reason as ever auy Sect for if these plaintiffes that accuse the Roman Church of Error superstition Noveltye and Idolatrie be vrged to produce any playne place of holy writt to proue their accusation for example sake wher in holy writt it is syad That Gods Commaundements are impossible to be kept or where in holy writt ther is any prohibition to craue the assistance of the heavenly Saints to ioyne their prayers with ours to our Lorde Iesus Christ that wee may be made worthie of this promises c. the whole pack of them are not able to produce not soe much as one expresse text to that purpose but givinge slipp to the demaund in question they fly to bye difficultyes fabulous or impertinent narrations relatinge many tales of Cockes and Bulles of this Pope and that Pope of this Bissopp or that Fryer Soe destitute are they of the ayde of holy writt which vaynely and frequently they pretend soe that the sayeinge of the holy Prophet is well verifyed in them The vngodly haue tould me their fables but not as thy Lawe Ps. 118. But wheter haue these frivolous impertinences of Protestants wrested my discourse To retorne then to the Byble on which solye they pretend to build all their fayth although it be not controuerted betuene Catholiques and Protestants or any other nomynated Christians whether God hath any worde written which is infallable vsually called the holy Scripture As it is one thinge to question whether ther be à Kinge of Spayne and another thing wether Phillip or Ferdinando be the Kinge therof For that though the first to witt that ther is à Kinge of Spayne be most Certayne yet the latter may be debated which is the Lawfull true Kinge vzt Ferdinando or Phillip Soe though it be most Certayne that there is à written worde of God infallable yet iustly may it be questioned whether that booke which Protestants haue and call the Byble be the holy Scripture or noe For as the Learned doe obserue in the Scriptures three thinges are to be consydered First the Cannon or Catologue of divyne bookes Secondly the translation And thirdly the sence which is the soule of the Letter Now then I demaund of Protestants what Infallible assurance they haue that the bookes which be in their Cannon be onely divyne And those which they reiect as Apocripha be really such Will yow saye with Luther and with other Protestants as Whitakre and Doue that yow received them from the Roman Catholique Church Then it followeth if her authoritye who yow Credit therin be infallible yow are allsoe bound to stande to her worde in other poynts of Religion For if she be infallible as she must if yow haue any infallible assurance that the Scriptures yow received from her be really divyne in à matter soe fundamentell much more is she to be Credited in other poynts as namely concerninge the true interpretation therof c. Secondly out of this answer it followeth that the Roman Church cannot be Antichristian as some Protestants vaynly pretend For it cannot stand that they should preserue the Scriptures for soe many ages wherin yow pretend your Church was vnknowne and latent For then may Israell be fownd in Babilon and participation bebetwene Christ and Belial And she who is falsehood it selfe be by your owne inference the pillar and foundation of truth To be shorte then must the whore of the Apochalips Thus is Antichrist become Christ Servante and best supporter Keep safe those Recordes wherby those many hundred Thowsonds of Christ virgins make their Clayme to the inestimable reward alloted for their vowe of Chastitye As easily wee may beleiue that the Arke and the Idoll Dagon may be placed together But indeed though yow haue the Roman Churches warrant that those bookes that yow admitt as Canonicall to be divyne yet never did the Roman Church warrant or assure yow that onely those bookes placed in your Cannon be divyne and the rest which yow reiect to be Apochripha It resteth then that the greatest assurance yow haue is the authority of your owne Church which Confessedly is lyable to Error what infallible assurance haue Protestants of the purity and incorruption of their translation especially seeinge many of their brethren hardly Censure it How shall I approue sayth M. Burges vnder my hand à translation which hath many omissions many additions which sometymes obscureth sometymes perverteth the sence beinge sometymes senceles sometymes Contrarye M. Bronghton the great Hebritian thus sayth The publique translation of the Scripture in English is such as it perverteth the Text of the old Testament in eight hundred forty and eight places and it causeth Millions of Millions to reiect the new Testament and to runne into eternall flames And to omitt how Bishopp Tunstall noated two thowsand Corruptions of the Bible in Tindalls translation And allsoe how the Remists noated two hundred and tenn corruptions of the new Testament out of Greeke which Protestants pretended to translate not Chardginge them with an infynite number of their Corruptiōs repugnant to the auncyent authenticke Lattin To omitt I saye these and many other Catholique observations for which they Iustly except against the English