth these bookes of the Machabees amonge them but also in his bookes de ciuitate dei he doth constantly affirme that they are approued of the Church for holy Scripture And beholde a most clere testimony of S. Augustins iudgement herein A sorte of Donatistes called Circuncelliones murdered and sâ—ewe them selues commonly being persecuted for their heresy of the Catholikes they defended this their diuelish fury and rage with the example of Razias who slew him selfe as in the Machabees it appeareth They builded vpon this fact of Razias as vpon an example of holy Scripture What aunswered them here S. Augustin It had ben truly a ready answer for him to saye those bookes are not of the Canon off holy Scripture and therefore the example of him can nothing helpe you if he had so thought in dede off these bookes But S. Augustin denieth them not to be of the Canon as you do M. Grindall for the maintenaunce of your heresy though it had ben much then for his vauntage and might soone so haue stopped the heretikes mouth if he had thought it the duty of a Catholike bishop to flit from scripture when vauntage serued His obedience to the Church off God his lerning and vertu taught him to cleaue vnto the Church in determining holy Scripture and to seke other meanes to awnswer heretikes Therefore notwithstanding the facte of Razias who semeth in that booke to be commended for killing him selfe he acknowledgeth the bookes for Canonicall Scriptures and teacheth vs also how such examples in holy Scripture are to be read These are his wordes Landatus est itaque iste Razias
Wittenberg the newe Lutheran Papacye Holy order he added to the entent that the Masters of Wittenberg sending abrode their preachers might binde them with an othe to preache and teache no otherwise then they had lerned of their masters as the tenour of the othe set forthe in the Ordonnaunce of the vniuersite of Wittenberg declareth Although therefore the Lutheran protestants raile and inueigh without measure against the Pope bicause vnder him doctours and other be sworne to the obedience of the Catholike church and vniforme consent of doctrine in the same yet they them selues swere and charge by othe against all reason their scholers for the mainteaunce and vpholding of their heresies and abhominable doctrine Notwithstanding these Masters of Wittenberge could not obtaine their purpose Amsdorfius and Illyricus two great masters of Luthers schole woulde neuer agree vnto them but prouoked to the former writings of Melanchthon and Luther wherein they plainely teache that all laye people men and women are priestes may minister the sacraments may baptise expounde holy scripture teache and preache This Illyricus lately wrote against Menius who had obiected him the saying of the prophet that he ranne being not sent that is that he toke vppō him the highe vocation of a bishop that he interpreted scripture after his owne pleasure corrected his brethen cōdemned them of heresie ruled the churche not in one place only but through out the whole state of Lutherans whereas yet Melanchthon and the masters off Wittenberg neuer permitted him but had decreed against him finally that he was neuer called to the ministery like a Lutheran nor neuer ordained priest as a Catholike but from teaching of a grammer schole had taken vppon him the authorite of a bishop Thus in this bely fest kingdome of Lutherans you may see howe soone visards be chaunged and howe easie a matter it is to come a lofte For when Menius and Maior two great masters of the Lutheran ghospellers obiect vnto Illyricus that he was neuer called to the ministery neuer appointed to the worde nor sent to preache and therefore he should be ashamed to plaie the bishop in the churche of Luther and to cōdemne all other Superintendts and Ministers that would not agree to his propre and seuerall doctrines he awnswereth them againe that according to the doctrine of our father Luther Euery man was a priest as cacthepolles millers barbers Phisicians vshers and scholemasters especially such as professed the Hebrewe grammer But consider here I beseche the gentle reader how soone this wether is ouercast Now faire now fowle now clere now darke For here as you see while Illyricus hath to do with the masters of Wittenberg the Scripture saieth that Euery man is a priest and fit to teache in the cōgregation But a litle after the same Illyricus hauing to do with Osiāder and his cōpaniōs in Prussia curseth and banneth them crying and writing that to dogged Phisicians naming so the Phisicians of the prince who then were preachers of Osianders doctrine Matters of religion and ruling of churches ought not to be committed for that Phisicians were not called nor appointed to any such function Be not these trim preachers and masters of the newe ghospell is there not a ioly vniformite in their doctrine Maior and Melanchthon when they fight against the Catholikes if then you aske them what authorite they haue with their newe reformation to comptroll the whole corps of Christendom and the church of Christ being neuer called nor ordained of the churche to any such office by and by they will awnswer you out of Luthers bookes De Christiana libertate de Captiuitate Babilonica that euery man is a priest euery man hath authoritie to reade the Bible to discerne true and false interpretation of holy scripture But euen in the same moment before they moue a foote furder you maye see them accuse and crie out at Illyricus that he being nother priest nor called to the ministerie behaueth him selfe very seditiousely in Germanie taking vppon him to comptroll the masters of Wittenberge and of Lipsia by his owne priuat and proper authorite Notwithstanding all these enormites and aburdities ensuing of the bare text of scripture the Lutherans seing them selues on euery side entrapped and coūicted yet euer they plaie fox to the hole and rūne to this impudent shift to saie that The next of holy scripture is sufficient for all instruction and doctrine that it may be vnderstanded of all men and nede no gloses nor expositions Is not this I beseche the good reader a captious and suttle shift to thrust only the writen text to the people defrauding thē off the true meaning and interpretation of the text Euē so did the Sadduces heretikes of the olde lawe before Christes time as Iosephus in his Chronicles witnesseth So did after Christ the Arrians Dimeritae Apostolici and many such other heretikes as it is to be senein S. Basill Epiphanius and S. Augustin If the text of holy write nedeth no expositiō what meaned oure Sauiour when after his resurrection He expounded to his disciples all such scriptures as were writen of him beginning with Moyses and so all the prophets What meaned Philippus to aske the Eunuche of the Quene of Candace sitting vppon his chariot whether he vnderstoode that whiche he reade in Esaie the prophet and after the Eunuches awnswer saying howe can I if some expounde it not vnto me to expounde him the text declaring the right interpretation and meaninge thereof Againe what will they saie to that which the Apostle writeth That the holy ghost diuideth and distributeth to euery one his giftes as it pleaseth him so that all men haue not all giftes but euery man certaine and seuerall as some the gifte of healing other the gifte of diuers tonges and other the interpretation of tonges Euery man is not a Phisician diuine or lawier as S. Paule to the Corinthians largely declareth taking a comparison of the body of mā where are many mēbres and euery membre hathe his propre and seuerall function for what could be more absurde then if the feete would playe the handes or the hādes do that which belongeth to the head The like reason is to be cōsidered of functions offices and giftes in the gouuernement of Christen religion to the setting vp whereof God hath appointed diuers and sundry ministeries especially for the instructing and teaching the right vnderstanding of holy scripture that we might thereby knowe his will and pleasure in all thinges without doubt or controuersie Whiche if euery priuat and meane man without a teacher and interpreter were able to vnderstande to what purpose hathe the holy ghoste geuen in his churche vnto some the gifte of interpretation But what nede we spend herein many wordes let vs reade the bookes of Moyses the psalmes and the Prophets see we not there a number of highe and secret misteries which before the coming of Christ
Matrimony is but the inuention of man and these wordes of Melanchthon saieng That the rest of the Sacraments amonge the whiche matrimony is counted be but mens imaginations And see the wicked doctrine off these ghospellers calling the blessed Sacraments but mens imaginations for what saith our Sauiour of holy matrimony VVhat God hath coupled let not man separat Is this nowe the inuentioÌ„ or imagination of meÌ„ and not rather the institution and ordonnaunce of God him selfe When the ghospell of Luther first sprange vp Melanchthon wrote that only faith iustified the Sacraments indued men with no grace baptim and the Supper were only Sacramentall signes A litle after he wrote they were true Sacraments and of two he made thre and at length foure so that in the espace of fewe yeares that which he first laughed to scorne and called imaginatioÌ„s of men sodenly they proued holy SacrameÌ„ts and weighty ordonnaunces of the liuinge Lorde I entend not here to dispute of the number of Sacraments what is the Catholike doctrine and what is the heretical it is not nowe oure purpose Farder the Lutherans will not be a knowen that they haue corrupted our Crede scraping out the worde Catholike in the article I beleue the holy Catholike churche Thus I saide before of them and saie it yet againe reporting my self herein to their Confession of Augspurg where they describing their church omitte cleane the worde Catholike In the Apologie Melanchthon being accused thereof maketh a litle mencion but so that he calleth Catholike that which heretikes in corners do imagin In his common places and in his booke Examen examinandorum he bableth and pratleth to no purpose very muche of the churche but the worde Catholike he can finde in no churche In the greate and in the litle Cathechisme of Luther and in his litle booke of praiers where he reciteth the Crede and expoundeth it in euery place for the Catholike church he writeth the Christian churche And hereof it cometh that through oute all Germany where the ghospell of Luther is receaued children allwaies lerne their Crede and saie it at table euen as it is corrupted of Luther and Melanchthon Who like crafty heretikes laboured by all meanes possible that the worde Catholike might by litle and litle vtterly be forgotten And all heretikes haue euer shunned and auoided this article of our Crede I beleue the Catholike churche and that not without good cause for certayn they are if their doctrine come to examination to be bulted out by lerning that this only worde Catholike wil cutte their throtes Sithen then we see clerely and euidently by this which we haue saide that amonge the Lutherans are not only diuers and variable but pernicious and hainous hereticall schismes diuisions and opinions as out of their owne saings doings and writings we haue before declared surely it must of necessite folowe that the Lutherans be and remaine pernicious and detestable heretikes For doctour Smidelin him selfe and all heretikes do confesse this that whereas in the doctrine of faith that is in the principall articles of faithe are hereticall dissensions and schismes that then the teachers and setters forthe of such haeretiâ—all schismes must nedes be heretikes them selues But no man can nowe denie that the Lutheran preachers do sette forthe vpholde and defende hereticall schismes Wherefore it foloweth that these Lutherans ghospellers protestants or howsoeuer they call them selues be pernicious heretikes and for such are to be taken and auoided of al Christendom And truly there is no better meanes to reduce heretikes to the right and common highe waye of the Catholike church then to put before their eyes their hainous and hereticall dissensions wherein they haue runne a straie one this waie an other that way but all out of the waie of the Catholike and ChristeÌ„ belefe Or if heretikes will be obstinat allwaies and continewe wilfully in their errour and presumed opinioÌ„s the readiest waie to bring them to nought is to beseche god to suffer them to continew in the sprit of dissension that being seuered into diuers parcels and scattered into sundry schismes they maie the sooner perish and vanish awaie euen as the builders of the tower of Babell and all heretikes yet hitherto For the only destruction of all heresies hath ben their mutuall dissension and schismes This Luther him selfe testifieth writing thus vppon the fift psalme Euery kingdome diuided within it selfe shall be desolated for heretikes were neuer ouercomed by force or by art but only by their owne altercatioÌ„s and dissensioÌ„s Nether Christ by any other meanes ouerthroweth heresies then by suffering them to fall in to the sprit of dissension and variaunce as the Sichimites and buylders of Babell in the olde lawe and the Arrians Pelagians and Donatistes in the newe lawe The Iewes also were destroied only by discorde amonge them selues For as Hilarius writeth The warre of heretikes is the peace of the church Bicause by their contentions they perish euen bodyly not only in their soules Thus farre Luther And truly so it fareth when one heresie is ones spronge vp and that diuers Masters professe it straite vpoÌ„ many schismes and factioÌ„s arise Marcion that archeheretike brought forth many absurde opinions which ones being scattered in to the wild braines of his scholers his heresie incontinently began to breake in to sondry partes so that of him proceded Appelliani Seueriani and Manichei Again of the Manichei grewe the Priscillianistae Encratitae and diuers other all horrible heretikes and yet allmost in all countres suffred Epiphanius in the third booke confuting the Hemiarite and Arrians writeth of the Arrians thus For we saie the armie of the Arrians is diuided into thre bandes so that Eudoxius Germanus George of Alexandria Euzoius of Antioche be departed in to the first bande cutting them selues of from their felowes In to the seconde bande Basill not the doctour of the churche Eleusius Eustachius Georgius of Laodicea Syluanus of Tarsus and Macedonius of Constantinople haue straied In the third companye as I sayde before is Acacius Meletius and Eutychius All their doings be vaine and wicked For that as ony one taught the other would not receaue but with mutuall hatred and malice they dissent and disagree eche from the other Thus farre Epiphanius Who listeth more at large to see the schismes and diuisioÌ„s of these and of other heretikes he maye reade Eusebius and other ecclesiasticall stories S. Augustin maketh mencion off dissension of the Donatistes obiecting vnto them that Donatus his secte was distracted into son dry schismes For thus he writeth in his first booke â–ª De Baptismo contra Donatistas Cap. 6. This part of Donatus is cutte in to many smal pieces al which parcels repreheÌ„d very much this great portion where Primianus ruleth for approuing the baptim of the Maximinianiste â–ª and eche of all those parcels do stoutely affirme that the right and true baptim is only among them
