master to rule the sterne medling not with that he hath no skill of right so when preuy rebells or open apostatas of Christen religion sowe seditious schismes and preache hereticall doctrine troubling thereby the quiet and settled consciences of true and vpright beleuers euery Christen man especially such as are of the laye and inferiour sorte ought to cleaue vnto their heades and rulers in Christ his church medling not with the determination of any point called then in controuersy but looke to be directed as they haue allwaies ben by their catholike pastours and ouerseers to whom they are commaunded by the Apostle to obey and submitte them selues truly no lesse then the souldiar to his Capitain or the passanger to his master Therefore oure Sauiour biddeth the people to beware and Take hede of false prophets nor to beleue euery spirit but trie and discern whether they be of God or no. But this lo howe maye it be Howe shal the ignorant and laye man trie false doctrine from the true It hath ben put in to mens heads of late yeares that euery man for this purpose ought to reade holy scripture and thereby to trie and discern truthe from falshood It were perhaps to be wished if it had so pleased God that as holy scripture is the true triall thereof so it were open and euident to all men that seke the triall therein but what haue lerned men iudged in times past of holy scripture Many things saieth S. Augustin are darke in scriptures and it hath so ben prouided of God to the entent that our pridemight be tamed by trauail and our knowledg not cloyed with facilite which quickely contemneth that easely hath ben lerned In like maner S. Hierom. All prophecy or interpretation of scripture contayneth the truthe in darcknes and obscurite to the entent that the scholers and lerners within may vnderstande but the rude people set without may not knowe what is saied Orels we shall cast precious stones before hogges iff we open the treasure of holy scripture to euery man Epiphanius likewise The Scripture saieth he telleth all truthe but we haue nede of good intelligēce and perceiuerance to knowe God and his word There is in the ghospell saieth Origen the letter that killeth for the destroying letter is not only in the olde Testament but also in the newe Testament to him that vnderstandeth not spiritually that which is saied Tertullian speaketh yet more vehemently hereof I am not afeared saieth he to saie that the scriptures them selues haue ben so disposed by the will of God that they mought minister matter vnto heretikes seing that I reade that heresies must be which without scripture coulde not be This is the iudgement of the lerned fathers who haue trauailed more in holy scripture then any new preacher of oure time and yet can espie no greate facilite in it but rather do complaine of the maruailous difficulte thereof And doth not S. Peter write plainly that in the epistles of S. Paule Certain thinges were very harde to be vnderstanded which the vnlerned and inconstant depraued euen as other parts of scripture to their owne destruction Doth not S. Paule write that The ghospell is vailed and couered from those that perish Are we not commaunded to serch holy scripture doth not this serching importe a diligence and difficulty more then laye men can either attend vppon or attaine vnto The Eunuchus vnderstode not the prophet vntill the Apostle had expounded it vnto him And Christ after his Ascension opened the vnderstanding off his disciples that they might vnderstand the scriptures And thincke we oure selues able to vnderstand all that we reade This then being so howe shall the laye and vnlerned man perfourme the commaundement of the ghospell bidding him To beware of false prophetes and to discern the sprits whether they be of god or no Euery secte nowe a daies chalengeth the worde of god and the right vnderstanding thereof The Catholike likewise by prescription out of memory standeth in possession thereof and will not be brought from it for all the bragges the heretike maketh Howe then shall the vnlerned man hearing bothe tales conclude with him selfe which to folowe Were it not nowe good readers much to be wished that some clere and euident doctrine were taught by what meanes and howe the holy worde of God maye rightly be vnder standed and the false prophets preachers and protestants of oure time might be auoided Truly as the sauegarde of the soule passeth all worldly interest so euery Christen hart ought aboue all thinges tender the same and with all diligence possible procure spedy remedies for the pestiferous venim off heresy which crepeth on like a cancre and corrupteth the whole estat of our saluation Hauing therefore sene and perused a certain booke of Fridericus Staphylus writen first in the Allemain tongue and after translated in to Latin wherein he first teacheth the vnlerned laye man howe to beware of false and wrong interpretation of holy scripture which is no lesse necessary then the reading off scripture it selfe secondarely detecteth certain false translations of the Bible by Luther in to his mother tongue laste of all declareth the maruailous dissension and variaunces of the Lutherans in their doctrine and chiefest articles of our faith which is a most euident argument of the sprit of dissension the diuell him selfe speaking in thē and a clere proufe of hereticall doctrine for the truthe is but one I haue thought good to translate the whole in to our mother tongue trusting in almighty God to profit hereby many a Christen soule of my dere deceined countremen which as God is my witnes was my only respect in this smal labour The first part of this booke is a very necessary lesson for the vnlerned laye man For without the true and right interpretation of holy scripture such as the church teacheth he can haue no right faith and so hazardeth his soule and euerlasting life which he ought aboue all worldly respect tender and procure For as our Sauiour saieth What auaileth it a man to winne the whole worlde and lese his soule The second parte is a good admonition for al such as are not sene in the tongues to beware of newe translations of holy scripture falsely forged for a vauntage Our english bibles sette forth these last yeares lack not such foisting in of false termes In the epistles of S. Paule as ofte as the worde Idoll is founde in the greke and latin text so ofte they turne it Image as though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in greke idolum and imago in laten or idol and image in english were all one When God saieth in holy scripture Let vs make man according to our image will these men saie that God hath an idoll according to the which man was made and howe be they not ashamed to call couetousnes worshipping of images
laste confession writen against the Sacramentaries saieth that faith is like to a bell which as longe as it is whole kepeth his true sounde but when it is anything crased or cleft it iarreth and leseth cleane his proper tune like as an ear then vessel as longe as it is whole and sounde is called a pot a crocke or some like thing but ones broken or cleft it leseth his name and is called a potsheard Let no man therefore comforte him selfe with this vaine hope that although their preachers and ministres erre in some pointes yet are good Christians in other pointes for that auaileth nothing You must be saued within the arke of Noe or be drowned with out it There is herein no middle waye Therefore you must take very good hede that you be not deceaued lest that while wantōly and negligently you harken to euery newe doctrine and forged interpretation of scripture that one or two newe preachers teache you lese youre soules in good earnest Remembre rather what the prophet saieth Euery man is a lyar He meaneth not al men together For I for my part and you for youre part and euery man a part may lie erre and be deceaued But all good men together that is the whole Catholike churche of Christ can not erre in any article of faith For it is builded vpon the rocke of truthe and vpon that consideration is called the piller and grounde of al truthe Therefore when the simple and vnlerned man heareth sundry and cōtrary expositions of holy Scripture let him haue recours to his faith and fully determinat with him selfe for that he is not lerned in holy scripture not to take any other waie or folow any other guide then the article of his Crede I beleue the holy Catholike church persuading him selfe vndoubtedly that to be the only true interpretation of scripture which is Catholike That is which together with the writen text hath by the Apostles and their successours ben spred trough the whole worlde and continued vniforme and vncorrupted euen to our time And this only rule may serue as a buckler for the vnlerned mā that as ofte as newe preachers set a broche any newe doctrine and straunge then to thinke this with him selfe I am a man vnlerned I can not perceiue the drift of their disputing I can not iudge of their cōtrouersie But seing that my Crede teacheth me to beleue nothing but that which is Catholike and hath allwaies ben kept and receaued in Christēdom what shall I do to knowe whether these newe preachers doctrine be Catholike or no Here this vnlerned man must remembre the counsell of Moyses saying Aske of the daies that are past which were before the sence the daie that God created man vpon the earthe and aske frō one side of the heauē vnto the other and in an other place Remēbre the daies of the worlde that is past Consider the yeares from time to time aske thy father and he will showe the thy elders and they well tell the. For this is the true guide of a blinde man and ignorant to aske and enquire what his forefathers what his neighbours what the townes and countres about haue allwaies obserued and beleued sence the time they were first traded in Christen religion and haue so many yeares continued in This is the faith of that cooliar which being at point of deathe and tempted of the deuill what his faith was awnswered I beleue and die in the faith of Christes church Being againe demaunded what the faith of Christ his church was that faith saied he that I beleue in Thus the deuil getting no other awnswer of the simple man was ouercomed and put to flight By this faith of the cooliar euery vnlerned man may trie the spirits of men whether they be of god or no by this faith he may resist the deuill iudge the true interpretation of scripture from the false and discerne the Catholike preacher from the hereticall Minister the true doctrine from the forged But to set this whole matter before your eies as it were in a glasse take this example Suppose there came to some greate cyte fiue different and contrary preachers as by name Caluin a Zwinglian Longinusa Swencfeldiā Functius an Osiandrin Illyricus a Lutherā and some Catholike doctour suppose the magistrates of the cite graunted these fiue euery one to preache and defend openly his owne priuat doctrine what shal the vnlerned laie mā do here that he folowe not a blind guide and so fall bothe in to the dike surely as we haue saied before so must he do he shall aske first of Master Caluin whether his doctrine be the pure and very worde of god when he writeth that in the Supper of the Lorde not the true body of Christ but only the figure of his body is there and is geuē Againe that originall sinne is but a naturall infirmitie of the minde not giltie of eternall dānation Or els that God is the cause of the sinne of man that god compelleth and forceth men to wickednes blasphemies horedome theft lyeng deceites and such other Here of Caluin awnswer that al this is the pure and cleare worde of god let him aske him againe in what place of the Bible he readeth expresly these wordes In the Supper is not the true body of Christ but the figure only Originall sinne is but an infirmitie not giltie of eternall damnation laste of all that men are constrained of God to sinne To this Caluin will surely awnswer that although this his doctrine be not founde in scripture expresly in these wordes or termes yet that this sentence and meaning is there Marke here then that the doctrine of Caluin is not the expresse worde of God but the meaning and interpretation of it And this lo is their first deceite Let the laye man go yet farder with Caluin and aske whether this his interpretation be Catholike whether that Christen religion began with this doctrine in Germany Fraunce Italy England or any other where whether this his doctrine was preached of the Apostles and their successours receaued and vsed in the Catholike churche and deriued from our forefathers to vs through out al these countres For I maye the laye man saie haue asked here of my elders which denie they euer heard any such thing I haue enquired of the cytes and countres here about they knowe it not but saie it is newe and very straunge vnto them And here Caluin can not denie but that it is so and our men are not ashamed to sai◠that these thousand yeares all truthe hath ben loste therefore the vnlerned man may here boldly saye vnto him Well Sir if it be so fare you well I entend not to medle with you nor your doctrine any more So Athanasius writeth to Epictetus the bisshop that it is inough to awnswere an heretike after this sort The Catholike Church neuer taught this the
dede let them trie their Confession and Apologie also by these waightes Let them from the first article vnto the last showe first that their doctrine is the right and Catholike exposition of Gods worde then whether they can confirme it by any one miracle last of all let them showe the maner and order of their Lutheran church to haue ben prefigured and shadowed in the olde lawe If they can so do I will warrant them that all Christē people wil gladly subscribe to their articles and beleue accordinge to their doctrine But if they are not able to perfourme this then let them not obiect to vs their Confession or Apologie let them suffer vs quietly and frely perseuere in our Catholike and auncient religion and we will not let them to crie to sweare and forsweare that their Confession is grounded vpon the writings of the Apostles and prophets And thus much hitherto haue we spoken as touching that which our Lorde saide Vppon the chaire of Moyses sit the scribes and pharises do all thinges that they shall bidde you to do For hitherto haue we talked howe to trie true doctrine and howe to knowe such as sit in dede vpon the chaire of Moyses It remaineth nowe to speake of the later part of Christes saying But do not as they do Which we must also no lesse discusse then the former For in this our miserable and vnhappy time bicause heretikes can not ouerthrowe by any good reason the very chaire of Moyses the doctrine of the church they take holde of the euill life of the clergy and barke at the dissolute liuing of those that sit in the chaire making the people beleue that their doctrine is no other then their life and behauiour is inferring very absurdely that the doctrine and the life is all one and can not be diuers which wicked opiniō hath bred much strife and caused muche trouble in the Christen common welth as in the writings of the fathers we may reade treating of the heresies of the Donatistae Encratitae Cathari and Apostolici But we haue in holy scripture markes inoughe and that euident to discern heresies which procede of euill doctrine from the euill life which procedeth of men For heresie being a very plage and poison of Christen religion S. Paule biddeth vs auoide and flie from the heretike after the first or second admonition Bicause he is subuerted that is such a one and offendeth being condemned by his owne proper iudgemēt And our Lorde biddeth vs to accompt him for an hethen and publicane that heareth not the church And publicanes were a sorte of mē with whom it was not lawfull for the Iewe to kepe cōpany withall S. Antony also that holy and famous ermite in his last wordes spoken before his death vnto his scholers left thē these two godly and wholesome lessons and most necessary for our time as that notable bishop Athanasius writing his life reporteth the first was Auoide ye the venim of al schismatikes and he retikes and folowe hardly the hatred that I bore alwaies against thē for they are the enemies of Christ and you knowe I neuer had softe or paisible cōmunication with them The second lesson is this Kepe aboue al thinges your vpright faith in Christ and the religious traditiō of your forefathers which you haue lerned by the reading of holy scripture and by my poore aduertismēt frō time to time This cōmaundemēt of auoiding and shunning heretikes is not made for the lerned only but also for the simple and vnlerned Which is readely proued by the sayings of our Sauiour Take ye hede of false prophets and againe If the blinde leade the blinde bothe fal into the ditche and such other But to forsake the church and the Catholike doctrine of the same by reason of the disordinat life of priestes and other prelats Christ not only neuer cōmaūded it but also very straitely forbad it declaring the parable of the husband man which forbad his seruaūtes to wede out the darnell from the corne Lest peraduenture saythe he gathering the darnell ye plucke vp also the corne let them therefore growe bothe together vntell the haruest time and then I will saie vnot the ripers gather first together all the darnell and binde it vp in bundles that it may be burned but the good corne gather in to my barne For as it becometh not the seruaunte to take vppon him the correction of such matters in the familie as the master vpon some waightie consideration would haue reserued to him selfe so much lesse in the church of Christ maye the laye men whose parte it is to obey and folowe not to prescribe lawes and orders take vppon thē the rule and dominion which appertaineth only to bishops and rulers in the church Farder that this is the true meaning of our Sauiour in the place aboue alleaged he declareth by an other similitude of the shrowde seruaunte which saide in his harte My Master will not come of a longe season and thereupon beginneth to strike his felowe seruauntes eating and drinking and making good chere But the Master of that seruaunt will come sayth Christ in the daye that he loketh not for and in the howre that he knoweth not and shall cutte him of and put his portiō with the hypocrites there shall be weping and gnashing of tethe Our Sauiour hath here plainly and roundely I trowe warned the laie people not only not to medle with chasten or correct their bishops pastours and Curates whom Christ as the Apostle saythe hathe appointed and set ouer them but also not to trouble instructe rule or reprehend their felowe laye folke though nowe a daies alas nothing is more common then clouters coblers sadlers taylers cytezens and men of the countre gentlemen and noble men to take vpon them in the church of Christ the parte of Masters and rulers to interpret holy scripture to prescribe their Curates howe and what to preache howe to administrat sacramēts setting them vp and downe at their pleasure whereas they ought by the expresse commaundement of S. Paule obey and submitt them selues vnto their curates vicars and bishops For thus he writeth vnto the Hebrewes Obey them that haue the ouersight of you and submit your selues vnto them for they watche for your soules euen as they that muste geue accompte that they may do it with ioye and not with grief For that is not expedient for you But you will saie These papiste bishops and priestes be men vnlerned incontinent dissolute geuen to ryot ambition to couetousnes to pompe and to all vice If you saie this of some certain amonge the clergy it may be true But if you speake of the whole clergy it is very false and vntrue For not only amōge the laye people but amonge the clergy also praised be God there be right vertuous sober and godly men vpon whom the fautes of the rest can not be fathered Yet if perhaps all these vices
