giftes doe their best indeuours to doe good be thankefull vnto these by whome you do or may reape commoditie but blame those for not doing their partes He is a foole that will no siluer because he can get no golde they are no wise men that despice the meane graces of God if any grace of God be meane séeing they can haue no vse of the best mens gifts or more truely of the more notable giftes in worser men For I count him the best man not which hath the most and best giftes but which imployeth his talents to the greatest aduantage of his Maister And take héede how you despice any wisedome and knowledge offered you from the Lorde by a man whose learning is but litle his writing much or because a man knoweth litle and yet writeth much except you can showe that his knowledge or writing is not syncere Least by the iudgement of the Almighty who euen so punisheth commonly as wée do offend it come to passe that you be despiced your selfe séeing other meÌ„ of greater learning and more giftes are either silent or more sparing of there spéech then your selfe Which that you may auoyde make more pretious accompt of them which write much though they know litle their litle knowledge for substance being the knowledge of Gods Church and their manifold writings consonant vnto the holy Scriptures Miles Mosse And yet as the Grecians intituled their writings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if when à man tooke their bookes in his hand he tasted an hony Combe with his lippes so these men omit no titles for their books which may expresse either the excellency of the matter or the conceited wit of the author But à man that boasteth of false liberality is like cloudes and winde with-out raine saith Salomon Miles Christianus And is it a fault in your opinion to giue apt Inscriptions vnto excellent matter or to giue witty titles vnto ingenious writinges you are sharpe sighted and very selfe conceipted if you can sée more then all wise men can but very singular in condemning that which all wise men doe commend A good part of the piety of the auncient Patriarches appeared in the good titles which they appropriated vnto their children Writings are the fruite of mens industry as children bée of the body Blame not the parent if hée giue his childe a good name in whom hée knoweth nothing but well If euer the wit of our first parent Adam appeared excellent it was when hée ascribed to euery creature a proper name manifesting the disposition thereof They are not vaine which imitate his wisedome but vnwise are they that follow not his steps But happely you dislike not them which giue apt titles vnto good matter but which adorne ill matter with good titles If such you meane then know you that you are not the first nor alone in so doing For many mislike them so well as your selfe The Arrians and their imitators the Papists are not more infamous in the Church for terming themselues Catholiks and yet be not so nor they more odious before God which say they are Iewes and be not then they are condemned both of God and his Chnrch which attribute good titles vnto bad matter It is not the fault of bookes onely but of many men too whose credite were nothing were they not fronted with titles Which being taken away they are as bad as the worst men And as many chaines are but of copper within though they bée gilded without so many beautified with glorious titles are quyte destitute of the riches of true wisedome and holines Pauls without Sauls within like this your Epistle carrying a showe of substance and sincerity and yet is very Mosse Miles Mosse Augustine obserued that our Sauiour Christ preached much but wrot nothing Manie that haue the roome of Christ at this daie are giuen to write much though they preach little And yet as Paule saide He was not sent to baptise but to preach though both were necessarie dueties of his calling so must it be said of Paules successors preach they much in season and out of season write they neede not but as opportunity is offered and occasion doth serue Miles Christianus You prosecute poore writers verie hardly Yet are they not charged with any thing erronious or otherwise offensiue â—hy them published That which hitherto you misliked is their verie writing and their writing much and brandishing their writings with excellent and wittie inscriptions Whereby you haue shewed your young head but no learning at all You haue yet more to saie for the disswading men from writing which I will particularly discusse that you may sée the iniquitâ— or more truely the iniustnes of your complaint Of S. Augustine which was the most mightie hammer to breake the braines of heretikes into peeccs in S. Bernards for his sound iudgement in religion the Prince of all ancient Diuines whether Greeke or Latin in M. Bezaes iudgement which expounded the scriptures no man so profoundly which taught Christian behauiour no man so profitably which defended the Catholike faith no man more zealously of this S. Augustine I say you write too abiectly when you saie Augustine obserued as â—f he were but Mosse But I maruell not you write no more reuerendly of him which is but one though a notable starre in the Church séeing you eclipse the glorie of all writings and writers in this your Epistle Your citing of S. Augustine sheweth plainely how well you read â—f euer you read S. Augustine He writeth indéede in that place by you quoted how Christ he preached but wrot nothing yet marke the place well and you shall finde how it is no obseruation of his but an obiection of Pagans who to discredite the writings of the Euangelists and Apostles as you do the writings of good men obiected euen as you do nowe Christ he preached but wrot nothing which S. Augustine doth answere Miles Mosse Christ preached much but wrot nothing Miles Christianus Christ he preached much it is true For he taught in the Temple in the daie he taught and daily he taught in the Temple and on the Sabboth daies hée taught and went about all Galile and all cities and townes teaching in their Sinagoges and preaching the Gospell of the kingdome But that he wrote nothing it is vntrue For he wrote moe bookes than Paule as he baptised moe Disciples than Iohn did though neither he baptised nor did write but his Disciples for him and in his name For as it was not the Disciples that spake when they preached but the Spirite of their Father in them l So was it not the Disciples and Apostles which wrote when they did write but the holy Ghost sent in Christ his name brought all thinges to their remembrance which they did write So that the workes and writinges of the Apostles are vndoubtedly the workes of
