of Colen I graunt do say in the place which Kemnitius citeth that the holy Scripture is as a nose of waxe The worde as may indifferently bee put in or left out and the sense all one as shall be proued Buclet vs leaue the wordes and followe the matter Seeing it is now cleere that the Iâ—suites say the Scriptures are as a nose of waxe what shall we say Is this the Censurâ—es Censure or the Iesuices doctrine'â— may the worde of God may the word of power the vnchangeable word of God may it I say be compared to pliant changeable melting waxe Is it in the worde so to receiue diuers contrary fenses as the waxe receiueth in trueth and not by misconstering or mistaking of the eyes contrary formes or printes from contrary seales shall Iesuites mainteine this directly or indirectly in a kingdome where the Gospel is preached I appeale herein to the conscience of all that loue the trueth though a naughtie Iesuite for flatterie of the Pope or other Heretike to deceyue people may wrest and peruert the scripture yet Saint Peter teacheth it shall be to his owne destruction and the Scripture notwithstanding shall remaine perfect and vndefiled For the worde doeth not worke it selfe â—asely to receiue and holde euery forme as waxe dâ—â—th but the trueth of the whole Scripture mainteineth the trueth of euery branch it taketâ— away thâ—â—â—ampe anâ— râ—sisteth the print of any fâ—rged 〈…〉 ent interpretation Euery sentence in the word of God is as the arme of a mightie Oke that cannot be broken off but if you bowe it by force the bowing will appeare and the more you force it to come about to your â—ent the inightier it is to recouer itselfe and returne aganie to his owne course and grouth and that with â—â—rill to him that offered such violence I coulde not passe from this place easely because this blasphemous doctrine doeth in the Church of Rome I meaâ—e the Popish Church for 〈…〉 wise I doubt not but God hath his Church in Rome as he had in Englande when all Englande seemed to bee Rome because I say this intollerable abasing and abusing the power and all sufficiencie of the holy Scripture doeth in the Popish Church mainteyne the myâ—â—erie of vngodlynesse it stoppeth vp the fountaine of liuing waters and prepareth â—isternes and diâ—ches in place thereof it chaungeth the milke and water of life mentioned in Esay into the cuppe of fornications described in the Reuelation finally the traditions of man must ouerrule the trueth of God But let vs see what followeth The Censurer graunteth mee and I graunt him agayne that the wordes are spoken in a similitude and I alleadged them in no other sense yet hee woulde inforce it vpon me and vpon his reader to beleeue that I shoulde absurdely make the Iesuites say the Scripture is a nose of waxe without regard of seÌ„blance But he cannot so much as make my wordes a nose of waxe to receiue this his counterfeited stampe false interpretation And for his obiectioÌ„ it is waste saying Although Christ be likened to a Serpent yet he is no Serpent and to a â—â—uetous man yet he is none For who doeth at all affirme that which hee doeth conâ—uâ—e so carefully And touching the first obiection which is like the seconde where is it sayde that Christ is lyke a Serpent True it is the lifting vp of the brasen Serpent in the wildernesse is compared to the lifting vp of the sonne of man which will not warrant the woordes of your Censure It is moreouer one thing to â—oÌ„pare that speciall sacrament and signe of the brasen Serpent to Christ and to compare Christ to a serpent generally Thus you haue picked out an example that in shewe seemeâ—h to make for you but is 〈◊〉 deede against you as I may also say of y â— second touching y t coueâ—ous man But howe many exaÌ„pâ—â—s are against you in this matter Christ is likened to a vine and we may say Christ is a vine he is likened to a shepeheard he is a shepheard God is likened to a consuming fier and â—herâ—upon it is written God is a consuming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against your example Christ is likened to the brasen serpenâ— and we may say he is that brasent serpent lifted vp from the earth at his passion to drawe all to him selfe But that you may not haue hâ—te the vaâ—â—age of tâ—e letters nowe I haue giuen you your libertie to say what you can I wil not yeeld that the word as is left out in the Câ—len Censure For Payua as loth as you to grant y â— trueth doeth yet at last report the wordes altogether as I doâ— adding the like out of Pighius your doctors wordâ—s are when the fathers of Colen considered that there were many places in the holy Scriptures whose true sense doth not easely appâ—are but that euery man may at his pleasure drawe them into varâ—able diuâ—â—s senses in a most apt similitude they called it a nose of wax And Pighius The leadeÌ„ rule of the Lesbian building By these two places Payuas Andradius hath brought you into some worthy suspition of charging me for my autor without cause in â—ther places as well as in this But now wherin haue I abused the Iesuites learned or vnlearâ—ed What haue I here sayde that one of your doctors doeth not â—â—owe what haue I done to ouermatch a trueth in defending the vnchangeable trueth of the scriptures against your doctrine teaching that hereâ—iques may command and 〈◊〉 the word of truth as wax is commanded and framed to what forme they list Nowâ— commeth somewhat to make sport if the granitie of the matter did not require feare and reuerence The Censurer supposeth me to haue had but one Bible that of the old translation onely which hath The Lawe of the Lorde is immaculata vndefiled or as hee translateth vnspotted voide of filth and dishouestie Whereupon the matter is debated at large what y t latine worde immaculata doth signifie beyonde sea where the Censurer woulde dissemblingly seeme tâ— be and what it should signifie here in England A solemne preparation to make shew of a â—â—â—torie which the Censurer will haue ouer his owne imagination I shal be conuinced for false translation of that I translated not and for ill handling that I touched not I may as well be censured for the translation of Staphylus or Lindanâ—â—launders as for the translation of the word immaculata The original hath the Lawe of the Lord is perfect and the best translations haue so translated it Your olde translation doth gâ— alone the Lxx. followe the rest Wherefore this place out of Dauid doth shewe that the scripture is perfect and mainteineth her perfection against all corruptions as a right line sheweth it self and bewrayeth that which is crooked Thus you see I translate not your olde translation in this place with fraude or without â—â—aude Somewhat you
all others what did y â— Cloysters foster afterwardes Your other place of Austen to proue it a great fault to reproch many for one or two I graunt to be true but for your purpose falsely alleadged because it is not one or two of you or so fewe as one or two hundred which are accused of superstition hypocrisie but y â— accusation is against you all for you apparell idolatrie with the name of deuotion you nourish ambitioÌ„ vnder a Friers weed and seeke an empire vnder a Priestes gaberdine you exercise a Wolues rauening crueltie vnder Sheepes clothing Treason is conscience among you and a iust execution is made a glorious martyrdome These are the diseases that haue infected the hearte and spread them selues as a leprosie throughout all the bodie of your vnholy orders and irreligious men So that we blame not many for a fewe but cannot finde a few to hope wel of in so great diuers swarmes This is not my complaint as you knowe or of this time alone but the complaint of many and long agoe Therefore in drawing Saint Austens wordes to condemne mee as insulting against Christ and his religion for the fall of some one religious man is to drawe him against his will to condemne one for another as was noted before Your seconde exception to Frankens dialogue is taken because in your opinion he applieth good thinges in the societie to euill purposes by which practise you haue well noted that any good thing in religion or policie may be depraued This practise you shoulde haue prooued in Franken so y â— exception had bene good but you affirme it onely as a man whose word must be taken for a proofe his opinion for an oracle What Franken hath written you see what he can write to a further accusation of the Iesuites life I knowe not I thinke it was his minde to passe by personal matters and to note onely the corruptions and superstitions of their orders and doctrine for which cause also he was alleaged Your bitter taunts against our ministerie as loose are accusations reaching to him that wil not be pacified for the sin with all your vnbloodie sacrifices The ignorant and vnfit ministers we defende not or any that may among so many be iustly accused of loosenes but the godly preachers receiue the testimonie of learning and godly life euen their enemies being made iudges Whereas you finde a place in the dialogue to commende Iesuites for great labour diuine meditations chastising of the flesh and such like I answere there is an vse and abuse in some of these actions you are charged with the abuse The rest as your whippe and voluntarie abandoning of Gods blessings both are superstitions as was noted before in a fitter place You remember who complayneth that of all iniust men they are most iniust which when they doe most deceiue and greatest harme they do it notwithstanding that they may be esteemed good men Againe wherin you haue a singular grace you taunt vs as that we can not well bee charged with such faultes as you count vertues in the Iesuites True it is we wish not to be charged with the righteousnes of Scribes and Pharisees but seeke a righteousnes that may exceede it such as standeth in the synceritie of a good conscience according to godlines The thirde and last exception is against Frankens conuersion as not strong to prooue any thing seeing you can presse vs with many examples for one which is your franke and bould assertion But if you cannot truely alleadge