of the Pontificians which reckon them in the second Classis of Authors prohibited which is the note of Papists bookes forbidden but whether they be or bee not the question is prooued without their testimonies which you may take or follow at pleasure 4. By those Authors that are vnquestionably theirs by them expunged by me vsed it appeareth euidently that the Church of Rome in point of Doctrine had need of reformation when they did so often and so many of them call for it before Martin Luther pressing and expressing it in their learned Writings which were printed at Rome Venice Madrill Paris and other Popish places 5. That their bookes were many of them examined before they came vnto the Presse and accordingly corrected in many places and afterwards printed permisses superiorum with these very notes which wee present vnto you 6. These Aduersaries of ours and Writers of theirs who write and speake many things in our behalfe forced by truth not inuited by charitie though their authoritie of it selfe were of small account yet they are to be esteemed and good reckoning is to be made of them when they speake in fauour of vs because their owne consciences freely and vncoactâ—dly induce them in such matters of weight to depose against themselues and against the oath of their owne confederacie and so rest condemned by their owne Records and guiltie of errour in themselues and iniquitie against God I. N. in his Preface to his learned Workes could any man if he had been hired haue spoken more properly and pertinently to our purpose I commend his iudgement and shall like it the better whilest I know him knowne him I haue and ere long we shall be better acquainted 7. The testimonie of these Writers by mee alleaged which vncoacted and forced by truth doe pleade for our Religion are pertinent and to the purpose for else what need had you to raze the Records and as it were to embezell their Writings 8. To say as some doe that our Mother the Church may correct her disobedient children and reduce them into the right way of truth when they reclaime or swarue from the truth may perhaps be true prouided that it bee knowne which is the true Church secondly that it haue a certaine infallible and inerrable rule whereby all doctrine must be squared and lastly that the Author bee sent for by himselfe or his friends his errour shewed and reasons conuicted But for the first you haue no Church if you haue lay the Pope aside whom you would faine make your inerrable Dictator and tell me where it is and who it is and wee shall haue some hope of agreement in this point Secondly as you haue no Church so you haue no certaine Rule to proceed by your doctrine is yet to seek your Religion to be made except transubstantiation your doctrine against Priests Marriage some few points more that are in some sort in some Councels concluded shew all points of your doctrine your additaments determined before the Councel of Trent you shal haue them for me As for the Councell of Trents determination it neither maketh our religion schismatical or heretical nor yours truly Catholike and Orthodoxe Lastly that which you practise vpon your owne Writers by way of expurgatioÌ„ is not done with their priritie but altogether against their wils and consents 9. It will not auaile the Papists to say that they purge not the words of the Text in any Romish-Catholike Author but some scattred Annotations in the Margent or Indices of some Writers I reply that the Indices and Margents speake nothing different from the text and whether the Text be not thorowly expunged and some whole sentences pages yea sixtie in follio together blotted out I referre my selfe to any indifferent Popish Arbiter to arbitrate and sentence this controuersie betweene vs for being reduced vnto a Controuersie of fact euery Lay Gentleman if his eyes be matches becommeth a fit Iudge of these Controuersies your owne Smith truly saith it and I beleeue it But you cry out still Shew vs the bookes printed accordingly as Auentinus Cranzius Ferus Espencaeus or Stella Let me see whether the sentences you speake of or those that you haue produced in this very booke be omitted or no I answere This obiection hath a good varnish or glasse set vpon it but glasse is brittle and varnish will not long hold to say the truth your men speak they know not what in defence of their Indices you haue their toungs and they haue your eares to pawne and which is more your soules and consciences What you heare your spirituall Gouernours say you beleeue assuredly what so you beleeue you are ready to depose if need be against your consciences For example If one of your spirituall fathers should tell you that the house at the Blacke-Friers fell vpon a Puritane Preacher and his Psalming Auditorie to bring Gods Iudgements vpon them would you not beleeue him Doubtlesse he is a Iesuite ergo impeccable or a Father of the Societie and therfore to be beleeued chiefely in ordine ad Deum Or what if another of the same Societie should bring you a booke of my Lord of Londons Legacy a Legacy without a Will or a Will but neuer prooued how gladly would you reade and receiue hugge and embrace it as the words of a dying Saul so lately so miraculously conuerted to the Romane Faith Yet Preston that is said to be his conuerter denieth it saith plainly in Peters word but with more truth I know not the man his eldest son that was with him his Chaplains seruants that were about him know no such things Let other meÌ„ coniecture what they will of this rumour if I might freely deliuer vnto you my conceite this false report was hatched first in the Spanish Embassadours house by him is was rumoured abroad beyond the Seas and by him and his it was bruted here in England I haue my reasons to thinke it and thinke