Germanes in the generall congregation Wee haue not thought it also to be amisse to cal to repētāce al those that are fallen into any heresies and are yet entangled therein with a large graunt of a safe conduct and promise of great and singular clemencie and Gentlenes so that they returne to hearte or repent and acknowledg the power of the holy Catholike church If you desire so greatly to be solemnely called home Construe of this condition then by your owne rule Yee talke of her Maiesties woorde and you say you will aske onely her Maiesties worde And yet to goe further by your leaue you being subiectes will see her Maiesties worde set down by Proclamatiō y t al y t world may be witnesses of it such trust you repose in her maiesties word or letters Pattents Her Maiesties becke might serue suche as you bee well enough in this case ye seeme too distrustfull to be plaine meaning and dealing men It is a harde case when her maiesties commandement cannot serue with those that will pretende to be subiects with whom the least signification of her highnes pleasure shoulde be enough and enough againe without prescribing an order for her maiesty to deale by in a mere ciuil case too as this is to cōmand her people to carry at home or to return home being abroad And yet more you must appoint your selues y t time to of cōming home before you will stir Foure score dayes iust no lesse wil serue you You are honorable men and long a making readie many things to take order in before you can set your selues into your voyage yet your best surest pillers that of englishmen ye haue to trust in be here in england among vs. If neede were and it were for your vantage three or four dayes would serue your turne to 〈◊〉 before her maiestie Her maiestie hath nothing else to doe you thinke but to attend and hearken after you and your sutes cunningly made for your aduantage Unlesse you caried better more duetifull mindes yee may tary where yee bee still Your roome is better then your companie When you haue afore hande prouided for the safetie of your persons more then reason and honestie can aske beeing subiectes Then you tell vs what danger you will put your selues into for the trial of Gods trueth c Babling and vaine folly as all the rest This is the matter eyther you would haue a furder ouverture to doe more hurte then you now doe or can doe while you craue disputation c. not for to haue your own doubtful consciences satisfied but to bring moe into perplexity w t you to more cōfirme such as bee too obstinate alreadie in errour or else it may be you are weary of being beyonde the Seas and would fain come home and after many attemptes you thinke at last you haue found out a way whereby you may bee honourably called home Ah craft But peace for shame no more of this Is all the labour peril and disaduantage on your partes as ye say on the other part nothing at all let her maiestie the state other here say for themselues and not you It is enough for you to speake for your owne side leaue the rest to bee waied by them whom it toucheth neerer then you you are but in a dreame The best and enowe of your side to take this matter in hād be here in england that there needeth no sending ouer sea for helpe to be had at englishmens handes thence You M. Howlet and your companions for the most parte haue your sires and dammes heere of whom you suckt your poperie From this you come to shewe If your offer be refused by vs that is with your so great labour perill and disaduantage wee shall shewe our selues too much distrustfull in our owne cause c. Of your perill and safetie wee haue seene before for your so great labour Take no more paines to leese your labor I pray you thē you need When there is any vse thereof it will bee called for profered seruice c. If ye finde disaduantage thanke your selues that make the match wee haue not to regarde that Yee make many offers we see and hide you in corners when you haue 〈◊〉 or like proper fellowes betake you to your heeles runne away that one cannot tell where to haue you nor where to seeke you sauing that some of you by Gods prouidence are sometime ouertaken ere yee bee aware and taken napping as they say You haue alwayes some let or some excuse or other why you keepe not touche when your matters goe not forwarde according to your expectation and mynde This is playne double dealing you cast vs the gloue of defiance I am not disposed to contende with you in bragging and vaunting yet let me warne you M. Howlet and the proudest of your fellowes that yee take heede if you be wise Little Dauids bagge hath a stone in it that flung at you before you come to hande strokes will make you grouel on the grounde if ye abide it were ye as stoute as euer was great Goliah Yee dare vs and would haue vs come ouer the Sea to make offer to you It is not in our handes neither conuenient to accept offers made by you at pleasure nor to go ouer Sea vnto you to make you offers Haue yee not enow beyonde the Seas to dispute withall Is all the worlde there one your side Ywis there be moe M. Howlet and y t singular men thē you well woulde there were and then while you liue you shalbe able to deale withall but to your shames Neuer crye hoo hoo at the matter like an Owle there will be no lacke of them I tell you whose faces yee dare not abide neither are yee able to stande in their handes let it without bragge bee spoken to Gods glory either you dissemble egregiously or yee knowe not the greate power and giftes of God in the learned professours of the Gospell beyonde the Seas but who is more bolde then blinde Bayard As though there were not heere to be talked dayly withall as profound learned English men of your side as any of you that hauing for the most part beene of late young men in Oxeforde and some in Cambridge haue since fled beyonde Sea Doth the very name and sight of Rome and those quarters make now a daies so great Clarks I weene not A cocke I'perceiue on his dounghill The not accepting of your proud bragges is no distrust in our cause but a great pride in you ioyned with a dastardly cowardlinesse who putting fire into y t house runaway as they say by the light plucking your neckes out of the collor most of all of obedience to her maiestie No dealing with you except you may haue your own offers your owne oddes and your owne lawes You say that our comming ouer vnto you is not to bee hoped and therefore you relie vpon disputatiō to be
but through Gods goodnesse vnder her Maiesties happie gouernement haue been now many yeeres trayned vp in the schoole of the holy ghost where if wee haue grace wee haue learned ynough to confirme and stablishe our mindes in the trueth of God and to repell and ouerthrowe all deuises of men Now because they haue by their euill desertes iustly brought themselues farre into hatred least they shoulde seeme common enemies all their cunning of Rhetorique and persuasion muste be applied for the auoyding of this blot hence commeth the dedication of this treatise to her Maiestie and the allegation of conscience But if they can blushe mee thinketh surely they should haue beene ashamed for all their collours to haue offered suche stuffe to her highnesse Princes woulde be reuerenced and their presence eares forborne and spared especially such a Prince as her Maiestie our Queene and Soueraigne is who is after a rare and singuler manner discreete wise and learned whereby shee is able thorowly to discerne and iudge of things shee is godly also and from her infancie a fauourer pro fessor and setter foorth of the Gospel of Christ in her dominions A religion as contrarie to Poperie as God is to the Deuil Bee al former attempts and practises against her Maiestie the state by Pope and Popelings forgotten nowe Or will the bare name of Conscience couer and blot out al Or else bee their stomacks at length come do 〈◊〉 when they haue gone as farre as they can with violence of sworde and such mischieuous dealing to prooue if they can gaine any thing by woorde and fayre speeche in a coloured supplication May there not bee thought lyke poyson to bee offred therein as hath beene founde in former vsage This parlè with her Maiestie if it had gone before violent attempts and shamelesse and villainous writings against her Maiestie might haue caried some shewe or lesse fuspition which nowe is quite otherwise Where is also submission and confession of former misdemeanor to moue pitie Neuer a worde of this nay the whole must be iustified and her Maiestie as I haue saide must take these reasons for al satisfaction though shee haue neuer so great occasion offered her to plaine of vnnatural and naughty vsage of subiects and their trayterous dealing But howe euer things appeare to M. Howlet who is of the night and of darknesse yet may he not in this cleere light of the Gospel to her Maiestie and others speake good of euil and euil of good put darkenesse for light light for darknesse sowre for sweete sweete for sowre and thinke so to preuaile Wee must not beleeue euery spirite but wee must try the spirites whether they bee of GOD It is the light that maketh all thinges manifest And wee bee the children of light the children of the day c. Great iniurie therfore doth M. H. so vntimely out of seasō to shreche in her highnes eares as though her Maiestie were a meete patrone for their naughty causes which common sense and reason if hee coulde harken thereto would tel how vnfit she is for or rather how greatly shee is sought heerein to bee abused by this lewde dealing Howe the breache is made vp againe among the Papists herewith or howe this salue and plaster serueth to cure them I wote not but after their reasons and persuasions haue lōg flown among their companions to dedicate the same at seconde and thirde hand to her Maiestie and that with such an impudent Epistle in so base and meane a subiect as M. Howlet is is vtterly intollerable her Maiestie can iudge wel ynough betweene entising speeches of mans wisedome and the plaine euidence of the Spirit whereof the Apostle speaketh These mens motiues reasons and persuasions being but a fardel of vntruthes neede not to be brought into hir highnesse presence nor be opened to her maiestie That I write in answere hereof is for the simpler sort that they may not bee abused by colourable deceit and onely pretence of conscience to whome I attempter my selfe so much as I may It hath beene an old policie of heretiques to perswade before they teache whereas trueth perswadeth by teaching and teacheth not by perswading as one of the auncient fathers reporteth Howe they teache that they are led in this cause by conscience and how lewdly and diuelishly they and their Popishe Authours whome they followe heerein write of Conscience abusing themselues and their readers but most of al God and his heauenly doctrine because this point is the grounde of the whole discourse and I vnfolde the same at large to auoide too tedious prolixitie I heere leaue it and desire the Christian reader euen for Gods sake but to reade and ponder wel this matter and I greatly meruaile if hee afterwarde abhorre not Popery for euer An answere to M. Howlets Epistle Dedicatorie 1 MY moste exellent and soueraigne dread Ladie and Princes two causes induced me to direct vnto your royall person most gracious Maiestie this present treatise after I had read considered the same The one for that it seemed to mee both conceaued and penned with such modedestie and humilite of spirite togeather with all dutifull respect to your Highnesse to your honourable Lordes of the Counsell and the whole estate of your noble Realme contrary to the spirite and proceedings of all sectaries as none might iustly be offended therewith but only in respect of the writers zeale and opinion in religion which notwithstanding hauing bene from time to time the common receyued religion of vniuersall Christendome can not bee so soone abandoned by the disfauour of any one countrie nor lacke men to speake or write in defence of the same as long as there is either head or hande remayning loose in the worlde 2 The other cause was for that it seemed to mee to containe matter of great and weyghtie consideration and much important not only to the cause of God but also to your Maiesties soule estate and realme and vnto the state of many a thousande of your graces most louing faithfull and dutifull subiectes who being now afflicted for their consciences and brought to such extremitie as neuer was harde of in Englande before haue no other meanes to redresse and ease their miseries but onely as confident children to runne vnto the mercye and clemencie of your Highnesse their Mother and borne soueraigne Princesse before whom as before the substitute and Angell of God they lay downe their griefes disclose their miseries and vnfoulde their pitifull afflicted sase brought into such distresse at this time as either they must renounce God by doing that which in iudgement and conscience they doe condemne or els susteine such intollerable molestations as they cannot beare Which your Maiestie by that which followeth more at large may please to vnderstand IN the two first sections pages of your Epistle M. Howlet are two causes alleadged for the dedication of the whole treatise to
and easily inough entreated too as God bee thanked and her Maiestie their handes be tied nowe when they were loose they had shrewde argumentes suche as I euen nowe spake of and yet God to his glory and their shame gaue them that matched with them euen then receiued their argumentes and soluted them remaining themselues still by Gods power inuincible Since that time their religion hath gained but litle by speaking and wryting and I hope shall euery day lesse then other so mightie is the 〈◊〉 of trueth and preuayleth I see not why wee here may not make as great accoumpt of Christes Religion professed in this Church as you doe of your friendes priuate opinion and thinke and say as well of it and without bragge tell you 〈◊〉 religion hath been from time to time The common receiued religion of vniuersal Christendome so can 〈◊〉 so soone be abandoned for you and your fellowes 〈◊〉 and disliking c. We who set no newe religion abroch nor confesse acknowledge any other then the only true religion of 〈◊〉 Christ grounded on the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and taken thence may better auow proue our religiō then you can your friendsopiniō which vpō brag without proofe you so confidētly boast of The matter your Authour treateth of seemeth to you great waightie and important to Godward to her Maiestie and to many a thousand of her Maiesties best subiects This is the other and second cause of your dedication of this peece of worke to her Maiestie heere want no wordes to amplifie that withall which wanteth matter to vphold it and is nothing but wordes You tell vs what seemeth you both of your freende and the matter you can doe little if in wordes you cannot commend them both if that will serue the turne you haue saide your minde and giuen them your good word your opinion is not rested vpon the coloures of your Rethoricke carry shew but moue not One must trie prooue and looke into the thing as into the man also that you praise First we wishe the matter were important to Gods cause to her Maiesties soule estate and Realme and to the estate of her graces faithful subiects Then were it in deede a thing meete to be presented to such a Prince as is our dread Soueraigne and to come into her royall presence But al is cleane contrary there is as much as you can perfourme in this discourse to hurt hinder gods cause her Maiesties soule estate Realme to poyson and infect and thereby to alienate the mindes of y e good subiects of this land from their dutifull obedience to God their lawful and most louing dread Soueraigne ours if you could do more hurt we should be sure of it but we 〈◊〉 God against you for our defence whom we humbly beseech either to turne you or to preuent ouerthrow all your wicked deuises For particular proofe of things we referre it to triall vpon reading that both partes write in a worde denie heere still that you say and but say in wordes In this second sectiō of your Epistle you increase y e troubles too much y e you imagine to bee heere therein too vndutifully also vse your self towards our Soueraigne her lawes councellers ministers After you haue once menxioned it only you leaue quite out without prosecuting gods cause her maiesties soule estate realme which were your principall cōmendations of y e matter before you folow set out like an Oratour for your cōmoditie the pretended afflictiōs of your self other your friends y e papists heere This matter you amplifie heere you are carried with full wind saile as they speak What Such afflictiō extremitie of many a thousād of her graces most louing faithful duetiful subiects as neuer was hearde of before in England that for their consciēces Thus you too oftē cal Popish 〈◊〉 treason You write of a great matter nowe if it were true There is no doubt but you your fellowes giue this foorth in speeche wryting where euer you become that dare so boldly auouch it in printe before her Maiestie I remēber besides other what your seditious Sanders in an Epiftle before his visible Monarchie of the Churche reporteth of the crueltie of this his countrey as though there were some mafsacre or the shedding of many martyrs blood heere in her Maiesties most milde gouernement as I remember also his too vile lewde slanderous report in y e same booke for y t her Maiesty hath bin forced to execute some vile traitors for their too iust deserts which I here only touch by the way because I treat thereof at large els where You wold make the world beleeue that all your stirres here haue not risē of nothing as though you had had great occasion ministred for your seditious rebellious attempts frō time to time I blame you not in respect of your selues your epistle that can not blush but I blame you for sclandering her Maiestie the state realme you woulde make many thinke y t we are not our selues or very fooles y t can not see nor vnderstande of that at home whiche you by here say being so farre off can tell vs vpon report but fame and reporte you must remember goyng farre gaineth in cariage and euil will was neuer giuen to say well you woulde enduce other and her Maiestie also to thinke there were yet some bloody and butcherly Bishops like ye wote whome yet in her Realme vnknowen vnto her highnesse vnlesse to the great reioycing of her subiects heartes she went often and often among them both farre neere and had better intelligence of the estate of her whole Realme and all her subiects than you can giue her better opinion and liking also of the Ministers of her Maiesties lawes than you woulde she had massacres and hot burning execution haue bene and are the weapons of your side know the Authours and make much of the executioners You should remembre me thinketh in what you deale and with whome our soueraigne is merciful milde pitifull where she is not to much prouoked as swelt your harts you cannot denye nay you graunt it though it bee to your owne shames y t so farre so much prouoke her gētle nature but shee is you must vnderstande with other qualities godly wise and vpright way what that and the royall estate and dignitie of her crowne and authoritie require at her hands your conceiued griefs and necessitie shoulde not make you roue so farre without the compasse of the trueth as impudētly to suggest so manifest false things such Hyperboles that is excessiue speeches are scarsely currant and yet your writing is full of them Righteous lippes are the delight of Kings and the King loueth him that speaketh right things saith the wise man Surely M. Howlet if you marke your vsage thorowe your whole Epistle this way you may thinke
