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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13320	A myrror for Martinists, and all other schismatiques, which in these dangerous daies doe breake the godlie vnitie, and disturbe the Christian peace of the Church. Published by T.T.	Nash, Thomas, 1567-1601, attributed name.; T. T., fl. 1590.	1590 (1590)	STC 23628; ESTC S118084	30,611	40

Samaritans did which caused great contention betwéen them and the Iewes in religion as it is to be séene in Iosephus Now a daies this vniformitie of many inconstant men is loathed noueltie desired who are euer learning deuising neuer holde anie thing firme and certaine Tertullian a most ancient writer doth in his booke de Praescriptionibus shew that in his time there were the like sort of men which continually did search the Scriptures that they might thence bring forth some new thing and were wont alwayes to defend themselues with these wordes of the Gospell Seeke and yee shall finde To whom he answereth in déede we must séeke but yet onely those things which pertaine to our saluation and not strange things which are nothing necessarie but are rather contrarie to the Scriptures and rule of our faith For like as he which hath found that which is true right ceaseth from séeking so he which continueth séeking testifieth thereby that he hath not yet found out the truth There is an end of séeking beyond the which we may not passe For the Christian faith is not such whose end cannot be found so that we shoulde haue néede alwayes to séeke And this is confirmed by the Euangelist S. Iohn who sayth y e Christ did many things which were not written for if they shoulde haue beene orderly written the world could not containe them But he addeth These thinges are written that ye might beleeue that Iesus is Christ the sonne of God and that so beleeuing yee might haue lyfe through his name And héerein wée sée commonly the most blinde the most bolde the more ignorant the more busie and the least wittie to be most inquisitiue With such kinde of men Saint Basil was also troubled in his time who beeing in godly conference with the Emperour Valens about pointes of religion one Demosthenes which was the Emperours cooke rudely woulde interrupt him and peruert places of Scripture according to his fantasie and purpose whose presumption Saint Basil béeing no longer able to beare hee méekely reproued him with these wordes Tuum est de pulmentariis cogitare non dogmata diuina decoquere It belongeth to thy office to make pottage and not to make a hotchpot of Scripture The heathen misliked that the shoomaker should censure aboue the shooe and woulde that Carpenters onely should because they best coulde deale with buildings Tractant fabrilia fabri c. He therefore is a good and true Christian which loueth the simple truth of God stayeth himself in true religion and abideth firme and stable in the faith what nouelties so euer anie one or a few light heads shall deuise in corners knowing that they doe not appertaine vnto religion but rather vnto temptation the which also the Apostle confirmeth saying There must bee sectes that the perfect among you may bee knowen And obserue it who that list at the first budding forth of euery noueltie the grauitie and steadfastnes of the wheate and the lightnes of the chaffe is by and by discerned For the chaffe is carried hether and thether with euerie vaine blast of erronious doctrine One while through rash presumption they approue and allow those things which séeme vncertain another while they stand in doubt through a feare without reason of those things which are certayn vncertayne they are which way to take or which way to returne what to take holde of or what to let passe Thus being out of the safe hauen of truth they are tossed with the waues of diuers cogitations and so are compelled to pull downe their sayles of pride which before they had spread abrode through the blasts of nouelties Which when I consider with my selfe I cannot meruayle enough at so greate madnes and so great a desire that some men haue to erre that not being contented with good and profitable rules of most ancient Ecclesiasticall gouernment doe still from day to day deuise and séeke after new and strange plats to fit theyr fansies and doe euer in the store house of theyr vayne conceites finde some thing to adde to change and to pull from religion as if it were not a diuine and heauenly thing which sufficeth not to be once well established but an earthly institution which cannot otherwise be made perfect but by a continuall and daylie reformation or rather reprehension Whereas the wise man giueth this counsaile Goe not from the doctrine of the Elders for they haue learned it of their fathers and of them thou shalt learne vnderstanding And the Apostle after the same manner instructeth Tymothe O Tymothe keepe that which is committed vnto thee auoide prophane vaine bablings oppositions of science falsly so called which while some professe haue erred concerning the faith O Tymothe sayth hee keepe that which is committed vnto thee c. The Apostle