doo that moste humble Open Penaunce but onely once in the Churche and neuer more afterwarde leaste the Medicine beinge made ouer common should not bee profitable to the Sicke Thus mutche difference therfore wee see there was bitweene the Churche and Nouatus The Churche graunteth the Open Sinner one onely time of Open Reconciliation and neuer more But Nouatus graunteth none at al. Therefore the whole mater of Nouatus might haue serued M. Hardinge to some other purpose For Confession whether it were Priuate or Publique was no parte of his Erroure The Apologie Cap. 6. Diuision 2. And wee saie that the office of Loosing consisteth in this pointe that the Minister either by the Preachinge of the Gospel offereth the Merites of Christe and ful pardon to sutche as haue lowely and contrite hartes and doo vnfainedly repente them selues pronouncinge vnto the same a sure and vndoubted forgeeuenesse of theire sinnes and hope of Euerlastinge Saluation Or els that the same Minister when any haue offended theire Brothers mindes with somme greate offence or notable and open crime whereby they haue as it were vannished and made them selues straungers from the Common Felowship and from the Body of Christe then after perfite amendement of sutche personnes dothe reconcile them and bring them home againe and restore them to the Companie and Vnitie of the Faithful M. Hardinge The summe of all these gaye woordes abbridged dothe attribute Loosinge or Absolution firste to Preachinge nexte to Assotlinge sutche as be Excomminicate As touchinge the firste these Defenders confounde the offices of Preachinge and of Absolution The Preacher teacheth the hearers and reporteth the woordes of Christe as out of the mouthe of Christe saieinge Thus saithe Christe c The Priest whiche is the Minister of Absolution accordinge to the Authoritie geuen to him by Christe in his owne person assoileth the Penitente saieinge I assoile thee in the name of the Father c. The Preacher in that he preacheth onely dothe not assoile sinners neither geueth he the Merites of Christe nor full pardon by pronouncinge vnto them the Gospell For if that greate benefite consiste in pronouncinge or denouncinge of the Gospell then why might not euery laye man yea womenne yea yonge boyes and gyrles assoile sinners yea why might not euery man assoile him selfe And woulde ye Sirs appointe vnto vs suche for iudges constituted by Christe For the woordes of Christe be so plaine as they cannot be so violently wrested For Christe saide not To whom ye offer by preachinge of the Gospel my Merites and Pardon or whose sinnes ye pronounce by the Gospell to be remitted but quorumcunque remiseritis who soeuers sinnes ye remitte they are remitted to them For as the sonne of man remitted sinnes to him that was sicke of the Palsye and to Mary Maudelen that ye maye knowe saithe he that the sonne of man hathe Power to remitte sinnes c Euen so he hathe transferred the same power vnto Priestes saithe Chrysostome VVhiche Priestes he hathe sente as the Father sente him And if Absolution consiste in pronouncinge of the Gospell whiche profiteth so muche as it is beleeued then the power of the Keies whiche Christe hathe geuen to the Churche consisteth not so muche in the Minister as in the sinner that heareth and beleeueth and so is forgeuen by Luthers Opinion And by this meanes the Prieste hathe no speciall power But wee saie with the Churche that a Sacramente hath his efficacie of the institution of Christe in him to whom it is adhibited In this sense the Catholike Churche of Christe hath euer taughte that God woorketh our Saluation by Sacramentes and in this faithe it hathe alwayes baptized infantes that their sinnes beinge remitted they mighte be made the children of God Like wise by the Keyes of the Churche it hathe assoiled personnes berefte of the vse of speache and reason as the Learned and Auncient Holy Father Leo teacheth in his Epistle ad Theodorum Episcopum Foroiuliensem and S. Augustine de adulterinis conlugijs Lib. 1. Cap. 26. vltimo Finally if the office of Loosinge that is Absolution consisted in Preachinge the Gospell and offeringe the Merites of Christe by pronouncinge the woordes in whiche the remission of our sinnes is expressed as this Denfender teacheth then had not the Catechumens of olde time neither nowe shoulde they be in any danger if they shoulde dye without Baptisme and the grace of reconciliation that is not beinge assoiled For they lacked no preachinge as nowe they lacke not where any suche bee The contrarie whereof the Churche hathe euer taught and for witnesse of the same besides other fathers wee haue the plaine Doctrine of S. Augustine Who saithe that a Catechumen howe mutche so euer he profitethe beareth still the burthen of his iniquitie so longe as he is not baptized I denie not but cases of iuste necessitie be excepted in the one and the other hauinge right and firme willes and desire in eche case VVhen not the contempte of Religion but the pointe of necessitie excludethe the Mysterie of baptisme as S. Augustine saithe Then how dangerous and pernicious is the Doctrine of these Defenders our Newe Ministringe Prelates who more with sweete and Holy woordes then withe truthe teache Christen people that the office of Loosinge consisteth in offeringe by preachinge of the Gospell as they call it the Merites of Christe and full pardon and by pronouncinge I knowe not howe a sure and vndoubted forgeeuenesse of sinnes and hope of Euerlasting Saluation to suche for soothe as haue lowly and contrite hartes and doe vnfainedly repente them The contrition of harte they seeme to speake of sufficethe not for Loosinge of sinnes onlesse it be contrition formed with charitie as the Diuines teache VVhiche charitie seeketh and requireth the Sacrament of Penaunce and the grace of reconciliation whiche cannot be ministred but by a prieste Neither is it possible the prieste to iudge truly who are lowly and contrite of harte and repente them vnfainedly forasmutche as he cannot searche the harte onlesse the penitentes humble them selues vnto him and declare theire repentaunce by simple and lowly confession of their sinnes VVhiche confession these Newe Gospellers haue abandoned out of theire Congregations Howe mutche is more the Catholike and holesome Doctrine of S. Augustine to be embraced and folowed whiche he vttereth in these woordes Doo ye penaunce sutche as is done in the Churche that the Churche maie praie for you Let noman saie to him selfe I do penaunce secretely before God I do It God who forgeeueth me knoweth that I doo it in my harte But what saith S. Augustine hereunto VVhy then saithe he it was saide in vaine What thinges ye Loose in Earthe they shal be Loosed in Heauen Then without cause the Keies be geeuen to the Churche VVe make voide the Gospell of God wee make frustrate the woordes of Christe S. Augustine saithe doo ye
penaunce not sutche as liketh your selues not sutche as Newe fangled selfe pleasinge Preachers teache you but sutche as is done in the Churche whiche consisteth in Contrition of harte confession of mouthe and satisfaction of worke that so ye maie be assoiled and perfitely reconciled Touchinge the seconde pointe wee doo not attribute the Loosinge of sutche as be excommunicate to the offeringe of Christes Merites and pronouncinge of the Gospell vnto them as you doo but to the power of Iurisdiction by Christe geeuen to the Churche By the fathers Excommunication in consideration of the necessitee of it is called neruus Ecclesiasticae disciplinae the sinnowe of Churchely discipline by the Canons Mucro Episcopi the swerde of a Bishop by S. Augustine Episcopalis iudicij damnatio qua poena nulla in ecclesia maior est The condemnation of a man by Bishoply Iudgemente then the whiche there is no greater punishmente in the Churche The B. of Sarisburie Wée commit the Keies of the Kingedome of Heauen onely vnto the Priesteand to none other and to him onely wee saie What so euer thou bindeste in Earthe shal be Bounde in Heauen Yet neuerthelesse hath not euery Prieste the vse of these Keies Peter Lombarde him selfe saithe Sanè dici potest quòd alteram istarum Clauium id est Scientiam discernendi non habent omnes Sacerdotes Wee maie safely saye that al Priestes haue not the one of these twoo Keies I meane the Knowledge to discerne Yf they haue not the Keies them can they neither Open nor Shutte Neither doothe it folowe of Our Doctrine that either Children or Laye menne doo or maie forgéeue sinnes And yet Gods Woorde maie be mighty be the pronouncer of it neuer so simple S. Augustine saithe Cùm Christus Petro dicerer Tibi dabo Claues Regni Coelorum Vniuersam significabat Ecclesiam When Christe saide vnto Peter Vnto thee I wil geeue the Keies of the Kingdome of Heauen he signified thereby the whole Churche And againe Quaecunque ligaueris super Terram erunt ligara in Coelo Coepisti habere Fratrem tuum tanquam Publicanum Ligas illum in Terra Cùm autem correxeris concordaueris cum Fratre tuo soluisti illum in terra Cùm solueris in terra solutus erit in Coelo What so euer thinges thou shalt Binde in Earthe they shal be Bounde in Heauen Thou beinge a Lateman hast begonne to haue thy Brother as a Publicane Thou Bindest him in Earthe But when thou hast corrected him and hast agreed with thy Brother thou hast Loosed him in Earthe And when thou haste Loosed him in Earthe he shal be Loosed in Heauen Likewise Theophylacte saithe Si tu offensus habes eum qui te affecit iniuria sicut Publicanum Gentilem erit ille in Coelo talis Si autem solueris eum hoc est Si illi condonaueris erit illi in Coelo condonatum Non enim solùm quae soluunt Sacerdotes sunt soluta sed quaecunque nos iniutia affecti vel ligamus vel soluimus ipsa erunt ligata vel soluta If thou beinge offended haue him that hathe donne thee wronge as a Publicane and as an Heathen sutche shal he be also in Heauen But if thou Loose him that is to saie if thou pardonne him he shal be pardonned also in Heauen For not onely the thinges that Priestes Loose are Loosed but also what so euer wee being Laimonne hauinge taken wronge doo Binde or Loose the same thinges shal also be Bounde or Loosed This Doctrine maie not séeme so strange to M. Hardinge Onlesse he be a stranger emongest his owne For by the Order of his owne Churche of Rome an Olde wife or a Yonge gyrle maie Minister the Sacramente of Baptisme And I trowe he wil not saie They maie Minister Baptisme without Remission of Sinnes In his Churche of Rome the Power of the Keies is lapped vp oftentimes in a Bulle of Lead and sente abroade into the world by a Laye Pardoner and is thought neuerthelesse good sufficient vnto the Receiuer for Remission of Sinnes notwithstandinge the messenger be no Priest Somme of the late Doctours of his saide Churche haue taught vs that a man maie make his Confession by a bille of his hande and receiue Absolution by a Trusheman or by a Broker Peter Lombarde the Grande Maister of theire whole Schole saithe Si tamen defuerit Sacerdos Proximo vel Socio est facienda Confessio If thou wante a Prieste thou muste make thy Confession vnto thy neighboure or vnto thy felowe And Beda saithe as he is alleged by the saide Peter Lombarde Coaequalibus quotidiana leuia grauiora verò Sacerdoti pandamus Let vs open our smal and daily sinnes vnto our felowes and the greatter vnto the Prieste And to be short vpon the Decretales it is noted thus In necessitate Laicus potest Audire Confessiones Absoluere In case of necessitie a Laie man maie bothe heare Confessions and Absolue This is the Order and Doctrine of M. Hardinges owne Churche His owne Doctours tel him that Laye Menne and Wéemenne maie Absolue the Penitente and Forgeeue Sinnes Therefore hée hathe the lesse cause to mislike it M. Hardinge saithe further Christe saithe not To whom ye offer by preaching of the Gospel my Merites and Pardonne or whose sinnes ye pronounce by the Gospel to be remitted but Quorumcunque remiseritis whose so euer sinnes ye remitte they are remitted Yf M. Hardinge wil Conclude of this Negatiue Ergo Sinnes be not forgeuen by the preachinge of the Gospel I trowe it wil be but a Simple Argumente For Chrysostome saithe Clauicularij sunt Sacerdotes quibus creditum est Verbum Docendi Interpretandi Scriptutas The Keiebearers be the Priestes to whom is committed the VVoorde of Teachinge and Expoundinge the Scriptures And S. Hierome saithe Quaecunque Solueritis super Terram erunt Soluta in Coelo Soluunt autem eos Apostoli Sermone Dei testimonijs Scripturarum exhortatione virtutum What so euer thinges ye Loose vpon Earthe they shal be Loosed also in Heauen But the Apostles Loose them by the VVoorde of God and by the Testimonies of the Scriptures and by exhortation vnto vertue Likewise S. Augustine saithe Iam vos Mundi estis propter verbum quod Ioquutus sum vobis Quare non ait Mundi estis propter Baptismum quo loti estis Nisi quia in Aqua Verbum Mundat Now are you cleane bicause of the VVoorde that I haue spoken to you VVhy saithe he not you are cleane bicause of the Baptisme wherewith ye are wasshed Sauinge that euen in the VVater it is the VVoorde that maketh Cleane Likewise S. Ambrose Remittuntur peccata per Verbū Dei cuius Leuites est Interpres Sinnes be forgeeuen by the VVoorde of God the Expounder whereof is the Leuite or Prieste Al the Power is in the Woorde of God whiche S. Paule
One seueral Bishop Ergo ther is One Vniuersal Gouernour ouer the whole Churche of Christe Here is neither order in Reason nor sequele in nature Therefore if any man woulde denie the Argument M. Hardinge were neuer hable to make it good He might as wel and in as good order reason thus Euery Kingdome or Common Weale hathe One Prince or Magistrate to rule ouer it Ergo There is One Vniuersal Prince to rule ouer the whole worlde Or thus Euery Flocke of Shéepe bathe One Seueral Shephearde to ouersée them Ergo al the Flockes through the world are ouerséene by One General Shephearde Otherwise M. Hardinge imagineth this fowle absurditie muste néedes folowe that the parte is better Gouerned then the whole The other thrée Reasons touchinge the Prouidence of God the Debatinge of questions in Faithe and conseruinge of Peace and Vnitie in the Churche are answeared already in my Former Replie to M. Hardinge In déede I remember to auouche al that M. Hardinge hathe here saide one sometimes wel inclined to that side saide thus Non videretur Dominus discretus fuisse vt cum reuerentia eius loquar nisi Vnicum post se talem Vicarium reliquisset qui haec omnia posset Christe our Lorde should not haue seemed to haue dealte discretely to speake it with reuerence onlesse he had leafte One sutche Vicare behinde him that might haue donne al these thinges I graunte Dissension and quarrelles be the sooner ended when al thinges be put ouer to one Man So that the same one Man maye liue for euer and stil continewe in one minde and neuer alter But oftentimes one Pope is sounde contrarie to an other sometimes one Pope hathe benne found contrarie to him selfe Pope Sabinianus would haue burnte al Pope Gregories Bookes And as it is saide before Pope Romanus vtterly abolished al the Actes of his Predecessour Pope Steuin The same Pope Steuin vnburied his Predecessour Pope Formosus and defaced and mangled his naked carkesse and vtterly condemned al that had benne donne by him before And Platina geuethe this general iudgemente of them Nihil aliud isti Pontificuli cogitabant quà m vt Nomen Dignitatem Maiorum suorum extinguerent These litle Petite Popes had none other care in the world but howe to deface the Name and Estimation of other Popes that had benne before them And thus that one Pope liketh an other misliketh that one alloweth an other condemneth And yet by M Hardinges iudgement wée haue none other rule to staie by in doubtful