mother and the deceiuers themselues be confounded and ashamed of the books they haue so falsely written and all Godly people be confirmed in the truth so manifestly cleared from forgeries which obscured it All which I hope the rather because the Papist prisoners in Framlingham castle in Queene Elizabeths time said to the Protestant Ministers if you can iustify your calling we will all come to your Church and be of your Religion r Mason lib. 1. cap. 3. in fine pag. 20. Sect. 9. Antiquus Well Sir be it that your English Clergy was canonically ordained and consecrated yet what say you to the Protestant Ministers in other countries which could haue no Bishops to ordaine them But as our learned men say they ordained one another very disorderedly and insufficiently Antiquissimus You draw mee to a Digression impertinent to the Church of England to speake of other countries in whose affayres I am not sufficiently acquainted and am loth to meddle It may be your learned men wrong them as they haue done vs. But if what they say be true It was your Popes fault so auerse from all reformation that did driue the Reformers in those countries to that necessity that either one Minister must ordaine another or else the Churches must be without many profitable Ministers By the way because you dislike our word Minister as we doe your word Priest vsed in your sense for sacrificing Priest Though the word Minister bee vsed by the b Bellar. de Rom. pont li. 3 cap. 13 pag. 392. § Ratio autem cur Apostoli in Scripturis nunquam vocant sacerdotes Christianos sacerdotes sed solum episcopos presbyteros Apostles in the New Testament for Minsters of the Gospell and the word Priest neuer vsed at all by them no nor by the most ancient Fathers as c Bellar decultu Sanctorum lib. 3. cap. 4. § Ad testimonium Patrum dico pag. 275. See before chap. 2. § 2. Bell. himselfe confesseth I will to auoyd offence to both vse the word Presbyter which the Apostles vsed and which I see our late learned writers do more willingly frequent to signifie such as haue taken full orders in the Church of God But note you also by the way that our fault is very small in vsing sparingly the termes of some later Fathers and vsing commonly the words of the Apostles yours is very great in forsaking and deriding the word of the B B. Apostles and preferring the words of some Fathers and vsing them contrary to their meaning But Then I doubt not to affirme that Orders giuen to Presbyters by Presbyters onely in times of necessity when Bishops cannot be procured to giue them are of full validity and sufficiency For the giuing of orders was appointed to Bishops not of absolute necessity but for their greater honour and for the better gouernment and preseruation of peace and vnity in the Church and for those and the like reasons it is fit that course be obserued when possibly it may But when it cannot we must consider that euen Bishops themselues doe not giue orders by any other power then is found in any other Presbyter Not by their power of Iurisdiction for they may ordaine Presbyters liuing out of their Iurisdiction but by vertue of their orders onely whereby they stand Presbyters Which is manifest by this that Bishops and Suffragans which are not Presbyters cannot giue orders which they neuer receiued therefore seeing the power of giuing orders is from the vertue of the orders formerly receiued which vertue is in euery presbyter as well as in a Bishop and therein Priests Bishops and Popes are all equall d See D. Field lib. 3. cap. 39. in medio alledging many Schoolmen to this purpose Then for want of Bishops to giue orders Presbyters may giue them For that is but a breach of decency and honourable conueniency whereby that thing is tyed to some chiefe Presbyters namely to Bishops which otherwise all Presbyters may doe But to the validity of the orders it maketh nothing what Presbyter soeâ—er giueth them The best learned in the Church of Rome in former times agreed to this Aâ—machanus e Armachanus lib. 11. in 4. Armenorum cap. 7. a worthy Bishop saith If all Bishops failed by death Sacerdotes minores possent Episcopum ordinare Inferior Priests might ordaine a Bishop And Alexander of Hales f Halensiâ— part 4. q. 9. memb 5. art 1 cited by D. Field ib. saith that many learned men in his time and before were of opinion that in some cases and in some times Presbyters may giue orders and that their ordinations are of force though to do so not being vrged by extreme necessity cannot be excused from ouer-great boldnesse and presumption And why not orders by ordinary presbyters as well as Baptisme by meaner persons For your Doctors in times of necessity allow Baptisme which is a principall Sacrament to be administred not onely by Bishops and Priests but by Deacons or any Laiks Baptized yea Laiks vnbaptized and very Pagans if they knew and preforme the Rites of Baptisme and women also by any person that is Homo rationalis and intendeth to doe as the Church would doe The Baptisme preformed by them is sufficient effectuall and needs no rebaptization as Bellermine teacheth at large g Bellarm. de baptismo lib. 1. cap. 7. If this will not suffice you may see more in Doctor Fields h D. Field lib. 3. cap. 39. lib. 5. cap. 56. and Master Masons bookes i Mason lib. 1. Sect. 10. Antiquus Sir you may not thinke that your priuate Reason and iudgement can ouersway the iudgement and determinations of graue learned and holy counsels Antiquiss Far be from me the presumption to thinke so Yet giue vs leaue to see what we see and to say what we know we see it in your owne learned mens books and know it to be your owne practise oftentimes to breake the Canons both of ancient Councels and of the Apostles If Protestants do it in times of necessity condemne them not for necessity hath no law it is so great a tyrant that it will not suffer the Law to stand Your men are faine sometimes to yeeld vnto it Your k This appeares plainly by Greg. Epistles lib. 12. Iud. 7. epist 31. rectified by Bede of D. Stapletons owne iudicious edition translation though other copies somewhat differ See Mason lib. 2. cap. 5. pag. 61. Gregory the great Bishop of Rome sending Augustine the Monke into England who was not vntill afterward made Bâ—shop of Canterbury appointed him to ordaine the first Bishops himselfe alone in case the Brittan Bishops opposed him and that of the English or Saxons there were no Bishops and that the French Bishops would be slacke and vncertaine of ayding him And accordingly himselfe alone ordained Melitus the first Bishop and by the assistance of Melitus onely hee ordained Iustus the second and when there was a Canonicall number then
though we cannot point out the time when euery point began to be changed Tertullian f Tertul. praeser aduersus Haeret. cap. 32 saith sufficiently The very doctrine it selfe being compared with the Apostolicke by the diuersity and contrariety thereof will pronounce that it had for Author neither any Apostle nor any Apostolicall man Jf g Mat. 19.8 from the beginning it was not so and now it is so there is a change h 1 Cor. 11.28 All drinke of that Cup now all must not all then prayed in knowen tongues with vnderstanding and all publicke seruice done to edification i 1 Cor. 14. See B. White against Fisher pag. 128. this is altered though when the alteration began we neither know nor need take paines to search §. 6. The Romanists say Our Doctrine is new can they shew it to be later then the Apostles times wee hold the Hebrew Canon of the Old Testament that is so many bookes Canonicall as the Hebrewes and with them the Fathers accounted Canonicall and no more If this be an errour let them shew who began it and when as we can shew when and by what meanes many Apocryphall writings were added to the Canon We hold the Hebrew of the old the Greeke of the New Testament to be most Authenticall and all translations to be corrected by them Who began this heresie and when they preferre the vulgar Latin before them contrary to equity and antiquity We commend the holy Scriptures to all Gods people of all Nations in all languages we hold that God forbiddeth the worshipping of Images That a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Law and yet that good workes are necessary fruits of faith without which faith is dead we administer the whole Communion in both kindes to all Gods people let them shew the time when these heresies or abuses began or else either cease to call vs heretickes for them or grant that heresies may creepe in they know not when nor how §. 7. All this notwithstanding D. Favour Antiquity triumphing ouer nouelty cap. 17 pag. 433. we are able to shew by approued Histories the age and time when many of the fowlest corruptions became notorious in the Church and how they were opposed Doctor Favour sheweth some as the Supremacy of the Pope Transubstantiation The Worshipping of Angels an old heresie a new piety The substance and parts of the Masse The Diuine worship of the Virgin Mary aboue a creature The worship of the Crosse Single life of the Clergy Abstinence from certaine meates and on certaine dayes Seuen Sacraments Images and their worship Indulgences or Pardons Communicating without the Cup Auricular Confession and diuers other things Bishop Vsher answering the Jrish Iesuites Challenge sheweth the same very fully in many points So do most of our other learned Authors and most plentifully in a continued historicall Narration that learned French Noble man Philip Morney Morney Mysterium Iniquitat Praefat. Lord of Plessis in his Mysterium Iniquitatis But of particular points I shall speake more fitly in their proper place if you desire it §. 8. And now for a conclusion of this point and for full answer to your challenge of antiquity I demaund where was there any Church in the world for 600. yeares after Christ which worshipped Images as the Roman Church doth now where was any Church for a thousand yeares that called the little hone their Lord thought it to be God and adored it as God or for 12 hundred yeares that kept their God in a boxe and carried it about in procession to be worshipped and appointed peculiar office or seruice vnto it and without receiuing it offered it vp before the people as a propitiatory sacrifice for the quicke and the dead or that bereaued the people of the Cup in the holy Communion and made it heresie to teach otherwise or that receiued Transubstantiation for an Article of faith or that accused the Scriptures of Insufficiency and ambiguity and held the reading thereof dangerous to the faithfull forbidding it by publike decree vnder great punishment Where was there any Church for 600 yeares that beleeued the Pope of Rome to be the vniuersall Bishop and that all power of Orders and Iurisdiction for all Churches in the world is to be deriued and receiued from him where for a thousand yeeres any Church acknowledged the Pope to be an earthly Prince or aboue all Christian Princes girt with both swords and had power to vnbind subiects from their oathes of Alleageance to their Princes to depose Princes and place others in their roomes or in 12 hundred yeares that held the Pope to be aboue the vniuersall Church and aboue the generall Councels and that hee onely had authority to call Councels to ratifie of nullifie whatsoeuer pleased him in them or that he could dispose of the state of soules by the manner or measure of his Indulgences or Pardons shutting Purgatory and opening Heauen to those he liked or would pay for it making Saints whom he pleased to be prayed vnto and worshipped and whom he pleased sending downe to Hell or Purgatory Concil Trident. Sess or that he could dispence with the Lawes of God binding where God had loosed or loosing where God had bound as in Matrimoniall causes and degrees in diners kinds of oathes and such like Or where was any face of a Church vntill within these few yeares so glorious with a Princely Senate of Cardinalls equals if not superiors to Kings making an earthly Kingdome of the Church with the transcendent greatnesse of the triple crowned Pope Fryars began Anno 1220. Iesuites 1530. those swarmes of late Fryars and later Iesuites and Seminary Priests which some make to be the Locusts Reuel 9 3 darkning the Sunne and the ayre Luther in conference with Vergerius the Popes Nuncio among other things told him plainly None could call his Doctrine new Hist concil Trent lib. 1. pag. 76. but he that beleeued that Christ the Apostles and the holy Fathers liued as now the Pope Cardinals and Bishops doe To conclude In these and such like thâ—ngs the Church of Rome hath no antiquity neither succeeds the Apostles and the Primitiue Church otherwise then darknesse suceeeds the light sicknesse succeeds health and as Antichrist must succeed Christ in the Temple of God and may sit in Christs or S. Peters seat as God or aboue God Antiquus It is easier to shew dislâ—ke then disproofe of these things But when you say The most of the corruptions as you call them crept in secretly and insensibly you seeme to grant that some of them came in openly and were obserued Antiquissimus Yea and strongly opposed too as our learned Authors do plentifully shew and I shall by Gods blessing shew afterwards when we come to the particulars but for the present let this generall answer satisfie your generall doubt Antiquus Satisfie me in another generall question also If there were such corruptions in
