find nothing which they could calūniate And for his learning let l Hosian trist cat cent 16. p. 837. Andreas Masius speake for him whom you haue reason to beleeue who reporteth of him that there was more divinity in one page of Luther then sometimes in a whole booke of some Father The Magdeburgenses though they seeme to be censorious and Aristarchicall were very speciall servants of God for liues most honest for knowledge most learned the eares that heard them blest them and the eies that saw them gaue witnesse vnto them and as Iob speaketh of himselfe so I of them They brake the iawes of the vnrighteous man and pluckt the pray out of his mouth Neither they nor Doctor Benefield did blaspheme Gods spirit as you slaunder them Neither was Gods spirit promised to lodge onely in the Fathers of the Church but even iointly in all the members of the Church And yet for the Fathers wee doe reverence them as much or more then the Papists doe as the KINGS most excellent Maiestie m In his Premon to his booke in his Premonition doth professe Mr LEECH This is right the Puritan cut as D. Bancroft observeth against the Presbyterian faction in some whole Chapters of his Survay And yet after he had thus censoriously handled the Fathers vpon my private conference with him in stead of the Fathers which I called for he offred vnto me two English pamphlets one whereof was entituled the Apologie of the Church of England whereat I could not but smile in regard of his simplicity though inwardly grieved much at the times misery when a statizing Pamphleter who would flie vpon the wing of his penne vnto the height of some ambitious designment shall bee compared nay preferred before the ancient Orthodox divines that painefully laboured in the vineyard of the Church against the brunt of all heresies ANSVVER That you came to Doctor Benefield to bee enformed about this doctrine it is true you came even then when you knew the instant approach of the Act was at hand the very next Saturday before the Vespers which time being vnseasonable did abridge him of any large or ample discourse with you Otherwise I assure my selfe that as no suiter came to that good Emperour Titus that returned discontented so none shall euer come to this worthy Doctor to aske counsell or conference that shall returne vnsatisfied The two bookes that you were offered either of them might haue enformed you that you held an opinion cōtrary to the Church of England to whose Doctrine you subscribed The one which you call the Apologie of the Church of England Oportet esse memorem was a booke entituled The Catholike doctrine of the Church of England an exposition of the Articles of religion professed here published by authority The other Reverēd Mr Perkins reformed Catholique such a booke and such an Author that your Bishop could wish hee had never beene Priest it hath so entoiled him he n In the beginning of his answere cōfesseth that he neuer saw any booke of like quantity published by a Protestant to containe either more matter or to be delivered in better method For Mr Rogers hee liueth worthy of much commendation for that necessary paine and his learned labour will liue long after him M. Perkins he is asleep in the Lord his holynes of conversation soundnes of learning actions labours life death haue sealed him A blessed servant of God I would others were as free from being flying wanderers as he or M. Perkins from being statizing Pamphleters You smiled you say at the Doctors simplicity but vnlesse you repent the world will laugh and hisse at your folly Was it simplicity indeed as simplicity is taken for integrity veritas est simplex the greatest attribute of truth is to be simple and so he might well prefer the simple positiue truth in one of those bookes before all the iugling expunged impostured Copies which you vrge for the Fathers The name of the Orthodoxall Fathers in matter of controversie I hold to be nomen verendum reverendum and the current of the Fathers in the true Copies for the first 500 yeeres or thereabout after Christ is like Iordan which passeth sweetly and quietly through Canaan but for their Current in some points after that time it is I will not say like to Iordan falling into mare mortuum but it is much hindered corrupted and abused I had here ended this point but that your Marginal vrgeth a testimony from that most wise and learned observation of dangerous Positions and proceedings published and practised for the Presbyteriall discipline First you may please to vnderstande that there was want of good manners in neglecting the reverence you owe to that rightly honourable AVTHOR whose eminent place in the State My Lords Grace of Cāterbury painefull Government in the Church carefull authority over our Vniversity and other his honorable respects do adorne him with the cōfluence of many Titles yet this sacred Prelat graue Counsellour our noble Chauncellor must passe so vnregarded by you But what do you ground out of that note His Grace wrote against the ambitiously factious and Paradoxically furious Presbytery Doctor Benefield none such his Profession an honourable Bishops Chaplaine his Positions mainely against Presbytery declare so much Haec nota nihil notat praeter notam malitiae CHAP. 7. Mr LEECH THis solemne lecture reade in publicke schooles by an inceptor in divinity for so venerable a degree enforced me now evē as I would not openly betray the truth of this doctrine vnto a more plaine ample and personall defence inciting mee also nay inflaming me with some extraordinary desire for the reiection and depulsion of his infirme reasons ANSVVER IT is observed a Plin. nat hist lib. 11. c. 37. that in the falling sicknesse the eies though opē see nothing when the minde is darkened dim-sighted so seemeth it with you when in your declining and falling away you could not see or like the deafe adder would not heare charme the charmer never so wisely You say you were inflamed with an extraordinary desire for the reiection of the infirme reasons of the lecture I marvaile you should be in such a heat It had beene wel if with David you had cryed out My heart is hot and the fire is kindled within me that was a heat that tooke fire from the altar but yours was no such spirituall heat b Albert. in comp Theol. Albertus observeth that many sinnes are deciphered by many sicknesses luxury by a feaver envy by a leaprosie Anger by a phrēsie and pride by an inflammation take head of prowde heat such inflaming will breede flashing I would be sorie from my hart to heare that you should turne Melancholy Dominican or lowsie Franciscan or lazy Capuchine but of all others a Iesuiticall incendiary for he is the wilde fire of the world in mind ravenous as a wolfe in head crafty as a Fox in heart
or rather annotations considered that there are divers Fathers meerely forged as Hyppolitus Amphilochius the epistles of Cletus Anacletus c. B. Iuell D. Rainolds that world of learning the honorable B. of Winchester haue proued which point was never answered as yet Secōdly divers false tracts are fathered on the true fathers as Mr Perkins Probleme a book neuer answered the worke now in our Oxford library in hand for comparing all the Fathers with their most ancient manuscripts do shew 136. bastard Epistles already discovered in Gregory Thirdly the Fathers are reiected most scornefully by Papists where they cannot wrest them to their purpose as is proved by the practise of Canus Villa vincētius Sixtus Senensis Baronius Bellarmine Fourthly that all of these Papists haue taxed the Fathers for particular errors Fiftly omitting many more reasōs the fathers make more for vs thē for Papists nay only for vs not for Papists as that precious Iewell of the Church hath irrefragably proved The counsaile out of Lyrinensis is already answered but this I adde hee doth not there meane vnwritten verities or a supply to bee made to scripture for hee doth acknowledge in the next Chapter and so againe in the 41. that solus Canon Scripturae sufficit ad omnia Vincent Lirinens satis supérque that the Scripture is sufficient alone against all Heretickes yea alone for all things more thē this that it is more then sufficient his 41. Chapter doth plainely deliver vnam regulā to be scripture the interpretation of which is ever to bee approved by Scripture And for those notes of vniversality Antiquity and consent which you say doe inseparably concurre Vinc. c. 4. c. 5. 11. he saith not so the word inseparably is not his for Vincentius sheweth that Heretikes haue claimed the two former shewing that the Arrians had vniversality and the Donatists Antiquity And for consent he forewarneth as a Prophet in 39 Chapter that when men endeavor Maiorum volumina vitiare to corrupt the ancient Fathers as Papists most openly doe to obtaine Consent then the only remedy is sola Scripturarum authoritate convincere to convince them by the only authority of Scripture And therefore if you built your fort vpon this ground as not hauing red or not vnderstood your Author choosing some fragments and not observing all the particulars and passages of his meaning your foundation is not on the corner stone the foundation rotten the building reeling and your doctrine hath no approbation from Vniuersality Antiquity or lastly from consent either iointly from all from the greatest number of fathers or from that which is the only Countenance and Approuer of Spirits Doctrines from the Scripture That therefore which you make your first motiue to haue rended you from the truth the same I make my first confirmation to settle me therein and to detest Popery that seeing Papists admit not a trial of their religion by Scriptures that the Fathers admitte none that reiect Scriptures as also that Papists approue not alwaies the Testimony of the Fathers as they pretend I infer in particular that this doctrine of yours is worthily condemned but not the Ancient Church as also in generall that by condemning of vs in any point you cōdemne Antiquity seeing our Reformed Churches be reduced to the ancient Primitiue And therfore your New foūd Religion is Rebellion against the Truth Apostasie frō Scripture and Antiquity Mr LEECH The second Motiue The Protestants preferre their Reformed Congregations before the ancient Catholique Church AS my violent Iudges did palpably disclaime the sentence of the ancient Church so they vnreasonablie required my submission vnto their reformed Congregations which as they be not comparable with the purity of the former so their principal Doctours Luther Zwinglius men no lesse odious each vnto the other S. Austin S. Ambros S. Hierom. then both are hatefull vnto the Church of Rome are no waies matchable with the Patrones of my doctrine For as S. Gregory Nazianzen iustly excepted against the Arrians in this māner If our faith be but 30. S. Gregory Epistola 1. ad Cledō contra Arrianos yeeres old 400 yeares being passed since the incarnation of Christ then our gospell hath been preached in vaine our martyrs haue died in vaine vntill this time c. So if for a point of faith I must remit my selfe vnto Luther Zwinglius Calvin and their reformed conuenticles rather then vnto the holy Fathers ancient Church thē surely the gospell hath beene miserably taught and all our predecessors haue beene pitifully deceiued for 1600. yeares since Singular therefore was the folly and partiality of my Iudges to detract authority from our blessed Fathers to yeeld it vnto Lutherans men of as new a stāpe in these times as the Arrians were in S. Gregory Nazianzen his time whose carnal appetites and base condition of life drew them to allow that in their doctrine which they performed in their practise being contrary in both vnto the canon of scripture and continual succession of the Church The consideration whereof did manifestly detect vnto me that either their vnderstāding is very meane or their will very perverse who feared not to disauthorise the Fathers yet would not grant me the same liberty against their brethren in whom I neuer approued any thing other waies then it was consonant with the prescription of Antiquity or dissonant from hir Tradition ANSVVER THe reformed Church that hath left Babylon and is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler having received true Religion 〈◊〉 according to Scripture was in all reason to haue had submission performed from you both because that the truth professed is against this position as also for that profession and subscription you had willingly afforded to her when you were supposed to be not only a member but a Minister in her Congregation Had you straied as a sheepe through simplicity it had been lamentable but to fly being a shepheard through Apostasie this is damnable Luther and Zwinglius though they agreed not in all points yet they both ioined in demolishing your Dagon Great lights of the Church haue diffred in some particulars nay haue whet their pens like rasors and edged their tongues like swords yet in the truth of God they haue agreed to the suppressing of the kingdome of Sathan The differēces between these two were nothing so scādalous as their ioint conflicts with Rome were victorious To coūtervaile your place out of Gregory Nazianzene Prudent Peristep hym 10 which you apply improperly Prudētius witnesseth the heathens did scornfully so deale with the religiō of Christianity in the beginning thereof Nunc dogma nobis Christianum nascitur post evolutos mille demū Consules so you as if after so many holy Fathers our Religion had beginning from Luther Zwinglius or Caluin But how contrary to all truth this is Bristow Motiue 45. Bristow his confession sheweth in
this it will bee no otherwise prooved then c Confess Petric c. 92. de Traditionibus Hosius proveth that the greatest part of the Gospell is come to vs by tradition and verie little of it committed to writing which is a most rash false conceipt of his But Andradius acknowledgeth that the Cittie of refuge for all the runnagate points in Religion is Tradition His words d Andrad Orthod explic lib. 2. pag. â—0 be Quam traditionum autoritatem si tollas nutare vacillare videbuÌ„tur Manie points would reele totter if not supported by the helpe of Traditions Saint e 1. Cor. 9.6 Paule hath warned that no man presume aboue that which is written and f Regul contract 95. fol. pag. 502. Basill admonisheth that it is necessarie and consonant to reason that everie man learne that which is needfull out of Scripture both for the fulnes of godlines and least they bee invred to humane traditions Yet I answere concerning Traditions that when this controversie is fully discussed you wil be as vnable to proue your position from anie Apostolicall tradition as the men of Doryla in g Cicero pro L. Flacco Tully who when they were to proue somewhat against Flaccus out of their publike Records and their records were called for they said they were robd of theÌ„ by the waie so your Traditions which must speak for you they are lost by the waie no one neither Bellarmine nor Coccius nor Sonnius nor anie writer can produce one Apostolicall sanction tradition or authority And for the practise of the Church the Ecclesiasticall histories shew that the ancient servaÌ„ts of God which first retired themselues from the worlde did it not for anie opinion they had hereby to obtaine perfection but to escape persecution as h Sozomen lib. 1. c. 12. Sozomen writeth and to hide themselues And some of them were lay-men as k Athan. Ep. ad Dracont Dyonisius voucheth some of them married men as i Dion Ecclesiae hierar c. 6. Athanasius recordeth all of them freemen from binding themselues with vowes as l Nic. lib. 9. c. 14. Nicephorus proueth And for the practise of Popish Monkes now the patterns of this Evangelicall perfection m Philobib c. 5. Dunelmensis delivereth it Greges vellera fruges horrea porci olera potus patera lectiones sunt hodie studia Monachorum And you knowe the old verse O Monachi vestri stomachi sunt amphora Bacchi Vos estis Deus est testis teterrima pestis Mr LEECH But yet since contrary to my probable persuasion certaine private spirits whose faith is their owne fancy itching rather after prophane novelty and hereticall innovation then abiding the wholesome doctrine of sacred Antiquitie and the Churches dogmaticall tradition haue by all meanes laboured to impugne my doctrine and to defame my person I haue thought my selfe in conscience and duty both before God and man obliged a swell for the generall satisfaction of all whom this present busines may any way concerne as for my owne discharge in particular being the party herein especially interessed briefly to coÌ„pile and publish the whole carriage and progresse of this matter in the ensuing treatise humbly recommending and ever submitting my opinion vnto the graue and infallible iudgement of the Church at whose feete and tribunall alone prostrating my selfe I must stand or fall as also referring my selfe with the moderat deportment of my cause vnto the sincere iudgement of the discreet and impartiall Reader ANSVVER You were drawne to this vnwillingly in respect of your vnabillity to maintaine the opinioÌ„ but most willingly in desire to stand out in contradiction But why should you rubbe ouer any here with the title of itching spirits Barn It is the rule of S. Bernard when in disputation or coÌ„ference there is rayling or reviling tunc non veritas quaeritur sed animositas fatigatur Truth is not sought for but strong and stubborne stomakes disgordge their poison Hee that hath giuen leaue to try the spirits hath prohibited the condemning nay iudging of a brother and therefore while you slander them with the itch of prophane novelty you bewray your selfe to bee infected with the scab of heresie They that gainesaid your doctrine were wise and honest learned and religious not a few but the consent of all of all degrees among vs. And so farre are they from defaming of your person that I doe assure my selfe that everie religious honest heart in Oxford will bee desirous to cover it with the mantle of charity to pray that it maie bee invested with the robe of Christs righteousnes wishing from our harts that no other cause then conscience and duty as you saie had obliged you to publish this your Treatise and that the discharge of your selfe and satisfaction of others had beene more truelie and charitablie performed that you had submitted your opinion to Gods word rather then the Church seeing the Church is not the infallible rule of iudgement as you hold n Relec. controu 4. de potestat ecclesiae in se q. 3. art 2. resp ad arg 5. Stapleton him selfe after loÌ„g discussing durst not absolutelie affirme it but seemeth to make it rather probable then credible when he confesseth that it is not anie article of our faith to beleeue that the authoritie of the Church is the rule of our faith And not only a Doctor but a Pope speaketh in this case more plainlie o Decret Greg. lib. 5. de sent excom c. 28. a nobis saepe Innocentius affirming that the Churches iudgement followeth opinion which often deceiveth and is deceived And howsoever I maie saie to you as p Aug. de vnit Eccles cap. 2. S. Augustine did to some heretiques of his time De hoc inter nos quaestio versatur vtrùm apud nos an apud illos vera Ecclesia sit the question being controverted betweene you and vs whethers is the true Church neither of vs can proue the argument by the Church seeing q Chrysost in Hom. 10. in 1. Tit Chrysostome doth conclude that the Scriptures must teach who hath the true Church r De vnit Eccles cap. 16. S. Austin resolving that Scriptures be documenta fundamenta firmamenta the proofes foundations grounds of our cause and therefore vnlesse you bee contented to submit your opinion to the Scriptures it is manifest that you acknowledge that your doctrine and the Scriptures were never acquainted The Pharisies the false porters of the kingdome Å¿ Mat. 23.13 tooke awaie the key of knowledge and they received their reward a volley t Luk. 11.42 of wo. Take heede least doing the like you incurre the like danger More respectiue are the Schoolemen of Scripture then you are u Lom dist 23. LoÌ„bard x Scot. 3. dist 23. q. vin Scotus y Oc. 3. q. 8. art 3. Ockam z Bi 3. dist 23. q. 2. lit g. h.
him that hath an eare heare what the spirit saith to the churches yet whosoever heareth and receiveth false doctrine willinglie receiveth and heareth his owne damnatiō And for the Catholique Church you bragge of c Lactantius lib. 4. Institutio cap. vlt. Lactantius hath given warning of such boasts singuli haereticorum coetus suam esse Ecclesiam Catholicā putant The Celestial Oracle heauenly spirit true catholique Church I say and wil confirme it by al maner of arguments they never taught that point as you seek to mainetaine it concerning Evangelicall Counsels of Perfection Mr LEECH Or I may speake with our blessed Sauiour advising exhorting counselling yea out of the whole masse of mākind inviting nay inciting some to that angelical gift of virginall chastity qui potest capere capiat hee that can aspire to the top of angelicall integrity let him become a votary of virginall Chastity ANSVVER The strangest exposition of wordes that ever I read or heard Virginall chastity the word virginall is out of tune a weake wired chastity to ascend the top of angelicall integrity Paule did not only approue but appoint Ministers and yet asketh the question 2. Cor. 2.16 Quis idoneus ad haec And though Christ not only was a virgin but did allow of virgins yet hee may pronounce this speech Qui potest capere capiat without any such inference or cōsequence You deliver no gold without drosse no place of Scripture without some wrested and impertinent glosse But in your sermon you shall receiue more satisfaction Mr LEECH This is S. Paule his sapientia inter perfectos apostolicall wisdome for men of angelicall perfection These easilie disclose and discouer the worlds foolishnes impostures when they paragon them with heavens remuneration treasures These are the salt of the earth the light of the world stars fixed in the spheare of heauen the Church militant not wandring in their motion towards heauen the Church triumphant ANSVVER The auncient writers doe not so expounde those words Al shew that the Apostle doth therein distinguish betweene the beleevers vnbeleevers as may be seene by the connexiō but more especially a Chrysost in 1. Cor. 2.6 Chrysostome thus expoūdeth perfectos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he calleth them perfect which did beleeue S. Hierome expoundeth so Theodoret so the whole currēt of expositors vnderstand a kinde of perfection in beliefe not in life Aquinas hath such a restriction that agreeth with the rest and all this sheweth that your speech is meere Pelagianisme wherin you magnifie the arme of flesh and the nature of mankinde and so seeme to approoue a perfit perfection which you do most vnperfectly It is S. b De peccat mer. remission 15. Augustines advise Cum dicitur cuiusque perfectio qua in redicatur videndū est When perfection saith he is named we must cōsider wherein it is named Perfectus est aliquis sapientiae auditor non perfectus Doctor a man may be a perfect hearer of righteousnes not a perfect doer or as some think a perfect knower why we knowe but in part 1. 1. Cor. 15. Cor. 15. Yes we knowe perfectly perfectione viae non perfectione patriae by the perfection of the way here not by the perfection of our Country hence say the Schooles Perfectione ordinis non finis saith d Iunius Iunius perfectione partium non graduum saith e Lomb. Lombard perfecti viatores non perfecti possessores saith f Aug. in Ps 38. Austin perfect travellers in righteousnes not perfect possessors and this so limited by that good Father as that hee alloweth it only pro consortio humanae societatis pro huius vitae capacitate pro statu viatoris pro huius vitae modulo only for a perfection sufficient to converse and hold society with mankind a perfection for the model capacity of this life for the state of passengers and wayfaring men and concludeth g Ad Bonif. lib. 3. Omnium in carne nostra imperfecta perfectio the perfection of all men while they are in the flesh is vnperfect Iohn Baptist had not a greater among the sonnes of womē but whosoever was least in the kingdome of God al the celestiall spirits is farre beyond him Inter natos mulierum non autem inter choros coelestium spirituum h Bern. serm 38. in Cantie saith S. Bernard among sonnes of women not amōg armies of Angels Not Iohn Baptist a Prophet nay more then a Prophet Who had for his cloathing haire for his habitation a desert for his meate wild locusts for his title the praecursor for his preaching Repentance for his ministration Baptisme the vsher and harbinger of our Saviour had not he angelicall perfection If hee that so faithfully attended his Master had it not how should you that haue fled from your Master attaine vnto it I say not * Esay 14.12 ô Lucifer how didst thou fall but O Lucifer whether wouldst thou rise Is it obedient humility to be so proud Spirituall poverty to desire to be so pompous Angelicall chastity to be so luxuriant I acknowledge that there bee some that are salt of the earth lights of the world roses in the field lillies in the vallies terrae gemmula coeli stellulae yet far from Angelicall integrity They may climb a step but not to the top of Iacobs Ladder Mr LEECH These are our best pilots amongst men their godly cōversation ought to be our holy imitation These guid by their examples the barkes of our bodies wherein the eternall treasures of our soules are caried as in earthen vessells through the perilous rockes of the seas of this world that they may ariue safely at the designed hauen of heauē when they flit from the bed of this mortall body ANSVVER Pilots they may be and yet as the i Ovid. de Trist lib. 1. Poet of his Pilot spake Rector in incerto est nec quid fugiátue petátue Denotat ambiguis ars stupet ipsa malis So I of the best they haue their slidings falls faults trances appolexies If you haue read over S. Austin you may finde the distinction betweene peccatum crimen sinne in generall which no man is freed frō and hainous notorious scandalous sinne culpable in the eies of men crying in the eares of heauen In his k Enchir. ad Laurent Enchiridion ad Laurentium he affirmeth this the life of holy men may be found though not without falt yet without an offensiue fault and more whosoever teacheth is Hereticall Beware in defending your perfect Pilots you make not shipwrack of a good conscience the mast of your faith is shaken let not the anker of your hope be broken Mr LEECH These are beacons on a hill the hill of the Church whose liues as lightes and burning lamps forewarne and so forearme vs against all invasion of any spirituall enimies These are entia transcendentia men soaring aboue the ordinary pitch of men celestiall
