will serue the Lorde As if a man would say now choose whether you will professe the Gospell or Poperie His testimonie out of Ecclesiasticus Eccle. 31.10 Who might offend and hath not offended or doe euill and hath not done euill I maruell bee so much commendeth thinking it vnanswerable Whereas if it proue any thing it is but that which we neuer denied namely that the wicked haue a free will to euill Now that which he alledgeth out of saint Paul is too absurd Neuerthelesse he that purposeth firmely in his heart that he hath no need but hath power ouer his owne will c. What are these wordes to free will The power that here he speaketh of is if he performe his purpose without inconuenience to his daughter as may appeare not onely by Primasius and Hierom of this place Primasius Hieronimus Tho. Aquin. but also by his owne friend Thomas of Aquine who sheweth that then he hath power of his owne will when hee knoweth his daughter hath a purpose to continue a virgine So that in effect this is his argument His daughter doth not hinder his will for keeping her a virgin therefore hee hath free will in himselfe to doe good or eschew euill Of the strength of which argument let maister Bellarmines owne friendes consider His last place out of the scriptures is verie like this As euerie man wisheth in his owne heart 2. Cor. 9.7 c. He speaketh of the contribution to the Saints You must sayeth saint Paul giue willingly Therefore sayeth maister Bellarmine you haue free will Wee confesse that the regenerate haue a willingnes to do good and eschew euill and this the apostle would haue in them But doeth this prooue that they haue free will And thus farre for their arguments for free will out of the scriptures Out of the fathers master Bellar. bringeth many proofes And although there be iust cause to suspect manie of them in this question because they could not so easily forget that which in the schooles of philosophy they had learned yet that it may appeare that they haue not so generall a consent as they bragge of it is not amisse somewhat to looke into and to examine the proofes Bellar. de grat lib. arbit lib. 5. cap. 25. that out of them they bragge But maister Bellarmine would make a man afraide to heare his crackes Hee braggeth alwayes that his armour is of the best proofe that can not bee pearced his arguments such as can not be answered And first commeth in Ignatius Epist de mag whose wordes are so vnanswerable that maister Bellarmine seeth no way but to denie the Authour But let maister Bellarmine quiet him selfe we will admit the authour The effect of that he alledgeth out of the first place is that looke what men doe choose that they shal haue and after If a man do wickedly he is a man of the diuell so made not by nature but by the will of his minde Then let vs see his argument Looke what men doe choose they shall goe into the place of that they choose whether it bee life or death so sayeth Ignatius therefore saith maister Bellarmine men haue free will The force of both his places is this and the argument that can bee gathered out of the same men haue will ergo they haue free will And are these his vnanswerable arguments That which hee alledgeth out of Dionysius Areopagita although hee make as great bragges of it as hee did of the other yet it neuer so much as mentioneth free will De diuinis nominibus li. 4. cap. 4. part 4. In deed he saith If a man might not resist sinne hee were lesse to be blamed But if hee that is good giue strength which as the holy Scriptures teach doeth giue things conuenient simplie to euerie man c. That God giueth conuenient strength to them which with humilitie seeke it but what doth this gift of God prooue that wee haue free will It rather ouerthroweth it For if we haue not strength but by his gift then we haue it not in vs or by free will As for Clement of Rome because himselfe dare not speake much for the trueth of that witnesse I let him passe Then commeth in Iustine the Philosopher and martyr whose words for free will maister Bellarmine taketh to be so plaine that he saieth maister Caluine neither doeth nor can feigne anie thing that will carrie any shewe of an answer What neede we to feigne Master Bellarmine that haue the truth for our warrant We leaue faigning to painters poets and papists who loue alwayes to make a shew of that that is not If we consider the occasions why the ancient fathers did write in such sort their meaning will bee pliane enough And that may appeare by Iustinus Martyr here alledged He saith I grant Apolog. ad senatum Apol. ad An. That if men haue not free will to shunne euill and doe good they are not to blame for that they doe and deserue neither reward nor punishment Thus in effect hee saieth in the places alledged We neither denie the authour in this place to be Catholike nor his woordes in his sense to be true But because there were some that beeing deceyued with that which the Stoikes taught concerning that fatall necessitie whereby all things were done as though man could not choose but do the euill that he doeth and that he were by this fatall necessitie compelled thereto in respect of the necessarie consequence of causes and thereby made man to haue nothing to doe in the workes that himselfe did but that hee were euen forced thereto without his owne will as stone or wood is laide in the house onelie at the pleasure of the workeman without anie disposition in themselues one way or other because I say that some hereby did denie all will or inclination in man to good or euill as not onely Simon Magus and the Manicheis of whom maister Bellarmine speaketh but also the Bardesanistes Cap. 35. Cap. 6◠of whome Saint Augustine writeth in his Booke of herisies who ascribed all mans conuersation to destinie and the Priscilianists who because they make all their actions to bee ruled by the Planets thinke that they sin against their will and therfore doth not Iustin onely but other of the godly fathers speak so plainly as they seeme to doe in defence of free will Not because they thinke that man hath such ability being once renued by grace that he can doe what hee will as the papistes teach but they only impugne these Stoicall opinions that affirme that man doth of necessitie euill or good And that this is the meaning of Iustine the Martir by his owne wordes doth plainly appeare because in both the places alleadged by maister Bellarmine he setteth himselfe to reason against thē that would haue men thinke that all things were wrought by desteny Against the which he on the other side reasoneth that if men had
lay people And still there are that in corners seeke to perswade ignorant men and women that there can be almost no greater daunger vnto their soules than to reade the scriptures Wherein they shew themselues to be nothing of the minde of Phillip Acts 8.31 35 who forbade not the Eunuch to reade the scripture but taught him neither like to the fathers of the church some hundreds of yeares after Christ whose care was to exhort and drawe the people to the diligent reading of the same And whosoeuer they are that with diligence humilitie and prayer doe continue in the reading of the scriptures as wee see in sundry by experience shall be able in reasonable manner to auoyde and passe through those sixe impediments that I before alleaged out of Bellarmine and shall haue mindes exercised as the Apostle to the Hebrewes speaketh Cap. 5.14 and that not without great fruit to discerne good and euill And thus wee may see how litle the fathers make for that which the church of Rome teacheth in this point For the fathers say thus The scriptures are hard therefore you must reade them diligently The church of Rome cleane contrary The scriptures are hard therefore you must not reade them Therefore let vs detest as a most pestilent position that daungerous doctrine of the church of Rome knowing that whosoeuer be hee neuer so ignorant with reuerent reading seeketh to finde and with deuout prayer asketh knowledge of God shall finde much knowledge and comfort in his godly and christian exercise For Hieron ps 147. The word of God is most fat and fertile It hath in it all delicates And thus to conclude seeing the scriptures onely are Gods word and they are so sufficient and plentifull that in them the hungry may haue foode the poore treasure the rich direction the sicke physicke the whole diet the sorrowfull comfort the ignorant knowledge and the foolish true wisedome to be short seeing there for all wants we finde a remedy and seeing that rule is so true that it cannot deceiue so straight that it can not be crooked so constant to it selfe that it changeth not lastly seeing it is so easie that by diligence and prayer the godly may not learne onely but grow and increase daily from knowledge to knowledge let vs account them as deadly enemies to our soules who seeke to drawe vs from this sufficient and certaine written word of God to the doctrines or traditions of men what glorious names soeuer they giue them What shall wee then account of the popish crew that are not ashamed to teach the Scriptures to be daungerous because euill men abuse them so doth the drunkard drinke the glutton meate the prowd apparell the couetous riches and the euill men all Gods graces yet all these thinges are good and so is Gods word holy and vndefiled But nowe to the second point That only the Canonicall bookes of the old and new Testament are this written word or Scriptures CHAP. 5 THE PROTESTANTS SEing that the rule of the Catholike faith must be knowen De verbo dei lib. 1. cap. 2. and certaine for if it be not knowen it can not be a rule vnto vs if not certaine it is no rule at all as Bellarmine hath very wel noted only those scriptures which we according to the ancient vse of the Primitiue church and the common consent of those purer times do call Canonicall are that sure rule that can not deceiue for therefore haue they that name because they are for triall of doctrines as the rule or line for triall of workes it is certain that no other word can be that infallible word of God certaine rule of faith and religion but only the Canonical Scriptures These onely haue beene of the godly Fathers accounted to haue beene written by those whom God indued with his spirite for that cause Concil Laodicenum ca. 59. Hieron ad Paulinum prologo Galeato Out of these onlie the Fathers permit matters of controuersie to bee tried And in expounding of these that wee call Canonicall they haue bestowed their godly labours yea and them onely to bee certaine and such as were neuer doubted of among Catholike men De verbo dei lib. 1. cap. 4. Bellarmine himselfe confesseth and it is a ground or principle acknowledged of all men THE PAPISTS NOtwithstāding this name Canonicall which the ancient fathers haue giuen to these Scriptures onely to testify that they are only the certaine canon and rule of faith notwithstanding also such preheminence and excellency Bellarm. de verbo Dei li. 1. ca. 2. compared with that cap. 4. as not the Fathers onely but themselues also doe yeelde vnto the Canonicall scriptures to be of all other the most certaine rule and most infallible touchstone in all matters of controuersie the Councel of Trent is not ashamed to commaund and that vnder paine of beeing accursed to receiue these bookes that are contained in the Bible with like reuerence and deuotion and to make them of as good credite as the canonicall Scripture I say euen those Apocryphaes in which are many things absurd and whose very name sheweth them to be vnknown from whence they came who were not found in the Hebrew nor accounted by the Iewes to be Canonicall And so they doe match that word that all men alwayes and euen themselues acknowledge to be lesse certaine with that which they knowe that no good man euer doubted of Argument But lest they should seeme thus to dote without reason they vse in effect these arguments for proofe heereof The first is that these bookes which we call Apocrypha are alledged sometimes of the Fathers in their writings Answers But the answere is easie For the alledging of them doth not prooue that they who alledged them did hold them for canonicall for then should it followe that poets philosophers and such like who are often alledged by the ancient writers should so be But this rule must stand alwayes good which S. Hierome hauing reckoned vp those bookes which now in our Bibles are accounted canonicall and no other ◠rologo in lib. Reg. qui Galeatus dicitur Ruffinus in symbol prolog in Prouerb hath Whatsoeuer is besides these must be put amongst the Apocrypha Yea to be short they do alledge them because they may bee read to the edifying of the people but not to confirme the authoritie of any ecclesiasticall doctrine as saint Hierome saith of Tobie Iudith and the Machabees and Ruffinus also vppon the Creede De doct◠ina christian lib. 2. cap. 8. The second argument is taken out of Augustine because he reckoneth vp the books which we call Canonicall and also the Apocrypha and calleth all Canonicall So doth the third councell holden at Carthage also Cap. 47 with some other ancient writers Answere Admit that this were the meaning of saint Augustine and of those Fathers shall their bare authority without reason be heauy enough to weigh
Truth and Falshood Or A Comparison betweene the Truth now taught in England and the Doctrine of the Romish Church with a briefe confutation of that Popish doctrine Hereunto is added an Answere to such reasons as the popish Recusants alledge why they will not come to our Churches By Francis Bunny sometime fellow of Magdalen College in Oxford GAL. 1.9 If any man preach vnto you otherwise than that ye haue receiued let him be accursed LONDON Printed by Valentine Sims for Rafc Iacson dwelling in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the white Swanne 1595. To the right worshâ—â—full Companie of Ironmongers in London Francis Bunny somtime their Scholer wisheth increase of knowledge and zeale of the trueth with abundance of all spirituall graces heere and a happy life with God elsewhere IF the children of Ruben and Gad Numb 31.21 2â— might not setle theÌ„selues to rest ease til the Lord had cast out his enemies froÌ„ his sight but that they should sinne against the Lord and their sinne should finde them out for it is great reason that they that haue one inheritance promised should take paines together to get the same and put from it their common enemies then how much more shal God finde vs guiltie if so many and mighty enemies seeking by al meanes possible to keepe vs and our brethren from the possession of the trueth here and so from that spiritual Canaan and heauenly Ierusalem else-where we seeking our quiet estate and contenting our selues with our owne happy life do not our indeuour to scatter and confound according vnto our place and calling the common enemies to our saluation When the children of Ruben and Gad Iosh 22 1â— and the halfe tribe of Manasseh had builded them an altar in their countrey for a remembrance that they were to be accounted Israelites although Iordan parted them from the other tribes and the rest of Israel had thought that they had builded it to offer sacrifices vpon the same the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered them together at Shiloh to warre against them For they thought it to be euery mans part to oppose theÌ„selues against Gods enemies and to be forward in defence of his glorie Seeing theâ—â— fore a common cause requireth common help and they that â— he not keepe a good watch in the place that is appointed vnto them and in their calling doe as much as in them lieth betray the cause Matth. 25.30 and such as doe not occupie their talent shal be Cast into vtter darkenes as vnprofitable seruants I haue thought it good according to my slender skill and simple talent to oppose my selfe against our aduersaries in defence of Gods glorie and the truth euen against them who are both the most dangerous enimies to our soules health and the continual disturbers of all common wealths The first they indeuour by their false doctrine the other by their most perillous and endlesse practises Insomuch as of the troubles that are this day in the world the Cardinall of Loraine seemeth to haue made a true confession euen in the councell of Trent For our sakes brethren saieth hee is this storme risen therefore cast vs into the sea Indeede not for their sakes onely Gentil exam concil Trident. sess 22 lib. 4. but by their meanes are these troubles come vpon this part of the worlde Nowe the multitude or malice of our enemies must not discourage vs from doing our duty but how much more they increase in number so much the more diligent should we be and their crueltie and malice should increase our courage against them But in vaine doe wee withstand them with our tongues and pennes if the Christian Magistrates doe not put to their helping hand who haue also their du y to do in the church of God as wel as they to whom the ministery of the word is committed Moses Aaron the prince and the priest were brethren to teach vs what mutuall help the one of them must make to the other Kings and Queenes if they forget not their dutie must be nursing fathers nurces to Gods church Psa 49.23 They must cherish and norish it they must loue and defend it And as idolatrous princes the slaues of antichrist haue one mind â—â— ocal 17.12 and shal giue their power authoritie to the beast and shall fight with the Lamb 13 as we see it is come to passe in these our dayes euen so should all godly Princes and Magistrates be ashamed that zeale of Gods glory and loue vnto his trueth should not knit them as fast together and make them as willing to maintaine the good cause as superstition ambition and malice preuaileth with the wicked to make them so 〈◊〉 bornly to striue against Gods vndoubted word Such princes 〈◊〉 in scriptures commended vnto vs as haue beene ready to maintaine trueth set foorth Gods word and regarded the sinceritie of the same and haue on the contrary withstoode superstition put downe idolatry and compelled their people vnto the seruice of God both according to the first and second table of the Commandements And on the other side it is left as a staine vnto the memory of others that they did not take away occasions of idolatry and remoue such stumbling blockes out of mens wayes If then we could in such a godly consent as the Prophet Sophonie saith serue the Lord with one shoulder the ciuil magistrates Zophon 3.9 by the sword we by the word they by correction if neede require we by exhortations they by punishments we by threatnings remembring that both the one and the other must one day make an account of our stewardship and answere for our defaults then I doubt not but God would blesse our godly labors with great increase of knowlege and godlines But as in the end of this treatise I haue made some exhortation vnto magistrates to consider of their dutie in this point so haue I also thought it my part to maintaine to my power Truth against Falshood euen Gods word against mens inuentions And for this cause haue I taken this trauell to set downe the summe of that that we teach especially in such matters as are principally in question amongst vs and on the contrary what our aduersaries teach concerning the same Which I thought to be necessary because our doctrine is many times by the aduersaries slandered especially before such as are ignorant as though it were far otherwise than in truth it is And that the truth more easly may appeare what is taught by them and vs he that listeth may see with little labor euen as it were at one view both our opinions Neither do I vndertake to set downe all that we teach concerning those articles but onely the points that doe especially belong to the controuersies that are betweene vs. Then also haue I set downe the principall arguments whereby they confirme their doctrines and indeuour to confute them Wherein especially I
