ministred Touching the doctrine of the inuisiblity of the Protestant Church for many ages we do find our Brother D. Parkins (l) In his exposition of the Creed And Lut. ep ad Argentin sayth Christum à nobis primò vulgatum audemus gloriari thus to write During the space of nine hundred yeares the Popish heresy hath spred it selfe ouer the whole earth And further For many hundred yeares our Church was not visible to the world an vniuersall apostasy ouerspreading the whole face of the earth With whome accordeth D. (m) In his answere to a counterfeit Catholik pag. 16. Fulke saying From the tyme of Boniface the third which was Anno Domini 607. the Church became inuisible and fled into the wildernes there to remaine a long season But M. Napper (n) In his treatise vpon the ReuelatioÌ„ pag. â—8 ryseth higher teaching That between the years of Christ 300. and 316. the Antichristian and Papisticall raigue began raigning â—niuersally without any debatable contradiction one thousand two hundred sixty yeares M. Brocard (o) Vpon the Reuelation p. 110. affirmeth that during the second and third age after Christ the true temple of God and light of the Ghospell was obscured by the Roman Antichrist himselfe But Sebastianus (p) In epistola de abrogandis in vniuersuÌ„ on nibus statutis Ecclesiasticis Francus otherwise a learned Protestant stretcheth farre further saying For certaine through this worke of Antichrist the externall Church togeather with the fayth and Sacraments vanished away presently after the Apostles departure and that for these fourteene hundred yeares the Church hath not beene external and visible with whom conspireth D. (q) In his answere to a counterfeit Catholike p. â—5 Fulke in these wordes The true Church decayed immediatly after the Apostles tyme. A strange and inconsiderate assertion thus to insimulate and charge the tymes next to the Apostles since besides the Scripture (r) Isa 2 Miche as 4 Psalm 19. Matth. 5. witnessing in many places a continuall visibility of the Church and true fayth at all tymes it was Gods good pleasure that his Church concerning true fayth and doctrine should contrary to the course of other things enioy her greatest strength and force in her greatest infancy But to the point From all these testimonyes may be inferred that if the Protestants Church was for so many ages inuisible and that the true fayth and Sacraments thereof were vanished away for so long a tyme then during the length of so many ages there were no Doctours to preach the Protestants fayth nor Pastours to minister their Sacramentes though the same euer to haue beene in the Catholik Church the Protestants forsayd testimonyes do necessarily and implicitely witnes and consequently that the aboue alleadged Prophesy touching the continuance of Pastours Doctours in the Church of Christ at all tymes till the end of the world is not accomplished in the Protestant Church Thus farre heerof only for greater perspicuity I will wind vp the two different parts of all the foresayd Prophesyes in this ensuing argument Then thus It is prophesyed of the true Church of Christ that she must conuert heathen Kinges Kingdomes and Nations vnto her fayth and Religion Aâ— also that she must in all tymes and ages without interruption entoy aflours and Doctours and an administration of the word and Sacraments But by the confessions of our learned Brethren the Protestants the Protestant Church hath neuer as yet conuerted to it any one Heathen King kingdome Nation for many ages togeather by the ProtestaÌ„ts like acknowledgments it hath wanted Doctours and Pastours â—â—preach the Protestants fayth and to minisâ—er the word and Sacraments Therefore the Protestant Church is not that true Church of Christ which is figured out in those foresayd Prophesyes The inference I vrge this I presse in this I make my station It is drawne from acknowledged Scripture on all sides and from the acknowledged sense of the sayd Scripture on all sides Let any learned Protestant or all the learned Protestants liuing sincerely and plainely without subtile euading and declyning the point vrged giue any satisfactory answere heereto and I will indisputably become recreant in my fayth The demonstration is vnauoydable such as that seueral markable ProtestaÌ„ts one way not coÌ„fessing out of their implacable hatred the former Prophesies to be fullfilled in the Catholike Church another seeing by al proofe of historyes whatsoeuer that they haue not beene performed in the ProtestaÌ„t Church 1. s Dauid George Professour at Basil did from hence conclude a thought horrible to be entertained that the Christian Religion as wanting the accomplishments of the foresaid Prophesyes was a false Religion 2. Beruardin Ochine a man highly commeÌ„ded by caliâ—â—n l. de scandalis pag. 111. ouâ— Sauiour a seducer and themselues thereupon sinally became s Iewes I execrate a Iew therefore seeing there is no other Medium I will dye heerein a Roman Catholike 3. Neuserus chiefe Pastour of â—eideâ—hergc 4. Almanus a Zuinglion all which throught the