vnto thee Arise and if you heare not this I ingeminate his speech yet to a third yong man i Act. 9.4 Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Mr LEECH O what an exchange had this yong man made what an offer did Christ make him what counsell did the wisdome of the father giue him how much doth it now repent him In a word ô how happy had he beene both in body and in soule since he had beene secure of the salvation both of body and of soule and not only secure of that but thesaurū habuisset in coelo his penny had beene of pure gold he had had measure for measure yea aboue measure heauens remuneration heaped vpon him in lieu of Christian perfection if he had parted with himselfe and abandoned the worlds trash to haue partaked with Christ and heauens treasure ANSVVER It had beene a royall exchange if he hereby for riches that are transitory had obtained heauens blisse his soules security I am glad that all your lamp is not leavened that yet you beleeue a man may bee secure and certaine of his salvation which is a point vncertainely delivered among you What meane you by his now repenting Thinke you that he is in hell I doubt not but you may easily know seeing in Rome you haue news every day from hell and purgatory Certainty of salvation howsoever it be opposed by the Iesuits in generall yet k Medina 1. 2 q. 112. art 5. p. 630. Medina averreth that he would haue every beleeuer certainely to hope he shall obtaine eternall life Vega saith l Greg. de Valentia tom 2. pag. 957. Gregory de Valentia holdeth that some spirituall men may be so certaine that they bee in grace that this their assurance shall be without al feare and staggering And m Cathar assert apolog Catharinus holds the same certainty of faith which we teach I might vrge much out of n 3. d. 23. p. 46. Scotus o Par. 3. q. 61. mem 7. art 3. Alexander of Hales p Lib. 3. distin 20. q. 1. art 2. Bacon others whō you claime yours And q Stap. de Iustif pag. 341. Stapleton commeth so nere to the point as that hee professeth thus wee leaue not a sinner hanging in the midst of wavering doubtfulnesse but wee place him in good and firme hope Your penny of pure gold I will not stand to waigh if I should bring it to the ballance of the sanctuary I should find it scarce sense and much lesse Scripture Mr LEECH And yet this being a counsell not a precept it is not enioined as a precept to all but giuen by way of counsaile vnto perfecter men as the Fathers teach And the reason is excellently rendred by S. Gregory the great to be this It is not enioined as a precept to all for then were it sin either to marry or to possesse any of the worldes goods but yet it is counselled vnto men of more holy rancke For these haue an arbitrary and voluntary choice in their things ANSVVER That your owne advocate should giue evidence against you is great disadvantage S. Gregory himselfe calleth it praeceptum a precept not a counsaile I desire all indifferent readers to looke on the 25 Chapter of his 26. booke of Moralls Greg. Mor. lib. 26. where as I saide before you borrowed this distinction there is only the word precept neither counsel nor counselled is there mentioned And in your place vrged but not quoted not found in S. Gregory suppose it were so it may haue a good meaning for that which you call a counsell is nothing but a particular praecept which though it bind not all yet it must bee observed of those who are furnished with gifts and find themselues fitted thereto by Gods spirit Mr LEECH Such were the Apostles and those Apostolicall mē that hauing possessions sold them brought in the mony laid it downe at the Apostles feete ANSVVERE What Apostles did so Indeed Peter and Andrew forsooke their nets Mat. 4.20 a Mat. 9.9 Matthew forsooke his custome Reliquerunt non vēdiderunt saith one b Luk. 19.8 Zaccheus did restore al Luk. 19.8 c Mat. 19.27 The Disciples did forsake all Mat. 19.27 S. d Phil. 3.8 Paule did vilie value all Phil. 3.8 Only the Merchant did sell all Mat. 13.46 But that is but a parable Laert. Plut. Heathens did somewhat in this kinde e Mat. 13.46 Diogenes neglected all Socrates contemned all Crates cast awaie all and yet these were as farre short of the disciples as the Disciples of Angelicall perfection But to the purpose that the Apostles sold all it is not so they sold nothing for they had nothing to sel That the Apostolical mē sold their possessiōs Act. 4.35 Act. 4.35 it is true but it was not by Evangelicall counsaile nor for Angelicall perfection but to supplie the present want of the Church Mr LEECH Such was holy Antony that ancient Monke of Egypt S. Paul the Hermite S. Benedict S. Hierom S. Basil S. Gregory Nazianzen S. Gregory the great S. Bernard and many other Doctors and Fathers the most renowned lights of learning and greatest pillars of the Church ANSVVER For your Catalogue of Saints f Trithem Anthony was no such Monke nor Benedict the former lived in the year 330 the later in the yeare 500. I marvaile not that you make these to be Monkish Counsellors seeing before you haue so reckoned the Apostles themselues You ioine the Saints very vnequally and claime kindred of some that never knew your religion I examine not the sanctitie of some of them but denie all their bils of Sale or if they sold al I hope you wil be accōptable what they did with the mony I acknowledge the reverence of those blessed Fathers S. Hierom S Basil S. Gregorie Nazianzen c. I marvailed why you brought not in S. Francis till I remembred that g Canus loc Theol. l. 11. c. 7. Canus calleth him a lowsie Saint and yet hee instructed a Cade lambe so wel that it would kneele at Masse and the Saint was wont to preach to geese which heard him with devotion Or why remembred you not S. h Baron ano 1208. n. 5. Fulbert a man of Evangelicall perfection who being sicke the virgin Marie came gaue him sucke from heaven Or among many others i Ant. part 3. art 23. c. 1. §. 1 S. Dominicke whō Antoninus maketh the first inventor of Evangelicall Coūsailes Of whom he affirmeth that before he was borne there were two images founde in a church at Venice the one of S. Paul the other of Dominicke on S. Pauls image was written By this man you may come to Christ on Dominickes image But by this easier Antoninus giveth the reason because Paules doctrine led but to faith and keeping of the commādements but Dominicke should teach the observing of Evangelical Counsailes which is the easier way Risum
outlawry the law doth accuse you for sin and you accuse it for imperfection Vnlesse you send for an advocate to Hell there is none to speak for you Briefly to your quotation I say the law wanted not perfecting but man wanted meanes of fulfilling it Christ in that sense added perfectiō to the law in fulfilling it because as Cardinall l Cusanus excit l. 10. Cusanus confesseth never did any fulfill the commandements but Christ But in this there was no addition and therefore no former imperfection in the law Mr LEECH And as he taught this vnto vs by practise in his owne most sacred person and in the persons of his Apostles so he left vs the first pure primitiue Church and raised vp many in the other succeeding ages and Centuries of the Catholike Church to be examples and patterns of these Evangelicall Counsells ANSVVER It is a toile that my pen must follow yours in these so idle repetitions and needlesse Tautologies I ingeminate my former answer Christ did not professe the teaching of Evangelicall Counsells he came not from heauen with another edition of the law then what Moyses had brought The Primitiue Church knewe not the name of Evangelicall Counsells that as m Assert Luther conf art 18. pag. 86. Fisher B. of Rochester said of Purgatory that there was litle mentiō or none at all among the Ancients thereof so I say of Counsells this opinion was a Posthume to the Primitiue Church Anselmus that liued many hundred yeeres after denyeth that any man may performe more then he oweth as you would teach by Counsells His words be n Anselm de concep virg c. 21. Nullus potest reddere quantum debet solus Christus reddidit pro omnibus qui salvantur plus quà m debetur But as o Dion Xiphilin in epitome Domit. Decebalus king of Dacia put to flight the Romans by arming trunks of trees insteed of souldiers so the new Romans suppose to gull vs by obtruding shadowes insteed of substance inserting into their Pamphlets the name of the Primitiue Church Ancient Catholike Church Fathers of the Church in those matters controversed betweene vs whereas the Church and Fathers in this case may answere Papists as answer was made to p 1. Sam. 28.26 Saul in the 1. Sam. 28.16 Wherefore dost thou aske of mee seeing the Lord is gon from thee and is thine enemie Mr LEECH This was the summe of my repetition with a more ample explanation of my former doctrine iustified now in publike against the Brethren who had traduced it in their whispering conventicles according to the liberty of their private spirits ANSVVER You haue landed this discourse thinking hereby to gaine the name of an authorizer if not an author But bragge not that you haue publikely iustified that against the Brethren which you will be constrained to deny before the Saints The writtē Coppy which you delivered is much different frō this second repetition you and it farre from truth Because with Peter you hope to warme your hands at the high Priests fire therefore you deny the truth of your Master Follow Peter rather in repenting then in forswearing CHAP. 4. Mr LEECH THis sermon being ended and supper time immediatly approaching M. Doctor Hutton one of the Channons of Christ Church now deputed Provicechancellour in the absence of Mr. Doctour King sent for me by one of my fellow Chaplaines into the commō kitchin A place fitt to treat vppon Iovinianisme but vnfit for the sacred mysteries of Religion to conferre with me vpon the point delivered in my sermon ANSVVER The summe of this ensuing chapter was begot in the Kitchin it is so full of smoake heat Your marginall note doth much traduce Doctor Hutton Prebendary Subdeane of Christ-Church an auncient learned preacher Professor Doctor of Diuinity the least of these titles might haue restrained you in your duty towards him But a more neere respect of obseruance bound you to reuerence him not only for private but for publicke authority not only for feare but for cōscience sake saith the Apostle He was the Magistrate Provicechancellor Deputy Governor of your betters at that time not in that house alone but in the whole Vniuersity He might haue sent for you by an officer not your fellow Chaplaine vnto a publique place not so familiar to cōvent censure imprison punish you not to conferre with you It is not the place that doth honest the man but the man the place Lucifer rebelled in heaven Adam sinned in Paradise whē as Lot served God in Sodom Ioseph in Egypt Better to speake truth in the Kitchin then falsehoode in the Pulpit The place of all other is least circumstantiall Mr LEECH Hither I no sooner came but hee interessing himselfe in the quarrell of IOVINIAN began very fiercely to assault and chardge me for preaching scandalous erroneous doctrine excepting farther against the tearmes of Angelicall Chastity and Evangelicall Counsailes of perfection expresly mentioned by me in the aforesaid sermon ANSVVER For any Iovinian heresie that you taxe him with or the opposers of your opinion you knowe in your conscience that no Protestant ever defended anie of them S. r Aug. de haeresibus ad quod vult De um haeres 82. Augustine in his tract De haeresibus ad Quodvult Deum the 82. heresie reciteth the divers positiōs of Iovinian and I doe freely and fully protest that I knowe no point wherewith our Church in that kinde may be accused In what point of Iovinianisme was he guilty name it I am sure if you could you would Your doctrine offered much offence therfore was scandalous and was opposite to our Churches doctrine and therefore to be called erroneous Mr LEECH The onset being thus given by his worship my warde was Sir vnder your correction the doctrine lately by me preached howsoever you disconceipt it is not nay cannot possibly be either scandalous or erroneous for it is the doctrine of that great Pillar of the Latine Church S. Gregory accorded vnto and confirmed by vniforme consent of fathers both of the Greeke Latine Church ANSVVER As Salomon spake of ſ Eccl. 12.12 making many books so may I of vsing many words There is no end the one wearying of the flesh the other angariation to the spirit It is not as you take it the doctrine of that great Pillar of the Church S. Gregory it is a Doctrine which is the Pillar of Monkes I assure my selfe the Monkes would not maintaine it vnlesse it did maintaine Monkes The Fathers of the Greeke and Latine Church are answered so sufficiently as that I hope you will change and challendge your Grand-Iurie for beeing too partiall for our part Mr LEECH As for the termes of a Virginity equalleth it selfe to Angells yea if wee examine well the matter we shall finde it to exceed Angells for that contrary to nature it getteth a victory in flesh aboue flesh which Angells doe not Cypr. de
these two most worthy pillers of the Church were as the flowers of Roses in the spring of the yeere as Lilyes by the fountaines of waters as branches of Frankincense in the time of Sommer as faire Oliues that bee fruitful or Cypres trees that grow to the Clowdes as i Ecclesiast Ecclesiasticus speaketh of others Cyprian for eloquence Austin for dexterity of wit wisedome learning Cyprian was as k Naz. Orat. in Cyprianū Nazianzene reporteth him the great name of Carthage of all the world whose name was famous in all Churches both Heretique and Christian whose name and workes Nazianzene professeth he reverenced more then he did all others and for his eloquence surpassed all other men so farre as other men doe bruit beasts Saint l Epist ad Paulinum de instit monat Ierome calleth him sweet professing that the Lord dwelt in him and m De doct Christ c. 40. Austin calleth him a most sweet Doctor and most blessed Martyr and concludeth of him Tanti meriti tanti pectoris tanti oris tantae virtutis Episcopus And concerning blessed Austin n Epist ad Aug. 31. 37. Paulinus calleth him the salt of the earth a Candle worthy to be set on the candlestick of the Church his mouth like a Conduit pipe of living water a veine of that eternall fountaine o Eras epist praef 1. tom Augustini Erasmus testifieth of him his name being Aurelius Augustinus that the world hath nothing magis aureum vel augustius that there never was a golden name more worthily giuen to any then to him And if I shall reckon Titles giuen to him that is called the perfection of the Fathers the Hammer of Heretiques the Treasure Megasine liuing librarie of learning and infinite his other Titles it would be tedious Nay Iesuits and all kind of Papists afford him such Encomtasticks that never had any Father of the Church so many Looke c Possevin in appar sacr p. 151. 152. Possevin in his Aparatu sacro where he giueth him the greatest and worthiest Titles that ever any Doctor of the Church had and testifieth that by the consecration of the d Synod Florent Florentine Synod he was called Illustrissimus Latinorū Doctorum You see how grosse your comparison is Concerning the approbation of a general Councell there is no such thing directly named in any of the Concilia Toletana being 13 in number The only Councell of all which that mentioneth Gregory is the last of which e Caranza in Epitome Cōciliorum Caranza in the Epitome of Councells giueth this note Nihil habet hoc concilium singulari annotatione dignum Mr LEECH Concilium Tolctan Did it then become M. Doctor Hutton to detract frō the due worth of so great and learned a Saint since I may yet adde this to perfect his praise whatsoever hee was vnto others doubtlesse vnto vs he was an Apostle to speake in the phrase of the Apostle to whom our English nation standeth perpetually obliged for her conversion from Paganisme vnto the Christian faith Beda Eccles hist Angl. lib. 2. cap. 1. ANSVVER Gregory was not our Apostle All histories be against you Britaine had true religion planted here before your Gregory or his Monke Austin were extant It is recorded by your f Baron Ann. 35. num 5. Chronologicall Cardinall that Ioseph of Arimathaea was here g Theod. de curand grec affect lib. 9. Theodoret saith S. Paul h Bar. anno 597. n. 20. Baronius thinketh S Peter i Nic. l. 2. c 40. Nicephorus saith that Simon Zelotes and k Tertul. advers Iudaeos Tertullian l Orig. in Hom. 4. in Esec Origen and other of the most worthy of the Fathers doe affirme that the Gospell was planted here in the time of the Primitiue Church And that you shall not reply that religion was extinguished and afterwards lightned by Gregory I say religion was not extinct at the comming of that proud petty Monke Austin whom hee sent Witnesse m Lib. 1. c. 8. 17. 21. Bede whom you vntruly cite who writeth that before Austins comming the Britaines were troubled with Arrianisme and Pelagianisme but that three French Bishops delivered them And the forger of the three cōversions n Three con par 1. c 9. n. 1 testifieth more that from king Lucius time vntill the comming of Austin which was foure hundred yeeres and more they did not alter their faith but it remained among them when he entred Therefore Gregory converted not our land per se nor per aliū And Austin as impetuous or imperious as he was was but Gregories Curat For Gregory at that time as o Ordo Rom. praef Cassander observeth did change the Lyturgies and service bookes vsed in our westerne parts for which cause it is likely Austin came ouer So that Gregory and Austin converted bookes not soules and therefore were Translators Correctors no Apostolicall Doctors or founders of our Church Mr LEECH But to passe over the praise of this bright shining star in the firmamēt of the Church my reioynder was that this doctrine must first be proved to be erroneous scandalous before any such imputation ought vpō any absolute necessity to be imposed and fastened vpon it since scādall doth arise from errour errour is an approbatiō of that which is false in iudgement and vnderstanding ANSVVER The answer of the Philosopher in p Diog. Laert. in vit Phil. Laertius to one that immoderatly praised him was fit for you Me hic aut ludit aut odit this fellow would procure me to be scorned or hated Your vnmeasurable LASHON of cōmēding Gregory it deserveth no other speech We esteem Gregory to be the best Pope from the yeere about 600 wherein he lived to this present He never held the q Reg. Epist lib. 9. ep 9. supremacy r Lib. 7. ep 69. l. 7. ep 30. merits and other points of Popery and he never taught this Doctrine as you do therefore the error scandal must remaine with you not with him Mr LEECH And as for defending of S. Gregory my opinion then was and now is that the very name it selfe and Authority of this worthy Father ought and would rather amongst all learned and iudicious divines be my iust defence ful dischardge then that his credit should bee so farre called in question as now after a 1000. yeares continuance in the Catholique Church of Christ being generally reputed Orthodox so long to stande in neede of mine or any other mans defence whatsoever ANSVVER The worthines of Gregory is not denyed But that his very name should be sufficient to prescribe against all opposers and to patronize your conceipt it is much doubted Concerning Gregory I thinke of the reading of him as S. ſ Hier. in ep ad Romanum Ierome doth of reading the other Fathers Meum propositum est antiquos legere probare singula retinere quae
bona sunt à fide Ecclesiae non recedere I would you had taken this course in reading Gregory But for the point in hand you haue not in al the words of S. Gregory the distinctiō of Praeceptū Consilium no place that defineth Evangelica consilia neither their name number or any thing concerning thē And therefore to any never so little intelligent you will seeme strangely ridiculous to make Gregory Godfather to that childe he never knewe or Author of that doctrine which he never taught or thought Wee call not his credit into question I would yours did it not as I formerly shewed and especially t Bar. Tom. 8. Annal. Ann. Christi 1593. num 62. p. 57. Baronius who speaking of the barrennesse of learning in Gregory his time sheweth that Gregory himselfe was ignoraunt in many things Mr LEECH And yet rather then the doctrine shall be thus odiouslie traduced and my Author want his promerited defence I will according to that poore ability wherewith God hath enabled me endeuor to defend both it and him and therefore if S. Gregory in this point hath not transgressed the boūds of Ancienter Church nor crossed any tenent of his owne Present Church nor yet for this hath hitherto been censured by the lawfull iudgement of any Catholique succeeding Church nay if the Church more ancient then his his owne present and the ever after succeeding Centuries of Catholique Church haue from hand to hand deliuered vnto him receiued with him and with vniforme consent followed him in this point of doctrine never so much as once noting it questioning it impugning it cōtradicting it which certainely they would haue done had the doctrine beene erroneous for their devoted piety spared no Heretique Origen Millienar Tertul. Montanising Cypr. rebaptising no not the most renowned martyrs nor glorious fathers of the Church in any of their errors repugnant vnto the vnity of Catholique verity then vpon these premises I may irrefragably conclude in defence of my Authour and doctrine that S. Gregory his position is no privat opinion hatched out of his owne braine but the vniforme deduction and tradition of Christ his spouse the true Catholique never erring Church inspired guided directed by God his holy spirit in all ages ANSVVER Rather then you will let truth haue the supereminence quae magna est praevalet you will continue to father your opinion vpon Gregory yea and vpon the Primitiue Derivatiue Church Act. 9. But it is hard for you to kicke against the truth The weedes of supererogation growing vnder the shaddow of Evangelicall Counsailes haue had no time of encrease of growing in the ancient primitiue Church None of the first and worthier Fathers taught it It is a common but not commēdable vse among you of imposturing interpreting the Fathers in a wrong sense The chiefest groūd for your doctrine is the misinterpreting of that place of S. Paule which sense neither the Originall will carrie nor any Greeke Father ever followed And that blessed servant of God Mr Perkins in his Probleme proveth against opposers how farre the Fathers were from mainetaining workes of supererogation Physitians that meane to cure the disease first beginnne with the cause so giue me leaue seeing workes of supererogation bee only the inductions and cause of teaching this doctrine First I desire you to answere whether S. Hierome thought any such works were performed who disclaiming them thus speaketh p Hier. lib. 1. c. 3. cont Pelag. Tum ergo iusti sumus quando nos peccatores fatemur iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito sed ex Dei consistit misericordia or whether S. q Retract l. 1. c. 19. Augustine doth thinke a man might supererogate who affirmeth a contrary positiō Omnia mandata Dei facta deputantur quando quicquid non fit ignoscitur or r Chrys in 8. Hom. in 4. ad Roman Chrysostome who in his 8. homily on the 4. to the Romanes affirmeth No man to bee iustified by the Law because none can fulfill the Law ſ Bern. in 73 ser in Cant. or Bernard in his 73. vpō the Canticles who wisheth no man to trust to his own iustice or fulfilling of the Law or to approch neerer what meant t De Consil Evang. statu perfectionis Gerson that famous Doctor to deny any perfection in Evangelicall counsailes Secōdly I desire you to answere why u Aq. 22 dae Art 5. Aquinas teacheth that perfection doth essentially which is perfectly consist in keeping the Commandements which none can do and in the fulfilling of the Lawe if that perfection of Counsailes bee so much aboue the Law why x In sent lib. 3. distinct 34 q. 3. Paludanus vpon the Sentences doth affirme that some men may attaine to as great height of perfection liuing in marriage and possessing much as they that liue single and giue away all that they haue I will aske no more questions but seeing this is so taught by so many reverend Ancients yea by many of your owne later y Ians in 100. Cap. in Evang Iansenius in his 100. chapter vpon the Evangelicall concord professing with Gerson and Aquinas that only the fulfilling of the law doth iustifie and z Cus excit lib. 10. Cardinall Cusanus confessing that none but Christ ever did fulfill the Commandements seeing all this is thus why will you so boldly affirme that this doctrine was never impugned never contradicted c which indeede was never rather taught never approved It is true S. Gregory was never contradicted in this for hee never taught any such thing But this opinion was gainesaid and disliked and the Church never received never generally delivered any such position Although if it had your epithet of never erring Church is scarce currant for you cannot deny but the Church hath had her blots a Dial. contra Lucif S. Ierome cōplained that the whole world groaned and wondred to see it selfe Arrian b Aduers proph Novit Vincentius Lerinēsis confesseth that not only some portion of the Church but the whole Church may be blotted with contagion But this was none of her blots spots or infectious blemishes for shee never generally mainetained or taught this Doctrine Mr LEECH But M. Doctour Hutton lending a deafe eare vnto my defence though in my conscience and iudgement it ought to haue satisfied him sounded another alarome and ringed a fresh peale in my eares charging nay surcharging me ad nauseam vsque for holding any distinction betwixt Precepts Counsailes For saide hee there is no such distinction those which you falsely cal Coūsailes are in deed Precepts and not Counsailes ANSVVER The Comoediā c Plautus Plautus taxeth some that had no stuffe in them but in their tongue and that only in speaking lewdly of their betters Isthic est thesaurus stultis in lingua situs ut quaestui habent malè loqui melioribus Let the lawes of God Nature and Nations
moue you to reverence this honest and learned Doctour hee did truely and wisely chardge you that S. Gregory had no such distinction Praeceptum and praecipitur be Gregory his words In your strongest place out of him you can vrge no such thing That the Fathers haue called virginity poverty c precepts shall hereafter appeare at large In the meane time to prescribe against al opposers to giue you a tast to bring your metall to the test before I try it by the ballance Virginity is called a precept by d Athan. in edit Comelin Graecol p. 77. Athanasius his words be Omnium Rex Christus tantùm valuit praeceptis sui◠vt pueri nondum maturi legum disciplinae virginitatem quae supra leges profiteantur Poverty and leaving of al is accoūted a precept by e Hilary in 19. Mat. Hilary on the 19. of Matthew where on those wordes vende omnia hee thus speaketh Adolescens insolens iacturam legis facere praecipitur And not only these but many other of the Fathers doe so call them thereby strongly invading your opinion Mr LEECH And this was his definitiue resolution sifting out of the sieue of the Church all the wheaten meale I meane the fine flower of spirituall Poverty Angelicall Chastity leauing nought else within it but the branne and huskes of Iovinian his heresie which to speake of it in one word as it deserveth is the very evacuation and exinanition of all the best fruits of our Christian religion And this he did with an earnest protestation not being able to containe himselfe from vowing and solemnely swearing before God that he would send me vp to my Lord Bishoppe of London to answer the point before the high Commission ANSVVER The Church is compared to the house of God but that in this house there should be such a vtensile as a sieue I never read nor heard It is not mystica vannus Iacchi that it should as you thinke after such a preposterous maner retaine the bad and shake out the good I leaue your sifting comparison and yet will remember you f Mat. 3.12 that there is one who shall come with his fanne in his hand shal purge his flower gathering his wheate burning his chaffe You seeme ignorant of the difference betweene asseverations oaths when you tearme Doctor Huttons earnest and religious protestation an oath David to Ionathan Vriah to David Elisha to Eliah the Sunamite to Elisha S. Paule to the g 2. Cor. 11.31 Corinths h 1. Tim. 2.7 Timothy and i Gal. 1.20 Galathians did vse more earnest and vehement protestations and yet were not taxed for swearing Sathan hath his brand for accusing his brethren how full you are of Accusatiues every page doth betray it selfe He maintained no part of Iouinians heresie vttered no oath in any violent fervency you straine out vires and virus passion and poison against him that afforded you much loue and compassion who was a meanes to obtaine a place for you in that house and when some distasting you sought to work your remoue he defēded you against that storme Mr LEECH To this I replied Sir the distinction betwixt Precepts Counsels is no devise of mine but the doctrine of S. Paul grounded vpon Christ his restrictiue negatiue non omnes capiunt wherevpon S. Paul had no precept and vpon Christ his exhortatiue affirmatiue qui potest capere capiat Herevpon the Apostle giueth his counsell Consilium do 1. Cor. 7.21 and thus all ancient Church hath interpreted his sentence ANSVVER It was not S. Pauls doctrine Counsell is not his worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not so translated the Lexicons shew that the greeke Poets Orators did not so vnderstand it Doctor Benefield hath so sufficiently answered it that there is no gainesaying The heresie of Nestorius lay but in the chāge of one letter taking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those many Bishops that resisted Nestorius as S. k Basil apud Theod. l. 4. c. 19. Basill observeth were so religious in the carriage of that controversie that they woulde not exchāge a syllable or letter If the change of a letter may doe so much what may the misinterpretation of a word though it be a very naked proofe to ground any point of beliefe vpon one word howsoever vnderstood I know you haue not distilled much out of the School-limbiques therefore wil remember you of this distinct difference betweene counsell sentence that the one is proper to the will Aquin. 22 dae the other to the vnderstanding The place of Scripture out of Christes mouth maketh nothing in this matter for you non omnes capiunt c. The later wordes of the Text answere the former Omnes non capiunt hoc Christ his speech is interpreted in respect of the common condition of nature in generall So virginity may be proposed not imposed vpon any none may be compelled none constrained therevnto but Capiuntij quibus datū they must that are able to take it vpon thē And so Christ inioineth enforceth commandeth them by an Imperatiue in the 12. verse He that is able to receiue this let him receiue it Thus the Church hath and doth interpret this speech Omnes nō capiunt all in generall not enforced because not enabled but qui potest capere capiat he that is so furnished by Gods spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee is commāded by this word of God it is not voluntary but necessary therefore no counsell but a cōmande and so consequently the place maketh not for you Mr LEECH But admit by way of supposition your peremptory conclusion and suppose that there bee no counsailes but let all be precepts do they not thē as Precepts binde you that sub poenâ For that which is a precept is commanded that which is commanded must be done of necessity that which must perforce be done is punished being left vndone in vaine is that commanded as necessary which is left in the free choice of the commanded as volūtary as S. Hierome teacheth Wherefore giue me leaue without offence to demaunde why do you or any other marry or possesse anie of the worlds goods Ought your practise to bee cōtrary to the precept And doth not S. Gregory teach that if coūsailes were precepts then were it sin and that damnable too to possesse any of the worlds goods And were not mariage taken away which is no lesse then flat heresie if virginitie were a precept as S. Basill and the Fathers teach ANSVVER The Stoicks divided the offices of Philosophy into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfectum et commune So the Papists distinguish al the duties of a Christians life into these two Counsells and precepts k Mat. 7.11 and so by the Pharises l Corban they affect such perfection by the rule of Counsaile as that they transgresse the law of Commandement for as m
