consecration of the archbishop and other his associates by the admission of the prince The second replie S. Epiphanius inueyeth bitterly against one Zachaeus who being but a â—ay man presumed impudently to handle the holie mysterieâ— And saint Ierome saieth of Hilarius the heretike that he could neither baptize nor administer the eucharist because he was but a deacon when hee went out of the church And therefore the man being dead the sect also died with him And what are you but deacons Nay what are you but meere lay men For you are neither consecrated after the old maner nor confirmed by the Pope but ye are accursed long sithence by his holie anathematismes The answere I say first that if meere lay men should presume in our churches to handle the holie mysteries they could not escape condigne punishment according to their demerites I say secondly that the want of your greasing and other your beggerly ceremonies can not make the consecration of our Bishops vnlawfull I say thirdly that our bishops are consecrated and confirmed according to the auncient maner of the primitiue church For three thinges onely are necessarie all which are this day God be thanked for it practised in the church of England to wit election of the whole congregation confirmation of the Prince and consecration with godly praiers and imposition of handes Of the imposition of handes mention is made to Timothie Of praiers with laying on of handes S. Luke speaketh in the Actes Of election by voyces of the people S. Peter maketh relation but of popish paltry ceremonies I finde no where any word at all That election ought to be by consent of the people S. Augustine shewed plainly in a most godly and prudent epistle wheÌ„ in the presence of Religianus and Martinianus bishops and of Saturninus Leporius Barnabas Fortunatianus Rusticus Lazarus and Eradius priestes he humbly requested of all the people that by their consentes Eradius might be chosen bishop after his death I wishe the reader to peruse the whole epistle as which is replenished with all spirituall sweetnes But S. Cyprian is so plaine and copious in this point of doctrine as who soeuer shal once reade him with iudgement can no longer stand in doubt thereof And that which I say of S. Cyprian in this behalfe must also be vnderstood of Caecilius Primus Polycarpus and other bishops of Africke assembled togither for this purpose For the Bishops and people of Spaine wrote letters by Felix and Sabinus to the African bishops requiring their aduise concerning the factes of Basilides and Martialis The bishops of Africa with S. Cyprian among other things answered to the churches of Spaine in these words Quando ipsa plebs maximè habeat potestatem vel eligendi dignos sacerdotes vel indignos recusandi quod ipsum videmus de diuina authoritate descendere vt sacerdos plebe praesente sub omnium oculis deligatur dignus atque idoneus publicâ— iudicio ac testimonio comprobâ—tur Because the people hath proper power to elect worthy priestes or to reiect the vnworthy which thing we see descendeth from Gods owne authoritie that when the people shal be present then the priest be chosen before all their eies and so be proâ—ued woorthie and fit by their publique iudgement and testimonie Out of these wordes I note first that the people may chuse or refuse him for their bishop whome they like or dislike I note secondly that the people haue this libertie de iure diuino granted from God himselfe and consequently that it cannot be altered by the power of man which is a speciall point wel worthy the obseruation I note thirdly that the people must giue publique testimonie to the election of their bishop I note fourthly that all this freedome is graunted to the people for the due triall of the life and conuersation of that person whome they must haue to be their bishop Yea this case is so cleere that the great Papist Iacobus Pamelius is enforced to graunt that this was the practise of the primitiue church and continued many hundred yeeres to witte vntill saint Gregory the first of that name who liued aboue fiue hundred and ninetie yeeres after the incarnation of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ and so long by Pamelius his graunt this was the practise of the primitiue church Yea this practise was of force indeede vntill our disholie father Pope Boniface the third inuaded saint Peters chaire from whome proceeded all idolatrie To this Pamelius obiecteth first that though the voyces of the people were required yet did they not subscribe to the election I answere that that skilleth not because the subscription was not anie purpose vnlesse it had the consent of the people But Pamelius replieth that the bishops were not enforced to admit whomsoeuer the people did require To the which I