we loue in part not as wee should we keepe his Commandements in part not as we should or would in all But his Commandements are not grieuous What of that Therefore possible to be kept in euery point at all times by any man I deny that For I see no such sequell to be inferred Grieuous is simply or respectiuely In regard of those many incumbrances of Moses Law the Law of Christ Iesus was not grieuous Againe a thing may be weighty and yet not in reputation or esteeme vnto some men who will runne with that weight easily or vndergoe that burthen willingly For to a willing minde what is grieuous though it be impregnable inexpugnable impossible The Heathen man could tell vs that the Romane Legions went often with alacrity vpon that peece of Seruice from whence they knew and were assured they should neuer come off with life Weighty and insupportable are two things Weighty and grieuous are two things To those that loue God nothing is heauy for God not for the thing it selfe but because of Loue which maketh that seeme light which indeed is heauy and giueth men if not actiuity beyond power yet will beyond possibility of Power to doe See more But first heare a reason that interlopeth betwixt these testimonies of holy Writ A reason or two for so it is The first A man is not bound to impossibilities but a man is bound to keepe the Commandements and is lyable to punishment for breach of them I answere It is true no man is tyed to simple Impossibilities where there is no habitude betwixt the termes As to be immortall in this life to flye or walke in the Ayre or on the Waters Such impossibility is not betwixt the Law of God and mans performance Secondly when the Commandements were giuen there was not onely a possibility but ability and sufficiency in man to keepe Gods Law For in effect and substance it was all one Eate and dye with Doe this and liue The particulars were explained in time the Nature of Obligation altered not If since there hath accrued an impossibility of Consequence what is this to that sufficiency which was before when the Law was first giuen and man tyed to Obedience as Adam was Againe it is confessed with Saint Augustine that sinne is not sinne except it be voluntary He that cannot possibly auoid necessity of sinning is iniuriously dealt withall if he be punished for sinning But no man is so necessitated either actiuely in regard of the ouer-awing and determining decree of God vnauoidable vnresistable No man is so necessitated passiuely For as hath beene said betwixt mans Actiue possibility and the Passiue possibility of Gods Law there was at first naturally is and finally shall be a Correspondency If interim stantibus vt nunc impediments incumbrances make it impossible man may thanke himselfe that hath lost his power of performing Now see more and see as little Ecclus. 15. 15. a place twice or thrice alleaged by this Trifler against the Protestants whom hee knoweth not to receiue the Booke as Canonicall and therefore not bound to stand vnto the authority of the same or subscribe vnto the assertion But I quarrell it not I accept the authority and answere it out of the Text. They obserue his Commandements so farre as to doe their best and testifie their good will Which proueth in his opinion rather a defect then any possibility of perfection If thou wilt thou shalt obserue the Commandements and testifie thy good will Ezech. 36. 27. I will put my spirit in the middest of you and will make you to walke in my statutes It is the effect and operation of Gods Spirit to doe this But the Prophet doth not say They shall not stumble nor fall as many walkers doe who yet attaine their iournies end in peace and goe on in their course with commendation The Prophet addeth And you shall keepe my Iudgements and doe them I will take no aduantage vpon the word Iudgements Let it goe for the morall Law of God He keepeth the Law that doth what hee can and hath defects and infirmities pardoned him As Dauid is said to haue done who yet fell foule moe times then one Mathew 11. 30. speaketh of a yoake the same in effect with 1 Iohn 5. 3. That which is not heauy to bee borne is not impossible to be kept but Gods Commandements are not heauy for they are the yoake which Christ saith is easie I answere Christ speaketh not primarily of Gods Commandements there but of the Polity of Grace in the Gospell of Peace in regard of the Polity of the Law to which hee preferreth it as easier and lesse cumbersome for causes well collected and obserued by Maldonate out of the Fathers You may see other expositions in Iansenius but nothing for your dreame of perfection Againe in this argumentation that which is not heauie to be borne is not impossible to be kept the Proposition is absolutely false For it is iugum though dulce as feathers are onus though alleuians as wheeles though cause of motion vnto a Coach Matthew 19. 