TO HIS HONORABLE FRENDE Sr. HENRY SKIPWITH Knight and Baronet The Author hereof sendeth this his worke as a Testimony and Memoriall of the LOVE and HONOVR which he beareth to his WORTHINES A IVSTIFICATION OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLAND Demonstrating it to be a true Church of GOD affording all sufficient meanes to SALVATION OR A Countercharme against the Romish enchantments that labour to bewitch the people with opinion of necessity to be subiect to the Pope of ROME Wherein is briefly shewed the Pith and Marrow of the principall bookes written by both sides touching this matter with Marginall reference to the Chapters and Sections where the points are handled more at large to the great ease and satisfaction of the READER By ANTHONY CADE Bachelour of DIVINITY GALAT. 3.1 O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth LONDON Printed for GEORGE LATHVM dwelling at the Bishops head in Pauls Church-yard Anno 1630. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD IOHN LORD Bishop of LINCOLNE my very good Lord and Patron RIght Reuerend Father I humbly craue your Patience to take notice of the Causes and Manner of my writing and your Patronage to countenance it The occasions of my writing 1 Particular I euer accounted it a great blessing of God and it is still the ioy of my heart to record that in my stronger yeeres I was thought worthy to be employed in the trayning vp of some Nobles and many other yong Gentlemen of the best sort whose names here to insert might happily be censured ambition in me in the Learned Tongues Mathemacicall Arts Musicke and other both Diuine and Humane Learning and that Many of them haue since risen to great places and dignities in our Church and Common wealth And it was afterwards my great griefe to heare that any of them or of their Parents by mee much honored should be seduced or drawn to embrace the present Religion of the Papacy and to separate froÌ„ our so excellently-reformed Church The falling away of persons of so Noble birth and place after such education likely also to be means by their examples and reputation to draw others to the like defection made a deepe impression of sorrow in my soule and wrought a desire to seeke their recouery 1 More generall I saw also a generall inclination of many sorts of people to returne againe to the Old Religion as they called it vpon a strong perswasion that the Protestants Religion was new and but of yesterday although we daily cry downe all nouelties in Religion and professe to embrace nothing which is not of the ancient faith Iude verse 3. once or first deliuered to the Saints These considerations excited and vrged me by that bond of loue and duty wherewith I feele my selfe bound both to my late dearely beloued yong Nobles and Gentlemen in particular and to our whole Church and State in generall The purposes and ends of my writing to addresse my selfe to writing to recollect and perfit that which I had long professed obserued and taught both to put those former in mind of such grounds of sound Religion which in their youth both by pulicke Sabboth-dayes Sermons and by priuate Schoole-Catechizings on Frydayes and by other Conferences they had learned of me and to confirme those grounds with Inuincible Reasons and Allegations And also to improue my Talents such as they are to the best seruice of the whole Church our Gracious Soueraigne the State in generall and euery particular soule for their eternall and temporall happinesse by instructing the Ignorant confirming the right beleeuers and good Subiects reducing the errant staying the weake and wauering or confounding the obstinate and thereby so much as in me lyeth working a happy peace loue vnity and vnanimity amongst all To which purpose An obiectioâ— answered though many haue written most learnedly and excellently already yet I thought good to follow S. Augustines aduise Augustin libro 1 De Trinitate cap. 3. Vâ—ile esâ— plures à pluribus fieri libros diverso stylo non diuersa fide etiam de quaestionibus â—â—sdem vt ad plurimos reâ— ipsa perueniat ad alios sic ad alios autem sic who wisheth where heresies are busie that all men which haue any faculty of writing should write though they write not onely of the same things but the same reasons in other wordes either that hereticks may see multitudes against them or that of many bookes written some at lest may come to their hands as it happily fell out in the time of the Arrians And for the manner of my writing The manner of my writing I endeuoured to fit it the best way to the Persons to whom I intended it and to these times I saw that bookes of all sorts are infinitely multiplied in the world and that neither men of great place nor many others haue time afforded from their necessary affaires to read many bookes or any large discourse I thought it therefore though the most painfull yet the most profitable course diligently to collect and faithfully to relate with all possible breuity and perspicuity the substance of that which former learned Authors Fathers and Histories haue deliuered what the Romish Doctors haue probably obiected and Protestants especially English haue substantially answered so much as concerneth my purpose and the points which I handle that the Reader might haue in one view and volume the Pith and Substance of the best bookes written on both sides touching these matters as an Epitome of them all And withall pointing to the bookes chapters and sections By marginall notes for the most part or pages of them all as an Index referring the vnsatisfied where he may read of euery point more at large I find to omit all others the late most learned Lipsius in humane knowledge Iusti Lipsij Politica See his Prefaces hath taken this course without any disgrace to himselfe but rather with the great commendation of his diligence and learning writing to the Emperour Kings and Princes which haue no leisure to read great bookes briefe Aphorismes methodically deliuered by him but euermore in the most learned Authors owne words and quoting their bookes Vt quae optima sunt aut per me cognoscatis aut mecum recognoscatis saith he to those great Estates That either by me yee may know these excellent things or with me call them againe to minde And herein saith he Verè dicere possum omnia esse nostra nihil All things in the booke are mine and nothing Because the matter was the Authors whoÌ„ he cites the whole inuention and order was his owne And Bellarmine in diuine Controuersies is esteemed to haue done the greatest seruice to the Church of Rome by collecting the substance of the learned large writers of Controuersies into one body coÌ„futing as he could what was against and confirming what was for that Church I haue followed these great wits though longo
Gods he called Antichrists Satans priests theeues murderers of soules spirits of darknesse and their exemptions by the Pope he said were the nets of the Diuell Matth. Paris cals him Magnus Ecclesiae Doctor skilfull in the Hebrew Greeke and Latin Triuetus cals him A man of excellent wisedome most pure life and incomparable patterne of all vertues 1253. Bale cent 4. cap. 18. 12 Sevaldus Sebald Archbishop of Yorke wrastled constantly against the tyranny of the Romish Court He thought the Pope was permitted of God for the great hurt of many He wrote to the Pope in great griefe to abstaine from his accustomed tyranny and to follow the humility of his holy Predecessors and after Peters examples to feed not to clip flea bowel deuour consume Christs sheepe but the Pope contemned his admonition he dyed 1258. Matth. Paris in Hen. 3. anno 1258. Bale cent 4. cap. 23. 13 William Stengham Doctor wrote for the sufficiency of the New Testament onely for saluation against the Evangelium eternum He flourished anno 1260. Bale cent 4 c. 17. 14 Roger Bacon Fellow of Merton Colledge in Oxford a great Philosopher and Diuine without Necromancy saith Bale spake so much against the Antichristian errours of his time that Pope Nicholas the 4. condemned his doctrine and imprisoned him Antonius in Chron. he flourished an 1270. Bale cent 4. cap. 55. 15 Ioannes Dominicus Scotus an English man of Merton Colledge a great Schoolman and called Doctor subtilis he taught against the abuse of the Keyes and that Transubstantiation could not be proued neither by Scriptures or true Reasons as Bellarmine confesseth he flourished 1290. Scotus 4 cent dist 18. 16 John Baronthorp Doctor and publicke Reader of Diuinity in Oxford called Doctor resolutus He taught that the Pope was to be vnder the Emperour and Kings He reuiled the deceits and impostures of Antichrist flourished 1320. as appeares in his booke De Christi dominio Jac. Papiens l. de H. 8. diuortio Bale c. 5. 17 Nicolaus Lyranus an English man of the Iewes linage a Diuine of Oxford amongst other things hee wrote a Booke De visione Dei against the Pope anno 1326. Iean Wolphius tomo 1. lect memorab in anno 1326. 18 William Ockam Fellow of Merton Colledge in Oxford called Doctor singularis and after Doctor invincibilis wrote against Pope Ioh. 23 and against Pope Clement charging him with heresie and calling him Antichrist hater of Christian pouerty and enemy to the Common-wealth he taught that the Pope had no power in Ciuill dominion flourished 1330. Occam oper 90. dierum cap 93. Wolphius lect memorab tom 1. 19 Thomas Bradwardine of Merton Colledge Archbishop of Canterbury wrote for Gods grace against free will three bookes flourished 1340. Catal. test ver tom 2. 20 Nicolaus Orum Doctor in Oxford preached at Rome before pope VrbaÌ„ 5. the Cardinals painting out and condemning the Papacy and foretelling destruction to hang ouer the Pope and Clergies head He wrote the Epistle from Lucifer to the Clergy thanking them for sending so many soules to hell He placed his daughters to them as to their proper husbands Pride Auarice Fraud Luxury and specially Simony See the whole Epistle in Powel de Antichristo in calce libri he flourished 1351. Catalogus test ver tom 2. 21 Richard Role de Hampole Doctor in Oxford inveighed against the vnchastity auarice and filthinesse of priests and their Idolatry anno 1340. Wolphius tom 1 lect memorab 22 Giles Hay a Diuine in Oxford wrote a sharpe booke Contra Flagellatores which is to be seene in Baliol Colledge in Oxford about the same time Bale append ad cent scrip Britan. 23 Richardus Radulphi Richard Fitz-ralph an Irish man Chancellour of Oxford Archbishop of Armagh Archiepiscopus Armachanus Hibernia Primaâ— wrote against begging Friers and dedicated his booke to pope Innocent 4. and in his publike Lectures displayed their follies frauds luxuries wantonnesse pride pomps and other fryerly vertues and held it vnchristian to be a wilfull begger condemned Deut. 15. Wiclif and Walden say he was set on by the Bishops and prelates of England flourished 1355. Wiclif in Trialogo Walden in fascicul zizanorum Wiclif 24 Richard Killington Doctor in Oxford Deane of Saint Pauls in London defended the said Richards Doctrine and wrote many learned bookes against the Monkes and Fryers 1360. Bale cent 4. cap 96. 25 Iohn Wiclife Doctor in Oxford wrote great Volumes against Romish corruptions 1360. of Wiclife read more Booke 2. chap. 1. sect 3. subsect 4 § 2. c. 26 Robert Langland a Diuine of Oxford wrote against Papists corruptions in English especially the vision of Pierce Plowman which is extant about Anno 1369. 27 Sir Iohn Mandevil Doctor of physicke in Oxford Knight after his trauels said in our times it was more true then in ancient Virtus cessat ecclesia calcatur clerus errat damon regnat Sodoma dominatur 1370. Bale cent 6. cap. 46. 28 William Wickam Bishop of Winchester building two Colledges one at Oxford one at Winchester so hated Sects and Monkes that he ordained by statute vnder paine of expulsion present none of the Fellowes should enter the Religion of a Monke And though hee did many good workes yet he professed he trusted to Iesus Christs merits alone for saluation 1379. Out of the statutes of Wickams Colledge in Oxford rubrick 38. and his life written by Tho. Martin lib. 3. cap. 2. 29 Philip Repington of Merton Colledge afterwards Bishop of Lincolne boldly declaimed against the liues and vopure doctrine of the Romish Clergy the Roman Pharaoh mens traditions Fryars beggings Masses Pilgrimages Auricular confession and other things at Oxford the Vice-Chancellor Robert Rigges and the Proctors ioyning with him anno 1382. Bale cent 6. cap. 90. 30 Geffrey Chawter Knight Student in Oxford Chawcer in his Plowmans Tale passim wrote many things very wittily reprouing and scoffing at the idlenesse foolery and knauery of the Monks and other Clergy at their ignorance counterfeâ—t Reliques pilgrimages and Ceremonies yea the pope himselfe he sticked not to call an idle Lawrell a Marshall of Hell a proud enuious couetous Lucifer and Antichrist he flourished anno 1402. 31 Alexander Carpenter an Oxford man of Baliol Colledge wrote a booke entituled Destructorium vitiorum wherein he reproued the carelesse and godlesse liues of Prelats and priests calling them Traitors to Christ deceiuers theeues lyers raueners oppressors louers of pleasures fleshly hypocrites cursed tyrants and execrable Antichrists 1429. Ex destructorio vitiorum part 6. cap. 30. alibi saepius 32 Iohn Felton Fellow of Magdalen Colledge in Oxford taught the Gospell purely and much against the popes pride and tyranny 1440. Leland in Catalogo virorum illustrium Bale cent 8. cap. 3. 33 Reginold Paine or Peacocke of Oriel Colledge in Oxford made B. first of Asaph then of Cicester taught at Pauls Crosse many things against the Church-abuses of the time and that the vse of the Sacraments such as was then
partiality and you shall finde they proue no more then the excellency of honourable estimation the primacy of order and the principality of grace and are farre short of prouing the Supremacy of power ouer the whole Christian world now claimed and practised by the Bishop of Rome B. Carlton iurisdiction pag. 55 56. Wee may also iustly alleadge that the honours and titles that other Bishops gaue to the Bishops of Rome for their great vertue in former times the Romists of these latter times vniustly draw to proue the iurisdiction of that Sea because they may finde the same or greater giuen to other worthy Bishops as to Saint Ambrose to whom p Basil epist 55. Saint Basil writing saith He holdeth the sterne of that great and famous shippe the Church of God and that God hath placed him in the primacy and chiefe seate of the Apostles So q Sidon lib. 6. ep 1 4. Sidonius Apollinaris Bishop of Arvern calleth Lupus a French Bishop Pope Lupus and his Sea Apostolike And writing to Fontellus another French Bishop r Lib. 7. ep 4. Quod Apostolatus vestri patrocinium copiosissimumconferre vos comperi saith he greatly reioyced that he found he did aboundantly defend his Apostleship And againe Å¿ Lib. 6. ep 7. Ego quoque ad Apostolatus tui noticiam accedo I come to the knowledge of your Apostleship t Chrysost de laudibus Paul hom 8. in Gal. 2. Erat Paulus Princeps Apostolorum honore par Petro ne quid dicam amplius Saint Chrysostom called Saint Paul Prince of the Apostles u Ruffin histor lib. 2. cap. 1. Iacobus Apostolorum princeps Ruffinus gaue Saint Iames the same title x Greg in 1 Reg. lib. 4. cap 4. Paulus ad Christum conuersus caput effectus est nationum qui obtinuit Ecclesiae totius principatum See D. Field Church booke 5. chap. 41. Saint Gregory gaue Saint Paul the title of Head of the Nations and that hee obtained the gouernment of the whole Church What titles doe the Fathers giue vnto Saint Peter beyond these If these doe not proue any generall Iurisdiction in others how doe they proue it in Saint Peter §. 12. But what need we stand vpon Titles which the ancient Fathers gaue to Saint Peter or the Pope when the whole course of their actions were against the Supremacy now challenged Remember what I haue said a See before booke 1. chap. 1 §. 2. before of the Fathers misliking and disswading the Popes assumed authority in the smallest matters as Polycarpus disswading Anicetus Polycrates and the Bishops of the East and Irenaeus with his French Bishops in the West disswading Victor from new vnusuall vniustifiable courses ibid. §. 3. Other Fathers afterwards plainely resisting and reiecting the Popes iudgement and authority as the holy Martyr Cyprian with many whole Councels of the African Bishops Saint Basil the Great and the whole Greeke Church I shewed you also how three Popes in succession Zozimus Boniface and Celestine aboue 400. yeeres after Christ claymed their superiority and priuiledges not by the Scriptures but by a Canon of the Councell of Nice which Canon the holy learned Bishops in the Councell of Carthage reiected finding no such thing in any of the Copies of the Councell of Nice which their Church kept or the Church of Alexandria or the Church of Constantinople So that finally condemning that Canon to be countefet and the claymed authority of the Church of Rome to bee new and vnlawfull they made Decrees against the Popes clayme conformable to their owne Decrees and Customes of former times b Ibid. sect 4. I shewed you further by the Contention betwixt Iohn Bishop of Constantinople and Gregory the Great Bishop of Rome that your owne Gregory condemned the titles and supremacy which Iohn then laboured for and which your Popes now take vnto them he I say condemned them for Antichristian and said none of his ancestors did euer claym them c Ibid. sect 5. I shewed you also how the Bishops of France Germany and Brittany with many Councels one at Constantinople another at Frankfurt another at Paris with whom also ioyned Charles the Great and Ludouicus Pius beside many learned men in their bookes at that time opposed the Pope and his Councels and his authority in imposing the worship of Images vpon the Church Of these and of the succeeding times I haue spoken d See ibid. sect 9. 10. c. in mine opinion sufficient to satisfie any moderate man and vpon occasion I haue much more to say But reade aduisedly at your leysure B. Iewel B. Morton D. Field and our other learned Protestants or our most iudicious King Iames his bookes or reade onely B. Bilsons booke e B. Bilson The true difference between Christian subiectioÌ„ vnchristian rebellion specially the first part p. 94. seq in 8. who writes fully enough and punctually of these matters and if you bee not prejudicate and obstinate beyond all reason you will be satisfied Onely I will adde here for the present one thing of the African Church about Saint Cyprians time and after The Contention betwixt the Bishops of Africa and the Bishop of Rome was so great that on the one side as Cassander f Cassander consultation arâ—ic 7. pag 54. obserueth Pope Steuen repelled Saint Cyprian à communione suâ from Communion with him See â—efoâ—â— châ—p 2â—â—â— admitted not to his speach the Bishops of Africa comming from Saint Cyprian as Legats yea and foâ—bade all his fraternity to receiue them into their houses denying them not only peace coÌ„munion but also tectum hospitium house-room lodging calling Cyprian Pseudo hristum dolosum operariâ—m a false Christ and deceitfull worker And on the other side Saint Cyprian and the Africans stood out thinking the Pope and the Italians in the wrong neither sued they neither cared they for the Communion of the Pope and the Church of Rome Doctor Harding saith g Hardings answer to Iewels challenge pag. 290. The whole Church of Africa withdrew it selfe from the Church of Rome by reason of this difference of Appeales and so continued in Schisme an hundred yeeres and in that time were brought into miserable captiuity by the Vandales Harding might remember that Rome it selfe about the same season in the space of 140. yeeres was brought to miserable calamities being sixe times taken by the wilde and barbarous enemies h B. Iewel ib. after which time of 100. yeeres Eulabius B. of Carthage condemning his predecessors disobedience and seeking reconciliation to the Pope did by publike instrument or writing submit and reioyne the African Church to the Roman And Boniface the Pope writes thereof to the Bishop of Alexandria exciting him to reioyce and giue thankes to God for this reconciliation saying that Aurelius Bishop of Carthage and his fellowes whereof Saint Augustine was one being set on by the Diuell had
first they would by no meanes suffer Babylon to signifie Rome but the text is so punctuall and plaine pointing out a City a City built on seuen hils a City that bare rule ouer the Kings of the earth that at last they grant it can be no other but Rome But see a second shift not Christian Rome but Heathen Rome vnto the persecuting Emperours long since gone Now when they are driuen from this also because the Text descrbes Rome as it must be nere the end of the world note their third shift It must be Rome onely three yeares and an halfe before the last day §. 10. Well howsoeuer yet you see it granted by you own men Rome must be the seat of Antichrist Who if hee be not come already from which Controuersie I will now spare you yet you cannot imagine but there must be preparations for his comming and entertainment I will not say with your owne S. Gregory Greg. lib. 4. epist 38. Rex superbiae prope est quod dici nefas est Sacerdotum ei est praeparatus exercitus The King of pride is at hand and an army of Priests is prepared for him Be it what it will there must be corruption both of life and doctrine to make way for his entertainment as your Ribera said before there must be new impieties and grieuous sins of Rome matching the old of the Emperours that must fore-runne the plagues of Antichrist and Romes destruction Take heed they haue not farre proceeded already I haue demonstrated vnto you already first that any particular Church may in time gather corruption erre yea and fall away Secondly that the Church of Rome is not excepted nor priuiledged from that calamity but contrarily thirdly that many threatnings warnings and prophesies therof are found in the Scriptures and fourthly further that Rome must bee the seat of Antichrist and fiftly that towards the end of the world which cannot be farre off and lastly that there must bee many corruptions and impieties that shall deserue and make preparation for his comming All which ought to abate your high conceit of the present Church of Rome and worke in you a more reuerend esteeme of our Church which hath reformed the abuses which we found in the Church of Rome CHAP. 3. Of the time when corruptions came into the Roman Church 1 A designation of the time when the corruptions first came into the Church required 2 often and often aswered 3 many crept in secretly and insensibly 4 as themselues acknowledge 5 best knowne by their difference from their first pure doctrine 6. The Romans cannot find the beginnings of our doctrines on this side the Scriptures 7 We can and doe many of theirs 8 No Church in the world held the now Romish doctrines but onely the Romish Church it selfe in these later times §. 1. Antiquus SInce you impute so many errours and abuses to the Church of Rome which you pretend to haue reformed Tell me when those corruptions came into that Church which you confesse was once and a long time the true sincere and famous Church of God For no such foule matters so grosse and intollerable can enter into such a famous Church without being noted in Histories Bellar. de notis ecclesiae lib. 4. cap. 5. and opposed by godly learned men Shew me therefore when these corruptions came in and changed the Roman faith in what Age vnder what Pope by what men and meanes and with what relâ—ctation or opposition of the godly learned For if no such time can be shewed I shall neuer beleeue there were any such thing §. 2. Antiquissimus This is another point of your ench ntment indeed Your Masters politikely stand vpon generals to discredit our reformation which in particulars they cannot disproue Among which generals this is as it seemes their great Goliah brought into the field so oft to terrifie all our troops at once To omit your forraigne Iesuites a Bellar. De Euchar lib. 3. cap. 8 Bellarmine b Costerus epist ad Apolog. Costerus c Greg. de Valent lib. 6. cap. 12. Gregorius de Valentia c. your English are enow The Author of The briefe discourse of Faith which is answered by D. Iohn White and Mr. Anthony Wootton bringeth it in in his 50 Section as d Camp ratione 7. Campian their great Champion had done before him which being foyled by our men in their answeres yet is brought in againe by A. D. his Reply in his 57 Chapter and foyled againe by D. White Defence pag. 519 c. Lately brought in againe by a Iesuite in Ireland in his Challenge and ouerthrowne by D. Vsher B. of Meath in the beginning of his Answer D. Kellison Suruay lib. 2. c. p. 163. 1. And still is brought in againe and againe without measure or end as if it had neuer been answered before And most lately by M. Fisher the Iesuite at least foure seuerall times in his little booke written to our late Gracious King James of famous memory which B. Francis White hath fully answered in euery of the places e D. White pag. 116. 131 143. 255 c. Out of all whose answers and Doctor Fauours Booke entituled Antiquity triumphing ouer Nouelty f D. Favour pag. cap. 17. and many others I will giue you some short satisfaction wishing you at your leasure to reade the Authors themselues at large §. 3. Your argument presupposeth that errours and abuses came into the Church full strong and at once See also D. Field Church lib. 3. cap. B. Morton Appeal lib. 4. cap. 16. So that their very entrance must needes be apparant visible obseruable and therefore strongly opposed by learned and good men and described in Histories whereas indeed the most of them crept in secretly insensibly and were not observed of a long time Saint Paul calleth the great desertion and Apostacy The Mystery of Iniquity g 2 Thes 2.7 Which the ordinary glosse thereupon saith is Iniquitas Sed mystica id est pietatis nomine palliata an iniquity indeed but mysticall that is cloaked vnder the name of piety A mystery worketh not openly but secretly not at once but by little and little and then getteth greatest aduantage when it is least obserued and suspected It is first a Mystery and creepeth in secretly before it be a History obserued and described In Common-wealthes it is ordinary for things of obscure and vnsensible beginnings to worke sensible and notorious changes in the end so that the wisest shall not so easily finde out the first entrance as the simplest may see and feele the grosse and dangerous euents in the end As Plutarch obserueth in the life of Caesar and in the life of Coriolanus he tels how the corruption of the people by bribes and banquetting entred into the old Roman Common-wealth This Pestilence saith he crept in by little and little and did secretly win ground stil continuing a long
priests onely Cassander writes and Micrologus Cassander praefat ord Romani Microl. de officio Missae cap. 19. Clicthâ—veus on the Canon of the Masse cited by Cassander ibidem and Clicthoveus among many others Circumgestation saith Cassander is contrary to the manner of the Ancients Cassander consult art 22. Feild quo supra for they admitted none to the fight of the Sacrament but the partakers and therefore the rest were bidden depart Crautzius praiseth Cusanus who being the popes Legat in Germany tooke away his Circumgestation vnlesse it were within the Octaues of Corpus Christi day The Sacrament being instituted for vse and not for ostentation Touching the honour of Saints Gerson and Contarenus Gerson de Directione cordis consider 16. sequent Contarenus in confut artic Lutheri and many others reprehend sundry superstitious obseruations and wish they were wisely abolished Whether the Saints in heauen doe particularly know our estate and heare our cryes and grones not onely Saint Augustine August de cura pro mortuis Glossa in Esay 63 Hugo Erudit Theolog. de sacram fidei lib. 2. part 16. cap. 11. and the Author of the Interlineall glosse But Hugo de Sancto victore tels vs it is altogether vncertaine and cannot be knowne So that though in generality they pray for vs or rather for all the Church on earth yet we may not safely and with faith pray to them That in the primitiue Church publike prayers were celebrated in the vulgar tongue Lyra confesseth Lyra in 1. Cor. 14 Caietan in respons ad Articulos Parisienseâ— and Caietan professeth that he thinketh it would bee more for edification if they were so now And he confirmeth his opinion out of Saint Paul Saint Bernard wrote diuers things concerning the now Romish Doctrine touching speciall faith imperfection and impurity of inherent righteousnesse merits power of freewill the conception of the blessed Virgin and the keeping of the feast of her conception a See D. Field Appendix to the fift booke of the Church part 1. pag. 89. Bernard serm 5. de verb. Esaiae All our righteousnesse saith he is as the polluted rags of a menstruous woman b Serm. 1. de Annunciat We must beleeue particularly that all our sinnes are remitted vs. c Tract de gratia lib. arb in fine Our workes are via regni not causa regnandi they are the way that leadeth to the kingdome but no cause why we raigne d Epist 175. ad Canonicos Lugd. The blessed Virgin was conceiued in sin and the feast of her conception ought not to be kept So that what errours and abuses we haue amended in our reformed Churches those the learned men of former Ages haue espied and haue written against them and we haue made no other Reformation then they heartily desired For conclusion of this point see what a number of famous men writing and preaching against the corruptions of Rome One Vniuersity afforded and thereby gesse what the world did §. 15. Gabriel Powel de Antichristo Edit Lond. 1605. reckons these Oxford men amongst many others in his Preface 1 King Alfred Founder of Oxford Vniuersity would not haue his people ignorant of Scriptures or bard the reading thereof Anno 880 Capgrav cataloge Sanct Angliae Polydor. Virg hist Ang. lib. 5. Baleus 2 Joannes Patricius Erigena a Brittan first Reader in Oxford ordained by the King wrote a booke of the Eucharist agreeable to Bertrams and condemned after by the Pope in Vercellensi Synodo And he Martyred for it anno 884. Philip. in Chron. lib. 4. sub Henr. 4 Baleus cent 2. cap 24. 3 Some Diuines at Oxford were burnt in the face and banished for saying the Church of Rome was the Whore of Babylon Monkery a stinking carrion their vowes toyes and nurses of Sodome Purgatories Masses dedications of Temples worship of Saints c. inuentions of the Deuill anno 960. Matth. Paris lib. 4. Guido Perpin de haeresib Baleus cent 2. 4 Arnulph or Arnold an English preacher a Monke of Oxford for preaching bitterly against Prelats and Priests wicked liues and corruptions cruelly butchered anno 1126. but saith Platina greatly commended by the Roman Nobility for a true seruant of Christ Bale cent 2. cap. 70. 5 Joannes Sarisburiensis anglus Oxoniensis theologus Episcopus Carnotensis beloued of the Popes Engenius 3. and Hadrian 4. wrote against the abuses of Clergy and Bishops in Objurgatorie Cleri in Polycratico he saith The Scribes and Pharises sit in the Roman Church laying importable burdens on mens shoulders The Pope is grieuous to all and almost intollerable Ita debacchantur ejus legati ac si ad ecclesiam flagellandam egressus sit Satan a facâ—e domini and he that dissents from their doctrine is iudged an Hereticke or a Schismaticke c. 1140. Sarisburien Polycr lib. 5. cap. 16. lib. 6. cap. 24. 6 Gualo Professor of Mathematicks in Oxford much praised of Sarish in Polycrat wrote inuectiues against Priests of the Monkish profession their luxuries pompes and impostures anno 1170. Bale cent 3. cap. 15. 7 Gilbert Foliot Doctor of Diuinity in Oxford Bishop first of Hereford and after of London perswaded King Henry 2 after the example of Jehoshaphat and other Kings to keepe the Clergy in subiection and oft resisted and blamed Tho. Becket to his face 1170. Bale ib. cap. 7. 8 Syluester Gyrald Archdeacon Meneuensis beloued of Hen. 2 and Iohn King of England wrote a booke of the Monks Cistertians naughtinesse c. 1200. â—eland catalogo virorum illustrium Bale cent 3 cap. 59. 9 Alexander a Diuine of Oxford sent by King John to defend his authority against the Pope which he did by reasons and Scriptures and wrote against the Popes power and temporall Dominion He was banished by Langton Bishop of Canterbury and dyed in exile he liued anno 1207. when King Iohn banished 64. Monkes of Canterbury for contumary breaking his commandement Bale cent 3 cap. 57. 10 Gualter Maxes Archdeacon of Oxford a famous man hauing been at Rome and seene the ambition of the Pope he set it out while he liued with most vehement satyricall criminations He wrote a booke called The Reuelation of the Romish Goliah and diuers others of the enormity of the Clergy lamentation ouer Bishops and against the Pope the Roman Court the euils of Monkes c. he flourished anno 1210. Siluester Gyrald in spec eccles lib. 3. c. 1. 14 Bale cent 3 cap. 61. 11 Robertus Capito Robert Grosthead Doctor of Diuinity in Oxford Bishop of Lincolne wrote against Prelats idlenesse and thundered against the Romish Court he modestly but yet publikely reproued the couetousnesse pride and manifold tyranny of Pope Innocent 4. He was excommunicated to the pit of hell and cited to come to their bloudy Court but he appealed from the Popes tyranny to the eternall tribunall of Iesus Christ and shortly after dyed anno 1253. The Priests that taught mens commandements and not