Bybles I add this Cōfessiō of the famous Protestant D. Whitakre who though favouringe the Englishe trāslation of the Bible as much as possible he might yet thus he confesseth I haue not sayd otherwise but that somethings in the Englishe translation might be amended Now what infallible assurance I saye haue they to warrant their translation as incorrupt seeinge the greatest warrant they haue for it is the authority of their Church which by their confession may erre And with what Conscience can they Commend vnto the people their English Byble thus Corrupted for the pure word of God Note Againe what infallible assurance haue they of the sence which is the life of the Letter to witt that their expositions be the true meaninge of the holy Ghost but the authority of their Church which by their owne Confession is subiect to Erre On the contrarye what infallible assurance haue they that the Catholiques Cannon translation and exposition of the Byble are not Orthodoxe but the authority of their errable Church Note Now thē if fayth be an infallible Knowledge for by falliable and errable doctrine it is impossible to be saued can anye one with à safe Conscience build all his fayth vpon such à Byble whose Cannon translation and interpretation hath noe infallible assurance And in this I was infinitely confirmed when afterward I read in M. r Shillinghworths booke approued by three Oxford Doctors as conformable to the Doctrine of the Church of England vzt that ther was noe infallible Certaynety to be assured That the Scriptures were really Gods worde Which in effect is to suye That Protestants who pretend to beleiue nothinge but that which is contayned in Scriptures haue noe infallible assurance whether their Congregation be truely faythfull Christiains or no Moreover I demaund what certayne warrant
was worth euery droppe of blood yea his most pretious life that you might liue for euer in eternall glorie in neuer ending pleasures and the rich fruition and possession of his immense Maiesty the All Good the supreame Good and the soueraigne sole Good Let not momentary pleasure procure you an everlasting paeine nor let á short sufferance depriue you of an infinite reward Breuis voluptas sempiterna poena modica passio infinita gloria Saith the Seraphicall Father Saint Francis Therefore whilest you haue time work well for your soule the one thing which is necessary differre not so consequent an affaire least forgetting God in your life he forsake you in your death bedde according to that dreadfull saying of S. Augustine Hac animaduersione percutitur peccator vt moriens obliuiscatur sui qui dum viueret oblitus est Dei Aske then I beseech you timely of the old paths which is the Good way and walke in it and you shall finde refreshing for your soule These old paths which is the Good way in which all the godly and holy persons walked to the heauenly Hierusalem is the infallible iudgment of the supreame Pastours and Gouenours of Gods Church which they followed as the guide of faith and necessary way of Salvation In the old law it was strictly commaunded by almighty God Exod 17. insomuch as whosoeuer should be so proud as that he would not obey the order and commaund of the Cheife Priest who was the iudge in Ecclesiasticall affaires he was to die This also in the beginning and foundation of the new law our B. Sauiour so strictly commaunded as he that would not obediently harken to the Church he was to be reputed not as one capable of life euerlasting but as à beathen and publicane that is à person out of the state of saluation This was the way S. Austen whom euen the Protestants affirme to haue beene à most excellent wittnes of Antiquity as liuing about the Primitiue times of Christs Church tooke to resolue himselfe infallibly in doubts of Religion as is to be seene in diuers places of his diuine workes finally this also is the finall and continuall way in all ages since all Orthodoxe professours haue folowed in the determination of controuersies of faith as is manifest by the perusall of the Ecclesiasticall Records This way did my deceased Brother take to resolue himselfe employing all his cares to finde out the true Church of Christ that is the Catholique Church which the Apostles in their Creed only teach vs to belieue at all times it being true at all times to say I beleeue in the holy Ghost the holy Catholique Church and to rest himsefe touching all points of faith in her iudgmēt she being infallible therin as perpetually being taught by the holy Ghost all truth and no errour He sought humbly with perseuerance and through Gods mercifull goodnes found it out'seeke also and you shall finde Shall you vouchsafe to peruse impartially this his Manifest I am confident it will contribute much direction to the knowledge and embracement therof to the glory of God the ioy of the Angells and heauenly Saints the saluatiō of your soule and comfort of your best friends among whom he is one who will not cease to pray our Blessed Lord and Sauiour that he will illuminate the darknes of yours my other friends and Countrymens soules that he will giue you à true faith an assured hope