with the loathsome staines of Heathenish Idolatry If words will carry it wee will roll in our figures as well as you Iab Oh what x Pag. 95. glorious Fathers and Doctors could I name famous in former ages for sanctity and learning that submitted their iudgements to the sayings of the Church Ma. O what a glorious Church were your Antichristian Synagogue did it not dissent from that primitiue purity of doctrine whereunto those famous Doctors and holy Fathers did subscribe then were it insolent madnesse in any to reiect her authority Iab Little y Pag. 96. Iudgement or piety doe you shew in your iest at our Ladies A. B. C as if the authority of the Church were not the Alphabet and Christ-Crosse row in which all Christians ought and all ancient Christians did learne to read and beleeue the Scriptures S. Augustine the Phoenix of wits the Mirrour of learning did hee not learne in this booke Truly saith he I would not belieue the Gospell did not the Churches authority mooue mee vnto it Min. Sooner shal you perswade vs that a foule noysome Stye is a faire princely pallace then that your Romish Seminary is that Church of which S. Augustine spake And yet must that holy Father bee z Non disputas ad idem rightly vnderstood He spekes there of his Introduction to the faith not of the Foundation thereof Being before a Manichy he could not of himselfe haue found the way out of the darknesse of that blind heresy vnlesse the Catholique Church had lent him her hand to conduct him to those Christall streames by the a Ecclesia proposuit Euangelium Euangeliu composuit fidem vertue whereof his eyes were opened and his mynd enlightened He had beene like enough to haue passed by that Liuing fountaine without regard had not their b Causa sine qua non direction who had made triall of the soueraignty therof persuaded him to make his repayre thither for the like successe Wherefore he should haue bene very vngrateful for so irrequitable a benefit had he concealed the meanes whereby that his so great happines was so luckily occasioned What good he receyued from the Church he freely acknowledgeth yet is he not so vniust as to make his requital with the Scriptures c Non dicit Nisi me Ecclesiae authoritas Moueret sed Commoueret wronge Yea so farre is he from subiecting those infallible Oracles to the Iudgement of Men that in the fourth Chapter of the same d Aug. Cont. Epist funda booke he challengeth the Manichyes to produce Scripture for their opinionatiue error with protestation that he would then forsake the name of the Church the Consent of people and Nations and returne vnto them So that howsoeuer the authority of the Church was an allectiue inducement to drawe him to the Ghospell yet was the Ghospell a farre more potent instrument in the founding and setling of the spirituall edifice of his faith vppon the solidity whereof he did principally and most confidently depend Ma. If it had not bene for the tydings of the little e 2. Reg. 5.3 Mayd Naaman had not gone to the Prophet in Samaria by whose praescript he was healed Shall we therefore saye that she had any hand in the curing of his leprosy No doubt her courtesie was not forgotten but the mayne homage and rewarde was offered to the man of God Had it not bene for the f Ioh. 4.42 Woman the Samaritans had not come vnto Christ but they heard him speake before they knew him to be Christ then loe they beleiued not because of her wordes but because themselues had heard him Iab The g Pag 57. Ladies of your Church learne forsooth of the spirit they trust to ipse dixit who will teach them which is the Scripture They are the sheepe of Christ and knowe his voice from that of strangers Theise are your Ministers faire promises Yet I dare giue them my worde though they haue the best spirit that euer possessed any man of your Church notwithstanding they maie erre damnably mistacke Scripture thinck that to be true translation which is indeed erroneous I see h Pag. 98. no remedy for them if they meane to be saued from the Deluge of errours but to fly to the Arke of Noe printed at Venice Your sheepe must learne in an hebrew Grammar to vnderstand their Pastors they must nibble on those rootes of Iury wherewith it would be great pitty your rare Creatures should be troubled Min. As touching our translations of the Bible though they admit a variety of style and phrase yet they concurre in a Sympathizing vnity of matter and sence They all