BVRTON And for the essentiall principles of Christianity the Iewes at this day hold the Old Testament and if it bee said They deny Christ expressely the Papists doe so too implicitely and by their owne expresse doctrines of Trent haue no more communion with Christ then the Iewes haue Nay Papists doe expresly abiure the doctrine of Christ as wee shewed before in the Popes owne Bull. Answer The tongue that lyeth slayeth the soule Such comparisons are not onely odious but damnable If this zeale do not transport you to sinne I doubt not but euill-speakers raylers and slanderers may finde an easie passage into the kingdome of heauen Author Grant the Romanists to be but Christians how corrupt soeuer and wee cannot deny them the name of a Church BVRTON But why should we grant them that which neuer a Papist is able to demonstrate to vs or yet vndoubtedly to perswade himselfe of Answer This fond conceit is sufficiently answered already BVRTON Although for the bare name of Christians and of a Church wee will not much stand with them so they do not hereupon or any for them incroach and challenge the beeing and realitie yea or the very visibility of a true Church Answer You are very liberall of that which is none of your owne Can you bee content to afford the precious name of a Christian and of a Church of Christ to them which in mans iudgement not partially affected are not so The Iews would neuer doe it neither will the Papists doe it neither will the Reformed Churches doe it neither will any well informed Christian doe it But you will not much stand vpon it Author We are all the same Church by vertue of our outward vocation whosoeuer all the world ouer worship Iesus Christ the onely Sonne of God the Sauiour of the world and professe the same common Creed BVRTON Doth the Church of Rome worship Iesus Christ who for Christ worship the Beast and his Image bearing his mark Answer Doe all in the Church of Rome doe so what they whose names are written in the Lambs booke of life Reu. 13. 8. or are you sure that none of the Church of Rome liuing and dying professed members thereof are written therein BVRTON Doc they hold the same Creed that deny the faith without which they cannot say the first words of the Creed I beleeue in God Answer And dare you say that all and euery one in the Church of Rome doth so Author Rome doth both hold the foundation and destroy it she holds it directly destroyes it by consequent BVRTON What foundation doe they hold directly with vs wee shewed before that they haue nothing of Christ but the shell the shadow the Pope is the kernell if any Answer You said so indeed but you shewed it not yet if they haue the shell that is the outward profession of the foundation directly it is enough to make them be said to hold the foundation directly BVRTON Nay doe they hâ—ld more of Christ directly then the very society of Deuils doe yea or so much as they Answer They doe if your selfe say true for you say that To hold the foundation directly is to hold Iesus Christ so to be come in the slesh as therein to suffer and satisfie for our saluation becomming our Christ our Iesus redeeming vs from our sinnes by imputing his merits to vs that our sins might not be imputed to vs which were imputed to him by whose stripes wee are healed by whose righteousnesse imputed wee are perfectly iustified in the sight of God And all and euery point of this the Church of Rome directly holdeth BVRTON Nothing lesse yea she directly not by consequence onely directly I say shee denieth and destroyeth this foundation How and where in the Councell of Trent Sess. 6. Can. 10. Siquis dixerit homines per ipsam Christi iustitiam formaliter iustos esse Anathema sit Is not this a direct and flat expresse denyall of the foundation Answer Is this an expresse flat and direct denial of the foundatioÌ„ then Melancthon Caluin Illyricus and all sound and good Protestants doe expresly flatly and directly deny the Foundation for all of them doe and must hold this doctrine for accursed and all the Ministers of the Church of England haue cause to be ashamed of your ignorance boldnesse Mr. Burton who dare challenge the Church of Rome to denie the foundation directly in that wherein she holdeth and confirmeth the truth of the Gospel you must know therefore that in these words is condemned the damnable doctrine of Andrew Osiander and his followers who taught and held that a man is formally iustified by the very Righteousnesse by which Christ himselfe is essentially iust and righteous being partakers thereof by inhabitation This allegation therefore is a notable abuse not only of the Councel but of your selfe and the Reader See Bellarmine de Iustif. lib. 2. cap. 2. Sect. 