advise both these Doctors do vtterly denie it and I am sorrie you so malitiously repeate it againe knowing how confident each of them bee in the contrary opinion to you Caietan in Thom. 22dae q. 184. art 7. Caietan his censure vpon the doctrine of Counsailes is that hee thinketh this doctrine fit to be sprinkled with salt I applie it to you your lines be vnseasoned they lacke truth in relation soundnesse in opinion want of verity in thē want of charity in you want of salt in both Mr LEECH Thus the good Doctor soundly plainely on al parts charitably afforded him his friendly advise And herevpō it was that Doctour Hutton was satisfied whereof he gaue sufficient signes when hee received the aforesaide copie ANSVVER The Hebrew c Buxdorf in Hebrea Gram Coniug Grāmarians haue a rule that Characteristicum temporis excludit Characteristicum coniugationis so the characters of the time in many Apostats doe exclude the notes of all honest respects and characters of all parts of honesty Your paper seemeth to groane vnder your lines it is so heaped and dawbed with vntruthes The Doctor spake charitably but his charity did not so fully cloath you but he left place for the rod of correction And though Doctour Hutton for a smal time seemed content having received your coppy yet hee daily exspected besides your silence some recantatory satisfaction Mr LEECH So the matter was for that time ended and the doctrine without any māner of preiudice or farther contradiction cleared being now at two severall times by me preached First generally glanced at intimated only Secondly against the Brethren who in private corners traduced it publiquely repeated amplified explaned ANSVVER There was onlie a cessation a while from your trouble no satisfactiō given for your doctrine Your feare was somewhat calmed but the point no waie cleared your inhibitiō was sufficient note of the contradiction of your opinion but that was not all for all among vs did distaste it You did present this twise to the Vniversity but it was denyed grace as oft as presented You verifie the Psalmists speech d Psalm Impij ambulant in circuitu The wicked weary their soules vntruely in their vnrulie designes and desires CHAP. 6. Mr LEECH AND nowe resolued as my next occasion drew me to preach to proceede forwards with the exposition of my text to haue vnfolded the sense of the opening of those mysticall bookes the booke of conscience the booke of God his eternal prescience for so it followed in my text the books were opened an other book was opened which is the booke of life This was my intention because I had now spoken sufficiently of that point as I thought which I met withall but obiter in my text vpon a subdivision and a distinction cited forth of S. Gregorie ANSVVERE IT had beene good that you had heere ended your course discourse vpon Counsailes without Counsaile rather then to sow vp these thin fig-leaues which you gathered out of Bellarmine and Coccius to cover the nakednesse of the cause you thought you spake sufficiently of the former point few so thought but your selfe Sufficiently indeed to manifest the corruption of your hart but not sufficiently to teach the truth of the point Mr LEECH As I resolued privately vpon this course so I had performed it accordingly if a certaine exorbitāt accidēt had not interrupted and disturbed this my quiet and setled resolution diuerting my purpose for that present cōverting my forces another way The occasion whereof was as followeth ANSVVER d Greg. Mor. lib. 18. c. 6. Gregory in his Moralls writeth of some new-fangled questionists Praedicamenta doctrinae quae quaerūt ad quaestionem habere non valent ad refectionem that as e 1. Tim. 1.4 S. Paul speaketh they giue heed to wrangling which breed questions rather then godly edifying which is by faith You haue beene ever ready but ever vnhappy in these questions for still comming to the well of a deepe and profound controversie either with the woman in the Gospell you had nothing to drawe with or else with the childe in the fable your bucket was too small and your roap too short What forces you meane I knowe not but it seemeth they were conducted vnder the regiment of the whore of Babylon Mr LEECH In the Easter time following M. Benefield one of the Inceptors of divinity for the Act ensuing whether it were of his owne proper motion which I very hardly can suppose or vpon the instigation of some other of the Brethren which I doe more easily belieue since he must needs goe whome a maine schisme driveth purposedly provided one of his six solemne lectures read for the assumpt of his degree of Doctorship mainely and directly by way of opposition and confutation of that erroneous Popish doctrine A new doctor of Oxford contrarie to all the Catholike Doctors of the Church For so it pleased this initiate Doctor to brand the Doctrine of all the Ancient Catholique Doctors delivered concerning Evangelicall Counsells Wherein whether I and my doctrine were mainely shot at and impugned or no I will not iudge in my owne cause let the equall and impartiall Reader vmpire for vs both ANSVVER This worthy discreet and learned Doctor f Corp. Christi Colledge of that honorable foundation which hath bread as rarely indowed divines Ludov. Vives B. Iuell Mr Hooker D. Rainolds c. as ever liued in our Church is much abused by you yet not so much iniured by you as honored by all others In respect of him and the Choisest oracles of our wisdome whom you abuse I cannot but breake out into that speech of Seneca g Seneca Trag. in Thyest Quid sancta prodest pietas Quid vita prodest honesta flagit io carens This good servant of God neither by instigation of others nor in contradiction of you as hee protesteth provided and promised in the publike schoole to reade on this point eight weekes before You know those solemne lectures are commonly all concerning points of controversie and why then might not this bee the subiect of one of his readings as well as any other No maine schisme ever drewe him to this action or any exotical opinion he was never subiect to interpretation for any Schismaticall contradiction his worthy Lord the most reverend Bishop of London Bishop Ravies of honorable memorie cuius pia memoria defleri potest nō deleri approued him to be free from schisme and abounding in science and his sermons Lectures Exercises actions all proceedings iustify him and condemne you in his lecture hee never named you nor aimed at you he only read against the question as Bellarmine defended it Mr LEECH This busines was not so secretly plotted by the aforesaid Brethren nor yet so privately intended and caried by the Actor himselfe but I had certaine notice giuen me by a friend of mine a graue Bachellour in divinity M. R. and
done the like you had never rambled on such a Collection as this to say Christ had erroneously taught him the way to life by vade vende omnia if this bee not a Counsell of voluntary poverty Your sequell is out of ioint and absurd rather Christ would haue never applied this plaister if he looking through the windowes of this young mans soule into his inward most retired roome had not found covetousnes to be his hinderance and encombrance And this proveth it selfe in the Text for he went away sorrowfully I cannot but note the malice and virulent dealing of your ignorant contradicting spirit traducing Calvine for a blasphemous interpreter who taught no more then he learned of the Fathers and if among those that did interpret Scripture since the fathers time any one is worthy to be accounted fidus interpres Horat. Art Poet. for his soūdnesse and profoundnesse blessed Calvin is who was as Eramsus wrot of Tonstall a world of learning Eras epist 84. Claud. Verderius conscio in Autores pag. 174. and as Theodorus Gaza testified of Plutarch that if any mā were so limited that he could only read one humane authors bookes he would read Plutarch so many renowned Divines next vnto sacred Scripture haue of all other authors choisly and cheefly selected this holy servant of God So that in this Paragraph you blaspheme God iniure truth accuse your knowledge and abuse your conscience Mr LEECH Lastly I would but demand what S. Paule meant 2. Cor. 7.25 Vid. Damas dict Gnomi in Indice to distinguish plainely betwixt Precepts Coūsells thus praeceptum non habeo consilium do for so the vulgar readeth which all the latine Church followeth and all the Greeke Fathers haue so taken it if there be no Counsells For he groundeth this his distinction vpon his Masters wordes Non omnes capiunt and therefore S. Paul had no precept But qui potest capere capiat And hence floweth the second branch consilium do as S. Hierom S. Basill and divers others of both Churches doe obserue ANSVVER Discourses that grow tedious are odious and such is this your frequent and too often querulous quaere The distinction in S. Paule is betweene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betweene a precept and sentence no word signifying Counsell in that place I haue already shewed how Antoninus maketh S. Dominick the Author of Evangelicall Counsells Anton. parte 3. vt ante and S. Paul the teacher of faith and the law and yet you produce S. Paul as a speciall bullwark for your Counsel house Many Fathers haue I confesse read that Text so but the originall ministreth no such interpretation nor doe the Fathers themselues otherwise hence ground but that qui potest being enabled is qui debet hee that is commanded You and Coccius teach the Fathers to speak very preposterously Beware of the Fathers curse or rather of Gods curse seeing you call them to beare false witnesse against the Law Gospell and God himselfe Mr LEECH And that this point may be every way full and perfit builded vpon so many seuerall rockes as there bee seuerall places of Scriptures let the Doctors of the Church speake Vincentius Lyrin in cōmonitorio being the most probable Maisters and teachers in the Church against quot capita tot sensus the very bane of all religion mother of innovatiō let the church interpret Scripture and hee that will not heare the Church you know what followeth 2. Pet. 1. vlt. sit tibi tanquam haereticus Nay sit tibi tanquam ethnicus For as it is said of the letter of the scripture that it is not of any private inspiration For it came not in old time by the will of man but holy men spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Serm. 17. in Cantic So may it be as truely saide of the sense of the Scripture that it is not of any priuat spirits interpretation And the reason why every man should flie from a private spirits interpretation A sentence that striketh the Religion in England as dead as a dore naile is this as it is excellentlie rendred by that mellifluous Father S Bernard Nonnulli adesse putant spiritum cùm non adest suúmque sensum pro sensu spiritus sequuntur deviantes suásque sententias magistrorum sententijs praeferūt that is for I cānot but translate it many men thinke that they haue the spirit of God when they haue it not erroneouslie following the sense of their owne private spirits for the meaning of the holy Ghost preferring their owne private opinions before the publique iudgements of their masters and teachers ANSVVER You haue suffered shipwracke vpon your rockes They be severall indeed Psal for they are severed far from you which is manifest in that you rocke to and fro in your preposterous building like a tottering wall or like a broken hedge You call for advocates the Doctors of the Church Num. 23.38 and fetch them in as Balaac did Balaam but they answer as there hee did but with a more holy spirit We are come vnto thee and can we nowe say any thing at all The worde that God hath put in our mouthes that shall we speake But if this helpe you not you call the Church to testifie with you To the church we leaue as much as the spowse hath made her iointer in the interpretation of Scripture by the Church Tertull. libro de praescrip haereticorum that of Tertullian is to be remembred who warneth of some Qui non ad materiam Scripturas sed materiam ad Scriptur as excogitant and thereby run into one of those two miseries which S. Austin observeth Aust Comm. Faustum lib. 22. cap. 32. Caiet in praef Com. in lib. Mosis aut falli imprudenter aut fallere impudenter you say the Fathers of the Church are for you yet Caietā beleeveth that God hath not tyed the exposition of the Scriptures to the senses of the Fathers And if the Fathers serue not you saie let the Church interpret Scripture We distinguish the Church from the Synagogue of Antichrist and seeing wee hold that Scriptures must tell which is the Church wee must deny that the Church must tell vs the sense of Scripture Gerson doth disclaime the iudgement of Pope Gerson de exam doct part 1. cō 5. Councell or Church cōcerning interpretation of Scriptures and trial of doctrine when hee delivereth that the examination of doctrine concerning faith belongeth not to the Councell or Pope but to every one that is sufficiently learned in Scriptures Cus Ep. 2. pag. 833. And Cusanus cannot deny but that by the iudgement of the Church the Scripture is fitted to the time and the sense altered as the time altereth We make the spirit of God speaking in Scripture to be iudge of the Scripture and Act. 17.17 as the men of Berea sought the Scripture to approue the
LEECH To these I might adde Wickliffe against the order of begging friers where he stileth them Christ his high Counsells Likewise Luther in the 30. article of his assertions Iudicious and learned Hooker in his Church Politie and the Apologie in defence of him in the Chapter of satisfaction D. Barlow The Bishop of Rochester and elect of Lincolne in his sermon preached at Court concerning the authority of Bishops the 4. page before the ende ANSVVER It is not vnfitly said by you I might adde for never was so small a booke so stuft with additions and detractions as this is adding to divers Authors detracting from divers persons Heresie is a Bastardy it seldome knoweth the true Father that names many Fathers falsly this vrgeth many fainedly and indeed hath no lawful Father but that outlawried pervagus terrae in the first of Iob Iob. 1. Gen. 4. it selfe being vagus terrae as Cain was in the 4. of Genes For those that here you ad to your Catalogue of Authors and Authorisers First Wickliffe must be heard in his owne maner of speech Wick against begging Friers Chap. 34. Luther yet he needs no interpreter In the 34 Chapter against begging Friers these be his words Many blind fooles binden them to the high Counsells of Christ that cannot keepe the least commandement but see hypocrisie of them sith each Counsell of Christ is commandement for some time and some circumstances how binden they them to more then the commandements Not by the Counsels for they been commandements but they fainen this to draw yong children into their rotten habit and other fooles that knowen not the perfection of Christs order Now you haue heard wickliffe himselfe beleeue him and reade no reporters of his fragments Next Luther fauoureth your cause verie little In the place you cite him hee saith that there is but one Counsaile Evangelicall if you stande to him there avowing only the Counsell of Virginity you must let Poverty go begge and obedience go loose But Luther vpon better consideration doth vtterly discharge all Coūsails Luther de votis Monasticis Tom. 2. fol. 300. in his book de votis Monasticis Tom. 2. fol. 30. a. Mr Hooker is before interpreted and I hope will giue satisfaction though you quote him falsely in his Chapter of Satisfaction the place being found in the Article of superogation His Apologist is also made plaine in the same place The Bishop of Rochester now of Lincolne then the Austin of Hippo nowe the Ambrose of Millaine doth no way yeelde you suffrage in his powerfull sermon cōcerning the Antiquity Superiority of Bishops shewing out of Clemens Alexandrinus that the Apostles manured the Church with a double tillage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If saith hee any thinke that this maketh way to Popish traditions vnwritten verities it is no other then S. Paules distinction of praeceptum and Consilium c. His reverend wisdome most accute iudgement alleaging the word out of a vulgar translation meaneth by the name Consilium those things which S. Paul 1. Cor. 11.34 calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things vnwrittē which the Apostles did or spake as the times occasioned and the holy Ghost directed further then this there is nothing in that place or sermon giving warrant to your opinion of iustifying popish monkish Counsells and how great his dislike is to any such position his learned speech at Lambeth which like a thunderbolt strooke you dumbe doth testifie to all So that all these witnesses refuse you Luther wickliffe Hooker D. Covell and this most reverend Prelat not vouchsafing your doctrine coūtenance or maintenance Mr LEECH These and many more of their ranke I might adde if I could be perswaded that the Fathers needed their sons suffrages And yet certaine I am Sonnes in this point or such like For no otherways did I meane that the sons stande in neede of their fathers testimonies Or were it not rather so that all these being men of eminent note in our Church are rather relatores antiquae fidei quà m authores novae doctrinae relators of the ancient faith of the Church to their credit and honor in that respect he it spoken rather then authors and coyners of any new doctrine And therfore passing them and for this time sparing them not to strike a haires breadth from my former groūds Leo Epist 17. 94. my maine conclusion is this maneant termini patrum intráque fines proprios se quisque contineat sufficiant limites quos sanctorum patrum providentissima decreta posuerunt let the bounds of ancient church abide and let every man keepe himselfe within due bounds limits let the meetes which the Fathers most prouident decrees haue set content vs. And the reason is excellently rendred by S. Bernard Epist 77. ad Hugonem de S. Victore viz quantò viciniores erant adventui salvatoris tantò mysterium salutis pleniùs praeceperunt the neerer the Fathers were to Christ his incarnation the more cleerely and fully received they the mysterie of salvation ANSVVER It is true the Orthodoxall Fathers need not the suffrages of their sonnes and yet Bellarmine denieth it and is so vnnaturall to the Fathers as that he maketh them to need the suffrage of the Pope Bellar. de Pōt l. 2. c. 27. § Respon istos for when hee is pressed by Nilus to follow in the question of the Primacy the opinion of the Fathers he professeth that the Pope hath no Fathers in the Church for they are all his sons So by this Gregory the great shall stand in need of Burgesies testimony Cā you endure this that Gregory whose learning holinesse eloquence c. was so eminent he that you call Patron though he never bestowed so much as opinion vpon you shall he need the testimony of Mounsieur Burghesi whom your owne confesse to be none of the best Popes and sure not of the best men But to the Fathers this I say we respect and honor them in generall and the present quotation of S. Bernard we dislike not For Patres quo saniores eo seniores quo iuniores eo ieiuniores but they being impostured as Papists professe to practise it in their Index expurgatorius that if the Fathers speak against any points now maintained by papists Ind. Expurg belg fol. 20. then the Index warneth thus Let vs excuse it or extenuat it or deny it by some devise or faine some other convenient sense whē it is opposed in disputation Our main conclusion hence is Patres quo Papis viciniores eo corruptiores Mr LEECH To these were my iudgement and opinion any Of Luther Calvin all their proper Disciples Qui non cōsentit Sāctorum Patrum expositionibus seipsum alienat ab omni sacerdo tali communione à Christi praesētia Eudoxius in Concil Chalced. I durst not otherwaies then subscribe with all humble submissiō to the censure of the Church fearing that censure of
Flavianus Bishop of Constantinople in his first Epistle to Pope Leo the first Haeretici est praecepta patrum declinare instituta eorum despicere It is the propertie of an heretique to decline the precepts of holy fathers contemning their cannons and decrees ANSVVER Your iudgement or opinion is very small seeing you take vp any thing at the second hand and from Coccius Treasury that cocks dunghil cul Pearles as you thinke them Twise before you submitted your selfe to the Church and in every page almost to the interpretatioÌ„ of the Fathers That the Church hath necessarily a stroak in the decision of Controversies we deny not but so ever that it subscrib to the truth of scriptures Next you submit to the Fathers the Fathers we reverence more then any Papists in the worlde doe neither doe I beleeue that ever any Protestant in the Christian world hath offered so much disreputation vnto the Fathers as Bellarmin himselfe hath don not only in generall De Pont. lib. 2. c. 27. § resp istas Bell. de Purg. c. 18. praeterâ—a q. ad quartum de poenitent l. 1. c. 1. § igitur Beilar de verbo Dei l. 3 c. 10. § dicens making all the Fathers but Children and novices to the Pope but in particular almost every Father is vilified by him To Damascene he giues the flatly and affirmeth that Tertullian is not to be reckoned amoÌ„g Catholiques so worse then so he speaketh of many others so ill a Patron is he of them that disesteeming any of them in any thing that crosseth his assertions he concludeth thus it is evident that the cheefest of them haue greeuously erred So that it seemeth Bellarmine is the heritique that Leo speaketh of who declineth from the precepts and coÌ„temneth the decres of holy Fathers Mr LEECH Thus much be spoken in defence of that great pillar of the latine Church S. Gregory saying Quidam non iudicantur pereunt quidam iudicantur pereunt quidam iudicantur regnant quidam non iudicantur regnant as also in defence of that sentence inferred vpon the last braunch transcendunt aliqui praecepta legis perfectiori virtute ANSVVERE It is strange in divinity not only but in common sense that first you should make your sermon theÌ„ after choose your Text it was vsuall in you if those that were best acquainted with your vnmethoded studies be not mistaken You grounded your distinction vpon that Text that without much wresting and wiredrawing would not serue you And you accommodated your distinction as vnfitly to this doctrine of Counsells as you father this doctrine vpon Gregory from whose authority you cannot produce any word of Evangelicall Counsell your defence was a very poore on you left S. Gregory to fight for himselfe for you fled Cum caeteri pugnabant maximè tu fugiebas maximè saith the Comoedy Father Anbignies defence for concealing Ravelliacks damned treason against the last French King was this Anti-Coton that God had given him a grace to forget all that he heard in confessioÌ„ It appeares you haue the like guift to mistake most that you read in the Fathers else you would never haue maintained such disiointed inferences Mr LEECH This I haue the rather done God and his holy Angels in whose presence I now stand and speak De Mysterio Mediatoris lib. 1. As hereticks as temporizers bearing me witnesse lest that imputation of Fulgentius should light vpon me viz. Fidem Ecclesiae nolle asserere est negare vno eodémque sileÌ„tio firmat errorem qui errore seu tempore possessus veritatem silendo noÌ„ astruit Dominicam gloriam qui non firmârit evacuat divinaÌ„ contumeliam qui non refutârit accumulat Miles ignavus som noleÌ„to corpore depressus regia castra oppugnantibus tradit dum competentibus vigilijs non defendit That is not to aver the Doctrine of the church is to deny the faith of the Church So are some in England So are others for with one the selfe same silence he strengthneth an error who being possessed or carried away with errour or time avoucheth not truth by his silence He that coÌ„firmeth not the glory of God weakneth it and he that confuteth not iniurie offred vnto God augmenteth it The slothfull sleepy souldiour betrayeth the Kings tents to his enimes whilst hee keepeth not true sentinell as he should ANSVVER Fulgentius speech fitteth vs as well as you your protestation we partly beleeue and yet but partly because you sinne more of negligence then of ignoraÌ„ce I would I could giue you that testimony which S. Paul did the Israelits Rom. 10.2 I beare you record that you haue the zeale of God but not according to knowledge or as another testimony of Scripture in the like case that you do onlie stray by ignorance Then would I hope that terrour of conscience should not punish your error in knowledge The Donatists loved their opinions better then their liues and you affect your owne folly more then Gods glory wherefore my exhortation to you is Returne Returne ô Shunamite Can. 6.12 if you wil not my praier and Petition for you is this Father forgiue him for he knoweth not what he doth Your marginallis false scaÌ„dal not our Church slander not our professors The Law Gospell agree in this Cursed be he that revileth the elders of his people Mr LEECH Hath any weedes of superstition growne vp with this Doctrine in the field of the Church Oh let not the pure wheate of Evangelicall Counsailes of perfection quoad viam quoad gradum fare the worse for the weedes Vnskilfull husbandmen are they and very vnfit to manure the Lord his tillage whose preposterous zeale issuing from the ground of a private groundlesse iudgement would pul vp both wheate and tares togither ANSVVER The words be otherwise in your coppy commanded by authority and by the notes against which exception was taken by the learnedst of our assemblie Vnder your owne hande This Paragraph beginneth thus Hath any weedes of SVPEREROGATION growne vp c. And dare you not nowe vse the same tearme Insteede of supererogation you put in superstitioÌ„ I grieue to think that you do receiue the wages of iniquity for maintaining as far as your poore revenews serues these two bastards of the Pope Aug. retract l. 1. c. 19. Hier. l. 1.3 contra Pelag. Theodor. in Rom. 10. Chrysost in Rom. 10. hom 17. Sed. in 10. RoÌ„ impiety absurdity The works of supererogation are of al other points of Popery most abhominable besids that none of the fathers teach so and that many of them bee expresly against theÌ„ as Austin HieroÌ„ Theodoret Chrysostome Sedulius your owne defenders Aquinas Gerson Iansenius Paludanus and Cusanus all deny this point And seeing that Scarlet whore of BabiloÌ„ druÌ„k with the blood of Gods Saints is nowe carted by heavenly iustice through all the reformed Congregations of the world I see not but every true Christian