bolde to vnfolde and lay abrode your false accusations and slaunders and to aunswere the same Ye say that the Preachers would not obey the prohibition but stept vp into the Pulpit c. As though they ran before they were called First I answere that both the first and seconde Preacher whom yee charge were by publike authoritie licenced both were by the Magistrates and Assistants of y e town requested thither both their doctrines and vsages in that solemne and notable assembly are not on ly cleered from your vncharitable slaunders M. Howlet but very well reported of by those of honourable and worshipfull calling that were present and haue giuen testimonie thereof vnder their hands to bee seene of any that list It is supposed by some M. Howlet that if you be not a husband mans sonne of y t quarters Yee are some night bird whose hauntes may possibly be spied out they were best looke to it in whose barnes or out houses ye lodge if yee chaunce to be spied men loue an Owle so ill I will say no more you wote what befel one of your ancestors at Rome aforetime This being in those quarters is likely enough to be your grief to see or heare that this assembly was so assisted and things therein so well performed but you fret are angrie without cause it quites your Puritan neuer awhit it slaunders Stamford the assembly those that had dealing therin c. You take the report of the matter as you would haue vs beleeue at least at one mans handes a minister presente there I as you see oppose to this vaine report for the truth of y e matter many to one that those of calling honorable worshipful magistrates other in the town abrod besides diuers godly learned ministers Preachers whose hāds and markes I haue seene which carry great credite haue talked with diuers therin to the reproouing of that you so rashly affirme falsly slaunderously heere enforme her Maiestie of to the testifiyng of the contrary the iust cōmendation both of the exercise and the godly Preachers euery way who there present writing diligently tooke the notes are readie to auow the same vpō oth if need be to your discredit and shame The credit of these mē as those that had cause best to vnderstand of the whole matter will weigh downe the single credit of the single sowld Minister you talke of without any indifferent men to shew that the eight articles set down by you are not true but most falsly and maliciously deuised by your selfe or by some other enimie no better then your selfe and that the doctrine other vsage at that exercise was godly and comfortable In the meane while it is neither newe nor to be wondred at that Preachers professors of Gods truth be euill spoken of for well doing it is the reward our Maister had when hee was here it is y t he hath willed vs to looke for For the dealing in that godly exercise of preaching praying fasting ioyned with almes authoritie proceeding The Alderman Cōburgesses were peticioners therein both for allowance at the Bishop of Lincolns hand and also for assistance of preachers as their letters therein declare to their great commendation for their Godly forwardnesse in so good a matter being the chiefe of that corporation wherein they stayed and forbare till they had both allowaunce and direction also for the fourme and order of proceeding set them downe in wryting particularly as the saide Bishop of Lincolnes letters of the fifth of August in answere to the letters of the Town of Stamforde of the xxx of July before doe declare But hee and his letters will carrie no credite with you and yet in this matter being by you alleadged must and iustly doth and ought to doe Besides this they had the good and fauourable allowance of one not of the meanest of the Lordes of her maiesties honourable priuie Counsell to whom vnder her Maiestie y t Borough appertayneth as three of his honourable letters of the xxv of July to the Bishop of Linclone the Alderman and Burgesses of Stamforde and to one of the preachers that you here charge do v̄eare witnesse that I speake nothing of the publike order set downe by authoritie to moue vs all generally to repentance ioyned with fasting prayer and relieuing of the poore The Camets strange sights that were seene in the heauenes the Earthquakes heere beneath among vs the disturbances and disquietnes of neyghbours rounde about this Realme the monstruous and vnnaturall dealings of those of your side with her Maiestie and this peaceable State the great miseries of God his faithfull congregation and people almost euery where and the like miseries whereby God as it were shaketh his rodde ouer mens heades seemed sufficient occasions to her 〈◊〉 the graue wise and godly here to cal to these extraordinary exercises of fasting prayer c. the practise whereof also was seene in diuers places of this Realme and namely in the Diocesse of Lincolne to giue example and stirre vp the godly minde of them of Stamforde which example they very well folowed and perfourmed the like the fourteenth of September last highly to Gods glorye their due prayse the ioy and comfort of y e godly that were present such as heare of the same abroade This that had such approbation and proceeding with consent of all to whome the same vnder God and her Maiestie doth any way appertaine can not iustly be charged by you Turning therefore your standerous reporte for the doctrine in your eight propositions set down and for other behauiour home vnto you againe where it was first bredde as vtterly false and not to be founde eyther in preachers or people at the publique fast at Stamforde I haue set downe the trueth of the whole But what sir if all these circumstances had not bin precisely kept no contempt towardes superiour authoritie being the godlines and reuerence of the matter of it selfe would sufficiently haue excused and commended it in these dayes of the profession of the Gospell vnder so godly and vertuous a Prince and other Magistrates The more godly the exercise was the more it seemeth to offende you the more it misliketh you the better is it to bee esteemed of the godly raile reuile and fret till your heart ake yet shall this godly order of publique and extraordinarie fasting vppon occasion incident ioyned with preaching meditation prayers and charitable reliefe of the poore and miserable practised vsed in this Church recommended by her Maiestie and other of the State long agoe in the great plague here and since and yet still in these dayes as very necessary this I say is so farre of from disorderly or seditious dealing as it shall neuer be iustly founde fault with by you grounded sufficiently vpon Gods booke and better tenne thousande times if such cōparison may be than eyther your blasphemous
ryot and complaine of the wrong and desire still that the matter may come to lawfull pleading And euen nowe os late since our new persecution beganne wee haue made vnto them diuers offers with great oddes not pretending thereby any recouery of our losses for that wee suppose to bee vnpossible but onely for the iustifiyng of our cause whereupon the honour of God dependeth and wherein wee knowe wee can not bee vanquished THus you amplifie iolilie w t similitude example your long possession as ye say of the Catholicke Church here in England our ryot also and violent intrusion vniust as you pretende which you call Law lesse proceeding You will by processe seeme to call vs afresh into the kings Bench when wee appeare your action will beare no lawefull plea against vs you accuse vs hotly M. Howlet but as good an Attorney or proctor and solicitor or man of lawe and counsellor as you are taken to bee in the Popes cause you shewe and proue nothing against vs in Gods or the Princes court we thanke God Ye suppose altogether for you say by our aduersaries confession that is for one part But wee say you say as yee are wont that is vntruly for your Church and religion as they bee at this day are not of a thousande yeeres antiquitie Some part of your corruptions may be so old we denie it not some part againe are of later time And heresies we tell you out of Tertullian doth not Newnesse so much argue as Truth whatsoeuer sauoureth against the truth that shall bee heresie euen olde Custome saith hee Againe your Iesuites a newe order of Religion instituted about fortie yeeres agoe or such such a thing seeme amōg vs at this day to be your greatest pillers and staies in this your new and strange proceeding and wee here can scarcely yet well tell what their religion is nor where it is grounded so lately though suddēly come they among vs but vpon an obscure fellowe your Pope Paul the thirde you tel vs is their foundation And in deed your Popish religion is such a confused Chaos and heape or a hotche potche that wee can not tell certainly what to make of it nor where to fetche a proper and full summe of the Popishe doctrine at this day and a confession of your fayth For leauing the Scriptures to bee the rule of your fayth and coyning vs still so many newe Articles vnder the name of vnwritten verities traditions the Churche c. Which the first and auncient Apostolique Church was ignoraunt of and referring vs for all to your Popes brest To bee playne we can finde no footing You take a similitude from a wise noble man and quiet possession of his Baronie many ages Bee as wise as yee may bee yet a similitude and example of a meaner and a more base and vile person than a Noble man of a Barne M. Howlet rather than a Baronie might fitlier serue to compare so corrupt a Church and rotten religion withall as is Poperie and the Popish Church But wee muste take suche as you offer vs. Your Prelates of the Cleargie that rule the Church are Lordes euen ouer Gods heritage they are Barons they must needes haue a Baronie No maruell therefore though in respect of thē and their vsing of the Churche yee liken it to a Baronie of a Noble man that hath many ages helde the same in quiet possession Or if you speake of the whole Catholike Churche in respect of the vnholy holinesse of the Pope of Romes fatherhood the matter is brought to a higher degree then a Noble man he is called our Lord God the Pope For quiet possession in deede I graunt yee helde that yee had in possession very quietly made as sure as you coulde not to bee vnquieted in your Palaces But a stronger thanks be to god came vpon you your god Prince to I meane the Pope Satan ouercame you took away your armour wherein you trusted c. For the vnfitnesse of your similitude I tell you first that if you liken your selues to a Noble man you must then liken the true Church to anothers and not to the Noble mans owne Baronie for that wee holde agreeable to the Scriptures that the Churche so likened can bee called no mans but Gods or Christs Baronie onely In title of lande Sir c. where prescription of time beareth great sway many ages of quiet possession be a great stay to Noble mens Baronies or others holdes especially where euidence and writinges by sundrie casualities may bee missing In religion that I may giue a further taste of your vnlikelie likelyhood and vnproper example the case is nothing like For authoritie of religion is not to bee esteemed by time saith one That which is true is not too late And y t good father again saith y e heathē say That that is first cannot be false As though antiquitie old custome may preiudice the truth But M. Howlet in going no higher for the age of your religion thē a 1000. yeeres and talking to vs of quiet possessiō of many ages since that time wee answere you first that our religion was aboue 500. yeere olde before yours came into the worlde or your Pope were hatcht supposing you kept quiet possession as you pretende nowe a 1000. yeeres For wee fetche ours from Christe and his Apostles who had lawfull possession of the Baronie yee talke of aboue halfe a 1000. yeeres before you came to possession thereof And if you will marke well those halfe thousande yeres before were the beter and more free from forgerie and corruption and therefore woulde bee more regarded But nowe I pray you tell vs how you entred into possessiō of y e Catholike Churche a thousande yeeres agoe For by inheritance once we denie that it came vnto you or by discent If there may be any lawfull conueighance thought of the best 〈◊〉 I see yee can with any probabilitie alleadge for the possession that your Cleargie euer had of this Baronie meaning thereby the true Church of Christe was that they helde the same but as Tenaunts and that tenants at will too standing vpon their good behauiour to continue or to bee cast out The Noble man himselfe the only Lorde and Baron that I may so speake of this Baronie is aliue his Baronie only may the true Church bee called If you meane that in this similitude neither yours nor any mortall mans besides Howeuer therefore you haue holden the Catholike Churche that way you haue beene but too long vniust possessors and so lost you nothing that was your owne when vppon misbehauiour you were by Gods lawfull Minister our dreead Soueraigne therein thrust out of possession of this true Church here as you were once before within mans remembrance about xl yeeres since So then this Baronie the Church heere is now the second time to Gods glory and our inestimable benefite lawefully taken from you
and you being dispossessed thereof it is restored or returned home to Jesus Christe the onely true owner Noble man heire and 〈◊〉 if yee will of this Baronie The same through the iust iudgement of God vpō you for your too too intollerable vsage is taken from you and by his infinite wisedome let out to other 〈◊〉 who vppon their good behauiour also and no otherwise holde the same of him who is bound heerein to no mens persons place Sea c. You are the first I confesse the more to your reproche that infeaffed the Pope and his Cleargie into the titles and right that are proper to God and Jesus Christe in his spiritual kingdom Citie House Uineyard or Baronie if you like y t best Yea you haue proceeded thus farre that the Pope hauing taken possession seemeth to challenge the bestowing of this Baronie on whom it pleaseth him to holde of himselfe in capite Is it not muche that you write that the Pope and Christe make one Consistorie so as sinne except the Pope may as it were doe all things y t god can do he and he alone hath fulnesse of power he can dispence aboue the lawe who beareth the person not of a pure man but of the true God vpon earth so that what is doone by the authoritie of the Pope is said to bee doone by the authoritie of God c. I leaue heere to put you in remembrance of Shilo the temple of the Lorde the temple of the Lorde Ierusalem c. in the olde Testament May it please you to remember the parable of the wicked husbandmen in the Gospell to whome the Vineyarde was let out and what Christ pronounced against them to their hurt for taking the inheritance into their owne handes keeping possession therof as it had been theirs without yelding fruite to the owner To be plaine this is feareful for both you and vs to remember they to whome Christe spake being builders refused the head corner stone What came there of y t What gayned they by it Put case your priuileges titles were as good as theirs and yee had the highest offices in Christes Church in deede Hee by his eternall prouidence taking from you this Vineyarde or baronie and letting it foorth to other Husbandmen doth you heerin no iniurie Againe M. Howlet because you talke of a Noble man and his baronie remember well what befell those Citizens that after the Noble man was gone into a far countrie yet to come againe sent an Embassage after him saying We will not haue this man to raigne ouer vs. But he againe said at his returne which surely wilbe Those mine enimies whiche woulde not that I shoulde reigne ouer them bring hyther and slay them before mee These wordes are so plaine as it booteth you not for the auoyding thereof and your excuse to alleadge that you say not so Hee speaketh of the will and deed Againe you knowe what the Psalme saith The foole hath said in his hearte there is no GOD. No cauil will serue al excuse and pretence is put to silence before this Noble man of whom I talke This way may you more 〈◊〉 and with better religion and conscience yea and more profite also apply your Simile I pray God geue both you and vs grace by these examples to be warned and in time to take heede to our selues But leauing the generall account thereof to God and to Christes returne thereto further then y t you are as wee all bound to render accoūt here to gods substitute as ye call the Prince and ciuill Magistrate if yee or wee be in the meane while called Let vs stande vpon this point now that you say you haue helde the possession of the Catholike Churche in England for this thousand yeeres c. In calculating y e time I perceiue partly what you meane you hold from Pope Gregorie the great a Romane Monke who sent hether Austen a Monke also called of some the Apostle of England as also Gregorie is of some applying this Apostolike sentence to him If hee bee not an Apostle to other yet is hee to vs English men c. According to this computation M. Harding some where writteth Thus the faith hath continued in this lande among the English people from the fourteenth yere of the raigne of Mauritius the Emperour almost these thousand yeres Here is the foundation of your thousand yeeres possession of the English Catholike Church ye talk of Now what titles soeuer be ascribed to these Monkes in what price soeuer they bee with the Papistes wee denie them to haue beene the first planters of the true Christian faith in this lande and vtterly vnworthie to be therefore called the Apostles of England Of one and the greater it is saide hee was the last of the good and the first of the bad Popes The others entrance was with such pride and disdaine and his vsage such as made the Bishops of this lande not to doubt onely whether to receiue him but vpon tryall to refuse him as no man of God Superstitions might heere bee much aduaunced by this Pope and his Archbishop and so might they be fit pillers for the Popish Churche to stay vppon But Christes true and sincere religion gayned nothing by that Briefly if by the Catholike Church which you say you helde possession of so long and many yeeres here as of your Baronie you meane Christes true Churche and spouse because the same is his Baronie and not yours for your iniurious sacriledge you are 〈◊〉 thrust out of possession If you meane y t Churche to be like a Baronie so many yeeres heere possessed of you that wee call at this day the Popishe Churche then as we haue taken no possession thereof so because there is no good and sufficient warrant in our heauenly kings recordes for the erecting of any such Baronie as holdeth of the Pope of Rome in capite as this your Baronie doth And this Baronic besides hath been found greatly preiudiciall hurtfull not only in spirituall matters tò our heauēly king his spiritualkingdom but in ciuill pollicie also to our dread Soueraignes the Noble Kings Queenes of this land good great cause both for y t one respect the other hath there been is of the dissoluing of this Popish Baronie in this Realme There can no such Tenure bee iustly borne in this lande that holdeth of the Pope in Capite There is of your side M. Howlet that writeth you holde in capite of the Pope Whereupon you are iustly retected hence this is none of his kingdome If you will needes haue suche a Baronie so holding in Capite you must auoyde hence and goe dwell in his kingdome and Dominions And so you doe and as seemeth are agreed and at a point for the Pope hath nowe of late erected Nurceries to bring vp his Englishe fugitiue wardes in you call them Seminaries In that courte haue you your Officers accordingly and
