this condition that the Consuls should not be first admitted to beare rule before they should prostrate them selues at the popes feéte and sweare faythfully to become bonnaire and buxome to the Pope and the Church of Rome Blond 6. booke In the yeare 1182. albeit the first begynnyng and entring of Lucius 3. into the Popedome was somewhat cleare from sedition yet within a whiles after him selfe did minister cause of great Tumultes bycause he practized to roote out the honorable name of Consuls out of the Citie of Rome not much degenerating from Lucius was for his troublesome head called Turbulentus But bycause this place doth minister oportunitie to treate of sectes and schismes why do we protract any more tyme For if a sect be defined truly to be any opinion whatsoeuer oppugneth the naturall meanyng of the Gospell how great a champion of sectes may Pope Innocenâ—ius the 3. of that name be called I meane that Innocentius the most detestable enemy of the true Gospell aboue all other who in the yeare 1215. in the CouÌ„cell of Laterane sowed the feédes of all the broyles and troubles almost in the Church wherewith the whole Christian Nation is molested at this day Whenas first he established the heresie of Transubstantiation he yoaked Christians to auricular Confession commauÌ„ded that Remission of Sinnes should be receaued none otherwise but at the deliuerie of a Priest spoyled the lay people of the one part of the Sacrament was the first deuisor of this Tyrannicall persecution by fire namely of all such as durst but once quacke against that Catholicke Seé of Rome This is that Innocent Pope who was the very authour of all the bloudshed and calamities in the Church which hath doth consume the Protestaunts and Papistes at this day Not much vnlike vnto this monster were his next successors Honorius 3. Innocentius 4. Gregorius 9 most rebellious traytors agaynst the Emperour Fridericke the 2. in whose tyme the order of Friers Beggers was instituted Here also commeth to memory that in the tyme of this Pope Gregory 9. of whom I made mention before and through his occasion chiefly began the schismes and factions of the Guelfianes which mainteyned the authoritie of the Pope and the Gibellynes who sought the preseruation of the state Imperiall By whiche occasion how cruell and horrible warres were arered scarse calmed in an huÌ„dred yeares afterwardes the auncient Recordes and conference of Hystories whereof you vaunt a plentyfull knowledge can manifestly declare vnto you I come now to Celestine 5. which was Byshop but halfe a yeare in the yeare 1294. whom after the first moneth of his Popedome succeéded or rather rusht lyke a ruffler into that Seé Boniface 8. who kept this Celestine in prison Platin. AEmil But by what pollicie this Pope aspired to the Popedome I would desire Osorius to tell me in his next Letters if he write any after to our Queénes Maiestie For if this Boniface did cast that Celestine into prison as he sayd not of any malice but of purpose to take away occasioÌ„ of mutine that might haue groweÌ„ by the confederates on the contrary parte touchyng the Popedome why did he not restoare him agayne then when the tumultes were pacified why did he craftely deuise his exile by a deuilish practise of the souÌ„de of certeine voyces imagined to be sent from heauen into the Chamber of the Pope Marius This Pope Boniface the botcher of the Decretalls was so maliciously enflamed against certeine Cardinalles of the houses of ColuÌ„ne Vrsine as many as remained fautors of the Gibelline factioÌ„ beyng him selfe the most factious of all others that he put to the sacke and razed to the hard earth all their mansions and Castells wheresoeuer he came This is that most holy and Angelicke Patriarch who beyng at Genua vpon an Ashewednesday threwe Ashes into the eyes of Porcherus Archbyshop of Genua without regard of reuerence either of the place of the tyme or the persons that were present speakyng after this maner Memento home quod Gibellinus es cum Sibillinis in Cinerem reuerteris That is to say Remember maÌ„ that thou art a Gibellyne and with the Sibyllines shalt returne agayne into dust At the length in the most cruell Itallian warres betwixt the Sicilians fauoryng the partes of the Arragones and Robert the Duke of Calabria whenas this pope would not seéke by his authoritie to pacifie the Timult though thereunto required sundry tymes very instantly beyng not loÌ„g after taken prisoner him selfe in an vproare and carried to Rome did pyne him selfe to death for sorrow and anguish of mynde What shall I speake of Innocentius 6. and of Gregory 11. whereof the one in the yeare 1352. did after an vnspeakeable maner of cruelty commit to flamyng fier one Iohn a Frier FraÌ„ciscane bycause he taught what would become of Antichrist and of the popes of Rome From the other diuers Cities of Italy reuolted in a seditions tumult as Volaterane recordeth what shall I say of all that other factious rable of popes succeeding in order who by meanes of certayne ciuill disturbances in the Citie of Rome forsooke the Citie and translated the Seé into Fraunce continued the Election of popes in the French Nation excludyng the Romaines 74. yeares After this maner the Court of Rome playeng as it were vpon a rollyng Stage albeit it chaunged their Seé now and then yet neuer founde any place of assured rest For it was scarse as yet returned agayne within the walles of Rome from her long and werysome exile but it was wellcomed home immediately with a new Tumult For in the yeare 1378. whenas Vrbanus 6. was by force enthronized in the Popedome by meanes of the Italians the French Cardinalles mislikyng the same did chuse an other one Robert Gilbonensis to witte Clement 7. which held his Seé likewise at Auinion The vnitie of the Romishe Seé by this meanes rent a sunder in that diuision and Schisme eche Pope did excoÌ„municate the other the variable people fauored both the popes This schisme coÌ„tinued by the space of 40. yeares Vrbanâ— to be aueÌ„ged of the Cardinalles the wronges susteined by the procuremeÌ„t of Iohn kyng of Sycile procureth woÌ„derfull vproares Charles kyng of HuÌ„gary raysed an army agaynst Ioane who fauored the clayme of Clement whom afterwardes Ludowicke duke of Angew deliuered The same pope furnished one Iohn Hachut an English man with munition men whoÌ„ Vrbanus the v. had made Generall of his Army before sent him with a bande of FloreÌ„tines to Naples agaynst the sayd Ioane of whom we made mention before and withall sounded the defiaunce agaynst Charles the Kyng of Naples bycause he would not make his nephew Prince of Campania At the length this Pope beyng straightly besieged by this Charles was priuely conueyed to Genua He kept 7. Cardinalles in fetters whereof fiue he drowned in the Riuer of Tiber beyng tumbled and knitte vp into sackes He ruled the
rather All and singular this your Papaeâ—e how large and wyde soeuer it is outstretched is nothing els but a very sect and a certeine mightie faction armed with the power of men directly agaynst the Gospell of peace But of this hereafter shal be spoken more at large In the meane space bycause this place requireth that I aunswere rather for our owne Preachers then accuse others I returne to the complaint of Osorius Where makyng mention of sectes although by name he expresse to sect at all yet may it easily be coniectured what he doth mumble inwardly in his secret conceipt But I suppose he would haue the very same to be spoken that we assoone as we turned away from that Romishe Patriarche throwyng our Ryder as it were to the grounde whose spurres and snaffle we were affrayd of before are now raunged the fielde kickyng and flingyng into many brambles and thickettes of contrary sectes wherof he meaneth some to be Lutheranes some Zuinglians others he entituleth with factious names of Caluinistes Buceranes Swenckfeldianes But as this slauÌ„der is no new thing so neither did those names of sects grow or arise from them but are of your owne coynyng For neither Luther Zuinglius nor Caluine did lead any flockes of Scholers at any tyme nor euer erected any Schooles or sectes in their owne names as beyng of this mynde and profession alwayes that they could like nothyng worse then that any man should abuse either his owne name or any other mans name whatsoeuer to the dissoluyng of the bonde of peace and vnitie of Christian name And therfore these be your own imaginations voyde of all colour of truth forged by your own selues not raysed out of any other spryng then of that stinckyng puddle of malice and slauÌ„derous cauillyng Wherein you feéme to me to differre very litle from the peéuish affections of wemeÌ„ who if coÌ„ceaue neuer so slender an offence waxe whotte withall fall forthwith to playne scoldyng and auenge them selues with cursing brawlyng not vnlike the custome of litle boyes which amiddes their pleasauntest pastimes iarryng for small trifles as they will easily be moued waxe very angry so that in steéde of weapon whatsoeuer cometh next to hand they flyng at their fellowes heades Such is the dealyng here agaynst Luther Zuinglius others who neither varyeng froÌ„ Christ nor from the coÌ„munion of the Gospell nor froÌ„ fayth in any respect nor yet disagreéyng one from other in matter of substaunce nor in the principles foundations of Christian doctrine nor in the thynges that apperteine to true Relligion or worshippyng of God finally not in any Article of the Catholicke Creede yet bycause they hold not with the Pope of Rome hereof ariseth all that treason against the Maiestie of the Deuines here of malice tooke the first rootes in their hartes and out of that pestileÌ„t roote budded out those heresies sectes schismes not which be so in deéde but such as seéme to be so in the Iudgement of the slaunderer For what so small a gnatte may there be that raÌ„cor venemous hatred will not by and by transforme into an ElephaÌ„t Behold say they what a sturre these heretiques keépe amongest them selues The Zuinglians scold agaynst the Lutherranes and yet do not theâ—e Lutherans agreé amongest them selues in all thynges in which kyngdome how many factions may a man easily perceaue for scarsely the Ministers of one Church doe consent together firmely in all pointes All which albeit be not as true as they are bitterly heaped together of these ianglers to bryng the Lutheranes into hatred yet see I pray you how iniuriously they deale herein that they will not permitte one man to swarue from an other in any particular thyng whatsoeuer Which I am not assured if did happen to the Apâ—stles them selues yea after the commyng of the holy Ghost In deéde this was to be wished for if wishyng could preuayle that generally all might haue consented and concluded together in one mutuall vniformitie And yet vpon this vniformitie alone stand not all matters besides neither is the Sinagogue of the Scribes Phariseés for this cause of any better estimation bycause they conspired together and were all of one mynde to spoyle Christ and his Apostles Agayne neither did the Apostles not rightly departe and sequester them selues from the Phariseés sect bycause certeine small sparckles of dissention were scattered abroad amongest them And albeit a few Christians were molested and troubled throught some small contrarieties and variauÌ„ces arisen amongest them selues in the swathlyng cloutes of the Primitiue Church though also the Corinthians were deuided and soundred in partes as particuler affection preuayled yet was not that cause sufficient enough to proue that they might therfore renounce Christianity and reuolte to the Phariseés sect agayne If we make sectes and schismes as often as interpretours doe varie in opinion in their seuerall Expositions of the holy Scriptures amongest so many of all the Rabbines which haue wonderfully trauailed in the explication of the old Testament how many I say of them do agreé together in all pointes what a difference is there in their Commentaries yea how often doe the Hebrues them selues varie in their Expositions so that the old Prouerbe may be well verified here so many heades so many wittes Amongest the Expositours of the new TestameÌ„t is somewhat a more agreable and consonant agreément And yet amongest them all how many are you able to name that do not in some one thing or other vary and dissent how many and how great controuersies and disagreémentes in opinions were amongest the most approued Doctours of the auncient Church so that whiles euery particular person endeuoureth to preserue his seuerall errour inuiolable scarse any one is throughly cleare from some fault or other at the least After the same maner may it be adiudged of Luther Zuinglius who if in one onely place of Scripture do varie a litle what maruell is it sith you your selues that reprehend others so much offend more often more filthyly in many thynges But you will say peraduenture that this contention had not growne betwixt the Lutheranes and the Zuinglianes if they had kept themselues within the bosides and Iurisdiction of the Church of Rome Truely I may easily beleeue you Osorius For the Bishop of Rome would long sithence haue burnâ—d theyr bodyes For this is the Popes best corriziue wherewith he eateth out the canker of controuersies most speédely And yet neuerthelesse if the Iurisdiction of the Pope of Rome be a matter so warrantable to knitte fast the knotte of vnitie amongest men From whence then commeth to passe That within the very walles of that Court hath bene so many broyles and contententious debates so many kindes and names of settes so many contrarieties of opinions so many Brotherhoodes of Religions factions diuers in opinioÌ„s which the Romish Seé hath so long fostered vp nor was euer able hitherto to bryng to any
is well enough known what meanes he vsed for the suppressing that tēptes of Carolastadius the Suenfeldians Zuinglius in hys booke entitled Elenchus contra Catabaptistas Caluin de hereticis Bullenger of Tiguirine in hys inuectiue agaynst the sectes of our time the Basileanes against the Georgianes The Heluetianes and people of Sauoye and Lumbardie how seuere and earnest pursuers were all these in rooting out of wicked opinions how estraunged and alienated from all desire of Faccions all these I say haue geuen vnto vs notable presidēts and examples therof And to speak nothing of other Churches what hath bene done in England long sithence yea and of late also towardes the ouerthrowing and confuting of erroneous opinions Let your Portugall Marchaūt certifie you by letter your notary what soeuer he be or in what corner soeuer yee lurcke whō I suppose to be sent ouer into England not for any other purpose but to become Osor. hys spye Go to where is now the experience of Osorius by the wh he hath found out in Luther as he sayth so many sectes and diuersities of opinions But the names of Sects had neuer bene so raked vp together no nor any sound of any such should euer haue bene heard at any tyme. If abode had bene made in the Fayth of the Pope and of the Romanistes So likewise also I suppose that if weé had not bene diliuered from that Ethnick Paganisme of the old Idolatrye this Botche had neuer infected our Churches neyther had Ierusalem bene euer troubled at anye tyme vnlesse Christ had bene borne neyther had so great and so many swarmes of Heretickes flusht abroad vnlesse the Apostles had preached the Gospell why therefore are we not weltered back agayn into that puddle of Paganisme or Iewishnes hauing shaken away from our shoulders the most sincere and pure religion of Christ according to the choppe Logicke of Osorius that wee may shroud our selues safely from the company of those wilde faccious Sectes and daungerous diuisions But Osorius though fallen away at the last from his tackle of mans experience hath gathered more courage yet vnto hym takyng handfast of the Ankerholde of Christ his owne wordes for the proofe of the Popes Chayre so that nowe this Seé seémeth no more humayne or terrestryall but heauenly and Angelicall Affirming that this power is established not by the ordinaūce of man but chiefly by the very words and ordinaunce of our Lord and Sauiour Christ himselfe Surely if Osorius can perswade that to be true he shall beare the bell away But by what reason will he make it apparaunt vnto vs not with one nor with a simple and naked reason but with a double horned Argument that shall cutt like a sworde for besides the authority of holy Scriptures and the Testimonyes of all auncient antiquitie also whereof he boasteth himselfe not a litle skilfull he affirmeth that he knoweth it to be true by experience But go to it remayneth that you declare vnto vs what authoritie of the sacred Scripture that is at the length and wherein that testimony of auncient antiquitie is to be found Thou must needes attend a whiles perhappes he will tell theé hereafter gentle reader For as now because Osor. is not at leysure to tell theé let it suffice theé that the man hath spoken it and vouchsafe at this present to interprete all hys speaches to be very Oracles as sweéte as honny And this much hitherto touching the Maiesty of the Seé of Rome The next vnto this hath he placed in order the obedience that they yelde vnto Princes which I maruell if any man can reade and not laugh at so also I beleue sure that Osor. himselfe could not stay but laugh at himselfe or els doughtles he was disposed to dally with vs when he wrate these wordes so pleasauntly deuised and so cunningly coulered But we sayth he do not refuse the aucthoritie of any lawfull power Howe truely you speak herein how reuerētly you esteéme of princes how obediently you behaue your selues to the higher authoritie and how hūbly you do acknowledge it and how you refuse no commaundement of the Magistrate Weé will take a taste if it please you by the conference of faythfull Historiographers by the course affayres of experience whereof the actes monuments of Princes doe make mencion Finally by search of antiquitie it selfe whereof you make your selfe experte and well beseene And to beginne first with the Empire of Greece the lawfull succession whereof contynued from Constantine the founder thereof about 500. yeares more lesse if the Bishop of Rome at that tyme would not haue refused to be subiect to the authoritie of the higher powers why then did Hadriane and after him Leo 3. hauing rooted out the kingdome of Desiderius and the Lombardes contrary to their faith an allegiaunce presume to be so hardye as to pluck away the imperiall maiesty afterwardes from the right and true heyres vnto the whiche aswell they the Bishops thēselues as also all the Italiane Natiō had submitted and obliged them selues by othe no lesse then the Greékes and why did they at theyr owne appointemente trāslate the same frō the Greékes to the Frenche nacion And although Charles him self vnto whom the Diademe Imperiall was geuen seéme worthy to be registred amongst the most vertuous famous Princes as one that endued the Church of Rome with greatest treasures possessions and liberties Yet was not that cause sufficient wherefore the maiestie of the sacred Empyre should beé vyolated and oppressed with manifest iniuries Namely sithēs the ouerthrow of that state could not choose but draw after it wonderfull troubles rancour of hartes Which thing happened in very deéd not long after For euen by the meanes thereof chiefly it came to passe that not only the Emperours of the East West were enflamed agaynst ech other with perpetuall deadly and vnquenchable hartburning hatred and enmity but also that Greéce being left naked of those helpes became an open Road to the Turkes and Sarracens for the suppressing of whose powers and recouery of which countrey I knowe not whether the whole power of the Romanistes when they haue retched it to the vttermost will be euer able to preuayle But to admitte that this translation of the Empyre came either of the speciall prouidence of God or to attribute the same to the worthines of Carolus or the Necessitie of the tymes or to mittigate the matter with some plausible and colourable excuse Yet is not this excrable sawcines of these Romish Bishopps sufficiently accquited hereby which durst be so presumptuously arrogant at that tyme or the Popes of this present which do imagine that their authoritie which they claime from Peter may priuileadge their insolent vsurpacion ouer the kingdomes of the earth and theyr iniurious transposing them where they liste nor doth waraunt their shamelesse challenge of lineall succession in the same authoritie as deriued from Peter himselfe vnto
depose them that were Elected if they liked them not And hauing attempted this deuise sundry tymes in vayne at the last after the death of the Emperour Henry 3. they crept couertly into an occasion of colorable entraunce effectuall and plausible enough as they supposed whereunto they bente all their force endeuour imagination to the vttermost of their power Pope Benedict 1. slyly entryng into conference with some of the familiares of the foresayd Henry immediately vpon the death of Conrade his Father practized forthwith to dishinherite him from the Empire and withall to aduaunce in his place Peter Kyng of Hungary presentyng vnto him this precious Owch to set on his cappe Petra dedit Romam Petro tibi Papa coronam The Rocke gaue Rome vnto Peter and the Pope the Crowne vnto thee Henry the 3. beyng dead left behynd him a sonne named Hēry 4. a very babe tender of yeares Agaynst this young Prince was a conspiracie practized by certeine State of Saxony with whom conspired also many Byshops but chiefly aboue all the rest Gregory 7. pope of Rome The Emperour is conuented of heresie for lewdly disposing the goodes and possessions of the Church and geuyng Ecclesiasticall promotions to vnworthy personages This pretence was plausible enough The Emperour is cited to Rome to defende his cause and by the Pope adiudged to penaunce namely That renouncyng his Imperiall dignitie he should doe penaunce dayly by the space of one whole yeare at the Church doore as Peter Paule yea besides this also that barefooted and barelegged he should personally crooch and creépe to kisse the popes feéte whiles this pageaunt was playeng the meane while Rodolphe Duke of Saxon is suborned to inuade the Empire vnto whō the Diademe is sent with this Inscription Petra dedit Petro Petrus Diadema Rodolpho The Rocke gaue vnto Peter and Peter geueth the Diademe vnto Rodolph The young Emperour vnderstandyng the matter dispatcheth away into Germany Rodolphe beyng in fiue battels disconfited and put to flight whiles he laye a dyeng was presented with his right hand which he lost in the battel which when he beheld he spake to the Byshops that stoode about him after this maner This is the right hād wherewith I vowed my Fayth to the Emperour Now is the same hand become a witnes and testimony of my breach of fidelity and detestable treason against my Souereigne euen by your procurement prouocation chiefly After this when the other confederates of the same Saxon conspiracy whō the pope had inueigled to reuolt to witte Herman of Luxemburgh Ecbert Marques of Saxon Duke Otto with his sonnes Conrande and Henry the grosse Echarde sonne of Ecbert Vdo Geberde and others had suffered lyke punishmentes the Emperours good fortune alwayes preuailyng The pope surceased not his practize neuerthelesse whom sufficed not to teaze straūgers to treason vnlesse he had seduced the naturall Sonnes of the Emperour to witte Conrade the first and immediatly after his decease Henry his other Sonne agaynst the Father Wherepon ensued afterwardes horrible broyles and at the length the death of the Emperour also And yet that vnhappy conspiracy of Henry the Sonne ioyning with the Pope agaynst Henry the Father happened not happely on his side afterwardes For when Henry the Sonne did withstād the same inordinate Articles of the Byshops which his Father refused Lotharius is pricked forewardes agaynst him by new practizes of the pope euē the same Lotharius whō agaynst his Fathers will he had made Duke of Saxon before who mainteining the quarell of the pope after that he vanquished the army of Henry the 5. the Emperour now left destitute of frēdes and throughly weried out with the continuall trechery of the Byshops was constrayned to relent and yeld ouer his right The Emperours therfore beyng thus weakened and for the most part brought vnder subiectiō immediatly began to spryng vp the Absolute power and Monarchy of the pope about the yeare 1094. by the speciall practize of Hildebrand and Vrbane 2. which did forbyd that no man from thenceforth should receaue any Ecclesiasticall promotiō they call it Inuestiture of any Temporall Authoritie Whē they had accomplished this with effect they began to attempt an other matter much more waighty to witte that they to whom the Byshops did owe due obedience before should now become the popes Uassalles and stand at his courtesie For wheras the Byshops were so subiect to the Emperour hitherto that no Election of any pope could be holden legitimate if the Emperour had not ratified it And agayne whereas alwayes heretofore the lawfull authoritie of the Imperiall Succession was deriued from the Fathers to the Sonnes without any graunt allowaunce or confirmation of the pope These Sacred and holy Fathers outragiously boylyng with an inward charitable zeale to vnlade the Princes of that heauy burden of authoritie and to lay it vpon their owne shoulders what do they forsooth vnder colour of false surmise both horrible agaynst God and outragiously presumptuous agaynst men they pretende that this authoritie to erect and set vppe earthly Empires and kyngdomes and to dispose and trāspose them at their pleasure where when and to whō they listed was geuē cast vpon them frō aboue not by any terrene ordinaunce but euen by Christ him selfe and that it was now no more lawfull for any man to clymbe to the state Imperiall but at the will and lawfull Election of the Pope And hereof are many Decreés extaunt abroad shamefully forged by them and much more shamefully countenaunced and faced out The Maiestie of the Empire beyng thus brought in subiectiō and worne quite out of countenaunce the intollerable arrogancy of the Byshops grew to such outrage that not contented to haue pluckt out their owne neckes out of the colier of lawfull obedience drew also vnto them selues the Emperours interest lawfull authoritie in creatyng the Pope in enstallyng of Byshops in callyng of Councels in disposing Ecclesiasticall promotiōs finally in administryng all Ecclesiasticall matters and the Emperours them selues beyng thus made subiect vnto thē after a most execrable sort did moyle turmoyle oppresse enforcyng them not onely to sweare allegeaunce and obediēce vnto them but to prostrate them selues to kisse euen their stinkyng feéte also extollyng and magnifieng their owne absolute power and Monarchy in the meane space aboue all the kyngdomes of the earth gloriously vauntyng that the Imperiall Maiesty was seuēty tymes seuen tymes Inferiour and baser then the glory of the Popedome was alledging this similitude for a speciall Argument that as God sayd they had created two great lightes in the firmament and as the creation of heauen and earth had not two begynnynges but one begynnyng Euen so now was left nothyng for the Emperour no not in the lowest Sphere of the world wherein he might beare any preéminence but that the whole Chaos of all power generally seémed to be fast locke vp and ensealed within one
