faith sworne vnto God in their oath of baptisme Or els her highnesse must thinke great disâ—…oyaltie what speake I of disloyaltie yea open and manifest contumely in such an impudent marchant as dare be bold to assure her subiects y â— commaunding them to ioyne with her in true religion shée commaundeth them to breake their firste fayth sworn to God in baptisme and yet notwithstanding cannot but be coÌ„forted at their obstinate contempt to her most iust and godly commaundement But let the matter of the first fayth remaine in question What assurance can her maiestie haue of the kéeping of their second fayth and alleadgeance sworn to her heighnes as to y e substitut of god How many of those recusants presended for coÌ„science and kéeping of their first faith sworn to goâ—… ioined with the trayterous Earlâ—…s of Northumberland and Westmerland in open and actual rebellion against her maiesties person her crowne aâ—…d dignitie Behold the bond of assurance that her heighnes hath by their obstinate refusing to yéeld vnto her gracious and godly procéedings These be the linkes of loyalty wherby papists are so chained in obedience vnto their god y t they caÌ„not be traytors against their prince This is the recognisance of their dutie y â— they wil stick vnto her maiestie if occasioÌ„ should serue y â— so soone as any occasion is offred to shew theÌ„selues in their right collors stick not to make open war against her maiestie euen in her owne realme and their natiue countrey I hartâ—…ly beseech almightie God if it bée his will for Christes sake to illuminate their blind eyes that their heartes being truely conuerted vnto God they may bée méete instrumentes to serue the Prince Which grace if it be not his maiesties pleasure to graunt vnto them sor causes knowne to his diuine wisdome I beséech him for his mercie that her highnesse neuer haue néede or vse of their ayde who are her secréete sworn â—…imies howsoeuer they pretend an outward countenance of duetie and faythfulâ—…esse But to returne to this our discourser if Papistes could bée ashamed of any thing my thinke he should not for shâ—…me promise her maiestie assurance of their fidellitie who hauea receiued principle y â— to infidels and such as they accounte herhighnesse to be no fayth or promise of obedience it is to bée obserued And what talketh hée of a secundarie fayth sworne vnto her highnesse as though either shée or any almost in Englande were ignorant of the blasphemous bulles of Pius quintus and Gregorius 13. giuen forth against her maiestie procured by the traitours on that side the sea by which al her subiects are assured to bée discharged of all oth of obedieâ—…ce and loyaltie vnto their souereigne and the Prince her selfe with more vile tearmes then I in respecte of her honour and my duetie may expresse as méete for the basphâ—…mous mouth of Antichrist as vnworthy of her most 〈◊〉 and noble personage discharged of y â— most lawful souer eigntie which by the ordinance of Gâ—…d her most iust title by all law righ equitie doth appertaine vnto her Will they stick to her Maiestie in conscience of anyoth whose consciences the Pope hath loosed from al dutie of alleadgeance Haue not all the Papistes â—…ne sense of this matter or els where is the vnitie they brag of dâ—…th not Bristo in his 40. motiue affyrme that al the Papistes in England be duelie discharged from subiectioÌ„ and the Prince froÌ„ dominion by the souereigne autoritie of the common pastor of relygion Saith he not in the same motiue that although they be discharged of their fealtie yet they obey for common humanitie He might much more truly haue said that being in their traiterous perswasion discharged of their fealty wherinsoeuer they obey it is for feare of penaltie How can they that thinke themselues discharged of their fealty kéepe their secoÌ„d faith and aleadgeaunce â—…worne to her highnesse as to the substitute of God whome they wickedly imagine to bée discharged from dominion by the souereigne authoritie of Gods vicar in their tearme but the dauilles dearling in very déede But if the rebellion in the North the Bulles of their two last Popes Feltons execution Brisues motiues and a great many other motiues inducing her maiestie to conceiue of them as of most daungerous persons to the state were all cleane forgotten or els had neuer gone before are the attempts of Saunder in Ireland so obscure or y â— Popeâ—… standerd throwne downe so lowe or his garyson of soldiours so wholy discomfited or his forte so througly rased and made euen with the ground or Campions proude and foolish chaleng and the flocking of so many Iâ—…suits and Seminaristes as so many trompets and bellowes of sedition into England concurring with the hostile inuasion of Ireland so cléerely abolyshed that no monumentes of popish sidelitie and alleadgeance to their souereigne remaine to bée gathered or considered of them but that this new discourser dare assure her Maiestie that the disobedience of Papistes is an argument of their loyaltie their obstinacie a proofe of their fidelitie their contâ—…mpte of God and his trueth a conclusion of their alleageaunce and sworne seruice to their Prince Yet is hée so confident in defending their wilfulnesse that hée aâ—…ouceth that their aduersaries also and persecutors cannot in any reason mislike it for that the contrary relygion were to haue them as constant and faythfull in that if it were possible to winne them to the same In déede constancie if the cause bée good wherein it is deserueth great commendation but obstinacie in an euil cause as it hath nothing y â— in reasoÌ„ can moue wise men to like it so hath it not a necessarie consequence that the obstinate being once reclaymed to good religion will al waies continue constant in the same For beside experieÌ„ce in some of the recusantes who haue reuoulted from the