2. His verbis though himselfe offend therein also afterwards BVRTON And in the 11th Canon If any shall say that men are iustified by the sole imputation of Christs righteousness or by sole remission of sins otherwise then by inherent righteousnesse by vs obtained thereby or also that the grace of God whereby wee are iustified is onely the fauour of God let him bee accursed What more direct deniall of the foundation Answer I might here challenge you for altering and changing the words of the Councell but I will not take all aduantages I answer therefore that it seems you know not the true meaning of the Councell for taking the word Iustification in the Councels owne sense this Canon containes very sound and Christian doctrine What then doth it mean by Iustification A compound of Protestant Iustification and Sanctification for so it defines Iustification cap. 7. of this Session in the first words Iustificatia est non sola peccatorum remissio sed sanctificatio renouatio interioris hominis per voluntariam susceptionem gratiae donorum and so the true sense and meaning of the Canon is this If any man shall say that men are so iustified by the sole imputation of Christs righteousnesse or by sole remission of sinnes that they are also sanctified thereby without inherent grace and charity or also that the grace whereby wee are so iustified is onely the fauour of God Let him bee accursed and let him be so indeed for me You will say this is nothing but meere iugling I grant it but it is not direct denyall of the foundation for here as Chemnitius acknowledgeth is both remission of sinnes and imputation of Christs righteousnesse included which though it be sufficient to iustification in the Protestant sense yet in the popish sense wherein sanctification is also required it is not sufficient BVRTON Is not this the foundation That Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners and how who his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his owne bodie on the tree that we being dead to sins should liue
THE STATE OF THE NOW-ROMANE CHVRCH Discussed By way of vindication of the Right Reuerend Father in God the Lord Bishop of EXCETER From the weake cauills of HENRY BVRTON By H. C. LONDON Printed for Nathaniel Butter 1629. TO THE RIGHT REuerend Father in GOD IOSEPH by the providence of God Lord Bishop of Exeter Grace mercy and peace be multiplied Right Reuerend and Honourable MY very good Lord It was well said of old Let Baal plead for himselfe And it may be said as wel now Let Babel plead for her self yea let him be blessed that dasheth her little ones against the stones And let it be done to her as shee hath done to others And let all the people of God say Amen Neuerthelesse herein if in any thing in the world great arte and skill is to be used For it is not for every fresh water souldier to fight against Babel The Poet saith In vitium ducil culpae fuga si caret arte And it is a true saying that God loues Aduerbs better then Adiectiues so as if a man doe good things and doe them not well hee is an offender notwithstanding so is it in this case he that will make warre against Babel and will not do more hurt then good had need to bee well prouided and aduised Plutarch makes report of one who vnaduisedly casting a stone at a dogge hit and hurt his owne mother and so many there are who ignorantly and inconsiderately contending against Babel doe grieuously wound the Church of God and as your Lordship saith truly do more wrong to their cause then to their aduersaries If any man be ignorant how this may be and bee willing to learne you haue well informed him in your last Book of the Old Religion wherin you make it plaine that though Rome bee Babel yet so long as she is Babel she shall haue a people of God in her so that as Saint Paul said They are not all Israel that are of Israel so may wee in this case They are not all Babel that are in Babel and communicate with Babel If then a man haue not a spirituall eye to distinguish betweene Babel and the people of God in Babel how much mischiefe may hee doe in quarelling with Babel I would wee had not too much experience hereof in some who make good your Lordships too just censure that Zeale transports them to such a detestation of the Romane Church as if it were all error no Church and so that no soule can be saued therein A fearfull and heauie doome of which a man may say as Saint Bernard said in another case Solo auditu contremisco I tremble at the very hearing of it Now your Lordship as a good Souldier of Iesus Christ and one of the Colonels of the spirituall Armie of the Lord of hoasts endeuouring amongst other errors to reforme this and to bring all into right and perfect order