burnt for an heretike about a. 120. yeeres agone euen as wee accoumpt S. Steuen to be the fyrst Martyr of our Churche Nowe to knowe whether ye be of the opinion of the Hussites or no that I leaue for some other time and for this present I am content to condescende to that that you haue written I mean that Iohn Hus did preache your Gospell and made a number of such faithfull persons as you are and that he suffered death to sustaine your religion Then let vs see what good fruite this did produce vnto vs Those that haue written the stories of Boheme and amonge others Eneas Siluius do testifye that in the yere of our Lorde God. 1418. there was a certaine monke that became an Hussite in the Citie of Prage which is the Metropolitane of that Kingdome the which accompanied with a number of companions as zealous as himself they did execute so horrible a crueltie that eleuen of the principall Magistrates were driuen to flee from the Citie to saue their lyues and seuen more for in all they were 18. beinge taken by them they did cast them out at the windowes of their owne houses did kill them with their speares as they fell This was done Sigismondus being then Emperoure in the time of Martine the fyrste Pope of Rome of that name Vneslaus being then king of Boheme The next yere after the death of this sayde Vneslaus they did spoyle al the monasteries Abbeyes and Churches of the sayde kingdome And among others one Iohn Zischa who was their captaine in the Citie of Prage he made them all passe through the edge of the swerde without sparing man womā or childe And the like was done in another Towne of the saide kingdom called Messim the yere 1423. It wer to tedious to write all their cruelties they did not care whether those of their company wer of their sect or no for some were Idumeans some Palestines some Moabites and some other Amelecites euen as of your bountifull goodnes ye call all those that will not be of your sect Papists Infidels Hipocrites and Idolaters and therfore we may iustly say that you are their right heyres apparant although ye haue gone somewhat before them as our Sauiour saide accomplished the measures of your fathers by the heroicall actes that you haue done in this almoste desolate kingdome of Fraunce there needeth no other witnes to proue it but the testimonie of your owne eyes eares which haue heard and seene more almoste thē any man can write Therefore I beseeche you not to reproche anye more the abuses of our ecclesiasticall ministers for although it be so that they haue neede of some reformation yet I doo thinke it is necessarye to choose some better stayed persons then you are for you haue done more harme in fyue yeres then ours haue done in a. 1500. S. Augustine in the fyrste booke of the Citie of God doeth magnifye in the Christians behalfe the diuine fauoure of God for he doth write that when the Gothes did destroye spoyle the Citie of Rome the Romanes althogh they were not Christian did retyre them selues for their sauegard into the Churches and Temples of the Martyrs And the Gothes being but a barbarous nation had that respect to God that they neuer durst nor wolde enter into those holy places to doo thē any displeasure You which make so great profession of the Gospell haue shewed your selues a great deal more cruell then those barbarous people for they did pardon all those that went to the Temples and you haue in manye places spoyled the Churches and murdered all those that ye founde in thē so that one might wel say to you that that Optatus Myleuitanus in his book con Parm. Donatist the which was that the Donatists ought to be content you likewise to haue wounded the members of the Church and to haue deuided the people of God at the least you should haue spared the aultares and the temples not to make warre against the stones ¶ The .37 Chapter YOu make vs but a verye slender aunswer saying that we wer the first that you doo no other but that that we haue taught you If wee should say the contrary I know who should say the truth but to auoide all quarels the best is folowing the councell of our Sauior to geue you more then you demaund Let vs put the case that we should confesse to be the first doth it folowe therfore that your matter is good I pray do but consider the verdict that you both geue of your selues of vs We are according to your sacred gospel Apostolical iudgement no other but poor simple Infidels superstitious Idolaters but contrariwise you are Apostles Prophetes Euangelists the true childrē of god Seing thē that god hath shewed you so much fauoure and poured vppon you the bountifull giftes of his grace howe haue ye sought so cruellye to reuenge your selues against his expresse commaundement Is this the waye of reformation to shewe your selues as yll as we or worse seinge that the matter falleth out so plainly I pray you be not so obstinate geue place vnto the best to reforme the rest for to be worse then