diffâ—r noâ—ae legis De Indulgentijs and others which wants not much of making a Quaternity of the most glorious indiuiduall and incoÌ„municable Trinity h See more of this in P. Maâ—lius Defence of our late learned King Iames his booke against the answer of Cossâ—tean art 7. p. 165. sâ—q And in B. Andrewes his aâ—swer to Bellarmine about the same K. Iames his booke ad c 8. p 174. c. And in B. Downam De Antichristo lib. 3. cap. 8. § 2 3 4. lib. 5. cap 2. §. 2 3 4 5. And in Bishop Mortoâ— Apolog Cath. tomo 1. cap 68. pag. 202. and Protestants appeale lâ—b 2. cap. 12. sect 10 and relation of Religion in the West pag. 3 Rainolds â—art cap. 8. divis 2. pag. 474 475. And it is abundantly noted in most of our Protestants Bookes This is a corrupt doctrine and practise crept into the Church we may not admit 2 We beleeue the Canonicall Scriptures reckoned vp in the sixt Article of the yeare 1562. to be the vndoubted Word of God written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost guiding the mindes and pennes of the holy Writers absolutely free from all errour You confesse the same Concil Trident. sess 4. But you adde the Apocryphall bookes and make them also Canonicall k Ibid. Si quis libros â—aruch Ecclâ—siastici Sapientiae Iuâ—iâ—h Tobiae Duoruâ— Maccabâ—orum Danielis integros libros cum omnibus suis paâ—â—bâ—s proâ—t in vulgata editione habentur prosacris Canon câ— non suâ—cepent Anathema sit contrary to Anâ—iquity l For to the Iewes were committed the Oracles of God Canonicall Scriptures to be kept Rom. 3.2 but they nâ—uer acknowledged the Apocryphall bookes so saith Iosephus lib. 1. contra Appion See Euseb hist lib. 8. cap. 10. And Bellarmine hâ—mselfe grants it lib. 3. â—e eccle milit cap. â—0 initâ—o B. Andrewes answering Bellarmines Apology concerning King Iames his Monitory Preface cap. 7. pag. 15. giues vs ten very ancient Fathers reckoning the Câ—non of Scripture as we doe 1 Melito Sardensis in Euseb 4.26 2 Origenes 3. 25. 7 in Iosâ—a 3 Athanasiâ—s in Synops. 4 Hilarius proâ—og in Psal 5 Epiphanius haereâ— 8. 6 Cyrillâ—s Catâ—ch 7 Nazianzen de ver ge scrip lib. 8 Amphilochius ad Saleucum 9 Hieronymus in prolog Galâ—â—to 10 Râ—ffiâ—us in expos Symboli D. Field reckons more lâ—b 4. cap. 23 see more cap 4. sect 14. The Laodicean Councell excludes the Apocrypha the Carthaginian Councell receiues them both these were confirmed in the sixt generall Councell how hangs this togethâ—r thus The Lodicean spake of the Canon of faith the Carthagenian of the Canon of good manners to both which the sixt Councell subscribed in that sense and we to it See thiâ— Whole Controuersie thorowly handled by B. Morton Apologiae Catholicae part 2. lib. 1. sex primis captibus Also in his Protestants Appeale lib. 4. cap. 18. and by D. Whitâ—â—â—es Disp de sacra scripura quaest 1. And by D. Field of the Church Booke 4. chapt 23 24. 3 We beleeue the orignall Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greâ—â—e of the New to be authenticall and of vndoubted authority your side hath heretofore held the contrary deprauing the Hebrew and Greeke now extant as intolerably corrupted by Iewes and Heretickes yet now your best m â—huâ— Bellarmine de verâ—o dei lib. 2. cap. 2. in sine Siâ—tus Senensâ—s Biblâ—oth lib. 3. paâ— 153. lib. 8. pag. 630 Ribera comâ—n Hoscam cap. 9. na 20. Acosta 2. lib. de Christo Reuelat. cap. 16. And of the Greeke of the new Sixtus Seâ—ens Bibl. lib. 7 pag. 58. See D. Field Church lib. 4 cap. 28. 29. B. Morton Appâ—al lib. 4. cap. 18. Sect. 3. learned men come home to vs and hold them pure from such corruptions affirming that though some slips of Printers or Writers may be found in letters or words yet they hurt not the sense nor derogate from their authority Thus you iustifie vs. But n This your Agorias a choice man to deliuer the Roman Catholick Tenets sheweth Institutionum lib. 8. cap. 3. § 3. 4. where the Greeke or Hebrew now extant saith he differeth from the sense of the vulgar Latin that Latin Edition shall be to vs the Canoninall Scripture Post habito câ—ntrario sensu Hebrâ—aicae vel Graecâ—â— lectionis And whereas many of their owne side since the Councell of Trent haue found diuers faults and errours in the Latin as Vega Sixtâ—s Senensis Canus Tayva Lâ—ndanus c. Yet Azorius excuseth the matter saying They are not errours against faith and good manners but onely in some places clariùs siâ—nificantiùs proprius latinâ—ùs reddi potuerint non tamen verius aut simpliciter certiùs things might more clearely significantly properly and in better Latin haue beene deliuered but not more tâ—â—ely or simply more certainly Thus saith Azorius but our Bishop Morton sheweth them many great intolerable corruptions concerning Faith and Manners and in matters in Controuersie Apol Cathol paâ—t 2. lib. 1. cap. 11 12 13. and in his Prot. Appeal lib 4. cap. 18. § 3. As also many other Protestant Writers doe But were in true that Azorius saith his reason might authorize a translation to be profitable and comfortable to the people to reade in any tongue which they vnderstand but cannot make a Translation more authenticall then the originall or not liable to be examined and corrected by the Originall That were to preferre mens conceit before Gods most absolute truth and is no better then impiety See Rainolds and Hart confer chap. 6. divis 2. pag. 244. c. D. Whitakers D. Field Church Booke 4. chap 25 26. specially 27. whereas you make your vulgar Latin authenticall also and of greater authority then the Greeke and Hebrew where they differ from it we must neeeds forsake you 4 We make the written word of God Artic. 6. 1562. the ground of our faith and hold nothing necessary to be beleeued to saluation but what is there either deliuered in expresse words or thence deducted by necessary consequence Your owne learned men confâ—sse this course to be good o Bellar. de Iustif lib. 3 cap. 8. §. Prima ratio non potest aliquid certum esse certitudine fiâ—ei nisi aut immediatè continetur in verbo dei aut ex verbo dei per euidentem consequentiam deducatur Fides enim non est nisi verbi dei authoritate â—itatur Neâ—ue de hoc principio vel Catholici vel Haeretici ibitant Faber Stapaâ—ensis In his Preface to the Evangelists which Preface now the Roman Doctors appoint to be left out in the new Prints by their Indices Expurgatorij saith thus The Scripture sufficeth and is the onely rule of eternall life whatsoeuer agrees not to it is not so necessary as superfluous The Primitiue Church knew no other rule but the Gospell no other scope but Christ no other worship then was due to the Indiuiduâ—ll Trinity I
Churches and Monasteries Cochleus lib. 5. Petrus Messias in Sigismundo they brake downe the Images there and not long after vnder the conduct of Joannes Zisca a noble and victorious Warriour they grew to be forty thousand strong in one Armie and got into their hands the Castle of Prague the chiefe City of Bohemia Shortly after contemning the Curses and Croysados of Pope Martin they wanne many victories vnder the leading of Procopius and other Captaines but especially vnder Zisca of whom a lib. 5. Cochleus saith scarce any Histories of the Greekes Hebrewes or Latins doth mention such a Generall He built a new City of Refuge for his men named Thabor whereof the best of the Hussites were called Thaborites Vpon a new Croisado of Pope Martin wherein hee promised remission of sinnes to all that would either fight or contribute money against the Hussites forty thousand German Horsemen were gathered to destroy them §. 6. but vpon their approach they turned their backes and fled not without some secret Iudgement of God saith Cochleus b lib. 6. Then was the Councell of Basil called saith c Onuph ib. Onuphrius against the Hussites and in that Councell contrary to the Act of the Councell of Constance d Session 13. the vse of the Cup in the Sacrament was granted to the Bohemians an argument of their great numbers and vnresistable strength at that time For the Bookes of Hus full of wholsome and mouing Doctrine liued though he was dead and through the memory of his constant standing for the Truth against the whole Councell and the Councâ—ls perfidious and outragious burning of a man so learned so painfull so greatly beloued and lamented his bookes were earnestly desired and read and wanne many The like wrought the memory of Ierom his admirable learning eloquence memory and patience in his death e Poggius Epist ad Leonardum Aret. num which Poggius in an Epistle doth very much commend being an eye-witnesse and feelingly describes the same as one much affected with his excellent parts Recorded also by Cochleus f Lib. 3. So that notwithstanding the continuall opposition against them they continually encreased and in short time got a Bishop Suffâ—agan to the Archbishop of Prage g Ib. lib. 4. and after him Conradus the Archbishop himselfe on their side to giue orders to their Clerkes and to helpe for the compiling a confession of their faith anno 1421 h Ib. lib. 5. Which the Archbishop and many Barons afterwards did stiffely maintaine and complained against the Emperour Sigismund for offering wrong to those of their Religion Alexander Duke of Lituania gaue them aid and was reproued by pope Martin 5 for it And Sigismund in fine in a treaty with the Bohemians granted that the Bishops should promote to holy orders the Bohemians euen Hussites which were of the Vniuersity of Prage i Ib. lib. 8. §. 7. Aeneas Sylvius complaineth that about the yeare 1453. the Kingdome of Bohemia was wholly gouerned by Heretickes for that all the Nobility and all the Commonalty were subiect to one George or Gyrzikâ— who then was gouernor vnder K Ladislaus afterwards was King himselfe Who with all his Nobles shewing vndaunted constancy and resolution rather to dye then forsake their Religion caused the pope Pius to tolerate many things in them But his successor Paul the second excommuicated King George publishing a Croisado against him and gaue his Kingdome to Matthias King of Hungary for which they warred for seuen yeares space and in the end concluded a peace But while some Princes mediated to the pope for King George his absolution Abbot ib. §. 18. he dyed anno 1471. not long before Luthers rising §. 8. And your k Cochleus lib. 2. Cochleus who wrote his history in Luthers time sheweth that the Hussites continued to those dayes For saith he Hus hath slaine soules for an hundred yeares together neither doth he yet cease to slay them by the second death And againe l Ibid. Hus did so rend the vnity of the Church that at this day there remaineth a pittifull division in Bohemia And m lib. 8. vnto this day remayneth the sect of the Thaborites in many places of Bohemia and Moravia vnder the name Picards and VValdenses And n lib. 12. in the yeere 1534 he wisheth that he may see the remainders of the Hussites to returne to the Church and the Germans to cast out all new sects And it is certaine that in the very yeare 1517. wherein Luther began to oppose the corruptions of Rome the Councell of Lateran ended vnder pope Leo the tenth and consultation was had there and then of reforming the manners of the Church and of recouering the Bohemians to the vnity thereof o See the booke extant And D. Featlieâ— Replie to Fisher pag. 154. Luther himselfe writeth a Preface to the confession of faith which the Waldenses then odiously called Picards dwelling in Bohemia Moravia did set forâ—h which he greatly approueth coÌ„mendeth to godly men to read with thankes to God for the vnity which he found betwixt them and vs as the sheepe of one fold Besides we find many Waldenses remaining in France §. 9. in and after Luthers time p Vesembeâ— Oration of the Waldenses citat in history Wald. booke 1. cap. 5. See ib. booke 2. cap. 8. Anno 1506 Lewis 12. King of France hearing much euill of the VValdenses in his Realme sent the Lord Adam Fumce Master of Requests and Parvi a Doctor of Sorbon his Confessor to try the truth who visiting all their parishes and Temples in Provence found indeed no Images nor ornaments of Masses or other Ceremonies but they found also no such crimes could be found in them as were reported but that they Religiously obserued the Sabboth dayes baptized their children after the order of the Primitiue Church taught them the articles of the Christian faith and the Commandements of God c. Vpon which report the King said and bound it with an oath that they were better men then he or his people The same King being informed that in the valley of Frassinier in the Diocesse of Ambrun in Dauphiney there were a certaine people that liued like beasts without Religion hauing an euill opinion of the Romish Religion he sent his Confessor with the officiall of Orleance to bring him true information thereof who found them all so truely righteous and religious that the Confessor wished in the presence of many that He were as good a Christian as the worst of the said valley q Ioachim Camerar in his hist pag. 152. King Francis 1. successor to Lewis 12. seeing th Parliament of Provence grieuously afflict the VValdenses of Merindal Cambriers and places adioyning appointed VVilliam de Ballay Lord of Langeay then his Leiutenant in Piedmont to search and informe him more fully of them Vpon whose information of their piety honesty charity peaceablenesse painfulnesse
them and stirre vp the people and then all subiects will forsake their princes and serue the pope against them all Religious persons will be their Trumpâ—ters Captaines and Leaders all Cloysters Abbeyes and Colledges will be as good as Castles vnto them the promise of heauen a sufficient pay and the threatning of death not onely temporall which happily might be contemned or avoyded but eternall which by disobeying the pope is thought to be vnauoydable is terrour enough and all these giue courage enough to doe their bâ—st for the pope against all princes of the world Sir Iohn Hayward of Supremacy pag. 62. By this meanes eight Emperours besides other Kings and princes haue been excommunicate by the pope namely Fredericke the first Fredericke the second Philip Conrade Otho the fourth Lewis of Bauaria Henry the fourth and fift which was occasion enough for their subiects to revolt and for other Princes to inuade The succeeding Emperours partly vnwilling but principally vnable to sustaine so sad and heauy blowes submitted themselues to the papall power and renounced the right which by long custome they claimed and held I omit the troubles of other princes and Nations and of our owne also in formâ—r times of our Kings Henries and Iohn Our late troubles in the times of our most gracious Soueraignes Elizabeth and Iames are fresh in memory to the detestation of the Authors thereof and they are published to the world in their owne bookes See the booke entituled Important Considerations set forth by the Secular Romish Priests in England anno 1601. with Watson the Priests Preface or Epistle before it The secular Priests sticke not to relate to the world what they cannot hide the treasons insurrections inuasions and other troubles which I haue reckoned vp before and more also plotted by the Pope and his Agents to bring Queene Elizabeth and her Kingdomes to confusion Pius Quintus his plot ioyning with the King of Spaine to depose her by his Bull and execute it by the Northerne Rebellion 1569. And after anno 1572. by D. Sanders booke De visibili Monarchia iustifying that course and shewing the world how the pope had sent Morton and Webb Priests to stirre vp the Nobles and Gentlemen to take Armes against the Queene Then how Stukeley was made a great Lord and Marquesse of Ireland by the pope to take Jreland from the English but miscarried by the way After how Doctor Sanders came furnished by the Pope to take Ireland by Inuasion and Rebellion and there dyed miserable and mad After this how Gregory 13 renued the pestilent Bull of Pius 5 cursing and disabling the Queene to raigne and anno 1580. sent into England Campian Parsons and other Iesuites to perswade the subiects to execute it assuring them of a mighty inuasion from Spaine to ioyne with them and how these wicked practises iustly inforced straiter lawes to bee made against such Vipers For what Prince or state of any force or Mettall could endure their owne ruine to be wrought with their eyes open and their hands vnbound Then followed his Holinesse displaying his banner as a temporall Prince in Ireland to dispossesse the Queene and afterwards the Duke of Guises practises to transferre the English Crowne to the Q. of Scotland imploying therin Mendoza the Spanish Leager Ambassadour Throgmorton and others And anno 1583. Arden and Somerviles treason Then Doctor Parries to murder the Queene Againe Babington and his fellowes treason discouered anno 1586. And sir William Stanlies 1567. and the great Spanish Armado 1588. Then the Bull of Sixtus Quintus against the Queene And new Seminaries errected in Spaine by the procurement of Parsons the Iesuite whence issued 13 accomplished Priests to infuse Treasons into Englishmens braines anno 1591. to prepare them for a new Inuasion And anno 1592. Heskot was sent by the Iesuites to stirre the Earle of Darby to Rebellion After this Father Holt a Iesuite perswaded Patricke Colen to murder her Maiestie And anno 1593. Doctor Lopus his poysoning plot was discouered also Holt the Iesuite animated Yorke and Williams to shed her blood and Walpool the Iesuite set on Edward Squire to poyson her saddle Pommell After this for the other intended Inuasion the Spanish Fleet put twice to Sea and both times were sea beaten torne and dispersed Meane-season Father Parsons in printed bookes entituled The Jnfanta of Spaine to the Crowne of England and vsed all possible meanes to make it take place All these vncatholicke vnchristian inhumane courses the secular Priests confesse condemne and lament laying all the fault thereof from themselues and other Roman Catholâ—ckes vpon the Iesuites We doe all acknowledge say they that by our learning Ecclesiasticall persons by vertue of their Calling Important consid pag. 37. are onâ—ly to meddle with Praying Preach ng and administring the Sacraments and such other like spirituall functions and not to study how to murder Princes nor to licitate Kingdomes Jb. pag 38. nor to intrude themselues into matter of state-Priests of what order soeuer ought not by force of Armes to plant or water the Catholicke Faith but In spiritu lenitatis mansuetudinis to propagate and defend it So it was in the Primitiue Church ouer all the world The ancient Christians though they had sufficient forces did not oppose themselues in armes against their Lords Ib. pag. 39. See the Epistle Dedicatory of B. Carlton before his booke of Iurisdiction the Emperors though of another Religion The Catholicke Faith for her stability and continuance hath no need of any treachery or Rebellion it is more dishonoured with treasons and wicked policies of carnall men then any way furthered or aduanced Thus the Priests giuing vs a good hint what to iudge of their Religion that hath euermore beene thus planted and propagated It is not the Catholik Faith and Religion of the Ancients But erroneous superstition is alwayes more violent then true Religion They giue vs an Item also what our English Roman Catholiks may looke for if the Spaniard should preuaile Watson in his Epistle to the Important Considerations saith The old King of Spaine aimed at the Crown of England with the death of her Maiestie and subuersion of the State and the vtter ruine of the whole I le and the ancient Inhabitants thereof and neuer once shewed any care or respect that he had to the restoring of the Catholik Romish Faith amongst the English Nay his direct course was taken quite contrary still to extirpate the name of all Catholikes that were English out from the face of the earth Therefore he would not aid Stukeley to get Ireland for the pope and also charged the Duke of Medina his generall in 88 rather to spare Protestants then Catholikes And the Booke of important Considerations written by themselues pag. 25. saith It is well knowne that the Duke of Medina Sidonia had giuen it out directly that if once he might land in England both Catholikes and Heretiks that came in his way should be all
the Fathers taught Page 149 Paragraph § 2 As appeares by Irenaeus Tertullian and the Creeds Page 150 Paragraph § 3 But the Romists cannot alleadge the Fathers for their new doctrines much lesse the Scriptures Page 151 Paragraph Subsect 2. The second subsection concerning the latter times Page 152 Paragraph § 1 Propounding 1 the Easterne and Greeke Churches 2 Waldenses c. and 3 the Roman Church it selfe misliking and groaning vnder the tyranny of the Papacy and desiring reformation Page 152 Paragraph § 2 The Greeke Church condemned by the Romish as hereticall Page 153 Paragraph § 3 Is cleared by Scotus Lombard Aquinas and others Page 153 Chap. 1. Sect 3. The third section shewing that the Waldenses were of the Protestant Religion hath foure subsections The first of their doctrine pag. 155. The second of their great numbers and visibility pag. 166. The third of their large spreading into all Countries pag. 177 the fourth of their continuance vntill Luthers time and after pag 181. Subsect 1. The first Subsection Paragraph § 1 Of the Waldenses Page 155 Paragraph § 2 Their diuers names but all of one Religion Page 155 Paragraph § 3 To wit of the Protestant Religion as say Aeneas Syluius Du Brauius Poplinerius Cocleus Gretserus Eckius c. Page 156 Paragraph § 4 Many bad opiniâ—ns badly and falsly imputed to thâ—m Page 158 Paragraph § 5 Nine Articles different from the Protestants ascribed vnto them by Parsons the Iesuite but cleared by authenticke Authors Page 160 The second subsection Paragraph § 1 Of the great number of the Waldenses Page 166 Paragraph § 2 Their disputations with the Romish Doctors Page 168 Paragraph § 3 Mighty warres against them as against the Popes most potent enemies The popes euery way laboured to subdue them by continuall cursings warres and Inquisitions by Fryars new sprung vp about 12 hundred yeeres after Christ threescore thousand put to the sword at once Page 169 Paragraph § 4 Carcasson a great and strong City taken by composition and made the head City of the warre and the famous Simon Montfort made Generall Page 171 Paragraph § 5 6 and 7 New Armies against the Waldenses gathered out of all Christendome by the popes Croysadoes pardoning sinnes and giuing saluation to all that would fight against them as before § 3. pag. 170. Tolous taken The King of Aragon in ayde of the Waldenses intercepted by ambush and slaine Page 172 Paragraph § 8 Tolous recouered by the Waldenses Simon slaine The King of France continueth the Warres sends his owne sonne crossed with a great Army and diuers other Armies after but to little purpose For the Waldenses otherwise called the Albigenses prospered and recouered Carcasson fourteene yeeres after the losse of of it and spred exceedingly in many Countries Page 174 Paragraph § 9 The Earle of Tolous submits to the Pope but finding himselfe deceiued betwixt the pope and his Legate he fortifies Auignon The King of France besieged it sware neuer to depart till he had taken it but finally after great losses died mad The Legate vnable by force gets it by fraud and periury Page 175 Paragraph § 10 Tolous ouerthrowes the French Armies The Pope and French King offers him peace The great warres cease Councels are held to root out the Albigenses Page 176 Paragraph § 11 Ignorance not onely of Scriptures but of Histories makes men loue the Pope Page 177 Subsect 3. The third subsection Paragraph Sheweth how the Waldenses were spread into all Countries namely for example Spaine England Scotland Jtaly Germany Bohemia Saxony Pomerania Polonia Livâ—nia Lituania Digonicia Bulgaria Croatia Dalmatia Constantinople Sclauonia Sarmatia Philadelphia In all parts of France In Italy also they had Churches in Lombardy Millan Romagnia Vicence Florence val Spoletine c. Page 177 Subsect 4. The fourth subsection Paragraph § 1 The Waldenses continued aboue 400 yeeres vntill Luthers time and after Page 181 Paragraph § 2 Jn England by meanes of Wicliffe Page 182 Paragraph § 3 Wicliffes Doctrine and many followers Oxford Diuines Page 182 Paragraph § 4 5 6 and 7. The story of Iohn Hus Ierom of Prage and Bohemian affaires Page 189 Paragraph § 8 and 9 The continuance of the Waldenses after Luthers time Luther wrote a Preface to one of their bookes commending it Letters passed betwixt them and Oecolampadius Bucer Calvine c. Page 192 Chap. 1. Sect. 4. The fourth Section Paragraph § 1 Shewing that the Church of Rome excepting the Papacy and the maintainers thereof continued to be the true Church of God and the same with ours vntill Luthers time proued by many Protestant Diuines Luther Caluin Beza Morney Melanchthon Bucer Master Deering Master Richard Hooker Bishop Vsher Bishop Carlton Bishop White Doctor Field c. Page 195 Paragraph § 2 Their reasons Paragraph § 3 But now the state of that Church is much altered since the new light in Luthers time fully discouering and publishing the corruptions thereof and since their obstinate defending their corruptions and imposing them as Defide Page 200 Paragraph § 4 Especially since the great alteration and addition of faith made by the Councell of Trent Page 202 CHAP. 2. Paragraph Answering the vaine alleadging of some words and customes and the corrupt alleadging of the Fathers words against the Protestants Page 205 Paragraph § 1 Obiection Nonâ— alleadged in the former Chapter agreed with the Protestants in all things Ergo are not of their Church or Religion Page 206 Paragraph § 2 Answered It is no consequent For so also euery one of them differed from the present Romish Religion and yet the Romish account them theirs Protestants haue iustly abstained from some words and phrazes of some Fathers Page 206 Paragraph § 3 And also haue left off some ceremonies customs Page 209 Paragraph § 4 As the Church of Rome hath left many here mentioned knowne to be ancient and thought to be Apostolicall Page 210 Paragraph § 5 Which confutes the vanity of W.G. his booke shewes his owne alleadged authors by his owne argument to bee none of his Church and Religion Page 214 Paragraph § 6 By the same argument many Fathers for example Athanasius Ierom Gelasius Gregory Chrysostome Augustine are plentifully proued to be against the present Church and Religion of Rome Page 216 Paragraph § 7 Foure seuerall wayes at the least the Romish make shew of the Fathers to be for them very deceitfully The first by alleadging counterfeit bookes falsly bearing the Fathers names Many examples hereof Page 223 Paragraph § 8 The second by corrupting the bookes which the Fathers wrote putting words in or out and altering the text and so printing them new making them speake now contrary to their meaning Examples hereof Page 228 Paragraph § 9 The third by blinding or perverting the sense of the Fathers sentences by glozes and interpretations Instances Page 232 Paragraph § 10 The fourth by citing the Fathers to proue that which is not in question Examples thereof Page 234 CHAP. 3.