it againe for that about the same time there was a booke either going to the presse or newly printed wherein it was auouched that his most sacred and pious Maiestic was deposed by the Puritantes But I do but lightly passe ouer this as beeing a matter of State wherein it is not fit for Ministers to enterdeale I willingly forbeare But this story that followeth I cannot choose but relate it it lyeth aspersions on the late King scandalizeth the State pardon my iust indignation and true zeale that prickes me forward and maketh me for the good of the Kingdome and State to venture a chiding Thus then it is there is one D. B. Cleremond that hath made bold more bold then wise to make a most lewde and spightfull Commentarie vpon his Maiesties Lawes and Proclamations against Recusants vpon occasion of that about the powder raitours hee is bold not to deny the fact for then he must haue renounced his eyes or discredited the
r. coarctatus p 9. Bonium r. Boiorum ib. 9 exoriâ—ntur r. exuruntur ib. y Laudec r Pan dect p. 10. c oculus tuuis r. oculus tuus p. 12 in the text infest r. infect p. 13. q â—urent r. curabant p. 16 u confitentum r. confitentium p. 17 y languiudi rlam guidi ib â— Pardus r. Paradinuâ— p. 18 â— 2. in the text vs we r. that we ib. l 16. foâ—â—e r some ib s Christus r. Christi p. 20 siu-siu r. sin-sin ib. i que accepit ostendit r. qâ—ae accepit ostendunt p 22. g alma r. la alma p. 23. b Apostoli vxorem r Apostoli vxorati p. 24 r Syluan r. Sylua p. 26. x In in miuoribus r In minoribus p. 27 l 15. Franciscanus â— Francischinus ib. b habâ— at r habeanâ— p. 28. Wernâ—riuâ— r. Wernerus Ib c Paâ—dr r Pâ—ndect Ib k Cytizensi p. 31. â—â—n 16 serue r deserue p 32. por eppo r. por ello â— 33. plâ—ruque r plerumque p. 34. g Iesue r â—osue p 36 â— 26 Sherifeâ— r Sherife p. 38. l. 33 proposinoÌ„ r. propositions p. 4. l. 11. quaerit r. quad p. 44 l â—â— Tâ—eire r. True p. 46 â— 3. harend r. â—azend p 47 l. 2â— if Iurie r. it â—ur â— 51. â— Argironae r. Angyrâ—â—ae Ib Nâ—gedon r Hvgedon p 58 â—3 Cacologus r Cacologâ—â—â— Ib l. 20 Not of their Theologus but of their Cacologus r Not of their Theologues b â—â— of their Cacologues p 59. g sentiat r. sentiant p. 62. Nutius r. mâ—tâ—uâ— p 67 b mâ—niae r. neniae p 7â— l 14. sharos r. shooes ib. l. 16 and allowing besides r and all know besides ib. l 19. common â—urâ—â—o r common burrâ—aâ—â—â— 77 sultaries r surtaâ—ies p 86 d â—â—â—ciâ—uis r. specialius p. 99 Lvâ—â—â—throâ—â—â—s r Lycanthropia ib q modo is muneret donegare r. modo is â—â—m â—â—â— deâ— gaâ—â— ib. x megabâ— r negabit p. 100 â—oemine r. foemineo p 102 k Sâ—naedâ—â— r. Cynâ—dis ib â— vneimuâ— r. venâ—mus p 104 exclaime â— proclaâ—â—â—â— â—â—â— â— Bâ—â—â—â—ulaeuis r 〈◊〉 p 105. l. 4 stoneâ— â— stoues â—â—â— 12. sorely r. w li â—â— â— â—â—â—â— cautionâ— r dedi cauâ—â—â—nem b s 〈◊〉 â— insaniae ib. t â—asâ—â—â—â—â—asu p. 106. l. and that r and â—f that 107 l 9 â—â—vâ—â— r â—â—y p â—08 l. 4. can 〈◊〉 â—audaces p â—â—9 â— sâ—mniaria r sâ—â—â—â—a p â—â— Monasteâ—â—um r. Monasteriâ— p. 113. a ab otium r. ob otium p. 116. Thâ—ca r. Theâ—a The Sixt Article Of the sufficiencie of the Holy Scripture for Saluation HOLIE Scripture containeth all things necessary for saluation so that whatsoeuer is not read therein nor may be proued thereby is not to bee required of any man that it should bee beleeued as an Article of faith or be thought requisite or necessary to saluation In the name of the holy Scripture wee do vnderstand those Canonicall bookes of the olde and new Testament of whose authority was neuer any doubt in the Church Of the names and number of the Canonicall Bookes GENESIS EXODVS LEVITICVS NVMBERS DEVTERONOMY IOSVA IVDGES RVTH 1. booke of SAMVEL 2. booke of SAMVEL The 1. booke of KINGS The 2. booke of KINGS 1. booke of CHRONICLES 2. booke of CHRONICLES The 1. booke of ESDRAS The 2. booke of ESDRAS The booke of ESTHER The booke of IOB The PSALMES The PROVERBES ECCLESIASTES or the Preacher CANTICLES or Song of SALOMON 4. Prophets the greater 12. Prophets the lesser And the other bookes as Hierom saith the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners but yet doth it not apply themto stablish any Doctrine such as are these following The third booke of ESDRAS The fourth booke of ESDRAS The booke of TOBIAS The booke of IVDITH The rest of the booke of ESTHER The booke of WISEDOME IESV the sonne of SYRACH BARVCH the Prophet The song of the three Children The Storie of SVSANNA Of BELL and the DRAGON The prayer of MANASSES The first booke of MACCHABEES The second booke of MACCHABEES All the Bookes of the New Testament as they are commonly receiued we do receiue and accompt them for Cauonicall This Sixt Article maintained and explained by the more moderate and learneder sort of Papists from whom I haue taken these Propositions following 1 THat they make the same Canon with vs. 2 Exhort vs to the diligent study of this sacred Word 3 Shew the manifold vse and profit that we may reape thereby 4 Its perspicuity 5 Its necessity to saluation 6 The vnprofitable and vnnecessary vse of all other bookes 7 Its commonnesse to be read of all 8 Lastly its contempt and reformation Whence by way of Corollarie I will entreate briefely 1 Of its translation into the vulgar 2 Of the Latine Edition 3 Of the Septuagint 4 Of the Hebrew Canon shewing that it ought to be the Canon and rule of all other Translations The First Proposition That they make the same Canon with vs. FIrst Leonâ—ius commonly called Aduocatus is a sure Aduocate for vs in this point making the same Canon almost with vs and informing vs That in his time it was not onely his but the Churches opinion Irmilius in his learned Dialogue betweene the Master and the Scholler proceeds further and yeelds the same reason that