vpon due search I found to be most true for I found the Common prayer booke and the Catechisme therin contained to hold no point of doctrine expresly contrary to Antiquitie but onely that it was very defectiue and contained not enough and for the doctrine of I Predestination Sacraments Grace Freewill Sinne the new Catechisme and Sermons of those Preachers did run wholly against the Common prayer booke and Catechisme therein and did make as little account of the doctrine established by law as they did of the discipline but in the one they found opposition by those that had priuate interest in the other they said what they list because no man thought himselfe K hurt G. H. 7 If our Common prayer Booke and Catechisme therin contained holde no point of Doctrine contrarie to Antiquitie as you affirme Surely the Church of Rome must needs be contrary to Antiquitie in as much as it holds diuers points contrarie to it If we should beginne with the Preface which is confirmed by equall authoritie of State as the bodie of the booke it tels vs in the verie entrance there was neuer any thing by the wit of man so well deuised or so sure established which in continuance of time hath not beene corrupted as among other things it may plainly appeare by the Common praiers in the Church commonly called Diuine Seruice the reason is added a little after in as much as the godly and decent orders of the Fathers were altered and neglected by planting in vncertaine Stories Legends Responds Verses vaine repetitions Commemorations Synodals that commonly when any Booke of the Bible was begunne before three or foure Chapters were read out all the rest were vnread Another reason is there annexed that whereas S. Paul would haue none other language spoken to the people in the Church then they vnderstand and haue profite by hearing of the same the Seruice in this Church of England these many yeeres hath beene read in Latine to the people which they vnderstand not so that they haue heard with their â—ares onely but their minde hath noâ— beene edified thereby Now for the bodie of the Common prayer Booke I will first beginne with the diuision of the Commandements The Church oâ— Rome ioyneth the two first in one the better thereby to cloke their Idolatrie in the worship of Images But the Common prayer Booke of the Church of England diuideth them into two therein following two of the Fathers at most excepted all Antiquitie The Church of Rome in the doctrine of the Sacrament of the Eucharist teacheth that we eate and drinke the Body and Blood of Christ carnally The Common prayer of the Church of England in the forme of administring that Sacrament that wee doe both Spiritually and by Faith feed on him in our hearts eating and drinking in remembrance that C H R I S T dyed and shed his Blood for vs. The Church of Rome holdeth that the Oblation of the Bodie of C H R I S T is to be iterated The Common prayer Booke of the Church of England that being by himselfe once offered hee is a full perfect and sufficient Sacrifice for the â—innes of the whole world which also meeteth with the Romish satisfaction for Veniall sinnes as they call them and temporall punishment dew to Mortall The Church of Rome teacheth that the outward Sacrament of Water sufficeth to saue Infants The Common prayer Booke of the Church of England in the administration of publike Baptisme that the working of the holy Ghost is to be ioyned thereunto The Church of Rome teacheth that Laijks and Women may in some cases lawfully Baptise The Common prayer Booke of the Church of England in the administration of priuate Baptisme that none may doe it lawfully but the lawfull Minister The Church of Rome teacheth that children may bee confirmed before they come to yeres of discretion and are able to yeeld an account of their Faith The Common prayer Booke of the Church of England in the order set downe for Confirmation teacheth and commandeth the contrarie More might bee sayed to this point but this shall suffice to shew that if the Common prayer Booke of the Church of England be in no point of doctrine contrarie to Antiquitie as M â— Doctor affirmeth then must Antiquitie needs bee contrarie to the doctrine of the Church of Rome in as much as the doctrine thereof and our Common prayer Booke are contrarie each to other But you further adde that though it containe no point contrarie to Antiquitie yet is it verie defectiue and containeth not enough Indeed we confesse yâ— we goe not so far as the Church of Rome but so far as we haue warrant We pray to God in the Name of CHRIST they to God to Saints We pray for the liuing they for the liuing and the dead We acknowledge 2. Sacraments they to those two adde fiue more We make the Communion of the Eucharist properly a Sacrament they a Sacrament and a sacrifice and that propitiatorie We hope to be saued by the merits of Christ they by his merits and their owne the principall ground of all these additions is that we make Scripture the onely rule of faith they both Scripture and traditions and by mingling the water of their owne inuentions with the wine of the Gospel they haue made the Law of Christ of none effect And surely if defect may iustly bee imputed to vs excesse may much rather to them who in their Pontificall spend seuen leaues in the largest fol. onely about the benediction of bels which is indeed little different from Baptisme and many hundreds about such â—opperies and trifles as wise men among themselues cannot but laugh at and yet dare not speake against and good men pitie though they cannot remedy I I marueile what doctrine of predestination grace free-will or sinne you finde in the Common Prayer booke or Catechisme therein the end of the one being not to set downe doctrinall positions but the exercise of religious actes and of the other as briefly as may bee to instruct children in the principles of Christian religion not men of riper age in the controuersies K It is to me strange that you dare write thus to his Maiestie who made it knowen to the world by his pen when other Christian Princes and Churches were silent that hee thought himselfe hurt by the pestilent subtilties of Vorstius howbeit he were not vnder his dominions by Legate his own subiect who was burnt at London for Arianisme some few yeeres since But surely I am clearely of opinion that his Holinesse would take it much more to heart and thinke himselfe more hurt if a Frier should preach against his power in deposing Kings and disposing of kingdomes then if he denied the eternall generation of the second person in Trinitie from the first or the procession of the third from the other two B. C. 8. This truely was an increase of my griefe for knowing diuerse of those Preachers to be
and more then must be granted by vs it reaching to the deposition of Princes from their thrones and the disposition of their Crownes when his Holinesse shall iudge it fit for the vnity of the Church as well appeared in his Buls both against King Henry the father and Queene Elizabeth the daughter And thus farre Cardinall Perron that peaceable man and your great Patron expressed himselfe in the last assemblie of the three estates of France for which the Pope gaue him and the rest of the Clergy who stucke to him in that businesse as great thankes as if they had saued Saint Peters shippe from sinking both the Cardinall and the Pope supposing as it seemes that those sparkes flew into France from the fire of England howsoeuer sure it is they were quenched by the water of Tyber B. C. 15. So that whereas my hope was that by finding out the corruptions of the Church of Rome I should grow further in loue with the Church of England and ioyfully returne home and by inueighing against the Papists both enioy my present preferments and obtaine more and more I saw the matteâ— was like to fall out cleane contrary It is true indeed that there are many corruptionsâ— in all States God hath not his wheat field in this world wherein the deuill hath no tares growing and there are not tares more ranke then those that grow among the wheat for optimi corruptio pessima and where grace aboundeth if it be contemned there sinne aboundeth much more But seeing my reading and experience hath now taught me that the trueth of Christian Religion taught and practised at this day in the Church of Rome and all the obedient members thereof is the very same in substance which was preâ—igured and prophesied from the beginning of the world perfected by CHRIST himselfe deliuered to his Apostles and by them and their Successours perpetually and vniuersally practised vntill this day without any W substantiall alteration and that the new religion in X England wherein it doth differ hath no ground but either the pleasure of the Prince and Parliament or the common crie and voyce of the people nor no constancie or agreement with it selfe what should I now doe It is not in my power not to know that which I doe know nor to doubt of that which I haue spent so much time and taken so much paines and bestowed so much cost and made so many trials to find And I know if I should yeeld to be reconciled to the Church I should be in this world in all likelihood vtterly vndone and which grieued me more I should bee reiected of your Maiestie my most redoubted Lord and Master and despised by all my deare friends and louers in England G. H. 15. W The Church of Rome holds indeed the substance of Christian Religion in profession but yet by consequence shakes the foundation of it as it holds the death of Christ to be satisfactory for sinne and yet adding thereunto her owne meritorious satisfaction consequently by the latter she ouerthrowes the former for If righteousnesse be by the Law then Christ died without a cause and in reason impossible it is if traditions be held of equall valew with the Scriptures for the constituting of substantiall points but that in short time there should ensue a substantiall alteration and he that knowes not that the Church of Rome holds many things now as parts of the Catholike faith which it helds not in former ages knowes little what hath bene anciently held or now is X If by the religion of England you vnderstand that which is by Law established as in coÌ„mon construction you cannot otherwise be vnderstood you coÌ„demne your selfe out of your owne mouth in as much as you acknowledge before that the religion established by law in England was the same saue onely it was somewhat defectiue which now is and euer had beene held in the Catholike Church and yet here you say it hath no ground but the pleasure of the Prince and Parliament wheras in trueth we build vpon the Rocke of the Scriptures but you vpon the sand of traditions and which of vs hath the sounder foundation I appeale no farther then reason it selfe to iudge You as though you were not yet dead from the ordinances of the world burden your selues with traditions as touch not taste not handle not which all perish with the vsing and are after the commandements and doctrines of men but we haue a most sure word of the Prophets taking heede thereto according to S. Peters counsell as to a light that shineth in a darke place and as our ground is sure so is our agreement constant and vniforme in all points materiall and necessary to saluation whereas in the building of your tower of Babel such diuersitie of languages is heard that there is hardly any exposition of Scripture or point in controuersie which hath not bene or is called into question either directly or by consequent by some that liued and died in that Church which you call Catholike as will easily appeare to him who shall turne ouer the volumes of of Cardinall Bellarmine which is the true reason as I suppose that his workes are not allowed to bee read of all but of publike professours and such others as haue speciall permission from their Superiours B. C. 16. These were my thoughts at the Spaw which did so vexe and afflict my soule as that the waters could doe my body no good at all but rather much hurt neuerthelesse I auoided the company of Catholikes abstained from the Church and did both dispute and write against the Church of Rome as occasion was offered I still hoped that time would giue better counsell and therefore resolued to goe from the Spaw to Heidelberge to doe my duetie there in the meane time I thought with my selfe it may be God hath mooued his Maiesties heart to peace and reconciliation I knowe his disposition was so in the beginning and I remember M. Casaubon told me when I brought him out of France that his errand was nothing else but to mediate peace betweene the Church of Rome and the church of England Therefore I thought before I would submit my selfe to the Church of Rome I would write vnto M. Casaubon such a letter as he might shew vnto your Maiestie containing such conditions as I thought might satisfie your Maiestie if they were performed by the Church of Rome The copie of which letter is too long here to set down But when M. Casaubon answered me that he knew your Maiestie was resolued to haue no societie with the Church of Rome vpon any condition what soeuer and that it would be my vndoing if those my letters should come to your Maiesties hands or of those that bare the sway I began to despaire of my returne into England vnlesse I would ouerthrow both the health of my bodie and the quiet of my
Carier hauing from his greener yeeres wallowed himselfe in the choisest writings of the most learned Protestants and confronting in his mature age their wauering opinions with the vniforme and setled consent of the â—ncient Fathers found the new so opposite to the old that at length receiuing gracious light from the Father of lights did teare at a trice all these forementioned earthly sâ—ares resoluing not to wander any longer like a lost sheepe but to come to the fold of the Catholike Roman Church and consequently choosing like a zealous Moses to be afflicted with the people of God then to haue the pleasure of temporall sinne These and the like pregnant points are sufficiently debated in this Treatise which I wish thee gentle Reader to peruse with heedfull attention wherby the Author his paines may turne to thy profite if happily thou be alienated from the Catholike Roman religion alwaies presenting thy prayers to our Lord Sweet Iesus that he would vouch safe to illuminate thy minde in the passage of thy eternall saluation that thou mayest preferre light before darkenesse trueth before falshood Catholike Religion before particular opinions as Mr. Doctor Carier hath done vpon such sound and grounded reasons as hee hath opened in this Treatise And this wishing that good to thy soule which I wish to mine owne I betake thee good Reader to the direction and protetection of the authour and giuer of grace and glory G. H. IT seemes you had not so exactly perused this ensuing Treatise as in the front you pretend in as much as you tell vs that the Author thereof from his greener yeeres wallowed himselfe in the choisest writings of the most learned Protestants whereas himselfe in his first chapter and fifth Section professeth that when he first tooke himselfe to the studie of Diuinitie setting aside all respect of men then aliue and of Writers that had mooued or maintained Controuersies farther then to vnderstand the question that was betwixt them he fell to the reading of the Church Historie and ancient Fathers which had no interest on either side Indeed he telleth vs before this he read ouer our English Chronicles and except this Were his wallowing in the choisest writings of the most learned Protestants I vnderstand not out of his owne relation what was Once I am sure he affirmes meere vntruths touching Caluins doctrine which I take it hee vnderstands by Caluinisme faining him to teach that the Sacraments of the Church bee nothing but signes and badges of that