the Popes gainfull Indulgences and Pardons or for defence of their exorcised Holy-water or other ceremonies which would haue been matter of scorne and laughter rather then of persecution from the Heathen Neither dyed they for defending the Popes now-claimed Supremacy ouer all the Clergy people and Princes of the Christian world direct or indirect which in those times and many ages after was neuer thought of nor claimed and vpon the first claime thereof was most odious and hatefull to the best Christians and threw the world on heapes by grieuous warres and dissolutions nor for other points which the Church of Rome now maintaineth different from vs and which we refuse And therefore the great flourish which you make of the antiquity of your Church including all the points which at this day you doe with all policy and violence maintaine vtterly failes you and indeed makes against you For they are not the ancient doctrines of the Church but later or newer inuentions and corruptions so that in respect of them your Religion is new and not ours you are the Innouators and not we B. Vsher De Eccles successione pag. 66. The very same nouelty which you impute to the Protestants Wiclife long agoe imputed to your Fryars crying out as in an agony Good Lord what moued Christ being most omnipotent most wise most louing to hide this faith of the Fryars for a thousand yeeres and neuer taught his Apostles and so many Saints the true faith See hereafter chap. 6. sect 2. §. 4.5 6. but taught it these Hypocrites now first which neuer came into the Church vntill the impure spirit of Satan was loosed Antiquus Sir I would it were so for my countries sake that wee might enioy such a happily reformed Church as you speake of with true comfort to our consciences and hearty obedience to our Princes Lawes and all loue and happinesse of the Kingdome and of our States But all you haue yet said are but words you must giue me leaue to suspend my beleefe thereof vntill you make good proofe of what you affirme Antiquissimus The Poet said well Non est beatus esse qui se non putat No man is happy be he neuer so well if he thinke himselfe not so English men may be happy Bona si sua norint If they will but know their owne happiesse In deed what both you and I haue said yet are but generall words Wee must first say and afterwards proue You haue set downe your assertion I mine Mine I am ready substantially to proue euen out of your owne Authors and Bookes which you cannot disallow which I am well assured hauing read your strongest Bookes you can neuer doe for yours CHAP. 2. Of corruptions in the Church Sheweth 1 that particular Churches may erre as did 2 those of the Old Testament and 3 of the New for which 4 we find many reasons in the Scriptures 5 The Roman Church is not excepted but 6 warned thereof and 7 it hath been corrupted de facto Yea 8 Rome is the mysticall Babylon and 9 the seat of Antichrist and 10 taynted with foule impieties as well foregoing as following Antichrist Antiquus BY your Imputation of errours and abuses to the most Illustrious Church of Rome Rom. 1. so much glorified by S. Pauls writing vnto it so much honoured by the antient Fathers so renowned in all after ages you seeme to hold that all the Churches in the world may erre and be corrupt Antiquissimus We doe not hold that the whole Church of God may erre at any time in points fundamentall which constitute the essence of the Church and are absolutely necessary to saluation For then the Church should cease to be in the world Antiquus Good Antiquissimus See D. Field Church lib. 4. cap. 4 5. But particular Churches may both erre and fall away as some of the Churches haue done which flourished in the Apostles times and to which they wrote Epistles the Hebrew Church the Corinthian Ephesian c. Antiquus You speake contrarieties and absurdities for the whole Church consists of particulars and if all particulars may erre and fall away then the whole may Antiquissimus It is no more contrariety or absurdity then to say all particular men may be diseased and dye away but whole mankind cannot dye away till the end of the world although whole mankind consisteth of particulars For they may be diseased and dye by succession See Bellar. De Pont. Rom. lib. 4. cap 4. initio not all at once others by succession comming in their roomes and so of Churches No man saith all particular Churches may fundamentally erre and faile at once for then indeed the whole Church should cease to be in the world but euery one in their seuerall times may faile when others may hold the truth Rom. 11.17 As some branches of the Oliue tree may bee cut off while others grow and while others be grafted in and those that are grafted in may for want of goodnesse bee cut off also in their times and the first or others grafted in Ioh. 15. But the good husband of the Church will not suffer the whole Oliue or Vine to bee without fruitfull branches by cutting off all at once but when he pruneth off some will cherish and dresse the rest Rom. 11.25 Thus the blindnesse of the Iewes for a time procured the fulnesse of the Gentiles Verse 22. who may peece-meale be cut off Verse 23. if they continue not in goodnesse and the Iewes may be grafted in againe Antiquus Similitudes may well illustrate but cannot conuince the iudgement you must bring demonstrations if you will haue me yeeld Exod 32. Num. 16. Iud. 2.11 19. 3 7. 4.1 6.1 8.33 10.6 c. 1 Kings 11. 12.28 15.13 18.21 Gen. 35.2 Exod. 32.20 Iosua 24.15 1 Sam. 7.4 2 Kings 18.4 22.8 23. 2 Chro. 17.6 §. 2. Antiquissimus I will by Gods grace doe it briefly First that grosse errors and abuses may creepe into Gods true Church is manifest De facto in the Church of the Old Testament The Bookes of Moses Judges Samuel Kings and Chronicles are full of the peoples falling to Idolatry and corrupting the Law of God And there are many worthy reformations of those corruptions described wrought by Iacob Moses Iosua Samuel Hezekiah Iosia Iehosaphat and others And as these corruptions were frequent so sometimes very generall While Jeroboams people practised Idolatry in Israel 1 King 12.28 c. Rehoboams people in the other Kingdome forsooke the Law of the Lord 2 Chron. 12.1 So that all the face of GODS Church which was then onely in those two Kingdomes became mightily depraued and Idolatrous Aholah and Aholibah that is Samaria and Jerusalem Ezech. 23.1 4. did both falsifie their faith to God and plaid the harlots with strange gods yet the whole Church failed not For as in Eliahs time when hee thought himselfe alone
passe which Christ so many yeares before had foretold Thus writes Aventine of the times of Gregory the seuenth formerly called Hildebrand Waltramus Bishop of Naumburg and Lambertus Schasuaburgensis and Gerhohus Be cherspergensis say Now was Satan let loose out of prison Sir Iohn Haywooâ— of Supremacy pag. 68. Maâ—hiavel dispat de rep l. 1. c. 12. Hospâ—n de Orig. Monach. l. 6. c. 66. For Piety and Religion now did not onely decline by degrees but ran headlong to a ruinous downefall and there was no where lesse piety then in those that dwelt nearest to Rome as Machiavel obserued This Hildebrand called afterwards Gregory the seuenth liued in this tenth Age beginning his Papacy Anno 1076. The Canons or Dictates of this Hillebrand Onuphr in vita Gregorij 7 col 248. B. Vsher ib. cap. 5. §. 17. Greg. 7. Kegest lib. 2 post epist 55. tom 3. Conâ—â— edit Binij part 2. pag. 1196. which he deuised or executed beyond all his Predecessors saith Onuphrius were many and strange whereof these are the chiefest 1 That the Bishop of Rome onely is by right called vniuersall 2 That he may ordaine Clerkes in euery Church where he will 3 That the greater causes of euery Church ought to be referred to that Sea 4 That he alone can depose Bishops or reconcile them 5 That his Legat is aboue all other Bishops though he be of inferiour degree and that he may giue the sentence of deposition against them 6 That he alone may for the necessity of times make new lawes 7 That he alone may vse the Imperiall Ensignes 8 That his feet alone all Princes must kisse 9 That he may absolue subiects from their fidelity to wicked Princes 10 That he alone may depose Princes and Emperours 11 That his sentence way not be retracted by any man and he alone may retract all mens 12 That he ought not to be judged of any man 13 That he is not to be accounted Catholicke that concordeth not with the Roman Church 14 That the Church of Rome did neuer erre neither euer can erre 15 That the Bishop of Rome if he be Canonically ordained is by the merits of S. Peter vndoubtedly made holy 16 That no Councell without his command ought to be called generall Onuphr ib. col 250. Sir Iohn Hâ—y â—ard Supremacy pag. 57 Avenâ—â—n Annal. Boiorum lib. 7 â—ribuit hanc sententiam Eberhardo Salisburiensi Episcopo Hildebrandus primus specie religionis Antichristi imperij fundamenta jecit Hoc bellum nesandum primus auspicatus est quod per successorâ— hucusque continuatur And A entine hâ—â—â—elfe in the fiâ—t booke writes thus 17 That no Chapter or Booke in the Bible shall be accounted Canonicall without his authority 18 That no man dare to condemne him that appealeth to the Apostolicke Sea c. Vpon these foundations saith Onuphirius he laid his steps and stayres and made his way to effect all that in his mind he had conceiued This man was the first that enterprized to be elected and consecrated Pope without consent of the Emperour and set forth a Decree to excommunicate all that affirmed the consent or knowledge of the Emperour to be necessary to the election of Popes He saith Auentine was the first that vnder colour of Religion built vp the Popes Empire primus Jmperrium pontificium condidit which his successors for 400 and 50 yeares together maugre the world maugre the Emperours invito mudo invitis Imperatoribus haue so drawne out that they haue brought into seruitude high and low put them vnder their yoke and terrified all with their thunder that the Roman Emperour is now nothing but onely a name without a body without glory §. 10. Onuphrius speakes enough also though he was a great fauourer and amplifier of the Popes dignity Onuphâ—n vita Gregor 7. col 271 272. Thus he writes Him alone that is Hildebrand may all the Latin Churches but especially the Roman thanke for freedome from the Emperours hand and for the large endowment or wealth riches and profanaditione worldly iurisdiction and for being preferred and set ouer Kings Emperours and all Christian Princes and shortly to speake in a word by him it attained to that great and high estate whereby the Church of Rome is become the Mistris of all Christians whereas before as a poore handmaid tanguam vilis ancilla it was held vnder not onely by the Emperours but by euery Prince that was aided by the Emperour from him Hildebrand flowed the right jus of that great and almost infinite power of the Roman Bishop so feareful and venerable in all Ages For although before the Roman Bishops were honoured as the heads of Christian Religion Christs Vicars and Peters successors yet their authority stretched no further then to the propounding or maintaining of poinâ—s of faith but their persons were subiect to the Emperous all was done by the Emperours appointment by them the Popes were created of them the Popes of Rome durst not iudge or determine any thing All the Bishops of Rome Gregory the seuenth was the first trusting to the Armes of the Normans and the wealth of Maud the Countesse a powerfull woman in Italy and inflamed by the German Princes discords wasting themselues by ciuâ—ll warres beyond the custome of his Ancestors contemning the authority and power of the Emperor when he had obtained the Popedome dared not onely to excommunicate but further to depriue of his Kingdome and Empire the Emperour himselfe by whom if he was not elected yet he was confirmed in his Popedome Res ante easecula inaudita A thing neuer heard of before that Age. For the Fables which are reported of Arcadius Anastasius and Leo Iconomachus nihil moror I recke not of Whereupon Otto Frisingensis a Writer of those times Lego relego saith thus I reade ouer and ouer the Acts of the Roman Kings and Bishops but I neuer find any of them before this Henry excommunicated by the Bishop of Rome or depriued of his Kingdome B. Vsher grauiss quaest cap. 5. §. 8 9 c. c. Thus writes Onuphrius The like with Otto writes Gotfridus Viterbiensis Joannes Trithenius and others alleadged with these by our Bishop Vsher Of Hildebrand not onely Cardinall Benno who liued in his time and wrote his life but many others do write very prodigiousand diuellish things as Paulus Bernriedensis Ioannes Trithenus Ioh. Aventinus Marianus Scotus Otto Frisingensis Conradus Liechtenavius Abbas Vrspergensis Carolus Sigonius and Onuphrius that he was a Magician a Necromancer and by helpe of the Diuell got the Popedome and that he was so judged by thirty Bishops gathered together out of Italy Frace and Germany in Synodo Brixinae Noricae anno 1080. Although the late Iesuite and Cardinall Baronius would excuse him He propagated the doctrine of Deuils forbidding marriage to the Clergy and commanding abstinence from meates I Tim. 4.1 3. about which many troubles and euils arose in the Church In the Histories of
mid-day in the open light come to deceiue the residue that still are in Christ persisting in their simplicity For he hath supped vp the riuers of wise men and torrents of powerfull men Iob 40.23 and hath hope that Jordan will run in his mouth that is The humble and simple that are in the Church For he is Antechrist which counterfetteth himselfe to be not onely the day 2 Thess 2.4 8. but the midday and extols himselfe aboue all that is worshipped as God whom the Lord Iesus will slay with the breath of his mouth and destroy in the appearing of his comming Bern. in Psal 90. vel 91. ser 6. This conclusion also he repeats writing vpon the Psalme Qui habitat Superest vt reueletur homo peccati c. It remaineth that the Man of sinne be reuealed the sonne of perdition Daemonium non modo diurnum sed meridianum quod non solum transfiguratur in Angelum lucis sed extollitur super omne quod dictur Deus aut quod colitur c. Bern. serm 1. in convers Pauli And elsewhere Saint Bernard makes his complaint to God O God thy neere friends come neere to stand against thee The whole Vniueâ—sity of Christian people from the least to the greatest seeme to haue conspired against thee From the sole of the feet to the crowne of the head there is no soundnesse Iniquity is gone out from the elder Iudges thy Vicars Of Bernard see more in D. â—â—eld Appendix to the fift booke of the Church part 1. pag. 88 89. which seem to rule thy people and now we cannot say such people such Priest for the people are not so as the Priest Alas alas O Lord God those are the first chiefe in persecution who seeme to loue and beare the first and chiefe place in thy Church c. Johannes Sarisburiensis told Hadrian the fourth Joh Sarisbur in Policratic lib. 6. cap. 24. plainly what the world thought of him and his Prelats that the Roman Church shewed her selfe not a mother but a step mother to all other Churches For in it sit the Scribes and Pharises laying importable burdens vpon mens shoulders which themselues will not touch with one finger They hurt very oft and herein they follow the Deuils which then are thought to doe good when they cease to doe harme except a very few who performe the name and office of Pastors Sed ipse Romanus Pontifex omnibus grauis fere intolerabilis est that is euen the Bishop of Rome himselfe is grieuous to all and almost intollerable Aliacus de Reformatione Ecclesiae Caesarius Heisterbach hist lib. 2. cap. 29. These times were euill the succeeding much worse Of which Petrus de Aliaco Cardinall of Cambray said It was a prouerbe in his time Ad hunc statum venit Romana ecclesia vt non esset digna regi nisi per reprobos The Church of Rome was come to that state that it was not worthy to be gouerned but onely by Reprobates Robert Grosthead Matth. Paris in Henric. 3. See this History abridged in D. Field church appendix part 1. pag. 97. B. Carlton Iurisd cap. 8. §. 111. a very learned and holy Bishop of Lincolne liuing anno 1140. wrote sharpely to the Pope for the euils he did specially in England that he was opposite to Christ a murderer of soules and an Hereticke in these his courses c. Vpon receit of which letters the Pope was exceedingly moued threatning to cast downe this Bishop into the pit of all confusion but was pâ—câ—fied by the more moderate Cardinals telling him of this Bishops holinesse learning reputation and since there must be a departure from their Church the medling with such an excellent man might occasion it the things which he proued being full and manifest Archb. Abboâ— contra Hill reason 1. §. 28. William Ockam an Englishman a great Schooleman liuing anno 1320. for his large reproofe of the Papacy in many points in his bookes he was excommunicated by the pope and dyed willingly vnder that sentence Catalog testium verit lib 18. D. Field ch l. 3. c. 11. He cryed out of peruerting Scriptures Fathers and Canons of the Church with shamelesse and Harlots foreheads and that many that should be pillars of the Church did cast themselues headlong into the pit of Heresies See B. Carlton Iurisdiction cap. 1. §. 11. Michael Cesenas liued anno 1320. he was generall of the Order of the Minorites he wrote against three constitutions of Pope Iohn 22. and was by Iohn depriued and disabled from taking any other dignity but Cesena appealed from the Pope as from the head of faction in the Church to the Roman Catholicke and Apostolicke Church and was fauoured therein by Ockam and many famous learned men and by the two Vniuersities of Oxford and Paris Nicholas Clemangis Archidiaconus Baiocensis liuing anno 1417. in his booke De corupto Ecclesiae statu writes very sharpely against the Popes ambition and couetousnesse preying vpon all Churches and bringing them into miserable slauery and against the stately Cardinals and other vices of the Clergy Gerson lib. de concil o vnius obedientiae and in many other bookes John Gerson Chancellor of Paris anno 1429. writes the like wishing that all things should be reformed and brought backe to their ancient state in or neere the Apostles times Of Gersons doctrine see D. Field Appendix to the fifth booke of the Church part 2. p. 73. seq Petrus de Aliaco Cardinalis Cameracensis liuing about the same time wrote to the Councell of Constance a booke wherin he reprooueth many notable abuses of the Romanists and giueth aduice how to redresse them Arch. Abbot ibid. §. 13. Laurentius Valla a Patricias of Rome and Canon of Saint Iohns of Lateran liuing about the same time wrote against the forged Donation of Constantine and many abuses of the Pope and was by the Pope driuen into exile I might here speake of Leonardus Aretinus Antonius Cornelius Lynnichanus and diuers other writers reprouing the same things §. 13. Antiquus Let them alone for these whom you haue alledged speake not of any false doctrines of the Church of Rome but onely against the wicked liues of the Professors Antiquissimus Yes against both and especially because they laboured by false doctrine to iustifie their doings and therefore they write not onely against the Pope but against the Papacy the very office that challenged a right to doe such things as the Pope and his Clergy did The two Cardinals Cameracensis and Cusanus Camer in his booke to the Councell of Constance Cusanus Concord Cathol lib. 2. wholly condemned the Papacy as we do denying the Popes vniuersality of Iurisdiction vncontroulable power infallible iudgement and right to meddle with Princes states making him nothing but the first Bishop in order and honour amongst the Bishops of the Christian Church And this claimed power of the Pope
many nay But the issues of these Ladies were very vnfortunate and many calamities proceeded from these marriages as he there reports Yet the pope dispensed with all this partly to bind the French vnto him and partly to bridle the Emperour whom he would not haue grow too great by addition of Britany to his State Besides he needed not much care for this present Emperour Maximilian a poore prince full of affaires and of small credit Yea Maximilian himselfe afterwards affected the popedome as Guicciardine reporteth But come we to the affaires of our owne Nation Pope Julius the 2. gaue a dispensation that King Henry the 8. of England might marry Katherine the wife of his brother Arthur deceased A marriage plainly condemned by the Scriptures Leu. 18.16 and 20.21 and Mat. 24.2 4. and by many learned Vniversities Afterwards pope Clement the 7. Hist concil Trid. lib. 1. pag. 68. at Henries sute sent Cardinall Campeggio into England framing a Briefe to dissolue the Kings said marriage with Katherine to be published when some few proofes were passed which he was sure would easily be made and to giue liberty to the King to marry another This anno 1524. but anno 1529. The pope thinking it better to ioyne with the Emperour who was sonne to Katherines sister sent another Nuncio to Campeggio with order to burne the Breefe and to proceed slowly in the cause For the popement to apply himselfe to his best aduantages but the King espying their iugling finally banished the popes authority out of England Annals ibid praepar pag. A. 3. Latin Apparat. p. xij But Queene Mary the daughter of Hâ—nry by the said marriage of Katherine perswaded her selfe that all the right that she had to the Kingdome of England was vpholden by no other meanes then by the power of the pope whose dispensation made that marriage lawfull and gaue sentence of her side after her father had declared her illegitimate and therefore she was bound to cleaue strongly to the Pope Also Charles the 5 Emperour procured a marriage betwixt Philip his sonne of Spaine and Mary Queene of England by a dispensation of pope Iulius the 3. because they were allied in the third degree and that Charles himselfe had contracted to marry her being then vnder age for time to come Ibid. pag. 5. sed â—atin pag. 4. After her death King Philip desirous to keepe England treated seriously of a marriage with Queen Elizabeth his late wiues sister with promise to obtaine a speciall dispensation from the pope Which the King of France fearing it would be granted by the pope laboured secretly to hinder but the hindrance of the marriage was from Queene Elizabeth her selfe Relation of Religion in the West pag. 34. 27. See the whole Tract pag. 25. seq By such dispensations from the pope marriages in the house of Austria haue been so neere that they remaine still as brethren all of one family and as armes of the selfe-same body Keeping their dominions vnited still together without distraction Philip the second of Spaine might call the Archduke Albert both brother cozen nephew and sonne being vncle to himselfe cozen-german to his father husband to his sister and father to his wife Such marriages made lawfull onely by the pope dispensing with the Law of God must needs binde both the parties and issue thereof to be firme to the Papacy and to maintaine that authority by which themselues stand maintained and honoured So searched and penetrant is that Sea of Rome to strengthen it selfe more by vnlawfull marriages of other men then euer Prince yet could doe by the most lawfull marriage of his owne And thus the Pope by some one act ties vnto himselfe the fauour of many friends and many generations Yet may this be thought fit onely for blinded or ill-minded Princes The well-sighted or well-minded need no such cloake nor will make vse of any such for any otherwise vniustifiable courses But if they through their owne ignorance or their Ancestors vniust proiects haue been inuolued in such nets as their conscience now mislikes they may after our King Henries example by Gods booke and the counsell of godly wise and learned men alter their courses abolish his authority that alters Gods Lawes or deludes them and establish their state by more sound meanes Humanum est errare perseuerare diabolicum §. 9. VI. Other dispensations See Verdunt discourse anno 1563. Mense Febr. in hist conc Trid. lib. 7. pag. 676. See Tortura Torti pag 57. for diuers things hurtfull to the Church States and People but very profitable to the Pope and Court of Rome are ordinary About which one Iohannes Verdun spake freely and iudiciously in the Councell of Trent Dispensations saith he are accounted dis-obligations from the Law but Gods Law is perpetuall and remaineth inuiolable for euer The Pope is not Lord and the Church his seruant to bestow fauours as a master vpon his seruants Hee is but a seruant at the best to him who is Spouse of the Church neither can he by dispensing vnbinde any that is bound but onely declare to him that is not bound that he is exempted from the Law Indeed humane Lawes through the imperfection of the Law-makers and Cases not foreseene may admit dispensations in sundry occurrences as exceptions from the generall Law where it may be iustly thought the Law-makers would haue made exceptions if they had foreseene those Cases but where God is the Law-giuer from whom nothing is concealed and by whom no accident is not fore-seene the Law can haue no exception but all his Law is equity it selfe perpetuall and immutable Hist conc Trid. lib. 4. pag. 321. The King of France anno 1551. in a Printed Manifest published to his subiects that they were not to regard the Popes dispensations which were not able to secure the conscience and are nothing but a shadow cast before the eies of men which cannot hide the truth from God Euen in mens lawes Dispensationes sunt legum vlnera Dispensations are deepe wounds In Gods Lawes deadly wounds both to the lawes and to the dispenser for lawes often wounded haue little life left in them and he that wounds them hath little feeling of conscience Christ came not to dissolue the Law but to fulfill it Matth. 5.17 the Pope comes not to fulfill the lawes but to dissolue them He vnbinds subiects oathes to Princes yea bindes subiects with oathes against Princes both against Gods Law binding where he should loose loosing where he should binde as Anti-god and Antichrist He bindes his Catholickes for a time while they want strength they shall not stirre getting strength then they are loosed then stirre killâ— and massacre Thus Gregory the 13. interprets the Bull of Pius the 5. And thus Princes of the old Christian faith that they liue and reigne are beholden to the Catholickes of the new stampe not for their faith but for their weakenesse Hist conc Trent lib.
