the Forte of our fayth you séeme to haue determined to batter foure of the especiall Bulworkes thereof Namely the denyall of Prayers for the dead The denial of works to be meritorious of saluation The denyall of the reall presence of the body and blood of Christ in the blessed Sacrament of the Altar And the denying that there be any moe Sacramēts then two To batter these Bulworkes you will not bring any Ordinaunce taken out of the Storchouse of the holie Fathers but you wyll vse that great forcible Ordinaunce that is to be had in the Storehouse of the holye Bible and therewith you wil batter and beate down the strongest parts of our Forte of Faith Against the first Bulworke you plant a péece of Ordinaunce taken out of the 12. Chap. of the seconde booke of Machabees Against the seconde Bulworke 2. péeces of Ordinaunce one taken out of the Epistle of S. Iames and the other out of the 25. Chapter of S. Mathewes Gospell Against the third you doo plant foure péeces of Ordinaunce one taken out of the 26. Chap. of S. Mathew one other taken out of the 14. Chapter of S. Marke the third out of the 22. of S. Luke and the fourth you take out of the sixt Chap. of S. Iohns Gospell But against the fourth Bulworke you bring no Ordinaunce at all neither out of the Storehouse of the Bible nor out of the Storehouse of the holie Doctors of the Catholicke Church Onely you say that it is an heresie condemned long ago But let vs sée of what force these péeces of Ordinaunce be The first séemeth a farre off to be a double Cannon of great force But at hand it is founde to be but a sillie Base embossed and made great by cunning clowting together of Paste made of paper in the forme of a double Cannon with the colour of Brasse cunningly layde vpon it Who would not thinke that this were a Cannon of great force when he shall heare the Captaine himselfe say I will turne you to the Bible it selfe which if you dare either deny c. you shalbe no longer Heretickes but plaine Infidels Looke I beséeche you c. A Captaine of the Jewish Armie made a collection c. Yea and the latter wordes of the Chapter are these Sancta ergo salubris est cogitatio c. And tell me not nowe I pray you a tale of a tubbe c. Yea and last of all well may it be saide of you Aure audietis non intelligetis c. But let vs drawe néerer to this terrible péece of Ordinaunce that we may sée of what force it is First because Fryer John dooth charge vs that we admitt not the words which the holy Doctors of the Catholicke Church haue spoken I require him to reade that which S. Ierome hath written in his preface vpon the bookes of Salomon immediatly after those wordes that I put you in minde of when I answered to that sentence that you alledged out of the booke of Wisedome Chap. 11. S. Ierome writeth thus Sicut ergo Judeth Tobiae Machabeorum libros legit quidem Ecclesia sed eos inter canonicas scripturas non recipit sic baec duo volumina legat ad edificationem plebis non ad authoritatem ecclesiasticorum dogmatum confirmandam Euen as the Church dooth indéede reade the bookes of Iudith and Tobias and of the Machabees but dooth not receiue them amongst y e Canonicall Scriptures euen so she may reade these two bookes meaning the booke of Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus to the edifying of the people but not for the confirming of Ecclesiasticall doctrine Loe Master Frier John one of the holie Doctors of the Catholicke Church hath tolde you that this Scripture was not written by the holie Ghost and yet I trowe you will not say that he hath tolde you a tale of a tubbe nor that he hath belyed the holy Ghost or that the saying of the holie Esay may be well applied vnto him But if your selfe would vouchsafe to reade the last lynes of this seconde Booke of Machabees I thinke you woulde not thinke this booke to be of such authority as hetherto you haue in these writings séemed to thinke For in the wordes written in those lynes the author or writer of this booke dooth shewe himself to be in doubt whether he haue doone so well as himselfe wished to doo and in case he haue not doone so well he craueth pardon of his Readers and vseth a similitude to perswade him to pardon him Which is a thing all together vnséemely to be doone by the holie Ghoste Yea I suppose your selfe woulde account it blasphemie in him that wold say that the holy Ghost may doubt whether ought that he doth bée well doone or not And if you will take the paines to reade the latter part of the 14. Chapter of this booke you shall finde there a great commendation giuen to one Razias for that he murthered himselfe which commendation could not come from y e holy Ghost For such murder is not onelie contrarie to the expresse commaundement of GOD but it is contrarie to nature also Yea and I doo yet thinke that though you doo thinke that you doo deserue much at Gods hande by whypping your selfe with your discipline as your selfe doo report yet you are not perswaded that you shoulde deserue more if either by whipping your selfe or otherwise you shoulde kill your selfe Moreouer if your selfe be not of that number that Esay the Prophet speaketh of in the sixt Chapter of his booke cited by your selfe then there is hope that you will not sticke to reade weigh the circumstaunces of the place in the 12. of this second booke of the Machabees that you doo so much vrge vs with In the text that goeth immediatlie before that which you doo beséeche vs to looke vpon the Historian hath saide that after the Armie of Gorsias was by the mighty power of God put to flight Iudas hauing gathered his Army together came to the Cittie Odolla And when the seauenth day was come and they were purified according to the custome they did in the same place spende the time of the Sabaothe And the next day following Iudas came with his company to take vp the dead bodies of them that were slaine and to bury thē with their fathers in the buriall places that belonged to them And they founde vnder the garments of them that were flayne certain of the gifts that had béene offered to the Idolles that were at Iamnia from which the Lawe commaunded the Iewes to abstaine It was therefore made manifest to all men that this was the cause wherefore they were slayne The whole company did therefore commende the iust iudgment of the Lord which had made manifest the déedes that had béene hidde and kept in secrete And so they gaue themselues to prayer and besought God that the fault which was committed might be blotted out of memory But the moste valiant man Iudas exhorted
bewayle themselues in the day of â—udgment Crovvley Thus farre goeth your merginall note To this note of yours I say thus There is good cause to moue you to thinke that we doo think that you are fooles for you can not but know that we doo know that there is no wisedome in theÌ„ that doo so waste the good creatures of God as you doo that waxe which you doo burne in the day light when there is no vse of that artificiall light because the naturall light dooth then serue the turne of euery creature that néedeth y e vse of light And that madnes of yours is so much the greater for that you set those lightes before stocks and stones that are fashioned like men and women and haue the forme of eyes but not y e sence of sight Yea and the Prophet Dâ—â—iâ— in the Psalme 115. Doth account you no wiser then those stocks and stones be when he sayth thus They that make them are like vnto them and so are all they that repose trust in them You say that your other Ceremonies doo cause vs to thinke that you are fooles and your Religion folly In truth you coniecture right For wee know that no wise man in the world would vse such Ceremonies as you doo nor professe such a Religion wherin there is in maner nothing but méere madnes As I hope I shall make manifest to al wisemen in my discourse vpon the seuerall points thereof But first wée must lende you our eares a while tyll you haue tolde vs what we may reade in the Booke of Wisedome Chapter 5 Where it is written that the damned in the latter day be wayling their foolishnes shal speake these words c. as aboue First of all I must say vnto you that wee did knowe and