preaching to be excéeding great but whether that preaching excéedeth yea as you affirme farre excéedeth writing and the voice of man the bookes written by man would seriously be considered For my part I can not but thinke your position diuerse wayes to be vnfound For though some preaching excéedeth some writing yet shall you neuer be able to proue that preaching simplie excéedeth writing Nay if you denie that some writinges excéede for goodnesse some Sermons you haue a face of brasse and are againe contrarie to your selfe who confessed afore That men are become like windy instruments ready to speake as soone as they receiue breath though they giue an harsh and vncertaine sound which you can not affirme simplie of writings For albeit some writinges like this your Epistle are windie without substance and some are vaine and erronious yet all are not so And those writinges that are studiously and according to the prescript rule of Gods word and of the commendable sciences exactly penned must néedes be not only equall but farre more excellent besides than those Sermons which either be like windie instrumentes and giue an harsh and vncertaine â—ound or otherwise erronious And as some preaching is not better than all but farre inferiour to some writing so some writings are both equall to some some better than many some more excellent in some respects than all Sermons and whatsoeuer procéedeth from the mouth which you call the liuely voyce of man and of this last sort are the written Sermons and other bookes of the Prophets and Apostles called vsually the holy Scriptures whereby we are bettered when we are not by the liuely veyâ—e of those men the Apostles I meane and Prophets and wherby the controuersies of all times are to be determined when they are not by the voices of any men be they neuer so liuelie Other writinges of holy and learned also in diuerse respects excéede preaching For bookes will teach and counsell and comfort and strengthen and confute and doe those and the like duties both for the instruction of the ignorant conuersion of sinners ouerthrowing of Heresies when and where and in such sort as happely no man can and some men will not or dare not And so writing is not alwaies inferiour but sometime excéedeth yea farre excéedeth preaching vnderstanding by preaching the vtterance of Gods word and will by the liuelie voice of an Ecclesiasticall and lawfull Minister for otherwise the holy writinges of good men are verie preachings And therefore well saide one whom not your selfe onely but the whole Church of God this day hath in honorable remeÌ„brance Paule did preach the Gospell also by writing and the people did heare the Gospell by reading Besides the Scripture saith How Moses is preached seeing he is read in the Synagogues euery Sabboth day the Church of the Thessalonians were taught as well by the Epistles as preachings of S. Paule Miles Mosse Bookes are but dead letters Miles Christianus You would haue it againe seriously to be considered that Bookes and writinges are but dead letters Which if you speake not in good sooth it is fondlie but if seriously you thinke as in plaine tearmes you write it is erroniously not to say blasphemouslie set downe You tearme bookes and writings Dead letters The Papists call the holy Scriptures which are bookes A blacke Gospell Inky Diuinity A leaden rule A nose of waxe A dumbe Iudge consider seriously what companions you haue in this assertion and be ashamed The holy Scriptures which both the Papistes tearme A dumbe Iudge c. and you for he that thinketh all bookes and writings dead excepteth none A dead letter the holy Ghost tearmeth the same Scriptures The word of God which I am sure whether read or preached is a word of power of life of comfort immortâ—l seede liuely and mighty in operation and sharper then any two edged sword entring through euen vnto the diuiding asunder of the soule and the spirit and of the ioynts and the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughtes and intents of the heart You that shall tearme the holy Scriptures either weake that are so mighty or blunt that are so sharpe or dead that are immortal you show your selfe to haue smal sense or féeling or life of truth in you Againe the cause of error and spiritual mortality is not simply the want of preaching but the ignorance of the Scriptures which you call the dead Letter And whereas often we are aduised to beware of Dogâ— of idle vvorkmen of false Prophets and foretold of an heap of vayn Teachers we are neuer dehorted from reading the holy Scriptures but charged aswell to regard the good instructions written by the pen as preached by the mouth of the Apostles and promised blessing not only for hearing but for reading also the workes of holy men the Prophets of God whose labors doe engender faith and hope and bring vnto perfection saluation and life euerlasting And therefore without impiety cannot be blazoned for dead and basely called A dead Letter effecting so diuine thinges in vs and for our welfare But be it you exempt the holy Scripture out of