Protestant Reformations that the Authors therof were not Bishops and by consequence could not transmit either that caracter or that of Priestood to their successors as they did their doctrin This defect they endeuored to supply by persuading such as belieued them that no indelible caracter or visible ceremony of imposition of Episcopal hands was necessary for a Minister of the Ghospel And euen the Church of England was necessitaded to approue of this desperat doctrin in the 25. of its 39. articles of Religion because it was then well Knowen the Consecrators of her first Bishops were no real Bishops though they were called so for reason of state One is that the constitution of English Parliaments requiring Bishops as one of the three estates of the Kingdom and their votes being a considerable addition to the soueraigns authority of which alone their nomination dependeth Q. Elizabeth in this particular of Episcopacy went against the principles of other Reformations and would needs Keep vp the name of Bishops in her Church But it happened very cross to her design that none of the Catholik Bishops of England no others were then there liuing would lay hands upon or consecrate any of those new ones which she named to that dignity See the cōmission and dispensation in Doctor Bramhall the Protestant Bishop of Derry his vindication of the Episcopacy of England See the statut 8. Eliz. 1. Therfore she was forc't to issue forth a second commission for that purpose and therin to dispense by virtue of her supreme spiritual iurisdiction vvith the very state and condition of the Consecrators And this power and practise hauing bin publikly excepted against by Catholik Authors in print as null and ridiculous it was confirmed and declared by Act of Parliament 8. Eliz. 1. that whatsoeuer had bin don untill then in making of Bishops Archbishops c. by the Queens commission under the great seal of England should stand as ualid whether the Consecrators were Bishops or no Bishops any person or persons vvhatsoeuer hauing bin declared capable of giuing that caracter to any other prouided they were authorised therunto by her Maiesties commission under the great seal This occasioned great disputes between Doctor Haiding and Doctor Iuel one of the first Protestant Bishops Doctor Haiding in his printed bookes desired Mr Iuel to name the Bishop that consecrated him Parker and the rest of Queen Elizabeths first Bishops and was content to submit to Iuel and own the validity of his and the other protestant Bishops consecration if he would name Parkers Consecrator A man would think this was no such intricat matter nor strong argument if euer Parker had bin consecrated by a Bishop And yet Iuel hauing bin thus prouoked by his insulting Aduersary could neuer name Parkers Consecrator of whose consecration depended that of the rest nor produce Registers of that consecration when Harding called for them though som 50. years after appear'd in print a very formal Register of Parkers consecration copied forsooth out of Records Kept in Lauander at Lambeth The unseasonable appearance of this new found Register occasioned much laughter and new disputes which haue continued vntill these times And indeed it can not well enter into any considering mens heads that Parker Iuel and the first protestant Bishops who were called by Catholiks no Bishops in print for want of a right Consecrater and challenged to name the Bishops that consecrated them or Parker their aduersaries setting their stress vpon that only argument would not take the pains to see and search their Registers of Lambeth for a Bishops name that imported them so much to name if any such Bishop had euer bin or any such Records had bin then extant Besides sure their memories were not so short as not to remember without the help of Registers and Records the name of a man that their Successors pretended fifty years after the time of answering was past had made Parker a Bishop but fiue years before they were askt the question with so much ceremony and solemnity For Hardings book and Iuells answer were printed an 1565. or therabouts An other thing made the prelatik Clergies caracter absolutly null And that was the Form which they used in the consecration of their Bishops and Priests This Form was iudged essentialy defectiue because not one word therof did express or mention the caracter pretended to be giuen therby And though the Church of England for neer one hundred years had defended and practised this Form yet at length they were forc't to submit to their Aduersaries exceptions and reasons against it and to change and correct the Form as wee directed in the bookes we writ against the same Vpon the Kings restauration they printed their Ritual and therin you may see the words Bishop and Priest added vnto the Form of their consecrations which or their equiualent are absolutly necessary and yet nothing like them was in the old Forms and former editions This humility of theirs is to be commended though it be to no purpose seing the change made not them who went before it Bishops and though their late reformed Form be valid yet when pronounced by men that are not Bishops it works no effect nor giues any caracter either of Priestood or Episcopacy to themselues or their Successors And none of the Protestant Clergy hath bin consecrated by a true Bishop since the change of their old Form Let the Protestant Layty now reflect vpon