worthy men were so affected in al their teachings and therefore as also for their admirable learning iudgment they made choise of them before all the great Clerkes which were in Europe And that those who called them hither were not deceived in them the excellent monuments which they have lest in writing behinde them doe testifie to the world T. HILL THIS vnity of Catholikes and discord of Protestants most manifestly sheweth that as the Apostles were they for whom our Saviour prayed to his father was heard of him Holy father keepe them in thy name whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we also be one Iohn seaventeene so they of the Catholike Romane Religion be they for whom in the words following he prayed was heard Not for them doe I aske only but also for them which shal beleeve by their preaching in mee that all may bee one as thou father in me and I in thee that also they in vs may be one and heereof it necessarily followeth that they be of the true Church for that none but they observe and keepe the Unity which he obtained â—…or them of his heavenly Father G. ABBOT 10 THese texts did your maister q Motiv 27. Bristow cite this argument in expresse words did he frame to your handes gentle M. Doctor you might have done wel to have added some our place more of your owne reading But to answere you both togither this maketh nothing against vs for we ioyne in coÌ„sent for all material points of the substaÌ„ce of salvation not only with our selves but with all the faithfull and rightly beleeving which have bin in the world with the Patriarkes the Prophets the Apostles the Fathers of the Primitive Church and the Martyrs neither can you or the greatest Goliah of your side ever proove the contrary Touch any article of our doctrine or any conclusion which wee maintaine and wee will make it good against you Staphilus r Apolog. 〈◊〉 Staphil himselfe could cite it as the saying of Smideline that among the Lutherans and Zuinglians there is no variance of any waight or force touching any articles of our saith of Christian Religion This tale therefore of discord do you tell to your bleare-eyed followers who cannot discerne colours All right beleevers are satisfied for this matter But on the other side the agreement which is among you is but a conspiracie against Christs honour even such a combination as was betweene s Mat. 16. 57 Luk. 23. 12. Herode and Pilate Annas and Caiphas the Scribes Pharisees Priests people to bring our blessed Saviour to the crosse Your consent is not in God nor in his sonne Iesus but to robbe them both of their glory to bestowe it on your I doll at Rome You agree to keepe your Congregations in ignorance to proclaime your kitchin-warming Purgatory to set your Masses Pardons at sale to picke mens s Sparing discovery of Iesuites purses by your Iesuitical exercise to leade theÌ„ as bond slaues to hell this is it wherin you consent So that as one did once read Vanity for Unity in the Psalme Behold how good ioyfull a thing it is brethren Ps. 133. 1. to dwell togither in Vanity so your vnity is vanity your coÌ„sent is cousenning tobe guile God al good Christians so farre forth as you may The title of this your present Chapter might better have bin Vanity Cousenning theÌ„ Vnity Consent for you coÌ„spire to do evil eveÌ„ to betray the soules of meÌ„ redeemed with the blood of the everlasting covenant The text of Ieremy would well fit this your combination u Ier. 11. 9. A conspiracy is found among the meÌ„ of Iudah among the inhabitants of Ierusalem They are turned backe to the iniquity of their fore-fathers which refused to heare my words and they went after other Gods to serve them thus the house of Israel the house of Iudah have brokeÌ„ my covenaÌ„t which I made with their fathers T. HILL AND surely it cannot proceede but from the Holy Ghost that all Sacredwriters of the Catholike Romane Church although being Aug. lib 18. de civitat dei Cap 41. men of diverse Nations Times and Languages yet have so wonderfully consented agreed among theÌ„selves as we see they have done G. ABBOT 11 YOV would make your sily disciples beleeve that this propositioÌ„ of yours so fraÌ„dulently propounded is confirmed by S t. Austen whose words in the place quoted in your margeÌ„t are as much to your purpose as if a man being at Barwike should take S t. Michaels mounte in his way to goe see Powles church at LoÌ„don If you had but looked the title of that Chapter in Austen it would have told you that the authour doth there speake of the agreement of the Canonicall Scriptures amonge themselves And if you had read the Chapter you might have found the drifte to bee that whereas all the olde Philosophers in their opinions and writings dissented eche from other the pen-men of the Scriptures being the Secretaries of the Holy Ghost did not vary at all His words are these u Lib. 18. cap 41 de â—…v Dei To coÌ„clude our