cal the Scriptures and vnwritten which they call Traditions Traditions And the traditions say they were either deliuered by the Apostles themselues to some special men and therfore are called Apostolike or else are set downe by the Church and for that cause called Traditions of the Church Traditions equall with the word Now traditions are made equall and to be receiued with as great reuerence as the Scriptures euen by the Councel of Trent Ses 4. decre 1 Preferred before the word the most modest Papists But there are others who in their excesse of impietie preferre the trâ— ditions before the word written and make them of greater force than it as Pighius in his Ecclesiasticall hierarchie Eccl. Hierar lib. 1. cap. 4. Thesi 9. In his preface Wolfgangus Screckius Nay in that he wil by traditions haue all doctrines tried he manifestly subiecteth the pure written woorde of God to the prophane deuises of man BVt to take away the proppes of this their ruinous building let vs see what grounds or foundations for so Melchior Canus a learned Papist termeth them they lay of this their doctrine Obiection Melchior Canus in his common places of Diuinitie and Bellarmine in his controuersies lib. 3. cap. 3 Bellar. lib. 4 〈◊〉 of Gods worde dâ— written and others also set this downe as a most neceâ—â—â—rie principle That the Church is more ancient than the Scriptures As in trueth the Church was more than two thousand yeres before there was any written word of God in bookes and therefore Bellarmine inferreth That the Scriptures are not simply necessary Answere First this ground doeth not vpholde that which is in controuersie among vs. For they shoulde prooue traditions to bee a part of Gods worde so that without them Gods word could not bee counted perfect And to proue that they tel vs that it was more than two thousand yeeres before the woord was written Which maketh nothing for them vnlesse they can shew vs that this word which is now written is not that same that before was deliuered by tradition vnto the fathers of that old world For the question betweene vs and the Papists is not of the maner of deliuering Gods word whether it were deliuered by word or by writing but of the matter namely whether Gods word be any thing else than that is written in the old and new testament which we deny but they affirme it because the word was so long time vnwritten yet the church was not then without the word So that because the word was reuealed after an other manner the Papists wil haue it another word Whereas in trueth that same word that was from the beginning Iohn 1.1 what word that is that is written is that verie word of God that was so long after the beginning written for the Iewes and is now deliuered vnto vs. Wee must therefore take heede that they deceiue vs not by the double signification of the word Scripture which sometime expresseth the manner of deliuering the word namely by writing and so we confesse the scripture was not so ancient as the church by mo than two thousand yeares but sometime the word Scripture signifieth the word it selfe which is deliuered vnto vs as it is commonly now taken and in this place must so be vnderstoode And so hath the word written beene from the beginning That is to say that the selfe same word which God by word of mouth as we say and by tradition did teach the patriarkes hee afterwards did cause to be written which word wee call the holy scriptures And further also we must remember that one manner of deliuering the word of God Diuerse maners of deliuering the word at diuerse times is fit for one time and an other manner of deliuering it for an other time As may appeare by that which hath beene said how that God hath in his infinite wisedome seene it needefull to deliuer it one way afore the Lawe in an other sort vnder the Lawe and the Gospell although not in like measure in both these latter times So that this argument cannot stand good The scriptures haue not beene written in the first age amongst the patriarkes therefore they are not necessary now amongst vs in these dayes to whom God hath by them reuealed his word Which argument is strongly confuted by Chrysostome that learned and ancient Father In Matth. hom 1. But to these men who are as Tertullian calleth the Heretikes of his time lucifugae scripturarum De resurrect carnis such as shunne the light of the scriptures and flee from it I may say as the same Tertullian speaketh in an other place De prescript Beleeue without the Scriptures that yee may also beleeue against the Scriptures Let them seeke the desert of their owne deuises and follow the trod of their owne traditions to finde out some couert for their superstitions but let vs content our selues to dwell in the cities of the Lawe the Prophets the Gospel and the Apostles which are the Scriptures and not goe out of them In Mich. li. 1 as Saint Ierome speaketh For euery word of God is pure Prou. 30.5 6 hee is a shield to those that trust in him Put nothing to his word lest he reprooue thee and thou be found a liar That this VVorde is sufficient CHAP. 2 THE PROTESTANTS This word is sufficient NOw this written word of God because it is sent vs froÌ„ that most gratious God that hath loued vs and chosen vs in Christ before the foundations of the world were laide Eph. 1.4 that we might be holy with out blame before him and is brought vnto vs by that most excellent Prophet In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Coloss 2.3 and therefore can teach vs Heb. 3.2 who also is faithful and therefore wil deale truely with vs yea who so heartily loueth vs that hee died for vs and therefore doubtlesse will be careful to teach vs what behooueth vs to knowe Seeing also the Apostle saint Paul doeth testifie that he kept nothing backe that was profitable Acts 20.20 27 but shewed them all the councell of God We therefore beleeue the Scriptures to be written Ioh. 20.31 that wee might beleeue and beleeuing might haue eternall life 2. Tim. 3.16 And that the whole scripture giuen by inspiration of God is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse 17 That the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto all good workes that is that the Scripture is so sufficient and perfect that it hath no want it needeth no supply nothing must be added THE PAPISTS BVT the Church of Rome knowing that Tertullian wrote truely De resurrect carnis That Heretikes if they be made to proue that they say by the Scriptures can not stand do find fault that they should be so straitly limited and tethered that
sentence of scripture a man may gather diuerse good lessons and that with good fruit to others and approbation of all men so long as those interpretations are agreeable to the rule of faith yet when any euill thing in faith or life is thereby maintained without all doubt the words are then wrested and it ceaseth to bee Gods word Now this is not the fault of the word but of mans corrupt affections which abuse the same Rom. 7.12 For the Lawe truely is holy and the commandement is holy iust and good And as Epiphanius saieth Heres 70 There is no discord in the Scripture nor one sentence disagreeing from an other And in an other place Heres 76 All things in the holy Scripture are cleane enough to them that with godly consideration will come vnto that diuine word and haue not conceiued in themselues the worke of the Diuell indeuoring to throw themselues into the pit of death Euen as saint Paul saith If our gospell be yet hid 2. Cor. 4 3 4 it is hid in them that are lost in whom the god of this world hath blinded their minds And what is Gods word the worse if the wicked will not know it 2. Pet. 3.16 or the vnlearned or vnstable peruert it to their owne destruction I wil therefore conclude with that golden saying of Iustine the martyre I would wish others to be of that mind Iustin Col. cum Tryphone Iud. that they would not swarue from our Sauiours wordes For they can put religion into them that wander from the right way and refresh with most sweete rest them that are exercised therein The Scriptures easie CHAP 4 THE PROTESTANTS Scripturs easie WE also teach the scripturs to be easie not bicause we thinke nothing to be hard in them or that they are easy to euery one but we affirme with Chrysostome 2. Thess 2 hom 3. All that is necessary is easy in them So that with a mind humbled and crauing of God to be instructed men study them The simple may learn by them their duety towardes God and man and how to behaue them selues in their particular dueties And whereas by the Papistes own confessiō the x commandements are very easie Bellarm. de verbo Dei lib. 3. cap. 2. no man can deny but that Gods threatnings against sin the promises of mercy and many other things in this writtē word are as easie Yea why were the prophets sent vnto all sorts of men why do the apostles write vnto all but because much if not all that they do write or say might be vnderstoode euen of the simple THE PAPISTS ANd on the contrary the church of Rome fearing least the light of the worde should discouer the darkenes of their blind deuotions doe what they can to discourage the people from being exercised in the Scriptures lest knowing the truth they shuld detest their superstitions and idolatries and for this cause they cry out with opē mouth that the scripture is too hard to bee vnderstoode and too darke for ignorant men to meddle with the same Wherby they haue brought many ignorant and lay men into that foolish and vnchristian conceit that they thinke it a great deale more dangerous for them euen for their soules health to be occupied in reading or hearing some peece of holie Scripture than the wanton and vnchaste Bookes of prophane men which corrupt good manners and breede noysome lustes that fight against the soule But because this is a great stumbling blocke in the way of the ignorant it shall not be amisse somewhat particularly to examine the Arguments that are vsed to prooue the hardnesse of the scriptures Argument The first argument of Bellarmines is this Dauid prayeth thus Giue me vnderstanding and I wil search thy law Open mine eies Lib. 3. cap. 1. de verbi Dei interpr and I will consider the woonderous things of thy lawe shew the light of thy countenance vpon thy seruant teach me thy statutes therefore the Scriptures are hard Answere It is certaine that Dauids prayers were not to haue his naturall or outward man only instructed for who can imagine that the prophet Dauid being so well acquainted in Gods booke could not vnderstand Gods lawe but to haue his mind and inward man lightned and directed and therefore this proueth not the sense of scripture to be hard for the like prayers are to be vsed of them that thinke it to be most easie Secondly euen the lawe which they confesse to be easie hath not only the literall sense but should also be a bridle vnto the affections and thoughts of men Matth. 5 as most plainly appeareth in those Commentaries which our Sauiour Christ maketh vppon the sixt seuenth and fourth commandements Rom. 7.14 In which respect also S. Paul doth call it Spirituall although Bellarmine seeme to account the commandements to be but Natural The Precepts saith he of the x. Commandements seeing they are natural may easily be vnderstood Dauid therfore may there pray as all christians ought to doe that he may know by Gods word not only how to rule his actiōs but also his words affections This thē doth not proue the scripturs to be hard concerning such good lessons as out of the literal sense may be learned but he proueth that vnlesse God lighten vs we cannot see the spirituall meaning Psa 119.27 which he calleth the maruellous things of the law Arg. 2 His second argument proueth some parts of Scripture to be hard which we denie not and therefore deserueth no answere Arg. 3 Lib. 2. ca 47 Contra Celsum lib. 7 In Exod. hom 12 His third argument is taken from the Fathers Irene saith in the scriptures I commit many things to God Orig. saith the scripture is darke in many places And in another place that we must pray night and day that the lamb of the Tribe of Iuda will come and that hee will vouchsafe to open the booke that is sealed Answere That many things in the scripture are hard we neuer denied as before I said and that with Reading wee should ioyne Prayer therefore Bellarmine when he took these weapons in hand did but feare his owne shadow That Basil and Gregory Nazianzene did seeke not by their owne presumption but by other mens writings that were before them to attaine to the vnderstanding of this written word Ruffinus doth well to commend them But I am sure that Bellarmine himselfe will not thereof conclude that they vnderstoode nothing of themselues or without teachers or that all the scriptures are hard He bringeth in Chrysostome saying that the deepe things therein cannot be attained vnto without great labour and that Christ would haue the Iewes not to reade onely but to search them also If of this hee conclude therfore al the scriptures are hard his argument is to be denied for that it hath no trueth in it if hee say therefore many things are hard we say
that with diligence the scriptures must be searched and without loathsomnes yea with reuerence receiued But that wee may the more easily and euidently see how little these fathers do make for them it is necessary to see with what purpose and to what end these say that they do write of the hardnesse of the scriptures Namely not to discourage men from reading of them but to stirre them vp to more diligence and carefulnesse in reading them As may appeare by the earnest and vehement exhortations which the ancient fathers doe make not onely to all men generally Hom. 9. in epist ad Coloss but euen to lay men in particular and especially Heare saith Chrysostome all yee lay men that are present and that haue wiues and children howe the Apostle commandeth euen you especially to reade the Scriptures and not to reade them only as it were by chance but with great diligence with many other such like exhortations in that place as also in many other of his writings Saint Hierome in sundry of his epistles vnto godly women exhorteth them to diligent reading of the same he also to intice them to be conuersant therein dedicateth vnto some women som of his treatises vpon the scriptures Yea and in his preface vnto Paula and Eustochium two women before his first booke vpon the epistle to the Ephesians which is the place out of which Bellarmines second argument out of Hierome was fetched doth highly commend the study and knowlege of the scriptures And in his preface vnto his second booke doth extoll Marcella for her diligent study therein Hom. 20 in Ios preferring her before himselfe Thou wilt say saith Origen the scriptures are hard yet it is good to reade them And wisheth that we all would doe as it is written namely Search the Scriptureâ— â—â—â—nelius Agryppa reporteth 〈◊〉 S 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that in the first Nicene councell it was decreed that no christian man should be without a bible in his house And Chrysostome exhorteth euen lay men and that very earnestly to get them Bibles Hom. 9 in Coloss or at the least the new Testament So then wee see to what intent the Fathers tell vs that the Scriptures are hard namely because they would not haue vs to be careles in the study of them and negligent or to imagine when wee knowe somewhat that we neede knowe no more but as Hierome would haue vs to doe Epistol ad Pâ—â— liâ— um We must cracke the nut if wee will eate the kernell We must take paines to get knowledge assuring our selues that wee can neuer learne too much because wee can neuer knowe enough And saint Augustine in his Confessions saith Liâ— 6. cap. â— they ought to bâ— read of all But the Papists in complaining of the hardnes of the scriptures shoot at an other marke that is to make the simple people afraide that they meddle not with it that they reade it not neither yet heare it read vnto them So that besides the other slaunders wherewith they seeke to staine Gods word proclaiming it not to be sufficient but that it wanteth many things and may be wrested to any fence they adde this also that it is hard and therefore dangerous for them that are not learned to reade it And this is the very cause why they speake so much of the hardnesse of the scriptures as not onely their writings and words proclaime in all places