all his works did not deserve Heaven Which sentence their Martyr John Teuxbury defendeth for [c] Act mon. ibidem plain enough and [d] Act Mon. pag. 487. b. pauâ—o post med true as it lyeth to omit that Calvin himself condemneth this Doctrine of Christs meriting to himself though expressed in Scripture [e] Calvin Institut l. 2. c. 17. sect 6. saith Quaerere an sibi meruerit Christus non minus stulta est curiositas quam temeâ—aâ— a definitio And a little after Quibus enim meritis affequi poâ—uit homo ut jâ—dex esset â—â—undi caput Angelorum And see further Calvin in Epistolas Pauli in Philip. 2 ver 9. pag. 466. b 467. a. in so much that in his Books of Institutions l. 2. c. 17. sect 1. He saith against Christs meriting for us Equidem fateor si quis simpliciter per se Christum apponere vellet judicio Dei non fore merito locum quia non reperietur in homâ—ne dignitas quae possit Deum promereri for a foolish curiosity and rash opinion the said Tindall was so much bent against all opinion of Good Works that he affirmed and taught that as concerning [f] Acts Monu pag. 488. a. initio the preaching of the Work and washing of dishes there is no difference as touching to please God Which saying as their foresaid Martyr Teuxbury affirmeth is a [g] Acts Mon. pag. 488. a. initio plain Text as needing no further explication and that as for pleasing God saith he all is one for saith Tindall [h] Acts Mon. pag. 1336. a. ante med there is no work better than other as touching to please God to make water to wash dishes to be a Sowter or an Apostle all is one to please God 20 Having at length written out what Brereley delivers concerning Luther's Doctrine and Manners [i] Finally we may conclude the life of Luther with the words of Erasmus a man highly esteemed by Protestants writing to Luther Anno 1526 11. Aprilis in these words Optarem tibi meliorem mentem nisi tua tibi tam valde placeret Mihi optabis quod voles modo ne tuam mentem nisi tibi Dominus istam mutaverit taking his proofs from witnesses above all exception that is from his own words and the writings of Protestants themselves as I could not without a deep sense of grief reflect how many have been and are yet deceived in that unhappy man whom they conceive to have been sent by God to the World for Reformation thereof so now in order to the help of persons so seduced I must beg of them to ponder well these ensuing Reflections First as for his Doctrine whether they can acknowledge him for their Father or Brother or a Protestant in any degree who taught Doctrines so wicked Carnal Absurd Temporizing Inconstant Seditious and Blasphemous as both Protestants and Catholicks and all Christians yea and all men of common Reason and human Civility must abhorr and detest whether I say this man can be said to have been of the Protestant Religion and consequently that their Church remained without any being no less after than before Luther appeared Secondly For his Life and Manners by his own Confession and the Testimonie of Protestants after he undertook to reform the whole Church of God they grew to be so abhominable and shameless as we may well judge that God Almighty out of his Wildome Goodnes and Justice permitted him to fall so openly and shamefully that whosover did follow his Doctrine should become inexcusable it being a thing very evident that men chosen by the Holy Ghost to enlighten and reform others are first to be freed from intollerable Errours in their Understanding and Viciousnes in their Will and not to fail notoriously in both even upon their very begining that pretended great worke having before led a commendable life as Luther did which cannot but manifest to the World that his pretended Reformation could not proceed from God but from that Enemy who perpetually seeks whom he may devour And although all the followers of Luther were inexcusable in adhering to such a man against the whole Church of God united in Peace and Union for as much as concerned Faith and Religion yet they who persevere still to embrace and pursue such a Reformation are less excusable than they who followed him in the begining when men came to the knowledg of his Vices and abhominable Errours in Faith not all at once but by degrees as he day by day profited to the worse whereas now every one may at one view see his Vices and Heresies put together published and acknowledged by his own confession and the confession of Protestants themselves When the Holy Ghost moves us to some worke he doth it suaviter fortiter with Sweetness and Efficacie inspiring Constancy Perseverance Meekness Humility and Satisfaction to the Soul according to that of the Apostle The Gifts of God are without Repentance Whereas we have seen that Luther confessed himself to have opposed Indulgences when he knew not what the name meant and would have renounced his reforming the World if for sooth he might have done it with his credit and wished that he never had begun that business in Coll. mensal affirming futher that he fell Into those troubles casually and against his will Casu non voluntate in has turbas incidi Deum ipsum testor not so much as dreaming or suspecting any change which might happen Act. Mon. pag. 404. whereby it appears that Luther was moved by Ambition Pride Lust and Envy and not led by any true desire of Reformation which if he judged to be aecessary what a huge wickednes was it in him to promise silence if his Adversaries would do the like or to submit himself to the Pope so that he might not be compelled to Recant or if the Reformation were not necessary as certainly the Church can never need Reformation for matters of Faith how can he and they who follow him be excused from damnable Schism and Heresie And accordingly it is no wonder if he fell into that deep sense of remorse and perplexity of Soul so farr as to wish his Books were all abolished as we have seen above It is also reported Oecolampadium à Landgravio privatim admonitum de perspicuitate ac certitudine verborum Christi cum gemitu respondisse optare se dextram sibi fuisse praecisam antequam de hac Controversia scribere quicquam ordiretur But let us now with Brereley go on to other chief Protestants Of Jacobus Andreas 21 AS concerning [k] Brereley tract 2. cap. 3. sect 9. sudivis 2. Jacobus Andreas the prime Lutheran of this age and the greatest enlarger of Luther's Doctrine and Chancelor of the Universitie of Iubinge no less honored and famous in Germany than ever was Calvin or Beza at Geneva The Protestant writer Hospinianus discoursing briefly of his life from testimony of the learned
as well as they Therefore we Catholicks have the life and substance of Religion pag. 60. In the prime grounds or Principles of Christian Religion we have not forsaken the Church of Rome Therefore he grants that we have the prime grounds or Fundamentall Articles of Religion pag. 11. For those Catholick verities which she the Roman Church retains we yield her a member of the Catholick though one of the most unsound and corrupt members In this sense the Romanists may be called Catholicks Behold we are members of the Catholick Church which could not be if we erred in any one Fundamentall Point By the way If the Romanists may be called Catholicks why may not the Roman Church be termed Catholick And yet this is that Argument which Protestants are wont to urge against us and Potter in particular in this very place not considering that he impugns himself whiles he speaks against us not distinguishing between universall as Logicians speak of it which signifies one common thing abstracting or abstracted from all particulars and Catholick as it is taken in true Divinity for the Church spread over the whole world that is all Churches which agree with the Roman and upon that vain conceit telling his unlearned Reader that universall and particular are tearms repugnant and consequently one cannot be affirmed of the other that is say I Catholick cannot be affirmed of D. Potter nor D. Potter said to be a Catholick because a particular cannot be said to be universall or an universall pag. 75. To depart from the Church of Rome in some doctrines and Practises there might be just and necessary cause though the Church of Rome wanted nothing necessary to salvation pag. 70. They the Roman Doctors confesse that setting aside all matters controverted the main positive truths wherein all agree are abundantly sufficient to every good Christian both for his knowledge and for his practise teaching him what to believe and how to live so as he may be saved His saying that the Roman Doctors confess that setting aside all matters controverted c. is very untrue it being manifest that Catholicks believe Protestants to erre damnably both in matters of faith and practise yet his words convince ad hominem that we have all that is necessary yea and abundantly sufficient both for knowledge and practise for us to be saved And then he discoursing of the Doctrines wherein we differ from Protestants saith pag. 74. If the Mistaker will suppose his Roman Church and Religion purged from these and the like confessed excesses and novelties he shall find in that which remains little difference of importance between us Therefore de facto we believe all things of importance which Protestants believe After these words without any interruption he goes forward and sayes pag. 75. But by this discourse the Mistaker happily may believe his cause to be advantaged and may reply If Rome want nothing essentiall to Religion or to a Church how then can the Reformers justify their separation from that Church or free themselves from damnable Schisme Doth not this discourse prove and the Objection which he raises from it suppose that we want nothing essentiall to Religion Otherwise this Objection which he makes to himself were clearly impertinent and foolish if he could have dispatched all by saying we erre in essentiall points which had been an evident and more then a just cause to justify their separation which yet appears further by his Answer to the said Objection That to depart from a particular Church and namely from the Church of Rome in some Doctrines and practises there might be just and necessary cause though the Church of Rome wanted nothing necessary to salvation And afterward in the next pag. 76. speaking of the Church of Rome he saith expresly Her Communion we forsake not no more than the Body of Christ whereof we acknowledge the Church of Rome to be a member though corrupted And this clears us from the imputation of Schism whose propertie it is to cut off from the Body of Christ the hope of salvation the Church from which it separates But if she did erre in any one Fundamentall point by that very errour she would cease to be a member of the Body of Christ and should be cut off from the hope of salvation therefore she doth not erre in any Fundamental point p. 83. We were never disjoyned from her the Church of Rome in those main essentiall truths which give her the name and essence of a Church You must then say that she errs not in any Fundamental Point For the essence of a Church cannot subsist with any such error And that it may appear how desirous he is that it should be believed Catholicks Protestants not to differ in the essence of Religion he adds these words immediately after those which we have last cited Whereof if the mistaker doubt he may be better informed by some late Roman Catholick writers One of France who hath purposely in a large Treatise proved as he believes the Hugonots and Catholicks of that Kingdom to be all of the same Church and Religion because of truths agreed upon by both And another of our Country as it is said who hath lately published a large Catalogue of learned Authors both Papists and Protestants who are all of the same mind Thus you see he ransacks all kind of proofs to shew that Catholicks and Protestants differ not in the substance and essence of Faith and to that end cites for Catholick writers those two who can be no Catholicks as Charity Maintained part 1. chap. 3. pag. 104. Shews the former in particular to be a plain Heretick or rather Atheist Lucian-like jesting at all Religion Pag. 78. he saith We hope and think very well of all those holy and devout souls which in former Ages lived and dyed in the Church of Rome Nay our Charity reaches further to all those at this day who in simplicity of heart believe the Roman Religion and professe it To these words of the Doctor if we subsume But it were impossible that any can be saved even by Ignorance or any simplicitie of heart if he erre in a Fundamentall point because as by every such error a Church ceases to be a Church so every particular person ceases to be a member of the true Church the Conclusion will be that we doe not erre in any Fundamentall point Nay pag. 79. he saith further We believe it the Roman Religion safe that is by Gods great Mercy not damnable to some such as believe what they professe But we believe it not safe but very dangerous if not certainly damnable to such as professe it when they believe or if their hearts were upright and not perversly obstinate might believe the contrary Behold we are not only in a possibility to be saved we are even safe upon condition we believe that Faith to be true which we professe and for which we have suffered so long so great and so many
PROTESTANCY CONDEMNED BY THE EXPRESSE VERDICT AND SENTENCE OF PROTESTANTS LUKE 19.22 By thine own mouth I judge thee DOWAY Printed in the Year 1654. THE PREFACE TO THE READER I Cannot doubt but that every Protestant if he have not a mind to divest himself of common reason and proclame himself to be inexcusable will confess Protestancy to be cast and condemned by Protestants if by their own free and open Confession these ensuing points be acknowledged for true First That the first Protestants who forsooth undertook a Reformation of the Universal Catholick Church existent before Luther after their pretended Reformation led so lewd lives and held doctrines confessedly so absurd that no man of sense or wisdom can judge them fit instruments for that supposed strange sublime supernatural and divine work Secondly That in opposition of the late and vitious Fathers of Protestants those men who even by Protestants are stiled Antient and Holy Fathers believed taught and practised the very same things which we now believe teach and practise against Protestants Thirdly That not only the Antient Fathers but even the chiefest and most learned Protestants convinced by evidence of truth stand with us against their Protestant Brethren in most of the chiefest points of Religion controverted between us Fourthly That our doctrine hath been approved by the Omnipotent hand of God using for Instruments of working Miracles those who were confessedly of our Religon yea and in express confirmation of points believed by us and rejected by Protestants Fifthly That by the confession of Protestants we Catholicks may be saved though we live and dye in the belief of all those Articles wherein Protestants disagree from us Which last consideration though it were alone ought effectually to move every one who believes an Eternity of Joy or Torment speedily to joyn himself with that Church wherein by the confession of all both friends and foes Catholicks and Protestants salvation may certainly be attained if our life agree with our belief Now for proof these Truths most important to be known I present not to the Reader any new VVork or Invention of mine own but in effect only transcribe and publish what I find in that excellent Book intituled The Protestants Apology for the Roman Church the true Author whereof thought fit to conceale himself under the name of John Brereley Priest though indeed he was neither Brereley nor Priest nor Clergy-man not John but rather James He dedicated his Book to King James and writes with so great exactness fidelity temper and moderation that Protestants though they must needs feel themselves deeply wounded by the substance of his discourse yet cannot with any shadow of reason pretend to be justly offended with his manner of discoursing In so much as Thomas Morton confesseth that whatsoever strong argument in any place in Roman Authors is to be found in favour of that Religion whatsoever hath by chance fallen from the pen of any learned Protestant but in outward appearance consonant to their doctrines which may seem any way to promote the Roman cause all that we see in this volume collected to be brought and presly urged against us with so singular a choice of the things themselves with such force of arguments with such an elegant and exquisite stile Lastly with so moderate a kind of expression as their subtilty judgement wit art and moderation could do I wish the Book were in the hands of many but it being of some bulk and not easy to be had and the points which here I offer being but few and comprised in no very great compass and of themselves very intelligible and clear to every mans understanding they will come to the knowledge of more by being published thus apart than if they were to be sought in the Book it self mixed with many other matters by the Author handled in different and distant places and upon several occasions and in a method not obvious to men who have no great mind to take much pains If upon occasion I put in a word of mine own the Reader will understand it to be mine by the word Publisher abbreviated by Pu. I make use of the Edition of An. 1608. It is clear that he is most exact in his Citations citing not only the Book but the year Edition place of Print and sometimes even the page and line as appears by the Table set down in the beginning of his Book with this title A Table of certain Protestant writers and their particular writings whose folio or page for more ready and certain direction are specially alleged in the subsequent Discourse and of their several Editions or year of Print according to which they be so alleged unless it be otherwise noted in the margent But yet notwithstanding all the care exactness used by the Author it was not in his power to exempt the Print from many Errors and Omissions as also I cannot doubt but he who Prints this publication of mine will have his errors The five Heads or Truths mentioned above I will call so many Considerations Neither have I any more to say in this place than with my whole heart to beg of the Protestant Reader even for the love he ows to the Redeemer of Mankind and for the care he should have to save his own soul that he will peruse these Considerations with a hearty desire to find and an absolute resolution to embrace the truth laying aside prejudice passion sloath and all humane and wordly respects seriously meditating the words of our Blessed Saviour Matth. 16. v. 26 27. What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and sustain the damage of his own Soul Or what exchange shall a man give for his Soul For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels and then will he render to every man according to his works If the Reader come not with such a disposition and resolution every word he reads will rise against him in that dreadful day of Judgement upon which all Eternity must depend O ETERNITIE ETERNITIE THE FIRST CONSIDERATION Concerning the lives of the first Protestant pretended Reformers OUR Saviour forewarning us saith Brereley tract 2. cap. 3. sect 9. subdivis 1 That a good Tree yieldeth good fruit Math. 7.17 and beware of false Prophets which come to you in sheeps clothing but inwardly are ravening Woolvs by their fruits you shall know them Math. 7.15 16. omitting petty examples saith Brereley tract 2. chap. 3. sect 9. subdivis 2. we will intreat of Principals namely of Luther of Jacobus Andreas the greatest enlarger of his Doctrine and of Zuinglius Calvin and Beza and of these also for other respects but with a gentle sparing and forbearing touch as not undertaking to allege any thing of them but that which is in it self evident and for such confessed Of Luther 1 COncerning Luther's Life and Manners saith Brereley tract 2. cap. 2. sect 10. subdivis 11. for so much as he
is strongly privileged with the opinion of the present time we will in respect thereof but briefly touch the same and that also not without great and respective observation as forbearing purposely the credible Testimonies in that behalf of Cochlaeus Lyndanus Staphylus and other our Catholick Writers to whom his life and manners were well known and choosing specially to speak thereof from no other testimonie than of himself and his own dearest Scholars As touching his Life before his revolt from our Catholike Church it is confessed that he as then [a] See Symon Voyon upon the Catologue of the Doctors c. Englished page 180. And Luther ad Galatas c. 1. v. 14. fo 35. a. after the English Translation lived in his Monasterie punishing his body with watching fasting and praier [b] See Luthers own words hereof in his Commentarie upon the Epistle to the Galathians in English in c. 1. fol. 35. h. Honored the Pope of meer Conscience [c] Luther ibid. fol. 35. b. kept Chastity Poverty and Obedience and [d] Luther ibid. fol. 35. a. whatsoever saith he I did I did it with a single heart of good zeal and for the Glory of God fearing grievously the last Day and desirous to be saved from the bottom of my heart In so much also as for some small time after his revolt there remained yet in him some Reliques or steps of former Sanctimony whereof Erasmus in epistola ad Thomam Cardinalem Eboracensem affordeth him commendable testimonie wheras afterward upon his further defection from our Church he at last became quantum mutatus ab illo and was so far transported with sensuality from his former course of intended Chastitie that he saith to the contrarie [e] Luther in Prov. 31. n. 10. addeth this amourous Rime for a morginal Glosse Nicht liebers ist afferden Ben frawn lieb wems tan werden being in English as is alleged here in the Text. Nothing is more sweet or loving upon the Earth than is the love of a woman if a man can obtain it And again [f] Luther tom 7. in Ep. ad Wolfangum c. fol. 505. He that resolveth to be without a woman let him lay aside from him the name of a man making himself a plain Angel or Spirit Yet further [g] Luther tom 5. Wittemberg serm de Matrimo nio fol. 119. a. vers finem Quam non est in meis viribus ut vir non sim c. As it is not in my power that I should be no man so is it not in my power that it should be either staid or omitted but is as necessary as that I should be a man and more necessary than to eate drink purge make clean the Nose c. Insomuch as he acknowlegeth himself to have been [h] Luther in Colloquiis mens fol. 526. a. et vide fol. 400. a. almost mad through the rage of Lust and desire of Woemen And [i] Luther in Colloquiis Germanicis cap. de Marmonio saith Ut nemo porest cibo vel potu carere sic fieri nequit ut aliquis a muliere abstineat c. Causa haec est quia in utero mulierum concept◠eo aliti inde nati lactati et educati sumus ita ut caro nostra majore ex parte mulieris caro sit et sic plane fieri nequit ut ab eiis separemur And tom 2. Wittemberg fol. 328. b. post med He saith Puella in qua non est sublime hoc donum continentiae nihilo facilius carere potest marito aut viro quam cibo aut potu somno c. to omit his other like sayings he yet further saith tom 1. Epistolarum latinarum fol. 334. ad Philippum I am burned with the great flame of my untamed flesh I who ought to be fervent in Spirit am fervent in the flesh in lust sloath c. Eight dayes are now past wherein I neither write pray nor studie being vexed partly with the temptations of the flesh partly with other trouble But saith he ubi supra fo 345 [k] O intolerable ingratitude and blasphemy to abuse to Carnalitie the benefit of our Redemption it sufficeth that we have known the Riches of the Glory of God the Lamb which taketh away the sins of the World from whom sin cannot draw us although we should commit Fornication or kill a thousand times in one day And being in this case he laboureth not to keep his former kept Chastitie by his foresaid punishing his body with watching fasting and praier before time continued by him in his Monasterie when he was a Catholick which course of resistance by Praier the blessed Apostle 2. Cor. 12.7 being so assaulted used and thereby prevailed but unmindfull of his former Vow and forbearing Praier somtimes even for eight daies together at the last having [l] Osiander centur 16. pag. 97. fine cast off his Religious habit Anno 1544 he did in speedy accomplishment of his longing desire [m] Melancton in epist ad Joac Camer de D. Lutheri conjugio It is extant in Melancton 's Consilia Evangelica par 1. p. 37. Marrie even upon the suddain Katherine Bore the Nunn without any communication before had thereof with any of his friends but having in the evening so impatient was he of delay as not to forbear but that present Night till the usual time of Marriage in the Day-time next ensuing invited to Supper Pomerane Luke the Painter and Appelles the Lawier he then so finished the Espousalls for which by the most antient and Imperial Laws made [n] See Brereley tract 2. cap. 3. subdivis 7. pag. 595 citing Zozomen hist lib. 6. c. 3 affirming how that the Christian Emperour Jovian published an Edict that who so allured a sacred Virgin to marriage should be therfore punish'd with the loss of his head This Jovian saith Brereley was in course the third Emperour after Constantine the Great And the foresaid Law is yet extant Cod. lib. 1. de Episcopis et Clericis wherein it is said Si quis non dicam rapere sed attentare tantùm jungendi causa Matrimonii Sacratissimas Virgines ausus fuerit capitali poena feriatur not lately but during the venerable times of the Primitive Church He should have lost his head A thing at that time holden so scandalous by report of [o] Sleydan in his Commentaries in English l. 5. Anno 25. f. 65. b. paulo post medium saies In those daies Luther married a Nunn whereby he gave occasion to his Adversaries to speak evil of him And Mr. Fulk in his Answer to P. Frarines Declamation pa. 32. ante medium confesseth that many men misliked Luther's marriage with a Nunn Insomuch as Luther himself in Colloquiis latinis tom 2. de con-Jugio saith hereof Nisi ego clam celebrassem Nuptias omnes impedivissent quia omnes amicissimi clamabant non illam sed aliam Sleydan and others that Luther himself afterwards became [p]