did vnderstande the meaning of those words of wisedom before you were Frier John yea and before you were Samuell Debnam If you had asked câ—unsell of Nicholaus Lycanus which was a Fryer Minor hâ—â— would haue tolde you another meaning of the wisemans words thâ—n that which you doo gather He writeth thus Siabiâ—t iustâ—in magna constantâ—â— quia perfecti â—um Christo indicabunt A duersos â—os qui se angustiauerunt inferendo eis noeumentum in personis â—t qui aâ—stulerunt labâ—res corum eis nocendo in rebus possessis The rightecus shall stand in great constancie for the perfect men shall sit in indgment with Christ against such as haue distressed them in dooing them hurte in their persons And such as haue taken from them theyr labours in hurting them in those things that they possessed If these words of the wise man must be applied to you so that you shoulde bée the Just men that shouid stande foorth with so great constancie then must you also be the damned that in the latter day shall bewayle their owne foolishnes for that none doth disâ—resse you in your owne persons but your selfe You are they that doo punish your selues by going and lying woolward by abstaining from flesh by rysing at midnight and by whypping and scourging of your sâ—lues and who dooth or can hurt you in those things that you possesse â—ith you haue voâ—â—ed neuer to possesse any thing no not so much as the garments that belong to your owne bodies And who can take from you anie fruits of your labours séeing that you neuer laboure and therefore can not reape any fruites of any laboure that is doone by you but are fedde and haue professed that you wyll and must still be fedde by the labours of other But wyll you know what Saint Austen writeth against the second Epistle of Gaudentius that was Bishop of the Donatistes In the 27. Chapter of that booke Tom. 7. S. Augustine writeth thus Agnoscite scelus vestrum nolâ—te vobis vsurpare no men alienum Scriptura dixit Tunc stabunt â—usti in magna constantia aduersus eos qâ—i se angustiauerunt qui abstulerunt labores eorum Non dixit stabunt omâ—es qui â—ala passi sunt sed stabuntâ—iâ—sti Sicut dominus cum dixisset Beati qui persecutâ—â—nem patiuntur â—isâ— addidisset propâ—er iustitiam non solos significaret qui pro sâ—a in domino patientia coronantur sed etiam illos qui iâ—stis legibus puniâ—ntur Quapropter siad vos put at is haec iustonum verba quae scripta sunt pertinâ—re prius an iusti sitâ—s â—stendite Acknowledge sath S. Austeâ— your owne wickednes and doo not vsurpe a name that belongeth not to you The Scripture hath sayd Then the iust shall stand in greate câ—nstancie against them that haue distressed them and haue taken away their labours It hath not sayd as many as haue suffered euill shall stand but the iust shall stand Euen as when the Lorde had sayd Blessed are they that suffer persecution except hee hadde added for righteousnes he should haue meant not theÌ„ alone which are crowned for their suffering in the Lord but them also that are punished by iust lawes Wherefore if you doo thinke that these words that are written doo appertaine vnto you shewe first whether you be righteous or no. And in y e same place it foloweth thus In déede you haue amongst you righteousnesses y t you brag of great matters as y e deuiding of Christ the cutting off of the Sacraments of Christ y t for saking of the peace of Christ war against y e meÌ„bers of Christ accusations against the spouse of Christe the denying of the promises of Christ These are your righteousnesses for which forsooth you shall stand in great constancie Thus farre Augustine Nowe if I may be so bolde with you let me sée whether these latter words of S. Austen may not be rightly applied vnto you Minime Fryers and such other Religious personnes Doo you not deuide Christ when you ascribe your saluation partâ—y to faith in him and partly to your owne workes and to the merits of Saints and when in the Office of mediation you ioyne with him his blessed mother and such other as liued holily in this transitory life Do you not cutt off the Sacraments of Christ and after a sort you abrogate them when you minister Baptisme to belles Churches and Churchyardes and shyppes which you call the hallowing of these thinges and when in your conâ—urations you christen Cattes and such other creatures to deceiue the deuill withall when you haue promised to giue him a christened creature And when you teache that in the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ there remaineth no substance of bread and wyne and so you make it no Sacrament For as you once learned and did openly confesse in my Church euery Sacrament must consist of two parts that is both of earthly and of heauenly matter and not of the one matter onely And when you giue it that newe name calling it the Sacrament of the Altare and when you doo reserue it hanging it ouer your Altar carrying it abroade to shew it to the people teaching them
to fail downe and worship it and so make an Idoll of it Yea when in your masse you make a sacrifice of it for y e sins both of the liuing of the dead yea and in stormes tempestious wether you make it a bugge to feare the deuill withall And wheÌ„ you teache that the peace of mens consciences must not bee stayed vppon the fayth in Christ onely but vppon the worthines of the workes that are wrought by men doo ye not forsake the peace of Christe Yea when you holde some of Frauncis as you the Gray Fryers doo some of Austine as the Augustine Fryers doo some of Dominicke as the Dominicane Fryers doo some of Marye as the Carmelite or whyte Fryers doo and some of Jesus as the newe founde Jesuites doo And to bee briefe all the rable of your Religious doo ye not all forsake that peace that GOD hath giuen in his peace maker Christ and séeke it in them whose Religions you professe whose rules you followe and whose names you beare Dyd not S. Paule blame the Corinthians for that they forsaking this peace of Christ would hold one of Cephas another of Apollo another of Paule another of Christ Were you baptised in the name of Paule sayth he Was Paule Cruâ—ified for you I feare me you be rebaptised For what meaneth the chaunging of your name In your first baptisme you were called Samuell and by your Fathers progeny Debnam and by your profession a Christian But now you must be called Iohn Frauncis And what meaneth this but that the name of Frauncis hath blotted out both the name of Debnam and the name Christian also If serche shalbe made in the Register that is kept in the Parrish Church of Waltam it wyll be sound there that one Samuell Debnam was baptised there and not Iohn Frauncis So that Samuell Debnam is the Christian and Iohn Frauncis is the Fryer Iudge you whether of these is likely to be founde in Gods Register which is called the booke of life If Christ bee that life then they are written in the booke of life that be Christians If Frauncis be not that life then are not they written in the booke of life which be Franciscans and so of all other your Popish Religious Be not deceiued therefore Samuell The Corinthians whom Paule rebuked did vndoubtedly thinke as you doo That is that holding of Cephas Apollo and Paule they did not forsake y e peace of Christ For so I am assured you thinke that hauing professed the Religion of Frauncis you haue not forsaken the Religion of Christ And yet Paule doth charge them as men that in their dooinges gaue occasion to him to conceiue this opinion of them that they were become Cephasians Apollianistes and Paulists and not Christians Take héede Samuell our aduersary the deuyll is subtyll and doth oftentimes shewe himselfe in the likenes of an Angell of light You haue I thinke read the sixt Chapter of Saint Iohns Reuelations And you either haue or may reade the godlie and learned interpretations that godly learned men haue made concerning the foure horses therein mentioned The firste being white doth prefigure the time that was begunne when this Reuelation was shewed to Iohn and did continue all his dayes and hath continued euer since and shall continue euen to the ende although not so generallie and so apparantlie as at the