answere that neither were the people enforced to receiue whomsoeuer the Bishops would intrude vpon them This practise of the ancient Church will some men say is not this day obserued in our reformed Churches of England I answere that it is virtually obserued though not formally For after the election is made by the Deane and Chapiter libertie is granted to the whole congregation freely to declare their like or dislike and what exception they can giue against the partie which their freedome and liberty therein is made knowne by letters affixed in publike place Now that the Bishop ought to bee confirmed by the letters patents of the Prince and not of the Pope which is the third and last thing to be proued I will vnfold to the gentle reader by three important and irrefragable reasons grounded in the verie bowels of that selfe same practise which the papists will they nil they must perforce admit for good The practise whereof I speake is euident in the confirmation of these three Popes Pelagius the second Seuerinus and Benedictus the second For al these three and al other Bishops of Rome till the said Benedict inclusiue were euer elected and confirmed by the emperours commandement Which veritie is freely confessed in expresse tearmes by foure famous popish writers who therefore are and ought to be of more credite and force against the papists then any other authours whosoeuer the names of the Popish doctors are these Bapt. Platina Barâ—hol Carranza Anastasius Bibliothecarius and Onuphrius Panuinius Platina writeth thus touching the creation of Pelagius Nilenim tum in eligendo pontifice actum erat nisi eius electionem imperator approbasset For at that time which was after the incarnation of our redeemer 579 nothing was done effectually about the election of the Pope vnlesse the Emperour had confirmed the same Touching the creation of Seuerinus the same Platina writeth in this manner Vana tunc enim habebatur cleri ac populi electio nisi id imperatores auteorum exarchi confirmassent For the election of the cleargie
repraesentet totam ecclesiam vniuersalem tamen in veritate ibi non est vera ecclesia vniuersalis sed repraesentatiue quia vniuersalis ecclesia coÌ„stituitur ex collectione omnium fidelium Vnde omnes fideles orbis constituunt istam ecclesiam vniuersalem cuius caput sponsus est ipse Christus Papa auteÌ„ est vicarius Christi non verè caput ecclesiae vt notat glossa in Clem. Ne Romani de elect quae notabiliter dicit quòd mortuo papâ ecclesia non est sine capite ista est illa ecclesia quae errare non potest Vnde possibile est quòd vera fides Christi remaneret in vno solo ita quod verum est dicere quod fides non deficit in ecclesia Sequitur Christus ante passionem orauerat pro Perro vt noÌ„ deficeret fides sua ergo non dicitur deficere nec etiam errare si remanet vera fides in vno solo For concerning matters of faith euen the iudgement of one that is a meere lay man ought to be preferred before the sentence of the pope if that lay person could bring better reasons out of the old and new testament then did the pope And it skilleth not if one say that a councel cannot erre because Christ praied for his church that it should not faile For I say that although a general councel represent the whole vniuersall church yet in trueth there is not truely the vniuersall Church but representatiuely For the vniuersall church consisteth of the collection of all the faithful Whereupon all the faithfull in the world make this church vniuersall wherof Christ himself is the head The pope is the vicar of Christ but not truely the head of the church as noteth the glosse vpon the Clementines which saith notably that when the pope is dead the Church wanteth not an head and this is that Church which cannot erre Whereupon it is possible that the true faith of Christ might remaine in one alone and so it may truely be said y t the faith faileth not in the church Christ before his passion praied for Peter that his faith should not faile therefore the church is not said to faile neither to erre so long as the true faith abideth in one onely Out of these wordes I note first that by the opinion of the great Papist Panormitan a meere lay mans iudgement euen in matters of faith ought to be accepted and receiued before the popes constitution if the lay man bring better reasons out of the scriptures then the pope doth Which saying doubtlesse is the foundation of the doctrine this day established in the church of England in all other reformed churches throughout the world Neither doe we craue more of the papistes then their owne doctors will affoord vs. I note secondly that a generall councell may erre because it is not the catholike or vniuersall church indeed I note thirdly that that church which cannot erre is not the visible