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
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
that haue continued with oure olde flocke stedfast and whole as touching our religion but verye weake sickly as touching our maners that is to say full of sinnes and vices attending some sage phisitions to heale vs and good pastors to keepe vs casting out the chaffe from the corne I mean cutting off those abuses that are offensiue not to suche scrupulous consciences as you haue but vnto him that doth threaten them for the carelesse liues of their sheepe and so to continue in that auncient fayth that by succession of pastors we haue receued from the Apostles ¶ The .41 Chapter I Knowe well that you wil take this confessiō of mine to your aduantage saying that for feare of being infected with our superstitious diseases you haue seperated your selues frō the common flocke but if you do consider my firste wordes they haue barred you al maner of wayes to reply iustly for I haue already said that althogh we be sickly and weake sheepe as touching our doings or maners yet in regarde of our fayth thankes be to God we are safe and sounde keeping still that integritie of religion that by succession of pastors we haue receaued from the Apostles without adding or diminishing any thing to the grounde of our catholike beliefe for as for ceremonies the Church hath vsed thē euer as touching that time the place to the honor of god edification of our neighbor and therfore if you did seperate your selues from our kind of liuing to leade a holy solitarye life as the holy Heremites and saintes haue done in times past forsaking the conuersatiō of the cōmon people to liue in contemplation without seperating thē selues frō the cōmunion of the Churche in the which they haue bene baptised and had receaued their faith your doings had ben as much worthi of praise in that respect as nowe they are damnable considering howe you forsake the common tabernacle within the which both you and we haue receaued the Sacraments of regeneration and our spirituall foode altogether And to the ende that no bodye runne astray from the right path that he should folowe the good Christian ought to fixe in his minde this resolution I mean to serue God and to liue in the Catholike fayth commonlye or priuately for when there is any question put as touching the life the common way as Christe doth saye doeth leade one to perdition and the narow waye doth guide vnto the port of saluation But if one speake of religion the contrarye is verifyed for the common way is the way of health the priuate way is the path of damnation The Prophete Dauid in the. 24. Psalme had a regarde to this when he prayed god to teach him his waies by the religion and his pathes by the maners and customes ¶ The .42 Chapter NOw to turne to the partition that we haue vpon the. 34. and. 37. of Ezechiell and vppon the tenth of Iohn it is playne that we are the flockes of weake and sickly sheepe and your disciples are the sheepe that runne this way and that way astraye those that are our yll prelats take vpon them the title of Mercenarij pastoris but vnto your Ministers the titles of deuouring wolues may be applyed without any scrupulositie of conscience for you watche to none other intent but to make the sheepe runne out of the fold and to deuour them because that our pastors haue not taken care to keepe them And although they bee not excusable aswell for their silence as for their naughtie liues I see not your Patriarchs and zealous Ministers amende muche them selues the faultes that they finde in vs for besydes the true and certayne experience that we haue had by the tryall that we haue seene to our coste in this Realme within these fyue or six yeres I haue read full manye a golden Legend of your sacred martyrs and holy Bishops which do not altogether redound to the honor of your pretended reformed Church And among others Theodore de Beza Caluins successor in the Pontificate seate of the holy Citie of Geneua of whom suche thinges are preached abrode that if the one halfe of them be true he is scant so good a man as S. Iohn Baptist And because I woulde not haue you to mislike them for their religion I will not alleage to verifye this anye Catholike authour but some of Luthers Successours your fyrste founder who taught you to write so learnedlye I woulde saye raylinglye againste the Churche of Rome Tilemanus Heshusius a Minister of the Lutherans in the booke that I haue alreadye noted doeth openlye accuse the sayde Beza of great infamye that he did not onely content the fansie of his minde with leading a luxurious and a licentious life and to stayne his vow with a bolte of adulterous loue but that that is worse he himselfe hath set forth in writing al his lasciuious acts the which saith he he hath songe in sacrilege ryme to the Instrument to manifest his synne to the whole sight of the worlde And in that very booke he doth say that Beza who as I haue tolde you is a Bishop of the holy Citie of Geneua is an