begins with an exclamation procéeding from a propheticall and most charitable spirite foreséeing sorrowing the errours to come Tymothe doth beare the image and representation of the cleargie at this daie In consideration of théeues and enemies Tymothe hath matter of charge committed to his safe kéeping least men sléeping they shoulde sowe tares vpon the good séede wheate which the sonne of man hath sowen in his field Keepe sayth he that which is committed vnto thee not that which thy selfe hast found which thou hast receiued not that which thou hast deuised a matter not of wit but of doctrine not of priuate vsurpatiō but of publique tradition a matter brought and deliuered vnto thée not set forth by thée whereof thou oughtest not to be the author but the kéeper not the institutor but the follower Keepe saith he that which is committed vnto thee that is kéep the talent of faith and truth inuiolate let that abide with thée which is committed vnto thée and let that onely be deliuered by thée Thou hast receiued gold deliuer gold again I would not haue thée chop and change deceitfully and as one deuoide of shame craftily to tender copper in stead of golde but pure and perfect golde such as thou hast receiued O Tymothe O most reuerend Doctor and teacher as God hath furnished thée with good giftes méete to teach so shew thy self a right Bezaleel of the spirituall tabernacle set forth the precious gemmes of Gods word place them faithfully and polish them wittily that they may be resplendant and beautifull let it be plainly vnderstoode by thy exposition which afore time was obscurely beléeued let this latter time be thankfull to thée for the vnderstanding of it which the former ages haue reuerenced not vnderstoode notwithstanding so teach those things which thou hast learned y ● when thou speakest them newly thou speakest not nouelties But some man will saie do ye then mislike that there should be anie profiting and good procéeding in religion No verilie it is most to be desired And who is he so enuious vnto men and so abhominable vnto God which goeth about

A Myrror for Martinists And all other Schismatiques which in these dangerous daies doe breake the godlie vnitie and disturbe the Christian peace of the Church Published by T. T. Math. 4. 24. Take heed what ye heare LONDON Printed by Iohn VVolfe 1590. The Preface THE Apostle Paul exhorting euerie Christian to take vnto him vniuersam illam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that same compleat armour of a godly man willeth him to girde himselfe with the girdle of truth This truth seemeth to haue great affinitie with mans nature because wee are made after Gods owne image who is truth it selfe that wee might expresse the same in our life in our words and in our maners But by reason of original sinne we all haue made shipwracke of the truth euerie man is become a liar Yet what man is he so vnregenerate that in open shew seemeth not to like and loue truth Doe not the greatest liers and most false accusers pretend truth Celsus and Antiphon two heretiques called their bookes Bookes of truth The false Prophets which deceiued Achab made a great brag of truth The deuill who can transforme himselfe into an Angel of light when he tempted Christ had in his mouth the infallible truth of Gods word But Prosper sayth very well Parum est si verum in ore est et falsum in corde And an other father to the same purpose saith Nihil prodest quia hymnum cantat lingua tua si sacrilegium exhalat vita tua It is a verie vile thing to haue truth in the mouth and falshood in the heart A theefe many times is not knowen by his face from a true man Experience proueth that as poisoning hearbes do grow greene as well as the wholesome And as counterfait golde looketh to the eie so faire as good coine so doth falsehoode appeare oftentimes like the truth yea to some more plausible and acceptable For art and science which should serue for the truth are by the subteltie of sathan verie often retayned against the same The wisest creature among beasts the serpent I meane was by the deuil abused to set forth lies to the seducing of the first man And do we not see that the same deuill imploieth still art learning ripe wittes and other good gifts which God hath giuen vnto men against the truth to wit such as are in the Papists Heretiques Brownists the familie of Loue Martinistes and all Schismatiques which neuer cease peruerting the truth It were to be wished that the lips of these men might be continually sealed as was the mouth of the image Angerona the Goddes of silence For better it were for them to be dumbe images of a vaine Goddesse then the clattering false spirites of sathan The hurt that may come vnto thee Christian Reader by the poison of these vipers if it do but touch thee for Sub melle latet venenum vnder the greene grasse lieth a serpent and falsehood is couloured with truth hath made me carefull for thy good to publish this small treatise Therefore such as it is take it well in worth and forget not this caueat of our sauiour Christ saying Take heede what ye heare Vlterius