Paralitick members in the Church who by study and labour will not endeauour to be able to performe the operations and facultyes belonging to their profession And as touching such of you as shall arriue to that perfection as to wryte Bookes in defence of your owne Religion what consolation may it be to your Soules and increase of accidentall glory when your Bodyes being corrupted and turned intâ— ashes you neuerlesse shall dayly speake by meanes or your wrytings to posterity instructing them in the way of Saluation The liuing acknowledge themselues much behoulden to those though long since departed this world who haue recorded in wryting the temporall and humane Lawes of their owne Country and haue cleared them with the true meaning of the fiâ—st Lawgiuers what obligation then is due by the liuing to such dead men who haue faythfully by their pens deliuered and explicated the Law not of man but of Goâ— I meane the Gospell and vndoubted fayth of Christ by the fruition of which Law and fayth the soule arriueth to its eternall felicity as through the want of it precipitately falleth into euerlasting damnation And can any kynd of study more then this be prized But some of you who are of lesse spirituall courage may perhaps say The Lawes of the Realme prohibit vnder great penalty all persuading to a Religion contrary to the present state and profession of the Realme It is so indeed But withall the same Lawes do prohibit your entring into the Realme after your taking of the Holy Order of Priesthood will you be so ready then to expose your Bodyes to death for the one and yet will forbeare for feare of death the other Againe that Statute was made by a Woman Prince and the Laity the incompetent Iudges in matters meerely spirituall But there is an other Statute so to terme it enacted by a Potentate infinitly supreme I meane by God himself who thus commandeth vs by his Apostle Obedire (9) Act. 5. oportet Deo magis quam hominibus a Statute indeed which ought far to preponderate all human Statutes or decrees And admit you should endure death for such your spirituall Labours of which there is small feare or rather small hope in regard of his Maiestyes most clement and mercifull disposition were it not a happines for you to redeeme your Sinnes by so glorious a death Furthermore how can that be accounted death which is suffered for him who is Lyfe Since by so doing by ceasing to breath you instantly begin to breath the Ioyes of Heauen and thus by sheeding of bloud you make your owne Bloud to become a Key for the opening of the Gates of Heauen Sanguis (10) Cyprian Martyrum Clauis Paradisi Therefore deare Brethren take courage and by your studyes and paynes labour to furnish your selfe with all Scholerlike preparation for the ouerthrowing of Heresyes in the soule of men and in place thereof for the planting of true fayth and remember that it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A false fayth is euen worse then Infidelity Let those words of the Apostle often come into your myndes and heate your owne â—epedity therewith Praedica (11) 2. Timoth. 4. verbum â—usta oportunè importunè argue obsecra inâ—repa c. I speake not this as if you should proâ—eed either by Pen or Dispute in any tuâ—ultuous or vndutifull manner O noe Let things in their owne nature Religious â—e caried withall religious manner beare â—ll reuerence to the State and Loyalty to â—is Maiesty praying dayly to the Allmighty â—o preserue our King Charles who is full of â—ommiseration pitty and fraught with â—ll good morall endowments and his most â—ertuous Queene an honour to her Sex that â—hey both may Enioy two Ierusalems I meane true temporall felicity heere vpon Earth and eternall in Heauen and do you often call to mynd those words of S. Paule We 12 â—3 Ro. 1â— are to be subâ—ect to higher powers seeing there is no power but of God But to returne back Take to your Consideration the great vse you shall haue of your skill and knowledg in English Controuersies For first there are maâ—y morall ProtestaÌ„ts both Gentilmen of worth others who scorne all base cariage towards you with whom by the interueniency of friends you may haue as daily experience sheweth oportunity to discourse touching matters of Religion Many of which as before little hearing and lesse belieuing what the Catholiks can speake in defence of their Religion against theirs will afford a greedy and listening Eare to your speach How large a fyeld then haue you here wherein to plant and disseminate your owne fayth Diuers Ministers