the number of dead letters yet can you not truly cal the written labors of other holy men Dead letters For what doth preaching be it spoken without derogating any whit from the maiesty of the preached word what doth preaching which bookes by the cooperation of the holy Ghost do not bring to passe in the hart of man Doth it teach They teach and what teacheth any man by mouth which another will not teach by pen your selfe and wée all may ascribe the learning that we haue aswell I am sure vnto the writings as preachings of man Doth it reprehend what doth more forceably what wil so plainely reproue as bookes writings will speake when men either wil not or dare not or cannot The working of this my writing in your heart will tell you when I cannot howe you holde a Paradoxe in thinking writinges to haue no life Doth it conuert I thinke it no error to hold that writings may conuert Sure I am Hilarie and others haue deliuered that by reading they haue beene conuerted I graunt ordinarily it cometh not to passe but by preaching which is therefore of al most highly to be accounted of yet God will haue it now then appeare that by the working of his holy spirit in the readers and hearers bookes can raise from the death of sinne vnto y â— life of righteousnesse to the â—nd the writings of his children should be estéemed and known to be of more force then dead letters And whether they did conuert or no God he knoweth from whom no secrets are hid yet certain it is they wrought mightely in mens harts when for an english booke some haue giuen fiue markes in money some a load of haie for a few chapters of
Christ. And therefore the Apostles writing much you can neuer in truth saie Christ preached much but wrot nothing For he both preached and wrot much though he wrot not by himselfe as he â—id preach You say Christ he preached much but wrot nothing you may as well blame the Apostles al the Fathers as any able man in these dayes for writing For if euery action of Christ is necessarily to bée imitated of his ministers then did both the Apostles and the Fathers ill for writing which Christ did not and for writing much when Christ preached much but wrote nothing And thou holy Father S. Augustine which hast out-gone all writers of thy coat since the Apostles time both for number of books and for profitable writinges euen thou hast finned and shalt aunswere for thy payns though of neuer so good an intent vndertaken for the benefite of the Church séeing thou hast not followed the example of Christ who preached much but wrote nothing and thou hast written much whatsoeuer thy preaching was Christ preaehed much but wrote nothing say you So saide the Paganes afore you accusing the good Disciples of sinne as presuming to doe that which Christ the wisest man did vtterly auoyd Christ preached much but wrote nothing say you So say the Papistes to draw all credite from the holy Scriptures vnto their vnwritten blasphemies and traditions For saith one of them Christ outwardly did not write nor commaunded the Euangelical Gospel to be written but onely to be preached and published and another sayth It was not the will of Christ that his Church should rely vppon paper writings nor that hys mysteries should bee committed to parchement plainly showing that the Apostles sinned in writing as they did For they did more then they were enioyned to doe and contrary to the will of Christ when they occupied themselues in writing whereas they would haue preached much after his ensamples and written nothing It may be you dislike not you haue in reuerend estimation the writings of the Disciples and Apostles of our Sauiour Christ I hope so to how be it he that shall mark your words aduisedly can neuer thinke your meaning to be syncere The Arrians thought well of the holy Scriptures too yet they abolished vtterly both the decrées of the Nicene Councel and the most profitable writing of the holy Fathers The Anabaptists think wel of the Scriptures too but they burned al theyr books were they neuer so good If you so commend the writings of the Apostles and Prophets that you condemn the worthy labors of other learned men though you are no Papist because you preferre the Scripture yet you come near them in this point which hinder the growth of true religion so well as Papists To conclude if you are of minde that men are not to wrâ— because Christ wrote nothing or any way raise a disliking of good mens workes in the mindes either of Students Gentils or common people assure your selfe he that wrote nothing but preached much will by the writings and preachings of his seruants discouer your folly and otherwise pursue you with his iudgements vnlesse you repent Miles Mosse Many that haue the roome of Christ at this day are giuen to write much though they preach litle Miles Christianus Now you are come vnto the ministers of the word which be writers of whom you deliuer thrée thinges First that there be many of them next that they write much lastly how they preach litle And none of these thinges are true if you meane the ministers of the word which are publique writers For the priuate writers who knoweth I trust they are many and I pray God encrease the nuÌ„ber of the studious so they write and study for the Churches quietnes For sure I am their labors are most blessed of God and liked of his Church which study and write moste for the common good But cursed is he whereabout soeuer he be employed which doth the worke of the Lord negligently Now consider your assertions Miles Mosse Manie Ministers of the worde at this daie are publique writers Miles Christianus The Ministers of the worde that bee writers at this day though they may be many I grant if you set them apart by themselues yet are they fewe very few euen too few in comparison of those Ministers which eyther preach but write not or neither preach nor write I am