ne tende odijs A Myrror for Martinists WHen I call to minde the graue sentence of our sauiour Christ Wisedome is iustified of her children and doe beholde the miserable contentions with which the Church of England at this day is so vexed and turmoiled by the children of follie I cannot but on the one side condemne the late Martine libellers and their fauorites who hauing a bad cause do as leudly handle the same and on the other side mislike some repliers who notwithstanding they haue chosen the better part yet handle it not so charitably and modestly as it requireth And albeit the first scandale commeth by those foolish workers of iniquitie yet Angerona the Goddes of silence might better haue answered them then men of vncircumcised lips whose euill wordes corrupt good manners for wisedome will not in such sort be iustified of her children She is louing saith Salomon and will not absolue him that blasphemeth with his lips nay she will bring to passe that the iudgement of reproch shall not suffer him to escape These things considered I haue thought good to tender this Myrror to take from the face manifest spots wishing as hartely that the Church might be as frée from those Martine Libellers as they séeme to wish it to bee without all manner of blemishes and imperfections But although the Church of Christ for her simplicitie is called a doue for her fruitfulnes a vine for her beautie a rose for her strength mount Sion and for her holines a Priesthood yet is it not so pure and simple so long as it is vppon earth but that it fostereth foxes and wolues not so fruitfull but it hath thornes and thistles not so strong but the tyrants of the worlde doe sometime assaile and shake the same neither is it so holy but that prophane and wicked men séeme to haue place therein Our sauiour Christ sayd that the kingdome of heauen which is the Church hath in it fishes good and bad virgins wise and foolishe cockle and wheate yet these are not of the substance but as it were the dregs and excrements thereof The bodie of Christ is liuely neither hath it anie dead members and therefore Saint Iohn speaking of false Apostles sayth They went out from vs because they were not of vs for if they had ben of vs they had surely tarried with vs. Assuredly the wicked are conuersant in the Church no otherwise saith Saint Augustine then are corrupt and naughtie humours in a mans bodie for euen as those trouble corrupt the health so these vexe and disquiet the Church and are loathsome vnto Christ himselfe insomuch that he spueth them out of his mouth and will saie vnto them in that great daie Depart from me ye workers of iniquitie They then are too péeuish and wayward which at this day doe faine and imagine to themselues a Church so reformed héere in earth as they will haue nothing out of square in the same doe looke for that here which is no where to be found but in heauen And if they finde not the Church according to their conceit they incontinent forsake the same and make a scisme Which to the Church according to Cyprians opinion is more permitious than idolatrie For hee sayth that heresie and schisme succéeded in the place and selfe same degrée that idolatrie had afore time Christi aduentu prostratus inimicus vides idola derelicta c. The enimie Sathan being ouerthrowen by the comming of Christ séeing idols forsaken and his sees and temples to be left desart by reason of the great multitude of faithfull people deuised a new subtiltie vnder the verie title and name of Christianity to deceiue the vnwary he found out I saie heresies and

the Apostle and iudge if they be not full stuffed with these prophane bablings which we are commanded to shunne and auoide Looke into them and ye shal see both their mouthes and bookes ouerflowe with euill speeches braulings nips and tants yea and that against magistrates and such as are in chiefe authoritie Are not Gods ministers in these daies vsed with much more contumelie despight by the prophane and shameles libellers of our time then euer the heathen durst vse the Priestes of Iupiter Bee they not much bolder in deprauing them whom yet they know not thē Michael the Arechangell durst be when he stroue against the deuill to whom he would not giue railing speeches Mos hic semper fuit hereticorum quorum doctrinam nō possunt illorum vitam in odium adducere This euer was the custome saith a learned Father of heretiques to bring their doctrine into hatred whose life they could not depraue The same also was the practise of the Arrians long since who seeing it impossible to induce the people to their heresie while the good Bishops were had in reputation deuised therefore slanders and laied grieuous crimes against some of them Among which they charged the godly and learned Bishop Athanasius with murther and incontinencie With murther in that he should haue cut off one Arsemius his arme bringing forth the arme of a dead man for proofe of their purpose yet afterwarde Arsemius himselfe was knowen to liue and had both his armes With incontinencie in that he should haue rauished a certain woman who being suborned for that