perilous dissēsion amonge the papistes If our doctours and diuines should vse suche arguments against them howe woulde they scoffe and scorne at it But these ghospelling preachers vsing such must not onely not be founde faute withall but must be highely praised and commended therefore as men of excellent vertu and knowleadge Whiche allthough it be very iniurious and may well be complained of yet sence that it liketh them so to vse vs we must take it in good parte and beare it But as touching the matter euen as in our Christen religion we haue lerned of S. Paule to acknowleadge and beleue in one God euen so we must professe one faith and one baptim Although therefore among religious men and womē there be diuers orders and sundry rules likewise betwene the clergy and the laite diuers professions and vocatiōs and that by the sure and certain prouidēce of almightie God yet among these al there is but one God one faith one Christ one church one and the selfe same interpretation of holy scripture We by the true vnderstanding of Gods worde haue lerned in the churche the difference betwene the Catholike faythe of all men and the priuate hope of eueryman First in the articles of oure belefe we beleue al one thinge and al after one sort But to euery man priuately it is permitted that vpō right cōscience and due consideration for the encrease and cōfirmation of his hope which lacketh not his sure rewarde he maye take and chose vnto him some such honest trade of life and cōuersation as is agreable to his nature though he differ hereby from the common life and vocation of other men Therefore as concerning the agreement of our faithe we reade in the Apostle If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if there be any comforte of loue if there be any feloweship of the spirit if there be any compassion and mercie fullfill ye my ioye that ye be like minded hauing one loue being of one accorde that no thing be done through strife or of vaine glory And againe Neuertheles vnto that whiche we haue attained vnto let vs procede by one rule that we may be off one accorde Many such sentences are in holy Scripture whereby we are admonished that the doctrine of our faithe and belefe ought not to be referred to any one state or person but to the whole communite off Christ his churche Wherefore S. Iames commaundeth That we esteme not the faith of our Lorde Iesus Christe in respect of personnes Whereof it appeareth euidently that the vnite consent and agreement of our faith is builded and grounded vppon the communite off Christes Catholike churche Whereby all schismes and particular heresies are excluded But that the diuersite of grace of giftes and vocatiō is to be referred to the condition of euery man And what is the reason hereof Bicause as we haue many membres in one body but all membres haue not one office so all Christen men are one body in Christ but euery one hath his singular and peculiar giftes grace and vocation And this blessed Apostle saithe also in an other place Let euery man trie his owne doing and so he shall haue glorie in him selfe onely and not in an other For we shall all stande before the iudgment of Christe that euery man maye receaue the workes of his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Seing thē these two pointes the agreement of faithe and diuersite of vocations are in the Catholike churche by due reason to be waighed and eche in his place to be osberued I can not sufficiently maruaill at the sutle shifte and wily deceit off these Lutherans forcing the Catholikes to suffer amonge them heretikes beleuing as they list and sowing schismes at their pleasure bidding them withall dissemble and winke at the matter whereas yet them selues will not suffer the like liberty in diuersite of vocations amonge the Catholikes but will persuade Princes and Magistrates to force their subiects bothe temporall and Spirituall and Religious of all sorte to forsake their godly vocatiō and perfit professiō and to take such a frame of faith as it shall please the Prince or Magistrat to prescribe them What other thinge is this then to make that diuers and different in the Catholike faith whiche should be one and vniforme and that one and vniforme in persons and vocations whiche should be diuers and different O horrible confusion If there were not beside this point manifest and outragious impietes of the Lutherans repugning bothe to right reason and to the worde of God whereby we might iudge howe pestiferous abominable and wicked the doctrines and doings of these Lutheran preachers and protestant Ministres are yet of this only matter it might appeare euident while they confunde Vniformite and Diuersite Teaching that which ought to be in our belefe consonant and agreable that it maye varie and be diuers and cōtrairely those things whiche in euery mans peculiar vocation shoulde be proper and distinct maie in no wise varie or differ Whereof spronge the insurrection of the commōs in Germany the sedition of the Anabaptistes in West phalia and the rebellion against their highe rulers and magistrats Surely of no other roote then that Luther and all protestant preachers haue taught and do yet teache and write to that seing There is no respect of personnes before God therefore there ougth to be no difference of persons no magistrat in the church but that all Christen men are fre and therefore all other distinct estats dignites and qualites as well greate as small ought to be all one and all a like And whereof arise these greate and enormous dissensions in religiō but only of this occasiō that the Lutherās take awaie from the Catholike faithe all vnite and agreement and teache that euery man may be saued by his owne priuat faith which he forgeth him selfe and that he maye for his owne person frely beleue what he listeth Thus they would force the Catholikes to a certain dissembling deceit such as neuer was heard of As that they should suffer euery man to beleue as he list and set vp newe factiōs and schismes against the vnite and agrement of our faith But the difference of vocations qualites and degrees as is betwene lowe and high tēporall and spirituall priuat and publike they should no more suffer but make all estates cōmon all vocatiōs aequall al trade of life one and vniforme If this be not to confounde heauen and earthe surely I knowe not what heauen and earthe meaneth Colde which procedeth of water is of this nature that it knitteth and fastneth together diuers thinges in to one masse and substaunce and cōserueth them also in the same as golde siluer bras tinne leade claie also durte and wodde But heate contrairely resolueth and seuereth all these substaunces So likewise the property of faithe is to knitte ioyne
example of Canonicall scri pture yow admit nothing where finde you in all the corps of the Canonical Scripture from the beginning of the Genesis to the ende of S. Iohns ReuelatioÌ„ this very rule and sayinge of yours that If it were a necessary matter to praie for the dead it had not lacked all authorite and example of the Canonicall Scriptures Where finde you in Scriptures that without Scripture nothing is to be admitted wil you driue vs for lacke of holy scripture to praye no more for the dead and binde vs to your owne rule hauing the same lacke also Will you make a rule of your selfe withoute Scripture and will not admitt the rules and lawes of the church except they bring you example and authorite out of scripture I trust your wisedom considereth how vnreasonable the request is and I doubt not but the ChristeÌ„ reader wil by this coÌ„sideration beware off such deceitful persuasions whereby great part of our faith in Christ Iesus may by the guile of heretikes be deluded To passe therefore to your other reasons let vs coÌ„sider the remnant of your talke Thirdly saie you where in the olde Testament be Sacrifices and expiations appointed for many and sundry thinges whereoff some semed small offenses yet was there neuer any Sacrifices appointed for any purgation or expiation of the dead What if there were any such sacrifices for the dead in the olde lawe would you theÌ„ nowe practise theÌ„ M. Grindal in your coÌ„mon praier and seruice of the church If you woulde why vse you no sacrifice for the sinnes and trespasses of the quicke as you see in the olde lawe practised abundantly Why reiect you the blessed Sacrifice of the Masse clerely figured and foreshowed in the ceremonies of the olde lawe Why leaue you the Realme without any sacrifice at all as well after the order of Melchisedech whiche you knowe was proper to Christ and shoulde endure for euer amonge Christians as after the order of Aaron which was proper to the olde lawe and shoulde ende when the light off the ghospell appeared If you woulde not vse any Sacrifice for the dead though in the olde lawe you hadde fouÌ„de example thereof as it is moste euident you woulde not no more then you vse the other why then finde you that lacke and refuse to offer sacrifices for the dead bicause you haue no example in the olde lawe Do not wise men see youre collusion and false plaie herein I will not spend time and paper in amplifying youre guile I leaue it to the prudent Reader to be coÌ„sidered I come to your other reasons that I may ones returne to my principall purpose againe You saie Nowe if they shall alleage that the auncient doctours make for them first it is to be saied that mens writinges alone are not sufficient in matters of faith and Religion I answer we haue not only mens writinges but holy scripture euen beside the Machabees as we haue sufficiently proued Againe make you so light of mens writinges what are Caluin Beza Bale and such other whose writinges you reuerence and reade are they not men also why commaunde you the priestes of England to reade the Institutions of Caluin why in your notes vpon the Bible referre you vs to baudy Bale for the right vnderstanding of it laste of all why make you so vaunting a chaleÌ„ge against al the Catholikes that liue and offer to yelde if they can bringe but one poore sentence of any one doctour or Councell against you As touching the writings of men we knowe that Animalis homo non percipit ea que dei sunt the fleshly maÌ„ knoweth not those thinges that appertaine to God Yet we are bidde in holy Scripture Interrog are patres nostros c To aske our fathers and they will declare vs to enquire of our elders and they shall tell vs. And S. Peter sayth Spiritu saÌ„cto inspirato locuti sunt sancti Dei homines The holy men of God haue spoken as inspired with the holy Ghost Neither can we forgett that beside the prophets the Euangelistes and the Apostles of whom we haue receaued the holy write of Gods worde Christ hath left to his Church also Pastores doctores Pastours and doctours as meÌ„ by whom the Scripture ought to be expounded and the church directed And according to these lessons of holy Scripture heretikes haue ben confuted by mens writinges without holy Scripture as in the conflictes of Athanasius with the Arrians of Cirillus with the Nestorians of S Augustin with the Pelagians of Tertuâ—lian and Irenee with the Valentinians of S. Basill with Eunomius you may reade and see M. Grindall if you haue not yet sene But let vs passe on and see what you saie farder It can not be denied but from Gregories time But the eldest writers and doctours of the Church speake not at all of praying for the dead wel then M. Grindall att one push you condeÌ„ne all the ChristeÌ„ people of England that euer hath ben of errour and superstion For sence the time of S. Gregory only you knowe we englishmen haue had the faith of Christ and of that blessed Pope we receiued it But let that passe your stomach is good that caÌ„ digest so many hundred yeares without grudge of conscience The eldest writers saie you speake not at all of praying for dead Not at all M. Grindall will you abide by it Before so honourable an auditory at such a solemne funerall in so open and publick a place blushe you not at so lowde a lie I am sory you did so farre forget your self You spake then in pulpit and now you speake in print These two conditions require deliberatioÌ„ truthe and honesty And how shall I proue you the contrary where shal I beginne I showed yow before out of S. Augustin and Epiphanius that Aerius was condemned for an heretike euen for this cause that he disallowed praier and oblation for the dead Be not Augustin and Epiphanius elder then S. Gregory Your freÌ„des CarioÌ„ and Pantaleon can tell you they are his auncetours the one aboue a hundred the other allmost two hundred yeares But these wordes may seme to haue escaped you though if they had in pulpit escaped yet in print they might haue ben corrected for euen in your wordes folowing you remembre your selfe better and then you runne to your distinctions and you saie If the auÌ„cient fathers when they praie for the dead meane of the dead which are already in heauen and not els where then must we nedes by their praier vnderstande either thankes geuing or ells take such petitions for the dead for figures of eloquence and exornation of their stile and oration rather then necessary groundes of reason of any doctrine Howe can you suppose M. Grindall any such meaning in the olde fathers as though they were either of so litle wisedome as to praie for those that neded no praier
to thy perfect seruaunt Ferdinandus Feared you that if yow had so saied yow shoulde haue ben thought to haue praied for Ferdinandus and when S. Ambrose saieth so wil you not haue vs thinke that he praied for Theodosius Might not you haâ—e vsed it for a figure of eloquence and so haue folowed the maner of the olde fathers as you would seme to do in all your doinges if that maner of speaking were but a figure of eloqueÌ„ce as you saie it was no more Againe what difference is it M. Grindall to saie Lorde geue reast to thy seruaunt and to saie Lorde haue mercy vppon the soule of thy seruaunt For to the departed out of this worlde no other rest can be geuen but to his soule iff his be so why are they called papistes which vse so to speake and yet S. Ambrose so speaking is no papist But what stande we so longe hereuppon I wil aske one question and so passe to your allegation off Chrisostom Faustina a vertuous woman lamented much the death of her Sister S. Ambrose writeth vnto her and saieth Non tam deplorandam quam prosequendam orationibus reor nec moestificandam lachrymis tuis sed magis oblationibus animam eius Deo commendandam arbitror That is My aduise is that you lament not your sister but praie for her and commend rather her soule to God with oblations then mone and morne it with teares I aske here Did S. Ambrose will Faustina to leaue her lamenting and fall to figures of eloquence and so to vtter her vehement affection to her sister doeth your wisedome iudge so Master Grindall Or do not rather all wise men see howe farre from all witt and wisedome this shift of youres is Well though perhaps ye spake but merely here yet you haue a sadde testimony out of ChrisostoÌ„ For he offreth the sacrifice of the masse euen for the Pariarches prophets Apostles yea and the blessed virgin also â–ª what if he do so M. Grindall Mary saie you shall we now gather hereof that these are in purgatory It is to greate an absurdite I graunte it is so What then wil you gather hereof M. Grindall This oblation therefore saie you is only a thankes geuing to God for the Saints of God departed Will you gather so M. Grindall that is to greate an absurdite Haue ye not heard S. Augustin saie that the sacrifice of the aultar is for some a thankes geuing for other a propitiatioÌ„ This your coÌ„clusioÌ„ of only thaÌ„kes geuing in the oblatioÌ„ of the church is much like to your concluding of only faith The scripture saith Iustus ex fide viuit the iuste maÌ„ liueth by his faith LO say you faith only iustifieth and you forget it is writeÌ„ againe Factores legis iustificabuÌ„tur the perfourmers of the lawe shall beiustified whereby it is clerely proued that good workes must coÌ„curre with faith Euen so nowe you forgett that although Chrisostom here offer vp the oblation for the Saints as in thaÌ„kes geuing to God for theÌ„ yet that in the same liturgie in the next petitioÌ„ after he maketh an other especiall praier for the dead saying Sancti Iohannis Baptistae prophetae praecursoris sanctoruÌ„ nominatissimoruÌ„ ApostoloruÌ„ sancti huius cuius memoriaÌ„ agimus omniuÌ„ sanctoruÌ„ supplicationibus visita nos deus memor esto oÌ„niuÌ„ in domino dormientiuÌ„ in spe resurrectionis vitae aeternae aâ— requieÌ„ presta eis c. that is By the supplicatioÌ„s of S. Iohn baptist the prophet and precursor of the holy and most renouned Apostles and of this Sainct whose memory we kepe this daye visit vs good Lorde and remeÌ„bre al those that slepe in our Lorde in the hope of resurrection to life euerlasting and graunt them rest cae this lo M. Grindall you forget and conclude very absurdely that the oblation is only a thankes geuing But let vs now againe haue a recours to S. Augustin the faith fullest reporter of antiquite in the doctrines of the Church by the verdit of Caluin him selfe and let vs lerne of him how and in what sence the Church vsed the memory of saints in the blessed sacrifice of the Masse and whether that sacrifice be only a thaÌ„kes geuing as you conclude M. Grindal These are the wordes of that lerned and holy father Habet ecclesiastica disciplina quod fideles nouerunt cum martyres eo loco recitantur ad altare dei vbi non pro ipsis oretur pro caeteris autem commemoratis defunctis oretur Iniuria est enim pro Martyre orare cuius nos debemus orationibus commendari that is The doctrine of the Church hath which the faithfull do knowe when the Martyrs are in that place reakoned vp at the aultar of God where they are not praied for but the other soules departed there reakoned vp are praied for For it is an iniury to praie for a Martyr by whose praiers we ought to be our selues commeÌ„ded In these wordes of S. Augustin we lerne M. Grindall that the martyrs are not praied for though they be named at the aultar as you heard in Chrisostom the Patriarches Prophets and Apostles named We lerne that other soules departed not Martyrs are praied for Laste of al we lerne that the martyrs praie for vs we praie not for them Where is now your imagined sâ—pposition M. Grindall that the eldest fathers praiyng for the dead meaned such dead as were already in heaueÌ„ S. Austen denieth that the church praieth for theÌ„ he saieth the doctrine of the church hath otherwise taught and that the faithful knowe it Yf you be of the church M. Grindall if you be of such a faith as was in S. Augustins time you knowe that Martyrs were not praied for you knowe that other soules departed were praied for Last of all you know that the Martyrs praied for vs. But you denie al these matters you mocke and scoffe at it and therefore you are not instructed in the doctrine of the church you are not of such faith as was in S. Augustins time To coÌ„clude you holde with the heretike Aerius coÌ„demned for an heretike a huÌ„dred yeares afore S. Augustin flourished And yet you were not afeared to abuse the honourable Nobilite assisting at that Funeral soleÌ„nite nor ashamed to preache in pulpit for the very pure worde of God an old cursed heresy I beseche God to lighteÌ„ the hartes of our most gracious Souuerain and Lady the Quenes Maiestie and of the most honourable Nobilite of her realme that they may see auoide and exterminat this caÌ„cred vermin of heresy corrupting no lesse the teÌ„poral welth and prosperous estate of our dere couÌ„tre then the spirituall hope of our saluatioÌ„ and al right faith in Christ Iesus I haue auÌ„swered al such reasons as you haue brought in your sermoÌ„ M. Grindal against praier for the dead I haue done in part my duty to the church of God as my vocatioÌ„ required I haue declared my good will to my