accord in one issue without contradiction they all direct by one and the same waye to one and the same end so that the most vnlearned if he haue not a desire to goe astray cannot tread amisse There being but one choice of truth proposed there is hardly any possibility of being deceiued The Ladyes are not ignorant with what princely Cost and Care that Worke hath bene lately reuised by such graue learned and industrious persons who for knowledge in the originall tongues were best esteemed and for their sincerity least to be suspected Wherefore this hauing past the test of strictest discusse being allowed by the Church and vncontrolled by the most prying and Censorious aduersarie they are assured of the infallible truth thereof By the sweetnes of the fruite they euidently see that it sprang from a sound Roote by the illumination of the i 1. Ioh. 2.20 spirit which leadeth into all trueth by the ministry of the worde of God ratifyed with the k In Euangelijs omnis veritas omnis manifestatio veritatis Origen agreement and explaned with the perspicuous reasons of the Scripture it selfe by the efficacy thereof in captiuating their vnderstandings vnto the diuine will and their carnall affections to the regiment of a supernaturall lawe by often reading which begetteth experience and by hearty prayer which hath a promise of effectuating their zealous desires they are infallibly sure that their translation is true and their vnderstanding agreable to the rule of faith Moreouer the principles of faith with are absolutely and necessarily to be knowne beleiued and practized of all men are there blazed with such a l Aug de doct chris l. 2. c. 9. radiant lustre that without affected ignorance they are obuious to euery eye Though perhaps the genuine interpretation of some places of lesse consequence be sometymes mistaken yet is not the foundation raced so that their error is neither pernicious nor damnable Ma. If our Ladyes thus furnished in their mother tongue hauing no recourse to the hebrew text be in such danger of errour in what a pittifull plight are those creatures who are tyed to their vulgar latin translation which they vnderstand not How shall they trye the spirits of their teachers hauing so crooked a rule which they know not how to
contrary so it sorteth best with her honour who was the Mother of our Sauiour As for rebaptizing of those who were baptized by o Efficacia Sacramenti est ex institutioni ordinansis non ex sanctitate minâ—strantis Baptismus talis est qualâ—s ille iâ— câ—ius potestate datur non qualiâ— percuius ministerium datur Aug. in Ioh. â— Heretiques we rather follow Augustine then Cyprian yet not because he hath taught it but for that as him selfe saith Ex Euangelio profero certa documenta I haue sure p Eph 4.5 proofes out of the Ghospell Yea he pronounceth a q Cont. lit Petil. lib. 3. ca 6. curse vppon all such as teach any thing either of Christ or his Church or any other matter of faith besides that which is receyued from the Legall and Euangelicall Scriptures I once heard a Papist exceedingly puzled with a speeck of his to r Ad Max. lib. 3. cap. 14. Maximinus Neque ego Synodum Nicaenam nectu Ariminensem debes tanquam praeiudicaturus afferre Nec ego huius authoritate nec tu illius detineris Scripturarum auctoritatibus non quorumcumque proprijs sed vtrisque communibus testibus res cum re causa cum causa ratio cum ratione certet Min. Irenaeus Tertullian who had to doe with such refractory Heretiques as either denyed the purity of the Scriptures or traduced the perspicuity of them did both of them appeale to Tradition because they where challenged at that weapon by their aduersaries And by what Compasse did they saile first they proue that alone to be true and authenticall Tradition which was deliuered by Christ to the Apostles and by them to the Church by whome it was successiuely deriued to posterity Secondly they stand for no other Traditions but for the very same articles of faith which were contayned in the written worde Peruse Å¿ Irenae lib. 1. cap. 2.3 lib. 3. cap. 4. Tertul. lib. de praescrip haeret both their seuerall and specificall Enumerations of Traditions which the Church hath successiuely continued and you shall find them to iumpe in all respects with the Apostles Creede T is true they might haue proued them before competent Iudges by the authority of Scripture but as the Case stoode the authority of the Church was