they may safely adioyne themselues D. Field conspireth with al the former Protestants thus saying The persons of them of whom the Church consisteth are Visible their profession knowne euen to the prophane and wiched of the world And in this sort the Church cannot be Inuisible Thus this Doctour preuenteth the answere of those who say the Church is Visible but to the Elect only The said D. Field thus reprehendeth Cardinal Bellarmine touching this point saying It is true that Bellarmine laboreth in vaine in proouing that there is and alwayes hath bene a Visible Church and that not consisting of some few scattered Christians without Order of Ministry or vse of Sacraments for all this wee do most willingly yeeld vnto how soeuer perhaps some few haue bene otherwise of Opinion But for great breuity and ommitting the like confessions herein of other remarkable Protestants D. Humfrey shall close vp this scene who enthereth into heate and passion with his Aduersaries for needelesly prouing the Churches euer Visibility For thus he writeth Cur ergo anxiè curiosè probant quod est a nobis numquam negatum Why do they meaning the Catholicks so painfully and curiously proue that which we neuer denyed And then after the said Doctour Non enim clancularij secessus conuocationes sunt Christianae the society of Christians are not secret meetings And then there againe speaking of the Church militant Oportet Ecclesiam esse conspicuam Conclusio est clarissima It is a manifest Conclusion that the Church is to be conspicuous and Visible And thus farre Gentlemen of your owne Brethren confessing with vs Catholicks the euer Visibility of the Church of God And this in so full a manner as that the wicked as D. Fyeld aboue speaketh shall take full notice and sight of it by force of which cleare testimonies those few and ignorant Protestants who confesse the Church to be Visible but not in so full a maner are preuented of their poore refuge saying The Church is Visible but not at all tymes as if the Church like the Sea enioyed a flux and reflux of it Visibility knowne but knowne only to the Elect and faythfull phantastically spoken without al colour of proofe and mainly crossing not only their owne more learned Brethren but also most repugnant to the formery mentioned Propheces of Gods sacred word and other passages thereof to the graue authority of the Primatiue Fathers and finally to al force of reason it selfe D. REYNOLDS Wee see Michaeas you are very conuersant in our owne Writers And now I hope this first point is perfected Whereupon the force of the future discourse is to relye And though thē be some difficulty to crye downe an errour or false opinion in doctrine once aduanced Neuerthelesse I trust no learned iudicious Man perusing the former authorities at large will euer dreame of an Inuisible Church being in it selfe a meere intentional Notion and hauing no subsistence or being MICHAEAS M. Doctour you say truly But now seeing it is in this next place properly incumbent vpon you and these two graue men to instance in Protestants for all ages since Christ for the Church of Christ by your owne former doctrine necessarily exacteth such a Visibility I hould it conuenient to put you al in minde of two or three points the due consideration of which may much induce to the discouery of the weaknes of such Instances which as my thoughts presage wil be hereafter insisteth vpon by you NEVSERVS You do well Michaeas to set downe those premonitions for we desire that if there shal be any defect in the future examples it may be fully displayed Therefore proceed in your Method MICHAEAS The first then of these any maduersions may be to obserue the wounderful reluctation and backwardnesse in some Protestants a manifest signe of their owne guilty defectiuenesse herein when this Catholicks presse them to giue instances of Protestancy and of the administration of the word and Sacrements For seing they wil beare men in hand that their Church hath euer continued Visible they are therefore in reasons it selfe bound as mantayning the affirmatiue part to vndertake the proose thereof Now answearably to my former Assertion I finde D Wutton speaking to his Catholicke Aduersary thus to write you wilt say shew vs where the fayth and Religion you professe where held Nay proue you that they were held no where c. And what if it could not beshewed yet we know by the articles of our Creede that there hath bene alwayes a Church in which we say this religion we professe must of necessity be held c. This stands vpon you to disproue which when you do by particular Records you shall haue particular answere Then which what can be spoken first more absurdly as expecting records of things which neuer were in being He furthermore transferring the part of prouing vpon Catholicks to which himselfe and his fellowes only stand obliged Secondly what can discouer more their vnablenessein guing examples of Protestancy during the former ages The like dispairing Answere D Fulke vseth vpon the same point saying to his Aduersary Proferre me iubes teto orbe latitantes vah quam iniquum postulas Thou willest me to produce and name those which did lye secret through out the World how iniust a thing dost thou here demand The second Obseruation Seing the Church of God is at al times and seasons without the least discontinuance thereof to be Visibile and to enioy a publike administration of the Word and Sacraments as aboue we al haue proued That therefore such Instances of Protestancy which may be giuen by you hereafter supposing them to be true do but iustify Visibility of your Church only for so long no longer as the said Protestants did liue And therefore except you be able to produce examples of Protestancy for al ages since Christ if you do fayle herein but for any one only age it necessarily followeth that Church of the Protestants as wanting this vninterrupted Visibility is not the Church of Christ described in the old Testament and their prophecyed of in so many different places The third and last Obseruation That one may truly and iustly be called a Protestant two things among others must necessatily concurre The one that he do mantayne al the chiefest points of Protestancy Thus he is not to hould only some few points of Protestancy and in the rest being more in number and of greater importance to pertake with the Catholicks seeing such a Man is rather as beleiuing more Articles of Catholicke Religion then of Protestancy to be reputed a Catholicke then a Protestant for his denomination is to be giuen him rather according to the greater and weightier number of Articles beleeued by him ther otherwise though to speake the truth such a Man so beleeuing is formally neither Catholicke not Protestant The second thing necessary to the being of a Protestant is that he doth not hould pertinaciously any