should be ready to cast a stone the stone which I cast against superogatiō is no other thē that which S. Iohn cast against it who giveth the lie to him that saith he hath no sin Bell. de Mon. lib. 2. c. 13. And Bellarmine is constrained to cōfesse that S. Austin Bernard and Thomas doe thinke it impossible to keep that Commandement Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy minde Mr LEECH These are wiser fuller of zeale then Christ himself who suffred nay gaue commandement as it is in the parable that both tares and wheat should grow together vntill the harvest of the last iudgement and then shoulde the tares and weeds be bound vp in bundles fitted for the fire and the wheate should be gathered into his barne For at the last iudgement Sermo 3. de le iunio collectis 1. Cor. 3.12.13 there are some things vrenda flammis other things condenda horreis as S. Leo speaketh And doth not S. Paul allude to this Whose words be if any man build vpon Christ the foundation gold silver precious stones timber hay stubble every mans worke shal be made manifest for the day shal declare it because it shal be revealed by the fire and the fire shall try every mans workes of what sort they are To which fire let this Doctrine be reserved to stand or fall to burne as stubble hay timber or rather to escape as gould silver and precious stones ANSVVERE True zeale is the true seale of a Christian If you had any sparke therof I would wish as Porsenna did to Scaevola concerning his Country Lavater Iuberem macte virtute esse si pro mea patria virtus ista staret So I for true Religion Iobs friends had a bad cause but handled it well Iob had a good cause but maintained it ill neither ability of the cause nor dexterity of the handling haue assisted you The multiplicious abuse of Scripture in your text is frequēt that as the Prophet spake of aslying book so may al of your lying book You wold by intimation of that Scripture in the Parable of the Tares desire that as the tares are suffred to growe Mat. 13.30 so your doctrine may remaine vncēsured till the iudgement It is well that you acknowledge your doctrine to be like the Tares Fearefull will that iudgement be at that vniversall Sessions where Christ will be iudge the Saints the Iury when you are accused with those words of the Parable Master sowedst not thou good seed in thy field whence thē are these tares In that Parable of Christ as the streame of interpretation doth carry it is meant that by the evill seed mixt with the good the Church shall never be free from some wicked that it is impossible to roote them finally out for if wee wish to avoide these so fully as the godly could wish wee must goe out of the world as the Apostle speaketh So that of lewd persons not of hereticall positions that place is to be vnderstoode for Christ doth threaten the Churches in the Revelation for connivencie of false doctrine Laodicaea Rev. 2.3 chap for beeing neither hot nor cold Rev. 2.14 Rev. 2.20 Gal. Pergamus for maintaining the doctrine of Balaā Thyatira for suffring Iesabell to teach and deceiue his servants The Church of Galatia is reproved for that they suffered the Copartnership of Iewish Ceremonies when they were established in the Gospell of Christ and shall Religion the truest bond betwixt man and man the knot of coniunction and consociation In Dion Cass shall it bee divided Shall Maecenas wish Augustus to hate and correct any that change any thing in the service of the Gods Ioseph cont ap 2. Shall the Athenians enact that they that spake of their God otherwise then the law appointed should be severely punished And shall we so much neglect the attonement of iudgements and peace of soules as to suffer blending of doctrines not only leaven in our Lumpe but poison in our bread Far be it frō vs and from our seed for ever Let it be the brand not only of a luke-warme affection and of a Policie overpolitique but of Machiavillians and matchlesse villaines to call for connivency of hereticall positions From hel it came to hell it must returne againe We cannot chuse but suffer the Tares of iniquitie to grow vp but we will endeavour pro aris focis to eradicat the Tares of heresie Your second place of Scripture out of S. Paule A chardgeable Appeale is very fit for your purpose and the words in the next present verse as fit for mine 1. Cor. 3.11 Let every man take heed how he buildeth the later of those verses shall bee my praier for you that though your worke burne at that day and you loose yet you may be saved In the meane time Scripture hath disapproved you and the fathers haue refused you Mr LEECH Now to God only wise be rendred praise power might maiestie rule dominion and thanksgiving and let al the creatures in heavē in earth or vnder the earth say so be it Amen ANSVVER Vnto that supreame iudge Rev. 22.13 and to the last iudgment be this referred and vnto the everliving God who is in himselfe α ω in Angelis sapor et decor Aust in iustis adiutor protector in reprobis pavor et horror be ascribed the admiration of his Maiesty the acknowledgment of his mercy the awful remembrance of his power the ioyfull continuance of his favor And Hallelu-iah Rev. 19.1.2 Salvation and glory and honor and power be to the Lord our God for true and righteous are his iudgements for he hath condemned that great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornications Amen Hallelu-iah CHAP. 8. Mr LEECH THus gentle Reader thou hast seene my maine defence of this doctrine wherein I haue followed the mature advise of the Philosopher and Oratour For I thought it not sufficient to confirme truth in the former part of this sermon vnlesse I confuted falshood also in the later And this I did for establishing thee if thou be in the right or reducing thee vnto it if thou hast been in the wrong ANSVVER THus Gentle Reader thou hast seen the meane defence of this doctrine wherein whether the author as he professeth hath followed the advise of the Philosopher or Orator iudge by the contradictions misapplications falsifications in the sermon Can Oratory or Philosophy be obtained without Grammar or cannot a Grammarian distinguish between Concilium Consilium the one comming originally à conciendo Calepin id est convocando the other derived from Consileo eo quòd vno consulente caeteri consileant It was a most probable tryall of the Ephraimits in shibboleth Iudg. 12.6 and sibboleth the mistaking cost the death of the body It was a laudable triall betweene the Coūsell of Nice and
in the gainesaying of Corah None here will be worthily thought men deceived by vaine and vnlearned suggestions Mr LEECH And if some men will obstinately shut their eies yet my trust is that others will looke vp to HeaveÌ„ whence this doctrine descended and whether it doth most readily conduce and that they will no longer take darknesse for light night for day poyson for medecine Heresie for verity since truth bringeth ever with it certainety peace and security at the last ANSVVER Psal 135.16.17 The legend giveth Scripture the lie Scripture saith that Idols haue eies and see not eares haue they and they heare not Legend Aurea and yet the legend reporteth that manie of the Idols Images haue spoken seen and hard They open their eies and see not we may shut our eies and yet see that this Doctrine never proceeded froÌ„ heaven or if it descended from thence the descention was like to Lucifer that fell from thence into the bottomlesse pit and no doubt Lucifers sin was no other then this so farre by elatioÌ„ to superlatiue man that in pride he rebell against God By respiratioÌ„ we send our praiers to heaven by inspiration wee receiue instruction from heaveÌ„ but I finde not that Phrase in any approved Author that doctrine descended from heaven And though the Priest in the law coulde only distinguish betweene a Leaper and a Leaper yet in the Gospell the Lord hath so illuminated his servants that they can easily discerne betweene the darknesse of the vnderstaÌ„ding which is falsum and the light thereof which is verum Which truth is the daughter of Syon and is atteÌ„ded with Peace of CoÌ„science ioy in the holy Ghost remission of sinnes communion of Saints and life everlasting Mr LEECH THE SECOND PART CONTAIning the irregular and violent processe of the Vice-chancellour and his complices against me and the former doctrine VVherein the Reader may excellently discerne the nature of heresie and the condition of Heretickes as in a perfit glasse * ⎠* As Iannes and Mambres resisted Moses so doe these resist the truth men corrupt in minde and reprobat concerning the faith 2. Tim. 3.8 ANSVVER THE SECOND PART CONTAIneth the exorbitant and virulent disobedience and palpable hereticall ignorance of the Author of the Triumph as also the false suggestions and vncharitable imputations against most of the Reverend and worthy Doctors of the Vniversity of Oxford wherein the nature of a conceited malecontented Apostat is discovered who having out of heresie spun the Spiders web an opinion Popish ridiculous out of slander and vnsavory words hatched the Coccatrice eâ—ges phrases reproachfull malitious doth beholde his naturall face in a glasse Psal 75. I said vnto the fooles deale not so madly Iud. 11. They haue followed the way of Caine and are cast away by the deceit of Balams wages and perish in the gainesaying of Korah A TRIVMPH OF TRVTH OR DECLARATION OF THE DOCTRINE CONCERNING EVANGELICAL COVNSAILES Mr LEECH CHAP. I. When I had ended my sermon it seemed good vnto Mr Doctor Hutton who was there present confronted me with ridiculous behaviour to cite me before himselfe immediatly in his owne lodging where I fouÌ„d him accompanied with two other Doctors D. Kilby and D. Benefield who gaue speciall attention vnto my sermoÌ„ with great shew of discontent ANSVVER Chrysost in 2. epist ad Tim. 2. IT is S. Chrysostomes observation that the cause of all evill is the neglect of the authority of spirituall governours when no reverence or feare or honour is vsed towardes them If this had not proved true in you you had not presumed when authority contradicted it to reiterate your former opinions Or to accuse D. Hutton of ridiculous behaviour whose gravity and reverent deportment according to his place age founde not in the whole course of his life any accuser but you his resolution in iudgement and office then in goverment were the motiues causing him to send for you you confesse that the Doctours accompanying him attended but much disliked your sermon so did not they only but the whole Church many standing amased to see you bring forth so publikely those two twins ignorance and impudence Of these two Doctors in the former part you affirmed that one of them approved your Doctrine and Apologisd for your opinion which is most vntrue for he ever abhord your assertioÌ„ as formerly I haue answered you that his worthinesse protesteth and as here plainely vnto all appeareth in that you say these two Doctors gaue attentioÌ„ to your sermon with great discontent Mr LEECH Before these men D. Hutton began to charge me with scandalous erroneous and Popish doctrine fitter to be preached in Rome then in Oxford and therefore in no case to bee suffered there to disturbe the peace of the Vniversitie ANSVVER The Provice chancellor and these Doctors as Indices et iudices veritatis did discharge that true care of Gods glory to charge you with the breach of the peace of the Church by obtruding a doctrine scandalous for the occasion erroneous for the opinion vnsafe to bee read and vnsound to be preached Mr LEECH To this accusation I framed my answer to the same tenour and effect as you haue formerly seene in the kitchin-conference adding farther that the doctrine of the Trinity consubstantialitie c. might be branded with the imputation of Popery as well as this doctrine of Evangelicall Counsells ANSVVER You preached this doctrine twise over verbatim almost as appeareth by the Coppies vnder your haÌ„d that now I haue in keeping at least verbatim in your extorted producing of testimony and now verbatim you haue the same Apology for your doctrine of the Trinity consubstantiality c. which you rank with Evangelicall Counsells and of which I shall haue occasion to reckon with you in your motiues Mr LEECH But such is the temerity of some men that they will rather disclaime a manifest truth then they will concurre in opinion with the Church of Rome And for my part I see no reason why you may not as well renounce that Popish doctrine of the Trinity as this of Evangelicall Counsells since both haue their evidence from the same ground Canonicall Scripture and Ecclesiasticall Tradition yea the later hath more cleere deduction and testification out of the Scripture then the former ANSVVER Such is the miserie of some men that they will in the corruption of their rotten hearts vndertake the defence of some manifest vntruth to get them a name as Reverend D. Kilby protesteth he ofteÌ„ warned you and it is the basenesse of some that in the fruitfull grounds of learning they smell after some dunghill questions of Popery to obtaine a title of singularity Mistake not slander not we disclaime not positions so much because Rome maintaineth them as because Antichrist and heresie invented them and yet looke into her streets marke well her Bullwarkes and religiously coÌ„sider what fountaine hath she not poisoned what part of
Religion hath shee not corrupted The doctrine of the Trinity seeing you here againe vrge it as aboue so I hence remoue it as aboue to your Motiues Mr LEECH Secondly his worship obiected vnto me that D. Benefield had lately and learnedly confuted the said Popish doctrine of Evangelicall Counsells and that therevpon I ought to haue surceased my reply was that D. Benefield his opinion was no canon of my faith nor that his authority was of such value with mee as to preponderate the iudgement of the Ancient Church and testimonies of the venerable Fathers And therefore since I began to publish this doctrine vpon such grounds I was bound in cōscience to defend the same and specially since he made an opposition in schooles vnto my position in the pulpit so that I could not be silent without treason vnto God his truth ANSVVER The argument consisted of reason and religion in reason if the doctrine were answered how could it be gainsaid the learning wisdome degree of Doctor Benefield by infinit degrees paramounting all that ever will be in Mr Leech In religion for if the Canons of the Church grounded on Scripture doe someway obliege our consciences that among the rest one especially provideth that there be no publick contradictiō of points in religion how durst this to be infringed and opposition so peremptorily maintained by you in the Pulpit But you say you did so because that his opinion was no Canon of your faith c. And yet you did make opinion the Canon of your faith and produced your conceit distinction grounds testimonies proofes c all for the most part out of Bellarmine and though you disclaime it yet you vnderwent that Babilonicall servitude which by Alphonsus de Castro is called Miserrima servitus iurare in alicuius verba Magistri Alphons de Castro cont haeres lib. 1. cap. 7. so that opinion was your Canō I haue already professed from the Protestation of D. Benefield that he read no way with purpose to touch you but only in generall as this controversie was the occasion of much innovation much corruption so that yours was the contradiction not his Mr LEECH Thirdly whereas he laid vnto my charge that he had inhibited me to intermeddle any farther with this point I answered that de facto he had never done it and that de iure he could not doe it For God must bee obeyed rather then man Besides though in discretion submission vnto your authority I would haue surceased from prosecution of this matter yet this notorious and intollerable impugnation did force me to breake my intended silence ANSVVER Deny it not for you were charged vpon your second sermon not to intermeddle any further in this point and therefore your distinction de facto and de iure is fond Your inhibition de facto should haue restrained you de iure should haue feared you for the Magistrat beareth not Gods sword in vaine But you say God must be obeyed rather then man By what revelation or fained new found vision had you command from God to preach this sermon the second time We must obey say the Lawyers Parents and Magistrats in licitis honestis but God in omnibus because all things are not only lawful to vs but fruitfull for vs if enioined by him But God Stella in Luc. Glory iudgement vengeance proper to God only Psal 8.5 that as Stella observeth hath impropriated 3 things vnto himself the first being his glory never did send any warrant to you so much to oppose his glory as to place man not as David speaketh little lower but equall or somewhat higher then the Angells in Angelicall integrity spirituall transcendency c as if man should be beholdē to you more then to his glorious maker Besides say you intolerable impugnation did breake your silence you would make the world beleeue you were iniured S. Austin asketh in this case a question libet hominem vindicare Tom. 10. ser 42. in Orat. Domin and must you encourage your selfe in the vnlawfulnesse of revenge But God mē Angells testifie you doe iniury to affirme you had iniury by any notorious or intolerable impugnatiō Were you imprisoned censured excommunicated Deserving all these you were punished by none of these Mr LEECH Fourthly whereas he demanded a copy of my sermon protesting vpon his faith and troth to God that hee would send me presently vnto the Castle vnlesse I then delivered it I was content vpō the perswasion of Doctor Kilby to yeeld into his hands the originall and only copy thereof And so I was dismissed for this time ANSVVER The Copy was demanded And though you say you deliuered it vpon persuasion yet it might haue beene enforced from you This protestation you objected once before against the Provice chancelour and now againe If you could fasten any aspersion vpon him or any that the cause concerned I knowe you would Protestations are often iustifiable and commendable Rom. 9.1 2. Cor. 11.31 Gal. 1.20 as I haue giuen instance before in many of the Saints but especially in Paul in divers Epistles To the Romans I say the truth and lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse To the Corinthians God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ knoweth that I lie not To the Galathians I witnesse before God that I lie not And Espencaeus in his owne practise sheweth that a protestation may very religiously be vsed Espenc tract 6. Epist dedic ad Card. Cast his wordes translated be these I doe RELIGIOVSLY SWEARE that as often as I thought vpon the report of obtaining the Red hat freely which others hunted after for mony who were repulsed I giue immortall thankes vnto God that he suffered not I wil not say so much good but so much evill to happen vnto me Quid facerem Romae mentiri nescio What should I doe at Rome I cannot lie Thus much for your obiection against his protestation and thus much for the honesty of the place where your habitation is now supposed Mr LEECH CHAP. 2. This storme being thus overblowne a quiet calme ensued vntill M. Doctour King deane of christ-Christ-Church and Vicechancellour of the Vniuersitie was now returned frō London vnto whō I made repaire partly to do my duty vnto him and partly to preuēt that sinister impression which D. Hutton and others sought to worke in him to the preiudice of me and of the doctrine which I had preached For which purpose I had collected the testimonies of 24. Fathers that thereby he might be well informed in the state of this present question ANSVVER A storme it was not you felt neither the thunderbolt of excōmunication nor lightning of expulsion If in this storme as you call it you had shed a showre of repentant teares then you might haue been happy Aust in that which S. Austin applyeth to such a purpose Post pluuiam sequitur magna serenitas post nubilū magna claritas post tempestatem magna
tranquillitas Though you thought the storme calmed yet it was no otherwise then that the expectation of our most worthy Vicechācellors cōming home staid it to whō by preuention anticipation you made repaire to repaire your weather-beaten credit and you say to do your duty which you had neglected to his deputy But why feared you sōe sinister impressiō in him who like that noble Emperour in all causes kept an eare as well for defendant as plaintiffe I coniecture the cause cōscience was the Notary Register Remembrauncer of an offence and will proue the sting and scourge for the offence Conscience at this your first appearing made you inwardly cry guilty Mr LEECH Assone as he beheld me he brake forth into this passionate declamation Sir would you haue a worde with me In verie good time I haue many words to speak with you for the shamefull rumor of your doctrine hath filled my eares wheresoever I came in London in Lambeth or else where your doctrine was stil laid in my dish yea I haue beene charged by divers to my face for tolerating such scandalous and erroneous doctrine freelie and openly to be preached in this Vniversitie ANSVVER His passion was no other then that which should be the proper passion of every true hearted Christian He was with Elias iealous for the Lord of hoasts 1. King 19.14 2. Cor. 11.2 and as S. Paul was iealous with a godly iealousie so was hee passionate with a religious holy Passion It concerned him in a double respect as a provident Vicechancellour of the Vniversity to see that the Lords ground receiue no tares as the diligent Governour of that honourable Colledge to see that the envious man liue not in his house that would sow these tares His burden of this double labour requireth a double ardor and without doubt it will receiue a double honour The speech hee vsed to you was the living representation of himselfe full of courage wisdome truth and honourable spirit and therefore I may returne Martiall his Apostrophe vpon you Sed malè dum recitas incipit esse tuū His sweet speech hath lost much by running through your Channell Occasion of much griefe it was to him to heare that vnder his Collegiat regiment any one should presume to teach that which was scandalous most erroneous doctrine And what freedome the world vseth in taxing Governors as guilty of connivency to some vnrulie Heretoclits vnder their authority Seperatists and Papists like Herod Pilat in their daily invectiues do testifie Mr LEECH To whom returning my answere in dutifull sort I protested first that I came not to insinuate with him nor to divert any course of iustice Secondly I know the doctrine to be founded vpon such invincible proofes and reasons that it will stand impregnable against all assaults whatsoever For demonstration whereof I presented the aforesaid testimonies vnto him and desired him to take a diligent review of the places alleaged in that schedule ANSVVER Your dutifull answere was vndutifull in that first you came not to craue his favourable interpretation and thereby in submission to haue committed your selfe and cause vnto his worthy iudgement as being in a double respect vnder his government secondly you might haue remembred to speake truth in this your answer for you presented no such Testimony of Fathers as you report here nor collected any authorities out of them at all When you were Collector for the poore proofes that you produce it seemeth you were Collector for the high waies also you gathered that rubbish out of Bellarmine and Coccius Ierem. 6.16 not out of the old waie as the Prophet calleth them Mr LEECH Whervpon he contemptuously entwited me saying go go you are a foole an asse c whē you preach here is nothing but Leo Leech and al the Fathers A proverbe which he had borrowed from some braynsicke Puritans and prophane scoffers ANSVVER Reproofes be as necessary Purgations you knowe how lawful it is according to the proverb to affirme Schapha est Schapha as also that it is helde true in Physicke Morality and Diuinity varium poscit remediū diversa qualitas passionum Ioh. 4.7 Acts. 7.51 Iohn Baptist to the Pharisies crieth out O ye generations of vipers Stephen to the Iewes O yee stiffe necked and of vncircumcised hearts eares Peter to Ananias Why hath Sathā so filled thy hart Acts. 5.3 Acts. 13.10 that thou shouldest lie vnto the holy Ghost and Paul to Elymas vseth no other language but this O ful of al subtilty and of all mischiefe the child of the divell and enemy of all righteousnesse wilt thou not cease to pervert the straight waies of the Lord Such reproofes even to the dividing asunder the bones and the marrowe haue beene vsed frequently and necessarily But the wisdome of the reverend Vicechancellor forbare any such words as you impute here to him therefore in being the false relator you are become the author of these titles you giue your selfe The Title of Leo Leech was so commonly growne to a Proverb of you as that you grew prowd of it but without reason for you know how the creature was dealt with that strouted in the Lyons skin But this title of Leo Leech was not named then but deferred till your finall Censure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is your disease your Title of brainsicke Puritanes is spleneticall if not Phreneticall Wee are all free from the note of that Schisme we professe no transcendencie every man hath subscribed and willingly acknowledged the most auspitious and gracious goverment by the Religion professed and for ever to be avowed in our Church Forbeare then this tongue murthering and malignant slandering Mr LEECH Which contumely I repelled with few words and digested it with patience assuring him that Leech with one Leo woulde bee too hard for any man that impugned this doctrine ANSVVER Why should you boast of Leo when you had neither strength nor hony from this Lyon Leo is none of your Iury you haue no Counsaile from him Looke over your Catalogue you finde him not there and looke into your conscience and you wil finde that you made no mention of him here though you be false in opinion yet continue not in everie paragraph to be false in relation Mr LEECH And truely I could not but marvaile that hee who in his lectures vpon Ionah hath made a copious defence of the holy Fathers and approved the vse of their testimonies in publique sermons should now so vehemētly except against me and so meanely esteeme of them But such is the condition of these men that they will accept and reiect the Fathers at their owne pleasures as winde weather go ANSVVER That our worthy Vicechancellor was no Antipater may be plainely seene by his most exquisite apology for the vse of those great Fathers and Doctours of the Church who derived their streames of divine knoweledge from the Scriptures and from whose Lampes all Christendome haue
received light But in this Art Grace so far aboue Art haue so enriched his iudgement by study that though he mainetaineth the reading of the fathers and the frequent quotation of thē and maketh vse of them in Sermons as much as anie whatsoever in which kinde as in all others his talent is most extraordinary yet he farre disclaimeth that ever he beleeved that you could produce anie true authorities either in generall from the fathers or in particular from Gregory whom you make the Author pillar and maintainer of your Doctrine The observation of Ludovicus Rabus is fit to bee remembred by you In his 1. volume of Collection out of Austin Lud. Rab. in 1. tom to recōcile by the meditatiō of that reverend father divers places of Scriptures There bee saith he two sorts of men which much wrong antiquity Quorum alterum iniquum nimis planè distortum omnia à veteribus piâ antiquitate prodita magno supercilio fastidit atque contemnit D. Kings 40. Lecture vpon Ionas And these are most learnedly confuted by the 40. Lecture of Doctor King vpō Ionas Being worthy to be hissed at and contemned for contemning those blessed ornaments of learning and pillers of religion in their time who spake and wrote lived and died in defence of Christs truth Ambrose worthily stiled orbis terrarum oculus Augustin haereticorum malleus great Athanasius eloquent Cyprian golden mouthed Chrysostome and the rest Their names be memorable and their monuments of indefategable paines be honourable throughout all generations and let it for ever bee a brand of the greatest ignorance to contemne their learning and writing Lud. Rab. ibid Alterum vero nimis cautum circumspectū absque iuditio aut discrimine vllo omnia veterum dicta scripta tanquam Praetoria amplectitur mordicus defēsa cupit such as suck only the gall of their inke study only the blotts of their papers and if there be any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imposed and impostured into the Fathers writings these they study to maintaine That if Tertullian savor of Montanisme or Cyprian of Rebaptisme or Origen of Millieranisme if Nazianzen seem to be an Angelist or Hierome a Monagamist this they swallow without distinction or discreatiō never looking into the Interpretations or Retractations of those opinions And this they will as resolutely teach as Canon of Scripture whereas the most worthy Father that ever lived since Christ time S. Austin in his 2 Tome Epist 19. Aust 2. Tom. Ep. 19. Ep. 40. ad Vinc. Ep. 111. ad Fortun. ad Hieronymum in his 48 Epistle ad Vincentium in his 111 Epistle ad Fortunatianum doth absolutly conclude Neque enim quorumlibet disputationes quam vis catholicorum laudatorum hominum velut Scriptur as Canonicas habere debemus vt nobis nō liceat salva honorificentia quae illis debetur hominibus aliquid in eorum scriptis improbare atque respuere si forte invenerimus quoad aliter senserint quà m veritas habet divino adiutorio vel ab alijs intellecta vel à nobis Talis ego sum in scriptis aliorū tales volo esse intellectores meorum This caveat may serue you especially who relie more vpon reading then vpon vnderstanding Your clause of accusation is false wherein you impute to that famous Doctor and others the accepting and reiecting of the Fathers at their pleasure It is the common practise of your owne as I haue already shewed Mr LEECH Now whereas I added farther that the best learned in Oxford concurred with me in this point yea said hee there are many of you that will play with Popery as the fly doth with the candle you hoouer over and about it as neere as you dare but you will bee sure to keep your wings from sindging ANSVVER You that father opinions vpon the ancient Fathers may as easily traduce moderne Doctors Did ever any concurre with you in publike declaration of this doctrine I speake it againe and am assured of it that you traduce some that favoured your person rather then your doctrine and did much distast that you should any way deale with controversie Who interceeded for you who offered to defend it to dispute it The speech of Mr Vicechancelour concerning those that play with Popery c. I beleeue was only and particularly appropriated to your selfe though you desire to draw others into your reputation livery If any doe confectionat their religion and double in the true worship of God I feare to iudge them and as much feare to follow them Mr LEECH Though I made a friendly defence of those men at whō he malitiously girded as being mē of incomparable worth in that place yet I disclaimed all assistance from them or any others protesting that I depended not vpon men nor Angells but only vpon the sacred Scripture interpreted by the ancient Church Which rule of faith as it is most certaine so my application thereof in this particular is free from all exception ANSVVER Your friendly defence it doth offer offence in cōtinuing the derivation of your owne folly vpon any of incomparable worth Incomparable worth is a title to be bestowed only vpon men of Incomparable paines and studies and so are our Publike Governors and most learned Readers in divinity Of these as many as had occasion to discourse vpon your doctrine haue all gainsaid it and in solemne Lectures and Disputations in our publike divinity Schoole it hath beene often fanned confuted You say you depend not vpō Angells so thinke I also for though the Angells be not ambitious yet I am sure they would thinke it some iniury if not to thē yet to the truth that man should be equall to them in perfection and Angelicall integrity as you affirme From Scriptures interpreted by the Church you received it not the Church did never graunt it the Scriptures doe no where ground it What the rule of faith is you haue already beene taught Mr LEECH Well quoth he whether I shall bee able to proue this doctrine false or not I cannot tell but as I think I shall Howsoever certaine I am that I shall be able to condemne you of great indiscretiō for preaching such doctrine in these revolting times when there is such generall Apostasie from the gospel vnto Popery ANSVVER Qui semel verecundiae limites transilijt gnaviter fit impudēs Whether this your speech deserue not the blackest Character of falshood or no I will not say I cānot tell but I am bound by all the assurances of truth to beleeue that your report in this will be an article against you in iudgement O◠impudens Was there diffidēce or distrust or the least touch of doubt in him was not his resolution so firme and his protestation so faithfull that he told you with much zeale and earnestnesse he knew and would proue your doctrine to bee false and shamefull and your selfe ignorant and most vnskilfull in point of Controversie
