any thing that we doe here vpon earth but by messēgers And who so should say that this doctrine is hereticall must say also that the Canones and Popes be heretickes which as I take it the Romish Catholickes will be loth to confes This Canon is also confirmed by the holy scripture which beareth witnesse to vs that there is none but god onely that knoweth the secrets of mens hartes and so consequently that it is he onely that can vnderstand our prayers which come rather from the hart than from the mouth The protestantes say furthermore that there are so greate numbers of Sayntes regestred in the Letany of whose Canonysing men doe doubte for as sayth a good auncient Doctor the bodies of diuers are honoured on earth whose soules are buried in hel that in reason we ought to refuse the number of intercessors and contente our selues only with Iesus christ which is the true and pure doctrine that we ought to hold and the Catholicks cānot iustly accuse it of herisy according to our third maxime And hereupon I adde this more that as the protestantes doe hold opinion that we ought not to attribute the title nor the office of mediator to any other thā to Iesus christ no more ought we to do in his other titles and offices as of his priesthood his mediatorship his spirituall reigning his chiefe shepheardship For these be the titles of honor which belong vnto Iesus Christ and are not to be cōmunicated to others how great or excellēt personages so euer they be And truely herein all the world must needs cōfesse that the protestants do shew thē selues to bee best Christians in that they attribute onely to our Lord Iesus Christ the titles of honor that are his and will not communicate them to any other creators what so euer they bee for if they would dispence with their consciences in this behalfe they know right well they might soone be at a poynt with the Romishe Catholicks and shunne many miseries and persecutions which they now indure For there wanteth no more but that they would allow the Sayntes to be partners of the title of mediator the maspriestes to be parteners of the tytle of Sacrificers the doers of good workes of Supererogation to bee parteners of the title of a propitiator And the Pope himself to be partaker of the title of Spyrytuall Kinge and soueraigne Sheaheard And then by and by there would be a peace cōcluded determined and established betwixt the protestants and the romysh Cacholicks But the protestants will by no meanes nor for any cause diminish any part of the titles of honor which belong vnto the sonne of God nor attribute them to any other creatures Whereby it appeareth euidently that men do them great wrong in defaming their doctrine to the King as though his permitting of them to excercise the same were a mean to disposses him of the title of moste Chrystian king For in asmuch as the name of christian commeth of Christ out of doubt they be worthiest of that name which yeld Christ his due honor and glory ¶ Of fayth and good workes The third chapter THe doctrine of the Romishe Catholickes concerning faythe and good workes differeth greatly from that of the Protestantes For the Catholicks hold opinion that only faith without good workes doth not iustifie a man but that it is needful the faith be ayded by good works Contrarywise the Protestants hold that onely faith doth iustify a man without good workes That is to say the faith is the onelye instrumēt wherby Iesus Christ who is the true and efficient cause of our iustification applieth his righteousnes vnto vs and maketh vs to be accounted iust before God his Father through his owne merit without the helpe of our good works Neuerthelesse they confesse that good workes are acceptable vnto God but yet they affirme that good workes are not of such power as to iustify vs before the face of god or to make vs capeable either in part or in al of euerlasting life And they say also that they be not all good works which the catholicks do take for good works For as touching the firste poynte you must consider that the doctrine of the protestants doth tend to attribute the honor of our saluation all wholly vnto our Lord Iesus Christ as vnto him who is the true and onely cause thereof For although we haue neede of fayth whereby to receiue the benefit of Christ who imputeth and applieth his owne righteousnes to all such as beleue in him yet neuertheles he doth remain the onely and altogether true cause of our saluation forasmuch as it is he himselfe which doth also geue vs fayth So as he doth not onely geue vs the drinke of immortallity that is to say his owne righteousnes which he alloweth vs but also the cup to receyue it in yea and he geueth vs both of thē freely and for nothing but onely of his owne liberalitye and grace with out asking or receiuing of vs any recompence for the same And truely if we would goe about to recompence so great and excellent a benefit as is euerlasting life thorowe our good workes it were as much as if a man would purchase a great and rich inheritaunce with a smale summe of bace mony such as in reason should rather be cried downe than allowed For our good workes of themselues bee so vnpure and vnperfect mingled with Ipocrisy and other ill affections that they are not worthy to be presented before the face of God who doth not esteeme such vntoward payments in recōpence of eternall life Notwithstanding when they be done through fayth hee doth accept them in fauour and for good will to his sonne our Lord Iesus Christ vpon whose only desertes our fayth resteth because in that respect they proceeded from the good tree which is Iesus Christ who worketh all our good workes in vs. So as the workes of fayth be good and acceptable vnto god for that they proceed from Christ as from the efficient cause which worketh them in vs but they are full of vncleanes worthy to be reiected in respect that they proceed from vs who serue but as instruments howbeit yet vncleane instrumentes to do them And therfore are they alwayes defyled spotted in some sort for Iesus Christ who worketh them in vs doth make thē good and pleasing to God his Father but yet they doe gather somwhat of the filthy and naturall infection of vs who are the vessels wherin they be made Neuertheles God is so good and gratious that he not only admitteth them as done by Iesus Christ his sonne but also for his sake doth wipe away the spots and vncleanes which are in them and crowneth them with many blessinges as with prosperitie of children temporall wellfare help of frēds in aduersitie moderation in prosperitie discretion happy succes in affairs with many other his benefits wherin he doth more and more shew his great bounty gratious
reason vpon euery point and hauing alleadged the very text of the holy Scripture to confirme our doctrine and to disprooue theirs I geue them yet this aduantage further that I come into the listes against them with their own weapons which they take to be most for their own defence and most hurtfull to vs that is to wit the Canons made or authorised by the very Popes themselues Wherein I thinke I haue done so much by the grace of God that either they must condemne the Pope and his Canons or els confesse that our Religion is voyd of all error True it is that many learned men of our time haue sufficiently already set forth the purenes of our Religion by the holy Scripture yea and that much better than I could skill to doe Insomuch that in that respect many may thinke that I doe but make repetitions Howbeit forasmuch as I haue taken in hand as you would say to leuell or bend the Canons in defence of ourselues against such persons as beate vs with them and vnduely doe attribute asmuch or more authoritie to them than to the holy Scripture it selfe I haue considered that it were no reason for me to commit the same faulte which they doe And therfore my intent is to alleadge the very text of the scripture vpon euery poynt for the true and sure grounding of our doctrine and not to bestow the Canons otherwise than in beating downe the contrary doctrine I know well that the time is now so miserable and sorrowfull in Fraunce that most men take all good things in ill part and that euen those which best know the way how to heale our sores are so ill minded that they will not vse it And in good hower be