you I think none can be founde You my masters that can make such tedious sermons and rayle at large against our Popes and Bishops whye doo you passe ouer so lightly the faultes of your ministers you set out gloriously the titles of Apostles Prophets Euangelists extraordinarie messengers of God for your selues as good Godfathers ye now christen our popes bishops calling them rauening and greedie deuouring wolues In this ye do greatlye abuse the intellection of the scriptures for if you marke well that that our Sauiour doth saye ye shall find that ye runne farre wide of the text and the similitude of the wolfe doth full well appertayne vnto your ministerie There he doth declare the difference that is betwixt the good shepherde and the bad which he doth call Mercenarium the wolfe The good Shepherde is he that doeth hazarde and venture his life for his flock The yll Shepherde is he that taketh the milke and the wool from the sheepe letteth them rome without taking anye care to keepe them The wolues seeing them rome abrode scatered frō the flocke doth deuoure all those that are yll kept The good Shepherde is our Sauiour Christe and his Apostles and all the good Bishops that did florishe in olde time and al the holye Confessors and martyrs that haue liued in the golden age when the bloud of our Sauiour Christe was yet hot boyling in their heartes The yll shepherdes haue folowed after whiche haue not cared for their sheepe The wolues which are the heretikes seeing this haue scatered the sheepe out of the fould of Christ which is the catholike Church where they had bene borne spiritually that is to saye regenerated with the grace of the holy ghost the Sacrament of baptisme to
much to say as if she meant thus I see many sheperdes in these mountains which haue great aboundance of sheepe I see those of the Romane Church I see Donatistes I see Nouatians or to speake of our time I see one flocke folowe Luther another flocke folowe Zuinglius another folow Caluin another the Anabaptists another the Sacramentaries and so forth diuers others of whom when I demaunde particulerly Whose is this flocke they doo al aunswer me It is of Christ and euery one saieth this is the Catholike Churche euery one doeth saye that he is his felowe that is to saye as touching the guyding of his flock Now it is not possible that they doo all teache the truth considering howe they vary amonge them selues therfore I do desire thee to tell me where thou doest rest thy selfe at noone dayes that is as much to saye teache me which is the true Catholike Churche which doth celebrate the true misterie of the Crosse which is the place where thou wast nayled at noone dayes being nayled both handes and feete Heare nowe the aunswer of Iesus Christe If thou doest not know the place where I rest O moste beautifull among all women folowe thou the pathe that thy flocke hath made before thee setting thy tabernacle or thy lodge hard by the tabernacle of thy Shepherds If we well note and vnderstande this aunswere it will learne vs that that shal suffise to kepe vs frō rūning euer astray The sense is this O thou Christian which art troubled in thy conscience not knowing because of so many heresyes which waye thou shalt goe or howe thou shalt decerne the true religion from other false doctrine take my counsaile the which is to folowe steppe by steppe the flocke that went before thee If that a thousande or two thousand sheepe runne ouer a plaine those that come afterwarde doo not they know well the path that is made before them doo not they discerne the waye that the firste went Yes surely although there be no Sheperd to guide them And if thou doest aunswere that this doth not suffise for I doo see diuers pathes I see the pathe of the Caluinistes the path of the Lutherans and the pathe of those of the Romane Churche but yet doo not I knowe which flocke I should chose To this I answere thus Set thy Tabernacle by the Tabernacle of the Shepherdes and of thy Pastors I mean that I woulde haue thee to leane to that flocke that can leade thee from age to age and from yere to yere vnto the Crosse of Iesus Christ on the which he was nailed at noone dayes and there it is where thou oughtest to quiet thy selfe and thy conscience Then to beginne If thou doest aske the Caluinistes Where is the true fayth the which as they saye doeth consiste in the true preaching of the worde of the Lorde and in the administration of the Sacramentes according to the institution of Iesus Christe they will aunswere It is at Geneua the Lutherans will aunswere At Wittemberge and the Anabaptistes will aunswere at Monasterium The Vbiquitaries they will aunswere At Tubinge and the Trinitaries At Petricone and so consequently of the rest And then pursue and aske farther where it was twentye yeares agone They will say in the saide Cities but if thou come to demaunde of them wher it was a hundred or two hundred yeres agone if they