other goddes and therefore that he did counsel the sayde Caesar quietly to retyre himselfe and to make no more adoe the verses are these Me puer Hebraeus diuos deos ipse gubernans Cedere sede iubet tristemque redire suborcum Aris ergo dehinc tacitus abscedito nostris ¶ The .21 Chapter THus you see that Iesus christ was anounced among the gentiles before the cōming of the Apostles who notwithstanding this dyd not let to set forth the doctrine that they wer sent to preache with many notable miracles although they did not reach but that doctrine that was verye ancient And although that their doctrine was newe and vnknowen to the Gentiles yet you cannot alleage that it was so vnto the Iewes for they being studied learned in Moyses lawe they hearde nothing of the Apostles but had bene prophecied by the Prophetes Doeth not S. Paule say at the beginning of his Epistle to the Romanes that he was seperated to preache the Gospel the which God promised by the holye Scriptures S. Peter talking with the Iewes doeth geue them plainelye to vnderstande that his was no newe doctrine because that he did preach Iesus Christe of whom Moyses had prophecied longe before saying thus God shall rayse a Prophete among your brethren you shall obey him as you doo me and he that doth refuse it shal be put to death S. Peter saith afterwarde All the prophetes that haue beene from Samuell vnto this time doo announce vnto you these dayes that is to saye the doctrine that we doo preache That that the Apostles did preach vnto the Iewes that is to wit the remissiō of their sinnes by the death and passion of Christe it was no newe thing for as S. Peter sayde vnto Cornelius All the Prophetes haue witnessed that these that beleue in him shall obteyne remission of their sins for it had bene so prophecied by Esay cap. 55. vnto the people aboue .800 yeres saying that he had layed vpon his sonne all oure iniquities as it doeth appere in his booke in the which he doth shew him selfe more an Euangelist then a Prophete for there he doth write the torments of our Sauiour euen as if he had bene present at his passiō Dauid likewise doth talk of the like where he doeth mention the extreme affliction of our Redeemer and of the gal the Isope and the Vinager Daniel did not onely discrye the death of our Sauiour but therewithall the verye time that he shoulde come And to be briefe all the Prophetes haue announced vnto the Iewes that that the Apostles did preache vnto them Nowe if we desire to knowe why this olde doctrine preached aswell to the gentiles as to the Iewes by the Apostles was confirmed with many miracles which they did in the name of God who sent them the cause is this the deuill had so obscured and hidden the truth ouer all nations that superstitious Idolatrye had taken place in steede of the true seruice of God so that the poore Painims did not put their trust in one God but in a multitude of goddes And in like maner the true religion geuen by god to the Israelites had ben troubled and almoste cleane abolished by the traditions of the Scribes and Pharises in the which they did truste for the iustification and remission of theyr synnes The like doo you reporte of vs and of your great curtesye yee are content to matche vs with the superstitious Iewes and Idolatrous Paynims plating your selues in the degree of the pure Gospellers and the true children of God taking vppon you the Succession of the Apostles and calling youre Congregation the true Catholike and Apostolicall Churche This soundes notablye well but seeing that youre cause is absolutelye to refourme the Churche as they didde preaching the auncient doctrine of God as they did and dealing with superstitious Idolaters that cleaue more to the traditions of menne then vnto the pure worde of god as the Iewes Seing thē that our case is reported vnto the similitude of the Iewes and yours to the Apostles Prophetes howe comes it to passe that you doo not as they did seeing that you are sent from one master Why doo ye not make your commission appere by signes and miracles seeing that God hath euer done the like heretofore when he hath sent the like Commission to yours ¶ The .22 Chapter YOu doo coniure vs by the name of the liuing God to receaue youre Gospell and pure word of God or els you doo threaten vs that you will shake off the dust of your feet in testimonie against vs because that wee will not beleue your wordes But in this matter ye doo alleage a wronge text for we were very simple if we shoulde forsake or remoue the foundation of our Churche vppon suche an occasion as I will shewe by this discourse that doeth folowe I am sure that you are not ignorant howe that Luther after he began to preache his Gospell was not founde barren for immediatlye after his beginning he did ingender another Gospeller that is to wyt Andrew Coralstadius and from thence was produced another called Zuinglius of Zuinglius Oecolampadius Then Thomas Muncerus considering that he had no lesse the gifte of the spirite then the rest he