alleadgeth the Doctours most is most praysed of the audience as you vvell know which is a pittifull thing in thē and ridiculous in the Preacher vvho cannot but know if he haue read any of them himselfe that the Fathers detest vtterly that Doctrine which hee wresteth them to confirme and in the meane time the pore audience thinketh that they were of this new Religion vvhose simplicitie therein is most pittifullie abused by the Preacher THE XI REASON Triall of Trueth IT is manifest by the Holye Scriptures that it appertaineth to the Church to try to discerne spirits as also to determine to decide doubts And agreeably therunto shee hath in all ages mastered ouer-ruled captiuated the vnderstanding of euerye one were hee neuer so wise neuer so learned or had he neuer so extraordinary giftes except he obstinatly defended an errour which if he did hee was condemned for an heretike so came to nothing The Chatholike Church I saye directed by the Holye Ghost hath euer separated from the trueth all moales all singular opinions al errours and corruptions in euerie mans workes and writings in such sorte as that easilie and securelye euerie one maie knowe the trueth And certainelie the Protestantes although they saye that they giue no credite to the CHVRCH but so farre forth as they finde in their Scriptures doe can not otherwise but receaue the same Scriptures vppon the Catholike Romane Churches credit also the three Creedes of the Apostles of Athanasius and of Nice and some Articles of beleefe as the Holy Ghost to proceed from both the Father the Sonne yet as from one beginning and many tearmes as Person Trinitie Consubstantiall Sacraments c. which none coulde euer haue inuented but onely the Catholike Church Neyther is it possible for any man to know whether this Bible which is vsed amongest Christians be the true word of God indeede or some fained thing but onely vppon the Catholike Romane Churches credit And Saint Augustine confesseth plainely that he would not beleeue the Ghospell but that the authoritie of the Catholike Church moued him thereunto Con. Epist Manich. c. 5. lib. 2. de doct Chr. cap. 8. And by the same Churches authoritie hee was mooued to beleeue the bookes of Tobie Iudith Canticles Wisedome Ecclesiasticus Machabees c. as he himself sincerelie affirmeth And surely it is wōderfull to see how the Church of God receauing the Olde Testament from the Iewes and manifesting to the world the Canon of the Holy bookes of the new Testamēt hath in al times in so many alterations and chaunges kept from the destruction corruption of Heretikes Iewes and Panims the whole authenticall corps of Holy Scripture in such maner as no Heretike in the world can charge her with adding or diminishing the least iote thereof Iudge you here whether the madnes of these new fellowes be worthie to be wondred at or no who doe credit and beleeue the Church in this point and will not doe the same in others Why should they rather trust the Church in this thē in other things And I would euery man would here consider the wonderfull integritie of the Catholike Romane Church in keeping the Holy Bible so entire and vncorrupted these fifteene hundred yeares together at the least and the atheisticall treacherie of these of the the new Religion who occupying no Bible nor hauing to doe with the holy scriptures for a thousand yeares togeather as they themselues confesse haue after the vniust vvresting it out of the handes of the iust possessors thereof robbed the Church of so many whole bookes besides of so manie partes and particles of the same What these fellowes would bring the Holy Bible vnto in time if they shuld hold on they may easily gesse vvho know their manifold corruption therof in so few yeares And yet forsooth they vvill haue all controuersies to be tried by only scriptures which if they were not by them corrupted falselie translated yet could theye neuer finde out any secure truth by them only for that none of them alloweth anie other mans exposition but his owne and in so dealing they can but haue a gesse or an opinion or fantasie but no faith at all Which thing to declare more plainely I aske the Protestant how he relying vpon only scripture can shew mee certainely vvhich bookes be Scripture and which not And if hee be vnlearned how knoweth hee that the translation which hee vseth is truely made out of Hebrew Greeke Latine And then how is hee sure of the sence exposition And if he be neuer so learned haue neuer so many helps all that hee can search and finde out is but a priuate mans opinion and consequentlie his Faith which hee seemeth to haue is grounded vpon his owne particular iudgement and so indeed is no faith at all but an opinion onely as I said before for faith must haue Gods expresse authoritie for her foundation Here you may consider the miserable state and condition of your newe Ghospellers in that forsaking the Catholike and vniuersall faith of Christendome deliuered to thē by the vniuersal Church as