are ashamed anye thing at all to lye they will not aunswere at all for there is none of them that can deny but that Luther who beganne to preache his newe Gospell the yere 1517. was the firste beginner of all these troubles the father of all those that teache this reformed religion Then is it farre frō that place where thy frend was nailed at middaie or where he was crucifyed aboue 1500. yeres agone before the newe Churche was dreampt of And therefore thou maiest easelye perceaue that this flock cannot leade thee to the place that thou doest desire and consequently that is not the flocke that we shoulde folowe Then let vs com vnto the Romane Church demaund where was this flock an hundred yeres agone They wil aunswere thee In Fraunce Spaine Englande Germanie and so ouer all Christendom And if thou aske where it was 500. yeres agone they will say In the saide places And a thousande yeres agone likewise and likewise a thousande and fiue hundred yeres agone This flocke then will not leaue thee by the waye as the others doo but it will leade thee vnto the very time of the death and passion of Christe by continuaunce of one doctrine and by succession of pastors which Salomon doth call the tabernacle of the Shepherdes And therefore this is the place where thou must seeke thy Tabernacle and quiet thy conscience to the ende that thou be not a lost sheepe and that thou be not readie to turne at euery blast of newe doctrine that our newe Coggers of the Scriptures doo set forth to deceaue the simple sheepe ¶ The .5 Chapter THe like vnto this is confirmed by Vincentius Lyrinensis of whom we haue spoken before for he saith in the booke aboue named that that person ought to be estemed a true Catholike that hath nothing in greater commendation then the true religion of the Catholike faith yea although it were the wisest man in the world and the greatest Philosopher the fairest speaker that euer was if he came to speake against the olde doctrine that hath bene taught vs of our forefathers time out of mind we ought saith he to disdaine that learned Clarke with all his philosophie cunning and to hold our selues to the auncient opinion of the Churche the which hath continued vntill this present day And if that nowe one should bring a newe doctrine that was not hearde of before contrary vnto that that hath euer ben taught in the Churche say that it doth not apperteine vnto the state of the Catholike faith that it is no religion but a temptatiō And therfore if we wil be saued we ought to liue and dye in that faith that hath continued by succession of Pastours euen from Christes time vnto these dayes S. Irenaeus a very famous writer in his fourth booke against heresies the. 65. Chapter who was within a fewe yeres of the Apostles Archbishop of Lions writeth the veri like saying that the true faith and the true knowledge of God is the doctrine of the Apostles and the auncient estate of the Church throughout the world according to the succession of those Bishops vnto whom only the Apostles committed the custodye of the Churche throughout the worlde the which sayeth he is come to vs This sayde Irenaeus doeth write in his thyrde booke and seconde Chapiter that he and his felowes did withstande the Valentinians and the Marcionistes which were great heretikes by the traditions of the Apostles that is to saye the doctrine not written but receued from age to age of the Apostles and so continued till
saye that we oughte to folowe those that conforme them selues moste vnto the pure worde of God that will come to one ende for if I doo demaunde of you how we shall know whiche do conforme theym selues moste vnto the truthe you aunswere me that it must be done by the grace of the holye Ghoste sent by the Lorde yf with a true hearte he is inuocated of the faythfull Seeing you knowe so well the way how to agree together howe comes it to passe that you haue not vsed it this fortie or fiftie yeres which are the precinctes of the time since your auncient Churche beganne seeing that you haue assembled so manye times together why haue ye not prayed vnto the Lorde to sende the spirite of truth to make peace amongst his Apostles I thinke that you are not so vnshamfaste that you will denye the quarels and debates that haue risen amonge you I doo not saye in light wordes but in great battailes in rayling processes in horrible excommunications sent from the Churches of the Lutherans vnto the Caluinists and from the Caluinists vnto the Lutherans as I haue set foorth at large in the booke that I made of the Sacrament and therefore ye are greatlye ouerseene that ye haue not inuocated the spirite of the Lorde as Caluin hath taught you in his Cathechisme to the ende that you may come to some accorde ¶ The .29 Chapter NOwe to turne againe to our former purpose if it were so that of our owne free deliberation we were minded to forsake our Catholike religion the iniurious disputations that