do spit their Venome out of their pulpits in their weekely Sermons and Inuectiues against the Church oâ— Rome as also many Bookes written by Protestants do yearely come out impoysoning their Readers with their imposture and fraud against the Catholike Religionâ— And is it not then a thing worthy of all labour to be able to detect and lay open thâ— said calumnies with your pens Further more Admit any of you should be apprehended and sent to prison what gooâ— if your knowledg in Controuersies be suâ—ficient may you do in that place to those of a different Religion who either out of curiosity will repayre to you to see what can be said by you in defence of your Religion or out of a Puritanicall vaunting Malice of Ministers shall seeke by dispute hoping you are little experienced in those studyes to disgrace and dishonour your Religion In proofe of which point I can affirme out of my owne knowledge that a certaine (*) M. W. B. Priest a Vertuous man and much practized in Controuersies once taken and sent to the Common prison was in the beginning much assaulted by diuers Ministers openly in the presence of the Iudges of the Affises as also after in the Priests priuate Chamber but he so bare himselfe in his answeres and disputes with them did so gaule them like a strong beare casting of at his pleasure the weake and cowardly dogs which seeke to take hold of him as that the Iudges rested much abashed thereat commanding that no further open Disputation should after be had with him He also was assaulted by some Puritans in prison but he gaue them such entertaynment as that they grew quickly weary of him so as staying a good whyle after in durance he could not haue a sight of any of them This Accident gaue in that Shyre where it happened great credit to the Catholike Cause and wrought much spirituall Good Now thinke you not that this Priests labour was most happily and fruitfully spent in the study of Controuersyes And why may not then any of you vpon returne into your owne Country and imprisonment haue the like oportunity presented vnto you At what tyme if your talent in dispute be great and preuailing you get ground vpon Heresy if but small and elementary you become a disgrace
endued with splendour of Grace and vertue c. After this manner also Vertues are paynted as Iustice fortitude c And it is not prohibited to paynt or picture God after this third maÌ„ner notwithstaÌ„ding our Aduersaryes great dislyke thereof For if (m) Dan. c. 7. Daniel doth describe God sitting in a throne and describeth there also his head his gray hayres his white garments therby to expresse his Maiesty power and his Antiquity from all ages his purity and brightnes c. why may not then God be so pictured to the Eye as the Holy Scripture by reciting of it doth expresse him in words to the Eare Animaduersion XXXII IT is a peculiar sleight of Caluin and other our more learned Aduersaryes that wheras they deny a Conclusion or Proposition of fayth affirmatiuely mantayned by the Catholiks after we haue brought authority either out of Scripture or from forâ— of Reason prouing the same denyed pointâ— then in answere thereto they grant the conclusion of that point but then they render a cause or reason why in such a Case our Conclusion may be admitted so they subtilly obtruding a reason of the Conclusion granted in such or such a case for a sufficieâ—â— answeare in deniall of the Conclusion Bâ—â— this is most exorbitant and in no sort satisfying the Catholiks arguments For the more cleare explicating of my selfe herein 〈◊〉 will instance this their imposture in an example or two We affirme that the Angels and consequently God though all incorporeall may be pictured The Protestants absolutely deny this Proposition We in proofe that the Angels may be pictured produce our authorityes out of the booke of Exodus c. 25 out of the third of Kings c. 6. in which places we reade that Angels were pictured (o) L. 5. Instit. cap. 11. c. Caluin n answereth hereto saying that that was done in fauour of the Pedagogy and more facill instruction of Men in the Old Law which tyme is now past Now here I say this answere is merely impertinent for the Question is not in this place why or to what end things incorporeall might be pictured let the cause be what it will but only whether it be lawfull to picture things incorporeall or not â—hich conclusion this answere of Caluin â—mitteth for true In like manner to proue Freewill we vrge â—â—ose words Si (o) Math 19. vis ad vitam ingredi serua â—â—ndata if thou wilt enter into