FRIDERICVS STAPHILVS FRIDERICVS STAPHILVS STAPHIL WAR ERST EIN LVTTRISCH MAN DARNACH NAM ER DAS PAPSTVM AN VERLEVGNET CHRISTVM VND SEIN WORT KAM AN ISCARIOTES ORT TETS CRISTENTVM SCHANTLICH VERLIG IST SEIN STAFFL IN DIE HELL ESTIGN 1565 BI THE APOLOGIE OF FRIDERICVS STAPHYLVS COVNSELLER TO THE LATE EMPEROVR FERDINANDVS c. Intreating Of the true and right vnderstanding of holy Scripture Of the tanslation of the Bible in to the vulgar tongue Of disagrement in doctrine amonge the protestants Translated out of Latin in to English by THOMAS STAPLETON Student in Diuinite Also a discourse of the Translatour vppon the doctrine of the protestants vvhich he trieth by the three first founders and fathers thereof Martin Luther Philip Melanchton and especially Iohn Caluin Matth. 24. Videte ne quis vos seducat Take hede that no man deceaue you Matth. 7. Ex fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos Ye shal knovve them by their frutes SPES ALIT AGRICOLAS Imprinted at Antwerp by Iohn Latius at the signe of the Rape with Priuilege Anno. 1565. REgiae Maiestatis Priuilegio permissum est Thomae Stapletono Sacrae Theologiae candidato vti per aliquem Tipographorum admissorum impune ei liceat imprimi curare per omnes suae regionis ditiones distrahere librum inscriptum The Apologie of Fridericus Staphylus c. omnibus alijs inhibitum ne eundem absque eiusdem Thomae consensu imprimant vel alibi impressum distrahant sub poena in Priuilegio contenta Datum Bruxellae 17. Nouembris Anno. 1564. Subsig Facuwez THE PREFACE OF THE TRANSLATOVR THe blessed apostle S. Paul good Chri sten readers not without the instinct of the holy ghoste and a sure foresight off the troubles to come in Christes church writeth vnto the Corinthians these wordes There must be heresies to the entent that they which are perfyt amonge you might be knowen In which waighty and graue prediction of the Apostle two things I see especially to be notised The one for our comfort the other for our instruction For our comfort it is that we be not dismaied or ouer much offended when we see in the holy profession of our Christen religion heresies sectes and schismes to arise that we forsake not therefore the field of our faith Wherin we warfare to god and rūne not as at an vncertain thing and fight not as one that beateth the ayre but rūne to obtaine and fight to winne the reward that we let not go the holdfast of our hope Which we hold as the sure and stedfast anchor of our soule but rather with the patience of Abraham We beleue in hope contrary to hope continuing and cleauing stedfastly to the rocke of oure faith against the which Hel gates shall neuer preuaile For as we see by the verdit of the Apostle There must be heresies It is now sithen the time that the Apostle spake these wordes a thousand fiue hundred and odde yeares Yet neuer was there aage sence that time but that in some part of Christendom heresies haue ben sturring In the very first ofspring of the Apostles there lacked not such euil wedes amonge the corne of Christes church yet grene Simō Magus Hermogenes Philetus Hymeneus Alexander Nicolaus and such other are mencioned in holy writ to haue swarued from the faith and after the knowledg off righteousnes to haue turned back from the same Beside holy writ we reade in the ecclesiastical histories of Ebion of Cerinthus of Marcion and diuers other plāters of heresies in the Apostles time After whom howe from age to age heresies being alwaies cutte of and destroied haue yet spronge vp again and flourished for a season as the venimous heades of Hydra I remitt you to auoide prolixite to the writinges of Epiphanius S. Augustin Philaster and others I reporte my self also to the Chronographies of Alexander Sculteti and such other which deducting the estat of Christes church from the beginning hitherto setting forthe in tables seuerally the Popes and supreme vicars of Christ the Emperours the generall and prouinciall councels the heresies of al times haue in no time nor age left vs bare the leafe of the heresies The figure of this calamite in Christes church we see to haue gone before in the lawe of Moyses For at what time the children of Israel had by the mighty hand of god entred in to the land of promis chased oute Idolaters and were setled in quiet possession yet god of a iust indignation conceiued against them suffring the Cananites to dwell amonge them pronounced by his Angell that he would not therefore cast those Idolaters out before them to the entent they might haue them as enemies amonge them and their gods should be as asnare vnto them And thereby the children of Israel were tried as now the Christians are they by Idolaters we by heretikes Though therefore his our present time be so entangled with schismes seuered in sundry sectes and embrued with hainous heresies as neuer at any time sence the first preaching off the ghospel Yea and though it haue so ouerrunne the small plat of Christēdom that remaineth as euer any heresy did except that of the Arrians yet bicause we see the holy ghost suffreth it so to be and warneth vs by the mouthe of the Apostle that is behoueth so to be we must yelde to the prouidence of almighty god and saie with the prophet Daniel We haue sinned with our forefathers Yea thousand fold more then oure forefathers and therefore no maruaile if the dreadfull wrath of god haue fallen vppon vs that we maye wel crie and lament with the prophet Hieremy Consider and see o Lorde our confusion our inheritaunce is turned to straungers Such surely as haue departed from vs but were not of vs for if they had ben of vs they would no doubte haue continued with vs. An other lesson in the wordes of the Apostle for our instruction is this that heresies therefore are suffred to be to the entent that they which are perfect amōge vs might be knowen For by heresies the churche as gold by the fire is tried and as the riuer or sea by trouble and tēpest casteth his froth and filth awaie the pure water keping his bondes and course so the churche in time of tribulation and stormes of heresy voideth awaie the foule and vncleane membres of her the sounde and faithful remaining vnder her roufe and abiding in the receaued faith and belefe For in time of schismes and heresies the part of euery good Christen man is to do as the good souldyars in the cāpe when a ciuil seditiō ariseth or as the quiet passan ger when the sea stormeth for euen as the true and faithfull souldyars in such a case runne all vnto their Capitain and General looking to be of him directed where howe and when to strike and as the wise and sober passanger when the tempest and storme disordreth the passage suffreth quietly the
by his owne wordes being forced to declare the same by the impudent reproches of Smidelinus his aduersary In his Absolut apology writē in the yeare 1562. thus he writeth Whereas Smidelinus obiecteth to me that I was Luthers and Melanchthons scholer I denie it not for I liued in the vniuersite of wittenberg ten yeares of my owne costes and charges studying there vnder Luther Melāchthon and others At that time also being a younge man rash and vnskilfull I was infected somwhat with the poisonnous doctrine of Luther Howbeit that was not so rooted in me but that it was soone driuen out again And that I neuer consented thoroughly to the fifte ghospell of Luther many thinges do euidently proue First that whereas the Masters off Wittenberg would nedes persuade me to procede Doctour amonge them I would neuer do it And that only bicause I would not take the othe of the vniuersite and make open confession of my belefe in that place And this Doctour George Maior who yet liueth can beare me witnes of Secondarely bicause I would neuer take vppon me the Lutheran Ministery in any church though fewe yeares past I haue ben required of certain Princes to high dignites as to be Superintendent in sondry places as at Augspurg at Lubeck and at Brunsuick Thirdly this may declare how litle I fancyed in my hart the doctrine of Luther that being called and chosen of the Duke of Prussia to be a Reader in his dominions at Coningsberg and a Counseller I caused in the write of my stipend this cōdition expresly to be put that I would be cōpelled to no religion or doctrine that in any point repugned with the doctrine of the primitiue Catholike and Apostolicall church and of this my condition I am able to show iff nede shall require sufficient testimonies By these wordes ye may see off what reputation and opinion of lerning and vertu this man was at Wittenberg Augspurg Lubeck and Brunsuick the most famous cytes of the Lutheran profession His wisedō and other noble qualites he well declared first in the seruice of a counseller to the Duke of Prusia from whome he was forced to depart and that as he writeth to the losse of some thousands of marks bicause like a worthy and faithfull Counseller he frely aduertised eftsones the Duke to beware of the cursed heresies of Osiander and his felowes Secondarely in the like seruice vnder the Catholike and vertuous Duke of Bauaria vnder whom he was in such credit that he was made ouerseer and Chauncelour of the vniuersite of Ingolstad iointly with the Bishop of Eistat Thirdely for his wisedom lerning and vertu he was of longe time and many yeares Counseller to the late most worthy Emperoure Ferdinandus vnder whom he hath done noble seruice as well in the diets and conferences in Germany as in embassages of Liflande Pole and other countres As for the great labour and diligence he bestowed to shift him selfe oute of the captious and contentious controuersies of this time wherein he was nouseled in his youth it may wel appeare in that as he writeth in the first part of this booke He emploied only the study of Diuinite and matters of Cōtrouersie about two and twenty yeares not medling in all that time with any worldly or ciuill matter And what thinck you after so many yeares study and labour after so great experience and lerning was the chiefest argument and reason whereuppon he forsoke the Lutherans and claue vnto the Catholikes forsoth he declareth it in the very same place last alleaged and it is right worthy to be noted This saieth he was the chief and principal cause why I actōpted the diuers doctrine of Luther and his felowes to be hereticall and for such do vtterly forsake it and detest it this again is the cause why I esteme the doctrine in all Christendom which they call the Popedom receiued to be the only true and holesom doctrine bicause this doctrine is the Catholike and vniuer sally receiued interpretation of holy scripture but their doctrine is only their priuat opinion and their priuat deprauation of holy Scripture This lowas the principall reason that drew this wise lerned and vertuous man from the sectes of his Masters Luther and Melāchthō and brought him home to the perfect vnite of the Catholike faith for he sawe by lōg experiēce that al the doctrine of the new ghospellers was nought els but their owne traditiōs their propre inuentions and priuat imaginations for ging vpon the worde of God such sence as them listed and telling then the people that the same was the very worde of God whereas the Catholikes folowed such sence and meaning of the writen worde as by the lerned fathers continual tradition and vniuersall consent of Christendom was receaued and allowed And truly this only reason may be sufficient bothe for the vnlerned and deceaued protestants to reduce them home again to the Catholike churche of Christ and to kepe also within the same such as by the grace of God vertuous education and good instructions haue not yet swarued from the same Which I beseche almighty God it may so do And thus much hitherto of this present Treatise and the author thereof Many other things there are which I would gladly aduertise the Reader of But bicause we haue I feare ben ouerlong allready and the Author him selfe hath prefixed a long but a lerned and profitable preface and therefore not to be omitted I wil here breake of and after the ende of the Authors whole discourse put for conclusion the rest of my meaning aduertising in the meane season the reader of this one thing that this our labour being an interpretation and bound to the inuentiō of the Author we haue not ne coulde not vse the like eloquence as the free stile geueth beseching the notwithstanding gentle Reader to take our paines in good part Farewell At Louain the 12. of Nouember 1564. Thomas Stapleton THen saieth Nicephorus of the time of Constantius his empire vnder whom the Arrians flourished new deuises were commended and increased daily growing to a straunge alteration so farre that euery man setting light by all auncient lawes and ordonaunces forged him selfe fresh of his owne And yet their doctrine he meaneth the Arrians was not of all such receiued but eche one imagined new opinions heaping vp euer doctrine vpon doctrine Then Aetius Eunomius Eudoxius eche one diuersly Vttered their blasphemies against Christ. Then Macedonius also blasphemed against the holy Ghoste Gregory Nazianzen reasoned against those newe doctrines in this sorte IF our faith be but yet thirty yeares olde foure hundred yeares being now passed ouer sence the coming of Christ then our ghospell hath ben so long in vaine our faith also hath ben to no purpose Then so many Martirs haue invaine testified their faith in Christ. Then so many Bishops and pastours haue in vaine so longe fedd the flock of Christ. If prescription of foure hundred
he teache all waies the Son to be coeternall with the father wherefore they neuer would affirme that the Son had any beginning of substance Let vs thē leaue these Logicall disputations and looke vnto the expositiōs of the olde writers Put it therfore in the Emperours head that he cal the heretikes before him and aske thē what accōpt they make of such doctours and fathers as wrote before their heresie began and whether they iudge them to be Christen men or none of the church If they mislike thē let them if they dare condemne and anathematise them If they so do the very people will ouerrunne them And so truthe shall ouer come But yf they do not repell the olde doctours it shall thē be our part to bring forth their sayengs and by their testimonies confirme our doctrine This being tolde of Sisinius Nectarius goeth forth with vnto the Courte and declareth vnto the Emperour the aduise off Sisinius who liking it very well and going wisely aboute the matter called the heretikes before him and dissembling his purpose demanded them only whether they made any accompt of the Doctours of the church which liued before their heresie began or no. They not reiecting those writers but calling them their masters and fathers the Emperour asketh them againe whether they woulde admit them as worthy witnesses of the Christen faith The chief masters of that heresie hearing those wordes doubted much what they might answer Whereuppon they striued amonge them selues some thinking the Emperourment wel some mistrusting the issue of his demaundes and perceauing they made litle for their purpose For they were not all of one minde touching the writinges of the olde fathers differing in that point not only from other religions but also from them selues who professed all one religion Thus their wicked doctrine was discouered and confounded as the buylders of Babel by their variaunce in language For the emperour preceauing their disagrement and seing they trusted only vpon contentious disputing regarding not the exposition of olde writers he toke an otherwaie with them commaunding that eche religion should in writing shortly comprise the effect of their doctrine and opinion Thus farre the history of Socrates That Sisinius though good not to dispute with heretikes it was not his first deuise The holy canons had commaunded the same Tertullian and other holy fathers had writen the same And the cause why they thinke it not expedient to trie by disputation matters of our faith is that all heretikes do vtterly take away the true principles off Christen religion which are the sure groundes off good disputation and place in their stede false and forged which are all vncertain and maye serue as we see in coūting sometime for more sometime for lesse sometime nothing at all For he that taketh away the generall and the whole howe can he be sure of the partes Or if ye denie the substance to what purpose were it to dispute of the accident To none at all Therefore he that listeth dialectically and schole like to reason with an heretike if he agree not first with him for the principles he shall fight he woteth not against what nor to what purpose and sooner shall ye take a hare with a taburin then conclude a suttell heretike with an argument For he hath no certainte in his doctrine but is ready to denie that he graunted the last worde before and likewise to graunte that he laste denied flitting and flieng as vauntage serueth Brentius affirmeth the only text of the writen worde to be the first principle of Lutheran religion But in such sorte that it may be lawfull out of this writen text to cut of the epistle of S. Iames cast awaie the epistle to the Hebrews refuse the Apocalypse of S. Ihon and condemne the bookes of Machabes This principle serueth also to reiect any other part of the whole Bible for if any sentence euidently expressed in sctipture be brought against him strayte Brentius crieth The Hebrewe text readeth not so The greke copies haue otherwise And this principle of the only text serueth so fit for these heretikes purpose that for conference with them no waye can be made nor ende can be founde Then the Catholike and Apostolicall vnderstanding of holy Scripture which is euery where one and allwaies agreable with it selfe which is deriued from the Apostles which is the present iudge in all controuersies they vtterly refuse and very rudely and impudently appeale vnto Christ whom in earthe present iudge we can not haue Whom yet some of them denie to be God some to be man and some other saie he is but a tale of Plato And yet forsothe they boaste of the certainte of their faith which in dede is most vncertain as their most manifest dissension well declareth A very vaine and childish crake it is to crie allwaies that their Cōfession of Augspurg is grounded vppon the doctrine of the prophetes and of the Apostles For who saieth so but they them selues and of their only fecte which first inuented it and would impudently compel all Christendō to receaue it But if you ask them howe they proue it they will saie vnto you All the articles of our Confession agree with the prophets and the Apostles and differ frō thence in no point O the madnes of our countre That which is called in question they laie for their groūdes bringing for proufe that which ought to be proued What child in logick would so fondly reason For if you denie againe that the articles of this their confession is grounded vpon the doctrine of the prophets and the Apostles what haue they then to saye peraduenture left they may seme to be put to silence they will beginne to interpret and cōfer Scripture together after their maner But is not this the foule faute in logike called Petitio principij that is to aske that whiche ought to be proued For when we blame the Cōfessiō of Augspurg we blame nothing els but the false and wronge interpretation of holy Scripture vsed in that Confession But you will saye We may as well refuse the interpretation that the Catholikes do bringe of their owne Well truly and worthely For who will heare the Catholike doctour if he bring forthe nothing but saie only that the doctrine of the Catholike churche is grounded in holy Scriptures This must not be tolde but be proued What then will the Catholike bring that the heretike shall not be able to bring He will surely bring and declare first the interprerarion of Scripture which he vseth to be vniuersall to haue ben deriued from the Apostles to be receaued and allowed in all Christendom Then he will showe that euery article and principall point of our faith hath ben confirmed by miracles Last of all he will teache you that all matters of the Catholike church which be proper of the newe testament are founde expressed by euident figures in the olde Testament What