first Thys white horse is gone forth and is not returned again but goeth forth still whether soeuer his rider will direct him And his ryder dooth with his arrowes strike the harts of such as he wyll conquere and make subiecte vnto him And thus hee goeth foorth still conquering that he might ouercome and conquere The seconde horse beeing redde doth signifie the time of bloodie persecution which was also begunne when this Reuelation was shewed to the seruaunt of Iesus Christ blessed S. Iohn And his ryder had power giuen him to take peaâ—e from the earth and he had a great sword giuen him also Whereby were signified the tenne bloodie persecutions that folowed immediatly after the white horse was gone foorth and had conquered many And those bloody perfecutions were executed by that great sword the Romane Monarchie The third horse was black whereby was signified the time of ignorance that beganne againe after the persecution was staied but not ended for it continueth to this day and so shall it continue euen to the ende The rider that rydde on this horse had a Ballance in his hand wherwith he wayed Gods Lawes and mens inuentions and déemed them to bee of like waight and héereof sprong all those horrible heresies that euer since haue and doo still trouble the Church and especially that Pelagian heresie that your sort doo still maintaine and the making of mens inuentions equall with Gods lawe yea rather proferring them before Gods lawes but wine and Oyle that rider might not hurt That is he had no power to corrupt the text either of the old or newe Testament The fourth horse was pale and signified the time that followed immediatly after this time of déepe ignoraunce and doth continue to this day wherein great swaâ—mes of pale Hypocrites eueÌ„ such as you haue professed to bee to continue to your liues ende haue béene and are still bredde The ryder of this horse is death and hell followeth after him Take héede therefore your way is not the way of life but of death They that will follow such blinde guydes shall fall into the pyt with them You are they that shall say in the last day We haue â—râ—ed from the trueth and the light of righteousnes hath not shined vpon vs neither hath y e sunne of vnderstanding risen vp vnto vs. We haue weried our selues in the way of iniquity and destruction and wee haue walked in harde wayes but the way of the Lord we haue not knowne For you bee they that haue distressed such as God hath by the mediation of hys Sonne discharged of sinne and so iustified them in his sight you haue tolde them that except they shall punish themselues as you doo your selues they can not be saued You haue taken from such their labours when by your perswasions they haue bestowed that which they haue gotten by their labours vppon you to maintaine you in idlenâ—s hoping to be saued by your holines which is nothing but méere hipâ—crisie And thus much concerning your forsaking of the peace of Christ You make warre against the members of Christe you accuse the spouse of Christ and you denie the promises of Christ as Saint Austen hath sayd to the Donatistes You proclaime open warre against all such as dare say y t they haue receiued the spirit of Christe and that they are by that spirit certified that GOD in mercy hath made them his owne children by adoption and so consequently meÌ„bers of his sonne Christ You accuse as Heretickes all such as dare say that Christ Iesus hath washed them so in the fountaine of hys owne hart
or example of good man For where hath God commaunded men to refrayne the necessary and honest vse of his good creatures And where hath he commanded men to be their owne formentors What one man or woman can you name amongst the Patriarks the Prophets or Apostles that formented themselues as you doo torment your selues if your owne report be true In the Lawe we reade that if a man had deserued to be chastised with strypes and were condemned by the Judge to be chastised yet the number of stripes might not in anie case excéede the number of fortie Deut. 25. Chap. But you say that euery Frydaie from our Ladie day in Lent to May day you doo whyp your selfe for your Parents sake doo gyue your selfe 400. stripes at euerie time as I thinke for you say it is an easye thing with you nowe so to doo Well whyp on still till you shal heare me say whoe And if you shall not haue whipping chéere enough at Nigeon in Fraunce steppe ouer the water into Englande and at your request I wyll helpe you to some of our whypping chéere in Bridewel where one lashe that our whypping Bedles doo giue is worth a whole hundred of yours in Nigeon But to returne to our purpose You say that we came from you not lyking your kinde of life It is very true and so long as you leade such a kinde of life as you doo which is hypocriticall wee minde neuer to returne to you againe But where you doo charge vs with pryde deuillish suggestions and heades full of fantasies I must vse an English prouerbiall spéeche and say Take your selfe by the nose and saie foole I haue caught thée The harts of those men that you speake of and are departed this life were well knowne vnto God so are ours that doo yet remaine in this vale of misery We shall be all iudged one day by him that will iudge iustlie And what art thou that iudgest another mans seruaunt But héere by the way I must tell you of your ingratitude towards M. Fyelde whose purse penne and hand haue béene helping to you so that if you had regarded either christian duety or charitie yea or ciuile honestie you would not haue so harkened to a false report that you would haue noted him before all others for coyning of so manie newe Religions where he neuer coyned any Staie your stile therefore I aduise you yet once againe and pester not that page that you threaten to publish with lyes eyther learned by report or cast in your owne moulde For if you doo But hauing ended your long Parenthesis you goe on with your matter and saie thus My intent is onelie c. A pestilent intention To withdrawe turne the harts of your father mother from the beléefe of the Gospell of Christ the word of saluation that is graffed into vs and is sufficient to saue our soules which you most blasphemouslie call damnable heresie And for habilitie to bring this intended mischeefe to passe thou moste vile wretch darest open thy most blasphemous mouth to craue helpe at hys hande that in iustice may yea must and I doubt not shortlye wyll confounde thée and all such as thou art But nowe you goe lustily about your busines and you gyue so fierce an assault euen at the first that you séeme to be perswaded that you are in possession of the Forte before you come in place where you may plant your batterie yea and before you haue or doo know how to come by anie such péeces of Ordinaunce as may be able to batter the walles and make them saltable You say thus to your Parents I trow for your Letters are directed to them The Fryar You say that we are fooles to pray for the deade you denie good workes to be meritorious of our saluation affyrming that by faith onely we are iustified And which is most horrible detestable and abhominable You vnshamefastly and most irreuerently deny the reall presence of the moste precious bodye and blood of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ to be in the blessed Sacrament of the Altare You say that there be but two Sacraments An heresye condemned long a goe Many other opinions not onelie foolish but also execrable and damnable you holde which leade you the right way to eternall damnation in hell fire Crowley Héere is a meruailous péece of Ordinaunce Who could hope that a poore Showmaker and his wife altogether vnlettered and vnlearned and therefore naked and vnarmed and vnprepared to withstand so puissaunt an assaltant as Frier John Frauncis is should not at the first summons come foorth euen with Halters about their necks and offer the keyes of their Forte to this valiant Captaine and submit themselues to his mercy Yea where shall we finde one amongst the learned on the Protestants parte that dare encounter with this monstrous Golias that hath so boldly defied the whole Armie of Israell