Raigne when all Catholiques did or might goe to Church going to Church by Catholiques then being in fashion none took scandall thereby because there was then no shew of evill And why should there be now more shew of evill in the act then at that time If ye answer by reason of the aforesaid Declaration I reply that then the species of evill ought to be in the said Declaration as gotten upon false grounds and not in the act of going to Church which any man might easily perceive considering the nature of the act it selfe And the experience of our distressed countrey teacheth us that those indirect proceedings are more apt to generate scandal then the act of going to Church which of its own nature is lawfull and hath been lawfully practised and approved by the common opinion of all Divines of any indifferency in other countreyes and so might have been in ours had it not been for turbulent people who for their owne ends have more troubled the Church in procuring of breves and rescripts then all other nations besides of our condition To Schismaticks I say they sin not in simply going to Church but in going to Church with an ill conscience as thinking that to be sin and doing the same which indeed is not so and the ground of their errour they have had from the misunderstanding of Catholiques To weake ones I answer desiring them to be satisfied because I have and shall prove the thing in it selfe to be lawfull and that I am as I have said in danger and hazard of my life in not doing the same So that by a naturall necessitie I am bound to it Which necessitie if it were not I might peradventure rest in the common Maxime of Philosophers Frustra fit per plura quod potest fieri per pauciora It is in vain done by more that may be done by lesse It may be objected secondly that it is as much scandall to goe to Church as it was to eate of those meats offered to Idols Of which Saint Paul speaks 1 Cor. 8. the eating of which in it selfe considered although the Apostle thought no sin in Wise men or great ones because they did eate the same without any relation at all to the Idoll as he seemeth to intimate verse 4. yet because some ignorant Christians seeing the said Wise men eate did likewise eate the same meats with conscience and devotion as if the said meats had received some vertue or sanctification from the Idol Saint Paul exhorted the Wise men to abstaine from eating the said flesh for that out of mistake and misunderstanding of their eating the aforesaid Christians then newly converted did take offence and sin Whereupon in great zeale he said vers 13. If meate scandalize my brother I will never eate flesh lest I scandalize my brother So that one would thinke that the blessed Apostle would rather have chosen to die as the aforesaid words may import then by eating the said meats or any flesh to have scandalized his brother And St. Augustine in expresse termes lib. de bon conjugali cap. 16. saith It was farre better to have dyed then to have eaten of those meats so offered to Idols conformable to himselfe elsewhere who likewise saith That a man may not commit or occasion so much as a veniall sinne to gaine the whole world Which he that giveth scandall must needs at the least commit Therefore what the said Apostle and St. Augustine said and thought of the eating of the said meats the same ought every Catholique to take as said of the act of going to Church I answer denying the consequence and say that there is a great disparitie betweene the said meats offered to Idols and eaten in the temple with Infidels and the act of going to Church First because in the meats so offered there was not only a shew and appearance of evill but a morall malignitie therein as well to great as to little ones Which although the wise did take away that the said malignitie touched not them yet the weake neither did or had understanding so to doe Whence the Apostle said vers the 7. that there was not knowledge in all For the morall malignitie that was in those meats to all was a prophanation and impuritie in them as being things dedicated to the Idol or the Devill So that as a man receiveth good by holy bread or things sanctified so he receiveth evill by a thing prophaned or maligned Which morall malignitie the Wise taking away as I have said by blessing the said meats to the use of their bodies and conceiving both them and the Idoll as they were in themselves meere creatures both created for the use of man did eate what was usefull to eate without sinne Whereas the weake not so much as considering the prophanenesse of the meats but seeing the Wiser eate with error of judgement conceived vertue and sanctification in the same as being eaten in the temple and offered to the Idol by Infidels and so with conscience and devotion they received the same and were as the Apostle saith in the said seventh vers polluted thereby Now in going to Church their is no morall malignitie at all in so much that scarce the weakest man can invent how to sin by any thing that is there done It being of its owne nature so indifferent and to a good intention good that a parte rei their is no appearance of evill therein If any one say that there is appearance of evill and scandall by reason of disobedience in that the act is done contrary to the declaration of