Grammer herein also he is gyltie of a false and spitefull accusation For we can make proofe that the Lorde hath giuen vs of the spoiles of Egypt of Arabia of Iewry and of Rome But it may be he noteth it that many nowe rule in the Church that in times past haue ruled onely in Grammer schooles I graunt that some fewe such are amongst vs but such profitable and sufficient teachers of men that it were pitie they shoulde any more teache children Nowe let vs passe from his scoffes and come againe to his vaunts The Campmaster hauing with Rabshaketh denied the arme of our God to be able to deliuer vs and condemning our cause before it bee indited doeth notwithstanding craue the combat with all and euery one of vs offering the best welcome to him that commeth best furnished I answere These are wordes The prouerbe maketh it a vayne fight to fight with a shadowe but wee haue not so much as his shadowe for a measure of the Champion or for an argument that hee is at hande But as already he hath vaunted of the vniuersalitie of his knowledge so nowe he setteth out the vniuersalitie of his powers making him selfe a monster that hath infinite persons to stand it out infinite eares to heare and infinite tongues to answere all and euery Protestant Can hee speake wisely in a suddē disputatiō that vttereth folly in a premeditate and weightie letter will he looke to win that knoweth not how to make his match The last point of y e article is his protestatiō of ioy to meete with no vnarmed enemie but the better we come furnished the better welcome We haue nowe heard more then ynough of his selfe liking more thē needed of his chalēge wherin hitherto we finde nothing hard but y t which he doeth not brag of namely where to finde him For some will beare me witnesse it is harder to finde him then to answere him when hee is founde But these wordes are deliuered to draw credit to himselfe and his cause also to cast discredit vpō vs and our religion Wherein he doeth still affirme the conclusion that shoulde be prooued It is not ynough for a Iesuite or for the oracle of the Iesuites to affirme except proofes appeare But we must tarry till the Champion come to the listes 7 In the seuenth article he speaketh good words true touching the singular graces of God wherewith he hath enriched her Maiestie in noble giftes of nature learning princely education It is very wel if you thinke thus duetifully in your heartes and speake so reuerently of her Maiesty abroad and in your secret prayers But why do you passe ouer the grace of graces in her which deserue perpetuall honor namely her godly zeale and knowledge in professing publishing y e glorious Gospel of Iesus Christ in abandoning your popish superstitions Why moreouer did you not yeelde to her highnes al thāks frō the heart for her exceeding clemencie by the which many of you liue yet shew your selues vnworthy of so great mercie If the giftes of enemies be giftlesse gifts as the prouerbe noteth what are the bare words of them that are more disloyall in deede then they can shewe themselues loyall in wordes But be it knowen to you that her Maiestie by her rare giftes which you acknowledge woulde easily see your flattering hypocrisie and your grosse presumption of her readinesse to incline or rather to decline to you and moreouer readily iudge of your sandy foundatiō and vntempered morter if either your letters were worthy the least reading or your selfe meete for any place in her most honorable presēce Your faire light woulde be dimme in the brightnesse of her wisedome your good methode would appeare to haue a great maime at her learned consideration your playne dealing would shew it selfe plaine dallying with Gods causes if in the singular dexteritie of her iudgement shee were present at your disputatiō or sermōs to giue sentence Therefore let mee heere once chalenge and charge y e chalenger that he did so far breake out into seditious and disloyall speach as to offer that wrong to her Maiestie wisdom in suggesting to her subiects that she can be remoued with a shaken reede who was not moued in the cause at the earnest sutes and threates of mightie Princes Wherein as her Maiestie hath receyued a notable prerogatiue of Gods fauour and hath singular cause to reioyce before him in the peace of conscience that passeth al vnderstanding so she hath made proofe to the worlde that shee is resolued for the happy cōtinuance of that which hath had so happie and manifold blessings and promiseth more and more till we come to the fulnesse thereof for euer As for her Maiesties loue to her people and their most dutifull loue and ioye to her againe it requireth no Popish Doctor or doctrine to alter it being already established in the knowledge of the Gospel which worketh the effectuall bonde of peace and perfection in Prince and people Therefore the second poynt of this article is as presūptuous as the first The first in drawing her Maiesties excellent iudgement and zeale of Gods house into doubt of alteration vpon a disputation or a few sermons the second in calling her best proceedings into accusation as hurtfull to the Realme But it is not the Gospell that hurteth the realme it is you ye Papistes and your religion that hurt it and would bring it to miserable desolation to set vp agayne your abomination Yea many yeeres since you had done