17. Is not to purpose The question is not whether To keepe Gods Commandements be the ready way and means to enter into life that Scripture saith so and Protestants approue it for them that can doe it But whether no man otherwise entreth into life whether euery one that entreth into life hath personally kept Gods Commandements whether it be possible for them to doe it This Protestants deny This that Scripture saith not Againe it is not heere proposed as a condition vnto him but as a Conuiction who came in the vanitie of his minde trusting in his owne worth And is proposed as a necessary implication of the Law vnto him who was a Lawyer by Profession and proposed his question onely De faciendis the Tenor of the Law not de credendis the Tenet of the Gospell And doubtlesse if Saluation be sought by onely doing the workes of the Law must needes be done But how doth this follow if those that seeke Saluation by their owne worke must be put ouer to performe the workes of the Law therefore all men must precisely keepe the law the foolish presumption of some foole hardy vndertaker is no preiudice vnto wiser men Nor tye for them to venture on the same follies Iohn 14. 15. If you loue mee keepe my Commandements And adde if you will in the same Chapter If any man loue mee hee will keepe my word And Chapter 15. If you keepe my Commandements you abide in my loue All which and others of that Nature proue this Gods Commandements must be kept they conclude not the manner and measure of the thing How wherein how farre they may be kept Secondly I answere out of Iansenius Christ doth not vnderstand the whole Law of God but some part of the Law of the New Testament ea scilicet quae modo tradidi of Faith in mee and Loue amongst your selues Nor doth our
I confesse I haue dealt with this man as I would not haue dealt with euery one nor so as happely my person and calling would in some mens opinion require but sure as he and such as he deserue to be dealt withall For shall I suffer him to rayle vpon to blaspheme to calumniate to belye so impudently the Church of England as he doth beside his Tapster-like phrases of Ale and Hostesses and not make him heare of it on both his eares but guild him ouer with good language 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let himselfe or his companions or any Papist in the packe goe honestly sincerely soberly scholler-like to worke Let him set affection faction partiallity sinister ends apart Let him come home to the poynts controuerted without rowling rambling rauing ioyne issue instantly with the Question where it lyeth I am for him no man more ready more willing more submisse more desirous to goe calmely and sedate to worke for Gods glory the Churches tranquilitie the good and benefit of my selfe and others To learne to heare to be aduised to yeeld to euidence and conuicting proofe out of Scriptures out of Fathers the totall Tradition of the Church No otherwise willing to deale with moderate men then I haue and doe with that worthie Baronius in his kinde But for this man those that thinke otherwise must pardon me As a wise man is to be heard with attention so a foole must be answered according to his folly And so haue I answered this goodly Gagger Thus Curteous Reader hauing giuen thee an account of my comming vpon this employment and secondly of my carriage of it with the reason of my demeanure in it I come to the Gagger to cope with him leauing thee to the Protection of the Almighty Windsor December 28. Thine in Christs seruice RI MOVNTAGV THE PREFACE answering that of the Gagger's to his Catholike Reader IAm not nor would you haue me it seemeth by your inscription Sir Gagger much interessed in this your Preface For you will not I suppose admit meâ— for one of your Curteous Readers and I professe I am none of your Catholike Readers that is as you intend it according to the Romancutt Your inscription is onely to the Catholike Reader your addresse alone vnto the Cuâ—â—eous Reader And sure I am you neede both the one and other Catholike and Curteous or none at all to ouer-view your pure Naturalls Indeed because Catholike beleeuing any thing therefore so curteous admitting admiring any thing You are sure of a Curteous one without more adoe if he be a Catholike one that readeth it Such Readers you leade in a string by the nose you neede not pray them their patience spare that paines and engagement you are sure enough of so much patience as heart can wish though otherwise affected or but indifferent Readers would count it a pressure to peruse such idle treatises as you permit your selues leaue to send amongst them But Sir what incongruity is this which your Gagger-ship presenteth