the caracter and conscience of their Clergy as being men who take vpon themselues the administration of Sacraments absolution from sins spiritual jurisdiction and all functions belonging to true Bishops and Priests though themselues can not but know there is no probable ground to belieue they are such I say nothing of the reuenues they are possessed of vpon the account of being Churchmen but I can not be so uncharitable as not to aduertise my Countreymen of the danger they are in and of the damnation which will follow if by timely repentance and a generous resolution they do not withdraw themselues from the direction of such Teachers and from the Ministery of such a Clergy Vvhat can they answer to the obiection we borrow from the statut 8. Eliz. Can they imagin that the Queen would dispense with the state and condition of the Consecraters if they had had the Episcopal caracter Vvhat need was there of a dispensation with their state and condition if they were real Bishops Vvhy should the Parlament confirm this dispensation and enact by law that whatsoeuer was don by this commission of the Queens should be valid whether the Consecraters were Bishops or not the words are by any person or persons vvhatsoeuer All that my Countreymen can say is that they haue an Act of Parliament for the caracter of their Clergy and for the saluation of their souls Vvhat that will auail them in the other world I wish they did consider Surely they can not but know that such Acts will
be no excuse before that dreadfull Iudge who takes no other euidence but that of our own conscience This only we must consult in matters of Eternity and not think that a Clergy or Religion established by a temporal law is lawfull though it should be called legal by an Act of Parlament Q. Sir I haue seen the Registers of Lambeth you would haue me suspect as forged I assure you I see no sign of forgery in them And as for Bishop Iuels not answering Doctor Harding demand concerning the first Protestant Bishops and particularly Parkers Consecrator perhaps he thought it an idle question and underualued so weak an obiection A. Forged Registers are often the most formal all counterfeit ware standing in need of being set forth with great artifice Vve haue seen Registers and Records of publik Courts of Iudicature so artificialy changed and corrupted that nothing but their not being produced many years before when they were called for could conclude the forgery Doctor Harding called for the Registers of the first protestant Bishops Consecration as well as for the Consecraters name Neither did B. Iuel contemn this demand as you imagin He went as far in the answer as he durst He answered 1. that the first protestant Bishops in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths reign were consecrated in due form by Archbishop Parker their Metropolitan But being again pressed by Harding to name Parkers Consecrator he put off that impertinent question wherof the whole controuersy and the credit of the Church of England depended by a wild digression and long discourse of the ancient Bishops being consecrated without aquainting the Pope But sure Mr Iuel might aquaint Doctor Harding with the name of him who consecrated Parker as well as he named Parker for Consecrator of the other Bishops and certainly would if Parker himself had bin realy consecrated by a Bishop If you do not belieue my relation read Doctor Hargings bookes against Iuel and Iuels own Apology for the Church of England where they treat of this particular Q. Gentlemen I would to God you did agree among yourselues and not break the Layties heads with your disputes You haue put so many doubts into mine that I can hardly belieue any thing On both sides you seem to bee honest and learned men therfore I think my best way is to continue in the Church of England and trust in God that I shall not be damn'd for not being of that of Rome untill I be better satisfied that the points wherin it differs from ours are necessary for saluation And this requiring longer time the particulars being so many than I am like to liue t' is not credible God would oblige me or any other illiterat person to spend our dayes rather in controuersies than in prayer and good works and in the end be as litle satisfied with ourselues as our and your Clergy are with one an other Yourselues grant that implicit Faith is sufficient for such ignorant people as I am that Faith I am sure I haue for I do belieue all that God reuealed though I do not know what it is he reuealed or whether he hath apointed the Church of Rome rather than that of England to instruct the world and inform us of his reuelations And truly I belieue a man may be saued without troubling himself to know which of them it is that God hath apointed for our instruction prouided we be redy to be members therof when that shall be made cleer to us by better arguments than I am able to inquire after A. This is so dangerous doctrin that I iudge it worth my pains to shew yet further the obligation the most illiterat men haue to search after the true Church and how easiâ—y they may find it out by visible signs and how you may without any help but that of common sense be satisfied of the truth of euery particular point of doctrin wherin Roman Catholiks differ from Protestants And all this in the space of less than two houres time Q. Nay Sir if you perform your undertaking I deserue to be damn'd for all