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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03334	The first motiue of T.H. Maister of Arts, and lately minister, to suspect the integrity of his religion which was detection of falsehood in D. Humfrey, D. Field, & other learned protestants, touching the question of purgatory, and prayer for the dead. VVith his particular considerations perswading him to embrace the Catholick doctrine in theis, and other points. An appendix intituled, try before you trust. Wherein some notable vntruths of D. Field, and D. Morton are discouered.	Higgons, Theophilus, 1578?-1659.	1609 (1609)	STC 13454; ESTC S104083	165,029	276

to predominate Caluinists will not obay where is the vmpire of their contention 16. It is a memorable history which Sturmius recordeth in his booke * fol. 33. de ratione concordiae ineundae complayning pathetically against the Lutherans who are so deepely exasperated against the Zwinglians that they will not endure any conference with them but reject them as damned hereticks anno 1560. vnworthy of any farther dispute Thus the Ienensian Lutherans made their supplication vnto the Princes that a lawfull Synod consisting onely of such as embrace the cōfession of * Sacramētaries deny to subscribe therevnto whatsoeuer D. Field pretendeth See Iosias Simlerus in vita Bulling Augusta might be assembled to condemne the Zwinglians and all other enimies of their religion Likewise the Flacians a particular sect of Luthers ghospell desired to haue a publick Synod but with this caueat that all Sacramentaries Swhenchfeldians Osiandrines should be excluded from the same Which vnequall courses stirred vp Bullinger to write that since the Lord hath freed vs from the seruitude of the Pope we will not suffer our selues to be oppressed by the new tyrany of such as vnder the pretense of the ghospell aspire vnto a primacy and dictature in the Church We w●ll not be shutt out from the company of Saints at their choyce and pleasure c. 17. But their mutuall fury is so augmented that Sturmius seing no submission on either side professeth vnlesse the Euangelicall kings and princes interpose their authority to take away theis contentions without doubt the Churches will be infected with many heresies and hence a great vastation of Christianity will ensue as it came to passe in Asia Greece and Africk for the like causes The fundations of our Religion are conuelled the chief articles are called in question a playne way is prepared for Turcisme and Atheisme to enter in vpon vs If I would proceed farther in this argument I might informe you how fatall and vnhappy the conuents of your Ghospellers haue bene at Marpurge at Swabach at Smalcald at Maulbrune where they treated about their owne Religion and at Ratisbone where they should haue entred into a conflict with the Catholicks but the precedents are sufficient to let you vnderstand that you haue not a due subordination of persons and consequently no rule of peace pag. 169. howsoeuer D. Field is pleased to affirme that with your Churches an end is made of all controuersies c. See the place and iudge of his exactnesse 18. My THIRD exception against D. Fields pretended rule is in respect of the matters wherein your dissension doth consist For they are many in number reall in euidence substantiall in waight as I could prooue abundantly out of the writings of Luther Hunnius Conradus c. of the one part Zwinglius Sturmius Clebitius c. of the other to the iust reproof of D. Field who sayth that your differences admitt an easy reconciliation and that this shall be iustified against the proudest Papist of them all 19. My counsayle vnto you is alwayes the same TRY BEFORE YOV TRVST you haue already seene an example of his reconciling art in one poynt and by that you may take an estimate as well of his syncerity as of his solidity in the rest If your excellent and heroicall Spirit will be so grossly abused and deluded by him or any other to the certayn perill of your soule you can neuer plead inuincible ignorance for a iust excuse 20. Now to conclude this chapter good Sir if I did not experimentally know the variety and vanity of opinions in your Church 2. Timoth. 