the pope fauoured the Fryers and curbed the Vniuersities priuiledges §. 5. See Vsherabidem During this contention at Paris The Fryers forged a new Gospell fitter it seemes for their purpose then Christs Gospell and called it the Gospell of the Holy Ghost and the euerlasting Gospell Evangelium aeternum labouring to make men beleeue it was more perfect better and worthier then the Gospell of Christ as the Sunne was more perfect then the Mooue and the kernell of a Nut better then the shell and that Christs Gospell should then cease and this should come in the roome of it and continue for euer And this Gospell continued 55 yeares without any open reprehension of the Church of Rome and at length was set forth to be openly read and expounded in the Vniuersity of Paris anno 1255. But it was opposed by some Parisian Doctors Gulielmus de Sancto amore O do de Duaco Nicholaus de Barro and Christianus Belluacensis who wrote against it and shewed the monstrous impieties and blasphemies of it After much contention finally the matter was brought before the pope anno 1256. who with aduice of his Cardinals tooke order that this Gospell and all the copies thereof should be secretly burned and not openly reprehended for disgracing their Orders and also that the Parisians bookes written against it should be publikely burned The popes Decree for this purpose is inserted in Bishop Vshers booke De successione Ecclesiarum cap. 9. § 28. Where also the whole story is set downe somewhat largely collected out of many approued Historians there cited ibid. § 20. seq By this story appeareth the little conscience these seeming holy Fryers made of the truth of their teaching §. 6. or of corrupting Gods Word or abrogating it or of teaching any thing that might serue for their purpose And these were the worthy men whom the Jnnocent pope made choyce of to vphold not Christs Church but the Papacy authorizing them to preach where and what they list without controule of any man for the maintenance thereof 3 And not onely to preach but to exercise the authority and power of a most cruell Inquisition Hos prosternamus deleamusque said Dominicâ— to Francis in vita Deminici yea made them the chiefe Inquisitors to search out and deliuer vp to death all those that gaine-said and withstood without yeelding vnto the Doctrine and gouernment of the Pope although otherwise they liued neuer so holily iustly and quietly which bloody office they executed with all diligence and cruelty §. 3. 4 About the same time also and out of their Schoole arose another Euill of vnprofitable and idle Sententiaries Questionists Summists Quodlibetists and such like 1 Tim. 6.4 fit men to corrupt the simplicity of the Gospell and fill mens heads with darke thorny and brawling disputes to languish about questions 2 Tim. 2 23. and strife of words and by too much subtilty making plaine things obscure losing the pith marrow and kernell of true Theology 1 Tim. 6.20 and bringing true sauing knowledge of good life to prophane and vaine ianglings and oppositions of science falsely so called For now was Theology made conformable to their rules of Philosophy and must haue no other sense then their fore-conceiued opinions allowed it and all other senses must be shifted of by subtile distinctions Viues in his notes vpon S. Augustine de civ Dei The Schoolemen saith Lodovicus Viues through ignorance of tongues haue not onely marred and smoothered a Lib. 3. cap. 31. all other Arts but b Lib 3. cap. 13. lib. 19. c. 12. Diuinity too and and haue c Lib. 11. c. 11. 14. Lib. 13. cap. 1. lib. 18. cap. 1. lib. 20. cap. 16. lib. 21 cap. 7. As D. Rainolds hath collected them in the Preface to his Conference with Mr. Hart. But these places are now purged out by Index Expurg in the later Prints prophaned it with their curiosity their vanity their folly their rashnesse in mouing and defining questions As Aristotelians rather then Christians and Heathen Philosophers then Schollers of the holy Ghost §. 4. When M. Luther had reproued the great abuse of Pardons Concil Trid sess 21. c. 9. anno 1517. and that so iustly that shortly after the Fathers of the Trent Councell vtterly abolished the pardoners as vntollerably scandalous to Christian people and thereby iustified Luthers beginning and proceeding Ignatius Loiola a Spaniard lately before a Courtier and a Souldier and now disabled by a wound in one of his legges thought vpon a better remedy against the enemies of the Popes soueraignty Genebrard lib. 4. chron then had been deuised before and in the yeare 1521. began a new order of Iesuites he obserued as he trauelled in many Countries and Vniuersities such rules and orders as best fitted his purpose Possevin Bibl. select lib. 1. cap. 38. and hauing ioyned ten other choice men to himselfe came to Rome anno 1540. to get his order confirmed by the Pope and by meanes of Cardinall Contarenus Massaeus Iesuita lib 2. c. 1 â— vit Ignatij Loiola offered the forme of his new order to the Pope wherein he had to the three vowes of other orders super added a fourth vow that the Iesuites should willingly and readily goe into any Countrey of Christians or Infidels whethersoeuer the Pope would send them for the affaires of Religion This the Pope greatly liked saying it would proue a notable helpe to the afflicted state of the Church Ribadeneira vit Igâ—at lib. 2. c. 18. Thus writes Mâ—ssaeus the Iesuite and another Iesuite Ribadineira saith God by singular prouidence sent Jgnatius to helpe his Church now when it was ready to fall They say Satan sent Luther and God sent the Iesuites to withstand him We say the contrary But let it be iudged by the purport of their Doctrine who came from God â—nd who from the enemy They that teach disloyalty and rebellion against Kings and leade their people into Conspiracies and Treasons against States and Kingdomes to let all other points passe vntouched for the present let them be branded for the Emissaries of Satan This order then was first confirmed by Paul Azor. Institut moral lib. 13. cap. 7. 3. 1540 and againe 1543. and by Julius 3. 1550. also by Pius 5. 1565. and 1571. and lastly by Gregory 13. 1584. as Azorius the Iesuit writeth and sets downe the Confirmation at large But this order of Iesuites neuer came to the height till Gregory 13 his time when Claudius de Aqua viva was made their Generall Possevin Bibl. select l. 1. c. 39. Then was a proiect laide to build Colledges and Seminaries to traine vp yong men and make them fit instruments to maintaine the Papacy and Romish Church To that end sundry choice men were brought from diuers Countries Ioannes Azorius from Spaine Iasper Gonzales from Portugall Jacobus Tyrius from France Petrus Buseus from Austria Antonius
Vicar or Vicegerent be applyed giuen or sold to whom he thinkes good A quaint deuise but without all this purgatory pardons pilgrimages Masses for the dead c. are to no purpose If Saint Pauls doctrine of Iustification by Christs merits onely stand then haue we no merits if no merits no supâ—rerogation if no super-erogatory merits then no pardons if no pardons surely either no purgatory or no deliuerance by the pope from thence and then a great deale of the popes income is cut off But horresâ—o refâ—rens rather then that earthly treasure be diminished the spirituall and heauenly treasure and worth of Christs merits be diminished the sound Doctrine of Iustification corrupted mans free-will merit supererogation pardons and other gainfull doctrines appendant thereunto deuised magnified and established Saint Paul said 1 Tim. 6.6 9 10. Godlinesse is great gaine these men make great gaine to be godlinesse He saith They that will be rich fall into temptations snares foolish and hurtfull lusts and that the loue of mony is the root of all euill which while some haue coueted after they haue erred from the faith Alas that they that hold the chiefest places in the Church should be of that number §. 13. I omit Crucifixes Beads Amulets Graines Medals and other things of great vertue sent from the pope to be hanged about peoples neckes or otherwise worne about them 1 Cor. 3.12 as defensatiues against euill spirits and other dangers which though they may be thought to be but hay and stubble yet when your Midaâ— hath touched them they are taken for pure gold and of great vertue farre fetched and deare bought §. 14. To omit these and many other things I will speake onely of extraordinary exactions and in our Countrey onely An. Dom. 1245. Regis 29. or especially Matthâ—w of Wâ—stmiâ—stâ—r â—n his booke called Flores Historiarum writing of King Henry the thirds tâ—me saâ—th that the Kâ—ng vpon search through euery County of England found the Romane reuâ—nues to amount to threescore thousand markes by yeare equall to the Kings reuenues And yet the popes exactions were so great besides Pag. 195. that our Nobles made complaints thereof both by words anâ— writing in the Counâ—ell of Lyons shewing the â—ntollerable grieuanâ—es oppressions of the popes Officers most impudently violently done that by the popes Commissâ—on coâ—mand with a non obstante which took away all lawes or rights and authenticke writings The pope for the present put off his answer being busied with excommunicating Fâ—edericke the Emperour But afterwards enraged with anger and disdaine at their complaints he multiplied their oppressions without measure or end So that a Parliament was called to take some course to saue the land from vtter spoyle and ruine of the pope Pag. 206 207. and all men reioyced to see the Kings courage and constancy hoping now they should be powerfully deliuered from the iniuries of the Court of Rome And first seuerall letters were sent to the pope and Cardinals wrâ—tten by the Bishops and by the King and by the Abbots and Priors and by the Earle Richaâ—d and all the Nobles with him all humbly petitioning to spare the exhausted Realme of England and recall the grieuances which in their letters they rehearsed which letters were pennâ—d in such pittifull sort that they were able to soften an heart of yron saith the story But they receiued hard answers Pag. 209 210 217. and drew more misery still vpon them For the pope shortly after demaunded of euery Beneficed man in England resident on his charge a third part and of non residents an halfe of their goods for thâ—ee yeares which prouoked all Christ and in England to hate and curse the pope And diuâ—rs Noblemen of France to wit the Duke of Burgundy the Eâ— le of Britaine the Earle of Saint Pâ—ul and many other conspired against â—im and bâ—gan a Sch sme which tâ—â— puâ—lished in writing which is extent in â—he â—â—ory and in Mâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 â—erswading all men to reforme and liue after the fashion of the Primitiue Church Anno 1247. But the State and Clergy of England wrote againe to the popâ— and Cardinals for ease from these exactions giuing notice also of a dangerous Shisme else like to follâ—w This caused the pope somewhat to mitigate the exaction in England and draw downe to â—lâ—uen thousand markes to be payed for his present necessities Which summe our Bishops thought best to grant to auoyde the Roman greater persecution But out of this payment they left out all the Abbots of England pag. 219. to be deeplier fleeced by the Court of Rome At the same time also the pope got vp sixe thousand markes in Jreland and in other Countries what could be raked vp pag. 210 After all this new exactions came vpon the English especially vpon the Abbots and exempted persons pag. 222. Of one Abbey of S. Albans the popes Officer demaunded foure hundred markes which yet the pope was afterward induced to mitigate Math. Paris in vlla Henrici tertij See also Speeds Chron. in Henry 3. nu 52 57 60. anno 1234. In the same Kings raigne Mathy Paris saith that by the popes mandata de prouidendo for illiterate Italian Clerkes and Gratiae expectativae to wit in giuing Benefices as they fell voyd to Italians that neuer came at them but had the yearely reuenues thereof in mony brought into Jtaly to them there went out of the land yearely more treasure then the Kings reuenues amounted vnto And because it was not possible that the English of themselues should be alwayes funished with money to be sent in such summes out of the land the popes Merchants as they called them that is men sent hither for that purpose supplied them with money vpon vsury and the Roman Farmers and Proctors like greedy Harpies scraped vp all into their hands to the great impouerishing and misery of the English So that holy men with heart-breakings teares and deadly groanes singultu cruentato saith Paris professed it were better for them to die then to see such miseries vpon their Nation and vpon holy men the Daughter of Sion becomming such an impudent Harlot Against which Robert Grosthead Bishop of Lincolne opposeth himselfe writing to the Pope his Epistle is extant in Mathy Paris that his detestable abhominable soule-murdering actions did euince him to be an Hereticke worthy of death yea to be Antichrist and to sit in the chaire of pestilence next to Lucifer h mselfe and that he had no power to excommunicate such as resisted these his actions Paris telleth further that King Henrie requiring the Prelates to binde themselues to the Popes Merchants for a great summe of money they replyed English Prelats counted it rather Martyrdome to dye against the Pope then for him that they would rather dye then suffer such oppression holding it a more manifest Martyrdome to dye in such a cause then was the death of Thomas Becket
Iosephists Esperonists Arnoldists Wiclifists Hussits c. to omit other nick-names giuen them vpon other causes § 3 And now secondly that they were our fore-runners in the points of Religion wherein we differ from you your Writers shew plentifully a Hist Waldens Book 1. cap. 8. Aeneas Sylvius and Iohn du Bravius in their histories of Bohemia make the doctrine taught by Calvin all one with that of the Waldenses And the same Sylvius saith b Aeneas Sylv. hist Bohem. cap. 35. The Hussites did imbrace the opinions of the Waldenses And Hosius heres lib. 1. saith the leprosie of the Waldenses infected all Bohemia Lindanus in his Analyticke Tables makes Caluin inheritor of the Doctrine of the Waldenses Thomas Walden c VValden lib. 6. de reb Sacram. tit 12. cap. 10. saith The doctrine of the Waldenses crept out of the quarters of France into England meaning by Wiclife against whom he wrote d D. Vsher Gravis quaest cap. 8. §. 1. Poplinerius saith The Waldenses and Albigenses about the yeere 1100 and the succeeding times spread their doctrine parum differentem little differing from that which the Protestants now imbrace Lancelotus du voisin Poplinerius histor Franc. lib. 1. fol. 7. b. edit anno 1581. e Ib. cap. 9. §. 22. Gretserus the Iesuite calls the Albigenses Waldenses and Berengarians Caluinianorum atavos the Caluinists great grandfathers Gretser prolegâ—m in scripta edita contra Wald. cap. 5. f D. Abbot against Hill Reason 1. §. 18. Francis Guicciardin an Italian and Florentine Historian writing of the yeere 1520. lib. 13. saith that Luther set abroad the doctrine of the Bohemians naming Hus and Hierom. And Petrus Messias a Spaniard in the life of Wenceslaus mentioning the opinions of Hus and the Bohemians saith They were the seed of those errours as he cals them which were afterwards in Germany to wit taught by Luther g Ib. §. 29. And Iohannes Cocleus a man that had laboured in the story of the Hussites and set out bookes thereof and also wrote sharpely against Luther saith that Hus did commit spirituall fornication with many aliens with the Wiclivists the Dulcinists the Leonists the Waldenses the Albigenses and others of that sort enemies of the Church of Rome And he saith that Luther followed Hus his Doctrine lib. 2. de Actis scriptis Lutheri And cals the Lutherans new Hussites And againe lib. 3. and lib. 8. he saith that vnto his time till Luthers time and after there remained the sect of the Thaborites in many places of Bohemia and Moravia vnder the name of Picards and Waldenses h Histor Albigens lib. 1. cap. 8. Eckius in his common places cap. 28. saith Luther had done nothing else but renew the heresies of the Waldenses Albigenses Wiclife and Iohn Hus. § 4 Antiquus Sir our men deny not but these Waldenses and others were Luthers fore-runners in many things but they held some things which you are ashamed to hold and therefore were not of your Church or Religion Antiquissimus I know well that many errours were imputed to them which they neuer held As i B. Vsher Grauiss quaest cap. 10. §. 15. Bernardus Girardus the French Historian lib. 10. saith Although they had some ill opinions yet these did not so much stirre vp the hatred of the Pope and great Princes against them as their freedome in speech which they vsed in blaming and reprouing the vices dissolute manners life and actions of Princes Ecclesiasticall persons and the Pope himselfe That was the chiefe thing which drew the hatred of all vpon them effecit vt plures nefarie affingerentur eis opiniones à quibus omnino fuerant alieni this caused many wicked opinions to be deuised and fathered of them from which they were very free and guiltlesse k Ib. cap. 8. §. 28. Thuanus histor lib. 5. anno 1550. reckons vp their opinions thus They held that the Church of Rome because it had forsaken the true faith of Christ was that Whore of Babylon and that barren tree which Christ cursed and therefore we ought not to obey the Pope and Bishops which fostered his errours that the Monasticall life was the sinke and kennell of the Church the vowes thereof vaine and seruing onely for vnclean lusts that the Priests orders were notes of that beast mentioned in the Reuelation that purgatory fire sacrifice of the Masse Sanctuaries or hallowed places about Churches worshipping of Saints offerings for the dead were the Inuentions of Sathan Then he addeth To these certaine and chiefe heads of their doctrine alia afficta others are fained and deuised concerning Mariage resurrection the state of soules after death and of Meates l B. Iewel Apol. cap. 1. diuis 1. Bishop Jewell saith our ancient Christians were slandered that they made priuy meetings in the darke killed yong babes fed themselues with mens flesh and like Sauage and brute beasts did drinke their blood In conclusion how that after they had put out the Candles they committed adultery or incest one with another brethren with sisters sonnes with theiâ— mothers without shame or difference men without all Religion enemies of mankind vnworthy to be suffered in the world Thus they said of the ancient Christians and thus they said of the Waldenses most vniustly and vntruely of both you doubt not of the former let many of your owne Writers satisfie you of the later m Vsher grav qu. cap. 6. §. 11. Rainerius whose booke Gretserus the Iesuite lately set out among other Writers of the Waldenses saith The Waldenses were the most dangerous sect to the Church of all other for three causes the third whereof is that whereas other sects through the outragiousnesse of blasphemy against God worke a horrour in men this sect of the Leonists hath a great shew of piety because before men they liue iustly and of God they beleeue all things piously and hold all the articles contained in the Creed onely they blaspheme and hate the Roman Curch for which the multitude is easie to beleeue n Hist â—ald booke 1. cap. 5. Iacobus de Riberia in his collections of the Citie of Tholous saith the Waldenses wonne all credit from the Priests and made them little esteemed by the holinesse of their liues and excellency of their doctrine The like saith Rainerius cited ib. De forma haeret fol. 98. And Clauâ—ius de Scissel Archbishop of Turin saith they liued vnreproueably without reproach or scandall among men cited ib. In his Treatise against the Waldenses The B. of Canaillon sent a certaine Monke a Diuine Vesembec Oration of the Waldenses citat ib. to conferre and conuince the Waldenses of Merindal in Prouince who vpon his returne said He had not so much profited in all his life in the Scriptures as hee had done in those few dayes conference with the Waldenses Wherevpon the Bishop sent diuers Doctors to confound them but vpon their returne one of them said with a
loud voyce that he had learned more touching the Doctrine necessary to saluation by the Waldenses instructing their children in their Catechisings then in all the disputations of Diuinity which he had euer heard in Paris § 5 Antiquus I will not stand vpon those foule errours which some authors attribute to the Waldenses but there are nine points which the late learned Iesuite a Parsons three Conversions part 2. cap. 10. §. 26. Robert Parsons saith All Authors that write of the Waldenses doe attribute vnto them which I hope you will be ashamed to maintaine Those shew that you and they are not of one Church Antiquissimus Those shew the vanity and shamelesnesse of that man that to the face of the world auoucheth all Authors when many Authors say the plaine contrary This first article or errour which he saith they hold is that all carnall concupiscence and coniunction is lawfull when lust doth burne vs. And therefore some adde that in the darke they practise all kinde of carnall mixtures with whomsoeuer they first meet c. A filthy slander laid as well vpon the b Origenes lib. 6. contra Celsum Euseb hist lib. 4. cap. 7. See Cecilius his wicked Oration in Minuty Felicis Octauio recited also by D. Vsher Grau quaest cap. 6. §. 12 See him also ib. §. 20. Primitiue Christians as vpon them And them your owne Rainerius cited before cleareth saying Haec Leonistarum secta magnam habet speciem pietatis eo quod coram hominibus iuste viuant bene omnia de Deo credant c. Againe Casti sunt Leonistae pag. 231. lin 48. And againe Quaelibet naturâ turpia deuitant Item suos subditos ad eadem diligenter informant Ib. pag. 232 42. Rerum Bohemic script a M. Frehero edit Hanov. an 1602. They c In their booke of remedies against sinne cap. 21. cited in the History of the Waldenses booke 1. cap. 4. informe their people against this sinne thus The sinne of luxury is very pleasing to the Diuell displeasing to God and iniurious to our neighbours because therein a man obeyeth the basest part of his body rather then God who preserueth it A foolish woman doth not onely take from a man his good but himselfe too He that is giuen to this vice keepes faith to no man and therefore Dauid caused his faithfull seruant to be slaine that he might enioy his wife Amon defiled his sister Thamar This vice consumes the heritage of many as it is said of the prodigall child that he wasted his goods liuing luxuriously Balaam made choice of this sinne to prouoke the children of Israel to sinne by occasion wherof there dyed 24000 persons This sinne was the cause of the blindnesse of Sampson it peruerted Solomon and many haue perished by the beauty of a woman Prayer and Fasting and distance of place are the remedies against this sinne For a man may ouercome either vices by combating with them but in this he is neuer victorious but by flying from it and not approaching neere vnto it whereof we haue an example in Joseph It is therefore our duties to pray daily to the Lord that he will keepe vs from the sinne of luxury and giue vs vnderstanding and chastity Thus they taught and professed and is it credible had they practised the contrary they could haue continued so long and drawne so much of the world to imbrace their Religion with so great dangers and persecutions as they did No saith your d Rainer cited before §. 4. lâ—tâ—n Rainerius the honesty and râ—ghteousnesse of their liues was the greatest attractiue that drew the world after them to the greatest danger of the Church of Rome The sâ—coâ—d article of Parsons is They held all othes vnlawfull to Christians for any cause whatsoeuer in the world â—â—cause it is written Nâ—litâ—â—urare doe not sweare Mâ—tth 5. Iames 5. Aâ—swer Indeed they eschewed the common practise of swearing according to Christs precepts Matth. 5 37. but saith your Rainerius to avoyd corporall death and the reuealing of their brethren they would sweare But how agrees that with that which e Gabriel Prateclus Pauperum de Lugduno error 3â— Pratoclus saith of them That they held that no deadly sinne was to be tollerated though it were to auoyd a greater euill The truth is in iudgement they sticked not to sweare truely but in triuiall matters they would not sweare rashly which gaue occasion of that cavil As your Rainerius saith Dâ—cent vitare mendacium detractionem iuramentum ibid. 222. 15 16. f In their book entituled The spirituall Almanacke in the third comment cited by Hist Wald. Book 1. cap. 4. Their own doctrine is that there are lawfull oathes tending to the honour of God and the edification of our neighbours as in Hebr. 6.16 and as Israel was inioyned to sweare by the Name of the eternall God Deut. 6.13 and by the example of those oathes that past betwixt Abimeleck and Isaac Gen. 26.30 and the oath of Iacob Gen. 31.53 The third article is that no iudgement of life and death is permitted to Christians in this life for that it is written Nolite Iudicare Matth. 7. luke 6. Answ But Rainerius tels a contrary tale of a Waldensian Glouer who being condemned and led to death said openly in the hearing of all You now condemne vs rightly for if we had power ouer you as you haue ouer vs we would exercise it against your Clerkes and Religions ib. 222. 47. This cauill arose vpon their complaining of the Magistrates to whom they were deliuered vp by the Inquisitors Priests and Fryers who were their enemies not indifferent men but passionate and so they were condemned and executed by them without hearing examining or knowing of their cause This cruell simplicity of the Magistrates they spake against in their complaint to Ladislaus King of Hungary and Bohemia and elsewhere g In their booke entituled The light of the treasure of Faith fol. 214. cited ibid. But their doctrine was That they were not to suffer the Malefactor to liue and that without correction and discipline doctrine serues to no purpose neither should iudgements be acknowledged nor sinnes punished And therefore iust anger is the Mother of discipline and patience without reason the seed of vices and permitteth the wicked to digresse from truth and honesty The fourth article is That the Creed of the Apostles is to be contemned and no account at all to be made of it Answ Who would thinke that wise men would thus play the fooles In deed they account not the Salutation of the Angel to the B. Virgin nor the Apostles Creed to be prayers saith Rainerius ibid. 232. 10. h Rainerius supra §. 4. lit m. But yet they reuerently receiue the whole New Testament and the Apostles Creed which is gathered out of it Et credunt omnes articulos qui in Symbolo continentur saith the same Author And in their books they haue very good and
Caxton in aucta rio Polychron cap. 19. Fabian in Chron Bale cent 7. cap. 86. Hondorfâ—n theat hist disputed with Thomas Walden publikely in the Schooles of Oxford of many questions of Wiclifes doctrine for maintaining which being persecuted he fled into Bohemia afterwards hee was chosen to be preacher to certaine Christians at Melda in France which misliked the corruptions of the pope where in processe of time he and 62 of his hearers were surprised by the Magistrate and sent to Paris bound in Carts where 14 of the principall were burned the rest tormented and put to other deathes oâ— banished he and Steuen Mangris in whose house they had vsed to meet and heare the Gospell preached had their tongues cut out then were hanged and lastly burned 1433. The next day the Clergy went in solemne procession carrying the hoste thanking God for that happy execution and a Doctor inueighing against the Martyrs said it was necessary for euery man to beleeue to his saluation that these men were damned whose bodies they had burned and that God could not be God if he did not damne them 1433. Aeneas Sylv. in discript Europae cap 49. hist Iohem Peter Pain or Peacocke Fellow of All-S ules Colledge in Oxford for his constant preaching against the Roman Antichrist was faine to flye into Bohemia whence he was sent with other Legats to the Councell of Basil where he defended the doctrine fifty dayes He flourished 1438. Bale ibid. cent 8. cap. 4. Roger Oueley in Oxford Diuine Chaplen to the Lady Elenor Cobham wife of the Duke of Glocester wrote a learned booke against the peoples superstitions and for attempting somthing with the said Lady against the papacy hee with some of his associats was executed and quartered at London and the Lady banished into the I le of Man 1442. Bale ibid. cap. 2. Humfrey Duke of Glocester sonne of King Henry the fourth brother to the fifth vncle to the sixth hauing bin educated in Oxford in Baliol Colledge was a great fauourer of Preachers of the purer Religion he was the Founder of a worthy Library in Oxford which he enriched with an 129 most choyce bookes procured out of Italy and France The Bishops and others hated him deadly by whose meanes he was taken in Bury Abbey in the night cast in prison and there shortly after found suddenly dead whether smothered by pillowes or by some other means 1447. Bale cent 14. cap. 99. Philip Norise an Jrish man Deane of Dublin a Diuine of Oxford inveighed against Antichristian Monks and Fryers calling them Antichrists Wolues Theeues Traitors Swine Hypocrites Hereticks more pestilent then the Arians Pelagians Donatists Nestorians orother Heretickes whatsoeuer For which the Fryers complained of him to pope Eugenius 4. from whom he appealed to a generall Councell 1446. Bale cent 8. cap. 12. David Boyse Fellow of Merton Colledge a witty and learned man embraced the syncere Religion and abhorred the blindnesse and tyranny of the Clergy of his time 1450. Ibid cap. 63. To omit many others I conclude with Iohn Colet a Diuine of Oxford and Deane of Saint Pauls in London he taught in Oxford that Mans iustification was by the meere grace of Iesus Christ that Images are not to be worshipped that Bishops not feeding their flockes are Wolues c. He was accused of heresie by Richard Iames Bishop of Lond n and two Franciscan Fryers Bricot and Standish 1507. which was but tenne yeeres before Luthers rising Iohn Hus might well say §. 4. Hus tomo 1. in Replica contaâ— Anglicum Ioan. Stoaks fol. 108. a. 109 b. 110 a. that for thirty yeeres from Wiclifes time to the time of Husses writing the Vniuersity of Oxford did read Wiclifes bookes and he yet saith further that there was scarce a man to be found in that Vniuersity which did not read hold and study the doctrine that Wiclife taught Hus speakes of 30 yeeres we find 100 yeeres and more euen vnto Luthers dayes And if Oxford was so fruitfull of such teachers can we imagine that her sister Cambridge was barren or that the Countrey yeelded them no disciples No we read in most kings raignes of persecutions and executions of them beside the secret ones whose persons escaped their enemies and their names the histories which doubtlesse were not a few But were they many or few remaining in England wee see the learned professors being persecuted here found good refuge entertainment in Bohemia where as we formerly obserued many Waldenses had planted themselues before Some of them carried thither first the bookes of Wiclife entituled De realibus Vniuersalibus saith Aeneas Sylvius Aenean Sylvius hist Bohem. cap. 35. Cochleus hist de Hussitis lib. 1. Afterwards saith Cocleus Peter Paine brought into Bohemia Wiclifes bookes in quantity as great as Saint Augustins workes many whereof Iohn Hus translated into the Bohemian tongue for the better instruction of the Waldenses there of whom the said Hus and Ierom of Prage were the chiefe pastors Cochl hist lib. 2. Bellar praefat general contâ—ouers and of his name their aduersaries called them Hussites Cochleus and Bellarmine ioyne the VViclefists Hussites and VValdenses together as holding the same points of doctrine and reprouing the same abuses of Rome The same Cochleus also saith The Hussites and Thaborites were branches of VViclife Cochleus ib. lib. 2. 3. 6. Platina in vita Ioan. 24. and lib. 6. cals the German Protestants New VViclifists And Platina saith The Hussites as Sectators of VViclife were condemned in the Councell of Constance Thus therefore by these confessions and many other the VValdenses doctrine was continued not now to name others in the VViclifists and Hussites Iohn Husse a very carefull and painefull man translated also the holy Scriptures into their mother tongue whereby the common people were so well grounded in the soundnesse of his doctrine and multiplyed so much in short time that w Onuphrius in tabula concil ad Platinae hist partly to represse them and partly to take away the schisme betweene the Popes the Councell of Constance was called x Fox in concil Constant histor D. Abbot ib. §. The Nobles of Bohemia so much fauored Hus that they wrote two seuerall supplications to the Councell in his behalfe but for all that and contrary to their and the Emperours safe conduct or promise that Hus Ierom of Prage should goe and come safely both Hus and Ierom were there burnt wherat the Nobles of Bohemia greatly displeased and complaining the Emperour Sigismund y Cochleus lib. 4. layed all the fault vpon the Councell §. 5. z Ibid. The Bohemians thus robbed of their principall Pastors were much moued at the perfidiousnesse of those at Constance and assembled together to the number of thirty thousand and in the open fields vpon three hundred Tables which they erected for that purpose they receiued the holy Communion in both kindes Afterwards rushing into the