a man for a citie or a towne for a kingdome this is a note who it is that in deede dare venture vpon any assertion though all the worlde see the vanitie and vntrueth thereof In place of manye two examples are brought in with their pretended reasons But first you giue sentence before the triall that Franken departed from vs vpon a fancie and your fellowes vpon great reasons and inuincible proofes For Franken I answere though I knowe he be not throwly cleansed from the dregges of Poperie but carieth some corruption that hath infected the hearte which you haue not at all blamed him for yet his reasons of departure were such as enforced him therunto being otherwise superstitiously addicted and desirous to continue Of your two men I can saie nothing I knowe not what roote they had takeÌ„ that were so soone withered But you that condemned me without cause as blaming al your Catholiques for the fault of one abusing a sentence out of Austen against mee for that purpose what is it that your selfe now bring in two runnagates to the slaunder of all that constantly remaine in the trueth must it bee no fault in you that was made so haynous in mee There are belike some indulgeÌ„ces from the pope that what you do shalbe no fault and what you say shalbe no lye To come to your two rumiagates Xilander and Flaschius albeit you auowe their proofes of running out to be great and inuincible yet they are in deede so insufficient that they haue plainely condemned theÌ„ selues by y â— apologie wherein they seeke to be iustified may soone finde better arguments why to returne if their true repentance did opeÌ„ a doore for their reentrie 1 For what reason is the first that Xilander giueth The Catholiques haue endured these fifteene hundred yeeres in concorde of one doctrine and 16 sectes haue sprong of Luther within these sixtie yeres therefore he departeth to you First this reason standeth vpon two false and often confuted assumptions For neither hath the Popish Church endured so long nor so many sects so lately growne vp of Luther Secondly though the assumptions were true yet the argument doth not followe For if antiquitie might prooue a Church the Iewes would make a great clayme to the title If sects springing vp prooue no Church what shal we say to the Churches of God at Corinth and in Galatia Xilander did but salute our religion as passing by that had no better reason of his falling away then this so often and so many wayes confuced His seconde reason that moued him to leaue our religion for Poperie is succession of Bishops in the Popish Church from Christ till now which some Fathers make a great reason Surely those fathers knew some good by the bishops that had bene before their time but they could not iudge of the Apostacie of these that came after to occupie that Chaire Againe those fathers esteemed not so much a Succession of persons as the succession of doctrine which is farre from the bishops of Rome that teach many things against the word and against the practise of the Primatiue and true Apostol 〈…〉 Church as hath beene declared But 〈◊〉 Xilander that maketh this Sâ—ccession a 〈◊〉 able motiue as you speake mouing him to rocaâ—â— did he consider the xxvi graunted Schismes when one Pope cursed and pâ—osecuted an other to the horrible staâ—â—ghtâ—â— of all sortes of
A REPLIE to a Censure written against the two answers to a Iesuites seditious Pamphlet By William Charke 1. Reg. 20. 11. Let not him that gurdeth on his armour boast as he that putteth it off ⧠Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker Printer to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie ANNO. DOM. 1581. To the Christian Reader AS there haue risen vp in the Church from time to time false Prophets teachers which oppose them selues to the holye Prophets of God and true teachers of his worde so among the people where such contrarietie of doctrines hath bene deliuered like contrarietie of hearers hath alwayes followed not onely in iudgement but also in their affection For as some through the mercie of God and the sincere preaching of the Gospel haue yeelded obedience to his worde so many caried away with corrupt teachers haue for want of iudgement embraced errour in place of trueth and carnall worshippings in steade of the pure worship of God which euermore consisteth in spirit and trueth Against this so dangerous infection of false teachers the holy Apostle Saint Iohn hath giuen vs a most wholesome counterpoyson willing vs not to beleeue euery spirit but to trie and examin the spirits whether they be of God But to speake of our times this examination and trial may seeme very hard seeing the teachers on both sides are thought learned and al pretend to teach the trueth For it is not denyed but both sides haue had their education in schooles of learning they haue also laboured in the liberall artes to furnish them selues to greater matters wherupō they al bring very good words some shewe of reason seeme to haue no small force of perswasion Howe then shall the simple people iudge howe shal they discerne whose iudgement and discretion should be framed by their teachers and setled by their sownd and plaine doctrine To this I answere S. Iohn in that place maketh the matter more easy then it appeareth at the first shewe For exhorting vs not to beleeue euery spirit he doeth drawe our consideration to the spirit and doctrine of the teachers and not to these outwarde giftes of an eloquent stile or a sweete sownde of pleasing wordes which may be common to good and euil yea wherein the euil for want of a good cause labour to excell and from which the godly absteine for the sufficiencie of their cause without it are also restrayned lest our faith should stande in the wisedome of men and not in the power of God But Saint Iohn to make this his trial of spirits yet more ful plaine addeth that euery spirit which confesseth Christ Iesus to haue come in the fleshe is of God and euery spirit which confesseth otherwise is of Antichrist Now therefore let vs see bowe the Apostle frameth vs to a spirit of discretion to discerne the spirits of true and false teachers If any man shall teach and consesse that Christ was made man and ordeyned of God the Father a Prophet alone to teach a King alone to rule and a Priest alone to sanctifie vs and to reconcile vs to his Father by the obedience of faith this confession and doctrine is of the holy spirit of God and to be receiued what spirit soeuer shall mightily or cunningly perswade the contrary On the other side if any spirit shall teach that Christ is not our only teacher by his holy Gospel but that we must admit vnwritten beleefe and traditions from we know not whom to be of like authoritie with the written worde secondly if any spirit make not Christ alone our King and head to rule vs by his holy spirit but teache that a mortall and sinfull man must sit in our consciences and for hatred or gaine which is his practise bynde or loose at his pleasure lastly if any spirit impeach the alsufficiencie and entier vertue of Christs sacrifice offered vp once for euer teach that themselues must renforce it from day to day by the continuance of their dayly sacrifice of the Masse offered for the quick dead it appeareth manifestly that such spirits are not of God nor their doctrine to be receiued though it be deliuered with neuer so much perswasion of eloquent speach or offered to vs with neuer so much expectation of worldly honour For to denie the most absolute vertue and effects of Christes offices is in effect to denie the authoritie of his person and to lose the benefite of all his graces because they withdrawe a part To this examination of spirits without regard of persons the godly Reader is to be exhorted For the doctrine that giueth al glorie to God is of God the doctrine that attributeth some glory and ascribeth some merites to man is of men the religion also that is agreeable to flesh and blood making an acceptable sounde and shewe to the outward senses is carnall and vayne finally what religion so euer is not ioyned with the knowledge and exercises of the worde of God that is no true religion but a disguised and blinde maske full of deuilish superstition The aduersaries take a contrary course in making triall of their doctrine for they woulde haue this examination of spirits vtterly suppressed and vnder one title of that falsly named Catholique Church of Rome they would bind all men to receiue for vndoubted true religion what corruptions so euer they teach without any further question Which being graunted them the examination of spirits neede not for if Rome affirme it the matter is sufficient and must not be denied Also these enemies of the trueth leaue the touchstone which tryeth al metalles namely the doctrine and for it they drawe the teachers into examination supposing that if they can discredit or disgrace the men they shall easily vndermine and ouerthrowe their doctrine For triall of this long practise there are so many bookes that I neede not alleadge any but this late Censure written as in defence of popish religion but the authour shifting his hands very cunningly of the direct and plaine maintenance of the questions in controuersie doth but offer at them or giue some false fire his leauell and batterie is against their persons and credit that maynteining the trueth cannot but assaile the doctrines and put in hazarde the authoritie of the popish Church Therefore I am in the name of the trueth to craue it of the good Reader to lay aside respect of men the regard of those giftes that may please him much and deceiue him more and if it be his desire not so much to see the fight as to beholde the issue enioy the victory then let him imbrace that doctrine most that attributeth least to the broken arme or blinde iudgement of man that in the Church al the power and wisedome of our saluation may be ascribed to God alone through Christ Iesus our Lorde Amen W. Ch. A Replie to a Censure written against the two answers to a Iesuites seditious Pamphlet IT