but also their cruell executions against such as haue had in their mother tongue For libr. ◠〈◊〉 is and Momun in the beginning I say not the bible or the New Testament but euen the Lordes prayer or the tenne commaundements which they would seeme to allow vnto the people Gregory Nazianzene doth write In Apologâ—â— that some ancient men amongst the Hebrewes report of a custome which the Iewes had which he also commendeth which was that some places of the scriptures were not permitted 〈…〉 body to reade before they were fiue and twentie yeeres old but the rest of the scripture they should learne euen from their childehoode Where note that they make no difference of any state calling or sexe but of age onely and that when they were fiue and twentie yeares olde they might reade any parcell of Scripture But the Papists permit not any parcell of the scriptures to the lay people nay hardly to their priests but onely as they will followe such sence thereof as they appoint Yea I haue knowen bachellors of diuinity admitted to reade some booke of the master of sentences as the vse then was when they proceeded so that this was their conclusion They are hard therefore you shall not reade them That the scriptures are so hard as they are Papists to be blamed for hardnesse of the Scripture by their and to so many none are to bee blamed but the church of Rome that so much complaineth of their hardnesse but in trueth are sory they are so easie as is most plaine to see first in that they would not haue them in the mother tongues but when they see there is no remedy but that the scripture will be published whether they will or not they send vs a Testament from Rhennes Translations so full of Hebrew Latine and Greeke wordes turned into English letters that all the world may see that they meane nothing lesse than that they that reade it should vnderstand it And yet they cry The scripture is hard Secondly they are the cause of the hardnesse of the scriptures when in the most plaine places that are they will not suffer men to follow that sence which the words themselues and the circumstances both before and after doe affoord Interpretations but they must haue their interpretation from the church of Rome without whose approbations they must neither trust their own eies for seeing nor their eares for hearing neither yet their wit for vnderstanding of any thing When they change the very sence and wordes and where they finde Lord they put Lady as in that blasphemous booke called the psalter of the Virgine Marie they doe through the whole psalmes and some other places When the first promise that was made of that blessed seede that should breake the head of the serpent they apply as much as they dare vnto the Virgine Marie when these wordes shall be currant stuffe to proue worshipping of the Saints departed In as much as yee haue doone it to the least of these my brethren Math. 25.40 yee haue doone it vnto mee which are spoken of our goodnesse to Gods needy creatures aliue as Eckius imagineth in his common places De vener sanct when I say the people are taught thus to vnderstand the scriptures must they not needes bee hard Lastly the greatest cause of this hardnesse is that the people are not acquainted with them for they are forbidden to reade them nay Forbidding to reade scripture it hath beene death to haue them found with the
Baptisme saueth vs by the resurrection of Christ 1. Pet. 3.21 which maketh nothing against vs. But Bellarmine to make his argument seeme stronger alleadgeth onely the former wordes Baptisme saueth vs as though it did so by it owne vertue and neuer maketh mention of the latter wordes Through the resurrection of Christ for that is against him and sheweth from whence baptisme hath her vertue and efficacie And this being well considered it wil perchance not be hard to answere vnto much of that which they can say for this their dangerous doctrine That the Sacrament of it selfe euen by the very receiuing of it giueth grace to the receiuer And for the necessitie thereof I haue saide before in this chapter in the answere to the first reason so much as I trust may satisfie the godly Reader Of Confirmation CHAP. 12. THE PROTESTANTS BVt as for Cōfirmation as it was vsed in the Romish church although we haue iust cause to reiect it and much lesse can we account it a Sacramēt which hath neither commandement in the worde nor promise of spirituall graces yet wee doe not deny but that the people of God in respect of their manifold wāts haue great neede continually to haue their ignorance instructed their dulnesse refourmed their weaknesse strengthned their godly indeuors bettered and their knowledge increased And for this cause is it very needefull that the childrē which because they are infantes when they are baptized can not at their baptisme yeelde account of their faith shoulde bee taught when they are older the principles of religion and make before the Bishop and other present profession of their faith and that by godly exhortation they should be moued openly to continue constantly in that holy profession God should be prayed vnto to continue and encrease his good graces in them And this holie Confirmation I doubt not would doe much good in the Church if it were often vsed THE PAPISTS BVT in steede hereof the church of Rome commendeth vnto vs a kinde of Confirmation that consisteth of a number of foolish and vnprofitable ceremonies And to make it more readily and reuerētly to be receiued they would perswade the ignorant that it is a Sacrament And not content therewith this deuise of theirs they doe highly commend Bellarm. de sa li. 2. ca. 28 as that It is more excellent than Baptisme it selfe in respect of the effect of grace bicause therein is giuen the fulnes of the spirit marke their blasphemy for the fulnesse thereof is giuen to Christ only to al vs by measure Coloss 1.19 Ioh. 3.34 Rom. 12.3 And that it doth consummate and perfect Baptisme Bellarm. li. 2. de Confir cap. 11. and giueth greater grace than Baptisme doth What copper or counterfeit coine dare not these men commend vnto vs for good gold who dare so confidently to preferre the greasie deuise of man before the holy institution of Christ himself And make more account of that which themselues doe confesse to haue no warrant in Gods worde than of Christes holy Sacrament De Sacram. confir li. 2. cap. 2. But let vs consider how Bellarmine defendeth this who for his learning is much accounted of and that worthily amongst the papists so that his want of proofe doth plainely shew the weakenesse of his cause Whereas there are but three things necessarily required in a Sacrament as hee truely confesseth visible signe promise of grace and Gods commaundement which much weakeneth that which hee saide of the working power of the Sacraments as appeareth in the tenth chapter he wil prooue that confirmation hath all these three Hee prooueth first that this Sacrament as hee termeth it hath promise of grace and why Because the holy Spirite is promised Is not this clarkely handled and strongly proued God promiseth the holy Ghost therefore confirmation hath the promise of grace Secondly the visible signe is saieth hee the laying on of the hands vpon the head But the popish confirmation hath not laying on of hands neither is it necessarie now a dayes by their owne confession Belarm de confir li. 2. cap. 13 For these are the ceremonies that doe belong to that their Sacrament First the Oyle must be consecrated by prayer secondly by crossing for without a crosse saith Bellarmine nothing can be consecrated Wherein Bellarmine giueth Saint Paule the lie because hee neuer spake of the crosse when he said 1. Tim. 4 4 5 Euerie creature of God is sanctified by the worde of God and praier and Bellarmine saith nothing is sanctified without the crosse But perchaunce he will say that oile is none of gods creatures as indeed in respect of the vse or rather abuse of it it is not Thirdly the Bishop must breathe vpon the cruet or cup of oyle Fourthly he must say to the oyle All haile holy oyle O foolish blasphemie Then are there other ceremonies but not essentiall in this Sacrament the Godfather Certaine praiers thirdly the Pax then a blow vpon the cheeke fiftly A ragge tied about the forehead sixtly He must not wash his forehead for seuen dayes Thinke you this slouenly Sacrament hath any such grace as they woulde haue vs to beleeue that it hath when as they feare that washing where the oyle was may hinder the vertue of it seuenthly it must be at Easter and Whitsuntide vsed lastly they that receiue this Sacrament must be fasting But of the laying on of hands there is no mention vnlesse you will say that he that giueth him a blow vpon the eare layeth his hands vpon his head And as for that it is reckoned among the ceremonies that are not of the substance of this sacrament But Bellarmine in another place saith De effec Sacram lib. 2 cap. 24. that then is that ceremony of laying on of the hands performed when the Bishop maketh the crosse in the forehead But that is not so for the laying on of hands was done vpon the head and was borowed from the olde lawe of that which they did vnto the sacrifices when they brought them to bee offered they did by that ceremonie of laying their hands vpon the head of the sacrifice consecrate as it were the same to the Lord. Num. 27 24 And when God commaunded Moses to consecrate Iosue to succeed him and to comfort and incourage him to the worke that he had to doe he doth lay his handes vpon his head Mat. 19 16 Acts 6.6 1. Tim. 4.14 2. Tim. 1.6 According to which example Christ laid his hands vpon the children the Apostles vpon the deacons and others Acts 8.17 and the Elders and Paule vpon Timothie Now marke howe it is prooued that Popish Confirmation hath the outwarde signe of a Sacrament The Bishop doth crosse the partie to be confirmed in the forehead therefore he layeth hands vpon his head Well then this their sacrament hath no promise as I haue shewed neither hath it any visible signe that was vsed and appointed by Christ and
bread I trust then it will not bee anie heresie for mee to expounde nature the properties of the bread seeing doctor Chadsey a catholike doth it We see then that this vnanswerable argument that he made so great account of and bragged that it could neuer be answered is long since fully answered by one of his owne friends he knew not of it Ciril is his fift witnes not that learned father that was bishop of Alexandrie but another that was B. of Ierusalē Ciril Ierus cathec Mistagog 4 whose books are but lately set forth by thēselues that now bring him in for a witnes therfore we may doubt whether he be wel delt wtal Out of him he aledgeth 3. places He once turned water into wine shal he not be worthy to be trusted that he turned wine into bloud Beholde here sayth maister Bellarmine a reall change And why so I knowe he will answere because it was so in the water for it was really changed into wine and therfore also saint Iohn Iohn 2 11 who reporteth the storie saith it was a myracle Now to change wine into bloud is as great a miracle and therefore it is likely that if there had bin any such miracle wrought some or other would haue noted it for a miracle seeing so many haue spokē of that matter namely three Euangelists and S. Paul Master Bell. knoweth that the fathers vse many times to speake verie hyperbolically and to amplify with excessiue speaches the matters that they would set forth as here this Ciril doth yet we must not gather thereof such a real change in the wine as I haue said was in the water but this is spoken to win that at our hands that he in that place moueth vs vnto that we should not thinke the sacramentall wine to bee but bare wine His second witnesse for maister Bellarmine is after in that place Vnder the forme of bread the bodie is giuen and in forme of wine the bloud Wherupon maister Bellarmine againe insulteth thus Behold the accidents of bread which remaine We grant it but not the accidents or shew of bread only but the substance also and that he hath not yet denied therefore let vs see his third place Knowe this for a certaintie that this bread which is seene of vs is not bread though thy tast perceiue it to be bread In deed hee speaketh here farre otherwise than the auncient fathers doe in that hee sayeth It is not bread For there is not one of the fathers for at the least six hundred yeeres after Christ that euer spake so but this man onely And therefore howsoeuer he amplifieth the matter in wordes to bring vnto the holy Sacraments due regarde which the fathers at those times vpon great causes did much endeuour Catec Mist 3 yet he is not to be thought to haue meant otherwise than that hee sayd before that it is no more common bread For although if they regarde but the taste they shall finde no change yet that sacrament is an authenticall seale of our faith which assureth vs that Christ is spiritually giuen vnto vs. And thus much briefly of these authorities that men may see that they are not so very plaine that infallible arguments may be gathered out of them But now I must needes speake somewhat of the Author And first for the Booke it selfe Lib. Eccles hist ◠ca. 23. out of which these places are alleaged it seemeth to me that saint Hierome hath somewhat burnt it in the eare when he saith that hee wrote it when hee was but a yong man noting thereby perchance his yong and slender iudgement And of himselfe Ruffinus saith Lib. 2. ca. 40 That hee did change sometime in faith and in Communion often And Socrates in his Ecclesiasticall history saith of him that being summoned to answere some accusations that were laid against him he fearing to come to his triall for two yeares together appeared not and therefore was deposed What reason then that wee should be content to stand to his triall for matters in question that was himselfe afraide to be tried by the learned men of his time Or that hee who was deposed from his seate by them that best knew him yea and that as it seemeth by Ruffinus his saying of him for some heresie should now sit as Iudge yea or else be allowed as witnes in so weighty matters As for saint Ambrose De iis qui initiantur mist cap. 9. whom next he alleageth he maketh not against vs. He saith indeede that the bread is that which Nature hath formed but that Blessing hath hallowed Which is nothing else but that which hath beene answered before that it is not common bread but as Theodoret saith Theod. Immutabili◠dialog 1. the Nature not being changed to Nature is Grace added And that this is S. Ambrose his meaning is most plaine not only by that which he afterwardes saith in that very chapter Before the blessing of the heauenly wordes an other thing is named after the consecration the bodie of Christ is signified but also most euidently in his bookes of the Sacraments Lib. 4. cap. 4. where speaking of the change that is in these visible signes hee vseth these wordes If there bee so great vertue in the worde of the Lorde Iesus that the thinges that were not beganne to bee how much rather can it worke that they the visible signes in the Sacrament bee that which they were and be changed into an other thing By which hee can meane no other but a sacramentall change because hee flatly affirmeth that these signes are that which they were The first place that hee alleageth out of Chrysost is this It is he that doth sanctifie these things the outward elements and change them In Matth. Hom. 83. but that hee speaketh of a sacramental change only his owne wordes a litle before in that place do prooue For in teaching how that by these sensible creatures he deliuereth vnto vs things not sensible hee bringeth his example of Baptisme wherein I know they wil not say the water is transubstantiated And yet Chrysostome maketh no difference betweene it and the sacrament of Christes body and blood but that in them both in like sort by sensible creatures insensible graces are deliuered But most plainely in an other place doeth he confute that which the Papists woulde force out of these wordes namely the change of the substance of the bread saying Before the bread is sanctified Ad Caesarium monachum wee call it bread but the diuine grace hauing sanctified it by the Priest it is freeed from the name of bread and is vouched worthy of the name of the Lordes body although the nature of the bread abide in it Whereby wee see the change that hee speaketh of is in the vse not in the substance of the bread In the latter place Chrysostome saieth thus Doest thou see bread De Euchar. in encaenus doest