goodnesse who calleth things that are not as though they were euen in that Ministery gaue grace vnto his Saints Bishop Carlton wrote a booke of purpose entituled Consensus Ecclesiae catholica contra Tridentines to shew that although the doctrine of Christian Religion was much altered in the chiefest Articles of Faith by Fryers yet a great number of godly learned men held the ancient truth and preserued the Church vntill the times of Reformation and that the Reformed Churches still continue the same and are separated onely from the Roman Court so farre as the Roman Court had separated it selfe from the Roman Church and that our Fathers and Ancestors liuing dying in the Roman Church had sufficient meanes to bring them to saluation And this he sheweth in the seuerall discourses of the principall fundamentall points of faith See of this matter also Bishop Vsher De successione Ecclesiarum cap. 6 § 8 9. and his Sermon And Archbishop Abbot against Hill Reason 5. § 28. And Mr. Richard Hookers discourse of Iustification §. 2. Their Reasons are I. The corruptions in the Roman Church sprung not vp all at once nor came to their full height vntill these late yeres and were not so dangerous in their Spring as in their full growth and strength D. Field book 3. chap. 6. Of the Church Append to the 5. booke part 3. pag. 8. c. II. They were not generally receiued by all men nor as the vndoubted determinations of the Church but controuerted and variously disputed among the learned and holden with great liberty of iudgement by the greatest Doctors as appeares by thier owne bookes of Controuersies written by Bellarmine Suares Azorius c. which confute their owne writers as much as they doe Protestants and by those 27 points which D. Field mentions in his Appendixe to the seuenth Chapter of the third booke of the Church printed at the end of the fourth booke for had they beene the vndoubted doctrines and determinations of the Church all men would haue holden them vniformely entirely and constantly as they held the doctrine of the Trinity and other articles of the Faith As long therefore as men yeelded outward obedience to the Church-ceremonies without scandall and in other things were suffered to abound in their owne sence there was no such danger in holding the right faith III. Our forefathers held the true foundation of Religion that is Iustification and Saluation by Iesus Christ his merits onely and so were taught ordinarily in their bookes of visitation and consolation of the sicke * As we shall shew in the article of Iustification and they erred onely in points inferiour of lesse moment and danger which defaced indeed and blemished but did not nullifie or take away the beeing of the Church Diseases in the heart braine liuer and vitall parts are dangerous and deadly but wounds or blemishes in the fleshly sensuall or organicall parts onely as the hands feet eares eyes c. doe onely impaire the beauty and actions but endanger not the life nor cut of hope of recouery Greg. Nissen de opific. hom cap. vlt. It is Saint Gregory Nissens Simile So saith he it is with the Church of God and Religion A man is a man while he hath life though he be sore diseased as Naaman was in his leprosie IIII. They misliked and derided as Chawcers plowman many of their ceremonies and idle things as holy water pardons relickes c. and deplored the greater corruptions and abuses and cryed for reformation most readily receiuing it when it came V. In what they erred they erred ignorantly Aug de vtilitate credendi ad Honorat Idem epist 162. ad Donat. with mindes ready to be reformed vpon better information Saint Augustine puts a difference betwixt Heretickes and them that beleeue Heretickes And he saith They that defend an opinion false and peruerse without pertinacious animosity especially which not the boldnesse of their owne presumption hath begotten but which from their seduced and erroneous Parents they haue receiued and themselues doe seeke the truth with care and diligence ready to amend their errour when they find the truth they are in no wise to be reckoned among Heretickes This was the case of our fathers vnder the Papacy VI. If any did erre in points fundamentall as long as they denyed not the foundation directly See of this more chap. 4. sect 3. for that is plaine infidelity or apostacy and quite cuts them off from the Church if they did it onely vpon meere ignorance with a mind ready to reforme their errour vpon better instruction those were still the accounted members of the true Church For this was the case of the Corinthians denying the resurrection of the dead 1 Cor. 15.10 and of the Galatians erring dangerously about Iustification Gal. 3.3 4 5. 5.4 whom yet Saint Paul calles Churches of God 1 Cor. 1.2 Gal. 1.2 and doubtlesse he would not haue taken such paines to write vnto them except he had so thought them and had hope to find them tractable and recouerable §. 3. Antiquus Sir I heartily thanke you I need heare no more nor trouble you any longer since you allow the Church of Rome to be the true Church of God wherein saluation may be had and you alledge great Doctors of your owne side and good reasons for it I am satisfied I haue no reason to cleaue to your Church which all our Catholickes condemne for hereticall and schismaticall and to leaue the Roman which you acknowledge to be the true Church wherein saluation is to be had The Roman Church is iustified on all hands by friends and enemies to be safe yours is condemned of all but your selues I will take my leaue See this more at large in D. Field in the places before alledged and B. Carlton Iurisdiction consensus c. Antiquissimus Stay good sir and draw no more out of my words then they yeeld you I spake of the Church of Rome as it was till Luthers time and you conclude of the Church of Rome as it is now Deceiue not your selfe there is great difference betwixt them betwixt the times then and now and betwixt that Church then and now In those times the errours of our forefathers were of meere ignorance what they perceiued to be euill they misliked they desired knowledge they wished many things reformed and gladly embraced reformation when they found it comming But now it is all otherwise now men are admonished of their errours offer is made them to be better instructed and yet either they dote on their owne old opinions vnwilling to be instructed in the reuealed truth or after sufficient knowledge and conviction for some worldly respects they wilfully and obstinately persist in their old errours and which is farre worse they hate and persecute the maintainers of the truth Saint Cyprian saith if any of our predecessors Cypr. ep 63. §. 13. either of ignorance or simplicity
Tridentine faith is not so old as Luther neuer seene in the world of many yeares after his death CHAP. 2. Answering the vaine alleadging of some words and customes and corrupt alleadging of the Fathers words against Protestants § 1. Obiection None alleadged in the former chapter agree with Protestants in all things ergo are not of their Church or Religion 2 Answered It is no consequent For so also euery one of them differed from the present Romish Religion and yet are accounted theirs Protestants haue iustly abstained from some words and phrases of some Fathers 3 And also haue left off some ceremonies and customes 4 As the Church of Rome hath left many knowne to be ancient and thought to be Apostolicall 5 Which confutes the vanity of W.G. his booke and shewes his owne alleadged authors by his owne argument to bee none of his Church and Religion 6 By the same argument many Fathers for example Athanasius Ierom Gelasius Gregory Chrysostome Augustine are plentifully proued to be against the present Church and Religion of Rome 7 Foure seuerall wayes at the least the Romish make shew of the Fathers to be for them The first by alleadging counterfeit books falsely bearing the Fathers names Many examples hereof 8 The second by corrupting the bookes which the Fathers wrote putting words in or out and altering the text to speake contrary to their meaning 9 The third by blinding or perverting the sense of the Fathers sentences by glozes and interpretations 10 The fourth by citing the Fathers to proue that which is not in question §. 1. Antiquus NOw that you haue said what you can or will to shew that Protestants had a sufficient visible Church in all Ages since Christ I reply you neuer had any For neither the Fathers nor Greeke Church nor Waldenses nor the Church of Rome before Luthers time were of your Religion Campian Ratio 5. For the Fathers it was Mr. Campians fifth reason why he challenged combate with the Protestants because all the Fathers backed him Ad Patres si quando licebet accedere confectum est praelium If we may try it by the Fathers the fight is at an end For they are as sure ours as Pope Gregory the 13. These and the other three sorts euery one of them either in many points or at least in one or other differed from you As the Rhemists say in their Annotation vpon Rom. 11. ver 4. We will not put the Protestants to proue that there were 7000 of their sect when their new Elias Luther began but let them proue that there were seuen or any one his either then or in all Ages before him that was in all points of his beleefe Thus the Rhemists §. 2. Adrationes Campians G. Whitakeri responsio ad rationem 5. Antiquissimus The vanity of Campian you may see by D. Whitakers answer who shewes that euery one of the Fathers whom Campian picked out and named held points directly against him and for vs. Euen Dionysius Cyprian Athanasius Basil Nazianzin Ambrose Ierom Chrysostome Austen Gregory The vanity of your Rhomists and other lipellers following them is palpable in that they thinke euery smal point of doctrine or practice yea euery small rite or ceremony vsed by some and not vsed by others makes a difference of their Religion We doe not deny but that we haue left off and disused diuers traditions ceremonies and phrases which were vsed in the ancient Church but we constantly affirme we carefully and entirely hold all the substance of doctrine and all things necessary for saluation not onely for the essence but for the perfection beauty and ornament of the Church so that notwithstanding the things left off wee are wholy and fully of the Primitiue and ancient Religion Aâ—tiquus Why haue you left off any words and phrases of the ancient Fathers if you hold their doctrine why forsake you their words Antiquissimus Bellar. De cultu Sanctorum lib. 3 cap. 4. Ad testim patrum dico De Romano Pontif. lib. 3. cap. 13. §. Ratio autem cur Apostoli in Scripturis nunquam vocant sacerdotes Christianos sacerdotes sed solum episcopos presbyteros c. See Here. cap. 5 sect 9. See this matter handled aâ— large by B. Morton Appeal lib 2. cap. 7. B. Andreâ—es Ad Bellarmini Apologiam Responsio cap 8. pag. 184. Because those words are now taken to signifie such doctrines as then they intended not Their doctrine we hold though some of their words we doe not so frequently vse you vsurpe those words but refuse their doctrine Your Bellarmine tels vs truly that the Apostles and first Christians abstained from the words Temple and Priests vsing the words Ecclesiae Episcopi Presbyteri And thus Iustinus Ignatius and the other most ancient Fathers vsed to speake The reason was lest people might vnderstand them as if they meant that the Iewish ceremonies continued with the Temple of Salomon and the sacrificing Priests But afterwards in Tertulliâ—ns time when the danger of that misconceit was worne out Christians began to call Presbyters and Bishops by the name of Priests c. So that the words which the Apostles and first Fathers neuer vsed for feare of mistaking the following Fathers ordinarily vsed hoping after that long disusing they should not be mistaken they vsed the words Priests or Sacerdotes altars sacrifices oblations and such like not properly but by allusion to the Priests altars and sacrifices of the Iewes which were types figures and as it were foretokens or foreprophesies of Christs sacrifice offred once by himselfe for the sinnes of the whole world which was the Antitype verity of those of the Jewes and was continually to be remembred againe as oft as the blessed Sacrament of his Body and Blood was celebrated â—useb demonstr Evang. lib. 1. c. 10. Chrysost hom 17. in Hebr. Ambr. in Epist ad Hebr. 10. 〈◊〉 August in Psal 75. Jdem lib. 20. aduers Faustum Manichaeum cap. 21. tom 6. Thus the Fathers haue expressed their owne meanings Eusebius Christ hath offered a marvailous sacrifice for the saluation of vs all commanding vs to offer vnto God a memoriall instead of the sacrifice of his Body and Blood Chrysostome wee offer vp the same sacrifice which Christ offered or rather a remembrance thereof the like hath Ambrose Augustine saith when we doe not forget our Sauiours gift is not Christ daily offered for vs Christ was once offered for vs and by that memory he is so daily sacrificed for vs as if he daily renued vs. And more fully Sacrificij nostri vera caro caro Christi olim in veteri lege per victimas pollicebatur in passione vero Christi in cruce per veritatem reddebatur at hodie in nostre sacrificio per sacramentum memoriae celebratur Sententiarum lib. 4. distinctio 12. lit g. The Master of the Sentences asketh whether that which the Priest holdeth may be called properly a sacrifice or
Peter reiects the popes authority infallibility giues sentences against Purgatory acknowledgeth two Sacraments onely hath much against Transubstantiation and denyall of the Cup. See the allegations out of him in Catalogo testium lib. 3. Sixtly was Jrenaeus a Protestant no for he defended free-will so farre that Protestants count it Pelagianisme So did many other Fathers Hilary and Epiphanius yea Chrysostome Cyril Ambrose Theodoret. What then were all these papists No for though in heat of exhortation they gaue sometimes too much to free will and in hatred to the Maniches and Stoicall Christians that held such a fatall necessity of mens actions as tooke away mans guiltinesse of sinne yet in their more moderate and settled writings they taught as the Protestants doe August contra Iulianum l'clag lib. 1. cap. 2. Pelagianis nondum litigantibus Patres securiùs loquâ—bantur saith Saint Augustine Vntill the Pelagians began to wrangle the Fathers tooke lesse heed to their speeches But such their speeches The Papists themselues condemne Maldonate in John 6.44 pag. 701. Pererius in Rom. 9. nu 33 pag. 1001. Sixtus Senensis Tolet c. See D. Mortons Appeal lib 2. cap. 10. sect 1 2. § 4. sect 3. § 7. lit n. See also my Chapter of Free-will §. 6. I might runne thorow the rest of this W. G. his allegations and shew his vanity and folly in shooting such arrowes against the Protestants as being retorted and shot backe againe doe mortally and vnrecouerably wound his owne cause But I will leaue off following his order and adde a few more and by occasion of this last I aske of Saint Cyprian Augustine Fulgentius Gregory Nyssen Gregory the Great Anselm Bernard were they Papists oâ— of the now Roman-Catholicke Religion No for they taught concerning Free-will iust as the Protestants teach Morton ib. sect 3. Was Athanasius a Papist no for hee reckons the number of Canonicall bookes otherwise then Papists doe and magnifies them for their perspicuity certainty and sufficiency as Protestants doe he teacheth Iustification by faith onely writeth against adoration and prayer to Saints and Idolatrous worship of Images shewes the custome of the Church in his time to minister the Communion in both kindes and not on Altars but tables of wood writes to the Bishops of Rome as his brethren and equals giues reasons why the dead cannot appeare againe to men for feare of teaching lies and errours and because the good are in Paradise the euill in Inferno He counts marriage of Bishops a thing indifferent and vsed indifferently in his time and it appeares by his bookes that in his time the sacrifice of the Masse and the fiue new Sacraments were not knowne Was Saint Ierom a Papist no for hee earnestly maintaineth the sufficiency and excellency of the Scriptures exhorteth married Women Virgins Widdowes diligently to study them he teacheth Iustification by Gods mercy and beateth downe mans merits hee writes sharpely against free-will without Gods grace against purgatory against transubstantiation and orall manducation hee taxeth the popes supremacy and the Clergies liues and for his sharpe writing he was faine to flye from Rome See Catalogus testium lib. 4. Was Gelasius your owne Bishop of Rome a Catholicke of your now Roman Religion no for he condemdemned as sacrilegious your now-halfe Communion without wine and seuerely commanded either to minister both the kindes or neither to the people The necessity whereof now you call heresie De consecrat dist 2. comperimus Was S Gregory your owne Bishop likewise long after Gelasius of your Church and now-present Religion no for he taught the sufficiency and perfection of the Scripture reiected the Apochryphall bookes from the Canon held the reading of Scripture profitable for all men Iustification by faith and not by inherent righteousnesse wrote against mans merit and for the glory of Gods grace and mercy hee forbad the worshipping of Images and wrote sharply against the title of vniuersall Bishop as a badge of Antichrist or his forerunner c. And for conclusion of this point were the other two greatest Doctors of the Church Saint Chrysostome and S. Augustine of your present Religion No for Saint Chrysostome a Homil. De Lazaro passim alibi extolled the authority dignity sufficiency perspicuity necessity and commodity of the Canonicall Scriptures and exhorted Lay-men and Tradesmen to get them Bibles and reade the Scriptures at home and that man and wife parents and children should reason and conferre of the doctrine thereof b In 4. cap. Ephes hom 10. He taught that the Church of God was nothing but a house built of our soules and the stones thereof were some more illustrious and faire polished other more obscure and of lesse glory c In Matth. hom 55. 83. Serm. de Pentecost tom 3. that the Church was built not super Petrum but super Petram not vpon Peter but Peters confession that Christ was the Sonne of God the Sauiour of the world d In Matth. hom 35. ad cap. 20. That whosoeuer desired primacy vpon earth should find confusion in heauen and not be reckoned amongst the seruants of Christ e In 2 Thess homil 3 4. That Antichrist would command himselfe to be honoured as God and fit in the Church that he would invade the Roman Empire and striue to draw to himselfe the Empire or Rule of God and men And though he extolled the power of free-will in the Regenerate and exhorted all men to vse the power they had yet hee f In Gen. hom 29. perswaded the godly to acknowledge it to proceed from Gods grace and taught all men that sinne entring lost their liberty corrupted their power and brought in seruitude and g Hom. de Adam that without Gods grace man could neither will nor doe any thing that was good that h Hom. 1. in Acta as they that die Purple first prepare it with other colours so God prepares the cares of the mind and then infuseth grace that i Hom. 1. dom Advent before sinne we had free-will to do good but not after that it was not in our power to get out of the Deuils hand but like a ship that had lost his sterne which guided it wee were driuen whither the tempest would euen whither the Diuell would driue vs and except God by the strong hand of his mercy did loose vs we should continue tiâ—l death in the bonds of our sinnes k In Râ—m â—om 5. 17. That the Law would iustifie man but cannot for no man is iustified by the Law but he that wholly fulfils it and that is not possible to any maÌ„ l In 2 cor hom 11. He that must be iustified by the law must haue no spot found in him and such an one cannot be found but onely Iesus Christ m In Rom. hom 5 17. therefore he onely hath attained the end and perfection of the Law n Hom. 7. in 3. cap.
figura est ergo Therefore it is a figuratiue speech And hee defines Sacraments to be o Contra Maximinum lib. 3. cap. 22. Sacramenta sunt signa aliud existentia aliud significantia signes being one thing and signifying another And of this Sacrament he saith p In psal 98. Non hoc corpus quod videtis manducaturi estis bibituri illum sanguinem quem fusuri sunt qui me crucisigent Sacramentum aliquod commendavi vobis You shall not eat this body which you see nor drinke this blood which they will shed which crucifie me I commend a certaine Sacrament thereof vnto you And he often beats vpon this that though wicked men doe eat the signe and Sacrament yet none but the worthy receiuers doe eat rem Sacramenti the very Body of Christ q Serm. 11. de verbis Apostoli And Manducabant illi Panem dominum Iudas panem domini contra dominum illi vitam ille paenam r Tract 59. in Iohannem See also Tract in Ioan. 11. 13. 26. De civ Dei lib. 21. cap. 25. De Doctp christiana lib. 3. cap. 9. epist 23. ad Bonifacium epist 57. De Trinitate lib. 3. cap. 10. Contra Adimantum cap. 12. Contra Faustum lib. 20. cap. 21. alibi passim He held two Sacraments of the new Testament onely Å¿ Epistola 118. Libro 3. de doctrina Christiana cap. 9. Baptisme and the Lords Supper Calvin t Calvin Instit lib. 4. cap. 17. § 28. Peter Martyr and the rest of the Protestants count Saint Augustine wholly theirs as did Berengarius before them by Bellarmines confession u Bellar. de Euchar. lib. 2. cap. 24. initio Saint Augustine condemnes Image-worship Follow not saith he x De moribus ecclesiae lib. 2. cap. 34. De civ Dei lib. 8. cap. 27. See Vines comment vpon it the company of ignorant men who in true Religion are superstitious worshippers of Sepulchres and pictures which customes the Church condemneth and daily laboureth to correct And hee saith y De fide symbolo cap. 7. Contra Adimantum cap. 13. It is great wickednesse to place the Image of God in Churches And that to worship the Prototypon sampler or thing resembled by an Image resembling it as the Heathen excused their Idolatry is an absurd servile and carnall thing z De doctr Christiana lib. 3. cap. 7 8 9. See in psal 113 epist 49. And hee writes against Pilgrimages for Religion Serm. 3. De Martyribus Of Purgatory a thing which came to be imagined in his dayes in some places a Encherid cap. 69. de octo quaest Dulciâ—ij qu. 1. De side oâ—er cap. 16. De civ Dei lâ—b 21. cap. 26. hee doubteth whether there be any such place or no but in many places hee giueth sound reasons to ouerthrow it The Catholicke Faith saith he b Contra Pelag. Hypogn lib. 5. resting vpon Diuine authority beleeues the first place the Kingdome of Heauen and the second Hell a third we are wholly ignorant of Yea wee shall find in the Scriptures that it is not c De pecc merit remiss lib. 1. cap. 27. lib. 24. De civ Dei c. 15. serm 232. de tempt There is no middle place he must needs be with the Diuell that is not with Christ d De verbis Apostoli serm 18. There are two habitations after death Vna in igne aeterno altera in regno aeterno And c Homil. 5. when we are passed out of this world no satisfaction remaineth And f Epist 80. wherein euery man 's owne last day finds him therein the worlds last day will hold him For such as in this day euery one dies such in that day hee shall be iudged Againe g Epist 54. there is no other place then in this life to correct our manners for after this life euery one shall haue that which in this life he sought to himselfe For h De verbis Dom. serm 37. Christus suscipiendo paenam non suscipiendo culpam culpaÌ„ delevet panam Christ by taking vpon him our punishment and not taking our sin hath put away both our sin punishment He that holds these things cannot hold Purgatory In briefe therefore In all these former points And furthermore against Free-will and for Gods grace against Mans merits and iustification by our inherent righteousnesse and for Iustification by Gods free mercy and Christs merits onely for the doctrine of faith and good workes for prayer to God alone and by the onely Mediator Iesus Christ against the adoration and inuocation of Angels and Saints departed and other the most necessary and profitable points of Theologie Saint Augustine was no Papist but wholly and entirely of the Protestants Religion §. .7 Antiquus How can this possibly be so when you see our Catholickes doe continually cite Saint Augustine Chrysostome and the rest of the Fathers for confirmation of their doctrine and against yours Antiquissimus They may first cite bookes vnder the names of the Fathers which the Fathers neuer wrote secondly they may corrupt the Fathers putting in or out words or phrases to alter their sense and speake contrary to their meaning thirdly they may by glosses and interpretations wrest the sentences which they finde in them to meane otherwise then they intended and fourthly they may alter the state of the questions betwixt vs and then alleadge the Fathers against their owne fancies not against our Doctrine And by these meanes they may cite and multiply the Fathers names in shew against vs but in truth nothing to the purpose And thus they doe First they alledge many bookes and writings which were not written by those holy learned Fathers whose names they beare For examples Our Bishop Jewell propounding 27 Articles which the Church of Rome holdeth at this day for confirmation of any one of which if any man liuing could shew him any sufficient sentence of any old Catholicke Doctor Father or generall Councell c. within 600 yeeres after Christ he would yeeld and subscribe See Casaubon Prolegom §. Spectare ad Master Harding vndertaking to answer alledged for ancient Doctors and Fathers The Constituions Apostolicall of Clemens Abdias Dionysius Areopagita The decretall Epistles of ancient Popes Amphilochius and such like which are all censured by their owne learned men for counterfeit writings vniustly attributed to the Reuerend Authors whose names they beare Obserue them well Clements Apostolicke Constitutions are cited also by the Rhemists a Rhemes Test annot in Luc. 4.1 to proue Lent Fast to bee as ancient as the Apostles times and by Bellarmine b Bellar. lib. 1. de clericis c. 12. for the antiquity of Ecclesiasticall Orders Also c See Bellarmines seuerall Treatises of these things for vowes of continency for prayer for the dead for holy water for reseruation of the Sacrament for mixing Wine and Water
in the Sacrament for confirmation c. And yet Saint Hierom a great searcher of Antiquities knew not these Constitutions of Clement And 227 Fathers in the Trullan Councell reiected them as corrupted writings And so doth d Baronius anno 32. n 18.19 et anno 102 9. Baronius in his Annals Abdias is reiected for a counterfeit by e Baron an 31. n. 18. 51. n. 51. Baronius by f Possevin Apparat sac verbo Seuerus Sulp. Possevine by g Bellar. De bonis operib in particulari lib. 2. cap. 24. Bellarmine yea by h Sixtus Senens Bibl. lib. 2. Apostolorum Paul the fourth Bishop of Rome saith Sixtus Senensis Dionysius Areopagita is not author of the bookes that goe vnder his name saith i Caietan comment in Act. 17 Cajetan as also k Valla. Eras in act 17. Valla and Erasmus and l Photius apud Possevinum Apparat sac verbo Photius Photius Bellarmine m Bellar. lib. 2. de confirm cap. 7 doubts of them Yet those bookes are cited by the n Rhem. in Luc. 21.19 Rhemists for the sacrifice of the Altar and by o See Cooke censâ—ra pag. 50. Bellarmine for Invocation of Saints and for Purgatory and to proue the booke of Wisedome to be Canonicall and for the forme of Monasticall profession The Decretall Epistles which are said to be written by more then thirty of the first Bishops of Rome which liued in the first three hundred yeeres set downe in the late Editions of the Tomes of the Councels of Crab and Binius printed anno 1606. and often cited for the popes supremacy and in other Controuersies and greatly magnified by some popes yet are plainly found to be counterfeits both by many reasons and by the Romists owne confessions Reasons first the barbarous Latin or rather Lead of their stile most vnlike the elegant stile of that Age. Secondly the likenesse of the stile in them all which proues them to be all of one mans writing and that in a farre more barbarous Age. Thirdly the scriptures in them alledged after Ieroms Translation which Translation was not made nor in vse of dâ—uers hâ—ndred yeeres after For the last of these Bishops dyed before Ierom was borne p Baronius saith the last of these Bishops dyed anno 333. and Ierom was born anno 342. See conference of D. Rainolds and Hart chap. 8. divis 3. and D. Field church booke 5. chap. 34 and 42. Fourthly neither Eusebius in the East nor Ierom in the West after search of al libraries to furnish their histories and memorialls doe any where mention these Epistles Fiftly Nether were they euer spoken of or alleaged in the tough Controuersies betwixt the Bishops of Rome and the Bishops of Africa concerning Appeales to Rome which Controversies these Epistles would haue clearely ended if they had been at that time extant shewed and approued Beside all this the Romish Doctors themselues account them no better then corrupted writings or suppositious So their owne Cardinals q Cusanus De concordia Cathol lib. 3. cap. 2. Cusanus r Bellar. de Romano Pontif. lib. 2. cap. 14. Bellarmine and Å¿ Baron anno 265. n. 6 7. Baronius finde them and t Conlius annot in dist 16. c. septuaginta Contius vtterly condemnes them as false Amphilochius Bishop of Iconium and the Narration of Saint Basils life going vnder his name gloriously cited by Master u Harding art 1. divis 33. Harding to proue priuate Masses and by x Bellar. de confirm cap. 5. Bellarmine to proue confirmation a Sacrament and by y Cosler in Enchiridio Costerus the Iesuite for the Reall presence yet is reiected as false by z Baron anno 378. n. 10. anno 363. n. 55. Possevin Apparat sac verbo Amphilochius Bellar. lib. de script eccles ad ann 380. Baronius and by Possevine yea and by Bellarmine himselfe To auoide infinitenesse I will insist vpon Tracts falsly imputed to Saint Augustine Bellarmine in one place lib de script eccles ad annum 420. amongst many others reckons these 1 liber de Eccl. dogmat 2 lib. de Fide ad Petrum 3 lib. de mirabilibus scripturae 4 lib. de spiritu anima 5 lib. viginti vnius sententiarum 6 lib. de salutaribus documentis 7 lib. hypognosticon 8 lib. de Predestinatione gratia 9 The Epistles to Boniface and of Boniface to Austen 10 Explicatio Apocalypsis 11 Some Sermons De verbis Domini 12 Sermones ad Fratres in Eremo which also Baronius reiects a Baronius anno 382. n. 26. anno 385. n. 12. among many other Also 13 Epistol ad Cyrillum de gestis obitu Hieronymi cited by Bunderius for inuocation of Saints and by Peresius for choyce of meates is not Saint Austens saith Bellarmine b De script Eccles ad annum 390. and Baronius c Baronius an 420. n. 46. 14 De spiritu anima cited by Turrian to proue that Saints in heauen heare the prayers of the liuing and by the Colonienses for Inuocation of Saints is not Saint Austens say d Trithem de script eccles Trithemius e Louan in censura in tom 3. Theologi Lovanienses and f Delriuâ— disquis mag lib. 5. cap. 26. Delrius 15 Sermones de tempore serm 2. cited by Bellar. for the reall presence serm 55. for Canonicall houres serm 60. and 62. for satisfaction to God by fasting serm 124. and 142. for Peters primacy and serm 226. cited by the English of Doway to proue the booke of Tobias Canonicall and serm 228. and 229. cited by Serarius to proue the booke of Judith Canonicall and serm 244. cited by Sonnius art 3. for invocation of Saints c. These Sermons de tempore were not written by Saint Augustine say Erasmus and Martin Lipsius The Louan Diuines reiect 48 of them and suspect all the rest but 47. so that 48 are counted plaine bastards and 145 doubted 16 De vera falsa poenitentia cited in the Tridentine Catechisme for auricular confession g Cathechis Trident. fol. 320. and by h Alan defens purgator cap. 1â— Alan and others for Purgatory reiected by Erasmus i Erasm cens sura in hunc libruus and the k Lovanienses censura in Append tom 4. Diuines of Lovan and l Trithemius de script Eccles Trithemius and m Bellar. lib. de Script Eccles ad annum 420. Bellarmine and many others 17 De quaestionibus vet novi testamenti cited by Turrian for n Confess Aug. lib. 4. c. 9. sec 11. Priests vestments and by o Dial. 1. c. 13. Cope and the p Annot. in Matth. 17.27 Rhemists for Peters primacy and by q Dial 1. c. 14. Cope and r Euchir c. 19. Eckius for the single life of Priests This booke saith Å¿ Bellar. de gratia primi hominis cap. 3. lib. 1. de effectu sacram c. 10. lib.
