which were done in England in the coÌ„uersioÌ„ therof writteÌ„ by the same Greg. li. 9. ep 58. And by venerable Bede l. 1. hist Ca. 31. In the eight the miracles of S. Cutbert S. Iohn in England also Bede lib. 4. hist 5. In the ninth the miracles of Tharasius writteÌ„ by Ignat. Nicen. of others In the tenth the miracles of S. Romuald recorded by S. Pet. Damian of S. Wenceslaus of others which Surius writeth In the eleueÌ„th the miracles of S. Edward k. vir of S. Ans of others In the twelfth the miracles of S. Mal. S Barn of others In the thirteenth the miracles of S. Fran. S. Dom. S. Bonauent S. S. Celest of others In the fourteenth the miracles of S. Bernardine S. Kather. of Sieuna of others In the fifteenth the miracles of S. Vinc. S. Ant. of others And last of al in this our sixteenth age are the miracles of the glorious S. Fran. de Paula of the holy Iesuit Zauer Aug. de vtil cred cap. 17. lib. cont ep fund cap. 4. in the Indies of many moe And therfore I say vnto you out of S. Ang. I am bound tied in the Catholike Church by the band or chaine of myracles And I am bolde considering and moste steedefastlye beleuing these infinite glorious myracles of all times and ages in the Catholike Romane Church to crye out to Almighty God with Richard de S. Victore lib. 1. de trin cap. 2. Lord if it be not true which we beleeue thou hast deceaued vs for these haue beene confirmed in vs by such signes and woonders as could not bee wrought but by thee But on the contrary part neuer any Protestant coulde worke any myracle at all but assaying to make some shewe thereof to make their Doctrine the more probable to their followers felt the iust reuengement of God who turned all to their shame and confusion as hee did by Simon Magus Egesippus lib. 3. de excid hierosol ca. 2. by Cyrola the patriarke of the Arrians as witnesseth Grego Turones lib. 2. hist Franc. cap. 3. by the Donatists Optatus lib. 2. contr Parmen And in our daies by Luther endeuoring to dispossesse a wenche and by Caluin going about to delude his disciples as you may reade in Hierom Bolsec in vit Caluin cap. 13. Vid. Staph in abs resp And therefore they are most foolishe and miserably inconsiderate who beleeue these newe fellowes not beeing able to quicken a flea leaue the doctrine of the Catholike Church coÌ„firmed with innumerable miracles THE VII REASON Visions and the gifte of Prophecie AS TRVE Miracles neuer were wrought but by them who were of the true Church so heauenly Visions and the gifte of Prophecie were neuer founde to bee but in the same And therefore the holye Apostle amongest other thinges which he vseth to commend his Doctrine himselfe to the Corinthians against Heretickes 2. Cor. 12. and false Apostles he bringeth in this as one saying Now will I come to Visions and Reuelations of our Lord c. 2. Pet. 1. And S. Peter alleageth for confirmation of his preaching the traÌ„sfiguratioÌ„ of our lord in the mount which he sawe Mat. 17. Act. 10. 11. calleth it a Vision he had a Vision of a sheet with al kind of beasts in it wheÌ„ he was to deale with the Gentiles And for the trueth of Religion and confirmation of that which they did Act. 2. he alleageth the prophecie of Ioell Ioel. cap. 2 who sayeth amongst other thinges Your young men shall see Visions and to bee briefe of this sort is the whole boke of the Apocalyps So that to see these kind of heauenly Visions and thereby to foretel things most certainly is only amongst them who are of the true Church For although there haue beene prophecies amongest the Heathens yet were they not vndoubtedly true as the Oracles of Apollo such like illusions except they were for the confirmatioÌ„ of right Religion as the prophecies of the Sybills Euseb lib. 5. hist cap. 16. 18. and of Balaam And the same may be saide of heretikes as of Montanus of Luther of Muncer and of such like who loke vpon them to prophecie some to their vtter shame some to their own destruction But the Catho Romane Church hath had in it in all ages those which had true Visions Cochlaeus in actis Lutheri and the gifte of true prophecie as Agabus Act. 11. Gregory Thaumaturge so Basil li. de spiritu sancto Cap. 29. S. Anthony the Abbote Iohn of whom see S. Aug. lib. 5. de ciuit Cap. 26. S. Monica see Aug. lib. 3. Confes Cap. 11. S. Benedicte see Gregor lib. 2. dial Cap. 15. S. Bernard see in eius vita lib. 4. Cap. 3. S. Frauncis see in eius vita Bonauentura with many