vnsought to procure glorie to that which was in it selfe very vnglorious Their care therefore was to convert the eies of all persons on their externall hewe which was marveilously adorned and garnished to the sence with their 〈◊〉 Crosses set vp or caried before some Prelates with the triple Crowne Praefat. Catalog Testium veritatis of their Popes the redd hattes of their Cardinals the precious attire of some in their Churches their prodigious apparel abroad the diverse-couâ—…oured coules of their Monkes such singing and chauÌ„ting with Organs such ringing of Belles such trimming of Images many more such sensible matters as that neither the Iewes nor the GeÌ„tiles had the like And amoÌ„g all this if true Religion in diverse were present it is not to bee marveiled at if she were scant seene or if no notice were takeÌ„ of her for her poore vntrimmed or vngarnished hewe for her naked simplicity and vnpainted integrity It was the commendation given to Solâ—… beloved by vvhome the Church is represented that the Ps. 45. 13. Kinges daughter is all glorious vvithin her bevvtiâ—… consisting of puritie in faith veritie in doctrine severenesse in behaviour innocencie patience and such like spirituall complementes And these are as much contemned in others by the Antichristian rabble as they are neglected in themselves vvhereas their externall pompe on the contrarie side is as much despised by the LORD as it is magnified in their fleshly and carnall imaginations And thus I ende this matter hoping that if any Reader thinke that I have beene to long in this Chapter hee will remember the waight of that which hath beene handled and a recompence shall bee made in some other Reasons following vvhere I am not enforced to the large handling of the question then occurrent THE SECOND REASON The name of Catholikes T. HILL NO man can iustly deny but that they who have ever holden the name of Catholikes and have bin knowne thereby were vndoubtedly of true Religion for that they had ever on their side the Scriptures Miracles Fathers Councels Martyrs and for that every one which was against them was ever accounted reputed for an Heretike And the same Catholikâ—… were ever taken as the trunke or as the body of the tree and all others bearing the name of Christians as branches or boughes cut of the same tree Now all the world knoweth that whoseever in any age vvas a member of the Romane Church and vnder the obedience of the high Bishop thereof hee was ever taken for a Catholike so tearmed although in these our daies it hath pleased the Protestants to call such by the name of Papists which indeede is all one with the name Catholikes for that it signifieth such as follow and embrace the doctrine of that Church which hath for her head vnder Christ the Pope And it is not amisse as Chrysostome saith to be named of them vvho governe the Homil. 33. in Acta Church in Christes steede so that they take not their name of any particular man as Heretikes dâ—…e G. ABBOT BY this little which is already passed every man may conceiue that Master Doctor Hill is desirous to write a booke for I dare not saye make one for feare of slaundering him and resolving that the ground of all his â—…ong should bee taken from Master Bristowes Motives he coulde not vvell for very shame beginne as Bristow beganne least at the very entraunce into this his renouned labour he should be deprehended to take vp the most part of his ware on trust Vsing therefore in the front some little simple cunning to goe farther of he with some change borrowed the matter of his first Chapter a Brist 37 45. Motive out of the 37. and 45. Motiue of the other but not willing to trouble himselfe any more in that painefull sorte to seeke farre of his fingers presentâ—…â—…itched to bee doing with somewhat neerer hand and therefore for the slender substance of his second Reason hee goeth fairely and readily to the b Câ—… 1. 3. first and thirde Chapter of his good Maister Bristow and scambling somewhat of his owne in from those two hee patcheth vp all the â—…est Hee hoped that the former being not so much disguised as trans-placed shoulde haue covered all which followed and if that at the first had beene clenly caryed all which commeth after woulde haue beene the safer vnder the protectâ—…on thereof There is or hath beene some what in the world which thinketh all well if the heade of it selfe bee hid although the whole body doe lye out to bee seene If you knowe not what that is 〈◊〉 imagine it to bee Caligula the Emperour vvho albeit in great thunder and lightning as c Sueton in Caligula 51 Suetonius reporteth he would wholy runne vnder his bedde for feare yet if it vvere but a little clappe or flash he would winke with his eies and hide his head alone and then he thought all his body out of perill But for this borrower vpon Interest his body lyeth open to vs searching for it and the head although both winking and hooded hath not beene hid And now take vs with you I pray you 2 Every wise one can deny and that most iustly that such as haue desired to ingrosse the name of Catholikes appropriating it to themselues and yet haue taken no farther care but titularly to be are it as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 râ—… as Mâ—…ns 〈◊〉 noâ—… 〈◊〉 cannot rightly make challendge to retaine possesse the Orthodoxe faith but that the Divine Scriptures true and approved Miracles authenâ—…icall Fathers Oâ—…cumenicall Councels and Christes Martyrs may be as suâ—…e from such counterfeites as light is from darkenesse and men shall not bee Heretikes but Godâ—… good servants who vpon sufficient ground do stand against them The true Church is indeedâ—… the Lordes Vine the tree of his delight a more precious plant then anye was in Paradise but those who beare d Apoc. 3 1. a 〈◊〉 to liue yet are deade as it was said to the Angel of the Church of Sardis are to bee accounted no better then dead boughes or rotten braunches vntill they see their owne errour and there-vpon repent And all the vvorlde knovveth that vve may vse your phrase which you borrow of Master e Appendix to the quodlibets in the margent Parsons or of the Fâ—…ench 〈◊〉 le monâ—… that hovvsoever in times past vvhile Rome kept the Apostolike faith a man vâ—…ted to the same profession mighte bee called a Catholike not because simplye and absolutely hee applyed himselfe to the men of Rome but by reason that â—…ointelye and together vvith them hee accepted the Beleefe of the Vniversall Church yet novâ—… one conforming himselfe to the practise of that Cittie to the Decrees of the Popes to the Canons of the Tridentine Councell doeth meâ—… to bee tearmed a Cacolike an Heretike an enemy to the Church an adversarie of CHRIST a vassall of Antichrist But vveâ—… are contented to