cases but onely the Wil and Pleasure of the Pope Howe be it this I trowe is not the readieste waie to procure Peace and to mainteine Vnitie in the Churche And therefore Gregorie saithe of Iohn the Bishop of Constantinople that claimed to him selfe this Vniuersal Power Si hanc causam aequanimiter portamus totius Ecclesiae Fidem corrumpimus Corruit Vniuersa Ecclesia à statu suo si is qui Vniuersalis dicitur cadit If wee quietly suffer this mater thus to procede that one Man shal be called the Vniuersal Bishop wée seeke not waies to mainteine Vnitie but wee ouerthrowe the Faithe of the whole Churche Yf be that is called the Vniuersal Bishop happen to falle the whole Churche fallethe from her state Thus therefore to allowe any one Man Vniuersal Authoritie ouer the whole Churche is a mater not behoueful and profitable as M. Hardinge fansieth but as Gregorie saithe doubteful and dangerous to the Churche For althoughe al the world either would or could geue eare and credite to one Man yet were not that therefore alwaies Christian Vnitie S. Augustine saithe Habet Superbia appetitum quendam Vnitatis Omnipotentiae Pride it selfe hathe a certaine desire of Vnitie and of Vniuersal Power An other of M. Hardinges Reasons is this The Churche Labouringe here in Earthe must resemble the Churche of the Sainctes Triumphing in HeaueÌ„ But in Heauen God onely is the Gouernoure ouer the whole Therefore in the Churche beneathe the Pope likewise muste needes be Gouernoure ouer the whole Thus God muste be rated to Gouerne aboue and the Pope beneath so as one sometime saide Diuisum Imperium cum loue Caesar habet This is a valiante kinde of Argument It holdeth from Heauen to Earthe from Angelles to Menne from God to the Pope But how knoweth M. Hardinge what Orders of Angelles and Archangelles there be in Heauen what they doo howe they deale who ruleth who are ruled what Lawes and Policies they haue emongste them They saie thei would frame theire Churche accordinge to the Samplar And yet good menne they neuer knewe nor sawe the Samplar But onely of them selues they imagine Common Weales and Orders in Heauen and accordinge to the same they woulde shape and fashon theire owne Churche in Earthe The better waye M. Hardinge had benne seeinge the whole mater hangeth onely vppon your fantasies to saie that God hathe appointed one Principal Archangel to be Pope in Heauen and al other Powers Angelles Dominions to be his Subiectes Thus might ye easily haue made your frame to agree with your Paterne and the one of your fansies to answeare the other For to saie as you saie God ruleth al in Heauen aboue Therefore the Pope must rule al in the worlde beneath it is but a sclender kinde of reasoninge S. Augustine saithe Quid aliud in Pompa huius mundi homo appetit nisi Solus esse si fieri possit cui multa subiecta sint Peruersa scilâ—â—et imitatione Omnipotentis Dei In the Vaine Pompe of this worlde what thinge els is 〈◊〉 â–ª that a man doothe desire but if it were possible to make him selfe alone sutche a one vnto whom many thinges maye be obedient and that by a peeuishe countrefeitinge of God Omnipotente And this is it that Gregorie saithe of Iohn the Bishop of Constantinople Illum videlicet imitatur qui spreta Angelorum societate ascendere conatus est ad culmen Singularitatis He foloweth Lucifer who despisinge the felowship of the Angelles laboured to geate vp to the toppe of Singularitie and saide I wil mounte vp aboue the Northe and wil be like vnto the Highest Verily Dionysius writinge purposely of the Policie and Gouernmente of the Churche comparinge the same withe the Glorious Gouernmente of the Angels and powers in Heauen yet neuer vttered one Woorde of the Vniuersal Gouernmente of the Pope Nay rather in the late Councel of Constance out of this very place is Fourmed an Argumente to the contrarie In Coelesti Hierarchia tota Congregatio Angelorum non habet Caput Vnum praeter solum Deum Ergo à Simili in Ecelesiastica Hierarchia HominuÌ„ noÌ„ debet esse Vnum Caput praeter Solum DeuÌ„ In the Heauenly Gouernemente the whole Companie of the Angels hathe none other One Heade but onely God Therefore of the like in the Ecclesiastical Gouernmente emongste Menne there ought
in thinges necessarie That sinnes can not either be remitted or reteined excepte the Prieste knowe them we are bolde so to saye with the Fathers and specially with S. Hierome who so vnderstoode the woordes of Christe where he promised the Keies of the Kingedome of Heauen to Peter Sacerdos pro officio suo cùm peccatorum audierit Varietates scit qui ligandus sit qui Soluendus The Prieste saithe he when as accordinge to his office he hath hearde the diuersities of sinnes knoweth who is to be bounde who is to be loosed Right so as in the time of Moses lawe he pronounced not who was cleane of Lepre who was not before that he had vewed the colour the bunches and al other tokens of that disease And thus it foloweth of the woordes of Christe that Confession of al Sinnes at leaste deadly muste be made to the Prieste before they can be remitted VVhiche Prieste is the Minister of this Sacramente and hath auctoritie to absolue either Ordinarie or by Commission of the Superiour Againe for proufe that Confession is necessarie wee sate that to remitte and reteine sinnes committed againste God as to binde and to loose be iudicial actes And therefore by these woordes Christe ordeined a Courte a Consistorie a seate of Iudgemente in the Churche and appointed the Apostles and their Successours to be Iudges And that this maye appeare not to be a fantasie of our owne heades S. Augustine so expoundeth those woordes of S. Iohn in his Reuelation Et vidi ledes c. And I sawe seates and some sittinge on them and iudgement was geuen VVe muste not thinke â—aithe he this to be spoken of the laste iudgement but we muste vnderstande the Seates of the Rulers and the Rulers themselues by whome nowe the Churche is gouerned And as for the Iudgement geuen it semeth not to be taken for any other then for that whereof it was saide VVhat thinges yee binde in Earthe they shal be bouÌ„de also in Heauen and what thinges ye loose on Earthe they shal be loosed also in Heauen Sundrie other Fathers haue vttered in their writinges the same Doctrine Hilarius vpon the sixtenth Chapter of Matthewe saithe Beatus Coeli ianitor c. Blessed is the Porter of Heauen whose earthly iudgement that is to saie whiche is geuen here on Earthe is a foreiudged auctoritie in Heauen that what thinges be bounde or loosed in Earthe they haue the condition of the same Statute also in Heauen S. Cyprian hath the like sayinge in an Epistle to Cornelius Chrysostome saithe that Christe hath translated al iudgemente whiche he receiued of the Father vnto the Apostles and Priestes Gregorie Nazianzene in an Oration to the Emperour and his Princes saithe to the Emperour Ouis mea es nos habemus Tribunalia Thou arte my Sheepe and we haue our seates of iudgement S. Gregorie the Pope compareth the Sacrament of Penaunce with a courte of Iustice in which causes be first examined and tried and afterwarde Iudged That the same is to be donne by the Prieste S. Bernarde sheweth VVho as also the learned Father Hugo de S. Victore be not afraide to saie after S. Cyprian Hilarie and Chrysostome that the sentence of Peter remittinge Sinnes goeth before the sentence of Heauen This Ordinance of Christe requireth that al. Trespasses Offences Disorders Transgressions and Sinnes committed against him and his Lawes be referred to this Consistorie VVhether these Defenders allowe Publike Confession or no we knowe not but whereas they inueigh against Priuate Confession and saie in spiteful woordes which they haue learned in the Schole of Satan beinge lothe the Sinnes of the People whereby he holdeth his Kingdome shoulde be remitted that Christes Disciples receiued not the auctoritie of the Keies that they shoulde heare priuate Confessions of the People and listen to their whisperinges VVe tel them that Confession of al deadly Sinnes is of the Institution of God not of Man But concerninge the maner of confessinge secretely to a Prieste alone it is moste agreable to Natural Reason that secrete Sinnes be confessed secretely Clement amongest those thinges that he acknowledgeth him selfe to haue receiued of Peter this is One as he writeth in his firste Epistle translated by Rufine the Prieste That if it fortune either enuie or Infidelitie priuely to crepe into any mans harte or any other like euil he whiche regardeth his Soule be not ashamed to confesse those thinges to him that is in Office ouer him to the ende that by him through the woorde of God and holesome counsel he maye be healed So as by perfite Faithe and good woorkes he maye escape the paines of euerlastinge fire and come to the rewardes of Life that endureth for euer No man speaketh more plainely of Secrete Confession then Origen and that in sundry places to whiche for Breuities sake I remitte the Reader In. 2. Ca. Leuitici Homil. 2. De Principijs Lib. 3. In Psal 37. Homil. 2. VVhere he compareth the state of a sinner to a man that hath euil and vndigested humours in his Stomake And saithe that as by remaininge of suche euil matter the man feleth him selfe very sicke and by vomitinge of it foorthe he is eased so the sinner by keepinge his sinnes secrete is the more greuousely charged in his owne conscience and standeth in daunger to be choked with the Fleume and humour of his sinnes But if he accuse him selfe and confesse his faultes he bothe vomiteth foorthe his sinnes and digesteth the cause of the same S. Cyprian as in many other places so moste plainely speaketh of Secrete Confession Sermone 5. de lapsis Although saithe he of certaine deuoute persons they be entangled with no greate Sinne yet because at leaste they thought of it the same vnto the Priestes of God Confesse they sorowfully and simply They make Confession of their Conscience they laie foorthe the burthen of their minde c. S. Augustine treatinge of the Power of the Keies in many places but specially of Confession in Psal 60. VVhere speakinge muche of the necessitie of Confession he saithe thus VVhy fearest thou to be Confessed If not beinge Confessed thou remaine hidden not beinge Confessed thou shalt be damned And afterwardes thus To this ende God requireth Confession to deliuer the humble to this ende he damneth him that confesseth not to punishe the Proude Therefore be thou sorie before thou be Confessed beinge Confessed Reioyse thou shalt be hole By these and many other Holy Fathers of whome there is no doubte but they had the Holy Ghoste for their Teacher and prompter of al Truthe the Catholike Churche hath benne persuaded that the recital and rehersinge of al sinnes before the Prieste is necessarie to Saluation onlesse necessitie for lacke of a Prieste or other wise exclude vs from it and that a General Confession in no wise suffiseth True Faithe acknowlegeth that Confession is to be made of al â— Sinnes
Againe S. Augustine saithe Non tamen propter hos remanebit Christus sine Haereditate Nouit Dominus qui sint sui c. Yet shal not Christe bicause of the wicked remaine without his Enheritance The Lord knovveth vvho be his ovvn The Apologie Cap. 13. Diuision 1. But leste somme man should saie that the foresaid thinges happened onely in the time of the Lawe of Shadowes and of Infancie when the Truth lay hid vnder Figures and Ceremonies when nothing as yet was brought to perfection when the Lawe was not grauen in mennes hartes but in stone And yet were that but a foolishe distinctiō for euen at those daies there was the very same God that is nowe the same Spirite the same Christe the same Faith the same Doctrine the same Hope the same Enheritaunce the same Couenaunt and the same Efficacie and Vertue of Gods Woorde Eusebius also saith Al the Faithful euen from Adam vntil Christe were in dede very Christians though they were not so termed But as I said leste menne should thus saie stil Paule the Apostle founde the like faultes falles euen then in the prime and chiefe of the Gospel in the greattest perfection in the light so that he was compelled to write in this sorte to the Galathians whom he had wel before instructed I feare me quod he leste I haue laboured amongest you to smal pourpose and leste ye haue heard the Gospel in vaine O my litle Children of vvhom I trauaile anevve til Christe be fashoned againe in you And as for the Churche of the Corinthiās how fowlely it was defiled it is nothing needeful to rehearse Now tel me might the Churches of the Galathians and Corinthians goe amisse and the Churche of Rome alone may it not faile nor goe amisse M. Hardinge VVe aunswere that in partes of the churche faultes may be founde and sundrie men that seme to be of the Churche and be in the Churche in deede maie fal and perish al this we graunt But that the whole catholique and vniuersal Churche whose faith we professe may erre fall and faile that we denie vtterly whiche had ben this Defenders part to proue els he talketh to no purpose And where S. Paule rebuketh al the Galathians in general as though al had forsaken their faith he doth it after the wonte of the Prophetes both in that and other epistles for the greater partes sake reprehending al though some deserue praise As for the Corinthians though many among them were faulty yet who considereth how be beginneth his epistle to them shal finde that he acknowleged a Churche among them For thus he writeth Paule by vocation by Apostle c. to the churche of God which is at Corinth c. The B. of Sarisburie That in any particulare Churche faultes may be founde that ye saie ye wil confesse But that the whole Catholique Vniuersal Churche may erre and faile that you saie ye denie vtterly Notwithstandinge it is certaine that the Churches of Corinthe and Galatia and sundrie others are nowe not in any Particulare portion but thorowly departed from the Faith and are nowe wholy subiecte to the Turke This therfore muste needes be your meaning that al be it al other Particulare Churches throughout the worlde happen to erre yet the Churche of Rome that is to saie the Pope and his Cardinalles can neuer erre This Lesson I trowe ye learned of Petrus de Palude For neither Christe nor any of his Apostles euer taught it you This woorthy Doctour saith thus Tota Ecclesia Petri non potest à Fide deficere Omnes autem Ecclesiae Apostolorū omniū possunt deficere à Fide totaliter indigentes ab Ecclesia Petri confirmari The whole Churche of Peter cannot wholy faile from the Faithe But al the other Churches of al the Apostles may faile wholy from the Faithe hauinge neede to be confirmed by the Churche of Peter And to this ende you your selfe cal the Romaine Faith the Catholique Faith making no maner difference betweene either other And therefore Pope Nicolas thus auaunceth and thundreth out his owne Authoritie Non quaelibet Terrena Sententia sed illud Verbum quo constructum est Coelum Terra per quod denique omnia condita sunt Elementa Romanam fundauit Ecclesiam Not any worldly Sectence but the selfe same Woorde where by Heauen and Earthe was made and whereby al the Elementes were created was it that founded the Churche of Rome By whiche woordes he meaneth that the Romaine Faithe shal stande as faste as the Fundations of Heauen and Earthe Euen so Peter assured his promisse vnto Christe Although saide he al others denie thee yet I alone wil not denie thee No though I shoulde presently die with thee yet I onely wil neuer denie thee Neuerthelesse when it came to trial the same Peter denied him firste Nowe that the Churches of Rome whiche you cal the Catholique Churche maie erre be foresaken of God it is euident by the plaine woordes of S. Paule For thus he writeth euen vnto the Churche of Rome Quòd si aliqui ex ramis fracti sunt c. If any of the boughes be broken of and thou beinge a wilde Oliue tree arte graffed into the natural Oliue and made Partaker of the roote and of the fatnesse thereof boaste not thee selfe againste the boughes If thou boaste remember thou bearest not the Roote but the roote beareth thee Thou wilte saie The boughes are broken of that I might be graffed in Wel they are broken of for theire Infidelitie but thou standest faste by Faithe Be not highe minded but stande in awe Seeinge God hath not spared the Natural boughes leste happily he spare not thee See therefore the goodnesse and the sharpenesse of God His sharpenesse towardes them that are fallen awaie but his goodnesse towardes thee if thou continewe and remaine in goodnesse Othervvise thou beinge the Churche of Rome shalte likevvise be smitten of Hereby it is plaine that the Churche of Rome maie faile and fal from God no lesse then other like Churches For otherwise this aduertisement of S. Paule had benne in vaine Therefore Hormisda beinge him selfe Bishop of Rome writeth thus Dilectissimi Fratres continuas preces ad Dominum fundamus iugi deprecatione poscamus vt institutione opere illi cuius esse membra cupimūs adhaereamus nec vnquam ab illa via quae Christus est deuio tramite declinemus ne ab eo iustè quem impiè reliquerimus deseramur My dearely beloued Brethren let vs Praie vnto God that bothe by profession and by order of life we maie cleaue to him whose Members we desire to be and that by any crooked path we neuer turne from that waie whiche is Christe leste vvee beinge the Churche of Rome be iustely forsaken of him vvhom vvickedly vvee haue forsaken Thus would not the Pope him selfe haue written in the behoufe of the Churche of Rome yf