began to forge a newe Gospell of the Anabaptists with the which he thought to gratifye the Towne of Milhouse who had receaued alreadie the Gospell of Luther But the Senate of that Towne being weried alreadye with to many straunge Gospels they aduertised Luther your fyrste Apostle of it And he wrote to them againe that Thomas Muncerus ought not to be receaued if he could not proue his vocation by some miracle And if you demaunde where I haue founde this I saye to you not in the workes of some lying Papist but in the Commentaryes of youre deere Historiographer master Sleydon who hath so good a grace in his writing and is so moued with the trueth of his spirite that he doth omit nothing in his Historie but that that doeth go agaynst himselfe and the professours of his religion I doo wishe those that doo vnderstande the Latine to reade this aunswere of Luther in the Commentaries them selues and for the rest I will set it forth translated not by me but by a minister of youre owne sect called Robert Preuost who dwelleth in a segnorie of Berne According to his translation the wordes are these Luther was of opinion that the Senate of Milhouse should do very well and wisely to demaunde of Muncer who had geuen him commission to teache and who had called him vnto it If he say that it is God let them demaunde of him to shewe some signe or miracle to proue his vocation and yf he could not do it that they should banishe him for it is common to God to declare his will by some miracle at any time when he will haue the common custome and order chaunged These are the wordes of Luther We ought to yeelde that
their time He saith likewise vnto the Traditions which are of the Apostles and that by succession of pastors haue bene vsed in the Churche we do persuade prouoke those that speake against Traditions He writes as much more in the thirde Chapter of the saide booke Forasmuch sayth he as it were to tedious to set forth in one booke the Successours of all the Churches and to tell them one by one we doo ouerthrowe those that for vayne glorie doo seeke to gather disciples together teaching them contrary to that that doth apperteyn vnto the Traditions of the Apostles the which we doo shewe to them by the saide Traditions and by the faith that hath bene taught and is come to vs by succession of the Bishops of the great and auncient Church of Rome the which was founded by the two glorious Martyrs and Apostles S. Peter and S. Paule These are his wordes in his thirde booke aduersus haereses the fyfth Chapter And at the beginning of the saide Chapter he saith thus All those that will vnderstand the truth may presently regard the traditions of the Apostles which are manifest throughout the world and we cannot coumpt the number of those that haue bene instituted and ordeyned Bishops in the Churche their Successoures till our dayes which haue neither knowen nor taughte anye thing like vnto the fables and tales that these doo preache vnto vs c. Not without cause wee may nowe a dayes say the like of the Lutherans Caluinistes other sectes of our time After this he doeth set forth all the Popes of Rome from S. Peter vnto Eleutherius which was Pope in his time And he did affirme that that number did suffise to proue that the doctrine of Marcian and Valentinian was false and very hurtfull because that it was vnknowen or at the least not receaued or approued by the Churche being vnder the gouernaunce of any of those Popes Then with greater reason ought prescriptiō to take place against a new doctrine which hath beene vnknowen this 1500. yeres or at the least if any bodie sought to publishe it he was condemned as a false pernitious heretike ¶ The .6 Chapter S. Augustine in his Epistle 365. about the like matter doeth set forth all the Popes by order which haue bene from S. Peters time vntil Anastasius which was pope in his time and by his continuall succession he doeth proue that the doctrine of the Donatists is heretical because that none of those popes which he did recite nor no part of the Churche did receaue it I pray you maye not we saye the like by the Caluinistes and other heretikes The saide S. Augustine in the Epistle that he doth call Epistola fundamenti Cap. 4. doeth write the reasons that did keepe him vnder the obedience of the Catholike Romane Church And amonge other he doeth alleage the common consent of all nations and the continuall succession of Bishops And in his booke which he made against the aduersarie of the olde and newe lawe he doeth name the succession of the bishops as most certain to answer to that that we sayd before of S. Paul I mean that he would not haue vs to be wauering doubtfull in our doctrin but that we should be firm stable the which stablenes is obteined by the knowledge and intelligence of the Scriptures according to the traditions of the Churche and the succession of the Apostles and Bishops The Churche saieth S. Augustine frō the Apostles time hath continued through the certaine succession of the Bishops vntill our