But least Frier John should thinke that I write Ironice I wil staie my stile for a space that I may sée how this couragious Captaine wyll enforce hys so sharpe an assault The Fryar For the first sayth he that is to say prayers for the dead because you admit not the words which the holy Docters of the Catholike Church haue spoken I wyll turne you to the Byble it selfe Which if you dare either plainly deny or interprete falsely you are nowe no longer heretickes but playne Infidels Looke therefore I beseeche you in the 12. Chapter of the seconde booke of Machabees towards the ende of the Chapter you shall there finde howe a Captayne of the Iewish Armie named Iudas made a collection of money to be offered at Ierusalem for the sinnes of those Souldiours which for a good and iust quarrell were slayne in battaile Furdermore if you wyll take the paynes to reade the latter words of the same Chapter you shall finde the conclusion of the same Chapter to be this Sancta ergo et salubris est cogitatio pro defunctis exorare vt a peccatis soluantur It is sayth he therefore a holy and a wholsome thought to pray for the dead that they may be released from their sinnes Tell me not nowe I pray you a tale of a tubbe with a quote in the margnet saying That the foresayd place of holy Scripture was not written by the holy Ghost For if so be that you be come to that point as to belye the holy Scripture well may it be sayde of you which is written by holye Esay in his booke of prophecies Chap. 6. Aure audietis et non intelligetis You shal heare with your eares but you shall not vnderstande Seeing you shall see shall not perceiue for your harts are hardened Wyth your eares you haue heard vnwillingly and you haue bent downewardes your eye sight least you shoulde peraduenture see with your eyes heare wyth your eares and vnderstand with your harts and so being conuerted God should heale you Crovvley In vewing
this meaning S. Paul writeth thus to Timothe 1. Tim. 4. Attende tibi doctrinae insta in illis Hoc enim faciens et teipsum salum facies et eos qui te audiunt Take héede to thy selfe and vnto doctrine be instant or earnest therein for in dooing this thing thou shalt saue thy selfe and them that heare thée Héere we sée that Timothe being careful in looking to hys owne lyfe and to the soundnes of his doctrine and being earnestly bent to teache both by good example of life and by sownde doctrine is by S. Paule sayd to be the sauiour of himselfe and of them that heare him And yet it is manifest that he was neither the sauiour of himselfe nor of any other but an instrument that God vsed in working saluation both in himselfe and in other Because that by his carefull diligence in looking to his owne lyfe and sowndnes of doctrine and by his earnestnes in preaching the same fayth was begunne and increased in his hearers and continued and confirmed in himselfe Which fayth both in him in his hearers layd holde vpon and heldfast y e mercifull promise of God made in the mediation of the onely Mediator betwixt GOD and man euen the man Christ Iesus our Lorde 1. Tim. 1. And so bothe Timothe hys hearers and all the rest that haue béene are or shalbée by Gods good meanes made faithful are by Gods frée mercy saued according to the saying of the Apostle to the Ephesians Cha. 2. Gratia enim estis saluati per fidem et hoc non ex vobis Dei enim donum est non ex operibus vt nequis glorietur Ipsius enim sumus factura creati in Christo Iesu ad opera bona quae preparauit Deus vt in illis ambulemus By Grace are you saued through fayth and that not of your selues for it is Gods gyft not of workes least any man shoulde boaste For we are hys workmanshyppe created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath prepared that we shoulde walke in them And to the Rom. 9. Chapter The Apostle sayth thus Non volentis neque currentis sed miserentis est dei It standeth neyther in mans willing nor in mans running but in the mercy of God It séemeth to me a strange thing that any man professing the Religion of Christ dare conclude as you doo so directly contrary to the expresse wordes of the Apostle Paule You say in your conclusion we are iustified or saued by fayth good works together S. Paule sayth Wée suppose that man is iustified by fayth without the déedes of the Lawe Nowe if you can teil vs of any déedes y t are of more force to make vs righteous before God then the déedes that God hath commaunded in his Law then haue you sayd somewhat although but a little For those déedes must bée déedes commaunded of men whereof the Prophet Esay writeth thus Chap. 29. Theyr feare towards me was taught by the precepts of men therefore beholde I wyll take in hand to worke a strange worke that shall be a miracle and an astonishment to this people For wysemen shall loose their wisedome and vnderstanding shalbe hydde from the prudent I would wysh you to weighe well these wordes of the Prophet Esay and to consider whether they be not already verified in you and in men of your sorte Consider also what our sauiour Christ addeth to these wordes Mat. 15. In vayne doo they worship me teaching the doctrines and commaundements of men Whereby we are admonished that it is but lost labour for a man to goe about to be made righteous before God by such workes as men doo or can deuise and commaund S. Paule to the Ephe. 2. sayth That through fayth wee are saued by frée mercie and that not of our selues For it is the gyft of GOD and commeth not of workes least any man might haue any occasion to boast and how dare any man conclude as you doo that faith and works coupled together may make vs righteous before God I doo therfore conclude according to y e true meaning of the wordes of our sauiour Christ the Prophet Esay and the Apostle Paul that neither the workes that God hath commaunded nor the workes that men haue deuised or can deuise and commaund yea or y e faith that God hath dooth or shall worke in the harts of men either bée or can be the efficient cause of mans righteousnes or saluation But the frée mercy of God onely is the alone efficient cause that hath wrought doth and shall worke saluation in the faithful onelie and in none other In whom he himselfe worketh faith that by that fayth they may laie hold vpon holde fast that saluation that in frée mercy he doth and will fréely bestowe vpon them And surder I conclude that though the workes that GOD hath prepared for the faithfull to walke in neither be nor can be the efficient cause of saluation yet they are Causa sine qua non that is a cause that must be founde in them to whom it shalbe sayde Come yee blessed of my Father c. so that they that shall heare that ioyfull sentence must hunger and thirst after righteousnes of life all the dayes of their life And vse that faith that GOD hath wrought in them in laying holde vpon and holding fast that righteousnes that God hath in frée mercy bestowed fréely vpon them hauing a continuall care to shewe themselues thankfull to him for the same by walking in those good workes that hee hath prepared for them to walke in Nowe for the meaning of those places that you direct vs vnto namely the 2. to the Romans the 16. of S. Mathew and many other wherin we may by search find how God will reward al men according to their works I say thus I could by y e knowledg that God hath giuen me answere you sufficiently Yet because my wordes be of small credite with you I wyll aunswere you by the wordes of a holy father of the Catholicke Church whose wordes I hope you will admit and giue credite to them although as I coniecture you be not much acquainted with them S. Augustine writeth thus Quod est ergo meritum hominis ante gratiam quo merito accipiat gratiam cum omne meritum nostrū non in nobis faciat nisi gratia Et cum Deus coronat merita nostra nihil aliud coronet quam munera sua What is the merite of man before whereby he may receiue grace séeing that nothing but grace dooth worke in vs all our merite And when God doth crowne our merits he crowneth none other thing but his owne gifts Thus writeth S. Augustine Tom. 2. Epistola 105. And againe in his 7. Tom. in the 7. Chap ter of his booke De gratia libero arbitrio he wryteth thus Si ergo Dei dona sunt bona merita tua non Deus coronat merita tua tanquā merita tua sed tanquam dona sua