owne Liege and Souuerain Therefore it should at that time diligently ben prouided that men folowed not this seditious and false high waie of Luther which no subiect can treade without his princes leaue Especially perceauing that this highe waie of Luther hath euer an vnhappy and miserable ende repugning manifestly to the worde of God all writen lawe and Luthers owne doctrine Demosthenes the lerned and eloquent oratour saith wise men deliberat before the facte and fooles after the facte For as Liuy writeth the euent teacheth fooles And we Germans vse to saie the Italian taketh aduise before he begin the french man when he is a doing and the German when he hath done Which although it hath hindered much our countre in diuers affaires yet this is in vs no voluntary negligence but a naturall infirmite For Hesiodus the poet noteth thre sorts of men to be on the earthe saieng VVho knoweth all him selfe is the best man aliue He is the nexte that counsell can vse But he is the worste that woteth not to thriue And yet of an other doth counsell refuse Seing then we Germans are not so quicke of iudgement which peraduenture procedeth of our colde countre as the Italian is to foresee what is to be done yet we maye nowe by this lamentable calamite that we see hath befallen vs and the present greate waste of our deare countre lerne and remembre howe within this fourty yeares it flourished and prospered in al respects before this German prophet and fifte euangelist Luther ranne out of his cloister And although our dutie had ben at that time to haue remembred that saieng of our Lorde Beware of false prophets and the wordes of S. Ihon. Trie the spirits whether they be of God and so to deliberat before the facte yet seing we haue forslowen that let vs at the leste after the smarte be wise and haue recourse nowe at laste to that cōmaundement of almighty God where he commaundeth the simple people to warde them selues from false prophets and teachers For this question being in holy writ propounded Howe shall I vnderstande the worde that oure Lorde hathe spoken God awnswereth and saithe This token I will geue the to vnderstāde it That which the prophet hath foresaied in the name of the Lorde and cometh not to passe that worde the Lorde spake not but the prophet of his owne vaine fantasie forged it If we drawe the line of Luthers prophecye to this rule we shall euidently see that he is not onely a false prophet but also as his greate grande father Satan is a cruell murderer Is it not a greate pride and rashe arrogancy of Luther to prophecye and write that the god of the Catholikes whō he calleth papistes wil not heare their praiers for the deliuraūce of the Duke by what reuelation had he this Againe that no man liuing shoud be able or so bolde as to restore him in to liberte Againe that those his princes the Duke of Saxony and the Lantgraue should not be bound with those fetters which the coyne brought from base Germany pretended Farder that the warre thē ensuing should haue a prosperous successe Laste of all that S. Brigids prophecy was false and his true saieng that the See of Rome and estat of the Pope should then vtterly perish and neuer rise vp againe All these thinges did Luther prophecye in the booke aboue mencioned And did the euent proue all this Not one iote But in euery point it hathe proued cleane contrary Then this worde of Luther was not the worde off the Lorde as Moyses teacheth but it was the worde of the deuill in the person of Luther Againe that Luther hath ben a very murderer of men and a stronge thefe in Gods churche it is euident hereby that his doctrine and vaine prophecyes setting together the princes by the eares hath ben the onely cause of all seditions warre and bloudshed that within this fourty yeares haue happened in Germany The first booke that Luther made to spoyle and ransacke the churche was his booke De Captiuitate Babylonica Christiana libertate In the whiche booke he so debaseth reuileth and bringeth in contempt not onely the awncient true and Catholike religion of Christ his churche but also the lawes bothe Canon and Ciuill that it maye seme he lacked but a head and capitaine to make a perfit sedition But whereas at that time there was yet amonge men more feare of God and reuerence to their magistrats thē that they would be moued with Luthers light talke fewe were founde to helpe blowe the fire which he had kindled vntell at the length Luther him selfe moued peraduenture more hotely with the sprit ronge the alarum him selfe in the yeare 1523. setting forthe a booke entituled De saeculari potestate in a parte whereoff he writeth these wordes These are our Christen princes which defende the faith and deuoure the Turke In dede worthy men and such as you maie truste that by their greate wisedome they are likely to do some what as to breake their owne neckes first and then leade whole countres and peoples to breake necke after These blinde princes I would well aduise to be ware onely of one small sentence of the 166. psalme whiche is this He pooreth oute contempt vppon Princes I swere vnto you by God that if through your negligence this poore sentence ones take holde on you you are vndone were you as mighty and of as greate power as the Turke himselfe Nether will your storming any thinge profit you The matter is nowe all ready well begonne For fewe princes are nowe that are not counted for villaines and fooles and that bicause they showe themselues for such and the people beginneth nowe to wexe wise and the plage of princes which god calleth contēpt encreaseth daily in the peoples hartes and I feare me it will not be staied onles princes behaue themselues as it becometh them and begin againe to rule more modestly For men ne will ne can lenger abyde your tiranny O wellbeloued Princes and Lordes Therefore prouide for yourselues God wil not suffre this your tiranny any more the worlde is not no we as it was in times paste when you were wonte to hunte and chase men like bestes awaie therefore with your pride power and haugtynes and labour to do that is right and good suffer the worde of God to haue his course which yet it must haue and shall haue and you shall not be able to let it If we teach heresie let it be confuted by the worde of God If you will trie the matter with the sworde take hede leste some man cōmaunde you to put vp your sworde not in Gods name But you wil saie peraduenture If amonge the Christians there ought to be no secular sworde nor Ciuill gouuernement howe then shall men be kepte in order howe shall they be gouuerned For amonge Christen mē must be magistrats and officers
amator ciuitatis vt valde bene audiens c I stam vero eius mortem mirabiliorem quā quā prudentiorem narrauit quemadmodum facta esset non tanquam facienda esset scriptura laudauit Nostrum est autem sicut Apostolus admonet omnia probare quod bonum est tenere Et hanc quidem scripturam que appellatur Machabaeorum non habent Iudaei sicut legem Prophetas psalmos sed recepta est ab Ecclesia non inutiliter si sobrie legatur vel audiatur that is Razias therefore was praised as one that tendred the cyte and a man of a very good name c. But his deathe more straunge and wonderfull then wise and discret is declared of the scripture howe it was done not commended as if it ought so to be done But it is our parte as the Apostle teacheth vs to proue and trie all thinges and to holde that good is And this Scripture which is called the Machabees the Iewes in dede receiue not as the lawe the prophets and the psalmes But it is receaued of the church not vnprofitably if it be read and heard with discretion Thus farre S. Augustin In whose Wordes you see M. Grindall that not only he acknowledgeth the bookes off the Machabees for Scripture and that receiued off the Church but also he telleth vs how Razias is commended in these bookes not as you obiect in your Sermon bicause he killed him selfe but bicause he was amator ciuitatis c. Howe thinke you shall we condemne the bookes of the Iudges bicause we reade there of Sampson that he killed him selfe or the Genesis bicause we reade there of Lot that he laie with his daughters and off Iudas that he compained as he thought with a hoore by the high waie shall we not rather reuerence the holy Scripture and saie with S. Augustin that Scripture declareth these thinges howe they were done not commending them as if they ought to be done As for your other sory shift where you gesse that the place of the Machabees commēding praier for the dead hath ben put to the text by some addition of late yeares bicause you saie certain of the oldest copies in greke haue no mention thereof I answer to charge the Church withe any such addition hauing no proufe thereof as yet you bringe none is the maner of olde heretikes the Manichees by name who saied also the genealogie in S. Matthew was added to his ghospell by some they knew not who And as for greke copies that lacke that place of praieng for the dead if you haue sene any such M. Grindall you may rather thinke they are corrupted of some olde or new Aerians heretikes as you haue heard in that point then to doubte of the common receiued text of holy Scripture els what heresy is there that may not escape by this shift if it may be lawfull vpon variete off copies which may rise of sundry causes as well the printed as the writen to call in doubt the authorite of holy scripture which ought without all doubt being ones vniuersally authorised assuredly and constantly be beleued and folowed And thus much to the reasons and arguments brought against the bookes of Machabees You go forthe M. Grindall and you saie Secondarely we haue no example in the Canonicall Scripture of any inuocation for the dead What then M. Grindall if that were true as we haue proued it already false will you therefore condemne the practise of the vniuersall Church which is clere and euident in this point What example in Canonicall scripture haue you off celebrating the Sonday holy daie Will you therefore driue men to their craftes that daie with the Sabbataries a secte of the Anabaptistes of oure time what example of Canonicall scripture haue you of inuocation of the holy Ghost Will you therefore as that protestant Minister of Morauia preached rather be a papist then beleue in the holy Ghoste What example haue you in Canonicall Scripture of baptising infants before the yeares of discretion Will you therefore with the Anabaptistes baptise no children hereafter in the Realme and call vs all to the fonte againe And did not thinke you the Anabaptiste laugh in his sleue when he heard you make youre reasons in pulpit vpon lacke of example of Canonicall scripture Especially when you concluded afterward so stoutely and solemnely For most certain it is if praier for the dead had ben so necessarie as many now adaies woulde haue it seme it had not lacked all authorite and example of the Canonicall Scriptures as it doth Surely M. Grindal you can neuer speake better worde for heretikes then graunting them this your proposition that without example and authorite of Canonicall scripture nothing is to be admitted And yet this one sentence is the grounde and foundation of all your newe doctrine For why May not the Anabaptiste saie vnto you iff yow hadde him in consistory before you Most certain it is my L. if baptising of infants and babes were so necessary as you would haue it seme it had not lacked all authorite and example of the Canonicall Scriptures as it doth And could you then repell him for so saying seing you preache it in pulpit and make it your strongest argument to ouerthrow praier for the dead Againe might not Nestorius haue tolde Cyrillus and all the fathers of the Ephesin Councell We haue no example in the Canonicall scripture that Our Lady is called the Mother of God And certain it is if it were so necessary a matter to haue her so called and beleued for such as you will haue it seme pronouncing me an heretike for denying it and assembling your selues so from al partes of the worlde for approuing and defending it it had not lacked all authorite and example of Canonicall Scriptures as it dothe might he not I saie thus haue tolde them as you M. Grindall do tell vs if that argument had ben thought worth the telling Might not Arrius haue quarelled in like maner with the fathers of the Nicen Councel for the wordes Consubstantiall and ingenitus might not Heluidius haue vsed the like againste S. Hierom for the perpetuall virginite of our Lady and Nouatus with S. Cyprian for reconciling of such as had abiured Christ For none of al these had any authorite or exāple in the Canonical Scriptures And yet M. Grin dall the Anabaptistes the Nestorians the Arrians the Nouatians the Heluidians be all condēned heretikes euen by your owne iudgement I doubt not though the Catholike doctrine in confuting of al those heresies lacke all authorite and example of the Canonicall Scriptures Where is then nowe become your argument against vs for lacke of Scripture supposing it were true we did so lacke Where is nowe that stoute and great assertion Most certain it is cae But to ouerthrow with one worde this forte and shooteancker of all your pretended religion tell vs I praie yow if without authorite and
diuinite bicause of the othe of wittenberg fol. 10. b. VVhy he forsoke the Lutherans fol 11. 56. .252 VVhy Caluin maketh the SacrameÌ„t of the aultar but a bare signe fol. 214. b. The Sacramentaries tye Christ to the bread fol. 216. Repugnances in Caluin to holy Scripture fol. 217. The lawe of the Turkes compiled by heretikes fol. 19. A refuge for false translations of Scripture confuted fol. 154. Detestable heresies concerning the Blessed Trinite fol. 17. To cleaue to the writen text only is an olde heresie fol. 47. In the worde of God two thinges are to be considered fol. 34. A wicked persuasion of worldly carelesse men fol. 51. b. A buckler for the vulerned against new preachers fol. 52. b. Zuinglius is a pelagian fol. 111. Faultes escaped in Printing â—l Pag. Lin. 3. 1. 2. Reade for good goods 99. 2. 27. for wrath in wrath as iâ— 157. 1. 28. for the righteous the workes of the righteous FINIS 1. Cor. 11. 1. Cor. 9. Hebr. 6. Rom. 4. Matth. 16. 2. Tim. 2. Apocal. 2. 2. Petri. 2. Iudâ— 2. Dan. 3. Hierem. 5 1. Ioan. 2. The duty of a Christen man in time of heresy Heb. 13. Math. 7. â— Ioan. 4. Scripture hard to be vnderstanded Lib. 2. de doctr Christi Cap. 6. In Ezech. Cap. 45. In anchorae tu Lib. 7. in Leuiticum Iâ—praescrip haereticoâ—uÌ„ 2. Petr. 3. 2. Cor 4. Ioan. 5. Act. 8. Luc. 24. Math. 7. 1. Ioan. 4. 2. Tim. 2. The contents of the Apologie Lucae 9. Genes 1. Ephes. 5. Epiphanius li. 2. coÌ„trea har August ad Quoduult 1. Timo. 4. Disagrement in doctrine among our protestans Caunterbury Chichester Glocester Rochester In the yeare 1557. The difference of the present communion from the first Tomo 6. fel. 60. Ephes. 4. In Apologia absoluta pag. 78. Esa. 1â— Staphylus refuseth to be Doctour bicause of the othe Indefensione contra Musculum VVhy Staphylus forsoke the Luthe rans Lib. 9. cap. 46. histor Epist. 2. ad Clidonium This epistle vvas vvriten in laten by the author him selfe The inteÌ„t of the author in this vvorke Câ—or 3. The principles of the catholike religion Leuit. 13. In his booke de seculari potestate In a booke against the tvvo commauÌ„dements of the Emperour In lib. de Matrimo In libel de matrimo In AssertioÌ„ ad LeoneÌ„ In his sermons at Smalcaldium Caluin in his institutions Abhominable heresies of the Lutherans touching Christ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Detestable heresies coÌ„cerning the Blessed Trinite LutheraÌ„s in Bohem teache the soule to die vvith the body No certainte of faithe in LutheraÌ„s See the third parte of this booke the labels of the LutheraÌ„s priÌ„ciples The lavv of the Turkes compiled by heretikes Note the ende of present heresies â—ib confes The councell being novve ended vve ought vvith other Christen countres conforme ou our selues thereuÌ„to 1. Cor. 13. If Chatite vvere in protestaÌ„ts they vvoulde neuer refuse the Councel The Catholikes desire no other iudge of present Controuersies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A clere example off debating a controuersy Ioan. 14. Ioan. 10. Socrates li. 5. cap. 10. Sozomenus li. a. ca. 17 Nicephor libro 12. Cap. 15. Good Counsell of Sifiniê° to defeate heretiker Olde heretikes dispise the holy fathers as our protestaÌ„ts novv In prescript vvhy it be houeth not to dispute vvith heretikes Vide praefationes Lutheri in hoslibros primae editio In Bohem and in the seacost tovvnes of germany The difference betvvene catholikes and heretikes Actor 8. 2. Tim. 1. The marke of the heretikes of the primitiue church Actor 4. Math. 18. The same marck in our heretikes A notable testimonie of the Caluinistes against Luther In the third treatise of the churche of Zurich against Luther All nevve sectes haue begon of Luther In a booke against the tvvo coÌ„mauÌ„deâ—ments off Caesar. Ican 6. See the 3. treatise of the churche of Zurich and The â—eauenly prophets off Luther The deathe of many greate Princes in a shorte time Moguntia In Noâ—th An. 1560 Esaiae 3. Non nisi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In orat aduers ebrios 1. Cor. 2. Deâ—ost procâ—roâ—a A charitable shifte of the protestants Psal. 141. Lib. confes 9. cap. 13. 1. Cor. 4. Psalm 7. 2. Cor. 1. 1. Pet. 3. Lib. de bono viduita tis cap. 22. Prou. 22. Deute 17. The cause of the protestaÌ„ts grief against Staphylus 2. Tim. 2. 2. Thess. 2. Lib. 5. stâ—matum Math. 16. Mar. 13. The Catholikes haue the vvorde of God no lesse then the ptotestants Actor 3. A lovvdlie of the LutheraÌ„s against the Catholike churche Note vvel In the vvorde of God tvvo thinges are to be considered Ad fratres de monte Dei. Aduers Luciferianos Lutherus inassertio MelaÌ„chthoÌ„ in PauluÌ„ ad Rom. Caluinus iâ—institut Lib. 2. de Trinitate Note vvel VVhat is al the coÌ„trouersy betvvene the catholikes and the protestants RemeÌ„bre the state of germany of Scotland and the late spoyle in FrauÌ„ce The miracles of the nevve ghospell In lib. de vnitate ecclesiae DiffereÌ„ce betvvene life and doctrine Luther in parua Confessione coÌ„tra Zuinglianos Libr. quod Papatus supra infernuÌ„ exstructus sit Libr. coÌ„trae coelestes prophetas The pride of Luther In sua Apologia coÌ„trae postremam Lutheri coÌ„fessionem 1. Pet. 5. Psal. 103. Esaiae 40 Rom. 1. A notable testimonie of Luther of the life of his scholers Math. 7. Luc. 6. Math. 7. 2. Timo. 2. Againe repetauÌ„ce of the most vvicked may be soden and secret A perfit rule to discerne fal se preachers The first part Matth. 23. Esaiae 5. Math. 23. Matth. 7. Ioan. 8. Galat. 6. Rom. 2. The scoÌ„d part of the ruie Matth. 7. Heretikes of greate vertu in appareÌ„ce Matthae 7. The third part of the rule Hovve to knovve doctrine by the frutes Matth. 12. Ioan. 10. Math. 7. The frutes of the LutheraÌ„s doctrine In libro de Matrimonio Tom. 6 Luther in the 6. tome libello de matrimo Marc. 6. In the 6. tome of his vvorkes printed in the yeare 1553 Lib. de christiana libertate Contra duâ— Caesaris maÌ„data RemeÌ„bre the late rebellion in Fraunce In Captiuitate Babilonica Lntherâ—s in 3. ca. ad Gal. Illyricani mulâ—is lib. Aboue in the 36. leafe Caluinus in instituti onibus cap. 14. In assertio nibus art 31. Matthaei 7. Note the differeÌ„ce betvvene the euil life of the Catholikes and the Lutherans Note Matth. 3. Hovve to discerne true doctrine froÌ„ the false 2. Tim. 3. It is not â—ough to reade scripture with oâ—t the true vnderstaÌ„diÌ„g of the same 2. Câ—r 3. Ioan. 5. A daÌ„gerous deceite of the protestants Note An other daÌ„gerous deceite of the protestants Ephes. 4. Heb. 13. The straunge order of seruing the churche in germany Matth. 10. Lutherus lib. de Christiana libertate The frutes of Luthers libertie lib. Contra. 2. maÌ„da a Caesaris in literis ad ducem Saxâ—uiae Vide scriptuÌ„ Philippi ad Com. Palatinum aeditum an no. 1560. Heidelbergae The incoÌ„ stancy