companie of pastors and doctors but the inuisible societie of all the faithfull in the worlde Where by inuisible I meane not that any of the elect is inuisible in his corporal consistence but that the vniuersall congregation of the faithfull as vniuersall is inuisible that is to say that no one mortall man seeth or knoweth all true beleeuers in the church In which sense is truely verified the saying of Elias when hee cried out that he only was left alone For albeit it be true that there was a visible church in Iudea vnder the good kinges Asa and Iosaphat euen when Elias made his complaint that he was left alone and although also that Abdias had told Elias that hee had hid an C. prophets by L. in a caue so as Elias could not be ignoraunt of a visible church in the worlde yet is it most true with all this that the vniuersall church as vniuersall was inuisible to Elias and that there were many thousandes of true beleeuers euen then in Samaria whom â—lias neither saw nor knew And therefore did God answere him saying I haue reserued to my selfe seuen thousand men which haue not bowed the knee to Baall I note fourthly that howsoeuer the visible bishops and pastors erre yet doth not the vniuersal church erre so long as the faith remaineth in any one whosoeuer I note fiftly that as in the time of Elias there were seuen thousand faithfull persons whom he knew not euen so were there in those daies when Martin Luther began his reformation many thousandes among the papists that sincerely beleeued the gospel whom hee neither saw nor knew The 6 replie The scripture telleth vs that the church cannot erre For as the Apostle saith it is the house of the liuing God the pillar and ground of trueth Therefore either Gods apostle teacheth false doctrine or els doubtlesse the trueth must euer be in the church The answere I answere that the true church of God which is the mysticall body of Christ doth neuer erre wholly and generally in the fundamentall pointes of religion and such as are necessary for our saluation I say first the true church of God because the societie of the visible pastors are not euer the mysticall members of Christ. I say secondly wholly and generally because albeit the trueth may faile for a time in the pastors of the church yet shall it neuer perish in the elect and true members thereof For though particular churches may erre in particular pointes yet shall the whole church neuer erre in the articles of necessary doctrine Though the elect may erre in part and at sometime yet shal they neuer erre either all generally or any one finally For whom and in respect of whom the church is rightly called the pillar of trueth This my exposition is made good by the testimonie of S. Austen whose words be these SecundaÌ„ ergo Sabbathi non debemus intelligere nisi ecclesiaÌ„ Christi sed ecclesiaÌ„ Christi in sanctis ecclesiam Christi in his qui scripti sunt in coelo ecclesiaÌ„ Christi in â—is qui mundi huius tentationibus non cedunt Ipsi enim digni sunt nomine firmameÌ„ti ergo ecclesia Christi in his qui firmi sunt appellata est firmamentum quae est in quit ecclesia dei viui columna firmamentum veritatis Therefore we may not vnderstand the second of the sabboth to bee any other then the church of Christ yet the church of Christ in the saints the church of Christ in those which are not ouercome with the tentations of this wicked world for they are worthy the name of firmament therefore the church of Christ is called the firmament in those that are firme which is saith hee the church of the liuing God the piller and firmament of truth The like saying hath S. Augustine in many other places but especially where he writeth against the Donatists Saint Chrysostome expoundeth this place of the veritie it selfe
in clericis secularibus de substantia ordinis nec de iure diuino quia alià s Graeci peccarent nec excusaret eos consuetudo Sequitur non solum credo potestateminesse ecclesiae hoc condendi sed credo pro bono salute esset animarum quod esset salubre statutum vt volentes possint contrahere quia experieÌ„tia docente contrarius prorsus effectus sequitur ex illa lege continentiae cum hodie non viuant spiritualiter nec sint mundi sed maculantur illicito coitu cum eorum grauiss peccato vbi cum propria vxore esset castitas Continencie in secular priests is not of the substance of their orders nor of the law diuine because otherwise the Greeks should sinne and their custome could not excuse them and I doe not onely beleeue that the church can make such a law but also that such a law were for the good and for the saluation of soules that such as would might marrie because experience teacheth that a contrarie effect followeth of that lawe of continencie since this day they liue not spiritually neither are cleane but are