preache the one in the hilles of Gutni the other in Zary a village of Silesia In Pintzou a towne of Poleone George Brandat and Peter Statorius teache openly that there is not one but thre Gods and eche of them of diuers and distinct natures no lesse then thre diuers men So that there is not one substaunce of the godhed but thre and thre different operations thre diuers willes And that the Son is lesse then the father As for the crede of Athanasius that it ought rather be called the crede of Sathanasius the diuell him self And these felowes Brandat and Statorius being admonished of such blasphemous doctrine and required by what authorite or whose persuasioÌ„ they durste sowe suche blasphemies they answered they were moued thereunto first by the authorite of Caluin of wolfgangus Musculus of Peter Martyr of Bullinger and such like masters then by the euidence of the holy truthe which hitherto hath layen hidd and nowe was from God vnto them reueled These thinges to be as we saye Stanislaus a Baron of the realme of Pole Mathias Stadnitzky and Franciscus Stancarus do write But bicause this parted confusion of so diuers opinions can not well be perceaued and is harde to be tried or discerned of such as gladly receaue al nouelties there is vpsterte this very winter in Bohem a newe Secte The which to take awaye this confusion and to sett forthe a brefe and compendiouse waie of the Lutheran doctrine teacheth openly and affirmeth that all other opinions and doctrine of God of the worshipping of God of faith of good or euill workes and to be short of any saluation of man be but olde wyues tales and fonde inuentioÌ„s This onely to be a sure and infallible lawe and the true sincere doctrine that man bothe body and soule after this life vtterly perisheth no sence or life remaining after death here Lo to what point the preachers of the newe ghospel haue brought their doctrine vnto Lo the marke and scope of all their doings The third principle of the Lutheran ghospell is saieth Brentius an assured certainte that euery maÌ„ hath of his faith in Christ. But for the loue of God what is this assured certainte of faith May we not as well call day night and light darknes But what I praye you is this so assured and vndoubted certeinte of faith amonge the Lutherans It is peraduenâ—ure that certainte of faith which for the clerenes and euidence of it hathe so surely and with suche constaÌ„t consent and maruaylous agreement ioyned together the Lutherans that in all their new ghospell no dissension can be founde no variaunce in any article of their faythe no heresyes at all in their doctrine may be espied For if constant certaynte bredeth true concorde and agreement as a certain philosopher wittely reporteth then surely vncertainte and wauering in opinions muste nedes brede strife Hereof then we may clerely gather howe trew this thirde principle of Luther is for such is the certaynte of their faithe as the agreement of their opinions is The whiche howe greate and of what maner it is they haue them selues declared and we will not dissemble it These are the principles of the reformed ghospell laied by Luther repeted by BreÌ„tius and admitted of the whole swarme of sectaries Nowe bicause in the principle all is contained and many labels depend thereof what roufe thinke yow will the diuell buyld vppon these foundations of Luther For the effect neuer excelleth the cause Truly these consequents and labels depended of suche holy principles To make of chaste membres of Christ filthy membres of an harlot of deuoute and well disposed Christians wicked and vnruly subiects of sober and temperat glutons and Epicures yelding to all filthy lust and pleasure whose bely is their God whose faithe is perfidiousnes and no faith at all And to this butte and scope of Luther many haue preuily aimed at but those of BoheÌ„ haue nowe openly shott at it and stroken the very marke preaching in open pulpits that the soule dieth with the body But bicause Epicure him selfe taught that to get pleasure a coulour of vertu must be caste and the diuel perceauing wel that publick magistrats could better be chauÌ„ged theÌ„ vtterly takeÌ„ away he thought better to traine this herde of Epicures fleshly and worldly meÌ„ to the yoke of MahometaÌ„s doctrine being so sure they should be his owne theÌ„ to leaue theÌ„ vnder the roufe of the Catholike church where he stoode allwayes in doubte to lese them The diuell therefore hath so directed allwaies and trayned all contentions and variaunces in religion that all heresies ende in the Alcoran Mahomets lawe All historiographers that write of the first beginning of Turkes affirme with one assent that the lawe of Mahomet writen in the Alcoran was compiled by one Sergius an Arrian and Ihon a Nestorian bothe auncient heretiques and of a certain Iewe of the Talmudistes Now although the heresies which haue in our vnhappy time spronge vp be many and diuers yet if the chiefe of theÌ„ and moste receaued were examined and coÌ„ferred diligeÌ„tly with those thre sectes aboue mencioned we should plainely and euidently perceaue that the drift of the diuell is no other nowe a dayes then by the meane of these heresies to traine vs vnwares from the faith of Christ to the cursed infidelite of Mahomet Petrus Statorius chargeth Franciscus Stancarus with the heresie of Nestorius and he againe the other with the heresie of Arrius And bicause Stancarus is a famous Iew and Talmudist and Statorius is by professioÌ„ a Caluiniste partes hath so hotly and earnestly beÌ„ taken on bothe sides that nowe not only in Pole and Hungary whiche are Realmes nighe vnto the Turkes but also in Silesia in Morauia in Bohem and other prouinces more remote greate contentions haue ben kindled thereupon and be yet hotte And what other thinge o mercifull God can we looke for If Christen men call the faith of Christ in doubte if they denie