Eeternity if I will nor hear you for so short a time as two hours I pray Sir proceed CHAP. VIII HOVV EVERY ILLITERAT PERSON may easily and in the space of two houres find out the true Church and the truth of euery point of doctrin controuerted betvveen Catholiks and Protestants VVHen the people of Israel were most diuided in matters of Religion 3. Reg. 8. the Prophet Elias made a motion to them of cleering the truth by that famous dogmatical Miracle of burning an Ox upon the Altar without kindling the fire under it This cleer and compendious way was hugely approued of by the multitude as suting best with their capacities for they needed not learning to dispute their eyes were sufficient Iudges and they had so much common sense as to know that God would not permit a falsood to be confirmd by a miracle in so publik a trial wherin his Veracity was so particularly concerned The Prophets therfore of Baal durst not refuse so fair an offer as Elias made in their presence and I hope the Protestant Clergy will be ashamed to refuse mine Let us not delude the people with school subtilities or obscure texts of scripture If the Church of England or Scotland or any other reformed one be the true Church and its doctrin the true doctrin let that be tried by miracles I shall try ours of Rome by that test I challenge then all the Bishops and Ministers of the Church of England and all others of the Reformation or all the Protestants of the world to work or mention any one miracle euer yet wrought by any Protestant to confirm any one point of doctrin wherin they differ from the Roman Catholik Gentlemen summon your Sinods search into all histories profane and sacred set your heads together and produce at least som probable testimony of as much as one miracle to grace your Reformations And if you can not find undoubted miracles at least shew som thing that lookes like a miracle som thing that may be mistaken for one wherof the falsood or fraud hath not bin as yet discoured such as you say many of ours are Perhaps you will pretend that your Protestants are not so easily foold with false miracles as our Roman Catholiks But this must be a gift and priuilege of your priuat spirit for the Spaniards Italians and French are not by nature so dull as our Northen Protestants and are as loath to be cheated out of their moneys by Masses Miracles Pilgrimages and other pretexts of deuotion as you are And yet they belieue such Miracles as haue bin motiues for the Popes or people to Canonize our Saints and those also wherby Heathens and heretiks haue bin conuerted to our Religion Q. I doubt not Sir but that the Catholiks are as unlikely and loath to be imposed vpon as Protestants therfore I would fain heare som of those undeniable miracles
broacht by the VValdenses S. Bern. Ep. 241. ad Tolos saith vve thank God for that our comming to you vvas not in uain our stay indeed vvas short vvith you but not nnfruitfull the truth being by us made manifest non solū in Sermone sed etiam in vi tute not only by preaching but also by povver of vvorking Miracles the Vvolues are deprended Apostolici Henricians and others These two last Sects had infected a great part of France especialy about Tolouse their chief errors vvere against Transubstantiation Prayers to Saints and the same vvhich Protestants hold in our dayes and we haue mentioned in the title of this Chapter The Pope sent a Legat and St Bernard to confute them In this Mission amongst innumerable others he vvrought the ensuing Miracle not only vvritten by his Disciple Godifridus who was an eye witness ther of but recorded in the other Histories of that time and insinuated by St Bernard himself in his 241. Epistle to the people of Tolouse to the end they might be constant in the manifest doctrin vvhich he had preacht against the Henricians vvhom Protestants challenge as members and Martyrs of the Protestant Church as euery one may see in their Catalogue of the vvitnesses of truth printed 1597. and in M. Symondes upon the Reuelations pag. 142. and 143. The Miracle is recounted by Godefridus invitâ Bern. l. 3. c. 5. and by others of the same time as followeth There is a place in the Country of Tolosa called Sarlatum vvhere after the Sermon vvas don they offerd to he seruant of God as euery vvhere the use vvas many loaues to bless vvihich he lifting up his hand and making the sign of the Cross in Gods name blessing sayd thus In this you shall Knovv that these things are true vvhich vvee and that those other are false vvhich the heretiks labor to persuade you that vvhosoeuer they be of your diseased persons that tast the loaues they shall be healed to the end you may Knovv us to be the true Minister of God The Bishop of Chartres a great friend to the Saint thinking this proposition too general told the people they vvere to understand it conditionaly so they did cate of the loaues vvith Faith St Bernard sudenly replied My Lord I do not mean so my meaning and saying is that all sick folks vvho vvill eat of those loaues shall recouer their health to the end it may be Knovven vve are Gods true Ministers And acordingly it fell out not one diseased person that did eat of the bread mist of being eured and the Miracle being thus diuulged by its effects so huge a multitude of people came to thank and admire the Saint that he declined the common roads and vvent by by wayes to Tolouse vvhere at the instance of the Catholiks and to further