grace which a man hath before by the carnall couenant of his Parents faith and that Priesthood can doe nothing but preach the word which lay men may do also if they wil positions so directly opposite not only to Caluins words but his grounds and reasons that it makes me suspect he neuer reade him nor so much as his Maiesties either Apologie or Premonition in both which he plainely and largely impugneth the Bishop of Romes vsurped power in spirituals which the Dr. notwithstanding denieth and that in his letter to his Maiestie himselfe But you found the treatise you say both in stuffe and style to be learnedly and eloquently contriued It may be said of eloqueÌ„ce without learning as of the Nightingale that it is vox praeterea nihil A sounding brassâ— or tinkling Cymball Neither doe I see how that can well be called a learned peece of worke which treating of Christian religion alleadgeth not so much as one passage of Scripture throughout nor alludeth to any by way of proofe and quoteth of the Ancients onely S. Augustine twice but not against vs and S. Ambrose once but against his meaning as shall appeare in his proper place and among latter Writers Sir Francis Bacons Essayes where no such thing as hee quotes is to be found and Caluins life written by Beza which rather makes much against himselfe then in any sort for him besides this hee borroweth a sentence or two out of Aristotles Politikes which he fathereth vpon the Fathers and this is the learned stuffe you so much bragge of From the worke you passe to the Author who gained fame you say amongst the Protestants hauing beene a Teacher in their Colledges a Preacher in their Pâ—lpits a Doctor in their Schooles c. So was Nicholas amongst the Deacons and Iudas among the Apostles and Reuben among the Patriarchs and Saul among the Prophets and Iulian among the Christian Emperors and Nestorius among the Bishops and Sergius among the Monkes and Lucifer among the Angels and Satan among the children of God Hee went out from vs because he was not of vs for if he had beene of vs he would â—aue continued with vs. Stella cadens non est stella cometa fuit His falling away proues him to haue beene a blazing but neuer a fixed starre Which that I haue good reason to thinke his owne words written with his owne hand and taken out of his common place booke shall testifie where he proposes the question IAN. 5. 1611. An quis possit esse in statu gratiae quiest extra externam obedientiam Ecclesiae Which hee thus resolues Catholicus extra externam obedientiam Ecclesiae vel in Scismate natus velper loci interdictum eiectus potest tamen esse in vnâ—one Catholica Ergò potest esse in statu gratiae Potest habere animam perfecte vnitam Ergo potest esse in vnione Catholica Potest habere intellectâ—m vnitum scilicet per veram fidem voluntatem vnitam scilicet per veram charitatem Ergo potest habere animam perfecte vnitam Ergo sinon potest habere corpus vnitum est tamen in statu gratiae modo nihil prius cupiat quam vt sit etiam in externa obedientia abstineat propter commune bonum Ecclesiae non propter bonum priuatum From whence in my iudgement it cannot well be collected otherwise but that while his body was with vs his soule was vnited to Rome and that euen before his leauing vs he left no stone vnmoued for the publique good of that Church Lastly for that vniforme and setled consent of the ancient Fathers and those pregnant points and sound and grounded reasons of the Author which the Prefacer pretends it will easily appeare at first view that the former appeares not in this Treatise and for the latter they may appeare to the vnlearned and vnstable who like children are carried about with euery blast of vaine doctrine but to such as are sound in the faith which was once deliuered to the Saints and grounded in the principles of Christian religion I am sure his reasons can neither appeare sound nor grounded Those foure quotations of Scripture which are set by the Prefacer in his margin being more by foure then are to be found in the Treatise it selfe the thicknesse of my marginall notes inforced me to omit and yet if I had figured them as I finde them there the Reader in searching would haue missed them
very honest men and such as I did loue with all my heart I was very loth to dissent from them in priuate much more loth to oppose them in publike and yet seeing I must needes preach I was lothest of all to oppugne mine owne conscience together with the faith wherein I was baptized and the soules of those to whome I preached neuerthelesse hauing gotten this ground to worke vpon I began to comfort my selfe with hope to proue that the religion established in England was the same at the least in part L which now was and euer had beene held in the Catholique Church the defects whereof might be supplied whensoeuer it should please God to moue your Maiestie thereunto without abrogating that which was alrâ—ady by Law established which I still pray for and am not altogether out of M hope to see and therfore I thought it my duety as farre as I durst rather by N charitable constructions to reconcile things that seemed different that so our soules might bee for euer saâ—ed in vnity then by malitious calumniations to maintaine quarrels that so mens turnes might for a time bee serued in dissention G. H. 8. L How then can we bee esteemed heretiques who broach their owne fantasies since holding as the Church of England doth we hold the same that the Catholike Church hath euer held M Truely you had little reason to hope to liue to see thosâ— vnwarrantable Supplies you speake of by his Maiesties command aswell in regard of your owne infirmities of body as his MAIESTIES strong resolution of minde to the contrarie but it may bee your intelligence deceiued you sure wee are your hope failed you N Touching your opinion of Reconciliation whether it may be thought to proceede of charitie or arrogancie as also whether it be probable or in a maner possible as the case now stands I shall haue fitter opportunitie to discusse hereafter then in this place Yet giue mee leaue by the way to tell you that in my iudgement you call that Vnitie which is indeed distraction it tending to nothing els but a rent and a drawing of vs further from other reformed Churches and neâ—rer to the Church of Rome for if this were not your meaning the same charitable constructions would haue serued to recoÌ„cile things that to you looking through the false spectacles of preiudice passion seemed verie different betwixt vs other reformed Churches abroad much better easier then for the reconciling of those maine broad differences which are indeed betwixt vs and the Church of Rome Of which I feare I may too truly say as Abraham doth to the rich glutton in hel between you and vs there is a great gulfe set so that they which would goe from hence to you can not neither can they come from thence to vs. I speake in regard of Reconciliation in differences of Religion for otherwise but too manie are suffered to goe from hence thither and hauing sucked their poison to returne againe at their pleasures for the vomitting of it out amongst vs notwithstanding the sharpe penalties and great gulfe set betweene vs. B. C. 9. In this course although I did neuer proceed any farther then law would giue me leaue yet I found the Puritans and Caluinists and all the creatures of Schisme to be my vtter enemies who were also like the sonnes of Zeruiah too strong for Dauiâ— himselfe 2. Sam 3. 39. but I well perceiued that all temperate and vnderstanding men who had no interest in the Schisme were glad to heare the trueth honestly and plainely preached vnto them and my hope was by patience and continuance I should in the ende vnmaske hypocrisie and gaine credite to the comfortable doctrine of Antiquitie euen amongst those also who out of misinformation and preiudice did as yet most mislike it And considering with my selfe that your right to the Crowne came onely by O Catholikes and was ancienter then the Schisme which would very faine haue vtterly extinguished it and that both your P disposition by nature your amitie with Catholike Princes your speeches and your proclamations did at the beginning all tend to peace and vnitie I hoped that this endeuour of mine to enforce Catholike Religion at the least as farre as the Common prayer Booke and Catechisme would giue leaue should be well accepted of your MAIESTIE and bee as an introduction vnto farther peace and vnitie with the Church of Rome G. H. 9. O His MAIESTIES right to the Crowne is double the one from his mother lineally descending of the first match of the Ladie Margaret daughter to Henrie the VII and sister to Henrie the VIII Kings of England with Iames the fourth King of Scotland his MAIESTIES great Grandfather who though she imbraced that Religion in which shee was brought vp being neuer acquainted with any other yet as his Maiesty obserueth in his Monitorie Preface to the Christian Princes shee disliked some of the superstious Ceremonies and abhorred those new opinions which the Iesuits call Catholike His second right aboue any other preâ—endor was from his father descended of the second match of the sayd Ladie Margaret with Archibald Douglas Earle of Angush being brought vp in Q. Elizabeths Court whose father the Duke of Lenox professing the reformed religion as well appeared by his practise in his life in receiuing the Sacrament after the manner of the reformed Churches and by the confession of his faith in the hearing of many ministers at his death in all likelihood his Maiesties father himselfe should be that way affected though Cardinall Bellarmine vpon the relation of I know not whom would faine haue it otherwise And whereas you say that schisme would faine haue extinguished his Maiesties right it is well knowen that those whom you call schismatikes were the chiefe instruments vnder God to preserue his Maiesties not onely right but life against the fury of some whom you call Catholikes both before his mothers death and since P From his Maiesties progenitors you come to his owne disposition by nature his amity with Catholike Princes his speaches his Proclamations which all tended at the beginning you say to peace and vnitie True indeed it is that his Maiestie by nature is disposed to mercy his amitie with Christian Princes argues his charitie and heroical ingenuitie voide of ielousie suspition euen where occasioÌ„ may seem to be giuen his speaches and Proclamations were not bloody yet all this could not serue your turne as a sufficieÌ„t warrant to endeauor a peace with the Church of Rome in matters of religion no more then a league with the great Turke for traffike should giue occasion of ioyning with him in Mahometisme but had you withall with the other eye reflected a little backe vpon his Maiesties education from his very Cradle the choice of his aliance in mariage his counsel to his sonne touching the matter of religion in the first booke of his Basilicon Doron his
referre this Matrimoniall cause to the hearing and determining of his Legates but gaue Campeius a secret Bull in his bosom as witnesseth Francis Guicciardin in the 19th Booke of his Historie a Catholike in his profession no man more a reporter of things hee sawe no man truer and a creature of the Popes imployed in honourable charges the Copie of it is to be seene in Anti-Sanders dated in the yeere 1527. the 17th of December and the fifth yeere of Clement the seuenths Popedome wherein hee infringeth the former dispensatioÌ„ affirming that the King could not continue in such Matrimonie without sinne whereupon hee decreed that after the delaration of the nullitie of the former mariage and the Kings absolution it should bee lawfull for him to marrie another This Bull he forbad him to shew to any saue onely to the King and Cardinall Wolsey his fellow Commissioner in that businesse and though openly he commanded him to handle the cause with all expedition yet secretly hee willed him to protract the time promising that himselfe would watch an opportunitie to publish the Decree so the King and Queene were cited to appeare before them in May following at which time after some debating of the cause they protracted the sentence till the beginning of August and after many delayes finding that King Henry could not by hope of the diuorce bee drawen to side with the French the Pope commanded Campeius to burne his Bull and to returne home whereby it appeares that King Henry might easily haue had the nullitie of his mariage with Queene Katherine ratified at Rome without taking the title of Supreme head if hee would haue yeelded to the Popes conditions But the Lords you say and Commons would neuer haue suffered such a Statâ—te to bee made had not that title inabled the King to pull downe Abbeys and Religious houses and giue them to Lay men I would faine know then what mooued the Bishops to giue way to it who had no share in that diuision yet had they with the consent of the Clergie passed it in Conuocation before it was so much as proposed in Parliament and for the Commons a very little share fell out to their parts And if â—he assuming of that title were indeed so needfull as you pretend for the supressing of those houses by what authoritie did Cardinall Wolsey dissolue some and the King by his example more before that title was by him publikely assumed Now for Queene Elizabeth it is true that she reuiued those Statutes of Supremacie enacted by her father and repealed by her sister but not without diuers exceptions as may appeare by the bookes in so much as a new forme of Oath was established by her which is the Oath at this day in force the refusall of which vpon a second offering by such as stand conuicted of a former refusall is by the Statute of 5â— Eliz. cap. 1. made high Treason and it is none otherwise Nay further by an expresse prouiso in that Statute none are compellable to take the Oath the second time but Ecclesiasticall persons and some few others especially named in that Statute neither doth shee take to her in that or any other Statute the title of Supreme head but of Gouernour by which what shee vnderstood herselfe expressed in her Iniunctions and her Clergie in their 37. Article confirmed in two seuerall Conuocations where they thus speake Where wee attribute to the Queenes Maiestie the chiefe Gouernment by which title we vnderstand the mindes of some slanderous folkes to be offended wee giue not to our Princes the ministring either of Gods word or of the Sacraments the which thing the Iniunctions also lately set foorth by Elizabeth our Queene doe most plainely testifie but that onely prerogatiue which we see to haue beene giuen alwayes to all godly Princes in holy Scripture by God himselfe that is thâ—t they should rule all estates and degrees committed to their charge by God whether they be Ecclesiasticall or Temporall and restraine with the ciuill sword the stubburne and euill doers neither doe I see how Osorius in his Epistle to her can be interpreted to affoord her lesse where he professeth that all Kings are Pro parte suaiuris diuini Vicarij Vicars of Gods Law in their places From Queene Elizabeth you passe to his Maiestie and tell him that he confirmed the same Statute to satisfie other men arguing therein his Maiestie of great weakenesse either as being not able to iudge what he did or as being caried by others against his owne iudgement But that his MAIESTIE did it aduisedly and rather to satiffie himselâ—e then others appeares by this that hee was inuested with the same power which that Statute giues him before his receauing of the Crowne of England and since himselfe with his owne penne hath thus both iustified and explained it if these examples saith he sentences title and prerogatiues and innumerable other in the olde and new Testament doe not warrant Christian Kings within their owne dominions to gouerne their Church aswell as the rest of their people in being Custodes vtriusque tabulae not by making new Articles of Faith which is the Popes office as I said before but by commaunding obedience to bee giuen to the word of God by reforming the Religion accâ—rding to his prescribed will by assisting the Spirituall power with the Temporall sword by reforming of corruptions by procuring due obedience to the Church by iudging and cutting off all friuolous questions and Schismes as Constantine did and finally by making decorum to be obserued in euery thing and establishing orders to be obserued in all indifferent things for that purpose which is the onely intent of the Oath of Supremacie if this office of a King I say doe not agree with the power giuen him by Gods word lâ—t any indifferent man void of passion iudge But yet his Maiestie you say yeeldeth the Church of Rome to be the Mother Church and the Bishop of Rome to bee the chiefe Bishop or Primate of the Westerne Churches Indeed his Maiesty in his first speech in his first Parliament called after his entrâ—nce to this Kingdome is pleased to acknowledge the Romane Church to be our Mother Church this M. Doctour is content to vrge but to conceale that which he addeth defiled with infirmities and corruptions as the Iewes were when they crucified Christ and as I am none enemy saith he to the life of a sicke man because I would haue his body purged of ill humours no more am I an enemy to their Church because I would haue them reforme their errours not wishing their throwing out of the Temple but that it might be purged and clensed from corruption otherwise how can they wish vs to enter if their house bee not first made cleane Herein Mr Doctour dealing with his Maiesty as the deuill did with our Sauiour hee pressed that out of the Psalme which made for himselfe Hee will giue