misero hoc fuco tuum ornas commentnm And ibidem fol 229. b. ante med going about to prove that Luther may not deliver the Sacrament to himself alone he allegeth the example of the other Sacraments which a man cannot use for himself saying Non est absolutio si quis absolveret seipsum non est inunctio si quis inungeret seipsum non est conjugium si quis nuberet sibi ipsi c. Haec enim sunt vestra septem Sacramenta so plainly yet was Luther in these points then Catholick si nunc nullum ex Sacramentis vestris aliquis ipse pro se facere potest aut tractare qùi fit ut tibi soli hoc Summum Sacramentum facere velis And Brereley in his Omissions of pag. 737. saith And ibid fol. 229. a. circa med The Devill yet further saith to Luther Stas ibi solus putas so evidently is Luthers then present opinion then signifyed Christum propter te instituisse Sacramentum protinus in tua privata Missa te conficere Corpus Sanguinem Domini Thirdly [r] Brerely ibidem Sect. 9. in the text prope sinem as to the supposall of Luthers then having abandoned the Masse it is likewise but supposed and false as appeareth by the Devills foresaid often speaking to him in the present [Å¿] Bâ—ercley in his Conclus to the judge â—â—â—ct 8 〈◊〉 and z in the margent tense to whom Luther answers ibidem fol. 228 b. initio as not disclaiming from the Masse or that he had then or before given it over but as yet standing in the defence thereof justifieth to the Devill his saying of Masse to that end alleging saith he that I was an anointed Priest Cui respondi sum unctus Sacerdos accepi unctionem consecrationem ab Episcopo haec omnia feci ex mandato obedientia Majorum and in regard of such his then Catholick opinion in that point using yet further saith he ibidem fol. 229. b. post medium those weapons whereto I was accoustomed in the Papacie objecting the intention and faith of the Church and that I celebrated Masse in the intention and faith of the Church c. And that the Chuch did righty believe and think In his angustiis agone contra Diabolum volebam retundere hostem armis quibus assuetus eram sub Papatu objiciebamque intentionem fidem Ecclesiae scilicet quod Missas privatas in fide intentione Ecclesiae celebrassem si ego inquam non rectè credidi aut sensi tamen in hoc rectè credidit sensit Ecclesia But saith he Sathan replyed more vehemently verum Sathan è contrae fortius vehementius instans c. Hereby and other the premises it appeareth that Luther yet hitherto defended the Mass in respect of which his then opinion the Devil [t] Brereley ibid. Sect. 9. in the text fine beginneth his suggestion of doubt saying What if such Masses were horrible Idolatry Which had been improper if so Luther had then before thought the Mass to be Idolary [u] Luther tom 7. Wittemberg Anno. 1558. in Libro de Missa privata unctione Sacerdotum fol. 228. a. fine tom 9. Germ. Jenensi fol. 28. in Libro de Missa Angulari and see these words acknowledged and set down by Mr. Fulk in his defence of the Censure pag. 234. and 235. and 236. Fourthly as concerning the main point which is that the Devil intended hereby no disputation against Luther but only a temptation upon evident truths by Luther then and before known and confessed it is of all other most false as appeareth by Luther himself who expresly tearms it a disputation Also by the [x] Apud Brereley ibid. Sect. 7. at S. Protestant like Arguments as namely among other the Priests not preaching but receiving alone against the institution of Christ his not communicating to the people in both kinds that of a Sacrament he made it a Sacrifice and made gain thereof sicut tu facis in Missa tua as thou saith the Devil to Luther dost in thy Mass at large there by the Devil begun and prosecuted purposely to give colour against the Mass and most evidently by example of the sundry other points whereto the Devil in like sort then endeavoured to perswade Luther but could not prevail For first it appeareth by Luther tom 7. Wittemberg fol. 229. a. that the Devil perswaded Luther that he could not consecrate because he was a wicked man which errour peculiar to Wickliff and some others Luther ever abhorred as appeareth by the Protestant Treatise intituled Orthodoxus consensus c. Printed in fol. 1578. in proleg pag. 14 b. and in Brerely tract 2. c. 2. sect 10. subdivis 7. at p. q. r. where Luther holdeth that even Lay-persons and the Devil himself might Minister Sacraments observing the words of institution Also Sathan perswaded Luther against the indifferencie of Communion under one or both kinds whereof see here in the Margent at [y] Luther tom 7. Wittemberg An. 1558. fol. 229. b. initio And fol. 228. bâ—circa med the Devil further saith Sacerdos enim veâ—us est Minister Ecclesiae constitutus ad praedicandum verbum porrigenda Sacramenta sicut hoc habent verba Christi in Coena sicut Paulus 1 Cor. 11. de Coena Domâ—ni loquitur unde à veteribus Communio appellata est quod non Solus Sacerdos debeat uti Sacramento sed reliqui unà cum ipso Nunc annos quindecim totos semper solus privatim pro te in Missa usus es Sacramento non communicast aliâ—s adeâ—què interdictum tibi erat ne porrigeres totum Sacramentum aliis c. cojâ—smodâ— es tu Sacerdos qui non pro Ecclesia sed pro te ipso ordinatus es c. Tu vero Missator privatus in omnibus Missis tuis ne semel quidem praedicasti c. Haeccine institutio Christi c. Institutio Christi est ut Sacramento communicent alii Christiani verum tu unctus es non ad distribuendum Sacramentum sed ad Sacrificandum contra institutionem Christi Missa usus es pro Sacrificio c. Et quod Christus instituit ad edendum bibendum pro tota Ecclesia porrigendum a Sacerdote unà communicantibus c. ex hoc tu facis Sacrificium propitiatorium O abominatio super omnem abominationem c. And ibid. fol. 229. a. paulo post med he saith Solus bibis c. Nemini tecum communicas ut in more vobis positum fuit tanquam bonum opus pro pecunia vendâ—s And ibidem fol. 228. b. ante med He further saith to Luther Confugiebatis ad S. Mariam Sanctos illi erant Mediatores inter vos Christum sic crepta est gloria Christo Is not all this with much more there objected by the Devil very Protestant like which indifferencie notwithstanding the Devils Arguments to the contrary
words of Luther alleged by the Calvinist writer Matthias Martinius in his doctrinae Christianae summa capita c. Printed 1603 pag. 288. post med From whom and from their Principles of advancing onely Faith extenuating good works and other like doctrines have sprung as from a Hydra the late sect of the Libertines who uppon the very foresaid [m] It appears by Calvin 's report of their words in tract Theolog. pag. 540. a. circa med their chief Reason to be Cùm Deus rerum omnium author sit nullum jam boni mali discrimen esse haâ—â—dum sed quicquid agituâ—â— bonum esse grounds and colours denying neverthelesse verbally as Protestants doe God to be the Author of sin and verbally also requiring integrity of life and manners have set abroad to the world by their published writings stored with testimonies of Scriptures all Epicurism and impure liberty of life Which point we shall repeat and say somewhat more of it hereafter in the life of Calvin 12. [n] Brereley tract 2. cap. 2 sect 10. subdivis 15. Zuinglius tom 2. in resp ad conf Lutheri reproveth in Luther his willfull frowardness or obstinacie against that which himself conceived for true or even though it be proved to be against holy Scripture saying Lutherus obstinato devoto animo conceptam semel opinionem persequi obtinere conatur nec multum curare solet quodcunque de re quavis pronunciet etiamsi vel sibi ipsi vel divini verbi oraculo contradicere deprehendatur These words of Zuinglius are also in Schlusselburg in Theologia Calvinistarum l. 2. fol. 122. a. fine Thus Luther of Communion under both kinds saith de formula Missae If the Councell should in any case decree this least of all then would wee use both kinds yea rather in despite of the Councell and that Decree we would use either but one kind onely or neither and in no case both See Luther tom 3. Germ. fol. 274. And see this saying of Luther alleged and rejected by Hospinian in hist Sacramentar part altera fol. 13. a. post med And whereas Mr. Jewell answereth hereunto in his reply against Mr. Harding pag. 107. post med that Luther only meant that Gods truth should not hang upon the authority of man to forbear that this is Mr. Jewels device or shift and no words in all that passage of Luther to explain his meaning for onely such can yet this meaning though admitted inable Luther to teach that in despite of the Councell wee should use either but one kind or neither which last were directly against Christs institution For which cause Hospinian as before rejecteth this saying of Luther Of like nature is it where he teacheth tom 2. Germ. fol. 214. that if the Councell should grant the Church-men liberty to marry he would think that man more in Gods grace who during his life kept three whores then he who married according to the Councels decree and that he would command under pain of damnation that no man should marry by the permission of such a Councell but should either live chast or if it were impossible then not to despair though he kept a whore In like manner he saith in parva confessione touching Elevation of the Sacrament I did know the elevation of the Sarament to be Idolatricall as making for Sacrifice yet nevertheless I did retain it in the Church at Wittemberg to the end I might despite the devill Carolostadius Elevationem Sacramenti sciebam esse idolatricam sed tamen eam retinebam in Templo Wittemburgensi ut aegrè facerem Diabolo Carolostadio And see Luther tom 3. Germ. fol. 55. and in Colloquiis Mensalibus Germ. fol. 210. A Saying and Practice so gross that Amandus Polanus Professor at Basill specially mentioneth and reprooveth the same in Syllogethes Theolog. pag. 464. ante medium saying further ibidem I will not recite more of Luther 's absurd Sayings which are many Sed nolo plura absurde dicta Lutheri recensere quae multa sunt quae tegenda potius quam exagitanda c. And Hospinian in Hist Sacramentar part altera fol. 14. a. initio reciteth this Saying of Luther tearming it minimè profecto conveniens oratio Christiano Theologo magna infirmitas in Luthero A speach unworthy of a Christian Divine and shewing a great weakness in Luther Pu. To this may be added that Luther in his Book of abrogating the private Masse exhorts the Augustine Fryars of Wittemberg who first abrogated the Masse that even against their conscience accusing them they should persist in what they had begun acknowledging that in some things he had [o] Vide Tanner tom 2. disput 1. q. 2. dub 4. n. 108. done the like And Joannes Mathesius a Lutheran Preacher saith Antonius [p] In orat Germ. 12. de Luthero Musa the Parish Priest of Rocklitz recounted to me that on a time he heartily moaned himself to the Doctor he means Luther that he himself could not believe what he preached to others and that D. Luther answered Praise and thanks be to God that this happens also unto others for I had thought it had happened only to me [q] Pu. Who can believe him who believes not himself Pu. Pause here a little Protestant Reader and if the salvation of thy Soul be dear to thee in any least measure consider uprightly with fear and trembling whether indeed it could be any scruple of conscience which could move Luther to forsake the whole Church of Christ dispersed over the whole world when he appeared seeing he had a conscience large enough to swallow a sin confessed by him [r] To be Idolatry and yet how in the mean time I cannot say whether more prodigiously or hypocritically to c. to forsake us Catholicks even upon pretence of Idolatry If he could against his conscience leave Carolostadius one of his own Brethren expresly and formerly upon the motive of vexing and despising him who can wonder if he forsook the Church and Pope of Rome upon passion rage and hatred and not because he found any thing taught by them which his conscience could not have disgested if his passions had not been stronger than his reason conscience So that his revolt was not upon judgement but envy and passion that John Tecel a Dominican Fryar and not he or some of his Order was appointed to promulgate some Indulgences granted at that time in so much that we have seen above how he would have submitted to the Pope if confessed pride had not hindered him [s] Confessing further that he began to Preach against Indulgencies when saith he as witnesseth Sleydan l. 16. fol. 232. b. fine I scarcely understood what the name of Indulgence meant which are Luthers words in Sleydan l. 13. fol. 177. b. paulò post medium Yea the Ar. c. Yea the Arguments in favour of us Catholicks against his new course were so many and of all kinds and so evident and convincing
universally forbids the reading of Scripture to all sorts of persons 30. The new Translation which King James caused to be made was over-seen corrected and altered by the Archbishop Abbats and Smith of Glocester as Sir Henry Savill told Mr. Richard Montague afterward Bishop of Chichester and then of Norwich For Mr. Montague wondring that Sir Henry to whose care was committed the translating of S. Peters Epistles would pervert the sense of the Apostle 1 Pet. 3.18 19. about Christs descent into Hell reading it Quickned by the Spirit by which also he went and Preached unto the Spirits in prison c. When the Greek is Quickned or alive in his Spirit or Soul in which Spirit or Soul he comming Preached to them also that were in Prison And it is to be observed that this last Translation of the v. 18. is not only against Catholicks but also against former Translations of Protestants which says not quickned by the Spirit but quickned in the Spirit Sir Henry I say being thus questioned answered as above that the forenamed Bishops corrupted and altered the said Translation made by K. James his order whereby it appears of how small authority or accompt it ought to be Again in this same Translation they have translated Gal. 5.17 the flesh lusteth against the Spirit so that ye cannot do the things yea would whereas the Greek and Latine is yea do not de facto the things ye would 31. Not unlike to the said salsification of Zuinglius concerning the Eucharist is that of Protestant English Bibles touching the same Sacrament to proove their Heresie that there is a Divine precept for all persons to receive both kinds saying 1 Cor. 11. v. 27. Whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily c. Whereas in the Greek it is Whosoever shall eat this Bread or drink this Chalice c. which disjunctive or cannot infer the necessity of both kinds as the Conjunctive and might seem to do and for which end they falsify this Text strangely standing for both species of Bread and Wine while indeed they deprive men of the reall substance of our Saviours Body and Bloud for both species by bringing all to a meer sign or some phantastical presence by Faith or some such imaginary way 32. What I am now to say though it may seem to deserve only laughter yet it shews in good earnest the inconvenience of translating the holy Scripture into vulgar languages with a promiscuous freedom of all sorts of persons to read them Thus then Gen. 3. v. 7. Divers Protestant English Bibles say thus They Adam and Eve sewed fig-tree leaves together and made themselves Breeches How ridiculously doth this sound to an English ear that the woman should were Breeches And yet this is the Translation of the Bible Printed at London by the Deputies of Christopher Barker Printer to the Queens most excellent Majesty Anno 1593. Cum Privilegio And Anno 1596. by the same Printer of which I have two Copies it is translated in the same manner As also Anno 1586. [q] Printed by the same Printer and likewise Anno 1602. by Robert Barker Printer to the Queen All which Editions I have at hand ready to be exhibited If I did take pleasure to jeast in serious matters I could say That a Protestant whom I could name being much troubled with this Translation a Catholick from whose mouth I received this story bid the Protestant be not troubled at those Editions seeing they were published under Queen Elizabeth who being held by English Protestants for Head of their Church no wonder it was that under a Woman-Head women did were the Breeches which conceipt though it did not much comfort that Protestant yet we may in good earnest by this occasion detest those parasites and flattering Ministers who were not ashamed to make any temporal Prince meerly in vertue of his temporal power Head of Gods Church and of all Clergy-men even in spiritual matters and we are to adore Gods just judgements in permitting the temporizing Protestant Clergy of England to be degraded by Temporal Power in just punishment of their absurd Heresie that temporal Princes are upon earth Supreme Heads of Gods Church neither ought we to wonder that they come to suffer in their temporal power who would needs against all reason and principles of Christian Religion usurp that Supreme spiritual Authority which by our Saviour Christ was granted only to St. Peter and his Successors Where I cannot omit what one of the most learned among the Protestant English Bishops we discoursing of the Universal Wars of these times said and he spoke a certain and evident truth that these Wars and troubles of Christendome began upon the year 1517. when Luther first revolted from the obedience of all Churches before his time 33. But why do I specifie some few particular mis-translations of the Protestant Bibles seeing they themselves do mutually reprove impugn and condemn their own translations As appears out of Brereley tract 1. sect 10. subdivis 4. joyned with tract 2 cap. 2. sect 10. subdivis 2. To omit saith he particulars whose recital would be infinit and to touch this point but generally only the Translation of the New Testament by Luther is condemned by Andreas Osiander Keckermannus and Zuinglius who saith hereof to Luther thou dost corrupt the word of God thou art seen to be a manifest and common corrupter of the holy Scriptures how much are we ashamed of thee who hitherto esteemed thee beyond all measure and now prove thee to be such a man And in like manner doth Luther reject the Translation of the Zuinglians tearming them in matter of Divinity fools Asses Antichrists Deceivers and of Asse-like understanding Insomuch that when Proscheverus the Zuinglian Printer of Zurick sent him a Bible translated by the Divines there Luther would not receive the same but sending it back rejected it as the Protestant Writers Hospinianus Lavatherus witness The Translation set forth by Oecolampadius and the Divines of Basil is reproved by Beza who affirmeth that the Basil Translation is in many places wicked and altogether differing from the mind of the holy Ghost The Translation of Castalio is condemned by Beza as being [r] Beza resp ad def respon Castal sacrilegious wicked and Ethnical As concerning Calvins Translation that learned Protestant Writer Carolus Molinaeus saith thereof [s] Moli in sua transl Testa Novi part 12. fol. 110. Calvin in his Harmony maketh the Text of the Gospel to leap up and down he useth violence to the Letter of the Gospel and besides this addeth to the Text. As touching Beza's Translation to omit the dislike had thereof by Seluecerus the German Protestant of the University of Jena the foresaid Molinaeus saith of him [t] Molin in Testa part 20.30 c. de facto mutat textum he actually changeth the text and giveth further sundry instances of his corruptions as also [u]
Castalio in defen trans pag. 170. Castalio that learned Calvinist and most learned in the tongues reprehendeth Beza in a whole Book of this matter and saith that to note all his errours in Translation would require a great volume And Mr. Parkes saith [x] Parks in his Apology for three testimonies of Scripture c As for the Geneva Bibles it is to be wished that either they may be purged from those manifold errors which are both in the text and in the margent or else utterly prohibited All which confirmeth King James his grave and learned Censure in his [y] In the Conference before his Majesty pag. 46. thinking the Geneva Translation to be worst of all and that [z] Ibid. fol. 47. in the marginal notes annexed to the Geneva Translation some are very partial untrue seditious c. Lastly concerning the English Translations the Puritans say [a] Master Christopher Carlile in his Book that Christ descended not into Hell pag. 116. a. 117 c. Our Translation of the Psalms comprised in our Book of Common Prayer doth in addition subtraction and alteration differ from the truth of the Hebrew in two hundred places at the least In so much as [b] Purita Petiti to his Majesty pag. 76. initio they do therefore profess to rest doubtful whether a man with a safe conscience may subscribe thereto And Master Carlile saith of the English Translators that they have [c] Carlile pag. 118. depraved the sense obscured the truth and deceived the ignorant that in many places they do detort the Scriptures from their right sense And that they shew themselves to love darkness more than light falshood more than truth And the Mininisters of Lincoln [d] In their Book delivered to King James 16. of Decem. pag. 11. Diocess give their publick testimony tearming the English Translation a Translation that taketh away from the text that addeth to the text and that sometime to the changing or obscuring of the meaning of the Holy Ghost Not without cause therefore did his Majesty affirm [e] In the confer before his Majesty fol. 46. that he could never yet see a Bible well translated into English Thus far Brereley 34. Pu. Now let Protestants consider duly these points First Salvation cannot be hoped for without true Faith Faith according to them relyes upon Scripture alone Scripture must be delivered to most of them by the Translations Translations depend on the skill and honesty of men in whom nothing is more certain than a most certain possibility to erre and no greater evidence of truth than that it is evident that some of them embrace falshood by reason of their contrary translations What then remaineth but that truth faith salvation and all must in them rely upon a fallible and uncertain ground How many poor souls are lamentably seduced while from Preaching Ministers they admire a multitude of texts of Divine Scripture but are indeed the false translations and corruptions of erring men Let them therefore if they will be assured of true Scriptures fly to the alwaies visible infallible [f] St. Aug. l. 4. de Trinit c. 6. saith Contra rationem nemo sobrius Contra Scripturas nemo Christianus Contra Ecclesiam nemo pacificus senserit Catholick Church against which the gates of Hell can never so far prevail as that she shall be permitted to deceive the Christian world with false Scriptures Translations or Interpretations wherein there is a main and clear difference between us Catholicks who rely upon an infallible and living Guide the Church and Protestants who believe not only every private man but the whole Catholick Church to be fallible and subject to error and if it were but for this cause alone we ought to believe the Catholick Church to be infallible without the belief whereof we can have no absolute certainty what Books be Canonical nor what is the certain interpretation of them and the end of all will be that we cannot believe Christian Faith to be infallible and certainly true in so much as Luther himself by unfortunate experience was at length forced to confess thus much saying [g] In lib. cont Zuingl de ver ta Corporis Christi in Eucha If the world last longer it will be again necessary to receive the decrees of Councels and to have recourse to them by reason of divers interpretations of Scripture which now reign On the contrary side [h] Brereley tract 1. sect 10. subdivis 4. pag. 259. as our learned adversaries do thus agree to disagree in their own translations mutually condemning as before each other so also have they upon a second and more advised consideration afforded honourable testimony of our vulgar Latin translation had from Rome which Master Witaker otherwise in splene and spirit of contradiction tearmeth [i] Whitaker in his answer to Mr. Reynolds Preface pag. 2. fine 26. initio an old rotten translation c. full of faults errors and corruptions of all sorts [k] Whitaker de Sacra Scriptura quaest 5. c. 11. pag. 543. initio then which nothing can be more faulty or desteined and [l] Whitaker in his answer to Mr. Reynolds pag. 223. fine vide pag. 218. fine of all others most corrupt To this purpose Beza saith [m] Beza Annot. in Cap. 1. Lucae ver 1. The old Interpreter seemeth to have interpreted the holy Books with mervyllous sincerity and Religion Vetus Interpres videtur summa Religione sacros Libros interpretatus which Religious observation of the old Interpreter is acknowledged in like sort by D. Humfrey de ratione interpret l. 1. pag. 74. where he saith Proprietati verborum satis videtur addictus vetus Interpres quidem nimis anxiè quod tamen interpretor Religione quadam fecisse non ignorantia Also Beza further saith in praefat novi Testam Anni 1556. Vulgatam editionem maxima ex parte amplector caeteris omnibus antepono the vulgar Edition I do for the most part imbrace and prefer before all others Carolus Molinaeus in nov Testam part 30. signifieth his no less answerable liking thereof saying aegerrimè à vulgari consuetaque lectione recedo quam etiam enixè defendere soleo I can very hardly depart from the vulgar and accustomed reading which also I am accustomed earnestly to defend In so much as he professeth [n] See Molinaeus in Luc. 17. to prefer the vulgar Edition before Erasmus Bucer Bullinger Brentius the Tigurine translation also before John Calvin etiam Joannis Calvini omnibus aliis and all others Whereto might be added the like further answerable commendation thereof given by that famous Protestant Writer Conradus Pelicanus who in praefat in Psalterium Anni 1534. saith Tanta dexteritate eruditione fide Hebraica quoad sensum concordare deprehendimus vulgatam editionem Psalterii ut eruditissimum pariterque piissimum verè Prophetali Spiritu fuisse interpretem Graecum Latinum non dubitem And