it spoken we may well say as Liuie sayd speaking of the time of the Ciuill warres in Rome which began vnder Silla and Marius and contynued vnder Pompey and Cesar and so held on in quarrelling and parttaking stil vnder their successors a time in all points like to this sorrowfull time of ours that this Realme of Fraunce is brought to so extreme corruption as it may no longer indure either her owne vices or the remedy of them And in good sooth euery man may well perceiue the vices of dissention rancor ciuill warre and corruption both of manners and doctrine which are sowed at this day and already to deepe rooted in our French nation And likewise all men of any vnderstanding doe well see that the very remedy to rid away these mischiefes were to admit some good reformation aswell in doctrine as in discipline and in outward behauiour But France is in the same taking that a poore sick man is when the extremity of his fitte is vpon him who can neither suffer his disease patiently nor willingly receiue the medicine that should doe him good For all of vs doe well inough perceiue our disease and we know well it is great and dangerous and we would faine be healed of it but the most parte of vs doe finde that the medicine of reformation is to irkesome wherein surely men doe greatly ouershoote themselues for there is not so much payne nor displeasure in leading of a sober modest life as ther is in leading of a lose life Besides that the sober wel staid wel reformed life in good māners doctrine is accompanied with great quietnes of cōscience as sayth Cicero doth commonly lead the body to a healthfull and honorable old age But although we had no other cause to desire reformation than for the ceasing of our vntollerable troubles were not that cause inough sith it is not to be douted but that they will neuer be throughly brought a sleepe vntill the cause of them that is to wit the error corruption and loosenes that is among vs be first quenched and done away by a sound reformation aswel inwardly as outwardly For naturally all causes bring forth effects like themselues And againe it is certayne that God being righteous is wont to continue in striking with his reuenging roddes vpon such as harden themselues in their sinnes and stand kicking against the spurre If we considered the monstruous wasting and spoyling of things which Ciuill warres are wont to breede whereof we haue seene but too many by experience the heare of our heads would stand vp at it Cornelius Tacitus rehearsing the mischiefes that befell to the Empire of Rome by the Ciuill warres that were in the time of the Emperors Galba Vitellus and Otho sayth that in those fiery broyles the goodliest Prouinces of the Empire staggered inclyning to a change of state and to an ouerthrow of the Monarchicall gouernment where-through they had felt so many oppressions by meanes of the quarrels and parttakinges of great men who shot at no other marke but to destroy one another Insomuch that in those times there was euery where greate murthering of men burning of townes defiling of holy thinges excessiue cruelty euen in the Citie of Rome it selfe deflouring of the noblest Ladies and banishing of the honestest and honorablest men The vertuousest folkes went soonest to wrecke Notable valiancy and great riches dignitie and authoritie executed or left vnexecuted for feare were taken for crimes The seruant was wrought either by terror or by treachery to be against his master and the bondman was set at liberty against his lord Such as had no enemies were ouerthrowen by the suttle packing of their frends Truth was oppressed partly through the ignorance of the Gouerner partly through the crafty iugling of flatterers and partly through the spyting of such as held the helme It was not lawfull for a man to thinke what he listed nor to speak what he knew The wickednes of the flatterers who had wonne the eares of the Prince and the great rewards which they obtained for their flattering as Consulships gouernments of Prouinces preferments to Priesthods spoilings of Countreis and excheting of mens goods were hated and abhorred alike of all people The small Countreis which sometimes were intangled in those Ciuill broyles were full of cruell deedes The seas were couered with folke that had been banished and driuen out of their own houses the rocks of the sea were pestered about with the carkases of folke murthered and the good Cities were quite cleane soked from all their substance These are the fruites in effect which the great and pollitick wise man Tacitus affirmeth to come and grow ordinarily of parttakings and Ciuill discords Whereof we haue felt so good store by the space of seuenteene yeares alredy or there abouts that we ought now long ere this to haue desired and sought the remedye that might haue cured our so strange misfortunes and barbarous calamities Yea and euen they which are the most sworne enemies of the reformed Religion ought to become assured by the proof of time past that for all that euer they can doe or deuise they shall neuer so deface the truth and vertue but that they shall stand
goodnes by heaping vpon vs his blessings as it were in recompence of the good works which he himself hath wrought in vs and in making vs to reap the fruit of his own labor and to receyue the reward which he himself hath deserued But touching the great and incōprehensible benefit of the gifte of eternall life and of knitting vs vnto him selfe in euerlasting happines he doth not geue it vs in any other respect or consideration thā only for the loue of his welbeloued sōne Iesus Christ That was the cause why he wold haue him to come down into this base world and to take our nature vpon him and to fulfill the law for vs and to beare our iniquities and greefes and at a word to be our Mediator our redeemer our high priest our Shepheard and our spirituall king All which titles he hath taken vpon him to saue vs and to be the onely cause of our euerlasting felicitie and to knit and incorporate vs vnto himselfe and to make vs partners for euer of his heauenly glory Yet may we not hereupon conclude that we should not doe good workes as though they stoode vs in no stead to saluatiō for they be fruits of faith and whosoeuer hath the true faith doth incontinently shew it by the good fruites and effectes which it bringeth forth in him And he that doth no good workes cannot saye that hee hath true fayth Besides that we also are sufficiently led to doe good workes by the great number of other benefites and blessinges wherwith God crowneth thē as we haue sayd before This is the sūme of the doctrine which the Protestants do hold concerning faith and good workes Whereby they yelde wholly vnto God and to our Sauiour Iesus Christ the honour which belongeth to hym as to the true onely cause of our saluatiō of all the good things which we haue and receiue aswell Spirituall as Temporal whatsoeuer they be It followeth then acording to our first Maxime that this doctrine is better thā the doctrine of the Romish catholicks who affirme that by theyr good works they deserue Paradise all the other good things which God geueth them that these good works do partly proceed of themselues and of their owne free will and partlye of Gods grace as if God alone coulde not saue them if they helped not the matter by their owne good workes which they hold to be part of the cause of their saluation which doctrine all men may easely perceiue to be repugnant to the nature of god For seing that he is altogether and perfectlye mercifull it must needes follow that those that be saued be saued wholly and not in part by his onely mercy which should not be perfect if the effect thereof were not perfecte and entyre Notwithstanding the Catholickes holde opinion still that their good workes are part of the cause of theyr saluation and that they be not saued by the onely mercy of God. Yea there are monkes which take themselues to haue such aboundance of good workes in store that they not onelye haue ynow wherewith to merite their owne saluation but also a great masse of ouerplus which they cal works of supererogation to purchase the saluation of other men but chiefly of such as do them good and geue them liberally of their temporall goods which doctrine in very truth all such as