Take ye Eate ye bynde them What moued you here to cite your Clement Ambrose Cyprian with others I knowe not except it were some meriment to ioyne with your similitude of singing for in good earnest you minde not by those places without matter in them to proue that the wordes of Christ Doe this in remembrance of me were onely saide to the Ministers touching Consecration and not to the people also for their participation In the twelfth Article the Iesuites are reported to say Traditions are of equall authoritie with the worde of God wee must beleeue them though they bee manifestly against the Scripture Here the reporte and the texte vouched to disproue their doctrine are both censured The first for adding we must beleeue them though they be manifestly against the Scripture for reporting the rest so generally and confusedly Touching y â— latter point if my report of your doctrine be in these wordes Traditions are of equall authoritie with the worde of God meaning it of some only for who would thinke it of all you hauing so many and so feeble why doe you charge mee as generally and confusedly saying al traditions are equal with y â— scriptures Was it I pray you to deserue your owne note of a sounde lye for a parting blowe which false mis 〈…〉 you haue doubled to make it the sounder For aunswere to the former poyut I doe not onely auow that I haue faythfully reported my authors wordes which is alwayes my iust defence against your vniust flaunder laying them vpon me but I say further that their practise compared with their wordes will â—ustifie the report as truely layde downe against them For proofe whereof not to goe further the Censurer rehearseth amongest these traditions which the Popish Church charge our faith withall the number of the bookes of Scripture the Lent fast Of al other traditions these two are taken out to stande for their owne credit and for the credit of the rest let vs therefore see what treasons there are against God in these your traditions First the Apocrypha bookes are not in the auncient Canon or language of Canaan the fathers haue disauowed them they are euidently repugnant to the doctrine of the holy scriptures and dis 〈…〉 eeing among them selues Yet your Trent conspirarie doeth adde them to the number of the Canonical bookes and bolde all men accursed that holde them not for canonicall scriptures Therefore this your tradition is manifestly against the word of God Further also what is more manifest against the woorde of God then the doctrine of deuils The Lent fast as you commaunde to keepe it for conscience sake forbidding meates created of God to bee taken with thankesgiuing is plainly called a doctrine of deuils Furthermore your opinion is playnely deliuered to be with this distinction Ecclesiasticall traditions are of no greater authoritie then the writings and other decrees of the Church and Apostles traditions are of no lesse authoritie then if they had bene written by them or then are the other thinges which they wrote This is confusedly taught and needeth yet more plainenesse for not all orders deliuered by the Apostles are to bee kept perpetually and vnchangeably of like authoritie with the doctrine of the Gospell which they preached The Apostolique doctrine is perpetuall subiect to no varietie of persons of times or places but some traditioÌ„s that is some orders are altered as that in the acts where they commaunde to absteine from strangled and from blood for it appeareth that the Apostles commanded not this for a perpetuall order alwayes inuiolably to be obserued but onely for a time to auoids offences which cause ceasing the order or tradition was no longer in force Againe some orders might be set downe by them for comlinesse which yet were not to be beleeued as necessary partes of saluation nor yet to remayne for euer in that forme or kynde and therefore can not be matched with the Apostolique doctrine of fayth which is euer al one and which whosoeuer beleeueth not cannot bee saued Nowe touching your pretensed Apostolicall traditions I vtterly denie that there are any such beside those which are euidently shewed or by iust consequence fitly gathered out of the written worde For what so euer is necessary to saluation is in this sort to be proued by the holy Scriptures Therefore your Censureshippe dyd well to adde If they be certaynly descended from Christ and his Apostles But how can this I pray you be certaynely knowen but by the holy writings can any other custome or testimonie assure your consciences what came vndoubtedly from Christ or what from his Apostles Is there any one of your traditions that you can vouch to descend from so sufficient authors otherwise then by report of insufficient witnesses What is it then for you to boast of inuincible arguments to proue diuers doctrines not written but left by woorde of mouth onely whereas you bryng nothing but counterfeyt Couneils erring Fathers fabulous stories and Apocrypha scriptures This is right the bragging Apostle and a shewe of the vaine chalenger Yf a man coulde be feared with the guilte of your armour or with your plume of feathers you woulde bee a worthie champion wounding more with a vayne feare then with the force of your shrinking arme In this encounter of al your profes you haue sorted out two the first is out of that excellent chapter to the Thessalonians conteining a prophecie and reuelation of Antichrist For an answere to which place it is first to be vnderstoode that the worde Tradition in the Apostles speach commeth as it doth in Latin of a verbe to deliuer so that whatsoeuer y â— Apostle deliuered to the Churches those were the traditions hee lefte with them Therefore I denie that Paule doth in any place by tradition signifie any vnwritten veritie but that as in other places he vnderstandeth the doctrine of the Gospel which in the sundrye partes thereof he deliuered This appeareth apparauntly by the place so cited for your purpose without regarde of any more then the worde Tradition For in the verses nexte before the Apostle maketh mention of the Thessalonians faith to the trueth saying God hath called you thereunto by our Gospell to obteyne the glory of our Lorde Iesus Christ and therupon inferreth this conclusion now therefore brethren stand fast holde the tradition which you haue learned eyther by worde or by our epistle Whereby it plainly appeareth that the traditions or thinges deliuered by him partly by word and partly by writing were the diuers partes of the Gospell which hee had taught them Wherefore the written woorde affordeth you no proofe for vnwritten verities The seconde is of doctrines which you say wee holde not by record of writing but by word of mouth from Christ and his Apostles as for example baptisme of infants celebratioÌ„ of Sunday y â— number of y â— bookes of scripture the fast of
this your spirit attempt in the aboundance of your heart if you durst as well come to open action as you dare cast out these open and intollerable flaunders against all the godly entred We all holde the same doctrine of faith published and mainteined according to the worde of God we come to the same felloweship and communion in the exercises of religion and ioyne all in the same defence of Gods holie Gospell yea we all though not in the same measure seeke the reformatioÌ„ of that that at the Lordes time shalbe reformed to a further growth and beautie in the bodie of Iesus Christ which is the Church Therefore notwithstanding your slaunder vpon examination it wil appeare that those in Englande which are slaundered with the name of detestable Heretiques are farre from the heresie most readie to condemne it or whatsoeuer is contrarie to the publique doctrine of faith mainteined by the present Lawes of the lande which doctrine is pure and holy and agreeable to the most holy word of God which the Lorde continue for his names sake with peace vpon Israel But to returne to the Censurer hee addeth a manifest vntruth saying that all the former heresies ioyne against the Romish Church in receiuing the scripture onely To wade no further the familie of loue which you cite are against you who haue their seuerall Gospell of the kingdome they build vpon the cursed thrise cursed bookes of H.N. also they scorne the scripture learned and in their loue to you acknowledge y e ministerie of y â— word to come froÌ„ the Pope Therefore they do neyther cleaue only to y â— scriptures nor liue in such mislike of your superstitions Nowe for the matter if your argument be good Heretiques cleaue to the word onely therefore it is naught you may aswell conclude that we must not alleadge the Scriptures at all because they alleadge them we must not dispute at all because they dispute which conclusions are all absurd For heretiques eate and drinke they clothe them selues all which are lawfull for all men to doe therefore not whatsoeuer they doe but whatsoeuer they doe as heretiques that is a marke of heresie Furthermore to proue wantes in the worde of God you demaunde howe it commeth to passe that the Scripture doeth not ende controuersies among heretiques I answere they are in the faulte as you also like heretiques are by resisting the trueth the worde is not to bee charged with any want But let me moue the like question and haue your Censure touching the doubt You that haue the Scriptures the Councils the Fathers you that haue Philosophie moreouer and stories and which is most of all the Popes breast and the fulnesse of the spirite you bragge off howe commeth it to passe that you haue not yet compounded your trouble some and long controuersie whether the virgin Marie was conceyued without originall sinne or no If the euidences you so stande vpon cannot in so long time ende so small a matter what will they be able to proue in the great questions of saluation Agayne hedemauÌ„deth how such heresies can be yf y â— truth be so cleare For triall of the truth a manifest proofe what power there is in Gods worde there must be heresies and schismes and God hath alwayes suffered false prophets teachers for a iust punishment of those that loue not the trueth neuerthelesse the Scripture is cleare and plaine where God giueth an eare to heare and a heart to vnderstand if it be hidden it is hidden to them that are lost But you that once or twice beate at mee as one whose zeale ranne before his witte staye your selfe Doe you y â— make no conscience to diminish the authoritie of the worde of God crye out agaynst vs if wee refuse the determination of men will you that haue alreadie in diuers plates pleaded against y â— sufficiencie of Scriptures now pleade for Philosophie Doctours and Councils as able to end al controuersies ratifie your title If we call you onely to the worde not the bare woord but adorned and richly attired with all fulnes of light and trueth the cleerest interpreter of it selfe doe wee in calling you hither depriue you of your euidences and witnesses seeking thereby to set you together by the â—ares for the title I knowe no euidences but the worde no witnesses but the holy Prophets and Apostles if your kingdome can not iustifie it selfe by these euidences and witnesses let her bee condemned by them for euer Your beadroule of fathers naming heretiques y â— abused y â— Scriptures I tooke not the tale of them they are brought in as vnnecessary witnesses of a matter alreadie answered not in question Lastly you conclude that we drawe in one line with the most cursed heretiques and you make them our progenitors because we appeale to the worde of God as the onely teacher and iudge in causes of religion If this be a faulte let it be required at our hande if it be your horrible slaunder against the worde and agaynst the Saints of God for giuing due honour thereunto y â— Lord require it at your handes in the defence of his owne glorie Touching Christian Franken TOuching Christian Franken which is the last of your foure partes it appeareth he hath vsed a true reporte agaynst the Iesuites because as hee assured him selfe before hande yet no man hath denyed the idolatries the superstitious and heathenish exercises wherewith he doth so plainly charge them As for the first part of your answere hereunto it standeth altogether vpon false argumentes as that He departeth from the sect of Iesuites therfore he is an apostata He discouereth their wicked superstition therefore he reuileth al catholike religion Austen confesseth that hee knew none worse then they that fel in Monastical life while he liued therfore FrankeÌ„ must be one of them All these conclusions are barely affirmed without proofe therefore may be truely denied without any further answere Notwithstanding it is to bee noted that againe you find no fitter taunt against M. Luther and Iohn Bale then to call them Friers and therefore you repeate the matter True it is they were Friers but forgiue them that fault seeing they did cast away their habit and kept a better course An other reproch followeth in charging vs plainely with coyning the newes of Rome and with suspition to haue coyned Frankens Dialogue whereunto I answere if we haue not coyned you haue And as for AusteÌ„s place it maketh for him against whome it is alleadged and against them in whose defence you bring it For if in Austens time with some good this Monasticall life brought forth others so euill that none were worse and hath declined euer since it was time for Franken to come out from the middest of you If so long ago in such puritie of the Church as was in Austens time the Monasteries did bring forth y â— worst men of