extraordinary curious and exquisit dyet such and so publickly and precisely observed saith [h] Bolseke in his Book of the life of Calvin reporteth how that Calvins wine was choice and carried abroad with him in a silver pot when he dyned abroad that also special bread was made purposely for Calvin only and the same made of fine flower wet in rosewater mingled with Sugar Synamon and Anizeseeds besides a singular kind of bisket made for Calvin alone and be affirmeth this as a matter known all Geneva over Bolseke as the Lords of Berna were thereat greatly offended In report of all which though Bolseke make solemn and great [i] In the beginning of his said book dedicated to Monsieur of Epinac Archbishop and Earl of Lyons he hath this Protestation I am here for the love of the truth to refute Theodore Beza his false and shameless lies in the praise of Calvin protesting before God and all the holy Court of Heaven before all the world and the Holy Ghost it self that neither anger nor envy nor evill will hath made me speak or write any one thing against the truth and my conscience protestation of his truth for so much yet as being scandalized with Calvins life he afterwards became Catholick and so was at the writing hereof we will therefore in regard of our former undertaken method be sparing to urge the same Only we cannot forbear the publike testimony of that learned Lutheran Conradus Schlusselburg a man of principal estimation in the Protestants Church being as appears by the title of his Book Dioceseos Raceburgensis Superintendens conjunctarum Megapolensium Ecclesiarum Generalis Inspector and no less learned and enemy to the Pope than was Calvin himself who [k] See this apud Brereley tract 2. cap. 2. sect 10. subd 11. fine at 3. in Theologia Calvinistarum l. 2. fol. 72. a. circa post med reported of Calvin saying God in the rod of his fury visiting Calvin did horribly punish him before the fearful hour of his unhappy Death For he strake this Heretick so he tearmeth him in regard of his conceived Doctrine concerning the Sacrament and Gods being the Author of sin with his mighty hand that being in despair and calling upon the Devil he gave up his wicked Soul swearing cursing and blaspheming he dyed upon the disease of lice and worms a kind of death wherewith God often striketh the wicked with which God did strike Antiochus 2 Machab. 9.5.9.10 and Herod Act. 12.23 increasing in a most louthsome ulter about his privy parts so as none could endure the stench These things are objected to Calvin by publike writing in which also horrible things are declared concerning his lasciviousness his sundry abominable vices and sodomitical lusts for which last he was by the Magistrate at Noyon under whom he lived branded on the shoulder with a hot burning iron unto which I yet see not any sound and clear refutation made c. Deus manâ— sua potenti adeò hunc haereticum percussit ut desperata salute daemonibus invocatis jurans execrans blasphemans miserrimè animam malignam exhalârit obiit autem Calvinus morbo pediculari vermibus circa pudenda in apostemate seu ulcere faetentissimo crescentibus ita ut nullus assistentium faetorem amplius ferre posset Haec publicis Scriptis Calvino objiciuntur in quibus etiam de ipsius Aselgia variis flagitiis sodomiticis libidinibus ob quas stigma ferro candenti dor so Calvini impressum fuerit à Magistratu sub quo vixit horrenda narrantur ad quae non video solidam luculentam aliquam refutationem c. scio lego Bezam aliter de vita moribus obitu Calvini scribere cùm verò Beza eadem haeresi eodem ferme peccato nobilitatus sit ut Historia de Candida ejus meritricuba testatur nemo ipsi in hac parte fidem habere potest And see further there concerning Beza l. 1. in prooemio pag. 4. b. ibid. pag. 92. a. post med b. 93. a. initio Hierom Bolseke further affirms in his said Book that the City of Noyon in Picardy in which Calvin lived and from which saith Bolseke Calvin upon his foresaid punishment of branding fled did testify this foresaid offence and punishment of Calvin unto Monsieur Bertelier Secretary of the Counsel of Geneva under the hand of a publick and sworn Notary which testimony saith Bolseke is yet extant and hath been seen to himself and many others Now whether this Author would lye so egregiously and with setting down in Print such pretended known circumstances wherein he was so notably disproveable and to be discredited even in the knowledge of the whole City of Noyon a place not remote but in the same Kingdom we will not affirm nor determine but leave to all indifferency of judgement Only we adde that whereas F. Campian in rat 3. doth object this against Calvin as a matter known and publick tearming him therefore stigmaticus perfuga a branded fugitive M. Whitaker in his answer thereto pag. 50. initio saith Si stigmaticus fuit Calvinus fuit etiam Paulus fuerunt alii And being told by Duraeus contra Whitakerum Printed 1582. fol. 73. b. that he was prophane in so comparing Calvins brands for wickedness with Pauls brands for Christ he doth in respons contra Duraeum pag. 280. answering to that very fol. 73. of Duraeus pass over all this matter in silence forbearing so thereby all further mention or defence thereof [l] Apud Brereley in his Book a part of the lives of the late pretended Reformers cap. 6. sect 1. fine To the former testimonies affirming Calvins filthy despairing death upon the disease of Lice and Worms encreasing in an Ulcer about his privy parts assenteth the Protestant Writer Johannes Herennius who being himself an earnest Calvinist Preacher and then continuing student at Geneva affirmeth in his published Book de vita Calvini himself to have been present and eye-witness thereof saying Calvinus in desperatione finiens vitam obiit turpissimo foetidissimo morbo quem Deus rebellibus maledictis comminatus est prius excruciatus consumptus quod ego verissime attestari audeo qui funestâ—m tragicum illius exitum his meis oculis praesens aspexi 38. He [m] Brereley in the Prefac to the Reader n. 11. tract 3. sect 2. paulo post med at f. n. teaches in Dan. c. 6. v. 22.25 that earthly Princes do bereave themselves of authority when they erect themselves against God yea that they are unworthy to be accounted in the number of men and we must rather spit upon their faces thn obey them c. Abdicant se potestate terreni Principes dum insurgunt contra Deum imò indigni sunt qui censeantur in hominum numero potius ergo conspuere oportet in illorum capita quà m illis parere c. And see further this saying specially mentioned and objected to the
784. a. initio Ingenuè tradimus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dei nomen Patri propriè ascribi insinuating so thereby that the name of God is attributed to the Son and the Holy Ghost but improperly and as it were after a secondary respect And ibid. pag. 773. b. post med Absurdum negamus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dei nomen interdum Patri ascribi quia ut alibi dictum est fons est ac principium Divinitatis In like manner he forbeareth not to call Christ the Vicar of God occupying the second degree of honour saying in Harmon in Matth. 26. v. 64. Dicitur autem Christus sedere ad dextram Patris quia summus Rex constitutus quasi secundam ab eo honor is imperii sedèm obtinet sedet ergo ad Patris dexteram quia ejus est vicarius c. And in admonit ad Polenos extant in tract Theolog. c. pag. 794. b. initio he saith Sententia Christi Pater major me est restricta fuit ad humanam ejus naturam ego verò non dubito ad totum complexum extendere And see there pag. 792 a. initio And in Matth. 22. v. 44. and in 1 Cor. 15. v. 27. As also Amlungus a prime Calvinist did let fall that Christ was inferior to his Father according to his Divinity Osiander in Epitom c. cent 16. pag. 965. initio reporting the conference at Hertzburg Anno 1585. between the Divines of Saxony and the Calvinists of Hennalt and in his praecipuus Anâ—lâ—â—ngus of whom Amlungus saith he was the chief saith Inter caetera Amlungo haec impia vox excidit Christum etiam secundum Divinitatem esse minorem Patre There are also other sayings of our Adversaries which seem to sound dangerously against the equality and consubstantiality with God the Father Master Jewel and Master Fulk affirm that [y] Of this confessed opinion of Mr. Jewel and Mr. Fulks retentive pag. 89. paulo ante med and see his confutation of the Papists quarrels Printed 1583. pag. 64 65. Christ was according to his Deity his Fathers Priest and [z] See Fulk against the Remish Testament in Hebr. 5. in sexto sect 4. fol. 399. b. paulo post mâ—d offered Sacrifice not only according to his Manhood but also according to his Godhead An error confuted by St. Austine in Psalm 109. saying According to that he is born of God the Father God with God c. all with him who begetteth him he is not a Priest but a Priest for his flesh assumpted And Theodoret in Psalm 109. saith accordingly Christ exerciseth Priesthood as man and receiveth Sacrifice as God In respect of sundry which premises Stancarus in most other things a Calvinist doubted not to affirm contra Ministros Genevenses Tigurinos fol. 94.95 and fol. 118.123 that the reformed Churches professing the Faith of Geneva and Tigure be Arian And he further saith Conclusum est ô Calvine Doctrinam tuam de Filio Dei esse planè Arianam à quâ resilias quà m primùm te oro atque obtestor It is concluded ô Calvin that thy Doctrin concerning the Son of God is wholly Arian which I earnestly beseech thee to abandon with all speed 42. To which further purpose is no less apt and memorable the further confessed testimony of Adam Neuserus a learned Calvinist and [a] The Protestant Writer Osiander in Epitom c. centur 16. pag. 818. fine saith Adam Neuserus Pastor Heydelbergensis ex Calvinismo prolapsus est in Arianismum And Conradus Schlusselburg Theolog. Calvinist l 1. art 2. fol. 9. b. tearmeth him Adâ—m Neuseruâ— olim Heydelbergensis Ecclesiae primarius Pastor c. chief pastor at Heydelberg who after his revolt unto Arianism and from thence again unto Mahometism [b] See this thus reported by Osiander in Epitom c. cent 16. pag. 208. fine and Osiander there pag. 209. initio affirmeth that D. Gerlachius hath at Tubinga the original writing or letter it self so written to him by Neuserus did write to Doctor Gerlachius a Protestant Preacher from Constantinople 2. Junii Anno 1574. saying None is known in our time to be made an Atian who was not first a Calvinist as Servetus Blandrata Paulus Alciatus Franciscus David Gentilis Grebaldus Silvanus and others all of them Calvinists revolted to Arianism Therefore who so feareth to fall into Arianism let him take heed of Calvinism Thus far Neuserus Neither may it suffice here for our adversaries to answer that Calvin and the fore-alleged Protestant Writers do notwithstanding their foresaid sayings all of them acknowledge the Doctrin of the three Persons and one God for in vain or at least not well but coldly is that acknowledged in general which is either reputed for matter of [c] Fulk in answer to a countersect Catholick pag. 15. prope finem affirmeth that the true Church under the Emperours Constantine Constans and Valens was greatly infected with the Heresy of the Arians as though the Church with Arianism could be a true Church What else is this but to repute Arianism for a matter of â—ndifferency Also Mr. Thomas Morton in his treatise of the kingdom of Israel and of the Church dedicated to Queen Elizabeth pag. 94. fine affirmeth that the Churches of Arians are to be accompted the Churches of God because they do hold the foundation of the Gospel which is faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God and Saviour of the world And ibid. p. 91. ante med be further saith Whensoever a company of men do jointly and publickly by worshipping the true God in Christ profess the substance of Christian Religion which is faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God and Saviour of the world which as before in his opinion the Arians do that there is a true Church notwithstanding any corruption whatsoever c. So evidently doth he affirm the Arians Church to be the Church of God and a true Church indifferency or else again impugned by other contrary inferring particulars which are as before so many and divers in the forenamed Protestants that sundry of their own [d] The learned Lutheran Pelragus in admonitione de Arianis having pag. 41.42.43 excused in what be can Melancthons dangerous sayings doth yet pag 45. say Non hic Calvinianos in praecipuis de Divinitate Christi locis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 laboriosè ostendam non Adami Neuseri non Blandratae non Pauli Alciati Francisci Davidis Gentilis Grebaldi Silvani aliorum facilem è Calvini Schola ad Arianos lapsum progressum commemorabo And Jacobus Andraeas in praefat refutationis Apologiae Danaei pag. 54. saith Minimè mirandum est ex Calvinianis in Polonia Transilvania Hungaria aliisque in locis quam plurimos ad Arianismum quosdam etiam ad Mahometismum accessisse quorum impietati haec Calviniana doctrina iter parat And see the like affirmed by Schlusselburg in Theolog. Calvinist l. 1. Art 2. fol. 9.2 post med And Hunnius in his
other beginning or beginners of Protestancy than those whom hitherto they have taken for their glorious Fathers and persons qualified with such gifts and endowments as make them fit to reform the whole Christian world and these being once removed from the rank of their Forefathers how will they answer this question Who in particular were the first beginners of their Protestant Church at what time and in what place did they live To which demand I am sure they cannot answer with satisfaction but perforce they must be content to be like the Donatists of whom St. Optatus sayd that they were Filii sine Patre Sonns without Father and every one must be to himself a begining of his Faith and Religion A dreadfull point in the business of an Eternity and necessary subject to that weighty saying of St. Bernard Qui se sibi magistrum constituit stulto se discipulum subdit He who will be his own Master shall be Scholler to a Fool. Secondly For Manners who can imagin that God being Truth Purity and Peace it self would choose for Reformation of the World such men as confessedly have shamefully erred against Truth for Doctrin and against not only Purity but common honesty and morality and against Peace by being both for their Doctrines and Practises Authors of Tumults Seditions and Rebellions Thirdly it ought to be considered with deepest grief and Tears what a lamentable thing it was that people should have been seduced from that antient Religion which the World professed with the specious names of Dr. Luther c. and with a fair but false and lying title of Reformation by men who indeed were such as hath been declared and proved from their own Writings and the expresse and direct Assertions of their own brethren Fourthly since we have found them to be most inconstant in their Doctrine in matters of highest concernment expresly professing to have temporized accommodated themselves to the times and not to that which even themselves judged true who can rely on them unless he first resolve not to be settled in any truth but to be ranked among those who circumferuntur omni vento doctrinae which in effect is no better than to have no true Faith at all Fiftly seeing they cannot nor ever could agree with those whom they stile Brethren and which is the main point have no possble means of agreement no men in wisdome can join themselves to the common generall name of Protestants not knowing which of them in particular hold the Truth nor who are or are not Protestants nor why they should believe one sect of them more than another neither is it possible to join with them all they believing and professing to believe contradictory Tenents some of which must needs be false Sixtly Seing those first Reformers are confessed to hold Doctrines in themselves damnable and detested even by Protestants how can they be excused from Heresy And seing they left the whole Catholick Church extant before Luther upon pretence of Errous in Doctrine of lesse moment than those wherin they thus differ among themselves and yet forsake not one another but will needs be Brethren and of one Communion how can they be excused from Schism by their division from the Communion of all Churches But now having declared what kind of men the Progenitots of Protestants were let us in the next place examine of what Fathers we Catholicks may deservedly glory even by the Confession of our Adversaries who by evidence of Truth are forced to confesse that the Antient Holy Fathers taught the same Doctrines and practised the same things which Protestants disprove in us and for the Reformation whereof they pretend to have forsaken our Church This then according to the order prescribed in the Preface must be the subject of the next Consideration THE SECOND CONSIDERATION By the Confession of Protestants the Antient Holy Fathers believed and practised the same things which we believe and practise against Protestants 1. FIrst saith Brereley tract 1. sect 3. subdivis 1. concerning Vows it is confessed that the Fathers did allow Vows of perpetual Chastity affirming them to be obligatory Non ignoramus saith Chemnitius exam part 3. pag. 14. ante med quod Patres vota perpetui caelibatûs probent quodque illa obligatoria etiam agnoscant In so much as he Chemnitius doth thereupon specially recite and reject in this behalf the several sayings of Basil [q] Chemnitius ibid. pag. 40. a. ante med Ambrose and Chrysostom Also of [r] Ibid. pag. 42. a. Epiphanins Austine and [s] Ibid. pag. 42. b. ante med Innocentius And it is likewise yet further affirmed that the [t] Peter Martyr de Votis pag. 490. saith Erant ergo Clementis aetate professiones vota fateor I am tune incaeperant homines deflectere à Verbo Dei c. With whom agreeth Mr. Parkins in Problem c. pag. 191. initio saying In antedictis saeculis stipulationes de continentia publice in Ecclesia fieri solebant nam Anno Christi 170. Clemens Alex. l. 3 stromat ait c. profession and Vows of Chastity were extant among Christians in the time of Clement Bishop of Alexandria who by [u] Euseb hist l. 6. c. 11. paulâ—ante med saith Clemens de se ipso loquitur quod prope ad Apostolorum tempoâ—a successerit his own testimony lived neer to the Apostles times that [x] Peter Martyr ibid. pag. 524 fine saith Scio Epiphanium cum multis aliis ex Patribus in eo errare quod peccatum esse dicunt votum hujusmodi violare cum onufuerit malè illum id referre in traditiones Apostolicas Epiphanius and many other Fathers erred therein that [y] Cent. 3. c. 6. col 140. linea 27. cent 3. c. 7. col 176. lâ—ea 39. Tertullian and Cyprian taught Vows of Chastity that the famous antient [z] Iustus Molitor de Ecclesia militante c. pag. 80. fine saith Chalcedonense Concilium contra Spiritus Sancti oracula Monachis Virginibus monialibus usum conjugii interdixit Council of Chalcedon did hereupon forbid Marriage to Monks and Nuns that St. Augustine and all the Fathers assembled with him in the Carthage Council [a] So saith Danaeus contra Bellarm. primae partis altera parte pag. 1011. initio And see Concil 4. Carthag can 104. and 1 Tim. 5.9 10 11 12. abused manifestly the word of God saying upon the Apostles words If any Widow how young soever c. hath vowed her self to God left her secular habit and under the testimony of the Bishop and Church appeared in a religious weed if afterward she go to secular Marriage she shall according to the Apostle have damnation because she dared to make void the vow of Chastity which she made to God that [b] Mr. Fulk against the Rhemish Testament in 1 Tim. 5. fol. 381. b. sect 10. initio And see Danaeus contra Belar 1. partis altera parte pag.
of Scripture sbjected by our other Adversaries against Peters Primacy learned Protestants the anriquity of this opinion is fully confessed by Mr. Fulk who speaking of Leo and Gregory Bishops of Rome the first of them about Anno Domini 440. and the other about 59â— saith [h] Mr. Fulk in his Retentive against Bristows moâ—tives c. pag. 248. fine the mystery of iniquity having wrought in that seat of Rome neer five or six hundred years before them so antiently before them did the Roman Sea in his opinion begin to be Papal and then greatly encreased they were so deceived with long continuance of error that they thought the dignity of Peter was much more over the rest of his fellow-Apostles than the holy Scriptures of God do allow So confessedly antient and of long continuance was this opinion of Peters Primacy even in those elder times of Leo and Gregory A thing so evident that our other learned Adversaries reprehend sundry of the other much more antient Fathers for their affirming the Church to be built upon Peter namely [i] Conturists cent 4. col 1250. l. 2. Hierom [k] Cent. 4. col 555. lin 30. Hilary [l] Cent. 4. col 558. l. 54. Nazianzen [m] Cent. 3. col 84. lin 73. it is said Tertullianus non sine errore sentire videtur Claves soli Petro commissas Ecclesiam super ipsum extructam esse Tertullian [n] Centur. 3. col 84. lin 59. saith Passim dicit Cyprianus super Petrum Ecclesiam fundatam esse ut l. 1. Epist 3. l. 4. Ep. 9. c. Cyprian [o] Cent. 3. col 85. lin 3. it is said Origines tract 5. in Matth. dicit Petrus per promissionem meruit fieri Ecclesiae fundamentum Idem hom 17. in Lucam Petrum vocat Apostolorum Principem Origen and in general [p] Calvin institut l. 4. c. 6. sect 6. saith In Petro fundatam esse Ecclesiam quia dictum sit super hanc Petram c. At nonnulli ex Patribus sic exposuerunt sed reclamat tota Scriptura c. And Danaeus in respons ad Bellarmin disput part 1. pag. 277. post med saith of the Fathers Dictum en im Christi Matth. 16. Tu es Petrus super hanc Petram c. pessimè de persona Petri sunt interpretati c. many Fathers reproving also others for their entituling Peter the [q] Cent. 4. col 556. lin 17. they allege Optatus calling Peter Apostolorum Caput unde Cephas appellatur and see next heretofore at 10. where they allege Origen calling Peter Apostorum Principem And Mr. Fulk in his Retentive c. pag. 248. chargeth Optatus with absurdity for saying of Peter praeferri omnibus Apostolis moruit c. he deserved to be preferred before all the Apostles and he alone received the Keys of the kingdom of Heaven to be communicated to the rest vide ibid. fine in like manner is Peter called Prince of the Apostles by Cyril of Hierusalem Catech. 2. Prince and Head of the rest by Cyril of Alexandria l. 12. in Ioan. c. 64. The Pastor and Head of the Church placed by Christ over the whole earth by Chrysostom in Matth. hom 55. ante med and Apostolorum vertex in the same homily circa med The Master of the whole world by Chrysostom in Ioan. hom 87. paulo ante med ad Pop. hom 80. ante med The rock and top of the Catholick Church in the Council of Chalcedonact 3 Head of the Apostles and [r] Cent. 4. col 554. lin 32. col 1074. lin 13. Arnobius is reprehended for tearming him Episcoporum Episcopus in respect whereof the Centurists do there further say de Petro minus commodè loquitur the Bishop of Bishops In so much that whereas the Fathers doubted not publickly to celebrate a yearly [s] Concil 2. Turonense can 16. saith Sunt etiam qui in festivitate Cathedrae Domini Petri Apostoli c. See this confessed Centur. 6. col 580. lin 2. And S. Austine serm 15. de Sanctis saith Institutio solemnitatis hodiernae a Senioribus nostris Cathedrae nomen accepit c. rectè ergo Ecclesiae natalem illius sedis colunt quam Apostolus pro Ecclesiarum salute suscepit dicente Domino Tu es Petrus c. ideo dignè fundamentum hoc Ecclesia coliâ— And see further mention hereof in Beda in Martyrologio festival day in honour of Peters Sea which respect had thereto is more than we find had to any other Sea of any other Apostle Danaeus answering hereunto affirmeth the Fathers assertion hereof to be [t] Danaeus in resp ad Bellar disput part 1. pag. 275. fine 276. initio the judgements and testimonies of the Church then corrupted and bewitched or made blind with this error And thus much concerning Peters Primacy confessedly as before taught by the Fathers and acknowledged by Mr. Whitgift and sundry other Protestants Mr. D. Covel not only further [u] Mr. Covel in his examination c. against the plea of the innocent Printed 1604. having spoken pag. 106. post med of one above the rest to suppress the seeds of dissention saith further thereof pag. 107. prope initium If this were the principal means to prevent Schisms and dissentions in the Primitive Church when the graces of God were far more abundant and eminent than now they are Nay if the twelve were not like to agree except there had been one chief among them for saith Hierom among the twelve one was therefore chosen that a chief being appointed occasion of dissention might be prevented c. affirming it in particular but also as laying down the general received reason thereof saith to the Puritans [x] Ibid in the words there next following How can they think that equality would keep all the Pastors in the world in peace and unity c. for in all Societies authority which cannot be where all are equal must procure unity and obedience And that this authority of Church-Government by him affirmed in the Apostles times was not then so personally tyed to any one as to dy with him but was to survive and continue to the Churches good himself further signifieth saying expresly of the Apostolick Church-Government in general That it was not to [y] Mr. Covel ibid. pag. 106. circa med saith If it concern all persons and ages in the Church of Christ as surely it doth the Government must not cease with the Apostles but so much of that authority must remain to them who from time to time are to supply that charge cease with the Apostles most evidently so by these premises implying an eminent authority continued in the Church of God and residing in one whereby to prove unity and obedience and to keep all the obedient Pastors of the world in peace whereto also [z] See Martin Luthers saying most pertinent to this purpose and alleged next hereafter in the margent under *
and next before 18. Martin Luther agreeth for otherwise saith M. D. Covel [a] Mr. Covel ubi supra pag. 107. paulo post med By what course of authority inforcing obedience can the Churches divided members dispersed in other several Kingdoms and Nations be governed unless according to these principles laid down by Mr. Covel some one have authority over them all If it rest in the several other Princes of those other several Kingdoms who then shall have authority to command those Princes severally absolute in Government disagreeing also perhaps in Religion and some of them as in the times of the Primitive Church not yet Christian And if no assured means be in this case left how then is that avâ—yded which Mr. Covel here saith of the Church being in far worse case than the meanest Commonwealth For howsever the said several Kingdoms of such said several Princes make each of them on absolute and several Common-wealth yet the several Congregations dispersed throughout those several Kingdoms do all of them make but one spiritual Common-wealth and Church so Christ obliged in duty to the belief and profession of one and the same faith See further hereof in the next Consideration num 68. and in Brereley tract 3. sect 7. after o. at the figure 7. the Church which though dispersed in several Kingdoms under several Christian Magistrates maketh yet but one Church should be in a far worse case than the meanest Common-wealth nay almost than a den of Thieves if it were left destitute of means either to convince Heresies or suppress them yea saith he further which is much to be noted though there were neither help nor assistance of the Christian Magistrate c. Hitherto of Peters Primacy Now as concerning that only preheminence or Primacy which Jacobus Andraeas thought necessary [b] Hospinianus in his Historia Sacramentaria parte altera fol. 389. a. circa med reporteth of Iacobus Andraeas a prime Lutheran Demonstrare conatur Ecclesiarum tranquillum statum tueri difficile esse nisi ad aliquem tanquam ad summum Administratorem Pontificem rerum summa deferatur to establish the Church quiet which also our learned and so greatly [c] See Melancthon greatly commended for a man raised up of God by Luther in praefat primi tomi oper Melancth And also in Act. Colloquii Altembergensis pag. 94. paulo ante med and pag. 230. paulo post med commended Adversary Melancthon [d] Melancthon in the Book entituled Centuria Epistolatum Theologicarum c. Epist 74. quae est Melancthonis pag. 244. paulo post med saith from the opinion of himself and other his Brethren Quemadmodum sunt aliqui Episcopi qui praesunt pluribus Ecciesiis c. As certain Bishops are president over many Churches so the Bishop of Rome is President over all Bishops and this Canonical Policy no wise man as I think doth or ought to disallow c. For the Monarchy of the Bishop of Rome is in my opinion profitable to this end that consent of Doctrin may be retained wherefore an agreement may easily be established in this article of the Popes Primacy if other articles could be agreed upon And see Melancthons other like saying set down by Conradus Schlusselburg in Catalog Haereticorum l. 13. ult pag. 633. acknowledged as due and appertaining to the Roman Sea and which as the learned Puritans freely confess doth by way of proportion necessarily arise and follow upon the Protestants acknowledgement either of a Catholick visible [e] Mr. Iacob in his reasons taken out of Gods word c. pag. 24. saith By acknowledging a Catholick visible Church it followeth necessarily that there is and ought to be on earth an universal Government Ecclesiastical c. for if there be properly one visible Church and Government Ecclesiastical throughout the world then this must be in some one place eminently for some whither must we go when Christ biddeth us tell the Church now there is no place in all the world so likely as Rome is to be the visible and spring-head of universal Government of the Catholick Church And see more evidently in subdivis 13. at 2.3 Brereley tract 1. sect 4. Also Martin Luther in loc com class 1. cap. 37. pag. 107. post med saith Cum Deus voluerit habere unam Ecclesiam Catholicam per totum Orbem necesse fuâ—t unum aliquem populum imo unum aliquem Patrem istius unius populi eligi and quem suâ—s posteros spectaret totus Orbis fieret unum ovile fic ex omnibus gentibus in infinitum variatis moribus tamen unica fieret Ecclesia Church or else but of Bishops [f] M. Cartwright in M. Whitgifts defence c. pag. 380. ante med saith if it be necessary for keeping of unâ—ty in the Church that one Arch-Bishop should be Primate over all why not as meet that for the keeping of the whole universal Church there should be one Archbishop over all And in his 2. reply part 1. pag. 582. paulo post med he further saith This point of keeping peace in the Church is one of those which requireth as well a Pope over all Arch-Bishops as one Arch-Bishop over all Bishops in a Realm And the very same is more fully as yet affirmed by Beza see his words at large in Sarav a de diversis Ministrorum gradibus c. pag. 491. fine 492. initio Government confessedly [g] Of the confessed Government of Bishops and Arch-Bishops in all ages since the Apostles see Mr. Whitgifts defence pag. 470 471. testified and practised in all succeeding ages since the Apostles and without which foresaid Papal Primacy as is inferred by Mr. Cartwright and others [h] Mr. Cartwright in his 2. reply part 1. pag. 582. med saith If an Arch-Bishop be necessary for calling a Provincial council when the Bishops are divided it is necessary there be also a Pope which may call the general Council when division is between the Arch-Bishops for when the Churches of one Province be divided from other as you ask me so I ask you who shall assemble them together Who shall admonish them of their duties when they are assembled If you can find a way how this may be done without a Pope the way is also found whereby the Church is disburdened of the Arch-Bishop See also this point more plainly confessed by Conradus Schlusselburg Sir Edwin Sands and others alleged hereafter in the third Consideration cannot be assembled any general Council which is yet nevertheless the confessed only hope remaining ever to asswage Protestants contentions In respect whereof Melancthon did as before assent to acknowledge the Popes foresaid Primacy As touching this only Primacy we allege that Mr. Fulk affirmeth in general that not some few but [i] Mr. Fulk in confirmation of Papists quarrels c. Printed Anno 1583. pag. 4. initio many of the antient Fathers were deceived to think something more of Peters Prerogative
