down so many fathers and reasons as partly I haue alleaged to the contrary and might haue alledged many mo But their meaning is plaine enough For although S. Augustine and that Councel of Carthage and others say that all those bookes are canonicall yet wee must vnderstand them according to their meaning They diuided all the scripturs that went in the name of scriptures but into two parts Those which they called Apocrypha De ciuit Dei lib. 15. ca. 23 lâ— b. 3. cap. 25 Euseb had many fables as may appeare by saint Augustine now all the rest they called Canonicall so that they comprehend vnder that name all that Eusebius and others do vnderstand both by such bookes as were without all controuersie receiued of al men and such as were not generally receiued of all but well liked of many And they comprehend all these in one name not only because that in comparison of the other that were fabulous these were good but also because they were read commonly of them although not for establishing of anie doctrine as before I haue shewed yet for reformation of manners And that S. Augustines meaning was not to make like account of all appeareth not onely by that rule which himselfe setteth downe in that very chapter after he hath reckoned vp those Bookes canonicall Those canonicall bookes which are generally saith he receiued by the common consent of all Churches De doctrinâ— christiana li. 2. cap. 8. 30 are to bee preferred before them that are reiected of many but of those whom we call Apocrypha Origen Athanasius Epiphanius Melito Hierome Ruffinus and many other haue doubted but also by his practise For it will appeare how that somtime himself doubteth of some of them which we deny to be canonicall namely of the Machabees hee writeth thus against the second Epistle of Gaudentius the Donatist Lib. 2. cap. 23 This peece of Scripture of the Machabees the Iewes do not so account of as of the Law the Prophets and the Psalmes vnto the which the Lord giueth testimony as vnto his own witnesses saying Al things must be fulfilled which are written in the Law the Prophets and the Psalmes of me but it is receiued of the Church not without profite if it bee read or heard soberly Wherin first I note that the Iewes with whom the word of God was kept before it came to vs did not account it canonicall Secondly note how he magnifieth the witnes of the scriptures which are indeede canonical calling them the Lords owne witnesses And thirdly how coldly hee intertaineth the bookes of Machabees saying the church readeth them and that with profit if they be read soberly by reason of some good examples in them But yet more plainely in his Bookes of the citie of God Lib. 18. c. 36. The reckoning of time from the restoring of the Temple is not found in the holy Scriptures that are called Canonicall but in other writings amongst which are the Bookes of the Machabees which the Iewes reckon not canonicall but the church doth bicause of the extreame strange sufferings of some Martires Wherein wee see how that S. Augustine saith that wee knowe not the story of those times after the temple was built by any canonicall writer but yet by the Machabees wee know it therefore the Machabees are not canonicall And yet the church accounteth them saith he canonicall because of the examples of the Martyres in them As if he would haue saide Although those Bookes be not indeede such as you may build your faith vpon yet they are for some things worth the reading Which two places I stoode vpon the rather because Bellarmine alledgeth them De verbo de lib. 1. cap. 15. especially this latter as a speciall pillar to hold vp those Bookes of Machabees But howe truely let the Reader iudge Arg. 3 Their third and last argument is taken from that authority which they imagine the Church hath to approoue or disprooue Gods word And therefore is it so often repeated by Bellarmine handling this point That the Councell of Trent hath allowed such Bookes De verbo dei lib. 1. De ecclesia So that hee iumpeth right with that which most blasphemously Eckius hath set downe that twice within few lines he liked so well of it That the Scriptures are not authenticall or canonicall without the authoritie of the church And Canus setteth himselfe to make a full discourse against them that say Lib 2. de locis Theol. ca. 6 That the Scripture needeth not the approbation of the church And thus they must reason The church hath allowed those bookes to be canonicall which you call Apocrypha according as did also the ancient fathers therefore they are canonicall Answere That the weakenesse and wickednesse of this argument may appeare let vs first consider who is the Author of the holy scriptures which the Apostle declareth as plainly as can be when he saith 2. Tim. 3.16 The whole scripture is giuen by inspiration from God Therefore the scripture is the word not of man but of God Secondly let vs see how this word came to vs whether by tradition of the church or by special reuelation Which also is plainly answered by saint Peter saying 2. Pet. 1.21 that prophecie came not in olde time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were mooued by the holy Ghost What will we then say shall we imagin that God would direct by his holy Spirite the mouthes of his seruants to speake but not their pennes to write God forbid Thirdly the men whome it pleased God to vse as his meanes in setting downe this word were knowen vnto the church of that time wherein they flourished and their calling so confirmed vnto the godly that without all doubt or wauering they receiued those writings as Gods word because they knew the authors thereof to be directed by Gods spirit And this is the difference that the ancient fathers doe make betweene those Bookes of scripture whose authors were knowen and their bookes alwayes receiued and therefore called Canonicall that is such as deliuer rules for life and doctrine that are infallible and those other that are called Apocrypha because either it was not knowen who wrote them or else it was not knowen that they were indued with such a spirite as they could not erre in any thing And therefore their Bookes were not receiued of the church then Is it not then intollerable pride in the church of Rome to commaund silence vnto God himselfe and not to suffer him to speake but when they giue him leaue and to proclame it vnto the world that euen his word is not of credite vnlesse it be by their approbation and allowance of the same And yet thus doe they say when they affirme that the Scriptures are not Canonicall but by the approbation of the Church Yea some make them no better than Esopes Fables if the Church allowe not
we derogate anie thing herein from the power of the spirit whose direction if we could follow we should neuer do amisse but impute it to our owne weaknes ignorance corruption whereby it commeth to passe that euen the godly many times grieue Gods spirit and suffer him not to haue his perfect worke Other arguments also they haue but they haue scarce any shew of truth and therefore I thinke them not worthie answering for their places out of the fathers doe commend the faith of Rome that then was and their constancie in the same but what is that to this degenerate church of Rome that now is of the church whereof we may say as one saith of their citie that a man will seeke Rome in the midst of Rome So a man will seeke the church euen in the midst of their most shewe of religion and yet not finde it Of the markes of the Church or how wee may know the true Church CHAP. 9. THE PROTESTANTS WE must iudge of the tree of the church by the fruits that she bringeth foorth that is by the faith or religion that shee teacheth the confession or profession of the same that she maketh the exercise of the same that she vseth but we cānot iudge truely of these her fruits but only by the scriptures as in the fiue first chapters hath beene shewed therfore the true and infallible tokens or markes of the true church are to be had out of the word of God or the Scriptures THE PAPISTS NOwe the Papistes will haue their church to bee the true church because shee hath by vniust claime a good name to bee called Catholike Name catholike Antiquity Continuance Greatnesse Succession because shee is ancient and hath lasted long she is great and hath alwayes borne fruit such as it was for these are the first fiue notes reckoned vp by Bellarmine Lib. 4. de notis eccles and indeede their chiefest which especially they rest vppon And may not an euill tree haue all these properties Yes verely And as for the rest of his marks in the iudgement of an indifferent Reader they will neuer be accounted true markes of the Church excepting those notes wherein he seemeth to consent with vs to try the church by the word namely by holinesse of doctrine Because I haue in another treatise shewed I trust sufficiently that those markes of the church which they make greatest account of neither are any true markes and that we may make as good claime to them as they can it shall now be sufficient briefly to passe ouer this point and with one or two arguments to answer this question The scripture the true note of the true church Those markes of the church whereby wee may truely know the church and not be deceiued those I say onely are the true markes of the church But the scriptures onely are such Therefore they onely are the infallible markes The maior or first proposition no man will deny And that the Scriptures are such may appeare by infinite testimonies De pec merit remiss lib. 1. cap. 22. Saint Augustine saith it can not deceiue nor be deceiued And against the Donatists de bapt lib. 2. cap. 6. calleth the Scriptures the holy wey-scales or ballances Cap. 1. And in his booke de bono viduitatis he saith that the holy scripture doth set him his rule how to teach And to be short writing vpon saint Iohns Epistle he saith that Against deceitfull errours In Ioh. epist tractatu 2. God would set a strength or stay in the scriptures And Chrysostome saith vpon Genesis Hom. 12. in Genes that the Scripture wil not suffer him to erre or go astray that heareth it And therefore Gregory Nazianzene sometimes calleth the Scriptures The Kings high way Matth. 24. And our sauior Christ although he foretold the danger of error a litle before he suffered yet doeth hee not giue the Disciples any such markes whereby they should know the true Christ or true church as the Papistes speake of but he earnestly commendeth his word vnto them Ioh. 14.15 23. 15.7 And feruently prayeth vnto his father to sanctifie them with his trueth Ioh. 17.3 17 namely with his word for he knew that to be the way to keepe them from errour By all which it appeareth that the scriptures onely are accounted that perfect rule not only by the iudgement of the fathers but also by the practise of our sauiour Christ But most plainly S. Chrysost saith Opere imperf hom 49 That the true Church can be knowen only by the Scriptures I know that Bellarmine answereth this place in his 4. booke de verbo Dei ca. 11. after two sorts First that the booke sauoureth somwhat of Arianisme But in these words what Arianisme can Bellarmine finde Yea Bellarmine himselfe doth in other places alleage this booke But his second answer I confesse is very forcible For he telleth vs that in a booke printed of late that place is left out Haue they not thinke you answered the place strongly when they haue thrust it quite out of the booke If they had vsed Chrysostome onely in this sort yet were it too bad dealing but it may appeare by Franciscus Iunius his preface before the booke called Index Expurgatorius that they haue left few of the Fathers vncorrupted I would to God therefore that this and such other gelding and falsifying of the fathers by that deceiuing church of Rome which seekes to make them al say as she doth could stir vp the christiā princes that professe religion in a godly care to prouide for the safetie and maintenaunce of religion and the trueth thereof in time to come Which in my iudgement can not well be perfourmed except that to preuent the credite of those falsified copies which within short time are almost onely like to remaine because the ancient which are the truest wil be worne out the godly Princes by common consent woulde take some speedy order for printing of al the fathers according to the ancientest and most pure copies that might be found The second argument is this Whatsoeuer notes do not teach it to be euidently true that the church whereof they are the notes is the true church of God may deceiue and therefore are not certaine notes of the true church But such are the notes that the Papists would haue vs to beleeue therefore they are but deceitfull notes De verbo de◠lib. 1. cap. 2. The maior or first proposition is most true and may well bee prooued out of that axiome or rule that Bellarmine setteth downe saying De notis eccles li. 3. ca. 3. That the rule of the catholike faith must bee sure or certaine The minor or second proposition is Bellarmines owne confession euen in the selfe same words that I haue set downe Therefore it followeth necessarily that we must not trust the notes of the catholike church set downe by them CHAP. 10. Before I beginne
of them O blasphemie intollerable if this their argument might bee allowed then the church of Rome which falsely challengeth to bee the church Caus 15. Quaest 6. ca. Autoritatem Dâ— st 34. c. sector dist 82. presbyt would soone prooue their abhominable Idolatries and heresies to be true religion And therefore doe they challenge this authoritie and striue for it And the Pope sometimes dispenseth against the Apostle as their Canonists doe note and sometimes a Councell dispenseth against the apostle and all this is to challenge vnto their church this prerogatiue that it may deale with Gods word as it will When Gregorie the thirteenth pope of that name confirmed the order of the fellowship of the blessed virgine Marie a new deuised order and come vp since the order of Iesuites in his Bull hee confirmeth and ratifieth all such priuileges as they haue or shall haue Notwithstanding anie Constitutions or Ordinances Apostolike or whatsoeuer may be against it Did you euer reade or heare any speake more like the beast mentioned in the Apocalips Apoc. 13.5 6 who had a mouth giuen vnto him that spake blasphemies But to be short I will against their argument oppose this Whatsoeuer scriptures are not giuen by inspiration of God spirit and by the godly receiued into the canon of the scripturs those are not the word of God though they haue the approbation of the latter churches but such are the Bookes which wee call Apocrypha which the councell of Trent would make of like authoritie with the canonicall Scriptures therefore those Bookes are not the vndoubted word of God And howe can any body imagine that that which once hath beene not canonicall can by continuaunce of time and confirmation of men become canonicall or that which God hath not vouched woorthy to bee his word in times past that nowe at the last he should acknowledge the same as though hee were nowe chaunged or had repented him of his former opinion Admit once this doctrine of theirs and farewell all certaintie in religion For men will wander from one thing to an other as wee see in the kingdome of darkenesse and Poperie where there is no ende of deuotions deuised and inuentions of men So that that which was good christianitie in the dayes of Christ and of his Apostles is nowe holden to be farre from the perfection of a godly life vnlesse wee doe helpe it with our will-worshippings and by the obeying the preceptes of the church Nay graunt them this and then that worde written that wee haue it shall speake nothing but Romish so that whatsoeuer is the meaning and true sense of the scriptures yet God must be taught to speake as the church of Rome will haue him De verbo dei lib. 4. cap. 11. To this ende tendeth that common axiome receiued of them all and vsed by Bellarmine The true sense of the Scripture hangeth of vnwritten traditions So that beleeue them and they will easily confute any aduersaries For first they alow for scripture what they will Secondly that which they must needes confesse to bee Scripture must bee expounded by their vnwritten Traditions That I say that is written by that which is vnwritten the certaine by the vncertaine Like to Procustes his bed which who so lay in it if he were too long he was cut shorter if he were too short he was stretched out longer So must all be made