infamous monster whose naughty life any man maye reade set forth by himselfe in his owne Epigrams notwithstanding sayth he to heare him speake you woulde thinke he were Saint Iohn Baptist for he can talke of nothinge but of his holye life This same very Minister in the booke where he writeth these thinges he doeth laye to Bezas charge that he tooke with him to Geneua another mans wife without the knowledge of her husbande whose name was Candida Thus seeing by the verye testimonie of those that are our enemies that are your brethren as touching the seeking to ouerthrowe the Catholike Churche The principall pillers of your Church are bawdes theeues and adulterers ruffins why doo ye not firste begin to reforme your selues to this intent that when we see that you haue taken the blocke out of your own eyes we may be the better content that you should spye the mote in ours Remember that our Sauiour sayth in the Gospel that the phisition ought to cure himselfe ¶ The .43 Chapter YOu that can saye so well that one ought to liue according to the scripture and that you will by it refourme vs why do ye not beginne with your selues to geue vs the better example From whence come so many kinde of vsuries and excessiue interests as you doo vse You call our Churche abhominable and adulterous He that is among you without sinne let him cast the fyrste stone You doo abhorre oure Idols as you terme them talking of our Images howe commeth it to passe then that some of youres should come so neere vs that are Idolaters as to rob our Churches and to carye away the Images and reliques and to go and sell them in other places But nowe to make an ende of this discourse although it were so that your woorkes were
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
vndoubtedly led with the spirite of god in them both For if the Catholike Churche had the true spirite of God in discerning and iudging the true Scriptures of God from the rest not Scriptures why shoulde not we beleeue that same catholike churche gouerned and led by the same spirite in geuing the true sense meaning and vnderstanding of the scriptures Whē ye shal be able to render a sufficient reason of the one and not of the other I shall then yeelde and recant and not before Fourth Let the protestantes make sufficient proufe by auncient writers of the ecclesiasticall historyes what church it is that all these fyftene hundred yeeres past hath continued thoroughout fyrme and stedfast whiles all other conuenticles and congregations aswell of the Atrians as of the Nestorians Maniches Nouatians Vigilians Iouinians and the rest of heretikes of all sortes haue decayed bene conuinced and ouerthrowen that by any other church then by the common knowen catholike Churche of Christe And I shal then yeeld and recant and not before Fyfte If it may sufficiently be proued that any other Churche then the common knowen catholike churche of Christe hath instituted and ordeyned all goodly ceremonies solemne obseruations in the same dayly practised and vsed as the festiuall dayes of Christmas Candlemas Easter Whitsontide the feasts of thapostles and holy Euangelists of S. Michaell tharchangell and of all halowes blessed Saintes the obseruation of the holye fast of Lent and Imber dayes the faste of thapostles and of all the aforesaide festiual Eues beside the weekely fast of Frydayes Saturdayes the rest yet obserued and allowed on both sydes to the honour and glorye of God Then I will recante and not before Sixth let the protestantes shewe what Church from Christe his time hitherto and for the whole space of these fiftene hundred yeres past hath exercised discipline and due correction vpon offenders in all degrees and for that purpose hath not onely prouided and made but continuallye executed lawes canons and decrees ecclesiasticall by suspension excommunication degradation and such other like Let thē proue this discipline to haue proceeded of the Protestants congregations or to haue continued from time to time in anye other Churche then in the common knowen Catholike Churche of Christe And I will then recant and not before Seuenth let me know of the Protestants what Church hath brought forth for the space of these fyftene hundred yeres past as children begotten of her owne wombe so manye thousandes of blessed Martyrs of stoute and bolde confessors of pure and innocent virgins and of other holye Saintes of al sortes and so acknowledged of eyther partie And if it shall in fine fall out that anye one of them was of the Protestants congregatiō faith or belief whiles they liued here and not of the cōmon knowen faith and religion of the Catholike Church of Christe or that they were approued and canonized for Saintes when they were deade by the protestantes congregation and not only by the catholike churche of Christe I shal then submit and recant and not before Eight Wheras the Apostle Saint Paule testifieth that Christ gaue vnto his Churche some Apostles some Prophetes some Euangelistes some pastors and doctours ad