sacrifices wherein he striueth much to proue Howe 〈◊〉 talked 〈◊〉 that our spirituall sacrifices of prayers thankesgiuing yea of our selues and all ou◠obedience cannot bee cleane Wherein although he saith truly of our workes as they are in themselues considered yet are they also called Cleane first in respect of the fountaine of regeneration from whence they proceed in regard whereof although they bee not simpl◠e cleane yet in comparison of the workes of them that are secure in their wickednesse they are cleane Secondly because God accounteth them as cleane for Christs sake Thirdly in respect of that whereunto the workes of the regenerate doe tende for though they cannot attaine to perfection yet doe they firme for it And 〈◊〉 this sort Dauid confesseth some may be Cleane Psa ◠4 3◠Who shall climbe vp into the hal of the lord or who shal stād in his holy place He that hath innocent hands and a cleane heart To this Esay Esay 1.16 1. Tim. 2.8 exhorteth Be you cleane And of this speaketh the Apostle Saint Paule In euerie place lifting vp pure hand or cleane hands And if M. Bellarmine do not content himselfe with this cleannesse he will find that euen the sacrifice of the Masse it selfe for which he striueth so in this place seeing the vertue therof must somewhat depend vpon the goodnesse and deuotion of the Priest as he saith wil not be found verie cleane De Missa li. 1. cap. 4 because the sacrificer is manie times verie vncleane His third reason is taken out of the words that are in the beginning of the text alleaged Out of which he will proue that it must bee a new sacrifice and such as was not before but our spirituall sacrifices haue beene alwayes therefore the Prophet cannot meane of our spirituall sacrifices It will neuer be proued that the Prophet speaketh of such a sacrifice as neuer was But the Iewes trusted too much in their externall Sacrifices yea though they were not such as God commaunded that they should be But on the contrarie God telleth them that euen among the Gentiles whom they despised thinking that no good could be amongst them I say among them should be offered not such polluted and vncleane things as the Priests were content to take of the Iewes to offer to God but a Cleane offering euen such an offering as was the bodie of their shadowes the truth of their figures and the substāce of their ceremonies in respect of him that brought the offering that is they should serue the Lord with a sincere and single heart And this is the cleane sacriffce that Malachie meaneth which was acceptable alwayes and alwayes shall be Fourthly Bellarmine imagineth that God by Malachy setteth the contempt and dishonouring of God done by the Leuiticall Priests against the honour that he shall haue among the Gentiles Be it so What then The Iewes sayth he dishonoured God in a visible sacrifice therefore the Gentiles also must honour him by a visible sacrifice otherwise the dis◠onor done by the Iewes is greater than the honour done by the Gentiles I denie his consequence for they dishonored God but in a corner of the world but the Gentiles worshipped him from the rising of the Sunne to the going downe of the same and herein standeth the force of the comparison as by the wordes plainely appeareth Fifthly he supposeth that the Priestes of the olde lawe are compared with the Priestes in the Gospel but there is no such matter as the wordes declare But to wring and force wordes to see what may be gathered out of them rather than to search what their true meaning is doth bring but small credite to their cause and weake proofe to their doctrine His last argument to prooue this place of Malachie not to belong to a spirituall sacrifice is out of the fathers where in my iudgement hee sheweth his weakenesse more than in his other reasons or else a worse humour For although that Iustinus Martyr whom hee first alledgeth Col. cum Tryph. Iudaeo doeth in trueth affirme and wee denie it not that Malachie sayeth that the Eucharist is a sacrifice yet that hee speaketh not of a sacrifice properly so called Bellarmine must needes confesse except he speake agaynst his owne conscience if hee consider what hee sayeth long after in that booke namely that Euerie one that is called by the name of Iesus Christ are in deede made Priests to God as God doth testifie saying In euerie place cleane and acceptable sacrifices shall bee offered Which sacrifices also what they are he afterwards testifieth prayers and thanks giuings What can be more plaine But this especially is to be remembred that not Priests only but euery Christian doth by Iustines wordes offer vp these cleane offerings and therefore that hee speaketh of spirituall sacrifices Irene his second witnesse maketh little for his purpose for euen immediately before the words whereby Bellarmine woulde prooue the Eucharist to bee a sacrifice after the proper signification of the worde hee sheweth that God hath no delight in sacrifices or burnt offerings but in Faith obedience and righteousnes And after that he taught his disciples to offer to God the first fruits out of his creatures Iren. lib. 4. cap. 32 not that hee needed any thing but that they should neither be vnfruitful nor vnthankfull And so he tooke bread and gaue thanks and eat as is by Bellarmine alledged Can any thing be more plaine He first sheweth that God regardeth not those reall sacrifices that I may so terme them then he sheweth that the Eucharist is a sacrifice of thankesgiuing And as in the words alledged by Bellarmine it is an offering of the first fruits of his gifts Cap. 33. that giueth vs our nourishment and in the next chapter he expoundeth the incense so alledging the wordes of Malachie In euerie place incense shal be offered vp by that place of the Apocalips Apoc. 5.8 that the incense was the prayer of the Saints so we see that prayers and praises are the sacrifices that he speaketh of these are spiritual and not reall sacrifices And as for Tertullian Tertul. whom in the 3. place he bringeth forth as he hath nothing for him in the place by him alledged Tert. cont Marcion li. 4 so yet he plainly expresseth in another place what hee vnderstandeth by that cleane sacrifice that Malachie speaketh of Exam. Con. Trid. 2. part namely Sincere praier out of a pure conscience Which place being alledged by Kemnitius against the councel of Trent Bellar. to shift it off as boldly as vntruly he affirmeth that Tertul. doeth not expound Malachies place where he nameth the cleane sacrifice but where he nameth the incense But the place of Tertullian plainly sheweth the vntruth of his answere for Tertullian speaketh thus In euerie place a sacrifice shal be offered in my name and a cleane sacrifice euen sincere prayer out of a pure heart So that
taste of christian diuinity that a man may haue faith and no grace whereas in truth faith is Gods gift and that of his especiall grace we see what vertue the papists doe attribute vnto this sacrament as they doe call it and yet Peter Lombard their owne friend Li. sentent 4. dist 18. Levit. 13. out of the priests office concerning leapers who did only iudge whether they were cleane or foule but hee coulde not make them leapers or not leapers doth appoint also those limites vnto the priests concerning binding or loosing or rather sheweth that such is their authority not that they can make any sinners or voide of sinne which lesson he learned out of Hierom but only to iudge whether they were sinners or not vpon Matth. 16 By which he learneth and plainely saith euen in this cause that God doth not alwaies follow the iudgement of the church And therefore god doth not alwaies binde or loose as the church doth in her consistory Is not this flatly to deny vnto this their sacrament that working vertue and power which the papistes giue to it Or rather is not this to deny it to be a sacrament seeing it is denied not only by Saint Hierom but also by a deare friend of theirs Peter Lombard that it hath such vertue as they ascribe to their Sacraments And heere their answere of the vnworthines of him that receiueth this Sacrament whereby he hindereth this worke of the Sacrament will not serue For we see that the iudgement of the church by their opinion doth only shew what men are and according to it doth binde or loose but it doth not make them good or bad And therefore Chrisostome in an homily of repentance Hom. 8. ad populum Antioch Trust not saith he vnto thy repentance for thy repentaunce is not able to take away so great sinnes Now therefore we see that neiâ—â— er the testimonie of the fathers in their commentaries vpon this place neither the words themselues if we looke vpon their naturall meaning neither yet the practise of the church for more then 1100. yeares after Christ can make these words to proue any sacrament of penance which the papists so boldly without all proofe thrust vpon vs. For I pray you where is the outward signe of this sacrament Are these words I absolue thee Concil Triden Sess 14. cap. 3. c But where are these words commanded Bellarmine hath found them in these words Whose sinnes you remit are remitted c. And how doth hee proue it Because the Lord would neuer grant vnto his Apostles power to forgiue sinnes de paâ— nit li. 1. cap. 10. but he would haue that power exercised by some externall signe for these are his words We grant it and for that cause hee hath appointed the ministery of the gospell but the promises are generall and whether they publikely or priuately are to be vsed to the comforte of the afflicted we finde not in the scripture any set forme set downe for absolution and therefore in the scriptures they caÌ„ neuer find that outward signe which is required in a sacrament And therefore it seemeth that Bellarmine scarcely dareth to defend that which the councell of Trent hath taught concerning the forme of this their sacrament For the councell of Trent saith Li. 1. de poen cap. 16. that these wordes are the forme of their Sacrament of penance But master Bellarmine saith we are not tied to those wordes but that these words I remit thee thy sinnes will also serue the turne For this matter let them agree amongst themselues But they must shew vs some outwarde signe appointed by Christ for this Sacrament or els we must denie it to be a Sacrament And that they haue laboured to doe these many yeares and yet they cannot doe it But M. Bellarmine striueth earnestly to proue that place whose sinnes so euer you remit they are remitted not to be spokeÌ„ of baptisme We will ease him of some labour we will graunt that it is not spoken only of that remission that therein is done Man is like a ruinous house that must alwaies be repaired by repentance Hom. 3. de paenitentia We haue alwaies need to pray forgiue vs our trespasses Chrisostome pretily compareth sinne in man to an oake tree which he that will cut it downe must strike not once or twise only but often yea he must neuer leaue vntill it fall So must we flie alwaies to this remedy not only once or twise but ten thousands of times if so often we offend yea alwaies The comfort of this promise therefore we will in no wise restraine to the time of our baptisme only but we confesse that that forgiuenesse of sinnes which in our baptisme is sealed vp vnto vs hath force and vertue through our whole life and thereby are we assured that this promise of the forgiuenes of our sinnes and remitting of the same is most certaine and true and belongeth to our whole life and to euery sinne that we commit Now this forgiuenes say the papists must be applied vnto vs by the sacrament of penaunce They should proue that for in matters of religion their credite is not so good that we dare trust them And the lesse wee trust them in this matter because we are sure that God hath giuen vnto vs other meanes to apply his mercy vnto vs namely his word for applying whereof vnto our consciences hee hath appointed his ministery in his church Yea he hath giuen his word to be read and knowne of euery bodie Then also hath he giuen vs Sacraments to confirme vs in this word and to make vs more confidently to beleeue it and more faithfully to receiue it These therefore are the meanes whereby our faith is nourished and made more bolde and strong to apply to our humbled hartes those comfortable promises of Gods good graces which in the words are offered and by baptisme and the supper of the Lord are sealed vp in our consciences Nowe other Sacramentes we know not and namelie this of penance Neither is there any necessarie consequence in this argument These wordes are spoken of remission of sinnes after baptisme therefore there must needes bee a Sacrament of penance And that should bee proued And therefore to grant him that which hee so striueth for will doe him no good After this one place that Bellarmine hath out of the Scriptures he commeth to the fathers De paenit li. 1. cap. 10. who because they afforde him no plaine proofe he indeuoureth to wring something from them by indirect meanes The proofe therefore that he hath from them as himselfe professeth is either because that when they reckon vp the true Sacramentes they often make mention of repentance also or els they compare it with the sacrament of baptisme shewing that it is God that worketh in them both Had it not bin better to yeeld vnto the truth then thus before hee proueth any thing out of the
the other side thinke there is no seruice any thing so pleasing to God as the offering of sacrifices We see then that as Ordination euen as Christ and his Apostles vsed it is not a sacrament properly so called so popish Ordination is nothing but a meere prophanation of Christs order and a wilfull breach of his commaundement and therefore most vnworthie of the name of a Sacrament Of Matrimonie that it is not a Sacrament and that it is lawfull for all CHAP. 19 THE PROTESTANTS MArriage wee confesse to be in it selfe an estate holy and honourable and for all sortes of vs most necessary considering that men and women of all callings and conditions are subiect to noysom and filthy lusts wee dare not therefore forbid it to any sort of men or womē lest we should seem to reiect that remedy that God prouided against sinne or to refuse the helper that he made for vs or to lay a stumbling blocke before men or women whereat they might fall THE PAPISTS THe Papistes not content with that accoūt of matrimoni◠that the Scriptures doe make will needes haue it to bee one of the fiue Sacraments which they haue added to the two that were instituted by Christ And yet straitway as if they had forgotten themselues they doe thinke it to bee too base an estate too vnpure and vncleane for any man for to liue in that is called to minister before the Lorde And And therefore their priests must not bee married in any wise That matrimony is not a sacrament speaking of a sacrament properly as when wee call baptisme or the supper of the Lord sacraments it is most plaine First because the things that are required in a sacrament are not to bee found in it namely an outward signe a promise of iustifying grace Gods institution or commandement As for the commaundement some woulde wring it out of these wordes Matth. 19.6 That which God hath ioyned together let no man put asunder But that is onely a prohibition that man shal not loose that knot which God hath knit there is no sacrament commaunded And master Bellarmine spying that fault dareth not commend their indeuor therein but taketh another course For he thinketh his friends troubled themselues more than they needed to be too curious in searching where it is commanded to be made a sacrament But if Gods commandement or the institution of the sacrament be necessarily required in a sacrament as Master Bellarmine hath often shewed the Papists by his leaue shall either shew De sacram matrimon lib. 1. cap. 2. when and how it was instituted to be a sacrament or else there is no cause that we should trust them although they al had sworne that it is one For in truth this their doctrine is so doubtful vncertaine that themselues know not what to say of it For some thinke that it hath alwayes bin a sacrament euen from the beginning of the worlde De sacram matrimon lib. 1. cap. 5 Sess 24. can 2. but Bellarmine wil not in any wise agree to that And the councel of Trent is flat of that mind that it is a sacrament instituted by Christ and therfore not of the old law If then it be true that matrimony was not a sacrament vntil Christ made it one it is needful that they should prooue that Christ hath made it a sacrament before we can receiue it for one And this reason is very strong against master Bellarmine who reasoneth against them that think that matrimony was a sacrament of the old law because It is not read saith he that there was any institution of marriage in al the olde testament Ioh. 5.32 he meaneth after mans fall Therefore if they prooue no institution of it they prooue no Sacrament Nowe for the second point For to prooue it to be an outward signe they bring those wordes of Saint Paule This is a great sacrament for so the old translation hath but the word signifieth also a mysterie or secret But wee will not contend of the worde Will they imagine that this word can prooue matrimony to be a sacrament Wee see that Christ and his Apostles are more carefull of the true vse of the Sacramentes than of their names as may appeare by those two Sacramentes which we acknowledge which are not so much as named sacramentes Secondly to proue it to be a sacrament it is not enough to shew that it is a signe of a holy thing but that it was instituted to bee such a signe And that can they neuer doe in this Sacr. mat li. 1. cap. 5. For it was instituted in paradise where it was no such signe as themselues confesse as is shewed yea Bellarmine denieth that there is in matrimony any outward signe by the institution of it So that although it represent vnto vs to our vnspeakeable comfort the vnion and coniunction betweene Christ and his church yet that it was not instituted to that end that it is not an outward signe by the institution of it it is most plaine But how will they proue the third thing namely the promise of saluation to be in this their sacrament For sooth because it representeth vnto vs the spirituall loue of Christ to his church hir obediēce to him againe That is also performed in euery body of mā or womā if we marke the vnion betweene the members and the head In euery vine tree yea in euery plant if wee consider the coherence betweene the branches and the tree Yea many such things there are that haue as much in thē belonging to a sacramēt as matrimony hath And yet howsoeuer they may be vnto vs if we cōsider of thē as we may do I neuer heard or read that euer they were accōpted sacramēts in the proper sence And why because God neuer appointed them to that end for in the sacramēts Christs institutiō is the especial thing how little account so euer M. Bellar. make of it The 2. argument whereby I proue matrimony not to be a sacramēt is bicause that many of the scholemen who are the especial friends to those popish sacraments doubt whether matrimonie giueth grace which the popish church doth attribute to all sacraments For as Canus reporteth De locis Theol. li. 8. cap. 5. the Ma. of sentences Thomas of Aquine Scot Bonauenture Rich. de S. victore Paludanus Durand others do not define whether it giue grace or not but leaue it to euery mans owne opinion As for the matter or forme of this sacrament to vse Canus his words these schoolemen do shew themselues so vnconstant and wauering so vncertaine and doubtfull that he shoulde but prooue himselfe a foole that in such difference and disagreement would set downe any thing for certaine or true And for that cause the Councell of Florence saith he decreed nothing of the matter forme or minister of this sacrament because it saw that the Diuines in the schooles had concluded nothing of them Seeing