I pray you what shall be sayde then to you that are Minime Fryers and all others that are altogether vnable eyther to féede or clothe others or themselues shall not the contrarye sentence trowe you be gyuen agaynst such Goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the deuill and his angels For I was hungry and you fedde me not I was thirsty and you gaue mee no drinke I was naked and you clothed mee not c. Beléeue me Fryer John if those wordes that you cite out of the 25. of saynt Mathewe should meane as by your writing you séeme to vnderstand theÌ„ the case of you of al such as doo either by vow or otherwise make theÌ„selues vnable to doo those good workes y t you speake of shalbe very hard Your voluntary vowe wil not then excuse you In the 7. Chap. of S. Mathew our sauiour Christ sayth Discedite a me omnes qui operamini iniquitatem Depart from me all ye y t worke iniquity and doo not you worke iniquity When you hauing receiued from God good gifts by the vse whereof you might be able to féede and clothe your selfe and to helpe to féede and cloth others haue bounde your selfe by a vowe to leade such a kynde of life that of necessity you must either be fedde and clad by others or els perish by the lacke of thinges necessary Doo not you worke iniquity when you doo not onely robbe your naturall Parents your Prince and Countrey of that helpe that both by the Lawe of nature and by the Lawes of God and of your Country all these ought to haue at your hands but also of that reléefe helpe and seruice which all these might and ought to haue out of the labours of others but are by your hypocriticall meanes drawne from them that you may be thereby maintained in idlenes I knowe that such as haue not such gifts or be by any meanes naturall or casuall as we may terme it made vnable both to helpe other themselues must be sustayned by the labour of others and shall not be reiected as they that doo not féede and clothe Christ in his members but yet so that they haue mercifull hartes and doo pitty the case of the néedy when they shall sée them in misery But this is not your case Take héede to your selfe in time Fryer John for I feare there is no place in heauen for purgatory Fryers And thus much for that great double Cannon that you haue brought out of the 25. of saynt Mathewes Gospell with the reste that you haue tolde vs of and we haue viewed and séene The recoyle of them hath hurte you much more then the shott hath anoyeo vs. Nowe let vs sée what great Ordinaunce you haue bent agaynst that Bulworke of ours wherein we stande and denie the reall presence of Christ in the blessed Sacrament of the Altare Thus you say The Fryar Nowe as touching that which you deâ—y concerning the reall presence in the blessed Sacrament of the Altare Looke I pray you in the xxvi of S. Mathewe where these wordes are written Caenantibus autem eis accepit Iesus panem et benedixit ac fregit deditque discipulis suis aiâ— Accipite commedite Hoc est corpus meum c. That is to say why lest the rest were at Supper Iesus tooke breade blessed it and brake it and gaue it to his Disciples and saide Take and eate this is my body The same altogether we reade in the 14. Chapter of the Gospell of S. Marke sauing onely that he sayth Sumite hoc est corpus meum where as the foresayd Euangelist sayth Accipite commedite Agayne in the 22. Chapter of S. Luke we reade the same in wordes as it sâ—emeth more plaine then the before written words are For hee sayth Accepto pane gratias egit et fregit â—t dedit illis diceus Hoc est corpus meum quod pro vobis datur Similiter calicem postquam caenauit dicens Hic est calix nouum Testamentum in sanguine meo qui pro uobis fundetur The English of these Latine wordes is thys Iesus Christ hauing taken bread gaue thankes and brake it gaue it to his disciples saying This is my body In like manner also the chalice after that he had sâ—pped saying This chalice is the newe Testament in my blood which shalbe shedde for you Or as Saint Marke in his Gospell sayth Accepto calice c. That is to say Hauing taken the chalice he gaue it to his disciples saying Thys is my bloud of the Newe testament which shalbe shed for many Thus you see howe that all the three Euangelists agree in thys poynt howe that our blessed Sauiour gaue to his disciples in hys last supper his most precious body and bloude I haue not shewed this vnto you by the savings of holie doctors but by the wordes of our Sauiour himselfe vnto the intent that you may beleue me We reade in the 6. Chapter of the Gospell after S. Iohn how that our Sauiour endeuouring to bring the hard harted Iewes vnto the knowledge of his diuinitie spake these wordes I am the bread of life which came downe from heauen If any body eate of this breade he shall liue for euer and the bread which I wil giue is my flesh for the life of this worlde Againe in the same Chapter If you eate not the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke hys bloude ye shall not haue life in you Verely verely I say vnto you he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud shall haue lyfe euerlasting and I wyll rayse him vp from death in the latter day You say the contrary nowe you make God a lyer you say that he gaue them not his body but onely breade which is fully contrary to the foresayd texts of Scripture Crovvley These foure double Cannons that this valiant Captayne Frier John hath planted against y e Forte of our faith are of excéeding great force but he hath so ouercharged them that when he shall put fire to them they must of necessitie recoyle with such force that the Captaine with all his company are like to bée in verie great daunger For off they will not goe against our Forte and breake they can not Yea we are in good hope that we shall haue such ayde at the hands of S. Austen and his companie that this great Ordinaunce shalbe turned against the whole Armie of the Romish Catholickes and shotte of so freshlye that they shall hardlie escape the losse of the Romane honour for euer And first let vs sée what may be doone with the first of these Cannons called CaenaÌ„tibus autem eis c. Whylst that the rest were at supper c. S. Austen in that booke that he wrote agaynst Adimantus and in the 12. Chapter of that booke wryteth thus Non enim dominus dubitauit dicere â—â—â— est corpus meum cum signum daret corporis sâ—i The Lord sayth S. Austen did
not doubt to say this is my bodie when he gaue the signe of his body If there were no more but this one place of S. Austen it might suffice for the turning about of these foure péeces of Ordinaunce and the making of them ready to be shot off against Frier John and his fellowes For the force of them all consisteth in this one assertion When our Sauiour Christ tooke breade and gaue thankes or blessed and brake it and gaue it to his Disciples saying Take eate this is my bodie He did deliuer vnto those Disciples his owne body And when he did after supper take the Cuppe or Chalice saying thys Chalice is the Newe testament in my bloud c. He did deliuer hys owne bloâ—d Which thing S Austen denieth when he saith The Lorde doubted not to saie this is my bodie when he deliuered the signe of his body For the signe and the thing signified are Disparata thinges seperated the one from the other The thing therefore that is the signe of another thing can not by anie meanes be that thing whereof it is a signe As the Juâ—e or other matter that is hanged out to be a signe of Wyne to be solde can in no case be saide to be that Wine that is to be solde but a signe thereof onely Yea though wine indéede were setforth to be a signe of wyne to be solde or breade indéede were set forth to be a signe of bread to bee solde yet that wine and that breade could not rightly be sayd to be the same wyne or bread that is to be solde whereof that wyne or breade so set forth is but a signe And yet neither S. Austen nor we doo denie but that the name of the thing signified by a Sacrament may be giuen to the Sacrament because Sacraments haue a certaine similitude