your selfe very gently dealt withal if you leese but your request and that you seeke for the lawe is that a lying petitioner or suiter shoulde bee frustrate of the thing hee had obteined and thereupon another sayeth That it is good right in plea of Court that hee that is founde to suggest a lye shoulde take no profite by that hee getteth that way you in thus dealing deserue no better Your matter is not onely false but a great slaunder her Maiestie and her lawes to afflict any for their consciences ' If it were any sure it were not you whē in your respect shee is so farre of that many insolences hauing bene cōmitted openly by your Catholikes to the disturbance of her quiet estate and the Church and common wealth haue yet beene pardoned let goe Except you may lawfully and at pleasure doe what you list without check or controlment ye are afflicted Alack their while But looke into the former gouernement when they of your side cōmanded The dealings of your sect haue of late bene so violent that her Maiestie to her great charges trouble we confesse hath bene enforced to looke narrowlier vnto you than hitherto as wel to represse rebels that came frō your holy father y t Pope as to cut thē shorter y t to confidētly openly goe stil about to kindle a new fire prouiding as much as conueniētly may be y t they shal do no harme to tendre moreouer her simple poore subiects y t are sought to be poisoned with the Romane Popish religion If there be any straightnes herein who hath procured inforced it Looke to that M. How on that side Of il vsages doings spring many times good lawes Ye talke of many a thousand but if with your Author you auowe none but such as wil not come to Church here nor take the othe of obediēce to her Maiestie condēning other euē of your own religiō some to hel some other wise ye may spare this exces siue speech of Manye a thousand it may be is likely yee haue infected some few which are to many with your late reconciliation ioined with subtil perswasiō which was the end of your cōming frō the Pope into Englād for which disturbance ye iustly suffer Rude simple ignorāt people womē especially are easily seduced in Parishes where there is litle or no preaching of the Gospel her Maiesties godlines wisedome and the States will of pitie I doubte not prouide they may be better instructed submitting themselues to God and her Maiestie quietly wil not only generally sende abroade such as shal breake vnto thē by doctrine and preaching the bread of life for their soules confortably to feede on like good Pastours dwel among thē to helpe them in neede to driue al Popish wolues the like away But like a tendre mother also she wil beare more with their imperfections than the Pope and you Catholikes doe that send thē quicke to hel And in deede heere with these the consciēce of such weakeones is the place time of bearing til they may be aduanced who for comming to church here simply vnfainedly seeking the comforte of their soules though possibly not so throughly yet fully perswaded in al points of religion for lacke of instruction as were to bee wished are so hardly handled by you false Catholikes A weake conscience in these keeping quiet may be tendred a time borne with by instruction further aduāced If after so long preaching of the Gospel among vs there be any such founde as in out quarters of her Maiesties dominions I feare there be to many With you fiery stubborne rebellious Catholikes pretend what you wil you are so grosse your matter so open plaine yea so violent vnreasonable as neither time place nor reason can beare with you except you repēt amende Remēber this Church state may answere you with that holy father cited allowed by your D. Thomas Who would not haue you nor any heretiques perish but the house of Dauid as he saith otherwise deserued not to haue peace except his sonne Absolon had perished or been slaine in the battaile that he moued against his father so the Catholike church that is not you that wil needs take y e name haue but y e bare name but y e true church of Christ if it gather y e rest by destroying some it healeth y e sorrow of a motherly hart by deliuering sauing so great mighty a people Of 〈◊〉 how farre your corrupt and obstinate dealing is frō it I speake in place Put case thē of y e worser sort for their naughty deserts some fewe haue been restrained of libertie or licētiousues rather some committed to bishops other church men or to good wise godly Gentlemēs custodie some also imprisoned as y e case requireth they fare wel cōmonly lie soft only the loose libertie of a fewe in respect hath been vpon great consideratiō I am assured restrained to foresee preuent euil dangerous attempts as good wisedome and a great blessing of God We haue tasted but too much of the bitter fruite that your late reconciltatiō to the Pope bringeth forth Remember I pray you as oft as ye hot Catholiks plaine of hard dealing in these dayes the cruell vsage of God his faithfull seruantes in times past and of late yeres and yet still in many places among you and ye shall see lesse cause to make such tragical a doe vpon a litle and gentle seueritte towardes a certaine here rather haled vpon them selues then offred as all the worlde may see If further some few traitors haue felt any sharpnes and smart of death their traiterous and seditious dealing by rebelling against our dread soueraigne and the state hath procured it some notorious traitours had neede to be made an example to terrifie and stay others attempts when they growe perilous to the good and setled state This is the great extremitie that you plaine some endure being iustly and orderly proceeded withall by lawe for their offences and that very mercifully too as say the worst yee can ye must needes confesse There is a milde seueritie as there is a cruell pitie One might recken how many things her Maiestie hath borne and for 〈◊〉 howe many matters shee hath put vp and pardoned both them and the persons This it might please you to consider of You say ye haue no other meanes to redresse and ease your miseries but only as confident children to come to the mercy clemency of her highnes your mother borne soueraigne Princes c. Faire words good I wold ye had in deed no other meanes would seeke vse no other But why run ye so fast to Rome then Why seeke ye helpe at stepfathers and stepmothers why procure and bring you in strangers and Italian souldiers why be ye not ruled by your
Heretikes and sectaries as you here report What fauour I praie you deserueth it at y t Queene of Englands hands if this bee true to haue filled her realme with 〈◊〉 and sectaries You plaine next of the good and wholsome lawes here made against poperie and of the execution thereof great cause I trowe if that were true ye falsly and sclanderously say more too Hereto you adioine for proofe certaine particular matters auowing the Loyaltie and obedience of you Catholikes towardes ciuill Princes and sharplie yea leawdlie by sclander charging other w t disobedience This is the some of that you write for the most part in eight of your next leaues A worthie matter to be treated of before her Maiestie when all is well waied But I must somewhat examine there is no remedie what you say a part and in order First you compare diuers religiōs together and shewe that poperie fareth hardely and the woorst Hardly sure can there be founde a worse religion and more contrarie to the sincere Gospell of Christ here professed or that so much troubleth the good and quiet estate of Christs Church in this lande and Realme and therefore needeth most looking too 3 THere are at this day in this your Maiesties Realme foure knowne religions and the professours thereof distinct both in name spirite and doctrine that is to say the Catholikes the Protestants the Puritanes and the housholders of loue Besides all other petie sects newly borne and yet groueling on the ground Of these foure sortes of men as the Catholikes are the first the auncientest the more in number and the most beneficiall to all the rest hauing begotten and bred vp the other and deliuered to them this Realme conserned by Catholike religion these thousand yeres and more so did they alwaies hope to receiue more fauour then the rest or at leastwise equall tolleration with other religions disalowed by the state But God knoweth it hath fallen out quite contrary For other religions haue been permitted to put out their heades to growe to aduaunce themselues in common speech to mount to pulpits with litle or no controulement But the Catholik religion hath been so beaten in with the terrour of lawes and the rigorous execution of the same as the very suspition thereof hath not escaped vnpunished FIrst let mee aske M. Howlet where you were when you wrote thus to her Maiestie you say in the beginning of these wordes in this your Maiesties Realme and in the latter ende againe this Realme Were you at Doway printing your book or occupied in Londō or els where in England about it the booke possible might be sēt to Doway or you bee printing it there another time shift it ouer I pray you Heere your wordes importe you were in Englande when you wrote this preface elsewhere in the same preface they import you were beyond Sea Alyar had neede haue a good memory sauing that you Catholiks can worke wonders and by coniuring make one and the same humane body to bee in many and diuers places at one time A man might make a doubt of this question but let y t passe When you would perticularly reckō vp y e seueral knowne religiōs not all approued nor allowed nay all disallowed condemned sauing that only one which is Iesus Christes but being onely in this Realme ye bring them into foure heads as for the petie sects that you are so priuie of as birds of your own hatching till they be fledge and come abroad that we may knowe them we can say little But your Popish religion M. Howlet were lesse vnhappie and both we the world should be lesse troubled with you nowe a daies if to speake but of religious men besides seculer priests among regulars it had but foure distinct religions and orders of beggerly fryers euery one stoutly standing against other in defence of his Patron and order of religion These be to to many and yet is the worlde troubled with a great many moe for besids the great swarines of these Locustes there be I wot not how many sectes or religions crept in so as the Popes them selues haue bin faine to restraine frō rashnes in instituting mo or newe religions for bringing in confusion And yet obserue gentle reader that the Pope hath authoritie to institute newe 〈◊〉 and none without his authoritie may doe the same obserue also that there be in Poperie old religions and newe religions c. It were 〈◊〉 long to speake of Canonists Schoolemen Thomists Scotistes and such other and the seuerall different opinions they holde but in the late dayes of Poperie here were there not sir as many religions and moe to besides your owne sectes Arrians Anabaptistes Libertines c. Though none in effect were persecuted but the poore Protestantes as ye call them These mens peculiar heresies in examinatiōs were commonly neuer touched peruse the recordes of these there was little or no accompt made in those dayes of ignorance and darkenes while men slept the enemy was busie in sowing his tares As you 〈◊〉 giue here names of sects to bring these times into hatred so all ambiguitie spitefulnes laid aside first take to your selues your religion some fitter name for true Catholiks we btterly denie you to be All are not Catholiks that take the name of Catholikes for so should the Arrians and other herettques in their time haue been Catholikes true Catholikes heretiques sectaries as antiquitie reporteth Under the name of Protestants ye comprehende all those y t forsaking the Pope Popish religion haue betaken thēselues to Christ and his holy Gospel grounding their religion vpō Gods word his heauenly truth comprised in the Canonical scriptures of the old newe Testament written by the Prophets Apostles and thereuppon are called in these tyntes Gospellers a fitter naine than that you call them by Protestants Of which religion and number wee acknowledge our selues to bee and thanke God for the same Cathari or Puritan heretiques I knowe none heere God bee thanked but I ghesse whome you meane Your Authour 〈◊〉 the whotter sorte of Protestants are called Puritans Nowe supposing their religion that you call the Protestants to bee the trueth of God as it is indeede and that you that will bee called Catholikes like not but condemne colde Catholikes as badde ones and require zeale and feruentnesse I pray you tel vs euen in your consciēce if Protestants bee to bee allowed whether sorte of 〈◊〉 are to be liked the whotter or the colder yet such still that ye abuse not your self as with their zeale carry ioine godly knowledge It is good to bee zealous in a good thing alwaies saith the holy Ghost And you wot what is said to them of Laodicea in the Reuelat. for that they were luke warme neither cold nor whot that they shoulde bee spued out We hope that if you whot Catholikes wil allow any Protestāts y e poore
dealing both of the state and them let vs heare what your Authour and friende in this Treatise ye present to her Maiestie saieth hereof When a Catholike doth come before the Commissioners there is nothing asked of him but when hee was at Church and if he will promise to goe to Church commonly they accompt him a sufficient conformable man that is to haue yeelded sufficiently vnto them Here is rigorous execution Is there not I pray you here is great extremitie cause hatefully and contemptuously to quote in your margēt M. Couper M Elmer Ah M. Howlet what shoulde I say God giue you his grace and make you an honest man Againe sediciously and deuilishly comparing the high Priests and Magistrats of Iurie with this state and likening their proceeding to a sweete charme Thus he writeth in text and margent What if the high Priestes and Magistrates shoulde haue saide vnto them well we are content that you liue with your conscience so you kepe it to your selues and trouble not the state so that you will for obedience sake some time come to our Synagogues shewing your selues comformable men to our proceedings Nay what if they shold haue said some of you also for outward shew keeping alwaies your cōsciēces to your selues must flee this odious name of Christians seeme to cōmunicate now thē with vs in our sacrifices ceremonies we are cōtēt also that som of you shalbe our officers iustices of peace coūsellers the like so that you will somtimes for orders sake punish some of those indiscret fellows of your religiō which can not be contēted to keep their cōsciences to thēselues so you wil also giue some prety sharpe charge in your circuites sessiōs assēblies alwais keping your cōsciēces to your selues if some of you also wil somtimes step vp into the pulpet and speake three or foure earnest words against this religion it shalbe very gratful vnto vs especially if you wil affirme it with an othe which wee haue deuised for y e same purpose this doing we assure you that you shall liue quietly to your own cōsciēces we shal accoūt you for good subiects If I say y e Magistrats of Iury at that time shold haue giuē to the apostls other christiās this sweet charme do you think that they cold haue abidē to heare it al out whose hearts did rise swel at two words only that they spoke for the intreating of them to holde their peace Heere is good gentle stuffe But sweet charmes terrible tempests such persecution as neuer was felt nor hearde tell of in Englād before Her royall Maiestie her vpright laws against popery other such false religiōs her graue wise godly Counsellors y e ministers of her Maiesties Iaws with other of the state here neither feare nor regarde your false accusations nor your impudent slanders they can not reach to come nere thē they pitie rather your wāt of discrettō modestie y t I say no more You can not accuse or charge her 〈◊〉 Iaws or y e ministers therof but you touch her honour too nere who giueth her royall assent to all lawes here made her Maiesties Iawes counsellors ministers w t better accord draw all in one line one way then you seeme to allow or like of That her maiestie in y t sight of all y e world as you confesse hath shewed you so great mercy clemency that doeth but encrease your debt dutie and aggrauate your fault y e more who so vnkindly vnnaturally recompence her highnesse great goodnes by withdrawing your selues from y e alleagians obedience which you owe to God her Maiestie which shee requireth also at your handes duty bindeth you to perfourme you pay couer all w t faire flattering wordes dissimulation nothing else commeth from you to her Maiestie It hath bin of her Maiesties godly inclination and good nature not of your deserts y t 〈◊〉 hath so oftē pardoned so long forborne you She hath not nor doth not ouerthrow nor alter her good laws prouided against poperie and treason If you be not too too obstinate miserable let former clemency moue you to amende els take things as they fall out her Maiesties laws the penalties thereof stand not for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abuse not your self other M. Howlet To sean pollitique lawes y e execution therof is not our profession yours I meane as I take it mine Their godly wisedomes y t make execute y t lawes ye now plaine of are aboue our reach you take too much vpō you being a priuate man not of counsel of making these lawes so vndutifully to checke cōtroule y e same you might like a good obedient subiect take heede of incurring the penalty consider by y e execution therof y t the end was to represse popery massing c. If you will not heare my counsell you might heare your owne fellowe in his discourse or your selfe in y e latter ende of the discourse which for y e most part thereof is twise set down for failing That the catholike Church hath alwaies taught her childrē that how hardly so euer their prince shold deale with them yet are they boūd to beare it patiently to obey him for consciēce sake as substitute of God placed in that roome for their punishmēt if they rule not wel w e 〈◊〉 not to the subiect to iudge of You loue to tel what y e catholik church 〈◊〉 therby shew y t y e Popish church is not y t true catholike church you come not frō the Pope of Rome hither w t this lesson you haue another cōmission There was little space of time betweene the ariual of the Italian Romish souldiers in Ireland and the flight hither of such spirituall birdes 〈◊〉 the Pope as you are your chalenges and bookes were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this treatise as fast as mightbe afterward published iwis you might if it so pleasd you aforde as much reuerēce in truth to her 〈◊〉 the ciuill state vnder God in gouerning y e cōmon welth outwardly as you doe in the false Hier archie to your Popish 〈◊〉 c. with commanding authoritie laying vpon 〈◊〉 obedience with necessitie Your malapert importunitie hath drawen and 〈◊〉 mee of duty zeale to speake thus farre for clearing defence of her maiesties wholsome iawes the execution thereof by her ministers rather then y t any need required the same except it be in respect of y e simpler sort And yet M. Howlet let me be bold to tell you that euen in this place where you so inueighe agaynst the terreur of lawes against your religion yee iustifie greatly the moderation and equitie of her Maiesties lawes and cannot denie but there hath been to great mildenesse vsed towards you in respect of the naughtines of your religion thus you say