that is to traine all the souldiers vnder your regiment according to the old discipline which is to entend to cure Babel and not to destroy her before the time that it may truly be said of them as well as of others We would haue cured Babel but she would not be cured the time of curing being not past so long as it is called to day There are risen vp I know not what hot-spurres and bold Braggadochioes in the Campe who mutinouslie doe turne their weapons from Babel against you as if you were therefore become their enemy because you tell them the truth And amongst others one Master Henry Burton hath publikely taken the quarrell vpon himselfe in the name of all the rest who being otherwise a man of good parts as it should seem and hauing a good meaning to doe Gods Church some seruice yet ouerweening himselfe and forgetting his place hath giuen the common aduersary too much aduantage against vs all For being defectiue in Logick our best engine after the word of God and trusting to nothing but meer sophistry and failing in the truth or true meaning of all his allegations he hath not onely shamed himselfe but put vs all out of order hindred our good proceedings weakned our owne forces by diuision and strengthned the enemy Whereupon it being not any way conuenient that your Lordship should enter into the lists with him vpon an incident occasion of speech about this matter in the beginning of September it pleased you to accept an offer of my seruice in this businesse although vpon beare-say onely at that time and not otherwise I had notice of his misbehauiour Here therefore I tender vnto your Lordship some testimony not so much of the old innocent familiarity which almost from the cradle hath beene betweene vs as of my readiness to performe all parts of that Canonicall obedience which being due to all my Diocesans I am most joyfull to yeeld vnto you aboue and before all the men in the world Accept then I beseech you and protect this vnworthy seueÌ„ daies defence of your worthy cause protect it I say thogh not as your owne being vnworthy yet for your owne in respect of the worthie cause which is your owne And so I shall be encouraged to performe all offices not onely to my ancientest nearest dearest and greatest friend but also to my Bishop Lord and Gouernour and euer rest Your Lordships Chaplaine in all humility to be commanded Hugh Cholmeley TO M. HENRY BVRTON Rector of St. Mathewes in Fridayâ—â—â—â—â— in London H. C. Rector of the portion of Clare in the Parish of Tyverton in Devon sendeth greeting MAster Burton as you are a man I altogether vnknowne to me but onely by your writings so I am not desirous to bee your aduersary in any the least point of truth I loue you in the truth and I oppose you in loue of the truth And if you can soundly and substantially conuince me of vntruth I professe before God and the world that I will yeeld vnto you without any more adoe being already willing to bee ouercome of the truth in this cause You need not disclaime the match I suppose my selfe your equall for time studies or labour and if your desire be sincere onely to finde out the truth Loe I am as you are Passe by our Reuerend Diocesan and let me beare the brunt of this skirmish Your victory shall be great enough and your foile farre more easie and tolerable Your louing friend and fellow Labourer in the work of the LORD H. C. THE STATE OF the Now Romane CHVRCH THere can be no more euident signe of a bad cause then if it be handled falsly and sophistically for as Euripides saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The truth is sound her words are plaine Falshood is sicke she needs must faine Which being so we may soone perceiue what we are to thinke of Mr. Burtons cause who hauing taken vpon himselfe to oppose men euery way better
full to Vega who denieth infallible certaintie of saluation because no man can haue infallible certainty of the truth of his baptisme for want of the like certainty of the Priests intention but on the contrary for morall and coniecturall certainty he acknowledgeth that a man may and ought to haue it of the Priests intention vnlesse hee declare his naughty minde by some outward signe and so of the truth of his baptisme and lastly of his owne saluation For which distinction see Bellarmine vbi supra § Respondeo non debere hominem These things premised his Arguments are easily answered First therefore the Assumption of the last is denied for they professe themselues able to demonstrate both seuerally and together that they are true members of the true Church because they haue sufficient certaintie of the truth of their Baptisme because they haue a like sufficient certaintie of the Priests intent on