fit to their traditions Seeing therefore the Canonical Bookes haue so manifest a testimonie not onely of the godly but euen of the aduersaries themselues and the credite of the Apocrypha by so great authorities is suspect I will conclude with belâ— armines words That he is not well in his wit that not regardâ— ng â—â— e Scripture the surest and safest rule wâ— ll refeâ— re hâ— mself to the iudgement of the inward spirâ— t which is often deceitfull and alwayes vncertaine as in truth the Papists do For they will make you beleeue that because they are guided by the holy Ghost they cannot erre in their traditions This rule then of Gods written word in the Canonicall bookes of the old and new Testament being set downe as a rule most sure to trâ— e all doctrines with let vs now proceed to examine other matters in controuersy among vs when I shal first haue answered a common obiection wherein all the most ignorant sort especially of Papists doe maruellously trust and triumph and doe therewith deceiue others such as them selues are How shal I know the scriptures say they to be the scriptures but by the authoritie of the Church I will not answer although I might very well that absurdly they call that in question whereof there is no doubt among vs. For neither we nor they denie Gods word It is knowne of all it is receiued of vs all Therfore they put case of that there is not neither is likely to be amongs vs. But for their sakes that are ignorant I answer plainely and shortly out of Saint Augustine Coâ— feâ— li. 6. cap. 5. Thou Lord hast perswaded me that they are blame worthie not who haue beleeued thy bookes which thou hast so setled almost in all nations but they that haue not beleeued them And that I should not heare them if perchance any would say to me How knowest thou that those bookes the scripture are giuen to mankinde by the spirite of one very and most true God Yea Saint Augustine there confesseth that when he was but a nouice in religion yet was he perswaded that God would neuer haue made the whole world so to reuerence the Scriptures but that he meant to be beleeued in them and to be sought out by them We see then by saint Augustine that not onely that common account that the whole world not the Church onely maketh of the Scriptures should be sufficient to stop our mouths for asking that question but also that he flatly telleth vs that God would not haue vs to heare such faithles and fruitles obiections But I know they will by and by come vpon me with that place of Augustine Cont. epist 〈◊〉 c. 5. I would not beleeue the Gospel vnlesse the authoritie of the Church should moue me thereto Out of which they will perchance conclude as grosly as you heard Eckius hath done That the Scripture it selfe hath no credite but as the Church will bestow it vpon the same But Melchior Canus a learned Papist doth gather otherwise out of that place and doth in deed truely answere this common obiection for vs out of the said words of S. Augustine concluding thus Therefore it teacheth not Locor Theo lib. 1. cap. â— that beleeuing the Gospel is grounded vpon the authoritie of the Church but onely that there is no sure way whereby either Infidels or Nouices in faith may come to the holy Scriptures but the consent of the Catholike Church Yea he hath taught a little before in that Chapter that although to haue faith
not will or choice in themselues to doe things we should neither deserue punishment for euil doing nor haue reward for well doing Thus haue I truely faithfully deliuered vnto thee good reader the cause that maketh this and other of the ancient fathers especially before Pelagius to write so plainelie for free will De fide Or. thod li 2. cap. 7. As also may wel be gathered out of Damascene For when as yet there were none sprung vp that did attribute too much to free wil as afterward the Pelagians did but there were on the contrary many that did wholy take al wil from man no maruel if they did wholy oppose themselues against the daunger which they sawe present before their eies And therefore they did teach as they did to whom also we giue our right handes of fellowship and consent in doctrine Gal. 2.9 What wee say of mās will as Iames Cephas and Iohn did vnto Barnabas and Paul For we also doe teach that man though by his fal he lost his freedome of wil to him and his posterity yet his wil he lost not but still had it and hath it Whereby very readily and willingly he runneth vnto euil But hauing his wil renued by Gods spirit it is then good so much as it is renued it loueth good and would faine do it Ad Bonif. cont◠a. 2. e◠i st Pelag. lib. 1. cap. 18 and in that sence wee also saie with saint Augustine that it is free that is willing and readie but yet not free that is not able to performe that good which we would by reason of the infirmitie of our new man the corruption of our nature and the manifolde intisementes and tentations whereby we are withdrawen from holy obedience And now if the first fathers did not so plentifully set forth mans weakenes as they did his wil or power to do things it is no maruell because they neither knew Pelagians nor papistes but them that erred in the contrary opinion And this being wel considered of maie serue I trust to answere to whatsoeuer they can alleadge out of the fathers for free wil may teach vs that they cal it free not as it is able but as it is willing to do good eschew euil De corrept gra cap. 2. De gra libero arbitrio lib. 2. cap. 9. And therfore saint Augustine saith Men are driuen to the ende they should doe not that they should doe nothing And for this cause saint Bernard saith That a man may not be called or can indeed be good or euill vnlesse he be willing And saint Ambrose or whosoeuer wrote the bookes of the calling of the Gentiles There is no kinde of vertue that may bee had either without the gift of Gods grace or the consent of our will But of an infinite number of such like places let these few be sufficient to teach vs that they ment not to extol the power of mans wil but to lay the fault in man if he refuse the graces offered and to stirre vp men willingly and readily to receiue them and stedfastly to keepe and holily to vse them And thus much generally for the true vnderstanding of all the testimonies of the fathers that are alleadged by maister Bellarmine not only in his fift booke Cap. 25 26 27 28. de gratia libero arbitrio but also those other that he hath in his sixt booke where he especially handleth the question of free wil Cap. 11. in things appertaining to godlines Whereas before he indeuoured to proue it in moral vertues But because that in the former he did lay the foundation of that which in the sixt he teacheth and al belonged to that end Namely to the question of free wil which in this chapter I am to handle therefore haue I thought good to answere in this one place whatsoeuer he saith tending to that end As for his foure arguments out of the scriptures which he bringeth in the sixt booke Cap. 10. the answere to them I trust may be gathered of that is already answered Sauing only that the first and third require a more special answere For his second argument in this sixt booke is al one with the fourth in the fift booke And his fourth and last in the sixt is like the first in the fift booke His first argument in the sixt booke is taken especially of the word Cooperarii Worke men togither with God for so the greeke word doth signifie not Fellow-helpers 1. Cor. 3. as the common latin translation hath as though God could not without vs worke Wel let vs see his argument We are workemen togither with God therfore we haue freewil say they But we may more iustlie conclude on the contrary therefore we haue not freewil as the papists teach it selfe able to doe good or auoide euill For that is it that is in question We willingly confesse that we being regenerate haue a willingnes to good and a mislike of euil but we say that we cannot performe this our good desire And therefore seeing we cannot worke but as workemen togither with God it is most euident and plaine that our will hath not that power that the church of Rome teacheth it to haue to be freely moued to good And therefore wel saith S. Augustine That we will God worketh without vs De gra li. arb t. cap. 17. but when we will and so will that we also doe he worketh togither with vs. But without him either working that we may will or working with vs when we will we haue no power to the good workes of godlines And by this also appeareth the answere to the other argument which I saide was not before answered We are saith M. Bellar. holpen by God in praier or in any good worke therefore we haue free wil. If we remember how they teach that a man being once holpen and stirred vp by Gods grace is afterwards freely able to doe good hauing his wil thus reuiued or rather vnfettered a mā would not thinke M. Bellar. to be in earnest in such argumentes Suppose you should vndertake to beare a burden far heauier then you could carry and another much stronger than you taketh it vp and beareth it you also laying your hands to the same to helpe as you can Wil you say you are able to beare it because your hand also touched it Euen such is our ability in keeping Gods commaundements Or as children when they are first taught to goe Their mother lifteth them vp that they maie put their legges forwarde holdeth vp their coates that they be no hinderance to them yea helpeth them to step forward There is nothing in the childe but only that it would faine goe but it hath not strength to perform it Is it now any reason to say the child is able to goe because the mother doth thus helpe it No no seeing Gods helpe is such that he worketh both to wil and to
alleadge M. Bellarmines reasons though not alwayes because he is accounted learned amongest vs and also commeth after others so that he hath seene what others haue and hath taken out of them what he liketh And as in all this treatise my endeuour is to proue I trust with some good effect that the doctrine of the church of Rome is not catholike so that it may the better appeare I haue towards the end set downe an abridgement of Vincentius Lyrinensis whereby I trust the meanest that seeth it shal be able to iudge how they make an vniust claime to the catholike religion And although I know my own wants and could rather submit my selfe to be a scholer vnto many than a teacher almost of any yet because I know not how my minde giueth me that this manner of writing may do some good especially among the vnlearned that are desirous to be taught I thought my duetie forced me to take this in hand though I want many helpes and meanes that other haue And to whom should this my labour such as it is be due rather than vnto you next after that place where I did sucke as it were my first milke of learning and laid almost the foundation of that knowledge such as it is that God hath indued mee withall By your good liberalitie I confesse my selfe to be the better inabled to do any good be it neuer so little that I can do in the church of God To your Worships therefore I confesse this my trauell to be due as a simple token of my sincere heart which would haue yeelded a better remembrance if my abilitie could haue affoorded it And the rather do I dedicate this Booke vnto your W. Company that you seeing the meaning of bestowing your exhibition which is to bring vp Labourers in Gods haruest teachers in his church to be in some part performed in me who first in Oxford receiued your liberalitie as I doubt not but you haue seene much more plentiful fruit in many other you may the more willingly continue your godly course and not be weary of your wel-doing Accept in good part I pray you this simple gift and if you see in it but my desire to doe good giue glo◠y to God to whose good grace I commit you and yours and my selfe to your good prayers From my house at Ryton in the Bishoprike of Durham Anno 1595. ⧠A necessarie Table of all the principall matters contained in euery chapter of this Booke THAT the Scriptures or word written is onely Gods word and not traditions Chapter 1 That this word is sufficient Chapter 2 The Scripture a sure rule Chapter 3 Scriptures easie Chapter 4 That onely the canonicall bookes of the old and new testament are this written word or Scriptures Chapter 5 What the catholike church is that in the creede is mentioned Chapter 6 That the catholike church mentioned in the articles of our creede is not visible or to be seene Chapter 7 The church here militant vpon the earth may erre Chapter 8 Of the markes of the church or how we may know the true church Chapter 9 What a sacrament is what is the effect of it or what it worketh how many sacraments there are Chapter 10 Of the sacrament of Baptisme Chapter 11 Of Confirmation Chapter 12 Of the Lords supper and Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ and namely of transubstantiation Chapter 13 That the wicked receiue not in the sacrament Christs body and bloud Chapter 14 That the cup ought not to be denied to the lay people which thing the papists do Chapter 15 Against their sacrifice of the Masse or of the altar as they call it Chapter 16 Of true and christian repentance and of the Popish Sacrament of penance Chapter 17 Of lawfull calling into the ministerie and against the sacrament of Orders as they call it Chapter 18 Of matrimony that it is not a sacrament and that it is lawfull for all Chapter 19 Of anoiling or extreme vnction that it is not a sacrament Chapter 20 Of originall sin what it is and whether concupiscence be sin or not Chapter 21 Of the works of infidels and such as are not regenerate Chapter 22 Of Baptisme whether it doe extinguish and kill in vs originall sinne or not Chapter 23 That we haue not of our selues free wil or power to deliuer our selues from sinne Chapter 24 That by our workes we cannot bee iustified and against the doctrine of merites Chapter 25 Of iustification by faith and what faith is Chapter 26 That good works are necessary duties for all christians to perfourme Chapter 27 Of prayer to whome and how we should pray Chapter 28 Against Images in churches or anie where else for religions cause Chapter 29 What fasting is and of the true vse of fasting Chapter 30 Of Purgatorie Chapter 31 An Abridgement of Vincentius Lyrinensis with obseruations vpon the said Author Chapter 32 An exhortation to christian magistrates for to defend this truth Chapter 33 FINIS That the Scriptures or written word is onely Gods Word and not traditions CHAP. 1 THE PROTESTANTS The rule of faith life BEcause it is confessed of al that gods worde must bee the rule and square of our faith and life of our religion and conuersation It is very meete that first wee enquire what is this word of God And wee affirme What is gods word that that onelie which is contained in the Bookes of the old and new Testament is the very true word of God First bicause we are so often earnestly charged not to adde any thing to it or to take any thing from it Secondly this is prooued by the practise of the godlie of all times The Iewes most religiously kept the word written with great sinceritie and made it the Touchstone to try their actions by and by it they reformed such things as were amisse in religion especially As in Iehosaphat Ezechias Iosias and others it may appeare Christ also and his Apostles confirmed that which they taught out of the Scriptures yea they confirmed and expounded the Lawe Mat. 5. and preached no other gospell thā that which before was promised by the Prophets Rom. 1.2 And accounted them accursed that shoulde preach any other Gal. 1.6 7 8 9. Lastly the Fathers of the purer times of the Church did not only with open mouth submit their writings and doctrines to the iudgement of the Scriptures but also they tried doubts established all trueths and confuted all heresies onely by this word written THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of ROME not suffering herself to be hemmed in within so narow lists Prou. 22.28 hath remoued the ancient bounds which their fathers made and faineth that God who hath hitherto had but one voice now in our dayes shoulde speake with two tongues What is gods word in the Ro. church For they make Gods word to consist of two partes namely of the word written which we