censured out of the Scriptures to holde vntruths But such as your later Conventicles of Lateran Trent such like condeÌ„ned were the good servants of God were not nether are iustly to be reputed heretiks but by the Archâ—…heretiks of the world Antichrists men whose censure being drawn froÌ„ their own braine the Spirit of Sathan not froÌ„ the holy Ghost is to be esteemed for nothing The condeÌ„natioÌ„ of the Arrians Macedonians Nestorians Eutychians we allow of because they taught doctrin against Christ the word of God we are glad of their ruine And wee finde that after our Saviours speech q Mat 15. 13. Every plant which â—…y heavenly father hath not planted shal be rooted vp hereâ—…ks commonly are soone blowne away although Kings States Countries for the time do admit theÌ„ as the Arrian infection was widely entertained Yet we cannot certainely conclude that al heresies do in time come to nothing vnlesse we will vnderstand that time to be the end of time even the finall dissolution of all things The schisme of the r 〈◊〉 King 17 34. â—…oh 4 20. Samaritanes dissenting froÌ„ the Iews lasted long Your Papacy hath had a great coÌ„tinuance being the confluence of a whole sinke of heretical doctrine You haue long since condemned the Greeke Russian Church and yet they hold out The Iconomachi Image breakers were condeÌ„ned in the second Nicene Councel and yet the defenders of their faith in that point do stil remain Had not the Arrians sentence against them long agone in the first Synode at Nice yet there be said to be store of theÌ„ in s Bellar. lib. 1. 2 de Christo. Transylvania And for the Pelagians I do not remember that any Councell directly proceeded against theÌ„ yet they deserved to be so met with notwithstanding Papists do much ioine with them in the matter of free will â—…It is possible then that as the Divell indureth so may some of his Disciples successiuely the s Mat. 13 〈◊〉 tares which the envious man hath sowne may be let alone to the harvest that is to say heretiks to the last day But let them stand or fall slowly or quickly such as obstinatly maintaine false doctrine are heretikâ—… Councels which by warrant of the Scripture do condeÌ„ne theÌ„ are to be accepted well esteemed by all so that they mingle not drosse with their gold no water with their wine T. HILL ANd no doubt the late faâ—… Councell of Trent which by the same authority and order hath câ—…ned the Protestantes other sectaries for heretiks will in time bâ—… every where received these new felwes by it â—…ized will vâ—…terly vâ—…sh away For indeede â—…f a man consider the matter throughly he shall plainely perceiue that thâ—…se sectes haue no likelyhood of coÌ„tiâ—… by reason they haue no mâ—…s to gather a Councell and much lesse to 〈◊〉 matters therein if 〈◊〉 were gathered being without an head as they 〈◊〉 and every one â—…leaving â—…ly to his own privâ—… opiâ—… therefore â—…an â—…er all 〈◊〉 togither or if by any power they were compelled therâ—… they haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 agree in one for that they will not yeeld 〈◊〉 any iudgement but what is framed of their 〈◊〉 brâ—… and therefore it â—…st needs 〈◊〉 amongst them as we see it to be Quot homines tot senteâ—…tiae So many men so many opinions G. ABBOT 5 THe famousnes of your Conventicle at Trent iâ—… famously to be laughed at It was eighteene yeare in acting from 1545. to the yeare 1563. nowe a peecâ—… and then a patch interrupted to it againe Three Popes one after another that is Paulus the 3. Iulius the 3. and Pius the 4. did beat all their wits and vsed their best imploiments to make somewhat of it yet most base and beggerly it prooved The most of the nations of Christendome had nothing to do with it neither did they send thither The Protestants vniversally refused and some gaue out the reason of it in t Sleid l. 16. printed tracts First because it was assembled by the Pope whose authority they should haue ratified if they had come at his call Secondly the Legats of the Pope were Presidents there therfore nothing was to be concluded or disputed against their maister Thirdly no man could come there but he must condescend to many things against his conscience there being first and principally required obedience to the Papacy presence at many Idolatrous Acts. Fourthly there was no freedome â—…o speake truth but that any man might haue bin served as u Cochl in Hist Hussit l 2 Iohn Hus was at the Councell of Constance who had a safe conduct froÌ„ Sigismund then king of the Romanes afterward Emperor and yet by a tricke that faith given to heretiks is not to bee kept or as our M. u Ration 4 Capian said Caesar sealed it but the ChristiaÌ„ world vnsealed it being greater theÌ„ Caesar the good man there lost his life Fiftly their Princes for reasons of state did not think fit to imploy theÌ„ thither Nay Popish Realms did not ioin with that CouÌ„cel as Q. Mary in all her time sent not thither which may appeare by this that in the Cataloge of Bishops ther is named but only one of England that was Th. Goldwel Bishop of S. Asaph who departed the Realm in Q. Elizabeths time was at TreÌ„t at a snatch of that assembly coÌ„ming before the final breaking vp of all but he was theÌ„ only a titulary Bish. without any Bishoprik Of which sort there were also divers other to help make vp a simple shew As Pope x Gentill in exam CoÌ„cil â—…riden Sel. 1. Sleâ—…dan lib. 17 Paulus the 3. made that Olaus which is called Magnus Archb of Vpsala a place said to be in Gothia one Robertus VenaÌ„tius Archbishop of Armath in Ireland He bestowed those titles on those two poore men while they lived at Rome had nothing in the world to doe with the places of their pretended Bishopriks but were without Church or Clergy or Diocesse or any revenue at all He might as well haue created theÌ„ Bishops of Antioch and Alexandria if he had pleased These two poore hungrye soules the Pope for a vvhile mainetained barely at Rome at last as men comming out of far parts of the world he sent theÌ„ to Trent allowing Olaus 15. crownes a month which as the Authour saieth vvas but a simple pittaunce for an Archbishop and especially for him who was called Magnus but to Venantius that pretended Armachanus he allowed lesse Was not this thinke you to goe a begging for Bishops to furnish vp this high and famous Councell when such simple shiftes vvere made He who put out the Councel of likelyhood was sore ashamed of it and therefore in his commemoration of the Bishoppes there assembled he mencioneth no such men but leaveth them both out as counterfeits 6 I returne to speake of Popish Princes