Pope is Antichriste For bothe Heauen Earthe knoweth he is not Christe The Apologie Cap. 18. Diuision 1. But forsomutche as these menne auouche the Vniuersal possession of the Catholique Churche to be their owne and cal vs Heretiques bicause we agree not in iudgemente with them let vs know I beseeche you what proper marke and badge hathe that Churche of theirs whereby it maie be knowen to bee the Churche of God Yewis it is not so harde a matter to finde out Goddes Churche if a manne wil seeke it earnestly and diligently For the Churche of God is sette vpon a highe glisteringe place in the toppe of an Hille and builte vpon the Fundation of the Apostles and Prophetes There saithe Augustine lette vs seeke the Churche there lette vs trie oure maters And as he saithe againe in an other place The Churche muste be shevved out of the Holy and Canonical Scriptures and that vvhiche can not be shevved out of them is not the Churche Yet for al this I wote not how whether it be for feare or for conscience or despaire of victorie these menne alwaie abhorre and flee the VVoorde of God euen as the Theefe fleeth the Gallowes And no woonder truely For like as menne saie the Cantharus by and by perisheth dieth as soone as it is laide in baulme notwithstandinge Baulme be otherwise a moste sweete smellinge ointemente euen so these men wel see their owne matte is damped and destroied in the VVoorde of God as if it were in poison Therefore the Holy Scriptures whiche oure Saueour Iesus Christe did not onely vse for Authoritie in al his speache but did also at laste seale vp the same with his owne Bloude these menne to the entent they mighte with lesse businesse driue the people from the same as from a thinge daungerous and deadly haue vsed to cal theim a Bare Letter Vncertaine Vnprofitable Doūbe Killinge Deade whiche seemeth to vs al one as if they shoulde saie The Scriptures are to no pourpose or as good as none at al. Hereunto they adde also a Similitude not very agreeable how the Scriptures be like to a Nose of VVaxe or a Shipmans Hose how thei may be fashioned and plied al manner of waies and serue al mennes turnes M. Hardinge VVhere ye saie the Churche is builded vpon the Fundation of the Apostles and Prophetes and shewed by the Holy Canonicall Scriptures we confesse the same with S. Augustine VVhen ye adde the Churche whiche can not be shewed out of the Scriptures to be no Churche we saie that though S. Augustine haue no suche woordes in the Chapters whiche ye alleage in the Margent yet were it neuer so muche graunted that he had those woordes in that place they shoulde make nothinge for your pourpose S. Augustine in that Booke disputeth againste the Donatistes who would restraine the Catholike Churche to the onely Countrie of Aphrike denieinge other Christen menne to be members thereof S. Augustine refutinge their Heresie declareth the Sonne of God to be Heade and all the true Faithfull to be the Body of the Churche and that it is not sufficient to holde with the Head alone or with the Body alone but we muste holde with bothe together if we will be saued The Donatistes did graunte the Heade Iesus Christe and denied his Body the Churche For this cause saithe S. Augusiine Ipsum Caput de quo consentimus ostēdat nobis Corpus suum de quo dissentimus Let the Heade vpon whom we agree shewe vnto vs his Body whereupon we disagree The Head is Christe who spake firste by his Prophetes afterwarde by him selfe and laste of all by his Apostles In his igitur omnibus quaerenda est Ecclesia In all these saithe he the Churche muste be sought If thou marke good Reader that whiche I haue here rehersed out of S Augustine it is to be seene that he bindeth not the proufe of the Churche simply to the Holy Scriptures but onely in a case when he hath to doo with an Heretike who wil not admitte the auctoritie of the Churche Therefore a true Churche maie be founde whiche is not shewed in the Scriptures so the contrarie thereof be not shewed in the Scriptures Now if these Defenders will haue that to be no Churche which can not be shewed out of Scriptures they shall vnderstande that as therein they plaie the Donatistes so we must needes folow's Augustine in bringinge Scripture against them not as the onely proufe in deede whiche they falsely saie but as a very good and chiefe kinde of proufe moste profitable in all cases and necessary at suche time as the aduersarie will admitte none other proufe c. VVherefore it remaineth that it is the Synagog of Antichriste and Lucifer VVho as he fell out of Heauen like a lightninge so he maketh a blase and shewe of a Churche in the Earthe for a time But as we can tell when it was not borne so shall it not be longe but that through Gods power it will vanishe awaie dispersed and be scattered by the lightsome Maiestie of Christes true Churche whiche from S. Peters time to this daie florisheth in her Head the Bishop of Rome and in her members throughout the worlde vvhiche abide in the Vnitie of the same Bishop VVee esteeme and vnderstande the Scriptures to be the sense and the woorde If they can pretende the bare woorde they thinke themselues good inough to make a sense of their owne VVhiche bare woorde as they misuse it Pighius perhaps compareth to a nose of waxe But the Scriptures he neuer meante to dishonour with that similitude If it were lawfull for vs to vse Scripture after our owne interpretation as they doo we shoulde not lacke sufficient matter in the Holy Bookes to ouerthrowe by our owne applieinge all theire false opinions and Heresies But we are bounde to that religious awe and reuerence of them that excepte we haue an Authour to auouche the sense whereof we take holde we dare bringe foorthe nothinge And yet reade our Bookes who will he shall lacke neither Scriptures in them nor witnesses of our interpretation in any controuersie of this age Let it be agreed that for decision of controuersies suche sense of the Scriptures be taken for Scripture whiche the Holy Ghost hath taught the Churche and then let the worlde iudge who flieth the woorde of God as the Theefe dothe the Gallowes The B. of Sarisburie Contrarie to that wée haue here alleged of S. Augustine ye saie A true Churche maie be founde whiche is not shewed in the Scriptures Whereby it appeareth ye are lothe your Churche shoulde comme to the trial of this Standerde But for as mutche as this quarrel groweth of S. Augustine let S. Augustine him selfe be the Iudge And to allege a fewe woordes in stéede of many thus he saithe Vtrùm ipsi Ecclesiam teneant Diuinarum Scripturarum Canonicis Libris ostendant Ecclesiam Christi
our belefe no we preached and receiued in the Catholike Church ‡ neither shoulde be altered ‡ nor coulde be bettered ‡ For it is the same he taught him selfe And that we doubt not of it accordinge to his promise he hath sente the holy Ghoste to enforme the Churche of al truthe Remember you not who saide I am God and am not changed againe that the worde of God remaineth for euer This beinge true it is euident that we haue the sound and weighty wheate whiche no persecution of tyraunces and blasies of heretikes no contagion of euil manners for these fiften hundred yeeres could either blowe from the floore of our Lordes berne the Churche or corrupt VVe haue accordinge to the Apostles counsel kepte that hath ben committed vnto vs. VVe haue enioyed the fountaine of the water of life Ye charge vs soare that we haue plucked awaie from the people the holy communion the worde of God the true worshippinge of God the right vse of Sacramentes and praier VVho so euer taketh these fiue awaie wherein chiefly standeth our saluation the same is Antichrist VVere not that ye haue already done so mutche for vs as the worlde maie take you for impudente liers we would not quietly beare so greauous a matter But nowe that ye haue tried your selues so false of your worde we litle esteme it your railinge is no slaunder Lastly concerninge praier what hath ben ordeined by our holy forefathers of al ages directed with the sprite of God for the maintenance and encrease of it to Gods honoure al that in fewe yeres by the instincte of Sathan to promote his Kingedome ye haue vtterly abolished and by wicked violence brought the people from deuotion to a carelesse idlenesse from speaking to God with hartes and lippes to ‡ a spiritual dummesse from praiers ‡ to chapters from holy thinkinge to ‡ vnprofitable harkeninge Ye can not abyde salte water oyle palme the crosse incense c. no maruel No more can not the deuil who possesseth you and rideth you and after his owne wil driueth you from truthe from Christen Religion and from al Godlines VVere it so that your sprite coulde a waie with those thinges then were it not agreeing with his sprite Vntil ye geue place to the spirit of God who maie driue out of you the spiritie of Sathan we looke to heare no better tidinges of you The B. of Sarisburie Ye were sommewhat angrie M. Hardinge when ye thus besturred your selfe It pitieth me in your behalfe Christe and his Apostles yée saie neuer ruled the Churche in better order then it is nowe ruled by the Pope and his Cardinalles Euen so might they haue saide that had turned the House of God into a Caue of Theeues One of your frendes saith Apostolorū temporibus rudis adhuc erat Ecclesia In the time of the Apostles the Churche as yet was rude and Barbarous and out of order And being afterward reproued for his blasphemous speache he answeared lewdly in his pleasance Rudis indigestaqueue moles Others of you saie Christus in Coelo praesidet Papa in Terris residet Christe ruleth in Heauen the Pope in Earthe An other saithe Omnes Sanctiones Sedis Apostolicae sic accipiendae sunt tanquam ipsius Diuina voce Petri firmatae Al the Lawes of the Apostolique see of Rome muste so be taken as if they were confirmed by the Diuine voice of Peter him selfe An other saith Sicut ostium regitur Cardine ita Ecclesia Romana regitur Consilio Cardinalium As the doore is ruled by the hooke so is the Churche of Rome ruled by the Counsel of Cardinalles Therefore the Pope him selfe saithe thus vnto them Vos eritis Senatores vrbis Regum similes veri Mundi Cardines super quos militantis ostium Ecclesiae voluendum regendum est Ye shal be the Senatours of my Cittie and like vnto Kinges the very bookes and staies of the worlde vpon whom the very doore of y◠Churche Militante muste be turned and ruled Sutche are they whom S. Hierome imagineth thus to saie Non est Vir in domo Non est Christus Corporaliter in Ecclesia Surgens enim à mortuis Ascendit in Coelum nobisque Ministerium gubernandae Ecclesiae suam videlicet Domum reliquit My Husbande is not at home That is to saie Christe is not nowe Corporally in the Churche For beinge risen from the deade he is Ascended into Heauen and hath leafte vnto vs the gouernmente of his Churche that is the whole orderinge of his House True it is as you saie God is one and is not Changed And his Woorde endureth for euer But the Change is in you and not in God Goddes Woorde is the Woorde of Life your Woorde is the Woorde of Vanitie God the Father hath not planted it Therefore it shal be plucked vp by the rootes God saithe by the Prophete Malachie The lippes of the Prieste shal keepe knowledge and the people shal require the Lawe at his mouthe For he is the Angel of the Lorde of Hostes Vos autem recessistis de Via c. But you are gonne backe from the VVaie you haue offended many a one in the Lavve you haue broken the Couenante of Leui saith the Lord of Hostes And therefore haue I made you to be despised Yee haue changed the moste parte of the Apostles Doctrine And of al that euer they ordeined yée haue in a manner leafte nothinge standinge S. Bernarde saithe of your owne Churche of Rome A planta pedis vsque ad verticem Capitis non est sanitas vlla From the sole of the foote vnto the Crowne of the heade there is not one whole place And yet ye beare vs strongely in hande that Christe and his Apostles neuer ruled the Churche in better order then it is nowe ruled by the Pope and his Cardinalles Al the reste of your emptie talke is answeared sufficiently before Yet one pange of your Eloquence I maie not in any wise leaue vntouched Thus ye saie By the instincte of Satan ye haue brought the people from deuotion to carelesse idlenesse from speakinge to God with hartes and lippes to a spiritual doumbenesse from Praiers to Chapters from Holy thinking to vnprofitable hearkeninge If I were not wel acquainted with your speache M. Hardinge I could not thinke ye would so vnaduisedly bestowe your woordes I doubte not but euen hereby it shal soone appeare whether of vs hath wilfully broken the Apostles Orders refused the Godly Examples of the Holy Primitiue Churche of God Yee telle vs that the Readinge of the Scriptures vnto the people in the Churche of God is a Spiritual doumbenesse and a thinge vnprofitable as onely diuised of our selues and that as you saie by the instincte of Sathan and neuer before either knowen or vsed by any Catholique Learned Father Yet the Aunciente Father Origen saithe Iudaicarum Historiarum Libri traditi sunt ab Apostolis Legendi in