you vse amonge your selues were sufficient to make vs to suspende oure iudgement without leaning to anye of both parties vntill that we coulde see you more resolute in youre opinions being the hardest matter the knowing in what countrey the residence shoulde be kepte for that matter You haue geuē absolute sentence saying that the Catholike Churche hath erred euen from the Apostles time vnto this present in praying to God for the soules of those that are deade constituted in a thirde place called Purgatorye You shoulde me thinke at the least allowe a thirde place although it be not that to receaue the soules of those whose consciences you haue so troubled that they knowe nowe neither what is their faith nor of what religion they should be for whē they reade Luthers workes they are Lutherans whē they meete with Caluins workes they are Caluinists and at the last they do not know which side in deede is the truest being both false and therfore I think it were good that a sequestration were made that neyther God nor the Deuill might haue parte of their soules till there were a farther inquirye made of suche a number of sects and that some good and honest arbitratour might geue iudgement as concerning which partie hath moste right And in the meane while I beseeche God to open so the eyes of the people that they maye see both youre errours and their owne and that through the aboundaunce of their sinnes he permit them not to fall into an Heathenisme vnto the which you doo seeke to drawe them with so manye contrary Gospels ¶ The .30 Chapter IT doth appere well by that that I haue saide howe the assuraunce of your vocation to the ministerie is but founded vpon sande forasmuche as you doo seeke particulerly a contrary meaning euery one to his owne perticuler sense being not this the waye that an extraordinarye minister sent from God shoulde vse to confyrme his doctrine for this hath beene the custome of all olde heretikes as I haue alreadye sayde There is a verye great difference betweene setting foorth the Scripture to refourme ones religion to reforme ones conditions for when there is any questiō of the refourming of ones maners there is no neede to regarde whether the doctrine be newe or olde for as the Apostle sayth let euery man take it to his owne sense but when it is to be talked of as touching ones fayth the Catholike ought greatlye to beware of singuler interpretations and to holde them as very suspitious He ought to folowe the sentence that is holden and taught by the auncient Catholike Churche without making any accompt of all these new deuises for euen as when one will repaire an olde house he dares commit it to anye Mason although his cunning be but small but if the foundation must be touched he will seeke the best masters he can fynde Euen so when one will correct me for my euill life or conditions although that it be so that he that seeks to reforme me be not of the wisest of the worlde and that he alleage to me some place or figure of the Sceipture not altogether to the purpose yet all this ought to turne to me to one effect for I know his meaning although he cannot well expresse it the which is to haue me chaunge my naughtie life and to leaue my yll conditions But when he shall come to touche my fayth and to perswade me from that that all my auncetours did euer holde frō that that the Catholike Churche deriued from the Apostles hath holden and doth holde and from that that both the Scripture and the generall Councels and all the auncient doctours teache and affyrme In the repayre of this foundation I ought to trust none but euen the verye best I meane not one or two but all these that I haue named And now if you say that they maye all erre I praye remember the olde prouerbe that saith He is a foole that thinkes that he onely is wise and all the other fooles and that it is more agreable to reason that one onely should erre then one great multitude for as thei say commonly two eyes see more then one and fowre more then two ¶ The .31 Chapter OVr Sauiour Christe did approue his vocation after another sort thē you doo yours Searche saith he the Scriptures for they beare witnes of me he doth not say that they ar Iudges as you saye for you will haue none other arbitrator but the word of god You knowe that they are two different thinges to beare witnes and to be a Iudge yet the scriptures of the old Testament doo conteine not only the veritie of the doctrine of our Sauiour Christ but therwithall the very sufficient probation of his person to teache vs the true worde of God to ouerthrow destroy the whole kingdome of Sathan as it is plainlye seene by those that list to looke vppon the oracles of the olde patriarchs and Prophetes It is written in the third of Genesis that God saide vnto the woman that her seede shoulde breake downe the serpents head And likewise in the said booke ther is mentiō made of this diuine seede of Abraham in the. 15. and. 53. Chapters of Esay in the. 2. Psalme Dauid doth talke of it And in like maner Daniell Moyses Aaron with al the rest of the prophets in their sacrifices haue very