authoritie in causes of the Churche that without checke of our Soueraigne yea with her Maiesties good lyking wee doubte not we heere maintaine and defende the same by the scriptures and ouerthrowe your proude Prelates vsurpation thereby Yee shoulde therefore haue done that heere dealing with her 〈◊〉 at least which you and your Author going by supposition lightly neuer doe to wit haue shewed who this supreme Pastour is and haue proued the Pope to bee hee In the meane whyle as we graunt the supreme chiefe Pastor in Christ his Church supreme and chiefe authoritie in causes of the same so insteede of your Romame Pope wee ascribe that title and office to Jesus Christe alone by the warrant of GOD his ho-spirite and word which call him Archpastor or chiefe and Supreme Pastour and finde not that title imparted in the newe Testament to any in Churche Ministerie much lesse to the Pope of Rome If you nowe finde as good warrant for your Pope in God his booke lay it vs downe and wee wil yeelde But that neither haue you hitherto done neither yet shall yee be able to doe wrangle as long and as much as yee will your best daies are past For the rest wee reporte vs to any indifferent bodie whether it bee more to God his glorie and beseeming God his people the Churche to holde with the Scriptures that Iesus Christe alone the sonne of God is the Arche and chiefe Shepheard or without warrant of Scripture to giue the same to the Pope Nowe Syr and when the Lawes of this Realme giue to the Princes heere their Soueraigntie and require the subiects to acknowledge the same in this Church and Realme and the Kinges and Queenes from time to time challenge and accept the same neither doe the one professe to giue nor the other to take Gods place or Christes from them nor yet so much as to incroch vpō the Church ministerie in taking authoritie to Preache administer Sacraments and execute other Church Ministeries functions yea by meanes of your malicious interpretation the contrary is protested but according to dutie from God to maintaine and see those thinges doone by Pastours and suche as to whome those charges likewise from God do appertaine not admitting therewhilest which is your griefe the immunities that the Popes aforetime haue giuen Cleargie men in exempting them from the ciuil authoritie and iurisdiction What haue faithfull subiects heerein to repine at What haue they to plaine of Yeelde with vs vnto it and yee shall finde wee haue all great cause to praise God for her Maiestie and for ciuill authoritie wee denie then that any forraigne Prince and Potentate Ecclesiasticall or Ciuil if yee will is aboue her Maiestie and her people in these her dominions in any manner of causes or haue to deale here but vnder her by her leaue liking And to God his glory our cōforts haue we still w t all thākfulnes to obserue that her Maiestie doeth not sit in mens consciences nor professe to make lawes to binde the same as your supreme pastour doth but leaueth cōscience to God Christ his spirite and worde to be ruled and framed thereby without further pressing the same then the expresse woordè of God doth in so much that for her Maiesties owne respect in matters 〈◊〉 vnto her soule and conscience she yeeldeth her selfe obediently to heare receyue and obey as euery other christian the voice of God and Christ speaking vnto her in y e holy scriptures by true pastours and other ministers meere Church gouernours leauing to them there seuerall charges whole without diminishing any part therof as reason is Nowe sir if the Pope and Popelings namely her Maiesties natural borne subiects especially by their vnnatural styrres to the danger of her Royall person and the state of the Church and Realme haue caused any lawes to be made that be preiudiciall to their attempts let them thanke themselues and leaue their busie and perillous practises neyther pretend conscience where no good consciēce cā be nor thinke y t the Prince hath to giue ouer her Royal prerogatiues or to altar the state for their pleasure this is the very state of this matter If this can not call you home nor content you we say further that the supreme pastour yee haue made choise of for it is not hard to guesse at your meaning though your wordes be doubtfull is a woolfe or woorse then a wolfe To giue your Pope supreme authority in this Church besides that it is treason against her Maiestie and the state it is to commit the poore lambes to no better then the rauening wolues keeping Howe many good lambes hee and his whelpes deuoured here in a very fewe yeeres when he had last to doe with this sheepefolde the memory and smart is yet freshe and before 〈◊〉 eyes The more haue we to praise God for our dread soueraigne y e in tender care of God his sheepe and lambs and her maiesties shee hath eased our neckes and shoulders of that yoke and hell like bondage Besides this M. Howlet where you giue to the Pope as supreame Pastour supreame authoritie in causes of the Churche yee had neede to explayne this some what playner for your owne religions sake and those of your side as whether the Pope bee aboue the Counsell or the Counsell aboue the Pope Also what ye call Churche causes and whether yee denie his supremacie aboue Emperours Kinges and so foorth in other then Churche causes or yee subiecte him to them Whether as Peter his Successour yee giue him all Peter his Patrimonie and priueleges c. and so because as one Pope sayeth and your Cannon lawe approoueth Christ committed to blessed Peter no where in deede the right both of worldly and heauenly Empire will yee abridge that or no What should I speake of your Reliques yee may say of all as yee doe of one a seely paire of beades seely and single stuffe surely Why make yee such accompt of this seely ware that is but tromperie and trashe cast such baggage from you and there is an ende of all troubles for that Yee talke of the Catholike religion and of your owne religion saying my religion Lieth the Catholike religion and yours in these pointes in deede M. Howlet yee heere name will yee needes lie in perpetuall prison leese goods landes and life for the same After by eareshrift to your Ghostly father yee bee discharged of lawfull and duetifull obedience to our Soueraigne as vice gerent in God his place to whom yee owe obedience for conscience sake as to God him selfe whose roome she possesseth as the substitute and Angel of God thus speake ye some tymes to yeelde the same to a Priest and proude prelate to a forrainer and forerunner to Antichrist if not himselfe rather to the Pope of Rome that hath nothing to doe with Englishe subiectes after this inuerted and peruerted othe and bowe You call it your reconciliation Lieth your religion
widdower the wife a widdowe the children fatherlesse and motherles your killing diuers in prison c. This was nothing it was worth neither the noting nor the quoting yee quote vs. M. Dimmocke in your margent and M. Couper But syr the Bishop of Lincolne whome yee name is aliue and able to answere your slander God bee thanked and hath already openly done the same to your shame M. Dymmock as I vnderstande beeing orderly called before her Matesties high Commissioners in causes Ecclesiastical whereof the B. of Lincolne is one was for his demerits restrained not committed to any prison or common iayle but wild to chuse him a house as hee did a friende of his in the Close at Lyncolne where he was during his restraint well ynough vsed his wife resorted to him and hee sundrie tymes to the Bishops table beeing there hee might per aduenture sometime be displeased at the Bishop his talke after dinner who carefully and painefully trauailed to winne him to Christe This was the harde vsage yee make so Tragicall adoe about I am ashamed to rippe vp your words of compelling such to dye in prison which coulde not stande or goe in their owne houses If not all the one halfe of the sentence is a Paradoxe or strange kinde of speach From Lincolne you leape or flye rather to London and talke of sending of virgines to Bridewel for their consciences yee quote vs only one as say you young Mistrisse Tomson by M. Elmer Yee hearde by report belyke of some thing wherof you make more as is your manner The thing as is reported is false and vntrue as the rest for neither was she sent to that place by the B. of London but by the Queenes Maiesties high Commissioners and the appointment of the whole benche neither was it for her conscience but for her flering mocking and such vnmaydenly vsage towards authoritie that shee was committed to Bridewel and that to the ende she might thereby the rather get by her handes and labour somewhat towardes her maintenance How euer it were we haue to thinke reuerētly of the proceedings of authoritie and to iudge she wel deserued the punishmēt layde vpon her that the Cōmissioners had reason good cause to take that course with her they did The cōmitting of her to Bridewel why shoulde it be thought so great an offence as H makes it seeing the place is ordeined not to make of honest women Harlots but of Harlots honest women by punishment and repentance Therefore the Cōmissioners seing the intollerable vnshamefastnesse the boulde 〈◊〉 countenance of the woman without blushing the immodest speeches and flowting laughters in the place of Maiestie and Justice suspected that chastitie could not bee there entier wher so ill so bould and impudent behauiour was in so open and so honourable a place Therefore they thought it good to commit her to that place where though not her chastitie yet her modestie and maydenly behauiour might bee recouered The time was when Howlets brood thought it no fault to racke Anne Askue a gentlewoman of a good house nor to burne the handes of maides before they burned their bodies nor to vse other most hellishe torments against the seruants of God but nowe forsooth the Papists being sufferers as they thinke and not dooers as they wishe can make of euery molehill a mountaine and of euery fillip a mortal and deadly wounde Are they not ashamed to cry out against carying to Bridewell where the offenders bee kept aliue lie and liue well and be made better if they haue any grace and not worse where they carried the saints of God to Smithfielde to fire and as they themselues were not ashamed to say from that fire to hell fire Such was their mercie If God 〈◊〉 accompt 〈◊〉 to be the most abhominable 〈◊〉 of the soule much fouler then the defiling of the bodie then what wrong had that idolatrous wench who had prostituted her selfe and her soule to the worse sorte of filthy fornication if shee were carried to the house of reformation where shee coulde take no euill example neyther of life nor beliefe If such as bee sent to Bridewell returned thereby defiled eyther in body or soule or both as those commonly bee whome Sathan sendeth on his errand to Rome then were it a fault indeede to thrust them to such a Prison I take this an honester imprisonment then your Canonicall intrusion into Monasteries was where what they sawe what they heard and learned the worlde is not ignorant I haue to craue pardon that vppon this raylers slanders I make so bolde as to speake in their defences whose credite with her Maiestie and the State is so good that it nothing needeth my pleading or others such as I am and that maketh mee not to stande long in their purgation but onely to note the aduersaries craftie and naughtie dealing If hee were heere to answere it the parties bee such and their cause as by trial before other Judges or in any Court in Englande it woulde 〈◊〉 him deere if they shoulde but pursue the cause You speake M. Howlet of racking tormenting c. for Religion all must bee cloaked vnder Religion forsooth you might bee ashamed if ye had any wryting to her Maiestie to touche her honour so neere and the highest authoritie in this lande to whome these punishments are reserued you wil neuer leaue your common rule An Epistle blusheth not Pro. 24. 21. My sonne saith the wise man feare the Lord and the King and medle not with thē that are seditious I will not as you doe make my selfe more busie than needeth about her 〈◊〉 affayres and her honourable Counsailes whereof I am not priuie no more are you though impudently yee rushe into euery thing that I may 〈◊〉 charge you with your owne phrase they bee thinges M. Howlet aboue our reaches they are to well handled to bee stayned by our reproches let vs deale wysely and let them alone or else learne to speake more reuerently of authoritie as becommeth vs. Yee knowe who and what presumptuous 〈◊〉 and false teachers they bee that standing in their owne conceipte despise gouernement and feare not to rayle on them that are in dignitie From publike and great personages and such as haue commission and authoritie from her Maiestie whose names yee might haue spared for your owne honesties sake you come lower yee care not where yee roote nor where yee byte First yee catche holde of one whome ye cal a strange brainesicke fellowe whome Newegate possessed a long tyme for his phantasticall opinions onely Papists then haue not suffered for their Religion wherein hee is so pregnant if men reporte truely all goes vppon reporte as he can deuise any newe religion vppon a weekes 〈◊〉 giuen him at any time Gentle stuffe This 〈◊〉 affirmeth in printe say you that all Papistes are Enemies to GOD and to your Royall Maiestie and this is aboue all other things most grieuous iniurious and intollerable
It had been better you had been hanged with them All of them at their death praied that the restitution of the Catholike fayth begun might be happily atchieued They reioyced by this tale in their owne miserie and wee in Gods blessing and the happinesse of our countrey deliuered and eased of such traitours So both sides were pleased and all was well Let Saunders himselfe nowe in Irelande doe the like and his complices and if it like him it shall not offende vs. But I thinke he they wil rather trust to a payre of heeles when they haue kindled the fire of rebellion if they see thinges prosper not as N. Morton and the Captaynes in that rebellion lefte the people when they had thrust them ouer the 〈◊〉 in rebelliō This is their manhood for all their great bragges A note of an euill conscience and an euill cause God sende vs better and more resolute Captaines in defence of Gods truth our Prince and Countrey He hath done it Thankes be to his Maiesties therefore I thinke the poore people of the North that were then seduced by N. Morton and induced by other that ran away and left them in the bryars when they had brought them into rebellion be sufficiently warned to take heede of suche mates a good while againe I pray God they be And he vouchsafe to giue all good subiectes grace to be warned thereby After he hath thus set vs downe a popishe Gospell and doctrine confirmed by like myracle or lying wonders c. Told vs also of a right confession of the Popish Catholike faith and religion indeede high Treason and rebellion and so was punished He reckeneth vp neere halfe a hundred by name of the most famous traitors rebels that were in the North popish confessors Martires must we needs repute thē as he doth c. I forbeare to enter any further in laying abroade the dirtie mire that this filthy varlet made a priest at Rome it selfe forsooth hath cast vs from him in his foresayde serpentine booke woorthylie Dedicated to Pope Pius 5. Hee may bee called Impius well ynough for his dealing towardes her Maiestie and this State about that verye tyme euen as his Successor since this very Pope lately also and still dealeth They can now a dayes treade in no other steppes M. Howlet commendeth the nuyete and modest proceedinges of the Catholique parte But hee that shall obserue the vnquiete and vnmodest wryting and proceeding but of this one Englishe Romane Catholike of his whiche is a chiefe Ryngleader among them shall easily in him learne by the stampe and marke to knowe an vncatholik or rather to vse M. Howlets phrase a Popish catholike and Sectarye euen As a Lyon is knowne by his Clawes so liuely sheweth hee hym selfe in his colours It seemeth they haue of late taken a newe course in wrytinge differing from the common sorte of their predecessors afore tyme for their writinges nowe a dayes besids the mingling of poyson and diuilishe doctrine of Poperie are farced full of sedition and treason as which seemeth to be their principall intent and purpose where vnto they driue in their traiterous bookes whiche they set abroade and bryng hither among vs. All lightly drawe in one line all agree in one and with the Pope and his wicked Bulles iumpe as the fitte foundation and meete matter to staie and feede all trecherye and Treason on Wee must needes haue recourse to some mens wrytings and bookes at least to shewe that they of M. Howlets secte and religion teach disobedience and rebellion against their Princes In some men likewise must we needs note demeanour behauiour else can we not perfourme that which hee so greatly heere prouoketh vs vnto Againe M. Howlet doth the like in charging aforehand the professors and profession of our Religion particularly and by name I trust therefore I shall bee borne with in taking the like course heere whereas otherwise I protest I had rather in silence haue passed ouer this matter then to haue entred so farre and in particulars The thing thogh abominable lothsom to all godly minds and to be 〈◊〉 and spit at of all faithfull subiectes in this Realme is yet too too notorious I omitte here Bristowes seditious motiues approued by Doctor Allen forsooth and such other Traiterous bookes all agreeing in one The answeres made vnto them by Godly and learned men may be seene of them that liste to vnderstande more hereof Let it suffice for doctrine by this taste out of their Popishe writers to haue shewed howe shamelesly M. Howlet heere entreth this common place of his Catholikes teaching obedience to their Princes and their quiet and modest proceedings and that to and before her Maiestie whom of all other Christian Princes at this day they most vilainouslye and spitefully deale with all setting downe in bookes thus expresly their doctrine and minde cleane contrarye to that they will here seeme to affirme Yet before I leaue this place of doctrine I wishe the reader among other the testimonies M. Howlet out of the old fathers quoteth here in the margin of his booke diligently to note and obserue Chrysostoms wordes in this very place that he sendeth vs vnto whereunto agree the wordes of Theophylact. a later writer of their side also vpō these words Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers c. Although thou be an Apostle saith Chrysost. although thou be an Euangelist although a Prophet or whatsoeuer thou be els for this subiectiō ouerthroweth not religion godlines c. Why thē should not your Pope himselfe be subiect to the Magistrate ciuill powre He is belike none of the children of the Catholike Church or els the Catholike Church teacheth not all her children without exception true obedience with the Cpistle c. Which you yet affirme by this fathers testimonie that you bring vs foorth We holde to this doctrine of Saint Paul Let euery soule c. And of Saint Peter also who calleth the king the Highest and it is well and truly thus explayned by Chrysostome without exempting any and in this point do you and wee disagree you see whome wee followe Now let vs come to see somewhat more of your Popishe demeanour towardes Princes The practise of Prelates and Popelinges and their whole studie and life at this day is almost nothing els but a putting in vre ofseditious doctrine and so hardly can the one be seuered from the other I will yet shortly touch two or three home matters of former times besides that I haue said leauing forraigne dealings abrod with Emperors kings of other countries c. What but naughtie demeanour of the Pope made King Williā in his time alleadge y t no Archebishop nor Bishop of his Reahne should haue respect to the Court of Rome or to the Pope what but that mooued the Emperour to reprooue King Henry the thirde for suffering his Countrie to bee so impudently impouerished by the