dayes ¶ The .7 Chapter YOu doo studie as muche as you canne to reiect our succession and not without cause knowing that this onely doeth suffise to ouerthrowe all the heresies of those new reformed Gospellers Caluin as the moste apparant doth seeke to proue that our reason is of no force because that the Greekes haue had euer succession of Pastours and yet we doo not holde them as Catholikes But if the Reader doo well note that that we haue alreadie sayde he shall finde the aunswere vnto this obiection I meane because that the Greekes haue not had succession and continuaunce of doctrine called vnitie of fayth by the Apostles the which ought euer to be ioyned to the continuaunce of the Pastors to shew the true recognisaunce of the Catholike religion There is none that doo study reade of those matters but that doo know the vnconstant faith of the Greekes as touching the proceeding of the holye ghoste the which errour they had abiured at the last Councell of Florence and yet notwithstanding they did turne to it againe besides diuers other light thinges to speake moderatelye which are not approued by their auncient fathers S. Iohn Chrisostome S. Cirill S. Basil and Athanasius nor yet by our aduersaries at this present time The which errours I haue no neede to set foorth in this booke for my intent is but to speake of that that prickes vs at hande because of ill neighborhood Some doo alleage vnto vs the negligence of our pastors and their ill liues for the which cause they say that the mētioned succession cannot take place But this argument is of no force For althogh that the carelesse liues of some Bisshops and ecclesiasticall persons haue bene so great and so hurtfull vnto the blud of our Sauior Christ I mean to the soules bought with it yet notwithstanding that the Churche hath not lost the succession continuaunce of one doctrine as touching the administration of the Sacramentes by those that were deputed by the Bisshops If one should see a Prelate doing nothing and his lieftenant doing all which of those two woulde you take to be Bishop they haue both deuided their charges the one receueth the profite the other takes all the payne If they be both content what losse doo you feele he that hath anye interest let him valewe the damage And although that the negligence of the Bishop be not excusable before God with the diligence of the deputie nor his conscience cleere yet this ought to suffise that though his faultes be through negligence or through euil liuing yet that ought not to perturbe the assurance of our doctrin the which wee haue taught vs by the word of God interpreted by the true doctours that haue bene before vs agreing in vnitie of faith as I haue alredie said For neither the naughtines of Achas Num. 1. nor of Ioram nor of diuers other great sinners which are inrolled in the booke of the generation of Iesus Christe were not able to withstande the fulfilling of the promise of God made to Abraham that is to sai that he would be borne of this line Euen so the ill liues and conuersatiō of diuers wicked Popes that haue folowed after Saint Peter haue neuer beene able to moue Christe to breake his promise that is to saye that the fayth of his Churche shoulde neuer fayle Math. 16. and that the gates of hell that is to saye of
doest thou O Apelles remoue my landes And a litle after he sayeth The place is mine I haue bene thus long time in possession and before thee I haue good title and euidence to mainteine my right of those to whom it did appertayne which lefte it me by inheritaunce from the Apostles etc. Our Churche of Fraunce which is one of the principall members of all the Catholike Churche might with good cause say vnto you the like And I praye what would you answere you cannot denye but that aboue a thousand yeres before ye were borne that the fayth in which ye were baptized and the which you haue falselye denied was planted I doo not saye in this onelye kingdome of Fraunce but ouer all Christendome If you pretende anye right to the contrary shewe the reason of your possession by the euidence of the auncient doctours and after come to demaund it as I haue saide before I meane that you should yeld the ecclesiasticall gouernment which you haue vsurped in manye places with to great libertie of conscience licence to doo euill which is the very death of the soule as Saint Augustine doth say epist. 