Authors in whom not without a cause the Canon of the Holy Scriptures is set bouÌ„ded God forbid that they should dissint among theÌ„selves in any respect Now wil you be so blasphemous as to ioyne your broken and barbarous writers your Schoole-men Dunces Friers with these Oracles of God for if you do not meane by your sacred writers of the Catholike Romane Church your Divines and teachers of the Popes rotten ReligioÌ„ you speake not to your owne purpose you abuse your Reader with aequivocation and your wordes as most Idle do proove nothing at all But doe your writers indeed of such diverse Nations Times and Languages so wonderfully consent as you speake of Belike you haue reade but a fewe of them or else you would see that many of their tales do hange togither as their x Matth. 26. 60. wordes did who came to witnes against Christ. I suppose you have heard of a certaine booke called the Sentences of Peter Lombard Now I pray you good Sir is there no where in the margent there Hic magister non tenetur Looke in the end of him as he was y Ex officina lacob Du-puâ—…s printed at Paris in the yeare 1573. there you may finde that the facultie of Divines at Paris have condemned for errours sixe and twenty severall doctrines avouched in the workes of that maister of the Sentences in the first booke foure in the second foure in the third three in the fourth fifteene Of these one was that brute beasts doe not receive the very body of Christ although it seemeth that they doe when they devour the Hoste after consecration And is it not to bee supposed that the Scholers of this great Clerk did follow their Rabbi in maintaining the
brought for we wil ever do grant so much as any man can in truth wish to bee collected out of them But what is all this to the purpose since neither then nor since they do agree with the polluted doctrine of your Sinagoge and the faith which olde Rome spreade or mainetained is no more consonant to this infidelity which our new Rome maintaineth then an apple is like an oyster Which one answere although it cut of al your cavils which you fetch from antiquity in praise of Rome and we frequētly inculcate it vnto you yet because it so biteth you will in no sort remember It is a tricke in Rhetorike but it is withall but a base shift to slippe by that or to seeme to forget that which woundeth to the hart and vtterly destroyeth T. HILL BUt the Protestants per adventure will grant that the true Church flourished in those dayes but not afterwardes vntill this age in which they haue reformed the same yet is it most manifest that it flourished afterwardes even vntill this our time no lesse then it and before if not more for in Saint Gregory his daies it was spreade all over the worlde as appeareth by his Epistles to the Bishops of the East of Afrike Spaine France England Sicily And by Saint Bede in cap. 6. Cantic as also by Saint Bernard who disputing before Rogerim King of Sicily avouched that in those daies the East all the West Fraunce Germany Englande Spaniardes and many barbarous nations obeyed the Bishoppe of Rome G. ABBOT 8. The Protestāts not fearing that you shal gaine any thing by that which is truth wil refuse to yeeld you nothing that is true In the first Church that is while the Apostles lived the spouse of Christ for doctrine was most glorious for some hundreds of yeares afterwards her honor flourished not a little yet so that some pety superstitions began to creepe in heere and there But about six hundred years after Christ shee for the outward face did more more droupe in doctrine f 1. Ioh. 2. 18 Antichrists began to peepe vp in the Apostles time but then they coulde not properly be called the great Antichrist And that which was thē was not so eminently as that the followers of the Apostles did much obserue it being then more troubled with persecution or heretiks then with superstition In processe of time matters grew to a worse state evil opiniōs creeping in at last the maine g 2. Thes. 2. 3 Apostasie followed But in this Apostasie very great declining there were who yeelded not to the time but kept thēselues vnspotted of the world especially for mainest points of salvation And it being thus whē things were at the worst God in this later age hath suffred that truth which was more hidden to illustrate the Christian world again Yea but you wil proue that since the Primitiue Church faith florished more thē before or at the least it was not diminished vntill our time You can do wonders Sir or els your own reason would informe you that nothing beene added til these lare navigations of the Portingales Spaniards Christianity must needs be exceedingly diminished when the Saracens Turks for so long space haue devored so much of Asia Europa Africa as is or hath bin vnder thē You are but a simple man for story weaker for Cosmography or els you would not so improbably talke at randon But any thing serveth