respect of Christ and his spiritual kingdome euen so doeth Luther in some respect onely euen touching their soules things properly belonging to the heauenly kingdome and euerlasting life teache that Christians are free and exempted from all Princes Lawes and not simply euery way or for this life and ciuile gouernement The collection therfore that pickt out of your fingers ends you and your Pope Popishe wryters to whome you heere sende vs of your selues may and would faine gather as though Luthers doctrine were the cause of the famous rebellion that followed in Germanie or such lyke is not worth a halfe penie you may keepe it to your selues It is as if one shoulde reason immediatly after a storme foloweth fayre weather therfore the storme is cause of the faire weather c. here in very few lines besides forgery are at the least two grosse deceyts or fallacions as they cal them in the schooles And if yee thus gather whose doctrine was the cause of the like famous rebellion of the countriemen there aboue twētie yeeres before and so some nombre of yeeres ere Luther professed the Gospel Luthers doctrine was the cause of that rebellion euen as Christ A stumbling stock and a Rock to make men fall is cause of the destruction of the wicked he and his Gospel of the sword and diuision in the world Howe Luther misliked their sedicious proceeding Can it better appeare than by his godly and earnest wryting vnto them and against them euen at that very tyme Wherof see in the beginning of the fifth booke of Sleydans Commentaries at large But let me bee bolde leauing other heere and matching one with one to set downe your gloses woordes and the collection that is made therevppon in Commentarie vpon Commentarie which at length corrupteth the Text As you doe Luther and his woordes by your 〈◊〉 and false collection In the Gospell after S Matthewe where our Sauiour Christ speaking of paying tribute to Ciuile Magistrats saith to Peter Howe seemeth it to thee Peter the kings of the earth of whom doe they take tributs or custome of children or of strangers Then Peter saith vnto him of strangers then Jesus sayth vnto him then the children are free c. Your glose taking the same from another hath If in euery kingdome the sonnes of that king which is ouer the same kingdome bee free Then the sonnes of that king to whome all kingdomes are subiect ought to bee free in euery kingdome Hence is collected Because Christians bee Gods sonnes To whome all kingdomes bee subiect that therefore they are free frō paying tribute to any Ciuile power so seeme the woordes of the glose literally expoūded to importe Others expoūd the words of the glose of the childrens freedom concerning y t soule which abydeth free as euē your S. * Tho. speaketh and not concerning the body and bodily subiectiōn which is due to superiours Giue vs then like libertie and leaue or Luther himselfe to expounde howe and howe farre Christians are free and exempted from Princes lawes as you take your selues for to salue your glose you nor any shal haue iust cause to plaine of his doctrine D. Luthers words I am sure wil better beare a good and honest exposition for the soules and consciences of men than your gloses and sommes collection of your side vpon the same will doe for your Popishe clergies immunities he is no smal one of your sort to omit other at this time that in a third commentary gathereth thus vppon the words of the glose before mēcioned after he hath cited Thomas his exposition The glose might notwithstanding be othcrwise expounded saith hee in saying that by the sonnes of the eternal king or kingdom hee vnderstandeth not all Christians but those that rule in the kingdom as childrē or sonnes And these are bishops priests those y t forsaking al folow Christ which shal iudge the world for these in this world as the kings sonnes by their state must set foorth and cherish the kingdom of God ought also to be free from y t bondage or seruice of temporall Lords And this agreeth saith he with the doctrine of our Sauiour whilest hee insinuateth that Peter the Apostle is free adioyning least we offēd thē pay for thee And w t y e glose speaking of freedom in this life while he saith the childrē of the kingdō vnder which al kingdoms are ought to be free in euery earthly kingdom Here is much a doe for here is first the Glose vpon the text somewhat obscure then here is Thomas expoūding the glose to salue it hold it vpright y e rather bicause it is taken out of Augustin then heere is yet furder Cardinall Caietan commenting vppon Doctor Thomas who vpon the glose still for there is all the matter pleadeth for the immunitie of the Clergie and concludeth full ill fauouredly for by this Doctors exposition both Christ and the glose serue to exempt Bishoppes Priestes Fryers and y e rest of the Popish Clergie from paying tributes and from other bodily subiection to ciuill Magistrates according to the immunities giuen them by their Pope Nowe let the reader scanne matching this Popishe doctrine with Luthers whether teache more loosenes from obedience to ciuill Princes this doctrine of the Gospell thus deliuered by Luther or y e contrary deliuered by your Pope his chāpions This may serue for the clering opening of these words of Luther here set down y e right expositiō taking therof according to y e Authours meaning especially seeing they stand as words culd out of his bookes vpō y e report of y t Pope only Papists If any list to see more for D. Luthers clering let him looke vpon other which answere Popishe sclanders wherewith they goe about to charge this holy man of God and namely vpon that worthie and learned father M. Iewel against Harding euen in this matter of Magistrates and obedience Because M. Caluin is saide by M. Howlet to agree with the doctrine of M. Luther as in deede hee doth wherevpon hee might haue easily vnderstood the meaning of the sentence taken out of M. Luther If it had so pleased him and with his Pope haue left it out of the number of Luthers heresies as it pleased them to call his doctrine Therefore come I nowe to that diuine and learned father M. Caluin This I like for M. Caluin in you better than in that is before that ye sende vs to his owne workes the first place ye charge this godly man withall Though yee bastarde and corrupt the same by your glose ye take out of the 10. Chapter of the fourth booke of his Institution the 2. and last out of the 19. Chapter of the 3 booke of the same Institution But sir in neyther of both doeth hee make any large or further discourse of Princes and Subiectes If ye woulde haue knowen or described to other
your pleasures without good warrant or ground and so may be reduced to cōformitie prescribed by superiours Your owne S. Thomas in his summe saith Q. 79. art 13. that conscience is no speciall facultie or power of the soule because it may bee laide away which the other cannot but bee that as it wil be A corrupt conscience such as yours is may and ought to bee laide away The reasons in your treatise as in place we finde deale little or nothing to proue the contrary to this I tell you or deale as you doe very hollowly being grounded altogether vpon supposition which not grounded on Gods truth in matters of Religion is a rotten post for conscience to leane vpon Trye your consciences in religion by right iudgemēt and good vnderstanding taken out of Gods booke runne not vpon false suppositions and we shalbe soone at an ende I still maruell M. Howlet how you can exempt your cōsciences from 〈◊〉 and so from her 〈◊〉 that before condemned these sentences as errours That the consciences of the faithfull are exempted from the power of all men that Chistians are fre and exempted from all Princes lawes as touching their consciences c. For you admit this exposition of the former sentence in saying that Caluin and Luther holde therein one doctrine whereof I haue spokē in his place The matter is that your Secondary faith and alleageance sworne vnto her Highnesse as to the sub stitute of God thus yee speake is at the Popes pleasure broken and nowe discharged of that faith by his warrant and the same bestowed vpon him and such as hee wyll appoint without good warrant from God or her Maiestie In the meane while we will take as graunted by you this Maxime or supposition That conscience dependeth of iudgement vnderstanding and not of affect will albeit in your case this wholy raignethin you therefore seemeth not be conscience But because pretended conscience is the grounde of these mens whole matter and the only shift of excuse that both M Howlet and his authour haue to cloke their disobedience withal let mee be bold with thee gentle Reader somewhat at large to vnfolde some parte of their Popish 〈◊〉 in this case of conscience which that I may the better doe I will first set downe some of both their wordes agreeing in this point together Then examining in generall the popish doctrine whereon they grounde themselues without all Scripture yea contrary to Scripture common reason and hon estie also as the same is deliuered vnto vs in their bookes by the principall 〈◊〉 of their religion I will shewe howe godlesly and howe hollowly they may be found to speake write and thinke in the whole enough in my opinion to bring their religion into vtter 〈◊〉 detestation and hatred for broching vs such abhominable abhominations Afterwarde God willing returning to M. Howlets wordes againe and comparing them with the doctrine of the Scripture will I so much as I shall thinke needefull answere the same particularly Thus writeth M. Howlet of this matter heere at large 12 Now because as the Philosopher saith that is onely good vnto euery man which ech mans vnderstanding tel leth him to be good vnto the which the Scripture and 〈◊〉 agree when they say that wee shall bee iudged at the last day according to the testimonie of our conscience 〈◊〉 followeth that what soeuer wee doe contrary to our iudgement and conscience is according to the Apostle damnable Because wee decerne it to bee euill and yet doe it So that howe good soeuer the action in it selfe were as for example if a Gentile shoulde for feare say or sweare that there were a Messias yet vnto the doer it should be a damnable sinne because it seemed naught in his iudgement and conscience and therefore to him it shall bee so accounted at the last day Which thing hath made all good men from time to time to stande very scrupulously in defence of their conscience and not to commit any thinge against the sentence and approbation of the same All Princes also Potentates of the woorlde haue abstained from the beginning for the very same consideration from enforcing men to Actes against their consciences especially in religion as the histories both before Christe and since doo declare And amongest the very Turkes at this day no man is compelled to doe any act of their religion except he renonuce first his owne And in the Indies and other farre partes of the worlde where infinite Infidels are vnder the gouernemente of Christian Princes it was neuer yet practised nor euer thought lawfull by the Catholike Churche that suche men shoulde bee inforced to any one acte of our religion And the reason is for that if the doing of such actes shoulde 〈◊〉 sinne vnto the doers because they doe them against their conscience then muste needes the inforcement of suche Actes be muche more greeuous and damnable sinne to the inforcers Mary notwithstanding this when a man hath receiued once the Christian Catholike religion and will by new deuises and singularitie corrupte the same by running out and makinge dissention in Christe his bodie as all Heretikes doe then for the conseruation of vnitie in the Church and sor restraint of this mans furye and pride the Churche hath alwayes from the beginning allowed that the Ciuill Magistrate shoulde recalle suche a fellowe by temporall punishment to the vnitie of the whole bodie againe as all the holy Fathers write to bee most necessarie especially suche as hadde most to doe with suche men as Cyprian Ierome Optatus Augustine Leo Gregorie and Bernarde And Saint Austin in diuers places recalleth backe againe his opinion whiche hee sometimes helde to the contrary So that wee keeping still our olde religion and hauing not gone out from the Protestantes but they from vs wee cannot bee enforced by any iustice to doe any acte of their religion HEnce yee gather y t because ye alleadge your conscience in this cause of yours Therfore neither may ye do there against vnder paine of damnatiō neither be enforced to doe otherwise then you doe vnder like paine to the enforcers and because yee sawe you shoulde be excepted vpon two wayes yee prouide answere for the same first If it bee alleadged against you as is by vs very truly alleadged that the thing yee are called vnto is godly honest and good and seemely to bee yeelded vnto and therefore no reason you shoulde in this case bee left to your pretended conscience to followe that whiche is euill but that you shoulde giue ouer and take a newe course Yee affirme howe good soeuer the action in it selfe bee whervnto yee are called yet the yeelding is damnable sinne to the doer because it seemeth naught in his iudgement and conscience and therefore to him it shall bee so accounted at the last day So he must bee left to his
restored y t publike exercise of religion here liueth God be thanked and long may shee liue None of you haue seene any suche in clination to Alteration in her Maiesties constant setled minde as you in fancte imagine besides this her Maiesties 〈◊〉 most milde and quiet gouernment in the time of y e Gospel to all our great comfortes doth not procure nor deserue any such thing at her faythfull subiectes hands nay besides dutie this dealing purchaseth the contrary and keepeth the subiectes in merueylous contentment commonly and liking where as the intollerable yoke and insupportable burden that you put vppon this lande more then haled wertsomnesse and desire of alteration in the time of superstition When you talke of your newe persecution if you meane thereby the committing of such to warde as of late came from the Pope Rome for their seditious attempts heere in Englande or the repressing of the violent rebellion against her Maiestte and the State in Ireland we answere y t ye might better haue sit stil like good Christians true hearted Englishmen and subiectes or haue chosen an honester course then by rebellion treason so to haue troubled the peaceable state of 〈◊〉 Church and Realme prouoking and enforcing her Maiestie who beareth not the swoorde for naught to drawe out the same to crosse and stay your violent disorders You offer to enter by sedirion her Maiesties dominions violently You offer to poyson and corrupt the mindes of the good and simple subiectes This and such offers of yours wee are too well acquainted withall other your offers and oddes wee commonly know no more of then you reporte vnto vs you pretende not by your offers any recouerie of lofses c. If they bee any who put you to them but your selues that will needes runne into them headlong You tell what you pretended not I woulde you had in time as well tolde what your pretence and meaning was that it might haue beene with lesse adoe preuented you haue long hoped after a day ye thought it had beene nowe come But as God would you hope without your hope your end is to iustifie your cause Whervpō the honor of god depēdeth If Gods honour depēded on the iustifiyng of your cause it should hang but vpon a weake twined threed but he hath not put it into your hands sirs it is better grounded and staied than so There is no profession at this day in Christendome wherein God is more dishonoured thē in yours Ye tell vs ye knowe yee can not bee vanquished yee tell vs also of our weakenes a 〈◊〉 shewing greater pride thē modest wisedome You knowe more of your selues then all the worlde doth besides yee are deepely seene in your owne cause Either you neuer felte or neuer well considered the forces of your aduersaries at least you are blinde and therby cannot well iudge of them As God be thanked you gaine little nowe a dayes where vpon vsurpation you violently inuade lawfull princes countries with sworde vpon confidence of the Popes authoritie that way God so mightily defending and maintaining his seruantes ministers Princes and ciuile Magistrates and looking with a watchfull eye to his Institution and ordinance So gaine you as little or lesse the other way because you stay altogether vpon Sand vpon fleshe worldely pollicie man c. And the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mightie Yet through God to cast down holds c Ours is the sword of the spirit which is the word of God liuely and mighty in operation and sharper than any two edged sword 〈◊〉 through euen to the diuiding asunder of the soule and the spirite and of the ioyntes and the marrowe and is a descerner of the thoughts the entents of the heart c. Your Fortes are not imprennable nay they fall of thēselues and moulder away They are weake They are rotten your walles be but of Broune paper The best and surest fort in this that ye call your newe persecution was in Ireland wherin after rebelliō there stirred vp by you ye much trusted That God be thanked through his blessing was by her Maiesties prouident care forces soone destroyed c. If the secular arme and forces faile you if fire and fagot be taken out of your hands or your cōsuming flames quenched yee can long holde in no place God haue the glory for both taking those weapōs from you and so gloriously by his heauenly Gospell triumphing ouer you in these latter daies among other princes let her maiesty our dread soueraigne haue her singular and due commendation in this work as Gods speciall minister to al true englishmens vnspeakeable comforte we haue had good triall of you by experience and that maketh you to bring the authoritie of Kinges and other vnder the pope to be at his deuotion but all in vaine for ye resist against God and his eternal truth you should doe well not to boaste nor triumph before the victorie you know how the king of Israel answered y e proud threat of Benhadad y e king sometime of the Syrians Let not him saith he that girdeth his harnes boast himselfe as he that putteth it off 14 AND to tell your Maiestie more in particular there hath beene diuers earnest meanes made and most humble petitions exhibited by the Catholikes that seeing those men which first challenged at Poules Crosse al the learned of our side that might be found eyther to writing or disputing afterwarde procured your Maiesties prohibition by proclae mation that no bookes should be written or read of that parte in England their petition was I saye that at the least there might some publique disputation be admitted whereby 〈◊〉 doubtes might be resolued This petition hath beene exhibited by dyuers men in the name of the whole both in writing and in print they haue beene vrged by sundry meanes by al kinde of friendship that we could make by humble request by earnest letters to diuers preachers to further the matter if I bee not deceiued to my Lord of London himselfe for the bringing of the matter to your Maiesties vnderstanding and to the consideration of the Lordes of your highnes priuie coūsayle And if by any mischaunce these former supplications came not to light or expressed not fully the Catholikes plain simple meaning es I beseech your most gratious Maiestie that this may serue eyther for a replication or explanation of the same wherein I in their names most humblye on my knees euen for Gods cause and the loue of his truth aske at your Maiesties handes that some such indifferent tryal may be had by publike disputation or otherwise YOU tel further of meanes made of challenges petitiōs writing disputing prohibitiō I wot not what neyther truly nor to purpose greatly writing vpon the occasion of chalenge at Paules Crosse that ye mencion hath since geuen your side such a woūd as I think you wil neuer be able