we doe because the Hebrewes difference them after the same sort according vnto the testimony of S. Hierome and others But there is a cautè lege or Caueat put in against them both Maledicta glossa quae corrumpit Textum Scripturae libris non Canonici Caute lege nam perperam quosdam libros à Canone ss Scripturarum euellit Secondly Boston of Bury the painefull but vniudicious Monke treating of Apocrypha bookes out of Isidore and Iuo makes the selfe same Canon with vs and that for the same reason and with the same limitation Shewing besides who were the supposed Authors of those Apocrypha bookes Lastly the History of Bell and the Dragon is challenged by our quick-sighted Erasmus for an Apocrypha story The like censure Spondanus passeth vpon the Booke of Tobie and Erasmus vpon Iudith and the Macchabees ¶ The second Proposition That they exhort vs to the diligent study of the sacred Scriptures BY the complaint of diuerse writers both old and new the Scriptuees were too too much neglected shall I say or vtterly despised generally of their Monkes and Friars Preachers and others as more opportunely shall be shewed in the handling of the eight proposition and therefore the Spirit of God which bloweth where it listeth and illuminateth whom it pleaseth raised vp some in priuate some in publike to be notable instruments of his glory I will onely touch and away In the history of the Councell of Basiâ—e there is a whole Sermon to rouse their diligent attention to the hearing and heeding of Gods word Vatablus more powerfully and feelingly before his Bibles with the double translation and Scholiaes hath collected summed vp all
no otherwise then the Tree is discerned by the Fruite GOod workes owe their being to faith without which it is impossible for any man to bee pleasing or any worke to be acceptable to God in Christ This faith which is the basis of our religious workes and the all-good of a Christian must not be an idle vaine cadauerous and dead faith Non entis nulla sunt qualitates it must be a liuing working and operatiue faith and thus euery faithfull soule being iustified by grace and watred with Gods holy spirit bringeth forth fruite abundantly in his due season and the argument holdeth both in the affirmatiue such a one hath true faith ergo he wil bring forth good workes and negatiuely it may be said such a one hath no faith or no liuely faith ergo he hath no workes or no profite by his Workes And last of all in the last day of iudgement when the sheep shall be discerned from the goats the faithfull from the reprobate the elect as we know and all confesse shall bee iudged although not propter opera yet secundum opera not for but according to their workes then Christ shall say vnto them Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world For I vvas an hungred and ye gaue me meat I was thirstie and yee gaue me drinke I was a stranger and ye tooke me in c. And they shall answer againe in effect These good works were thy gift and these thy gifts thou doest crowne in vs Not vnto vs not vnto vs vnto thy name bee the glory The 32. Article BIshops Priests and Deacons are not commanded by Gods Law either to vow the estate of single life or to abstaine from marriage Therefore it is lawfull also for them as for all other Christian men to marry at their own discretion as they shall iudge the same to serue better for godlinesse This Article explained and maintained by Papists WE will by Gods grace handle this question partly Historically shewing that Priests haue bene married and partly Theologically prouing that they haue a liberty to marry as well as all other Christian men Historically thus FIrst in the old Testament all the Prophets were married sans quaestion and as little doubt is to bee made of the Apostles in the new of Peter the case is manifest in the Scripture and yet the place that sheweth it is blotted out in a late writer of Paul we haue a plaine constat out of Ignatius Epistle that place is likewise corrupted in an old Ms. Ignatius with vs belike to iustifie Bellarmines bold assertion saying that it is not found in the Manuscript copies but who told him so I haue not seene many but those that I haue viewed either haue or had Paul named written at large Of Lucas e Platina saith expressely vxorem habuit in Bythinia Lucas had a wife with him in Bythinia this place hath passed the censure of our Inquisitors and the later Edition if I be not mistaken read vxorem non habens in Bythinia he had no wife with him in Bythinia There was some such motion in the Primitiue times that Priests should be remoued from their wiues but this was against the will of the Fathers in generall and good Paphnutius in speciall by the testimony of Theodoretus and Sozomen but the witnesses now will acknowledge no such matter if you may haue your will for the storie is twise cancelled at the least in Zuingers great Theater Pynitus one that liued not long after was admonished that he should not lay so heauy a burden vpon his weake brethren a burden indeed that neither they nor their successours were euer able for to beare Iohn Byshop of Leodium tooke a wife and left his Bishopricke k Adolph Archbishop of Coleyn was married and left his Archbishopricke one Boso an old grandsire in our English stories had a vision for at that time it could not bee saide there was no vision nor Prophet in England and in that vision he saw a plaine field I know not how many miles long and yet there were none there but Priests wiues He is but meanly versed amongst our English Chroniclers that knoweth not that Priests were commonly married in England before Anselmes time and there was no generall prohibition of them in the West Church till Gregory the seuenth and as facts are sometimes to bee measured by their