polluted in vnlawfull copulation with their sinne most greeuous though they might liue chastly with their owne wiues Out of which wordes of Panormitan who was their canonist their Abbot their archbishop their cardinall I note first that the prohibition of marriage in secular priestes is neither of the substance of the ministerie nor by the law of God but onely enforced by the law of man I note secondly that priestes marriage may be honourable and honest chastitie I note thirdly that the prohibition of priestes marriage is against their soules health as which causeth the priests to sin damnably Out of which notes I inferre this memorable corollary that the prohibition of priests marriage is against Gods law against the health of mens soules and against the good of the common weale and that by constant popish doctrin So then the pope is neuer able to purge himself of his shameful dealing CHAP. V. Of popish pardons and the originall thereof I Haue spoken so copiously of popish pardons in my booke of Motiues as much more shall not be needfull in this place There I prooued by the testimonie of Roffensis Syluester and other popish doctors that popish pardons are not grounded in or vpon the word of god as also that they crept into the church long after Christes ascension into heauen Bonifacius the eight of that name who began his popedome as a foxe continued in it as a wolf and ended it as a dog their owne writers Platina and Carranza so affirming was the first bishop of Rome that euer tooke vpon him to pardon sinne by publique bulles He appointed a Iubilee and graunted full remission of al sinnes to such as would come in pilgrimage to Rome Their owne Platina hath these expresse wordes Iubilaeum idem retulit anno millesimo trecentesimo quo plenam delictorum omnium remissionem his praestabat qui limina apostolorum visitassent ad exemplum veteris testamenti Pope Boniface brought againe the Iubilee after 1300. yeares and gaue full pardon of all sinnes to those that did visite S. Peters Church in Vaticano at Rome after the example of the olde lawe Out of these words I note first that the old iubilee was neuer heard of in Christs church til the time of Bonifacius our Iewish pope I proue it by the word retulit he brought again from the Iewes I note secondly that the church was free froÌ„ popish pardons the space of 1300 yeares so as popish pardons are not yet 300. yeares old albeit sillie people do so magnifie the same I note thirdly that this pope pardoned not only the paine but euen the sin it selfe yea all sinnes whatsoeuer Though our latter papists to hide their shame if it could be do violently interpret him of the pain I note fourthly that this good father Maliface brought again the Iewish ceremonial law I note fiftly that the remission of the olde law which they pretend apishly to imitate was not of sins but of debts lands bondage such like which the pope vseth not to pardon and yet forsooth he would be thought to bring the Iubilee againe Two hundreth yeares after this that is 1500. yeares after Christ pope Alexander the sixt appointed his Iubilee and like pardons not onely for comming to Rome but to all persons in all places wheresoeuer So writeth their own Polydore and Platina accordeth therunto for the rest see my Motiues in this point The first obiection The church of God vsed to giue pardons aboue a thousand and two hundred yeares sithence as appeareth by the great councell of Nice and by other ancient synods Yea S. Gregorie gaue pardon to al those that did visit the churches at Rome The answere I say first that Emperors kings absolute princes common weales independent may lawfully pardon malefactours the due circumstances of times places and persons wel considered and so may one neighbour pardon an other for trespasses done vnto him I say secondly that in the primitiue church such as were notorius offenders had giuen publike scandall to y e church were inioyned by the church to do publike penance for their publike faults before they could be admitted into the church again Which thing is this day obserued in all reformed churches abroad and in all particular churches God be thanked for it throughout the Realme of England I say thirdly that in the ancient churches many yeares of penance or publike exercises of humiliation were ordained for euerie publike grieuous offence Whereupon it followed that when many penitent persons gaue euident tokens of tru internal remorse for their former scandalous conuersation then the church thought good to giue to such persons some relaxatioÌ„ of their so inioyned publike penance which maner of pardoning is plainely acknowledged in the holy councel of Nice These are the expresse words De his qui praeter necessitatem praeuaricati sunt aut propter ablationem