loue the name of God ought to reiect For it is an vtter defacing of the benefit of our lord Iesus Christ an attributing of the honor of our saluation to the vncleane works of sinners whereas in deed we ought to attribute the same to the death and passiō of the son of god who is without sinne Also it is to be discerned by Gods word which of the two doctrines is the truest and most auncient For the Scripture doth playnelye teache vs that we be iustified by fayth without the workes of the law so consequently by fayth onely when it sayth Wherfore no flesh shall be iustified before him by the workes of the law And it sayeth in an other place for you are saued by grace through fayth and not of your selues it is the gifte of God Not for workes leaste any man should boast of himselfe And in an other place it is sayd He hath saued vs not by the works of righteousnes which wee our selues haue done but of his owne mercy And Saynt Paule sayeth in an other place I esteme all things as doong so I may gain Christ and be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnesse which is of the law but the righteousnes which cōmeth by beliefe in Christ Now as there is no comparison betwixt the desertes of Iesus Christ our sauiour and the desert of mens good workes no more than is betwixt the brightnes of the Sun a litle sparke of fire so must we needes confesse that our consciences do finde without all comparison far greater and excellenter quietnesse in the righteousnesse of fayth thā in the righteousnes of good workes And in that respect doth S Paule say Beeing then iustified by fayth we haue peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ By whom we haue also accesse through fayth to this grace wherin we stand and reioyce vnder the hope of the glory of God. But yet this fayth which doth iustifye vs may not be void of good workes for then it were like the fayth of deuils who beleue that God hath commaunded the contentes of the tenne commaundementes but doe quite contrary For such a faith wyll not iustify vs as S. Iames doth teache vs And wheras the Catholicks hold opinion that we are iustified by the grace of Christ and our good workes both together S. Paule doth answere them thus If it be of grace then is it no more of workes for then grace were no more grace And if it be of workes It is no more of grace for thē were works no more workes And whereas the Monkes beare men in hād that by their good works of Supererogation they deserue Paradise for themselues and for theyr benefactors Iesus Christ doth aunswere them himselfe and vtterly cast down their pride and ouerwéening in that he sayth when you haue done all the things that are commaunded you say vnto your selues we are vnprofitable seruauntes we haue done no more than we ought to do Neither may we say that Iesus Christ doth commaūd vs to say so to make shew of humility for he who is the truth it selfe doth not cōmaūd vs to lye for any intent good or euil And therfore it followeth that seing he commaundeth vs to say that though we haue done al the cōmaundements which neuer any man did but onely Iesus Christ yet were we but vnprofitable seruauntes and god were nothing in our dette for it because we haue done nothing but that whereunto our duety bindeth vs I say it followeth that the same is certayne and true Dauid also doth
his maiestie may easely discerne if it may please him to heare our reasons or but only to looke vpon this litle Apologie And surely Sir we assure ourselues that you will alwayes continue to be a mean to his Maiestie euery day better than other for the maintenance and quyetnes of vs and our Religion because you were brought vp in it in your young time and haue made a good profession of it Besides this the famous examples of your noble ancestors which haue been euer renowmed for their godlynes doe direct you to the following of their footesteps For the Histories doe auow vnto vs that your Ancestors of the renowmed house of Burbon for I will not speake of those of late time whose remembrance being yet fresh in mens mindes and will continue honorable for euer among them that come after vs haue alwayes been had in honor for their great zeale towards the Christian Religiō and for their feruent loue to the mayntenance of the crown of Fraunce of the quyetnes of their countrey which are two principall points wherein godlynes shineth forth For first of all the great and dangerous voyages which your Ancestors haue made with men of warre into the East countreys and into Affrike against the Turkes Sarasyns for the great desire they had to aduance the Christian Religion as the two voyages of king Lewis the saint The two voyages of Lewes Duke of Burbon and the voyages of many other princes of their race doe yeald sufficient record of their Religious and godly disposition And although that in those dayes by reason of the great ignorance of languages and of good learning and consequently of the pure doctrine Religion was not so well vnderstoode nor so purely taught as it is nowadayes through the grace of god yet it is not to be douted but that if they had had a purer and cleerer vnderstanding therof they would haue been so much the more earnest and zealous in it And as touching loue and dutifulnes towards their countrey which is the second poynt wherin godlynes consisteth your sayd aūcestors haue geuen so good tryall therof by their contynuall imploying of themselues valyantly in the defence and inlarging of the Crown of Fraunce aswell against forrain enemies as against the disturbers of the publick peace that the house of Burbone hath alwayes iustly had this honorable reporte to haue been alwayes a florishing branch of the bloud Royall and a sure piller of the liberty and safety of the Realme As for example Iaques of Burbon Earl of March and Cōstable of Fraunce gaue good proofe of his loue towards the welfare of his countrey and towards the Crown of Fraunce in hazarding himselfe in many battailes against the English men then almost inuincible enemies of this Realme specially at the battel of Poytiers in the time of king Iohn and also in doing his indeuour with great good will to conclude the peace at Britany and to driue the Companions and Outlawes out of Fraūce which tooke their pleasure in spoyling the coūtrey and in maintayning of trouble in the Realme Also Lewis of Burbon the first Earl of Vādome for that Earldome fell vnto him by his mother made warre against the Englishmen in the time of king Charles the sixt not only in Fraunce but also euen in England and he was a curteous Prince and very profitable to his Countrey aswell in matters of war as of peace His sonne named Lewis also being then Lord great master of Fraunce was in many battailes where he fought valiantly specially at the battaile of Agincourt notwithstanding that he was taken prisoner by the Englishmen with many other great Princes and Lords of Fraunce Likewise he was one of those that toke most paines to make the peace at Arras in the time of king Charles the seuenth for the suppressing of the Ciuil wars which had indured so long time welnere to the vtter destruction of the Realme Iohn of Burbon Earle of Vandome and sonne of the sayd Lewis was also a virtuous Prince and a valyant warryor and aduentured himselfe in many a battaile specially at the siege of Fronsack in the Marches of Burdeloys where he was made knight for his valiant desertes and he was one of the Princes which tooke part with Lewis the Dolphin and with the Dukes of Burbon and Alaunson in setting themselues against the wicked and tirannicall dealings of certayne timeseruers and flatterers of king Charles the seuenth Fraunces of Burbon his sonne a good and stout prince went in the viage to Naples with king Charles the eighth and behaued himselfe nobly in matters both of peace and warre to the honor and profite of the Crowne of Fraunce and of his whole country But I should not soone make an end if I minded to recken vp all the excellent princes of your maiesties most renowmed house of Burbon and much les should I do it if I ment to take vpon me to rehearse their heroycall deedes and vertues which would require many great volumes But I thinke it inough for me to haue named some few of them that might serue for examples to princes and to all other men to speed