thought more preualent and the rather that they might shew the harmony thereof with the holy Scriptures Wherefore if you stand for such Traditions as they vrge it is fit your Bill should passe otherwise you must not take it ill if your Grace be stopt Iab Doe but t Pag. 105. read your learned Author Hierome Zanchius who will giue you a newer tune then that you haue piped vnto vs. That Author teacheth that diuerse vnwritten Traditions concerning Doctrine and Manners are in the Church which are not only profitable but in a manner necessary which we must reuerence and obey else we contemne the authority of the Church which is very displeasing vnto God Your Dr. Feild grauntes that Papists haue good reason to equall their Traditions to the written worde if they can proue any such vnwritten verities Ma. Zanchius meaneth not your Lenten fast your Ecclesiasticall orders of Acolothytes and Exorcists your Purgatory and Prayer for the dead which you will sooner proue to be dreames then Apostolicall Traditions but the very same which Tertullian and Irenaeus haue recorded for such Dr. Feildes If touching the poynt in question carries the sence of an impossible Supposition which we haue reason to suspect till your Purgatory shewe a better pedigree If you can proue this to be one of those vnwritten TraditioÌ„s whereof Zanchius speaketh then we will according to Dr. Feildes aduise not much dissent from your Conclusion till then we must craue pardon Iab The u Pag. 107. places which the Knight alleadgeth to proue the Churches Doctrine in this pointe to be a Sathanicall figment disgracefull vnto the great mercy of God and euacuating the Crosse of Christ are many but either so triuiall and knowne together with the Catholiques aunsweres or else so ridiculously applied wrung and wrested to your purpose that their very sound is able to breake a learned mans head Nick. Then had you neede of a good head-peice to beare off the weight of the blowe whose sound maketh so great a battery Yet if none but learned mens heads be in daunger of breaking your rough-hewen skonce neede feare the lesse Well seeing my Mr. is arrested for bloud-shed he meanes to aunswere the action vpon Bayle And for want of a better Atorney let me craue a Coppy of your Plea Iab Shall x Pag. 108. I make the Analisis of his Rhetoricall arguments They be three Enthymems I thinke The first The Gates of Hell shall not preuaile against the Church ergo there is no Purgatory The second The scule of Christ went downe to the nethermost hell ergo no Purgatory can be found The third Christ bound the strong man and tooke his Fortresse ergo Purgatory must vanish awaye Ma. The argument that once passeth your fingers is not dismissed without a torne fleece but seeing we must take it as you present it let vs heare your exceptions why it should vndergoe so triuiall and ridiculous a censure Iab Can you y Ibid. deny but many of your praedestinate and Elect are for robbing and stealing and other such crimes locked vp in London Gaoles What shall not Hell-gate preuaile against them shal the wal of a prison mew them vp Hath the soule of Christ gone downe into the nether-most Hell made no passage through Newgates Limbo where sometimes your Elect are kept Hath hee bound the strong man that hee should not harme and shall now a Hangman put them to death You perceiue I hope the vanitie of your Inferences Ma. Hee that lookes vpon them through your spectacles may read Absurdity indeed But that you may know the falsenesse of your Glasse by the mishapen Representation which it giueth to so well a proportioned face you must bee aduertised that the Knights argument was neyther so Wide-mouthed nor so Goggle-eyed as the picture which you haue drawne according to your own Idaea to resemble it He speaks of the state of th'elect in the after-world according to the intendement of the Scriptures alleaged you wrest it to their corrections in this life which haue their profitable vse His scope looks to the satisfying of Gods Iustice which Christ hath fully accomplished and not to those Chastisements which are as spurres to driue men to lay hold vpon that all-sufficient Sacrifice at which your Squint-eyed supposition doth glance Min. There are sundrie reasons why the Lord suffereth his Elect to vndergoe those bodily penalties First for the manifestation of his owne Iustice Secondly for their Correction humiliation and amendement that their Spirits may bee saued in the day of the Lord Thirdly for the Caution and Example of others Fourthly for the maintenance of publike tranquillitie and politique Societie