Theodoret himself in his Epâ—stle to Leo placed before his Commentaries upon Pauls Epistle saith Behold after all this travail and sweat I am condemned being not so much as accused But I look for the sentence of your Apostolick Sea and I humbly beseech and require your Holiness in this case to aid me justum vestrum rectum appellanti judicium appealing to your right and just judgement and command me to come before you c. And in his Epistle ad Renatum Praesbyterum he further saith Nudarunt me Sacerdotio c. Dâ—pâ—ecor teut sanctissimo Archiepiscopi Leoni sundeas ut Apostolica authoritate utatur jubeatque ad vestrum adire Concil um tenet enim sancta ista sedes gubernacula regendarum cuncti Orbis Ecclesiarum c. did accordingly make his appeal to Pope Leo and was thereupon by him [g] Cent. 5. col 1013. lin 26. it is said Restituit Theodoreto Episcopatum Sanctissimus Leo. And see the same in Concilio Chalcedonensi act 1. restored to his Bishoprick that [h] Chrysostom in Ep. ad Innocentium saith I beseech you write that these things so wrongfully done in my absence and I not refusing judgement may not be of force as of their own nature they are not and that those who have done wrong may be subject to the penalty of the Ecclestastical Laws c. and command us to be restored to our Church c. See this in Palladius in vita Chrysostomi extat in Aloysio Lipomanno tom 2. l. 3. part 2. And Chrysostom Ep. 2. ad Innocentium desireth that his enemies if they will repent may not be excommunicated Chrysostom did the like to Innocentius who thereupon [i] See in Cent. 5. col 663. lin 36. Pope Innocentius his Epistle to Arcadius the Emperor and his wife who were adverse to Chrysostom and took part with Theophilus where he saith I the least of all and a sinner having yet the Throne of the great Apostle Peter committed to me do separate and remove thee and her from receiving the immaculate mysteries of Christ our God and every Bishop or any other of the Clergy which shall presume to Minister or give to you those holy mysteries after the time that you have read the present letters of my bond I pronounce them void of their dignity c. Arsacius whom you placed in the Bishoplicke Throne in Chrysostoms room though he be dead we depose and command that his name be not written in theroll of Bishops In like manner we depose all other Bishops which of purposed advise have communicated with him c. To the deposing of Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria we adde excommunication c. decreed Chrysostomus adversary Theophilus to be excommunicated and deposed that lastly the famous and [k] So it is tearmed by Mr. Thomas Bell in his regiment of the Church pag. 158. initio antient Council of Sardis consisting of [l] See Socrates history l. 2. cap. 16. initio Zozomen l. 2. cap. 11. 300. Bishops and above assembled from [m] See Cent. 4. col 747. lin 50. and Theodoret hist l. 2. cap. 8. Spain France Italy Sardinia Greece Egypt Thebais Libia Palestine Arabia c. and most other parts of the Christian world and whereat sundry Fathers of the Nicene Council were [n] Of this presence thereat see Theodoret hist l. 2. cap. 7. Socrates hist l. 2. cap. 16. and Carion in Chro ni pag. 282. post med present [o] The seventh Canon of this Council acknowledged and recited by the Centurists Cent. 4. col 764. l. 6. And by Osiander in epitom c. pag. 294. is Placuit ut si Episcopus c. It hath sermed good to us that if a Bishop be accused if the Bishops of the Province assembled together have judged the matter and have deprived him if the party deprived do appeal and fly to the Bishop of Rome c. If the party accused desiring his cause to be heard once again do intreat the Bishop of Rome ut è Latera suo Praesbyteros mittat to send Legates from his side it shall be in the power of the Bishop to do as he shall think good c. And see also in those Authors the 4. and 5. Canons of the said Council decreed appeals to the Bishop of Rome And so confessedly that the same is accordingly granted and the said Council therefore reproved by [p] Osiander in Epitom c. pag. 294. circa med a pud Brereley tract 2. cap. 1. sect 3. at 104. margent speaking of the Council of Saâ—dis decreeing appeals to Rome professeth to deliver the then common received opinion and reason thereof saying Inveteratus communis de manu traditus fuit error quod Petrus fuerit Romae primus Episcopus ideo hunc honorem habendum censuit successori Petri juxta communionem opinionem c. Osiander Calvin [q] Of Calvin and Peter Martyr see in Brereley tract 1. sect 7. in the mrgent at d. subd or exemple 2. Peter Martyr [r] Frigevillaeus Gauvius in his Palma Christiana pag. 30. 122. 124. circa med Trigevillaus Gauvius and [s] The Centurists do confess and recite this Canon ut supra at 70. the Century Writers In so much that whereas the Arians had expelled Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria Paulus Bishop of Constantinople and divers other Catholick Bishops of the East Church it is testified that Julius Bishop of Rome upon the Arians first accusation made to him against Athanasius [t] Nicephorus l. 9. c. 6. and Hâ—st Tripartit l. 4. c. 6. it is said Ipsis Romam vâ—nire praecepit venerabâ—lem Athanasium ad judicâ—um regulariter evocavâ—t ille continuo evocatione suscepta venit c. And see Theoâ—oret hist l. 2. c. 4. summoned Athanasius the great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Canons And afterwards upon relation had from Athanasius of the truth of the matter [u] Hist Tripartâ—t l. 4. c. 15. and see Zozomâ—n hist l. 3. c. 7. Julius hearing the accusations and complaint of each one c. Commanded certain of the Bishops of the East to appear before him at a certain day c. And as the Centurists confess [x] Cent. 4. col 550. lin 20. and see this further in Socrates hist l. 2. c. 11. prope initium And Zozomen hist l. 3. c. 7. initio saith of Julius Accum propter sedis dâ—gnitatem cura omnium ad ipsum spectaret singulis suam Ecclesiam restituit restored every one of those foresaid other wronged Bishops to their own place or Bishoprick and that not by intreaty or arbitrably but as the Centurists say fretus Ecclesiae Romanae praerogativa [y] Cent. 4. col 550. lin 15. and Zozomen ut supra and see Socrates l. 2. c. 11. and Hist Tripartit l. 4. c. 15. Also D. Philippus Nicolai dâ— Regno Christi l. 2. pag. 149. circa med saith of this matter Julius Pontifex
referent bus Socrate Zozomeno literas ad Orientales dâ—dit in quibus ut ipsae literae contestantur non semel indicat sibi soli qui sit primae sedis ut ait Praesul singulari quodam privilegio ut ex praescripto divino jus competere Synodos generales convocandi nee minùs ad se quoque solum ejus Vrbis Antistitem pertinere dicit ut de causis Episcoporum id genus aliis gravioribus negotiis cognoscat Ad eundem modum pari ambitione Damasus c. postea Innocentius c. by Prerogative of the Roman Sea Which premises are made as yet much more evident by Julius his undoubted Epistle extant in Athanasius his second Apology and alleged by the [z] This Epistle is alleged cent 4. col 735. in which is mentioned their citation col 737. lin 10. 742. lin 26. unto judgement col 737. lin 58. col 742. lin 23. col 745. lin 9. at a certain day col 739. lin 19. col 740. lin 11. col 746. lin 31. Julius saith to them An ignari estis hanc consuetudinem esse ut primum nobis scribatur ut hinc quod justum est definiri posset c. Quae enim accepimus à beato Petro Apostolo ca vobis significo See this saying reprehended cent 4. col 529. lin 22. Centurists As concerning the other precedent age or Century next ensuing the second hundred years after Christ in which persecution so raged as the Churches Government was thereby the more obscured as also of the written Monuments of that time little is at this day remaining St. Cyprian moveth Pope Stephen [a] Cyprian lib. 3. Epist 13. ante med saith Dirigantur in Provinciam ad plebem Arelarae consistentem à te literae quibus abstento Martiano alius in locum ejus substituatur And afterwards in the same Epistle fine he further saith Significa planè nobis quis in locum Martiani Arelatae suerit substitutus ut sciamus ad quem fratres nostros dirigere â—ui scribere debeamus by his Letters to depose Martianus from his Bishoprick and to appoint an other in his place And he also maketh mention of Basilides who [b] Cyprian l. 1. Epist 4. circa med saith of Basilides Romam pergens Stephanum collegam nostrum longè positum gestae rei ac veritatis ignarum fefellit ut exambiret reponi se injustè in Episcopatum de quo fuerat justè depositus going to Rome thought to deceive Pope Stephen then ignorant of the matter so to procure himself injustly restored to the Bishoprick from whence he was justly deposed Which very examples together with sundry other like before mentioned concerning the confirming deposing and restoring of Bishops being objected by Bellarmin are in themselves furthermore so plain and confessed that Danaeus in his answer thereto cannot deny the same but only answereth and saith [c] Danaeus in resp ad Bellarm. part 1. pag. 317. post med It doth not follow that because the Bishop of Rome used this right therefore he had that right certainly he had no right to do this but only Tyranny and Usurpation So confessedly antient is this supposed Tyranny and usurpation In like manner the Centurists do reprehend Pope Stephen for undertaking [d] Centur. 3. col 168. lin 31. in this age to threaten excommunication to Helenus and Firmiltanus and all others throughout Cilicia Cappadocia and Galatia for rebaptizing Hereticks And in a special several Tract of their fourth Chapter entituled [e] Cent. 34 col 71. lin 31. Inclinatio Doctrinae complectens peculiares incommodas opiniones errores Doctorum and in the same Tract under the title there [f] Cent. 3. c. 4. col 84. lin 35. de Ecclesia Primatu Romano they do immediatly next after reprove Tertullian for that say they [g] Col. 84. lin 37. he did erroneously think the Keys to be committed to Peter alone and the Church to be built on him In like manner is St. Cyprian there charged for his affirming [h] Col. 84. lin 60. the Church to have been built upon Peter and [i] Col. 84. lin 44. one Chair founded by our Lords voice upon the rock and that [k] Col. 84. lin 49. there ought to be one Bishop in the Catholick Church and for his calling Peters [l] Col. 84. lin 56. Chair the principal Church from whence Priestly unity ariseth And lastly for his say they [m] Col. 84. lin 51. teaching without any foundation of Scripture that the Roman Church ought to be acknowledged of all other for the Mother root of the Catholick Church Lastly as touching the very then precedent age or Century which was next after the Apostles whereof as Mr. Hutton [n] Mr. Hutton in his answer to the second part of reasons of refusal to subscription pag. 195. post med observeth few monuments are but now remaining Victor as Mr. Whitgift affirmeth was [o] Mr. Whitgist in his Defence c. pag. 510. prope sinem a godly Bishop and Martyr and the Church at that time in great purity as not being long after the Apostles times yet is he charged by Amandus Polanus Professor at Basil [p] Amandus Polonus in sil Thesium Theolog. pag. 165. to have shewed a Papal mind and arrogancy and by Mr. Spark [q] Mr. Spark against Mr. John d'Albines in his answer to the Preface ante med And see Osiander in Epitom c. cent 2. pag. 87. 96. somewhat Pope-like to have exceeded his bounds when he took upon him to excommunicate the Bishops of the East Mr. Whitaker also not forbearing to charge him with [r] Mr. Whitaker contra Duraeum l. 7. pag 480. initio exercising jurisdiction upon other Churches In like manner holy Irenaeus who lived next after the Apostles and as is said of him [s] The Protestant writer Hamelmannus l. de Traditionibus col 528. lin 17. saith Sciendum est Polycarpum Irenaeum ac alios qui his conteniporanei suere memoria adhuc tenere potuisse vivae vocis praedicationem Apostolorum And see Mr. Bridges in his desence c. pag. 309 initio might yet remember the Apostles own lively Preaching is disliked for his affirming that [t] The saying of Irenaeus is l. 3. c. 3. where he saith Ad hanc enim Ecclesiam Romanam propter potentiorem principalitatem necesse est omnem convenire Ecclesiam c. These words necesse est and omnem convenire Ecclesiam and propter potentiorem principalitatem seem so forcible that the Centurists cent 2. col 64. lin 10. do say thereof Novitatem quandam resipere quibusdam videri posset quod in examplaribus Irenaei qualia nunc habemus extat c. So fortheir best answer insinuating without any proof and against all Copies new and old that the place is forged all the Churches ought to accord to the Roman Church in
Hieronymus alii affirmant esse traditionem Apostolicam Ambrose Maximus Taurinensis Theophilus Hierom and others do affirm the fast of Lent to be an Apostolical tradition In more undoubted proof whereof other Protestant Writers do not only affirm [l] See this in Abraham Scultetus in Medul Theologiae Patrum pag. 440. initio the superstition of Lent and fasting to have been allowed and commanded by Ignatius [m] Mr. Whitgist in his defence c. pag. 408. circa med who was Scholar to St. John but do also defend [n] See Abraham Scultetus ubi supra and the same Epistle of Ignatius being ad Philippensâ—s is in like manner cited and acknowledged by Mr. Whitgift in his defence pag. 102. ante med and by Mr. Cartwright alleged ibid. pag. 99. prope finem And Mr. Hooker in his Ecclesiastical Policy l. 5. sect 72. pag. 209. circa mod answereth our Adversaries usual objection made against it And so likewise doth Mr. Whitgift in his desence c. pag. 102. that very Epistle of Ignatius in which this Doctrin is extant to be his true Epistle and not counterfeit Adde but now hereunto that our learned adversaries do acknowledge how that in the Primitive Church [o] Whereas Epiphanius haer 75. ante med reporting the errors of Aerius affirmeth of him that he said Neither shall fasting be appointed for these things be Judaical and under the law of bondage If at all I will fast I will choose any day of my self and I will fast for liberty And see the like in St. Augustin haer 53. and confessed by Mr. Fulk and Pantaleon hereafter in this Consideration num 21. in the margent at c. This opinion of Aerius though thus condemned was yet so agreeable and the very same with the new doctrin of Protestants that Mr. Whitaker contra Duraeum l. 9. pag. 830. initio saith De jejunio nihil a fide Catholica alienum docuit Aerius And see this condemned opinion of Aerius yet further defended by Mr. Fulk in his answer to a counterfeit Catholick pag. 45. initio And by Danaeus de haeresibus cap. 53. fol. 175. b. 177. a. b. though yet others who distike our adversaries over-plain Novellism herein do specially condemn Acrius and his foresaid defended doctrin as doth namely Mr. Hooker in his Ecclesiastical Policy l. 5. sect 72. pag. 210. paulo post med And the Protestant Author of the book intituled Querimonia Ecclesiae Printed Londini 1592. pag. 31. fine 94. ante med 103. fine Hereof see hereafter in this Consideration in the place before cited Aug. haer 53. and Epiphamus haer 75. ante med And Mr. Fulk in his answer to a counterfeit Catholick pag. 44. fine and 45. initio confesseth this saying I will not dissemble that which you think the greatest matter Aerius taught that prayer for the dead was unprofitable as witness both Epiphanius and Austin which they count for an error Also he taught that fasting-days are not to be observed And Mr. Field of the Church l. 3. c. 29. pag. 138. prope finem saith The eleventh is the heresy of Aerius He condemned the custom of the Church in naming the dead at the Altar and offering the sacrifice of the Eucharist that is of thanksgiving for them He disliked set fasts and would not admit any difference between a Bishop and a Presbyter c. He was justly condemned c. And see this confessed in like manner by Pantalcon in Chronographia pag. 28. initio And Osiander in Epitom c. cent 4. pag. 434. reciteth the condemned errors of Aerius saying Item non oporrere orare vel offerre pro mortuis oblationem Jejunia ordinata non esse obiervanda c. jejunandum esse cum quis voluerit propter libertatem Aerius was specially condemned for his then impugning of our Doctrin concerning the Churches appointed Fasts and that also they themselves do in our behalf give true and full answer to our other adversaries common and misapplyed objecting of the mistaken example of [o] Whereas Mr. Fulk against the Rhemish Testament in Matth. c. 15. fol. 28. a. versus finem in Act. Apost c. 13. sect 5. fol. 208. a. fine Arerius in loc commun pag. 272. versus finem and many others do commonly object that Montanus the Heretick was the first that appointed laws of fasting Mr. Hooker in his Ecclesiastieal Policy l. 5. sect 72. pag. 209. fine 210. initio answereth with us that the Montanists were reprehended only for that they brought in sundry unaccustomed days of fasting continued their fasts a great deal longer and made them more rigorons c. Whereupon Tertullian maintaining Montanism wrote a book in defence of the new fast c. And the foresaid Protestant Author of Querimonia Ecclesiae pag. 110. initio answereth in like manner saying Eusebâ—um inquiunt Montanum primas de jejuniis tuliffe leges manifestò docet sed falluntur graviter in hac re ut in aliis c. Abrogatis Ecclesiae jejuniis novum inducit Montanus jejunandi morem c. See this answer more at large in the book it self Montanus and wrested saying of [q] Whereas Mr. Fulk against the Rhem. Test in 1 Tim. 4.3 and commonly most Protestants do object the saying of St. Paul 1 Tim. 4.3 against our Catholick Doctrin of fasting from certain meats Mr. Hâ—oker in his Ecclesiastical Policy l. 5. sect 72. pag. 209. post med saith with us hereof Against those Hereticks which have urged perpetual abstinence from certain meats as being in their very nature unclean the Church hath still bâ—nt her self as an enemy St. Paul giving charge to take heed of them c. And the foresaid Author of Querimonia Ecclesiae pag. 106. 107. giveth the same answer to the said saying of St. Paul as likewise doth St. Austin contra Faustum Manich. l. 30. cap. 4. c. 6. contra Adimant Manic c. 14. An answer so evidently true that Mr. Jacob the Puritan in his defence of the Church and Ministry of England pag. 59. initio acknowledgeth that the place of Paul 1 Tim. 4.3 is understood of Marcion and Tatianus who did absolutely condemn Marriage and certain meats and so saith he are in no comparison with the Papists if they erred in nothing else St. Paul 1 Tim. 4.3 12. Twelfly concerning unwritten traditions and Ceremonies the Canonical Scriptures Images Relicks and consecration or hallowing of Creatures And first concerning unwritten Traditions it is confessed as followeth Whereas St. Chrysostom saith [r] Chrysost in 2. Thess hom 4. The Apostles did not deliver all things by writing but many things without and these be as worthy of credit as the other Master Whitaker in answer thereof saith [s] Whitaker de sacra Scriptura pag. 678. paulo post med I answer that this is an inconsiderat speech and unworthy so great a Father And whereas Epiphanius saith [t] Epiphanius haer 61. circa med We must use Traditions
we upon this ground deny also with the Lutherans the [i] Osiander a prime Lutheran speaking of the last Canon of the Laodicen Council commonly objected by our Adversaries wherein are omitted the Books now in question and the Apocalyps saith in his Epitom c. cent 4. pag. 299. fine Non recitantur libri Machabaeorum rectè quidem In eo autem erratum est quod Epistolam Jacobi Judae posteriores duas Joannis inter Canonica Scripta numerant quae Scripta non longè post Apostolorum tempora non pro Scriptis Canonicis habita sunt c. Rectè autem omissa est Apocalypsis ea enim non est Joannis Apostoli c. And see this point more fully in Brereley tract 1. sect 10. subdivis 3. fine at a. and tract 2. c. 2. sect 10. subdivis 2. initio in the text and margent there at o. p. q. r. s t. u. And see at large in the Protestant Authors themselves the places there cited wherein they reject these Scriptures under colour and pretence that they were denyed or doubted of in the Primitive Church Epistles of James Jude the second of Peter the 2. and 3. of John the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Apocalyps no less than the other Books now in question but by that which many of the Fathers do constantly affirm And seeing the Churches assertion as being in the judgement of our very [k] Mr. Fulk in his answer to a counterfeit Catholick pag. 5. initio saith the Church of Christ hath judgement to discern true writings from counterfeit and the word of God from the writings of men and this judgement she hath of the Holy Ghost And Mr. Jewel in his defence of the Apology pag. 201. and after the other Edition of 1571. pag. 242. circa med saith The Church of God hath the spirit of Wisedom whereby to discern true Scripture from false The Protestant Author of the Scripture and the Church which Bullinger so greatly commendeth in his Preface thereof to the Reader doth cap. 15. fol. 71.72 cap. 16. fol. 74.75 affirm that The Church is indued with the Spirit of God and that the diligence and authority of the Church is to be acknowledged herein which hath partly given forth her testimony of the assured writings and hath partly by her Spiritual judgement refused the writings which are unworthy And afterwards he further saith We could not believe the Gospel were it not that the Church taught us and witnessed that this doctrin was delivered by the Apostles To this end Mr. Hooker in his first Book of Ecclesiastical Policy sect 14. pag. 86. ante med saith apud Brereley tract 1. sect 10. subd 3. Of things necessary the very chiefest is to know what Books we are bound to esteem holy which point is confessed impossible for the Scripture it self to teach whereof he giveth a very sensible demonstration ibid. l. 2. sect 4. pag. 102. fine saying It is not the word of God which doth or possibly can assure us that we do well to think it his word for if any one Book of Scripture did give testimony of all yet still that Scripture which giveth credit to the rest would require an other Scripture to give credit unto it Neither could we come to any pause wherein to rest unless besides Scripture there were some thing which might assure us c. Which he acknowledgeth to be the authority of Gods Church l. 3. sect 8. pag. 146. fine l. 2. sect 7. pag. 116. ante med And Brereley tract 2. cap. 3. sect 11. subd 1. at s allegeth further the like judgement of Mr. D. Covel in his defence of Mr. Hookers five Books art 4. c. pag. 31. ante med saying Doubtless it is a tolerable opinion of the Church of Rome if they go no further as some of them do not to affirm that the Scriptures are holy and divine in themselves but so esteemed by us for the authority of the Church And after in the same page It is not the word of God which doth or possibly can assure us that we do well to think it is the word of God the first outward motion leading men so to esteem of the Scripture is the authority of Gods Church which teacheth us to receive Marks Gospel who was not an Apostle and to refuse the Gospel of Thomas who was an Apostle and to retain Lukes Gospel who saw not Christ and to reject the Gospel of Nicodemus that saw him Adversaries an infallible and sure direction to us in this question of the Canonical Scriptures is as heretofore positively delivered and made plain to us by no less testimony than of St. Isidoâ—e Innocentius Gelasius the Fathers of the Carthage Council and to omit others of St. Austin himself who in our Adversaries confessed judgement was [l] M. D. Covel in his answer to John Burges pag. 3. fine saith Saint Austin a man far beyond all that ever were before him or shall in likelihood follow after him both for humane and divine learning those being excepted that were inspired Also M. D. Field of the Church l. 3. fol. 170. fine saith Austin the greatest of all the Fathers and worthiest Divine the Church of God ever had since the Apostles times And Gomarus in speculo verae Ecclesiae c. pag. 96. ante med saith Augustinus Patrum omnium communi sententia purissimus habetur chief and best of all the Fathers what can be more clear and convincing herein for us and against our Adversaries than that which is as heretofore though but briefly yet plainly thus delivered from the not doubtful but confessed judgement of St. Austin and those other many antient Fathers Mr. D. [m] M. D. Covel in his answer to Mr. John Burges pag. 85. fine saith of the untruths or repugnances supposed to be in these Books now in question We could without violence have afforded them the reconcilement of other Scriptures and undoubtedly have proved them to be most true And pag. 87. fine 88 89 90. â—e maketh special answer to certain such objected repugnances Covel a prime man among our Adversaries not forbearing in this case to undertake special defence and answer against such weak seeming repugnances or contradictions occuring [n] Concerning the like seeming repugnancy of other Scriptures Mr. Jewel in his defence c. pag. 361. fine affirmeth that St. Mark alleged Abiathar for Abimelech and that St. Matthew nameth Hieremias for Zacharias and in St. Matthew 27.9 are words alleged under the name of Hieremy which are not found in Hieremy but in Zachary 11.13 Also in Mark 15.25 our Saviour is said to be crucified in the third hour whereas in John 19.14 Pilate sate in judgement upon him about the sixt hour In like manner Luke 3.35 36. affirmeth Sale to be the son of Caynan and Caynan the son of Arphaxad and so Arphaxad was Grandfather to Sale whereas in Genesis 11.12 it is said that Arphaxad lived 35.