vs with at the first Gaping It was intended by you and accordingly fitted to choke vp the new Gospell and Gospellers for euer The very title doth challenge that opinion and threaten that performance and yet see your vnaduisednesse you would not haue it put into their mouths at all Catholikes alone are addressed and inuited to it that is Biddengape to begagged They onely are to reade it and to receiue aduice in what sort to vse it that is to serue themselues thereof with fruit and profit Whereas in all Eristicall discourses those ad oppositum are to be Readers if not onely yet principally as men to be conuerted or confounded of that which is written against them For my part I desire not nor would I willingly maske vnder a Catholike cloake at all yet as some Protestants sometime out of a desire to be Eye-witnesses of your Antique trickes there doe couertly repaire vnto your Masses so for once I care not if I take vpon me the stile of a Curteous and Catholike Reader to heare your aduice concerning those same points which are so very necessary for your Catholikes in perusing this treatise the better to serue themselues thereof with fruit and profit in all and in the seuerall points no doubt of great and much behoouefull obseruance The first point is an excuse of some negligence or at least ouersight in the very title of the Pamphlet For whereas the refutation of the errors of the Protestants so vaunted of was vndertaken to be out of expresse texts of their owne Bibles this indetermined generality may amuse and puzle the Reader who will be to seeke without all question out of which English Bible the alleaged passages are extracted Well thought vpon and to purpose Bonum factum had hee beene so punctuall and precise in his Texts of Fathers to bee seene for affirming God knoweth what oftentimes in none of which the editions are specified being many diuers and different In many of which no place designed or but at rouers and randon or els falsly and not to purpose Some aduice would haue beene thought vpon here Bibles are of more speciall care I grant Therefore as this was necessarily done so in discretion that should not haue beene left vndone And yet what such necesssity to tell the Reader out of which English Bible they were alleadged Great doubtlesse For Qui bené distinguit bene docet England hath brought forth within these few yeares past to the number of twenty seuerall Bibles I grant that perchance to the number of twenty and twenty thousand in many seuerall impressions and editions in folio in quarto in octauo as many hath Rome and Lions and Antwerpe and Paris and other places nay farre moe brought forth seuerall sorts of the vulgar Latine and sent them abroad into the world It was very vnaduisedly therefore done of Bellarmine Valentia Vasquez and the rest of our Controuersors not to giue vs a speciall direction vnto that precise Edition which they followed as you haue done for yours of 1615. in quarto by Robert Barker that we might addresse our selues in perusing Controuersies vnto the Edition by them followed the time place and quantity thereof Surely a materiall and most remarkeable aduice Catholikes could neuer haue perused this treatise with profit without this Oh but the Protestants sorts of Bibles are sarre different one from another Meane you in forme So are yours but then you enlarge beyond art and skill There are but fiue seuerall forms of Bibles at the most You mean in matter For the translations differing one from an other Then in plaine English you lye Name me ten of this twenty if you can Some different Translations there haue beene of late but authorized I know but two The Bishops as they call it and this last which hath perchance beene printed in seuerall formes twenty and twenty times but without diuersity in the Translation So that you might as well haue directed your
so C. W. B. quoted them vnto your hand all that you could doe was to part him from the Fellowship and bring him in alone in this particular And yet he hath nothing for supererogation His plea is for possibility to keepe the Law of which in due place Now keeping of the Law reflecteth vpon Precept Precepts and Counsels in your owne Learning by your owne Confession are two distinct seuerals Your prooses out of Scripture were all for Counsels not Precepts and now Saint Chrysostome is summoned to speake for Precepts the possibility of keeping them So What would this man haue what would he say who floateth betwixt Counsels and Precepts thus vncertaine vp and downe he knoweth not whether XVI That by the fall of Adam wee haue lost all our free will and that it is not in our owne power either to choose good or euill AQuestion of obscurity which better might haue beene ouer-passed in silence fitting rather Schooles