when that S. Paule calleth it idolorum seruitus that is seruice of idols bicause the couetous man maketh his mony his idoll But this shift serued them to digge vp againe the olde carren heresy of the I conoclaste image breakers condemned in the seuenth generall councell and second off Nice and to throwe downe images out of churches setting in their places their owne and their wiues as in some parte of Germany it is practised Likewise to take away the sacrament of holy Orders and to renewe the olde heresy of the Arrians and the Pepuziani denieng priesthood aboue a thousand yeres past as the Sacramentaries and zelous Lutherans do now for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in greke and presbiter in laten they turne allwaies elder not priest as though euery presbiter in S. Paule were an elder then Timothe was no lawfull bishop being but young and farre from the accompt of an elder onles by these mens doctrine a bishop may be younge but the priest may be only an elder And these men marke not that this worde priest is the very proper etimology of the worde presbiter For of presbyter in laten cometh first the frenche worde prebstre and the dutche worde priester Oute off which two languages we as in thousands of other wordes shortning yet more the terme haue made of prebstre and priester priest So for churche they turne allwaies congregation and that of a very wicked intent meaning thereby to disanull the authorite and estimation of Christes churche making it to be euery peltinge congregation of priuat heretikes or as iff that which we call the churche were nought els but the stones and morter it is made of But as touching the corrupted text of our common translation nowe vsed it is beside our purpose to make any speciall note thereof and in our Discours we shal haue occasion to specify some other places of more importaunce As for these false and hereticall foistinges of Luther here noted by Staphylus though in the cōmon translation of our countre thanked be God they are not readen one excepted which when I come to the place I shall in the margin note you yet it may serue to the Lutherans of oure countre for a most euident argument of the sprit of Antichrist speaking in Luther and of a wicked and detestable archeheretike For what is more conuenient for Antichrist or more proper for an archeheretike then to corrupt gods holy worde and geue vs in stede of it his owne poisonnous and hereticall worde Neither may the sacramentaries of oure conntre thinke that this toucheth not them For they are of Luthers broode no lesse thē the other Beside that their master Caluin is not behind hand for his part as in our Discourse we shal by occasion declare vnto youe in diuers textes and passages of holy scripture by him corrupted The third part of the booke is an euident and sensible detection of the abhominable schismes of these protestans what soeuer smothe countenaunces they beare to the world not only profitable for the laye and vnlerned common people but right worthy to be read waighed and considered of the rulers and higher powres to the entent that seing euidently before their eyes the horrible schismes diuision and disordre that these protestants haue caused in Christendom and do foster vp and brede daily where they may haue their full swaie and course they may thinke vpon some spedy remedy for the restitution of vnite and agrement amonge them and the church of Christ from whence they haue parted And truly by the example of this cōfusion in Germany where heresy hath had his free course in a state of liberty these fourty yeares and more we may see as in a glasse the like inconueniences to be feared amonge vs if it should continew many yeares which God of his tender mercy forbid as also it would ere this haue showed it selfe amonge our protestāts at home if worldly policy had not refrained their vnruly liberty And yet amonge the pretended bishops of oure countre it is well knowen that some allowe the order of priesthood as the ciuill Lutherans do at Wittenberg some preache openly that all men and wemen are priestes as the Illyricans do in Saxony and all the flocke of the zelous Lutherans Againe some in the matter of the blessed Sacrament are very Zuinglians as the Apologie and their articles at the laste Cōuocation declare some yet and that not the smallest starres of the realme are in that point Lutherans as the trouble of certain of them after the ende off the last parlement witnesseth Notwithstanding according to the counsell of Melanchthon in his booke against Fridericus Staphylus they pretend outwardly agrement and vnite amonge them selues to the entēt that like the people of Creta whereof such protestans are called Syncretisantes they may with more ioyned force sett vpō their cōmon aduersaries the Papistes and ouercome them the sooner The late suppressed abhominable booke of Bernardinus Ochinus the Apostata Peter Martirs companyon lately printed defending stoutely amonge other straunge heresies the pluralite of wiues which began to be opēly practised in Polevntel the Kinge banished him thence may geue vs to vnderstand what ioyly newe doctrines and heresies the scholers of Peter Martir which are not fewe nor of the basest sorte in our countre woulde plant and preach amonge vs were it not that matters being not yet ripe nor thouroughly settled they were like to marre all the game if they kept not wel their countenaunces Where in they folowe wel and wisely the counsell of Nicolaus Amsdorffius which he writeth in his booke entituled Publica cōfessio purae doctrinae euāgelij confutatio praesentium Suermerorū In the which complaining that Brentius and the masters of Wittenberg being at a conference and diet helde at Wormes would not condemne Zwinglius and Osiander whose doctrine vtterly repugneth to their Confession of Augspurg he writeth these wordes In this doing they haue departed from the Confession of Augspurg although they pretend to remaine in it they haue also caused dissension and taken away all meanes of agrement for if they would as we doe condemne the errours of Zuinglius and Osiander then might we al agre together against the papistes These be the very wordes of Nicolaus Amsdorfius a famous Superintendent amonge the Lutherans well and truly obserued of our protestant preachers and Ministers And is this the pure worde of the gospell so to beare two or rather twenty faces in one hood For although amonge our protestants bicause of the estate of our countre where not whatsoeuer listeth them is lawfull also to sett forth there semeth in this newe religion an apparent vniformite of doctrine yet they vary not only amonge them selues as we haue before touched but also from their owne doinges The order of communion now practised in England differeth as much frō the first order of cōmunion vsed in King Edwardes time as the Lutherans do
from the Zuinglians and as the Illyricans do now from the Melanchthonistes For the first bothe allowed the real presence in the Sacrament as Luther did and vsed also many olde ceremonies of Christ his church as the Melanchthonistes and the ciuil Lutherans do yet in Wittenberg in Misnia in Franconia at Norimberg at Vlmes where passing by of late we sawe in the churche the holy Roode and aultars of stone yet standing in the Dukedom of Wirtenberg at Breslaw at Briga in Silesia and in many other places The last and present order off communion denieth the reall presence as Zuinglius and Caluin do and reiecteth the ceremonies of the Masse as the Zuingliās and Caluinistes do in the fiue Cantons of Suitzerland Basil Zurich Berna Schafusa and Clarona at Geneua in Sauoye in Scotland and emong the seditious rebelles in Fraunce Now Luther in his litle confession De caena Domini condemneth Zuinglius and his cōplices for heretikes So do Nicolaus Amsdorfius in the booke aboue alleaged and Nicolaus Gallus in his booke intituled Theses hypotyposes etc. Likewise Melanchthon condēneth Illyricus and his felowes as in diuers writings of Illyricus it is to be sene By the iudgement then of Luther of Melanchthon and of all the ciuill Lutherans yea and by the iudgement of all the ghospellers in Kinge Edwardes time and of the stinking martirs of that age our communion now practised in England is hereticall and against the pure doctrine fo the ghospel It were ouer long to recite here all the variaunces in doctrine amonge our protestants I remitt you to the daily experience which you may see better at home then we which are abrode And thus much of the argument of this booke What remaineth then for our part to do but as S. Paule commaundeth vs that we be Solliciti seruare vnitatem spiritus in vinculo pacis that is carefull and diligent to kepe vnite off minde in the bonde off peace being one body and one minde as we be called in to one hope and vocation For there is but one lorde one faith one baptim one God and father of all that we hence forth be no more children wauering and caried aboute with euery winde of doctrine by the wilynes of men and craftines laying waite to deceaue vs. It is truly a world to see what labour and toile what posting and running what paines and charges men sustaine for their right in temporall traihe in worldly commodites and present pleasures which we haue renounced in our baptim which with care being gotten with sorow is kept and yet soone loste and how colde negligent and careles we are aboute the true and sincere worshipping of God which we haue promised and professed in our baptim and which only hath his sure certain and euerlasting rewarde We spare no labour no coste no trauail for the one we moue not a foote nor will not departe from a peny for the other but nodding and sleping in wilfull ignoraunce fuffer our selues to be lead by the noses with euery tinkard and cobler prating in pulpets and planting poisonnous doctrine If rebells arise ageinst their Prince they are with all spede possible and force brought downe again Well and worthely And shall we winke at the rebelles of Christes holy worde and his church The thefe that robbeth and pilleth our temporall riches is hanged and worthely and will we not labour to espie oute and auoy de heresies which bereue vs of the treasure of eternall life If we be thus recheles and careles for our saluation we perish worthely and the plage of god ligh teth vppon vs for our deserts if we will not wittingly be deceiued but haue a care of our soule helth and think vppon the life to come let vs in this perilous ti mes of schismes and abundāce off iniquite harken to such as can teache vs to discerne the true and right in terpretation of gods worde from the peruerted persuasions of heretikes let vs beware of such guides in matters of conscience as stick not to corrupt the ve ry text of gods worde against all honesty and conscience Let vs behold for the better assurance of our Catholike faith which is but one the horrible schismes of the Lutherās Sacramētaries Anabaptistes Cōfessionistes and other amonge them selues all the which are here liuely and expressely sette forth by Fridericus Staphylus and we shall I trust gladly kepe our selues vnder the wing of our mother the Catholike church and geue no more eare to euery new forged fantasie of seditious schismatikes As touching the Author of this booke Fridericus Staphylus in his life time for within these fewe moneths he departed the worlde to the great grief of all good men he was a vertuous lerned and wise Noble mā His vertu wel appereth not only in the feruēt zele of gods worde and the truthe for the setting forth of the which he toke such trade of life as bothe empaired much the helth of his body and procured also greatiosse of his substaunce as he writeth in the first part of this worke but also in the great patience and modesty that he vsed alwaies against his aduersaries writing pasquils libels and famous epigrams against him calling him Iudas runneagat traitour and so forth as the modesty of this new ghospel vseth bycause he forsoke their abhominable heresies after a thourough knowledge of them and detected their iuggling deceites to al the worlde as especially he doth in this worke folowing And this only were they able to obiect against him which declareth well the innocēcy and vprightnes of his life For as herein they spared no kinde of rethorike to exaggerat his departing from them which was a singular grace of God and most in him to be commended so if they had had better matter it should not haue lacked the telling on their part Smidelinus one that of all other to his perpetuall shame and ignominy toke vppon him to encounter with Staphylus labouring to fasten vppon him some great blow of reproche and shame at the lēghth for lacke of better aduauntage entuiteth him his naturall behauiour that he vsed commonly to loke downe to the grounde as he walcked thinking he had thereby raught him a great rappe Which how light a philip it is euery wise man seeth And that gre at ghospeller and doctour of Gopping had forgotte it was writen of our Sauiour that Non secundum visionem oculorum iudicabit He shall not iudge according to the eye sight Truly it is no small argument of his innocency that his most aduersary could laie no greuouser matter vnto him His lerning well appeareth in this and other his workes as in his Absolut apology his epistles and orations against Melanchthon Flaccus and other where he showeth him selfe no lesse lerned Diuin then eloquent oratour and expert of the tongues But of his education in lerning and prospering in the same of what estimation also he was amonge the protestants them selues yow shall vnderstand
by his owne wordes being forced to declare the same by the impudent reproches of Smidelinus his aduersary In his Absolut apology writē in the yeare 1562. thus he writeth Whereas Smidelinus obiecteth to me that I was Luthers and Melanchthons scholer I denie it not for I liued in the vniuersite of wittenberg ten yeares of my owne costes and charges studying there vnder Luther Melāchthon and others At that time also being a younge man rash and vnskilfull I was infected somwhat with the poisonnous doctrine of Luther Howbeit that was not so rooted in me but that it was soone driuen out again And that I neuer consented thoroughly to the fifte ghospell of Luther many thinges do euidently proue First that whereas the Masters off Wittenberg would nedes persuade me to procede Doctour amonge them I would neuer do it And that only bicause I would not take the othe of the vniuersite and make open confession of my belefe in that place And this Doctour George Maior who yet liueth can beare me witnes of Secondarely bicause I would neuer take vppon me the Lutheran Ministery in any church though fewe yeares past I haue ben required of certain Princes to high dignites as to be Superintendent in sondry places as at Augspurg at Lubeck and at Brunsuick Thirdly this may declare how litle I fancyed in my hart the doctrine of Luther that being called and chosen of the Duke of Prussia to be a Reader in his dominions at Coningsberg and a Counseller I caused in the write of my stipend this cōdition expresly to be put that I would be cōpelled to no religion or doctrine that in any point repugned with the doctrine of the primitiue Catholike and Apostolicall church and of this my condition I am able to show iff nede shall require sufficient testimonies By these wordes ye may see off what reputation and opinion of lerning and vertu this man was at Wittenberg Augspurg Lubeck and Brunsuick the most famous cytes of the Lutheran profession His wisedō and other noble qualites he well declared first in the seruice of a counseller to the Duke of Prusia from whome he was forced to depart and that as he writeth to the losse of some thousands of marks bicause like a worthy and faithfull Counseller he frely aduertised eftsones the Duke to beware of the cursed heresies of Osiander and his felowes Secondarely in the like seruice vnder the Catholike and vertuous Duke of Bauaria vnder whom he was in such credit that he was made ouerseer and Chauncelour of the vniuersite of Ingolstad iointly with the Bishop of Eistat Thirdely for his wisedom lerning and vertu he was of longe time and many yeares Counseller to the late most worthy Emperoure Ferdinandus vnder whom he hath done noble seruice as well in the diets and conferences in Germany as in embassages of Liflande Pole and other countres As for the great labour and diligence he bestowed to shift him selfe oute of the captious and contentious controuersies of this time wherein he was nouseled in his youth it may wel appeare in that as he writeth in the first part of this booke He emploied only the study of Diuinite and matters of Cōtrouersie about two and twenty yeares not medling in all that time with any worldly or ciuill matter And what thinck you after so many yeares study and labour after so great experience and lerning was the chiefest argument and reason whereuppon he forsoke the Lutherans and claue vnto the Catholikes forsoth he declareth it in the very same place last alleaged and it is right worthy to be noted This saieth he was the chief and principal cause why I actōpted the diuers doctrine of Luther and his felowes to be hereticall and for such do vtterly forsake it and detest it this again is the cause why I esteme the doctrine in all Christendom which they call the Popedom receiued to be the only true and holesom doctrine bicause this doctrine is the Catholike and vniuer sally receiued interpretation of holy scripture but their doctrine is only their priuat opinion and their priuat deprauation of holy Scripture This lowas the principall reason that drew this wise lerned and vertuous man from the sectes of his Masters Luther and Melāchthō and brought him home to the perfect vnite of the Catholike faith for he sawe by lōg experiēce that al the doctrine of the new ghospellers was nought els but their owne traditiōs their propre inuentions and priuat imaginations for ging vpon the worde of God such sence as them listed and telling then the people that the same was the very worde of God whereas the Catholikes folowed such sence and meaning of the writen worde as by the lerned fathers continual tradition and vniuersall consent of Christendom was receaued and allowed And truly this only reason may be sufficient bothe for the vnlerned and deceaued protestants to reduce them home again to the Catholike churche of Christ and to kepe also within the same such as by the grace of God vertuous education and good instructions haue not yet swarued from the same Which I beseche almighty God it may so do And thus much hitherto of this present Treatise and the author thereof Many other things there are which I would gladly aduertise the Reader of But bicause we haue I feare ben ouerlong allready and the Author him selfe hath prefixed a long but a lerned and profitable preface and therefore not to be omitted I wil here breake of and after the ende of the Authors whole discourse put for conclusion the rest of my meaning aduertising in the meane season the reader of this one thing that this our labour being an interpretation and bound to the inuentiō of the Author we haue not ne coulde not vse the like eloquence as the free stile geueth beseching the notwithstanding gentle Reader to take our paines in good part Farewell At Louain the 12. of Nouember 1564. Thomas Stapleton THen saieth Nicephorus of the time of Constantius his empire vnder whom the Arrians flourished new deuises were commended and increased daily growing to a straunge alteration so farre that euery man setting light by all auncient lawes and ordonaunces forged him selfe fresh of his owne And yet their doctrine he meaneth the Arrians was not of all such receiued but eche one imagined new opinions heaping vp euer doctrine vpon doctrine Then Aetius Eunomius Eudoxius eche one diuersly Vttered their blasphemies against Christ. Then Macedonius also blasphemed against the holy Ghoste Gregory Nazianzen reasoned against those newe doctrines in this sorte IF our faith be but yet thirty yeares olde foure hundred yeares being now passed ouer sence the coming of Christ then our ghospell hath ben so long in vaine our faith also hath ben to no purpose Then so many Martirs haue invaine testified their faith in Christ. Then so many Bishops and pastours haue in vaine so longe fedd the flock of Christ. If prescription of foure hundred