it openly if they embrace the abhominable doctrine off Mahomet is it likely that whose doctrine they allowe his power and rule they will refuse no truly But these may seme paradoxes and beyonde all credence Woulde God they were so But I feare me they are as true as the ghospell The causes be euident and open surely the euent of all likelyhood will be correspondent Let them enquire that be ignoraÌ„t and those that see and knowe the thinges to be as we saie let them well waighe them But I will not make so euill abodement I will rather wish and hope well and much more rather woulde I be counted a lyar and vnprouident that it might not so proue then true and wise that they shoulde so proue But nowe to couple more closely and to strike more directly oure aduersarie whom I labour here to saue I saye the only remedy for the mischef that hangeth on vs the only meanes to escape this vtter destruction of ChristendoÌ„ is
Catholike church In his Institutions disputing against the reall presence of Christ in the Sacrament and awnswering to those which for possibilite of being in diuers places at ones alleage that the body of Christ is glorious and immortall and not subiect to place and measure as oure corruptible bodies are he writeth thus Some againe saieth he seke a more suttle escape to wit that the body of Christ geuē in the Sacramēt is glorious and immortall and therefore that it is not absurde he be in diuers places or in no certain place or in any certain forme vnder the Sacrament But I aske them VVhat body gaue our Lorde to his disciples the daie before he suffred Do not the wordes sounde that he gaue his mortall body and the same which shoulde forthwith be deliuered Thus farre Caluin If then this maner of reasoning be currant and allowablein Caluin Christ before he suffred gaue his mortall body to be eaten ergo he geueth not nowe any other in the Sacrament why then maye not we also reason against him The Apostles before Christ suffred beleued not in the resurrection and yet notwithstanding receaued the body of Christ in the Sacrament ergo it is not nowe requisit and necessary for the eating of Christ his body to beleue in his resurrection If this maner of reasoning be naught and vicious then you lerne that Caluin in reasoning against the churche speaketh not allwaies the ghospell but vttereth sometimes his ignoraunce And if this maner of reasoning be good then Caluin misseth much of the marke in his doctrine where he teacheth that to eate Christ is to beleue in his passion and resurrection Againe we do not reason in this sorte The Apostles at the Maunde beleued not in the resurrection ergo such faith is not nowe necessary as Caluin reasoneth The body of Christ was then mortal ergo it is not to be considered here as a glorious body or immortall But this is our reason The Apostles in the laste supper beleued not in the resurrection ergo Calvin defining the eating of Christ in the Sacramēt to be a beleuing in the deathe and resurrection of Christ excludeth the Apostles from eating of Christes body in the last Supper This is lo the effect of our reasō Nowe if we would infer beside that bicause the Apostles did not then beleue such belefe now is not necessary I graūte the argumēt were naught and yet were it such as Caluin vseth against vs as you haue heard I haue troubled you here somewhat longe But this you haue gained that not only the presēt point of his doctrine whereof we now purposely do entreate is proued to be absurde and detestable as the which excludeth the Apostles from the true receauing of Christ in the laste Supper but also we haue farder declared you an other false point of his maner of reasoning against the Catholike doctrine in this moste blessed Sacrament The fifte absurdite against this pointe of his doctrine maie be this If the eating of Christ his body be as Caluin saith vpon S. Ihon the worke of faithe or as he writeth in his Institutions the effect of faithe that is if by beleuing in Christ we eate and receaue Crist in to vs then to what purpose did S. Paule bid men proue them selues first and so to eate Christ For he that proueth trieth and examineth him selfe first he beleueth For without faith there is no triall of our hartes and he that cometh to god saieth the Apostle must first beleue then if he beleue before he proue him selfe he eateth by Caluins saieng the body of Christ before he be proued How standeth this with S. Paul bidding vs first to proue and so to eate Surely S. Paule mēt that the eating of Christ was not by faith only which we muste nedes haue before we can proue and trie our owne worthines or vnworthines but by receauing really after due probation and trial the very true and naturall body of our Sauiour Iesus Christ. Last of all if the eating of life whiche Christ promiseth in the Sacrament is the effect of faith the eating of iudgement and deathe is the effect of infidelite That is if by faith we duely receaue the blessed Sacramēt through infidelite and lacke of faith we receaue our owne damnation By this reason the Turke shall through his infidelite eate iudgment and dānation though he neuer eate the Sacrament nor the bread which S. Paule spake of This doctrine therefore of Caluin maie haue good rime but surely it hathe small reason it may sounde well in the eares of ignorant persons that we eate Christ no otherwise then by beleuing in him but it standeth with no reason at all as you haue I trust sufficiently heard and yet when we come to the contradictions of Caluin you shal here more and see Caluin confute him selfe I will note onely more most notable absurdite in this their doctrine whereby you shall perceaue to what point they bring this holy Sacrament and so come to the contradictions of Caluin as we promised Caluin teacheth in his Catechisme that we receaue the communion of Christ his body as well in baptim and by hearing the