facultatum aut propter periculum aut aliquid huiusmodi quod factum est sub tyrannide Liciniâ— placuit sanctae synodo licet sint indigni misericordia tameÌ„ aliquid circa eâ—s humanitatis ostendi Concerning those that haue voluntarily transgressed or for feare to lose their worldely goods or for danger or anie such like occasion as chanced in time of Licinius his persecution to such although they be vnworthie of mercie yet is it the holy councels mind to graunt them some pardon or relaxation in that behalfe In the councel of Arles and in the councell of Ancyra the like pardon is granted to penitent offenders of which kind of pardons the ancient fathers Irenaeus Tertullianus Eusebius Sozomenus and others do often make relation Yea of this sort were the pardons that Saint Gregorie gaue but of late popish pardons that is of applying to whom they list when they list as well to the liuing
say secondly that Gods ministers bind and loose sins by preaching his sacred word of which kind of binding and loosing Christ speaketh in Saint Matthew and in Saint Iohn For when the people of God beleeue in their hearts his word sincerely preached and in their conuersation shew the liuely fruits thereof then doubtlesse are their sinnes loosed on earth and then is that loosing also ratified in heauen then are the wordes of the Apostle verified who saith that the gospel of Christ is the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth it then are Christs ministers as the Apostle saith become in them the sauour of life vnto life On the contrarie side when the people will not heare and beleeue Gods worde sincerely preached but contemne it and the ministers thereof then doubtlesse are their sinnes bound on earth and then is that binding also approued in heauen Then are the apostles words verified who saith that vengeance is readie against all disobedience Then are Christes ministers as y e apostle saith made vnto them the sauour of death vnto death What can be a more ioyfull loosing what can be a more terrible binding See the aunswere to the third obiection following and there marke S. Hieromes words I say thirdly that our people cōfesse their sins generally before the minister in the face of the whole congregation according to the holy scriptures Yea in the reformed churches abroad the people vse to confesse to the ministers such speciall sins as most greeue clog their consciences and for which they need graue aduise and godly councell Which christian libertie is graunted also in our churches of England For such as list may confesse their sinnes to the minister priuately and haue both his godly aduise and absolution if he deeme them penitent for their sinnes The replie Your confessions are nothing els but a meere mockery for ye confesse your selues generally to be sinners but ye name no sins at all Againe as in Germany they confesse some sinnes so do they leaue vnconfessed what pleaseth them And this is the scornful libertie which ye grant to your churches of England The answere I say first that we confesse our sinnes this day as the Israelites of olde confessed their sinnes before Ezra and the Leuites As the humble publican confessed his sins when he said O God be mercifull to me a sinner As the prophet Dauid confessed his sins when he said I know mine iniquities and my sin is euer before me Against thee against thee only haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight that thou maist be iust when thou speakest and pure when thou iudgest As the prodigal son confessed his sins when he said Father I haue sinned against heauen before thee am no more worthy to be called thy son And as your selues confesse your sins in the beginning of euery masse I say secondly that your selues graunt that Venials need no confession at al. And yet as I haue already proued the least sin of al deserueth eternall death For thus doth your own famous Canonist write Quibus consequens est posse quem si velit confesso vno peccato veniali alterum tacere Vpon which it followeth that one may if he list confesse one veniall sinne and conceale another Maior and other Schoole-doctors are of the same opinion I say thirdly that by the scriptures vpon which ye woulde gladly ground your confession we are no lesse bound to confesse one sin then another For your triuolous distinction of mortall and veniall sinnes can be found in no text of holy scripture And consequently since the scripture it selfe by your graunt freeth vs from confessing Venials it followeth directly that wee are bound to confesse none at all I say fourthly that your confession is ridiculous indeede as which vrgeth the penitent to confesse those sinnes to sinful men which God of his mercy hath forgiuen already I prooue it because your best approoued writers hold that contrition