your turne Well the faith was in Gregories times over all the worlde How proue you this Forsooth he wrote Epistles to Bishops of Spaine France England Sicely yea of the East of Afrike Ergo the faith was over all the world A young man of the age of sixteene yeares hath by his diligence learned without booke the Epistle to Philemō that to the Colossians yea the book of Ruth and the Prophecy of Aggeus therefore he can say all the Bible by hart This is Logike for the Seminaries but not currant elsewhere VVhat wrote he into Tartaria or India or Manicongo what to Finland or Iseland or a thousand places more And what saith Bede h In Cantic 6. The summe of the citisens of that celestiall countrey doth exceede the measure of our estimation But this is spoken of all the faithfull that are were or ever shall bee in the world As also that following vpon the texte Adole scentularum non est numerus There are saith hee young maidens vvhereof there is no number because there are sound innumerable cōpantes of Christiā people Which within seaven lines after he maketh most evident The vniversall Church which in the same her faithfull members from the beginning even vnto the ending of the vvorld from the rising of the Sunne vnto the setting from the North and the Sea doe praise the name of the Lorde Doth this shew any extraordinary thing in the time of Beda or any flourishing of the Church or more thē that there were faithfull toward al parts of the world Such is that which was brought touching S. i In vita Bernard L◅ 217 Bernard who vpō a great schisme in the Church of Rome betweene Innocentius and the Antipape Petrus Leonis being sent for to compose this strife and to see whether he could winne over to Innocētius Robert the King of Sicely who stood for Peter in his Oration saith that if Peters side were good they who acknowledged Innocentius for Pope should bee in very ill case And these hee nameth Then the Easterne Church shall perish vvhich at that time coulde comprehend no more but those fewe Christians vvhich were vvarring in or about Palestina for the Greeke Churches did not then acknowledge the Popes Iurisdiction the whole West shall perish Fraunce shallperish Germany shall perish the Spanish and English and the Barbarian kingdomes shall be drowned in the bottome of the Sea Where he doth not adde these special countries over and aboue the VVest but signifieth vvhat was meant by that generall name that is to saye Fraunce Germany Spaine and England vvith some inferiour Kingdomes So that now if S. Bernard doe say any thing heere your all the worlde is vvonderfully shrunke in the vvetting So you strive against the streame and the farther you goe the worse you goe T. HILL AND in these daies it is all over Italie all over Spaine and in Fraunce in most partes of Germany in Poleland Boheme besides England Hungary Greece Syria Aethiopia Aegypt in vvhich Landes are many Catholikes and in the newe world it flourisheth mightily in all the foure partes of the world Eastward in the Indies VVestward in America Northward in Iaponia Southward in Brasilia in the vttermost partes of Afrike G. ABBOT 9 AS many as be disposed to knowe the Popes strength harken now to his muster-maister Al Italie commeth first as being neerest the Popes nose then all Spaine is the second legion But how would it be in these lands if your Inquisitours did
invincible Navy in the yeare 1588 and after many other renourned prosperities notwithstaÌ„ding the frequent conspiracies of vngodly persons against her by the favour of the Highest vnder the shaddow of whose wings shee was ever safe-garded dyed in peace in a full and glorious age so beloved honoured and esteemed of her subiects as never any Prince more And God to testifie his owne worke left at her death no noted calamity or misery in the kingdome no warres but even Ireland then calmed no famine no apparaÌ„t pestilence no inundation of waters but plenty and a boundance with inexpected tranquillity Yea to the end that he might crowne her with blessings he put vnity agreement into the Nobles Clergy and Commons of the land that readily they submitted them selues to the lawfull royal successour vnder whom we doubt not but to enioy religion and all earthly happinesse Let our Papists weigh whither these things be not wonderfull We in the meane time say They 〈◊〉 are the Lordes doing and they are marveilous 〈◊〉 Ps. 118 23 â—…n our eies THE SEVENTH REASON Visions and the gift of Prophecie T. HILL AS true Miracles never were wrought but by them who were of the true Church so heavenly Visions and the gift of Prophecte vvere never founde to bee but in the same And therefore the holy Apostle amonge other things which hee vseth to commende his doctrine and himselfe to the Corinthians against Heretikes and false Apostles hee bringeth in this as one saying Now will I come to the Visions 2 Cor 12 and Revelations of our Lord