ghospell as at the Lordes supper But that in Baptim and by the ghospell we receaue him but in parte in the Supper we receaue him wholy and fully And in his resolution of the Sacraments he teacheth that we receaue Christ in the Supper euen as we had him before continually dwelling in vs. For saieth he Faithe being required of vs before we come to the Sacrament we haue Christ also before for oure faith is not without Christ And euen as the vse of the Sacraments profiteth no more the vnbeleuers then if they vsed them not at all so the beleuers communicat and haue the verite figured by the Sacraments which is Christ euen without the vse of the Sacraments Farder the profit which we receaue at the Sacramēts ought not to be restrained to the very time we receaue thē as though the signe being geuen vs we receaued withal incontinently the grace of God It maie well happen that the receit of the Sacrament that in the acte profited nothing through our defaute or slacknes maie afterwarde bring forth better frute Hetherto Caluin In these wordes Caluin concludeth his doctrine touching this blessed Sacrament Let vs nowe examin it What meaneth Caluin so to debace the excellent vertu of this blessed Sacrament as to compare it to baptim or hearing of the ghospell forsothe to persuade men that it were nought els but a morcell of bread a mere figure badge or token For see I praie you what his opiniō and doctrine is touchīg baptim Baptim saithe he in his institutions is a signe of the entring whereby we are receaued in to the felowship of the Church that being grafte in Christ we maie be accompted amonge the Children of God Here he meaneth baptim not to make vs entre in to Christ
saide these euill abodements and will praie vnto God that it will please him rather to beare downe our sinnes with the balance of his mercie then to exacte them to the rigour of his iustice graunting to our aduersaries the loue of Christian and Catholâ—ke concorde and to vs the amendment to a perfiâ— life The wrath of God is slowe and although allwais iust yet neuer without mercie if at lest we labour rather to trie it mercifull then iust For it inuiteth vs first to acknowledg our sinne and expecteth our repentaunce before it pronounceth sentence to condemne vs. And what may we thinck of the prouidence of God taking awaye the auncient and aged princes and leauing aliue the yonge which for their tender age and small experience are like to swarue and misse in many matters Within the coÌ„pas of these thre yeres or there about what number of princes kinges and Quenes haue departed this worlde And to begin with the most principall The Emperour Charles the fifte died the laste yeare About that time died his two sisters Leonore wife vnto Frauncis theÌ„ frenche kinge and Mary wife vnto Loys kinge of Pannonia Mary also Quene of England maried vnto kinge Philip his son About that time also died Ihon kinge of Portugall Bona wife vnto Sigismunde kinge of Pole and Isabell his daughter maried vnto Ihon kinge of Hungary Not longe after also died two kinges in Denmark Christern and Christian sonne to kinge Friderike which had longe kept the other in prison Shortly afther these Harry the Frenche kinge died and a litle before him Paule the fourth B. of Rome What shall I nowe talke of the death of inferiour princes In the compasse of a shorte time died fowre of the Princes Electours of the Empire the bishops of Treuires of Ments and of Colonie and Ottohenricus Counte palatin of the Rhene and in Italy the Duke of Venis But what shall I speake of those whiche died this laste moneth Gustanus king of Suethland Frauncys the second the frenche kinge and Ernestus Duke of Bauaria Michael also Archebishop of Salisburg a vertuous and lerned bishop the bishops also of Frising and of Eystat your predecessour haue about this time ben taken out of this worlde And although it be true that Euripides saieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 al meÌ„ are borne to die and that Eschilus an other poet writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To serche out the cause of death is in the secrets of fortune yet the like is not of such straunge and rare maner of chaunces True it is and by a most iust order of nature hath allwaies ben a constant and sure ratified lawe that which Horace the poet writeth Pallida mors aequo cae VVith like force and foote death striketh at the doore Of the princes highe palais and the cottage of the poore But that so many kinges so many Quenes so many Princes in so short a compas as of thre yeares should all departe this life it is a rare matter the like whereof hath in fewe ages happened And may we thinke this to be a mere chaunce and casualtie or rather to haue proceded of the vnfallible prouidence of God Truly as the first I can not thinke so the last I must nedes beleue For doth not God by the mouthe of his prophet Esay declare vs his diuine prouideÌ„ce herein For Lo he saieth the Lorde God of hostes doth take away from Hierusalem and Iuda euery valiaunt and stronge abundance of bread and of water the mighty and man of warre the iudge and the prophet the wise and the aged maÌ„ the prince of fiftie yeares olde and the honourable the Senatours and meÌ„ of vnderstaÌ„ding the master of craftes and the well spokeÌ„ wisemaÌ„ And I shal geue theÌ„ childreÌ„ to be their princes and the delicious and waÌ„ton shall haue the rule of theÌ„ the people shall be ouerruÌ„ne and one maÌ„ shall be set against an other euery maÌ„ against his nâ—ighbour Tbe boye shall presume against the elder and the vile pâ—rson against the honourable and so forthe Thus the pâ—ophets in times past did so pronounce of the Iewes that it may well seme to be meÌ„t also of vs GermaÌ„s The truthe of the prophet concerning the Iewes the euent declared And that he will not lye touching vs it is not nede to declare in wordes the daily experience