assured that we haue none but those which are right in the whole and in the parts For Actes of Councels haue bin much falsified as it is alleadged in the sixt Generall Councell holden at Constantinople t Action 14 that some had falsified the Actes of the fifth Generall Councel holden in the same place as was apparantly deprehended How those in Afrike did cōplaine of the Popes forsting in somewhat to the first Nicene Synode I haue shewed before and how the Councell sent to Nice it selfe to see the Originall But in the same manner hath the Pope complained that other haue also falsified the Actes of the same Councell For Felix Bishop of Rome himselfe hath made this Decree u In Decretis felicis Papae In Concilijs Let the persons of the accusers be without all suspicion because by reason of the molestations offered by evill men this was defined in the Nicene Councell by all although by the falshoode of lewde persons these and many other things are blotted out We then had neede to take heede that wee do not beleeue those things as certaine which of themselues are so vncertaine Let Papists doe it if they wil. Lastly before I shut vp this Chapter it is not amisse to know that it is not for the ancient Synods that the Romanists doe striue but for those which lately were helde wherein their Pope bore much sway and their Popery was established by fragments For out of the old Councels both Provinciall and Vniversall there are many matters contrary to their definitions As in the thirde Councel at Carthage there is much spoken concerning the children of Priests which sheweth that Priests then were ordinarily marryed And there it is that the Pope should not be called the Prince of Priests or chiefe Priest In the Elibertine Councell is a flat decree against Images in Churches It u Canon 36 pleaseth vs that pictures should not be in the Churches least that which is worshipped or adored should be painted on wals In the fifth x In epistol felicis Councell at Constantinople by an Epistle of Pope Felix to Zeno it is shewed that the Church is built on the confession of Peter not on his person or place In the ninth Councel of y Canon 1. Toledo if a Metropolitane defraude the Church complaint thereof is to be made to the king which sheweth that Princes then had to do with persons and causes Ecclesiasticall Very many more such instances may be brought how the old Councels knew nothing of that hart of Popery which since hath growne vp by the connivence of some Princes the weaknes of other and the notable cunning of Antichrist And for times now long agone the extravagancie and transcendencie of the Roman Bishops power is no where knowne For in the Nicene z Canon 6 Councell the Bishop of Alexandria in his Province and the Patriarke of Antioch in his haue as much iurisdiction as the Pope hath in his In the a Isidor in praefat Cōcil Ephesin Ephesine Synode Cyrill of Alexandria was president and not the Bishoppe of Rome and there it is saide that b In epistol ad Nestoriū Peter and Iohn were each to other of equall dignitie because they were Apostles and holie disciples which overthroweth the Primacie of the Romane Bishoppe deriving his prerogatiue only from Peters preeminence And in the Councell of c Canon 1. Chalcedon all is confirmed which was decreed before in other Synodes Thus the Pope and Papists should gaine much by sending vs to looke into the most ancient Councels THE TENTH REASON Fathers T. HILL THE Catholike Romane religion is most plainely taught by all the ancient Fathers of the first second thirde fourth fift and sixt hundred yeares after Christ and hath beene ever vvithout all controversie taught of the Fathers of everie age since vntill this day That religion did Diony sius Areopagita S. Paule his scholer so manifestly teach as Causaeus a French Protestant called him for his labour a doating old Causaeus Dial. 5. 11. In capt Babilonica man much like as his father Luther had said before him that Areopagita his workes were like to dreames and most pernicious The same faith vvas taught of Saint Ignatius Clemens Iustinus Tertullian Cyprian Irenaeus and in one vvord all the anncient Fathers not one excepted G. ABBOT WHen Thomas Pilcher sometimes an vnworthy fellow of a Colledge in Oxford but afterward an vnlearned Priest of the Seminary after pardon once given him for his life and beeing exiled from his Countrey returned againe into Englande to pervert the subiectes of her late Maiestie he vvas by arrest of lawe to be brought to execution vvhere as I haue heard being remembred by an intelligent person that he should bee well advised what the right or wronge of the cause was for which hee did suffer his reply was that if hee were in an errour then Irenaeus and Iustine Martyr Tertullian and Origene Lactantius Hilary Chrysostome Ambrose Hierome Austen Gregorie Bearnarde and all other the olde Fathers of the Primitiue Church vvere mightily deceived for what he held they taught The silye man had much adoe to learne the names of all these but for reading any of them or for knowing what they vvrote there bee many yet living who dare safely giue their word that he good man was never troubled with it This is the very case of the greatest part of you Papists you wil speak without the book and make good little of that which you say but yet for lacke of chalenging facing it out you will loose nothing of antiquity And among al your copes-mates as one that knoweth least and therfore dareth to say most you lay about you here for al al againe You are now come to your selfe revested with your olde spirite and therefore wee will looke for a legion of Vniversals at your handes The vn-Catholike Romane Religion it is Papistry which you meane is not onely taught or plainly taught but most plainelie taughte not by some but by all the ancient Fathers of the first sixe ages after Christ and hath beene not sometimes but ever not doubtingly but without all controversie taught of the Fathers of each age vntill this day If you had a fore-heade lefte and knevve vvhat you did saye vvhich I thinke you doe not but onely take vp this speech on the word of other men you would blush a whole yeare togither at this your owne absurdity and by that time woulde this rubour bee so setled in your face that it would never out For that I may plucke you a little backe by the sleeue doth Saint Augustine and Orosius Fulgentius and Bernard where they of purpose handle the argument teach as you do teach cōcerning the freenesse of Gods grace every way and touching free will a In pref 1. 5 Bibli Sāct Sixtus Senensis shall condemne you who reiecteth Saint Augustines doctrine in that behalfe Doe Lactantius and
