vnfit saying it is wel that it is but one Doctors opiniō since the words of men yea of all the world put togither cannot be ballanced in equall waight with the immediate word of God which is so directly inspired by the holy Ghost A sweet childe the while was our Campian z Ration 4 who would take on him to proue that the rest of the Synods namely that of Trent was of the same authority with those foure first and so consequently all as powerfull as the Gospels By which reconing wee should not only haue a fifth Gospell of Nicodemus or some such counterfeit but eighteene Gospels more besides the foure Evāgelists so our Bibles now will grow so big that one volume wil not hold thē What a wrōg did that prowde and arrogant Iesuite to the Scripture when hee durst write on that fashion we dare not so far dignifie or rather magnifie the best Councels after that in the Apostles time for feare of blasphemy But if we shall compare the better with the worser the weaker with the stronger we shall see that we are not to far to leane on such assemblies least by attributing over much to such confluences we sometimes take error for verity For haue there not bin meetings which haue concluded against the truth yet haue caryed a goodly shew too I wil not insist on Provinciall Councels as that of a Inter opera Cyptiā A frike where Cyprian the rest cōcluded for rebaptising of those which were baptised by heretiks or that of b Soc. 1 21. Tyrus which proceeded against Athanasius being innocēt or that of c Lib 2 7. Antioch as also of d cap. 25. Sirmiū both which decreed for the Arrians against the faith of Consubstantiality in Christ with his Father I will rather stand on those who go for generall as that of Sardis in part reiected by e In Indice conciliorū Possevinus that of Milaine where were 300. Bishops ioyning for Arrianisme that of Selētia being gathered to the same purpose Here may you finde more general Synods making for the Arrians while they were in anye strength then making against them 13 Lay to these the Great Councell of Ariminum vvhere vvere sixe hundred Bishoppes mainetaining and decreeing for the opinion of Arius and the authoritye vvhereof seemed to bee so greate and vvas so farre vrged that Saint Augustine himselfe had beene everborne vvith it had hee not beene forced to flie to the Scriptures which were and are the touch-stone to trye Councels by The place which he hath to that purpose is famous f Aug contra Maxim Arrian Episcop l. 3 But now neither shoulde I produce the Nicene Councell nor thou that of Ariminum as meaning to extoll it Neither am I helde vvith the authoritie of the one nor thou vvith the other VVith authorities of Scriptures vvhich are vvitnesses not proper to either but common to both let matter contend with matter cause vvith cause reason with reason Both of vs doe reade That vvee may be in his true sonne Iesus Christ He is very God life eternal Let both of vs yeeld to waight of so great moment These are the words of the same S. Austē who els-where had said g Epist 118 The authority of Plenary Coūcels is most wholesome in the Church Very whole some while they keepe right with the verity of Christ but whē they fal frō that they are otherwise But S. Austē was never of opiniō to atrribute too much to Coūcels for he was not so simple but that he saw there were or might be many imperfectiōs in thē yea in the best of thē It is a worthy testimony which he gives in this behalf whē he was pressed with the authority of Cypriā the Africane Coūcel h De Bap◅ismo cōtr Donaust lib. 2. 3. The sacred Scripture saith he is not at alto be doubted or desputed of The letters of Bishops writē since the Scripture if there be any errour in thē may be reprehēded by the wiser speech of any one who is more skilful in that matter by the graver authority of other Bishops by the wisedome of the more learned by Councels And who knoweth not that Provincial Councels without any sticking do yeeld to the authority of plenary Councels which are gathered out of the whole Christian world yea that oftentimes the former Plenary Coūcels are amended by the later when by any experiēce of things that is opened which was shut known which did lye hid without any vanity of sacrilegious pride without any puffed necke of arrogācy without any contention of malicious envy with holy humility with Catholike peace with Christian charity And some part of this he cōfirmeth againe afterward Among after-cōmers the later Coūcels are preferred Cap. 9. before the former the whole evermore by very good right is esteemed before the parts Wel thē by Austens sentēce evē General coūcels may be amēded altered therfore they may erre or come to short Which wil the better appeere if we remēber that sometimes one Councel is directly contrary to another as that of Ariminum to the former of Nice that of Franckforde touching Images to the later at Nice those of Constance Basile in the subiecting of the Pope to the Councel to those of Florence and Trent the 2. at Ephesus approving Eutyches to that of Chalcedō which cōdēned him Yea the k Socrat. 2. 