to occupie your answerer more in finding out your places then in making answere to foure of your bookes But I thought only to note your practise herein nowe let vs returne vnto the matter Martin Luther doeth neyther him selfe exclude Matthewe Marke or Luke from beyng the Gospel neyther woulde he haue anye man barre the other writings of the Apostles from that title because all that was written by the foure Euangelists and what so euer the holy Apostles wrote beside in the newe Testament all that is one Gospel in substance though there be foure whose seuerall bookes vsually are called foure seuerall Gospels Therefore to speake of the foure Euangelists first in respect that the holy Ghost vsed them as foure pennes and foure witnesses all writing the Gospel and storie of the doctrine and deedes of Christ we may say there are foure Gospels But in respect they 〈…〉 te in an heauenly harmony in one Spirite in one trueth for one and the same woorke of faith the Gospell being one and the same in all foure there are not foure but one Gospell As for the rest of the Apostles what they haue left to the treasure of the Church in the booke of God that also is the same Gospel and the Apostle doth call his doctrine and Epistles by that name which is to be obserued for auoyding a corrupt iudgement in thinking lesse authoritie or maiestie of Gospell in the Epistles then is in the bookes of the foure Euangelists for in respect that they were sent from the Apostle to the Churches absent they are called Epistles as other mens letters are called in like case but in respect of the doctrine therein deliuered it is the same which saint Luke and saint Iohn did write and beare no lesse honour howe so euer some custome of speach otherwise doeth hinder a right iudgement in this behalfe To this thirde article onely hath the Censurer giuen his Censure wherein hee hath not so much reproched Luther as bewrayed some want of exercise or iudgement in the Scriptures His wordes are that Luther saide this because the other three Gospels spake too much of good workes whereby the Censurers opinion is cleere that Saint Iohn speaketh lesse of good woorkes then the rest I graunt that Iohn hath a speciall course in describing the diuinitie of Christ and the loue of God towarde vs but that hee is inferiour to the rest in teaching good workes I can not graunt it neither can the Censurer proue it But for proofe of that I say one or two places of many may be sufficient If loue be the fulfilling of the Lawe and the newe commaundement not to loue one another as euery man loueth him self but more perfectly and more aboundantly as Christ hath loued vs if to bring foorth much fruite as branches in the vine be the fountaine of euery good work if to follow the shepheard Christ and to obey his voyce be better then al sacrifices then Iohn doth most mightily teach the true doctrine of good woorkes 4 The fourth report is if any woman cannot or will not proue by order of 〈◊〉 the insufficieÌ„cie of her husband let her request at his handes a diuorce or els by his consent let her lye priuily with his brother or with some other man Accuse not vs for your fault but couer it or take the sâ—â—me thereof to your selues True it is Luther gaue this euill counsell but as he answereth for himselfe hee did it when he was yet among you teaching shriuing priestes what to answere when such doubtes are moued by them that come to shrifte Also hee sayth it was his aduice when hee was holden with the feare of Antichrist but now saith hee speaking of the time after his conuersion my mind is to giue other counsel What holy writings can bee free from your foule reproches if you will thus racke a peece of sentence against the manifest purpose of the writer But it appeareth that you wrote these things by he are saye or made none account what examination your booke abide your name being vnknowen 5 In the fift place you laye downe these woordes against Martin Luther If the wife will not let the maide come These wordes thus barely set downe import a wicked opinion and doctrine tending to carnalitie as if Martin Luther allowed of fornication sending the vnruly husband to his maide seruant vpon any refusall of the wife But they were of set purpose and malice tent from the other words and sense of the writer to make a shewe of that opinion which was neuer in M. Luther reclaymed to the knowledge of the Gospel For in this place he speaketh of a thirde cause of diuorce when the woman shall obstinately refuse her husbandes companie bringeth in the man often threatning his wife with these wordes which if they preuayle not hee maketh his complaynt to the Magistrates and doeth nothing but after a solemne diuorcing as was that of Vasthi and after a solemne espousing as that of Esther which example he setteth downe in the same place and alludeth vnto it by some Dutch phrase not founding so west in other tongues as the matter will beare being rightly taken If this opinion of diuorce seeme grosse as it may yet your Poperie whence this proceded hath somewhat more grosse euen in this poynt For it permitteth a man if hee will to put away his wife because she was a bondwoman and he knewe it not before the mariage The like is alledged out of Austen to prooue that a man may bee diuorced from his wife for couetousnesse or such other sinnes because they are spiritual fornication 6 The sixt report of Luthers doctrine is that Matrimonie is much more excelleÌ„t then virginitie Mariage was ordained in Paradise mariage increaseth the number of saintes it is honorable among all men 〈◊〉 so much cannot be sayd for virginitie The comparison I will not stand vpon they are both good yet neither good for all but mariage for him that can not conteyne and virginitie in some respectes as the Apostle noteth which Luther in many places doth like wise acknowledge The sixt point might seeme to you a beame in his which to vs woulde not haue bene deemed a mote in your eyes 7 Your seuently report is that Christ and Saint Paul dyd not counsaile but disswade virginitie vnto Christians It is not hard I suppose to drawe out from you the iustification of this doctrine for you cannot thinke that Christ perswadeth all men to abstayne from marriage Seeing his wordes are not generally spoken to all whatsoeuer but to alsuch as can containe He that can receiue leâ— him receiue Which wordes for auoyding of sinne implie thus much also not as counsaile onely but as a commaundement he that can not containe let him marrie to auoyd fornication as S. Paul inforceth So that all Christians which haue not that rare gift of continencie for
betweene good and euill Nowe this heaueÌ„ly knowledge which as Saint Peter sayeth was vttered by the holy men of God inspired with the holy Ghost is recorded in the bookes of holie Scripture Whereupon it foloweth that these bookes of the holy worde and no other being the authenticall words of the heauenly knowledge which God inspired the holy Prophets and Apostles withall are so sayde to be profitable to teache the trueth as it noteth this to bee proper to the holy Scripture and not to agree to any other whatsoeuer Therefore if these bee the writings which contayne the wisedome wherewith God hath inspired his holy men for such vse of the Church as is here spoken of it must needes followe the knowledge which God hath reuealed being sufficient for vs that these holy Scriptures conteining the same knowledge is lykewise sufficient Whereby it appeareth that this cause here noted to witte of inspiration from God being the proper cause of the holy Scriptures and not common to any other writings whatsoeuer doeth implie the effect also folowing in this place of teaching disprouing and making perfecte the man of God to be likewise proper vnto them and which I vndertoke to proue profitable in this place to signifie as much as sufficient To this I adde an other reason out of the wordes which followe wherein because not some things onely which may in parte make a man perfect are attributed to the scriptures and some other thinges left to bee supplied by other meanes but all things whatsoeuer may bee needefull for vs are sayde to be perfected by the Scriptures it must needes follow that the scripture alone is sufficient For that which is profitable to al the partes which may be required to perfection cannot be but sufficieÌ„t for the perfection of the whole but that the Scripture is profitable in such maner the Apostle doth fully declare both in rehearsing all the particular partes which are necessarie and adding also after generally that the man of God may be perfect To this purpose the Apostle hath so set his wordes as hee could not more effectually by any other speach For he teacheth that it is profitable to make perfect which yet is made more full by the compound worde adioined the grace and force of which composition as was noted before is to note perfection added to perfection and to signifie throughly or perfectly perfect and that as hee addeth for all good workes This is yet made more full and more waightie by that hee speaketh not here of the coÌ„mon perfection of all men but of the perfection of the man of God that is of the Minister If the scripture conteine knowledge to make the Minister throughly perfect for euery part of his office both in doctrine soundly to teach the trueth and to confute and remoue error and in life to reforme and correct that which is amisse and to instruct in that which is righteous and holy how much more is it sufficient for the coÌ„mon knowledge of other men in whom like perfection of vnderstanding is not so much required To these two reasons because the question is of importance I will yet adde one other out of the verse next going before There the Apostle vseth an argument to perswade Timothy to abide in y â— doctrine of the holy Scriptures for proofe of which argument this seueÌ„teenth verse is immediatly adioyned His argument is takeÌ„ from the effect of these holy writings wherein Timothie had been brought vp froÌ„ a child Which effect is this that through faith in Christ Iesus they are of abilitie or of power or of sufficiencie to make him wise to saluation For the Apostle sayeth expressely that the Scriptures are able or of power or sufficiencie for all these speaches I take to bee of one signification whereunto to make him wise how farre euen to saluation that is to teache him all wisedome needeful to saluation Whereupon as I sayd the Apostle immediatly bringeth in this sentence that All the Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine c. Which must either be sayde to bee impertinent to the former matter of the power or sufficiencie of the Scripture to saluation which I thinke no man of any reason will affirme or els it must be confessed that the Apostle added it for greater plainnes or for an other proofe For whether of both it be brought in it is absurde to bring the lesse to set out or proue the more And seeing the Apostle had spoken in the former verse of the sufficiencie of Scripture to saye nowe it bringeth but some profite to that purpose were to saye lesse then he had said before Wherefore he saying it is profitable setteth it out as alone and sufficiently profitable being inspired of God and sanctified by his promise and ordinance to make perfect the man of God to al heauenly wisedome Finally the Apostle hauing put into Tiniothies hande al compleat necessarie and sufficient furniture speaketh neuer a whit of your churchreuealed verities but onely of the scripture inspired of God Therefore either he teacheth and concludeth insufficiently or els the Scripture is sufficiently wholly powerfully and in trueth onely profitable For your second reason I denie that the newe Testament is therefore super fluous because the olde was sufficient For this bountifull addition or accesse of scripture by the Newe Testament is not to impeach the perfection and profitable sufficiencie or sufficient profitablenes of the olde Testament seeing the Fathers were aswell faued as we are now vnder the Gospell but for a more full euident and cleare reueâ—ation of that which though to saluation it was sufficient before yet could not shewe the infinite riches of Gods goodnesse toward vs so plainely so fully as these doe Iob had sufficient in his greatest want and no superfluitie in his greatest aboundance A morning light is sufficient for a man to doe his worke by yet the brightnesse of the sunne is not therefore needelesse and superfluous for it serueth to giue a clearer a more certaine and more comfortable direction then the other For your by matter that the wordes omnis and tota differ in Greeke and Latine for proofe wherof you appeale to all Logicioners I dare warrant you they will all condemne your opinion For omnis homo signifieth euery man but omnis populus which is the Vulgar translation doth not signifie euery people neyther can you translate the woordes of Saint Luke concerning the taxing that euery earth or euery worlde should bee taxed in which places the Euangelist vseth the same worde the vse wherof in y â— greeke you did not vnderstand Therefore if you can salue this matter of manifest errour I will acknowledge my selfe to deale deceitfully as you charge me An other point followeth like the rest already answered But the Censurer thus repeateth Saint Paul must vnderstand part of the scripture and not the whole because all was not then