then popular eares especially the differences hanging on such niceties and the controuerted particulars of no great moment in fine vpon due examination For it is confessed that free will is a Power of the reasonable Soule and peculiar vnder Heauen to man which is indued with freedome to doe or not to doe whereby they make choyce of one end rather then of another and of some meanes rather then of other vpon aduice and deliberation of the vnderstanding chiefe Councellor to the will This Power was conferred vpon man at first in the day of his Creat on when he was made a liuing Soule In state of Nature intire a naturall faculty not any supernaturall endowment at all whereby most freely and absolutely he was Lord of his owne actions and could doe or not doe what he pleased and would That liberty was much empaired by sinne not extinct or amolished in corrupted Nature such as now it is The Councell of Trent rightly so defineth it Sess 6. Cant. 5. And we professe Non amissimus Naturam sed gratiam As rightly is it by that Counsell determined Liberum arbitrium non quidem extinctum esse sed viribus attenuatum The question is all of these vires remaining and quatenus attenuatum liberum arbitrium The Church of England Artic. 10. concludeth thus The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turne nor prepare himselfe by his owne naturall strength and good workes to faith and calling vpon God Wherefore we haue no power to doe good workes pleasant and acceptable vnto God without the grace of God by Christ preuenting vs that we may haue a good will and working with vs when we haue that good will Man is here considered in a two-fold state of Nature depraued and restored In that Free-will is denyed vnto man for workes of righteousnesse before conuersion not for workes of Nature or of Morality In the second Free-will is granted vnto man When we haue that good will what is it else and By our Free-will assisted by Grace worke out our saluation vnto the end This is not that opinion condemned in the Councell of Trent Sess 6. Can. 5. which taketh away free-will from man after preuenting Grace in cooperation vnto increase of Grace for it is said that Grace infused first and had worketh together with our good will So it is not denyed but free-will is In vs subsisting not in title onely It is not said that by the â—all of Adam wee haue vtterly lost all of vs our free-will as if the Soule were cleane defeated and disfurnished of that Power So that this blunderer stumbleth at a straw and impudently belyeth our Profession What some haue thought or taught is nothing to vs. No Church is to be charged with priuate opinions Man in state of Corruption hath freedome of will in Actions Naturall and Ciuill Secondly Man in state of Corruption hath free-will in matters Morall Thirdly Man hath free-will in Actions of Piety and such as belong vnto his saluation But quatenus and quale is the Question as much amongst your selues as with vs. For the concurrence of Grace assisting with Free-will The correspondency of Free well with Prescience Prouidence and Predestination is much debated in your owne Schooles Intricate Disputes are hereupon inferred Questions almost inextricable such as Armachanus studied twenty yeeres to resolue one of them and was faine to giue it ouer without an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I haue found it Wee resolue thus farre First with Saint Augustine Lib. 1. cont 2. Epistolas Pelagianorum cap. 2. Quis nostrum dicit quod primi hominis peccato perierit arbitrium de humano genere Libertas quidem perijt per peccatum sed illa quae in Paradiso fuit habendi plenaÌ„ cum immortalitate iustitiam Doth any of vs affirme that Free-will is perished vtterly from man by the fall of Adam Freedome is perished I grant by sinne but that freedome which was in Paradise of hauing righteousnesse with immortality Againe we confesse with the same Saint Augustine Man is not meerely passiue in all workes of Grace to glory For Qui creauit te sine te non saluabit te siâ—e te He that made thee alone without thy helpe will not saue thee alone without thy concurrance Man is to worke that will haue reward In Conclusion the Condition of Man since the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turne nor prepare himselfe to God by or through his owne naturall or humane power and strength This is the Doctrine of the Church of England Preuented by Grace and assisted therewith he then putteth to his hand to procure augmentation of that Grace and continuance vnto the end No man commeth to God but hee is drawen Drawen hee runneth or walketh as his assistance is and his owne agility and disposition to the end This is enough And the wisdome of the Church hath not ventured farre to put a tye of Obedience vpon mens beliefe in points of inextricable obscurity almost of the concordance in working of Grace and Predestination with Free-will Moderate spirits would well and wisely sit them downe by temperate courses and not clamor without rage where is no cause nor delight to set the Peace of the Church on hurres onely for faction and some priuate sinister indirect ends of their owne Contrary to our owne Bibles it is not which we reade 1 Cor. 7. 