16. Coūcel of Sardis against it self whē the Easterne Bishops were for Arrianisme the Westerne against it whervpō they devided thēselves in place as wel as in opiniō It were thē a hard matter in an vnavoidable cōtrariety or rather cōtradictiō to have both sorts of Coūcels allowed the affirmer the denier therfore simply absolutly of thēselues they are not to be held for sufficient cōfirmers of that which we must beleeve It may bee added as another singular exception against Coūcels that most of thē are hādled with such irregularities that it is not only probable that they may swarve but likely that they wil since even the best men to the best Coūcels do come so laden with passions affections humours partialities that they wil not or cannot see the truth One of the most moderate of all the Popish Councels was that of Basile yet what turbulētnes doth l De Concil Basilcens Aeneas Sylvius witnes there to haue bin He therfore in that argumēt is rather to be reade thē that which cōmōly goeth for the Coūcel of Basile as m In Indice falcic rerum expet fugiend Orthuinus Gratius wel observeth for in Aeneas who was present at that meeting and saw and recorded all the manner of it a man may find the order or disorder of it so described that he may imagine himselfe to behold the Fathers there assembled sitting in their Pōtificalibus If we would haue an exāple of this in an olde
there is a worke vnder the name of S. Austen intituled d Lib 2 34 De mirabilibus sacrae Scripturae where by the Authour the book of Machabees is secluded from the Canon NotwithstaÌ„ding we do not vrge thâ—…t to be his but take it for a counterfeit rather yeeld that S. Austen framing his iudgment to some others opinion in the Westerne Church did repute these also Canonicall Yet here that is to be remembred which briefly before I touched concerning S. Ambrose that this mistaking in this worthy Father grew by his want of knowledge in that tongue wherein the old Testa was originally writteÌ„ by which means he was not acquatÌ„ed with many things appertaining to the Iewish church vnto whoÌ„ since al Scripture before Christs time was coÌ„mitted if these had bin Scripture they also should haue bin coÌ„mended then they should haue bin written in the tongue which they vnderstood that is to say in the Hebrew not in the Greek which was a laÌ„guage of the GeÌ„tiles as e Aut l 30. 9 Iosephus testifieth the Iews did not accoÌ„modate theÌ„selues to the learning of any tongue but their own which is to be interpreted of the ordinary sort of theÌ„ But all these controversed writings are only in the Greeke and not in the Hebrew which is a maine argument against them and ruinateth the very foundation of them Now that S. AusteÌ„ knew nothing of the Hebrew he in his own f â—…pist 131. modesty most ingenuously confesseth as also in another place he acknowledgeth that he had but little skil in the Greeke I g Cont. liter Petilian DO nat lib. 〈◊〉 truely haue attained vnto very little of the Greeke tongue and almost nothing And this made the iudgment of S. Austen the more defectiue in that behalfe Now as this great Doctour might bee overtaken partly by his ignorance of the Hebrew and many circumstances belonging to the Iews partly by leaning to the opinion of some other neere about him in the Westerne Churches of Italy Afrike so it is a matter very probable that the h CoÌ„c cart 3. can 471 CouÌ„cel of Carthage induced by the same reasons and most of all by the authority of S. Austen mighte exorbitate in their Censure vvhen they put all these Apocriphal bookes among the writingâ—… Canonical For there assembled none but such Prelates as were about Carthage which standeth toward the West of Africa in comparison of the East Churches The same causes doubtlesse moved i Decret Innocâ—…n CoÌ„câ—…js Innocentius the Bishop of Rome and therefore of the Westerne Church to put all these books into the Canon Tobias excepted of whoÌ„ he saith nothing An errour once begon goeth plentifully forward is not stayed vpon the suddaine WheÌ„ce it was that k Gelas. Epist. in Concilijs Gelasius coÌ„ ming after InnoceÌ„tius did in this case treade the steps of his Predecessor wheÌ„ himselfe togither with seveÌ„ty Bishops doth define al these writings to be sacred Scripture NotwithstaÌ„ding he who wil looke the Decree of Gelasius as l Part 1 Dist. 15. 4 Gratian citeth it about this matter shal see that the iudgmeÌ„t of Gelasius coÌ„cerning the CanoÌ„ is very weake little to be regarded And in those decrees of his which are found amoÌ„g the CouÌ„cels the same wil appeere wheÌ„ he maketh meaner things theÌ„ these coÌ„troversed books to be of irrefragable authority For in the very next Decree to that which I formerly mentioned he saith thus touching an Epistle of Leo one of his Antecessors in the Roman see The text of the Epistle of Pope Leo if any maÌ„ shal dispute of eveÌ„ to one iote shal not revereâ—…ly receive it in all things let him be accursed This heate doth shew that Gelasius was not too too much advised in his determinations of this nature but followed the tract of those that weÌ„t before him without farther ventilating or disquisitioÌ„ And this is the most of that which by mine own reading I find in Antiquity making for the iustification of these Apocryphal bookes And some such shewes there be for the story of Susanna of Bel with the Dragon which also are not in the Hebrew therfore togither with the fragmeÌ„ts