consummationem sanctorum in opus ministerij and so to continue to the edifying of his body the catholike Churche vntill his comming agayne Nowe if the Protestants shal be able to proue by ecclesiasticall historyes of all ages the continuance and vse of the said functions and degrees in their congregations and that by some orderly succession and playne accompt made from Christ his time hitherto thei haue neuer lacked the sayde appoynted officers or that any other church thē the common knowen catholike church of Christe hath had at all times the continuance of the same I shall then recant and relent and not before Ninth whereas the protestants by the drift of reason and argument are forced of the Catholikes to acknowledge and confesse their churche and congregations to haue lyen hydden vnknowen for the space of one whole thousand yeres together without all the foresayde functions and ministrations of Apostles prophets Euangelists pastors doctors of their gospel fayth and religion at the least wise to be openly perceyued and knowen If therefore they shal be able for the space of that whole time to proue by auncient writers of ecclesiastical historyes any other worde Gospell or doctrine to be vniuersally and openly taught any other Sacramentes to be ministred anye other discipline or correction to be practised anye other Iudgementes Decrees Canons or lawes to be exeuted then those which were dayly practised in the cōmon knowen Catholike Churche of Christe I will then recant and not before Tenth forasmuche as the Protestantes doo affyrme their congregations faith and religion to haue bene practised in the primatiue Churche of Christe some of them for the space of the firste three hundreth yeeres as Iohn Caluine some for the space of foure or fyue hundred yeres as Martine Luther and his complices some for the whole space of the fyrste sixe hundreth yeeres as master Iewell and the authours of the Apologie of the Churche of Ingland and therin not agreeing among them selues as the maner of heretikes is I requyre some better stayed and certayne tale of them where and when this sodeyn change from the Protestants religiō to the Papists should be made as in what yere of our Lorde vnder what Pope and Emperour by what persons of name it was so wrought and brought to passe and vpon what occasion what Apostles Prophetes Euangelistes Pastors and doctours of their congregations did gaynesay or withstande the same And who doth make anye mention of this sodeyne and meruailous change of the Protestantes religion to Papistrie what one eccesiastical writer or auncient father of the whole world And when they shal be able reasonablye to aunswere and to satisfye these my demaundes then I will recant yeelde to them and not before Eleuenth Let the learned Protestant shewe me what order of seruice or common prayer what order of ministration of Sacramentes their Churche had before papistrie as they call it preuayled in the worlde Let im shewe me one booke or copie of any Communion or what els you liste that was in Englishe or in anye vulgare or common tonge beside the Hebrewe Greeke and Latine or that lacked prayer for the soules departed or inuocation to Saintes or sacrifice for the sinnes both of the quicke the deade or that charged a number to receaue with the prieste or that he could not els consecrate or say Masse receauing alone or that the people should take the sacrament for breade and wine and not for the reall bodye and bloud of Christe or that they should geue no honour to it or not reserue the same for the comfort of the sicke and diseased people or that denied extreme vnction with the rest of the Sacramentes to be behoufull or necessary for
or stay in any one of them vntill they come ad profundum malorum and to a most playne and open apostacie to be miscreants Turkishe and of Mahomets religion not caring or setting by God nor the deuill neither for heauen nor hell Nowe heresyes being thus ficle and mouing the finall ende of them thus lamentable and horrible in the sight of God Let any learned protestant liuing answere directlye and playnelye without all cauill coloure or fraude of wordes without all vnprofitable and impertinent digressions not onely to this but to al the foresaide signes tokens and demaundes And I shall for company good felowship with them leaue the common knowen churche and the playne way of saluation beaten by our forefathers for the space of these fyftene hundred yeres past and nowe wander with theÌ„ in their vncertaine bypathes through vnknowen desertes rough woods brambles and bryers to seeke in the end we cannot tell what And here to conclude and of my part to minister vnto you some occasion in the relinquishing of these priuate churches and congregations of sectaries to returne to the vnitie and attonement of the common knowen catholike churche of Christe where stabilitie and constancie of fayth and religion is onely to be founde I shall here lay before you the worthy example of the blessed martyr Sebastian by him brought of a