truth once professed that constancie wherby true religioÌ„ is faithfully maintained is the gift of God and diffreth as much from obstinacie whereby an euill matter is borne out as trueth differeth from falshood and good relygion from heresie The last part of y â— answer to this preteÌ„ded letter is spent in promising to proue their obstinâ—…cie to be constancie and their wiâ—…lnes to be conscience and in 〈◊〉 his friendes desire briefly to touche three thinges The firste poynte shall bee what cause 〈◊〉 reason the Catholikes haue sayeth hee to stande as they doâ—… in the refusall of thinges offered them and especially of going to church The other two poyntes which are altogether omitted I will rehearse in the ende with a briefe coniecture of the cause why the same were giuen ouer And now to the first parte and in déede The onely matter and whole discourse of this treatise The first parte THat the Queenes most excellent maiestye the honourable Lordes of her pryuy Counsell and other the learned and wise of England may see that the refusall of going
which all men are to be saued Thirdly becaâ—…se they sing it and make other simple men to sing it in the beginning of Sermons and otherwise as though it were scripture it selfe and one of Dauids Psalmes Fourthly albeit the Protestantes seruice had not all this euil in it as it hath yet were it nought because it hath not in it those good things which Christian seruice should haue For seruice may bee euil as well for hauing too litle as for hauing too much As the seruice of the Arrians was for singing Glorie to the Father and not singing the same to the Sonne And as if a man should recyte his Creede and leaue out one article as in effect the Protestants doe the article of discention into hell all the whole Creede were nought thereby Nowe howe many thinges doe want in the Protestantes seruice which should be in Christian seruice it were too long in euerie point to rehearse yet will I for examples sake name two or three thinges First therefore they haue left out the chiefest and highest thinges of all which is the blessed Sacrifice of Christ his Bodie and Blood appointed by Christ to bee offered vp euerie day for thankes giuing to God for obteyning of grace and auoyding of all euil and for the remission of sinnes both oâ—… quicke and dead as with one consent the Fathers of the Primatiue Church doe affirme The which sacrifice beeing away no Christian seruice can bee saide to be there For so much as for this cause were ordeined Priests neither can there any be called Priest but in respect of this sacrifice also in respect of this sacrifice were christian churches called Temples for this sacrifice were made Aulters for an Aulter is the place of sacrifice euen as an armorie is the place where armour is For this sacrifice was Priestes apparell made Vestments Sensors Frankensence and the lyke in the Primatiue Church Whereof all the Fathers Councelles and histories doe speake so much The seconde thing which the Protestantes seruice leaueth out is no lesse then sixe of the seuen sacramentes which the catholike seruice of God doeth vse for as for their communion it can bee no sacrament as they doe vse it The commoditie of which Sacraments in the church saint Augustine saieth That it is greater then can bee expressed and therefore the contempt of them is no lesse then sacriledge because saith hee that can not be contemned without impietie without the helpe of which no man câ—…n haue pietie And for this cause in an other place hee saieth That the contemners of visible Sacraments can by no meanes inuisibly be sanctified The third thing that the Protestants seruice leaueth out is all the ceremonies of the catholike church of the which the olde auncient Fathers and Councels doe say these three thinges First that that they are to bee had in great reuerence and to bee contemned of no man Secondly that they are to bee learned by tradition and that many of them are receiued by the tradition of the Apostles Lastly that they which doe either condemne despise or wilfully omyt these ceremonies are excommunicated I might heere adde many other thinges as leauing out prayers for the dead beeing as the Fathers holde one of the chiefest functions of a Priest Also for hauing their seruice in an other order and language then the vniuersall church vseth But this is sufficient For if they leaue out of their seruice both Sacrifice Sacraments and all Ecclesiasticall ceremonies I knowe not what good thing they haue left besides a fewe bare wordes of scripture euil translated and woorse applyed which they read there Seeing therefore their seruice is such it is a sufficient cause to make all catholikes to auoide it The seuenth reason HE telleth vs that the seuenth reason why a catholike may not yeelde to come to the Protestantes churches is because the seruice which they vse is nought and dishonourable to God and therfore no man can come to it or heare it or seeme to allowe of it by his presence without great offence to God Wee heare that it is nought and dishonourable to God But let vs heare the cause why it is so tearmed First it is not sufficient he saith to defend it y â— it is takeÌ„ out of the scripture the Gospels Epistles Psalmes and such like â—…or by that argument the seruice of the Iewes and Heretikes which is taken out of the Scriptures might like wise bée made good I aunsweare if the 〈◊〉 and Heretykes haue nothing in their seruice but taken out of the Scripture their seruice is not euil in the matter thereof and no more can ours be but by that only argument I confesse that our seruice cannot be proued to bée simply good although it were taken â—…uerie worde out of the Scriptures except it be good also in forme and ende that it be referred to the woorship of the onely true God in the name of Christ and vnitie of this Church