the euent hath made apparant to what ende then doth he protest the p Pag. 2. sincerity of his good meaning Why doth he labour to colour his former frumpe with a distinction of learning yeilding the lesser arm of that tree to the Knight and keeping the greater as purchased by his long q Pag. 9. sâ—â—dy and delight to himselfe whereas in fine he dispossesseth him of all euen of the least leafe of the smallest branch Ma. Thus is the Foxe now vncased his r Preface Flag of due respect and dutifull affection prooued to bee but the Ensigne of Subtilty but I would gladly see vpon what ground he buildeth those his derogatory and disgracefull termes Min. Forsooth he hath gotten the wind of an opposition betweene the Knights poetry and his prose and that in the first sentence of his Counter-snarle which he produceth as a Å¿ Pag. 10. perspectiue vnto the rest Heresie saith hee hath in all ages contriued artificiall shadowes which he iustifieth with this marginall verse Artibus impietas ingeniosa caret This Rabshacheh reading without an Intergatory saith that the marginall Muse t Ibid. gainsaith the text whereas the argument is drawne ab impossibili vizt that it cannot be that witty Impiety should be to seeke of cunning conueighance then which nothing can bee more sutable to the purpose But admit there were no dash visible to his squinting eyes besides the full poynt yet might his wisdome haue taken it for spoken Ironically in which acceptation it is no lesse then vnicent to the Prose Ma. Tut this Make-bate hath no other proiect but to set Ephraim against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim to cast a bone betweene the Margent and the u Pag. 11. Text and to set them both together by the eares with the truth but the best is the least dash of a pen will easily reconcile them Min. Nay this is not all hee challengeth the Prose also as * Pag. 10. notoriously false in auerring that the countenance of venerable Antiquity is the artificiall colour wherwith Heresie doth paint her selfe whereas saith he Heresie hath in all ages disclaimed the Award of Antiquity Nick. Then I am sure our Preacher deliuered false doctrine the last Sunday for hee spake much of Patrem habemus Abrahamum and I remember hee had such a word as Templum Domini which was frequent as he said in the mouth of the Idolatrous and Hypocriticall Iewes Hee spake somewhat also of the x Epipham Adamians who vouched nothing but Antiquity and of the Acephali who y Damas in Orat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pleaded the authority of Athanasius and Cyril for the passage of their heresieâ— the particulars are crept out of my slippery braine Min. Hee might further haue informed you of the Heretique Dioscorus who in the open Councell did vant of the Pedegree and descent of his doctrine from all the ancient Fathers of the Church z Concil Chalced Act. 1. Ego testimonia habeo sanctorum patrum Athanasij Gregorij c. Ego defendo patrum dogmata I haue the witnesse saith hee of the holy Fathers I defend the Fathers doctrine Was not Carosus an Heretique yet forsooth he did beleeue a Con. il Chalced Act. 4. secundum expositionem trecentorum decem et â—cto patrum according to the exposition of the three hundred and eighteene Fathers If the Plea of Antiquity were not a glistering varnish Andreas Barbatius would not haue gone so high to fetch the descent of his Romish Cardinalls grounding their foundation vpon those words of Hannah b 1. Sam. 2.8 Dominisunt Cardines terrae et posuit super cos orbem Ma. Hee might haue shewen himselfe a more skilfull Herauld and gone neerer the sound sence had he drawne their originall from these wordes of the Apostle c 1. Cor. c. 3. ver 3. Vos autem carnales estis but these Arcadian must bee a day or two elder then the Moone or else they will hold themselues no Gentlemen their holy water must either flow from Elizaeus or else it hath but a base current and could they not fetch the authority of their Monasticke life from the sample of Christ himselfe they would repute it as of d Pag. 84. an vpstart family Nick. I applaud their witte this is not the worst fetch to gaine esteeme Were I a rich man it should cost me an hundred e Aâ—ro vaenit honos pound twice told but I would haue Saturne