cal the Scriptures and vnwritten which they call Traditions Traditions And the traditions say they were either deliuered by the Apostles themselues to some special men and therfore are called Apostolike or else are set downe by the Church and for that cause called Traditions of the Church Traditions equall with the word Now traditions are made equall and to be receiued with as great reuerence as the Scriptures euen by the Councel of Trent Ses 4. decre 1 Preferred before the word the most modest Papists But there are others who in their excesse of impietie preferre the trâ— ditions before the word written and make them of greater force than it as Pighius in his Ecclesiasticall hierarchie Eccl. Hierar lib. 1. cap. 4. Thesi 9. In his preface Wolfgangus Screckius Nay in that he wil by traditions haue all doctrines tried he manifestly subiecteth the pure written woorde of God to the prophane deuises of man BVt to take away the proppes of this their ruinous building let vs see what grounds or foundations for so Melchior Canus a learned Papist termeth them they lay of this their doctrine Obiection Melchior Canus in his common places of Diuinitie and Bellarmine in his controuersies lib. 3. cap. 3 Bellar. lib. 4 〈◊〉 of Gods worde dâ— written and others also set this downe as a most neceâ—â—â—rie principle That the Church is more ancient than the Scriptures As in trueth the Church was more than two thousand yeres before there was any written word of God in bookes and therefore Bellarmine inferreth That the Scriptures are not simply necessary Answere First this ground doeth not vpholde that which is in controuersie among vs. For they shoulde prooue traditions to bee a part of Gods worde so that without them Gods word could not bee counted perfect And to proue that they tel vs that it was more than two thousand yeeres before the woord was written Which maketh nothing for them vnlesse they can shew vs that this word which is now written is not that same that before was deliuered by tradition vnto the fathers of that old world For the question betweene vs and the Papists is not of the maner of deliuering Gods word whether it were deliuered by word or by writing but of the matter namely whether Gods word be any thing else than that is written in the old and new testament which we deny but they affirme it because the word was so long time vnwritten yet the church was not then without the word So that because the word was reuealed after an other manner the Papists wil haue it another word Whereas in trueth that same word that was from the beginning Iohn 1.1 what word that is that is written is that verie word of God that was so long after the beginning written for the Iewes and is now deliuered vnto vs. Wee must therefore take heede that they deceiue vs not by the double signification of the word Scripture which sometime expresseth the manner of deliuering the word namely by writing and so we confesse the scripture was not so ancient as the church by mo than two thousand yeares but sometime the word Scripture signifieth the word it selfe which is deliuered vnto vs as it is commonly now taken and in this place must so be vnderstoode And so hath the word written beene from the beginning That is to say that the selfe same word which God by word of mouth as we say and by tradition did teach the patriarkes hee afterwards did cause to be written which word wee call the holy scriptures And further also we must remember that one manner of deliuering the word of God Diuerse maners of deliuering the word at diuerse times is fit for one time and an other manner of deliuering it for an other time As may appeare by that which hath beene said how that God hath in his infinite wisedome seene it needefull to deliuer it one way afore the Lawe in an other sort vnder the Lawe and the Gospell although not in like measure in both these latter times So that this argument cannot stand good The scriptures haue not beene written in the first age amongst the patriarkes therefore they are not necessary now amongst vs in these dayes to whom God hath by them reuealed his word Which argument is strongly confuted by Chrysostome that learned and ancient Father In Matth. hom 1. But to these men who are as Tertullian calleth the Heretikes of his time lucifugae scripturarum De resurrect carnis such as shunne the light of the scriptures and flee from it I may say as the same Tertullian speaketh in an other place De prescript Beleeue without the Scriptures that yee may also beleeue against the Scriptures Let them seeke the desert of their owne deuises and follow the trod of their owne traditions to finde out some couert for their superstitions but let vs content our selues to dwell in the cities of the Lawe the Prophets the Gospel and the Apostles which are the Scriptures and not goe out of them In Mich. li. 1 as Saint Ierome speaketh For euery word of God is pure Prou. 30.5 6 hee is a shield to those that trust in him Put nothing to his word lest he reprooue thee and thou be found a liar That this VVorde is sufficient CHAP. 2 THE PROTESTANTS This word is sufficient NOw this written word of God because it is sent vs froÌ„ that most gratious God that hath loued vs and chosen vs in Christ before the foundations of the world were laide Eph. 1.4 that we might be holy with out blame before him and is brought vnto vs by that most excellent Prophet In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Coloss 2.3 and therefore can teach vs Heb. 3.2 who also is faithful and therefore wil deale truely with vs yea who so heartily loueth vs that hee died for vs and therefore doubtlesse will be careful to teach vs what behooueth vs to knowe Seeing also the Apostle saint Paul doeth testifie that he kept nothing backe that was profitable Acts 20.20 27 but shewed them all the councell of God We therefore beleeue the Scriptures to be written Ioh. 20.31 that wee might beleeue and beleeuing might haue eternall life 2. Tim. 3.16 And that the whole scripture giuen by inspiration of God is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse 17 That the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto all good workes that is that the Scripture is so sufficient and perfect that it hath no want it needeth no supply nothing must be added THE PAPISTS BVT the Church of Rome knowing that Tertullian wrote truely De resurrect carnis That Heretikes if they be made to proue that they say by the Scriptures can not stand do find fault that they should be so straitly limited and tethered that
so with him Argument Hee alleageth saint Ambrose also who saith The holy scripture is a sea Answere Saint Ambrose doth not in that place call it a Sea because it is so deepe that the bottome can not be found but because it is so plentifull that it yeeldeth abundance to all as appeareth not only by the sentence next after that alleadged by Bellarmine but also by that conclusion that he gathereth a litle after saying Therefore the holy Scripture hath diuers riuers Thou hast to drinke the first time the second time and the last time Therfore although saint Ambrose say that the scripture hath in it depths yet doth he not say it is all darke Argument But saith he Hierome in his epistle to Paulinus writeth that without a teacher the scriptures can not be learned and briefly going through euery booke by name hee sheweth that in them are many and great difficulties or rather mysteries for he findeth in them sundry allegories Answere Yet all is not hard as before hath often bin answered And S. Ierome in that place as soone as hee hath made an end of reckoning vp of those books and shewing the mysteries that are therein he sheweth the cause why he did so I would not saith he haue thee to be offended with the simplicitie and basenes of wordes in the Scriptures Argument As for the other obiection out of Hierome is that Hierome was studious in the scriptures from his youth and also went to Alexandria to conferre with Dydimus of all that he did doubt of in the scriptures The simple may see this maketh not against vs Hierome studied them hard therefore all the scriptures are hard Or he conferred with Dydimus of that he doubted therefore all are hard Obiection The last obiection out of Hierome is That the whole Epistle to the Romanes is wrapped into great obscurities Answere This toucheth but onely that epistle and therefore is no argument against all the scripture And in that seeing there be many things both concerning faith and manners very plaine saint Hierome either speaketh hyperbolically as many times the fathers do or else by these obscurities he meaneth such mysteries as may be gathered out of the scriptures but not such doctrines as we must learne out of the same And who knoweth not that the fathers do many times so are higher and find out greater mysteries than the text will well affoord Obiection Out of Augustine he hath foure testimonies The first saith that such as rashly reade are many times troubled because that some things that are obscurely spoken do greatly blinde them Answere Which maketh not against vs that neither like of rash reading neither say that all is easie His second testimony is that exclamation that saint Augustine maketh Confess lib. 12. cap. 14 hauing entred into a deepe meditation what may be signified by these words heauen and earth in the beginning of Genesis as appeereth by the chapter going before and also by sundry of the chapters following therefore this his admiration O the wonderfull depth of thy words c. doth not proue all the scripture to be hard Nay seeing that the story of the creation may there bee plainely vnderstood it must needes follow that his meaning was not to say that Gods word is hard but rather that men may in the same consider of deepe matters as I answered to the last place out of S. Hierome Obiection The third and fourth places out of saint Augustine are these There is so great depth of christian learning that I might therein profit daily if from my childhoode vnto my olde age with much time earnest indeuour and a sharper wit I could study it only And lastly In the holy Scriptures I know saith Augustine not so much by farre as I am ignorant of Answere Both which places do prooue nothing else than as I said before of Ambrose that the scriptures are plentifull So that he saith heere nothing else than in another place of that third epistle out of the which the former of these two places is taken The maner saith he of speaking vsed in the Scriptures al may come to but very few can passe through and so afterwardes sheweth howe sundry good things all may receiue by them Lastly the two testimonies out of the Author of the vnperfect worke vpon Mathew Hom. 44 and that out of Gregory vppon Ezech. Hom. 6. which giue two reasons why the scriptures are obscure aâ—â— also like the rest nothing against vs. For the author of that worke vpon Mathew doth plainly shew in the same homily that he meaneth the scripturs to be obscure to them that will not reade them these are the words Therefore the trueth is not hid in the Scriptures but it is darke not so that they who seek it may not find it but so as they can not find it that wil not seek it And the same also appeares by the words of the place alleaged out of Gregory by Belarmine For one reason of the obscuritie is saith he that he may get that by labour which by idlenes he can not And then also because the knowledge of the scriptures is not gotten but by labour and paines taking they are not so lightly esteemed Arg. 4 The last generall argument is by reason to prooue the scriptures to be hard both in regard of the matter deliuered and the maner of deliuering it And here for the matter he reckneth some of the principal points of diuinitie wheras we may find in the scriptures milke for children that is easie lessons for the ignorant and meate for the elder sort Yea as Augustine saith He giueth milk to yong ones De verbis dom ser 38 fulgent ser de confessor that when they are elder hee may giue them stronger meate And as the matters contained in the scriptures are heauenly and spirituall so the heauenly minded man and he that is spiritually minded shal iudge of al things 1. Cor. 2.15 And it shall not be vnperformed that God hath promised The secret of the Lorde is reuealed to them that feare him Psal 25.14 and his couenant to giue them vnderstanding Answere Now for the maner of speaking although it is true that there are in the scriptures speeches hard by shew of contrariety by doubtfull and vnperfect speeches because one thing is set before another because of the proprietie of the Hebrew phrase and of the figures for these sixe he setteth downe the things whereby hardnesse may be in the scriptures by the manner of deliuering them yet neither are these things so common or so strange but that the godly may of the scriptures gather much fruit if they will diligently and with calling vpon God for help reade the same So that in briefe this is all that these fathers haue said either that many things are hard which no body denieth or else that none can so sound the depth of them but that something may alwayes be added thereto and therefore
that with diligence the scriptures must be searched and without loathsomnes yea with reuerence receiued But that wee may the more easily and euidently see how little these fathers do make for them it is necessary to see with what purpose and to what end these say that they do write of the hardnesse of the scriptures Namely not to discourage men from reading of them but to stirre them vp to more diligence and carefulnesse in reading them As may appeare by the earnest and vehement exhortations which the ancient fathers doe make not onely to all men generally Hom. 9. in epist ad Coloss but euen to lay men in particular and especially Heare saith Chrysostome all yee lay men that are present and that haue wiues and children howe the Apostle commandeth euen you especially to reade the Scriptures and not to reade them only as it were by chance but with great diligence with many other such like exhortations in that place as also in many other of his writings Saint Hierome in sundry of his epistles vnto godly women exhorteth them to diligent reading of the same he also to intice them to be conuersant therein dedicateth vnto some women som of his treatises vpon the scriptures Yea and in his preface vnto Paula and Eustochium two women before his first booke vpon the epistle to the Ephesians which is the place out of which Bellarmines second argument out of Hierome was fetched doth highly commend the study and knowlege of the scriptures And in his preface vnto his second booke doth extoll Marcella for her diligent study therein Hom. 20 in Ios preferring her before himselfe Thou wilt say saith Origen the scriptures are hard yet it is good to reade them And wisheth that we all would doe as it is written namely Search the Scriptureâ— â—â—â—nelius Agryppa reporteth 〈◊〉 S 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that in the first Nicene councell it was decreed that no christian man should be without a bible in his house And Chrysostome exhorteth euen lay men and that very earnestly to get them Bibles Hom. 9 in Coloss or at the least the new Testament So then wee see to what intent the Fathers tell vs that the Scriptures are hard namely because they would not haue vs to be careles in the study of them and negligent or to imagine when wee knowe somewhat that we neede knowe no more but as Hierome would haue vs to doe Epistol ad Pâ—â— liâ— um We must cracke the nut if wee will eate the kernell We must take paines to get knowledge assuring our selues that wee can neuer learne too much because wee can neuer knowe enough And saint Augustine in his Confessions saith Liâ— 6. cap. â— they ought to bâ— read of all But the Papists in complaining of the hardnes of the scriptures shoot at an other marke that is to make the simple people afraide that they meddle not with it that they reade it not neither yet heare it read vnto them So that besides the other slaunders wherewith they seeke to staine Gods word proclaiming it not to be sufficient but that it wanteth many things and may be wrested to any fence they adde this also that it is hard and therefore dangerous for them that are not learned to reade it And this is the very cause why they speake so much of the hardnesse of the scriptures as not onely their writings and words proclaime in all places but also their cruell executions against such as haue had in their mother tongue For libr. ◠〈◊〉 is and Momun in the beginning I say not the bible or the New Testament but euen the Lordes prayer or the tenne commaundements which they would seeme to allow vnto the people