as in déede it is and therefore not like the seruice of Iews and Heretikes or Schismatikes but least the Protestantes seruice should not be déemed nought throughly Luthers opinion thereof is cited out of Copes Dialoges a sufficient witnesse of so weightie a matter saying That the Sacramentaries doe in vaine beleeue in God the Father in God the Sonne in the holie Ghost and in Christ our Sauiour al this doth auaile them nothing seeing they doe denie this one article as false of the real presence whereas Christ doeth say this is my bodie Suppose that Cope citeth this saying truely out of Luther and that those whom hée calleth Sacramentaries did deny this one article of the reall presence according to the meaning of Christes wordes This is my bodie as false as though Christe were a lyar It were true that all other articles of fayth could not profite them vnto saluation But what woorde is héere to shewe Luthers opinion of the Protestantes seruice whiche might bee good although they were nought which vsed it But wheras he hath gone hetherto vpon méere suppositions nowe wée shall haue his assumption confirmed by weight of argumentes and authorities First therefore to shew that the Protestants seruice is euil he saieth it were sufficient to say That it is deuised of themselues altogether different from al the seruice of Christendom CoÌ„cerning the matter it was confessed before that it is taken out of the scriptures the Gospels Epistles Psalmes therfore not deuised by vs. Touching y e forme and ceremony thereof it hath alwaies bin frée lawful for euery particular Church to deuise whatsoeuer is most méete for edification order cumlinesse as I haue shewed before euen out of the authoritie of Gregory Bishop of Rome therefore may be different from the forme and ceremonies of all other churches in Christendom so the substance of doctrine Sacraments be the same I wil set down his wordes The interogation of Augustine Cum vna
time abidden imprisonment and nowe in greater number do for this only thing in the sight knowledge not only of Englande but also of al Christendome and of the enemies of the same in the worlde besides doeth make this abstaining from churche to bee a proper and peculiar signe of a true catholike nowe if it were not before and the yeelding in the same especially if a man be called to publike trial about it to be a flat and â—…uident denying of God and of his fayth For what doeth make a thing to be a proper and peculiar signe but the iudgement and opinion of men The bush of the Tauerne is a signe of wine because mâ—…n commonly take it so In like maner the yeaâ—…ow bonet of a Iew the yealow torbant of a Turke and the like Euen so seeing the whole world at this day doeth take the absteming from Protestantes Churches to bee the only external signe of a true catholike and seeing the Protestantes them selues doâ—… make it so also seeing that the going to Church is the contrarie signe it followeth that if going to church were of it selfe before lawful it were now made by this a peculier signe distinctiue betwixt religion and religion and so vtterly vnlawful I wil put an example of the Primatiue church wherein the wearing of a garland was lawful for al souldiers vntil the Emperours and the common opinion of men had abridged it onely to infidel souldâ—…ers to distinguish them thereby in honour from christian souldiers And then after that as Tertullian prooâ—…eth it was no longer lawful for christian souldiers to weare them for that the wearing therof was a denial of the christian fayth Wherevppon wee reade that a certaine christian souldieâ—… offered him selfe rather to suffer death then to weare one of them as appeareth in the same booke of Tertullian But now much more is the thing vnlawfull in our case For that the going to the Protestantes churches which is a catholike must presume to be heretical was neuer a thing of it selfe lawful as I wil hereafter proue which the wearing of a garland was and therfore much lesse now to be tollerated seeing besides this it is also made a signe distinctiue as I haue alreadie prooued The third reason THe third reason is not vnlike his brethren that went before which all holde of a necessarie supposition or els they inforce no necessarie conclusion This third reason is for that going or not going to the Church is made a signe nowe in Englande and a distinctiue note betwixt religion and religion betwixt a Catholicke and a schismatike as the wearing of a yellow Cappe is the marke of a Iewe in Italy I yéeld it is so and therfore going to Church is the externall note of a Catholike not going to Church is the marke of a Schismatike Heretike But what go I about to breake the adamantine necessitie of the former supposition Then let it stand and sée howe it is fastened to the cause in controuersie That the going to Church is the playne and apparant signe of a Schismatike that is to say of a conformable man as they call him to the Protestantes proceedinges it is manifestly to bee prooued In déede it is necessarie to bée prooued if you will haue the argument of auoiding the distinct marke of Schismatikes to agrée with Protestantes Howe then doe you proue it First by the commandement and exaction of the same for going to Church In déed this proueth the meaning of the coÌ„manders to be y â— they woulde haue all true Christians whoÌ„ you call the Protestants to bée discerned from heretikes and schismatikes by this marke But that all Protestants are heereby proued to bée schismatikes it is as farre of as euer it was and as néere as euer it shalbe But the reason of exaction mightily doeth prooue it For when a Catholike doeth come before the Commissioners there is nothing asked of him but when hee was at Churche and if hee will promise to goe to Churche commonly they account him a sufficient conformable man that is to