Agaynst such the Church thundereth out endles excommunicatiōs denoficing the horrible curse of Gods euerlasting wrath and vnappeasable displeasure except they repent And these punishmentes of the primitiue Church in old tyme called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as were neuer ministred but vpon greuous and vrgent causes so was there no hope of release from the same vnlesse playne demonstration were made by open and publique confession of true and vnfayned repentaunce Which kinde of censure the aūcient Fathers deuided into threé degreés 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Excommunication Whereby all maner of offenders aswell spirituall as temporall were as it were cut of from all societye and partaking of the Church and Sacramēts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Depriuation Whereby such as were but newly professed were remoued from their function 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sequestration Whereby all offendours whatsoeuer were excluded from the Sacraments some from partaking of all the Sacramentes and some from the Communion onely whom the Grecians doe note by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remouyng from the Communion table onely And thys was the very order and gouernement of the prymityue and Apostolique Church wherein florished not onelye that sincerity of doctrine whereof I spake before but also Ecclesiasticall discipline touching distrybution of dignityes placing of elders ordering of times reading of lessons frequenting of exercises Inquisition of lyfe Reformation of manners and other profitable ordinaunces established after the best manner was dayly exercised All which the prymytyue and vndefiled antiquity of the auntient Fathers obserued purely and sincerely after the age of the Apostles and in all respects very reuerently and orderly as the decrees and Canons of godly assemblies and Synods together with the Hystoryes and Monumentes of auntient Fathers do playnely and manifestly record Hauing now described and faythfully expressed the verye face and countenaunce of the auncient primitiue Church I referre me to any equall and indiferrent iudgement to discerne whether the Lutheran Church or the Lateran Churche of Rome to resemble that primitiue Church neérest And as for that primitiue Church of Rome hath bene aboundauntly and sufficiently spoken of already Now could I wish that the Romish prelates would vouchsafe to deliuer likewise some painted vysour of theyr Ieratohye if it myght please them or if they refuse so to do we will not disdayne to do so much in their behalfe whereby godly mindes may euydently perceyue the true causes that moued those Lutherans iustly to sequester themselues from that Romysh Reuell In which theyr sequestration notwithstanding from Rome they haue not remoued themselues one ynche so much the more from the Church of Christ. I speak of the Romish Church once agayne I say in that state that it is now The first Institution whereof touching doctrine and Traditions if be sifted and searched by comparing of her first foundation to the true Church of Christ it will euydently appeare that thys Romysh Church being but a late newfāgled vpstart doth expresse no sparke of resemblaunce of that auncient antiquity but patcht and botcht vppe altogether with new opinions erroneous abuses Idolatries traditions deuised by authority of men ioyned with an opinion of necessary worshipping and obseruaunces It is most certayne that the foundations of Christes church were grounded first vpon sure playne infallible and vnmoueable demonstrations proclaymed from aboue in the writinges propheticall and Apostolicall which be builded vpon the true knowledge of the essentiall will of God vpon true inuocation and prayer vpon vnfayned obedience to godward vpon assured acknowledgemēt affiaūce in the Mediator wh is very God and very mā and which doth display abroad the kingdome of Christ to be a spirituall and an euerlasting kingdome not temporall nor instituted or gouerned by mans pollicye or power but begonne by the preaching of the Gospell and enlarged by fayth in them which doe beleue and obay the word of doctryne and life with a pure and sincere affection On the contrary part the foundations of the Romish Ierarchy are builded vpon the decrees of Popes entangled with most intricate and I know not what most crabbed and crooked questions of Scholeianglers Polluted with most manifest errors vtterly dissentyng and cleane contrary to the prescript rule of Gods word which being apparaunt enough in very many matters besides yet is notably discernable in iiij principall pointes chiefly Fyrst Because this doctrine doth abolish quite the doctrine of the law of repentaunce of righteousnes by fayth and commaundeth a mammering doubtfulnesse out of which puddle yssueth an outragious ouerflowing Sea of papisticall errors Secondaryly because it doth transpose merites and worshippings which are proper and peculiar vnto the sonne of God into adoration oblation and application of the consecrated breade for the quicke and the dead by merite meritorious in theyr masking Masse and without theyr masse whereas in very deéd the Gospell doth playnely teach that the benefittes of the sonne of God are not applied to any person but in respect of euery theyr proper and peculiar fayth Thirdly after the manner of Infidels Because it translateth to dead men Inuocation which ought to be yelded to God onely Fourthly because it commaūdeth traditions of men Mounckish vowes Canonicall satisfactions pilgrimages and innumerable such dredge with an opinion of merite worshyppyng and necessary obseruaunce and doth preferre the same before the commaundementes of the law which God hath commaunded to be especially obserued To this Beadroll appertayne more then dottered Bussardly fables of Purgatory Pardons secret and compulsary confesūon pompous Processions and superstitious supplications wherein is carryed abroad to be gazed vpon the consecrated bread profaning of the Lordes Supper making sale thereof as it were in open Fayre or Markette Magicall consecrations of naturall thinges to wytte of water wyne oyle salt and such like What shall I say of that more then whorysh shamelenesse when as the Popes without all proofe or probabilyty of aunciēt antiquity of a certayne insolent arrogancy not by any Dyuyne authoryty but through theyr owne trayterous treachery haue raysed to them selues not a true Catholicke and Apostolycke Church to Christ Iesu but a Seraphycall Ierarchy exceédyng all earthly prymacy superiority and potentaty Wherein reygneth in place of Christ a proud Popysh Peacock For the Apostles cormoraunt Cardinalles For Martyres monstruous Mounckes for professors pestiferous persecutors For fathers Bellygod Byshoppes and Gorbelly Abbottes For Euangelistes cruell Canonistes Copistes Decretaries Summularyes seditious Sententioners For Minysters sheépysh shauelinges And for Pastours Maskyng Massemongers Who hauyng rauenously Raked the ryght of the Church haue turned and chaūged it into a newfangled fashion of an earthly kingdome where it may not suffice to serue Chryst Iesu our pastor and head onely to settle our selues vpon hym whollye to depend vpon hys mercy onely Unlesse we become vassals and bondslaues to thys popysh Byshoppe and honour him as a certayne other Chryst vpon earth who vnder a delycate vysor of
For this is almost the whole strength substaunce of their defence And I am not ignoraunt how plausibly this probable shew glittereth in the eyes of vnskilfull and vnlettered people For so do Philosophers define Probabilitie to be such as seémeth probable either to all men or many or at the least to wise personages But in heauenly thyngs ought a farre other maner of cōsideration be had For if we grounde our selues vpon many we are taught by Christ himselfe That many are called but few are chosen And agayne in an other place That his flocke is a very litle flocke And afterwardes he demaundeth If when the Sonne of mā shall come whether he shall finde any Faith vpō the earth Neither are those thyngs alwayes best wt delight many Agayne if we shall depend vpon the Iudgemēt of the wise we heare likewise the same Lord him selfe geuing thākes vnto his Father that he had hiddē those thinges frō the prudent and wise of this world and reuealed them to litle ones And agayne we read in Paul The wisedome of this world is very foolishnes with God And therfore where as they would haue the Church to be placed on high apparaūt to the view of all the world truly they Iudge not amysse herein namely if they meane of the preaching of the word And yet this is no good Argumēt notwithstādyng that euery Citie vaūced on highest hill shall be forthwith esteémed the true church of God or els what shall be sayd to that famous great City mētioned in the Apocalips Which was foreprophecied should be built not vpon the Toppe of on hill onely but vpon seuen hills Or what shall we Iudge of that exceédyng wondering and worshyppyng of so many Nations so reuerētly hūbled to that Beast whose marcke it is sayd that small and great young and old riche and poore freemen and bondmen yea and those in noumber not a fewe but vniuersally all shall be marked withall in their right handes and in their foreheades Uerely if common sence and consent of people do make a Church where was euer a greater consent or more well likyng and greater admiration of fautours and frendes But they say that the cōsent cōmunitie of their Church is vniuersall Catholick which may not erre by any meanes Now let vs seé how they proue it The Apostle say they in his Epistles did greatly cōmēde the fayth of the Romaine Church This is true Peter also did both consecrate the same to be a See and instruct it in the Fayth I am in dought of this But what hereof After the Apostles tyme many of the Apostles Disciples say they learned Doctours and holy Martyrs Ignatius Irenaeus Cyprian Tertulliā Augustine and all that auncient age of graue Fathers did alwayes most gloriously esteeme of this Church Is there any more yet In the tyme of Basile Nazienzene Chrisostome the Church of Rome was not onely had in highest estimation but also was diuers tymes sought vnto for counsell and ayde neither will I deny this to be true couple herewith if you will that whē other Churches were tossed and turmoyled euery where with Schismes and rent in sunder with seditious factions no one Church besides stoode so long in so quiet a calme not assaulted with any such contētious sectes or variable opiniōs which did not a litle aduaunce the estimation of the Church and gate it no small authoritie Go to and what shal be concluded at the last out of all this For sooth The Church of Rome whiles it reteigned the sounde doctrine and simplicitie of the Fayth was commended of the holy Fathers by the name of a Catholicke and an Apostolicke Church Ergo The Church of Rome is the head and Metropolitane Church of all other Churches which hath neuer hetherto swarued from the true tracke of the truth nor shall euer erre vnder the which all other Churches must be subiect of very necessitie the cōmaundement wherof is an haynous obstinacie to disobey From the which to depart is manifest Schisme agaynst the which to resist and stand is playne heresie all the cōmaundements whereof to sweare obedience vnto is the surest way of sauety moreouer also a very necessary Article of eternall Saluation You do seé I suppose the whole force and subtiltie of your Catholicke cutted Enthymeme Whereof if you will seé a right proportion it is this The Church of Rome was allowed of the holy Apostles or the most auncient Fathers and all the most approued Doctours of the Church for Catholicke and Apostolicke But our Church is the Church of Rome Ergo Our Church is approued for Catholicke and Apostolicke by the consent of all the godly First we aunswere to the Maior proposition The auncient primitiue Church of Rome was approued by the famous cōsent of the learned for Catholicke and Apostolicke Peraduenture it was so yet was not this Church of Rome accompted so alone nor yet to this end so accompted bycause it should be the vniuersall Church of all other Churches For this will forthwith be gayne sayd by the Councels of Nice Mileuitane and by Pope Gregory and all the learned Deuines of that age vntill the cōmyng of Boniface 3. Moreouer neither was it for that cause so famously commended with so great consent bycause it was the Church of Rome but bycause it was a Christian Church Neither for any prerogatiue of the place though Peter sate there a thousand tymes For euen this also will an aūcient Pope Gregory deny as appeareth euidently by the Decreés Neither the places nor the dignities do make vs more acceptable to our Creatour but either our good deedes doe couple vs vnto him or our euill deedes do exclude vs frō him Moreouer not bycause it can prescribe an ordinary Succession of Byshops For Ierome also will not admit this They be not children of holy ones forthwith sayth he that occupie the possessiō of the holy ones but they that practize the workes of the holy ones But bycause with the Succession of Byshops they did ioyne agreable profession in true Religion bycause they did apply them selues to imitate the Fayth Religion and order of worshyppyng instituted by the Apostles bycause they did not varry frō well ordered Churches in any part of sounde doctrine For this cause I say namely for their sincere vnstayned Fayth and constaunt vprightenes of Religion not defiled with filthy stenche of erroneous doctrine the Church of Rome obteined of the auncient godly Fathers to haue a place amongest the Catholicke Apostolicke Churches But what is this O ye Apostolicke Princes to this your Romish Church in the state that it is now in the disorderous order whereof as it is at this day reuelyng with Cardinalles riotyng in Court glorified with this title of Uniuersall head garnished with tripple Crowne garded with the double sword magnified with Patriarches and innumerable other titles of dignitie armed with Abbottes mounted with Mounkes saluted
required in philosipher so may the want therof be borne withall in a Deuine Ieromes Epistle to PaÌ„machius Luke 16. Esay 2. 1. Cor. 1. â— Osor. 163. Prouer. 16. Fine poolished speach is alwayes impudent An Exquisite affectation of Eloquence not so much to be regarded of Deuines Pag. 166. Osori inueighed against EnglaÌ„d but not agaynst all Osori pag. 167. What Osorius doth promise in this booke Osori Argument not able to be resolued Haddones auÌ„swere to Osori Argument Osor. pag. 167. The testimony of the world agaynst the Lutheranes The rebouÌ„ding of the Argument agaynst Osor. Osor. pag. 168. A trimme reason of Osor. Osor. pag. 169. Osor. Argument coÌ„futed The spirite of the Prophettes is not to be measured by the nomber of beleuers Moah Moses Esay Ieremy Stephen S. Paule The first beginning of Luther Luthers humble letters to pope Leo the tenth Pope Leo his proude insolency agaynst Luthers humble submission Luthers second letters to Leo the Pope Anno 1519. Luthers Protestation Luthers huÌ„ble Supplication to the Church of Rome Stanislaus Hosius in his first booke of heresies The Pope the seruauÌ„t of seruauÌ„tes of God by a figure called Antiphrasis The cause of Luther honest Osori conclusioÌ„s false Sophistry A comparison betwixt the professoures of the true Gospell the Papisticall Osor Pag. 169. The prayle of the Romish church after Osor. A fifth and euerlasting Gospell made on a tyme of the Dominick Fryers at Parise Anno Dom. 1256. Osor. pag. 169. Of the Fayth of the Romishe Church Whether the vniformitye of fayth be more discernable in the Romish Chur. or in the Lutheranes How many wayes the popes fayth is contrary to the right institution of the Gospell Arrogancy and vayne confidence The name of vniuersal Church is restrayned to the Romaynes onely contrary to the nature of the Gospell Osor. pag. 169. The false and lyeng braggeâ— of the Romish Church Osor. pag. 169. Esay 5. How the Church of Rome is laden with mens tradicions Emptynes and voyde Apoca. 13. Osor. pag. 170. By what Reasons the vniuersality of Christes Vicar is coÌ„firmed One head of the Church The doctrine of the Gospell doth call all the Ministers of the Church to humilitie permitteth superioritie to none in any wise August agaynst Petilian Epist. Cap. 3. Cyprian Whether the authoritie of the Romishe See be Necessary for the takyng away of Schismes The Romishe See the Metropolitane of Sectes Where the Romish authoritie is quite banished there is most rest The Papacie nothyng els then a certeine mighty faction and armed power of kyngs The slaunder of the Sectes and dissentioÌ„ of the Lutheranes FactioÌ„s and Schismes in the Church of Rome Diuerse coÌ„tentiones of papistes amongst theÌ„ selues touching the supper of the Lord. Whether Popes See were erected by god or men See hereof before Haddons discourse in the first booke pag. 15. Peter sate at Rome What a diuersitie is betwixt Rome now and as it was in the tyme of Peter The principallitie of the See of Rome by what begynnyng it crept to so great power and tyranny When the name of Vniuersalitie and the order of Cardinalles beganne Vrsinus Damasus Anno 369. How many and how great conflictes haue raunged in the Chur. of Rome about the choosing of the Pope Boniface Eulalius Anno. 420. Simachus Laurentius Anno. 499. Stephanus Constantinus Phillip Anno. 768. Anastasius Benedictus 873. Leo. Christoph. Sergius Iohn 13. Leo. 8. Anno. 968. Out of platina this Iohn the 13. was takeÌ„ committyng adultery and was slayne Benedict the 5. being taken prisoner was cast into Adrianes Doungeon Anno. 973. Donus 2. Boniface 7. ranne away with the Treasury of Rome 975. Gregor 5. Iohn 17. Siluester Anno. 995. Out of Cardinall Benno Clemens 2. 1048. Benedict 10 1058. Alexander 2. Cadolus 1062. Hildebrand Clement 3. Victor 3. Vrbanus 2. Anno. 1083. Pascalis Albertus Theodoric Maginulph Vibertus False Popes Platina Blondus Gelâ—sius 2. The Archbishop of Bacchara a false pope Anno. 1118. Calistus 2. Gregory 8. false popes Anno. 1124. Distinct. 76 Cap. Ieiunium The first institution of Cardinalles about the yeare 1124. Innocent 2. Anacletus 1130. Out of AEmilius his 5. bookes Blond Platina Guil. Tyrius 14. booke and the 12. Chapter The Consuls of Rome brought in subiectioÌ„ to the Pope Blond in his 6. booke Lucius 3.2 Schismatick 1182. Vrbanus 3. called Turbulent for his troublesome head 1185. InnoceÌ„t the 3. the chief champioÌ„ of all the calamities and troubles of the church 1215. Honorius 3 Innocent 4. Gregoâ—y 9. most rebellious traytours agaynst the Emperour Friderick 2 The factioÌ„s of the Guelsians and Gibellynes raysed by the meanes of this Gregory 9. Celestin. 5. Boniface 8. a firchrand of factions 1295. Platina AEmil The most impudent shamelenes of Boniface 8. agaynst the Archb. of Genua Innocentius 6. Gregorye 11. the greatest author of Schisme 1352. Vrbanus 6. thrust into the Popedome by violeÌ„ce 1378. The See of Rome deuided in Schisme by the space of 74. yeares A cruell coÌ„tention betwixt the Cowled generation about the Conception of our Lady 1400. Boniface 9. Innocent 7. a seditious murderer 1405. Gregory 12 AlexaÌ„der 5 a troublesome pope Iohn 24. by force and money occupyeth the Sec. 1411. Three Popes deposed at one time Martine 5. The Councell of CoÌ„stance The Conuenticle of Constance did coÌ„deÌ„ne Ierome of Prague and Iohn Husse to be burned Martin not the Vicare of Christ but of Bellona Engenius an other chicken of Bellona A CouÌ„cell at Basile 1435. Eugenius a Schismatick is deposed from the Popedome 1442. This schisme endured 9. yeares The battell agaynst the Heluetians and Basileans by the procuremeÌ„t of Eugenuius Rob. Gaguinus and Phrigio Thomas of Redon thorough the popes Tyranny burned 1436. Antonius others A non causa vt causaÌ„ The fallaxe of the accident Luther a speciall aduersary to Sedition Osor. pag. 187. Of the Româ—nistes obedience rowardes Princes pag. 170. The Emperoâ—â— translated from the Grecyanes to the Frenchmen by the popes contrary their oathes Charles the Great The Creeks inuaded by the Turkes An Auncient ordinaunce of the right of the Emperour and the Pope The Maiestye of the Empyre was translated from Fraunce into Germany by the pope A degree of Gregory the 5. Concluded vpon with Otho the thyrd Emperour The wayward Rebellion of the popes alwayes agaynst the Imperiall Maiestie An olde grudge of the popes agaynst the Emperours for the bestowyng of Ecclesiasticall promotions Benedicte doth rebell against HeÌ„ry 3. The horrible conspiracie of pope Gregory 7. and the Bishops agaynst Henry the fourth Rodolphe suborned agaynst his Lord and Emperour by the practize and treason of the pope Rebellion punished The pope beyng the firebrand of seditioÌ„ doth prouoke the sonnes to rebell agaynst their Father Gods iust iudgement executed vpon the sonne that rebelled agaynst his Father The popes absolute power The Maiestie Imperiall subdued and subiect to the popes De Maior obedi Cap. Insolitae De Maior Cap.
Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. IF I hadd vndertaken this enterprise not beyng enduced more of earnest cōsideration of the cause I take in hand and present necessitie of the tyme then of any allurement of priuate commoditie or presumptuous oftentation or vayneglorious persuation of mynde most Renowmed and vertuous Prince kyng Sebastian I should not onely haue bene accoumpted blameworthy in the Iudgement of all the godly but also haue willfully plunged my selfe into deserued obloquy of all the world that beyng a poore despised abiect a seely wretched vnderlyng so meere a straunger and so farre seuered from you by distaunce of place without all maner of acquaintaunce either of name or of Title neither called nor cōmēded by any desert nor by any person cōmaūded hereunto dare so boldly presume to write vnto your highnesse beyng the mirrour of all Princely dignitie But as the occasion that moued me to attempt your Maiestie seemed of no small importaunce so the oportunitie of the matter it selfe yelded vnto me no lesse euident Argument of assured affiaunce and audacitie though in vtter apparaunce vnseemely yet pardonable I trust vpon due examination of the cause And yet besides this alleadged necessitie emplyeng reasonable excuse I wanted not many others as commendable aydes to defend my enterprise if like example applyed in like cause may be allowable For if Ierome Osorius beyng as then but a priuate man no lesse estraunged from the Societie of this common weale of ours then a professed Enemy to the Religiō which we embrace in Englād prouoked either of some vayne glorious oftentatiō or of greedy desire to maintayne his owne Religion and to deface ours vnder zeale of pretensed good will and affection borne durst be so bold not onely to write so long and tedious an Epistle to our most Royall excellent Queene Elizabeth but also so vnprouokedly to aduertize her highnes of matters inconuenient daungerous to her soules health why should I be condemned of insolency if inflamed with sincere inclinatiō of most humble dutie towardes the most valiaunt Prince Sebastian kyng of Portingall no lesse famous in Princely vertues then valiaūt in administration of power if allured by the notable Reporte of his incomparable bounty do send most humble greetyng in the Lord Iesu in two or three wordes to his Maiestie in recommendyng his highnesse to the gracious protection of the allmightie with no lesse increase of perfect peace and tranquillitie to him and his by Letter then inwardly I wishe to his Maiesty frō the bottome of my hart Neither do I see any reason to the contrary why I should be more embraced in cōceipte and driuē from my endeuour hauyng so many notable commendations vttered by euery godly personadge in the behalfe of the famous kyng Sebastian Renowmed in eche Coast for his excellencie in prowesse and Noblesse in dignitie sithence Osorius through the pleasaunt blast of the Trompe of fame hath presumed so farre vpon the vnspeakable clemency of our Queenes most excellent Maiestie whom he neuer sawe when as also her highnesse of her aboundaunt grace hath with so great lenitie entertayned the Letters of Osorius and so gently perused them though otherwise perhappes vnworthy so noble a personadge why should not I persuade my selfe to obteine as much yea more rather of your Princely magnificence and heroicall clemency especially sithence it cann not be credible that kyng Sebastian beyng a man cann any ioate be inferiour to Elizabeth a womā Queene in any Princely ornamētes or dutie of Humanitie But there will some peraduenture be founde not farre from emongest vs to whō this comparison which I do make betwixt vs two Osorius and me will seeme in no respect agreable for as much as he beyng a constaunt frend to the true and Catholicke Churche as they will alleadge doth take vpon him a most commēdable and necessary cause But my defence they will say of sett purpose proclaimyng opē warre agaynst the most aūcient Catholicke Church agaynst sincere Religion agaynst the approued supremacy of the Byshop of Rome hath bene allwayes hitherto atteinted by Iudgement of all Monarches and by consent of all degrees condemned and banished◠and ought not by any meanes be admitted into the Courtes and eares of Princes as matter exempt from all protection and priuiledge of godly Lawes This Obiection is no new thyng whereof I haue long agoe well aduisedly debated with my selfe yea the very selfe same thyng most Royall kyng wherein I am become at this presēt your Maiesties most humble Suppliaunt and whereof I determined to beseech your highnesse in the bowels of our Lord God whose aucthoritie and person you do represent in your Realme that ye would vouchsafe due consideration Ierome Osorius Byshop of Syluain bandyng and enforcing all his knowledge and skill agaynst the professed doctrine of our Religion publiquely receaued in England hath published in Printe three famous Libelles vnder the Title of an Aunswere to Maister Haddon for Reply wherof we haue framed accordyng to our slender capacitie this Apology how conueniently to the purpose I haue not to say to what successe it will come is in the handes of the Lord surely for the garnishment of phrase and Stile thereof I haue no great regard For this our contention tendeth not to the blazyng of excellency in eloquence neither treate we here of the delicacy and finesse of speach neither descant we lyke Minstrelles of warblyng of stringes ne yet tosse we our questions to and fro in vaunt of brauery of witte Sophisters vse to argue of moates in the Sunne in their triflyng and Dunsticall Schooles But we dispute as Deuines in matters of greatest importaunce of true righteousnes of the way to eternall saluation and euerlastyng damnation and of the true woshippyng of allmighty God This Apology or Aunswere to the quarrellsome and slaūderous reproches of Osorius how simple soeuer it appeare we haue thought for no man so meete to be presented as to your Maiestie most excellēt kyng Sebastian whom we most humbly craue and desire to be both a wittnes and a Iudge of the controuersie As for the questions wherewith Osorius doth inueigh agaynst vs we suppose are allready well knowen to your grace Now therefore the petition that we desire to obteyne of your highnesse is this in effect That for as much as Osorius hath vttered all his cunnyng and eloquence by all meanes he may possibly to depraue vs whō he vnhonestly reprocheth by the name of Lutheranes not onely vnto your Maiestie but to all other Princes of Christendome also thereby to bryng vs into vnappeasable hatred it may please the Royall Maiestie of all godly Princes not to conspire to geaue sentēce agaynst vs before the matter be heard and debated betwixt vs. And your highnesse especially most noble kyng of Portingall hauyng allready seene the clamours and brables of Osorius beyng the best and chiefest Arguments that he vseth to deface the orders and obseruation of our profession will vouchsafe also with
Peter particularly yea and in earnest will you vrge and defende stoutly the very same senteÌ„ce wherein Mathew Iohn by manifest proofe do coÌ„uince you who expresly do protest that the very same power of byndyng and loosing was geuen by our Sauiour Christ to the other Apostles in generall what will you not dare to do in the darcke good Syr that practize to defraude vs of the cleare shynyng sunne how will you peruert and wrest the fathers that will so craftely iuggle with the expresse wordes of the Scriptures truely you must either bewray your pestilent â—eger de mayne in this place or confesse your grosse errour Your thyrd place is this I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth saynte not and thou beyng at last conuerted confirme thy brethren And what hereof Can any man bee so witlesse to say that those wordes of our Sauiour Christ were not aswell spoken to the rest of the Apostles as to Peter by name I will therfore first scanne the wordes of the Euangelist in order that they may be more apparaunt But you are they which haue perseuered with me in all my temptations And I do prouide for you euen as my Father hath prouided for me a kingdome that you may eate and drinke at my table in my kingdome and may sit on seates iudging the xij Tribes of Israell And the Lord sayd Symon Symon behold Sathan hath desired to sist you as wheate but I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth faint not and thou at length being coÌ„uerted confirme thy brethren In this parcell of Scripture is nothyng particular to Peter but the same is common to all the Apostles That they perseuered with Christ was common to them all The reward likewise is common to them all videl to sit at the heauenly table Agayne the thyrd parcell had relation to them all Symon Symon Sathan hath desired to sift you as wheate Sithence the whole processe of the Text therfore was referred to them all by what Argument may it be applyed vnto Peter onely Namely sithence our Lord Iesus goyng a whiles after suffer death and makyng preparation for his Ascention into heauen poured out most earnest prayers vnto his Father with a long and vehement repetition of wordes not for Peter particularly but for all the rest of the Apostles in generall whiche last and generall prayer of Christ to the Father who so aduisedly considereth shall easely conceaue that our Lord Iesu Christ made not intercession for Peters faith alone but for all the rest of the Apostles And hereof will also maruell much how great learned Clarkes dayly exercised in the Scriptures can Iudge therof otherwise Truly the most notable of the auncient Fathers do constantly affirme that the very same sentences wherewith Supremacie is challenged vnto Peter are commoÌ„ to all the other Apostles together with Peter And this haue I most manifestly proued by the selfe same places which your selfe vouched And albeit we passe ouer all these geue eare to the holy Ghost speakyng vnto vs by the mouth of the sacred Scriptures yet all this Monarchie of Peter which you do so exquisitely aduaunce aboue the Moone and the seuen Starres shal be founde to haue bene vsurped by the inordinate ambition of Byshops of Rome and not by any authoritie grosided vpon the doctrine of the auncient Apostolicke Church I will begyn with our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ who hauyng spoken these wordes Thou art Peter c immediately after calleth Peter Sathan and commaunded him to departe from him bycause hee knew not the thynges that apparteined vnto God How did Christ then I beseéch you erect the supremacie of his Church in the person of Peter whom immediately almost with one breath he rebuked bytterly by that most execrable name of Sathan and that not without cause for hee dissuaded him from goyng to Ierusalem Moreouer if Christ made intercession to the Father for Peter onely that his fayth should not faynt how came it to passe that within a few dayes after Peter onely with open mouth denyed forsware Christ his Lord and Maister But I doe much miscontentedly make mention of the fall of so notable an Apostle whoÌ„ I do acknowledge the most excellent amongest the famous Apostles Onely this I would to be knowen that he was ordeined to no seuerall supremacie in the Churche of Christ by any authoritie of the Scriptures We haue heard Christ let vs come now a litle lower to his Apostles and namely vnto Paule who laboured in the Churche of God as hee reporteth of him selfe more then they all he therefore doth playnly and constantly affirme that he had receaued as great authoritie from Christ to be an Apostle ouer the Gentiles as Peter had ouer the Iewes and addeth further that he had conference with Iames Cephas and Iohn whom he nameth Pillers of the Church as the chief of all the rest Yet in the meane whiles hee acknowledgeth no singular prerogatiue of prheminence in Peter Nay rather he vseth great libertie of speach agaynst Peter him selfe without all respect of Principalitie or mention of dignitie But why seéke we other testimonies Peter is a good witnesse concernyng him selfe I beseech the Elders whiche are amongest you sayth heé that am also an Elder and a witnesse of the Passion of Christ and partaker of the same glorie which shal be reuealed c. Behold here the dignitie behold the Supremacy and Monarchie of this reuerend father He is an Elder amongest Elders A witnesse amongest other witnesses of the Passion of Christ partaker with the rest of the same glory to be reuealed Here is a Triple Crowne truely yea a most precious Crowne not made of goldâ— nor beset with precious stones A most honorable Ambassadour of the heauenly glory to bee reuealed not of any Temporall or earthly dominion Lastly a most Reuerend Father not in any singular Lordlynes but by especiall ordinary power of his fellow brethren Who so will throughly sift the doctrine the ordinaunces the lyfe and conuersation of the Apostles shall finde a most perfect patterne of vnchaungeable consent but shall not smell any tast no not one sparke so much of this Lordly Monarchie wherof this ghostly Prelate doth so subtlely and largely dispute Unlesse perhaps he will driue vs to friuolous gesses as to picke vp children kyckesses together As that Peter went before That hee spake oftentymes first that hee looked into Christes Sepulchre before Iohn But if we shall hunte after such gnattes The honour geueÌ„ to Iames is of more substaunce Namely when in their publicke assembly the rest of the Apostles did subscribe to the ordinaunce that he made And that other also to wit when Peter was desirous to know who should betray our Lord Sauiour Iesu Christ to the Iewes him selfe did not enquire therof but beckened to Iohn whiche did leane vpon the breast of our Lord that hee might demaunde the question But howsoeuer these
