through swiftenesse of opinioÌ„ doe affirme her to be such a Church as cann by no meanes goe astray and whatsoeuer this Church doth denouÌ„ce and commaunde the same they doe most greedely catche after with the whole bente of their fayth and defende it with tooth and nayle Out of this sincke were plumped at the first mens traditions and sundry preiudiciall opinions as certein vnreproueable determinations they call them Vnwritten Verities which by leysure they do coÌ„ferre with the Scriptures but in such sorte that whatsoeuer shall seeme to serue for their purpose they Canonize the same as inuiolable but if ought be founde contrary to their expectation then either they submitt it to the IudgemeÌ„t of the Church or with violent wrestyng do racke the same to colour their suggestions And hereof sprang all that Darnell and Cockell of errours and dissensions bycause many men did fashion their fayth after this frameshapen chaungelyng and not after the simple conduct of the word In which Church when they perceaued those and such other doctrines to be embraced as these to witte that the Romish See ought to be supreme Empresse ouer all other Churches that Purgatory must be beleeued That Pardons were necessary that vowes made to remayne vnmaried were meritorious That Mounckery and cowled profession hadd a certein wonderfull perfectioÌ„ That Images ought to be worshipped Sainctes prayed vnto and that the Grace and deseruynges of Iesu Christ could not of it selfe suffice to the attaynement of Saluation That no man could obteyne righteousnes through fayth without workes That Christ him selfe flesh bloud and bones was conteined and sacrificed in the Masse vnder bare accidentes That lay persons should be denied the vse of readyng the Scriptures participatyng the cuppe of the Lord. All these and many other like drugges though they neuer could finde in the liuely wellsprynges of holy Scriptures yet bycause they perceaue them to be shryned in the Decrees and Decretalles of Rome they doe constauntly beleeue that they must be of as autentique aucthoritie as if they were so many Oracles letteÌ„ downe from heauen Hereby cometh to passe that vnder the vysour of the Churche sondry deformed byshapes of doctrine are fostered vpp in the Church and vnder the pretence of Christ the true Gospell of Christ is in no small daunger to be vtterly defaced So that the lamentable complaynte vttered by Chrisostome could neuer so aptly be applyed as to this our Age Many doe walke sayth he vnder the name of Christians but very fewe in the trueth of Christ. But bycause we haue debated these matters with Osorius hereafter at large I will not deteigne your Royall Maiestie with any further Register thereof It remayneth that we make humble intercession to almightie God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ that of his immeasurable mearcy and loue wherewith he disdayned not to disclose him selfe vnto mankynde by his Sonne he will vouchsafe to beautifie and establishe and with his mighty power and outstretched arme to defende and make permanent from all errours and bloudy bootchery the true light of his holy Gospell the bright beames whereof hath allready enlightened the earth We beseeche him likewise that by the Trompett and dewe administration of his Gospell the kyngdome of darkenesse may dayly more and more be subuerted and the Church and kyngdome of his Sonne Iesu Christ may be dispersed abroad ouer the face of all the earth and preached thorough our all Nations and tounges Lastly we pray that he will endue all Christian Kynges and Princes beyng sett in aucthority and especially the puissaunt and victorious Sebastian Kyng of Portingall with all Princely ornamentes to enriche him with all perfect and absolute clemency in vertue and true godlynesse and to enlighten him with the knowledge of his glorious countenaunce and establishe his throne to the settyng forth of his glory and aduauncement of his Church through the merites of the same our Lord Iesus Christ who graunt you in this world millions of his grace and in the world to come lyfe euerlastyng Amen ¶ Faultes escaped in them printyng with correction of the same Wherein note that the figures direct to the Foland and A. B. to the first and second Page FOl. 3. b. President Presidentes ibidem is verified which is verified 15. b. lyfe hereof lyke hereof 15. b. groundewordes groundeworkes 16. a. endyng enduyng 23. b. iugglyng ianglyng 4.2 a. you say lay you 43. b. can vvith can not with 46 b. slaunder slaunderer 56. b. in a by a. 61. a. knowen an vnknowen ibidem to the of the. 66. b. was no litle was litle 96. b. with which 97. a. pitie pictie .105 a. of him in him .106 b. ofter after 10â— b. that may that we may .111 b. excludeth excluded .112 a. in other in an other 114 b Sophistically a Sophisticall lye ibidem rather of the rather the .116 a. of a. for a .117 a. requireth required .118 a. geauen be geauen .122 b. they do they that do ibidem the sentence these sentences .130 b. not one no not one .135 b. obiect obiecteth .136 a. of Luthers owne workes he alledgeth Luthers owne wordes .136 b. deny denyeth .137 b. do to to do 137 b nature the nature .151 a. frameth frame .165 a. do thteach doth teach 177. a. iudged be iudged .190 a. deliuered be deliuered .195 a. to onely to the onely 208. a. eare are .231 a. is it not .237 b. may be not may not be .239 b. includeth included .258 b. finally which finally in which .259 a. not but wonder not wonder .266 a. agaynst agayne .275 a. is neither as neither .278 b. to the by the .280 a. to credite no no credite to .285 a. Minister Minster 286. a. fourth a fourth .292 a. yee he .293 b. circumuerted circumuented .300 b. agaynst agayne .303 b. passe to passe .305 a. successours predecessours .313 a. pardon pardoned .329 b. nevves nevv .336 a. same the same ibidem yea yee .357 b. Romeo Rome do .360 b. this these .373 b. dot do not .379 a. hundred hyndred .392 a. by be .426 b. proued prouided .430 a. our your .437 a. sword word .446 a. seduced enduced .446 b. I he it he .462 b. this these 504. b. herefore there hereof therefore To the godly Reader Walter Haddon sendeth greetyng in our Lord Iesu Christ A Few yeares past a certeine Portingall named Ierome Osorius wrate a tedious Epistle to the Queenes Maiestic In the which he imagined many monstruous errours to bee frequented in our church with reprochful rayling most vnreuerently depraued the professours of the Gospel This publicke quarell against my nature countrey troubled me not a litle To some particular pointes wherof I thought good to aunswere although not to all in generall Partly bycause I wated tyme thereunto partly bycause I supposed that Osorius was deluded by some malicious report of our aduersaries therefore I hoped the man would haue bene somewhat satisfied with myne aunswere There passed ouer one yearâ—
Peter particularly yea and in earnest will you vrge and defende stoutly the very same senteÌ„ce wherein Mathew Iohn by manifest proofe do coÌ„uince you who expresly do protest that the very same power of byndyng and loosing was geuen by our Sauiour Christ to the other Apostles in generall what will you not dare to do in the darcke good Syr that practize to defraude vs of the cleare shynyng sunne how will you peruert and wrest the fathers that will so craftely iuggle with the expresse wordes of the Scriptures truely you must either bewray your pestilent â—eger de mayne in this place or confesse your grosse errour Your thyrd place is this I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth saynte not and thou beyng at last conuerted confirme thy brethren And what hereof Can any man bee so witlesse to say that those wordes of our Sauiour Christ were not aswell spoken to the rest of the Apostles as to Peter by name I will therfore first scanne the wordes of the Euangelist in order that they may be more apparaunt But you are they which haue perseuered with me in all my temptations And I do prouide for you euen as my Father hath prouided for me a kingdome that you may eate and drinke at my table in my kingdome and may sit on seates iudging the xij Tribes of Israell And the Lord sayd Symon Symon behold Sathan hath desired to sist you as wheate but I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth faint not and thou at length being coÌ„uerted confirme thy brethren In this parcell of Scripture is nothyng particular to Peter but the same is common to all the Apostles That they perseuered with Christ was common to them all The reward likewise is common to them all videl to sit at the heauenly table Agayne the thyrd parcell had relation to them all Symon Symon Sathan hath desired to sift you as wheate Sithence the whole processe of the Text therfore was referred to them all by what Argument may it be applyed vnto Peter onely Namely sithence our Lord Iesus goyng a whiles after suffer death and makyng preparation for his Ascention into heauen poured out most earnest prayers vnto his Father with a long and vehement repetition of wordes not for Peter particularly but for all the rest of the Apostles in generall whiche last and generall prayer of Christ to the Father who so aduisedly considereth shall easely conceaue that our Lord Iesu Christ made not intercession for Peters faith alone but for all the rest of the Apostles And hereof will also maruell much how great learned Clarkes dayly exercised in the Scriptures can Iudge therof otherwise Truly the most notable of the auncient Fathers do constantly affirme that the very same sentences wherewith Supremacie is challenged vnto Peter are commoÌ„ to all the other Apostles together with Peter And this haue I most manifestly proued by the selfe same places which your selfe vouched And albeit we passe ouer all these geue eare to the holy Ghost speakyng vnto vs by the mouth of the sacred Scriptures yet all this Monarchie of Peter which you do so exquisitely aduaunce aboue the Moone and the seuen Starres shal be founde to haue bene vsurped by the inordinate ambition of Byshops of Rome and not by any authoritie grosided vpon the doctrine of the auncient Apostolicke Church I will begyn with our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ who hauyng spoken these wordes Thou art Peter c immediately after calleth Peter Sathan and commaunded him to departe from him bycause hee knew not the thynges that apparteined vnto God How did Christ then I beseéch you erect the supremacie of his Church in the person of Peter whom immediately almost with one breath he rebuked bytterly by that most execrable name of Sathan and that not without cause for hee dissuaded him from goyng to Ierusalem Moreouer if Christ made intercession to the Father for Peter onely that his fayth should not faynt how came it to passe that within a few dayes after Peter onely with open mouth denyed forsware Christ his Lord and Maister But I doe much miscontentedly make mention of the fall of so notable an Apostle whoÌ„ I do acknowledge the most excellent amongest the famous Apostles Onely this I would to be knowen that he was ordeined to no seuerall supremacie in the Churche of Christ by any authoritie of the Scriptures We haue heard Christ let vs come now a litle lower to his Apostles and namely vnto Paule who laboured in the Churche of God as hee reporteth of him selfe more then they all he therefore doth playnly and constantly affirme that he had receaued as great authoritie from Christ to be an Apostle ouer the Gentiles as Peter had ouer the Iewes and addeth further that he had conference with Iames Cephas and Iohn whom he nameth Pillers of the Church as the chief of all the rest Yet in the meane whiles hee acknowledgeth no singular prerogatiue of prheminence in Peter Nay rather he vseth great libertie of speach agaynst Peter him selfe without all respect of Principalitie or mention of dignitie But why seéke we other testimonies Peter is a good witnesse concernyng him selfe I beseech the Elders whiche are amongest you sayth heé that am also an Elder and a witnesse of the Passion of Christ and partaker of the same glorie which shal be reuealed c. Behold here the dignitie behold the Supremacy and Monarchie of this reuerend father He is an Elder amongest Elders A witnesse amongest other witnesses of the Passion of Christ partaker with the rest of the same glory to be reuealed Here is a Triple Crowne truely yea a most precious Crowne not made of goldâ— nor beset with precious stones A most honorable Ambassadour of the heauenly glory to bee reuealed not of any Temporall or earthly dominion Lastly a most Reuerend Father not in any singular Lordlynes but by especiall ordinary power of his fellow brethren Who so will throughly sift the doctrine the ordinaunces the lyfe and conuersation of the Apostles shall finde a most perfect patterne of vnchaungeable consent but shall not smell any tast no not one sparke so much of this Lordly Monarchie wherof this ghostly Prelate doth so subtlely and largely dispute Unlesse perhaps he will driue vs to friuolous gesses as to picke vp children kyckesses together As that Peter went before That hee spake oftentymes first that hee looked into Christes Sepulchre before Iohn But if we shall hunte after such gnattes The honour geueÌ„ to Iames is of more substaunce Namely when in their publicke assembly the rest of the Apostles did subscribe to the ordinaunce that he made And that other also to wit when Peter was desirous to know who should betray our Lord Sauiour Iesu Christ to the Iewes him selfe did not enquire therof but beckened to Iohn whiche did leane vpon the breast of our Lord that hee might demaunde the question But howsoeuer these
bolster out uphold this sowsie ragged rabble with stout countenauÌ„ce But it will not be you come all to late And your labour is all lost It was not without reason that I noted haw this huge heapes of Pictures were the offcombe of that vnsauory schoolekitchen Neither did I erre in notyng the certeine limitation of their whelpyng no more can you cease from your old cankred custome of cauilling scarse one minute of an houre You flée ouer to your Councell of Nice as to an inuincible bulwarke as though what soeuer a Councell doth thrust vpon vs ought to be holden of vs for inuiolable In déede your filthy vnmaryed life crawled first into the Churche after this maner So also your friuolous and Sophisticall Transubstantiation was commaunded in the begynnyng But let vs scanne this Deuine Decrée of the Councell touchyng Images which was vttered in that second Nicene CouÌ„cell vnder these wordes Images ought to be worshipped as reuereÌ„tly as God is worshipped But you will not admit this to be true I trow when as els where you are of opinion that Images and Pictures remaine to be viewed onely all worship set apart wherein neuertheles you disagrée in your selfe also For in the same place you tell vs a tale of Robinhoode alledgyng miracles withall to witte that bloud hath bene séene to gush out of Images perdy and certeine uertue of healyng hath issued froÌ„ theÌ„ And that for this cause they ought to be worshypped Hereby meanyng to proue both of the whiche a litle earst you admitted neither What grossenesse is this Osorius what ouersight what forgetfulnesse of your selfe and your owne wordes you reporte that Eusychius did behold the Images of the Apostles exquisitely paynted What hereof This was but a commendation of Paynters my good Osorius and not a prayse of Pictures Yet you notwithstaÌ„dyng as though you had made a fayre speake do affirme that it is without all coÌ„trouersie that Images were in the Apostles tyme. How or from whence doe you persuade this Osorius is this a good Argument to proue that Images were uisited in the Apostles tyme bycause without comptrollement you tell vs a smoath tale of Thomas of Inde of Eusebius and of Pope Siluester Do ye so conclude my Lord beyng an old man a Priest and a Byshop Semblable and lyke drousinesse is in you where you charge me that I did accuse your Scholemen to be the first founders of Images This is false I doe not charge them withall but I will abyde by this that this uenemous doctrine was wonderfull encreased with the corruption of this poysoned Schoole â—y wordes are as followeth When true Religion began to decay Images crept into the Churche by title and litle and that former earnest desire of pure doctrine waxed cold in mens hartes and that bastard and deformed superstitious Schoole Diuinitie vaunted it selfe at the length and immediatly all places were patched vppe with Images c. Now speake Parrotte of Portingall I pray you Did I not orderly enough distinguish the seasons of tymes By litle and litle crept Images in yea long before the péepyng of Schoolemen abroad but beyng settled in their stalles all places were stuffed with Pictures You sée their Originall before Schoolemen but the increasinges thereof in the chief reigne and sway of that brotherhoode And yet ye dare impudently affirme that I named Schoolemen to bee the very wellsprynges of Pictures And at length ye crye out What dulnesse what negligeÌ„ce when as I might more iustly haue exclaimed O forgetfull dottard O rayling scolde After that you haue long turmoyled your selfe in this gulfe sometymes treatyng of Pictures sometymes inducyng them as representations of holy personages you packe vp your trunckes and returne to your former course of exhortation wherein you persuade that bycause Images be sauory Instrumentes to enforme the vnlettered people therefore they ought bee reserued to that vse But learned and godly men will rather say that Images are daungerous Rockes of manifest Idolatry And as I will not much gaynesay that discréete men and well exercized in the Scriptures may haue in their Closettes without any perill the Image of the Crucifixe so doe I boldly pronounce that without great daunger of Idolatry Images can not be placed in Churches to the uiewe of the rude people beyng naturally incliuable to all superstition And therefore it is most necessary to abandone Images out of Churches and to instruct the people in the holy Scriptures the often hearyng and readyng wherof will make the diligent and uertuous followers to finde no want of any such paynted bables Sathan carying our Lord and Sauiour Iesus into the wildernesse willed him to fall downe and worshyp him Our Lord Iesu despising and rebukyng him sayd It is written Thou shalt worshippe the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue Ueryly when I ponder the Maiestie of these wordes throughly in my mynde and the dayly practizes of your Churches wherein so perillous and euident tokens of Image worshyp and knéelyng to Pictures is frequented my very hart panteth and trembleth within me to thinke how this expresse commaundement of God the Father and of our Lord Iesus Christ séemeth vtterly buried in obliuion with you But runne on sith it so pleaseth you and scorche your soules in the flames of Idolatry we beyng terrified with the Deuine Oracles of the sacred Scriptures haue vtterly subuerted Images and Pictures and exiled them from our Churches In like maner we passe ouer the Saintes in our prayers make intercession onely vnto God the Father and our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ and vpon them do we call onely for succour Unto whom with the holy Ghost we do confesse and professe all glory all honour all power euerlastyng eternitie to be due And to confirme this our confession to bee most pure and true the testimonies of eche Testament are plentyfull wherein we doe also follow the manifold examples of the Patriarches Apostles and Martyrs As for you there is nothyng vttered of your part sauoryng of the auncient pure founteine of the primitiue Church either in coÌ„uersation of life or profession in Religion We haue heard the voyce of our Lord Iesu Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue Certes if the onely Maiestie of God must be worshipped alone the worshipping of saintes ought in no case to be admitted theÌ„ The Euangelist Iohn begaÌ„ to worship the Angell but the Angell withstood him yelded the reason I am quoth he thy fellow seruant If we haue Angels our fellow seruaunts Osor. surely we haue no Saints to be our Aduocates There is but one Aduocate betwixt God and man The God and man Christ Iesu. If Saintes make no intercession for vs then to worship them is but vayne Semblably take worshyp away to what purpose serue Images For to gaze vpoÌ„ them auayleth litle Let the people heare the Scriptures Let them be busied therein There is Christ
For you apply your senses to the vnderstādyng of Transubstātiatiō wherby you will haue Christ to be felt to be tasted to be swallowed downe into the stomacke But I accordyng to the doctrine approued vse of the true Catholicke Apostolicke Churche doe vtterly renounce senses accidētes substaunces transformatiōs do aduisedly behold and comprehend in my mynde the Sacrament the mysterie and the Spirite You cast away the yoke of Christ and embrace the licentious outrage of the Romishe Bulles I am a poore miserable exile of Christ and his afflicted seruaunt You doe choppe and chaunge the benefites of Christ with the peéuishe trinckettes of your Schoolemen I do search for the true doctrine of Christian fayth in the most approued preachyngs of Christ his Apostles Ye do snarle at my conuersation of lyfe as if it were most wicked Wherin though you doe me a great iniurie yet ye geue your selfe a deéper wounde which in so open and manifest a lye doe put all your credite in hassarde of losse For albeit I am a miserable sinner in the sight of God yet I hope I haue so led my whole lyfe through his onely great mercy that I neéde not to feare Ierome Osorius to be myne accuser I could call to witnesse for my innocencie here in Italy Germanie and England in euery of which Regiōs I haue so behaued my selfe that hauyng testimony of all good commendable personages I may easely despise your slaunderous shameles rayling Wherfore a way with this your friuolous and insolent custome of scolding once at the last for it empaireth not the estimatiō of honest persons whiche though be vnknowen vnto you yet haue commendable report els where abroad but it rather hurteth your profession diminisheth your credite and loseth your estimation You doe prayse the Sacramēt plentifully and with many good wordes beautifie the benefites therof Wherein you doe very well for what thing vnder the heauens can be founde more prayse worthy more comfortable more honorable more precious more heauenly then this sacred Supper of the Lord whiche we not onely call by the names of Synaxim Euchariste as you doe but also bread come downe frō heauen and Angels foode Neither can you deuise to speake so fully and aboundauntly in the displaying of the excellent worthynes of this most singular sacrament but I will gladly consent with you therein You say that Cyprian was accustomed to geue this heauenly foode to Martyrs and that he would lykewise remoue from this heauenly Banquet men that were notorious for any great crime We doe acknowledge this godly vsage of Cyprian and the same do I for myne owne part Imitate as much as I may and I know not whether I haue employed any so great endeuour in any one thyng so much as that the pure and naturall honour of this Sacrament might be established and the same dayly frequented in all Churches Let my bookes bee perused let enquirie bee made of my familiars and such as I haue bene conuersaunt withall let the continuall course of my maners and lyuyng bee examined and I shal be founde of all men to haue bene a most humble and dayly folower and guest of this heauenly Supper Wherfore thē do you so immorderatly exclame agaynst me That I doe mainteyne combate agaynst the ordinaunce of Christ agaynst the doctrine of Paule agaynst the excellencie of so delicate fruites agaynst the knowen experience of that wonderfull commoditie and pleasauntnesse and agaynst the vndefiled fayth of the vniuersall Church Wherfore do you adde hereunto That I haue reprochfully abused the body and bloud of Christ and outragiously peruerted the benefite of Gods mercy Why do you knitte vp your knot at the length and say That I doe sport my selfe in these mischiefes and doe infect many persons with the poyson of this pestilēt errour God cōfounde that vnshamefast and blasphemous mouth with some horrible plague most cursed Semei whose cancred toung can finde no end nor measure in rayling I haue alwayes most reuerētly esteémed of the Euchariste as of a most precious most fruitefull sacramēt of Christes death as a most assured pledge and Seale of our redemption as a most precious treasure and mysterie of our fayth and hereunto haue I bene enduced by the ordinaunce of Christ our Sauiour by the doctrine of Paule by the iudgement of aūcient Fathers and by the discipline and receaued custome of the vniuersall Catholicke and Apostolicke Church Touchyng the doctrine therof I haue oftē tymes spoken before now therfore touchyng the Custome The same is perceaued by the dayly Custome of the Disciples which after Christ was takē vp into heauē did continually perseuere together in the doctrine of the Apostles and in participation and breakyng of bread and prayers as appeareth by these wordes Vpon a day of the Sabbaoth when the Disciples came together to breake bread c. Awake Ierome Awake you do heare the holy Ghost call it Bread and bicause you should not doubt therof you heare it agayne and ägayne yea and brokē also and this much more ye finde that the Disciples of Christ continually remayned in this holy custome And yet it was not bare Bread as you do wickedly diffame my sayinges therein but it was mysticall Bread sacred Bread finally it was the participation of the body of Christ in the same maner as the body of Christ may bee deliuered in a Sacrament by fayth and Spirite Therfore for as much as our Lord Iesus hath so instituted this Sacramēt to the euerlastyng Remēbraunce of his death passiō sithence Paule doth make mention of the sayd institution after the same maner sithence the auncient Fathers haue applied their doctrine to the same sense sithēce the primitiue Apostolicke Churche hath confirmed the same with perpetuall Custome Awake Ierome at the lēgth for shame awake if you can and rid your stomacke of that dronken Schoolesurfet of Trāsubstantiation which neither Christ did ordeine nor Paul acknowledged nor the Fathers euer thought of ne yet the Apostolique Church did euer medle withall It is a new deuised mockerie foūded first by Innocētius proclaymed by Schooleianglers scattered abroad by Sathā to the rootyng out of the true remembraunce of Christ from out our soules to the vtter ouerthrow of the power of that euerlastyng sacrifice of the crosse Lastly to the erecting of a damnable Idoll in our myndes supplying the place of Christ him selfe to be worshipped of vs. For what els meaneth this your Transubstantiated bread so much adorned with all ceremony of Religion so reuerently carried abroad so superstitiously reserued and kept in boxe lastly so blasphemously holden vp to the gaze worshypped did Christ our Sauiour do or teach euer at any tyme any of all these did Paule did the first and primitiue Church did the auncient Fathers Christ gaue Bread to his disciples Paule pronoūceth it by the name of Bread once twise thrise The Apostolicke church brake Bread
measure without end raging vpon the bodyes vpon the goodes vpon all ages indifferently young and olde men women and children and all sexe and degrees of people yea of them also which doe confesse and professe the same Christ the eternall Sonne of God whō they do why do they broyle moyle and turmoyle all thinges with such cankred Ranckor with such furious outrage with so many dead corpses pilladge polladge as that all peacible tranquillitie beyng now vtterly taken away from out of al Christian natiōs there is no part thereof be it neuer so small which is not eyther crusht downe with more cruell and sauadge persecution then any Turke would haue vsed or at least that had not rather lyue vnder the Tyranny of the Turk then vnder the Iurisdiction of such a church What can it possibly enter into anye mans thought that these are the fruites of the holyghost or are guyded to the leading and conduct of our most meeke Sauiour Iesu Christ If you haue grounded such an indefesible confidēce vpon the truth of your cause if you stand so defensible by the protection of the holyghost agaynst all assaultes and attemptes of heretiques why then with a safe conscience and vndaunted courage do ye not committe your cause to the Lord the protector of the same and rest your selues assured vnder his sauegard following herein the good and godly councell of Gamaliell If the doctrine sayth he be not of God it will easely shiner in peeces though all the world seeke to vphold it Now this so great slaughter bootchery so great horror of Sauadge brutishe crueltie so execrable Phalarisme and Tyrāny from whatsoeuer authour it raungeth so rudely it sauoreth nothyng at all of the sweéte and amyable countenaunce of the holy Ghost surely nor of the naturall lenitie and humilitie of the Euangelicall doctrine But which he addeth last of all is of all the rest most magnificēt and Triumphaunt promising assuredly of the euerlastyng victory of his Churche that it shall remayne inuincible for euer For euen thus he speaketh wherein he seémeth in my conceite to differre very litle from that foolishe reioysing of a people mentioned in the Apocalipse who worshyppyng that same very Romishe Beast vndoughtedly did ascribe vnto her that vnuanquishable power of continuaunce euen by a like phrase of speach Who is like to the Beast say they and who is able to fight agaynst her And this much hitherto of the fayth the Church of Rome It ensueth next in order that we heare henceforth of the great Uicare of Christ somewhat and of the high and chief gouernour of the Church Bycause sayth he by the Gospell and testimony of Martyrs and the fayth and agreement of all holy Fathers Is there any more yet Finally we haue knowe the same by experience and proofe of thynges c. Goe to And what is it that you did know good Syrs That it could not possibly be that the Churche should be one vnlesse it haue one chief head the same highe Vicare of Christ. It is well and what doe ye conclude vpon this strong Reason at the last Forsooth that for this cause we yelde most humble obedience to the Byshop of Rome who is Christes Vicare vpō the earth c. Good GOD what doe I heare Osorius haue you pyked such a kynde of doctrine out of the Gospell and the Recordes of the Martyrs that there must neédes be one Churche on the earth wherein also of necessitie much be such a head as must beare chief principallitie rule and superioritie ouer all the rest In deéde if you meane this of Christ I am wholy on your side For he in very truth is the onely husbād of his onely spouse and Prince of Princes and the very head of all thynges without exception he onely is the highest and greatest of all But whereas you prouide two Princes for the Churche at one tyme together as it were an office committed vnto two persons wherof the one may supply the place of the other as though the other might in the meane tyme lye vpon one side doing nothyng I pray you good honest men did you euer learne this rule in the Scriptures Nay rather doth not the Gospell of Christ whereas it cōmaundeth all men to obedience and subiection prescribe that the Ministers of the Church aboue all others chiefly should cast away all Souereigntie and Lordlynes and should be contented with pouertie in so much that amongest the Apostles them selues it would admitte to superioritie Moreouer doth not Christ him selfe also throughout the whole Euangelistes very earnestly stirre vppe his Ministers to follow his example who was him selfe so farre of from desiryng any superioritie as that he refused the same vehemētly when it was offered would he thinke you Osori like well of such brabbling as we make now a dayes amongest our selues for Lordshyps and dignities And can you so boldly now take vpon you to be Proctour for this high Monarchy to be established in your Church cōtrary to the example of Christ defendyng the title therof by the Gospell and the Recordes of Martyrs contrary to the example of Christ him selfe and the prescript rules of his Gospell and yet in the meane tyme not vouch so much as one text out of the Gospell or the Histories of the Martyrs to make your party good Although I am not ignoraunt altogether that you haue certeine Sentences and wordes in the Gospell which by wringyng wrestyng you doe accustome to force to your purpose whether the Gospell will or no yet for as much as Haddon hath sufficiently enough aūswered those places in the first booke sith also nothyng can be superadded hereto that hath not already bene spoken it shal be but neédelesse to rubbe that gall my more But what he meaneth by Martyrs or what kinde of Martyrs he vnderstandeth I can not well perceaue If his meanyng respect those first auncient Martyrs of the Primitiue Church surely we haue ouer fewe monumentes of them left vnto vs yet none at all makyng ought for that Romishe Sinagogue But if you conceaue of the Martyrs of this later age in our dayes I am well assured that not onely the monumentes but the very bloud of thē also doth long sithence cry vnto the heauēs for vengeance against that vnconquerable Ierarchy of yours I speake here of true Martyrs And as to the Fayth and agreément of holy men vnlesse ye ioyne also hereunto a perpetuall consent of places and tymes generally and the truth also withall ye shall no more preiudice our cause then if you tell me of the consent and agreément of the Iewes cryeng out agaynst Christ Crucifige Crucifige And therfore in my conceipt your shall doe farre better if in steéde of this consent of men whereupō you bragge so lustely ye follow the counsell of Augustine Let not this be heard amongest vs sayth he This say I this say you but thus sayth
agreéd vpon confirmed and published before the whole Councell after the Testimony of Rob. Gagni in hys 10. booke Whereunto Constant. Phrigio addeth further saying which I would to God fayth he had bene hitherto obserued and kept But whatsoeuer hath any smack of sounde doctrine is abolished Thus much he To this also may be annexed that which Thom. Rhedonēs a Frenchman a Carmelite Frier and a Martyr wrate hereof who because he sayd that in Rome were many abhominations and that the Church needed much reformation and the vnlawfull cursinges of the pope ought not to be feared was after many tortures burned at Rome in the tyme of this same Eugenius in the yeare 1436. out of Antonine and other partes 3. title Cap. 10. I suppose that there is no man now that doth not very playnely perceaue and see though I would surcesse here to prosequute any more how men may duely and vprightly esteéme of all this whole Seé and pontificall religion whiche seémeth for no other purpose erected but to some discorde and rayse vppe vproares and Tumultes Whereupon it seemeth so much the more straunge to me that Osorius dare be so shamelesly Impudent to obiect sectes and sedicious troubles to our Churches sithence himselfe cannot with honesty deny so many cruell and mortall diuisions of factions so many contentious Seditions and mutines to haue sprong vp and continued euen in the innermost bowells of that most sacred Seé being also of so lōg continuance and which himselfe cannot by any meanes blotte out to speake nothing in the meane time of those sectes of errors and wicked doctrine moyling and turmoyling one agaynst an other in such an vnmeasurable quantitie skattered abroad that there is skarse any one thing wherein they agreé amongst thēselues and differ from vs but that in the same they flee cleane away not from vs onely but from Christ himselfe also But to let passe these sectes and factions of the Romanistes I will tourne agayne to the obiections that do properly touche vs. For thus doth Osorius contend agaynst vs accusing the Gospell that we professe on this wise as though it yelded none other fruits but sectes troublesome cōmotiōs And thys he affirmeth commeth to passe for none other cause but because we haue shaken of the authoritie of the pope which if had neuer bene banished or if might be restored to her auncient estimation in our Churches These Tumultes either had neuer bene or els might haue easily bene pacified All which tend hereunto at the laste to witte that we should humbly submit our selues to the Bondage of the Pope for this is the pleasaunt bayte whereat Osorius would haue vs fayne to be hooked this is his whole practise and endeuour But before hee shall be able to allure vs to that he must furnishe hys hookes agayne with fresher bayte somewhat more handsomely couched For with this touchangle he may fishe a good while catch a foole at the last But go to Let vs eyther imagyne and confesse vnto him that these sectes and Diuisions of opinions do waxe somewhat rawe in many places after that this romish Authoritie is neglected what shall he winne thereby doth he surmise this to be matter sufficient to make vs forsake the Gospell of Christ and to knitt the romishe halter vpon our neckes agayne or doth he iudge it a reasonable matter because there want not some in some places that are ouer greedely geuen to sectes and deuisions that it may not therefore be lawfull for others which teache sound doctrine to professe boldly before the people the rules and order of good and honest lyfe But where hath Osorius gone to schoole for this Logick or Sophistry rather to frame an argument from that whiche is not the cause as though it were the verye cause and to conclude a meere fallaxe of the Accident for a true and a knowne matter which maner disputation if may be admitted I seé no cause to the contrary but by the same reason the Orator Tertullus might seeme to hane had as good a challenge long sithence agaynst the Apostle as this our Tullian Rhetorician doth now mayntayne agaynst the Lutheranes For in the Apostles tyme neither wāted stoare of false Apostles and false brethren dogges euill workmen Philetians Hermoginistes Simonistes and Nicholaitans neyther was there any lack of faccious Fyrebrāds amōgst the Corinthians which did practize to withdraw the Galathians from the simplicitie of the engraffed word fayning themselues to be Iewes when as in deéde they were nothing lesse After them ensued Chorinthians which denyed that Christ was come in the flesh many Antichristes Libertines Seuerianes Nouatianes Sabellianes Nepotianes Manicheans Arryans Pelagianes Cataphrigianes Donatistes And yet for all this Christiā Religiō ought neuer the worsse to be esteemed by reason of these sects troublesome faccions wherewith it was entangled what one Age of the Church was euer without some such as entruding themselues among the other godly teachers and ministers of the Church would not now and then minister much matter of discention and deuision for as one maner of wheate doth not fructifie alike in euery soyle so can there none so pregnaūt an earth be found in the which the good carefull husbandman shall sow the pure and cleane corne of the Euangelicall wheate neuer so carefully but that the same Enuious man will forthwith creépe in and throw amongst the same noysome Darnell and hurtfull weédes Neither doth the wheate cease therefore to be any more wheate because it is intermedled with Chaffe and Darnell Euen so no more hurtfull is this wilfull and ouerthwart waywardnes of cōtrary sectes to the sound doctrine of the pure truth Nay rather it could not appeare to be a true Church at all vnlesse it were assaulted now then with such kynde of Batterye If it were so that these dissentions of opinions did but nowe onely peepe abroad eyther by Luther as author or by anye hys allowance your obiection perhappes might serue to some purpose But who hath euer more earnestly or more effectually oppugned those Phanaticall faccions of opinious then Luther hath done Let not this accusation of Osorius be filed vppe amongst the other hys false reproches and lyes vnlesse all the writinges and speaches of Luther euery where yea and experience it self do Iustifie my saying to be true Who did euer more sharpely rebuke the seditious vproares of Mūster then Luth. did who did more seriously zelously confute the frantick articles and vnreasonable requests of the Boores of Germany whēas not one of all your generation opened his mouth to the contrary then Luther did who appeased and pacified their Tumultes but the Protestantes Lutheranes what writing can be of more emportaunce then that of Luther agaynst the confederates of Mūster After these sprong vpp also the secte of the Laweles which through Luthers industry trauell and wryting was by and by husht vppe the Author thereof being reclaimed And it