for shame denie partly go about to reconcile with the rest of their doctrine To the ende that hereby they may persuade the worlde that I belied thē hitherto affirming such to be their articles and charging them with dissension amonge themselues With these thre pointes by the grace of god I shal defend my simple conuersation and geue due information of my belief vsing herein a plaine and familiar stile of our vulgar tongue that the simple lay mā may also vnderstande me declaring sincerely and with all modestie the truth in all pointes without railing biting or any other vnciuill demeanour For so it becometh well meaning men to do Although my aduersaries to bring me in infamie and reproche omitte no such kinde of rethorike laieng on greate lode of lies and reproches whereby they haue cut awaie all honest meanes of reconciliation auoiding al maner of iudgement and ciuil triall Being yet frō god commaunded by Moises That all controuersies and debates should be tried by the lawfull Magistrat For this hathe alwaies ben my only desire and is yet that my aduersaries which either priuely or in open libels cease not to backbite me cōuēt me before my ordinary and lawfull magistrat and there make their complainte not making them selues the partie plaintif and defendant yea and iudges in their owne cause as against all order and lawe bothe spirituall and temporall thei haue hitherto most impudently done Truly as I haueben allwaies so am I now ready and desirous to present my self before my ordinary Magistrat and to abide the whole ordre and proces of the lawes against me For thanked be God I knowe my life and cōuersation hath ben such be it not spoken for any pride that I am not ashamed nor afeard to showe my face before any mā a liue And sure I am that if I had not laboured with the Emperours Maiestie and other Catholike princes for the maintenaūce of the Catholike religion against heretikes my life shoulde neuer haue bē touched of thē But seing that the Catholike doctrine it self praised be God can not by any good reason or coulour be impugned they laie at my person and fight against me letting the doctrine it selfe alone Vsing this argument that I against my owne conscience only for honour and riches sake defend the Catholikes whereas yet they knowe well them selues that I haue sustained the losse of some thousands of crownes and empaired much the helthe of my body in the quarell of the Catholike faith But howsoeuer the matter goeth Our Lorde knoweth who are his and he trieth the hartes of men and as Clemens Alexandrinus writeth No man is so great but God passeth him nor no mā so smal but God espieth him and he shal geue to euery man according to his desertes If I therefore do against my conscience herein wo is vnto me For only God knoweth the conscience of man But if I do vprightely herein wo is vnto you that take vpon you the secret iudgement of God Aud thus farre off my selfe inough Let vs nowe come vnto the matter OF THE TRVE AND RIGHT VNDERSTANDING OF HOLY SCRIPTVRE AS touching the first part whereas they laye to my charge that I labour to oppresse and tread vnder foot the holy ghospell and worde of God hauing before professed the same c. To this I aunswere plainely that herein they deale very vncourteously with me and do iniuriously slaunder me And I am very sure they haue not one iote to proue this their saying by But to remoue this their vaine and forged opinion with sure and vndoubted reason I would gladly knowe of them what is that they call the holy ghospell and worde of God Here if they awnswer me that the worde of God is no other thinge then the holy scripture commonly called the Bible that is the olde and newe Testament thē againe I awnswer thē they do most iniuriously slaunder me For they are neuer able to proue that euer I reiected or persecuted any one litle peace or parcell of the ghospell or of the lawe But I embrace and reuerence al the holy Bible the lawe and the ghospel and take it for no lesse thē the very worde of Gods mouth Yea and I graunte that sooner heauē and earth shal perish then any one iote of that worde Which I dare saie not only for my owne part but in the name of all Catholike Christians which hitherto euen from the Apostles time allmost these thousand six hundred yeares without any intermission haue read in churches songe alwaies in publick seruice of the Masse and taught openly in pulpits and haue also in the common breuiaries and portyses of the Romane vse comprised almost the whole corps of the Bible and that in such ordre that the priestes are bounde wekely to reade ouer the whole Psalter and yearely for lessons allmost all the ghospell and epistles and prophets as the most auncient custom practised so many hundred yeares past of the Canonicall howres the Prime the Third the Sixt the Ninth howres Euensong and Complin doth well declare which disposition and ordre of times was off the Apostles them selues as it may appeare in the Actes and other where so well and diligently appointed that to euery daye for the howres of our lordes passion psalmes lessons and ghospells do correspond with a reuerent and deuoute remēbraunce of Christes benefits whereby the church from the beginning vnto our time through out the whole worlde would testifie and teache vnto vs that all holy scripture ought to be construed and grounded on the passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ as in the true corner stone for the saluation of our soules as hereafter we shall in his due place by the scripture most plainely proue It is therefore a wonderfull slaunder that these men saye of the Catholikes That hitherto the ghospell and the worde of God hath ben bannished from the church kept in hucker mucker and at the length vnder the pope to haue ben vtterly extinguished but now is reuoked vnto light therefore those that embrace this newe ghospell to be worthely called men of the ghospell but that we which folow our swete parents and forefathers with the whole Catholike church keping and maintaining the olde Apostolicall doctrine must be called wicked papistes But here he that hath eyes to see let him open them and he that hath any regard of his saluation let him here take hede for this is that suttell deceit of these protestants and the mist wherewith they dimme the eyes of the simple people making them beleue that they only professe the worde of God And yet these newe preachers and masters knowe very well them selues the contrary as Luther him selfe in his booke against the Anabaptistes and the Zuinglians witnesseth saying that among the papistes that is in the churche of Rome the holy ghospell aud all holy scripture with al the bookes sentences wordes and prickes thereof hath remained in
more in their former snare they patche on an other dangerous deceit vsing this guile with them You must good people in dede beleue the only writen worde of god but to the expositions of the preachers ye ought so farre to beleue as their expositions agreeth with the writen worde that is that the simple and vnlerned people must iudg of their owne faith and be able to trie whether their preachers teache false or no whether their expositions agre so iust with the worde of God that they may be bolde to beleue them euen as the very worde of God Yf this be true that the poeple must nowe iudge their preachers and teachers then was S. Paule to blame describing the prouidence of Christ toward his church to saie these wordes Christ ascending on high lead captiuite captiue and gaue giftes vnto men These giftes were vndoubtedly his holy worde and to make it out of doubt what maner of giftes he meaneth it foloweth strait vppon And he hath geuen some Apostles some prophets and some Euangelistes For by these thre sortes of men by the prophets the Apostles the Euangelistes inspired of the holy ghost holy scripture was writen but bicause in the writen worde many mysteries lye hidden therefore Christ left not to his church only Prophets Apostles and Euangelistes but as it foloweth in S. Paule He gaue pastours and doctours shepeards and teachers which should fede the people with the true intelligence of the holy write and teache them the true vnderstāding of the same Now then either the Shepeardes and teachers must instructe the people and interpret holy scripture vnto thē as S. Paule prescribeth or els the people him self must take vppon him the person of a iudge ouer his shepeards and teachers as the protestants will haue it Chose here good reader whom thou list to folow Surely I must nedes obey and beleue the blessed Apostle whatsoeuer these men bable Therefore I saie againe the people ought to lerne not to teache They ought to obey those that haue charge off their soules their sheaperdes and teachers not to iudge or instruct them in matters of religion Contrary wise the pastours and teachers ougth diligently to instruct their flocke and expounde vnto them the right meaning of holy scripture that they may with the kaye off truthe binde and loose the sinnes of the people accordingly Nowe whereas in cytes Mayres and scholemasters in villages the gentlemen and in the courtes of princes the Chauncellers prescribe and appoint vnto their parish prestes and vicars the maner of interpreting holy scripture the order of ministring the sacramēts the forme of common prayer at the pleasure of euery laie magistrat and Temporall Lorde what will become of this straunge fashions the time will ones declare For nothing is so preuy but that it will ones come to light Euery wise man may easely cast what is likely to folowe when euery magistrat or secular ruler vtterly vnlerned and but of meane abilite yet do at their pleasure appoint ministres and put downe prescribing what docrine they liste to the poore people or what secte liketh them best hereof it happeneth that if the Mayre scholemaster or gentleman be a Suenckseldian then the preacher of that parish must folow onely the doctrine of Suenck feldius or if he be a Zuinglian an Osiandrin an Anabaptiste an Illyrican a Wittenberger a Maiorist or of any other secte the poore simple people must lerne the newe faith of the Maire scholemaster or gentleman and vtterly renounce his olde nor may not be so bolde as to hush to the cōtrary When this newe straunge order was first taken in hande that all spirituall Magistrates constitutions and ordonaunces should be disannulled some there were that thought it not reason that men should be forced to embrace this opinion or that but it shoulde be left free to euery man to beleue whatsoeuer the sprit moued him vnto without any let to the cōtrary So wrote Luther in his booke De Christiana libertate and in an other De capti uitate Babilonica in the which bookes he so embrued the hartes of men with the loue of licentious libertie that al Christen constitutions lawes aud decrees of the church were vtterly abolished and trode vnder foote Out of these bookes also Thomas Munzer toke occasion to make the insurrection of the commons in Germany wherein perished more then a hundred thousand off our dere countremen as Sleidan noteth in the fifte booke of his story Of this licentious doctrine off Luther also one Bernard Rotmā begā the heresy of the Anabaptistes and that by these wordes of Luther that no man could be compelled to any faith that al Christen men are free and taught of God him selfe immediatly that there nedeth no interpretation of scripture but it is al plaine and perspicuous that a simple man of the countre can more readily expounde and vnderstande holy scripture then any Doctour in diuinite But after that Luther espied this vntoward course of his doctrine and that now his owne scholers Mūtzer Rotman Carolstadius Zuinglius and diuers other bette him with his owne rodde he inuented strait a new shift or rather succoured him selfe with the olde practise of the Catholike churche as the folowers of Melanchthon and Brentius do now a daies who seing the people caryed away daily in to newe sectes by other ghospellers leauing their former new masters do call their felowes renagates and apostatas compelling them by ecclesiasticall censure and force off pretended excommunication to returne home again When Luther first began to write and set forthe bookes his scholers murmured and saied it was against the Christian liberte that Christen men might not frely reade what bookes they listed But nowe when the Lutherās them selues do swarue from their master and write one against an other they runne to the refuge of the Catholike churche and make inhibitions forbidding all such bookes as their felowes write against them to be read or solde banishing out of their townes and countres with all the power they can all such ministres and preachers as dissent from them so it is now true amonge these heretikes that Athanasius and Tertullian wrote of the olde heretikes of their time that is what they approue to daie they reproue tomorowe What they preache as the worde of God this yeare they condemne as hereticall nexte yeare wauering like the rede with the winde and framing their faith as occasion serueth Melanchthon seing that the licentious liberte planted by Luther gaue occasiō of much suaruing and departing of one from an other amonge them selues he put a newe cote vpon his religion and whereas before he acknowledged but two Sacraments Baptim and the Supper of our Lorde nowe he addeth two more Penaunce and holy Ordre Penaunce he added to bring againe in order the dissolut consciences off his brethern to set vp excommunication and to erect in
that euery mā and womā were priestes Although this be an olde condemned heresie of the Aerians of Aetius and Pepusius raised vp now againe of Martin Luther by chaunging the worde Priesthoode in the worde Elders cōtrary the meaning of S. Paule and the common receaued interpretation of all Christendom hitherto Yet hath it pleased Master Luther to renew and preache to the worlde and olde detestable heresie vnder pretence of S. Paules doctrine and the expresse worde of God Nowe although these fewe examples might suffise to declare the honesty of Luther and vpright dealing in translation of the holy scripture yet for the more declaration thereof I will adde yet one place notably misused and willfully corrupted of Luther The Apostle writeth thus to the Colossians Beware lest any man deceiue you by philosophie or vaine deceites after the tradition of men after the elements of the worlde and not after Christ. Thus readeth the greke and the latin text But Luther drawing after his fashion the scripture for his purpose where it is in the text After the elements of the worlde he turneth it Nach der welt satzungen that is after the lawes and ordinaunces of the worlde It is surely a straunge case to see howe variabel and braynsicke these ghospellers are At the first broching of this newe ghospel while Luther as the rumor was lyued yet in his Patmus Philip Melanchthon taught that sithen Christen men were all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taught immediatly of God him self no man should study philosophie For al the writings of Plato Aristotle Cicero and such other were but friuolous tales and daungerous deceites and to be burned and destroied as in dede in many places so they were but onely the Bible ought to be read and studied For by these the holy ghoste would minister all knowledge bothe to serue God and to liue in this worlde bothe for euerlasting saluation and for this temporal estate That a Christē man should not liue a studious quyet life for that it was writē In the sweate of thy brow thou shalt eate thy bread that is as they expounde it thou must be a plowemā a showemaker a bucher a tayler or some such handy craftes man and so with thy owne labour get thy liuinge This fowle errour beside other occasions ministred thereunto was of Luther in sundry places of his workes stoutely maintained and defended One of such places I will here at large alleage Writing vnto the Nobilite of Germany he hath these wordes The vniuersites also haue nede of an earnest and sharp reformation Truly I must speake as I think let him be angry that listeth VVhatsoeuer was instituted or ordained vnder the pope tended only to the furderance of vice and encrease of errours for the vniuersites if they be not otherwise ordered then they haue ben hitherto what other thing are they then as it is noted in the Machabees scholes of children and of the greke glorie where is all