iudicio euidentis aduersus Claram consonantemque Orthodoxorum Patrum SeÌ„tentiam aduersus communem Ecclesiae Definitionem aliquid credere cuiquam licere Pighius saithe that noman maie lawfully beleeue any thinge by the Authoritie of any Scripture be the same in our iudgement neuer so plaine and euidente againste the cleare and agreeable iudgemente of the Catholique Fathers and againste the Common determination of the Churche By whiche he meaneth onely the Churche of Rome Therefore M. Hardinge it maie please you nowe a litle to spare your voice and to staie your Proclamation But for as mutche as yée séeme so litle to estéeme these twoo Doctoures Prieriâs and Pigghius beinge otherwise not longe sithence the chiefe Leaders and Captaines of al your bandes ye maie therefore ioine others to them to better theire credite and to encrease the Companie And for as mutche as wée speake of the Churche of Rome let vs heare the iudgement of a Cardinal of the Churche of Rome notwithstandinge otherwise alleged before Cardinal Cusanus therefore hereof saithe thus Haec est omnium sanè intelligentium Sententia qui Scripturarum Authoritatem intellectum in Ecclesiae approbatione fundant non è conuerso Ecclesiaeâ— Fundamentum in Scripturarum Authoritate locant Nulla sunt Christi praecepta nisi quae per Ecclesiam pro talibus accepta sunt Sequuntur igitur Scripturae EcclesiaÌ„ non è conuerso This is the iudgemente of al them that thinke rightly that founde the Authoritie and vnderstandinge of the Scriptures in the allowance of the Churche and not contrariewise laie the Fundation of the Churche in the Authoritie of the Scriptures There be no Commaundementes of Christe but sutch onely as so be taken and holden by the Churche Therefore the Scriptures folovve the Churche but contrarievvile the Churche folovveth not the Scriptures Likewise saithe Iohannes Maria Verractus Humiliter confitemur Ecclesiae Authoritatem esse Supra Euangelium We doo humbly confesse that the Authoritie of the Churche is aboue the Authoritie of the Gospel Likewise Albertus Pigghius saithe Apostoli quaedam Scripserunt non vt Scripta illa praeessent Fidei Religioni nostrae sed potiùs vt subessent Scripturae sunt Muti Iudices Scripturae sunt veluti Cereus Naâ—us The Apostles haue written certaine thinges not that theire saide Writinges shoulde rule our Faithe or Religion but rather that they should be vnder and be ruled by our Faith The Scriptures are doumbe Iudges The Scriptures are like a Nose of vvaxe By theise and other like vnreuerente and godlesse speaches they séeke to leade the poore simple deceiued people from the Holy Scriptures and Voice of God to the Authoritie of theire Churche by whiche Churche they vnderstande onely the Pope and his Cardinalles But yée saie These be the Priestes of the House of Leui The Pope is the Iudge for the time in the place that our Lorde hath Chosen Somme others of you sale Papa est tota Ecclesia Virtualiter The Pope is by Power and vertue the whole Churche What so euer these shal happen to saie wée maie not swarue from theire Iudgemente neither to yâ— Right hand nor to the Lefte hand Whereupon the Hebrevve Glose noteth thus Si dixerint tibi quòd Dextra sit Sinistra aut quòd Sinistra sit Dextra talis Sententia tenenda est Although they tel thee yâ— thy Right hande is thy Lefte hande or that thy Lefte hande is thy Right hande yet sutche a Sentence muste be holden as good S. Augustine ye saie holdeth harde of your side He saithe Non crederem Euangelio nisi me Ecclesiae Catholicae Authoritas commoueret I woulde not beleue the Gospel excepte the Authoritie of the Catholique Churche moued me These fewe poore woordes haue benne tossed of your parte and wroonge and pressed to the vttermoste to yeelde out that was neuer in them For hereby yée would faine proue that the Authoritie of the Churche whereby yee euermore vnderstande your Churche of Rome and none other is aboue the Authoritie of Goddes VVoorde that is to saie that the Creature is aboue the Creatoure that made Heauen and Earthe But what if S. Augustine as he saithe I beleue the Gospel bicause of the Churche haue likewise saide I beleue the Churche bicause of the Gospel Then I trowe yee muste turne your tale and saie The Gospel is aboue the Churche His woordes be plaine Ex ore Veritatis Ecclesiam agnosco participem Veritatis By the Mouthe of God that is the Truthe I knowe the Churche that is partetaker of the Truthe Againe he saithe Nolo Humanis Documentis sed Diuinis Oraculis Ecclesiam Sanctam demonstrari Ecclesiam quaerere debemus in Verbis Christi qui est Veritas optim è nouit Corpus suum Ecclesiam sine vlla ambiguitate Sancta Scriptura demonstrat In Scripturis Sanctis Ecclesia manifestè cognoscitur Ecclesiam sicut ipsum Caput in Scripturis Sanctis Canonicis debemus agnoscere I woulde the Churche shoulde be shewed not by the Decrees of Menne but by the Heauenly Oracles or VVordes of God VVee muste seeke the Churche in the VVoordes of Christe whiche is the Truthe and beste knoweth his owne Body The Holy Scripture sheweth vs the Churche without doubtinge In the Holy Scripture the Churche is plainely knowen VVee muste knowe the Churche by the Holy Canonical Scriptures as we know Christe that is the Heade Likewise saithe Chrysostome Nullo modo cognoscitur quae sit Vera Ecclesia nisi tantummodò per Scripturas It is not any waies knowen whiche is the True Churche of Christe but Onely by the Scriptures And thus for as mutche as wée knowe bothe Christe by the Churche and the Churche by Christe the one geeuinge euidence to the other by this reckeninge M. Hardinge and by your shiftinge of turnes wee muste sometimes place Christe aboue the Churche and sommetimes the Churche aboue Christe Now be it S. Augustines minde was not to commence an Action bitwene Christe and his Churche in comparison of theire Dignities or for trial and keepinge of their boundes or to teache vs that the Truthe of God taketh Authoritie of the Churche but onely to shewe vs that the Churche is a witnesse to Goddes Truthe And certainely it hath greate weight of persuasion to moue the Conscience of any man to sée so many Kingedomes Countries to ioine togeather in yâ— profession and obedience of one Truthe And I doubte not but euen this daie many thousandes are the sooner leadde to humble them selues vnto the Gospel of Christe for that they see the whole worlde that is to saie the whole Churche of God is contented so willingly so humbly to embrace the same Dauid to testifie the Truthe and certainetie of the Gospel saithe thus The sounde of the Apostles wente oute into al the Barthe and the VVoordes of them into the endes of al the VVorlde This is
knoweth that Tertullian speaketh namely and onely of suche Aliens and Strangers as knewe not the Truthe of God Whether of these two woordes it shal like him to leaue vs the sense is al one it forceth nothing If he wil néedes refuse this woorde Ignotus so that he receiue the other woorde Extraneus and graunte that he and his felowes be Strangers to Goddes Truthe it shal be sufficiente Howe be it he addeth farther that they of his side are nowe no Strangers but knowe God as his deare frendes and kinsfolke Euen so saide the Phariseis of them selues Nunquid nos Coeci sumus What be we blinde too But Christe answeared them Yf ye were blinde then had ye no sinne Now ye say that ye see Therefor your sinne remaineth stil And againe I am come to Iudgemente into the worlde that they that see maie be made blinde And againe The Children of the kingdome shal be throwen foorthe into vtter darknesse Yet further M. Hardinge saithe After that the Gospel had benne sounded abroade by the Apostles and theire Successours then was the Truthe nomore a Stranger or a Pilgrime in Earth Whereby he woulde closely conclude that his Churche of Rome can neuer erre But this is too vaine a Paradise For Daniel speakinge of the later daies saithe Veritus prosternetur in â—erra The Truthe shal be ouerthrowen in the Earthe Chrysostome saithe Abornihatio Desolationis stabit in Sanctis Locis Ecclesiae The Abomination of desolation shal stande in the Holy places of the Churche S. Augustine saithe Vsque ad huius sâ—eculi finem inter persecutiones mundi consolationes Dei peregtinando procurrit Ecclesia Vntil the worldes ende the Churche goeth foreward as it were in a Pilgrimage bytweene the persecutions of the worlde and the comfortes of God And againe Tota Ciuitas Dei peregrinatur in terris The whole Cittie of God which is the Churche is a Stranger and a Pilgrime in the Earthe Verily as longe as Satan the Prince of darkenesse is Prince of this world so longe the Truthe of God passeth in this world as a Stranger and beinge emonge Strangers as Tertullian saithe easily findeth enimies is it intreated He saithe further Caeterum vnum hoc gestit ne ignorata damnetur This onely thinge Truthe desireth that noman condemne her before he knowe her The Apologie Cap. 2. Diuision 1. Wherfore we ought to beare it the more quietly whiche haue taken vpon vs to professe the Gospel of Christe if we for the same cause be handled after the same sorte and if we as our Forefathers were longe agoe be likewise at this daye tormented and baited with raylinges with spiteful dealinges and with lies and that for no desert of our owne but onely bicause we teache acknowledge the Truthe M. Hardinge O blessed folowers of the Patriarkes Prophetes Apostles Martires and Christe him selfe that suffer so much persecution in your innocencie hauinge deserued nothinge at all and onely bicause ye acknowledge and teache the Truthe But Sirs by your leaue how foloweth this VVherfore of your former common place so largely treated This is your fowle faulte whiche you make in your Logike Howe proue ye this argument The Truthe is persecuted and the professours of the Truthe haue euer bene euill treated wherefore wee ought to beare it quietly beinge likewise handled for the same cause c. If you make this argument whiche ye seeme priuely to make leauinge out the Minor The professours of the Truthe be persecuted for the Truthes sake wee be professours of the Truthe Therefore we suffer persecution for the Truthes sake Yf ye saye thus we embarre you from your Conclusion by deniynge your Minor whiche ye can neuer proue And if ye reason thus whiche waye also ye seeme to vse The professours of the Truthe suffer persecution VVee suffer persecution Ergo wee are professours of the Truthe VVe graunt your Minor is true but your argument is naught So might all Heretikes saye and by that argument proue them selues right beleuers VVherefore vntil ye proue that ye succede the Patriarkes Prophetes Apostles Martyrs and Christe himselfe in professinge the Truthe boast not as ye doo of your Forefathers For not they whome ye name in your Proeme but Hus VViklese Peter Bruse Berengarius VValdenses Albingenses Donatistes Aëâ—ians Manichees and suche the like Heretikes iustly condemned of the Churche were your Forefathers The B. of Sarisburie M. Hardinge pretendeth Logique and endeth in Sophistrie The argument wée make wherewith he playeth so pleasantly is founded vpon these woordes of Christe The Scholare is not aboue his Maister nor the Seruant aboue his Lorde If they haue persecuted me they wil persecute you Al these thinges shal they doo vnto you for my names sake bicause they knowe neither my Father nor me The Minor is this wée succede the Apostles and Martyrs and are the professours of the Truthe Whiche Minor by M. Hardinges iudgement we can neuer proue But Goddes holy name be blessed for euer The greatest parte of Christendome this daye seeth this Minor is true and that bothe we are the professours of Goddes knowen Truthe and you the professours of manifest salsehed Touchinge the Donatistes and Manichees and al other like condemned Heretiques and Heresies we vtterly abhorre them euen as the gates of Hel. As for Iohn Wicklese Iohn Husse Valdo and the reste for ought wée knowe I beleue settinge malice aside for ought you know they were godly menne Theire greatest Heresie was this that they complained of the dissolute and vitious liues of the Cleregie of woorshippinge of Images offeined Miracles of the tyraÌ„nical pride of the Pope of Monkes Freeres Partans Pilgrimages and Purgatorie and other like deceiuinge and mockinge of the people and that they wisshed a reformation of the Churche Wée succede not them nor beare theire names Wée succede him whose woorde wée professe whose woorde M. Hardinge they of your side haue so often condemned and vnder a colour of false Translation haue burnte for Heresie Hereof we fourme our argument in this sorte Christe the Sonne of God was persecuted carried as a Lauuye vnto the Slauterhouse for speakyng the Truthe Therefore it behooueth vs for the same cause sufferinge the like to take it with patieuce So saithe S. Peter Christe died for vs leauing vs an example that we should folowe his steppes If wee suffer patiently for dooinge wel this thinge is thankes woorthy before God So the holy Father and Martyr Ignatius comforted him selfe when he was in the middes of his tormentes laÌ„ incipio esse Discipulus Christi Now beginne I to be Christes Disciple So Tertullian Quid debeo nisi sanguinem quem pro me fudit Filius Dei What thinge owe I els but the Bloude whiche the Sonne of God hath shedde for me The like comforte in like cases Christe geueth to his Disciples Reioice ye saithe he and he gladde for your rewarde is greate in Heauen For
Generations And that he might ful finishe in his Humaine Body the Mysterie of our Redemption and might fasten our sinnes to the Crosse also that HaÌ„dwritinge whiche was made againste vs. Wee beleeue that for our sakes he died and was buried descended into Hel the thirde daie by the Power of his Godhed returned to life and rose againe and that the fourtethe daie after his Resurrection whiles his Disciples behelde and looked vppon him he Ascended into Heauen to fulfil al thinges and did place in Maiestie and Glorie the selfe same Body wherewith he was borne wherin he liued on Earth wherein he was iested at wherein he had suffered most paineful tormentes and cruel kinde of deathe wherein he rose againe and wherein he ascended to the Right Hande of the Father aboue al Rule aboue al Power al Force al Dominion and aboue euery name that is named not onely in this worlde but also in the worlde to comme And that there he nowe sittethe and shal sitte til al thinges be ful perfitted And althoughe the Maiestie and Godhed of Christe be euerywhere abundantly dispersed yet wee beleeue that his Body as S. Augustine saith must needes be stil in one place that Christe hathe geuen Maiestie vnto his Body but yet hathe not taken awaye from it the Nature of a Body and that we must not so affirme Christe to be God that wee denie him to be Man and as the Martyr Vigilius saithe that Christe hathe leafte vs as touchinge his Humaine Nature but hath not leafte vs as touchinge his Diuine Nature And yâ— the same Christe thoughe he be Absent from vs concerning his Manhed yet is euer Present with vs concerninge his Godhed From that place also wee beleeue that Christe shal come againe to execute that General Iudgement as wel of them whom he shal then finde aliue in the Body as of them that shal be already dead M. Hardinge In our Fathers dayes before any change in Religion was thought vpon Christen people lyued togeather in perfite vnitie If accoumpt of belife had ben demaunded none was ashamed of the common Apostles Crede Euery one constantly confessed I beleue in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heauen and Earthe and in Iesus Christe and so foorthe But sithens Luther brought a Newe Gospel into the worlde wee haue sene greate diuersitie amoÌ„ge men not onely of Ceremonies and Administration of the Sacramentes but also of the Publike Confession of the Faithe For as sundrie Rulers Countries and common Weales receiued that newe Doctrine so theire Preachers and Ministers haue sette foorthe sundrie Credes and Confessions of theire Faithe S. Hilarie in his time complaininge there of Nowe a dayes there be saithe he so many Faithes as there be willes so many Doctrines as there be maners so many causes of blaspemies springe vp as there be vices whiles Faithes either are so written as wee list or so vnderstanded as we list And where as there is but one God one Lorde one Baptisme and accordinge thereto one Faithe wee steppe aside from that whiche is the onely Faithe and whiles mo faithes be made they beginne to come to that point that there be no Faithe at al. But the maner of the vtterance of your Faithe is strange to Christen eares who haue ben accustomed to heare Credo in Deum Credo in Iesum Christum Credo in Spiritum Sanctum I