except the name Catholicks which was euen in the Primatiue Church the surname of all Christians according to that Christianus mihi nomen est Catholicus vero cagnomen Illud me nuncupat istud me osteÌ„dit though the contrary we can shew of you who haue the names giuen to you of Lutherans Caluenits Besits c. Therfore it clearely followeth that the Professours of the present Roman Church haue neuer changed their Fayth first planted by the Apostles D. WHITAKERS Now my L. Cardinall you are foiled with your owne argument For haue you not the name of Papists peculiarly appropriated to your selues to distinguish you from the true professours of the ghospel In like sort are not some of your religious Men called Bernardins others Franciscans Benedictins Augustins c. so taking their appellation from particuler Men and thus your owne argument rebutteth vpon your selfe with great disaduantage Therfore my Lord be not so confident aforehand in the force of your alleaged reasoÌ„ but remember that Thraâ—y's prò'erysóù ' ec pollóù cacòs who is euer bould before the worke is attempted is commoÌ„ly indiscreete CARD BELLARM. M. Doctour You so seriously here trifle as that I euen blush in your behalfe to obserue how you wroÌ„g yourfollowers and Proselits with such weake transparency of reasons For you are here to vnderstand that the Surnames of Peculiar Hereticks as the Arians Eutichians Maniches and of all others were imposed vpon the Professours of these Heresies euen at the first beginning and rising of the sayd Heresies and were inuented out of necessity to distinguish their Heresies from all other Doctrines but now the word Papist M. Doctour was coyned but lately by Luther himselfe against vs this not out of necessity but of reproach our Fayth and Doctrine being acknowledged aboue by your leaned Brethren to haue bin in the world many hundred yeares before Luthers dayes Agayne the Word Papist is not restrained to any one Pope or any peculiar Doctrine taught by the present Church of Rome but it is indifferently extended to all Popes and all doctrines taught by the sayd Popes so fowly M. Doctour are you mistaken in alleadging the name Papist against vs and so much do you and other Protestants wrong vs euen for that very name we vndergoing herein by your Brethrens calumnies the like misfortune which Collatinus Tarquinius suffered who was depriued of his honours and subiect to disgrace and reproach by the Romans only for the hatefull name of Tarquinius Touching those names of Franciscans Bernardins Benedictans c. It is so cleare that these names are not imposed for change of Fayth but only for institution of seueral degrees of a vertuous and religious life as that I will answere you in your former Brother D. Feild his words who thus solueth this your obiection We must obserue that they who professe the Fayth of Christ haue bin sometymes in these later ages of the Church called after the special names of such Men as were the Authours beginners and deuisers of such courses of Monastical Profession as they made choyse to follow as Benedictans such like Thus D. Feild MICHEAS I thinke M. Doctour vnder yonr fauour that these your instances of names taken from the first institutours of seueral religious Orders in the Church of Christ do not imply any change of Fayth made by them and therefore the force of my L. Cardinal his argument borrowed from new imposed appellations is not weakned but rather fartified by this your reply My Reason is this in our Iewish Law we read that ther were some called Rechabits and others Nazarites both professing a more strict course of life then the vulgar and common people did In like sort Iosephus and Philo report much of the austerity of the Essenes among vs Iewes who in regard of such their peculiar Profession were called Essenes and to whom God vouchsafed many spiritual fauours and consolations Happy men since he is most fit to walke vpon the hight of celestial contemplation who liueth in the vale of a voluntary humility retyrednes and mortification In whom the fyre of the spirit doth euer extinguish the fire of the flesh and sensuality thus the greater heare putting forth the lesse heate Now shal any man thinke that these men instituted a Fayth and Religion different from that of Moyses It is both absurd to entertayne such a thought and withall it is a wrong and dishonour to the Law of Moyses And in my iudgment both these instances of the Old Testament produced by me and those other of the Franciscans c. obiected by you M. Doctour in a true and eauen libration of theÌ„ do prooue that which my L. Cardinal first endeauoured to prooue from the imposition of new Names For they manifest the seueral changes and alterations which were made both in the old Testament and the new touching a more austere profession of a vertuous life which was the subiect of those changes as these other new imposed names of Arians Nestorians Maniches and the rest aboue specified do necessarily euict a change first made in Doctrine by Arius Nestorius Manicheus c. But my L. Cardinall if you wil enlarge your selfe no