sure you can not reckon of an hundred one Minister that taketh paines in writing and call you those many Not to speake of other places the state of our Church for publique writers is reasonably well knowen vnto vs both and know we so many Ministers that be writers in the same He is a friend of ours that was woont to say in his Sermons which I haue not heard a great while that your Townsmen of Burie are such diligent hearers of the word on the Monday exercises that they may easely be singled-out from other men surely the writers of our Church all of them may easely be singled and numbred they are not so many and yet too many by some like your selfe vnlesse they exercise their stile in more necessarie matter than they doe I take it all Cambridge at this howre hath not foure nor all Oxford fine nor all London sixe nor all Suffolke a Countie most replenished with Ministers of any Shire or County in England Northfolke and Lyncolnshire excepted nor some whole Diocesse so many I put not euerie publisher of a Catechisme in this number of approued writers some Cuntries shires and Diocesses both in Ireland Wales and England too none at all and of these some not these two some not these thrée yeares and vpward haue committed anie thing vnto the presse and yet shall it publiquely in print and as a reproch a lasting reproch of our Ministerie be deliuered that the writers the Ecclesiasticall Ministers that write be manie Miles Mosse Manie Ministers of the word write much Miles Christianus Blame not Ministers for writing much which in trueth is litle to that which both others afore them haue done and they are bound vnto It is no reproch to our Church that any able men do write but it is a great reproch that either there be no moe of them or that they write no more And our Diuines haue a great account before God to make so manie parishes remaining without preaching Pastors and so many aduersaries on all sides arising to the great annoying of the whole Church in euery corner that yet sit still beholding the house of God miserablie wasting into ashes partly by the flames of inward contentions partly by barbarous ignorance and will not set their handes to their bookes and by their laboured writinges quench the same and bring them out of danger that be readie to perish But more to blame are you and such as you are which neither doe good that way your selues nor like of them which be industrious
S. Iames or S. Paules Epistles Doth it confute Were they dead and had no force and power to ouerthrow the kingdom of errors and Antichrist our aduersaries the Papists would neuer procéed so hardlie against our writings as they do He foresaw somwhat who at Paules crosse in London publikely did say we meaning the Papists either must roote out printing or printing will roote out vs They also foresaw somewhat who at the late and last Councell holden at Trent so carefully decreed for the publishing of some and prohibiting of other bookes who by their open writings haue condenmed a great number of our labours as hereticall and daungerous and miserablie shauen mangled depraued which they cal censuring and purging the worthy monuments both of the ancient Fathers and best noted writers of this age they foresaw that our writings though they may be reputed but dead letters yet would giue a deadly blow vnto poperie which thing M. Luther also foresaw as his Epitaph doth witnesse Pestis eram viuus moriens ero morstua Papa They are not dead which bring the Pope vnto his death He was a Bishop of Portingal that durst not send vnto another Bishop as ranke a Papist as himselfe one of our bookes being yet a confutation of an Epistle of his without the speciall fauour of a Cardinal Impossible was it for one of the vulgar people to come by one of those bookes when a Bishop might not reade it no not when it concerned himselfe but by the licâ—nce of a Cardinal What thought they it would worke in the simple peoples minde when they doubted it might infect a Bishop And if you marke it well our home Papists which will heare the Sermons of some Preachers wil neuer or very hardly be drawne to peruse anie of our bookes neither may they It seemeth therefore that in our writiggs there is life when they hate our bookes as monsters O that Gods children were as carefull to keepe men from bad euery word of some of them being warrants vnto diuelish mindes to commit sinne g as the wicked are politike to keepe ill men from good bookes and that we made as much conscience not to reade theirs as they doe not to read our writings if we did sure I am as there be few ProtestaÌ„ts among them so would there be lesse Papistes and Traitors and other wicked men among vs neither would so manie of vs reuolt vnto their idolatrie being bewitched by their inchaunted bookes seeing so few of them turne vnto the true religion because they will not acquaint them selues with our bookes containing sound and forcible perswasions vnto the truth For they know ours vnto that which we hold as we know theirs to be perswasiue vnto that which they maintain and both they and we and all men know that bookes well and pithily penned are not dead letters which can not moue but of great force to perswade either vnto sinne or virtue Miles Mosse My selfe though I haue alwaies desired to benefit the Church as I could and haue found by experience no one thing more necessarie for the benefit thereof then a sufficient forme of teaching the principles of religion yet to publish one of mine owne I durst not partly because it is a thing which craueth the consent of many partly because the world is scarse able to containe the Catechismes alreadie printed Miles Christianus Now you speake of your owne experience We will therefore consider it the more seriously But what is it which by experience you haue found out Namely that no one thing is more necessarie for the