beleue in God I beleue in Iesus Christe I beleue in the Holy Ghoste That other forme of woordes whiche you vse soundeth not so Christianlike I beleue there is a God I beleue that Iesus Christe is the Sonne of the Father I bâ—liue that the Holy Ghoste is God Although this forme of woordes do expresse a right Faithe yet beinge sutche as maye be vttered by Deuils and hathe alwaies ben vttered by Heretikes theire Ministers the Auncient and Holy Fathers haue liked better the Olde forme and maner after whiche euery Christen man saithe I beleue in God I beleue in Iesus Christe I beleue in the Holy Ghoste For this importeth a signification of Faithe with hope and charitie that other of Faithe onely whiche the Deuils haue and tremble as S. Iames saithe wherein as in many other thinges these Defenders resemble them S. Augustine in sundrie places putting a differeÌ„ce betwen these two formes of wordes vpoÌ„s Iohn alleaging S. Paules wordes To one that beleueth in him who iustifieth the wicked his Faithe is imputed to rightuousnesse demaoÌ„deth what is it to beleue in him It is by his answeare Credendo amare credendo diligere credendo in eum ire eius membris incorporari With beleuinge to loue him with beleuinge to goe into him and to be incorporate in his members that is to be made a member of his Body As this Defender procedeth in declaringe the belefe of his Newe Englishe Churche he grateth mutche vppon the Article of Christes Ascension as the maner is of al Zwinglians to do For theire minde geueth them thereby they shal be able to bringe at leste many of the simpler sorte to their Sacramentarie Heresie and to thinke that the Body of Christe wherein he ascended into Heauen and suteth at the right hande of the Father is so absent froÌ„ Earthe as it may not be beleued to be here present in the Sacrament of the Aulter Thereto he alleagethe S. Augustine makinge him to saye that Christes Body wherein he rose againe must nedes be stil in one place In which treatise that Holy Father hathe not the worde Oportet that is must nedes as this Defender alleageth but this worde Potest that is maye as the bookes haue that be not corrupted by the mainteiners of that Heresie And where as he saithe Ad Dardanum alleaged by this defender though Christe hathe geuen Maiestie vnto his Body yet he hathe not taken awaye from it the Nature of a Body this is not to be stretched to Christes Body in the Sacrament where it is not after condition of Nature but by the almightie power of his worde And although he hathe not taken awaye from his Body the Nature of a very Body yet may it please him to do with his Body being God nolesse then man that whiche is besides and aboue the Nature of a Body So it pleased him to do when he said This is my Body And so it pleaseth him it be done whesoeuer the same Body is offered in the daily sacrifice of the Churche according to his coÌ„mandement and institution That Vigilius saithe Hovve Christe hathe lefte to be novv in Earthe 1. Ioan. 1. Christe hathe lefte vs touching his Humaine Nature but hathe not left vs as touching his Diuine Nature it is to be vnderstaÌ„ded of his visible shape in whiche he shewed his Humaine Nature wheÌ„ he walked here on Earthe when he was so coÌ„uersant with men sensibly that as S. Iohn writethe they heard him with theire eares
him the Apostles folowe writeth thus Vnus Hypodiaconus det aquam manibus Sacerdotum Duo Diaconi ex vtà que parte Altaris teneat flabellum confectum ex tenuibus membranis vel ex Pauonum pennis quibus leuiter abigant praeteruclantes bestiolas ne in Pocula incidant Let one of the Subdeacons geue Water to the Priestes handes Let two Deacons stande at the two endes of the Austore either of them with a fanne made of fine Parchemente or of Pecockes taises therewith softely to chase awaie the flâ—es that they fal not into the Communion Cuppes The offices of other Inferioure Orders be these as they be noted by one of M. Hardinges owne side Ad Minores Ordines haec spectant Portare Cereos Vrceolum Canes expellere de Ecclesia To the sesse Orders these thinges belonge to carrie Tapers and Holy Water stockes and to drâ—ue Doogges of the Churche These I trowe be the Mystical Holy Orders whereof M. Hardinge saithe Our parte had benne to haue made somme songe discourse beinge him selfe ashamed as it maie appeare by his silence either to name them in particulare or to open the Secretes of theire offices Howe be it in deede good Christian Reader sundrie of these offices in the Primitiue Churche were appointed to very good sober purposes The Doore keepers office was then to keepe out Excommunicate personnes that they should not presse in emonge the Faithful The Psalmistes or Singers office was to singe the Psalmes thereby to moue the peoples hartes to deuotion The Exorcistes office was by a special gifte of God â–ª seruinge onely for that time to cal foorth soule Sprites out of the Bodies of them that were possessed The Readers office was openly and plainely and distinctely to pronounce the Scriptures vnto the people and to this vse the Bishop deliuered vnto him a Booke with this charge Accipe esto relator Verbi Dei Take thou this Booke and be thou a pronouncâ—r of the Woorde of God And therefore Isidorus saithe Tanta â—am clara erit eius vox vt quamuis longâ— positorum aures adimpleat The Readers voice muste be so sowd and so cleare that it maye be hable to fille the eates of them that stande far of The Acolothes or VVaiters office was to attende vpon the Bishop as a witnesse of his conuersation To sutche good vses these offices then serued in the Churche of God But now there is nothinge leafte sauinge the bare name onely without any maner vse or Office For neither doothe the Ostiarius kéepe out the Excommunicates Nor doothe the Acoluthus waite vpoÌ„ the Bishop Nor doothe the Exorciste cast foorthe Diuels Nor doothe the Psalmiste Singe the Psalmes Nor doothe the Reader openly pronounce the Scriptures I might yet steppe alitle farther to open the whole bewtie of the Cleregte of Rome nor doothe the Deacon make prouision for the poore nor doothe the Bishop preache the Woorde of God This had benne our parte to haue opened at large And for leaning of the same we were woorthy by M. Hardinges iudgemente to be reproued The Apologie Cap. 3. Diuision 2. Yet notwithstanding wee saie that there neither is nor can be any one man whiche may haue the whole Superioritie in this Vuiuersal state for that Christe is euer presente to assiste his Churche and needeth not any man to supplie his roome as his onely heire to al his Substance and yâ— there caÌ„ be no one mortal creature whiche is hable to comprehend or conceiue in his mind the Vniuersal Churche that is to wite al the partes of the world mutche lesse hable rightly and duely to put them in order and to Gouerne them The B. of Sarisburie M. Hardinges answeare hereto is longe and tedious The Substance therof in short is this Where wée saie No one Mortal Man is hable to wealde the burthen of the whole Churche of God M. Hardinge answeareth VVhere any thinge is in deede there whether it may be or no â–ª to discusse it is needlesse Therefore whether any one man can be superiour and chiefe ouer the whole Churche wee leaue to speake that so it is thus wee proue Euery Parrishe hathe his seueral Vicare or Personne And euery Dioces his owne Bishop Ergo what reason is it there be not one Chiefe Gouernoure of the whole Christen people VVhen questions be moued in maters of Faithe throughe diuersities of iudgementes the Churche should be diuided onlesse by Authoritie of One it were kepte in Vnitie They that saie otherwise take from Christe the Glorie of his prouidence and the praise of his greate loue towardes his Churche The Peace of the Churche is more conueniently procured by one then by many It is moste meete that the Churche Militante touchinge Gouernment resemble the Churche Triumphante But in the Triumphante Churche one is Gouernoure ouer the whole that is God Therfore in the Churche Militant order requireth that one beare rule ouer al accordinge to that the Holy Captaine Iosue seemeth to speake The Children of Iuda and the Children of Israel shal aessemble togeather and they shal make to them selues one Head Thereof our Lord saithe in S. Iohn There shal be One Folde and One Shephearde In deede Christe is Heade of his Body Yet neede it is for as mutche as Christe nowe dwelleth not with vs in Visible Presence his Churche haue one Man to doo his steede of outwarde rulinge in Earthe And therefore he saide vnto Peter Feede my Flocke Confirme they Brethren Thus wee see these Defenders Negatiue Doctrine That no One Man maie haue the Superioritie ouer the whole state of the Churche disproued as vtterly false To theire seconde reason we graunt Christe needed not any man to supplie his roome that should succede in his whole Substance Neither is Man of Capacitie of sutche succession neither hathe there any sutche fonde saieinge ben vttered by the Diuines But bicause Christe sawe the knot of Vnitie should be moste surely kepte knit by Gouernmente of one he committed the regimeÌ„t of the whole Churche vnto One whoe 's Visible Ministerie he might vse in steede of him selfe To the thirde we saye that Man is not onely hable to comprehende in his minde and conceiue the Vniuersal Churche but also to put it in order and to Gouerne it so far as is expedient Laste of al who so euer wil not be fedde nor ruled by this one Shepheard and breaketh out of this one Folde he is not of the Flocke of Christe but of the Hearde of Antichriste Here Gentle Reader M. Hardinge hathe brought thée not the Authoritie of any one Catholique Doctour or Learned Father but onely a few colde Reasons of his owne with certaine Scriptures vnaduisedly alleged and violently forced from theire meaninge as shal soone appeare His firste Reason concludeth very weakely Euery parishe is gouerned by One Vicare or Personne euery Diocese is gouerned by
doo with menne that they should heare my Confessions as if they weare bable to beale al my griefes VVhen they heare me speake of mee selfe how can they tel whether I doo saie the truthe or no For noman knoweth what is donne in Man but the sprite of Man that is in Man How be it hereof haue growen many vnnecessarie and curious questions what Yeeres what Monethes what Daies what Houres what Manner what Order of Penance should serue for euer seueral sinne In Resolution of whiche doubtes stoode the Iudgement of the Prieste And therefore Carolus Magnus in in his Lawes straitely commaundeth that the Priestes should be skilful in the Booke of Penance But as touchinge the Iudge of Sinnes S. Chrysostome saithe Ante Deum confitere peccata tua Apud Verum Iudicem cum Oratione delicta rua pronuntia Confesse they sinnes before God Before the True Iudge with praier pronounce thine offenses And againe Cogitatione fiat delictorum exquisitio Sine Teste sit hoc Iudicium Solus te Deus confitentem uideat Let the examination of thy sinnes be wrought in thy Harte Let this Iudgement be VVithout VVitnesse Let God Onely heare thee when thou makest thy Confession And againe he saithe Medicinae locus hîc est non Iudicij non poenas sed peccatorum Remissionem tribuens Deo Soli dic peccatum tuum Heere is place of Medicine and not of Iudgement geuinge not punishement but Remission of Sinnes Open thy sinne to God Alone And therefore in M. Hardinges owne Canons it is noted thus Confessio fit ad ostensionem Poenitentiae non ad impetrationem veniae Confession is made vnto the Prieste not thereby to obteine forgeuenesse but to declare our repentance And againe Confessio Sacerdoti offertur in Signum veniae acceprae non Causam Remissionis accipiendae Confession is made vnto the Prieste in token of remission already obteined and not as a cause whereby to procure Remission And yet is the Prieste a Iudge al this notwithstandinge and pronounceth sentence as a Iudge of Doctrine of Open Sinne of the Offence of the Churche and of the Humilitie and Heauinesse of the Penitent and as a Iudge togeather with the Elders of the Congregation hath Authoritie bothe to Condemne and to Absolue Peter Lombarde him selfe saithe Etsi aliquis apud Deum sit solutus non tamen in facie Ecclesiae solutus habetur nisi per indicium Sacerdotis Al be it a man be Absolued before God yet is be not accoumpted Absolued in the face of the Churche but by the Iudgemente of the Prieste Likewise saithe S. Augustine Horror pritis publica Poenitentia satisfacere Sacerdotis Iudicio reconciliatum Communioni sociari I exhorte you first to make Satisfaction vnto the Churche by open penance and so to be restoared to the Communion by the discretion of the Prieste The order hereof as it is set foorthe by S. Cyprian was this Firste the Sinner by many outwarde gestures and tokens shewed him selfe to be penitent and sorowful for his sinne After that he made humble Confession thereof before the whole Congregation and desired his brethren to praie for him Lastly the Bishop and the Cleregie laide theire handes ouer him and so reconciled him So saithe Origen Qui lapsus est procedit in medium Exomologesin facit He that hathe offended commeth foorthe into the middes of the People and maketh his Confession Sozomenus likewise describinge the same Order saithe thus Rei ad terram sese pronos abijciunt cum planctu lamentatione Episcopus ex aduerso occurrit cum Lachrymis ipse ad Pauimentum lamentando prouoluitur vniuersa Ecclesiae multitudo Lachrymis suffunditur They that haue offended fal downe flat with weepinge and lamentation to the grounde The Bishoppe commeth to him with teares and him selfe likewise falleth downe and the whole multitude of the Churche is powred ouer and ouer with teares I vse the moe woordes herein for that the whole mater is longe sithence growen vtterly out of vse Notwithstandinge this is the Confession and Penance that S. Augustine speaketh of Of Open Confession M. Hardinge hee saithe The Keies were not geeuen to the Churche in vaine Of Open Confession hée saithe VVhat so euer ye Loose in Earthe shal be Loosed in Heauen Of Open Confession he speaketh al these woordes and not of any Auriculare or Priuate dealinge Yf M. Hardinge happen to doubte hereof let him looke better vpon his Bookes There shal he finde euen in the verie same place he hathe alleged these woordes partely goeinge before partely folowinge Agite Poenitentiam qualis agitur in Ecclesia vt oret pro uobis Ecclesia Iob dicit Si erubui in conspectu populi confiteri peccata mea Propterea Deus uoluit vt Theodosius ageret Poenitentiam publicam in conspectu populi Nolite permittere Viros vestros fornicari Interpellate contra eos Ecclesiam Doo Penaunce sutche as is donne in the Churche that the Churche maie praie for you Iob saithe I was not ashamed in the sight of al the people to confesse my sinnes Therefore God would that Theodosius beinge the Emperoure of the worlde should doo Open Penaunce euen in the presence of al y◠people Ye wiues suffer not your Husbandes to liue in fornication Comme before the Congregation and crie against them This is the Confession that S. Augustine speaketh of not Secrete or Priuate or in the Eare but Publique and Open and in the Sight and Hearing of al the people In like manner saithe S. Ambrose Multos necesse est vt ambias obsecres vt dignentur interuenire Fleat pro te Mater Ecclesia culpam tuam Lachymis lauet Thou muste needes humble thee selfe and desire many to intreate for thee Let the Churche thy Mother weepe for thee and let her washe thy offence with her teares This therefore M. Hardinge was no plaine dealinge with sutche sleight to turne Publique into Priuate and the Open audience of the whole people into one onely mannes secrete eare and so mutche to abuse the simplicitie of your Reader Certainely these woordes of S. Augustine Open Penaunce Confesse Openly In the sight of al the people That the vvhole Churche maie praie these woordes I saye wil not easily serue to proue your pourpose for Priuate Confession The Apologie Cap. 6. Diuision 3. Wee saie also that the Minister doth execute the Authoritie of Binding and Shutting as often as he shutteth vp the Gate of the Kingdome of Heauen against vnbeleeuing and stubborne persons denouncing vnto them Gods vengeaunce and Euerlasting punishment Or els when the dooth quite shut them out from the bosome of y◠Churche by open Excommunication Out of doubte what sentence so euer the Minister of God shal geue in this sorte God him selfe doth so wel alowe it that what so euer here in Earthe by theire meanes is Loosed and Bounde God him selfe wil