further vpon this poynt I humbly intreate you to proceed to some other argument CARD BELLARM. Learned Micheas I wil proceed to that which at this instant shal be my last though for weight and force it might wel take the first place And it shal be taken M. Doctour from the first plantatioÌ„ of Christianity in your owne Country which though immediatly it concerneth but one Nation yet potentially it prooueth that ther was no change of Fayth at all made in the Church of Christ in any former tymes by the Professours of the present Roman Religion But here M. Doctour I am to demand your iudgment touching the times in which and the Person by whom the Britons of Wales were first conuerted to the Christian Fayth D. WHITAKERS All we Protestants agree that the Britons of Wales whre conuerted in the Apostles tyme by Ioseph of Aramathia and this we prooue not only form the authority of Sainct Bede who did write the history therof in the yeare 724. but also from the authority of our Principal Historiographers for thus M. Cambden our learned Countryman writeth Certum est Brit 〈…〉 in ipsa Ecclesiae infantia Christianâ—m Religionem imbibisse It is Certaine that the Britons receaued the Christian Religion euen in the infancy of the Church Who thus further discourseth of this Poynt In hac floruit Monasterium GlastenburieÌ„sis c. Here florished the Monastery of GlasteÌ„bury which taketh it ancieÌ„t beginning from Ioseph of Aramathia c. for this is witnessed by the most ancient Monuments of this Monastery c. nether is there any reason Why we should doubt therof Thus far M. Cambden with whom conspire all other Chroniclers as Harrison in his description of Britanny and others Yea of vs
of the Messias For all we concurrently maintayne that the Professours of the true fayth must at all tymes without the least interruption be made knowne and discernable And we further iustify that a want of such a Visibility destroyeth and annihilaâ—eth the Church of God MICHAEAS But will these two learned Men conspire with you M. Doctour in defending this euer necessary Visibility of the Church and this without any retyring backe herein or lessening and mincing the poynt once afore granted OCHINVS I speake for my selfe I am so confident therein as that I am ready at this instant to maintayne it agaynst any and this from the prophecyes of Gods sacred writ wherein the palme and victorious state of the Church in subiugating to it the Gentils is at large soretould to be in these after tymes euer most illustrious and radiant NEVSERVS And I as confidently do auerre the same euen from the sayd former deuine Oracles and am prepared if neede should require to solue all such texts of Scripture which in an ignorant and mistaking eye may seeme to import an Inuisibility of the Church at any tyme. MICHAEAS You all answere me to my full content and aboue my expectation Well then let vs eauen and playne the way of our ensuing dispute by resting vpon some one granted ground on all sides Which ground is the establishment of the Churches Visibility For it being once presumed that the true Church of God must at all tymes enjoy this Visibility it then most consequently followeth that you are obliged eyther to produce examples of Protestant Professours for euery age since Christ or els to grant that the Protestant Church is not the true Church but a late erected Conuenticle Therefore in regard hereof I hould it fitting that all of vs should ioyne our forces together for the proofe of this chiefe and head principle of the Churches Visibility you then Ochinus if it shall please you may according to your former proffer vndertake the probation of it from the Scripture Neuserus will he sayth recconcile all such chiefe seeming passages of the Scripture as may make show to euict the contrary And I will entreate of you M. Doctour to fortify the sayd Verity from the learned Monuments of the auncient fathers in whose wrytings no doubt you haue bene much conuersant as also from force of Reason My selfe will lastly reuet and warrant the same point from the often ingeminated acknowledgments of the most markable learned Protestants In whose bookes I confesse I haue much trauelled since my conuersion from Iudaisme And whose authorities I shall haue often occasion to produce throughout this conference For now you may take notice that I haue cast off all my former outward comportment of a Iew and am not only in fayth but also in my studyes my Idiome of speech and euery way els wholy Christian D. REYNOLDS I like well your method here intended and indeed it is that which the Philosophers call Ordo Naturae For by this meanes we first handle the Thesis to wit whether the Church of God is to be visible or no. That done we next descend to the Hypothesis Which is if the Protestants Church hath euer enioyed this Visibility or not Neyther can any iudicious man hould this first part as but certayne Prolegomena tending only to the better vnfoulding of the second Part for it is indeed a primary essentiall and radicall point and first in all necessity to be discussed For what auayleth it to prooue that there haue bene Professours of Protestancy in all ages since Christ if it rest doubtfull whether the Church of Christ exacteth such a necessity of it Professours in all ages or no Therefore Michaeas for my part I wâ—llingly vndergoe the taske desired by you OCHINVS We all ioyne hands herein Thus we see that ech of vs is prepared to cary a stone to the building of this fort which being once erected wil be able to endure the shot of her greatest Enemyes NEVSERVS I am most ready to performe my former assumed Scene therefore delay no tyme but begin OCHINVS Well then seing the proofes drawne from the sacred Scripture are worthily euer to haue the first place and seing I haue voluntarily imposed this labour vpon my selfe I will first begin Now for the confirmation of this supreme Verity of the Churches Visibility we will produce our first proofes from those