Catholike yea many not a Christian His Maiestie at the first thought the strife about those names not to be materiall whilest he held that which was meant by them which his Maiestie desires to doe and fullie trusts in the mercie of God that he doth But because the common sort of men doe thus interpret that to be depriued of such names is all one as to bee depriued of the things vnderstood by those names therefore hee doth not thinke it wisedome to take no notice of this wrong As concerning the name of Christian there is no strife no controuersie betwixt you and him For neither of your Epistles doth deny this title to be due vnto him The question is then concerning the title of Catholike For after that according vnto your excellent eloquence in your first Epistle you had signified that you acknowledged in the King of Great Britaine the perfect and absolute Idea of the greatest Prince in the end you put this exception if vnto the other gifts of his minde the glorious name of Catholike might bee added and when by his Maiesties commandement it was answered that that title could not be denied to him which acknowledged the three Creeds of the Church Catholike and the foure first generall Councels and which beleeued all things that were beleeued as necessarie to saluation in the foure first ages with this answere in your last accurate and subtile letters you appeared not to be so well satisfied Those letters perswade your selfe that they were not read hastily and cursorily for he read them through and examined the waight of your reasons with wonderfull equitie and gentlenes of minde But whereas after the reading of your answere hee departeth not from his former opinion and yet neuerthelesse by the helpe of Gods grace trusteth he is a true Catholike his Maiestie would haue you know what reasons he hath for this resolution Wherefore most illustrious Cardinall receiue this short answere to your last letters which receiuing from his Maiesties owne mouth I was commanded to comprise in words and to send vnto you I will not now request of you that in the reading of these you would vse such equitie as hee did in the reading of yours I know full well your excellent wisedome and moderation worthie of all praise The whole disputation in your last letters consisteth of two parts In the former part are brought fiue reasons which do illustrate and shew the acception of this thesis in what sense you would haue it taken This thesis Catholici appellatio c. The name of Catholike can be denied to none which admits of the three namely the Apostles the Nicene and the Athanasian Creeds and of the foure first generall Councels the Nicene the Constantinopolitane the Ephesine and that of Chalcedon lastly which beleeues all those things that were thought necessarie to be beleeued to saluation in the first foure ages This thesis in the Kings answere hath the place of the maior proposition The second part of your disputation bringeth in foure instances against the hypothesis or assumption THE FIRST OBSERVATION THe name of Catholike doth not simply signifie faith but also a communion with the Catholike Church Therefore the ancients would not haue them called Catholikes which departed from the communion of the Church albeit they retained the same faith For they said there was but one Church Catholike out of which a man might haue the faith and Sacraments but saluation hee could not haue To this purpose you bring many things out of S. Augustine HIS MAIESTIES ANSVVERE TO beleeue the Catholike Church and to beleeue the communion of Saints are set downe in the Apostles Creed distinctly as two diuers things And the former of these two articles seemes to be inserted especially to the end that a difference might bee made betwixt the Iewish Synagogue and the Christian Church Which was not to bee confined within the bounds of one nation as that was but to be scattered farre and wide thorow all the regions of the world Wherefore there is no manifest reason why in the beginning of this obseruation the name of Catholike should be said to signifie communion Indeed these two are very neere ioyned but they are two diuers things as I haue shewed Now his Maiestie beleeues vnfainedlie that there is but one Church of God truly and in name Catholike or vniuersall diffused ouer the whole world out of which he affirmeth also that no saluation is to be hoped for Hee condemneth and detesteth those which either long since or more lately haue either departed from the faith of the Catholike Church and so become heretikes as the Manichies or from communion and so haue become schismatikes as the Donatists against which two sorts of men chiefly al those things were written by S. Augustine which are brought in this obseruation Likewise his Maiestie commends the wisedome of those godly Bishops which in the fourth Councell of Carthage as is here well obserued did adde vnto the forme of examination of Bishops an interrogation concerning this point Neither is the King ignorant that the fathers of the ancient Church did oftentimes many things by way of condescent pro bono pacis as they ysed to say that is for desire of maintaining vnitie and for feare of breaking mutuall communion Whose example he professeth himselfe readie also studiously to imitate and to follow in the steps of those that follow after peace ad aras vsque to the altars that is as farre as he may considering the state of the Church in these daies with the safetie of a good conscience For hee is