to occupie your answerer more in finding out your places then in making answere to foure of your bookes But I thought only to note your practise herein nowe let vs returne vnto the matter Martin Luther doeth neyther him selfe exclude Matthewe Marke or Luke from beyng the Gospel neyther woulde he haue anye man barre the other writings of the Apostles from that title because all that was written by the foure Euangelists and what so euer the holy Apostles wrote beside in the newe Testament all that is one Gospel in substance though there be foure whose seuerall bookes vsually are called foure seuerall Gospels Therefore to speake of the foure Euangelists first in respect that the holy Ghost vsed them as foure pennes and foure witnesses all writing the Gospel and storie of the doctrine and deedes of Christ we may say there are foure Gospels But in respect they 〈…〉 te in an heauenly harmony in one Spirite in one trueth for one and the same woorke of faith the Gospell being one and the same in all foure there are not foure but one Gospell As for the rest of the Apostles what they haue left to the treasure of the Church in the booke of God that also is the same Gospel and the Apostle doth call his doctrine and Epistles by that name which is to be obserued for auoyding a corrupt iudgement in thinking lesse authoritie or maiestie of Gospell in the Epistles then is in the bookes of the foure Euangelists for in respect that they were sent from the Apostle to the Churches absent they are called Epistles as other mens letters are called in like case but in respect of the doctrine therein deliuered it is the same which saint Luke and saint Iohn did write and beare no lesse honour howe so euer some custome of speach otherwise doeth hinder a right iudgement in this behalfe To this thirde article onely hath the Censurer giuen his Censure wherein hee hath not so much reproched Luther as bewrayed some want of exercise or iudgement in the Scriptures His wordes are that Luther saide this because the other three Gospels spake too much of good workes whereby the Censurers opinion is cleere that Saint Iohn speaketh lesse of good woorkes then the rest I graunt that Iohn hath a speciall course in describing the diuinitie of Christ and the loue of God towarde vs but that hee is inferiour to the rest in teaching good workes I can not graunt it neither can the Censurer proue it But for proofe of that I say one or two places of many may be sufficient If loue be the fulfilling of the Lawe and the newe commaundement not to loue one another as euery man loueth him self but more perfectly and more aboundantly as Christ hath loued vs if to bring foorth much fruite as branches in the vine be the fountaine of euery good work if to follow the shepheard Christ and to obey his voyce be better then al sacrifices then Iohn doth most mightily teach the true doctrine of good woorkes 4 The fourth report is if any woman cannot or will not proue by order of 〈◊〉 the insufficieÌ„cie of her husband let her request at his handes a diuorce or els by his consent let her lye priuily with his brother or with some other man Accuse not vs for your fault but couer it or take the sâ—â—me thereof to your selues True it is Luther gaue this euill counsell but as he answereth for himselfe hee did it when he was yet among you teaching shriuing priestes what to answere when such doubtes are moued by them that come to shrifte Also hee sayth it was his aduice when hee was holden with the feare of Antichrist but now saith hee speaking of the time after his conuersion my mind is to giue other counsel What holy writings can bee free from your foule reproches if you will thus racke a peece of sentence against the manifest purpose of the writer But it appeareth that you wrote these things by he are saye or made none account what examination your booke abide your name being vnknowen 5 In the fift place you laye downe these woordes against Martin Luther If the wife will not let the maide come These wordes thus barely set downe import a wicked opinion and doctrine tending to carnalitie as if Martin Luther allowed of fornication sending the vnruly husband to his maide seruant vpon any refusall of the wife But they were of set purpose and malice tent from the other words and sense of the writer to make a shewe of that opinion which was neuer in M. Luther reclaymed to the knowledge of the Gospel For in this place he speaketh of a thirde cause of diuorce when the woman shall obstinately refuse her husbandes companie bringeth in the man often threatning his wife with these wordes which if they preuayle not hee maketh his complaynt to the Magistrates and doeth nothing but after a solemne diuorcing as was that of Vasthi and after a solemne espousing as that of Esther which example he setteth downe in the same place and alludeth vnto it by some Dutch phrase not founding so west in other tongues as the matter will beare being rightly taken If this opinion of diuorce seeme grosse as it may yet your Poperie whence this proceded hath somewhat more grosse euen in this poynt For it permitteth a man if hee will to put away his wife because she was a bondwoman and he knewe it not before the mariage The like is alledged out of Austen to prooue that a man may bee diuorced from his wife for couetousnesse or such other sinnes because they are spiritual fornication 6 The sixt report of Luthers doctrine is that Matrimonie is much more excelleÌ„t then virginitie Mariage was ordained in Paradise mariage increaseth the number of saintes it is honorable among all men 〈◊〉 so much cannot be sayd for virginitie The comparison I will not stand vpon they are both good yet neither good for all but mariage for him that can not conteyne and virginitie in some respectes as the Apostle noteth which Luther in many places doth like wise acknowledge The sixt point might seeme to you a beame in his which to vs woulde not haue bene deemed a mote in your eyes 7 Your seuently report is that Christ and Saint Paul dyd not counsaile but disswade virginitie vnto Christians It is not hard I suppose to drawe out from you the iustification of this doctrine for you cannot thinke that Christ perswadeth all men to abstayne from marriage Seeing his wordes are not generally spoken to all whatsoeuer but to alsuch as can containe He that can receiue leâ— him receiue Which wordes for auoyding of sinne implie thus much also not as counsaile onely but as a commaundement he that can not containe let him marrie to auoyd fornication as S. Paul inforceth So that all Christians which haue not that rare gift of continencie for
Take ye Eate ye bynde them What moued you here to cite your Clement Ambrose Cyprian with others I knowe not except it were some meriment to ioyne with your similitude of singing for in good earnest you minde not by those places without matter in them to proue that the wordes of Christ Doe this in remembrance of me were onely saide to the Ministers touching Consecration and not to the people also for their participation In the twelfth Article the Iesuites are reported to say Traditions are of equall authoritie with the worde of God wee must beleeue them though they bee manifestly against the Scripture Here the reporte and the texte vouched to disproue their doctrine are both censured The first for adding we must beleeue them though they be manifestly against the Scripture for reporting the rest so generally and confusedly Touching y â— latter point if my report of your doctrine be in these wordes Traditions are of equall authoritie with the worde of God meaning it of some only for who would thinke it of all you hauing so many and so feeble why doe you charge mee as generally and confusedly saying al traditions are equal with y â— scriptures Was it I pray you to deserue your owne note of a sounde lye for a parting blowe which false mis 〈…〉 you haue doubled to make it the sounder For aunswere to the former poyut I doe not onely auow that I haue faythfully reported my authors wordes which is alwayes my iust defence against your vniust flaunder laying them vpon me but I say further that their practise compared with their wordes will â—ustifie the report as truely layde downe against them For proofe whereof not to goe further the Censurer rehearseth amongest these traditions which the Popish Church charge our faith withall the number of the bookes of Scripture the Lent fast Of al other traditions these two are taken out to stande for their owne credit and for the credit of the rest let vs therefore see what treasons there are against God in these your traditions First the Apocrypha bookes are not in the auncient Canon or language of Canaan the fathers haue disauowed them they are euidently repugnant to the doctrine of the holy scriptures and dis 〈…〉 eeing among them selues Yet your Trent conspirarie doeth adde them to the number of the Canonical bookes and bolde all men accursed that holde them not for canonicall scriptures Therefore this your tradition is manifestly against the word of God Further also what is more manifest against the woorde of God then the doctrine of deuils The Lent fast as you commaunde to keepe it for conscience sake forbidding meates created of God to bee taken with thankesgiuing is plainly called a doctrine of deuils Furthermore your opinion is playnely deliuered to be with this distinction Ecclesiasticall traditions are of no greater authoritie then the writings and other decrees of the Church and Apostles traditions are of no lesse authoritie then if they had bene written by them or then are the other thinges which they wrote This is confusedly taught and needeth yet more plainenesse for not all orders deliuered by the Apostles are to bee kept perpetually and vnchangeably of like authoritie with the doctrine of the Gospell which they preached The Apostolique doctrine is perpetuall subiect to no varietie of persons of times or places but some traditioÌ„s that is some orders are altered as that in the acts where they commaunde to absteine from strangled and from blood for it appeareth that the Apostles commanded not this for a perpetuall order alwayes