licentious dissolutnes holy Scripture and Christen faith is not taught but that blind ethnick philosopher Aristotle ruleth aboue Christ him selfe VVhe refore by my aduise the Phisicks the Methaphisiks the bookes de Anima the Ethikes should vtterly be abolished with all the rest of his workes which professe to teache the naturall causes of thinges Although therein nether natural nor spirituall knowledg is to be gotte Beside that they are of such obscurite that fewe haue hitherto vnderstode them good wittes lesing bothe labour and time about them I dare well saie that euery coblar hath as much knowleadg of natural thinges as is to be gotte in those bookes It greueth me euen to the hart that this cursed and crafty proude ethnike could so longe a time abuse and deceaue the lerned men of Christendō VVith this scorge haue we ben whipped for our sinnes This much wrote Luther in the yere of our Lorde 1520. out of these and such other writings of Luther Carolostadius and Melanchthon first sucked out the contempt of philosophie and all good lerning being so moued by the authorite of this german prophet Luther And by the yeare 152◠they furdered the matter so farre that in many famous vniuersites and cites all study of philosophie vtterly decaied And although this doctrine of Luther and Melanchthon taking awaie from Christen men as Iulian the apostat Emperour did all honest discipline liberall sciences and good lerning whereby the estat of Christēdom hathe alwaies ben in knowleadg and vertu directed and to driue all men to handycraft workes and husbandry only by a rude and bestly doctrine yet it so serued that time and was so wel liked that at Wittēberg many scholers burned all their bookes and became craftes men sheaperdes husband men and so forth Carolostadius him selfe being before Archedeacon of Wittenberg getting him to a village thereby became sodenly a ploweman tilled and sowed the grounde him self and brought wodde to the market of Wittenberg to be solde Beside many other cites especially Breslau did shet vp cleane all scholes and for the space of certain yeares suffred their youth to roue abrode without any education or instruction Which if a man had asked them why they did so the text of S. Paule serued them for a cloke of their foly where it was writen Beware ye that no man deceiue you by philosophie and vaine suttelties after the tradition of men But now Luther perceauing afterward that this serued nothing his purpose retourning from his Patmus to Wittenberg he corrected Melanchthon and draue Carolostadius out of the dominiō of Wittenberg professing then openly and declaring that without grammer logick and philosophie his ghospell could not be spread abrode conueniently Therefore in the yeare 1524. writing to the Magistrates and cites of Germanie of setting vp and main taining scholes he laboureth very ernestly to haue restored againe such as had decaied or were neglected making yet no mention of Carolostadius or Melanchthon by whom that enormite was committed To quenche therefore and appaise the tumultes stirred vp by his former doctrine and by Melanchthon letting passe the foresaied text of S. Paule he teacheth that philosophie is good in it selfe if it be wel vsed and not abused to deceiue mē Which in dede had ben of him well saide if he him selfe had not much abused philosophie to sett forthe his fleshely ghospell and to persuade his wily and suttle opinons But seing that he could not without philosophie and helpe of scholes vtter the wicked wares of his fresh and newe lerning letting passe as I saide the former text of the Apostle he toke holde of the wordes that folowed The elements of the worlde turning it the lawes and ordonaunces of the worlde For philosophie hindered not so much his purpose as the Magistrates and and lawes of the countre did Whose authorite onlesse he first ouerthrew drawing men from due obedience vnto their superiours he perceaued right wel that his purpose could
the Roman Breuiary in to the German tongue in so handsome and pure stile that the Psalter the lessons and the ghospels be as pleasauntely to be reade in the German tongue as they are in the Latin It were therefore peraduenture more expedient for the common and vnlerned laye men to haue with them some such to praie and reade in then rashely trust to euery translation or confusely reade euery thinge they list Especially being so perilous a matter to swarue from the right vnderstanding of holy scripture that the danger ensuing is no lesse then heresie It were also very profitable that certain Homelies and Sermons were gathered out of S. Chrisostome S. Ambrose S. Augustin S. Gregory S. Bernarde S. Bede and such other holy fathers whiche being distributed in to the Sondayes and holy dayes of the yeare and well and truly translated in to the vulgar tongue might safely and with great profit be reade off the common people Beside where as many godly praiers for diuers necessites are to be founde in the doctours they might serue also for common praier for the people being truly translated in to the vulgar tonge Surely any laie man that desireth to reade scripture not of curiosite but to strengthen his faith to encrease his hope and to kindle his charite may in such bookes as we haue saide satisfie fully his desire and appetit OF DISAGREMENT IN DOCTRINE AMONGE THE PROTESTANTS THe third matter wherewith the Lutherans charge me is that I haue alleaged falsely certain of their articles whereby their enormous dissension appeareth partly haue fathered some vppon them which they neuer taught As touching the first point doctour Smidelin preacher of Gopping sturreth vp heauē and earth against me sweareth and affirmeth that the Lutheran preachers vary in no one point or groūde of their doctrine But if there be any controuersie amonge them the same is saith he not of any article of their faith or of their Confession made at Augspurg A man may verely in many places finde light and impudent persons which wil not sticke to call chauke chese and saie white is black But such an impudent preacher as this Iames Smidelin of Gopping is not this fourty yeares hath ben seen in Germany which is not ashamed to write and set forthe in printe yea that in bookes dedicated to men of worship that amonge the Lutherans is no one iote of variaunce in all their doctrine nor no dissension in any article of their Confession In dede this argument troubleth much the mā that where diuision and dissension is in the chefe pointes of Christen religion there must nedes heresies be But the Lutherans can not denie their enormous dissension and open variaūce in sondry pointes yea in these articles of their Confession made at Augspurg Ergo there be heretikes amonge thē and heresies great store For whereas to the first proposition of this argument no man can gainsaie but if he be extreme impudent or very foolish M. Smidelin shifteth him selfe to the other part and denieth stoutely that there is any one iote of variaunce or controuersie betwene them Nowe then to proue the contrary and to stoppe the impudent felowes mouthe who being oftentimes frendely warned perseuereth yet in his folie I will bringe here certain of his felowe Ministers and such as him selfe is which may a litle remoue his bonet from his eyes and showe him the glasse where he may see his owne impudēt face and shameles looke that blusheth not at so lowde a lie Nicolaus Amsdorfius in his booke entituled Publica Confessio purae doctrinae Euangelij confutatio praesentium Swermerorum vel factiosorum writeth thus The matter amendeth neuer a whit but wexeth daily worse and worse It is no other wise likely but that we shall vtterly lese the ghospell and in stede of it haue nothing but mere lies and hainous errours and that for no other cause then that euery man foloweth his owne witte and desireth not after the truthe In the diet and conference had lately at wormes Brentius and the Adiaphoristes would not condemne Zuinglius and Osiander bicause they were men lerned in the tongues and liberall sciences But hissed vs out of the cōpany and laughed vs to scorne bicause we refused to agree vnto the conference and diet onles those men were condemned Some of our felowes the Lutherans pretend that they cōdemne the Zwinglians but Brentius his praeface vpon Master Iames Smidelins booke testifieth the contrary For here they go about to reconcile godly Luther and Zuinglius which is impossible For who euer heard that two contradictories could agree Such childish and impossible matters they be not ashamed to affirme which wil be counted teachers and Masters of Christen religion as though we and all other were stockes and blockes But surely we can not embrace with quiet conscience the heresies of Zuinglius and Osiander Neither can we subscribe and yelde to such as haue departed and seuered them selues from Luther Truly if they had constātly cleaued vnto the worde of God and Luther and had not geuē them selues to alteratious or yelded to them whiche first altered from Luther there should haue ben no dissension nor variaunce amongest vs and al these mischefs which we see nowe hang ouer our heades had ben escaped Farder although the Ministers which after our departure remained in the conference at wormes wrote after and published it abrode that they woulde not departe from the Cōfession of Augspurg yet in dede they do cleane cōtrary For while they wil not condemne the Zwinglians and the Osiandrines they can by no meanes agree with our Confession off Augspurg but in so doing they be all ready departed from it So haue they caused dissēsion and remoued all meanes of agreement For if they would cōdemne with vs the foresaide errours of Zwinglius and Osiander then might we agree together against the papistes But no we whereas the Confession of Augspurg teacheth that the Bloud and passion of Christ is our righteousnes and that the bread in the Lordes supper is the body of Christ this can not possibly agree with the madnes of Zwinglius and Osiander Therefore these two repugne to saie they remaine in the Confession off Augspurg and yet go aboute to defend Zwinglius and Osiander VVe therefore first and formest do condemne for heretikes Caspar Swenckfeldius and the Anabaptistes which do contemne and refuse the externall preaching of Gods worde Secondarely we condemne the Secte of Osiander which holdeth no lesse grosse and impudent heresies Thirdly we condemne the Sacramentaries Zwinglius and his felowes Fourthely we condemne the Indifferents bicause in their churches beside the ghospell they will haue mens traditions to be obserued For the ghospell admitteth no commaundements of men to be kept in their churches But these indifferents coulour and counterfaite all thinges to please the Emperour they embrace the papisticall Masse and religion which yet they loue not in dede and
and no where els Thus much S. Augustin But what nede we be longe in these olde and auncient heresies whereas alas euen nowe presently in our dere countre of Germany such a plentyfull broode of heresies groweth and increaseth for howe sondry and howe diuers sectes hath that only braine of Ihon Hus begotte Some of them are called Fratres VValdenses some Thaborite some Picardi and some Grubenheimeri with diuers other names which were here tedious to recite For amonge those wiche nowe call them selues ghospellers spronge vp of the sede off Luther there are alas so many factions so diuers sectes so soundry heresies that they can scant be numbred Yea and many more as Gallus writeth hange yet in the penne but I wil somewhat shake the pen to see whether any will fall out Truly this is most euident Suche an archeheretike as in our daies Martin Luther hath ben neuer yet was seene in the churche and therefore God neuer so declared his wrath in this our miserable time Yet God of his mercie hathe geuen vs clere tokens and sure arguments to knowe and espie out this heresie suffring such straunge dissensions and horrible schismes to come to light and that so clerely and manifestly that euery man may easely perceaue and surely pronounce that euen as God is the author of peace and vnite so the deuill hath ben the father inuenter and setter forthe of all this Lutheran discorde and contentious doctrine If therefore any good Christen man desirous to saue one coueteth euidently to see and behold what and howe greate the schismes and factions of these Lutherans are all chalenging to them selues the truthe and light of the ghospel let him reade and peruse this table of sectes that foloweth which I sett forthe before in latin but nowe haue augmented it in my mother tongue for my dere countremens sake THE GENEALOGIE POSTERITE AND SVCCESSION OF MARTIN LVTHER THE FIFte Euangeliste NOthing is more naturall saithe the philosopher Aristotle then that euery thing bring forthe his like and that not only bicause the nature of thinges should not be confounded wherefore the lyon bringeth forth a lyon and the man engendreth man and as the Poet saithe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The rocke Scylla bringeth forthe no rose but also to the entent that euery kinde by it selfe should be like in maners and disposition wherefore of the valiaunt father cometh not lightely a cowardly sonne nor as the poet Euripedes saythe Of an vnthrifty father cometh a wise childe This then being a constant and perpetuall lawe of nature it hath pleased God by cōsideratiō of the natural course and issue of temporall thinges as if it were by a similitude to leade vs to the knowleadge of spirituall matters as for example to knowe and discerne the true prophets of God which are the right and naturall broode of the church frō the false prophets and preachers which are as monstres or euill begotten children in the churche therefore he saithe By their frutes you shall knowe them and why by their frutes Bicause of thornes no man gathereth grapes nor figges of brambles And this it is which is commonly saied euery thing foloweth his kinde What a prophet Luther was his broode and issue hath well declared For as soone as Luther pricked first with desire of promotion and praise was strait enflamed with the firy lustes of the flesh and that to accomplishe this matter Luther the false prophet and that seuenheaded beste whereof the Apocalipse speaketh were ioyned together the olde Dragō the deuill geuing her to wife incontinently these three vncleane sprits of the Confessionistes of the Sacramentaries and of the Anabaptistes creped out of their mouth like frogges And although these thre vncleane sprits like the foxes of the Philistians beare their heades farre a sonder and distant yet they are so tied together by the tayles to burne vpp the corne of Christes churche that nowe in all Europe no heresie can be founde which hath not the marke either of the Confessionistes or of the Sacramentaries or of the Anabaptistes That you maie if ye liste euidently knowe to which of these sprits euery heresie is bounde And to the entent you maie espie of out euery and singular markes of these vncleane sprits note what foloweth God punisheth the worlde for sinne with seuen principall plages But those especially he vttereth in thre elements in water in ayre and in fyre For as it is writen Loke wherewithall a man sinneth by the same he shall be punished This also in an other place is notised For there are three that beare recorde in heauen the father the worde and the holy ghost and these thre are one And there are three which beare recorde in earth The Spirit and water and bloud and these three are one This latter kinde of bearing recorde Christ him selfe instituted and confirmed in earth especially hāging for vs on the Crosse where he shed water and bloud out of his side and yelded vp his Spirit into the handes of the father And as Eue was made oute of the ribbe and side of Adam so vndoubtedly the church toke his roote and beginning of the side of Christ as the Councell of Vienna lernedly expoundeth it For the church by thre Sacramēts is specially holden by baptim the Sacrament of the aultar and by Penaunce The seale of baptim is water The mistery of the blessed Sacrament is bloude off wine which is of the ayre The holy Spirit which Christ inspired to his Apostles gaue the kayes of the church in penaunce And the token of it appeared fire in the mouthe of the Apostles Nowe these three maner of bearing recorde in earth which Christ hath instituted and by the which the churche is vpholden are al at this present profaned brokē and corrupted The Anabaptistes haue corrupted the water of baptim The Sacramētaries haue profaned the bloud of our Lorde The Confessionistes haue broken the kaies of the churche And these hainous crimes haue partly already ben punished but the ende is not yet come bicause the profanation corruption and breache of these holy institutions cease not yet Let him beware that vnderstandeth Let him flie that can escape Let him shake of the duste of these heresies that feareth the wrath of God But nowe to the table THE TABLE OF LVTHERS OFSPRING THe Dragon the Beste the false prophet mencioned in the Apocalypse Martin Luther the fifte euangelist out of whom proceded principally thre vncleane sprits In the yeare of our Lorde 1517. vpon S. Martins eue to wit the Anabaptistes the Sacramentaries and the Confessionistes whiche are commonly called protestant preachers The first vncleane sprit or tode Muntzerus and Bernard Rotman son of Luther and father of the Anabaptistes began in the yeare of our Lorde 1514. out of these proceded Muntzerans whiche are named of Thomas Muntzer for when that mā read in the bookes of Luther De captiuitate Babylonica and contra duo mandata