dothe showe it But seing that this mischef is so farre growen that by only repentaunce we may escape the rodde better it were for vs to amend our selues quietly then to repreheÌ„d other sharply seing that so it is now that if as an inferiour you do brotherly aduertise men you auaile nothing by entreating and againe if as a superiour you commaunde you get nothing by forcing Peraduenture therefore as S. Basile saieth in the like cause of a coÌ„mon vice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Better a man to holde his peace then to speake Being the parte of a good oratour as well in time to kepe silence as when occasion serueth to talke For as by doing the one he profiteth much so by neglecting the other he hurteth sometime And this the nerer I considre the more lothe I am to set vppon this enterprise And truly if I folowed herein my owne priuat quarel I might worthely seme vndiâ—cret and rash which would prefer my priuat commodite or incommodite before the publick and common or woulde esteme my priuat displeasure more then the profit and instruction of many But the loue of truthe shall here ouercom which as it is oppressed by silence so being discouered taketh force againe I had rather therefore if I must nedes somewaies offend smarte for telling the truthe then for dissembling by flattery Therefore iff I declare that which I haue perceaued if I aduertise men to beware of the mischef that I haue incurred my selfe I trust in so doing I shall offend no man I knowe there are amonge the rulers and noble men which if they plainly perceaued the deceites of these heretikes and knew what mischef ariseth thereby to them selues to theirs and to the whole common welthe they would not slowly and slackely as I did very vnwise but with spede as wise men returne to the trade of auncient and Catholike religion Therefore writing this booke most Reuerend I haue eftesoones ioyned teares with praiers beseching allmightie God as well for my enemies as for my frendes that it will please him of his goodnes to geue vs all one minde and one vnderstanding that we may knowe no other thinge nor thinke our selues wise in any other point then in Iesus Christ and he for vs crucified For he is the shoot anker of all Christian religion he is the only porte of our saluation Who so straieth from him he leseth God and life euerlasting And to this ende haue I directed bothe all other trauaill of my life and this my present labour that the vnlerned might hereby charitably be admonished and the lerned might
dede let them trie their Confession and Apologie also by these waightes Let them from the first article vnto the last showe first that their doctrine is the right and Catholike exposition of Gods worde then whether they can confirme it by any one miracle last of all let them showe the maner and order of their Lutheran church to haue ben prefigured and shadowed in the olde lawe If they can so do I will warrant them that all Christē people wil gladly subscribe to their articles and beleue accordinge to their doctrine But if they are not able to perfourme this then let them not obiect to vs their Confession or Apologie let them suffer vs quietly and frely perseuere in our Catholike and auncient religion and we will not let them to crie to sweare and forsweare that their Confession is grounded vpon the writings of the Apostles and prophets And thus much hitherto haue we spoken as touching that which our Lorde saide Vppon the chaire of Moyses sit the scribes and pharises do all thinges that they shall bidde you to do For hitherto haue we talked howe to trie true doctrine and howe to knowe such as sit in dede vpon the chaire of Moyses It remaineth nowe to speake of the later part of Christes saying But do not as they do Which we must also no lesse discusse then the former For in this our miserable and vnhappy time bicause heretikes can not ouerthrowe by any good reason the very chaire of Moyses the doctrine of the church they take holde of the euill life of the clergy and barke at the dissolute liuing of those that sit in the chaire making the people beleue that their doctrine is no other then their life and behauiour is inferring very absurdely that the doctrine and the life is all one and can not be diuers which wicked opiniō hath bred much strife and caused muche trouble in the Christen common welth as in the writings of the fathers we may reade treating of the heresies of the Donatistae Encratitae Cathari and Apostolici But we haue in holy scripture markes inoughe and that euident to discern heresies which procede of euill doctrine from the euill life which procedeth of men For heresie being a very plage and poison of Christen religion S. Paule biddeth vs auoide and flie from the heretike after the first or second admonition Bicause he is subuerted that is such a one and offendeth being condemned by his owne proper iudgemēt And our Lorde biddeth vs to accompt him for an hethen and publicane that heareth not the church And publicanes were a sorte of mē with whom it was not lawfull for the Iewe to kepe cōpany withall S. Antony also that holy and famous ermite in his last wordes spoken before his death vnto his scholers left thē these two godly and wholesome lessons and most necessary for our time as that notable bishop Athanasius writing his life reporteth the first was Auoide ye the venim of al schismatikes and he retikes and folowe hardly the hatred that I bore alwaies against thē for they are the enemies of Christ and you knowe I neuer had softe or paisible cōmunication with them The second lesson is this Kepe aboue al thinges your vpright faith in Christ and the religious traditiō of your forefathers which you haue lerned by the reading of holy scripture and by my poore aduertismēt frō time to time This cōmaundemēt of auoiding and shunning heretikes is not made for the lerned only but also