mid-day in the open light come to deceiue the residue that still are in Christ persisting in their simplicity For he hath supped vp the riuers of wise men and torrents of powerfull men Iob 40.23 and hath hope that Jordan will run in his mouth that is The humble and simple that are in the Church For he is Antechrist which counterfetteth himselfe to be not onely the day 2 Thess 2.4 8. but the midday and extols himselfe aboue all that is worshipped as God whom the Lord Iesus will slay with the breath of his mouth and destroy in the appearing of his comming Bern. in Psal 90. vel 91. ser 6. This conclusion also he repeats writing vpon the Psalme Qui habitat Superest vt reueletur homo peccati c. It remaineth that the Man of sinne be reuealed the sonne of perdition Daemonium non modo diurnum sed meridianum quod non solum transfiguratur in Angelum lucis sed extollitur super omne quod dictur Deus aut quod colitur c. Bern. serm 1. in convers Pauli And elsewhere Saint Bernard makes his complaint to God O God thy neere friends come neere to stand against thee The whole Vniueâ—sity of Christian people from the least to the greatest seeme to haue conspired against thee From the sole of the feet to the crowne of the head there is no soundnesse Iniquity is gone out from the elder Iudges thy Vicars Of Bernard see more in D. â—â—eld Appendix to the fift booke of the Church part 1. pag. 88 89. which seem to rule thy people and now we cannot say such people such Priest for the people are not so as the Priest Alas alas O Lord God those are the first chiefe in persecution who seeme to loue and beare the first and chiefe place in thy Church c. Johannes Sarisburiensis told Hadrian the fourth Joh Sarisbur in Policratic lib. 6. cap. 24. plainly what the world thought of him and his Prelats that the Roman Church shewed her selfe not a mother but a step mother to all other Churches For in it sit the Scribes and Pharises laying importable burdens vpon mens shoulders which themselues will not touch with one finger They hurt very oft and herein they follow the Deuils which then are thought to doe good when they cease to doe harme except a very few who performe the name and office of Pastors Sed ipse Romanus Pontifex omnibus grauis fere intolerabilis est that is euen the Bishop of Rome himselfe is grieuous to all and almost intollerable Aliacus de Reformatione Ecclesiae Caesarius Heisterbach hist lib. 2. cap. 29. These times were euill the succeeding much worse Of which Petrus de Aliaco Cardinall of Cambray said It was a prouerbe in his time Ad hunc statum venit Romana ecclesia vt non esset digna regi nisi per reprobos The Church of Rome was come to that state that it was not worthy to be gouerned but onely by Reprobates Robert Grosthead Matth. Paris in Henric. 3. See this History abridged in D. Field church appendix part 1. pag. 97. B. Carlton Iurisd cap. 8. §. 111. a very learned and holy Bishop of Lincolne liuing anno 1140. wrote sharpely to the Pope for the euils he did specially in England that he was opposite to Christ a murderer of soules and an Hereticke in these his courses c. Vpon receit of which letters the Pope was exceedingly moued threatning to cast downe this Bishop into the pit of all confusion but was pâ—câ—fied by the more moderate Cardinals telling him of this Bishops holinesse learning reputation and since there must be a departure from their Church the medling with such an excellent man might occasion it the things which he proued being full and manifest Archb. Abboâ— contra Hill reason 1. §. 28. William Ockam an Englishman a great Schooleman liuing anno 1320. for his large reproofe of the Papacy in many points in his bookes he was excommunicated by the pope and dyed willingly vnder that sentence Catalog testium verit lib 18. D. Field ch l. 3. c. 11. He cryed out of peruerting Scriptures Fathers and Canons of the Church with shamelesse and Harlots foreheads and that many that should be pillars of the Church did cast themselues headlong into the pit of Heresies See B. Carlton Iurisdiction cap. 1. §. 11. Michael Cesenas liued anno 1320. he was generall of the Order of the Minorites he wrote against three constitutions of Pope Iohn 22. and was by Iohn depriued and disabled from taking any other dignity but Cesena appealed from the Pope as from the head of faction in the Church to the Roman Catholicke and Apostolicke Church and was fauoured therein by Ockam and many famous learned men and by the two Vniuersities of Oxford and Paris Nicholas Clemangis Archidiaconus Baiocensis liuing anno 1417. in his booke De corupto Ecclesiae statu writes very sharpely against the Popes ambition and couetousnesse preying vpon all Churches and bringing them into miserable slauery and against the stately Cardinals and other vices of the Clergy Gerson lib. de concil o vnius obedientiae and in many other bookes John Gerson Chancellor of Paris anno 1429. writes the like wishing that all things should be reformed and brought backe to their ancient state in or neere the Apostles times Of Gersons doctrine see D. Field Appendix to the fifth booke of the Church part 2. p. 73. seq Petrus de Aliaco Cardinalis Cameracensis liuing about the same time wrote to the Councell of Constance a booke wherin he reprooueth many notable abuses of the Romanists and giueth aduice how to redresse them Arch. Abbot ibid. §. 13. Laurentius Valla a Patricias of Rome and Canon of Saint Iohns of Lateran liuing about the same time wrote against the forged Donation of Constantine and many abuses of the Pope and was by the Pope driuen into exile I might here speake of Leonardus Aretinus Antonius Cornelius Lynnichanus and diuers other writers reprouing the same things §. 13. Antiquus Let them alone for these whom you haue alledged speake not of any false doctrines of the Church of Rome but onely against the wicked liues of the Professors Antiquissimus Yes against both and especially because they laboured by false doctrine to iustifie their doings and therefore they write not onely against the Pope but against the Papacy the very office that challenged a right to doe such things as the Pope and his Clergy did The two Cardinals Cameracensis and Cusanus Camer in his booke to the Councell of Constance Cusanus Concord Cathol lib. 2. wholly condemned the Papacy as we do denying the Popes vniuersality of Iurisdiction vncontroulable power infallible iudgement and right to meddle with Princes states making him nothing but the first Bishop in order and honour amongst the Bishops of the Christian Church And this claimed power of the Pope
his preaching in the peoples minds If by authority Saint Ierom did meane supreme power ouer the other Apostles then Iames and Iohn should haue had it as well as Peter which is not your Catholike doctrine Also an inferiour or equall in power may be superiour in authority or estimation as Tully saith of Metellus a priuate man though chosen Consull for the yeere following That hee forbade certaine playes when an officer had allowed them and that which he could not obtaine by power Cicero oratione in Pisonem he did obtaine by authority that is with the credit which hee had with the people 2 The Primacy which the Fathers speake of was the Primacy of Order not of Power because Peter was first called to be an Apostle and first reckoned this argues no more power then the Fore-man of the Iury hath ouer the rest 3 The prerogatiue of Principality was in the excellency of grace and not of power as we say the Prince of Philosophers Aristotle the Prince of Poets Homer that is the wittiest or most excellent not Lord and master ouer the rest In this sence Saint Austine speaketh Peter the Apostle in whom that grace and Primacy are so superminent was corrected by Paul a latter Apostle by calling Saint Paul a latter Apostle hee sheweth his meaning of Saint Peters Primacy to bee of his first being an Apostle and by ioyning Grace with Primacy he sheweth that in greatnesse of grace consisted his supereminency So saith Saint Austen also b Aug. in Ioan. Tract 124. that Peter was Natura vnus homo gratia vnus Christianus abundantiori gratia vnus idemque primus Apostolus But to be chiefe in grace is one thing to be chiefe in power another thing c Turrecrem in Summa de Ecclesia l 2 c. 82. Cardinal Turrecramata saith A meane Christian yea an old woman may in perfection of grace and amplenesse of vertues be greater then the Pope but not in power of iurisdiction If excellency of grace might carry the supremacy of power you should take it from Saint Peter and giue it to the blessed Virgin By gifts of grace we vnderstand all blessings wherewith our Lord honoured him insomuch as in one thing or other he surpassed euery one of the Apostles Saint Iohn might exceed him in multitude of prophesies and reuelations and many gifts of grace as Saint Ierom declareth d Ierom. aduersus Iouinianum lib. 1. Saint Paul excelled him in the chiefest gifts and laboured more then all the rest 1 Cor. 15. so that Saint Austen giues excellent grace to Peter e De bapt con Donatistas lib. 2. c. 1. most excellent grace to Paul f in Psal 130. and cals him The Apostle by an excellency g Cont. duas epist pelagianorum lib. 3. c. 1. yet Saint Peter excelled Saint Paul in Primacy or being first chosen and Saint Iohn in age being the elder and therefore preferred before them to be the chiefe of the Apostles by Saint Ieroms opinion h Aetati delatuÌ„ est quia Petrus erat senior Hiero 1. adu Iouin lib. 1. To this Bellarmine yeeldeth i Bellar. lib. 1. de rom pontif cap. 27. § respoÌ„deo Paulum seeing Paul was called The Apostle per Antonomasiam quia plura scripsit doctior as sapientior fuit cateris also for planting more Churches then any other for the other Apostles were sent to certaine Prouinces he to all the Gentils without limitation and he laboured more abundantly then they all 1 Cor. 15. And after k § testatur ib. § fortasse Paul also may bee called princeps Apostolorum quia munus Apostolicum excellentissime ad impleuit as we call Virgil prince of Poets and Cicero prince of Orators Againe Nam etsi Petrus maior est potestate Paulus maior est sapientia Leo makes them the two eyes of the body whereof Christ is the head De quorum meritis atque virtutibus nihil diuersum nihil debemus sentire discretum quia illos electio pares labor similes finis fecit aequales The like hath Maximus ib. and Saint Gregory Paulus Apostolus Petro Apostolorum primo in principata Apostolico frater est Againe l Bellar. ib. §. denique si hac Paulus videtur plus Ecclesiae profuisse quà m Petrus plures enim ex gentibus ad Christi fidem adduxit plures prouincias summo cum labore peragrauit plura scripta eaque vtilissima nobis reliquit Antiq. Saint Ierom saith further that Saint Peter was made the head of the Apostles that all occasion of Schisme might be taken away Will you make nothing of those titles which the Scriptures and Fathers so frequently giue him of authority primacy principality supereminency the mouth of the Apostles the top the highest the president the head and such like Antiquis Nothing at all for that power which the Church of Rome now claymes by them and which hee neuer claymed nor vsed neither did the Scriptures or Fathers giue him What they gaue him we willingly yeeld A principality of Order Estimation and Grace For all Saint Peters power is comprised in the keyes promised him and in building the Church vpon him but all the Apostles receiue the keyes by Ieroms iudgement and the Church is built vpon them equally Ergo by his iudgement Peter was not ouer them in power and if you will yet say hee had some gouernment ouer them what can it else bee but a guidance not as a Monarch ouer subiects or inferiours D. Raynolds ib. pag. 226 227. D. Field l. 5. cap 24. but as in Aristocracy head of the company which in power are his equals For in all assemblies about affayres of gouernment there must needs bee one for orders sake and peace to begin to end to moderate the Actions and this is Saint Peters preheminence which Saint Ierome m Hieronym adu Iouin lib. 2. meant For hauing set downe his aduersaries obiection But thou saist The Church is built vpon Peter he answereth Although the same be done in another place vpon all the Apostles and they all receiue the keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen and the strength of the Church is grounded on them equally yet there is one chosen among the twelue that a head being appointed occasion of Schisme might be takeÌ„ away The like hath S. Cyprian n Cyprian de Vnitate Ecclesia Erant vtique caeteri Apostoli quod fuit Petrus pari consorâ—io praediti honoris potestatis sed exordium ab vnitate prosiciscitur c. The other Apostles saith he were that which Peter was endewed with the same fellowship both of honour and power but the beginning proceedeth from vnity that the Church may be shewed to be one To speake at once view all the titles of excellency giuen by the ancient Fathers to S. Peter alleadged by Bellarmine o De rom pont lib. 1. cap. 25. weigh them aduisedly without preiudice or