of those thinges whereof they be sacraments S. Austen writing to Bonifacius Epistola 23. saith thus Si enim Sacramenta quandam similitudinem earum rerum quarum sacramenta sunt non haberent omnino sacramenta non essent Ex hac autem similitudine plerumque etiam ipsarum rerum nomina accipiunt Sicut ergo secunduÌ„ quendaÌ„ moduÌ„ sacramentuÌ„ corporis Christi corpus Christi est et sacrameÌ„tuÌ„ sanguinis Christi sanguis Christâ— estâ—ita sacramentuÌ„ fidei fides est c. If sacraments had not a certaine similitude of those thinges whereof they be Sacraments they were indéede no Sacraments And of the same similitude they doo for the most parte take also the names of those thinges whereof they be sacraments Therefore as after a certaine manner the sacrament of the body of Christ is the body of Christ and the Sacrament of the bloude of Christ is the bloud of Christ euen so the sacrament of fayth is fayth c. Thus you may sée and as I thinke you doo sée that these words This is my body doo not proue any other presence of Christ in the Sacrament then that which may be called sacramentall mysticall heauenly and spirituall And to make this matter more plaine vnto you I wyll let you sée certaine places of Scripture where the like spéeche is vsed and in the like meaning Ezechiell the Prophet is commaunded to shaue of the hayre of his heade and beard to deuide it into thrée equall partes c. As it is written in the fiâ—t Chapter of his booke of Prophecies and then to say Thus sayth the Lord God This is JerusaleÌ„ c. By the circumstaunce of this text it is manifest that the meaning of that sentence This is Jerusalem was not that the dooing of those thinges that there were doone was the Ciâ—ty Jerusalem really but that the miserable estate of that Cittie was signified thereby In the 12. Chapter of Exodus concerning the eating of y e Pasouer it is written thus After this manner ye shall eate it Ye shall gyrde vp your loynes and yâ— shall haue yoâ—r shooes vppon your â—éete holding staâ—es in your handes and you shall make hast in eating of it for it is Phase â—d est transiâ—us domini That is the Lordes Pasâ—â—er or passing by of the Lord. These wordes are not the words of Moses but of God himselfe spoken by Moses at the commaundement of God Neuer did any man as I thinke conceiue any such opinion of these wordes as you and your sort doo shewe your selues to haue conceiued of those wordes that our Sauiour Christ spake at his last supper which you woulde haue to be of such force that whensoeuer they shalbe breathed out by anie of your Priestes ouer breade and wyne Cum intentione conficiendi as you haue it in the cautiles of your masse that is with purpose or intent to make the bodye of Christ then of necessity the substance both of the breade and of the wyne must be turned into the substaunce of the body and bloud of Christ And whosoeuer shall deny this must néedes be accounted as one that maketh God a Lyer Agayne in the 15. Chapter of S. Iohns Gospell Ego sum vitis vera Pater meâ—s agricoia est I am the true or right vyne and my father is the husband man or vine tyllar And in the same Chapter Ego sum vitis voâ— palmitâ—s I am the vine and you are the braâ—nches And in the tenth Chapter of the same Gospell Ego sum ostium I am the doore Ego sum Pastor bonus I am the good shéephearde And in the 14. Chapter Ego sum via I am the way In all these spéeches you are contented to admit a figure and to confesse that the spéeches are figuratiue But in Hoc est corpus meum Thys is my bodie you may not abide to heare of any figure at all And why Because the admitting of a figure there wold marre all your market All your Cloysters of Monks Chanons Fryars Nunnes Colliges of Cannons and massing Priestes Chauntries Obbets Anniuersaries Trentalles Monthes mindes and masses of Requiem are builded vpon thys foundation Hoc est corpus meum This is my bodie in plaâ—ne speech without any manner of figure But if you once admit a figure in that spéeche downe goe all these goodly buildings and Frier John Fraunces and his fellowes must learne to eate their bread in the sweate of theyr owne faces as other poore men doo You must stick to it therefore and tell these â—ereticke Protestants that in denying the Reall presence in the blessed sacrament of the Altare they make God a lyer We denie not but doo confesse that the breade and the wyne in the Sacrament of the body and bloude of Christe are the body and bloud of Christ euen as the Pascall Lambe was the passing by of the Lorde as the Rocke in the Wyldernes was Christ Petraerat Christus The Rocke was Christ saith Saint Paule 1. Cor. 10 and as the seauen starres spoken of in the firste of the Reuelations of S. Iohn are the seauen Angels of the seauen Congregations And as y e
we differ not in the thing signified although we differ in the signes Theyr signes were Manna and the Rocke or water that ishewed out of the Rocke and our signes are the Breade and the Cuppe or the wyne vsed in the Lords supper But the spirituall meate and drinke that both they and wee doo eate and drinke is the very body and bloud of Christ that innocent Lambe that hath béene slaine for the sinnes of the world euen from the beginning of the world And to giue vs occasion to consider that not euery one that receiueth the Sacrament dooth also receiue the body and bloud of Christ S. Austen sayth thus Oâ—r Fathers not their Fathers They to whom we are like not they to whom they were like That is to say the faythfull not the vnfaithfull did then and doo nowe eate the body and drinke y e bloode of Christ our Sauiour But wyll you see more out of S. Austen in the same 26. treatice vpon Iohn Qui maâ—â—ucat carnem meam bibit meum sanguinem in me manet et egâ— in illo Hoc est ergo manâ—ncare illam escam illum bibere potum in Christo maâ—â—re illum manentem in se habere Ac â—er hoc quâ— non manet in Christo in quo noÌ„ manet Christus proculdubio nec manducat spiritualiter carnem eius nec bibit etus sanguinem licet carnaliter visibâ—liter premat dentâ—bus sacramentum corporis sanguinis Christi sed magis tantae rei sacramentuÌ„ ad iuditium sibi manducat bibit He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloode dwelleth in me and I in him To eate that meate therefore and to drinke that drinke is this For a man to dwell in Christ and to haue Christ dwelling in him And héereby it appeareth that who so dwelleth not in Christ neither hath Christe dwelling in him the same no doubt doth neither â—ate his fleshe spiritually nor drinke his bloude although he doo fleshly and visibly presse with his téeth the Sacrament of the body and bloude of Christ but rather he dooth eate and drinke the Sacrament of so excellent a thing to be a condemnation vnto him self Thus you may sée Master Fryer John how rashly you haue written in that you haue sayd thus If any bodye eate of this breade meaning I am sure of that Sacrament that is kept ouer your high altar he shall liue for euer And the bread that I wyll giue is my fleshe for the life of this worlde You say If any body eate of this breade c. S. Austen sayth No body but such as dwell in Christ and haue Christ dwelling in them eyther doo or can eate the flesh of Christ but doo by the receiuing of the Sacrament of so excellent a thing eate and drinke to their owne condemnation Nowe I leaue you to try this matter with S. Austen If you can entreate him to recant so it is If not your best way is to recant your selfe And yet one other sentence of S. Austen in the same treatice vpon Iohn Nonne buccella dominica venenum fuit Iudae tamen accepit cum accepit inimicus in eum intrauit non quia malum accepit sed quia bonum male malus accepit Was not the Lords soppe a poysonne to Iudas and yet he receiued it and when hee receiued it the enimie entred into him not because he receiued an euill thing but because he being euill did receiue a good thing after an euill sorte Much more might be saide to this effect but I leaue you as I sayd before As touching the other sentence that you cite out of this sixt of S. Iohn which is thus If you doo not eate the flâ—sh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloode you shall not haue life in you I would wyshe you to looke on that which S. Augustine wryteth in the 16. Chapter of his thyrd booke De doctrina christiana Nisi manducaâ—eritis inquit carnem fiâ—ij hominis sanguinem biberitis non habebitis vitam in vobis Facâ—nus vel â—â—agitium videtur iubere Fâ—gura est ergo praecipiens passioni dominicae esse communicandum suauâ—ter aâ—que vtiliter recondendum in memoria quod pro nobis caro eius crucifixa vulneraâ—a sit Except saith he you shall eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud you shall not haue life in you He séemeth to commaund an heynous or horrible facte It is therefore a figure commaunding that we should be partakers of the Lordes passion or suffering and that we should swéetely and profitably laie vp in memory that his flesh was crucified wounded for vs. Immediatly before these wordes S. Augustine hath written thus Si praeceptiua locutio est aut flagitium aut facinus vetans â—ut vtilitatem aut benefiâ—entiam iubens non est figurata Si autem flag tium aut facinus videtur iuberâ— aut vtilitatem aut beneficentiam vetare figurata est If the spéeche be a commaundement that forbiddeth an heynous or horrible fact or that commaundeth profitablenes or beneficence then the spéeche is not figuratiue But if it be a spéeche that séemeth to commaunde an heynous or horrible fact or to forbidde profitablenes or beneficence then it is a figuratiue spéeche By this Rule all these places that you haue alledged out of the 26. of s Mathew The 14. of s Mark The 22. of s Luke the 6. of S. Iohn are siguratiue spéeches For vnderstanding them after the Letter as you doo they séeme to commaund an heynous and horrible fact that is To eate the fleshe and to drinke the bloude of a man But taking them for figuratiue spéeches as we doo and as they are indéede they doo commaunde a very profitable thing that is as S. Austen hath saide to be partakers of the passâ—on or suâ—fering of the Lord and swéetly and profitably to lay vp in memory that his fleshe was crucified and wounded for vs. If you haue not vowed neuer to reade ought that either is or can be written by anie of vs that are Protestants or if you will with a duetifull reuerence reade the workes of thys auncient and learned Catholick Father saint Austen I doubt not but that you wil eare long time be past doo as the Prophet Ieremie writeth of Ephraâ—m in the â—1 Chapter of his prophesiâ—s which place you haue cited for another purpose that is strike your selfe vpon your thigh and say I am confounded I am ashamed that euer I went out of England following the counsell of a blinde ghostlie father When that blind buâ—â—arde had abused my tender yéeres and had put into my heade that I had béene brought vppe in heresie I might haue imparted this with my gray headed instructors which had béene able to instruct me as nowe one of them hath doone If our merciful father shall sâ—e that in you that he did then sée in Ephraim vndoubtedlie this wyll come to passe to
them they are false Prophets destruction hangeth ouer their heads and hell gapeth for them They robbe Christe of his glory They rob Christians of their greatest comfort They suppresse and holde vnder true Religion They sette vp and maintaine Idolatry and superstition And to speake all in one worde they vpholde Antichrist and his whole kingdome But to returne to our purpose You say that we say that there be but two Sacraments an heresie condemned long agoe But you tell vs not when where nor by whom Therefore as we haue sayd so we doo say and so we wyll say by Gods helpe til you can prooue the contrary that Christ hath ordeined but two sacramēts to be vsed by Christians Your saying that it is an heresie condemned long agoe is but a flashe of false fire giuen to a péece of Ordinaunce vncharged and therefore can not hurt the Bulwork wherin we stande and doo denie that Christ hath ordeined any moe sacraments then two namely Baptisme and the supper of y e Lord. In his thyrd booke of Christian doctrine and in the 9. Chap. there of S. Austen wryteth thus concerning this matter Hoc verò tempore posteaquam resurrectione domini nostri Iesu Christi manifestissimum iudicium nostrae libertatis illuxit nec eorum quidem signorum quae iam intelligimus operatione graui onerati sumus sed quaedam pauca pro multis cademque factu facillima et intellectu angustissima obsernatione castissima ipse dominus apostolica tradidit disciplina sicuti est Baptismi sacramentum celebratio corporis sanguinis domini Quae vnusquisque cum percipit quo referantur imbutus agnoscit vt ea non carnali seruitate sed spirituali potius libertate veneretur Vt enim litteram sequi et signa pro rebus quae ijs significantur accipere seruilis infirmitatis est ita inutiliter signa interpretari male vagantie erroris est But in these dayes sith by the resurrection of our Lorde Iesus Christ a most manifest signe or shewe of our liberty hath appeared wee are not loaden with the heauye working of those signes that we doo already vnderstande But in stéede of many the Lorde and the Apostolicke discipline hath giuen vnto vs a certain small number and the same very easie to be doone and most excellent in signification and most pure in obseruation as is the Sacrament of Baptisme and the celebration of the body and bloud of the Lorde which euery man that is instructed doth when hee receiueth them knowe to what ende they are referred that he may reuerence them not in a carnall seruitude but rather in a spirituall liberty For euen as to followe the Letter and to take the signes for those thinges that be signified by them is a poynt of seruile infirmity euen so to enterpret y e signes vnprofitably is a point of error that wandreth euill fauouredly or wickedly In these wordes of S. Austen we haue occasion to note two thinges especially One is that hee did not knowe of moe Sacraments then two instituted by our Sauiour Christ and commaunded by him and his Apostles to be vsed in his Church The other is that it is a poynt of fleshly seruitude and not of Christian liberty for a man to follow the letter or litterall sence in those spéeches in the Scriptures that doo concerne those two Sacraments in such sorte that he wyll take the signes that are spoken of for the thinges signified by them A man may meruell that any of your sorte that knoweth these words of S. Austen can allowe him for a Catholicke and yet condemne vs as Heretickes in thys poynt wherein we doo both affyrme and denie euen as he hath doone manye hundrethes of yéeres before vs. But let vs sée yet one other place of S. Austen In an Epistle that he wrote to one Ianuarius which is in number 118. S. Austen wryteth thus Primò itaque tenere te volo quod est huius disputationis caput Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum sicut ipse in Euangelio loquitur lent iugo suo nos subdidisse sarcinae leui Vnde sacramentis numero paucissimis obseruatione facillimis significatione praestantissimis societatem noui populi colligauit sicuti est baptismus trinitatis nomine consecratus communio corporis sanguinis ipsius si quid aliud in canonicis scripturis commendatur exceptis ijs quae seruitutem populi veteris pro congruentia cordis illorum prophetici temporis onerabāt quae et in quinque libris Mosis leguntur Fyrst of all therefore my wyll is that you shoulde vnderstande what the chéefe poynt of thys disputation is That is that our Lorde Iesus Christ hath as himselfe speaketh in the Gospell made vs subiecte to his owne easie yoke and light burden Whereby he hath syed together the society of the newe people with Sacraments that are fewest in number easiest in obseruing and most excellent in signification as is Baptisme consecrated in the name of the Trinity and y e communion of his body and bloud and if there by any other sacrament that is in the Canonicall Scriptures commended except those sacraments which did encrease the weight of bondage of the olde people as was méete for theyr hartes and for the propheticall time and which are reade in the fiue Bookes of Moses In these wordes of S. Austen we haue occasion to note that his meaning was to certifie Ianuarius to whom he wrote