written also nowe wee can not take the Apostles wordes as vttered of all because much scripture is now wanting as he doth imagine Should these be your plaine arguments if you could obteine disputation Should this be the shorter waye I know not your name but know I pray you and teach your fellowes to knowe that the scripture hath bene in all ages sufficient for the time wherein it was written of all that which hath by seuerall encreases bene written nothing was at any time superfluous and whatsoeuer hath bene written and not come to our handes nothing for all that is now missing that is necessary vnto saluation He that hath not giuen vs the bookes of Nathan Gad Achia the Shilonite and Iehdo if they wrote any other then partes of the two bookes of Samuel after his death of the first booke of the Kings also he that hath not giuen vs the rest of Salomons Prouerbes to passe by your ouersight concerning the epistle to the Laodiceans already noted therefore gaue them not because he knewe them not necessarie or expedient for the posteritie Iohn proueth this in the conclusion of his Gospell and Christ teacheth that they which had Moses and the Prophets euen then had sufficient without miracles and traditions And you haue no sound opinion of the wisdome and mercie of God if you thinke his maiestie to leaue any age since he chose a peculiar people voide of scripture profitable and sufficient to the saluation of his Church Thus the reader may see that I neither wrest the former place agaynst my selfe neither can you doe it that would so faine In the fifth article the Iesuites are reported to say The want of holy scriptures must be supplied by peecing it out by traditions For the report of this doctrine the Censurer bestoweth more of his vndeserued tauntes If the Censure of Colen hath no such wordes Gotuisus failed in citing their booke but failed not in charging them with their owne doctrine which all Iesuites and Papistes so vpholde as Peters chaire both to mainteine their false doctrines and to vnderset their Antichristiā tyraunie But although you would for the time dissemble the matter traditiōs are not of so smal force as to peece out the want of scripture For except the Presidēt of y e Trent council haue a forge to coyne lies traditions are a liuing Gospel and hee vttereth it as a question that can not be denied This is most true saith Hosius that if traditions be reiected the very Gospell also seemeth to be reiected for what els are traditions then a certaine liuing Gospell In deede traditions make a quicke court at the Vaticane Thus by your doctors opinion it is most true y ◠traditions are made not a supplie to any wants in y ◠Gospel but an other liuing Gospel after a sort to giue life to that which in y ◠true Gospell seemeth to be dead And may not a man w tout a lie call this doctrine vlasphemous My vttering of y e Cōmandemēt in the singular number is without additiō or alteration of sense For Moses in the same Chapter speaking of the same lawe and to the same men doth change the plurall number into the singular The selfe same Lawe also is recited in the singular number in the twelfth chapter of Deuteronomie by Salomon in the thirtieth chapter of his Prouerbes and euermore that which is said to al is also said to euery one and truly taken as vttered to euery one Surely I cannot guesse what you unagined at this change of the Lawgiuers wordes without change of the sense being done by the example of the same Lawgiuer in another place and without any breach of his Lawe and wherupon your vttermost malice could inferre none absurditie in sense none iniurie to the scripture nor aduantage to my cause but a stinging guesse insinuating some cause mouing mee to this change which whether you cōcealed as forbearing me or ashamed on your own behalfe to bewraye the indifferent reader iudgeth Againe what made you adde so haynous a slaunder as if all thinges were lawfull for me and to charge me as blaming the Apostles and Euangelistes for adding the Gospel Take heede you allowe not your selfe such scope in these suggestions manifestly agaynst the trueth and your owne conscience for you knowe what that sentence implieth Blessed is he that condemneth not himselfe in that thing which hee alloweth The Lorde that addeth grace to grace and light to light he also hath added to the lawe the fulnesse and satisfaction thereof in Christ Iesus which is published in his most holy and most perfect Gospell To expounde Moses wordes forbidding to adde or take away from the Lawe as spoken of the things he deliuered by word of mouth and not of the lawe written 〈◊〉 is a doubtfull speaking and may beare a harder conclusion then I will charge you with His cōmandement respected the law eyther pronounced or written by him 〈◊〉 afterwarde to bee preached and written by the holy Prophets and Apostles in the spirite of God I dare appeale to your conscience though it be deliuered from your pen you do not thinke in your heart that I woulde haue no scriptures beleeued besides that which Moses set downe Wherfore your proofe needed not in this matter To conclude it is a great iniquirie to adde traditions or your unwritten ve 〈…〉 to the written worde of God whereunto no man may adde because nothing is wanting from which no man can take because nothing is superfluous but to him that addeth shal the curses written in the booke be added for euer In the sixth place the Iesuites wordes are thus reported The holy Scripture is a nose of waxe At the true report of this blasphemous doctrine you fall into a storme perswading that I haue therein sinned agaynst God and abused the Iesuices with other most bitter woordes as if I tooke the way to ouermatch both learning and trueth But howe wrongfully all these woordes are cast out against me your owne wordes beare witnesse for presently after the sentence of condemnation you repeale it and acquite me of the fault graunting that as a nose of waxe may bee formed what way and to what forme one list so naughtie men may wrest the Scriptures Notwithstanding because you presse the wordes against me let them be examined First to proue that the Iesuites haue them more plainely then you will acknowledge I appeale from your Censure to Andradius playne confession Hee as you knowe defended the Iesuites in these poyntes agaynst Kemnitius which you defende against mee and hath lent you no small furniture for this seruice This Andradius as hauing more learning and in his kinde more true dealing then you in handling this article doth not at all cry out as you doe but acknowledgeth and defendeth the matter without such needelesse scoffes And for the words he confesseth saying The fathers
the argument doeth not necessarily followe For many are in heauen that haue liued in errour because the rich mercie of God doth aswell pardon errour to him that repenteth as other iniquities No man will take this for a good argument one â—f the two that were crucified with Christ is nowe in heauen therfore he was no thiefe therefore he liued not in error yet such altogether is the fifth motiue that moued Xilander to go to Rome in hope perhappes to be a Saint 6 To the sixt reason which maketh the Papistes reuerent in their wordes and the other syde rayling blasphemous and dishonest in their speaches and writinges I answere with Salomons woordes he that iustifieth the wicked and he that coudemueth the innocent are both an abhomination before the Lorde This reason is repeated in the next and is there further answered 7 The seuenth reason hath nothing in prayse of the Papistes as the former had but is altogether a repetition of that which was said against the godly as railing and misreporting their aduersaries Wherein for proofe against this slaunder I appeale to the places of the Censure alleaged against Martin Luther and charging him with most foule opinions such as after his conuersion he neuer mainteined in worde or deede which his practise prooued while he yet liued and his writings doe testifie now after his death Doctor Watson also may make a triall of this matter against you who in a sermon before Queene Marie charged no small men as he saith but our great bishops to say that euery man and woman might at the Lordes table take bread and blesse it which he calleth tonsecration and speake the woordes of the institution aswell as the minister Notwithstanding here I am to aduertise the reader that Papistes misreport theÌ„ selues now saying and at an other time denying the same as appeared in many of the XIII articles by y â— Censurers own practise For when the Iesuites are truely charged he will not graunt that which is truely auouched against them but changing the question will seeme to say lesse then they teach For one example they are charged to commit idolatrie in worshipping images the Censurer will seeme to denie this saying they giue no worship to the image but to God this distinction is not good and further more the assertion is false For it hath been prooued that they giue worship to the very image of Christ and which is more that they giue y â— greatest worship of Christ him selfe to his picture Therefore al men are to consider this both for our defence to auoyde the errour that may come by their deceites For in the fielde where they stand in feare of the aduersarie and in their perswasions when they would win a proselyte the pretended Catholiques will not lie open but cloke a great part of their shamefull doctrine which is their subtiltie to drawe away disciples and to leaue lesse aduantage to their enemies Therefore to a man not acquainted with their double dealing wee may seeme to report them otherwise then they holde in disputation when notwithstanding we report them no other wise then they openly teache in their kingdome and publishe in their writings Wherefore I may conclude that this reason was grouÌ„ded vpon a manifest vntruth Xilander iudged of Iudas by the kisse not by the treason 8 Lastly for a reason we are falsely charged to esteeme all our auncesters damned to breake their willes and conuert to prophane vses that which they gaue to mainteine idle Monkes and Friers and to redeeme them by masses out of purgatory Whatsoeuer he thought in him selfe or imagined in others wee thinke not our ancesters damned but leaue iudgement to the Lorde to whom the iudgement of life and death doth belong not searching out his secret couÌ„sels which are vnsearchable As for the ornameÌ„ts which they bestowed not vpon the seruice of God to the instruction of their soules by the preaching and ministerie of the Gospell but vpon the great harlot and to the inlargement of her kingdome they are brought home agayne to better vses and I thinke many of your best friendes will holde and enioy them as better bestowed Your seconde man commeth ready furnished to your hande out of