TO HIS HONORABLE FRENDE Sr. HENRY SKIPWITH Knight and Baronet The Author hereof sendeth this his worke as a Testimony and Memoriall of the LOVE and HONOVR which he beareth to his WORTHINES A IVSTIFICATION OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLAND Demonstrating it to be a true Church of GOD affording all sufficient meanes to SALVATION OR A Countercharme against the Romish enchantments that labour to bewitch the people with opinion of necessity to be subiect to the Pope of ROME Wherein is briefly shewed the Pith and Marrow of the principall bookes written by both sides touching this matter with Marginall reference to the Chapters and Sections where the points are handled more at large to the great ease and satisfaction of the READER By ANTHONY CADE Bachelour of DIVINITY GALAT. 3.1 O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth LONDON Printed for GEORGE LATHVM dwelling at the Bishops head in Pauls Church-yard Anno 1630. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD IOHN LORD Bishop of LINCOLNE my very good Lord and Patron RIght Reuerend Father I humbly craue your Patience to take notice of the Causes and Manner of my writing and your Patronage to countenance it The occasions of my writing 1 Particular I euer accounted it a great blessing of God and it is still the ioy of my heart to record that in my stronger yeeres I was thought worthy to be employed in the trayning vp of some Nobles and many other yong Gentlemen of the best sort whose names here to insert might happily be censured ambition in me in the Learned Tongues Mathemacicall Arts Musicke and other both Diuine and Humane Learning and that Many of them haue since risen to great places and dignities in our Church and Common wealth And it was afterwards my great griefe to heare that any of them or of their Parents by mee much honored should be seduced or drawn to embrace the present Religion of the Papacy and to separate froÌ„ our so excellently-reformed Church The falling away of persons of so Noble birth and place after such education likely also to be means by their examples and reputation to draw others to the like defection made a deepe impression of sorrow in my soule and wrought a desire to seeke their recouery 1 More generall I saw also a generall inclination of many sorts of people to returne againe to the Old Religion as they called it vpon a strong perswasion that the Protestants Religion was new and but of yesterday although we daily cry downe all nouelties in Religion and professe to embrace nothing which is not of the ancient faith Iude verse 3. once or first deliuered to the Saints These considerations excited and vrged me by that bond of loue and duty wherewith I feele my selfe bound both to my late dearely beloued yong Nobles and Gentlemen in particular and to our whole Church and State in generall The purposes and ends of my writing to addresse my selfe to writing to recollect and perfit that which I had long professed obserued and taught both to put those former in mind of such grounds of sound Religion which in their youth both by pulicke Sabboth-dayes Sermons and by priuate Schoole-Catechizings on Frydayes and by other Conferences they had learned of me and to confirme those grounds with Inuincible Reasons and Allegations And also to improue my Talents such as they are to the best seruice of the whole Church our Gracious Soueraigne the State in generall and euery particular soule for their eternall and temporall happinesse by instructing the Ignorant confirming the right beleeuers and good Subiects reducing the errant staying the weake and wauering or confounding the obstinate and thereby so much as in me lyeth working a happy peace loue vnity and vnanimity amongst all To which purpose An obiectioâ— answered though many haue written most learnedly and excellently already yet I thought good to follow S. Augustines aduise Augustin libro 1 De Trinitate cap. 3. Vâ—ile esâ— plures à pluribus fieri libros diverso stylo non diuersa fide etiam de quaestionibus â—â—sdem vt ad plurimos reâ— ipsa perueniat ad alios sic ad alios autem sic who wisheth where heresies are busie that all men which haue any faculty of writing should write though they write not onely of the same things but the same reasons in other wordes either that hereticks may see multitudes against them or that of many bookes written some at lest may come to their hands as it happily fell out in the time of the Arrians And for the manner of my writing The manner of my writing I endeuoured to fit it the best way to the Persons to whom I intended it and to these times I saw that bookes of all sorts are infinitely multiplied in the world and that neither men of great place nor many others haue time afforded from their necessary affaires to read many bookes or any large discourse I thought it therefore though the most painfull yet the most profitable course diligently to collect and faithfully to relate with all possible breuity and perspicuity the substance of that which former learned Authors Fathers and Histories haue deliuered what the Romish Doctors haue probably obiected and Protestants especially English haue substantially answered so much as concerneth my purpose and the points which I handle that the Reader might haue in one view and volume the Pith and Substance of the best bookes written on both sides touching these matters as an Epitome of them all And withall pointing to the bookes chapters and sections By marginall notes for the most part or pages of them all as an Index referring the vnsatisfied where he may read of euery point more at large I find to omit all others the late most learned Lipsius in humane knowledge Iusti Lipsij Politica See his Prefaces hath taken this course without any disgrace to himselfe but rather with the great commendation of his diligence and learning writing to the Emperour Kings and Princes which haue no leisure to read great bookes briefe Aphorismes methodically deliuered by him but euermore in the most learned Authors owne words and quoting their bookes Vt quae optima sunt aut per me cognoscatis aut mecum recognoscatis saith he to those great Estates That either by me yee may know these excellent things or with me call them againe to minde And herein saith he Verè dicere possum omnia esse nostra nihil All things in the booke are mine and nothing Because the matter was the Authors whoÌ„ he cites the whole inuention and order was his owne And Bellarmine in diuine Controuersies is esteemed to haue done the greatest seruice to the Church of Rome by collecting the substance of the learned large writers of Controuersies into one body coÌ„futing as he could what was against and confirming what was for that Church I haue followed these great wits though longo
interuallo a great Way behind them in the manner not in the matter of their writing I know it vnfit for me yea vnfit for a Christian and I hate it in my heart to bean Author or Inuenter of new opinions of Religon We must learne of S. Iude Iude v. 3. onely earnestly to contend for the faith which was once that is first deliuered to the Saints Therefore the Materials of my building I create not but fetch them from the Garden of Eden the holy Scriptures and the large Forests and rich Quarries of others but the choice of all the Timber and Stone the squaring ioyning forme and frame of the worke is mine which I haue set together without any impairing of the strength or beauty I hope of any peece Such graue and holy Authors words as vndeniable witnesses add waight and authority to my discourse more then from my selfe it could haue and it will be a great ease to the Readers as Iudges to haue the whole pleadings abridged and laid in one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or short view before them with the witnesses names annexed to euery Article whom they may more fully examine vpon euery occasion This I haue aymed at how neere I haue come vnto the marke I must leaue to others to Iudge The first part of this worke I now publish which concerneth the generall exceptions against our Reformed Church which I hope I fully cleare and satisfie in this small Volumne The second part which handleth the particular doctrines controuerted I am compelled to put off to another time Those my labours I am bold or rather indeed I am bound to dedicate vnto your Honour 1 As to my most bountifull Patron furnishing me with increase of meanes both to liue in better sort without want and thereby without contempt and especially to furnish me with many vsefulll bookes of all kindes and sides in perusing examining and extracting the quintessence whereof is my daily labour and my greatest worldly contentment The honour and fruits whereof are due debts vnto your bounty 2 As to our Reuerend Bishop and generall Father of the Clergy in this your Diocesse of Lincolne appointed according to the order of christs Apostles deliuered in Scripture a As appâ—â—reth by the subscriâ—tions of the second Epistle to Timothy in the Originall Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To Timotheus ordained the first Bishop of the Church of the Ephesians And the like to Titus ordained the first Bishop of the Cretians And by the Text Tit. 1.5 cap. 2. cap. 3.1 2 8 9 10 c. To gouerne part of Gods Church not onely for the b Ordination Tit. 1.5 1 tim 4.14 5.21 2â— 2 tim 2.2 Ordination of Ministers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in euery Congregation but also for c Iurisdiction 1 Tim. 1.3 4.11 5. per tot 6.3 4 5 20. 2 tim 2.14 tit 1.10 11 13. 3.10 c. Iurisdiction or power or ouer-fight that they teach found doctrine and liue without scandall 3 As to a most eminent and excellent builder of Gods Spirituall house by your diuine wisdome learning preaching and writing 4 And yet further To the most Noble and famous builder of Gods externall and visible houses by your d The beautifull Chappell at Lincolne Colledge in Oxford a magnificent Library at S. Iohns Colledge in Cambridge the mother and â—â—rse-place of of his learning another at Westminster his Dignity built and furnished by his cost as also another at Lincoln his Bishopricke with store of excellent bookes Founding also â—ew Fellowes and other Students with yeerely maintenance for euer in Cambridge with many other workes of Piety and abundant charity Oxford Westminster Lincoln Leicester and other places materiall buildings enriching beautifying and amplifying Churches and Colledges with Chappels Libraries Fellowships and Schollerships in both the Vniuersities and else where and furnishing them with the most excellent and necessary bookes that can bee gotten Which With other your most pious and Noble works draw the hearts and tongues of all men which I can heare mention your name to glorifie God for you and you for glorifying God and our Church and Nation with such worthy Monuments of your Piety Cost and Labours In regard of all these I could not hold my hart would breake if I did not in some sort vent the fulnesse thereof and honor your Bounty your Fatherhood your spirituall Graces and your materiall magnificall Beneficence by the best meanes I can with this dedication of my poore labours And let me adde that which all men will easily conceiue 5 To receiue honour from you by prescribing your much honoured name before my labors And finally as in these many respects I am bold and bound So 6 I doe most willingly and humbly offer my labours to your Fatherhood to be viewed Iudged approued or censured by your graue Wisedome Learning Piety and Authority For the continuance and encrease whereof and of all your temporall and eternall happinesse I shall dayly pray as becommeth Your Lordships much bounden ANTHONY CADE To the Reader DEare Christian Reader whatsoeuer or of what Religion soeuer thou art if there be any of these three things truly rooted in thy heart either the care of Gods Glory or the saluation of thy soule or the loue of thy Country with the peace strength happinesse and flourishing estate thereof as I hope all these three are conioyned in thee by them all of them or any of them I humbly and heartily entreat thee to reade not with prejudice but with an honest and good heart with indifferency patience aduisednesse and with continuall waighing considering and examining the things which I haue with great labour and diligence gathered and heere set before thee Rom 9.1 c. I doe protest before God as Saint Paul did for the Hebrewes that I haue great heauinesse and continuall sorrow in my heart for my deare brethren English people that are seduced and withdrawen from the sincerity of the Gospell and my hearts desire and praier to God is and my endeuours both by example of life and holy doctrine Rom. 10.1 c. continually tend that way that they might be saued eternally and in this world liue comfortably and happily For I beare them record the greatest number of them that they haue a zeale of God but not according to knowledge And it may bee many of their seducers are themselues first seduced by the cunning of their greatest Rabbines who yet the most of them know full well and very often confesse in their writings as I shall manifestly shew in handling the chiefe points controuerted betwixt vs that Protestants hold the truth and themselues haue swarned from pure Antiquity In tender commiseration therefore and yerning bowels of compassion vnto the seduced I haue vndertaken this great labour with neglect of my selfe my health and state to doe good to their soules and good to my Country by vniting them so far