graunted Which you very instantly seeme to demaund but with your after parle conditional indenting with her maiestie yee seeme againe to flie touche that I say nothing heere of the vntimely asking of disputation at her maiesties handes after you haue a litle before twise doone the same When wee see greater cause than hytherto or any good to be gotten by going ouer Sea then may that voyage bee thought of or soone enough taken in hande of vs English Subiectes at her Maiesties appointment When yee haue ouerthrowne those of our side in the low Countries Germanie Fraunce c. that they shoulde neede helpe in the cause of the Gospell whiche will neuer bee while you liue Then were soone enough to make your bragges and to call vs to combate In the meane while what shoulde I say but whether you lie or relye it is all but vpon wordes and talke shifting of thinges by cunning This you haue Rethoricke enough to inforce But alack where truth and matter faile there are wordes and Rethorick little worth You that can handle an ill cause so handsomly would I wishe to try what you can doe in a good but that in deede needeth not so much a doe speaking well one may soone persuade wise men saith one which opinion M. Howlet it might haue beseemed you to haue had of her maiestie at least 17 AND nowe to leaue all these thinges to the holy prouidence of God and to the high wisedome of your most excellent Maiestie to consider of wee are humbly to craue at this time and most instantly to request that your Highnesse will not take in euill part this our bolde recourse vnto your Royall person in these our afflictions and passing great calamites You are borne our Soueraigne Princes and mother and wee your naturall Subiectes and children whether then shoulde children runne in their afflictions but vnto the loue and tender care of their deare mother especially shee beeing such a mother as her power is sufficient to releeue them in all pointes her goodwill testified by infinite benefites and her noble and mercifull disposition knowne and renouned through out the worlde 18 If your Maiestie were abrod in many partes of your Realme to vnderstande the miseries heare the cryes see the lifting vp of hands to heauen for the present afflictions which this persecution hath brought I knowe your Maiestie would bee much mooued as all men are heere by the only reporte of the same I coulde touche certaine particulars of importance to that effect But I will keepe the lawe of Areopagus I will say nothing to mooue my Iudge whose wisedome I well know and whose goodnesse I nothing at all mistrust 19 If your highnesse were of that disposition from which you are most farre of as to take pleasure in our afflictions delite and comfort in our calamities wee coulde bee content for to beare this and ten times more in so good a cause as wee suffer for And if there bee any other of such cruel appetite whom your Maiestie shoulde thinke good to be satisfied with blood there want no Catholikes both there and here which would most willingly offer themselues to purchase 〈◊〉 vnto the rest Diuers are in bondes there most ready I am sure to accept such an offer and if that number wyll not suffice let the worde bee but spoken and many more shall most ioyfully present themselues from hence hauing reserued our selues to none other ende if God woulde make vs worthie of that and that by our deathes wee might giue testimonie to the Catholike cause and redeeme the pitifull vexation of so many thousand afflicted people at this day in England 20 IESVS Christe in abundance of mercie blesse your Maiestie to whome as hee knoweth I wishe as much good as to mine owne soule persuading my selfe that all good Catholikes in Englande doe the same And they which goe about to insinuate the Contrary are in mine opinion but appointed instruments by the common enimie to dispoyle your Maiesty of your strongest piller and best right hande as soone after their purpose had it woulde appeare and shall be more manifest before the last tribunal seat where we al shalbe presented shortly without difference of persons and where the cogitations of all heartes shalbe reuealed and examined and in iustice of iudgement rightfully rewarded Nowe matters are craftily clowded up and false visards put on vpon euery action Then all shall appeare in sinceritie and truth and nothing auayle but only the testimonie of a good conscience The which Catholikes by suffering doe seeke to retaine and which God of his infinite goodnesse inspire your Maiestie graciously without enforcement to permit vnto them still Your Maiesties most humble and obedient Subiect I. Howlet After all this a doe you will seeme at length to craue pardon at her Maiesties handes or rather because you will seeme to be in no fault but to excuse your presumption you request that her Highnes will not take in euill part this your bolde attempt Clarkely spoken and like an Drator where vpon you alleadge reason that hath induced you hereto taken partly from the bonde and knot whereby her Maiestie and her subiectes are narrowly linked together partely from necessitie and extreame miseries that yee pretende you are brought into This is the 〈◊〉 of your long boasting withall howe readie you and other of your side are to spende your bloodes in defence of your religion and Church This is in summe the effect of the three next Sections and that which remayneth for a Conclusion of your Dedicatorie Epistle your ouer rashe boldenes in thus dealing with her Maiestie needeth greatly of crauing pardon Howeuer you craftily cloude it vp and put a false vizarde thereon that I may turne to you your owne phrase not so much for hauing recourse to her highnesse in your pretended miseries which either are not so great or else easily releeued if ye so will your selues but in respect of your double dealing rather in pretending one thing and doyng the cleane contrarye not contayning your selfe within the bounds ye talke of You might with good leaue of her Maiestie haue propounded your case and haue had recourse vnto her Highnesse if her Maiestie had been ignoraunt thereof as I thinke none in the land knoweth it now better such is her wisdome and godly and great care ower her Subiectes wherein you doe her highnesse the more wrong in supposing shee liueth here among her Subiectes as a stranger without vnderstanding and pitiyug the harde case of any of her Maiesties naturall honest and dutifull subiectes bearing or forbearing your vntrue perswasion It may please her maiesty to pardon that folly but to feed her highnes eares w t bare words without deeds nay your deedes being cleane contrary and very naught how should her Maiestie take this in good part for you are a Proctor for your selfe and other that you call Catholikes that haue giuen your faith to the
Pope and Sea of Rome her Maiesties sworne enemie and the Realines you goe about with slaunder to seuer and make dissention betweene her Maiestie her Lawes and the Ministers thereof beetweene her and her faythfull people and subiectes Ye 〈◊〉 and reporte tales to impeche the credite of particular persons In summe ye take too much vpon you ye woulde be credited in euerie thing with her Maiestie as though your saying were some heauenly Oracle Wilfully funne not headlong into moe and greater afflictions and calamities then her Maiestie and lawes will laye vppon you and you shall haue little or no cause to complaine suche is her Maiesties plentifull wisedome and goodnes and the great moderation that is vsed in making of lawes in this realme Great and narrowe is the knot thankes bee to God and harde and faste tyed betweene her Maiestie and her good and faithfull subiectes as your Pope and you to your regret haue tryed in seeking manie waies to dissolue that bande and yet hitherto neuer coulde preuaile nor neuer I trust shall If her Maiestie bee borne your Soueraigne Princesse and Mother and you bee her naturall Subiects and Children As in deede shee is all true hearted Englishmens and wee all her Maiesties more bounde if more may bee in respect of the Gospell among vs then euer to any Princes or Kinges before If your case be common with ours why then doe you hot Catholikes growe more out of kinde then the rest ofher Maiesties naturall subiects do Why before you neede runne you so fast and so hastily to Rome and to the Pope and thence seeke to make head to disquiet this State and your brethren and countrey men at home This is not onely no part of a Loyall subiect towardes his Prince and Countrey but hardly the part of a true hearted Englishman so vnnaturall is the dealing The better her Maiesties noble disposition and vertues are knowen and renoumed throughout the world the moremonstrous a great deale is this your wicked dealing with so gracious a Soueraigne and most naturall godly and carefull a Prince You can haue no greater condemnation or testimonie against you then your diuelishe betaking of your selues to the Stepmother that you haue chosen leauing her that God had appointed you whither yee list to take it of conscience or pollicie Runne whither yee shall seeke 〈◊〉 and neare you are not like to finde such a mother againe abroade Your stepmothers affection that you haue chosen lift her vp to the skie if you can with your prayses is in no comparison like shee is too harde hearted and too bloodye wee knowe her well enough and but to well Leaue her therefore leaue her Come out from that Babylon c. And like naturall and obedient children returne home to your owne deare Mother and Countrey whome ye haue so vnkindely and so undutifully forsaken Put your selues againe with submission into her handes so it seemeth you will but when you can not otherwise chose and yet hardly then too your fault here in is such as I hardely finde wordes to expresse the indignitie thereof If all bee well considered you haue very great cause of recourse and submission to her Maiestie and from her to forrainers and other no cause at all Leaue it therefore in time leaue it and come home At least for your part M. Howlet doe so if you bee abroade and beyond Sea without her Maiesties leaue But come with a single heart and a good conscience that is a changed man Put your selfe in deede without all dissimulation to her Maiesties mercie and to vs you shall bee moste welcome If miserie presse you with the prodigal Sonne hearken to this aduise the rather Better to learne by affliction and in it then neuer If your State be other by your returne let it appeare with howe franke a heart and well meaning minde you come home which will bee when God shall first touch your heartes to returne vnfaignedly and in deede from Poperie and superstition to that most mercifull heauenly father or else neuer This is the best Counsell I can at this time giue you For her Maisties being abroade among her Subiects in many partes of her Realme It is thankes bee to God and long may it continue much and often to our great ioy Shee needeth not be tolde of the State of her subiectes by you or goe by here say onely and receiue the reporte thereof from beyonde Sea Besides reportes gather and goe much by mens affections This that you report of such hurly burley and disquietnesse to bee in this Realme is as true as other reportes that come to you of thinges done here and all a like you are too light of credite Your representation of the miseries is but wordes yee make more a doe then yee neede a great deale If her Maiesties most moderate lawes against Poperie and Treason if her milde proceeding in the iust defence of her selfe her royall estate and the Realmes presse you will you doe well Giue ouer that dealing then that hath procured all this and liue quietly at home as Gods true seruauntes in the profession of the Gospell of Christ Jesus and in duetifull obedience to our Soueraigne Pray for her Matestie and the State with vs as wee are willed that wee may leade a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie and all former quarrelles betweene you and vs in religion forgotten and forgiuen wee will liue in peace and charitie with you howe euer you thinke otherwise of vs. You make an If and doe well so to doe When you talke of her Maiesties disposition to delight in your calamities of others cruel appetite to desire blood which is as far frō her maiestie those of y t side as y e same is familiar vnto your popish religion It is happie howe euer yee thinke of other that yee cleare her Maiestie herein which testimonie from the enemie hath some force But howe euer ye brag of A readines to accept the offer of suffering death for your religion yet thanke God if yee be wise and her Maiestie that that offer hitherto hath not been made you nor them that ye be assured to bee so readie to accept thereof This I tell you for all your troubles are not delighted in heere much lesse bee they or your blood sought after These 〈◊〉 but your dreames You might well enough haue spared therefore that brag either of your selfe bing beyond sea or of your fellowes readines to suffer and to die in so euill a cause especially how euer you call it Catholike It is a question of 〈◊〉 man and of treason 〈◊〉 and rebellion not other that you call the Catholike cause Again you can at the most but warrant for your selfe Let other men alone hardely in this case And yet talking of suffering death you doe wisely in my opinion when yee ioyne those fewe that be here of your side in prison with your selfe and those that are fled
I content me with this sūmall and short declaration thereof When marriages are to be made and celebrated children to be baptized c where and how shall this and the like be honestly and orderly perfourmed and doone if wee refuse church assemblies here It were not hard to runne ouer all this authours nine reasons to turne thē all on the aduersaries owne head As to giue example for infection and the danger thereof which they cannot be free from that abstaine from comming to Church here lying open to the enimie of our saluation and so not in danger to be infected only but by the Diuels infection and poyson vtterly consumed and destroyed also for explanation and tryall whēreof marke the nature power and propertie of the Diuell with whome wee poore wretches haue to deale Marke on the other side the nature of preaching the Gospel namely marke that our Sauiour Christe speaking to Ierusalem expresseth it to bee How often would I haue gathered thy childrē together as the henne doeth her chicken vnder her wings and yee woulde not and consider what danger of the Puttock and Kyte the little chickin bee in not being vnder the Hennes winges vpon this clucking and calling Againe marke what danger the sheepe be in of the theefe and of the woolfe if either they runne astray out of the folde or bee not dayly fedde and lookt vnto by the vigilaunt Pastour and Minister of Gods holy worde c. And it will not be harde to finde out how necessarie it is for vs dayly and often to come to the Church to heare the preaching of the gospel to receiue the Sacrament of the Lordes Supper c. And how hurtfull the abstaining therefrom is vnto vs. Ywts if Poperie and Popith religion if ignorant sir Johns had but halfe as much to alleadge out of Gods boke the holy scriptures yea but a cloke and coulor for their mumpsimus 〈◊〉 seruice and abhominable masse and for their blasphemous sacrificing priesthood as we haue for our holy assemblies the preaching ministerie of the Gospell by faythfull Pastors in the Church at this day they would brag mightily and triumph But thankes be vnto God they haue not somuch as one cleere syllable ne yet hardly any pretence We beare what our Sauiour Christ saith blessed are they that heare the word of god keep it c Tel vs you if you can what he saith for hearing masse and Popish seruice The other Reasons of offence of note to distinguish and know our religion by of schisme participation c might bee dealt in and the like sayd thereof as in the first of perill of infectiō But heere I leaue y t to the Christian Readers consideration especially seeing this argument is at large entreated of by diuerse godly learned in their writings I pray God all we his people her Maiesties subiectes referring things to the right ende may better then hitherto vse to our saluation these comfortable meanes of Church assemblies that we may reape plentifull profit by hearing the worde preached c. and not sticke in outwarde ceremonies or doing of thinges for a fashion which is but too common in the worlde and the redresse hardly compassed howbeit let vs not flatter our selues God hath dealt mercifully with vs and her maiestie hath