founded vppon Scripture vvhich Church Christ and his Apostles gaue thē expresse Commission to beleeue which was properly Faith founded vpon a rocke which could not faile in that forsaking I say that fortres they cast themselues into the waues of new opinions whereby they haue no certaintie at all but euery one chuseth vvhat hee liketh to himselfe vvhich choise is properly called Heresie and so the word signifieth And let anie Protestant in our Countrie of England tell mee why he doth rather beleeue his owne iudgement in points of Religion then the iudgement of Luther Caluin and Beza whome he thinketh were so excellent men for euery one that hath any learning knoweth that they taught otherwise then now is taught in England This you may plainely see the only touchstone of truth to be the Catholike Church which cannot faile and that they who cleaue to her iudgement haue most vndoubtedly the truth whereas on the other side they who ground only vpon Scriptures expounding them according to their owne fantasie and braine playing the Maisters and Pilots and Boat-swaines themselues admitting no iudge no interpreter no antiquitie nor any other manner of tryall which is the greatest madnesse and malediction that can be must needes be destitute of all certaintie and of all Religion and of all stay and of all foundation and of all rule and of all order and must needes wrangle and iangle without end and without meanes to make an end and must needes cause Nouelties without number and libertie of life without feare or force of Ecclesiasticall Discipline to restraine them and to conclude they haue no meanes to rest vntill the end in Atheisme THE XII REASON The vse and custome of the Church THE vse custome and practise of the Church hath as it vvas in the prime thereof beene alvvaies an infallible rule to
to be Antichrist the catholike church to be the Synagogue and stewes of Sathan yet stayed he himselfe not so but stil plaied the Proteus euen vnto his end for at Wormes before the Emperour although he professed himself an enimy to the Church yet he maintained the sacrifice of the Masse said it stil himselfe as also prayer to Saintes for the dead Purgatory Communion vnder one kind many such like Catholike points all which 9. yeares after before the same Emperour he vtterly denied The same inconstancy was in his Disciples Melanchton Caluin Bucer and in them of Wittenberge in the Anabaptistes and in such like as also in your Protestantes there in England And I pray you vvhat a chaunging and turning in and out was there of your COMMVNION Booke For first the deuisers thereof highly commended it and affirmed it to be agreeable to Christs institution to the seruice of the Primitiue Church and a while after they vtterly misliked it and disauthorising it they set foorth another in principall pointes quite contrary to the former yet they affirmed that also to be according to Christs institution iump as the vse was in the Primitiue Church And yet how this is approued liked of your Preachers ministers you cānot but know who see behold such carping and finding fault thereat and such contempt therof as that the Minister who doth obserue duely the order thereof is accounted a temporizer or a cold Protestant I might say an Atheist for his labour And he who can most contemne it and can wed burie baptize minister the Communion and doe such like after some other new fashion of his owne inuenting is accounted a iollie fellow a man of zeale What stirre is there I pray you in euerie sheire yea almost in euerie parish about the Ministers obseruing the order of this theyr booke of COMMON PRAYER What holde and tye is there betweene the Parishioners and theyr Curate What a doe is there and hath beene from the beginning about the Communion One vvhile it must be done in cōmon leauened Bread by and by not so but in vnleauened Bread after in loafe Bread althogh your cup euer had wine in it till now of late that som do begin to take insteed therof good nappy ale the like inconstancie you might see in placing the cōmunion table for first it must be placed in the middle of the quire then in the bodie of the church after in the chācel again as the altar was one while the minister must turne his face towards the south another while towards the north and another while towards the east wherby al wise men may see that thē your religion first began and neuer was in the vvorld before for if euer it had bin before you might surely haue had some president by which you might haue ordered these things And to speake plainelie what I obserue I finde a great cause of your inconstancie in Doctrine to be aduantage and disaduantage for your religion is framed only to serue turnes times for when they were but few in number by wresting the Scriptures they taught that Christes flocke vvas but little Iewell in Apol. and therefore they gloried much in theyr small number but after that their opinions were spreade through Germanie Fraunce Englande Scotland and in other