37. He that standeth sted fast in his heart hauing no necessity but hath power ouer his owne will and hath so decreed that he will keepe his Virgin doth well So it is confessed he doth and that hee may haue power so to doe For it is not absolute as if euery one had such Power but Conditionall If any haue such Power The Apostic saith That man hath Power if he be not tyed which Text may as well demolish as build vp Free-will For here is supposed at least some time an ouer-awing and ouer-commanding Necessity or Coaction Again this Freedome specified here is but in
in the mercies of Christ but this being speciall and therefore extraordinary may admit an exception for common vse Therefore in Rom. 3. he speaketh plaine in generall not with that limitation of some Iustification of Faith alone sufficeth albeit a man hath not done any workes As direct a Protestant as euer wrote Caluin or Chemnitius could say no more But in Rom. 5. he is otherwise minded If so what why vrge you the witnesse of him that saith and vnsaith the same thing But it is not so Origen is wronged by you His words are Faith cannot be reputed vnto Iustice to such as beleeue Christ and yet put not off the old man with his Acts. Doe Protestants say it can be We distinguish Historicall and Iustifying Faith You doe difference Faith in Degree if in nothing else Beliefe may be before without Iustification a generall assent without application or adhesion Origen is in this also a perfect Protestant It is their Doctrine That there is a Faith which iustifieth not It is Origens Doctrine absolutely Origen saith Which beleeueth Christ He doth not say Which beleeueth in Christ Thus per omnia in all points he sideth with the Protestants in their Faith concerning Faith as you propose it Secondly see Hilary vpon Math. 7. And doe See him Protestant to thy confirmation See him Papist to thy confusion The saluation of Nations are his words is through faith and in the Precepts of the Lord the life of all men Doth this man speake against the Iustification of a man by Faith that ascribeth saluation vnto Faith And Can. 8. in Math. vnto onely Faith And else-where as he is cited by Cassander A Christo per fidem remissio est quod lex laxare non poterat Fides enim sola Iustificat Remission of sinnes is from Christ which could not be released by the Law For onely Faith iustifieth Saint Ambrose runneth the same way with Origen and Hilary in Comment vpon the Epistle to the Romans Hoc etiam constitutum est à Deo vt qui credit in Christum saluus sit sine opere solâ fide gratis accipiens remissionem peccatorum It is so ordained by God that whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ is made partaker of saluation by faith alone without workes receiuing forgiuenesse of sinnes In conclusion it is confessed vpon all hands by the most lerned in the Church of Rome that many of the ancient Fathers ascribe Iustification vnto Faith alone Casalius in his second Booke and 16. Chapter allayeth their saying and we approue it but implyedly he giueth to vnderstand that Doctores Sancti doe affirme that sola fides iustificat Faith alone is that which iustifieth No new Gospell therefore as this Goose gagleth XIX That no good workes are meritorious IN the former Proposition the Protestants were belyed in the Case of good workes as excluding their necessity vnto Saluation For though Faith alone acted in the act of Iustification yet there necessarily followed in ordinary course an haruest of good workes Now the valew of those workes is next to be questioned in the point concerning merit and desert wherein this Gagger as else-where lyeth out aloofe in ambiguities for he distinguisheth not of workes nor merit nor the termes how farre they are meritorious nor how they deserue what they haue Workes are considered before or after Iustification In the state of Nature or of Grace workes are not all of one kinde There are some good and so farre good as that they cannot be done to any euill end Such as are directed vnto God immediately to honour him to loue him and to feare him Others so euill that no intent or purpose can make them good to commit Adultery doe murther blaspheme God Others good in themselues and in a generality which may yet be done to an ill intent and purpose to giue Almes to be seene of men euill in a generall notion as to goe to the