c. And Saint Peter alleageth 2 Pet 1 for consfirmation of his preaching the transfiguration of our Lords in the mounte vvhich hee savve and calleth it a Uision hee had a Uision of Matth 17 Act 10 11 asheete vvith all kindes of beastes in it vvhen hee vvas to deale vvith the Gentiles And for the trueth of Religion and confirmation of that which they did Act. 2 Hee alleadgeth the Prophecie of Iocl who saith amongst other things your young men shall see Visions and to bee Ioel cap 2 breefe of this sporte is the vvhose booke of the Apocalyps So that to see these kinde of heavenlee Uisions and thereby to foretell things most certainly is only amongst them who are of the true Church G. ABBOT WHen I haue breefly told you that almost every worde of the greatest part of this Chapter is taken from the seaventh of your Maister 〈◊〉 Bristowes Motiues perhaps 〈◊〉 Bristowe Motiv 7 some friend of yours will aske mee when my purpose is to cease from remeÌ„bring you of this matter since so oft I sing the same song My answere will be that when you leaue to steale out of other mens writings I shall leaue to tell you of the same but that I feare will not be till we come to the ende of your little booke Such a gift you haue to continue that which you haue well begunne Howe and by what meanes miracles to false and evill endes and yet themselues thinges miraculously done haue and may be by Sathan Antichrist and their followers brought about I haue shewed before And it is as certaine that Visions which to doating and deceived folks seeme heavenly and so also supposed or pretended Prophecies are of the same nature in our daies do proceede from the same roote are applyed to build vp falshood and vntruth in the selfe same sort Neither are these late forgeries or illusions any thing helped by those divine Revelations which formerly haue beene made since they these haue no affinitye or coherence the one vvith the other That S. b 2. Cor. 12 1 Paule to stoppe the mouthes of the false Apostles who depressed his authoritie did mention a Vision of his owne is a matter agreed vpon as also that S. c 2 Pet 1 17 Peter to testifie that what hee preached concerning Christes glorie was true mentioneth the transfiguration of his maister in the mount to the which he was an eie-witnesse And this by Iesus himselfe was teermed a d Math 17 9 Vision Neither is it to bee doubted but at the same time vvhen the same Peter was to bee instructed that Gods pleasure vvas to giue the Gentiles accesse into the Church as well as the Iewes he had from heaven an apparition of a e Act. 10 11 13. sheete full of all beastes cleane and vncleane and a voice added therevnto Kill and eate But we would gladly learne what it is that you can conclude out of these since the persons the times the vse is now most differeÌ„t you having no affinity nor keeping any quarter with the Apostles no not retaining so much interest in them as the Saracens have in Abraham from whome by the f Sozom. 6 38. bond-woman they are lineally descended And yet it would bee helde but a ridiculous dispute for one of theÌ„ to say that AbrahaÌ„ was familiarly acquainted with God pleased him had many blessings favours froÌ„ him therfore they the Hagarenes and Mahumetanes are in the same grace with the Lord may plead any favours or privilege froÌ„ him Touching that place of the Prophet g Ioel. 2 28 Ioel which you cite it hath relatioÌ„ to the sensible seÌ„ding down of the gifts of the holy Ghost which was fulfilled soone after Christes ascension And this was intimated again by our Saviour himselfe in other words He 〈◊〉 that beleeveth in me saith the Scripture out of his body shall flovve rivers of water of life vnto which the Evangelist immediately subioyneth 〈◊〉 Ioh 7 38. This spake he of the spirit which they that beleived on him shold receive for the holy Ghost was not â—…et giveÌ„ because that Iesus was not yet glorified The Prophet Ioel theÌ„ foretelleth that when Christ had appeered there shold be visible most admirable tokeÌ„s of Gods power loue to his Church in so much that many of all ages sexes first among the Iewes afterward by some farther coÌ„municating of it among the GeÌ„tiles shold speake with straÌ„g toÌ„gues shold see visioÌ„i prophecy And that the words of Ioel have reference to this nothing else S. Peter himselfe shal be witnes whose speech this is i Act. 2. 16 These are not drunken as you suppose since it is but the third houre of the day but this is that vvhich was spoken by the Prophet Ioel And it shall be in the last daies saith God I wil powre out of my spirit vpon all flesh your sonnes your daughters shall prophecy your younge men shall see visions your olde men shall dreame dreames And to shew that this is appropriated to that which theÌ„ quickly after was shewed by the Apostles I meane the speaking with strang toÌ„gues the imparting of that gift to other by theÌ„ as the instrumeÌ„ts of God the same Peter hath these words afterwards Since k 33. then that Christ hath received of
