Seeing you acknowledge in your Confession of faith that the Sacraments ought only to be ministred by such as are called therunto by ordinary vocation I demand if your vocation vnto the ministrie be like vnto the calling of all others who haue gone before you in the Church of Christ since the time of the Apostles whom both yee and wee repute and hould to haue been Iawfull pastors and teachers of his flock as S. Cyprian S. Augustin S. Ambrose and diuers others wishing you to shewin al points the conformitie of your vocation with that of theirs 5. who their Doctors Seing after the discours of the election of your Ministers Elders and Deacons yee acknowledge that the Scriptures make mention of a fourth kind of Ministers lest vnto the Church of Christ which also are very necessarie profitable Ephes 4. 1. Cor. 12. and are called by the name of teachers and doctors whose office it is to teach and instruct the faithfull in sound doctrine prouiding with all diligence that the puritie of the gospel be not corrupted ether throgh ignorance or false opinion I pray you to shew at what time any Doctors of such calling haue bene in your Church before Iohn Caluin because the places of Scripture noted by you teach and declare that God hath appointed such meanes in his church that it should neuer be left desolate nor yet his Doctrine to decay for wāt of Doctors other teachers 6. Their admission of Tinkers c. And seeing yee confes in the same place that men cannot profit so well in the knowledge aforesayd vnles they be first instructed in the learned tongues humane sciences for now God doth not commonly worke by miracles and that therefore it is necessary that seed be sowen for the tyme to come to the end that the Church be not left barren wast vnto posterity and also that for this effect schooles be erected wherin youth may be trayned vp in the knowledge and feare of God I demand why yee admitted at the first entry of your doctrine into Scotland and yet doe Taylors Skinars and other Artificers who were neuer instructed but in their owne craft and occupation which they left and abiured and out of their owne heades without any further calling vnto the ministery began to teach the people hauing for all their learning and forme of preaching some English books only which yet themselues very hardly vnderstood 7. If the only written word be Iudge Seeing that among other heads of your alleadged fayth this is one principall that nothing is to be beleeued Cal. l. 4. Inst c. 8. sect 8. but what is found in the written word I demaund what testimony yee haue in the same for assurance of your faith in this point And whether the fayth of the Apostles was groūded on the written word or not 8. S. Thomas Ghospell Where is it written that there is only foure Ghospels and that the Ghospell of S. Matthew with the other three ought to be recea ued and not the Ghospell of S. Thomas Or what authority hath moued you to receaue som books or chapters for canonical scriptur and to refuse or reiect others Or if any man deny any booke of the new Testament as Martin Luther doth the epistle of S. Iames what argumentes haue yee from the Scripture to condemne him Praef. in nou Test 9. VVhy Iewes credited Seeing yee giue so great authority to the Synagogue of the Iewes that according to their canon yee admit reiect sundry bookes of holy Scripture why giue yee not the like authority to the Christian church which hath gone before you in receauing such bookes as are approued by her for canonicall Scripture And if the only cause which moues you to reiect such bookes be because they were not approued by the Synagogue of the Iewes why by the same reason reiect yee not Christ himselfe seeing that Synagogue would not admit him for their Messias 10. Churches authoritie If it be the office of the church to discerne betwixt canonicall Scripture and not canoniall as a De capt Bab Luther b In prologo cont Pet. à Soto Brentius and other of your owne masters doe confes why should not the same church be heard of you in giuing her interpretation vpon any doubtfull place therof called in question Or why call yee more in dout the interpretation of the Scripture giuen by the Church then the very bookes themselues Or why prefer yee the priuat opiniō of Iohn Caluin and your selues before the vniuersall and vniforme consent of all Christian people before you 11. Citing only the written word Why esteeme yee Calu. l. 4 Inst c. 8. num 13. that yee haue an infallible marke of the true religion because yee cite only the written word seeing this hath beene common to all heretiques from the beginning Or what haue you more to say for your felues then they had for themselues in this point 12. If Scripture be easy If the Scripture be so easy as yee teach it to be c Luth de ser arbit what hath moued your owne writers to make so many cōmentaryes therupon Or what is the cause that ther is so great controuersy in religiō as we see at this day Yea euē vpon the expresse wordes of the last Testament of our Lord which according to the nature of a Testament should be most cleere 13. Conference of places If the priuate iudgment of euery one conferring Scripture with Scripture be a certaine and infallible rule of right interpretatiō as yee say how is it that so many grosse contradictions