confute the aforesaid hetesies against Transubstantiation Mass Purgatory prayer to Saints vvorship of Images c. he vvith giuing his benediction to a paralitik priest that lay a dying in the College of St Saturnin restored him to so perfect health that the Priest vvho also vvas called Bernard sudenly rose out of his bed vvhere he had bin immoueable a long time followed the Saint and begd of him to be admitted into the number of his Monks vvhich vvas granted and afterwards liued amongst them very religiously and vvas at length Abot of Valdeau Vvith these Miracles the heretiks vvere confounded and so many conuerted that their seducer Henricus hid himself and finding no refuge among those who formerly had followed him he was taken prisoner and presented in chains before the Bishop Q. If God wrought such Miracles as these for the conuersion of the Henricians and other heretiks as you call them of that age why may not we Protestants expect that he will do the same for our conuersion if we be in errors I am sure we desire to saue our Souls And certainly God is as willing to saue us as any others I wish we could see such Miracles wrought by any Bernard or other Saint Vve should soon be Papists A. One of the reasons vvhy God doth not vvork now such Miracles for the conuersion of Protestants is because he hath vvrought them for the Henricians For the same errors against Transubstantiation Mass Prayer to Saints Vvorship of Images c. being common to both sects the same Miracles confute both equaly and may now conuince Protestants as vvell as they did anciently the Henricians of heretical and damnable obstinacy And therfore it s not likely Protestants vvould becom Papists though they had seen an other St Bernard work the same Miracles to confirm the Roman Catholik Faith against Protestancy that in effect hauing bin don against it in the case of the Henricians I am the more apt to belieue the sight of such Prodigies vvould not conuert you because your Protestant Authors grant the matter of fact of St Bernards Miracles against the Henricias doctrin and of S. Dominik against the Albigēses Tenets wherin these also agreed vvith Protestants and only answer that they vvere Antichristian Miracles wrought by the Deuills power to confirm the Idolatry of the Mass and Images c. or at least they were feigned by idle Monks Take it in their own words See the Cēturists and Osiander in Epitom cent 9.10.11 pag. 213. The Miracles vvhich superstitious Monks relate are either feigned by themselues or vvrought by Satans enchantments and therfore ought to be enlisted amongst Antichrists Miracles because they vvere vvrought to confirm manifest Idolatry and to establish the vvicked vvorship of Images veneration of Reliques Inuocation of Saints sacrifice of Mass c. True it is that Osiander speaking of Saint Bernards Miracles Cent. 12. pag. 310. saith Not that I think St Bernard vvas a Magitian but that I think it probable Satan vvrought the Miracles vvherby the Saint himself and others vvere deceiued And this is the common answer all Protestants giue to our Miracles when they can not deny the fact nor discouer any fraud And certaintly they would giue now the same answer to the most euident and undeniable Miracles if any were wrought before theyr eyes Q. Am I who can not read or understand Latin and other languages wherin all this you say and quote is written bound to belieue the matter of fact and conform therunto my Faith Vvhat if a Protestant Minister or Bishop tells me all you say are lyes Vvhom must I belieue Or am I obliged under pain of damnation to suspect his sincerity and doctrin if he will not encounter you or any other who offers to make good vvhat you say by shewing the passages in the books themselues I confess I think I am Howeuer I pray tell me vvhat I ought to do in such a case A. You see how in less than two hours time you may know by your Bishops or Ministers carriage and courage in examining any plain book that relates Miracles and matter of fact vvhether the Protestant Religion be
true or false If he will resolue to conferr or rather to conster the vvords of the book you vvill easily iudge of the truth by their sense to which you must keep him and the Catholik also without any other digressions or discourses all your buisness must be to know vvhether the Miracle or matter of fact be so in the book as I told you and that you may know from any honest man vvho can read and understand it as vvell perhaps better than from your Protestant Minister or Bishop As for the answers vvhich the most learned Protestants giue to the argument of our miracles they are so vveak that none but vvicked and obstinat persons can be satisfied ther with Their first answer is that our miracles haue bin feigned by idle Monks This is so damnd an answer that they dare not stick to it because it is not possible that such publik transactions as St Bernards or St Dominiks preaching and Miracles against the Henricians and Albigenses could be imposed vpon the world there being as many Obseruers as there vvere persons either curious or concernd in two so contrary parties Vvhy did not som one of the Henricians or Albigenses publish and declare the imposture vvhen their Religion vvas so discredited therby Vvhy should Pope Alexander 3. venter to be laught at and deposed from the Apostolik see for canonizing St Bernard 12. years after his death if his Miracles vvere not so authentik that