as much grieued as any man for the distraction of the members of the Church so much abhorred by the holy Fathers and as earnestly desireth to communicate if it were possible with all that are members of the mysticall bodie of our Lord Iesus Christ Neuerthelesse his Maiestie thinketh that he hath most iust cause to dissent from those which simply without any distinction or exception doe perpetually vrge this communion He acknowledgeth it to be very necessarie and one of the proper notes of the Church yet doth not account it for the true forme of the Church and that which the Philosopher calls the essentiall being His Maiestie hath learned by his reading of the holie Scriptures according to the minde of all ancient fathers that the true and essentiall forme of the Church is this that the sheepe of Christ heare the voyce of their shepheard and that the Sacraments be rightly and lawfully administred namely as the Apostles haue giuen example and those which followed neere to the Apostles times Those Churches which are thus instituted they must needes be linked together by a manifold communion They are vnited in Christ their head who is the fountaine of life whereby all live whom the Father hath chosen to be redeemed by his precious blood and to be rewarded with eternall life They are vnited in the vnion of faith and doctrine in
doth not allow it He granteth that the Church of the fourth age florished aboue the former in externall glorie and splendure in wealth and plentie of learned men but that the Church of the former ages was equal with it or excelled as touching the orthodoxall rightnesse of faith and sinceritie of incorrupt discipline he is perswaded that none can make any doubt We finde euery where in the holy Fathers of the fourth age Basil Nazianzen Ierome Chrysostome Augustine and others most grieuous complaints of the faults and sundrie deprauations of their Churches Neither can it be doubted that the further men liued from the first originall the further also they departed from the originall puritie and sinceritie Wherefore when there is a serious purpose to clense and to sweepe the house of God why should not an especiall regard bee had to the time of the Apostles or the times neere the time of the Apostles It is true indeed that for the greatest part of that time the godly Christians did liue in obscuritie in pouertie and miserie by reason of perpetuall persecution yet consider well if in this sense also it be not better to goe into the house of mourning then into the house of mirth Pouertie and miserie are called the sisters of good minde riches and glorie haue not that honourable report And although many of the writers of those times be lost yet some are extant and those worthie of regard S. Cyprian that holy Martyr of Christ he alone if there were none else can better informe vs in the gouernment and discipline of the primitiue Church then many others which liued in the fourth age Wherefore the summe of his Maiesties answere vnto this obseruation is that he is well content there should be arguments brought out of the writings of the Fathers of the fourth and fifth ages but with this caution and condition that those things be allowed for ancient and necessarie to saluation which had not their beginning then but which may be cleerely proued to haue been continually obserued from the first originall of the Church vntill those times THE FIFTH OBSERVATION WHen there is question made about the vnanimitie and consent of Fathers some will haue it then to bee manifest when the matter controuerted is found in all the Fathers in expresse tearmes whose opinion being manifestly vniust it is more equitie for knowledge of consent of Fathers that these two rules be vsed First that the consent of Fathers should then be thought to be sufficiently proued when the worthiest of euery nation do consent in the auerring of any thing and that no man accounted orthodoxall doth oppose them So S. Augustine when he had praised eleuen of the principall writers of former times and the Fathers of the Ephesine Councell when they had brought out ten against Nestorius they all thought that they had giuen sufficient testimonie concerning the consent of the ancient Church The second rule is this When the Fathers do not speake as Doctors nor say that this or that is thus to be done or thus to bee beleeued but when as witnesses of those things which the vniuersall Church of their times beleeued or practised they affirme this to be the faith or practise of that Catholike Church through the whole world then they are so much to be honoured that such an affirmation must be held sufficient to proue the vnanimitie and consent of the Church HIS MAIESTIES ANSVVERE IT is an equall demaund that the parties which contend in these times should consent and agree how they may vse profitably the authoritie of the ancient Fathers For if the testimonie and authoritie of the primitiue Church bee taken away his Maiestie freely confesseth that on mans part the controuersies of these times can neuer haue an end nor by any disputation be determined Wherefore that it may be agreed vpon what and how much is to bee attributed to the Fathers and how farre their authoritie is to take place it will not be amisse that certaine rules be composed by the mutuall consent of the parties prescribing the manner hereof Amongst many other profitable and necessarie rules for this purpose his Maiestie thinketh that these two which you haue noted may haue their