this Epistle of that thing which our Lord Iesus Christ taught in that which standeth written in the eleuenth of saynt Mathewes Gospell concerning the easines of the yoke and the lightnes of the burden that Christ Iesus hath layde vpon Christians And for the explaning of hys meaning he sayth that our Sacraments are very fewe in number very easie to be obserued and most excellent in signification And hee nameth onely Baptisme and the supper of the Lorde which he calleth as we commonly doo the communion of the body and bloode of our Sauiour Christ And furder hee referreth him to the Canonicall scriptures as aduising him to receiue no moe Sacraments then he shall finde to be commended in them And least he might take occasion by those words to thinke that Christians ought to be circumcised and to obserue the sacrifices and ceremonies of Moses Lawe he excepteth all such Sacraments as were layde vpon the people of the olde Lawe by any thing that is wrytten in any of the fiue bookes of Moses So that by these wordes of thys learned Father saynt Austen it appeareth as by the other afore rehearsed that he was not perswaded that Christ Iesus our Lord hath layde vpon vs Christians that heauye burden of seauen Sacraments which your holy father the Pope layeth vpon you and vpon all hys Antichristian flocke Confirmation Order Repentance or as you call it Penaunce Matrimonie and the Visitation of the sicke which you call Extreme vnction we vse as good profitable and necessary vsages in
the Church of Christ but not as Sacraments because it appeareth not in any Canonicall scripture that Christ our sauiour hath instituted them and commaunded them to be vsed as sacraments Neyther doo they agree with that definition or description of a sacrament which is commonly allowed of amongst the learned and is thus A Sacrament is an outwarde and visible signe representing an inwarde inuisible spirituall grace ordeyned by Chryste himselfe to testify Gods good wyll and bountifulnes towards vs through the same Christ our sauiour by which Gods promises touching forgiuenes of sinnes eternall saluation giuen through Christ are as it were sealed and the trueth of them is more certainly confirmed in our hartes To thys definition or description onely Baptisme and the Lords supper doo agrée therefore they onely are properly to be called sacraments Otherwyse a signe of a holy thing may be called a sacrament But in that large signification of the worde sacrament there be not onely seauen sacraments but seauenty times seauen sacraments And in that meaning we deny not but that there may be in euery one of these other fiue which you call sacraments moe sacraments then one or two But I can not meruell enough at this one thinge that men of your sorte can estéeme so highly of Matrimonie as to make it a sacrament of such excellencie and yet bynde all your holiest Catholickes by a solemne vowe neuer to vse it or to take any benefite by it Yea I meruell that you can account matrimony so holy a thing as a sacrament and yet maryed persons so vnholy that if any of them shall come into any of your most holy Cloysters the walles and floores thereof must be washed as thinges polluted by the presence of those marryed persons Howesoeuer therefore by whom soeuer or wheresoeuer that which wee holde concerning two sacraments onely hath béene condemned for heresie we doo styll holde it and minde styll to holde it for right Religion tyll Fryer Iohn and hys fraternitie can and shall by the Cannonicall scriptures prooue it heresye and saynt Augustine an Hereticke Nowe you enter into your exhortatorie Oration which you make to your Father and Mother especially But it may bee thought that your meaning is that thys exhortation shoulde bee made generall For your Father and Mother must haue help in the reading and waying of those matters that are cōterned in thys exhortation I wyll therefore doo you thys pleasure if I can for olde acquaintance You shall haue this excellent Oration of yours published in print with all the rest that you haue in these your Letters written to your father and mother that all your fréendes on thys side the Seas if any such be all your vndoubted fréends of the English Nation as well in Fraunce as in Italie or els where in any part of the knowne worlde may know the depth of that diuinitie that dropped out of your penne when you wrote those Letters in Nigeon But I will be so bolde with you mine olde Scholler as to publish thys mine aunswere together with these your Letters with this admonition Reade all or reade nothing Hoping that you and your complices wyll doo as much vpon my admonition as I haue doone vpon yours which is thus Reade it thorowe or begin it not Thys admonition you haue set downe in the margin of your Letters seauentéene times Perswading your selfe by all likelihoode that we dare not reade any thing written by a Papist more then many of your sorte dare reade any thing that is written by a Protestant But you must vnderstande that we are not vnder such vowes as you are Wée are encouraged by the Apostle Paule to trie all thinges and commaunded by him to holde fast that which is good Omnia probate quod bonum est tenete Try all thinges holdfast that which is good 1. Thes 5. Yea we are of that sorte that our Sauiour Christ spake of Marci vltimo In the last Chapter of saint Markes Gospell Si mortiferum quid biberint non eis nocebit If they shall drinke any deadly poyson it shall not hurt them Wee haue receiued before hande a Treacle which is of such vertue that none of your popysh poysons can hurt vs. We doo therefore and by Gods helpe wee wyll reade all your bookes if we may haue them Yea we wyll so reade them and answere them that you shall haue cause to wish that you had neuer written them Wee doo not vse to condemne mens wrytinges before we haue reade them wayed and considered them and founde them such as are méete to be condemned If you had doone so you woulde neuer haue condemned for hereticks so many as in these your Letters you haue condemned by name and yet it may be thought that you neuer reade any one lyne written by some of them I hope you will doo as much for mee as I haue doone for you that is reade these my wrytings way and consider them and confute them if you can and let that which you shall doo be made publique to the worlde But to returne to our purpose your Oration beginneth thus The Fryer Looke to your selues I pray you beleeue our holy mother the Catholicke Church Rowle your selues vp down in her blessed lappe Leaue your Sermons heretical goe no more vnto them Ryse not so earlie in the morning as you were wont to doo to damne your selfe body and soule Goe no more I say to those Sermons of Crowley Barber Fielde and the rest Burne your bookes of Sermons with all other your bokes in which are heresies Be not ashamed of the name of a Papist Goe to cōfession confesse your sinnes to a Priest Leaue this worlde that is so disceitfull and stick vnto God c. Crovvley Héere is an heape of Patheticall spéeches powred out as it were of a Vessell full of feruent zeale towardes your poore parents and all others that be in such miserable case as you séeme to suppose that they are in You wyshe them to looke to them selues as though you sawe them in present perrill and danger of destruction There be seauen thinges that you require them to doo whereby they may escape that great daunger which hangeth ouer their heads The first is to beléeue your holie mother the Catholick Church and to rowle themselues vp and downe in her blessed lapp If that Catholick Church that beléeueth confesseth professeth that fayth and Religion that Christ Iesus taught in his owne person commaunded to be taught Catholicklie throughout the whole world by his Apostles and messengers be that holie mother of yours that you speake of then will your Father and Mother and all other that you wyshe shoulde be moued by your spéeches gladly doo that which you wishe them to doo Yea they doo it alreadie haue doone it euer since God gaue them knowledge of that mother And they doo still begge of God that they may continue rowling vppe and downe in her blessed lap all the