of the booke of Esther some other of equal sort are by vs held to be no Scripture Hee who would behould what farther may be saide for these things let him looke m De verbâ—… Dci lib. 1. Cardinall Bellarmine where he shal finde a many weake citatioÌ„s agreeing in substance with those whom before I haue named Now if we looke what is against them we shal easily discover testimony of greater ponderosity to overturne them then is any to support vphold them 12 VVhat the Iewes did or doe esteeme of them you haue heard before Onely take this with you that n 〈◊〉 l. c. 10. Bellarmine can say out of S. o â—…n Prolog gelâ—…at Hierome that all these bookes togither are reiected by the Hebrewes Now let vs see what witnes the Easterne Church giveth of them p Eccl. Hist. lib 4 2â—… Eusebius hath an Epistle of Melito sometimes Bishop of Sardis in Asia the lesser where Melito himselfe saith that of purpose he travelled to Hierusalem into Palestina to know what were the Canonical Scriptures of the Church before Christ and there he setteth downe all those bookes which wee admit none other This was very soone after the age wherin the Apostles lived It is heere to be marked concerning this holy man as also of al the rest whom I shall name that they never had in this businesse reference to ought but to the course of the Iewes accepting their iudgement for the bookes of the olde Testament to be that wherevnto Christians also should cleaue Not long after that time came Clemens Alexandrinus of whom q Lib. 6 11 Eusebius writing saith that hee cited the bookes of Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus in his vvorkes vvhich bookes saith Eusebius all men do not receiue And he addeth as it may seeme to prevent least any man vpon his example should attribute much to those two that he cited also the Epistle of Barnabas of Clement By the iudgement then of Eusebius Wisedome Ecclesiasticus at the least are books coÌ„troversed Soone after came r Cap 19 OrigeÌ„ who lived at AlexaÌ„dria in Aegypt And he reckoneth vp the CanoÌ„ of the Iews coÌ„prised in two tweÌ„ty voluÌ„es accepting all that which we accept not naming the other saving the Machabees which he saith to be reiected of the Iews That worke of OrigeÌ„ wherin that was coÌ„tained is now lost yet in those which remain he saith that the book of Wisdome s De principijâ—… lib 4. 3â—… is not accouÌ„ted of authority with al. Athanatius after his time lived also at Alexandria he sheweth what was held for Canonical what was refused s In Synopsi There be Canonicall of the old Testament two
and fight vnder his banner And something they must returne for their hungrie pensions needy mainetenaunce which they receive from his Holinesse and the King Catholike besides the containing of their favourites heere in their former courses by refreshing their wittes with novelties and the solacing of their owne discontentments vvhich doe the lesse gaule and gripe their vnquie◅ hartes while their heades are busied with inventing and their handes with writing that which whether it be true or false tending to edification or destruction they little care or consider 2 But of the two it is more to be marveiled at that after so long and plentifull a flowing forth of the water of life there should yet be anie of our countri-men and women remaining at home who will tast of puddle water yea bee as greedie to drinke thereof as the maisters of the broken cisternes can bee ready to propose it vnto them That come there forth any pamphlet of what small worth soever yet some or other will either for their ignorance admire it or for their vnsetlednes entertaine it or for their perversenes embrace it as if it were some divine Oracle descended from aboue But this is the instabilitie of their iudgment who are once c Gal. 3. 1. bewitched like the foolish Galathians that although Christ hath beene so lively testified vnto them as if hee had beene crucified before their eies yet if newe teachers come one after another they will earnestly attend listen vnto thē The world is not so altered but that in their passage to d Num. 11. 4. Canaan some Israelites wil loath that Māna which is c Ps. 78. 25. the bread of Angels long to be againe in Aegypt If there were never philosopher so absurde to invent any fond opinion but there were some auditours as absurde to maintaine and follow the same who can conceive but that vntill the destructiō of that whore the famous strumpet with the f Apoc. 17. 2 cup of whose fornication many of the Kings and much of the people of the earth have bin dronken shoulde stil have some inamored on her As there ever will be deceivers so there shall be some which will be deceived Satan cannot give over his g Iob. 2. 2. compassing the earth his skoutes messengers vvill entend his service Some children of Idolaters to the worlds end shall vnto the h Exo. 20. 5. third and fourth generation participate of their parents curse God with-drawing his grace from them and not opening their eies the peevish will decline stumbling at some rocke of offence weake women to shew themselves to be Eves daughters will rather i Gen. 3. 