reasons aboue touched forsooke the Christian fayth See of these some others Conradus Schluffelburg in his Theolog. Calu. and Osiander Cent. THE III. MOTIVE That generall Councells confirming Catholike Religion are reiected by Protestants IT is certaine that the spirituall Enemy of mans soule though hating Order yet in impugning the Truth obserueth order For after his reiecting of Canonicall Scripture and expounding falsly by his Ministers confessed scripture he next maketh violent incursions vpon sacred Oecumenicall Councels they being in matters of fayth the highest Iudgements vpon earth whose semences are aboue all appeale and whose testimonyes I hould as so many sealing arguments Therefore I much grieued to find the first and chiefest of our Religion peremptorily to sindicate and censure next to that of the Apostles the first and chiefest generall Councell I meane Luther the Nicen styling it (a) â—uth l. de Concil decrees fâ—enum stramen ligna stipula c. But no meruaile since so long as we continue in condemning the articles of Catholike religion so long are we forced to breake with those Primitiue generall Synods To exemplify in some few for the truths sake though it be more hard to erect a truth by proofes then to confute an errour Who is so Alphabeticall yong a Controuersist but he knoweth that the doctrine of Peters Primacy and his successours is confirmed in the Canons of the second generall (b) Epist ad Damal quae exstat apud Theodor Councell of Constantinople and the third of (c) Apud Eugagrium lib. hist c. 4. Ephesus In the one by plainely acknowledging the doctrine in the other by deposing Nestorius by the authority of the Sea of Rome That Apostolicall traditions are warranted by the first second Nicen Councel the first condeÌ„ning the (d) In actis eiusdem Concii heresy of Arius besydes by Scripture euen by force of Traditions the other (e) Epst.
the sweet yoake of Christ made in our owne dayes by the Iesuits whose very name to vs is vngrateful but Quis (l) Tertul. aduerjus gentes nominis reatus Quae vocabulerum accusatio Osiander a learned Protestant in his booke of Ecclesiasticall history faythfully relateth the Conuersions of many Countreyes Of which Of the (m) Cent. 9.10.11.12.13 14.15 Danes the Morauians the Polonians the Sclauonians the Bulgares the Hunnes the Normans the Bohemians the Swecians the Noruegians the Liuonians the Saxons the Rugy Tusanes By whome sayth he were they conuerted By the Bishops of Rome liuing in those seuerall ages To what fayth To the now Catholike or as he tearmes it papisticall fayth In like sort our Century writers (n) Cent. 8.9.10.11 discoursing vpon the same subiect affirm that the Countryes of Germany of the Vandals the Bulgarians Sclauonians Danes Morauians Hungarians Noruegians were first reduced to Christianity by the Church of Rome professing then by their owne acknowledgments the same religion which at this present it doth Thus hath Rome Christian subiected to it more Nations and Kingdome by a peaceable and sweet force of Religion then euer Rome Heathen did by warre And heere we are to note a consideration not to be neglected that as these and other Protestants do confesse that all the Conuersions of the foresayd Countryes were made by Papists D. (o) Lib. de Eccles contra Bellarm. §. 336 Whitaker therefore styling them impure and corrupt conuersions so not one of the sayd Protestants or any other though writing elaboratly of this subiect would euer ascribe the conuerting of any of these or any other one Heathen King or Nation to the Protestants labours But leauing these last thousands yeares let vs ascend higher to the next three hundred yeares ariuing from the tyme of Boniface the third vp vnto the dayes of Constantin the first Christian Emperour During the space of which three hundred years no Countryes or Kingdomes were conuerted at all to Christian religion either by Catholikes or by any others most Nations in respect of Religion lying then wholy wast and incultiuated The truth of which point is euen demonstrable seeing in these ages there were no Kinges who professed Christian religion the Emperours of the East West only excepted Among whome some were bastard Christians as being braÌ„ded with (p) ValeÌ„s Constantius Constans Arianisme others (q) Iulian. Apostata's so enioying but an abortiue fayth since it wombe became it graue Now concerning the tyme it selfe of Constantin it is so irrefragably true that neither himselfe nor any Countrey by his meanes was conuerted to our Protestant religion (r) Cent. 4 as that our Magdeburgenses recording the state of the Church in his tyme doe charge Constantine with all the Catholike pointes of religioÌ„ at this day professed by the Church of Rome styling them The errours of Constantine of hâ— age Lastly to rise higher in tymes to wit from the tymes of Constantine to that of Christ our Sauiour â—it is aboundantly testifyed by all Historiographers that the Church of God was so straitned and shut vp on all sides and in such violent persecutions though otherwise