and are you not ashamed to obtrude vnto them this grosse errour whiche is ech where most euidently conuinced in the whole discourse of the Gospell treatise of holy Scriptures Cākred malice hath not onely blinded you Osorius but so bewitched your senses that as ye can not seé the truth your selfe so yet of a most arrogaunt waywardnesse you will frowardly kicke agaynst the Preachers of the truth And yet this notwithstāding is most true That sinne doth alwayes dwell within vs and that there is alwayes a law lurking in our mēbers rebellyng agaynst the law of the mynde which draweth vs as bondeslaues to sinnyng But the Lord doth deliuer vs from this body of death through the bloud of Iesu Christ not by rootyng out sinne from vs altogether but for Christes sake pardonyng the sinnes of them that repent And hereof arise those comfortable reioysinges of the faythfull He that spared not his onely begotten Sonne but deliuered him to be slayne for vs all how can it bee possible but that he should geue vs all thynges together with him Agayne who shall accuse the elect of God Thirdly it is the Lord that doth Iustifie who shall condemne vs These are not spoken to the end to set out our innocencie perfection whereunto we can not aspire whiles we are pilgrimes in this miserable flesh but doe expresse vnto vs that God doth geue vs freé remission through Iesu Christ so that we will set our whole affiaunce and hope vpon him which pronounceth of him selfe that hee was sent not to the righteous but to the Sinners bycause they should repent and amende their lyues But you can not well disgest these sayinges my Lord for what can you beyng an old Byshop allow in the Scriptures that haue bounde your selfe apprentice to such bussardly Schooledregges And yet this confidence in the death and bloud of Christ will rayse vs vp into heauen at that dreadfull day when you and your couled generation with all your peltyng trinkettes of superstitious workes shal be throwen headlong into hell vnlesse ye repent in tyme. For we doe assuredly knowe that if we confesse with our mouthes our Lord Iesus and beleue stedfastly in our hart that God hath raysed him from death to lyfe we shal be saued For with the hart we beleue vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth we confesse to Saluation And yet this confession of fayth doth neuerthelesse want no testimonie of good workes as where withall she is alwayes accompanied for we are not so indebted to the fleshe that we should walke accordyng to the flesh for if we liue accordyng to the fleshe we shall dye But if in the spirite we mortifie the sinnes of our bodies we shall liue For all those that are guided by the spirite of God the same are the sonnes of God Wherfore renoūce once at the length such lothsome communicatiō where withall lyke a most filthy hogge mooselyng in the durtie swynesty of Epicure you vse most wickedly to scorne and deride the faythfull seruauntes of Christ. For ye write that it is the maner of their thought We are in good case enough for we are most acceptable vnto GOD through fayth Wherfore we are as righteous as Peter and as Paule yea as the most holy mother of God Ye goe amasked altogether Osorius the faythfull Ministers of Christ doe not acquainte them selues with this vnsauory and hautie spirite of pride but rather doe earnestly call to their remembraunce the sayinges of Paule The night is passed the day is come nye let vs therefore cast awaye the workes of darkenesse and let vs put on the armour of light Let vs walke honestly as it were in the day light not in eating and drinking nother in chambring and wantonnesse c. But let vs put on Iesu Christ and not make prouision for the fleshe fulfill the lustes thereof c. Hitherto Walter Haddon The residue aunswered by I. F. begynnyng where Maister Haddon left agaynst Osorius APelles the most famous Painter of the worlde endeuouryng in most curious exquisite maner to expresse the feature of Venus at Coe in Greéce called in Greéke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was preuented by death as Plinie reporteth whē as yet he had drawen but the halfe of the portrait and thereby cōpelled to relinquishe the residue so vnperformed that no man of the Arte were he neuer so expert durst at any tyme after presume with pencill to pursue the President The like lot albeit in vnlike endeuour that ouertooke Apelles amiddes his blazing the beautie of Venus seémeth to haue encountred our noble Gentleman Walter Haddon in displaying the veritie of the Gospell For after hee had vndertaken the commendable and prayse worthy defence of the truth agaynst Ierome Osorius albeit he neither obteined to beautifie the part which he had begon nor to accomplish his purpose in the rest and yeldyng ouer to nature was amyddes his race constrained to surcease his exploite yet hath hee so poolished that part whiche hee left vnfinished with Apelles Pencill that is to say hath framed so singular a Paterne in excellencie of Arte that with the sight therof the whole posteritie may be afrayde to set hand to the attempt For determinyng with him selfe to aunswere the slaunderous Inuectiues of Ierome Osorius compiled into threé bookes although it was not graunted him to performe the whole yet hath he so singularely endited one booke and the halfe of an other agaynst the same confuted the reasons which were none at all discouered his lyes whiche were most shamelesse daunted his hauty pride and vtterly discomfited his vaine glorious Peacocklike Rhetoricke with such grauitie wisedome and so well disposed stile that if there were no supply made by any other the truth of the Gospell beyng of it selfe otherwise vnuanquishable might seéme to haue no neéde of any other patronage Wherefore so long as we enioyed the lyfe of this excellent learned man and him selfe endured amongest vs as the Churche of Christ had a very worthy and valiaunt Captaine So had Osorius also a couragious and puissaunt an enconterer and meéte conquerour for such a monster But now sithence he is taken from vs albeit the veritie it selfe haue no iust cause to dispayre yet can not we chose but be vnderfully dismayed if not for M. Haddons sake yet for our losse chiefly For as concernyng M. Haddon hee can not but be in most happy estate whom Gods good prouidence hath mercyfully trāslated out of this furious wretched world into more blessed quyet calme euen then especially when as beyng conuersaunt in the race of perfect godlynes he employed his vertuous endeuour in so sacred a cause where now neither Ierome Osorius nor any other braulyng barker can from henceforth disquyet or molest him There is greater cause rather to moue vs all the learned to much sorrow and grief of mynde who haue lost so great and learned a ryngleader of learning the losse of
made free for all estates In deéde this may happely chaunce amoÌ„gest some persons for what caÌ„ be so well spoken at any tyme or so circumsplectly handled but that the malice of the wicked will take thereof euill occasion to wrest to their filthy lust So in the tyme of Paules preachyng there wanted not peruerse people which in like maner tooke occasion to slaunder his doctrine with his owne wordes videl Let vs doe euill that good may come thereof There were also some whiche were not ashamed to say that Paule did destroy the law did geue to much scope to libertie Of that kynde of people Peter doth coÌ„playne which with sinister deuises practized to wrest Paules writyngs crookedly to their own confusioÌ„ Shall not good men therfore frequent his Epistles Euen by the same Reason Osorius let not flowers grow in the spryng tyde bycause the Spyder doth aswell sucke poyson out of them as the Beés matter to make theyr honnycombe But if so bee that when good men doe geue vertuous and necessary exhortation of those thynges whiche they do thinke worthy to be embraced accordyng to their duety and profession of their fayth wicked men in the meane space starte vp betwene whiche will abuse the same good thynges to their owne destruction is this the fault of the teacher or rather the fallax of the accident as Logicians do terme it Many persons say you do take occasion of wicked confidence and vnpunishable libertie through that new Gospell of Luther But many on the contrary part do receaue froÌ„ the same very comfortable consolation and finde them selues thereby to be much more pricked foreward to pursue godlynesse with more carefulnesse If Luther teach the truth shall not his doctrine therfore be published bycause wicked men doe abuse it But if you thinke his Assertions to be erronious Why do not you O Thales I pray you vouchsafe to prescribe as becommeth the fulnesse of your wisedome some pretie rules of sounder doctrine whereunto Luther might more safely haue directed his opinions I beleue that he should by your aduise haue associated him selfe with the Schoolemen and Monckes and with that sacred InquisitioÌ„ of Spayne and vsed these kyndes of speaches videl That the kyngdome of heauen is a due reward for our good workes if it were not we should otherwise be vncerteine thereof Bycause that which is of duetie is most assured but that proceédeth from mercy is vncerteine Or els ye will require perhappes that he should teach vs as your Hosius doth preach who doth affirme that euerlastyng Saluation is obteyned by deseruinges proceédyng from the grace of God Or els as our Osorius doth Who calleth faith onely to be onely rashnesse boldly pronounceth that all the meanes and worthynesse of our Saluation consisteth in righteousnesse not that righteousnesse whiche we receaue by imputation from Christ through fayth but that same which euery maÌ„ maketh peculiar to him selfe by his owne purchase through workes Or els as the Schoolemen of your old Gospell do professe who bablyng very much about Iustification haue decreéd at the length that it must be taken two maner of wayes one way which is obteyned before any workes be done through grace geuen freély as they say as in Infantes beyng Regenerated by Baptisme The other in elder yeares through great store and perfectioÌ„ of workes That is to say through the resistyng of the froath enticementes of sinne dayly subduyng therof which they call in their phrase of speach Grace making acceptable or acceptyng Grace And although good workes doe not bryng to passe that first Iustification yet they do geue the second maner of Iustifieng the grace of God workyng together with the same which doth minister strength sufficient as well to worke stoutly as to striue agaynst the very stynges and prickes of the flesh effectually so that it may not onely be possible to lyue cleare froÌ„ deadly sinne but also to atteine to be Iustified peâ— Congruum Condignum You knowe well enough these fayre flowers Osorius if I be not deceaued and glorious speculatioÌ„s of your old Diuinitie Whiche how agreably seéme to accorde with your old Gospell I know not Sure I am that Christ neuer knew this Gospell the Apostles neuer taught it nor the EuaÌ„gelistes no nor the approued auncient Catholicke Fathers had euer any smatche thereof Nay rather Christ Paule the Apostles and EuaÌ„gelistes and auncient Doctours of the Church when soeuer they treated of Saluation and of lyfe euerlastyng do endeuour nothyng more seriously theÌ„ that seueryng our workes from the cause of Iustification altogether they might dispoyle vs wholy of Confidence of our owne sauetie and so referre vs ouer to the onely mercy of God who onely geueth the kyngdome of heauen not for any our deseruynges but for his promise sake onely But we haue sayd enough herein Let vs now proceéde to other cauillatioÌ„s of this troublesome trifler though it be somewhat greéuous and as neare as we may if we caÌ„ not all yet let vs briefly and orderly cut of the toppes of them There is no man that will geue him selfe to any good workes if he haue once heard Luther for his Schoolemaister c. Whereas Luther doth not take vpon him the person of a Schoolemaister nor hath challenged to him selfe the dignitie of high deske nor euer taught any Schooles of new factioÌ„s nor euer lead any trayne of Scholers but amoÌ„gest other Christians followed alwayes Christ the common Schoolemaister And was neuer knowen to haue vttered any other doctrine theÌ„ that whiche he receaued of Christ what should moue this quarellsome Docâ—or to reproch him with this enuious title of maister Many good and vertuous men haue heard Luthers preachyng but no man as I suppose acknowledged him for his Maister For that neéded not for through all Christendome in Uniuersities and common Schooles are whole droues of Maisters scattered abroad as though they dropped out of the Troiane horse Whom we doe heare also wheÌ„ they teach what they teach I will not here stand to discusse nor I make any estimate thereof The Christians did sometymes heare the Scribes and Phariseés teachyng in Moyses chayre neither doth the Apostle forbyd vs But that may take a tast of all doctrines but pet so tast them as we hold fast nothyng but that which is good If Luther teach any doctrine of his owne imaginatioÌ„ him selfe refuseth to be beleued therin but if the teach the doctrine of Christ and those thynges which he hath sucked out of the sweéte iuyce of Christes Gospell I beseeche you Syr doth he therfore professe him selfe a Maister to Scholers or a Scholer rather to his Maister Christ And therfore this scornefull title of schoolemaister wherewith ye reproche him is a scoffe more fitte for a common Rufâ—ian then a Deuine surely altogether vncomely and vnseémely for a Byshop But whereas ye pronounce that Luthers Auditory haue not geuen them selues to
your stoughtnes herein But because I neuer chaunced to see anye such Gospelles I do earnestly desire you O holy father for the loue ye beare to S. Fraunces to S. Bruno Finally for the loue of that fifth and euerlasting Gospell which the Dominick Fryers not long sithence beganne at Paris in the yeare of our Lord 1256. in the tyme of Pope Alexander the iiij That your holines will not be squeimish to acquaynte me what maner of gospells those be of Luther Melanchton Bucer Caluine c. whereof you make mencion If you can shewe none such it remayneth therefore that we hang vppe this accusation also vpon the file of your other staūderous lyes so long vntill in your next false inuectiues you acquite you of this cryme We haue heard touching the Gospelles Let vs now seé the fayth of hys Church Which he vaunteth franckly not to be of many coates but one Vniforme not lately risen vp and ioyned with vayne confidence but deliuered from the Apostles themselues not depraued with any peeuish interpretation or corruption of madde or franrick usage Go to and what if in like phrase of speeche I make euident that Luthers fayth was one and vniforme yea the same that all the Catholicke fathers of the primitiue churche did professe not start vppe yesterday or for a few dayes agoe not grounding vpō any variblenes nor toste to and fro by any vnsteadfast assurance but proclaymed by the Apostles themselues and wholly cleared from all madnesse and outrage What if I shall shewe playnely that all these quallities be in Luthers fayth what shall remayne then but that Osorius shall become a Lutherane whether he will or no if it be one vniforme fayth that he so much esteémeth or if he hold a contrary fayth then must he needes proue an open lyar But Osorius will not credite my wordes which I shall speake touching Luther and why then shall I creditte Osor speaking for his owne fayth namely sithe he voucheth nothing in proofe but bare wordes But if the truth thereof shall be decyded not with wordes but with substanciall matter by howe many euident demonstrations shall I be able to Iustifie that there is nothing in Luthers fayth but is agreable with the truth and the Auncient age of the primitiue Church in euery poynt And that in Osorius fayth be many thinges whiche do not onely vary cleane frō thē both but are also manifestly repugnaunt and contrary to them both But let vs drawe neere to the matter The fayth that you professe is vniforme you say If by this generall word Fayth you meane the Articles of the common Creéde forasmuch as there is no Churche of the Lutheranes but doth professe the same as well as you I seé no cause here why you should challenge a more speciall prerogatiue in vniformitie in this poynt then the Lutheranes And I would to God the Fayth of your Church would stay it self with the Lutheranes vpon those Articles onely where doughtles is matter sufficient enough for our saluation But now how many by hangers do you couple to this vniforme common Creéd how many new straunge stragglers bussardly blynde and vnknowne Raggmalles to the Auncient fathers And so couple them together as thinges most necessary to mans Saluation and for these also keepe a greater coyle then for the very articles of the Creéde Wherof we shall treate more at large in place fitt for it by Gods grace And therefore whereas you say that you obserue one vniformitie of fayth I would first learne what poynts you do ground this vniformitie vpon For although I may not deny but that in certayne Decrees and Decretalles is a certeine consent and agreément of conspiring doctrine such a one as it is yet if a mā will thoroughly sist many of thē wherein Luther doth dissent frō you he shall easily perceaue that Luth. hath not so much swarued from your vniformitie as your fayth is raunged altogether out of the right pathe of the true Christian fayth from the doctrine of both Testamentes from the Apostles and Prophetts yea and from the footsteppes of the Fayth of your owne predecessors of Rome whereby appeareth euidently that this fayth which you so gloriously vaunt is not auncient but new fangled not deliuered from the Apostles but patched together with mens Tradicious not grounded vpon any certaynty but full of vayneglorious braggery finally not vniforme but of many shapes and vtterly a Bastard vnlike the true vniformitie of Fayth Such as procure to themselues so many hyreling aduocates patrones and intercessours in heauen besides the onely Sonne of God Such as do worhip God otherwise then in spirite and truth with alters superalters Images Pictures Signes Formes and Shapes grauen in wood and in marble Such as before God do hunt after true righteousnes by other meanes and merytes then by onely fayth in the Sonne of God or do apply to themselues the effectuall grace of his great liberalitie otherwise then by this only Fayth Such as do promise Remission of Sinnes by any other meanes to themselues or to others but through the onely bloudshed of the Immaculate Lambe Such as with the price of pardons do sel that to others which Christ gaue freely Such as do dayly sacrifice him for the quick and the dead who by one onely oblation once for all did make attonement for all things in heauen and in earth such as make to thēselues a way passable to the kingdome of God life euerlasting by any other meanes and wayes to witte thorough the merites of Saintes through vowes Masses orders and Rules and through straightnes of profession by the merite of holy orders humble confessions mens absolutions and satisfactions through building of Abbyes and such other trumpery barganing as it were with God for merite meritorious and not for the onely death of Christ crucified for vs Such as do thrust into Churches other Sacramentes then Christ dyd euer Institute and commaund to be kept Such as robbe that lay people of one part of the sacrament contrary to the ordinaunce of the church and in the other part leaue nothing but that which can be no where els then in heauen and which if were present naturally ought not to be ministred as meate according to the veritie of the scriptures All these I say and an infinite table more of the same hiewe cleane contrary to the scriptures Such as do retayne in fayth mayntayne in vse clogge consciences withall and proclayme to be obserued in their Temples how dare they be so shamelesse to vaunt an obseruing of one vniforme Fayth agreéing with the Prophettes and Apostles vndefiled and cleare from all spotte of Noueltie or wrinckle of deformytie Wherfore you must either cōuince all these patcheries to be falsly burdened vpon your Church as I haue rehearsed them or els you must needes confesse that your fayth is neyther vniform nor Auncient nor sprong vppe with the Apostles nor yet consonaut to sound
measure without end raging vpon the bodyes vpon the goodes vpon all ages indifferently young and olde men women and children and all sexe and degrees of people yea of them also which doe confesse and professe the same Christ the eternall Sonne of God whō they do why do they broyle moyle and turmoyle all thinges with such cankred Ranckor with such furious outrage with so many dead corpses pilladge polladge as that all peacible tranquillitie beyng now vtterly taken away from out of al Christian natiōs there is no part thereof be it neuer so small which is not eyther crusht downe with more cruell and sauadge persecution then any Turke would haue vsed or at least that had not rather lyue vnder the Tyranny of the Turk then vnder the Iurisdiction of such a church What can it possibly enter into anye mans thought that these are the fruites of the holyghost or are guyded to the leading and conduct of our most meeke Sauiour Iesu Christ If you haue grounded such an indefesible confidēce vpon the truth of your cause if you stand so defensible by the protection of the holyghost agaynst all assaultes and attemptes of heretiques why then with a safe conscience and vndaunted courage do ye not committe your cause to the Lord the protector of the same and rest your selues assured vnder his sauegard following herein the good and godly councell of Gamaliell If the doctrine sayth he be not of God it will easely shiner in peeces though all the world seeke to vphold it Now this so great slaughter bootchery so great horror of Sauadge brutishe crueltie so execrable Phalarisme and Tyrāny from whatsoeuer authour it raungeth so rudely it sauoreth nothyng at all of the sweéte and amyable countenaunce of the holy Ghost surely nor of the naturall lenitie and humilitie of the Euangelicall doctrine But which he addeth last of all is of all the rest most magnificēt and Triumphaunt promising assuredly of the euerlastyng victory of his Churche that it shall remayne inuincible for euer For euen thus he speaketh wherein he seémeth in my conceite to differre very litle from that foolishe reioysing of a people mentioned in the Apocalipse who worshyppyng that same very Romishe Beast vndoughtedly did ascribe vnto her that vnuanquishable power of continuaunce euen by a like phrase of speach Who is like to the Beast say they and who is able to fight agaynst her And this much hitherto of the fayth the Church of Rome It ensueth next in order that we heare henceforth of the great Uicare of Christ somewhat and of the high and chief gouernour of the Church Bycause sayth he by the Gospell and testimony of Martyrs and the fayth and agreement of all holy Fathers Is there any more yet Finally we haue knowe the same by experience and proofe of thynges c. Goe to And what is it that you did know good Syrs That it could not possibly be that the Churche should be one vnlesse it haue one chief head the same highe Vicare of Christ. It is well and what doe ye conclude vpon this strong Reason at the last Forsooth that for this cause we yelde most humble obedience to the Byshop of Rome who is Christes Vicare vpō the earth c. Good GOD what doe I heare Osorius haue you pyked such a kynde of doctrine out of the Gospell and the Recordes of the Martyrs that there must neédes be one Churche on the earth wherein also of necessitie much be such a head as must beare chief principallitie rule and superioritie ouer all the rest In deéde if you meane this of Christ I am wholy on your side For he in very truth is the onely husbād of his onely spouse and Prince of Princes and the very head of all thynges without exception he onely is the highest and greatest of all But whereas you prouide two Princes for the Churche at one tyme together as it were an office committed vnto two persons wherof the one may supply the place of the other as though the other might in the meane tyme lye vpon one side doing nothyng I pray you good honest men did you euer learne this rule in the Scriptures Nay rather doth not the Gospell of Christ whereas it cōmaundeth all men to obedience and subiection prescribe that the Ministers of the Church aboue all others chiefly should cast away all Souereigntie and Lordlynes and should be contented with pouertie in so much that amongest the Apostles them selues it would admitte to superioritie Moreouer doth not Christ him selfe also throughout the whole Euangelistes very earnestly stirre vppe his Ministers to follow his example who was him selfe so farre of from desiryng any superioritie as that he refused the same vehemētly when it was offered would he thinke you Osori like well of such brabbling as we make now a dayes amongest our selues for Lordshyps and dignities And can you so boldly now take vpon you to be Proctour for this high Monarchy to be established in your Church cōtrary to the example of Christ defendyng the title therof by the Gospell and the Recordes of Martyrs contrary to the example of Christ him selfe and the prescript rules of his Gospell and yet in the meane tyme not vouch so much as one text out of the Gospell or the Histories of the Martyrs to make your party good Although I am not ignoraunt altogether that you haue certeine Sentences and wordes in the Gospell which by wringyng wrestyng you doe accustome to force to your purpose whether the Gospell will or no yet for as much as Haddon hath sufficiently enough aūswered those places in the first booke sith also nothyng can be superadded hereto that hath not already bene spoken it shal be but neédelesse to rubbe that gall my more But what he meaneth by Martyrs or what kinde of Martyrs he vnderstandeth I can not well perceaue If his meanyng respect those first auncient Martyrs of the Primitiue Church surely we haue ouer fewe monumentes of them left vnto vs yet none at all makyng ought for that Romishe Sinagogue But if you conceaue of the Martyrs of this later age in our dayes I am well assured that not onely the monumentes but the very bloud of thē also doth long sithence cry vnto the heauēs for vengeance against that vnconquerable Ierarchy of yours I speake here of true Martyrs And as to the Fayth and agreément of holy men vnlesse ye ioyne also hereunto a perpetuall consent of places and tymes generally and the truth also withall ye shall no more preiudice our cause then if you tell me of the consent and agreément of the Iewes cryeng out agaynst Christ Crucifige Crucifige And therfore in my conceipt your shall doe farre better if in steéde of this consent of men whereupō you bragge so lustely ye follow the counsell of Augustine Let not this be heard amongest vs sayth he This say I this say you but thus sayth