euents what followed this strict prohibition But the abhominable sinne of Sodomie in England Adulteries incests rauishments of mens wiues and daughters and what not amongst their religious Friars Clarkes Monckes Seculars Priests and others In somuch that it was enacted for a law among their Canons that hee that had not a wife might in stead of her haue a Concubine and accordingly they did compell their Parish Priests to keepe a Concubine and vnlesse he had one at the least they would not suffer him to liue amongst them was not here good stuffe And yet neuerthelesse the East Church neither then nor now to this present day receiued this doctrine into their Church but left them free to marrie at their owne discretions as commeth now in the next place to be shewed Theologically thus ALl proofes in diuinity are either diuine taken out of the word of God or humane as the Lawyers call them Semi-probationes or halfe proofes drawne from the testimonies of men or traditions of the Church which are not binding but of a fallible nature Againe diuine proofes are either plaine in the literall sence of the Scripture or hidden and latent in the Allegoricall interpretation of the wordes whereout no sound argument can be deducted as most Diuines know To accommodate and apply that which hath beene saide to our present Article What more plaine and in expresse words can there be alleaged in defence of Priests marriage then that of the Apostle t Propter fornicationem vitandam vxorem habeat vnusquisque To auoyd fornication let euery man haue his wife But if my obseruation faile me not as you haue since diuorced men from their wiues so your tormentors of books haue diuorced this sentence of S. Pauls either out of the body or the margent of your Bibles Let me say vnto you as Gamaliel did to the Jewes If this prohibition of yours be of God it will doubtlesse preuaile but if it be not from him the contrary doctrine will take place will you nill you I know it is obiected by some that in one of the Nicene Synods there was a Canon published enioyning Cleargy men perpetuall chastity but what saith the Auctour an ancient Mannuscript where this obiection is read how can this Canon of the Church bee of force against vs that were neither present in person nor consenting by our voyces to the making thereof Thus farre my olde Manuscript
Tho. Gascoigne    1478  Dominicus de Dominicis   Laur. Valla.      Car. Militzius 1480  Gabr. Bieli   Fr. Guicciardinus 1480  Hier. Sauanarola   Io. Roffensis 1494  Wern de Rollowinck   Nigellus Wirocher 1511  Nic. Kus   Anon. Vetus scripter 1511  Io. Keyserberg   Conr. a Liechtenawo 1514  Friar Flechen   Io. Auentinus 1518  Caietanns   Henricus Henriquez   Cassander    In this Catalogue I haue mentioned none but such as were esteemed at the least of their Church and complained of the sundry abuses of it I haue purposely omitted these that follow P. Valdus Io. Wickleph Walter Brute Guil. Swinderby Ric. Turmyn Io. Cleydon Io. Puruey Henr. Token Nic. Russe Ric. Hume These were all Waldenses Wickleuists or Hussiâ—es you will neuer accept of their testimonies when they are brought against you and I am very well prouided without them to make good these two Propositions 1. That there is no such treasure of the Church wee haue but carbones pro the sauro 2. If there be or put case there be yet they are ill distributed and as they are bought and sold cannot bee defended These two Propositions are maintained and explained by the Papists to whose writings I haue confined my selfe when I might as you perceiue by that which hath been written haue made vse of a great many more testimonies both pregnant and pertinent to my purpose but these and a few Parchments shall suffice The first Proposition That there is no such Treasure of the Chureh WHatsoeuer Pontanus the Iesuite out of that of Virgil InfectuÌ„ eluitur scelus aut exoritur ignis proues Purgatory yet you haue heard that Polydore Virgill could neither fetch Purgatory nor Purgatory Pardons so farre because the Well was deepe and his bucket would not reach so farre Fr. Polygranus in his Catholike Assertions knoweth no other Pardons nor I then such as by the Law of God any ordinary Priest might giue vnto a true penitent that is to pronounce him absolued before God Hee doth this but declaratiue or ministerially it is God alone that doth truly forgiue sinnes and acquit vs both a paena a culpa I alone saith he by the Prophet Isay doe put away or put out the sinnes of my people Also Ambrose Hee and none but he forgiueth sinnes that died for thee And Saint Augustine most elegantly concludes the Chorus in these words No man can take away our sinnes but Christ alone which is the immaculate Lambe that taketh away the sinnes of the World hee taketh them away both by pardoning them that are already committed and by keeping vs from committing any more and by bringing vs to heauen where it is impossible to sinne any more More then this what can be said to take away the Keyes from the Pope and giue them to the true owner Christ To point vs out with the finger or to direct vs to the true Treasure of the Church the Merits of our Sauiour the true Purgatorie of Christs blood and thus much briefly of the first Proposition The second Proposition That Indulgences if they had been good at their first institution which can neuer be prooued being abused as they are and euer will be are not to bee tolerated any more in the Church of Christ THe Pope whom Polygranus in the place before cited which I had forgotten to tell you maketh the sole Steward and distributer of this Treasure for that they were abused when they were in the hands of euery ordinary Priest to be disposed and distributed as liked them best pretendeth the good of the Church by his