others for seldome was ther any who had the gifte of miracles but the same had this gifte also And in these daies I knowe diuerse and sundry Papists as you cal them who haue seen vndoubtedly wonderful Visions which perhaps you maye see recorded hereafter with sufficient and irrefragable testimony THE VIII REASON Scriptures NEither may here the Protestant reply and say that the Papistes builde vpon Miracles Visions Prophecies and vpon such like but not vpon the WORDE for al that they alleadge are most agreeable to the worde of God Neither doe they teach any Doctrine but such as is deriued out of the holy Bible for the maintaining thereof they are not compelled to denye certaine partes of Gods holy Booke as the Protestantes and their predecessours heretiks haue bin inforced to do The Manichees for that their heresies were so manifestly confuted by the Gospel of Saint Mathewe Aug. l 28. con Faust cap. 2. de vtil cred cap 3. and by the Actes of the Apostles as they coulde coine no aunswere nor other shifte they denyed them to bee Scripture The Ebinites because the Epistles of Saint Paul disproued most plainelye Cyrcumcision which they maintained denied them to be Scripture Luther reiected the Epistle of S. Iames because it was so plaine against the doctrine of onely Faith His ofspring refused the bookes of Tobias of Ecclesiasticus of the Machabees and of some others because in them is plainly taught the Doctrine of the custody of Aungells of Free-will of Praier for the Faithfull Soules departed and of Prayer to Saints al whâ—ch they deny and therefore must they needes denie those parts of the holy Bible For heretikes euer framed the Bible to their opinions chainging wresting paring sometimes flatly reiecting al which made ouerplainely against such Doctrine as they deuised and so doe most impudentlye the Protestantes nowe Whereas the Catholikes euer squared their Doctrine by the line and the leuell of the Worde of her Spouse and therefore neuer had cause to reiecte the least â—otte of the holy Bible and at one worde the Catholikes followe the Bible
themselues slaues to ambition as they did in Scotland or by following Lust and Leacherie or of some such like brutish occasion and neuer indeede vpon anie good ground vsing their religion only as a serueturne when other meanes faile to atchieue theyr vnlawfull desires It is plaine therefore in my iudgement that the Catholiks are they who euer fished simplie and syncerely with Saint Peeters Net and therein haue enclosed myraculous multitudes of fishes and that the Protestantes by theyr extraordinary and late angling haue caught none but such as were in a better and more sound maner taken before And although Freculphus writeth In Chron. tom 2. li. 4 cap. 20. that the Arrian heretikes conuerted the whole nation of the Gothes from Paganysme to the Faith in the time of Valens the Emperour socrates lib. 4. cap. 27. sozom. l. 6 cap. 37. Theodoret lib 4. cap. vlt. yet it appeareth by Socrates Sozomenus and Theodoretus that the greatest part of those Gothes were Catholike Christians before and afterward seduced by the Arrians for Heretikes cannot possiblie conuert anie to such faith as may make the conuerted better then they were before for that they hauing indeede the Scripture in some sort yet haue not the true sense thereof vvhich properly is the sword of the spirit and the wordes are rather the scabard in which the sword is sheathed And therefore they fighting only with the scabard without the sword cannot wound the harts of Infidels And no meruaile though they peruert Catholikes for that men are prone to libertie and to loosenesse of life which by such doctrine is permitted So that they are indeed most aptly by S. Augustine likened vnto Partridges lib. 13. contra faust cap. 12. which gather together young ones which they begot not whereas contrariwise the Holy Church is a most fertle Doue which continuallie bringeth forth new Pigeons THE FIFT REASON largenes of Dominion through the multitude of Beleeuers THE Church vvhich the Messias was to plant must be as is aforesaid dispersed throughout al nations kingdomes as the Holy Prophets most plainely foreshewed and namely the Royall Prophet speaking of the Apostles and Preachers vvhich should Succeede them saieth Psal 18. Theyr sounde went foorth into all partes of the Earth and theyr wordes vnto the endes of the circle of the earth And most manifestlie