For this is almost the whole strength substaunce of their defence And I am not ignoraunt how plausibly this probable shew glittereth in the eyes of vnskilfull and vnlettered people For so do Philosophers define Probabilitie to be such as seémeth probable either to all men or many or at the least to wise personages But in heauenly thyngs ought a farre other maner of cōsideration be had For if we grounde our selues vpon many we are taught by Christ himselfe That many are called but few are chosen And agayne in an other place That his flocke is a very litle flocke And afterwardes he demaundeth If when the Sonne of mā shall come whether he shall finde any Faith vpō the earth Neither are those thyngs alwayes best wt delight many Agayne if we shall depend vpon the Iudgemēt of the wise we heare likewise the same Lord him selfe geuing thākes vnto his Father that he had hiddē those thinges frō the prudent and wise of this world and reuealed them to litle ones And agayne we read in Paul The wisedome of this world is very foolishnes with God And therfore where as they would haue the Church to be placed on high apparaūt to the view of all the world truly they Iudge not amysse herein namely if they meane of the preaching of the word And yet this is no good Argumēt notwithstādyng that euery Citie vaūced on highest hill shall be forthwith esteémed the true church of God or els what shall be sayd to that famous great City mētioned in the Apocalips Which was foreprophecied should be built not vpon the Toppe of on hill onely but vpon seuen hills Or what shall we Iudge of that exceédyng wondering and worshyppyng of so many Nations so reuerētly hūbled to that Beast whose marcke it is sayd that small and great young and old riche and poore freemen and bondmen yea and those in noumber not a fewe but vniuersally all shall be marked withall in their right handes and in their foreheades Uerely if common sence and consent of people do make a Church where was euer a greater consent or more well likyng and greater admiration of fautours and frendes But they say that the cōsent cōmunitie of their Church is vniuersall Catholick which may not erre by any meanes Now let vs seé how they proue it The Apostle say they in his Epistles did greatly cōmēde the fayth of the Romaine Church This is true Peter also did both consecrate the same to be a See and instruct it in the Fayth I am in dought of this But what hereof After the Apostles tyme many of the Apostles Disciples say they learned Doctours and holy Martyrs Ignatius Irenaeus Cyprian Tertulliā Augustine and all that auncient age of graue Fathers did alwayes most gloriously esteeme of this Church Is there any more yet In the tyme of Basile Nazienzene Chrisostome the Church of Rome was not onely had in highest estimation but also was diuers tymes sought vnto for counsell and ayde neither will I deny this to be true couple herewith if you will that whē other Churches were tossed and turmoyled euery where with Schismes and rent in sunder with seditious factions no one Church besides stoode so long in so quiet a calme not assaulted with any such contētious sectes or variable opiniōs which did not a litle aduaunce the estimation of the Church and gate it no small authoritie Go to and what shal be concluded at the last out of all this For sooth The Church of Rome whiles it reteigned the sounde doctrine and simplicitie of the Fayth was commended of the holy Fathers by the name of a Catholicke and an Apostolicke Church Ergo The Church of Rome is the head and Metropolitane Church of all other Churches which hath neuer hetherto swarued from the true tracke of the truth nor shall euer erre vnder the which all other Churches must be subiect of very necessitie the cōmaundement wherof is an haynous obstinacie to disobey From the which to depart is manifest Schisme agaynst the which to resist and stand is playne heresie all the cōmaundements whereof to sweare obedience vnto is the surest way of sauety moreouer also a very necessary Article of eternall Saluation You do seé I suppose the whole force and subtiltie of your Catholicke cutted Enthymeme Whereof if you will seé a right proportion it is this The Church of Rome was allowed of the holy Apostles or the most auncient Fathers and all the most approued Doctours of the Church for Catholicke and Apostolicke But our Church is the Church of Rome Ergo Our Church is approued for Catholicke and Apostolicke by the consent of all the godly First we aunswere to the Maior proposition The auncient primitiue Church of Rome was approued by the famous cōsent of the learned for Catholicke and Apostolicke Peraduenture it was so yet was not this Church of Rome accompted so alone nor yet to this end so accompted bycause it should be the vniuersall Church of all other Churches For this will forthwith be gayne sayd by the Councels of Nice Mileuitane and by Pope Gregory and all the learned Deuines of that age vntill the cōmyng of Boniface 3. Moreouer neither was it for that cause so famously commended with so great consent bycause it was the Church of Rome but bycause it was a Christian Church Neither for any prerogatiue of the place though Peter sate there a thousand tymes For euen this also will an aūcient Pope Gregory deny as appeareth euidently by the Decreés Neither the places nor the dignities do make vs more acceptable to our Creatour but either our good deedes doe couple vs vnto him or our euill deedes do exclude vs frō him Moreouer not bycause it can prescribe an ordinary Succession of Byshops For Ierome also will not admit this They be not children of holy ones forthwith sayth he that occupie the possessiō of the holy ones but they that practize the workes of the holy ones But bycause with the Succession of Byshops they did ioyne agreable profession in true Religion bycause they did apply them selues to imitate the Fayth Religion and order of worshyppyng instituted by the Apostles bycause they did not varry frō well ordered Churches in any part of sounde doctrine For this cause I say namely for their sincere vnstayned Fayth and constaunt vprightenes of Religion not defiled with filthy stenche of erroneous doctrine the Church of Rome obteined of the auncient godly Fathers to haue a place amongest the Catholicke Apostolicke Churches But what is this O ye Apostolicke Princes to this your Romish Church in the state that it is now in the disorderous order whereof as it is at this day reuelyng with Cardinalles riotyng in Court glorified with this title of Uniuersall head garnished with tripple Crowne garded with the double sword magnified with Patriarches and innumerable other titles of dignitie armed with Abbottes mounted with Mounkes saluted
to witte That the Church is a multitude of people such as is bounde to obey the Pope of Rome seuered from other Nations by certeine Ceremonies which the Popes haue ordeyned fast tyed to the ordinary cōtinued course of Succession of Byshops and to that onely interpretation of Scriptures which the Byshops and Councels doe deliuer And this is the true proportion and full Definitiō of your Church if I be not deceaued But this Definitiō the learned in Logicke will deny to be good sounde where the thyng defined is not of all partes equiualēt with the Definitiō Which rule is not obserued here For to admitte this vnto you that in the true Church of Christ must be Popes Byshops who must be obeyed who also must haue an ordinary outward succession and who may challenge vnto them selues a speciall prerogatiue in the interpretation of the holy Scripture yet is not this by and by true that all Popes Byshops which are entituled by the name of Popes and Byshops which do pretende a continuall succession which do carry the countenaunce of consentes which do challenge a right in the interpretatiō of Scriptures are the true sheapherds of the Lordes flocke And why so forsooth bycause that thyng wāteth which makyng specially for the purpose you haue specially left out namely the truth of sounde doctrine which may be able to treade downe and crushe in peéces errour and hypocrisie That is to say That Byshops do truly and vnfaynedly become the same in the sight of God which in vtter shew they would fayne seéme in the sight of men Agayne that Succession be not of persons onely but a speciall Succession of Fayth vertuous lyfe that the obedience of the people may not proceéde so much of feare of punishment as of harty affection and willyngnesse of mynde that the interpretation of scriptures be not wrested to the maintenaunce of errour and mens sensualitie but be directed and aunswerable to the meanyng of the holy Ghost and the true naturall sense of the Scripture For these be the true markes Osor. whereby a true Church is discernable from a false not the title and name of a Church not the authoritie and Succession of Byshops not the opinion of a multitude besides the truth of Gods word But the very Rule of the word must be kept which will so describe vnto vs a true Church by true markes tokēs boundes and foundations That it be a Congregation dispersed abroad euery where ouer the face of the whole earth vnited agreéyng together in soūd◠doctrine of Fayth and the true worshyppyng of God which beyng sanctified by the holy Ghost and admitted by partaking the Sacramentes do truly beleéue in God through the Sonne of God Iesu Christ accordyng to the doctrine of the Gospell although some be enlightened with more spiritual graces gifts and some with lesse By this standard and Rule let vs measure now the Argumentes of Osorius Luther and Melancthon are fallen away from the Pope of Rome and his Cardinalles Ergo Luther and Melancthon haue rent in sunder the vnitie of the Church The onely Church of Rome hath an ordinary succession from Peter Ergo The onely Church of Rome is the true Church The great part of Christendome doth acknowledge the Church of Rome Ergo The Churche of Rome is the Mother Churche and Queene of all Churches The Churche of God hath a promise that it shall neuer erre Ergo He that doth interprete the Scriptures otherwise then after the meaning of the Church of Rome or that doth not acknowledge him selfe obedient to the Romish Decrees in all thynges is an heretique and doth sequester him selfe from the boundes and communiō of the Church To this aunswere shal be made briefly and logically These be meére fallacyes and deceites of the Equiuocation deriued from a false description of the Church and the succession thereof and from false markes For as touching the names and Tytles as touching the long pedigreés of neuer interrupted course of Succession as touching the consent of the multitude and the promises made by God if the other tagges were tyed to these poyntes and made suteable namely sound doctrine true godlynesse surely it would seéme somewhat to the purpose that Osorius mayntayneth But now whatsoeuer they bragge and vaunt of tytles and other reliques without the especiall coupling and cōioyning of the Euangelicall and Apostolicall doctrine is altogether nought els but smoake and winde nothing auayleable to establish the true vnity of the Church First as concerning the name of the Church we do heare Christ himselfe speaking Many shall come in my name Touching Successiō we heare out of Ierome Not they that sitte in the places of Sainctes c. Touching the multitude Augustine doth teach vs. That the consentes of voyces must be weyed and measured not numbred Touching Gods promise made for perseuerance in the trueth harken what Iohn Baptist speaketh Do not say we haue Abrahā to our Father For God is of power to rayse vppe sonnes to Abraham out of these stoanes If Osorius will argue after this maner why should not these arguments be of as great force The high Priest of the old law in the Iewish Regiment did beare the face and name of the Church with full allowaunce and cōmon consent of all the multitude yea euen in the tyme of Esay Ieremy Amos Elias and Christ. The same also did conuey theyr Succession from the priesthood of Aaron And did vouch also theyr authority seat lawe and the promise agaynst Ieremy agaynst the Prophettes and agaynst Christ. The Law say they shall not perish from the Priestes Ergo Those high priestes did enioy a true Church nor coulde possibly erre at any tyme. But if Osorius shall thinke with him selfe that these Argumentes were not forcible enough in the olde Church why should they be more effectuall in the new Churche In the olde lawe it was lawfull to examine the very prophettes themselues if they spake the word of the Lord yea certayne infallible tokens were set downe whereby they might be discerned In like maner euen in the new testament we are commaunded to proue the Spirites if obey be of God being forewarned by the spirite of God that we beleue not euery spirite And what kinde of people then be these Popes and Cardinals of Rome which of a more then Imperious Lordlynesse doe commaund and require all men to receaue and reuerence their Satutes Ordinaunces Ceremonies opinions and all theyr wordes and deédes ingenerall without exception and contradictiō vpon greéuous paynes and Penalties that shall ensue agaynst him whosoeuer dare presume to make a question of the right of their authoritye or to make any doubt of any theyr deuises and imaginations And so geuing the slippe to all those he commeth downe againe to our Church with a maruailous blaff of windy words but with no reason at all imagining to proue
required in philosipher so may the want therof be borne withall in a Deuine Ieromes Epistle to PaÌ„machius Luke 16. Esay 2. 1. Cor. 1. â— Osor. 163. Prouer. 16. Fine poolished speach is alwayes impudent An Exquisite affectation of Eloquence not so much to be regarded of Deuines Pag. 166. Osori inueighed against EnglaÌ„d but not agaynst all Osori pag. 167. What Osorius doth promise in this booke Osori Argument not able to be resolued Haddones auÌ„swere to Osori Argument Osor. pag. 167. The testimony of the world agaynst the Lutheranes The rebouÌ„ding of the Argument agaynst Osor. Osor. pag. 168. A trimme reason of Osor. Osor. pag. 169. Osor. Argument coÌ„futed The spirite of the Prophettes is not to be measured by the nomber of beleuers Moah Moses Esay Ieremy Stephen S. Paule The first beginning of Luther Luthers humble letters to pope Leo the tenth Pope Leo his proude insolency agaynst Luthers humble submission Luthers second letters to Leo the Pope Anno 1519. Luthers Protestation Luthers huÌ„ble Supplication to the Church of Rome Stanislaus Hosius in his first booke of heresies The Pope the seruauÌ„t of seruauÌ„tes of God by a figure called Antiphrasis The cause of Luther honest Osori conclusioÌ„s false Sophistry A comparison betwixt the professoures of the true Gospell the Papisticall Osor Pag. 169. The prayle of the Romish church after Osor. A fifth and euerlasting Gospell made on a tyme of the Dominick Fryers at Parise Anno Dom. 1256. Osor. pag. 169. Of the Fayth of the Romishe Church Whether the vniformitye of fayth be more discernable in the Romish Chur. or in the Lutheranes How many wayes the popes fayth is contrary to the right institution of the Gospell Arrogancy and vayne confidence The name of vniuersal Church is restrayned to the Romaynes onely contrary to the nature of the Gospell Osor. pag. 169. The false and lyeng braggeâ— of the Romish Church Osor. pag. 169. Esay 5. How the Church of Rome is laden with mens tradicions Emptynes and voyde Apoca. 13. Osor. pag. 170. By what Reasons the vniuersality of Christes Vicar is coÌ„firmed One head of the Church The doctrine of the Gospell doth call all the Ministers of the Church to humilitie permitteth superioritie to none in any wise August agaynst Petilian Epist. Cap. 3. Cyprian Whether the authoritie of the Romishe See be Necessary for the takyng away of Schismes The Romishe See the Metropolitane of Sectes Where the Romish authoritie is quite banished there is most rest The Papacie nothyng els then a certeine mighty faction and armed power of kyngs The slaunder of the Sectes and dissentioÌ„ of the Lutheranes FactioÌ„s and Schismes in the Church of Rome Diuerse coÌ„tentiones of papistes amongst theÌ„ selues touching the supper of the Lord. Whether Popes See were erected by god or men See hereof before Haddons discourse in the first booke pag. 15. Peter sate at Rome What a diuersitie is betwixt Rome now and as it was in the tyme of Peter The principallitie of the See of Rome by what begynnyng it crept to so great power and tyranny When the name of Vniuersalitie and the order of Cardinalles beganne Vrsinus Damasus Anno 369. How many and how great conflictes haue raunged in the Chur. of Rome about the choosing of the Pope Boniface Eulalius Anno. 420. Simachus Laurentius Anno. 499. Stephanus Constantinus Phillip Anno. 768. Anastasius Benedictus 873. Leo. Christoph. Sergius Iohn 13. Leo. 8. Anno. 968. Out of platina this Iohn the 13. was takeÌ„ committyng adultery and was slayne Benedict the 5. being taken prisoner was cast into Adrianes Doungeon Anno. 973. Donus 2. Boniface 7. ranne away with the Treasury of Rome 975. Gregor 5. Iohn 17. Siluester Anno. 995. Out of Cardinall Benno Clemens 2. 1048. Benedict 10 1058. Alexander 2. Cadolus 1062. Hildebrand Clement 3. Victor 3. Vrbanus 2. Anno. 1083. Pascalis Albertus Theodoric Maginulph Vibertus False Popes Platina Blondus Gelâ—sius 2. The Archbishop of Bacchara a false pope Anno. 1118. Calistus 2. Gregory 8. false popes Anno. 1124. Distinct. 76 Cap. Ieiunium The first institution of Cardinalles about the yeare 1124. Innocent 2. Anacletus 1130. Out of AEmilius his 5. bookes Blond Platina Guil. Tyrius 14. booke and the 12. Chapter The Consuls of Rome brought in subiectioÌ„ to the Pope Blond in his 6. booke Lucius 3.2 Schismatick 1182. Vrbanus 3. called Turbulent for his troublesome head 1185. InnoceÌ„t the 3. the chief champioÌ„ of all the calamities and troubles of the church 1215. Honorius 3 Innocent 4. Gregoâ—y 9. most rebellious traytours agaynst the Emperour Friderick 2 The factioÌ„s of the Guelsians and Gibellynes raysed by the meanes of this Gregory 9. Celestin. 5. Boniface 8. a firchrand of factions 1295. Platina AEmil The most impudent shamelenes of Boniface 8. agaynst the Archb. of Genua Innocentius 6. Gregorye 11. the greatest author of Schisme 1352. Vrbanus 6. thrust into the Popedome by violeÌ„ce 1378. The See of Rome deuided in Schisme by the space of 74. yeares A cruell coÌ„tention betwixt the Cowled generation about the Conception of our Lady 1400. Boniface 9. Innocent 7. a seditious murderer 1405. Gregory 12 AlexaÌ„der 5 a troublesome pope Iohn 24. by force and money occupyeth the Sec. 1411. Three Popes deposed at one time Martine 5. The Councell of CoÌ„stance The Conuenticle of Constance did coÌ„deÌ„ne Ierome of Prague and Iohn Husse to be burned Martin not the Vicare of Christ but of Bellona Engenius an other chicken of Bellona A CouÌ„cell at Basile 1435. Eugenius a Schismatick is deposed from the Popedome 1442. This schisme endured 9. yeares The battell agaynst the Heluetians and Basileans by the procuremeÌ„t of Eugenuius Rob. Gaguinus and Phrigio Thomas of Redon thorough the popes Tyranny burned 1436. Antonius others A non causa vt causaÌ„ The fallaxe of the accident Luther a speciall aduersary to Sedition Osor. pag. 187. Of the Româ—nistes obedience rowardes Princes pag. 170. The Emperoâ—â— translated from the Grecyanes to the Frenchmen by the popes contrary their oathes Charles the Great The Creeks inuaded by the Turkes An Auncient ordinaunce of the right of the Emperour and the Pope The Maiestye of the Empyre was translated from Fraunce into Germany by the pope A degree of Gregory the 5. Concluded vpon with Otho the thyrd Emperour The wayward Rebellion of the popes alwayes agaynst the Imperiall Maiestie An olde grudge of the popes agaynst the Emperours for the bestowyng of Ecclesiasticall promotions Benedicte doth rebell against HeÌ„ry 3. The horrible conspiracie of pope Gregory 7. and the Bishops agaynst Henry the fourth Rodolphe suborned agaynst his Lord and Emperour by the practize and treason of the pope Rebellion punished The pope beyng the firebrand of seditioÌ„ doth prouoke the sonnes to rebell agaynst their Father Gods iust iudgement executed vpon the sonne that rebelled agaynst his Father The popes absolute power The Maiestie Imperiall subdued and subiect to the popes De Maior obedi Cap. Insolitae De Maior Cap.
forsooth and hereunto you haue pretyly stollen the wordes of Cicero agaynst Anthonius that with you Maisters tooles ye might wounde me the deéper with a false crime But I pray you Syr where is this haynous offence where is this blockish errour neuer heard of before wher with this milde sober father chargeth me wishing in me sobrietie some litle while As though I were alwayes drunken bearyng me in hand as though I were furiously mad that would commit such monsters to writyng forsooth if it please your Prelacie it will so be found in these two First that your selfe had made ougly your new glased Religion with all maner of filthy tauÌ„tes The other that I added thereunto is that some persons throates were cutte whoÌ„ no man knew but your selfe How say you Syr are not both these true I will alledge examples to discouer the matter clearely you challenge vs further that we mainteyne a kynde of fayth whereby euery man settyng aside all sorrow of mynde not regardyng good workes and drowning all endeuour of charitie promiâ—eth to him selfe hope of euerlastyng saluation No maner of person with vs doth acknowledge this glaueryng fayth no man doth defend it nay rather all men doe abhorre it and spitte at it This therfore is your own fayth hammered out of your own forge This is your owne lye This is your own cauill the which sithence your selfe doe pursue with such opprobrious infamie as you doe your selfe do disfigure your owne whelpe you dishoneste your owne creature In the Treatise of Freéwill you bring into your stage a certeine kynde of persons decked and apparelled with your owne wordes What els say you is meant hereby they keepe maÌ„s reason in bondage they bereue him of his freedome of aduisement mans will they entangle fast snarled in perpetuall chaynes and the whole man they doe vnclothe of iudgement and sense and so turne him ouer spoyled of all free choyse that there remaineth no more difference betwixt him and a stone for all maner of thynges which men doe imagine in their braynes endeuour and practise in theyr actions whether they be good or bad these men do ascribe to God the Authour therof and doe linke them together with a certeine fatall and vnaduoydable necessitie enduryng for euer By this tedious talke of yours you haue forged vnto vs certeine new Tyrauntes very fearefull in deéde of whom we neuer haue heard any mention before this tyme and which are meere straungers vnto vs Broyle them you on the gredyerne therfore and burne them with all your fagots and firebrandes of eloquence for here you doe scourge none but Hobgoblines and Bugge-beares with whom we were neuer acquaynted And therfore we suppose that these be your owne painted Poppettes deuises of your owne dreames vpon the whiche when you rushe with your doodgeandagger eloquence what els do you then murther shadowes of your own forgyng whom no man knoweth besides your selfe So the same offence and shame wherewith you do accuse others must neédes rebouÌ„d vpon your owne head when you can not finde them whom you haue accused Take a familiar example You call me dronkard whom all meÌ„ els I beleue do know to be sober enough except you that are scarse well aduised This dronkennes therfore if any be is your owne your owne lye and your owne reproch You exclame that I am madde whiche for that you do so manifestly lye wil be adiudged your owne errour your owne rage your owne ignoraunce You perceaue now at the length except you be more then franticke how truly I wrate that your selfe had misshaped your owne Religion had murthered those persons whom no man knew besides your selfe Awake therfore hereafter if you be wise and deliuer your gorge from this surfet of rancour and malice wherewith you are englutted and charge me no more with dronkennes madnes that am in all respects your equal your Myter onely excepted You affirme that you haue wounded Luther and his Champions onely But herein you haue dubbed a double lye For wheÌ„ you charge Luther with monstruous opinions where with that godly man was neuer acquainted you doe nothyng diffame Luther but batter downe your owne credite by coyning a certeine newfangled Diuinitie begynnyng now and erected first by your owne cauillations Luther did neuer allow this your owne counterfaite fayth I say counterfaite fayth marke what I speake nor euer affirmed it nor did at any tyme argue so fondly and absurdly of Freéwill as you report of him how soeuer you barke at him in your writynges It is no hard matter to espy and to barke at some one sentence of his vttered perhaps in heate of disputation which may haply disagreé with the rest of the processe But read Luther ouer and marke his whole doctrine this will remayne certeine and vndoubted at the length that Luther hath in the Church of God through Gods singular prouidence planted inestimable treasure of Christian discipline And that Ierome Osorius is a most peruerse ouerthwarte brauler who besides a coÌ„mendable facilitie in the Latin touÌ„g can profite the coÌ„mon wealth nothyng at all Thus much briefly once for all do I conceaue of M. Luther whom I did neuer vndertake to defend he hath other notable Aduocates exquisite meÌ„ in all kynde of learning who can with no labour auenge him from your cancred toung I stand in defence of my countrey and will persist therein so long as breath is in my body and although you assayle and wish vpon the same with most poysoned dartes and venemous battry yet I trust some part therof will recoyle backe vpon your owne breast and sticke so fast in the very entrailes of your carcasse that you shal neuer bee able to rubbe out the frettyng sistula of your slaunderous Inuectiue agaynst England And in this your second fault you were more then poreblind that though you would seéme to poste ouer your whole malice agaynst Luther and his associates you do notwithstandyng endite and accuse England by expresse wordes rayle on our Byshops with most filthy and false accusations outragiously condemne our subiectes in generall of stiffenecked crookednes most iniuriously Our Temples our ceremonies our lawes and our whole Religion with shamelesse toung and most insolent Inuectiue you doe deride most scornefully coÌ„demne most arrogantly and slaunder most impudently These your furious assaultes I will for my slender abilitie withstand in the behalfe of my Natiue countrey I wil encouÌ„ter your outragious force as much as I may Wherin I will not speake so confusedly as not to bee perceaued as you thinke that I do But I will so expresse all euery scabbe of your wickednes and ignoraunce in such colours that all meÌ„ shall perceiue what maner of man Osorius is if they will not be willfully blind At length you come downe by litle and litle to that slauÌ„derous crime of poysonyng wherewith when I saw you charge our frendes of a very insolencie to quarell
of perdition in the place of our Lord Iesu And as though Paule had spoken so in deéde can you so beastly proceéde to the confirmation of that your Babylonicall Empire with a sentence of Paule pestilently peruerted Is this the profession of a Byshop is this the Diuinitie of Osorius Downe with that Pecockes tayle away with this arrogancie be no more so collhardy and write hereafter more aduisedly and take better regard to your penne lest you bryng your name into odious contempt with all Christendome Take your pleasure in my wordes wrest them as ye list but handle Paule more discreétly But you are learnedly plentyfull in examples heaping together Iohn Husse Ierome of Prage Martin Luther and many others Who as you do affirme haue reuolted from this your Romishe Monarche of set purpose bycause beyng exempt frō his Iurisdiction they might be more freely licentious in writyng and speakyng Why doe ye coniecture so vayne Southsayer They were men of laudable conuersation voyde of all maner ryotte not culpable in any notorious or haynous crime Therefore how may they be duely charged of any suspition of dissolute behauiour that lyued alwayes discreétly and soberly But this is but a trifle with you to defame a fewe persons by name you rushe vpon all England with open mouth As though after the abolishyng your Romishe Monarche it were forthwith caried violētly into all vnbridled lust This is a false suggestion by your leaue Syr for assoone as we had shaken of the foreine yoke from our shoulders and yelded our selues to the lawfull authoritie of our souereigne Prince all thynges went better and more peacibly with vs especially in this later age of the Gospell renewed which beyng cōpared to those elder yeares wherein your Romish Prelate did insolently treade vpō triumph ouer vs may wel be adiudged to haue enioyed most blessed prosperitie Then which heauēly benefite our victorious Ilād doth most thākefully cōfesse neuer to haue receaued greater at the hands of God God for his inestimable mercy graunt that it may be permanent vnto the worldes end and that weé most humbly submittyng our selues to our naturall and liege souereigne vnited together in this most duetyfull amitie may most be estraunged from your extraordinarie Babilonicall Idoll turnyng the same ouer to you and your fraternitie for euer And now ye runne foreward with more lyes Rehearsing a rable of sectes and these you doe imagine to haue entred sithence the Banishmēt of the Pope As though in the old time were not great swarmes of sectes wherof Paul doth so oft premonish vs or as though they raged not wonderfully in the tyme of that godly Father Augustine whose hart did so boyle against them that he wrate great volumes against their pestiferous errours Or as though that sacred father Peters successour Pope Liberius were not a mainteyner of that poysoned canker of Arrius Or as though Celestine and Anastase the second were not stoute champions of that horrible Scorpion Nestorius Can you obiect sectes when as no age euer wanted some Dare you so boldly name sectes when as threé of your Romish graundsiers were mighty patrones them selues of two most pernitious errours But you affirme that these godly Fathers are maliciously belyed Call forth your own Alphonse who being a Moncke and a Spanyard borne ought to bee of some credite with you beyng a Prelate of Portingall O worthy successours of Peter O excellent pillers of Christs Church This it is forsooth to cōmit sheépe vnto Wolues This is it to deliuer the people of God to bloudy Butchers Yet you blush nothing at this to blame factions of sectes in vs whiche you reporte to exercise perpetuall warre one against an other in diuersitie of contrary opinions and the same to proceéde hereof pardy bycause they are not in seruitude to Libertines and Celestines that is to say to Arrians and Nestorians But be it so as you would haue that some contrarietie were amongest the later sort of our writers Is there or can there bee any more monstruous dissention then hath burst out amōgest your Friers and Monckes hath euer sharper stormes bene raysed then betwixt your Schoolemen brawlyng oftentymes about moates in the sunne You rush vpon Lutherans and Zuinglians by name First you doe this besides the matter bycause I do not defend them I stand for my countrey I do defende England I vndertake the cause of litle Britaine against you wherein I will abide whiles breath is in my body If you prouoke enemyes els where I doubt not but that you shall easely finde them Yet in the meane space I will recite your wordes whereby men may know the manifest iniuries that you vomite agaynst the soules of these sweéte personages and how vsually you blunder out at all aduenture whatsoeuer your franticke braynes doe imagine For this you proceéde in accusation The Zuinglians doe inueighe agaynst the Lutherans and the Anabaptistes keepe continuall warres with the Zuingliās Why do not I here thrust in also Coelestianes and Interemistes and other names of Scismes First of all there is no contradiction betwixt Luther and Zuinglius in the principall pointes of Christian Religion They doe differ in the Sacrament of the Eucharistie not in the substaunce thereof but in the maner of the presence of Christ. And yet perhaps this quarell is more about wordes then matter But you haue not onely wickedly transubstātiated to speake like a Schooleman our Sauiour Iesus Christ into bread with most monstruous deuises but also thrust vpon vs vj. hundred lyes euery one contrary to other whiles you amaze the eares and myndes of Christians with this absurde and newfangled doctrine And therfore your graund captaine of Schoolemen Peter Lōbard in this doubtfull conflict broyling and turmoyling him selfe and throughly wearied with your mockeries doth conclude at the last That Transubstantiation ought to bee inuiolable for the autenticke authoritie of the Church of Rome but that it cā not be founde in the Scriptures As for the Anabaptistes you did name them without all reasons For you are not ignoraūt that the vniuersall consent of all Churches haue condemned them vnto whom Luther and Zuinglius were as earnest enemies as your Maistershyp or any of all your brotherhoode Surely in our common wealth they can reteine no footyng nor in any other coūtrey that I know or cā heare of What maner of men those Celestianes be I would fayne learne of you of your durtie cōpanion of Angrence bycause you haue geuen that name first as farre as I can perceaue The other sortes are Interemistes by this name as I gesse notyng those men which to make a certeine qualification in Religion haue patched vp a certeine booke of peéuishe Romish dregges and haue entituled it by the name of Interim If this be true what came into your braynes to reckon two of your souldiours or graund-captaines vnder our Banner That Commentarie of Interim is yours I say your owne These were
it quoth Cicero for if you had bene taught any thyng at all you would neuer haue written so absurdely Euen in like maner may I beleue no man better theÌ„ Osorius him selfe that he neuer had any other Schoolemisters besides Confession For of a wicked and corrupt Schoolemysters is hatched a proude and hautie sholer standyng in his owne light a despiser of all others an importunate brauler a prattlyng Sophister a shamelesse rayler an vnmeasurable slauÌ„der and a peruertour of holy Scriptures and true godlynes How much better had it bene for you if you had had lesse conference with Massemongers and bene more acquainted with S. Paule Hee would haue instructed you in all sobrietie modestie iustice pietie fayth charitie patience and meckenesse Whereof you seéme to haue leâ—rned no title in all your sweéte confessions nor so much as heard whether any such matter be or euer haue bene So farre and wyde doth both your speach your reason dissent and disagreé as altogether estrauÌ„ged from them Yet ye proceéde notwithstandyng in this desperate trauaile of Confession which beyng staggeryng and ready to fall you doe vnderproppe with workes least it fall to the grounde For thus ye write Yet notwithstandyng we doe not so content our selues with this Confession of sinnes but that we exact fruites of RepentauÌ„ce which we vse to name Satisfactions a word that you scorne at most insoleÌ„tly Behold this fine scholer of Confession so well poolished in the schoole of his Massemongers that hee hath learned that Christians are required to bryng foorth fruites worthy of Repentaunce O deépe and profounde doctrine as though any Cobbler or Carter did euer deny or were ignoraunt in this point but you haue coupled hereunto an other new companion a meare straunger to ChristiaÌ„ eares For you say that the fruites of Repentaunce are named of you by this name SatisfactioÌ„s I do know very well that your MassemoÌ„gers Friers schoolemen haue thrust into the church this new wicked name of Satisfaction but I know this also that you haue done this to your great shame and reproch For it is a manifest vntruth contrary to all holy Scriptures contrary to the doctrine of the sacred and Apostolicque Church contrary to the iudgements of the approued auncient fathers But we do heare Iohn say you exhorting them which had confessed their faultes to bryng forth fruites worthy of Repentaunce and you adde that the same wordes were repeated by that great maister of righteousnes the Redemer of mankynd I doe confesse this Osorius what conclude you hereof we must bryng forth fruites worthy of Repentaunce Ergo fruites worthy of RepentauÌ„ce must be named SatisfactioÌ„s Cursed be your Confessours Osorius that could instruct you no better in Logicke Osorius hath suckt out of Confession the rules of good lyfe Ergo he must do nothyng els A very like conclusion a fit whelpe of that schoole where you were trayned vp But let vs seé if your Satisfactions be not vtterly ouerthrowen with the same Scriptures wherewith you thinke to establish them Iohn pointyng vnto Christ with his finger Behold quoth he the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world If Christ take away the sinnes of the world how caÌ„ workes satisfie but harken vnto Christ him selfe whom you do worthely name the great Schoolemaster of righteousnesse When you haue done all sayth hee that are commaunded you say yet we are vnprofitable seruauntes we did no more then we ought to doe Behold we are vnprofitable seruauntes in the chiefest perfection of our workes Ergo your Satisfactions are cold nothyng worthe That pure and chosen vessell of God Paule doth teache in this maner I am not guiltie of any thyng yet am I not iustified hereby If Paules vndesiled conscience cleare of all crimes were not auaylable to iustification then of very necessitie all your owne and the SatisfactioÌ„s of all your sect are lame and cripled But let vs learne of the same Paule from wheâ—ce true Christians ought to fetche full Satisfaction and absolute perfection Christ sayth he hath by one onely oblation made perfect for euer them whiche are sanctified This one onely Sacrifice of Christ offred vp in the Altar of the Crosse is our Satisfaction our perfection and our witnessing and shal be for euer not ours onely but of all those also which shal be made perfect in tyme to come We doe beleue Paule we doe beleue Iohn and we doe beleue Christ. If you do not beleue those there be other companions fit for you to company withall namely the Pharisies whiche scorned Christes preachyng vnto whom he sayd You be they which iustifie your selues before men but God knoweth your harts for that whiche is glorious in the sight of men is abhomination before God Take heéde Osorius take heéde I say that you be not of the nuÌ„ber of those Pharisies lest God abhorre you turne his face froÌ„ your glorious SatisfactioÌ„s shyne they neuer so gorgiously in the sight of meÌ„ You cauill after your old maner I can not tell what agaynst the vanitie of me and our Deuines wherein I will not braule with you lest I fill whole Uolumes with superfluous matters as you do but I will meéte with you in those thynges onely wherein seémeth some matter of coÌ„trouersie You bryng a very sit and elegant cause surely whereby you would shewe why we should not confesse to God alone but rather fleé out to your Confessours For that God you say can not be so easily perceaued of vs hee hath appointed his Vicares on the earth whiche should exercise his authoritie so that who would refuse them would refuse God him selfe c. First of all ye deny that God caÌ„ be clearely perceaued as though the sight of God were necessarie to the daÌ„nation of sinners This is to to lumpish Osorius more fit for that Cowled Asse your companioÌ„ then for you No maÌ„ euer hath sene God nor caÌ„ seé him and yet through Christ we do offer vnto God the father the sacrifice of thankesgeuyng and magnifie his holy name This matter apperteineth not to the sight of the eyes it apperteineth to the mynde and inward seélyng of the soule which clyming vnto God in harty sorrow and sighyng is neuer throwen downe from the beholdyng of his infinite goodnesse I liue sayth the Lord and take no pleasure in the death of a sinner but rather that the wicked conuerte from his wicked way and liue be ye conuerted therfore be ye conuerted from your wicked wayes wherfore will ye dye O ye house of Israel With like geÌ„tlenes doth our Sauiour Iesus Christ call vs vnto him Come vnto me all ye that are laden and I will refresh you I will geue to them that are thirstie of the well of life freely And yet Osorius beleueth that bycause of the absence of Christ Uicares must be substituted Paule taught vs farre otherwise saying The Lord is neare vnto all them that call vpon
in the remembraunce of Christes death and perseuered in the same Custome The Fathers name it Bread and a Sacrament a mysterie and a figure of Christes body And yet Pope Innocentius commyng lately out of hell with a detestable superstition horrible Sacriledge doth Transubstantiate this mysticall Bread into our Sauiour Iesus Christ. There followed him certeine phantasticall Schoolemen which did most wickedly defile the pure Supper of our Lord with durtie schoole dregges And now at the length starteth by our Osorius a braue champion of this Schoole tromperies Ierome Osorius I say that great Maister in Israell a deépe and incomparable Deuine whō no man exceédeth in witte nor surmounteth in learnyng if a man may beleue him as hee reporteth him selfe Wherfore I would now aske one question good maister Proctour of you of this Transubstātiation whether our Lord Iesus Christ when hee did first institute the Sacrament of the Euchariste did make any mention in his speach of any remouing of the substaunce of Bread of the accidentes that should remayne or whether the substaunce of his body should supply the substaunce of Bread Did Paule touche any of these did the primitiue and Apostolique Churche receiue any such thyng haue the auncient Fathers made mention of any such matter in their bookes Sithence therefore this your wonderfull conuersion of the Substaunce of Bread into the body of Christ whiche your Schoolemen by a more grosse name call Trasubstantiatiō hath bene shapen forged out of these Monasteries whereof not so much as one title can be founde in the holy Scriptures in the Custome of the Apostles in the bookes of auncient Fathers it is a wonderfull straunge matter that a bishop so exquisite in diuinity as you are or would seeme to be would yet vndertake so desperate a cause and obtrude vpon vs such cold schoole dreames in steéde of most apparaūt knowen thynges Ye seé now how pitthily my Peter Martyr hath aunswered you in all thyngs whose soule you would not haue teazed to quarell if you had had any witte For he was worthely esteémed an excellent Deuine amongest the chiefest Deuines of our age whose Scholer you might haue bene in all knowledge and litterature except your eloquence onely in the Latine tounge But you do leaue our Peter now at that length whō if you had neuer prouoked you had done better so neéded you not to doe me so great iniurie as to challēge me for my familiar acquaintaunce with him For if you thinke that ye may with your honesty keépe company and vse frendly familiaritie with that doltish Calfe Angrence hauyng no vtteraunce no witte no sence no vnderstādyng why should not I rather acquainte my selfe with a man not onely excellēt in learnyng but replenished with all comlynesse ciuilitie of maners Make choise of your familiars Osorius as you please Suffer me to enioy myne owne neither is it reason that you should limitte me or I you in this kynde of affaires humanitie cōmon course of mās life requireth that choise be made of frendship as liketh eche mans owne iudgement best not to be ruled by others phantasies Be not you squeymish therfore at the cōmēdations of godly learned men my especiall frendes Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr I loued thē when they lyued I will not forget them beyng dead I frequēted their familiaritie whiles they lyued as much as I might their names remēbraūce of thē though they be dead I will defende as much as I may and if they were now alyue I would esteéme more of a whole yeares conference with them then of one day with you for their conuersation had a certeine discreéte pleasauntnes their conference had a wholesome wisedome the whole course of their demeanour was a most absolute paterne of honestie and godlynesse And I am throughly persuaded that nothing could haue aduaunced my estimation such as it is more then myne acquaintaunce and familiaritie with these two godly Fathers You come at the length to our Church the orders whereof you do captiously snatch at but this ye do so disorderly stāme ringly that all men may iudge that ye did roaue at it in your dreame rather then dispute beyng awake I affirmed that fayth came by hearyng What say you is it no so I sayd also that our Preachers are sent abroad into all the coastes of our Realme to teach the cōmon people their duties in all thynges what will you deny this to be done You can not the matter is manifest But you exclaime and say that our Preachers are Lutherans Bucerans and Caluinistes First of all how know you this to be true then if it be so let the names goe confute their doctrine if you can But this lesson you learned of your Cowled Coockowes to braule alwayes with bare names whē you cā not ouerthrow a sillable of their doctrine Your Maister shyp will not allow that our Parliamēt and publicke assemblie of the Realme should entermedle with matters of Religion for herein ye suppose that the dignitie of Priestes is empayred First what thyng can be publiquely receaued vnlesse it be proclaymed by publique authoritie Then our Prelates and Ecclesiasticall Fathers do propoūde the rules of Religion after that the Prince with the consent of the whole estates do ratifie the same What may be done more orderly or more circumspectly This custome was obserued in the tyme of the kynges of Israell This vsage preuayled in all Counseils vntill that Romishe Ierarche had burst in sunder these lawes with his false ambitious picklockes and had commaūded all thyngs to be subiect to his absolute power I wrate also that there was great reuerence geuen to the holy Scriptures in our Churches and that vnitie and the bonde of peace was wonderfully preserued You demaunde on the other side From whence so troublesome contentions in opinions are raysed in our Churches Shew what contentions there be and we will satisfie your request But if you will not or cā not hold your toūg most wicked rayler require not to be beleued for your onely affirmatiues sake Deale in this maner with your charge of Siluain for ye shall obteine nothyng here but by meare force of Argument I did affirme likewise that our deuine seruice is ministred with vs in the mother and vulgare toūg accordyng to Paules doctrine the approued custome of the Apostolicke Churche what say you to this forsooth you can not like of it bycause it is repugnant to the ordinaūce of Rome and yet you can not well deny so manifest a truth for S. Paule did establish this doctrine of the holy Ghost with so many and so strōg Argumētes as though hee did euen then foreseé in mynde that some such erronious botches would infect our Religion that by such meanes they might blot out vtterly extinguish out of our Churches this most fruitefull worshyppyng of God beyng the very foundation of all Christian godlynes And therfore this godly mā