Gospell and the irradiation of so many parts of Europe with the glorious beames thereof there haue risen vp many contradicting the verity of the same there haue beene diverse distractions by the whisperings of heretikes the intelligent Christian Reader may easily perceiue that this maketh not against vs but illustrateth the truth of that which we de fend First it hath ever so beene with the Church when God hath given somewhat more free passage of the Gospel then ordinary the o Mat. 13. 25 good seed is no sooner sowen but presently the evill man taketh opportunity to sow tares among it which Parable our Saviour in his divine wisedome did speake to this purpose Where it is not amisse to consider that the old veteratorious enemy Sathan who hath Mille nocendi artes a thousand devises to do hurt striveth to bring about his practises by manifold tricks stratagems Here his first chiefest purpose as best making way to his darke kingdome of hel is to keep all in ignorance If that cannot be but that he is over-mastred theÌ„ his next study is by the sword of violent persecution to destroy the professors of Gods truth If that will not succeede then he raiseth vp heresies distractions among theÌ„ who pretend the same verity Even vpoÌ„ the coÌ„ming of Christ into the world Sathan had almost al things at his owne will The Gentiles were not yet come to the light the Iewes were wel-neere past it but neither among the one nor the other was much faith to be fouÌ„d How did this Beelzebub struggle to keep the world in these termes wheÌ„ he would haue had p Mat. 2. 13. Christ to be murthered in his cradle afterward left him not till he brought him to his crosse Wel this would do no good but for one steÌ„me cut down their grew vp many young plants al taking their vital nourishmeÌ„t froÌ„ the first root The q Rom. 10. 1â—… sound of the Apostles doctrine went out through all the earth and their words into the ends of the world Here then Sathan being put to his shiftes turned over a nevve leafe If he could not stoppe the streame hee thought he woulde poison it and therefore sendeth in the Nicolaitanes Ebion and Cerinthus with their complices immediatly who shoulde mixe the good graine with cockle and darnell This was his manner of assaulting at the first Yet was he not so simple but to his best power hee helde his first grounde Better no Christians at all then some Christians true and some counterfeit A second time therfore he falleth on the well head with earnest desire either to dry it or to damme it vp By Decius and Ualerian and the rest of the bloudy Emperours he exciteth ten most terrible persecutions by the which vntil wel neere 300. yeeres after Christ he thought to have râ—…zed out from vnder the heaven the name of the embracers of the Gospell And in the intervalla or interstitia of these persecutions hee did not forget his feates of Heresie as may bee seene by the Novatians But after the time by his own counsaile appointed God was pleased to stey the fury rage of tyrants sending that his blessed servant Constantine and the other Emperours who openly professed for the ChristiaÌ„ faith And now the floud-gats of the Gospel being so wide set open through a great part of the world the Devill had his hands his head too ful to do some-thing which might serve for his purpose Then grewe immediately such a rabble of Heresies as is almost incredibles which as it appeareth by that which formerly hath bin cited out of Epiphaniâ—… and Austen so it is more confirmed by the words of Hierome saying thus q Lib. 2. contrâ—…â—…ovinianum It is almost foure hundred yeeres agone that the preaching of Christ doth shine in the world since which time â—…erable Heresies have reâ—…e his coate And yet as I noted before well neere three hundred yeeres were passed over in that continued time of persecution Now amidst these Heresies vvhat vvarres and dissentions vvere among the Christians it is not easie to reporte If the inferiour s Soâ—…om 6. 25. Clergy among themselues sell to disagree about any thing it grewe to that stomake that it ended in some Heresie And the Bishops when some s Socrat. 2. 19. schisme was once amongst theÌ„ they kept their bucharist apart would not come to the communion eâ—…he with other VVill you in this case heare the testimony of a heathen man who no doubt recounteth the story with great gladnes as pleasing him well in the endvseth almost the same wordes as the Romanistes doe of some other VVâ—… t Am. Marcillâ—… l. 22. 