166. And after that ye haue restored Fraunce to his olde estate then there wil be more apparaunce of the matter that ye are sent to preache the true worde of God then there is now But in this estate that ye are although that God had geuen you commission the which he neuer thought he would haue called it backe because of your noble actes Theodosius and Arcades whiche in old time were Emperours of Rome L. si quis in tantam cod vnde vi did establish or make an Edict that if the true owner or lorde of a thing should vse any force or to seeke by the waye of violence without staying for the sentence of the Iudge to get possession of his owne from another man yea although the other had no right to it he shoulde not onely lose the possession but likewise the propertie but if it were founde that he that did enter by force had no right to the Mannur he should not onely be depriued of it but moreouer he shoulde be condemned to geue as much more of his owne vnto him against whom he had vsed the force as the thinge was valued at that he sought to vsurpe If one shoulde call you my masters the newe refourmed Gospellers to such a reckening ye might well packe vp your pipes and transporte your fidelye into another countrey for you shoulde haue no other remedie but to runne awaye with the goodes and preache pouertie ¶ The .16 Chapter FOr your defence you alleage no other reason but youre good zeale and your ardent Apostolical affection the which hath moued you to sowe this seede of sedition You saye that the fielde is great and there are fewe good reapers but if you marke that that doth folowe afterwarde and to take the counsaile of the wise Christe doeth not commaunde therefore that euerye one shoulde take his sickle and goe and cut downe other mennes corne But he sayeth Praye the master of the worke to the ende that he sende more woorkemenne to his vine He doeth teache vs that if we see anye estate out of order we shoulde praye to God to redresse it And in the meane time we ought to correct and amend our own liues for if euery man were for him selfe God would be for vs all Yet notwithstanding this it is not reasonable that vnder the colour of a good zeale a seruant shoulde take in hand an acte of so great importance without expresse commaundement of his master as it is saide But now that we are come to talke of your good zeale if it please you let vs knowe if those ardent flames of charitie haue so inflamed you that you haue ouerthrowen the Chaires of the negligent Pastors and Bishops and in their roomes ye haue collocated your ministers in euery place where ye could beare any swaye as it doeth appere in many townes and Cities in this Realme I doo not doubt but that you will doo the best that ye can to doo the like with the rest I mean aswell Temporall as Spiritual For euē as God of whom ye speake so often doeth make no exception of persons euen so you that call your selues his Lieuetenants wil make no difference betwene the euyl estates the good Euery one doth know that the administration of iustice is very honourable before God and that there be many in this vocation that would not for any thing do any wrong vnto the widowe fatherlesse childe and yet we see and knowe by experience that ther are many others that without any conscience doe take brybes and offer wrong both to the fatherles and to the widowe the whiche crimes are no lesse in that estate then the careles liuing of the Bishops and Pastors So that I thinke by this that he that hath geuen you charge and power to turne the Byshops out of their seates the Curates out of their benefices and the Monkes Abbots out of their Abbeys because of their euil liuings would likewise extende your commission to put downe Lordes Knightes Iudges and Gentlemen because of the corrupt liues of many of them And to make an ende of the reformation your holy Ghoste and those zealous flames of the spirite woulde moue you to goe a litle higher for there is nothing done but the spirite may amend it Against the great trees striue the great windes and against great dignities great abuses It is not vnknowen to all mē that ther are good and godly Catholike princes and kinges whiche are surely to the people the great giftes of God but likewise one cannot denye but that there hath beene and are diuers ill princes that do gouerne their people carelesly and without Iustice And if by chaunce your Gospell shuld fal into some kingdom wher the prince were not so sage nor so wise as you would haue him in your conscience what wold you do to him I think that that very zeal if you could that hath moued you vnder the coulor of a refor Gospell to trouble so muche our state woulde likewise commaunde you to dispossesse those kinges that do abuse their owne kingdoms euen aswel as to depriue those Bishoppes that doo abuse their bishoprickes But O Lorde what a Gospell is this if it be permitted that the people shall call their princes to accompt or that they may correct their superiours vnder the color of a reformed gospel what seditions troubles warres shal we see ouer al Christendome we shal see fulfilled to our great harme the prophecie of Esay who saieth The people shall seeke to rayse one against another and euerye one against his neibour the yong man shal disdain the old and the ignoble the noble etc. But what coulor soeuer ye cloke your new gospel withal ye run far wide frō him that doth cōmaund vs to obeye all creatures for the loue of God.