haue yeelded sufficiently vnto them It were I gesse hard to proue that euery Papist which commeth before the Commissioners is examined of that one Article of comming to Churche And if it were graunted that to bée one question which is asked of him when hee was at Churche yet that nothing els is asked of any that commeth before them I thinke there is no man will beléeue you though you woulde swere it And if some of whose conformitie there is hope by promising to goe to the Churche where they may bée instructed are for a season vrged no further yet that they are commonly accounted to bée conformable men and thought to haue yéelded sufficiently vntoo the Commissioners I dare say neither the Commissioners who best know their owne thoughts wil acknowledge so much and their contrary practise is often séene in many and you your selfe complaine of it that they exact of many to communicate to take the oth whiche is more then onely going to Churche But the long imprisonment of many doeth make this absteining from the Church to bée a proper and peculiar signe of a true Catholike No verily but of an obstinate herctike For not y â— imprisonment but the cause for which they suffer must argue them to bée true Catholikes whiche cause séeing it is lefte without defence or proofe sauâ—… only a poore naked and beggerly supposition to stande vpon it followeth not that going to Churche is the note of a Schismatike but not going to Churche rather argueth a Schistike or an Heretike The fourth Reason THE fourth cause why a Catholike may not goe to the Churche is because it is Schisme and breaking of the vnitie of the Catholicke Churche the which howe perrillous and dreadsul a thing it is all catholikes doe sufficiently knowe For as they firmely beleeue that to oppugne the visible knowne Churche of Christe as all Heretikes tontinually doe is a verie wicked and damnable sinne Euen so in like manner they beleeue that to breake the vnitie of the same Churche and to make any rent or disuion in the same whiche is the proper faulte of schismatikes is also damnable For the whiche cause Saint Paule doeth so diligently request the Corinthians too auoide Schismes saying beseeche you brethren by the name of our Lorde Iesus Christe that you al say one thing and that there bee no schismes amongest you And to the Ephesians Bee you careful to keâ—…pe vnitâ—…e of spirite in the bonde of peace The which vnitie Christe himselfe expresseth more particularly and more distinctly when hee requesteth of his Father That his Christians might bee one as he and his father were one that is to say that as hee and his father did agree in al their actions and whatsoeuer the one did the other also did So in his church there shoulde bee one only forme of beliefe one fourme of seruice
fellowes why hée discenteth from them Last of al concerning the charge which is giuen to Gods people To goe out of Babylon c. Least they bée partakers of her punishments which he citeth Apoc. 18. is diligently to be considered For if we may finde in the Scripture what is Babylon we know from whence to flée The holy ghost therfore before he gaue this charge did first plamely describe the whoore of Babylon the mother of all abhominations of the earth to be y t City which hauing seueÌ„ kings or states of gouernment in succession is situated vpon seueÌ„ hilles to be that great Citie which in that time of the Reuelation had the kingdome ouer the kings of the earth which by all reason and consent of the most auncient writers Irenaeus Tertullian Hierome Augustine c. Can be none other but the Citie of Rome wherfore the spirite of God commaunding his Saints to goe out of Babylon doeth not bid the Romanistes to goe from Protestants but contrariwise the Protestants to goe from the Romanistes The sixth Reason THE sixth cause why a Catholike may not come to churche is because he cannot come without dissimulation The which in matters of conscience and religion is treacherie to God Almightie and a very dangerous matter For as the worthie father S. Ambrose saith It may be lawfull sometimes in a monie matter to holde thy peace but in gods cause where there is danger in communicating with his enimies to dis semble only is no small sinne The reason whereof is that sore saying of Christes owne mouth He that is not with me is against me As though hee had saide Hee that dissembleth and knowing me and my cause to be oppressed holdeth his peace and defendeth mee not I will holde him in the number of my enimies that are against me According to the which rule of Christ S. Iohn which well knew the inward and secrete meaning of Christ speaking of certaine noble men and gentlemen of Iury. The which did beleeue in Christ but durst not confesse him openly for feare of the Iewes Condemneth them of a great and damnable mortall sinne against the first commandement for the same saying that by this act they shewed that they loued the glory of men more then the glory of God By the which example we see that we do wilfully dishonor God and con sequently commit damnable treason against him when wee doe for any feare or temporall respect dissemble our faith hold our peace against our consciences The which thing Saint Paul considering he layeth down vnto vs a generall rule Ore fit confessio ad salutem To be saued we must needes confesse our faith by mouth or open speeche vppon the which wordes S. Austen saith We cannot be saued out of this wicked and malignant worlde except we indeuouring to saue our neighbours besides beleeuing doe also professe our faith by mouth which we beare in our hearts the which faith of ours wee must prouide by godly and wary watchfulnesse that it be not in any respect hurt or violated by the craf tie subtiltie of Heretikes Note his admonition let it not be in any respect violated with craftie subtiltie As for example by causing a