life keep the â—â—mmandments where we vrge that promise â—f Heauen is made vnder condition that God will not command any thing vnder an impossible condition and that therefore â—e haue Freewill to keep Gods Commandements Caluin answereth hereto that it is not absurd to maintayne that God sometimes for some reasons knowne to himself â—â—omiseth to men things vnder impossible â—onditions to wit to the wicked he maketh such promises thereby to manifest how vnworthy they are of his diuine goodnes But â—ere we reply We demand not why or to what end God doth make his promises either to the wicked or to the pious but we only maintaine that a thing cannot rightly be promised vnder condition but only to him who hath the vse of Freewill This imposture is most familiar with Caluin and his followers and therefore I could wish the serious reader to be obseruant therof Animaduersion XXXIII IN my iudgment the Question of Images in a point to be discussed chiefly by Philosophy as taking its warrant and ground from thence so far forth as there be no abuse of the Images My reason is this what thing soeuer man vnderstandeth the same he vnderstandeth by the help of a Species or Imaâ—â— thereof first wrought in the Phantasy according to that Axiome in Philosophy Quicquid intelligitur intelligitur per moâ—â—â— Phantasmatis And thus we cannot apprehend or worship God but by the help mediation of an Image of God which wâ— frame in our Imagination and phantasy Againe if a picture be capable of disgrace iniury in regard of the person therein represented then by the same reason a picture may be capable of honour and reuerence I meane that kind of honour reuerence which is due to inanimate things Noâ— that a picture is capable of disgrace or contumely is euident For example if a subiect disloyally affected to his Prince should deface breake or otherwise indecently handle the picture of his Prince by stabbing it with his dagger or otherwise or if some Atheâ—â— denying the Scripture should be trample vnder his feete through scorne and malice the Bible it selfe would not these Actions be seuerely punished and might not the picture of the Prince and the Bible be said to haue suffered disgrace and indignity thereby with reference to the wrong and indignity committed against the Prince the sacred Scriptures Then by the same reason may the Picture of Christ and the Saincts be affected with due religious respect aboue other things in regard of Christ and his Saincts represented in them of â—hom they are pictures Animaduersion XXXIV TO vindicate our selfes from the calumny of our Aduersaries touching the worâ—hip which we exhibit to Saints Images â—hey are for their instruction to take noâ—â—ze that Adoration containeth three difâ—â—rent (p) S. Thom. in 3. sent dist 9. Acts the first is of the vnderstanâ—ing by the which we apprehend the excelâ—â—ncy of any thing The Act of the Will by the which we are inwardly moued to manifest and protest our worship by some exteriour or interiour Act The third is an Exteriour Act by the which we moue our hat or bow our leg or shew some other externall signe in manifestation of our inward worship giuen Of which three Acts the second which is of the will is most essentiall seeing the first may be without adoration and the third with irrision and scorne as the Jewes worshipped our Sauiour vpon the Crosse Here further we are to note that that worship which is giuen to God is a chiefe and supreme prostration and inclination of the will with the apprehension of God as the beginning and last end of all things and therefore as our chiefe good and it is called by Deuines Latria and cannot be communicated without Idolatry to any creature Worship giuen to Creatures is distinguished according to the different degrees of excelleÌ„cies in the Creatures and so according to the different degrees of the worth of Creatures the worship exhibited is seuerally called as Duâ—â—â— hyperdulia cultus religiosus cultus ciuilis Lastly it is further to be obserued that by the exteriour Act it is not easy to distinguisâ— the seuerall kinds of worship for almoâ—â— all exteriour Acts of worship Sacrifice only excepted are common to euery kind oâ— worship For according hereto we read thâ—â— Abraham with the same Act of bowing hâ—â— body to the ground did adore God Genes 17. did worship Angels Genes 18. and diâ— worship Men Genes 23. In like sort all meâ— do vse to kneele to