would to God the forme of beleeuing were fetched from the Primitiue Church Thus saith Staâ—pulensis By which rule iustified by our Aduersaries we conclude that the holy Church of God need not receiue or beleeue any of those things following to wit Purgatory Inuocation of Saints departed worshipping of Images Auricular confession the Popes pardons Transubstantiation the Masse to be truely and properly a propitiatory sacrifice to be offered both for the quicke and the dead the Sacrament without Communicants and Communion vnder one kinde without the Cup to be sufficient for Lay people reseruation of the Sacrament and eleuation thereof to be worshipped and circumgestation in Procession for pompe and adoration Matrimony and extreme Vnction to be properly Sacraments of the New Testament and to conferre grace single life necessary to be imposed vpon the Clergy All which and more your Iesuite Azorius reckons for Traditions vnwritten p Azorius Institutionum lib 8. cap. 4. §. 3. seq Also that the Church of Rome is head of all â—hurches and that all Christians must fetch their Faith their Orders and iurisdiction from it that the Bishop thereof cannot erre in matters of faith or interpreting the Scriptures See more of this point Rainold Hart confer chap. 5. diuision 1. pag. 184 c. And chap. 8. divis 1. pag. 462. c. The Scriptures teach no such thing and therefore we need not beleeue it 5 We being constant to the former rule for the sufficiency of the Scriptures in matters of faith and good life further admit of some kind of Trad tions to wit first Doctrinall traditions agreeing with the Scriptures or thence truly deducted q Many Fathers call the whole Word of God which by some holy men guided by Gods Spirit was let downe in writing and by them also others deliuered to the people by liuely voyce A tradition which the Church must preseruâ— and also the forme of wholesome words Creeds Catechismes c. thence deducted 2 Tim. 1.13 Rom. 6 17. See Rain Hart. c. 8. d. 1. p 466 467. So the baptisme of Infants if not coÌ„manded in plaine words yet plainly deducted from Scripture Gen. 17.12 13. Col. 2.11 1â— Act. 2.38 39. Luke 18.16 Mar. 10.16 Mat. 19.14 18 14. 1 Cor. 7.14 Mat. 28.19 The doctrine of the Trinity the equality of three Diuine persons in one substance and the distinction by incommunicable proprieties Gen. 1.1 26. Mat. 3.16 Iob. 1.32 Mat. 17 5 28.29 2. Cor. 13.13 1 Iâ—b 5.7 Psal 2.7 Heb. â— 3 5. 7.3 Col. 1.15 The proceeding of the holy Gâ—ost from the Father and the Son as from one beginning and one spiration from all eternity Ioh. 14.26 15.26 16.13 14. Rom. 8.9 Secondly rituall traditions for order and decency left to the disposition of the Church being not of Diuine but of positiue and humane right r 1 Cor. 14.40 11.2 Acts 15 â—0 So they be not childish or trifling nor accounted parts of Gods worship nor with opinion of merit nor burthensome for their mâ—ltitude Å¿ Of the multitude S. Augustine complained in his time Epist 119. ad â—anuar c. 19. See D. Ram. Hart c. 8. div 4. p. 599. seq The first of these no man allowes and commends more then we and the second kind wee retaine and vse with reuerence such as are profitable and comely in our times and countries without condemning other Churches differing from ours in such matters as we find Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine did Aug. Epist 188. But a third kind of Traditions obtruded for Articles of Religion grounds of Faith and part of Gods worship neither contained expresly in Gods word nor thence deducted by any sound inference and yet receiued by the Councell of Trent Sess 4. with the same authority and reuerence that the holy Scriptures are receiued those we gainesay as things derogating to the verity sufficiency and perfection of the Scriptures And herein your Romish Writers deale fraudulenly against vs and deceiue the world for they alleadge the Fathers speaking of the first kind of Traditions as if they spake of all whereas indeed they write very strongly and sharply against this third kind which wee refuse Bishop Vsher in his booke against the Jrish Iesuite pag. 36. seq alleadgeth a whole Iury of ancient Fathers testifying the sufficiency of the Scriptures for matters of Faith Tertullian Origen Hippolitus the Martyr Athanasius Ambrose Hilary Basil Gregory Nissen Jerom Augustine Cyril Theodoret. So that the Traditions which they vrge we alow and those that we deny they write sharpely against The Fathers say your Rom sh are not of the Protestants Church because they vrge Traditions but wee say more truely The Fathers are not of the Romish Church because they teach the Scripture is sufficient and needs no Traditions to supply their defect as the Romish teach When Bellarmine and your other Doctors are pressed with the authority of the Fathers they are compelled to yeelâ— vnto vs the sufficiency of the Scriptures as I alleadged artic 4. but obserue their vnconstancy lest they should ouerthrow thereby the manifold doctrines held by their Church that haue no ground in the Scriptures they are faine to maintaine also vnwritten Traditions to bee the grounds of those Doctrines See more of this point in Mr. Perkins Reformed Catholicke the 7 point B. Morton Apol. Cathol part 2. lib. 1. cap. 32. seq And Protestants Appeal lib. 2. cap. 25. D. Field of the Church Booke B. Vsher in his answer to the Irish Iesuite Rainolds and Hart confer chap. 5. diuision 1. pag. 190. 6 We receiue and beleeue also the three Creeds The Apostles the Nicene and that of Athanasius t These are in our Bookes of publicke prayer and booke of Articles of anno 1562 art 8 and subscribed vnto by all Ministers and the foure generall Councels of the Primitiue Church as good formes of true Christian Doctrine deductions and explications of Scripture u Acknowleeged by King Iames in his Praemonitiâ—n to all Christian Monarâ—s p. 35. and by our Acts of Parliament You receiue the same also but you adde a thirteenth article decreed to be an article of Faith thirteene hundred yeares after Christ by a thirteenth Apostle Pope Boniface the eight x Boniface 8. liued an 13â—â— his Decree runs thus Subesse Romano Pontâ—fici omni humanae creaturae declaramus dicimus desinimus pronunciamus omnino esse de necessitate salutis Thus Boniface 8 in extrauag de majoritate obedientia cap. vnam santaâ— That it is necessary to saluation to be subiect to the Bishop of Rome which is neither in the Scriptures ancient Creeds nor ancient Fathers nor can be thence deducted And you haue further also dately added 12 new Articles by the authority of Pope Pius 4. anno 1564 raised out of the Councell of Trent and added to the Nicene Creed to be receiued with oath as the true Catholicke Faith to bee
Church and magnifying the largenesse dignity wealth and dowry of his Bride apud Vsserium De ecclesiarum successione statu cap. 9. initio pag. 255. See also B. Carlton Consens contr 2. de ecclesia cap. 1. pag. 156. and D. Field of the Church lib. 5. cap. 41. pag. 267. where he answereth Bellarmines arg libri 2. de Rom. pont cap. 31. Ex nominibus quae Romano Pontifici tribui solent verse 18. so plaine that that the Iesuites cannot doe not deny it our Rhemists say it was Rome vnder Nero c. but later Iesuites Ribera and Viegas Suarez confesse it must needs be Rome towards the end of the world wherein Antichrist shall sit make hauocke of the Church and be finally destroyed CHAP. 5. §. 5. II. As the Pope challengeth a superiority ouer all Christians so much more particularly ouer all the Clergy who must all deriue their both Orders and Iurisdiction from him as from the vniuersall Pastor of the Church in whom all power of Orders and Iurisdiction originally resideth So that Bishops pay to the Pope great summes of money for their ceremonies at their entrance and Priests also their first fruites and yearely tenths with other payments to fill the Popes Cofers by exhausting Christian Kingdomes and all Bishops and Priests become the popes subiects exempted from the Iurisdiction Lawes and penalties of the Princes in whose Countries they liue both their persons goods and lands which is a double iniury to Christian Princes and Common-wealthes First that the Princes and State haue no dominion ouer the persons or bodies of the Clergy or ouer Monkes Fryars Nunnes or other Regulars or Votaries they cannot be punished by the Kings lawes be they adulterers murderers robers traitors or tainted with other villanies except the popes officers will degrade them make theÌ„ seculars Which was the Controuercy betwixt King Henry the second Read this whole story in our Chronicles especially in Speeds and Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury who would not yeeld the King any authority to punish Clergy malefactors as being none of his subiects Secondly that the Princes and State haue no aide subsidies or reuenues out of the goods or lands of Church-men or Abbies whereas the goods or lands of such men may arise to a quarter or a third part of the whole Realme yea and they continually increase from Age to Age by gifts bequests and purchases and are neuer alienated to the great impairing of publicke reuenues and publicke force For which the Venetians and other Common-wealthes haue been compelled to make Lawes of restraint lest they should in time be swallowed vp by the Clergy This is against Diuinity equity and antiquity Christ was not exempted from the Magistrates power he acknowledge Pilat to haue power to crucify him Iohn 19.10 11 power to release him euen lawfull power giuen him from aboue He payed tribute to Caesar for himselfe and his Saint Paul acknowledged Caesaer to be his lawfull iudge And taught all men both for conscience sake Mat. 17. end Act. 25.10 Rom. 13.1 c. 1 Pet. 2.13 Bernard epist ad Episcopum Senonensem Omnis anima tum vestra quis vos excipit qui tentat excipere tentat decipere and in equity for the good we receiue from the Magigstrates to be subiect to the ciuill Magistrates that beare the sword Saint Peter doth the like Saint Bernard writing to a Bishop tels him he is not exempted from temporall subiection to Princes he that excepts him deceiues him Father Paul of Venice in his Considerations vpon the censure of Pope Paul 5. pag. 39. shewes how the Exemptions of the Clergy came in peece-meale by the priuiledges of Princes and not jure diuino Anno domini 315. Constantine the great exempted their persons from publicke and Court seruices And Constant and Constance his sonnes added their exemption from illiberall or sordid actions and from Impositions 308 Valens and Gracianus 400 Arcadius and Honorius 420 Honorius and Theodosius 2. c. put the tryall of the Clergy to the Bishop if both parties were willing otherwise to the secular Magistrate which was confirmed by Gracian also anno 460. and by Leo. 560 Iustinian put the Clergy in ciuill causes to the Bishop and in criminall to the secular Iudge 630 Heraclius exempted the Clergy both in ciuill and criminall causes from the secular Magistrate yet euer reseruing entire the Princes immediate Deputies and substitutes But the popes in following Ages challenged these priuiledges as due to them by diuine right and abused these Emperours bountifulnesse to their great disturbance and dishonour And in these last Ages wherein priests and Iesuites are so busie with State matters to the great disquiet and danger of Princes making Religion a Maske to couer and closely conuey treasons and rebellions these exemptions and priuiledges are not tollerable §. 6. III. The Popes authority staies not here in the general Fatherhood of the Church or dominion ouer the Clergy exempting from the secular powers These are but staires to an higher ascent In the first and best times of the Church the gaining of soules to God was the principall end and wealth a poore inferiour meanes to maintaine them selling their lands to relieue the poore Christians Acts 2.45 and 4.34 c. Now it seemes greatnesse and wealth are the chiefe ends and a shew of Religion is a meanes to get them Christs kingdome was not of this world Iohn 18.36 The Popes is Doctor Sanders calls it Sanderi libri de visibili monarchia The visible Monarchy of the Church a Monarchy ouertopping all other yea practising to depose dispose transpose all other Christian Potentates as shall seeme good to the Pope to giue Henries Empire to Rodulph sending to him a Diadem with this Inscription Petra dedit Petro Petrus Diadema Rodulpho authorizing him like Zimri to kill his Master and raigne in his stead To giue England from King Iohn to Philip of France our Henry the eigth his Kingdome to whosoeuer could take it by force Queene Elizabeths to the King of Spaine to omit many others Pope Celestinus crowned Henry 6 and his Empresse See Tortura Torti pag. 264. 262. Baronius approued not Alexander 3. act annot 177. for he thought the story not true But Celestinâ—s fact he commends and defends B. Andâ—ews in Tortura Torti pag. 263. with both his feet and cast off his with one An Emperours Crowne is but the popes football Gregory 7 made Henry 4. attend bare-footed foure dayes in Winter before his gates Alexander 3 trode vpon Fredericke Barbarosaes necke reciting the verse of the Psalme 91.13 Thou shalt treade vpon the Lyon and Adder The yong Lyon and the Dragon shalt thou trample vnder thy f et These things the world cryed shame vpon and Bellarmine blusheth at some of them and laboureth to weaken the credit of the Reporters but our Bishop Andrewes reckons aboue 20 Authors of diuers Nations reporting them Christ would not