for the simple and vnlerned Which is readely proued by the sayings of our Sauiour Take ye hede of false prophets and againe If the blinde leade the blinde bothe fal into the ditche and such other But to forsake the church and the Catholike doctrine of the same by reason of the disordinat life of priestes and other prelats Christ not only neuer cōmaūded it but also very straitely forbad it declaring the parable of the husband man which forbad his seruaūtes to wede out the darnell from the corne Lest peraduenture saythe he gathering the darnell ye plucke vp also the corne let them therefore growe bothe together vntell the haruest time and then I will saie vnot the ripers gather first together all the darnell and binde it vp in bundles that it may be burned but the good corne gather in to my barne For as it becometh not the seruaunte to take vppon him the correction of such matters in the familie as the master vpon some waightie consideration would haue reserued to him selfe so much lesse in the church of Christ maye the laye men whose parte it is to obey and folowe not to prescribe lawes and orders take vppon thē the rule and dominion which appertaineth only to bishops and rulers in the church Farder that this is the true meaning of our Sauiour in the place aboue alleaged he declareth by an other similitude of the shrowde seruaunte which saide in his harte My Master will not come of a longe season and thereupon beginneth to strike his felowe seruauntes eating and drinking and making good chere But the Master of that seruaunt will come sayth Christ in the daye that he loketh not for and in the howre that he knoweth not and shall cutte him of and put his portiō with the hypocrites there shall be weping and gnashing of tethe Our Sauiour hath here plainly and roundely I trowe warned the laie people not only not to medle with chasten or correct their bishops pastours and Curates whom Christ as the Apostle saythe hathe appointed and set ouer them but also not to trouble instructe rule or reprehend their felowe laye folke though nowe a daies alas nothing is more common then clouters coblers sadlers taylers cytezens and men of the countre gentlemen and noble men to take vpon them in the church of Christ the parte of Masters and rulers to interpret holy scripture to prescribe their Curates howe and what to preache howe to administrat sacramēts setting them vp and downe at their pleasure whereas they ought by the expresse commaundement of S. Paule obey and submitt them selues vnto their curates vicars and bishops For thus he writeth vnto the Hebrewes Obey them that haue the ouersight of you and submit your selues vnto them for they watche for your soules euen as they that muste geue accompte that they may do it with ioye and not with grief For that is not expedient for you But you will saie These papiste bishops and priestes be men vnlerned incontinent dissolute geuen to ryot ambition to couetousnes to pompe and to all vice If you saie this of some certain amonge the clergy it may be true But if you speake of the whole clergy it is very false and vntrue For not only amōge the laye people but amonge the clergy also praised be God there be right vertuous sober and godly men vpon whom the fautes of the rest can not be fathered Yet if perhaps all these vices
Augustin when they sayde that the worde Catholike was not ment of the societe and communioÌ„ of the whole worlde but in obseruing of al gods commaundements and all his sacraments Thirdly the protestants of Lunneburg and of the Lantgraues dominions were offended with the Saxons in the publishing of their coÌ„fession bicause they yelded to much to the Catholikes in the question of ecclesiasticall iurisdiction and authorite off bishops whereupon Melanchthon was expresly commaunded to yeld no farder Fourthly whereas in that confession presented to the Emperour in the yeare 1530. in the tenth article we reade this They teache that the true body and bloud of Christ is truly present in the Supper vnder the formes of bread and wine the next yere after the same Confession being printed at VVittenberg they frame the same article after an other sorte and write That the body and bloud of Christ are truly present and distribued to those which receiue in the supper By the which addition they exclude all reseruation of the blessed Sacrament for the sicke and tie Christ to the pleasure of the receiuers But in the yeare 1540. wading furder in the moire of heresy they make that same article yet fouler For this they saie That with the breade and the wine the body and bloud of Christ is truly exhibited to those whiche receiue in the Lordes Supper Thus lo at the length this monster of Luther was brought to perfection I meane his proper heresy about the SacrameÌ„t But what Doth all the brotherhood of that Confession staye here Nay the zelous Lutherans denie it and complaine of it For from this their Confession Brentius and the Masters of WitteÌ„berg in their conference helde at Wormes in the yeare 1557. haue departed openly yelding to the heresies of Zuinglius and Osiander directly repugning to that ConfessioÌ„ as Nicolaus Amsdorffius a zelous Lutheran chargeth them in open writing His wordes you may reade in the beginning of the thirde parte of this booke Thus you maye see howe the sprit of Melanchthon and his felowes agree with the doinges and behauiour of olde heretikes And although Philip Melanchthon at the first visitation of the protestants in Germany was praysed for his modesty and meakenes yet afterwarde as he grewe in heresy so did he in malice and cruelty The thrusting in of OsiaÌ„der in to Prussia procured by him displacing Morlinus by force his open writing against the visitatioÌ„ of Bauaria his bitter and dispiteous inuectiues againste the lerned vertuous and Noble man Fridericus Staphylus hath sufficiently declared to all the worlde that