Loose and Binde and confirme the saine in Heauen M. Hardinge Heare againe you confounde the Power of Bindinge and the office of Preachinge as you did before speaking of the power of Loosinge VVhereto wee saye as wee saide before of that other that Bindinge and Shuttinge consisteth not in denouncinge of Goddes engeaunce but in the exercise of the Keie of Iurisdiction committed to the Churche The Ministers whereof Binde sinners whom for iust cause they Loose not but knowe that they are not to be loosed And to that Keie perteineth excommunication and by the same it is exercised VVhat so euer by them is thus Loosed or Bounde in Earthe God him selfe alloweth for loosed and bounde in Heauen Suche Priestes because ye 1. haue not in your Newe Churche at least after this wise 2. vsinge Priestly Auctoritie 3. and none wil suffer to be made 4. nor suche Auctoritie to be exercised ye 5. defraude the faithful people of the greate benefite of the Sacrament of penaunce kepinge them faste bounde to their sinnes after baptisme committed And so ye cause their Euerlasting Damnation for whom Christe hath shed his Bloud the Price of their Redemption The B. of Sarisburie Wée Confounde not these Keies M. Hardinge but speake plainely and distinctely of either other Wée saie that the Power as wel of Loosinge as also of Bindinge standeth in Gods Woorde and the exercise or execution of the same standeth either in Preaching or els in Sentence of Correction and Ecclesiastical Discipline Of the later hereof there is no question of the former M. Harding pronounceth precisely although as it appeareth not moste aduisedly Bindinge saithe he and Shuttinge standeth not in denouncinge of Goddes Vengeaunce And hereof he certainely assureth vs as of a most vndoubted Veritie How be it in so saieinge he séemeth not to consider the Power and Weight of the Woorde of God Christe him selfe saithe If any man shal heare my Woordes and shal not Bèleèue I condemne him not He that refusethe me and receiueth not my Woordes hath one that condemneth him The Woorde that I haue spoken is it that shal Iudge him at the last daie Like wise saithe S. Paule VVe are the good sauour of Christe in them that be saued and in them that perishe Vnto them that perishe wee are the sauoure of Death vnto Deathe In them that be saued wee be the sauour of Life vnto Life And againe If the Gospel be hidden it is hidden from them that perishe So saith God vnto the Prophete Ezechiel If thou geue warninge to the wicked and he wil not be turned from his wickednesse he shal perishe in the same Yet haste thou discharged thine owne soule To be shorte The whole Scriptures are ful hereof And therefore S. Augustine saithe Praedicatur Euangelium quibusdam ad praemium quibusdam ad Iudicium The Gospel is Preached to somme vnto rewarde to somme vnto Iudgemente For the rest M. Hardinge saithe Suche Priestes bicause ye haue not in your Newe Churche at leaste after this wise vsinge Priestly Auctoritie and none will suffer to be made and suche Auctoritie to be exercised ye defraude the faitheful people of the great benefite of the Sacramente of Penance keepinge them fast bounde to theire sinnes after Baptisme committed And so ye cause theire euerlastinge Damnation for whom Christe hathe shead his Bloud the Price of their Redemption These great woordes are not very wel seasoned They are bigge in sounde and smal in weight they are ful of terroure and voide of witte For the Churche of Englande hath Authoritie this daie by Goddes Woorde to Binde and Lose as mutche as euer Christe gaue any to his Apostles And by the same Authoritie is hable to Binde not onely M. Hardinge and his Felowes as Peter bound Simon Magus or as Paule bounde Elymas the False Prophet but also the Pope himselfe if he be an Open Offender and as S. Paule saithe to deliuer him ouer vnto Sathan And vndoubtedly beeinge so bound in Earthe he shal also stande Bounde in Heauen Our People remaine not Bounde nor perishe in theire sinnes as these menne so vncharitably and fondly haue imagined They be so certaine of the Remission of theire sinnes in the Bloude of Christe as if Christe himselfe were presente and spake it to them They are taught and knowe that The Bloude of Christe the Sonne of God hath made vs cleane from al our sinnes and that there is no name vnder Heauen whereby wee shal be saued but onely the name of Iesus Christe As for Priuate Confession Abuses and Errours set aparte as it is saide before wée condemne it not but leaue it at libertie And therein wée maie séeme to folowe the aduise of Charles the Emperoure in his late Interim For thus he writeth Confessio Peccatorum Enumeratio vt non nimis laxanda est ita uicissim non nimis est astringenda Touchinge the Priestes of your makinge M. Hardinge of whom ye séeme to make so great accoumpte your owne Peter Lombard saith of them as it is saide before Sané dici potest quòd alteram Clauem id est Scientiam discernendi multi Sacerdotes non habent And in like manner saithe your owne Bonauentura Omnes ferè ita sunt Simplices Idiotae post susceptionem Sacerdotij ficut antè Al Priestes for the most parte are as Simple and Vnlearned after the receiuinge of Orders as they were before But be it graunted that your Priest be fully furnished with al his Keies Yet is it not he that by any his Authoritie forgeueth sinnes Your owne Gratian saithe Euidentissime datur intelligi quòd sine Confessione Oris Peccata possunt deleri It is euidently geeuen vs to vnderstande that vvithout Confession of mouthe Sinnes maie be forgeeuen And againe Ore tacente veniam consequi possumus Though vvee saie nothinge yet wee maye haue pardonne Againe Luce clariùs constat Cordis Contritione non Oris Confessione Peccata dimitti It is apparente and more cleare then the light that Sinnes be forgeeuen by Contrition of the Harte and not by Confession of the mouthe And againe Dominus ostendit quòd non Sacerdotali iudicio sed largitate Diuina Peccator mundatur Our Lorde hathe taught vs that the sinner is made cleane not by the Iudgement of the Prieste but by the Mercie of God Thus M. Hardinge it is plaine by the Iudgemente of your owne Doctours that were your Auriculare Confession quite abolished yet might the People notwithstandinge haue ful Remission of theire Sinnes But of you it maie he verified that Christe saide vnto the Phariseis Ye haue taken awaye the Keies of the Kingedome of Heauen And neither doo ye enter your selues nor wil your suffer others that would enter Of your Keies Veselus saide longe sithence Claues Papae Praelatorum non aperiunt Regnum Dei sed claudunt potiùs The Popes and the Prelates Keies doo not Open the
planè impossibile est Quis enim vnquam audiuit contradictoria posse redigi in concordiam VVhiche is impossible for who euer hearde that contradictions maye be accorded But the Maisters of the Apologie make no doubte at all but they wil shortly be aggreed Suche childishe and impossible thinges they sticke not to set foorthe who would be compted the teachers of the worlde as though we were but blockes and Asses But as for the heresies and errours of Zuinglius and Osiander with a quiet conscience we can not embrace Neither can we subscribe and yelde to their departinge away and newe guegawes whiche haue diuided them selues from Luther Thus far Amsdorffius and muche more there to the same purpose which here I leaue to blot the paper withall To conclude thus all men may plainely see how the maisters of this defence be conuinced of foule lyinge by their owne Doctours and scholefelowes beside the thinge it selfe that geueth manifest euidence againste them But such stuffe in their writinges and Preachinges is not geason Leauinge others I reporte me to M. Iuelles late sermon made at Paules Crosse on the Sondaie before Ascension daye laste in whiche if vniforme reporte made by sundry there present be true he abused certaine Honorable and woorshipfull personages and of common people a greate multitude with lies woorthy rather to be chastised by lawes then to be confuted with woordes But be it as it is written Qui in sordibus est sordescat adhuc The B. of Sarisburie It pitieth me M. Hardinge to see your triflingâ—e If ye thought it so good skil for aduantage of your cause to compare vs to scoldes wherefore then did not you although not through your whole Booke yet at leaste in this selfe same place where ye so deepely charge vs with scoldinge refraine better from sutche wilde speaches as might seeme to proue your selfe a scolde For I beseche you cal your woordes a litle to remembrance and consider indifferently what weemen they be that commonly vse the like Thus ye saie Euen so good Sirs proudely wickedly and fondely yee obiecte yee shewe your Clerkely prowes yee Bragge yee boaste Now haue you tolde your scoldinge tale Yee ioine in wicked amitie againste the Churche of Christe The founders of your Churche The Apostles of your Gospel Yee are conuinced of foule lieinge Al menne doo espie your lieinge lie on so longe as yee liste He that is filthy let him be filthy stil These be your woordes M. Hardinge altogeather in one place If you can finde so many the like in al our whole Apologie condemne vs hardly and cal vs Scoldes Vnitie wée loue Honoure it as the greatest comforte of Christian hartes But if Vnitie be the onely and vndoubted token of the Churche of God woe then be to you and to your felowes For by that token agreeinge so il emongest your selues yee shoulde seeme to haue no Churche But as wee haue saide Al thei that agree togeather are not therefore euermore of the Churche Herode and Pilate were made frendes and agreed togeather Dauid saithe The Kinges and Princes of the earthe haue mette agreed togeather againste the Lorde and againste his Christe S. Iohn saithe of the frendes and fauourers of Antichriste Hi vnum Consilium habent vires ac potestatem suam tradent Bestiae hi pugnabunt cum Agno These shal haue al one Counsel and one Minde and shal deliuer ouer their strength and their power vnto the Beaste and shal fight against the Lambe Chrysostome saithe Expedit ipsis Daemonibus obaudire sibi inuicem in Schismate It is good euen for the Diuels them selues to be obediente one of them vnto an other in their Diuision Symmachus and other like maineteiners of the Heathenishe Idolatrie saide Aequum est quicquid omnes colunt vnum putari It is meete that what so euer al menne woorship be counted One. And thus woulde they seeme to holde by Vnitie If your Vnitie M. Hardinge be so sounde and so certaine as ye woulde séeme to make it why then doo you condemne your selues one an other of Heresie Certainely Heresie importeth Diuision and no greate Vnitie The whole shewe and Substance of your Vnitie standeth in this To geeue eare to your selues to put Christe to silence But the true and Christian vnitie is this That the whole Flocke of Christe heare the voice of the onely Shephearde and folowe him The bande of Vnitie is simple Veritie Whiche M. Hardinge for as mutche as yee haue forsaken ye haue no greate cause to talke mutche of Vnitie As for Sampsons Foxetailes it seemeth ye lackte somewhat to plaie withal Otherwise they serue you here to no greate purpose For if there be any dissension emongest vs it is not in any Article of the Faithe but onely in somme particulare pointe of learninge The like whereof hath benne bitwéene S. Augustine and S. Hierome and others the Learned Godly and Catholique Fathers of the Churche And thus contrarie to Sampsons Foxes notwithstandinge one or other haue benne diuided in somme certaine Conclusion as it were in the tailes yet wée ioine thorowly al togeather in one Heade in one Gospel in one waie of Saluation and in one summe of Religion and al togeather with one Mouthe and one Sprite glorifie God the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christe Concerninge the disagreemente that is bitwéene the Lutherans the Zuinglians touchinge the Beeinge of the Body of Christe in one onely place or in many wée saie that in respecte either of Saluation or of other Article of God the Father or of the Sonne or of the Holy Ghoste or of any other the Groundes Principles of the Christian Faithe it is not weighty In that respecte wee speake it onely Otherwise wee saie the erroure is weighty Sutche errours in sundrie the Anciente Fathers haue benne dissembled and paste in silence S. Hilarie séemeth to saie that Christe receiued not Fleashe of the Blessed Virgin And that the same Fleashe of Christe was impassible and coulde feele no griefe Origen saithe Quidam putant ChristuÌ„ in Futuro Saeculo iterum pati oportere c. Somme menne thinke that in the worlde to comme Christe muste suffer in his Body or be Crucified againe Brentius seemeth to holde that Christes Body is infinite and in al places as is the Godhedde whiche erroure it seemeth was defended by somme in S. Augustines time And therefore he saithe Cauendum est ne ita Diuinitatem astruamus Hominis vt VeritateÌ„ Corporis auferamus We must take heede wee doo not so maineteine yâ— Diuine Nature of Christe beinge man that vvee take avvaie the Truthe of his Body These errours notwithstandinge they were greate in them selues yet in respecte of other greater errours haue benne dissembled And therefore Iacobus Andreas al be it he coulde not be ignorant of this dissension beinge him selfe a partie yet he saithe Quâ—d vociferantur nostros de