not onely cleered her selfe herein towards vs but greatly deserued at our handes also so as al the fault is and resteth in our selues alone and the matter will be but badly answered before God another day if we looke not to it in time I am not ignorant that the enemie wil cauil herevpon but meerely cauill indeede as is easie to bee seene in the rest without all good ground So as he can hardely deceiue any but such as offer themselues willingly to be deceiued But I respect as I sayd others besides the enemie If there be any found in this Church and reformation some defect As what church is pure from all spottes liuing in this world vpon the earth yet the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of Christes Sacraments concerning the substance being kept hole and the desire and meaning not being to nourishe and maintaine any vngodlines abuse c contrary to the Scriptures but according to thmeasure of faith and knowledge geuen of God as oportunitie may serue to reforme and redresse the same There is no cause or reason why we should leaue the communion with the church or leese the benefites offered vnto vs in the same by the preaching of the Gospell and the administration of the Sacraments without neuerthelesse allowing in this our ioyning with the Church any abuses or deuises of men or their additions which through ignorance and imperfection that yet remaine euen in Gods churche too easily crepe in One of these extremities will the diuell our common enemie assay to bring vs vnto if he can And we haue great cause and neede to looke about vs and to take heede of his slightes on both sides And herein not to dissentble or to flatter with those of authoritie and publike charge as is her maiestie and those of the state here But to begin with them with al reuerence and dutifull consideration and their good accepcation I doubt not I am bolde vnder correction to say that for the training vp of vs their people in Gods true religion it is their partes in matters of Gods Kingdome and Christian Religion to looke narrowly and well to their proceeding and doing to trye and examine the same by the touch of Gods holy word as well on the parte of the churche Ministers and ministerie as the rest of Church gouernment that all to Gods glory may answer the paterne set downe in his written worde They pray I ani sure as wel as we dayly at our heauenly maisters commandements Hallowed beethy name Thy kingdome come Thy will bee done in earth as it is in heauen They haue not therfore to content themselues if the matter be wel marked with a beginning or halfe a reformation of that is amisse such as may please man but godly wisely and zealously to aduance by the worde of God and continually to set forwarde the worke begunne and not to leaue be weery geue ouer or rest in y t they haue once aduised or thought of till the whole by their Godly care and trauaile bee so purged and fined with the fire of Gods worde as is vnto his heauenly will correspondent and most agreeable At least if they cānot or do not y t same at the first at once they haue more and more daylie to contend to bring their woorke to that passe which thing is with great affection and hope longed and looked for at their hands and not only wished and desired but earnestly hartely prayed for also by al the godly Rome they are wont to say was not built in a day but howe much more iustly may y t be verified in y t spirituall building vp of G O D his
Councell No verily Let matter with matter saith he cause with cause Reason with reason pleade by the authorities of the scriptures not proper witnesses of euery bodie but common to both c. This am I the bolder with the Reader to set downe that we may see your skill and trust in citing the fathers If one should followe all he should make great volumes which I doubt whether for your pleasures it bee necessarie For the diuels talke with Christ how I pray you did our 〈◊〉 confute him was it not by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afore I sayde Augustine did the heretike Yes yes still and all by the scriptures so necessary and profitable 〈◊〉 are they say or thinke you what you will Though we finde not for that which followeth the wordes in Hierome where ye sende vs to seeke them yet because it may be the fault of the Printer I presse it not you shoulde haue prooued and shewed vs to be heretikes before ye should haue applied that to our seruice supposition is a bare proofe and serueth not The strange howling as of wolues and bellowing noyse of mad Bullockes that in your Synagogues you make by your piping and singing in a strange tongue in that you call your diuine seruice seemeth to bee liuely expressed by Hierome both in this sentence and elsewhere also when vppon these wordes of the Prophet Amos Take from me the confused noyse of thy Hymnes I will not heare the musicke of thy Organes that worde doeth Hierome set downe according to the Septuagints translation The Prayer sayth he of the Iewes and the Psalmes whiche they sing in their Synagogues and the heretikes curious and set hymne or prayer as one would say artificially done with descant and quauering is a trouble vnto the Lord that I may so speake it is the grunting of a hog and the braying of Asses c And in the new Testament vpon these wordes of the Apostle Singing and making melodie vnto the Lord Let them heare saith Hierome whose office it is to sing in the Church that God is to bee sung to not with voice but with heart and that their throate and iawes are not to be annointed and cleered with oyntmēts like players that measure and stagelike noise and songues maye by hearde in the Churche but in feare in deede in knowledge of the scriptures although there be some man as they are wonte to speake of an euell brest or voyce If hee haue good woorkes hee is a sweete singer with God Let the seruant of Christ so sing that not the voyce of the singer but the wordes that are read may delight and please c. Thus much out of Hierome whome ye cite vpon occasion of wolues howling and the bellowing noise of mad bullockes that the reader may see whether the same and the like agree better with your curious pricksong and descant in your latin seruice or with our moderate and plain singing of Dauid his Psalines in the mother tongue Hee that is desirous to see more how fitly your wanton and fleshly melodie or roring rather in your Popish Churches is represented by Hierom. Let him looke vpon Cornelius Agrippa Erasmus Polidore Virgil and such like who euen in our time so great plained of y t vnreasonable brutishe disorder in your popish Churches and namely heere in England for that is by expresse wordes noted of Erasmus Yee cite Augustin here twise together and still of the Donatist Heretikes it was the first place ye cited in the entrance of your discourse how litle to purpose we there examined wee tel you againe again we are neither donatists nor other heretikes that shoulde you haue bent your selfe first to haue prooued that these testimonies might haue seemed to haue beene 〈◊〉 applied as that vnprooued and so is like to remaine they iustly maye nowe bee applyed to you Betweene your two places here alleadged out of Augustine the same Augustine vpon the words of Dauid I cryed vnto the Lorde sayeth well and that to the Donatiste Crye you to the Lorde not to Donatus So say we to you popishe Heretikes Crye to the Lorde not to this Patrone and that which you haue made to your selues not to this canonized Saint of your Popes nor to that whereof some like ynough are farre from heauen and so from helping of you Take the lustie prelate of Englande Your S. Thomas Becket for example if ye will or some such like Saint of your making wee say as Augustine sayde in his dayes according to the perpetual doctrine of the sacred scriptures Crie vnto the Lorde not to any creature wee adde furder with him euen in this place Let no man be thy Lorde for the Lorde hee meaneth in steade of the true Lorde of heauen which vnder the Lorde woulde not bee thy fellowe seruaunt Whether it bee in heauen Let God in prayer be 〈◊〉 per se A as they say Or vppon earth to shut out your Lorde god the Pope and to bring him to bee but a fellowe seruaunt with other Let that God of heauen keep his prerogatiue or else bee you in exalting and setting vp that man of sinne Heretikes with the Donatistes Briefly to shut vp this place finde no fault with our seruice for that it hath the scriptures and put a difference between the Iewes Heretiks and the diuelishe peruerting and abusing the same and the right vse thereof with reuerence to our instruction and learning that through pacience and comfort we may haue hope which is an ende the Apostles setteth vs down the same to be written for Let it in all things be A lanterne to our feete and a light to our path as holy Dauid speaketh For which causes also the same is nowe published and made common vnto vs by her Maiestie and the State Marke the great benefite the Churche of God here hath reaped thereby and still doth and yee shall shewe your selfe besides your impietie to Gods worde very vncharitable and enuious to grudge vs the Scriptures or to reproche the same vnto vs. Nowe whether wee be Heretikes that sticke to the scriptures and to the sincere plaine and sure interpretation therof by themselues that one place may sufficiently expounde another that wee neede not run to men to haue the true sense but to let the holy 〈◊〉 euer expounde himselfe Or you that cannot nor will not bee content with this but call for this doctours exposition that doctours sense and so foorth rouing and running at randon if the worlde may not be iudge yet I pray you let your owne Cannon Lawe be iudge betweene vs Wee must take the sense and meaning of the Truth out of the scriptures themselues sayth Gratian out of Pope Clement And yet furder out of Hierome Whosoeuer otherwise vnderstandeth the scripture then the sense and meaning of the holy Ghost by whom it was written requireth Although he be not departed
goeth about to reckon your Popes decretall epistles in the number of Canonicall scriptures and to racke in Augustines authoritie to prooue that matter I thinke this geare and the like maye better and more iustly be accoūted of vs blasphemie against god thē our praiers to be kept frō the Pope and his infection of papistry But to conclude this point there is you say falshoode and blasphemie in our seruice and we sing and cause to be sung as though it were scripture and one of Dauids Psalmes a prayer made by man wherein wee haue seene howe you fayle and faulte greatly and yet can finde no vngodlinesse much lesse blasphemie in that prayer But were it sung as yee say what I pray you that are so precise and hard with vs were there therein done more than in your Popishe mattens How is your Te Deum made by man no scripture distinguished from Benedictus that is the holy Ghostes hymne and scripture You had neede then mend your owne seruice before you finde such fault with other Agayne whither will you leade and bring vs from this seruice that you seeme to finde fault with You had not neede bring vs to your Popish blasphemous seruice For then haue we made but an euill change You had neede to bring vs to a seruice voyde of all note of falshoode and blasphemy that charge ours so there with and are so squaymish and precise that you cannot abide our seruice It were too long vpon this occasion throughly to examine your Popish seruice yet let vs take a viewe in this matter that is in prayer and singing of Psalines and giue you for one example two Thomas Becket a naughtie proude Prelate is made a Saint and a Martyr by you hath his holy day and seruice Is not this among the rest a blasphemous praier with you By the bloode of Thomas which for thee he did spend make vs Christ to climbe whither Thomas did ascend If this geare be not blasphemous I knowe not what is For to leaue the making of a proude trayterous Prelate to his king a Saint to ordayne seruice c to Creatures in steede of the Creator To talke also of Thomas ascending to heauen what is it to desire Christ to bring vs to heauen by the blood of Thomas but by Idolatrie and blasphemie to staine Gods glory and to iniurie Christes merits and withall to delude and abuse Gods people Is not moreouer this verse sung by you in your Temples continually as it were out of one of Dauids Psalmes Viduam eius benedicens benedicam c I set downe the Latin because you sing it in Latin crauing herein pardon of the Reader and yet take it as I finde it corruptly and yet woorse translated in your English Primer printed here in former Popish daies that yee had beene as good haue left the ignorant people the Latin Primer alone and Beades still as to haue abused them with so corrupt an English translation Thus hath it the popish english Primer that I saw at the writing hereof distinguishing full ylfauouredlye the verses and disioyning the wordes that are to be ioyned together For the more plainenes I will set downe two verses This is my resting place for euermore Heere shall I dwell for I haue chosen it with blessing The widowe of it I shall blyke the poore people of it I shall fullfyll with breade False translation false printing false singing false saying All false and nothing but false agree well enough together and with a false religion The best in the worlde and therfore belike being admonished and called vppon for amendment you let it stande still such is your reforming and amending of thinges deforming and making them euer woorse and woorse The next fault you charge our seruice with is the lack of necessary thinges which it should haue in it Yee take example of a mans reciting of the Creede or Articles of the Beliefe If you leaue out one article as in effecte the Protestants say you doe the Article of descention into Hell all the whole Creede were naught thereby I aske you first what if I adde an Article more as you Papists doe whē you aske men how they beleeue in the Sacrament of the Alter c. Is not that as great a fault Next for answeare I report me to all the world whether we in effect or otherwise leaue out that Article Descended into hell in the Creede or teaching the people to recite it We bid or wishe them to leaue y t article out The creed or articles of y e beliefe are daily twise a day publikely recited in the Congregation by the Minister and the people in the mother tongue At morning and euening prayer Is not this article of descending into hell at both times expressed Looke vpon the booke come to Church and heare Wherfore you are a very slanderer heere in as you are euer But sir is all the Creede naught if that article be left out or any other How say you then to the creed of that famous general councel of Nice which leaueth out the Article of descending into hell that I say nothing of other partes of the Creede How say you to the like Creed in the first Councell at Constantinople How to Athanasius Creede that leaueth out these wordes Crucifyed Deade Buried c I trowe you will not condemne these formes of the Creed or Beliefe to prooue your saying true It were better you and your saying too should bee found false and faulty as you be heerein thē accuse so godly ancient forms of Beleife but to come neerer to you What say you to your owne seruice and the chiefest part thereof in your estimation If this be a fault prooue y e whole naught Thē is your masse naught your masse creed euē for this respect for you cannot finde Descended into hell in your Masse Creed nor died neyther nor yet the communion of Saintes And yet for all this is it among the rest of the best that is in your Masse It would be too long particularly to examine your propiciatorie sacrifice of the Masse which is a newe crucifiyng of Christ agayne as much as in you lyeth of which argument I speake a little after where you repeate and mention your Masse sacrifice againe and extoll it to the skie it is your precious Iewell your popish priesthood and priests finagogues or tēples aultars priests apparel vestments Sen sors Franckinsens c. which you here reckon vp and wee you say lacke in deede we doe so And we thanke God therefore sauing that we haue those which you cal temples wherin we 〈◊〉 for the exercises of our religion which are therfore called Churches with vs because Gods church and peo ple meete there the rest you bring no scriptures for which in steede of all that ye alleage is the foundation of our christian religion so called of Christ. Priests ye say and all were 〈◊〉 for