as good men eunt de virtute in virtutem encrease and go forward in vertu so he proceded in mischefe and malice of harte as the property of heretikes hathe allwaies ben Illyriâ—us and other zelous Lutherans ceased not daily while he liued to entwit this vnto him And I haue here recited onely for the intent God is my witnes that his credit hereafter may be the lesse amonge suche as by his hereticall ciuilite haue ben deceaued and trained into heresies from the vnite of Christes churche where only saluation is to be hoped for For that is the body off Christ as S. Paule saieth and the piller of truthe and as S. Augustin writeth Whosoeuer beleueth that Christe Iesus is come in to fleshe and in the same fleshe hathe suffred for vs hath risen again and is ascended vp and that he is the son of God God with God and one with the father by whom al was made and yet do so dissent from his body which is the church that they do not communicat with all the whole corps of Christendome certain it is that they are not in the Catholike churche What Christen maÌ„ therefore is there so destitut of the grace of God and all good reason that will hazarde his soule to folowe that guide which woteth not him selfe which waie to walcke or to lerne a newe belefe contrary to all Christendome beside that nowe is and euer hathe ben of suche a Master as knoweth not him felfe what he may saie and was euen to his deathe but a lerner and scholer For then onely began he to professe him selfe a Caluiniste and a Sacramentary hauing all his life time before taught and deceaued a number after the trade of Luther And howe can his scholers be assured that theÌ„ he founde out the truthe We will therefore nowe come to Caluin him selfe to whom Melanchthon hathe yelded and see whether he be a ghospeller worthy to be folowed againste the vniforme consent of Christes churche Perusing diligently the doctrine of Iohn Caluin in his Institutions commentaries vppon the holy Scripture his resolutions vppon the Sacraments and other his workes touching his doctrine of the blesâ—ed Sacrament of the aultar whiche he allwaies termeth the Supper off the Lorde and recording with my self howe the greatest swaye of the lost flock of our time forsaking Christ the heauenly shepearde and his vicar here on earthe haue folowed more that wolfe of Geneua Iohn Caluin then the foxes of Germany Luther Melanchthon Osiander and other truly I bothe lamented much the losse of so many ChristeÌ„ soules straiyng after so perilous a guide and maruailed yet more at the blindnes of our wicked time that would be so soone lead out of the highe waie of Christes churche wherein onely saluation is to be sought and folow the trade of such a doctour or Master which like a madde will full man being out off the waie runneth vpp and downe among the bushes and briers this waie and that waie seking of purpose any waye rather then he will take the common highe beaten waie that all Christen people haue walked in I saie this good Readers not as enemy to the man whom thanked be God I neuer sawe nor heard but as finding him such in his writings as I haue saied and intending by Gods helpe to sett him so before your eyes that yow shall also saie and iudge no lesse of him then I do vnlesse you are which God forbidde of the number of those obstinat Iewes who seying would not see and hearing woulde not heare I trust rather in allmighty God that no man hath so pinned his soule to Caluins doctrine but that he will yelde to the expresse worde off holy Scripture and euident reason when he shall see the same doctryne to fight directly against them bothe And first we wil coÌ„sidre how is doctrine fighteth against euideÌ„t reason which by two maner of waies we will declare you First by certain of his propositions importing absurde consequences and impossibilites nexte by clere and most euident contradictions of his owne saiengs wherby not onely the faithfull Catholike but the deceiued protestant may euidently iudge and pronounce that this mans doctrine can not be of god and his holy Spirit which is the Spirit of truthe and vnite but is of the diuel and his wicked sprit which is the sprit of falshood and
conuaiaunce off Christ his flesh in to oure soules whiche he teacheth bothe in his Institutions and in his commentaries vpon S Paule he fell in to the heresy of the Maniches no lesse wicked and auncient heretikes then Nestorius Now you shal see that making the flesh off Christ a pipe for the conuaiaunce of Christ his diuinite vnto vs he falleth in to the heresy of Nestorius In his commentaries vpon the sixte of S. Ihons ghospell thus he writeth As the euerlasting worde off God is the fountaine of life so his fleshe conuaieth vnto vs like a certain pipe that life abiding in the godhead And in this sense the fleshe of Christe is saide to geue life bicause it communicateth vnto vs the life which it boroweth other where These are the very wordes of Caluin Nowe let vs considre the doctrine of S. Paule saieng As in Adam all do die so in Christ all shall be quickened or endued with life Vppon the grounde of this doctrine whiche can not be denied thus I reason If the fleshe of Christ dothe not of it selfe geue life as Caluin saythe but serueth vs as a pipe of the life abiding in god then the sinnerfull fleshe of Adam was not of it selfe damnable and the cause of our damnation VVe all sinning and dieng in Adam as S. Paule saithe but a pipe or instrument of deathe and damnation abiding in some euill God from whence the fleshe of Adam toke deathe and damnation as the fleshe of Christe acording to Caluin boroweth life of God For otherwise the saieng of S. Paule shall not be true attributing as properly and as truly life vnto our Sauiour as deathe vnto Adam Nowe to imagin a higher cause of deathe in Adam then Adam him selfe and an euill God in whom that death before remained to be from thence