man to yeelde a little against his conscience to goe once to churche to stay but a little there to haue seruice in his owne house or the like In the which if a man might say as commonly they doe say in euil meates that a litle wil do but a litle hurt it were more tollerable But seeing the matter standeth as it doth in poysons wherof euery litle dram wil be thy bane No maruel though men shew theÌ„selues more scrupulous Heare the iudgement of a whole cleargie in the Primatiue church and alleadged by S. Cyprian the Martyr of Christ Whereas the whole misterie of faith is vnderstood to consist in the confessing of the name of Christ he that hath sought false sleights for excuse thereof hath nowe denied it and he that wil seeme to haue fulfilled such statutes and lawes as are set foorth against the Gospel in so doing he hath obeied them in very deed For asmuch as he woulde haue it seeme that he hath obeied them Heere you see nowe all dissembling of our faith taken for denying our faith and al seeming to be condemned for doing The which that old valiant champion of God Eliazarus ful wel knewe when he rather chose to die then to seeme to eate a peace of flesh albeit he did it not in deede coÌ„trary to the law of god And the reason hee giueth for it is this It is not fitte for our age to faine O good Eliazarus if it were not fit for thy age to faine or dissemble in matters of religion what shall wee say of our age wherein for manye respectes wee are more bounde too confesse our Lorde and Maister and his catholike Religion then thou wert For that wee haue receiued more benefites at his handes and haâ—…e seene howe hee confessed vs before his enimies and ours and could not be brought by any feare or torment to denie vs. Buâ—… well their wil bee wicked men and dissembling christians stil Yet notwithstanding Gods law must stande set downe by Christe his owne mouth Hee that shal blush or be ashamed of me and my sayings of him shall the sonne of man be ashamed when he shall come in his maiestie and in the maiestie of his Father and oâ—… his holy angels Hee doeth not onely say if we do denie him but if wee doe blushe or be ashamed to confesse him whiche consideration made the Apostles and other seruantes of Christe so peremptorilie to proceede in confessing openly their faith with what danger soeuer it were And S. Paul giueth a reason of it when he saith 〈◊〉 be vnto me except I do preach the gospel That is except I coÌ„fesse it except I set it forth what danger bodily soeuer come thereof And in the Actes of the Apostles the high Priestes and Magistrates commaunded not the Apostles to bee of their religion nor yet to come to their seruice in their sinagogues but onely to holde their peace And that they shoulde not speake or teache any more in the name of Iesus But the apostles vtterly denied to obey that coÌ„andement and in the chapter folowing being taken again for not obeying were asked in open iudgement by the Magistrates thus We commaunded you straightly to teach no more in this name and how chanseth it that you haue filled all Ierusalem with this doctrine And Peter answered with the rest of the Apostles Wee must rather obey God then men As who should sâ—…y that if they shoulde haue graunted to dissemble and not to speake openly they shoulde haue denied God in obeiyng men more then him What if the high Priestes and Magistrates shoulde haue saide vnto them wel wee are content that you liue with your conscience so you
shewes by which the veritie of the Gospel is hidden the word of God despised or by which the ignorant and infidel is confirmed in his error or by which the weake is offended are not of Cod but of Sathan altogether contrary vnto the trueth of the word Therefore we must not halt of both sides but go vprightly before that great God which seeth beholdeth and knoweth all thinges euen before they are begunne Loe heere We see the sentence of their Doctours to the contrary who presse vs so muche to goe to their Churches against our consciences Iferrour finde such zeale what zeale ought trueth to haue If these fellowes each of them for the defence of their priuate fond fancies be content most williâ—…gly to aduenture any danger or extremitie whatsoeuer rather then to come to the true catholike churche wherein they were borne and to the which in Baptisme they swore obedience why should suche blame be laide vpon vs for standing in defence of our consciences and for refusing to go to their churches wherin we were neither borne nor bread vp nor euer perswaded that they had any trueth or holinesse in them This reason only may suffice any reasonableman especially the Protestant except hee will mislike with his owne doctrine whiche condemneth mee of hypocrisie dissimulation and renouncing of Christe and his Gospel If I present but my only body to the churches of them whose Religion I am not persuaded to be true The which saying of his in a sense hath good reason albeit the workes and meaning 〈◊〉 wicked For if there bee no man either so foolish or impious in the worlde but muste needes thinke that one only religion amongst christians is true and al other false And if euery man which hath any religion and is resolued therein must needes presuppose this only trueth to bee in his owne religion then â—…t followeth necessarily that hee must likewise persuade himselfe that all other religions besides his owne are false and erronious and consequently aâ—…l assemblies conuenticles and publike actes of the same to bee wicked damnable dishonourable to God contumelious to Christe and therfore to his conscience which thinketh so detestable Now then suppose the case thus I know in Eâ—…gland certaine places where at certaine times dayes assemblies are made by certaine men in shew to honour and commend but in my conceit to dishonor dispraise and impugne the maiestie of