thing yet master Bellarmine wil not thinke it sufficient that a bishop should be chaste because he knoweth that Saint Augustine and other of the fathers affirme that there is chastity in mariage but he will doubtles spie some greater vertue in continency then in chastity and therefore he will haue a bishop not chast only but also continent But if we must seeke for a difference betweene these two wordes I take this to be it that continencie is of shorter continuance that is to say but an abstinence for a time and chastitie is a vertue that indureth And the examples brought by master Bellarmine himselfe approue this difference But Chrisostome and Theophilact doe take continencie to be an abstinence not from lusts only but from al vice so that as Theophilact saith he must rule his tongue his handes and his eies Hierom vpon these wordes saith plainelie that the Apostle neuer speaketh of continencie or incontinencie but in respect of wanton lustes but yet he taketh continencie to be such a vertue as may be in maried folke And therefore the Apostle saith he hauing spoken of a bishop that hee may haue one wife least he should seeme to permit incontinencie to them addeth this and with Hierom agreeth Primasius So that they make continent and chaste all one 1. Cor. 7.3.4.5 For although married folke must performe the duties of mariage one to another yet so as they passe not the boundes of chastitie or continencie This reason then is not good Priests must by Saint Paules rule bee continent therefore they must haue no wiues But on the contrarie Saint Paul in that verie place where he requireth in a bishop continencie doth permit at the least that he shoulde be the husband of one wife therefore in mariage there may be continencie Tit. 1.6 As for that which hee alleadgeth out of Councels popes fathers and reason because they proue not that which hee hath vndertaken to proue Chap. 19. it is not worth an answere For the title of that Chapter is That single life by the Apostolicke law is verie well tyed to the holie orders And when hee hath snatched at one poore worde and findeth no greate helpe in it hee seeketh to prooue by Councels popes fathers and reason that single life hath beene commended of some commaunded of others But that the Apostles commaunded it hee prooueth not and that hee tooke in hande But on the contrarie the Canons that are called the Apostles haue this Canon Can. 6 Let not a bishop or Priest put awaie his wife vnder pretence of religion If hee doe it let him bee excommunicated if hee stande in it let him bee reiected But what saith master Bellarmine to this He answereth out of one Humbert a Cardinall that to put away his wife de cler li. ◠cap. 2◠is to haue no care of his wife But if we marke the fiftieth Canon of the Apostles wherein there is a prouiso that none shoulde abstaine from mariage because hee thinketh it to bee euill it will easilie appeare that the sixt Canon was made to ouerthwart the foolish opinion of them that condemned mariage as a thing more vncleane then that it should be fit for priestes or bishops And thus much to proue that mariage of priestes is not euill of it selfe or vnlawfull in respect of any commandement in Gods word Now that it is also lawfull I am perswaded by these reasons First because of the vncertainety of the contrarie doctrine for some say that sole life is commanded by God others denie it as you haue heard Againe there are and those papists too that say the lawe of abstaining from mariage Fab. Tract 4. in Luth. de mat clear for the clergie was first made by pope Siricius who liued almost four hundred yeares after Christ although Iohn Faber report that Calixtus forbad it somewhat before But Bellarmine and others thinke in no wise that it may be suffered that this their doctrine shoulde bee thought so farre shorte of the times of Christ and his Apostles Some holde it a necessarie lawe Bellarm. li. 1. de clericis cap. 18. others but conuenient And such diuersitie of doctrine in these and such like pointes is if not an inuincible yet a verie probable proofe that their doctrine hath no sure grounde in Gods word no great consent of antiquitie and that is the cause that there is no certaine doctrine of it amongest themselues and such is their agreement also concerning that other point whether matrimony be a sacrament or not Secondly the weakenes of their proofe doth euen proclaime vnto the world the weakenes of their cause For the most and best learned of them doe confesse that God hath not commanded it And the proofes that they bring out of the Apostle for it as it seemeth haue so little waight in them that Bellarmine is ashamed to alleadge them As for that small holde that he could get out of the Apostles words Tit. 1.8 That a bishop should be continent how little it can helpe his cause you haue heard before Seeing therfore that either they bring nothing worth hearing out of Gods word or apply vnto the clergy only that which the Apostle speaketh to all men and weomen indifferently such is all that they alleadge out of the 7. Chapter of S. Paules first epistle to the Corinthes we are the lesse bound to beleeue whatsoeuer they out of the fathers shall teach vs concerning this matter Who themselues doe charge vs to examine by the scriptures their writings and not to beleeue any thing that they shall teach vnlesse they teach such things as are agreeable vnto Gods word Yea since their arguments are so weake that euen Panormitane and other papists whom Iohn Faber in some respects spareth to name because they saw no necessary consequence in them although they liued in daies of greater darckenes than wee do God be praised for our light indeuoured to obtain that mariage might be lawful for the clergy as Faber reporteth yea and pope Pius the second Cont. Luth. Tract 4. was so little moued by those arguments that he had wont to say that there was great cause that priests should be forbiddē to marry Pla◠in the life of Pius 2. but greater that mariage should be permitted vnto them and the Ambassadours of catholicke princes were earnest suiters in the names of their princes to the councell of Trent that mariage might be free for the clergy Since these arguments I say were not able to persuade these men so deuoted to their doctrines as it is knowen they were how much more may we reiect this their lawe as hurtfull to Gods church and iniurious to our wise Law-maker and suspect it not to rest vpon good ground Thirdly the most blasphemous commendation that they giue vnto this estate of life and the efficacie and vertue that impudently and vntruely they do ascribe vnto the same maketh me thinke it is but a bird of their
Which as it is true in all matters of religion so especially in the Sacraments wee must take heede lest in adding any thing to them wee change thereby the vse of them In this thing if in any de Coron Mil. is that true that Tertullian hath said It is forbidden that is not frankely permitted And that also that in an other place he hath de Monog The Scripture forbiddeth whatsoeuer it noteth not Secondly master Bellarmine thinketh it to bee a thing belonging vnto the substance of the Sacrament that the partes wherein the fiue senses are shoulde bee annointed that is the eies the eares the nose the lippes and the handes Then let the councell of Trent shew this commaunded by saint Iames but that can neuer be perfourmed so that wee see that bolde affirmation of the councell of Trent was rather to blind the eies of men vnder a shew of good words seeking thereby to make the world beleeue that they adde no materiall point vnto that which saint Iames commaundeth and that is most false as hath beene shewed and might also further be prooued For where is that forme commaunded by Saint Iames that is prescribed by the councell of Trent By this holie ointment c. Sess 14. ca. 1. de sacr vnct He had no minde of any such matter Besides this their adding to that which saint Iames hath willed to be done which is but a small matter with the church of Rome for all their religion wherein wee differ from them is nothing else but additions to Gods worde their owne diuersitie of opinions concerning this their sacrament doeth shew it to be a deuise of their owne for they knowe not what to say for the institution of it They haue not so much as any shew or colour that it was instituted by Christ or before his death but onely that place of saint Marke Mar. 6.13 where it is saide that the Apostles annointed many that had infirmities and healed them And therefore Thomas Walden Alfonsus and others doe seeke for the institution of the sacrament out of that place But master Bellarmine seeing what danger may come to their sacrament De sacr vnct cap. 2. if they should seeme to make that the ground of their sacrament because sundry of the auncient fathers seeme to make that vnction that saint Iames speaketh of to be none other but that which saint Marke mentioned hee seeketh to prouide a plaister for that sore And he will not in any sort haue those wordes to bee the ground or institution of the Sacrament And for that cause hee prooueth by many reasons that they are not all one For hee seeth that it can not be denied and therefore himselfe graunteth that that vnction which the Apostles in that sixt chapter are saide to vse was onely or especially for bodily diseases and therefore that the sacrament cannot bee prooued out of it for the sacraments as there he also confesseth are belonging principally to the soule Therefore hee will in no wise like of them that alleadge this place of saint Marke for this their sacrament although they bee many yea and those great pillers of Poperie and no small fooles I warrant you But such as Eckius Decree 10. De Sacram. vnct sess 14. cap. 1. the Scotish man Nicoll Burne the prouinciall Councell called Senonense yea and the Councell of Trent although it set it downe somewhat fearefullie for it saith it was insinuated by our Lorde Christ in Saint Marke all these with others I say establish their sacrament of Vnction and ground it vpon that place yet Bellarmine as I haue sayde will not in any wise yeeld vnto it And for my part I thinke hee saieth truely when hee sayeth it is not grounded vpon that place And as truly also if hee should affirme that it hath no warrant out of that place of saint Iames. For that place of saint Marke and that other of saint Iames speake both of one sort of annointing as Beda Theophilact and Occumenius doe testifie But saint Markes wordes can not proue the sacrament of Vnction De Vnct. cap. 2. as maister Bellarmine doeth not confesse onely but hee taketh much paines to prooue it also by foure or fiue arguments therefore that place of saint Iames prooueth not their sacrament of annoyling And then is it destitute of all proofe by Gods worde and so must bee accounted but a foolish toy as nowe it is vsed of mans braine Neither are they agreed vpon that other high poynt what parts must be anoynted of necessitie whether all those seuen parts before mentioned or els only those fiue first which are the instruments of the senses Bel. de Vnct. Cap 10. Some thinke that there is not necessitie that anie one part shoulde bee anoynted rather than other And others thinke that the anoynting of euerie of these seuen places is so necessarie that it is not a perfect sacrament if any be omitted But maister Bellarmine out of Thomas Aquinas telleth vs that onely the fiue first are of the essence of the sacrament Nowe in this diuersitie of opinions I knowe not whose part Laurence Vaus will take but he resolueth vs of one great doubt If a man want eyes eares nose mouth or handes what the Priest should then doe Hee must oynt the part next to the place where these members should bee So it seemeth hee alloweth of the first opinion But are these such matters as should busie mens mindes so as they doe No no it is the subtiltie of Sathan to occupie mens heades about such trifles that in the meane time hee may by false teachers steale from the heartes of the people the trueth of all christian Religion They teach also that this their sacrament of annoyling or vnction may be often receyued In the life of Pius 2. And yet how long they haue beene of that minde I knowe not nor find menâ— ioned But if wee will beleeue Platina Pope Pius the second seemed not to bee resolued of that poynt nor so perswaded For hee at the poynt of death disputed with a learned man the Bishop of Ferrara earnestly whether hee might againe bee annoyled seeing hee had once before beene annoyled By all which diuersities of iudgements in the most materiall pointes of this their Sacrament they giue vs iust cause to doubt of their Sacrament it selfe that it is not of God And by the way I cannot but wonder with what faces they can obiect to vs our diuersities in opinions seeing that they in such materiall poynts of Religion and in their doctrines that concerne the verie substance of their sacraments are so verie farre from being of one iudgement And thus briefly we see how the Papists differ from the scriptures whereupon themselues indeuor but al in vaine to ground the institution of their Sacrament and also disagree amongest themselues about the same De Sacram. vnct sess 14. can 1. And yet with great boldnesse they cursse all them that
hee commeth at length to the authoritie of man And hee will prooue what men will say in his behalfe where God keepeth silence And the first that he bringeth in is Innocentius that liued at the least foure hundred yeares after Christ What was it no Sacrament for foure hundred yeares and nowe vpon a sudden is it become a sacrament howe doeth hee proue it to bee a sacrament He bringeth no reason hee hath no proofe no neither yet doeth hee so much as say it is a sacrament properly so called but that it is Genus Sacramenti A kinde of Sacrament What then if we graunt to master Bellarmine that which Pope Innocentius sayeth If it bee a kinde of Sacrament as hee sayeth is it therefore a sacrament truely and properly as maister Bellarmine saieth I denie that argument and maister Bellarmine will not proue it And yet to helpe his bad cause hee lowdly and lewdly belyeth Innocentius his woordes in that hee affirmeth that Innocentius saieth expresselie and plainlie that this oynting is that sacrament explaned by saint Iames. But Innocentius hath no such wordes no neither yet any thing like But M. Bellarmine to deceiue them that can not looke into the fathers doth many times falsifie them to make his cause to seeme better And nowe what cause hath this seconde Achylles of the Catholikes for Eckius did bestow that name first vpon himselfe as you may see in his Enchiridion in the title of the church in the margent what cause I saie hath this challenging champion thus to brag against Kemnitius that hee durst not so much as name this Innocentius When his testimonie is examined the cracke is great but he doth not hit the marke that maister Bellarmine would haue him to leauell at As for Kemnitius if he haue but his due praise we must needes confesse that by his learning and trauell he hath more beaten downe the walles of that popish Babilon than that all the papists if they ioine togither hand in hand shall be able with all their skill and cunning to raise it vp againe Of Innocentius the third because he came so late he is not worth the answering for he liued about 1200. yeares after Christ in time of ignorance and much superstition As for the Councels which he alleageth the first is the Nicene councell translated into latine out of the Arabic tongue But since that canon is not amongst those canons which wee haue in the tomes of the councels and in those coppies that hitherto haue beene counted the true councels we neede not much regarde those farre fetched authorities His second authoritie is out of the councell of Cabilon and some other particular councels and although he commend their antiquitie yet the first of them was almost 800. yeares after Christ And those which I haue examined make not for his purpose For they proue not that this annointing is a sacrament properly so called Now for the fathers master Bellarmine needeth no aduersary he confesseth his want of proofe out of them For he deuideth the fathers into two sortes The one he confesseth doe not plainly saie that it is a sacrament Why then doth he produce them He hath taken in hand to proue that anoyling as it is vsed in the popish church is a true and proper sacrament If they will not proue this they maie holde their tongues For to this end only are they to be alleaged An other sort there are who speake it plainely as he telleth vs. But they are of no credit neither are once named among the ancient fathers The eldest of them is about 800. yeares after Christ And for his examples of some few men what they haue done it is no proofe to vs that we ought so to doe They might haue their reasons that might well induce them to it They might also doe therein as in many things many haue done of a blinde zeale and foolish deuotion How or in what sort they haue done that which they did I wil not take vpon me to iudge as for their doings they ought not to be an example to any man so that we should be bound to follow them But hee wil proue by reason that it must needs be a sacrament Bellarm. de sac vnct li. 1. cap. 5. For since God hath by a sacrament holpen vs in the entraunce into the church and also in our continuance in the same we maie not imagine that his prouidence shall faile vs at our going out of the church these are maister Bellarmine his wordes I might briefly answere that we are not to teach God what we thinke conuenient that he should doe but to see what he hath done and to content our selues therewith and to frame our selues to performe the same But if God faile in his prouidence if their anoyling be not a sacrament then must we imagine that God had no due regarde of the fathers of the old world or of the patriarkes or of the godly vnder the law For vntill Christs time master Bellarmine will confesse they had not this Sacrament Yea the Apostles and all other the Godly and constant Martirs in Christs church had not that sacrament Neither yet did they make complaint for want of the same but comfortably and patiently indured all torments with great ioy although they had not this anoyling nor anie hope to haue it no neither once thought of it Lastly our Sauiour Christ to prepare vs against death telleth vs that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life and to cause vs not to feare it he saith that he is the resurrection and the life Many notable lessons did our Sauiour Christ giue to his disciples before he left the world to goe to his father which are recorded by Saint Iohn from the twelfth to the seuenteenth chapters And although he vse all arguments to comfort them yet he neuer once thought of this anoyling which yet then if he had purposed to leaue vnto his church anie such Sacrament it had beene good time to haue deliuered them for their comforte To be short whatsoeuer he commaunded vs to vse for the strengthning of our faith with boldnesse we may and with comfort and readinesse we ought to doe But it is farre from either true or sound comfort in the agony of death or a sufficient weapon to withstand the assaults of Sathan and conflicts of conscience to haue standing by thee some Idol pastor whose greatest good that he either can or will doe vnto thee is to grease some parts of thy body Let the world esteeme of these things as they will But this is certaine that it is only true obedience that hath the promise of blessing And without the commandement there can be no obedience either in our duties towardes God or our conuersation amongst men For obedience is nothing els but an earnest applying of our selues to doe that which is pleasing vnto God and which he hath commanded It is also far from the maiestie of