benefit of the Church then a sufficient forme of teaching the principles of religion This you speake of a publike wrâ—ting and a sufficient prescribed forme of catechising to be published as this whole section doth plainely demonstrate Now surely Maister Mosse I would you knew your selfe In the sentence nexte immediately going before you intreated all your felowe Ministers to consider seriously how farre the liuely voice namely preaching doth exceed the dead letter that is writing here you sing a Contre-tenor and saie y e by your experieÌ„ce ye haue found that No one thing is more necessary for the benefit of the Church than a sufficient published fo me of teaching the principles of religion If no one thing and so not preaching by your â—lone experience is not more necessarie for the benefite of the Church then a certaine prescribed Catechisme which is a booke or writing then reâ—oke your former saying that Preaching doth farre exceed writing for some writing is as necessarie for the benefit of y â— Church as preaching But if preaching doth farr excéed writing then renounce this saying No one thing is more necessary for the benefit of the Church than a certain sufficient Catechisme For if the one be true the other must néedes be false Againe if true it be that the liuelie voice exceedeth farre the dead letter and a Catechisme being a printed Booke is but a dead letter then true it is not that a certaine prescribed Catechisme which is a dead letter is as necessary as the liuely voice which is preaching and if the liuely voice far excéedeth the dead letter then is not a Catechisme which is but a dead letter as necessarie for the benefite of the Church as preaching which is the liuely voice Hereof it followeth that either in this you affirme more than euer you found true by your experience or in the other saide more than you could affirme by any certaine knowledge either your knowledge is better then your experience or your experience to be praised before your knowledge Either your experience is ill and your knowledge good when you say preaching dooth farre excéede writing and the liuely voice the dead letter or your knowledge is not sounde and your experience good saying that for the benefite of the Church a certaine prescribed forme of Catechisme is as necessarie as preaching and the dead letter as the liuely voice A sufficient forme of Catechising is necessarie you say Maister Caluin approoues it I graunt it But you are much insufficient either to inuent or appoint that same sufficient Catechisme for all Churches That belongeth not vnto you and a fewe like your selfe but vnto publique authoritie And yet such is your Spirite you insuâ—uate that you woulde so doe were it not partly that it requireth the consent of many partly that there be very many Catechismes already the one manifesteth either your stomach that you will not aske or your owne weakenesse that cannot attaine the consent of many thereunto the other some arrogancie in you that being but one priuate man would yet prescribe vnto all Churches a certaine forme of Catechising were there not too many alreadie The consent of some though they be many men is no cause to vndertake such a worke except that some be of auctoritie the multitude of Catechismes is not let on the other
MILES CHRISTIANVS OR A iust Apologie of all necessarie writings and writers Specialie of them which by their labored writings take paines to build vp the Church of Christ in this age And in a publique and diffamatorie Epistle lately set forth in Print are vniustly depraued 1. Tim. 5. 20. Them that sinne rebuke openly that the rest also may feare Allowed by auctority LONDON Printed by Iohn Wolfe and are to be sold at his shop right ouer against the great South doore of Pauls 1590. To Miles Mosse Minister of the Word and Bacheler of Diuinity Miles Christianus wisheth more soundnes of iudgement more substance of learning with more wisedome and discretion in all his actions YOu haue published of late Maister Mosse à little Treatise entituled A short Catechisme c. you fore-saw I doubt not whither it shoulde go from what into whose hands it would come how many eies woulde see and how many eares heare it and heare of the same and therefore vpon mature deliberation for may I thinke otherwise you commended it yet the worke of other heads and your selfe withal the corrector and abridger thereof with many titles and notable words vnto the present age and posterity to ensue Of which Booke I haue nothing or verie little but of the Preface or dedicatorie Epistle of yours which I woulde to God had neuer beene written or more Christianly soberly and aduisedly penned I haue many thinges to say Nowe that you may perceiue my quarrell against you is iust not picked by mee but ministred by your selfe I haue sette-downe all your wordes without either adding vnto or taking from them any whit and where you say well you shall haue the praise due for good deseries but where you haue slidde from the truth and broached vnsound and noisome assertions I haue both laide them open and confuted them also for your owne good if admonished you will see your faultes and reforme your iudgement and for the common benefit of our Church and Countrey to whose seruice I haue dedicated my selfe and studies And this haue I donne as hee knoweth to whome the verie ground not of mine onely but of your writing also is knowen not of any setled ill-will to your selfe to whome I wishe all good but through an vtter detestation of your Paradoxes which neither for mee had beene confuted in an open booke had not they by your selfe to the great dishonour of God in a publike writing and vulgar tongue both in Towne and Countrey beene dispersed I am no aduersarie to your person but to your opinions which if you change I am changed if not assure your selfe to heare that you would not