à perfect Charity and endue you with the knowledge of him that vnited to the Catholique Church in all things all manner of wayes you may accomplish his holy pleasure in this life and in the next enioying him with all the Saints you may sing his mercies for euer Which is and shall be the dayly praier of him who humbly begging that the necessary discharge of his bounden duty for your soules Good may finde pardon for his freedome remaines euer as he professeth and subscribeth On the Vigill of all Saints 1650. HONORABLE DEARE SIR Your most dutifull and affectionate poore Nephew H. P. TO THE READER ALLTHOVGH to some it may seeme superfluous to print any thing in this nature for any of our Countrymen for that the present confusion and destruction of the English Church is manifest to all who know what belongeth either to the Hierarchie doctrine or discipline thereof By which it is evident their Religion was neuer Scripturall but parlamentary founded on the changeable vote of à Maior parte Yet to satisfy the will of the dead I haue done it to the end it may the more easilie be communicated to all his Protestant friends as it vvas by him intended Some happily might haue expected in the publication I vvould haue diuided it into certaine Chapters and in the end of them according as occasion required haue confirmed vvhat therein is said or supposed vvith some additions But I am as vvell acquainted vvith the humour of the times vvhich loatheth prolix tracts as I am vvith the multiplicity of mine ovvne occasiōs vvhich vvill not permit any such fraternall office Besides that it is my intention only to print it according to the Copy of the Originall vvhich is in the hand of à Protestant friēd vvho is à man of qualitie I could truly haue vvished that I had had the benefit of those Protestant books he perused in order to this Manifest that I might haue put the forme and yeare of the editions of these Authours he cites in regard the seuerall editions and change of the forme in the editions sometimes in quartò another time in folio or octauo make the citations not so easilie to be found out as othervvise besides many enlargements in the latter editions vvhich disorders the text of the former yet this in part is obserued by the Authour In the 14. page I knovv not hovv the quotations of M. Bruges Broughton and D. Whitaker vvere omitted but knovv that M. Bruges vvordes are in his 6. Section of his Apologie and M. Broughton in his aduertisment to the Bishops M. Whitakers in his Ansvver to M. William Reinolds pag. 225. As for the faults escaped in the printing I must in the Printers behalfe craue thy charity to couer his defects for that he vvas à stranger to our language to say nothing of the ill caracter of the Manuscript vvhich for the orthographie and mispointing must pleade his pardon for vvhat is othervvise materiall I haue represented vvith the correction leauing the rest to thy charity and recommending thee to svveet IESVS our Blessed Sauiours fauorable mercy and protection ERRATA PAg 3. linea 17. In steed of their read your P. 4. l. 11. ouer vvauetring ouervveening P. 16. this his P. 12. alibi infalloble Infallible P. 22. 23. 31. insepable Inseparable P. 27. Champpon Champion P. 38. Conditions Traditions P. 30. Praeches Preachers P. 37. tho the P. 39. Mose Moyses P. 4. Antinomay Antinomians P. 50. Alleagtion Allegation P. 54. 58. Maine Many P. 62.
then generall defection of all ProtestaÌ„t Pastors was immediate and extraordinary and againe sayth the same Author had Luther had any Orthodox predecessor ther had needed noe reformation Doctor Whitackres Con. 4. qu. 5. C. 3. In tymes past noe Religion sayth he had place in Churches but Papisticall And therfore in another place he thus write h wee acknowledg Luther to be our father Brocarde in the 2. C. Apocal. sayth thus when the preachinge of the Gospell was allowed in Luther and his first onsett against the Papasie the knowledg of Christ was fownd missinge in all and every of his members D. Bancrofte in his Survay c. 4 hath these words both the Preists of all sorts and lykewise the people began in tyme to be drowned in the puddles of Poperie all of them together from the topp to the toe Calvin who in his Epistles affirmes that they weere inforced to departe from the whole world in his booke of the necessity of reformation thus writeth It is manifest that the whole world was bewitched with these wicked opinions before Luther appeared Morgastren in his Treatise of the Church avouâ—heth that it is ridiculous to thimke that in the tyme before Luther any had the puritie of doctrine and that Luther should receive it from them and not they from Luther Consideringe it is manifest to the whole Christian world that before Luthers tyme all Churches weere overwhelmed with more then Chimerian darknes and that Luther was divinely raysed vp to discover the some and to restore the light of true doctrine And Luther himselfe in the preface of his 1. Tom. Here see even by my case how hard it is to get out of errors which are confirmed by the example of the whole world and by longe custome as it were changed into nature And