and most excellent seruaunt of God Paul trauaileth very earnestly in this place partly by course of nature partly by reason partly by examples partly by similitudes to proue that coÌ„mon prayers should bee ministred in Churches in the vulgare and knowen language and herein is so plentyfull and so abouÌ„daunt and vseth so many infallible Argumentes that if the whole swarmes of SchooleiaÌ„glers and Friers and couled generation did conspire together they were not able to abyde the force and strength of his disputation And therefore Osorius craftely cloakyng this matter slydeth away from thence to the vices of men And sayth that some of our Preachers are puffed vp with pride of their science many of them be entangled in snares and difficulties and doubtfull questioÌ„s This is true this also is as true that there is a great rable of false ChristiaÌ„s amoÌ„gest whom our Doctour Ierome seémeth chieftaine standard bearer which call light darkenes darkenesse light whiche forbid wedlocke deny lawfull vse of meates obserue serue dayes and monethes yeares minutes of tymes which are turned to the naked and beggerly elementes Enemyes of the Crosse of Christ flow bellyes And yet may not godly men be defrauded of the Gospell bycause such Lurdaines do abuse the holy Scriptures to their lust filthy lucre For our Lord Iesus Christ doth thunder with manifold curses agaynst such Pharisies Maisters of ignoraunce and darkenesse saying Wo be to you Lawyers for you haue taken away the keye of knowledge and haue not entred in your selues and those that would haue entred in you haue forbidden And agayne Woe bee to you Scribes and ` Pharisies hypocrites For you shut fast the kingdome of heauen from men whereunto you enter not your selues nor will suffer others to enter in that would enter You are a Byshop Osorius you haue the keyes of knowledge or ought to haue but you keépe it close and hyde it and will not suffer it to bee opened to your selfe nor to others You are a Shepheard of Christes flocke or you ought to bee you locke fast the Gospell wherein is the kyngdome of God from your sheépe and enter not your selfe nor will suffer others to enter This is daungerous this is damnable you are accursed by the very mouth of our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ yea euen by the testimonie of your owne mouth Osorius For after your long idle and counterfaite deuises imagined vpon the wordes of Paule you conclude at length in this maner Paule doth not forbid to vse straunge language Yet he doth preferre and commende prophecyeng that is to say the expouÌ„dyng of the will of God the maner of edifieng the Church If Paule doe preferre prophecieng more why do you embace it if Paule would haue the congregations to be edified why do you practize to destroy them If Paule of an infinite loue do commaunde all thynges to be expounded in Churches by an interpretour by what tyraÌ„nie do you procure all thynges to be kept in couert in Churches and the people to bee defrauded in all thynges of vnderstandyng by meanes of straunge tounges For it is true in deéde that you say that to speake with touÌ„ges is allowed of Paul if you admit also an interpretour whiche may expresse the meanyng of the tounges But it is false that straunge languages shal be receaued in coÌ„gregations without an interpretour For this speaketh Paul If a man speake with tounges let the same be done by two or at the most by three and so by turnes let one interprete if there be no interpretour let him holde his peace in the congregation or let him speake to him selfe and to God Saint Paule commaundeth straunge laÌ„guages to be silent in the congregation if there be no interpretour Let vs therfore obey him or rather the holy Ghost speakyng in him with all humilitie and banish from vs this chatteryng chough of languages to his Confessours and cowled generation But we can not so driue away this vnportunate fleshfly froÌ„ the godly banguets of soules for he is alwayes bussing about theÌ„ at the last fleéth to this desperate carioÌ„ That this doctrine of Paule was but for a tyme and enioyned to be receaued to the Corinthians and not of vs bycause we are not so apte to be taught therein as they were and are also more incâ—inable to arrogancie Doth this kynde of ExpositioÌ„ please you Osorius and will you be accompted a Deuine and a Byshop in this your Diuinitie to say that the doctrine of the holy Ghost in matters of fayth in thynges eternall in ordinauÌ„ces assured permanent not in any part chauÌ„geable in them selues is but a doctrine for a tyme Our Lord Iesus commauÌ„deth otherwise Searche the Scriptures sayth he the same be they which beare recorde of me How shall we searche that whiche we do not vnderstand or how shall we receaue testimonie in a toung vnknowen vnto vs There is a commaundement of God the Father from heauen This is my beloued sonne heare ye him And how shall we heare him except he speake vnto vs in a knowen touÌ„g The Lord Iesus commaundeth vs to watch and to pray yea to do the same continually for that we know not in what houre he will come what therfore shall we pray in an vnknowen language Truly if it bee so the spirite shall pray but the soule shall receaue no fruite therof by the euident teâ—â—â—monie of Paule WheÌ„ I name the spirite I doe meane thereby the breath that issueth out of the mouth for so doth Paule interprete it in that place Did our Lord Iesus vse a knoweÌ„ or a strauÌ„ge language wheÌ„ he taught the Apostles the forme of prayer Lastly I demauÌ„de of you whether you can finde one sillable in the whole doctrine of the primitiue Churche or whether any remembraunce or vse of this praying in a straunge toung was frequented in the tyme of the Apostles I adde hereunto that after the opinion of S. Augustine prayer is nothing els theÌ„ a communicatioÌ„ betwixt vs almightie God What request then shall we make vnto God the father for our necessities when we vnderstand not what we aske No sober man will seéme so franticke before men much lesse will he trifle so pernitiously with God That foule mouth Osorius that foule mouth therfore would be choaked vp with euerlastyng infamie whiche contrary to the manifest doctrine of the holy Ghost contrary to the receaued custome of the Apostolicke Churches contrary to nature to reason and contrary to all feélyng of common capacitie will auowe that prayers ought to bee made in the congregation in straunge and vnknowen tounges You demaunde further of me Why we haue coÌ„mitted the interpretatioÌ„ of Scriptures to all Carters and Porters I aske of you likewise with what face you could write so vnshamefast a lye in your paper You say that all order is subuerted with vs for that all are Pastours all are Prophetes all
are teachers and therupō that confusiō of all thyngs doth ensue amōgest vs. Both these are false Osorius and it becōmeth you nothyng at all beyng a Bishop and an old man to imagine all thynges so licentiously disorderly in the face of the whole world after your owne phantasie Yet make you no ende of demaundyng And therfore you desire to know what we dyd lacke at any tyme heretofore to the sober discipline of good myndes There lacked both the old and the new Testament which is the onely instrumēt of the health of our soules beyng close locked fast from vs by the wicked practize of your Confessours and Friers and Monckes we wanted godly Pastours and especially good Byshops vnlike vnto you whiche should haue fed the flocke of Christ committed to their charge with that heauenly foode of the holy Scriptures accordyng to Christ his own institution And yet ye demaunde once agayne Whether we wanted learned Priestes who could deliuer out so much of the holy mysteries as was needefull which without daunger might haue bene expoūded to vnlearned men What is this that you say Osorius so much as is neédefull do ye beleue that in the Scriptures is any thing to much will ye prescribe any boundes or limites to the holy Ghost our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ was of an other mynde who spake in this maner Man doth not liue by bread onely but by euery word proceedyng from the mouth of God Your meanyng is that some tast bee taken onely of the holy Scriptures Christ commaundeth vs to be instructed in euery word you teach that men should warely touch so much of the heauēly doctrine as farre forth as may be without daunger But the holy Ghost by the mouth of Paule teacheth farre otherwise in these wordes All Scripture inspired by the holy Ghost is profitable to teach to admonishe to reproue to instruction which is in righteousnesse that the mā of God may be made perfect prepared to all good workes Paule doth commende vnto vs all heauenly Scripture iudgeth that we ought to be instructed with the same vnto all perfection of godlynes It pleaseth Osorius that so much onely be taken as may be deliuered without daunger O blasphemous toung do you feare ieopardie in the doctrine of the holy Ghost do you thinke that there is to much in the Scriptures or any thyng neédelesse that may be cut of and left out But this foolish demaunder proceédeth yet forewardes and enquireth If heretofore wanted any that might supply the place of the vnlearned that might pronounce this worde Amen Truly I dare not tearme you by the name of an Idiot my Lord beyng a stately Prelate and a profound Deuine but I shall not do amisse if I call you a playne blockish Asse Paule commaundeth all doctrine and all prayer to bee vttered in the congregation in a knowen tounge that all the people vnderstāding the matter may say Amen You in steade of the whole cōgregation do appoint some one Idiote or vnlearned Parish Clarke to vtter this word Amen But I beseéch you with what reason by what Custome with what Argumēt do you proue your Assertion except you will obiect vnto vs the monstruous rable of your Cowled generation and Confessours late vpstartes whose wickednesse and ignoraunce we do condemne as execrable and abhominable at the last our Syr Ierome concludeth That errours vprores pride and a thousand other discommodities are wont to ensue by the vnderstanding of Scriptures These do so in deéde as you say Osorius but they come from the deuill they proceéde out of the durtie pudles of your Massemongers Confessours and Monckes not from the pure riuers of holy Scriptures whiche are plentyfull vnto vs into euerlastyng lyfe Not from the engraffed worde which is able to saue our soules not out of the preachynges of the Prophetes to whom we must geue diligent heede as to a candle geuyng light in the darke Lastly not from the readyng of holy Scriptures whiche our Lord Iesu Christ commaunded vs to searche bycause they bee the same that hold most faithfull testimonie of our Sauiour Iesu Christ. You may now perceiue by these most true and inuincible sentences partly taken out of the Decreés of our Lord Iesus partly out of the Apostles how detestable blasphemous your conclusion is which doth make the Scriptures to be Authours of all wickednes when as by the infallible testimony of the holy Ghost The law of the Lord is an vndefiled law conuertyng soules the testimonie of the Lord is true and geueth wisedome to the simple whenas the Statutes of the Lord are right and reioyce the hart and geueth light vnto the eyes In deéde this is the wisedome of your scarlet Doctours whiles you are not cōtented to persecute the professours of the Gospell with all maner of crueltie but also diffame the Gospell it selfe make it guiltie of all naughtines When notwithstandyng that godly reuerend Elder Peter whom ye do shamefully alledge as founder of your Churche doth in expresse wordes pronounce That the word of the Lord which endureth for euer is deliuered vnto vs by the Gospell Now you doe perceaue Osorius or the Christian Reader may easely vnderstand although ye will exclame agaynst it how you haue behaued your selfe in this question not onely mischieuously and wickedly but blockishly and ignoraūtly whiles ye doe so blasphemously defend that prayers should be ministred in the cōgregation in an vnknowen language cōtrary to reason contrary to auncient Custome contrary to nature and contrary to the holy Ghost And now glauncyng along by the rest of the doctrine of the Church you make a long rehearsall of my wordes yet touch not one sillable of thē so much as to confute them Surely my Lord you are at very good leysure when you can spare so much tyme to entermixt whole sentences of myne in your writyngs play mumme budget in thē all if you do allow them why doe ye recite them if you doe not allow them why do ye not reprehēd some one of them was euer any man besides your selfe so franticke that would in a long discourse recite whole sentēces out of the writyngs of his aduersary and would refell nothyng in any one of them This is very fond foolish childish vtterly to be scorned at but it is altogether your owne the common fault of your selfe Osorius Consider I pray theé Christian Reader and behold what a sage and wise aduersary I haue At the last you take vp that by the toe which I did confesse That we had shaken from our neckes the Popes yoke At this you seéme to bee wonderfully displeased yet I know no cause why you should not be pleased withall For you proue nothyng you discouer nothyng with any Argument but after your old maner heape vp a number of slaunders together wherein is neither truth nor any likelyhoode of truth At the last you adde hereunto a
deuise no lesse wicked then false To witte that the auncient Churche is peruerted by our Deuines and a new Church fashioned after our owne phantasies Whiche doe you call the auncient Church Osorius truly you name the Catholicke and Apostolique Churche to be auncient or so you ought to say founded in the Patriarches and Prophetes enlarged by our Lorde Iesu and his Disciples with vndefiled doctrine and vprightenesse of conuersation Haue we peruerted this holy Church Osorius haue we erected a new nay rather the matter is quite contrary We do most reuerently embrace this blessed Churche sealed vnto vs by the finger of our Lord Iesu and ordered by the pure ordinaunces of his Disciples we do appeale vnto this Church the same Church do we urge agaynst you and the same we do oppose agaynst you we combate agaynst all your filthy corruptions with the decreés of this Churche Herein we do persiste and cleaue fast vnto this Church and fight agaynst you in her defence directly with her owne weapons You are fallen away by litle and litle from this auncient Churche the inuincible fortresse of all truth and haue set your trust vpō the whyueryng reéde of the Romish Seé Then also you are so whirled vp downe as it were with whirlewyndes with the whirlyng and vnsauory Constitutions of Schoolemē ech contrary to other that ye cā finde no ankerhold any where Out of these tempests and whirlewindes of vpstart doctrines out of this immoderate gulfe of your idle braynes so manifold routes of fayned Gods peéped abroad so many sundry sortes of prayers made vnto them so many and so tedious pilgrimages to dumme blockes so many impieties of offrynges inuocations massinges adorations Finally so many blasphemous markets and fayres of pardons and redeémyng of soules out of Purgatory pickpurse are made To this beadroll may bee linked superstitious swarmes of Friers Mōckes Nunnes sproutyng and dayly buddyng one out of an other in infinite droues and innumerable factions This euen this is the true Image of your Church Osorius wherupon you doe bragge so much increased with the ofscombe of rascall brothells made dronken with the drousie dregges of Schoolemen and so farre estranged from the right trade of the auncient and Apostolicke Church that there is scarse any hope that it wil euer haue any regarde to her former duetie or euer returne frō whence it is estrayed In this your new Churche or rather Conuenticle of lozelles which you haue newly erected vnto your selues with the motheaten mockertes of your Schoolemen you moyle and wallow after your accustomed maner We are desirous to renewe the auncient dignitie of the Catholique Church as much as in vs lyeth Hereunto we do employ all our endeuoures to this we doe direct all our thoughtes that siftyng through and throwyng away all the dānable darnell whiche the enemy hath scattered abroad at this present in these newe Churches we may at the lēgth be vnited and gathered agayne into the true and auncient worshyppyng of God prescribed vnto vs by Iesu Christ in his Gospell And here our old peéuish wayward piketh a new quarell agaynst me bycause I will not acknowledge any other chief Bishop but Iesus Christ and that I do also by the name of a Byshop call him a kyng Truly I hartely confesse that our Lord Iesus was both a Byshop and a Kyng but that the name of a kyng is cōteined vnder the tearme of a Byshop is false as you haue set it downe as all other your doynges are for the most part Osorius But our vnconquerable Logiciā goeth onward demaūdeth Why we do admit any other kyng besides the Lord Iesus and yet abandone the chief Byshop whereas both dignities are conteined in the person of our Lord Iesu and in this place our glorious Peacocke pounceth out his feathers and the same question repeateth agayne and agayne very boyeshly in other wordes and sentences If it be lawfull sayth he that ye may haue vpon earth an other Kyng Vicare of that great kyng what reason is there that ye will not haue an other most holy Byshop Vicare of that hygh Byshop Will ye know why we do acknowledge a kyng vpon earth Uicare of that great and heauenly kyng The holy Ghost shall most euidently and expressely aunswere for vs and shall aunswere by the mouth of Peter from whom you deriue your clayme of supreme Byshop Bee ye subiect sayth hee to euery humane creature for the Lord whether it bee to the king as chief ouer the rest or to the Magistrates whiche are appointed by him to the punishment of the euill doers and the commendation of well doers for this is the will of God c. Behold how playnly how distinctly and how plētyfully Peter doth aunswere you which by expresse speache hath settled the Maiestie of kynges in the highest place aboue all vnto whom hee commaundeth vs to be subiect for the Lord. Then next vnder that authoritie he placeth other Magistrates whom notwithstandyng he ordeineth to be Ministers of his highe power Besides this heé instructeth vs withall how commodious this authoritie of kynges is and whereunto it ought to belong Lastly to take away all doubt he concludeth that this Is the will of God If you had any droppe of shame at all in you Osorius You would not haue moued this question so malapertly Why we doe acknowledge a kynges authoritie vpon earth When as ye can not be ignoraūt of this doctrine of Peter nay rather of the holy ghost being so euidēt so firme so notable so plētyful and so of all partes defensible When as also Peter a litle after cōmaundeth in this wise Feare God honor the king When as Paule likewise doth pronounce that A king is the Minister of God to whom he commaundeth euery soule to bee subiect to whom hee geueth the sword and willeth Tribute to be payde in euery of which thynges most royall and principall souereignetie is conteined And to the end the sentēce of Paule should stand firme out of all controuersie he commaundeth That prayers intercessions petitions thankesgeuynges be frequented for kinges and all others that are set in authoritie What say you now brablyng Sophister what cā you hisse out agaynst so many so strong and so notable testimonies approuyng the authoritie of kynges What shal be done vnto you brablyng Sophister that will so maddely so proudly so blasphemously kicke agaynst the doctrine of the holy Ghost But ye allowe of the authoritie of a kyng say you in some respect so that we will likewise admit the supremacie of the hyghe Byshop We haue already iustified the authoritie of a kyng by the inuincible testimonies of the holy scriptures if you can in lyke maner coyne vnto vs out of the same Scriptures a chief Byshop we will yeld But you can not for there is not one sillable of chief Byshop to bee founde in the Gospell besides our Lord Iesus alone and besides that question moued of the rites and
whom though some may bee of opinioÌ„ to excell in the knowledge of the Ciuill Law yet will not forthwith vnder that title yeld vnto me the lyke commendation in the interpretyng of holy Scriptures All this matter is resolued at a word O counterfait GrammariaÌ„ For if accordyng to the doctrine of Peter and Paule certaine degreés bee limited in eche dignitie and by the same doctrine likewise determined that the royall dignitie of a Kyng doth excell aboue all other power Then is it manifest by the same decreé that the authoritie of the kyng must be honored without all coÌ„parison as chiefest But after your wonted guise ye runne at raundon with many wordes concernyng the meanyng of Paule and of a distinction to bee made betwixt the ciuill and Ecclesiasticall authoritie First of all no maÌ„ can so snaffle that vnbridled touÌ„g but that it will roue and raunge triflyngly whether it lusteth And yet the meanyng of Paule and Peter can not bee vnknowen to any men that will haue but a will to vnderstand it for they doe make a diuision or speciall distinction of Magistrates by certaine degreés and in the same doe precisely and manifestly ascribe chief rule and highest authoritie to kyngs And albeit ye triumphe iolylye in your differeÌ„ce of tymes yet this will nothyng preuayle you For ye beleue that this speache of the Apostles ought not to be applyed to ChristiaÌ„ kynges bycause it was written in the tyme of wicked Emperours which were enemies to Christian Religion Consider the sayings of the Apostles more aduisedly peéuish Prelate and acknowledge once at last your owne vnskilfulnesse Peter writeth in this maner Submit your selues to euery humane creature for the Lord whether it be to the king as to the most excelleÌ„t or to the Rulers as vnto them who are sent by him to punishe the wicked doers and to aduaunce the well doers Now therfore I demaunde this question of you Osorius whether God did send Nero that sauadge and beastly cruell Tyraunt as you know an horrible bloudsucker of Christian professioÌ„ to punish the wicked aduaunce the well doers if ye affirme that he dyd you are madde if ye deny it then all your former AssertioÌ„ lyeth in the durte Let vs seé likewise what Paule sayth Whose sentence herein is much more plentyfull Princes sayth he are not fearefull to well doers but to the wicked wilt thou not feare the power doe well then and thou shalt haue prayse of the same for they be the ministers of God appointed for thy wealth But if thou doe euill then feare thou for they beare not the sworde in vayne For they bee the ministers of God to take vengeauÌ„ce on them that do euill What say you now could this speach of Paule touch Nero in any respect whiche embrued his sword in the bloud of innumerable ChristiaÌ„s who alwayes oppressed the innocentes who wallowed all his lyfe long in all maner of outrage and crueltie No discreét or sober person will thinke so But albeit the Apostles beyng enspired with the holy Ghost gaue these preceptes in the time of tyrannous Emperours yet they had relation thereby to Christian and godly kynges because they should vndertake the defence of their subiectes and should be nurses of the congregation of Christ accordyng to the Prophecie of Esay And yet due obedience is not thereby forbidden to be geuen vnto kynges in Ciuill causes though they bee inâ—idels as appeareth manifestly both by the example and doctrine of our Sauiour Christ. You are contented that kinges should be placed aboue the Nobilitie Ciuill Magistrates and other officers in temporall causes accordyng to the saying of Peter but not to be aboue the holynesse of Churches nor the profession of Religâ—ous persons ne yet to reconcile the fauour of God Paule commaundeth euery soule to be in subiection to the hygher power amongest whom the kyng is chiefest And therfore all ye Byshops together with all other what soeuer Ecclesiasticall orders are holden subiect vnder the authoritie of the kyng vnlesse ye bee without soules as perhappes your maistershyp is if then ye be subiect to kynges ye ought to obey their commaundementes vnlesse they prescribe agaynst God And yet they beare no function in your Churches nor â—it in your Churches as rulers of them nor administer the Sacramentes but they may and ought to chastize you reduce you into good order if happely ye neglect your dueties or behaue your selfe vnseémely in your function which is to be approued by the authoritie of both the old and new Testament as it is ofteÌ„times repeated before To coÌ„firme your AssertioÌ„ you bryng for example Core Dathan and Abyron of a singular blockishnesse and ignoraunce For they made Rebellion agaynst Moses and to vse the very wordes of the holy Scriptures They were gathered together agaynst Moses and Aaron and sayd vnto them Ye take enough and to much vppon you seyng all the multitude are holy euery one of them and the Lorde is amongest them Why lifte you your selues vppe aboue the Congregation of the Lord Behold here in this their execrable speach ouer and besides a most pernitious rebellion we heare also in the same one onely equabilitie in all degrees For asmuch therefore as they did abrogate all maner of authoritie from Magistrates beyng appointed by God as the Anabaptistes of our age do practize they were accordyng to their desert swallowed vp of the gapyng gulfe prouided by God for that purpose But why do ye thrust these persons into the stage who caÌ„ occupy no part of the play For we doe neither entreate of any Rebellion nor of any trayterous suppression of Magistrates but our coÌ„munication tendeth to this ende whether kynges haue any lawfull gouernement ouer Ecclesiastical persons No lesse foolishly haue ye patcht to your purpose Oza Ozias and Balthesar whom ye do affirme to haue bene greuously plagued of the Lord bicause they did rashly handle holy thynges and thus ye say was done accordyng to their deserte Likewise should our kynges be worthely punished of the Lord if they would vndertake to minister Baptisme to infantes or would in their owne persons distribute the Lordes Supper or clymbe vp into pulpittes and vsually preache For they should entrude into other mens functions namely Ministers and Elders whom God hath peculiarly chosen to execute those orders in Ministerie Euen so the Lord hath aduaunced kynges in hyghest superioritie bycause they should commauÌ„de and prouide that all matters should be executed by others their subiectes in due conuenient order This doctrine beyng both â—ounde and profitable approued by the testimonies and examples of the purest ages and most applyable to the ordinauÌ„ce of holy Scriptures yet this our pelting Prelate seémeth so squeymishe at it that he spareth not to curse vs to the pitte of hell bycause we will not agreé with him in his most friuolous Assertions Ye maruell much why I am so hatefully bent agaynst the Byshop of Rome why
and to know how you ought to haue behaued your selfe wheÌ„ you were there what doctrine you ought haue published in so great an Auditorie what personage ye doe represent in your countrey not the person of a common Ruffian I suppose but of a Byshop mary now you haue played so the part of a very rascall vnder the visor of a Byshop pardon me I pray you speakyng the truth that no common barrettor nor Rogish Ruffian could vomitte out more shamelesse scurrilitie S. Paule doth so little esteéme the credite of any other Gospell That hee holdeth him no better then accursed yea though an Aungell from heauen doe bryng a contrary one to this same And shall we beare with this collouerthwarte Osorius like a vice in a play with a new founde chauÌ„gelyng to make myngle mangle with the sacred worde of the Lord and with such vnsauorie subtelties to peruert the pure and vndefiled sinceritie of the Gospell of grace and like a wild Boare to moyle vp by the rootes the florishyng and most plentyfull Uynearde of our blessed felicitie planted by the Lord him selfe If that blynd bussardly Owle eyes of your mynde Osorius be as yet wrapped in so darkened a cloude that this cleare light of the gracious mercy of God shynyng from aboue can not pearce into those dull dazeled senses to seé the manifest light of the truth it should yet haue bene much more seémely for you to haue comforted them whom the holy Ghost had enabled with better grace to teache the truth so simply to haue yelded to the same Truely it behoued you to haue quallified your rage and vsed more modesty at the least towardes them that did dissence from you And if your selfe were not willyng to pursue the true pathe to heauen ye should not yet haue foreclosed the entrye to others that were willyng to enter in And knowyng your owne disabilitie in teachyng ye should yet more shamefastly haue bewrayed your vnskilfulnes and made some end once at the leÌ„gth or at the least reteyned some reasonable order from that rascallyke raylyng and immeasurable insolencie and not so wilfully haue rushed into such Tragicall exclamations before you had bene better acquainted with the cause But as now you tosse and turmoyle your selfe in these questions as though ye were of some other profession and a meére straunger to the matter wherein you scarcely sauour any thyng at all surely vnderstand so little so coldly and senselesly as no man more brutishly and with all vse your selfe therein so disorderly and outragiously as the very furies of Hell could not more horribly You must pardon me Osorius if I spake playnly franckly as I thinke wherein I will not speake as moued of malice or of any melancholicke affectioÌ„ agaynst your person whom I wish well vnto truly and beseéke God hartely to graunt a more sound IudgemeÌ„t But I feare me Osorius least within this Osorius dwelleth some other guest besides Osorius hee not all the best perhappes whatsoeuer he be that doth continually teaze and pricke foreward those busie braynes of yours to poysoned and pestiferous deuises of whom I wish you to be well assured Osorius if you loue your soules sauetie But if wholesome CouÌ„sell of a wellwiller shall litle preuayle with you I would aduertize the tender vnskilfull youth of the posterite in the bowels of Iesus Christ that they take diligent beédefulnesse to the readyng of Osorius his bookes left beyng allured with sweéte poysoned bayte as with Mermaydes melody do vse the wordes of S. Ierome they bee hooked vnwares and carryed away into delusions and errours I know how plausible and easie a matter it is to the Iudgement of the flesh learnedly and plentyfully to preach of the payse and commeÌ„dation of vertue or righteousnesse of the rules and preceptes of mans lyfe of Ciuill gouernement of polliticque Statutes and ordinaunces and of the excellencie of lawes And there happeneth not for the more part in any other Theame a more swifter readynesse of speach a more sensible sharpenesse of deuise or more vsuall admiration of worldlynges Wherein many notable Rhetoricians most subtill Philosophers heretofore haue thought best to employ their endeuours and whole force for their eloquence not without great commendation of witte and singular prayse of ingenious inuention whole laudable trauaile therein I ought and can not chuse but accompt prayseworthy as men that were desirous to emparte to the posteritie most worthy moâ—umentes atchieued through excellencie of learnyng and nymblenesse of capacitie and seuere pursuyng of vertue and vertuous discipline wherewith they were wouderfully beautified But I returne to Osorius whose diligence also in Imitation I doe commende for that he hath made his choyse of such especially after whom he may direct his Imitation But whereas he doth nothyng els but affect their Heathenishenesse I doe not onely not prayse him but vtterly disallow and refuse his order of study herein These men hauyng none other so commendable an exercize wherein they might bestow their tyme as by all meanes possible to beautifie the giftes and ornamentes of nature and to allure men thereby to honest and seémely Ciuilitie did worthely deserue the prayse of that whiche they so earnestly pursued And therfore M. Tullius Cicero hath of right obteyned the garland of an honest Citizen and learned Philosopher who bendyng all the powers of his excellent vnderstandyng in blazyng the dueties and offices of mens lyfe and defence of vertue agaynst the beastly and swynish pleasures of Epicure esteémed that matter worthy his study and trauaile Wherein he bestowed such diligence and actiuitie of witte as that him selfe did neuer better in any other Theame nor any man els could haue handled the same more aboundauntly And euen the same dyd he as then accordyng to the necessitie of the present tyme with singular learnyng for as yet besides the orderly course of naturall doctrine were not any other preceptes of purer discipline extaunt amongest those Nations wherein the fine and nymble wittes might exercize them selues And therefore it was no maruell if hee beyng a man endued with wonderfull instinct of nature did embrace that thyng as the chiefest felicitie worthy whereupon he might discourse and whiche he sawe to be most notable and had in greatest prize amongest all the workes of Nature neither could rayse his mynde beyonde the limites of Nature nor stretche out the force of his capicitie further then to that outward righteousnesse obteyned by speciall pursuite of vertue But now as the state of the tyme is altered from that which was then so haue we now receaued an other Schoolemaister froÌ„ heauen whose Maiestie as surmounteth in glory all worldly state condition so his doctrine being not straighted within the boundes of Nature doth disclose vnto vs thynges farre passing the reach of all Nature whose Scholer you ought to haue bene Osorius especially sithence ye be aduauÌ„ced to so high dignitie in the Church for we haue receaued now not
Onely Now chuse you therfore one of these two whiche ye will whether we shall adiudge Chrisostome a Lutheran bycause he trusteth to Fayth Onely or your selfe an execrable Iewe which set your Confidence vpon workes Agayne the same Chrisostome in other place makyng a Commentary vpon the Epistle to the Ephes. vseth the selfe same exclusiue word By Fayth onely sayth hee shall Christ saue the offendours of the law And bycause ye shall know his meanyng perfitely not the offendours of the ceremoniall law but of the same law namely which was endited by the finger of God in the most sacred Tables conteinyng the tenne Commaundementes Adde also hereunto the saying of the same Doctour in his fourth Homely vpon the Epistle to Timothe What thyng is so hard to beleue as that such which are enemies and sinners not Iustified by the law nor the workes of the law obteined forthwith to be placed in the chiefest dignitie of merite through Faith Onely c. We haue recited a litle before the wordes of Basile vpon the Sermon De Humilit so that it neédeth no further rehearsall where in expresse speach excludyng from maÌ„ the glory of his own righteousnes he doth testifie that we are euery of vs Iustified by fayth onely in Christ Iesu. I might cite his owne wordes agayne vpon the 32. Psalme as effectuall as the rest where he describyng a perfect man doth describe him to be not such a one as trusteth to his own good deédes but such a one as reposeth all his whole confidence in the onely mercy of God In like maner also Theophilact Now doth the Apostle sayth he declare euidently that very Fayth Onely is of power to Iustifie And by any by he citeth the Prophet Abacuc as most credible witnesse thereof Briefly what shall we thinke that those auncient Fathers of the purer age and primitiue Churche dyd determine therof Whenas Thomas Aquinas him selfe chief champion of this Sinagogue of Schoolemen being otherwise in many thynges a very wrongfull and false interpretour Yet vanguished herein with the manifest truth was enforced no lenger to dissemble in this questioÌ„ of Fayth Onely For in his thyrd lesson vpon the first Epistle to Timothe the 3. Chap. disputyng of the law and concludyng at length that the wordes of Paule did not apperteine to the ceremoniall law but vnto the Morall law There is not sayth he any hope of IustificatioÌ„ but in Faith Onely and arguyng agaynst Osorius of set purpose as it were he citeth to this effect the testimonie of S. Paule We suppose sayth the Apostle that man is Iustified by Fayth without the workes of the law Rom. 3. I am not yet come to this pointâ— to discusse how true this doctrine of Luther is touchyng Iustification by Fayth Onely But whether this doctrine was erected first by Luther And I trust I haue sufficieÌ„tly proued that it began euen from the first age of the primitiue Church and in the very dawnyng of the Gospell and hath bene so deliuered ouer from the most auncient writers and continued vnshaken euen vntill our age so that no man neédeth hereafter to geue credite to Osorius makyng so shamelesse a lye vpon this doctrine of Fayth Onely Iustifieng And this much hetherto concernyng Luther I come now to that point wherein Osor. did likewise shamefull belye Paule And what doe I heare now Osorius Doth Paule as you say so promise the inheritaunce of the heaueÌ„ly kyngdome to them which worke good deedes and not to them also whiche rest vpon fayth onely That is to say Which haue reposed all their affiaunce in Iesu Christ onely How shall we conceaue this where finde you this and how doe ye enduce vs to beleue this out of the Epistle as I thinke to the VtopeÌ„ses Looke there Reader at thy bestleysure for Osorius was at good leysure to lye but had no tyme at all to confirme his lye But he alledgeth somewhat I suppose out of the Epistle to the Gallat 5. Chapt. That is to say that the Apostle doth threaten vtter banishement from the kyngdome of God to the wicked and haynous sinners which yeld them selues ouer wholy to all filthynesse of sinne This truely is a true saying of the Apostle Who denyeth it But what doth Osorius in the meane space gather hereof Forsooth bycause the horrible wickednesse of men doth exclude those persons from the kyngdome of God which are endued with a false fayth onely or none at all rather hereof doth he conclude his Argument by opposition of contraryes That life euerlastyng is promised to the good and vertuous workes of men O clownishe Coridon But we are taught by the rules of Logicke that if a man will frame a good Argument of coÌ„traries hee must bee first well aduised that those propositions which are appointed for contraries must dissent and disagreé eche from other by equall and proportionable degreés Wherby it is cleare that this is not a good consequent The silthy lyfe of the wicked doth exclude men from the inheritaunce of euerlastyng habitations Ergo the honest and vpright lyfe doth obteine euerlastyng habitations And why is this no good Argument bycause the propositions â—oe not agreé together in proportionable qualitie The offences that are committed by vs are of their own nature of all partes vnperfect euill purchase to them selues most iust daÌ„natioÌ„ But on the contrary part our good and verâ—uous deédes yea beyng most perfectly accoÌ„plished by vs want yet alwayes somethyng to absolute perfection and of their owne nature are such as rather stand in neéde of the mercy of God then may deserue any prayse in the sight of men To the same ende spake Bernarde very fittely Our righteousnesse is nothyng els then the indulgence of God But here commes yet an other place of S. Paule out of the whiche this wylde wiffler may rushe vpon vs with his leaden dagger not altogether so blunte and rustye herhaps The wordes of the Apostle a Gods name in the second to the Romaines Not the hearers of the law onely but they that performe the law in their lyfe and conuersation shal be accompted righteous before the IudgemeÌ„t seat of God c. To auÌ„swere briefly I will gladly allow that which this enemy to Paule doth obiect out of Paule so that hee will not in like maner refuse the the whole discourse of the Apostle and ioyne the first with the last For the whole Argument of the Apostle in those iij. Chap. is concluded in this one Sillogisme All men shal be rewarded with the coÌ„mendatioÌ„ of true righteousnesse God him selfe witnessing the same whosoeuer be able with their owne workes to accomplish the whole law published in the tenne Tables and commaunded by God to be kept absolutely as the law requireth But there is no liuyng creature whether he be a Iewe and is ruled by the law of the tenne Tables or a Gentile and lyueth after the law of nature