none allmost vnderstode And what meaned our Sauiour when he sayde vnto his disciples It is geuen vnto you to knowe the misteries of the kingdome of God but to the other in parables that seing they see not and hearing they vnderstande not What meaned our Lorde in these wordes Truly this that it is a speciall gifte of God to vnderstande well holy scripture and that this gifte was especially geuen vnto the Apostles and to their disciples and successours which should after thē beare their roume in Christes church Againe that it was inough for the people that as much as is necessary for saluation they might lerne of their pastours preachers and curates the exposition of holy scripture by similitudes and parables agreable to their capacite which may farther be proued by diuers places of holy scripture But I would here gladly aske of our newe Masters when they saye that the texte of scripture is sufficient that there nedeth no expositiō nor glose why write they so many cōmentaries such longe gloses vppon scripture so many bookes and that without all measure if we nede no exposition then surely all the Lutherans bookes and writings be vtterly superfluous vaine and to no purpose but only crafty snares to catche the simple and vnlerned withall But to tell you plainely what the protestāts meane by this sutle shifte to cleaue to the only writen worde surely this it is they would not haue the scripture vtterly not expoūded they meane nothing so for that in dede nothing serueth their turne but they would haue their expositions their maner of expounding to be receaued and beleued as the very worde of god But contrary wise when they haue to do with vs reiecting all interpretation of scripture they ring their olde songe in our eare The worde of god is cleare perspicuous aud plaine it nedeth no exposition it requireth no interpretatiō of the olde fathers or of the Churche wherein you see what is their impudencie and contrariete And this much haue we saide to showe that Scripture ought to be expounded that the bare text suffiseth not But here riseth now agreat question and worthy to be waighed Seing that holy scripture must be interpreted and that we see abrode many and diuers interpretations thereof and yet in one thing there can be but one truthe and as scripture it selfe is vndoubtedly true so the interpretation thereof must be vndoubted and certain whether of all these interpretations or what maner is to be accompted the right proper and vndoubted As for example No Christen man denieth but that these wordes of the last supper Take eate this is my body be the very wordes of God Christ him self And what coulde be sayde more plainely more distinctly more directly then these wordes of Christ are yet what happened Al the sectes and heresies that raign nowe adaies acknowlegde them for the wordes of God No secte denieth thē Whereupon then riseth these greate and horrible dissensions surely not whether secte hathe the worde of god but whether of them well expoundeth it And see howe diuersly these fewe wordes are expounded Zwinglius saith these wordes This is my body are as much to saie This significeth and betokeneth my body Oecolāpadius thus expoundeth them This is the signe or token of my body Carolstadius after this sorte Herein sitteth my body Swenck feldius yet after an other sorte This is my spiritual body Luther thus This is my naturall body in naturall breade The Catholikes haue allwaies thus expounded it Vnder the forme of bread it is the true boly of oure Lorde Nowe what shall here a simple and vnlerned man of the countre do hearing so diuers and contrary interpretations of so fewe wordes Truly if he will here of his owne head confer scriptures together and serch the true meaning of these wordes in scripture and the writen text he shall be as wise herein as these men aboue mentioned who all by conference of scripture you see howe swetely they agreed vpon the truthe But if there were any certainte in conference as sometimes it helpeth much yet the simple vnlerned man by common order of witt shal neuer finde it out For how can the vnlerned and ignorant iudge of that which he neuer lerned no more truly then the showemaker is able to iudge of the goldesmithes worke which he was neuer practised in And were not that showemaker to be accōpted very impudēt and vndiscret who seing two goldesmithes contending of the fines of some piece of gold or siluer would steppe in and take vpō him to determinat the matter betwene them much lesse ought the vnlerned medle with or determinat matters of Diuinite or take vpon them to expounde the meaning of the holy ghoste seing that in worldly affaires there can no waightier matter of more difficultie or of greater importaunce be taken in hande what then shal the vnlerned man do in this case If he may cleaue to no part at all then must he be of no church but make him selfe a newe secte forge him selfe a newe faith and so at length lese all faith and become a very painim whiche god forbid that euer any man should persuade the vnlerned If he cleaue to any part yet is he in greate daūger For almightie god cōmaūdeth straitly by his Apostle that we auoide the heretike Here truly the laye man ought to take good aduise For he is bounde him selfe to take hede of false prophets lest being blinde him selfe and not able to vnderstande holy scripture he suffer him selfe to be lead of a blinde guide such as the heretike is But howe can the blinde man see whether is guide be blinde or no Truly of him felfe he cā not see it vnlesse he hath lerned of suche as see wel some certain token howe to knowe it Is there then any such tokē or signe or where may a man seke it verely the mercifull prouidence of almighte God hath not failed in this point but hath left vnto the laie simple and vnlerned man a certain and vnfallible token whereby he may if he regarde his owne saluation beware of all false and heretical corruption in interpreting scripture There is no Christē man so rude or ignorant that knoweth not perfitly his Crede and can reherse it frō the beginning to the ending In the which though euery article ought diligētly to be marked and borne awaye yet in this time none more then the article where we saye Credo sanctā Catholicā Ecclesiam I beleue the holy Catholike church For in this worde Catholike is the very true token and marke to knowe the right interpretatiō of scripture by for that is called Catholike as S. Austin teacheth which euery where and at al times is and hath ben Thē this worde Chatolike attributed to the church is that which hath continued frō the Apostles time to our daies without any breache diuision or intermission For such a church did God the Father
Smidelin a trim pacifier doth he not by good reason reconcile these protestants together In the booke against my table he raileth and saith he must nedes be a wicked person which woulde saye that amonge the Swinglians were eight diuers and seuerall opinions and who is so blinde that seeth not Luther him selfe in his wordes aboue alleaged to recite eight contrary opinions of the Swinglians It foloweth then by the iudgement and sentence of Doctor Smidelinus that Luther is a wicked and pernicious felowe Surely very well and as it should be for such honour vse kinde scholers to geue to their masters But truly they are bothe vsed according to their deserts while the Master proueth his scholer a liar and the scholer proueth his Master a knaue and nowe it happeneth as we commonly see of a frowarde curre a peuish whelp But what will Smidelin saie if that amonge the Lutherans them selues be sacramentary sectes and schismes and that not a fewe This present yeare 1560. in the seconde of Octobre was printed at Heidelberg the iudgement of Philip Melanchthon touching the Supper of our Lorde dedicated to the honourable prince Electour CouÌ„te palatin of the Rhene where he writeth thus It is not hard but somewhat dangerous to awnswer yet I will declare that debate and controuersie which happened at Heidelberg and admonish men as much as I may at this time I will also praie vnto Christ our Lorde that it will please him prosperously to directe these our aduises and their doinges Greate and greuous coÌ„tentions shal vndoubtedly arise in the worlde vpon the Controuersie of our Lordes supper for the worlde must nedes be punished for their idolatry and other hainous offenses Let vs then praie that the Son of God teache vs and direct vs. But seing that many are yet in many places feble in the faith and not well instructed in this doctrine off the church but rather nouseled in many errours it is mete that first we take order for such I like ther fore very well the aduise of the most honourable prince Electour that all such as contend of the Supper of the Lorde be put to sileÌ„ce lest dissensioÌ„ and variaunce arise in the church yet tendre and weake whereby the febleiÌ„ faith might perhaps be seduced and disquieted And I would wish also that the contentious persons on bothe sides were some other where VVhich being seÌ„t awaie the rest might agree into some forme of wordes And in this controuersie me thinketh it were best to kepe the wordes of S. Paule The bread which we breake is the participation of Christ his body much also must be saide of the frute of the Supper to stirre vp men more to loue this pleadge and the oftener to vse it Againe the worde Participation is to be declared and expounded For S. Paule saith not as the papistes do that the nature of bread is chaunged nor that the bread is the substaÌ„tiall body of Christ as the ministers of Bremesaie Nor as Heshusious saith that bread is the true body of Christ but that it is a participation or communion that is by the which we are coupled and made one with the body off Christ. VVhich copulation and making of one consisteth in the vse not without it imagining that mise could knawe that bread The papistes and such as are like them to earnestly contend that the body of Christ is vnder the forme of bread or included in the bread beside the vse and when it is not receaued they wil haue it adored also as Doctor Morlin of Bruns wicke saith Thou must not saie Mum. Mum But what is that which the priest hath in his handes Sarcerius would haue all the parcels that sal doune to be gathered vp and to be burned together with the earth on which it fell Two yeres past wheÌ„ we were at wormes a quaestioÌ„ was asked vs out of the Courte whether the body of Christ passed downe in to the bely and so forthe Such absurde questions ought not to be moued better it is that the forme of S. Paules wordes be kept and that men be well instructed of the vse and frute of this Sacrament The forme of wordes of the Supper ye may see in the ordinatioÌ„ of the church of the Megapolians where also aduertisement is geueÌ„ of the frute thereoff The Son off God in the ministery of the ghospell is present and worketh also in those that beleue But he is present not for cause of the bread but for mans sake as he saith him selfe Tary in me and I in you I in my father and you in me and I in you And with this true Comfortes he maketh vs his membres and testifieth that he wil raise vp and quicken our bodies Thus do olde writers expounde the Supper of the Lorde but some terme this true and plaine doctrine buskins or showes mete for euery foote and will haue that the body is in the bread or in the forme of bread as though the Sacrament were made for the breads sake or to be adored papistically Then other imagin that the body should be enclosed in the breade some will haue it euery where and in all places Melanchthon dalieth here at his pleasure but all holy fathers and olde writers haue continually hitherto taught the conuersion transmutatioÌ„ and chaunging of the creature of bread in to the body of oure Lorde that we may truly say with Christ This is my body Heshusius saith he can not agree with Origen terming the bread and wine the signes of the the body and bloud So he reiecteth Clemens Alexandrinus ready to do the like to Augustin Ambrose Prosper Dyonisius Tertullian Bede Basill and Gregory Nazianzen which calleth the body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Theodoret which writeth that the nature of bread remaineth Is theÌ„ the authorite of Heshusius so great that we will rather bâ—leue him theÌ„ the olde writers which testifie clerely that the church in their time had no adoration nor no such doctrine as the papistes no we teache For seing these are newe and straunge in the church we doubt whether it be conuenient to bring in newe doctrine in the church And I am not ignoraÌ„t that many alleage forged bookes vnder the name of olde writers but let the lerned iudge hereof I will not make any longe debate of this matter presently nor entre to dispute with contentious men defending the idolatry and robberies of their forefathers VVhose tyranny and cruell persecutions I feele also I thought good only to declare my minde herein what were best to be done in respect of our weake and tender church Therefore I am still of that minde that bothe partes be put to silence and that one forme of wordes be vsed VVhich if some like not and will not therefore come vnto the Sacrament they may be permitted to do as they see good so that yet they styrre vp no dissension amonge the
from the church of Rome yet their faith and belefe touching such articles as the Lutherans haue swarued in from the Catholike churche is in moste pointes agreable to the Catholike doctrine If therefore o true and vertuous Germans we liste to put out this greate blotte of our good name to auoide the vtter destruction and desolation of our dere countre and purchase the eternall saluation of our soules this is the onely waie for it to seke after againe the steppes and pathes off our dere forefathers to ioyne our selues with the whole corps off Christendome and to call backe againe and restore that doctrine that faith that church and that ghospell by the which we were first made Christen men and haue continewed so many a hundred yeare For what so euer the Lutherans bable of their newe forged religion howe so euer the protestants pratle in pulpits of the primitiue church yet they can not denie but that this their doctrine their trade of ecclesiasticall gouuernement their maner of common prayer and all other ordinaunces was neuer yet sene nor heard of in Germany sence it was first Christned vntell Luther Charlemain the first Germain Emperour with his successours brought the Saxons to Christen religion founded amonge them their chefe bishoprickes churches and Colledges planted in Germany the very same doctrine the very same religion the very same cerimonies the selfe same Masse and seruice of god as it is at this daye vsed amonge all Catholikes and so left it to all Emperours after him Likewise those holy bishops and Martirs the Apostles of higher Germany which first brought Christendome in to it instructed it not with that doctrine or ecclesiasticall gouuernement as the Lutherans vse but with the very same vnderstanding of holy scripture with the same religion and gouuernement of the church whiche the Catholikes euen to this daye do practise S. Seuerin Archebishop of Rauenna conuerted Austriche to Christendome S. Eleutherius and Quirinus the countre aboute Anisus S. Maximinus and Rupertus the bishoprick off Salispurg S. Valentin and VVolfgang the cyte off Passau S. Paulinus and after him S. Emeranus Regenspurg S. Corbinianus Frising S. Richard and Vilibaldus the cyte of Eystat S. Narcissus and Viricus Augspurg and Algouia S. Kiliaenus and Burchaerdus Virtzbourg S. Columbinus and Gallus Suethelande S. Maternus and Valerius the inhabitants of Rhene S. Paternus and Laudo Costnitz S. Amandus and Argobastus Strasbourg S. Victor and Seruatius Wormes S. Crescens the disciple of S. Paule and Maximus Ments Whiche all beside many other blessed Martirs and lerned bishops in other countres where they planted Christes religion and instituted gods seruice taught no other doctrine preached no other ghospell practised no other religion saide no other Masse vsed no other clergy then suche as from the Apostles time through out all Christendome hath ben hetherto kept and vsed In this religion we germans were traded first to Christendome With this religion our godly and vertuous forefathers attained to euerlasting life By this religion the Romain Empire hath ben translated to the Nobilite of Germany Through this religion the auÌ„cient germans haue had greate victories haue dilated their dominion hath brought infidels to the Christen faythe as Hungary Bohem Pole Vandale Slavony Prussia LiflaÌ„de Denmarke and Swetheland which partly by force of armes they haue constrained partly by instruction of holy bishops they haue persuaded to receaue Christendome All this maye be sene in our Chronicles and awncient foundations But now we see to our greate grefe and shame that within the space of fourty yeares all these countres are all moste come to destruction The hainous heresies the sundry schismes and the horrible blasphemies euery where practised proue it to clerely Farder the greate decaie of the German Empire the contempt off our nation being nowe in obloquy with all the worlde whom before all nations other loued or feared testifie this abundantly Where is nowe become Thiethmarsh whiche belonged before to the diosece of the Archebishop of Breme The Danes haue taken it Where is LifelaÌ„de the olde soiourne and retire of the Saxon Nobilite The Moscouite by maine force hathe wronged it out of our handes Prussia what is come of it whiche was wonte to be the receite and soiourne of higher germany The Polonians haue chalenged it and enioye it And these two countres of Liflande and Prussia be no smal territories but two riche and large Realmes especially Prussia which hathe in length aboue threscore miles and in bredth fourtye and containeth diuers cytes portes and villages greate and small so riche and full of commodites as no place of Germany beside And although Lifâ—lande be not comparable to Prussia either in riches or in power yet is it a goodly beawtifull and large countre from whence not onely the Nobles of Saxony and townes of the seacoste drawe sundry commodites but all the state of the Empire also and many foren countres And these two countres Prussia and Liflande are as two sure feete of the Germain Empire which nowe by our dissension being bothe cut from the Empire it is easye to coniecture howe hansomly and surely it is like to stande And howe haue we loste these noble countres and prouinces by the force and power of oure enemies No truly For the knightes of the Order in Alemaigne forced the Prussians being yet heatheÌ„ to receaue the olde Christen religion whiche they had lerned off their Apostles and forefathers and vntell oure daies haue stoutely kept them in the same And as longe as that worshipfull Order continued in this godly purpose that countre flourished and encreased in all wealth But as soone as that Order receaued the newe ghospell of Luther abandoning the true ghospell off Christ and forsoke the spirituall Crosse of that Order folowing the fleshly doctrine of Luthers crosse incontinently that whole countre being gotte and kept so many yeares vnder the olde ghospell was sodenly loste through the newe ghospell of Luther the Nobilite of Germany thereof berefted and yelded to the prince of Pole so that nowe they rule ouer the germans whiche in times paste paied tribut to the Emperours of germany The like happened of Liflande for as longe as the knightes of the Order in Lifelande kepte and maintained the Catholike faith whereby they first subdued that countre ten thousand of them coulde in open filde put to flighte fourescore thousand of the Moscouites but sens that the same worshipfull Order put downe the awncient religion whereby they obtained such victories planting in the place of it heresie all the victory hathe enclined to our aduersaries and the Moscouites haue obtained the countre For so it is By agrement small thinges encrease by discord greate thinges fall awaye The olde Catholike faith worketh by charite which is the bonde of perfection and all prosperite The Lutheran fayth abideth not charite with it but will iustifie man
vnto the and we shall be turned And what necessite driueth vs to this crie and lamentation surely euen the very same which moued that Prophet so to bewaile and lament when he saieth VVo be vnto vs bicause we haue sinned For truly I thinke we germans haue sinned tentymes more greuousely then those Iewes And what was the plage of their hainous offences the prophet declareth The crowne and garland of our head is fallen of I feare me we germans shall heue the selfe same plage onles we spedely do penaunce for our wickednes It foloweth in the lamentatiō Therefore my harte is heauy and full of griefe We alas are not yet come so farre towarde penaunce that our harte hath ben heauy for our sinnes For we yet contynew in them and why spede we not to penaunce Bycause our eyes are darkned and wherefore for the hille of Sion that is the Catholike church why what is befallen it bycause it is destroyed O Mercifull god this is to to true with vs Germans For amonge vs one saythe Here is Christ an other saythe there is Christ. this man saythe Amonge the Caluinistes is the churche an other saythe Amonge the Illyricans the thirde amonge the Indifferents the fourthe amonge the Osiandrins the fifte amonge the Swenck feldians and so with the reste whereas yet it is vnpossible it should be amonge them all why so bicause it is destroied it is scattered it is vndone And howe cometh it o holy Ieremije that the holy hill of Sion the Catholike churche is so wasted and destroied Foxes haue walked in it In dede foxes that is as S. Ambrose and S. Augustin expounde it suttle crafty deceitefull stinking and lurking heretikes These foxes haue onerrunne spoiled and destroied the holy hil of Sion the Catholike church of Christ. And as soone as the light that shineth from this hill the Catholike church of whom it is saied I haue set the vp as a lighte to all nations was ones in Germany darkned and extinguished mens eyes and hartes were so blinded that with open eyes they see nothing and are so sicke that they fele no paine at all nor perceaue not howe daily the Croune falleth awaye from their heades Let him therefore pray that can praye and who so euer feareth the smarte of gods rodde let him labour to escape it and crie with the prophet Turne vs o lorde vnto the. and that he faile not also on his parte let him saie with mouthe and perfourme in dede And we will be turned But bicause that as S. Augustin teacheth repentaunce which procedeth not of faithe is vnprofitable there is no hope of true repentaunce amonge vs onles we embrace the true doctrine of Christen fayth To the entent therefore that euery common laie man may be sure and perfit of the faith and religion which he foloweth I will adde hereunto to knitte vp this our simple treatise a litle piece out of a booke that Vincētius lyrenēsis wrote aboue twelue hūdred yeares past vnder Theodosius the Emperour for the mayntenaūce and setting forth of Catholike religiō A man peraduenture maye demaunde saith he seing the Canon of holy scripture is sufficient off it selfe for all pointes what nedeth the interpretation off the Church to be added thereunto to the which question he answereth For bicause forsothe holy scripture being depe and mystical is not of all men after the like sorte expounded but the sentences thereof some man expoundeth one waie some an other that allmoste as many men so diuers expositions may be drawen thereof For the Nouatian expoundeth it one waie Sabellius an other waie Donatus Arrius Eunomius Macedonius Photinus Apollinaris Priscillianus Iouinianus Pelagius Celestius and Nestorius al founders of sundry heresies folowe eche of them their owne proper and peculiar waie of interpreting holy scripture Wherefore it behoueth that in consideration of so many crekes and by erroneous pathes the line of interpreting holy prophets and Apostles be drawē and directed according to the rule of the Catholike and ecclesiasticall exposition In the Catholike churche it selfe we must seriousely prouide that we folowe onely that which is receaued in euery place at al times of al mē for this is Catholike in dede and properly as the worde it self emporteth comprehending all vniuersally This we maie so do if we folowe vniuersalite Antiquite and Consent Vniuersalite we shall folowe if we acknowledg that faith and belefe which the whole church through out the whole worlde acknowledgeth Antiquite if we departe not from those expositions which the holy awncient fathers haue lefte vnto vs. Consent likewise if in the antiquite we cleaue vnto the determinations of all or allmoste all priestes prelats and teachers of the church What then shall the Catholike and Christian man do if any part of the churche cutte it selfe of from the communion and societe of the generall belefe What other then that he muste preferre the whole body before the deseased parte What if some newe infection plage not onely some parte but the whole church Then must he diligently cleaue vnto the Antiquite or awncient receaued faith whiche can be seduced by no guile of nouelty VVhat if two or thre men or some one cyte or countre swarue from the Antiquite and receaued doctrine Then against the rashe ignorance of a fewe he must set the awncient and vniuersall decrees of some generall Councell What if such doubtes arise that no such decree can be founde Then let him labour to seke out and confer together the saiengs of the fathers such as though in diuers times and in diuers places yet remaining in the vnite and belefe of the Catholike church haue bē approued for teachers and doctours of the same and what soeuer he shal finde that not one or two onely of them but that al with one Consent haue clerely taught oftentimes writen and continually helde this without all doubte and stagger he ought to be leue Thus farre that holy father Vincentius Lyren It were much to be wished that this good and profitable booke were soundely and truly trāslated in to the vulgar tongue and so sett in printe to be read of all men For this holy father aboue twelue hundred yeares since hath so writen of this matter that he semeth thereby to cal to the Catholike vnite and prouoke to amendement off life not only the heretikes of his time but also euen these of our time To thentent that shaking off all sinne and heresie we might liue here in peace vnite and cōcorde and obtaine hereafter the euerlasting life praising with all the sainctes our Lorde and God for euer the which his dere son our Sauiour Iesus Christ by his tēder mercie and blessed merites graunte vs. AMEN FINIS A DISCOVRS VPON THE DOCTRINE OF THE PROTESTANTS TRIED BY THE THREE FIRST FOVNDERS and fathers thereof Martin Luther Philip Melanchthon and especially Iohn Caluin oute of whose workes are gathered sundry olde heresies absurdites and contradictions by