when you will persist to holde that you should not maintaine Miles Mosse To the right Reuerende Father in God Edmond by Gods permission Bishop of Norwich c. There is no ende of making manie bookes saith the Preacher And he spake the truth whether we respect the varieties of matter and inuention whereof there was neuer measure in anie age or whether we respect the multitude of writings which haue ouerflowed all the bankes of modestie and discretion in this present age The one I ascribe vnto the varietie of wits The other to the iniquitie of the time Miles Christianus THere is no end of making many books said the Preacher and he said truely and his ende in saying so was excéeding good and neither to discourage men from wryâ—ing nor to esâ—range any godly man or woman from reading holy bookes He was no aduersarie vnto any good helpe vnto godlines whether it be writing or preaching much or little and his owne practise which vttered thrée thousand Prouerbes and made a thousand and fiue songs and diuers bookes besides and the practise of the Prophets after him and of the Apostles Euangelists and other holy men after them also do shew both the good vse and great neede men haue of bookes in euerie age But what is your ende M. Mosse in alleaging this saying of the Preacher There is no end of making manie bookes I feare me you ayme not at that marke which the Preacher did you haue another ende then he had and therefore yâ—ur meaning is corrupt Indéede the varietie of matter and inuention in all ages hath beene wonderfull yet can you not saie and say truely it was without measure vnlesse you condemne simply the varietie of wits and inuention which are the worthie giftes and graces of almightie God bestowed vpon man nor that this varietie of matter and inuention hath bene manifested in all ages by written bookes For both the heathen people were a long time without the benefite of bookes and the Iewes and Church of God till Moises daies which was many ages from the creation of the world vtterly voyde of all helpe of the written word And saie you not your selfe within a few lines after the writings of the ancients were few If fewe how were they without measure And if beyond all measure againe how were they few Last of all interpreting the saying of the Preacher so as if he spake onely of this present age and latter time wherein we liue you mistake him much For albeit he foresawe the multitude of writings that were to come abroade in the latter daies yet no doubt he ment properly the writings which he saw were attempted in his daies or extant in the world afore his time which neither can be said to ouerflow or to haue ouerflowed the bankes of modestie and discretion because there be multitudes of them that is no sufficient cause yea no cause at all Of good thinges the moe yea the greater multitudes the better and there be multitudes of writings which you dare not without impudencie auouch to haue ouerflowed the bankes of modestie and discretion And of such bookes it is not the iniquitie but the felicitie of the latter time to haue good store Miles Mosse The Writings of the ancients were few but such as were an honor to themselues and benefite to posteritie The writings of this time are manie but such as disturbe the Church and fome out their founders shame Miles Christianus You write your pleasure of all writers both ancient and of this time but vntruely of each vnsoundly of all And that you maie palpably sée and perceiue both the truth of mine and the falshood of your wordes I will before your eies place some propositions pregnantly arising from your verie spéech Miles Mosse The writings of the ancients were few Miles Christianus You do no sooner sée this but me thinkes the red colour commeth into your chéeks Were the writings of the ancients but few What ancients meane you that were but few The Schoole-men and others immediately afore our time or the Fathers and other writers afore them Or the Apostles Euangelists prophets afore them Or the Ancient Heathen whether philosophers orators historiographers or poets If you meane the Schoole men and our immediat predecessors read our countrie
man Bale onely for English writers and he will confute you If the Fathers of the Church read Gennadius S. Ierome Tritenhemius and they will confute you If the prophets Euangelists and Apostles consider their workes their persons their preachings compare the nomber of them which wrote with them that preached and wrot not and all of them with the learned men and writers of our time and you will saie all thing waied that both their examples are prouocations for all able men to write and that neither the writers nor writings were few If the ancient philosophers and such like if you call into minde either the famous librarie of K. Ptolomie in Egypt replenished with seuentie thousand volumes of writings or that other Librarie at Alexandria wherin were contained foure hundred thousand bookes all at one time by a mischance of fire consumed or the sixe thousand treatises which Diomedes wrote De re Grammatica g you will not say I thinke their bookes and writinges were but fewe If these you meane or any of these or any other Ancients besides these both the common voyce of all learned men and the publike writinges of Gesner Simler and many moe will say that Miles Mosse is little séene in the writings of the Ancients if he say the writinges of the Ancients were but fewe Miles Mosse The writings of the Ancients were an honour vnto themselues and a benefite vnto posteritie Miles Christianus This is vntrue if you meane generally all the Ancients if some of them it is also vntrue in many respects vnlesse you vnderstand by Ancients onely the ancient Prophets Euangelists Apostles the very penners of the Canonicall Scriptures For the other Ancients for the most part eyther by all their dooings or