inuiolably to be obserued but onely for a time to auoids offences which cause ceasing the order or tradition was no longer in force Againe some orders might be set downe by them for comlinesse which yet were not to be beleeued as necessary partes of saluation nor yet to remayne for euer in that forme or kynde and therefore can not be matched with the Apostolique doctrine of fayth which is euer al one and which whosoeuer beleeueth not cannot bee saued Nowe touching your pretensed Apostolicall traditions I vtterly denie that there are any such beside those which are euidently shewed or by iust consequence fitly gathered out of the written worde For what so euer is necessary to saluation is in this sort to be proued by the holy Scriptures Therefore your Censureshippe dyd well to adde If they be certaynly descended from Christ and his Apostles But how can this I pray you be certaynely knowen but by the holy writings can any other custome or testimonie assure your consciences what came vndoubtedly from Christ or what from his Apostles Is there any one of your traditions that you can vouch to descend from so sufficient authors otherwise then by report of insufficient witnesses What is it then for you to boast of inuincible arguments to proue diuers doctrines not written but left by woorde of mouth onely whereas you bryng nothing but counterfeyt Couneils erring Fathers fabulous stories and Apocrypha scriptures This is right the bragging Apostle and a shewe of the vaine chalenger Yf a man coulde be feared with the guilte of your armour or with your plume of feathers you woulde bee a worthie champion wounding more with a vayne feare then with the force of your shrinking arme In this encounter of al your profes you haue sorted out two the first is out of that excellent chapter to the Thessalonians conteining a prophecie and reuelation of Antichrist For an answere to which place it is first to be vnderstoode that the worde Tradition in the Apostles speach commeth as it doth in Latin of a verbe to deliuer so that whatsoeuer y â— Apostle deliuered to the Churches those were the traditions hee lefte with them Therefore I denie that Paule doth in any place by tradition signifie any vnwritten veritie but that as in other places he vnderstandeth the doctrine of the Gospel which in the sundrye partes thereof he deliuered This appeareth apparauntly by the place so cited for your purpose without regarde of any more then the worde Tradition For in the verses nexte before the Apostle maketh mention of the Thessalonians faith to the trueth saying God hath called you thereunto by our Gospell to obteyne the glory of our Lorde Iesus Christ and therupon inferreth this conclusion now therefore brethren stand fast holde the tradition which you haue learned eyther by worde or by our epistle Whereby it plainly appeareth that the traditions or thinges deliuered by him partly by word and partly by writing were the diuers partes of the Gospell which hee had taught them Wherefore the written woorde affordeth you no proofe for vnwritten verities The seconde is of doctrines which you say wee holde not by record of writing but by word of mouth from Christ and his Apostles as for example baptisme of infants celebratioÌ„ of Sunday y â— number of y â— bookes of scripture the fast of
to haue fully answered the chiefe matter of this article but you drawing me on with your tauntes I must answere to them also For the difference of an Image and an Idol you knowe my answere and I acknowledge not your difference Couching your honours done to the creature and creator I doe not maliciously confound them but you do vnlearnedly make a distinction in wordes when in deede there is none When wee teach y t al your worshippes are idolatrous we offer you no wrong neither do we therin blind our hearers or charge you with doctrines which are not your own For if any worship be greater then other that you giue to the crosse and image of Christ you can not denie this being your playne doctrine as I haue declared by Thomas by Saunders by Andradius so expressed as we can not more expresse it against you Therefore we doe not mainteine matter of rayling against the true Catholike Church which hath alwayes more detested all Idolaâ—â—â—e then your Church doeth or can defende it For your repeated words God forgiue you I must conster them in the best part but comming in the middest of other scosses they giue me occasion to note that many offend in the vttering of them against God whose name they take in vaine and against their neighbour whome they curse and tant with wordes that import a charitable prayer which is to be reformed in our speach least such sinnefull vse of good wordes increase the note of euill maners All these XIII articles are graunted yet your Censureshippe doeth couer the graunt most carefully as one that knowes well what shame it is playnely and openly to graunt so foule absurdities You might haue prouided better for your owne credit and agaynst mine if you had directly denied but one of them to proue at the least one slaunderous false report for this alone woulde haue preuailed more against mee then all your naked vauntes and vndeserued sentences of disgrace But no one being denyed what cause had you as fearing no examination of your booke and without all regarde of trueth to saye Thus I haue answered briefely your slaunderous false reportes of the Iefuites doctrine In place of an answerer you haue only shewed your self a cauiller passing by the matter you haue propâ—unded to your selfe newe propositions from the purpose such as you might more easily confute theÌ„ those wherewith you are charged Therefore it appeareth notwithstanding your Censure that I haue with seemely and fitte wordes charged the Iesuites that they teach blasphemies against God and his worde that they are the Popes procters in that seruice and bewraye the spirit of Antichrist Let the record of your false sentence charging mee with a lying spirit of Antichrist with an ignorant and rayling spirit remayne with the placing of your name for mine til you haue otherwise proued that my speaches against the vncleane doctrine and rebellious practises of your Iesuites are vntrue or rayling And because so cleare places in the worde of God with the interpretation of the name and nomber of 666. agreed of by auncient fathers and founde to accorde with the Latin and Hebrewe wordes doe make Antichrist to sit at Rome in the citie buylded vpon seuen hilles if they make it to be a Latin and Romish Church let y â— record stande agaynst the Pope y t he is Antichrist and against al other his instruments for that they haue the spirite of Antichrist full of all corruption Wheras you charge me that my zeale ouerranne my witte in reporting the former doctrines as blasphemous it is to speake without proofe and to slaunder without controlement For I must agayne saye that all your ignoraunt euill zeale and al your witte knoweth not howe to denye any one of these XIII articles except you will willingly wittingly runne into a curse of the Trent Councill Therefore your bitter taunt was without cause in respect hereof as also in respect of that y t followeth about a masse booke For in my conscience I am not priuiâ— y t I did at any tune crye out or at all vtter these wordes A blaâ—phemie findyng the blessed virgin named mother of God Wherefore vntil you bring better proofe of it my religious deniall shal more then weigh downe your hateful affirmation conuince you of breaking y t nienth coÌ„mandemeÌ„t by raysing â—â—ch infamous reproches in print agaynst your neighbour eyther vpon light report of an enemie oâ— vpon your owne imagination I am not in this sort ouergreedie of your discredit to whom in that generall loue I owe to all men I wish in the Lorde the riches and honour of true godlinesse praying that you may receiue the loue of the trueth and bee blessed as I woulde bee blessed But this your cause of teaching errour and labouring to roote out the gospell must more and more bee brought into discredit eyther to drawe you to a loue of y t trueth or to make you ashamed of such lies If I did in deede any way hurt my cause you loue it not so well as to admonish mee thereof but I trust y t Lord would prouide me more faythful remeÌ„brancers For your next wordes of reproche that wee seeme to haue made a compact betweene vs euery man to lye his part howe vntrue are they and howe full of reproch To lye is a fowle sinne but to lye with consent and conspiracie that the lye may haue the more force and greater credit it is double iniquitie and furder from vs by the grace of God then from any of you If the force of trueth ouerbeare you not without Gods extraordinary iudgemeÌ„t I looke not to see you ouerborne This thirtieth leafe of your booke will afford a scantlin of your brotherly loue if any man will take the measure Notwithstanding in the ende you please mee so well that I must thanke you for your helping hande in a good woorke And although you tell the tale so that I may seeme to haue a fellowshippe in the offence yet being free I subscribe to your good a 〈…〉 tisement against imprinting lying 〈◊〉 as that from Rome For it is so great a sinne to imprint lyes and râ—â—ore for â—â—â—thy lucrâ— and euery where â—o empty mens purses and â—â—ll their heades with â—ables that for such an inquitie euery such Printer 〈…〉 ueth to carye a print of his vngod 〈…〉 couetoâ—snesse 〈◊〉 dishonour offered to 〈◊〉 so excellent and so profitable 〈◊〉 Touching the purpose of him that to perswade the allâ—wance was like to aff 〈…〉 the 〈…〉 er 〈◊〉 he were a Papiâ—â— such as is 〈◊〉 like 〈◊〉 tell what is done at Rome hee had a 〈…〉 d to sinne hi 〈…〉 of purpose that he 〈…〉 ht laye it 〈…〉 If it were 〈◊〉 you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 woulde so 〈…〉 e y t Pope which cannot be gathered by any word in all the 〈◊〉 it was in him a greater sinne For without lying newes there is true matter â—â—ough