de script eccles ad an 420 lib. 1. de missa cap. 6. Bellarmine is not Augustines nor the worke of any Catholicke man for which he sheweth great reasons but of some Hereticke who teacheth many things against the faith and against Augustine So saith also Angelus Roccho Espencaeus The Diuines of Lovain Alfonsus de Castro Maldonatus Salmeron Azorius Leusaeus Velosillus Penerius and Harding as they are alleadged by Robert Cooke in Censuraquorundam scriptoruÌ„ veterum aedit Londini 1623. who addeth these words Here I must in few words meet with your conscience you Pontificians and especially with yours ô Turrian ô Harding ô Bellarmine I demaund of thee Turrian why didst thou write t Jn praesatione confess Augustini Be it so that all are not Augustines bookes which haue Augustines name inscribed yet surely most of them are of Saint Augustines equals and plainely all of them are the workes of learned and godly men when it is plaine by this very booke the Author was an Hereticke and by the confession of your owne brethren a blasphemous and wretched man I demaund of thee Harding with what face couldest thou alleadge those questions vnder Saint Augustines name for the primacy of the Pope which elsewhere thou didst confesse was none of Augustines I demaund of thee Bellarmine with what forehead couldest thou reckon vp the Author of these questions u Bellar. de Rom. Pontif lib. 1. cap. 25. among the 24 Fathers which thou comparest to the 24 Elders in the Apocalyps while thou fightest for thy pope since elsewhere thou hast written plainly that neither Augustine nor any Catholicke man but an hereticke was the author of these questions May we not truely say here Frons Meretricis facta est vobis you haue the forehead of an whore and cannot blush Ier. 3 3 Thus said Mr. Cooke out of his iust indignation for this one booke And we may say the same of many more To reckon vp all that is falsely fathered vpon S. Augustine alone would fill a good volume saith Trithemius Trithem de script eccles Aug. And the like may be said of S. Chrysostome Jerom and other Fathers Let this taste which I haue giuen you suffice and thereby gesse at the rest If you desire to see more of S. Augustine you may read Paulus Langius in Chronico Citizensi anno 1259. And Erasmus epistle ad Archiepisc Toletanum Parisijs 1531. And li. 3 de methodo concionandi If of all the Fathers reade Mr. Perkins Probleme but especially Mr. Cooks censure aforenamed And D. Mortons apologia Catholica pars 2. l. 2. c. 1. seq §. 8. 2 In the bookes which the ancient Fathers and other learned Authors haue written much intollerable corruption hath been vsed Lodovicus Vives a Vives Comm. in August De civ Dei lib. 22. cap. 8. vpon one Chapter of Saint Augustine saith In hoc capite non dubium quin multa sunt addita velutâ— declarandi gratia abijs qui omnia magnorum autorum scripta spurcis suis manibus contaminabant It seemes in that long tract of time when all bookes were in such mens hands they were shamelesly bold to corrupt them For Viues speakes of the generallity Omnia and of their sawcinesse to meddle with magnorum autorum scripta and of their wickednesse contaminabant and of their beastlinesse spurcis suis manibus No doubt saith he but many things were added to this Chapter of Saint Augustine by them which with their vncleane hands defiled or corrupted all the writings of great authors This happily was then a worke onely of darkenesse done secretly and without authority tares sowne in the night by wicked men among the good wheat of the Fathers But now the like is done by authority avowed and commended For what else meanes this of Sixtus Sinensis in his b Praefat. in â—pus Bibli Epistle Dedicatory to pope Pius Quintus Tu Beatissime Pontifex expurgari fecisti omnium autorum Catholicorum praecipuè Veterum Patrum scripta Thou most blessed Bishop hast caused the writings of all Catholicke authors and especially of The ancient Fathers to be purged or cleansed For now are dispersed to Printers certaine bookes called Indices Expurgatorij appointing both in ancient and latter books what must be put out which the authors wrote what to put in which the authors wrote not and so to print the books new againe being so altered for the best aduantage of the Church of Rome to the end that men may not find in the new prints any thing against them though it be in the old and yet many things for them which the old and true bookes had not sometimes altering one word will serue the turne See D. Morton Apologia Cath. part 2 l. 2. c. 17â— pag. 239. as in stead of Non habent Petri hareditatem qui Petri FIDEM non habent to print Non habent Petri haereditatem qui Petri SEDEM non habent the seat of Peter put for the faith of Peter to tye saluation to Peters seat Rome in stead of Peters faith Christ confessed by Peter Sometimes whole sentences or pages are altered or left out c. See D. Featly Appendix to the Romish Fisher pag. 13. seq D. Mort. ibid. Thus haue they serued Gratian with his glosse Cajetan Ferus Polydore Vives Stapulensis Stella Arias Montanus Masius and hundreds of others their owne writers As you may see in the Index Expurgatorius committed to the Belgicke Printers 1571 and brought into the open light by Junius anno 1586. and another Index expurgatorius printed at Madril in Spaine anno 1584. by commandement of Gasper Quiroga Cardinall and Archbishop of Toletum and found by the English in their voyage to Cales and published to the world at Salmure anno 1601. And a third Index expurgatorius ordained by the Cardinal of Sandovall and Roxas printed anno 1612. Beside others not yet so publikely knowne Obserued by Mr. Bedell in his letters to Mr. Wadsworth pag. 100 101. Among many hundreds of examples of these corruptions I giue you these euen in the Fathers for a taste Pope Pius the fourth called Paulus Manutius an elegant Printer from Venice to Rome to print the Fathers without spots In his print of Saint Cyprians workes See B. Bilson Dâ—ffer of subiection and rebellion first part pag 89 in 8. In the Epistle De vnitate Ecclâ—siae these words are added Et primatus Petro datur and afterwards these Vnam cathedram constituit and these also Cathedra vna And in the edition of Pamelius another clawse is added Qui cathedram Petri super quam fundata est ecclesia deserit c. though the supervisors of the Canon law appointed by the Commandement of Gregory 13 acknowledge that in eight copies of Cyprian found entire in the Vatican Library this sentence is not found And had these passages been in old Cyprian in Waldensis time when he wrote for Peters chaire
and primacy he would not haue failed to vse them being so pregnant for his purpose In the same edition of Manutius Bedel ibid. See D. Field 5. cap. 42. fol. vlt. the Epistle of Firmilianus Bishop of Cesaria beginning Accepimus per Rogatianum is quite left out although Saint Cyprian thought it worthy his translation and publication and good cause why For that Bishop tartly vilifieth the Bishop of Romes both place person farre beneath that height which they now assume Firmilianns reproueth the folly of Stephanus that boasting so much of the place of his Bishopricke and succession of Peter bee stirred vp contentions and discords in all other Churches and bids him not deceiue himselfe he is become aschismaticke by separating himselfe from the communion of the Ecclesiasticall vnity for while hee thinkes he can separate all from his Communion hee hath separated himselfe onely from all He taxeth him for calling Cyprian a false Christ a false Apostle and a deceitfull workeman which being priuy to himselfe that these were his owne due preuentingly he obiected to another This Epistle is omitted in the new prints And thus graue Authors are shamefully curtalled and corrupted when they speake against the Pope and his doctrine their tongues are cut out contrarily words and sentences are foysted into their workes to make them seeme to speake for him when they neuer meant it Franc. Iunius reports that he comming in the yeare 1559. to a familiar friend of his Junius in praesatione ante Indicem expurgatorium Belgicum à se editum 1586 named Lewes Sauarius Corrector of a Print at Leydon found him ouerlooking Saint Ambrose Workes which Frellonius was printing Whereof when Junius commended the elegancy of the Letter and Edition the Corrector told him secretly it was of all Editions the worst and drawing out many sheets of now-waste-paper from vnder the Table told him they had printed those sheetes according to the ancient authenticke copies but two Franciscans had by their authority cancelled and reiected them and caused other to be printed and put in their roomes differing from the truth of all their owne bookes to the great losse of the Printer and wonder of the Corrector Gretzer De iure prohib libros lib. 2. cap. 10. The Iesuite Gretzerus defendeth these doings and writing of the purging or altering of old Bertram hee saith the Index hath done him no iniury when it hath done him that fauour which is done to some of the ancients as Tertullian and Origen Them and some others though very ancient Gratian quite cut off and the Church hath this authority saith hee to proscribe whole bookes or any parts of them great or small Thus Gretzerus And indeed of the two it were better to proscribe or cut them off as no witnesses then to corrupt and make them false witnesses to speake what they thought not or what is not true But for a Particular Church to proscribe or corrupt all the witnesses that speake against her is vntollerable See more in D. Morton Apologia Catholica part 2. lib. 2. c. 17 In the former point of Counterfeits the Children begot the Fathers In this point of Corruption the Children will teach the Fathers to speake and alter their testimonies and testaments at their pleasure §. 9. Index Expurg Belg. fol. 4. per Iunium edit pag. 12. 3 By deuised glosses and witty but wrong interpretations they wrest the sentences of the Fathers to meane otherwise then the Fathers intended This is confessed by the Diuines of the Vniuersity of Doway speaking of Bertrams booke The title Vt liber Bertrami presbyteri de Corp. sang Domini tolerari emendatus queat Iudicium Vniversitatis Duacensis Censoribus probatum Then their iudgement followes with some reasons why they rather mend the book then forbid it lest the forbidding should make men more desirously seeke it and greedily reade it and condemne the Church for abrogating all antiquity that is alleadged against them c. Therefore they will vse it as they doe other ancient Catholike bookes which they deliuer in these words Cumâ— in Catholicis veteribus alijs plâ—â—â—os feramus errores extenuemus excusemus excogâ—â—â—â—omento persaepe negemus commodum ijs seasum â—ffingamus dum opponuntur in disputationibus aut in confactionibus cum aduersarijs non videmus cur non candem aequitatem diligentem recognitionem mereatur Bertramus c. that is Seeing in other ancient Catholike writers we beare with many errors and we extenuate excuse and oftentimes by witty expositions deny and dâ—uise a commodious sense vnto them when they are opposed in disputations and conflicts with our aduersaries we see no reason why Bertram may not deserue the same equity and diligent recognition In this passage we may obserue these things 1 They acknowledge many errours to be in ancient Writers whom yet they account Catholickes and of their owne Church or Religion Otherwise they must haue a small and the Protestants a large Church 2 That those opinions though many which they Call errors make for their aduersaries the Protestants and are against Romes present doctrine and so obiected by the Protestants 3 How they auoyd them euen by applying their Art Wit and Learning Gods talents committed to them to obscure the Truth corrupt the witnesse thereof deceiue the simple and gull the learned making all beleeue that the ancient Writers are nothing at all against them but fully for them by peruerting their allegations to speake quite contrary to the Authors meaning O wit and learning wickedly bestowed conscience seared poore people miserably deluded And note further 4 the generality of this practise Iudicium Vniuersitatis Duacensis Censoribus approbatum confessed professed by a whole Vniuersity at once and deliuered for their deliberate iudgement and approoued by the most learned and iudicious censors appointed to that great office by the Hierarchy of the Church of Rome though this practice was a long time closely carried in darkenesse yet now it is defended in the open light by Gretzer the Iesuite §. 10. 4 The Roman Doctors may bring in whole Armies of witnesses on their side when they change the question and proue what no body denies a Bedel letters to Wadworth pag. 109. As when the question is whether the pope haue a Monarchy ouer all Christians an vncontroulable Iurisdiction an Infallible Iudgement c. b Bellar. de summo Pontifice lib. 2. cap. 15. 16 answered by D. Field lib. 5. cap. 35 36. Bellarmine alleadgeth a number of Fathers Greeke and Latin to proue onely that Saint Peter had a primacy of honour and authority which is farre short of that supremacy which the popes now claime and which is the question So to proue the verity of Christs Body and Blood in the Lords Supper c Bellar de Eucharistia lâ—b 2. toto Bellarmine spends the whole booke in citing the Fathers of seuerall Ages To what purpose when the
necke shall we therefore giue sentence of death inevitable against all these Fathers in the Greeke Church which being mis-perswaded died in the errour of freewill He addeth in the Margen Error conuicted and afterwards maintained is more then errour For though the opinion be still the same yet the men are not the same after that the truth is plainly taught them This cleareth these Fathers from heresie but not from error Out of these premises you may conclude these Consequents 1 It is vniust for the Romish Doctors to binde vs to the Fathers opinions when themselues refuse them 2 It is not reasonable to make the Fathers tenets rules of our Doctrine when it is confessed on all hands that the Fathers haue in many things erred Bellar. lib. 3. de verbo Dei cap. 19. §. dices quid ergo Bellarmine saith who can deny that many of the ancient Fathers had the gift of interpreting in great excellency and that they were spiriuall and yet it is manifest that some of the chiefest of them haue slipped in some things non leuiter not lightly Rossensis in responsione ad prooemium Lutheri veritate septima in fine fol. 10. 11. Bishop Fisher answering Luthers obiection That the ancient Fathers haue sometimes erred saith This doe not I deny they haue erred sometimes and they were suffered to erre that we might know they were but men 3 It is not onely vniust and vnreasonable but vnpossible to make vs in all things agree with the Fathers who doe not in all things agree among themselues When Saint Austen confutes Cyprian for rebaptization Irenaeus and Tertulâ—ian differ in the time of Christs suffering some Fathers against freewill before grace some for it c How is it possible to agree with them all Aug. lib. 2. contra Crescomium gram cap. 30. Ego Cypriani autoritate non teneor sed ejus dictum ex Scripturae autoritate considero quodque cum ea congruit cum ejus laâ—de recipto qd non cum cius pace respuo 4 Therefore there is a necessity to trie the Fathers doubtfull tenets by some superiour and vndouted rule and that rule the Fathers selues say is the holy Scripture inspired by God and therefore infallible examine all doctrines by that rule hold what agrees to that and refuse that which disagrees Thus did Saint Augustine by Cyprians writings I am not bound with the authority of Cyprian saith hee but I weigh his sayings by the authority of the Scriptures and what agrees to them with his due praise I receiue what agrees not with his good leaue I refuse And thus would Augustine haue men doe with his writings Aug. de trinitate lib. 3 cap. 1. Sane cum in omnibus literis meis non solum pium lectorem sed etiam liberum correctorem desiderem multo maxime in his c. sicut lectorem meum nolo mihi esse deditum ita correctorem nolo sibi Jlle me non amet amplius quam catholicam fidem iste se non amet amplius quam catholicam veâ—tatem Sicut illi dico Noli meis literis quasi scripturis canonicis inservire sed in illis quod no credâ—bas cum inveneris incunctanter crede in istis autem ad certum non habebas nisi certum intellexeris noli firmiter retinere Ita illi dico Noli meas literas ex tua opinione vel contentione sed ex divina lectione vel inconcussa ratione corrigere In all my writings saith he I desire not onely a pious Reader but a free Corrector as a Reader not wholly yeelding to me so a Corrector not yeelding to his owne affections not louing me more then the Catholicke faith nor louing himselfe more then the Catholicke truth As I say to him Bee not subiect to my writings as to the Canonicall Scriptures But in those when thou findest what thou beleeuest not beleeue without delay in those what thou thoughtest not certaine except thou vnderstand to be certaine doe not firmely hold so I say to him correct not my writings by thine owne opinion or contention but by the holy Scripture and sound reason §. 2. Antiquus You haue said enough to cleare you for differing from the Fathers in some things now cleare your Protestants if you can of the great scandall of differences among themselues Antiquissimus This was your late second obiection which you may partly answer by that which wee haue said of the Fathers for if the different opinions of the Fathers in some points hindred not their vnion in substance of the saith and their being members of all the same Church why should the like or lesser differences now among the Protestants hinder their vnion in substance of the same faith and their being members all of the same Church both among themselues and with the Fathers You see differences among the Fathers that touched not the foundation life and soule of Christianity brake not their vnity still they were all of one Church and of one faith in the most necessary substance thereof In which respect also we truely say they were our Predecessors and of the same Church whereof we are notwithanding our differences and theirs in other lesser points your new-Catholikes also challenge them to be theirs notwithstanding many differences betwixt them But of this point more fully hereafter For the present I will shew you a number of great and many of them for ought I see endlesse differences among your owne Doctors and yet you account them all Catholickes and of one Religion Archb. Abbot against D. Hill reason 3. §. 11. 1 In Peter Lombard a prince of the Schoolemen called by that honourable name of Master of the Sentences for searching and iudiciously deliuering the Sentences and doctrine of the Fathers so farre as he could see in them In him I say the Diuines of Paris haue noted 26 errors in quibus Magister non tenetur wherein the schollers of Rome must not hold with him These errors are added to his foure bookes of sentences to warne the trauellers through his bookes of his rockes and sands 2 Those foure bookes of Sentences alone may shew the great and numberlesse variety of opinions which he reciteth in most points of doctrine and yet all the Authors of them Catholickes The like may be said of Thomas Aquinas his summes See D. Hall The Peace of Rome 3 The latter bookes of Controuersies written by the Iesuites Bellarmine Gregory de Valentia Azorius Suarez and other their large writers doe as ordinarily confute men of their owne side as they confute Protestants Yea oftentimes I finde in Suarez fiue columnes against their owne Doctors for one against ours Yet these confuted Doctors are still Catholicks with them Archb. Abbot ibid. 4 The whole Nation of the Dominican Fryers following the Thomists doe hold that the Virgin Mary was conceiued in originall sinne the whole Nation of the Franciscans hold the contrary Concil Basil session 36.
following the Scotists The Councell of Basil ratified the Franciscans doctrine for the vnspottednesse of the Blessed Virgin The Dominicans excepted against that Councell as not lawfully called The contention continued and grew so great that Pope Sixtus was faine to interpose his authority commanding by a solemne decree that the matter should neuer be disputed afterward Hist of the Councell of Trent Notwithstanding in the Councell of Trent either of the sides contended with great earnestnesse to haue it determined on their side But to auoyde the endlesse offence of both sides the Cardinall de Monte President of the Councell told them The Councell was called to end Controuersies with Heretickes not to meddle with Controuersies of Catholickes And so it continued vndecided Lately Cardinall Bellarmine hath written much hereof on the Dominicans side but yet without resolution And so they stand irreconciliably contentious 5 Cardinall Caietan a deepe learned Diuine Arch. Abbot ib. and much imployed by the pope against Luther wrote many bookes of seuerall matters Sixt. Senensis Bibliotheca sancta libro 4. 6. against which Ambrosius Catharinus Archbishop of Compsa wrote sixe sharp bookes of Annotations and Inuectiues as Sixtus Senensis records and reckons vp the particular points leauing to euery man his free iudgement thereof 6 In the great piont of Iustification Cardinall Contarene agrees with the Protestants in his booke printed anno 1541. some few yeares before the Councell of Trent 7 Albertus Pighius also taught the Protestants doctrine of Iustification in a booke published anno 1549. which he dedicated to Paulus then pope complaining of the Schoole-Diuines who had much obscured the doctrine of Iustification and who he feared would contemne his iudgement 8 The learned Diuines of Colen also taught the Protestants doctrine of Iustification by faith in Christs merits and wrote against the merit of our workes in their Antididagma and Enchiridion Antididagma pag. 30. as Bellarmine confesseth And yet both Pighius and the Doctors of Colen are excused by Bellarmine Bellar. de Iustif lib. 2. cap. 1. § in candem sent § Deinde quod est discrimen they were no heretickes though they erred because they kept community with the Church of Rome and submitted their writings to the censure thereof 9 Their great Doctor Durandus had many errours which Bellarmine meets withall and confutes in many Controuersies And concerning the Eucharist he held that the matter of the bread remained still after the Consecration and that there was onely a transformation Bellar. de Fucharistia libro 3. cap. 13. initio but not a transubstantiation of the matter Whereof Bellarmine saith Sententia Durandi haeretica est licet ipse non sit dicendus haereticus cum paratus fuerit Ecclesiae iudicio acquiescere The opinion of Durand is hereticall though he is not to be called an hereticke seeing he is ready to rest vpon the Churches iudgement Sentent lib. 4. distinct 11. litera a. 10 Peter Lombard Bishop of Paris Master of the Sentences found such variety of opinions concerning the elements in the Sacrament that he knew not what to determine Some held that the substance of the bread remained some that it vanished or was resolued into his first matter some that it was turned into Christs body But for his owne part what kinde of conuersion it should be whether formal or substantiall or of some other kinde he saith Definire non sufficio I am not able to define Ibidem dist 13. b. in sine 11 Lombard also saith that bruit Beasts that eare the consecrated hoste doe not eate the body of Christ What doe they eat then He answereth Deus nouit hoc God knowes that Aquinas Summa 3. part qu. 80 ut 3. ad tertium But Tho. Aquinas teacheth the contrary that Christs body is still vnder the species as long as the species remaine though a Mouse or Dog should eate them For it is no dignity saith he to Christs body to be eaten by Beasts when they touch not the body in its proper species but onely according to the Sacramentall species Lombard ibid. dâ—st 11 lit 12 Lombard also saith that the Eucharist is to bee receiued in both kinds And Gerardus Lorichius a great Papist protesteth that they are false Catholickes Lerich de missa publica proroganda hinderers of the Reformation of the Church and blasphemers who deny the people the Cup in the Eucharist 13 Bellarmine himselfe a great learned Iesuite and Cardinall late Reader of Controuersies at Rome Bellar de Euchar lib. 3. cap. 18. §. Ex his colgimus c. teacheth that the substance of the bread in the Sacrament is not turned into the substance of Christs body productivè as one thing is made of another but that the bread goes away and Christs body comes into the roome of it adductivè as one thing succeeds into the place of another the first be voyded and this saith he is the opinion of the Church of Rome But Suarez another learned Iesuite Suarez tomo 3. in Thom. disp 50 sect 4. §. tertio principaliter pag. 639. who hath written many great volumnes and is Reader of Controuersies at Salamanca in Spaine confutes Bellarmines opinion terming it Translocatio not Transubstantiatio and saith it is not of the Churches opinion Thus these great Master-builders are confounded in their language and thus hard it is to know what the Church of Rome holdeth Her owne dearest and learnedest sonnes know not Either Doctor Bellarmine or Doctor Suarez mistooke it and doubtlesse either of them haue multitudes of followers and all on both sides Catholickes Yea I hope both Suarez and Bellarmine Durand and Lombard the Dominicans and Franciscans Cajetan Catharine Contarene Pighius and the Colen Doctors shall still be counted good Catholicks and all of one Church notwithstanding their differences 14 Beside these See before lib. 1. cap. 4. sect 12 13 â—4 you may remember a number of learned Catholickes with their numberlesse followers which I reckoned before which differed from you in some points and wrote against your doctrine and practises as Saint Bernard Ioannes Salisburiensis Cardinalis Camericensis Cardinalis Cusanus Robert Grosthead B. of Lincolne Ockam Cesenas Clemangis Gerson Valla Bradwardin Ariminiensis Contarene Bonaventure Scotus Clethoveus Rhendius c. Doctor Field reckons aboue 20 Fathers and later Doctors See aboue lib. 1. cap. 4. sect 14. B. Vsher Answer to the Irish Iesuite pag. 500. seq that accounted those bookes onely Canonicall which wee so reckon and the rest Apocryphall Bishop Vsher reckons vp against your doctrine of Merit aboue 50 authors new and old wherof some are manifold as Liber Caroli Magni composed by a great number of Diuines Instructions of the sicke approued by all the Diuines of the Kingdome The Canons and Vniuersity of Colen The Chancellour and Diuines of Paris And both they and all the rest had infinite followers of their
part 2. cap 5. Harding 3 Sanders de schis lib. 3. pag. 299. Sanders 4 Howlet briâ—fe discoursâ—…ason 7. Howlet 5 Card. Allen. with Rhemists Annot in Rom. 10.15 Allen with his Rhemists 6 D. Stapleton princ doctr l. 13. cap. 6. Stapleton 7 Doctor Kellison Reply to D. Sutclif p. 31. Kellison 8 Will. Rainolds Calvino-Turr l. 4. c 15. p. 975. William Rainolds 9 The Cath. Priests in their supplication to K. Iames anno 1604. The number of Catholicke Priests 10 Bellar. eccles milit lib. 4. c. 8. Bellarmine 11 Posnanienses assert de Christi in terris ecclesia thes 60. Posnanienses 12 Gregorius de Valentia tom 4. disp 9. q. 3. punct 2. Valentianus 13 Turrian de Iure ordinand lib. 2. c. 3. The like hath Turrianus 14 Mattheus Lanoius and Lanoius 15 D. Tyreus cited by Schaltingiuâ—â—ib cathol t. 4. pag. 33. The words of these â—uthors you may see in the booke of Mr. Francis Mason lib. 1. cap. 2. Tyreus and other not worth the reckning without measure or end Why doe they so bitterly inueigh against our Bishops and Ministers leauing their Doctrine and discrediting their calling to make people forsake them as men vnsent vncalled vnconsecrated without successiion ordination or iurisdiction yea calling them false prophets inuaders vsurpers and other Apostataes from the Church or Rome or mere Laymen but neither true Bishops nor Ministers at any hand Which they onely say and repeat and affirme with great vehemency but neuer proue Sect. 3. Antiquus Yes they proue it too * Christ a Sacrobosco de Invost Christi eccl cap. 4. Sacroboscus reports the story of the Consecration of the Bishop Iewell Sands Scory Horne Grindal and others who met at a Tauerne or Inne in Cheapside called the Horse-head in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths raigne being disappointed of the Catholicke Bishop of Landaffe who should there haue beene to consecrate them some of them imposed hands vpon Scory he vpon the rest and so were sons made without a father and the father procreated by the sons Thus saith Sacroboscus adding that one Thomas Neal Hebrew Lecturer at Oxford who was present told this to his old confessors and they told it to Sacroboscus and that afterward it was enacted in Parliament that these men should bee accounted lawfull Bishops The same story is also reported in a Preface to a Catholicke booke called A discussion numb 135. citing Sacraboscus for it And thus saith that Preface they vsed the like Art that the Lollards once did in another matter who being desirous to eate flesh on Good Fryday and yet fearing the penalty of the Lawes tooke a Pig and diuing it vnder the water said Down Pig and vp Pike and then after constantly auouched that they had eaten no flesh but fish So these caused him who kneeled downe Iohn Iewell to rise vp Bishop of Saliâ—bury and him that was Robert Horne before to rise vp Bishop of Winchester and so forth with all the rest Antiquissimus I wonder that men of any foreheads are not ashamed to vent such fantasticall and false tales which are confuted fully by the publike Records and Registers of those times Bishop Iewell published his answer to Hardings obiections threescore yeeres agone Anno Dom. 1567. wherein he plainely sheweth f Jewels Defence of the Apology 2. part cap. 5 printed anno Dom. 1567. that himselfe and all our other Bishops succeeded the Bishops that had beene before them and were elected consecrated and confirmed as they were So that your learned men haue had time enough to read search consider and confute or be satisfied and not still thus wickedly to proclaime to the world such falsities And Master Francis Mason hath done it more thorowly in a compleat Treatise g Of the consecration of the Bishops in England and ordination of Priests and Deacons Fiue bookes printed Anno Dom. 1613. Ex Register Park 1. fol. 18. fol. 39. printed anno DoÌ„ 1613. who sheweth out of the Register books of the Archbishops of those times among all other the Consecrations of these Bishops whom your Catholicke scoffers thus depraue 1 B. Scory was consecrated August 30. anno 1551. in the time of Edw. 6 by Archbishop Cranmer Nicholas London and Iohn Bedford 2 3 B B. Grindall and Sauds were consecrated both vpon one day the 21 of December anno 1559. being the Sabboth day and in the forenoone in the Chappell at Lambehith by Matthew Archbishop of Canterbury William Cicester Iohn Hereford and John Bedford Master Alexander Nowell the Archbishops Chaplein then preaching vpon this Text Acts 20.28 Take heed to your selues and to all the flocke whereof the Holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers and a Communion reuerently administred by the Archbishop 4 B. Iewell was consecrated Ian. 21. 1559. being the Sabboth day in the forenoone in the Chappell of Lambehith by Matthew Archbishop of Canterbury Edmund Grindal Ib. fol. 46. Bishop of London Richard Gox Bishop of Ely and Iohn Hodskius Bishop of Bedford with Common prayers Communion a Sermon preached by Master Andrew Pierson the Archbishops Chaplein vpon this Text Matt. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in Heauen Ib. fol. 88. 5 B. Horne was consecrated Febr. 16. 1560. being the Sabboth day in the forenoone in the Chappell at Lambehith in all respects as the former by Matthew Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Bishop of Saint Dauids See also Annals of Q. Elizabeth Engl. Darcy pag. 32. Edmund Bishop of London Thomas B. of Couentry and Liechfield which I doe thus punctually relate that the world may be satisfied thorowly and wonder at the impudency of these forgers of lies and at the folly of their beleeuers Antiq. I doubted alwayes of that vnlikely tale of the Consecration of the Nags-head depending onely vpon the report of one sole witnesse Thomas Neal an obscure man and telling it in darkenesse and now I am fully resolued out of publicke Records by you alledged easie to be sought and scarched that it is vtterly false But if it be granted that all these Bishops mentioned in that tale were orderly consecrated by 3 Bishops at the least according to the Canons how may it appeare that those other Bishops which consecrated them were themselues true Bishops Shew me how your first Reforming Bishops as you call them which vpon the banishing of the Popes authority by K. H 8 consecrated the fallowing Bishops were consecrated themselues by lawfull Bishops their Predecessors and then you say something All this out of Mr. Mason lib. 2. cap. 7. Antiq. Brit. pag. 321 322. Act. Mon. Sect. 4. Antiquissimus Our first reformed Bishop was Thomas Cranmer who had beene sent before by King Henry to the Pope with other Ambassadours who deliuered to the Pope a booke of his own writing wherin he