my moste dread Soueraigne Ladie the Queene And I am inuited thither to heare the fame by my parents kinsmen and acquaintance nay I am inforced thither by the greatest authoritie that vnder her Maiestie may coÌ„maunde mee Tell mee nowe If I should goe thither vnder any pretence whatsoeuer of gratifying my friends or by coÌ„mandemeÌ„t of any her inferiour powers can her Maiestie take it well or account of mee better then of a tratierous catiue for yeelding my selfe to stay there to heare them to countenance their doings with my presence to holde my peace when they speake euill of her to hold my hands whiles they slaunder her and finally to say nothing whiles they induce other men to forsake her and her cause And if her Maiestie or any other prince in the worlde could not beare at their subiectes handes any such dissimulation trecherie or treason howe much lesse shal the omnipotent Maiestie of God who requireth and deserueth muche more exact seruice at our handes beare this dissimulation and traiterous dealing of ours if we be content for temporall respectes and for satisfaction of any mortall power lesse then himself to present our selues to such places and assemblies where we shal heare his Maiestie dishonoured his sonne slaundered his worde falsified his churche impugned his Saints and Martyrs discredited his Bishoppes and Pastours reuiled and al the whole Ecclesiastical Ierarchie rent broken disseuered and turned vpside downe and his people purchased with his blood and dearer vnto him then his owne life excited and stirred vpp against him and his Ministers and by sweete wordes and gay benedictions flocked away to the slaughter house of heresie What noble man is there in the worlde whiche coulde take it well if hee shoulde see his friende and muche more his sonne in the companie of his professed enimie at such time principally as he knoweth that his enimie abuseth him in speeche and seeketh most his discredite and dishonour but especially if hee shoulde see him come in open assemblie of the worlde to the barre against him in companie with his aduersarie when his saide aduersarie commeth of set purpose to deface him as Heretikes doe to their Churches and Pulpettes to dishonour GOD I thinke I say hee coulde hardly beare it And shal suche disdaine be taken by a mortal man for a little iniurie and discurtesie shewed and shal not the iustice of God be reuenged vpon our treacherie and dissimulation in his cause If I giue my seruant but fortie shillinges a yeere yet I thinke him bounde to defende mee in al points causes to bee friend to my friends enimie to my aduersaries to vpholde my credite mainteine my honour to resist my detractours and to reuenge himselfe vpon my euil willers and if hee can bee content to holde his peace hearing mee spoken of and to put vp my slaunder without opening his mouth I wil account him vnworthie to weare my cloth howe muche more inexcusable shall we be at the dreadful day of iudgement if wee receiuing at our Lorde and maisters handes such extraordinarie pay for our seruice in this life and expecting further and aboue this al that himselfe is worth for the eternitie of the life to come his kingdome his glory and his euerlasting ioy with his riches and treasures vnspeakeable which neither eare euer heard nor eye saw nor heart of man coÌ„ceiued how great they are how 〈◊〉 I say shal wee bee at that terrible rekoning day and howe confounded by the examples of seruantes in this life so zealous for their maisters vppon so smal wages if wee notwithstanding al our rewardes both present and to come shalbe yet key cold in our maister his seruice present at his iniuries and silent at his slaunders Neither sufficeth it to say that these suppositions are false and that there are not such things committed against God at the Protestants chur ches and seruices for howesoeuer that bee whereof I dispute not now yet I being in my hearte of an other religion must needes thinke not onely them but also all other religions whatsoeuer to commit the same as I knowe they doe also thinke of mine Wherefore howe good and holy soeuer they were yea if they were Angels yet shoulde I bee condemned for going amongst them for that in my sight iudgement and conscience by which only I must bee iudged they must needes seeme enimies to God being of the contrarie religion By this it may appeare howe greuously they sinne dayly in Englande and cause other
to sinne with them which compelmen by terror to doe acts of religion against their consciences as to take othes receiue sacraments goe to Churches and the like which being doone as I haue saide with repugnant consciences is horrible mortal sinne as hath beene already proued and consequently dam nable both to the doers and to the enforcers therof The which I beseech God to giue his grace both to the one and the other part duetifully to consider that either these may leaue of to inforce or those learne to sustain as they ought their inforcement And thus nowe wee may see what great and waightie reasons the Catholikes haue to lay for their refusall of comming to the Churches of Protestants The which if they were wel conceiued by the Prince magistrates it is not likely that they woulde presse them to the yeelding too suche inconueniences against the health of their owne soules but if they shoulde yet ought the other to beare any pressure whatsoeuer rather thē to sal into far◅e worse dangers And of this that I haue said heere before there may be gathered these conclusions folowing not vnnecessarie to be noted for better perspicuities sake to the vnlearned First it foloweth of the premises that this going to the Protestantes churches is forbidden not onely by the possitiue lawes of the church dispensable by the Churche againe but also by Gods lawe and the lawe of nature as the cōsideration of most of the reasons