the whole drifte of the letter or the very bare woordes as they lie ye mighte easily haue seene that this onely was S. Cyprians meaning His woordes be these Post ista adhuc insuper Pseudoepiscopo sibi ab Haereticis constituto nauigare audent ad Petri Cathedram vnde vnitas Sacerdotalis exorta est à Schismaticis Profanis literas ferre nec cogitare eos esse Romanos quorum Fides Apostolo praedicante laudata est ad quos Perfidia habere non possit accessum After this hauing a False Bishop appointed vnto them by Heretiques they dare to take shipping and vnto Peters Chaire and vnto that Principal Churche from whence the Priestely vnitie grewe firste to carrie letters from Schismatiques and lewde menne Neither cōsider they that the Romaines are that people whose Faith is praised by S. Paule the Apostle vnto vvhome Vnfaithfulnesse of reportes tales can haue no accesse If yee doubte of this Exposition reade these woordes touchinge the same goeinge before in the same Epistle Roman cum Mendaciorum suorum merce nauigarunt Quasi Veritas post eos nauigare non posset quae Mendaces linguas rei certa probatione conuinceret They saile to Rome with the Marchandise of their Lies as though the Truethe coulde not saile after them that by proufe of the certaintie might controlle their lieing tongues This is that Vnfaithfulnesse that S. Cyprian speaketh of and not the Vnfaithefulnesse of Faithe and Doctrine Nowe touchinge this Appealinge and fleeing to Rome leste yee shoulde thinke by occasion of these woordes that S. Cyprian alloweth it or thinketh wel of it ye shal finde in the same Epistle y◠he vtterly misliketh it condēneth it For thus he saithe Acquum est pariter iustū vt vniuscuiusque causa illic audiatur vbi crimen admissum est It is meete and right that euery mannes cause be pleaded in that Countrie where the faulte was committed c. Againe Oportet eos quibus praesumus non circumcursare It is not meete that they ouer whome wee haue Jurisdiction should renne aboute the Worlde He meaneth to Rome And againe Nisi paucis desperatis perditis Minor videtur esse Authoritas Episcoporum in Aphrica constitutorum c. Onlesse a fewe desperate and wicked menne thinke the Authoritie of the Bishoppes of Aphrica is lesse then the Authoritie of the Bishoppes of Rome By these woordes S. Cyprian maketh the Bishop of Rome equal in Authoritie vvith him selfe and other Bishoppes Wherefore I muste conclude with other woordes of S. Cyprian in the same Epistle Haec est Frater vera dementia non cogitare quòd Mendacia non diu fallant Noctē tam diu esse quoad illucescat Dies O my Brother this in deede is very madnesse not to thinke that Lies cannot longe deceiue The Nighte lasteth no longer but vntil the Daie beginne to springe The Apologie Cap. 12. Diuision 1. 2. Or if there be no perile that harme maie come to the Churche what neede is there to reteine to no pourpose the names of Bishoppes For so it is nowe commonly vsed among them For if there be no Sheepe that maie straie why bee they called Shepeheardes If there be no Cittie that maie bee betraied why bee they called VVarchemenne If there bee nothing that maie renne to ruine why bee they called Pillers Anon after the firste Creation of the Worlde the Churche of God began to spreade abroade and the same was instructed with the Heauenly Worde whiche God him selfe pronounced with his owne Mouthe It was also furnished with Diuine Ceremonies If was taught by the Sprite of God by the Patriarches and Prophetes cōtinued so euen til the time that Christe shewed him selfe to vs in the fleshe This notwithstanding how often O good God in the meane while and howe horribly was the same Churche darkened and decaied Where was that Churche then when al fleashe vpon Earthe had defiled his owne waie Where was it when amongest the numbre of the VVhole VVorlde there were onely eight persones neither they al chaste and good neither whom Goddes wil was shoulde be saued aliue from that Vniuersal destruction and Mortalitie when Elie the Prophete so lamētabldy bitterly made his moane that onely him selfe was leafte of al the Whole Worlde whiche did truely and dewly worship God and when Esaie saide The Siluer of Goddes people that is of the Churche vvas become Drosse and that the same Cittie vvhiche aforetime had ben faithful vvas novv become an Harlot and that in the same there vvas no parte sounde throughout the vvhole body from the head to the foote Or els when Christe him selfe saide that the House of God vvas made by the Phariseis and Priestes a Denne of theues Of a truthe the Churche euen as a cornefilde except it bee eared manured tilled and trimmed wil in stede of Wheate bringe foorthe Thistles Darnel and Nettels For this cause did God sende euer among bothe Prophetes and Apostles and laste of al his own Sonne who might bringe home the people into the right waie and repaire anewe the tottering Churche after she had erred M. Hardinge These and the like places haue ben already alleaged of olde time against the Catholiques by the Donatistes as S. Augustine sheweth and of late yeeres by youre scholemaister Iohn Caluine of Geneua VVe neede not to studie for newe answeres to the argument made out of these and suche other places mutche fitter for this purpose then these are sithe that the same is so wel answered by S. Augustine Oftentimes saithe he Goddes worde rebuketh the wicked sortes of the Churche so as though al were suche and none at al remained good For thereby we are warned them in their certaine number to be called al as mutche to sale al the children of hel But Sirs what if the Churche at the beginning of the worlde and at the general drowning was of smal number And what if the Synagog were sometime quite extinguished Must it therefore folowe that the church also after that God hath geuen to Christe his Sonne the endes of the worlde to be his possession maie nowe be brought to a fewe and to faile altogether VVhere was the Churche saie ye when of al the worlde there were but eight persons and they onely saued aliue from the vniuersal destruction Forsooth they were in Noes Arke And nowe haue we our Noes Arke also in whiche who so euer abideth not the same is drowned Neither were the Prophetes and Apostles sent nor Christe came him selfe to repaire a newe the Churche whiche had in faithe wholy erred but both they were sent and he came that it shoulde not wholly erre The B. of Sarisburie It is true that ye saie In the Holy Scriptures this woorde Al is often vsed in steede of Many And thus ye saie it fared with the Synagog of the Ievves for that then the Faithful were sommetimes broughte vnto a smal number sommetimes
greater then al these mennes policie For sutche is their Life their Doctrine and their Diligence that for al them the Churche maie not onely erre but also vtterly be spoiled and perish◠No doubte if that Churche maie erre whiche hath departed from Goddes VVoorde from Christes Commaundementes from the Apostles Ordinaunces from the Primitiue Churches Examples from the Olde Fathers and Councelles Orders and from their owne Decrees and whiche wil be bounde within the compasse of none neither Olde nor Newe nor their owne nor other folkes nor Mannes Lawe nor Goddes Lawe then it is out of al question that the Romishe Churche hath not onely had power to erre but also that it hathe shamefully and moste wickedly erred in very deede M. Hardinge A man would haue thought you woulde haue brought some substantiall Argumente whereby to prooue that the Churche erreth Neither make you excuse in that you speake of the Romaine Churche In this accompte wee make no difference betwene the Romaine Churche and the Churche But all your proufes depende vpon your iffes whiche beinge denied you haue nomore to saie No doubte saie you if that Churche maie erre whiche hath departed from Goddes VVoorde from Christes Commaundementes c. then it hath erred in very deede But Syr what if a man denie your supposal and staie you in your firste if VVhat haue you to prooue it All that you haue saide hitherto We knowe and of litle force it is But no doubte saie you if that Churche maie erre which hath departed from Goddes VVoorde c. Yea forsoothe if all iffes were true then if Heauen fell wee shoulde catche Larkes And if a bridge were made betwene Douer and Calys wee mighte goe to Boleine a foote as VVilliam Somer once tolde Kinge Henry if it be true that I haue hearde saie The B. of Sarisburie Here in nothinge els but onely the Canonization of poore VVilliam Sommer While your Bookes M. Hardinge shal liue al his sage sawes shal neuer die The Apologie Cap. 12. Diuision 2. But saie they ye haue benne of our Felovvship but novve ye are becomme foresakers of your Profession and haue departed from vs. It is trewe We haue departed from them for so dooinge we bothe geeue thankes to Almighty God greatly reioice on our owne behalfe But yet for al this from the Primitiue Churche from the Apostles and from Christe wee haue not departed True it is Wee were brought vp with these menne in darkenesse and in the lacke of the knowledge of God as Moses was brought vp in the Learning in the bosome of the Egyptians VVe haue benne of your Companie saithe Tertullian I confesse it and no marueile at al For saith he menne be made and not borne Christians M. Hardinge VVee saie as ye reporte that ye haue benne once of our Felowship but now ye are become Apostates and foresakers of your Profession and haue wickedly departed from vs. By the name of vs we meane not some one particular companie but Christes Catholike Churche VVe saie of you as S. Ihon saide of the like whome he calleth Antichristes Ex nobis exierunt sed nō erant ex nobis Nam si fuissent ex nobis permansissent vtique nobiscum They are departed from out of vs but they were not of vs. For if they had benne of vs they had doubteles remained still with vs. But what is your answeare hereunto It is desperate foolishe and lieinge Firste ye confesse the thinge and not onely that but also thanke God for it and greatly reioice in it And therein ye folowe the woorse sorte of Sinners of whom Salomon saithe Laetantur cùm malè fecerint exultant in rebus pessimis They be glad when they haue donne euil and reioice in the worste thinges that are Ye haue diuided the Churche of God ye haue rente our Lordes nette ye haue cut his whole wouen cote which the wicked Souldiers that Crucified him could not finde in their hartes to doo Dionysius Alexandrinus writinge to Nouatus the greate Heretike who did as ye haue donne saithe thus vnto him as Eusebius reciteth whereby yee maie esteeme the greatnesse of your crime Thou shouldest haue suffered what so euer it were that the Churche of God mighte not be diuided And martyrdome suffered for that the Churche shoulde not be diuided is no lesse glorious then that which is suffered for not dooinge Idolatrie Yea in mine opinion it is greater For there one is martyred for his owne onely Soule and here for the whole Churche Thus it foloweth that by your Apostasie and by your diuidinge of Goddes Churche yee haue donne more wickedly then if yee committed Idolatrie But yet for all this saie they from the Primitiue Churche from the Apostles and from Christe we haue not departed VVhat can be saide more foolishly VVhy Syrs is not the Primitiue Churche and this of our time one Churche Dothe it not holde togeather by continuall Succession till the worldes ende VVhat hath Christe moe Churches then one Is the Primitiue Churche quite donne and now muste there beginne a newe Is not Christe his Apostles and all true beleuers in what time or place so euer they liue his one mysticall Body whereof he is the Head all other the members As Christe is one the Holy Ghoste one one Faithe one Baptisme one Vocation one God so is the Churche one whiche beganne at the firste man and shall endure to the laste whereof the liuinge parte on earthe before the comminge of Christe into Fleashe was sometime broughte to small number after his comminge and after that the Apostles had Preached and spreadde the Gospell abroade the number neither was euer nor shal be other then greate though sometime accompted small in respect of the vnbeleuers vntil the comminge againe of the Sonne of Man at what time he shall skantly finde Faithe specially that whiche woorketh by Charitie in the Earth Against whiche time busely ye make preparation For some parte of excuse of your forsakinge the Churche ye saie ye were brought vp with vs in darkenesse and in the lacke of knowledge of God as Moses was amonge the Aegyptians For that ye bringe out of Tertullian helpeth you nothinge at all I praie you Syrs what darkenesse meane ye Speake ye of Sinne VVee excuse not our selues But when tooke ye out the beame of your owne eies that yee espie the mote of our eie It were well ye proued your selues honest menne before ye required vs to be Angels If ye meane the darkenesse of ignorance as peraduenture ye doo and the lacke of knowledge of God Now that ye are departed from vs and haue set chaire against chaire I see not cause why to saie Aulter against Aulter what more and better knowledge of God haue ye then we haue and euer haue had Doo we not know the Articles of our belefe Tell vs whiche doo we lacke This is life Euerlastinge saithe our Sauiour in the
common weales The B. of Sarisburie Concerning the title of Supreme Head of the Churche wée néede not to searche for Scriptures to excuse it For firste wée diuised it not Secondly wée vse it not Thirdly our Princes at this presente claime it not Your Fathers M. Harding firste entitled that moste Noble and moste Woorthy Prince Kinge Henrie the Eighth with that Vnused and Strange Style as it maie wel be thought the rather to bringe him into the talke and sclaunder of the worlde Howe be it that the Prince is the Highest Iudge Gouernoure ouer al his Subiectes what so euer as wel Priestes as Laie menne without exception it is moste euidente by that hath benne already saide by that shal be saide hereafter by the whole course of the Scriptures and by the vndoubted practise of the Primitiue Churche Verily the Prince as it shal afterwarde better appeare had Bothe the Tables of the Lavve of God euermore committed to his charge as wel the Firste that perteineth to Religion as also the Seconde that perteineth to Ciuile Gouernemente But nowe M. Hardinge if a man would aske you by what VVoorde of God your Priestes and Bishoppes haue exempted them selues from the Iudgement and Gouernement of theire Princes Or by what VVoord of God the Princes hande is restreined more from his Cleregie then from other his Subiectes or by what VVoorde of God yee woulde stablishe Tvvoo Supreme Gouernoures in one Realme I marueile in what Scriptures yée woulde seeke to finde it Your owne Doctoures and Glosers saie as it is before alleged Quaeritur quis exemit Clericum de Iurisdictione Imperatoris cùm priùs esset illi Subiectus Dicit Laurentius quòd Papa de consensu Principis Question is moued who hath exempted the Prieste from the Iurisdiction of the Emperour whereas before he was his Subiecte Laurētius saith not the VVoorde of God but the Pope exempted him by the Consente of the Prince Further M. Hardinge we beséeche you by what VVoorde of God can your Pope claime him self to be the Heade of the Vniuersal Churche of God Where is it recorded Where is it written In what parte of the Testamente Newe or Olde In what Lavve In what Prophete In what Epistle In what Gospel Where is his Headship Where is his Vniuersal Povver If yée can finde it then maie yee shewe it If it cannot be founde then shoulde yée not saie it As for that you and other your Felowes haue alleged before for proufe hereof it is so childish so weake that I thinke yée cannot now comme againe with the same without blusshinge Touchinge the Right that wée saie belongeth vnto al Christian Princes it hath benne inuested and planted in them from the beginninge For to leaue other Authorities of the Scriptures Pope Eleutherius him selfe wrote thus vnto Lucius sommetime Kinge of this Realme of Englande Vos estis Vicarius Dei in Regno iuxta Prophetam Regium You are Goddes Vicare vvithin your ovvne Realme according to the Prophete Dauid Paule the Bishop of Apamea writeth thus vnto the Emperoure Iustinian in a cause mere Ecclesiastical touchinge Religion Transtulit ipsum Dominus vt Plenitudinem directionis vestrae custodiret Serenitati Our Lorde hath taken Pope Agapetus awaie that he might leaue the Fulnesse of order concerninge these Heretiques Dioscorus and Eutyches vnto your Maiestie Tertullian saith Colimus Imperatorem vt hominem à Deo Secundum Solo Deo Minorem Wee Woorship the Emperoure as a man nexte vnto God and inferioure onely vnto God And nothwithstanding the name of Heade of the Churche belonge peculiarely and onely vnto Christe as his onely Right and Enheritance for as the Churche is the Body so Christe is the Heade yet maie the same sommetimes also be applied in sober meaning and good sense not onely vnto Princes but also vnto others far inferiour vnto Princes Chrysostome saithe Videntur mihi istae mulieres Caput fuisse Ecclesiae quae illic erat It seemeth vnto mee that these vveemen vvere the Heade of the Churche that was at Philippi Likewise againe speaking of the Emperoure he saithe thus Laesus est qui non habet parem vllum super terram Summitas Caput omnium super terram hominum Wee haue offended him that in the Earthe hath no peere the Toppe and the Heade