folow the sectes of perdition If all our Shepheardes had bene as carefull to keepe their flockes as they ought to haue bene your Congregation had neuer ben so strongly builded as it is at this day in Fraunce And therefore you offer your Churche if it maye be so called great wronge when you speake against the abuses of ours for our sinnes haue bene and are the principall foundation of your buildinge And euen as the worme is nourished in the Aposteme with the yll humors euen so you feede of our faultes and are nourished with our sinnes youre fyre burnes with our wood and if we woulde amende our liues I knowe howe soone your religion woulde decaye And therefore our Pastors are not wolues but they haue permitted the wolues to deuoure their sheepe and so they shall aunswere for them before the throne of the eternall Iudge who doth aduertise them by the Prophete Ezechiell that they shal aunswere for all the mischiefes that happen vnto their sheepe manye of the which are scabbed and full of diseases and therefore I would haue you to cause some bodye to choose among yours and ours those that are best to the ende that through this diuision and your ayde we maye take the rest I thinke that if anye thing condemne vs it wil be this cause forasmuch as we haue continued in that doctrine which was preached vnto vs at the firste as you your selues can not denye if you will confesse the truth ¶ The .38 Chapter ALl our auncient doctours aswell of the Greeke as of the Latine Churche since the Apostles time and the Christians of all the foure quarters of the world which wer in those dayes haue made their promises and vowes vnto God euen as we doo now at their baptisme they did vse euen those very Ceremonies that we do with the self same exorcismes adiurations and annoyntings that we doo vse in our Catholike Churche which you call Papisticall to proue this true we wil bring the said aunciēt doctours as witnesses if it please you to read the places that we wil quote Tertulian who liued verye neere the Apostles time doeth make mention in his booke that he intituled De resurrectione carnis of the annoynting vsed at the Baptisme and of the renouncing the deuil and all his pompe In his booke De corona militis he doth speake of the thirde dipping vnder the water in the name of the father the sonne and the holye Ghoste S. Ciprian the Martyr who was aboue 1300. yeres agone doth write in the second volume of his Epistles epist. 12. how they did vse in his time to geue the holye Chrisme vnto the children that were baptised Origen in his twelfth Homilie and in diuers other places of his works doth make mention of the renouncing of the deuill at ones baptisme and of the making of the signe of the Crosse vppon childrens faces when they were christened S. Iohn Chrisostome in his 12. Homilie vpon the fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians Cap. 4. And in his fyrste Homilie vppon the fyrste Chapter to the Ephesians he doth make mention of the sayde renunciation made from the deuill and all his workes Reade I pray if it be your pleasure S. Aug. in Psal. 31. Aug. li. 15. contra Iulia. Pelag li. 1. Cap. 2. Item de nuptiis et concupiscentia Lib. 1. Cap. 20. In Ioannē tract 33. In Canonicam Ioannis tract 3. et Tractat. 6. Et de ecclesi dogmat Cap. 31. De Simbolo lib. 1. Cap. 7. et lib. 2. Cap. 11. Et libro de his qui initiantur sacris Cap. 1. Basilius de Spiritu Sancto Cap. 15. et 75. Arnobius in Ps. 27. All these Doctoures which were aboue a thousande yeeres agone if you reade in them the places that heere I haue quoted you shall fynde that they did vse at the Baptisme of their children those verye Cerimonyes that we doo nowe vse and that you doo so mislike And as for Confession before the receauing of the Sacrament our Sauiour Christe doeth teache vs that the Ecclesiasticall Ministers haue authoritie to bynde and forgeue sinnes S. Ciprian in his fyfth Sermon De lapsis Origen vppon the thirtie and seuenth Psalme and in Leuit. Hom. 2. S. Augustine lib. 2. de visitatione infirmorum Cap. 4. S. Ciril libro 12. in Ioannem Cap. 56. S. Hierom in Ecclesi Cap. 10. All these Doctours according to the Scriptures in these places doo confyrme auriculer confession And as for praying vnto the Saintes in Paradise to helpe vs with their prayers reade Origen in his thirde Homilie vpon the Canticles and in his second booke vppon Iob and in his eyght booke in Ecclesi Reade Chrisostome in his eyght Homilie vppon the Epistle to the Ephesians the fourth Chapter and S. Augustine in his twentie booke against Faustinus the one and twentie Chapter and Saint Hierom against Vigilantius All these make mention of the praying vnto the Saintes And for praying for the deade Reade Tertulian in his booke De Monogonia and