such vniforme order as that they might not vary from amongst themselues in some poynt or other by the space of so many hundred yeares For looke how many conuenticles of orders be amongest them so many factions are they The Dominickanes do not agreé with the Mynorites nor the Benedictines with the Barnardines Yea euery particuler faction is many tymes dyuided in it selfe The Obseruauntes do hate the Coletes The Couent Fryers a third kynde vnlike to the other two doth enuy them both hereunto if you list to adde the Iangling opiniones of the Schoolemen how great warres are commonly betwixt the Scotistes and the Thomistes about Congresum and Condignum touching originall Sinne in the blessed Uirgine about solemne vowes and simple vowes betwixt the Camonistes And the Scholemen touching auriculer cōfession which th one part affirmeth was established by man the other part doth say that it was ordayned by God The olde brabble about Nominales and Reales is knowne of euery body common and stale now In fine what man is able to rehearse the maners of diuisiones whereof as euery particuler sect hath hys Patrone So euery Patrone hath his seuerall assertiones whiche are quite contrary to others So doth Thomas de Aquino dissent from Peter Lombard Occam cannot agreé with Scotus Haliensis opugneth Occam Albert Pighius Impugneth Cardinal Caietaue And to speake nothing of other things in the one onely matter of the Lordes Supper how variable are the controuersies and opiniones of their owne fraternities whiles some teache that Christ is present flesh bloud and bone others vtterly deny that othersome ascribe vnto him a body of dimensiones others otherwise some say that the body is torne with the teéthe of the communicants at the tyme of the communion others are to squeimish at that they cānot abyde it There be some agayne that say that the body of Christ is consecrated by the deuine operation And that by this Pronowne hoc the bread is noted others had rather to call it indiuiduum Vagum Some thinke that Myse may gnawe the body of Christ truely and in deede which others Iudge to be to grossely spoken Some are of opinion that the accidentes of bread and wyne may nourish many do deny that say that the Substance of the bread remayneth But these thinges may seeme but very trifles I will come now to the very secrette closett and of this Seé and will treat now not of the externall schismes and deuisions of Friers Moncks and opinions but of the very Seé of the Bishop of Rome it selfe For the first creation whereof how soeuer Osorius paynt it out in wordes as that it was erected not by any pollicy of man but by the power of the holy ghost yet hath he vouched for proofe thereof not so much as a sillable out of the holy Scriptures yea though he did yet should he gett no more thereby then if he cast his capp against the wynde for although in the first booke some reasons wrongfully wrested seeme to haue bene gathered by him to this effect out of the holy scriptures yet those haue bene both learnedly and playnely confuted by our Haddon already Yet because there is now nothing touched els then that whiche doth magnifie that holy Tabernacle onely it may be lawfull for me with as good leaue to set downe myne opinion also touching the same See Which Seé in that case wherein it standeth now a daies I may boldly tearme to be not an holy sacred Seé but a deadly Secte rather not the mother church but the Metrapolitane of all vnsaciable couetousnes not instituted by Christ but purchased by ambitiō raysed by fraud armed with power and force of mighty Monarches defended with bloud and boochery which carrieth a resemblaunce not of true Peace but an horrible vysor of discention which doth not aswage cōtenciouse and troublous sectes but which is rather an vncessaūt whirlewinde and troublesome Tempest of the whole world Finally is nothing els how great soeuer it is but a very naturall Secte for if thys word Secte do take his name as deriued from the word Sectari in what one place throughout the whole scriptures are there any names Seés or Tytles of any person set down for a patterne for vs to imitate and followe but the onely example of Christ the sonne of God Although Paule did rebuke the Corint as backsliders from Christ and that worthely which called thē selues some after the name of Peter some of Paule and some of Apollo considering that they were all members of one Christ what cōmunication would the same Paule vse now to the Romanistes who glory so much vpon the chayre of Peter and the succession thereof Peter sate at Rome say they and what matter is it where Peter sate or where he stoode so that Christ sitte in our hartes And what if I deny Osorius that Peter euer sate at Rome by what argument will you iustifie that he sate there or if one or too small stories perhappes fauour your cause I will proue for one tenne to the contrary which perhappes you shall not so easily confute But to admitte that he sate at Rome what is it to the purpose where Peter sate more then where he walked vnlesse in your conceipte Peter seeme more holy sitting then walking or whā he sate at Rome then whē he walked at Cesaria But he sate in such wise at Rome say you as bearing Souereigntie in Rome O wonderfull and inuincible defence But I pray you graunt vnto vs that Rome is now in the same estate that it was when Peter sate there Such Tirannous Emperors and such Martyrs And I will surely wonder if the Pope of Rome would euer craue for such a souereigntie yea though it might be geuen him But let vs returne agayn to Sectes and tumultes because the question doth properly cōcerne those matters And therefore forasmuch as your tongue vaunteth so gloriously of your deépe knowledge in tryall experience and knowledge of the chaunges and chaunces of this world and of Auncient Antiquitie wherein you bragge not a little that you are not vnskilfull surely you could haue alleadged nothing more directly against your selfe then this same and more properly to serue to the truth of our cause for that no one thing hath terrified vs from pertaking with the fraternitie of that Chayre of pestilence more then the very same that wee haue long sithence found true confirmed herein by our owne knowledge and dayly experience Namely that Brambles and Briars of tumultes Scismes do not fructifie and take so deépe root in any prouince or Nation in the world as within the Iurisdiction of this your Romish Ierarchie And as I haue spoken somewhat already of other their trinckettes so will I now touch a little of the very Toppe Gallaunte of their Pontificall Shippe Let any man of sound Iudgemēt take a full and perfect view of all the vsage of the church of Rome as it is now and
onely begynnyng And that the pope of Rome onely if we may beleéue the Popes Parasites must now be Lord of Lordes and Kyng of Kynges to whoÌ„ is due the fulnes of all power more then Princely authoritie ouer all maner of subiectes All which beyng so vndoughtedly true ratified with the generall consent of all Historiographers that no man can be able to deny it I beseéch you Osorius by your beautyfull foreheaded if you haue not rubbed all shamefastnes away from it where is shame become where is fayth where is Catholicke obedience so many tymes bragged vpon by you wherewith you affirme boldly that you do not refuse the commauÌ„dement of any lawfull authoritie for the coÌ„futation of which wordes of yours what shall I say vnto you so much as the liues of them whoÌ„ you defend most do most of all bewray you to be a great lyar though I held my peace Chronicles and Hystories are full of examples complainyng of no one thyng more greéuously then of a certeine singular continuall and vnappeasable rebellion of this your holy order agaynst the lawfull Magistrates Call to remembraunce Osorius how discretly and humbly Pope Iohn the 12. of that name behaued him selfe who conspiryng first with Berengarius the 3. afterwardes agayne with his sonne most trayterously supported their treachery agaynst Otto the first beyng the lawfull Magistrate And how afterwardes beyng sommonned to the Councell by the Emperour he disobeyed his lawfull commaundement and refused to come And for that cause beyng deposed from his Ecclesiasticall function by the generall consent of the whole Councell did not yet so geue ouer his trayterous practizes agaynst the lawfull Maiesty Anno. 963. It would make a great Uolume to gather together all the seditions and contentions one after other that happened betwixt the Emperoures the Popes afterwardes I will here there touche and runne ouer some as many as shall suffice for the present purpose And first of all What shall I speake of Gregory the 7. of whom I can neuer speake sufficiently enough Who after that he had contrary to the auncient Decreés and receaued custome of the Elders wrested wroong out of the handes of the Emperour Henry the 4. all right of chusing the Pope of disposing the promotions of the Church of callyng Councels not satisfied as yet with this horrible treason agaynst the Imperiall Maiestie Rusheth moreouer most furiously like a brute sauadge Tyger agaynst the Emperour his own person thundereth out excommunications agaynst him dispencing with his subiectes for their Oathe of allegiance which they had sworne vnto him what shall I say that this most arrogaunt Mastigo would scarse after threé dayes admit to come within the walles of Canusium the Emperour him selfe with his Empresse and young Sonne threé dayes I say submittyng them selues bare-footed and barelegged in frost and snow at the gates of the Citie And yet beyng not herewith contented did notwithstanding not absolute him from his fault which was none at all without doing a whole yeares penauÌ„ce Besides all this the greédy Cormoraunt beyng not yet with all these reprochefull iniuries fully gorged became so monstruously madd as to prouoke by all meanes possible Rodolphe Duke of Sueâ—ia to driue him out of his Empire in the yeare 1074. Not long after this Gregory succeéded Vrbane 2. Pascalis wherof the one did teaze Conrade sonne heyre of the same Emperour by his first wife to wage warre agaynst his naturall Father the other after that Conrade was slayne enlured Henry the 5. his other sonne vnto like outrage agaynst his own Father the Emperour In the yeare 1300. O miraculous and Catholicke reuerence towardes the higher powers to speake nothyng in the meane tyme of the warres that Pascalis mainteyned agaynst Ptolome and Stephen Cursus a Romane Citizen of great power and agayne how the same Pope prouoked Anselme Archb. of Canterbury to pricke proudely and insolently agaynst Henry 1. Kyng of England After the death of the Emperour Henry the 4. succeéded in the Empire HeÌ„ry the 5. who beyng no more courteously entreated of Pascalis and Gelasius 2. and of Albert Arch. of Meniz through whose deadly practizes and infinite seditioÌ„s the Emperour beyng throughly worne out was driueÌ„ at the last to that extremitie that maugre his hart he must agreé to the Popes commaundement yeld to his will stand to his courtesie and deliueryng ouer the preéminence of the Imperiall scepter was coÌ„strained of necessitie to thrust his necke into the yoake of the Ponrificall tyranny 1122. By meanes of which submission and yeldyng of Henry 5. it is scarse credible to be spoken how monstruously these holy Fathers raysed their crestes what outragious atteÌ„ptes they practized afterwardes whereby they might bryng to passe to haue the Empire vtterly troden vnder their feéte which them selues had miserably wasted and taken out of the Emperours handes before and withall how they might reteigne vnto them selues the authoritie of the keyes of the whole Church wherof they had vnlawfully likewise dispoyled the Emperour preteÌ„ding an authoritie from aboue geuen vnto them by Christ him selfe whereby they were made Lordes my Iudges of all Churches Byshops Pastours Kyngs finally Lordes of whole ChristeÌ„dome in all causes aswell Ecclesiasticall as Temporall WhereupoÌ„ they enforced the Byshoppes to purchase their Election at the popes handestand to these keyes they annexed freé and absolute power to ordeyne dispence with and to coyne new lawes the breach and violatyng of the which must be taken for as haynous offence as if they had Sinned agaynst the holy Ghost according to the Decreé of Demasus For euen so they spake of them selues besides this also they armed them selues with those terrible gunneshottes of Excommunications of Decreés enioynyng of penaunce and cursinges and withall did rake vnto them selues a certeyne Heauenly power out of the very Heauens and exercized the same vpon the earth so that from thence forth no humane creature might be so hardy as once to mutter agaynst this new vpstart Peacocke whereupon the Decretalles of Gratian had bestowed no small plumes of gay glitteryng feathers euen now hatched and peépyng abroad at the first to establish an absolute monarchy power by the Decreés Councels of Byshops of let purpose as it were to ouerthrowe the Maiesty Imperiall Now these holy Fathers beyng thus throughly garded with this munition and engynes hauyng also subdued the highest power of the world do begyn to bende their force agaynst the Inferiour powers Potentates And first Innocent 2. choppes away at one blow the auncient order dignitie of Senatours of Rome and doth besiege Rogerius in the Castell of Gallucius in the yeare 1130. How execrable the insolency was of Alexander 3. the Cardinalles agaynst Fridericke Barbarossa agaynst whom beyng their liege Lord most worthy Emperour besides horrible thuÌ„derâ—rakes of curses they raysed all Italy and the Venetians is
vppe and theyr goods and possessions haled away the deuotion of ceremonies and Religion of Churches defyled Images Pictures Crosses and altars broken in pieces and troden vnder foot the holy ordinaunces Lawes and traditions of the Churche abrogated finally no hope of true deuotion nor any freedom of wil to be left souÌ„d safe Where in this life nothing is left so holy but is defiled with some spot no abilitie of will so great which is not yoaked fast with fatall and vnauoydable Necessity All which so many in this wise disordered rent torne a suÌ„der by the Lutherans albeit do moue many mens harts to rue Yet Osorius of his ouerflowing abouÌ„dauÌ„ce of patieÌ„ce coÌ„staÌ„cy could take all this in much more better part and be lesse a greeued thereat if he could be perswaded that the losse and ouerthrow of those things might agree with the safety of the Church and the maiesty glory of the Gospell But now perceiuing the matter to fall contrary hereupoÌ„ he is both greuously and with good cause offended with these Sectaries Lutheranes who hauing vndertaken so great a Charge as to restore to the former health integritie the disciplyne of the Church being greuously syck weakned hath so performed no iote at all of that their promise as that all thinges rather become worse and worsse and the new supplies farre more ill fauoured weake then the olde buildinges But how will this right reuerend father proue his saying to be true at the last For sooth whereas the purity of the Gospell and the whole meanes of reforming the Church consisteth in this that men maye be taught to leaue the beholding of earthly thinges and rayse vppe their mindes vnto heaâ—en to embrace modesty to be endued with an earnest desire to liue chastely to yelde due obedience first to the Church afterwardes to the princes Magistrates temporall to prepare themselues a way into heauen by meekenes patienee grauity constancy and other heauenly vertues These I say and other heaueÌ„ly ornaments like vnto these if would appear either in their churches where they teach or in the maners of them which are professours of their doctrine No man could be ignoraunt then what men might iudge of this newe Gospell and the fruit thereof But now whereas he doth playnely see that the professors of this new Gospell are not onely not made better but also much worsse and much more filthy of theyr conuersation as amongst the which lust rageth more outragiously vnpunished presumption of minde more readye to committe all manner haynousnesse more vproares and much more troublesome more theeuery moreouer more conspiracies against Princes finally more horrible atteÌ„ptes if Report be true be hard to be euery where the worlde may easily iudge by these so manifold and so great tokens that these men haue entred vpon a vayne enterprise vndertaken much fruitlesse labour in that lameÌ„table moilyng of thinges which they haue subuerted c. Behold here gentle Reader though not euery word yet the force and effect of euery word fully set downe and the whole purport of Osorius Inuectiue vnlesse I be deceaued All whose superfluous and neédeles bablyng whereas he might haue concluded together in one Sillogisme yet this idle trifler chose rather to come aloft with Peacocklike ruffling of his Rhetoricall plumes blazed abroad after a sort and to swell in brauery of eloquence In the which he hath placed the whole mayne battery of hâ—s eloquence with shotte and powder and by all meanes possible els to beate downe if he can the gladsome light of the glorious Gospell of Christ. But all in vayne for mightier is the force of the Veritie enuironed about with heaueÌ„ly garrison theÌ„ that it can be dasht out of countenaunce with Irishe hooboobbes or wandryng crakes of loftie speaches Let Osorius bende and enforce all the cramps and artillery of his eloquence and shoot of all his powder and shotte yet is this cause of more power theÌ„ can be vanquishable with such smoakes These be but Apsen leaues Osorius which you haue scattered abroad meére slaunders swollen and puft vp with rancour and malice You must gather a fresh supply or els fleé the field Where the chiefe trust of your fortresse is crazed and faultie there the more you teaze the aduersary the sooner wil he make a breache vpon you you shall be lesse able to endure his assault You say that these wonderfull men took vpon theÌ„ a very great and daungerous enterprise And who bee these wonderfull men whom you note The Captaines I thinke of these Euangelicall affaires Luther Melancthon Bucer Zuinglius Caluine Haddon and other like sproughtes and issues of the same plantes And why doe ye not ioyne in nomber with them Paule Peter Iohn all the Apostles and Prophetes nay rather Christ him selfe the authour and grauÌ„de Captaine of this Gospellâ— For as much as the other neuer atteÌ„pted any thing but vnder their conduct and staÌ„dard Go to and what is that so great and perillous an enterprise that this lusty gallants of the Gospell haue entred vpon may a man be so bold to know it First bycause they tooke vpon them the Cure of the wounded Christian Church I do heare you but you haue not declared yet who they were that wounded her first But abroad with your peddlers packe Moreouer that they would settle the Gospell in her auÌ„cient renowme and Maiestie that they would restoare the auncient earnest zeale to godlynes the abouÌ„daunce of Charitie and that desire to lyue the heaueÌ„ly life wherein the Churche florished in the Apostles tyme That the Gospell beyng cleansed and the superstitions thereof wholy rooted out they would reuiue the liuely sprankes of the auncient Church being vtterly extinct c. Truly if these notable men did take this enterprise vpoÌ„ theÌ„ if euer they made any such promise if they made any such vowe or oathe that they would bryng these thynges to passe I confesse they vndertooke a very great and hard enterprise in deéde But where did you euer Read any such matter in all their bookes or which of them did euer make any such promise of him selfe Tell the truth Osorius was this any promise of theirs or a false forged deuise of your own was it their bragge or the vnshamefastnes of your slaunder was euer any man yet so madd as to conceaue in his secret imagination or to dare to make any such promise to reforme the Gospell then the which no one thyng in the world can be more sincere and pure When Luther began first to peépe abroad he attempted agaynst the Popes Pardons somewhat franckly yet modestly notwithstandyng not so much allured there unto by any his own motion as prouoked by necessitie of coaction nor yet offryng any challenge but beyng iniuried first and almost wearied out with the importunacie of others Afterwardes beyng for that same cause coÌ„uict by Leo theÌ„ Pope of Rome he purged him selfe but very humbly
doth lye in all his Bookes Hereof therefore canne not be denyed but that he writeth Bookes Or els how could he lye in his bookes if he wrote no bookes at all And yet neither did Luther in that Article affirme symply that the righteous man doth sinne in euery good worke But annexing thereunto an exception conditionall he doth qualifye the sharpenesse of the proposition expounding himselfe with the testimonies of Gregory and Augustine on this wise If God proceed in his iudgement sayth he straightly without all consideration of mercy Meaning hereby not that God should take good workes from righteous men but should despoyle works of that perfection which of it selfe were able to counteruayle the cleare iudgement of God so that the perfection of our righteousnes consist not now in doing well but in acknoledgement of our owne Imperfection and humble confessing the same For this do we heare Augustine speake Vertue sayth he wherewith man is now endued is so farre forth called perfect as the true and humble acknowledgement of mans owne imperfection ioyned with an vnfayned confession of the same doth make it to be accepted for perfect Now what poyson lurketh here I beseéch you worshippfull Syr Unlesse perhappes you thinke thus that because God doth not commaund impossibilities for this cause they that be regenerated may in this life accomplish the law of God fully and absolutely and that your selfe be of the number of them which in this life abcomplish all righteousnes throughly If you thinke thus of your selfe what better aūswere shal I make you then the same which Constantine the great did on a time nippingly to Acesius a Nouatian who denyed that such as were fallen could rise agayne by repentaunce Set vppe your Ladders quoth he and clymbe you vppe to heauen alone Acesius Furthermore where you are wont to obiect in this place impossibilitie of performing the law surely this doth not so much empaire Luthers assertion nor helpe your presumptuousnes sithence Augustine doth aunswere you sufficiently in Luthers behalfe All the cōmaūdemēts of God saith he are thē reputed to haue bene performed when whatsoeuer is left vndone is pardoned And in his booke de perfectione iustitiae debating this question whether the commaundements of God were possible to be kept he doth deny that they be possible to be kept But he affirmeth that neither in this life they be possible to be kept nor to keep them commeth of nature but of the heauenly grace But hereof hath sufficiently bene spoken already before so that it shall not beé needfull to do the thing that is done already It remayneth next now that we enter into the discourse of the holy ceremonyes decreés and ordinaunces of the Church because he complayneth for the suppressing of these also wherein what iust cause he hath to complayne shall hereby apeare If we consider duly and aright the auncient ordinaunces and determinations of the primitiue Church Amongest which auncient ordinaūces of the Church I suppose this was establshed That no man should be abridged from freédome to marry and from eating all kinde of meates fish or flesh as euery man foūd himselfe best disposed It was an auncient ordinaunce also that aswell the lay people as priestes without exception should communicate vnder both kindes the bread and the wine And that nothing should be redde in the Churches besides the scriptures Moreouer that the Scriptures should be read openly to all persons generally in their mother toūg that euery man myght vnderstād it The auncient ordinaūces of the church did neuer admit any more sacramentes then two nor widdowes vnder threéscore yeéres old nor vouchsafed any that were but newly entred into the profession to beare any rule in the congregation nor any els but such as were knowne both godly and prayseworthy aswell for the soundnesse of theyr doctrine as for the continuall course of their liues It was an especiall prouiso of the auntient discipline that no one person should haue any more Cures the◠one nor should receiue out of any Church any greater contribution then should seéme sufficient for necessaryes onely and not to mayntayne prodigality and lust It was also an auncient custome amongst the elders that the newly professed should be applied to reading of lessones and singinge onely And the Priestes in the meane time should apply preaching of the word Amongest other aūciēt ordinaūces that Canon of the counsell of Nyce seémeth worthy to be placed here which prouided that the ouersight of all other churches should beé committed to threé or foure patriarches equally in such wise as that no preheminence of superiority should be amongst them but all to be equall in dignity Adde vnto this the generall discipline of the church which did not hang vpon one mans sleéue onely but was exercised indifferently in all places agaynst all notorions offences without respect of persons Now therefore where Osorius complayneth that the ordinaunces of the auntient and primitiue Church are taken away abolished herein he doth not amisse So do many godly personages more beside Osorius complayne very bitterly of the same But in the meane space I do maruaile much what monstruous deuise this Byshoppe coyneth agaynst vs who neither liketh with the abolishing of the auncient customes of the primitiue Church nor can in any respect disgest those men which do endeuour and desire onely to haue a generall reformation For to saye the trueth whereunto tendeth all the endeuour of those men whome Osorius here wringeth vpon so sharpely but that those auntient decreés and ordinaunces wherewith the Church of Christ was endued at the first might recouer agayne theyr former dignity from which they haue bene lamentably reiected If they could bring this to passe by any meanes nothing coulde please them better But if their harty desires attayne not wished Successe no men are more to be blamed for it Osorius then you your selues who vnder a deceauable and craftie vysor of antiquity practize earnestly and busily alwayes that no Monumēt of auncient antiquitie may remaine but haue forged vs a certeine new face of an vpstart Church with certeine straunge and newfangled Decreés and Decretalles which the true and auncient antiquitie if were alyue agayne would neuer acknowledge otherwise then as misbegotten Bastardes But to proceéde this Rhetoricall amplificatiō waxeth more hotte yet in more choler Moreouer neither contēted sayth he with the lamentable desolatiō of these thynges ye haue dispoyled mā of all freedome of will and haue bounde fast with a certeine fatall and vnauoydable Necessitie all the actoins and imaginations of men be they good and godly or be the perillous and pernitious cōtrary to Nature Reason and the law of God c. Touchyng the freédome of mans will and that fatall necessitie as Osorius tearmeth it bycause aunswere sufficient is made already before It shall be neédelesse to protract the Reader with a new repetition of matters spoken already To be brief and
to draw once somewhat nearer to the Epilogue of his notable Oration hauyng dispatcht that part of the accusation now wherein he hath discouered whatsoeuer hath bene spoyled by the Lutheranes he bendeth his eloquence to declare by the rest of his talke what supply hath come in for that which hath bene spoyled And here our proper fine Orator takyng a through and circumspect view of all thynges I warraūt you can espy no one thing of all that is reformed any thing prayseworthy nor any thyng in any respect aunswerable to the promises of these men who promising to cure the woundes and blemishes of the Church haue brought it into farre worse case more putrified and fuller of corruption And why so Bycause they do see that not onely the professours but the hearers also of this new Gospell are not onely not made better but defiled with many more haynous offences more prouoked to troublesome diuisions to venerous lust to theeuery and murther and to all other horrible practizes This is a stale deuise and an old practize of a pratyng Rhetorician that when thou seést thy selfe confounded with truth of matter to fleé forthwith to slaunderyng scoldyng and backbyting But to aunswere you somewhat hereunto What do ye note all the professours of the word Osorius or some particuler persons I thinke neither you will nor iustly can iustifie your saying agaynst all no more can ye agaynst many of them for as much as ye know not throughly the one halfe of our conuersations But if you thinke thus of some particuler person why do ye maruell so much at this sithence the state and condition of mans life attained neuer yet so perfect a felicitie but that there was alwayes iust cause of cōplaint agaynst the maners of many men and the worst part commonly were more in nomber thē the better Yea in Paradise it selfe sithence man and woman alone beyng but two onely could not liue long together in that humaine flesh without sinne how much lesse is this to be wondered in a multitude And yet in respect of those some persons whom you note as it were with a coale I know some also and could note them by name whose commendable conuersation of life I would rather chuse then all the holynes of all your Portingalls whatsoeuer vnlesse you demeane your selues more godly at home in Portingall then some of you lately behaued your selues here in England whom notwithstandyng I will not at this present openly diffame nor speake of them all that I know concealing their names of set purpose to the end your noble Nation shall not be infamed for their lewdenes by any reporte of myne And therfore let all that be Catholick be heauenly and Angelicke also for me And in this sort also had it bene as seémely for you good Catholicke Syr not to haue rusht so rudely with your vnmanerly penne agaynst them whose maners be altogether as farre from your knowledge as their names be As touchyng report what hath bene carried vnto you or what not I do not so much esteéme which as you know carrieth lyes for the more part rather then truth But admitte that the report be true marke yet I pray you how iniurious and slaūderous you are both in respect of the persons agaynst whō you do inueighe so much in respect of the cause which you do defende For wheras they do treate vpon Relligion and doctrine onely you apply all the action to life and maners without all cōsideratiō of the differēce betwixt these two For whereas Relligion is referred to God onely and maners respect mans state and condition properly hereby it commeth to passe that in that one nothyng ought to be permitted except it be most sincere and pure and in these other nothyng at all can be founde that is in any respect perfect Now if the order and course of mans life be not in all pointes correspondent to that absolute and exact rule of doctrine which we professe yet doth this neither countenaūce your errour nor preiudice the sinceritie of the Relligion that is taught out of the Gospell Wherfore this was altogether besides the cushian Osorius to raunge so lauishly agaynst men to speake so litle of the matter and substaunce of the question which concerned not mens maners but the pointes of doctrine properly But peraduenture this place serued here to the Rhetoricall commō place of vice and vertue taken out somewhere of some Oratours booke which perhappes you would haue cleane forgotten vnlesse you had furbushed it a fresh at this present Wherein notwithstandyng I do neither disallow your diligence much nor despise your Rhetoricall florishyng and beautifieng of righteousnesse For I know and confesse that this integritie of life which you commēde so highly apperteineth much to the dignifieng of the Church But yet this great boast maketh but small roast and serueth as litle to this present cause Which in deéde is this That a playne demonstration ought to haue bene made by the testimony of the Scriptures not what is pure or what is corrupt in mens maners but in the cōtrouersies of Relligion what is true and what is false Now if you be not so well furnished with Scriptures as to be able to debate throughly of the controuersies of Relligiō and therfore would conuerte your penne to this Rhetoricall kynde of cauillyng and scoldyng thē should you haue for seéne this much that this your hideous barkyng might at the least haue resembled the barking of those dogges that were trayned vppe lōg sithence in the Capitoll of Rome not to barke at honest Citizēs walking abroad in the day tyme but to driue away theéues gadders by night and to discouer thē with their barkyng But you so frame your accusation now I know not how preposterously ouerthwartly as that ye seéme more worthy to be noted for a Sycophant thē an accuser as one who passing ouer those lazye Drones and waspes which of all others chiefly ought to haue bene beaten away farre from the Hyues of the Church ye rush onely vpō thē altogether whose worthy trauailes if you were an honest man you would thinke neuer to be able to requite with cōdigne thankefulnes And yet in this your accusation agaynst them you do so enforce the whole bent of your Inuectiue and speach as that no part thereof at all carrieth any shew of truth nor agreément in it selfe First you doe say That these men tooke vpon them this enterprise of a great courage arrogancie and boldnesse whereby they promised to reforme the corrupt maners of the Church accordyng to her former auncient beauty and to bryng this to passe they bounde them selues by solemne oathe Which I haue already declared to be most vntrue yea the whole world witnessing same though I would hold my peace Yea annexe further That many ordinaūces well established in the Church first are taken away by them and abrogated Which also hath bene disproued to be no