4. and that as some men heape vp a multitude of teachers vnto them selues so others confine all things vnto their owne sense and spirit I could easily belieue that you would admitt a triall by the Fathers and that you would rest in the iudgement of the Church But forasmuch as I know that neither all nor the greatest part of ghospellers in England will submitt themselues dutifully and humbly vnto this rule though I may and do challendge it at their hands therefore I will lay downe three considerations whereby you may see the equity yea the necessity of the sayd rule and how you are bound in Christian simplicity to accept it with true and hearty obedience 21. FIRST it is impossible without extraordinary reuelation to distinguish Canonicall Scripture from Apocryphall otherwise then by the testimony of the Church SECONDLY when by the testimony of the Church you can thus distinguish the Scripture yet you must giue credit vnto some translatours since you vnderstand not the originall text and if they render the Scripture vnfaithfully how can you buyld your faith vpon it with infallible euidence THIRDLY when by the authority and warrant of the Catholick Church you haue the Scripture faithfully translated the principall poynt is yet behind Tantum obstrepit veritati adulter sensus quantū corruptor stylus Tertull. in praescript c. 17. to witt the sense which is the very soule thereof If pure necessity compell you to fly vnto the Church for your assurance in the first and second poynts will you rely vpon your owne discretion and wisedome in the third If you obiect your Spirit I also obiect mine If inward testification I haue the same You compare Scriptures so do I. You pray I do the like You are sure my certainty is as great You haue reason mine is as strong You haue faith mine is not inferiour Thus our contention is earnest and our successe is none 22. What remayneth but that we both should try our Spirits and examine our priuate thoughts according to the perpetuall and generall doctrine of that Catholique Church from which we receiued the Scriptures and which by singular notes of Antiquity Vniuersality Consent Succession c. is most eminently approoued vnto vs For which cause † cap. 15. Tertullian doth excellently prescribe and if I be not much deceyued * in his epist to the Archb. of Cant. D. Field doth condescend vnto him that Whereas Hereticks pretend the holy Scriptures and as they mooue some men with their boldnesse before hand so in the congresse of disputation they tire the strong and insnare the weake and dismisse the middle sort with scruples we must preuent them in their course and not admitt them vnto any disputes concerning the Scripture and if this be their strength we must consider first of all to whom the possession of Scriptures doth agree least he be admitted vnto them who hath no right therein c. The residue I commend vnto your owne perusall and so I referr the euent of all vnto the blessed disposition of our onely Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ CHAP. 3. The falsehood and inciuility of D. Field traducing Card. Bellarmine §. 1. Three criminations deuised against the worthy Cardinall by D. Field 1. Your learned Doctour hath sprinkled many vntruths in his discourse to the personall disgrace of Bellarmine and then

exception of D. Field against Miracles refelled by the authority of GERSON whom he magnifieth as a man that wished our Protestanticall Reformation 1. I Loued sometimes esteemed the Church-booke of D. Field as the best oracle of our dayes and as the worke commended the Authour so the Authour did reciprocally commend his work in my simple thoughts 2. Amongst sondry positions which he there frameth as bulwarkes of our Religion and impregnable forts thereof I applauded this which here ensueth viz. a Pag. 185. We say that howsoeuer it may be some miracles were done by such good men as liued in the corrupt state of the Church yet that is no proof of those errours Purgatory Transubstant c. which the Romanists maintayn against vs. For VVE PEREMPTORILY DENY that euer any Miracle was done by any man in times past or in our times to confirme any of the things controuersed betweene the Papists and vs. 3. In this resolution I was vndaunted because I tooke it to be substantiall I embraced it as a necessary principle because if it should fayle then it followeth most euidently either that God is not true or that our Religion is false 4. But now after my long and serious discourse concerning the aforesaid miracle I was compelled to sound retreate and to deny my peremptory deniall for my reason did informe me that S. Bernard hath long since by miracle confirmed the doctrine of Purgatory it being one of those things which are controuersed betweene vs and the Papists at this day 5. Besides since any man who is meanely instructed in the writings of the Ancient doth know that S. Gregory was a Papist for which cause b Cathol Apolog. in Secunda Classi D. Morton hath stalled him in the catalogue of Popish Doctours and that S. Augustine his messenger vnto vs deliuered the same Popish faith in England as c Centur. 