the former booke of Lindan But because you promise not to deliuer the same reasons that were touched before let vs see how faithfully you keepe art and promise Flaschius first reason is the same that Xilanders seuenth where they say we report the papists to teach that they teach not Also his thirde is but a particular of that which the other man did generally auouch in y â— sixt against y e godly as vsing dishonest speach To speake of them particularly Flaschius his first reason is that your Catholiques teach cleane contrary to that which we report of them We report them to teach that the Pope is supreame head of the Church doe they teach the cleane contrary we charge them to ascribe some merit to workes do they teach cleane contrary Againe we charge them that they auowe transubstantiation do they teach no such thing Wee moreouer chalenge them for giuing worshippe to images do they teach the contrary doctrine wee accuse them for denying the sufficiencie of scriptures do they make them sufficient I might bring infinite such examples but these may be sufficieÌ„t to shew how Flaschius stuÌ„bled at his first going out at the gace 2 The second reason is drawen from Luthers mind in writing against y t Romish Church of enâ—y as the ruÌ„nagate doth suppose How is this prooued out of any place quoted for a shewe of proofe Agayne if it were proued that enuie made M. Luther write against Popery how doth the runnagates reason followe The preacher preacheth of enuie therfore his doctrine is to be forsaken The Phisition vseth his arte for couetousnes therfore his couÌ„sel is to be despised If Flaschius had learned what the place of S. Paul ment where he saith he was glad reioyced that Christ was preached eyther vpon enuie or contention eyther for fashion sake or in synceritie howsoeuer it might haue bin a counterpoyson against y â— disease of this second imaginatioÌ„ 3 His third reason against M. Luther for great dishonestie scurrilitie of speach in his writings is another â—launder in effect all one w t the seconde and there answered You say this bad fellowe was a â—reacher surely theÌ„ he came in by a wrong way went out by a right dore y t neuer had any sound knowledge of the trueth or if he had any he first put back a good coÌ„science theÌ„ made shippe wracke of faith knowledge 4 Fourthly it is but â—lauÌ„derously laid to our charge y t we do easily reiect any booke or peece of Scripture for we admit as the word of God all y â— bookes partes conteyned in y t auncient autenticall Canon of y â— Iewes with our aduersaries all the new Testament
soule and incourage him to the hope of mercie if hee shall consider the promise of God made towarde him of which promise Martin Luther saith it is vnpossible it should lie being entire and not changed or change able through any of our sinnes And hereupō he declareth what armour we haue in respect of Gods true promise how to answere when sin troubleth the conscience Afterwarde speaking of the riches of a beleeuer he concludeth saying Thus thou seest a Christian man or one baptised howe rich he is who though willing yet cannot lose his saluatiō through his sinnes howe great soeuer except hee wil not beleeue for no sinnes can damne him but incredulitie alone if faith in the promise of God made to the baptised returne and stand all other vices are swallowed vp in a moment by the same faith yea by the trueth of God that can not denie him selfe if thou confesse him and cleaue faithfully to him that promiseth In which wordes Martin Luther speaketh not of a faith separated from good workes or accompanyed with sinne onely but of that faith which bringeth foorch as fruites and effectes those good workes which God hath prepared that wee shoulde walke in them This is the true and comfortable doctrine of Martin Luther to proue it impossible that the elect shoulde bee deceiued or fall awaye or that the multitude of their sinnes shoulde barre the grace and promyse of God Wherefore seeing Martin Luther sayth Incredulitie is the greatest sinne and you say he affirmeth there is no sinne but incredulitie Seeing hee sayeth in respect of Gods promyse all the sinnes of the righteous man without want of faith can not condemne him and you vtter it most corruptly as if he saide a man can not damne himselfe do what sinne he can Lastly seeing Martin Luther speaketh of the elect and you vtter it as spoken of all euen of the wicked the godly reader may beholde your malicious and false reportes that haue in this first place hainously charged Martin Luther with a doctrine which was neuer in his hearte to embrace much lesse in his purpose to publish by writing Yet I confesse this his found doctrine of our certaine saluation is against your Trent doubtfulnes in so vndouted a couenaunt as is that which the Lorde hath confirmed to his children with an othe that cā neuer be repealed 2 In the second place out of his sermon touching Moses misreporting the title as I thinke you cite these wordes The ten commandements apperteine nothing vnto vs. Wherin you would bring the reader vnto an opinion that Martin Luther altogether reiecteth the morall lawe of God setting men free from the obedience or regard thereof If you could proue but this one article against him without your furder reproches it were sufficiēt to bring his honour to the dust But I dare auowe in your name that you are not so ignorant as not to know his cleare doctrine to the contrarie both in other bookes and in that from whence you drewe out these wordes leauing the sense behinde I graunt he hath such words but neuer laid downe so nakedly or to proue such an error as your report importeth For speaking against such as vrged the policie of the Iewes and layde the yoke of Moses Law vpon christians he resisted this doctrine expounding the differences betweene the two couenantes of God one in the ministerie of Moses which is the perfect obedience af all the Law the other in the mercie of Christ apprehending righteousnes by faith The first as he teacheth apperteyned for a time to the Iewes alone y t seconde afterwarde both to Iewes and Gentiles as many as beleeue Wherupon he proueth at large that the law doth not apperteyne vnto vs as it did to the Iewes the yoke and ceremonies thereof lie not vpon vs to obserue in such sort as it pressed them All which doctrine is as largely taught by the Apostle proouing that wee are not vnder the Lawe but vnder grace and in another place that the lawe was giuen because of transgression til the seede came which was promised againe in the same place the Lawe was our schoolemaster to Christ that we might be made righteous by faith but after faith is come we are no more vnder the schoolemaster Which places do cleerely shewe y t Moses Lawe apperteineth not to vs as to the Iewes wee are not vnder it as they were the yoke and condemnation thereof doth not binde vs as it did them which is al that Martin Luther teacheth distinguishing our time from their time and our estate vnder Christ and the Gospell from their condition vnder Moses and the Law according to that excellent distinction of S. Iohn The lawe was giuen by Moses but grace trueth came by Iesus Christ Wee are vnder Christ and vnder grace not vnder Moses and the yoke of his lawe we haue the trueth and not the multitude of shadowes and ceremonies that were vnder the Mosaical administration Now that Martin Luther did acknowledge the doctrine of the lawe profitable to vs though the yoke and former mynisterie thereof be taken away it appeareth by his exposition of the Lawe and by his wordes out of the same sermon which you alleadge where he saith We receiue and acknowledge Moses for a teacher in deede whence we learne much wholesome doctrine as a lawegiuer or gouernour we do not acknowledge him Also afterwarde hauing repeated the commaundementes he demaundeth saying Is it not necessarie for vs to keepe these are they not vniuersally commaunded to all men I answere saieth he they are to be kept of all and apperteyne vnto all Thus it is cleere although M. Luther acknowledgeth not the yoke the curse the Mosaicall gouernment which were proper to the Iewes and appertayne not vnto vs yet in other respectes hee is plentifull in shewing the profite and vse thereof to Christians for it is as Dauid saith a lanterne to our steppes and a light vnto our path Therefore you shall doe well to regard your steps least your selfe seeme to neglect the lawe of loue and trueth as apperteyning nothing to you if you thus misreport misconster any mans wholesome doctrine 3 Your thirde report of Luthers doctrine is that it is a false opinion and to be abolished that there are foure Gospels Touching this third place I find the effect of your report els where for these first and chiefe wordes but the latter wordes concerning Iohns Gospell that it is the onely faire true and principall gospell I cannot finde I thinke there was neuer any such preface written in latin by Luther as you cite for your defence You haue in many places vsed the auouch at large which Lawiers thinke vnlearned in their cases and oftentimes you cite bookes not to bee gotten as this preface and that booke de missa angulari and laide downe one title for an other with such like practises
insufficient witnesses the contrary being knowen to many yet aliue written by men more indifferent of better intelligence touching the storie As Lindan hath thus flaundered his death so you slaunder his life saying that almost thirtie yeeres he liued in al sensualitie and pride If there had beene any materiall argument or some false witnesse at hande you would not haue come in your selfe all alone to be sworne vpon this deposition That which you lay against him of dissention hath somewhat to be graunted For if you call it dissention he did altogether dissent from Papists being open enemies of the Gospell but for Occolampadius Bucer and others although in some poynts they disagreed yet there was among them a singular care of vnitie in the Gospell Whereupon beside the entercourse of many louing and godly letters they set downe articles of agreement subscribing their names for a testimonie of their loue as appeareth especially by an acte of concord agreed vpon at Marburge and after that by another concluded at Wittenberge We might farre most iustly require you with this accusation of dissention among your selues although you are banded together in a consent agaynst the kingdome of Christ but this is from the question although you often fall into it After these prayses of 〈◊〉 Layolas and many folde slaunders against Martin Luther deliuered in the best maner without any proofes against the one or for the other you leaue the matter for the in different reader to iudge The iudgement is soone giuen if your proofes were as manifest as your boldnes in vttering vntrueths A most patient mynde can not brooke a libell so seasoned to itching eares Our corrupt nature is more patient and glad to read a whole booke written with a pleasing grace of scoffes and tauntes against another then a lease written sicly to correct and teach our selues and we are both more skilful to write and more apt to coÌ„ceiue reprothes then any doctrine of importance for the one is home bredde the other must come downe from aboue But notwithstanding all your cunning if the reader stande vpon proofes and not vpon bare speach if he stand vpon witnesses of credit and not vpon these false subdrued witnesses the matter will fall out against Layolas as a superstitious obscure fellow and for Martin Luther as a mâ—n that hath written more then Layolas I thinke euer read that hath taught more then Layolas coulde conceiue that hath suffered for a good conscience more then euer did Layolas vnder his voluntarie whippe who fynally was the meane by the mercie of God to plant more then all the broode of Layolas shall euer be able to hinder in y â— grouth or by their infinite and shamelesse lyes any waies to impeach in worthy estimation The Censurer not satisfied with al these vngodly iniuries against Martin Luther now breaketh out into such wordes of stomacke against M. Caluin saying that the like life or worse is written of him by a French man that liued with him sometimes of the same religion You take the best way throughout all your Censures to bring the men still into suspicion and hatred because you can effect no more against the cause But for Mast Caluin beside so many as yet remaine aliue witnesses of his godly and blamelesse life his writings shal testifie to all ages hereafter that the Lorde raised him vp as a singuler Minister of the Gospel and indued