it but that the Lord of mercy and iudgement striueth whether he may shew greater tokens of his gracious fauour to her Maiestie the land or indignation to you and your most wicked attemptes in discouering from time to time so many of your secrete conspiracies and deepe practises and in meeting so happily with your open rebellions and inuasions In the wordes following the chalenger doeth trippe himselfe for hauing presently before praysed her Maiestie nowe correcting himselfe he doth vtter his griefe agaynst her that hee and his confederates are oppressed and finde not equitie at her hande O vniust complaynt that I saye no more Her mighty arme and sword hath not bene so heauie as the little finger of those that persecute the Church Therefore if mine aduise may be taken in good parte I woulde wish you that are so great oppressers except ye were oppressed and namely you Iesuites who notwithstanding the saluation signified by the name of Iesus which you take yet you are the bellowes to kindle and increase the fire of persecution more then any in all places where you can preuayle not to complayne of oppression least it be redoubled vpon you and yet without breach of equitie 8 From presuming of her Maiesties pliablenesse to their side he returneth to her honorable Counsel in the same maner meaning For attributing to them the prayse of nobilitie much wisdome and drift in cases most
he keepeth his person secret that he may vnderhand safely sowe matter of heresie sedition but by letters he maketh his purpose knowen with cunning speaches Why he keepeth himselfe secret so long as he may one reason is to auoide that hee would seeme to make none accompt of namely a iust punishment of his contempts against y e law Another reason is as I sayd to make way for the Pope priuately because he dareth not effect his message opēly That he deliuereth his minde in writing not as a priuate letter in one copie but as a publique matter in many copies all abroade it is to entertaine sliding mindes with vaine hope to cast some disgrace vpon the causes of religion all by a promise of that which all the Iesuites in the worlde can not performe though this Chāpion alone doth vndertake it Such vndertakers are like ynough to ouertake some simple ones not yet cleansed from the dregges of Properie otherwise it will be hard to preuayle with men of vnderstanding who euer suspect them of bankrupting that aske so much credit of their owne word w tout any sureties Thus it appeareth that this Iesuites promises crauing credite to be beleeued in so great things is but to withdrawe many of her Maiesties subiectes from the loue of the Gospel whereby they are taught to their owne saluation and consequently from regard of them selues from obedience to her Maiesties most noble and godly proceedings Yet as if he did not minde this matter he doth insinuate his own danger for weldoing as if it were like that notwithstanding his close dealing as much to keepe himselfe as he may this busie world might finde him out sooner or later and interrupt a busie felow this watchful world would finde him out for all his watchfulnes But I would this suspicious worlde would more suspect them that come to vs in sheeps clothing being inwardly rauening wolues It is to small purpose that he layeth downe the confession of the matter without presentment of the man For if the mā were founde there is matter ynough against him without his confession Yet he would be accounted a good dealer and to saue his examiners from some labour when he shall haply be founde and brought to examination Neuerthelesse if in these letters al be not plainely confessed that may iustly be implyed then he hath not eased his examiners from the practise of their wit in finding out more daungerous practises concealed then are those which are here expressed to cloke the rest It followeth to speake of his articles layd downe directly truly resolutely to opē his purpose 1 In the first hee confesseth his calling That albeit vnworthy hee is a priest of the Romish church which he doth falsly honour with the name of the Catholique Church Such as y e Church is such is his priesthood also the Church Antichristian the priests thereof ministers of Antichrist taking vpon them against the manifest worde of God to offer vp a sacrifice for the quicke dead An intolerable blasphemie against the all sufficient sacrifice of the Lord Iesus offring him selfe once for all for euer But to iudge an euill seruant by his owne mouth hee that is vnworthy of so foule a priesthood what shal he be worthy of Not by the great mercie but by the iust iudgement of God worthy of that that is worse worthy of a place among the newe and detestable Iesuites In this place because these scorpiōs y e Iesuites are vnknowē amōg vs in England I haue occasiō to speake of thē y t y e godly may take heed of their leauen that their louers may iustly be ashamed of such loue The Iesuites are a kinde of Regulars professing obediēce to y e Pope their General at whose sēding they must forsooth of free cost preach wheresoeuer they be sent They had an obscure cōceptiō about fiue forty yeres past not long after y e restoring of the Gospel one Layolas a Spaniard being the father of thē But they had not their ful creation cōmission till within these thirtie yeres by Pope Paulus quartus Before