Countries they vaunted much and argued that theyr Doctrine must needs be true because it was spread so largely When it serued their turne they stoutly defended with tooth and nayle Goodman Knoxe that a woman might not lawfully gouerne a realme no not in ciuill or temporall matters but within a while after when it fitted their purpose they taught as they yet doe that a woman may rule a realme not only in temporall thinges but the Church also in spiritual causes Whē it serued their turne Luth. tom 3. Ger. Iē fol. 115. they taught that it was a horible thing to put me to death for Religion and expresly against the word of god but when they had gotten the sword they cried out in sermōs on the contrary side neuer left off vntil it was decred by publike authority that those who wer not of their religiō shuld suffer death therfore Whē it fitted their purpose Tom. 5. I◠Ger. f. 157. a f. 444. 159. 491. Tom. 1. Germ. fol. 537. Colloq Mens f 4. in fine lib. ses 3. b they taught that none ought to preach but he who was allowed and licensed by the Magistrate afterwarde vpon other occasion they wrote that a Christian man may without leaue of any person take vpō him that function One while they taught that the BIBLE was the plainest and the most easiest booke in the worlde to bee vnderstoode anotherwhile they wrote vpō aduantage that it was vnpossible for any man to vnderstande throughly any one worde in the Bible for that it was so obscure profound One while they taught that no Commentaries of SCRIPTVRES written by men Melancth in Loc. cō ann 1524. must be receiued yea that they must be shunned as a plague or pestilence anotherwhile they themselues set forth Commentaries and Postilles and obtruded them to the people To. 2. Ger. fol. 255. a f. 404. a One while they teache that all men ought to be iudges of doctrine religion another-while they teache that no man no not an Angel must iudge thereof And a thowsand such like contradictions proofes of vnconstancy and chaunge maye you find in their doctrine which here further to account would be ouer tedious I vvill therefore end with the saying of Gregorie Duke of Saxonie We doe know what these fellowes doe teach this yeare but what they will teach the next yeare we cannot gesse THE XVIII REASON False Prophets and Teachers THe Prophets Apostles Christ himselfe fore-tolde that in the latter dayes there should come false Prophets and to the end wee should take heed of them they painted them foorth in their colours whereby they might easilie be knowne Now it can not be denyed but that wee be in the latter dayes and therefore we must be verie vigilant and watchfull to discerne to know these seducers when they come And conferring the Preachers afore-saide with the manners of these Protestants we doe plainly se◠that they be the verie same vvhich were foretold and as it were pointed at by the finger of God for first they come vnsent Ierm 13. as Ieremie fore-tolde in these wordes I did not sende them and they did runne for certaine it is that they neyther haue orders as they ought to haue nor any Consecration or right calling for they were not sent by the Catholike Church as is manifest but vtterly condemned for Heretikes and when any of them is conuerted to the Romane Religion they plainely see that they haue no more to doe with any spirituall function thē other laymen haue But on the contrarie side if any Priest of
the Catholike Church become an Apostata by forsaking his religion if he professe himselfe a Protestant they account and esteeme such a one very fitt for theyr Ministry yea and more worthie then one of theyr owne making for that they assure themselues so confesse that the Catholiks haue ordinary calling most lawfull but they neyther haue ordinary calling as is most plain nor extraordinarie for that they can worke no miracle to proue the same Ergo no calling at all but they come of thēselues vnsent for Then are they as it was Prophicied of them like their Fathers smooth tongued fellowes Rom. 6. which with sweet speeches pleasant clawings deceiue the harts of innocēts and haue a show of godlines 2. Tim. but denie the vertue thereof for they crie out The word of the Lord the light of the Gospel the only Passion of our Sauiour 3. Reg. 22. no sin to the Elect Ier. 5.14.23 27. Isay cap. 3 al are cleane which beleeue their Doctrine vvith a thousand such like plausible speeches as the false Prophets did in times past But consider them well you shall finde them to be lying maisters and deceauers 2. Pet. 2. 3. who doe not only them-selues walke after the flesh in concupiscence of vncleannesse but doe also draw others in the desire of lust and leacherie promising libertie whereas they themselues are slaues of corruption Math. 7. and in few words they lead the people the broad vvaie to perdition This you may plainelie see by that which hath beene said before therfore I would haue you to iudge wheather it be like that the Protestants be those false teachers which were foretolde or no. Surely in mine opinion there are al things in them which were fore shewed to be in the false prophets and seducers of the latter dayes Ier. 29.23 They come vnsent they teache plausible thinges to flesh and blood they teach theyr own fansies and say they be the words of the Lord Ezech. 