those y â— would bring in a doctrine contrary to the Gospell established condemneth the former noble princes of England y â— Answ speaketh against them therefore the Answ condemneth the former noble princes of England I graunt the second proposition but the first is ful of vntruth For I speake of the present estate and present practises among you what is that to former states and former proceedings I speake of subiectes and the Censurer doeth drawe it to princes I speake of them that dealt contrarie to the setled lawes and he doth bring it as spoken against those that made and mainteined their owne lawes then in force This one proposition being so false ran make no argument but sophisticall for a shewe of trueth when there is nothing in it but falshode Also the Iesuites woordes haue an argument intended for him in this forme what religion former princes from the conuersion of the lande vnto our age haue mainteined that must not be condemned but they haue mainteined Poperie therefore Poperie must not be condemned The first proposition is false for wee must liue by the rule of Gods worde and not by the example of men that may deceiue and be deceiued as appeareth in the storie of the kinges of Israel and Iuda The second proposition is false like the first For since the coÌ„quest as I haue partly shewed in my answere Edward the first Edw. the third Richard the second others did set themselues euen so long ago against y â— tyrannie of Antichrist And which is more our Chronicles shewe that before Pseudoaustens comming our religion was free from many superstitions which he brought in neyther did the Pope chalenge any preeminence of King Lucius nor yet was it yeelded him long after But while you pleade the authoritie and as you account it the Catholike regiment of some of those princes against me you speake against your self secretly opening your heart to discouer what you thinke of other Princes since and namely of her Maiesties authoritie and lawes establishing the Gospel This is sufficient to discouer the counterfeit honour and heartie hate to the present soueraigntie It followeth that I answere your obiections to the second part of my conclusion whether I make all Papistes traytours because they are of contrary religion to that which nowe standeth in force by the grace of God and vnder her Maiesties blessed gouernement What may be sayde of all Papistes generally I leaue it as a question which I haue not vndertaken other men haue if you will looke into their reasons But for all reconciled Papistes employed with Saunders in Irelande or entred to withdrawe the people in Englande such as with Campion and his fellowes helpe forward some of the haynous attemptes that come to light from day to day if I would holde my peace themselues will bewray and confesse treason agaynst her Maiestie and the estate beside open contempt agaynst the Lorde and the free preaching of the Gospell Neyther doeth my zeale ouerrunne my witte in making mention of these matters or my malice ouerlash all reason as you haue tauntingly accused mee without cause My zeale I wish increased according to knowledge and against all your abominable superstitions In malice I haue not dealt but am carefull to detest all corruption in the seruice of God Bishop Tunstall an authenticall witnesse shal acquite mee of this reproche who for like Rome practises vseth more bitter and broade speaches euen against your great Cardinall Cardinall Poole For hauing charged the Pope with his pestilent malice so hee speaketh and Poole as his instrument afterwarde hee calleth the Cardinall an arrant traytour of a deuilish purpose to destroye his natiue countrey also that hee ranne headlongs into hell and was for this Romish matter incomparably woorse then any Pagane And will you call this hote doctrine But to proceede you note that religion standeth with temporall obedience It is truely sayd of true religion but Popish religion doeth take awaye from princes their supreme authoritie making them the Popes vassalles and their people his tributaries It warranteth all men to renounce and leaue their obedience it dispenseth with all rebellion and pardoneth any treason to those that are reconciled for the day of execution He that hath an eye to see or an eare to heare may heare and see this and some fruites thereof both in the land and without Your trayterous bulles your actuall rebellion in the north where D. Morton had the first bull where your Priestes also sayd masse in the tents Stories trayterous shifte chusing him an other king and pleading him selfe no subiect to the Queene whose subiection and protection hee vnnaturally renounced without any cause in the worlde giuen but abusing her Maiesties clemencie your seconde bull and seconde actuall rebellion vnder Saunders in Irelande the alienating mouing of the people by your opeÌ„ Masses in LaÌ„keshire elswhere your other attemptes which came so neere the quicke procured by your Iesuiticall Masses of reconcilemeÌ„t finally Saunders booke allowing and extolling these rebellions and enterprises canonizing the Captaines therof with the title of notable Martyrdome what are they but open and actuall proofes that there is in you a resolution to doe any thing you dare do for the ouerthrowe of the present estate It is openly layde to your charge that your malice is so great to some aliue that you will be auenged of them as you were in Cambridge of M. Bucer and Paulus Fagius fiue yeeres after their death Your example of the Apostles obedience to Magistrates of contrarie religion proueth nothing for you that holde not that doctrine neyther yet followe their example They and the faythfull in the primatiue Church yeelded obedience to princes that beleeued not and you doe it not to them that beleeue and mayntaine the Gospell as it is proued agaynst you The like examples followe for the blessed Martyrs of late times did al patiently yeeld them selues to death according to the doctrine which they professed and witnessed their obedience aswell to the Prince as to GOD in their greeuous persecutions In all my booke there is no such generall question propounded as you charge me with that euery one of a contrarie religion must needes be an enemie to the State I haue alreadie answered that true religion teacheth and yeldeth obedience to magistrates but your religion bringeth euen Emperours vnder the subiection of the Pope to giue their attendance at his gate and at his stirrup wherein you withdraw from Cesar that that is Cesars aswell as otherwise you withholde from God that that is Gods The maliciâ—us report which foloweth against some of our chiefe Prelates as you speake cannot bee prooued nor your repeated taunt against our spirites which if they were as euill as you make them being compared with your there would bee I graunt no great difference Touching those godly and learned men Wickliffe Luther and Caluine whome you charge with daungerous doctrine
but because he hath it according to a trueth and the trueth according to the word Hierome is a notable father of singular giftes but to passe ouer other places I verely thinke you woulde censure him for his interpretations vpon the eleuenth verse of the seconde chapter to the Galathians and vpon the sixt verse of the thirde chapter I write them not downe because I am desirous to couer such blemishes among other excellent gifts Whether the visible Catholike Church may erre or no which must be considered in the particular members and doctrine thereof I will for a triall admitte the example of your Church but not the presēt testimonie Their example doeth testifie y ◠Apostasie which their testimonie will not acknowledge though they should do it to iustifie the prophecies that were deliuered of it before and are nowe made so cleere as nothing may be more To your manifold examples brought to proue that heretiques cleaue to the scripture I answere first y ◠heretiques also cleaue to traditions ordinances receiued by word of mouth as appeareth by the complaint of Ireneus against them Secondly the Scripture is the worde of God in his manifest sense and construction of trueth and life and not according to the naked letter whereunto I graunt the heretiques did peeuishly sticke as you also doe where it maketh for your purpose The philosophicall proofes which some haue made asyou say for the wonderfull mysterie of Christes two natures and willes proue not so much for philosophie as you woulde inferre therby for without philosophie the scripture hath sufficient proofes for that necessarie doctrine as hath beene declared But by the way where is your iudgement in this assertion debate the matter with your selfe and you shall finde howe vnpossible it is for natural philosophy to determin the supernaturall misteries of the vnitie of God and man of two natures and willes in one person Iesus Christe which was a worke of God as great as the creation of the world Notwithstanding I haue acknowledged that philosophie being corrected and sanctified by the woorde may also be some helpe to heauenly wisedome but without it the woorde is sufficient to open all the counsell of God which apperteyneth vnto vs. Thus we take not away as you charge vs y ◠vse of Couneils Fathers other like helpes because of an abuse y ◠may bee but stand against them y ◠vnder some vse thereof woulde bring in and cōfirme the 〈◊〉 Therefore how doth the Censurer both accuse without conscience and giue sentence without iudgement who doth depriue you of these helpes Who doth call you to the bare letter How often am I enforced to repeate one thing to answere the same slaunder As Councils and Doctors or Philosophie may helpe wee allowe them and vse them as Iudges we admit them not and although we answere you to them when they are alleadged yet knowe that it is of that measure that is pressed downe and floweth ouer we are not bound vnto it with any condition But what reasons are these that followe in the Censure Eche man may deny the Scripture to be Scripture or wrangle at pleasure vpon the sense therefore we must admit Councils Doctors and Philosophie This argument is very vnlearned and peremptori◠against the maiestie of Gods worde A wicked man may wickedly take exceptions