deriued to sinners is the very doctrine of the cursed Maniches making two Goddes or beginnings of all things one of the good and an other of the badde as in S. Augustin it is easy to finde But here perhaps some scholer of Caluins schole and zelous professour of the ghospell of Geneua will steppe in and saie that Master Caluin neuer taught neuer allowed nor so muche as dreamed off the approuing of suche hainous heresies as these are And therefore we deale not charitably herein but rather vtter our malice and stomache to no purpose To such bicause I thinke it were harde for me to frame an awnswer of my owne that might please them I will awnswer with the wordes of M. Caluin him selfe which I hope shall not mislike them Master Caluin in his Institutions hauing for his pleasure longe iested at the blessed sacrifice of the Masse and with a fewe sory reasons laboured to proue that such as saide Masse crucified Christ againe at the length moueth the like obiection as this is against him selfe and awnswereth vnto it in these wordes I knowe well saith he they haue a ready answer whereby they will charge vs as slaunderers For they will saie we laye that vnto their charge whiche they neuer thought and whiche they were sure they coulde neuer do But we knowe well inoughe it is not in their handes to make Christ liue or die Nether care we if they neuer thought to kill him Onely this I would showe what absurdite doth folowe by their wicked and hainous doctrine Thus awnswered Caluin thinking it a sufficient excuse to escape the note of a slaūderer and false accuser hauing well deserued it We awnswer the same being no false accusers of Caluin but true reporters of that we finde in his writings and saie that we passe not whether Caluin euer thought as Arrius Faustus Manicheus Valentinus Samosatenus Nestorius and the whole secte of the Maniches taught Onely we entend to showe that by his hainous and wicked doctrine such heresies do consequently folowe Whiche the vnlerned take so muche the sooner for that they come vnder the visard of a fauourer of the ghospell Whereas being nowe brought to light and their visard plucked of they shall appeare in their liknes to witt olde cursed and cōdēned heresies This I truste shall make men take better aduisement whiche waie they walke in matters of belefe nor lightely to trust euery newe Master bringing newe lerning and not heard of before Lest as Caluin hathe done by listening after newe doctrine they fall in to olde heresies But nowe to the residew of them That the paschal lambe offred and eatē by Moyses in the olde lawe was a clere figure of Christ the true lambe of god to be eaten and offred in the newe lawe for the redēption of mankinde it is a verite of all Christen men confessed and vndoubtedly receiued The wordes of our Sauiour saieng that it behoued him to fulfill all wich was writen of him in the lawe the psalmes and the prophets geue vs no lesse to vnderstād S. Paule also teacheth vs that al thinges happēed to the Iewes in figure to witt of suche thinges as vnder Christ should be accōplished Brefely Caluin him selfe in his commentaries vpon S. Paule to the Hebrewes confesseth that all the sacrifices of the olde lawe do leade vs to the sacrifice of Christe whiche doctrine he lerned of the holy fathers especially S Augustin who repeteth it in sundry places of his workes Caluin therefore in his Institutions treating of oure Lordes supper accordeth this figure of the paschall lambe with the supper off oure Lorde in this sorte The paschall lambe saithe he being bodely eaten did figure the spirituall eating of oure paschall lambe which is Christ. Vpon this his doctrine it foloweth that Christ was but spiritually not corporally offred vp for vs. For the paschal lambe of Moyses figured Christ not onely as it was eaten but also as it was offred If then the figure of the lambe eaten be accomplished by spirituall eating of Christ the figure of the lambe offred shall be also accomplished by the spirituall oblation of Christe For bothe actions were true figures of Christ and bothe were to be accomplished by Christ no lesse the one then the other Nowe to make the sacrifice of Christ but a spirituall sacrifice is the heresy of Marcion whom Tertullian confuteth The truthe is that as Christ was a true sacrifice figured by the paschall lambe to die for vs so was he a true sacrifice figured by the same to be eaten by vs. Bicause the heresy of Valentinus renewed by the hereticall doctrine of Caluin well espied and tried oute maketh muche for the verite of the reall presence in this blessed Sacrament we will yet farder see how the doctrine of Caluin destroying the reall presence vpholdeth and reneweth the heresy of Valentinus The opinion of Valentinus was that the body of Christ was a celestiall body descending from heauē through the wombe of the blessed Virgin taking no fleshely substaunce thereof Caluin calleth rem signatam the thinge figured in the Sacrament a spirituall and celestiall
Catholike that nedeth not this eure and instructions to thanke allmighty God therefore to praie for the protestant and all deceiued persons in matters of conscience and soule helth Vt idipsum dicamus omnes noÌ„ sint in nobis schismata simus autem perfecti in eodem sensu in eadem scientia that is that we may say all one thing and that there be no schismes amonge vs but that we be perfit in one self vnderstanding and in one self knowleadg Such perfectnes of vnite and agrement with amendment of life and true repentaunce our Lorde for his tendre mercy graunt our countre and all ChristeÌ„dom through the merites of his dere SoÌ„ our Sauiour and Redemer Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Ghoste be all honour and glory now and euer AMEN FINIS Quoniam viri doctissimi Angli sacraruÌ„ literaruÌ„ peritissimi apud me fide dignissimi ApologiaÌ„ hanc Friderici Staphylia Thoma