him auouched OVr Sauiour in the ghospell forwarning vs off false teachers and prophets which comīg in shepes skinnes are inwardly rauening wolues and checking the proude Pharisees corrupting the worde of god with their fonde inuentions making thereby a secte by them selues as Iosephus recordeth pronounceth of them in this wise Coeci sunt duces coecorum Coecus autem si coeco ducatum praestet ambo in foueam cadunt that is They are blinde and the guides of blinde men and if the blinde leade the blinde bothe fall in to the ditche Likewise the blessed Apostle S. Peter according to the charge geuen him off our Sauiour aboue the rest of the Apostles euen as aboue the rest he loued Christ forwarneth also his flocke of heretikes that should springe vp amonge them as in the olde lawe before some had spronge and writeth thus Fuerunt pseudoprophetae in populo c. There were false prophets also among the people euen as there shall be lying masters amonge you which shall bringe in damnable sectes euen denying God that hath bought them and bring vpon them selues swift damnation and many shall folowe their damnable waies by whom the waie off truthe shall be blasphemed c. In these sayengs bothe of our Sauiour and of S. Peter his vicar here on earthe we lerne bothe that false heretikes were like to arise in Christ his church and what a perilous thing it is to folow the straypathes of such blinde guides ▪ which is as oure Sauiour saieth to fall in to the ditche with them and as S. Peter telleth vs to blaspheme the waye of truthe to witt Christ him selfe who is the life the waie and the truthe And truly iff we endeuoured our selues as S. Paule biddeth vs to obserue and folowe those which walke after such sorte as we haue him for an ensample if we were solliciti seruare vnitatem Spiritus in vinculo pacis diligent to kepe vnite of minde in the bonde of peace if we woulde as he most charely warneth Timothe saue that which is geuen vs to kepe the treasure of our faithe and auoide prophane nouelties of talke and oppositions of false named knowleadg we would not so rashly haue folowed a fewe false teachers against the common consent of Christendome we had not departed from our first faith and after the knowleadg of truthe haue turned away from the holy commaundement being so as S. Peter saieth in worse case then if we had neuer knowen the truthe brefely we had not fallen in to so many and diuers pittes of hereticall doctrine forsakinge the grounde and piller of al truthe the Catholike church of Christ. For verely who so earnestly and diligently would considre with him selfe whereby it hath happened that in these late yeares so many haue departed from the catholike faith and yelded to newe doctrines not heard of before he shall surely finde the principall meanes thereof to haue ben the onely light credence geuen to newe preachers and rashe beleuing euery newe tale in matters of conscience and saluation The cause of this our rashnes I will not serche out though it be ready to finde our onely sinnes and wicked life being the very proper cause thereof and nothing els But the meanes as I saied hath principally ben light harkening to euery such as listed to talke newe doctrine the doctrine it selfe being plausible and gladly receiued of those which burdned with sinne and wickednes were gredy of the liberty that in the doctrine was preached according as S. Paul prophecied saying The time shall be when men will not abide holesom doctrine but as such whose eares doth itch they shall gett them such teachers as shall withdraw them from the truthe and turne them to fables For hereof it happened that not regarding what he was that taught or vpon what reasons he grounded his doctrine onely the pleasauntnes of it as a bayte choked the hearers and prisers thereof For euen as in the olde lawe the children of Israel when they fell to iniquite woulde not harken to the prophets but badde them to speake pleasaunt doctrine vnto them and seke them out errours so many these late yeares pressed with sinne harkned gredely to such doctrine as might deliuer them from the discipline of the church from due repentaunce confession and satisfaction of their sinnes from obedience to pastours and curats from fastings from praier and all necessite of good workes brefely from all clogge of conscience from which Luther craked he had deliuered the hartes off men Nowe as we are suffred to fall in to sinne sometime not onely of infirmite or for triall of our strenghth but also for the plage of other sinnes as S. Paule in the first to the Romans declareth so in punishment of this lewde liberty so gredely embraced in smaller pointes of our faithe God hathe of his secret and vnknowen iustice suffred vs to fall beside in to such enormous heresies though nothing pleasaunt otherwise to such detestable doctrine to so diuers and contrary opinions that considering now the trade of this tragedy and seing to what issue it hath proceded though truly I feare it be farre yet from the issue and ende I haue thought it a good and conuenient meanes bothe to staie somewhat this hedlong race that men so blindely runne in and to call backe such as haue passed all bondes of right belefe already by the very same meanes by the which they first began to breake the araye of Christes church and to runne this madde and lamentable course And bicause we may worke the matter euen from the grounde I haue thought good to consider the very first sowers of the schismaticall seede of oure time which I do finde to haue ben Luther and his scholer Melanchthon and Iohn Caluin The first broker of this cursed bargain whereby many haue lost heauen and purchased hell was Martin Luther The setter forth of the bargain and greatest Marchant of these perilous wares was Melanchthon who semed partly to perfit that which Luther began partly to amend with ciuill conformatiō that which the other furiously and beyond all reason blamed Of these two heades are nowe two monstrous sectes swarming in all such places as protestants and ghospellers preuaile That is the zelous roughe and rigorous Lutherans cleauing fast to euery iote and parcell of Luthers doctrine as being the very euangelist of this fifte ghospell and the ciuill softe and Philosophicall Lutherans which after the trade off Melanchthon plucke vp in Luther such thinges as they mislike and plante of their owne such as they liste The third chief Master of late heresies and principall founder of wicked doctrine hathe ben Iohn Caluin the head and Capitayn of the Sacramentary secte For though Zuinglius and Oecolampadius may seme his auncetours of a fewe yeares yet he beareth nowe the name and the stroke of all that cursed secte both bicause he hath writen most thereof and also
hath done most harme of any other Truly who so knewe what maner of men these were what abhominable doctrine they haue taught how variable and inconstant they haue ben in their owne sayings and doings if he be a ChristeÌ„ man and feareth God he will neuer forsake the whole corps of Christendom and the Catholike faithe of so many hundred yeares to folowe the priuat newe and variable doctrine of their braynes But it semeth they are of a number vnknowen and hereuppon rashely beleued I will therefore adde vnto this worke of Staphylus a short discours touching the doctrine of these thre Archeprotestants of our time For euen as the intent and purpose of that vertuous and lerned man Fridericus Staphylus in this his Apology by vs translated was to reduce his deere countremen of Germany wandering like straie shepe to the flocke off Christes churche againe partly by discouering the falshod of their guides craking of Gods worde without the right meaning thereof and abusing the vnlerned with false forged translating off the same which in the first and second part of his Apology he hath done partly also by setting before mens eyes their greate variaunces and most clere dissensions in doctrine an euident argumeÌ„t of heresy euen so our intent and pupose is for the edifieng of such of my dere countremeÌ„ as haue not of malice but of ignoraÌ„ce cleaued vnto the plausible and pernicious doctrine of these thre Archeheretikes Martin Luther Phil. MelanchthoÌ„ and Iohn Caluin to make an especiall discours of their doctrine bicause they are in our countre aboue all other secte masters most folowed For not only the common sorte of deceiued protestants but the lerned and pretended prelats and ministres of our countre are partly LutheraÌ„s partly Sacramâ—taries And of the LutheraÌ„s some though the fewer nuÌ„bre are zelous and rigorous LutheraÌ„s that is such as wil in al points folow Luther taking hym for the verâ— prophet of God the fifte Euangelist and the third Elias of our time Some are ciuill Lutherans gentle and courtly protestants which admit Luther so farre as theÌ„ list professing a kinde of indifferency in many matters of religioÌ„ as Melanchthon their first Master taught them The third sorte of protestaÌ„ts the most common and allowed secte in Englande are the Sacramentaries of Geneua Who are so greate in nuÌ„bre and authorite that the other are allmost of no accoÌ„pt or reputatioÌ„ To these meÌ„ Luther is a papist and Caluin is the right and vndoubted prophet To the entent therefore that beside the generall discours of Staphylus the particular humours of our countre may somewhat be serued I haue thought it necessary to annexe here vnto a particular discours of these thre sectes by examining the thre first founders and fathers thereof But especially and most largely we entend to treate of the Sacramentary secte as being the greatest sore of the corrupted body off our countre And although we saie not herein al that may be saied which would require a large volume and perhap more tedious then profitable yet these fewe that we shal bring may be sufficient arguments to discredit the authorite of any one of them which in many mens eyes semeth so greate that at the warrant off their mouthe they sticke not to caste awaye all credit off all the lerned men in Christe his churche this fiftene hundred yeares and vpwarde For if I declare vnto you most manifest and clere heresies such as haue ben condemned aboue a thousand yeares paste in that state and time of Christes church as our protestants yet acknowleadg or â—eme at the lest to acknowledg for pure and vncorrupted to be in the doctrine of Caluin If I showe most manifest contradictions and brutish absurdites oute off his writings in the waightiest articles of our belefe as of the blessed Sacrament of Baptim and of free will of man if I declare vnto you such inconstancy of Melanchthon as woulde scarse become a meane scholer in matters of common lerning yf I discouer a numbre of olde heresies condemned also in the primitiue church renewed by Luther generally receaued of all protestants beside diuers other most certain tokens of hereticall doctrine auouched by him all this I truste shall be a iuste and sufficient cause not only to suspect but vtterly to mislike the residew off their doctrine and opinions whereby they haue inueigled the hartes of men to the vtter destruction off thousands of soules For truly if they be men sent especially from God to restore vnto vs the light of his holy worde after the darcknes of so many hundred yeares as they pretend to be and are taken for such it can not possibly be but that their sayings and doings must sauour of the Apostles holy Martirs and awncient fathers of Christes church by whom the faith of Christ was first planted here on earth and spred through oute the whole worlde That is they must haue Cor vnum animam vnam One harte and one mynde as the Apostles had they must Obedire excorde in eam formam doctrinae in qua traditi sunt Obeyeuen from their harte to that mâ—ner of doctrine wherein they were brought vp as the first Christians did they must haue the ensample of holesom wordes and doctrine which they heard of their first fathers and teachers as the churche of Christ hath allwaies continued But iff their sayings and doings repugne directly against the manner and vsage of these holy men if they be at variaunce amonge them selues and with them selues as especially you shall see in Caluin if they forsake the trade of olde doctrine and renewe in their place olde condemned heresies if they forsake the ensample of other forging doctrine of their owne no Christen man may doubte but that they are not off that race nor line but rather of the issue of the olde heretikes whose doctrine they renew and behauiour they folow For vndoubtedly the saying of our Sauiour can not be false By their frutes you shall knowe them But now to the matter and first of Luther It is well knowen by all the histories of our time as of Fontanus Reuerus Sleidan and other that the first breache of the well ordred aray of Christes churche was by Luther attempted not of reuelatioÌ„ conscience or lerning but only for the grief of a repulse taken touching the publishing of that famous pardon of the Croâ—sad For hereuppon began he first to open his lippes against the abuse of pardons after against the pardons them selues theÌ„ against the whole authorite of the church not only in that matter but almost in al other necessary articles of belefe And biâ—ause we wil not go by coÌ„iectures but by mostâ—â— redemonstrations I will bring you the wordes of Luthâ—â— him sâ—lfe In a disputation before the Duke George of Saxony helde openly at Lipsia with D. Eâ—kius he doth plainly pronounce That the quarell of religion theÌ„ by him enter prâ—sâ—d was not begonn for the honour
of God nor should not ende to his honour Luther in all his doinges declared well this his intent and purpose but nowe bicause Ex abundâ—ntia cordis os loquitur as the harte thinketh the tongue speaketh he vttereth it also in wordes and be wraieth his deuelish intent rashely perhaps and vnprouidently on his owne parte but not without the mercyfull prouidence of allmighty god in our behalf And in very dede according to his talke the matter proued For see howe he made his entry to this ioly enterprise He knew right well that the authorite of lerned writers staÌ„ding he could not plant his deuelish and wicked doctrine Therefore at the first he persuadeth the worlde that the ghospell hitherto hath ben trod vnder foote and mens constitutions haue preuailed Wherefore nothing ought to be receiued but the only clere and expresse text of holy Scripture For these be his wordes in his booke De sâ—ruo arbitrio against Eraesmus Laie aside all the armour and defence which the olde Catholike writers all scholes of diuines authorite of Councells and popes the consent of all ages and all Christendom do minister vnto you VVe admitt nothing but Scripture VVhatsoeuer the olde writers taught the authorite of the church hath deliuered Christen people hath embraced Scholes haue defended it is all the pestilent poison of the deuill I will no iudgement but I require obedience Nor let not any maÌ„ be any whit moued with the miracles or holynes of the Saints off the church They are all damned if they thought as they wrote Thus farre Frier Luther Be these the wordes thinke you of a Christen maÌ„ If Porphirius Lucian Iulian the Apostata or any Turke or Pagan shoulde go about to withdraw Christen men from the faith of Iesus Christ and of his holy worde what surer grounde could he vse of his persuasion what suttler entry coulde he make then to persuade them that all Counsells al doctours al Popes haue erred damnably and taught Satanicall doctrine There arose in Holland about twenty yeares past one George Dauid first a Lutheran protestant and after a most detestable Apostata affirming him selfe to be the true Messias and Christ. He liued afterward in Basill certain yeares vnder pretence of a Lutheran protestant and naming him selfe Iohn of Bruncke he died at Basill and but two yeares after his deathe was espied to be that George Dauid whom so many Anabaptistes folowed and beleued At what time his bookes and writings being serched coÌ„taining the reasons and persuasions of his doctrine amonge many other this was founde and is the viij th in number If saieth he the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles had ben the true and perfit doctrine truly the church which they planted and framed by their doctrine should necessarely haue continued and neuer perished Bicause hell gates them selues as Iesus saied should not preuaile against his church but nowe it is euident that Antichrist hath vtterly ouerthrowen the doctrine and building of the Apostles For this saieth he is manifest in the papacy Whereof he will haue it necessarely ensue that the doctrine of the Apostles be vnperfitt and false but the doctrine that he bringeth for the be the perfit and true These are the very wordes of the history of his life sette forthe by the vniuersite of Basill Beholde the reason of Luther to plant his newe ghospell and the reason of George Dauid to ouerthrowe the ghospell is all one Luther groundeth vppon the errour of the church George Dauid groundeth vppon the same Luther maketh his entry by condemning the churche George Dauid maketh the same Onely this is the difference Dauid goeth plainly to worke and openeth his diuelish intent at the first and therefore he prospered not Luther craftely pretendeth the defence of Gods worde though he condemne the church and therefore it succeded ioylely with him For tenfolde worse is a preuy enemy then an open and sooner is the Turke auoided then the heretike though they bringe vs bothe to one pitte the Turke walketh naked he asketh all at ones his filthynes appeareth at the first sight and therefore the Christen man at the first blushe abhorreth him But the heretike is cloked with the name of a Christian asketh but the deniall of some part of our saith pretendeth the worde of God and therefore is not off many espied Our Sauiour in that most tender and longe praiers that he made for mankinde after the mysticall Supper praieth thus O holy father kepe them in thy name whom thou hast geuen vnto me that they may be one as we are I aske not only for them but for all such as by their worde shall beleue in me that they all be one as thou father in me and I in the that they also be one in vs that the worlde may beleue that thou hast sent me Christ here praieth for vnite in his Church and that to continue for euer For he saied before he would praie the Father and he should geue a comforter to tary with vs for euer the Spirit of truthe And why doeth our Sauiour praie for this vnite and truthe to continew for euer in his Churche forsothe he protesteth it vnto his Father and saieth to the entent that the worlde may beleue that thou hast sent me Lo Christ would haue the continuaunce of truthe and vnite in his Church to be a most euident argument to all the worlde that he was the true Son of God the only Sauiour and Redemer of the worlde Nowe Luther and George Dauid denie this vnite and truthe to haue continewed and our protestants appeale to the first six hundred yeares condemning wickedly the whole corps of Christendom off these last ix hundred yeares of errours superstition and idolatry And what other coÌ„sequeÌ„t looke we hereof to folowe then that with George Dauid and his secte they denie Christ him selfe In the preface off Staphylus to the bishop of Eistat you haue sene howe the protestants of Bohem are allready come to this point where this heresie first began and hath most continued But here peraduenture some ciuill Lutheran will be offended with vs for vrging these wordes of Luther and charging him so farre therewith and awnswer with their common distinction saying The writinges of Luther are of thre maner of sortes to witt some writen before he thouroughly espied what popery was some again writen in vehemency of contention wherein sometime he showed him selfe to much passioned some again that he wrote in mekenes of spirit and such to be taken for the very pure kernell and vndoubted verite of his ghospell This distinction and poore shift though Luther vsed it before the Emperour at Wormes and be a common cloke of the ciuill protestants to couer the filthynes off their father Luther yet bothe it standeth litle with the truthe of an Euangelist as he termeth him selfe or of the third Elias as his scholers call him and will neuer be graunted of