out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth euill It is then most certaine that where the spirite of regeneration is not to sanctifie the heart as in the infidels it is not wee can looke for no workes but such as proceede from that bitter roote of sinne which must needes bee euill and vnsauourie before God It may iustly be wondered at why they who take vpon them the name of holy catholicke church such as account themselues the members thereof doe so stifly and stubbornely maintaine so bad a cause and defend yea commend the actions of such godlesse men For not only the particular writers among them excuse from sinne the actions of Infidels Sess 6. can 57. but also the councell of Trent doth hold them all accursed that dare say they are truly sinne But their feare is least if the nature of man be set forth in her owne colours and duely considered of the doctrine of merite by workes will seeme more absurd But if the workes of gracelesse and godlesse men may be thought to be voide of sinne how much the rather maie we thinke that the works of the faithfull may be so perfect that they may merite at Gods handes And in truth no man can denie but that there is no comparison betweene the workes of the godlie and the vngodly Therefore that they may prepare a way for their doctrine of merites they would first make vs beleeue that euen in the wicked there may be good workes And least men should condemne the corruption of this our nature being not renued by the spirit of God as it iustlie deserueth and so sincerely confesse that we haue in vs no good but that it commeth wholy from God the councell of Trent doth not any thing mislike those opinions that commend the works euen of infidels yea attributing some merit vnto them as doe some of the scholemen but onlie accurseth them that accompt them to be sinne Sleiden comment li. 23. An. 1552. And a Franciscan frier reading vpon the second chapter of the epistle to the Romanes did most blasphemouslie teach in the hearing of manie of them that were at the councel and in the time of the councell that They who had no knowledge of Christ and yet liued honestly were saued Which his vnchristian doctrine was so farre from being condemned by that Antichristian councell that the diuines that were sent from the protestantes to that councel made their complaint to the emperours Ambassadours that he was heard with great liking And indeed the councel did not accurse that doctrine or him that taught it No the councel did not determine but as Andradius telleth vs Orthodoxarum explicat li. 3. hath left it free for euery man to thinke as they wil of the workes of them that are not regenerate this only that councel will not permit vs to thinke that they are sinne because they are not of faith That therefore that the scripture teacheth vs wee maie not once thinke of but all other absurd opinions of men are very tollerable Is not this strange dealing that the spirit of truth only must not speake and the lying spirits of foolish men may saie what they will But let vs see what reasons they alleadge to induce them to this persuasion I wil saie nothing of that which maister Bellarmine nothing like a graue deuine which should with all diligence and praier search out and with all humility submit himselfe to the trueth but rather like a foolish wrangling sophister whose care were onely to contend to make good that which he saith most impudently affirmeth enquiring what knowlege of moral vertues men may haue by the powers of nature Gods general help De gram libero aâ— bit li. 5. cap. 1. Of two opinions he preferreth one and why So much the more gladly saith he we doe embrace and defend it howe much the more our aduersaries mislike it I see now it is no great maruel though these pretended catholickes doe manifestly and wilfully gainsaie and withstand manie thinges most consonant to the infallible word of God For I perceiue that if we like of it it is cause good inough for them to mislike of it Only this will I saie that because this persuasion is foolish and dangerous Iam. 2.1 Saint Iames giueth a good caueat to all that are of such an humour My brethren haue not the faith of our glorious Lord Iesus Christ in respect of persons But to like or mislike in respect of the man is to haue it in respect of persons But hee hauing thus professed that generall reason whereby he is setled in his persuasion commeth afterwardes in the same booke to other particular reasons His first reason is this Cap. 9. God is saide manie times to rewarde the workes of the Infidels but God will not reward that which is sinne The first argument to proue that all the infidels works are not sinne therefore not all the workes of Infidels are sinne If I should examine the particular proofes that hee bringeth of his first proposition the weakenesse thereof will soone appeare For he must proue that the workes of infidels are rewarded of God For proofe whereof his first example is of the midwiues Exod. 1.21.17 that came to the women of Israel in their trauel in Aegipt of whom the Scripture giueth testimony that they feared God hath in that verie place and before also Why then doth he reckon them amongst infidels Then also the rewarde which he saith was promised to them the best learned in the Hebrew tongue apply not to the Midwiues but to the Israelites of the increase of their families Ezech. 27.18 19. The second example is out of Ezechiel where God promiseth to giue Nabuchad-nezar and his army as their wages Aegipt for their seruice which they did against Tyre Which seruice against Tyre if maister Bellarm can commend in Nabuchad-nezar as a good worke wherein hee had only regarde vnto his owne cruell and proud affection he will hardlie finde anie euill His third and last place out of Daniel Daniel 4.24 wherein Daniel giueth councel to Nabuchad-nezar to redeeme his sinnes by being good to the poore it is not very pertinent to the purpose and I shal God willing haue more fit place afterwards to speake of it Although therefore it doth easily appeare that his maior is not proued by him yet I will confesse that God is saide to rewarde such men in respect that he giueth good successe to them and prospereth them to set forth by them his owne glorie Alluding vnto the wages that seruantes haue for their worke Who although they bee not alwaies of the best yet good reason they should haue their wages for their worke The minor is that God will not rewarde sinne I grant in that respect that it is sinne hee will not But in euerie action there are to be considered manie things First the deede as in this that Nabuchad-nezar did
for I trust this is sufficient for answere to the argument Which also is an answer vnto his fift argument which is this Arg. 5 ca. 18 In the scripturs many things are forbidden and commaunded and without free will that were in vaine which is all one with the fourth argument De gratia lib. Arbit c. 2 But because master Bellarmine doeth prooue this argument and that very strongly as himselfe saieth because saint Augustine vseth that very reason to prooue free will I must needes speake a word of that place Seeing therefore saint Augustine hath said in the place alleadged in the former argument that precepts are needefull though they can not bee kept And now he saith if there be not free will precepts are in vaine It seemeth that there were some amongest them to whome he writeth that thought that Gods grace did so worke in men that they shoulde doe nothing at all themselues for he complaineth of some Cap. 2. that when grace was defended though free will was denied Therefore hee teacheth them that although wee be made partakers of grace yet we are not without nay rather wee haue free wil. But what manner of free wil Haue we that free will that hath power and strength to doe good and abstaine from euil No In Enchirid. cap. 9. Saint Augustine confesseth that to bee lost Man not vsing well freewill lost both himselfe and that What then A will freed from that bondage vnto sinne wherein it was A will that nowe hath a loue and liking of that is good and not altogither delighting in euill as before it did And indeed in vaine are exhortations to them that are not so freed from euil that they haue at the least a plkasure in good things Well may exhortations and instructions be to their confusion but to their comforte they shall not bee This then is is the meaning of that place that God speaketh to vs in vaine in the scriptures if we be but as stockes and stones not hauing so much as a delight therein and hauing this willingnes God must also by his grace inable vs or els we cannot fulfill our will The sixt argument is like the rest Arg. 6. ca. 1◠It hath no necessarie consequence God maketh promise vnto vs vnder condition that we shal obey him therefore either we are able to obey or els it is saith Maister Bellarmine a mockery and not a promise Not so Maister Bellarmine For in such conditional promises it is not declared what we can doe but what we ought to doe and what in respect of the excellency of our creation may iustly be required of vs and what we must doe before we can be perfect And because Maister Bellarmine thinketh it so scornefull a thing that God shouln make promise vnder such condition cannot bee performed of vs I would he woulde consider with himselfe where is the cause why we cannot performe it Is it in good No for he requireth nothing of vs but that hee gaue vs abilite to doe if wee had kept vs in that estate Is it in our creation No we were made good Is it in the lawe But that is pure iust and holie Is it then in our selues Yea truely For in Adam wee are all sinners and by sinne robbed of that power to keep the law and performe such conditions as once before we had If then the impossibility of keeping the conditions is by our owne fault God may iustly require of vs that debt which hee knoweth wee were able to pay when first we became his debters We see then that it is neither a good argument to say God promiseth vpon condition therfore wee can perfourme the condition for the condition doeth but shew what we ought to doe or what marke we must aime at yea and what wee must doe in the end neither absurd that he should require that of vs now which once we could haue performed and might still haue done if wee had not our selues bin in fault But thus wee might reason truely God maketh vnto vs many and great promises if we obey him therefore we must striue to obey him striue I say by prayer by meditating in Gods lawe and by all godly exercises And God would haue vs indeede by such meanes to stirre vp our selues to attaine to the promises And because the promises belong but to the godly and not to the wicked we will easily confesse that there is in them a willingnesse to obey But yet not free will because it is hindred by tentations without and within themselues and by it owne weakenesse So that be they neuer so willing yet they can not obey but euen as they are led by Gods good grace In psa 109. enarratione It is no great matter saith Augustine that God made his Sonne to shew the way since hee hath made him the way it selfe that thou mightest goe by him ruling thee that goeth by himselfe For in deede wee can not walke alone in those wayes wee are as babes that cannot goe by themselues Arg. 7. 8. His seuenth argument as also the eight argument is in a manner the very same with the first ca. 20. 21. Deut. 30.14 and neede not be answered againe But yet I will touch that place of Deuteronomie whereupon he especially resteth for the strength of the seuenth argument and for interpretation whereof he inueieth against master Caluine Moses saith or God by Moses The word is neere thee euen in thy mouth and in thy heart By which words master Bellarmine saieth Moses telleth vs that this woord is easie to keepe and therefore that we haue free will M. Bellarmine is but too bolde in a bad cause and too ready to speake more than hee can prooue That which he had said before This commaundement is not hid from thee Verse 11. neither farre off he prooueth in this place because it is in their mouth and heart so that they need not seeke far to get it The Chalde paraphrase can finde no free wil in these words Chris expounds these words of the cōmandement that it is easie to be had without trauell by sea or land Chrysost in Rom. ser 17. not once dreaming of the easines of performing or doing it but most plainly saith Theophilact Vpon the Romanes the tenth Gods commaundement O thou Iew is before thy eies neither shalt thou need that thou mayest find and inioy it either to clime vp in to heauen or go down into the deepe It is at hand and nearer vnto thee Beholde it is euen in thy mouth and in thy heart For God by his lawe hath shewed thee all things How impudently soeuer therefore master Bellarmine dare affirme that Moses speaketh there of the easinesse of keeping Gods lawe yet the circumstance of the text and the iudgement of the Writers alleadged especially of Theophilact is flat against him Rom. 10.8 And to that end doth the Apostle saint Paul apply it also to
2. I haue spokē in the answere vnto his secōd argument But heere it appeareth that such heretikes did then trouble the church Last of al not al the vehemēt speeches of the fathers are to be taken or vnderstoode as they sound but they must be warely red and wisely examined by the touchstone of Gods word And then it will appeare that the Fathers either may well bee taken or iustly refused And thus hauing I trust in the iudgement of the indifferent Reader sufficiently confirmed the trueth answered the Scriptures alleadged to the contrary and shewed some causes why the fathers should in this point be read with good aduise and iudgement it now onely remaineth that I lay open the absurditie of that shift wherein they trust much and which indeede is the chiefe strength of their cause For being pressed with the testimonies out of scriptures especially out of saint Paul which plainely testifie that we are iustified by faith Rom. 3.28 without the workes of the law first they deuised this answere that S. Paul speaketh of the ceremoniall laws that we are iustified without them but not without doing the works of the law morall or of the commaundements But this being so vntrue an answere that master Bellarmine himselfe is ashamed of it De iustificat lib. 1. cap. 19. and reasoneth against it Master Bellarmine bringeth another answere namely that the Apostle speaketh of the workes before faith So that he would haue the wordes of the Apostle thus to sound Wee are iustified by faith without the works of the law that were done before we beleeued And for the credit of this interpretation he would faine father it vpon S. Augustine and S. Ierome De gr lib. arb ca. 7. de praedest sinctor cap. 7. In praefat ps 31 Ier. ad Ctesiphontem contra Pelagianos but most vntruely as he that examineth those places shall easily see that S. Augustine and S. Ierome in those places doe not so expound those wordes of saint Paul neither giue vs anie rule so to expound them Neither yet doe Chrysostome Ambrose Theophilact or Primasius vpon those words either in the third to the Romans or second to the Galathians so expound it Rom. 4.4 Or yet S. Ierome vpon the Galathians And in the Epistle that he writeth against the Pelagians to Ctesiphon he denieth that those words may be vnderstood of the law ceremoniall but concerning this exposition which master Bellarmine bringeth there is no word As for the reason that Bellarmine hath out of S. Paul to prooue this his exposition let vs consider of it Vnto him that worketh saith S. Paul the wages is not counted by fauour but by debt Therefore saith M. Bellarmine he speaketh onely of those workes that are done by the power of free will without grace How little S. Paule dreamed of free will hath in the former chapter beene declared And that hee doeth not in these wordes expound what he meant before by the workes of the lawe the text it selfe prooueth For hauing said that Abraham beleeued God and that was counted to him for righteousnes therevpon the Apostle inferreth that if he had beene iustified by workes his iustification had bin of debt not of grace So that he doth not heere expound his former wordes but beginneth in this fourth chapter an other argument by the example of Abraham being already iustified and a holie man to prooue iustification by faith without workes euen by forgiuenesse of sinnes or couering them And as I haue shewed master Bellarmines interpretation to stand vppon no good ground but that the place aledged maketh against himselfe so that which we gather out of S. Paules words to be the most true meaning namely that workes neither before nor after our first iustification as they call it can merit the circumstances of the place do proue the whole course of his doctrine He instructeth the Rom. Galath in this doctrine who were already become christians already were iustified He doth not only shew that the works of the law do not iustifie but telleth vs that the nature of the law is to make vs to know sin Rom. 7.7 Rom. 4.15 to cause wrath euen after we be iustified And S. Paul himselfe teacheth so much in that he counted al that was in him to be but losse yea dung That he might win Christ Philip. 