are foūd in your writinges gayn-saying not only one another but your selues also as is euident in your owne bookes 14. No meanes to be resolued Seeing that the Lutherans the Zuinglians and the Caluinists besides an infinite number of other sectes doe euery one alleage the written word for cōfirmation of their contrarie opinions how shall it be knowen to any man that would resolue himselfe in matters of religion which of them haue the true word sith it is the true vnderstanding that maketh the word and not the outward sounding of the voice as Christ himselfe saith who obiected to the Saduces Mat. 12. that they mistooke the Scriptures because they vnderstood not the meaning of them 15. Traditions Why deny yee any credit to be giuen to Traditions contrary to a Cal. l. 4. iust c. 10. the expres commandment of the Apostle writing to the Thessalonians in this maner b 2. Thes 2. Stand and keepe the Traditions which yee haue receiued whither by word or by our epistle And also contrary to the doctrne of all the auncient doctors of the church Or how haue yee the Scripture it selfe but by Tradition And seeing yee will giue no place vnto Traditions what assurance haue yee that since the Natiuitie of Christ there is only 1623. yeares Or whither it be lawfull for Christian men to call this point in
DEMANDS TO BE PROPOVNDED OF CATHOLICKES TO THE HERETIKES By Richard Bristow Priest and Doctour of Diuinity Taken partly out of his late English booke of Motiues to the Catholicke faith partely out of his printed Latin booke of the same matter For Iohn Heigham With permission Anno 1623. Mat. 16. Aedificabo Ecclesiam meam portae inferi non praeualebunt aduersus eam I will build vp my Church and hell gates shall not preuaile against it Marc. 1.3 Caelum terra transibunt verba autem mea non transibunt Heauen and earth shall passe but my wordes shall not passe Hic libellus est Catholicus elegans apprimè vtilis praelo dignus Ita testor Gulielmus Alanus S. Theol. Duaci Professor Regius DEMANDES TO BE Propounded vnto all Heretikes VNDERSTANDING gentle Reader that many are desirous of my late booke of Motiues to the Catholike faith who notwithstandinge cannot come therby partly because there were but few printed partely because a great parte of those few fell into the Heretickes handes God so ordaining it in testimonium ills for a witnesse vnto them and not minded to repaire the Printe although of som desired I thought good for some satisfaction of the saide and for further propagatiō of the truth to the saluation of my deare deceaued countrimen to set out this litle Pāflet which albeit to some may for the quantity seme but a trifle yet whosoeuer will voutsafe to peruse it shal finde it I trust full of most iust weightie considerations to beleeue the Catholikes of this time also and not the Heretikes The maner of it I haue conceaued by way of Demaundes to be made by Catholickes vnto Heretickes to confound therwith the obstinate and to conuert thē that be more tractable And although in these Demandes I wil be very briefe as only to put the learned in minde of that they haue read or may read and to shew them how to vse it to profite both thē selues others yet shall I touch the matter in euery one of them by the grace of God sufficiently for all sortes But if any man desire a larger declaration of them he shall in my late booke of Motiues for most of thē find enough and for all of them much more in my latine book which work thē only promised he hath since most learnedly performed of the same mater and that somewhat of an other sort in another order thē I did before in English which by these Demaundes may partly be coniectured Beseeching moste hūbly the deceuers if they shall clearely see in their consciences that they can not replie to these Demaundes that then they will for Christes sake vouchsafe to be good to their owne soules and to spare the seely people The 1. Demaund Touching the disputation made at Carthage FIRST then in the name of God let it be demanded of the sayd deceauers or of any other Heretike and especially of them that will seeme to be learned whether they haue not read or heard of Collatio Carthaginensis The conference or disputation made a Carthage in Africke almost twelue hundred years ago betweene Saint Augustine on the one side and his fellowes the other Catholike Bishopes of that Countrey and on the other side the Bishoppes of the Donatistes who were Heretiks likewise of that Countrey Which disputation being then presently taken word for word of diuers swift Notaries was afterwarde more breifly written by S. Augustine himselfe and is at this day to be seene in the seuenth Tome of his workes in his booke called Breuiculus Callationis An abridgment of the Conference If they knowe of the said conference let them then be asked whether the Question there betweene the Catholickes and the Donatists were not the same that is now betweene the Catholicks and the Protestants with al other Heretickes of this time to wit VVhich of vs haue the Church of Christ wherher we or they And because these Hereticks call earnestly for plaine Scripture and make as though they would yeeld most gladly therunto Let them say whether those Catholickes did not bring for their church very many most plaine testimonies of holy