his Angels charge ouer thee but suppressed that which made against him to keepe thee in all thy wayes now if any man farther desire his Maiesties meaning in calling Rome the Mother Church hee hath fully expressed himselfe in his Premonition Patriarchs saith he I know were in the time of the Primitiue Church and I likewise reuerence that institution for orders sake and amongst them was a contention for the first place And for my selfe if that were yet the question I would with all mine heart giue my consent that the Bishop of Rome should haue the first seat I being a Westerne King would goe with the Patriarch of the West whereby it is cleare that his Maiesties meaning was and is to yeeld the Bishop of Rome ouer other Westerne Bishops in case they should meet iâ— Councell a prioritie in sitting not a superiority in commanding a primacy or precedency in order not a supremacie in power and iurisdiction it beeing the marke which Mr. Doctour driues at and from thence labours cunningly but malitiously to inferre contrary to his Maiesties both minde and words I conclude this point with a Reuerend Prelate His Vicarship to Christ must be proued by stronger and plainer euidence then you haue yet shewed before wee may grant it and for his Patriarkeship saith he which you now take hold of by Gods law he hath nne in this Realme for â—ixe hundred yeeres after Christ he had none for the last sixe hundred as looking to greater matters hee would haue none aboue and against the swâ—rd which God hath ordained he can haue none to the subuersion of the faith and oppression of his brethren in right reason and equity he should haue none you must seeke farther for subiection to his tribunall this land oweth him none B. C. 18. There is another statute in England made by Queene Elizabeth and confirmed by your Maiesty that it is death for any English man to bee in England being made a Priest by authority deriued or pretended to bee deriued from the Bishop of Rome I cannot beleeue that I am a Priest at all vnlesse I be deriued by authority from Gregory the great from whence all the Bishops in England haue their being if they haue any being at all G. H. 18. The Statute intended is the 27. of Eliz. Cap. 2. which indeed in the body thereof hath words sounding to that purpose but the sense is malitiously peruerted and the inference thereupon for he that shall reade through that Statute and consider all the parts shall clearely perceiue that therby none other Priests are intended then Popish Priests made and ordeined by Popish Bishops and not such as Mr. Doctour was made in England by any of our Bishops here Though perhaps it were true that our Bishops did deriue their first authority from Gregory which we do not yeeld vnto considering that Augustine from whom they are pretended to deriue it was not consecrated by him but by Aetherius Archbishop of Arles if wee may beleeue our own Venerable Bede for the title of the Statute is An Acte against Iesuites Seminary Priests and such other like disobedient persons and the preamble of the acte hath these words Whereas diuers persons called or professed Iesuites Seminary Priests and other Priests which haue beene and froâ— time to time are made in the parts beyond the Seas by or according to the order and rites of the Romish Church haue of late yeeres commen and bene sent into England c. So that if according to the rule Praefatio est clauis Statuti we shall interprete the body by the title or preamble howsoeuer the wordes in the body of the acte bee somewhat generall yet what Priests are intended by the Law-makers is euident enough and except M. Doctour were a Priest according to the Order and Rites of the Romish Church by shauing anoynting and imposition of hands by a Popish Bishop and that since the first yeere of Queene Elizabeth he needed not to haue feared the danger of the Law B. C. 19. There is another Statute in like maner made and confirmed that it is death to bee reconciled by a Catholike Priest to the Church of Rome I am perswaded that the Church of Rome is our mother Church and that no man in England can be saued that continues wilfully out of the visible vnitie of that Church and therefore I can not chuse but perswade the people to be reconciled thereunto if possibly they may G. H. 19. This Statute also is either purposely or ignorantly mistaken and is not distinct from that following but are both one namely 23. Eliz. cap. 1. The title of it is An Acte to retaine the Queenes Maiesties Subiects in due obedience and the preamble recites that whereas diuers ill affected persons haue practised to withdraw the Queenes Subiects from their naturall allegeance the purueiw of the Acte followeth that all persons which shall put in practise to â—bsolue perswade or withdrawe any of the Queenes subiects from their naturall obedience to her Maiestie or to withdraw them for that intent from the religion established and so foorth shall be traitours and the person willingly absolued or withdrawen as aforesayd to be likewise a traitour so that the withdrawing of the Subiect from their naturall obedience or for that intent from the religion established is the offence made treason and not simple exhorting to the Romish religion as is alleadged And yet to speake a trueth I see not how any exhortation to an absolute submission of the vnderstanding and the will to the Bishop of Romes Iurisdiction which now is made the onely essentiall forme of that religion can well be seuered from such an intent But Rome you say is the mother Church and no man in England can bee saued that continues wilfully out of the visible vnitie of that Church Where if you terme it the mother Church in that sense that his MAIESTIE doeth wee imbrace it but if your meaning bee that shee is our mother either in regard that wee receiued the first life or still should receiue the nourishment of religion from her wee denie it our nation being first conuerted to the Christian faith by Ioseph of Arimathea who intombed the Corps of our Sauiour and lieth himselfe interred at Glastenbury together with twelue disciples his assistants where they first preached the Gospel as Gildas affirmeth in the life of Aurelius Ambrosius and Malmesbury in the Booke intituled The Antiquitie of Glastenbury written to Henry of Bloys brother to King Steuen and Abbot of the same place and it is consented vnto by the learned Antiquaries of later times as namely Mr. Cambden Iohn Bale Matthew Parker Polydore Virgil and others grounding themselues vpon the authoritie of the best approued and most ancient writers and withall considering our keeping of Easter and other Ceremonies were after the fashion of the Easterne Church and not of the Westerne at the comming of Austin I may very well coniecture that our
beene in the Easterne Church hee being worse then an Infidell that prouideth not for those of his owne houshold To conclude wee neither speake nor write against lawfull Vowes but the rashnesse of them and impossibilitie in performing them Not against true Virginity but the fained shew of it and the preferring it by so many degrees before the honourable estate of mariage Not against necessary Pouertie but the voluntarie choise of it when more good may be done by possessing and vsing those meanes God hath sent vs Not against Fasting but the pharesaicall vse of it and making it part of diuine worship Not against Praying but the performance of it in a strange tongue rather for custome then for conscience rather by number then by weight in drawing neere vnto God with our lippes when our hearts are farre from him Not against Watching but the pretended apish imitation and merit in it Not against Obedience but the abuse of it in the enterprising of damnable and desperate attempts Lastly not against austeritie of life but inciuilitie and that shew of wisedome which S. Paul censureth in the second to the Col. Consisting in voluntary Religion and humblenesse of minde and not sparing the bodie You doe well to adde that all these are required in a Monasticall conuersation but how they were or are performed God knowes and the world not vndeseruedly suspects B. C. 26. Vpon these conditions the Lords the Commons and the Clergie were content to beleeue that the King was Supreme head of the Church of England Not that they did thinke so indeed or that they desired to augment his authoritie but that they might bee protected by him freely enioy those commodities which they thought schisme had brought vnto them and feared the vnity of the Church might againe take from them Hence did arise a necessitie of inueighing against the Pope and the Church of Rome as against Antichrist and Babylon and the greatest enemies of the State of England Insomuch that that Clergie man was most acceptable to them and in their opinion most worthy of preferments that could most confidently preach and write the most foule and monstrous assertions of the Pope and the Church of Rome though they were neuer so false These and such like are those temporall respects which would faine seeme the daughters of those doctrines which themselues haue brought foorth and to be diuided from the Catholike Church by doctrine when they themselues haue caused the doctrine of diuision G. H. 26. Vpon these conditions you say that the Lords and Commons and Clergie were content to beleeue that the King was supreame head of the Church of England whereas your selfe before confesse that these conditions were afterward graunted to the Clergie who notwithstanding were the forwardest in perswading the King to accept and assume that title as may appeare by the booke set out by the whole Conuocation of England intituled The Institution of a Christian man besides the Treatises of diuers particular Bishops to the same purpose as namely Stephen Gardiners discourse of true obedience together with Bonners Preface annexed to it Longelands Sermon and Tunstals Letter to Cardinall Poole all which are extant to be reade and seene at this day and surely he that shall obserue their vehement protestations specially of Gardiner whom I hold the most sufficient among them for learning and withall the soundnesse and weight of the reasons which they enforce against the Popes pretended iurisdiction will easily beleeue that they thought in very deede as they wrote that their minds and their pennes concurred in one But from hence you say arose a necessitie of enuying against the Pope and the Church of Rome as against Antichrist and Babylon as if his Holinesse had neuer beene graced with the title of Antichrist before Henry assumed his title of supreame head nor Rome called Babylon before England was freed from that Babylonish captiuity Whereas your famous Cardinall hath none other proofe from Scripture that S. Peter was euer at Rome but by expounding Rome to be the Babylon from whence he dated his first Epistle And when the seuerall markes of Antichrist shall be applied to any so properly as to the Bishop of Rome I will confesse he is iniuriously so styled in the meane time I can hardly imagine any so foule and monstrous assertions which some of your Popes haue not deserued euen by the confession of your owne Writers it being enough to make a modest man blush in reading and relating that which they blushed not to act nay boasted of being acted in so much as I doubt not but I may confidently affirme that neither the Catalogue of Emperours taking in the Heathenish among the Christians nor any one succession of Kings in the world since the first creation of it to this present age euer afforded so many monsters of men so many incarnate deuils so expert in all kind of villanies as that of your Popes neither can any one King or Emperour be named whom some of your Popes haue not out-stripped And what needed then any imitation of your side in faining false assertions where true were so plentifull B. C. 27. In all these and all other doctrine of diuision men haue receiued great countenance and encouragement from Geneua For although M. Iohn Caluin were neuer any good subiect or friend to Bishop Duke or King yet hee did so fit the common people with new doctrine that no Gospel can be so pleasing to them nor so light some as his for finding Geneua to be fallen out both with their Bishop who was their ancient Prince and their Duke to whom they pretended against their Bishop and to bee all in a combustion amongst themselues for want of gouernment although he were then a stranger and a very young man of some sixe and twenty or seuen and twenty yeeres olde at the most yet he thought good vpon the opportunity to giue the venture and to step in himselfe to be founder of a new Church and state amongst them And for that purpose hee found them such a Catechisme as they might easily contemne all ancient learning and authority and saue themselues by a strong fancie which hee called faith And this pleased the Bourgers of Geneua so well that they called a meeting and caused all the Citizens to sweare that that Catechisme was true and all Popery false as may appeare in Caluins life written by Beza and prefixed to his Epistles And although the ministeriall Presbitery of Geneua haue lost much of M. Caluins greatnesse yet the Citie hath had the fortune euer since by the helpe of their neighbours to hold out against their Bishop and the Duke and all their ancient gouernours G. H. 27. You passe on in this Section and the next to passe your censure vpon Geneua and Caluin in as much as from them wee haue receiued great countenance and encouragement whereas neither Geneua nor Caluin were