Croisadoes and building of Saint Peters Fabrique But he intendeth nothing lesse then the aduancement of the true Crosse and the publishing of Saint Peters doctrine but the diuiding and sharing of so many millions amongst his new made Cardinals which hee had fleeced but a little before taking for the making of thirtie Cardinals not passing fiue hundred thousand Crownes Alack when shall our Sauiours precept come in date gratis accepistis gratis date that they would bestow that freely which freely they haue receiued But it may bee said or feared at the least that some of their Popes come not so freely by their Chaire and therefore make a common Matte of these Pardons As Pope Boniface being both a couetous wretch and a Simoniack sent not his Disciples as Christ did to preach but his Brokers to trade for Pardons â—ffering his plenarie Pardons so cheape that many began to loath them and waxe wearie of them for there was no sinne so hatefull no crime so enormous but it was bought out for ready money This was the second foule abuse of Pardons But if wee cast our eyes vpon the History of the Councell of Trent we shal see many horrible abuses of Pardons that could not be related without teares as first that Leo 10. should giue the benefit of his IndulgeÌ„ces to his sister Magdalen wife vnto Franceschetto Cybo Innoc. 8. his bastard Secondly the Pardoners in Tauernes and elsewhere in Games and other things not fit to be named spent them The Trent-Masters durst not name all the abuses either for shame or modestie belike but one Tho. Gascoigne that was sometime Chancellor of this Vniuersitie and might haue been Bishop of this Realme hauing publikely read against the abuses of Indulgences in his Lectures at Oxon and shewed that they were cause of much wickednesse afterwards he relateth these particulars That they were carried vp and downe the Country in Baskets and either sold for sixe pence foure pence or two pence or giuen for a game at Tennis for a cup of Ale and worse matters that is in plaine English for lying with awench He himselfe is much against the Popes changing penance into money and farther sheweth that there was a Doctor English belike at the Councel of Basil disprouing Indulgences out of a Paper-booke of the Councels in Durham Colledge The booke of Councels which the Doctor vsed is now fairely bound and charily preserued in Balliol Colledge and the authoritie that is cited out of that booke against Indulgences is to this effect to proue that the Pope cannot sell his Pardons and if he did they would be of no force arguing neither charitie in the one nor piety in the other This I speak only vpon my own coniecture grounded vpon these two reasons first because there be foure books of Sermons Acts and other passages in that Councell and secondly because he doth treate of this point somewhat largely and with an English freedome But esteeme of its authoritie as you will To draw this point to some conclusion I know your eares by this time begun to glowgh to heare of so much baggage stuffe seeing the doctrine of Indulgences take it at the best
but they will haue it many times out of mens throats as it were and bury them aliue rather then faile sending them quicke vnto the graue There is a pretty Storie to this purpose in Amatus Lusitanus worth the rehearsing one Armellius a rich man fell sicke but his sicknesse was not to death the Friars of Saint Dominick and Francis wisht him as their manner is to commend his soule vnto God and a good part of his goods vnto them that they might pray for his soules health after hee was departed this world but their meaning was to prey vpon his body being aliue for they would haue buried his body quicke that his body might haue taken possession of his graue and they of his goods but as God would haue it in comes the Physitian who wondring at his sudden departure maketh triall and findes there was life in him recouers him of his sicknesse the man liued many yeares after and reuoked his Legacy to the no small griefe of these greedy Shauelings who had lost such a booty And therefore it was not without cause that Erasmus was accounted an Hereticke before he died for writing so sharpely against their foolish Obites and Mortuaries that were bought and sold for other mens prayers that would doe the deceased no good for as the same Erasmus saith out of Augustine and hath been formerly shewed funerall pompes and such like solemnities may yeeld some comfort to the liuing but the dead are neuer a whit the better for them And therefore they are but meere Wood-cocks that will bee caught with such Springes These Springes were Confession whereby by the confession of Gul. de S. Amore our Friars and Monkes especially Mendicants get no small Legacies vnto their hands and therefore seeing prayers for the dead as hath been prooued are nothing and funerall pompes are nothing but comforts to the liuing and not the dead wise and vnderstanding men among the Papists may spare this charge and bestow it vpon their poore Kinsfolke Wiues and Children for ought I can see Against adoration of Images BEfore wee enter into the maine controuersie about Adoration of Images let vs enter some Creekes thereof and then lauch forth into the deepe and as he that goeth about to fell a Tree that is compassed with Thornes and Bushes at the bottome must first cut or grub vp the bushes that hee may come at the tree so wee will cut off certaine nice and thorny distinctions that wee may the more freely come to throw downe this great tree of Images which like Alex. Oke is growne now to adoration and speciall worship The distinctions are three betweene simulachrum and imago a similitude or likenesse of a thing an Idoll an Image and latria and doulia The Papists as much as wee condemne