Prophecyes which foretell that the Church after the coÌ„ming of the Messias shal be miraculously multiplyed Which extraordinary multiplicity of Professours must needs imply a Visibility of them As where it is sayd of the Church The Iles shall wayte for thee Their Kings shall miuister vnto thee and thy gates shal be continually open Neyther day nor night shall they be shut that men may bring to thee the riches of the gentills And agayne Kings shal be thy nursing Fathers and Queenes thy mothers And yet more I will giue thee the Heathens for thy inheritance and the end of the earth for thy Possession And lastly to omit diuers others such predictions of the Churches encrease and amplitude it is sayd enlarge the places of thy tents spread out the curtaynes of thy habitation for thou shalt encrease on the right hand and on the left thy seede shall possesse the Gentills and inhabit the desolate Cityes Now how can these Prophecyes touching the enlargement of the Church be truly applyed to that Church which shall consist of so few as that it shal be sometimes absolutely Inuisible Or how shall it gates be continually open and shut neyther day nor night as aboue is prophecyed of it if it shall remayne at any time in a night of Latency In this next place I will alledge such texts of holy Scripture wherin we fynd the word Ecclesia or Church In all which without exception by the word Church is signifyed a visible congregation of Men. The places among others for breuity omitted may be these Numbers 20. Why haue you brought the Church of the Lord into solitude But this Church was the knowne and visible people of Israëll which came out of Aegypt In like sort it is sayd 3. Kings 8. The King turned his face and blessed all the Church of Israell for all the Church of Israell did stand c. Math 18. Tell the Church if he will not heare the Church let him be as an Heathen or Publican But how can we be commanded to tell the Church if we do not know which is the Church And if in all our spirituall necessities we are commanded to repaire to the Church then followeth it that the Church at all tymes must be visible Act. 20. Take heede to your selues and to the whole flock wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you Bishops regere Ecclesiam Det to gouerne the Church of God But how could they gouerne the Church of God if they knew it not Act. 15. They being brought on the way by the Church passed through Phâ—enice
Work A matter so euident and confessed by our aduersaryes as that D. Fulke thus exprobrateth the Catholicks in these words You can name the notable personages in all ages obserue these words in all ages and their gouerment and ministery and especially the succession of the Popes you can rehearse in order and vpon your fingars Thus D. Fulke 3. Thirdly We prooue the former assertion of our Catholicke Church its Visibility during the first six hundred years after Christ and consequently during the whole period of the Primatiue Church by taking a view in generall how the cheife auncient Fathers of those tymes are pryzed and entertayned by the Protestants who indeed dispensing with all Ceremonyes herein do absoluâ—ly reiect them as inexcusable and grosse Papists For as for these last thousand yeares It is acknowledged by all Protestant whosoeuer that our Church hath bene most visible tyrannyzing they say ouer the true Church for so many ages And according hereto M Powell sayth From the yeare of Christ six hundred and fyue the professed company of Popery hath been very visible and conspicuous But to proceede If the most auncient most reuerend Fathers of the Primatiue Church I meane Ignatius Dionysius Areopagita Iustinus Ireneus Tertulâ—an Origen Cyprian Athanasius Hilarius the Cyrills the Gregoryes Ambrose Basill Optatus Gaudentius Chrysostome Ierome Austin and diuers others be accounted by our aduersaryes most earnest Professours of our Catholicke and Roman fayth then followeth it ineuitably that our Catholicke Church was most conspicuous in those dayes since those Fathers were then the visible Pastours of the Church and then consequently the Church whereof they were Pastours must needs be visible That these primatiue Fathers were Papists as our Aduersaryes tearme vs appeareth euidently out of these few confessions here following which for breuity I haue discerped out of the great store of like acknowledgments of this point occurring in our aduersaryes bookes And first Peter Martyr thus confesseth of this point As long as we insist in the Fathers so long we shal be conuersant in their errours Beza thus insulteth ouer the Fathers Euen in the best tymes meaning the tymes of the Primatiue Church the ambition ignorance and lewdnes of the Bishopps was such as the very blind may easily perceaue that Satan was president in their Assemblyes or Conncells D. Whitguift thus conspireth with his former Brethren How greatly were almost all the Bishops and learned wryters of the Greeke Church Latin also for the most part spotted with doctrines of freewill of merit of Innocation of Saints and such like meaning such like Catholicke doctrines Melancthon is no lesse sparing in taxing the Fathers who thus confesseth Presently from the beginning of the Church that is presently after Christ his Ascension the auncient Fathers obscured the doctrine concerning the Iustice of Fayth increased ceremonyes and deuised peculiar Worshipps But Luther himselfe shall end this Scene who most securiously traduceth the Fathers in these words The Fathers for so many ages meaning after the Apostles haue bene blind and most ignorant in the Scriptures They haue erred all their lifetyme and vnlesse they were amended before their deaths they were neither Saincts nor pertayning to the Church Thus Luther And thus much touching the Fathers of the Primatiue Church being professours of our present Catholicke Fayth and Church and consequently that our Catholicke Church was most uisible and florishing in those