leaning secrets vnto God and so all that is builded hereon that the Church cannot demonstrate her selfe to bee a true Church falls flat to the ground which may also be said of the intention of the Bishop in ordaining Secondly how can hee proue the Assumption vnlesse he goe through all the Church of Rome from man to man and from woman to woman and examine what they can say for the truth of their Baptisme It is twenty to one but some one or other can shew a Reuelation that the Priest had an actuall intention to doe as the Church doth in baptising him Thirdly they say they can say as much to assure them of the Priests intention in their Baptisme as we which are baptised in our infancie can say to assure vs that we were baptised which is onely the Church booke and testimonie of our Parents Godfathers Godmothers and other friends which is onely humane morall coniecturall assurance and not diuine and infallible See Bellarmine vbi supra § Et Nota. So much for the fourth The last Argument pag. 32. is this That Church which wants the ordinary meanes of saluation is no true Church But the Church of Rome wants the ordinary meanes of saluation the preaching and hearing of the Gospell yea it teacheth hers to hate and abhorre it and to call it heresie Ergo. I answer they want it they want it not They hate it and they hate it not They want and hate the soundnes and puritie thereof as it is enioyed in the Reformed Churches but they neither want nor hate it as it is corrupted by their owne traditions which cannot wholly depriue it of all sauing vertue as hath been already prooued And why I pray should wee not bee content in common commiseration to beare with them in this case as we doe with those people which dwell in fenny foggy marish grounds and countries who comming into places of fresh ayre and healthy dyet doe complaine that it is not good nor wholsome because it agrees not with their more grosse constitution If another man liue by poysoned meates I will not enuie him so long as I feede on that which is sound and mans meate as wee say And so much for his Arguments Thus haue I shewed Mr. Burtons second point of disorder in misplacing his Arguments and haue as well as I can righted it and answered them The third and last followes which are his idle Repetitions and Tautologies which if they were taken out of his booke it would bee by the one halfe lesse then it is as will appeare by the answer to the particulars Now here I must craue fauor of the Christian Reader that being constrained by the misbehauiour of our aduersary to lay open his foule ouer-sights in charging the Church of Rome the Councell of Trent and Bellarmine with vntruths which hee ought not to haue done hee would not suppose me to be any whit inclining or addicted to Poperie as the manner of the world is now-a dayes No I praise God I am as farr from Popery as M. Burton himselfe is or can be But I would not haue men eyther to maintaine bad causes against the Church of Rome or to maintaine good causes with bad arguments and least of all to maintaine bad causes with worse arguments as I know too many haue done to our no little disaduantage It is an excellent point of manhood to let the enemy haue his vtmost due and not to â—eelie to ouercome him by base and cowardly meanes This I desire and haue alwayes endeoured and this is all which hitherto I haue done in this Treatise or purpose to doe hereafter And if the good Reader will be placed to beleeue mee and to grant me this reasonable motion I hope hee shall perceiue that I haue not abused either him or mine aduersary or my cause or my Lord whose cause I haue vndertaken or my selfe in vndertaking it and so I proceede BVRTON Before wee proceede to the third Viall for the fuller confirmation of what hath beene said of the estate of the church of Rome whose Sea of doctrines is all turned into mortall blood in the second viall it will bee very requisite here to discusse one question Whether the Church of Rome be eyther a true Church or a true visible Church Answer Here is a long Exordium to a short Cause of which it may truely be said Causaanceps Exordium vitiosum Such a Cause such an Exordium Such a Cup such a Couer In which containing a whole lease hee craueth fauour and attention after the manner of the Orators from three Rhetoricall arguments The qualitie of the question His owne good handling there of and The condition of his owne person The question affords him two fauourable arguments One for that it is requisite to be discussed in this place Another for that it is waightie and of great moment The necessitie of the discussion is for the fuller confirmation of that hee hath said of the Church of Rome And indeede it is very