an euill conscience For with one offering hath hee made perfect for euer them 〈◊〉 are sanctified c. To Chrysostome and his hyperbolicall speeches you haue your answere elsewhere and to Pope Gregories testimonie seeing Masses bee thought to bee so cheape with you as the hearing of one is so well worth an hundred markes c. where you haue a good pennieworth blame not her Maiestie and the State it were pittie you shoulde haue your masses too good cheape that make suche price thereof I perceiue if they were dogge cheape they were 〈◊〉 worth howe say you to two hundred markes and a yeres imprisonment for hearing of a Masse It is too good cheape it is well worth more yee thinke You are in your hundreds and thousande liues you amplyfie in wordes iolily woulde you needes haue it death which in wordes and tearmes ye so talke of heere at pleasure Take heed make not to great account neither of saying nor hearing Masse for raysing the price Of naughtie behauiour I tell you growe good lawes Cast your number together by Arithmetike and tell vs plainely howe many liues the hearing of one Masse is well worth and howe many you can be content to affoorde in that case But bee wiser and better aduised that is it I wishe You abuse to grosly and childishly the holy scriptures For your Popish Bishops confirmation and your extreeme vnction or aneling whiche is the seconde losse yee thinke yee haue and therefore yee put grace in euery place heere These myraculous giftes in the Primitiue Church serue your Popishe Church neuer a whit to take away all your Popishe graces euen in the whole seuen sacraments Why adde you not to your gresie oyle your spittle c and your Ephata after Christes example to make deafe infants to heare and by touching their tongue to make them speak If it were as easie a matter to bestowe the heauenly and extraordinary giftes or as you heere speake the grace as it is easie to counterfaite the outwarde Ceremonie you woulde bee meruellous men But Apishe imitation is without good grace hee is very simple that in looking on the places yee alleadge only cannot make you answere When wee see the visible graces and giftes of the holy Ghoste come vppon them that your Bishops confirme as speaking tongues c. which are saide to haue beene giuen those the Apostles layde their handes on we will make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in your comparison You tell vs of the grace of Priesthood But Saint Paule neither to Timothie who was an Euangelist and Preacher of the Gospell neither any where els speaketh of your Popish Priesthood as I tolde you before Priestes you say were ordayned for your Masse sacrifice and they cannot other wise bee called Priesces but in respect of y t sacrisice Now the Popishe Masse beareth too late a date besides the naughtines of it to haue beene in the Apostles time and ye prooue nothing An 〈◊〉 and double taking of the worde Masse helpeth but little no not taken out of mens 〈◊〉 nor of sacrifice neither The Apostle thus reasoneth that If Christ should haue offered himselfe often then must hee haue often suffered since the foundation of the world c. If the sacrifice of Christes body and blood to God his father be linked so narrowly with his suffering that is w t his death passion as it cannot bee without the same Then muste you leaue your dayly Sacrificing of him in the Masse whiche you 〈◊〉 commende so highly or els bee founde among them to crucifie againe to themselues the sonne of God make a mocke of him c If Christe be dayly offered Christe is put dayly to suffer But Christe is dayly offered by Popishe Priestes in the Masse say you ergo Christe is put dayly to suffer by you Otherwise thus If Christ be dayly or often offered then muste hee dayly or often suffer But he can not nor needeth not dayly or often suffer Ergo hee cannot nor needeth not dayly or often to bee offred Answere hereto directly shift not thinges off cauill not with your fonde distinction of bloody and vnbloody you professe your Masse sacrifice to be propitiatorie and all one with that Christ offred on the crosse nowe that I tell you was not vnbloody nor without shedding of blood This is the cause that seeing the doctrine of the holy Ghost on the one side and your bad shiftes on the other side maketh vs to abhorre your blasphemous Masse and to crye out against it that I touche not other many and many grosse abuses therin Thus much against your abhominable popish masse which you so much commende though you bring nothing for proofe thereof but bare wordes I see you woulde make vs beleeue that all your sacramentes giue grace therfore ye say the grace of priesthood also howe hap there be so many vngracious priestes and so many graceles priestes then if the order of priesthood giue grace or be a conduite of grace as you speake Belike they that take the order of priesthood leese grace that they that take not that order may finde haue the same Againe how make you this argument common for all those that come to our Churches shall they leese the grace of priesthood why many of them will tel you they neuer minde to be priestes and so shall leese nothing by that but that whiche a great many papistes among you shall leese as well as they which haunt your Churches and abstaine from ours which are called Laymen Againe sir how is priesthood a sacrament by it self I haue heard of your popish sacrament of orders of priesthood neuer The grace of Matrimonie all your wiuelesse priestes Nunnes c. shall leese they are very vnholy belike that so holy an order of God as Mariage can not beseeme them will they reiect the grace of God ye call it the grace of Matrimonie Mariage c. are conduites of grace ye say heere ye belie saint Paul sir and corrupt the text when you make Mariage a sacrament your common translation is no good president to make vs sacramentes Else must you make vs yet againe moe then seuen by him as the learned knowe and I thinke you be not ignoraunt Againe the Apostle sayth expresly there I speake concerning Christ and concerning his Church that is the mysterie hee speaketh of there I leaue to speake of the beastlines of Pope Siricius who wickedly applieth to honorable mariage that sentence of the Apostle They that are in the flesh can not please God to shewe howe contraryly you iudge and speake of Mariage You tell vs of seuen sacramentes siue moe then 〈◊〉 Christ instituted but is that all I wene if ye describe a sacrament to 〈◊〉 it to the number of seuen ye shall finde many moe yee will followe the common opinion of the Romishe Churche I trowe And 〈◊〉 not your glose tell vs euen in mariage that there are two sacraments so shall wee finde eight
euill day I counsayle you And yet I meane not so much in this world as in that to come God giue vs all his grace Amen Imprinted at London at the three Cranes in the Vintree by Thomas Dawson for Toby Smyth dwelling in Paules Churchyarde at the signe of the Crane 1581. An appendix or addition for aunsweare to the Authors recapitulation in the ende of his Treatise BEfore you conclude vp this first parte of your discourse you gather for 〈◊〉 sake to the vnlearned foure conclusions takē out of y t you haue to fore said which being falsly supposed rather then duely proued might easily haue been heere omitted But it is to the vnlearned You may not bee gaine standed You wil haue no nay You wil not nowe dispute of the matter you say all must be supposed indeede the vnlearned vnstable are easeliest seduced and brought to wrest euen the Scriptures to their owne destruction as blessed Peter reporteth The godlier learned wise wil cal you know for sounde proofe of the matter you thinke to carrie all afore you vpon your owne credite it is no reason it may not be Going to Hereticall assemblies we graunt you is prohibited Christians by the lawe of nature of God and of his true Church not to be dispensed with by any mortall man but where when and how proue you that our Church assēblies be hereticall this would haue beene proued which you put off before you had beene so rash to haue without warrāt or ground pronounced it vnlawfull to haunt our Churche assemblies What it aduauntageth your side to suppose that which you cannot proue and lieth in controuersie betweene vs I wote not but easily may one perceiue that it sauoureth neyther of trueth nor of learning which you so confidently affirme Till you can conuince vs therefore of heresie our assemblies to be hereticall which while we may be hearde to make answere will neuer bee giue vs leaue to turne on your owne heades that which you charge vs with And forasmuch as our men haue prooued Papistes Heretikes and their Idolatrous assemblies heretical giue the Pastors and other godlie Learned leaue to admonish all the faithfull to abstayne therefrom as frō prohibited vnlawfull things where you especially haue nothing to doe or not to commād at least And seeing the case thus standeth nowe betweene these two religious that of the Protestantes and Papists In the meane while till you can more sufficiently then hitherto reproue our Church assemblies let vs craue at your hands to shewe that the whole act of going to Churche is as it is of you Papistes sayde to bee prohibited also Iure diuino naturali that is by the Lawe of GOD and nature For wee holde the contrary not by Supposition as you doe but by good warrant of God his woorde reason and experience to witte that to haunt Churche assemblies is a thing 〈◊〉 on GOD his Lawe Whether we respect the olde Testament or the newe and also on the Lawe of nature as not experience onelye taken from the Heathen and the example of them that haue amongest them any exercise of Religion but reason also sufficiently teache and not to haunt Churche meetinges on the other side or vttetly to abstayne therefrom is a contempt and vtter denying of all Religion If therfore you will needes busie your selfe where you haue no cause and little thanke of autoritye for your laboure shewe eyther your selfe more religious and fauourable in speaking for Churche meetinges or prooue more substantially then hitherto the faultes wherewith you charge the same heere amonge vs especially seeing all the worlde maye knowe and iudge that our meetinges in the excercise of Religion daylye are not onelye voyde of Idolatrye wherewith your meetinges are 〈◊〉 but tende also to the 〈◊〉 and comforte of our consciences vnto the good example of other in making publike confession of our sinnes and the Christian fayth in hearing GOD his holie woorde making publike prayers participating of the holye Sacraments c. which we take to be the principall endes and chiefest vses of Christian assemblies in steede of gasing crooching crossing pyping singing and other ceremoniall fashions in vse among you For the rest whether it bee impossible to bee so that your Pope shoulde offer too her Maiestye to confirme the Englishe seruice vppon condition to recouer his Supremacie heere in Englande whiche hee is farre from and GOD so keepe him still and whether his authoritie be aboue the Scriptures so as hee may dispense with thinges agaynst GOD his Lawe or no I leaue to the Authoures that first inuented such brabbles to occupie mens heades with all Onelye this in perusing of late I remember N. Saunders an Archepapiste among you English Romanists handeling this latter question of the Popes authoritie in dispensing against the woorde of God disputeth whether the Pope may not dispence agaynst the Apostle thus mynceth hee thinges and for his aduantage propoundeth this question and hee affirmeth as one put to his shiftes therein that the Pope may doe or suffer to bee doone sometime otherwise then the Apostle commaundeth and ordereth As for example where the Apostle commaundeth if any brother haue a wife that beleeueth not If she be content to dwell with him let him not forsake her The Pope may for some respect dispēce giue the man leaue to put a way such a wife cōtent desirous to dwell with her husband and further he may giue him leaue to marry an other contrary to the Apostles doctrine and cōmaundement With which he hath authoritie to dispense though the former wife haue committed no fault against her husband after their mariage And why not I pray you when hee hath done still doth and can doe greater thinges then this whereof I enter not now to entr eate vpon this occasion particularly nor to examine Saunders cauilles and meere shifts indeede and no better The Learned know this man of sinne well ynough and the excessiue authoritie he vsurpeth and chalengeth The vnlearned I thinke are sufficiently warned before Let all that are Godlie take heede of dealing with Pope or Papistes in mariage or otherwise In the seconde conclusion you bring no newe matter but turne vs ouer to the olde and therefore I also send the Reader to that I haue before particularly answeared In the thirde conclusion it greeueth you her Maiesties Subiectes bee and shoulde bee so obedient to her godlie commaundements and therefore where obedience for going to Churche is alleadged you call it a A vayne pretence As the holie Scriptures for the grounde of our G O D his seruice were a greate blocke lying in your way wherewith you were troubled before and therevppon trauelled to inuay agaynst the sacred Scriptures So now heere her Maiesties authoritie grounded on the Scriptures and ioyning therein with the Mynisters doctrine and exhortation to call her Subiectes to holie assemblies lyeth in your way agayne and combreth you greately
ad cor sanctae Ec 〈◊〉 catholi cae 〈◊〉 agnoscant Concil 〈◊〉 sessio xvii prima sub Pio. 〈◊〉 1. Sam. 17. Audax Inscitia Athenaeus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great cause of recourse to 〈◊〉 Maiestie The law of 〈◊〉 Arist. lib. 1. Rheto. The conclusion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Interp. Hermogen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Statuimus id est abrogamus Mat. 22. 22. Tertullian ad Scapulam 1. Pet. 2. 17. Steuen Gardener Edmond 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot. lib. 1. ca. 2. Aristot. 〈◊〉 lib. 1. cap. 1. in Elenchis c. Luke 5. 33. Fol. 28. 61. 25. q. I. Vialatores Fol. 39. 〈◊〉 2. Fol. 21. Fol. 5. pag. 1. Reade Ezek. 33. 11. 18. 23. to the 32. Esay 1. 18. 1. Tim. 1. 15. Ioh. 3. 16. 17. 18. c. Looke to this purpose Daniels confession Daniel 9. Tit. 2. 11. 〈◊〉 13. 14. Rom. 6. 23. Rom. 5. 18 16. 2. 2 q 14. Inuidentia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grace in ones brother D. Thom. in aurea cathena in 12. Matth. Bene 〈◊〉 i de one Thoma dixit 〈◊〉 Christi Aug de Ver. do mini serm 11. Vide D. Thom in 12. Mattb. Iohn 1. 17. 1. Cor. 1. 24. Mag. Senten lib. 2. 〈◊〉 43. D. 〈◊〉 lib. 1. 1. Cor. 4. 5. Aug. de verb. domini 〈◊〉 10 Matth. 10. 28 Iames. 4. 12. Col. 2. 23. Mat. 18 19. 20 1. Cor. 14 23. 34. 25. 26. Cor. 6. 〈◊〉 c 〈◊〉 Tim. 2 Hebr. 10. 23 24. 25. Mat. 23. 37. Luk. 11. 28. Looke Esay 54. 13. 55. 10. 〈◊〉 c. Reue. 1. 11. 2. 3. Gala. 1 2. 1. Cor. 1. 2. 2. Cor. 1. l. c Ephe. 4. 1. 2. 3. c. Esai 11. 2. 1. Cor. 2. 12. 1. Iohn 2. 27. Iohn 6. 45. Iohn 16. 13. and 14. 26. and 17. 17. Contra Epistolā Parmeniani lib. 2. 3. c. Fol. 57. in the 9. last reason Galat. 5. 8. Gen. 3. 4. 5. 6. 13. 17. Rom. 14. 14. 2. Thes. 3. 4. c. Age Domi ne alià ratione Aut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disputationi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ex 〈◊〉 particularibus 〈◊〉 termini c. 〈◊〉 siue Medius terminus Ex veris potest nil nisi verum sequi Non ad idem as they say Look Prou. 3 from the 21. ver to the 27. Psal. 81. c. Hieronimus in prefat in libros Solomonis Prologus Galeatus in libros Regum c. Sanders visible Monarchie 1. King 22 22 Eph. 5. 14. 〈◊〉 23. 2. Cor. 11. 2. 3. 4. By 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 signified saith 〈◊〉 2. 9. 7. nos Rom. 14. 15. I. Cor 8. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 32. q. 〈◊〉 4. T. dixit Sara Intetio bona 〈◊〉 factum excu sat Honest meaning with you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Caus. 11. q. 3. absit in margine in Glossa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Distinct. 34. 〈◊〉 glos in margine dist 82. 〈◊〉 in gloss Matth. 〈◊〉 1. Cor. 2. 11. Mat. 21. 25. Iohn 17. 21. Ephes. 4. 3. Ephe. 2. 4. 1. Cor. 10. 1. Timoth. 2. Act. 2. from the. 40. vers to the end of the chapter And againe Act. 4. 32. c. Lib. 3. cap. 11. cap. 1. 〈◊〉 lib. cap. 2. Cap. 2. 3. c. Cap. 1 Cap. 3. Cap. 4. Serm. 5 de lapsis In. 24. Matth. Hom. 49. Conc. 3. de 〈◊〉 August contra liter 〈◊〉 Lib. 2. cap. 85. Rom. 12. Heb. 13. 16. 15. Apoca. 1. 6. 1. Cor. 12. 13 10. 17. Fraternitas vniuers Hard. 〈◊〉 art 4. 〈◊〉 5. In sentent Episcop Concil Carthagine ad 〈◊〉 alibi Tom. 1. concil in concil Cartha Aug. de baptsm contra Donatist 〈◊〉 2. cap. 1. Vnus Solus Lib. 4. ep 9. ad Florent In vita Cypr. De 〈◊〉 Prelat Hieronim ad euagrium De simpli Prelat Comparatio 〈◊〉 interdiuersa simile non est idem Mat. 7. Occupatio Ephes. 6. 17. Looke for this purpose the place I tited before in the fourth reason of schisme out of Irenaus lib. 3. cap. 2. 2. Tim. 3. 〈◊〉 19. August Tom. 6. Contra Maxim lib. 1. Initio versus 〈◊〉 Ratione 1. Ex falsis falsum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sequitur Ex veris 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sequi Hosius Aug. contra Maxim lib. l. initio The righteous shall liue by his owne faith Habacuk 2. 4. Where is 〈◊〉 Implicita 〈◊〉 then I beleeued therfore haue I spoken 〈◊〉 Cor. 4. 18. Aug. contra Maximini 〈◊〉 3. cap. 14. Hierom in cap. 4. 8. Hose Hier. in cap. 7. Hose Hieron in cap 5. Amos. Composit 〈◊〉 Laudatio In tragidor 〈◊〉 modum Theatrales modu li. Hieronim lib. 3. in epist. ad Ephe. cap. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 You know the meeter Non vox sed votū nō chor dula musica sed cor non cantans sed amans cantat in aure Dei 〈◊〉 Agrippa De incertitudine screntiaram Cap. 17. sub finem Annotation 〈◊〉 in 1. Cor. 14. Polidore Virgil. de Inuentorib 〈◊〉 lib. 6. Cap. 2. c. Augustin in Psal. 54. Rom. 15. Psam 119. 105. Nun. Distin. 37. Relatum Hieronym in 5. Cap. Gala. Lib. 3. q 3. Haeresis Beda Ecole hist. li. 1. cap. 27. Pius 5. Anno. 1566. Eusebius de vita constan lib. 3. cap. 17. Ye wote what 〈◊〉 meaneth Bonus quando quedormitat bomerus opere in longo c. Simulacra The papistes in reckoning vp the ten comman dements leaue quite out the second commanment Ierem. 10 14. 15 Abacuck 2. 18. Lactant. lib. 2. ca. 19. Origen contra cel sum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gent lib. 6. Polydorus Virgilius de Inuent lib. 6. cap. 13. Epiphan Iohanni Episco po Hierosolym Hieronym Tom. 2 inter Epist. Hieronim Vide. Pet. Crinit de honest disciplin lib. 9. cap. 9. Looke Ephe. 5. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vulgat Aua rus quod est Idolorum Seruitus Latrie and Dulia Ab Idolis Gen. 3. 15. 〈◊〉 Ipse 〈◊〉 Ipsum Luke 15. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verrit Vulg. vertit 〈◊〉 euertit Galatians 5. 9. Modicum fermentum totam 〈◊〉 corrumpit Hieron Lib. 3. in 5. ad Galatas 2 〈◊〉 12. Ecclesiainter Canonicas scripturas nō recipit saith Hierō Prefat in libros Solomonis c. Ioseph Ben Gorion hist. Iudaic. lib. 3. Cap. 19. looke 2. Macab 2. From the 23. verse to the ende of the Chapter 2. Maccab. 〈◊〉 28. 2. Macc. 14 41 42 c. 1. Macca 5. 54. 57. De cōsecrat distinct 4. ca. Sanctum ex August ad Fortunat. 30. q. 1 ad limina 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sacerdotes c. Heb. 5. 4. Heb. 5. 4. 1. 1. Pet. 2. 9. Reue. 1. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Tim. 5. 2 2 1. Tim 5. 17. 19. 2. Tim. 4. 5. Vide supra Fol. 7. 1. Pastores 2. Doctores 3. Presbyteri 4. Diaconi 〈◊〉 10. 33. Mat. 9. 3. 23. 〈◊〉 6. 7. 26. 65 〈◊〉 5. 11. 〈◊〉 13. 4. Dominus 〈◊〉 noster Papa Deus Non purus Homo c. 〈◊〉 Iohn 22. cum 〈◊〉 1. Glosse Dist. 96 C. Satis Extrau De verb. 〈◊〉 Tit. 14. in margine Papa stupor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Proem Clementin in 〈◊〉 margin Presvl Romanus 〈◊〉 omni lege solutus Extrau Iob de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cap. 1. in gloss Dist. 40. C. non nos si Papa c. Gloss. ibidem Diftinct 19 C sic omnes c. Papa sanctitatem recipit a Cathedra Extrau Ioan. 22. Tit. 4 de conces 〈◊〉 cap. in Gloss margine Sext decretal lib. 1. De election elect Potestate Tit. 6. Cap. 17. 〈◊〉 c. Gloss. 〈◊〉 Roma quasi 〈◊〉 manus Roma 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quos 〈◊〉 non 〈◊〉 odit 25. q. I. C. 〈◊〉 Generali ibidem Dist. 19. C. In Canonicis Tit in ter Canonicas scripturas Decretales epist. connumerantur 〈◊〉 per Thomae 〈◊〉 quem per te 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no Christe 〈◊〉 quo Thomas ascendit Ex Psa. 131. 15. Viduam a widdowe for victum vitailes 〈◊〉 lib. 〈◊〉 cap. 6. 〈◊〉 lib. 1. cap. 5. 〈◊〉 lib. 1. 〈◊〉 13. c. Aug. ad 〈◊〉 Acts. 26. 18. 2. Cor. 6. 16. Philip. 3. 7. Mat. 26. 26. Mar. 14. 22. Luk. 22. 19. Iohn 13. Doe Facite Uirgil cum faciam vitulos pro frugibus ipse 〈◊〉 to 1 cum Sacrificanero 1. Cor. 〈◊〉 25 vers 26. c. 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 cap. 〈◊〉 Nec 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 maiorum error 〈◊〉 quendus est sed 〈◊〉 scripturarum dei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eucharistia Magister sen tentiarum li. 4. distinct 12 Rom. 12. 1. Heb. 13. 16. 1. Cor. 10. 16 Heb. 10. 14. 19. c. Looke Hebr. 9. 25. 26. 6. 6. Looke Ephe. 1. 9. 4. 3. 9 c. 27. q. 2. ex di 〈◊〉 digest Heb. 13. 4. Luk. 〈◊〉 1. 52. Rom. 1 2. 6. 7. 8. 〈◊〉 Cor. 12. 28 Ephe. 4. 11. De poenitēt Dist. 1. c. volui sent 6. ex his Act. 19. 18. 19. 〈◊〉 poenitēt Dist. 1 Agite De 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 morum Erasmus De poenitēt dist 1. De poenitēt dist 1. c. omnis qui. 6. 〈◊〉 contrario 2. Pet. 3. 16. 1. Cor. 7. 12. Saund. de 〈◊〉 monarch Eccle. lib. 8. cap. 22. Prouerb 16. Look Rom. 7 from the. 7. verse Psal. 143. 2. 130. 3. Luke 17. 10. 3. Cor. 1. 31. 1. Kin. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. 14. 〈◊〉 16 c. 〈◊〉 2. Cor. 〈◊〉 the 14 verse to the end of the Chapter 〈◊〉 lib. 4. cap. 17. In Epist. 1. Cler. Roman apud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 31. 〈◊〉 24.