Stewes yet good in the designment to conuert a sinner Others indifferent euery way Now in the Proposition not any of these are meritorious according to the Doctrine of the Protestants saith the Gagger generally Not meritorious what is that Your Schooles assigne vs a two-fold merit of Congruity of Condignity that where Retribution or reward is not due yet conueniency requireth recompensation this where reward is rightly due and the denying thereof is iniustice and wrong vnto the party Here is no distinction of merit at all We are not giuen to vnderstand whether is intended Merit of Condignity or Congruity We know that in the Doctrine of the Romane Schooles and vnlesse wee did know it otherwise this fellow would not tell vs. Merit of Congruity is not commonly meant as scarce vouchsafed the name of Merit Good workes therefore said to be meritorious are so vnderstood to be ex condigno which that a worke may so be these Conditions are required That it bee morally good Freely wrought by man in this life In the state of Grace and friendship with God which hath annexed Gods Promise of Reward All which Conditions I cannot conceiue that any Protestant doth deny vnto good workes the fruits of Faith liuely and liuing For first euill workes are rewardable but with due desert that is Gods wrath and second death Worke s secondly of compulsion are not worth Gramercy 1 Cor. 9. 17. and thirdly after death working doth cease In the state of Grace to be wrought is the Protestants Tenent that precisely hold first Faith is necessary before good workes can be acceptable to God For God had first respect to Abel say they and afterward vnto his Sacrifice Deus non habet gratum offerentem propter munera sed munera propter offerentem saith Gregor hom 9. in Ezech. and then they maintaine that as God doth Crowne his owne workes in vs so he doth it hauing promised so to doe This is your owne Doctrine in the Romane Schooles And so farre the Protestants for these Conditions goe along with you Now if your Texts doe contrary this expresly or obliquely looke you to it it concerneth you as much as vs. First Math. 5. 12. Reioyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heauen Reward you say is due debt and debt is vpon desert But this desert whence came it and what is it Ex gratia ipsius saith Tertullian non proprietate nostrâ In the state of Grace men onely merit your selues teach then all their merit is of Grace As of Grace so ex compacto God hath promised therefore due to be required This is your fift and last Condition vnto merit Reward in Heauen no man denyeth Reward appointed for our good workes all confesse If this be your merit we contradict it not And this is your merit that you plead for All your Texts of Scripture Math. 10. 42. 2 Cor. 5. 10. 1 Cor. 9. 17. 18. 25. Heb. 11. 26. Psal 18. 20. and many moe in the same course and kinde speake directly this way and no other
et ordinariâ oratione quasi fundamento accidentium ius est desideriorum ius est superstruendi extrinsecus petitiones It was neuer heard of till now that the Lords Prayer should be the onely Prayer a man ought to vse vpon occasion It is a contrary Extreme It was not giuen to be vsed at all The Angels in heauen the soules of the Righteous Christ Iesus in the garden the three children in the fiery furnace vse repetitions of their praiers A sanctis pete perfectis exemplum Vse them a-Gods-name Do as they haue done A good thing cannot be repeated too often I doo not knowe any Puritan will dislike it I haue knowne as great Puritans as any were vse the Lords Praier twice at euery Sermon in the beginning at the end and yet I knowe it was the Puritan opinion at first that The Lords Praier was not so often to bee repeated as it is in our ordinary Seruice T. C. wrote this lib. 1. pa. 136. What reason is this we must repeat the Lords Praier oftentimes therefore oftentimes in half an houre and one in the neck of another Doth your Proposition driue at this Driue a-Gods Name till you driue it down we go with you For it is a singular vpstart nouell Puritan quarrell as infinite other are against the Church in all Ages against the doctrine and discipline of the Church But what is this to Protestants Against Protestants your Gag is directed not Puritans and yet all your addresses well-neer are against Puritan Positions malitiously imputed to Protestants and yet your selues among your selues make a difference betwixt Protestants and Puritans professing If it were not for the Protestant you would not esteem what the Puritan could say and truely For the Protestant commeth vp to you on your owne grounds and vndertaketh you at your own weapons so that you haue no help against him but to bely him with your Proselytes So you began so you continued and so you end this petty