Caesaris that There was no hope of remedy vnlesse all mens lawes being extinguished the people did rule and that we ought to praie to God that subiects obey not their magistrats He sturred vp the commons through out al Germany against the nobilite whereby after sondry battailles had there perished more then a hundred thousand of the commons Reade the storie of Sleidan Anabaptistes who first sprang vp by reading in an epistle of Luther to the Waldenses or Picardi That it is better baptim were omitted in children theÌ„ that they should be baptised without their owne faith Of these arose diuers sectes amonge the which these are accompted the cheafest Adamitae the Adamites whiche professe to folowe the innocency of Adam they wander in woddes and sometime naked as Adam and Eue did Stebleri which teache that scripture forbiddeth to cary sworde or wallet item that it is not lawfull for Christen men to accuse in iudgement that it is not the part of a Christen man to repell violence by force but to him that striketh on the one cheke he oughte to turne the other This Luther taught in his articles condemned of the Sorbon in paris Sabbataries which obserue the Sabbaoth daye like Iewes despise the Sonday and do inuocat the father only and seme to contemne the Son and the holy ghoste See Luther in his booke againste the Sabbataries Clancularij Close Anabaptistes whiche being asked whether they be Anabaptistes thinke they may lawfully denie them selues to be such supposing it inoug to knowe priuely what they ought to beleue and that it is not nedefull to confesse openly And these be commonly in greate cytes they enter in to no churches they learne and teache at home in their houses or els mete in gardens Such are commonly called â—arrenbrijder that is garden brethern Manifestarij Open Anabaptistes which being asked whether they be Anabaptistes think it a wicked thinge to denie it In Prussia this secte is common Daemoniaci which beleue as the Origenistes in times paste that the deuills shall be saued after the enof the worlde Communia habentes Commonholders which are of the opinion that wiues children and all other thinges in the common welthe ought to be common as Plato in his Common wealthe taught and in olde time the Nicolaite and off late the ghospelling prophets off MouÌ„ster They saie one to an other My sprit lusteth after thy fleshe come therefore and let vs do maruailous thinges See Sleidan in the battaill of Mounster Condormientes Byslepers which commaunde that for the vehement loue of the newe ghospel men and wemen younge men and maydens ought to lyue in one place and parler and slepe in one chamber So did other heretikes of olde time in BurguÌ„dy and afterward in Bohem the Grubenheymeri which putting out the candles cried one to an other Encrease and multiplie EiulaÌ„tes Howling Anabaptistes whiche thinke no deuotion pleaseth God so muche as to wepe and howle continually greate store of this secte are in the vpper Belgia Georogianidauidici Dauigeorgians whiche began in Friselande in the yeare of our Lorde 1525. They saie there is no deuil they denie the resurrectioÌ„ of the fleshe See SleidaÌ„ The Author and Master of this secte saied him selfe he was the third Dauid as Luther that he was the third Elias and OsiaÌ„der the secoÌ„d Enoch Memnonitae which denie that Christe toke fleshe of the Blessed Virgin Polygamistae Many wiuers which teache that one man maye lawfully haue two wiues at one time IteÌ„ that the brother maye mary his brothers wife he yet liuing So practised Ihon Leiden kinge off Mounster Se Sleidan and so taught Luther in his sermon set forthe of mariage Where he saithe If the wife will not let the maide come There be many other sectes of Anabaptistes which here to auoide prolixite we let passe The Second vncleane sprit and tode son of Luther and father of the Sacramentaries Carolstadius began the yeare of our Lorde 1521. Carolstadius and Zwinglius toke occasion to raise vp againe the olde heresie of Berengarius by these wordes of Luther in his assertions against pope Leo and in formula Missae Nether kinde of the sacrament is necessary to saluation And againe in his Resolutions Only faith of the Sacrament doth iustifie not the Sacrament These and other saiengs of Luther moued Carolstadius and Swinglius to beleue that the Sacraments were but bare signes as Melanchthon vppoÌ„ the epistle to the Romans teacheth These Sacramentaries are many and diuers First there are eight Sacramentary factions which Luther him selfe in parua Confessione attributeth to the Swinglians as we haue noted and recited before TheÌ„ Philip Melanchthon declareth six other Sacramentarie sectes amonge the Lutherans in his determination writen a litle before his death vnto the Counte palatin of the Rhene and printed at Heidelberg in the yeare 1560. whiche we haue also before touched But these which folowe are the most famous and most renouned sacramentarie sectes Significatiui Signifiers whiche affirme that in the Supper of our Lorde for so they call the Sacrament of the anltar is not the true body but only the signe of the body So Swinglius writeth in many and son dry bookes sett forthe De Caena Domini Tropistae Figurers which saie that in the supper of our Lorde is the figure of the body not the true body So taught Oecolampadius in many places Energici Valuers which teache that in the Supper of our Lorde is not the body it selfe but the vertu and value of the body so Caluin teacheth in many bookes and lately in his last admonition against â—oachimus Westphalus Melanchthon also as Caluin laieth to his charge and as it may appeare in his determination printed at Heidelberg affirmeth the same Arrhabonarij Pleadgers which are of the opinion that the Supper of our Lorde when it is geuen is geuen as a pleadge of the body as though it were like the inuesting or taking possession of a farme or any other thinge whiche is geuen So Franciscus Stancarus teacheth in Pole and in Sybenburgen Adessenarij Presentaries of whom there are sondry sectes For some write that the body of our Lorde is in the breade Some aboute the breade some with the breade some vnder the breade see the assertions of VVilhelmus Klebitius of Brandebourg against the disputation lately had at Heidelberg in the yeare 1560. Metamorphistae which affirme that the body off Christ after it ascended in to heauen was made god it selfe And that it ought properly de saied The body of Christ is God Therefore if ye aske howe the body of our Lorde is in the Supper they awnswer That the true body is there but suche a body as is the very substaunce of God and God himselfe not fleshe whiche is of the same substaunce that mans nature is of So writeth Swenck feldi us in many bookes but chefely in his booke De dupli cista'u Christi Iscariotistae Iudaistes whiche denie that in the Supper of our
the holy ghoste Againe that the Crede which the churche vseth to singe is not to be called the Crede of Athanasius but of Sathanasius as you woulde saie of the deuill Certain noble men of Pole demaunding of Petrus Statorius and Georgius Brandata where they had lerned this doctrine being newe and neuer heard off before in Pole they awnswered It was the pure ghospell and very worde off god and the very same doctrine which they had lerned of their masters Caluin Bullinger Peter Martir and VVolfgangus Musculus But the cause why it was not before heard of in Pole nor abrode in the worlde was that it pleased god to reuele to the worlde this highe misterie and greate treasure nowe in these later daies by his faithefull Ministres The Lorde Stanislaus Baron Mathias Stadnitzky and Franciscus Stancarus by their patent letters writen to to the Swinglian doctours aboue mencioned in the yeare 1561. and sent by their owne Messenger do testifie and write these thinges of Petrus Statorius and Brandata IN VVHAT ARTICLES THE CONFESSIONISTES SVCCESSOVRS OF LVTHER DO YET Agree and accorde HEtherto by the sondry and diuers factions of heretikes of vs rehearsed it may appeare howe and in what matters they swarue and disagree amonge them selues For who readeth nowe all the articles of the Confession off Augspurg he shall see that swaruing and scattering in all the reste they haue remained onely in these fewe of one accorde and agrement And of those articles this is the firste Firste they agree all in this that all sectes wil be called ghospellers all boaste them selues to folowe the worde of God the ghospell the Crede of the Apostles and of Athanasius they all saie that the worde off God is cleare and opeÌ„ and nedeth no interpretation that women and men laie and priestes maye al a like handle and treate off the worde off God And whatsoeuer sence of holy scripture shall like any man that he maye folowe and defend it for the worde of God it selfe The Second Article wherein they do all agree is that they do all with like endeuour and malice striue against the Catholike church that none of them all admitteth any Catholike or vniuersally receaued exposition of holy scripture that they all accompte the bishop of Rome for Antichriste all bishops Prelats Priestes for the meÌ„bres of the deuil that they do all abhorre constitutions and ceremonies of the Catholike churche That all hate and detest a like the blessed sacrifice of the Masse that all go aboute to take oute of the churche all priesthood and clergy The third article wherein all the protestants agree is that for the moste parte al leaders and Masters off sectes forge some notable lies vppon the Catholike writers and then persuade the people they are the doctrine of the papistes As for example They make the people wene that the papistes taught man to be able to merit the grace of God and the benefit off iustificatioÌ„ with his only good workes This and suche other lies they haue already so persuaded the people that although neuer Catholike man taught so yet they put this absurdite as the foundation and grounde of papisticall doctrine The fourth article wherein all protestants agree is that to confesse and reaken vp our sinnes to do any satisfaction whereby the temporall paine due for sinne may be released to labour and endeuoure to purchase euerlasting life by good workes proceding of the grace of God and depending of the merites of Christe is naught els but a papisticall buchery and torment of coÌ„sciences that CoÌ„firmatioÌ„ Matrimony and extreme vnction be mans inuentions not Sacraments of the church They agree also al in this that no man can liue chaste no more then he can liue withoute spetting as Luther writeth and that to faste certain appointed daies is the worshipping of deuils In these articles off the Confession off Augspurg in these articles of the fifte ghospell all sectes of our time agree wonderfully But in al other pointes they braule and snarle one at an other like cats and dogges A SHOVVE OF THE PROTESTANTS PETIGREVV as ye haue it before at large deducted An ougly Monster brought forth of a cowe in the yeare 1523. in Waltersdorff one myle from Friberg in one Steckers farme much resembling the cowle of a Fryer Whereby Luthers Monstrous life and doctrine was boded Bicause no coulours might expresse Luther the friers grace As also that such Champions might be knowen by their race Nature therefore in his chefe time of wedding and of preaching Did blase his armes in this Monster to geue the a warning Such faire figures such like truthes such foule rootes such ofspring Such holy fathers such good sonnes such ghospell such blessing Yet thou which maiest reade vpon this Monster do not musâ— But to haue more deformites his broode in this booke peruse A. Martin Luther of an Austin Fryer an ambitious Apostata A wicked deuiser of damnable doctrines Father of all the sectes of protestants The Archeheretike of our time Katerin Bore a Nonne by Luthers procurement ranne out of the Nonnery of Nymick in Saxony Easter eue at night in the yeare of our Lorde 1523. Came to Wittenberg liued twoo yeares a lewd life with the scholers there Then coupled her selfe in pretensed wedlock with Martin Luther a Nonne with a Fryer Apostatesse with Apostata B. C. Bernard Rotman an vnlerned laye man by reading of Luthers epistle ad Waldenses 〈…〉 Lutheran 〈…〉 meth 〈…〉 Of him spronge vp the buddes off this branche Adamites Sabbataries Anabaptistes Holders in common Howling Anabaptistes Mennonites Manywiuers Dauidgeorgians Byslepers Daemoniacalls Close Anabaptistes Steblers D. Zwinglius of a spiritual pastour a secular souldiar Reading the Assertions the Resolutions of Luther and his booke de formula Missa Becometh Father of the Sacramentaries multiplieng in to the sectes aboue named Signifiers Valuers Presentaries Iudaistes Imagebreakers Neutersacramentaries Metamorphistes Pleadgers Figurers E. Philip Melanchthon first the slaue of Luther allwaies a variable and inconstant felowe Euer lerning as S. Paul saieth but neuer attaining to the truthe Father and founder off the CoÌ„fessionistes spredding them selues in to thre famous factions eche faction breding a plentifull issue Zealous Lutherans diuided in to Lawles Lutherans Hellmasters Antidaemoniacalls Antidiapherists Antisuenckfeldians Handlayers Priesters Inuisiblers Twosacramenters Anticaluinistes Autofiandrins Amsâ—â—rsians Helltormenters Samosatenicalls Disordrely and vnruly Lutherans parted in to Suenckfeldians Stancarians Newpelagians Manichees and Marcionite alumisles Newmanichees Antistanckarians Osiandrins Ciuil Lutherans scattered in to Scripturians Thresacramenters Lutherancalicinistes Maiouristes Newpelagians Politick Lutherans Penitentiaries Halfosiandrins Foursacramenters Adiaphoristes THE PLACES AND COVNTRES VVHEREIN THE FORESAIDE PROTESTANTS AND HEREtikes either dwell openly or be conuersaunt secretly THe Anabaptistes dwell frely and opeÌ„ly in easte and weste Friselande and especially about Geddan Dantsch Elbing and Coiningsberg also in Morauia abundantly in Bohem not so com mon. Yet vnder pretext of Lutherans they liue here and there priuely vppon the
the broode of that fonde frier sing the same song Beza and his companions at the late Synod of Poissy in FrauÌ„ce were stiff in that opinion aloÌ„g time but at the leÌ„gth were driuen from it whereupoÌ„ they chaunged the tenour of their supplication calling them selues Les esleus de Dieu the chosen of God This wilde persuasion is allmost receiued of all protestants It is the very heresy of the Pelagians condemned therefore in S. Augustins time as in his booke De heresibus he reciteth at large What a great corrupter of holy Scripture Luther hath ben in the second part of this Apologie it is at large declared by Fridericus Staphylus How our protestants also haue folowed his example therein and how manifoldly they haue peruerted the very text of holy Scripture I haue in part touched to geue good warning in the rest Who list to see how this hath ben the guiâ—e and maner of olde heretikes Let him reade Tertullian in his praescriptions S. Ambrose vpon the epistle of S. Paul to Titus Iraeneus also and S. Augustin writing against Adimantus the manichee cap. 12. 14. 16. What should I procede farder in declaring how Luther and his scholers folowe rhe race of olde heretikes bothe in their doctrine and in the maner and setting forthe thereof The very refusall of the auncient fathers in Christes church pronouÌ„ced as you haue heard so impudently of Luther and folowed with no lesse impudence of his scholers is no new point but euen the very shift of their forefathers cursed heretikes of olde time This appeareth well by the disputations of Athanasius with Arrius by the counsell of Sisinnius to the Emperour Theodosius by the maner of Eutyches in the Councell of Chalcedon by the writings of Cirillus touching Nestorius and of S. Basil coÌ„cerning Eunonius For all these lerned fathers could not drawe those vnruly heretikes to the rule of the auncient and holy writers in the Church of Christ. They appealed to only Scripture and would be tried only by that as Luther would and the protestants of our time wil though many heretikes receiued not the whole corps of Scripture but such partes only as liked them reiecting all that made against them euen as now a daies also Luther and his scholers reiect the bookes of Machabees and the epistle of S. Iames the one bicause it praieth for the dead the other bicause it writeth directly against their only faith Of what heretikes they lerned this shift we haue already declared defending the Machabees against M. Grindall Aduise your selues now good Christen readers whether you thinke the surer waie to saluatioÌ„ to for lowe the steppes of these fathers of Luther and all new ghospellers all condemned heretikes aboue a thousand yeares past or embrace the doctrine of the holy Fathers and lerned approued writers in Christes church May we not wel iudge and assuredly persuade our selues that the very sprit of heresy spake in Luther and speaketh in all new ghospellers preaching and defending olde condemned heresies Why haue protestants departed from the olde Catholike religion and embraced the new doctrine of Luther they saie forsothe bicause all thinges are reformed after the paterne and practise of the primitiue Church What meane they trow ye herein truly I do not otherwise thinke but that a great numbre the vnlerned and deceiued sorte take them to meane wel and that all is reduced to the doctrine and religion approued and generally receiued in the primitiue church for the espace of fiue or six hundred yeares after Christ. But vndoubtedly the lerned and ringleaders of this new fangled faith if they meane truly must nedes meane the renewing of such heresies as were in that time condemned For thus and no otherwise do they folow doctrine practised in that time that is of heretikes as in a numbre of particular assertions you haue sene But to returne to Luther what point of a right heretike is there that hath not in him ben verified He condemneth the Church and holy Fathers appointed of the holy Ghoste to gouuerne and direct his church as you see by his owne wordes before alleaged He corrupteth holy scripture by false translations as the secoÌ„de part of this Apologie hath declared you He denied partes hereof at his pleasure after the acustomed maner of al heretikes He holdeth teacheth and defendeth olde cursed and loÌ„ge condeÌ„ned heresies as we haue before deducted vnto you He hath bredd diuers sectes by his owne doctrine repugnaÌ„t and coÌ„trary one to an other to wit the Anabaptistes the SacrameÌ„taries the S weÌ„ck feldiaÌ„s and diuers other as it appeareth clerely by the Table of his Ofspring in the thrid part of this Apologie Finally bicause al heretikes are knoweÌ„ by their frutes what the frutes of this maÌ„s doctrine haue beÌ„ it is in this Apologie of Staphylus in diuers places expresly set forth as wel for the great decaye of deuotion and spirituall vertus as for the temporall waste and misery that of this heresy hath ensued Of his terrible arrogancy and pride the most euident token of a wilfull heretiken and voide of all grace and goodnes all that haue read his writings can testifie abundantly None more complaine thereof then his felowe protestants the Sacramentaries of Zurich as partly by their wordes in the thirde parte of this boke alleaged it maye well appeare Neuer baude in bridwell nor scolde in the stewes so railed as this man doth beinge comptrolled of his doctrine His awnswers against all such as wrote againste him abundantly declare the same For hereupon the ciuill Lutherans do swarue in many pointes from such doctrine as he was wonte to vtter in the vehemency of sprit as they cal it and in his cholere He wrote him selfe an Euangelist off Christ euen as Manicheus called him selfe an Apostle of Christ as S. Augustin witnesseth And off his scholers he is called the thirde Helias as in the story of his deathe we reade writen by Melanchthon Ionas and Pomeranus Euen as Manicheus was of his scolers called the holy ghost and Montanus of his secte also He writeth that he is sure and certain he hath his doctrine from heaueÌ„ eueÌ„ as Aetius sayde also of him selfe I knowe God moste clerely and euen as perfitly as I knowe my selfe The cause and original of Luthers departure from the church was ambitioÌ„ as all the ecclesiasticall histories of our time FoÌ„tanus Rouerus and other do testifie to witt bicause he was not preferred to the publishing of the famous pardon of the croisad The same ambition made Aerius an heretike bicause Eustathius was preferred before him in a certain bishoprike as Epiphanius recordeth The like writeth Tertullian of ValeÌ„tinus and Nicephorus reporteth of Montanus lib. 4 cap. 2. of Nouatus libro 6. capite 3. of Florinus libro 4. capite 20. and of Thebutes one of the firste heretikes in the Apostles time the very same cause of falling in