Gregory Nazianzene doth write In Apologâ—â— that some ancient men amongst the Hebrewes report of a custome which the Iewes had which he also commendeth which was that some places of the scriptures were not permitted 〈…〉 body to reade before they were fiue and twentie yeeres old but the rest of the scripture they should learne euen from their childehoode Where note that they make no difference of any state calling or sexe but of age onely and that when they were fiue and twentie yeares olde they might reade any parcell of Scripture But the Papists permit not any parcell of the scriptures to the lay people nay hardly to their priests but onely as they will followe such sence thereof as they appoint Yea I haue knowen bachellors of diuinity admitted to reade some booke of the master of sentences as the vse then was when they proceeded so that this was their conclusion They are hard therefore you shall not reade them That the scriptures are so hard as they are Papists to be blamed for hardnesse of the Scripture by their and to so many none are to bee blamed but the church of Rome that so much complaineth of their hardnesse but in trueth are sory they are so easie as is most plaine to see first in that they would not haue them in the mother tongues but when they see there is no remedy but that the scripture will be published whether they will or not they send vs a Testament from Rhennes Translations so full of Hebrew Latine and Greeke wordes turned into English letters that all the world may see that they meane nothing lesse than that they that reade it should vnderstand it And yet they cry The scripture is hard Secondly they are the cause of the hardnesse of the scriptures when in the most plaine places that are they will not suffer men to follow that sence which the words themselues and the circumstances both before and after doe affoord Interpretations but they must haue their interpretation from the church of Rome without whose approbations they must neither trust their own eies for seeing nor their eares for hearing neither yet their wit for vnderstanding of any thing When they change the very sence and wordes and where they finde Lord they put Lady as in that blasphemous booke called the psalter of the Virgine Marie they doe through the whole psalmes and some other places When the first promise that was made of that blessed seede that should breake the head of the serpent they apply as much as they dare vnto the Virgine Marie when these wordes shall be currant stuffe to proue worshipping of the Saints departed In as much as yee haue doone it to the least of these my brethren Math. 25.40 yee haue doone it vnto mee which are spoken of our goodnesse to Gods needy creatures aliue as Eckius imagineth in his common places De vener sanct when I say the people are taught thus to vnderstand the scriptures must they not needes bee hard Lastly the greatest cause of this hardnesse is that the people are not acquainted with them for they are forbidden to reade them nay Forbidding to reade scripture it hath beene death to haue them found with the
lay people And still there are that in corners seeke to perswade ignorant men and women that there can be almost no greater daunger vnto their soules than to reade the scriptures Wherein they shew themselues to be nothing of the minde of Phillip Acts 8.31 35 who forbade not the Eunuch to reade the scripture but taught him neither like to the fathers of the church some hundreds of yeares after Christ whose care was to exhort and drawe the people to the diligent reading of the same And whosoeuer they are that with diligence humilitie and prayer doe continue in the reading of the scriptures as wee see in sundry by experience shall be able in reasonable manner to auoyde and passe through those sixe impediments that I before alleaged out of Bellarmine and shall haue mindes exercised as the Apostle to the Hebrewes speaketh Cap. 5.14 and that not without great fruit to discerne good and euill And thus wee may see how litle the fathers make for that which the church of Rome teacheth in this point For the fathers say thus The scriptures are hard therefore you must reade them diligently The church of Rome cleane contrary The scriptures are hard therefore you must not reade them Therefore let vs detest as a most pestilent position that daungerous doctrine of the church of Rome knowing that whosoeuer be hee neuer so ignorant with reuerent reading seeketh to finde and with deuout prayer asketh knowledge of God shall finde much knowledge and comfort in his godly and christian exercise For Hieron ps 147. The word of God is most fat and fertile It hath in it all delicates And thus to conclude seeing the scriptures onely are Gods word and they are so sufficient and plentifull that in them the hungry may haue foode the poore treasure the rich direction the sicke physicke the whole diet the sorrowfull comfort the ignorant knowledge and the foolish true wisedome to be short seeing there for all wants we finde a remedy and seeing that rule is so true that it cannot deceiue so straight that it can not be crooked so constant to it selfe that it changeth not lastly seeing it is so easie that by diligence and prayer the godly may not learne onely but grow and increase daily from knowledge to knowledge let vs account them as deadly enemies to our soules who seeke to drawe vs from this sufficient and certaine written word of God to the doctrines or traditions of men what glorious names soeuer they giue them What shall wee then account of the popish crew that are not ashamed to teach the Scriptures to be daungerous because euill men abuse them so doth the drunkard drinke the glutton meate the prowd apparell the couetous riches and the euill men all Gods graces yet all these thinges are good and so is Gods word holy and vndefiled But nowe to the second point That only the Canonicall bookes of the old and new Testament are this written word or Scriptures CHAP. 5 THE PROTESTANTS SEing that the rule of the Catholike faith must be knowen De verbo dei lib. 1. cap. 2. and certaine for if it be not knowen it can not be a rule vnto vs if not certaine it is no rule at all as Bellarmine hath very wel noted only those scriptures which we according to the ancient vse of the Primitiue church and the common consent of those purer times do call Canonicall are that sure rule that can not deceiue for therefore haue they that name because they are for triall of doctrines as the rule or line for triall of workes it is certain that no other word can be that infallible word of God certaine rule of faith and religion but only the Canonical Scriptures These onely haue beene of the godly Fathers accounted to haue beene written by those whom God indued with his spirite for that cause Concil Laodicenum ca. 59. Hieron ad Paulinum prologo Galeato Out of these onlie the Fathers permit matters of controuersie to bee tried And in expounding of these that wee call Canonicall they haue bestowed their godly labours yea and them onely to bee certaine and such as were neuer doubted of among Catholike men De verbo dei lib. 1. cap. 4. Bellarmine himselfe confesseth and it is a ground or principle acknowledged of all men THE PAPISTS NOtwithstāding this name Canonicall which the ancient fathers haue giuen to these Scriptures onely to testify that they are only the certaine canon and rule of faith notwithstanding also such preheminence and excellency Bellarm. de verbo Dei li. 1. ca. 2. compared with that cap. 4. as not the Fathers onely but themselues also doe yeelde vnto the Canonicall scriptures to be of all other the most certaine rule and most infallible touchstone in all matters of controuersie the Councel of Trent is not ashamed to commaund and that vnder paine of beeing accursed to receiue these bookes that are contained in the Bible with like reuerence and deuotion and to make them of as good credite as the canonicall Scripture I say euen those Apocryphaes in which are many things absurd and whose very name sheweth them to be vnknown from whence they came who were not found in the Hebrew nor accounted by the Iewes to be Canonicall And so they doe match that word that all men alwayes and euen themselues acknowledge to be lesse certaine with that which they knowe that no good man euer doubted of Argument But lest they should seeme thus to dote without reason they vse in effect these arguments for proofe heereof The first is that these bookes which we call Apocrypha are alledged sometimes of the Fathers in their writings Answers But the answere is easie For the alledging of them doth not prooue that they who alledged them did hold them for canonicall for then should it followe that poets philosophers and such like who are often alledged by the ancient writers should so be But this rule must stand alwayes good which S. Hierome hauing reckoned vp those bookes which now in our Bibles are accounted canonicall and no other ◠rologo in lib. Reg. qui Galeatus dicitur Ruffinus in symbol prolog in Prouerb hath Whatsoeuer is besides these must be put amongst the Apocrypha Yea to be short they do alledge them because they may bee read to the edifying of the people but not to confirme the authoritie of any ecclesiasticall doctrine as saint Hierome saith of Tobie Iudith and the Machabees and Ruffinus also vppon the Creede De doct◠ina christian lib. 2. cap. 8. The second argument is taken out of Augustine because he reckoneth vp the books which we call Canonicall and also the Apocrypha and calleth all Canonicall So doth the third councell holden at Carthage also Cap. 47 with some other ancient writers Answere Admit that this were the meaning of saint Augustine and of those Fathers shall their bare authority without reason be heauy enough to weigh
they can sinne actually because they are baptized must needs be saued although they bee not of that number which God hath chosen vnto himselfe before the foundations of the worlde were laide Which to affirme is nothing else but to tie our saluation Ephes 1. not to Gods grace in electing in Christ whome hee would but to such externall meanes as haue alwayes beene accounted but helpers to our faith as the Apostle teacheth by the example of Circumcision in Abraham Ro. 4.10 11. but no workers of saluation And to be short how agreeth this that they say that the Sacrament hath strength or force to worke Holinesse or Righteousnesse with that which they also say That infants when they are baptized De Sacram. Bapt. lib. 1. cap. 11. haue not any new motions or inclinations like vnto the actions of faith and loue If the Sacraments worke not in them such effectes who haue not anie actual sinne to let or hinder how shal we think they work in others that are stroÌ„gly assaulted with the lusts of sin Therefore let vs not ascribe such working vnto them but vnto Christ who is made vnto vs righteousnesse and holinesse 1. Cor. 1.30 As for the number of seuen Sacraments two of them wee acknowledge with the Fathers of the Primitiue church Baptisme and the Lordes Supper As for the other fiue either they haue no commaundement in the word or no visibl signes or to be short no warrant in the word or Primitiue church to bee such Sacraments as the other two are Although wee deny not but the things haue had and many of them yet haue their godly vse in Gods Church Of the Sacrament of Baptisme CHAP. 11. THE PROTESTANTS WE acknowlege Baptism to be as it were a Gods-peny and earnest of our entrance into Christes family Wherein wee are both fully assured that by the blood of Christ which is figured by that water our sinnes are so washed away that they shall not bee imputed vnto vs and also the promise of that spirite of regeneration whereby wee growe to be new men is sealed vp in our hearts so that therein the faithfull are ingraffed into Christ to be made partakers of al his treasures and namely that hee may bee vnto vs sanctification and redemption 1. Cor. 1.30 And as therin our faith is thus norished so is it also a publike testification and witnessing of our profession so that wee doe not only beleeue with our heart vnto righteousnesse but also shew that wee are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for that cause wee weare that badge of our profession and cognisance of our religion THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of Rome lest we should constantly beleeuing the promises and vsing the Sacraments according to Christs institution take sure hold of Iesus christ and to acknowledge our saluation to bee by him onely in whome the word and Sacraments send vs to seeke it teacheth vs that the very Sacrament of it selfe hath such force and vertue as that it doth extinguish and quite abolish Andrad Orthod Explic. lib. 3. not onely the daunger and condemnation the rewarde due to sinne but also the verie corruption of the same And on the contrarie that the verie infants that die before they bee baptised Bellarmine de purgat lib. 2. cap. 6 haue their place of torment appointed vnto them where they must bee purged So that as they giue the power of killing sinne in vs vnto the Sacrament which onely belongeth vnto Christ Rom. 6. so in this latter point they doe in a manner make Christ scant able for to saue without the sacrament and teach sinne by other meanes than by Christ only to be purged De sacr baptism li. 1. ca. 4 Now the first reason whereby Bellarmine wil prooâ—â— that the Sacrament of it selfe hath such force of thâ—◠〈◊〉 doth worke in vs holinesse and abolish sinne and therefore that without it no man or woman can be saued is that place of saint Iohn Ioh 3.5 Vnlesse a man be borne againe of Water and of the Spirit he can not enter into the kingdome of God And for the better credite of his assertion he telleth vs De peccatorum merit remiss lib. 1. cap. 30. that saint Augustine in his first booke of the merites of sinnes and the forgiuenesse thereof the thirtieth chapter doth shew that these wordes are not a commandement but declare the means of saluation as though saint Augustine would make the Sacrament as necessary to saluation as meate for our life or physicke for recouery of health for these are the examples alledged afterwardes by Bellarmine But he belieth that learned father for hee hath not any such thing in that place although indeede hee handle that place of scripture largely there But first before I enter any further into the consideration of this point lest I should bee mistaken as though I accounted the Sacrament of no necessitie I affirme it to bee so necessarie that if it may bee had according vnto Christes institution and any man or woman shall wilfully refuse the same by this their contempt they doe wilfully cut off themselues from the body of Christ and so make themselues vncapable of such graces as God in Christ bestoweth vpon his But if otherwise any man woman or childe being desirous to enter into the felowship of the holy couenant and to be incorporated by that Sacrament into the presence of Christ shall die or depart out of this life before they can attaine thereto God forbid that we should thinke either so vncharitably of them as to iudge them vnworthy of Gods mercy or so hardly of God as that hee would alter his eternall councell for want of this external sacrament or so slenderly of the vertue of Christ his blood as that without this water it can not wash vs from sinne No doubt many died in the wildernesse before the Israelites came to the land of promise that had not the sacrameÌ„t of circumcision and also afterwards by all likelihoode in Babylon The thiefe vpon the crosse of whose saluation we make no doubt was not baptised Yea the order that God vseth in sauing vs doeth teach vs that without the Sacraments we may be saued Rom. 8.30 Ephes 1.4 because that election or predestination goeth before calling whether it be internall by the spirit or externall by the word and Sacraments Therefore wee must either imagine Gods election not to be certaine which is blasphemous or else that all that are elect are saued although they haue not oportunity to receiue that externall seale of Gods couenant Therefore I say that Baptisme is very necessary and in any wise to be vsed and receiued of them that may according to Christes institution haue the same But we detest that doctrine of the Papists that teacheth it to be so necessary that whosoeuer is not baptized can not be saued whereupon they permit lay men yea women to baptise whereas the