him might answerably maintaine him vphold his authority and all his proceedings with the disgrace and beating downe of all his or their aduersaries §. 2. See Hist concil Trent lib. 2. pag. 167. 169. 170. an 1546. lib. 4. pag. 322. This course was found to be very hurtfull to the Church and was complained of by many learned men in the following Ages and in the late Councell of Trent Reformation thereof was very earnestly called for by many Bishops especially the Spanish as a thing that vtterly abolished the Apostles Institution and the holy Fathers practise took away the Bishops office and was the cause why all things were out of order and so had growne by degrees from bad to worse for three hundred yeeres Neither was it possible to amend them wh le these ambulatory Monkes and Fryars did so swarme in the world with priuiledge to preach where and what they list against the Bishops willes Vpon such great and frequent complaints in Trent Ibid. pag. 170. the pope and Cardinals at Rome tooke the matter into their consideration and they quickly saw that if these exemptions and priuiledges of preaching Monkes and Fryers were taken away the popes authority would decay For it was a cleare case that after the six hundredth yeare the primacy of the Apostolicke Sea had beene vpheld by the Benedictine Monkes exempted and after by the Congregations of Clunie and Cistercium and other Monasticall Assemblies vntill the Mendicant Fryars arose by whom it had beene maintained till that time And therefore to take away those priuiledges were directly to oppugne the Papacy with a manifest depression of the Court of Rome These motions therefore were by all possible meanes to be silenced Note by the way something of the Monkes here named and the Ages they liued in §. 3. Tritem de viris illustr ord Benediclini lib. 1. cap. 2. 5. Tritemius writes that of the Benedictines there were before the Councell of Constance 15000 Religious houses and that out of this order there had beene taken of Popes eighteene Cardinals one hundred and eighty Archbishops one thousand one hundred sixty foure Bishops three thousand fiue hundred and twelue by which you may gesse at the multitudes power estimation and authority that this order had in the world Azor. instit moral lib. 12. c. 21. Azorius saith when this order grew slacke and swarued from their first rule the Cluniacenses arose out of them an 913. And the Câ—sternienses anno 1198. And these were they that vpheld the Papacy so notably in those middle times of darkenesse when all Learning both Diuine and Humane yea and almost all goodnesse was decayed out of the world and ignorant men were apt to beleeue any thing and take it for currant and authenticall which their seeming-holy Church-men taught being no way able to examine the truth thereof §. 4. Legend Aur. Iacobi de Voragine in vita Dominici c. Also in vita Dominici addita Lipomano De historia Sanctorum These things they say were made knowne to diuers deuout Monkes by Visions or Reuelations whereof Iacobus de Voragine Bishop of Genua reciteth some In legenda S. Dominici But in succeeding times when the worlds eyes were better opened and the opposers of the Papacy specially the Waldenses or Albigenses grew to greater numbers and strength Innocent 3. hit vpon better meanes against them by the two orders of begging Fryers newly deuised by S S. Dominick and Francis There is a wicked and prophane story which I thought the learned of this Age had beene ashamed of but that I find it new written againe by Costerus the Iesuite in the Preface of his Institutions how that Iesus Christ was in a great chafe that the Albigenses increased so fast and seemed to ouercome the world so that he said he would presently destroy the world But the holy Virgin his Mother prayed him to be patient a while that she might first send two men into the world S. Dominicke and S. Francis and if they could ouercome them all should be well if not then let him take his pleasure They write also that Dominicus hauing deuised a new order against Heretickes better then any former came to pope Innocent 3. to haue it confirmed The pope in some suspence whether to grant or deny it one night saw in his dream the great church of Lateran shrinking in his ioynts and ready to finke to the earth whereat affrighted he thought he saw Dominick presently come and hold it vp with his shoulders Vpon which vision he confirmed his new order Thus writes Vincentius in Speculo histor Antoninus Theodoricus Bertrandus Bonav de vita Francisci cap. 3. in fine apud Lipomanum Baptista Mantuanus But Bonaventure saith It was Saint Francis that held vp the Church See Bishop Vsher De successu Ecclesiae cap 9. § 9 10. Howsoeuer it is certaine they that wrote and they that beleeued these stories had a strong conceit that these two Orders were magnae spes altera Romae Strong successiue props to vphold the Maiesty of the Papacy And so they were many wayes 1 by their multitude for they quickly spread ouer the face of the earth some say Chawcer in the wife of Bathes tale as thicke as the Locusts darkning the ayre Reuel 9 or as Chawcer saith as thicke as motes in the Sunne Beame 2 By their credit and estimation among the people for they were receiued and admired as most holy men vowing pouerty forswearing riches lands or other worldly goods for Christs sake contented with their Houses Gardens and Orchards liuing on Almes begged or brought to them simply cloathed with ropes for their girdles and preaching very diligently in all places specially quaint Tales and Legends delighting the people But the sense of their credit made them vntolerably audacious See these things at large in Mat. Paris pag 404. and 673. And in B. Vsher De Eccles cap. 9. §. 14. seq in vilifying all ordinary Ministers of the Gospell creeping into and vsurping their Offices and magnifying themselues as the onely men of Gods priuy Councell full of inspirations and Reuelations they onely knew how to distinguish lepram à lepra one sinne from another how to open hard and knotty questions resolue all doubts giue true penance and absolution c. And they kept bookes of the names of all theit Clients that chose them to be their Confessors and counsellours and by such deuises drew infinite store of people and much wealth after them whereby they built very stately houses like Kings Palaces and professing pouerty abounded with all wealth and superfluity and so robbed the ordinary Ministers of their maintenance and brought them into such contempt and pouerty that they made grieuous complaints thereof to the Emperour Pope and Cardinals in which complaints some Bishops ioyned with them Yea the famous Vniuersity of Paris complained to the Popes of their wrongs also but all in vaine for
the pope fauoured the Fryers and curbed the Vniuersities priuiledges §. 5. See Vsherabidem During this contention at Paris The Fryers forged a new Gospell fitter it seemes for their purpose then Christs Gospell and called it the Gospell of the Holy Ghost and the euerlasting Gospell Evangelium aeternum labouring to make men beleeue it was more perfect better and worthier then the Gospell of Christ as the Sunne was more perfect then the Mooue and the kernell of a Nut better then the shell and that Christs Gospell should then cease and this should come in the roome of it and continue for euer And this Gospell continued 55 yeares without any open reprehension of the Church of Rome and at length was set forth to be openly read and expounded in the Vniuersity of Paris anno 1255. But it was opposed by some Parisian Doctors Gulielmus de Sancto amore O do de Duaco Nicholaus de Barro and Christianus Belluacensis who wrote against it and shewed the monstrous impieties and blasphemies of it After much contention finally the matter was brought before the pope anno 1256. who with aduice of his Cardinals tooke order that this Gospell and all the copies thereof should be secretly burned and not openly reprehended for disgracing their Orders and also that the Parisians bookes written against it should be publikely burned The popes Decree for this purpose is inserted in Bishop Vshers booke De successione Ecclesiarum cap. 9. § 28. Where also the whole story is set downe somewhat largely collected out of many approued Historians there cited ibid. § 20. seq By this story appeareth the little conscience these seeming holy Fryers made of the truth of their teaching §. 6. or of corrupting Gods Word or abrogating it or of teaching any thing that might serue for their purpose And these were the worthy men whom the Jnnocent pope made choyce of to vphold not Christs Church but the Papacy authorizing them to preach where and what they list without controule of any man for the maintenance thereof 3 And not onely to preach but to exercise the authority and power of a most cruell Inquisition Hos prosternamus deleamusque said Dominicâ— to Francis in vita Deminici yea made them the chiefe Inquisitors to search out and deliuer vp to death all those that gaine-said and withstood without yeelding vnto the Doctrine and gouernment of the Pope although otherwise they liued neuer so holily iustly and quietly which bloody office they executed with all diligence and cruelty §. 3. 4 About the same time also and out of their Schoole arose another Euill of vnprofitable and idle Sententiaries Questionists Summists Quodlibetists and such like 1 Tim. 6.4 fit men to corrupt the simplicity of the Gospell and fill mens heads with darke thorny and brawling disputes to languish about questions 2 Tim. 2 23. and strife of words and by too much subtilty making plaine things obscure losing the pith marrow and kernell of true Theology 1 Tim. 6.20 and bringing true sauing knowledge of good life to prophane and vaine ianglings and oppositions of science falsely so called For now was Theology made conformable to their rules of Philosophy and must haue no other sense then their fore-conceiued opinions allowed it and all other senses must be shifted of by subtile distinctions Viues in his notes vpon S. Augustine de civ Dei The Schoolemen saith Lodovicus Viues through ignorance of tongues haue not onely marred and smoothered a Lib. 3. cap. 31. all other Arts but b Lib 3. cap. 13. lib. 19. c. 12. Diuinity too and and haue c Lib. 11. c. 11. 14. Lib. 13. cap. 1. lib. 18. cap. 1. lib. 20. cap. 16. lib. 21 cap. 7. As D. Rainolds hath collected them in the Preface to his Conference with Mr. Hart. But these places are now purged out by Index Expurg in the later Prints prophaned it with their curiosity their vanity their folly their rashnesse in mouing and defining questions As Aristotelians rather then Christians and Heathen Philosophers then Schollers of the holy Ghost §. 4. When M. Luther had reproued the great abuse of Pardons Concil Trid sess 21. c. 9. anno 1517. and that so iustly that shortly after the Fathers of the Trent Councell vtterly abolished the pardoners as vntollerably scandalous to Christian people and thereby iustified Luthers beginning and proceeding Ignatius Loiola a Spaniard lately before a Courtier and a Souldier and now disabled by a wound in one of his legges thought vpon a better remedy against the enemies of the Popes soueraignty Genebrard lib. 4. chron then had been deuised before and in the yeare 1521. began a new order of Iesuites he obserued as he trauelled in many Countries and Vniuersities such rules and orders as best fitted his purpose Possevin Bibl. select lib. 1. cap. 38. and hauing ioyned ten other choice men to himselfe came to Rome anno 1540. to get his order confirmed by the Pope and by meanes of Cardinall Contarenus Massaeus Iesuita lib 2. c. 1 â— vit Ignatij Loiola offered the forme of his new order to the Pope wherein he had to the three vowes of other orders super added a fourth vow that the Iesuites should willingly and readily goe into any Countrey of Christians or Infidels whethersoeuer the Pope would send them for the affaires of Religion This the Pope greatly liked saying it would proue a notable helpe to the afflicted state of the Church Ribadeneira vit Igâ—at lib. 2. c. 18. Thus writes Mâ—ssaeus the Iesuite and another Iesuite Ribadineira saith God by singular prouidence sent Jgnatius to helpe his Church now when it was ready to fall They say Satan sent Luther and God sent the Iesuites to withstand him We say the contrary But let it be iudged by the purport of their Doctrine who came from God â—nd who from the enemy They that teach disloyalty and rebellion against Kings and leade their people into Conspiracies and Treasons against States and Kingdomes to let all other points passe vntouched for the present let them be branded for the Emissaries of Satan This order then was first confirmed by Paul Azor. Institut moral lib. 13. cap. 7. 3. 1540 and againe 1543. and by Julius 3. 1550. also by Pius 5. 1565. and 1571. and lastly by Gregory 13. 1584. as Azorius the Iesuit writeth and sets downe the Confirmation at large But this order of Iesuites neuer came to the height till Gregory 13 his time when Claudius de Aqua viva was made their Generall Possevin Bibl. select l. 1. c. 39. Then was a proiect laide to build Colledges and Seminaries to traine vp yong men and make them fit instruments to maintaine the Papacy and Romish Church To that end sundry choice men were brought from diuers Countries Ioannes Azorius from Spaine Iasper Gonzales from Portugall Jacobus Tyrius from France Petrus Buseus from Austria Antonius