necessary that hee proue and that very substantially and soundly as hee saith in the words following That the Church of Rome is neyther a true nor a true visible Church or else all hee hath said is nor worth a rush For if it be then is not her Sea of Doctrines turned into mortall blood in this second Viall nor the Councell of Trent this Sea of mortall blood nor Chemnitius the Angell nor any thing so as hee hath said But marke here I pray his Circulation Before he proued the Church of Rome to bee no true Church because all her doctrines are mortall and now hee proues all her doctrines to be mortall because 〈◊〉 is no true Church which manner of reasoning goes for currant with him 〈◊〉 all this part of his Treatise But let that passe Now if his answers proue no better then his arguments haue done as I doubt they will not it had beene farre more requisite for him to haue left this question altogether indiscussed in this place and to haue proceeded directly to the third
Viall without any more adoe for so both hee and his followers might haue fallen into the ditch without any obseruation whereas now all the world must take notice thereof to their shame and discredit BVRTON A question of so much the greater moment by how much some by their â—o small authoritie and no lesse renowned opinion in the Church doe so sway the ballance on that side that many ill affected of the aduerse party taking the aduantage are apt to catch the word out of their mouth and to say Thy mother Church of Rome c. Answer This is the second Argument by which the Question begs him some fauouâ—â— for indeed it cannot be dâ—â—yed to be very waightie tending either to the admission or expulsion of many millions of soules eyther into or out of the Church of Christ. But both his comparatiue amplification and his Rhetoricall anticipation by the one whereof hee would breede enuy to his aduersaries not onely for oppressing the truth with their authoritie and estimation in the Church but also for giuing a perillous and vnseasonable aduantage to the Papists and popishly affected and by the other would free himselfe and his from fault I say both of these doe admit many and those very iust exceptions For first who are those some in authoritie in the Church of whom he speaketh I doubt not but hee meaneth his elect aduersaries other reuerend Fathers and Ministers of our Church who are of a contrary opinion to him But our worthy fellow and friend M. William Bedle now Rector of the Colledge and Vniuersitie of Dubline in his Letters to Waddesworth pag. 75. tels him and that in truth That this opinion is not onely fauoured of many great Scholars in England but is the common opinion of all the best Diuines of the Reformed Churches that are or haue beene in the world And it is so well known to the common Aduersaries that Brierley in his Apologie of the Romane Church Tract 1. Sect. 6. Subdivis 3. And Smith in his booke of the Author and essence of the Protestant Church and Râ—ligion Lib. 1. cap. 2. haue made whole Catalogues of them wherein you shall finde truly billed The Augustane Confession Luther Caluin Iunius Zanchius Plessaeus Bucanus Polanus Saravia Boysseul Vorstius and Martyr And of our owne King Iames Andrewes Hooker Covell Whitaker Moreton Feild Powel Reinolds White and Hall our reuerend Diocesan our ioy crowne and your meeke and sweet spirited aduersary as you truly call him pag. 52. To whom they adde by necessary consequence many more as Beza Melancthon Pappus Schusselburge Ioannes Regius Leonardus Crentremius Whitgift Lubbertus Brentius Magdeburgenses Daâ—aeus Iuel Fulk Bale Zuinglius Bucer Molinaeus Bell Mason Sadeel yea and Perkins himselfe who of all the rest seemes to be furthest off from this opinion but these they adde because they allow them the Couenant the calling of Pastors the holding of all the necessary points of the foundation and saluation it selfe which being granted the true Church cannot be denyed vnto them Loe these are the some which sway the ballance on the contrary side to you being indeed of no small authority and â—o less renownd opinion in the church And not some few in our Church of note and authority as you would insinuate Secondly who are those many ill affected and of the aduerse partie who take aduantage hereof and when did they do it you would make the world beleeue that this were a new thing occasioned by these some in authority whom you haue made your aduersaries But they are no lesse then the whole Church of Rome and that euen from our first separation from her as may appeare by the Apologies of all the reformed Churches and by Bellarmine thirteenth note of the Church de Eccles. lib. 4. cap. 16. Sect. Idem de Haereticis herein