deified it is not This seemeth to bee all one with the heresie of Nestorius who taught that Christ had a defiled bodie But afterwards maister Bellarmine perchaunce not liking very well of his first answere seemeth to me to haue chaunged his opinion as after shall appeare But here in my iudgement he is of another minde than Durand hath learned of Pope Innocentius of the which I spake before in the comparison For there Durand sayth that it miraculously ceaseth to be Christs bodie But if we apply this similitude brought by Bellarmine it should seeme that he will haue Christs body to remaine but not to be hurt as the deitie which is euerie where coÌ„tinueth and yet is hurt of nothing But if he be of one minde with Pope Innocentius and Durand I would then faine know where that bodie of Christ that ceaseth to bee in that Mouseaten host doth rest or what becommeth of it But in the ende of that Chapter because manie sayth he mislike that Christes bodie should bee eaten of Mice or beasts When he was an infant he might so be and therefore why may hee not much more now in another shape and when he cannot bee hurt thereby bee eaten of them Before he said he could not bee eaten Nowe hee sayth he may Whereby it appeareth he knew not well what to say These straights are they brought vnto whilest they seeke to maintaine that their doctrine of Transubstantiation See of this point Bell. de Euch. li. 1 ca. 9. in the beginning Now beside these and many other absurdities which follow this doctrine of transubstantiation as that Christ hath his owne body the darknes and hardnes of that doctrine is such as that the schoolemen cannot agree vpon it how Christs body should bee in the forme of bread Whosoeuer should read the third book that master Bellarmine writeth of the Eucharist wherein he endeuoureth to establish this doctrine De Euch. li. 1. cap. 6. shall find it too hard for them that haue many yeares professed learning to vnderstand their subtilties in this point And who then can imagine that our sauiour Christ would deliuer vnto his Church for Sacraments which should bee common to all those things that should containe such hidden mysteries as the verie learned men cannot vnderstand De doct Christ li. 3. cap. 9. Nay Bellarm. thinketh it absurd so to thinke or that saint Augustine would haue commended our Sacraments as most easie when all the learned finde these popish opinions to be most intricate and hard We haue seene the absurditie of this doctrine now let vs view the weaknesse of the proofe In the scriptures for the most part they can finde but one place Take eate this is my bodie Tit. Transub Ioh. 6.51 For that which Eckius in his Enchiridion alledgeth out of the sixt of saint Iohn his Gospel The bread which I will giue is my flesh his owne friends thinke it not worth citing for this poynt For what a reason is this The breade which I saide before came downe from heauen is my flesh therefore the Sacramentall bread is transubstantiated into the bodie of Christ But for those wordes This is my bodie alledged out of the three first Euangelists and saint Paul because they are the verie rocke and refuge which at all needes they haue recourse vnto for helpe of this their doctrine of Transubstantiation it would be somewhat particularly examined Sundry arguments therefore I haue to induce me to affirme that this place can not proue transubstantiation The first is this If these words This is my body do proue transubstantiation then is that doctrine proued by plaine and expresse wordes of scripture But by expresse words of scripture that doctrine cannot be proued therfore that place proueth not TraÌ„substantiation The truth of the first proposition is apparant because either the plaine and literall sense of these wordes prooue that doctrine or else it is not proued therby And the minor or 2. proposition is not mine but it is the words of Mel. Canus a learned Papist of D. Chadsy De locis Theol. li. 3. cap. 3. Disp cum Pet. Mart. de Eucharistia Therfore the first being true and the second being by them confessed the conclusion must needes be strong against them The second argument maister Bellarmine will affoord me The Sacraments are instituted and appointed by such wordes as may giue least occasion of errour or doubt for this Bellarmine proueth in many words De Euchar. li. 1. ca. 9. and by many reasons But so to expounde this place that Transubstantiation should be forced out of it bringeth many obscurities and doubts therefore Transubstantiation is not to be prooued out of these wordes The first proposition is Bellarmines as I haue sayd and therefore I neede not proue it That so to expound the wordes This is my bodie that Transubstantiation should be proued out of it is to make Christ speake very obscurely and doubtfully appeareth by their manifest wringing and wresting of the place For the word This spoke by Christ Bellar. de Euchar. li. 1. cap. 11. when he had the bread in his hand they will not haue to be vnderstood of the bread no nor of the bodie of Christ but somthing contained vnder the forme of bread as Bellarmine out of Thomas of Aquine and out of Guitimund teacheth And I pray you when shall the people vnderstand what that third thing is that is contained vnder those formes But why should I looke for this at the hands of the vnlearned seeing that the learnedst can not shew what this is Are not such darke deuises the cause of many errours Where now is I pray you that plainnesse and aptnes of speach in the institution of a sacrament which before Belarmine commended Not in such vnsauorie subtilties Bellarmi de â—â—â—â— ar li. 3. cap. 8. Yea it is by him flatly confessed that although in respect of that regard they haue of the councels and the Church their Diuines agree herein yet in the maner thereof they disagree verie much But what should I stand vpon this point cap. 9. Bellarmine which in the first booke of the Eucharist doth make his argument against Luther of the easinesse and of the plainnesse of the wordes that belong to the institution of the Sacrament proouing that of necessitie they must so be least thereby men should take occasion of errour or doubting and condemneth Luthers doctrine as obscure as though hee had beene then in a sound sleepe and nowe were well wakened li. 3. cap. 8. In his third booke he commendeth their doctrine vnto vs concerning the Sacrament because it is exceeding hard and condemneth ours because it is so easie that euery bodie may vnderstande it Well to be short thus I reason The wordes of the institution must be taken in the plainest sense or meaning But that sense that is wrested out of them for Transubstantiation is not plaine Therefore that sense of those
is nothing else then it is that is it signifieth the bodie of the Lord. Col. cum Trypho Iud◠o. Which exposition I haue from himselfe who saith in an other place That Christ hath deliuered vs bread for the Remembrance of his bodie that is taken vp into heauen Where he doth not onely shew the Sacrament to be a Memoriall of Christs bodie which here is to be proued but also that his bodie is absent and in heauē in that he saith it is for a remēbrance of his body that is taken vp And in the same book afterwards the same father saith that By the dry and moist nourishment the bread wine we are admonished of those things which it is said Christ hath suffred for vs. Where by calling thē nourishment that of our bodies for such nourishment belongeth to thē he plainly denieth any alteration of the substance in those visible signes and then further sheweth the true vse of the sacramēt which is to admonish vs of Christs suffring for vs. Out of Iren. he allegeth these words How shal they know Iren. lib. 4. cap. 34. that that bread wherin thanks are giuē is the body of their lord but that Iren. did not dream there of any Transubstantiation it is plaine by his wordes that folow immediately when he faith that the Eucharist consisteth of two things the earthly and the heauenly If the bread were transubstantiate it could not be called an earthly thing Moreouer hee writeth in that place against the heretikes that sayd there was another God the father besides him that made all things Nowe he inferreth if they should say true howe shall they knowe that that bread is the bodie of their Lord Whereby it appeareth that his purpose is here not to shew what is in that bread but which Lord it representeth vnto them As the verie next wordes in that sentence declare which are these If they say not that he is the sonne of him that made the world so that the chiefest force of this reason after Irene his true meaning is in this word Their Lord. And besides to call the signe by the name of that which it signifieth the bodie of Christ for the sacrament of the bodie of Christ is verie agreeable vnto the Scriptures but such maner of speaches are but a weake proofe for transubstantiation Next commeth in Tertullian but so maimed mangled that thereby maister Bellarmine proclaimeth vnto the world that he meant nothing lesse than to haue the truth knowne Out of him hee alledged these wordes Con. Marcionem li. 4. neer the ende The bread which he tooke he made his bodie saying this is my bodie A man would thinke this were a very plaine place but Bellarmine dealeth falsly herein For when Tertullian hath spoken for him what he would haue him then he stoppeth his mouth least he marre all For the very next wordes are that is the figure of his bodie Nowe let vs take the whole sentence together and so trie what hee can make of it The bread which hee tooke hee made his bodie saying this is my bodie that is the figure of my bodie And after also to shew what he meant by that he saide he made it his bodie he deliuereth it in other termes he calleth it his bodie If then maister Bellarmine will aske how the bread can bee made his bodie Tertullian telleth how Li. de Euch. 3. cap. 18. Sacramentally or figuratiuely So that this bold question of maister Bellarmine commeth out of season like a triumph before the conquest His fourth witnesse that he produceth Cyp. de coena domini is Cyprian whose wordes are these This bread which the Lord did reach to his disciples being changed not in shape or forme but in nature by the omnipotencie of the worde is made flesh This testimonie hee esteemeth as the club of Hercules that no man can withstand De Euch. li. 2 cap. 9. and therefore in another place alledging it he sayth thus This testimonie cannot bee answered although the aduersaries haue often assayed to answere it Let vs then examine a little this vnanswerable place And first it is confessed by Bellarmine that that booke is not Cyprians and therefore the father of that booke is vncertaine but yet wee will not denie it but answere the place if we can How the bread is made flesh hath beene sufficiently declared in the answer to the former arguments so that all the hardnesse is in this howe the bread is chaunged not in forme but in nature First that is true in respect of the vse that it is put to For as it is a sacrament and representeth vnto vs our nourishment in Christ so must it truely nourish our bodies it beeing chaunged in vs to that ende and nowe not the accidents but the substaunce of bread can worke this nourishment And therefore if wee take nature for substaunce it may well so be expounded and agree with that which Iustinus Martyr sayeth as before is saide And admit that nature doeth here signifie substaunce let vs see what they can prooue by it They say the substance of the bread ceasseth and is quite taken away But Cyprian sayeth the bread is but chaunged in nature but still it remayneth bread you see for hee so calleth it Therefore because he vttereth it in such a maner it is most certaine that he meaneth not by that worde nature the substance of bread but something else Nature therefore is somtime taken for the disposition or for the propertie or vse of a thing as the authour of the booke of Wisdome sayth Sap. 7.20 That God had giuen him knowledge of the nature of beasts In like maner Rom. 1.26 Ephes ◠.3 Iam. 3.7 We were by nature saith saint Paul the children of wrath And saint Iames saith The whole nature of beasts hath beene tamed by the nature of man So that this word nature very often doth not signifie the substance And here it cannot signifie the substance of the bread because the substance of it cannot be changed but that it must also be annihilated or broght to nought therfore he speaketh but of the vse or propertie of it that it is altered And doctor Chadsey a learned Papist as was any in Oxford in his time doth confirme this my answer For when Peter Martir disputing against D. Tresham had pressed him with an authoritie of Theodorets Dialog 1 which was this Christ hōnored those signes which we see with the names of his bodie and blood yet not changing the nature but to nature adding grace And he as it seemeth not liking well of D. Tresham his answer this Doctor Chadsey disputing another day tooke vpon him to answer such places as master Martyr had before alledged against master Tresham and amongst others he answereth this place out of Theodoret thus I say that Thodoret meaneth as other fathers doe who when they say that the nature remayneth they meane the propertie of the
bread I trust then it will not bee anie heresie for mee to expounde nature the properties of the bread seeing doctor Chadsey a catholike doth it We see then that this vnanswerable argument that he made so great account of and bragged that it could neuer be answered is long since fully answered by one of his owne friends he knew not of it Ciril is his fift witnes not that learned father that was bishop of Alexandrie but another that was B. of Ierusalē Ciril Ierus cathec Mistagog 4 whose books are but lately set forth by thēselues that now bring him in for a witnes therfore we may doubt whether he be wel delt wtal Out of him he aledgeth 3. places He once turned water into wine shal he not be worthy to be trusted that he turned wine into bloud Beholde here sayth maister Bellarmine a reall change And why so I knowe he will answere because it was so in the water for it was really changed into wine and therfore also saint Iohn Iohn 2 11 who reporteth the storie saith it was a myracle Now to change wine into bloud is as great a miracle and therefore it is likely that if there had bin any such miracle wrought some or other would haue noted it for a miracle seeing so many haue spokē of that matter namely three Euangelists and S. Paul Master Bell. knoweth that the fathers vse many times to speake verie hyperbolically and to amplify with excessiue speaches the matters that they would set forth as here this Ciril doth yet we must not gather thereof such a real change in the wine as I haue said was in the water but this is spoken to win that at our hands that he in that place moueth vs vnto that we should not thinke the sacramentall wine to bee but bare wine His second witnesse for maister Bellarmine is after in that place Vnder the forme of bread the bodie is giuen and in forme of wine the bloud Wherupon maister Bellarmine againe insulteth thus Behold the accidents of bread which remaine We grant it but not the accidents or shew of bread only but the substance also and that he hath not yet denied therefore let vs see his third place Knowe this for a certaintie that this bread which is seene of vs is not bread though thy tast perceiue it to be bread In deed hee speaketh here farre otherwise than the auncient fathers doe in that hee sayeth It is not bread For there is not one of the fathers for at the least six hundred yeeres after Christ that euer spake so but this man onely And therefore howsoeuer he amplifieth the matter in wordes to bring vnto the holy Sacraments due regarde which the fathers at those times vpon great causes did much endeuour Catec Mist 3 yet he is not to be thought to haue meant otherwise than that hee sayd before that it is no more common bread For although if they regarde but the taste they shall finde no change yet that sacrament is an authenticall seale of our faith which assureth vs that Christ is spiritually giuen vnto vs. And thus much briefly of these authorities that men may see that they are not so very plaine that infallible arguments may be gathered out of them But now I must needes speake somewhat of the Author And first for the Booke it selfe Lib. Eccles hist ◠ca. 23. out of which these places are alleaged it seemeth to me that saint Hierome hath somewhat burnt it in the eare when he saith that hee wrote it when hee was but a yong man noting