vs belieue that although in the first Synode which long since did canonize the bookes of holy writte they were not admitted yet in a later Synode the Canon was made larger And reasons for this he maketh shew to giue But it is too late Genebrard you come after the faire The Councel which cannot erre hath shut them out of dores the Pope hath ratified their Decree therfore you lose your labour and you are but one man against so many Fathers therfore best pul in your hornes For as with your owne side you are like to gaine nothing so otherwise you wil pul an olde house on your head whē by your example you teach vs that a private man may question yea conclude against that which your Counsels haue determined Where by the way let not the simple and vnlearned Christian wonder that in this best booke the Bible there should be any thing which is not properly a member of it for we therin as also in reading some part of them publikely doe but imitate the custome of the most auncient purest c Zanch. in Observat in cap. 1◅ Confessiō Churches ioyning that with Gods most sacred word which vniversally hath bin ioyned among Christians since almost the eldest times and is not refused by the most reformed Churches at this day but we distinguish these writings from the divine volumes and note them by the name or appellation of Apocripha as hidden in comparison of the bright light of the other which may wel endure the light and sunne-shine And by a little Preface before those doubted bookes as also by the Articles of Religion agreed on in Cōvocation An. 1562. we teach what opinion the Church hath of them that they are not received to be publikely expoūded nor to confirme matters of doctrine but only as they cōsent with the other which are Canonical or onely as the writings of some godly men which may serue to giue light to the history or containe some not vnprofitable instructiōs touching good manners And these things in our Sermōs writings we do fequētly notify So that this indifferent course being held there is no iust cause of offence givē either to the weake beleever or to the malitious clamorous adversory that being done which anciently in the best Christian Churches was done and yet the people be taught but howe and in what sence it is done Nay our Church hath beene so carefull for giving any vvay iust occasion of scandale in this matter that it permitteth the Minister to reade in steede of any of these Apocriphal Chapters other Canonicall lessons vpon the Sun-daies and Holy-daies and therefore much more vpon the working-daies as hee in his wisedome iudgement shal see fit requiring of him prudence discretion in that behalfe Which appeareth in the Second Tome of Homilies set out by publike d An. 1563. authority almost in the beginning of her late Maiesties raigne For there in the e An admonition to al Ministers Ecclesiasticall Preface this advertisement being given to all Ministers For that the LORD doth require of his servant whom bee hath set over his housholde to shevve both faithfulnes and prudence in his office c. some thinges are advised vnto him touching his duty but lastly this is subnected and subioyned And vvhere it may so chaunce some one or other Chapter of the olde Testament to fall in order to bee reade vpon the Sundaies or Holy-daies vvhich vvere better to bee chaunged vvith some other of the New Testament of more edification it shall bee vvell done to spende your time to consider vvell of such Chapters before hand vvhereby your prudence and diligence in your office may appeere so that your people may haue cause to glorifie GOD for you and bee the readier to embrace your labours to your better commendation to the discharge of your consciences and their owne Which pointe being well considered avoideth all blame from the Church of England even in the eyes of them that would seeme most quicke-sighted it being not onely permitted to the Minister but also commended in him if vvisely and quietly hee doe reade Canonicall Scripture vvhere the Apocryphal vppon good iudgement seemeth not so fitte or any Chapter of the Canonicall may bee conceived not to haue in it so much edification before the simple as some other parte of the same Canonical may be thought to haue For the wordes wil very well cary both these 7 VVell then if there bee reasons why the Church of Rome doth shut out from the Canon these bookes of Esdras and yet they are printed and bound vp with all their ordinary Bibles if the same or such like exceptions may bee taken against Iudith Tobias and the rest is there not as great reason that they also should be secluded from the Canonicall albeit they remaine in the volume of the Bible The exceptions against all these controversed writings are many but I will reduce them briefly to these three plaine heads which I meane to touch First the matter of the bookes of Esdras is slight and vaine without maiestie and vnworthy the holy and sacred spirit of God Secondly these tracts are not to be founde in the Canon of the old that is the Iewish Church And thirdly in the computation of Christians they are also reiected If we lay these lines and rules to the rest we shall finde them of very little different quality For first the matter of them is not coherent with the rest of the vndoubted scripture In c Cap 5. 12 Tobias the Angell vtteteth somewhat of himselfe which cannot literally be avoided when he saith to old Tobias I am of the kinredos Azarias and Ananias the great and of thy brethren So it is a narration worthy at the least to be pawsed vpon that the d Cap 6 13 seven husbands of Sara should be killed by an evil spirit the first night of their mariage Of the hart and liver of the fish I haue spoken before Is it not a likely matter that e Cap 8. 9◅ Raguel would make a graue for him whom the day before hee so advisedly tooke for his sonne in law now to bury him before hee was dead They are not matters to bee commended by the penne of the holy Ghost that Iudith should f Iud 10 3 4 dresse and tricke her selfe more then became a matrone that so she might allure Holofernes to wantonnesse that shee g Cap. 12 12 14 18 c 13 1 should make shew as not to deny to lie with him that shee should tell such evident h Ca. 10. 12. 13 vntruthes to his servants at her first taking and to i Ca 11 15 16 himselfe afterward That the Iewes should haue peace so long in her life k Ca. 16. 25. time and a great while after her death is a matter vnprobable since these warres of Holofernes are saide to be made in the time of King l Cap. 2. 1.