that time al Friers professed the rule of some one Frier as the Frāciscans the rule of Francis the Dominicans y e rule of Dominic or some one such like Patrō Afterward when euill colors bewrayed thē selues at a good light the preaching of y e Gospel brought popish orders into open iudgement then many papists were ashamed y t there was not an order after an honest name whereupō some boldly aduētured to borow y e holy name of Iesus called thēselues the societie of Iesus or Iesuites Nowe it was not so vile a thing before to name thēselues by some base beggerly frier but it was afterwarde more hautie pride whē they presumed to abuse y e name proper to Iesus at which name all the knees of all things in heauē earth must bow down thēselues This mighty glorious name these Iesuites bring in to giue credite to their weake shamefull order reckening y e Lord Iesus himself amōg Friers withal making him but a Patrone of the yongest cōpany of Friers so to stand behind Francis Dominick These new Iesuites must be called y e societie of Iesus as if they alone were in the societie of Iesus all other vtterly excluded whereas rather these Iesuites are excluded for their heresies they onely included in the felowship and body of Iesus Christ which folow his doctrine and haue y e anointing of his Spirite contenting them selues with the name of Christians made to them expresly lawfull and honorable by the word of God Wherefore these that corruptly haue called themselues Iesuites may be called Iebusites without offence to the Lord Iesus most aptly in respect of their dealings As their name so chalenged to themselues is absurd seruing them only to make a shew of holinesse and to deceiue the poore people so their practises are yet more detestable For they gather learning onely as the spider gathereth poyson that they may infect the heart stomake of their disciples And as good Physicians prepare a countrepoyson to saue life so these in a contrarie course prouide not a countre venim but venim it selfe against the wholsome meate euen against the worde of God the foode of our soules whereby they are nourished preserued into life euerlasting These Monkish Friers or Frierly Monkes O heauy iudgement of God these Iebusites I say from whose contagiō we haue bene free euer hitherto they haue lately aduētured into England as skoutes to the Irish rebels and prepare to establish againe popish superstitions But let vs yet further examine these Iesuites that plague all nations where they come as the Frogges and Caterpillers of Egypt did Our bastard Papists in Englād that are neither true to vs nor faithfull to their owne side woulde seeme ashamed of many grosse points in Poperie saying they
the same oracle and doeth it not appertayne to Campion in England Surely it doeth apperteyne asmuch but the open attempt is not so safe Therefore it commeth here to bee considered that the oracle hath a double heart and a double tongue set at large to denye or breake euen an othe made to one not of his sect and euermore to say and vnsaye to promise and breake promise as may make most for his deuilish practises 5. Now foloweth y e execution of his message wherein he asketh with shewe of great humilitie the thing that bewrayeth his singular pride For he aloue professeth with a chalenge in all knowledge touching his causes to encounter with all sortes of learning and learned men and against them notwithstanding their strength and the strength of their cause to prooue the most weake and languishing title of Popish religion And before whom Not before some fewe in a corner but in the light presence of this renowmed estate so enriched with singular giftes of learning experience and iudgement namely in the presence of her honorable Counsell before the Doctours Masters and choyse men of both the Vniuersities and thirdly before the lawyers spirituall as he speaketh and temporall But let vs further examine what hee vttereth In this place the Iesuite a man professing so great knowledge knoweth not himselfe he remembreth not in this article what he solemnly protested in the former For there he affirmed that he minded not that he might not in any respect deale with matters of state but now as hauing his will altered and a secrete dispensatiō against the charge of his fathers he wil discourse of religiō so far as it toucheth the cōmō wealth their nobilities But out of the abundāce of the heart doth the mouth speaketh the pen writeth It foloweth wherof he maketh most account to try the matter out with the doctors masters of ech vniuersity What he bringeth from a newe forge I may more easely gesse then determine But if it be no more then his masters of these all other vniuersities haue brought already into their bookes disputations it is nothing y t long agoe hath not bene confuted It may be not hauing better reasons he presumeth of him selfe that he hath fayrer colours then they had and a stronger spirite of illusion to deceiue and cary away y e preiudicate inconstant hearer against reason The manifolde waies he promiseth to cōuince by are profes inuincible scriptures c. If he can prooue his cause by inuincible scriptures it is sufficient there neede no further proofes But if he alledge y e scriptures for his cause as satan did as heretikes doe vsing some of the words leauing the fulnes of the sentence or