D. Humfrey did grievously reprehend Mr. Jewel for his so bold appealing to the Fathers affirming therefore of Mr. Jewel that herein [2.] Humfredus in libel de vita Jewell Printed Londini pag. 212. And see the same also in Mr. Fulks retentive against Bristow pag. 55. circa med he gave the Papists too large a scope was injurious to himself and after a manner spoyled himself and the Church which like disclaim in the antient Fathers is no less plainly professed by Jacobus Acontius in his treatise [3.] Jacobus Acontius in Stratagematum Satanae l. 6. pag. 296. saith of the Protestants allegation of the Fathers Quidam eo redierunt ut Patrum authoritatibus omnia denuò replerent quod utinam tam secundo fecissent successu quam bona spe aggressi sunt c. Equidem perniciosissimam omninoque fugiendam hanc offe abitror consuetudinem And see the like in Peter Martyr de Votis pag. 462. circa med dedicated to her late Majesty and by sundry [4.] Lutherus tom 2. Wittemberg Anno 1551. lib. de servo arbitrio pag. 434. affirmeth the Fathers of so many ages to have been plainly blind and most ignorant in the Scriptures to have erred all their life time and that unless they were amended before their deaths they were neither Saints nor pertaining to the Church And see further Luthers Book de servo arbitrio Printed in Octavo 1603. pag. 72.73 337. Also in Colloquiis Mensalibus cap. de Patribus Ecclesiae Luther saith of sundry Fathers in particular In the writings of Hierom there is not a word of true faith in Christ and sound Religion Tertullian is very superstitious I have holden Origen long since accursed Of Chrysostom I make no accompt Basil is of no worth he is wholly a Monk I weigh him not of a hair Cyprian is a weak Divine c. affirming there yet further that the Church did degenerate in the Apostles age and that the Apology of Philip Melancthon doth far excel all the Doctors of the Church and exceed even Austin himself And Pomerane in Joannam saith Nostri Patres sive sancti sive non sancti nihil moror excaecati sunt Montanico Spiritu per traditiones humanas doctrinas Daemoniorum c. non purè docent de Justicatione c. Nec solliciti quidem sunt ut Jesum Christum per Evangelium suum verè doceant And Beza in his Preface upon the new Testament dedicated to the Prince of Condy Anno 1587. affirmeth that Even in the best times the ambition ignorance and lewdness of Bishops was such that the very blind may easely perceive how that Sathan was President in their assemblies or Councils other Protestant Writers many of them not doubting specially to reprove even those Fathers that lived next to the Apostles times Mr. Whitaker and others to such purpose [5.] Abusing for where as Euseb l. 3. c. 26. fine allegeth Egesippus saying Till those times the Church remained a pure Virgin and incorrupt for if any then were willing to deprave or corrupt the sincere rule of healthful doctrin they lay hid in the obscure corners of darkness But after the Apostles death c. then certainly the false and subtil conspiracy of wicked errors took beginning through the fraud and craft of those who laboured to disperse false doctrine c. Mr. Whitaker in resp ad rationes Campian rat 7. pag. 102. and contra Duraeum l. 7. pag. 490. 491. urgeth this to prove that presently after the Apostles times the true Church was no longer a chast Virgin but became adulterous and corrupt An inference many ways most absurd For first Egesippus only meaneth that during the Apostles times the Church remained a Virgin that is not so much as assaulted openly by Hereticks who then lay secret and lurking where as after the Apostles times they stepped forth and gave open and violent assaults invading sometimes and usurping even upon Bishops Seas and corrupting or altering with their damnable heresies many of the Churches revolted Children which yet no more made the visible true Church to be as then heretical or unchast than Luthers like late dispersion of his doctrine and infecting therewith of many who were formerly Catholicks maketh our now Church to be Lutheran Secondly if otherwise the Church so presently after the Apostles times ceased to be a Virgin and so became adulterous and corrupt who seeth not then the blasphemy thence ensuing For in what one age since the Apostles times to this present may the Church then be thought to be preserved chast Thirdly it is against manifest Scripture as where it is said of the Church I will marry thee to me for ever c. I will marry thee to me in saithfulness and thou shalt know the Lord. Osee 2.19 20. and I will make this my Covenant saith the Lord my Spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed from henceforth for evermore Isa 59.21 Very pertinenently therefore saith St. Cyprian to the contrary Adulterari non potest sponsa Christi incorrupta est pudica c. l. de unitate Ecclesiae post initium abusing the mistaken testimony of Egesippus To this end also doth M. Napper in his discourse hereof to his late Majesty not only condemn all the Fathers that lived for [6.] Brereley tract 2. c. 1. sect 4. at q. r. s t. saith Mr. John Napper in his treatise upon the Revelations pag. 43. versus finem affirmeth that the Popes Kingdom hath bad power over all Christians from the time of Pope Silvester and the Emperour Constantine for these thousand two hundred and sixty years and that ibid. pag. 145. col 3. fine from the time of Constantine until these our days even 1260. years the Pope and his Clergy hath possessed the outward visible Church of Christians That also ibid. pag. 68. versus finem between the year of Christ 300. and 316. the Antichristian and Papistical reign began reigning universally and without any debatable contradiction 1260. years Gods true Church most certainly abiding so long latent and invisible Ibid. pag. 191. initio pag. 161. col 3. circa med pag. 156. ante med 237. paulo post med 23. fine pag. 188. ante med 1260. years last before Luther but doth also proceed yet further affirming that [7.] Mr. Napper upon the Revelations pag. 191. initio and see the Century Writers cent 2. cap. ◠col 125. lin 49. During even the second and third ages next after Christ the trne temple of God and light of the Gospel was obscured by the Roman Antichrist himself In like manner doth M. Fulk averre [8.] Mr. Fulk in his answer to a counterfeit Catholick pag. 35. prope finem the true Church decayed immediatly after the Apostles times and that
observations upon the Confession of Ausburg to indeavour by his explication to make it agreeable in sense to Calvinism And so likewise as is there testified did the Neustadians in their late admonition c. 5. they endeavoured to make the confession of Augusta which teacheth the Real Presence to be Zuinglian that is against the Real Presence exclaiming thereat and saying thereof (f) Gerhardus Giesekenius ubi supra pag. 77. prope initium Si haec res c. If this thing had been done in Arabia America Sardinia or such like remote Countries and of former times this usurpation of fraud and historical falshood were more tolerable But seeing say they the Question is of such things as be done in our own times and in the sight of all men who with a quiet mind can indure such lyes And as thus with the Lutherans so likewise with our Catholick Writers of this age is our Adversaries like practise no less notorious To forbear their exceeding boldness in alleging (g) See Erasmus and Picus alleged for Protestants in Brereley tract 2. c. 2. sect 2. in the margent at * after o. Erasmus and Picus Mirandula as Members of their Protestant Church it is beyond belief and a very wonderment that M. D. Field a man otherwise grave and learned should not be abashed by his publick writing so confidently to averre of our so many Christian Catholick Churches dispersed through the world at Luthers first appearing that they were all of them saith he (h) D. Field of the Church l. 3. pag. 76. post med 72. ante med the true Protestant Churches of God and that they which then believed those damnable errors which the Romanists now defend were a particular faction only most directly against that which so many learned Protestants have as from common knowledge most plainly and fully (i) Confessed to the contrary in Brereley tract 2. cap. 2. sect 11. subd 3. at i e. * f. and so forwards to the end of that subdivision confessed to the contrary By which examples thus given of our Adversaries boldness with their own Protestant and our Catholick writers of this present age your most excellent Majesty may the more easily conjecture the like boldness in Mr. Jewel Mr. Whitaker and others in their provoking as before said to the antient Fathers Pu. This infamy of Protestants falsifying Authors is acknowledged and confessed by Mr. William Chillingworth who amongst all the Protestant Divines of England was pickt out to defend their cause This man in his ninth Motive to be a Catholick speaks in this manner Because the Protestant cause is now and hath been from the beginning maintained with gross falsifications and calumnies whereof their prime Controversy-writers are notoriously and in a high degree guilty And what do you think doth he answer to this his own Motive after he was turned Protestant Take it in his own words Iliacos intra muros peccatur extra Papists are more guilty of this fault than Protestants To which I answer that we Catholicks for our part may be well content to leave Protestant-writers with the just imputation of gross falsifyers and Calumniators of which vices he accuses them But we can give him no commission to utter against us more than he can ever prove or can have any shadow of truth For my part if any Catholick should in matters of Faith and Religion defend his cause though in it self good with falsifications and calumnies both his book and he would deserve to be purged by fire Nevertheless I must adde that there is a main difference between Catholicks and Protestants in this particular though our writers were supposed to be as guilty of this crime as he confesseth our Adversaries to be My reason is clear because we do not rely either upon our own understanding for interpreting Scripture or on the judgement and fidelity of any private person But Protestants not believing any infallible publick Judge of Controversies must depend very much on the fidelity of their prime Controversy writers whom this man first as we have heard affirmed and now again in his answer to his Motives and after he was turn'd Protestant confirms to be notoriously and in a high degree guilty of gross falsifications and calumnies 23. Besides all that hath been said the antiquity of Catholick Religion is proved by the confessed belief and practise of the Primitive Church in the time of Constantine the Great the first Christian Emperour (*) Brereley tract 2. cap. 1. sect 3. For it is evident that Constantine (e) Civitatem multis templis in honorem Martyrum illustrissimisque aedibus sacris adornavit Euseb de vita Constantini l. 3. c. 47. erected Temples in memory of Martyrs (f) Apostolorum templum ad perpetuam illorum memoriam conservandam aedificare caepit Euseb de vita Constant l. 4. c. 58. and ibidem cap. 59. it is said Haec omnia dedicavit Imperator ut Servatoris nostri Apostolorum memoriam apud omnes gentes aeternitatem compararet And Bullinger in his Treatise De origine erroris Printed Tiguri 1539. fol. 102. b. ante med saith Constantini Magni tempore Iuxus nimius templorum ornatus initia accepit dedicated a most sumptuous Church in memory of the Apostles (g) Euseb de vit Constantini lib. 4. cap. 60. saith In opportunum venturae mortis diem hic locum sibi provida dispensatione designavit c. ut detunctus quoque precationum quae ibidem essent ad Apostolorum gloriam offerendae particeps efficeretur provided his Sepulcher there to the end that after his death he might be partaker of the prayers there offered (h) The Centurists cent 4. col 452. line 29. say Constantinus etiam diem festum admodum solemnem ad celebrandam dedicationem Templi indixit c. he celebrated the dedication of the Temple with an yearly festival day (i) Ibidem cent 4. col 497. lin 50. it is said of Constantine Templorum recens extructorum consecrationes exornationes superbas alia que superstitiosa quorum maximam partem Constantinus excogitavit in multis Ecclesias propagavit This consecration of Churches was antiently done with the sign of the Cross as St. Augustine serm 19. de Sanctis testifyeth saying Crucis charactere Bafilicae dedicantur altar a consecrantur And also with sprinkling of holy water whereof see Beda hist l. 5. c. 4. and St. Gregory apud Bedam hist li. 1. c. 30. ante med and confessed by Mr. Fulk against the Rhemish Testament in 1 Tim. 4. sect 13. fol. 378. a. prope initium He caused Churches new builded to be consecrated for service therein to be celebrated it being then usual for (†) The Centur. cent 4. col 408. lin 54. say Christianos in templis nondum consecratis non convenisse clarè indicat Athanasius in Apologia ad Constantium Of this Conseccation of Churches see further Concil 5. Carthag can 6. And Gelasius
pag. 415 ante med and he reproveth some Protestants herein in his meditation upon the 122 Psalm pag. 92 ante med And by Mr. Fulk against Purgatory pag. 35 and many others Fourthly that the Church must continue visible is affirmed by Melancthon and sundry others alleged in Brerely tract 2 c. 2. sect 1 post medium at d. e. f. g. in the margent where at d. Bartholomaeus Kekermannus in System Theolog. pag. 408. initio saith Novi Testamenti Ecclesia ratione notarum et formae externae semper debet esse sensibilis seu conspicua ut nimirum reliquae Gentes quae adhuc extra Ecclesiam sunt scire possint cuinam Ecclesiae sese debeant aggregare id quod de Ecclesia Novi Testamenti Esay c. 61. ab initio magnific is verbis praedixit And Hiperius in Method Theolog. pag. 552. prope finem saith Profectò nisi signa haec extarent ac vera Ecclesia sensibus deprehenderetur qui scire possit homo cuinam coetui salutis consequendae ergo adhaerendum sibi foret And Peter Martyr in his Epistles annexed to his Common-places in English pag. 153. a. circa medium reporting certain points wherein he professeth to agree with us Catholicks saith We also do not appoint an invisible Church but do define Congregations unto which the faithfull may know that they may safely adjoyn themselves affirming further a little there before that this opinion is saith he coÌ„mon with us to Catholicks Ibid. at e. M. Henoch Clapham in his soveraign remedy against Schism pag. 18 after many proofs alleged by him from the Scriptures and otherwise concludeth saying Not only all Antients ever hold the Churches ever vifibility but also all learned men of our age Also Mr Field l. 1. of the Church c. 10. pag. 19. ante med saith The persons of them of whom the Church consisteth are visible their profession known even to the prophane and wicked of the world and in this sort the Church cannot be invisible c. with much more very plainly in that behalf And pag. 21. circa medium he further saith It is true that Bellarmine laboureth in vain in proving that there is and allwaies hath been a visible Church and that not consisting of some few scattered Christians without order of Ministry or use of Sacraments for all this we do most willingly yield unto howsoever perhaps some few have been of opinion that c. In like full manner is the Churches visibility affirmed from the Scriptures as well by Melancthon in locis commu edit 1561. c. de Ecclesia pag. 354. initio saying Quotiescunque de Ecclesia cogitamus c. [a] ibidem in Brereley at 6. Whensoever we think of the Church let us behold the company of such men as are gathered together which is the visible Church neither let us dream that the Elect of God are to be found in any other place than in this visible Society c. Neither let us imagin of any other visible Church c. But let us know that the Ministry of the Gospell must be publick c. And having then alleged sundry Texts of Scripture in behalf of the Churches ever visibility he concludeth saying Hi similes loci non de Idea Platonica sed de visibili Ecclesia loquuntur And see there pag. 360. post med And see Melancthon further in Praefat. l. corp Doctrinae Christianae in Ecclesi is Saxon. Misnisis Elector is Saxon. impress Lip Anno 1561. And in Concil Theolog. part 1. pag. 512. part 2. pag. 201. 394. As also by D. Humfrey in Jesuitismi part 2. rat 3. pag. 240. where he saith Declaratum est nos Ecclesiam non in aëre collocare sed in terra nos Ecclesiam confiteri esse oppidum supra montem positum quod abscondi non potest Matth. 5. montem excelsum Domus Dei cunctis collibus editiorem ad quem omnes Gentes confluent Esay 2. c. cur ergo anxiè curiosè probant quod est à nobis nunquam negatum c And ibidem pag. 241. initio he saith visibilis est propter exercitia pietatis quae videntur ab omnibus in Ecclesia nam dum ministri docent alii discunt illi Sacramenta administrant hi communicant c. qui ista non videt talpa est caecior visibilis est quia notae sunt insignes conspicuae c. and pag. 242. initio he saith non enim clancularii secessus c. convocationes sunt Christianae Secret aboads are not the Christian convocation c. because this communion of Saints is an open testification of Christianity ibid. in Brerely at b. And pag. 281. fine affirmeth concerneth the Church militant which is the only point in question Oportere Ecclesiam esse conspicuam conclusionem esse clarissimam And ibidem in Brerely under 6. fine Justus Molitor in his Treatise de Ecclesia militante c. contra Bellarmin pag. 36. sect 4. saith Haec invisibilis Ecclesia electorum in illa nempe visibili Ecclesia latet extraâ—eam nec inveniri potest sicut rectè dicitur extra Ecclesiam nempe visibilem non est salus c. And see further there pag. 38. sect 10. Ibidem in Brereley at 5. Calvin l. 4. Instit c. 1. sect 4 saith Verum quia nunc de visibili Ecclesia disserere propositum est discamus vel uno matris elogio quam utilis sit nobis ejus cognitio imò necessaria quando non alius est in vitam ingressus nisi nos ipsa concipiat utero nisi pareat nisi c. denique sub custodia gubernatione sua nos tueatur donec exuti carne mortali c. Adde quod extra ejus gremium nulla est speranda peccatorum remissio Ibidem in Brereley at f. Melancthon in concill Theol. part 2 saith Necesse est fateri esse visibilem Ecclesiam c. quo spectat haec portentosa oratio quae negat esse ullam visibilem Ecclesiam pag. 393. fine 394 initio Lastly ibidem in Brereley at g. M. Henoch Clapham in his Soveraign Remedy against Schism pag. 17. post medium saith contrary to all Scriptures they do affirm that there hath been no visibility of the Church for former hundred of years which position is against Psalm 72.3.17 Esay 59.21 Matt. 2.24.26 Whereupon M. Henoch Clapham in his Soveraign Remedy against Schism pag. 23. post medium saith Our Saviour forbids going out unto such desert and corner-Gospells Mat. 24.23 24 26. and St. Augustine tom 4. quaest Evang. l. 1 quaest 38 saith accordingly Constituta ergo authoritate Ecclesiae per orbem terrarum clara atque manifesta consequenter Discipulos admonet qui in eum credere voluerint ne schismaticis atque haereticis credant unumquodque enim schisma unaquaeque haeresis aut locum suum habet in orbe terrarum partem aliquam retinens aut obscuris atque occultis conventiculis curiositatem hominum decipit Ad quod pertinet