themselues valiantly in the defence and mayntaynance of the peace of their countrye Which examples wil in my opinion be the better liked of your maiesty because they come not onely of your owne house which hath alwayes been most fruitfull in noble and vertuous princes but also of the Linial discēt of your progenytors For the late king of Nauare your father was the sonne of Charles of Burbon the first duke of Vandome who was sonne of the foresayd Fraunces Earle of Vandome who was sonne to the forenamed Iohn who was sonne to the foresayd Lewis Lord great master of Fraunce who was the sonne of the other Lewis the first Earle of Vandome who was the son of Iohn Earle of March who was the sonne of Iaques Earle of March and constable of Fraunce who was the sonne of Lewis first duke of Burbon surnamed the great duke who was the sonne of Robert of Fraunce Earle of Cleremount and Beawuoysin who was the Sonne of good king Lewis the saynt And so your Maiestie is the eleuenth in order descending in the right line from S. Lewis your great Ancestor whose vertues I hope that God will make to grow more and more in your Royall person making you to be a follower of his steps in that he was a good defender of the Christian Religion a louer of vpright iustice a natiue example of good manners a seuere correcter of partiall corrupt Iudges an vntreatable punisher of blasphemers Atheistes and vsurers and a zealous furtherer of all good reformation But now to come back agayn to my matter I hope that such of the Romain Religion as shall reade this my wryting shall haue no cause to finde fault with me or to say that I deale to roughly with them For hauing once simply and without any bitternesse set down my
and bound it with an othe that he did beleeue that those of Meryndoll and Cabryers were better and more honest people than himselfe or any of his other subiectes And what will you infer of this will you say now that this good king was a Protestant or that he mislyked the Romayn Religion I think there is no man so shameles that dares say so For his life and actes do shew that he was very well minded towardes the church of Rome In maintenance wherof he held great warres in Italy against the Venecians and other Princes that vsurped vpon the patrimonies of the Church But he was a good king and did acknowledge that God had put the Scepter in his hand to minister iustice to all his people and not to condemne the accused without hearing their answere nor to iudge of a matter of importance by the consciences of others but meekly to geue hearing to al matters brought before him not to condemne those thinges for euill which may shew themselues to be good I therfore cōclude thus that those which in these dayes doe so presumptuouslye condemne the reformed Religion without knowing any deserued cause or without hearing such as professe the same vnder color of the condemnatiōs done already by the Popes by the councell of Trent and by the Sorbonistes doe shew therby the great forgetfulnesse of their duty of iudging vprightly And that they cary to slack a hand on the bridle of their conscience in suffering it to depende vpon the phantasticall iudgement of others Lactantius Fyrmian speaking to Constantine the great who was the first christiā Emperor did greatly cōplayn and bewayle that the Paganes and Idolaters of his time did condēne the Christian Religion and had it in disdayn without knowing what christian Religion was and without reading their bookes to vnderstand it These be the very words of Lactātius I doubt not most mighty Emperor Constantine but that if this my work wherby I shew that the Creator of all thinges is the Gouernour of the whole world doe fall into the hands of these vnlearned Religious folke they by reason of their great superstition which maketh them too too impatient will assault me with iniuries spitefully fling the booke to the grounde before they haue read so much as the beginning of it imagining that they should defile thēselues with such a crime as could neuer be wyped out again if they should ether reade it or heare it red patiently Neuertheles I beseech them in duty of humanitie not to condemne my wrytinges if it may be before they doe perfectly vnderstand them For if it be allowed by order of law that Churchrobbers Traytors and Poysoners shall speake for thēselues and argue in their own defence and that it is not lawfull to condemne any of them without examination of his cause It is not againste reason that I should intreate those into whose hands this booke shall happen to reade it or heare it read throughout and to deferre their iudgements vntil they haue read it to the end But I know well the wilfulnesse of that kinde of people to be such as I shall not obtayne this suite of them For they be afrayd least the force and strength of the truth should ouercome them and make them yeald vnto vs and to agree with vs That is the cause of their roaring storming least they should heare vs and of their shutting of their eyes least they should see the light which we bring vnto them wherein they shew the litle assurance that they haue in their own fond reasons For they dare neither vnderstand nor enter into disputation because they know they shall soone be vanquished By reason wherof it commeth to Passe that through their shunning of all manner of scanning and sifting of things by disputation They driue discretion quite away And force and fury beare the sway As sayth Ennius And because they are bente to condemn and vtterly to oppres such as they well know to be innocent they be vnwilling that their innocencie should appeare because they deeme it a greater iniquitie to condemne the innocencye that is apparant thē the innocēcy that cōmeth not to tryall Or rather as I sayde afore they are afeard that they should haue no power to condemne vs if they should heare vs. This was the inuectiue which Lactantius wrote against the heathē in his time who condemned the Christians without hearing them Which reason I wil vse against the impatient catholicks desiring them not to shew them selues like vnto those heathen men in being so obstinate as to shutte their eares from hearing and vnderstāding the doctrine which they so condemne persecute without knowing what it contayneth But if those angry Catholicks which oppose themselues as aduersaries against our reformed Religion and so boldly condemn it wold temper their choller passions with such moderation as to geue place to reason and to set naturall discretion in due place and preheminence Truely I durst make thē iudges of this cause and I am wel assured that they would iudge farre otherwise than they haue done hetherto or doe yet And in deed if the loue of truth haue any place in their harts as I beleue it hath I beseech them euen before God and for the truthes sake to vouchsafe to examine this present defence with setled iudgement and to consider of it without affection For I protest vnto them that I will vse such modestie in my wordes as none shall iustly haue cause to accuse me of rigor First therfore I presuppose that betwixt the Romish Catholickes and the Protestantes there is disagreemēt of doctrine in many poyntes yea euen in the most principall as I will shew hereafter But yet neuertheles both the one and the other doe acknowledge generally the vnitye of the person of Iesus Christ in two natures not confounded The holy Trinitye of the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost and the holy Scripture of the olde and new Testament and therefore they bothe may in this respect be called Christiās howbeit the one more aptly then the other as shall appeare by that which I will say hereafter Now that wee may the better treate of the poyntes which are in question and that all men may the more playnly iudge thereof we will distinctly examine the reasons which are to be considered in this discourse and are commonly alleaged on both sides for the mayntayning of the doctrine of either party and so by comparing the contrary reasons and alegations together the truth will the more apparantly shew it selfe because light is thē most apparant and bright when it is set nigh to his contrary ¶ Of three Maximes groundes or rules whereby a man may iudge of the poyntes of religion which are in questiō The first Chapter FOrasmuch as the whot Catholickes accuse the Religion of the protestantes to be wicked new and heretical and therfore cannot brooke the society of such as professe the same we hope to shew