by some thinges which they wrote purchased small honour or none at all vnto themselues and benefited no iot the posteritie by their writinges Looke into the writinges of the ancient whether Schoolemen Heretikes or Fathers whereof none were frée altogether from errors and ill opinions and you shall finde it true Miles Mosse The writinges of this time are many Miles Christianus This is another vntruth being vttered as it is comparatiuely and in respect of former dayes and times I shewed you afore of one man which of Grammer wrote sixe thousand bookes Origen wrote as manie yea a thousand moe though of other matters S. Augustine wrote so many bookes that Tritenhemius is of beléefe that no man is able either to read them or to come by them I tolde you also of one librarie that had in it at one instant foure hundreth thousand volumes of seuerall writings Can you name I say not that man which of Grammer but that man which of any matter within this age hath written published seuen thousand bookes or so much of his owne doing as no one man in his whole life is able to peruse And where in England yea in all Christendome will you finde in one Librarie I had almost sayd in all the publike Libraries fowre hundred thousand bookes as was in that one at Alexandria And that at such a time as there were not so notable meanes by printing spéedely to spread abroad and disperse the labors of men as now in these dayes And yet is it true that the writinges of these dayes be manie and of the Ancients fewe Miles Mosse The writinges of this time disturbe the Church and fome out their founders shame Miles Christianus Had you not left-off quite to blush you would haue béene ashamed euer thus to haue written These wordes they deserue not by writing to be confuted they would publikely by authoritie be corrected Do the writinges of this time disturbe the Church fome out their founders shame True it is in déede of those writers wherof both Cornel. Agrippa in his and M. Caluine in his of our Country both M. Ascham in his time and M. Rainoldes of later time hath complayned true also of the writings of Martin Marprelate and such like which all good men doe abhorre they disturbe the Church and fome out their founders shame But will you argue thus Some writings of this time disturbe the Church c. therefore the writings of this time do disturbe the Church and fome out their founders shame Do you so malice or detest some that because of them which you like not you will vtterly condemne all as did Herod all the Infantes of two yeares old and vnder because he hated Christ Or rather thinke you in good earnest that the writings of this time disturbe the Church and fome out their founders shame If you thinke as you write most wicked you of all men that so doe thinke worser that so dare write If you thinke not so badly of the writinges of this present time as you doe write then dissembler you that write otherwise then you thinke and of all most foolish that no better doe consider what you doe write I thanke God Miles I haue receiued that swéetenes and profite by the writings of this time that I thinke it no small portion of happinesse both of this time to haue them and of mine to heare and read them and can not with patience endure to heare them so in publike writing defaced And therefore in the zeale and courage of a Christian Souldier I write it and write vnto you either reuoke these wordes and giue a better testimonie of them by whom both you and the whole Church is the better or assure your selfe you will heare of this Hereticall blasphemie where and when you would not Miles Mosse If the Heathen Philosopher liued which inhibited his Schollers the first seuen yeares from speaking how sharply would hee censure manie hastie heades of our dayes which take penne to write before they knowe to speake I say not learnedly as Schollers or religiously as Christians but sensibly as men of reason and vnderstanding Miles Christianus These wordes be yet more moderately spoken than the former howbeit not truely neither vnlesse you vnderstand them of publike writers Now if any thing come abroad that is so farre from being learnedly and christianly that it is not sensibly done the boldnesse of them is great that so dare write but the negligence of them greater that should and will not eyther restraine such workes before they come abroad or punish the authors for publishing their follies And an heauie account are they to make which either diuulgate or suffer any thing to come abroad vnlesse it be both sensiblie Christianlie and in some measure scholerlie performed I am a plaine fellowe Miles and get not my liuing by dissimulation I tell you as I thinke had some men done their partes this Pistle of yours had neuer come abroad Miles Mosse The Apostles rule is quite forgotten Be swift to heare and slowe to speake and men are become like windie instruments readie to speake as soone as they
side but that one of many or one Catechisme for all may be appointed to all and euery Church by those that haue the gouernement of vs all Miles Mosse This Catechisme hath beene about these twentie yeares extant in the Church had in it at the first the consent of diuers great Diuines in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge whereof some haue yeelded to nature and some continue to this day The one shall excuse me of noueltie the other of singularitie Miles Christianus You that haue condemned al writings afore do now commend a writing vnto our Church and you which preferred preaching far aboue writing and tearmed all books but dead letters doe now extoll one booke as a thing so necessary for the benefite of the Church as preaching and the liuely voice of any minister of the word Diuersly haue men béene and are affected towards bookes that which one commendeth another doth condemne and contrari-wise againe some which