him with such a spirit of wisedome and learning as may worthely kindle greater loue to him in godly meÌ„s heartes then is malice against him in your vncharitable spirites The Lorde is most wise and testifieth his loue in the dispensation of his singular graces So great giftes of true zeale of an vnderstanding heart of a minde not ouercome with any seruice of the Church with any labour for the brethren are reall arguments that as the Lorde did sanctifie and defende him against all the malice of his enemies while he liued even against the fierie dartes of Satan so now though the man be layde vp in peace yet the Lorde will preserue his name in honour vpon the earth and they that would bring shame vpon him it shall light vpon them selues as a iust recompence from him who euermore preserueth his saintes as the apple of his eye Therefore it was no euill chaunce but the Lords good will that hitherto the translation of your libel against him should be suppressed I maruaile how you passed by the storie written against M. Bucer seruing you so wel for this purpose Seeing you haue left it out I wil briefly note it for a proofe of my exceptions taken to Lindan as to a shamelesse lyer against the holy men of God M. Bucer liued to the great good and died amongst vs with the great and publique sorow of manie His life and death is written by M. Carre a man against whom you can take no iust exception who hath these wordes of him He liued so as no man better he died so as no man more blessedly his sickenes was such that no man did set him sorowe he died so that no man did perceiue his departuâ—â— Many are 〈◊〉 aliue that will witnesse as much as M. Carre hath written Yet your great author Lindan is not ashamed to make M. Bucers death as horrible and as monstro 〈…〉 as may bee suspected comparing it with foule wordes and in all horrour to the most shamefull death of 〈…〉 ius that 〈…〉 tique I appeale to them among you if there be any which 〈◊〉 the trueth that they 〈◊〉 reforme them or giu◠〈◊〉 against such manifest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 us to God and 〈◊〉 who arâ— into 〈◊〉 of their ma 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 that 〈◊〉 in their 〈…〉 a 〈…〉 tionâ— haue 〈◊〉 〈…〉 es to thi 〈…〉 In the fourth 〈◊〉 I am 〈…〉 〈◊〉 the Iesuites 〈◊〉 â—ited out of th◠〈…〉 is it shall hereafteâ— more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For if the Censures himselfe reporting most 〈…〉 in 〈◊〉 of M. Luther hath â—ot thought his 〈◊〉 discharged if hee report the matter as it is in his owne corrupt authors Hosius Lyndanus and Cochleus howe much more haue I discharged my credit in reporting the Censure of Colen faithfully out of a learned treatise of Don. Gotuisus alleadged for my warrant for I pretended not to cite their wordes out of the Censure of Eolen which I could neuer get but expressely protested to take them out of a treatise concerning this matter the author whereof is quoted in the most bookes and hauing performed this touching the sense faithfully as may appeare by conference I 〈◊〉 in no respect hâ—e charged with â—alsifying howsoeuer to vndermine the trueth and discredit the 〈◊〉 thereof you 〈◊〉 about wordes left out or put in with 〈◊〉 any change of matter But you that challenge meâ— for additions why doe you twise adde the worde Verie to helpe your 〈…〉 l and once misconster mee as if I would haue men know I minded
to bring 〈…〉 able of myne owne This is to â—all 〈◊〉 to a stâ—â—ight account of that I neuer vndertooke and in nice pointes to take 〈◊〉 of syllables when you can take no iust vantage of wordes and sentences Wherefore to take away from you the only matter of shew in al your Censure I confesse that I doe not deliuer the scriptures in the number of woordes and syllables but in the ful weight of true sense and matter Which practise beside example of the fathers weâ— haue also in Christ and his Apostles This you knowe and yet of an euill purpose you dissemble the matter prouing your selfe thereby to be a manifest cauiller as was declared Therfore I need not bee ashamed to offer my booke in this point to be censured by you or examined by any Neither am I priuie as the Lorde knoweth to any purposed falshoode be it neuer so litle or to any euil practise in allegation of scripture or other writings of any man But you either with shame or without shame in the next sentence vtter w t one breath foure vntruthes For first we haue not all printes to our selues as you say for then you could not so soone haue printed your censure some other bookes Sâ—câ—â—ly our searchers are not so watchfull that nothing can passe our handes as your owne booke wil testifie against it self in this sentence Thirdly we can neither saye nor print what we will but that only which after view and diligent examination hath or should haue â—riuâ—ledge from her Maiesties lawefull authoritie Lastly you would make your reader beleeue that you were beyond Sea when you wrote and sent this shamelesse censure which now is euidently knowen to be otherwise Wherin I note the iudgement of God against you that in o 〈…〉 sentence where you haue falsely charged vs with vttering slaunderous vntrueths you haue your selfe written these foure manifest lies Moreouer that it may appeare who it is in deede that vttereth many manifest and inexcusable vntrueths let it â—â—e also considered what you thinke of the preaching of Gods word in England and what manifest vntrueths you vtter afterward saying that what I my fellowes dare auouche in our sermons speaches and discourses as you cast them we are sure shall neuer come to the examination Daily experience giueth sentence against you in this matter and one of your late bookes repeating certaine articles corruptly gathered out of Sermons made in the countrey the last Sâ—mmer Here also you distouâ—r C 〈…〉 pions veine in charging the Magistrates and learned Bishops as if they were carelesse what docttrine is deliuered vnto the people For my selfe I admitte not your comparison betweene my writings my preachings as if I durst bee bolder to faile in a Sermon then in writing a booke that may be disclosed For to answere also for my godly fellow ministers we preache as before God and Angels and dare as little in their presence presume to preache otherwyse then his worde giueth commission as wee dare to write otherwise before men then the trueth can allowe Nowe followe the XIII articles of doctrine wherewith the enemies of the trueth are charged especially the Iesuites as the chiefe mainteiners thereof And because you offer your selues to bee holden guiltie of al other doctrines whereof you are accused if these articles bee proued against you I woulde haue you stande to your owne condition for my part I accept your conclusion to bee iudged as I haue dealt with the Iesuites in wel reporting or misreporting their doctrine out of mine authour The first article out of the Iesuites blasphemous doctrine hath as â—otuisus reporteth and as you will not deny it is not sinne whatsoeuer is against the word of God The report lieth vpon my authour as I haue sayde yet you charge me with the wordes as guylefully reported as peeced and culled out for my purpose But notwithstanding this charge you presently acquite both mine authour and me graunting the wordes to bee most true in their sense If they be in their sense most true why do you take any exception to my report who onely lay them downe to yeelde what sense you can make Therefore before I wade any further let me aske you a question or two If any one of these XIII poyntes of doctrine bee false why dyd you not playnely denie it If they be all true why dyd you not playnely graunt them why dyd you wrangle making them true and false fast and loose perfect and imperfect at your pleasure Through all your discourse doe you not playnely graunt them and yet to helpe your owne credit and to purchase agaynst mâ—e some note of bad dealing would you not seeme in some fort to denie them But as this pretended deniall of those articles was an iniurie to me so the open mayntenaunce of them agayne was your trustie seruice toward the Iesuites and the couenant of your right hande It was also safe dealing to graunt them because if you woulde deny any one of them in the playne sense wherein it is aduouched yet the aduouchment shoulde bee proued agaynst you by your owne recordes Thus the good reader may see your dealing that so accuse mee that so double and redouble the lie vpon mee for laying downe nothing but knowne groundes of popish doctrine which you coulde not denie and whereof the Iesuites haue lately vndertaken the principall defence To returne to the matter the Censure of Colen was made as you saye agaynst Monhemius Catechisme among other poyntes to condemne him for saying that concupiscense remayning after baptisme is a damnable mortal sinne albeit no consent of heart be giuen vnto the same To auoyde your doubtful speach of damnable mortall sinne and the distinction of mortal and veniall sinne you must vnderstande Monhemius spake not of the sinne vnto death for the wich wee are taught that a man must not pray Otherwise vnderstaâ—diâ—g mortall sinne according to the worde of God and not as you doe without Christ all sinnes are mortall and that one sinne against the holy Ghost excepted in Christ all sinnes venial 〈…〉 which true sense Monhemiâ—s dyd truely affirme that concupiscence is a damâ—able sinne But you deny 〈◊〉 definition to establish your owne Let us therefore examine the grosse faultes which these Ieâ—uites of Colen commit in one definition notwithstanding they were so many and as you say so learned men They teach by your report first that sinne is an action Whatsoeuer they say or Thomas of Aquine in this question you shall finde that iniustice is a sinne and yet no action and that it is a sinne as well not to doe the thing commaunded as to commit the thing which is forbidden which leauing of good offices vndone you knowe is called the sinne of omission and yet no action as you woulde haue it For Andradius distinction in this matter is beside are and to no purpose Also in this place howe
is doubtfull for the tongue is the instrument of speache and not such a cause The naturall knowledge of the latin speach or the knowledge thereof by arte is the cause If the tongue were the proper cause whosoeuer had a tongue should speake latin because where the cause is the effect followeth By which reason your owne woordes againe make concupiscense to bee sinne saying it is the affect of originall s 〈…〉 because such as the proper cause is 〈…〉 is also the proper effect the â—ause sinne and sinneful the effect also sinne and sinful But you that make many demaundes to me let me aske you what you meant to bring in the example of Christ who is called sinne in thâ—â— chapter and â—epâ—stle to the Corâ—th forwhich you falsely quote the 8. â—o the Râ—man 〈◊〉 you make the example like Shall 〈◊〉 expâ—â—â—de the former speach of Saint Paul calling concupiscense sinne Surely hereby you proue that Paul calling concupiscense sinne meant notwithstanding that it was altogether no sinne for Christ is altogether no sinne Againe howe vnlike are these examples Christ is called sinne because hee was a sacrifice for sinne that is to take away sinne concupiscense is called sinne because it is the effect fruite of originall sinne not taking it away but increasing it continually If you made conscience of your speach you would neuer misconâ—â—er the plaine woâ—rdes of the Apostles bring nothing for your defeÌ„ce but such impertinent similitudes For I appeale to your conscience may you not as fitly by these similitudes proue that the Apostle calleth fornication sinne by a figure or any other sinne neuer so great Saint Austeâ—â— place making it no sinne in y e 〈…〉 rate without conâ—â—t is expounded by himselfe afterwarde saying Concupiscence is not so forgiuen in Baptisme that it is not sinne but that it is not imputed as sinne For a clearer proofe hereof in another booke hee saith plainely it is 〈◊〉 For when Iulian obiected that conâ—â—piscence is wortâ—y praise because it is a punishment of sinne Austen tooke that away by an example of the wicked deuils whâ— though they in respect of Gods hande doâ— iustly punish yet themselues are vniust and sinfull whereupon this similitude fol 〈…〉 eth to proue concupiscence sinne euen when there is no consent As the blyndnesse of the heart which God remoueth who alone doth illuminate is both sinne whereby we beleeue not in God and the punishment of sinne whereby a proude heart is punished with worthie punishment the cause