witnes that no mā liuing can be iustified before god And therefore it may bee rightly sayd to these iolly doers of works of super erogation as Christ sayd to the Pharisies It is you that iustify your selues before men but God knoweth your hartes For that which is highly esteemed amonge men is abhominable before God. I knowe right well there are many textes in the holy Scripture to proue that who so will enter into euerlasting life must keep the cōmandements of god and that those which haue kepte the commaundementes shal possesse the kingdome of heauen and that those which haue not kept them shall goe into euerlasting damnation But it is not to be inferred vpō these textes that a man may be instified by his good workes for no man at any tyme doth performe Gods commandements to the full But euen the best of all doe breake them euery day many times For what man is so arrogant as to challenge to himself such sincerity of life that he loueth and hath alwayes loued God with all his hart and his neighbour as himselfe or hath not wished somewhat that was an other mans To be short there needeth no great disputation vpon this poynt for our conscience doth here accuse vs and of it selfe condemne vs. Now then if no man can fulfill the commaundements It followeth that no man can haue euerlasting life by his owne workes but must seek some other iustification than by workes if hee will be iustified before the face of god And in seeking an other iustification he commeth to the righteousnes of fayth which is by imputation through the free bestowed benefite of Christ For like as if a poore detter that were vnable to pay were kept in prisō for a det of ten thousād crowns and his creditor should tell him that if he paid the debt he would set him at liberty or els he should rot in prison he had no redier remedy than to get such a surety as would be so fauourable and frendly to him as to pay the det for him without trusting to his own substance which is vtterly vnable to discharge such a dette In like sort man knowing on the one side that without performing the Law throughout he is in danger of damnation and on the other side that he is not able to perform it hath no other shifte but to repaire to Iesus Christ to take holde of his righteousnesse by faith to the end that the same may be imputed vnto him and that by this meanes his sinnes may be wyped out and himselfe made capable of eternall life And as it may truely be sayd that that detter hath well payd his dette when his surety hath payd it for him euen so may a Christian say that he hath kept and fulfilled the commaundements of God when he doth assure himselfe through faith that Christ hath fulfilled them for him Thus should be vnderstoode those textes of Scripture which inioyne vs to obserue the commaundements to haue therby euerlasting life And after that sort we should make them to agree with the textes before alleadged which say that we cannot be iustified but by faith only By which saying euery man of sound iudgement may easely know that the doctrine of the Protestants is builded vpon the pure word of God and consequently that according to our secōd Maxime it is the most true and auncient and not to bee called new but of such as do not vnderstād it Neither may the Catholicks call this doctrine hereticall according to our third Maxime because it is ratified euen by their owne Canons For thus sayth one of the Canons Ciprian did call vnto him the Byshoppe Satyrus and did thinke that there was not any true grace sauing that which commeth by fayth c. And an other Canon sayth thus Looke where is no fayth there can be no righteousnes for the righteous liueth by faith c. There is another taken out of S. Augustine which speaketh yet more plainly saying thus The Lord purposing to declare playnly that mens sinnes are forgeuen by the holy Spirite which he hath geuen to the faithful and not by their own merites sayth thus in a certayne place Receiue the holy Ghost And immediatly he addeth whose sins ye remit their sinnes shall be forgeuen As if he should say it is the holy Ghost that forgeueth sinne and not you Which Canon doth shew playnly that the merites of good workes do no whit iustify vs and so consequētly that it is fayth onely without works which is that instrumentall cause of our iustification the very efficient cause therof is Iesus Christ working by the holy ghost And if the Romish catholicks themselues did wel vnderstand what they ment when they say cōfes that they be saued by the grace of our redeemer they would neuer depend any more vpon their good workes merits For as sayth an other Cannon Grace is not grace if it be not freely geuen and receiued And hereunto accordeth the saying of Saynt Basile A man sayth he doth then glory whollye and throughlye in God when hee doth not vaunt of hys owne righteousnesse but acknowledgeth himselfe destitute of the true righteousnesse and that hee is iustified thorough his onely fayth in Christ After the same manner speaketh Saynt Ambrose saying Dauid calleth them right happy whome God hath determined to iustify by fayth onely without any paynes taking or without their keeping of the law And in an other place in expounding these words of the Apostle freely iustified by his grace he sayth thus They be iustified freely because that hauing not done any thing nor requited like for like they be iustifyed by faith onely which is the gift of God. I coulde to this purpose alleadge many other canōs aūcient doctors but these may suffice For my purpose is not to build the doctrine of our reformed Religion neither vpon Doctors nor vpon Canons but onelye to rehearce and alleadge some of them to shew vnto the Romish catholicks that in condemning the same so boldly of heresy by the same meanes they vnaduisedly condemne their own canons and doctors And because they doe so greatly brag that they hold the fayth of the Romish Church I mean to proue that they do not so euen by their owne Canons Harken now what a Canon sayth in an Epistle written by Pope Marcell to the bishop of Antioch We beseech you deere beloued brethren sayth he that you neither teach nor allow any other doctrine than that which you haue receiued of S. Peter and of the other Apostles and Fathers For hee is the head of the whole Church to whom the Lord sayd Thou art Peter and vpon this stone will I build my church the seate whereof was first established in your Countrey and afterward remoued to Rome by the commaundement of the lord c. Hereby it appeareth that the fayth of the Romish Church ought to bee grounded vpon the pure and onely doctrine of
in authoritie vnder them that we may leade a quyet and a peaceable life in all godlines and honesty For that is acceptable before God our Sauiour And it is not for any man not only to exempt himselfe from obaying the prince but also to deny to pay him tribute seeing that our lord Iesus Christ did pay it and hath commaunded to pay it S. Paule doth also witnes the same thing saying that the duty of conscience commaundeth vs to pay tribute to princes because they be the ministers of God and serue thereunto Therfore geue vnto euery mā sayth he that which is due vnto hym Tribute to whome tribute belongeth custome to whō custome pertaineth duty to whom duety belongeth and honor to whom honor is due To be short next after God wee owe to the Prince all obedience honour and feare neither ought wee to thinke it straunge that God shoulde haue the cheefe preheminence seeing that the prince is but his minister and seruant and that the Liefetenant ought not to goe before him which putteth him in office nor the seruant before the master And that was the cause why Daniell said so boldly vnto the king Darius that he had made no fault in disobaying his commaundement which he could not haue obayed without offending both God and his own conscience Also it was for the selfesame cause that the obedience which the people of Israell did yeald vnto their king Ieroboham which caused Calues of golde to be made and commanded the people to honor them is condemned by the word of god For in matters of Religion we ought to hold