doth he foretell the largenesse of Christian Religion in the 71. Psalme And S. Iohn saw the foure beasts Apoc. c. 5. the foure and twentie Elders fall downe before the Lambe singing thus Thou art worthie Lord to take the Booke and to open the seales therof for thou hast bin slaine hast redeemed vs to God in thy Blood Cap. 7. out of euery Tribe people Language Nation in another place After these things saith hee I saw a great companie which no man was able to nūber of all Nations Tribes and Peoples and Tongues These thinges with manie such like in Holy writ are no wise verefied in any Religion vnder Heauen but onely in the Romaine Catholike Church for that none but it as euerie man knoweth hath had any large scope to account vpon in any age And it hath beene for these thousand yeares at the least throughout both the Hemyspheres in such sort as the sunne stretcheth not his beames further then it doth and hath done yea there is no tongue nor people nor climate in the vvorlde which hath not heard of in some measure receaued the Catholike Romaine Religion Neither can the Protestantes say that the Church now beginneth to flourish and to dilate it selfe in the worlde after so many ages for that now it is growen olde and aged as is most plaine to say that she increased not in her younge yeares but now in her olde age is to make her a monster She must therefore of necessitie haue growen increased occupied if not all the world yet no doubt the greatest part thereof and so hath the Catholike Romaine Church and none but she done Colloss 1. for in the Apostles time shee began to fructifie in all the world And in S. Irenaeus his time Irenaeus l. 1. cap. 3. Tertul. li. contra Iudaeos ca. 4. Cyprian de vuit eccles Athanas lib. de humanit shee was spreade all ouer the vvorld then knowen as she was afterwards in Tertullian his time and in the dayes of S. Cyprian Athanasius Chrisostome Hierome Augustine Theodoretus Leo the great and Prosper vvho in his booke De Ingratis hath these wordes verbi Chrisost Hieron in Mat. 24. Aug. in Epist 78. 80. ad Hesychium Theod. lib de legibus Leo. Mag. ser 1. de S S. Petro Paulo Sedes Roma Petri quae pastoralis honoris Facta caput mundo quic quid nos possidit armis Religione tenet Which thus may be Englished Rome Peters seate whose Bishop is of Prelates Peereles Lord Religion Lady makes of all which armes do not afford But the Protestantes peraduenture will graunt that the true Church flourished in those dayes but not afterwardes vntill this age in which they haue reformed the same yet is it most manifest that it flourished afterwards euen vntill this our time no lesse then it did before if not more for in Saint Gregory his dayes it was spread all ouer the world as appeareth by his Epistles to the Bishoppes of the East of Afrike Spayne Fraunce England Sicilie And by Saint Bede in cap. 6. cantic In vita S. Bernardi lib. 2. ca. 7. as also by Saint Bernard who disputing before Rogerius King of Sicilie auouched that in those dayes the East all the West Fraunce Germanie England Spaniardes and manie barbarous nations obeyed the Bishop of Rome And in these dayes it is all ouer Italie all ouer Spayne and in Fraunce in most parts of Germanie in Poleland Boheme besides England Hungarie Greece Syria Aethiopia Aegypt in vvhich Landes are manie Catholikes and in the nevve world it flourisheth mightily in al the foure parts of the world Eastward in the Indies Westward in America Northward in Iaponia Southward in Brasilia and in the vttermost parts of Afrike And to name somewhat more in particular some Countries in which it is happely receaued of many if not vniuersally of all but yet in many lāds it is receaued of the greatest parte of the inhabitants in Goa in Malabar in Cochin in Bazain in Colā in Tana in Daman in Ciaul in Coran in Salsetta in Pescaria in Manar in Trauancor in Cogiro in Bugen in Cicungo in Cicugne in Oian in Gomotto in Gensura in Xichi in Ormuz in Ternate in Momoia in Ambonio in Macazar in Cerignano in Siligan in Butuan in Pimiliran in Camigu in Supa in Sian in Bacian in Solar in Malacca in Tidor in Selebi and in the Ilandes of S. Thomazo S. Domingo Madera and in all those innumerable Islandes vvhich the King of Spayne there possesseth So that the Catholike Romaine Religion hath had and