primatiue tymes 4. Fourthly The former inexpug 〈…〉 verity is proued from that the Church of Rome neuer suffered change in fayth since it first plantation by the Apostles Now if the Church of Rome neuer suffered chauge in Religion if it hath euer continued a Church since the Apostles dayes and lastly if at this day it professeth our present Catholicke fayth then followeth it demonstratiuely that there were visible Professours of our Catholicke fayth in the Church of Rome euer since the Apostles and consequently that our Catholicke Church hath euer bene uisible since those tymes To proue that the Church of Rome neuer brooked change of fayth since the Apostles dayes I referre you to the first former Dialogue of the Conuerted Iew. 5. Fiftly and lastly our foresaid Assertion is acknowledged for true vndoubred euen from the penns of our learned Aduersary who most frequently in their wrytings do intimate so much And here I am to craue pardon if I iterate some few testimonies and acknowledgments of Protestants aboue produced in this Dialogue Which as they there did prooue an inuisibility of the Protestant Church in those former Ages so here also diuers of them prooue so neerely do these two points interueyue the one the other a continuall visibility of our Catholicke Church during the said tymes To come then to these confessions of the Protestants in this point touching the euer visibility of the Catholicke Church I will ascend vp by degrees euen to and within the Apostles dayes And this because some Protestants as lesse ingenuous and vpright in their writings do affoard to our Catholicke Church a shorter tyme or Period of visibility then others of their more learned and well-meaning Brethren are content to allow First then M Parkins thus sayth During the space of nyne hundred yeares the Popish Heresy hath spreed it selfe ouer the whole earth This point is further made cleere from the Penns of the Centurists and Osiander all which do in euery of the Centuryes from S. Gregories tyme to Luther name and record all the Popes 〈◊〉 cheyfe Catholicke Bishops and diuers others professing our Catholicke fayth according to the Century or age wherin eich of them liued But to ascende higher M. Nappier confesseth of a longer tyme thus saying The Popes Kingdome hath had power ouer all Christians from the tymes of Pope Sâ—luester and the Emperour Constantyn for these thousand two hundred and sixtie yeares And also againe from the tyme of Constantyn vntill theese our dayes euen one thousand two hundred and sixty yeres the Pope and the Cleargy hath possessed the outward visible Church of Christians But M. Napper in an other place dealeth more bountifully with vs herein for thus he witnesseth During euen the second and third ages the true temple of God and light of the Gospell was obscured by the Roman Antichrist Sebastianus Francus alloweth the Visibility of our Church from the tyme immediatly after the Apostles thus wrytinge Presently after the Apostles tymes all things were turned vpsyde downe c. And for certaine through the worke of Antichrist the external Church together with their fayth and Sacraments vanished away presently after the Apostles departure With this Protestant D Fulke conspireth thus saying The true Church decayed immediatly after the Apostles tymes Which being spoken by him of the Protestant Church then may we infer that the Church of Rome and it fayth as presumed to be by the iudgment of this Doctour the false Church was visible immediatly
by whoÌ„ those Articles were at their first beginning impugned And finally the Church or visible society of Christians out of which as more ancient those sectaries by their first forging of their said points of Protestancy did depart and go from And to beginne The Doctrine of the Churches Inuisibility was first taught by Donatus and of him his followers were called Donatists This Heresie at it first rising was written against and impugned by S. Augustine In like sort the Donatists were the first who did ouerthrow Altars and cast out holy Oile but contradicted herein by Optatus and Augustine The deniall of praier for the dead and consequently the deniall of the doctrine of Purgatory as also the abrogation of all set Fasts were first brought in by Aerius his followers for such his doctrines stiled Aëriani These his false doctrines were recorded and contradicted by S. Augustine The deniall of Free-will was set on foote by Manicheus from him are descended the Manichees His doctrine herein was writen against by S. Hierome and S. Augustine The deniall of single and vnmarried life was first taught by Vigilantius He also taught that the praiers of the dead are not heard for the liuing and consequently he taught that we ought not to pray to Saints His schollers tearmed Vigilantinians His doctrines impugned by Hierome Equallity of Works was first taught by Iouinian He also broached the Heresie that our Blessed Lady in the birth of our Sauiour lost her Virginity His followers Iouiniani His Heresies exploded by Hierome and Augustine The doctrine that all Sinnes are mortall was first stamped by Pelagius He further taught that the Baptisme of children was not necessary The firsts of these his doctrines was writen against by S. Hierome the second by Innocentius and S. Augustine his followers Pelagiani The deniall of all worship due to the Images of Christ and his Saints was first introduced by Zenaâ—as Persa who is therefore recorded and contradicted by Nicâ—phorus The doctrine that God is the authour of Sinne which necessarily followeth by taking away Free-will from Man was first sowed by Simon Magus but impugned by Vincentius â—yrinensis The deniall of enioyned times of Pennance was first taught by the Hereticks called Audiani and contradicted by Theodoret. The deniall of the Possibility of keeping the Commendemeâ—s was first broached by certaine Hereticks in S. Hieroms time and impugned by Hierom and Augustiâ—â— The deniall of all reuerent