the people to be taught on this wise rather That God of hys goodnes and mercye would haue all men to be saued And that the cause why all are not saued is for that all will not receaue the grace indifferently offered vnto them And this maner of teaching they do suppose to be sound On the contrary that the other doctrine of predestinatiō doth take cleane away all force vse of wholesome preachinges exhortations and disciplines c. If we onely eyther were alone or were the first that were vrged with these slaunders and cauillationes there were lesse cause to wōder at the wickednes of this our age But I do seé now no new thinge here neuer spoken of before nor any other thinge but such as many notable learned men haue bene sundry tymes combred withall long sithence Emongest whom cōmeth first to hand Augustine whom beyng occupyed in thys cause sometyme the Pelagianes but most of all the Massilianes did molest much with the very same obiectiones as appeareth playnely by the transcript of Prosper and Hillary their letters to Augustine euen the which obiections our deuines are now a dayes pressed withall which if were true then might he seeme to haue vndertaken this quarrell not rashly nor altogether in vayne as our men haue done also But let vs aunswere to their complayntes Such as are appoynted teachers in the congregation of God if they should beate into the grosse eares of the rude multitude this part of doctrine which treateth of the secrett predestination of God so nakedly and barren of it selfe as not doyng ought els nor respecting any other thing ne yet applying wtall any wholesome exhortations and allurementes to vertue shold stirre and prouoke none to vertues endeuour honest carefulnes and godly lyfe these reasons might carry some showe of truth perhapps But this matter ought to haue bene foreseene Osor. how these preachers behaue thēselues what they preach how in what maner and to what end they do lay this doctrine open before the people before you should haue burst out into those cruell accusacions and slaunderous reproches If some yoūglings peraduenture may be found not so modestly and soberly to demeane themselues as may beseeme them allured either through delight of noueltie or caryed thereunto through lightnes of witte or to braue out their knowledge and learning it is not conuenient that the lowse and vncircumspect dealing of some particuler persons should be preiudiciall to the truth of the doctrine Godly and modest wittes surely as they conceaue the true reason of this doctrine so doe they Iudge it no lesse necessary to be applyed to the end they may pluck downe that pernicious opinion of yours treating of merites of confidence in workes and of doughtfulnes of Saluation For the ouerthrow whereof what more necessary doctrine to edifie the congregacion withall may be applyed in the Church of Christians And therfore to conclude briefly For asmuch as all the doctrine of Predestination doth tend to this ende chiefly that men may be forewarned not to trust to much to their owne strength but to repose all their hope and affiaunce in God It is vntrue that you do obiect That the doctrine of predestination doth perswade rather to desperation then to godly lyfe For what is this els as Augustine sayth then as that you should say that men do then dispayre of their owne safety when they beginne to learne to repose their hope and affiaunce in God and not in themselues in any wise c Whosoeuer therefore shall instruct the ignoraunt people in the true doctrine of predestination of the holy ones discretly and modestly and in due season when case so requireth and shall ioyne withall godly and wholesome exhortations the same shall he do profitably enough without anye inconuenience seeing that the preaching of both may be well coupled and agree together according to the testimony of Augustine who affirmeth that neyther the preaching of fayth profiting in godly fruits ought to be hindered by the preaching of predestination that they which are taught may learue how to obey And agayne that the preachīg of Predestinatiō ought not to be hindered by the preaching of fayth profiting in godly fruites that they which obey may know in whom they ought to reioyce not in thoir owne obedience but in him of whom it is written he that doth reioyce let him reioyce in the Lord. Will you vnderstand Osorius how the coupling of these too doctrines is not preiudiciall to the preaching of the one to the other Paule the Apostle of the Gentills did many tymes sette forth the doctrine of predestination to the Rom. Ephe. Timot. The same did Luke in the Actes of the Apostles Christ himself likewise doth make often mencion of the same in hys sermons all which did not cease to preach the word of God neuerthelesse and do notwithstanding withal entermixt diuers good and godly exhortations to liue well Paule when he sayd it is God that doth worke in vs to will and to bring to passe according to hys good pleasure did he therefore abate any thing of hys godly lessons to make vs lesse carefull to will and to worke the thinges that are acceptable vnto God In like maner where he sayth he that hath begonne a good worke in you will bring the same to effect euen vntill the day of Christ Iesu Yet did he not cease to perswade them earnestly in the same Epistle written to the Phillippianes that they should not onelye beginne but perseuere vntill the end Beleue sayth Christ in God and beleue in me yet is thys neuerthelesse true that he speaketh in an other place No man commeth vnto me or beleeueth in me vnlesse it be geuen him from the father Christ sayth also he that hath eares to heare let hym heare Yet doth God speake in the scriptures these wordes also that he will geue them a hart frō aboue that they may vnderstand eyes that they may see and eares that they may heare c. And although it were not vnknowne vnto hym who had eares to heare and who had not that is to say the gifte of obedience Yet doth he exhort all men to heare Although Cipriane did both know and wryte that fayth and obedience were the gift of God and that we ought not reioyce in any thing because we haue nothing of our owne yet this was no hindraunce at all vnto his earnest preaching but that he taught Fayth and obedience neuerthelesse and most constantly perswaded to good life When we heare S. Iames teach vs that euery good and perfect gift commeth downe from the father of lightes yet this preaching of grace nothing withstoode but that he continued to rebuke such as troubled the cōgregation saying If you be bitterly zelous and your hartes be full of contencion doe not reioyce nor lye not against the truth for this is not the Wisedome that came from aboue but earthly beastly and diabollicall
doctrine And in the meane time to passe ouer that whereat I cannot choose but laugh I meane this addicion not ioyned with any rashe or vayne confidence As though any one thing vnder the heauens can be more arrogant vayne thē that perswasion of yours whereby you are wont to bring poore simple soules in beliefe that such as are buryed in the cowle weéde of a Francifcane Fryer are forthwith defensible enough agaynst all the Deuilles and furies of hell Againe in buing your pardōs who soeuer shall make best stake with you as soone as theyr coyne shall cry chink in your boxes shall haue as many soules as they will deliuered out of purgatory and send them vp presently fleéing rype to heauen To passe ouer in the meane tyme other gamboldes toyes not a few in nūber much more foolish apishe then these being desirous to make an end once not for lack of such good matter more then sufficient Euen as fruiolous and vayne may I say is all the rest that followeth concerning your Church vpon the which when yeé haue bestowed neuer so many delicate colours and besmeaared her with neuer so freshe and oryent oyles berduers yet shall you seeme to doe nothing but bedawbe olde rotten putrified walles with new morter Let no man sinisterly interprete of these wordes as spoken agaynst the true church of Christ. I do knowe and confesse that Christ neuer wanted neyther shall euer want his Church which shall continue one vniforme holy Apostolicke and truely Catholicke which being builded vpon the rock of the Apostles shall enioy generall participation in one body and within one bowells as it were with the whole cōmunion of all the saynetes and godly faythfull throughout all the whole world And I cannot wonder enough truely with what face you dare so hedge vp within the boundes of the Romish particuler Church onely this vniuersall Church which is not restrayned within any limittes of place nor tytles of persōs by the publique authoritie of the christian Fayth but is dispersed abroad generally and without compasse farre and wide vpon the face of the whole earth wheresoeuer the Apostolique Fayth is of any force in so much that to your seéming may beé no Catholique Church now but that Romishe at Rome from which your Church and Synagogue ye banish and expell all such as professe Christ after any other maner then after the Romish Fashion none otherwise then as if they professe no Fayth nor followed any order of any Church at all And hereof aryseth that your crabbed and snappish accusation agaynst Luther Melanchton Zuinglius Caluine Haddon and others not because they are not Christianes but because they are not Romanistes not because they haue swarued an heare breadth from the doctrine of the Apostles and Euangelistes but because they will not become treacherous traytours agaynst the Apostles and the expresse worde of God as your high Bishop is O singuler cause O profound and Catholique accusation But how wisely should you haue done in this if you hadde brought to passe that it might haue bene notified to the Christian people that your Romish Church were and is a sound member of the true Church of Christ rather then that the vniuersalitie of Christes Church should be forced to so narrow a hoale of subiection as Rome is For this sufficeth not Osorius though you cry out a thousād times wider the you do that your church was foūded by Christ established by the Apostles defēded with the army of Martirs amplified beautified with the traditions of godly men and made strong and for euer inuincible agaynst all the battery and countermoyles of Heretiques by power of the holy ghost without the whiche no hope of Saluation may be hoped for c. If besides vayne crakes of smoky speeches ye shewe no demonstration of sounde proofe why these bragges of yours should be true let vs graunt your saying Or els if onely speeches shall be credited and if to babble and prate whatsoeuer a man listeth may like you to allow of for an vndoughted Oracle Why may not I as well with the like lauishnes of tongue gene lill for loll and saye that thys Church of Rome whereupon you bragge so much was neuer erected by Christ but hath degēdered frō Christ vnto Antichrist from the auncient primer paterne of the primitiue Church of Rome to a certayne new fangled kynde of lyfe doctrine not Instituted by the Apostles but frō the Apostles quite fallen away into Apostasye not garded with the army of Martyrs but gorged embrued yea and drucken with the bloud slaughter of infinite Martyrs such so many as neuer any Nero or Maxentius did euer send more to heauē thē this Babilonicall strūpeth hath done Now where you adde beautified with the traditions of holy and godly men and made strong and for euer inuincible against all assaults and battrry of Heretiques and shall so continue permanent by the ayd of the holy Ghost Truely in these very wordes you feéme to resemble those persons which in the Prophett did call darcknes light and light darcknes euill good and good euill First as concerning mens traditions how holy those men were I know not this is most true that your Church is fully fraught with traditions and doctrine of men in deed in so much that who so shall vncloache your Church of those traditions and Implementes of mens patcheries shall leaue her altogether naked without all kynde of furniture to couer her shame except it be a poore ragge of Moyses Iaunitas solitudo Haue we not heard the Romishe church very notably defended by this Camille Camell I had almost sayd now sake an other vnuāquishable argumēt such as all the Heretiques wedges with all their Beatelles and malles can not beate abroad when they haue done all that they can where he knitteth vpp the knott forsooth on this wise Agaynst all the assaultes of Heretiques defensible by the power of the holy ghost shall cōtinue inuinciblefor euer How shall this be knowne forsooth because the Numa of our age Osorius doth Iustifie the same with hys wordes who is no more able to make a lye then the Pope is able to erre what remayneth therefore for vs to do but that beyng vanquished with the truth we become the Popes vassalles and worshippe the foothstoole of hys feete But to aunswere briefly to this Parrotte I will demaund this one thing first not of Osor. but of the whole brotherhood fraternitie of Shauelinges If they beleue themselues to be so garded by the power and force of the holyghost agaynst all the assaultes of heretiques as this reuerend Lord the Lord Bishop of Sylu doth boast why do they vphold their pylfe with such outrage and Tirannye with such boochery and blood with such horrible burninges stiflinges fryer fagotts emprisonmentes Rackinges Constrayntes to recantation Famine and sword Finally with all maner of horrible tortures without
this condition that the Consuls should not be first admitted to beare rule before they should prostrate them selues at the popes feéte and sweare faythfully to become bonnaire and buxome to the Pope and the Church of Rome Blond 6. booke In the yeare 1182. albeit the first begynnyng and entring of Lucius 3. into the Popedome was somewhat cleare from sedition yet within a whiles after him selfe did minister cause of great Tumultes bycause he practized to roote out the honorable name of Consuls out of the Citie of Rome not much degenerating from Lucius was for his troublesome head called Turbulentus But bycause this place doth minister oportunitie to treate of sectes and schismes why do we protract any more tyme For if a sect be defined truly to be any opinion whatsoeuer oppugneth the naturall meanyng of the Gospell how great a champion of sectes may Pope Innocenâ—ius the 3. of that name be called I meane that Innocentius the most detestable enemy of the true Gospell aboue all other who in the yeare 1215. in the CouÌ„cell of Laterane sowed the feédes of all the broyles and troubles almost in the Church wherewith the whole Christian Nation is molested at this day Whenas first he established the heresie of Transubstantiation he yoaked Christians to auricular Confession commauÌ„ded that Remission of Sinnes should be receaued none otherwise but at the deliuerie of a Priest spoyled the lay people of the one part of the Sacrament was the first deuisor of this Tyrannicall persecution by fire namely of all such as durst but once quacke against that Catholicke Seé of Rome This is that Innocent Pope who was the very authour of all the bloudshed and calamities in the Church which hath doth consume the Protestaunts and Papistes at this day Not much vnlike vnto this monster were his next successors Honorius 3. Innocentius 4. Gregorius 9 most rebellious traytors agaynst the Emperour Fridericke the 2. in whose tyme the order of Friers Beggers was instituted Here also commeth to memory that in the tyme of this Pope Gregory 9. of whom I made mention before and through his occasion chiefly began the schismes and factions of the Guelfianes which mainteyned the authoritie of the Pope and the Gibellynes who sought the preseruation of the state Imperiall By whiche occasion how cruell and horrible warres were arered scarse calmed in an huÌ„dred yeares afterwardes the auncient Recordes and conference of Hystories whereof you vaunt a plentyfull knowledge can manifestly declare vnto you I come now to Celestine 5. which was Byshop but halfe a yeare in the yeare 1294. whom after the first moneth of his Popedome succeéded or rather rusht lyke a ruffler into that Seé Boniface 8. who kept this Celestine in prison Platin. AEmil But by what pollicie this Pope aspired to the Popedome I would desire Osorius to tell me in his next Letters if he write any after to our Queénes Maiestie For if this Boniface did cast that Celestine into prison as he sayd not of any malice but of purpose to take away occasioÌ„ of mutine that might haue groweÌ„ by the confederates on the contrary parte touchyng the Popedome why did he not restoare him agayne then when the tumultes were pacified why did he craftely deuise his exile by a deuilish practise of the souÌ„de of certeine voyces imagined to be sent from heauen into the Chamber of the Pope Marius This Pope Boniface the botcher of the Decretalls was so maliciously enflamed against certeine Cardinalles of the houses of ColuÌ„ne Vrsine as many as remained fautors of the Gibelline factioÌ„ beyng him selfe the most factious of all others that he put to the sacke and razed to the hard earth all their mansions and Castells wheresoeuer he came This is that most holy and Angelicke Patriarch who beyng at Genua vpon an Ashewednesday threwe Ashes into the eyes of Porcherus Archbyshop of Genua without regard of reuerence either of the place of the tyme or the persons that were present speakyng after this maner Memento home quod Gibellinus es cum Sibillinis in Cinerem reuerteris That is to say Remember maÌ„ that thou art a Gibellyne and with the Sibyllines shalt returne agayne into dust At the length in the most cruell Itallian warres betwixt the Sicilians fauoryng the partes of the Arragones and Robert the Duke of Calabria whenas this pope would not seéke by his authoritie to pacifie the Timult though thereunto required sundry tymes very instantly beyng not loÌ„g after taken prisoner him selfe in an vproare and carried to Rome did pyne him selfe to death for sorrow and anguish of mynde What shall I speake of Innocentius 6. and of Gregory 11. whereof the one in the yeare 1352. did after an vnspeakeable maner of cruelty commit to flamyng fier one Iohn a Frier FraÌ„ciscane bycause he taught what would become of Antichrist and of the popes of Rome From the other diuers Cities of Italy reuolted in a seditions tumult as Volaterane recordeth what shall I say of all that other factious rable of popes succeeding in order who by meanes of certayne ciuill disturbances in the Citie of Rome forsooke the Citie and translated the Seé into Fraunce continued the Election of popes in the French Nation excludyng the Romaines 74. yeares After this maner the Court of Rome playeng as it were vpon a rollyng Stage albeit it chaunged their Seé now and then yet neuer founde any place of assured rest For it was scarse as yet returned agayne within the walles of Rome from her long and werysome exile but it was wellcomed home immediately with a new Tumult For in the yeare 1378. whenas Vrbanus 6. was by force enthronized in the Popedome by meanes of the Italians the French Cardinalles mislikyng the same did chuse an other one Robert Gilbonensis to witte Clement 7. which held his Seé likewise at Auinion The vnitie of the Romishe Seé by this meanes rent a sunder in that diuision and Schisme eche Pope did excoÌ„municate the other the variable people fauored both the popes This schisme coÌ„tinued by the space of 40. yeares Vrbanâ— to be aueÌ„ged of the Cardinalles the wronges susteined by the procuremeÌ„t of Iohn kyng of Sycile procureth woÌ„derfull vproares Charles kyng of HuÌ„gary raysed an army agaynst Ioane who fauored the clayme of Clement whom afterwardes Ludowicke duke of Angew deliuered The same pope furnished one Iohn Hachut an English man with munition men whoÌ„ Vrbanus the v. had made Generall of his Army before sent him with a bande of FloreÌ„tines to Naples agaynst the sayd Ioane of whom we made mention before and withall sounded the defiaunce agaynst Charles the Kyng of Naples bycause he would not make his nephew Prince of Campania At the length this Pope beyng straightly besieged by this Charles was priuely conueyed to Genua He kept 7. Cardinalles in fetters whereof fiue he drowned in the Riuer of Tiber beyng tumbled and knitte vp into sackes He ruled the
agayne amoÌ„gst ChristiaÌ„s or S. Paule the Apostle and should behold these our serions and toylesome triflinges in our temples these cunnyng counterfaytes Images Alters bread worshippinges and the whole face of Christian Religion so transformed into Apishe ceremonies should seé how prety holy you will shew your selues in trinckets and toyes and how retchles and vnmindefull of the principall poyntes of doctrine how niggardly skraping from relieuing the poore how vnmeasurably prodigall in buildyng of Temples in decking of Monasteries in enriching of churches in costly coapes in Iewels and plate in dawbing of walles in glyding of postes how excessiuely sumptuous In corporall exercises which are of small value how foreward and couragious but in the exercise of true pietye whiche is profitable for all things how litle or no care at all employed as that it may seéme we haue either forlorne all mercy and compassion or that pitty and mercye haue forsaken their owne intralles and vowelles Moreouer in iudging our brethren how frowardly headstrong in burning and killing how â—ooâ—cherly cruell and Sauadge If Esay the Prophet and the Apostle Paule I say did behold these thinges and withall did seé before their eyes such and so much christian blood sucked out spilt by your meanes so many thowsandes of martires murthered and sent vnder the Altar would not he most rightfully or woulde not God by the mouth of his Prophet in much more fiercenes and vehemeÌ„cy of stomack redubble the saying agaynst you more iustly then he did sometimes agaynst the Iewes I will not accept your holidayes your sabbaothes soleÌ„ne feastinges your asseÌ„blies are wicked my soule hateth your kaleÌ„ds soleÌ„nities I am greued with theÌ„ am ouerladeÌ„ with theÌ„ Why haue we fasted and thou hast not beholden vs Behold in the day of your fasting your mindes are enclined to wickednes You fast to contention and strife and oppresse your brethren cruelly wrongfully and without cause Be your washed be ye clensed remoue away the euill imaginations of your hartes out of my sight What would Paule haue added moreouer who endued you at the first with a farre other manner of doctrine if he should now behold your doctrines your rites inuocations decreés masses multitude of holidayes your ceremonies worshippinges croochings and kneélinges and the disorderous abuses of all your religion if heé should note that the coÌ„fideÌ„ce affyaunce wh he taught to be placed in Christ onely were by you transposed translated into an infinite heap of aduocates proctors rent euen in sunder by you Would he acknowledge you for ChristiaÌ„s I pray you or at least standing in great feare of you would he not exclaim agayn vpon you You obserue dayes and monethes I am afrayd of you c. But it is well Osorius doth now at length beginne to speak somewhat to the matter I do confesse in deed saith he that al those things wherof I haue made meÌ„cioÌ„ all others of the same sort which I haue omitted for I think it not needfull to rehearse al by name are not of any such great perfectioÌ„ for they be certayne principles certayne â—ecessary helpes for vs where with as yet our weake and mortall estate hath some familiarity and acquayntaunce and of this we haue good proof by dayly experience c. The loÌ„g processe therfore that you made of state feasts and other gadding holydayes in the yeare belike are of the quality then as you haue said Osor. of that wh though you seéme to haue rehearsed very many yet haue you not remembred all In deéde in this you speake the trueth For you haue ouerskipt almost an innumerable multitude besides these to witte the feastes of the Sayncts and she Saynts And first of Saynct Iohn Baptist the feastes of the Apostles Martyrs moreouer of Confessours Uirgyns Byshoppes and Abbots of the inuention and exaltation of the holy crosse of hallowing of Ashes of Gangeweéke and procession of Saincte Michael of Sainct Peters chayre Sainct George Sainct Nicholas Sainct Katherine Sainct Thomas of the assumption coÌ„ception natiuity and Annnuciation and visitation of our blessed Uirgine Mary of the patrone of the church dedication day and Relicksonday And who is able wich toung to expresse all which in such clusters are crepte into the Kalender that it might iustly haue bene feared least if the popes holines had coÌ„tinued a while longer in good credite all working dayes should haue bene turned into holydayes or euerlasting Iubilees But forasmuch as Osorius is contented to pare away these skrappes as not altogether so necessary for his commentaries we will be contented also to make as litle account of them and to returne agayne to Osor. description wherein the same also which he doth very fittely deny is not altogether true namely that the things which he rehearsed are not valuable as perfect but are certayne principles and necessarye helpes prouided for such as groaning yet vnder the burden of flesh and blood are not throughly huÌ„bled in spirite But I beseéch you good honest man what maner of speache is this what kynde of helpes be these wherof you treat is it euen so Syr to carry candles burning at hygh noone in the eyes and gaze of all men call you this a helpe for weake memoryes or rather a playne president of ridiculous superstition to worshippe the crucifixe barefooted and barelegged to fall groueling before Images to sette vp tapers and caÌ„dles burning before them to part stakes of the honour due vnto God with he Sayntes and sheé Sayntes to make vowes vnto them to craue their helpe in mishappes and misfortunes to 〈◊〉 as much to theyr merites as to Chryst himselfe to nourish thâ—â—â—norauÌ„ce of the vnlettered in an vnknowne touÌ„g to remoue the vnlearned multitude from the reading of scriptures to carry them with dumme and colde ceremonies where ye list to feéde the eares with musicke and song whose soules you ought to haue fed with the word of God and enstructed vnto fayth finally to make a greater brable and sturre for the breach of these holy dayes and neglecting those ceremonies yea to hate your brethren more deadly rack them to more tortures for these peéuish Bables more spightfully then for not performing the lawe of the Lord Will you perswade vs to account these to be principles of piety or shall we boldly call them rather mysteries of iniquity and playne blockes and lettes of true Religion What shall we thinke of this that not contented yet to haue so largely debated of the celebrating of holy daies and the manifold Fruit of the same he proceédeth further beateth the naile to this issue that he maketh now of the very same principles a very necessitie which earst he vouchsafed no place towardes the attayning of perfection So that now these shadowes and signes of holy thinges though of themselues vnperfect doe yet yeélde great helpes to perfect pietye not onely in these that are weak but seéme also very necessary
doth lye in all his Bookes Hereof therefore canne not be denyed but that he writeth Bookes Or els how could he lye in his bookes if he wrote no bookes at all And yet neither did Luther in that Article affirme symply that the righteous man doth sinne in euery good worke But annexing thereunto an exception conditionall he doth qualifye the sharpenesse of the proposition expounding himselfe with the testimonies of Gregory and Augustine on this wise If God proceed in his iudgement sayth he straightly without all consideration of mercy Meaning hereby not that God should take good workes from righteous men but should despoyle works of that perfection which of it selfe were able to counteruayle the cleare iudgement of God so that the perfection of our righteousnes consist not now in doing well but in acknoledgement of our owne Imperfection and humble confessing the same For this do we heare Augustine speake Vertue sayth he wherewith man is now endued is so farre forth called perfect as the true and humble acknowledgement of mans owne imperfection ioyned with an vnfayned confession of the same doth make it to be accepted for perfect Now what poyson lurketh here I beseéch you worshippfull Syr Unlesse perhappes you thinke thus that because God doth not commaund impossibilities for this cause they that be regenerated may in this life accomplish the law of God fully and absolutely and that your selfe be of the number of them which in this life abcomplish all righteousnes throughly If you thinke thus of your selfe what better aūswere shal I make you then the same which Constantine the great did on a time nippingly to Acesius a Nouatian who denyed that such as were fallen could rise agayne by repentaunce Set vppe your Ladders quoth he and clymbe you vppe to heauen alone Acesius Furthermore where you are wont to obiect in this place impossibilitie of performing the law surely this doth not so much empaire Luthers assertion nor helpe your presumptuousnes sithence Augustine doth aunswere you sufficiently in Luthers behalfe All the cōmaūdemēts of God saith he are thē reputed to haue bene performed when whatsoeuer is left vndone is pardoned And in his booke de perfectione iustitiae debating this question whether the commaundements of God were possible to be kept he doth deny that they be possible to be kept But he affirmeth that neither in this life they be possible to be kept nor to keep them commeth of nature but of the heauenly grace But hereof hath sufficiently bene spoken already before so that it shall not beé needfull to do the thing that is done already It remayneth next now that we enter into the discourse of the holy ceremonyes decreés and ordinaunces of the Church because he complayneth for the suppressing of these also wherein what iust cause he hath to complayne shall hereby apeare If we consider duly and aright the auncient ordinaunces and determinations of the primitiue Church Amongest which auncient ordinaūces of the Church I suppose this was establshed That no man should be abridged from freédome to marry and from eating all kinde of meates fish or flesh as euery man foūd himselfe best disposed It was an auncient ordinaunce also that aswell the lay people as priestes without exception should communicate vnder both kindes the bread and the wine And that nothing should be redde in the Churches besides the scriptures Moreouer that the Scriptures should be read openly to all persons generally in their mother toūg that euery man myght vnderstād it The auncient ordinaūces of the church did neuer admit any more sacramentes then two nor widdowes vnder threéscore yeéres old nor vouchsafed any that were but newly entred into the profession to beare any rule in the congregation nor any els but such as were knowne both godly and prayseworthy aswell for the soundnesse of theyr doctrine as for the continuall course of their liues It was an especiall prouiso of the auntient discipline that no one person should haue any more Cures the◠one nor should receiue out of any Church any greater contribution then should seéme sufficient for necessaryes onely and not to mayntayne prodigality and lust It was also an auncient custome amongst the elders that the newly professed should be applied to reading of lessones and singinge onely And the Priestes in the meane time should apply preaching of the word Amongest other aūciēt ordinaūces that Canon of the counsell of Nyce seémeth worthy to be placed here which prouided that the ouersight of all other churches should beé committed to threé or foure patriarches equally in such wise as that no preheminence of superiority should be amongst them but all to be equall in dignity Adde vnto this the generall discipline of the church which did not hang vpon one mans sleéue onely but was exercised indifferently in all places agaynst all notorions offences without respect of persons Now therefore where Osorius complayneth that the ordinaunces of the auntient and primitiue Church are taken away abolished herein he doth not amisse So do many godly personages more beside Osorius complayne very bitterly of the same But in the meane space I do maruaile much what monstruous deuise this Byshoppe coyneth agaynst vs who neither liketh with the abolishing of the auncient customes of the primitiue Church nor can in any respect disgest those men which do endeuour and desire onely to haue a generall reformation For to saye the trueth whereunto tendeth all the endeuour of those men whome Osorius here wringeth vpon so sharpely but that those auntient decreés and ordinaunces wherewith the Church of Christ was endued at the first might recouer agayne theyr former dignity from which they haue bene lamentably reiected If they could bring this to passe by any meanes nothing coulde please them better But if their harty desires attayne not wished Successe no men are more to be blamed for it Osorius then you your selues who vnder a deceauable and craftie vysor of antiquity practize earnestly and busily alwayes that no Monumēt of auncient antiquitie may remaine but haue forged vs a certeine new face of an vpstart Church with certeine straunge and newfangled Decreés and Decretalles which the true and auncient antiquitie if were alyue agayne would neuer acknowledge otherwise then as misbegotten Bastardes But to proceéde this Rhetoricall amplificatiō waxeth more hotte yet in more choler Moreouer neither contēted sayth he with the lamentable desolatiō of these thynges ye haue dispoyled mā of all freedome of will and haue bounde fast with a certeine fatall and vnauoydable Necessitie all the actoins and imaginations of men be they good and godly or be the perillous and pernitious cōtrary to Nature Reason and the law of God c. Touchyng the freédome of mans will and that fatall necessitie as Osorius tearmeth it bycause aunswere sufficient is made already before It shall be neédelesse to protract the Reader with a new repetition of matters spoken already To be brief and
what I ought to defend what you meane to oppugne it behoueth vs to cōclude vpon this point For you do so entangle all your discourse with I know not what crooked crabbed conueyaunce and choppyng of matters together knittyng and reknittyng one thyng vpon an other that ye neither agreé with your selfe nor any man els can perfitly determine what your meanyng is You doe accuse Haddon I suppose and our Preachers of Nouelty But we must thē know wherein you define this Noueltie to consiste In the lyfe that we lead or in the doctrine which we do professe If you meane of our lyues but therein wicked may we be new we cā not be For what is more auncient then vyce If the question be of doctrine onely why thē do ye transpose the Disputatiō which is onely instituted vpō doctrine racke the same to the lyues maners of men and then at last to cōmaunde Haddon to deliuer vnto you some example of that auncient Vertue As though if he could not do so he should be forthwith condemned for an heretique I know we lyue not Apostolicke lyues no more then we worke the miracles which the Apostles wrought what then what is this to the purpose Haddon affirmeth as he may iustifie it well enough that our Church here in England doth not vary from the institution Apostolicque in any thyng meanyng doctrine fayth and Religion If this seéme not to be true in your cōceipt it behoued you then to oppugne that which he doth defende For his defence cōcerneth the principles and substaunciall pointes of Christian doctrine wherein he sayth that our Churches do vary nothyng at all from the institution of the Apostles You or the other part ouerpassing the matters apperteinyng to doctrine do writhe and wreste the state of the whole questiō to morall vertues And in your owne conceipt seéme that you haue very notably besturred your selfe agaynst Haddon if you winne this much of him that the Lutheranes haue not attained to that excellencie of Apostolique integritie And hereupon you spende and wast all the smoaky pouder of your miserable Rhetoricke wherein you both bewray the weakenes of your cause to much the subtill steight of your deépe deuise For if it would haue pleased you to deale franckly here and not sticke to discouer the very grief of your minde this lyfe of ours howsoeuer it be was not the matter that made vs heretiques nor that made you and your Catholickes to be so maliciously incensed agaynst vs. For how filthy soeuer we seéme to you and your fraternitie wollowyng weltryng in all abhonimation if besides this licentiousnesse of maners had bene nought els doughtles we should haue found both your fatherhoode and the rest of your profession our good Maisters enough and not onely our good Maisters but most foreward felowes and mates of the same vyces and of all kynde of abhomination besides yea and not fellowes onely but our auncientes and Captaines therein For what filthynesse in all our liues what pride ambition cruelty sauadgenes robberies disreipt violence arrogancy lust despising of Magistrates was euer so monstruous in any of vs wherein you do not vnmeasurably exceéde vs And therfore if dissolute maners and vnbridled course of licentious lyfe haue made you so skittish and forced you to boyle in so beastly rancour agaynst vs surely this trōpet ought so much the rather haue bene founded agaynst your popes of Rome your Cardinalls other your Copesmates of the same crew by how much more greéuous matter may be foūde in them to be quarelled at reproued But this is not the prick that makes you to kicke bycause we breake Gods commaundementes by liuyng wickedly but bycause we yeld not to the Decreés of your traditions bycause we do not humble our selues to your Cannons and Lawes but chiefly aboue all others bycause the light of the Gospell spreading her glorious beames abroad and the whole world at the length hauyng shaken of her wonted drousines euē Coblers and Tyukers begyn to discerne a Frier from a Fursebursh a Moncke from a Marmyan and the Pope frō a Puppet bycause the vgly vysours and counterfaite hypocrisie of Frameshapen Religion is layed open to the view bycause the errours of doctrine blyndnes of Iudgementes and most false pretences of antiquitie be openly discouered to the worlde hereof come all these stormes hereof arise all those Tragicall outcryes and exclamations of Osorius agaynst the poore Lutheranes Syth it is euen so and for asmuch as all this controuersye betwixt vs consisteth not vpon examples of good lyfe but vpon the chiefe principles and foundation of Doctrine and Religion reiecting all vnnecessary circumlocutions come agayne to the matter Osorius and stand fast vpon the speciall poynt of the question The controuersye at this present concerneth matter of Doctrine and Fayth which onely matter must either conuince vs for Heretiques or arquite vs for Catholiques And here writing agaynst Haddon you require vs to cleare our selues from all suspicion of Noueltye There is nothing more easy to be done But sithence you prouoke vs to this challenge my Lord become a man of your word then and let not your discourse runne at randone from the state of the question And let vs conclude if it please you vpon this poynt That whether of vs can iustify his part best by testimony of Fathers and Antiquity of tyme the same to goe away with the garland But who shall be vmpyer you will say yf I vouch the scripture you will forthwith cry out that it is to obscure neither doe I deny but that in certeine propheticall and profound and deéper misteries it is in deéde somewhat obscure but in matters of fayth saluation the holy ghost would not haue it so obscure but that euery indifferent and godly reader might gather thereof matter sufficient for the necessary instruction of fayth and abilitye to discerne And for mine owne part I will require none other witnesse or vmpyer herein then the Reader himselfe whatsoeuer he be so that he will stand vpright and will lay aside all priuate affectiōs and all partialytye of foreiudgement and geue sentence according to the very touchstone of the manifest Scriptures But our Osorius and his companiō Pighius will exclayme agayne and say that none ought be iudge in this cause but the Pope of Rome neither will I forsake him condicionally so that he will faithfully sincerely simply without fraude or guile exclude priuate affection nor will be addicted to one part more thē the other setting aside his authoritye awhiles will promise to become an vpright sounde vmpier of the cause together with scripture being Iudge For otherwise I thinke it not to stand with conuenience of reason that any man shall be in his owne cause both a pleader a witnes and a Iudge Neither doe I thinke that any such one will euer become in indifferent Iudge nor will any