Stapletono fideliter traductam attestati sunt itemque disceptationem ab ipso scriptam aduersus doctrinam Lutheri Melanchthonis Caluini vtilem per omnia Catholicam iudicarunt merito vtramque typis excudendam iudico Ita attestor Cunnerus Petri pastor S. Petri Louanij sacrae Theologiae professor .16 Nouembris an 1564. A TABLE OF THE SPECIALL MATTERS CONTAINED IN THE APOLOGIE OF STAPHYLVS IN THE DIScourse of the Translatour and in the prefaces off bothe Gathered by the order off the A B C. The figure fignifieth the leafe B the second side A short description of the Author of the Apologie fol. 9. b. seq Abhominable heresics of the Lutherans touching Christ. fol 17 Heresies of Caluin about the Sacrament of baptim fol. 231. and in the leaues folowing The opinion of Caluin touching baptim refuted fol. 202. A contradiction of Caluin about baptim fol. 203. Certain protestants call baptim a bathe for swine fol. 109. Certain false translations of the english Bible fol. 5. b. Item fol. 152. seq The duty of a conuerted Catholike fol. 56. b. VVhat is Catholike 49. b. The church ought to be obeyed 62. b 63. VVhy Caluin may worthely be charged with the heresies off the Arrians the Maniches and other fol. 224. Detestable doctrines off Caluin fol. 112. Absurdites in the doctrine off Caluin fol. 190. seq The confession off Ausgpurg resemble the Synods off the Arrians fol. 186. The ciuill Lutherans resemble olde beretikes fol. 185. b. Vniuersalite Antiquite and Consent sure notes off the Catholike doctrine fol. 144 Conferring off Scribture is no certain rule to interpret scripture fol. 159. b. 160. VVhat the communion off England is fol. 205. That we receaue not a communion of Christes body poored downe vpon vs in the sacrament fol. 190. The communion off Caluin destroieth the necessite off communicants fol. 191. b. People nede not resorte to the communion by the doctrine off Caluin fol. 198. b. 204. b. Caluins doctrine about the blessed Sacrament condemneth the practise of the primitiue church fol. 198. excludeth the Apostles from receauing Christ in the laste Supper fol. 199. excludeth the triall that S. Paul requireth fol. 201. Caluin denieth scripture fol. 237. An impudent foly off him fol. 238. he furdereth the cause off the Anabaptistes fol. 240 he auoucheth doctrine off his owne without scripture and wil not allow the doctrine off the church without the same fol. 241. he requireth to be heard against expresse scripture ibidem b. The principles off the Catholike religion fol. 15 The difference of the present communion from the first fol. 8. Olde condemned heresies renewed by Caluin in the doctrine off the blessed Sacrament fol. 222. Contradictions in the doctrine off Caluin fol. 206. and in the leaues folowing Caluin belieth holy Scripture fol. 209. The cause off contradictions in caluin fol. 208. b. The Lutherans haue corrupted the Crede fol. 97. b. They denie an article off the Crede fol. 106. The communion off the protestants is but foode for refection fol. 228. b. VVhat the iudge off praesent controuersies ought to be fol. 20. b. A clere example off debating a controuersy fol. 21. VVhat is all the controuersy betwene the Catholikes and the protestants fol. 35. Caluin teacheth Christ to haue suffred in hell fol. 229. VVhat his doctrine is fol. 233. b. Off the Ciuill Lutherans fol. 182. b. The difference betwene Catholikes and heretikes fol. 24. The Catholikes haue the worde off God no lesse then the protestants fol. 33. The late death off many great princes in a short time fol. 26. b. Such death a token off Gods wrath fol. 27. Difference betwene life and doctrine fol. 35. b. Doctrine how it is to be tried by the frutes fol. 38. b. How to discerne true doctrine from false fol. 41. A brief recapitulation off the schismes and dissensions amonge the protestants fol. 93. Item fol. 249. Testimonies off Lutheran Superintendents and Ministres witnessing the disagreement in doctrine amonge them selues fol. 78. and in many leaues folowing Dissension destroieth heresies fol. 98. b. It is a sure token off heresy fol. 99. Praier for the dead defended again M. Grindall fol. 163. and in the leaues folowing commaundement in Scripture to praie for the dead beside the place off the Machabees fol. 163. The meaning off the Fathers praying for the dead fol. 171. English corrupted translations lerned of Luther fol. 68. 71. b. 72. b. off Munster fol. 155. b. 156. off Caluin fol. 158. Excommunication off the protestants embarreth not from the communion by the doctrine off Caluin fol. 196. b. A good lesson for England fol. 126. 138. b. A corrupted text off Luthers in the english transl fol. 68. 71. b. .72 b. Brauling amonge the Archeprotestants for ecclesiasticall gouuernement fol. 45. 46. Holy Fathers despised by olde hertikes as by our protestants now fol. 32. b. 178. A very good faith off a coolyar fol. 53. Faith is one in all but trade off life diuers fol. 122. Lutherans do thaunge hope in to faith and cosidence fol. 124. The frute off only faith fol. 128. That we eate not the body off Christ only by faith fol. 196. b. A question to the Geneuians off England fol. 204. b. A straunge order off seruing the church in Germany fol. 43. b. A notable example off the sundry sectes in Germany fol. 56. b. 57. The ghospell off Luther decaieth daily fol. 121. The first Apostles off the Germans fol. 126. b. The ghospellers doubt and vary what the ghospell preacheth fol. 91. The mariages off new ghospellers fol. 96. b. The miracles off the new ghospell fol. 35. The markes off the heretikes off the primitiue church 24. The same marke in our heretikes fol. 25. A readie waie to trie out an heretike fol. 53. An answer to stoppe the mouth off an heretike fol. 54. A lesson off S. Antony to auoide â—eretikes fol. 62. The maner off heretikes fol. 67. Heretikes off great vertu in apparence fol. 38. Off the Canonicall howres off