therefore you are greatly to bee blamed Thirdly what is the aduantage which they take and what is the perill thereof doubtlesse some extraordinarie thing I warrant you neuer heard of before these men gaue it in these luke-warme indifferent neutralizing dayes Thy Mother Church of Rome forsooth A perillous aduantage I promise you To acknowledge that truth in luke-warme times which was alwayes openly knowne and professed For whoeuer denyed but wee were sometimes members of that Church and with what face can it be denied of which I may well say as Saint Paul said in another case if it be perilous it is perilous to them that perish in whom the god of this world hath blinded their eyes that they should beleeue lyes because they neuer entertained the truth in loue and if to them it bee perilous let it be perilous their blood be vpon their owne heads If we testifying our loue and good opinion of them in the bowells of Christ Iesus they turne it to their owne perdition wee are not vnder bondage in this case But if any aduantage be to be taken in this respect vndoubtedly saith worthy Bedel vbi supra we haue it of them and not they of vs in that what we doe we doe it of charity but they of ignorance or malice or both BVRTON Popery hath learned to get ouer the stile againe fast enough without our helpe Answer Master Burton do we helpe Popery as it were an old dogge ouer the stile againe in acknowledging this truth No this is Non causa pro causa If this would haue helped the stile had neuer beene made that which helpeth it ouer is the iust iudgement of God for our sinnes and especially for the contempt of the sincere truth of the Gospell and not the maintaining of any truth let vs truly repent of them and I dare be bold to say in the name of God that This shall neuer helpe Popery more either now or hereafter then it hath done alwaies heretofore BVRTON Though it were true that the church of Rome were a true Church yet the countenancing or pressing of it in these times might very well be spared Answer Indeed you are the onely religious Politician of these times and know better what is to bee done in these cases then they that sit at the sterne There is no man so senslesse I suppose but he knowes that all truths are not either to be published vrged or countenanced at all times There is a time for all things saith Salomon A time to keepe silence and a time to speake But when these times are it were farre better for you and me and all priuate persons to leaue to the wisedome of our Gouernours then to prescribe any thing to them therein But now a dayes all men will be Priuy Councellors and he is a very dolt that cannot gouern the whole State Church and Kingdome far better then now it is gouerned So much for the amplification BVRTON But why then say they doe others cry downe the Church of Rome for no true Church at all 〈◊〉 Surely this was a fault if it were an vntruth For giue the deuill
vpon your mouth and suspend BVRTON And for my part I had rather some fire-sparkling zeale yet guided with right iudgment should euen transport mee with a detestation of the Church of Rome as a false Church then that I wot not what charity without Zeale without sound iudgement should so farre possesse me as to acknowledge the Church of Rome for a true Church yea or yet for a true or truly visible Church Answer Your zeale though transporting you is guided with right iudgement your Author though Reuerend is possessed with a charity without zeale without sound iudgement of the two you preferre your owne it seemes you dwell by bad neighbours Mr. Burton Else you fall within the compasse of Catoes Hoc faciunt stulti c. BVRTON And yet vnder correction I see no such difference betweene these two but that if we yeeld the church of Rome to be a true oâ— truely visible Church we may as well call it a true Church Answere If this will giue you content we will not striue with you though it may be wee might puzzle you And for the next Section it is already answered Author Neither for the chaffe doe we leaue the floore of God neyther for the badd fishes doe wee breake his nets BVRTON Whether that floore and those nets be Antichrists onely and not Gods shall appeare more fully anone Answer Where can you tell you promise it but you neuer performe it Author All truth is Gods wheresoeuer it is found not ours as the Kings coyne is currant though it bee found in any vncleane channell BVRTON True but when the truth of God is turned into a lye and the Kings coyne beaten into a thinne leafe c. the case is altered And so it is in the Church of Rome Answer It is vntrue and contrary to the Apologies of all the Reformed Churches who stand vpon it that they haue not made an innouation