thereby perchance his yong and slender iudgement And of himselfe Ruffinus saith Lib. 2. ca. 40 That hee did change sometime in faith and in Communion often And Socrates in his Ecclesiasticall history saith of him that being summoned to answere some accusations that were laid against him he fearing to come to his triall for two yeares together appeared not and therefore was deposed What reason then that wee should be content to stand to his triall for matters in question that was himselfe afraide to be tried by the learned men of his time Or that hee who was deposed from his seate by them that best knew him yea and that as it seemeth by Ruffinus his saying of him for some heresie should now sit as Iudge yea or else be allowed as witnes in so weighty matters As for saint Ambrose De iis qui initiantur mist cap. 9. whom next he alleageth he maketh not against vs. He saith indeede that the bread is that which Nature hath formed but that Blessing hath hallowed Which is nothing else but that which hath beene answered before that it is not common bread but as Theodoret saith Theod. Immutabili◠dialog 1. the Nature not being changed to Nature is Grace added And that this is S. Ambrose his meaning is most plaine not only by that which he afterwardes saith in that very chapter Before the blessing of the heauenly wordes an other thing is named after the consecration the bodie of Christ is signified but also most euidently in his bookes of the Sacraments Lib. 4. cap. 4. where speaking of the change that is in these visible signes hee vseth these wordes If there bee so great vertue in the worde of the Lorde Iesus that the thinges that were not beganne to bee how much rather can it worke that they the visible signes in the Sacrament bee that which they were and be changed into an other thing By which hee can meane no other but a sacramentall change because hee flatly affirmeth that these signes are that which they were The first place that hee alleageth out of Chrysost is this It is he that doth sanctifie these things the outward elements and change them In Matth. Hom. 83. but that hee speaketh of a sacramental change only his owne wordes a litle before in that place do prooue For in teaching how that by these sensible creatures he deliuereth vnto vs things not sensible hee bringeth his example of Baptisme wherein I know they wil not say the water is transubstantiated And yet Chrysostome maketh no difference betweene it and the sacrament of Christes body and blood but that in them both in like sort by sensible creatures insensible graces are deliuered But most plainely in an other place doeth he confute that which the Papists woulde force out of these wordes namely the change of the substance of the bread saying Before the bread is sanctified Ad Caesarium monachum wee call it bread but the diuine grace hauing sanctified it by the Priest it is freeed from the name of bread and is vouched worthy of the name of the Lordes body although the nature of the bread abide in it Whereby wee see the change that hee speaketh of is in the vse not in the substance of the bread In the latter place Chrysostome saieth thus Doest thou see bread De Euchar. in encaenus doest
in the Eucharist is no killing or shedding of bloud But on the contrarie a man may thus reason The celebrating of the Passeouer was not in euerie respect a figure of the Eucharist For the Passeouer must haue the sprinkling of blood which might not be sprinkled but by the Priest only as appeareth 2. Chron. 30.16 where that solemne keeping of the Passeouer by king Ezechiah is described and 2. Chron. 35.11 where it is declared how zealously Iosiah performed the same seruice And in that respect onely is it to be counted a Sacrifice for that onely belonged to the Priests to doe so as no other but the Priests might doe it All other things might be and were performed by others But the Eucharist they all with full mouth confesse to bee vnbloodie and therefore in this thing wherein onely the Pascall Lambe may be accounted a sacrifice it is no figure of the Eucharist So the celebrating of the Passeouer euen in that point wherein it is a sacrifice doeth nothing proue that sacrifice which the Romish church would teach in the Masse And see how vnnecessarie an argument this is In the celebrating of the Passeouer there was a bloody sacrifice therefore in the Eucharist must bee a bloodie sacrifice This consequence the Papists themselues will not graunt and yet it is as good and necessarie as that of theirs In celebrating of the Paschall Lambe there was a sacrifice therefore in the Eucharist there must bee a sacrifice For this principle that master Bellarmine doeth set downe That celebrating of the Passeouer was en expresse figure of the Eucharist if it proue the Eucharist to haue a sacrifice it doth also proue it to haue a bloodie sacrifice for otherwise the Lambe or Passeouer was not an expresse figure of the Eucharist If therefore the Papists will denie that it is a bloudy sacrifice why should we grant it to bee a sacrifice vnlesse they can alledge better reason than this that is taken from celebrating the Passeouer And thus much for the second argument Argument 3 The third argument that master Bellarmine bringeth he sayeth hee neuer read answere to it and this it is The blood of the olde Testament Exod. 24. Cap. 8. was the bloud of a sacrifice alreadie slaine and offered therefore the blood of the new Testament is so Answere But this blood of the new Testament is the blood of Christ as himself faith This is my bloud therefore he was the sacrifice offered vp in the Supper It is true that when Moses said This is the bloud of the couenant that God hath made with you the beast for sacrifice was alreadie slaine but that it must needes be so in the bloud of the newe testament there is no necessitie and therefore that argument must bee denied First because master Bellarmine maketh the especial thing in this couenant to be that the bloud was shed before the words were spoken whereas the principall part in deed is that the couenant must be established by bloud And therein Moses directed them to Christ in whose bloud the couenant of grace is established with Gods people Which the Apostle to the Hebrews doth rightly consider of Heb. 9.8 and therefore looketh not to the time wherein the sacrifice was slaine but to the matter wherby the couenant was established Secondly the order which Moâ— ses doth vse and the Apostle obserueth out of him as a verie materiall point is of vs to be marked For first the couenant was made betweene God and the people then it was raâ—â—â—â— by the blood euen so because Christ must needs make this couenant and set downe thâ— s hâ— s last will and Testament therefore his blood 〈◊〉 must of necessitie bee after the 〈◊〉 of this his last will so that although that blood of the 〈◊〉 Testament was 〈◊〉 before the words were spoken yet it is not needfull it should so bee in the newe Testament Nay it can not so bee because hee must maâ— e this conâ—â—â—â— whilest yet hee was â—â—â— e and no other coulde make it for him Then do hee confirme 〈◊〉 by his bloâ—â— shedding which was afterwardes vpon the crosse whereof that bloud of the olde Testament was but a shadowe And thus I trust iust cause appeareth to denie his argument And then that which followeth that Christ therefore must be sacrificed in his last supper without 〈◊〉 further labour falleth to the grâ—â—â—â— As for the fiue sundrie arguments alledged by him in the â—â— th Chapter of the aforesaâ— de booke it is no marâ—â—â—â— though master Beâ—â— armine make no great account of the same For he cannot proue out of them that Christ in hâ— s last supper did offer vp his owne bodie to God ◠〈◊〉 2 3â— and his blood in forme of breed and wâ—â—â— His arguments are taken out of the story of Hely the 2. out of the Prouer. 9.1 2 The third out of Esay 19 21. The fourth out of Esay 66 21 â—â— d Ier. 33.17 18 the fifth out of Dan. â— 11 12 and 12 11 Read the places who so will and it shall easily appeare that they serue not to proue that which Bellarmine would and therefore I passe them ouer thus briefly But the mighte argument the wâ—â— ght whereof well beare downe all before it is taken out of Malachy I haue no pleasure in you saith the Lord of hostes neither will I accept an offering at your hand For from the rising of the sunne vnto the going downe of the same my name 〈◊〉 great among the Gentiles and in euery place incense shall 〈◊〉 offred vnto my name and a pure offering for my name 〈◊〉 great among the heatheÌ„ saith the Lord of hosts Which place to be vnderstood of a sacrifice properly so called 〈◊〉 not of spirituall sacrifices master Bellarmine will proue by sundry arguments The first is drawne from the Hebrew word which the Prophet vseth there which master Bellarmine will not in any wise haue to be vsed but for those sacrifices that are properly so called And yet in this very booke a little before Cap. â— he confesseth that sacrifice that is called by the same name to be But as a part or as it were the sâ—â—â— ce of another sacrifice And that answer did then as he thought serue his turne to stop the mouth of Kemnitius But now hee will haue it not onely to be a sacrifice but euen a most proper sacrifice But by that word and 〈◊〉 that place we are taught that the sacrifices of Christians shal be the true sacrifices not consisting onely of outwarde shew but hauing that 〈◊〉 seasoning and true sâ—â— ceritie which through Iesus Christ shal be acceptable vnto God And that singlenes of heart was signified by that Mincha which was commanded to be offered by the people of God with their dayly sacrifices Therefore the name proueth not strongly inough the sacrifice for which it is brought His second argument is taken out of that worde Cleane
sacrifices wherein he striueth much to proue Howe 〈◊〉 talked 〈◊〉 that our spirituall sacrifices of prayers thankesgiuing yea of our selues and all ou◠obedience cannot bee cleane Wherein although he saith truly of our workes as they are in themselues considered yet are they also called Cleane first in respect of the fountaine of regeneration from whence they proceed in regard whereof although they bee not simpl◠e cleane yet in comparison of the workes of them that are secure in their wickednesse they are cleane Secondly because God accounteth them as cleane for Christs sake Thirdly in respect of that whereunto the workes of the regenerate doe tende for though they cannot attaine to perfection yet doe they firme for it And 〈◊〉 this sort Dauid confesseth some may be Cleane Psa ◠4 3◠Who shall climbe vp into the hal of the lord or who shal stād in his holy place He that hath innocent hands and a cleane heart To this Esay Esay 1.16 1. Tim. 2.8 exhorteth Be you cleane And of this speaketh the Apostle Saint Paule In euerie place lifting vp pure hand or cleane hands And if M. Bellarmine do not content himselfe with this cleannesse he will find that euen the sacrifice of the Masse it selfe for which he striueth so in this place seeing the vertue therof must somewhat depend vpon the goodnesse and deuotion of the Priest as he saith wil not be found verie cleane De Missa li. 1. cap. 4 because the sacrificer is manie times verie vncleane His third reason is taken out of the words that are in the beginning of the text alleaged Out of which he will proue that it must bee a new sacrifice and such as was not before but our spirituall sacrifices haue beene alwayes therefore the Prophet cannot meane of our spirituall sacrifices It will neuer be proued that the Prophet speaketh of such a sacrifice as neuer was But the Iewes trusted too much in their externall Sacrifices yea though they were not such as God commaunded that they should be But on the contrarie God telleth them that euen among the Gentiles whom they despised thinking that no good could be amongst them I say among them should be offered not such polluted and vncleane things as the Priests were content to take of the Iewes to offer to God but a Cleane offering euen such an offering as was the bodie of their shadowes the truth of their figures and the substāce of their ceremonies in respect of him that brought the offering that is they should serue the Lord with a sincere and single heart And this is the cleane sacriffce that Malachie meaneth which was acceptable alwayes and alwayes shall be Fourthly Bellarmine imagineth that God by Malachy setteth the contempt and dishonouring of God done by the Leuiticall Priests against the honour that he shall haue among the Gentiles Be it so What then The Iewes sayth he dishonoured God in a visible sacrifice therefore the Gentiles also must honour him by a visible sacrifice otherwise the dis◠onor done by the Iewes is greater than the honour done by the Gentiles I denie his consequence for they dishonored God but in a corner of the world but the Gentiles worshipped him from the rising of the Sunne to the going downe of the same and herein standeth the force of the comparison as by the wordes plainely appeareth Fifthly he supposeth that the Priestes of the olde lawe are compared with the Priestes in the Gospel but there is no such matter as the wordes declare But to wring and force wordes to see what may be gathered out of them rather than to search what their true meaning is doth bring but small credite to their cause and weake proofe to their doctrine His last argument to prooue this place of Malachie not to belong to a spirituall sacrifice is out of the fathers where in my iudgement hee sheweth his weakenesse more than in his other reasons or else a worse humour For although that Iustinus Martyr whom hee first alledgeth Col. cum Tryph. Iudaeo doeth in trueth affirme and wee denie it not that Malachie sayeth that the Eucharist is a sacrifice yet that hee speaketh not of a sacrifice properly so called Bellarmine must needes confesse except he speake agaynst his owne conscience if hee consider what hee sayeth long after in that booke namely that Euerie one that is called by the name of Iesus Christ are in deede made Priests to God as God doth testifie saying In euerie place cleane and acceptable sacrifices shall bee offered Which sacrifices also what they are he afterwards testifieth prayers and thanks giuings What can be more plaine But this especially is to be remembred that not Priests only but euery Christian doth by Iustines wordes offer vp these cleane offerings and therefore that hee speaketh of spirituall sacrifices Irene his second witnesse maketh little for his purpose for euen immediately before the words whereby Bellarmine woulde prooue the Eucharist to bee a sacrifice after the proper signification of the worde hee sheweth that God hath no delight in sacrifices or burnt offerings but in Faith obedience and righteousnes And after that he taught his disciples to offer to God the first fruits out of his creatures Iren. lib. 4. cap. 32 not that hee needed any thing but that they should neither be vnfruitful nor vnthankfull And so he tooke bread and gaue thanks and eat as is by Bellarmine alledged Can any thing be more plaine He first sheweth that God regardeth not those reall sacrifices that I may so terme them then he sheweth that the Eucharist is a sacrifice of thankesgiuing And as in the words alledged by Bellarmine it is an offering of the first fruits of his gifts Cap. 33. that giueth vs our nourishment and in the next chapter he expoundeth the incense so alledging the wordes of Malachie In euerie place incense shal be offered vp by that place of the Apocalips Apoc. 5.8 that the incense was the prayer of the Saints so we see that prayers and praises are the sacrifices that he speaketh of these are spiritual and not reall sacrifices And as for Tertullian Tertul. whom in the 3. place he bringeth forth as he hath nothing for him in the place by him alledged Tert. cont Marcion li. 4 so yet he plainly expresseth in another place what hee vnderstandeth by that cleane sacrifice that Malachie speaketh of Exam. Con. Trid. 2. part namely Sincere praier out of a pure conscience Which place being alledged by Kemnitius against the councel of Trent Bellar. to shift it off as boldly as vntruly he affirmeth that Tertul. doeth not expound Malachies place where he nameth the cleane sacrifice but where he nameth the incense But the place of Tertullian plainly sheweth the vntruth of his answere for Tertullian speaketh thus In euerie place a sacrifice shal be offered in my name and a cleane sacrifice euen sincere prayer out of a pure heart So that