and chaungeable minde of this Archeprotestant Who lyste to knowe more of this man and howe he with al his ciuil secte is misliked of the zelous Lutherans let him reade the bookes of Heshusius and Hieronimus Menczelius de pastoribus not that I wish such bookes to be read but that who will nedes reade them may note this in them where they greuousely complaine of the licentious liberte of these ciuil and conformable protestants Melanchthon and his complices He maye reade also the booke of Iohannes Spangenbergius sette forthe in the yeare 1561. whiche beareth this litle A true declaration of the benefits bestowed especially vppon Germany from God by D. Martin Luther of holy memory and of the greate vnkindnes of diuers towarde so greate benefits receaued In the which booke he inueigheth not so much against vs Catholikes whiche haue allwaies worthely abhorred the cursed heresies of that lewde fryer as against the ciuill Lutherans and disordrely extrauagants whiche haue swarued from the holy worde of that fifte euan geliste Which they haue done in such sorte that nowe none beareth lesse rule then he that first sturred all this storme and was the inuenter of this terrible tragedy At what time the generall councell of Trent by the consent of all the estates of the Empire and other Christen princes was gathered together and be gonne the protestaÌ„ts of germany especially the Lutherans hauing their saufconduit and prouision after the largest and surest maner graunted Melanchthon drewe backe and retracted the time by all meanes possible Whereupon first he came to the Emperour Charles soiourning at that time at Inspruch fewe daies iourney from Trent and made greate suite bothe for him selfe and his felowes that they might not present them selues at the councell For him selfe he alleaged first his aage then that he was no diuin but a louer and fauourer of diuinite And yet this is that Master of WitteÌ„berg successour in the schismaticall see of Luther father of that famous Confession of Augspurg whiche not onely the Lutherans but the Caluinistes them selues do reuerence no lesse then the foure ghospells But this awnswer no thing satisfing the Emperour he pretended he woulde shortely repaire to the councel returned to VVittenberg and from thence toke his iourney thitherwarde but at Norimberg he staied vntell his prince the duke Mauritius concluded the councel with fire and sworde And this charitable deuise of Melanchthon agreeth well with other his doings as that he wrote yea and put forthe in prent a litle booke to the people of Bohem wherein he sturreth them against their lawfull Prince and counselleth them to rebell against their Souuerain whereupon ensued ciuill warre and calamitous seditions in that countre as also that he and other masters of WitteÌ„berg in the yeare 1548. at what time the duke of Saxony and the Lantgraue off hesse rebelled wrote opeÌ„ly against the Emperour Charles and all his adherents Whereof Mathias Illyricus a zelous Lutheran chargeth them and reprocheth it vnto them bitterly in a certain litle booke which he made called An Information vpon certain articles c. This Philip Melanchthon father of these ciuill protestants as in wauering and ofte chaunging his doctrine he was a right ciuill Lutheran so corrupting the general Confession of his brethern and the workes of his Master he showed him selfe very vnciuill truly but a right heretike I assure you For this was the practise of awncient heretikes to flie and flitt from their saiengs being pressed with the lerned Catholikes And truly of this famous Confession of Augspurg and of Luthers workes daily thus altered and corrected I would saie corrupted of these ciuill Lutherans we may worthely pronouÌ„ce as Tertullian dothe of the Marcionistes who had made also a ghospell of their owne whereof he saieth Quotidie reformant illud prout a nobis quotidie reuincuntur aut erubescunt de magistro suo vbique traducto They frame it a newe daily as they are of vs daily conuinced or be ashamed of their master all wheres reprouued And see I praie you if these ciuill reformers of Luthers ghospel represent not vnto vs the face and behauiour of olde heretikes of whom TertulliaÌ„ in an other place thus speaketh Mentior si non etiam a regulis suis c. Let me be accompted a liar if they vary not froÌ„ their owne rules while euery one tuneth at his pleasure the songe he lerned euen as he that first taught it did sette it at his pleasure The Valentinians were as bolde as Valentinus their Master the Marcionistes made at their pleasure a newe faith as their Master Marcion had done before them Brefely al heresies well considered shall be founde to vary from their first heades in diuers pointes Thus farre TertulliaÌ„ which how true it is in the scholers of Martin Luther the archeheretike of our time these ciuil Melanchthonistes declare vnto vs and that to the greate griefe of the zelous Lutherans as the sundry writinges of Gallus Amsdorfius Illyricus famous SuperintendeÌ„ts of that secte do euidently showe This practise of Melanchthons inconstancy flitting from his owne doctrine the ecclesiastical histories witnes vnto vs to haue ben the maner of olde heretikes Off Thedotus Asclepiodotus Hermophilus and Apollonides thus writeth Nicephorus Quilibet etiam illoruÌ„ castigationeÌ„ proprioruÌ„ scriptoruÌ„ edidâ—â— idque varianantium dissidentium inter se exemplarium discordantia indicat that is Eche one of them did sette forthe their owne writings corrected and altered whiche the diuersite of the sundry and contrary copies doth declare The greate variaunce and inconstancy of the Arrians no lesse then of the LutheraÌ„s appereth wel by the ecclesiasticall histories also First in their priuat Synod at Antioche hauing concluded and agreed vpon a certain confession of their belefe shortly after they put forthe an other much different from the first Not loÌ„ge after three of these Arrian bishops being conueÌ„ted before ConstaÌ„s in the west and being demaunded a declaration of their belefe they vttered it in a farre other sorte then they had decreed at Antioche In Nicephorus their diuers confessions are sett oute at large Fâ—we yeares after the ArriaÌ„s meting together at Sirmium published three sondry and diuers confessions of their belefe al contrary to the former Let vs nowe see whether oure Lutherans haue not practised in like maner In the general meting of the protestants at Ausgpurg before the Emperour Charles in the yeare 1530 First those of Strasbourg Costniz and Memming offred vp a confession of their faith as farre different from the Saxons as they were from the Catholikes Then in the Confession of the Saxons deuised by MelanchthoÌ„ in the descriptioÌ„ of Christes church the worde Catholike is cleane left oute The nexte yeare after Melanchthon writing his Apology put the worde Catholike in but with a straunge and false exposition added vnto it euen such as the Donatistes made vnto S.
at the oblation and distributiō thereof For after the ghospel they we re all by the deacōs excluded And to this daie at Rome where Turkes sometime resort and Iewes alwaies cōtinewe some infidels and some Catechumeni at the solēne festes when most resort of people is at the high masse after the ghospel a staie is made and a serch whether any Catechumeni other of the Iewes or of the grekes be present Notwithstanding these Catechumeni beleued in Christ some off them no lesse then the Christiās S Ambrose was a Catechumin and a beleuer in Christ though not baptised euē when he was elected bishop of Millain S. Augustin being yet a Catechumin wrote diuers litle bookes wherein he declared him selfe not only a true beleuer in Christ but an excellent diuin as it appereth especially by his Soliloquia which he made in that time Nowe if Caluin had liued in those daies and sene S. Ambrose and S. Augustin not yet baptised notwithstanding the faith and lerning they had to be thrust out of the churches after the ghospel and not to haue bē suffred so much as to be present at the sacring time and the residew of the Masse he woulde of al likelihood comforted thē with the faith of his ghospell and whistred them in the eare that they receaued and did eate the fleshe off Christ no lesse thē the other that receaued at the aultar seing they beleued no lesse then the other He might also haue checked S. Ambrose for keping the Emperour Theodosius so longe out of the church for the greate murdre he had caused to be done at Thessaelonica For the Emperour notwithstanding remained in his faith as it well appeareth by the greate lamentations he made at home in his house when he sente Ruffinus one of his Nobles to S. Ambrose to be admitted in to the churche And in very dede Caluin by this his doctrine not onely comptrolleth S. Ambrose and S. Augustin but condemneth all the primitiue church excluding the Catechumeni from receauing the blessed Sacrament if as he saie faith only geueth them this foode I beseche here all good Christen men and such as feare God and loue their owne soules diligently to aduise with them selues howe they folowe the Sacramentary doctrine of our preachers of Geneua lest that in folowing them they departe from the Catholike church bothe that nowe is and euer hath ben which in their Crede they professe to beleue Thirdly if when our Sauiour saied to his disciples Take eate this is my body by the worde eating he badde vs beleue what did he bidde vs in the worde taking do we take by faith as we eate by faith why then call they men so earnestly to their table maye I not as wel eate and take by faith at home as at their table doth not my faith serue me as well in the house as in the church they are wonte to saie we maie as well praie at home as in the church and why maie we not also as well beleue at home as in the church Then if bothe taking and eating the body of Christ be but a matter of faith what nede they storme and trouble such as will not receaue at Easter or other times maie not good men tel them that by their owne doctrine they receaue at home beleuing in the passion and resurrection of Christ Againe when Christ bad the Apostles take and eate his body did they looke vpon him beleuing him and receaued nothing outewardely yes they will saie they receaued the bread what was the bread the body of Christe the Lutherans indede would be glad to heare that For so should Caluin be a Lutheran and agree with Westphalus which while he liued he would not do for his life What wil here the Sacramentary saye What shift hath he yet He will perhaps saye that Christ bad thē take bread and eate his body This were in dede to make Christ a very sophister to witt that bidding the Apostles take and eate both together saying withall it was his body he should meane they should take bread and eate his body Brefely this I cōclude Yf Christ in these wordes Take eate this is my body meaned this Take and eate this bread which is my body then Caluin agreeth with Westphalus and is become a Lutheran against his will If he meaned this take bread and eate my body then was it a sophisticatiō For it is a point of sophistry to ioyne two termes together taking one properly and the other improperly As here by this laste meaning Christ bidding them take ment properly they should take in dede and bidding them eate mēt vnproperly that is they should not eate in dede but beleue For as al the worlde knoweth beleuing is a very vnproper signification of eating and suche as neuer was heard of before the daies of Iohn Caluin being ment of sacramentall eating But will you see that by the doctrine of Caluin the Apostles did not eate Christ at all in the last supper I meane by faithe For Caluin as you haue heard by his wordes in his Catechisme meaneth such faith as beleueth that Christ died for our redemption and hath risen for our iustification Nowe what faith the Apostles had when Christ made is maunde touchinge his death I will not nowe dispute Althoughe it may seme they doubted much thereof whē they wōdered so muche at his wordes signifiēg his deathe as that Iudas should betraie him as also S. Peter after denieng him But as touching the resurrection the scripture telleth vs plain that diuers of the Apostles at that time beleued it not For first S. Ihon in his ghospell writeth of him selfe that after he looked in to the graue and sawe nothing but the winding shete lefte Vidit credidit he sawe and he beleued And straight after he writeth of S. Peter and him selfe Nondū enim sciebant scripturā c. for they knewe not yet the scripture that he should rise frō deathe S. Thomas also an other of the Apostles woulde not beleue that Ghrist had risen vntell he put his finger in to his woundes And therefore our Sauiour saide after vnto him Quia vidisti me Thoma credidisti Thomas thou haste beleued bicause thou haste sene me Lo then S. Peter S. Ihon and S. Thomas beleued not in the resurrectiō of Christ whē they receaued the blessed Sacramēt in the laste Supper therefore if Caluins doctrine be true the Apostles did not eate Christ at all in the laste Supper See what godly doctrine ensueth of this ghospel of Geneua But here perhaps some scoler of Caluin will obiect what Sir Will you then conclude that bicause in the laste Supper the Apostles without such especiall faith receaued the body of Christ therefore nowe any man may receaue it without that faith Truly suche maner of reasoning of it selfe were naught But yet inioyning with Caluin it were not amisse For he vseth the like against the doctrine of the