estimation particulerly to the Crosse or Crucifix of Christ was first inuented by Probianus and he recorded and reprehended therefore in the Tripartite History The deniall of the Reall Presence was first mantained by certaine Hereticks in S. Ignatius his time as Theodoret relateth and condemneth them for the same The deniall of Priests hauing power to remit sinnes was first iustified by Nouatus his schollers were called Nouatiani his Heresie recorded and condemned by Theodoret and Eusebius Finally to omit diuers other Protestant doctrines for greater breuity the doctrine teaching that sinne could not hurt a man if so he had faith a Paradox reuiued by Luther was first inuented by Eunomius but impugned by S. Augustine his schollers stiled Eunomiani Thus farre of Protestant doctrines broached by certaine impious Hereticks in those former times who though they be long since departed this world yet their misery is that their end cannot be reputed their end nor their death since in regard of this their change of faith and innouations introduced by them into Gods Church they doubtlesly liue if they had not a finall repentance in a perpetuity of insufferable tormeÌ„ts Now concerning the times when all these former points of Protestancy did first take their being this Circumstance for the most part may be taken from the times wherein the Fathers who did impugne and write against the said doctrines did liue seeing no sooner any of the said doctrines began to rise and get on wing but presently one Father or other was ready by his penne to suppresse and beat downe the same And thus we finde that sentence most true to wit To reduce an Heresie to it beginning is a confutation of the said Heresie That all these former prime Hereticks did depart and go out of a more ancient society of Christians then themselues to wit out of the then visible and knowne society of vs Catholicks in those times according to those words of S. Iohn exierunt ex nobis and consequently that it was those Hereticks who by drawing to themselues the impurity of the former errours became the channels as I may say of the Church cleansing and freeing her from all filth and ordure of I 〈…〉 ouation who made the change and alteration is pâ—ooued seuerall waies First because it appeareth from the aboue alleadged Confessions of the learned Protestants that our Catholicke Faith was the only faith in those ages generally beleeued and that the Protestant Church supposing that afore it had beene in Being was as then by their like Confessions wholy extinct and inuisible Secondly the foresaid points of the former Hereticks departing from a more ancient community of Christians is further euicted from the Fathers particuler charging this or that Hereticke with this or that particuler Heresy only for if either any or all of them had ioyntly taught all the Articles of protestancy at this present beleeued then no doubt all the said Articles of protestancy as then mantained by one man had beene impugned and writen against by the said Fathers as well as the particuler Heresies of this or that particuler Hereticke are by them contradicted Thirdly in that the Fathers who condemned the foresaâ—d Hereticks were euer reputed most Orthodoxall and pious Doctours neither were they reprehended by any other Father of Gods Church for such their proceeding against those Hereticks which consideration demonstrateth that the whole Church of God did in those times agree in faith and Religion with those Fathers and against the aboue condemned and nouelizing Hereticks from whence we may further conclude that the whole Church of Christ which hath authority to discerne both true and false doctrine as a straight line me sureth both a right and crooked line did by the former Fathers as by her instruments condemne those Men for broaching such their Heresies Fourthly and lastly for accession of more reasons the former point appeareth from the consideration of the Nature of the former Heresies which seeing they for the most part coÌ„sist in Negations as the deniall of Free-Will deniall of Purgatory deniall of the Reall Presence c. do therefore presuppose a preexistency of the Affirmatiue doctrines whereof they are meerely Negations I meane they preadmit a former beleefe of the said doctrines of Free-will of Purgatory of the Reall Presence c. For why should any Sectarie in those daies rise vp to deny any of the said doctrines if those doctrines had
most Blessed Trinity concerning which he thus speaketh The Diuinity is threefould as the three Persons be c. And from hence the reason may well be why Luther expungeth out of the Litany this verse Holy Trinity one very God haue mercy vpon vs. And hereupon he is not afraid to say that the word Trinity is but an humane inuention and soundeth coldly And finally he concludeth that his soule hateth the word Homousion or Consubstantiale For thus he writeth Anima me a odit Homousion Optimè exigerunt Ariani ne vocem illam prophanam nouam regulis fidei statuâ— liceret My very soule haâ—eth the word Homousion or Consubstantiale And the Arians not without reason required that it should not be lawfull to put this prophane and new Word meaning Homousios or consubstantialis among the rules of fayth Luthers blasphemy against the B. Trinity was such and so odious that euen Zwinglius did purposely write against Luther touching this very point 2. Touching the euent of things Luther houldeth contrary to all Christian faith that all things come to passe through a certaine Stoical and Fatal necessity for he defending this Heresy thus writeth Nullius est in manu c. It is in no mans power to thinke good or euil but al things as Wicleffs article condemned at Constance did rightly teach proceed from absolute Necessity And againe fateor articulum c. I do confesse Wicleffs article of all things comming to passe by Necessi 〈◊〉 to haue 〈◊〉 falsly condemned in the conuenticle of Constance 3. To the dishonour of Christ his Passion