termeth Caluin a reuerend Father and worthy ornament of the Church of God Now touching his booke of Christian Institution in particular M. Hooker who is well knowne not to haue contemned the doctrine of the Church of England as a ragge of Poperie thus writes Two things saith he speaking of Caluin in his Preface to his bookes of Ecclesiasticall policie of principall moment there are which haue deseruedly procured him honour through the world The one his exceeding paines in composing the Institutions of Christian religion The other his no lesse industrious trauaâ—les for exposition of holy Scripture according to the same Institutions In which two things whatsoeuer they were that afterward bestowed their labour he gained the aduantage of preiudice against them if they gaine-sayed and of glory aboue them if they consented Then which I cannot imagine what could bee vttered more effectually Thus malice would not suffer you to see that worth in Caluin and his Writings which these Worthies professed and published who were notwithstanding more earnest and zealous Patrones of the doctrine of the Church of England then your selfe But it may be you thought it would bee credit enough for you onely to enter the lists with so stout and renowned a champion howbeit to hunt after applause by dishonouring the names of famous men was held by S. Ierome and is accounted by all good and wise men but a tricke of vaine and childish arrogancie there being lesse comparison betwixt Carier and Caluin then Caluin and Stapleton whom notwithstanding a great Diuine and publike professour of one of our owne Vniuersities comparing together professeth there was more sound Diuinity in Caluins little finger then Stapletons head or whole body I will conclude mine answere to this Section with the words of a graue Bishop yet liuing no enemie to the doctrine of the Church of England as his Writings shew Caluin is so well knowen sayeth hee to all those that bee learned or wise for his great paines and good labours in the Church of God that a fewe snarling Friars cannot impeach his name though you would neuer so wretchedly peruert his words Thus much of Caluin and his Writings for I durst not goe so farre as Thurius Praeter Apostolicas post Christi tempora chartas Huic peperere viro saecula nulla parem B. C. 29. These reasons or rather corruptions of State haue so confounded the doctrine of the Church of England and so slandered the doctrine of the Church of Rome as it hath turned mens braines and made the multitude on both sides like two fooles which being set backe to backe doe thinke they are as farre asunder as the horizons are they looke vpon But if it please your Maiestie to command them to turne each of them but a quarter about and looke both one way to the seruice of God and your Maiestie and to the saluation of soules they should presently see themselues to bee a great deale more neere in matters of doctrineâ— then the Puâ—itanicall Preachers on both sides doe make them beleeue they are I can not in the breuity of this discourse descend into particulars but if it please your Maiestie to command me or any other honest man that hath taken paines to vnderstand and obserue all sides freely and plainely to set downe the difference betwixt Caluinisme and the doctrine of England established by Law and then to shew Locos Concessos and Locos Controuersos betwixt the Church of England and the Church of Rome I doubt not but the distance that will be left betwixt for matter of doctrine may by your Maiesty be easily compounded G. H. 29. Whether reason or rather corruption of State haue not bred confusion rather in the doctrine of the Church of Rome then of England let Romes infinite ambition and insatiable couetousnesse masked vnder pretence of doctrine testifie As long as the Bishops of Rome kept them to their profession in the gaining of soules to God matters went wel for doctrine but when once they turned Statists in stead of gaining soules cast about for the gouernment of the world then were their Friars and flatterers found who were as readie to shape and frame her Doctrine according to the modell of State Before the Councill of Trent which was called in the memorie of some yet liuing it is made euident by my learned brother Dr. Carleton in his Consent of the Catholike Church against the Tridentines that the Doctrine of the rule of Controuersies of the Church of Iustifying Faith of Grace was the same in the Church of Rome which is now publikely taught and professed with vs. If by the Church of Rome we will vnderstand her chiefe Prelates not those Friars and flatterers which belonged rather to her Court then her Church from whence then arose this confusion of doctrine which followed after but onely from that corruption of State which went before and yet it cannot but bee acknowledged that as our bodies first warme our clothes and then our clothes serue to keepe warme our bodies so the corruption of State first brought foorth this confusion of doctrine but being brought foorth the daughter serues to nourish and maintaine the mother Now for the confounding of our doctrine wee answere with S. Paul If our Gospel saith he be hid it is hid to them that are lost So we if our doctrine bee confounded it is to them whom the God of this world hath confounded and blinded lest the light of the glorious Gospel of CHRIST who is the image of God should shine vnto them The second thing which you charge vs with is the slandering the doctrine of the Church of Rome and are your Romanists cleare of that accusation or dare any man of iudgement and learning discharge them doth not Pererius accuse Catharinus for calling that an intollerable and desperate opinion of Luther touching Reprobation which notwithstanding was the same opinion and none other as Pererius confesseth then S. Augustine maintained touching the same point Doth not Reynolds our Countrey man howbeit otherwise maliciously bitter against Caluin specially in his Caluino Turcisme in his iudgement free Caluin from the imputation of making God the authour of sinne in his latter yeeres which notwithstanding is still pressed vpon him both by your selfe and others Doth not Bellarmine cleare him from making the second person in Trinitie to be from himselfe and not from the first with which errour notwithstanding hee is charged by Genebrard by Lyndan by Canisius And for our owne Church doth not Bristow affirme that our Religion is prooued by experience to be indeed no Religion Doth not Allen speaking of our Sacraments Seruice and Sermons call them things which assuredly procure damnation Doth not Reynolds in the booke before named endeuour to make our Religion worse then the Turkish not distinguishing betwixt Caluinisme and the doctrine of the Church of England But
Apostles haue otherwise vsed all their censures only in Christs Name and neuer a word of his Vicars Peter we read did in all the Apostles meetings sit among them as one of their number and when chosen men were sent to Antiochia from that Apostolike Councell at Ierusalem the text sayeth it seemed good to the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church to send chosen men but no mention made of the head thereof and so in their Letters no mention is made of Peter but onely of the Apostles Elders and Brethren And it is a wonder why Paul rebuketh the Church of Corinth for making exception of persons because some followed Paul some Apollos some Cephas if Peter was their visible head for then those that followed not Peter or Cephas renounced the Catholike Faith But it appeareth well that Paul knew little of our new doctrine since he handleth Peter so rudely as hee not only compareth but preferreth himselfe vnto him But our Cardinall prooues Peters Superiority by Pauls going to visite him Indeed Paul sayeth he went to Ierusalem to visite Peter and to conferre with him but he should haue added and to kisse his feet To conclude then the trueth is that â—eter was both in age and in the time of Christs calling him one of the first of the Apostles in order the principall of the first twelue and one of the three whome Christ for orders sake preferred to all the rest and no further did the Bishop of Rome claime for three hundreth yeere after Christ Subiect they were to the generall Councels and euen but of late did the Councell of Constance depose three Popes and set vp the fourth and till Phocas dayes that murthered his Master were they subiect to Emperours But how they are now come to bee Christs Vicars Gods on earth Triple Crowned Kings of Heauen Earth and Hell Iudges of all the world and none to iudge them heads of the Faith absolute deciders of all controuersies by the infallibilitie of their spirit hauing all power both Spirituall and Temporall in their hands the high Bishops Monarchs of the whole earth Superiours to all Emperours and Kings yea Supreme Vice-gods who whether they will or not can not erre How they are now come I say to this top of greatnesse I know not but sure I am Wee that are kings haue greatest need to looke to it As for me Paul and Peter I know but these men I know not and yet to doubt of this is to denie the Catholike Faith nay the Word it selfe must be turned vpside downe and the order of Nature inuerted making the left hand to haue the place before the right that this Primacie may be maintained Thus we see how clearely and strongly his Maiestie both in his Apologie proues the Supremacie of Kings in causes Ecclesiasticall and disproues in his Premonition the pretended Supremacie of Popes euen in Spirituals denying them to be Christs Vicars Peters Successors visible Monarchs heads of the Faith deciders of all controuersies high Priests vniuersall Bishops and destroying the two maine grounds of that Monarchie the Supremacie of S. Peter and their infallibilitie in iudging Truely in the Writing hereof mee thought I was touched with shame and pittie that a Diuine should with such palpable falshoods belie his Soueraigne and gull the world and a Doctor of Diuinitie so fowlie stumble in so plaine and manifest a case howbeit it cannot be denyed to be true which he addes that his Maiestie by that Booke is partly ingaged to admit the triall of the first generall Councels and the most ancient Fathers For the Councels I reuerence and admit saith hee the foure first generall Councels as Catholike Orthodoxe and the said foure generall Councels are acknowledged by our Acts of Parliament and receiued for Orthodoxe by our Church And for the Fathers saith hee I reuerence them as much and more then the Iesuits doe for what euer the Fathers for the first fiue hundred yeeres did with an vnanime consent agree vpon to be beleeued as a necessarie point of saluation I either will beleeue it also or at least will be humbly silent not taking vpon me to condemne the same but for euery priuate Fathers opinion it bindes not my conscience more then Bellarmines euery one of the Fathers vsually contradicting others I will therefore in that case follow S. Augustines rule in iudging of their opinions as I find them agree with the Scriptures what I find agreeable thereunto I will gladly imbrace what is otherwise I will with their reuerence reiect So that his Maiestie admitteth the foure first Councels not as Diuine Oracles or as the foure Gospels but as Catholike and Orthodoxe and reuerenceth the most ancient Fathers not as the holy Scriptures but as consonant thereunto And if that triall should be made your holy Father would thereby gaine as litle for the countenancing of his vsurped Supremacie as Zozimus Boniface and Celestine his Predecessours in forging a Canon of the first Nicene Councell for their pretended Iurisdiction in appeales and labouring to force the Councell of Carthage thereunto whereas that Councell in precise termes confineth other Bishops and Patriarchs to the exercise of their iurisdictioÌ„ within their own Diocesses or Prouinces as the Custome of the Bishop of Rome was the words are these Let old Customes be kept they that are in Egypt and Lybia and Pentapolis that the Bishop of Alexandria haue the preheminence of all these because such is the Custome of the Bishop of Rome too likewise also in Antioch and in other Prouinces let the Churches enioy their dignities and prerogatiues which words of the Councel grounding on the Custome of the B. of Rome that as he had preeminence of all the Bishops about him so Alexandria and Antioch should haue of all about them and likewise other Churches as the Metropolitan each in their owne Prouinces doe shew that the Pope neither had preeminence of all through the world before the Nicene Councell nor ought to haue greater preeminence by their iudgement then he before time had This Councell was called about 327. yeeres after Christ and there met in it 318. Bishops the chiefe lights of Christian Religion at that time Ambrose saying that their number was mistically prefigured in those 318. Souldiers by whome Abraham got the victory ouer the fiue Kings The second generall Councell was helde at Constantinople against Macedonius who denyed the Diuinitie of the holy Ghost consisting of 150. Bishops about the yeere 383. called by Theodosius the Elder who both prescribed the place and time the matter to be discussed and maner of proceeding in it sent his Deputie thither to supplie his roome as moderator or president for the keeping of order obseruing of decencie and lastly by his Imperiall power ratified the Decrees thereof all which acts flowing from the prerogatiue of his place and office are now denyed by the Pope and his flatterers any way to belong to
Emperours or Christian Princes besides this the Councell it selfe layed a foundation for that which the fourth generall Councell further built vpon in equalizing the See of Constantinople or new Rome to that of the olde The thirde generall Councell was held at Ephesus in the yeere 430. summoned by Theodosius the younger against the Nestorian heresie which diuided Christ into two persons it consisted of 200. Bishops This Councell in which S. Cyrill was president not onely prescribed and limited the Popes Legate and others that were sent in ambassage to the Prince what they should doe but added this threatning Scire autem volumus vestram Sanctitatem quòd si quid horum contemptum fuerit neque Sancta Synodus habebit rata neque vos Communionis sinet esse participes Wee giue your Holinesse to vnderstand that if any of these things which we haue appointed you be omitted by you neither will this holy Synode ratifie your actes nor receaue you to the Communion By which it is euident that the lawful and generall Councell of Ephesus thought they might and sayd they would not onely controle but euen excommunicate the Popes Vicegerent if hee did not that which was enioyned him by the Synode The fourth and last generall Councell which his Maiestie reuerenceth as Orthodoxe was the great Councel of Chalcedon consisting of 630. Bishops called by Martian the Emperour in the yeere 454. against Eutiches who in extreame opposition to Nestorius confounded the natures of Christ making of two distinct natures but one whereas Nestorius rent asunder his person making of one two This great Councell then gaue the Bishop of Constantinople equall priuiledges with the Bishop of Rome as may appeare in the fifteenth Acte of that Councell and when Paschasinus and Lucentius who represented the person of Leo then Bishop of Rome the next day desired of the noble men that sate there by the Emperours appointment as Iudges and Moderatours that the matter might be brought about againe and put to voices pretending that it was not orderly past the Councell that in the absence of the Popes Legates had made this Decree in their presence confirmed the same they contradicting and labouring as it had beene for their liues to withstand it And since his Maiestie and the Realme haue vndertaken the defence of these foure Councils it were to bee wished they might if not otherwise yet by publike authority bee faithfully translated by some chosen men of our owne out of their Originals and where diuerse readings offer themselues vpon comparing of the best printed Copies and Manuscripts the most likely might bee giuen the worke would not bee great and the benefit in