or universal government Ecclesiastical This is a Conclusion whereunto Mr. Hooker setteth down both the Proposition and Assumption viz. Every visible Church truly and properly so called ought to have a correspondent Ecclesiastical government but there is a Catholike or Universal visible Church on earth to which premises every Child can adde the Conclusion ergo there is and ought to be on eartha Catholike or Universal Ecclesiastical government Thus far Mr. Jacob upon supposall of a Catholike visible Church and Monarchical government 69 That Children have not actual Faith affirmed by [z] Brereley tract 1. sect 6. subd 3. in the margent at r. Mr. Cartwright in M. Whitgift's defence pag. 611. and by Beza in respons ad Acta Colloq Montisbelgar part 2. pag. 124. initio in the propositions and principles disputed in the Uuiversity of Geneva pag. 178. sect 4. and by Jacob Kymedoncius in his Redemption of mankind l. 2. c. 15. pag. 164. fine and by Mr. Whitaker contra Duraeum l. 8. pag. 682. initio Yet impugned by Luther in loc commun class 2. pag. 12. fine and generally in his Writings and by David Rungius in his disput in Academia Wittemb printed at Wittemb 1606. pag. 195. sect 144 145 146. c. by Jac. Andraeas see his words in Beza's Respons ad Acta Coll. Montisbel part 2. pag. 124. ante med and see there part 1. in praefat pag. 21. fine 22. circa med and impugned generally by the Lutherans see further of this confessed Controversie Musculus in loc commun pag. 309. post medium and Jacobus Kimedoncius in his Redemption of Mankind l. 2. c. 15. pag. 164. post med 165 166. 70 That the Controversie of the Scriptures as which be sacred which not is not to us determined otherwise than by the Churches tradition affirmed by Mr. Hooker in his Ecclesiastical Polity l. 1. sect 14. pag. 86. ante med and lib. 2. sect 4. pag. 102. fine 103. initio l. 3. sect 8. pag. 147. circa medium and by M. Whitaker adversus Stapletonum l. 2. c. 6. pag. 370 prope initium pag. 357. prope initium l. 2. c. 4 pag. 300. ante med p. 298. post med and see Peter Martyr in his Common places part 1. c. 6. sect 8. initio pag. 42. b. and Lubbertus de principiis Christian dogmat l. 1. c. 4. pag. 18. circa med Pu. and Chillingworth also proves through his whole book that we receive the certainty of Scripture upon the Authority of the Church Yet impugned by certain English Protestants in their Christian Letter to Mr. Hooker pag. 9 10. by Ursinus in his Doctrinae Christianae compendium in prolegomen pag. 13. circa med by Calvin Institut l. 1. c. 7. sect 4. post med and generally by divers others who to avoid the Churches Authority do referre the proof and knowledge of the Scriptures to the testimonie of the Spirit 71 That the Church of Rome is part of the house of God a Limb of the visible Church of Christ c. is affirmed by [a] Brereley tract 1. sect 6. subd 1. in the Text and margent at e.f.g.h. 1. k.l.m.n.o. Mr. D. Baro in his four Sermons and two Questions disputed ad clerum c. Serm. 3. pag. 448. fine saying I dare not deny the name of Christians to the Romanists sith the learneder Writers do acknowledge the Church of Rome to be the Church of God by Mr. Hooker in his fifth book of Ecclesiastical Polity pag. 188. initio saying The Church of Rome is to be reputed a part of the House of God a limb of the visible Church of Christ and Johannes Regius in his liber Apologeticus c. in Considerat Censurae c. pag. 95. fine saith In Papatu autem cum fuerit Ecclesia vera c. and Mr. Hooker ubisupra pag. 130. ante med saith We gladly acknowledge them to be of the Family of Jesus Christ by Mr. Bunny in his Treatise tending to Pacification sect 18. pag. 109. circa med saying Neither of us may justly account the other to be none of the Church of God and pag. 113. post med saying of Catholikes and Protestants We are no several Church from them nor they from us also by D. Some in his defence against Penry and Refutation of many absurdities c. in Mr. Penries Treatise pag. 164. ante med saying That the Papists are not altogether Aliens from Gods Covenant I have shewed before and ibidem pag. 182. initio saying In the judgement of all learned men and all Reformed Churches there is in Popery a Church a Ministrie a true Christ c. and pag. 176. prope finem saying If you think that all the Popish sort which died in the Popish Church are damned you think absurdly and dissent from the judgement of the learned Protestants Likewise by M.D. Covell in his defence of Mr. Hooker his five bookes of Ecclesiastical Polity pag. 77. ante med saying We affirm them of the Church of Rome to be parts of the Church of Christ and that those that live and die in that Church may notwithstanding be saved Insomuch that he doubteth not ibidem pag. 68. paulo post med to charge the Puritans with Ignorance for their contrary opinion Yet impugned so generally by others as to name any is needless 72 The Patriarchship or Primacy of one over the Church in several Nations and Kingdomes is acknowledged by Melancthon alleged heretofore in the second Consideration num 10. paulo post initium in the margent at 17. by Jacobus Andraeas alleged there in the Margent at * next before 16. by Luther alleged ibidem in the Margent at * next be 18. and by Sir Edwin Sands who more than infinuateth the known want hereof in the Protestants Church to be to them as matter of defect and imputation [m] Brereley tract 2. c. 3. sect 5. subd 3. in the margent at l. saying in his Relation c. fol. S. 2. on the B. side The Papists have the Pope as a common Father Adviser and Conductor to reconcile their jarres to decide their differences to draw their Religion by consent of Councils unto Unity c. whereas on the contrary side Protestants are as severed or rather scattered Troops each drawing adverse way without any means to pacify their quarrells no Patriarch one or more to have a common superintendance or care over their Churches for correspondency or Unity no ordinary way to assemble a general Councill of their part the only hope remaining ever to asswage their Contentions and by [n] Brereley in his Omissions and Aditions of pag. 702. l. 19. Andraeas Friccius de Ecclesia l. 2. c. 10. pag. 570. 73 Unwritten Traditions necessary to be observed are confessed even by such Protestants as are professed Adversaries thereto As namely Mr. D. Field in his Treatise of the Church l. 4. c. 20. pag. 241. fine where having impugned unwritten Traditions in the end yet as inforced confesseth and concludeth
saying Let us come to those Traditions which concern the Manners and Conversation of Men that the Apostles delivered many things of this nature to the Churches some by way of Precept some by way of Counsell only some to continue but for a time some to continue for ever we make no doubt Of this sort is the observation of the Lords-days and sundry other things there are which doubtless the Apostles delivered by Tradition And see the unwritten Traditions of the Lords Day and of the Canonical Scriptures further acknowledged next heretofore under the several numbers of 57 58 60. and see also in Mr. D. Field ubi supra pag. 239. circa med the Tradition of Lent-Fast And Mr. D. Covell in his Answer to John Burges pag. 139. circa med affirmeth the moderate use of the Cross to be an Apostolical Constitution as also the said Mr. D. Covell in his Examination against the Plea of the Innocent c. 9. pag. 104. paulo post med referreth expresly the tearmes of Archbishops unto Apostolical ordination and the then Bishop of London and late of Canterbury in the Conference before the King pag. 11. initio referreth likewise Confirmation to Apostolical Institution signified not but necessarily proved from Heb. 6.2 also Mr. Whitgift in his defence c. pag. 539. fine affirmeth and proveth abundantly the Apostles Tradition of Easter and Oecolampadius doth affirm the baptism of Infants not to be taught in the Scriptures in libro Epistolarum Zuinglii Oecolampadii pag. 301. post med 363. post medium and so likewise doth Zuinglius tom 2. l. de Baptismo fol. 96. a. circa med and Mr. D. Field pag. 239. tearmeth it a Pradition because saith he it is not expresly delivered in Scripture either that the Apostles did baptise Infants nor any expresse precept there found that they should do so only undertaking that Scripture delivereth to us the ground thereof which is impertinent unless he shew that it withall delivereth also to us a necessary proof thereof which his former words deny for which cause he tearmeth it as before a Tradition and see lastly Mr. Hooker in his Ecclesiastical Polity l. 2. sect 7. pag. 118. post med 119. where he maketh special answer as we do to divers Testimonies of the Fathers as namely of Irenaeus Hierome and Augustin alleged there by Mr. Cartwright and usually by other Protestants in behalf of only Scripture and see there sect 5. pag. 106. 74 Concerning Equivocation or doubtfullness of Answer affirmed by some Catholikes not in matter of Faith for it is evident to the contrary that we refuse to go to Protestant Churches or to make the least dissimulation of our Faith neither in Civill Contracts for who confessedly more credible or of better performance therein than Catholikes neither in the case of our Prince or Countrey for concerning either of these we are bound in Conscience to make our selves Transparent insomuch as to conceal any thing prejudicial to these were in the sight of God grievous and multiplied Iniquity but only as in case of unlawfull Demands to betray the Professors of Religion to the Persecuters thereof or to reveal to the hurt of others that which the party demanded is in Conscience bound to keep secret For so much as the Doctrine hereof is objected as a special imputation to Catholikes we will forbearing the question thereof only but briefly examine whether any like if not worse Equivocation or doubtfulness of speech be affirmed by our Adversaries Peter Martyr in his Common places part 2. c. 13. sect 39. pag. 547. a. post med after much discourse of this matter concludeth saying In these cases I think it is not forbidden nay I rather think it is most lawfull to speak doubtfully Zuinglius tom 3 fol. 45. a. initio intreating of Abraham's speech to his servants when intending to sacrifice his Son he said to them abide you here and I and the Child will go yonder and worship and come again to you Gen. 22.5 saith of Abraham's reserved meaning Mentitus non est neque enim mentitur qui secretum aliquod celat ne quid periculi inde nascatur Mr. Willet upon Genesis 27. pag. 290. ante med teacheth by many examples of Scripture that dissimulation in outward gesture is tollerable pag 292. circa med he saith It is one thing to conceal the Truth an other to lye As Abraham did hide the Truth when he said Sarah was his Sister Gen. 26.7 Melancthon in loc commun printed Basilliae 1562. pag. 763. paulo post initium saith Non enim nemino mendacia figuras quibus ex probabili causa aliquid tegitur quod non necesse est dici ut Raab negat speculatores domi suae esse tales figurae nominantur officiosa mendacia Of these figurative Locutions or as Melancthon tearmeth them Officiosa mendacia Luther tom 6. Wittemberg fol. 352. b. prope finem saith Simile est mendacium Raab Josuae Est igitur mendacium officiosum quo saluti famae corporis vel animae consulitur c. Igitur honestum pium mendacium est ac potius officium Charitatis appellandum Zegedine a learned Calvinist in loc commun pag. 422. initio affirmeth Mendacia licita bona quae commendantur In proof whereof he there allegeth from Scripture the example of Raab and of divers others Wolfangus Musculus in loc com pag. 106. paulo post initium saith Alius mentitur ex timore Dei sic obstetrices Aegyptiae Exod. 1. Alius ex charitate vel fide debita sic Michol 1. Sam. 19. Alius ex fide sic Raab Haeb. 11. c. To come now to Adversaries known practise Mr. Fox reporteth of Wiccliff saying Wiccliff to avoid the rigour of things answered with intricate words c. To forbear the like known and confessed example of the Waldensis who for peace and tranquillity sake used to be present at Masse which they held and professed to be Idolatricall alleged in Brereley tract 2. c. 2 sect 3. subd 4. in the Text and margent at 17. John Careless Protestant Martyr being demanded by the Magistrate if he knew such a man recordeth his own Answer thereto in these words No forsooth I do not know any such nor have I not heard of him that I wot of But yet saith he I lyed fasly for I knew him indeed Act. Mon. pag. 1530. a. post med As concerning the Equivocation or doubtfull speaking and writing even in matter of Religion used by Martin Bucer it is reported in the example of the Sacrament by the Protestant-Writers Schlusselburg in Theol. Calvinist l. 2. fol. 129. a. post med from the words of Lavater the Calvinist and by Osiander in epitom Hist Eccles c. Centur. 16. pag. 249. initio and by Josias Symlerus Bucer's dearest friend who in his Oration of the Life and Death of Peter Martyr annexed to the end of his Common-places in English fol. Q q. on the a. side paulo post initium reporteth that
hold as we do and so as I said his verball denyall is a real proof of our Doctrin and Practise Let us examin his particulars 88 First he specifies the Doctrin of the Communion in one kind But of this we have shewed that the Doctrin of Catholikes which is that the Communion of the Laity in one kind is neither commanded nor forbidden but of it self indifferent is defended to be indifferent by many of the chiefest and most learned and of greatest authority among Protestants 89 Secondly he names the lawfulness and expediency of the Latine service I wonder how he durst question the lawfulness of Latin service it being practised in the Universities And in Queen Elizabeths time in Wales the service was read in English where the people understand it not Yea Nichol. Harpsfield in Hist Wiccleffianorum c. 16. inter caetera saith Ex aliis dogmatibus quae Wiccliffianis communia erant quae Licestriani isti sectabantur fuit illud non licere Missas aut Horas Matutinas sive Vespertinas sonore alta voce in Ecclesia Templis recitare Cardinal Richilieu deservedly taxes hereticall Ministers for reading in certain Countries the Service in a language not understood by the people of those Countries saying in his book called Defensio praecipuorum fidei Catholicae Capitum c. 4. sect 2. pag. 121. to the Ministers of Charanton Populum universum quae dicuntur intelligere pugnatis oportere tamen sectatores vestri qui in Bearnia Gallia Marbonensi Provincia Fasconia degunt non sunt Gallicae linguae peritiores quam latinae populi qui in Ecclesia Catholica vivunt tamen illarum regionum Ministri Gallicam in officiis linguam usurpant non autem illarum Provinciarum linguam The same Cardinal sect 1. pag. 111. saith Habendum esse aliquem hominum delectum neque omnia omnibus passim proponenda nemo dubitat inquit Whitakerus l. contra Duraeum sect 15. Evangelii doctrina multos reddit perversiores improbiores addit idem Whitakerus Controvers 1. q. 2. c. 17. The Reader may be pleased to see what we have said above about promiscuous reading of Scripture in English as not permitted in K. Edwards time and [d] Consideration 1. num 29. disallowed by D. Collins The greater the Authority of Scripture is with greater obstinacy men stick to their Errors falsly pretended to be contained in Scripture read or heard Besides D. Potter pag. 62. 63. puts Latine service among those points which are not fundamental nor necessary to constitute a Church and in King Edward's time Stow Chron. pag. 594. reporteth The French King being deceased c. also the Church of St. Paul in London being hanged with black and a sumptuous Herse set up in the Quire a Dirige was there sung and on the next morrow the Arch-bishop of Canterbury Cranmer assisted of Eight Bishops all in rich Myters and other their Pontificalls did sing a Masse of Requiem c. The Protestant Hospinianus in Hist Sacramentar part 2. fol 33. saith Docet Lutherus liberum esse sive in vulgari sive in peregrina lingua celebrare Which is the very Doctrine of Catholikes who teach that there as no Divine Precept or prohibition to celebrate publick Offices in a learned or vulgar language and therefore it must be left to the power and Ordinance of the Church which we are commanded to hear and of which we must learn what in particular circumstances is most expedient for the Common good Of this point I will allege what Brereley hath in his Liturgie of the Masse tract 5. sect 4. subd 3. pag. 449. 450. 451. 452. 453. where he saith The more antient proof and reason of celebrating the publike Liturgy in Latin is establisht and certain for seing it is heretofore made plain that in the other much more antient times the Chancell in which the Priest did celebrate the publike Liturgy was so [e] Apud Brereley in the Liturgy c. tract 1. sect 2. subd 1. in the margent at m. o. Concil 6. Const Can. 69. saith Nulli omnium qui sit in laicorum numero liceat intra sacrum Altare ingredi c. ex antiquissima traditione Hist Tripartit l. 9. c. 30. versus finem It is reported concerning Chancels how that Ambrosius non quievit sed differentiam locorum edocuit And that St. Ambrose said thereupon O Imperator interiora loca tantum sacerdotibus sunt collata quae caeteri nec ingredi nec contingere permittuntur egredere igitur c. And see further concerning Chancells Socrates Hist l. 5. c. 17. versus finem And Zozomen Hist l. 7. c. 24. And Concil Laodicen can 19. and Concil Agathens can 66. And Germanus Constantinopolitanus in Theoria paulo post initium saith Cancelli locum orationis designant quosque extrinsecus populus accedit intrinsecus autem sunt sancta sanctorum solis Sacerdotibus pervia And apud Brereley in the Preface sect 7. initio at e. D. Reynolds in his Conference c. pag. 488. allegeth that Dionysius maketh mention of Churches and Chancels therein severed with such sanctification from the rest of the Church that Lay-men might not enter thereinto See more hereof in Brereley ubi supra tract 1. sect 2. subd 1. in the margent at n. severall to the Clergy as that the Lay people might not enter thereto and that also divers parts of the publike prayers usuall there in Mass-time were [f] Apud Brereley in the Liturgy c. in the Preface sect 14. at the second h. In Basil 's Liturgy fol. 38. at g. and fol. 41. b. Pontifex secretè and the same yet further there fol. 34. b. 38. a. b. 39. a. b. 41. b. 45. b. 43. b. And in Chrysostom 's Liturgy fol. 56. a. fine fol. 50. b. it is said dicit sacerdos remissa voce and fol. 59. a. it is said dicit orationem hanc sacerdos sedatissima voce and see there fol. 61. circa med and apud Brereley in the Liturgy c. tract 5. sect 3. at e. in the margent it is said In Basil 's Liturgy it is said tunc elevans manus Pontifex dicit secretè fol. 38. vide ibidem fol. 36. 39. 40. 42. 43. c. And this ceremony is further mentioned in Chrysostom 's Liturgy fol. 56. 61. and the antient Laodicen Councill can 19. saith hereof tres orationes fiant prima per silentium secunda tertia per vocis pronuntiationem tunc demum of culum pacis dari debere And see Innocentius Epist 1. ad Decentium c. 1. whose testimony in this point â—s so plain that Hutterus de Sacrificio Mâ—ssatico pag. 590. answering thereto saith thereof Innocentii primi authoritatem merito explodimus quippe ab hoste veritatis petitum and before all these see St. Clement the Apastles Scholar in constit Apost after the Antwerp print of 1604 l. 2. c. 61. fol. 56. Hereto also is not impertinent the Veil used of antient
c. 14. Confession of sins to a Priest and [b] S. Bernard in vita Malachiae reporteth that A Noble Man lived near the Monastery of Benohor whose Wise being sick Malachias was requested to aneyl her which was duferred till morning afterwards a sudden outcry being made that she was dead Malachias came and when he certainly found that she was dead he was greatly troubled in mind imputing the fault to himself that she died defrauded of the grace of the Sacrament and lifting up his hands to Heaven said I beseech thee O Lord c. what more she that was dead opened her eyes c. and Malachias giving thanks praised God and aneyled her knowing sins to be remitted in this Sacrament Thus doth S. Bernard write of his known familiar and dear friend Malachias Extreme Unction Whereto were this place capable thereof many others might be added 3. The gift of Miracles being thus evidently proved not to cease as is pretended after those firster times of the Primitive Church but in all ages to continue though not as being common to all the Churches Pastors as was the gift thereof made common to all [c] And having called the twelve he gave them power to cure all manner of diseases Math. 10.1 the twelve but onely as being now but peculiar to certain persons and at certain times according to the more special dispensation of Gods good pleasure in that behalf for as for any supposed necessity of the same to be ordinary now as in the Apostles times against which M. [d] M. Morton in Apologia Catholica part 1. l. 2. c. 25. Morton urgeth certain needless testimonies it is by us neither urged nor affirmed we will now onely further examine which Church it is whether Catholick or the said foresaid Protestant Church to which the said gift hath for the last thousand years been confessedly appertaining or wanting First concerning the foresaid Protestant Church it seemeth so evidently destitute of this gift that our learned Adversaries confess to the contrary the said Church to have been [e] Apud Brereley tract 2. c. 2. sect 11. subd 3. in the margent at ¶ it is said Joannes Regius being urged in this kind doth in his liber Apologeticus c. pag. 176. circa post med answer thereto saying Negas Lutherum suae fidei coetum invenisse c. Dico fuisse ante Lutherum verae religionâ—s qui cum Luthero per omnia consentiret coetum Ecclesiasticum But coming to answer where this Congregation was then to be found be hath no other refuge but saith there that it was à Pontificiis non agnitus nec propter tyrannidem Pontificiam visibiliter for tassis oftendi potuerit ideoque quando urgent Jesuitae ut Lutherus verae religionis asseclam Ecclesiam ostendat c. volunt ut Lutherus oppositum in adjecto demonstret invisibile visibile probet c. Interim tamen absurdum est ita argumentari Haec res ab aliis non agnoscitur nec potest etiam videri aut demonstrarl ideoque non est in rerum natura c. So plainly doth he being urged to particulars acknowledge his pretended Congregation at Luther 's coming to have been then invisible and not able to the shewed Also Whitaker apud Brereley tract 2. cap. 2. sect 11. subd 1. in the margent at †next before t. de Ecclesia contra Bellarminum controv 2. quaeff 5. pag. 262. ante med reciteth Bellarmine 's argument saying Secundum Bellarmini argumentum est hujusmodi c. Ante Lutheri tempora non erat in mundo c. Whereto he there answereth Nostra Ecclesia tumâ—suit At non fuit visibilis inquit Bellarminus Quid â—um Anideo non fuit Nequaquam Latebat enim tum in solitudine and nameth not though thus urged so much as but any one man of his Church in being at Luther 's first appearing See more hereof here in Brereley and in the place above cited tract 2. cap. 3. sect 3. fine at e. f. g. h. i. invisible at the least for almost one thousand years last before Luther which could not so be had the same been made so gloriously known and apparent as with the testimony of miracles And as for the said Protestants Church since Luther's time whereas our learned Adversaries do affirm the calling of Luther Calvin and others to have been [f] Beza apud Brereley tract 2. c. 2. sect 11. subd 3. at ¶ next before g. in Ep. Theolog ep 5. Alemanno paulò post initium pag. 49. saith to Alemannus Ordinariam certè vocationem praetexere non potes Quis enim te elegit ergo de extraordinaria videamus Huâ—c verò tum demum locum esse dicimus cùm vel nulla vel paenè nulla est ordinaria vocatio sicut nostris temporibus accidit in Papatu cùm expectari ordinaria vocatio quae nusquam erat nee debuit nec potuit See more hereof in Brereley tract 2. c. 2. sect 10. subd 15. fine at q. r. tract 2. c. 2. sect 6. versus finem at f. tract 2. cap. 3. sect 4. at q. * s. t. extraordinary as being not by ordination from man but immediatly from God to which calling themselves annex [g] Apud Brereley tract 2. cap. 2. sect 3. subd 2. at z in the margent it is said Amandus Polanus in Partition Theolog. l. 1. pag. 308. saith Ministrorum extraordinariè vocatorum etiam dona extraordinaria fuere nempe Prophetiae donum edendi miracula c. And Musculus loc commun pag. 394. saith Vocatio quae immediatè est à Christo jam in usu non est ut erat olim habebat sua signa unde cognosci potuit de quibus meminit Marcus Evangelista cap. ult dicens Praedicaverunt c. sequenâ—bus signis c. And M. Henoch Clapham in his sovereign remedy against Schism pag. 25. initio doth upon this ground reprehend Brown for that he did take upon him extraordinary calling and wanted miracles And Luther in loc commun class 4. c. 20. initio pag. 38. post med admonished to this end saying Hoc explores an vocationem suam possint probare neque enim Deus unquam aliquem misit nisivel per hominem vocatum vel per signa declaratum nè ipsum quidem fillum And Luther tom 5. Jen. Germ. fol. 491. a. b. saith Unde venis Quis te misit c. Ubi sigilla quòd ab hominibus missus sis Ubi sunt miracula quae te à Deo missum esse testantur Also Luther admonished the Senate of Milhouse against Munster the Anabaptist saying Si dicat se à Deo atque ipsius Spiritu missum esse quemadmodum Apostoli probet hoc signis miraculis editis vel nolite ferre ut concionetur nam ubicunque Deus ordinariam viam mutare vult ibi semper miracula facit Luther tom 3. Jen. Germ. fol. 455. b. 456. a. and hereof see Sleydan lib. 3. An.