discrete man admitt any such person to be Iudge And yet I stand not so much vpon a Iudge herein This one thing doe I wishe onely that with the obiections of our aduersaryes our aunsweres may be heard with indifferency And I assure you if I could preuayle with wishing I would desire nothing more hartely then that the renowned king of Portingall Sebastian a prince of excellent Maiesty sith I suppose verely that the arbitriment detreminatiō iudgement of this cause doth concerne Christian Princes chiefly would vouchsafe of his singular clemēcy according to the aunciēt Lawes of Athens to geue eare indifferently to both cause and to lend his princely eares but euen a litle whiles not vnto me but to the cause it selfe whereof I shall entreate I would not doubt his highnes being iudge but that I would easely iustify that all whatsoeuer the Catholickes doe alledge at this day for their antiquitye are but bare bragges And that with vs remaineth nothing wherein they may iustly condemne vs of Nouelty And in this behalfe I can not wonder enough what came into Osorius minde to exact of vs a warrant of our Nouelty seing that of his owne Antiquitye he can yeald vs no manner of warrant at all But let vs harken a while to those notable reasons of our aduersaryes wherewith they doe defend their Antiquitye which being throughly confuted we will presently proceéde to the argumentes which they doe obiect agaynst our new masters of this new Gospell as they terme it There is a principle in the ciuill Lawe The lawes sayth they are fauorable to the party in possession in a title of prescription Yf prescription of fifty yeares doe cleane cut of all chalenge what shall be sayd then of them which affirme their continued possession in doctrine a thousand yeares and more By the same prescription of time say they the priestes of the old lawe did chalenge vnto themselues a lawfull right to sit in Moyses chayre Ergo Mans lawe doth adiudge no man a wrōgfull dissensor being able to prescribe fifty yeares possession Aunswere The priestes of the old lawe doe chalenge a right to sitt in Moyses chaire in respect of the continued prescription of time I doe confesse this to be true in deede And yet this prescription notwithstanding the Lord did call the very same priestes theéues and murtherers Agayne touching their allegation of the wrongfull disseisor by lawe and prescription of time I doe aunswere In the ciuill lawe this is true in deéd but not so in Gods lawe And yet there is also a rule in the ciuill lawe A wrōgfull disseisor shall not ohtayne though he prescribe neuer so long continuance of possession Agayne An ordinaunce begunne wickedly at the first is not sayd to be allowable for prescriptiō of tyme. But as concerning Gods lawe there be many notable testimonies of most worthy personages which disproue the same for an vntrueth Namely emongest all others the saying of Augustine chiefly The veritye being discouered custome must geue place to trueth let no man preferre custome before reason and trueth because reason and trueth doe alwayes exclude custome And Gregory Yf you pretend custome sayth he you must note what the Lord sayth I am the way the trueth and the lyfe He doth not say I am custome doughtles euery custome though neuer so auncient though neuer so generall must geue place to the trueth Emongest whome also heare what Cyprian doth say If Christ onely must be harkened vnto sayth he we may not regard what any other did thinke conuenient to be done before our time but what Christ hath done first who is aboue all other For we ought not to followe the custome of men but the trueth of God for as much as the Lord spake by the month of his Prophet Esay and sayd They worshippe me in vayne teaching the doctrines and tradicions of men Moreouer whereas themselues knowe this rule to be infallible that no custome shall prescribe agaynst the prince how much rather ought it be sayd no time or custome shall prescribe agaynst God Otherwise what shall we say of Antichrist which because he hath possessed his Seé more then an hundreth yeares shall he therfore not be accounted for Antichrist for his title of prescription Hitherto therefore the reasons wherewith the Catholickes do maintayne their Antiquitye are declared It remaineth now that we purge our selues of the cryme of Nouelty fasly obbraydid agaynst vs by Osorius especially sith Osorius doth vrge vs so earnestly thereunto wherein I would gladly conferre with that indifferent and vpright reader whome earst I spake of or with any other Catholicke man who hath any sparke of sound and vpright iudgement And I would enquire of him first his iudgement vpon this poynt of doctrine whereas we beleue and professe that our nature euen from our first creation is so vtterly lost and forlorne that in our selues remaineth no helpe at all to rise agayne without Christ agayne that Christ the sonne of God taking our nature vpon him hath made so perfect satisfaction for our sinnes that there remayneth nothing wherein his deseruings haue not sufficiently enough satisfied for all generall yea for the sinnes of the whole world Moreouer that these his merites are so by wonderfull dispensation spread abroad with ouerflowing plenty vppon all mankinde through the singuler and inestimable benefitte and mercy of God that a freé passage is made wide open for all miserable wretches penitent sinners being endued with fayth to haue freé accesse vnto Christ and so layd open as that freély through fayth without all merites of ours without all the works of the lawe they be pardoned and accepted vpon this poynt I say I would fayne heare the opinion of the godly and Catholicke Reader whether this Assertiō hane any maner of Nouelty in it which hath not proceéded from Christ himselfe from Saynt Paule frō the holy Ghost and from the sacred word of God I thinke no man will say so What meaneth this That where the same scripture doth teach vs to repose all our affyaunce not in workes but in Christ onely grounding our selues in the meane space assuredly vpon the infallible promise of God whereof we haue no mistrust but that he which promised freely the same will performe most faithfully not for any our sake but for hys Sonnes sake onely in whom we do beleue so that now there be no reason els of any our righteousnesse in the sight of God then through fayth onely Let the Godly and vpright Reader iudge here agayne with me what Nouelty or Sacriledge is in this manner of Doctrine If according to the authority of Tertullian that thing ought to be preferred that was first diliuered I will aske again of any indifferēt Reader whether this custome were receyued in the Church first namely that we should acknowledge one onely Aduocate and Mediator of God and men the man Christ Iesus Or
whether we should seéke vnto many Aduocates and Mediators for the ease of our miseries Of Inuocation adoration and worshipping this is not a new but an auncient comaundement Thus shalt worshippe the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue And agayne thou shalt make to thy selfe no grauen Image nor the likenes of any thing c. And with what face then do you accuse them of innouation who obserue these thinges according to the prescript rule of the auncient commaundement God did institute in his Church two Sacramentes as appeareth euidently which he commaunded vs to obserue very carefully and deligently If we do not frequent these in that sincerity of Religion as we ought to doe Let vs be condemned But if we doe herein according to duetye and simplicitye of true Religion I pray you what Noueltye is in thys our doinge If we measure the auntient Fathers and Authors of true doctrine by number of yeares we say with Iustine Paule is the Father of Fathers whose authority is of such credite that if an Aungell of heauen would bring any thyng contrary to that which Paule hath taught let him be holden accursed But the same Paule gaue freé liberty to all persons ingenerall to take wyues and did dignify the Mariage bedde by this tytle honourable And called the forbidding of Mariage the doctrine of Deuils And there were amongest the Apostles some which did not only marry wiues but did lead them about with them also according as was lawfull for them to do And how is this contrarye to the auncient custome examples of the Elders If ministers who are appoynted to the ministery in Churches marry wiues for the necessary comfort of theyr liuelyhood We read the scriptures to the vnlettered people in their mother toung we do cōmunicate with them also vnder both kindes both bread and wyne If the Apostles did not vse the same Lett Osorious haue the prise I will further debate thus with this vpright and frendlye Reader desire him that he will vouchsafe to peruse all the parts of our doctrine and view with his eyes euery angle and corner of our Churches Peraduenture he seéth no portrayctes of Images blazed abroad to be worshipped for pence he beholdeth Bare wals and iudgeth them more like vnto Barnes then vnto Churches Yet was the most Auntient Temple of Salomon euen such an other Barne yea such a Barne also was the Tabernacle of God more auncient then the other in the Law carnall may not we wante the gaze of Images in the spirituall Law He seéth no tapers lighted at high noone no palmes no Reliques no belles no oyle no spittle no consecrated fire nor water he seéth not the Sacramentall bread lyfted vppe aloft worshipped he seéth no markette of pardōs no Iubiles no sacrificatory Masses no shauelinges nor beardlesse Priestes no differences of dayes of monethes yeares garemēts meates and colors no stately and pompeous supplications and Processions besides innumerable other Byshapes of frameshapen Ceremonies all which whether ought to be tollerated in Christian Churches I do not at this time discusse Yet this I deale with and enquire of my Reader whether our Churches which doe lacke all these trumperies deserue rather to be condemned of nouelty or do more neérely resemble the liuely and perfect patterne and countenaunce of the most true and most auncient Church But Luther doth teach that freéwill hath no power at all that whatsoeuer a man doth is sinne that whatsoeuer good or euill we do commeth of absolute and vnauoydable necessity c. And what can be spoken so sincerely but by sinister construing may be depraued For how deépely doth not the deadlye sting of Momus wound if it may freély pearce without resistaunce Luther doth embase the power of freéwill in deéde but in that man onely that is not yet regenerate but in thinges appertayning vnto God wherin he weakeneth the effectuall force of freéwill he doth strengthen and establish it with the accesse of Gods grace Of the greatnesse of Sinne and distinction of necessity hath bene spoken so much already that it is neédelesse now to redouble the same agayne All which notwithstanding the indifferent Reader shall finde nothing to be spoken by hym that was not spoken before his time and drawen from the very fountaines and most auntient springes of the Prophettes and Apostles as hath bene declared before both out of the Prophette Esay who recoūteth all our righteousnesse no better worth then a foule menstruous clothe out of Moyses Paule the Prophets who haue taught this doctrine to be most assured That it is God that doth harden the hartes that doth deliuer ouer into reprobate mindes which hath created the wicked man the euill day and that there is no euill in the City that the Lord hath not wrought c. All which if a man should preach in these dayes in the same wordes there is no doubt but Osorius would accuse him of hereticall nouelty Of the iustifyng fayth Luther did discourse very aboundantly and profoundly and with all no lesse faythfuly and truely Whose iudgement we do all embrace gladly and ioyfully And render vnto God most harty thanks for this his inestimable benefite finding nothing in this doctrine that is not throughlye approued most true not onely by the testimony of the Apostles but by the generall consent and agreément of the most auntient Prophettes Paule doth teach that man is iustified in the sight of God by fayth without workes Luther doth teach that we are iustified by fayth onely what difference is there here I pray you Osorius ascribeth rewardes to workes Paule doth openlye take away all rewarde from workes Whose Iudgement is more true or more auntient And what kinde of new doctrine is there here now If Luther agreéing with Paule excludynge workes do establish fayth onely in the doctrine iustification and yet not so altogether excluding workes as that he woulde haue no workes practized but so and in such wise as they may not be sayd to iustify so that now godly and carefull endeuour in faythfull workes should not be sequestred but wicked confidence and vayne superstitious glorying vpon merites vtterlye cutte of rather With which kinde of doctrine if Osorius be offended as with a certayne new fangled Gospell whether is it more reasonable that the euerlasting truth of GOD shall geue place to Osorius persuasiōs or that Osorius should reuoke his errour according to the rule of the trueth In this therefore that Luther teacheth that fayth onely doth iustify in the sighte of God is no new doctrine but the doctrine of Paule But that the minde and meaning of Paule may the better be conceaued it might haue bene added out of S. Iames the best Interpretor of Paule as the which doth more fully expresse the meanyng of Paule what manner of men they be whom onely fayth doth iustify not wicked obstinate Sinners
but humble and prostrate Sinners onely truely and vnfaynedly repentaunt Sinners For otherwise such as raunge outragiously and willfully in their Sinnes nor are touched with any remorse of sorrowfull minde for their wickednes coÌ„mitted nor moued with any earnest desire to obtayne forgeuenesse vnto such I say Paule doth not bouchsafe to ascribe either Fayth or any righteousnesse at all no more doth Iames defraud the others which with repentauÌ„ce haue an earnest desire of Saluation of any part of IustificatioÌ„ No more do euen those which though be moued with neuer so great a remorse of Conscience obtayne any mercy at Goddes handes by any other meanes possibly then through onely fayth whiche is in Christ Iesu our Lord. Whereby you may perceaue sufficiently that in the Doctrine of Iustification all workes are excluded and Fayth onely weareth the gareland But that the meanyng of the Apostle may appeare more playnly to be so bold to vse schoole tearmes the predicatum must neédes agreé with his subiectum on this wise as where it is fayd that fayth onely doth iustifie this is true in deéde but whom Not the proud not the obstinate stubborne and outragious sinners but those sinners onely which stricken downe with an earnest acknowledgement of their sumes and entring into a serious meditation of amendement of lyfe doe most humbly flee vnto Christ through fayth euen with all their hartes Such that doe on this wise simply and vnfainedly repeÌ„t for Luther speaketh not a word of others if a man doe teach to be freely iustified through fayth onely agreéing herein with Paule with Iames and with Christ himselfe doth this man seéme in your eyes to teach a new Gospell or rather a most true and most most auncyent Gospell It were a tedious peéce of worke to runne ouer all the places of doctrine Let this be the summe to speake breefly Martine Luther did publishe many articles Iohn Caluine hath set forth his Institutions Melancthon hath made a collection of Common places the same also hath done Wolfg. Musculus Henry Bullenger hath written his Decades Peter Martyr hath made sundry commentaryes vpon the old Testament and the newe and discoursed notably vpon the Sacrament The same did before him Hulderick Zuinglius Iohn Oecolampadius Marine Bucer hath geuen vs many aunsweres and Apologies Emongest those may be placed the Apologie of Iohn Iuell no lesse famous and worthy Of Antichrist now openly and in good time discouered besides many other things hath Gaulter Rodulph compiled a treatise Of many other matters lykewise many writers haue treated largely Finally the professions and confessions of many natioÌ„s peoples prouinces Kingdomes Cities townes incorporate proclaymed published in writing through all their seuerall Churches by generall agreément conspiring and concluding all with one assent in one vndoughted trueth In all whose writinges monuments and confessions If you canne shew any thing new neuer heard of before or that is not auÌ„swerable and correspondent to the auncienty and doctrine of the Apostles I geue you here freé libertye to exclayme agaynst those doctours of the new Gospell as lowde and wyde as ye canne But if hitherto your selfe haue found no such matter nor euer shall be able to shew any such to what end raungeth this shamelesse vnbryveled impudency in matter so manifestly false You call it a new Gospell shamelesly enough yelding no reason that moueth you to call it newe Wherein you haue set before our eyes a very playn and euident demonsiration of your foolishe vanitye For if we should confesse the trueth in deéde to what purpose is all this brabble contentioÌ„ and discention emongest vs but for this onely matter because we do endeuonr to reclayme you that haue forsaken the true natiue simplicitye of the true and auncient Gospell roauing at randone after I can not tell what new-fangled straunge and imaginatiue deuises of mens traditions and are desirous to haue you come home to the auncient antiquitye of the true simple and pure Euangelick veritye agayne If any man shall doubt hereof and thinke this vntrue that I speake the apparant proofe is at hand Uouchsafe vs once this one petition that ye would be but willing to haue the Christian doctrine to recouer and returne to her auncient state and first institution euen the same state wherein it florished in those most auncient dayes of Christ and his Apostles weéding out by the rootes all that pilfe and baggage that hath ouergrowen the Churche since their departrue hence and wherewith they nor any of them were euer acquainted we will desire none other condicions or couenauntes of vnitie and attonement to be concluded vpon betwixt vs. Whereby the godly and indifferent reader may by this onely argument coniecture where those maisters doe lurke whome Osorius doth accuse of Noueltye Howbeit this nick-name of newe Gospellers wherewith the Catholickes doe obbrayd vs is no newe reproch For in lyke manner the Prophets in times past thapostles yea Christ himselfe were called New fellowes because they taught new doctrine Tertullian and Eusebius also do record that this nickname was vsually frequeÌ„ted eueÌ„ in the very swathling clowtes of the Church But they did easely deliuer themselues from that reproch of Nouelty Wherein albeit we haue not attayned so prosperous a successe as they did yet haue we yelded our endeuour in the same cause as farre forth as we trust the godly and indifferent reader will be satisfied and pleased withall I haue spoken now of our Antiquitie It remaineth that you aunswere lykewise Osorius as much as you may for your Antiquitye For it is agaynst all reason and iniuriously handled to exact a speciall accouÌ„pt of an others Antiquitye that can render no reason for your owne And therefore whereas this religion of yours which vnder visor of a true Church you do falsly call by the name of a Catholicke Church is ouâ—rwhelmed with infinite preceptes lawes and doctrines of men oppressed with innumerable decreés decretals extrauagantes Quintines Sixtines Ceremonies Traditions Rules Prescriptes Edictes Cannons and Synodalles Rites vowes and curses Let vs be certified therfore how much antiquitie is resiauÌ„t in the whole rabble of these your inuentions and deuises And to begyn at the very toppegallaunt of all your Religion that highe Prelate the Pope him selfe let vs first take a view of all his Titles by the which he is called to witte Uniuersall Byshop Prince of Priestes high and supreame head of the Church on earth Christes Uicare generall the onely Successour of Peter the most holy Father most Reuerend Byshop keépyng ioynte Consistory together with God the onely Monarche of the visible Church Byshop of Byshops These Titles and Additions of names I doe not enquire whether were euer named or heard of in the tyme of Christ or of his Apostles neither do I aske whether they were receaued into the Church in the tyme of Gregory sixe hundreth yeares after the AsceÌ„sion
the order of Templars or Almaines which tooke their name of the Hospitall of S. Iohn in the yeare .1128 The Order of Premonstratenses were founded by Caliste 2. in the yeare .1124 The order of Gilbertines in the yeare .1152 by Eugenius the 3. The Order of Brother Preachers who tooke their name and begynnyng from Dominicke a murtherer and most cruell persecutour of the Valdenses vnder Innocent 3. in the yeare .1216 Immediatly after ensued the factions of Franciscanes in the yeare .1228 vnder Gregory the 9. To whom within a whiles after were added the orders of Eremytes Austen Friers Reformed Carmelites whom the moūt Carmell did vomite out vnto vs. There followed also an other order of Austen Friers vnder Honorius the 4. in the yeare .1286 Neither did these monstruous vanities of new fangle Religiōs cease at men but the Serpigo crawled further into womens cōsciences also who beyng allured by the exāple of men began after a litle sittyng abrood to hatcht vp such cheékynes to flocke together in coueyes herdes Wherof some were called Sisters Clarites broched by Dominicke first Some Brigittines surnamed of one Brigitte a Scithiā borne their couey peéped abroad at the first in the begynnyng of Vrbane the 5. his Popedome In the Councell of Laterane was a Decreé published by Innocent the 3. with a speciall prouiso for the abandonyng of diuersities of Religions that from thenceforth no Couent of Cloystered company or cowled crew should be erected in the yeare .1215 And yet in despight of the authoritie of this Decreé how many clusters of factious Friers haue bene forged emongest your holy Fathers sith that tyme. Besides the orders of Minorites Austens Brigidines Crossebearers and Scourgers there is peépte abroad within these few yeares good lucke a Gods name to the Pope and his Puppettes the order of Iesuites in the yeare .1540 promising I know not what by the title of their names Sure I am they haue hetherto accomplished nothyng correspondent to so sacred a name But it seémed good to the Lord Iesus peraduenture to fulfill so the Propheticall truth of his Gospell Many shall come in my name c. What followeth let them selues looke to it I haue spoken of Mounckery I haue spoken also of some other orders and ordinaūces of the Romish Church for to rippe vp all were an infinite peéce of worke It remaineth now That Osorius say somewhat for him selfe likewise and make some shew of wares if he haue any in all that his Romish Church wherein he liueth now except a few Articles of the Creede onely wherein we can iustifie as auncient a prescription of possession as they can that be not either new straunge and lately vpstarte or els altogether Poeticall stagelicke and mockeries Wherfore if we measure Antiquitie by the age of Christ his Apostles the nearest yeares next ensuyng the same age wherein also if Osorius will abide by it that nothyng ought to be allowed in the Church that doth not sauour of that primitiue and Apostolicke antiquitie then shall Osorius daughtlesse at this one blow choppe of the Popes head triple Crowne Church and all for as much as he shall neuer be able to vouch any thyng either in the receaued Doctrine Religion Rites or Ceremonies of his Church that euer saw the age of the Apostles or is in any respect correspondent to that first patterne and president of the primitiue Simplicitie There is such a generall Metamorphosis and alteration yea all thynges are turned into so frameshapen a newfanglenesse that it may seéme they haue not onely forgoen the aunciēt ordinaūces of the primitiue Church but also to haue vtterly excluded them selues from all acquaintaūce with that same Church with the Gospell yea with Christ him selfe of whom the Apostles gaue testimony and preached The Apostles did not acknowledge that same one Christ any where but in heauen and him ascendes into heauen they did so apprehend by Faythe that they would neuer seéke him els where then in heauen and so in heauē sittyng in the flesh as that they would no more know him after the flesh as men not dreamyng so much vpon his carnall presence nor ouer greédely affectioned to enioy him after that fleshly maner but were otherwise wholy settled and vnmoueably fixed in mynde in that spirituall presence of his Maiestie But to you sufficeth not to apprehend Christ by Fayth sittyng in heauen and to worshyp in spirite as the Apostles blessed Martyrs did vnlesse after a fleshly and bodyly maner with your fingers you handle the reall corporall substanciall identicall presence of Christ behold the the same with your eyes and choppe him vppe at a morsell Which deuise of yours doth argue that you seéme to be carried with a wondrous senselesse opinion of errour as neither to acknowledge one the selfe same Christ whom the Apostles did nor to worshyp him in heauen onely but to imagine to your selues two Christes of that one Christ namely one Sauiour in heauē and an other in earth and him also to Sacrifice dayly in your Masse In the Apostles tyme the Communion was ministred not once in a yeare onely nor at the Feast of Easter onely nor with Bread consecrated into the body of Christ but in a thankefull remembraunce of the Lordes death the bread and wyne beyng equally deliuered to the people at all tymes whensoeuer any assembly of well disposed did meéte together for that purpose They neuer sayd nor song any priuate Masses nor instituted any Sacrifices for the quicke and the dead being throughly satisfyed with one sacrifice onely which beyng once finished they were assured that the whole action of our Redemption was accomplished For so are we taught by the testimony of the Apostle By his owne bloud he entred in once the euerlasting redemption being accomplished And agayne For this did he once when he offered vppe himselfe And imediately after We are sanctified by the onely offering of the body of Christ Iesu once offered for all Moreouer in an other place writing of one Christ onely One God sayth he one Mediator of God and men the man Christ Iesu c. But how shall there be but one onely Christ or one onely Sacrifice of his body once offered of whose body you doe exact dayly a new fresh sacrifice to be made for the sinnes of the people Or how cā he be sayd to be but one accordyng to the proportion of a body of whom you doe imagine a presence accordyng to the whole nature of his flesh both absent in body in the heauens and in the same body neuertheles at one selfe instaunt on the earth Do ye not seé how absurdly these your patcheries concurre and agreé with the naturall meaning of the Scriptures and how farre they be from all reason And what is this els then to preach vtterly an other Christ then whom the Apostles
more commodious for vs namely sith him selfe hath spoken in the Gospell It behoveth you that I go for if I go not the comforter can not come If the corporall presence of Christ seéme in your conceiptes so necessary and so effectuall vnto Saluation Then bethinke this with your selfe how long the Apostles should haue neéded the vse of his bodyly presence how weake they were how grosse their vnderstandyng was notwithstandyng their dayly familiaritie and acquaintaunce with God and man notwithstandyng so may miracles seéne with their eyes notwithstanding so many apparaunt demonstrations notwithstādyng their dayly teachyng proceédyng from that heauenly voyce yet loe whē he should ascēde into heauē doth he not cast their incredulitie in their teéth And what was the cause hereof els but bycause the effectuall power and mighty force of the comforter could not enlighten their hartes vnlesse the fleshly presence of Christ had bene first takē away from them And do you not yet cease so drowsily to dreame vpon Christes flesh and euen for that cause haue you made such an horrible slaughter of so many thousand soules continuyng still in that sauadge and vnappeasable vnmercyfulnes And yet after this so great and cruell a bootchery may ye not endure to haue that your notable Prelate called by the name of Antichrist In deéde is this your aūcient Religion my Lord to speake nothyng in the meane space of that wherevnto the Rhetoriciās are wont to fleé whē they assayle their aduersaries most greéuously by an Impossibilitie of proofe as this that it is not possible for you to proue that your fleshly Assertiō of the Sacrament by any reason or by any deuise or imagination For how can you possibly bryng to passe that two contradictories may be verified of one selfe same body at one selfe instaunt so that the same selfe body of Christ seyng you will haue it one selfe body may be at one selfe same tyme in one and in diuerse places at one instaunt of tyme both glorified not glorified visible and not visible corruptible incorruptible which is not onely wonderfully absurde to be spoken but as impossible to be done and which also will admitte no miracle at all namely that the thyng that is true by nature should be false by miracle and be conceaued both true false at one instaunt of tyme. But bycause we determined not to prosecute Disputation hereof in this place but to treate onely of the antiquitie of doctrine I returne agayne to your Church which you garnish with a very gorgeous but in very deéde counterfaite and false title of Antiquitie wherein you deale also as subtelly and craftely Not much vnlyke to harlottes who when they will be atcompted for honest do as much as they may frame them selues to the resemblaunce of vertuous matrones from whose conuersatiō and maners they do varry notwithstandyng altogether Euen so fareth it with your Church I speake of that shape and countenaunce of the Church that now is not that which was long agoe For as I may not deny that the Church of Rome in that pure and primer age deserued wonderfull yea the principall commendation of all others not onely in respect of the noumber of Martyrs that suffred there but also in respect of her vnstayned sinceritie and Fayth euen so comparyng the Church that now is with the Church that then was The example is so farre of frō any liuely resemblaunce of the first patterne that it seémeth quite transformed and I can not tell how mishapen into a certeine chaungelyng Else without any mauer of likely applyable nesse to the feature or countenaunce of that first and auncient simplicitie and sinceritie For such was the lyfe of Christians in that purer age that they would not swerue one tytle so much from their profession Moreouer such was their profession that it would not raunge an hearebredth from the prescript rule of the Institutions Apostolique And such was the rage of persecution then as would now supper them to be Idely sluggish or to geaue themselues to vnlusty Lazines As for delightes and pleasures to rake riches together to build pallaces to seéke the exalting of themselues by honorable titles and dignityes they had neuer one minute of spare tyme to bestowe their wittes vpon Their dayly exercise then was a continuall wresting agaynst the world and the Deuill They spent all their tyme in labors and perills their whole lyfe was a paynfull turmoyle all their power was nought els but prayer Their fortresse was grounded vpon Christ Yea for Christ onely was their whole warfare Neither were those valiant souldiours destitute in the meane time of a singuler Chefetayne Christ himselfe was the chief generall of this Army who did either mitigate the horror and cruelty of their agonyes by his omnipotent power or with some comfortable restoratyue qualifie their greéues so ordering and attempering the proceédyngs and alterations of his Church that he would neither suffer the vaynes and sinowes of the same to gather any infection by ouerflowing plenty of ytching delights of this flattering world nor to be discouraged or vanquished with any immoderat assaultes or excessiue stormes of aduerse fortune and at the last would conduct them to a ioyfull Triumph and end of all their Troubles and afflictions And this was the very order of the first foundation and building of that auncient Church So that neither tickeling enticementes of the world could defile the lyfe of the godly nor any contagious error infect their doctrine For the very same ordinaunces and rules of doctrine which thapostles receaued of Christ and the holy ghost the same also which came from the Apostles vnto the Church were reteined with vnremoueable cōstancye So also was nothing at all mingled or chopt in for vse or worshippe vnlesse being deliuered from Christ or his Apostles had the rootes thereof vnseparably planted in the knowen authoritye of the sacred worde Inuielable as yet was that sacred rule of this commaundement See that you adde nothing nor diminishe any thing And that other also of Saint Paule Whosoeuer shall teach you any other Gospell lett him be holden accursed And this also They doe worshippe me in vayne teaching the doctrine and traditions of men c. Those superfluous swarmes of superstitious traditions of men were not yet growen in vre men were not yet ouercloyed with the cumbersume clusters of crabbed constitutions For it seemed good to the holye ghost not to burdeine the Gentiles with the ordinaunces prescribed in the old lawe That vnmeasurable heape of ragged Rytes were not yet raked together nor hard of in the Church Nor was there any neéde of naked ceremonies where sufficed to euery person to serue and worshippe God in spirite and trueth Nether was any thing worshipped then but his Deitye alone Afterwardes in deéde the age of the Apostles being runne ouer and the number of Christians encreasing certaine ordinaunces were instituted by
the Fathers and Elders which did apperteine to the well ordering and gouernmēt of outward discipline Yet euen in these was such a moderation consonauncy obserued as should nether extinguishe the glory of the Gospell nor entāgle consciences with combersome charge but serue onely for preseruation of necessarye orders For due obseruation of the which was graunted to the Church a certayne authoritye and power to dispose and determine according to the nature of places and necessitye of tymes such thinges as might seéme most agreéable and couenable for their assemblies But this authority hedged in as it were within her certein limits and boundes as was but humaine so forced it not such a necessitye of obseruance as did those other commaunded immediately from God For lyke consideration may not be taken of humaine precepts commaunded by men onely as must be had of thordinaunces of God Hereof commeth it that the breach or not performaunce of that one being done without arrogant cōtēpt or reprochful disdayn is not punishable as mortall deadly sinne In lyke maner the godly ministers of the Church were not without their due honor and authority yet such it was as exceéded not the appointed lymittes and measure For as then function ecclesiasticall was a Ministery and seruice not a Maistry or Lordshippe which consisteth in two thinges chiefly In preaching the worde and ministring the Sacraments and in directing outward discipline and ordering maners and misdemeanours In which kinde of ministery although cōmaundement be geuē to yeald due obediēce vnto the pastors yea though we heare these wordes spoken of Ministers He that heareth you heareth me Yet tend they not to this end that they may after their owne wittes and pleasures make new innouations frame new fashions of doctrine and coyne new Sacraments thrust in new worshippings and new Gods or thereby to erect a kingdome in the Church But their whole power and authoritye is restrayned to the prescript rule of the Gospell not to dispence and dispose thinges after their owne luste but to be the dispensors and disposers of the misteries of God Wherevpon in matters appertayning to Gods Lawe conscience is bound to yealde due obediēce to the pastoures according to this saying He that refuseth you refuseth me In other thinges that concerne the Tradicions of men or that haue no assurance of their creation by any principle of doctrine herein ought speciall regard to be had First to what end they are commaunded then also by what authoritye they are brought into the Church For the ordinaunces which are thrust in vnder such maner and condition as may enfeéble true confidence in the Mediator as may dispoyle cōsciences of their freédome and ouerthrowe the maiestie of gods grace or are linked together with a vayne opinion of righteousnes of worshipping of remission of sinnes of merites of Saluation or of vnauoydable necessitye Such I say ought without all respect to be hauished and abandoned as pestilent batches from the communion and congregation of the Church Consideration also must be had of the difference betwixt these thinges which the Church doth charge mens consciences withall by mans authoritye onely and the thinges which are established and proclaimed by the expresse word and commaundement of God For although the Church may of duety require a certein subiuection to the ecclesiasticall ministers as that we ought to obey the ordinaunces that are instituted for preseruation of ciuill societye and couenable decency Yet must the ministers be well aduised least vnder pretence and colour of ecclesiasticall authoritie they eyther commaund the things that are not expedient or oppresse the simple people with vnmeasurable Burdeines or thinke with them selues that the Church is tyed of neccessity to any Lawes established by men Euen so and the same that hath bene spoken of mēs Constitutions may in effect be applyed to Iudicall Courts Iudgementes For although authoritye be committed to the Church to iudge and determine of doctrines and outward misdemeanours although the resolution of doubtfull cōtrouersies the discouerie and opening of matters obscure the declaring and debatyng of matters confuse the reformation and amendement of matters amysse be left ouer to the Censure and iudgement of the Church many tymes Yet is not this ordinary authoritye so arbitrary and absolute but is also fast tyed to the direct rule of the worde So that in matters of controuersie this Authoritie came conclude commaunde nothing but that which the word of the Gospel must make warrantable Neither hath this authoritye any such prerogatiue to make any alteration of Gods Scriptures or to forge false and vntrue interpretations which may auaile to establishe an authoritye of men or of orders or to make any new articles of fayth or to bring in straunge Inuocations which are directly repugnant to the manifest authoritye of the Scriptures And therfore we creditt the Church as a Mistres and a teacher foreshewing the truth yet after an other maner altogether then as we be bound to obey the word of the Gospell preached in the Church by the mouth of Gods faythfull ministers which authoritye when they put in execution according to the authoritye of Gods word we doe beleue them yet so neuerthelesse beleue them as that our creditt is not grounded now vpon the testimonie of the Church nor vpon men but vpon the worde of God namely because their iudgemēt is agreable and consonant with the rule of the sacred scriptures and with a free confession of the Godly iudging directly accordyng to the voyce and worde of God The Church therfore hath authoritie in decyding controuersies of doctrine Yet so that it selfe must be ouerruled by the authoritie of the word Otherwise the Church hath neither authoritye nor iudgement contrary to the consonancy of the Scriptures In lyke maner in discipline and reformation of maners the Church may determine and iudge But here also consideration must be had of the differēce For the censures ecclesiasticall are of one kinde but Iudgements temporall of an other kinde For in forinsicall and temporall causes when Iudgementés are geuen although they receaue their authoritie from the word of God yet are they in force in respect of the authoritye of the Prince and the Magistrate And therefore they minister correction with punishment corporall according to the qualitye of the trespasse But the iudgements of the Church are farre vnlyke For in those maner of offences which appertayne to the ecclesiasticall Consistorye the Church hath her proper iudgements and peculiar punishments Wherewith it doth not afflict or crucifie mens bodyes notwithstandyng nor pursue vnto death but cutteth of from the congregation onely and common society of men such as doe wilfully and stubburnely sett themselues agaynst the Ministerye and such as doe harden themselues and obstinately perseuer in wickednes agaynst order and conscience and continue in errors and other notorious crimes contrary to the prescript rule of sound doctrine