my iudgement issuing from thence not small Now for such things as may in shew bee drawen out of these Councils to make against vs and for the Church of Rome I referre the reader to Bellarmines Apologie against his Maiesties Premonition where hee hath put together whatsoeuer either diligence could obserue or malice wrest so that whosoeuer shall now gleane after him shall gaine as little credite to himselfe as aduantage to his cause yet whatsoeuer he hath said or for his purpose pressed from thence is so fully and sufficiently answered by a reuerend learned Prelate of our owne as if our Doctor would haue dealt either as a Scholler or an honest man hee should first haue vndertaken the confutation of that answere before hee had againe pressed his Maiestie with the triall of those Councils From the first Generall Councils hee proceedes to the most ancient Fathers but what neede any farther question of single Fathers since wee haue heard them spâ—aking met together in Councill His Maiestie confines himselfe to the first 500. yeeres and to their Vnanime consent and that in matters of saluation and all this granted hee doth not alwayes promise a stedfast beleefe but an humble silence Now Bellarmine despairing belike to put the matter to the triall of their testimonies complaines that his Maiestie descends not lower and stoopes aswell to the later writers as Bonauentâ—re and Thomas and Anselme whereas our Controuersies are of that nature as they cannot bee receiued as sufficient witnesses in the deciding of them they fell vpon those times which the farther distant they were from the fountaine the more filth they gathered and as the winds are hot or cold dry or moyst according to the qualitie of the Regions through which they blowe and waters relish of the soile through which they run so did they of the ages in which they liued And for the most ancient Bellarmine himselfe commonly dazels the eyes of the world either with the bastardy of false or the corruptioÌ„ of true Fathers whom hee esteemes as they make more or lesse for his purpose none otherwise then merchants doe their casting counters sometimes in his valuation they stand for pounds sometimes for shillings sometimes for pence sometimes for nothing Ireneus and Iustin Martyr who succeeded Polycarpe and Ignatius the hearers and disciples of S. Iohn the Euangelist held that the deuils were not tormented nor to bee tormented before the generall day of Iudgement in which opinion they are seconded by Epiphanius and Oecumenius neither doe I see sayth Bellarmin how we may defend them from errour of Origen he sayes who liued about 200. yeeres after CHRIST that hee was seene to burne in Hell fire with Arrius and Nestorius of Tertullian who liued about the same time that he was an Arch-heretike of no credit Sozemen hee accuses of falsehood in his Apologie touching Paphnutius his proceeding about the marriage of Churchmen and the Fathers yeelding vnto him in the Nicen Councill touching the iurisdiction of Bishops Ieromes opinion saith he is false and in its proper place to bee refuted S. Augustine expounding those wordes as wee doe Thou art Peter and vpon this Rocke will I build my Church he charges with errour out of his ignorance in the Hebrew tongue Whereby we may perceiue what account themselues make of the ancient Fathers who call most hotly for a triall by them And in trueth if Mr. Doctour had well considered how Policarpe S. Iohns scholler as I sayd before withstood Anicetus Bishop of Rome about the obseruation of Easter and Polycrates Victor in the same businesse how vehemently Stephen was resisted by Cyprian Bishop of Carthage dying as a martyr and Canonized for a Saint to whom hee imputes errour and the maintenance of the cause of Heretikes against the Church of God the defence of things superfluous impertinent false naught contrary to themselues presumption frowardnesse peruersenesse blindnesse of heart inflexible obstinacie Lastly how Athanasius that renowned Patriarch of Alexandria that stout champion of IESVS CHRIST that pillar of the Church and hammer of Heretikes was persecuted for the Catholike faith Pope Liberius consenting and subscribing to the Synodal sentence whereby he was excluded from the Communion of the Church as witnesseth Binius in his
G. H. 44. And wee are on the other side as confident that in going to the Church of Rome and forsaking your owne in which you were bred and baptized besides the indangering of your own soule you haue done no good seruice to his Maiestie neither in respect of himselfe nor his children neither of his Lords nor Commons in perswading vnitie with the Church of Rome vnlesse first shee could bee perswaded to the imbracing of the same veritie in Religion with vs. There is onely the Clergie left which if Popery should goe on and preuaile as you desire it should shall not in the next age bee left to bee satisfied or to giue satisfaction but there is little reason that any man that loues the Clergie should desire to satisfie such Clergie-men as your selfe while you were among vs who vnder hand fauour Papists and maintaine such points of doctrine as if his Maiesties authoritie were not would out of hand ouerthrow the doctrine established and in stead thereof reestablish the Papacie B. C. 45. There neuer was is nor shall bee any wellsetled State in the world either Christian or heathen but the Clergie and Priesthood was is and must bee a principall part of the gouernment depending vpon none but him onely whom they suppose to bee their God but where Caluinisme preuaileth three or foure stipendary Ministers that must preach as it shall please Mr. Maior and his brethren may serue for a whole city and indeede if their opinions bee true it is but folly for any State to maintaine more For if God haue predestinated a certaine number to bee saued without any condition at all of their beeing in the visible Church by Faith or their perseuering therein by good workes If God hath reprobated the greatest part of the world without any respect at all of their infidelity heresie or wicked life if the faith of CHRIST be nothing else but the assured perswasion of a mans owne predestination to glory by him if the Sacraments of the Church bee nothing but signes and badges of that grace which a man hath before by the carnall couenant of his parents faith if Priesthood can doe nothing but preach the word as they call it which lay Lay-men must iudge of and may preach to if they will where occasion serues If the study and knowledge of antiquity vniuersality and consent be not necessary but euery man may expound Scripture as his owne spirit shall moue him If I say these and such like opinions be as true as they are among the Caluinists in the world common and in England too much fauoured and maintained there will certainely appeare no reason at all vnto your Parliament whensoeuer your Maiesty or your successours shall please to aske them why they should bee at so great a charge as they are to maintaine so needlesse a party as these opinions doe make the Clergie to be They can haue a great many more sermons a great deale better cheape and in the opinion of Caluinisme the Clergie doe no other seruice they that doe in England fauour and maintaine those opinions and suppresse and disgrace those that doe confute them they although themselues can be content to bee lordes and to goe in Rochets are indeed the greatest enemies of the Clergie and it were no great matter for the Clergie they might easily turne lay and liue as well as they do for the most part but it is a thing full of compassion and commiseration to see that by these false and wicked opinions the deuill the father of these and all other lies doth daily take possession of the soules of your Subiects both of Clergie and laitie These kind of Clergie men I confesse I doe not desire to satisfie any other way then as I haue alwayes done that is by the most friendly and plaine confutation of their errours to shew them the trueth as for other Clergie men that are conformable to the religion established by Law as well for their doctrine as for their discipline if they be good Schollers and temperate men as I know many of them are they cannot but in their iudgements approue the truth of Catholike religion and if it were not for feare of losse or disgrace to their wiues and children they would be as glad as my selfe that a more temperate course might be held and more liberty afforded to Catholikes and Catholike Religion in England These Clergie men I am and euer shall be desirous to satisfie not onely in respect of themselues but also in respect of their wiues and children whom I am so farre from condemning or misliking as that I doe account my selfe one of them and I desire nothing more in this world then in the toleration of Catholike religion to liue and die among them and therefore I haue had so great care in this point as before I did submit my selfe to the Catholike Church I receiued assurance from some of the greatest that if his Maiesty would admit the ancient subordination of the Church of Canterbury vnto that mother by whose authority all other Churches in England at the first were and still are subordinate vnto Canterbury and the first free vse of that Sacrament for which especially all the Churches in Christendome were first founded the Pope for his part would confirme the interest of all those that haue present possession in any Ecclesiasticall liuing in England and would also permit the free vse of the Common Prayer booke in English for Morning and Euening Prayer with very little or no alteration and for the contentment and security of your Maiesty he would giue you not onely any satisfaction but all the honor that with the vnity of the Church and the safetie of Catholike Religion may be required which seemed to me so reasonable as beeing before satisfied for the trueth of Catholike Religion I could aske no more so that I am verely perswaded that by yeelding to that trueth which I could not deny I haue neither neglected my duety and seruice to your Maiesty and your children nor my respect and honour to your Lords and Commons nor my loue and kindenesse to my honest friends and brethren of the Clergie but rather that my example and my prayers shall doe good vnto all G. H. 45. That the Clergie should be a Principall member of the body popolitike we graunt but that they should depend on none but him only whom they suppose to bee their god wee denie Indeed where the authority of the Bishop of Rome swayes looke how many Clergy men there are so many subiects are exempt from the Iurisdiction of the secular power and wholy depend vpon his Holinesse who is to them in regard of the vniuersalitie of his commaund and the infallibilitie of his iudgement in stead of their God but for vs Non habemus talem consuetudinem neque Ecclesia Dei we depend
first on God and then on the Soueraigne Magistrate his annointed and vicegerent on earth In regard of externall coactiue iurisdiction with Saint Augustine wee distinguish betweene the eternall God and the temporall Lord yet wee obey the temporall Lord for his sake that is the eternall God But where Caluinisme preuaileth three or foure stipendary Ministers you say that must preach as it shall please Mr. Maior and his brethren may serue for a whole Citie where by Caluinisme you vnderstand not the discipline or forme of Church gouernment conceiued by Caluin but Doctrinall pointes maintained by him or at leastwise by you imposed on him I say imposed on him in as much as the greatest part of those positions is certainly no part of his Doctrine and for the rest malice and preiudice set aside they might suffer as fauourable a construction in Caluin as in Saint Augustin or in Bellarmine and other Iesuits and schoolemen neither is all that Caluin hath written without exception maintained by those in England who otherwise imbrace and reuerence his paines as of a chiefe Captaine in the Lords battailes your positions I will examine as they lie in order whereof the first is That God hath predestinated a certaine number to bee saued without any condition at all of their being in the visible Church by faith or their perseuering therein by good workes To which I answere that if wee consider Predestination before the fall it can haue no reference to Faith or good workes flowing from thence in as much as if Adam had stood in his originall integritie wee should not haue needed the comming of CHRIST for our saluation and consequently neither faith in him nor those workes which are the necessarie fruits and effects of that faith but if after the fall then are they both required not as impulsiue and meritorious causes but as markes and effects infallible of our Predestination and withall as the ordinary conditions and meanes of our saluation This I take to bee Caluins opinion in the third booke and 22. chap. of his Institutions and not Caluins onely but Martyrs in his Commentary on the 8th to the Romanes and Zanchies in his 5. booke of the nature of God and second chapter and Bezaes in the acts of the conference at Montpelgard and generally of our owne Writers that haue touched this point and if wee erre herein wee erre with St. Augustine who in his 87. tract vpon Iohn thus speaks Hic certe vacillat eoruÌ„ ratiocinatio qui praescientiam Dei defendunt contra gratiaÌ„ Dei ideo dicunt nos electos ante mundi constitutionem quia praesciuit nos Deus futuros bonos non seipsum nos facturuÌ„ bonos Non hoc dicit qui dicit non vos me elegistis quoniam si propterea nos elegisset quia bonos futuros â—sse nos praesciuerat simul etiam praescisset quòd eum nos fuissemus prius electuri Heere falleth to the ground their vaine manner of reasoning who defend the foresight of God against the grace of God affirming that wee were therefore chosen before the foundation of the world because God foresaw wee would bee good not that himselfe would make vs good But hee sayes not so who sayes you haue not chosen mee for had hee chosen vs because hee foresaw wee would bee good hee should also haue foreseene that we would first haue chosen him To the same purpose doth hee speake in the 98. Chapter of his Manuel to Laurence and in his 105. Epistle neither doeth the Master of sentences disâ—ent from him herein in his first Booke and 41. distinction Opinati sunt quidam sayeth he Deum ideo elegisse Iacob quia talem futurum praesciuit qui in eum crederet ei seruiret Some saith he haue beene of opinion that God chose Iacob because hee knew hee would beleeue on him and serue him which Saint Augustin in his Retractions confesseth that himselfe sometimes held where hee plainely prooueth that had hee bin chosen for any merit to come that election had not proceeded from grace The same is also the opinion of Scotus of Aquinas and Bellarmin himselfe so that to say God hath predestinated a certaine number without any condition of faith or workes as the impulsiue or meritorious cause of our predestination is not Caluins opinion alone neither was he the first broacher of it And to say that hee predestinated a certaine number without any condition of Faith and workes as the markes and effects of our Predestination and the means of our saluation is not Caluins opinion at all but thrust vpon him by Mr. Doctor He hath chosen vs sayeth the Apostle before the foundation of the world that wee should bee holy making holinesse the finall but not the efficient cause with which distinction doeth Sixtus Senensis shut vp the matter in the sixth Booke of his Library where hauing at large alleaged the sayings of Origen Chrysostome Ambrose Hierome c. who seeme to hold that the Prescience of workes is the cause of diuine Predestination quae quidem sententia sayeth he in Pelagio damnata est which opinion was coÌ„demned in Pelagius he addeth that Augustin hauing sometime held the same vpon better aduice retracted it almost in innumerable places and at length concluds Neâ— dubium est c. Neither is there any doubt to bee made but that some of those foresayd Fathers in pronouncing our workes foreseene to bee the cause of Gods Predestination vnderstood it of the finall cause and not of the meritorious The second point which you call Caluiniâ—me is that God hath Reprobated the greatest part of the world without any respect at all of their infidelitie heresie or wicked life to which I answere that this point of Doctrine being rightly vnderstood is not Caluins alone but Martyrs Zanchies Bezaes in the places before alleaged and generally of our owne diuines nay of Saâ—nt Augustin of Lombard of Scotus of Thomas and of Bellarmine himselfe who in the place aboue quoted distinguisheth Reprobation into a negatiue and a positiue acte the negatiue is Gods will of not sauing men the positiue his will of damning men of the former of these sayeth hee no cause can bee assigned in regard of vs as neither of our Predestination but of the lattter the cause is the foresight of sinne Now the former of these two acts is that by which men are properly sayd to bee reprobated as by the latter to bee damned so that to say God hath reprobated the greatest part of the world without respect of any thing in themselues is no more Caluinisme then Beâ—â—arminisme Catherinus indeed enueighs bitterly against those who affirme that God reprobats some not because hee foresees their wicked life but because his pleasure is to exclude them from Eternall life and this opinion hee ascribes to Luther calling it impious and intolerable but Pererius somewhat sharper sighted takes vp the blundring olde man for it putting him