or Priamus to stand on the top of my line I would not sticke to alter two or three letters of my name to make my selfe of kinne to f A Ioue tertius Aiax Pantagruel Me thinks g Horat. Ode 1. Moecenas atauis edite regibus is a stately Iambick it runnes so full in the mouth Ma. The best iest the liuely Embleme of his malicious spirit is this that hee playeth vpon the h Pag. 36. letters which fall in order without any choice as directs to the marginall notes Hee had charged the Knight with an vnlearned Letter heereupon Sir Edward discouering diuers his Solaecismes and Incongruities more then were named to abridge the length of his Letter did margent thus Si ego indignus which word hee falsly cited haâ—c contumelia tu indignus qui faceres tamen This falling vnder the letter O Rabshacheh wittely tells him that that had reason to cry i Pag. 36. O with which letter it was marked In like manner he descants vpon the letter T by which hee vnderstands Throne Nick. Alas poore man I beshrew my heart if I do not pitty the penury of his barren conceit He was neere driuen God wot when hee was faine to ransacke the Wardrope of his witte for such thred-bare shifts Min. What thinke you of this when the Knight tells him that hee had a spight onely at one page which lies in the heart of his Letter hee in the quaintnesse of his nimble Conceipt retorts it thus k Pag. 30. It lies in the heart Was not here an Eccho farre fetch'd When the Knight sayes well flowne Buzzard he conceitedly answeres l Pag. 2. I did not marke how neere a kinne that soaring bird was to a Buzzard For Miles gloriosus hath beene long since hissed off the stage he returnes m Pag. 3. you play Miles gloriosus somewhat more Arte hee shewes in putting Cerberus for Gelons dogge For a good mans Dogge hath broken his legge ouer a lesse stile he altering the person saith n Pag. 33. I feare your good dogge hath broken his legge And as for the Noddy the Couentree Cappe and the Tobacco pipe he bandies them vp and downe as if the Tennis-court would affoord him no other balls Thus doth he play Tom Skull reuerberating according to his Rhetoricall skill the same syllables without any variety of inuention Ma. Sir It was well obserued I now see Nicks report was grounded vpon good warrant Ishmael is a perfect
forsitan Iab Indeed he doth Hierogliphick my name of u Preface I.R. in English Latin and Hebrew making mee in the one Iack Roague in the other Iscarioth de Rubigine and Ishmael Rashacheh in the third wherwith he ioyneth the Sirnâ—me of Cecropidan Licaonite Nick. Hee saw you were x I.R.F. Trium literarum homo therefore for want of a better god-father hee made bold to fit your Appellation according to your praedominant quality And seeing there was no one word or single language able sufficiently to expresse your worth hee thought fit by his variety to make you knowne for a viperous Sesquipedalian in euery coast where the frothy Libell of such a namelesse miscreant should arriue Min. Had you saide shamelesse you had giuen him no more then his due What will he not spare to speake who dares auerre that the Fathers of former ages doe without the contradiction of any peremptorily deliuer the doctrine of Purgatory and the same exposition of this place touching pardon in the next world How waueringly S. Augustine speakes his Forsitan back'd with an Ignoranius doth sufficiently declare Macarius his dicotomy of two sole receptacles doth exclude any opinion of a third Chrysost tells vs that God y In Pre. e. in Isay quando peccata abolet nullam reliquam facit cicatricem Tertullian ioynes in the same peremptory assertion z Tertul. de Baâ—t exempt to reatu eximitur et poena What think you of S. Hierome doth he deserue to stand in your Kalendar of Fathers As hee crossed you in your foundation of the Machabees so doth hee mar your market and raze your whole building with this a In Psal 31. gradation Quod tegitur non videtur quod non videtur non imputatur quod non imputatur non punietur That which is couered is not seene that which is not seene is not imputed that which is not imputed shall not bee punished Where is now the generality of consent Is this your certainty without contradiction Doth S. Chrysostom expound this place of Mathew otherwise then thus Non effugient poenam they shall surely be punished Speaks he one word to countenance your sence You shold haue shewed your selfe farre more Ingenuous in answering