of sinne when any euill is committed by the error of a blind heart so the concupiscense of the flesh agaynst which the good spirit â—usteth is both sinne because there is in it a disobedieÌ„ce against the regiment of the minde and a punishment of sin because it is rendred to y e merites of the disobedient the cause of sin through the defect of that y t consenteth or the conâ—agion of that that springeth You were deceiued in citing Austen twise as hauing written but one booke De Nup. et Concup Clement hath no such place but against you hee hath these woordes in the booke of his exhortation to the GeÌ„tiâ—â—s speaking of the seuenth commandement among others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt not lust for by concupiscense alone thou hast committed adulterie Which sentence sheweth what a sinne bare concupiscense is that alone without consent commeth so neere a degree of actuall adulterie You were also deceiued in quoting Ambrose for he hath no such place where you cite him Nazianzen I thinke hath no such oration as you dreame of such is your cause and such are your testimonies Wherefore it is false that all those good fathers are partakers with the Iesuites of that doctrine which blasphemously maketh the breach of the tenth commandement no sinne And because you so often presse the worde blasphemie so seldome vsed by me you must vnderstande that such doctrines especially now after so great reuelation of the trueth are the doctrines of deuils blasphemoâ—s against God and his holy woorde which teacheth the contrary as hath and shall bee further declared But nowe followeth the place of Gotuisus brought to proue the contrary doctrine Whosoeuer shall see a woman to lust after her hee hath already committed adulterie with her in his heart The Censurer in this place to note my ignoraunce bewrayeth his owne confounding hudling the first last part of the proposition which in Scholes are called subiectu and praedicatum For the question sta 〈…〉 th in y â— former place where Christ vsetâ— a word of concupiscence affirming that 〈◊〉 a man see a woman to lust or in concupisâ—enâ—e to desyre her where the force of sinne worketh in the first degree it is with content of heart brought to a further degree and becommeth actuall adulterie before God though it bee not actuall before men Therefore if I had as you miâ—conâ—â—er alleaged this place of Matthewe altogether in respect of the effect and as it is a breach of the seuenth commandement it had not made against the doctrine of concupiscense without consent But I cite it for the former part of the propositioÌ„ which sufficiently proueth bare concupiscense to bee sinne For if the consent of the heart make concupisceÌ„se to be adulterie theÌ„ must concupiscense it selfe be also sinne because otherwise the consent of the heart cannot make any lawful desire to be adulterie but the fruite and the tree must be of the same nature Saint Iames doeth moreouer proue this who wil not that a man should say God tempteth him and so charge the Lord with sinne but he turneth vpon man the whole worke and al the blame of sinne froÌ„ the first sinne of tempting to the ripe ful birth thereof The Apostles wordes in this place are full to make this proofe calling it a mans owne lust or lusting adding moreouer that a man is tempted therwith drawen away and as with a baite intited which thinges can not bee in bare concupisâ—ense except it were sinne and a sinful cause of sinne from the which Iames doth carefully quite the Lorde Also this concupifcense because it hath â—entation violence and a baite to sinne before câ—nsent of heart be giuen and before the secret adulterie of the heart be coÌ„mitted it cannot be of faith and therefore the Apostle giueth sentence that it is sin for whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne be it before or after the consent of heart Therefore out of these woordes of Christ it is truely proued by the nature and effect of concupiscense that it is sinne of it selfe seeing presently with consent it is made a sinne in so high a degree as is adulterie Also herein my alleadging of Scripture is founde to be according to the matter and argument without any error of doctrine alteration of sense or appiying it otherwise then it may be truely and profitably applied wherefore you gaue to much
imagined in a â—â—eame tolde it before you were awake In the seuenth article the Iesuiâ—es are reported thus to teach The reading of the holy Scripture is not only not profitable but many wayes very hurtfull to the Church Here the â—ensurer would seeme to denie the doctrine that in so doing hee may both somewhat couer the absuâ—diâ—ie and accuse me for my author as â—â—steporâ—ing the same Yet after a storme of needelesse wordes hee doth in effect graunt the matter But his maner is for some aduantage to report their doctrines otherwise then they are caught or brought into question For the Papistes doe restraine the common people from reading the Scriptures vsing many reasons to proue them hurtful Besides other your bookes to this purpose there is one wâ—â—thie of remembrance written to y e Parliament in Queene Maries time where fiftie reasons such as they be are brought not â—nely to keepe the people from the Scriptures but for a more fure waye to keepe the Scriptures from them not suffering the translation thereof in the English tongue Wherupon the question wee haue in hand is this whether the reading of Scriptures be hurtful and therefore to bee forbidden Nowe the Censurer saith the rash and vnconsiderate reading is forbidden which is from the matter We doe not ioine issue in this whether the people shoulde rashly reade them or without consideration but whether you may make men beleeue that the reading of holy scriptures is hurtfull and therefore to be resâ—râ—yned There is no doubt but you holde both and teach both carefully 〈◊〉 appeareth by a late Iesnites booke written of this matter yet in disputation you woulde seeme onely to forbid the cash and unaduiâ—ed reading whereof we make no question But your reason is to be layde downe Whatsoeuer may hurt though it be in no fault yet it is to be restrayned the worde of God hath done such hurt therefore it is to be restrayned So you may aswell take away the foode of the body that body and soule may perish together because men may surfeit by good meates and fall into drunkennes by wholsoÌ„e wine Here let me for the scriptures fitly plead against you your owne rule pleaded in an other place for Philosophie It is say you a grosse ignorance for an abuse that may be to◠〈◊〉 demne the things which bee excellent giftes of God and sparks of his most high and infinite wisdom If this he true theâ— is it a blasphemie for an abuse not at all growing by the worde yet to forbidâ—◠〈◊〉 vse thereof and to keepe it in an vnknown tongue in a barbarous translation 〈◊〉 condemne not sparkes of Gods most higâ— and infinite wisedome but to conde 〈…〉 euen that high and infinite wisdome it selfe by making such restraintes and taking such sure wayes to debarre the children of God from the most necessary euidences of their heauenly inheritance But in this question agayne Payua doth deale more plainely to the purpose then the Censurer who borowing of Payua this place also yet leaueth out all that which maketh not to his purpose of couering and shielding the Iesuites from the trueth that fighteth against them For Andradius plainely confesseth that this is the first argument of the Iesuites why the Scriptures should not be read because as the Iesuites teach they haue giuen occasion to all heresies A very strange assertion but howsoeuer vnlearned and vnstable men deale yet the Scripture giueth no occasion of heresie much lesse of all heresies as these fellowes doe thus openly maintaine Therefore the Iesuites in teaching that such harme commeth by reading the word of God accuse the scriptures as hurtful many wayes and not profitable which is asmuch as they are charged withall in the 7. place The Censurer commonly faileth in leauing the question and prouing that which is not called into doubt as in this place bee proueth that the worde is without all fault when men misconster it or founde heresies vpoÌ„ the misunderstanding of it This was not in question yet it is wel prooued 〈◊〉 fitly to ouerthrowe the former doctrine of Iesuites for if the scripture be in no fault testraine not the Scripture but reforme the wrangling and peruerting wit if it be in no fault it is neither the occasion of all heresies nor a nose of waxe Your exaÌ„ple of Christ is easely truely returned against you For as Christ is a ruine to none but to those that receiue him not and to those that beleeue not in him so the Scripturè hurteth not but those that despise the reading the hearing and the practise thereof The contrary doctrine to alleaged â—ut of Matthew Yee erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God The Censurer woulde 〈…〉 we the application of this place by two circumstances one to proue the word 〈…〉 articular the â—ther because as he sayth Christ spake not to the ignoraÌ„t people but 〈…〉 〈◊〉 Touching the first 〈◊〉 although the Cen 〈…〉 doth wel lay 〈…〉 the particular application of Christ 〈◊〉 spect of the present matters and hearers yet it will bee founde more then audaritie for any man so to restraine the doctrines of Christ deliuered in particular that they must reach no further then the present circumstances of the matter and of those disciples or aduersaries to whome hee spaket for this is nothing els but to make Christ a Prophet for a time not a Prophet for euer Also by that interpretation his wondeful workes most heauenly doctrines shall bee made to vs nothing els but a bare and naked storie to tell vs what Christ taught others and not what he hath taught vs and to declare what hee reprehended in them not what he reprehendeth in vs. But the Censurer will answerâ— hee mindeth not to 〈◊〉 other doctrines to the particular circumstances And why not any other sentence aswell as this to the Sadduces for nothing can be more generall then errour nothing more vniuersall then the ignorance of Scriptures which is I thinke in y â— Censurers iudgement the fountaine of all errour How commeth it then that he will stop so generalle streame restrayning that to a fewe which apperâ—â—â—neth to all And for the Sadduces they did not only erre in the doctrine of y â— resurrection but were otherwise enemies ignorant of Christ not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God to saluatioÌ„ in him Wherfore Christ noted vpoÌ„ one particular occasion y â— fountaine of al their blindnesse and infidelitie as well as the cause of their ignorance touching the resurrection their foolish doubt of the seuen brethren Thus notwithstaÌ„ding y â— Censurers iudgement it is plaine that the doctrine of this place hath aswel a general vse as a particular that Christ noted the fountaine of all ignorance not the ignorance of Sadduces touching resurrection alone To your seconde point that Christ spake not this to the people but to y â— learned Sadduces first