glad to sweat vnder such a burdeÌ„ as that it had no meanes to enlarge it selfe by conuerting to it Kinges and kingdomes and if it had at that tyme conuerted any yet the question would then follow whether such a Conuersion had beene made to the Protestant or to the Roman Church But the luculency of this former point appeareth both from the writings of the ProtestaÌ„t (Å¿) In the booke flyied Disputationes c. Deuines of Wittemberge from the testimony of our home-brother D. Barlow (t) In his defence of the articles of the Protestant religion p. 24 thus discoursing heereof In the primitiue nonage of the Church this promise of Kings allegiance thereunto was not so fully accomplished because in those dayes that Prophesy of our Sauiour was rather verifyed You shall be brought before Kinges for my names sake by them to be persecuted euen vnto death c. But now to reflect vpon this our Argument or Motiue Is the Protestant Church the true Church of Christ Then hath it conuerted many Kinges Kingdomes vnto the fayth of Christ Let any particularize if he can the Countreyes and Tymes which and when Hath not the Protestant Church conuerted any Kingdomes and Nations to the fayth of Christ Then it selfe is not the true Church of Christ since the Prophesyes of Gods sacred Write are infallible Non (u) Tert. aduers Gnost licuisset aliter euenire quà m edixit nec ipse aliter edixisset quà m euenire voluisset Which Prophesyes as being already actually accoÌ„plished by the Catholike Church in subiecting to it diuers true Kinges indeed so the full consideration of them hath much preuayled for his intended incorporating into the Church with one poore King in name To reply heere and say that these Prophesyes are to be full filled not before but after the preaching of Luthers Ghospell is controlled by the iudgment of all learned men and by experience it selfe since it is certaine I must confesse to the preiudice of our Ghospell that neither Luther nor his schollers nor his party haue as yet first conuerted any one Kingdome Nation Citty Village or House from heathnish insidelity to the fayth of Christ Therefore we must conclude with D. Whitaker (x) Lib. 7. contra Duraeum pag. 472. ingenuously thus confessing Whatsoeuer the ancient Prophets haue foretould of the enlargment amplitude and glory of the Church the same to haue beene already performed is most euident out of historyes so true is that Lex est Enangelium praedictum â—uangelium lex completa The other branch of Prophesyes wherein I heere will insist forâ—el that in the Church of Christ there shal alwayes be found Pastours and Doctours and a continuall administration of the Word and Sacraments the spirituall conduits whereby Gods grace is deriued into mans soule or the subordinate wheeles of his diuine Maiesty by which the soule is moued and directed to gaine it owne saluation To this effect are alleadged those wordes out of the (a) Ephes 4. Apostle a text which for it clearenes is able to coÌ„ment it Comment to wit that Christ hath placed in his Church Pastours and Doctours to the consumation of Saints till we all meet in the vnity of Fayth that is as our D. (b) In his answere to a counterfeit Catholike Fulke truely expoundeth for euer Caluin (c) Instit. 4. c 3.64 himselfe concluding from hence in these words The Church cannot at any tyme want Pastours and Doctours Now that these Pastours and Doctours must not in their offices and dutyes be silent is not only witnessed by the Holy (d) Isa 62. Ghost but also besides the nature of their function requiring it acknowledged by vs Protestants And therfore D. Fulke well sayth Truth (e) Vbi supra cannot be
Cyrill ad Nestor by teaching in expresse wordes the doctrine of Traditions That Baptisme wherein man is borne but not borne the sonne of Adam euen by force and vertue of the Sacrament it selfe taketh away sinne is euident out of the first of (f) Cap. de Baptism Nice and the first of (g) In symbol Constantinople That vowed Virgins Monks are to be in the Church of Christ and that such cannot marry is decreed by the Councell of (h) Can. 16. Caâ—â—edon Lastly that appeales to Rome which implicitly inuolues the Primacy of that Sea were ratifyed by the Councell of (i) Can. 7. Sardis Thus much for instance though the same might be iustifyed in many other Catholike articles where I haue restrained my proofes only to generall Councels and such as were celebrated within the first fiue hundred yeares after the diuine Maiesty vouchsafed for our good to embase himselfe by putting vpon the poore ragges of our humanity But heere I must needs take leaue to cast a more fixed eye vpon the dignity of generall Councels abstracting them from all priority and laternes of time since then our owne Brethren absolutly reiecting all such Councells as subiect to errour will needes ascribe that respect to their owne Priuate spirit which by all reasons both diuine and humane hath beene euer due to generall Councells vnto which perhaps they haue beene sooner moued partly through the infelicity (k) Many synods