Iosephists Esperonists Arnoldists Wiclifists Hussits c. to omit other nick-names giuen them vpon other causes § 3 And now secondly that they were our fore-runners in the points of Religion wherein we differ from you your Writers shew plentifully a Hist Waldens Book 1. cap. 8. Aeneas Sylvius and Iohn du Bravius in their histories of Bohemia make the doctrine taught by Calvin all one with that of the Waldenses And the same Sylvius saith b Aeneas Sylv. hist Bohem. cap. 35. The Hussites did imbrace the opinions of the Waldenses And Hosius heres lib. 1. saith the leprosie of the Waldenses infected all Bohemia Lindanus in his Analyticke Tables makes Caluin inheritor of the Doctrine of the Waldenses Thomas Walden c VValden lib. 6. de reb Sacram. tit 12. cap. 10. saith The doctrine of the Waldenses crept out of the quarters of France into England meaning by Wiclife against whom he wrote d D. Vsher Gravis quaest cap. 8. §. 1. Poplinerius saith The Waldenses and Albigenses about the yeere 1100 and the succeeding times spread their doctrine parum differentem little differing from that which the Protestants now imbrace Lancelotus du voisin Poplinerius histor Franc. lib. 1. fol. 7. b. edit anno 1581. e Ib. cap. 9. §. 22. Gretserus the Iesuite calls the Albigenses Waldenses and Berengarians Caluinianorum atavos the Caluinists great grandfathers Gretser prolegâ—m in scripta edita contra Wald. cap. 5. f D. Abbot against Hill Reason 1. §. 18. Francis Guicciardin an Italian and Florentine Historian writing of the yeere 1520. lib. 13. saith that Luther set abroad the doctrine of the Bohemians naming Hus and Hierom. And Petrus Messias a Spaniard in the life of Wenceslaus mentioning the opinions of Hus and the Bohemians saith They were the seed of those errours as he cals them which were afterwards in Germany to wit taught by Luther g Ib. §. 29. And Iohannes Cocleus a man that had laboured in the story of the Hussites and set out bookes thereof and also wrote sharpely against Luther saith that Hus did commit spirituall fornication with many aliens with the Wiclivists the Dulcinists the Leonists the Waldenses the Albigenses and others of that sort enemies of the Church of Rome And he saith that Luther followed Hus his Doctrine lib. 2. de Actis scriptis Lutheri And cals the Lutherans new Hussites And againe lib. 3. and lib. 8. he saith that vnto his time till Luthers time and after there remained the sect of the Thaborites in many places of Bohemia and Moravia vnder the name of Picards and Waldenses h Histor Albigens lib. 1. cap. 8. Eckius in his common places cap. 28. saith Luther had done nothing else but renew the heresies of the Waldenses Albigenses Wiclife and Iohn Hus. § 4 Antiquus Sir our men deny not but these Waldenses and others were Luthers fore-runners in many things but they held some things which you are ashamed to hold and therefore were not of your Church or Religion Antiquissimus I know well that many errours were imputed to them which they neuer held As i B. Vsher Grauiss quaest cap. 10. §. 15. Bernardus Girardus the French Historian lib. 10. saith Although they had some ill opinions yet these did not so much stirre vp the hatred of the Pope and great Princes against them as their freedome in speech which they vsed in blaming and reprouing the vices dissolute manners life and actions of Princes Ecclesiasticall persons and the Pope himselfe That was the chiefe thing which drew the hatred of all vpon them effecit vt plures nefarie affingerentur eis opiniones à quibus omnino fuerant alieni this caused many wicked opinions to be deuised and fathered of them from which they were very free and guiltlesse k Ib. cap. 8. §. 28. Thuanus histor lib. 5. anno 1550. reckons vp their opinions thus They held that the Church of Rome because it had forsaken the true faith of Christ was that Whore of Babylon and that barren tree which Christ cursed and therefore we ought not to obey the Pope and Bishops which fostered his errours that the Monasticall life was the sinke and kennell of the Church the vowes thereof vaine and seruing onely for vnclean lusts that the Priests orders were notes of that beast mentioned in the Reuelation that purgatory fire sacrifice of the Masse Sanctuaries or hallowed places about Churches worshipping of Saints offerings for the dead were the Inuentions of Sathan Then he addeth To these certaine and chiefe heads of their doctrine alia afficta others are fained and deuised concerning Mariage resurrection the state of soules after death and of Meates l B. Iewel Apol. cap. 1. diuis 1. Bishop Jewell saith our ancient Christians were slandered that they made priuy meetings in the darke killed yong babes fed themselues with mens flesh and like Sauage and brute beasts did drinke their blood In conclusion how that after they had put out the Candles they committed adultery or incest one with another brethren with sisters sonnes with theiâ— mothers without shame or difference men without all Religion enemies of mankind vnworthy to be suffered in the world Thus they said of the ancient Christians and thus they said of the Waldenses most vniustly and vntruely of both you doubt not of the former let many of your owne Writers satisfie you of the later m Vsher grav qu. cap. 6. §. 11. Rainerius whose booke Gretserus the Iesuite lately set out among other Writers of the Waldenses saith The Waldenses were the most dangerous sect to the Church of all other for three causes the third whereof is that whereas other sects through the outragiousnesse of blasphemy against God worke a horrour in men this sect of the Leonists hath a great shew of piety because before men they liue iustly and of God they beleeue all things piously and hold all the articles contained in the Creed onely they blaspheme and hate the Roman Curch for which the multitude is easie to beleeue n Hist â—ald booke 1. cap. 5. Iacobus de Riberia in his collections of the Citie of Tholous saith the Waldenses wonne all credit from the Priests and made them little esteemed by the holinesse of their liues and excellency of their doctrine The like saith Rainerius cited ib. De forma haeret fol. 98. And Clauâ—ius de Scissel Archbishop of Turin saith they liued vnreproueably without reproach or scandall among men cited ib. In his Treatise against the Waldenses The B. of Canaillon sent a certaine Monke a Diuine Vesembec Oration of the Waldenses citat ib. to conferre and conuince the Waldenses of Merindal in Prouince who vpon his returne said He had not so much profited in all his life in the Scriptures as hee had done in those few dayes conference with the Waldenses Wherevpon the Bishop sent diuers Doctors to confound them but vpon their returne one of them said with a
Churches and Monasteries Cochleus lib. 5. Petrus Messias in Sigismundo they brake downe the Images there and not long after vnder the conduct of Joannes Zisca a noble and victorious Warriour they grew to be forty thousand strong in one Armie and got into their hands the Castle of Prague the chiefe City of Bohemia Shortly after contemning the Curses and Croysados of Pope Martin they wanne many victories vnder the leading of Procopius and other Captaines but especially vnder Zisca of whom a lib. 5. Cochleus saith scarce any Histories of the Greekes Hebrewes or Latins doth mention such a Generall He built a new City of Refuge for his men named Thabor whereof the best of the Hussites were called Thaborites Vpon a new Croisado of Pope Martin wherein hee promised remission of sinnes to all that would either fight or contribute money against the Hussites forty thousand German Horsemen were gathered to destroy them §. 6. but vpon their approach they turned their backes and fled not without some secret Iudgement of God saith Cochleus b lib. 6. Then was the Councell of Basil called saith c Onuph ib. Onuphrius against the Hussites and in that Councell contrary to the Act of the Councell of Constance d Session 13. the vse of the Cup in the Sacrament was granted to the Bohemians an argument of their great numbers and vnresistable strength at that time For the Bookes of Hus full of wholsome and mouing Doctrine liued though he was dead and through the memory of his constant standing for the Truth against the whole Councell and the Councâ—ls perfidious and outragious burning of a man so learned so painfull so greatly beloued and lamented his bookes were earnestly desired and read and wanne many The like wrought the memory of Ierom his admirable learning eloquence memory and patience in his death e Poggius Epist ad Leonardum Aret. num which Poggius in an Epistle doth very much commend being an eye-witnesse and feelingly describes the same as one much affected with his excellent parts Recorded also by Cochleus f Lib. 3. So that notwithstanding the continuall opposition against them they continually encreased and in short time got a Bishop Suffâ—agan to the Archbishop of Prage g Ib. lib. 4. and after him Conradus the Archbishop himselfe on their side to giue orders to their Clerkes and to helpe for the compiling a confession of their faith anno 1421 h Ib. lib. 5. Which the Archbishop and many Barons afterwards did stiffely maintaine and complained against the Emperour Sigismund for offering wrong to those of their Religion Alexander Duke of Lituania gaue them aid and was reproued by pope Martin 5 for it And Sigismund in fine in a treaty with the Bohemians granted that the Bishops should promote to holy orders the Bohemians euen Hussites which were of the Vniuersity of Prage i Ib. lib. 8. §. 7. Aeneas Sylvius complaineth that about the yeare 1453. the Kingdome of Bohemia was wholly gouerned by Heretickes for that all the Nobility and all the Commonalty were subiect to one George or Gyrzikâ— who then was gouernor vnder K Ladislaus afterwards was King himselfe Who with all his Nobles shewing vndaunted constancy and resolution rather to dye then forsake their Religion caused the pope Pius to tolerate many things in them But his successor Paul the second excommuicated King George publishing a Croisado against him and gaue his Kingdome to Matthias King of Hungary for which they warred for seuen yeares space and in the end concluded a peace But while some Princes mediated to the pope for King George his absolution Abbot ib. §. 18. he dyed anno 1471. not long before Luthers rising §. 8. And your k Cochleus lib. 2. Cochleus who wrote his history in Luthers time sheweth that the Hussites continued to those dayes For saith he Hus hath slaine soules for an hundred yeares together neither doth he yet cease to slay them by the second death And againe l Ibid. Hus did so rend the vnity of the Church that at this day there remaineth a pittifull division in Bohemia And m lib. 8. vnto this day remayneth the sect of the Thaborites in many places of Bohemia and Moravia vnder the name Picards and VValdenses And n lib. 12. in the yeere 1534 he wisheth that he may see the remainders of the Hussites to returne to the Church and the Germans to cast out all new sects And it is certaine that in the very yeare 1517. wherein Luther began to oppose the corruptions of Rome the Councell of Lateran ended vnder pope Leo the tenth and consultation was had there and then of reforming the manners of the Church and of recouering the Bohemians to the vnity thereof o See the booke extant And D. Featlieâ— Replie to Fisher pag. 154. Luther himselfe writeth a Preface to the confession of faith which the Waldenses then odiously called Picards dwelling in Bohemia Moravia did set forâ—h which he greatly approueth coÌ„mendeth to godly men to read with thankes to God for the vnity which he found betwixt them and vs as the sheepe of one fold Besides we find many Waldenses remaining in France §. 9. in and after Luthers time p Vesembeâ— Oration of the Waldenses citat in history Wald. booke 1. cap. 5. See ib. booke 2. cap. 8. Anno 1506 Lewis 12. King of France hearing much euill of the VValdenses in his Realme sent the Lord Adam Fumce Master of Requests and Parvi a Doctor of Sorbon his Confessor to try the truth who visiting all their parishes and Temples in Provence found indeed no Images nor ornaments of Masses or other Ceremonies but they found also no such crimes could be found in them as were reported but that they Religiously obserued the Sabboth dayes baptized their children after the order of the Primitiue Church taught them the articles of the Christian faith and the Commandements of God c. Vpon which report the King said and bound it with an oath that they were better men then he or his people The same King being informed that in the valley of Frassinier in the Diocesse of Ambrun in Dauphiney there were a certaine people that liued like beasts without Religion hauing an euill opinion of the Romish Religion he sent his Confessor with the officiall of Orleance to bring him true information thereof who found them all so truely righteous and religious that the Confessor wished in the presence of many that He were as good a Christian as the worst of the said valley q Ioachim Camerar in his hist pag. 152. King Francis 1. successor to Lewis 12. seeing th Parliament of Provence grieuously afflict the VValdenses of Merindal Cambriers and places adioyning appointed VVilliam de Ballay Lord of Langeay then his Leiutenant in Piedmont to search and informe him more fully of them Vpon whose information of their piety honesty charity peaceablenesse painfulnesse