purpose did take a most shamelesse harlot without blushing to auouch it to his face though as afterward it was proued she neuer saw nor knew him And haue not like false accusations bene also of late forged against good and godly Prelates men for their profound learning and approued constancie worthie of all reuerence Good Christians which these malcontents would faine seeme to bee neuer vsed such prophane bablings this hath euer bene the manner of schismatiques and heretiques Who euer taught anie heresie that first began not with prophane bablings and ianglings so seuering and diuiding himselfe from the true Church That this is true examples will make it more then manifest For who at anie time before prophane Pellagius durst arrogate so great vertue and power of free will that he thought not the grace of God necessarie to all good works Who before that monstrous disciple of his Celestius denied all mankind to be vnder the guilt of Adams transgression Who before that blaspheming Arrius durst once thinke to diuide the vnitie of y ● blessed Trinitie Who before that abhominable Sabellius durst once take in hand to confound the trinitie and vnitie Who before that cruell Nouatius called God cruell for that hee would rather haue the death of a sinner then that he should returne liue Who before Simon Magus Priscillianus euer affirmed that God was the author of euill Who euer before the Anabaptists disallowed baptisme to infants denied warre the power of the Magistrate and ecclesiasticall order as doe also our Martinists Who before Pope Gregorie the seuenth otherwise called Hildebrand challanged the authoritie of both swoordes to belong to the Church of Rome c. Who before the Enchetai or Messalians thought that men ought to do nothing els but pray cōtinually setting aside al other worldly busines And who before our new vpstart Martinists affirmed that men must doe nothing but to attende to preaching continuallie reiecting all formes of praier except such as their fantasies many times vnsauourly God wot vpon the sodaine do deuise Who before the Celestines our late Puritans did so much as dreame of a perfection in this life What should I speake of the Brownists Papists Family-louists and such like Many mo sectaries and heretiques there be of like sort both old and new which for breuities sake and loathing of Christian eares I omit By all which notwithstanding it doth euidently appeare that the guise of heretiques euer is to be singular new-phangled to delight in vain and prophane bablings by a false name of knowledge to make shipwracke of faith Whereas contrariwise sincere preachers in déede and true Christians without hypocrisie do continuallie and steadfastly hold fast one truth and doe condemne and abhorre prophane nouelties and as the Apostle said said againe If any man bring them any other doctrine then that which they haue alreadie receiued they should hold him accuised Wherefore I most humbly and heartely beséech all the Ministers of Christ that they end and cast away al their controuersies and that they knit themselues together in true concord charitie forgiuing each other their errors and offences auoiding new deuises and to teach the people not onely to know the truth but also to auoid the fellowship of the enemies therof So Saint Iohn taught others and so himselfe gaue example Fugiamus hinc ne balneum cadat super nos in quo est Cerinthus veritatis hostis Let us sayth he speedily depart hence least the bath wherein Cerinthus the enemie of the truth is doe fall vpon vs. Conuersing with them doth argue consent and allowance of their doings Digni sunt morte non solum qui faciunt illa sed etiam qui consentiunt ea facientibus Not onely they which cōmit such things are worthy of death but they also which haue pleasure in thē y ● do thē Preach plain sound doctrine which euermore agreeth w t it self Bring the Church into one vnity with Christ so nere as you can faithfully indeuor your selues to preserue true concord therin Let the rule of S. Augustine preuaile with you to wit In quibus rebus nihil statuit certiscriptura mos populi Dei et instituta maiorum pro lege tenenda sunt In those things wherin the Scripture hath made no certain determination the manner custome of Gods people the constitutions of our ancestors are to be holden for a law But chiefly praie vnto God deuoutly with all feruencie for his grace holie spyrit that ye may do all these things with a willing and a ready mind For these things not obserued on your part an infinit nūber of souls through your fault shall most miserably be brought into danger of damnatio how then will ye excuse your selues at the houre of death and in that great daie of the Lord. Weigh well these things with your selues it is a horrible thing to fall into the burning wrath of the Lord. And as y ● Apostle warneth you If ye bite and deuour one another take heede that ye be not consumed one of another Good graue and godlie men are iustly offended with your contentions for ye wounde the weak consciences of your brethren Ve vohis a scandalis c. Wo vnto you because of offences On the