against it therefore it is not sufficient he◠may deny or wrangle vpon the sense therefore we must leaue the certaine touchstone of God and bee tryed by the vncertaine coniectures of men If the Iesuite had not abandoned all worldly commodities as not caring for the good blessings of God in this behalfe I might easely confute this reason by one drawne from a lesse assurance and lesse importance An enemie may deny the Censurers euidences of land or wrangle vpon the sense of the wordes therefore he must not stand vpon them but seeke other testimonies to mainteine his title But if these helpes or as you meane if the authoritie of men bee taken away it is as much as to saye controuersies in religion shall neuer be ended Wherein againe you make this weake and wicked argument if controuersies in religion be euer ended it must not be by the Scriptures only but by Councils Doctors and Philosophie This is therefore the effect of your Censure and definitiue sentence in this matter that which God cannot doe by his worde men may by their writings that which God cānot determine by his trueth men may ende and conclude by their lyes And further to examine this your bould and daungerous conclusion into what a sea doe you drowe vs calling vs to passe by the examination and iudgement of so many so large so doubtfull and so contrarie writers If the worde be darke are not the Fathers darker If the Scriptures bee doubtfull are not mens writings infinitely more doubtfull If any heretique or wicked man dare wrest the holy scriptures of God withe not much more dare to peruert to denie and to treade vnderfoote the writings of a mortall man It came from the deepest bottom of the Sea to drawe men from the certeintie safetie of Gods word to the daunger and vncerteinty of mens iudgement Concerning the heresies you mention as Trinitaries in Transiluania Anabaptistes in Poland Adamites in Germanie I pray God wheresoeuer these or any other heresies bee taught that they may be vtterly rooted out together with all other weedes that growe vp of their owne accorde wheresoeuer the Plowe is neglected For Hu 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 me for any thing I know in substance of Religion also for Caluinistes in Fraūce I answere they are no heretiques 〈…〉 rie these names but by your 〈…〉 speach that to bring the Gospell of God into cōtempt would make it to be thought the doctrine of those men whom the Lorde raysed vp as notable instruments to publish it in their time and as singular lights to chase away the mist which you had brought in in all places of your darke and sinfull kingdome How farre we differ from Lutherans in some poyntes you are not the fittest man to whome I may make complaint But howsoeuer you haue added your marke in the margent Note this yet the Scripture is no cause of this disagreement Vnder the name of Caluanistes you charge the Estate of this land with heresie for albeit we receiue not the name neither build our faith vpon the doctrine of any mā yet the Estate maynteyneth the doctrine which vnder that name you call heresie But you would onely seeme to lay that reproch vpon France In England you saye there are Puritanes the Familie of loue What an high and deepe slaunder is this to all the godly in this kingdome from the prince to the meanest person professing the religion your Catholikes excepted are all in England either to bee charged with the odious name of Puritanes or with the most execrable abominations of the Familie of loue What would not
this your spirit attempt in the aboundance of your heart if you durst as well come to open action as you dare cast out these open and intollerable flaunders against all the godly entred We all holde the same doctrine of faith published and mainteined according to the worde of God we come to the same felloweship and communion in the exercises of religion and ioyne all in the same defence of Gods holie Gospell yea we all though not in the same measure seeke the reformatioÌ„ of that that at the Lordes time shalbe reformed to a further growth and beautie in the bodie of Iesus Christ which is the Church Therefore notwithstanding your slaunder vpon examination it wil appeare that those in Englande which are slaundered with the name of detestable Heretiques are farre from the heresie most readie to condemne it or whatsoeuer is contrarie to the publique doctrine of faith mainteined by the present Lawes of the lande which doctrine is pure and holy and agreeable to the most holy word of God which the Lorde continue for his names sake with peace vpon Israel But to returne to the Censurer hee addeth a manifest vntruth saying that all the former heresies ioyne against the Romish Church in receiuing the scripture onely To wade no further the familie of loue which you cite are against you who haue their seuerall Gospell of the kingdome they build vpon the cursed thrise cursed bookes of H.N. also they scorne the scripture learned and in their loue to you acknowledge y e ministerie of y â— word to come froÌ„ the Pope Therefore they do neyther cleaue only to y â— scriptures nor liue in such mislike of your superstitions Nowe for the matter if your argument be good Heretiques cleaue to the word onely therefore it is naught you may aswell conclude that we must not alleadge the Scriptures at all because they alleadge them we must not dispute at all because they dispute which conclusions are all absurd For heretiques eate and drinke they clothe them selues all which are lawfull for all men to doe therefore not whatsoeuer they doe but whatsoeuer they doe as heretiques that is a marke of heresie Furthermore to proue wantes in the worde of God you demaunde howe it commeth to passe that the Scripture doeth not ende controuersies among heretiques I answere they are in the faulte as you also like heretiques are by resisting the trueth the worde is not to bee charged with any want But let me moue the like question and haue your Censure touching the doubt You that haue the Scriptures the Councils the Fathers you that haue Philosophie moreouer and stories and which is most of all the Popes breast and the fulnesse of the spirite you bragge off howe commeth it to passe that you haue not yet compounded your trouble some and long controuersie whether the virgin Marie was conceyued without originall sinne or no If the euidences you so stande vpon cannot in so long time ende so small a matter what will they be able to proue in the great questions of saluation Agayne hedemauÌ„deth how such heresies can be yf y â— truth be so cleare For triall of the truth a manifest proofe what power there is in Gods worde there must be heresies and schismes and God hath alwayes suffered false prophets teachers for a iust punishment of those that loue not the trueth neuerthelesse the Scripture is cleare and plaine where God giueth an eare to heare and a heart to vnderstand if it be hidden it is hidden to them that are lost But you that once or twice beate at mee as one whose zeale ranne before his witte staye your selfe Doe you y â— make no conscience to diminish the authoritie of the worde of God crye out agaynst vs if wee refuse the determination of men will you that haue alreadie in diuers plates pleaded against y â— sufficiencie of Scriptures now pleade for Philosophie Doctours and Councils as able to end al controuersies ratifie your title If we call you onely to the worde not the bare woord but adorned and richly attired with all fulnes of light and trueth the cleerest interpreter of it selfe doe wee in calling you hither depriue you of your euidences and witnesses seeking thereby to set you together by the â—ares for the title I knowe no euidences but the worde no witnesses but the holy Prophets and Apostles if your kingdome can not iustifie it selfe by these euidences and witnesses let her bee condemned by them for euer Your beadroule of fathers naming heretiques y â— abused y â— Scriptures I tooke not the tale of them they are brought in as vnnecessary witnesses of a matter alreadie answered not in question Lastly you conclude that we drawe in one line with the most cursed heretiques and you make them our progenitors because we appeale to the worde of God as the onely teacher and iudge in causes of religion If this be a faulte let it be required at our hande if it be your horrible slaunder against the worde and agaynst the Saints of God for giuing due honour thereunto y â— Lord require it at your handes in the defence of his owne glorie Touching Christian Franken TOuching Christian Franken which is the last of your foure partes it appeareth he hath vsed a true reporte agaynst the Iesuites because as hee assured him selfe before hande yet no man hath denyed the idolatries the superstitious and heathenish exercises wherewith he doth so plainly charge them As for the first part of your answere hereunto it standeth altogether vpon false argumentes as that He departeth from the sect of Iesuites therfore he is an apostata He discouereth their wicked superstition therefore he reuileth al catholike religion Austen confesseth that hee knew none worse then they that fel in Monastical life while he liued therfore FrankeÌ„ must be one of them All these conclusions are barely affirmed without proofe therefore may be truely denied without any further answere Notwithstanding it is to bee noted that againe you find no fitter taunt against M. Luther and Iohn Bale then to call them Friers and therefore you repeate the matter True it is they were Friers but forgiue them that fault seeing they did cast away their habit and kept a better course An other reproch followeth in charging vs plainely with coyning the newes of Rome and with suspition to haue coyned Frankens Dialogue whereunto I answere if we haue not coyned you haue And as for AusteÌ„s place it maketh for him against whome it is alleadged and against them in whose defence you bring it For if in Austens time with some good this Monasticall life brought forth others so euill that none were worse and hath declined euer since it was time for Franken to come out from the middest of you If so long ago in such puritie of the Church as was in Austens time the Monasteries did bring forth y â— worst men of