of al menne in the VVorlde If he were the Heade of al menne then was he the Heade not onely of Bishoppes and Cardinalles but also of the Pope him selfe Onlesse the Pope were no man To conclude our Princes néede nomore to claime their Lawful Authoritie and Emperial Righte by y◠Exāple of Nero whereof yée haue moued mutche vntimely and wanton talke then your Pope néedeth to claime his Vsurped Coloured Power by the Examples of Annas and Caiphas The Apologie Cap. 11. Diuision 2. For besides that a Christian Prince hath the charge of Bothe Tables committed to him by God to the ende he maie vnderstande that not Temporal maters onely but also Religious and Ecclesiastical Causes perteine to his office c. M. Hardinge You wil proue that Ecclesiastical causes perteine to a Kinges of fice because he hath the charge of bothe tables If you meane that a Kinge is bounde to kepe bothe tables of the lawe so is also euery priuate man And yet as no priuate man is supreme heade of the Churche by kepinge them so neither the Kinge is proued thereby the supreme heade If you meane that the Kinge ought to see others to kepe bothe tables of the lawe that maie he do either in appointinge temporal paines for the transgressours of them or in executinge the saide paines vpon the transgressours But as he cannot excommunicate any man for not apperinge when he is called so can he not iudge al causes of the lawe For if a man sinne onely in his harte as for example in murther or aduoutrie the Kinge cannot haue to do with him And yet the true supreme heade of the Church shal haue to do with him For that malicious and sinful thought shal neuer be foregeuen excepte the party come to be absolued of theire Successours to whom Christe saide whose sinnes ye forgeue ▪ they are forgeuen and whose sinnes ye reteine they are reteined To committe murder in harte is a sinne and it is reteined vntil it be forgeuen Neither can it be forgeuen vntil he that is Iudge by the keie of discretion perceiue that it is to be forgeuen VVhich he cannot know vntil it be confessed with a contrite hart by him who onely knoweth it and is bounde to tel it for absolutions sake If then there be a iudge who can see the lawe kepte in an higher pointe and beyond the reache of the King surely the King shal not be supreme head ▪ sith an other is more like to God then he A◠who is iudge of the inwarde conscience whereunto no Kinge reacheth but onely the minister of Christe ▪
your Popes Holinesse so entitled wee finde neuer Onlesse it be in somme certaine late Decrees and Gloses of his owne Al be it you of late haue mutche abated the Emperoures Honoure and haue made him onely the Popes man For thus yee saie Imperator Occidentis est Procurator siue Defensor Romanae Ecclesiae The Emperoure of the Weaste is the Proctoure or Stewarde of the Churche of Rome Yet Chrysostome saithe Imperator est Summitas Caput omnium super terram hominuÌ„ The Emperoure is the Toppe and Heade of al menne vpon the Earthe In the Councel of Chalcedon the Emperoure is called Dominus Vniuersi Mundi The Lorde of the Whole Worlde Perhaps ye wil saie The State of the Empiere is nowe empouerished And therefore the Emperoure hathe loste his Title Yet your owne Doctours Glosers coulde haue tolde you Iura communia dicunt quòd Imperator est Dominus Mundi NotwithstaÌ„ding the decaie of yâ— Empiere The Common Lawes saie that the Emperoure is the Lorde of the Worlde Rob. Holâ—ote speakinge of the Emperoure of Germanie saithe thus Hic est Rex Regum cui omnes subditae sunt Nationes Populi c. The Emperoure is the Kinge of Kinges vnto whom al Nations and Countries be in subiection The Romaines of late yeeres wrote thus vnto the Emperoure Conradus Excellentissimo Praeclarissimo Vrbis Oibis totius Oâ—mino c. Vnto the moste excellente and moste Noble Emperoure the Lorde bothe of the Cittie and also of al the whole Worlde Therefore M. Hardinge to moue this vaine quarrel without somme cause it was great folie Councelles ye saie In olde times were holden by Authoritie of the Pope For proufe whereof yee allege Socrates in the eight booke and the seconde Chapter But Woorde or Sentence yee allege none Howe be it it was a great ouersight to allege the Eighth Booke of Socrates whereas Socrates him selfe neuer wrote but Seuen and so far to ouerleape your Authoure Notwithstandinge this smal Erroure maie wel be dissembled emongest so many How be it touchinge the thing it selfe yee maie as easily finde it in the Eighth Booke of Socrates that neuer was written as els where For in deede emongeste al that euer he wrote this thinge certainely that you allege he wrote neuer The Apologie Cap. 12. Diuision 5. Ca. 13. Diui. 1. And although the modestie and mildenesse of the Emperoure Ferdinando be so greate that he can beare this wronge bicause peraduenture he vnderstandeth not wel the Popes packinge yet ought not the Pope of his holinesse to offer him that wronge nor to claime an other mans right as his owne But hereto somme wil replie The Emperoure in deede called Councelles at that time yee speake of bicause the Bishop of Rome was not yet growen so greate as he is nowe but yet the Emperour did not then sitte togeather with the Bishoppes in Councel or once bare any stroke with his Authoritie in theire consultations I answeare nay that it is not so For as witnesseth Theodorete the Emperoure Constantine sate not onely togeather with them in the councel at Nice but gaue also aduise to the Bishoppes howe it was best to trie out the mater by the Apostles and Prophetes vvritinges as appeareth by these his owne woordes In disputation saithe he of maters of Diuinitie vvee haue set before vs to folovve the Doctrine of the Holy Ghoste For the Euangelistes and the Apostles vvoorkes and the Prophetes saieinges shevve vs sufficiently vvhat opinioÌ„ vve ought to haue of the vvil of God M. Hardinge For the sittinge of Emperoures in Councelles you treate a common place not necessarie No man euer denied but Emperoures maie sitte in them we acknowledge two sortes of settinge one for the assessours an other for the Iudge No Emperoure euer sate as a Iudge in Councel but many both Emperoures in person and their Lieutenauntes for them haue sitten as being ready to assiste and defende that whiche the Bishoppes had Iudged and decreed VVhat maner a seate greate Constantine had in the firste Councel at Nice Eusebius in his life and Theodoritus doth declare After that al the Bishoppes were sette in their seates to the number of 318 in came the Emperoure last with a smal companie A lowe litle chaire beinge sette for him in the middest he would not sitte downe before the Bishoppes had reuerently signified so mutche vnto him and as Theodoritus writeth not before he had desired the Bishoppes to permitte him so to doo Nowe thinke you that the Supreme head of the Churche should haue comme in last and hane sitten beneath his subiectes and haue staied to sitte vntil thei had as it were geuen him leaue Neither consulted he with the Bishoppes but required them to consult of the maters thei came for as Theodorite witnesseth Neither spake he there so generally as you reporte nor framed his tale in that sorte as you faine vniuersally of the wil of God ‡ but of the Godhed saieinge that the bookes of the Gospels and of the Apostles and the Oracles of the Prophetes doo plainely teache vs what we ought to thinke of the Godhed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the coÌ„trouersie about whiche the Arians made so mutche adoo was touchinge the equalitie of Godhed in Christe and his consubstantialitie with God the Father And by those wordes and other whiche there he vttered he tooke not vpon him to define or Iudge but onely to exhorte them to agree together in one Faithe For amonge those Bishops certaine there were that fauoured the Heresie of Arius Suche examples you bringe for defence of your parte as make mutche against you Not that you delight in making a rodde for your selfe but bicause you haue no better and somwhat must you needes saie lest the stage you plaie your parte on shoulde stande stil The B. of Sarisburie Emperoures ye saie sate in Councelles as Assessours onely but not as Iudges That is to saie thei sate by the Bishoppes helde theirpeace tolde the clocke saide nothinge Yet youre Doctours saie Assessor Episcopi non potest esse Laicus The Assessoure of a Bishop maie not be a Laieman But touchinge the mater it selfe Eusebius that was alwaies neare aboute the Emperoure Constantine wrote his life and was presente at the Councel saithe thus Constantinus quasi Communis quidam Episcopus à Deo constitutus Ministrorum Dei Synodos conuocauit Nec dedignatus est adesse considere in medio illorum consorsque fieri ipsorum c. Constantine as if he had benne a Common Bishop appoited by God called togeather Councelles of Goddes Ministers and disdeigned not him selfe to sitte in the middes emongest them and to be partetaker of theire dooinges Againe Constantinus him selfe saithe thus Ego intereram Concilio tanquam vnus ex vobis I was presente at the Councel emongeste you as one of you Againe Eusebius saithe Vnus Vnicus
leafte him wee coulde not come to Christe Neither wil he nowe make any other league with vs then sutche a one as Nahas the Kinge of the Ammonites woulde haue made in times paste with them of the Cittie of Iabes whiche was to put out the Right Eie of eche one of the Inhabitantes Euen so wil the Pope plucke from vs the Holy Scripture the Gospel of our Saluation and al the Confidence whiche wee haue in Christe Iesu And vpon other condition can he not agree vpon peace with vs. M. Hardinge Ye are not fallen from the Bishop of Rome onely whiche were a damnable schisme but ye are fallen from Christes Churche Your comparison of the Pope with kinge Nahas is not very agreable But sirs ye speake more maliciously then credibly Be ye good Christen men and conforme your selues to the Catholique Faithe and denie Christe and his Gospel For this also yee shoulde haue added and I warrant you the Pope wil not plucke from you neither the Scriptures nor your confidence in Christe Iesu no more then he dooth from vs. The Apologie Cap. 20. Diuision 3. For whereas somme vse to make so greate a vaunte that the Pope is onely Peters Successour as though thereby he carried the Holy Ghoste in his bosome cannot erre this is but a mater of nothing a very trifelinge tale Gods Grace is promised to a good minde and to any one that feareth him not vnto Sees SuccessioÌ„s Richesse saithe S. Hierome maie make a Bishop to be of more might then the reste but al the Bishoppes whosoeuer they be are the Successours of the Apostles If so be the Place and Consecration onely be sufficient why then Manasses Succeded Dauid and Caiphas Succeded Aaron And it hath benne often seene that an Idol hath benne placed in the Temple of God In olde time Archidamus the Lacedemonian boasted mutche of him selfe howe he came of the bloud of Hercules But one Nicostratus in this wise abated his pride Nay quod he thou seemest not to descende from Hercules For Hercules destroied euil menne and thou makest good menne euil And when the Phariseis bragged of their linage howe they were of the kinred and bloude of Abraham Ye saithe Christe seeke to kil me a manne vvhiche haue tolde you the truthe as I hearde it from God Thus Abraham neuer did Yee are of youre Father the Diuel and vvil needes obeie his vvil M. Hardinge The Pope succedeth Peter in auctoritie and power For whereas the Shepe of Christe continewe to the worldes ende he is not wise that thinketh Christe to haue made a shepeherde temporarie or for a time ouer his perpetual flocke Then what shepeherdly endoument our Lorde gaue to the firste shepeherde at the institution of the shepeherdely office of the Churche that is he vnderstanded to haue geeuen ordinarely to euery successour To Peter he gaue that he obteined by his praier made to the Father that his Faithe should not faile Againe to him he gaue grace that to performe the performance whereof at him he required to witte that he confirmed and strengthened his brethren wherefore the grace of stedfastnesse of Faithe and of confirminge the waueringe and doubtful in Faithe euery Pope obteineth of the holy Ghoste for the benefite of the Churche And so the Pope although he maie erre by personal erroure in his owne priuate iudgemente as a man and as a particular Doctour in his owne opinion yet as he is Pope the successour of Peter the Vicar of Christe in earthe the shepeherde of the vniuersal Churche in publique iudgemente in deliberation and definitiue sentence he neuer erreth nor neuer erred For when so euer he ordeineth or determineth any thinge by his highe Bishoply Auctoritie intendinge to binde Christen menne to performe or beleue the same he is alwaies gouerned and holpen with the grace and fauour of the holy Ghoste This is to Catholique Doctours a very certaintie though to sutche doughty Clerkes as ye are it is but a mater of nothinge and a very triflinge tale Gods grace in one respecte is promised bothe to a good minde and to one that feareth God and also in an other respect to the successours of Peter S. Hieromes saieinge to Euagrius whiche nowe you haue alleaged three or foure times wil not handsomly serue you for so diuerse pointes as a shipmans hose for diuerse legges Once againe I tel you thereby he meaneth nothinge els but that the greatnes of Rome ought not to geue Auctoritie to a wronge priuat custome by whiche Deacons in certaine cases were preferred before Priestes against the right generall custome of the worlde And bishoppes be the successours of the Apostles we graunte yet is the Pope the successour of Peter who was shepeherde of al Christes Lambes and shepe and therefore also of the Apostles them selues and so hath a higher auctoritie As for your example of Archidamus who boastingly fetched his petigree from Hercules you muste consider succession of vertue alwaies foloweth not succession of bloude Nowe wee doâ— acknowledge in the Pope a succession of shepeherdly power euen sutche as was in Peter VVhiche power is not taken awaie by lacke of Peters holines Christe likewise by his answeare to the Phariseis though he affirmed they succeded not Abraham in loue of truthe and that for their malice they were of their Father the Deuil yet â—e denied not but that they came lineally of Abraham and were of his bloud though not of his godlines Sutche succession meane not we speakinge of the Pope whose succession is deriued of Peter but the succession of power and auctoritie and of infallibilitie of Faithe in iudgemente and sentence definitiue The B. of Sarisburie Here wee haue founde one Pope with twoo Capacities In one respecte he is a Man in an other respecte he is aboue a Man but whether in that respecte he be Angel or Archangel it is paste in silence One waie he Succedeth Peter an other waie he Succedeth I knowe not whom One waie he maie Erre an other waie though he woulde neuer so faine he cannot erre In his Bed at his Table on Horsebacke or els where wee maie wel mistruste him for in these places he maie be deceiued as wel as others But in Councel in Consistorie and in place of Iudgemente it is moste certaine yee saie he cannot erre For in these places he hathe the Holy Ghoste I trowe at his Commaundemente His Povver Pastoral his Succession in Authoritie and Infallibilitie of Faithe his Place his Chaire his Consecration are sufficiente for euer to preserue him from Erroure To like pourpose Salluste sommetime saide of Cicero Aliud Stans aliud Sedens de Republica sentit While he Standeth vp he hath one minde touching the common State When he sitteth downe he hath an other Apolloes Nonne while she sate mewed in her Caue was inspired and Prophesied and gaue Oracles but after that shee came