Agaynst such the Church thundereth out endles excommunicatiōs denoficing the horrible curse of Gods euerlasting wrath and vnappeasable displeasure except they repent And these punishmentes of the primitiue Church in old tyme called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as were neuer ministred but vpon greuous and vrgent causes so was there no hope of release from the same vnlesse playne demonstration were made by open and publique confession of true and vnfayned repentaunce Which kinde of censure the aūcient Fathers deuided into threé degreés 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Excommunication Whereby all maner of offenders aswell spirituall as temporall were as it were cut of from all societye and partaking of the Church and Sacramēts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Depriuation Whereby such as were but newly professed were remoued from their function 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sequestration Whereby all offendours whatsoeuer were excluded from the Sacraments some from partaking of all the Sacramentes and some from the Communion onely whom the Grecians doe note by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remouyng from the Communion table onely And thys was the very order and gouernement of the prymityue and Apostolique Church wherein florished not onelye that sincerity of doctrine whereof I spake before but also Ecclesiasticall discipline touching distrybution of dignityes placing of elders ordering of times reading of lessons frequenting of exercises Inquisition of lyfe Reformation of manners and other profitable ordinaunces established after the best manner was dayly exercised All which the prymytyue and vndefiled antiquity of the auntient Fathers obserued purely and sincerely after the age of the Apostles and in all respects very reuerently and orderly as the decrees and Canons of godly assemblies and Synods together with the Hystoryes and Monumentes of auntient Fathers do playnely and manifestly record Hauing now described and faythfully expressed the verye face and countenaunce of the auncient primitiue Church I referre me to any equall and indiferrent iudgement to discerne whether the Lutheran Church or the Lateran Churche of Rome to resemble that primitiue Church neérest And as for that primitiue Church of Rome hath bene aboundauntly and sufficiently spoken of already Now could I wish that the Romish prelates would vouchsafe to deliuer likewise some painted vysour of theyr Ieratohye if it myght please them or if they refuse so to do we will not disdayne to do so much in their behalfe whereby godly mindes may euydently perceyue the true causes that moued those Lutherans iustly to sequester themselues from that Romysh Reuell In which theyr sequestration notwithstanding from Rome they haue not remoued themselues one ynche so much the more from the Church of Christ. I speak of the Romish Church once agayne I say in that state that it is now The first Institution whereof touching doctrine and Traditions if be sifted and searched by comparing of her first foundation to the true Church of Christ it will euydently appeare that thys Romysh Church being but a late newfāgled vpstart doth expresse no sparke of resemblaunce of that auncient antiquity but patcht and botcht vppe altogether with new opinions erroneous abuses Idolatries traditions deuised by authority of men ioyned with an opinion of necessary worshipping and obseruaunces It is most certayne that the foundations of Christes church were grounded first vpon sure playne infallible and vnmoueable demonstrations proclaymed from aboue in the writinges propheticall and Apostolicall which be builded vpon the true knowledge of the essentiall will of God vpon true inuocation and prayer vpon vnfayned obedience to godward vpon assured acknowledgemēt affiaūce in the Mediator wh is very God and very mā and which doth display abroad the kingdome of Christ to be a spirituall and an euerlasting kingdome not temporall nor instituted or gouerned by mans pollicye or power but begonne by the preaching of the Gospell and enlarged by fayth in them which doe beleue and obay the word of doctryne and life with a pure and sincere affection On the contrary part the foundations of the Romish Ierarchy are builded vpon the decrees of Popes entangled with most intricate and I know not what most crabbed and crooked questions of Scholeianglers Polluted with most manifest errors vtterly dissentyng and cleane contrary to the prescript rule of Gods word which being apparaunt enough in very many matters besides yet is notably discernable in iiij principall pointes chiefly Fyrst Because this doctrine doth abolish quite the doctrine of the law of repentaunce of righteousnes by fayth and commaundeth a mammering doubtfulnesse out of which puddle yssueth an outragious ouerflowing Sea of papisticall errors Secondaryly because it doth transpose merites and worshippings which are proper and peculiar vnto the sonne of God into adoration oblation and application of the consecrated breade for the quicke and the dead by merite meritorious in theyr masking Masse and without theyr masse whereas in very deéd the Gospell doth playnely teach that the benefittes of the sonne of God are not applied to any person but in respect of euery theyr proper and peculiar fayth Thirdly after the manner of Infidels Because it translateth to dead men Inuocation which ought to be yelded to God onely Fourthly because it commaūdeth traditions of men Mounckish vowes Canonicall satisfactions pilgrimages and innumerable such dredge with an opinion of merite worshyppyng and necessary obseruaunce and doth preferre the same before the commaundementes of the law which God hath commaunded to be especially obserued To this Beadroll appertayne more then dottered Bussardly fables of Purgatory Pardons secret and compulsary confesūon pompous Processions and superstitious supplications wherein is carryed abroad to be gazed vpon the consecrated bread profaning of the Lordes Supper making sale thereof as it were in open Fayre or Markette Magicall consecrations of naturall thinges to wytte of water wyne oyle salt and such like What shall I say of that more then whorysh shamelenesse when as the Popes without all proofe or probabilyty of aunciēt antiquity of a certayne insolent arrogancy not by any Dyuyne authoryty but through theyr owne trayterous treachery haue raysed to them selues not a true Catholicke and Apostolycke Church to Christ Iesu but a Seraphycall Ierarchy exceédyng all earthly prymacy superiority and potentaty Wherein reygneth in place of Christ a proud Popysh Peacock For the Apostles cormoraunt Cardinalles For Martyres monstruous Mounckes for professors pestiferous persecutors For fathers Bellygod Byshoppes and Gorbelly Abbottes For Euangelistes cruell Canonistes Copistes Decretaries Summularyes seditious Sententioners For Minysters sheépysh shauelinges And for Pastours Maskyng Massemongers Who hauyng rauenously Raked the ryght of the Church haue turned and chaūged it into a newfangled fashion of an earthly kingdome where it may not suffice to serue Chryst Iesu our pastor and head onely to settle our selues vpon hym whollye to depend vpon hys mercy onely Unlesse we become vassals and bondslaues to thys popysh Byshoppe and honour him as a certayne other Chryst vpon earth who vnder a delycate vysor of
gloryous name coūterfaytyng the hornes of the immaculate Lambe doth vnder the person of Chrystes Uycar on earth attempt nothyng els in very deéde but that he may be the chiefe Monarch of the whole world and that all others Princes and Potentates of the earth may become buxam and bonnair vnto hys beck and commaundement For may it be lawfull Osorius for a man to speake the trueth franckely and in playne wordes to call a Toad a Toad Let that vysor of presumptuous pretence be pluckt from your pates and but a litle whyles turne downe that tytle and cloake of the Church wherewith you couer your selues and lette vs behold the thyng as it is in deéd to wytte the whole course of your conuersation your treasury myghty Maiesty gallant trayne pryncely pallaces stately dignyty pompous pryde terryble Lawes your lofty Castles presumptuous power what difference shal we seé betwixt the hyghest gouernemēt of an Empyre and the supremacy of the Pope betwixt the courtes of Kinges and the Reuelyng Rout of Rome betwixt Princes parliamēts and the Popes generall councels Now if you lyst to take a view of the gallaunts themselues what is the Pope himselfe other thē the Monarch and chiefe Ruler of thys world sauyng that other worldly Prynces be crowned wyth one single Dyademe onely but thys Ruffeler can skarse be satisfied wyth a Tryple Crowne Cardynalles what do they represent els then kynges and kynges Sonnes what do the Patryarches Archbyshoppes Byshopps and Abbottes in that pontificall kyndome shew themselues other then earthly prynces Dukes Earles equall or rather exceédyng them in sumptuousnesse wayted vpon wyth stately trayne wheresoeuer they goe and Ryde and many of them also Rynged and Chayned to whom a man may lawfully lyncke the Lubberly Rowt of monstruous Mounckes and false Fryers in stead of a gard Finally what one thing is done in any common wealth or pryncely courtes that these iolly Rufflers haue not conueyed into the Church of Christ by ambytious emulation Kynges and Emperours enduced hereunto for necessary preseruation of theyr state doe ioyne vnto them counsellors and Piers Those haue theyr Ambassadours and Messengers they haue also theyr pryuy ligiers and skowtes what doth the Pope want his consistory hath not this most holy father his Synodaryes doth he lack his legates nati legates de latere who wheresoeuer they be sent vse no lesse pompe thē any other Piere or potētate of highest nobility yea though he be neuer so sumptuous No more is he destitute of his skowtes and spyes whom he hath priuelye lurkyng euery where armed with treason at a pynche in princes courtes in theyr councels yea in the closettes pryuy chambers of Kynges and Queénes Do ye not thinke that thys is a comely concordaunce Osorius and a reasonable resemblaunce of Chrystes lyfe and commaundementes agreéable with the Apostles and Euangelists with the auncient Fathers with the ordinaunces of the primitiue Church and with the former presidēt of the Elders The Lord cryeth out in the Gospell As my lyuing Father sent me euē so do I send you What and do you thinke that he was so sent into the world that he should establish a new Regyment on earth and like an other Romulus builde an other stately and Emperiall Rome Or do ye thinke that the ministers of Chryst were sent after any other sort then the Sonne himselfe was sent from the Father Christ proceédeth yet foreward Receaue ye the holye Ghost sayth he whosoeuer Sinnes you shall forgeue the same are forgeuen them whosoeuer Sinnes you shall retayne the same also shal be retayned Other power then this he neuer did entitle his Church withall nor yet gaue this power to any but vnto them onely whom he purposed to endue with his holy spirite If we will value the Church of Christ by Christ his owne Lawes and not after the decreés of Popes what can be more euident then the wordes which he spake vnto his Disciples Ye know that such as will seeme to rule ouer Nations are Lordes ouer them theyr Princes haue dominion ouer them But it shall not be so with you for he that will be greatest shall humble himselfe minister to all the rest For the Sonne of man came not to be ministred vnto but to minister to other himselfe and to geue his lyfe to be a redemption for many Agayne Who made me iudge betwixt you we are taught like wise in Paule that the weapons of our warrefare are not carnall but mighty in the power of God wherewith we captiuate all vnderstanding and wisedome in subiection vnto Christ. And agayne Let euery man so esteeme of vs as the ministers of Christ and Stewardes of the misteryes of God And the same Paule in an other place Not because we be Lordes ouer your faith but we be helpers of your ioy For by fayth you are made perfect In the same sence also Peter Not being Lordes ouer the Clergy sayth he And agayne in the thyrd chapter of the same Epistle meaning to expresse the efficacy of the Gospell he doth call it a ministery not of the flesh but of the spirite And therefore to the end he may make vs more spirituall he doth wisely forbidde not the ministers onely but generally all other to be alike fashioned to this present word what would he now say If he did beholde the shape and vgly deformity of the Romish Church as it is now if heé aduised well the Royaltyes of S. Peter the fulnes of power the authority of both swordes the Keyes of all Churches stollen away and hanged all vpon the Romish bunch the toppe gallaūt of the pontificall maiesty the Cardinalles the Legates preuayling aboue Prynces the empalled and Mytred Byshoppes the orders of Shauelings the swarmes of Mounckes and Fryers the Lawes Bulles decreés which they vse as forcible as Cānon shotte theyr might and power fearefull yea terrible also to Princes The Lord hymselfe cryeth out mightely in the Gospell that his kingdome is not of this world nor canne away with the thinges that are mighty of the earth But our pontificall prelate will storme and waxe wroth if the world enioy any thyng that is not subiect vnto his power And this Ierarchy meane whiles more then wordly they fayne and God will to be the Church at whose becke as at the sight of Gorgones vgly face they make astonyed all the Monarches and Tetrarches of the earth And the same haue they magnified with the name of Catholicke forsooth By vertue of which name they will haue to be notyfied not a congregation dispersed vpon the face of the whole earth agreéing together in one conformity of doctryne and worshypping of Christ whyche doth make a true Catholicke Church But they meane hereby that onely Ierarchy which they will haue tyed fast to the Romyshe Seé And hereunto for the greater aduauncement of the authority they haue deuised a trymme tytle of Antiquity
Sommoned as it seémeth by Iohn Damascen who was the first founder of this doing deuise and afterwardes agayne vnder Lanfranck yet was this heresie neuer stablished nor were they taken for heretiques who did celebrate the Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lord vnder naturall bread and naturall wine before that Councell of Laterane before mentioned vnder Pope Innocent in the yeare of our Lord 1215. or vnder Nicholas in the yeare 1062. Neither shall Osorius be euer able to finde it out when he hath throughly perused all the Libraries of his Antiquitye that he can Not long after came the worshipping of the bread lyfted vpp hoisted vpp aloft to the gaze of all the people by that meanes of Honorius 3. next Successor of Innocent aforesayd Which matter was of all other most neédefull For whereas the nature of bread had once banished it selfe cleane away and nothing now remayned vnder the outward formes of bread wyne els but the true naturall substaunce of fleshe which should exhibite it selfe to the mindes and sences of the worshippers corporally It could not possible be but a worshipping must neédes ensue hereupon These erroneous foundations beyng thus layd as one errour doth commonly engender an other there vpstart an other Whelpe of the same litter as notorious a mistery of iniquitie as the other To witte of this Sacrament first TransubstaÌ„tiated then worshipped at the last sprang vppe a Sacrifice of this Sacrament offred And no maruell at all in neéde For after that the simple people were once throughly persuaded to beleue that Christ him selfe was wholy present with all his whole true body and the true Passion of his body they could not now stay here with onely lookyng vpon and worshippyng their Sauiour so lifted vppe and blazed abroad to their viewe but would also craue helpe of him not for them selues onely but for their parentes and frendes also that were dead And hereupon grew this Sacrifice of the Masse so named of the people plausible for the people in deéde and as profitable for the Priestes purses Which subtile deuise of blynd errour though was the most pestilent botche that euer could haue infected the Church and most deuilishly repugnaunt to Gods sacred Testament yet these crafty counterfaites could coyne couÌ„cell coloâ—able enough notwithstandyng to make this peltyug puppet gaynefull for their purses For where no shift could be imagined to frame the Apostles and Euangelistes to be Proctours in this cause they ranne by and by to Doctours and wheresoeuer they could pyke out any mention made of a Sacrifice either of the Altar or of the Priest the same by crooked conueyaunce they would wrest and wryng to be good Testimony for their doctrine Wherein how honestly they behaued them selues shal be seéne hereafter by Gods grace Next coosin germaine to this began to challenge a right in the Church Eare CoÌ„fession Which beyng an egge as it were of the same broode was hatcht vp and fully plumed at the very same Laterane Councell as appeareth sufficiently by the very wordes of the same Councell the true report whereof ensueth Let euery faythfull person of what estate degree or sexe soeuer he be after he commeth once to yeares of discretion confesse all his Sinnes alone faythfully to his owne Curate once in the heare at the least Behold here the very first Institution of priuate and Eare Confession which is in vre at this day or els if it had bene instituted before or decreéd vpon from aboue to what end neéded so carefull a Prouiso to be made by men whereby the people should be forced to a generall necessitie of reckonyng all their Sinnes to the Priest Now therfore if this were an ordinaunce and tradition of the Romish Church where is that bragge of Antiquity whereby the Papistes would proue that this priuate Confession came from the Apostles where is their glorius boastyng of the continuaunce and deliuery therof from thence euen to this present age Surely Chrisostome others do tell vs an other tale for this writeth Chrisostome I constraine thee not to come to the middes of a Stage and to call many witnesses Tell thy sinnes to me alone c. And agayne the same Chrisostome If thou be ashamed sayth he to tell to any man thy Sinnes that thou hast done tell them dayly in thy soule I do not say Confesse them to thy fellow SeruauÌ„t who may reproche thee tell them to God that taketh care for them c. Moreouer the same Chrisostome in an other place I do not say vnto thee come forth into a Stage nor disclose thy Sinnes to others but I will haue thee to obey the Prophet saying Disclose thy Sinnes vnto the Lord In the sight of GOD therfore confesse thy Sinnes before the true Iudge vtter thy sinnes with prayer not with toung but with the testimonie of thine owne conscience and so trust to obteine mercy at the length c. Certes if Nectarius Byshop of Constantinople had euer suspected that this Eare Confession had bene authorized by any expresse word of the Scriptures he would neuer haue abrogated the same for the defilyng of a certaine matrone by a certeine Deacon in the Churche vnder colour of Confession what shall we say to that where Erasmus but of late yeares writyng of Confession durst not ascribe the institution therof to Christ as vnto the authour therof but yeldyng him selfe willyng to learne if any man could make proofe by sufficient Arguments that CoÌ„fession had his begynnyng at the Scripture how happened that amongest such a multitude of Monckes and Deuines not one would steppe forth to withstand this challenge of Eare Confession as then To passe ouer in the meane space that which the same Erasmus in an other place expressing his meanyng playnly It appeareth sayth he that in the tyme of Ierome priuate Confession of Sinnes was not as yet receaued in the Church which afterwardes was profitably instituted by the Church so that the Priestes and lay people vse the same accordingly But herein some scarse skilfull Deuines are not alitle deceaued bycause where the auncient Fathers wrate touching publique and generall Confession all that doe they straine to this secret whispering a quite contrary kinde of Confession c. To passe ouer also many other thynges for breuities sake whereof if there should be generall collection made there is no dought but this vysour of Antiquitie would be easily pluckt of The same be sayd also of the Sacramentes of Orders Annoylynges and Matrimony The vse of which thynges albeit grew by litle and litle euen with the first age of the Church are also reteigned vntill this day amoÌ„gest vs yet do we vtterly deny that they were Registred amongest the noumber of Sacramentes afore a very few yeares sithence And Osorius shall neuer be able to prooue the contrary There hath bene a solemne custome of long tyme in the Church of Rome that such as
some glymering of dawning day and to refresh the razed Rent of his ruynous Church and to restore a recouery of his auncient recordes of written veritye the Braynesuck beastes of Romyshe rowte ganne fret aud fume and our sweéte shauelinges seéke at the length that we render them a reason of our Noueltye And because veritye Euangelicall oppressed with Tyranny through the Reuell of Sathās raunging abroad these few yeares eyther durst not shewe it selfe into the open world or could not be heard to plead for it selfe through their outragious vilaines being now quickened from aboue beginneth to display her oryent beames she is called to corā before these cloisterers as though Christe and the doctrine Apostolicall were some straunger in the world and commaunded to Iustifie her chalenge of Antiquitye to them which are neither able to render any reason of theyr counterfayt Antiquitie nor Iustify the trueth of their own cause by any recordes or reportes of probable auncienty or by any testimonie or president of the prymatyue Churche whatsoeuer Wherein me seémeth they behaue themselues no more modestly and shamefastly then theéues and murtherers which breakyng in by nyght into an other mans house hauing by violnce and wrong either slayne or thrust the true owner out of dores chalenge vnto themselues a title of possession And so pleadyng in possession by wrongfull disseisin for tearme of certeyne yeares doe plead occupation and prescription of time agaynst the lawfull heire that hath right by lawe to recouer and demaund Iudgement thrusting the true heire out from his true inheritaunce who in ryght equitye demaundeth restitution For what other thing doe they herein who finding their cause to be no way bettered by vouching of Scriptures which make nothing for thē at all fleé ouer forthwith to yt. Fathers Custome continued of olde by long prescription of time crying out agaynst vs with full mouthes that they haue enioyed their possession in the Church more then xv hundreth yeares and commaund vs to tell them where our Church was litle aboue xl yeares sithence And because they aske it I will tell them conditionally that they will distinctly tell me first what they doe meane by this worde Church If they meane the people perhappes we were not all borne then if they vnderstand the Roofes Walls and Tymber of the Churches they stand euen now in the same place where they were wont to stand are enuironed with the same churchyardes where they stood of old But yf they speake of the doctrine verely it was in the word of God and in the Scriptures discernable enough where also it resteth now rested euer heretofore and shall rest hereafter for euer If they demaund of the forme of gouernment It was in the primitiue Church and many yeares after in Asia Greece Affrick Europe dispersed abroad in all Churches at what tyme euery particular Church was gouerned by theyr peculiar Patriarches and not pente vppe and straighted into one hole vnder the commaundement of one man onely when also neither was any Byshoppe called vniuersall Byshoppe no nor my Lord Byshoppe of Rome called as then vniuersall Byshoppe I haue now told where our Church was before these fourtye yeares It remayneth that I be so bold to demaund agayne of them but especially of our Osorius that he vouchsafe to declare vnto vs where this fine Ciceronisme thys braue poolyshed speach where thys exquisited eloquence of writyng and speaking where this gorgeous furniture of fyled toūges this pyked and straunge statelynes of style was fourty yeares agoe where this wonderfull increase of Artes and Mathematicall sciences was will he eyther say that it is newely found out now or restored agayne rather and deliuered long sithence from olde auncient teachers If he will confesse that they be not new nor speciall deuises of our proper wittes but renewed and reuiued rather out of auncient authors let him then so account him selfe satisfied in his question touching the state of the Church not that it is a newe vpstart but reuiued from olde not garnished with new Coapes but returning agayne in her old Fryse gown For we doe not now build a new Church but we bring forth and beautifye the olde Church But now if any man will seéme to maruell what the verye cause reason should be that these artes and disciplines do rather in these dayes now florishe agayne at length after so long scylence and so long continuaunce in exile and banishment and would neédes know the very true naturall cause hereof What better aūswere shall I make him then that it is done by the speciall prouidence of GOD who of his inestimable goodnesse vouchsafed in these latter dayes to discouer abroad into the world the famous Art of Emprinting By meanes wherof aswell the seédes and principles of all liberall sciences as the knowledge of Diuinitye are extant and in dayly exercise not newly begon now but sproughted vppe of the olde Rootes and recouering their olde beauty So that you haue lesse cause to wonder Osorius that our Deuines beyng enlightened thus with so opē a light of the manifest scriptures and furnyshed with so great store of bookes and helpes of learning doe seé much more in matters of Diuinitye than many our Elders haue done Which helpes and furnitures of bookes if had bene so plentifull in those aūcient yeares of Gregory 7. Nicholas 2. and Innocent 3. for the exercise of wittes as we seé them now dayly and hourely handled and frequented beleue me Osorius The Pope of Rome had neuer so long lurcked in his lazye denne nor so long had bewitched the senses of selly ones with his leger demayne and crafty conueyaunce Nor had Osorius euer sturred his stumpes so stoughtly in this quarell agaynst Haddon Nor had Haddon bene forced to this streight to make defence of his Noueltye at this present But here some one of Osorius Impes will say peraduenture For as much as the state condition of the Church is such that wheresoeuer it be it must neédes be visible and apparaunt to be seéne not thrust vnder a bushell but set on hygh vpon an hill that it may shyne clearely vnto all and for as much also as the Churche of Rome was euer euē from the very swathlyng cloutes of Christian Religion of that excellency as to be able to Iustifie her dignitie and renowme by the whole and full agreable consent of all estates times and places euen vnto this day and that none other Church besides this one alone can mainteyne so lōg a continuaunce of yeares and so great a title of authoritie who may dought hereof but that this Seé of Rome is the onely Seé where onely is refiaunt a true face and profession of the true Church And that on the contrary part the Lutheranes Church beyng but of a few yeares continuaunce and neuer heard of before must therfore be accoumpted not worthy of place or name of a Church
souereigne with shauelyngs and infinite skulles of fectes fortified with those Canons Decreés Decretalles and Rescriptes pampered vppe with Pardons exalted with Idolatry sumptuous in superstition entangled with so many snares and Articles embrued in so bloudy a bootchery of Saintes that might easily fill vp a thousand Toonnesfull of Babilonicall horrour and crueltie aduaunced with so many more then Pharisaicall Traditions and peltyng Ceremonies which would easily ouerlade a monstruous Carricke glitteryng in gold precious stones and pearle enriched with large and great possessions patrimonies beautified with purple and scarlet finally so blazing in brauery with the Royalties of S. Peter If S. Peter if Paule the Apostle if the holy Fathers and auÌ„cient Doctours of that pure primitiue Church had seéne these glorious gawdyes which we seé veryly I doe beleéue they would so litle acknowledge this Church for Catholicke that they would euen from the bottome of their hartes vtterly abhorre it and would scarsely acknowledge it by the name of a Christian Church And thus much to your Maior Now I do aunswere to your Minor wherein you haue committed a great eskape in the word which the Logitians do terme aequiuocum or ignoratio Elenchi For this word Romayne Church is in the Maior taken after one sort in the Minor after an other sort In the Maior it noteth such a Church as did retayne the true worshippyng of God and sincerity of Religion as into the which were no poysoned infections of sinister Doctrine no filth of false opinyons crept But in the Minor thys word Church is of a farre contrary condition and quality as the which doth carry no resemblaunce at all of that auntient and primitiue Church besides a bare name onely and a certayne whorysh dissembling counterfayt of outward Succession In all thynges els which do make a true vnspotted and vndefiled Church it beareth so no countenaunce at all as that it seémeth rather vnder the name and Tytle of the Church to be at defiaunce with the Church rather and vnder the name of a ChristiaÌ„ souldior to fight agaynst Christ her captain trayterously to betraye him to Antichryst For if Christ be the verity it selfe surely counterfayt verity as Origen sayth is very Antichrist And therfore if they will iustify theyr consent and Antiquity by good argument Let them yelde vs such a Church of Rome as the auncient Fathers did honourably esteéme of and then shall it not want our agreéable and mutuall assent and allowaunce And let them make vs a playne demonstration of those ornaments which are worthely ascribed to a true Christian Church and we will confesse it to be a true Church Where the Church is sayeth Irene there is the holy Ghost and where the Spirite of God is there is also the Church and all grace But the Spyryte is the verity therefore verity is the life of the Church without the which the Church is blinde and euen dead being aliue and deserueth not so much as the name of a Church no more then the portraiâ—t or counterfayt of a man doth deserue to be called a maÌ„ properly whereupon the Church is with the Apostle very fittely called a sure piâ—ler and a foundation not of mans authority but of Gods verity And by the testimony of Lactantius that Church is called the onely Catholicke Church wherein God is worshipped aright which Church if the ofspring of the auncient Romanistes did now professe as truely and in the same forme as the Catholicke Fathers did extoll prayse it with such great commendation there would be no controuersy at all On the other side if they haue determined with theÌ„selues neither to admit the trueth within theyr Citie themselues nor to tollerate the same to beé preached being brought in by others let them accuse themselues not the Lutherans who had rather patiently endure coÌ„tinuall enmity and hatred of them then to become open aduersaries of the truth Moreouer lette them also cease hereafter to pray in ayd of antiquity number of voyces for defence of their church forasmuch as they can alleadge no true report of the one and the other can helpe them nothing at all For if it may be lawfull for vs renouncing the verity to mayntayne one cause by vouching antiquity and number of nations namely in those thynges which appertayne properly to Christ and his Church then let vs not spare to argue after the same forme of Logick The Religion of Mahumette hath bene of as long a continuaunce of tyme and yeares as the Church of the Pope Ergo Mahumettes Religion is of as great authority as the Popes And agayne The greatest part of Priestes haue long sithence bene ouer gredily couetous Ergo They that doe inueigh agaynst theyr greedy Auarice most be accounted Cosen Germaynes to the valdenses heresy Agayne The greater part of the people did cry out Crucifige and stoaned Stephen to death And the most part of meÌ„ do at this day follow their owne sensuality and lust Ergo Let vs all ioyne together in sensuality and lust If on this wise we shall thinke to measure the truth and sincerity of Religion by the standard of Antiquity and number of yeares what shall we winne by this argument when we doe heare that many are called but few are chosen when as fooles also be in number infinite when as from the highest to the lowest all are become couetous when as euen from the Prophette to the Priestes all worke deceit What shall we win I say by this argument but that the part of Sathan which is more in number shall be of greater force and seéme to tryumph agaynst the Lord But to lette passe the Romysh Church I returne to our own Church In the which Osorius hauing alleadged nothing hetherto nor being by any meanes able to alleadge any matter truely that may seéme either new or straunge in our doctrine or that doth in any respect swarue from the institution and discipline of the Apostles he runneth away from the question that concerneth the sincerity of Religion and doctrine and commeth to this point to catch some occasion of outward life and maners of men whereby he may reproch vs subtlely enough I warrant you imitating herein the old crafty Rhetoricall Foxes who feéling themselues altogether vnable to prosecute the cause which is specially in hand with effect do wring the state of the Question an other way or enforce the whole bent of theyr accusation agaynst theyr aduersary with some contrary cauillation turning Catte in the Panne that so being not otherwise able to compas theyr cause it selfe they may yet at least entangle theyr Aduersary with some perill and daunger Not much vnlike hereunto happeneth now to Osorius in this kinde of controuersy who being not able to mayntayne the cause of his guilty Church with any iustifiable argumentes bendeth himselfe wholly to defame our Churches with falsehoodes and vntruethes And on this wise at length addresseth his
assault agaynst vs as finding nothing offensiue to any man in our fayth in our Religion in our manner of worshypping nor our Church ordinaunces he presently rusheth vpon our liues and rippeth abroad the vnhonest behauiour of men and in this discourse he spendeth all his powder and shotte of slaunders lyes outcries figures and all his exclamations of accusation And therefore it behoueth me also to alter the state of my defence so that from henceforth I shall not need to aūswere for our doctrine our fayth our Sacramēts and the institution of our Churches which differ not frō the institution Apostolicke but for the liues onely and the outward conuersations and maners of our Ministers And first It is well truely and I do prayse you Osorius so do all the rest of vs likewise acknowledge our selues indebted vnto you in a whole Cartlode of thankes in this behalfe For sithence you apply all the force of your accusation to reproue our euill demeanor and corruption of maners onely hauing els no matter of reproch iustly to charge vs withall surely euen by this onely testimony of your owne mouth you doe fully acquite vs in such wise as all men may well playnely perceaue that all thinges els are well stayed and sound with vs concerning other poyntes of our doctrine and christian profession All which if you thinke may be tollerable enough amongest vs why may ye not aswell release vs of your action of heresy and schisme in so much as all hereticall waywardnesse consisteth not in conuersation of life properly but in doctrine and Religiō But if it be our doctrine that you and your Catholickes doe mislike chiefly why do you not prosequute this action agaynst vs why do ye not stay here why runne you away like a coward from your challenge wherefore do ye turne ouer all the substāce and rigor of your accusation agaynst our liues and manners leauing our doctrine in the field why are ye so lusty and frolicke in that one and so white liuered and caponlike in this other You do accuse vs of Nouelty If you charge the doctrine of our Religion with this Noueltye declare them in playne wordes in what part of Doctrine and in which one article of the commō Creéd we do vary frō the Apostolique or propheticall scriptures Nay rather what doe our Churches professe at this day that we haue not drawen taken from the Apostles the Euangelistes yea and from Christ himselfe the very author and foūder of fayth which also we mayntayne and keép very Religiously you haue tofore treated I confesse of freéwill of righteousnesse of workes and of certayne other principles somewhat but so haue you handled your selfe therein that it had bene better for you to haue bene silent and mumme for the further you roll in this puddle the more durt cleaueth to your backe and both bewrayeth where you haue bene and maketh you to loase the whole grace of your market And now perceauing your selfe destitute of ayde in this kinde of conflict you flye the field cowardly and renew your skirmish in narrow streights inuading the corruptions and escapes of maners and lyues with lyeng and slauntyng Wherein I would not so much reprehend you as though you had delt much amisse if in this behalfe you proceéded against vs with a good simple meaning and as we do all with you altogether who are no lesse agreéued with that outragious corruption of maners thē your selues are Now euē here also you shew your selfe so cold and vnprouided as that by your vnskilfull hādling of the matter you disclose rather the scabbe of your owne Fistula then minister salue to any others soare For you do not therfore so earnestly reproue our lewdenes and misdemeanour how horrible so euer it be bycause your mynde is so much agreéued thereat or bycause you haue any earnest desire to bryng vs to amendemēt but this rather is the whole scope of your scoldyng that as it were occasioned by these you might pyke out some fitt matter to whett your cursed and slaunderous toung more freély agaynst Luther and other godly Ministers and bryng them into hatred contempt conceauyng in your imagination to bryng this to passe that if the world would by your meanes but conceaue euill of the Lutheranes as that their Churches did swarme and were ouerwhelmed with abhomination of life then the credite of our doctrine should be easily crackt those godly personages which tooke vpon them to restore the sinceritie of the Gospell should be accounted for errant heretiques most execrable false Prophetes for hereunto is your whole Rhetoricke strayned Osorius But let vs seé how well this Rhetoricke doth agreé with the Rules of Logicke And bycause as your selfe say it is not sufficient for a mā to affirme what him listeth with bare wordes onely let vs behold not your vayne ianglyng but the very substaūce of your meanyng And to begyn now with the principall part of the controuersie to witte whereas in the defence of our Church Haddon had sayd as true it was in deéde that our doctrine was neither new nor did differre any iote from the Institution and discipline of the Apostles all this saying of Haddon Osorius doth vtterly deny doth Reply agaynst it that our Church hath no affinitie at all with the Institution and discipline of the Apostles nor any continuaūce in Antiquitie And who so Now marke his reasons gentle Reader and marueile a whiles at the wonderfull dexteritie of this Portingall Prelate For Haddon sayth he doth bryng no president or example of that auncient vertue Fourth a Gods name Moreouer in all that Church appeare no exāples of that heauenly vertue What vertues speake you of here good Syr Miracles What doe ye looke for such miracles in these dayes No. But luste say you raungeth in your Churches wickednes is ryfe hygh wayes and passadges are replenished with theeues treasons and conspiracies are common practizes of the people treachery and villany bringeth all thynges into perill for the simple puritie of the Gospell these fellowes haue in all cōmon weales scattered abroad horrible wickednes for concorde and charitie execrable dissentions pride in steade of modestie for Religiō Sacriledge for freedome seruile bondage for Ciuill orders outrage finally for trāquilitie and peace cruell and detestable tumultes and commotions And who be they I pray you Luther I thinke Melācthon Bucer Caluine Zuinglius Haddon and such others their like Go to is there any more yet And all these mischieues say you after the doctrine of these men tooke place were in such wise not rooted out as that they encrease rather dayly more and more amongest vs and are growen to greater heapes all which mischieues notwithstandyng if were but light or meane at the least the matter were not so great for that might haue bene pardonable in respect of the weakenesse of mans Nature But what shall we say now of that most horrible and execrable haynousnes
wherewith they haue practized the dissipation ouerthrow vtter spoyle and consumyng of all thynges both publicke and priuate with fire and sword yea the most holy thynges of the Church Be of good cheare now I suppose this whotte flamyng Rhetoricall smoake is come almost to an end Can Osorius amplification adde yet more hereunto surely these be great matters yea very great in deéde but yet you shall heare farre more haynous For whereas emongest other kynde of liuyng creatures which nature hath formed to the destruction of mankynd some do bewitche with their eyes and lookyng on some do infect with touchyng others doe kill with their teeth and some with their tayles These Lutherās do so contriue their matters that they doe not onely poyson the bodyes the soules and the lyues of men with the contagion of their wickednesse but vpon what grounde soeuer they set footyng I doe not say they defile the same with those former small faultes but wheresoeuer they tread with their feete they leaue the same lande contamined and poysoned with many more ye more execrable abhominations And why doth he not adde this also withall that what shyppe soeuer they enter into of purpose to sayle ouer Sea they do also drowne the same shipp into the bottome of the Sea with ouer burdē of their wickednes why then clappe your handes reioyce you Osorians congratulate this yonr notable Rhethoriciā who if you haue not yet learned the arte of lying and flaunderyng haue here a notable Schoolemaister whom ye may follow And so when you haue magnified this your exquisite Maister triumphauntly enough write some Epitaphe for this wretched caytife Haddon worthy his impudencie who notwithstandyng all these horrible abhominations shamed not to stand in the defence of this new doctrine agaynst this great Doctour Osorius Moreouer that the singuler excellency of this your Maister may shyne so much the more notably Behold now not the Rhetoricke but the modesty and humanitie of the man For whereas this might haue sufficed him if at least he might haue woonne this much which we can in no wise deny to witte that our maners are not correspondent to that most exact and exquisite rule of most holy and Apostlicque Religion Which thyng these new Apostles vndērtooke to bryng to passe yet the sweete man contented of his incredible courtesie to acquite vs of this quarell doth now deale with vs after this maner not to compare vs as he might of his Pontificall authoritie doe it well enough with the Apostles nor with auncient Fathers of the primitiue Church but doth referre vs to our owne forefathers and doth require this onely at our handes that we Englishmē should frame our selues to the grauitie vertue Religion and holynes of our aūcestours and by their example become like vnto them in lyke integritie of lyfe But for as much as we can not aspire to the glory and renowme of their vertues which were also by many degrees inferiour to the Apostles how much and how farre discrepant therfore is the Institutiō of our Church in this point that it may carry any resemblaunce at all of that Apostolicke institution and discipline which discipline ought to expresse it selfe not in vayne ostentation and tauntyng but in superexcellent examples of righteousnes chastitie sinceritie Religion and charitie and a life altogether vndefiled vnreproueable conuersation and a most serious desire and endeuour of heauenly vertue You haue heard godly Reader the knittyng vppe of the conclusion of this Peroratiō fetcht out of the very entrailes of all Rhethoricke Now take an Argument of the same somewhat more compendiously knitte vppe not with floorishyng figures of Rhetoricke but framed euen in the very schoole and Arte of Logicke and comprehended in fewe wordes that it may easily appeare how to Iudge of the same more certeinly and to aunswere the matter more fittely The life of the Lutheranes as he calleth them is haynous and farre vnlike the life of the Apostles and their own auncestours Ergo The doctrine that the Lutheranes do professe in their Churches is altogether discrepant from the Doctrine and Institution of the Apostles For as much as this is the whole force and Summary conclusion of your Argument Osorius It remaineth agayne that we aunswere vnto the same And what aunswere may we frame more fitte and agreable to the matter then to deny the Argumēt For I beseéch you where did you learne this Logicke to knitte such fleéyng fruitlesse moates together or where haue you learned this Diuinitie to measure mens doctrine and profession by maners and conuersation of life When Haddon debated with you of Fayth onely and Religion it behoued you to haue aunswered the same accordyngly which if seémed in your conceipt to varry from the Institution Apostolicke in any pointes the same should haue bene layd open by you the Articles shoulde haue bene noted by some speciall marke and conuinced with Scriptures those errours should haue bene refuted with lawfull Testimonies and authorities those heresies should haue bene discouered and confuted But you omittyng that part of the controuersie which belonged to doctrine skyppe away to other matters not such as are of no importaunce but such neuerthelesse as concerne the present matter nothyng at all accordyng to the old Prouerbe which is the way to Canterbury a pocke full of plummes And this much to the Conclusion of your euillfauoured clouted Argument I come now to aunswere that part of your argument wherewith you vrge vs most namely Manners albeit the same hath bene once done already but so I would aunswere you as that I would desire you to aunswere me first simply to a few questions First whereas you Rayle so franckly agaynst the maners of our people do you know this that ye write to be true by any sure argument or knowledge of your owne but how canne you attayne vnto it being so meare a straunger and so farre seuered from vs by distaunce of place Or els haue you conceaued it to be so by some coniecture of your owne head but we take you for no Proyet Or haue you beleued it vpon some vagarant tales or reports of others but talebearers may deceaue you haue deceiued many Or did you dreame of any such happely ouercharged with some wine of Creéte But the men of Creete haue bene alwayes accounted lyers Agayne euery fond dreame is not by and by a prophecy As Basile reporteth Moreouer do you inueigh against all the Lutheranes generally or agaynst some particulerly if you meane all you speake vntruely If you speake of many tell vs when did you number thē if of some perticuler persons it standeth agaynst all reason that the offence of a few dissolute persones should be a cōmon reproch to the whole order of Mynisterie Now agayne lette vs seé what kinde of offences they be wherwith you charge vs what do you meane therfore all kindes and sortes of abhominations Osorius without any exception or those small