in minde that it was ipsissima B. Augustini sententia the very selfe same doctrine which Saint Augustin teacheth The third point which you call Caluinisme is that faith is nothing else but the assured perswasion of a mans owne Predestination to glory by Christ which differs not much in words and in sense very little or not at all as I conceâ—ue from his Maiesties definition where hee calles it a sure pâ—rswasion and apprehension of the promises of God applying them to your soule and therefore may it iustly bee termed saith hee the Golden chaine that linketh the faithfull soule to CHRIST But I wonder what Mr. Doctor meant in saying that Caluin maketh it nothing else whereas the Church of Rome maketh it not by many degrees so much it beeing in their doctrine a naked and bare apprehension of and assent vnto supernaturall trueths in which the deuill himselfe may goe as farre as any nay doeth goe farther then many of them for in that sort hee both beleeues and trembles and by this faith impossible it is that wee should either quench the fiery darts of the wicked as S. Paul speakes or ouercome the world as S. Iohn Faith saith the authour to the Hebrewes is the ground of things which are hoped for and the euidence of things which are not seene now what is that grounded euidence but an assured perswasion and what are those things hoped for and not seene but chiefly the glory to which through CHRIST wee are predestinate so that you may as well put a nothing else vpon S. Pauls definition as vpon Caluins and yet is Caluins somewhat more then you make it in as much as thereby the fauour of God is not onely apprehended but sealed vnto the heart whereas your faith is of that nature as it neither hath any sound foundation to build vpon neither is a man certaine when he hath it neither if hee haue it how long hee shall keepe it neither if hee keepe it whether at last it will serue for his iustification in the sight of God So that a nothing else may rather be pind vpon the sleeue of that faith which the Church of Rome teaches then that which Caluin defines The fourth point which you call Caluinisme is that the Sacraments of the Church are nothing but signes and badges of that grace which a man hath before by the carnal couenant of his parents faith whereas Caluin in many places and expresse tearmes directly denies the Sacraments to be nothing else but bare signes they beeing in his doctrine not onely signes to represent that which they are ordained to signifie but seales to confirme that which they represent and withall pipes to conuey or instruments to present that to the soule of the worthy receiuer which they represent to the sence much lesse then doe either hee or wee make the Sacraments signes onely of that grace which the receiuer hath by couenant of his parents faith as Mr. Doctor would haue it for then would it follow that they should not at all bee Sacraments vnto them whose parents either are or died Infidels though themselues bee conuerted to Christian Religion and whereas hee calls that a carnall Couenant which God made with Abraham and his seed it argues a carnall minded man sauouâ—ing those things which are of the Flesh and not of the Spirit The fift point which Mr. Doctor calls Caluinisme is that Priesthood can doe nothing but preach the word as they call it which Lay-men must iudge of and may preach too if they will where occasion serues as if hee were ignorant that both by Caluin and by vs pâ—blike prayer in the name and for the good of the people is specially committed to the Priesthood and to it onely is the power of binding and loosing and of administring the Sacraments annexed whereas in their doctrine it is permitted not onely to Lay-men but to women in some cases But with vs you say Lay-men must iudge of that which is preached and may themselues preach too whereas the trueth is that wee allow them a iudgement of examination onely or triall which S. Paul allowed his auditors and S. Iohn his not of decision or determination which you seeme to implie and for their preaching both our and Caluins rule is that no man with vs taketh or should take this honour to himselfe but he which is called as was Aaron inwardly by the Spirit of God fitting him with gifts and a disposition thereunto and outwardly by the Constitutions and ordinances of the Church The sixth and last point which Mr. Doctor calls Caluinisme is that the studie and knowledge of antiquitie vniuersalitie and consent is not necessary but euery man may expound Scripture as his owne spirit shall mooue him where first I cannot but wonder that Mr. Dr who vrgeth neither antiquity vniuersality nor consent through his whole discourse should here at last cast stand so much vpon them yet I am perswaded it was rather to beare vs in hand that himselfe was deepely studied in them then that hee thought they could much aduantage his cause neither is the studie and knowledge of them so neglected by those whom Master Doctor if hee were liuing would call Caluinists that they feare euen by that triall to encounter the stoutest Champions of the Church of Rome For leauing Caluins frequent quotation of the ancient Councils and Fathers let the workes of Martyr of Bucer of Zanchius of Iunius of Sadeel of Chamier of the Noble Du Plessis and Dâ— Moulin testifie what account they make of the vniuersall consent and of Antiquitie And for our owne here at home he that shall looke into the writings of Bishop Iewel of Raynolds of Whitakers of Fulke of Humphreys of Perkins I spare to name the liuing nothing inferiour herein to the dead may easily finde if hee shut not his eyes against the light that they spared neither cost nor paines in this kinde To what â—â—â—pose hath Tossanus written his Synopsis Patrum and Scultetus his Medulla Patrum To what end did that noble and worthy Gentleman Sir Thomas Bodley with so much charge and traâ—ell found and furnish our Vniuersitie Library at Oxford and priuate Colledges by his example inlarge their owne or why should Sir Henry Sauill with so much expence and care set fâ—orth Chrysostomes workes in so exact and exquisite a maner iâ— wee made that slight reckoning of the studie and knowledge of Antiquitie as Mr. Doctor would make the world beleeue indeed wee cannot but acknowledge that to bee true which trueth it selfe hath deliuered onething is necessary and that many care and are cumbred about other things more then about this yet withall wee as freely confesse that many things are requisite some in one degree and some in another to the better compassing of that one which is onely and absolutely necessary in it selfe But eâ—ery man you say with vs may expound Scripture as his owne spirit shall mooue
as the Apostle speakes an end of all strife It is the last resolution in the search of truth and in the body politique the strongest sinew next the bound of nature and conscience wherby the members are tyed to the head and the head againe to the members and the members knit among themselues for the Pope then to promise his Maiesty security and yet by this meanes to withdraw the hearts of his Subiects from their naturall allegeance is as if a man should promise secure passage ouer a Riuer and yet pull downe the bridge or take away the boats which serue for that passage His Maiestie on the other side hath declared the Pope to be Antichrist in his opinion and can hee expect honour or securitie from Antichrist who hath hitherto depended on none but CHRIST he may also be pleased to remember what securitie the two last Henries of France receiued from him Lastly if the Powder-treason were vndertaken without the Popes priuitie how can hee secure his Maiestie from the like except hee can diue into the secrets of mens harts or haue the art to foresee things to come or to charme the deuils in hell God defend vs from such securitie which hath the face of a man but the teeth of a Lyon which first lulles vs asleepe and then driues a naile into our heads My conclusion of this point shall bee that common speech of the Italians themselues Acibo bis cocto a medico indocto a vento percolato inimico reconciliato liberanos Domine from such honour as is expected from a Romish reconciled enemie Good Lord deliuer vs so that wee are verily perswaded by yeelding your necke to the yoke of Rome and perswading his Maiestie and his Subiects to doe the like you haue disclosed your hypocrisie violated your oath disgraced your nation stained your profession forsaken your duetie to your Soueraigne your respect to his Nobles and loue to his Commons and Clergy and not onely so but aswell by your example as exhortations endeuoured what in you lay by wounding euery particular member vtterly to ruine the whole body both of Church and Common-wealth from such Phisitians Good Lord deliuer vs. B. C. 46. But that I must trust to when all the rest will faile mee is the seruice of God and the sauing of my soule in the vnitie of that Church which was founded by Christ himselfe and shall continue vntill his Comming againe wherein all the Saints of God haue serued him on earth and doe enioy him in heauen without which Catholike Church there is no Communion of Saints no forgiuenesse of sinnes no hope of resurrection vnto life euerlasting I beseech your Maiestie let not Caluins Ecclesia Praedestinatorum deceiue you it may serue a Turke as well as a Christian it hath no faith but opinion no hope but presâ—mption no charitie but lust no faith but a fancie no God but an Idoll for Deus est omnibus religionibus commune nomen Aug. Ep. All religions in the world begin the Creed with I beleeue in God But homini extra ecclesiam Religio sua est cultus phantasmatum suorum and error suus est Deus suus as Saint Augustine affirmeth G. H. 46. It seemes then you trusted little to the effectuating of these idle phantasticall proiects whereabout you haue made so much adoe and so many vaine flourishes and indeed your confidence could not bee so little as you had little reason to bee confident they should take effect That Church which was founded by Christ himselfe and shall continue vntill his comming again wherinal the Saints of God haue serued him on earth and do enioy him in heauen without which there is no communion of Saints no forgiuenes of sinnes no hope of resurrection vnto life euerlasting is indeed the true Catholike but not the Rom. Church it being founded by Christ before his Comming in the flesh and shall continue vntill his comming againe but not as tied to any certaine place in it all the Saints of God serued him on earth as the Patriarches and Prophets who liued some of them before the foundation of Rome without it there is no Communion of Saints no forgiuenesse of sinnes no resurection vnto life euerlasting which no doubt by Gods mercies and Christes merits would still remaine though Rome were turned into ashes and the Pope into nothing howbeit as a late writer hath well obserued ignorance is now become generally so powerfull a tyrant as it hath set true Philosoiphie Physicke and Diuinitie in a pillorie and witten ouer the first Contra negantem principia ouer the second virtusspecifica and ouer the third Ecclesia Romana making it the onely market or rather Monople both for deuotion and saluation That there is a visible Church in which the Elect and Reprobate are blended together in the outward profession of supernaturall verities and the precious meanes of saluation nay in the illumination of the minde and sundrie inward graces Caluine denieth not but that none are true and liuely members of the mysticall body of CHRIST which hee hath ransomed with his blood and doeth quicken and formalize with his Spirit and will finally crowne with eternall blisse saue the Congregation or Church of the first borne whose names are written in heauen hee truely affirmeth And if Caluin deceiue vs herein so doeth S. Augustine too who in his third booke of Christian doctrine and 32. Chapter disputing against Ticonius who had called the mysticall bodie of CHRIST which is most properly and principally the Church a body bipartie as including both good and bad vseth these wordes Non ita debuit appellari non enim reuera Domini corpus est quod cum illo non erit in aeternum It ought not so to haue beene called in as much as it is not truely the bodie of CHRIST which shall not euerlastingly bee with him nay not onely Caluin and Augustine deceiue vs but S. Paul in the fourth to the Ephesians the fifteenth and sixteenth verses and againe in the fift Chapter of the same Epistle the 25. and 26. verses but for the better clearing of this point wee must conceiue that the Elect or Predestinate of God are of two sorts some elect onely and not yet called some both elect and called of the latter there is no question but they are the principall parts of the Church of God and touching the former they are not actually in the Church but onely potentially in Gods prescience and predestination who hath purposed that they shall bee and knoweth that they will bee when wee say then that none but the Elect of God are of the Church of God wee meane not that others are not at all nor in any sort of the Church but that they are not fully and finally of the speciall number of them who pertake of the most perfect worke force and vertue of that sauing grace whereof that Church is the onely dispenser Neither can this Church serue a Turkes turne aswell as