the said twelve Fathers and certain Popes I answer that the declaration is as if it were not because gotten upon most false suggestions as I have and shall say and consequently the minds of the said Fathers and wils of the said Popes is to us in this matter as yet unknowne and the species or shew of evill from thence proceeding rather to be lamented then regarded If the reply be made as before that the suggestions are not examined but the will of the aforesaid Superiors hath alwaies beene held as declaring that which hath been best for the soule and dehorting from going to Church and that so by reason and vertue hereof there results a certaine shew of evill in doing the same which maketh it appeare to most men unlawfull and consequently scandalous I rejoyce as before that the instruction and admonition of the indifferencie and necessitie of the act ought to take away all scandall howsoever apprehended and that such as apprehend it unlawfull and will not be satisfied cannot doe it And lastly such as will not be satisfied but scandalized are not to be regarded as I have said before Adde out of Navar Man c. 23. n. 38. That it is not a sinne in a man not to obey his superiour when he hath probable reasons to thinke that his superiour was deceived in so commanding or that he would not have given
such a command if he had knowne the truth And if any shew of evill result or scandall arise in that he is not obeyed the necessitie of doing the contrarie act being in danger of death must excuse and take away all scandall for in such a case no humane lawes binde as I shall hereafter say I answer to this Objection secondly that there is a disparitie betweene the said meates and going to Church in that the said meates were not to be eaten of necessitie that is there was neither hazard of life or goods in abstaining or more gaine then prejudice of soules in eating And therefore it was more requisite that the wise should abstaine in a matter of so little moment or necessitie where there was scandall then that the weake should have been instructed and admonished that it might have beene done without sinne which is not so in going to Church For in abstaining from thence there is both hazard of life and fortunes and as I shall hereafter say losse of soules and therefore of necessitie the weake are to be admonished and instructed that there is no sinne in the act neither is going to Church prejudiciall but advantageous to soules as experience teacheth Adde that if there were any humane law or Ecclesiasticall law forbidding going to Church it were not to be fulfilled with hazard of life or goods as all Casuists hold See Azorius Navarr consil de haeret above cited if otherwise it doth not appeare forbidden by the law of God For all humane lawes tend to the preservation and conservation of the whole man even in the greatest state of perfection and where by reason of keeping a law disjuncture either of soule or body may probably follow there that law is for the time to be suspended as appeares in the law forbidding to eate flesh in the Lent saying the divine office with danger of being apprehended and the like where the weake ones are rather to be instructed of the necessitie of suspending the law then the body to perish by keeping the same the same say in our case And I doe with reason perswade my selfe considering the Apostles whole discourse in the aforesaid 8. Chapter to the Corinthians that notwithstanding his words verse the 13. if there had beene no other food to have beene gotten for him to have preserved him from famine then the said flesh so offered to Idols that he would rather have perswaded the weake ones that there had beene no sinne in it if with due circumstances they had eaten and how and in what manner they might safely have eaten and so have prevented his sinning against the brethren verse 12. and striking their weake consciences then by abstaining from that and as is supposed wanting all other food have perished through hunger It may be objected thirdly that those famous Doctors of Rhemes William Allen afterwards Cardinall Richard Bristoe William Reynolds and the aforesaid Gregory Martin who translated the whole Bible into English with annotations upon the same in many places as well of the Old Testament as of the new held it unlawfull for any Catholike to goe to the Protestant Church Ergo It is unlawfull and scandalous to goe to the same To the antecedent I answer that the said Doctors were reverend and learned men and their worke renowned but because they would have the same goe forth with more lâ—stre as pleasing the Pope and to avoid all opposition of the aforesaid suggestors they forsooke the common opinion of Divines in two points then agitated the one that the Pope could not depose Kings of their temporall dominions And the other that Catholiques might frequent the Churches of Schismaticks Which they might well doe for their ends being Doctâ—rs and giving some seeming probable reasâ—ns for the same the contrary opinions not being condemned by the Church but left under dispute Yet hence the consequence doth not appeare true For if the aforesaid Doctors had spoken from their hearts grounding themselves upon the Church or reason their interpretation of Scriptures with notes would with me in