in his booke De Corona militis and Saint Ciprian ad plebem Furnensem and in the fyrst booke of his Epistles and Origen in Hieremiam Hom. 12. Item in epist. ad Ro. lib. 8. cap. 11. Reade Chrisostome in his third Homilie vpon the Epistle of S. Paule to the Philippians and S. Aug. li. 2. de gen against the Maniches Cap. 20. and in the Incheridion ad Laurent Cap. 110. Item libro de cura pro mortuis agenda All these Doctours whose workes haue continued these 1200. yeeres doo teache vs all these thinges that nowe we doo obserue the which they left in writing by the ordinaunce of God to confute suche heretikes as you are ¶ The .39 Chapter ANd if I did not thinke that it would be to tedious for the Reader I woulde set forth the rest of our Catholike doctrine the confyrmation of it by the testimonie of suche a number of not onely Doctours but therewith al holy Confessors Martyrs which haue suffered for our religion and that haue taught vs both by worde of mouth and by writing all that we doo vse at this daye teaching vs to liue and dye in it and for it I would haue you answere me vnto this Doo you thinke that they be in heauen or in hell I know wel that meere scrupulositie of conscience will make you not expresse plainelye that that your works doo teache and that you will remit this questiō to the iudgement of god But this is not to the purpose for I do not demaund of you any absolute aunswere as if you had bene in heuen or hell to see it but this to vtter in your conscience what you thinke of those that haue holden mainteyned and confessed our fayth whom you call Infidels and superstitious Papistes are they condemned If you say yea Then wherefore was the bloud of Christe shed on the Crosse it had bene better that he had neuer suffred if this were true If you saye that God
shew the cause it is to the ende that my name be knowen ouer al the earth that is to say that men shoulde know that he is god If we come to the Apostles we shall fynde likewise that their doctrine was not new for when they began to preache vnto the Gentiles Idolaters they did not at the first preach Iesus Christ but thei did seeke to blot out of the mindes of the simple people the foolishe opinion that they had in the multitude of gods to teach thē that there was but one god who had created the heauen earth who sendeth rayne in time of neede and all thinges els that are required for the sustenance of in This is the doctrin that S. Paule did preach as we reade in the Actes This doctrine was not newe amonge men although it were so that they were Paynims for not onely in Moyses lawe nor in the law of Grace but euen by the lawe of Nature God hath bene knowen euen of those which were not of the familie of Abraham Isaac and Iacob vnto whō the promise of the Incarnation of Christe was made Of this doth Abimilech the king of Gerar bear witnes who did excuse himselfe before god for the wife of Abraham he could neuer haue knowen howe to talke thus with God if he had not knowē him Besydes this he made Abraham to sweare by the inuocation of the saide God that neither he nor his heires shoulde suffer any damage by his posteritie Bathuell did likewise knowe God when he confessed that he was the authour of the mariage of his daughter with Abrahams son euen so Abimilech the king of the Palestines and Phicol Ochosath sayde vnto Isaac We heare that God is with thee and therefore we are come to make alliance together Adonibezeth although he were a Gentile did not he confesse one God when he sayde that he had geuē him the selfe same punishment that he had geuē the 70. kinges Iob al his frends althogh they were Gentiles haue auouched one God to be the Creator of heauen and earth euen aswell as the Israelites as it doeth appere by the discourse of the saide Iob. If we reade the histories of the Paynims we shal find that they bear witnes of one God among themselues Diogenes Laertius in the liues of the Philosophers doth write that the Emperoure Adrian did demaunde of a philosopher called Secundus what God was He aunswered God is an immortall spirite incomprehensible conteyning all the worlde a light and a soueraine goodnes True it is that this Secundus was bolder to speake of God then another Philosopher called Simenides of whō Tullie doth write in his fyrst booke De natura deorum vnto whom when the tyrāt Hyero did demaūd of him what God was and that he had geuē him diuers dayes of respit to answer him at the last he saide that he did acknowledge in him an infinite of all thinges Cicero himself in the fyrst question of his Tusculanes doth gouerne geue the being to all things And in diuers places of that worke he doth wel expresse that he knew well that there was one God that the gods that the Gentiles did worship wer but mortal mē And in the saide booke he saieth that we know God by his workes in the which he doth not much differ frō Dauid saying That the heuens declare the glory of God and the