there is a worke vnder the name of S. Austen intituled d Lib 2 34 De mirabilibus sacrae Scripturae where by the Authour the book of Machabees is secluded from the Canon NotwithstaÌ„ding we do not vrge thâ—…t to be his but take it for a counterfeit rather yeeld that S. Austen framing his iudgment to some others opinion in the Westerne Church did repute these also Canonicall Yet here that is to be remembred which briefly before I touched concerning S. Ambrose that this mistaking in this worthy Father grew by his want of knowledge in that tongue wherein the old Testa was originally writteÌ„ by which means he was not acquatÌ„ed with many things appertaining to the Iewish church vnto whoÌ„ since al Scripture before Christs time was coÌ„mitted if these had bin Scripture they also should haue bin coÌ„mended then they should haue bin written in the tongue which they vnderstood that is to say in the Hebrew not in the Greek which was a laÌ„guage of the GeÌ„tiles as e Aut l 30. 9 Iosephus testifieth the Iews did not accoÌ„modate theÌ„selues to the learning of any tongue but their own which is to be interpreted of the ordinary sort of theÌ„ But all these controversed writings are only in the Greeke and not in the Hebrew which is a maine argument against them and ruinateth the very foundation of them Now that S. AusteÌ„ knew nothing of the Hebrew he in his own f â—…pist 131. modesty most ingenuously confesseth as also in another place he acknowledgeth that he had but little skil in the Greeke I g Cont. liter Petilian DO nat lib. 〈◊〉 truely haue attained vnto very little of the Greeke tongue and almost nothing And this made the iudgment of S. Austen the more defectiue in that behalfe Now as this great Doctour might bee overtaken partly by his ignorance of the Hebrew and many circumstances belonging to the Iews partly by leaning to the opinion of some other neere about him in the Westerne Churches of Italy Afrike so it is a matter very probable that the h CoÌ„c cart 3. can 471 CouÌ„cel of Carthage induced by the same reasons and most of all by the authority of S. Austen mighte exorbitate in their Censure vvhen they put all these Apocriphal bookes among the writingâ—… Canonical For there assembled none but such Prelates as were about Carthage which standeth toward the West of Africa in comparison of the East Churches The same causes doubtlesse moved i Decret Innocâ—…n CoÌ„câ—…js Innocentius the Bishop of Rome and therefore of the Westerne Church to put all these books into the Canon Tobias excepted of whoÌ„ he saith nothing An errour once begon goeth plentifully forward is not stayed vpon the suddaine WheÌ„ce it was that k Gelas. Epist. in Concilijs Gelasius coÌ„ ming after InnoceÌ„tius did in this case treade the steps of his Predecessor wheÌ„ himselfe togither with seveÌ„ty Bishops doth define al these writings to be sacred Scripture NotwithstaÌ„ding he who wil looke the Decree of Gelasius as l Part 1 Dist. 15. 4 Gratian citeth it about this matter shal see that the iudgmeÌ„t of Gelasius coÌ„cerning the CanoÌ„ is very weake little to be regarded And in those decrees of his which are found amoÌ„g the CouÌ„cels the same wil appeere wheÌ„ he maketh meaner things theÌ„ these coÌ„troversed books to be of irrefragable authority For in the very next Decree to that which I formerly mentioned he saith thus touching an Epistle of Leo one of his Antecessors in the Roman see The text of the Epistle of Pope Leo if any maÌ„ shal dispute of eveÌ„ to one iote shal not revereâ—…ly receive it in all things let him be accursed This heate doth shew that Gelasius was not too too much advised in his determinations of this nature but followed the tract of those that weÌ„t before him without farther ventilating or disquisitioÌ„ And this is the most of that which by mine own reading I find in Antiquity making for the iustification of these Apocryphal bookes And some such shewes there be for the story of Susanna of Bel with the Dragon which also are not in the Hebrew therfore togither with the fragmeÌ„ts of the booke of Esther some other of equal sort are by vs held to be no Scripture Hee who would behould what farther may be saide for these things let him looke m De verbâ—… Dci lib. 1. Cardinall Bellarmine where he shal finde a many weake citatioÌ„s agreeing in substance with those whom before I haue named Now if we looke what is against them we shal easily discover testimony of greater ponderosity to overturne them then is any to support vphold them 12 VVhat the Iewes did or doe esteeme of them you haue heard before Onely take this with you that n 〈◊〉 l. c. 10. Bellarmine can say out of S. o â—…n Prolog gelâ—…at Hierome that all these bookes togither are reiected by the Hebrewes Now let vs see what witnes the Easterne Church giveth of them p Eccl. Hist. lib 4 2â—… Eusebius hath an Epistle of Melito sometimes Bishop of Sardis in Asia the lesser where Melito himselfe saith that of purpose he travelled to Hierusalem into Palestina to know what were the Canonical Scriptures of the Church before Christ and there he setteth downe all those bookes which wee admit none other This was very soone after the age wherin the Apostles lived It is heere to be marked concerning this holy man as also of al the rest whom I shall name that they never had in this businesse reference to ought but to the course of the Iewes accepting their iudgement for the bookes of the olde Testament to be that wherevnto Christians also should cleaue Not long after that time came Clemens Alexandrinus of whom q Lib. 6 11 Eusebius writing saith that hee cited the bookes of Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus in his vvorkes vvhich bookes saith Eusebius all men do not receiue And he addeth as it may seeme to prevent least any man vpon his example should attribute much to those two that he cited also the Epistle of Barnabas of Clement By the iudgement then of Eusebius Wisedome Ecclesiasticus at the least are books coÌ„troversed Soone after came r Cap 19 OrigeÌ„ who lived at AlexaÌ„dria in Aegypt And he reckoneth vp the CanoÌ„ of the Iews coÌ„prised in two tweÌ„ty voluÌ„es accepting all that which we accept not naming the other saving the Machabees which he saith to be reiected of the Iews That worke of OrigeÌ„ wherin that was coÌ„tained is now lost yet in those which remain he saith that the book of Wisdome s De principijâ—… lib 4. 3â—… is not accouÌ„ted of authority with al. Athanatius after his time lived also at Alexandria he sheweth what was held for Canonical what was refused s In Synopsi There be Canonicall of the old Testament two