people in that Citie Did he note your two Popes two P 〈…〉 s together at 〈◊〉 time yea somtime three somtime foure Popes who 〈◊〉 the Chatre sometime at Rome sometime at 〈◊〉 sometime in other places Did hee euer consider that they which 〈◊〉 the storie of these men can not agree either in the number nor in the succession of these your Popes Any one of all these or of many other matters written by your selues being well coÌ„sidered might haue bene a weightie cause to keepe him from that fall For these bishops many of them succeeded with such wicked conditions and for so wicked purposes that their succession may shewe out matter to proue them rather the race of Antichrist and the spirit of fornications which long agoe beganne to worke the mysterie of iniquitie but hath nowe made vp all the measures thereof so that the prophesie is fulfilled that Antichrist in the succession of his ministers exalteth him selfe against all that is called God or is worshipped and sitteth in the Temple boasting him selfe that he iâ— God This is that succession of Antichrist which is glorious in the eyes of flesh and bloud and therefore made Woodeman depart from Christ whom whosoeuer wil folowe must euery day take vp his Crosse and folow him 3 As for his third reason of miracles in the Popishe Church I leaue it as very false insufficient Notwithstanding some I graunt wil beleeue if a man come from the dead which wil not beleeue Moses and the Prophets The kingdome and Church of Christ was planted in the power of doctrine and miracles and also by the power of the holy Ghost while Christ and his Apostles liued Now it is against faith if any looke for miracles to confirme the Gospell againe which is already so confirmed that an Angel from heauen or any miracle worker perswading otherwise must bee accürsed By miracles it is an easie thing to deceiue and bee deceiued seeing Satan to that purpose changeth himselfe into an Angell of light Such were many of the lying miracles not onely printed from Rome but receiued and registred at Rome and thrust vpon mens consciences to beleeue being matters that might easely drawe them headlonges into all error and idolatrie as was prophesied of this kingdome of Antichrist and hath no we appeared by the lamentable effect Therefore his third reason was to weake to haue drawen him froÌ„ the Church of Christ if he had bene tied to it but with one bande of loue to the trueth and power of doctrine 4 Xilanders fourth reason dath huâ—â—â—e vp and confound many reasons As that he was moued with the authoritie of the vniuersall of the visible and of the Catholique Church where like a good plaine dealer he left out that which he founde not in the Romish Church namely holinesse And what are all the rest without this holinesse Againe of those three notes that moued his falling off two are all one in worde and sense For the worde vniuersal and the word Catholique are as these two wordes Wodeman and Xilander which do not signifie two but one and the same thing That the Church of God must alwaies haue a visible and glorious Maiestie vpon the earth is not yet proued Also that the Church of Rome was neuer Catholique or vniuersall as it pretendeth the Churches of y â— East while they florished the Greeke Churches such as remayne at this day doe make sufficient proofe Againe we receiue the Scriptures from God hee by inspiration hath giuen them and hath alwayes kept them in his arke and the Philistins could not keepe the Arke from vs. The pretended victorie ouer heresies must be proued before it be admitted for a reason I graunt the Romish Church hath had a victorie and a tryumph in outwarde shewe ouer many thousand Saints most cruelly murdered for the trueth But ouer heresies it tryumphed not but in the time of her chastitie before the Lorde had giuen her a bill of diuorce after which time shee embrewed her selfe in the bloud of the Saintes and became the mother of all fornications With his other reasons hee linketh Saint Augustines saying so often misalleadged to proue the authoritie of the Church aboue the Scriptures that he woulde not beleeue the Gospel but onely vpon the Churches authoritie By these wordes his minde was not to determine which had greater authoritie the Church or the Scriptures but to declare against the Maniches in his owne practise what brought him first to esteeme the worde at his conuersion from inâ—â—deâ—tie The authoritie and consent of the Church may in such a case perswade one to receyue the worde which being receyued is of it selfe founde to be greater then that which first perâ—â—â—ded Thus of many reasons heaped vp together in y â— fourth place there is not founde one good The Romish Church was neuer vniuerfall or Catholike but particular and of â—ne â—erritorie though by vsurpatioâ—it enlarged her selfe by litle and little and the visiblenes therof is nothing for the true Church of the elect is inâ—isible Moreouer as I declared it neuer triumphed ouer heretikes it hath not any peculiar custodie of the Scriptures neyther dorth the authoritie of the Gospel depende vpon hir ratification being authenticall of it selfe Therefore al these reasons and put them together coulde not open the least dore for his departure if he had euer beene placed within the Church 5 The fift reason is that the Romish Church is the true Church because many that liued there are nowe Saintes in heauen and namely Dominic and Frauncis as Xilander doeth imagine I say as before there was a time when Ephraim spake there was trembling he exalted him selfe in Israel but he hath sinned in Baal and is dead Neuerthelesse seeing Xilander went so farre for a fift reason let vs examine what he hath brought There is no doubt saith he but Dominiâ— Fraâ—ncis and others are Saintes in heauen therefore it cannot bee that they liued in errour Who hath made it out of doubt to vs that they are in heauen seeing there are writte 〈…〉 many 〈…〉 dent lyes and blasphemies of them in the Legenda and that most detestable Alcaron called the booke of confo 〈…〉 who will beleeue that Dominic raysed the dead which you teach Who can heare or reade those your blasphemies in making Fryer Frauncis an other Iesu in type and figure matching him w t Christ froÌ„ poynt to poynt and his miracles with Christs myracles If the Censurer had not menâ—ioned Frauncis the Fryer among his saints it myght haue beene hoped the Iesuites would refourme that booke or rather condemne it to the pit of hell But to returne to Xilanders argument it is a very bad one prouing the lesser doubt by the greater For it is not so great a doubt what those famous Fryers taught as whether they be in heauen Neuerthelesse if it were out of doubt they are in heauen yet
the argument doeth not necessarily followe For many are in heauen that haue liued in errour because the rich mercie of God doth aswell pardon errour to him that repenteth as other iniquities No man will take this for a good argument one â—f the two that were crucified with Christ is nowe in heauen therfore he was no thiefe therefore he liued not in error yet such altogether is the fifth motiue that moued Xilander to go to Rome in hope perhappes to be a Saint 6 To the sixt reason which maketh the Papistes reuerent in their wordes and the other syde rayling blasphemous and dishonest in their speaches and writinges I answere with Salomons woordes he that iustifieth the wicked and he that coudemueth the innocent are both an abhomination before the Lorde This reason is repeated in the next and is there further answered 7 The seuenth reason hath nothing in prayse of the Papistes as the former had but is altogether a repetition of that which was said against the godly as railing and misreporting their aduersaries Wherein for proofe against this slaunder I appeale to the places of the Censure alleaged against Martin Luther and charging him with most foule opinions such as after his conuersion he neuer mainteined in worde or deede which his practise prooued while he yet liued and his writings doe testifie now after his death Doctor Watson also may make a triall of this matter against you who in a sermon before Queene Marie charged no small men as he saith but our great bishops to say that euery man and woman might at the Lordes table take bread and blesse it which he calleth tonsecration and speake the woordes of the institution aswell as the minister Notwithstanding here I am to aduertise the reader that Papistes misreport theÌ„ selues now saying and at an other time denying the same as appeared in many of the XIII articles by y â— Censurers own practise For when the Iesuites are truely charged he will not graunt that which is truely auouched against them but changing the question will seeme to say lesse then they teach For one example they are charged to commit idolatrie in worshipping images the Censurer will seeme to denie this saying they giue no worship to the image but to God this distinction is not good and further more the assertion is false For it hath been prooued that they giue worship to the very image of Christ and which is more that they giue y â— greatest worship of Christ him selfe to his picture Therefore al men are to consider this both for our defence to auoyde the errour that may come by their deceites For in the fielde where they stand in feare of the aduersarie and in their perswasions when they would win a proselyte the pretended Catholiques will not lie open but cloke a great part of their shamefull doctrine which is their subtiltie to drawe away disciples and to leaue lesse aduantage to their enemies Therefore to a man not acquainted with their double dealing wee may seeme to report them otherwise then they holde in disputation when notwithstanding we report them no other wise then they openly teache in their kingdome and publishe in their writings Wherefore I may conclude that this reason was grouÌ„ded vpon a manifest vntruth Xilander iudged of Iudas by the kisse not