alleadgeth the Doctours most is most praysed of the audience as you vvell know which is a pittifull thing in thē and ridiculous in the Preacher vvho cannot but know if he haue read any of them himselfe that the Fathers detest vtterly that Doctrine which hee wresteth them to confirme and in the meane time the pore audience thinketh that they were of this new Religion vvhose simplicitie therein is most pittifullie abused by the Preacher THE XI REASON Triall of Trueth IT is manifest by the Holye Scriptures that it appertaineth to the Church to try to discerne spirits as also to determine to decide doubts And agreeably therunto shee hath in all ages mastered ouer-ruled captiuated the vnderstanding of euerye one were hee neuer so wise neuer so learned or had he neuer so extraordinary giftes except he obstinatly defended an errour which if he did hee was condemned for an heretike so came to nothing The Chatholike Church I saye directed by the Holye Ghost hath euer separated from the trueth all moales all singular opinions al errours and corruptions in euerie mans workes and writings in such sorte as that easilie and securelye euerie one maie knowe the trueth And certainelie the Protestantes although they saye that they giue no credite to the CHVRCH but so farre forth as they finde in their Scriptures doe can not otherwise but receaue the same Scriptures vppon the Catholike Romane Churches credit also the three Creedes of the Apostles of Athanasius and of Nice and some Articles of beleefe as the Holy Ghost to proceed from both the Father the Sonne yet as from one beginning and many tearmes as Person Trinitie Consubstantiall Sacraments c. which none coulde euer haue inuented but onely the Catholike Church Neyther is it possible for any man to know whether this Bible which is vsed amongest Christians be the true word of God indeede or some fained thing but onely vppon the Catholike Romane Churches credit And Saint Augustine confesseth plainely that he would not beleeue the Ghospell but that the authoritie of the Catholike Church moued him thereunto Con. Epist Manich. c. 5. lib. 2. de doct Chr. cap. 8. And by the same Churches authoritie hee was mooued to beleeue the bookes of Tobie Iudith Canticles Wisedome Ecclesiasticus Machabees c. as he himself sincerelie affirmeth And surely it is wōderfull to see how the Church of God receauing the Olde Testament from the Iewes and manifesting to the world the Canon of the Holy bookes of the new Testamēt hath in al times in so many alterations and chaunges kept from the destruction corruption of Heretikes Iewes and Panims the whole authenticall corps of Holy Scripture in such maner as no Heretike in the world can charge her with adding or diminishing the least iote thereof Iudge you here whether the madnes of these new fellowes be worthie to be wondred at or no who doe credit and beleeue the Church in this point and will not doe the same in others Why should they rather trust the Church in this thē in other things And I would euery man would here consider the wonderfull integritie of the Catholike Romane Church in keeping the Holy Bible so entire and vncorrupted these fifteene hundred yeares together at the least and the atheisticall treacherie of these of the the new Religion who occupying no Bible nor hauing to doe with the holy scriptures for a thousand yeares togeather as they themselues confesse haue after the vniust vvresting it out of the handes of the iust possessors thereof robbed the Church of so many whole bookes besides of so manie partes and particles of the same What these fellowes would bring the Holy Bible vnto in time if they shuld hold on they may easily gesse vvho know their manifold corruption therof in so few yeares And yet forsooth they vvill haue all controuersies to be tried by only scriptures which if they were not by them corrupted falselie translated yet could theye neuer finde out any secure truth by them only for that none of them alloweth anie other mans exposition but his owne and in so dealing they can but haue a gesse or an opinion or fantasie but no faith at all Which thing to declare more plainely I aske the Protestant how he relying vpon only scripture can shew mee certainely vvhich bookes be Scripture and which not And if hee be vnlearned how knoweth hee that the translation which hee vseth is truely made out of Hebrew Greeke Latine And then how is hee sure of the sence exposition And if he be neuer so learned haue neuer so many helps all that hee can search and finde out is but a priuate mans