but humble and prostrate Sinners onely truely and vnfaynedly repentaunt Sinners For otherwise such as raunge outragiously and willfully in their Sinnes nor are touched with any remorse of sorrowfull minde for their wickednes coÌ„mitted nor moued with any earnest desire to obtayne forgeuenesse vnto such I say Paule doth not bouchsafe to ascribe either Fayth or any righteousnesse at all no more doth Iames defraud the others which with repentauÌ„ce haue an earnest desire of Saluation of any part of IustificatioÌ„ No more do euen those which though be moued with neuer so great a remorse of Conscience obtayne any mercy at Goddes handes by any other meanes possibly then through onely fayth whiche is in Christ Iesu our Lord. Whereby you may perceaue sufficiently that in the Doctrine of Iustification all workes are excluded and Fayth onely weareth the gareland But that the meanyng of the Apostle may appeare more playnly to be so bold to vse schoole tearmes the predicatum must neédes agreé with his subiectum on this wise as where it is fayd that fayth onely doth iustifie this is true in deéde but whom Not the proud not the obstinate stubborne and outragious sinners but those sinners onely which stricken downe with an earnest acknowledgement of their sumes and entring into a serious meditation of amendement of lyfe doe most humbly flee vnto Christ through fayth euen with all their hartes Such that doe on this wise simply and vnfainedly repeÌ„t for Luther speaketh not a word of others if a man doe teach to be freely iustified through fayth onely agreéing herein with Paule with Iames and with Christ himselfe doth this man seéme in your eyes to teach a new Gospell or rather a most true and most most auncyent Gospell It were a tedious peéce of worke to runne ouer all the places of doctrine Let this be the summe to speake breefly Martine Luther did publishe many articles Iohn Caluine hath set forth his Institutions Melancthon hath made a collection of Common places the same also hath done Wolfg. Musculus Henry Bullenger hath written his Decades Peter Martyr hath made sundry commentaryes vpon the old Testament and the newe and discoursed notably vpon the Sacrament The same did before him Hulderick Zuinglius Iohn Oecolampadius Marine Bucer hath geuen vs many aunsweres and Apologies Emongest those may be placed the Apologie of Iohn Iuell no lesse famous and worthy Of Antichrist now openly and in good time discouered besides many other things hath Gaulter Rodulph compiled a treatise Of many other matters lykewise many writers haue treated largely Finally the professions and confessions of many natioÌ„s peoples prouinces Kingdomes Cities townes incorporate proclaymed published in writing through all their seuerall Churches by generall agreément conspiring and concluding all with one assent in one vndoughted trueth In all whose writinges monuments and confessions If you canne shew any thing new neuer heard of before or that is not auÌ„swerable and correspondent to the auncienty and doctrine of the Apostles I geue you here freé libertye to exclayme agaynst those doctours of the new Gospell as lowde and wyde as ye canne But if hitherto your selfe haue found no such matter nor euer shall be able to shew any such to what end raungeth this shamelesse vnbryveled impudency in matter so manifestly false You call it a new Gospell shamelesly enough yelding no reason that moueth you to call it newe Wherein you haue set before our eyes a very playn and euident demonsiration of your foolishe vanitye For if we should confesse the trueth in deéde to what purpose is all this brabble contentioÌ„ and discention emongest vs but for this onely matter because we do endeuonr to reclayme you that haue forsaken the true natiue simplicitye of the true and auncient Gospell roauing at randone after I can not tell what new-fangled straunge and imaginatiue deuises of mens traditions and are desirous to haue you come home to the auncient antiquitye of the true simple and pure Euangelick veritye agayne If any man shall doubt hereof and thinke this vntrue that I speake the apparant proofe is at hand Uouchsafe vs once this one petition that ye would be but willing to haue the Christian doctrine to recouer and returne to her auncient state and first institution euen the same state wherein it florished in those most auncient dayes of Christ and his Apostles weéding out by the rootes all that pilfe and baggage that hath ouergrowen the Churche since their departrue hence and wherewith they nor any of them were euer acquainted we will desire none other condicions or couenauntes of vnitie and attonement to be concluded vpon betwixt vs. Whereby the godly and indifferent reader may by this onely argument coniecture where those maisters doe lurke whome Osorius doth accuse of Noueltye Howbeit this nick-name of newe Gospellers wherewith the Catholickes doe obbrayd vs is no newe reproch For in lyke manner the Prophets in times past thapostles yea Christ himselfe were called New fellowes because they taught new doctrine Tertullian and Eusebius also do record that this nickname was vsually frequeÌ„ted eueÌ„ in the very swathling clowtes of the Church But they did easely deliuer themselues from that reproch of Nouelty Wherein albeit we haue not attayned so prosperous a successe as they did yet haue we yelded our endeuour in the same cause as farre forth as we trust the godly and indifferent reader will be satisfied and pleased withall I haue spoken now of our Antiquitie It remaineth that you aunswere lykewise Osorius as much as you may for your Antiquitye For it is agaynst all reason and iniuriously handled to exact a speciall accouÌ„pt of an others Antiquitye that can render no reason for your owne And therefore whereas this religion of yours which vnder visor of a true Church you do falsly call by the name of a Catholicke Church is ouâ—rwhelmed with infinite preceptes lawes and doctrines of men oppressed with innumerable decreés decretals extrauagantes Quintines Sixtines Ceremonies Traditions Rules Prescriptes Edictes Cannons and Synodalles Rites vowes and curses Let vs be certified therfore how much antiquitie is resiauÌ„t in the whole rabble of these your inuentions and deuises And to begyn at the very toppegallaunt of all your Religion that highe Prelate the Pope him selfe let vs first take a view of all his Titles by the which he is called to witte Uniuersall Byshop Prince of Priestes high and supreame head of the Church on earth Christes Uicare generall the onely Successour of Peter the most holy Father most Reuerend Byshop keépyng ioynte Consistory together with God the onely Monarche of the visible Church Byshop of Byshops These Titles and Additions of names I doe not enquire whether were euer named or heard of in the tyme of Christ or of his Apostles neither do I aske whether they were receaued into the Church in the tyme of Gregory sixe hundreth yeares after the AsceÌ„sion
haue taught They acknowledge him to be heauenly you make him earthly Theyr doctrine doth rayse vs from the earth vppe on high where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Your doctrine what doth it whereunto tendeth it whether doth it call the mindes of Christians but from aboue downeward out of heauen into the earth withdrawing the senses from the Spirite to the flesh So that we must seéke for Christ there not where he is but where you imagine him to be present The Apostle Paule when he preacheth vnto vs the liuely feature of this Christ who taking vpon him the shape of a Seruaunt suffered death in the same shape once for our sinnes vnder Pontius Pilate and afterwardes accomplishing the mistery of our redemption rose agayne for our iustification doth teach vs playnly that he ascended into heauen not leauing his body wherein he suffered behinde him here on earth but taking vpp the same body into heauen was with the same receiued into glory whom also he affirmeth he knew no more now according to his fleshlye presence that is to say according to the capacity of his carnall senses And that besides this Christ onely he knew none other Christ nor this Christ otherwise then according to the new creature onely namely visible in spirite with the eyes of fayth and not with fleshlye eies Let vs make now a comparison betwixt this Christ of our Gospell with that your Christ of the Pope in the same manner as you do fashion him and make a gaze of him to the eies and eares of the people after the order of your Gospel which seémeth to me to be after this manner not as hauing taken vpon him the shape of a seruaunt but the forme of bread is in the same forme of bread and vnder the accidents of bread made of wheat set out to the gaze of the people to be tooted vpon and is of Christians worshipped and offered to God the Father and this not once but dayly not vnder Pontius Pilate but vnder the Pope of Rome not a Sacrifice onely for the quicke but for the soules in Purgatory also to the washing away of theyr synnes Which Sacrifice being ended he is buried in deéd but buryed or rather drowned in the paunch of a priest from whence he neither riseth agayne nor ascendeth afterwardes but descendeth rather nor is euer looked for to come agayne from thence And this is that same Christ not the Euangelicall Christ but the Papisticall and poeticall Christ whom thought the Apostles or Euangelistes neuer knew yet must we be enforced will we nyll we to honor and worshippe neuerthelesse as the very Sauiour of the world forsooth Whom may not suffice to lift vppe hartes and mindes on high to him onely which dwelleth in heauen vnlesse we also lift vppe our fleshly eyes to this visible Christ and kneéle and crootche vnto him with great reuerence yea although the eyes themselues do behold nothing but bread and wine yet the eyes must lye and all the sences must be deceiued neither may in any wise be reputed other then verye herityques but in despyght of eyes and senses all we must of infallible persuasion of fayth firmely beleue that it is now no more bread and wine that is seéne But the bread and wine being thrust cleane on t of dores Chryst onely yea whole Christ doth possesse euery part of that place who though be not present in his owne naturall shape nor in the same proportion of body which he tooke of the Uirgine Mary yet in the selfe same nature trueth substaunce Identity notwithstanding vnder other formes forsooth and yet not figuratiuely but truely most absolutely perfectly and fully must in the same whole body and the same naturall blood be contayned felt seene and without all contradition worshipped These be the misteries of your diuinity as I suppose by the which you haue begotten vnto the world a new Christ I knowe not whom altogether an other Christ neuer borne of the Uirgine Mary doubtles whom the Gospell neuer knew nor the Apostles euer taught nor the Euangelystes euer saw I adde also whom neuer any of you hath seéne hetherto yet nor shall euer seé hereafter And yet these so wittelesse so dotish and monstruous deuises of drowsy dreames then which nothing can be spoken or imagyned more false and more monstruous you shame not at all to vaunt to be most auntient and most true as the Gabyonites of olde time did theyr shooes And for the same your Popish Christ made of bread you stick not to aduēture limm life more earnestly then for the true Glory of that Christ whom we do most certaynely know to be in heauen where also we do worshippe him And euen this doth your horrible butchery of an infinite number of our Martyres declare to be true by most plain and euident demonstration With the blood of whom because your holy mother the church seémeth so beastly dronken long sithence this one thing would I fayne learne of you what special cause was it that enforced you to vtter such outrage in the shedding of so much blood of your naturall brethren was it because they defrauded Christ the Sonne of God which was borne for our sakes crucified rose agayne ascended vp into heauē sitting now a Lord in heauē of one dramm so much of his due honor nothing lesse Was it because they abused or defiled the Gospel I thinke not so Was it because they brake the auntient ordinaūces and approued doctrine of the holy Apostles and Prophettes in any one thing or because they went beyond the bondes prescribed by the auntient fathers none of all these But the cause was for that they refused to allow of that newfangled and vpstart Idoll of the Popish Masse and that lately sprōg vppe Breadworshippe contrary to the doctrine of the Apostles yea contrary to Christ himselfe and because they would not in this behalfe be as furiously franticke as the Papistes themselues In the meane time we speake not this as though we were of opiniō that Sacramentes should be defrauded of theyr dewe honor For it is one thing to reuerence the Sacramentes accordyngly and an other thyng to conuert the Sacramente of Christ into Christ him selfe and to worshippe earthly Sygnes for the heauenly Christ in the one whereof is a kynde of Religion in the other manifest Idolatry To the whiche wanteth nothyng now but that they chaunt lustely together with Ieroboam These be thy Gods O Israell But we shall be vrged perhappes with the wordes of Christ in the Gospell This is my body c. As though in the wordes of Christ which be Spirite and life it be so rare vnaccustomed phrase of speaking to vse Tropes and figures now and then seing there is no kinde of doctrine that more vsually delighteth in figures Tropes parables Similitudes metaphors allegoryes mysteryes thē the mystycall speéch of the sacred
the Fathers and Elders which did apperteine to the well ordering and gouernmēt of outward discipline Yet euen in these was such a moderation consonauncy obserued as should nether extinguishe the glory of the Gospell nor entāgle consciences with combersome charge but serue onely for preseruation of necessarye orders For due obseruation of the which was graunted to the Church a certayne authoritye and power to dispose and determine according to the nature of places and necessitye of tymes such thinges as might seéme most agreéable and couenable for their assemblies But this authority hedged in as it were within her certein limits and boundes as was but humaine so forced it not such a necessitye of obseruance as did those other commaunded immediately from God For lyke consideration may not be taken of humaine precepts commaunded by men onely as must be had of thordinaunces of God Hereof commeth it that the breach or not performaunce of that one being done without arrogant cōtēpt or reprochful disdayn is not punishable as mortall deadly sinne In lyke maner the godly ministers of the Church were not without their due honor and authority yet such it was as exceéded not the appointed lymittes and measure For as then function ecclesiasticall was a Ministery and seruice not a Maistry or Lordshippe which consisteth in two thinges chiefly In preaching the worde and ministring the Sacraments and in directing outward discipline and ordering maners and misdemeanours In which kinde of ministery although cōmaundement be geuē to yeald due obediēce vnto the pastors yea though we heare these wordes spoken of Ministers He that heareth you heareth me Yet tend they not to this end that they may after their owne wittes and pleasures make new innouations frame new fashions of doctrine and coyne new Sacraments thrust in new worshippings and new Gods or thereby to erect a kingdome in the Church But their whole power and authoritye is restrayned to the prescript rule of the Gospell not to dispence and dispose thinges after their owne luste but to be the dispensors and disposers of the misteries of God Wherevpon in matters appertayning to Gods Lawe conscience is bound to yealde due obediēce to the pastoures according to this saying He that refuseth you refuseth me In other thinges that concerne the Tradicions of men or that haue no assurance of their creation by any principle of doctrine herein ought speciall regard to be had First to what end they are commaunded then also by what authoritye they are brought into the Church For the ordinaunces which are thrust in vnder such maner and condition as may enfeéble true confidence in the Mediator as may dispoyle cōsciences of their freédome and ouerthrowe the maiestie of gods grace or are linked together with a vayne opinion of righteousnes of worshipping of remission of sinnes of merites of Saluation or of vnauoydable necessitye Such I say ought without all respect to be hauished and abandoned as pestilent batches from the communion and congregation of the Church Consideration also must be had of the difference betwixt these thinges which the Church doth charge mens consciences withall by mans authoritye onely and the thinges which are established and proclaimed by the expresse word and commaundement of God For although the Church may of duety require a certein subiuection to the ecclesiasticall ministers as that we ought to obey the ordinaunces that are instituted for preseruation of ciuill societye and couenable decency Yet must the ministers be well aduised least vnder pretence and colour of ecclesiasticall authoritie they eyther commaund the things that are not expedient or oppresse the simple people with vnmeasurable Burdeines or thinke with them selues that the Church is tyed of neccessity to any Lawes established by men Euen so and the same that hath bene spoken of mēs Constitutions may in effect be applyed to Iudicall Courts Iudgementes For although authoritye be committed to the Church to iudge and determine of doctrines and outward misdemeanours although the resolution of doubtfull cōtrouersies the discouerie and opening of matters obscure the declaring and debatyng of matters confuse the reformation and amendement of matters amysse be left ouer to the Censure and iudgement of the Church many tymes Yet is not this ordinary authoritye so arbitrary and absolute but is also fast tyed to the direct rule of the worde So that in matters of controuersie this Authoritie came conclude commaunde nothing but that which the word of the Gospel must make warrantable Neither hath this authoritye any such prerogatiue to make any alteration of Gods Scriptures or to forge false and vntrue interpretations which may auaile to establishe an authoritye of men or of orders or to make any new articles of fayth or to bring in straunge Inuocations which are directly repugnant to the manifest authoritye of the Scriptures And therfore we creditt the Church as a Mistres and a teacher foreshewing the truth yet after an other maner altogether then as we be bound to obey the word of the Gospell preached in the Church by the mouth of Gods faythfull ministers which authoritye when they put in execution according to the authoritye of Gods word we doe beleue them yet so neuerthelesse beleue them as that our creditt is not grounded now vpon the testimonie of the Church nor vpon men but vpon the worde of God namely because their iudgemēt is agreable and consonant with the rule of the sacred scriptures and with a free confession of the Godly iudging directly accordyng to the voyce and worde of God The Church therfore hath authoritie in decyding controuersies of doctrine Yet so that it selfe must be ouerruled by the authoritie of the word Otherwise the Church hath neither authoritye nor iudgement contrary to the consonancy of the Scriptures In lyke maner in discipline and reformation of maners the Church may determine and iudge But here also consideration must be had of the differēce For the censures ecclesiasticall are of one kinde but Iudgements temporall of an other kinde For in forinsicall and temporall causes when Iudgementés are geuen although they receaue their authoritie from the word of God yet are they in force in respect of the authoritye of the Prince and the Magistrate And therefore they minister correction with punishment corporall according to the qualitye of the trespasse But the iudgements of the Church are farre vnlyke For in those maner of offences which appertayne to the ecclesiasticall Consistorye the Church hath her proper iudgements and peculiar punishments Wherewith it doth not afflict or crucifie mens bodyes notwithstandyng nor pursue vnto death but cutteth of from the congregation onely and common society of men such as doe wilfully and stubburnely sett themselues agaynst the Ministerye and such as doe harden themselues and obstinately perseuer in wickednes agaynst order and conscience and continue in errors and other notorious crimes contrary to the prescript rule of sound doctrine
Behold say they was there euer any Church if the Church of Rome were not a Church glorying as it were vpon the tytle of Antiquitye whereas neuer any one thing doth differre more from all antiquity wherein these Romish skippiacks seéme in my conceit not much lyke litle boyes playing the Comedyes of Plautus vpon some stage where one playeth the part of Chremes an other of Menedemus or Cremilus who beyng not yet come to be hoary and grayheaded by course of yeares because they will sette a graue countenaūce vpon the matter and seéme olde men before the gazers vpon them about on the Skaffoldes they put vpon them counterfayt trynckets to witte a white hoary beard vpon theyr chynne gray and white lockes vpon theyr heades counterfayting theyr gate with stooping and crooching they rest their handes vpon some staffe shaking and tremblyng and fashion theyr voyces bigge like olde men doyng all this with a certayne witty and crafty conueyaunce of counterfayting so that if you behold theyr outward handling and gesture you would say they were olde men but if you discharge them of theyr Roabes and plucke of theyr vysours you shall finde them nothing lesse then such as they haue fayned themselues to be Not much vnlike is this dottrell Ierarchy of Rome which it is a wonder to seé how many yeares it vaunteth of continuaunce in wordes in voyce in countenaunce gesture and outward resemblaunce Fiftene hundreth yeares and more say they did our predecessors beginne to sitte in this chayre euen from the first foundatiō of the prymitiue Church which being erected in Christ himselfe established by the Apostles confirmed with a cōtinuall course of neuer fayling Succession receiued by generall consent from the Auntient Fathers and from them hath remayned bene deriued vnto vs by aperpetuall and permanent deliuery of Succession But your Church which you call an Euangelicall Church where was it euer seene or heard at any time of any man These verely be the vysours and stagelike gugawes wherewith this Romish counterfaytes haue played their tragicall partes wherewith they haue beguiled many simple people hetherto But lett vs plucke of theyr visors and discouer this bellygod Pope a whytes that we maye throughly behold what manner of puppette this smoath Apish Church is within About fiftene hundreth yeares sithence and more they say that this Church wherein they raygne now like Lordes was and hath had vnchaunged continuaunce Albeit this be but to small purpose what cōtinuaunce things that are false and altogether vntrue do prescribe vpon Yet if the age of the Church be so great as they pretēd it to be lette them shew thē out of all the antiquities of thinges places tymes or persons what one of all the Apostles or Euangelistes what one auncient Father or auncient Church did euer heare the name of vniuersall Pope before these thousand yeares last past or if they now heard it would permitt it in the Church what Law did euer enforce and binde all churches generally to the ordinary Succession of one Churche or euer appoynted so great a toppegallaunt of Maiesty which as before the chiefe and hyghest iudge may clayme prerogatiue of Iurisdiction ouer all causes in the world to be decided within hys owne consistory which might arrogantly challenge the fulnesse of power which as it were out of one high court of parlyament might rule ouer all Churches and beare dominion ouer all the world as ouer one peculier dioces which might challēge the authority of both swordes might be Lord ouer the Spyritualty and Temporalty which being the wellspring and Closette of the whole Law finally beyng King of Kinges Queéne and Princesse of all potētates and rulers might surmount in superiority all earthly dignity seuenty times sixty degreés when as there are not yet much more then a thousand yeares sithence Gregory a Pope of Rome did frāckely and openly confesse that there was neuer any of his predecessors that would euer take vpon him this name of Singularity or enter vpon any such hawtinesse of arrogant title to be named with such an heathenish name wherein sayth he was a wonderfull iniury committed agaynst Christ the head of the whole Church vnto whom should a sharpe and dreadfull account be rendred by him whosoeuer heé were that would enterprise to bring vnder his owne subiection all the rest of his members vnder the name and tytle of Vniuersality And ouer and besides annexeth hereunto with great vehemency of speéch whosoeuer doth call himselfe vniuersall Byshopp or doth attēpt to be so called the same doth by that his intollerable pryde denounce him selfe playnely to be the very forerunner of Antichrist Let the Romanistes shew where was not onely the order but the name also of Cardinals litle aboue one thousand yeares sithence or where this prettye forme of election was heard of which is now frequented in the Romish Church before that Pope Nicholas 2. gathering together a Couent of Piers apparelled in purple from amongest the Deacons of that Citye and the neighbour Byshops there did transferre all the right and interest of chusing the Pope to a few Cardinalles contrary to the prescript custome of the auncient Fathers Touchyng the Election of Cornelius a Byshop of Rome the wordes of Cyprian are very euident which I haue thought good to inserte in this place Cornelius was made Byshop sayth he by the Iudgement of GOD and his Christ by the consent of all the Clergie almost by the voyces and acclamations of the people that were present and by the Congregation of the Auncient Priestes aud godly personages For as yet Emperours were not professed Christians At the length Constātine being Emperour the Church was gouerned after his time vntill the time of Henry the 4. in such sorte that neither Byshoppes should be created but by thauthoritye Emperiall nor councells Sommoned nor Ecclesiasticall Reuenewes distributed by any Byshop before the Emperors grace did allowe thereof That this is true appeareth by the Recordes of most aūcient monumēts but aboue others chiefly by that decreé of Charles the great and Otto Emperours proclaymed in a Synode of Byshopps The forme of the decreé is extant in the 63. Distinct. The force of which decreé remained firme and inuiolable during the whole lyne and race of the sayd Charles vntill the time of Otto the 1. And after him also vntill the Battels and ouerthrowes of Henry the 4. and Henry the 5. For as concerning the forme of the oathe annexed to the same distinction whereby they doe falsly imagine that themperor Otto did sweare him selfe to the Pope it is manyfest by the autētick and true Recordes of Histories that it was shame fully forged and counterfait as also the graunt Donatiue of Ludouicus Pius which is immediatly set before the same oath in the distinction which Recordes doe playnely conuince the same to be detestable lyes And where now be these xv hundreth yeares whereupon they prate with so