of ProtestaÌ„ts haue been but without any good euent not any one yet succeeding we as that at Maspurge anno 1529. at Smalâ—ald at Mull ruÌ„ at Montbelgard at Heidelberg at Aldeburge at Herizburg at Hamburge at Tubinge and finally besydes deuers others this last at Dort of their owne so many Prouinciall at most but Nationall Conuenticles in Germany and els where as yet neuer hauing good successe I hould it therefore not impertinent to display in some particulers the aduantages betweene a generall Councell and any Sectaryes priuate iudgment where no doubt we shall find that as easily may the lowest shrubs compare in height with the Cedars of Libanus as the sentence of any Priuate man who lyke a mastles ship is tossed with euery wind of InnouatioÌ„ contend in authority with a generall Councel Thus then If an Oecumenicall Councell indicted confirmed by lawfull authority representing the Maiesty of Gods Church as being the supreme Tribunall (l) So doth Augustin tearme a generall Councell ep 162. thereof assured by promise (m) where tow or three are gathered togeather in my name c. Matt. 18. of Christ his assisting presence warranted with the first example of that kind by the blessed (n) Act 15 Apostle highly reuerenced and magnifyed by the ancient (o) Aug. vbisupraâ— l. de Bapt. 6.18 Athan ep ad Epictet Basil ep 78. Ambr. ep 32. Leo epist 53. Hieron l. contra Luciferian c. Fathers acknowledged for the only meanes of determining Controuersy by some of our learnedest Protestants (p) Doct. Bilson in his perpetuali gouernement pag. 174. D. Couell in his modest examinat pag. 110. and ethers consisting of seueral of hundreds of most venerable Prelates conspicuous for vertue readynes in the Scripture variety of tongues and infinitenes of reading gathered from the most remote opposite regions of Christendome and therefore the lesse probable vpon their such sudden meeting ioyntly to imbrace any one point of Innouation battering dayly vpon their knees at the eares of Almighty God with most humble and feruerous prayer seconded with austere fasting and all this to the end that it would vouchsafe his diuine Goodnes so to guide and sterne this reuerend Assembly with his holy spirit as what expositions it giues of the Scripture or what otherwise it determines for vndoubted fayth may be agreable to his sacred Word and Truth Now notwithstanding all this if such a celebrious concourse and confluence of Pastours being the Mart or Rendeuous for the tyme of Vertue and Learning shall so fayle therein as that they may and haue sundry tymes most fowly erred as our supercilious contumacious Sectaryes (q) D. VVhitak l. de Conc. contr Bellarm q. 6. D. Fulke in his answere to a counterfait Catholike pag. 35. D. VVilet in his syaopfis p. 29â— auouch in their constructions of Scripture and resolutions of fayth though all such their decrees be otherwise warranted with a iudiciall conference of Scripture the generall practise of the Church and the conspiring testimonyes of all Antiquity If this I say may happen the best meanes thus producing the worst effects what shall we then conceaue of an obscure Syr Iohn a man engendred in the slyme of pride and ignorance who in some pointes euer subdiuideth himselfe from the rest of his brethren thus being resolued from whome to flye but not whome to follow so as he is truely condemned of heresy euen by the lying mouth of Heresy A man but competent in learning sometymes of a disedifying life not hauing any warrant from God for his proceeding nor president from his holy church yea one to whome God flatly denyeth r No prophesy of sâ—riptur is of any priuate interpretatioÌ„ 2. Pet. c. 1. this presumed certainty of his expounding his word and determining which is true fayth and further of whose spirit we are commanded to (s) Dearly beloued belieue not euery spirit but try the spirits 1. Ioan. c. 4. to doubt which is more of whose seducing we are most cautelously (t) These thinges I haue written vnto you concerning those which deceaue you Ioan. 1. c. 2. premonished Now if this man being in his Pulpit vpon the Lordes day in the presence of his ignorant yet censuring and psalming Auditory a fit Pathmos for his ensuing Reuelations there opening the Bible for thus falshood is forced to begge countenance from truth and vndertaking to expound some text or other for the establishing of his late appearing fayth though contrary to the iudgment of all ancient Councells affirming him selfe to be secured by special Euthysiasmes and illuminations from God for the better iudging the point controuerted rysing from his owne explication of Scripture Which being done what assurance may we haue of the truth of this his al-defyning spirit and is there not reason to expect more errours then sentences to drop from this mans mouth And what stupor then and dulnes is it to allow to such an one that infalibility of spirit which himselfe denyeth to a generall Councell Yet such is the forward blindnes of our enchanted Nouellists heerin who mantaine (u) So teach D. VVhitik lib. de Concil contra Bellar q 6. Peter Mar tyr lib. de votis D. Fulke in his answere to a counterfaite Catholike pag. 80. 90. D. VVillet in his synops pag. â—â—0 And Beza in his Preface of the new Testament anno 1587. thus saith Euen in the best tymes the ambition ignorance and lewdnes of Bishops was such as that the blind may easily