the generall rule which S. Peter teacheth saying We must rather obay God than man. The reason hereof is the same that is alleadged by S. Paule namely That we be redeemed or bought with the precious bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ which is a thing of so great and excellent price that we ought not to turne away from the saluation which he hath purchased vs for any thing in all the world We haue heretofore alledged some of the decretall Epistles of the Popes Gelasyus Innocēt the third and Bomface the eight by that which they haue done their indeuour to thrust down emperours kinges and other Princes far vnderneath them but the auncient Canons speake farre otherwise for by them euen the Pope himselfe whensoeuer he cōmitteth any fault ought to be corrected and punished by the Emperour as Pope Leo the fourth auoweth and confesseth in his epistle written to the Emperor Lewes which epistle is made canonicall If we haue done sayth he any thing which wee ought not or haue not performed the equity of the law towards your subiects we are ready to amend our fault by the iudgement of your selfe or of your commissioners for if we which should correct the faultes of other men do worsse then they we be not the children of the trueth but which thing I speake with great grief we be masters of error more thā others Wherfore we most hūbly besech your maiesties clemency to vouchsafe to send hither some commissioners of yours such as feare God to informe you of our behauiour and to make as diligent inquisition thereof as if your imperiall maiestie were here present in proper person and to search out the trueth by peecemeale not onely of the thinges afore mentioned but also of all other matters which may haue bene reported vnto you So as by that meanes al things may be determined by lawfull examinatian of the case and nothing remayne to be discussed and decided hereafter By which Canon it appeareth playnely that the Emperour of Rome hath power and authoritye to inquire of the misbehauiour and misdealings of the pope and that he may by lawful iudgement condemne and punish him when he doth amisse We do also read in S. Gregory who is esteemed for one of the best Popes that in his epistle which he wrote to the kings of fran̄ce of Englād and of the westerngothes he did alwaies call them his children But when the wrate to the Emperor which raygned in his tyme whose name was Mawrice hee called him his Lord and spake very humbly vnto him as vnto hym that was his soueraygne declaring that he did and would obay the sayd Emperors most mylde commaundementes for those be his termes that he vseth There are other Canons also by the which all power of Soueraintye is attributed vnto princes as well ouer the lay people as ouer the clergye and ouer the goodes both of the one and of the other These be the very wordes of the Canon S. Peter in fishing found tribute in the mouth of a fish because that the church ought to pay tribute of such outward good as are sene to al mē And the case so standeth that for his tribute he was commaunded to pay not all the whole fish which he had caught in fishing but onely the peece of siluer which he had founde in the mouth of the fish which he had caught because the church it selfe or the preheminence of the place ought not to be geuen to Emperours and Kinges nor to be put in subiection to their power But surely as I sayd before that which was found in the mouth of the fish is commaunded to be geuen for the tribute of Peter and of the Lord because wee ought to pay tribute vnto princes of the outwarde goods of the church according to the auncient custome to the end they may mayntayne defend vs in good peace and quietnes By which canon it appereth that princes may as well rayse tribute vpon men of the Church as vpon the lay people although they may not take authority in deuine matters further than to cause obedience to be geuen to the commaundements of God as it is sayd in an other Cannon in expresse wordes When Emperors make wicked lawes to maintayne falshood agaynst the trueth it serueth to trye the true beleuers who are crowned with martirdom for perseuering in the truth But when they make good lawes and edictes to mayntayne the truth agaynste the falshood the persecutors are strickē in fear by it and such as vnderstand the truth do amend themselues Whosoeuer therefore doth refuse to obay the edictes of the Emperoures and princes that mayntayne the true doctrine doe procure themselues great punishment but as many as refuse to obay the edicts made agaynst the will of God winne to themselues great reward Eor euer since the tyme of the prophets all kinges are blamed which haue not prohibited and rooted out from amongst Gods people all such thinges as haue bene set vppe agaynst his commaundements And these which haue prohibited thē and rooted them out are highly praysed aboue al others Nabuchodonosor being an Idolater did make a trecherous proclamation that all men should worship his Image But those which refused to obay the vngodly law dealt faythfully and holyly With this Canon agreeth an other canon taken out of S.
to be proclaymed vniuersal Bishop in a certain Sinode or Counsell wheragainst S. Gregory who was then bishop of old Rome did set himselfe very manfullye And therefore writing againe to the same Emperor Maurice he saith amongst other thinges there written that the name of vniuersal Bishop is a title of pride and pompe which troubleth the church the lawes and the sinodes and the commaundements of Christ And that S. Peter neuer was ne neuer called himselfe vniuersall Apostle And that it was the Emperors duty if he meant that God should long preserue his empire to cut of that sore and to bridle the disease by his authoritie if it could not otherwise be healed Afterward he addeth these words worthy to be noted If any man saith he doe attribute vnto himselfe the name of vniuersall Bishop in the church what will al honest men iudge of him For the estat of the vniuersall Church must nedes fall which God forbid if he fall which is called the vniuersall Bishop Therfore let this blasphemous name be banished from the harts of all Christians whereby the honor of all Priestes is taken away and wrongfully vsurped by one alone And in the Epistle following S. Gregory maketh his mone to the Empresse Constance that the said Emperor Maurice her husband went about to perswade him to leaue of his setting of himselfe against it which I cannot doe saith he for I defend the cause of the Gospell and the Canons and the truth of equitie and humilitie And it is to greeuous intollerable a thing that the sayd Iohn our fellow brother and bishop should seeke to haue the name of bishop to himself alone But what other thing doth he geue vs to vnderstand by this his pride but that the time of Antichrist draweth neare For he followeth the steps of the wicked feend who despising the ioy which he had in common amongst the legions of other Aungels dyd seeke to set himselfe in the hyghest roome to raigne as soueraigne all alone And in an other Epistle the same S. Gregory answering to the whiche the sayd Emperour Maurice had written vnto him which was that hee ought not to bee so precisely wedded to his own will for the terme of vniuersall Bishop for such strife about termes hinder the vnion and peace of the church did disproue his reasons with very good grace saying thus But I beseech your maiestie of your goodnes to consider that of words fondly spoken some doe no harme at all other some doe great harme As for example when Antichrist shall come and call himselfe God that speech is very fond neuertheles as it is fonde so is it also very pernicious If you looke no further thā to the wordes there are but two sillables but if you way the meaning of the wordes it is the full importance of all iniquitie And I dare boldlye say vnto you that whosoeuer calleth himselfe or causeth himselfe to be called the vniuersal priest the same partie through his vaingloryousnes is the foreronner of Antichrist because that by his pride he exalteth himselfe aboue all others I besech you therefore of your good zeale to God-ward to commaund that no cause of offence be geuen by taking vp such a fond title See how S. Gregorye declareth and denowceth him to be the foreronner of