25. Also Sigwartus in his 23. disputationes Theolog. c. pag. 207. sect 8. saith Haec vocatio semper extraordinaria quaedam divina dona comitantia habet quae sunt tanquam sigilla doctrinae c. cuâ—usmodi suerunt miracula c. And D. Saravia in defens tract c. contra respons Bezae c. 2. pag. 38. ante med saith Ea verò quae proximè à Deo est vocatio nunquam sine aliquo externo visibili signo aut visione facta legitur And see further hereof Saravia in his English book of the divers degrees of Ministers c. 2. pag. 7. and M. Fenner in his Sacra Theologia pag. 119. b. Also Bullinger adversus Anabaptist l. 3. c. 7. saith to the Anabaptists Quod si dicitis vos instar Apostolorum peculiarem vocationem habere probate eam signis miraculâ—s c. hoc autem nunquam facietis ideoque vocatio vestra nihili imò pernitiosa est Ecciesiae Christi See this saying alleged to this end by M. Thomas Bell in his Regiment of the Church pag. 137. initio miracles as necessary to prove that it is from God yet is the gift of miracles which is to them according to their own doctrine so needfull in proof of their said pretended extraordinary calling so confessedly wanting and defective in their Church that M. Fulk thereof saith [h] M. Fulk against the Rhâ—msh Testament in Apocalyp cap. 13. sect 3. fol. 478. a. post med It is known that Calvin and the rest whom the Papists call Arch-hereticks do work no miracles And M. Sutcliff saith accordingly [i] M. Sutcliff in his examination of Kellison 's Survey printed 1606. pag. 8. post med Neither do we practice miracles nor do we teach that the doctrine of truth is to be confirmed with miracles Insomuch as certain others discerning the necessity of miracles and themselves unable to afford any true example thereof in their Church do lastly urge and name for miraculous [k] Fox act mon. printed 1596. pag. 789. a. lin 59. And Sigwartus in Disp Theol. pag. 170. and Sutcliff de vera Catholica Christi Ecclesia pag. 313. and Philip Mornay in his Treatise of the Church englished Anno 1581. cap. 11. pag. 351. and Justus Molitor de Ecclesia militante pag. 159. Luther 's so large dispersion of his Doctrine maugre the malice of the Pope and all his Adherents which as it is against the evident confession of their own brethren who disclaim as before in all miracles shewed by Luther Calvin c. and as the learned †Theologi Casmâ—riani in admonit sua de libro Concordiae Bergensis cap. 6. and after the edition of Neustadii 1581. pag. 203. post med say Scimus istos Theologos c. magnis clamoâ—ibus regerere Lutherum esse Prophetam quia ipse immediatè extra ordinem à Deo excitatus c. quia miracula fuerint res ipâ—â—us gestae successus multa futura praedixerit c. Whereto they answer among other things saying Miraculum quod ediderit nullum audivimus Nam fortunatio defensio curriculi ipsius fuit beneficium Dei ordinarium secundum promissiones datas ipsum timentibus c. quod autem praedicit de paenis ingrati udinis pro luce Evangelii donata vel similia non sunt nova oracula sed veterum oraculorum Scripturae ad nostra tempora accommodatio Calvinists confess is withall [*] The learned Protestants dâ—sinâ— a miracle to be signum supra naturae ordinem effectum So doth Amandus Polanus in partition Theolog. pag. 228. And see others hereafter in this Consideration num 7. at * next after k. no miracle in it self as not being against or above the power of nature and secondary causes so also by like instance might the proceeding of Arius and Mahomet be much more probably said to be miraculous for that their errours were from no less small beginning [l] More generally dispersed For whereas Lutheranism holdeth only in the Northern parts of the world and also but in a corner of those said Northern parts which are but a parcel of Europe Aâ—ianism was far more universal as extending it self into sundry parts of Asia Africk and Europe Hereof Daniel Camierus in epist Jesuâ—tic part altera pag. 49. paulò post initium saith Arianorum venenum non portiunculam quandam sed paenè totum orbem contamâ—na verat And see Joannes Pappus in epitom histor Eccles pag. 412 413. And the like inlargement in short time of Mahometanism is evident and confessed by Melancthon chronic l. 3. a pag. 311. ad pag. 317. by Illyricus in Apoc. c. 9. a versu 13. ad finem more generally for the time dispersed than ever was the doctrine of Luther And thus much concerning the confessed want of miracles in our Adversaries Church 4. As concerning now our Catholick Church the * M.D. Downham in his Treatise of Antichrist l. 1. c. 7. pag. 111. propè initium saith Neither Turks nor Jews nor any other Churches of Christians but only the Pope and Church of Rome do vaunt of miracles which onely confessedly challengeth the gift of miracles the known examples of her true and undoubted Miracles are plentifully testified As first for the thousand years last past it is confessed that we Englishmen were so long since [m] See Brereley tract 1. sect 1. converted to our now professed Catholick Faith Insomuch as they charge Austin with his then converting us to [n] See Brereley tract 1. sect 1. at 9. Popery and to [o] See ibid. at e. the Papistical faith for which say they [o] See ibid. at 6. he went undoubtedly to Hell after his death And yet are the undoubted miracles which God wrought by the same Austin in proof of his doctrine sufficiently confirmed with the credible [q] See heretofore in this Consideration num 1. at r. s t. testimony of those very times with like [r] See heretofore ibid. at n. q. * testimony also of S. Bede who lived in the age next after and are thereupon reported and [Å¿] See ibid. at u. and see M. Fox act mon. printed Anno 1576. pag. 117. a. prope finem where he saith of Austin and those that came with him to the Conversion of England The King was moved with the miracles wrought through Gods hand by them acknowledged as true undoubted by our very Adversaries themselves In the same age also lived Holy Oswald King of Northumberland whose undoubted miracles are by like credible [t] Concerning Oswald Beda hist l. 3. c. 2. affirmeth that the place where he with religious prayer obtained victory was after called Heavens field in regard of the innumerable miracles there done That also usque hodie c. even till Bede's time diseased persons were thereby restored to health Among whom was saith Beda one Bothelmus yet living restored miraculously to health ante paucos annos but some
particular testimonies of this matter solemnly taken by oath and there pag. 267. initio mentioned to be recorded by Publick Writings both of the City of Bruxels subsigned by P. Numan Secretary as also of Lovam subsigned by R. de Prince Secretary dated respectively 29. Julâ—i and 2. Augusti 1604. and sealed with the Scals of the said Cities published to have been there done Being carried thither in a Wagon and having confessed his sins and received the blessed Sacrament he did in the end feel his contracted and bound feet to be loosed and stretched forth so as presently he stood on his feet himself and the beholders being amazed thereat Will our Adversaries deny this It is thus reported by that excellent learned man Justus Lipsius dwelling thereby as lately done in July Anno 1603. in the presence of many eye-witnesses and thereupon published both in Print and Pulpit sundry of the Gentlemen attending upon our late Embassador the Earl of Hereford having received answerable satisfaction in that behalf as well by seeing and conferring with the party as by other publick and credible testimony thereof given Will they yet take exceptions to this John Clement himself as being but a counterfeit His known foresaid more than ordinary lameness continued till then even from his own nativity and mothers death proclaimeth the contrary What therefore remaineth but that honouring our Blessed Saviour in due acknowledgement to his holy Mother they should so with all herein acknowledge [n] Exod. 8.19 Luc. 11.10 the finger of God [o] Esay 59.1 5.2 Num. 11.23 whose hand is not yet shortned Hereunto might be added the many other miracles there done in these times and mentioned by Justus Lipsius in his foresaid Treatise The many more miracles likewise by him reported in his other Book entituled [p] Printed Antuerpiae 1604. Virgo Hallensis together also with the miraculous cures confessed by the Protestant writer Joannes Manlius from Melancthons report as done at the Memorials of the blessed Virgin at [q] Manlius in his Book entituled Locorum communium collectanea mentioned before at b. and of whom it is said in the verses before the Book Haec partim scripsit magno dictante Philippo undertaking pag. 184. to set down examples of Idolatry confesseth the matter of fact saying there pag. 187. paulo post medium of infirm persons Ad Sanctam Miriam Ratisbonensem homines ultra viginti milliaria nec bibentes nec comedentes currebant quò cùm venissent jacebant prostrati quatuor horas posteaque liberabantur And the Protestant writer Osiander confesseth the same accordingly centur 16. pag. 69. circa med saying Viri Mulieres Juvenes Virgines Ratisbonam currebant ad Idolum beatae Virginis Mariae ibi enim credebantur miracula stupenda fieri quidem edita suâ—sâ—e quaedam Antichristiana miracula praestigiis Satanicis credibâ—le est Ratisbone and [r] Manlius ubi supra pag. 185. ante med saith Novimus homines cueurrisse ad Grimenthall qui amentes suerunt acuerunt ante Civitatem per a liquot horas postea redierunt ad se haec dixerunt esse miracula Sanctae Mariae So clear and confessed herein is the matter of fact that this Author is not ashamed to allege these as examples of Idolatry Greementhall the latter whereof is set down upon the Authors own knowledge Which foresaid course of these and many other miracles hath been so assuredly accomplished in this last age that Martin Luther not unlike herein to the unclean [Å¿] Marc. 1.24 Luc. 4.34 spirit who confessed Christ to be the Holy One of God was in respect of so evident truth inforced likewise to confess and say [t] Luther in purgatione quorundam articulorum Quis enim potest contradicere his c. Who can gainsay the things which God to this day worketh miraculously and visibly ad Divorum sepulchra at the Monuments of the Saints In regard of which our foresatd so plentifull alleged testimony from miracles which are as the Scriptures tearm them * God testifying by signs and miracles Hebr. 2.4 I have a greater testimony and witness than John the works that I do give testimony c. John 5.36 the testimonies of God we may not unaptly say in behalf of our Catholick Church with a holy writer [u] Rich. de S. Victore l. 1. de Trinit c. 2. Domine si error est quod credimus à te decepti sumus c. O Lord if it be errour which we believe we are deceived by thee for thou hast confirmed these things to us with signs and wonders which could not be done but by thee Or rather as said that blessed man Nicodemus of our Saviour [x] Joan. 2.23 We know that thou art a Teacher come from God for no man could do these miracles thou dost except God were with him 7. And let it not most gratious Lord seem tedious if here we do but touch those idle tergiversations wherewith our Adversaries seek to obscure so great a light As first under pretence or example of divers dispersed fabulous Legends of things meerly feigned but never done as also of sundry counterfeit miracles done indeed but by confederacy and practice of Impostors to reject all other as being likewise untrue or at least counterfeit But with how small equity is this To touch the first Must all historical faith be abolished because of some abuse or errour in historie To these it shall suffice onely to oppose the grave answer of S. [y] Aug. de Civit. Dei l. 10. c. 18. initio saith An dicit aliquis ista falsa esse miracula nec suâ—sse facta sed mendaciter scripta quisquis hoc dicit si de his rebus negat omninò ullis literis esse credendum potest etiam dicere nec c. Austin in like case of his time As concerning the other part wherein they give example of the blood of Hales the aversion or moving of the Images face by device of secret wyers and such like whereto supposing them for true we may match the late sleeping Preacher discovered by your Majestie M. [z] See at large the Book entituled A discourse of the fraudulent practices of John Dorrel in his proceedings concerning the pretended possession and dispossession of William Summers at Nottingham of Thomas Darling the Boy of Burton of Caldwall and of Katherine Wright at Mansfield and of his dealings with one Mary Cowper at Nottingham written by M. Harsnet and printed by John Wolf 1599. And see another Treatise entituled A summary answer to all the material points in any of M. Dorrel's Books more specially to that one Book of his entituled The doctrine of the possession and dispossâ—ssion of Demoniacks out of the Word of God written by John Deacon and John Walker Preachers printed 1601. Dorrel's like discovered confederacy with Will Summers and others and their other confessed [a] See this in Stow 's Annals printed
1592. pag. 1058. post med counterfeit spirit in the wall practiced against Queen Mary with such like To omit that deceits of this kind †See example hereof in our Church reported by our Adversary Osiander in epitom c. centur 16. pag. 222. ante med 770 771 And see the Treatise entituled Two Treatises the first of the lives of Popes c. the second of Mass c. also of false miracles wherewith Marie de la Visitation Prioress de la Annunciada of Lisbone deceived very many and was discovered and condemned Englished and printed 1600. Of our Churches Inquisitors severe inquiry discovery and punishment of that hypocritical woman see there pag. 362. initio pag. 424 425 427. And see there in the addition after the end of the Book another like discovery and punishment in Sevil of one Father Lyon And see the like discovery of false miracles in Sir Thomas Moor's dialogue of veneration of Images Reliques c. lib. 1. c. 14. And see Osiander epitom c. centur 16. pag. 32. initio an example of a woman counterfeiting of her self to live without meaâ— and sleep c. discovered and punished by our Church are by our Church carefully enquired of may the particular blemish of certain such forged examples suffice to discredit a general received truth then much more by this reason away with the true Scriptures of the New Testament because there were many more writings [b] Of the very many writings forged under the Apostles names see Eusebius hist l. 3. c. 19. l. 6. c. 10. and S. Austin contra advers Leg. Prophet l. 1 c. 20. and Gelasius in decret cum 70. Episcopis and Zozomen hist l. 7. c. 19. post med and see also the Protestant writer Hamelmannus de traditionibus Apostolâ—cis c. primae partis l. 1. col 251. part 3. l. 3 col 841. lin 15 22. In which places mention is made of sundry writings forged under the name of Paul Peter Barnabas Thomas Matthew Andrew John and divers others and S. Paul 2 Thess â— 2 insinuateth the then forging of Epistles in his name counterfeited under the Apostles names than are now remaining true and undoubted many also of those foresaid true writings now remaining having been as the learned Protestants [c] In the Tower disp Anno 1581. had with Edm. Campian the first daies conference D. 1. the Deans of Pauls and Windsor do thus report of themselves for proof whereof we allege the testimony of Hierom. in Catal. where he thus writeth The Epistle of James is said to be published by some other under his name and of the second of Peter he saith that it is denied of many to be his we also allege Eusebius writing thus Those books that be gain said though they be known to many be these the Epistle attributed to James the Epistle of Jude the latter of Peter the second and third of John And in the fourth daies conference fol. 2. b. M.D. Walker saith Hierom saith concerning that Epistle which is written to the Hebrews many have doubted of it And also concerning the second of Peter he saith it was doubted of by many and so with some were the two Epistles of John c. affirm greatly suspected and doubted of even in the times of the Primitive Church This pretence therefore being most unreasonable to impugn the matter of fact in our miracles which is so evident as is often times [d] This appeareth in sundry of the examples before mentioned and alleged from Protestant writers confessed by learned Protestants themselves Their next or second refuge is confessing the matter of fact withall to affirm the same to be in many cases but by the Devils counterfeiting as in our antiently continued Catholick [e] Exorcist being one of the inferiour Orders leading to Priesthood is mentioned as one of them by Ignatius in epist ad Antiochenos by Cornelius apud Eusebium l. 6. c. 35. and by Cyprian l. 4. epist 7. post med where he saith Quod hodie etiam geritur ut per Exorcistas voce humana potestate divina flagelletur uratur ut torqueatur Diabolus And see further hereof the Protestant writer Zepperus l. de Sacramentis printed 1606. pag. 362. initio And whereas Protestants usually answer that this was not any peculiar Order but a miraculous gift such as was the gift of healing peculiar to those beginning times of the Primitive Church for planting and enlargement of the Christian faith and that it is now ceased this answer appears many waies frivolous as first in that the foresaid antient Fathers placed and numbred it with the other Ecclesiastical Orders conferred by the Church among which they forbear to mention or number any such peculiar Order of healing Secondly it is in like sort numbred among the Ecclesiastical Orders long afterwards even when and where the Christian faith was already greatly enlarged as appeareth in Concil Laodicen can 26. in Concil Antioch can 10. Also in the fourth Council of Carthage can 7. the Exorcist is specially named as one of the Ecclesiastical Orders together with the special rite of his ordination And in Sulpitius in l. de vita Martini cap. 4. it is most plainly mentioned as a peculiar Order Thirdly whereas the possessing of men by unclean spirits was likewise during the old Law whereof see Josephus l. 8. antiq c. 2. paulò post initium in remedy whereof there were Judaical Exorcists at 19.13 it is strange that our Adversaries can affirm either the thing it self or the cure thereof to be now ceased but the reason is evident in that they discern the daily dispossessing powerfully practiced in our Catholick Church whereof see next hereafter at f. and the known defect or want thereof in theirs for as for their onely example of M. Dorrel and Will Summers their deceitfull confederacy is now at last by our Adversaries themselves discovered and for such published in print as appeareth next heretofore in the margent at Z. exorcisms or casting forth of unclean spirits in persons possessed whereof many [f] To forbear the known successfull daily examples hereof in our Catholick Church which impudency it self dare not deny we remâ—t the Protestant Reader to the report of D. Boord the Physician a report so indifferent that in his extravagantes annexed to his breviary of health printed 1575. at the 11. chapter of a Demoniack he maketh mention of his travel to Rome with exceeding Protestantlike invectives against the Pope City and Clergy there and yet with all dâ—th in the same chapter report himself to have been an eye-witness of a Gentleman possessed with Devils brought from Germany to Rome to be made whole there the course whereof was saith he stupendious and above all reason if I should write it and the cure so evident as he there attributeth the same to the vertue of the holy words that the Priest did speak And see in
miracula sunt fiunt à Deo quidem solo ad ejusdem solius laudem c. solus enim Deus id potest propriè quod est supra naturam creatam c. 6. pag. 43. Miraculum Christianum est opus Dei ipsius totius naturae creatae vires facultates superans quod invocato Dei nomine ad verae fidei confirmationem fit And see the like affirmed by Amandus Polanus in Partition Theolog. l. 1. pag. 228 229. And by Hierom Zanchius in D. Pauli Epistolas ad Philip. Colloss Thessal pag. 241 242. And by Zegedinus in loc commun pag. 188. Antichrists miracles are but such as the order of nature observed may be brought to pass by the deceit of Men or Devils c. whereas the miracles wherewith God garnished his Church are works besides or against the order of nature and secondary causes and therefore done onely by the Divine power of which kind are to cure diseases without means of physick and many other such like whereof we have heretofore given plentifull examples All this being to them evident and not to be denyed to what refuge now do they lastly betake themselves To name one prime man instead of many M. Whitaker the matter being reduced or straitned to this issue rather than he will acknowledge our Catholick Church in which such true miracles are as before most plentifully evident doubteth not to betake himself to this extreamest despair rather than hopefull refuge as seriously to affirm that although it be indeed certain that [l] Whitaker de Ecclesia pag. 348. circa med saith Respondeo me minimè ignorare vera miracula nulla vi nisi divina fieri posse true miracles cannot be done but by the Divine power which to Antichrist or Satan were to acknowledge them for God yet as it were to supply in this want the Devils confessed defect or unableness to work such miracles he is not abashed against the * Sigwartus in disput Theologic pag. 172. initio saith Pseudo-doctores vel etiam ipsum Satanam ad stabiliendas haereses prodigia verè divina designare posâ—e pernegamuâ— And that false Prophets can do no true miracles see further heretofore in this Consideration num 1. initio in the margent at e. And next heretofore in the margent at * next before l. To which Brereley in his Omissions c. of pag. 551. lin 25. addeth Also M. Anthony Wotton in his trial of the Romish Clergies title c. pag. 115. ante med accordingly saith For my own part under correction I speak it I am not perswaded that ever any true miracle was or shall be wrought for confirmation of false doctrine c. I see no sufficient cause to imagine that God will employ his infinite power to the countenancing of any untruth doctrine of other Protestants to conclude and say observe we beseech your Majestie for it is a Monster that [m] Whitaker ubi supra pag. 349. further saith that true miracles are not of force to demonstrate true doctrine whereof be giveth this reason saying Nam possunt vera miraracula etiam à falsis Doctoribus Pseudoprophetis fieri sed tamen Dei non illorum virtute c. Constat enim Deum non modo veris sed falsis Doctoribus vim tribuere hujusmodi faciendi miracula non tamen quò confirmet illorum falsa dogmata sed quò tentet eos ad quos mittantur And see the like in Danaeus in his respons ad Bellaâ—mini disput c. part 1. pag. 784. God himself doth give power of working such true miracles unto false teachers not to confirm their false opinions but to tempt those unto whom they be sent In colour of which paradox he forbeareth not to [n] Misapply For Deut. 13.1 2. by him there alleged doth not speak of Gods enabling false Prophets but of permitting them in trial of his people neither doth it concern their foretelling of things simply future by immediate revelation from God but only of such other future effects as are depending upon their precedent known causes and are also in them foreseen or else of such other future things as depend but upon probability of conjecture collâ—cted from circumstances of persons time and place which do though not ever certainly yet often times casually happen and so accordingly it is but said with condition If there arise a Prophet and give thee a sign and the sign which he hath told thee come to pass it is not said shall come to pass but if it do come to pass and withall he saith Let us go after other Gods thou shalt not hearken to his words Secondly though some of those who have true Revelations from God or of those who cast out Devils or work true miracles be reprobates whereof see heretofore in this Consideration num 1. initio at f. g. h. yet have they those gifts not as false teachers nor to the confirmation of any false doctrine but of Gods truth themselves being otherwise reprobates in regard of their wicked life Which premises observed sufficeth to explain and prevent many impertinent objections commonly urged in this behalf mis-apply the Scriptures inferring thereupon that [o] Whitaker ubi supra pag. 349. ante med having divided miracles into true and false saith Dico ex neutro genere miraculorum posse sufficiens testimonium sumi aut certum argumentum collâ—gi pro vera doctrina c. no sufficient testimony can be taken or certain argument collected for true doctrine from neither kind of miracles true or false directly against the Scriptures themselves which affirm of true miracles that they [p] Our Lord confirming the Word with signs following Marc. 16.20 do confirm and [q] God withall testifying by signs and miracles Hebr. 2.4 witness the truth tearming them also therefore [r] The signs of my Apostleship have been done among you in signs and wonders 2 Cor. 12.12 signs and [Å¿] I have a greater testimony than John the very works which I do give testimony of me that the Father hath sent me Joan. 5.36 testimonies thereof And thus much but briefly respecting the length of the matter concerning miracles and to whether Church Catholick or the foresaid Protestant Church the same have been confessedly appertaining or wanting and consequently that our Church whose doctrines have been confirmed by perpetual great and manifest miracles before any Protestant appeared in the world and therefore could not be feigned or recorded upon any particular design against them and their Heresies cannot be false but the onely true Church of Christ THE FIFTH CONSIDERATION By the Confession of Protestants We Catholicks may be saved though we live and dye in the belief and profession of those Articles wherein Protestants disagree from us ALL †Brereley tract 1. sect 6. paulò post initium the learned Protestants of sober judgement have afforded us Catholicks the promises of hopefull salvation as
appeareth most plainly 1. By their own most evident testimonies 2. By their like confessed examples thereof given And 3. By their undoubted answerable practice To give proof of every of these parts 1. And first concerning their testimonies in this kind M. D. Baro saith [e] M. D. Baro in his four Sermons and two Questions dispâ—ted ad Clerum c. Serm. 3. pag. 448. fine I dare not deny the name of Christians to the Romanists sith the learneder writers do acknowledge the Church of Rome to be the Church of God And M. Hooker also saith [f] M. Hooker in his fist Book of Ecclesiastical Policy pag. 188. initio and Joannes Regius in his Libeâ— Apologeticus c. in considerat Censurae c. pag. 95. saith In Papatu autem cùm suerit Ecclesia vera c. The Church of Rome is to be reputed a part of the House of God a limb of the visible Church of Christ and [g] M. Hooker ubi supra pag. 130. ante med We gladly acknowledge them to be of the Family of Jesus Christ M. Bunny likewise saith of Catholicks and Protestants [h] M. Bunny in his Treatise tending to Pacification sect 18. pag. 109. circa med Neither of us may justly account the other to be none of the Church of God [i] M. Bunny ubi supra pag. 113. post med we are no several Church from them nor they from us In like sort doth M. D. Some in defence thereof against Penry the Puritan say [k] M. D. Some in his defence against M. Penry and refutation of many absurdities c. in M. Penry 's treatise pag. 164. ante med That the Papists are not altogether aliens from Gods covenant I have shewed before for [l] M. D. Some ubi supra pag. 182. iâ—icio in the judgement of all learned men and all reformed Churches there is in Popery a Church a Ministry a true Christ c. [m] M. D. Some ubi supra pag. 176. propè finem If you think that all the Popish sort which dyed in the Popish Church are damned you think absurdly and dissent from the judgement of the learned Protestants Also M. D. Field saith †M. D. Field Of the Church l. 3. cap. 46. fine pag. 182. initio We doubt not but the Church in which the Bishop of Rome with more than Luciferlike pride exalted himself was notwithstanding the true Church of God that it held a saving profession of the truth in Christ and by force thereof did convert many from errour c. In like sort doth M. Thomas Morton affirm in express words that †M. Morton in his Treatise of the Kingdome of Israel and of the Church pag. 94. fine Papists are to be accounted the Church of God because saith he they do hold the foundation of the Gospel which is faith in Christ Jesus the Son of God and Saviour of the world Lastly to omit many * Peter Martyr as it appeareth by his Epistles annexed to his Common Places in English pag. 153. a fine desired at the Conference had at Poisy between the Catholicks Protestants that they should not for diversity of opinion break brotherly charity nor call one another Hereticks And see the same opinion yet further affirmed by the Protestant writer against Nicholas Machiavel printed at London 1602. pag. 80. post med 83. paulò post med 85. propè finem others M. D. Covel in his late Treatise published by authority and dedicated to the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury defendeth this opinion at large and concludeth saying [n] M. D. Covel in his defence of M. Hooker 's five Books of Ecclesiastical Policy published by authority pag. 77. ante med We affirm them of the Church of Rome to be parts of the Church of Christ and that those that live and dye in that Church may notwithstanding be saved Insomuch as he doubteth not to charge the Puritans with [o] M. D. Covel ubi supra pag. 68. paulò post med ignorance for their contrary opinion Hitherto concerning their testimonies before undertaken 2. Secondly as concerning now their like confessed examples we will out of very many allege onely some few It will not we think be denied but that our late Soveraign King Henry the eighth did after his breach with Rome believe and maintain the whole frame and substance of our Catholick faith the Article of the Popes Primacy onely excepted To which end their own Author Sleydan saith of him [2] Sleydan in English l. 13. fol. 174. a. initio He exiled the name of the Bishop of Rome but kept still his doctrine and M. Fox saith accordingly [3] Fox Act. Mon. pag. 1472. b. fine He set forth and by full consent of Parliament established the Book of six Articles containing the sum of Popish Religion And it is evident that he himself in person not onely as then disputed [4] Act. Mon. pag. 530. a. 〈◊〉 b. initio but also [5] Act. Mon. pag. 533. a. circa med commanded [5] Act. Mon. pag. 533. a. circa med sentence to be pronounced against Lambert as also the Lord Cromwel read and [6] Act. Mon. pag. 533. a. pronounced that sentence and at his own death protested himself [7] Act. Mon. pag. 598. b. circa med and see Holinsheads Chronicle pag. 591. to dye in the Catholick faith not doubting in any Article of faith or Sacrament of the Church though saith he many have slandered me to the contrary And yet he is commended by M. Fox to dye as [8] Act. Mon. pag. 598. b. post med a valiant Souldier and Captain of Christ As also the Church under the reign of King Henry the eighth is by M. Fulk affirmed to be a true [9] M. Fulk against Hâ—â—kitâ—s Sanders c. pag. 564. sect 80 82. Church and the King himself acknowledged in like manner for [10] Fulk ubi supra sect 82. and se D. Humfrey in jesuitismi part 2. rat 3. pag. 304. circa med a member of the Catholick Church of Christ In like sort [11] Osiander cent 12. pag. 309. post med S. Bernard lived some 400 years since as M. Jewel confesseth even [12] Jewel in his defence of the Apology printed 1571. pag. 557. paulò ante med and see Whitaker contra Duraeum l. 2. pag. 154. ante med in the midst of the Popes rout and tyrannie And as we find he was not troubled or gainsaid so much as in any one Article different from the doctrine of the Roman Church at that time so we find confessed to the contrary that he acknowledged even the [13] Bernard l. 2. de considerat 2d Eugenium vide Epist 125. 131. epist 190. ad Innocentium and see this confessed by M. Fulk against the Rhemish Testament in Luc. 22. sect 11. fol. 133. b. post initium and by M. Whitaker l. 2. contra Duraeum pag. 154 ante med Popes