that D. Hutton had inhibited me that D. Benefield whose bookes I was not worthy to carry had publikely confuted my doctrine c. with such like frivolous allegations ANSVVER Here to helpe your memory which wandreth as much as your iudgement you forget that vpō your bragge that all the Latine Church held with you D. Aglionbee asked you what was the Church and you receiving a blow where you had no ward were driven so farre out of the way as to affirme the last resolution of the Church to be not in primam veritatem but in the iudgement of men the absurdity of which position I haue dealt with in your Epistle The Vicechancellour seeing such presumptuous insolence ioined with ignorance herevpon remembred you how the inhibition by authority and the confutation of that controversie might haue staid your proceedings and added the due worth of the Doctor who had determined that point in his solemne Lecture Mr LEECH As for D. Hutton his inhibition I answered as before adding farther that I respected not his iudgement in this matter For I knew indeed that as his vnderstāding is not very deepe so his affection is not very good who in a certaine booke or rather statizing pamphlet concerning the crosse in baptisme defendeth this laudable Christian ceremony by tradition of the Church as it is witnessed by the holy Fathers and yet now in a point of greater importance expressed in Scripture taught by Fathers practised by the Saints defined by the whole Church he blushed not to accuse me nay S. Gregory himselfe of Popery in this doctrine But singular is my comfort to consider by what Iudge I am thus vsed in what cause and with what Patrone from whom our Nation first receiued her first faith for whose faith I must now forsake my nation ANSVVERE You leaue the answer of your neglect of D. Huttons gouernement and traduce his iudgement Inhibition is matter of authority not of learning why disobeyed you that command you answere but not to the purpose you respected not his iudgement Let not malice be iudge but cōsider how base infamous malitious your reproaches be his soūdnes of iudgment is approved sufficiently by the consent of our whole Vniversity And that booke which so scornfully you reproach is esteemed deservingly and is of reverend respect with the best Bishops of our Church Where the Fathers agreeing to Scripture are truly vrged and vnderstandingly interpreted both D. Hutton and all of our part with all willingnesse receiue their assertions But when Fathers are misvrged arrested and impostured by Coccius or Bellarmin and you receiue them at second hand not from the foūtaine but from the ditches we returne your party-coloured blended sentences as vnworthy of approbation because they be vsed as the Tyrant entertained his guest if to long for his bed to chop of if to short to racke them out The doctrine which you call a point of great importance expressed in Scripture taught by Fathers practised by the Saints and defined by the whole Church is not so founded as you presume to teach Scriptures no where expresse it Fathers teach it not the Saints of God haue not practised it the Church of Christ hath not defined it Therefore he only accused you of Popery but not Gregory For as formerly hath beene said D. Hutton and all any way seene in Gregories Moralls may perceiue how you foist into the Text the words Evangelicall Counsells Your comfort will proue your corrasiue your Iudge in this was God others were but his deputies the cause was religiō nay the very marrow pith of Religion and the opposition of many absurd hereticall positions Your Patron was not Gregory hee neither taught you this nor from him our Church received their first faith Neither for defending this were you cōstrained to leaue the Land you forsooke your Religion rather then your Nation Vegetius tells that in the Roman Armies Vegetius Non fugere was a speciall precept The way for you to Triumph had beene to recant and to remaine in your station not to fly Bosquiers speech is true Bonsq cont 7 the Devill is overcome by resisting but the flesh and the world by running away but you fled because you would run into the world Mr LEECH As for D. Benefield with his lecture his bookes I passed them over considering that M. Vicechancellour made excursions from the point loading me only with contumely and disgrace ANSVVER You passed him ouer because he doth so far overpasse you but he is in your bosome his Lecture lyeth heavy on your heart it is such a pang that you will not easily remoue The Vicechancellour loading you as you call it with disgrace knewe you had a back provided for a burthen If his speech seeme harsh to you you turned his tongue being turned your selfe Otherwise his tongue is the hearauld of encouragement and comfort himselfe the refuge of innocencie a Tutor to his Colledge and a father to the Clergy in his Accademicall governement Mr LEECH Wherefore not suffering him to divert mee from the maine issue Haeretici est praecepta Patrum declinare saith worthy Flavian in his first epist to LEO the great I desired him to deale punctually that is to say first to admit a triall by the Fathers or to deny it if he denied it he should be thereby sufficiently convinced Secondly if he admitted this triall then either to disproue my authorities or to approue my doctrine ANSVVER To deale punctually is so proper vnto all his discourses that all his Auditors will acknowledge this a speciall felicity in the power of his speech Your demands were preposterous in your Epistle you commit your selfe to the censure of the Church now to the triall of the Fathers no appeale at all to the Scriptures without which whatsoever is taught is like Israells building in Aegypt without stuffe no warrant for the matter they build with Mr LEECH But he not daring to make a briefe and punctuall answer to my reasonable demands fell extravagantly into a mention of the reformed Churches summoning me before their tribunall for the censuring of this doctrine ANSVVER Not daring Why continueth this Bracchadochian humor it hath long beene in the consumption it will at length spend it selfe What dareth not he that vndertakes without rashnes and performes without feare did ever your experience finde him to be a read shaken with the winde or to want the sinewes of courage and resolution No you knowe hee is ballaced with wisedome and worth able to vndertake the most resolute and vndauntedest of the contrary side in the worlde Neither in this was there the least note of extravancie as your exorbitancie of accusation doth impute for by whom should a minister of the reformed Churches bee censured but by the power iudgement of the reformed Churches Mr LEECH Which course of proceeding I vtterly disclaimed as vnequall because the later Church is not to iudge the former but contrarily the former
is to iudge the later ANSVVER Who ever that was a supposed member in our Ecclesiasticall state durst disclaime the iudgement censure authority of our Church But your reasonlesse reason is the later Church is not to iudge the former If by the former Church you meane the ancient Catholike Church for the first 500. yeeres we maintaine our reformed Church to bee the same but if by the former church you meane the now Roman Catholike faith as Bristow and the Rhemists deliver Bristow mot 12. in marg Rhem in Annot in Rom. 1 8. that the Romane and Catholike Church be all one then we reiect and abhorre that Synagogue of Sathan wherein Ziim and Iim the Ostrich and Vulture and Schritchowle doe remaine And by many more degrees then Papistes prefer the Pope before the Emperour wee preferre the Reformed Churches which doe mainetaine the ancient Catholike Apostolike faith reformed from errors superstitions and heresies stealing in by the degrees of time and occasion into the window of the Church Mr LEECH And what did I herein good Reader but obserue the prescription of Antiquity in this behalfe Contr. Iulian Pelag. lib. 2. and namely that of S. Augustine against the Pelagian hereticks Patres oportet vt populi Christiani vestris novitatibus anteponant eisque potius eligant adhaerere quà m vobis ANSVVER Nay what did you but as Pelagian himselfe did magnifie the nature of man so strengthen the arme of flesh as if you would incite it to rebell against heaven and what did you otherwise then as hereticks of all ages who haue stoode so much vpon authorities out of some authors falsely collected that they will not be drawn no not by Scriptures to the acknoweledgemēt of their errors Such S. Austin observed the Donatists to be Aug. contra Donatist Quis autem nesciat sanctam Scripturam Canonicam tam veteris quā novi Testamēti c. where in a large discourse hee manifesteth that the Canon of Scripture is only so sure that there ought to bee no doubt or disputation thereof but for Fathers and Ancient Bishops much might be reprehended therein The cause that S. Austin in confuting the Pelagians did appoint the reading of the fathers to the people was this because the fathers formerly had delivered by strength of scripture the contrary doctrine to that heresie And yet that holy father speaking of himselfe and al the ancients before him Neque enim debeo negare saith he ad Vincentiū sicut in ipsis maioribus Aug. ad Vincentium Victorem ita multa esse in tam multis opusculis meis quae possunt iusto iudicio culpari that in him nor in any other this is a prescription of Antiquity to rely only on fathers Mr LEECH Here D. Airay distasting my refusall to stand vnto the verdict of the reformed Churches questioned with me about the rule of my faith I answered him briefly Contr. haeres cap. 1. c. See D. Field pag. 239. that I wholly followed Vincentius Lyrinensis his direction to wit Canonicall scripture and Ecclesiasticall traditiō the first being sensed by the second ANSVVER To refuse the iudgement of the ruler and to fly to a stranger is punishable in Policy to condemne and contemne your owne mother Church and to stand to the iudgement of a strange Church nay of a Synagogue a stranger from the Church is culpable in divinity It was a seasonable question to aske the rule of your faith whē it was manifest you had forsaken the faith your answer was vnsound ioining with Canonicall Scripture Ecclesiasticall tradition these be two therefore not the rule but rules whereas Canon regula must be but one Aq. lect 1. in 1. Tim. 6. Aquinas on Timothy affirming that the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles is called Canonicall because it is the rule Traditions wee renounce as vnworthy to be ioyned with Scripture Melch. Can. lib. 3. c. because Canus in this doeth expresly teach that whatsoever the Church of Rome practiseth and hath not warrant from Scripture the same things and the practise of them shee hath received by Tradition which Popish traditions we abhorre to supply scripture with as knowing that the Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation and also affirme that the most certaine rule of interpretation is by comparing Scripture with Scripture Vincentius Lerinensis is not for you he alloweth nothing barely vpon Tradition For by all the passages of his booke he doth plainely teach that no Traditiō is to be received but that which is consonant vnto Scripture such as S. Austin delivereth Quod vniversa tenet Ecclesia Lib. 4. contra Don. cap. 23. such as the whole Church hath doth hold agreeing to the Canon of the revealed word And from famous D. Field that powerfull hammer of all Heretikes that claime tenure in the Church you cā produce nothing to helpe your cause either in that page or in his whole booke Neither is Tradition to sense or expound the Scripture as you say This is your third interpreter first you appealed to the Church then to the Fathers now to Traditions the next appeale must bee to the Pope or else you will be cashierd Mr LEECH This rule he called Popish exclaiming against it as the very ground of Popery and superstition Wherevpon I desired him for my better instruction to giue a rule of faith more certaine infallible then this which be brāded with such disgracefull imputation ANSVVER Popish it is without all gainsaying For howsoever we reiect not all Traditions as first D. Field in his 4 booke of the Church the number and names of the Authors of Canonicall Scripture secondly the cheefe heades of Christian doctrine as delivered in the Creed of the Apostles Thirdly the religion purely collected out of Scripture delivered to succeeding ages fourthly the continuall practise of the Primitiue Church though not expresly commaunded but necessarily contained in Scripture and lastly Traditions of order not of faith such as are our Canons and Constitutions agreeing to the ancient and grounded on S. Paules speech Let all things be done in order I say we reiect not these though Waldensis in his time complained Waldens tom 3. tit 7. cap. 63. that the necessary Traditions of the Church were so confounded that they could hardly be discerned from the rest The points that we deny bee these first Scripture needeth not the Adiectiue help of Traditions it is a most sufficient rule and containeth all things necessary to salvation Secondly wee abhorre the comparison of these two and much more the preferring of tradition before Scripture as Hosius Baronius Symancha and others professe some affirming Hosius contr Petric c. 92. Baron an 33. nu 11. Sym. instit tit 24. n. 40. that all Scripture came to vs by Tradition therefore Tradition more worth others that Scripture needeth help from Traditions but Traditions neede no assistance from Scripture And therefore if you
that you haue punished me for teaching the contrary assertion ANSVVERE Your second demand was out of all course of reason or sense Was it not knowne to al that you were censured for preaching such Evangelicall Counsells of perfection whereby a man might doe more then the law required yea more then man need to haue performed was not your convention now and inhibition before censure at last sufficient witnes to all the world what you delivered why you were censured c. Nay was not this yea more then this your request offred you viz. that you should if you durst hold your position in the divinity Chappell in Christ church and in forme of a Respondent answere the Vicechancellour promising to appoint fiue paires of Masters to oppose you which you knewe had easily beene performed in that honourable and fruitful Colledge This you refused and thereby shewd that you had not an originall state but a Traditionall insight in this question This you durst not and therefore you required the subscription to make way to some threatning opposition That as the Poet speaketh Pede pes cuspide cuspis so now you hoped there might haue bin another kinde of digladiation pen against pen and hands against hands which you never could haue obtained Mr LEECH This request D. King not only denied but also exclaimed against me for making this petition And no marvell for he that durst never throughout this whole proceeding formally and by expresse mention condemne Evangelicall Counsells how could hee yeeld vnto any such subscription whereby he and the rest might haue remained Heretiques vpon their owne record ANSVVER You neglected the reverence you did owe to his government and detected the wilfull weaknesse of your owne iudgement to require it No such course vsuall in any Iuridicall proceedings And for your vile slaunder that the Vicechancelour durst not condemne Evangelicall Counsells it is impudent He did in the proceedings often rebuke and confute your maner of handling that point not denying but that a nominall distinction of counsells was sometimes vsed but he expresly condemned such Counsells as you preached being of another kinde then S. Austin dâ—livereth with the rest of the Fathers and Wickliffe whom you vrge who all maintaine each Counsell to be a commande for some time and some circuÌ„stance Which sentence and iudgement how you oppugned in your sermons may be seene where till you recant you remaine an Heretique vpoÌ„ your own record I vse your owne wordes Mr LEECH The conclusion of all was this M. Vicechancellour beating me downe with the blow of authority hauing no other meanes to convince me pronounced his definitiue sentence against mee which I will here relate word for word as neere as I could possibly beare it away ANSVVER You were beaten downe as you truly say by authority but more theÌ„ by humane by diuine You were driveÌ„ by Scripture to refuse scripture to be your iudg beateÌ„ by the censure of the Church that you deny to be censured by the Church convicted for stubborne impudence for preaching that doctrine which was inhibited you wheÌ„ you were countermanded it You were convinced for ignorance in that you produced witnesses that you knewe not and vrged Greeke Fathers that you read not And this conviction was not only by the blow of authority but by such a blow from heauen as Paul in the Acts was stroken Scripture Church Fathers Acts. 9. and all arguments of power did agree to this deiection of you and your cause and to the censure that ensueth Mr LEECH M. Leech for preaching scandalous and erroneous doctrine Doctrine as you well knowe stifly defended by the Church of Rome and wherevpon many absurdities doe follow I doe first as Vicechancellour silence you from preaching Secondly as Deane of this house I suspend you from your commons and function here for the space of twelue moneths This is my sentence and before these my associates I require you to take notice thereof ANSVVERE Here is the Act the manner of the Act the reason of the Act or censure The sentence was deliberat and guided with ripe wisdome the hand of Iustice in him was slower then the tongue For besides your heresie in the deliverie there was contumacie in you for presuming so to preach forbidden by Authority and yet was this censure easie by many wished to bee more by all marvailed at that it was no more For as the times increase in daunger so the rigor should increase in discipline But the manner of this censure was milde it passed no farther then losse of commons for a time this was within the walles of the Colledge and silence for preaching within the precincts of Oxford and this within the limits of the Vniversity This was no eiection expulsion out of Colledge and Vniuersity It had been worse by infinite degrees had you beene sent to London And the reason of all this was first intimated for your scandalous erroneous doctrine a doctrine stifly defended by the church of Rome inducing many absurdities I will vse an honourable speech of that most noble CouÌ„sellor at the arraignement of Garnet Earle of NorthamptoÌ„ fit to be bestowed vpon you Currat lex viuat Rex vincat veritas The marginall scurrile Note which you borrowed from some more witty but as wicked pate as your owne I coulde returne as a dart to your very soule but I forbeare because all reproach and contumelies against this worthy do breake themselues as waues shattered in peeces by the force of a rocke Mr LEECH Which sentence though it were tyrannicall and vniust yet it no waies discouraged me but rather confirmed me in my opinion Wherefore I protested the doctrine againe more resolutely then before wishing M. Vicechancellor and his assistaÌ„ts to vnderstande thus much from me First that I held the doctrine with asmuch nay more confidence then ever I did Secondly that I farther concluded the invincibility of the point out of the manner of their proceedings whereat they were driven into the extremity of fury and passion ANSVVER This vvas a greate degree of the hardnesse of your hart and it is manifest that you apprehended this as a pretence of your revolt The Vicechancelour was vrged to this doome which as it was impartiall so was it no way Tyrannicall had it been any other it had bin mercifull iniustice You should haue acknowledged the Truths victory given some signe of humility modesty and reverence to authority You say you were hereby confirmed CoÌ„firmed you were in your flight not in your faith And in your boast that you so againe protested the doctrine if it had beene so you shewed more boldnes then goodnes and the Truth had lost lesse then you gained but it was not so you did not you durst not contest so vmbragiously as you protest here My obseruation through your whole book holdeth true where you bragge most you faine most where you paint your speech there it is most corrupted and
diffidence in this point All testimonies divine humane of God and of his Church did firmely establish me therein And therefore though I conferred with many learned men vpon the same yet I never demaunded of any man by way of doubt Sir What is your opinion c. but I alwaies said This is the Doctrine of all the Fathers this is the iudgement of the whole Church it is founded vpon sacred Scripture c. will you stand to it or will you disclaime it wherevpon I commonly receiued this answere the doctrine is true in it selfe though not seasonable for these times But Master D. King hauing not any such certainty of infallible grounds could not but fluctuate in the instability of his private iudgement ANSVVER VVhich two proposed coÌ„siderations be both false How can any indifferent Reader looke vpoÌ„ your lines with any other entertainement but contempt first you accuse Doctor King to want well grouÌ„ded knowledge whoÌ„ your conscience knoweth to be profound ready and resolute in all faculties in all studies in all learning was not the force of reason vsed as the meanes to coÌ„vert you when a solemne lecture was read vpoÌ„ the point was not the TeneÌ„t of our Church shewed you were not disputations many times offred you and did not the Doctors that assisted at the convention of you catechise you so farre as they founde you not able to answer what the church was what faith was what the rule and Canon was c was this violence of Authority or force of reason Violence did not appeare in authority against you never was wilde fire so quietly quenchâ—d nor open mouthed aduersary so favourably handled so movingly incited or so fully confuted Your secoÌ„dly is twin with the former only the limmes be greater Did he punish you with an evill conscience you suffred with a good Or you suffered with an evill and he censured you with a good You say you had not the least scruple of diffidence or distrust in this point Doubting in some causes is commeÌ„dable it is the meanes to sift and fanne try the wheat of truth froÌ„ the chaffe of error What mist had veiled and invelloped that eie sight that sawe not the monstrous absurdities of this point But you say all Testimonies are for you divine humane c. Your Testimonies haue beene pervsed and in them there is nothing worthie to commande affection or beliefe God and his Church I am sure certitudine fidei be against you and this I am established in that Gods law is not wanting nor imperfect craveth not the assistance and support of CouÌ„sels God vseth not second editions with supplemeÌ„ts he hath set forth no other Deuteronomy In your conference with many I beleeue you traduce many for I knowe that some that you had personall though not doctrinal fauor from do for ever disclaime any honest thought of you Were any common measure of hatred fit for a revolter I shoulde haue hoped that you would forbeare your slanders against many but your heate and hate do both conspire to make them subiect to interpretation who are most opposite to your opinion I dare pronounce it that no one of iudgemeÌ„t learning sound Religion did giue you that answere that here you deliver I haue beene bolde to enquire of your questions with some of very worthy respect and they disclaime the countenance and mainetenance of your opinion you know you were so repressed from preaching this Doctrine that while a Reverende and learned Doctor of publike respect and place in the Church and private goverment in the Vniversity remained here you durst not deliuer this but in the time of his attendance and absence in Convocation busines then you began to settle your selfe vnsettle truth Traduce none nor gull the world as if any affirmed your doctrine to be true All the learned in the world can not make sense of that which you by your written coppy deliuered where your literall meaning is often so poore that it can reach no sense and your mysticall so transcendent that no sense can reach it Truth is seasonable at all times and only enimies of truth will at any time suppresse it Falsifie no mans speech This slaunder coÌ„meth from no good spirit The well rooted resolution of the Vicechancelour anchored him his grouÌ„ds had certainty if Scripture containe it hee had truth infallibility his iudgement was not privat his certainty did not fluctuate Iude. 11. 2. Pet. 2.17 S. Iude doth attribute this to Apostats and S. Peter describeth them to be clowdes without water carried about with a tempest to whom the blacknesse of darknesse is reserved for ever Mr LEECH To returne now vnto the conference of M. Vicechancellor with the aforesaid Doctour he received a cold satisfaction vnto his hot demaund For the Doctour wondering that any difficulty should be made in this matter answered presently without any demur there are Evangelicall Counsailes and no doubt can be made thereof And what was thinke you Doctour Kings reply vnto this graue and confident assertion Did he dispute against it no he could not Did hee gainsay it no he durst not Thus the renowned pulpit-Doctor that could domineere over his poore inferiour censure him depraue him vilifie him with intolerable reproaches such as he feared not to vtter but I am ashamed to mentioÌ„ stoode mute not daring to disclose his opinioÌ„ which he could not iustifie by any waight of reason ANSVVER To returne to your most vntrue relation As before so againe I answere that the Vicechancelour did not doubt of the doctrine he manifested no haesitation he sought no satisfactioÌ„ The discourse was at dinner where neither argument was vrged nor any suffrage of iudgement required the allowance of the distinction being graunted by this reverend Deane what followeth therevpon Dare you conclude therefore that your doctrine was true The other sister and famous Vniversity hath had much experience of his rare dexterity in cleering the obscure subtilties of the Schoole and easie explication of the most perplexe discourses And not only he but others haue graunted such a distinction for distinctions bee but intentions they are signarerum non res signatae Many graunt Counsells that doe as much hate your opinion as you hate our Religion And how different froÌ„ your Tenent this learned Doctor is doth appeare in the sequele of this Chapter But first to your interrogation or rather your imaginary supposition The Vicechancelour needed not to dispute it nor meant to gainesay it For howsoever properly there bee no Evangelicall Counsells so he doth and ever did maintaine yet he never denied such a distinction repreheÌ„ding the consequents positions you grounded therevpon rather then the name of Counsels In scorne you call him the renowned Pulpit Doctor a Title generally worthily bestowed vpon him for who ever saw him without reverence or hard him without wonder Yet you heape so many obloquies vpon him that I marvell your soule doth not