proued by â—criptures Fathers and Councels that no mortall man had power to giue a dispensation for a man to marry hâ—s brothers wife and told the Pope they had brought also other learned men out of England which were ready by dispensation to maintaine it The Pope promised sundry times a day of disputation but after many delayes giuing them good entertainement he made Cranmer his â—enitentiary and dismissed them Then the rest returning Cranmer was sent by the Kings appointment Embassadour into Germany to the Emperour where hee drew many to his side and among the rest Cornelius Agrippa While hee was in Germany Archbishop Warhan dyed and the K. sent for Cranmer to make him Archbishop of Canterbury who delayed his returne partly for businesse and partly for conscience and feare that he should be vrged to receiue the Bishopricke as from the Popes Donation when the right or Donation was in the King As he plainely told the King after his comming home But yet the matter was so handled that both with the Kings and the popes consent Cranmer was made Archbishop There are many letters from the pope soâ—â— to the King some to Cranmer in fauour of Cranmer recorded in the Register of Cranmer fol. 1 2 3. and related in Master Masons Booke lib. 2. cap 6. Whereof one for his Consecration runnes thus Clement Bishop 〈◊〉 our welbeloued sonne Thomas elect of Canterbuty Weâ— grant he eâ—câ— to thee that thou mâ—â—st â—â—â—eiue the gift of Consecration of whatsoeuer Catholicke Prelate thou wilt so he enioy the fauor and communion of the Apostolicke See two or three Bishops enioying the like fauour and communion being sent for and assisting him in this businesse Dat. Bouon 1532. Pontificatus numeri decimo And he was accordingly consecrated March 30. 1533 24. H. 8. by three Bishops to his Lincolne John Exon Hâ—yâ—ry Assaph I hope there can be no quarrell picked against this Consecration The most busie-headed Iesuite of our times Robert Parsons acknowledgeth Cranmer a true Bishop in his three Conuersions part 3. pag. 340. Antiquus But did not Cranmer take the oath to the Bishop of Rome at his Consecration as his predcessors had done and afterwards brake it Sanders de schis lib. 1 cap. 58. Mason lib. 2. cap. 7. Ex Regist Cran. fol. 4. b. Antiquissimus Indeed your D. Sanders so slanders him as if he had taken it simply and absolutely which he did not but with a protestation often made and repeatâ—d plainly and publikely first in the Chapter-house secondly kneeling before the high Altar in the hearing of the Bishops and people at his consecration thirdly in the very same place and in the very same words when by Commission from the Pope they deliuered him the Pall. The summe of the protestation was this That hee intended not to binde himselfe to any thing which was contrary to the Law of God or contrary to the King or Common wealth of England or the Lawes and prerogatiues of the sâ—me nor to restraine his owne liberty to speake consult or consent in all and euery thing concerning the Reformation of Christian Religion the Gouernment of the Church of England and the prerogatâ—ue of the Crowne or the commodity of the Common-wealth And euery where to execute and reforme such things which he should thinke fit to be reformed in the Church of England And according to this interpretation and this sense and no otherwise he professed and protested that hee would take the oath Sect. 5. Antiquus Well I am satisfied for Cranmer What say you to the rest of that time for he alone could not consecrate Antiquissimus I say first the Bishops in King Henries time which had beene consecrated before the renouncing of the popes authority lost not their power of consecrating afterwards For their Character is indeleble and cannot bee nullified by schisme heresie or censure of the Church being a thing imprinted in the soule by God and not by Man as the Councels h Concil of Florence Trent cited by Bellar. De Sacram in genere lib. 2. cap. 19. and your owne Doctors i Bellarmine in the same chapter De Rom. pont lib. 4. c. 10. § Respondeo falsissimum esse in fine he saith Quis ignorat Catholicorum baptizatos ab Haereticis verè esse baptizatos similiter ordinatos vere esse ordinatos quando ordinator vere episcopus fuerat adhuc erat saltem quantum ad Characterem teach Secondly I say that by the Statutes made in the 25 yeare of King Henry 8 it was ordained that euery Bishop should be consecrated by three former Bishops and with all due ceremonies And this is acknowledged by your k De schis lib. 3 pag. 296. D. Sanders and was duly performed in all Consecrations as of Cranmer of Canterbury 1533. Lee of Liechfield 1534. Browne Archbishop of Dublin 1535. Wharton of Assaph 1536. Holgate of Landaffe 1537. Holbecke of Bristow 1537. Thurlby of Westminster 1540. Wakeman of Glocester 1541. Bucklsy of Bangor 1541. Bush of Bristow 1542. Kitchin of Landaffe 1545. Euery one consecrated by three Bishops at the least and with all due ceremonies So that of King Henries time both by the statute De jure and by Records De facto you may be fully resolued that according to your owne rules all were true Bishops that were consecrated either before or after the schisme as you call it nd so they were acknowledged that liued still in Queene Maries time they that had beene thus consecrated in King Henries time were acknowledged I say by all your Catholickes and by the Pope himselfe to be rightly consecrated neither needed they any new consecration as B. Bouer Bishop Thurlby and Cardinall Pole But Thurlby made Bishop of Westminster in King Henries time was translated to Norwich by King Edward and to Ely by Queene Mary and made of her priuy Councell And Anthony Kitchin made Bishop of Landaffa in King Henries time so continued in King Edward and Queene Maries time and till his death in the fift yeare of Queene Elizabeth without any new orders or consecration the first being sufficient and in all times vndoubted Also Reginal Poole Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Watson Dauid Pole Iohn Christoferson made Bishops in Queene Maries time deriued their Consecration from Bishops which were made in the time of the pretended schisme and some of them from Cranmer himselfe Now then if you allow them for Canonicall you must allow their consecrators also to be Canonicall Sect. 6. King Henries Bishops then being thus cleared come we to King Edwards time wherin the Bishops formerly made and then continuing are cleared also to bee truely Consecrated and the Priests also formerly made and continuing in King Edwards time must be acknowledged to be rightly ordered and therefore to be capable of consecration to be made Bishops as were Ridley Hooper Ferrar. These therefore being consecrated by three Bishops became true Canonicall Bishops and so were all throughout King
mother and the deceiuers themselues be confounded and ashamed of the books they haue so falsely written and all Godly people be confirmed in the truth so manifestly cleared from forgeries which obscured it All which I hope the rather because the Papist prisoners in Framlingham castle in Queene Elizabeths time said to the Protestant Ministers if you can iustify your calling we will all come to your Church and be of your Religion r Mason lib. 1. cap. 3. in fine pag. 20. Sect. 9. Antiquus Well Sir be it that your English Clergy was canonically ordained and consecrated yet what say you to the Protestant Ministers in other countries which could haue no Bishops to ordaine them But as our learned men say they ordained one another very disorderedly and insufficiently Antiquissimus You draw mee to a Digression impertinent to the Church of England to speake of other countries in whose affayres I am not sufficiently acquainted and am loth to meddle It may be your learned men wrong them as they haue done vs. But if what they say be true It was your Popes fault so auerse from all reformation that did driue the Reformers in those countries to that necessity that either one Minister must ordaine another or else the Churches must be without many profitable Ministers By the way because you dislike our word Minister as we doe your word Priest vsed in your sense for sacrificing Priest Though the word Minister bee vsed by the b Bellar. de Rom. pont li. 3 cap. 13 pag. 392. § Ratio autem cur Apostoli in Scripturis nunquam vocant sacerdotes Christianos sacerdotes sed solum episcopos presbyteros Apostles in the New Testament for Minsters of the Gospell and the word Priest neuer vsed at all by them no nor by the most ancient Fathers as c Bellar decultu Sanctorum lib. 3. cap. 4. § Ad testimonium Patrum dico pag. 275. See before chap. 2. § 2. Bell. himselfe confesseth I will to auoyd offence to both vse the word Presbyter which the Apostles vsed and which I see our late learned writers do more willingly frequent to signifie such as haue taken full orders in the Church of God But note you also by the way that our fault is very small in vsing sparingly the termes of some later Fathers and vsing commonly the words of the Apostles yours is very great in forsaking and deriding the word of the B B. Apostles and preferring the words of some Fathers and vsing them contrary to their meaning But Then I doubt not to affirme that Orders giuen to Presbyters by Presbyters onely in times of necessity when Bishops cannot be procured to giue them are of full validity and sufficiency For the giuing of orders was appointed to Bishops not of absolute necessity but for their greater honour and for the better gouernment and preseruation of peace and vnity in the Church and for those and the like reasons it is fit that course be obserued when possibly it may But when it cannot we must consider that euen Bishops themselues doe not giue orders by any other power then is found in any other Presbyter Not by their power of Iurisdiction for they may ordaine Presbyters liuing out of their Iurisdiction but by vertue of their orders onely whereby they stand Presbyters Which is manifest by this that Bishops and Suffragans which are not Presbyters cannot giue orders which they neuer receiued therefore seeing the power of giuing orders is from the vertue of the orders formerly receiued which vertue is in euery presbyter as well as in a Bishop and therein Priests Bishops and Popes are all equall d See D. Field lib. 3. cap. 39. in medio alledging many Schoolmen to this purpose Then for want of Bishops to giue orders Presbyters may giue them For that is but a breach of decency and honourable conueniency whereby that thing is tyed to some chiefe Presbyters namely to Bishops which otherwise all Presbyters may doe But to the validity of the orders it maketh nothing what Presbyter soeâ—er giueth them The best learned in the Church of Rome in former times agreed to this Aâ—machanus e Armachanus lib. 11. in 4. Armenorum cap. 7. a worthy Bishop saith If all Bishops failed by death Sacerdotes minores possent Episcopum ordinare Inferior Priests might ordaine a Bishop And Alexander of Hales f Halensiâ— part 4. q. 9. memb 5. art 1 cited by D. Field ib. saith that many learned men in his time and before were of opinion that in some cases and in some times Presbyters may giue orders and that their ordinations are of force though to do so not being vrged by extreme necessity cannot be excused from ouer-great boldnesse and presumption And why not orders by ordinary presbyters as well as Baptisme by meaner persons For your Doctors in times of necessity allow Baptisme which is a principall Sacrament to be administred not onely by Bishops and Priests but by Deacons or any Laiks Baptized yea Laiks vnbaptized and very Pagans if they knew and preforme the Rites of Baptisme and women also by any person that is Homo rationalis and intendeth to doe as the Church would doe The Baptisme preformed by them is sufficient effectuall and needs no rebaptization as Bellermine teacheth at large g Bellarm. de baptismo lib. 1. cap. 7. If this will not suffice you may see more in Doctor Fields h D. Field lib. 3. cap. 39. lib. 5. cap. 56. and Master Masons bookes i Mason lib. 1. Sect. 10. Antiquus Sir you may not thinke that your priuate Reason and iudgement can ouersway the iudgement and determinations of graue learned and holy counsels Antiquiss Far be from me the presumption to thinke so Yet giue vs leaue to see what we see and to say what we know we see it in your owne learned mens books and know it to be your owne practise oftentimes to breake the Canons both of ancient Councels and of the Apostles If Protestants do it in times of necessity condemne them not for necessity hath no law it is so great a tyrant that it will not suffer the Law to stand Your men are faine sometimes to yeeld vnto it Your k This appeares plainly by Greg. Epistles lib. 12. Iud. 7. epist 31. rectified by Bede of D. Stapletons owne iudicious edition translation though other copies somewhat differ See Mason lib. 2. cap. 5. pag. 61. Gregory the great Bishop of Rome sending Augustine the Monke into England who was not vntill afterward made Bâ—shop of Canterbury appointed him to ordaine the first Bishops himselfe alone in case the Brittan Bishops opposed him and that of the English or Saxons there were no Bishops and that the French Bishops would be slacke and vncertaine of ayding him And accordingly himselfe alone ordained Melitus the first Bishop and by the assistance of Melitus onely hee ordained Iustus the second and when there was a Canonicall number then
in controuersies of Faith which heretofore was the office of Councels by the word of God but this power and right Bellarmine drawes out of the word Feed Men wonder at the Popes Immunity from error and infallibility in points of Faith but Bellarmine also rayseth it out of the words Feed my sheepe Men wonder at the Popes clayme of power of many ages neuer heard of to make Lawes in the Church to binde conscience yea as some say to make new Articles of Faith but this also Bellarmine findes in the same words Feed my Sheepe They that are practised in reading the Scriptures and Fathers wonder at the superabundant merits of the Saints which the Pope dispenseth at his pleasure but let them cease to wonder the Scripture giues it to the Pope in that word of Christ to Peter Feed my Sheepe For so teacheth Bellarmine in his booke of Indulgence Those that will not be rebels to their Prince the Lords annoynted wonder and that with indignation that the Pope corrupted by his flatterers should assume to himselfe a power to transferre kingdomes absolue subiects from the oath of fidelity and make Kings no Kings but this power of the Pope Bellarmine and others extract out of the word Feed Nay there want not them that gather out of the same word a power in the Pope to chastise with temporall punishments yea with death such Princes as are vndutifull to him So taught Becanus and Suarez famous Iesuites in their most infamous bookes such things writes Casaubon If the word Feed should signifie all these it would be very inconuenient for the Pope for then all Ministers which are bidden feed * Acts 20.28 1 Pet. 5.2 should haue all that power and priuiledges which the Pope by that word challengeth The Fathers tooke the meaning of Christ to be onely feed by doctrine and that they bet vpon and vrged See Tortura Torti p. 52 seq the Pope takes it to gouerne Regio moro impera Indeed the greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though most commonly it signifie to feed yet sometimes signifies to gouerne but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alwayes to feed Yet marke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is twice in the Text for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 once but they catch at gouernment and let goe feeding what Christ meant not nor Peter euer vsed that they lay hold on gouerning the whole Church the feeding that Christ meant and Peter vsed they leaue to others to labour in the Word and Doctrine is too laborious a feeding for them and the Friars or Iesuits to whom they leaue that labour feed vere strangely It is strange feeding to teach men to be Law-breakers vow-breakers Oath-breakers breakers of all Lawes and duties this is not to feed the sheepe but to scatter them to kill their leaders tread downe their pastures muddy their waters stop vp their wells not to feed but either to starue or to poyson them In like manner they make Receiue the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen to bee also exclude from the kingdomes of the earth Christ restraines the keyes to sinnes Iohn 20.23 Whose sinnes ye loose they extend them to Lawes Othes and Vowes Whatsoeuer thou bindest that is whatsoeuer league of wickednesse conspiracy treason rebellion thou tyest shall be ratified in heauen and whatsoeuer thou loosest be it bonds of Lawes duty faith oath obedience or allegiance it shall be loosed in heauen If this be so Christ should rather haue said to Peter Luk. 12.32 When thou art not conuerted but preuerted by such Doctrine strengthen thy brethren strengthen thy brethren in euill in their euils with hope of rewards from God for breaking his Lawes This is most damnable doctrine not onely against Gods word and the analogy of Faith but against common ciuility sence and reason Thus they abuse the Scripture to wrong purposes and peruert it contrary to the meaning to strengthen euill §. 9. Antonim suma mai dist 22 c. 5. Psal 8. ver 7 8. Marta Par. 1. c. 24. Tortura Torti pag. 177. Some haue very ridiculously turned the eighth Psalme to serue the Popes turne Thou hast put all things vnder his feet that is vnder the Popes gouernment all sheepe and Oxen and the beasts of the field that is men on earth the fowles of the ayre that is Angels the fishes of the sea that is soules in purgatory And lately D. Marta out of the same Psalme very seriously brings both Christians and Saracens vnder the Popes power for sheepe saith he signifies Christians and oxen Saracens and so he makes the Pope not onely a sheephard but a Neat-heard much like to that of Lumbard Sent. lib. 3. d 25. Aquin. 2. 2. q. 2. art 6. interpreting a sentence of Iob 1.14 The Oxen were plowing and the Asses feeding in their places the oxen plowing that is saith he the Priests reading the Scriptures Archb. Abbot ag Hill Reason 8. §. 5. the Asses feeding are the people not troubling their heads with such matters but content to beleeue in grosse as the Church beleeues A trim text and finely applied to keepe the people from reading the Scriptures Such lewd childish and ridiculous expounding and alleadging of Scriptures shewes first their want of Scripture proofes for the maintenance of their errors secondly their bad mindes striuing against their owne knowledge and conscience to blind and gull the world with a false shew of Scriptures when in truth the whole Scriptures are rather against them thirdly the base opinion they had of people and Princes too whom they thought they could coozen with any false shadowes The obseruing whereof Bedel letters to Wadsworth pag. 62. 64. 66. Carerius de potestate Pape l. 2 cap. 12 â—x C. Solitae de maior obed Morton Appeal l. 5. cap. 26. sect 1. not onely in their other Authors but euen in their Decretals is able alone to make a man hate Popery For example in the Decretals Deus fecit duo magna luminaria God made two great lights that is the Pope and the Emperor and that the Pope is so much bigger then the Emperor as the Sunne is bigger then the Moone which Clauius saith is 6539. times and one fift A notable text to shew the Popes greatnesse aboue the Emperour and that the Emperour receiues all his power and glory from the Pope as the Moone doth her light from the Sunne and is light onely on that side that is toward the Sunne and darke on the side that is auerse Also Mat 16.18 alleadging that text Tu es Petrus super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam The Lord saith he taking Peter into the fellowship of the vndiuided vnity oh foule blasphemy would haue him to be called that which he was himselfe that the building of the eternall temple might by the maruelous gift of God Cap. FundamentuÌ„ de clect in 6 consist in Peters firmnesse that from Peter as a certain head he should as it were
Sacra Scriptura est Regula credendâ— certissima tutissimaque saith Bellarmine i Bellar. de verbo Dei l. 1. c. 2. § quare cuÌ„ The Scripture is the most certaine and safe rule of Faith and Spiritus dominatur in conscientijs fidelium The holy Spirit rules in the faithfuls consciences making them all to submit to the word of God and though disioyned in Nations Lawes and Languages yet still to consent in the substantiall points of reformed Religion and constantly to suffer for them in persecution which vnity is not wrought by any Kingdome inter nos among vs such as the Pope assumeth but by Christs Kingdome intra nos within vs ruling our hearts by his Word and Spirit which Kingdome hee saith is not of this world but meerely spirituall and diuine §. 3. But now as if Gods truth stood need of our shadowed lies to maintaine it or that humane policy could deuise better means for the gouernment of Gods Church then either he by his own prouidence hath prescribed or the Ancient Primitiue Church practised or else which is the truth because there are some newer doctrines and practises to be maintained neither imposed by God nor able to stand of themselues we forsooth must deuise to set vp a man as blinde and corrupt as our selues and attribute vnto him infallibility in iudgment and vnbounded iurisdiction in gouernment which neither Scripture Fathers nor any reason doth giue him and by him we must suffer our selues to bee ledde blindefold in a conceit of greater peace and vnity than the Truth and Gods Spirit at first afforded which is a meere dreame and not onely a carnall but a most deceiuable policy and no better than the Priests of Antichrist may plot in being content to yeeld themselues to the whole guiding of their wicked Master and attribute vnto him infallibility of iudgement without ground or reason §. 4. That the Popes infallibility and iurisdiction haue no ground in the Scriptures or Fathers I haue shewed before with many reasons against them both Now since you vrge the profit thereof I will shew you the vnprofitablenesse and the intollerable inconuenience thereof to the Church Princes and Common-wealthes Antâ—q If you can doe so you shall goe beyond my expectation Antiquis I haue done it in part already See before book 1. cap. 5. §. 3 5 c. when I shewed you how the Popes earthly kingdome erected and maintained by many vniustifiable practises and polices spoyleth Christs heauenly Kingdome and robbeth earthly kingdomes of wealth peace comfort and many other blessings as by exempting all the Clergy both their persons goods and lands from the gouernment right or maintenance of secular Princes and Magistrates By making the Pope superiour to Emperours and Kings to depose them and dispose of their Kingdomes to others if he thinke it good for the Church and to that end freeing subiects from their sworne fidelity and arming them against their Soueraignes A doctrine fruitfull of treasons and rebellions Ib. sect 7. By dispensing and dissoluing oathes couenants and leagues and all other bonds and sinewes of humane society peace and security Ib. sect 8 9. By dispensing with Gods Lawes in matrimoniall causes and in other matters of great moment Ib. cap. 6. per totum As also by many hurtfull policies to maintaine this power depriuing Gods people of Gods word and authorizing Monks and Friers to preach where they list without controule of Bishops corrupting diuinity by Schoolmens subtilties Iesuits Statists and Incendiaries and many other deuices to draw to their faction the Wealth and Soueraignty of the word Meditate and consider well of that which then I declared and you will be satisfied that a number of things in the Papacy practised are most vnprofitable to the Church and vntollerable to Princes and Common-wealths §. 5. But to satisfie the more thorowly I will shew you some examples Hildebrand who as Onuphrius saith first set vp the Popes princedome made himselfe Pope by help of the Diuell so he was accused by a Synod a Trithem chroÌ„ Hirsaugiens an 1081. Auentin annal Boior l. 5. Marian chroÌ„ l. 3. an 1081 c of 30. Bishops of Italy France and Germany and by the ayd of armed men with some few of the Clergy and furthered by the great riches of Maud a powerful Gentlewoman of Italy his familiar friend without either the b Carlt. iurisd cap. 7. §. 103. Benno Naucler generat 36. This story I collect out of those histories and our learned men K. Iames BB Iewel Morton Carlton Bilson Vshâ—â— c. Emperours consent or the Cardinals hee called his name Gregory the seuenth Being now warme in the Popes Chayre he cites the Emperour Henry the fourth anno 1076. to appeare and answere in a Synod at Rome to crimes obiected against him vpon paine of present deposition Henry cals a Synod at Wormes where all the Teutonick Bishops except the Saxons renounce Hildebrand from being Pope and to their decree the German and French Bishops and most of the Italian Bishops assembling at Papia subscribed taking their oathes neuer to obey him more as Pope With this decree Caesar sends his letters to Hildebrand renouncing him and pronouncing him deposed from the Popedome The letters and deposition were deliuered in a Synod at Rome whereupon Ioannes Portuensis episcopus rushed vp and cried out Capiatur let him bee taken at which word the Prefect of the City and souldiers were at point to take and slay him in the Church But he stoutly catching vp a sword and calling vpon the name of Peter Prince of the Apostles with solemne words cursed the Emperour depriued him of his Empire absolued all Christians from their oath of fidelity made vnto him and forbade them to obey him as King And this was the first time that euer any Emperour or King was pronounced deposed by the Pope and subiects set free from their Alleagiance as c See Onuphrius cited before Booke 1. cap. 4. §. 9 10. Vrspergens fol. 226. B. Carlton Iurisd c. 7. §. 105. Malmsburiensis hist in Willm primo Angl. Reg. Otho Frising in vita Henrici 4. l. 4. c. 31. B. Vsher De Eccles succes cap. 5. §. 6. Onuphrius and many other historians say This Emperor Henry saith Vrspergensis was valiant and fought 62. set battles in number surpassing M. Marcellus and Iulius Caesar of whom the one fought 30. the other 50. This fact of Hildebrand opened all mens mouthes with outcries against him calling him Antichrist and that by deuising fables corrupting histories abusing Scriptures through his headlong ambition hee sought the rule of the world vnder the title of Christ and played the rauening wolfe in sheepes cloathing spoyling all religious piety raysing warres seditions rapes murders periuries and all euils Thus cryed the world saith Auentine Meane season Hildebrand prosecuting the deposition of Henry stirred vp the Saxons against him offring to make them Kings of the whole West besides