3.8 9 be found in him not hauing his own righteousnesse which is of the lawe but that which is through the faith of Christ euen the righteousnesse which is of God through Christ Marke heere how the Apostle saint Paul in these wordes which were written almost thirty yeeres after his conuersion still relieth vpon the righteousnesse that is by faith and he calleth it Gods righteousnesse and refuseth that which commeth by workes and that he calleth mans righteousnesse Now of this which is said I trust I may thus reason Saint Paul excludeth from iustification not only the works that are done before we beleeue but also the works which we afterwards doe therefore master Bellarmines interpretation is not true If then workes cannot iustifie as hitherto I haue taught wee may say with saint Augustine Wo bee euen to the commendable life of man Confess lib. 9. ca. 13. if thou Lord setting mercie aside examine it For Enarrat psal 109. as he saieth in an other place Whatsoeuer God hath promised hee hath promised to them that are vnworthie that it shuld not be promised as wages for good works but grace according to the name of it should be freely giuen Confess lib. 9. cap. 13. O therefore that all men that with Saint Augustine I may wish that godly wish would know themselues and they that reioyce Ad Ctesiphontem contra Pelagianos would reioyce in the Lord. For this onely perfection is left to men that they knowe themselues to be vnperfect as truly and godlily saint Hierome writeth Of iustification by Faith and what Faith is CHAP. 26 THE PROTESTANTS ANd this Iustification which by our workes we can not deserue yet by faith we do obtaine Not because our faith can of it selfe worke any such effect What faith is But it beeing a liuely and certain perswasion of our heart and conscience that God for Christ Iesus his sake forgiueth vs al our sinnes and in him accounteth vs holie and righteous doeth thus iustifie vs not as that that worketh our iustification but as that which apprehendeth and taketh holde of that righteousnes that Christ hath wrought for vs. And so by faith he being made ours is vnto vs wisdome 1. Cor. 1.30 and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption And being thus iustified by faith Rom. 5.1 wee haue peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ THE PAPISTS BVT our aduersaries because they like not that Christ shoulde bee the onely salue for our sores neyther will they haue faith to bee the hande that applieth this soueraigne medicine
also that we should performe to no other but to him those seruices and offices that are due vnto God amongst which inuocation or praier is one Secondly that commandement which more particularly toucheth this point Psal 50.15 Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee is flatly broken if we doe call vpon any other Thirdly the prophet Dauid doeth seeme to make it a property belonging to God only to heare our praiers Thou that hearest our praiers to thee shall all flesh come Psal 65.2 And therefore if wee will be heard we must pray to God only Fourthly Cont. Arian Orat. 2. Athanasius proueth Christ to be God because he is praied vnto in distresse Whose argument had not beene good if any other besides God might haue beene praied vnto Fiftly faith only belongeth to this life so that the Saintes haue it not in the life to come De iustif li. 2. cap. 4. 7. as maister Bellarmine himselfe affirmeth very truely but praier without faith auaileth not and How shall they call on him in whom they haue not beleeued Therefore the saints after this life cannot pray for vs or at the least their praiers cannot auaile Sixtly as it is not an office laid vpon the saints to pray for vs in all the scriptures so they regard nothing in the life to come but only Gods glory as may appeare by the exercise of singing praise to God only as in the Apocalips manie times is ascribed vnto them So little care they haue of their owne priuate estate much lesse of our affaires but of those things only that belong to gods glory Thus then we see concerning this first point in controuersie concerning praier that we must not pray vnto any creature but to God only De beatitud Sanct. li. 1. cap. 19. Popish argumentes for inuocation Gen. 48.16 But yet let vs see how M. Bellar. wil proue that we maie praie to the creatures Iacob saith of Iosephs children The angell that deliuered me from all euill blesse the children therefore Iacob praieth vnto the angel That which there he calleth the angel is God as appeareth not only by the words because before he called him God but also Chrysostome expounding this place vers 15. In Genes Hom. 66. Iob. 5.1 not once naming the angell maketh him to aske al these things of God And that which he alleadgeth out of Iob is of like force Call now if any will answere thee and to which of the saints wilt thou turne for many of the Hebrews vnderstand this of the saints that are aliue as if he had said what good man is of thy mind or wil take thy part Some expounde this place of the angels but so as they make Eliphaz to aske this question to whom amongst the angels Iob wil turne scoffingly As if he had said if thou shouldst aske of them it were in vaine they would not answer thee But howsoeuer it is it is certaine that heere is no mention of inuocation or praier vnto the angels Philippus Presbiter in Iob. but rather as it seemeth by Phillippus Presbiter vpon this place a taunting reproofe of Iob if he beleeued not Eliphaz his words But howsoeuer it is expounded heere is no good argument for inuocation or praier vnto angels For the Godly haue often turned themselues vnto the angels but not to pray vnto them As for that that Moses said Remember Abraham Isaac and Israel thy seruantes Exod. 32.13 respecteth not the merits of these fathers but the promise made to them as in that place appeareth for it followeth To whome thou swarest by thine owne selfe and saidst to them I wil multiply your seede Which words doe plainely burden God with his promise made to them Neither doth that which maister Bellarmine alleadgeth out of Theodoret proue any thing ◠o the contrary For he saith that Moses vsed the helpe or defence of these patriarkes And why not rather in respect of Gods promise which we know hee is able and ready to performe then of their merits Theod. quest 67. in Exod. So that if there were any inuocation or praier to them as there is not it is onlie a request that God will remember them and therefore this place belongeth not to the matter now in question but if there were any praier vnto them we see that it cannot bee concluded out of this place that Moses would haue God to regarde their merites But maister Bellarmine will helpe the matter with a testimonie out of the Psalmes Lord remember Dauid and al his kindnes Psal 131.2 There saith maister Bellarmine Salomon praieth in respect of his father Dauids merits but the word vpon which his whole argument dependeth that heere is translated kindnes may be trāslated Affliction And S. Hierom trāslating the psalms according to the Hebrew doth so translate it And how can he thinke with such vncertaine proofe to make good so bad a cause But I hasten to that argument that coulde neuer yet be answered for so maister Bellarmine saith And it is this We may desire them that are aliue to pray for vs therefore we maie pray to the saints that are departed If maister Bellarmine had not liked so well of this argument I should not haue thought it worth any answere For to praie one for another whilest we are aliue is both warranted and commaunded of God but to praie to them that are gone wee haue neither commaundement nor promise And there is greate difference betweene praiers which the papists woulde make to them that are dead and such requestes as the godlie haue made or we may make to them that are aliue to praie for vs. But maister Bellarmine will strengthen his argument by remoouing the causes that maie hinder this inuocation or rather their intercession for vs. First if wee saie they will not praie for vs hee answereth they haue greater loue than they had and therefore they will But what manner of loue they haue to vs ward is not described in the Scriptures And therefore we cannot of that their loue which is vncertaine gather any certaine argument But sure I am their loue towards God and our sauiour Christ is so great that they will not rob either God of his glory or Christ of his office of mediation And they cannot pray for vs because as before I haue shewed euen out of maister Bellarmine that they want faith And whether they know that we pray or not it is vncertaine As for the wrong that is done vnto God if any but he be praied vnto which maister Bellarmine imagineth to be the fourth let why they cannot pray for vs he answereth that if that be any hinderance to Gods glory Coloss 2.23 it also is against Gods glory that they who are aliue should request other to pray for them Which his answere how foolish it is the very wemen and children maie easily perceiue how the one hath commandement the other must
Pagans had of the vse of their Idols but also that popish vse of images to be laie mens bookes And seeing in al these points they are so like as if they were twinnes of one birth why should we doubt but they are al one But they are not more like in anie thing than in that definition of an idol which maister Bellarmine himselfe hath set downe De Imag. li. 2 cap. 5. The image of God the father De Imag. li. 2 cap. 8. An Idol saith he is a false likenesse But the popish images are false likenesses therefore they are idols First the image of God the father to be made like an aged man which maister Bellarmine liketh wel of is but a false likenesse For graie heires and age are rather a token of weakenes than a picture fit to set foorth Gods maiestie and shew him rather to be pitied than powerful Yea but God appeared saith M. Bellarm. to Daniel hauing The haire of his head like the pure wool Daniel 7. ◠It is true but he bid not Daniel paint him so He appeared in that shape to Daniel only whom he had indued with a principal spirit but did not shew himselfe so vnto the people He appeared vnto his seruants in sundry shapes not often in one sort to shew that he must not be made like vnto anie one of them for none of them all can set him forth vnto vs as he should be set forth therefore if we wil make them they are but lying similitudes The image of Christ And for the image of Christ it is but a lying likenesse For his very shape or outwarde forme is not by them expressed but one painteth him after one sort another after another sort But the especial things that we should receiue comfort or instruction by cannot bee painted his godlines of life his office of beeing redeemer and mediator These things which are the chiefest the grauer cannot graue the painter cannot paint These are liuely described in Gods booke But they that are most giuen to images care lest to learne these thinges And seeing the image cannot teach vs these things for wee see nothing in it but a stocke or stone or some other mettall made like a man which cannot stirre or moue or helpe it selfe therefore it is a false likenesse But false also are such images in another respect namely because the eie beholding it draweth the minde from the consideration and meditation of better thinges and hindereth more heauenlie cogitations False because they intise to lies Ier. 10.14.15 Habac. 2.18 And therefore wel saith God by his Prophet Ieremie Their melting is but falshood they are vanity and the work◠of errours What profiteth the Image saith God by Habacucke For the maker thereof hath made it an Image and teacher of lies These bookes then they are of a false print and teach not truelie but as are idoles euen so are these images false likenesses De consens◠euang li. 1. cap. 10. And therefore worthely did S. Augustine finde fault with them Who sought for Christ his apostles not in the holy scriptures but in painted wals And this is indeed a dangerous falshood vnder pretence of religion to draw vs from true religion And by satisfying the eie with a faire shew to rob the soule of the spiritual comfort and instruction Lastlie they are like in name also Which thing although M. Bell. others would faine deny yet G. Martin a great enemy to vs euen in this cause Against our english translat ca. 3. sect 15. In Exod. 20. cannot but grant that the greeke word Idolum maie signifie an image And Caietanus also another piller of poperie doth make an idol an image alone although M. Bellar. censure him for it And the Hebrew names are so general De imag li. 2 cap. 7. as that they may very wel serue for image or idol yea there is in the vse of them small difference Sometime their names shew and tell what they are as vanities lies abhominations yea dirtie and dungie Sometime they are called according to their making grauen or molten Sometime according to the effect that they worke in such as serue them they are called fleabogs Cap. 3. sect 5 Psal 106.36 and where Gregory Martin translateth they Serued grauen Idols the word signifieth vexation Because idols bring vexation to them that serue them they are so called But the words as I haue said are very general And therfore vniustly and without cause doth Gr. Martin find fault with our english translations for translating Ca. 3. sect 20. Exod. 20.4 Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image For the wordes doe so well beare it that euen their owne latine translation which they allow so wel of doth often translate that very word image as we doe for the most abhominable Idols that are as the images of the temple of Baal 2. Kings 11 1◠Ezec. 7.20 16.19 Ezec. 23.14 the idolatrous images which the Israelites made the images of the Caldeans And that word which with the Hebrews most properlie signifieth a likenesse or image doth their old translation translate an Idol De Imag. li. 2. cap. 5. if this word Simulacrum doe signifie an Idol as maister Bellarmine saith it doth For Tselamim wich in Hebrew signifieth likenesses or images that latin translation calleth Simulacra Idols 2. Cron. 34.3 Hos 11.2 and els where If the old translatour might indifferentlie vse the wordes that are of one significatiō why maie not our translatours do the like but they must by and by be falsifiers and corrupters And more euidently to proue that the olde translatour did not acknowledge this nice difference marke the place that we alleadge against them out of Habacucke Habak 2.18 and it will appeare that he maketh images that grauen thing which in this commaundement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen thing is forbidden all one putting no difference betweene them For thus doth hee translate that place What profiteth the grauen thing For hee that made it hath grauen it a molten thing and a false image Where he plainelie calleth that an image which before he did translate as the word doth in truth signifie a grauen thing If this be no fault in him I trust the indifferent reader will not thinke it to be a fault in vs. Well then images and idols agreeing so wel as they doe in matter forme vnabilitie vse definition and name why maie they not bee birdes of one nest and whelpes of one litter one of them taken for the other If wee also consider how in other places of Scripture the idols are described and compare those descriptions with that which we see and know to be in their images Psal 115.4.5.6 we shall see them to be alike Their Idols are siluer and gold the worke of mens handes They haue mouthes and speake not eies and see not eares and heare not noses