these poynts have had great authoritie and the conclusion have stood good Whereas now one of the said foure to wit Gregory Martin having delivered his opinion that it was lawfull for a Catholike to goe to Church as appeares by the said booke of R. P. pag. 109. and 110. it seemeth they did not speake in that point their mindes freely peradventure because it was not expedient for all sorts of people which I confesse to be the best reason Yet for Gods sake let us speake the truth in these troublesome times to men at leastwise of reason and understanding Againe the very reasons they give in their annotations upon the fifth Chapter and 19. verse of the 4. booke of Kings doe shew that they did intend but seeming reason and not wholly convincing for whereas for our opinion is and alwaies hath beene usually brought the example of Naaman the Syrian permitted as I have said before by the Prophet Elizeus to goe to the Idolatrous temple Rimmon which is most proper to our case the aforesaid good Doctors reject the said example as nothing like to the same 1. The first reason is because of the time for since the preaching of Christs Gospel say they we are more strictly commanded to professe our faith then in Naamans time Which reason I conceive under favour to be impertinent as well to Naamans case as to ours for the doing of an act indifferent may neither be a profession or a deniall of faith but a meane betweene both viz. a not discovery of the same Neither was it more lawfull in Naamans time to deny God then now 2. The second Reason is because of the place For that the Noblemans religion was not practised in the Countrey where he went to the temple and so there could no scandall arise thereby This reason is in my judgement besides the purpose for no more is Catholike religion practised in this Countrey where we goe to Church Again it proves not Naamans case hereby more lawfull then the going to Church for there may be scandall where a thing of its owne nature may be lawfully done as there might have beene scandall in our Saviours povertie Matth. 17. if he had not prevented it And there may be no scandall and yet the act unlawfull Therefore if it were lawfull abstracting from scandall that being in our case easily avoyded or taken away the thing may still remaine lawfull For if he that goeth to Church be a knowne Catholike the weake are to be admonished of the indifferencie of the thing and the urgent necessitie he hath to doe it and so scandall is avoyded If he be not knowne how can he give more scandall then Naaman did or to whom 3. The third reason is because of the difference of persons in that Naaman had an Office to serve the King in the temple and therefore he might goe lest otherwise the King should have thought
light cannot infuse either wisdome into a foole or prudence into a simple man and nothing harder for the best Divine then to yeeld the continuance of a serene conscience to a scrupulous person doe only desire and intreat thâ—t what he himselfe either cannot or will not receive satisfaction in he would not judge amisse in others and so be scandalized which will prove to himselfe rather the scandall of Pharisees then weake ones according to the exhortation of the Apostle Qui non manducat manducantem non Spernat he that eateth not let him not despise him that eateth As for mine own part what I preach with Gods grace I will practise And if any man can give a better reason for the contrary to what I doe then I can give for what I say I doe hereby promise to subscribe otherwise let every one looke and dive into his owne actions and not into other mens for he shall render an account onely for his owne and not for theirs And because All in these times perchance are not bound under sinne to imbrace these opinions the question not being which is absolutely the safest or perfectest way and all dispositions of each soule not being alike but only whether the said opinions are forbidden or not forbidden by the Law of God or the Church so that absolutely in case of necessitie they may not bee done and what may best in prudence bee done yet safe enough with a good conscience and without sinne the condition of times and persons considered those that shall not imbrace the same but suffer for their conscience sake I shall beseech Almightie God to lay no more upon them then they are able to beare that they doe nothing against their conscience for that were to carry a continuall hell about them which of all earthly miseries were the greatest from which God of his infinite mercy preserve us all Amen FINIS Appendix HEre followeth the forme of recantation enjoyned the Lollards Anno Regis Richardi Secundi decimo nono Together with the resolution of the Fathers in the Councel of Trent 1564. and the Oathes of Supremacie enacted 35. Henry 8. and 1. Elizabeth as also a proviso for expounding the Oath the fift of Elizabeth and the Admonition annexed to the Injunctions Elizabeth 1. whereof there is often mention made in the Animadversions Ex Rotulo clausarum de Anno decimo nono Richardi Secundi m. 18. dorso MEmorand quod primo diâ— Septembris Anno Regni Regis Richardi secundi post conquestuÌ„ decimo nono Willielmus Dinet Nich-Taylour Nich-Poucher et Willielmus Steynour de Nottingham in Cancellar ipsius Regis personaliter