which is but one are they agreed Truly as cattes and dogges Luther neuer wrote so bitterly against vs Catholikes as he doth against the poore Sacramentaries of Zurich You haue the greuous complaint of the brotherhood of Zurich in the third parte of this booke against Luther Reade the later wordes of the place and see howe charitably he vseth them Caluin likewise calleth VVestphalus a papist and findeth faute with Bullinger for teaching that to eate Christ and to beleue in Christ is all one And Brentius woulde proue against all the swarme of Sacramentaries that Christ is euery where really not only in the Sacrament What then is there no meanes lefte vs sure and certain to knowe and vnderstande the right meaning of holy Scripture by Sothely if you take the shameles brode waie that Luther prescribeth you none at all But if ye acknowleadg and reuerence the authorite of holy fathers of awncient Councells off the Catholike and vniuersall Church of Christ during continually from the time of the blessed Apostles hetherto there is a right sure and infallible waie to obtaine your desire In the preface of Staphylus to the Bishop of Eystat and the first parte of this his Apologie you haue a very euident and sensible declaration thereof As you tendre your soule health and the inestimable treasure of life euerlasting which without right belefe is not to be had reade and peruse diligently the Authour And you shall I trust in God finde your felfe satisfied to the vttermost For howe thinke you May you not worthely suspect that mās cause that disableth so many witnesses so lerned so holy as Luther doth condemning all holy Fathers and Councels Is it not a pride comparable to the loftines of Lucifer him selfe to saie I will no iudgement but I require obedience Is it not a most impudent arrogancy and a detestable blasphemy to saie that al holy men of the Church are damned if they thought as they taught Neuer sence the worlde stode was there heretike that vttered such horrible blasphemies as the cursed mouthe and penne of Luther hath done But sithen that Luther condemneth the olde fathers of the Church is he nowe the first father thereof hath he no predecessours in his doctrine Surely the Lutheran protestants of our countre crie so much vpon the fathers that seing their Master denieth all fathers it may much be maruailed where the scholers haue founde them After longe study I haue at the length espied who are their fathers And for the instruction of my dere deceiued countremen I will not lett to declare them S. Paule to the Corinthians saieth Though ye haue thousands of masters in Christ yet not many fathers For in Christ Iesus by the ghospell I haue begotten you Such thē are to be accompted the fathers of Christes Church or of heretikes whose doctrine the church of Christ foloweth or heretikes Let vs see then whose doctrine Luther and his scholers the protestants do folowe First not the doctrine of the Fathers of Christes Church For they pardie by the vardit of Luther are all damned if they thought as they taught Off what fathers then hath he and his scholers lerned their doctrine We shall see by the particulars Luther in his Assertions against Pope Leo teacheth that fre wil after the fal of mā is but a bare title and that man while he doth as much as lieth in him sinneth deadly yea and that the iuste man in his good worke sinneth also deadly And Melanchthon his scholer in his Annotations vpon S. Paule to the Romans saieth that the aduoutry of Dauid is as properly the worke of God as the calling of Paule blaming the glose of such as saie that God permitteth euill but doth none for fonde and foolish So teacheth also Iohn Caluin and Beza his derling This heresy they lerned of Simon Magus of Marcion of the Manichees of Petrus Abailhardus all cōdemned heretikes as in S. Augustin ad Quoduultdeum in Epiphanius in S. Clement of Rome and in S. Bernard it is to be sene The allegations of these places we note only at this present without recitall at large to auoide prolixite Vpon this doctrine it folowed that good workes by the deniall of fre wil being wiped away faith must do the dede Luther therefore and all his felow heretikes teache the sufficiency of only faith to saluation Yea and our protestants are not ashamed to putt it in to their Crede songe in their churches And for this purpose where S. Paul writeth VVe thinke man to be iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe Luther translateth it thus VVe thinke man to be iustified by only faith This olde dānable and most enormous heresie they haue lerned of olde heretikes aboue a thousand yeares ago for ye may not thinke these mē lacke antiquite in their doctrine Their Fathers herein are Eunomius and Aetius who taught likewise only faith to suffise condemned therefore for heretikes off the Church as S. Augustin and Epiphanius recordeth Luther and all his scholers can not abide worshipping of Saints calling such seruice idolatry Their fathers touching this doctrine are Faustus Manicheus the heretike and Maximus Madaureusis the pagan finding faute with the Christians for such deuotion as S. Augustin mencioneth They condemne praieng for the dead they abhorre the blessed Sacrifice of the Masse celebrated for the dead they would make men beleue it was neuer vsed before S. Gregories time how saie we then if the contrary opinion denieng praier for the dead were condemned for an heresy longe before S. Gregories time was not troweye such praier allowed and practised S. Augustin reakoning vp the heresies before his time writeth of the Aerians thus Aeriani ab Aerio qui cum esset praesbyter dolens quôd episcopus nō potuit ordinari in Arrianorū haeresim lapsus propria quoque dogmata addidit nonuulla dicens orare vel offerre pro mortuis oblationem non oportere that is The Aerians so called off Aerius who being priest for grief that he could not be made a bishop fell in to the heresy of the Arrians and added also certain doctrines of his owne saying that men ought not to praie nor to offer oblation for the dead The like writeth of him before S. Augustin Epiphanius in his booke of heresies It was preached of late before diuers of the honourable Nobilite of the Realme in the solemne funerall of the late most Catholike Emperour Ferdinandus that praier for the dead was bothe superfluous and superstitious It was saied a third place such as purgatory is could not be iustified by Scripture and that the auncient fathers before the time of S. Gregory acknowledged no suche place nor praier for the dead in such sence as the Catholikes now take it and vse it This sermon also hath ben thought worthy to be printed and sette forthe to the vewe of the whole world
or of so smal faith as to doubt of their reste and perfit blisse which are already in heauen Let vs cōsider your maner of reasoning It is manifest saie you that those holy fathers ment nothing lesse then by praying for the dead to establish purgatorie or third place This you suppose as manifest without any proufe at all which you ought well and substātially to haue proued For hereupon depend your distinctions that folow But how better and trulyer saie we M. Grindall it is manifest that those holy fathers seing they praied for the dead that they ment vndoubtedly there was a purgatory or third place You suppose they prayed only for such as were already in heauen and herupon you make your distinctions But as your supposition is a point of sophistry called petitio principij and beside all reason and truthe so are your imagined distinctiōs vaine and foolish Wil you haue clere and euident proufes that the fathers praiyng for the dead meaned nothing so and that your suppositiō is voide of all truthe Or will you be contented hereafter that praier for the dead be solemnised in your churches if we proue vnto you the practise of the eldest fathers to haue ben such S. Denys you reiect for an awncient writer bicause of the iudgmēt of Erasmus Let vs geue you leaue to reiect him whom the sixtgenerall councell and second of Nice alleageth for awncient euen for Denys the Areopagita S. Paules scholer Whom thē may we alleage to testifie against you of such authorite that you will be contented to rest vpō him Your olde frēd and Master Ihon Caluin calleth oftentimes S. Augustin in dogmatibus ecclesiae fidelissimum vetustatis interpretem the faith fullest reporter of antiquite in doctrines of the church Let vs thē see what S Augustin reporteth of praying for the dead and of the meaning of the church therein Awnswering to the questions of Dulcitius demaunding amōge other thinges howe the soules departed were relieued by the praiers of the church after lōge debating the matter he concludeth in these wordes Cum ergo sacrificia siue altaris siue quarūcūque eleemosynarū pro baptisatis defunctis omnibus offeruntur pro valde bonis gratiarū actiones sunt pro non valde malis propitiationes sunt pro valde malis etiam si nulla sunt adiumenta mortuorum qualescunque viuorum consolationes sunt that is Therefore when the sacrifices either of the aultar or of any aulmes geuinge are offred for all Christen folcke departed this life for the perfit and very good they are thankes geuinges for meane euill though they are no reliefe to the dead yet they are certayn comfortes for the frendes that liue Thus farre S. Augustin In these wordes M. Grindall we lerne the meaning of the fathers prayng and offering sacrifices for the dead not to be allwaies thankes geuings or figures of eloquence as yow woulde haue them meane but to be thē only thanckes geuinges when they are offred for such as haue departed this worlde in a perfit estate and vprightnes of life For other departing as sinners but not extreme hainous and wicked they are he saieth Propitiationes propitiatory sacrifices that is such as purchase fauour and mercy at Gods hande The third sorte of men though Christned yet being Valde mali that is so euill that they die without true repentaunce they auaile not at al. We knowe well M. Grindall youre doctrine beinge builded vppon onely faith admitteth not these distinctions of the estates of men But the Catholike churche which condemned your heresy of onely faith in Eunomius and Aerius aboue twelue hundred yeares past as you heard before acknowledgeth them and teacheth them By the which distinctions also we lerne the meaning of the church praying and offering sacrifices for the dead As for the figures of eloquence Master Grindall which you imagin the fathers vsed praying for the dead is a figure of your owne called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in latin is called Mendacium we english men terme it a lye But you saie yow can showe by examples that the fathers so meaned Let vs heare and cōsider what they are You saie But I will make this matter more plaine by an example or twaine caete And then you bringe the wordes of S. Ambrose affirming first Theodosium frui luce perpetua tranquillitate diuturna pro ijs quae in hoc gessit corpore muner ationis diuinae fructibus gratulari to enoiye perpetuall light and continuall quietnesse and for those thinges that he did in this body to reioyse in the fruition of Gods rewarde and yet afterward praying for him in these wordes Domine da requiem perfecto seruo tuo Theodosio requiem quam parasti sanctis tuis Lorde geue rest to thy perfect seruaunt Theodosius the reast I meane which thou hast prepared for thy Saints In the first wordes say you he pronounceth plainly that Theodosius was vndoubtedly saued and in the later he praieth for him vsing a figure of eloquence and vehemency of affection Here ones again M. Grindall you turne the cat in to the panne and reason tout au rebours as the frenche prouerb goeth euen as you did before for as then you woulde ouerthrowe praier for the dead bicause you supposed there was no third place whereas the third place must nedes therefore be bicause the churche praieth for the dead so nowe the praying off S. Ambrose for Theodosius you call a figure off eloquence and vehemencie of affection but his wordes commending Theodosius you call a certain persuasion and plaine pronouncing of his vndoubted saluation whereas in dede the wordes of S. Ambrose commending Theodosius procede of a vehement affection and loue towardes that Emperour for how coulde he be assured in dede of his blessed state semed he neuer so perfitt in his life without some speciall reuelation from allmighty God which yet M. Grindall I dare saie you will not saie he had but his praier for the Emperour was the vsuall practise of the church vsed at all funerals in all ages sence Christen religion began Againe these wordes of S. Ambrose pronouncing Theodosius to enioy the perpetuall light and continual quietnesse cae may well be a figure of eloquence of Amplification and exclamation but the praying for him tel vs I praye you M. Grindall in what figure of Rhetorike you will put it Farder if that saying of S. Ambrose Domin◠da requiem perfecto seruo tuo Theodosio cae Lorde geue rest to thy perfect seruaunt Theodosius cae be a figure of eloquence vsed in that solemne funerall of that mighty and vertuous Emperour Theodosius howe wel might it haue becomed you also M. Grindal occupying the place of a Bishop as that blessed Doctor S. Ambrose then was and preaching at the funerall solemnite of that most highe mighty and vertuous Emperoure Ferdinandus as he did of Theodosius to haue saied also Da requiem Domine perfecto seruo tuo Ferdinando Lorde geue rest
the broode of that fonde frier sing the same song Beza and his companions at the late Synod of Poissy in FrauÌ„ce were stiff in that opinion aloÌ„g time but at the leÌ„gth were driuen from it whereupoÌ„ they chaunged the tenour of their supplication calling them selues Les esleus de Dieu the chosen of God This wilde persuasion is allmost receiued of all protestants It is the very heresy of the Pelagians condemned therefore in S. Augustins time as in his booke De heresibus he reciteth at large What a great corrupter of holy Scripture Luther hath ben in the second part of this Apologie it is at large declared by Fridericus Staphylus How our protestants also haue folowed his example therein and how manifoldly they haue peruerted the very text of holy Scripture I haue in part touched to geue good warning in the rest Who list to see how this hath ben the guiâ—e and maner of olde heretikes Let him reade Tertullian in his praescriptions S. Ambrose vpon the epistle of S. Paul to Titus Iraeneus also and S. Augustin writing against Adimantus the manichee cap. 12. 14. 16. What should I procede farder in declaring how Luther and his scholers folowe rhe race of olde heretikes bothe in their doctrine and in the maner and setting forthe thereof The very refusall of the auncient fathers in Christes church pronouÌ„ced as you haue heard so impudently of Luther and folowed with no lesse impudence of his scholers is no new point but euen the very shift of their forefathers cursed heretikes of olde time This appeareth well by the disputations of Athanasius with Arrius by the counsell of Sisinnius to the Emperour Theodosius by the maner of Eutyches in the Councell of Chalcedon by the writings of Cirillus touching Nestorius and of S. Basil coÌ„cerning Eunonius For all these lerned fathers could not drawe those vnruly heretikes to the rule of the auncient and holy writers in the Church of Christ. They appealed to only Scripture and would be tried only by that as Luther would and the protestants of our time wil though many heretikes receiued not the whole corps of Scripture but such partes only as liked them reiecting all that made against them euen as now a daies also Luther and his scholers reiect the bookes of Machabees and the epistle of S. Iames the one bicause it praieth for the dead the other bicause it writeth directly against their only faith Of what heretikes they lerned this shift we haue already declared defending the Machabees against M. Grindall Aduise your selues now good Christen readers whether you thinke the surer waie to saluatioÌ„ to for lowe the steppes of these fathers of Luther and all new ghospellers all condemned heretikes aboue a thousand yeares past or embrace the doctrine of the holy Fathers and lerned approued writers in Christes church May we not wel iudge and assuredly persuade our selues that the very sprit of heresy spake in Luther and speaketh in all new ghospellers preaching and defending olde condemned heresies Why haue protestants departed from the olde Catholike religion and embraced the new doctrine of Luther they saie forsothe bicause all thinges are reformed after the paterne and practise of the primitiue Church What meane they trow ye herein truly I do not otherwise thinke but that a great numbre the vnlerned and deceiued sorte take them to meane wel and that all is reduced to the doctrine and religion approued and generally receiued in the primitiue church for the espace of fiue or six hundred yeares after Christ. But vndoubtedly the lerned and ringleaders of this new fangled faith if they meane truly must nedes meane the renewing of such heresies as were in that time condemned For thus and no otherwise do they folow doctrine practised in that time that is of heretikes as in a numbre of particular assertions you haue sene But to returne to Luther what point of a right heretike is there that hath not in him ben verified He condemneth the Church and holy Fathers appointed of the holy Ghoste to gouuerne and direct his church as you see by his owne wordes before alleaged He corrupteth holy scripture by false translations as the secoÌ„de part of this Apologie hath declared you He denied partes hereof at his pleasure after the acustomed maner of al heretikes He holdeth teacheth and defendeth olde cursed and loÌ„ge condeÌ„ned heresies as we haue before deducted vnto you He hath bredd diuers sectes by his owne doctrine repugnaÌ„t and coÌ„trary one to an other to wit the Anabaptistes the SacrameÌ„taries the S weÌ„ck feldiaÌ„s and diuers other as it appeareth clerely by the Table of his Ofspring in the thrid part of this Apologie Finally bicause al heretikes are knoweÌ„ by their frutes what the frutes of this maÌ„s doctrine haue beÌ„ it is in this Apologie of Staphylus in diuers places expresly set forth as wel for the great decaye of deuotion and spirituall vertus as for the temporall waste and misery that of this heresy hath ensued Of his terrible arrogancy and pride the most euident token of a wilfull heretiken and voide of all grace and goodnes all that haue read his writings can testifie abundantly None more complaine thereof then his felowe protestants the Sacramentaries of Zurich as partly by their wordes in the thirde parte of this boke alleaged it maye well appeare Neuer baude in bridwell nor scolde in the stewes so railed as this man doth beinge comptrolled of his doctrine His awnswers against all such as wrote againste him abundantly declare the same For hereupon the ciuill Lutherans do swarue in many pointes from such doctrine as he was wonte to vtter in the vehemency of sprit as they cal it and in his cholere He wrote him selfe an Euangelist off Christ euen as Manicheus called him selfe an Apostle of Christ as S. Augustin witnesseth And off his scholers he is called the thirde Helias as in the story of his deathe we reade writen by Melanchthon Ionas and Pomeranus Euen as Manicheus was of his scolers called the holy ghost and Montanus of his secte also He writeth that he is sure and certain he hath his doctrine from heaueÌ„ eueÌ„ as Aetius sayde also of him selfe I knowe God moste clerely and euen as perfitly as I knowe my selfe The cause and original of Luthers departure from the church was ambitioÌ„ as all the ecclesiasticall histories of our time FoÌ„tanus Rouerus and other do testifie to witt bicause he was not preferred to the publishing of the famous pardon of the croisad The same ambition made Aerius an heretike bicause Eustathius was preferred before him in a certain bishoprike as Epiphanius recordeth The like writeth Tertullian of ValeÌ„tinus and Nicephorus reporteth of Montanus lib. 4 cap. 2. of Nouatus libro 6. capite 3. of Florinus libro 4. capite 20. and of Thebutes one of the firste heretikes in the Apostles time the very same cause of falling in