Kings and discharging their subiects of their alleagiance fidelity and obedience dissoluing gouernment and filling kingdomes with warres and miseries begunne by Hildebrand and still continued by his successors Obserue secondly out of the story of King Iohn Mat. Westmonast Flores loco quo supra pag. 95. K. Iamâ—s Remonstr p. 58. That this successor of Peter fished not for soules but for kingdomes euen with the destruction of millions of soules if your owne doctrine be true for he caused the whole land to be interdicted and so to continue six yeeres fourteene weekes and two dayes plaguing all this while the whole body of the land for the head the Kings offence a point of iniustice with a heauy spirituall plague for a light temporall offence a point of impiety For al this while the Church-dores through the whole kingdome were shut vp no belles stirred no prayers preaching Sacraments permitted Children kept vnbaptized bodies vnburied all people accursed liuing like heathens dying like dogs without instruction exhortation consolation and all that dye thus vnder the curse of the Interdict without some speciall indulgence or priuiledge are thought for euer damned and adiudged to eternall punishments as dying out of the communion of the Church Alas how many millions of soules did this Innocent the Pope wilfully send to hell in this large kingdome of England and Wales in this large time of aboue six yeeres for anothers offence for what could they doe or what offended they poore people if the King would not be ruled by the Pope Nay they offended the King also and incurred much danger and dammage by falling from their obedience for the Popes sake and yet are thus recompensed by him Are these the actions of the Vicar of Christ to saue soules or rather of Antichrist to destroy them Is this the kinde Father of the Church K. Iames ib. p. 257. But obserue further thirdly how these pretended successors of Saint Peter change their spirituall power into temporall for their worldly gaine and greatnesse and change Christs Kingdome which was not of this world into the winning and disposing of the kingdomes of this world and make the pennance of sinners the forfeiture of their estates Is this the satisfaction to be imposed vpon a sinner that of a Soueraigne and free Prince he must become vassall to his Ghostly Father and make himselfe and all his subiects tributary to a Bishop that shall rifle the whole Nation of their coyne and make them doe him homage Shall not a sinner be quitted of his faults except he be turned out of all his goods possessions inheritance and his Pastor be infeoffed in his whole estate Is this holinesse or is it not plaine tyranny and robbery It is plainely to heape robbery vpon fraud and tyranny vpon robbery and to change the sinners repentance into a snare or pitfâ—ll of coozening deceit And as the end is naught so the meanes is worse to bring it to passe by such subtill pranks and wicked deuices as not to sticke at setting a whole flourishing kingdome on fire by warres and seditions not to care what becomes of mens estates of their bodies liues or soules but bring them all to ruine so that the kingdome may be weakened and the King brought to so low a degree of misery that hee may be easily lifted out of his estate and the kingdome seized vpon Of King Henry the thirds reygne See before booke 1. cap. 6. sect 14. Reade also Math Paris Math. Westminster in Henr. 3. B. Carlton of Iurisdiction exhausted of treasure and scourged of his subiects by the Popes most intollerable exactions which caused the people to wish rather to dye than to liue to endure them I haue spoken something already and can say much more §. 12. Antiq. This is enough for me and for this matter more than enough But it may be in these latter times of greater light and opposition the Popes haue beene more moderate and become more like to their first Ancestors Antiquis Neuer a whit See before Booke 1. cap. 5. §. 3. consider 6. haue I not told you before of K. Henry 8. who though he continued the Popes religion entire yet for reiecting his iurisdiction was condemned by the Pope excommâ—nicated pronounced no King his subiects commanded to deny subiection to him and all men to take armes against him c. The like course the Pope hath runne agaynst our late most excellent Princes Queene Elizabeth and King Iames. For I will passe by the mischiefes done in other Countries and the murders of the two last Kings of France the troubles of our owne kingdome will hold me long enough Camden Annal. Elizab. p. 27. By the happy abolishing of the Popes authority by Queene Elizabeth England became the most free of all Countries in the world the Scepter being as it were manumitted from forraign seruitude and a great masse of mony kept at home which formerly was exhausted and yeerely and daily carried to Rome for first fruits Indulgences Appeales Dispensations Palles and such other things so that the land grew much more rich than in former ages The Popes could not be insensible of their losse this way besides all other and conceiuing some hopes of recouery by encouraging persons discontented with this mutation B. Car ton thankfull remembrance pag 13 See the Bull of Pius 5. in Camdens Annals pag. 183. in the eleuenth yeere of her reigne Pope Pius the fifth excommunicated her deposed her by his Bull dated anno 1569. quinto Calend. Mart. thereby also absoluing her subiects from their oath of alleagiance and from all other offices and duties accursing all that did obey her This was done to procure a strong party in England to ioyne with the Pope and Spaniard in their designe for the inuasion and conquering of England when their forces should bee ready Camden ib. pag. For the Papists in the Land were so strangely perswaded and bewitched as to admire with astonishment a certaine omnipotency in the Pope and that his Bulles were dictated by the holy Ghost and that they in executing them and in murdering their Princes should doe meritorious acts very acceptable to God and dying therein should become glorious Martyrs and haue higher places in heauen than other men See Camden Annales Elizabethae p. 315. p. 348. in fine anni 1581. To gayne more people of all sorts Noble Gentle inferiours to their faction and to gull them with such false opinions the Pope out of his Seminaries at Rome and Rhemes sent out yeerely a number of Priests disguised into England to grope and peruert the hearts of men secretly and wickedly telling them that the Pope had supreme power ouer the whole world yea euen in politike affayres that such as were not of the Roman Religion were to be depriued of all regall power and dignity that it was lawfull yea and a meritorious work to depose Princes excommunicated by the Pope that the
Cap. 7. 1583. Camden Annal part 3. p 370. 7. Someruile bewitched by the wicked seditious bookes of the Iesuits sought to come into the Queenes presence to kill her and by the way set vpon one or two with his drawne sword but was taken and hanged as was also Ardern his father in Law 8. Among other mischieuous bookes one exhorted the Ladies and maids of honour to doe as Iudith did to Holofernes 1584 See Camd. Annal ib. p. 398. 9. Francis Throgmorton practised to deliuer the Q. of Scots Vpon discouery whereof Thomas L. Paget and Charles Arundell fled into France the Earles of Northumberland and Arundell commanded to keepe their houses and 70. Priests whereof some were condemned to dye were sent out of England whereof the chiefe were Gasper Heywod Iames Bosgrate Iohn Hart Edward Bishton c. 10. Bernardine Mendoza Embassadour from the K. of Spaine was commanded to auoyd England for treasonable practices with Thrâ—gmorton and others to bring strangers into England and depose the Queene This Mendoza had made two Catalogues One of the Hauens of England fit to land forces in the other of all the Noble men that fauoured the Romish Religion 11. Cap. 8. Queene Elizabeth purposed to set the Queene of Scots at liberty and sent Sir William Wade to her to conferre of the meanes and was ready also to send other Commissioners to effect it but a strange accident hindred it One Creighton a Scottish Iesuit being taken by Dutch Pirats tore certaine papers and cast them into the Sea but they were blowne backe into the shippe gathered brought to Sir William Wade who peeced them againe and they discouered new practises of the Pope Spaniards and Guises to depose Queene Elizabeth and King Iames and set vp the Queene of Scots and marry her to some English Lord to be chosen by the Catholikes and confirmed by the Pope their children to succeed them to this purpose were to be employed Cardinall Allen for the English Ecclesiastikes Sir Francis Inglefield for the Laikes and the Bishop of Rosse for the Queene of Scots 12. William Parry a Welshman 1585. Reade the whole story in Camden Annal. part 3. p. 391. Doctor of the Ciuill Law sought occasion to kill the Queene insinuating into her fauour by telling her that hee had found out treasonable intents in Morgan and other fugitiues who practised her destruction and that hee had conferred with them closely to finde their purposes and keepe her safe desiring her leaue to doe so still and to haue accesse vnto her to discouer what he found But Parry himselfe in good time being suspected accused taken imprisoned and examined by graue Counsellors at last freely confessed that in France and from Rome by Cardinall Como he was confirmed that it was lawfull and meritorious to kill the Queene and especially by D. Allens booke written against the Iustice of England and that hee was imployed to that purpose for which he was executed Cap. 9. Camd ib. part 3 pag 399. 13. Henry Percy Earle of Northumberland though pardoned for his rebellion 16. yeeres before restored and made Earle by the Queenes mercy yet practised with Mendoza and Throgmorton to put downe Elizabeth and set vp the Queene of Scots and being imprisoned killed himselfe with a Pistoll was found dead the dore bolted on the inside oh mischieuous Popishnesse the ruine of many Noble houses Camd. ib. p 431. seq Reade it there at large 14. Sauage also vowed to kill the Queene as did also George Gâ—fford a pentioner hired by the Guise for a great summe of money and perswaded by Doctor Gifford Gilbert Gifford and Hodgeson Priests that it was lawfull and meritorious 15. And Ballard a Priest walking in a souldiers habit and calling himselfe Captaine Foscue promised an inuasion by the Pope Spaniard Guise and D. of Parma he told Babington of the Queenes death to bee acted by Sauage perswaded him to see the Queene of Scots fauour and drew more heroik Actors as they called them into the conspiracy Tilney Tichburne Abington Barnewell Charnocke besides others for other purposes Windsor Salisbury Gage Trauerse Iones Dun. And they practised how to stirre Ireland to draw Arundell and his brethren and Northumberland to their side and call Westmerland Paget and others home But Sir Francis Walsingham found out all the plot by meanes of one Gifford a brother false to them but true to the State so that when the proiect was ripe and the Queen made acquainted the Traytors though fled and dispersed were taken conuicted and executed Cap. 10. Camd. ib. p. 483. 16. Anno 1587. Many discontented persons still continually haunted the Queene of Scots like euill spirits tempting her L'Aubespineus the French Embassadour lieger went about by treason to free her mouing William Stafford whose mother was of the Queenes Bed-chamber to kill the Queene by poyson Gun-powder or rather sword Trappius the Embassadours Secretary perswaded Stafford and Moody but Stafford reuealed all to the Queenes Councell Trappius was intercepted going into France The Embassadour being called before the Councell denied all but Stafford affirmed it to his face The Lord Burleigh told him though he were not punished yet he was not iustified 17. Shortly after Camd. ib. part 4. pag. 843. William Stanley and Rowland Yorke became Traytors Yorke being made Captaine of a Sconse neere Zutphen betrayed it to the Spanyard and Stanley betrayed to them the rich fenced Towne of Deuenter and sent for Priests to teach his English and Irish the Popish Religion being in number 1300. calling them The Seminary legion as the Seminary Priests ordained to defend the Romish Religion Not long after Yorke was poysoned Stanley tossed from place to place ignominiously and his fellowes some died for hunger some stole away himselfe was neuer trusted for the Spaniards vsed to say Some honour might bee giuen to a traytor but no trust and hee found too late he had most of all betrayed himselfe 18. The maruellous climactericall Cap. 11. 72. See the whole history hereof in Camdens Annales part 3. pag. 513. seq Meteranus Hakluits voyages Speeds chron and fatall yeere as some called it 1588. whereupon the superstitious built great hopes brought forth the Spanish Armado a Nauy by them termed inuincible furnished with the best experienced and famous Captaines and souldiers from Spaine Italy Sicily America and all other places to be gotten to conquer England by huge force which had before beene vainly attempted by false treachery It consisted of 130. shippes 19290. souldiers Mariners 8350. chayned rowers 2080. Great Ordnance 2630. Vnto which the Prince of Parma in Flanders was to adioyne his forces building shippes and brode vessels to transport 30. horses a peece with twenty thousand vessels with 103. companies on foot and 4000. horsemen and among these were 700. English fugitiues These were blessed by the Pope and with the Catholikes prayers and intercessions to Saints and for greater terror to the
English a booke was set out of all the preparation in particulars which was so great through Spaine Italy Sicily and the Low-countries that the Spaniards themselues were in admiration of their owne forces Pope Sixtus Quintus sent Cardinall Allen who wrote a pestilent booke to discourage the English and encourage their owne side by him renewing the Bulles of Pius 5. and Gregory 13. and excommunicating the Queene againe deposing her absoluing her subiects from all alleagiance and setting forth a printed Cruciata of full pardons to all that ioyned against England Whereupon the Marquesse à Burgaw of the house of Austria the Duke of Pastrana Amady Duke of Sauoy Vespasian Gonzaga Iohn Medices and diuerse other Noble-men were drawne into these warres And yet in the meane season to gull the English and make them more negligent the Prince of Parma sent to the Queene to entreat of peace so that Commissioners were sent into the Low-Countries about that entreaty but the businesse was cunningly protracted with promises and delaies vntill the Spanish Fleet was come neere the English shore and their Gunnes heard from the Sea and Parmas forces brought to the shore Yet God so blessed our English forces that they got the winde played vpon them tooke many of their ships sunke many droue the rest out of the Channell and in a moneths space so dispersed them that they durst not returne but fled about beyond Scotland and Ireland losing many by the way and returned to Spaine with sorrow losse and shame the English hauing lost onely one ship and scarce an hundred men in beating and chasing them For which our safety and victory our Gracious Queene Elizabeth with her Nobles and Citizens of London in their colours resorted to the Cathedrall Church of Saint Pauls and gaue God humble and hearty thanks and shewed the banners taken from the enemies with publike ioy Many both at home and abroad wrote Poems and Epigrams of this great enterprize so happily defeated and I this one Numerall verse noting the yeere and the businesse Est DeVs Ang LorV M pVgnaX qVI strauIt Iberos 19. Cap. 13. Comd Annal. part 4 pag 6â—3 The King of Spaine practised both to doe away Don Antonio King of Portugall and also to poyson Queene Elizabeth by meanes of D. Lopez a Iew her Physitian for fifty thousand crownes which was discouered by letters intercepted and hee committed to the Tower yet he denied it with vehement oathes and execrations and though the knot of this treason was most closely carried yet by diligent examination it was confessed by Pedro Ferrera Steuen Ferrera and Manoel Lowis Tinoco and at the last by Lopez himselfe saying Indeed he had so couenanted with the Spaniard with a purpose to get the money and bring it to the Queene and then to reueale the whole matter vnto her and that to that end he had spoken to Ferrera Andreda Ibarra Count Fuentes c. by mouth messengers and letters but neuer intending to doe it This vnder his hand Febr. 25. 1593. Roger Lopez It was confessed also that Lopez should haue the mony brought to Antwerp that the King of Spaine should bee informed of the very day when the act should bee done that hee might cause the Queenes ships to be burned and the I le of Wight to be surprized 20. Edward Squire Cap. 14. See Camd. ib. p. 725. 843. hauing beene a Scriuener at Greenewich and afterwards one of the Queenes Stable going in a voyage to the Indies with Sir Francis Drake was taken and brought into Spaine and there in prison was wrought vpon by Walpoole the Iesuite and the Inquisition and finally by paine and pouerty became perfectly Iesuited and perswaded to kill the Queene of England by impoysoning her saddles pummell with poyson which they deliuered him in a bladder teaching him how to vse it Hee performed all accordingly but it tooke none effect but onely brought the traytor to his vntimely end for Walpool grieuing that it was not performed spake of it to some by whom it came to light and he being examined confessed the whol matter Cap. 15. Comd. ib. p. 573. 617. 635. 655. seq 701. 21. Tyrone a bastard hauing had such fauour of Q. Elizabeth as to be made Earle and twice pardoned once for murder and againe for vsurping the title of O-neal being a banished fugitiue lurked in Spaine and promised to do some seruice to the Pope and Spaniard and being set on by them anno 1597. hee assayled the Fort of Blackwater but being crossed by the English forces and proclaymed traytor hee fell downe before the Queenes picture and craued pardon and yet at the same present dealt for ayd out of Spaine But a cessation of Armes being granted he still harried and wasted the Country and made many reuolt still suing dissemblingly for pardon Thomas L. Burrugh Deputy defeated the rebels tooke the Fort of Blackwater But Tyrone beleagured it the Deputy dying 1598. Henry Bagnal came with 14. Ensignes against him and there lost his life with 15. other Captayne 's slayne and 1500. souldiers put to flight so that Tyrone tooke the Fort of Blackwater furnished with armor and munition which was the greatest losse that euer the English receiued since their first footing in Ireland And thus the rebellion was increased and became so dangerous that the Queene sent the Earle of Essex with an army of 20000. against them to wit 16000. foot and 4000. horse who not going directly against Tyrone but labouring to cleare other parts and affording parly with Tyrone a rebell and granting a cessation of warre for some time Cap. 16. much offended the Queene so that shee wrote somewhat sharpely to Essex because the Spring Summer and Autumne were spent without seruice against the arch-rebell many men lost much mony spent the rebels were incouraged and Ireland hazarded whereupon Essex posted home to pacifie the Queene but was presently confined to his owne house and after to the custody of the Lord Keeper Meane while Tyrone reuolted and stirred receiuing mony from Spaine and indulgences from Rome with a plume of Phoenix feathers for an especiall fauour Anno 1600. Clarls Blunt Lord Monicy came Lieuetenant Generall and with great celerity and felicity slue and chased many of the rebels and remoued Tyrone from the Fort of Blackewater Now the Spaniard sent Don Iohn D' Aquila Generall of his forces into Ireland and the Pope elected a Spaniard to be Archbishop of Dublin employing also the Bishop of Clowfort the Bishop of Killalo and Archer a Iesuite Aquila with 2000. old trayned Spaniards and some Irish fugitiues landed at Kinsale the last of October 1600. and drew many to him Our Deputy encamped neere and Sir Richard Leuison with two shippes inclosed the hauen and our Canons played on the Towne Newes of 2000. more Spaniards arriued at Bear-hauen Baltimer Castle-hauen drew Leuison thither who sunke fiue of their ships To their leader Alfonso O Campo came
Religion in this point Antiq. I must needs doe so and I doe not thinke them true Catholikes that hold and practise this point of Supremacy Papists they may bee as you terme them for so holding with the Pope but Catholikes they cannot be for this Doctrine is not Catholike §. 14. Antiquis Doe you not see also how greatly you shake the Popes authority by this meanes and ouerturne the foundation of his Supremacy for your Popes haue both claymed and practised this full authority as well in ciuill and temporall things as in Ecclesiasticall and vpon the same grounds And your learned Doctors thinke their grounds as firme for the one as for the other Your Great Bellarmine vpon whom you so much rely saith o Bellarm. de Pont. Rom l. 5. cap. 6. initio Although the Pope as Pope hath not any more temporall power which other Doctors say he hath yet so farre as it may make for the spirituall good he hath supreme power to dispose of the temporall things of all Christians And p Ib. cap. 7. hee labours to proue that the Pope may depose Princes and dispose of their kingdomes if he finde it good for the Church as a sheephard may deale with Wolues and vnruly Rammes and other sheepe And many of your Doctors haue the like as Eudaemon Ioannes Sidonius Suarez Becanus Mariana Grotzerus Costerus Baronius Sanders Allen and thousands more Antiq. I am very sorrowfull that so great learned men should hold such an opinion I hold them erroneous and euill Antiquis Then you must confesse that the Church of Rome may erre and that in a maine point both of doctrine and practise to the great hurt of the Catholike Church and many mens destruction both of body and soule in being traytors and rebels against their Soueraignes and murderers of people of which crimes your Popes and Doctors are guilty Antiq. I must needs grant that some haue erred in the Church but not the whole Church neither I hope hath any Pope taught this Ex Cathedra Antiquis This some is a large some the greatest part of your Church and I thinke the Pope teacheth it Ex Cathedra when hee decrees it out of his Pontificall iudgement and authority and sends out his iudiciall excommunications vnder seale against Princes to depose them as Pius 5. did against our Queene Elizabeth and Breefes to forbid his Catholikes to take the oath of ciuill Alleagiance as Paulus 5. did to our English Now consider well what you grant in effect that the greatest part of the Church yea the most conspicuous and eminent men in the Church and the Pope also may erre in some great and dangerous point and yet because some few inferiour and obscure persons hold the truth the true Church is still sufficiently visible and illustrious This you had not wont to yeeld to the Protestants See card Perons oration in the third inconuenience In K Iamâ—s his Remonstrance p. 183. 187. c. Cardinall Perone dare not grant it but saith this would proue the Church of Rome to be Antichristian and hereticall and to haue ceased to be the Spouse of Christ for a long time and to haue taught many points without authority as Transubstantiation auricular confession c. for these he ranketh with the Popes power to depose Kings and if the Scriptures yeeld no ground for the one no more doe they for the other These and diuerse other points which they hold different from vs haue no other ground but the authority of that Churâ—h which is found to erre in great and dangerous matters See this in B. Whites answer alleadged p. 87 Your owne learned Iesuite Mr Fisher vpon whose iudgement your English Roman Catholikes doe much relye saith Thâ—t if the Church could deliuer by consent of Ancestors together with truth some errors her Traditions euen about the truth were questionable and could not be beleeued vpon the warrant of her Tradition and this he proueth substantially Neither doe we receiue doctines vpon the Churches warrant only as Doctor White there largely learnedly sheweth but vpon their agreeing with the holy Scriptures Now we may assume The Church of Rome doth deliuer by consent of many Ancestors from Gregory 7. time to our times some errours as this concerning her power to depose Kings and dissolue oathes of Alleagiance c. Ergo her traditions or teaching are questionable and cannot be beleeued vpon the account of her Tradition Consequently all other her doctrines not grounded vpon Scripture are questionable and our subiection to her iudgement vnnecessary Antiq. Truly if I grant the former doctrine of her power to depose Kings c. to be erroneous as I must needs grant I know not how to auoyd this reason 1 Booke 1. cap 1. And therefore not to trouble you longer at this time Since you haue shewed me 1. that your Chuch differeth nothing from the Romish Church in the old true doctrine which it continueth but onely in some corruptions which it hath added and that 2. corruptions may in time come into any particular Church the Roman not excepted 2 cap. 2. but warned thereof by the Scriptures 3. 3 cap. 3. shewing also the time when they grew obseruable and notorious in the Roman Church 4 cap. 4. and 4 that they were opposed from time so time and reformation called for 5 cap. 5. shewing also 5. the principall points wherein the difference consists and that you hold all necessary doctrines 6 cap. 6. 6. misliking many policies by them vsed to maintaine their new corruptions And further haue shewed mee Booke 2. that this your Church for the substance of the doctrine thereof hath alwayes beene visible 7. as all one with the Primitiue Church 7 cap. 1. and the Greeke and Easterne Churches and the Waldenses that separated from the corruptions of the Papacy yea and with the Roman Church it selfe excepting the Papacy and the maintainers thereof although in some 8 8 cap. 2. ceremonies and priuate opinions both you and the Romish haue departed from fome Fathers wherin 9. 9 cap. 3 also there was difference among themselues as there is also still among the Roman Doctors And further you haue shewed mee 10. 10. cap 4. a Rule to iudge all Churches and Christians by By which Rule iudged right by the Roman Doctors you approue your selues to hold all things necessary to saluation and thereby to be the true Church of God and agreeing therein with all true Churches that are or euer were in the world yea and that 11. 11 cap 5. your Bishops and Ministers haue as good succession from the Apostles as any other in the world although 12. 12 cap. 6. 13. cap. 7. you admit not the B. of Romes Supremacy ouer al Churches and Christians in the world neither 13. his Infallibility both which you proue to be vnknowne and vnreceiued of the Ancients and 14. 14 cap. 8. both vnprofitable and
Edwards dayes as appeareth both by your Doctor Sanders confession l Sanders de schism lib. 3. pag. 297. And by our publicke Records or Registers m Extracted published in Mr. Masons booke Ridley 1547. Ferrar 1549. Hooper 1550. Poynet 1550. Scory and Couerdale 1551. In whose consecrations good and fit prayers were vsed and all necessary ceremonies as of imposition of hands c. Auoyding onely vnnecessary superfluous superstitions Ceremonies as we call them which your owne men confesse to be accidentall things onely and not touching the essence of orders without which orders may well stand and be prefect enough Of Queene Maries time you make no doubt all was according to your minde all the Bishops and Priests were true and Canonicall and might well deliuer the like to posterity I speake this ex concessis And of Queene Elizabeths time you haue as little reason to doubt Sect. 7. Antiq. Yes for in the very beginning of Queene Elizabeths time some Bishops were depriued See Arnâ—ls of Elizabeth Engglish Darâ—â— pag. 32. and the rest denyed to consecrate new ones So that for the consecration of D. Parker Archbishop of Canterbury there could not be found Bishops to do it D. Sanders saith you had neither 3 nor 2 Bishps to do it D. Kellison saith you could finde none Antiquissimus This is a shameles vntruth For when the Deane and Chapter had elected D. Parker for their Archbishops according to the ancient and inuiolated custome of the Church as the Record n Register Mat. Parker saith the Queene sent her letters Patents to seuen Bishops giuing commission that they or at least foure of them should consecrate him c And foure of them did it accordingly the 17 of December 1559. To wit William Barlow and Iohn Hodgskins both made Bishops in King Henries Dayes and John Scory and Miles Couerdale made Bishops in King Edwards dayes Antiq. There may be some doubt whether these were Bishops or no because they fled and left their Bishoprickes in Queene Maries dayes and other Bishops were placed in their roomes Antiquissimus These prelats did but as Athanasius and many other holy Bishops did in the dangerous times of the domineering Arrians Matth. 10. â—3 who according to Christs precept fled to saue their liues and reserue their gifts to better times But as Athanasius and those otâ—er Bishops were still accounted the true Bishops and those that were set vp in their roomes were accounted vsurpers and put downe when those better times came and the other true Bishops restored to their places so at the comming of Elizabeths happy times these Bishops that fled were recalled returned and restored to their former places or preferred to other Now except you will condemne that most worthy Athanasius and the other for no Bishops in the time of their exile when others had their places you cannot reiect these worthy men as no Bishops their case being the same with those ancient Bishops And of all other you should least quarrell at these things For you know there are many in your Roman Church both Bishops and Priests which haue no particular places Bishoprickes or Benefices and yet you account them true Bishops and Priests Such was Olaus Magnus Archiepiscopus Vpsalensis o Gentil in Examine and blind Robert Archiepiscopus Armachanus p Jdem ib. Who both were sent by the Pope to the Councell of Trent to fill vp the number of Bishops q Sleidan com lib. 17. And Robert King entituled Episcopus Roanensis r Goodwin Catalogo in the Archbishoprick of Athens in Grecia vnder the Turke and many the like And your innumerable Priests without Benefices sent into England and other Countries Your owne Bellarmine saith Å¿ Bellar. De Sacram conf lib. 2. cap. 12. in fine Respondeo Suffraganeos esse verè episcopos quia ordinationem habent iurisdictionem licet careant possessione pro priae ecclesia They are true Bishops which haue ordination and Iurisdiction though they want the possession of their proper Church And this also warranteth our Suffragan Bishops wherof we had some in later times who had both due consecration by three Bishops and also Iurisdiction though not very large as other Bishops had t By the statute of 26. H. 8. c. 14. Antiquus Since you haue so well satisfied mee of Archbishop Parkers consecration when true Bishops willing to put to their hands were so hard to be found I need not doubt of the rest of al the Bishops the in more plentifull reignes of Queene Elizâ—beth or King Iames since D. Sanders u Sanders de schism lib. 3. pag 297. confesseth that the Law of King Henry 8 for consecration by three Bishops was reuiued by Queene Elizabeth and standeth in force and hath been very duely obserued in these later times Antiquissimus If you desire yet fuller satisfaction you may see the Consecrations of the Bishops in both these Princes raignes set downe largely in Master Masons booke together with a deriuation of the Episcopall line from the Bishops of King Henry 8 which you acknowledge to be Canonicall vnto George now Lord Archbishop of Canterbury with the dayes and yeares when euery of them and their Consecrators were consecrated euer more by three former Bishops and sometimes by foure or more I conclude with Bishop Andrewes answere to Bellarmine Eliensis Responsio ad Bellarmini Apologiam contra Praefationem monitoriam Iacobi Regis cap. 7. pag. 168. Our Bishops haue been alwayes ordayned by three true Bishops Bishops not as you sometimes against the CanoÌ„s by abbots Also by true Bishops euen your Bishops except yours be not true This Canon was neuer violated by vs nor that order euer interrupted And in our Bishops there is res Episcopi non nomen solum et opus non opes the office and not onely the benefice Which they performe much more frequently and diligently then yours doe Sect. 8. Antiquus I haue been very much wronged and abused with the contrary opinion which our teacherr hold so confidently and vrge so vehemently with such seeming certaine knowledge of the trueth that I thought it a shame to doubt of it And I confesse it was one principall cause of my alienation from hearing or regarding your Ministers whom otherwise I knew to be very honest and learned men Antiquissimus You may see by this how mens mindes leauened with malice will Imagine euill without cause and how mightily their passions and affections transport them to receiue vayne surmises for truest oracles and vent them for arguments vnanswerable This may occasion you to suspect their dealing in other things And as you do wisely and religiously to yeeld to the manifest truth grâ—euing that you haue been abused by the vnskilfull or deluded by the willfull euill teachers so I hope when others see the same truth they will be stayed from falling and they that haue fallen be restored to the bosome of their naturall