the supposed answering of those few chosen and picked out by him must serue through the partiality of iudgement in his followers to disgrace all the rest of the Corruptions or falsifications vrged by you Animaduersion LII THe Protestants in falsly alledging the authorityes of Authours do abuse their Readers chiefly foure seuerall wayes First which is the most vsuall by concealing some part of the alledged authority SecoÌ„dly by adding some words of his owne to make the produced Authour or Father to speake like a Protestant Thirdly by transposing the words of an authority thereby to make the sense different from the Authors true meaning Fourthly by a wilfull mistaking or confusion of tymes I will exemplify these foure sorts in the wryting of D. White a great Impostour in his Scripts in his booke called The way to the true Churcâ— Well then the said Protestant in p. 119. oâ— his said Booke produceth a place out of the Rhemists to proue that the Church of Româ— can make that Scripture which is not anâ— vnmake that to be Scripture which is Scripture To proue this he produceth the Rhâ—mists (y) Gaelat 1. thus saying The Scriptures are 〈◊〉 knowne to be true neither are Christians bonâ—â— to receiue them without the attestation of thâ— Church Now heere marke the true wordâ— of the Rhemists and therein obserue his impurity of dealing committed by concealing part of the Sentence iust crossing his intended drift of vrging that authority Their true words are these The Scriptures whicâ— are indeed of the Holy Ghosts inditing being pâ—â— into the Churches triall are found proued anâ— testifyed vnto the World to be such and not maâ—â— true altered or amended by the same Since the Holy Scriptures in themselues were alwayes true before but not so knowne to be to all Christians All these are the words of the Rhemists where you see the wilfull concealement of this Parcell The Scriptures are nâ—â— made true altered or amended by the Church as also that other the Holy Scripturs in themselues were alwaies true meaning without the attestation of the Church Now all that can truly be gathered out of this authority is that the Scriptures though most sacred and true in themselues cannot be so made knowne to vs in which words lyeth the touch of the point without the Churches attestation But how farre off is this from M. Whytes vrging of this place Touching his imposture committed in â—dding of words this one place shall serue Thus then the said D. White produceth Bellarmine in contempt of the Churches authority saying Other meanes may deceiue me but nothing is more knowne nothing more certaine then the Scriptures That it were the greatest madnes in the world not te belieue theÌ„ c. Now in this sentence these words viz. Other meanes may deceiue me are not in Bellarmine but most subtily added to the begining of Bellarmines words and caused to be printed in the same kynd of Character or letter wherein the other words of Bellarmine are printed thereby to make the Reader belieue that they are words of Bellarmine wheras they are added as I about insinuated for the more depressing of the Churches Authority Now the whole sentence of Bellarmine was directed against the Swinkseldians who absolutely denyed Scripture and against whom Bellarmine in that place disputeth Touching the fraud consisting in a cuÌ„ning transposition of words without adding any words to the authority alledged or concealing any parcell therof this example of the foresaid M. Whyte may serue In pag. 344. of his way to the true Church he produceth for the ouerthrow of the religious vse of Images the Councell of Eliberis thus saying No (z) Can. 36. Picture is to be made in the Church lest that be adored which is painted on the walls But the true words of the Canon are these Placâ—â—â— picturas in Ecclesia non habere ne quod coliâ—â— adoretur in parietibus depingatur Jt pleaseth the Councell that pictures should not be in the Church lest that which is worshipped anâ— adored be painted on the Walls The nyce difference in words resteth thus Lest that which is worshipped be painted and as Mâ— Whyte translateth Lest that which is painted be worshipped Where the words of the Councell acknowledging the worship of Images maketh the worship due to them to be the cause why they are not painted on the walls to wit because they were subiect to be defaced either by inuasion of Enemyes or rayne c. Now M. Whites translation only by a subtill transposition of the words imports that Pictures are not to be worshipped at all Lastly concerning the Calumny resting in a wilfull confusion of tymes The said Protestant in pag. 61. for proofe of Priests