constituti Sacramenta divisim praestiterunt sub eo qui sequitur tenore I William Dynet byfor yhow worschipefull fader and Lorde Archbishop of Yhoâ—ke and yhour Clergie with my free will and full avysede swere to God and to all his Seynts upon this holy Gospels yat fro this day forthwarde I shall worship ymages with preying and offering unto hem in the worschep of the Seintes that they be made after And also I shall nevermore despyse pygremage ne states of holy Chyrche in noe degree And also I shall be buxum to the lawes of holy Chyrche and to yhow as myne Archbishop and to mine other ordinaries and Curates and keepe tho lawes up my power and meyntein hem And alsoe I shall never more meyntein ne techen ne defenden Errours conclusions ne techinges of the Lollardes ne swych conclusions and techynges that men clepyth Lollards doctrine ne I shall her bokes ne swych bokes ne hem or any suspect or diffamede of Lollardery receive or company withall wittingly or defend in tho maâ—ters and if I know any swych I shall with all the haste that I may doe yhow or els your ner officers to wytten and of her bokes And also I shaâ—l excite and stirre all tho to good doctrine that I have hyndred with myne Doctrine up my power And also I shall stond to yhour declaration which es heresy or errour and do thereafter And also what penance yhe woll for that I have done for meyteyning of this fals doctryn injuyne me and I shall fulfill And I submit me thereto up my power And also I shall make no other glosse of this myne oath bot as the words stonde And if it be soe that I com agayn or do agayn this oth or any party thereof I yhelde me here cowpable as an heretyk and to be punyshed by the law of an heretyke and to forfet all my godes to the Kings will withouten any other processe of law and thereto I require the Notarie to make of all this the which is my will an Instrument agayns me Et ex habundanti idem Willielmus Dynâ—t eodem die voluit et recognovit quod omnia bona et catalla sua mobilia nobis sint forisfacta in casu quo ipse juramentum praedictum seu aliqua in eodem juramento contenta de cetero contravenerit ullo modo Declaratio Patrum concilli Tridentini circa frequentationem Ecclesiarum Eo tempore quo hereticiritus exercentur aut praedicatur haeresis Pax Christi quae exuperat omnem sensum custodiat corda vestra intelligentias vestras Amen Viri Dignitate conspicui religione multis nominibus illustres aequam honestam postulationem vestram ad nos detulerunt N. C. quam à vobis ad se praelatam asserebant cujus hoc est exemplum REligione in Anglia mutatâ poenâ propositâ si quis Diebus Dominicis festis à templis abstineat interim Dum Psalmi ex utroque testamento lectiones lingua vulgari recitantur laici multi catholici nobiles Deum timentes partim in carcere agentes partim mox eò conjiciendi amicorum consanguineorum precibus ac monitionibus imminentium periculorum metu invitantur ut saltem ea tenus de sententia denuo se permittant ut in templis protestantium tantisper interesse velint Diebus Dominicis aliis festis Dum Psalmi ex more linguâ vulgari decant arisoliti lectiones ex Bibliis linguâ item vulgari depromptae nec non conciones quae ad eorum dogmata approbanda apud pop frequentiùs habentur commemoratae sunt Iam qui huc usque nullo modo deduci potuerint ut publicis predictis precibus concionibus interessent magnopere 〈◊〉 postulant quid his faciendum censeant viri pii 〈◊〉 Nam si nullo animae periculo aut nulla Dei offensione â—ubliâ—o regni sui Decreto parere obedire liceat libenâ—â—r â—d fecerint Contra vero si quid in hac re periculum sit saâ—utis aeternae aut lâ—sae Divinae Majestatis quae vis perpeti deâ—reverunt potiùs qùam quicquam agere aut committere unde Deum offâ—nsum iri aut irritatum intelligant Haec questâ—â— cum multas pias religiosas conscientias exerceat coâ—tuâ—bet râ—gaâ—di estis omnes
men why not as Popes surely if the Pope doe any thing as Pope it is sending forth his Buls and Rescripts whereby he governeth and instructeth the Pseudo-Catholike Church and decides cases of conscience and if in such he be subject to errour and mistaking even in a matter of as great weight as any was agitated in the Councell of Trent as this Priest affirmeth pag. 7. upon what a sandie foundation is the Romish Babell built and how loose and weake is the maine ground of a Papists faith l It cannot be the common opinion of Divines that it is lawfull for a man to goe to Church and communicate with those who are of a different Religion For seven Popes alleadged by him two Cardinals Bellarmine and Baronius twelve Fathers of the Councell of Trent R. P. and other Iesuits for the Roman partie and of the Protestant beliefe George Abbot Archbishop of Canterburie in his Lectures at Oxford Calvine in his tract adversus Pseudo-Nicodemitas and the Doctors of the reformed Churches generally in their expositions upon the second Commandement and in their commentaries upon the second of the Corinthians 6. Chapter 15 16 17. ver determine the contrary m No infallibilitie in any generall Councel since the dayes of the Apostles much lesse in the Councel of Trent which was neither a generall Councel nor lawfully called nor free nor at all an assembly of Catholike Bishops but of Images moved like the statues of Dedalus by the sinewes of others