full mouth so much The olde Cannons that are called the Canons of the Apostles doe with wonderfull seueritye manace and threaten them who frequenting the Church hearing the preachings doe sequester themselues from receauing the Communion On this wise did Pope Calixt who would doe nothing without the Censures ecclesiasticall exhort and perswade all men to communicate publiquely together wheresoeuer the supper of the Lorde was ministred The wordes of Ierome be in each respect no lesse euident The Supper of the Lord sayth he ought to be generall to all because Christ himselfe did equally distribute the Sacrament to all his disciples that were present And how doth this geare agreé with the celebrating of your priuate Masses The same Canons prouided that the Byshop should be deposed which would ioyne a ciuill office with a spirituall fūction The same also did Pope Clement detest as horrible haynousnes And what doth the Pope then meane by that newe power of both swordes is it because he will be armed to fight a new combate with the Dragon that fought agaynst the Aungel Michaell Many yeares sithence did the Councell of Carthage forbid that nothing should be read in the Churche but the Canonicall Scriptures Which Scriptures Iustiniā the Emperour commaunded to be vttered with a lowd audible voyce that the people might gather some fruite thereby If Antiquitie of time or authoritye of Councels could haue obtayned any creditt amongest the Romanistes the olde councell Elibertine did decreé that nothing should be paynted in the Church that might be an occasion to moue the people to worshippyng So did also Epiphanius that aūcient Father accoūt it for an intollerable sacriledge yf any man would be so hardy as to set vp in Churches of Christians any kinde of Image yea though it were the Image of Christ himselfe The Auncient Fathers were no lesse godly zelous then zelously studious to perswade enduce the people to the Readyng of holy Scriptures and to the buying of Bookes of the same that emongest themselues euery one in his seuerall familye wyues with their husbands children with their parentes the plowgh man at the plowe the weauers in their Loomes women and maydens spinning and carding might debate of the holy Scriptures and sing some sonets and songes of the same as Origen Chrisostome and Ierome do testifie It was not tollerable in the time of Augustine that A Moūck should idely cōsume his time in slouth and sluggishnes or should vnder visor and pretence of holynes lyue vpon an other mans trencher but by the sweate of his owne browes such a one also Appollonius also doth lyken to a theéfe There was an auncient custome of this Land instituted from the auncient fathers that no person should appeale to the Pope for any cause without the kings leaue at what time our kings yelded to the popes no submission at all Whereupon when Anselme did deliuer the Popes letters to the king What haue we to do sayd the king with the Popes letters we will not breake the lawes of our kingdome Whosoeuer shall presume to infring the Custome of our Realme the some is a traytor to our Crowne and dignitye he that doth take away our Crowne from vs is an enemy and Traytor to our owne person There was an ordinaunce sometime within the Realme no lesse profitable then auncient That if any man did possesse two Benefices at one time bearing charge of sowle especially the same should be depriued from both And this ordinaunce continued so long in force vntill the Pope with his medley of dispensation innouating all thinges and turning all thinges vpsydowne after his owne lust and pleasure did leaue nothing in Churches that had any smatch of Antiquitye And no maruell though he were so malapertly sawcy with the Lawes of our Realme when as in the last Councell holden at Trydent skarcely 24. yeares sithence by publique authoritye and consent of the whole Councell an Edict was established that no person should enioy two benefices at once this Cannon notwithstanding there is so litle regard of authoritye of that Councell emongest these Prelates that a mā may easily seé now a dayes many Monasteries two Byshopprickes yea sometimes threé or fowre swallowed vp into one paunch all at one tyme. The same may be verified of the Coūcels of Cōstance and Basile Where though many matters were determined vpon wickedly enough this decreé notwithstanding was published being good and profitable for the Church That generall Councells assembled together by lawfull Sommons were and ought to be esteémed better and higher in authoritye then the Pope And yet this decreé sone razed out by the power of the Pope how quickly was it dispatcht so farforth doth nothyng delight these fine heads of Rome that whether it be old or new nothyng can please them but that which is for their owne toothe Wherein I would wishe that Osorius would marke diligently this one thing sithence this Seé doth conuey her lawfull discent not frō any decreés of mē but frō christ himselfe as he affirmeth what doe these Fathers of the Coūcell of Constance and Basile meane by this decreé Wherein they commaunded that the Romishe Seé should be gouerned by the generall Councells Now what may be spoken or imagined of the Prouisiones Reseruations yearely penciōs Pardons Priuiledges Exemptions Dispensations Graces Preuentions Expectatiues Palles Uisitations and other lyke snares and trappes of that Romishe Seé what shall we number these trinketts also emongest thother sacred Reliques receaued in that Apostolique age aboue xv hundreth yeare sithence I come now more neare vnto those partes of Religiō wherin all the glory and vaunte of your Antiquitye triumpheth chiefly And first that doctrine of Trāsubstantiatiō your onely Goddesse and chiefe vpholder of that your popish kingdome From whence did it issue and who was the author of it before Pope Innocent 3. in the Councell of Lateran not many yeares ago At what tyme the consecrated hoste was commaunded to cast away all her nature of Bread or at least before Nicholas 2. and his Successor Hildebrand in a Councell holden at Rome at what Councell Berengarius was forced to Recant And why were not Pope Gelasius Theodoret Augustine Tertullian Origen Eusebius and with them also the whole Greéke Churche cited to Recant For the same error of Berengarius Why was not the Church of Moskouites compelled to abiure which from thence euen to this day doe minister the Communion with bread broken and distributed in deéde but not consecrated into the body of the Lord To passe ouer other Churches why was not all this Church of Saxons in our kingdome condemned for hereticall which maintayned the same cause that Berengarius did as of late hath bene declared by certeine auncient Recordes lately found out emongest vs in the Saxons tongue Although this opinion of consecrated bread beganne to sparckes◠abroad not many yeares agoe after the Councell of Nice the second
Sommoned as it seémeth by Iohn Damascen who was the first founder of this doing deuise and afterwardes agayne vnder Lanfranck yet was this heresie neuer stablished nor were they taken for heretiques who did celebrate the Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lord vnder naturall bread and naturall wine before that Councell of Laterane before mentioned vnder Pope Innocent in the yeare of our Lord 1215. or vnder Nicholas in the yeare 1062. Neither shall Osorius be euer able to finde it out when he hath throughly perused all the Libraries of his Antiquitye that he can Not long after came the worshipping of the bread lyfted vpp hoisted vpp aloft to the gaze of all the people by that meanes of Honorius 3. next Successor of Innocent aforesayd Which matter was of all other most neédefull For whereas the nature of bread had once banished it selfe cleane away and nothing now remayned vnder the outward formes of bread wyne els but the true naturall substaunce of fleshe which should exhibite it selfe to the mindes and sences of the worshippers corporally It could not possible be but a worshipping must neédes ensue hereupon These erroneous foundations beyng thus layd as one errour doth commonly engender an other there vpstart an other Whelpe of the same litter as notorious a mistery of iniquitie as the other To witte of this Sacrament first TransubstaÌ„tiated then worshipped at the last sprang vppe a Sacrifice of this Sacrament offred And no maruell at all in neéde For after that the simple people were once throughly persuaded to beleue that Christ him selfe was wholy present with all his whole true body and the true Passion of his body they could not now stay here with onely lookyng vpon and worshippyng their Sauiour so lifted vppe and blazed abroad to their viewe but would also craue helpe of him not for them selues onely but for their parentes and frendes also that were dead And hereupon grew this Sacrifice of the Masse so named of the people plausible for the people in deéde and as profitable for the Priestes purses Which subtile deuise of blynd errour though was the most pestilent botche that euer could haue infected the Church and most deuilishly repugnaunt to Gods sacred Testament yet these crafty counterfaites could coyne couÌ„cell coloâ—able enough notwithstandyng to make this peltyug puppet gaynefull for their purses For where no shift could be imagined to frame the Apostles and Euangelistes to be Proctours in this cause they ranne by and by to Doctours and wheresoeuer they could pyke out any mention made of a Sacrifice either of the Altar or of the Priest the same by crooked conueyaunce they would wrest and wryng to be good Testimony for their doctrine Wherein how honestly they behaued them selues shal be seéne hereafter by Gods grace Next coosin germaine to this began to challenge a right in the Church Eare CoÌ„fession Which beyng an egge as it were of the same broode was hatcht vp and fully plumed at the very same Laterane Councell as appeareth sufficiently by the very wordes of the same Councell the true report whereof ensueth Let euery faythfull person of what estate degree or sexe soeuer he be after he commeth once to yeares of discretion confesse all his Sinnes alone faythfully to his owne Curate once in the heare at the least Behold here the very first Institution of priuate and Eare Confession which is in vre at this day or els if it had bene instituted before or decreéd vpon from aboue to what end neéded so carefull a Prouiso to be made by men whereby the people should be forced to a generall necessitie of reckonyng all their Sinnes to the Priest Now therfore if this were an ordinaunce and tradition of the Romish Church where is that bragge of Antiquity whereby the Papistes would proue that this priuate Confession came from the Apostles where is their glorius boastyng of the continuaunce and deliuery therof from thence euen to this present age Surely Chrisostome others do tell vs an other tale for this writeth Chrisostome I constraine thee not to come to the middes of a Stage and to call many witnesses Tell thy sinnes to me alone c. And agayne the same Chrisostome If thou be ashamed sayth he to tell to any man thy Sinnes that thou hast done tell them dayly in thy soule I do not say Confesse them to thy fellow SeruauÌ„t who may reproche thee tell them to God that taketh care for them c. Moreouer the same Chrisostome in an other place I do not say vnto thee come forth into a Stage nor disclose thy Sinnes to others but I will haue thee to obey the Prophet saying Disclose thy Sinnes vnto the Lord In the sight of GOD therfore confesse thy Sinnes before the true Iudge vtter thy sinnes with prayer not with toung but with the testimonie of thine owne conscience and so trust to obteine mercy at the length c. Certes if Nectarius Byshop of Constantinople had euer suspected that this Eare Confession had bene authorized by any expresse word of the Scriptures he would neuer haue abrogated the same for the defilyng of a certaine matrone by a certeine Deacon in the Churche vnder colour of Confession what shall we say to that where Erasmus but of late yeares writyng of Confession durst not ascribe the institution therof to Christ as vnto the authour therof but yeldyng him selfe willyng to learne if any man could make proofe by sufficient Arguments that CoÌ„fession had his begynnyng at the Scripture how happened that amongest such a multitude of Monckes and Deuines not one would steppe forth to withstand this challenge of Eare Confession as then To passe ouer in the meane space that which the same Erasmus in an other place expressing his meanyng playnly It appeareth sayth he that in the tyme of Ierome priuate Confession of Sinnes was not as yet receaued in the Church which afterwardes was profitably instituted by the Church so that the Priestes and lay people vse the same accordingly But herein some scarse skilfull Deuines are not alitle deceaued bycause where the auncient Fathers wrate touching publique and generall Confession all that doe they straine to this secret whispering a quite contrary kinde of Confession c. To passe ouer also many other thynges for breuities sake whereof if there should be generall collection made there is no dought but this vysour of Antiquitie would be easily pluckt of The same be sayd also of the Sacramentes of Orders Annoylynges and Matrimony The vse of which thynges albeit grew by litle and litle euen with the first age of the Church are also reteigned vntill this day amoÌ„gest vs yet do we vtterly deny that they were Registred amongest the noumber of Sacramentes afore a very few yeares sithence And Osorius shall neuer be able to prooue the contrary There hath bene a solemne custome of long tyme in the Church of Rome that such as
some glymering of dawning day and to refresh the razed Rent of his ruynous Church and to restore a recouery of his auncient recordes of written veritye the Braynesuck beastes of Romyshe rowte ganne fret aud fume and our sweéte shauelinges seéke at the length that we render them a reason of our Noueltye And because veritye Euangelicall oppressed with Tyranny through the Reuell of Sathās raunging abroad these few yeares eyther durst not shewe it selfe into the open world or could not be heard to plead for it selfe through their outragious vilaines being now quickened from aboue beginneth to display her oryent beames she is called to corā before these cloisterers as though Christe and the doctrine Apostolicall were some straunger in the world and commaunded to Iustifie her chalenge of Antiquitye to them which are neither able to render any reason of theyr counterfayt Antiquitie nor Iustify the trueth of their own cause by any recordes or reportes of probable auncienty or by any testimonie or president of the prymatyue Churche whatsoeuer Wherein me seémeth they behaue themselues no more modestly and shamefastly then theéues and murtherers which breakyng in by nyght into an other mans house hauing by violnce and wrong either slayne or thrust the true owner out of dores chalenge vnto themselues a title of possession And so pleadyng in possession by wrongfull disseisin for tearme of certeyne yeares doe plead occupation and prescription of time agaynst the lawfull heire that hath right by lawe to recouer and demaund Iudgement thrusting the true heire out from his true inheritaunce who in ryght equitye demaundeth restitution For what other thing doe they herein who finding their cause to be no way bettered by vouching of Scriptures which make nothing for thē at all fleé ouer forthwith to yt. Fathers Custome continued of olde by long prescription of time crying out agaynst vs with full mouthes that they haue enioyed their possession in the Church more then xv hundreth yeares and commaund vs to tell them where our Church was litle aboue xl yeares sithence And because they aske it I will tell them conditionally that they will distinctly tell me first what they doe meane by this worde Church If they meane the people perhappes we were not all borne then if they vnderstand the Roofes Walls and Tymber of the Churches they stand euen now in the same place where they were wont to stand are enuironed with the same churchyardes where they stood of old But yf they speake of the doctrine verely it was in the word of God and in the Scriptures discernable enough where also it resteth now rested euer heretofore and shall rest hereafter for euer If they demaund of the forme of gouernment It was in the primitiue Church and many yeares after in Asia Greece Affrick Europe dispersed abroad in all Churches at what tyme euery particular Church was gouerned by theyr peculiar Patriarches and not pente vppe and straighted into one hole vnder the commaundement of one man onely when also neither was any Byshoppe called vniuersall Byshoppe no nor my Lord Byshoppe of Rome called as then vniuersall Byshoppe I haue now told where our Church was before these fourtye yeares It remayneth that I be so bold to demaund agayne of them but especially of our Osorius that he vouchsafe to declare vnto vs where this fine Ciceronisme thys braue poolyshed speach where thys exquisited eloquence of writyng and speaking where this gorgeous furniture of fyled toūges this pyked and straunge statelynes of style was fourty yeares agoe where this wonderfull increase of Artes and Mathematicall sciences was will he eyther say that it is newely found out now or restored agayne rather and deliuered long sithence from olde auncient teachers If he will confesse that they be not new nor speciall deuises of our proper wittes but renewed and reuiued rather out of auncient authors let him then so account him selfe satisfied in his question touching the state of the Church not that it is a newe vpstart but reuiued from olde not garnished with new Coapes but returning agayne in her old Fryse gown For we doe not now build a new Church but we bring forth and beautifye the olde Church But now if any man will seéme to maruell what the verye cause reason should be that these artes and disciplines do rather in these dayes now florishe agayne at length after so long scylence and so long continuaunce in exile and banishment and would neédes know the very true naturall cause hereof What better aūswere shall I make him then that it is done by the speciall prouidence of GOD who of his inestimable goodnesse vouchsafed in these latter dayes to discouer abroad into the world the famous Art of Emprinting By meanes wherof aswell the seédes and principles of all liberall sciences as the knowledge of Diuinitye are extant and in dayly exercise not newly begon now but sproughted vppe of the olde Rootes and recouering their olde beauty So that you haue lesse cause to wonder Osorius that our Deuines beyng enlightened thus with so opē a light of the manifest scriptures and furnyshed with so great store of bookes and helpes of learning doe seé much more in matters of Diuinitye than many our Elders haue done Which helpes and furnitures of bookes if had bene so plentifull in those aūcient yeares of Gregory 7. Nicholas 2. and Innocent 3. for the exercise of wittes as we seé them now dayly and hourely handled and frequented beleue me Osorius The Pope of Rome had neuer so long lurcked in his lazye denne nor so long had bewitched the senses of selly ones with his leger demayne and crafty conueyaunce Nor had Osorius euer sturred his stumpes so stoughtly in this quarell agaynst Haddon Nor had Haddon bene forced to this streight to make defence of his Noueltye at this present But here some one of Osorius Impes will say peraduenture For as much as the state condition of the Church is such that wheresoeuer it be it must neédes be visible and apparaunt to be seéne not thrust vnder a bushell but set on hygh vpon an hill that it may shyne clearely vnto all and for as much also as the Churche of Rome was euer euē from the very swathlyng cloutes of Christian Religion of that excellency as to be able to Iustifie her dignitie and renowme by the whole and full agreable consent of all estates times and places euen vnto this day and that none other Church besides this one alone can mainteyne so lōg a continuaunce of yeares and so great a title of authoritie who may dought hereof but that this Seé of Rome is the onely Seé where onely is refiaunt a true face and profession of the true Church And that on the contrary part the Lutheranes Church beyng but of a few yeares continuaunce and neuer heard of before must therfore be accoumpted not worthy of place or name of a Church
souereigne with shauelyngs and infinite skulles of fectes fortified with those Canons Decreés Decretalles and Rescriptes pampered vppe with Pardons exalted with Idolatry sumptuous in superstition entangled with so many snares and Articles embrued in so bloudy a bootchery of Saintes that might easily fill vp a thousand Toonnesfull of Babilonicall horrour and crueltie aduaunced with so many more then Pharisaicall Traditions and peltyng Ceremonies which would easily ouerlade a monstruous Carricke glitteryng in gold precious stones and pearle enriched with large and great possessions patrimonies beautified with purple and scarlet finally so blazing in brauery with the Royalties of S. Peter If S. Peter if Paule the Apostle if the holy Fathers and auÌ„cient Doctours of that pure primitiue Church had seéne these glorious gawdyes which we seé veryly I doe beleéue they would so litle acknowledge this Church for Catholicke that they would euen from the bottome of their hartes vtterly abhorre it and would scarsely acknowledge it by the name of a Christian Church And thus much to your Maior Now I do aunswere to your Minor wherein you haue committed a great eskape in the word which the Logitians do terme aequiuocum or ignoratio Elenchi For this word Romayne Church is in the Maior taken after one sort in the Minor after an other sort In the Maior it noteth such a Church as did retayne the true worshippyng of God and sincerity of Religion as into the which were no poysoned infections of sinister Doctrine no filth of false opinyons crept But in the Minor thys word Church is of a farre contrary condition and quality as the which doth carry no resemblaunce at all of that auntient and primitiue Church besides a bare name onely and a certayne whorysh dissembling counterfayt of outward Succession In all thynges els which do make a true vnspotted and vndefiled Church it beareth so no countenaunce at all as that it seémeth rather vnder the name and Tytle of the Church to be at defiaunce with the Church rather and vnder the name of a ChristiaÌ„ souldior to fight agaynst Christ her captain trayterously to betraye him to Antichryst For if Christ be the verity it selfe surely counterfayt verity as Origen sayth is very Antichrist And therfore if they will iustify theyr consent and Antiquity by good argument Let them yelde vs such a Church of Rome as the auncient Fathers did honourably esteéme of and then shall it not want our agreéable and mutuall assent and allowaunce And let them make vs a playne demonstration of those ornaments which are worthely ascribed to a true Christian Church and we will confesse it to be a true Church Where the Church is sayeth Irene there is the holy Ghost and where the Spirite of God is there is also the Church and all grace But the Spyryte is the verity therefore verity is the life of the Church without the which the Church is blinde and euen dead being aliue and deserueth not so much as the name of a Church no more then the portraiâ—t or counterfayt of a man doth deserue to be called a maÌ„ properly whereupon the Church is with the Apostle very fittely called a sure piâ—ler and a foundation not of mans authority but of Gods verity And by the testimony of Lactantius that Church is called the onely Catholicke Church wherein God is worshipped aright which Church if the ofspring of the auncient Romanistes did now professe as truely and in the same forme as the Catholicke Fathers did extoll prayse it with such great commendation there would be no controuersy at all On the other side if they haue determined with theÌ„selues neither to admit the trueth within theyr Citie themselues nor to tollerate the same to beé preached being brought in by others let them accuse themselues not the Lutherans who had rather patiently endure coÌ„tinuall enmity and hatred of them then to become open aduersaries of the truth Moreouer lette them also cease hereafter to pray in ayd of antiquity number of voyces for defence of their church forasmuch as they can alleadge no true report of the one and the other can helpe them nothing at all For if it may be lawfull for vs renouncing the verity to mayntayne one cause by vouching antiquity and number of nations namely in those thynges which appertayne properly to Christ and his Church then let vs not spare to argue after the same forme of Logick The Religion of Mahumette hath bene of as long a continuaunce of tyme and yeares as the Church of the Pope Ergo Mahumettes Religion is of as great authority as the Popes And agayne The greatest part of Priestes haue long sithence bene ouer gredily couetous Ergo They that doe inueigh agaynst theyr greedy Auarice most be accounted Cosen Germaynes to the valdenses heresy Agayne The greater part of the people did cry out Crucifige and stoaned Stephen to death And the most part of meÌ„ do at this day follow their owne sensuality and lust Ergo Let vs all ioyne together in sensuality and lust If on this wise we shall thinke to measure the truth and sincerity of Religion by the standard of Antiquity and number of yeares what shall we winne by this argument when we doe heare that many are called but few are chosen when as fooles also be in number infinite when as from the highest to the lowest all are become couetous when as euen from the Prophette to the Priestes all worke deceit What shall we win I say by this argument but that the part of Sathan which is more in number shall be of greater force and seéme to tryumph agaynst the Lord But to lette passe the Romysh Church I returne to our own Church In the which Osorius hauing alleadged nothing hetherto nor being by any meanes able to alleadge any matter truely that may seéme either new or straunge in our doctrine or that doth in any respect swarue from the institution and discipline of the Apostles he runneth away from the question that concerneth the sincerity of Religion and doctrine and commeth to this point to catch some occasion of outward life and maners of men whereby he may reproch vs subtlely enough I warrant you imitating herein the old crafty Rhetoricall Foxes who feéling themselues altogether vnable to prosecute the cause which is specially in hand with effect do wring the state of the Question an other way or enforce the whole bent of theyr accusation agaynst theyr aduersary with some contrary cauillation turning Catte in the Panne that so being not otherwise able to compas theyr cause it selfe they may yet at least entangle theyr Aduersary with some perill and daunger Not much vnlike hereunto happeneth now to Osorius in this kinde of controuersy who being not able to mayntayne the cause of his guilty Church with any iustifiable argumentes bendeth himselfe wholly to defame our Churches with falsehoodes and vntruethes And on this wise at length addresseth his