To 2. This is written his Epitaph Oh Christ he shewed thee when all the world was overwhelmed with darknes And li. 1. de captiu Babil beinge to wright against the Masse he sayth neyther lett it move thee that the whole world hath the Contrary opinion and custome And fo. 68. Ther is allmost this day nothinge more received or more settled in the Church then that Masse is à sacrifice Againe I sett vpon à thinge which beinge approud by the custome of soe many ages and consent of all is soo ingrafted as it is needfull to change almost the whole face of the Church But by the way will yow knowe by whose instigation and what spiritt moved him ther vnto Let Hospinian à learned Protestant speake Hist. Sacram. part ult. Luther Confesseth sayth he that he was taught by the Divell that Masse and cheifly private Masse is nought and that beinge overcome by the Divells reasons he abolished it And therfore noe marvaill if Luther li de Abrog Miss. fo. 244. thus writeth How often did my tremblinge hart quake and reprehendinge me obiected that their strongest and onely Argument Art thou onely wise what did all erre were soe many ages ignorant Behould how Luthers hart and conscience did tell him that he aloue knew Protestancie and was the first Pastor and Preacher therof Hence in his Epist. ad Argent Anno 1525. he maintaynes this point against Zwinglius sayeinge wee dare boast that Christ was first published by vs Soe playnlie doe the Protestants and Luther himselfe frely confesse an vtter defection and want of their Churches Pastors and preaches for administration of the word and Sacraments before Luther And indeed this manifestly appeareth out of the name of reformed Church For it is impossible the Church should be reformed except it first had perished and been deformed soe that Protestants teach and professe à Fayth formerly decaied and deformed afterward restored and reformed But the Catholique fayth of Christ Church foe firmely built on à rock that Hell gates shall never prevayle against it is an incorruptible Fayth of all tymes and consequently cannot be deformed or decay at any tyme and especialy in such essentiall matters which the reformers pretend the Catholique Church to haue been deformed Note Wherfore Protestants that doe teach à fayth which heretofore was deformed and decayed doe not professe nor teach Catholique fayth but à novitiall innovated Religion Seeinge then Luther was the first Pastor and teacher which reformed it it is evident that imediately before Luther they had noe Pastors nor Doctors of their Church But peradventure yow will saye that the Apostles Evangelists and all the auÌ„cyent Fathers pillars and lights of Gods Church of the first sixe hundred yeares were all Protestant Pastors and teachers of the reformed doctrine but afterward for the space of nine hundred yeares ther were none extant till Luther But this answere satisfieth not my argument but rather Confirmeth it to witt that the Protestant Church hath not in all ages ever enioyed Pastors and Doctors for the administration of the word and Sacraments Which is an insepable Marke of Christ true Church for were Protestants Christ true Church then should they haue had in all ages Pastors and Doctors to haue taught their fayth and not decline the Iudgment of the Pastors and Doctors of the Church which lived in the nyne hundred yeares before Luther and coÌ„municated realy with those of the 600. Secondly the answere is false if they will either be tryed by expresse Scripture or Fathers as it will appeare by the revnnige through of the principall points which are now controverted betwixt Catholiques and Protestants First then by Scripture Catholiques doctrine is there playnly confirmed and the reformers condemned for example Catholiques haue expresly If thou wilt enter into life keep the CoÌ„maundements Mathew 19 17. And that his Commaundements are not heavie 1 10. 5. 31. And againe In this wee know that wee haue knowne him if wee observe his Commaundements He that sayth he knoweth him and keepeth not his Commaundements is a lyer and the truth is not in him But he that Keepeth his word in him in very deed the Charity of God is perfected in this wee know that wee be in him 1. 10. 2. v. 3 4. 5. and 10. 17. 6. Protestants who brage they know God better and that they are Dearer to the spiritt then other men haue noewher any playne Scripture that they are either intollerable or impossible to be kept or that they may haue life everlastinge without keepinge of them Catholiques haue expresly whose sinns ye forgiue are forgiven whose sinnes ye retaine they are retayned Iohn 20. Protestants haue noewhere that Preists on earth caÌ„not forgiue sinns or retayne sinnes Catholiques haue expresly That à man is Iustified by workes and not by fayth only I am 2. and that the doers of the lawe shal be Iustified Ro. 2. Protestants haue noewher that man is Iustified by fayth alone noe nor that he is Iustified by fayth without works speakinge of workes that followe and presupposeih fayth of which the Controversie only is nor that the Law required at Christians handes is impossible and that the performance