or renouation but onely a reformation which could not be if all Gods truth in the Church of Rome were turned into a lye and that Gods coyne the Scripture were vtterly defaced your selfe haue acknowledged it was not so before the Councell of Trent and I haue proued that it is no worse now if so ill as it was before And if some of those Churches which yet abide in the vnitie of the Church of Rome would depart from her and embrace the truth they would doe no otherwise then the Reformed Churches haue done already Author Fundamentall truth is like the Meronean wine which if it be mixed with twenty times so much water holds its strength BVRTON The comparison is pretty if it did hold water but what if into the Maronaean wine twenty times so much poyson be put Againe take the Maronaean wine and extract the spirits out of it what is it then but a dead vappa such is that truth which is now in the Church of Romes keeping c. Answer Here his zeale transports him almost to blasphemy for it is impossible that the fundamentall truth of Gods church should eyther be so poysoned or the spirits thereof so extracted as hee affirmeth if it were otherwise the gates of hell might preuaile against it but Zanchius saith a great deale better in his Preface before his Booke De natura Dei Non potuit Satan saith hee vel in ipsae Romanâ— ecclesia quacunque voluit efficere sicut in Orientals fecer at Invite enim S 〈…〉 ecclesia illa praecipua fidei fundamenta quanquam humanis doctrinis labefactata and this he said since the Councell of Trent Now let euery wise man iudge whether Zanchius or Burton be rather to bee credited Although I cannot dissemble my dissent also from Zanchy himselfe in this point for hee yeeldeth too much in my conceit That Sathan hath effected what hee would in the Orientall Church in abolishing fundamentall truth which vnder correction I suppose to be vntrue for that Church euen to this day holdeth the fundamentall truths of Christianitie as well as the Church of Rome But it may be he speaketh of defection to Mahometry which is not the Orientall Church Author The Sepulchre of Christ was ouerwhelmed by the Pagans with earth and rubbish c. yet still there was the Sepulchre of Christ And it is a ruled case of Papiniâ—n that a sacred place loseth not the holinesse with the demolished walls No more doth the Romane Church lose the claime of a true visible Church through her manifold and deplorable corruptions BVRTON How the Church of Rome may bee proued to be a true visible Church because once it was so by this comparison I see not and how a sound Christian may edifie his faith vpon a comparison from Papinians ruled case I cannot sauour All sound Diuines know that places are not further nor longer sacred then the vse remaineth whereupon at first they began to be sacred Answer Here is much adoe to small purpose he had little to doe to spend his time in confuting similitudes which were vsed of the Reuerend Author for no other purpose then that for which they were originally ordained which is not to proue but to illustrate which if hee had shewed they doe not hee had said somewhat to the purpose but that he could not for they are as apt and fit for the purpose as can be As for edification of any mans faith vpon these or other comparisons I am sure be neueâ— intended The very point wee haue it hand is no matter of faith but of fact Iâ— places remaine sacred so farre and so long as the vse remaineth whereupon at first they beganne to be sacred it 〈◊〉 all we desire for so answerably Rome must still be a true visible Church because the couenant betweene God and her still holdeth which was the thing which first made her to be a true visible Church for it followeth Author If the Church of Rome were once the Spouse of Christ and her adulteries are knowne yet the diuorce is not sued out BVRTON Is not the diuorce sued out Perhaps not in a legall formality but what if this once spouse of Christ not only play the open whore but professeth her selfe to be the maried wife of another man Is this woman still the spouse of her former husband though shee haue not sued out a legall diuorce Thus stands the case with the Church of Rome But what if Christ the first husband come and chalenge his spouse againe seeing this second mariage was a nullity Indeed the Lord is very mercifull Ier. 3. 1 Answer Now Mr. Burton as if hee had seene the head of Medusa seemes to be depriued of his senses Is it not saith he Perhaps not But what if this Is that But what if that Indeed then c. What staggering is this It seemes this argument hath so choaked him that he cannot speake without coughing If he could he should haue done well to haue left the allegory and to haue proued in plaine termes that the Couenant betweene