3. the Christians did disagree among themselves 〈◊〉 suâ—…y intending to deale vvith them did call the Prelates and the people intâ—… his Palace where he permitted to every one the vse of his Religion sâ—… meaning to increase betweene them so great discordes aâ—… that they might not be alaidâ—… knowing that beastes are not more deadly minded tovvards beastes then Christians are to Christians You may learne heere froÌ„ what schoole-master the u Commentar Relig Reip. in Gall. Lib 3. Cardinall of Lorraine did take his lesson when at the conference of Poissy to thwart M r Beza and Peter Martyr and other of that company he sent for some Lutheranes out of Germany who might in the matter of Sacrament have turned their disputations against those of the Religion when as both of them should rather have ioyned against the common enemy And in the auncient times before spoken of if we will thinke of private quarrels what u Hier Apolog contr Ruffin Ruffin in Invectiv rancour and bitternes was there betweene Hierome Ruffiâ—…s as also what stomakefulnesse betweene x Sozom. lib. 8. 15. Chrysostome Epiphaniâ—… when they parted and never saw eche other againe Yet to say that among any or all of these Christians there was no verity or solidity of faith or Religion had bin an absurde conclusion and such a one as our Romanists themselves would quickly deny There were many who walked in by-pathes and yet there vvere vvho kepte the right way also GOD had his Saintes and Sathan his schismatickes 16 The reason why such heresies did spring vp in the church was partly to be derived from Gods determinate counsaile and partly from the malice of our olde deadly enimy They had both their purposes in it but the one holy and good the other like himselfe full of improbity and impiety y 1 Cor 11. 19. There must bee Heresies among you saith Saint Paule that they which are approved among you might be knowne And z Contr. hoeres c. 15. Vincentius Lirinensis telleth vs that therefore there be herisies that the Lord our God may try vs whether we love him with all our hearte and all our soule or no. Whether by the authoritie or vvitte of any man vvee vvill
he who first meÌ„tioned the match is the 〈◊〉 father of lies so coÌ„sequently may promise that which is not in him to Iohan. 8. 44. perform you gladly would chaleÌ„ge the coÌ„pleting of the bargain that your master vnder SathaÌ„ may have so large a kingdome And that you may the better prove it as that cuÌ„ning deceiver alleaged mis-alleaged the c Luk. 4 10 Scripture it selfe so you doe to your Auditours yea so strictly you do follow him that wheras he cited what he had to say out of a Psal. of David you also begin in that sorte labouring to evict a false CoÌ„clusioÌ„ froÌ„ a right true PropositioÌ„ That the Church of the Messias must be throughout al Nations David you say foretelleth you cite vs for that purpose a verse of the 18. Psal. as you reade it after the Septuagint of the 19. as we more truly account it out of the Hebrew d Psal 19. 4 Thâ—… 〈◊〉 is gone forth through all the earth their words into the â—…ds of the world which seÌ„teÌ„ce whosoever coÌ„sulteth that text shal se properly originally to meane the course of the heaveÌ„s which being in coÌ„tinuall motion being whirled about the CeÌ„teâ—… the earth do testify to all nations that there is a supreme power guiding governing the whole world And this doctrine to wit that from the ordering of the Creatures the being of a God may be collected S. Paule doth also teach But that saying of David the same e Cap 10. 18 Apostle as f Rom 1. 20. you suppose extendeth farther to the doctrine of the Apostles Preachers Verily the words also cited by S. Paule do caâ—… the same sence for the Creatures no otherwise if you naturally literally do take theÌ„ then I may truly say that you caÌ„not g Bellar de verb. Dei lib 3. cap 3 invincibly demonstratively inferre that out of them which you desire NotwithstaÌ„ding because S. Paule per spiritum Apostolicum by the Apostolike spirit which was in him which is not to bee fouÌ„d but in the compilers of the New Testament might adde alter explicate apply places of the olde Testament to that which the words did not literally cary at the first because our Saviour Christ himself did so being ful of that spirit which spake by the Prophets because also some of the olde 〈◊〉 fathers alluding heerevnto have not properly but by allusion referred this Chrysost in Mat 24â—… August Epist 80. Scripture to the preaching of the Apostles wee will not stande with you but accept it for the generality as you here wold haue it as it is to some such purpose formerly alleaged by mee It is therefore condescended vnto that immediately almost after Christs asceÌ„sion the Gospel was divulged East West North South in very many countries but whither in every particular Nation vnder heaven we dare not say since all is in the Scripture taken for a great part as h Math 3 5 then went out to Iohn Hierusalem alludâ—… all the region round about Iordon which is to say very many inhabitants of those places and they persons of all qualities And else-where i Luk. 2 1 all the world being a most general speech yet is so restrained that it must imply no more then so