and twenty bookes equal in nuÌ„ber to the Hebrew letters For among the Hebrewes the elemeÌ„ts of the letters are so many But besides these there be yet of the same old TestameÌ„t other books not Canonical which are read only to the Catechumeus Heere is a most manifest distinction betweene the Canonical and the Apocryphall and a signification that these inferiour volumes were only read to such as were novices in the faith but they were not accounted authentical vnquestionable Next I ioyne Epiphanius who lived in Cyprus he t Haetes 8 rehearseth for Canonical Scriptures of the old Testament the Iewes bookes the other not admitted by them he expungeth for Apocryphal And in a u Haeres 76 second place reckoning vp al the divine writings he shutteth out these Apocryphal fellows only after al the volumes of the old new TestameÌ„t rehearsed he nameth also the Wisedoms of SalomoÌ„ of the sonne of Sirach He nameth theÌ„ I say but after al the right ones yet least any man should take advaÌ„tage of the mencioning of those two heare him else-where u De mensuris poÌ„deribus Among the Hebrews there are two and twenty bookes For thâ—…se two bookes written in verse The Wisedome of Salomon which is called Panaretus of all kinde of vertue and the Wisedome of Iesus the sonne of Syrach the nephew of that Iesus vvho wrote that Wisedome in Hebrew so that his nephew interpreting it did vvrite it in Greeke are profitable and commâ—…dious but are not put into the number of those vvhich are received How corruptly theÌ„ doth x De verbo Dei l. 1 14 Bellarmine deale who citeth Epiphanius as an allower of these two bookes and denieth that hee spake against them otherwise then according to the opinion iudgement of the Iewes But infinite such base shiftes are to bee found in that Cardinall In the meane time we see that thus Epiphanius who was very wel skilled in the Hebrew keepeth close both with the Iewish Canon and the iudgement of the Easterne Church 13 Gregory Nazianzen hath a y De veris libris Scriptur little treatise in verse of purpose made to shew what are the books of the old new TestameÌ„t inspired froÌ„ God He in the old reckoneth vp two twenty books after the Iewish fashioÌ„ so oft aboue meÌ„tioned no more There he putteth al these whoÌ„ we acknowledge vouchsafeth not so much as to name Tobias or Iudith or any one of those whoÌ„ we seclude And so doth he againe z De recta educatione ad Selencum To all these so famous learned men of the East Greeke Church wil I adde for the conclusion the Councel of Laodicea which in the last a Canon 59 Canon recapitulateth all the Canonicall bookes of the old Testament but hath not one of those whom the Romanists vvould gladly thrust vpon vs. Nowe is it not a greate sinne thinke you for vs to ioyne in iudgement vvith so many learned and holie men with all the good and religious Hebrews who were before the time of Christ withal the Eastern Church without impeachment for ought that I can truely find Are not we worthy to be reviled and revelled at as renters tearers and clippers of the sacred Bible I doe marvaile why we should be Heretikes for not admitting of these Apocryphals since so many Fathers and reverend Doctors of the Primitiue Church did the same that wee do and yet heretiks they are none Yea but the Romanists doe loue to be tried by themselues And great reason The Westerne Churches they will say haue ever beene of another minde Wel yet here is but one against two and then by S. Austens rule before named the matter should go on our side But what if we find in the Latin Church as much against it as for it Are not our popish people in a prety case for railing vpon vs as if we were manglers deâ—…uÌ„catours of the Bible Hilary was a Bishop of FraÌ„ce and b Prolog su per 〈◊〉 he saith that there bee two and twenty bookes of the olde scripture See his own opinion consonant with that of the Greekish and Iewish Church vnto which number saith hee some doe adde Tobias and Iudith and so make foure and twenty Marke that they be but some who do adde more and these doe adde but two so that the Machabees and the rest are vndoubtedly gone in his iudgement nay I may say in his minde these two also But if any man be in this cause to be heard it is Hierome whom Lodovicus Vives some-where did truely call miraculum orbis the miracle of the worlde Hee lived a good while at Rome and thought highly of that Church and therefore would not hastily break from any thing vvhich generally or vvith good ground was there received Hee travailed into Palestina and there spent much of his time and by longe conference vvith a Ievve and other his extreame labour attained to the exact knovveledge of the Hebrevve tongue and there-vpon as some thinke translated the vvhole Bible into Latin as others suppose reformed and castigated that version vvhich is called the Vulgar and is now only currant among the Papists Also hee made those learned Commentaries on the Prophets which labour may truly be said to be the glory and beauty of all his vvorkes vvhich yet otherwise are renoumed sufficiently Then if any man bee to be heard in this Argument it is this Hierome and that deservedly Hee then speaking of Iudith bestovveth this ierke on it c Epist 10 UUee doe reade in Iudith notvvithstanding of it please any man to receiue that booke But aftervvarde hee goeth more generally to vvorke and d Epist â—…06 sheweth which are the Canonicall bookes even those whome vvee holde for Canonicall and vvhich are Apocryphall even the very same that wee reckon for Apocryphall Neither hath hee yet done but continuing in the same iudgement he sheweth how and in what manner the Church readeth and accepteth those inferiour bookes e Epist 115. As therefore the Church indeed doth read the bookes of Iudith of Tobias and the Machabees but doth not receiue them among the Canonical scriptures so it may read also these two volumes that is Ecclesiasticus and the booke of Wisdome to the edification of the people not to confirme the authority of Ecclesiasticall doctrines What would he haue said thinke you if he had seene our Papists bring these bookes as the chiefe pillers of praier for the dead and intercession of Saints and other such like Apocryphal trumpery 14 And that there were more learned men of the Westerne Church in the same minde with Hierome wee appeale to that treatise on the Creede of the Apostles vvhich some suppose to haue beene written by Cyprian and for that cause it is found among his workes but more generally it is thought to be of Ruffiuus his doing who very well might speake for the evidency