by the treason 8 Lastly for a reason we are falsely charged to esteeme all our auncesters damned to breake their willes and conuert to prophane vses that which they gaue to mainteine idle Monkes and Friers and to redeeme them by masses out of purgatory Whatsoeuer he thought in him selfe or imagined in others wee thinke not our ancesters damned but leaue iudgement to the Lorde to whom the iudgement of life and death doth belong not searching out his secret couÌ„sels which are vnsearchable As for the ornameÌ„ts which they bestowed not vpon the seruice of God to the instruction of their soules by the preaching and ministerie of the Gospell but vpon the great harlot and to the inlargement of her kingdome they are brought home agayne to better vses and I thinke many of your best friendes will holde and enioy them as better bestowed Your seconde man commeth ready furnished to your hande out of the former booke of Lindan But because you promise not to deliuer the same reasons that were touched before let vs see how faithfully you keepe art and promise Flaschius first reason is the same that Xilanders seuenth where they say we report the papists to teach that they teach not Also his thirde is but a particular of that which the other man did generally auouch in y â— sixt against y e godly as vsing dishonest speach To speake of them particularly Flaschius his first reason is that your Catholiques teach cleane contrary to that which we report of them We report them to teach that the Pope is supreame head of the Church doe they teach the cleane contrary we charge them to ascribe some merit to workes do they teach cleane contrary Againe we charge them that they auowe transubstantiation do they teach no such thing Wee moreouer chalenge them for giuing worshippe to images do they teach the contrary doctrine wee accuse them for denying the sufficiencie of scriptures do they make them sufficient I might bring infinite such examples but these may be sufficieÌ„t to shew how Flaschius stuÌ„bled at his first going out at the gace 2 The second reason is drawen from Luthers mind in writing against y t Romish Church of enâ—y as the ruÌ„nagate doth suppose How is this prooued out of any place quoted for a shewe of proofe Agayne if it were proued that enuie made M. Luther write against Popery how doth the runnagates reason followe The preacher preacheth of enuie therfore his doctrine is to be forsaken The Phisition vseth his arte for couetousnes therfore his couÌ„sel is to be despised If Flaschius had learned what the place of S. Paul ment where he saith he was glad reioyced that Christ was preached eyther vpon enuie or contention eyther for fashion sake or in synceritie howsoeuer it might haue bin a counterpoyson against y â— disease of this second imaginatioÌ„ 3 His third reason against M. Luther for great dishonestie scurrilitie of speach in his writings is another â—launder in effect all one w t the seconde and there answered You say this bad fellowe was a â—reacher surely theÌ„ he came in by a wrong way went out by a right dore y t neuer had any sound knowledge of the trueth or if he had any he first put back a good coÌ„science theÌ„ made shippe wracke of faith knowledge 4 Fourthly it is but â—lauÌ„derously laid to our charge y t we do easily reiect any booke or peece of Scripture for we admit as the word of God all y â— bookes partes conteyned in y t auncient autenticall Canon of y â— Iewes with our aduersaries all the new Testament
neither doe we vse or suffer the least corruption of y t Scripture knowing what a curse is pronouÌ„ced against such blasphemous audaâ—ity But you haue added the Apocrypha bookes although they neither agree in some pointes with y â— scripture nor yet one with another as hath bene declared Touching Fathers and Councils it is too foule an accusation to charge vs y â— wee esteeme no more of them theÌ„ of y â— Turkes Alcoran Flaschiâ—s appeareth to be some corrupt hypocrite who measured other men by y â— vanity wickednes of his own heart So farre doe wee honour the councils as they can well aske or doe deserue honour For that I may bee suffered to repeate with the Censurer we receiue from them ioyfully and with reuerence whatsoeuer they deliuer vnto vs with sufficient warrant out of the worde of God acknowledging them not only to haue brought great profit to the church in their time but also to their posteritie This honour we giue not to the deuilish Alcaron what the Apostata did or will do I can not report 5 The fifth reason is a slauÌ„der against y â— truth blasphemously cast out against it and the professers thereof It is that our newe opinions as Flaschius our enemies wil needes call them are olde heresies condeÌ„ned by name in the primitiue Church Whereunto I answere that if Saunders most traiterous booke quoted for proofe in the margent or Lindane with his roule of heresies or the runnagate by any good trial can proue that either we pull olde heresies out of the graue or breed newe that should be buried though it be no good reason why Sebastian should flie to them yet wee will grauÌ„t it a full sufficieÌ„t reasoÌ„ why he should take the wings of the morning flie from vs. But if this runnagate in the malice and error of his heart hath spoken good of euil and euill of good if he haue forsaken darknes for light and light for darknes then he hath escaped a blessing and made haste to finde a curse 6. 7. The next two reasons are of y â— same forge with all the rest they prooue nothing but the malice and blindnes of your conuert The sixt chargeth Luther with contrarietie of doctrine the seuenth with a speache of intollerable inâ—quitie against faith in God But his godly writings doe sufficiently iustifie him against these open slaunder 〈…〉 as was declared before against y â— Censurers like slauÌ„derous reports Out of his large volumes of talke at tables wee know not so much what Luther said or vpon what causes as what those men remeÌ„bred or added which did collect the bookes 8 The last reason of Flaschius was cunningly chosen out to make a fit conclusion of your tauÌ„ting and slaunderous Censure hauing nothing but the venim of the aspe that laie vnder the runnagates tongue It standeth vpon many points shuffeled together as that we are partiall that we exaggerate euery litle fault in our aduersaries and liue our selues most vitiously in fornication and chaunge of wiues according to Luthers doctrine the proofe whereof is alledged in one preacher vpon the runnagates credit with other thinges that this shamelesse man is ashamed to vtter What an heape of reproches is this without any proofe Against this I haue proued that M. Luther taught no libertie offornicatioÌ„ but the contrarie as appeareth at large by many his learned and godly treatises Alsâ— the knowne doctrine and discipline of our Church free vs froÌ„ the slaunder who seeke a sharper punishment for such enormities then your petie penaunce If Flaschius euer met with a mate like him selfe that would haue made a match w t him in chaunging of wiues he was to blame except the most fault was in himselfe that he did not bring it before the Magistrate vpon complaint and proofes it woulde haue appeared that y â— religion suffereth no such wickednesse to goe unpunished This may be a particular slaunder like the rest but if it were true in Flaschius and one of his companions both fitte to haue bene thrust out of the Church before eyther departed what is this to all These are your two false witnesses wel able to discredit euen a true matter comming from their report as they themselues are discredited by the testimonies they haue giuen in agaynst the Gospell being reportes so full of manifest reproch and vntrueth It is verie like they omitted the true reason of their departure Perhappes they went out because they woulde not or coulde not any longer abide within as it fell out with Demas and Alexander Nowe for a recompence of your two runnagates the present example not of a straunger unknowen but of one home borne toucheth the quicke He in your faces rendered good reasons of his conuersion from among them where wickednesse of life and abhomination of doctrine striue which may cal downe the greatest vengeaunce But this needeth not my repetition and I labour not to presse you with examples or corruptions of men it is beside the question we haue in hande My prayer and labour is for the defence of his trueth from the which we receiue life and are to striue for it vnto death The Lord requireth this seruice at our hands he will at his good time blesse it with manifolde blessings the fruit whereof it may be some of vs shal not see but our posteritie shal behold it notwithstanding all the wisedome and power and counsell of man to the contrary For the Lord hath reuealed the man of sin by the preaching of the worde hath shaken his chaire with a mightie arme hee wil not withdraw his hand til he hath vtterly coÌ„sumed Antichrist with the spirit of his mouth abolished him w t the brightnesse of his comming In the meane time his little â—locke may bee somewhat scattered for a time of trial but they shal be gathered together againe increased to shewe the Lords power and mercie they may sâ—w 〈◊〉 teares but they shal reape with gladnesse This is the hardest account the godly can make But it may be that the Lord will himselfe correct vs in mercy and not deliuer vs into the hands of our enemies to be punished by them It may be the mother of Sisera shall looke out at the window and cry out at the casement why is his chariot so long a coÌ„ming why tary the wheeles of his charet So let thine enemies perish O Lorde but let them that loue thee and thy trueth continue as the Sunne when he riseth in his might and as Oliue plants in the house of God that flourish for euer Amen FINIS Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker Printer to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie 2. Pet. 2. 1. Iohn 4. 24. 1. Iohn 4. 1. 2. Cor. 2. 5. 1. Iohn 4. 2. Heb. 7. 27. 9. 12. 26. 28. 10. 10. Iames 2. 1. Ephe. 4. 1â— Rom. 1. 18. 2. Tim. 2. 9. D. Watson M. Peoknam The