Lent If this be not hudling and confounding of things together of vnlike sort I knowe not what may be called confusion For what order is it to repeate vpoÌ„ the Censurers occasion y â— which was noted in the fourth article to match the baptisme of children with the fast of Lent The one being by plaine argument gathered out of the worde as namely out of the wordes of the conenant I will bee thy God and the God of thy seede and thy children after thee for euer This couenaunt dyd appertayne to both a like to Abraham and his seede whereunto the seale and practise was adioyned in circumcising infantes of eyght dayes as well as Abraham of great age and that by expresse commaundement of God Thus the doctrine is so prooued out of the written worde as that no doubt remayneth Nowe circumcision was the sacrament or seale of that righteousnesse which is by fayth as Saint Paul teacheth wherein it is equall our baptisme But this is your great learning when you are not able for your ignorance to prooue a doctrine out of the written worde to say we haue it by tradition and by worde of mouth from the Apostles Now your Lent fast as you vse it hath not onely no grounde out of the worde but is agaynst the worde as I prooued before If this bee your methode and discretion I maruell not if good order be huddling and confounding in your accompt For the number of the bookes and for the Lordes day I myght likewise make proofe out of the worde so that if you can bring vs nothing by worde of mouth from the Apostles but your Lent fast your letters of credence will not serue you to be deleeued The seconde Censure is that the place alleadged by me to confuce the aucthoritie of traditions should be impertinent This the Censurer woulde shewe by three differences betweene it and this purpose First of the diuers cause of those traditions which our Sauiour Christ inueyeth against whereof they had beene authors to them selues and of these which he affirmeth to descende from Christ and his Apostles But as in deede the difference woulde be great if this were true so being false and vntrue as it is it can make no difference at all Theirs were in deede such as they affirme and though you deny it so are yours also For which of all your traditions came eyther froÌ„ Christ or from his Apostles wheÌ„ you proue them froÌ„ either of them your difference shall be allowed Secondly you say Christ reprehendeth not al obseruation of meÌ„s traditioÌ„s but the naughtie obseruing of theÌ„ which was as you affirme in that y â— Pharises esteemed them more then Gods word brake it for the keeping of them which you condemne This also if it were true were a sufficient difference but it is vntrue that our Sauiour Christ reproued onely the esteeming of them more then Gods commaundementes It can not bee denied but he reprooued this in them in the same chapter before but in the woordes alleadged You worshippe mee in vaine teaching doctrines that are but traditions of men which are no wordes of comparison our Sauiour simplie rebuketh them for esteeming the keeping of mens traditions to be any seruice of GOD to which â—ude the sentence had bene first vttered by the Prophet The thirde note is double first that these traditions were idle foolish of which sort are yours and whatsoeuer the idle brayne of man deuiseth to serue â—od withall the second that some of them were impious direct contrary to the word of God such as were certayne corrupt expositions of the lawe where you are as like to them as the sonne may be to the father For neuer were there more false gloses vpon the word of God violently thrust and by litle and litle secretly conueyed into the Church peruerting the true meaning of the Scriptures and corrupting the simple worshippe of GOD then haue beene brought in by your Rabbines that haue obtayned the highest seates and the most honourable names more then euer did any among the Iewes You speake of the Talmud as dyd bastarde Denis of the orders in heauen but this florish of your skill in those bookes because it hurteth not the cause let it serue you and your frendes for as much credit as it may Lastly the Iesuites are reported to teach that we must worship y e image of Christ with like honour that wee doe the holy bookes of the Gospell In this article the doctrine is graunted without any word of contradiction your Censure onely toucheth the second to the Corinthes the sixt chapter as not alledged to the purpose In deede if you list not to vnderstand to what end it is vouched you may well complaine against the alledging thereof as from the matter You take it as brought to proue that we may worship the image of Christ with greater honour then the bookes of the Gospell but you mistake the matter and wilfully as it shoulde seeme to haue some what against the cause for how could you think that he which detesteth al idols would alledge a place to prooue that the image of Christ is worthy honour more then Gospels Or howe may not any maâ— note you of open contradiction against the word of God that being deuoutly madde vpon idols would for their loue prophane the temple of God and therefore dare to say there is more agreemeÌ„t betweene them which yet the Apostle maketh most contrarie then there is betweene the place of Saint Paul the matter which the same place doth fitly disprooue But if you liâ—â— to vnderstand the place serueth to prooue that no image at all is to be worshipped for which the wordes are so pertinent and is strong as all the wisedome of your Censureship and of the rest will neuer bee able to answere them Therefore you lost your labour in framing arguments to prooue why the material booke of Gospels should be no lesse worshipped then the image of Christ for neither of bath are to bee worshipped nor any other creatures whatsoeuer according to that which was before alledged to this purpose Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serue You can not escape for saying you giue no diuine honour vnto them for this bowing downe before them which is one of the least deuotions you vse is chalenged as diuine honour and expressely forbidden in any respect of religion or deuotion to images or any other creature as hath beene often declared But here saying the honour done to the image of Christ and to the letter of the Bible is not done to them selues you dissemble your owne idolatrous doctrine which alloweth the same honour to the image that is due to the paterne and namely the same most honourable and diuine worship of Latria to the Crucifix which is due to the Lord Iesus Christ himself Your bookes that teach this are many and not vnknowen So
to haue fully answered the chiefe matter of this article but you drawing me on with your tauntes I must answere to them also For the difference of an Image and an Idol you knowe my answere and I acknowledge not your difference Couching your honours done to the creature and creator I doe not maliciously confound them but you do vnlearnedly make a distinction in wordes when in deede there is none When wee teach y t al your worshippes are idolatrous we offer you no wrong neither do we therin blind our hearers or charge you with doctrines which are not your own For if any worship be greater then other that you giue to the crosse and image of Christ you can not denie this being your playne doctrine as I haue declared by Thomas by Saunders by Andradius so expressed as we can not more expresse it against you Therefore we doe not mainteine matter of rayling against the true Catholike Church which hath alwayes more detested all Idolaâ—â—â—e then your Church doeth or can defende it For your repeated words God forgiue you I must conster them in the best part but comming in the middest of other scosses they giue me occasion to note that many offend in the vttering of them against God whose name they take in vaine and against their neighbour whome they curse and tant with wordes that import a charitable prayer which is to be reformed in our speach least such sinnefull vse of good wordes increase the note of euill maners All these XIII articles are graunted yet your Censureshippe doeth couer the graunt most carefully as one that knowes well what shame it is playnely and openly to graunt so foule absurdities You might haue prouided better for your owne credit and agaynst mine if you had directly denied but one of them to proue at the least one slaunderous false report for this alone woulde haue preuailed more against mee then all your naked vauntes and vndeserued sentences of disgrace But no one being denyed what cause had you as fearing no examination of your booke and without all regarde of trueth to saye Thus I haue answered briefely your slaunderous false reportes of the Iefuites doctrine In place of an answerer you haue only shewed your self a cauiller passing by the matter you haue propâ—unded to your selfe newe propositions from the purpose such as you might more easily confute theÌ„ those wherewith you are charged Therefore it appeareth notwithstanding your Censure that I haue with seemely and fitte wordes charged the Iesuites that they teach blasphemies against God and his worde that they are the Popes procters in that seruice and bewraye the spirit of Antichrist Let the record of your false sentence charging mee with a lying spirit of Antichrist with an ignorant and rayling spirit remayne with the placing of your name for mine til you haue otherwise proued that my speaches against the vncleane doctrine and rebellious practises of your Iesuites are vntrue or rayling And because so cleare places in the worde of God with the interpretation of the name and nomber of 666. agreed of by auncient fathers and founde to accorde with the Latin and Hebrewe wordes doe make Antichrist to sit at Rome in the citie buylded vpon seuen hilles if they make it to be a Latin and Romish Church let y â— record stande agaynst the Pope y t he is Antichrist and against al other his instruments for that they haue the spirite of Antichrist full of all corruption Wheras you charge me that my zeale ouerranne my witte in reporting the former doctrines as blasphemous it is to speake without proofe and to slaunder without controlement For I must agayne saye that all your ignoraunt euill zeale and al your witte knoweth not howe to denye any one of these XIII articles except you will willingly wittingly runne into a curse of the Trent Councill Therefore your bitter taunt was without cause in respect hereof as also in respect of that y t followeth about a masse booke For in my conscience I am not priuiâ— y t I did at any tune crye out or at all vtter these wordes A blaâ—phemie findyng the blessed virgin named mother of God Wherefore vntil you bring better proofe of it my religious deniall shal more then weigh downe your hateful affirmation conuince you of breaking y t nienth coÌ„mandemeÌ„t by raysing â—â—ch infamous reproches in print agaynst your neighbour eyther vpon light report of an enemie oâ— vpon your owne imagination I am not in this sort ouergreedie of your discredit to whom in that generall loue I owe to all men I wish in the Lorde the riches and honour of true godlinesse praying that you may receiue the loue of the trueth and bee blessed as I woulde bee blessed But this your cause of teaching errour and labouring to roote out the gospell must more and more bee brought into discredit eyther to drawe you to a loue of y t trueth or to make you ashamed of such lies If I did in deede any way hurt my cause you loue it not so well as to admonish mee thereof but I trust y t Lord would prouide me more faythful remeÌ„brancers For your next wordes of reproche that wee seeme to haue made a compact betweene vs euery man to lye his part howe vntrue are they and howe full of reproch To lye is a fowle sinne but to lye with consent and conspiracie that the lye may haue the more force and greater credit it is double iniquitie and furder from vs by the grace of God then from any of you If the force of trueth ouerbeare you not without Gods extraordinary iudgemeÌ„t I looke not to see you ouerborne This thirtieth leafe of your booke will afford a scantlin of your brotherly loue if any man will take the measure Notwithstanding in the ende you please mee so well that I must thanke you for your helping hande in a good woorke And although you tell the tale so that I may seeme to haue a fellowshippe in the offence yet being free I subscribe to your good a 〈…〉 tisement against imprinting lying 〈◊〉 as that from Rome For it is so great a sinne to imprint lyes and râ—â—ore for â—â—â—thy lucrâ— and euery where â—o empty mens purses and â—â—ll their heades with â—ables that for such an inquitie euery such Printer 〈…〉 ueth to carye a print of his vngod 〈…〉 couetoâ—snesse 〈◊〉 dishonour offered to 〈◊〉 so excellent and so profitable 〈◊〉 Touching the purpose of him that to perswade the allâ—wance was like to aff 〈…〉 the 〈…〉 er 〈◊〉 he were a Papiâ—â— such as is 〈◊〉 like 〈◊〉 tell what is done at Rome hee had a 〈…〉 d to sinne hi 〈…〉 of purpose that he 〈…〉 ht laye it 〈…〉 If it were 〈◊〉 you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 woulde so 〈…〉 e y t Pope which cannot be gathered by any word in all the 〈◊〉 it was in him a greater sinne For without lying newes there is true matter â—â—ough