who was cloathed with Essentiall Maiesty and as intimating the insufficiency of it for the redemption of mankinde he teacheth that Christ not only suffered in body but also his Diuinity suffered for thus he writeth Cùm credo quod sola humana Natura pro me passa est Christus vilis noc magni praetij saluator est c. If I beleiue that only the Humane Nature of Christ suffered for me then is Christ a Sauiour but of a base and small worth and himselfe nedeth a Sauiour And Luther speaking of this point in an other place thus reprehendeth the Zwinglians The Zwinglians did contend against me most pertinaciously that the Diuinity of Christ could not suffer A doctrine so blasphemous as that it was not refuted only by the Zwinglians in Luthers dayes as himselfe confesseth but also euen by Beza such chaynes you see of blasphemies one stil following an other are wouen in Luthers faith and Religion 4. Touching the Administration of the Word and Sacraments Luther teacheth that al men and women also haue authority power to administer them These be his owne words The first office of a Priest is to preach the Word c. But this is common to al Next to baptize and this also al may do euen women c. The third office is to consecrate bread and wine But this also is common to al no lesse then Priests And this I auouch by the authoritie of Christ himselfe saying do this in remembrance of me This Christ speake to al then present and to come afterwards If then that which is greater then al be giuen indifferently to al Men and Women I meane the word and Baptisme then that which is lesse I meane to consecrate the supper is also giuen to them Thus Luther Yea Luther proceeded so farre herein as that as D. Couell witnesseth he was not afraid to affirme that the Sacraments were effectual though administred by Satan himselfe With D. Couell agreeth the Protestant Hospintan thus writing Lutherus â—o vsque progreditur c. Luther proceedeth so farre herein that he maintained the Sacrament to be a true Sacrament â—â—iamsi a Diabolo conficeretur though it were to be consecrated by the Deuil 5. For absolute deniall of tempor all Magistrats an Heresy indifferently condemned both by Catholicks and Protestants we finde Luther thus to write Among Christians no man can or ought to be a Magistrate But euery one is to other equally subiect c. And agayne As Christ cannot suffer himselfe to be tyed bound by lawes c. So also ought not the Conscience of a Christian to suffer them 6. Touching Luthers deniall of certayne parcels of Scripture And first the Epistle of S. Iames is called by Luther Contentious swelling strawy and vnworthy an Apostolicall spirit The booke of the Apocalyps is also reiected by Luther by the acknowledgment of Bullenger thus writing hereof Doctour Martin Luther hah as it were sticked this booke with a sharpe preface set before his first Edition in Duch for which his iudgment good and learned Men were offended with him Hereunto I will adde Luthers contempt of Moyses and some of the Apostles Against Moyses he thus writeth Habuit Moyses labia in faecunda irata c. And againe Moyses habuit labia diffusa felle ira Touching the Apostles he thus controuleth S. Peter S. Peter did liue and teach extra verbum Dei besides the word of God Thus we may see how no wynde was able to weigh downe the eares of Luthers pryde 7. Luther also taught an Heresy whereby the Propagation of Christian Religion is much endangered to wit That it was not lawfall to wage warre against the Turke an errour which enen the greatest Idolatours of Luther haue mainly condemned Luthers words are these Praeliari contra Turcas est repugnare Deo visitanti iniquitates nostras per illos To wage warre against the Turke is to resist God visiting our sinnâ—s by theÌ„ A point so confessed that Erasmus thus writeth of the consequence and effects of Luthers doctrine Many of the Saxons following herein that firct doctrine of Luther denyed to Caesar and King Ferdinand ayde against the Turke c. And said they had rather fight for a Turke not Baptized then for a Turke Baptized meaninge the Emperour Thus Erasmus 8. Touching Fayth and good workes Luther taught an Heresy disallowed by all learned Protestants For Luther teacheth as followeth It is impiety to affirme that fayth without Charity iustifyeth not Nay Luther proceedeth further thus writing Fides nisi sit sine c. Except fayth be without the least good works it doth not iustify nay it is not fayth And thereupon the more to debase good works he thus saith Works take their goodnes of the Worker Aud no worke is disallowed of God vnlesse the authour thereof be disallowed before Here now I end touching Luther Where you may perceaue Neuserus that this your Sunne of which you afore vaunted prooues to be but a fading Comet the fyery zeale you spoake of but a turbulent combustion seâ— on flame by Luther in subiects minds against all Christian Magistracy and the reflux which Luther as you pretend caused in the Church of Rome was instantly attended on with a flux and
end of World for the administration of the Word and Sacraments as not only D. Fulke and other learned Protestants do teach but also is euidently proued in the fore-said mentioned Second Part of the Conuerted Iew And seing an vnterrupted preaching of the Word and administratian of the Sacraments hath euer by the lyke Confession of our learned Aduersaries bene in our Catholicke Church Therefore it may inauoydably be concluded that either our Catholicke Church as euer enioying the former imposed Notes is the only true Church of Christ Or which is most absurd in it selfe and repugnant to infinit places of Holy Scripture that there hath beene for seuerall ages no true Church of Christ at all extant vpon the face of the Earth That the Catholicke Roman Church enioyeth the preaching of the Word and administration of the Sacraments besides the euidency of the truth thereof other wise is confessed by D. Field who speaking of Luther and others