your place or faculty to preach That being most true which you falsely apply of Iehu and Ioram while the fornications of Iezabell and the abominations of Babell were mainetained by you no peace to be kept with you Isay 48.22 God commandeth it There is no peace to the wicked saith God Mr LEECH Wherefore after signification of my thankful minde to his Lordship who now vouchsafed in some sort to commiserat my vniust vexations I answered that I had greater respect of the cause for which I suffered then of the punishment which I did sustaine assuring M. Barkham that restitution vnto my place was not the principall part of my desire For as God did require of me the constant iustification of his eternall truth so I coulde not but require it also at their hands who by their function as Ministers and dignity as Bishops were specially obliged therevnto ANSVVER His Grace commiserated your stubborn opposition but never iudged your iust punishment vniust vexation The respect you had of the cause was more then your respect of God truth faith peace or conscience If restitutiō to your place was not the chiefest of your desires what was Was it your desire of conquest and victory that your individual sentence should haue overswayed the iudgement definitiue resolution of so many so wise and learned Iudges It is impietie to averre that God did require the iustification of this truth by you Truth it is not to be iustified it was not by all the proceedings it is manifest that God by the mediatiō mouth of his Magistrates approveth it not The function and dignity of your iudges did yeeld you all equity though you continue your accusations and supercilious detractions against them Mr LEECH Whereas he pressed me farther with motiues of profit and that I hindered the course of my preferment by contending against the authority of Magistrates who as he said must stand one with another my reply was to this effect that I desired not to rise where truth must fall vertue is the path to Honor Heavē must not be lost for earth the plenty of riches doth not recompence the emptines of the soule a good conscience is a continuall feast ANSVVER These motiues of profit and preferment if they were vsed are subordinate to the motiue of sauing your soule These can neither repaire nor empaire those directing inciting comforts that come from aboue The contentments that the world cā afford are but weake and momentary but the ambition of preferment in heauen is the holy resolution making a true Christian firme and square You hindred your selfe in your worldly heauenly course in cōtending with religious Authority And howsoever you professe you made vertue the path to honour yet this is proued contrary for you refused the best of vertues Lombard quadruplex conscientia your religion And though a good conscience be a continuall feast yet Lombard and others distinguish of conscience that as a good conscience may be troubled so an evill conscience may bee so quieted that it thinkes it selfe good Mr LEECH As for the Magistrates I reverenced their persons and honoured their places knowing that their power is from God but designed for the preservatiō of his truth which if I impugned let them strik mee with the sworde of Iustice but if they withstood it yet I must defend it with courage Ecclus 4. as also I shall suffer for it with patience For I alwaies had the counsaile of the wise man before mine eies Striue for the Truth vnto death c. ANSVVER Had you considered duly that not only their power is from God Rom. 13.2.4 as Paul speaketh but as hee addeth hee that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receiue to themselues condemnation giving the reason for hee beareth not the sworde in vaine your respect had beene more to thē if you had thus remembred the dignity from God giuen them Courage is then good when a good cause and a good conscience meet But to be couragious in defence of any adulterine proposition that hath not radicall truth it is condemned and wil be punished Acts are to be measured by desires desires by integrity And had you had God alwaies before your eies you had not been so Apocryphally wife in your owne eies Mr LEECH Which resolution in me though it sorted not with his liking nor yet perhapps was expected from a poore oppressed scholler whom his vncharitable adversaries had determined either to bowe or breake yet hee importuned me at the least to see his Lord and not to neglect his favorable inclination to doe me good ANSVVER Poore and lame and slack arguments cannot enforce resolution in the will or settle information in the vnderstanding All the connexions and all your concoxions out of Coccius had not this nutritiue power to nourish your conscience to such a strength of resolution But some other vnrevealed cause there is which only the searcher of all hearts knoweth Reprehension is not oppression nor had you any vncharitable adversaries they are adversaries to all vncharitablenesse they meant to direct straighten you not to bow much lesse to breake Some vpon whom you seemed to relie most in Oxford haue protested that they had proceeded in the same or a more strict course against you if the censure had passed their hands Mr LEECH Wherevpon I made a shew that I would shortly visit his Grace And this I did because I did probably collect that my intention was by some meanes disclosed vnto him whereby I might be defeated of that course vpon which I was now wholly resolved For me thought that God did speake within my heart as he spake sometimes vnto Abraham his seruant Goe forth of thy land Gen. 12.1 and from thy kindred and from thy fathers house and come into the land which I shall shew vnto thee For can any Church or any faith be in that land where the very grounds and principles of ancient Christianity are dissolved where there is no certaine foundation to build Religion vpon Where every mans power is his reason to make good his doctrine Where an iniury sustained for the truth can finde no redresse without treasonable connivencie to see the truth oppressed ANSVVER This was Aequivocation in speech and action neither honest but both common among Papists S. Austin condemned the Priscilianists for this and so other Fathers haue reproved this lying mummery hypocrisie Sepulueda de Ration dicēdi testimon Et de ratione dicendi occulta in praefat Azor. Ies Inst par 1. l. 11. c. 4. in fine cap. Emanuel Sa. in Aphor. And not only Scotus Aquinas Henricus Gabriell Biell are resolute against it as Sepulveda witneseth but also Iesuits themselues haue reproued it as Azorius Emanuell Sa and others You began to equivocate timely I doubt not but you haue increased it The reason of making this hypocriticall shew was lest you should be defrauded
froÌ„ robbing the Church of a Sonne the King of a Subiect and your selfe of a soule Your misapplication of that speech of God to Abraham I might dilate much vpon as hauing variety of interpretations which doe vnderstand that place of the devill the world the flesh But I come neerer to your purpose hoping that those wordes that you say God spake to you were receiued by no revelation a frequeÌ„t imposture amoÌ„g Papists filling the mouthes of many swaying the faiths of some But what is the blemish you see in your mother â—oth our Church deny the principles of ancieÌ„t Christianity Doe wee not receiue the Scriptures the Creedes and Fathers of the first 500 yeares Do we not build our Religion vpon the foundation Iesus Christ the corner stone Is the rule of our doctrine any other then Gods sacred will revealed in his word Is any iniury sustained by you for truth It is not iniury but true iustice to punish those that be stubborne in action precipitat in resolution and faulty in opinion not able to maintaine their cause but with much wresting of conscience their revolt ever attended with sedition scandall and humane respect Mr LEECH But I will pretermit good Reader here to make a speciall enumeration of my Motiues drawing me vnto my finall resolution for they will ensue orderly in the thirde last part of this Treatise Only consider with me now with what conflict of flesh bloud I could intertaine this resolution to come out of my Land from my kindred and from my Fathers howse with what griefe I could forsake a noble Vniversity the company of my kindest friends the comfort of my dearest familiars other emoluments which such a place doth actually yeeld and prepareth vnto greater ANSVVERE Your Motiues shall be answered as briefly as vrged because they be to bee scanned at a higher barre Your conflict was not with flesh and blood but you did agree with the world and the Diuell and applyed your selfe to the service of that painted but ill-favoured witch the church of Rome Neither did you forsake our Vniversity friends and familiars before they forsooke you They at length heard hated who at first obserued your folly and pittyed Mr LEECH Howbeit my Brethren since there is banishmeÌ„t indeed where no place is left for truth I esteeme al these things as dongue that I may gaine Christ for he is my sufficient reward I did not conceiue that when I preached my doctrine among you I shoulde haue giuen you such an example thereof in mine owne person But thankes be vnto him who disposeth all things sweetly for the benefit of his children Finally my brethren I wish that you may enioy your country which is aboue without forsaking that which is below But if you cannot by reason of the time theÌ„ looke vp vnto your eternity let not your excellent spirits abase themselues vnto the loue of transitory things For behold I shew you a more excellent way 1. Cor. 12.13 ANSVVER If in the world there be any sanctuary for truth it is there where shee may appeare without controll without colors or disguises Which you woulde willingly acknowledge to be true if ignorance were not the mother of your devotion To forsake all for Christ is blessed but to forsake eveÌ„ Christ himselfe it is most cursed He is a sufficient reward to all that feare follow him and will follow theÌ„ that fly from him How pervious you were to fly from your Country after you had fled from the truth your intent before and your practises since haue manifested But farre be it that God should be reputed as the disposer of you to this vnnaturall and vnchristian disobedience to the Church and State O what bitter punishment must attend that presumption that endangers a double perishing and is so far from having expresse commaund that it hath direct and iust inhibitions Your wish that we may enioy our countrey that is aboue is a wish aboue your charity We wish your admission into the heavenly Hierusalem which is aboue and would from our harts pray for your triumphant state there Luke 16.25 but that as Abraham said to Diues Remember thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasure and Lazarus paines therfore he is comforted and thou art tormented so we are willing to awake you with this that seeing you make your selfe of the Church triumphaÌ„t in earth you coÌ„tinuing this course are like to haue small part in the triumphant glory in heaven And while wee for our partes and stations are here wee will affect no pilgrimage but from nature to grace so to glory hoping to accompany them that are in possession of the lawrell And to this iourney we haue no other hie way 1. Kings 8.36 1. Sam. 12.23 Ier. 6.16 Ioh. 14 6. but the good way which God teacheth and the right way which Samuell describeth and the old way which Ieremy informeth al which be not as yours be Crosse waies but doe terminat in the way even Christ Iesus THE THIRD PART CONTAIning 12. Motiues which perswaded me to embrace the Catholicke Religion Briefely and naturally deriued out of the premises * ⎠* S. AVGVST In Psal contra partem Donati Scitis Catholica quid sit quid sit praecisum à vite Si qui sint inter vos cauti veniant vivant de radice THE THIRD PART CONTAINETH 12. Articles against you whereby your 12. Motiues are disproved as having not affinity with the faith of the 12 Patriarks or spirit of the 12. Prophets or doctrine of the 12. Apostles or beliefe of the 12. Articles of our Creed shewing that as Art doth imitate Nature and an ape a man so as many grounds as good Christians rely vpon for their faith Apostats boast to alleadge for their fall Wherein as in the premises the particular Apostasie is confuted condemned with much facility and breuity * ⎠* S. AVGVST In eod Psal Contra Partem Donati Ipsam formam habet sarmentuÌ„ quod praecisum est de vite Sed quid illi prodest forma si non viuit de radice Venite fratres si vult is ut inseremini in radice Dolor est cum vos videmus praecisos ita iacere Aug. de vnitate Ecclesiae cap. 2. De hoc inter nos illos quaestio versatur vtrum apud nos an apud illos vera Ecclesia sit Mr LEECH To the conscionable and Ingenious Reader THOVGH the generall motiues vnto the Catholique Religion are many and waighty yet the particular which issued out of this present businesse where such as conuinced my vnderstanding and swayed my affection to approue and embrace the same Wherefore courteous Reader aswell to procure thy good as to iustifie my selfe and to satisfie others I haue coÌ„municated them vnto thy view For matter they are the same now as when I conceiued them in the beginning for manner they are brought forth in somewhat a different shape Thus much
may suffice for thy instruction concerning these Motiues Onely I may not forget to advertise thee that whereas through their titles I vse this perpetuall stile THE PROTESTANTS c. howbeit the most learned amongst them differ in iudgement from the common sort and in this respect cannot bee concluded in the generality of ALL I haue not done this without good consideration For though the principall divines in England do vtterly distast the vaine opinions of D. King and such like yet since by publike profession of the truth they giue not sufficient notice vnto the world of their Catholique positions I must involve them also in this common accusation And as they against their knowledge Corde creditur ad iustitiam ore fit confessio ad salutem doe suffer a preiudice to fall vpon God his truth they must likewise against their will suffer an infamy to remaine vpon their owne persons ANSVVER The Catholikes like to the olde Circumcellions are Individua vaga ever in motion Campians reasons Bristowes motiues the one ten the other 48 yours a Iurie This former treatise hath answered all yours But seeing they so commanded your affection and convinced your vnderstanding wee will heare your descriptions and marke the motions If it be the good of your Reader you wish you would not leade him into so many darke entries of the Chambers of death your booke is come into the hands of many better informed soules then your selfe and some that haue breathed lately from their Antichristianisme that haue seene and heard more then you haue and haue hated and abhorred and returned You seeke to iustifie but do condemne your selfe and you hope your satisfaction will proue an infection to some But each man doth disdaine that these should draw ouer any wise Proselyte They are the same in substance as in your sermon only as the Patron of error can change his shapes so doe these You say you must not forget to advertise and I cannot omit to discrie the vntruth in the advertisement For if with an indifferent eie ANY observant in the state of our Church doe looke vpon the more learned Of our Divines he shal finde that either they be writers or publike Readers or continuall Preachers against Popery neither doe they differ in iudgement from the common sort as most iniuriously you traduce them By publike profession in the vnity of the spirit in the bond of peace in the essense and substance of religion all agree And howsoever there haue beene some differences in opinion betweene many of the most orient fixed starres in the firmament of the Church as betweene Ruffinus Ierom Ierom Austin Austin Symplician and many others yet all the world wil free our Church from hauing in her Religion any diversly affected from the truth addicted to Popery at the least any that ever were of deserving note or accounted the Principall divines If there be any such homely and home-made peeces as your selfe that coccle they be no sooner noted but punished Your preiudice and infamy will returne vpon your selfe for accusing our worthiest to maintaine a linsey woolsey blended mangled Religion Being supplanted your selfe in reputation you seeke to supplāt others the vtmost spirits of your malice and spite being as Enginers to overthrow the credit of those that by their learned paines do seeke to overthrow the wals of Babell Their publique profession and positions free them from your common accusation their sermons Lectures writings might satisfie you but that these heavenly showers haue fallen besides you Error surprising your will ignorance your knowledge a smale things may moue you that were never setled Mr LEECH The First motive The Protestants admit not a triall of their Religion by the testimony of the Fathers whatsoever they pretend to the contrary BEcause it is a preposterous devise to iudge the former ages of the Church by the later D. Field pag 204. We willingly admit a triall by the Fathers saith he in the name of his Church therefore the courses of my study haue ever beene directed vnto a diligent pervsall of ancient Fathers whose authority simply considered as it may preponderate our moderne writers so in reference vnto the Church being her witnesses who is the iudge to define all controversies their testimony is to be preferred before all Authors whatsoever Neither resolued I thus without serious deliberation and especially contra haeref cap. 1. 2. the graue counsaile of Vincentius Lyrinēsis did prevaile with me seeing that learned holy men did generally conspire in this opinion If any man will discerne Heretical pravity from Catholike verity he must be furnished with a double helpe first the Canon of sacred Scripture Secondly the tradition of the Catholique Church wherein three things inseparably concurre Vniversality Antiquitie Consent The reason of which prescription is yealded by him to be this The Scripture is sublime and forasmuch as all men sense it not alike it is necessarie to adioine therevnto the continuall interpretation of the Church Vpon this infallible ground evident vnto all men of any apprehension I builded my faith conforming it alwaies vnto those Orthodoxe principles which I had derived out of the venerable Fathers Hence I assumed this doctrine of Evangelicall Coūsells which as I delivered out of the sacred volumes of Antiquitie so Antiquitie it selfe deduced it with mee out of the divine Oracles of holy Scripture And therefore seeing that my opinion was cleerely built vpon this foūdation I pressed it vncessantly vntill my vniust Iudges were enforced to forsake this meanes of triall and consequently to punish the Fathers in me as I had spoken by them But when I plainely saw that my doctrine could not be condemned without condemnation of the ancient Church and that my Iudges were driuen to this extremity I inferred that their Religion could not be good and that their consciences were verie bad ANSVVER It is a most preposterous devise to make the Fathers iudges of the Scriptures whereas the Scriptures as S. Austin confesseth ought to be the iudges of the Fathers otherwise what you impute to vs is the practise of your selues which you seeke approbation of the former Church by the latine That the Fathers may preponderate the moderne writers I answere for their antiquity they doe but where the same truth is in both for their authority they do not exceed Hath the Church had no growth since their time Hath the sonne of righteousnesse Psal 19. going from the ende of the heauens and in his compasse returning to the ende thereof againe by his beames given no more light then when it first rose Hath not God revealed somethings to one which he hath not to another 1. Cor. 14.30 as S. Paul speaketh Our reverend estimation of the Fathers is most learnedly and fully delivered by his Maiestie in his premonition and our willingnesse of a triall by the Fathers is openly testified by the Reverend Bewcleark D. Field these exceptions
these words the truth is that some there haue beene in many ages Motiue 46. in some points of their opiniō in his next motiue that many points of Protestancie were long before and in divers places As also the Waldenses spoken of by many who were almost 400. yeeres since do manifest our Religion to haue beene more anciēt then so But we stand not so much vpon these as because we are certaine that from the time of Christ the profession and succession of the doctrine of Protestant religion hath with much happines continued and hath appeared in place and persons and time and Doctrine and from the beginning of the Churches declination there haue beene some ever who resisted the Church of Rome and refused their Doctrine and therefore you may conclude as you do that the Gospel hath beene miserably taught amōg thē who haue not sought after the purity of doctrin Scornefull and shamefull is that title you call vs by in the by-name of Lutherans we haue no other title but Christians And as vniust is your slander that Lutherans are men of carnall appetites and base condition whose regularity in life by integrity of conversation is farre aboue any sort of Papists And this your second consideration is my second confirmation that Papists having not true knowledge cannot haue true faith either Originally in the foundation or Doctrinally in their assertions because they want the assurance either evidentiae or inhaerentiae accounting the Scriptures subordinat and the Reformed Churches illegitimat Mr LEECH The third Motiue The Protestants brand the Catholique doctrine with the name of Popery Luther THe name of Papists was first deuised by a luxurious Apostata inventour also of the name of Sacramentaries for so both Catholiques and Zwinglians stand indebted vnto him in these respects By the insolency of this man it came to passe that as many other doctrines so particularly this had beene stamped with the imputation of Popery whence it was that my Calvinian Iudges calumniating both me and it were pleased to fasten the note of Popery vpon it and of a Papist vpon me But since my grounds are meerely Catholique as you see and since this doctrine it selfe is the common faith of ancient Church it followeth either that it is no Poperie as these mē tearme it or that Popery truely conceiued is the very Catholique faith But of the two the later is more probable Wherevpon I inferred this conclusion for my finall resolutiō that Popery was necessarily consequent vpon the true grounds of diuinity and therefore my Iudges betrayed their owne folly in this behalfe for asmuch What Pope did ever devise this and many other doctrines which are called Popepery as by a condemnation of this doctrine they must inevitably confesse that Popery well vnderstood is the doctrine of Antiquity and that the Fathers were no lesse Papists haue in then my selfe ANSVVER LVxurious Apostat you know is a scandalous title cast vpon Luther whose many volumes continuall sermons and indefatigable paines did receiue a better Testimony out of the mouthes of learned Papists as is before proved The sirname of Papists is among some of you gloried in and are you ashamed of it Seeing it commeth from the worde Papa that is the Pope to whom you all profess subiectiō as a matter necessary to salvation why should you abhorre it Indeede it is S. Hieromes rule aduersus Luciferianos If any which are said to belong to Christ wil be tearmed not of our Lord Iesus Christ but of some other Hier. advers Lucif c they are not the Church of Christ but the Synagogue of Antichrist But you reply that you do not approue and assume this name more learned and more wise Papists do Anast Cochel Palaestrit honoris 1. p. 9. 6. Cochelet is zealous in the defence of it if it bee odious to others it is glorious to him wee are Papists saith he and confesse it and glory in that name and to this purpose I coulde cite others Luther was the first Author you say of this name It were the abuse of my Reader to discourse about such impertinēcies but otherwise I could easily disproue this This doctrine was by Luther and your Calvinian Iudges called Popery It was some iniurie sure to ioine things of so dislike natures as to cal him Papist who holds popery and it had beene a great calumny to you if you had not become Papist because then you were tearmed so and now professe your selfe to bee so Is not this a good reason to make you Turnecoate to leaue the religion and Church wherein you were Baptised Or because we tearme your Catholique doctrine Poperie therefore you are so angrie you will leaue vs. But consider that Catholique Doctrine is the Doctrine of the Catholique Church and the true Catholique church by the signification of the word is the vniversal Church so called because it is over al the world is not tyed to anie Country place person or condition of men According to which sense the Romane Church cannot bee called the Catholique Church Boz sig Eccl. l. 19. c. 1. Bell. de Rom. Pont praef lib. 3. c. 21. For Bozius Bellarmine doe complaine that the Protestants doctrine possesseth many and large Provinces England Scotland Denmarke Norwey Sweden Germany Mag Gregor descrip 166. Poland Bohemia Hungaria Prussia Litvania Livonia And Maginus in his Geography saith that the Greeks lōg since departed frō the Church of Rome appointed thēselues Patriarks these provinces follow the Greeks religiō Circassia Walachia Bulgaria Moscovia Russia Mingrelia Brosina Albania Illyricum part of Tartary Servia Croatia and all the provinces living vpon the Euxine Sea And not only all these but how manifest is it that the kingdome of France and the low Countries florish in the Protestant beleefe besides many thousands in Spaine and Italy It is as easie to proue that Popery is not Catholike in time as it is plaine it is not vniversall in place for besides that Reynerius who lived three hundred yeeres agoe Refert Illyr catol. tom 2. doth acknowledge that the Waldenses which professed as wee doe were reputed to haue beene ever since the Apostles time so on the contrary it is open to all the world that the Romane Church hath receaued many new born bastardly opinions which were never before extant I knowe there was a time whē the faith of the Romans was published through out the whole world Rom. 1.8 But now the Angell hath told vs that Babylon is fallen many alterations from the state of that Church Who knoweth not howe strange the point of Supremacy was even in the time of Gregory the great how the Councells of Lateran and Trent giue the Pope so great a transcendency as that he is aboue a generall Councell that the Councell of Constance and Trent forbid the Cup to the lay people that Transubstantiation was made a matter of faith by Innocent
the third in the Lateran Councell within these 400 yeeres that the Councell of Trent proposed Images not only to be worshipped Pol. Virg lib. 6 c. 13. de inventi which as Polydor confesseth all the Fathers condemned but it also inioined men to yeeld them divine honour These and infinit more alterations in religion falling from God truth falling from them doe shew that the name of their opinions deserueth not a Catholique title but is meere Popery You lay for your ground that it is probable only that Popery truly conceiued is the very Catholique faith yet notwithstanding you conclude for your finall resolution that Popery is the necessary consequent vpon the true grounds of divinity Can this stand together that Popery dependeth necessarily vpon the grounds of divinity and yet it is but probable that it is the Catholike faith This your third vnconsiderat consideration is my absolute resolution that either the Catholike faith is not a necessary cōsequent as the grounds of divinitie which is absurd to thinke or Popery is not the Catholique faith which I verily beleeue and haue proued by many testimonies Mr LEECH The fourth Motiue The Protestants subvert the truest meanes of piety and perfection PErfection is not absolute in this life but graduall that is to say men are perfit in a degree some more some lesse according to their cooperatiō with divine grace To which ende and purpose there are Consilia perfectionis Counsailes of perfection as Virginity Pouerty c. which remoouing the impediments of perfection are excellent meanes to conduct vs therevnto in as much as they withdraw vs from the loue of the flesh and of the world which are our capitall enemies assaulting vs with their continuall delights and pleasures But the Protestants being in the number of them of whom the Apostles by prophetick spirit spake long before that they would not suffer wholsome doctrine renounce the advise of their Saviour qui potest capere capiat they reiect the monition of S. Paul consilium do they cast behinde thē the common iudgement of ancient Fathers in this point And whereas themselues are now caried away with the evill current of this worst age they feare not not only to disclaime the Fathers but irreligiously to slander them D. Benefield in his lecture as as men bewitched with the errors of their time Hence it is that the plausibilitie of the fift gospell seeketh not to cast any raines vpon the fervour of nature but yeeldeth passage rather and helpe vnto her precipitate course S Paul was of a contrary opinion witnesse his owne words castigo corpus c. Antiquity was of another disposition witnesse S. Hierom in his epistle vnto Pope Damasus and vnto the virgin Eustochium Witnesse S. Gregory Nazianzen in his funerall oration vpon S. Basill witnesse the whole quire of ancient Church Carnem legibus fraenavit which with a sweet heauenly harmony aswell in practise as in doctrine hath commēded vnto vs the restraint of lawfull things with a singular austerity of life These things being wholly opposite vnto the delicacy of Luthers spirit are reputed Popish by him and by his carnall sectaries whose single faith not clogged with the burthen of pious workes can more easily mount vnto heauen Thus are they lulled a sleepe in the cradle of security dreaming of a victory without any striving at all If this be the way vnto happinesse the Way it selfe hath misled vs our guides haue seduced vs our teachers haue misinformed vs the austerity of so many Saints registred in the canon of Gods word and recorded in the Calender of the Church hath beene practised in vaine and the late gospell is more profitable then the former But whether I may rely more safely vpon the first or last I remit me vnto the consideration of any man that hath the sense of true piety lodged in his breast ANSVVER PErfection wee teach thus All true beleevers haue a state of perfection in this life and that this perfection hath two parts first the imputation of Christs perfect obedience which is the ground and fountaine of all our perfection whatsoever Secondly sincerity or vprightnesse And this standeth in two things first in the acknowledging of our imperfection and vnworthinesse in respect of our selues secondly in a constant purpose endeavor and care to keepe the commandements of God So farre are we from perverting the true meanes of perfection as hath beene often answered needeth no more to be answered but that your odious Tautology doth expect some kind of answer We refuse not that which is called by the Apostle wholsome docrine but that which the same spirit hath called Doctrinam Daemoniorum Doctrine of Devills the texts of Scripture are often and fully satisfied and the Fathers plainely and truly interpreted so that it is most contrary to our practise to disclaime the Fathers to slander them as you slander vs But especially seeing herein you cast this imputation on D. Benefield his Lecture see his answer Praefatione ad Academicos Oxonienses § 4. ad 7. where how vntruly you taxe him and how vnworthily the Papists haue dealt with the Fathers may appeare How many points of the Popish Religion doe directly tend to subversion of pieety to maintenance of sinne and liberty of life Haue not they variety of dispensations for any sinne licēces for all things vnlawful and as if Popery consisted but of this triplicity impudence ignorance and indulgence it is maintained they may beleeue as the Church beleeveth never need to learne what the Church holdeth they may iustifie the allowance of Stewes for a common wealth so Harding teacheth Hard. confut Apol. p. 161. they professe that Papists are discharged of all bond of allegeance towards Princes if they be not of the same religion so the Iesuits hold they professe that debtors may except against their creditors choose whether they pay them if they be not of the same Religion Ovand 4. d. 13 Sam Ang. p. 101. nu 15. Caiet 22 ae p. 144. Greg. de val Tom 3. pag. 1090. so Ovandus professeth that prisoners may breake iaile as Caietan averreth that Children may marry without consent of their Parents as Gregory de valentia maintaineth that the Sabaoth may be broken obedience neglected an oath infringed murther iustified and what not Your fifte Gospell wee are not to bee taxed with we only acknowledg the 4 rivers of that Paradise of God The fift was the worke of a monk of your own of the same stamp with Alcoranum Frāsciscanum and our Ladies Psalter all manner of blasphemies abound in both You vrge S. Paul his castigo corpus doth not every true Christian seeke to practise this among vs letting blood in the swelling veines of pride launcing the impostume of greedy desires quenching the fire of filthy lusts and all the firy darts of the Devill Saint Hieroral whom you vrge did worthilie practise this I confesse and had that good father not