place But because the controuersies of these daies are not about ceremonies and other matters of lighter moment but about some articles of faith and opinions appertaining to saluation therefore his iudgement is that aboue all there be a generall agreement vpon this rule that opinions concerning matters of faith and whatsoeuer should be beleeued as necessarie to saluation ought to bee taken out of the sacred Scripture alone neither must they depend vpon the authoritie of any mortall man but vpon the word of God only wherein hee hath declared his will vnto vs by his holy Spirit Because the Fathers and the ancient Church had authoritie of deducting articles out of the sacred Scriptures and explaning but of coyning new articles of their owne they had no authoritie This foundation being laid both the maiestie of the Scriptures inspired by God shal remaine inuiolated and that reuerence shall be giuen to the holie Fathers which is due That this was the minde of all the Doctors of the ancient Church it may be easily demonstrated out of their owne writings For what words more frequent in their workes then these That the doctrine which is taught in the Church of God ought to bee taken out of the word of God And these For controuersies in matters of religion let the Scripture be iudge Or who knoweth not the golden words of S. Basil the Great in his booke De Fide It is a manifest fall from faith and argument of presumption to reiect any thing of the written word or to bring in any thing which is not written seeing it is the speech of our Lord Iesus Christ My sheepe heare my voyce And thus much be spoken concerning the obseruations proposed Now follow the foure instances For your illustrious honour being come to the hypothesis to the end that you might euince that his excellent Maiestie doth not beleeue those things which the Catholike Church did anciently beleeue you goe about to demonstrate it by foure arguments drawne from such things as concerne the outward worship of God or the liturgie and matters of daily practise in religion and afterwards you giue this reason why especially you bring these instances because if there were agreement concerning these the rest would bee easily agreed vpon His excellent Maiestie most illustrious Cardinall could wish that this might be hoped for but considering with himselfe what it is which at this day is vrged by your writers with chiefe care and eager contention there appeares no great hope of peace no not if there were agreement about these foure heads which you haue proposed For now adaies there is as eager contention about the Empire of the Bishop of Rome as for these or any other points of Christian religion
to Christ but through the mediation of many Saints Moreouer some others haue openly taught that our Sauiour Christ hath reserued the seueritie of iustice vnto himselfe but indulgence and mercie he hath granted to the blessed Virgin Againe how haue they distributed offices and powers of healing amongst the Saints with wonderfull curiositie or rather detestable superstition And heretofore their suffrages only were desired that being gracious with God almightie they would make intercession for men but afterwards the world was filled with bookes concerning the proper seruice of this or that Saint and peculiar formes of prayer to be made vnto them Wherefore in place of that diuine booke of the Psalter which the ancient Christians neuer laid out of their hands which was the solace of men and women yong and old rich and poore learned and vnlearned there haue succeeded the Houres of our Ladie and Legends or rather impious and doting fables I speake not of the true histories of Martyrs and such vile stuffe And yet further as if it were not iniurie enough to robbe Christians of so necessarie and diuine a booke one of your men hath turned all the Psalmes to the honour of the blessed Virgin attributing vnto her as if there were no difference betwixt the creature and the Creator whatsoeuer was prophecied concerning the onely Sonne of God His excellent Maiestie doth extoll the happinesse of the most glorious virgin mother of our Lord affirming that she is eleuated vnto the highest degree of honour which God the Creator could impart to any humane creature he reioyceth also that the Church of England vpon set daies in the yeere doth solemnize the honoured memorie of that most blessed Virgin but the Sophisters of these times can by no cunning euer perswade him to allow or endure that Psalter of our Ladie For as touching Cardinall Bellarmine which hath lately defended it his Maiestie is perswaded that he is distasted of your owne as many as haue but any small sense of pietie Considering then that the Church of Rome is almost deadly sicke of such inward diseases his Maiestie wondred most illustrious Cardinall when hee read in your epistle that the inuocation of Saints as your men doe now practise it is the same which was in vse in the primitiue Church Wherefore his Maiestie answereth in few words First it cannot be proued that in the beginning of the primitiue Church any other but the almightie God was inuoked secondly that there is no precept in the word of God for it no one footstep of any example God onely was adored God onely was implored through the intercession of his onely begotten Sonne the one and only Mediatour betwixt God and man Afterwards was brought in the vse of praying at the sepulchres of Martyrs then began the making of apostrophees vnto Saints besides the