is as strong as the second and is this Breaking cannot be spoken wel of the bodie and in this place which is broken for you cannot be true of the bread for the bread is not broken for vs therefore it must be vnderstoode of Christs bodie in forme of bread In this argument M. Bellarmine reiecteth their vulgar translation which somtime he and his fellowes doe highly extoll for that saith which shal be deliuered And so doe Chrysostome Ierome Primatius Theophilact yea and Thomas of Aquine also al of them expounding these very words Epist 3 And Cyprian in his second booke of Epistles and so doe our English Remists translate it likewise Al whose translations do sufficiently proue that they espied not any such mysterie in that worde is broken but that they were bolde to deliuer the verie true sence of it shal be deliuered to signifie that the body of Christ should suffer the torments vpon the crosse which S. Paul did expresse by the word of breaking And in that respect doth Thomas of Aquine who woulde faine haue the Eucharist to be a sacrifice say it is a Representatiue sacrifice of Christs passiō 1. Cor. 11. lect 5. by which passion hee gaue his body to death for vs. But whereas Tho. and after him M. Bellarmine would make their Eucharist a representatiue sacrifice read and peruse who so will the words of the institution it will not be found that our Sauiour Christ did offer in his last supper any sacrifice to God but only spoke to the Apostles instructing them in the vse of the sacrament which then he instituted As for that he reasoneth out of the words of S. Luke because he seemeth to speake of the shedding of the cup not of the bloud Matthew and Marke Mat. 26.28 Mar. 14.24 make the matter more plaine and tell vs that the bloud of Christ is shed Doth not this wringing wresting of scriptures to force them from their true and natural sence to serue their turne manifestly argue that it must needs bee a weake tottering building that is raysed vpon so bad foundations and that it is but for want of better proofe that they are faine to scrape togither such poore helps The second argument of M. Bellarmines to proue a sacrifice by the institution is this in effect Christs body bloud are receiued in the Eucharist therefore they cannot but be sacrificed Which argumēt for vs to deny it is sufficient seeing that M. Bellarmine himselfe seemeth to inforce this only against them that confesse a real presence in with vnder the bread and yet deny the sacrifice But whereas Kemnitius requireth in a sacrifice 4. properties wherof he wanteth 3. in the Eucharist M. Bellar. can finde them al. First the persons that should sacrifice are the priests who are willed to sacrifice in these words if ye wil trust Bellar. Do this Who would euer haue gathered thus that had eies to looke vpon the words of the institution You must Doe this ergo you must sacrifice Yea Bellar. seemeth in the beginning almost of this chapter to be half ashamed of this argument and blameth Caluine and Kemnitius because they say that with the papists in that place those words To do is to sacrifice and therfore it needeth no farther answer But for the act of sacrifising it troubleth Bellarmine to finde it out neither knoweth he howe to distinguish betweene that act I meane the sacrifice which Christ offered saith he and other actions in the supper And yet master Bellarmine is sure that such a thing there is there but where to finde it he cannot tell Is this thinke you good dealing for them that should be good guides vnto others to take vppon them to leade men they knowe not whether themselues The words for a sacrament are very plaine but if you would follow with a bloud-hound you can neuer finde a sacrifice out of those wordes As for the testimonies that master Bellarmine alleadgeth out of the fathers they shall haue this answere The Eucharist is in sundry respectes called a sacrifice A sacrifice of the fathers not only because therein we offer the sacrifices of praiers and thankes giuings and duties of loue but also and that especially because it is a memoriall of the true sacrifice which Christ offered for vs vpon the crosse Therefore it is not enough for M. Bellar. to bring them in saying that the Eucharist is a sacrifice which we deny not but that it is a sacrifice properly so called which the papists affirme but cannot proue Argument 7 His 7. generall argument needeth no answer for it is so weak that euery child may see the fault of it For out of those wordes Act. 13.2 As they ministred vnto the Lord speaking of Paul Barnabas others ministring seemeth to be or may be taken for sacrifycing ergo it is takē there for sacrifycing saith M. Bellar. Iudas seemed to be a true seruant of Christ but was not Lib. 1. de M◠ssa ca. 13. And the very children doe know that it is no good argumēt to say such a thing may be therfore it is so Argument 8 Rhem. Test De missa li. 1 cap. 14 But in the tenth Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinths which the Papists make their strong bulwarke maister Bellarmine findeth three arguments His first argument is this Euerie altar which in deed is an altar is builded for offering of sacrifices But the Lords table after a sort is an altar therefore it is for offering of sacrifices We will not striue with master Bellarmine much for this point for we will confesse that such sacrifices are offered vpon the altar as maister Bellarmine confesseth the altar to be The Lordes table saith he is a kinde of altar or an altar after a sort So we say that sacrifices after a sort namely spirituall sacrifices are offered thereupon His second reason out of this place is a lowde lie For thus hee saith For the Apostle speaketh plainly that we that are faithfull doe so receyue the bodie and blood of the Lord at the table of the Lord as the Iewes their sacrifices or the Gentiles their meates offered to Idols on their altars or tables And because hee cannot proue this to bee true you must trust him of his owne worde for he bringeth no proofe at all Let the indifferent reader peruse the place and marke his false dealing with it The wordes cited by him begin at the 14. verse of that Chapter and continue vnto the 22. the summe whereof is this as they that consider the place may see As by participating at the Lords table you are made partakers of Christ and ioyned togither amongst your selues in one bodie verse 16 17 so by participating at the table of Idols you are made partakers of them and ioyned in fellowship with the Idolaters But that which he telleth vs is so plaine in these wordes cannot be gathered out of them And this
according to promise And out of the reuelation Apoc. 2.10 Be thou faithful vnto the death and I will giue thee a crowne of life How can he proue merites out of it Is this a good argument I will giue thee therefore thou hast deserued it Two or three places more he there alleadgeth but out of that I haue said it is easie to answere them His fift sort of places are such as promise to good workes eternall life And out of them he reasoneth thus Promise of rewarde for a worke doeth make that he that doth the worke maie bee saide to merite his rewarde That the reward is due but yet not deserued I shewed before in the answere to his first argument and I need not heere to repeat it His sixt argument is taken from those places that speake of our worthines and are of two sortes 2. Thess 1.5 Luc. 20.35 For two of them namely that That yee maie be counted worthy of the kingdome of God and that also They shal be counted worthy to inioy that world and the resurrection of the dead doe answere themselues For that may be accounted worthy which of it selfe is not so in truth As in our workes is seene which are accounted of not as they proceed from vs but as they are presented before God in the name of Christ and their imperfection couered with his perfect obedience The other two places seeme more pertinent to his purpose but yet being rightlie vnderstood prooue nothing for him The first is in the booke of wisedome which booke although it is not Canonicall yet because the place alleadged seemeth like vnto the words that he alleadgeth out of the reuelation they may both receiue one answere Wisdom 3.5 Apocal. 3.4 God proueth them and findeth them worthy for himselfe The other place is They shall walke with me in white for they are worthy First that this worthines doth many times signifie an aptnes or fitnes it cannot be denied Who saith Salomon can iudge 2. Cron. 1.10 this thy great people worthily Where by worthely he meaneth not as they deserue for they were a stubborne and bad people many times but as is fit or meete to gouerne them And so the Apostle willeth vs to walke worthy of God worthy of our calling worthy of the gospell that is as becommeth Gods children them that are called and fit for the professours of the gospell And this fitnes is said to be in vs in respect of the new man that is begun within vs not in respect of perfection that we doe or can attaine vnto And yet if we should indeed be worthy we must be perfect which heere we cannot be And in this sence you see his argument hath no necessity Men are worthy of loue that is fit to loued therefore they haue deserued it for this fitnesse is not of themselues Secondly although we be called worthy in respect of our election in Christ or in respect of the fruits of the spirite which God commendeth in vs although they haue their wants that we might not be discouraged but go on forwards in the wayes of godlinesse yet this argument will not hold We are worthy of loue therefore our workes haue deserued this loue or made vs worthy For our worthinesse hangeth nothing vpon our works but that God wil vouch vs to be so esteemed But in respect of our works we must confesse with the prophet Dauid Psal 53.3 There is none that doth good no not one And therefore we must pleade euen the best of vs mercy and forgiuenesse not merite or worthinesse Super Cantic ser 61. My merit saith Saint Bernard is the Lordes mercy neither am I without merite so long as hee is not without mercie His seuenth argument is grounded vpon those places of scripture that say that God accepteth no persons But must he needes therefore respect the worthinesse of the worke If there be with him no difference betweene Iew and Gentile bond or free male or female must merites needes be established I haue often said that God respecteth vs and our workes but not for our goodnesse but for his mercy sake For this must needs be true that S. Paul teacheth vs according to the consent of the scripturs that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe Rom. 3 2◠Therefore as saith S. August let mans merits be silent which were lost through Adam De praedest Sanct. ca. 1◠and let the grace of God through Iesus Christ raigne as indeede it doth raigne Now for the Fathers if I should answer to euery testimony alleadged out of them it would be too long especially considering how largely I haue already handled this question Onely thus much woulde I admonish the christian Reader that when he readeth them he should remember they be but men Dial. 3. Impatib And if Theodoret said truly of the doctrines of the church the decrees of the church are to be prooued and not to be pronounced in maner of a iudgement then how much more should we reiect whatsoeuer any men speake without a good warrant Then also as they were men so were many of them great Philosophers might somwhat perchance smel of that infection speake more of mans worthines than had bin expedient for christian religion Aduersus Hermog Orat. 21. In so much as not without great cause did Tertull. cal philosophers The patriarchs of heretikes And G. Nazian cōpareth the subtilties of philosophy which he saith came vnhappily into the church vnto the whips wherewith the Aegyptians did scourge the Israelits Ser. de Arian In which kind of reasoning the tongue fighteth the words are speares the speech is the sword there is no end of contention all the day long as the same father saith in an other place And no maruel for the Philosopher is gloriae animal De anima euen the creature of glory as Tertull writeth No doubt therfore but they might be somwhat caried away with her intising words especially to thinke wel of that thēselues do Thirdly as I haue said in the former chapter the absurdities of thē that did teach that God moued man wrought in or by him as a workeman might do in or by a stocke or stone they not hauing so much as will thereto made the fathers to speake more not only of mans freewil as before I taught but also of the reward of them that worke according to the same And that this did the rather moue the fathers to speake somwhat too largely vpon this matter vnlesse they be warely red it may be gathered euen by that place that M. Bella. out of Origen alleadgeth Lib. 2. in Rom. in ca. 2. first saith he let heretikes be excluded that say that the nature of soules is good or bad let thē heare that God wil reward them not according to their nature but according to their merits Now cōcerning the vnderstāding of these words Rom
goe amongst the wil-worshippings especially if wee consider the practise of inuocation in the popish church For although now to make some faire shewe of their doctrine they will teach vs De beatitud sanct li. 1. ca. 17. that the saints Are not the immediate intercessours vnto God for vs but obtaine our requestes of God through Christ as maister Bellarmine teacheth yet it cannot be denied that men and women haue had confidence in the saint it selfe haue vowed and performed their vowes vnto the same for their deliuerance haue praied vnto the same for helpe Act. Mon. pag. 1117. 1443. And these men haue not beene reproued no they were thought to haue a good deuotion and to merit thereby but some haue beene accused of heresie for not praying in their trauell to the virgin Mary Yea they haue published a blasphemous thing called the Psalter of the Virgin compiled by Bonauenture in which whatsoeuer in the Psalmes and some other scripture is spoken of the Lord is most wickedly by them applied vnto the Virgin Mary whom they call lady Yea to be short it is almost as full of blasphemies as of words An infinite number of their owne prayers might bee brought against them out of their owne bookes to testifie against themselues of that superstitious confidence which they haue had in the creature and yet would they now perswade the world that they neuer meant they should make intercession to God for vs but by Christ but in trueth they made them rather gods than mediators As when the virgin Mary is willed to command her Sonne and to shew her to be his mother Or when vnto her they pray thus In al our trouble and distresse help vs most holy virgin Mary And thus haue I thought good briefly to examine their proofes out of the scripture and to take away that shew of reasons that they made out of Gods word I might haue brought their owne fellowes to testifie against them that whilest they will seeme to alleadge scriptures they doe but wrest them In Enchirid. cap. 15. De Theol. loci li. 3. cap. 3 For Eckius a stowt Papist doeth frankely confesse that the inuocation of saints is not expresly commanded or taught either in the olde or new Testament But Melchior Canus better learned than hee doeth say that neither plainely nor yet couertly it is contained in the Scriptures And therefore we see that they doe alleadge Gods word but to blinde mens eies as though they had some warrant out of it not because they thinke their arguments pâ— ooue that which they teach Seeing therefore their doctrine is so quite voide of all warrant out of Gods word and that which they do seeme to bring is so weake and wrested as may appeare I trust I may conclude with Tertullian that this commaundement De praescrip aduersus haer aske and yee shall receiue agreeth to him that knoweth of whome to aske euen of him of whome somewhat was promised that is of the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Now for the second point which is Christ our onely mediatour that Christ Iesus is this only mediator between God and man to offer vp our prayers vnto God Wherein our aduersaries do not deny but he is the mediator but they had wont to tell vs Eckius in Ench. cap. 15 that he is the onely mediator of redemption and yet they rob him also of that office by the Popes pardons and such baggage but there may be many mediators of intercession say they But master Bellarmine hath found out another shift namely