to heresy And truly euen as the beginning and course of Luthers doctrine hath thouroughely resembled the maner of olde heretikes so his ende was not much vnlike to witt a soden and vnprouided death For being mery and makinge greate feste ouer night he was fouÌ„de dead in the morning Such soden deathe was neuer reade off any Apostle or Euangelist of Christ. But of diuers heretikes especially of Arrius thoughe as by that the Arrians were nothing moued so the Lutherans of this make smal accompte And this much of Luther the father protestant of oure time as touching the pointes of his doctrine where you see bothe what a godly ground he layde and howe in the course and issue there of he hathe showed him selfe to be but a scholer of olde heretikes as he hathe ben the Master of many newe For this man worse then any gutter or sinke whiche receaueth onely the filthe that is brought vnto it bredeth none not onely toke olde heresies of other but added also thereuÌ„to some of his owne breding of his owne filthy brayne as foule fonde doctrine as any foolish heretike before him And of these his proper inuentioÌ„s one of the maddest is that he teacheth the bread remaining bread to be the very naturall body of Christ in the Sacrament Which hathe semed such a fonde doctrine eueÌ„ to the ghospellers theÌ„ selues his scholers and brethern that the farre greater part off them hath in consideration of this point chefely not doubted to condemne him for an archeheretike â–ª as you may see by the wordes of the brethern of Zurich in the thirde parte of this booke And by reason of this absurde doctrine not onely at the first Zuinglius Oecolampadius and Caluin drewe with them diuers countres from the vnite of Luthers ghospell but also the Lutherans them selues hauing many yeares serued the idoll Luther daily faile and shrinke from him cleauing to the cursed Sacramentaries proceding allwaies in mischef and encreasing with time their heresies and abominations About this time two yeare Brema a greate cyte of Saxony and one of the firste that had receaued the light of Luthers ghospel hauing coÌ„tinued in the foresayde doctrine of Luther aboute fourty yeares as zelous and vpright Lutherans now after greate strife and contention amonge them selues hath openly condemned the same and are become Caluinistes Likewise in Augspurg where the famous CoÌ„fession of the Lutherans was made â—â—fred to the Emperour and confirmed by all the Nobilite of the protestants yet nowe there are mo Caluinistes then Lutherans mo that disproue that CoÌ„fessioÌ„ and doctrine of Luther theÌ„ that approue it How other couÌ„tres also haue flitted froÌ„ Luther hauing many yeares serued hiÌ„ you haue in the thirde part of this booke declared Our countre also being at the firste chaunge all Lutheran is nowe become for the moste parte Caluiniste and Lasconicall as not onely oure doings at home declare but other countres abrode haue noted of vs. Peter Martyr at his first coming to Oxforde was a right LutheraÌ„ in the matter of the Sacrament as he declared him selfe not onely in priuat communication but also in his open lessons where inueighing at a time against the argumeÌ„t of the SacrameÌ„taries Christ is in heauen ergo he is not here in the Sacrament he cried oute Profecto est nodus Diaboli that is Sothely this is a shifte of the deuil him selfe He was wonte also at his first coming to Oxford to complaine Anglos nimiuÌ„ vergere ad Zuinglianismum that we english men enclined to much to the Zwinglians Afterward as al the worlde knoweth he condemned Luther and became him self a ZuingliaÌ„ For he had lerned an other lesson in the Courte Philip Melanchthon him selfe the very darling of Luther and father of the Confessionistes in his later daies became a very Sacramentary as his familiar letters to the Counte Palatin of Rhene printed at Heidelberg in the yeare 1560. hathe declared to al the worlde Thus the proper heresy of Martin Luther that he him self by the spirit of the newe ghospel had inuented in the despite of the Pope for so he protesteth him selfe in a letter of his to the brethern of Strasburg was at the first much misliked and is nowe allmost euerywhere vtterly abhorred Ioachimus VVestphalus the onely staye and piller of this Lutheran doctrine coÌ„plaineth him selfe hereof For thus he writeth No false doctrine is so farre spredde none with so much labour and hypocrisy defended non hath more beguiled the worlde then this false doctrine of the blessed Sacrament â–ª meaning the heresy of the Sacramentaries And Nicolaus Amsdorfsius an other zelous Lutheran writeth thus The Anabaptistes and the SacrameÌ„taries do blinde and deceaue Germany with their pretended holines euen as the monkes before blinded the whole worlde And this verely hathe happened on Luther and his felowes not without the iuste iudgemeÌ„t of God For whereas vpon dispiteous malice he laboured by his new doctrines to ouerthrow the church of Rome where it hath pleased our Sauiour to place his vicar here on earthe as in diuers of his writings it appeareth he hath wrought his oune destruction and shame for though in very dede through the pernicious persuasions of that wedded frere certain places and corners of Christendome haue swarned froÌ„ the Catholike church and authorite of that Apostolike see in these northe partes of the worlde yet it hathe thousands folde more ben enlarged in the west partes and the newe landes founde oute by Spanyardes and Portugalles in these late yeares as the letters off the Iesuites directed from those countres in to these partes do euidently and miraculousely declare And truly eueÌ„ so befel it at what time Grece and the easte churche departing from the head and vnite of Christes church gaue them selues to sundry schismes and heresies For then sprange vp the faithe in Germany Pole Dennemarke Swethen Norwaie and other northe Countres For thus from the east to the northe and from the northe to the west of the faithe of Christe passeth donec as Christe saithe impleantur tempora gentium Vntell the times of the gentils be acomplished Oure Lorde graunte that it passe not from vs by heresy and schisme as it passed from the grekes and from Afrike the southe parte of the worlde For bothe these people through schismes especially of the Arrians and their ofspringe lost the faith of Christe as the histories declare vnto vs. But to returne to our matter the church of Rome the see Apostolike that Luther laboured by heresy to ouerthrowe standeth yet in his full force and interest notwithstanding the miserable losse of a numbre in our countre and otherwhere Truly Luther him selfe cometh very short of the counte he made being reiected nowe allmoste euery where The Catholike also may lerne to auoide and shunne hereby all maner of protestants what so euer name or secte they be of proceding all of this heade beinge all the corrupted issue of
we are assured of suche thinges as seme not to be but are in dede But a thinge to be whiche is not oure faithe can not assure vs. So by faith we beleue the present being off Christes body and bloud in the Sacrament which appeareth not present vnto vs. Nowe then if Caluin shooteth much amisse to attribut his fonde imagination to the miraculous working off God howe muche were his scholers beside the marke that seing Gods power failed woulde flie to their faithe and attribute suche operation to it as God him selfe worketh not And this doctrine being so absurde Caluin hath inuented bycause he woulde destroye Transubstantiation That is to saye Rather then with the Catholike churche he will graunte that Christ maye be in many places at ones as in heauen and in the blessed Sacrament to whiche is no contradiction but a worke though aboue the commō course of nature yet wel agreable to the omnipotēcy of almighty God and vniformely of al holy fathers acknowledged he inuenteth an imagination of his owne making God the authour off contradiction saieng we eate Christ in the Sacrament aud yet being as farre distant from vs as heauen is from the earthe whiche bothe is a thing that God neuer worketh and such as neuer man before the dayes of Iohn Caluin taught in Christ his churche I haue ben good readers some what long in debating this one point bicause I wish euery mā to vnderstande me As for the deceaued scholers of Caluin in oure dere countre if they will not beleue the Catholike churche touching the omnipotency of Christe to be in diuers places at ones they are confuted by the greate worke of Brentius a Lutheran de vbiquitate sette forth this very yeare for the proufe of that onely pointe though it be otherwise hereticall Caluin in his commentaries vpon S. Iohn saith in expresse wordes I confesse we eate Christ by no other meanes then by beleuing And what beleuing he meaneth in his Catechisme he doth expresse In beleuing that Christe is dead for our redemptiō and hath risen for our iustificatiō our soule eateth the body of Christ spiritually Finally he meaneth no other eating of Christ in the sacramēt thē by faith For vpon the sixt of Ihon he affirmeth eating to be the worke of faith and in his Institutions he calleth it the effect of faithe And this againe is a greate stay of al the Sacramentary doctrine to make men wene that we ought to looke for no other eating of Christ his flesh and drinking his bloud in the blessed sacramēt then by faith For this their faith is so precious a thing in the eye of Caluin that he is not ashamed to write in his cōmētaries vpō S. Matthew these wordes If we could sufficiently be mindefull of the passiō of Christ it were but superfluous to haue the commō vse of Sacraments for they are remedies of oure infirmitie This doctrine bicause it is a most perilous and most blasphemous doctrine and yet as I vnderstande to my greate grief much rooted in the hartes of many of my dere deceaued countremen I wil labour with such reasons as I may to remoue it frō their hartes For truly this proude confidence of faith planted by Luther watered by Caluin and encreased by the pricking forthe of the deuill in his Ministres excludeth all meanes to call for grace all due preparation to the holy Sacraments all endeuour of vertuous liuing First if by beleuing in Christ we eate Christe and eate no otherwise then by faithe then is all excommunication vaine Bothe the Catholike church hathe allwaies practised and the protestants of our countre for the maintenaunce of their wicked doctrine do gredely practise that for certain hainous crimes men are kepte from the holy table as they calle it or embarred the receauing of the blessed Sacrament as the Catholike churche termeth it The doctrine off the Catholike church teaching vs as the wordes of our Sauiour expresly importe to eate not onely by faith but in dede the fleshe of our Sauiour in the blessed Sacrament worthely excludeth from that most holy mistery open penitents as the primitiue church speaketh that is suche as hauing committed notorious crimes either wickedly perseuere in the same or though repenting thereof haue not yet done due satisfactiō therefore But the doctrine of Caluin and al the Sacramentaries excluding the reall presence off our Sauiour and graūting this heauēly foode to faith only what auaileth it thē to excōmunicat or remoue frō their table any notorious offender keping yet not withstanding his faithe and beleuing allwaies in the passiō of our Sauiour and resurrectiō also if by faith onely he receaue Christ then may he eate as well at home in his house as if he were admitted in to the congregation For though he be excommunicat he loseth not yet his faithe vnlesse perhaps as they saie according to the doctrine of their graundfather Luther that who hath faith hath withall necessarely good workes whereupon they builde their perilous doctrine of only faith so contrary wise they will saie that a notorious offender a bearer of malice a disobedient person and so forthe leseth with al his faith by the lacke whereof he can not eate Christ vnlesse he be absolued if they saie this first I aske what if the person repent before the pretended bishop or Ordinary absolue him In this case other he beleueth and so eateth Christ though he stande yet excommunicat as being not absolued or he beleueth not and so his faith dependeth vpon the external absolution which were to superstitious a doctrine for the newe ghospell Againe though we graunted them this suttle shift and suffred them so to pluck their heades oute of the coler that their excommunication were good bicause their excommunicats haue loste their faith and are become infidels though truly their excōmunicatiō be nothing els but the diuels curse yet by this their doctrine they condemne the primitiue church embarring penitents such as lacked no faithe pardy onles a man maie bewaile his sinnes and haue no faithe some three some seuen some ten yeares some euen to the houre off their death from the receauing of the blessed Sacrament Nowe if they boldely condemne the primitiue church what maie they not be bolde to do yet they beare men in hande forsothe that they reduce all to the state off the primitiue church and will be tried by the first six hundred yeares after Christ. Well this only practise in the primitiue Church excluding penitents from the blessed Sacrament directly destroieth oure Sacramenaries doctrine teaching vs to eate Christ no other wise as Caluin saythe then by beleuing Againe the practise of the primitiue church was that the Cathechumeni that is such as were not yet baptised and beleued not withstanding bothe in the passion and in the resurrection of Christ should not only not be admitted to receaue the holy Sacramēt but were not suffred to tary in the church
at the oblation and distributiō thereof For after the ghospel they we re all by the deacōs excluded And to this daie at Rome where Turkes sometime resort and Iewes alwaies cōtinewe some infidels and some Catechumeni at the solēne festes when most resort of people is at the high masse after the ghospel a staie is made and a serch whether any Catechumeni other of the Iewes or of the grekes be present Notwithstanding these Catechumeni beleued in Christ some off them no lesse then the Christiās S Ambrose was a Catechumin and a beleuer in Christ though not baptised euē when he was elected bishop of Millain S. Augustin being yet a Catechumin wrote diuers litle bookes wherein he declared him selfe not only a true beleuer in Christ but an excellent diuin as it appereth especially by his Soliloquia which he made in that time Nowe if Caluin had liued in those daies and sene S. Ambrose and S. Augustin not yet baptised notwithstanding the faith and lerning they had to be thrust out of the churches after the ghospel and not to haue bē suffred so much as to be present at the sacring time and the residew of the Masse he woulde of al likelihood comforted thē with the faith of his ghospell and whistred them in the eare that they receaued and did eate the fleshe off Christ no lesse thē the other that receaued at the aultar seing they beleued no lesse then the other He might also haue checked S. Ambrose for keping the Emperour Theodosius so longe out of the church for the greate murdre he had caused to be done at Thessaelonica For the Emperour notwithstanding remained in his faith as it well appeareth by the greate lamentations he made at home in his house when he sente Ruffinus one of his Nobles to S. Ambrose to be admitted in to the churche And in very dede Caluin by this his doctrine not onely comptrolleth S. Ambrose and S. Augustin but condemneth all the primitiue church excluding the Catechumeni from receauing the blessed Sacrament if as he saie faith only geueth them this foode I beseche here all good Christen men and such as feare God and loue their owne soules diligently to aduise with them selues howe they folowe the Sacramentary doctrine of our preachers of Geneua lest that in folowing them they departe from the Catholike church bothe that nowe is and euer hath ben which in their Crede they professe to beleue Thirdly if when our Sauiour saied to his disciples Take eate this is my body by the worde eating he badde vs beleue what did he bidde vs in the worde taking do we take by faith as we eate by faith why then call they men so earnestly to their table maye I not as wel eate and take by faith at home as at their table doth not my faith serue me as well in the house as in the church they are wonte to saie we maie as well praie at home as in the church and why maie we not also as well beleue at home as in the church Then if bothe taking and eating the body of Christ be but a matter of faith what nede they storme and trouble such as will not receaue at Easter or other times maie not good men tel them that by their owne doctrine they receaue at home beleuing in the passion and resurrection of Christ Againe when Christ bad the Apostles take and eate his body did they looke vpon him beleuing him and receaued nothing outewardely yes they will saie they receaued the bread what was the bread the body of Christe the Lutherans indede would be glad to heare that For so should Caluin be a Lutheran and agree with Westphalus which while he liued he would not do for his life What wil here the Sacramentary saye What shift hath he yet He will perhaps saye that Christ bad thē take bread and eate his body This were in dede to make Christ a very sophister to witt that bidding the Apostles take and eate both together saying withall it was his body he should meane they should take bread and eate his body Brefely this I cōclude Yf Christ in these wordes Take eate this is my body meaned this Take and eate this bread which is my body then Caluin agreeth with Westphalus and is become a Lutheran against his will If he meaned this take bread and eate my body then was it a sophisticatiō For it is a point of sophistry to ioyne two termes together taking one properly and the other improperly As here by this laste meaning Christ bidding them take ment properly they should take in dede and bidding them eate mēt vnproperly that is they should not eate in dede but beleue For as al the worlde knoweth beleuing is a very vnproper signification of eating and suche as neuer was heard of before the daies of Iohn Caluin being ment of sacramentall eating But will you see that by the doctrine of Caluin the Apostles did not eate Christ at all in the last supper I meane by faithe For Caluin as you haue heard by his wordes in his Catechisme meaneth such faith as beleueth that Christ died for our redemption and hath risen for our iustification Nowe what faith the Apostles had when Christ made is maunde touchinge his death I will not nowe dispute Althoughe it may seme they doubted much thereof whē they wōdered so muche at his wordes signifiēg his deathe as that Iudas should betraie him as also S. Peter after denieng him But as touching the resurrection the scripture telleth vs plain that diuers of the Apostles at that time beleued it not For first S. Ihon in his ghospell writeth of him selfe that after he looked in to the graue and sawe nothing but the winding shete lefte Vidit credidit he sawe and he beleued And straight after he writeth of S. Peter and him selfe Nondū enim sciebant scripturā c. for they knewe not yet the scripture that he should rise frō deathe S. Thomas also an other of the Apostles woulde not beleue that Ghrist had risen vntell he put his finger in to his woundes And therefore our Sauiour saide after vnto him Quia vidisti me Thoma credidisti Thomas thou haste beleued bicause thou haste sene me Lo then S. Peter S. Ihon and S. Thomas beleued not in the resurrectiō of Christ whē they receaued the blessed Sacramēt in the laste Supper therefore if Caluins doctrine be true the Apostles did not eate Christ at all in the laste Supper See what godly doctrine ensueth of this ghospel of Geneua But here perhaps some scoler of Caluin will obiect what Sir Will you then conclude that bicause in the laste Supper the Apostles without such especiall faith receaued the body of Christ therefore nowe any man may receaue it without that faith Truly suche maner of reasoning of it selfe were naught But yet inioyning with Caluin it were not amisse For he vseth the like against the doctrine of the