much therof as was subiect to the Romanes Which was much at that time but farre from the whole earth It is also truth that in another Psalme the Roial Prophet vnder SalomoÌ„s person who was a figure of Christ doth foretell that the k Psam 72 10 11 Kings of Thâ—… fit of the Heâ—… shall bring presents the Kings of Sheba Seba shall bring gifts â—…ea all Kings shall worship him all nations shall serve him inteÌ„ding the Messias But will any man so take this according to the letter that there should never be King not Agrippa not Domitian not Sapores but should be ChristiaÌ„s al natioÌ„s at al times should entertaine the faith This extent must be so coÌ„sidered that at one time or another before the day of iudgement Christ Iesus should bee preached in some part of all â—…uine regions here and there Kings and Queenes whcÌ„ God should be pleased to call theÌ„ should submit their scepters vnto the Lord of heaven But you might well perceive that these thinges are spoken by an Anâ—… he sit betweene the lewish Church which was restrained within the compasse of one lande and so coÌ„tinued for many ages and the Church vnder the New TestameÌ„t which should at one time or another be variously diffused through all general places of the world And what else do those two texts out of the Revelation insinuate vnto vs but that Christians should be picked from many nations people farre otherwise theÌ„ while the lewish Synagogue did flourish but you will not I trust inferre that all nations at all times or all people of all Nations should belong to the true sheepe-folde but there may be ebbes and flowes the Church in the l Apoc. 12. 6. wildernesse at the time appointed m 2. Thes. 〈◊〉 3. Apostasy revolting n Luk. 18 8 faith cant to be found among men since there is nothing fore-tolde by the Spirite of God but must have his accomplishment And therefore since we are warned of both there must be an age of paucity as well as of plenty a waning of the Moone as well as a full or waxing But what vrge you heere-vpon T. HILL THese thinges with many such like on Holy write are no wise verified in â—…y Relegion vnder Heaven but onely to the Romane Catholike Church for that 〈◊〉 but it as every man knoweth hath had any large sâ—…pe to account vpon in any age And it hath bin for these thousand yeeres at the â—…east throughout both the Hemispheres in such forte that the Sâ—…nne stretcheth not his bâ—…s further then it doth and hath done yea there is 〈◊〉 nor people nor climate in the world which hath not heard of and 〈◊〉 some measure received the Catholicke Romane Religion G. ABBOT 2. IF you take Religion heere for the true service of God we deny Popery to be Religion If you take it for devotion in what sence soever then vvhat say you to the Saracâ—…nsfaith which for many hundreds of yeere while it possessed so much of Asia as Persia with Media Arabia with the countrie adioyning besides what is added within these 300. yeares by the raigns of the OttomaÌ„â— in Africa al the Northren part froÌ„ Aegypt to Marocco alonge the Mediterrane Sea and in Europe some thing as the kingdome of Granado in Spaine and diverse times more then that there was nothing inferiour for circuite of land to the boundes of the whole Westerne Church wherin only the Pope dominered And shal Mahumetisme herevpoÌ„ be coÌ„cluded to be that faith which must save mens solus But good Sir when the Primitiue Church did
full stuffed with them who want gold and silver yet cannot for beare but they will be craking T. HILL ANd for the maintaining thereof they are not compelled to deny certaine parts of Gods holy Booke as the Protestants and their Prede Aug. lib. 28 con faust c 2. de vtil cred cap. 3. cessours heretikes haue beene inforced to doe The Manichees for that their heresies were so manifestly confuted by the Gospell of Saint Matthew and by the Actes of the Apostles as they sould coine no answere nor other shift they denyed them to be Scripture The Ebionites because the Epistles of Saint Paule disproved most plainely Circumcision which they maintained denyed them to be Scripture Luther reiected the Epistle of S. Iames because it was so plaine against the doctrine of only faith His of-spring refused the Bookes of Tobias of Ecclesiasticus of the Machabees and of some others because in them is plainely taught the Doctrine of the custody of Angels of Free-will of Praier for the Faithfull Soules departed and of Praier to Saints all which they deny and therefore must they needs deny those parts of the holy Bible G. ABBOT 2 YOu charge vs with denying of some partes of Gods holy booke as not making for vs and certainely we shoulde repute our selues men impious and irreligious if wee tooke any thing away from that which is so absolute that it may well bee compared to a Circle where if any thing be added it maketh a balke if any thing be subtracted it maketh a bracke We do right wel know that he who taketh away ought frō the word of the everlasting God the Lord shal take away his g Apoc. 22. 