lawfull mariage produceth a Testimony from Sinesius Bishop of Ptolemais thus writing of himselfe to a friend The sacred hand of Theophilus hath giuen me a wyfe and hereupon Iustify to all men that J will neither forsake her nor priuily as an adulterer keep her Company but I will pray to God to send me by her many and good children This Epistle is at large set downe in (a) Eccl. hist l. 14. c. 55. Nicephorus Now heere tâ—e fraud lyeth that at the tyme when this Epistle was written Sinesius was but a Lay-man but eminent for learning Now after he made himselfe priest and was created Bishop of Ptolemais he euer liued separated from the company of his wyfe as fully appeareth out of Nicephorus in the place aboue alledged Here then the Ministers deceit lyeth in applying that to him as if he had beene then Bishop which was spoken by him being a Layman and so M. White most fraudulently confoundeth those two different tymes together as if all had hapned at one and the same tyme. Animaduersion LIII YF your Aduersary will vant that he will proue all by Scripture only as most of them giue it out they will then force him to draw both his Premisses I meane both his Propositions if so they should be reduced to a forme of Argument from the Scripture alone of which Method within two Arguments at least he is certaine to fayle For if he take either of his Propositions from humane Authority or from naturall Reason you may tell him he leaueth his vndertaken of prouing by Scripture alone and consequently you may deny his force of Argument though Logicall in forme Here I further aduertize that if your Aduersary vndertake the part of an Opponent tye him precisely euer to Oppose which Scene perhaps he being brought to a Non-plus would flyely transferre vpon you In like sort if he taketh vpon him to answere suffer him not to oppose thought he labour so to do to free himselfe from answering Thus be sure that ech of you keepe your chosen Station Animaduersion LIV. IF the Protestant should seeke to expouÌ„d by way of conference of places those words of our Sauiour This is my body this is my Bloud figuratiuely by those other words of his J
some hundreds and yet remaining to be yearely seene euen with spots of bloud at the chiefe Church in Brussells in the lowe Countryes What can our Aduersaries answere herero Yf they grant the miracle they withall grant the truth of the Doctrine of the Reall Presence To deny it by saying that when one hoast is corrupted through tyme another is secretly thrust in the former place is more then absurd For would the Princes of those Countryes the Lords Bishops Prelates other Religious persons and the whole Communalty suffer themselues to be thus abused from tyme to tyme with such impostures but that they would be most desirous to find out and discry all such wicked stratagemes and deuises Truly I do not see what answere in full weight of Reason can be giuen hereto to conuince the iudgment of any sufficient Man Animaduersion LXXI THat Catholike Religion affordeth Saluation to the Professours thereof is proued seuerall wayes euen from our Aduersaries owne pennes And first Because oâ—â— Aduersaries do reach that the Church oâ— Rome notwithstanding her presumed Eâ—rours is the true Church of Christ consequently her Professours capable of Saâ—uation According hereto thus writeth D. Field (d) L. of the Church c. 46. We doubt not but that Church â—t which the Bishop of Rome with more then Luâ—â—ferlike pryde exalted himselfe was notwithstanding the true Church of God and that it held a sauing profession of the truth in Christ. D. Sâ—â—â— auerreth the same verity in these words (e) In his Defence against Penry pag. 176. you thinke that all the Popish sort wheâ—â— dyed in the popish Church are damned yâ—â— thinke absurdly and do dissent from the iudgment of all learned Protestants With theâ—â— conspireth to omit others D. Couell thâ—â— writing We (f) In his Defence of M. Hooâ—er pag. 77. affirme them of tâ—e Churchâ— Rome to be a part of the true Church of Chriâ—â— and that those that liue dye in that Churcâ— may be saued Another Reason may be taken from the lawfulnes euen in the iudgment of the learned Protestants of Chiâ—dren of Papists as we are stiled whether they be Baptized by Catholike Priests 〈◊〉 Protestant Ministers And the cause of thâ— lawfulnes thereof is deliuered by the Protestants in these words Because (g) So teach the Deuines of Geneua in their propositions and principles disputed at Gen. p. 178. the same is taught by D. Whitgâ—â—fe in 〈◊〉 