them Let the learned protestant bring foorth and shewe suche a Communion booke or anye leafe lyne or worde of any suche doctrine or any churche or congregation that euer had any authenticall seruice or ministration of the Sacraments other then that which is yet daylye openly practised in the cōmon knowen catholike churche of Christe And I shall then recant and not before Twelfth I demaunde of the learned protestant to knowe cause reason why their congregations do admit and receaue all Bishops priests deacons and other officers spirituall ordered by our catholike Churche as men lawfull and sufficient to preache the worde of God to minister the sacramentes and to exercise al spiritual Iurisdiction in no lesse wise but rather more then if they had bene ordered in their owne priuate congregations whereas the catholike churche of Christ doth not acknowledge any man of their ordering calling to be any whit the more fit for any spirituall function in Christ his church then other cōmon lay men When therfore the learned Protestant shal be able to shewe good cause and reason whye our Catholike Churche hauing by their owne consent and approuing lawfull priestes Bishops and spiritual ministers not to be also the lawful true and catholike churche of Christe I will then recant and not before Thirtene I require of the learned protestant to expresse what furniture furtherance or commoditie to the honor and seruice of God did christianitie or any part of Christendome receaue by his Churche or congregations what temple or churche did you build at any time for your assemblies and seruice of god what Bishopriks for the better gouernment of the church did you founde or procure what vniuersities schooles or colleges did you at any time erect for the maintenaunce of christian doctrine fayth and religion When the learned Protestant shal be able to proue by ecclesiasticall histories and olde auncient writers these thinges to be the monumentes of their conuenticles and priuate congregations of their fayth and religion and not of the common knowen fayth religion and catholike Churche of Christe Then I shal in like maner yeelde and recant and not before Fourthtene Let the learned Protestant name anye one felowship or companye of beleeuers in the whole christian worlde that in all Articles of faith and religion be in one vnitie in one meaning and beliefe and contented also to captiue submit their seuerall meaninges to the iudgementes of their prelates and spirituall gouernours and of one chiefe head and pastor among them in all ecclesiasticall thinges and causes Let I saye the learned protestant name any one company thus agreing among them selues and thus humblye affected in Christian fayth and religion sauing onely the holye and blessed felowship of the common knowen catholike churche of Christe And I will then recant and not before Fyftene Againe I doo demaunde of the learned protestant whether the Lutherans Zuinglians Illirians Caluinists Confessionists Swenkfeldians Anabaptists and suche like be al of one church and congregation or no And if he be able to proue these sectes being of such diuersitie in fayth and religion to make one church and that euery one of them may geue saluation to their felowes being so disagreable one with another in high misteryes and poyntes of fayth and religion or that I ought to beleeue all those rather then the one true catholike churche of Christe or yet anye of these more one then another all of them making such a bolde chalenge of the truth of Gods worde and Gospell When the learned protestant shall be able by good reason or drifte of argument to satisfye these my requestes Then I shall yeelde and recant and not before Sixtene when the protestant shall be able to proue that those persons which in their departure made from the catholike churche of Christe haue more desyre to beare the name of Sectaryes as of Lutherans Suinglians Illyrians Caluinists Swenkfeldians and Anabaptistes then the name of Christians or Catholikes are the true members of Christe his Churche and not heretikes and schismatikes nor yet folowers therein of their forefathers the Arrians whiche toke their names of Arrius the Maniches of Manes the Nestorians of Nestorius the Nouatians the Vigilians the Iouinians Pelagians Eutichians and others Then I shall yeeld recant and not before Seuenthtene I demaunde of the learned protestant whether if the whole space of that thousand yeres of blindnes wherein their Churche laye hid and vnknowen suppressed by papistrie superstition and Idolatrye as they terme it whether they whiche were then baptized and openly professed Christ wer saued or not If the Protestant doo aunswere yea consequently it foloweth that they were saued without the Church of Christe liuing in all ignorance superstition Idolatry as they say If he aunswer no and that there was no saluation out of their hid vnknowen Church then all men of all degrees yong and olde for the whole space of the foresayde thousand yeeres by the Protestants iudgement perished without all hope of Gods mercye and were damned When therefore the learned Protestant shall be able to proue by good reason and argument eyther that ther is a way to saluation without