a Christians for whom he did predestinate them also hee called and whom hee called them also hee iustified and whom hee iustified them also hee glorified since then hee neither calls nor iustifies Turkes wee are sure they cannot be of the company of the predestinate But his Maiestie himselfe I now remember well concluded this point at the conference at Hampton Court and therefore wee neede not feare his being deceiued in iudgement his determination is that wee should iudge of our Predestination not so much descendendo by prying into Gods secret counsell as ascendendo by searching our owne hearts the sincerity of our owne hearts being as it were the counterpane of Gods eternall decree locked vp in the Cabinet of his counsell and therefore the Apostle in the 2. to Tim. and the 2. ioynes them both together The foundation of God saith hee remaineth sure and hath this seale The Lord knoweth who are his there is the Instrument sealed on Gods part the Counterpane on ours instantly followes and let euery one that calleth on the Name of CHRIST depart from iniquitie So that the way to assure our selues that wee are in the number of those that are sealed to life is to call on the name of CHRIST in our profession and depart from iniquitie in our conuersation the one is required in our life and the other in our beliefe Neither is the faith of such beleeuers an opinion or fancie but the ground of things which are hoped for and the euidence of things which are not seene and a shield to quench all such fiery and venemous dartes nor is their hope a presumption but a sure anchor against despaire nor their charitie lust but the loue of their neighbours as of themselues nor their God an idole but that Lord who hath reuealed himselfe vnto vs in his word whereas on the other side we may iustly say that the Popes Ecclesia malignantium may more easily serue a Turke her Religion being rebellion her practice murthering of soules and bodies as it acknowledged in the publike prayers of our Church her faith beeing but wauering and full of irresolution her hope a balancing and estimation of her owne merit her charity an ostentation of workes no God so powerfull with her and beneficiall vnto her as the Pope and the Masse We know that all religions begin their Creed with I beleeue in God but none haue lesse reason then they who beleeue in him in generall without particular application and for S. Augustines testimonies that to an heretike the entertainement and imbracing of his fantasies is his religion I demand which is more likely to build his religion on fantasieâ— either he who depends meerely on the written word of God or hee that equals his owne inuentions thereunto B. C. 47. I haue more things to write but the haste of answering your Maiesties commandement signified to me by S ir Thomas Lake his letters haue made mee commit many faults in writing this very suddenly for which I craue pardon and cut of the rest but for my returning into England I can answere none otherwise but thus I haue sent you my soule in this treatise and if it may finde entertainement and passage my body shall quickely follow after and if not I pray God I send my soule to heauen and my body to the graue as soone as may be In the meane time I will reioyce in nothing but onely in the Crosse of CHRIST which is the glory of your Crowne and therefore I will triumph therein not as being gone from you to your aduersary but as being gone before you to your Mother where I desire and hope for euer to continue Your MAIESTIES True seruant and Beadesman Beniamin Carier G. H. 47. S. Iohn concludes his Epistle to Gaius I haue many things to write and Mr. Doctor his to his Maiestie I haue more things to write but S. Iohn trusts to come shortly after and speake with him mouth to mouth but Mr. Doctour will not promise that except he be first assured his Letter may finde entertainment which as I heare was very slender and no marueile then he hasted not after S. Iohn craued not pardon for his faults which we make the marke of an Apocryphal writer but M. Doctor doth and that very deseruedly in as much as he chose rather with Albinus to craue pardon for his faults committed then not to commit them and whereas he imputes his faults to his sudden writing in imitation belike of Campian therein he addes another fault to his former in as much as a great part of this was written long before his Maiesties command came to his hands partly in a Latine Epistle to Mr. Casaubon and partly in an English letter to an honourable person in Court and yet for any great matter is in it in my iudgment it needed no long deliberation as it was suddenly written if it were so so may it somewhat mooue a man of a suddaine apprehension but surely the grauer and wiser sort I thinke it will little affect Lastly for your returne into England you can make none other answere you say then this that you haue sent your soule in this treatise and if it may finde passage your body shall follow after while you were here your body was with vs but your soule with them for anima est non vbi animat sed vbi amat and your selfe in your Common place booke maintaine that a man may liue among heretikes or Schismatikes not yeelding outward obedience to the Church and yet liue in the State of grace if his soule be vnited to the Church in the vnderstanding by faith and by charity in the will conditionally he withhold himselfe from such outward obedience not for priuate respects but for the publike aduantage of the Church As your soule then was with them when your body was with vs so your body being with them your soule was then busie working here with vs but for their purposes and sure except you altered your opinions set downe in this treatise and I haue cause to feare you entertained worse dying among the Iesuits better you should stay there both in body and soule or send your soule out of your body and your body to the graue as in Gods prouidence you haue done then to returne to infect that Countrey and Church in which you were borne and bred and baptized which as you professed in your last Sermon before his Maiesty and in writings which I haue to shew vnder your owne hand might iustly contend with any Church in the world for purity of doctrine But it seemes you had forgotten being but a nouice in that doctrine you were to passe by Purgatory before you came to heauen except you supposed the Spaw waters had sufficiently purged you or else you presumed farre vpon the merit of your profound demonstrations as if thereby you needed not De profundis to be sung nor Masse to be
treason had been a most honourable and meritorious acte 2 It was the deuil indeed that wrought it it being beyond all humane inuention yet you canot denie though you are vnwilling to grant it that hee vsed none but pretended Catholikes for his instruments in that businesse 3 The latter we easily beleeue but leaue you to proue the former 4 It may be by God you vnderstand him who exalts himselfe aboue all that is called God and by lawfull obedience as much and as farre as he shall thinke fit 5 Whether our religion or yours bind subiects more to the performance of their duty let my answere to your 12. section make proofe 6 Indeed the fresh examples of the death of the 2. last Henr. of France and the infinite trâ—â—â—sons against Q. Elizabeth and our present Soueraigne cannot be but odious to all good Christians 7 Perpetuity of kingdomes is onely from God but yet may his Maiesty more iustly expect perpetuity froÌ„ his subiects who acknowledge none other Soueraigne then those Princes from theirs who acknowledge them deposeable by a forreine power 8 Their religion being grounded onely vpon the liuely oracles of God cannot but tye them more effectually to it selfe then your humane traditions 9 We assume no liberty of expounding articles of faith at our pleasure as his Maiesty hath declared it in his booke against Vorst but a freedome by Christ from the rigour of the Law from the guilt and punishment of sinne and from obseruing humane traditions as religiously as diuine ordinances 1 Garnet by Eudaemon 2 Greenwell and Gerrard 1 It was the speech of Christopherus Thuaâ—â—â—s reported by Iacobus Aug. his sonne * Eccles. 49. 1. 1 You seeme to meane the ancient Romanes who made more conscience of an Oath in which particular act of Religion you afterward insist then the Romish Catholikes at this day * Ebr. 6. 16. * Iere. 4. 2. * Gen. 21. * Gen. 31. 1 Is not this Romish opinion which holds it sufficient to beleeue as yâ— Church beleeues so that they liue morally well but for our selues we haue had experience yâ— where our religion most preuaileth and men are brought to the knowledge of the trueth there barbarisme inciuility are the more banished 2 The words of the Poet are nemo repente fuit turpissimus 3 In stead of the arseâ—all you should haue said the Capitole Seâ—â—c frag * 1. Cor. 13. 12. 1 By this it appeares you intended the publishing of your letter at the writing of it 2 M. Doctour himselfe in the 8. Section of his 1. Chapter confesseth that hee knoweth diuers very honest men of these Preachers 3 Hauing made them before the Seeds-men of Sedition and Authours of all errour in doctrine and corruption in manners it is then good time of day to tell vs you will not accuse them 4 Sir Francis Bacon is more beholding to you for quoting his Essayes then S. Matth for alledging his Gospel or S. Paul for his Epistles but I am sure he is too noble a Gentleman to hold it any commendation to be quoted or commended by such as your selfe 5 If they vtterly faile in the Precepts of the first Table they may well be called Heretikes rather then Schismatikes 6 Since the first reformation aboue a generation hath passed and yet by your owne acknowledgement there remaine diuers very honest men euen among those whome you labour most to disgrace 7 In your construction a Puritan and a Caluinist are reciprocall and you make all the reformed Netherlanders the Heluetians the French and the greatest part of the English to be Caluinists so that the greatest part of all their sonnes must proue Papists or Atheists or else your obseruation failes 8 Reformers you tell â—s before commonly degenerate in the next generation and here you shew vs how by turning Papists or Atheists as if Papiâ—me and Atheisme were so neere of kinne or â—o resembling in condition that the one might easily be mistaken for the other or thâ— one prepared away to the other * 1. Cor. 14. 1 The same conceit hath Charron in his booke de trois vâ—râ—te lib. 3. c. 12. 2 I haue since found words to that purpose in his Meditationâ—s sacrae but not as M. Doctor quoteth them 1 You tell vs before of sure rules in policie and mutinous Souldiers and here you shewe your skill in Cowhâ—rdship that wee may know you are aliquid in quolibet though nihil in toto 2 Notwithstanding those charmes your Romish Catholiks cannot be kept within their bounds charme the charmer neuer so wisely 3 Mutato nomine de tuis â—abula narratur 1 D. Hall in his Roma irreconciliâ—â—ilâ—â— 1 If others might be good Subiects your selfe could not be so in as much as in the last Sect. of the 1. cha you confesse that liuing in England you could not choose but bee guilty of the breach of many of our Statutes Lib. 5 de Iustiâ— cap. 7. 1 Of this ranke was M. Doctour as appeareth in the 19. Sect. of his first Chap. where he promiseth to iustifie all the present doctrine of the Church of Rome from point to point 1 Here your rules of policy failed you in as much as violence of affection is rather by time to be qualified then withstood by force 2 Who they are that blow the coales for the burning of others and warming of themselues if I were silent the stones of the ParliameÌ„t house would speake 3 You might haue done well to haue perswaded the Pope or the King of Spaine to haue held such a conference in their dominions 4 How simply and euidently your Postillers and Friers vse to deliuer the trueth in their Sermons we are not ignorant but whom you should mean by your honest men but your selfe and your companions we know not 5 Who they are that dazell mens eyes and robbe their purses your glorious outside in Gods worship and your infinite trickes to get money sufficiently testifie 6 How reconciliable the differences betweene vs are I haue declared in mine answere to the 18. Sect. of this chap. 1 Lib. 4. de mili Eccles. cap. 5. 2 De salute Indorum lib. 2. c. 18. 3 Lib. 4. epist. 1. 4 Lib. 5. epist. 30. See Lipsius in the conclusion of his booke de Mag. Rom. * 1. Tim. 6. 20. * Psal. 119. 105. * 2 Pet. 1. 19. * Luke 1. 79. * Iohn 1. 9. * Rom. 1. 18. 1 A most notorious vntruth if by Caluinismâ— you vnderstand Caluins doctrine 2 How Caluins doctrine ouerthrowes al these or any of these let his bookes testifie 3 Will the Turke beleeue Christ to haue beene the Sonne of God by eternall generation or to haue beene conceiued by the holy Ghost or to haue risen from the graue by his owne power the third day after his buriall or visibly to haue ascended into heauen or that from thence hee shall returne againe to iudge the quicke and the dead
bene angry with them who standing least vpon his Maiâ—sties supremacie not onely endeuor to crosse his desires but to indanger his person and to cut off himselfe and his posterity 10 By the keyes doing the Crowne seruice belike you meane the triple Crowne 11 That the Keyes are tyed to the Scepter is false his Maiâ—sty neither hauing nor challenging the right of binding and loosing but true that by the Pope both Scepter and sword too are tyed to the Keyes 12 If his Mâ—â—â—stiâ—s title rather serue others then himselfe we are sure his Holinesse title rather serues himselfe then others Pag. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 1 Exâ—mptiâ— Clericorum in rebus pâ—liâ—iciâ— tâ—m quoad personas tuÌ„ quoad bona introducta est iure humanâ— paritâ—r diuino Bel. l. de cle cap. 28 * 2. Sam. 17. 6 1. Chron. â—3 12. 2 Chrâ—n 6. 2. King 23. 2. 2. Châ—o 20. 3. Nehem. 9. 38. 2. King 18. 4. 2. Chron. 17. 8. 1. King 2. 27. 2 Socr. 1. 9. 3 Theod. 1. 9. 4 Theodoretus lâ— 5 cap. 9. 5 Euagriâ—â— lib. 1. cap. 2. 6 Leâ— Epist. 43. Gen. 14. 19. 7 Apud Stoâ— de regnâ— See to this purpose Aristot. pol. lib. 3. cap. 11. 8 Ferdin Lopâ—z lib. 1. Hist. Iud. Cap. 14. 9 Quia in Ciuitate bellicosa plures Romuli quam Numae similes reges putabat fore iturosque ipsâ—s ad bella ne sacra desereâ—entur flamineÌ„ Iâ—ui assiduum Sacerdotem â—reauit Liu. lib. 1. * 2. Pâ—t 2. 9. * 1. Cor. 2. 15. 10 Maynard de priui Eccl. art 9. 11 Bulla Pâ—â— Quin. ast; Ier. 1. 10. 12 See their book of Sacred Ceremonies 13 Monit Poâ—â—â— * Matth. 28. 18. * 1. Sam. 13. 13. * 2. Cro. 26. 19. * Exod. 28. 14 Without all contradiction the lesse is blessed of the greater Heb. 7. 7. * Exod. 4. 16. * 2. Chron. 19. * Deut. 17. 12. * Acts 25. 11. 1 It is more to be feared that Rome will doe what she can to make him poore but neuer complaine that he is not rich 2 The reason why God did not blesse it I haue giuen in mine answere 3 The Court of augmentation is annexed to the Exchequer and yeelds yeerely to his Maiestie as much as euer as I thinke 4 As they were then in the hands of the Clergie they yeelded nothing but at their pleasure 5 You obiect to his Maiestie his empty Coffers but labour to make them more emptie by subiecting him to Rome 6 How diligently you haue perused the Statutes I haue made it appeare in mine answere to the later part of your first chapter and yet it seemes you are more skilfull in them then in the Satutes whereof Dauid speakes I will delight my selâ—e in thy Statutes Psa. 119. 16. * Proâ— 14. â—â— * Exod. 36. 1 See the Statute 2 Witnesse the Church of Saint Albons 1 It seemes then that they whom you call Caluinists as touching the confession of his faith are of the same iudgement with his Maiesty 2 To grant thaâ— which notwithstanding is not false as I haue shewed in mine answere to this Sect. yet are there many things in the same booke which if his Maiâ—sty maintaine as vpon his honor he is bound to doe he can neuer turne Romane Cath. 3 K. Henry neuer contradicted his booke 4 From thence it followes that by your owne acknowledgement what his Maiestie hath written is good * Luke 22. 25. * Iohn 14. 26. * Iohn 21. 15. 16. 17. * Mat. 18. 18. * 1. Cor. 5. 4. * Acts 15. * 1. Cor. 1. 11. * Gal. 2. * Gal. 1. 18. 1 Bel. de Rom. pâ—nt lib. 1. cap. 27. Can. 6. 2 In prefat lib. de fide 3 Pag. 89 90 91 92. 93. 4 Episc. Eli. in respons ad Apol. Card. Bellar. pag. 167 168 169 170 171 172. 5 Lib. 5. vltra med in Apol. 1. 2. sapius repetit 6 In haâ—â—si Sethianorum in cap. vlt. 1. Pet. 7 De Sanct. bâ—atit lib. 1. cap. 6. 