onely reconcileth sinners to God and taketh away both the fault and the paine But after that we are reconciled to God by only cōtrition and haue both our sinnes and the satisfaction remitted I weene it is a vain and a ridiculous thing to afflict our selues for popish absolution This that I say is witnessed by Martinus Nauarrus by your learned frier Ioan. Lud. Viualdus and diuers others I say fiftly that your confessions are neuer able to bring peace to any troubled conscience but to driue them headlong into desperation For first none liuing is able to make a true confession of all his sinnes which thing is so cleere by the Scriptures that your Cardinall Caietane cannot denie it Secondly thousandes are so turmoiled therewith that dayly they come to confesse the sinnes which they had forgotten condemning themselues of their former negligence Thirdly none of you all can prescribe howe much time or what diligence is inough y t ones confession may be perfit The consideratiō wherof bringeth many thousand souls to perplexitie For you beare thē in hand y t they must confesse all mortal sins and all specificall differences of the same And yet will I gage my life that ye haue ten thousand priestes in Europe yea perhaps in Italie that cannot perceiue the aforesaid differēce and much lesse can the lay people performe it See more hereof in my booke of Motiues The 2. obiection S. Iohn the baptist induced the people to the confession of their sinnes which doubtlesse was not to confesse themselues in generall to be sinners but to vtter euery man his sinnes So is it said in the actes of the apostles that many of them which beleeued came confessing and declaring their deeds And therfore saith S. Hierome that priestes binde and loose Auditâ peccatorum varietate hauing heard the varietie of sinnes The answere I say first that S. Iohn the baptist cannot meane of your sacramentall confession because it was not instituted before his decollatiō But you make smal accompt to wrest the holy scripture if by any meanes it could so serue your turne For as your graund doctor Pighius resembled it to a nose of waxe euen so in good sooth ye seeme to vse it The trueth is this S. Iohn exhorting the people to repentance and to amendment of their former liues euil spent found so good successe in his preaching that Hierusalem and all Iurie and all the countrey about Iordan were desirous to be baptized and in signe of their true repentance they publickly acknowledged their sinnes But that they this did in generall termes and not in popish maner I prooue it by two reasons First because popish auricular confession was not yet inuented but after Christes resurrection as all papistes graunt Againe because one man could not possibly heare seuerally the generall confessions of so manie multitudes speciallie in so short a time I say secondly that with
pope yea which is more to be admired the necessity of auricular confession was not established by popish decree before the said Innocent was pope of Rome so writes their own historiographer Platina The fourth obiection Tertullian and Cyprian who liued aboue 1300. yeres ago do both make mention of secret confession made closely to the priests yea of such sins as the people neuer did saue only that they thoght of thē in their harts Which words can neuer be rackt to publike confession but must perforce be vnderstood of that auricular cōfession which is this day vsed in the church of Rome The answere I say first that Cyprian and Tertullian speake of publike confession which the fathers of the ancient church appointed to be done for publike crimes which practise in some measure is this day obserued in our church of England I say secondly that albeit in the ancient church some deuout people of great zeale confessed to the priests their secret faults desiring their counsel prayers and instruction in that behalfe yet were such confessions voluntary vntill Innocentius neither were they made by all the people neither did they recite all their sinnes but such onely as seemed good vnto them This answer is sufficiently prooued already yet for better satisfaction of the Reader I will confute papists by papists in expresse termes Beatus Rhenanus a popish diuine and a man of great learning though carried away with the errours of his time hath testified this veritie so sincerely and so copiously as more neede not be said herein First therefore he hath these words De publica confessione siue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 facit mentionē cuius etiam Leo papa meminit de poenitentia dist 1. qua maiores nostros apparet aliquandiu vsos fuisse priusquā ista secreta nasceretur qua hodie cōscientiā nostram sacerdoti detegimus vsque ad circumstantiarū omnium minutias quā tamen saluberrimam