peruerting y e words to another sense then the holy Ghost deliuereth then shall he preuaile as Satan did and his reward shalbe among the false prophetes As for Councils Fathers and stories they are rather witnesse one to another of some contrarietie and all witnesses of y e time howe corruptions crept into the Church then authentical iudges in causes of religion Neuerthelesse we haue if we woulde vse thē in their true allegation matter sufficient to confute y t which the Iesuite hopeth to confirme by false allegation Touching places in the fathers to the contrary some of thē are alredy condemned of bastardie being places manifestly forged other not gyltie of forgery howe great so euer the authors of thē were yet it is euident they were but men that the word of God alone hath credit of for it selfe that y e word of God alone is y e touchstone fining pot y t sheweth y e least corruption the least cōmixture of corruption much more the palpable errors of y e new Iesuites Moreouer for the latter Councils because y e Pope reigned ouer thē he being now arraigned is no lawfull witnesse in his owne case And because these Councils make warre against the authoritie of Gods word y e Spirit of y e Lordes mouth which is his word shal proceed more and more to consume them Afterwarde the Iesuite not so carefull to performe as to moue great expectation by promise draweth mē to looke for profes of his religiō where profes are no more to be founde then a sure foundatiō vpon the sande or a place of light in the kingdome of darkenes So impossible are the things that now he vndertaketh For among other proofes he vndertaketh to auow y e faith of the Catholike Church by naturall and morall reason which are two great enemies of true religion two great nourses of Atheisme and heresie The Apostle teacheth this that the naturall man can not discerne the thinges of God they seeme foolishnes to him Dauid finding the rebellion and ignorance of a naturall heart craued a cleane heart to bee created within him and a newe spirit newe not onely in affections but in vnderstanding that hee myght learne the iudgementes of God For want of this heart Salomon was a stranger from God a long time notwithstanding he had a natural and morall wisdome aboue any that euer reigned in Ierusalem Peter coulde not receiue the reuelation of fayth from flesh and blood but this Iesuite can deliuer it from thence Therefore the religion which Iesuites woulde plant againe in England is not according to y e holy Scriptures giuē by inspiration of God but according to the carnall sense of vntaught men which must haue gods to goe before them that is they must haue a religion allowing gods images worshippings in y e feeling and wisdome of a naturall man that can not looke with the eyes of fayth vp into heauen nor with spirituall iudgement into y e great mysterie of godlinesse conteined in the holy scriptures Last of all this chalenger as one brought vp in y e Innes of court at Padua in the middest of spiritual lawyers vndertaketh to iustifie his said faith by commō wisdome of law standing yet in force practised Wherein againe he promiseth to paye out that which he neuer receiued in But if he hath borowed somewhat out of the lawes to saue his credit let vs examine howe farre it may go for paiment Among other lawes he relieth most vpon the Canon lawe and some such fragments thereof as yet he thinketh to stand in some force To speake therfore of the Canon law many matters therein are so grosse that euen many Papistes which otherwise haue a harlots forehead cā not read them without blushing Neuerthelesse out of a sea of such absurdities there is a booke extant y t hath gathered many notable places to proue aboue thirtie poyntes of our religion This was the iust iudgement of God against the Popes that they setting downe wicked canons shoulde not remember to take away y e good Nowe for so much of that law as is in practise if it be not pure let
important he notwithstāding promiseth himselfe without doubt as hauing y e disposition of their hearts in his hande that they also will at last for their own soules for many thousand soules that depend vpō their gouernmēt discoūtenāce the religiō hearken vnto Papistry He would not beforehand make this promise which is his chiefe purpose drawe the multitude to expect backsliding in their honors if he did not highly esteeme his owne basenesse basely iudge of their excellēcie But how doth this inconstant Iesuite still giue in one line and take away in another Haue her Maiesties most honorable Counsell wisdome in cases most importāt are they without wisdome in the most importāt cause of religiō which more thē al other causes importeth them for their owne soules many thousande soules beside Without this wisdom of God in the Gospell there is no wisedome in the wisest men of the worlde Then the Iesuite withdrawing from their honors this wisdome he attributeth to them a wisedome which is no wisedome and so his praises are no praises But he findeth in their wise gouernment feeleth their wisedome to bee according to knowledge their knowledge ioyned with zeale according to y e reuealed trueth which they vnder her Maiestie mainteine to Gods glory y e cutting off of Popish enterprises to the contrary Wherefore y e ages that shal come after shall witnes for her Maiestie for