opinion and consequentlie his Faith which hee seemeth to haue is grounded vpon his owne particular iudgement and so indeed is no faith at all but an opinion onely as I said before for faith must haue Gods expresse authoritie for her foundation Here you may consider the miserable state and condition of your newe Ghospellers in that forsaking the Catholike and vniuersall faith of Christendome deliuered to thē by the vniuersal Church as founded vppon Scripture vvhich Church Christ and his Apostles gaue thē expresse Commission to beleeue which was properly Faith founded vpon a rocke which could not faile in that forsaking I say that fortres they cast themselues into the waues of new opinions whereby they haue no certaintie at all but euery one chuseth vvhat hee liketh to himselfe vvhich choise is properly called Heresie and so the word signifieth And let anie Protestant in our Countrie of England tell mee why he doth rather beleeue his owne iudgement in points of Religion then the iudgement of Luther Caluin and Beza whome he thinketh were so excellent men for euery one that hath any learning knoweth that they taught otherwise then now is taught in England This you may plainely see the only touchstone of truth to be the Catholike Church which cannot faile and that they who cleaue to her iudgement haue most vndoubtedly the truth whereas on the other side they who ground only vpon Scriptures expounding them according to their owne fantasie and braine playing the Maisters and Pilots and Boat-swaines themselues admitting no iudge no interpreter no antiquitie nor any other manner of tryall which is the greatest madnesse and malediction that can be must needes be destitute of all certaintie and of all Religion and of all stay and of all foundation and of all rule and of all order and must needes wrangle and iangle without end and without meanes to make an end and must needes cause Nouelties without number and libertie of life without feare or force of Ecclesiasticall Discipline to restraine them and to conclude they haue no meanes to rest vntill the end in Atheisme THE XII REASON The vse and custome of the Church THE vse custome and practise of the Church hath as it vvas in the prime thereof beene alvvaies an infallible rule to
to be Antichrist the catholike church to be the Synagogue and stewes of Sathan yet stayed he himselfe not so but stil plaied the Proteus euen vnto his end for at Wormes before the Emperour although he professed himself an enimy to the Church yet he maintained the sacrifice of the Masse said it stil himselfe as also prayer to Saintes for the dead Purgatory Communion vnder one kind many such like Catholike points all which 9. yeares after before the same Emperour he vtterly denied The same inconstancy was in his Disciples Melanchton Caluin Bucer and in them of Wittenberge in the Anabaptistes and in such like as also in your Protestantes there in England And I pray you vvhat a chaunging and turning in and out was there of your COMMVNION Booke For first the deuisers thereof highly commended it and affirmed it to be agreeable to Christs institution to the seruice of the Primitiue Church and a while after they vtterly misliked it and disauthorising it they set foorth another in principall pointes quite contrary to the former yet they affirmed that also to be according to Christs institution iump as the vse was in the Primitiue Church And yet how this is approued liked of your Preachers ministers you cānot but know who see behold such carping and finding fault thereat and such contempt therof as that the Minister who doth obserue duely the order thereof is accounted a temporizer or a cold Protestant I might say an Atheist for his labour And he who can most contemne it and can wed burie baptize minister the Communion and doe such like after some other new fashion of his owne inuenting is accounted a iollie fellow a man of zeale What stirre is there I pray you in euerie sheire yea almost in euerie parish about the Ministers obseruing the order of this theyr booke of COMMON PRAYER What holde and tye is there betweene the Parishioners and theyr Curate What a doe is there and hath beene from the beginning about the Communion One vvhile it must be done in cōmon leauened Bread by and by not so but in vnleauened Bread after in loafe Bread althogh your cup euer had wine in it till now of late that som do begin to take insteed therof