the worshipping of Idols and simulachra and all god-worship or latria to Images of men but not the worship or adoration of Images in a meaner sort called doulia or in a greater called latria of the Images of God either alone or in the Trinitie or of the Crosse or of our blessed Sauiour that died vpon the Crosse both God and Man But God willing we will first auoide these niceties and fooleries of distinctions out of their owne Writers and then erect and establish certaine propositions whereunto the Papists must stand vnlesse they will thwart and withstand some of the chiefest of their owne Writers A simulachre and an image are all one saith learned Vatablus With him agreeth Geo. Cedren or rather the Translator of him out of the Greeke An Idol and an Image are all one If doubt be made we appeale vnto an Herald that shall proclaime so much vnto the whole World euen Desiderius Heraldus in his learned Annotations vpon Arnobius For the third distinction of Latria and Doulia let the Christians call them what they will and distinguish the one from the other the Gentiles put no difference betweene them as testifieth Lil Greg. Gyraldus Thus hauing cleared the passages we purpose to make good these following Propositions 1. That Images were not vsed in the Primitiue Church 2. When they began to come into vse and crept into Churches they were onely Lay-mens Remembrancers not their Idols or worshipped of them 3. That when they began to be worshipped as Idolatrie commeth in step by step Images of the Trinitie or of God the Father were neuer generally receiued but mostly misliked of the Church 4. Adoration of Images crosseth Scripture 5. Repugneth to reason 6. And is very much impugned by the Papists themselues of the better sort The First Proposition Images were not vsed in the Primitiue Church IF Agobardus Works and especially his de Picturis with Papyrius Massenius notes and Desiderius Heraldus annotations vpon Arnobius bee not satisfying in this point we shal be constrained to haue recourse to the Writings of the Fathers and the Histories of the Church out of both which it will appeare as cleare as the Sunne-shine at Noone-day that the Prime-Christians could say confidently that they had no Altars no Images nor Statuaes making Images the badge or cognizance to know the Christian from the Gentill and who knoweth not that memorable History of Epiphanius recorded by Saint Hierome Which Epistle you haue laboured what you can to discredit and when you could not doe that you fell foule vpon some few Notes of Erasmus that declared the same A poore reuenge but that Epistle and the truth thereof doth stand and your doctrine of Images must needs fall vnlesse it haue better proppes to maintaine it then I see in this first Proposition The Second Proposition When Images came into the Church they were placed in their Temples for rememoration and not for adoration THe Proposition is so notorious and famous out of Gregories Epistle to Serenus of Masseils that you were best blot out that Epistle and coyne a doctrine cleane contrary to this and clap it to some Epistle or other And doubtlesse as you are cunning gamesters that can helpe your selues at a need yee haue played your parts very cunningly on both sides Saint Gregorie in his ninth booke and ninth Epistle to Serenus Bishop of Marseils blameth him for being so inconsiderate as to breake certaine Images that were offensiue by reason of the peoples worshipping them Hee saith Antiquitie knew of the painting of Saints Stories in places where men did worship God although they did not worship pictures as gods or as men I reuerence S. Gregorie as much as any man hauing perused his workes as much as some others haue done and compared him with the Manuscript Copies which vnder correction I take to bee the best reading of him or any other Greeke or Latine Author But these words quia in locis venerabilibus Sanctorum depingi Historias non sine ratione admisit vetust as hee saith but admisit permitted them to bee painted and yet I can scarsely beleeue them because Epiphanius that
liued some hundreds of yeares before Saint Gregorie rent the Vayle in the Church Was he inconsiderato zelo succensus when he did it Who dares say it And both Tho. Bradwardine our profound Doctor and the Councell of Basil haue taught me how to distinguish betweene auctorities and auctorities the former and the latter and whereas it may be obiected for proofe hereof that the Picture of our Sauiour was miraculously depaynted in the Lateran Church as saith Geo. Venetus take that which followeth Sirectè sentiunt qui haec scribunt if that be true which is written of it But to reuer◠to my purpose How doth this doctrine of Gregories that Images may bee but may not bee worshipped agree with that which went before in the seuenth booke of Greg. Register Indict 2. ep 54. to Secundinus The words come not in by way of a Postscript Sic esse oportet but they come in or rather are thrust in the perclose of that long Epistle by head and eares The Images saith this false Gregorie which you sent for vnto me by Dulcidius the Deacon I haue taken care to be conueyed vnto you And it was no small pleasure vnto me to see by this your liuely and earnest affection to contemplate him whose Image you desired to haue before your bodily eyes that seeing his picture you might the better imprint him in your imagination And verily it is not amisse done of vs then to demonstrate inuisible things by visible Iust so a man that loueth and longeth to see his friend or a man that truly loues his wife maketh all the haste he can to see the husband his wife the man his friend comming from the Church or the Bath and doth both meet them some part of the way and reioyce with exceeding great ioy I perceiue by