of truth but is not to be imagined to say any thing in favour of Hierome with whom he had hote great f â—…nvect coÌ„tra Hieron controversies He there then enumerateth the volumes of Canonicall Scripture even in the same order as we do but disclaimeth Tobias Iudith their fellows then subioyneth this g â—…e symb Apostolor These are they whom the Fathers haue concluded within the Canon out of which they would haue the assertions of our faith to appeare The rest they would haue indeed to bee reade in the Churches yet not to bee produced to get from them the authoritie of faith And then These things haue wee said that thâ—…se vvho doe receiue the first elementes of faith may know from vvhat fountaines of the word of God their draughtes are to bee dravvne So that in these you see the sound substantial iudgment of the most learned in the West Church eveÌ„ in the most ancient daies of it this hath bin coÌ„tinued ever since vntil our time by meÌ„ of the greatest knowledge throughout all ages yea such as were lights in the Church of Rome it selfe Nay h Greg epi ad Leandr sup Iob 5 Gregory himselfe within 600. yeares after Christ accepted of Hieromes translatioÌ„ or Castigation vsing no other but sticking so close therevnto that as a learned man of i D Fulk in prefâ—… Rhem Testam 29. Greg in Evang Hom. 34. ours hath observed it being falsly in that copy DomuÌ„ evertit for domuÌ„ everrit he interpreted it after the erroneous putting And since that time in the Romane Churches that edition is â—…urrant where according to k In prolog Galeato Hieromes distinction there be no more to be found Canonical then those whom we so read I might adde the testimonies of l Prolog in lib Ios Tobiae Hugo of m In vltim â—…sth epist ad Clem y. Caretane after him both men of much learning both Cardinals of the See of Rome as also of the Ordinary Glosseâ—… who in the beginning of those bookes hath thus Here beginneth the booke of Tobias which is not of the CanoÌ„ Here beginneth the booke of Iudith which is not of the Canon and so of the rest Also of n De tradeÌ„ dis discipl 〈◊〉 Vives who secludeth Tobias Iudith some other In breefe I can here alleadge the witnes of many rare and worthy men even of the Popish writers and such as lived long before Luthers daies but I reserue them til some Romanist vrge me farther vnto theÌ„ But out of al this which hath bin said I conclude first that the Popes vassals in the CoÌ„veÌ„â—…cle of Trent were more then audacious incroching vpon God Almighty when they durst to vendicate that authority as to put into the Canon that which lieth open to so many iust exceptions and was repudiated by such so ancient and so many as well of their own as other And secondly that our Iesuits of late as Bellarmine CaÌ„pian our other more vnlearned Papistes as Bristow and the scribler of this Pamphlet with whom I haue to deale are very hard fore-headed when they exclaime vpon vs for doing that which they ought also to do and call vs heretikes for imitating the iudgement so mature and well grounded of such persons Churches But the pity of all pities is that their blinde and deafe disciples our country-men and brethren according to the flesh giue credit to such lies and accept that as the Gospell which when it iâ—… seaâ—…ed doth fly to ragges and fitters THE NINTH REASON Councels T. HILL THE Church of God hath ever beene accustomed when any heresie did spring vp therein to gather a Councell of Bishops Prelates and of other learned men in which the truth was approved the heresie condemned And whosoever were coÌ„demned by such Councels coÌ„firmed by the See Apostolike were ever deemed in very deed were heretikes and for such at length were taken of all men and in the end vanished away So were the Arrians condemned in the Nicene Councell the Macedonians in the Councell of Constantinople the Nestorians in the Ephesine the Eutychians in the Chalcedonian others in other Councels All which heretikes although they flourished for a time and drew manie people yea Emperours Kings States and Countreies after theÌ„ yet in time they came to nothing and the Councels which condemned them were vniversally embraced G. ABBOT THere are two things in the two first Periodes of this your Chapter which although not simplye in themselues yet proceeding â—…om you do deserue admiration For you who were wont to make such large propositioÌ„s as no Papist durst avouch filling your mouth pen with nothing els but All are growne in this Reason vnreasonably modest downe below a great many of your fellowes when first you allow other learned 〈◊〉 besides Bishops Prelates to be of your Councels and secondly you appoint these generall Assemblies not to be called by your Pope but it is inough that they bee confirmed by the See Apostolike But the later of these we ascribe to your good Maister Bristowes such like extenuation vvho hath your very wordes confirmed by the See Apostolike and from one of whose a Brist Motiâ—… 13â—… Motiues abbreviated you borrow the most of this your present Reason and the former we impute either vnto your ignoraunce who know not what your fellowes hold in this pointe or to the ticklenes of the matter it selfe wherin noÌ„e of you with the safety of Popery can define ought but it lyeth subiect to some exceptioÌ„ Some of your meÌ„ wil haue none to haue voice in CouÌ„cels but Bishops so b In enumeratione CocilioruÌ„ Possevinus saith A CouÌ„celis nothing else but a lawfull Congregation of Bishops And it is scant to be found in any of those whom you cite for Synodes that any are named but Bishops as the Nicene c In praesation Concili Nicenâ—… Councel consisted of three hundred eighteene Bishops the d In fine Concil Tridentin Tridentine if we wil take their owne account of two hundred and seventy Bishops vnlesse perhaps the Legates and Oratours of some Princes may bee numbred to be in the Councell who yet haue no voices to ratifie doctrine excepte they bee Bishoppes And yet this shoulde seeme secretly to go somewhat hard even in Campians mind who vseth first a generall word e Ration 4. the Senatours of the vvorld but aftervvard when he hath saide the choice of Bishops he addeth the piâ—…he of Divines Yea f Chronil 4. Genebrard himselfe magnifying the Councel of Laterane aboue all that ever were for number saith that it had in it for cheefe Bishoppe Innocentius the Pope then tvvo Patriarkes him of Constantinople and the other of Hierusalem Arch-bishops Greeke and Latin seventy Bishops 400. Abbots twelve Priours of Covents eight hundred which in all were Fathers 1285. Now whether â—…ese Priours had voices he doth