8 Lib. 2. de purgat cap. 8. 9 De S. beat lib. 1. cap. 5. 10 Lib. 4 de Râ— Pont. cap. 8. * Pag. 89. 11 Lib. 1. de Rom. Pont. cap. 8. 12 Cypr-Epist ad Pompo cont Epist. Steph. 13 Pag. 474. * Iohn 19. 22. * Ecclus. 27. 11. 1 Indeed he cannot well bee a good subiect who either reconciles himselfe or perswades others to be reconciled to that Church which maintaines heretikes to be as infidels if not worse his Maiesty an heretike 2 I guesse at your meaning your Cath had cause to be angry that it succeeded not 3 Belike you vnderstand the Parliament who perswaded his Maiesty to the imposing of the oath of allegeance 4 His Maiesty may both detest the fact and punish the offendours and endeuour by wholsome lawes to preuent the like mischiefe and yet both liue and die in charity 5 Where is that reason 6 God indeed is exorable but vpon submission and hearty contrition which yet appeares not either in the tongues or pens of Romanist 7 Quid opus est verbis quum facta se ostendunt 8 His Maiesty is as the Angel of God wise to discerne who they are that labour to misinforme him and misleade his people 9 It should seeme then you are fallen from the hope of perswading his Maiesty to become a Rom. Cath. to the toleration of that religion which notwithstanding he cannot admit without double periury See Tâ—rtuâ—a Torti pag. 82. 14 Christanouic Pacenius Becan Parsons Coqueus Eudamon Schoppius Reboule Coffeteau Peletier Gretser Suarez Beaumanoir * Râ—â— 3. 15. 2 Ad M. Torti lib. Resp. pag. 191 3 L. of Balmerinoch then his Maiesties Secretary 1 Many of those passengers who iustly feare danger haue greater experience in the guiding of this ship then your selfe could haue 2 The attaining of your Hauen we take not to bee the way to Heauen * Acts 17. 10. 1 Defence du Droit des Rois pag. 111. 112. 1 Whether your Preachers or your Friars and â—esuites abuse the people more with lies in their Sermons let them iudge who haue heard both 2 For morall and ciuill honestie there were among the ancient Romans and more learned then they 3 Belike they condemned you for one among the rest and were not much mistaken 4 It is well you hold some honest men amongst them least your selfe should bee accounted none 5 The Romish Church for many chiefe points hath not so much as pretext of Scripture 6 We might say the like of some of your followers more truly in as much as we beare them record that they haue zeale but not according to knowledge 7 What makes you to crie out so against Puritane Preachers but that most of the people are led by Sermons 8 I haue said it before and I will be bold vpon this occasion giuen to report it againe not to boast of it but to praise God for it that his Maiesties Dominions
afford as many sufficient and learned Preachers and that in a more substantiall and conscionable fashion then the Popes Hierarchie and that London alone affords more then Rome it selfe and their readinesse to supply Sermons is not so much out of any good will they beare that exercise as out of ill will they beare vs. Iohn Aduenâ— lib. 30. Anal. Boio 1 So that in Mr. Doctors Logick an honest Protestant may thus be defined One that can endure the State of England as it is and could be content it were as it was that he might receiue more benefit 2 You tel vs before that all false religions in the world are but humane policies and we as truely returne it vpon you that this humane policie fauours of a false religion 3 Many of them though they professed themselues dead to the world yet were they aliue to the flesh Renulfus Câ—str lib. 7. 1 Indeede by the forme of words yet extant in the masse booke and vsed by the Priest it is supposed that a number should Communicate daily with him but it seldome is so 2 If wee had no vse of confessours yet might and ought inferiors be kept in awe of hell fire by their Preachers and superiours be tolde of their errours in state by their Counsellers but you seeme to assure his Maiestie that if hee will not be told of his errours in confession he shall in rebellion * 2. Cor. 5. 18. 1 Bell de peâ—â—t lib. 3. Cap. 2. 2 Epist ad Front pag. 129. 3 Premon 125 4 See nouell doct in the ende of the Premon the 3. 5 Epist. ad Front pâ—g 140. 6 Pag. 326. 7 That is they doe not binde him to present the party confessing as appeares both in the body and title of the Canon * Gal. 5. 1. 1 If in those middle times when all things ranne in a current course there were not so many Statutes made in Church matters it must be imputed rather to the want of occasion then of power the plantation or reformation of the Church chiefly giuing occasion to the making of lawes in Church matters 2 When the name of a Parliament began in England is vncertaine See my L. Coke in his Preface to the ninth part of his reports 3 I take the raising of new houses to be no hinderance to the Common-weâ—lth the Lawyers themselues being a part of the Commons 4 As 〈◊〉 the Ciuill Law came not from the Roman Infidels â—hich notwithstandâ—ng stand well enough with the authoritie of the Ecclesiasticall Courts 5 What you call Catholike I know not but sure I am that since King Eth. time many Statutes haue been made for the restraâ—ning of the Bâ—shop of Romes vniuâ—t vsurpation neither doâ— finde that hee â—â—â—tered any thing in the lawes of the kingdome saue onely by commaâ—ding them to be turned into his mother tongue 6 Iâ— by better times you meane the restitution of the Romish Religion or the recoÌ„ciliation of our Church to Rome you had certainly very little reason to expect them from the learning wisedome and moderation of those that are now the chiefest in that profession the chiefest of all hauing both fâ—equently and fullâ— declared himselfe to the contrary and suffred for it by the slanderous tongues and pennes of malicious Romanists and namely Eudaemon and Parsons 1 Bod in lib. 1. de â—epub cap. 8. 2 See Monsâ—ir Seruius the Kings Attourney generals speach in the end of the reformation of the Vniueâ—sitie of Paris 3 Spâ—culum Iust. anno 712. 4 Statut. 21. Râ—â— 2. cap. 11. 5 Comment cap. 49. 6 A God containes the Sea within his owne bounds and marches so is it my office to make euery Court containe it selfe within its owne limits see his Maâ—â—sties Speech in Parliament 1609. 7 Cap. 17. 1 What thoâ—â— Clergie men are wee desire to know and who in your sense are Caluinists 2 What those points of doctrine are wee shall see in the next Section 3 That his Maiesties fauour to the Clergie is such as not to giue way to their ouerthrow and in stead of them to set vp a few stipendary Preachers we haue had good triall and are bound to blesse God for it but sore against the will of all Romane Catholikes it is that his Maiestie should fauour them so much 1 How Caluin himselfe though he were a stipendary Minister pleased Master Maior and his brethren let his banishment more then once for his free preaching testifie 2 We are assured that both his Maiesty and his heire apparent are so well resolued in this point as they wil neuer put it to the question 3 Our Sermons are not so cheape as your Masses which notwithstanding are in a manner the very life and soule of your Priesthood 4 The vntrueth of this assertion appeares in mine answere 5 As if all those who are called Lords and goe in Rochets were not by their place conformable to the discipline had often before they come to that place subscribed to the doctrine established by Law 6 They may more easily turne Lay with you where Lay men are admitted to the administration of the Sacrament 7 These kinde of Clergie men desire no satisfaction from you but wish you had bin as carefull to maintaine that trueth which once you professed as to confute their pretended errours which confutation notwithstanding you speake much of but no where performe nor so much as vndertake 8 You may rather call them temporizing then temperate 9 It were well that others knew them too if any such there bee who in iudgmeÌ„t approoue the trueth of that religion which you call Cath. and yet proâ—â—sse themselues not onely members but Ministers of our Church but our hope is that their number is not such as you vaunt of it being vnpossible that honest men and good Schollers should take the oath of Supremacie and subscribe to our articles of religion and yet in iudgement approue the authority of the B. of Rome which is in a maner the substance of that religion 10 Had ours had the like temperate course held with them or the like liberty afforded in Queene Maries dayes they would haue thought themselues happy 11 Their wiues and children are bound to pray for you in regard of your fatherly care of them 12 It is well that you account your selfe one of the honest men and good Schollers but they are so farre I hope from accounting you one of them as they vtterly condemne and mislike your courses 13 But it pleased God you should die among strangers and not liue to see that toleration you desired neither shall any of them we hope that yet liue and desire to see it 14 As if the whole fortune of Greece depended vpon your submission to that Church 15 What assurance can there bee on our parts from them who hold yâ— faith is not to be held with heretikes but you forgot your promise made to my Lords Grace of
one example for all may be that lewd libeller who in the very entrance of his libell exclaimeth That the Protestants haue no Faith no Hope no Charitie no Repentance no Iustification no Church no Altar no Sacrifice no Priest no Religion no Christ. What shall we say to these intemperate Spirits if they speake of malice then I say with Michael the Archangel The Lord rebuke them But if they speake of ignorance then I say with the holy Martyr S. Steuen Lord lay not this sinne to their charge or with our blessed SAVIOVR Father forgiue them they wote not what they doe Now for our slandring the doctrine of the Church of Rome when you or any other shall produce the like Assertions out of any Writer amongst vs of note and credite I shall be content to yeelde farther credite to your Assertion then as yet I finde reason I should for the residue of this Section I referre the Reader to my marginall notes as deseruing in my iudgement no better or other answere B. C. 30. But perhaps there is so great opposition in matter of State that although the doctrine might bee compounded yet it is impossible to heare of agreement and if there bee the same reason of State which there was in beginning and continued all Queene Elizabeths dayes there is as little hope now that your Maiestie should hearken vnto Reconciliation as then was that King Henry the VIII or Queene Elizabeth would but when I doe with the greatest respect I can consider the State of your Maiestie your Lords your Commons and your Clergie I do see as little cause in holding out in reason of State as I doe in trueth of doctrine G. H. 30. From the matter of doctrine you passe to thereason of State in which if your reasons be of no greater waight or truth then in the former his Maiestie his Lords his Commons his Clergie haue no more reason to hearken to reconciliation with Rome then King Henry or Queene Elizabeth or the Subiects in their times had which hee that lookes not through the spectacles of a preiudicate opinion will as easily discouer as you confidently affirme the contrary B. C. 31. King Henry the VIII although hee had written that Booke against the Schisme of Luther in defence of the Sea Apostolike for which he deserned the title of Defensor fidei yet when he gaue way to the lust of Anne Bullen and the flattery of his fauorites and saw hee could not otherwise haue his will he excluded the Pope and made himselfe Supreame head of the Church that so hee might not onely dispence with himselfe for his Lust but also supplie his excesse with the spoyle of the Church which was then very rich But when hee saw God blessed him not neither in his wiuing nor in his thriuing hee was weary of his Supremacie before he died and wished himselfe in the Church againe but hee died in the curse of his father whose foundations he ouerthrew and hath neither childe to honour him nor so much as a Tombe vpon his graue to remember him which some men take to bee a token of the Curse of God G. H. 31. King Henry the VIII wrote a Booke indeed or at least a Booke was in his name written in defence of the seuen Sacraments against Luther as Mr. Doctor might haue learned if no where else yet out of Cardinall Bellarmins Apologie But in defence of the See of Rome which hee cals Apostolike I haue not mette with any and it should seeme by his mistake of the subiect handled in that booke himselfe neuer mette with it as for the Title which King Henry receiued the world is not ignorant how liberall his Holinesse is in bestowing Titles where hee expects some greater aduantage sticking down a feather that hee may quietly carrie away the goose Thus did hee giue Charles the Emperour neere about the same time the Title of Defensor Ecclesiae for directing a Writ of Outlawrie against Luther whereupon at the Emperours beeing here in England those verses were set vp in the Guildhall in London ouer the doore of their Councell Chamber where they yet remaine Carolus Henricus viuant defensor vterque Henricus fidei Carolus Ecclesiae And in the Bull by which Leo the tenth confirmed this Title to the King subscribed with his owne name and the names of fiue and twentie Cardinals and Bishops it appeares that their chiefe scope of honouring him with this Title was to tye him and his posteritie faster to that See But as a learned and graue Prelate of our owne hath well obserued being the high Priest for that yeere not so in the next he foretold by way of prophecie what the King of England should bee which we find to the honour of CHRIST and the glory of our kingdome most truely and happily accomplished in our Gracious Souereigne now reigning who hath to the vtmost defēded the truly Christian and Catholike faith by his Pen and will no doubt bee as ready to doe it when occasion shal serue with his sword and yet were it not for feare of crossing your imaginarie reconciliation you would with Bellarmine tell vs that his Maiestie in present as vndeseruedly retaines that Title as King Henry receiued it deseruedly who afterward notwithstanding as deepely incurred his Holinesse disfauour aswell by calling into question that Title which the Bishops of Rome had assumed to themselues of Pastours vniuersall S. Peters successours and Christs Vicars as by resuming to himselfe that Title which some of the Popes had yeelded his predecessours as may appeare in the Letter of Eleutherius Bishop of Rome to Lucius King of Great Britaine in which Eleutherius attributeth to the King the Title of Gods Vicar within his kingdome which letter howsoeuer the Authour of the Threefold conuersion labour to staine with the blemish of forgery yet is it to be found inrolled in the Copie of King Edward the Confessors Lawes Neither is it true that Henry tooke this Title to himselfe it was giuen him by the Parliament of his Lords and Commons and Conuocation of his Clergie not as a new thing but as renewed And if he were desirous to change his bedfellow in hope of heires male as you tell vs before it was not to giue way to the lust of Anne Bulleine as here you affirme and if hee might haue had his will in being dispensed with by yeelding to the Popes will in ioyning with Francis the French King against the Emperour Charles as before it is proued then did he not exclude the Pope take that Title to dispence with himselfe especially being mooued with the approbation of so many Vniuersities and learned men But if thereby he made himselfe a way for the supply of his excesse with the spoyle of the Church wee haue not wherein so iustly to excuse him howbeit hee conuerted much of it to good vses namely to the erecting of sixe Bishoprickes