M. Perkins in his works printed 1605. fol. 585. o. post med affirmeth that Parents believe for themselves and their Children and that the Child by the Parents faith hath title to the Covenant and fol. 585. b. initio it is said that Infants are Gods children not by vertue of their birth but by means of their Parents faith are for that cause to be baptized and that therefore the Children of Jews Turks and such like professed Infidels [u] In the Propositions and Principles c. ubi supra sect 8. pag. 179. and M. Whitaker contra Duraeum l. 8. pag. 679. fine saith Infidelium liberos ut Turcarum Judaeorum Ethnicorum Calvinus meritò verè negat esse baptizandos and the like is taught by Kimedoncius in his redemption of mankind l. 2. cap. 15. pag. 167. fine and see M. D. Some in his defence against Penry and resutation c. pag. 150. are not to be baptized as not being comprehended within the Covenant by reason that their Parents do not believe All this yet notwithstanding they profess [x] Taught by M. Whitgift in his defence c. pag. 623. ante med by M. Hooker in his Ecclesiastical Policy l. 3. sect 1. pag. 131. by D. Some ubi supra pag. 149 150. and in the foresaid Propositions and Principles c. pag. 179. sect 9. it is said by the Divines of Geneva We are of mind that the Children of Papists may be received into Baptism to teach and practice their baptizing of Infants born of Catholick or as they tearm Popish Parents not saith M. Hooker in regard of [y] M. Hooker ubi supra Gods promise which reacheth unto a thousand generations for by this reason the Children of Turks and as M. Hooker saith [z] M. Hooker ibidem all the world may be baptized insomuch as no man is a thousand descents from Adam but their said baptizing of them is according to the other premisses of their Doctrine by themselves practised and holden good though as M. D. Some affirmeth to [a] M. Some in his foresaid defence c. cap. 22. pag. 165 167. Penry they were the Children of Popish West Indians whose other former Ancestors never knew the Christian faith And though saith he those West-Indians [b] M. Some ibid. pag. 167 were baptized by Popish Shavelings yet they received true Baptism and were ingrafted into Christ and for this reason because there is a Church in Popery For saith he [c] M. Some ibid. pag. 149. post med And Amandus Polanus in partit Theolog. pag. 305. post med saith Hodierna Ecclesia Romana est adhuc Ecclesia Christi sed omnium impurissima c. alicquin ii qui in Papatu sunt Baptizati extra Ecclesiam Christi ac proinde nec baptismo Christi fuissent baptizati c. if there were no Church at all in Popery then the Infants of Papists were not to be baptized in any reformed Church By which premisses of their confessed practice it appeareth First that the Children of Catholick or Popish Parents are to be baptized Secondly as being comprehended within the Covenant of eternal life Lastly and that by reason of their Parents faith So evidently in their Doctrine and practice is the faith of the Catholick or Popish Parent holden for available to his Child And shall it then be thought damnable to himself or holden worthy to be yet further persecuted by our so implacable and unrelenting Adversaries 4. This foresaid Truth is further proved by Brereley tract 2. cap. 2. sect 14. saying That the more sober and learned Protestants whom headstrong and inconsiderate zeal hath not altogether blinded for the preservation of Christs Church in Being which according to [r] M. Whitaker against M. Reynolds in his answer to the Preface pag. 33. saith We believe to the comfort of our souls that Christs Church hath continued and never shall fail so long as the world endureth And we account it a prophane heresie to teach otherwise And the same is yet further affirmed by Fulk in the Tower disput with Edm. Camp the 2. daies conference And also by the Confessions of Belgia in the Harmony of Confessions pag. 321. and by the Confession of Helvetia ibid. pag. 306. by the Confession of Saxony ibid. pag. 324 325. 473. Insomuch as the Divines of Wittemberg in Colloquio Badensi apud Osiandrum in epitom c. cent 16. pag. 1064. ante med say Ecclesiam inde ab ascensione usque ad haec tempora nunquam interruptam sed perpetua successione in terris permansisse firmiter credimus And ibid. pag. 1065. post med it is said Contra omnes furores Satanae Ecclesia vera in terris usque adventum Christi ad extremum judicium est mansura all opinions must evermore continue without failing or ceasing to be not so much as for any one moment of time do acknowledge as well that their own Succession Calling and Ministry is and hath been for former times †Apud Brereley tract 2. c. 2. sect 6. post med in the margent at * next before d. M. Bridges in his defence of the government c. pag. 1276. post med resteth so wholly upon the calling conferred to their Protestant Ministers from and under our Catholick Church that saith he of our Catholick Bishops and their calling If our Brethren will make them but meer Laymen then are neither they nor we any Ministers at all but meer Laymen also For who ordained us Ministers but such Ministers as were either themselves of their Ministry or at least were made Ministers of those Ministers except they will say the people can make Ministers c. See hereof further in Brereley ibid. at g. h. preserved in and by the onely succession and calling continued in our Catholick Church as also that the true Church immediatly before Luthers time had its * Luc. Osiander in epitom hist Eccl. cent 16. part altera pag. 1073. in fine saith Ecclesia quae sub Papatu fuit eo tempore quo Lutherus natus est suit Ecclesia Christi c. Ideoque qui sub Papatu ad ministerium Ecclesiasticum fuerunt ordinati ut Lutherus multi alii Evangelici Doctores revera habuerunt legitimam ordinationem being in our Catholick Church To this end M. D. Field saith †M. D. Field in his Treatise of the Church l. 3. c. 6. pag. 72. ante med Where some demand of us where our Church was before Luther began We say it was where now it is if they ask us which Church we answer it was the known and apparent Church in the world wherein all our Ancestors lived and dyed wherein Luther and the rest were baptized received their Ordinance and power of Ministry And our other learned Adversaries do accordingly teach that like as Luther himself before his preaching against the Pope was an (t) Sleydan l. 1. initio Augustine Friar and as himself saith (u) Luther
in his Commentary upon the Epistle to the Galatians englished fol. 35. circa med kept chastity poverty and obedience was onely given to fasting watching praying saying of Mass and such like and (x) Luther ibid. fol. 35. a. circa med honoured the Pope of meer conscience c. and was so thereby most undoubtedly a professed member of our Catholick or as they tearm it Popish Church So likewise upon his pretended reformation or preaching afterward against the Pope he did not say they thereby (y) M. D. Covel in his defence of M. Hooker Art 11. pag. 73. post med saith As it is strange for any man to deny them of Rome to be of the Church so I cannot but wonder that they of Rome will ask where our Church was before Luther as if any were of opinion that Luther did erect a new Church c. And see the like saying in M. Hooker in his Ecclesiastical Policy l. 3. pag. 129. post med erect a new Church then before not in being for that were most directly against themselves and therefore did not depart from the Church he was of before but continued still a member thereof Which thing both M. Hooker and M. D. Covel speaking thereof do very plainly (z) M. Hooker l. 3. pag. 130. M. D. Covel in his defence of M. Hooker pag. 68. say We gladly acknowledge them of Rome to be of the Family of Jesus Christ therefore we hope that to reform our selves is not to sever our selves from the Church we were of before In the Church we were and are so still as also we say that they of Rome notwithstanding their manifold defects are to be held a part of the House of God a limb of the visible Church of Christ acknowledge to the great (a) In the Christian Letter of certain English Protestants unto that Reverend man M. Hooker pag. 18 19. they reprove at large M. Hooker for this opinion of not severing themselves from the Church they were of before dislike of the Puritans as also M. Bunny prosecuteth the same more at large affirming therefore (b) M. Bunny in his Treatise tending to Pacification sect 18. pag. 108. paulò post med that of departing from the Church there ought to be no question at all among us (c) Ibidem pag. 113. post med We are saith he no several Church from them nor they from us and therefore there is no departing at all out of the Church for any to depart from them to us nor from us to them all the difference between us is concerning the truer members whether we or they may be found more worthy of that account As for the other we allow no such question Insomuch as he doubteth not to say (d) Ibidem pag. 109. circa med It was evil done of them who first urged such a separation confessing further our great (e) Ibidem sect 15. pag. 92. circa med he saith of this separation Our Adversaries see themselves to have advantage if they can win us to acknowledge it advantage given thereby which our advantage he afterwards very plainly to this purpose expresseth to be (f) Ibid. pag. 96. circa med For that saith he it is great probability with them that so we make our selves answerable for to find out a distinct and several Church from them which continued from the Apostles age to this present else that needs we must acknowledge that our Church is sprung up of late or since theirs And hence perhaps it is that their learned writers to the better enabling of our Church to be howsoever according to their opinion in part erroneous yet withall a true Church doubt not to affirm of the sundry points of our Catholick faith in particular that they are though in their opinion errours yet not †To give some few and chief examples hereof First M. Perkins in his exposition of the Creed pag. 402. saith A weakning errour is that the holding whereof doth not overturn any point in the foundation of salvation as the errour of Free will and sundry such like M. Cartwright in his reply pag. 14. sect 1 2 and in M. Whitgists defence pag. 82. post med affirmeth the like indifferency of the doctrines of Free-will Prayer for the dead and a number of other as necessary doctrines wherein saith he men being mis-led have notwithstanding been saved And a little there before he further saith If you mean by matters of faith and necessary to salvation those without which a man cannot be saved then the doctrine which teacheth there is no Free-will or Prayer for the Dead is not within your compass For I doubt not but divers Fathers of the Greek Church who were great Patrons of Free-will are saved And the like is yet further affirmed of Prayer for the Dead by John Frith Act. Mon. pag. 501. by M. Fulk in his Confut. of Purgatory pag. 336. ante med and by M. Penry in his Book entituled M. Some laid open in his colours pag. 99. Secondly M. Spark in his answer to M. John d'Abbines pag. 382. ante med discoursing of the honouring of Saints Reliques and Prayer for the Dead saith thereof to his Adversary We are not so hasty to pronounce sentence of condemnation of any for such errours for you know well enough that we make not these matters such as that either we think that all must be saved that hold the one way or all condemned that hold the other As touching invocation of Saints M. D. Goade and Fulk do in the disputation had in the Tower with Edm. Campian the 2. daies conference Arg. 8. R. 11. R. 111. affirm thereof that it doth not exclude from being members of the Church c. Thirdly concerning the Real Presence Jacobus Acontius in lib. 3. Stratagematum Satanae pag. 135. paulò ante med saith It is evident concerning as well those who hold the Real Presence of Christs body in the bread as those others which deny it that although of necessity the one part do erre yet both are in way of salvation if in other things they be obedient to God And M. D. Reynolds in his 5. Conclusion annexed to his Conference c. pag. 722. affirmeth the Real Presence to be as it were the grudging of a little ague if otherwise the party hold the Christian faith And John Frith Act. Mon. pag. 503. a. fine saith hereof The matter touching the substance of the Sacrament bindeth no man of necessity to salvation or damnation whether he believe it or not And see Luthers like judgement of Transubstantiation in magna Confessione cited by Amandus Polanus in his Sylog Thesium Theologicarum pag. 464. initio and in the Book entituled Orthodoxus consensus printed Tiguri 1578. in folio fol. 12. b. initio Fourthly as concerning the receiving under one or both kinds Luther in epistola ad Bohemos saith thereof Quamvis pulchrum quidem esset utraque specie in Eucharistia uti Christus hac
losses in all kinds which if we did undergoe for externall profession of that Faith which we doe not inwardly believe to be true we should deserve rather to be begged for fools then persecuted for our Religion In the mean time every Catholick hath this comfort that he is safe even by the confession of an Adversary if he be not a foolish dissembler which would be cause of damnation in a Protestant or any other Even the profession of a truth believed to be false is a sin But I return to say it were impossible for any Roman Catholick to be safe upon what condition soever if we erre in any one Fundamentall Article of Faith 7. With D. Potter agreeth M. William Chillingworth in his book intituled The Religion of Protestants a safe way to salvation For whereas Charity Mantained part 1. pag. 15. n. 13. saith Since D. Potter will be forced to grant that there can be assigned no visible true Church of Christ distinct from the Church of Rome and such Churches as agreed with her when Luther first appeared I desire him to declare whether it doth not follow that she hath not erred Fundamentally because every such errour destroyes the nature and being of a Church and so our Saviour Christ should have had no visibly Church on earth To these words which he thought fit to set down very imperfectly he answers pag. 16. n. 20. in this manner I say in our sense of the word Fundamentall it does follow For if it be true that there was then no Church distinct from the Roman then it must be either because there was no Church at all which we deny or because the Roman Church was the whole Church which we also deny Or because she was part of the whole which we grant And if she were a true part of the Church then she retained those truths which were simply necessary to salvation and held no errours which were inevitably and unpardonably destructive of it For this is precisely necessary to constitute any man or any Church a member of the Church Catholick In our sense therefore of the word Fundamentall I hope she erred not Fundamentally But in your sense of the word I fear she did That is she held some thing to be Divine Revelation which was not something not to be which was He hath spoken so clearly and fully in favour of the Roman Church and not only affirmed but proved that she did not erre in any Fundamentall Point that I need not say one word to ponder his words or declare the force of them Pag. 7. n. 3. He expresly approves the saying of D. Potter That both sides by the confession of both sides agree in more Points than are simply and indispensably necessary to salvation and differ only in such as are not precisely necessary Therefore doe we inferr Catholicks believe all that is precisely necessary to salvation and more But we never yield so much to you Protestants Pag. 85. n. 89. He confesseth the Roman Church to be a part of the Catholick Church and pag. 16. n. 20. he saith If she were a true part of the Church then she retained those truths which were simply necessary to salvation and held no errours which were unevitably and unpardonably destructive of it For this is precisely necessary to constitute any man or any Church a member of the Church Catholick Pag. 163. n. 56. He saith From Scripture we collect our hope that the Truths she The Roman Church retains and the practise of them may prove an Antidote to her against the errours which she maintaines in such persons as in simplicity of heart follow this Absalon These points of Christianity which have in them the nature of Antidotes against the poyson of all sins and errours the Church of Rome though otherwise much corrupted still retains therefore we hope she erreth not Fundamentally but still remaines a part of the Church But this can be no warrant to us to think with her in all things Seeing the very same Scripture which puts us in hope she erres not Fundamentally mark how he professeth to learn out of Scripture that we erre not Fundamentally assures us that in many things and those of great moment she errs very grievously And these errors though to them that believe them we hope they will not be pernicious yet the professing of them against Conscience could not but bring us certain damnation Therefore the Points in which we differ from Protestants being acknowledged not to be Fundamental and in other Points professing nothing against our conscience we are safe by his own confession If we did not believe as we professe we were no Roman Catholicks In the same place he saith expresly De facto we hope the Roman Church does not erre in Fundamentalls Yea he saith line 33. Perhaps she does not erre damnably the contrary whereof he affirmes so often His example of Absalon was very ill applied to the Roman Church which did not rebell from Protestants but they against the whole Church the Mother of all Christians more sacrilegiously than Absalon behaved himself wickedly toward his Father Pag. 404. n. 29. He approves Dr. Potters saying pag. 79 which I cited above that the Roman Religion is safe that is not damnable to some such as believe what they profess And in the same place he saith Wee may hope that she retains those Truths which are simply absolutely and indispensably necessary to Salvation Pag. 401. n. 7. VVe approve those fundamental and simply necessary Truths which you retain by which some good souls among you may be saved but abhor your many superstitions and Heresies The Truths you retain are good and as we hope sufficient to bring good ignorant souls among you to salvation yet are not to be sought for in the Conventicle of Papists If any Soul may be saved in our Religion It is clear we hold not any fundamental Error with which no soul can be saved Pag. 277. n. 61. he saith The simple defect of some Truths profitable only and not simply necessary may consist with salvation Seeing therefore he hath so often confessed that we erre not in fundamental points our Errors in some Truths profitable only and not fundamental may consist with salvation How then doth he say to Catholicks pag. 401. n. 27. As for our freeing you from damnable Heresie and yielding you salvation neither he Dr. Potter nor any other Protestant is guilty of it Pag. 219. n. 50. Speaking of Protestants he saith They do not differ at all in matters of Faith if you take the word in the highest sense and meanby matters of Faith such Doctrines as are necessary to salvation to be believed or not to be believed Now you know well that in points of greatest moment which Catholicks believe against some Protestants other Protestants stand for us against their pretended Brethren And therefore he must either say that we believe all such Doctrines as are absolutely necessary to salvation or
the New Grace conferred by imposition of hands in the Sacrament of Confirmation Also in the sacrament of Order Deaconship a distinct order from Priesthood and a step unto it n. 41 2 3 4 5 p. 325. Extraordinary calling is ceased n. 46. p. 327. An indelibel Character imprinted by some sacraments n. 47. p. 328. Baptism by Lay persons and women in case of necessity n. 48. p. 328. The known intention of the Church needfull to administer Sacraments n. 49. p. 328 9. Seven Sacraments n. 50. p. 329. Implicit Faith n. 51. p. 329 30. Usury unlawfull n. 52. p. 330. Antichrist not yet come n. 53. p. 331 Distinct degrees of Angells Angells Protectors of several Countries By Michael the Arch-Angell is not meant Christ n. 54 5 6. p. 331 2 3. Sunday for our Sabboth is unalterable and an Apostollicall Tradition n. 57 8. p. 333 4. Get Fasts and Abstinence from certain meats for spirituall motives n. 59. p. 334 5. Vows not obrogated n. 60. p. 335 6. Fasting Chastity giving ones Goods for pious uses and Vlountary poverty are more pleasing to God than their contraries n 61. p. 336 7. Who hath the gift of Continency may lawflly marry or refrain n. 62. p. 337 8. The sin against the Holy Ghost is onely final impenitence n. 63. p 338. One Text of Scripture may have divers under standings n. 64. p. 339. Ecclesiasticall persons equal in Order unequal in Jurisdiction n. 65. p. 339 40. The whole truc Church cannot erre n. 66. p. 340 1. Scripture without external judgement cannot end Controversies n. 67. p. 341 2. The Church Government is monarchical n. 68. p. 342 3. Children have not vertual Faith n. 69. p. 343 4. Sacred Books onely determined by the Churches Tradition n. 70. p. 344. The Church of Rome is part of the Church of God n. 71. p. 344 5 6. One Primate over the Church in all Nations n. 72. p. 346. Unwritten Tradition must be observed n. 73. p. 146 7 8. Equivocation n. 74. p. 348 9 50 1 2. Use of the sign of the Cross n. 75. p. 352 3. Many other added n. 76. p. 353. Most points in which we disagree from them held by some or other of their chiefe men indifferent matters n. 77. p. 3â—3 4. Protestants to continue a Succession alledge such as hold against them n. 78. p. 354. c. They cannot with consequence deny the Roman Church to be infallible n. 97. p. 376 7. They judge the Faith of Catholikes saving c. 5 p. 437. per totam Protestants clear testimonies that the Catholike Faith is saving c. 5. n. 1. Many confessed by them to be true Saints yet rigid Roman Catholikes n. 2. t. m. They allow that Infants baptised are saved by the Faith of their Catholike parents which then must needs be saving in the Parents themselves n. 3. t. m. That our Church is a true Church one with theirs not differing in Fundamentalls both good and saving and onely controverted which is the better n. 4. Divers Protestants drew from Luther's Life and Doctrine that Lewdnes was an Evangelicall Institution and serious Christian Discipline a new Popery c. 1. n. 1. Pultrot strangely taken after he had by Beza's counsell and encouragement murdered the Duke of Guise n. 49. R THE Reall Presence in the blessed Sacrament confirmed by Miracle c. 4. n. 1. Reliques acknowledged by the holy Fathers c. 2. n. 12. Confirmed by Miracles c. 4. n. 2. Rome acknowledged by Protestants to be the Seat of and fittest for the Primate of the Church c. 2. n. 10. t. m. And the Bishop of it to have exercised what now he doth for the first 500 years p. 213 14 c. And the Church to be uniform and constant in its Doctrine n. 20. They cannot fancy it to be infallible c. 3. n. 97 It is evidently shewed to be sigularly protected by the Holy Ghost c. 5. p. 450 1 2 3. S WHat is confessed by Protestants concerning Sacraments vide Protestants and c. 2. n. 13. Of the sacrifice of the Altar c. 2. n. 3. t. m. The Antiquity of it p. 196. t. m. see more n. 17. and c. 3. n. 89. t. m. It is offered for the dead p. 368 t. m. Prayer to Saints impugned by the Divell c. 1. n. 7. Held by the holy Fathers and they reproached for it by the Protestants c. 2. n. 7. Scriptures manifold and corrupted translations c. 1. n. 28. to 33. inclusivè which forced Luther to confesse that the Conncills must be received again n. 34. The vulgar Translation preferred by Protestants before all other n. 34. What Scriptures are Canonicall must be learnt from the Church c. 2. n. 12. t. m. Liberty of reading Scriptures confessed by Protestants to be the cause of so many Heresies c. 1. n. 29. Siricius Pope was not the first that made the Decrees of Priests Chastity c. 2. n. 2. Socrates his false relation of Paphnutius His hereticall writing of the celebration of Easter and of other things p. 189 90. Sorrow necessary for remission of sins c. 3. n. 102. Mr. Sparkes excuse of Beza's liconciousness refuted c. 1. n. 48. Sutcliffs impertinent and false interpretation of Luther's Conferrence with the Divell c. 1. n. 7. He falsly sayd that Innocentius the third was the first that brought in Transubstantiation c. 2. n. 16. T ONes testimonie against himself is most strong c. 3. n. 106. Tindall and Teuxbury Fox's Martyrs held Good Works hurtfull to salvation That all Christs works did not deserve Heaven That God is no more pleased with one work than with another c. 1. n. 19. t. m. Traditions c. 2. from n. 12. to 16. inclufivè whence it is concluded that those of which no certain beginning is known were introduced by the Apostles Transubstantiation not first brought in by Innocentius the third n. 16. But held as Protestants confesse by most antient Fathers n. 2. t. m. The Antiquity of it n. 16. t. m. V VOws acknowledged by Protestants to be held by antient holy Fathers lawfull and obligatory c. 2. n. 1. By the first Faith 1 Tim 4. is understood by holy Fathers the Vow of continency p. 172 3. W WAldo and Waldenses no Protestants They pretended an Order of begging Friars but could get no confirmation Some of their Tenets c. 3. n. 79. Water to be mingled with Wine in the Consecration of the Eucharist c. 2. n. 2. t. m. Wicliff no Protestant his and his Disciples habit c. 3. n. 80. Whitaker's impudent justification of Calvin's branding c. 1. n. 37. His false imputation upon Pope Siricius c. 1. n. 2. t. m. He condemns the antient Fathers for holding that Antichrist is one single person n. 3. t. m. He falsly saies that Innocencius the third began Transubstantiation n. 16. His impudent provocation to the first 600. years n. 22. Continent Widdows the Sanctuary of God n. 1. Mr. Wotton falsifies St. Ignatius n. 6. m. X ST Xaverius his miracles in the Indies and the incorruption of his body acknowledged by Protestants c. 4. n. 3. Xenaias the first opposer of Images c. 2. n. 12. t. m. Z ZOzomenus followed Socrates in his false report of Paphnutius and is affirmed by St. Gregory to have lyed much in his Writings c. 2. n. 2. Of Zuinglius c. 1. from n. 22. to n. 39. To cloak his acknowledged incontinency he affirms that St. Paul found no other cause of Marriage but to sattisfie Lust n. 22. He was taught in a dream which Hospinian calls a Revelation to impugne the Masse n. 23. t. m. He taxes Luther for contradicting himself to temporise n. 24. m. Himself did shamfully the same but saies he Invenite Domino p. 80 1. He calls Gods promise of reward Hyperbolicall p. 81. Original sinn no sinn but a Disease which deserves not Damnation n. 25. t. m. and is reproved for it by his Brethren p. 82. t. m. He teacheth that Heathens never beleiving in Christ are saved if they have a pious mind For this also his Brethren reprove him n. 26. t. m. That neither St. Paul or any of the Apostles thought their own Writings Canonicall or could think so but with extream Arrogancy n. 27 Wheresoever be finds in Scripture This is my Body This is my Blood for is he puts signifies for which Schlusselburg reprehends him p. 84 5. He saies that to God who is bound by no Law 't is an honor to move to sinn but in man who is bound by Law it is a sinn n. 35. That Civill Magistrates opposing his Doctrine must be resisted by the Sword and deposed n. 36. Armed in this quarrell he was killed and died as Protestants affirm a Child of Hell n. 36. t. m. FINIS ERRATA PAg. 22. Line 18. in the text read Charke p. 25. l. ult t. r. Charke p. 30. l. 28. t. r. est p. 72. l. 26. t. r. lecto p. 94. l. 18. t. r. Parker p. 158. l. 31. t. r. graves p. 159. l. 13. t. r. vocasse p. 162. l. 9. t. r. mulierem p. 102. l. 11. t. r. cohabitante p. 200. l. 26. t. r. Apostolos p. 221. l. 31. m. r. Archiepiscope p. 222. l. 36. m. r. latere p 231. l. 2. m. r. Eusebius p. 257. l. 16. m. r. constat p. 273. l. 29. t. r. to p. 276. l. 29. m. r. negare p. 346. l. 21. t. r. a divers p. 349. l. 26. t. r. nomine p. 350. l. 24. t. dele not p. 352. l. 24. t. r. cubitum p. 360. l. 6. t. r. no. p. 375. l. 24. t. r. is p. 367. l. ult m. r. for p. 368. l. 35. m. Annuas p. 389. l. 31. t. adde next to the word error to free her from actuall sinn if c.