principall argument to proue that you Protestants haue no Church at all because you haue no Priests or true Ministers sent and authorized by the Lord. In vrging whereof giue me leaue somewhat to enlarge my selfe Antiquissimus Say what you will I hope to giue you a sufficient and satisfactory answer Antiquus First there can be no Church without true Ministers to teach the holy Doctrine to performe the holy seruice of God and to minister the Sacraments vnto Gods people and bring them to saluation a Ephes 4.8 c. And therefore when our Sauiour ascended into heauen he gaue all necessary gifts vnto men making Apostles Prophets Euangelists Pastors Teachers for the worke of the Ministery gathering and perfecting of the Saints and edifying of the Church to continue by succession to the end of the world b Jb. verse 13. That all might be kept from errour and vnited in the Truth These are the Lords Ambassadors c 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. planters waterers husbandmen builders yea co-adjutors and workers-together-with God d 1 Cor 3.6 9 Secondly therefore these Ministers must be furnished by the Lord with two things 1 With authority to meddle with this holy seruice 2 with power effectually to performe those ancient acts of gracious efficacy belonging to their office as teaching of true sauing doctrine forgiuing of sinnes and administring the admirable holy Sacraments which no man of any other ranke can doe and which they onely can doe who are sent of God and furnished with his authority and power and with whom God effectually worketh To which end the Sacrament of Order giuen to Priests by the hands of Gods officers imprints a Character in the Receiuer e Bellar. de sacraÌ„ in genere lib. 2. cap. 19. § propositio sexta § prop. tertia in sine that wheresoeuer it is God is present * By Couenant or promise ex pacto and concurreth to the producing of supernaturall effects which he doth not where his Character is wanting Therefore when Christ sent his Apostles with this Commission As my Father sent mee euen so send J you f Ioh. 20.21 c. He breathed on them and said Receiue yee the Holy Ghost whose sinnes soeuer yee remit they are remitted vnto them and whose soeuer sinnes yee retaine they are retained Where he gaue them both Commission and power to performe it And in the end of Saint Matthewes Gospell g Matth. 28 18 19 20. first mentioning his vnbounded power both in heauen and earth he sends his Apostles to teach and bring the world into his subiection adding that he would be with them to the end of the world to wit with their persons while they liue and with their successors while the world lasteth with his power and effectuall working with them So that Christ must send and he must furnish with gifts and power And no man taketh to himselfe this office or honour but he that is called of God as was Aaron h Heb. 5.4 Thirdly then As the Father sent the Sonne and the Sonne his Apostles i Ioh 20.21 so the Apostles k Bellar. De notis ecclesiae lib. 4. cap. 8. afterwards chose and ordained other Bishops and gaue them the like power to ordaine others both Bishops and inferiour Priests and Deacons as Timothy at Ephesus Titus in Creet l As appeareth by the Epistles to Tim Tit. By this meanes all true Bishops and Priests haue their succession and ordination from hand to hand from the very Apostles And none are to be accounted true Bishops that were not ordained by the imposition of hands of former true Bishops and they by other former and so vpwards ascending to the very Apostles to Christ Iesus from whoÌ„ they must deriue their authority and power for all workes of the Ministery Therefore Saint Ierom saith m Hieroâ—ym contra Luciferianos Ecclesia non est qua non habet sacerdotem It can bee no Church that hath no Ministery And Saint Cyprian that the Church is nothing else but n Cypr. Plebs Episcopo adunata lib. 4. ep 10. citat à Possevino bibl select lib. 6. cap. 31. ad interrog 4. D. Field Church lib. 3. cap. 39. People vnited to the Bishop And Tertullian further o Tertull. lib. De praescript Bellar. quo supra Let Heretickes shew the originall of their Churches and runne ouer the order of their Bishops comming downe by succession from the beginning so that their first Bishop had some Apostle or Apostolicke man for his author and Predecessor For thus the Church of the Romans reckons Clement ordained by Saint Peter And Saint Cyprian saith p Cypr. lib. 1. ep 4. ad Magnum Nouatianus is not in the Church neither can bee accounted a Bishop who contemning the Apostolicke tradition succeedeth no man but is ordained of himselfe The like haue many other Fathers alleadged by Bellarmine q Bellar. quo supra And by the Canons of the Apostles and many ancient Councels r So Bellarm. sheweth lâ—o citato D. Field lib. 3. cap. 39. lib. 5 cap. 36. A Bishop must receiue his Consecration by three Bishops at the least which were formerly consecrated in like manner And all inferious Ministers must receiue orders of such a Bishop or else they are not Canonicall Lawfull nor to be receiued They that come in other wayes then by this doore are theeues and robbers Å¿ Iohn 10.8.9 10. All this describing and prouing the nature succession and ordination of true Bishops and inferiour Ministers is the first proposition or major of my Argument Then comes my Assumption or minor proposition thus But the Protestant Ministers are not such 1 Kings 20.11 namely their Bishops were not consecrated by three Bishops so formerly consecrated as abouesaid neither did their inferiour Ministers receiue their orders from true Bishops The conclusion will necessarily follow Ergo the Protestant Ministers are no true Ministers of the true Church And consequently they haue no true Church among them An argument inuinsible vnanswerable Sect. 2. Antiquissimus Good Sir triumph not before the victory let not him that putteth on his harnesse boast himselfe as hee that putteth it off It is your mens fashion first to confirme that with glorious words and arguments which we sticke not at as you haue done your Major to make the world beleeue it seemes that we denyed all that which you so busily and so brauely proue and so to make vs odious And your other fashion is as ill to leaue the maine matter in controuersie vtterly vnproued as here your Minor thinking to carry it away with out facing and great words This is a charming and bewitching of the credulous world without all truth and honesty As I shall make it plainly appeare For why else doe your Rabbins so generally declaime against vs and neuer proue it Your 1 Bristow Motiue 21. Bristow 2 Harding confut Apol.
Councels Emperors yeelded much honour and reuerence as to men sitting at the principall sterne of the Ship of Christs Church to direct and guide it and men right worthy of their place as appeareth by innumerable testimonies in Histories and Fathers both Greeke and Latine Irenaeus Tertullian Optatus Ierom Ambrose Basil Chrysostome Augustine c. Thus saith your learned and moderate Cassander and now mark what he immediately addeth Georgiâ— Cassandri Censulâ—atio artic 7. §. De Pontifice Romano Neque vnquam credo c. Neither doe I thinke that euer any controuersie would haue beene amongst vs of this point if the Popes had not abused this authority to a certaine shew of Domination and stretched it beyond the bounds prescribed by Christ the Church through their ambition and couetousnesse But this abuse of that Bishops power which first his flatterers stretched out beyond measure gaue occasion to men to thinke ill of the power it selfe which that Bishop had obtained by the vniuersall consent of the whole Church yea it gaue occasion to men wholly to forsake it which yet I thinke hee might recouer saith Cassander if hee would reduce it within the limits prescribed by Christ and the ancient Church and vse it according to Christs Gospell and the tradition of his ancestors onely to the edification of the Church Therefore at the first Luther thought and wrote modestly enough of the power of the Pope though afterwards being offended and enraged at the most absurd writing of some of his flatterers he inueighed more bitterly against it c. And in the next page before this Cassander saith Non negarim c. I cannot deny but many men were compelled at first by a godly care sharpely to reproue some manifest abuses and the principall cause of this calamity and distraction of the Church is to be imputed to them that being puffed vp with a vaine pride of Ecclesiasticall power did proudly and disdainfully contemne and reiect those that iustly and modestly admonished them Wherefore I thinke there is no firme peace of the Church to be hoped for except it take beginning from them who gaue the first cause of the distraction that is that those that sit at the sterne of Ecclesiasticall gouernment remit something of their too much rigor and yeeld something to the peace of the Church and harkening to the earnest enertaties and admonitions of many godly men correct manifest abuses according to the rule of holy Scriptures and the ancient Church from which they haue swarued Thus writes your Cassander D. Field Of the Church book 5. cap. 50. §. These are all Our D. Field saith much like to Cassander that if the Bishop of Rome would disclaim his claime of vniuersall Iurisdiction of infallible Iudgement and power to dispose at his pleasure the kingdomes of the world and would content himselfe with that all Antiquity gaue him which is to be in order and honour the first among Bishops we would easily grant him to bee in such sort President of generall Counsels as to sit and speake first in such meetings but to bee an absolute Commander we cannot yeeld vnto him Thus writes D. Field Idem Appendix to the fifth booke pag. 78. and more fully in another place If the Pope would onely clayme to be a Bishop in his Precinct a Metropolitan in a Prouince a Patriarch of the West and of Patriarchs the first and most honourable to whom the rest are to resort in cases of greatest moment as to the head and chiefe of their company to whom it especially pertaineth to haue an eye to the preseruation of the Church in the vnity of Faith and Religion and the acts and exercises of the same and with the assistance and concurrence of the other by all due courses to effect that which pertaineth thereunto without claiming absolute and vncontroulable power infallibility of Iudgement and right to dispose the Kingdomes of the world and to intermeddle in the administration of the temporalities of particular Churches and the immediate swaying of the iurisdiction thereof Luther in libro contra PapatuÌ„ Luther himselfe professeth he would neuer open his mouth against him King Iames in his Praemonition to all Christian Monarchs § Of Bishops pag. 46 Our late most learned and iudicious King Iames of happy memory writes the like Patriarchs I know were in the Primitiue Church and I likewise reuerence that institution for Order-sake and amongst them was a contention for the first place And for my selfe if that were yet the question I would with all my heart giue my consent that the Bishop of Rome should haue the first seat I being a Westerne King would goe with the Patriarch of the West And for his temporall Principality ouer the Signory of Rome I doe not quarrell it neither let him in God his name be primus Episcopus inter omnes Episcopos and Princeps Episcoporum so it be no otherwise but as Peter was Princeps Apostolorum But as I well allow of the Hierarchy of the Church for distinction of orders for so I vnderstand it so I vtterly deny that there is an earthly Monarch thereof whose word must bee a Law and who cannot erre in his sentence Thus ye see if the Bishop of Rome enioy not the honours and priuiledges which the ancient Church gaue vnto his predecessors the fault is not in vs but in him who vnworthily abusing his power to vntollerable tyranny hath worthily lost it Iude vers 6. Mat. 24.45 as the Angels not content with their first estate and the euill seruant that instead of well guiding his Masters house intrusted to him misused and beat his fellow seruants and therfore was cut off and had his portion with hypocrites §. 6. Antiquus I am ioyfull that such iudicious moderate Princes as King Iames and such great learned men as Cassander Luther D. Field c. yeeld so much honor to the Pope but I doubt the greatest part of Protestants doe not so yet all that they are content to yeeld comes farre short of that which the Scriptures and Fathers doe attribute to Saint Peter and his successors Antiquissimus Scriptures and Fathers neuer yeeld more For the Scriptures will you stand to the examination and iudgement of the most famous Iesuite Bellarmine Antiq. That most Reuerend Learned Iudicious and laborious Reader of controuersies at Rome Bellarmine the most eminent man in the most eminent City of the world handling all points so exactly and excellently that he was therfore made an honourable Cardinall of Rome and his bookes printed with the priuiledges of the vnerring Pope the Emperour and the State of Venice c. he I say shall ouer-rule my iudgement in all points Antiquis Yet take heed your implicit faith doe not deceiue you when it is vnfolded Bellar. praesatio ante libros de Romano Pontifice But in this cause you need seeke no further then to see what hee saith for first This