1. fol. 35. Iohn Bale confesseth saying Augustine the Romane was sent as an Apostle from Gregory the first to season the English-Saxons with a popish faith whence the same Bale is pleased to affirme that King Ethelbert died 21. yeares post susceptum papismum after he had receiued Popery finally that this holy blessed man who came from farr to sing the Lords song in a strandge land did worke many rare miracles by cooperation of the Diuine Power for this is euidēt by the testimony of d Lib. 7. ep 30. S. Gregory the Great of e Eccles hi. l. 1. c. 26. 31. l. 2. c. 2. c. V. Beda and of sondry others yea f Act. Mon. pag. 105. Iohn Fox himself can find no exception against this poynt howsoeuer he participateth with the malignity of g Contra Camp Rat. 5. D. Humfrey h In his Reply pag. 185. M. Iewell i Centur. 1. Iohn Bale c. and throweth out his contumelies against so worthy a Saint to disgrace the work of our happy Conuersion from Paganisme vnto Christianity I desired to vnderstand whether we could truly deny since we do PEREMPTORILY DENY that none of those things were euer confirmed by Miracle wherein the controuersy standeth betwixt us and the Papists at this day For I argued thus in my priuate cogitations and said Did God concurr with our Augustine and his assistents by any FALSHOOD to strengthen the supposed heresies which they did then and Papists do now maintayn No for this were against his Truth I know that he neither deceiueth nor is deceiued Or did he concurr with them by CONFVSION to strengthen some part but not all that faith which they preached in the name and authority of the Romane Church No for this were against the sweet disposition of his gifts and workes and I am assured that he is the God of order and not of confusion as I see in the Catholick Church 6. But there is yet an other euidence which as it is more particular so it was more potent and perswasiue vnto me then the former And because as it was a key to vnlock my vnderstanding so since it doth most highly import your selues deare Contreymen to take good notice thereof I will here deliuer it vnto you briefly and playnely branching it into three considerations 7. FIRST therefore it may please you to be informed by k Pag. 171. D. Field that TRANSVBSTANTIATION is one of the greatest mysteries of Popish religion which all Papists at this day do most firmely hold and belieue Whence it followeth if so speciall a * Miraculū in Mysterio Mystery of Popish faith as this is were iustified by any Miracle then all the Religion of the Papists is thereby confirmed and established eminenter that is to say in a principall or eminent manner 8. SECONDLY it may please you to be farther indoctrined by the mature resolution of l Pag. 186. D. Field and the graue iudgement of the Metropolitan himself for this CHVRCH-booke was composed at his * See D. Fields ep dedicat to the Archb. of Cant. direction approued by his censure and publicated by his authority that there is NO BETTER proof of the goodnesse of our the Protestants cause then that that which we Luther Zwinglius c. haue done in the REFORMATION of the Church was before wished for expected and foretold by the BEST men that liued in former times in the corrupt state of the Church In the number of which best men he recompteth GROSTHEAD and GERSON whom with some others he doth * Pag. 85. elswhere intitle VVorthy Guides of Gods Church But how good a proof this is and how laudable our Reformation is which standeth and supporteth it self chiefly vpon the same you may perceiue by the little Appendix which ensueth in the conclusion of this Treatise Which when you haue carefully perused and discreetly waighed then reflect vpon this matter and then speake in the vprightnesse of your consciences betwixt God and your selues whether the Cause be not very bad and the Patrones thereof much worse Let that be an example vnto you for euer to see what immoderate affectation of vntruth possesseth your most eminent Authors and how miserable your Religion is of whose goodnesse there is no better proof 9. THIRDLY and lastly it may please you to vnderstand that this worthy Guide of Gods Church and one of our pretended Fathers m Part. 4. Serm. in festo Corporis Christi Iohn Gerson the most Christian Doctour as he is commonly stiled by the Church discoursing vpon the aforesaid great mystery of Popish Religion and reproouing INFIDELITY to witt of Berengarius and in him of Caluin for it is a memorable poynt to consider that though Berengarius did abiure his errour against the Reall presence and died * See Gerson ibid. penitently for the same yea though the n Centur. 11. c. 10. pag. 527. Lutherans of Magdeburge themselues do expressly say that Pope Leo the 9. did meritt great praise by condemning the heresy of