13. wresting wreathing the Scriptures as they list they colour and set out theyr cause in such braue tearmes and with such fraunde and deceit as if it were possible the verie Elect might be drawne into errour Math. 24. they make a show as they vvere the Apostles of Christ 2. Cor. 11. and thereby they seduce the innocent they know not that God vseth them as a scourge Rom. 16. and that hee tempteth his people by them Deut. 13. they make an outward show of humanitie of peace and concord and of such like putting vpon them the cloathing of sheepe Mat. 7. but they are indeede according to the Flemmish Protestants prouerbe Bares in wolues places THE XIX REASON Lyars slaunderers reuylers IT seemeth that the Protestantes haue eyther no conscience at all or els that it is seared with an hoate iron for that they make no boanes to beare so manifestlie false witnes against their neighbours in charging the Catholikes all theyr Elders with so plaine vntruthes and in slaundering and reuiling they care not whome in a most iniurious and opprobrious manner And a most pittifull thing it is to see the simple people drawne away from the true Religion of theyr Elders by such shamefull meanes for euery man of vnderstanding may easily see howe they make lying theyr helpe Esay 28. and defende themselues thereby And yet doe theyr miserable adhaerentes beleeue euerie thing to be gospel which they say neuer going about to trie out the trueth therof To this shameful shift are they driuen as they be to many others for that they cānot otherwise excuse their departure frō the ancient Church for if they had litle or nothing to say against it euery simple mā might meruaile why they left it They faine therfore make vpon their owne fingers many horrible things concerning the doctrine ceremonies condition of the said Church And this they doe in places where they dominier raigne where they know no mā dare shew his face to defend the cause of the christiā world And no meruaile though they deale thus with the Catholik Church when as they slaūder tel lyes of ech other as the Luherans beare witnes against the Sacramentaries the Maiorists against the Flacians Vlenbergius causa 10. and both these against the Lutherans other Sectaries one against another And to giue you a litle taste of their dealings I wil put down a few of their sayings but brieflie for that I doubt I be ouer tedious 1 They say that Christ was vnknown before their cōming In postilla Germ. An. 1537. part 2. fol. 141. that the Gospel lay in the dust was hiddē vnder the bēch Luther doubteth whether Germany euer heard the word of God before he preached it Which thing if it were true then vndoubtedlie infinite people yea al Christēdome was deceiued vnder the name of Christ for 1500. yeres togeather and consequentlie were all damned And how impudent a lie is it that Christ vvas not knowne before their comming wheras al churches throughout Christendōe did by pictures and externall ceremonies set before the eies of people the Death blood Crosse Passiō of our Sauiour was there not in euery rode loft the picture of Christ crucified And did not the very stones wals sumptuous buildings declare that the erectors therof were mē not only beleeuing in Christ but also most zelous forward to set forth his honor by furthering his religiō 10000 manifest proofes might here be brought forth against this shācles lie of theyrs 2. They inculcate and euen dull the eares of the people with often telling them of the Idolatry of their elders affirme it to be more abominable thā the Idolatry of the Iewes or Heathens And although they be so deuided among themselues as that they accuse one another of that crime yet in this they all agree as Pilate Herod did in putting Christ to death but otherwise being mortall enimies the one to the other But vntill they proue this Idolatry which they neuer could nor neuer wil be able to doe I cannot but deeme it an intolerable lye and cauill the which is more thā sufficiently proued by almost innumerable argumēts which are to be seene in many learned writers Aug. conf in artic de Missa 3. They say that the Catholikes holde that Christ satisfied onely for Originall sinne and that he ordained the Masse for other sinnes which to be a most manifest lie all the bokes written of this matter by Catholike Diuines doe plainely testifie Aug. conf tit de delectu ciborum 4 They affirme that the Catholikes doe teach that by choice of meates and by other humane constitutions remissiō of sins saluation is obtained that thereby the doers are iustified Which is a lye so manifest as it needeth no confutation 5. They say howe the Papistes holde that if a man be Contrite Confessed and haue