as Hereticall for which Act S Ierom himselfe was much condemned and how his bookes against Iovinian were excepted against even at Rome D. Field sheweth in the place cited by you Whose words which you propose so disgracefully are better worth the pondering then you thinke Our determination state of that question is this breefly virginity is a state of life wherein if all things be answerable in the parties that embrace it there are fewer occasions of distractions from God and more opportunities of attaining to the height of excellēt vertue then in the opposite state of marriage yet so that it is possible for some married men so to vse their estate that they be no way inferiour to those that are single This doth S. Austin confidently defend so your Iesuit Espencaeus as before and so also Gregory Nazianzen absolutly doth proue it Nazianz. in his Oration made in the praise of Gorgonia his sister I might stand much in proofe of this as also that the olde Roman Church did defend and maintaine the cause of Iovinian But I haue in many places already answered this accusatiō and therefore I retort vpon you that seeing your imputations be furnished with malice spite rather then truth and spirit my sixt resolution is to acknowledge with thankfulnesse duty comfort the truth of God defended in this Church of England from whence rather out of a desire to maligne thē out of strength of argument to repugne you are fallen by contumacy in action and heresie in opinion Mr LEECH The seauenth Motiue The Protestants accommodate their Religion vnto the state and present time AS the formes of Ecclesiasticall gouernments are varied by the Calvinists in sondry places according vnto the state vnder which they liue so their Doctrines are framed according to the times and made sutable vnto the policy of their common wealths Pipe state and dance Church Religion must haue no coat otherwise then measure is taken by the State Aiust experience whereof I had in the passage of this businesse For as the more grosse and senselesse Calvinists in England do Heretically confound Evangelicall Counsailes with Legall Precepts so others more regardfull of the time wherein they liue then of the truth which they should professe doe willingly yeeld for if they should doe otherwaies they should speake against their iudgement and conscience that this distinctiō is founded in the gospell and propounded by the Church but they say that it is not a doctrine seasonably to bee delivered in these times And might not this statizing reason aswell plead for Arrius his damnable Heresie being more generally disaffected by the state in those times Contra Lucifer dum totus mundus ingemuit sub Arrianismo as S. Hierom speaketh But I considered first that truth is not to be impugned suppressed is the common fury of Calvinists hath euer sought to extinguish it to the vttermost of their power in which respect I found my selfe extraordinarily affected for the reiection of their heresie in this behalfe And I trust it was not without speciall motion of that spirit which breatheth in the whole body of the Catholike church and consequently in every member of the same Secondly though time beare the blame yet men are in the fault therfore seeing that the opē enemies of truth did barke when her secret friends did holde their peace I conceived that it was my duty rather to change the time from evill into good then to suffer it to grow from evill in to worse And though some men assisted with power to punish that which their peevish fansie disaffected did beare me downe by violence yet I tooke no lesse comfort by this iniurie which they offred vnto me thē courage by the course which they held against my doctrine For I saw that they rather observed prophane policie to force me vnto silence then either shew of iustice or piety in proceeding against my falsely supposed crime or waight of reason in convincing my vnderstanding And why they are the slaues of time but not disciples of truth ANSVVER HOw true this imputation vrged against vs is in the Romane Religiō some parts of the Christian world see and others feele it Leo that kinsman of the roaring Lyon when he was about to go in visitation to his infernall cosen confessed how much worth to his purse fabula Christi that tale of Christ was as he blasphemously called the gospell And is it any better esteemed at this day among Papists at lest haue they not enioined tales and fables and lies to bee beleeved as well as the Gospell Indulgences and Purgatory to go no farther be they not only invented to get mony doth the Pope ever keepe fire but he hath his fuell from Purgatory Is not this doctrine of Monkery only invēted to humor divers melācholike fat paūches If our land were a poore Coūtrey the Pope would never keep such a stirre it is not to gaine souls but Peter pence And to sum vp all in one word all religion depends on the Popes pleasure That as in the Metaphysickes the vtmost proposition is Nihil simul est non est so in Popish divinity the vtmost resolution is Papa non potest errare Wherefore Bellarmine holdeth Question of Supremacy which all the world seeth to be but a matter of Policie Bellarm. in praef ad 3 cōtrovers to be summam rei Christianae who then are the statizers To say nothing of your Iesuits that manage al the affaires of those Princes in whose Courts like Salomons Spiders they remaine Our Religion is the same which the Apostles did teach was in practise in the Primitiue Church happy is the state in which this true Religion flourisheth your distinction of Precepts and Counsels hath beene sufficiently cāvased and you haue been taught in what sense wee retaine the name of Counsell and that S. Austin calleth your Consilia perfectionis Aug. lib. de perfect iustitiae ad coelestinum praecepta perfectionis It is a slander by which you seek to deceiue by your speech of accusing any of our part as if they did professe that your doctrine was true but not seasonable for these times We hold that all places and all times must entertaine truth and therfore your first collection is false Calvinists extinguish not truth Rome doth racke burne torture the Gospell and the truth therof but we feare the punishmēt of sinning against conscience and knowledge if wee should suppresse but the lest truth we behold it with an impartiall eie we represse not the professors but adversaries thereof of which number you were accounted one Your second Collection which hath more sound then sense is easily refuted time beareth no blame for truth secret enemies may looke against her open friendes but wisdome will bee iustified and though Sathan seek to sow bad seed in good ground yet the Lords busbandmen sleepe not but will reforme ill by good refute that is false
by faith Your last close concerning men assisted with power to punish you disaffected by peevish fancy is meerely false it was not peevish fancie as your Popish folly tearmeth it but it was religious piety policy that disaffected reiected your doctrine the power of Scripture of Fathers of all authority assisting them Rage not courage strengthned you and therefore Iustice and Religion did censure punish you and God wil without your repentance plague you for your vile and violēt tearms against the disciples of truth your selfe being a fellower of blindnes and a hater of goodnes In the meane time this is my 7 confirmation that our doctrine is true Religion and Catholique seeing they that seeke to disgrace it be either statizing Politiques or slaundering Heretiques able to say little in shewe lesse in sense least in truth Mr LEECH The eight Motiue The Protestantes can patiently suffer the articles of the Creede c. to be violated but they are severe in those things that repugne their vtility or sensuality whatsoever EVery truth in respect of God revealing it and the Church propoūding it is of equall necessity to be beleeved howbeit in respect of the matter it selfe one truth may be of greater consequence and dignity then an other And yet it is not the greatnes of the matter it selfe but the manner of revealing which tieth vs to a necessity of beliefe I will instance in this present busines The distinction of Evangelicall Counsailes from Legall Precepts is a truth to be accepted vpon necessity of salvation Why because it is sufficiently revealed vnto vs by God and fullie propounded by the Catholique Church so that it is either wilfull ignorance not to know it or extreame obstinacy to withstand it But yet the Articles of the Creede which are the first elements of faith commended vnto vs by Apostolicall tradition may iustly be reputed more waighty in respect of the matter which is handled therein as namely the descent of Christ into hell Which article of faith is admirably perverted by the Ministers in England un so much as 3. or 4 sondry opinions thereof are freely and vncontroulably deliuered by them vnto their simple flockes I might instance in their different opinions about the Sacraments and other high misteries of saluation wherin fanaticall spirits expatiate without any reproofe But I willingly pretermit these and come to other particular points of doctrine which I preached amōgst them without impeachment First against Caluin his hereticall Autotheisme destroying the vnity of the divine essence I taught with the Nicene Creede and all antiquity that Christ is Deus de Deo hauing the same substance that is in the Father really communicated vnto him in his eternall generation Secondly with S. Gregory Damascen the Greek Latine Church I taught that Christ assumed our nature perfit and complete in the very instant of his conception contrary to the absurd opinion of diuerse Calvinisticall Protestants who avouch that his incarnation was by tēporall degrees and not by entire perfection in an instant Thirdly that God was only the permissiue not any impulsiue cause of sinne though Calvin blaspheme to the contrary and deride the distinction Fourthly Christ crying out Deus meus Deus meus c was not in a traūce he suffred no torments of hell died not by degrees as though his senses decayed by little and little but in perfit sense paine obedience patience humility constancie he rendred vp his righteous soule a voluntary sacrifice for sin But the common opinion of Calvinists is contrary vnto this position Fiftly Filius spiritus sanctus quoniam non sunt a se diem horam iudicij nesciūt a se pater autem quoniam a se est scit a se Hilar. in Mat. Respectu ordinis non teporis Lib. epist 8. c. 42. In Marc. 13.32 Christ was not ignorant of the day of iudgement either as God or man not as God for though he knew it not primarily originally as of himselfe being not God of himselfe yet did he know it secondarily by way of communication from the Father Not as Man for though hee did not know it Ex naturâ humanitatis yet did he know it In naturâ humanitatis as S. Gregory distinguisheth And this doctrine is contrary to Calvin his blasphemous glosse to wit Christus communem habuit cum Angelis ignorantiam These and many such like doctrines directly opposite to Calvin his tenents as he is cōtrary to truth for though his disciples call him a great light of the gospel yet I rather approue the censure of D. Hunnius Calvin Iudaiz a famous Lutheran saying that Calvin is an Angell of darknesse could passe vnnoted and vncontroled by my Calvinian Iudges and all other adherents vnto that faction Why then is this distinction of Precepts Coūsailes so hatefull vnto the Calvinists Alas it toucheth their coppy hold most of them being either married men or bending that way and therefore let Sacraments Christ Church c be abused nay let many points of Catholique doctrine be preached by Orthodox divines yet they are more attentiue vnto the suppression of this truth the like which doth more directly concerne their carnall pleasure and worldly profit For they that haue sold themselues to be the exact vassals of their owne affections and other mens wils are carefull to provide against any thing right or wrong true or false which may be preiudiciall therevnto rather attending what it is which will maintaine their sensuality thē what is orthodox in sound divinity ANSVVER The dignity of truth with the necessity of every truth we preach but this distinctiō so oft idle and vnnecessarily repeated I passe over as ever holding that they be Evangelicall precepts The Article of Christ his descēt into hell is not perverted by our ministers it is beleeued taught by vs witnesse Mr Rogers in his booke The Catholique doctrine of the Church of England Mr Perkins on the Creed our Articles concluded vpon in Convocation and other bookes in this kinde Bellar. de Anima Christi l. 4. cap. 6. §. quaeritur Bellarmin de anima Christi lib. 4. cap. 6. § quaeritur 2. saith thus Omnes conveniunt quòd Christus aliquo modo ad inferos descenderit Of the maner only of this descending if there bee some doubt there was the like also among the Fathers and so Bellarmine also in the place before cited declareth that aboue threescore Creedes of the ancient Fathers Councells leaue out this Article yet Luther Brentius the Centuriasts retaine it and Calvin cited by Bellarmin lib. 2. Inst cap. 16. § 8. dicit hunc articulum in praecipuis habendum The schoolemen agree not on it Durand 3. sent dist 22. quaest 3. Durand 3. sent dist 22. quaest 3. is confuted by Bellarmin in his booke de anima Christi lib. 4. cap. 15. So that if this be a motiue to forsake vs it should also bee a motiue for you to
owne fellowes as this the advantage is small to take vp a tearme of contumely from any hot-brained railer to cast vpon the name of this Angell of his Church Your Paradoxes did not passe vnnoted both because of the rudenesse of the delivery of them the vnaptnesse of the tearmes as also your ignorance that as you would not truely preach as a Protestant so you knewe not how neatly to play the Papist All of any note noted your absurdity and insufficiencie either to shew yourselfe a friend or an enemie You aske why this distinction was so hatefull I answere the distinction so vsed as the Fathers interpreted was not denied but the cōsequēces of it as you vrged it were harmefull therefore hatefull Not because so many of our Religion be married for howsoever marriage is a most honorable state how many hundreds in our Vniversity haue consecrated themselues to God in the Ministrie that abhorre your opinion and yet be not matched or married but the cause of the contempt and loathing of the Doctrine is that it was derogatory to the law of God to the Church of God to the sonn of God a doctrine that hath bewitched many and led them Captiues into the habitation of darknesse the Cell or Hell of blindnesse a doctrine whose roote is heresie whose trunk vncommanded privacie whose branches be infidelity against truth violating the law contemning the Precept whose leaues be pertinacity hypocrisie whose fruits be idlenesse drowsinesse filthinesse This is the cause of the suppressing and choaking of this and such continuing weeds of heresie that seek growth in our Church no other cause of pleasure or profit God and his Angells be witnesses They that haue sould themselves to worke wickednes with greedinesse looking for the reward of Balaams wages are ready to resist all truth and if it fall within compasse of their itching humor willing to get a name will be the Patrons of bewitching error And therefore here I fasten my right constant determination to avoid that religion that corrupteth the knowledge with blindnesse and the heart with hardnesse Mr LEECH The ninth Motiue The Protestants doe vnconscionably impugne the knowne and manifest truth SInce the controversies of Religion are many in number and intricate in nature it was my desire from the beginning of my paines in the study of sacred Theology to finde out the true Church that so I might referre my selfe vnto her decision and rest within her bosome For which cause I wholly employed my selfe in turning ouer the volums of the ancient Fathers and whatsoever I found clearely expressed by their vniforme testimony I accepted that according to Vincentius his rule as the iudgement of the Church Among other Doctrines which seeme Popish vnto the new Evangelists I receiued this particular from their instruction so clearly taught so conformably witnessed so iointly approued that if the grounds of Religion be not vncertaine then this Doctrine is absolutely free from all exception And for proofe hereof I remit me vnto the sētences of the Fathers wherewith I thought it meete to conclude this discourse Wherefore since they that glory in the Fathers wāt neither wit nor learning for this matter doe impugne this doctrine and punish her professours how can I think that they doe not fight against their conscience and reasō And how can I thinke that any truth will finde entertainement at their hands when this truth so potent so irrefragable is thus fondly reiected by my Calvinian iudges But whome haue they condemned me a brother somtimes of their gospell a graduat of their schooles a Minister of their Church No but in me and with mee reverend Antiquity the gray headed Fathers the venerable Doctors yea holy scripture it selfe is censured by my vnworthy iudges Wherefore as Ieremiah See Apolog. Iusti Calvin pag. 11. 12. the Patriarch of Constantinople wrote vnto the Lutherans so may I testifie and proclaime vnto these men The ancient divines who were the light of the Church you intreate at your owne pleasure honouring and extolling them in wordes but reiecting them in deed endeauoring to shake them out of our hands whose holy and divine testimonies we should vse against you We see that you will never submit your selues vnto the truth Finally as the Patriarch concludeth that hee will haue no entercourse with the Lutherans forasmuch as hee is taught by S. Paul to avoid an heretike after the first or second admonition so I being persecuted by men of this condition am bound to a void them knowing as S. Paul speaketh that such as they are condemned by their owne iudgements ANSVVER THE controversies in Religion are many hence great alterations haue beene moved in Europe great changes through the world Controversies were in abundance raised by the infection of the smoake of the bottomlesse pit divers armies of Hereticks vanquished by the Reverend fathers yet al these as if but half dead are againe revived by Antichrist only this is the difference the former Heretikes were cōfuted because they opposed the fathers these later wiser in their generatiō seeke to confute all other that oppose them by the Fathers Each man among them at first asketh the way to the Church no Church can serue them but Rome that is their parish Church all other but Chappels they obserue not the alteration of many Christian nations from the sea of Rome or the occasion of this revolt the declination of that sea from the sincerity of the faith and the vnspeakeable corruption thereof Which seperatiō was made vpō these two groūds first because Rome did persecute the professors of this reformatiō with al bloody massacres secōdly because that Antichristian sea would admit no reformation of her corruptiōs but grew vncurable according to that of the Prophet We would haue cured Babilon but shee would not be healed And such hath beene the growth of this Reformation the Lords most holy name for ever be praised that the Church hath recovered more health in one age then shee had lost in two and the Romane Synagogue left infected as that it hath not only drunke the cup of all others abominations but breedeth heresies in it selfe inwardly and hath received such poysons by ambition such corruptions by want of reformation and such indelible markes of Antichrist by continuall persecution outwardly as now it is made plaine to all the world shee is not the Church But the Question of the church you aske of the fathers It is a worthy speech of Iob aske the fathers and they shall tell thee but how vnhappy is hee that perverteth all he readeth or that stomacke that turneth all into poisō that it receiveth you say you bestowed your whole time in turning over the volumes of the Fathers you did turne them indeed frō their meaning it was no more cōmēdable thē the cōtinuall praying of the Eutichae or the cōtinual reading of the Pharisies the one without care senselesse the other without knowledge fruitlesse and both superstitions
but Ecclesiasticum in which point you were most vnsound vouchsafed not to afford so much vnto the Kings most royall Maiestie as Hart doth who in the end of the Conference thus cloaseth out of S. Austin D. Rain conf with Hart. c. ◠10. fol. 589. Kings do serue God in this as Kings if in their own Realme they commande good things and forbid evill not only concerning the civill state of mē but the Religion of God also and thus much saith hee I subscribe to I omit here to lengthen my discourse by inserting any speech cōcerning the Oath The Apology where of seeing Maiesty hath so divinely and powerfully delivered As also that the grounds of all that can be said are so exactly long since proved by that Reverend father of our Church the Bishop of Winchest now of late in the divers answers to the snarling Curres that barke at the Ecclesiastes of our Salomon I also omit purposely the quotation of your Cath. Divine against the exquisite labours of that most Reverend and most iudiciously learned Sir Edward Cook because others of eminent place either haue already perfited or very shortly wil silence your Catholique diuine Your profession that you attribute as much to his Maiestie as the law Temporall requireth not dissēting from the law divine is false The law divine doth giue vnto Caesar place vpō earth next vnto God And from the vertue of that law is derived the oath of English men for the KINGS Maiestie against the Pope 2. Kings 11.4 vsurping part of his right as well as Iehoiada of the men of Iuda for Ioas their King against Athalia that vsurped his state And doe you presume to moderat this title of Supremacy I would from my soule that I might moderate your title of Traytor It is too much to be an Apostate an Adversary but in this kinde to offēd it is an offence with a high hand You see thē that the Doctor had good reason to susspect you whē you translated your selfe frō the title of subiection the KINGS Maiestie as much as in you lyeth frō his lawful dominiō You shoot at Calvin in your margine and againe and at the Doctor in your Text the Reverend Doctor is scholler to none but Christ though he and all honest men doe reverence blessed Calvin And Calvin in the place quoted reproveth not the title of Head as Protestants graunted it but in that sense which Popish Prelats gaue it him namely Stephen Gardiner who did vrge the title of Head so as if he had meant thereby that the KING might doe things in Religion according to his own will and not see them done according to Gods will Wherefore cease that calumny and quench that tongue which setteth on fire the course of nature and is inflamed by hell fire You were not oppugned by any flattering devise or spiteful malice as you affirme but by truth and faith alleagiance to God and the King Hence I ground my tenth pillar that their religion is bad who possessed with malitious recusancy and treacherous Apostasie speake evill of those that bee in authority and yeeld not Caesar that which is Caesars or vnto God that which is Gods Mr LEECH The eleuenth Motiue The Protestants manner of proceedings against Catholiques and Catholique Religion is absurd in reason and vnequall in Iustice And hence they are proued to be Heretikes IN my perusall of the ancient Fathers and Ecclesiasticall histories I did very often obserue these two things First that the Catholike Church had wisdome to discerne Hereticall innovations Secondly that she had power to enact necessary lawes for the suppression thereof so that an Heresie could not escape hir censure nor an Hereticke hir iustice If Popery therefore be Heresie and Papists Hereticks as some fanatically brand them then surely the Catholike Protestanticall Church is able to shew that she in all ages hath impugned this Heresie and that she hath her proper lawes to proceed against Hereticall offendours If not so then doubtlesse she is no more Catholique then the furious Congregations of Donatists Arrians and such like who afflicted the true Church against all order of iustice being neuer able to shew any Catholike predecessors who maintained their opinions nor any lawes made by them to correct the impugners thereof That this is the condition of Protestants I am a witnesse by their disorderly proceeding against the Doctrine which I delivered out of the conforme testimonies of the Church For whereas it pleased my Calvinian iudge to call it Popish erroneous false lying absurd Doctrine they could not reproue it otherwaies then Arrians and Donatists that is to say by reiecting the Fathers and by a tumultuous processe without any legall course And though I required them to deale with me as with an Heretique by refelling my doctrine and by proceeding Canonically against me yet they oppressed mee with authority alone hauing their will for reason and their power for iustice But for asmuch as I haue such abundant proofe for the verity of my doctrine and that their opinion is condemned in the Church for no lesse then Heresie Ambr. 10. lib. epist epist 80 81. by Syricius Bishop of Rome and a Counsaile there by S. Ambrose Bishop of Millain and a Counsaile there I appeach them confidently as Heretikes for embracing Iovinianisme as Heretikes for contemners of Antiquity and therefore as Heretikes culpable of singular pride Which infamy if they can wash away from themselues by learning and honesty then I will retract my sentence and confesse my selfe to be an Heretke for the one of vs must needes be Heretikes howsoeuer every ingenuous indifferent man must needes confesse that they did not carry themselues as they should haue done to proue mee guilty of this crime ANSVVER In your abusall of the Ancients you observed much and deserved little for it because it was farre from their meaning to speak as you desired to teach them Your two observations here be good I cōfesse but ill applyed For the Catholike Church being the same with our Protestants in all ages hath impugned the heresies which Papists mainetaine The Valentinians worshipped the Crosse and were condemned as Hereticks saith Irenaeus The Carpocratians worshipped Images they were condemned for hereticks Iren. lib. 1. Aug. haeres 7. saith S. Austin Collyridiam hereticks for adoring the Virgin Mary Angelici hereticks for adoring the Angels Pelagians hereticks for holding perfectiō Priscilianists heretickes for mental reservatiō Maniches herteicks forbidding to eate flesh Tatians and Montanists forbidding marriage and Anthropomorphites painting God in similitude of a man Are not these all by Austin Irenaeus and Epiphanius and others condemned bee not all these positions by the Church of Rome maintained For our Catholicke Protestāt Predecessors the fathers of the first 500. yeeres are ours and from thence a continuall succession of learned faithfull couragious teachers in all the following ages as Mr White in his learned Chronologicall collection in