like many well yet like one aboue all Tarquinius Priscus was rauished with the workes of Sibyl Amalthea Sâ—ipio Africanus with Xenephon de Cyriâ—paedia Cardinall Poole with Ciceroes booke de Reipublica Cyprian with Tertulian Hierome vvith Origen vpon the smaler Prophets Carolus Magnus vvith S. Augustine de Ciuitate Dei Thomas Aquinas vvith Chrysostoms imperfect vvork vpon Mathew Miles Mosse with this Catechisme theÌ„ which no one thing no not preaching is more necessary for the benefite of the Church in your iudgement This Catechisme you commend first for the long time it hath continued in the Church euen about these tvventy yeares Next for the good approbation which it hath receiued from diuers and they great diuines in the Vniuersity of Cambridge The one whereof shall excuse you so you say of nouelty the other of singularity No Miles the goodnes of the Booke and approbation giuen thereunto by great diuines as you tearme them can much lesse shall and I thinke will neuer excuse you either of nouelty or singularity For is it not nouelty let those reuerend whom you call great and all Diuines bée iudge to commend that vnto the publique Church now which at the first and euer since for these twenty years til this your publication was but for priuate housholders And for one priuate man of a selfe-wil vncommanded or without the licence of his Superiors vnder-hand to deriue that into publique Churches and Schooles which was made but for priuate families especialie when Catechismes already by lawful authority bée appointed both for Schooles and Churches I thinke no wise man iudge you thereof as you liste but will iudge it singularity Miles Mosse Since the publication hereof it hath beene before this foure times imprinted which argueth the good approbation which it hath receiued as well from those in authority as from the particular Churches of this land Miles Christianus The praises of this booke haue not yet an end but you further commend it from the often imprinting of the same For since the publication thereof say you it hath beene before this foure times imprinted Be it so which argueth you say the good approbation which it hath receiued asvvell from those in authority as from the particular Churches of this land But you are deceiued much The often imprinting thereof doth no whit argue the good approbation which publique authoritie doth giue vnto a booke I could name bookes vnto you within lesse than twenty yéeres foure times imprinted which yet neuer by publique authoritie were approoued It followeth not A booke is often imprinted therefore it is allovved by authority You know or at least may know that Printers commonly doe gaine most by those bookes which are most forbidden Whereby you may note into what a peruerse and froward generation we are fallen wherein men most earnestly desire though they buie theÌ„ most déerelie the things which by wholsome statutes and Proclamations be most straightlie prohibited to be either bought or solde I say not that this Catechisme is so Yet must I tell you howsoeuer you say it is by authoritie approued because it hath béen foure times imprinted I haue séene diuerse impressions of the same could neuer yet sée as in authorized bookes Seene and allowed or any thing to that effect till this last impression and publishing thereof by your meanes Neither doth it followe It hath béene foure times within these twentie yeares imprinted therfore the particular Churches of this lande do approoue it You are neuer able to prooue that the particular Chuches of this lande haue approoued the same I thinke your meaning is it hath béene approoued by all because it hath béene taught in some particular Churches Which is as weake an argument as the former For the teaching of it in some argueth not that it is approoued of all Now vnlesse all haue approoued the same neuer say The particular Churches of this land haue approued it And when our prudent Gouernors haue so approued that they do commende it vnto all Churches to be taught then as some few Churches alreadie by the toleration of our milde Gouernours haue so all Churches of this lande will in déede approoue the same In the meane season you cannot but by Supposition which is deceiptfull say that it is or euer hath beene approued by the particular Churches of thâ—s land Miles Mosse And yet it hath fallen as it sometimes happeneth with a Trauailar into the handes of euill companie Some haue abridged it of the right some haue bolstered it out with more than the owne In both they haue beene verie preiudicial to the authors Miles Christianus You haue shewed the good now you declare the ill successe that this Booke hath found And yet it hath fallen into the handes of euill companie you say If it haue done euil men good it was wel for them that it happened so but il for it if it haue béene abused in their companie But what hath fallen out Some haue abridged it of the right some haue bolstered it out with more thaÌ„ the owne In both they haue bin verie preiudiciall to the authors Had you showen either what they had left out which should not be omitted or what they had put in y e might not be added you had done well and might iustly haue thought them preiudiciall to the authors and euill men but when you so say and yet showe no fault much lesse prooue their actions faultie manie will thinke you preiudiciall vnto them and an euil man so to attaint them in a publique writing The men are well knowen to be better men then your selfe and by their laborâ— to haue done more good seruice to the Church than your selfe hetherto hath done Miles Mosse The thinges which I haue aimed at in this labour are principalie two The one is more shortnesse in the answeres for the capacitie and memorie of the simple and the other is more direct and euident proofes of Scripture to the purpose Questions and answeres I