this that you are much inflamed with the loue of your Sauiour because you haue such a longing after his Image And yet I would not haue you to conceiue that wee are so grosse as to worship the Image as a god no no we worship God by the Image who was crucified dead and buried and now sitteth at the right hand of God as we are well taught in the Creed For whilest the outward picture or Scripture representeth the Image to our bodily eyes the eyes of our minds take great comfort in his glorious Resurrection and blessed Passion In consideration whereof we haue caused to be sent vnto you two sultaries or tables wherein are painted the Images of God the Sauiour and of the blessed Virgin the Mother of God and of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul by our foresaid sonne and Deacon You shall likewise receiue a Crosse and a Key that hath been hallowed vpon the body of S. Peter the chiefe of the Apostles that being thus crossed and thus keyed you may bee sufficiently defended from all euill Now let vs rest a while and be thinke our selues first for the time It was written a yeare or two before the other to Serenus and if this better had been true Gregorie had good cause indeed to find fault with his inconsiderate rashnesse that would offer to touch much more to betrample and breake such precious Reliques but Gregory distinguisheth adoration from rememoration and at the most he maketh Images but Lay-mens bookes but this Secundinus to whom he writeth is a seruant of God an Incluse or Recluse and last of all I must be bold to tell you this that this Epistle is not found in any of our ancient Manuscripts saue one that citeth it not out of Gregorie but as Gregories sentence or Gregories opinion taken out of the Decrees of Canons So then if Dominicus Basa or the Cardinals deputed for the reuising and printing of the Fathers out of the Vatican Print were so bold as to mend Gregory out of Gratian or the Decrees I say vnder correction they were more bold then wise and wee are like to haue the Fathers Workes well amended that are reuised after this manner Againe it must be duly considered that Gregory in the Manuscripts wrote fourteene bookes of Epistles distributed and ranked according to the yeares that he sate Pope but you haue confounded the Epistles and made but twelue books wherin notwithstanding there is hysteron proteron I know not how often so that the story of things is much obscured thereby Howsoeuer either Gregory doth contradict that in the ninth booke and ninth Epistle which he had formerly said in his seuenth booke touching the vse and adoration of Images but the truth is this is a patched Epistle and it appeareth out of the Gospell that a new piece put to an old garment will make the rent worse I conclude this Proposition out of learned Papists words To vse Images for adoration and worship were to abuse them crosse to the discipline of the ancient Church for a memoriall or remembrance of the Saints by them we may lawfully vse them or if wee needs must fall to adoration of Saints let vs either imitate their vertues which is the best kind of worshipping them as for reuerence to mute Images the true Church asknowledgeth none but the liuely Images of God And so an end of this Proposition The third Proposition It is not lawfull to paint the Images of the Trinitie or of God the Father c. I Say it is not onely vnlawfull but also impossible cui me assimilastus yet you as if you had better eyes then other men or had been snatched vp with Saint Paul into the vpper Heauen and taken full view of the glorious Maiestie of God haue taken vpon you to paint God with three faces as noteth a good Historian I know there bee some quaint and Polite Missals extant in the publike Library that haue shaped them otherwise Pictoribus atque Poet is quidlibet audendi semper fuit aequa potestas And your owne deere Polydore yeelds the selfe same reason If no man euer saw God how shall we be able to make any representation of him Therefore we may safely conclude this third Proposition Painting of God the Father or of the Trinitie was neuer generally receiued of the Church of God The fourth Proposition Adoration of Images crosseth the Scripture LEt Polydore Virgil speake for all the rest God Almightie gaue certaine Lawes and Precepts to bee kept of the Iewes our blessed Sauiour confirmeth them in the new Testament If thou wilt come vnto euerlasting life keepe the Commandements the chiefe whereof is Worship only one God that is worship not the similitude or likenes of any created creature What can be spoken more plaine or to the purpose The fifth Proposition It is repugnant to Reason YF wee bee ashamed to worship the Carpenter that made these images should we not in reason bee ashamed to worship the images that are made by them Againe is it not vnreasonable that beeing forwarned by Salomons example whose heart was turned aside to