the Churche of Christe or that all people professing Christe perished for so many hundreth yeeres together Then I will recant and not before Eightene Let the learned Protestant make prouf vnto me how their hid vnknowen and secrete churche not hauing in it the doctrine of Christ his Gospell openlye taught no ministration of Sacramentes no spirite of prophecying no discipline of rod or correction no ordering of Bisshops priestes and ecclesiasticall ministers nor yet anye other spirituall function executed in the same for the space of one thousand yeres together Let him proue their hid vnknowen Churche with the lacke of all these thinges to be the true spouse and Catholike church of Christe And I will recant and not before Ninthtene Againe on the other side let the learned protestant proue that it is not the true Churche of Christe that hath in the face of the world for the space of fiftene hundred yeres past exercised preaching the cōuersion of nations to the obedience of the Gospell that hath alwayes had the administration of Sacraments the hearing of matters in controuersie the orderlye succession of Bishops the vniformitie of solemne Ceremonies and the vnitie of fayth that hath in her selfe all holye functions of the spirite as working of miracles remission of synnes the true sense and interpretation of Gods word that is beautifyed with diuersitie of states commended by Christe as with martyrs with confessors holye virgins such other Let the protestant proue vnto me that this is not the true churche and that we are not bound to obey beleue this church none other in all controuersies doubtes vprising eyther by the difficultie of scripture or by vain contention pride of heretikes and I wil yeld recant not before Twentie Moreouer let the
¶ The Preface to the Reader PLutarche a noble Philosopher a diligent Historician writeth in the life of Demetrius a king of Macedonie that when an olde woman came to him beséeching him to heare her speake and he made aunswer that he had no leasure the woman looking vpon him sayd to him agayne with a loude voyce why haue you no leasure to rule as a king shoulde Which wordes so pearced the kinges heart and so greatly preuayled in him that he forthwith gaue her audience and from that day none came to him for any matter but gently and with all diligence he did heare them discusse their causes Boysteouslye were these wordes spoken of a subiect and not with that reuerence that was méete to be geuen to a king Notwithstanding as Cicero witnesseth in the second of his Tusculanes Tristis res est dolor sine dubio aspera amara inimica naturae ad patiendum tolerandumque difficilis Sorow is a gréeuous thing without doubt sharpe bitter and an enemye to nature harde to suffer and forbeare Sorowe as I suppose constreyned the séelye woman to speake as she did veras exprimere voces and to vtter the truth On the other side consider not only the gentle nature of this noble prince but also his great wisedome in considering nothing to be more séemely for a gouernour then to hear mens causes indifferentlye and to sée all wronges redressed Nihil sayeth the same Plutarche tam egregium tamque proprium Regis esse videtur quà m iusticiae opus Nothing is so excellent so properlye pertayning to him that is a magistrate as iustice I haue read that the Tribunes which wer officers chosen for the defence of the Commons of Rome had their gates or dores neuer shut neither by day nor by night in token that thither might be the recourse of al them that had néede of succour So ought euery gouernoure whether he be spiritual or temporall to be a succour and as it wer a castle and a fortresse to them that be vnder his tuition Dion Cassius in his bookes that he wrote de principe amongst other preceptes willeth chiefely and aboue all thinges that whosoeuer be the head of the people be a diligent worshipper folower of God next that he be louing to his subiectes if he will haue them to be faythfull to him and loue him as subiectes shoulde their prince For it is not of likelyhood said Dion neither doth nature permit but that he that loueth should be loued when we sée dogges to fawne and horses to neye to them of whom they be cherished Again he would haue such rulers to call themselues shepherdes and féeders of men rather then otherwise So Homer calleth a king pastorem populi a shepherde and féeder of the people And Plato in his Dialogue called Minos writeth that Minos and Radamanthus which gaue lawes to the men of Crete were the true shepherdes of men whiche was not spoken of so noble a Philosopher without a iust cause for nothing doth more nourish mainteine and vpholde a common wealth then lawe which as Tullie in secūdo de natura deorum sayth est recti praeceptio prauique depulsio a commaunder of that which is good and honest and an expulser of all that is noughte and vnhonest Now as a shepherdes care is to sée his shéepe fedde in wholsome pastures and to be kepte safe from wolues al other beastes that would wery and destroy them