was not to vpholde trueth but to destroy it You should then haue said that sometimes such Councels were assembled where â—…f the Spirite of God did illustrate them with truth all matters were well and especially those of mainest moment but if they were directed by faction or humane courses it fell out otherwise That Synode in the Actes was such an holy Act 15 6 meeting where about some differences in religion and doctrine the Apostles came togither and thâ—…â—…rit of God was President among them But in the fourth place that it should be of the essence of a lawful Councel that it must be ratified by the Romish Bishop is a iest i Bellar. de concâ—…l 〈◊〉 12 sometimes peradventure mencioned and arrogantly challenged by some of that See but never by other in any antiquity assented vnto b Lib 2 5 Socrates indeed speaketh of a Canon of the Church that without the sentence or advise of the Bishop of Rome decrees for the Church should not be established But this is spoken by him as taking it vp only from some claime of Iulius the stirring Pope then living and not from anie authenticall recorde For where was that ever concluded The Nicene Councell indeede taking order that there might be Patriarkes in severall places of the world who might compose and direct Ecclesiasticall matters in their Provinces had for the respect which was then borne to Rome as being the Imperial city suffered the Bishop thereof to take the first c Socr. 5. 8. place in all generall Convocations as it gaue the seconde to the Patriarke of Constantinople and afterward to the other Patriarks in their order Further prerogatiue we finde none given howsoever the Bishops of Rome aspiring to an Ecclesiasticall Monarchy did in processe of time stand on it that they had more In a d Concil carthaginens 3. Councell at Carthage it was decreed that the Bishop of the first See should not be called the Prince of Priests or the highest Priest or any such thing but only the Bishop of the first See And e Part 1 Distinct. 99 3 Gratian citeth the very same words out of a Councell of Afrike which intendeth that of Carthage but he addeth in the end of the Decree But let not even the Bishop of Rome hee called Universall And f â—…lbid 4 farther he citeth a Decree of Pelagius the Pope Let none of the Patriarkes ever vse the word of Vniversallity because if our Patriarke be called Vâ—…iversall the name of Patriarkes to derogated from otherâ—… but fâ—…r be this from faithfull men that any one should take that to himselfe whence in any the smallest respect he may seeme to dâ—…sh the honour of his brethreÌ„ And least any man should say that the Pope meant this of other Patriarkes and not of himselfe it followeth in the same g lbid 5. GratiaÌ„ that Pope Gregory was angry with Eulogius that he had called him Vniversall Pope I confesse that in progresse of time the Bishops of Rome vnder a colour of a Canon in the Nicene Councell did claime that appeâ—… should be made to them but when the Fathers of Afrike assemâ—…ed at h Con. Carthaginen 6 Carthage disclaimed it and would by no meanes take knowledge of any such Canon they sent to Nicea to see the Originall of the Nicene Councell and finding no such matter there they put the Pope to much shame in as much as it was but a forged Canon vpon which hee had insisted But to returne to Iulius in whose behalfe the former chalenge was made when the Easterne Bishops had received imperious letters from him they did no lesse then scorne it in him would not indure any such vsurpation of his as both i Lib at 〈◊〉 Socrates and k Lib 3 7. Sozomen do relate Yea we finde in Athanasius himselfe who had fled to lulius whoÌ„ it coÌ„cerned that lulius shuld haue nothing of his true authority diminished because he stuck close to Athanasius in his toubles that the l Athana in Apolog. 2. Easterne Bishops asseÌ„bled in the CouÌ„cel at Sardis do cal Iulius their beloved fellow servant nothing more Which was the phrase not only of theÌ„ being a coÌ„pany of Catholiks Orthodox Bishops but m Epistol 3 CypriaÌ„ before that did vse to cal Cornelius the Rom. Bishop his brother no more 4 Yet if it should be grauÌ„ted that the Patriarkes in the name behalfe of their Provinces should haue a voice of necessary coÌ„sent what is that more to the Romish Bishops then to the other Patriarchical Sees And besids this the place of Socrates teÌ„deth to nothing but political ordinances ceremonies customes for governmeÌ„t of the church which were not to be obtruded on all without coÌ„sent of some chief in every Province especially that of Rome the most emineÌ„t in the empire And of that nature was the cause of Athanasius there who was questioned as depriueable of his Bishoptik because he had exercised his fuÌ„ctioÌ„ iurisdictioÌ„ being not restored again after his suspensioÌ„ by a Synod of some Bish. But if that a general CouÌ„cel should with good grouÌ„ds out of the word of God coÌ„deÌ„ne heresie and the Pope would not ioine with theÌ„ whether this coÌ„demnatioÌ„ were lawful or no is rather our questioÌ„ Where although your Popes wil take on theÌ„ to haue a Negatiue voice against the CouÌ„cel your Canonists Pope-flaterers so dispute it yet the CouÌ„cel of CoÌ„staÌ„ce is flat to y e coÌ„trary for there as n In Ioh. 24. Platina saith the Pope is subiected to y e CouÌ„ cel yea deprived by it also And the o concâ—… coÌ„stant Sess. 5 CouÌ„cel it selfe saith that a general CouÌ„cell hath power immediatly froÌ„ Christ to which everie one of what state or dignity so ever he be yea if it be Papal is bouÌ„d to obey in those things which pertain to faith to the rooting out of schisme the reformatioÌ„ of the Church in the head in the meÌ„bers Thus the CouÌ„cell speaketh flatly and the Popes speake directly to the contrary and learned Papistes themselues are shrewdly in suspence what to say or beleeue herein p Replique a 〈◊〉 â—…e de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verit cap. 5. One of them a French man saying more in the beginning then we accept confesseth of late farther in this manner Never did Christian man say or doubt whither the Pope were aboue other Bishops but the question is whither hee bee aboue a Councell and the whole Catholike Church 〈◊〉 body gathered This is 〈◊〉 vndecided and 〈◊〉 rather a matter of policie or governement then of the substauncâ—… of faith Nevertheles it were good that this knot were opened before that you talke to much of your CouÌ„cels and your Popes ratifying of theÌ„ It were well that your Papists knew what to beleeue Now to proceed Such as the first ancient Councelâ—… condeÌ„ned for Heretiks were rightly so accouÌ„ted for they were iustly