firmament doth anoūce his works And in the 40. chapter of Esay whē god did talke with the Gentiles he did cal his works to bere witnes of his greatnes Lift vp your eyes saith he and beholde who hath made this And the Sage doth say that men through their vaniti haue not knowē God by his works And S. Paul doth absolutely cōdemne thē saying the thei can procure no excuse of ignorance for the inuisible things such as is the diuinitie of God may be knowe by the visible thinges And therfore they are vnexcusable hauing hidden the truth of God to vniustice for after that they haue knowen him they haue not geuen him that thankes and honour that they should haue done but they haue beene deceaued through their owne subtilitie making a profession of knowledge they haue beene founde foolishe and ignoraunt S. Augustine 8. lib. de Ciu. dei ca. 24. doeth reckē Mercurius called Hermes Trimegistus among these forasmuche as he did continue in his owne erroure although he knewe by that that one may see in his owne writinges that his auncetours did erre greatly in the making and worshipping of so many Gods. ¶ The .20 Chapter LActantius Firmianus in his booke of his diuine Institutions Cap. 5. writing against the Gentiles doeth proue that there is but one God and he doeth alleage as witnesses all the olde learned Philosophers suche as Thales Milesius Pithagoras Anaxagoras Cleanthus Anaximeus Crysippus Heno Plato Aristotel Seneca others Octauius likewise a christian Orator disputing against Caecilius as then a Gentile doeth alleage likewise to confounde these olde Philosophers and he doeth adde more Xenophon Spensippus Demaritus Strato Theophrastus and many more S. Paule likewise preaching to the Athenians doth protest that he doth teach them no newe thing but rather him whom they did worship and did not knowe By the which it is plainelye to be seene that the Apostles did not announce vnto the people any newe lawe for it was verye olde and notwithstanding they did confirme it with miracles And if you saye that although those learned Philosophers had a knowledge of God as it doeth appere by their workes yet there is founde in them no mention of Iesus Christe and therfore that it was necessary to approue that doctrine with signes and miracles But contrarywise that you in your newe refourmed Gospell doo preache the olde Apostolicall lawe I doo aunswere you to this that the .9 Sybilles did speake of his comming and byrth euen as playnly as any of the Prophetes and amongst other Sybilla Erithrea did as fully prophesie of the comming of our Sauiour to iudge the quicke and the dead as any other prophet as S. Augustine doth testifie Li. 1. de ciui dei cap. 23. Likewise of his death and passion and of the myracles he should doo before his death The Oracles of the false goddes haue likewise declared vnto the Gentiles the comming of Christe as Lactantius Firmianus doth write lib. 4. cap. 15. in his booke of the deuine institutions Nicephorus in like maner dothe write howe Augustus Caesar sacrifising to the God Apollo Pythius in his temple coulde get no other but a very breefe aunswere then Caesar dyd demaund why he coulde not make him then as fullye aunswere as he did at other tymes Apollo was constrayned to saye the trueth the whyche was that a young Hebrewe childe borne of late did commaunded him to retire him selfe into his hell vnto whom he was forced to yeelde obediently forasmuche as he was god and gouernour of the
or some other kynde of wilde fruite the tree can beare no other but Crabbes or wyldinges Euen so we Chrystian persons who are the trees of God planted by the pleasaunt fountayne of his grace and purged with the holy water of Baptisme to beare fruite at our season so that we take euer to prospet withall the dewe of his grace that planted vs I meane the fayth of our Sauiour Iesus Christe so long we beare good fruite as it is sayd before alleaging the 3. of S. Iohn yll vnderstoode by Iouinian He that is borne of God doth not sinne for the generation of God doth preserue him the enimy of our health shal not touche him And in the sayde Chapter he sayth agayne All men or euery man that is borne of God doth not sinne for the seede of God is in him and he can not sinne because he is borne of god By this it is not ment that Baptisme the which he doth cal the beeing borne of God doth take away from man the power or libertie to do euyl for if he wyl degenerat from the grace that he hath receaued by the Sacrament of regeneration that in steede of growing graft vpon the stocke of the loue of God which is the true life that he will fructifie towards his death and destruction in this case he is no more the sonne of God for as Christe sayth If ye be the children of Abraham do the works of Abraham But as he doth cōtinue and hath this good wyl which was taught by the Angel vnto the Shepheards that he doth continue hauing the grace that was inspired in him by the holy