vnto righteousnesse by whose stripes we are healed Nay saith the Councell of Trent directly wee are iustified by our inherent righteousness and so our stripes are healed and not by the righteousnesse of Christ simply imputed Thefore come out of her my people Answer How the Councell is to bee vnderstood I haue shewed already and being so vnderstood there is no direct denyall of the foundation Therefore although Gods people must come out of Babylon yet not vpon this ground And so I conclude as I beganne Apply Iohn Barber and thou shalt haue a new payre of sizors For marke the argument The foundation is Iesus Christ came to saue sinners c. But the Councel of Trent saith We are so iustified that wee are also sanctified by inherent righteousnesse Ergo Come out of her my people Author Thus I wrote well neare twenty yeares agone without clamour without censure If any of you be otherwise minded I dare boldly say hee shall doe more wrong to his cause then to his aduersary I differ not from the iudgement of our best Orthodoxe and approuedly Classicall Diuines BVRTON Let not antiquity in the holding of an opinion prescribe against truth Opinions Ancient O that S. Ambrose his words alledged by our Reuerend Author might here take place Nullus pud or est ad meliora transire then I hope he will be otherwise minded then to say He that denyeth the Church of Rome to be a true Church or a true visible Church shall doe more wrong to his cause then to his aduersarie Then he will no longer stand vpon the iudgement of particular persons in a point wherein our Reuerend Mother Church of England hath in her publique doctrine resolued the contrary So shall our diuine Seneca partake also of great Saint Augustines praise while by an humble and ingenuous Retractation he shall both purge away the staine and put a more glorious lustre to his most sweet pious and for their kinde vnparalleld workes And for me a poore vnworthy Minister I hope his meeke and sweet spirit hauing well weighed my reasons and pitied my weaknesses will be pleased to excuse me of any transportation of zeale vnlesse herein I haue exceeded the bounds in presuming so farre vpon the patience of such a Reuerend Antistes of our Church But I trust he will not impute this to any arrogancy of spirit when it shall appeare it is to vindicate Christs truth and glorie against the Synagogue of the proud Antichrist Answer It is well obserued that this fellow hath a notable dexterity in dedicating Epistles before his Bookes and in Prefaces Digressions Epilogues and the like but that in his Tracts Discourses and Disputations he is as hungry and dry as Famine it selfe This as it is true in all his writings so especially in this as I hope I haue in good measure made it appeare by the premisses And for this his conclusion All the glozing thereof â—ends to obtaine two requests One that the Reuerend Author would be brought to humble himselfe to him in an ingenuous Retractation And the other that he would hold him excused for his presumption Both are vnreasonable vnlesse hee will take that for a Retractation which before hath beene tendred and for an excuse that he supposeth it ignorant arrogance rather then zeale that hath transported him He would strike an impression into the innocent soule of the Reuerend Author that he hath contracted some stain by this assertion That the Church of Rome is a true or truly visible Church And indeed it is too well knowne that such companions as he is haue for a long time taken vpon them to bee the Censors of all mens doings and to cry vp and downe euery mans credit and reputation at their pleasure But God bee praised he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of their gunshot for it is well knowne to God and man that all his courses from the cradle haue beene such that Fame her selfe may lay her hand vpon her mouth so as he need not endeauor to purge away any staine which they shall impute vnto him The close of his Aduertisement will so possesse the soules of all good and honest men that the strife of tongues shall neuer bee able to molest him Thus saith he in a desire to stand but so right as I am in all honest iudgments I haue made this speedy and true Apology beseeching all Readers in the feare of God before whose barre we shall once giue an account of all our ouerlashings to iudge wisely and vprightly of what I haue written In a word to do me but iustice in their opinions and when I beg it fauour FINIS Iudg. 6. 31. Psalme 137. 9. Reuel 18. 6. The want of skill to shun a shame Doth bring a man to mickle blame Reuel 18. 4. Rom. 9. 6. Ier. 51. 45. Heb. 3. 13. Gal. 4 16. * See the 7. Chap. of the same Sess.