worship of God then the making of vowes and prayers not primarily to pray them but that they should pray God Yet if these new examples had gone no further his Maiestie would not greatly haue reprooued the custome of those times at the least not so much condemned it as the abuses which hereupon ensued For his Maiestie doth honour the blessed Martyrs and other Saints which now raigne with Christ the head of both Churches triumphant and militant neither doubteth he of their continuall prayers for the necessities of the Church beleeuing stedfastly the benefit thereof but hee confesseth ingenuously that hee knoweth no reason whereby any man can promise or warrant vs that they heare our prayers and that wee should account them as our household gods and protectors Wherefore hee exceedingly disliketh that which followed in after-ages For by degrees it came to that which I haue shewed which the Church of England affirmeth to be impious in the extreame And if there bee examples extant in the Fathers of the fourth age for this inuocation as no doubt there are neither doth the King denie it yet this is a testimonie of the decay of ancient simplicitie and of an euill then growing but in no respect comparable with that which in the Church of Rome at this day is openly practised tolerated and defended Lastly although the holy Fathers did allow the custom of that time amongst things profitable or lawfull yet they neuer accounted of it as a thing necessarie to saluation which is the present argument of our speech And thus much concerning the foure obiections against the English Liturgie Now his Maiestie commendeth your iudgement that amongst all the things which you dislike in his religion you haue made choice especially of those which concerne matters of Church assemblies and diuine seruice For the communion of the faithfull consisteth much in the publike exercises of pietie and this is the chiefe bond of vnion so much desired by good men Wherefore if Christians could but agree about this why might not all Europe communicate together only granting a libertie to schoole-Diuines with moderation to debate other opinions Which were a thing much to be wished and that foundation once laid by the helpe of God much hope might be conceiued of the rest For this cause his excellent Maiestie greatly commending your iudgement herein hath himselfe likewise heere deliuered what things in your Liturgie he thinketh worthie to bee reprooued But if for the want of these foure things in the English Liturgie you think there is iust cause that they which vse it should neither be accounted nor called Catholikes then consider I pray you what his Maiestie may pronounce of the Church of Rome in whose Liturgie for hee passeth other points of your religion godly men haue obserued so many things manifestly repugnant to the word of God and the ancient Catholike faith Which things neuerthelesse the Pope had rather maintaine then reforme when the truth now shineth so cleerely And here although his Maiesty could easily rehearse many grieuous abuses in the Romane Liturgie yet it pleaseth him to name only foure which he opposeth to the other foure named by you The first is the vse of an vnknowne tongue contrarie to the precept of S. Paul and the practise of the primitiue Church to whom in their assemblies nothing was dearer then the good and edification of the hearers Wherefore the Fathers prouided the translation of Scripture into all languages and as Epiphanius noteth in the end of his third booke they had their Interpreters who if need were did translate one language into another in their readings as hee speaketh that is when the Scriptures were read vnto the people Surely that the things read were generally vnderstood this alone is sufficient proofe that in most of the Homilies of the Greeke and Latin Fathers wee meete with these words vt audistis legi or vt hodie lectum est as you heard it read or as it was read to day Which if your preachers should say were it not ridiculous when the poore people vnderstand nothing that is read out of the Scriptures notwithstanding they haue more
need then the people of old time For the ancient Doctors vrged euery one to reade the Bible diligently in their houses which now vnder paine of excommunication they are forbidden to touch vnlesse they obtaine a dispensation So that the sacred word of God I tremble to speake it hath now the first place in the catalogue of bookes prohibited His Maiestie knoweth that amongst you there may be found some Bibles translated into vulgar languages but the English Priests at Do way which turned the Scripture into English haue taught him thus much that you were constrained against your willes to make those translations importunitate haereticorum by the importunitie of the heretikes as they of Do way speake For it is heresie with these men to be desirous to reade the word of God with sobrietie and reuerence Neither is his Maiestie ignorant when Renatus Benedictus Priest translated the Bible into French how the Popes of Rome troubled him for that fact and how by their letters they commanded the Bishop of Paris to endeuour that all the French translations might be extorted from the people Which without faile they had effected if there had been no Protestants in France His Maiestie hath read of late also in a booke of a certaine English Pontifician Priest that prayers vttered in an vnknowne tongue haue a kinde of greater efficacie in them then if they were vnderstood Which