them that in singular wisdom they haue restored mainteined the glorious Gospell of Iesus Christ blessedly withstoode the flatteries of Iesuites and the violence of the vnholy fathers army that would in Englād set vp the beast that must be throwen downe into the nethermost hel neuer rise againe whose feareful fall will draw with it the fall of as many as depend vpō her yeeld their seruice to her notwithstanding her intolerable pride bloody fornications Moreouer this Iesuite writeth to their honor without regard of their honors For as if they had no eyes to see nor hearts to consider what may be and what hath bene said for Popish religion he wil now open the questions of religion so faithfully that their honors shall see the substantiall groundes whereon the Popish faith is builded Haue all other Iesuites wanted learning Haue euen this Champions masters wanted strength in the field and dexteritie in their enterprises To heale the woundes of the beast are all other Phisitions Phisitions of no valew Thus we see how this Iesuite chargeth the Lordes as not hauing their eyes yet open to see what religion is and also noteth the wantes of his masters that haue not done that himselfe will vndertake But to performe all these promises he must not alledge the authoritie of his oracle for the oracle himself may sooner with Atlas beare the weight of the worlde vpon his shoulders then mainteine so great a quarell as is the defense of the Romish Church against the Gospel of God as is the maynteining of the worldly kingdome of the Pope against the spirituall and mightie kingdome of Iesus Christ After these things he returneth to his slaunders against the preachers of the worde charging them that they huddle vp and confounde questions of religion But whatsoeuer the Iesuite thus casteth out in malicious false termes God bath blessed the preachers of the Gospell with worthie gifts and a pure forme of preaching agreeable to the puritie of the Gospel which they professe So that if our aduersaries their giftes come to a right examination it shall appeare to al men that if Papists haue learning so we also if they haue order and methode so wee also if they haue giftes to perswade we much more vpon more excellent groundes And which is more then all whereas they preach men we preache God whereas they preache error we preache the trueth not according to men but according to the foundation of the holy Prophets and Apostles Christ Iesus being the head corner stone As for Antiquitie Fathers Coūcils we allowe them as farre as the worde of God doeth not disalowe them But if any oracle from heauen or consent of all the worlde teache or perswade any thing otherwise then we haue receiued in the word we subscribe to the sentence alreadie pronounced by Saint Paul and registred in his holy Epistle to the Galathians What kinde of new preaching these new Iesuites bring I know not but if they followe the veine of their forefathers the auncient Friers then I know that they wil draw byase whether they huddle or no. The worlde is yet full of volumes wherein their sermons are penned downe but with matter so ridiculous and Latine so barbarous that all bookes written to make sport must giue place to them From charging the preachers he proceedeth to charge y e sway of the time for preuayling against him and his The time is neither shorter nor longer better nor worse in it selfe therefore in this figuratiue speach he couertly chargeth the gouerners of the time Wherein he againe vttereth his murmuring repineth that his golden times so often calculated can yet take no place But blessed be the Lord that hath stretched out his arme the swaye and stroke whereof preuayleth against all enemies of the kingdome of Iesus Christ and let not their praises die for euer whome the Lord hath raysed vp to be his instruments in so glorious a worke As for the best blood in your bodies which you woulde spēd for their honors which of them require any such sacrifice at your hande who stand in neede of it In so euil a cause as the perswading of error what can it auaile If I may againe aduise you keepe it to preserue life it may be the Lord hath appointed a day for your true repentance that renouncing your former workes of merite and supererogation you may receiue y e loue of the trueth and builde your faith vpon the merites of Christ alone which shalbe your owne saluation And leaue to professe loue where you practise treason cease to promise the sheading of your blood willingly as in a good cause whereas experience hath lately shewed that you your confederates lost blood in a notorious euill cause But that was the mercy of God that watcheth ouer vs still to take the wicked in their wickednes which mercie shall watch ouer vs continually if we auoide the contempt of y t Gospel we professe and shewe our selues thankefull to his maiestie for so great mercies Againe the Iesuite flaunteth in words vaunteth of his innocent handes lifted vp to heauen euery day euery houre as for the good of their honours To make your hands no fowler then they are yet those innocent handes haue written no innocent bookes they haue cast abroade no innocent libels they helde out no innocent banner of Popish obedience in their actual rebellions heretofore in England presently in Ireland But if those handes may be innocent that haue done