that al the temporall punishment is not alwayes pardoned with the sinne And the Iesuites of Colen say that this commeth often to passe And so they all teach that not alwayes but often it is so But this is a very doubtfull doctrine for the afflicted conscience that would faine finde comfort and release of sinnes But so must it alwayes be nothing but doubting nothing but wauering so long as wee trust to our owne satisfactions No quietnesse and securitie but onely in Christ But because I haue spoken else-where of our satisfactions or workes how little auaileable they are I meane not to stay vpon this point But for the example of Dauid which is alleadged both by Allen 2. Sa. 12.14 maister Bellarmine and the rest whereby they chiefly indeuour to prooue that punishment may be inflicted the sinne being pardoned it maketh little for them For seeing there are in sinne two things as themselues will confesse the verie corruption it selfe and the danger or condemnation that followe◠h it the condemnation being taken away by forgiuenesse of sinne yet the corruption or infection of sinne still remaineth as before hath beene taught in the three and twentieth chapter The cause of chasticements Esa 48.10 God therefore sometime chasticeth his seruants to humble or reforme So he chasticed the Iewes Sometime to trie and prooue them whether their hearts bee right or not so did hee prooue the Israelites in the wildernesse fortie yeeres Deut. 8.2 Sometime to glorifie his owne name and for example to others as in the storie of Iob appeareth Then they can not reason thus Dauid was afflicted therefore it was to satisfie for his sinne For God wee see may send affliction for many other causes and not that wee might satisfie any thing by temporall punishment But master Bellarmine replieth against this answere out of the very wordes For there it is saide 2. Sam. 12.14 Because thou hast caused the ennemies of the Lorde by this thy deede to blaspheme the childe that is borne to thee shall surely die Where he noteth the cause saieth master Bellarmine why Dauid should be punished True but not thereby to satisfie for that he had done But that the enemies of God seeing the chasticements that God laieth vpon his children and how that Gods iudgements begin euen at his owne house and with his owne deare seruants 1. Pet. 4.17 they may the rather looke for his heauie wrath if they turne not to him And thus much for the right vnderstanding of the place But what is this to purgatorie for Dauids sinne was mortall and therefore could not be helped by purgatorie by their own doctrine De purgat li. 1. cap. 9. for M. Bellarmine saith they al agree therin To what end then doe they bring in Dauids punishment for a mortall sinne to shew howe God will take away veniall sinnes or howe doth it folow Dauid was here punished for his sinne therefore all men here or else where must be punished But to handle this question as briefly as I can master Bellarmine himselfe doth handle it doubtfully Iren. lib. 5. and so vncertainly yea and as Irene speaketh so vnconsequently and so euil agreing with it selfe that he giueth iust cause to suspect the truth of it Where the place of purgatorie is they haue not yet agreed Bellar. de purg li. 2. c. 6 Cap. 6. but are of eight sundrie minds And although in the first booke of purgatorie master Bellarmine hath alledged sundrie fathers for proofe of it Cap. 1. yet in the second booke he telleth vs that they are not agreed of it who shall come thether Some will haue all but Christ neither will exempt from thence so much as the virgin Marie others are of another minde But who must satisfie for them that are in purgatorie De purg li. 2. cap. 17. only he that is iust Why then where shall they finde priests to serue the turne For they are cōmonly as bad as who is worst And the time will scarcely serue them to recken vp their owne Li. 2. cap. 10 de purgat much lesse shall they be able to satisfie for others sins Other doubtes also there are which M. Bellarmine speaketh of but cannot certainly resolue Is this doctrine to be receiued as catholicke of so manie points whereof euen the greatest Doctours among them do disagree No certaine place no certaine people no certaine proofe of it What should we doe with such an vncertaine religion especially where so little good commeth towardes vs and so much of our goodes goe from vs For onely veniall sinnes they tell vs Veniall sinnes onely taken away in purgatorie can bee taken away by purgatorie But for such small faults because they doe not as the Papists would make vs bebeleeue turne vs from God they can tell vs manie mo easie remedies Holie bread holy water giuing a little almes pardons Pilgrimages Pater nosters and Auies And to bee buried in a Monkes Cowle and bootes it is a soueraigne remedie for such things or else they lie But one thing I cannot but muse at that in this life these veniall sinnes maie so easilie bee satisfied for as they all agree and yet after this life their torments shoulde bee so grieuous as they report them to bee For maister Bellarmine bestoweth a whole Chapter to proue the paines of Purgatorie to bee most bitter De purgat li. 2. cap. 1◠and that no torments that are in this life may bee compared with them Can a little holy water wash them awaie heere and must the fire be so sharpe that must burne them awaie else-where But I thinke I knowe nowe the mysterie of it The more that mens sinnes are heere mittigated or the lesse grieuous that they appeare vnto their iudgement the lesse carefull will they bee to satisfie for the same heere or rather to auoyd them and will liue more securely But when vppon their death-bed they shall finde anie conflict of conscience and can finde no rest then must they giue much for Masses and Trentals then must the bellowes of the Priests false and lying tongues blowe the fire of purgatorie vntill they haue made it so hote that a great peece of that which hee hath left behinde him and shoulde serue for the maintenance of wife and children must bee bestowed in the slaking of that great heate and the quenching of that tormenting and vnsatiable fire De purgat lib. ◠cap. 3. Now for his proofs of purgatorie out of the scriptures they haue either so little waight or are so obscure and so wrested from their natural sense that the simplest if without partialitie they could weigh them would find them too light to satisfie their consciences to be perswaded of the truth of that doctrine The two first the one of the Machabees 2. Mac. 12. Tob. 4. 1. Sam. 31.30 2. Sam. 1.12 the other of Tobie are out of the bookes that are not Canonicall and
nor withdraweth other from the truâ— worship of God Yea there are who for religion being imprisoned haue inriched themselues and increased their reuenues We only seeke to reforme them not to torment them and to lay vpon them gentle chasticements to amende them not cruell punishments to destroy them But yet as I saide before of lawes that they would bee made for a restraint for all sorts of men and women so the punishment would be inflicted vpon all in like sort that offende in like maner And although I will not take vpon mee to define whether princes may beare with recusants or not because they are enemies to God namely such as despise wilfully Gods worde and contemne his Sacraments yet I may be bolde to affirme that the magistrates who will suffer vnpunished the breaking of the first table of the commaundements doe shewe therein no great zeale to their high Lord and master And here would I wish this one poynt to be considered vpon whether it be not verie conuenient and necessarie that wheras God by his law expresly hath set downe that Idolaters should be stoned to death Deut. 17.2 3 4 5 7. whether I say the papists whose seruice and ceremonies are almost nothing else but Idolatry and superstition should bee iudged according to that law concerning that point of their religion wherein they defend and practise the worshiping of Images and praying to those that are no Gods Heereby two commodities I doubt not would insue First that the papists should be knowen to be as they are Idolaters and worshippers of false gods which sinne if the people did know that they were subiect vnto they would neuer be so deceiued by them Secondly thereby many would be afraied to call vpon stockes and stones as now they doe For to defile the lande with their manifest idolatries why should not wee account it a sinne worthie of death seeing it is a breach of that commaundement which especially concerneth the honour of God Which how feruently and sincerely we should maintaine we may among manie other notable presidents learne of the children of Israel who with full consent Iosh 22 did gather themselues to fight agaynst the tribes of Ruben and Gad and the halfe tribe of Manasseh because they had thought that an altar which they built for a memoriall and witnesse that the tribes beyond Iordan worshipped the selfe same God and professed the same Religion that the other did they thought I say it had beene built to offer sacrifices vpon and so to dishonour God Which thing rather than they would suffer vnreuenged they would venture their liues So zealous they were and wee should be of Gods honour For euen to that ende were we created and that dutie we must as louing and obedient children zealously performe to our heauenly father Yea seeing they account vs as heretikes in whose doctrine neither they neither yet their fathers could euer or yet can proue by the worde of God the least suspition of heresie to the end that themselues may be knowen what they are that thus dare slaunder the professours of the trueth without iust cause Why should not they whose doctrine and doings beeing examined by Gods written worde doe plainly proue themselues to be idolaters why should not they I say be called idolaters as in trueth they are Well seeing it is before plainly proued that godly princes did make lawes to restraine and reforme the sinnes of the people yea and that in matters of Religion and haue as it were watched all oportunities to serue the Lord in such sort and this I take to be that seruing of the time Rom. 12.11 whereunto the Apostle exhorteth for so many do read it I trust it cannot be denied but that it belongeth vnto the dutie of Christian magistrates to doe the like And if they may make lawes may they not also punish the breakers of the same I haue before shewed that it is necessarie if we consider our estate that they should And that it is their part so to do it cannot be denied Rom. 13.4 For He is the minister of God to take vengeance of them that doe euill And what Nehemiah did herein is worthie to be remembred whose authoritie was not very great being but as it were a captain yet did he not onely make decrees as of other matters so also concerning the breach of the Sabboth day Nehe. 10.17 a sinne too common in England and too lightly accounted of but also did execute the same 20 21 yea and threatned to lay hands vpon them that were cause of it if they made that fault againe Yea did not Asa commaund them vpon paine of death to turne from their Idols and false gods â— Chr. 15.23 making this couenant nay taking this oath of all Iudah and Beniamin that Whosoeuer will not seeke the Lorde God of Israel shall bee slaine whether hee bee small or great man or woman Marke there is in this no respect of kinde or kinred yea he suffered not his owne grandmother to be regent neither thought her worthie to bee a gouernour Because shee had made an Idoll in a groue and hee brake downe her Idoll and stamped it and burnt it at the brooke of Kidron Christian princes and Magistrates should alwayes set such examples before their eies comparing that which they did and Gods spirit commendeth in them with that which they doe to prouoke themselues thereby in godly zeale to serue the Lord. Nowe therefore seeing I haue indeuoured as God hath inabled mee to stirre vp all christian magistrates more watchfully to regard and more speedily to redresse than of late especially hath beene done the state of religion growen I knowe not by what negligence almost into contempt amongst many I would wish that a chiefe care shoulde bee taken among many other to auoyde two verie daungerous conceytes which are as Scylla and Caribdis 1. Tim. 1.19 at one of the which it is an easie matter for all them to make shipwracke of fayth Rom. 1.18 that striue not to holde fast a good conscience but withholde the trueth in vnrighteousnesse The one is poperie the other is Atheisme Of papists and recusants I haue sayde alreadie somewhat They are too many and vpon euery small occasion of hope of their bloudie day verie bolde whereby we may consider what subiects they are They are dangerous snakes to carrie in our bosome If inquirie should be made how many haue beene presented that were neuer called before authoritie and howe many called that haue beene sent home againe as free as before they came to the magistrate and yet as bad also as euer they were I suppose they will be found manie And for them that are imprisoned it is manie times more for the gaine of their keepers than the reformation of themselues So that they are almost in no place more free to doe or say what they will than in their prisons whereby they corrupt many This
alleadge M. Bellarmines reasons though not alwayes because he is accounted learned amongest vs and also commeth after others so that he hath seene what others haue and hath taken out of them what he liketh And as in all this treatise my endeuour is to proue I trust with some good effect that the doctrine of the church of Rome is not catholike so that it may the better appeare I haue towards the end set downe an abridgement of Vincentius Lyrinensis whereby I trust the meanest that seeth it shal be able to iudge how they make an vniust claime to the catholike religion And although I know my own wants and could rather submit my selfe to be a scholer vnto many than a teacher almost of any yet because I know not how my minde giueth me that this manner of writing may do some good especially among the vnlearned that are desirous to be taught I thought my duetie forced me to take this in hand though I want many helpes and meanes that other haue And to whom should this my labour such as it is be due rather than vnto you next after that place where I did sucke as it were my first milke of learning and laid almost the foundation of that knowledge such as it is that God hath indued mee withall By your good liberalitie I confesse my selfe to be the better inabled to do any good be it neuer so little that I can do in the church of God To your Worships therefore I confesse this my trauell to be due as a simple token of my sincere heart which would haue yeelded a better remembrance if my abilitie could haue affoorded it And the rather do I dedicate this Booke vnto your W. Company that you seeing the meaning of bestowing your exhibition which is to bring vp Labourers in Gods haruest teachers in his church to be in some part performed in me who first in Oxford receiued your liberalitie as I doubt not but you haue seene much more plentiful fruit in many other you may the more willingly continue your godly course and not be weary of your wel-doing Accept in good part I pray you this simple gift and if you see in it but my desire to doe good giue glo◠y to God to whose good grace I commit you and yours and my selfe to your good prayers From my house at Ryton in the Bishoprike of Durham Anno 1595. ⧠A necessarie Table of all the principall matters contained in euery chapter of this Booke THAT the Scriptures or word written is onely Gods word and not traditions Chapter 1 That this word is sufficient Chapter 2 The Scripture a sure rule Chapter 3 Scriptures easie Chapter 4 That onely the canonicall bookes of the old and new testament are this written word or Scriptures Chapter 5 What the catholike church is that in the creede is mentioned Chapter 6 That the catholike church mentioned in the articles of our creede is not visible or to be seene Chapter 7 The church here militant vpon the earth may erre Chapter 8 Of the markes of the church or how we may know the true church Chapter 9 What a sacrament is what is the effect of it or what it worketh how many sacraments there are Chapter 10 Of the sacrament of Baptisme Chapter 11 Of Confirmation Chapter 12 Of the Lords supper and Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ and namely of transubstantiation Chapter 13 That the wicked receiue not in the sacrament Christs body and bloud Chapter 14 That the cup ought not to be denied to the lay people which thing the papists do Chapter 15 Against their sacrifice of the Masse or of the altar as they call it Chapter 16 Of true and christian repentance and of the Popish Sacrament of penance Chapter 17 Of lawfull calling into the ministerie and against the sacrament of Orders as they call it Chapter 18 Of matrimony that it is not a sacrament and that it is lawfull for all Chapter 19 Of anoiling or extreme vnction that it is not a sacrament Chapter 20 Of originall sin what it is and whether concupiscence be sin or not Chapter 21 Of the works of infidels and such as are not regenerate Chapter 22 Of Baptisme whether it doe extinguish and kill in vs originall sinne or not Chapter 23 That we haue not of our selues free wil or power to deliuer our selues from sinne Chapter 24 That by our workes we cannot bee iustified and against the doctrine of merites Chapter 25 Of iustification by faith and what faith is Chapter 26 That good works are necessary duties for all christians to perfourme Chapter 27 Of prayer to whome and how we should pray Chapter 28 Against Images in churches or anie where else for religions cause Chapter 29 What fasting is and of the true vse of fasting Chapter 30 Of Purgatorie Chapter 31 An Abridgement of Vincentius Lyrinensis with obseruations vpon the said Author Chapter 32 An exhortation to christian magistrates for to defend this truth Chapter 33 FINIS That the Scriptures or written word is onely Gods Word and not traditions CHAP. 1 THE PROTESTANTS The rule of faith life BEcause it is confessed of al that gods worde must bee the rule and square of our faith and life of our religion and conuersation It is very meete that first wee enquire what is this word of God And wee affirme What is gods word that that onelie which is contained in the Bookes of the old and new Testament is the very true word of God First bicause we are so often earnestly charged not to adde any thing to it or to take any thing from it Secondly this is prooued by the practise of the godlie of all times The Iewes most religiously kept the word written with great sinceritie and made it the Touchstone to try their actions by and by it they reformed such things as were amisse in religion especially As in Iehosaphat Ezechias Iosias and others it may appeare Christ also and his Apostles confirmed that which they taught out of the Scriptures yea they confirmed and expounded the Lawe Mat. 5. and preached no other gospell thā that which before was promised by the Prophets Rom. 1.2 And accounted them accursed that shoulde preach any other Gal. 1.6 7 8 9. Lastly the Fathers of the purer times of the Church did not only with open mouth submit their writings and doctrines to the iudgement of the Scriptures but also they tried doubts established all trueths and confuted all heresies onely by this word written THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of ROME not suffering herself to be hemmed in within so narow lists Prou. 22.28 hath remoued the ancient bounds which their fathers made and faineth that God who hath hitherto had but one voice now in our dayes shoulde speake with two tongues What is gods word in the Ro. church For they make Gods word to consist of two partes namely of the word written which we