Scripture as is more orderly to be seene there in another booke of S. Augustins named De vnitate Ecclesiae Of the Churches vnitie Whether S. Augustine I say and those other Catholickes did not there most manifestly and most mightily out of the Scriptures proue a visible Church begining visibly at Hierusalem lasting visibly not only vnto their time but also vnto our time and euen so continually to the worlds end And whether such a Church make not as much against the Protestantes and all other Heretickes as against the Donatistes and as much for vs that be Catholickes now and for such as shall be Catholickes at any time to the worldes end as for S. Augustine and the other Catholikes of that time because neither the Protestantes nor no other Heretickes no more thā the Donatists haue so lasted or euer shal so laste cōtinually nor no other company of Christians but onely ours Finally if they will say that S. Augustine and his felowes there did not nor coulde not out of the Scripture proue sufficiently such a Church let them be demaunded whether they dare take parte with the Donatistes against those Catholickes and whether they will or be able to answere their Scriptures for and in behalfe of those Heretiks At leastwise because they talke so much of scripture and of onely Scripture whether they be able all the packe of thē as S. Augustine also there requireth of the Donatistes to alleage for their owne Church or Churches so much as one plaine text of Scripture as he there alleageth for our church in maner aforesaide very many and very plaine shewing also there that it cannot erre whether they can bring vs I say in so weightie a matter as wherupon dependeth al our cōtrouersie any one plaine saying of holy Scripture to proue that Christes Church beginning visibly at Hierusalem shoulde so continue but a time and then afterward should vtterly either perish or vanish away that many hundred yeeres after one Luther in Saxonie or one Caluine at Geneua or any other in any other countrey should bring it to life or to light againe The 2. Demaund Building of the Church VVHEREAS Christ his Christians haue besides Schismatikes and Heretikes two other kindes of enemies to wit Panimes Iewes wheras the aunciēt writers haue made many goodly books against those enemies either to confound them or to perswade them that Christ is God as it was then in the first beginning of Christians very necessary for them so to doe Let the learned Protestantes be likewise demaunded whether those christian writers in those books haue not made amongst others this argument to proue that christ is God namely Saint Chrysostome both against the Panimes in his booke named Contra Gentiles demonstratio quod Christus sit Deus A plaine demonstracion against the Gentiles
Rome sensibly Apostlicall hauing also the plaine deuine testimonie of so many Scriptures Ps 71. b. 10. 96. a 1. Isa 41. a 1.5 a 2. a 4.49 a 1.60 5. b. 9. Soph. 2. a 11. as amongst the conuersion of Nations speake expresly of Ilandes let them say what moued them what Miracles did Luther worke what Miracles did Caluine worke or any other of their new masters and false Apostles yea what other thinge caried away our contrey into this Apostasie but only sinne as all the world knoweth the same also daily so filling it with all kinde of sinne and wickednes that there must needs follow of it destruction both temporall and eternal The 12. Demaunde Visions VVhether they knowe not that both in a Bed Hist. l. 2 a 6.12 our Country and also in al other Christian nations innumerable holy Persons of our communion very many points of our doctrine haue been by God from heauen approued with most vndoubted visions them also very often sensible as for example The b Amb. serm 61. Aug. de vnit Ec. cap. 26. Paulin. ep 12. ad Seue c. Io. 1. c. 33. Act. 2. c 17 22 b 6. 2. Cor. 12. a 1. Relikes of S. Geruasius and Protasius reuealed at Milane to S. Ambrose himselfe with infinite moe of like sort And whether it be not euident c in the Scriptures that God vsed the same meanes to cōmend vnto vs Christ himselfe his Apostles and their doctrine And therefore whether it be not likewise euident that whiles they scoffe at al visions they prepare the world heereby also to scoffe at Christ himselfe Finally aske them why whē they are disposed to scoffe at visions they go to certaine obscure writinges and picke out of them that seemeth for their purpose Why are they afrayd to doe so with the foresayd visions of S. Ambrose and innumerable other such like most famous and most certaine which make no lesse against them and no lesse for vs then those others that they accoumpt to be vncertaine The 13. Demaund Honour of Crosses VVHETHER they haue not read in auncient Christian Bookes made against the Paynimes also this argumēt to proue that Christ is God because although a Galous tree and euery other instrument of execution be accompted a vile and vnhonourable thing Deut. 21 d. 23. Gal. 3. b. 13. of al a crosse was accompted most vile most accursed yet Christ hath set his holy Crosse in such high honour estimation that Emperours and Emperesses Kings Queenes and all other men wemen do not only thinke themselues happy if they can get neuer so litle a piece of it putting it most honorably in siluer and gould and so hanging