esse nemo potest inficiari Sane sunt etiam inter iuris pontificij interpretes qui institutam ab ecclesia tradant confessionē igitur quantum conijcere datur illa sumpsit originem ex veteri instrumento haec autē hinc nata videtur quod constitutis quibusdam poenitentiae legibus quib tempus modus singulis peccatis expiandis praestituebatur Canones poenitentiales vocant opus fuit sacerdotem in consilium adhiberi praesertim à laicis He maketh mention he speaketh of Tertullian of publike confession whereof Leo also maketh mention which it is cleare that our ancestors vsed som space of time before this secret cōfession was hatched with which we this day disclose our conscience to the priest til we haue told the least circumstance of al which neuertheles no man can denie to be very good Yea ther be euen amōg them that interpret the popes law who acknowledge confession to be ordained by the church Therefore as I can coniecture the publike confession began of the olde Testament this auricular came vp thus because so soone as certain lawes were made in which the time and the maner were appointed for the punishment of euery sinne which they tearme the penitentiall canons it was needefull to haue a priest for counsell especially to the lay people Out of these words I note first that Tertullian Cyprian Leo and all the ancient writers do alway vnderstand publike when they speake of confession although some of them as Leo were bishops of Rome themselues I note secondly that the ancient church knewe not this late Popish auricular confession as which was hatched but of late yeares I note thirdly that this Beatus Rhenanus is a great papist as who acknowledgeth this confession auricular to be good consequently that his answer is most forcible against y e papists I note fourthly that this auricular confession was ordained by the law of man and neither by Christ nor by his apostles I note fiftly that the confession wherof the ancient fathers speake was of some speciall sinnes but not of all I proue it because Rhenanus saith that it began of the old testament in which it is cleare that all sins were not particularly confessed Let this be wel marked I note sixtly that after the constitution of the penitential canons priests were ordained purposely to giue counsell and instruction to the simple Lay people which in processe of time is brought to a further matter Secondly Rhenanus hath these expresse words Vides igitur necessarium fuisse sacerdotis vti consilio quatenus institutis poenitentiae legibus fieret satis quae laicis non perinde cognitae erant Sequitur caeterum soli Deo confitendum esse diuus Chrysostomus author est Thou seest therefore that it was necessary to vse the counsel of a priest that so the penitentiall canons might be obserued which the lay people vnderstood not But for al that that we must confesse our selues only to God S. Chrysost. is our author Out of these words I note first that the ancient church appointed priests ouer the penitents onely for this end and purpose that they might giue them counsell how to make satisfaction according to the canons which them selues did not vnderstand I note secondly that we are bound to confesse all our sinnes onely to God alone Which Rhenanus though a Papist granteth constantly being thereto inforced by the authoritie of the scripture of S. Chrysostome S. Cyprian S. Basil S. Bede S. Ambrose S. Hierome Tertullian Hesychius Theodulphus Theodorus Bertramus Rabanus and Nectarius all which hee alleadgeth for his opinion Who can wish further proofe Thirdly Rhenanus writeth thus Non aliam ob causam complurium hîc testimonijs vsi sumus quam ne quis admiretur Tertullianum de clancularia illa admissorum confessione nihil locutum quae quātum conijcimus penitus id temporis ignorabatur For no other cause haue I vsed here the testimonies of so many writers but lest any should maruell that Tertullian spake nothing of that secret confession which as I thinke was altogether vnknowen at that time Lo Tertullian spake not one word of auricular confession as which was not heard of in his time So then the holy fathers are wholy against the papists euen by the iudgement of a famous papist Fourthly Rhenanus saith thus Thomas Aquinas Scotus homines nimium arguti confessionem hodie talem reddiderunt vt Ioannes ille Geilerius grauis ac sanctus theologus qui tot annis argentorati concionatus est apud amicos suos saepe testatus sit iuxta corū deuteroseis impossibile esse confiteri But Th. Aquinas Scotus men too much delighted with subtilties haue brought confession this day to such a passe that Ioannes Geilerius a graue and reuerend diuine and a preacher a long time at Argentoratum said many a time vnto his friends that it was impossible for a man to make his confession according to their