doth declare For albeit it be prohibited by the churche yet not onely by the church seeing that a thing may be prohibited by the canons of the churche for more plaine explicatiōs sake which was forbiddē before by the law both of nature of God also as Adulterie Violence Simonie and the like Euen so albeit going to hereticall assemblies be prohibited by the church yet because it hath in it or necessarily annexed to it diuers thinges which are prohibited by the lawe of God and nature as perill of infection Scandale deniyng of our faith when it is made a signe distinctiue or commaundement dissēbling in gods cause honoring gods enimies dishonoring the catholik church and the like therefore the whole acte of going to church is saide to be prohibited also ◅ure diuino naturali That is by the law of God nature And heereof it foloweth that no power vpō earth can dispence with the same Wherefore that which hath been giuen out as is saide by some great men that the Pope by his letters to her Maiestie did offer to confirme the seruice of England vppon condition that the title of Supremacie might be restored him again is impossible to be so so that if any suche letters came to her Maiesties handes they must needes be fained false Secondly it followeth of premisses that this going to churche is not only vnlawfull Ratione Scandali by reason of Scandal as som wil haue it For albeit Scandal bee one reason why it is vnlawful and that in such sort as is almost impossible to be auoyded yet you see that I haue giuen diuers other causes besides Scandal which make it vnlawful Whereof it followeth that a man cannot goe to their churches albeit hee might goe in such secrete maner or otherwise haue their seruice in his house so priuily as no Scandale shoulde followe thereof or any man knowe thereof whiche is notwithstanding impossible to doe but if it coulde bee yet were the thing vnlawefull especially for the 1 4. 5. 6. 7. reasons before alleadged Thirdly i◅ followeth that a man may not goe to churche vnder any vaine pretence as pretending that hee goeth only for obedieuce and not for any liking hee hath to their seruice yea although hee shoulde protest the same openly for that protestation shoulde rather agrauate then diminishe the sinne Seeing by this protestation hee shoulde testifie vnto the whole worlde that he did a thing against his conscience As if a man shoulde proteste that hee did thinke that to rayle against the Pope at Paules crosse were naught and yet for obedience sake being so commaunded woulde doe it The which was Pilates case who protested first that hee thought Christ innocent and therefore sought to deliuer him but in the ende fearing the displeasure of the Iewes and theyr complaint to the Emperour washed his handes and so condemned him thinking by that protestation to haue washed of the sinne and to haue layde it on the Iewes neckes which compelled him thereto But I thinke by this time hee hath felt that hee was deceaued For when a thing it selfe is naught no protestation can make it lawefull but rather maketh the doing of it a greater offence by adding the vnlawefulnesse of the thing the repugnaunce of the doers conscience But you will perhaps say to goe to the material church is not a thing euill of it selfe I answere and graunt that it is true But you must not single out the matter so For in this one action of going to church there be many things contained wherof the whole action is compounded As for example there is the material church the possession of the same by the enemie of the catholike religion the seruice and sermons in reproofe of the same religion the dayes and houres appoynted for the same the bel ringing and publikly calling al men thither the Princes commaundemente for the Catholikes to goe to the same the end of the commaundement in general that they by going should pray with them allowe of their seruice and by their presence honour it Then is there the peril of infection the scandal wherby I offend other mens consciences and perhaps bring diuers other to bee corrupted by my meanes the dishonouring of God his case the honouring of his enemies cause hearing God blasphemed and holding my peace Semblably there is the conscience of the catholike that thinketh he doth nought the explication of the church that is not lawfull the matter nowe in tryall and the vnlawfulnesse of it defended both by word and writings of learned men ann by imprisonment of many other the controuersie now knowne to all the world and many thousand mens eies fixed vpon them that are called in question for it the Protestant wheras he esteemed nothing of goeing to Church before yet now so desirous to obtayne it that hee thinketh the yeelding in that one poynt to bee a sufficient yeelding to all his desires the which thing on the other side is so detested of the true catholikes that whosoeuer yeeldeth to this they thinke him a flat Schismatike and so abhor him And by this meanes the matter is made a signe distinctiue betwixt religion and religion whereof againe it foloweth that if the thing were much lesse then it is as for example the holding vp of a finger yet because it is made Tessera a marke token or signe of yeeling to their proceedings in religion it were viterly vnlawful As if a man shoulde but