and if any in the flocke be infected with any outwarde scabbe or inward maladie to remedie it betime or if the contagion admit no helpe but is incurable to haue suche a one away from the flocke that he hurt none of them that be whole Euen so must he that will be a shepherde of men studye for the good ordering and quietnes of the multitude ouer whom he hath charge and that all enormities that might disturbe a common wealth whether it be spirituall or ciuill be expelled and that all faultes be redressed with due correction vsing lenitie and seueritie after as hope or dispaire of amendment shall appeare Neither hath the name of a shepherde lacked his preheminence at any time That good Abell ad cuius munera deus respexit to whose giftes sacrifice God had respect was a shepherde Abraham in whose séede God promised that all nations shoulde be blessed was a shepherde so was Isaac his sonne and Iacob his nephewe and his sonnes also Moyses that noble captayne and deliuerer of God his people was a shepherde in the lande of Madian Dauid of whom S. Steuen sayde that God gaue this testimonye Inueni Dauid filium lesse virum secundùm cor meum qui faciet omnes voluntates meas I haue founde Dauid the sonne of Iesse a man after mine owne heart and minde which shall do all my will. Act. 13. This noble king Dauid was a shepherde These I suppose almightie God woulde haue to be ensamples to all them that be in authoritie for as Paule sayth Quaecunque scripta sunt ad nostram eruditionem scripta sunt All thinges that are written are written for our instruction that as they fedde that séely innocent cattell so shoulde all Magistrates that professe his sons name learne to gouerne the people in the obedience of his doctrine that they might be innocentes manibus puro corde nec iurantes in dolo proximo suo Innocents of their handes and of a pure heart which vse no deceipt towardes their neighbours but in al their doinges shewe themselues to be veras oues pascuae Christi the true shéepe of the pasture of Iesus Christe who sayeth Bonus pastor animam suà m dat pro ouibus suis A good shepherd geueth his life for his shéepe Fewe wordes but full of pith And neuer could mo thinges be spoken more compendiouslye For what will he refuse to doo what labour what trauayle what payne will he forsake which for that perfourmance of that he goeth about will not spare his owne life If a good shepherde setteth so great store by his shéepe if he loue them so tenderly that he will rather lose his lyfe then to sée thē in any danger what will he not doo els for them Howe can it be otherwise but that he will sée his flocke fedde in wholsome pastures howe can it be thoght that he will not tarye with them to kéepe them from wolues from dogges that fall to byting of them and from other like rauenous beasts Who would imagine him to be so negligent that he will not in the euening bring them home to the cote or folde Will he not trowe you if any be strayed go séeke him out and bring him agayne to his felowes If any be sicke will he not sée him holpen with all diligence Sée therfore what a great matter our Sauior did comprehend folde vp as it were knit together in a bundell al that can be desired in a good herdesman O that gouernours whō god hath put
folowe by that that it is not of god For by that reason one mighte saye that GOD was not the authour of the priesthood of Aaron seing that Dathan Abyron and Ozias tooke it vpon thē of their owne boldenes the which is not true And as touching this that he saieth that our order of priesthood is not of God we will proue that false in some other place but at this time we must treat of our vocation to aunswere him his complices howe and by what vertue we exercise our ministerie We are called to this estate according to the ordinarie way that is to saye by the right succession of Bisshops and Pastors and by the continuance of one Catholique faith deriued from the Apostles to our dayes without the interruption of it vniuersallye for in diuers places of the worlde it hath bene euer cleere and certaine manifestlye shining like the light set on the table to geue light to all those of the house and not vnder the busshell to be shadowed with darknes S. Paule after that he had recited by order the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchie I meane of the Apostles Prophetes and Euangelists he doth declare at the last the cause why they were instituted being for the edification of the misticall body of Christe the which is the Catholique Church vntill saith he that in the vnitie of faith we go to meete him He taketh his similitude of many that come frō diuerse wayes and meete all in one waye And thus he meanes that the spirituall edification of the Churche ordeined of Bishops Pastours and Doctours shall endure vntill that the Gospell be preached through all nations By the effecte of the whiche Gospell both Frenche Spanish English Greeke Persian Arabian Latines and Barbares with manye other nations which were to tedious to name haue