thinge In the same place not many lines after thus he concludeth his doctrine of the B. Sacrament I saye therefore the holy mistery of the Supper consisteth of two thinges to witt the earthly signes setting before oure eyes according to oure caepacite the inuisible thinges and the Spirituall verite figured and exhibited by the signes The matter also of this spirituall verite he expoundeth him selfe to be Christ with his deathe and resurrection And in an other place of his workes writing against the councell of Trent thus he speaketh The bread remaineth bread terrestriall and corruptible but the celestiall body of Christe is ioyned thereunto and hereof saithe he by the authorite of Ireneus this mystery consisteth of two thinges the one terrestriall and of earthe the other celestial and of heaueÌ„ to witt the celestiall body off Christ and the materiall bread of earthe Hetherto you see Caluin in the blessed SacrameÌ„t to acknowledg no other body of Christ then Spirituall and celestiall euen as the heretike Valentinus did and to coulour his doctrine also by the authorite off Ireneus Now you shall vnderstande that Ireneus writing against the foresaide heresy of Valentinus for the confutation thereof amonge other arguments vseth the common belefe of the Catholike churche touching this blessed Sacrament Oure doctrine saith he is conformable to the Eucharistie terming so this blessed Sacrament and the Eucharistie confirmeth our doctrine for we offer vnto god that whiche are his owne declaring accordingly the vnite and coniunction of the fleshe and of the Spirit For as the material bread receauing the inuocation of god is no more common bread but the Eucharistie coÌ„sisting of two thinges the one of earth the other of heauen so oure bodies receauing the Eucharistie are no more corruptible but haue certain hâ—pe of resurrection Thus farre Ireneus In the whiche wordes against Valentinus he affirmeth that the Sacrament containeth Christ him selfe whiche consisteth of two thinges or natures being one person to witt of earthely fleshe taken of the virgin and of the celestiall godhead descending from heauen Nowe Caluin bicause he will denie the reall presence of Christes flesh in the Sacrament imagineth the celestiall body of Christ withoute flesh to be ioyned with the material bread as Valentinus the heretike dyd abusing also to that purpose this very place of Ireneus wherein he showeth him selfe other very ignorant of Ireneus meaning and disputation in that place or very malicious in deprauing it after his owne brainesicke fantasie For S. Irene directly reproueth the opinion of Valentinus denieng the incarnation of Christ and his true fleshe bicause in the Sacrament we receaue his true and naturall fleshe and therefore a fewe lines before he saythe Quomodo constabit eis cae Howe wil they be assured that the same consecrated bread is the body of their lorde and the cuppe of his bloud if they denie it to be the Son of god maker of the worlde Doth not here that holy Martyr and lerned Father proue the very flesh and naturall body of Christe against that heretike vpon the grounde of oure belefe touching the reall presence of Christ him selfe in the Sacrament Doth not Caluin taking awaie this grounde of oure belefe and denieng the reall presence of Christes flesh in the Sacrament leauing vs onely a spirituall verite consequently allowe the heresy of Valentinus Againe Valentinus denied the resurrection of oure bodies Ireneus proueth it vnto him by the doctrine of the Sacrament saieng in the same place aboue alleaged Howe dare they saie that oure flesh shall come to corruption and not receaue life which is fedd with the body and bloud of oure lorde Nowe Caluin in his Catechisme in his Institutions and euery where teacheth that oure soule not the body eateth the body of Christ really and truly but not corporally and is nourished there with in hope of life euerlasting Doth not this his doctrine graunting that celestiall foode and onely warrant of oure resurrection to the soule destroie the resurrection of the body as Valentinus the heretike dyd Is he not ones again most manifestly fallen into brokeÌ„ pudles of olde condeÌ„ned heresies Our Sauiour saith Onles you eate my flesh and drinke my bloud you shall haue no life in you he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath life and I wil raise him vp againe in the later daie Nowe if the soule onely eateth this heauenly foode as Caluin teacheth the soule onely shall haue life and be raised vp at the later daye For the onely warrant of resurrection is the participation of the flesh and bloud of Christe For thoughe the bodies of infidels of heretikes and of euill Christians shall arise again yet they shall not arise to life nor in suche maner of resurrection as oure Sauiour meaneth whiche is as his blessed Apostle S. Paule teacheth vs to put on immortalite to be made incorruptible and to be glorified For so shal onely the true beleuers in Iesus Christ and partakners of this holy sacrameÌ„t arise As for infaÌ„ts baptised though they receaue not sacrameÌ„tally the flesh and bloud of Christ yet euen as by the faithe of holy church they beleue and are accoÌ„pted to haue faithe so by the communion of Saintes and societe of the Catholike churche they are incorporated to oure Sauiour and assured of their resurrection It wil peradueÌ„ture seme impossible to the fauourers of Caluins doctrine and prisers of his ghospell that he should euer meane any such hainous doctrine as this is Verely what he thought in conscieÌ„ce we wil not iudge but what his writings declareâ— him to be you see I thinke euidently In his Cathechisme labouring to wipe awaie this suspicioÌ„ froÌ„ him he saieth he hathe a witnes and a warrant of the resurrection of his body and of the saluatioÌ„ thereof in that he eateth the signe of life But I praie you could he more manifestly denie the saluation of the body then to attribut it to that thinge whiche can not geue it For what auaileth it for the assurance of life to eate as he saithe the signe of life whiche is nought els but a morcell of bread Where findeth he suche assuraÌ„ce of life in holy scripture What scripture telleth him that by eating the signe of life his body shal rise to incoruption Christ promiseth vs life and resurrectioÌ„ by eating his fleshe and drinking his bloud Is the flesh and bloud of Christe a signe of life Is he not the true bread of life Is not his holy fleshe vnited to the godhead and made one person with god true quickening fleshe and geuing life Surely this doctrine off Caluin vtterly ouerthroweth the resurrection of oure bodies Peter Richier a frenche ghospeller Caluins scholer denieth this fonde doctrine of his Master to witt that by eating the signe of life the body should be assured of resurrection and imagineth an other shifte that the soule being raised spiritually by eating the body of Christe shall
Againe these two sectes in diuers other articles vary out off measure As in originall sinne in free will in baptim and in Penaunce For Caluin denieth all these as the Church teacheth whereas the Melanchthonistes acknowleadg them The Lutherans of Saxony to witt the zelous Lutheraus agree with the Caluinistes denying free will and braule with the Melanchthonistes for allowing free will against the doctrine of their Father Luther Yet againe these zelous Lutherans in the article of originall sinne agree with the Ciuill Lutherans and defie the Caluinistes But in the articles of Iustification of good workes of the Supper of our Lorde and how the lawe and the ghospel ought to be distinguished in these the zelous Lutherans dissent bothe from the Ciuill Lutherans and from the Caluinistes For they teache good workes to be pernicious to saluation they acknowleadg the reall presence which bothe the other sectes denie The Osiandrins agree with the zelous Lutherans of Saxony in the article of the Supper of our Lorde with the Ciuill Lutherans in the article of free will with the Caluinistes in the article of good workes But these againe dissent from all those three sectes in the article of Iustification and diuers other speciall pointes of doctrine The Suenckfeldians agree with the Osiandrins in the article of Iustification with the Melanchthonistes in the article of free will with the Caluinistes that euill men receiue not Christ in the Sacrament But with all other sectes they disagree in the doctrine of baptim and of al the Sacraments of preaching the worde of faith of the church of the humanite of Christ and of diuers other Thus you see brefely sett before you the vnite consent and agreement of this late ghospel You see what man Luther was what Melanchthon what Caluin the three cursed springs of three most wicked sectes swarming now in Christendom where this new ghospel hath spred his branches to witt of the zelous and vpright Lutherans of the Ciuill and conformable Lutherans and of the Caluinistes or Sacramentaries You may iudge by the heads what the ofspring is by their frutes what their sprits be by these particulars of their doctrine which for a taste only we haue discoursed vpon what their whole ghospell is These are the blinde guides and lying Masters whom in place of all approued writers in Christes church a numbre of deceiued persons haue folowed In stede of holy Hierom lewde Luther of lerned Augustin inconstant Melanchthon of blessed Ambrose proude Caluin In place of sounde religion olde condemned heresies of constant faith contrary opinions of vniuersall belefe priuat imaginations of Gods holy worde mens deuises A great shame to forsake auncient belefe A hainous offence to make partes in Christes church A wicked impiete to departe from Christ and his dere spouse the grounde and piller of all truthe But a farre greater shame to embrace the lewde liberte of Luther to folow the variable brayne of Melanchthon to cleaue to the cursed heresies fonde absurdites and clere contradictiōs of Caluin The heresies of Marcion Valentinus Arrius Nestorius and other had coulour of lerning The Montanistes the Tatiani the Manichees the Nouatians had pretence of holynes and vertu These two conditions were vehement persuasions to drawe the worlde vnto them But the heresies of our time be grosse blasphemous and dissolut The denial of the blessed Sacraments and right vse thereof procede of ignoraunce in true diuinite The deniall off free will and wicked assertion of fatall destine vnder the name of Gods forekuowleadge is a horrible blasphemy The breach of ecclesiasticall authorite doctrine of only faith contempt of all good order and constitutions is a mere licentious liberte and wantō dissolutnesse How then happenteh it that men are so abused that the lerned are drawen the vnlerned deceiued Wil you haue the truthe tolde Peccata nostra diuiserunt inter nos Deum Our sinnes haue diuided betwene God and vs. The gate of his grace is shutt from vs. And why We loue the worlde we let slippe our faith we be nailed to our tēporal trash we make it our God We will rather become hethen then suffer for our conscience Otherwise if we feared God we would mistrust this dissolut religion if we were not blinded with selfewill and hardnesse of hart the plage of former sinnes we should espie the absurdite and fondnesse off this vpstert ghospell Howe were it to be wished that at the entry of these newe preachers and planters of straunge doctrines we had had a Pacuuius amonge vs I will recite you the story of him It is writen first of Liuy and repeted of Macchiauell in his discourses After the greate bartaill lost by the Romains at Canne al Italy allmost forsaking their allegeaūce to the cyte of Rome and trēbling at the power of Hanniball the cyte of Capua misliking the gouuernement of their Senatours and Counsellers as it fareth in time of calamite and distresse that the faulte is layed to the Rulers conceiued a great hatred against them and deliberated to murher them euery one and to place other in their rowmes which they thought should better direct their cōmon welthe and more to their cōtentation This Pacuuius being then the chefest Ruler of the cyte perceauing well the peoples furious intention and the daunger the whole Senat stode in deuised with him selfe a witty policie both to appease the people and to saue the Senat. He calleth the Senat together Declareth them the intent of the people openeth them his meaning and saieth My aduise is you suffer your selfe to be shut vp in the palace in my custody I will assemble the people and showe them what case you stande in For the rest if you dare trust me I will take such order that no harme shall befall you They trusted him He calleth the people and saieth vnto them People the time is now come that you may order the Senatours as you desire without any farder tumult But yet bicause I know well you wil not leaue the cyte withoult a Senat and counsel you must nedes if you will destroye the old make a new And therefore lo here the names of all the Senatours As I name you one to deliuer vp in to your handes so you must name me an other to succede him This being saied he opened the scrolle and named an auncient and graue Senatour The people hearing his name cried straight he was a proude and cruell man and not worthy to beare rule Well then quod Pacuuius Who shall succede him Here the people was at a staie and looking one vpon an other knewe not a longe time whom to name At the length one being named some began to smile some to laugh other to disdaine All perceiued well as Macchiauell wittely noteth that the fault appearing in the Senat vniuersally when it came to particular examination was no faute in dede but a misseconstruing and wronge iudgemēt of the people By this meanes
the people knew theÌ„ selues the Senatours remained in authorite Particular fautes were redressed the whole order and estat remained Sucha Pacuuius I say was at the entry of these heresies to be wished and preseÌ„tly may also be heard For although that which is past caÌ„ not be reuoked yet it may be amended Let vs then with Pacuuius demaunde of such as lothe their auncient and receiued belefe what newe faith will they embrace For without some faith I thinke none yet that beare the name of Christians will line Will they be right and zelous Lutherans taking Luther for the very man of God and vndoubted prophet to reuele his holy worde in these our later dayes Will they reiect all Fathers all Councells all that Christendom hath hetherto beleued as you haue heard before Luther doth Then beside all that we haue saied of his doctrine and behauiour sufficieÌ„t I trust to proue him a right heretike if an heretike may be knowen by his frutes let them satisfie the ciuill and disordrely or repining Lutherans let them accrode with the Sacramentaries the Anabaptistes the Osiandrins the Swenkcfeldians and all the remnant of Luthers branches as you may see and vew in the petigrew of his ofspring drawen out by Staphylus If they set light by that fonde frier as the more part of protestants do to the great grief and bitter complaining of all zelous Lutherans what secte wil they be of Will they ciuilly beleue at pleasure as MelaÌ„chthon did and be euerlerning as S. Paule of heretikes pronounceth but neuer attaining to the truthe Who laugheth not at so fonde a chaunge if in so waighty a cause any Christen hart can laugh and not rather lament such willfull blindnesse or blind willfulnesse as in these ciuil Lutherans appeareth Will they forsake Luther vtterly and become Sacramentaries Yet then we may demaunde of what secte of Sacramentaries they will be For Caluin and Bullinger Geneua and Zurich agre not But if they will be Caluinistes as most parte of Sacramentaries are who yet will not disdayne there at knowing the pride of Caluin setting light by the holy Fathers his corrupting of holy Scripture wicked renewing of olde condemned heresies fonde auouching off most clere contradictions rashe teaching of moste absurd doctrine in that article where he we was thought moste to haue excelled All which and much more we haue in this simple discourse discouered vnto you gentle Readers to the entent that you may see what an euill chaunge you make to leaue the auncient fathers the Catholike and vniuersall belefe the faith you were baptised in and in the which all our forefathers these thousand fiue hundred yeares and vpwarde haue serued allmighty God and liued as Christen men and true membres of Christes church to leaue I saie all this and to become protestants or new ghospellers that is men of a new faith and religion which you must lerne of some one of these three Luther Melanchthon or Caluin or of such as haue lerned it of them By this consideration I trust you shall pereiue that though the vniuersall name of refourmed ghospellers and chalengers off gods worde haue pleased you though the generall name of papistry haue displeased and misliked you yet the particular being now discouered as well off the persons as of the doctrine you will either incontinently returne from whence you departed or at lest deliberat thereof and of these fewe lerne to mistrust the rest Fridericus Staphylus whose Apologie we haue here translated you being a Lutheran many yeares and so farre in credit with the protestants that he might haue ben a doctour of diuinite amonge them also a Superintendent at Augspurg at Brunsuick Lubeck and Hamburg by this very consideration became a Catholike For hauing many years ben a Lutheran and a familiar frend of Melanchthon aduised with him selfe to write also in defence of the Lutheran doctrine He had not yet at that time read the auncient fathers but had heard them much alleaged of Luther and Melanchthon and trusting to their allegations thought vndoubtedly that the doctrine of Luther was agreable with the lerned fathers and the primitiue church Hereupon he diuised after the imitation of the Master of the sentence and other schole men to set forthe in one volume the whole effect and summe of Luthers doctrine This booke he intituled Corpus doctrinae Lutheranae the body or summe of Luthers doctrine For this purpose he began to â—eke the doctours and serche the original of Luthers and MelaÌ„chthons allegatioÌ„s But here lo in this particular serche and examinatioÌ„he found the doctours and auncient writers to condemne directly the doctrine of Luther At this he was maruailousely astonned brake of his enterprise began with priuat study to peruse him selfe the auncieÌ„t and approued writers in Christes church as well the grekes as the latins and to conferre with them these new writers of our time About this study he bestowed as he writeth in this very Apologie two and tweÌ„ty yeares not medling with any other ciuil or worldly matters in al that time By this meanes though slowly and slackely as in the preface of this Apologie he complaineth him selfe he shifted at length him selfe out of the captious coÌ„trouersies of this time and became not only a right good Catholike priuately and in coÌ„science but opeÌ„ly also to al the worlde he declared it and discouered more theÌ„ any of our time hath done bothe the false grounde of all their pretended doctrine that is the bare title of gods worde without the right vnderstanding of the same and also their variaunces sectes and dissensions amonge them selues Whereby in diuers partes of Germany especially in the territory of Bauaria many haue returned from the dissolut heresy of Luther to the holesom discipline of the Catholike church This he did to his dere countre of Germany in this Apologie writen of him in his mother tongue This I haue made now common to my dere countre also hauing no lesse nede thereof then that miserable countre of Germany hath I trust herein I shall offende none but suche perhaps as firste muste be offended before they can be amended Heresy is compared to a caÌ„cre Vnlesse it be launced it festereth and groweth to the corruption not only of it self but of other To make an ende I desire the protestant to make the example of this lerned and vertuous maÌ„ Fridericus Staphylus to reade this his labour to consider the grouÌ„de of false doctrine taught by Luther and his successours to vewe the diuersite and contrariete of his scholers the numbre of sectes the blasphemies of eche one to waigh the issue off this doctrine the dissolut life and contempt of order the countres of Hungary Lifland and Prussia lost by Luthers heresy finally to beholde the olde heresies renewed by Luther and other his behauiour resembling heretikes the incoÌ„stancy variete and wilfulnesse of Melanchthon the fonde absurdites clere contradictitions and most hainous heresies of Ihon Caluin I besech the