lyft vp a straw to the deuill in token of obedience it were as much as if he did word by word denie his Creede These poyntes and many moe that myght be thought of being put together and one entyre action made of them the question is whether this enty◅e action of going to churche with these annexes be of it self vnlawfull or no And euery wise man will thinke it is Neyther if you could by some deuice pluck from this action one or two of these things must we think that by and by the action were lawful As for example if by a protestation you could signifie that your minde were not in going thither to consent to their seruice as also that the princesse minde to you in particular were onely that you should goe for temporal obedience sake yet were not by this all the matter amended For if a peece of meate were venomous for ten causes concurring together ifyou should take away two of them and so eate it you might for al that be poysoned therwith One only thing there is which as the Diuines iudge might make going to church lawful which is if a man did goe thither for some meere perticuler known ◅emporal busines as to beare the sword before the Prince to the chappel to consult of matters of war at Poules by the Princes appointment albeit it were in time of seruice thelike But here is to be noted that I say first for meere temporal busines For if a man shold go partly for seruice and partly for temporall busines as to talke with the church wardēs in the church after seruice it wil not serue Secōdly I say for particular tēporal busines For it is not enough for the Prince to saye in general I wil haue you go only for obedience which is a tēporal respect without assigning any perticular busines to be don For that was the saying of alprinces to the martyrs in the primitiue church that they wold haue thē confoō them selues in exteriour actions to other men that for obedience sake howsoeuer they ment inwardly Thirdly I say for some knowen busines For if the busines were not knowen men might think that they went of conscience to seruice and therfore to take away this scandale they ought to protest for what busines they go To these three qualificatiōs adde this forth which is that a man that should thus go might not giue any signe of reuerence or honour to their seruice as by kneeling putting of his hat o◅ the like more then he would doe if the seruice were not there And that it is lawful to goe to any church of theirs obseruing these foure poyntes it is euident For this is as much to say as not to goe to church at all seeing he goeth in this case to their meere material church that is to that matterial house or building which is their church neither goeth he to it as to a church but as to a house to doe his busines in And this was the case of Naaman the Syriā who being vpō◅ sodain conuerted from Idolatrie promised that he would neuer sacrifice or offer more to Idols howbeit because his office was to stay vp the king of Syria with his hands when hee wente to adore the Idolles in the temple of Remnon and because he could not do that except he bowed himself down when the king bowed downe who vsed to leane vpon him for this cause he desired the Prophet Elizeus to pray to God for him that it might be pardoned him the Prophet answered him departe in peace Which words can importe no more but a graunting to his request which was to pray to God that hee woulde pardon him if he went so to chuch or at the vttermost as some will enforce it a tolleration with him being yet a Proselite or a new gotten man to do this temporal seruice vnto his king for he went not vpon commandement to shew his religion as our men doe especially it beeing such a country as no scandale could folow therof And that many thinges are tollerated with nouices which afterwards are takē away it appeareth by S. Paule who circumcised Timothy for satisfying the weak Iewes and yet afterward he condemned in al menal circumcision Neyther maketh it any matter although he say Si ador auero in templo Remnon adorāte rege in eodemloco vt ignoscat mihi Dominus pro hacre That is If I shall adore in the temple Remnon when the king doth adore in the same place that God will pardon me for this thing As though he should aske pardon for to adore the Idols with the king This kinde of speach I say importeth nothing For neither doth he aske pardon to commit Idolatry therby seeing immediately before he sayd that he would neuer omit it more nor if he had asked such leaue could the Prophet haue licenced him or would Cod haue pardoned him But his meaning was only to haue pardon for his seruing theking in that place bowing down with him for the better staying of him vp when he did adore For the same word which we translate here adore doeth in Hebrew Greeke and Latine signifie often tymes onely bowing downe without any diuine adoration As when Iaoob adored his brother Esaw seuen tymes that is bowed downe to him seuen times And Dauid adored Ionathas king Saule his sonne three times Abigaile also adored Dauid twise And the like in other places of scripture where adoring is taken for bowing downe only without any diuine adoration at al as here it is in this place Fourthlye and lastlye it followeth of that which is spoken before that seeing this going to church is so forbidden by Gods law as it is and hath so many great inconueniences in it as hath bene shewed that a man may not yeeld in any one little poynt in the same as for example to come to church once a yeere to haue seruice in his house to shewe him selfe present at a peece of seruice or the like For most certaine it is that if all bee not lawefull then no parte of it is lawefull And Christ saith that hee will not haue one iot of his lawe to bee past ouer vnkeept and who soeuer shall breake one of the least of his commaundementes shall haue least part in the kingdome of heauen The which wordes of Christ Saint Iames explicating saieth Hee that keepeth all the whole lawe and doeth offende but one thing onely yet is he guiltie in all the rest And Christ himselfe in the Apocalipes commendeth much the Angell of Ephesus for his good works labour patience and for many things besides ther recited but yet for being imperfect in some thinges contrary to the wil of Christ which would haue vs perfect he is commanded to repent quickly vnder the paine of leesing his candlesticke that is of leesing his vocation and his place in the booke