to this as Durandus Antonius in the behalf of Indulgncees De Indulgentijs say they pauca dici possunt per certitudineÌ„ quia nec scriptura expresse de eis loquitur Sancti etiaÌ„ patres Ambrosius Hillarius Hieronimus Augustinus minime loquuntur de Indulgentijs Touching Indulgences the inseparable b Per modum Causae Concomitants of purgatory little can be said by way of certainty because neither Scripture doth expresly mention them neither do the holy Fathers speake of them at all With the like speech did the Knight present you out of c Roffâ—aâ—tic 18. contra Luth. Lett. to T. H. pag. 77. Roffensis vizt whosoeuer shall read the Greeke Fathers shall finde very rare or no mention of Purgatory Ma. It seems the Doctor hath either a better paire of spectacles or a more piercing sight Shall we imagine he hath beene more industrious in the perusall of th' auncient Records then that eminent Bishop or haue wee not rather iust cause to thinke him too much deuoted to Lensaeus his lines which hee rendreth word for worde without any further perusall of the truth It is the customary d Motiue T. H. pag. 169. in Mâ—rg trade of the Romanists to vouch opinions when they want the Authors books The view of the Fathers writings would haue stopped the passage and curtold the Philactery of this his insolent bragge Min. How willing they are to misunderstand the Fathers their like collection in wresting the words of S. Paul 1. Corin. 3.13 doth sufficiently proclaime There the Apostle tells vs that Euery mans worke shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be reuealed by the fire and the fire shall try euerie mans worke of what sort it is From this Metaphoricall speech they e Motiue T. H. pag. 110. would inferre a litterall necessity of Purgatory fire But their grand Doctor saw so little colour for this that hee is driuen to put them beside this plancke Patres aliqui saith f Bellar. de Purg. lib. 2. ca. 1. hee per ignem non intelligunt ignem purgatorij sed ignem diuini iudicij Some of the Fathers doe not by fire vnder stand the fire of Purgatory but the fire of Diuine Iudgement When the Auncients speake of this fire the Catholique spirits traduce their words and thinke they haue gotten a great purchase Sure it is the fire whereof S. Paul there speaketh hath no affinity with the fire of Purgatory for that trieth euery mans worke this onely purgeth some mens persons euery mans worke is subiect to that fire as well gold siluer and precious stones as timber hay and stubble but as for the fire of Purgatory they make it capable of no other fuell then timber hay and stubble the defilements of veniall and mortall sinnes S. Pauls fire makes euery mans worke manifest the Popes fire burning in an obscure place is without all lustre and light Besides if they vnderstand the Apostle as speaking of a reall fire they must also grant that hee speakes of materiall gold and siluer c. If th' one be Metaphoricall there is no reason they should deny th' other to bee Allegoricall Ma. Your Inference hath the warrant of Quintilian In Allegoria saith he tenendum est illud vt quo ex genere rerum coeperis eodem desinas secus Inconsequentia foedissima erit But as I remember I haue read sundry fathers alleadged g Motiue T.H. pag. 110. that the Apostle doth there intimate the fire of Purgatory Min. Those testimonies of the Fathers which speake of the fire of the day of doome or of Diuine Iudgement which is ignis probaâ—s non purgans these wrangling Sophisters take with the left hand to support the purging and tormenting flames which the bellowes of their superstition hath kindled in the forge of credulity As for this fire here specified h In Locum sermo Christi est saith S. Amb. It is the word of Christ i In Psal 118. Ser. 18.3 opus quod ardere dicitur mala doctrina est The worke which is said to burne is euill doctrine S. Bernard though elsewhere somewhat ouerswayed with the currant of those times is yet content to imforme k Bern. serm de Lig. foen Stipul vs That the bitternesse of the soule the confession of the mouth the punishment of the body which are all in this life are that fire whereby the loose and negligent builder shall bee saued l Lib. 2. aduers Iâ—uin S. Hierome by this fire vnderstandeth the furnace of tentation whereby a man is tried in this life Iab The fathers may somtimes m Pag. 78. bring places of Scripture which haue other sence yea perhaps the sence that one or