1. chuse to harken vnto the serpent then to God almighty young ones for want of iudgment and discretion wil credulously listen to a Sirens Song Thus it hath bin and thus it wil be Not withstanding the Magistrate by his charge the Minister by his duty indeede every Christian in his place is both for pieties and charities sake to endevour to plucke as many as he can k Iud. 23. out of the fire as Saint Iude speaketh 3 Yet this being graunted that such leaders and such followers there be and will be it may neverthelesse be much marveiled at that the wisedome of Poperie is so blinded and the ability of English fugitives is growne to so low an ebbe in the Seminaries that to make good their party they haue no better means to vse but such base ones as in this booke or libel are presented to the world Especiallie since this treatise is pretended to come from a Doctor of Divinitie and one taking degree in one of those Vniversities which by themselves bee l See Reason 15. and Bristow Motive 31. reported to bee so famous as that almost he who may but smell the smoake of them or breath but a while on the ayre there shal be inspired with knowledge have more learning Metaphysically infused into him thē among vs is to bee attained to in many yeares And can a man of the highest degree in schoole there for the maintenance of his cause bring no better then such worne broken stuffe as heere is cōgested and heaped togither Yet worship betide him who not long before the birth of this tract put out the m Certaine Articles or forcible Reasons 1600. Pamphlet that the Protestants haue no faith nor religion that the learned Protestantes are Insidels that the Protestants are bound in conscience to avoide all good workes that the Protestants teach that God is worse thē the Devill and such other worthy conclusions to which n D. Barlow D. Buckley two learned men haue made reply For although he had but little honestie in propounding such prodigious and portentuous monsters yet he had more wit since that caried some ◅ūble with it albeit in such fort as that those who respected it were more afraide then hurt That which comming vnawares seemed to the improvident at the first to be some clap of thunder was at the last discerned not to be so much as the striking vp of a drumme It was no otherwise but a fewe stones shaken togither in an empty barrell Yet the wile of the man is to be commended that he could set som good words on it as the Montibank◅ doth vse who after open protestation that he hath somthing to sel of admirable vertue of incōparable value of inestimable benefite which the Graunde Seigneour of the Turks the Great Duke of Muscovy the Emperor of Germany wil accept of and desire yea earnestly call for which to have at their neede Lords and Ladies will thinke themselves most happie doth at the length after all this flourish produce some lippe-salve or other such toy as mooveth laughter in some and serious indignation in other who have not beene acquainted with the Mountibankes custome 4 But this gallant with whom I haue to deale and who speaketh as hereafter you shall heare imagining that all the men in England are as blind as he would have them to be hath sent vs a fresh garment made of other mens olde clothes which the most of vnderstanding have seene and knowne to bee both worne bare and torne like the Ruines of Time And hee hath little altered the verie fashion of it saving peradventure to sette the right sleeve where the left formerly was and something now before which erst stood behinde Indeed some peeces he hath shrunk drawne thē in narrower to make them seeme the thicker some other few for in sooth they are but few he hath enlarged with a skirt or hem of new cloath and yet willing to buy as little stuffe as possibly he might in some places he hath sewed two or three ragges togither so to make a pretty peece The truth is that now almost o An. 1574. thirty yeeres since a coūtry-man of ours whom D. Fulke not vnfitly called Bl◅ring Bristow did with much bouldnesse
bringe a Spanish Princesse the Infanta into that throne vvhich by all righte divine and humane belonged to his Maiestie as the indubitate heire to the Imperiall Crownes of these kingdomes of England and Ireland This intendment of theirs is as cleere as the noone day by h Doleman Persons his booke of Succession by the vrging of the Studentes in the Seminaries to subscribe to the Spanishe title if it were but in blankes by the frequent charging of the Iesuites therewith in the late books of the Secular Priests their Assistants vnto all which the Authour of the Apologie and Manifestation doth not so much as faintly for a fashion giue the least denial We doubt not therefore but his most illustrious Maiesty will be circumspect against such vipers and that his Highnesse considereth the fruits of them and their doctrine in Fraunce the murther of King Henry the third the animating of Paris and so many great citties to rebellion against the puissant King nowe regnant the attempts of i sasuit cat lib. 3. 