accordyng to the one vniforme conformitie of the Gospell of Christ. In all which howsoeuer the Lutheranes do differre from you surely their mindes and agreémentes are vnited together in one mutuall and constaunt well willyngnesse of hartes so that in these they vary nothyng at all from the vnitie of the sacred Scriptures nor swarue from the truth What can be required more to fill vppe the full measure of concorde and vnitie And that I may not passe ouer this also that in the matter of the Sacrament wherein consisteth the substaunce of the aduersaries accusatioÌ„ agaynst vs I know not one of all those besides Luther onely whom you call new to witte Melancthon Bucer Zuinglius Martyr and Caluine but do all with one mutuall assent conclude vpon this point namely to withstand and roote out that your more then dotyng deuise of Transubstantiation And in this mynde be all out Churches at this present firmely and vnseparably knit together And I trust in God will from henceforth dayly encrease and grow to a more stable and corroborate concorde aswell here in England as also that it will come to passe in all other Churches shortely that all such Idolatry beyng extirped and pluckt vp by the rootes no blocke nor obstacle shall remaine to occasion the Iewes to withdraw them selues any longer from the embracyng of the true and pure simplicitie of our Christian Fayth well now And wherein is that disagreément now in all this so great a concorde and vnitie of of myndes whereof you preach where is this brabblyng about wordes that you speake of where is this varietie of opinions that doth neither agreé with it selfe nor with others where be those flamyng firebrandes of furies where fleé those enflamed flashynges of wildfire and gunnestones where els but euen emongest you your selues Osorius and emongest those your moÌ„struous Cyclops who lyke furious hellhoundes with wildfire brimstone haue rusht into the seély sheépefolds of Christ with more then beastly Sauadgenes and haue with fire and fagotte burnt so many thousandes of Christians consumed them to Ashes And yet ceaseth not this lyeng spirite but lyke a false Prophet shouldreth forewardes They do alter and chaunge the Articles of our Fayth sayth he and affirme now this now that nor do persiste in any stable opinion And do neuer almost determine vpon any Iudge by whom controuersies may be decided Emongest all other your rable of lyes Osorius perhappes that your wiffler and Spye not the best talebearer in the world hath reported this vnto you And I am much deceaued if this same Outryder of yours be not the coyner of all this heape of vntruthes and forger and furtherer of all those furious traynes of terrible fireworkes But to thend you may not from henceforth geue ouer much credite to such fleéyng tales herein trust me Osorius that as touchyng the articles of our fayth yf you meane the Sacraments whosoeuer reported this vnto you did play the part of a notable SycophaÌ„t and was minded to abuse your credence and worshippe very shamefully And in some respect I can not chuse but aduertize you of a great want of discretion in you that can so cleane forgett the very synowes of Philosophicall wisedome which ought to haue bene relieued in tyme with that precious salue of Epicharmus Sentence Remember not to be to light of beliefe All the Sacramentes that were instituted by Christ we doe obserue in due and couenable order throughout all our Churches and haue reteined the same with a neuer interrupted course of continuauÌ„ce hitherto on the contrary part all such as were not established by Christ but thrust in from els where those if we haue chaunged then at the least accuse vs for our inconstancy herein when you shall haue first made good proofe that they be Sacramentes As touching those Seuen which you do tearme by the name of Sacraments though we differ from you in the name yet haue we not so vtterly abrogated them but haue them in vse and dayly practize as well as you In deéde we do acknowledge but two Sacraments onely The rest though we call theÌ„ not by the name of Sacraments yet doe we dayly frequent them in our Churches neuertheles as farre as is coÌ„uenient Neither was any great scruple made emongest vs in this poynt the matter being of it selfe so euident and cleare Or yf any question hadd chaunced at any tyme about the same there was no cause why we should gadd to Rome for a pelting Oracle in that behalfe we haue at home more worthy helpes and more learned councells God be praysed for it we haue also the Bookes of the holy Scriptures we haue emongest vs godly and faythfull interpretours of the scriptures many other writers and graue iudgements of learned Fathers Neither wante our Pastours their seuerall spirituall giftes nor our Churches plentifull aboundance of Gods large and bountifull benefites powred vpon them so that it is altogether neédelesse to ronne a roauing to Rome and seéke vnto that Apish Ephod as to the heauenly Oracle for counsell We haue the law the Prophets and expositors of the Prophets Our Churches be replenished with Pastours Bishops Doctours faythfull ministers furnished with vnderstaÌ„dyng knowledge of tounges graue and sounde of iudgement many notable personages endowed with singuler giftes of wisedome learning and vertue so that in thinges appertayning to the gouernement of a Church we seéme not any iote inferior to the Byshop of Rome or to the whole Colledge of Cardinalls and band of Byshops vnlesse it be to this one Osorius alone What should I reckon vpp the rest which Osorius doth prosecute afterwardes with no lesse tedious then vayneglorious discourse of wordes touching the chaunge of the confession of our fayth touching the weake and forlorne defence of Haddon all whose force as he sayth consisteth in brawles and slaunders touching the Apology of the Church of England whereof that lying false Prophet doth make Haddon the Author touching the counter aunswere agaynst the sayd Apology touching the style Arguments phrase flattery of Haddons writing touching his glosing flattery in displaying the vertues and prayses of his Queéne Finally touching the meare childishnes and ignoraunce of Haddon As one thath doth explane sayth he nothing openly speaketh nothing purely concludeth nothing substaÌ„tially and in the finess of the Latine tongue seemeâ—h as it were some chaungeling Else For with this note doth he vouchsafe doe dignify Haddon as that he thinketh him not onely a smatterer and some outcast in the art of Eloquence but calleth him also very Babishe in lyke phrase of speach I suppose wherewith that glorious coward Thraso did sometyme rayle vpon poore Phedria But go to whiles this babishe Haddon lyeth sucking at the brest and crawleth creéping yet lyke a seely goebyground from out what heauens is this wonderfull Giant slipt downe at the last from whence came this vnconquerable champion out of
were not partaker of the spoyle did not onely winke at them but authorize them also by her owne Bulles so to do Agayne when these felowes Tecelius Wympine were gone to what purpose was Cardinall Caietane posted abroad in the yeare 1518 who in in the Councell of Augusta might reuiue the same opinions agayne and force Luther who had already confuted these abuses by open Disputation to recante And how will Osorius his defence now hang together with these practizes of his Pope denying vtterly that these Pardones were neuer scattered abroad by the consent of that holy mother Churche If it be true that the Church did not so what did that forme of Commission vsually geuen from the Seé of Rome emporte the tenour whereof was this He that soweth niggardly shall reape sparely but he that soweth bountyfull shall reape aboundauntly vnto life euerlastyng And agayne what meaneth this We do exhorte you all generally in the Lord do enioyne you vpoÌ„ payne of Remission of your Sinnes that of the goodes that God hath geueÌ„ you ye enlarge bouÌ„tifully your charitable deuotion vnto theÌ„ c. For these wordes were euery where scattered abroad by Maisters of Hospitalles Which what is it els theÌ„ to set vp a commoÌ„ Marte and moneybancke of remission of sinnes which is due to Fayth not to workes and which the Scripture willeth by all meanes possible to be freé and what is it els then as Chrisostome sayth to turne the forme of worshippyng and prayer into an occasion of wicked buyeng and sellyng But Osorius will cite vs forthwith to the Tridentine Councell wherein these Markettes of Pardons were after a sort mitigated with a certeine quallification Uery well But how much better had the Fathers of that Councell prouided if they had vtterly abrogated not the Markettes of Pardons onely but the very Pardons them selues out of all ChristiaÌ„ CongregatioÌ„s Regions But these Fathers now fosteryng continually this frettyng Fistula within the Bowels of the Christian common weale thinke they haue besturred them selues gayly if they foreseé not that the caÌ„ker may be throughly cured and kept from crawlyng any farther but that it be suppressed aloft and so suffred to creépe more closely below that is to say that men may freély now and withoâ—t money plunge their soules into hell But what is this to the purpose whether Pardons be put to sale or not put to sale For this is not in questioÌ„ now whether Pardoners may be abridged of their bold presumptioÌ„ but the question coÌ„cerneth Pardons theÌ„ selues not whether they ought to be sold but whether they may be tollerable how freé soeuer they be whether it be consonaunt to Christian Fayth or lawfull by the authoritie of the Scriptures for the Pope of Rome to make any kynde of choppyng and chaungyng with mens peltyng Pardons for the redeémyng of mens Sinnes I speake of those Pardons that are now in vse not such as were deliuered by the auncient Fathers For the Church had alwayes her Consistories and Iudiciall Courtes wherein for notorious offences certeine publique chastisement was ministred the Greékes called it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we call theÌ„ Canonicall Satisfactions The rigour of the Church did vse many tymes to quallifie or acquite by releases pardons as occasion did serue accordyng to the qualitie of tymes places persons offences As if a man had reuolted froÌ„ the Fayth of Christ wtout any cause which kinde of backsliding was not thought worthy to be receaued to mercy in the primitiue Church yet afterwardes some courtesie was extended vnto such as repented them of the same and shewed them selues hartly sorrowfull for the same and such were enioyned to penaunce by the space of 12. yeares as appeareth by the 11. Canon of the Nicene Councell Wemen that either would procure vntymely birthes before they were borne or would murther their childreÌ„ beyng borne were by the same Canon excluded froÌ„ the CongregatioÌ„ for euer After this ensued the 21. Canon of the Councell of Antycira Which moderatyng the auncient censure with lenitie did prescribe vnto such wemen tenne yeares penaunce If a man had committed manslaughter by chauncemedley the same accordyng to the auncient Canon was enioyned seuen yeares penaunce which afterwardes thorough gentler mitigation of the same Councell was abridged to fiue yeares penaunce by the 22. Canon At the Councell of Agathe was a Canon made which was in noumber the 37. speakyng on this wise The auncient Fathers did enioyne a greuous payne vpon such as forsooke their Fayth whom we abridgyng the noumber of yeares doe enioyne onely two yeares penaunce We read in Eusebius that a certeine Bysh. returnyng with teares to the Church froÌ„ the heretique Nouatus was receaued into the CoÌ„gregatioÌ„ the whole Congregation makyng earnest Supplication for him contrary to the order of the Canons Cyprian reporteth that the Martyrs of his tyme consideryng the earnest amendement of lyfe in certeine PeniteÌ„tiaries and perceauyng the tyme of their penaunce limited vnto them by the Church to draw neare to an end obteined by their earnest petitions made to the Elders of the Church that they releasing some part of their penaunce might receaue them into the Congregation agayne as reconciled notwithstanding their satisfactions beyng not fully accomplished And the Reason of this Pardon doth the 5. Canon of the CouÌ„cell of Antycira declare A Byshop sayth the Canon ought to haue this prerogatiue as that he may vpon consideration of the demeanour of Penitenciaries become somewhat more tractable and either quallifie the rigour of the penaunce or aggrauate the censure as he shall thinke conuenient and as necessitie shall require So also in the Nicine Councell the 5. Canon Let them stand excommunicate sayth the Canon vntill either the Congregation or the Byshop shall thinke it conuenient to mitigate the tyme of their penaunce Thus much I thought not amisse by the way to note brieflye of the maner of publique penauÌ„ce and Canonicall satisfactions exercised in the olde Church To the end it may more fullye appeare by what meanes those auncient ordinaunces of publique penauÌ„ce did first decay and were abolished in the Popes church and how by litle and litle certayne new Satisfactions were crept in thrust in place For albeit this name of Satisfactions be of some auncienty yet were Satisfactions exercised farre otherwise in the auncient Church then they are now in dayly practise in the Popes Church For in the Primitiue Church such satisfactions were enioyned as publicke penaunce for publicke offeÌ„ces only But your Popes CoÌ„fessioners do enioyne satisfactory penaunces for certayne priuate and secret sinnes The first sort were neuer ministred but in presence of the congregation onely to serue for outward Discipline onely and not to redeéme the wrath of God for their sins by way of satisfiyng and the cause why they were called Satisfactions was because they did satisfy the opinioÌ„ of the congregatioÌ„ in
assaulted in his fayth or that the conscience be miserably entangled with timerous feare or if the conscience be brought to dispayre or if any greater mishappe shall happen to vrge there must the vse of the Keyes be applyed of very necessity And hereof came it that the Lord would vouchsafe to furnish his Ministers with the power of opening and shutting not to make perfect the full worke of our iustification but onelye for the necessarye reliefe and comfort of our unbecillitye and weakenesse And therefore Thomas Aquinas doth erre and is fowly deceiued as in many other thinges so in this very notably where he reasoneth in his commeÌ„taries of distinctions that the Keyes of the Church of releasing and pardoning were therefore committed to the Ministers because no maÌ„ is able without the ayde of the Ministers to open himselfe an accesse vnto the kingdome of heauen For thus hee writeth Because no man is able to open to himselfe sayth he therfore were the Ministers authorized to forgeue Sinne Whereby the kingdome of heauen is made open Thus much Thomas And out of this established error sprang vppe If I be not deceaued that necessitye of compulsary Confession whereby all Christians are constrayned to craue Pardon of all their sinnes not of Christ through fayth but of the Priest by Confession I do not speake this because I thinke Confession is altogether vnprofitable in the Church but I meane of the superfluous necessitye of reckoning vppe the particularities of sinnes And I know not whether euer a more deadly poyson could be scattered abroad in the Church by that wicked Seédes-man the Deuill then this most pestilent Cancker as well for many causes as in this respect of all other chiefly That forasmuch as all he perfection of our righteousnes doth depend vpoÌ„ the mercy and promise of God through faith in Christ Iesu the ChristiaÌ„ people are by meanes of this doctrine trayned away to fleé from fayth to Merite Meritorius so that now this treasure proceédeth not from God that maketh the promise but from the Priest that graunteth absolution our Saluation resteth no more now vpon the mercy of God but vpoÌ„ mens deseruings not vpon the freé gifte and bountifull liberalitye of God but vpon satisfactory acquitall and sufficiencie of CoÌ„trition and vpon rendring full recompence of enioyned penaunce For so we be taught by Iohn Scotus and by a receaued custome in opinion long before his dayes Confession sayth he after absolution geuen either doth committ the partye ouer to Pardons or els sendes him packing to Purgatory And thus much hitherto of the Popes Pardons whereof albeit no portsale had bene made nor any gayne and lucre reaped Yet of their owne nature they are such as neither cann be made Iustifiable by any colour or pretence nor proued by any argument nor ratyfied by any Antiquitye nor ought to be suffred in any Christian common weale without horrible sacriledge and execrable empietye Now I returne agayne to that which Osorius doth deny And this is it That these Pardons were neuer put to sale and set out to hyre by the knowledge or permission of the holy mother Church of Rome O holy Churche doughtles that was neuer of this minde that such Fayres and Markets should be proclaymed and frequented in that most holy Church of God And therefore as farre as I doe perceaue this holy and worshippfull mother Church of Rome applying her selfe to that notable predsideÌ„t of that heaueÌ„ly Paule because she will make the Gospell freé for all men doth power out all thynges freély maketh sale of nothyng she maketh no price vpon Palles vpon Miters and Hattes and geueth freély without mony Prebends Benefices Pryuiledges Exemptions and Immunities If any thing be dispensed with all or any release to be made of speciall Reseruations tushe they are geuen for pure loue there is nothing done in all this whole Church couetously nothing filthyly no nor any corruption or Symony at all And no maruell giftes are accouÌ„pted loathsome trashe Rewardes are trodden vnder foote Mony is Maysterlesse and despised as a Roage Here be no lymetwigges layd for pencioÌ„ for tenthes for first fruites nor for Iubiles the onely luâ—re and gayne here is the recoueryng of the lost sheépe Finally the shauelynges and whole crewe of this Church dare not abide to be greaced in the handes And although the Pope doe dayly furnish abroad so many Pardoners so many Bulbearers though he poaste abroad so many Pardons coyne dayly so many fresh Bulles yet for all that as he receaued gratis so he geueth gratis and dispenceth with all thinges gratis and geueth waxe seales leade paper and partchment gratis there is nothing putt to sale all thinges of freé gift I suppose surely his Legats lykewise when they Ruffle abroad his Byshopps when they goe in visitatioÌ„s and geue orders his Suffraganes when they doe confirme when Mounckes and Feyers doe confesse when the Priestes doe sing and say Masse for the quicke and the dead they take no money at all nor yet for Trentaâ—â—s for Mortuaryes nor Mariages After the same order the Fryers Lymptoures when they gadd abroad a begging Stationars raunging from Churche to Churche with Boxes and Bulles they doe it not for any gayne beware that If thys be true Mantuan was a great lyar where in his booke of Lamentations he writeth on this maner Steades and fatt Palfrayes are presentes for Popes So are Churches and Chappels Altars and Copes Perfumes and Prayers Crownes and Attyres Tapers and waxelight Incense and Fryers Rome selleth all thinges for mony and coste Yea heauen and all with God and his hoste But because this lying Southsayer Mantuan doth lye opeÌ„ly we will salue this soare with an other kinde of dittye of a certein other Poet whatsoeuer he were who dallyed not altogether vnpleasauntly yet somewhat more clenly with two vearses to the same effect in the commendation of this Church Pauperibus sua dat gratis nec munera captat Curia papalis quod modo percipitur Free Pardons geue nor Brybes receaue Doe Romaine Popes that we perceaue What neéde many wordes who is he that will not clapp his handes for ioye to seé this exceéding bountifulnes of this holy mother Church which doth so plentifully reward such as come vnto her with such aboundaunt store of comfortable Pardons and other wholesome Drugges for neuer a penye so franckly abhorring vtterly detesting these gaynefull Fayres and Marketts none otherwise then botches and blaynes if all be true that Osorius preacheth But by what Markes may this appeare any thing probable worshippfull Syr that you doe affirme so boldly vnto vs seéing as yet you feéde vs but with leane affirmatiues onely approued neither by wittnesse nor by reason But I thinke it not amisse to couer Osorius nakednes here And because the Reader may more easely discerne the whole substaunce of these PardoÌ„s we will deryue the very pedigreé of them from their first auncestors
and shew how they sprong vpp first emongest the olde Fathers and so by litle and litle in what order they proceéded lastly by what degreés they clymed vpp so high to become marchauntable in the Primitiue Church When as Emperours raged furiously agaynst the first entrye and beginning of Christes Church albeit very many godly Fathers gaue their lyues with wonderfull constancye for the testimony of the trueth Yet did not all persist in lyke constancye of minde but many of them falling away from their profession to Idolls were holden guiltye of Idolatry sacriledge Who notwithstanding renouncing their Paganisme and retourning to Christ ministred occasion to the Elders to pause awhiles and to take breath vpon good aduise what were best to be done with them It was concluded at the last the mercy ought not to be denyed to these backslyders Yet so as they should not by and by be restored to the congregation whom they hadd offended by their euill example by perfourming some penaunce prescribed vnto thē for a certain space of tyme. In the meane tyme as euery of the Penitentiaries seémed to grow in greater carelessnes of their penaunce so was their penaunce aggrauated and lesse consideration hadd of releasing their punishment At the last the persecution being ceased yet ceased not the infirmity of sinning Whereupon the posteritye followed the example of their predecessors vpon lyke occasion ministred by obstinate sinners Then were added certein Cannons gathered together out of Councells first from the Councells of Ancyra and Nyce and from the Councells following A transcript whereof was made by Buchard and Gracian whiche the Latines doe call Penitentiales and the Grecians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as is before mencioned Wherein was comprehended how much penaunce was prescribed for euery particular fault Neuerthelesse some qualification of the sharpenes of the sayd Canons was ministred to the Penitentiaries through the clemency and humanitye of the Pastors accordyng to the qualitye of the trespasses and estates of the persons And this kinde of discipline of the Canons was exercized yet in a certein meane state of the Church by the space of a thowsand yeares and somewhat more vntill at the last the auncient sincerity of the Primitiue purenesse beginning to waxe colde and the rigor of the olde Canons growing by litle litle out of vse or chaunged into lighter burdeines new Pardons exept in place which were not onely abrydgementes and easementes of those penaltyes that apperteined to the censure of the Church but which did stretch further a great deale to absolution a paena culpa not in this present lyfe onely but euen to Purgatory it selfe Wherein were promised not onely Releases of Ecclesiasticall satisfactions but full and generall acquittaunces deliuered of those forfaytures and trespasses which appertayned chiefly to Gods owne Consistorye Whiles these thyngs were a doyng and freé Pardons flewe abroad now euery where thorough all Churches without measure which happened not long before the yeare of our Lord. 1200 by and by began question to be made by whom those Pardons might be graunted by their Parish Priest onely or by any other of like dignitie or by a superior power After that this kynde of dispensation was translated to Byshops and Archbyshops onely And at the last came it in question where the full power of plenary Pardons should rest Which after solemne disputations was agreed and concluded vpon must neédes be in the power of the Byshop of Rome In the meane space was a Councell Sommoned to be holden at Laterane vnder Pope Innocent the thyrd in the yeare of our Lord. 1215. Wherein complaint was made of that cōmon scatteryng abroad of Pardons whereby certein Proctours of Spittellhouses which gathered the good deuotion of the people for their poore houses were wont to graunt out great and large Pardons bycause they would procure the people to deale their ahnes somewhat more franckly There ensued afterward a Coūcell holden at Vienna which I doe wonder why hath bene omitted in the bookes of the Cannōs vnder pope Clemente the 5. in the yeare of our Lord. 1311 In which Councell the auncient Fathers perceauyng the subtile practizes of certein Pardoners and their ouer greédy outrage in settyng their Pardons to sale and their scrafty conueyaunce to cratche vppe the pence thought good to preuent this mischief betymes and thereupō made a solemne Decreé wherein the dissolute licentiousnesse of these pratyng Proccours was sharpely suppressed bycause they gaue of their owne myndes motiō to speake their owne tearme Pardons to the people dispenced vpon vowes absolued such as would cōfesse open periuries manslaughters and other horrible crimes bycause they would release for money the thyrd or the fourth part of penaūces that were inioyned bycause they would dispatch Purgatory of threé or foure soules whom they listed at a choppe bycause they would graunt plenary remission of Sinnes and would make out their Bulles relaxatory A poena simul Culpa And at the last the holy Synode concludyng We sayth the Canon will and commaunde that these abuses by colour where of Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction groweth to naught and the authoritie of the Church keyes is brought into contempt be vtterly abandoned and abolished c. Certeinely I am sure that this doyng of the Fathers will sett a good face vpō the matter Osorius that these good fathers had respect to nothyng els then to the Reformation of the sayd abuses onely But the matter it selfe bewrayed the contrary whatsoeuer pretence was made here of the perill of soules of the infamy of the Church of the contempt of the keyes and of ouer greédy rakyng for money yet this was not the principall cause that prickt forward the Romish Prelates to preuent this peltyng powlyng of the Proctours But there was an other cause For they did presume to absolute A poena Culpa Which accordyng to the Glose vpon the Decretalles is called the fullest forgeuenesse of Sinnes and is graunted by the Pope onely Moreouer they were to bold to geue out their Pardons to the people vpon their owne authoritie not receauyng nor obteinyng first licence and power thereunto from the Seé Apostolicque This was so haynous a matter that the Popes Councell could not be able to disgest it And hereupon began that crowyng agaynst the poore Proctours as I sayd before not so much for that they did abuse their Indulgences to gayne and lucre for what els haue the Popes them selues done at any tyme But bycause the Romishe Rauens felt no small feathers pluckt from their backes For these great wise men foresawe that which was true in deéde that if other Churches might be at freé libertie to bynde and louse as farreforth as they this would grow to no small preiudice to the Primacy And therefore was a prety waye founde out whereby all this absolute power of Pardons which at that season seémed in deéde generall to all Churches indifferently beyng afterwardes taken away
c. Damascene is yet behinde whose authoritie albeit doth geue no great credit to the cause as being to say nothyng els a writer of no great antiquitie yet euen in this same place where by this vnbloudy Sacrifice he noteth that body bloud of Christ he spake playnly of the Supper of the Lord but maketh no meÌ„tion at all of the Masse nor of the Sacrifice of the Masse Now I will aunswere to the Argument Wherein to admitt the Maior yet is the Minor surely most false which they do deuide into braunches on this wise First say they this dayly sacrifice that Malachy doth prophecy of can haue no agreablenes with the Leuiticall sacrifices which are worne out of vse long sithence neither do I deny this what then Neither could the Prophet here prophecy of the sacrifice of Melchizedech which was prefigured loÌ„g before You say very well No more can it be vnderstaÌ„ded of those spirituall sacrifices of the faythfull which are offered in mynde and in spirite Goe forth now So neither can they be ascribed to the righteousnes of workes which the Prophet Esay doth reiect beyng defiled as it were a menstruous cloth I doe heare you Lastly whereas the sacrifice of the Crosse was accomplished in one place onely at Ierusalem The vnmeasurablenesse of this sacrifice which is enclosed within no boundes of place can not be referred vnto that sacrifice Well conclude now at the length It remayneth therefore that the wordes of the Prophecy be construed to haue relatioÌ„ to the sacrifice of the popish masse in the which christ him selfe being a most pure and most cleane sacrifice of it selfe is offered vnto God emongst the Gentiles in all places yea euen now in the tyme of the new Testament without end I do aunswere where the Prophet doth name it a pure Sacrifice therein he seémeth to wil nothyng els but that abolishing all the Legall Sacrifices which were offered by smoake by smellyng sauour and bloud he did signifie certein other new reasonable Sacrifices and vnbloudy as Eusebius calleth them namely spirituall and mysticall Lyturgies of the Church and inward Sacrifices of the faythfull which albeit do seéme of theÌ„ selues vncleane and menstruous yet beyng purged and made cleane by the bloud of Christ are accompted reasonable and acceptable in the sight of GOD to witt by that reason as all thynges are sayd to be cleane to them that be cleane And that which God hath made cleane ought no man to accompt vncleane In the which sence the faithfull are commauÌ„ded to lift vppe pure handes in prayer in S. Paule Whereupon Eusebius doth say that we do kindle the Insence of prayer and doth call the same a pure sacrifice which we do execute not with bloud and goare but with pure actions Moreouer where the Prophet doth adde In euery place as these wordes preuayle nothyng for the credit of the Masse so doth it extenuate our Religion of the Sacrifice of the Crosse nothyng at all For albeit Christ the most sweéte Sauiour did suffer his Passion no more but once and in one place only at Ierusalem this withstandeth nothyng at all but that the efficacy dignity and memoriall of this Sacrifice receaued by fayth may ouer spread and be frequented in all places and tymes Whereupon we do heare Chrisostome discoursing very playnly Neither did it therefore repent God of the Priesthood sayth he because the sacrifice which he did offer vpon the Crosse doth so remaine acceptable in the good pleasure of God and permanent in endlesse power that the same oblation should be lesse effectuall now in the sight of his Father then it was the very same day wherein water and bloud gushed from out his wounded hart and the wouÌ„des remainyng discernable alwayes in the body should exact the price of mans redemption c. Which if were truely spoken by Chrisostome what neéde any more â—tteration of Sacrifices vpon altars for the saluation of soules especially sitheÌ„ce according to the generall publique consent of the Doctours there is none other Sacrifice for sinnes but this one onely oblation vpon the Crosse neither is any other Sacrifice acknowledged of the Church but the onely which coÌ„sisteth of the memoriall and thankfull remembraunce of that Sacrifice vpon the crosse Innumerable testimonyes might be vouched out of the Doctors agreéing altogether in this sence and meaning But I doe seé that thauthorityes to Iustify this cause doe amount to an infinite number This is an old and a true saying of Eusebius That he gaue to vs a remembraunce to offer to God continually in steéd of Sacrifice What shall we say of Lombard who doth affirme that this priestly Sacrifice is nothing els then a memorial and Representation of that true oblatioÌ„ offered vpon the Crosse. FroÌ„ which sweéte agreable consonancye of Authors Nazianzen doth nothing differ calling the exemplar of great Misteryes the Sacrifice of prayse What say you to Iustine Martyr Esay doth not promise sayth he a restoring agayne of bloudy Sacrifices but true and spirituall oblations of prayses and thankesgeuing c. And Augustine Christ did deliuer a similitude of that Sacrifice to be celebrated in Remembraunce of his passion And the same Augustine in an other Place Christ did geaue a representation of that Sacrifice to be celebrated in the Church for a memoriall of his passion And agayne The flesh and bloud of this sacrifice after the ascention of Christ is celebrated by a sacrament Memoriall To be short if the controuersy shall be decyded by the Testimony of Doctors the generall consent of all the learned Antiquitye doth agreé and concurre in this question namely that neuer any one of them would establish any other Sacrifice for sinnes besides that one onely Sacrifice which Christ alone at one tyme onely once and in one place did enseale and Ratify with his owne precious body and bloud vpon the Altar of the Crosse. Of which Sacrifice albeit the thing it selfe being once already performed be past and the tyme thereof determined yet doth the power effectuallnesse thereof remaine vnmoueable sure and vndeterminable beyond all ages And the dayly celebration thereof is reteigned in all places of Christendome for an euerlasting remembraunce and for that cause it is oftentimes called by the name of that Sacrifice whereof it doth represent a memoriall not because our sinnes doe neéde any other Sacrifice from henceforth but that our fayth being dayly exercized in these outward helpes may be continually enured to know what benefites it hath receaued of her Sauiour and how much lykewise it is indebted vnto him Not much vnlyke to the people of Israel who by the bloud of the Passeouer were deliuered from the Tyranny of Pharaoe In deéde they were deliuered once yet neuerthelesse the Pascall Lambe was slayne euery yeare for a remembraunce of their deliueraunce wherein was neither any passage of Angell seéne nor deliueraunce of the people In lyke maner