Pamphlet For otherwise you may knowe that this very point of often repeating the Lords Praier hath by vs been maintained against Puritan detraction more than by Papists especially by those two Worthies of their time the most reuerend Lord Archbishop Whitgift of blessed memory and that incomparable Hooker concerning whom I may much rather say than of his Works of whom it was said and made by Paulus Thorius Praeter Apostolicas post Christi tempora chartas Huic peperere libro sacula nulla parem In whose words I conclude to this babbler Twice we rehearse it ordinarily and oftner as occasion requireth more solemnity or length in diuine seruice not mistrusting till these new curiosities sprāg vp that euer any man would think our labour heerin mis-spent the time wastfully consumed and the office it self made worse by so repeating that which otherwise would more hardly bee made familiar to the simpler sort for the good of whose Soules there is not in Christian Religion any thing of like continuall vse and force throughout euery houre and moment of their whole liues I meane not onely because Prayer but because this very Prayer is of such efficacy and necessity Know this Sir Gagger that this is our opinion o◠repeating Prayers this our doctrine touching the Lords Prayer repeated or to bee repeated That giddy conceit taken vp by the Puritan faction sometime is none of ours as the faction it self is none of ours no more then Donatists Meletians or Nouatians were antiently the Catholique Church or their fooleries to be imputed to the Church The Factionists would were the innouating humor predominant in them peraduenture prescribe a forme of Religion to Christ Iesus himself were he on earth againe though but to last for a day vnlesse happly they disagreed which fancy should haue precedency For euery Crow thinketh her owne bird fayrer then the neighbours But to conclude with your Fathers that affirme God knoweth what you are to prooue which yet wee desire you not to doe for there is no such neede against vs that It is not superstitious nor yet superfluous to repeat one and the same Prayer oftentimes For this Lactantius is cited lib. 4. de diuinâ institut cap. 28. but might haue beene spared In that Chap. he disputeth against that deriuation which Cicero gaue of superstitiosus That they were called superstitiosi qui totos dies immolabant et precabantur vt sui liberi sibi superstites essent For saith hee Quid mihi afferet causae cur precari pro salute Filiorum semel religiosi et idem decies facere superstitiosi esse hominis arbitretur What reason can Cicero giue mee why it should bee counted religious piety to pray once and superstition to pray often Si enim semel facere optimum est quanto magis saepius Which testimony is direct as may be for praying often but not for saying the said prayer often yet this should be proued not that This is after the Puritan Cut not that Howsoeuer it may touch our Factionists who regard n o Fathers it concerns not vs who respect the one vse the other who profess with the same Lactantius Multiplicata obsequia demerentur potius quam offendunt The next is S. Amb. lib. de Sp. sanct cap. 20. Howsoeuer you haue playd the Idle-pack Addle-head Ignaro or Negligent in the course of your book yet as good Orators in a bad cause lay the strength they haue or can make in the beginning and latter end so should you but who can haue more of a cat then her skinne of a Blunderer then that which is next hand Saint Ambrose wrote three bookes to Gratian the Emperor de spiritu sancto This poore Innocent knew no such matter supposing hee had wrote but one nor caring vnto whom hee wrote it Saint Ambrose lib. de spiritu sancto cap. 20. saith Who can tell what I say Who can tell For the first booke hath 20. Chapters iust in the 20. nothing is that tendeth this way In the second book there are but 12. There can bee nothing in any 20. Chapter there The third hath chapters 23. but nothing touching repetition of Prayers or Prayers at all The truth is beside these bookes there is in some editions another tract without Chapters at all a very very short one de spiritu sancto by some supposed a fourth book to be added vnto the other three by others a seuerall headlesse discourse none of Saint Ambrose doing howsoeuer it be whose-soeuer it should seeme the book which the man would designe For not farre from the end hauing recited that text of Esay 6. Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbath hee inferreth the custome of the Church for the Trisagium in their ordinary Letany Vnde etiam tractum est per omnes fere Orientales Ecclesias et nonnullas Occidentales vt in oblationibus sacrificiorum quae Deo patri offeruntur vna cum sacerdote voce populus vtatur id est Sanctus sanctus sanctus Dominus Deus