summes for to haue had the bookes againe they feared belike that their knauery would come forth and the mystery bee vnfolded of this worke of darkenesse which since that time hath lyen no more secret in corners but is now knowne to the body of all Christendome and herehence by sight of your bookes thus scored or printed occasion is giuen to the wiser sort of Papists to thinke it must needes bee a weake and bad cause that needeth to be supported by weake and bad shifts But the last obiection of all is that the Fathers are not purged no text of the Fathers in any Index is purged or expunged say ye so what say ye to Saint Cyrill Eucherius Intextu deleatur the like may bee said of Greg. Nyssene Saint Iohn Chrysostome Agapetus and diuers others either in their owne workes or in other mens workes of great Antiquitie purged and repurged and expurged againe What your purpose is I know not I do easyly imagine that it is to no great good of our religion that you haue fiue times at the least printed seuerall Editions of the Bibliotheca Sanctorum Patrum first printed by Bigne and lately at Coleyne with additions of I know not how many volumes with Iesuiticall notes and Annotations in Greeke and Latine and so much for this ninth obseruation which I haue the rather insisted vpon so long because it containeth the marrow and pith of all the rest 10. These men that beare witnesse for vs are no meane Fellowes abiect Writers or contemptible persons but the glory of those dayes the honour of those times the great Lampes and Ornaments of their Romish Church some of them Inquisitors but grone now vnder the Inquisition themselues quis enim custodiat ipsos custodes but as I haue elsewhere and may hereafter more fully shewed there is no more certaintie in their censures then there is assurednesse in their religion which is iust none at all But briefely and orderly that you may know of what great account they were at the latter end of this booke you shall perhaps haue an Alphabeticall Table that out of their own censures shall demonstrate this point to the full Lastly you see by these Indices if flesh and blood might haue preuailed by the secret operation of the Deuill how the Pontificians would haue taken from vs and the World so many testimonies of Fathers middle aged Writers and of all sorts all at one time and as it were blowne them vp like Faâ—xes in the Vaught but that God is mightier then men the truth then lyes by this one act of theirs and that a diuelish one But God hath blowne as it were the Powder into their owne faces filling them with shame and confusion laying their nakednesse open to the eye of the World insomuch that all wel-minded men doe either hisse or laugh at it seeing our Religion reasonably well confirmed and established by their owne men What pittie had it been that so many Noble Writers and worthy Authors should haue perished from vs and them And thereby any man of the meanest capacitie may thence draw forth this conclusion that God had his Church in the middest of Poperie and speciall men that in euery age did reclaime and declaime against their foule abuses both in doctrine and life These are the knees that neuer bowed to Baal the men that truly serued God though it were in secret which if they had been free to speake their minds and their minds had been fully knowne to vs they would most willingly haue imbraced our Religion and made a greater reformation then that of Luthers and that of the Princes of Germanie which was by the secret Iudgement of God to be performed in ore gladij cruentati as was long prophecied before I close vp all with this admonition that all the materiall places by me cited and by them expunged or expurged carry this note †of the Crosse before them to shew that the Authors endured the Crosse for Christ and were persecuted for righteousnesse sake Concerning the Manuscript Copies by me cited they are after proofes and not many hauing the figure of a hand ☞ to direct you Rome was not built vpon a day I haue cited but a few and those for the most part neglected and trod vnder foote they are all of them almost innominable bookes but not feigned by me but written and vrged many yeares agoe the character and letter will best shew the time and some circumstances may hereafter better discouer vnto vs the Authors but be they who they will in many points of doctrine they are wholly ours By that time we haue gone ouer all the vnprinted Manuscript Copies in both Vniuersities the famous Librarie of Sir Robert Cotton and other priuate Libraries is there not great hope of much good to bee done for the publike benefit of the Church If I had but halfe a dozen of such as I know that are both willing and able for pittie let not the Iesuite vpbraide vs any longer with his Nemo eos conduxit for want of due incouragement and imployment in this sacred and weightie businesse Some such matter hath been motioned in Conuocation Oh let it not be said as it was once spoken of of our Conuocations and Congregations here in Oxford that they were cause of much euill because they were inutiles sine fructu I complaine not for my selfe I thanke God I haue somewhat to liue on and to pay euery man his owne but there is somewhat else to be done vnlesse I would bee an Infidell and deny the Faith of the Church of England notwithstanding all their flatteries and false promises I haue gotten those small Benefices that the late Lord Bishop of Canterbury and this present with my Lord of Bath and Wels euer to be remembred by me with all thankefulnesse freely and without sute or seeking without gift or reward without cure of soules or charge of men Let any Priest or Iesuite beyond the Sea shew mee that their Abbots and Bishops haue done the like so freely so vnasked and I will resigne these vp vnto them which I am not minded yet to doe as my Predecessor did shewing one Italian tricke for our learning And thus taking my leaue I rest yours in the Lord wishing the Aduersaries to answere this booke if they haue a mind to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not by snatches and catches as some haue done but punctually and throughly auoyding personall calumniations and truly quoting their authorities in the beginning or end of their bookes HERE FOLLOWETH A PROFESSION OF THE Catholike Faith set out according to the Decree of the Councell of Trent I.N. doth with a steadfast faith beleeue and professe all and euery point contained in the Symbole of the Faith that the holy Romane Church doth vse to wit to beleeue in God the Father Almighty maker of Heauen and Earth of all things visible and inuisible And in one Lord Iesus