loafe of breade to Genserichus then king of the Vandales a furious and a barbarous nation whiche breaking into Affrike they founde there many valiant captayns placed by the Emperour Theodosius the second for the defence and sauegarde of the countrey amonge the rest was this Sebastian by dignitie an earle and a couragious and valiant captayne who with the rest yeelding to the force of Gensericus was as Victor de persecutione Vandalorum writeth for his great wisedome and valiantnes not so muche beloued as feared of the king Genserichus who being an Arrian intended by colour of religion to work his death For Genserichus knowing Sebastian to be a seuere and a perfit christian man conuented him before the Arrian Bishops and vnder the pretence that amitie and frendshippe might be the surer and continue the longer betwixte them Genserichus moued him to become an Arrian and to professe the same maner of beleefe and religion as he and his people were of For answere this holy martyr Sebastian requested Genserichus the king to commaunde a fyne wheten loafe to be brought vnto him and taking it in his hande and here to omit many of his wordes and notable sayinges he requested the king Genserichus to commaund the loafe of breade to be broken in peeces to be ground brought to flower and boulted afreshe to be seasoned with water and salte and baked agayne if then it should in the end proue better bread then it was before he would not faile to accomplishe the king Genserichus his will pleasure but if it were not possible by breaking of the loafe and baking of it againe to better it but to make woorse breade then before he wold not nor could not consent therevnto And in fine suffered death in the defence of the christian fayth religioÌ„ by him alreadye professed and receaued rather then he would condiscend to the impayring infringing or breaking of any part therof And so Genserichus caused this blessed man Sebastian to dye a holye Martyr Thus much I haue brieflye deducted out of the history of Victor to that intent that so apte and familiar an example of so holy blessed a martyr might in these perplexities and doubtes in these ofte changes mutations of religion confort the weaklings of Christ his church and bring them to some more better stay when by this example of Sebastians loaf certain sure we may be that the loafe of the vnitie of Christe his Churche the loafe of his Gospell fayth and religion being by schisme and heresye neuer so ofte broken neuer so finely grynded boulted searced and syfted kneaded baked agayne and agayne they shall neuer be able to better it or to bring it to that perfection which it had before And therfore all their attemptes to the contrarye are moste vayne the only remembraunce of this Sebastians loafe should suffise to confyrme the faythfull to stay the wauering and weaklinges and to plucke the deceaued backe agayne and to cause them in leauing of this their fickle waueringnes of this their proceedinges as they terme it from one secte to another from one congregation to another and from their scatering abrode with Antichriste to stay them selues and to gather them selues with our Sauiour Christ into the vnitie of his common knowen catholike churche where they shal be sure to â—ynd vnitie of religion vniformitie in all ceremonies and obseruances of the same with thattonement of christian fayth throughout in all Sacramentes and articles of our Creede to the pacifying of many contentions and strifes among vs to the quietation of mens consciences causing vs all professours of Christe as brethren here to liue together in quietnes peace and vnitie to the more better assuraunce of the publique estate of this Realme and to the great glorye and honour of almightie God to whom be all prayse honour and glorye worlde without ende Amen FINIS Act. 20. In his booke of Insti ca. 18. Art. 58. Heb. 5. L. Si quis ad se ad leg lul de nil publ c Num. 16. 2. Paral. 26 Math. 5. Ephe. 4. Lib. con haer Canti 1. Canti 1. Lib. 4. contra haeres cap. 65. Ephe. 1. Galat. 1. 1. Cor. 10. Exod. 29. Leuit. 4. Num. 8. 17. Act. 8. 19. 13. Tim. â— A 7. Cip. 1. epist. cap. 6. Gal. 1. Ioh. 6. Mat. 22. Rom. 10. Mat. 15. Cap. 3. Rom. 13. Rom. 13. Cap. 14. Cap. 34. Math. 11. Cod. vt nemo in sua causa iud Ioh. 15. Gen. 20. 1. Ioh. 4. Mat. 28. Mat. 12. 24. Exod. 19. Act. 14. Gen. 20. Gen. 24. Iud. 2. Psal. 18. Sap. 13. Rom. 1. Act. 12. Lib. â— ca. 15. Act. 3. Deut. 16. Act. 10. Li. 8. fo 4. Cap. 6. 10. 12. An heresie of the Puritans Cap. 5. Cap. 3. Math. ca. 10. 16. Psal. 90. Ioh. 6. Ioh. 2. 1. Cor 5. Ioh. 8. Psal. 84. Ioh. 5. Gen. ca. 12 15. 19. 22. 24. Ioh. 5. Mat. 11. Luk. 6 Mat. 15. Dani. 15 Iohn 18. Rom. 1. Iohn 8. Sap. 1. 1. Cor. 10. Iohn 10. Ioh. 20. Mat. 16. 2. Cor. 4. Luk. 16. Mat. 7. In his booke of the true body of Christ in the sacrif written in Latin. Mat. 28. Mar. 16. Act. 20. Heb. 13. Ioh. 14. Certayne and assured signes and tokeÌ„s of false prophetes heretikes and schismatikes 1. Iohn 2. Rom. 10. Heb. 5. Heb. 13. 1. Cor. 1. 2. Tim. 3. Exod. 7.