good nappy ale the like inconstancie you might see in placing the cōmunion table for first it must be placed in the middle of the quire then in the bodie of the church after in the chācel again as the altar was one while the minister must turne his face towards the south another while towards the north and another while towards the east wherby al wise men may see that thē your religion first began and neuer was in the vvorld before for if euer it had bin before you might surely haue had some president by which you might haue ordered these things And to speake plainelie what I obserue I finde a great cause of your inconstancie in Doctrine to be aduantage and disaduantage for your religion is framed only to serue turnes times for when they were but few in number by wresting the Scriptures they taught that Christes flocke vvas but little Iewell in Apol. and therefore they gloried much in theyr small number but after that their opinions were spreade through Germanie Fraunce Englande Scotland and in other Countries they vaunted much and argued that theyr Doctrine must needs be true because it was spread so largely When it serued their turne they stoutly defended with tooth and nayle Goodman Knoxe that a woman might not lawfully gouerne a realme no not in ciuill or temporall matters but within a while after when it fitted their purpose they taught as they yet doe that a woman may rule a realme not only in temporall thinges but the Church also in spiritual causes Whē it serued their turne Luth. tom 3. Ger. Iē fol. 115. they taught that it was a horible thing to put me to death for Religion and expresly against the word of god but when they had gotten the sword they cried out in sermōs on the contrary side neuer left off vntil it was decred by publike authority that those who wer not of their religiō shuld suffer death therfore Whē it fitted their purpose Tom. 5. I◠Ger. f. 157. a f. 444. 159. 491. Tom. 1. Germ. fol. 537. Colloq Mens f 4. in fine lib. ses 3. b they taught that none ought to preach but he who was allowed and licensed by the Magistrate afterwarde vpon other occasion they wrote that a Christian man may without leaue of any person take vpō him that function One while they taught that the BIBLE was the plainest and the most easiest booke in the worlde to bee vnderstoode anotherwhile they wrote vpō aduantage that it was vnpossible for any man to vnderstande throughly any one worde in the Bible for that it was so obscure profound One while they taught that no Commentaries of SCRIPTVRES written by men Melancth in Loc. cō ann 1524. must be receiued yea that they must be shunned as a plague or pestilence anotherwhile they themselues set forth Commentaries and Postilles and obtruded them to the people To. 2. Ger. fol. 255. a f. 404. a One while they teache that all men ought to be iudges of doctrine religion another-while they teache that no man no not an Angel must iudge thereof And a thowsand such like contradictions proofes of vnconstancy and chaunge maye you find in their doctrine which here further to account would be ouer tedious I vvill therefore end with the saying of Gregorie Duke of Saxonie We doe know what these fellowes doe teach this yeare but what they will teach the next yeare we cannot gesse THE XVIII REASON False Prophets and Teachers THe Prophets Apostles Christ himselfe fore-tolde that in the latter dayes there should come false Prophets and to the end wee should take heed of them they painted them foorth in their colours whereby they might easilie be knowne Now it can not be denyed but that wee be in the latter dayes and therefore we must be verie vigilant and watchfull to discerne to know these seducers when they come And conferring the Preachers afore-saide with the manners of these Protestants we doe plainly se◠that they be the verie same vvhich were foretold and as it were pointed at by the finger of God for first they come vnsent Ierm 13. as Ieremie fore-tolde in these wordes I did not sende them and they did runne for certaine it is that they neyther haue orders as they ought to haue nor any Consecration or right calling for they were not sent by the Catholike Church as is manifest but vtterly condemned for Heretikes and when any of them is conuerted to the Romane Religion they plainely see that they haue no more to doe with any spirituall function thē other laymen haue But on the contrarie side if any Priest of