senselesse dotage was an old heathnish conceit and is not the singular follie of this Priest alone So the Valentinian heretikes did vse Hebrew names in their superstitious mysteries that they might amaze the ignorant multitude and as Eusebius speaketh in the fourth part of his Historie the more to astonish those that were initiated in their superstitions The second abuse is the diminishing of the holie Sacrament contrarie to the institution of Christ the example of S. Paul and the practise of the Church for the space of one thousand yeeres at least as Cassander a learned man confesseth In the third place are priuate Masses where are no communicants I haue said before that these things had their beginning from that peruerse doctrine concerning the sacrifice in the Christian Church Restore vs the ancient faith and the ancient practise In the fourth place his Maiestie obiecteth the present vse and adoration of Images The Councell of Trent confesseth an abuse and the Romane Catechisme giueth some profitable admonition on this behalfe But what are we the better the abuse remaineth it is approued maintained and encreaseth daily His Maiestie omitteth the adoration and inuocation of Saints which as it is now practised neither can nor ought to be excused He omitteth also the religious adoration of reliques which at this day is taught and commanded as a thing necessarie or at least very profitable to saluation Beside the intollerable absurditie as when false or ridiculous reliques are obtruded as the teares of Christ and the milke of our Ladie and such like Hee omitteth the licentious boldnes of your preachers when they stray from the word of God who ought to bee restrained from propounding any doctrine to the people as necessarie to saluation which is not drawne out of the diuine oracles and agreeable to the ancient faith For that is the wholesome doctrine which the Apostle so often commendeth If there were such a restraint many things now practised in the Church of Rome would fall downe of their owne accord As the doctrine of Indulgences as that foppish deuice of the intensiue paines in Purgatorie by vertue of which intension many thousand yeeres are contained in one minute as those battologiae or idle repetition of heedlesse prayers vnpleasing to our Sauiour as he himselfe witnesseth Then it would no longer be accounted great merit to repeate the Rosarie or other prayers and Psalmes twentie or fiftie or an hundred times If these and such like impediments were remoued religious men should peraduenture finde no iust cause to abstaine from your communion There is another thing which his Maiestie thought good not to omit which is written in the end of your Epistle that you will be silent concerning the Pope of Rome because it is manifest to those which haue but meane skill in Ecclesiasticall historie that the Fathers of the first ages the Councels and Christian Emperours in all businesse appertaining to religion and the Church gaue him the preheminence and acknowledged him the chiefe That this is all for this point which your Church requireth to be beleeued as an article of faith by those whom you receiue into communion To this his Maiestie maketh answere and appealing to your owne vnpartiall minde he desireth you to consider the actions of Romane Bishops for almost seuen hundred yeeres past He is loth to stirre the remembrance of things noisome yet gladly would hee haue you know that hee is most certaine of this that the late Bishops of that sea are so vnlike vnto the ancient Popes in sinceritie of faith in manner of life and in the whole course and end of their gouernment that it is altogether vniust things being in this state to draw arguments from the former ages and applic them to this present time Let the forme of the ancient Church be restored and many new lawes heretofore not heard of be abolished In briefe let the Bishop of Rome declare euidently by his actions that he seeketh Gods glorie not his owne that he hath a care of the peace and saluation of his people then his Maiestie as he hath protested before in his Monitorie Epistle will acknowledge his primacie and be willing to say with Gregorie Nazianzen that he hath the care of the whole Church But at this time what the Church of God especially Kings and Princes ought to thinke concerning that sea his Maiestie dare referre it to your owne iudgement to determine For you know what a number of books come abroad daily from Rome and almost all the corners of Europe in defence of the Popes temporall power or rather omnipotencie his dominion and monarchie ouer all the Kings and people of the whole earth You know that Cardinall Bellarmine hath of late written concerning that argument and soone after the death of Henry the Great hath been bold to publish that which all honest men of your owne side doe detest I say all honest men for the complices of that conspiracie doe heartily embrace and to their power defend it as an oracle from the mouth of the Pope which cannot erre Wherefore the Iesuits of Ingolstade in a booke lately published against Master Iohn Gordon the Deane of Salisburie a man nobly borne and very learned doe cite testimonies out of this booke of the Cardinals as if it were the constant opinion and consent of all Catholikes But I desire your Honour to consider whether the ancient Church euer did the like to this and what will be the issue of this madnesse Consider into what danger of vtter ruine they bring the Church of Christ which doe