they could not be contradicted Vvhat design could the world and that age haue in conspiring to impose such Miracles vpon their friends and posterity and in damning themselues therby for St Bernards sake The same argument may be applied to St Dominik St Francis St Vincent Ferrer St Francis Xauier or to any other of our Roman Church vvhose miracles haue bin vvrought in publik assemblies and not contradicted as false or fraudulent by any of those ages that vvere vvitnesses to them or vvherin they vvere first spoke of And this is of such force that our Protestant Aduersaries grant it to be true and therfore recurr to the Deuills power for their answer and the confutation of our Miracles as the obstinat Iewes did against them of Christ VVHETHER TRADITION TOGETHER vvith the Miracles of Christ and of the Church do demonstrat or undeniably conclude that God reueald the articles of Christian Faith Or vvhether they only demonstrat or cleerly proue that vve are obliged under pain of damnation to belieue that God reuealed them And vvhether it be cleerly euident or more than moraly euident that they are true supernatural Miracles Q. I do think the Parallell between Christs Miracles and those of the Roman Catholik Church or between the obstinat Iewes and the Protestants doth not hold Christs Miracles vvere so euidently supernatural or Diuine that if the obstinat Iewes vvould consider the visible circumstances therof they could not deny them to be true and Diuine Miracles But the Miracles of the Roman Catholik Church I speake of the most authentik are no such for vve Protestants examin and consider all the circumstances of them and yet vve can and do deny them to be true Diuine Miracles A. The parallell doth hold and you will think so if you reflect upon it 1. It is a mistake to belieue that Christs Miracles were so cleerly supernatural and Diuine as to force an assent or acknowledgment of their being so from the Iewes and Gentils that saw them and therfore could not but admire them and consider their surprising circumstances For if the Miracles had appeared to them supernatural and undeniably true no assent of their Faith could be a free act and that vvherwith St Peter own'd Christs Diuinity Math. 16. and for vvhich he deserued to be made the Rock or foundation of the Church vvould not haue bin so particularly applauded and rewarded by Christ himself the other Apostles hauing seen and considered as much as he the Miracles of Christ vvhich moued St Peter to that Confession of Faith and yet no assent of Christs Diuinity flowed necessarily from that their sight and confideration neither vvas it forc't from St Peter but vvas a free act and assent of his after seing all the Miracles and considering their circumstances to say Thou art Christ Son of the liuing God The obstinat Iewes therfore did consider all circumstances of Christs person and Miracles as much as those vvho belieued them to be Diuine nay more because the Scribes Pharisees and the Doctors of the law searcht and pry'd more narowly into his actions and were better able to iudge of their being natural or supernatural than most of those who belieued his Miracles vvere Diuine and himself the Messias And this appeareth in many passages as in that of the blind man vvhom they cast out of the Synagogue for they understood the Miracle better than himself and vvere sufficiently conuinc't of the cure and matter of fact It vvas not therfore vvant of consideration of the circumstances of Christs person and Miracles that made the learned Iewes obstinat but their abundance of pride vvhich made them auerse from submitting their iudgments to Christs doctrin notwithstanding they had moral euidence of the Diuinity of his person and of the supernaturality of his Miracles Q. I can not comprehend how Christs Miracles or any others can oblige men to belieue his doctrin or conuince them of obstinacy and heresy for not belieuing it and his Diuinity unless it be first made cleerly and undeniably euident to them that the Miracles are true and supernatural As for your Moral euidence of their being true Miracles it is not strong enough to build therupon so absolute an assurance as is requisit in our acts or assents of Christian Faith vvhich excludes all doubts and euen all moral possibility of falsood A. I often told you that the certainty and assurance of Christian Faith is not grounded vpon the euidence of Christs Miracles or any others of his Church being true Miracles or of its Tradition being infallible but upon Gods Veracity vvhich is so infinitly auers from all Kind of falsood that he will no more permit any to be so probably and plausibly fathered upon him as the Roman doctrin is than positiuely promote it Now Christs Diuinity and the doctrin of the Roman Catholik Church being confirmed by such prodigies and signs as haue a moral euidence of being supernatural and true Miracles this makes it moraly euident to all men that none but God is Author of that doctrin and of the prodigies which confirm it This moral euidence of God being the Author is not indeed as you say strong enough to beare and ground upon itself the assurance of an assent or act of Christian Faith but it is a prudent and sufficient inducement to belieue most certaintly and without any Kind of doubt that God would not permit so great an appearance of his authority as the miracles of Christ and of the Roman Church manifestly shew to all the