it about their neckes but also make very great accompt of the only signes thereof setting it euen in their Regall crownes and dayly printing it in the most noble and most notable part of their bodyes euen in their foreheades In so much that S. Chrysostome sayth boldly thereupon Vellem audire à Pagano c. Chrys to 5. con Gent. quod Christus sit Deus col 1033 I would fayne learne of a Paynim how it is that the Signe of so cursed a death is so much desired of all men but only because great is the power of him that was crucifyed Aske the vnsigned Heretickes what they can answere here for the vnsigned Panym yea whether they be not ashamed weary of that Religion that cānot be defēded without pertaking with the Paynims against the Christians nor without answering the arguments of Christs owne Diuinity which yet they are not able to doe And let Christian people remember that Christians haue euer vsed to crosse themselues that therfore these vncrossed Protestants vnlike and repugnant to Christian men of all tymes stand post alone And then let thē further consider whither so deserte away is like to cary them if they returne not the soner to the common Christian way The 14. Demande Vertue of Crosses AGAIN whether they haue not read in such Bokes Chrys ibidem Eus de laud. Cōstant pa. 365. 266 367. Lact. l. 4 cap. 27. not onely as I haue now saide the Honour of the holy Crosse the very Signes of it but also and much more the wonderful power and miraculous vertue of the same both I say of Christs most holy Crosse and also of the very Signes thereof taken and vsed in argument to proue vnto the Painyms that Christ is God As bycause the same driueth awaie Diuells out of Idolles and out of mens bodies and healeth all diseases raiseth also many times the very dead them selues Lett them shew the Painims thē how this argumēt also may be answered if they can Or rather let thē forsake that Religion that so ioyneth with the Paynims against Christ and returne to Christian men stand with thē for Christ The 15. Demaund Honor of Saintes VVETHER they read not like wise in such bookes Chris ibidem Aug. ep 42. in Psa 44. Theod. de Cur. Grac. affect l. 8. also this argument to proue vnto the Paynimes that Christ is God Because he hath set his holy seruauntes in so highe honour that the very highest as Kinges and Emperours al others doe pray vnto thē and runn to their very Graues and Relikes and thinke them selues happie if when they be dead a chris ibi Col. 1033 they may be buried not onely by their Bodies but also nighe to their Chapelles Lett them therfore here againe helpe the Painims if they can Or rather let all true Christians looke to them selues and defie both the Painims and them The 17. Demaund Chris to 5. cont Gent. de vica S. Babyla Theod. ◠ibidem Aug. d. Ciu. l 22 cap. 9. Vertue of Saintes AGAIN whether they read not in such Books not only as I haue now saide the Honor of Saintes and of their Relikes but also and much more the miraculous power of both of Saints I say and of their very Relikes vsed in argument to proue vnto the Painimes that Christ is God As because they destroy Idolles that is to say the very Godes of Painims they yet being but the Seruants of Christ our God and because they expell Diuells also out of mens bodies and heale all diseases and raise many times the dead and also mightely and very beneficially doe amend corrupt maners of men and inflame them with deuotion towardes God Let the Protestantes here once againe help the Painims if they can Or rather let them at lenght leaue that Religion by which they haue so filled our coūtrey with Painims and Atheistes bycause as all men may see it standeth so opēly against so many most certain groundes and arguments of Christs owne Diuinity The 17. Demaund Exorcising of Diuels YET once againe whether they read not in such Bookes also this motiue propoūded according to the a Luc. 9.1 10. c. 19. 11. c. 20 Mar. 16.
her Sacraments as well for remission of sinnes after Baptisme as of sinnes before Baptisme to the vnspeakable comfort of all that be heauy loaden merite in her workes force in her word power in her teaching so that shee breedeth deuotion turneth to Religion to the search of saluation strangely altereth the hartes of men yea her children therfore being the saddest sorte of people men of best order in all families townes and citties for all goodnes best beloued both of God and man And whether with the Protestantes all be not cleane contrarie No preaching of Penance no grace in Sacraments nothing but sinne in good workes although they be done in Christ no power to bring vnder Diuels no blessing no comforte And their folowers therfore easie to be noted by their ill conditions All persons as they fall from order and godlinesse more neare they become to their Religion a generall obseruation that all men as they returne to our Church bettered and amended as they fall to their Synagogue much worsed more then afore corrupted And yet be they neuer so wicked flagitious haue they Onely Faith and no doubt they shall be saued And what Faith I pray you Not our Christian faith which is conteined in the articles of our Creed and such like but a speciall Faith or an vndoubted perswasion that he is predestinate For who soeuer so perswadeth him selfe doubting