See the historie of the Councel of Trent written in Italian by Petro Soave Polano and the Epistle Dudith quinque Eccles. ad Maximilianum 2. Caes. But were the Councel of Trent a generall Councel lawfully called consisting of eminent Doctors and Pastours as it were starres of the first magnitude yet they could not without horrible presumption arrogate to that their Synod infallibilitie for that not onely Provinciall but even oecumenicall Councels may erre and be fouly mistaken and that in matter of faith may thus be demonstrated First every assemby which consisteth of members subject to errour may be seduced and deceived but generall Councels are assemblies consisting of members subject to errour for all men are so Rom. 3.4 Therefore generall Councels may be seduced and deceived This reason is strongly backed by the authoritie of the most judicious of all the Fathers Saint Augustine and that in many places namely Ep. 112. c. 1. Si Divinarum scripturarum earum scilicet quae canonicae in Ecclesia nominantur perspicua firmatur autoritate sine ulla Dub. tationâ— credendum est aliâ—s vero testibus vel testimonies quibus aliquid credendum esse suadetur tibi credere vel non credere liceat quantum ea momenti ad faciendam fidem vel habere vel non habere perpenderis If any thing be confirmed by cleare and evident authoritie of Canonicall Scripture that must be beleeeved without all doubting but for other witnesses and testimonies whereby ye are perswaded to beleeve any thing you may give credit unto them or not as you see cause de natura et grat cont Pelag. c. 61. solis canonicis debeo sine ulla recusatione consensum In the writing of any such men I hold my selfe at libertie namely to give my assent unto them or not for I owe consent without any stay or staggering to the Canonicall Scriptures alone therefore not to the Popes Rescripts or Decrees of generall Councels And in his second booke De bapt cont Donat. c. 3. Quis nesciat scripturam canonicam omnibus posterioribus Episcoporum literis ita praeponi ut de illa omnino dubitari et disceptari non possit utrum vel verum rectum sit quicquid in eâ scriptum esse constiterit Episcoporum autem literas quae post confirmatum canonem vel scriptae sunt vel scribuntur et per sermonem fortè sapientiorem cuiuslibet in ea re peritioris et per aliorum Episcoporum graviorem authoritatem doctioremque prudentiam et per concilia licere reprehendi si quid in eis fortè a veritate deviatum est Et ipsa concilia quae per singulas regiones vel provincias fiunt plenariorum conciliorum authoritati quae fiunt ex universo orbe christiano sine ullis ambagibus cedere ipsaque plenaria saepe priora posterioribus emendari cum aliquo experimento rerum aperitur quod clausum erat et cognoscitur quod latebat Who knowes not that the canonicall Scriptures are so farre to be preferred above the latterr letters of Bishops that whatsoever is found written in it may neither be doubted nor disputed of whether it be true or right but the letters of Bishops may not only be disputed of but censured by Bishops that are more wise and learned then they if any thing in their writings swerve from the truth or by Provinciall Synods and these also must give place to plenarie and generall Councels and even plenarie and generall Councels may be amended the former by the latter and it is to be noted that he speaketh of errour in matter of faith For these words are part of his answer to an Objection of the Donatists out of the letters of Saint Cyprian concerning the point of rebaptizing Secondly If the determinations of generall Councels were infallible all Christians were necessarily bound to stand unto them and to submit to their authoritie but this Saint Augustine peremptorily denies l. 3. Cont. Maxim c. 14. Nec ego Nicenum nec tu debes Ariminense tanquam preiudicaturus proferre concilium nec ego huius authoritate nec tu illius detineris Neither ought I to alleadge the Councel of Nice nor thou the Councel of Ariminum in prejudice to either part For neither am I bound to the authoritie of the one nor thou to the authoritie of the other and it is worth the observation that Saint Augustine speaketh of the first most famous Councel of Nice whose authoritie was greater and held more sacred and venerable then any Councel since and if that Councel concluded not Saint Augustine shall the authoritie of a late Conveticle at Trent conclude all Christians Thirdly If generall Councels may contradict one the other they may certainly erre For it is impossible that both parts of a contradiction should be true But generall Councels contradict one the other Ergo. For the Councel held at Ariminum contradicteth the first generall Councel held at Nice in the point of consubstantialitie of the Sonne with the Father The generall Councel held at Chalcedon contradicteth the generall Councel held at Ephesus in the point of Eutychianisme The generall Councel at Frankeford contradicteth your second generall Councel held at Nice in the point of Image worship Your generall Councel held at Lateran under Leo the tenth contradicteth your Councel of Constance in the point of the Councels superioritie above the Pope Fourthly Cuivis contingere potest quod cuiquam potest that which hath befallen some generall Councels may befall any other unlesse