publique offences only Euē so and in such wise Releases Pardōs were esteémed not to be in any respect valuable to clense the sinnes of guiltye consciences in the sight of God simply but should be as pledges and witnesses of a full releasing their penaunce enioyned vnto thē by the Church or of mitigating the same with some gentle quallification As appeareth by a Transcript drawen out of the Penitentiall of Rome vp Burchard treating much of those exchaunges of satisfactions namely that in stead of this penaunce where a man was enioyned to fast one whole day with bread and water heé should be released thereof and say fifty psalmes or Lxx. psalmes kneéling relieue some one begger with food If he were a rich man and vnlettered he should redeéme one dayes penaunce by paying iij. pence if he were poore and vnlettered he should paye one peny or feéd threé poore folke The penaūce of a whole weékes fast was redeémed with CCC Psalmes a whole mouethes fast by saying xij hundred Psalmes for one yeares fast he shoulde geue in almes to the poore xxij shillinges c. Many other like exchaunges of penaunces are mentioned in Burchard all which respected none other end but that they might quallify the rigor of the olde Canons touching publique penaunce ministred to this end not as necessary instrumentes to obtayne remission of sinnes and to pacify the wrath of God but instituted for exāples sake that they might be speciall prickes and prouokementes to sturre vpp such as were fallen and allurementes to earnest amendement of life On the contrary part the custome of our time and of our Popes hath so farre degendred from the auncient ordinaunces of the Elders in dispensing with Pardons and Satisfactions that it may seéme to haue ouerwhelmed not onely all discipline of the auncient Church but also almost ouerthrowen the whole force and efficacy of Christian fayth For whereas the Summe and Substaunce of all our Religion consisteth in the cleansing and purging of Sinnes and the same comprehended also in the onely obedience and passion of Christ these new vpstart Popes haue translated all this Release and satisfaction for our sinnes from the merite of Christ to I know not what newfangled absolutions and Pardons And whereas the olde penitentiall Canons were onely mens constitutions wherein men might dyspence with men according to the necessity of the tyme hereupon our Popes taking hart of grasse are become so shamelesse impudent that with theyr Pardons they dare presume to dispense with mens sinnes yea and theyr consciences also and to make their satisfactory merites by merite meritorious as it were worthye and able to encounter the wrath and iudgement of God And now behold how many pumples and fretts lurke vnder this one skabbe of the popish doctrine First they do so ouerlade mens consciences with a commaundement of confession without all authority of scripture and contrary to all the presidents of the primitiue Church they force all persons to render an account of theyr sinnes whether they be contrite or not contrite and this also vpon payne of eternall damnation As for Absolution they leaue cleane naked of all effectualnesse denying it to be auayleable without workes precedent ouer and besides thys also they do clogge them that are confessed with an vnauoydable necessity of doing penaūce they do thrust in Pardō of sinnes graunted by mans authority which they call Satisfaction for sinnes to deserue freé release from that punishment payne which the iustice of God may duely exact Out of which Syncke proceéd many vntimely and vyperous birthes full of lyes sacrilege and blasphemy agaynst God Namely Mounckes vowes The Sacrifice of the Masse for the quick and the dead Pilgrimages to stockes and stoanes Iubiles Pardons and Purgatory and out of that Purgatory sprang forth that momish maxime of Scotus Scottish and crabbed enough to this effect That Sinners after absolution ar either turned ouer to pardones or to Purgatory I do not here complayne or expostulate for those portesales and crafty conueyaunces of Pardōs Let Pardōs be as francke and freé as they would seéme to be for me But this is the thyng that I do demaund by what title by what scripture by what example finally by what I do not say authority but by what honest colour the Pope of Rome may presume so much vpon hys authority as to challenge to himselfe an interest and as it were an inheritable possessiō of those things wh Gods owne mouth and the promises of the whole scripture doe geue franckely and freély vnto all them that repent and beleue euen by theyr fayth in Christ Iesu and how he dare also affirme that such men are not otherwise to be dispēsed withall then by his Bulles of Pardons and his deputary Cōmissaryes Saynt Peter cryeth out with a loud voyce and confirmeth his saying with the authority of all the Prophets that shall receiue forgeuenesse of Synnes as many as do beleue in Christ. So doth also the Apostle Paule proclayme boldly that all thinges are pacified by the bloud of Christ both in heauen and in earth and addeth moreouer And in him sayth he you are made perfect And because no man shall be of opinion here after that there wanteth any thing to the full accomplishment of our saluation read in Iohn The bloud of Christ doth clense vs from all Sinne. And immediatly after He is the propitiation for our sinnes not our sinnes onely but for the sinnes of the whole world And Iohn Baptist poynting to Christ with his finger doth affirme Christ to be the Lambe appoynted by God to take away the sinnes of the world And Paule to the Hebrues By one onely oblation Christ made perfect for euer them that were sanctified And in an other place we are taught that our hartes are purified by fayth To conclude The whole meaning and intent of the scripture being nothing els but a certayn neuer interrupted course of recomfortable refreshyng in Christ it doth so allure vs all vnto hym that it leaueth none other medicine or restoratiue for our ouerladen and encombred consciences but the onely bloud of the Sonne of God And therefore if the onely death of Christ once offred for all be a full Raūsome for our Sinnes and the full price of our Redemption If Christes onely death and Passion be imputed to the faythfull beleuer for righteousnesse What neéde then any other Pardōs If Christ pacified all thinges in heauē in earth why could he not aswell pacifie all thynges in Purgatory When full power was geuen vnto him ouer all thinges in heauen and in earth what shall Christ haue nothyng to doe in Purgatory but that the Pope must be onely Prince of that Region The bloud of Christ say they did Raunsome vs from guilt and euerlasting punishment But there remaineth yet a Temporall punishment to be endured partely in this lyfe partly in Purgatory out of the which
Nazianzene or any other writer of the auncient primitiue Church No they are altogether new deuises of this later age or playne forgeries rather as hath bene declared sufficiently enough before But take an argument now stronger then Hercules clubbe wherewith at one chopp he will cutt of the heads of all those Image breakers ingenerall so strōgly compact and clowted together with so singuler a dexterity that if all the Deuines in the world els hold theyr peace Images are made so desensible with this one argument as shal be able to endure all the force and counterbuffes of heretiques For vpon this kinde of Similitude he frameth his argument If the dumme Pictures of the Crosse and of Sainctes which did put men in mind of the things wherof they were representations were so highly reuerenced of the auntient Christians it was much more conuenient that the liuely Images of Christ should be worshipped But holy men are by the workemanshippe of the holye Ghost fashioned to the lyuely and expresse Images of Christ. Ergo It remayneth that we geue reuerence and worship vnto Pictures as to the liuely Images of Christ. I doe heare your Argument Osorius and I doe aunswere thereunto And first euen to this whether any dumme Images and portraictes at all were euer erected in the auncient Christian Temples may be with more reason doughted of vs then Iustified by you And yet to admitt you this much that such Signes were not altogether vnknowen to the auncient Fathers yet for as much as the portraicts beyng not in Tēples did serue onely to feéde the eyes and minister occasion of some remembraunce and callyng to mynde the doynges of the Martyrs will your Logicke therfore argue an adoryng vpon this memoriall and establish a worshyppyng of dead stockes which ought onely to be geuen to God alone As for example Admitte that some Apelles would in Tables describe vnto you the Passion of Christ after a most exquisite and liuely maner What would you prostrate your selfe on the grounde and with cappe and kneé worship the Table would you bequeath your prayer vnto it and honour it as reuerently as you would Christ To what purpose then serueth that which you sing in your Church All honour and glory be geuen to God alone if you can be contēted to turne that forthwith into a God whatsoeuer is obiect to the view for a memoriall onely and to transferre the honour and worshyppe that is due onely vnto God to paynted puppetts and balde blockes But now as concernyng the liuely Images of Christ as we doe not deny that a certeine liuely resemblaunce of Christ doth after a sort shyne in them whom the spirite of Christ hath truly sanctified so do we neither defraude them of their due commendation and prayse for that were a pointe of singuler impietie either to conceaue slenderly and lightly or to speake reprochefully of the notable actes of them whom God the Father doth honour and sanctifie namely sith the very Scriptures are aboundauntly stored with plentyfull examples whereby we be admonished of our duety that we owe to Gods holy ones But it is one thyng to reuerēce and esteéme well of Gods Sainctes and an other thyng to make Inuocation to the dead to part stakes of honour betwixt God and his Sainctes Sainctes are called Sainctes and the Temples of the holy Ghost in S. Paule not onely such as did shedd their bloud for Christes sake but all others also that in this life lyue here vnto Christ sanctified thorough Fayth Such a Temple of the holy Ghost was Paule him selfe and the rest of the Apostles with him who beyng after a sort fashioned to the likenesse of Christ by the workemanshyp of the holy Ghost did beare about them a certein proportionable resemblaunce of his Image And yet the same Paule and Barnabas were sayd both to rende their garmentes least they should seeme to admitte them selues to be honored as Goddes Actes 14. We heare the same both spokē and performed by the Aungell of Christ in the Reuelation Worship God sayth he I am thy felow Seruaunt Goe to now and are you of this opiniō that honour and worshyp is to be geuen to the dead bodyes of them who beyng aliue would not suffer them selues to be worshypped But of Sainctes and their Images enough at this present namely sith before is spoken plentyfully enough and so much as will suffice though not Osorius yet any other indifferent Reader I trust ¶ Popish Purgatory GOod lucke a Gods name to our holy Father the Pope and Osorius their kitchynes we are come at the length vnto Purgatory that is to say to the kyngdome of the Pope and the Region of darkenesse of this world A goodly Territory forsooth meéte surely for such an Emperour accordyng to the old Prouerbe a Scabbed Iade good enough for a scalde Squier About which dānable deuise beyng the most foolishe Bable that euer was heard of the most fybblefable that euer could be imagined this raungyng Rhetorician besturreth his slumpes so earnestly and stretcheth out his throate so feruently as if the matter were of wonderfull emportaunce A man would take him to be some notorious Hercules fightyng as it were for lyfe and death in defence of his Countrey he so chaufeth and moyleth in sturryng the coales in princkyng vpp the glory of this whotthouse And no maruell For the mā as he is not altogether blynd nor vnprouided of forecast doth very deépely and wisely consider of the matter as it is That all the kytchynes of the Catholickes are kept in a good lyking with the coales of this Purgatory fier and that vpon this foundation is builded the whole Maiestie of the Romishe Monarchy and withall that this is the head corner stone and chief coyne of their doctrine For vpon this groundeworke stand all the pillers and buildynges of their Churche to witte Merites Satisfactions Councels Perfections and absolute Righteousnes in the sight of God Finally all the Ceremonies in their Churches Watchynges Soule Masses Trentalles Offringes for the dead Pilgrimages Pardons Workes of Supererogation Brotherhoodes Memorialles Diriges Processions Holy water Consecratyng of Churcheyardes and such like gaynfull markettes all which do come altogether to vtter ruine if Purgatory decay once but if Purgatory hold fast then are they all of good footing And hereof proceédeth that stiffe stought stādyng with such an vnappeasable contention and brawlyng about the mainteynaunce of Purgatory that they will seéme rather to let slipp heauen out of their hartes then let Purgatory depart frō their kytchines But there was neuer man behaued him selfe more Apishly about this peéuish and peltyng Purgatory then this our doltishe and most senselesse coūterfaite of all the rest who in this his discourse of Purgatory is so whott in wordes sweateth so lustely that a man would sweare he were but newly runne out of the very scaldyng house of Purgatory it selfe Agayne in Argumēts and Reasons so cold
To witt if there be not a Purgatory Osorius doth lye if he be a lyar Ergo he is not sent froÌ„ God but from the Deuill the father of lyes Which counterbuffe is so much the more probably applyable agaynst Osorius then agaynst Luther by how much he persisteth more obstinately in the maintenaunce of that filthy quauemyre of Purgatory For as much as although Luther did erre somewhat in that matter at the first yet afterwardes knowing the trueth did reduce himselfe to a more sound iudgement so that now he neither maketh for the Papistes in affirming Purgatory neither by that his former vntrueth error sinneth agaynst God at all Therefore as touching his forked and double horned argumeÌ„t wherein the first part of Osorius his Position If there be no Purgatory Luther doth lye If Osorius here doe vnderstand of a lye Formaliter Luther doth not lye but Osorius doth lye But if Luther be adiudged according to that which he once thought and taught once why should he be more reproched with a lye in affirming Purgatory then commended in the trueth in denying Purgatory afterwardes Moreouer if a lye be such a kinde of thing as you doe affirme in your other Position wh doth separate vs from God surely he is to be accoumpted a lyar not that reuoketh the error which he maintayned before but he that still persisteth obstinately in his ouerthwart opinion manifestly agaynst the trueth But the Scholemen that in their Schooles dispute somewhat more subtilly of the nature of a lye do ioyne together to the full proportion or making of a lye the will also of him that doth make the lye to speake the schole tearmes with the part of the false surmise In the one whereof they ground the matter or substaunce in the other the forme or qualitye Therefore for asmuch as there is no sinne but that which is voluntary if we will speake after the proprietye of speéch he that in teaching or disputing doth mainteyne a falshoode thinking that he doth maintayne a trueth he is to be sayd that he erreth and is deceaued in opinion but doth not make a lye properly but per accidens as the schoole men speake and materialiter And therfore touching the one horne of your sophisme If there be not a Purgatorye Luther doth lye If you meane it formaliter as I sayd it is vntrue and a deuise of Osorius Now remayneth thother horne whereof we must be well aduised how wee doe aunswere it If he did lye say you Ergo He was not sent from God If this be true that neuer any man was sent from God that did make any kinde of lye at any tyme Lett Osorius looke well to the matter how he may be able to crack me these two nuttes that I will lykewise geue vnto him as euidently in ech respect agaynst him If Sara were not Abraham his sister then did Abraham lye If Abraham did lye then was he not sent from God Yea further also to adde hereunto an intent of deceauing Here is yet an other matter If Iacob were not the first begotten sonne of Isaack by Rebecca his wyfe both Iacob lyed and the Mother also If the Myddwyues did not drowne the young sucklings of the Hebrues then did they make a lye vnto Pharao If king Saul gaue vnto Dauid no commaundement by worde of mouth commiâ—g to Achimelech then did Dauid make a lye 1. Kinges Chap. 21. If all these of whom I haue spoken Iacob Rebecca the Middwiues Dauid did lye Ergo they were not sent from God which if Osor. will not deny to be a most arrogant vntrueth what remaineth but that this cruell Sauadge two horned beast together with Luther goare the holy Patriarches also with his hornes or casting away his hornes acquite Luther and the Patriarches also both together Now I put Osorius to his choyse to take which he will Howbeit I speake not this to acquite Luther cleare from all spott of error NotwithstaÌ„ding it is not all one to hold an error and to maintayne a lye It is one thing to be vnskilfull and ignoraunt and an other thing to reuoke in season assoone as a man doth know his error The first whereof is a speciall poynt of humaine infirmitye thother a singuler benefite of Gods mercy Both which we haue seéne to haue chaunced euen in the most holy ones of all We reade of the most holy messenger and forerunner of the Lord speaking on this wise And I sayth he knew him not Neuerthelesse in an other place we heare the same speaking on this wise Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world And what maruell was it if Luther were ignoraunt in some thinges a whiles which were discouered vnto him afterwardes And where hath euer bene so quicksighted a Spinx that was able to seé all things at once which prerogatiue the Barnardines dare not geue vnto Barnard himselfe But Osorius will not leaue of his handfast And would gladly know as he sayth Whether senteÌ„ce of Luther Haddon will determine vpoÌ„ to be true seing Luther is Author of both Of the first wherein he affirmeth a Purgatory to be or the last wherein he denyeth the same thing agayne That I may passe ouer in the meane space whose Cartloades full of Tauntes Mockes and Mountaynes of lyes which he vomiteth out in the bosome of the good man most brutishly euen to the ridding of his gorge almost I will aunswere to the matter and the reprochfull Taunt it selfe briefly without Tauntes As concerning the very trueth and naturall substaunce of Doctrine howsoeuer mens opinions and Iudgements be carryed hither and thither in wauering vncerteynty yet trueth is neuer vnlyke it selfe but remayneth alwayes one and the same also vnchaungeable which suffreth not it selfe to be toste to and fro after the whirling variablenes of mens imaginations but standeth alwayes sound and vnshaken builded vpon the vnpenetrable Rocke of the Scriptures of God Now if Luthers rule be agreably apporcioned accordyng to the infallible squarier of that holy staÌ„dard whether it be first or whether it be last why should it not be worthely embraced not because it is the last but because it is the truest On the other side if in all his doctrine be any assertion that deserueth to be reprehended as repugnauÌ„t or varying from the true touchestone of Christian profession there be extant the holy Scriptures of God manifest and layd open there be auÌ„cient ordinauÌ„ces of the Primitiue Church There be approued Testimonies of learned men There be groundes and principles of doctrine wherewith ye may lawfully conuince him Yet orderly notwithstanding and courteously that the Readers may finde you to be a learned Deuine or skilfull Logician not a rayling Slaunderer and fryuolous brabbler Now to what purpose serueth so much cursed rayling no lesse vnseasonable then vnreasonable so many Tauntes so many slaunders so many subtiltyes and so many bitter skoffes what neéded
he hath debated somewhat and so debated as himselfe doth confesse not of any gredy desire of flattering as speaking the thing that â—he doth know to be plausible to his Catholickes but hath written the very same doctrine which he doth firmely beleue to be true which I doe yeld vnto that you haue perfourmed accordingly For as much as hitherto you haue alleadged nothing but phantasticall conceiptes of your owne wandring imagination and fryuolous opinions of your owne gyddy deuise Thoroughout all your bookes no sparke of Scripture no sentence at all of auncient writers besides bare names onely is vouched able to geue any creditt to your cause And therefore you haue sayd well in deéde that your writing doth agreé with your meanyng in all pointes but there is nothing more corrupt then that iudgemeÌ„t of yours nor any thing more vayne then your writing And for the thinges themselues whereof you make mention hath bene spoken sufficiently allready to witt of the Popes supremacy of the Popes warres of Purgatory of Sacrifices of Marketts of Pardons of the vncleanesse of Priestes and of their filthy superstition All which disgracementes of Religion from whence they issued out at the first although Haddon affirmed that you were not your selfe ignoraunt albeit you dissembled the contrary yet surely of this you ought not to be vnskilfull except you list to be reputed an open counterfaite that all those Trincketts which you thrust vpon vs vnder the cognizaunce of Religion did sauour nothing of the foundation of Christes Religion of his Apostles or of the Prophetts doctrine but haue bene deuised by other men long sithence the comming of Christ and by couert creéping by litle litle into the Church are growÌ„e to this vnmeasurable Rable Which hath bene displayed abroad aboundantly enough before as I Iudge in these same bookes After all these ensueth a common place of the filthy and wicked lyfe of Priestes which being more notorious then can be couered more filthy then can be excused Osorius is driuen to this streight that he can not deny but many thinges are amisse in the maners of Priestes and many things out of order which require seuere and sharpe correction howbeit he doth so extenuate this cryme as that he shameth not to confesse but that the greater part of these Catholick shauelings doe liue most chastely without all blemish of worthy reproch Of the rest he hath good hope yea and doughteth not thereof vpon the confidence that he hath of the good beginnings of the most holy Father the Pope Pius the fifte whose wonderfull godlynes ioyned with marueilous zeale of true Religion cleare and voyde from all ambition greedynesse and rashe temerytye doth geaue vs especiall comfort that it will shortly come to passe that the disorders and dissolute misdemeanours of Superstition and Priestes will attayne to a better reformation But if happely this hope happen not to good successe and though all thinges doe runne into further outrage yea although also no man minister medicine and remedye to this diseased Church yet is not this forthwith a good consequent that good and godly ordinaunces shall for the retchlesse trechery of some euill disposed persons be vtterly taken away And that humaine actions did neuer staÌ„d in so blessed an estate as to be cleare froÌ„ all matter worthy of reprehension not onely emongest Priestes and MouÌ„ckes but also through all the conuersation of Christian congregatioÌ„s And that it standeth not therefore with Reason for the negligence of a few disordered Mounckes to roote out the whole order of Mounckerye and for the wickednes of some Priestes therefore to subuert the whole dignitye of Priesthood and authoritye of Byshopps None otherwise then as if in the holy state of Matrymony many thinges chaunce sundry tymes not all of the best and vnseemely handled yea and that wantonnes grow euen to brech of wedlock yet is it not reasonable that for this cause the whole bond and vowe of mutuall loue and lawfull vniting should be cutt asunder Semblably ought we to determine of the orders of Priestes and Mounckes Emongest whom though all thinges be not done orderly and decently yet such thinges are not by and by to be discontinued which were instituted for godly purposes nor followeth not forthwith if there be some festered members in the coÌ„mon weale which must of necessitye be cutt of that for this cause the whole state of the coÌ„mon weale shall be tourned vpsidowne but rather that the ouergroweÌ„ weeds be pluckt vpp and such as be scattering brauÌ„ches be applyed to better order and reduced to their first patterne And that there is nothing more perillous in Common Weales then the often innouation of good and commendable established ordinaunces and lawes which doth commonly breed not onely a generall contempt of wholesome statutes but for the more part procure an vtter ouerthrow of the whole state according to the testimony of Aristotel who did sometime openly withstaÌ„d the decree of Hippodamus Milesius made for the aduauncement of such as should deuise good and profitable lawes being of this opinioÌ„ that lawes should be comprised within measurable lymitts and boundes that the well keeping of tollerable lawes emported more safetye then the innouation of new To Aunswere this large discourse briefly Osorius could haue alledged nothing more coÌ„modious in the defence of Luthers cause and nothing more vehemently agaynst these newfangled Romaines For if Aristotel did worthely reproue Hippodamus Milesius Who being not contented with the present state of his owne Countrey did practise an alteration of the state What shall be sayd vnto you who haue so chopt and chaunged all things in the Church that there is not left therein one title so much of Apostolick antiquity or auÌ„cieÌ„t Doctrine Therefore if all matters must be reduced to the first foundations what one thing can preuayle more to further the LutheraÌ„s desire who in all theyr writings and wishinges haue neuer endeuoured any thing more carefully then that a reformation might be had of the Publicke abuses and corruptions of the churche according to the first most godly institutions to the vtter abolishing of all newfangled vpstartes wickedly supported And those first Institutions I doe call the very first foundations of the Apostolyque doctrine most godlye grounded vpon the holye ghost and the Testament of Christ. From the which how much your doctrine and Traditions do varry I haue sufficiently discouered before For whereas Christ is an infallible principle ground of the Apostolicke doctrine and whereas the chiefe pillers of the Euangelicall buildyng do stand principally vpon this poynt to preach vnto vs euerlasting life promised by the freé gift of God through fayth in Iesu Christ euen by this one marke may easily be discerned of what value and estimation the whole state of the Romish religioÌ„ may be accounted which doth not direct vs to Christ but to the Pope not to the onely sonne of God but to the sonnes of
Broomes Furthermore a man may easily descry the nature of this Doctrine by the very foūdacion of this Church And how so I pray you Forsooth because Venus Cupido were the founders of this Church breach of lawes and contempt of the Pope haue encreased it flattery and lying hath supported it Greedy couetousnes hath established it Crueltye agaynst the Saintes hath sanctified it Tymerous feare of men hath straightened it Finally a doctrine of men not sent from God but sturred vpp by Sathan hath with most troublesome errours poysoned it Which being trew who doth not easely perceaue with how many and how greuous woundes this Haddon hath embrued himselfe through these ruinous fosidaciōs of the Church who did dare to be so bold to call this Gospell of Luther Zuinglius Bucer and Caluine by the name of a holy Gospell the beginning proceéding increase and end of which he doth euidently finde to be entred vpon shuffled together and shutt vpp at the last with intemperate lust and licentious outrage Behold here gentle Reader a daungerous wound in deéde and deadly enough I confesse which wound neuerthelesse Haddon did not procure vpon himselfe with his owne handes but Osorius hath made For if it be true that the wise man spake The mouth that doth lye doth kill the Soule I reade you Osorius take good heéde to your selfe least you haue pearced your selfe with a farre more mortall wound through these cursed lies and detestable blasphemies vnlesse you fall to repentaunce betimes which I doe hartely beseéch the most mercifull Lord to graunt vnto you in deéde If this were the Gospell of Luther or Zuinglius agaynst the which you rayle so rudely then might your Raskallyke outrage vomited out agaynst godly and learned personages seéme more tollerable But now forasmuch as there is nothing published in this Gospell that is superstitious or deuised by man but groūded wholy vpon the Sacred Gospell of Christ which is not of all partes ioyned together with the trueth it selfe builded vpon the sure and infallible Rock of the word of God the first foundation whereof was layd by Christ the most perfect builder encreased with Christ enlarged by the conduct and guiding of Christ tending to none other end but to the only glory of Christ and the assured safety and consolation of the godly Looke you then to this agaynst whome your slaunderous lyes be throwen out so dispightfully What you meane by Venus and Loue I cannot conceaue you but if you vnderstand the Marriage of those men that did choose rather to Marye then to burne with what face dare a Portingall Byshopp accompt that ordinaunce infamous which S. Paul thapostle hath ratified for good which God himselfe did institute at the first creation of the world which Christ did sanctifye with the first fruites of all his Miracles But if your rayling tend to the licentious lust and filthy lyfe of Priestes to harlotts and Concubines to other abhominations of your secret Paphia to the inward boyling and skorching flames of inordinate concupiscence to the dayly and nightly defilings to passe ouer in silence other vnspeakeable stenches horrible to be spoken more then familiarly frequented and gredely haunted by Catholickes of your coate what aunswere shall I geue herevnto els then the same which Cicero was reported to haue obobiected agaynst Verres who obbrayding Cicero with ouermuch nycenesse hauing himselfe Children suspected for their incontinency sayd You must speake ill of your Children within the doores not without But what shall I say to the rest of his accusations which are throwen together in an heape with full skoupes and wherewich as it were by stepps and grieces all his Eloquence mounteth alofte to witt to the breach of lawes to contempt of the Pope to bolstring and supporting with lyes to greédy couetousnes to cruelty agaynst Sainctes and terror brought vpon all men what aunswere I say shall I make to all these when as nothing can be vttered agaynst him in such bitternesse of speé ch as his shamelessnesse doth deserue when as also the matter it selfe is a sufficient testimony of Luthers innocency herein to the vtter discreditt of Osorius When the first broyle begann about Pardons how modestly how constantly in how great perill and daunger of his lyfe did Luther behaue himselfe in that conflict how humbly did he prostrate himselfe to the Pope agayne agayne with letters emporting most humble submission full of dutyfull obedience and reuerence wherein what one sparke of malice or breach of law doth appeare when as yet there was no sentence geuen out agaynst him Afterwardes being conuented to appeare before the Emperor how reuerently did he make his personall apparaunce wherein what bolsteryng and supportation of lyes was there into what terror were all mē enforced hereby Nay rather into how much more perillous feare was he throwen when as being circumuented by the malitious practizes of all men almost he was forced to maintayne his cause not with lyes and cauiliations but with most manifest scriptures After these beginnings the veritye of the sacred Gospell glistering more and more cruelty and outrage was exequuted vpon godly and vertuous personages not by the practize or procurement of Luther But wherew t the Pope more lyke a Butcher then a Byshopp did with vnentreatable bloudthyrstynes rushe vpon good and godly ministers and innocent members of Christ without measure and without end Of whose vnmeasurable cruelty as there be infinite examples of godly Martyrs emongest all the rest what sauadge brutishnesse was there executed euen in your owne Countrey of Portingall about xx yeares past agaynst a country man of ours named William Gardiner whom after sundry intollerable tortures and vnspeakeable crampes more then horrible barbarousnes susteyned you would not dispatch out of lyfe speédely as you might but hanging him on hye vpon a Gibbett and by a pulley drawyng him vpp and downe sundry and seuerall times into the flames you deuised a meane rather by litle and litle to skortch him to death chosing rather to broyle him with leasurable torments as it were by pausing of breath to the paynefull increase of miserable griefe then to kill him at once All which so great so greéuous and so exquisite imagined tortures notwithstanding you could not preuayle nor euer shal be able to preuayle so farre forth but that the vnuanquishable courage of the Gospell which you persecute so furiously how much the more villanously is raged agaynst by your madnesse shall dayly so much the more waxe mighty and impregnable agaynst all your frantique assaultes And albeit our Portingall be not acquaynted with any sproughtes braunches and outstretched armes of this florishing and fruitfull Gospell yet by gods good prouidence this fruitfull grayne of Mustard seéd doth mount vpward neuerthelesse and doth encrease dayly in wonderfull aboundaunce which onely thing might haue bene a good lesson vnto you to enduce you to conceiue that all this successe whatsoeuer was not deuised by mans pollicy
of the Euangelicall doctrine to glister and shyne farre and wyde abroad ouer all Christendome at this tyme which because was not so resplendisaunt and lightsome in the tyme of certeine of our forefathers of late yeares whereas neuerthelesse Christ did alwayes preserue embrace his Church with lyke mercye and fauour therefore he accompteth this Gospell of Christ to be a new straunge Doctrine contrary to Christ and this also not Osorius alone supposeth to be so but many other Deuines wandring inlyke error who are maliciously wroth agaynst Luther as though he a few others were the first deuisours and coyners of this Gospell Thē which vntrueth can nothing be more vntrue Nay rather if Luther had neuer bene borne if Bucer or Caluine had neuer taught yet could your ignoraunce and shamelesse errors haue no longer lurked in darknes through one singuler and especiall prouidēce of God not that whereby Luther was sent abroad into the world but by that inestimable benefite of Gods blessing prepared for the behoofe of his Church I meane the singuler and most excellet Art of Emprinting By this meanes it pleased Gods good mercy both to prouide for the weaknes of his Church withall auēge himselfe vpon your Tyrannous cruelty by a certein secret vnsearchable maner For imediately after Iohn Husse Ierome of Prage the most holy Martyrs of God were by your horrible fury and wickednes consumed to ashes and the veritye of the Gospell suppressed by your Tyranny could neither be suffred to speake franckly nor shew her face abroad boldely nor eskape your rauenous gaping freély skarse x. yeres were come gonne before that in place of two poore Prophetts almighty God had raysed vpp all the holy Prophetts Patriarches Apostles Euangelistes and all the holy doctours of the Church Martyrs Confessours and Interpretours of holy Scripture as it were a certeine army of heauenly knightes armed at all poyntes to encounter your outragious assaultes who because could not be permitted to speake openly in the Church through your tyranny begann to presse forth boldly now in the open Printers shopps and to leape into euery mans bosome and handes and withall to bewray your ignoraunce and Tretchery and to discouer not new wellsprings of Doctrine but to skoure and make cleane the olde fountaines and Conduyt pypes of the Gospell of grace stoppt vp by the popish Philistines And hereupon begann to spreadd abroad with glystering beames the large encrease of this gladsome Doctrine which if be so combersome a block in your way you may not therefore wreake your anger vpon Luther but deuise make some prouiso for these Printers for these bookes for learning and for Languages and to tell you as the trueth is you must excommunicate God himselfe Who durst be so hardy to bestow his vnspeakable mercy vpō this later and declining age of his Church in relieuing comforting her long and werysome trauaile with so many and so plentifull graces and aydes of true Doctrine and sound vnderstanding that would prouide for her sicknes so many learned Phisitions and Doctors not Luther Zuinglius Bucer and Caluine but Moses the Prophetts Apostles Euangelistes and cannonicall Scriptures through the reading and dayly perusing of the which if Christian hartes being better enlightened doe now feéle and perceaue sensybly that which our forefathers were forced to groape after in darkenes you ought not to muse thereat at much lesse to enuye and maligne it Wherefore as touching the grayheadded age of this Doctrine whereat you doe barke so impudently with your currish snarling for as much as we doe professe nothing els then the same that is comprehended within Gods booke and which before our tyme was taught by Moses aucthorized by the Prophetts Apostles what meaneth this your I will not say reason but vnreasonable insensibilytye with such vnsauery subtlety so to wryth wrest that to the defacing of this Doctrine which Haddon did conceaue of the outward lybertye and freédome of the Preachers only as though this doctrine were of no better creditt and no longer continuaunce then these last thyrty yeares and so shamelesly by many hundred yeares to preferre the auncienty of Mahumets sect before the knowledge of this Gospell But it had bene more conuenient for you good syr to haue learned by diligent enquirye whether this comparison of sectes doe not serue more fittly with that your pampered Papane for asmuch as that heathenish Paganisme and your prophane Papacye were both whelped nere about one tyme and almost within the compasse of one yeare which yeare we doe accompt by the reueled computation in S. Iohn to be the sixe hūdreth sixty and sixe Now that this deépe Deuine hath reasonably well beaten his braynes about matters of Diuynitye he doth beginne to cast a new floorish about and will haue a cast at the prosperitye and stayed estate of Princes presuming vpon his politique wisedome to councell kinges and Queénes and chiefly aboue others our gracious Queéne Elizabeth with what modesty she ought to attemper the prosperous successes and happy tranquillitye of her estate That she trust not to much to fawning fortune that there is nothing certeine in the course of this lyfe and many perills are to be feared in matters most pleasaunt and prosperous to the viewe and that no thing is more daungerous then carelesse securitye because as after light followeth darkenesse and after Calme come Clowdes euen so the whole course of this lyfe hath his continuall enterchaunges Ioy sometymes surprised with sodeyne sorrow agayne heauinesse chaunged into honour that all thinges are carryed about in a certaine vehement whyrling vnstablenesse as it were the fleyng vanes of a windemill forced about with Boreas blastes The thinges that are now aloft be sodenly throwen downe and contrarywise the things that be simple base doe at an instant mount aloft And that it commeth oftē to passe that whom God is most displeased withall those same he will ouershadow with more fruitfull aboundaunce of vertue grace and endue them with happy assuraunce not of fyue yeares onely but of many yeares continuaunce that so the greater that their fall is the deeper may their wound be according to the old prouerbe the higher wall the greater fall Briefly that there is no state of honour so firme so sure garded wherein a man may assure himselfe of a minute in safetye which doth euidently appeare by the example of Craesus who being vanquished of Cyrus and prepared vpō a pyle of wood ready to be bourned did cry vpō Solon with a lowd voyce and being demaunded by Cyrus who that Solon was Craesus doth declare the councell that he long before had receaued of that Solon whereupon Cyrus commaunding him to be taken downe from the stacke of wood after that he had thereby learned to bridle his Choler did not onely preserue him on lyue but hadd him in great reuerence and estimation This farre forth Osorius euen out