to dispoyle the Chaste of their continencye to raze out all endeuour of godlynes and humanitye to robb and ransack holy Churches to murther holy Fathers to spoyle some and to oppresse others with infinite afflictions to throw others out into miserable exile to expresse vngodly malice and deadly hate agaynst the Reliques of Saintes to be outragiously insolent in this vnmeasurable destruction and ouerthrow of all holy Religion is this a poynt of honesty of Modesty or worthy to be aduaunced with immortall commendation and prayse Truely I doe not suppose so But whereunto tend all these at the last forsooth to make you know what he meaneth hereby And therfore marke now gentle Reader the other part of his collation But to be subiect to lawfull Authoritye established by the commaundement and ordinaunce of Christ to preserue the bandes of Vnitye and concord to esteeme highly of the vniting together of Gods Iustice and mercye to reuerence the monuments of notable holynes to make that most Sacred and most heauenly Sacrifice for the quick for the dead finally for the preseruation of all Christian Common weales the Maiesty and vertue whereof we are neither able to expresse with tongue nor comprehend in thought and imagination shall this be accompted shamefull infamy and an intollerable haynousnesse And yet you blush nothing at all to call these disgracements of Religion c. To aunswere these great speéches at a word First as touching those slaunderous crymes which you throw out agaynst vs as being Rebellious to the lawfull Magistrate what els shall I aunswere to this your Insolency then the same which Augustine did Aunswere sometime to Petilianus If I should speake as much of such as you are sayth Augustine I am sure you would require me to make profe of the wordes that I should speake The selfe same doe I now require looke for at your hāds Osorius which so lustely rayle agaynst vs at this present Whereas you exclayme that we doe renounce dutifull obedience doe disquiet auncient orders doe betray Chastitye ouerthrow all mindefulnes and endeuour of vertue and godlynes doe raze downe Temples of Religion doe kill and doe spoyle godly personages If I should now demaund of you in the voyce of Augustine how you be able to proue that all the foresayd crymes innumerable such lyke which your raūging penne hath raged agaynst vs may be duely fathered vpon vs how would you proue it Agayne how will you deny that your selues are not duely to be charged therewith what aunswere will you make for hitherto as you haue spoken much so haue you proued nothing Unlesse you be of this opinion that your bare speéches must be taken for sufficient proofes If you thinke so what resteth els but that we requite you with the same that you reproch vs withall or els we desire you to rehearse so much agayne in our behalues and then is our profe sufficient enough as Augustine sayth if such kindes of proues be allowable If I should deale with you on this wise Osori What would remayne of your accusatiō But I do not handle you so now For I frame myne aūswere otherwise and in flatt denyall make our purgation frō all that you haue raked together agaynst vs. You say that we refuse lawfull Aucthoritie But I on the contrary part do affirme that this Aucthoritie which you name to be lawfull is neither any Aucthoritie at all neither lawfull by any meanes Nay rather what if this Aucthoritie whereof you bragge so much be so farre from beyng lawfull that it is most manifestly proued by the expresse wordes of the Scriptures to be the kyngdome of Antichrist What then Osorius will you in despight of our beardes make vs subiect to such a Tiranny frō whence the manifest word of the holy Ghost doth commaunde to cutt of our selues vpon perill of the losse of our soules not onely in the old Testament but in the new also as is declared before You adde further that we do disturbe the auncient order of the Churche and dispoyle the continent of their Chastitie But I do deny that this order of yours is auncient which I haue Iustified to be true before aboundaūtly enough with many and sounde Testimonies Moreouer as touchyng your chast Uirgines I know not what to say Surely if Cloisters Dorters could as well haue made Uirgines as they could couer their incontinency it were not all amisse that you say And yet it may be that in Portingall be many holy Nunnes such as you preache of who did neuer treade their shoes awry But without all question to speake of our litle Englād whenas the neastes of these prety sparowes were scattered abroad how these neastes were founde then not altogether so cleanly as was supposed I had rather were notified by publick Recordes Registers therof wherein they be decyphred at large thē to be proclaymed by any my writyngs Many Recordes wherof be at this present in my custody which if I would vtter would easily bewray that in these close Cloysters of coacted chastitie were more open bellied Nunnes thē chast and continent Uirgines besides many other matters that the common people euery where doth report of their owne knowledge whereof I will now say no more vnder payne of Confession This one thyng will I speake such as haue persuaded vnuoluntary Uirgines from this coacted single lyfe to enter into honorable wedlocke without all compulsion doe not defile Uirgines as I suppose nor dispoyle the chast of their cōtinency but rather prouide more circumspectly for their honestie And to say the truth this complainte of defilyng Uirgines can be applyable so iustly to none as to some of your owne Catholickes not all of the best Geldynges perhappes Now that which followeth touchyng the memory of vertue and Iustice abolished and endeuour of godlynes banished by these Lutheranes I cā not well conceaue what Osori doth meane hereby For in as much as the consideration of all righteousnes and godlynes is comprehended in the law of God chiefly I do Appeale here to the secrett Iudgementes of all the godly how farre the Lutheranes be estraūged from all thought of ouerthrowyng this law of the Lord. You say that they haue razed and ransackt Churches But what Churches they were you do not tell vs for consideratiō is not alwayes to be had of all Churches alike Some Churches do serue for godly and necessary vses Some are erected to mainteyne Idolatry and superstition God hath his peculiar Churches So hath the Deuill also his Chappelles The Gentiles had sometymes their Temples for their dumme Goddes There be Selles also Monckeries at this day for their mumblyng Goddes Neither be the Turkes destitute of their Tabernacles And therefore to raze downe any particular Church whatsoeuer for any speciall cause is not altogether so haynous Marke a most valiaunt Martyr of God did on a tyme throwe downe the Temple of Diana in Arethusiū in place thereof did
not to be marueâ—led that Monckeries were so soone ouerthrowen as that they stode so long Of the holynesse of ceremonies with Osorius Luke Iohn Collos. 2. Galat. 4. Mens traditioÌ„s ceremonies are not altogether sequestred from a Christian mans lyfe How great a perill is in ceremonies Christian RelligioÌ„ almost wholy turned into ceremonies Images Crosses Altars throweÌ„ downe Ezechiah Iosiah Iozaphat Gedeon Epiphanius in an Epistle to Iohn Byshopp of Ierusalem Phillippicus Leo Isaurick CoÌ„stantine Leo 4. Greeke Emperours agaynst Images Images banished by the couÌ„cels of ConstaÌ„tinople Elibertine and francksord Out of the councell of ConstaÌ„tinople Ex Elibertino coâ—cil can 36. Lactant. instit book 2. cap. 19. ChrisostoÌ„e Amphilochius Theodore Byshopp of Ancira Portraictes Eusebius Bysh. of Pamphil. The reasoÌ„s of Bysh. alleadged in the counsell of Constantinople Deut. 20. 2. Cor. 6. A figure called contraposition betwixt the decrees of God and the Popes Math. 10. 1. Iohn 5. Out of the Decrees of the Trydentine counsel 9. Sesio Iere. 10. Abacuâ— 3. The wicked and preposterous iudgements of the Papists in worshipping of Images Osor. pag. 178. Osorius slaunder agaynst Luther touching contrition and good workes condeÌ„ned is confuted Articul 31. How this sentence that the Righteous man doth offend in euery good worke is to be taken Gregory vpon Ioh. 9. August in his 3. booke of confess cap. 7. August to Boniface 3. book ca. 7. The words of Constantine to Acesius Aug. in his 1. booke de perfectione iustitiae Aug. in his booke of the perfection of righteousnes Of the auntient ordinaunces of the Church The ordinaunces of the primitiue church taken away now by our Catholicks The complaynt of abolishing the auntieÌ„t ordinaunces of the Church appliable to none so much as to the Papists By what meanes the Romanistes haue altered al thinges in the Church Osorius pag. 178. Osor. pag. 180. An aunswere in the behalfe of the Lutheranes liues agaynst slauÌ„deryng It is one thyng to iudge of maners an other thing to iudge of doctrine Dogges in the pallace of Rome Osori pag. 180.181 The popes blynd Decrees caÌ„ not away with the light of the Gospell The cauill of Osorius agaynst the lyues of Lutherans Osori rayseth all his slaunders of hearesay The fruites of the Gospell beyng restoared Doctrine ought not to be iudged after the qualities of mens manners Osorius malice agaynst the Lutherans Many are vntruely termed Lutherans that be no Lutherans Mauy counterfets lurke in the Church vnder presence of the Gospell The approued integritye of the-ProtestaÌ„ts The lyfe of Cranmer Archb. of Cant. The marriage of CraÌ„mer defended The name of a Concubine more holy with the Papistes then the name of a wife Nichol. Ridley Byshop of London Ferrar Bish. of Saynt Dauids Iohn Hooper Bish. of Worcest Glocester Famous men martyrred vnder Queene Mary Tho. Bilney Ioh. Bradford The liues of those which were burnt in Queene Maries raigne Erasmus testimony coÌ„cerning Luther See Osorius in his 1. booke 69. Roffensis of the doctrine of Luther Luthers doctrine not other then all other true Christians The Fallax of the consequent An Argument rightly deduced froÌ„ Signes Doctrine not to be applyed to maners but maners to doctrine Osorius pag. 181. 182. Of prescription of Antiquitye Osorius doth accuse the reformed Churches of Noueltye The reformed Churches now a dayes doe not vary froÌ„ the Apostles institution in doctrine Maner of lyfe thought neuer so disorderous maketh not an heretique The cause that enflameth Osor. agaynst the Lutheranes is not the life but the state of their doctrine The foundation of the questioÌ„ is not of maners but of the principles and grouÌ„des of Religion The condition agreed vpoÌ„ concerneth the triall of antiquitie The papists exception agaynst the obscurenes of the scriptures Of an vnpier in Ecclesiasticall causes A Request to the excellent king of Portingall The Antiquity of the Romish Religion couÌ„terfaite The false accusation of Noueltie agaynst the Lutherans The law of PrescriptioÌ„ Distinct. 8. August Gregory Custome Antiquitye PrescriptioÌ„ Cyprian distinc 8. No custome may prescribe agaynst the king much lesse anye Custome may prescribe agaynst god A defence agaynst the accusation of Nouelty falsly charged vpon the reformed Churches by Osorius Of the merites of Christ. Of true coÌ„fidence Tertulian touching prescription agaynst Heretiques Exod. 20. Of inuocation worshipping c. Of Sacraments Out of Iustine Of the freedome of Mariage Heb. 13. 1. Timo. 4. The mother tongue in Churches The Communion vnder both kindes Of Images Of rightâ— and Ceremonies Of the power of free-will Of iustifiyng fayth Rom. 3. Galat. Galat. How fayth onely doth iustifie and whom Luther Caluine MelancthoÌ„ Musculus Bullinger P. Martyr Hul. Zuinglius Occolampadius Iohn Iuell Gualter Rodolfe Theodore Beza The Lutherans acquited from all reprehention of Noueltye An olde quarrell of the Catholicks touching Noueltye Of the supremacy titles of the Pope The titles of the Romaine pope Math. 23. The outragious dignitie of the pope Chrisost. ad Romanos homil 23. Gregory The supremacy was first graunted by Phocas to Boniface The fulnes of power beganne in the tyme of Hildebrand Pope Cardinalls The election of the Pope translated from the Emperour and the people of Rome vnto the Cardinalls Of the Masse and her appurtenaunces The vse of Corpes in the Church Priuate Masses The Communion of the laye people abbridged froÌ„ thrice to once in a yeare by Clement 3 Vnleauened bread One part of the CoÌ„munion taken away from the lay people Corpus Christi day Of Image Of transubstantion of Eleuation of carying abroad of the Sacrament Of marriage of priestes and choyse of meates Of the Popes decrees and decretals Extrauaga de Maiorit obed cap. vnam De maior it obedientia cap. Solitae Of MouÌ„cks Fryers Three vows of MouÌ„kerye Sixe wings of Seraphin Aemilius in his 5. booke Carthusianes Castersianes Templars Premonstratenses Gilbertines Dominicanes Franciscans Eremites Augustines Carmelites Nuns of S. Clares order Out of the Councell of Lateran Innocent 3. Cap. 13. Minorites Augustine anes Crossebeabeares Whippers Iesuites In the Romish Churche are many things new altogether nothing auncient sauoring of thapostolique Antiquitye The carnall presence of Christ no where but in heauen The carnall presence of Christ one of the Popish doctrine How the Papistes dp doe differ from the Apostles in the ministring of the communioÌ„ Priuate Masse Hebr. 9. 8 10. 1. Tim. â— The true doctrine of traÌ„substantion iuuented by the paâ—istes TransubstaÌ„tiation was neuer knowen to the Apostles Many thou sandes of Martyrs lost theyr liues for this TransubstaÌ„tiatioÌ„ The Churche of the Pope a Murtherer The papist caÌ„ reÌ„der no iust cause of spâ—llyng so much Christian bloud It is one thing to reuerence the SacrameÌ„ts an other thyng to turne Christ into a Sacrament The words of Christ. This is my body Christs wordes bespirit and lyfe Christ is called by sondry names in the Scriptures Christ is called bread in the Gospell By what similitude the
of Epicharmus Seuen SacrameÌ„ts ordeined by the pope but by Christ two onely were Instituted There is no cause to the coÌ„trary but that the Churche may be gouerned in the best maner though we be neuer acquainted with the popes supremacy Haddon a Babe in the Latine touÌ„g but Osor. a Gyaunt in Eloquence Osor pag. 193. Cyprian in his 4. booke and 2. Epistle The Papistes doe wrongfully define the Church of Christ. Cipria in his 4. booke and 2. Epist. Apoc. 18. Esay 52. 2. Cor. 6. The peace and the vnitye of the Church according to Cypriane The definition of the Church after the meaning of the Romishe Church The Popish definition is confuted What is required to the true definition of a Church The description of a true church according to the rule of the scripture Osorius Reasons The fallacy in the AequiuocatioÌ„ that is to say in the word of diuers significatioÌ„ A necessary coniunction of souÌ„d doctrine with vnitye Vnitye of the Church Succession Multitude Gods promise made vnto the Church Popes and Cardinalles will not admitte examinatioÌ„s of their cause Osori pag. 195. Papane Redeeming of Sinnes Markett of Purgatory Worthy ppyng of images Pilgrimage goyng Masses Sacrificatory for the quicke and the dead Osori pag. 196. Osori doth deale with wordes and no matter Apocal. 14 17. 18. Of Fayres and markets of Pardons Pag. 196. Out of Chris. Masseus Iohn Sleidonne M. Luther What darnell groweth in the Popes fieldes Putt in putt in putt in Masseus Iohn SleidoÌ„ M. Luther The horrible impudencye of the Romanistes Out of the Decretalles Gregory 5. in the title of Repentaunce and RemissioÌ„ of Sinnes Cum ex co Chrisosto Homel 38. vpon Math. Tridentine Councell The pardoÌ„s of the popish church Nicene Canon 11. Antycira Canon 21. Antycira Canon 22. Agathe Councell Canon 37. Eusebius 6. booke Cap. 35. Cyprian 3. booke Epistle 15. 16. 18. Antyciran Canon 5. Nicene couÌ„cell Cannon 5. New satisfactioÌ„s crept into the Romishe Church vnknowen to the Antiquitye Burchard How much the order of the old discipline doth varry from the Romish Nouelty The errours of the Popish discipline The ordinaunces of the Pope are contrary to Christ his Scriptures Act. 20. Collos. 1. Iohn 1.2 Iohn 1. Heb. 10. Rom. 3 4. The absurditie of the Romishe doctrine Eccius interpretation vppon the Popes decretalls Out of the Commentary of M. Luther to the Galath cap. 2. The Papisticall absolutions How great an absurditie is in the popes pardons Math. 16. The Keyes and Chayre of Peter Lucian 2. part pag. 525. Orpheus Harpe maketh not a Harper not doth Peters Chayre make an Apostle The succession of Peter the Apostle The circuÌ„stauÌ„ces must he considered wherefore the keyes were deliuered vnto Peter Math. 16. The foundatioÌ„ of the Churche is fayth the knowledge of the Sonne of God What Circumstaunces do goe before the true keyes of Christ what doe come after Peter receiued the keyes first but not onely Out of Eusebius third book cap. 7. The Succession Apostolique is not to be measured by place or tyme. The nature of the Gospell is altogether spirituall nor regardeth earthly and carnall thinges The spirite of Christe The succession of Peter doth consist in spirite not in externall thinges Pardons Succession The Keyes The 5. Canon of the councell of Ancyra Ex titulo de penitent Remiss cap. cuÌ„ ex eo The fulnes of power first brought in by Innocent .3 first Authour therof The fulnes of power Esay 55.12 Out of a decree in the Lateran Councell Anno. 1215. A decree of Boniface 8. Extraua A shamelesse abuse of the keyes The Byshops of Rome can challenge to themselues fulnes of power by no Argument of proofe Apoc. 3. An obiection The state of the Question is mistourned by-the Romanistes The wordes of August vnto Peter haue no playne application vnlesse they be referred to the churche Thomas Aqui. lib. 4. distinct 18. Extrauade Re. paen Cap. Cum ex eo nostro Thomas Aqui lib. 4. dist 18. Extrau de Re poeni ca. Cum ex eo nostro The Keyes were geuen for the necessary benefite of the Church nor to meÌ„s lust nor yet to Reuenge The Iudiciall vse of Keyes Tho. lib. 4. dist 18. Actes 2â— The power of the keyes how great and to whom are geuen Whether no RemissioÌ„ of sins is in the Church without the vse of the keyes How much the publike keye and how much euery mans fayth is effectuall to the Remission of Sinnes Rom. 5. Luke 8. Math. 9. When the vse of the Keies ought to be ministred Thomas lib 4. dist 18. The error of Thomas Aquinas The discoÌ„modities of the Shauelinges confession Iohn Scotus The Rom. See doth sell nothing forsooth Mantuan in his booke of Lamentation The matter doth agree if you reade the verses backward CanoÌ„s penitentiall described by Burchard and Gratian. When began fayres and markettes of Pardons first Ex CoÌ„cillo Latera Extran de poena Remi Cap. Cum ex co The Councell of Vienna 1311. Ex ClemeÌ„t 5. Lib. 6. Deâ—creta Cap. Abusionibus Ex ClemeÌ„t Cap. Abusionibus in Glossa The first 〈◊〉 of â—uâ—â—â—â— instituâ—â—â— Extrauag de Pâ—nit Remi Ca. AntiquoruÌ„ Out of the GreuauÌ„ces of Germany Out of Polydore Virgill The pardoÌ„s of Boston A History of Flaunders The Papists flee to denyals Osori pag. 196. It is one thyng to prayse Martyrs and an other thing to worshyp Images The Oration of Gregory Nissenus in the prayse of Theodorus Martyr Osorius Argument pag. 197. Osorius ill-fauoured Argument deriued froÌ„ Resemblaunce to worshipping Who be called Saintes Saintes not to be worshypped Apocal. 22. Of Purgatory the Popes Kater Why the Papistes doe striue so earnestly for Purgatorye Osorius great sturre about Purgatory The popes Pnrgatory Mores folly The new IlaÌ„d of Purgatory newly found by the Deuines What day Purgatory was made Gregory Alcuinus At what tyme the flame of Purgatory was kyndled at the first Whether God be author of Purgatory or the Pope Other questions of Purgatory Thomas Aquinas opinion of Purgatory Luther is vouched to defend Purgatory Osor. pag. 197. Roffensis agaynst Luther in praefatione veritatis Luther in the 15 Conclus Osor. pag. 198. Osor. subtill Sophisme Ex Thoma secunda secunduÌ„ dist quest 110. cap. 1. Diâ—ers kindes of lyes Abraham Iacob Rebecca The Midwiues of Egipt Dauid Luther is not cleared from all error Iohn 1. Osor. pag. 198. Truth is alwayes one Errour ought to be refuted by Scripture doctrine not with tauntey and reproches Faultes layd Luthers charge Osor. mainteineth his cause with slauÌ„ders nor with Argumentes Osori pag. 199. Luther doth deny that Purgatory can be proued by the scriptures in the declaration of his 37. Articl Mar. 9. Osori pag. 200. Lynceus was a man that could eâ—ery a ship at the Sea xxx myle of Osorius reason of Salt very fresh and vnsauery Osorius pag. 200. The words of Osorius pag. 200. Wordes of Blasphemy
Sacrament of bread and wine is called the body and bloud of Christ. August to Boniface 13. Episto August vppon the psalme 89. August agaynst Adimant 13. The circumstaunces about the Supper of the Lord are to be considered August vpon the wordes of the Lord in Lake Ser. 33. August in Ioh. tractar 25.26 The abseÌ„ce of the body of Christ more profitable for vstheÌ„ his presence An Argument in respect of the profit therof Antichrist An argument from Impossibilitye Contradictiories cann not be together not so much as by miracle A great diuersitie betwixt the auncient Church of Rome and this vpstart Church The lynes and couersatioÌ„ of the auncieÌ„t Fathers of the primitiue Church The first age of the Church Deut. 12. Gala. 1. Math. 7. In processe of time the maners and ordinaunce of ChristiaÌ„s were chauÌ„ged The middle age of the Church How sure forth humayne authoritye doth binde Ecclesiasticall function consisteth in two thinges chiefly How farre ecclesiasticall power doth extend it selfe In matters appertayning vnto God dew obedience ought to be geuen to the Pastors and Ministers How farre forth obedieÌ„ce ought to be geuen or not geueÌ„ to Pastours of the churche in matters of mens constitutioÌ„ What ministers ought to consider in makyng new ordinaunces Of iudiciall power of Churches The difference betwixt Ecclesiasticall temporall IudgemeÌ„ts Ecclesiasticall discipline in the primitiue Church The first institution of the primitiue church compared with the tymes of the latter Church The foundation of the christiaÌ„ Church The foundation of the Romyshe Church The Popes doctrine coÌ„uinced by foure principall pointes The popes Church more like an earthly kyngdome then the kyngdome of Christ. A smale discription of the Romishe Ierarchye A comparison betwixt the kingdome of the Pope and the kingdome of this world Iohn 20. A comparison betwixt the popes kyngdome and Christs kyngdome Luke 20. Mar. 10. Luce. 12. 2. Cor. 10. 1. Cor. 4. 2. Cor. 1. 1. Pet. 5. Rom. 12. The shape of the Romish Ierarchy The counteâ—faite authoritie of popes The church wickedly defined by the papistes How the Romishe stagers doe counterfayt olde Antiquitye A manifest declaration of the Romish church as it is now to be nothing at all Gregor 4. booke 30. Epistle The order of Cardinalles The electioÌ„ of the pope of Rome Cyprian 4. booke Epistle 2. The auncient authoritie of Emperours in sommoning Councelles and in chusing popes A Decree of Charles the great Otto Distinct 6 3. The olde Canons do abhorre priuate Masses Canon 8. The power of both swords coÌ„trary to the old CanoÌ„s The thyrd CouÌ„cell of Carthage Cap. 47. In the new Constitutions 123. 146. Cap. 3. Antiquitie agaynst Images in Churches Origene vpon Leuit. Cap. 16. Chrisost. vpon Math. 1. Homel 2. Vpon Iohn Homel 31. August de opera Monach Malburiensis de pontificibus Lib. 1. An auncieÌ„t law of EnglaÌ„d against pluralities All thynges altered by the pope Out of the Tridentine Councell Generall Councels accordyng to the old constitutioÌ„s aboue the pope The Church of Rome as it is now is conuinced of Nouelty The Councell of Laterane A new doctrine first instituted in the same vnder Pope Innocent 3. Cap. 1. Of the sacrifice of the Masse Of priuate confession The Laterane councell vnder Innocent 3. Cap. 21. Chrisost. in his fourth Sermon of Lazarus Chrisost. vp on the psal 50. hom 2. Chriso vpon the Epistle to the Hebrues homi 31. Tripart histo lib. 9 Cap. 35. Erasmus iu his Apolo The Sacraments of the Romish Church Out of Huntington the 7. booke Out of the Chronicles of Monumetensis Councell of Gangren Cap. 4. Out of the 2. councel of Arelaten 2. cap. Pope Lucius decree distinâ— 81. Ministri The greatest part of the Romish doctrine newly fouÌ„d out and brought in within thâ—s 500. yeares Apoc. 21. Trueth suffereth violence A figure called Hypotiposis Whereby the state of the RomaÌ„s Church and the Reformed Churche is expressed In the question of the Churche many things are conteined People buildyng doctrine forme of gouernement Where the Churche of Lutheranes was fourtie yeares ago A Similitude betwixt the restitutioÌ„ of Religion the finest of the tounges Reason reÌ„dered why Religion is more pure at this tyme in the Churches then it was in many yeares before The Arte of Emprintyng The reason and obiection of the Catholicks in the defeÌ„ce of their Church Probable with Deuines Rome built vpon seuen hilles Apocal. 13. The reason of the papistes touchyng the consent and proofe of their vniuersalitie The captious conclusion of the Catholicks The aunswere to the Argument Distinct. 40. Non loca Distinct. 4. Non est A fallax in the Equiuocum which is of diuers significations The Rom. Church doth combate against the true Church of Christ vnder a coulour of christian name Origen vpon Mathew cap. 17. Irene 3. book cap. 4. The trueth is the life of the church Lactant. 5. institu cap. 30. ArgumeÌ„tes made from consent and multitude of authors are weake Math. 10. Eccle. 1. Ieremy 8. Osorious accusation which was properly bent against Doctrine is transposed to maners To what end tendeth the force of Osorius Accusation Osorius doth deny that Luthers doctrine hath any affinitye with the Apostolique Scriptures Pag. 181. Osor. pag. 182. Osorius lying Rhetorick The Argument of Osorius The Aunswere to the Argument Osorius quarell of lyfe and maners Tit. 1. Ill may the Snight the Woodcock twight for his long bill The lyfe of the Lutheranes compared with the Catholickes The vices of maners are not to be imputed to his doctrine The fruites of Luthres doctrine Osor pag. 182. The confutation of hisl aunder Artic. 21. The scoffe of Luthers doctrine Luther offeÌ„ded with the life of his countrey men Osor. pag. 187. Deut. 18. The argument of Osorius 1. Kinges Act. 1â— A true difference betwixt the false and the true Prophett Luther vpon the 130. Psalme Mens iudgemeÌ„ts in findyng faulte may be free so that they be vpright Out of Valer Ansel. Iohn Stella Out of BeÌ„uo a Cardinall Of couenauntes and promises not alwayes holden true emoÌ„gest the papistes Iere. cap. 23. Osorius argument out of Ieremy Aunswere to the argument The fallax of the consequent The aunswere to the Maior The reason to discerne betwixt false and true Prophetes accordyng to Osorius The aunswere of the Minor Osori pag. 190. The place of Ieremy expounded Iohn Husse The prophecy of Iohn Husse touchyng the doctrine of the Gospell to be restored by Luther A small coÌ„trouersy betwixt Luther and Zuinglius Osor. pag. 191. Of diuisioÌ„s of the churche Dissentions in the Papane church Dissentions amoÌ„gst the most godly A full consent of doctrine in reformatioÌ„ of Churches The Articles of the chief grouÌ„des of Religion wherin the Ministers of the Church do well agree together How great a concord is ctetwixt many Churches in the matter of the Sacrament Papistes murtherers of Martyrs Osori pag. 192. Osori doth beleue fame Authour of all his vntruthes A prouerbe