6. Peter Barrier and k Cap. 8. Iohn Chastell by the lesuites meanes to commit murther and parricide vpon his royal person besides all the doctrine which they haue of the want of Eâ—…ds to slay Kings whome they holde tyrauntes of the Popes ' power to excommunicate Princes and to absolve subiectes from the oath of their alleageance of all Cleargie men in a kingdome exempt from the chastisement and governement of the temporall or Civill Monarke and onely subiect to the Bishop of Rome the verity of which points hee may at large see who will reade that little but excellent treatise Le Fraâ—…c Disâ—…rs Their vow of blinde obedience to their Superiours their position of ordine ad Deum their rule of propter bonum societatis will inferre any varletry traiterousnesse vilainy or impiety in the worlde bee it whatsoever Lastly the experience which is had of them doth manifest that they are like the olde Pharises of whom l Antiquit. lib. 17. 3. Iosephus could say that they were aprowde generation and dangerous vnto Kings for they entred Polony and m Quodlib 3. 7. straight there followed vpon it a rebellion against their Soveraigne they haue beene the meanes that n Ies. Catec lib. 3. 16. Stephen Batori novve king of Poleland is thrust from his ancient kingdome of Sweden the whole life of the activer sort of them being nothing but a o Quodlib in praefat tampering in state causes and Princes affaires their felicity is to set the Realmes where they come into a combustion If then for these and the like reasons the King of Fraunce professing for the Romish faith hath by soleÌ„ne Edict banished these Iebusites out of his kingdome and that on paine of death and they are not harboured in his Realme but only in Burdeaux and Tholouse which is to be hoped will also shortly bee redressed is it to be wondered that our kingdome professing the reformed religion being England which of old could endure no wolues should abandon this lewde Society It might rather be reputed a singular weakedesse in so wise and vigilant a State as God bee praysed this is if there should not be provision made to keepe out such Caterpillers or rather Foxes and Beares who come to destroy the flocke and insteed of converting of countries wherof you speake intende the perverting of consciences and turning them from that due obedience which they owe to the Almighty God of heaven and to his Vice-gerent here amonge vs. It hath pleased the Lord long agone to open the eies of our Governours to see the drifts of these men and wee are to pray that their heartes may ever bee inspired to see the execution of such wholesome lawes that some may take the p Cant. 2. 15 Foxes the little Foxes which destroy the Uines that is to say such body-killing soule-murthering spiritual enemies who destroy many a weake womaÌ„ and vnadvised rash young man T. HILL I will not here speake of the infinite number of Miracles wrought by Catholickes in conversion of Countreys and namely of those which are now done in both the Indies by the holy Fathers aforesaide for that I reserve that matter for his proper place but I would advise you here diligently to weigh the sequele of the Assertion of the Protestantes howe that if Papistes be not true Christians and of the right religion then doth it necessarily followe that neither Spanyards nor Portingales nor Sardinians nor Sicilians nor Italians nor Germaines nor Transylvanians nor Hungarians nor Polouians nor Danes nor Flemmings nor Scots nor Irish nor English no nor any Nation vnder heaven had ever true Religion before Frier Luther maried Moune Bore before Iohn Calvin run away to Geneva before Peter Martyr with his Fustolugges came to teach at Oxford and before a number of such like good companions ledde only by sensualitie and carnall zeale dishodded themselues and became such spectacles to the world as every maÌ„ knoweth Which thing to affirme is flatly to denie Christ and all Christianity as I shewed in my first Reason G. ABBOT YOur mounstrous Miracles you put over to another Chapter and thither God willing I will follow you so that in good time you shal heare of mee The foolishnesse and ridiculousnesse of this your other assertion I have q Answere to the 1. Reason already manifested but heere you are disposed to commemorate the nations of Christendome although to small purpose well I wote vnlesse you would haue vs note that you put the Spaniards first and the English last For if you have named the French also the Bohemians Muscovits Graecians we must answere you that among these or so many of these as it seemed good to the divine Providence there was true Religion and yet the grosser sort of your Papistes had none of it albeit some touched with some smal staines of Popery did belong to Gods kingdome And these were not only before the birth of these excellent men whoÌ„ you name but in all ages since Christ his time VVherefore your bold talking heere is no better then idle trifling That Doctour Luther was a Frier and his wife a Nonne wil be easily granted vnto you but in a Christian mans vnderstanding what more preiudice is therin then that r Exod. 2. 10 Moses for a time was brought vp as the sonne of Pharaâ—…s daughter or that s Act. 23. 6. S t. Paule was a Pharisee or that s Luk 82. 3. Mary Magdalone was agrievous sinner or t Luk. 19. 1. Zacheus the maister of the custome It was no fault for u Gen. 19 12 Let to come out of Sodome neither is it to be blamed that any hasteÌ„ out of u Apoc 18 4 Babylon But the greese is that he a Votary did mary her a Votary which Campians malice so expresseth x Ration 3 dâ—…ec incesto 〈◊〉 votam Deo virginem fâ—…sset