acknowledgeth that they receaued from the Church of Rome their Baptisme Christianity Ordination and power of Ordination By Luke Osiander thus wryting Ecclesia que sub Papatufuic c. The Church which was vnder the Papacy when Luther was borne was the Church of Christ for it had the ministery of the Ghospell the sacred â—eriptures Baptisme the Lords supper c. and finally to omit many others by Luther himselfe thus acknowledging Nâ—s fatemaâ— c. We confesse that there is vnder the Papacy true Scrpture true Baptisime the true Sacrament of the Altar the true keres for the remission of Sinnes the true office of preaching true Catechisme Thus Luther And here with I end touching further discourse of this subiect remitting to the euen and impartiall censure the more sober Protestant whether the danger and detriment which fall vpon our Aduersaryes by erecting the preaching of the Word and administration of the Sacraments for Markeâ— of Christs Church granting them for the tyme to be the marks thereof do not by many degrees ouerballance the aduantage which our Aduersaryes by pretending them for Notes do hope to gaine Since as by such their pretence they on the one side labour to reduce the knowing which is the true Church to their owne priuat Iudgments which euery learned and iudicious man at the first sight expoldeth for an impostute so on the other side they are forced euen by most necessary Inferences resulting out of their owne doctrine herein first to grant that the Protestant Church as for many ages by their owne acknowledgments wanting the said Notes being essentiall to the true Church hath for the sayd ages contrary to the Nature of Christs true Church beene vtterly extinct and not in being Secondly that during the sayd centuryes or ages our Catholicke Roman Church through it euer enioying of these Protestant Notes is the true Church or that otherwise there hath beene no true Church of Christ in all that great compasse of yeres Which last point to affirme is most repugnant to God sacred Writ That the Pope and Church of Rome may vpon most vrgent Occasions sometimes dispence with some degrees of Mariadge prohibited in Leuiticus And that in so dispensing the Law of Nature which euer bindeth is not violated or transgressed by them THE explanation of thâ— Question taketh it source from this one Proposition To wit All the preceps which are deliuered in Leuiticus touching the degrees prohibited in mariadge do not bind Christians by deuyne law to obserue them Which proposition or sentence being once confirmed and fortifyed it then followeth that the Church of Christ and the Head thereof may vpon iust and most vrgent occasion dispense without any sinne with some degrees prohibited in Leuâ—â—icus For the better vnfoulding and vnderstanding of this one proposition we are first to conceaue that both the Catholicks and Protestants do teach That the precepts of Leuiticus do not oblige Christians as they are properly Leniticall that is as they are Positiue and Iudicâ—all but only as they are Naturall that is as they are prohibited by the law of Nature Now the Catholicks do further teach that as some preceps in Leuiticus are Naturall so some other preceps are not naturall but meerely iudiciall and therefore may be dispensed with by Christ his Church as the Councell of Trent affirmeth Whereas our Aduersaryes mantayne that all the precepts of Leuiticus are Naturall and therefore â—ich of them indispensable by the Church Now here we are to remember that those are Naturall precepts which are knowne for such only by the light of nature without any discourse or at least which are knowne for such by a most small discourse of Reason And these precepts are the same among all Men in all nations and tymes both for the knowledge of them and for the rectitude and iustnes of them Now such precepts as for the knowing of theÌ„ do neede supernaturall light are called Diuina positiua diuine Positions And those other Precepts which receaue their establishment by humane discourse from the Prince or Magistrate are styled Humana humana Constitutions and these are not the same among all men and in all nations Now then this iustly presupposed The first proposition to wit That all the Precepts deliuered in Leuiticus touching the degrees prohibited in Mariadge do not bynd Christians by diuine Law to obserue them Is proued First from the consideration of the different punishments appointed in the twentith of Leuiticus against those who transgresse in Maâ—iadge the different degrees prohibited in the eighteenth of Leuiticus Thus for example we there fynd that Mariadge contracted in the first degree of Affinity in the right line God punisheth with death and compareth it with adultery and sodomy Which are manifestly against the Law of Nature The same punishment of death is there apointed for such as marye in the first degree of Consanguinity in a collaterall line as when the Brother maryeth the Sister But now in the second degree of consanguinity in the collaterall line as when the nephew maryeth his Fathers sister or the Mothers sister this Mariadge is punished with a lesse and more gentill punishment In like sort mariadge in the first degree of Affinity in the collaterall line as when one maryeth the wife of his brother being dead and in the second degree to wit when the nephew maryeth the wife of his vncle is not punished with death of the parties so contracted but only with priuation of children That is that the children begotten in such a mariadge should not be asâ—rybed or reputed the childreÌ„ of their said patents Now this punishment euidently showeth that these mariadges are not prohibited by the Law of Nature since the light of Naturall Reason doth not dictate to all Men that the former chastisement is a iust punishment of the foresayd kind of mariadge Secondly the former proposition or sentence is thus prooued If all the precepts of Leuiticus touching the degrees of mariadge were ordayned by the