against Princes I answere that the light is no clearer at Noâ—ue then that they taught all obedience to be due to Princes in the Lorde and that for conscience sake without any rebellion as in their writings it remaineth witnessed to all the world Luther vpon the fifth Commandement noteth for the sacred authoritie of Magistrates that this precept of obedience to them commeth next to the Commandement of obedience to God adding that it teacheth vs how to behaue our selues toward all Magistrates who are ordeyned and appoynted of God For Magistrates are comprehended vnder the name of Parentes being the coÌ„mon Fathers of the coÌ„mon wealth M. Caluin beside many other singular places of purpose handled to set forth the soueraintie of Magistrates hath these wordes in his institutions God hath not onely testified that he approueth and accepteth of Magistrates office but hath moreouer set out the dignitie thereof with most honorable titles of prayse marueilously commending the same Wherupon he citeth that that God calleth them Gods concluding y â— their authoritie is most lawfull and holy and in all the life of man a thing of all other most honest Moreouer hauing taught subiectes their duetie to obey Statutes to pay tribute to beare publique charge and office hee proueth against al rebels that if they rise against the Prince they touch the annoynted of God Thus the glorie of the Prince is the good estate of the people and the ioye of the people is the blessed prosperitie of their Prince I might shew the like doctrine out of Wickliffe but it needeth not after so sufficient proofes against you for M. Luther and M. Caluin If on the other side they had wordes in the places barely quoted by you in the margent to proue that which you charge them with I doubt not but you would haue set them downe at large and in the best maner But for the conscience this libertie it hath that when a lawe is made against God such as your popish lawes be then the rule of the Apostle taketh place It is better to obey God then man which rule notwithstanding alloweth no rebellion at all but teacheth the subiect to offer himselfe with all lowlines to the mercie of the magistrate either to keepe a good conscience or to witnesse the integritie thereof to God and his obedience to the Prince by a patient suffering But if we may beleeue your wordes you condeÌ„ne y â— doctrine that teacheth subiectes not to obey the Prince for conscience sake wherein if it be your opinion indeede you giue a sentence of condemnation against your selfe and against all the recusants in England or fled beyond seas But by this assertion euery man may see you make no conscience of a lie which haue vttered one manifestly against your owne doctrine dispensing with rebellion by the Popes Bulls which is also taught in your bookes and from time to time discouered by your practises Where shall we builde vpon your wordes and not be deceiued when shall we thinke that you speake the trueth from your heart Howe shall we looke for constant dealing towardes vs when you are so inconstant coward your selues But this is that I noted against Campion a double minded man is inconstant in all his wayes For the commotions as you call them in other countreys by those of the religion it is well knowen that they haue Edicts Priuileges and paciffcations to cleere them from sedition whereby also their good conscience and lawfull proceedings for the aduancement of religion is sufficiently auowed Nowe you come to pleade the innocencie of the wolfe because he hath sheepes clothing or because it is not safe for him to breake into the foulde watched by diligent shepeheardes You presume that we would not liue so quietly if the state pressed vs as you say your Catholiques are pressed Howe vnquietly you haue dealt I neede not so osten to repeate how quietly we would abide in such times our doctrine and former example of obedience doth moue a better expectation thâ—â— you will conceiue You complaine without cause but it is high time both by bookes and by preaching to prouoke the Prince in a zeale of Gods house to exercise iustice against those that will not be brought from their practises of rebellion to the loue of the trueth no not by her exceeding mercie and rare clemencie For seeing mercie taketh no more place with them iustice is necessarie both in respect of her owne safetie and in respect of her people that the blessed preaching of the Gospell may continue established to vs and to our posteritie for euer I that can not as you say blush for my selfe blush notwithstaÌ„ding for you that are so full of bloud and crueltie and yet charge our spirite as cruell and bloudie For one fier in the time of your persecutioÌ„ consumed moe then haue been executed for religioÌ„ only not attainted of some trayterous or fellonious intention in all the time of her Maiesties happie gouernement notwithstanding so many offenders and so heinous offences of capitall Idolatrie Therfore you had small cause to complaine of the iustice done in examining two or three of your traiterous coÌ„federates at the rack for you cannot alledge one for a thousande of the tormentes famines cruell and lingering deathes wherewith our brethren haue beene coÌ„sumed vnder y t Pope with no lesse outrage then Neâ—o Domitian or Dioclesian vsed against y â— martyrs of Iesus Christ What eyes hath the Censurer that can note so smal sufferings against his felowes and will not detest so detestable and sauage crueltie practised by the Popish inquisition where it can lay holde concluded also and when time serueth to be put in execution agaynst this lande by the conspiracie of Trent In this complaint I finde that the Censurer is ready with a litle helpe to breake out euen against the highest als◠〈◊〉 for he that is priuie to so infinite cruelties of the Pope doth neuerthelesse exercise his stile to enlarge a small matter against her Maiesties iustice saying that all Christendome did talke of the late racking and tormenting of the Priests in the Tower Yf this be true you haue swift and many Curriers that can giue so generall aduerâ—â—sment in so smal time as vi or vii weekes To aggreue this matter bee saieth they were vertuous priests and that they were tormented for their conscience where as he knoweth that beside their owne cofession other euidences prooued them guiltie of such attempts as deserued y t their right â—oynt shoulde haue bene racked All this vniust complaint and excuse of the priestes content him not but hee addeth moreouer a perswasion that the same iustice in the Tower hath cast mens heartes into a horrour of such strange and vnwonted dealinges wheras in very trueth there was no one of them so racked but that howsoeuer their minds seemed to yeelde to the feare of paine they were yet worse afraied theÌ„ hurt For the very
neither doe we vse or suffer the least corruption of y t Scripture knowing what a curse is pronouÌ„ced against such blasphemous audaâ—ity But you haue added the Apocrypha bookes although they neither agree in some pointes with y â— scripture nor yet one with another as hath bene declared Touching Fathers and Councils it is too foule an accusation to charge vs y â— wee esteeme no more of them theÌ„ of y â— Turkes Alcoran Flaschiâ—s appeareth to be some corrupt hypocrite who measured other men by y â— vanity wickednes of his own heart So farre doe wee honour the councils as they can well aske or doe deserue honour For that I may bee suffered to repeate with the Censurer we receiue from them ioyfully and with reuerence whatsoeuer they deliuer vnto vs with sufficient warrant out of the worde of God acknowledging them not only to haue brought great profit to the church in their time but also to their posteritie This honour we giue not to the deuilish Alcaron what the Apostata did or will do I can not report 5 The fifth reason is a slauÌ„der against y â— truth blasphemously cast out against it and the professers thereof It is that our newe opinions as Flaschius our enemies wil needes call them are olde heresies condeÌ„ned by name in the primitiue Church Whereunto I answere that if Saunders most traiterous booke quoted for proofe in the margent or Lindane with his roule of heresies or the runnagate by any good trial can proue that either we pull olde heresies out of the graue or breed newe that should be buried though it be no good reason why Sebastian should flie to them yet wee will grauÌ„t it a full sufficieÌ„t reasoÌ„ why he should take the wings of the morning flie from vs. But if this runnagate in the malice and error of his heart hath spoken good of euil and euill of good if he haue forsaken darknes for light and light for darknes then he hath escaped a blessing and made haste to finde a curse 6. 7. The next two reasons are of y â— same forge with all the rest they prooue nothing but the malice and blindnes of your conuert The sixt chargeth Luther with contrarietie of doctrine the seuenth with a speache of intollerable inâ—quitie against faith in God But his godly writings doe sufficiently iustifie him against these open slaunder 〈…〉 as was declared before against y â— Censurers like slauÌ„derous reports Out of his large volumes of talke at tables wee know not so much what Luther said or vpon what causes as what those men remeÌ„bred or added which did collect the bookes 8 The last reason of Flaschius was cunningly chosen out to make a fit conclusion of your tauÌ„ting and slaunderous Censure hauing nothing but the venim of the aspe that laie vnder the runnagates tongue It standeth vpon many points shuffeled together as that we are partiall that we exaggerate euery litle fault in our aduersaries and liue our selues most vitiously in fornication and chaunge of wiues according to Luthers doctrine the proofe whereof is alledged in one preacher vpon the runnagates credit with other thinges that this shamelesse man is ashamed to vtter What an heape of reproches is this without any proofe Against this I haue proued that M. Luther taught no libertie offornicatioÌ„ but the contrarie as appeareth at large by many his learned and godly treatises Alsâ— the knowne doctrine and discipline of our Church free vs froÌ„ the slaunder who seeke a sharper punishment for such enormities then your petie penaunce If Flaschius euer met with a mate like him selfe that would haue made a match w t him in chaunging of wiues he was to blame except the most fault was in himselfe that he did not bring it before the Magistrate vpon complaint and proofes it woulde haue appeared that y â— religion suffereth no such wickednesse to goe unpunished This may be a particular slaunder like the rest but if it were true in Flaschius and one of his companions both fitte to haue bene thrust out of the Church before eyther departed what is this to all These are your two false witnesses wel able to discredit euen a true matter comming from their report as they themselues are discredited by the testimonies they haue giuen in agaynst the Gospell being reportes so full of manifest reproch and vntrueth It is verie like they omitted the true reason of their departure Perhappes they went out because they woulde not or coulde not any longer abide within as it fell out with Demas and Alexander Nowe for a recompence of your two runnagates the present example not of a straunger unknowen but of one home borne toucheth the quicke He in your faces rendered good reasons of his conuersion from among them where wickednesse of life and abhomination of doctrine striue which may cal downe the greatest vengeaunce But this needeth not my repetition and I labour not to presse you with examples or corruptions of men it is beside the question we haue in hande My prayer and labour is for the defence of his trueth from the which we receiue life and are to striue for it vnto death The Lord requireth this seruice at our hands he will at his good time blesse it with manifolde blessings the fruit whereof it may be some of vs shal not see but our posteritie shal behold it notwithstanding all the wisedome and power and counsell of man to the contrary For the Lord hath reuealed the man of sin by the preaching of the worde hath shaken his chaire with a mightie arme hee wil not withdraw his hand til he hath vtterly coÌ„sumed Antichrist with the spirit of his mouth abolished him w t the brightnesse of his comming In the meane time his little â—locke may bee somewhat scattered for a time of trial but they shal be gathered together againe increased to shewe the Lords power and mercie they may sâ—w 〈◊〉 teares but they shal reape with gladnesse This is the hardest account the godly can make But it may be that the Lord will himselfe correct vs in mercy and not deliuer vs into the hands of our enemies to be punished by them It may be the mother of Sisera shall looke out at the window and cry out at the casement why is his chariot so long a coÌ„ming why tary the wheeles of his charet So let thine enemies perish O Lorde but let them that loue thee and thy trueth continue as the Sunne when he riseth in his might and as Oliue plants in the house of God that flourish for euer Amen FINIS Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker Printer to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie 2. Pet. 2. 1. Iohn 4. 24. 1. Iohn 4. 1. 2. Cor. 2. 5. 1. Iohn 4. 2. Heb. 7. 27. 9. 12. 26. 28. 10. 10. Iames 2. 1. Ephe. 4. 1â— Rom. 1. 18. 2. Tim. 2. 9. D. Watson M. Peoknam The