the 50. Paragraph of his way to the true Church doth proue And that we haue had the assistance of Councels in al ages to make laws against such positions witnesse the Greek Church against Bonif. his Supremacie the 6. generall Councell decreeing the marriage of Priests the generall Councell of Constantinople vnder Leo Isamus against Images the Councell of Constantinople vnder Constantine Capronymus of Franckford vnder Charles the great the second Nicene Councel and many others This doctrin of yours was repugned by doctrinall and legall authority and without reiecting of the fathers we reiected your Doctrines we maintaine that they never received it with Arrians or Donatists wee reiect not the fathers All that shall see the premises will witnesse that you were dealt with legally according to the statuts of our Vniuersity for the breach of that order which inhibited you to forbeare preaching this doctrine againe as also you were censured Canonically for infrindging that Canon made against the publicke oppositions of Preachers Your Pope Syricius and his Councell taxe no position that we hold if Ambrose had any more then what Doctor Benefield hath fully satisfied you had before this produced it Sathan was at your elbow when you wrote that hereticall imputation of singular pride and therefore you are culpable of iudgement if not of further punishment Stand to your promise come backe confesse repent retract if you be not convinced by truth which stirreth in your conscience and moaneth that you haue so repressed her then for ever forget the name of any thing but Hereticke Otherwise this shall be my 11. Motiue to abhorre that Religion that doeth so possesse any that they grow resolute in evill actiōs peremptory in talking fastidious in hearing hard-harted in obeying hypocriticall in professing the worde of God Mr LEECH The twelfth Motiue The superiour Magistrates amongst the Protestants concurre with their subordinates to suppresse the truth and to oppresse the patrones thereof against all equity and conscience Though there be a very neere connexion betwixt the superiour and inferiour Magistrate yet since all Magistracie is ordained for the conservation of truth and iustice aswell in the Church as in the common wealth nay much more in the first then in the second it is very requisite that the superiour shoulde yeelde redresse where the inferior hath done a wrong and that rather respecting the cause then the persons hee should minister equity vnto both with an impartill hand For which consideration when my petty iudges had oppressed me according to their owne humours and passions I appealed vnto my Lord of Canterbury his Grace in regard of his Academicall soveraignty over me and them being our honourable Chancellour and much more in respect of his Archiepiscopall dignity he being the Primat of our Church perswading my felfe also that as he is more high in place so he would haue beene more equal in iustice and specially in this cause since his Grace hath sufficientlie manifested himselfe and hath beene so generally reputed to be averse from Calvinisme Tempora mutantur nos mutamur in illis and my hope was that his present place had not changed his former vnderstanding To whom though I truely vnfolded the whole businesse and acquainted him with all circumstances therevnto belonging yet his Grace seeming to favour Calvins opinion but how conscionably it shall bee now referred vnto the iudge of all the world and he will reveale it in the appointed time put me of with continuall delaies But his Grace had iust reason to expect a strong resolution in me since I did appeale vnto him to doe me iustice only and much more to giue his verdict vpon the doctrine it selfe For otherwaies no favour nor benefit whatsoever could yeeld contentment vnto my greived soule I leaue it vnto others to consider how his Grace standeth affected vnto truth as for me I trust that I haue given a sufficient demonstration on my part that I would rather loose my liberty of speech then that shee should want my vttermost defence Here the indifferent Reader may also conceiue with me that if my doctrine had beene liable vnto a iust censure then surely his Grace would haue made no stay to cōdemne it in solemne manner especially since it was so publiquely taught so earnestly defended by me and since I did now entirely desire him to doe me iustice without any fauour But since this Doctrine was not subiect vnto his condemnation why then had his Grace so little reverence vnto the eternall truth of God and so smale respect of mee that he would suffer it to bee so indignely censured by his vicegerent and leaue me helplesse from such iniurious oppression his pretenses to the contrary if he haue any are nothing but smoaky euaporations I am nothing and worse then nothing But I pleaded for iustice In what In a point of faith When being violently oppressed Before whom my most proper iudge to whom the decision of these things doth most fitly appertaine For what ende the honour of God and his gospells sake which I truely delivered and for which I was shamefully intreated ANSVVER THis 12 and last motiue serveth rather to fill the number then the matter wherin is a Rhapsodie of insolent indiscretion and malapart irreligion wronging the living memorie of a dead monument of most honorable and reverend estimation the late worthie Chancellour of this Vniversitie who beeing appointed for the conservation of truth and iustice did iustifie the proceedinges of his worthie and onlie Vicechancellour and therfore you call in question his Truth first and then his Iustice For any aversenes in him frō Calvinisme by which you mean the Protestants religion it is to say no more of it a biting slander vnfit to proceede from the mouth of a Minister In another man it is a double sinne against his owne soule and doth proue him guilty not only of malitious slander to revile the innocent but of impudent and infamous libelling to dishonor the name of a personage so truely reverend But in a Minister it is not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Philo speaketh not a twofold but a manifold offence bad in intent in act in example in consequence c. His workes follow him his iudgement proved him to be sound by his preferment of those that were sound by his government repressing the opinions censuring the Authors of any positions vnsound by his deere and neere respect of those that he foresaw were like to stand in the gap couragiously and victoriously against the Popish Philistims Truth hath lost a defender and the Church a father the one he maintained by precepts and constitutions the other he defended not only with praiers petitions but as Paul spake cū lachrymis suspirijs with sighes lamentations to see howe the venomous Gangren of Atheisme doth infect this age some flying frō the religion of the church others stealing from the possession of our Church thereby incurring that curse
of eradication to bee rooted out of their possessions whereas otherwise their daies might haue been long in the land which the Lord their God had given thē The most Reverend but now deceased much lamēted Prelat did not by chāge of place chāge his thoughts your intimation is base and false to make the worlde beleeue any other affection in his Grace towardes Religion then what God and man approved openly so by the sequel of your busines it is manifest Where in your second limb of that mōstrous accusation is against his Iustice his approbation of the Vniversitie censure was as much as another condemnation of you pretenses his grace needed not for maine reasons wanted not his experience of the truth knowledge wisedome iudgement and goverment of his vicegerent and the worlds experience of his Graces prudent and eminent carriage in all his high and honourable imployments do free them both from your imputations and returne you your smoaky evaporations a Phrase lent you from the sulphureous fume of the bottomlesse pit But you conclude that you are nothing and worse then nothing The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of your booke sheweth that you are somewhat more then nothing the only argumēt to serue your turne to proue the Pope to be God is because he can make something of Purgatory which is nothing I could turn this vpon you but I forbeare and only returne to your owne figure How pleaded you for Iustice With stubborne tumultuous quarellous disobediēce In what In a point derogatory to the Iustice and Law of God When Then when you oppressed truth reiected your faith disobeyed your Iudge beganne to forsake your Church Before whom In the open face of heaven in the presence of God men and Angels in the holie place the pulpit in the best place on the best day For what end the dishonor of God the disgrace of his law which you accused of insufficiencie and imperfection Thus you did delude and were deluded for this these Reverēd Doctors haue beene by you iniuriously traduced That I may truely say no Revolter ever did offer more scandall in generall to our Church or slander in particular to so many worthy members thereof Mr LEECH TO M. DOCTOR KING DEANE OF Christ-Church in Oxford and Vicechancellour of the Vniversitie H. L. wisheth health and salvation in Christ IESVS SIR though your will was your law to punish me without my offence yet it shall not bee your sanctuary to defend your selfe without more sufficient reason For as you convented me before a selected Calvinian assembly so now I convent you and them before all men in the assured confidence of my good cause and in the comfortable peace of my sincere heart And since you dealt with me as a Magistrate by the strength of your authority you must giue mee leaue now to deale with you as a Scholler by the validity of arguments Finally because I wish your future happinesse I cannot omit to acquaint you with your present miserie which I will lay forth before your eies in Syllogisticall manner and then I will referre you vnto the consultation of your owne heart Whatsoever doctrine is founded vpon Scripture according to the conformable opinion of the ancient Church that is a point of Catholike faith But the doctrine of Evangelicall Counsailes is founded vpon Scripture according to the conformable opiniō of the ancient Church Therefore the Doctrine of Evangelicall Counsailes is a point of Catholique faith The Maior is a maxime in all Christian schooles The Minor is proued by the ensuing testimonies of the Fathers whose vniforme verdict in this behalfe is the iudgement of the Church Whosoeuer doth obstinately impugne any point of Catholique faith he is an heretike But Doctour Kinge D. Aglionby D. Airay D. Hutton D. Benefield c. do obstinately impugne a point of Catholique faith Therefore D. Kinge D. Aglionby c. are heretikes De haeres ad Quod-vult D. in perorat The Maior is granted by all men of iudgement and is confirmed by S. Augustines rule The Minor is proued by their own proceedings against me in this particular Every heretike is bound to recant his heresie or else he is liable to the punishment decreed in the Canonicall law of the Church But D. King D. Aglionby c. are heretickes Therefore D. King D. Aglionby c. are bound to recant their heresie or else they are liable to the punishment decreed in the Canonicall law of the Church The Maior is cleare of it selfe The Minor is proued already And because it shall appeare yet more sensibly I pray you to consider that whosoeuer reiecteth the ioint consent of Fathers in a point of doctrine as D. King doth herein he is an hereticke and this I will breefly declare by foure evidences FIRST Epist 1. ad Leon. cap. 1. by the testimony of Flavianus Patriarch of Constantinople saying Haeretici est praecepta Patrum declinare instituta eorum despicere In Concil Chalced. SECONDLY by the testimony of Eudoxius admitted in a generall Councell qui non consentit sacrosanctorum Patrum expositionibus alienat se ab omni sacerdotali communione a Christi praesentia See Sozom. l. 7. c. 12. THIRDLY by the proceedings of the most Christian emperour Theodosius against the proud distracted Hetikes who would not submit themselues vnto the iudgements of the venerable Fathers See Vincent Lit. cap. 41. FOVRTHLY by the practise of the Ephesine Counsaile against Nestorius who was iudged an heretike not only in regard of the matter itselfe Veterum interpretum scripta perdiscere dedignatus est See Socrat. l. 7. c. 32. NOTA. wherein he erred damnably but in regard of the manner and tryall by the holy Fathers which his contemptuous spirit did vtterly decline Many also of those Fathers by whose testimony the cause was then handled against Nestorius are the very same whose verdicts I shall now produce against D. King and against his abettours whosoeuer ANSVVER TO Mr. HVMFREY LEECH LATE Minister now Revolter SIr it is Salomons counsel in the 4. verse of the 26. Chap. of Proverbs not to answer some sort of mē yet in the next verse he adviseth to answer such lest they TRIVPMH in their owne eies Vpō the instruction of the former verse this worthy Deane intends to contēne rather then answer and yet wisheth you lesse presūption greater knowledg lesse sophistry more honesty but vpō the directiō of the insuing vers I the weakest of many yet strōg enough for this cause haue vpon reasons of some importance vndertaken to confute your calumnies to cleere the truth to cōfirme the faithfull In Christian Policy you were to be answered and in common charity you are to bee counselled hereafter to care what you write whom you revile so to rule your pen and order your tongue that you be not iudged either in this worlde or in the future or in both for a prostituted cōsciēce if not a
hardned hart In that presumptuous speech that will was the law to punish you without an offence yet shall not be the sanctuary to defend that Reverende Governour that censured you you are much offensiue to truth It was your ignoraÌ„ce that betrayed you the offence coÌ„deÌ„ned you the law did ceÌ„sure you Now you are far of you veÌ„t your gall like vnto Gall his reproach against Abimelek when he supposed him far enough from him Who is Abimelek and who is Shechem that wee should serue him Your threats be blasts he needs no sanctuary that hath so many in the eares and hearts of the most honoured and best affected of this lande And though you presume to CoÌ„vent him yet at this time a farre meaner man shall discharge him You desire leaue to deale as a scholler it is wel you wil aske leaue that you neglect not all duty to your Master but I assure you it is generally beleeved that if any thing in your whole book be truely your own it appeareth in the validity of these argumeÌ„ts framed so sophistically as if you had only learn'd logike by that rude prescriptioÌ„ Discere si cupias Logicam discas Titlemannum Ille Sophistarum crimina pandere vult Mr Wright complaines that none of our Protestants answer breefly and punctually you shall not need to complaine so In two wordes I answere your three arguments Negatur minor For ever you affirme as a Principle the thinges to be proued which manner of argumentation 2. Prior. c. 16. 8. Topic. 13. 1. soph 5. 2. Soph. 12. Aristotle reckons for a fallacy in many places and tearmes it by this name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a begging to haue that graunted which in the beginning was the maine controversie So Archimedes would moue the whole earth if he could obtaine a seperat standing from the earth which might not be And this is the dealing of all your Champions first they take this as graunted that the Church of Rome is the Catholike Church and then conclude that wee are the Heretiques which is the especiall point to bee proued In your first syllogisme your presumption rather theÌ„ assumption is faulty But the doctrine of Evangelicall Counsailes is founded vpon Scripture according to the conformable opinion of the ancient Church Was there any hope that this might passe vncontroled being the maine controversie of all But it is proued saie you by the ensuing testimonies of the Fathers but it is disproued say I both by that which hath beene said in this Tract as also in particular answer to every Father by D. Benefield that except you be more then perversly obstinate you will vndertake no more such challenges The minor in both your other syllogâ—smes assume that D. King D. Aglion by c. obstinately oppugn a point of Catholique faith and are heretiques and therefore must recant c. And your poore proofes bee their proceedings against you in this particular Alas doe you boast of reading Fathers Schoolemen Children Schooleboyes would be asham'd of such arguments which I easily returne againe in this manner Whatsoeuer doctrin is not fouÌ„ded vpoÌ„ scripture c. aut the doctrin of EuaÌ„gelical CouÌ„sels is not fouÌ„ded c Therefore the doctrine of Evangelicall Counsells is not a point of Catholike faith The syllogisme is good in the first figure by the rules of Logicke though the Minor be negatiue because the Maior is convertible The Minor is proued before in the right interpreting of the testimonies of the Scriptures Fathers which you manifestly wrested and perverted Whosoever doth obstinately maintaine any point of doctrine contrary to Catholique faith is c. But Mr Leech doth obstinately maintaine a point of doctrine contrary to Catholike faith Therefore Mr Leech is an heretique The Maior is graunted by all men of iudgement and it is taught by the same rule of Austin The Minor is proued by his owne proceedings in this particular Every hereticke as in your owne words c. But Mr Leech is an heretike c. Therefore Mr Leech c. The Maior is cleere of it selfe The Minor is proued already and your foure evidences that follow are evidently turned vpon your selfe Thus Baals Priests launce themselues and Saul falleth on his owne sword And in full satisfaction that it may appeare to all men that we suppresse not the truch we reiected not the Fathers for though by the rule of Vincentius and the graunt of Bellarmin all learned Papists wee are only to receiue the vniforme consent of the Fathers yet in this you haue neither all nor the most nor any places pregnant for your doctrine as is manifest by the answere to them and the interpretation of the Fathers To your fourfold evidence In praef com lib. Mosis I might returne First the authority of Cardinall Caietan thus God hath not tied the exposition of the Scripture vnto the sense of the Fathers Andrad defens fidei Trid. lib. 2. Secondly the iudgemeÌ„t of Andradius that they spake not Oracles when they expounded the Scriptures that the oversights of the translation which they followed must needes cause theÌ„ to miste sometimes the right meaning of the holy Ghost Turrecrem In c. sancta Romana d. 15 nu 4. Possev Bibl. select l. 12. c. 23. Thirdly what Turrecremata hath deliuered herein thus At this day there be many things found in the Fathers deseruing no credit Fourthly what Possevine coÌ„cludeth somethings in the Fathers wherein vnwittingly they dissented from the Church are iudged and condemned I could vrge for your foure fortie of your own that doe disclaime the authoritie of Fathers your graÌ„d Iurie is answered so fully by D. Benefield that as no man can say more so I hope it will make you say much lesse I denied not these 4 authorities you here bring but I deny that they bee applied to the present for in all the course of your testimonies we denied no Fathers but interpreted all And now Mr LEECH let me tell you your vndeceiueable Iudge doth see you and wee both must receiue our censure at another barre Once one church held vs in an honourable function one Vniversitie in a loving Communion one Towne the flowrishing and happy and chiefe Towne of our Shire in a kinde participation of all good offices But you are departed Now you are gone you haue broken all these leagues nay more broken your covenant with God in the Ministry of his Church Shame the Devil forsake your stepmother satisfie the world saue your soule We shal wish you but not misse you weep for you but not want you VnderstaÌ„d not amisse good reader for nothing is so contrary to the will consent as error Had these offers beene proposed these propositions had never beene refused First hee only proposed out of a Popish peevish writer these extracted or rather extorted authorities and would never condiscend to answer the point as a scholler in disputation Secondly it was disproved by a publike lecture it was maintained against him by the Reverend Doctors his Iudges that neither Scriptures nor Orthodoxe fathers were for him Thirdly it was manifest that to preach Perfection in this life especially Angelicall integrity was at the least Pelagianisme heresie coÌ„demned by the Fathers and Ancient Church Fourthly that this doctrine being the grounde of workes of supererogation merit c. was plainely against the position of our Church as Doctor Benefield in private conference offered to proue The scandals therefore be full of iniquity which you impose on the Reader if hee beleeue your advertisement I wish you may finde more acceptance before God in the day of retribution then your words are like to finde with any True harted ChristiaÌ„s Seeing error conceived them humor produced them FINIS CHristian Reader this booke was long since promised my attendance was the cause of the stay but at length it is finished I had rather with Cato craue pardon for my fault in doing this then keepe my selfe cleere from committing this fault for I haue herein satisfied the importunity which imposed it on me and the necessity of the cause which drew me to it In the Triumph that is proued true which Tully spake of Athenagoras Of his offence hee spake nothing but complained of his punishment There was small cause of the Authors flying lesse of his reviling His reproachfull tearmes defiling and besmearing those many and worthy Divines I could haue returned in the same language hardly can any that shall answer him avoid it without calumny or so pay him his owne without note of infamy But in these labours nothing is to be more praied for then a sanctified spirit and therefore I haue as much as possibly I might avoided any thing that may seem contumelious or malitious It resteth that I find Christian and brotherly interpretation in this labor by those that shall pervse it My hast may betray the manner of my writing not the matter And it may be I shall find some such readers Hier Prooem in l. 2 coÌ„met in OseaÌ„ as S. Hierom did Alij saith he quasi parva contemnunt quicquid dixerimus contractare despiciunt alij magis aliorum silentium quà m nostrum studium probant quidam in eo se disertos arbitrantur doctos si alieno operi detrahant If such Readers meete with my booke I feare not If my book meet with such I care not The better sort I hope to find leaue attentiue and will pray for all meanes of their instruction in this world and salvation in the better world Errata Read Children p. 40. l. 16. metonymiam p. 113. l. 30. some acknowledge some denie p. 126. l. 10. Aetnam p. 131 l. 9. quo seniores eo saniores 193. l. 5. Ambigne p. 195. l. 15. quod 227. l. 4. editions p. 336. l. 19. Norris l 24.
doctrin of the Apostles though the Apostles doctrine was Scripture so we admit of no fundamentall interpretation to builde vpon but that which is approved by the sacred scriptures The place that you vrge out of Matthew Math. 18.17 Hee that will not heare the Church let him be tanquam Ethnicus you may vpō your better review finde it is spoken concerning those that refuse to heare the admonition or iudiciall censure of the Church not the glosse or interpretatiō of the Church Wee confesse the letter of Scripture was not nor the sense is of any privat inspiration and therefore trial which is made by the Scriptures is no privat iudgement but the publike cēsure of Gods spirit that speaketh openly in the Scriptures to all men And Basils rule shall bee ever the true practise of the true Church Basil de examin doctr part 1. Cons 5. that they that bee conversant in the Scriptures should examine all that is said whether it agreeth with Scriptures From a private interpretation not agreeing with the Canon of Scripture we fly because as you vrge out of Bernard Nonnulli adesse putant spiritum Acts and monuments by Mr Fox many thinke that they haue the spirit of God with them as they that in that Councell sang veni spiritus and an Owle was sent them they killed that spirit And many thinke they haue the spirit Nicol. Clau. disput de cōcil and yet shut out the spirit as the Councell of Pisa did You saie the sentence of Bernard striketh our religion as dead as a dore naile it is a clownish marginall you might haue learned amongst Scholers that a dore naile could not be said to be dead because it had never life Privat opinions with vs sway not each wel disposed mā submitteth himselfe to the censure of the Church wherein we liue our Church to the Scriptures and this wee make to be the last resolution Mr LEECH It is lawfull to followe the spirit in interpreting the Scripture but it must be the spirit of the Church that spirit of peace vnity charity that descended vpon the Apostles vnited for domus vna c. they abode all in one house a signe of externall charitie Mens anima vna one minde one soule for they had but one God one faith one Church Ancient Church Calvins and Luthers congregations a signe of internall spirituall vnity The same spirit ever since continued in the Church vnited in faith not divided in faction And wee may seeke for the sense of the scripture but where It must not be out of the stincking puddle of a private braine The aforesaid gentlemen c. but forth of the treasuring memory of the Church Christi Evangelio vim nō inferat humana praesumptio patrum semel definita non sunt iterum in dubium vocanda This is contrary to cursed Luther it is blessed Leo in his 94. Epistle let not humane presumption dare to offer violence vnto the Gospell of Christ for the constitutiōs of fathers once decreed are not further to bee questioned Nec definitiones eorum perpetuae commutandae quorum regulam secundum scripturam esse didicimus So speaketh Flavianus bishop of Constantinople in his Epistle to Pope Leo the first Neither are the perpetuall determinations of them to be changed whose rule we haue learned to agree with scripture ANSVVERE Vnity was the bond of Patriarkes Chariot of the Prophets refuge of the Apostles solace of the Saints and Character of Christians But is this belonging to them who abhorre vnity whose religion is rebelliō whose faith is faction as our Church litargie speaketh in the prayer against the conspiracies of Papists What part in vnity haue they that haue divided Christs Coate nay Christs body Christs Church Quis tulerit Gracchos de seditione loquentes Doe all the opinions in the world squadron themselues into so many divided factions as Papists Do not they like the Midianits sheath every man his sword in his neighbours side Cumel is against Suarez Bellarmine is invaded by Carerius for giuing to little to the Pope Marsilius and Father Paulus encounter him for giving to much Cardinall Columna striueth with Baronius Barelay with Boucher Antonius Augustine tilts against Gratian. That as Ieronymus de Cavallos hath set forth in the law his speculum aureum opinionum Communium contra communes so also in the diversitie of contradictions riotting one against another the sweet and mellifluous Author of the Peace of Rome whom I may tearme a library for a whole nation as Mirandula entitled another great scholler hath most amply delivered and sealed it with their own proofs Doct. Hall so also hath Crastovius in his booke Bellum Iesuiticū 205 contradictions of the Iesuits Pappus hath collected 237 differences in doctrine out of Bellarmine Laborious and reverend D. Willet proveth that there be 70 maine contradictions betweene the olde Papists and the new 37 among the Iesuits 57 points wherein Bellarmin is at strang variance with himself 39 essentiall contradictions of Popish religion 100 opposite Constitutions of the Popish Canons And many more might in this kinde bee registred wherein are divers assertions which are onely taile-tied as Sampsons Foxes with a firebrand betweene them but are head-severed wrenching one from another So that you are the divided factiō not we our difference only de fimbria non de toga yours de toga de corpore de Christo many ridiculous many blasphemous all erroneous We doe not seeke the sense of Scripture out of the stinking puddle of a privat brain as out of the Crows nest of your invention that impostumated phrase doth traduce vs nor doe wee by humane presumption offer violence to the Gospell of Christ as many thousand places in Popery bee abused as your blasphemous Pope who vpon that place Act. 2. Papa Clem. In Canonis cap. disertiss 12. quaest 1. Bellar. lib. 2. de sacram c. 1 Bell. Tom. 1. lib. 3. cap. 3. Bell. de Mon. Erant Apostolis omnia cōmunia addeth immo coniuges or your detorting Cardinal Tortus the Torturer of Scripture vpon that spiritus Domini ferebatur super aquas ergo Baptismus confert gratiam ex opere operato or againe vpon that Scripture Bibite ex hoc omnes id est saith hee omnes Apostoli or vpon that place vocauit nomen eius Enos coepit vocare nomen Domini ergo Enos fuit Monachus and infinite many more violences by him offred Your cursed epithet against Luther is full of hellish fury I doe assure my selfe that God blesseth where the Pope curseth and as sure I am blessed are they that die in the Lord and so is he for he resteth from his labours And was Luther cursed for denying some interpretations of the Fathers Did not Caietan as much In praef com in lib. Mosis in affirming that God had not tied the expositions of the Scriptures to the sēse of the Fathers And did not