them and stirre vp the people and then all subiects will forsake their princes and serue the pope against them all Religious persons will be their Trumpâ—ters Captaines and Leaders all Cloysters Abbeyes and Colledges will be as good as Castles vnto them the promise of heauen a sufficient pay and the threatning of death not onely temporall which happily might be contemned or avoyded but eternall which by disobeying the pope is thought to be vnauoydable is terrour enough and all these giue courage enough to doe their bâ—st for the pope against all princes of the world Sir Iohn Hayward of Supremacy pag. 62. By this meanes eight Emperours besides other Kings and princes haue been excommunicate by the pope namely Fredericke the first Fredericke the second Philip Conrade Otho the fourth Lewis of Bauaria Henry the fourth and fift which was occasion enough for their subiects to revolt and for other Princes to inuade The succeeding Emperours partly vnwilling but principally vnable to sustaine so sad and heauy blowes submitted themselues to the papall power and renounced the right which by long custome they claimed and held I omit the troubles of other princes and Nations and of our owne also in formâ—r times of our Kings Henries and Iohn Our late troubles in the times of our most gracious Soueraignes Elizabeth and Iames are fresh in memory to the detestation of the Authors thereof and they are published to the world in their owne bookes See the booke entituled Important Considerations set forth by the Secular Romish Priests in England anno 1601. with Watson the Priests Preface or Epistle before it The secular Priests sticke not to relate to the world what they cannot hide the treasons insurrections inuasions and other troubles which I haue reckoned vp before and more also plotted by the Pope and his Agents to bring Queene Elizabeth and her Kingdomes to confusion Pius Quintus his plot ioyning with the King of Spaine to depose her by his Bull and execute it by the Northerne Rebellion 1569. And after anno 1572. by D. Sanders booke De visibili Monarchia iustifying that course and shewing the world how the pope had sent Morton and Webb Priests to stirre vp the Nobles and Gentlemen to take Armes against the Queene Then how Stukeley was made a great Lord and Marquesse of Ireland by the pope to take Jreland from the English but miscarried by the way After how Doctor Sanders came furnished by the Pope to take Ireland by Inuasion and Rebellion and there dyed miserable and mad After this how Gregory 13 renued the pestilent Bull of Pius 5 cursing and disabling the Queene to raigne and anno 1580. sent into England Campian Parsons and other Iesuites to perswade the subiects to execute it assuring them of a mighty inuasion from Spaine to ioyne with them and how these wicked practises iustly inforced straiter lawes to bee made against such Vipers For what Prince or state of any force or Mettall could endure their owne ruine to be wrought with their eyes open and their hands vnbound Then followed his Holinesse displaying his banner as a temporall Prince in Ireland to dispossesse the Queene and afterwards the Duke of Guises practises to transferre the English Crowne to the Q. of Scotland imploying therin Mendoza the Spanish Leager Ambassadour Throgmorton and others And anno 1583. Arden and Somerviles treason Then Doctor Parries to murder the Queene Againe Babington and his fellowes treason discouered anno 1586. And sir William Stanlies 1567. and the great Spanish Armado 1588. Then the Bull of Sixtus Quintus against the Queene And new Seminaries errected in Spaine by the procurement of Parsons the Iesuite whence issued 13 accomplished Priests to infuse Treasons into Englishmens braines anno 1591. to prepare them for a new Inuasion And anno 1592. Heskot was sent by the Iesuites to stirre the Earle of Darby to Rebellion After this Father Holt a Iesuite perswaded Patricke Colen to murder her Maiestie And anno 1593. Doctor Lopus his poysoning plot was discouered also Holt the Iesuite animated Yorke and Williams to shed her blood and Walpool the Iesuite set on Edward Squire to poyson her saddle Pommell After this for the other intended Inuasion the Spanish Fleet put twice to Sea and both times were sea beaten torne and dispersed Meane-season Father Parsons in printed bookes entituled The Jnfanta of Spaine to the Crowne of England and vsed all possible meanes to make it take place All these vncatholicke vnchristian inhumane courses the secular Priests confesse condemne and lament laying all the fault thereof from themselues and other Roman Catholâ—ckes vpon the Iesuites We doe all acknowledge say they that by our learning Ecclesiasticall persons by vertue of their Calling Important consid pag. 37. are onâ—ly to meddle with Praying Preach ng and administring the Sacraments and such other like spirituall functions and not to study how to murder Princes nor to licitate Kingdomes Jb. pag 38. nor to intrude themselues into matter of state-Priests of what order soeuer ought not by force of Armes to plant or water the Catholicke Faith but In spiritu lenitatis mansuetudinis to propagate and defend it So it was in the Primitiue Church ouer all the world The ancient Christians though they had sufficient forces did not oppose themselues in armes against their Lords Ib. pag. 39. See the Epistle Dedicatory of B. Carlton before his booke of Iurisdiction the Emperors though of another Religion The Catholicke Faith for her stability and continuance hath no need of any treachery or Rebellion it is more dishonoured with treasons and wicked policies of carnall men then any way furthered or aduanced Thus the Priests giuing vs a good hint what to iudge of their Religion that hath euermore beene thus planted and propagated It is not the Catholik Faith and Religion of the Ancients But erroneous superstition is alwayes more violent then true Religion They giue vs an Item also what our English Roman Catholiks may looke for if the Spaniard should preuaile Watson in his Epistle to the Important Considerations saith The old King of Spaine aimed at the Crown of England with the death of her Maiestie and subuersion of the State and the vtter ruine of the whole I le and the ancient Inhabitants thereof and neuer once shewed any care or respect that he had to the restoring of the Catholik Romish Faith amongst the English Nay his direct course was taken quite contrary still to extirpate the name of all Catholikes that were English out from the face of the earth Therefore he would not aid Stukeley to get Ireland for the pope and also charged the Duke of Medina his generall in 88 rather to spare Protestants then Catholikes And the Booke of important Considerations written by themselues pag. 25. saith It is well knowne that the Duke of Medina Sidonia had giuen it out directly that if once he might land in England both Catholikes and Heretiks that came in his way should be all
Kings Princes and Nations and of the whole Church their hopes should not haue beene so often deluded who sought and promised to themselues at least some tollerable reformation from him neither should there haue beene such a Rent among the Churches of Europe when euery Nation seeing Rome would doe nothing was constrained to looke to it selfe and make if not a perfect reformation yet as good as it could and as neere to the Word of God and the custome of the Primitiue Church as time and meanes would afford For if it be obiected that the intended Reformation is not perfect as appeareth by the differences of some Reformed Churches yet surely first th◠Reformers mindes were good who with all their hearts and endeuours sought it and secondly the coniunction of all Nations Wits Learning and other meanes by a free generall Councell which might ouer-rule the Pope and all other particulars was onely hindred by the Pope and his Faction But 3 surely the Reformation was most laudable and necessary if it had effected no more but this as one of them wrote in answere to Cardinalll Sadolet that they freed themselues from the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and had constituted in their Countries somewhat better forme of the Church which before was most vntollerable both to Princes and People Such a Reformation as many former Ages had with greeuous sighes and grones wished and desired hungred and thirsted after but all in vaine because the truth in Europe had not yet shined out of darknesse of which our Sauiour had said ye shall know the truth Ioh. 8.32 and the truth shall set you free Therefore 1 Our late Princes 2 all the orders of the Kingdome and 3 all the people haue seene and felt the goodnesse of God and are bound to be most thankfull to him except they be of all men the most insensible and vngratefull for their great blessing following the Reformation of Religion in England 1 The Princes that they reigne now in their owne right they are not the liege-men and Vassals of the Pope that haue not their kingdome Precariò at the pleasure of another as Bayliffes of another mans inheritance that they and their Reuerend Clergy are at vnity neither fearing excommunications nor depositions from other that they diuide the care of placing Ministers with their Bishops challenging to themselues without feare that part which is due to them and concerneth the temporalls and leauing that part of the care to the Bishops which toucheth spirituals and all things which proue them to be true Kings For this blessing Kings are behoulden to Gods truth which is a friend to them which establisheth them and is with all care and diligence by them to be established Alas for those former times Inas See Polydor hist Angl. lib. 5. pag. 86. wherein amongst our Kings glorious Ancestors one led away with blinde superstition hauing zeale but not according to knowledge did of his owne accord when no necessity compelled him make his Kingdome tributary to Gregory the third King Iohn Bishop of Rome Another brought into desperation by aduerse crosses yeelded vp his Kingdome of England and Ireland to Pope Innocent 3. By whom he had bene miserably embroyled and was compelled to be content to be the Popes steward or Baily O horrid blindnesse of those times O sucessors of Peter egregiously resembling Peter in their doings O what a griefe surprized not onely the Barons Nobles and all subjects of the Realme but also the Kings and Princes throughout Europe as euery one was more wise and better then other to see the fall so heauy so foule of so great a Prince The speaches which some of them vttered at the newes of so inhumane example are committed to writing for perpetuall memory as witnesses also of their most iust both indignation and amazement Yea the speach of that vnfortunate King is extant in the writers of those times most worthy to be deeply setled in all Princes hearts After that I was reconciled to God saith hee and subjected my selfe and my Kingdomes alas for sorrow to the Roman Church nothing came to me prosperous But al things contrary Post quā ut dixi Deo reconciliatus me ac mea regna proh dolor Romana subjeci ecclesiae nulla mihi prospera sed contraria omnia aduenerunt 2 The Clergy and people of England liue happily The Bishops elect neede not run beyond the Alpes to buy their confirmation of the Pope for great summes of money nor purchase their Palles with the waight of gold nor run to Rome euery 3 yeares or as oft as the Pope list that is as oft as he thirsteth after English coyne Now they haue no such care as in times past the Bishops of England had to take vp the best benefices for Italians In which benefices as Mathy Paris saith neither lawes nor order were kept nor releefe for the poore nor hospitality nor preaching of Gods word nor necessary ornaments or repair of Churches nor care of soules nor diuine or deuout prayers as was fit and as was accustomed in the country but in their buildings the walles and roofes fell downe or were pitifully rent and torne Now the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury feareth not new Bulles from the Pope to suspend him from collating any benefices vntil 300 Romans be prouided for by benefices next falling void as it fell out anno 1239 to Edmund the Archbishop by Buls sent from Gregory 9. The Pope hauing promised it to the Roman citizens who at that time little fauored him 3 The Ecclesiasticall controuersies arising in England by a very ancient Canon wherof S. Cyprian also maketh mention are determined in England The collectors of Peter pence and other contributions the Roman visitors proctors and farmers the Marchants of Indulgences or pardons to men according to their wealth the dispencers of vowes and Institors of legitimation to make men capable of orders the Caursine Vsurers that liued at Rome but drew thither all the wealth of England lending to English Nobles others vpon morgage of their lands or other extreme vsuries money to satisfy the Pope and his Harpies The bringers of Buls for new extortions The witty Mice-catchers Muscipulatores as the Story cals them such as Petrus Rubeus and many others conning Artificers to drain money from men for the Pope and sixe hundred such like greedy and greeuous Arts by the vnvtterable benefit of the truth of Religion their names are now scarse heard of and should be vtterly vnknowne were it not for the monuments and histories of former ages Neither doth now any Legat à latere any messenger from the Popes side exercise any Rauin for money in England as many did heretofore and some with execrable hunger of gold as we read of one of them Otto sent by Gregory 9 who after three yeeres raking together of money by most detestable Artes at last departing hence left not so much money in the whole Kingdome as he either carried with