met together hauing of great antiquitie all one kinde of Catholike faith by the Apostles and their successors for euer As the sonne of God before he suffered did attaine and arriue to the perfection of his age euen so his misticall body of the Churche shall continue in this world vntill it be perfect in his members and that the number of the chosen be accomplished And euē as a materiall building cannot be perfectly atchieued without continuance of workemen and Masons euen so the spirituall building of the Churche cannot be atchieued without the succession of Bishops and Pastors preaching or causing the worde of God to be preached which is the verye spiritual building the which hath bene euer common and visible in the Churche according to the prophecie of Esaye Sap. 61. who meaning to declare the care that God taketh as touching the preseruation of his Churche he did saye as it were representing the state of Hierusalem I haue established and ordeined watchemen vpon the walles the whiche shall neuer holde their peace neither daye nor night These watchemen are those that haue announced to vs our saluation They are the trompettes of Iesus Christe which neuer haue left their sounding in the true Churche of God from the Apostles time vnto this present daye ¶ The .2 Chapter SAint Paule foloweth this discourse in the fourth Chapiter vnto the Ephesians where as he doeth declare vnto vs the fruit that doth procede of this succession of Pastors and of the perseuerance of the reasonable sheepe in one kinde of spirituall doctrine called the vnitie of fayth For he sayeth that God established this order to that ende that we shoulde not be like light childrē caried away with euerye blast of false doctrine through the subtilitie of men their craftie wordes full of deceipte In these wordes you doo see howe the Apostle doeth declare vnto vs the counsaile and the intention of the holye Ghoste I meane that we should be constant in our fayth the which is grounded vpon the worde of God interpreted and declared vnto vs by the Doctours and Pastors that successiuely haue continued in one kinde of faith and Catholike religion from the firste time that it was preached without turning with euery winde but rather that we ought to stande firme and stable Here is to be noted that when the Apostle doth tell how he hath lefte vs pastors and doctors to warne vs of the subtilitie of false teachers he doth vse a certain greeke worde very apte for this purpose the which hath in Englishe the signification of the playing or cogging at dise And euen as he that hath no great skill if he playe with suche a one he will soone loose his money because the other can cast what he wil Euen so if a simple man being vnlearned doo chaunce to talke with such a one as can cog or to speake plainely falsly interprete the Scriptures he may soone be deceaued as we see it dayly happen to many that playe awaye and put in hazarde the rest of al their spirituall inheritaunce I meane the faith which hath beene lefte to them by their fathers from age to age since Christes time Thus haue the Arrians the Nestorians and diuers other heretikes deceiued many a mā as I will shewe more at large hereafter The .3 Chapter THe place that I haue quoted of the Apostle doth shew howe dangerous a thinge it is to fall into the handes of such Coggers of the scriptures and likewise howe certaine a thinge it is to folowe the interpretation of the auncient Doctours standing to that that euer the Catholike Churche hath taught and not to turne at euery blast Vpon this matter one Vincentius Lyrinensis who florished aboue a thousande yeres agone he saith thus If anye man perchaunce demaunde saying Since that the rules of the Scripture are certaine and sufficient of them selues And what neede haue we then of the authoritie of the Churche He aunswereth For that sayeth he that the secretes and misteries of the holye Scriptures are such that euery man doeth not vnderstande them and interprete them after one sorte but that of one place this man and that man shall seeme to mainteyne their opinions being cleane contrary one to another so that looke howe manye men so many interpretations For one way it is interpreted by Nestorius another waye by Arrius another way by Sabellius and so forth according to diuers heresies that haue risen from time to time And therefore it is necessarye for the knowledge of the trueth among so manye errours to drawe the right line of the Propheticall and Apostolicall interpretation according to the rule and true sense of the Catholike Churche This is the learned opinion of this auncient father Vincentius Lyrinensis ¶ The .4 Chapter WHose discourse doeth make me remember the Complaynt that the Soule doeth make vnto her Spouse IESVS CHRISTE being both represented by Salomō and his legitimate spouse I praye thee saith she O my dere frende tell me in what place thou doest lye and rest at noone dayes for I woulde be very glad and desirous to folowe the flockes of thy felowes The which is as