no more therof thē he doth of one God and of Christs birth death and other Articles of the Creed he they say most certainly is predestinate and shall be saued and his sinnes are thereby remitted And it is forsooth a goodly comfortable way because it teacheth men to bee soe certaine But in truth and in deed if it be a litle examined no greater teaching of vncertaintie For say we vnto them not onely English Protestantes but also any wicked man cōtinuing in his wickednes may firmely persuade him selfe that he is predestinate and all other Heretiks of this time do so teach and so persuade them selues euē those two Anabaptistes also whō for dānable creatures thēselues of late did burne in Smithfielde How thē teach you that the said faith or persuasiō saueth all herevnto they say that such Heretiks and wicked persons can not haue this wonderfull faith because it cannot be without true doctrine nor without good workes But say we they persuade thē selues and they will sweare yea and die in it yea and which is greatest of al they know that they so persuade thē selues as who knoweth not when he persuadeth him selfe of any thing as of One God of Christ and so forth O say our Protestants and the like say the others of them to but they do not soe perswade them selues And where I pray you is now becom this great certaintie the matter being brought now to this passe that by their owne saying of one another no man can tell when he is certaine in so much that also of any one of their owne fellowes standing now in true doctrine as they esteeme it in good works and so persuading himselfe to be predestinate if he fall hereafter they must then and wil say of him that he did not afore persuade him selfe and so none of them all can say to day that he is certayne because he cannot tell what he shall doe to morrow Is not here then trow you a greate certaintie that I vse no other reason against this vaine sinfull point of their doctrine being yet the groundeworke of all theire innouations Well whatsoeuer they say euery man seeth that all Heretikes naughtie packes may and that some of euery sorte do thus persuade assure themselues And we on the otherside be sure that not by our only bare persuasion as they see by this Booke that none of them all so cōtinuing shall be saued And therfore best it were for them to confesse the vanitie of their new special faith and to returne to the Catholicke faith and so liuing through the grace of Christ in good workes to hope assuredly for saluatiō wherof now most vainely they do presume or rather in deed they neither hope nor presume but think verely that there is no saluation at all vsing therfore their owne religion as if they thought it and as it is indeed no religion at all as now at length the wiser sorte principall of the Realme haue proued infinite waies by experience of their doinges according to our Sauiours true prophecie Mat. 7. Ex fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos By their fruites you shall knowe them The 49. Demaund All enemies VVHETHER it bee not our Church onely which al the enemies of Christ do fight against conspiring all against vs as the companie that onely standeth in their way that onely beareth off their brunte specially all Sectes and Heresies for that cause bearing intollerably with one anothers blasphemies and as it is called syncretizing and tyed togither by the tailes like Sampsons Foxes their heades being most farre a sunder Iud. 15. and counting Turkes and Iewes and very Atheistes for their frendes and all that be not Papistes And therefore whether our Church be not the true Church and our Church onely as which only both now and euer hath bene of all maligned by Hel gates impugned The 50. Demaund Sure to continue VVHETHER our Church for all this fighting and conspiring against it Aug de vt cred c. 8 Psa con part Dō Chri. cō Gent quod Christus sit Deus col 1039 as it hath hithervnto stood vpright so be not sure to stande and continue likewise hereafter Or els how is it that the Fathers which in their sundry times haue bene bould so to say of the Church namely also of the Church of Rome that it I say should stand foreuer could not all this while be proued liars yea whereas they haue further saide that the Church by oppugnatiō should not ōly not be ouercom but also more increase therby and florish Whether this saying of theirs as alwaies heretofore so now likwise be not plainly iustified innumirable persons as well of our owne countrey that against all hope of man but to the gratious safetie hither to no doubt to the wise of the State so much maligned by the Puritans as of others also daily seing and confessing that ours is the true Church and ours the true Religion and the Heretiks haue fowely abused hitherunto their ignorance The Heretikes in the meane time partely by the conuersiō of such partly by their continuall diuiding into so many strange Sectes daily diminishing and as all other Heretiks before them going to nothing And whether they were not best therefore to put vp their pipes as Humfreie his wise Syllogismes in his Onus or prophecie of the ruine of Rome to holde their barking against the Moone and to leaue with Saul their vaine kicking against the pricke getting nothing thereby but onely the eternall hurt destruction both