ghost at his baptisme so long he doth not sinne vnto eternal death for the generation of God that is to say the grace receyued by this holy Sacrament doth so defend him that the diuel can not persecute him to death being not able to preuayle agaynst him and as long as this good seede which is the word of god doth dwel in him he cannot sinne and if he did sinne the sede would no longer remaine in him The holy ghost sayth The wise man shal refuse the hypocrite and dissembler and shal depart from the vayne and craftie cogitations and therefore the grace of God and sinne can not dwel togeather nor we oughte not thinke S. Iohns wordes straunge in that he sayth That he that is borne of God doth not sin for it is as much to say as that one can not serue two masters and that he that serueth god can not serue the diuel For S. Paul sayth You can not assist at the Table of god and of the diuel altogether for what communication is there betweene Iustice and Iniquitie or betweene Iesus Christ Belial And he that doth loue this world declareth him selfe an enemy vnto god And a little before he had sayd He that doth commit sinne is the sonne of the deuil the which doeth not affyrme that a sinner cannot be the sonne of God if he repent and do penaunce but in the meane while he that is in actuall sin or hath a minde to doo euil is as then not the sonne of God but the sonne of the deuill The good tree doeth not beare yll fruite for although the fruit doo rot or perishe vpon the tree that corruption doeth not proceede of the tree but of the wormes byrdes or of some other kinde of vermine therefore when they saye that by the fruite we shall knowe the tree and by the workes the faith this ought to be vnderstood when the fruite doth ripe in season that it hath the naturall humour and propertie of the tree And in a man that he haue the influence of the true fayth and not otherwise for euen as the rotten fruite hanging vppon the tree doth not digresse nothing from the good Stocke euen so the yil workes of vs that are Christians ought not to stayne our holy and Catholike religion For the corruption of our yll fruites commeth of our selues and not of our religion the whiche doth defende vs from doing that we do I meane to sweare to blaspheme to commit adultery to doo anye man wronge or to offende God any way He that doeth desyre then by the fruit to knowe whether the tree of our religion be good he ought not to bende his eyes to looke vpon the rotten fruite as if that were sufficient to proue the goodnes of the tree but let him looke vppon the good fruites Suche are all the Doctours aswell of the Greeke as Latine Churche so manye good Emperours and vertuous Kinges Princes Dukes and erles which haue reigned in France Spayne Germany and Englande and ouer all the worlde and haue dyed in the fayth leauing their workes to bear witnes of their good fruites The which haue buylded so many fayre hospitals to helpe and releue the poore so many goodly Colleges to enterteyne fatherles children at their bookes so many foundations workes for the common wealth and that haue buylded so manye sumptuous Abbeys and houses of Religion the whiche you with your godly zeale haue not only robbed spoyled but that that is more odious you haue pulled thē cleane down to deface the memory of our Auncesters and to acquite al these which are notable monumentes you brag of the good deedes that your good Christians doo which are much like vnto the gaynes of those that vse to cogge at dise for although they winne much it is neuer seene or like the Iewes whiche to color their horrible cruelty in putting our Sauiour vniustly to death they went and bought with the money that they gaue to Iudas a field to bury the dead And so you hauing robbed spoyled from the religious houses and Abbeyes more then you are able to restore you thinke to acquite it all with geuing a litle to the poore No no these deuises are but vaine yf by the fruite the tree be knowen as Christe sayth let them that haue any iudgement looke vpon the fruit of our trees and then iudge whether they be good or no. ¶ The .36 Chapter NOwe seing that you haue visited our gardein If a man may be so bolde I pray lend vs the keyes that we maye in like maner visite yours that we may see the fruits of your religiō Reade all the histories writtē frō the Passion of Christe to our dayes and you shall fynd that all those sects that haue left our Romane Churche haue done more mischiese in one yere being seperated from the said Church then they did in an hundred yeres before But because our meaning is not to recite all the acts of your predecessors enemies to the Catholike church it shall suffise to make a short discourse of those that haue bene of late dayes I meane the Bohemians or Hussites whose folowers you doo affyrm your selues to be for in your godly booke of Martyrs you haue placed Iohn Hus as the fyrste Martyr of your auncient Church who was