continuall succession of time vncorrupted whole and perfite whiche maketh me more to maruaill what wicked and malitious sprit moued these protestants to terme them selues only ghospellers and professours of Gods worde calling the Catholikes papistes and enemies of the worde of God seing that bothe nowe and in all ages we reade the ghospell in our churches we preache the worde of God in our pulpits and interpret it to the people we expresse it by outward ceremonies rites and gestures such as we haue receaued of our forefathers euen from the primitiue church and the Apostles time And this Luther knewe him selfe well inough But why dissembled he it then forsothe to deceaue and entrappe the easier the simple people in to his preteÌ„ded religion For Luther and all his ministers knowe very wel that in the ghospel and worde of God two thinges are to be considered First that the text be sownd and not corrupted then that the same text be expounded Catholikely and not heretically For as S. Bernard saieth looke with what sprit the scriptures were writen with the same must they be read and vnderstanded Seing then the text by the instinct of the holy ghost hath ben geuen vs true and perfit the vnderstanding also and interpretation thereof coming of the holy ghost must be true and perfit so that one shall be as true and of as much force as the other It is not inough therefore to reade holy scripture perfitly but to vnderstande it well also For as S. Hierom sayeth The scriptures consist not in reading but in vnderstanding All this Luther was not ignorant of But to depraue and corrupt the right interpretation of holy scripture and to bring in place his owne hereticall and forged expositions he maketh no mencion off the text but crieth still the worde of God calling the dreames of his braine pure and holy scripture For if ye aske of the Lutherans when they preache that God coÌ„straineth men to do euill that God was the cause of Iudas his reprobation and obstinat desperation that good workes are hurtefull to saluation and such like matters what maner of doctrine that is they will incontinently awnswer you that This is the pure ghospell the sincere worde of God and holy scripture it selfe But then if ye go farder and desire them to showe yow these very wordes and propositions in holy scripture there they hush Yet will they tell you that the wordes in dede them selues be not in the Bible but the meaning of them is there To the which if ye replie agayn and vrge them farder it will soone appere that the controuersie betwene the protestants and vs is not of holy scripture it self but of the true vnderstanding of the same And so S. Hilary hauing to do with heretikes in his time pronounced Heresie sayth he is in the vnderstaÌ„ding not in the scripture And truly all heretikes neuer cried other thing theÌ„ the holy scripture the worde of God and we that are Catholikes also haue holy scripture allwaies in our mouth Nowe then a man may maruaill and aske howe cometh it to passe that the Lutherans and the Catholikes the protestants and the papistes striue and contend so one with an other where as yet bothe haue the ghospell bothe loue and embrace it bothe cleaue vnto it and bothe are ready to spende their good and their life for it Here I beseche the Christian reader marke and perceaue well that this is not the coÌ„trouersie whether the Catholikes or the Lutherans haue the worde of God but which of them doth truly rightely and sincerely expounde that worde off God For this is the Lutherans common saying The papistes vnderstand not the Bible but we haue founde the right interpretation thereof and the kaye of all truthe And to set a good coulour vppon this holy protestation they saye farder That all bisshops prelats priestes and Monkes be all without lerning all incoÌ„tinent all of euill life geauen to couetousnes to pleasure and to the bely But they theÌ„ selues that is the Lutherans be learned chaste sobre liberall deuowte and of perfit life and such as haue done great miracles and yet do Neither are these impudeÌ„t heretikes ashamed of these lowde lies although all the worlde well knoweth it is nothing so while they see Churches hospitalls religious houses of all sorte colledges and bishoprickes of these men partly cleane ouerthrowen partly rifled all taken into their handes and conuerted into palaces armories barnes cole houses shops of Marchaundrise yea and in some places in to stables These lo be the miracles of this new ghospell abundantly practised all this fourty yeares As for other miracles not one of these new ghospellers was euer able so much as to cure a lame colte or a halting biche so farre is it that these meÌ„ could euer cast out deuils heale the lame cure the blinde restore the deafe or raise vp the dead all which miracles many holy fathers of the olde ghospell as I may so speake which these men call Papistes haue wrought from time to time in Christ his churche as right approued histories do manifestly declare Now as for the good and perfit life of these men and excellent lerning all the worlde seeth it An olde sorte of heretikes called Donatistes obiected in times past to S. Augustin the very same argumeÌ„t saying that their church only was vpright holy pure and lerned But the Catholike churche was nothing so And therefore the doctrine of the Donatistes was vndoubtedly souÌ„de and perfit but that of the Catholikes false and vntrue But what awnswered theÌ„ here S. Augustin The argument saieth he that proueth mens doctrine by their life is false But let vs suppose that these holy protestants passed al the vniuersall Catholike church of Christ sens the time of the Apostles bothe in godlines of life and excellency of lerning Which I thinke in good sothe they wil not al together affirme But if it were so it wil not yet thereuppon ensue that only the Lutherans vnderstande holy scripture and the Catholikes neuer vnderstoode it For if the right intelligence of holy Scripture be only to be sought amonge such as will stoutely affirme of them selues to passe all the rest of men in vprightnes of life and excellency of lerning then in very dede must we nedes leaue this great treasure of the right meaning of holy scripture vnto heretikes For in all ages heretikes allwaies craked of their great lerning and perfit life as the ecclesiasticall histories well declare of the Arrians the Manâ—ches the Pelagians and such like And what other thinge dothe Luther in many of his workes especially in his booke against the pope Then call the olde Catholike writers and holy fathers fooles asses rude and vnlerned babes of the pope hermaphrodites and such like Neither contemneth he only the Catholikes but euen his owne coÌ„panions and felow heretikes also as Zuinglius
of God nor should not ende to his honour Luther in all his doinges declared well this his intent and purpose but nowe bicause Ex abundâ—ntia cordis os loquitur as the harte thinketh the tongue speaketh he vttereth it also in wordes and be wraieth his deuelish intent rashely perhaps and vnprouidently on his owne parte but not without the mercyfull prouidence of allmighty god in our behalf And in very dede according to his talke the matter proued For see howe he made his entry to this ioly enterprise He knew right well that the authorite of lerned writers staÌ„ding he could not plant his deuelish and wicked doctrine Therefore at the first he persuadeth the worlde that the ghospell hitherto hath ben trod vnder foote and mens constitutions haue preuailed Wherefore nothing ought to be receiued but the only clere and expresse text of holy Scripture For these be his wordes in his booke De sâ—ruo arbitrio against Eraesmus Laie aside all the armour and defence which the olde Catholike writers all scholes of diuines authorite of Councells and popes the consent of all ages and all Christendom do minister vnto you VVe admitt nothing but Scripture VVhatsoeuer the olde writers taught the authorite of the church hath deliuered Christen people hath embraced Scholes haue defended it is all the pestilent poison of the deuill I will no iudgement but I require obedience Nor let not any maÌ„ be any whit moued with the miracles or holynes of the Saints off the church They are all damned if they thought as they wrote Thus farre Frier Luther Be these the wordes thinke you of a Christen maÌ„ If Porphirius Lucian Iulian the Apostata or any Turke or Pagan shoulde go about to withdraw Christen men from the faith of Iesus Christ and of his holy worde what surer grounde could he vse of his persuasion what suttler entry coulde he make then to persuade them that all Counsells al doctours al Popes haue erred damnably and taught Satanicall doctrine There arose in Holland about twenty yeares past one George Dauid first a Lutheran protestant and after a most detestable Apostata affirming him selfe to be the true Messias and Christ. He liued afterward in Basill certain yeares vnder pretence of a Lutheran protestant and naming him selfe Iohn of Bruncke he died at Basill and but two yeares after his deathe was espied to be that George Dauid whom so many Anabaptistes folowed and beleued At what time his bookes and writings being serched coÌ„taining the reasons and persuasions of his doctrine amonge many other this was founde and is the viij th in number If saieth he the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles had ben the true and perfit doctrine truly the church which they planted and framed by their doctrine should necessarely haue continued and neuer perished Bicause hell gates them selues as Iesus saied should not preuaile against his church but nowe it is euident that Antichrist hath vtterly ouerthrowen the doctrine and building of the Apostles For this saieth he is manifest in the papacy Whereof he will haue it necessarely ensue that the doctrine of the Apostles be vnperfitt and false but the doctrine that he bringeth for the be the perfit and true These are the very wordes of the history of his life sette forthe by the vniuersite of Basill Beholde the reason of Luther to plant his newe ghospell and the reason of George Dauid to ouerthrowe the ghospell is all one Luther groundeth vppon the errour of the church George Dauid groundeth vppon the same Luther maketh his entry by condemning the churche George Dauid maketh the same Onely this is the difference Dauid goeth plainly to worke and openeth his diuelish intent at the first and therefore he prospered not Luther craftely pretendeth the defence of Gods worde though he condemne the church and therefore it succeded ioylely with him For tenfolde worse is a preuy enemy then an open and sooner is the Turke auoided then the heretike though they bringe vs bothe to one pitte the Turke walketh naked he asketh all at ones his filthynes appeareth at the first sight and therefore the Christen man at the first blushe abhorreth him But the heretike is cloked with the name of a Christian asketh but the deniall of some part of our saith pretendeth the worde of God and therefore is not off many espied Our Sauiour in that most tender and longe praiers that he made for mankinde after the mysticall Supper praieth thus O holy father kepe them in thy name whom thou hast geuen vnto me that they may be one as we are I aske not only for them but for all such as by their worde shall beleue in me that they all be one as thou father in me and I in the that they also be one in vs that the worlde may beleue that thou hast sent me Christ here praieth for vnite in his Church and that to continue for euer For he saied before he would praie the Father and he should geue a comforter to tary with vs for euer the Spirit of truthe And why doeth our Sauiour praie for this vnite and truthe to continew for euer in his Churche forsothe he protesteth it vnto his Father and saieth to the entent that the worlde may beleue that thou hast sent me Lo Christ would haue the continuaunce of truthe and vnite in his Church to be a most euident argument to all the worlde that he was the true Son of God the only Sauiour and Redemer of the worlde Nowe Luther and George Dauid denie this vnite and truthe to haue continewed and our protestants appeale to the first six hundred yeares condemning wickedly the whole corps of Christendom off these last ix hundred yeares of errours superstition and idolatry And what other coÌ„sequeÌ„t looke we hereof to folowe then that with George Dauid and his secte they denie Christ him selfe In the preface off Staphylus to the bishop of Eistat you haue sene howe the protestants of Bohem are allready come to this point where this heresie first began and hath most continued But here peraduenture some ciuill Lutheran will be offended with vs for vrging these wordes of Luther and charging him so farre therewith and awnswer with their common distinction saying The writinges of Luther are of thre maner of sortes to witt some writen before he thouroughly espied what popery was some again writen in vehemency of contention wherein sometime he showed him selfe to much passioned some again that he wrote in mekenes of spirit and such to be taken for the very pure kernell and vndoubted verite of his ghospell This distinction and poore shift though Luther vsed it before the Emperour at Wormes and be a common cloke of the ciuill protestants to couer the filthynes off their father Luther yet bothe it standeth litle with the truthe of an Euangelist as he termeth him selfe or of the third Elias as his scholers call him and will neuer be graunted of
the zelous Lutherans Illyricus Gallus Amssdorffius and such other which will not departe from any one iote of Luthers doctrine No nor Luther him selfe cannot abide it For thus he writeth in his presumptuous booke against our late Souuerain king Henry the eight It repenteth me saith Luther that I submitted my selfe so much before the Emperour at VVormes that I would suffer any man to sitt Iudge on my doctrine or heare if any man could conuince me of any errour For I should not haue declared so foolish an humilite being sure and certain of my doctrine Beside that the same submission nothing auailed me before that tyran A man must be so sure and certain of his doings that although all the worlde be sett against him yet he departe no one iote from them Thus farre Luther Where you see he confesseth not that he speaketh amisse sometime by infirmite sometime of a passion but he maketh him selfe to stande vpon a most sure grounde so that he can not saie a misse Likewise at what time Carolostadius suaruing from Luther would so haue excused him selfe that at the beginning he was but weake in the spirit c. Luther awnswereth him that the spirit of God vseth no such excuse Well then if the doctrine of Luther be so sure and constant that it may not vary will our protestants and new Masters at home stande stoutely to the same Will they condemne all Councells all holy Fathers all authorite of the Church all that Christen people haue hitherto beleued for these are the very wordes of Luther quoted you before oute of his workes Truly this were a compendious waie not only fot their purpose but for the Turkes to Yea and for Antichrist him selfe For when he cometh can he deuise any more politick engin to vnderminde Christendom can he wish for any better harbengers to prepare mens hartes and good wills to lodge him in waight the matter who listeth wisely and diligently he shall finde none like to this Yet Luther they will saie leaueth vs holy Scripture which Antichrist will not do Yea truly but how leaueth he it I meane to be read of the vnlerned laye man Forsothe he translateth it in to the mother tongue And how sincerely and truly I reporte me to the second part of this Apologie where you haue sene how vprightly he hath dealed herein As for the common text which our protestants after their Master Luther do vse and commaunde to be read in Churches we haue in our preface noted you in part the truthe and soundnes thereof But to show to the worlde their fidelite and sincerite yet farder I will here specify some other places of holy Scripture altered and corrupted by them And this I will do but in part and brefely noting such as it hath ben my chaunce here and there to espie not making any speciall discours vpon the whole translation of the english Bible which may with time and more diligence hereafter be done Where as S. Paule hath Haereticum hominem deuita Auoide the heretike man our new english traÌ„slatioÌ„s reade Auoide a man that is an author of sectes as though an heretike and an author of a secte wer all one By this false forged text the doctrine of our protestants being proued hereticall yet Luther Caluin Suâ—nâ—k feldius Osiander and such other were only to be auoided as being the authors and first beginners off these present theresies but our protestants being no authors theÌ„ selues of sectes but folowers of other may notwithstanding S. Paules wodes be embraced and supported But an heretike as S. Augustin defineth is he which for tempor all commodite honour or welth either forgeth him selfe new doctrine or foloweth And all such S. Paule biddeth vs auoide But no maruail iff these men did so alter this text It is good reason a maÌ„ fauour him self for els perhaps the people reading this text of S. Paul would beginne to auoide our protestants whom they see to be heretikes And therefore in an other place where S. Paule saieth Oportet haereses esse There must be heresies they likewise turne it There must be sâ—ctes auoiding allwaies the name of heresy bicause it touched them to nigh And verely it were not amisse for them if the name of heresy and heretikes were quite forgotten seâ—â—g their whole doctrine which they haue lerned of Luther and Caluin is nothingels but olde condemned heresies patched together and newly scoured as in this discourse we shall euidently declare vnto you For this purpose also where S. Paule writeth to Timothe Pâ—ophanas vocum nouitates deuita auoyde straunge nouelties of wordes whereby he ment new â—ereticall doctrine these men turne it auoide vnghostely vanities of voyces altering quite bothe the wordes and the sence of the Apostle for it standeth vpon these men to haue nouelties allowed With the like vaine of euangelicall sincerite bicause they may not abyde to heare off aultar hauing plucked them downe against the expressâ— practise of the primitiue churche and all ages where S. Paule writeth Are not they which eate of the sacrifice partakâ—â—s of the aultar these men turne for the 〈…〉 The latin hath altare and the graeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the same place they make S. Paule talke of images as thoughe Christen men had then worshipped images whiche yet they say is but a late inuention where as he talketh only of idols and idolaters In like maner bicause traditions are a great eye sore to all newe ghospellers they putt out of S. Paule the worde Traditions and put in his place sometime Ordinaunces sometime Institutions as ofte as S. Paule biddeth theÌ„ to be kept In other places when the traditions of the Iewes are reprehended then they kepe the worde gladly All Sacramentaries that folow the banner of Caluin make light of the Sacrament of baptim teaching that the children of Christen parents may withoute daunger lacke it if there be no coÌ„tempt or negligence on our parte We shall haue occasion in examining of Caluins doctrine to speake more of this cursed heresie Nowe bicause the saying of oure Sauiour in S. Iohns ghospel Onlesse a man be borne again of water and the holy Ghoste he shall not entre in to the kingdome of heauen did vtterly ouerthrowe this wicked opinion our protestants in their translatioÌ„s haue founde the meanes so to clippe the text that it might no lenger directly fight against them and therefore they leaue out the worde againe in S. Iohn which of necessite imported a second natiuite of baptim But of this we shal haue occasioÌ„ to speake more hereafter In the me ane ye see the vpright dealing of our protestaÌ„ts How are they to be trusted in their sermoÌ„s in their homelies and in a numbre of assertions and articles which they teache without scripture that corrupt the Scripture it selfe They wil saie they alter sometimes the text bicause of the greke which varieth from the latin