Defence pa. â—23 by M. Hooker Eccles poâ— l. 3. p. 131. by otheâ— we affirme that those Children are comprehenâ— within the Couenant of eternall life by meanes of the fayth of their Parents A third Reason of the Protestants true iudgment herein concerneth the Fathers of the Primitiue Church in generall who that they liued dyed Papists is most euident by what hath beene confessed aboue by our Aduersaries Now of them Cartwrighâ— thus writeth I (h) Cartwright in his Reply in D. Whitguifts Defence p. 82 doubt not but that diuers Fathers of the Greeke Church who were patrones of Freewill are saued The like charitable opinion of the Fathers though Papists both liuing dying is deliuered by (i) Contra Raâ— Camp pag. 78. D. Whitaker notwithstanding the Fathers Doctrine touching Satisfaction and Merit of Works Finally the Protestants iudgement is also herein manifested in their commonly giuing in their writings and speaches to Austin Ierome Ambrose and the rest whom they acknowledge to Professe and dye in our Catholike fayth and Religion the name and title of Saint as S. Austin S. Jerome c. Animaduersion LXXII YF it be vrged that the Deniall of Freewill for exaÌ„ple was taught by Manicheus and consequently that the Protestant fayth therein is as ancient as those Primitiue tymes It may be replyed that this particular Heretike or that particular Heretike did teach but one or other Protestant Article in those dayes and were sustantly written against for such their Innouations the said Innouatours being Catholike in all other points And therefore you may truâ—â— infer that the vrging of such examples is merely impertinent either for the proofe of the Antiquity of the Protestant Religion or for the Visibility of the Protestant Church in those dayes Animaduersion LXXIII YF you dispute with any Protestant by writing or enterchange of letters write nothing but Matter with as much compendiousneâ— as the Subiect will beare without any Verball Excursions or digressions For this proceeding will force your Aduersary to reply if he will reply to the Maâ—ter For otherwise leauing the materialâ— point which is chiefly issuable and to be handled he will shape a reply to other lesse necessary stuffe deliuered by you And then his Reply must passe abroad by the help of many partiall tongues for a full answere to your whole Discourse Animaduersion LXXIV WHereas you may alledge diuers acknowledged Heresies both in the iudgment of Protestants Catholiks out of the Bookes concerning diuers persons who belieued some few points of Protestancy recorded in the said Bookes here I speake of Wâ—â—ldo Wiclife c. Now if here your Aduersary Disputant doth auouch as many Protestants do that these Heresies were falsly obtruded and fathered vpon the said presumed Protestants by their Enemies you may here reply that to affirme this is against the force of all Reason For seeing the same Bookes do make indifferent mention both of the Protestant opinions and of the other Heresies defended by the same Men either the said Bookes are to be belieued in both or to be reiected concerning both Yf the first then it is certaine that those men did belieue those acknowledged Heresies Yf the later then the said Bookes are not of sufficient authority to proue that there were any Protestants in those ages Animaduersion LXXV IN your proofes drawne from Scripture labour to be much practised in the Protestant Translation of it of which infinite places make for the Catholike Cause euen as the Scripture is translated by the Protestant For this Course gauleth them far more then if you insisted only in the Catholike Translation Animaduersion LXXVI I Will here set downe certaine Obseruations which will easely solue all difficulties or Argument whatsoeuer rising from Scripture or Fathers against Communion vnder one kind only 1. First whereas sundry places of Scripture and Fathers do speake indifferently oâ— only make mention of Communion vnder both kinds or do affirme the vse thereof to be lawfull yet from hence which is the point issuable cannot be inferred any precept of Christ as necessary to Saluation 2. Secondly when such places are vrged which contayne in them a Precept the same places are either vnderstood of Priests who do sacrifice whose bond is different from theirs of the Laity Or els they concerne only the tyme and place when 〈◊〉 where that custome of both kinds was obserued for the custome of the Church whether it be generall in the whole Church or particular in some notable place thereof aâ— in one Country Kingdome