Antichrist which doth name himselfe vniuersall Byshop forasmuch as he taketh vpon him the aucthoritye of all other Byshops as wel neere all the Popes of Rome haue done which haue bene since his time And yet to confirme this his sentence better I wil adde the warning which he gaue by his letters to the Byshops of Greece to be well ware that they gaue not the title of vniuersall Byshop to Siriacke Byshop of Constantinople next successor of the said Iohn after his decease good brethren quoth he yee shall vnderstand that the late Iohn who not long since was prelate Passing the bondes of modestie and of the measure of his calling did wrongfully in a Synode vsurpe the proud and pestilent title of Oycumenicall that is to say vniuersall Byshop agaynst God and the Church and to the despight derogatiō of the whole order of Preesthode Wherupon wee wrote twise vnto him that he should not omit any thing which might concerne the peace of the Church exhorting him to leaue that proud name and to submit his hart to the humilitye which our Lord and master hath taught vs Whereof forasmuch as he held scorne we haue vsed the lyke admonitions vnto our brother Siriacke his successor But sith wee see that Antichrist the enemy of mankinde beginneth to shew himselfe opēly by his foreronners in this latter tyme and that the preestes themselues which ought to resist him by their holy humblelyfe be the partyes that serue him for his foreronners by intitling thēselues with his proud name of vniuersall I beseech yee yea and charge ye that none of you at any tyme receyue admit write allow written or subscribe vnto that title But that as becommeth the seruauntes of the almighty God euery of you keepe himselfe pure and cleare from this venemous infection without yelding of him selfe to the deceitfull craftines of the enemy for surely that title tendeth to no other end but to the hurt and diuision of the Church and to the slaunder of you all as I haue sayd before because that if he onely as he imagineth is the vniuersall Byshop it followeth that you be no Byshops There are yet diuers other like sayings in the writings of S. Gregory which I could here alleadge but these which I haue here before set downe may suffice in mine opinion to declare and shew vnto the Romish Catholicks by the authority of that god doctor whom they themselues take to haue beene one of the greatest worthiest of all the Popes in respect whereof they haue surnamed him the great S. Gregory that the name and office of the Pope which is nothing else but an vniuersall and supreme Byshop or shepheard ouer all other Byshops and Priestes is condemned as the name and office of Antichrist or of his forerunner and as a title and estate full of pride iniury diuision and contempt of Gods commaundemēts and of the holy decrees and counsels which haue bene holde before that tyme. But now that we haue made S. Gregory to fight sufficiētly against the popes that were his successors let vs returne to our Canons to shew that S. Peter was neuer pope that is to say prince or soueraine ouer the Apostles I will only alleadge one Canon which saith that S. Paule and S. Peter were equal yea euen at the same time that they were both at Rome and that the one was no way greater than the other whereof it followeth that S. Peter was no more pope than was S. Paule Now S. Paule was neuer pope nor euer reputed so to be by the very maintayners of the popedome themselves For these be the very words of the Canon
so well exacte the tenthes keep all to themselues and geue naught to the poore Let vs harken I pray you how the canons doe thunder against such kind of people as doe withhold the goods of the needy The tenths saith the Canon are the tributes of needy soules so that if thou payest wel thy tithes thou shalt not only receaue aboundance of fruites but also health of body and soule He that payeth them not is an vsurper of other mennes goods And looke how many poore folke doe die for want of sustenance in the place where he dwelleth of so many murders shall he be gilty before the seate of the eternall iudge for conuerting of the thinges to his own vse which are appointed for the poore And surely the Church of old time could so ill away with such an abuse in the Clergie as is the withholding of the goods of the poore that it wold neuer haue suffered it But contrariwise by the auncient Canons the Bishops and the rest of the Clergie should haue been constrayned to succor the poore and needy with the gold and siluer of the Church and to imploy it rather in this work of charity than in making of faire buildings and in repayring of Churches These are the words of a Canon taken out of S. Ambrose The Church hath gold not to hoord it vp but to distribute it to the needy To what end should a man keepe that which serueth him to no purpose Do we not know what a great quantitie of gold and siluer the Assiriens tooke out of the temple of the Lorde were it not much better that the priestes should bestowe it to the releefe of the poore and needy than that the wicked enemye should spoyle it and carry it away will not the Lord say vnto yov wherefore haue ye suffered so many needy folke to dye for hūgar For thou hadst gold wherwith thou mightest haue bought them meate wherefore hast thou suffered so many Captiues to be led into bondage and to be killed by the enemy for lack of beyng redeemed It had bene much better for thee to haue saued the vessels of lyfe then the vessels of mettall Thou shalt not know what to aunswere vnto this for what wilt thou say That thou wast afrayd least the Tēple of God should not haue bene well garnished I say vnto thee that the Sacramentes haue no neede of gould The thinges which are not to be boughte for golde are neuer the more acceptable for the golds sake The redemption of Captiues is the ornament of holy thinges And truely these are the precious vessels which do saue mens soules from death That is the true treasor of the Lord which couereth that whiche his bloud hath couered And the next Canō following taken out of S. Iherom sayth thus The glory and reputation of a Bishop is to pinch himselfe to inrich the poore and it is a shame for a Priest to seeke riches to himselfe Many build vp the walles and in the mean while do pul downe the pillors of the Churche The marble glistereth the Lampe shyneth and the aulter is garnished with precious stones but of all this while there is no account made of the seruaūts of god To receiue the goodes which ought to be distributed to the poore and to be desirous to keepe them vnspent is a poynt of to great forecast or els of to great fearfulnes but to conuert any part of it to a mans owne vse is a fault whiche passeth the crueltie of the greatest theeues of the worlde Marke this definitiue sentence which this good doctor S. Ierom hath pronunced agaynst such as withhold the goodes of the poore and bestow them to their own vse Oh good lord howe full of suche theeues is this world at this day which are cōdēned by this sentence of S Ierom. At leastwise the most part of my masters of the Clergy can not wash their handes of this crime of deteining and vsurping the goodes of the poore except they will deny the Canons heretofore alleadged which are grounded vpon al reason and equity and haue bene holily obserued in the primatiue church I doubt not but that many of the clergy will thinke this little discourse of tyme which I haue made touching their discipline very hard and greuous But I beseech them to suffer their affections to geue place to the truth Their owne Canons shal serue me for a lawfull defence and excuse in this case For by them we be taught neuer to conceale the truth but bouldly to speake it vpon payne to be accounted oppressors of the same and allowers of error These are the wordes of a canon of Pope Innocentes The errour which men do not resist seemeth to bee allowed And the trueth which is not defended is oppressed If a man neglect to resist the vnruly it is as good as a mayntayning bolstering of them neither can the party be excused of suspition of secret society which neglecteth to withstand the crime that is manifest There is also another canon which sayth thus That party is gilty of the fact which is careles to correct the thing that he may amend For it is written that not only