speakyng infinite wordes he hath vttered litle or nought at all agreable with the truth and aunswerable to the cause so that the saying not of Thucidides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but that other tourned backeward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be aptly and worthely applyed And bycause it shall appeare more euidently Go to Lett vs Imagine that some one Logician either of the auncient Uniuersity of Philosophers or of the crew of these new Schoolemen did take in hand those bookes of Osor wherein he treateth so busily of Catholick Diuinitie who rippyng away this outward huske of gaye paynted speach may take a perfect view of the soundenesse of the shell and the inward kernell of his best Argumentes and reduce them by particularities to the playne rules forme of Logicke and may pare away all rotten and vnsauory subtilties may cutt cleane away all lyeng and vntruthes may pruyne all idle and vntymely applications wherewith his discourse is altogether bedawbedd may shrowde of all vnprofitable and withered superfluities and reduplications may banish away all slaunders reproches tragicall exclamations and Thrasonicall crakes quyte voyd and impertinent to the matter what will he leaue behinde then in all his whole threé bookes In so manifest a truth what neéde any probation I will describe one for example sake and from no where els but euen out of his principall and exquisite exhortation directed to our most Royall and noble Queéne of England In which Epistle if at least it may deserue the name of an Epistle then the which her Maiestie neuer receaued any one more talkatiue nor I euer sawe more wittlesse you seéme good my Lord Byshopp somewhat willyng and desirous to aduertize her highnes of matters of great emportaūce and highly Catholicke to witte That if the Queene will be wise if she will be desirous to haue especiall regarde and consideration of her person of the Realme and of the preseruation of her soule and body If she will vouchsafe to geue creditt to Osorius beyng a Portingall geuyng wholesome and godly coūsell proceedyng dutyfully from godly affection of pure loue What must she do at the length Forsooth That renouncyng in season this entangled crabedd doctrine of the Lutheranes maisters of misrule and errours Captaines of knauery and villany pernicious botches of auncient discipline counterfect coyners of a new Gospell open Enemies of publique and priuate tranquillitie she retourne agayne to the auncient obedience of the mother Church of Rome and yeld her humble obeysaunce to the Pope hygh Byshopp thereof as next vnto Christ and Christ his owne generall Vicar ouer all the face of the earth For if I be not deceaued this is the very scope of all your persuasion to this end tendeth the whole force of your glorious Epistle wherein if we shall haue regarde to your wordes I seé that you haue spoken very much but if we consider the matter it selfe you haue spoken nothyng at all or at the most no more thē may seéme to be compreheuded and concluded in threé propositious onely The Maior whereof maketh nothyng for your purpose The Minor is simply false and wickedly slaunderous The Conclusion such as may be more fittly reuersed agaynst you the rest of your Catholickes If you be desirous to haue a view hereof by some playne demonstration I will not refuse for your sake Osorius to represent to the Reader the whole substaunce of your Epistle and the whole force thereof concluded in a briefe forme in full proportionable partes and propositions Behold therefore the whole forme maner of your Sillogisme Maior Whosoeuer are enemyes of sounde doctrine and do procure assured destruction and decay of honest conuersation of cyuill society who may dought but that the Prince may banish them farre from out her Realme and that she ought not in any wise support them Minor The Lutheranes wheresoeuer they sett foote on groūd do infect the soundnes of doctrine as it were with a botche they do kill mēs bodyes they do destroy mens soules they do disturbe the state of the common weale in sowyng seditions they do ouerthrow lawfull Regimentes they do sow abroad euery where outragious and close kyndes of licentiousnes of lyfe they doe tourne vpsidowne and bryng to confusion all lawes spirituall and politique Conclusion Ergo Whosoeuer wil be adiudged a godly Prince especially Queene Elizabeth cā do nothyng better more cōmodious then to banish quyte frō out her Realme these pestilēt impostumes and Caterpillers of the earth and exclude them from all partakyng with the common wealth If this be not the whole drift of all your discourse lett the matter it selfe conuince me If it be so lett vs then take a tast how coldly and vnskillfully you haue behaued your selfe in prouyng this Argument For the proposition which you assume for matter confessed and make the surest foundation of your whole discourse what if we deny altogether at a word Osorius to what end then will all your tedious lofty lauishenes puffed vpp with so many vayne and triflyng amplifications and lyes tend You do assume that all Lutheranes ought to be abandoned from out all common weales as open enemies of Religiō ranke rebells common Barretours and Traytours On the contrary part whereas we do affirme boldy that all your vayne suggestion agaynst the Lutheranes is false on their behalfe most true on the Papistes behalfe hadd it not bene your part to haue Iustified first by probable and sure Argumentes the whole matter which we do by good right and duely deny yea with Scriptures and Doctours if you be a learned Deuine what did you accōpt this sufficient proofe to perswade your Assertion bycause your Lordshypp did boldly pronounce it to be so or suppose you that there is no more required in an Accuser but to rayle outragiously and slaunderously alleadgyng no firme or honest proofe of the crimes that be forged or forced agaynst the aduerse partie I beseéch you good courteous Gentleman tell me for your courteous modesties sake To hale men into hassard of their liues vpō trust of raungyng rumours if not altogether innocent yet altogether vnknowen to you agaynst whom you are altogether vnable to Iustifie any probable crime besides bare and naked affirmatiues Is this to deale with Princes and to write vnto Queénes Doe you behaue your selfe at home with your owne Kyng in this wise to accuse men whom you know not onely vpon Hearesay reporte And what if the Queéne her selfe who by dayly proofe may be acquainted with the dayly conuersation of her Subiectes better then Osorius beyng an alyen straunger do of her owne knowledge feéle all this to be vntrue which you so maliciously enforce and in her secret conceipt doe vtterly detest those your stinckyng lyes haue you not made then a fayre speake and geuen your selfe a foule fall without touche or trippe of your aduersary Goe to yet and what if some defect or disorder be in the Lutheranes lyues as
death and for his conquest sake wherewith he did tryumph ouer the kingdome of Sathan c. In all this you both speake well and doe well Stand fast therefore and be not remoued from your selfe if you can and graunt that veritye may wringe that perforce from you in the matter that you can not deny If his blood were shedd for the saluation of all mankynde as you say if that vnentreatable rygor of Gods wrath could no be pacyfied with any one thing els besides the blood of the Lambe from whence then is saluation to be sought on our behalfe or to whom ought we ascribe our sauetye but vnto this one onely sacrifice If we be healed by his woūdes and bitter bloodshedding with what shamelessenesse dare your Romish pelting Potticaries presume to apply other rottē drugges to our soares to what purpose serue so many Rosaryes and garlandes of the blessed Uirgine Mary so many inuocations of the dead so many Suffrages of Saints so many Statiōs Iubiles so many prauncing pilgrimages so many peéuish pardons so many Momish Mounckemerytes so many ragged Churchrelliques so many vayne vowes of votaryes so many marketts of Masses and so many Dolldreanches of dryueling Sacrifices fynally to what end preuayleth all the pelting pylfe of Popish patcheryes If it be true as you doe beare vs in hand that death is vanquished by the death of Christ so that now it hath no more interest or tytle in them or in their lyues which be engraffed in Christ Iesu wherefore should we Christians be any more afrayd of death that is swallowed vpp already vnlesse paraduenture your popishe Archprelates with your outragious Trūpetts doe think by blowing winde in his tayle to restore him to lyfe agayne which you doe endeuor dayly busily in deéde but all in vayne notwithstāding But now forasmuch as it is certaine that there be two maner of deathes th one of the body thother of the soule whereas also Christ did swallow thē vpp both namely one by his resurrection thother by faith vayne therfore fruitlesse be all your practises dryftes turmoyles wherein you promise a conquest of death which is putt to flight already Agayne if death be not vanquished then doth Osor. lye The very same may be verified of the kingdome of Sathan whose whole force sithence is conteyned in the obligation and handwryting of Sinne sithence also Christ hath victoriously tryumphed allready both ouer the whole Empyre of Sathan ouer all the power of Sinne as your selfe doe confesse Why doe you so frett and fume then agaynst Luther and agaynst vs who doe affirme nothing els then you doe and who doe call back all thinges to the onely victory and Tryumph of Christ Therefore whereas abandonyng all other intercessors you dyrect your prayer to Christ onely whereas you doe so highly aduaunce and magnifye the death and conquest of Christ herein hitherto you denounce your selfe a notable Lutherane Now therefore from henceforth lett vs as briefly consider of what the very thing is in deéde which you begg so earnestly of Christ theffect of your request is that he would vouchsafe to helpe vs wicked English outcastes And why doe you not craue his ayde as well for your selfe and for your natiue Countrey of Portingall what moueth you to pray so deuoutly for England perticularly by name without any mentiō made of your owne Countrey men I doe suppose veryly because there is no wickednesse practyzed in that Countrey there is no sheépe there either infected with noysome murrayne or so tyed by the buttock in brambles and bryars of errors that it neédeth any ayd of the Shepheard In Portingall groweth no Bruske neither Bryar no furse no baggadge no fearne meéte for fier Why then reioyce with the holy Phariseé Osorius and geue harty thankes vnto Almighty God both for your selfe and for your Countrey that you be not lyke vnto other men and especially to that most pestiferous and abiect Nation of England Wherein was sometyme as you say the Princely pallace of vertue of Religion of wisedome and of Iustice but now is tourned vpsidowne by the wickednesse of desperate castawayes and is defiled with abhominable errours Go to what be these so foule enormities and so haynous errours for which you keépe so great a coyle what men be these whom you call desperate abiectes what Fayth and what kynde of Church is it whose boundes and limittes we haue raunged ouer you were now to be demaūded to render a reckonyng of all that your accusatiō particularly orderly What neéde that say you I haue done this sufficiently allready in my former bookes In deéde so haue you done I trust you be sufficiētly aunswered also to euery of the former forged false accusations And so haue we hearde more then enough by you of the outragious haynousnesse of our execrable castawayes in our Realme at this present But in the meane space this notable Rhetorician hath not all this whiles vttered one word so much of the hurly burly that this Childe of perdition hath kept not in one kyngdome onely but through the whole state of Christendome nor telleth vs what a coyle he keépeth dayly what troubles he procureth what warres he practizeth what discorde he scattereth in what continuall broyles he hath wallowed these many yeares agaynst the chief Princes Potētates of the world what monstruous poyson and Botches of erronious doctrine he hath vomited out agaynst the Church what a floudd of Christian bloud he hath spilte how many thousand soules he hath bereft of life for whom Christ suffred his bitter Passion Finally how he hath tourned all thyngs typsy tyruye of all these I say mumme budgett alltogether For this is a speciall principle of Rhetoricke wherein he is well-beseéne that if he espye neuer so litle a scabbe in his aduersaries visadge there shall his nayles be allwayes rakyng on the other side if there be neuer so mōstruous a Carbunckle on their owne behalfe whereat the aduersary may take some aduauntage either will him selfe not take any notice of it or els will he collour it with some prety shift or wype it away with some crafty conueyaunce and dissimulation In the foote of your Orison you do annex afterwardes that Christ would vouchsafe with the assistaunce of his Spirite to gather together agayne vs which be now scatteryng and disagreeyng in opiniō into one vniforme agreemēt of fayth and within the boundes and limittes of his Church whereby we alltogether may attayne euerlastyng glory to the singuler ioye and reioysing of all the holy company of heauen To aunswere this your petition briefly Doe you bryng to passe accordyng to your dutie first that it may be lawfull for vs to be associated in your felowshipp with safe cōscience with sounde Fayth without manifest impietie and Idolatry without most haynous blasphemy agaynst the liuyng God and without present perill of euerlastyng damnation and beleéue me we are not more willyng to doe any thyng
not to be marueâ—led that Monckeries were so soone ouerthrowen as that they stode so long Of the holynesse of ceremonies with Osorius Luke Iohn Collos. 2. Galat. 4. Mens traditioÌ„s ceremonies are not altogether sequestred from a Christian mans lyfe How great a perill is in ceremonies Christian RelligioÌ„ almost wholy turned into ceremonies Images Crosses Altars throweÌ„ downe Ezechiah Iosiah Iozaphat Gedeon Epiphanius in an Epistle to Iohn Byshopp of Ierusalem Phillippicus Leo Isaurick CoÌ„stantine Leo 4. Greeke Emperours agaynst Images Images banished by the couÌ„cels of ConstaÌ„tinople Elibertine and francksord Out of the councell of ConstaÌ„tinople Ex Elibertino coâ—cil can 36. Lactant. instit book 2. cap. 19. ChrisostoÌ„e Amphilochius Theodore Byshopp of Ancira Portraictes Eusebius Bysh. of Pamphil. The reasoÌ„s of Bysh. alleadged in the counsell of Constantinople Deut. 20. 2. Cor. 6. A figure called contraposition betwixt the decrees of God and the Popes Math. 10. 1. Iohn 5. Out of the Decrees of the Trydentine counsel 9. Sesio Iere. 10. Abacuâ— 3. The wicked and preposterous iudgements of the Papists in worshipping of Images Osor. pag. 178. Osorius slaunder agaynst Luther touching contrition and good workes condeÌ„ned is confuted Articul 31. How this sentence that the Righteous man doth offend in euery good worke is to be taken Gregory vpon Ioh. 9. August in his 3. booke of confess cap. 7. August to Boniface 3. book ca. 7. The words of Constantine to Acesius Aug. in his 1. booke de perfectione iustitiae Aug. in his booke of the perfection of righteousnes Of the auntient ordinaunces of the Church The ordinaunces of the primitiue church taken away now by our Catholicks The complaynt of abolishing the auntieÌ„t ordinaunces of the Church appliable to none so much as to the Papists By what meanes the Romanistes haue altered al thinges in the Church Osorius pag. 178. Osor. pag. 180. An aunswere in the behalfe of the Lutheranes liues agaynst slauÌ„deryng It is one thyng to iudge of maners an other thing to iudge of doctrine Dogges in the pallace of Rome Osori pag. 180.181 The popes blynd Decrees caÌ„ not away with the light of the Gospell The cauill of Osorius agaynst the lyues of Lutherans Osori rayseth all his slaunders of hearesay The fruites of the Gospell beyng restoared Doctrine ought not to be iudged after the qualities of mens manners Osorius malice agaynst the Lutherans Many are vntruely termed Lutherans that be no Lutherans Mauy counterfets lurke in the Church vnder presence of the Gospell The approued integritye of the-ProtestaÌ„ts The lyfe of Cranmer Archb. of Cant. The marriage of CraÌ„mer defended The name of a Concubine more holy with the Papistes then the name of a wife Nichol. Ridley Byshop of London Ferrar Bish. of Saynt Dauids Iohn Hooper Bish. of Worcest Glocester Famous men martyrred vnder Queene Mary Tho. Bilney Ioh. Bradford The liues of those which were burnt in Queene Maries raigne Erasmus testimony coÌ„cerning Luther See Osorius in his 1. booke 69. Roffensis of the doctrine of Luther Luthers doctrine not other then all other true Christians The Fallax of the consequent An Argument rightly deduced froÌ„ Signes Doctrine not to be applyed to maners but maners to doctrine Osorius pag. 181. 182. Of prescription of Antiquitye Osorius doth accuse the reformed Churches of Noueltye The reformed Churches now a dayes doe not vary froÌ„ the Apostles institution in doctrine Maner of lyfe thought neuer so disorderous maketh not an heretique The cause that enflameth Osor. agaynst the Lutheranes is not the life but the state of their doctrine The foundation of the questioÌ„ is not of maners but of the principles and grouÌ„des of Religion The condition agreed vpoÌ„ concerneth the triall of antiquitie The papists exception agaynst the obscurenes of the scriptures Of an vnpier in Ecclesiasticall causes A Request to the excellent king of Portingall The Antiquity of the Romish Religion couÌ„terfaite The false accusation of Noueltie agaynst the Lutherans The law of PrescriptioÌ„ Distinct. 8. August Gregory Custome Antiquitye PrescriptioÌ„ Cyprian distinc 8. No custome may prescribe agaynst the king much lesse anye Custome may prescribe agaynst god A defence agaynst the accusation of Nouelty falsly charged vpon the reformed Churches by Osorius Of the merites of Christ. Of true coÌ„fidence Tertulian touching prescription agaynst Heretiques Exod. 20. Of inuocation worshipping c. Of Sacraments Out of Iustine Of the freedome of Mariage Heb. 13. 1. Timo. 4. The mother tongue in Churches The Communion vnder both kindes Of Images Of rightâ— and Ceremonies Of the power of free-will Of iustifiyng fayth Rom. 3. Galat. Galat. How fayth onely doth iustifie and whom Luther Caluine MelancthoÌ„ Musculus Bullinger P. Martyr Hul. Zuinglius Occolampadius Iohn Iuell Gualter Rodolfe Theodore Beza The Lutherans acquited from all reprehention of Noueltye An olde quarrell of the Catholicks touching Noueltye Of the supremacy titles of the Pope The titles of the Romaine pope Math. 23. The outragious dignitie of the pope Chrisost. ad Romanos homil 23. Gregory The supremacy was first graunted by Phocas to Boniface The fulnes of power beganne in the tyme of Hildebrand Pope Cardinalls The election of the Pope translated from the Emperour and the people of Rome vnto the Cardinalls Of the Masse and her appurtenaunces The vse of Corpes in the Church Priuate Masses The Communion of the laye people abbridged froÌ„ thrice to once in a yeare by Clement 3 Vnleauened bread One part of the CoÌ„munion taken away from the lay people Corpus Christi day Of Image Of transubstantion of Eleuation of carying abroad of the Sacrament Of marriage of priestes and choyse of meates Of the Popes decrees and decretals Extrauaga de Maiorit obed cap. vnam De maior it obedientia cap. Solitae Of MouÌ„cks Fryers Three vows of MouÌ„kerye Sixe wings of Seraphin Aemilius in his 5. booke Carthusianes Castersianes Templars Premonstratenses Gilbertines Dominicanes Franciscans Eremites Augustines Carmelites Nuns of S. Clares order Out of the Councell of Lateran Innocent 3. Cap. 13. Minorites Augustine anes Crossebeabeares Whippers Iesuites In the Romish Churche are many things new altogether nothing auncient sauoring of thapostolique Antiquitye The carnall presence of Christ no where but in heauen The carnall presence of Christ one of the Popish doctrine How the Papistes dp doe differ from the Apostles in the ministring of the communioÌ„ Priuate Masse Hebr. 9. 8 10. 1. Tim. â— The true doctrine of traÌ„substantion iuuented by the paâ—istes TransubstaÌ„tiation was neuer knowen to the Apostles Many thou sandes of Martyrs lost theyr liues for this TransubstaÌ„tiatioÌ„ The Churche of the Pope a Murtherer The papist caÌ„ reÌ„der no iust cause of spâ—llyng so much Christian bloud It is one thing to reuerence the SacrameÌ„ts an other thyng to turne Christ into a Sacrament The words of Christ. This is my body Christs wordes bespirit and lyfe Christ is called by sondry names in the Scriptures Christ is called bread in the Gospell By what similitude the
Sacrament of bread and wine is called the body and bloud of Christ. August to Boniface 13. Episto August vppon the psalme 89. August agaynst Adimant 13. The circumstaunces about the Supper of the Lord are to be considered August vpon the wordes of the Lord in Lake Ser. 33. August in Ioh. tractar 25.26 The abseÌ„ce of the body of Christ more profitable for vstheÌ„ his presence An Argument in respect of the profit therof Antichrist An argument from Impossibilitye Contradictiories cann not be together not so much as by miracle A great diuersitie betwixt the auncient Church of Rome and this vpstart Church The lynes and couersatioÌ„ of the auncieÌ„t Fathers of the primitiue Church The first age of the Church Deut. 12. Gala. 1. Math. 7. In processe of time the maners and ordinaunce of ChristiaÌ„s were chauÌ„ged The middle age of the Church How sure forth humayne authoritye doth binde Ecclesiasticall function consisteth in two thinges chiefly How farre ecclesiasticall power doth extend it selfe In matters appertayning vnto God dew obedience ought to be geuen to the Pastors and Ministers How farre forth obedieÌ„ce ought to be geuen or not geueÌ„ to Pastours of the churche in matters of mens constitutioÌ„ What ministers ought to consider in makyng new ordinaunces Of iudiciall power of Churches The difference betwixt Ecclesiasticall temporall IudgemeÌ„ts Ecclesiasticall discipline in the primitiue Church The first institution of the primitiue church compared with the tymes of the latter Church The foundation of the christiaÌ„ Church The foundation of the Romyshe Church The Popes doctrine coÌ„uinced by foure principall pointes The popes Church more like an earthly kyngdome then the kyngdome of Christ. A smale discription of the Romishe Ierarchye A comparison betwixt the kingdome of the Pope and the kingdome of this world Iohn 20. A comparison betwixt the popes kyngdome and Christs kyngdome Luke 20. Mar. 10. Luce. 12. 2. Cor. 10. 1. Cor. 4. 2. Cor. 1. 1. Pet. 5. Rom. 12. The shape of the Romish Ierarchy The counteâ—faite authoritie of popes The church wickedly defined by the papistes How the Romishe stagers doe counterfayt olde Antiquitye A manifest declaration of the Romish church as it is now to be nothing at all Gregor 4. booke 30. Epistle The order of Cardinalles The electioÌ„ of the pope of Rome Cyprian 4. booke Epistle 2. The auncient authoritie of Emperours in sommoning Councelles and in chusing popes A Decree of Charles the great Otto Distinct 6 3. The olde Canons do abhorre priuate Masses Canon 8. The power of both swords coÌ„trary to the old CanoÌ„s The thyrd CouÌ„cell of Carthage Cap. 47. In the new Constitutions 123. 146. Cap. 3. Antiquitie agaynst Images in Churches Origene vpon Leuit. Cap. 16. Chrisost. vpon Math. 1. Homel 2. Vpon Iohn Homel 31. August de opera Monach Malburiensis de pontificibus Lib. 1. An auncieÌ„t law of EnglaÌ„d against pluralities All thynges altered by the pope Out of the Tridentine Councell Generall Councels accordyng to the old constitutioÌ„s aboue the pope The Church of Rome as it is now is conuinced of Nouelty The Councell of Laterane A new doctrine first instituted in the same vnder Pope Innocent 3. Cap. 1. Of the sacrifice of the Masse Of priuate confession The Laterane councell vnder Innocent 3. Cap. 21. Chrisost. in his fourth Sermon of Lazarus Chrisost. vp on the psal 50. hom 2. Chriso vpon the Epistle to the Hebrues homi 31. Tripart histo lib. 9 Cap. 35. Erasmus iu his Apolo The Sacraments of the Romish Church Out of Huntington the 7. booke Out of the Chronicles of Monumetensis Councell of Gangren Cap. 4. Out of the 2. councel of Arelaten 2. cap. Pope Lucius decree distinâ— 81. Ministri The greatest part of the Romish doctrine newly fouÌ„d out and brought in within thâ—s 500. yeares Apoc. 21. Trueth suffereth violence A figure called Hypotiposis Whereby the state of the RomaÌ„s Church and the Reformed Churche is expressed In the question of the Churche many things are conteined People buildyng doctrine forme of gouernement Where the Churche of Lutheranes was fourtie yeares ago A Similitude betwixt the restitutioÌ„ of Religion the finest of the tounges Reason reÌ„dered why Religion is more pure at this tyme in the Churches then it was in many yeares before The Arte of Emprintyng The reason and obiection of the Catholicks in the defeÌ„ce of their Church Probable with Deuines Rome built vpon seuen hilles Apocal. 13. The reason of the papistes touchyng the consent and proofe of their vniuersalitie The captious conclusion of the Catholicks The aunswere to the Argument Distinct. 40. Non loca Distinct. 4. Non est A fallax in the Equiuocum which is of diuers significations The Rom. Church doth combate against the true Church of Christ vnder a coulour of christian name Origen vpon Mathew cap. 17. Irene 3. book cap. 4. The trueth is the life of the church Lactant. 5. institu cap. 30. ArgumeÌ„tes made from consent and multitude of authors are weake Math. 10. Eccle. 1. Ieremy 8. Osorious accusation which was properly bent against Doctrine is transposed to maners To what end tendeth the force of Osorius Accusation Osorius doth deny that Luthers doctrine hath any affinitye with the Apostolique Scriptures Pag. 181. Osor. pag. 182. Osorius lying Rhetorick The Argument of Osorius The Aunswere to the Argument Osorius quarell of lyfe and maners Tit. 1. Ill may the Snight the Woodcock twight for his long bill The lyfe of the Lutheranes compared with the Catholickes The vices of maners are not to be imputed to his doctrine The fruites of Luthres doctrine Osor pag. 182. The confutation of hisl aunder Artic. 21. The scoffe of Luthers doctrine Luther offeÌ„ded with the life of his countrey men Osor. pag. 187. Deut. 18. The argument of Osorius 1. Kinges Act. 1â— A true difference betwixt the false and the true Prophett Luther vpon the 130. Psalme Mens iudgemeÌ„ts in findyng faulte may be free so that they be vpright Out of Valer Ansel. Iohn Stella Out of BeÌ„uo a Cardinall Of couenauntes and promises not alwayes holden true emoÌ„gest the papistes Iere. cap. 23. Osorius argument out of Ieremy Aunswere to the argument The fallax of the consequent The aunswere to the Maior The reason to discerne betwixt false and true Prophetes accordyng to Osorius The aunswere of the Minor Osori pag. 190. The place of Ieremy expounded Iohn Husse The prophecy of Iohn Husse touchyng the doctrine of the Gospell to be restored by Luther A small coÌ„trouersy betwixt Luther and Zuinglius Osor. pag. 191. Of diuisioÌ„s of the churche Dissentions in the Papane church Dissentions amoÌ„gst the most godly A full consent of doctrine in reformatioÌ„ of Churches The Articles of the chief grouÌ„des of Religion wherin the Ministers of the Church do well agree together How great a concord is ctetwixt many Churches in the matter of the Sacrament Papistes murtherers of Martyrs Osori pag. 192. Osori doth beleue fame Authour of all his vntruthes A prouerbe
of Epicharmus Seuen SacrameÌ„ts ordeined by the pope but by Christ two onely were Instituted There is no cause to the coÌ„trary but that the Churche may be gouerned in the best maner though we be neuer acquainted with the popes supremacy Haddon a Babe in the Latine touÌ„g but Osor. a Gyaunt in Eloquence Osor pag. 193. Cyprian in his 4. booke and 2. Epistle The Papistes doe wrongfully define the Church of Christ. Cipria in his 4. booke and 2. Epist. Apoc. 18. Esay 52. 2. Cor. 6. The peace and the vnitye of the Church according to Cypriane The definition of the Church after the meaning of the Romishe Church The Popish definition is confuted What is required to the true definition of a Church The description of a true church according to the rule of the scripture Osorius Reasons The fallacy in the AequiuocatioÌ„ that is to say in the word of diuers significatioÌ„ A necessary coniunction of souÌ„d doctrine with vnitye Vnitye of the Church Succession Multitude Gods promise made vnto the Church Popes and Cardinalles will not admitte examinatioÌ„s of their cause Osori pag. 195. Papane Redeeming of Sinnes Markett of Purgatory Worthy ppyng of images Pilgrimage goyng Masses Sacrificatory for the quicke and the dead Osori pag. 196. Osori doth deale with wordes and no matter Apocal. 14 17. 18. Of Fayres and markets of Pardons Pag. 196. Out of Chris. Masseus Iohn Sleidonne M. Luther What darnell groweth in the Popes fieldes Putt in putt in putt in Masseus Iohn SleidoÌ„ M. Luther The horrible impudencye of the Romanistes Out of the Decretalles Gregory 5. in the title of Repentaunce and RemissioÌ„ of Sinnes Cum ex co Chrisosto Homel 38. vpon Math. Tridentine Councell The pardoÌ„s of the popish church Nicene Canon 11. Antycira Canon 21. Antycira Canon 22. Agathe Councell Canon 37. Eusebius 6. booke Cap. 35. Cyprian 3. booke Epistle 15. 16. 18. Antyciran Canon 5. Nicene couÌ„cell Cannon 5. New satisfactioÌ„s crept into the Romishe Church vnknowen to the Antiquitye Burchard How much the order of the old discipline doth varry from the Romish Nouelty The errours of the Popish discipline The ordinaunces of the Pope are contrary to Christ his Scriptures Act. 20. Collos. 1. Iohn 1.2 Iohn 1. Heb. 10. Rom. 3 4. The absurditie of the Romishe doctrine Eccius interpretation vppon the Popes decretalls Out of the Commentary of M. Luther to the Galath cap. 2. The Papisticall absolutions How great an absurditie is in the popes pardons Math. 16. The Keyes and Chayre of Peter Lucian 2. part pag. 525. Orpheus Harpe maketh not a Harper not doth Peters Chayre make an Apostle The succession of Peter the Apostle The circuÌ„stauÌ„ces must he considered wherefore the keyes were deliuered vnto Peter Math. 16. The foundatioÌ„ of the Churche is fayth the knowledge of the Sonne of God What Circumstaunces do goe before the true keyes of Christ what doe come after Peter receiued the keyes first but not onely Out of Eusebius third book cap. 7. The Succession Apostolique is not to be measured by place or tyme. The nature of the Gospell is altogether spirituall nor regardeth earthly and carnall thinges The spirite of Christe The succession of Peter doth consist in spirite not in externall thinges Pardons Succession The Keyes The 5. Canon of the councell of Ancyra Ex titulo de penitent Remiss cap. cuÌ„ ex eo The fulnes of power first brought in by Innocent .3 first Authour therof The fulnes of power Esay 55.12 Out of a decree in the Lateran Councell Anno. 1215. A decree of Boniface 8. Extraua A shamelesse abuse of the keyes The Byshops of Rome can challenge to themselues fulnes of power by no Argument of proofe Apoc. 3. An obiection The state of the Question is mistourned by-the Romanistes The wordes of August vnto Peter haue no playne application vnlesse they be referred to the churche Thomas Aqui. lib. 4. distinct 18. Extrauade Re. paen Cap. Cum ex eo nostro Thomas Aqui lib. 4. dist 18. Extrau de Re poeni ca. Cum ex eo nostro The Keyes were geuen for the necessary benefite of the Church nor to meÌ„s lust nor yet to Reuenge The Iudiciall vse of Keyes Tho. lib. 4. dist 18. Actes 2â— The power of the keyes how great and to whom are geuen Whether no RemissioÌ„ of sins is in the Church without the vse of the keyes How much the publike keye and how much euery mans fayth is effectuall to the Remission of Sinnes Rom. 5. Luke 8. Math. 9. When the vse of the Keies ought to be ministred Thomas lib 4. dist 18. The error of Thomas Aquinas The discoÌ„modities of the Shauelinges confession Iohn Scotus The Rom. See doth sell nothing forsooth Mantuan in his booke of Lamentation The matter doth agree if you reade the verses backward CanoÌ„s penitentiall described by Burchard and Gratian. When began fayres and markettes of Pardons first Ex CoÌ„cillo Latera Extran de poena Remi Cap. Cum ex co The Councell of Vienna 1311. Ex ClemeÌ„t 5. Lib. 6. Deâ—creta Cap. Abusionibus Ex ClemeÌ„t Cap. Abusionibus in Glossa The first 〈◊〉 of â—uâ—â—â—â— instituâ—â—â— Extrauag de Pâ—nit Remi Ca. AntiquoruÌ„ Out of the GreuauÌ„ces of Germany Out of Polydore Virgill The pardoÌ„s of Boston A History of Flaunders The Papists flee to denyals Osori pag. 196. It is one thyng to prayse Martyrs and an other thing to worshyp Images The Oration of Gregory Nissenus in the prayse of Theodorus Martyr Osorius Argument pag. 197. Osorius ill-fauoured Argument deriued froÌ„ Resemblaunce to worshipping Who be called Saintes Saintes not to be worshypped Apocal. 22. Of Purgatory the Popes Kater Why the Papistes doe striue so earnestly for Purgatorye Osorius great sturre about Purgatory The popes Pnrgatory Mores folly The new IlaÌ„d of Purgatory newly found by the Deuines What day Purgatory was made Gregory Alcuinus At what tyme the flame of Purgatory was kyndled at the first Whether God be author of Purgatory or the Pope Other questions of Purgatory Thomas Aquinas opinion of Purgatory Luther is vouched to defend Purgatory Osor. pag. 197. Roffensis agaynst Luther in praefatione veritatis Luther in the 15 Conclus Osor. pag. 198. Osor. subtill Sophisme Ex Thoma secunda secunduÌ„ dist quest 110. cap. 1. Diâ—ers kindes of lyes Abraham Iacob Rebecca The Midwiues of Egipt Dauid Luther is not cleared from all error Iohn 1. Osor. pag. 198. Truth is alwayes one Errour ought to be refuted by Scripture doctrine not with tauntey and reproches Faultes layd Luthers charge Osor. mainteineth his cause with slauÌ„ders nor with Argumentes Osori pag. 199. Luther doth deny that Purgatory can be proued by the scriptures in the declaration of his 37. Articl Mar. 9. Osori pag. 200. Lynceus was a man that could eâ—ery a ship at the Sea xxx myle of Osorius reason of Salt very fresh and vnsauery Osorius pag. 200. The words of Osorius pag. 200. Wordes of Blasphemy
is this to make guiltie of the body and bloud of Christ your naturall brother that hath not offended you as though he had written that which he neuer wrate as though he had done that which heé neuer did as though you haue affirmed that which you do not proue nor can euer iustifie nay rather which you haue not endeuoured to proue for what haue you alledged of myne what wordes what sentences haue you noted out of my writyngs lastly what one thing haue you explaned whereby you may not bee adiudged of all men a most shamelesse slaunderour and notorious rayler Your processe that ensueth is stuffed full with demaundes wherein albeit I dyd pittie your singular amazednesse very much yet could I scarse hold my laughter in them they were so cold so friuolous so variable and to speake my mynde at a word so altogether like Osorius him selfe Your first question is That though myne eyes are so dazeled in matters of Diuinitie that I can not cōceaue that wonderfull chaunge of earthly bread into the nature of heauenly bread yet why I would notwithstādyng with quarelling peruert so wonderfull a benefite of God Truely I doe confesse right reuerend Prelate that myne eye sight hath bene alwayes so dymme that I could neuer discerne this your counterfait Trāsubstantiation But I ought to haue beén pardoned herein bycause it hath beén a generall disease and blindnes of all tymes of all ages and of all Nations The Apostles neuer saw so foolishe a thyng The auncient Fathers could neuer discerne so cloudy a forgerie at the last Sathan opened the eyes of your Schoolemen made them so sharpe sighted that in Distinctions eccyties and quiddities they could many time easely seé that thing which was no where at all This kinde of people enlumined by the Prince of darkenes furnished with the authoritie of the Laterane Coūcell and Innocentius Pope of Rome not much aboue 300. yeares past did rayse out of hell this newfangled monster of Trāsubstantiation Euen then when that Councell had sitte abrood Transubstantiation began first to peépe out of the shell beyng neuer heard of before any where nor knowē so much as by any name Why then do ye vpbrayde me with blindnes so sharpely sith your selfe I say your selfe do know that all the world was as blind as I before that Laterane Coūcell But do you as ye list I for my part will continue blind still with Christ with the Apostles with the aūcient Fathers with all the commendable company of godly Deuines in this Laberinthe of Transubstātiation rather then I will acquaynte my selfe with so monstruous a frameshapen new start vp puppet with your Schooleianglers confessours and lousie Friers But you begyn here to waxe very whote and teastie and spurre questions at me on all sides What is it you say that you do vnderstand what do you conceaue in your mynde and reasons Lastly what is it that your vnderstandyng doth feele and know I will tell you my good father and without any cholor I promise you if you will heare me patiently First I do seé that you doe childishly wander in this bitter talke that demaunde one and the selfe same thyng in threé seuerall distinct questions Then I do also playnly seé that you are so doltishe and blockishe a patrone of Transubstātiation that ye can not with any honesty open your packe amongest your owne pedlers But you neuer cease demaundyng You aske of me what doth trouble me in the mysterie of the Sacrament Truly nothyng at all graue Prelate troubleth me there but your vnmeasurable vnskilfulnes in so great a mysterie which is no small reproch to your profession and dignitie yea to your gray heares also But ye will know more yet Whether I doe mistrust the power or the clemencie of God Neither of both finewitted Gentleman no more doe I trust your selfe nor yet your Transubstantiation bycause ye goe about to throw it vpon vs contrary to the meanyng of the holy Scriptures in the which God the Father hath most fully declared vnto vs his power and will by his Sonne our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ. Lastly ye demaūde What the cause should be why I should thinke wherefore you should beleue that the body and bloud of Christ is cōteined in the Sacrament in a wonderfull meane and that I my selfe can not beleue the same whereunto you annexe this that in witte and learnyng ye doe farre surmonte me It is a very hard matter holy father to descry any peculiar cause whiche moueth you to beleue and defende Transubstantiation but I will gesse somewhat nearer the chiefest Forsooth you are addicted wholy to your Schooletriflers and Confessours but very litle to the Scriptures by meanes wherof it is come to passe that ye skyppe ouer the open Oracles of truth and are entangled in the weuett of errour peraduenture also ye are become an apprētice to the Romish Seé and ye meane to procure with the prety Marchaūdize of your pedlers pilfe some Cardinals Hatte It may likewise be that for countenaunce sake ye will face out your false packe with a carde often bycause ye thinke it will empaire the credite of your gray heares to be ouersene in any thyng Besides all these custome perhappes of many yeares had made your iudgement rotten before it was ripe as men vse to say of common lyers which redouble a lye so often that by their often rehearsall beleue it to be true at the length euen so may you thinke to establishe the countenaunce of your imagined Transubstantiation by alledgyng in defence therof a continuall allowaunce of long tyme. If none of all these haue moued you I thinke surely ouermuch pride hath blinded you wherewith ye swell in such sort that you dare boldly without blushyng make vaunt of your selfe more like vnto a bragging Thraso or if any thing cā be more vayne thē Thraso then like a Deuine For you doe not exceede me in witte say you nor excell me in learnyng Truely I will not compare my selfe with you nor with any other person Neither do I professe my selfe to know any thyng at all but Iesus Christ and him also Crucified As for you if one droppe of Christian humilitie or ciuill modestie were in you so hautie a bragge of your braue witte and learnyng would neuer haue escaped you Consider with your selfe in good earnest my holy father this your foolish communication and learne somewhat of Christian humilitie lest almightie God besides this your most vnsauory errour of Transubstantiation adde a more heauie plague vpon you for your vnmeasurable arrogancie You accuse me that I doe trust to much to my naturall senses but that you doe direct all the course of your life to the fayth of the Churche and that I doe shake of from my shoulders the yoke of Christ but you take it vpon you and that I doe forsake the benefites of God but that you doe leane stedfastly to fayth All which are cleane contrary