19. portion out of the booke of life for the speech may be applied to the whole Scripture as wel as to S. Iohns Revelation But we wil you to remēber the other part of the holy Ghosts divisiō that God shal adde the h Vers. 18. plagues writen in that booke to him who addeth ought to the book of the Lord. Whē therfore you labour to establish that for authētical which is not inspired frō the holy Ghost but a matter seperat seiunct you may iustly fear least you incurre that peril which you would post of to vs. What heretiks haue done against the Divine volume we dislike and detest as wel as you We condemne it in the i August de vtilit credend cap. 2 3 Manichees that they accepted not the old Testament that they questioned the Gospell of Saint Matthew as not being that which S. Matthew wrote because it manifestlie shewed that Christ was born a mā which they denied that they extenuated the authority of the Acts of the Apost as being much corrupted For this their-sacrilegious attēpt we cēsure thē as deep ly cōdēne thē as much as you do The like mind we do cary of the k Euse Eccl. Hist l 3 21 Ebionits whose opiniōs sprūg vp in the time of the Evāg S. Iohn they wold gladly haue retained circūcisiō stil as being a necessary duty of the Lawe that which Christ his Apostles had received in their own persōs And because S. Pauls Epistles had so directly oppugned this their cōceit as also had shewed the whole ceremonial law to be extīguished they would clean haue expūged thē out of the Canō We repute these for evil heretiks we accept of al the bookes of the old Testamēt which can be proved to be the Testamēt we questiō nothīg of the New Only as you wold not like if vnto the new Testamēt the Gospell of Nicodemus or Hermes his Apocriphal Pastor shold be sewed so we cānot endure that those tracts should be reputed part of the Hebrews Canō which the Iews never knew These 2. Periods of the Manichees Ebionits as also the 2. next touchīg Luther his of-sprīg you haue trāslated word for word out of Cāpiās first Reasō And if there had bin in you grace an indifferēt mīd you might also haue seene this slāder cōcerning Luther l Gul. Wh◅taken Resp. ad Ration Campiani◅ answered But your meaning is to be wilfully blind There is nothing more false then thar Luther reiected the Epistle of Iames. He acknowledged it as Scripture cited it as he did other books And how shāfully was Cāpian put to his plūges whē havīg Luthers works laid before him being bidde turne to that place where Luther so depressed vilefied that Epistle he could find no such thīg but said it was so in a copy of Luthers works which was at Prage in the Emperours Library And if any had sought it there then the booke had beene removed to some other place as the m Munsten Cosmogr l 2 tree which Aeneas Silvius saith was sought in diverse coūtries still missed that tree I meane whose leaues fallīg into the river were turned into Barnacles You might do wel in behalfe of Campian to shew some one of Luthers followers in Germany Dēmarke or else-where who is so opposite to S. Iames his Epistle for those whom some cal the Rigidi Lutherani do sinke nothing which he held Since thē both they we al who professe the reformed Religion do accoūt it Canonical it is but an idle speculation to make that obiection And why should Luther fly that booke as crossing the doctrine of only faith since all other who maintaine that doctrin do accept of that Epi. also S. Iames doth not thwart that which S. Paul had taught for the spirit of God is not cōtrary to it self if there be any difficulty in one n Iac 2 24 single text of that Epistle it is to be explicated out of other places which are more cleere opē S. Paule thē in his Epistles to the Romans Galathiās hath so manifested that point of Iustificatiō by faith alone that he who without preiudice wil read the text shal never need any Cōmentary It is so plaine that diverse Papists looking into that laying aside false and perverted glosses haue embraced that doctrine o Sleidan l 21 Vergerius who intēded to write against Luther in that Argumēt was by traversing of it caught himselfe Nay Ferus and Albertus Pighius who otherwise is a grosse Papist haue subscribed vnto it And wheras our Papists obiect that S. Paul saying that a mā is iustified without the workes of the law doth meane nothing else but the ceremonial law that is lōg since refuted resolved by S. p Aug de spirit liter cap 14 Austē otherwise The same father also doth notably shewe that there is no contrariety betvveene the tvvo q In 83 quaest c. 76. Apostles for that when S. Iames doth say that a man is iustified by works he doth no more crosse S. Paule then the same Apostle doth crosse himselfe r Rom. 2. 13. saying The hearers of the Lavve are not righteous before God but the doers of the Law shall