that they are but intercessours by Christ as before I haue shewed But howe doeth master Bellarmine prooue that the saints make intercession by Christ for vs. Hee hath not so much as one word out of scripture for it neither yet out of any ancient father His onelie proofe is out of saint Bernard who liued eleuen hundred yeeres and more after Christ Is this a doctrine to be receiued now as catholike that hath so long beene buried in silence and will not yet perchance be very well liked of Indeede that Christ is our mediatour he prooueth well but that which he would especially haue vs to beleeue is left without witnesse as I haue shewed De beatitud sanct li. 1. ca. 17 Well then I will take it as a thing granted by master Bellarmine that Christ is onely our immediate mediatour to God and no saint no angel or any other creature which thing the scriptures prooue plentifully And I will by Gods grace shew also that they may not be mediators by or to Christ for vs. First there is no warrant for it in the word and therefore it must not be receiued of vs whose rule for life and religion the word â—â— st be Secondly I haue shewed that the saints departed haue not faith and therefore they can not pray Thirdly to ioyne them with Christ in the office of Mediation doeth shewe that they feare that either hee can not by himselfe perfourme that office which God hath laide vppon him and that is blasphemous Or that hee will not at our request do it vnlesse hee be intreated by others Seeing hee hath died for my sinnes shall I doubt whether hee will heare mee if I doe pray If hee bid mee aske seeke knocke and promiseth thou that I shall haue finde and to open will hee not bee as good as his worde Hebr. 2.17 In all thinges it became him to bee made like vnto his brethren that hee might bee mercifull 18 and a faithfull high priest in thinges concerning God Ebr. 4.15 that he might make reconciliation for the sins of the people For in that he suffred and was tempted 16 hee is able to succour them that are teÌ„pted Our high priest is touched with the feeling of our infirmities Let vs therefore goe boldly vnto the throne of grace that we may receiue mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of need Let vs I saie our owne selues come vnto him in this assurance that he will not faile to heare and helpe vs. For he calleth Come vnto me all yee that are weary and laden and I wil ease you Matt. 11.28 Shall we be afraid to draw nigh vnto him that calleth vs so louingly Or shall wee thinke that wee shall neede to sende mediatours to intreate him that sendeth his embassadours to vs to intreate vs Nowe we are embassadours for Christ saith saint Paul as though God did beseech you through vs 2. Cor. 5.20 wee pray you in Christes steede that you bee reconciled to God Let vs therefore saie with S. Augustine or whosoeuer it was that writ those bookes that goe in his name Lib. 2. cap. 1. Of the visitation of the sicke I speake more safely and sweetely to my Iesus than to any of the holie spirites of God Yea this grosse and absurd persuasion Saint Chrysostome in many places seeketh to remoue as they that do read his
saint Augustine by this prison meaneth hell De salut docu cap. 64 from whence the sinner shall neuer come Now what is this to purgatorie The fift place alledged by master Bellarmine is out of the same chapter Mat. 5.22 Whosoeuer is angrie with his brother c. Here master Bellarmine gathereth out of S. August that all these punishments belong to the life to come Then also that there are three sorts of sinnes De ser dom in mont li. ◠He might also haue told vs out of S. Augu. that in Gods iudgement anger that is the least of these sinnes deserueth hell But that maketh against purgatory and therefore he would not see it And it is most certaine that our sauiour Christ there teacheth vs that the cōmandement Thou shalt not kill is sundry waies broken Neither can out of these words be gathered that there must be satisfaction after this life which Bellar. would proue Moreouer he reasoneth out of S. Luke Make you friends of riches of iniquitie Luke 16.9 that when you shall want they may receiue you into euerlasting habitations If by friends in this place we should vnderstand the saints yet it maketh not for purgatory as may appeare For in this argumēt there can be no necessarie cōsequence The saints must receiue vs into heauen therfore we must go by purgatory but the saints cānot neither must they haue that honor giuē to thē that they shuld receiue vs into the euerlasting habitations Mat. 25.34 it is Christ that must say Come ye blessed He must giue that inheritance that hath bought it with his pretious bloud or else a man may giue it vnto the wicked that shall neuer come there or to such as out liue him neither of which can bee there to receiue him By al which reasons it appeareth that in those words our sauior Christ doth but allude vnto such as whilest they haue ability doe make others their friends So would hee haue vs whom God hath made his stewards with well vsing of our riches to please God that hee also of his gratious goodnes may shew mercy to vs. Luk. 23.42 Seuēthly Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdome saide the thiefe that was put to death with Christ therefore saieth maister Bellarmine he thought that sinnes might be after this life remitted So that this is his meaning as the papistes would perswade vs remember me that is let me be praied for when I am dead Vers 43. But they doe not remember how Christ promised he should not come in purgatory but be with him euen that day in Paradise His eight place He loosed the sorrows of death so it is in greeke Act. 2.24 but M. Bellarmine that hee might get an argument out of that place woulde haue vs reade the sorrowes of hell It is not worth answering because hee must alter the wordes or els he must haue one argument fewer than hee looked for His last place himselfe misliketh and thinketh it not to proue any thing for them and therefore I will not speake of it Now for their argumentes out of the fathers hee that will but indifferentlie consider of them shall finde the fathers to be in this point verie vncertaine And the question being amongst vs whether purgatory bee a catholicke doctrine wee haue not to regard what they in their priuate and doubtful opinions doe set downe but what with one consent and constantly they teach Seeing therefore that neither the fathers with one consent teach it neither themselues knowe well what to saie of it as in many places of maister Bellarmine his two bookes of purgatory may appeare I wil conclude with that golden saying taken out of Gelasius a pope We reade that Christ raised the dead Causa 24. Q. 2. ca. legitur but that hee absolued such as died in error wee doe not reade And afterwardes speaking of the authority of binding and loosing giuen in those words Math. 16 1◠Whatsoeuer thou shalt loose vpon earth shall bee loosed in heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth c. Gelasius thus inferreth In earth saith he for he that is dead being bound he said not that he should be absolued or loosed An abridgement of Vincentius Lirinensis with some obseruations vpon the saide Author CHAP. 32. NOw in steede of a conclusion vnto this treatise of controuersies I haue thought good to draw into a briefe summe that booke of Vincentius Lyrinensis against heresies which is so much alleadged against vs. Whom because they so confidently produce against vs in defence of their cause I take his authority to be so much the stronger against them that euen by the iudgement of their owne witnes for so they recken him they may bee conuinced of newnesse and falshood in their doctrine and of vntruth in challenging to their errours the name of catholicke faith and to themselues of catholicke men or women But before I come to the treatise it selfe that we may the better vnderstand vpon what occasion he so greatly accounteth of the ancient tradition of holy men for the interpretation of the scriptures first wee must perswade our selues that this learned father coulde not bee ignoraunt of that way to finde out the true meaning of the scriptures which the godly fathers a little before his time had set downe namely by conferring one place with another and by waying the circumstances of the place it selfe As S. Hillary de trin li. 1. Ambr. in Psal 118. Serm. 8. Hierom vpon Esay 19.1 Basil in reg breu quaest 267. Chrysostome vpon Gen. hom 12. And saint Augustine in many places haue plainly taught Neither yet must we imagine that Vincentius contrary to that which himselfe teacheth throughout this whole booke would that this his rule shoulde bee accounted the onlie way to finde out the trueth of Gods worde and that which so many before him with such a ful consent haue taught vs shoulde bee reiected Therefore it is cettaine that his meaning is to such godly waies as others before him haue vsed for trial of the truth to adde this also as a rule that may bee profitable and doe much good if it bee vsed wisely and truly considered of And the rather did hee teach vs this way because the Pelagians so boldly and confidently preferred their newe doctrine before the ancient faith whereof this authour complaineth fol. 15. And Nestorius condemned all that were before him as if they knew nothing in comparison of himselfe as wee maie see fol. 54. For this cause Vincentius teacheth vs in this his booke which hee therefore calleth Commonitorium an admonition or caueat to auoid the new deuises of priuate men and to holde fast the ancient faith of the vniuersal church And yet although Vincentius Lyrinensis did then see that that which was then catholicke and auncient it was also true and therefore that then it was a good rule to trie doctrines by yet the argument of the Church of
the catholike faith Not the authoritie of any man not the loue that he beareth him not his wit eloquence or philosophie But despising all these stedfast and setled in faith doeth make reckoning that hee must hold and beleeue onely whatsoeuer he knoweth the catholike church of olde beleeued Hee confirmeth also that heresies are for the triall of the godly by S. Paul 1. Cor. 11.19 with a long and liuely description of such as are wauering and doubtfull in faith maruelling much at their madnes that content not themselues with the rule of faith The Papists are possessed with this mad spirit which of old once hath beene receiued but day by day seeke new things and delight alwayes to put something to or to change or to take somewhat from religion Not remembring that it is a heauenly doctrine which once to be reuealed sufficeth but as if it were an earthly institution which cannot be perfected but by continuall mending or rather controlling it This chopping chāging in religion he proueth to be dangerous by three other testimonies of scripture Prouer. 22.28 Eccl. 8 17. Eccle. 10.8 but especially insisteth vpon that of Saint Paul 1. Tim. 6.20 O Timothe keep that which is committed vnto thee and auoide prophane and vaine babling and opposition of knowledge falsly so called And sheweth what is meant by this word depositum What is meant by That which is committed to thee That which is committed that is that which thou art trusted with not that thou deuisedst that thou hast receiued not inuented a matter not of thine owne wit but of an others teaching not for thy priuate vse but for to deliuer to all A thing brought to thee not brought forth by thee wherein thou maiest bee not the Author but the keeper not the teacher but the scholler not the leader but the follower This as pure gold must be kept pure without corruption It must be beautified and fitted but in any wise we must So teach that wee haue learned Wee must teach no new thing Growing in faith but no changing that when we speake after a new manner yet we bring no new matter Yet we must grow and the faster the better So that it bee but growing and not changing In the very same doctrine the same meaning the same vnderstanding Euen as children grow in their body but are the same that they were But if any partes or members should be added or turned into another shape it were a monstrous thing Such and no other must be our growing in religion to no other but to more perfection in the same which hee also maketh manifest by the example of wheat Which being sowen by our fathers in the primitiue church must bee husbanded and dressed by vs but the seede must not bee changed Yea in these plantes of religion we maie nay wee must vse all diligence to trimme them and dresse them but to change them to mangle or maime them it is great wickednesse Yea they must still keepe their Fulnesse sincerity and property He seemeth to haue prophecied of the mischiefes of popery For doe but once giue libertie to this deceit of cutting or corrupting the Scriptures and religion is in danger to bee quite ouerthrowne If some maie bee cut off nought will be left if some maie bee mingled nought will bee pure and sincere The true church keepeth safely her owne But the Church of Christ is a carefull and warie keeper of doctrines lefte vnto her shee neuer changeth any thing diminisheth it not addeth nothing Shee cutteth not of thinges necessarie Shee putteth not to thinges needelesse Shee doeth not leese her owne shee will haue nothing that belongeth to others Yea and in all her Councels the church did nothing else but set downe that in writing which before was knowen onlie by tradition and vtter by newe termes The councels taught nothing in faith new Teachers of newes must bee auoided matters of faith not new We must also by all meanes possible shun and auoid such as bring not the catholicke and vniuersal doctrine which hath continued one and the same from age to age by one vndefiled tradition of the truth and shal continue for euer without end And this newnesse of wordes the Apostle calleth prophane because it hath in it nothing holy nothing religious These prophane nouelties therefore we must auoide for to receiue them is the maner not of catholikes but of heretikes The words thus included I was loath to leaue out because the Papists bragge much of them as though they did mightily conuince vs to be heretikes And yet if a man do well consider of them hee may iustly doubt whether they be Vincentius his words or added since because they are brought in so impertiuently to his matter and nothing in all the booke either afore or after that soundeth that way But admit that they are his words it is no hard matter to prooue this in very many of the doctrines of the church of Rome bicause therein they do iumpe and drawe in one yoke with the olde heretikes of whome the stories mention by whome how and when they beganne But they will tell vs their doctrines were not condemned by any councel which they professe And how could they when they that taught them had gotten the soueraignty ouer princes and prelats Yea he whom they call the catholike king as in some respects they may truely not because he loueth catholike religion For in a man of so excessiue greedinesse intollerable pride and vnnaturall crueltie as many of his practises and purposes shew him to be what religion can there be but because hee scarcely can coment himselfe with the whole world this man I say vsurpeth Nauarre and intrudeth himselfe into the kingdome of Portingal And yet so long as he ruleth them their parleaments or councels dare not no they can not proclame him to be an vsurper or an intruder into other mens right although hee is so neither would our sauiour Christ haue regarded any thing this defence that the Scribes and Pharises and Priests of the Iewes might haue vsed In what coun◠el was that condemned that we teach but on the contrary he telleth that by their power and authoritie they shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men and suffer not them that would enter Math. 23.13 And so did the Church of Rome What heresie hath beene at any time but it hath beene vnder some certain name in some certayne place at some certaine time And no man doeth maintaine any heresie but that hee first separateth him selfe from the consent of the vniuersality and antiquitie of the catholike church As hee prooueth by the examples of Pelagius Celestius Arrius Sabellicus Nouatianus Simon Magus Priscilianus Yea but Heretikes doe alleadge Scripture for al in a maner that they say and therefore are they the more dangerous And that practise did Sathan vse before against our sauiour Christ But how then shall catholike men know