those are partakers of the misdeede which commit it but also they that consent thereunto And he that condemneth such as goe astray sheweth himselfe to hate their misdoinges and he leaueth no gap for himselfe to leape out at which challengeth those that start out of the way By which canon we ought all of vs to learne not to winke at vices and misdealings And therefore my maysters of the clergy may if it please thē make themselues a wholesome medicine of the things which I haue spoken heretofore concerning their manners and discipline And like as they spare not to exclaime against the Protestants howbeit wrongfully that they are the cause of the ciuill trobles in Fraunce and so consequently of the corruptions and disorders that are bred of them So set them bethinke themselues a litle of their own doeings and they shall finde by the Canons which I haue alleadged heretofore that in their own orders there are as many abuses and corruptions as possibly can be But now that I haue spoaken sufficiently of the Pope and of the Romish Clergie let vs now enter into theire Purgatory ⧠Of Purgatorye The xii chapter THe Romain Catholicks doe hold opinion that there is a certaine place within the earth which is not altogether so low as hell whether the soules of the good Christians which are dead doe goe to purge them of their sinnes by tormentes of fire and other rigorous paynes and that euery deadly sinne should by desart haue seuen yeares of purgation if the term of yeares were not shortned by masses suffrages and pardons And for this cause they doe hold opinion that it is needfull to cause a great number of masses and suffrages to be sayd for them that be dead and to the same end to geue
reformed Religion which they tearme new is a sauage Religion fond and full of follies and errors and they will needes be beleeued in the matter vpoÌ„ their bare word without proouing any part of that which they speake But as those kinde of people are commonly ignorant and malicious and moreouer possessed with ambition and beastlines so doth it appeare that their mouthes are euer stil open euen when their ouerarrogant ignorance is beaten down by good reasons and allegations And when they haue done all that they can for their last refuge they are fayne to runne to the exception of prescription saying that the Romish Religion hath been receaued and obserued in Fraunce euer since the first setting vp of the kingdome euen since the great king Clowis who was the first Christian king and that it is not like that God would leaue the world so long time which is more than a thousand yeares in error and ignorance But what if it be denyed that their Religion such as it is this preseÌ„t was obserued in the time of Clowis or of Charlemayn or of many other kings of Fraunce which haue beene since that time How would they prooue that which they haue sayd And if the contrary be proued to them by wrytings of auncyent Bishops and Doctors of Fraunce by the which it doth appeere that in this Realme in olde time they did hold the same Religion or uery neare the same which the Protestants doe in these dayes what will they answere then And were it not also very easie to proue by the Historiographers which haue written the liues of the Popes and also by the decrees of the Popes themselues that the most part of their ceremonies and traditions whereof at this day they make more account than of Gods word haue bin inuented and brought into the Church by the Popes of later times long since Charlemayn And therefore they which sayd that the Romish Religion such as it is at this present hath been obserued in FrauÌ„ce euer since the beginning of the kingdome there doe greatly mistake their markes and cannot verify their saying but the contrarye is easie to be prooued But let vs put the case how be it without graunting it that the thing which they say is true and that this Romish Religion is of the vttermost antiquitie that can be Must the truth of God therfore forgoe his right by the exception of prescription Noe truely For if by the Ciuill law there be no prrscription agaynst a king how much lesse then may it be against the king of kinges And put the case again without graunting it that prescription ought to take place against God yet were it not reason thinke you to recken the lapse of time according to Gods measuring thereof Now it is certayn that with God a thousand yea and twelue hundred thousand yeares are no more than an hower or a quarter of an hower and therfore by the lapse of so litle space of time prescription can take no aduantage But all men of sound iudgemeÌ„t will alwayes grauÌ„t that as time doth not change the truth into vntruth nor vntruth into truth So also of consequence we must not admit a ReligioÌ„ for true and good vnder colour that it hath indured long time seeing that the exception of prescription is not to be admitted in such caces For els if the Romish Catholickes will needes sticke to the Iudgement of prescription for the allowance of a Religion then must they make good the religion of Mahomet which hath already lasted aboue a thousaÌ„d yeres which thing I am sure that none of them will doe how passionate soeuer they be otherwise And if it be demauÌ„ded wherefore god hath so long tyme suffered the error of Mahomet amoÌ„gst the Turkes Persians Arrabians Sirians the other Esterne and Southern people of Asia and Affrica among whom the Apostles and disciples of Iesus Christ preached the Gospell and plaÌ„ted so many fayre Churches there is no other answere to be made vnto it but that god hath done it by his secret iudgement wherof we are ignorant Full well we know that he hath done it for good and a iust cause to good purpose because he doth nothing but that which is good and iust But it doth not become vs to search any deeper for the perticuler causes which haue moued him so to doe neither ought we to be inquisitiue of his priuities and secret diâ—gâ—mentes The same also is to be answered to such as say that it is not likely that God would suffer the people of Christendome to erre so long as since the masse hath had his full scope For to be short seing that God is the truth it selfe and that his word is true it is much better to yeld God his due honor by sticking onely to his word then to refort to custome and prescription of time to authorise the traditions of meÌ„ Iesus Christ himselfe doth teach vs playnely enough that we ought to reiect the traditions of men although they be neuer so auncient and grouÌ„ded vpon prescription of time out of minde and that we ought alwayes to haue recourse back to the pure word of God which shal last for euer notwithstanding al customes prescriptioÌ„s which are agaynst it For in reprouing the traditioÌ„s of the Pharisies which had then bene receiued allowed of long time he exhorteth his disciples to cast them of and to returne back agayne to the pure word of God and to the naturall meaning thereof saying you haue heard how it was sayd to the meÌ„ of old time c. As for the auncient Canons they are so cleare and expresse in this case as is possible therfore it shall suffice me to translate them here simply These be the very wordes of the CanoÌ„ An ill custome is no les to be reiected shunned then a pestilent infection because that if it be not the sooner plucked vp the wicked do serue their turne with it as it were by right of priuiledge insomuch that the sundry disorders and dyuers vsurpatioÌ„s which are not repressed out of hand begin anon after to be receiued for lawes and are alwayes obserued as priuiledges By which Canon wee may well note the pernicious effectes of ill customes which cause vs to receiue vice in steade of vertue and euill in steade of good wherof our miserable world hath to many examples as well in causes of Religion as in matters of pollicie and law For in these dayes men defend nothing more earnestly than the abuses and errors which are in all estates vnder pretence that they haue taken root by long custome and contynuance of time which haue suffered them to passe in force of lawes and Priuileges Another Canon taken out of saint Gregory sayth thus If a man happen to obiect custome against vs we must consider what the Lord sayth I am the way saith he the truth and the life He doth not say I am custome And truely as sayeth