tymes recording the miacles of their dayes as we commonly giue to the Commentaries of Caesar or to the Lyues of Liuy or any other auncient prophane Authentical Authour we must be forced to acknowledge that such miracles were really wrought and no forged lyes Againe touching the particuler miracles of Sichem diuulged by Lipsius as is said it is knowne that in Brahant and all other Prouinces now vnder the Archduke neare adioyning to Sichem there are many Protestants at this day how chanceth it then that amonge so many Miracles there said to be done no one Protestant would take exception against any one of them as not done at all or otherwyse but effected by confederacy of partyes and by deceite Which one poynt considering how vigilaÌ„t we Protestants are to take aduantage of our Aduerlâ—ryes proceedings mightily strenghneth the certainty and truth of the said Miracles Neither for the disgracing of all Miracles in generall as meer forgeryes is it sufficient to alleadge some one or two perhaps supposed to be Miracles and yet found after to be but feygned for if any one Miracle among so many hundreds as are related by graue Authours be true supposing for the tyme all the rest to be false that one Miracle irrefragably and demonstratiuely proueth the truth of Catholyke Religion since God concurreth to the working of Miracles only with those of a true foyth or to confirme true Faith Againe by the former Reason we should reiect all the bookes of holy Scripture seeing there were some other counterfeyted Bookes obtruded for Scripture being meerely forged vnder the Apostles names as (m) Hist l. 3. c. â—â— Eusebius n Cone Aduers leg Proph. l. 1. c. 20. Augustin (o) Hist l. 7. c. 19. Zozomen do witnes Or secondly shall we confessing the matter of fact of miracles as granting them to be truly done yet seeke to ascry be the doing of them to the power of the Deuill tearming them AntichristiaÌ„ Wonders and lying signes as Osiander (p) Cent 10.11.12 c. and the Centurists (q) Cent. 4. col 1445. Cent. 5. col 148â— c. do style them Do we not blush thus in our answere to conspire and compart with the Pharisces in condemning the Miracles of our Lord and Sauiou this Man (r) Matth. 1. casteth not out Deuills but by Beelzebub the Prince of Deuills But against this second refuge First it cannot be applyed to those infinite Miracles recorded in confirmation of diuers Catholyke poynts by Zozomen Augustin Ierome and othes as aboue in part is showed since those Miracles were wrought in the Primitiue Church and longe before Antichrist his comming euen according to our owne doctrine of Antichrist first reigne who commonly teach that he came not before the first six (s) So doth teach D. Fulke in his answer to a counterfets Gaetholike p. 30. D. VVillet in his Symops p. D. Downham in his treatise of Antichrist l. 2. p. 4. others hundred yeares placing his first comming in Boniface the third Anno Domini 607. Secondly Antichrists miracles are no true miracles but such as our owne learned Visinus truly teacheth As the order of Nature olserued may be effected by the deceite of Men or Diuels But instantly to cure diseases without any secondary humane meanes whatsoeuer or vpon the suddayn to stay the naturall flowing x of the Sea and the lyke where Omnipotency is necessarily requyred to suspend the working of that which Omnipotency first ordayned is both supra and contra Naturam and therefore can be accomplished only by his power who is able at his pleasure to disioynt the est ablished course of Nature (t) In CoÌ„ment Catech p. 28. And yet euen of these kyndes of Miracles there are aboundant testimonyes of approned Authours that they were performed in the Catholyke Church throughout all ages of the said Church Thus we see (u) Euag. l. 4. now weake our former enasion is And therefore I cannot but commiserate our owne D. Whitaker who foreseeing all other former answeres to be defectiue betaketh himselfe to this last despayring refuge to wit that (x) Lib. de Ecces p. 48. God doth giue power of working true Miracles vnto false teachers not to confirme their false Opinions but to tempt those vnto whom they are sent Omisery and feeblenes of Nouelisme in doctryne which is forced through it owne pouerty to sustentate support it selfe for the tyme by mantayning assertions repugnant to the prouidence and charity of God towardes man and to all light of naturall reason for heere the Doctour acknowledgeth them to be true miracles and wrought only by God and yet only exhibited for temptation of others And thus if we belieue that doctrine which is accompanyed with true miracles wrought by God alone may we not well say supposing the doctrine to be false with one writer Domine (y) Rich. de sancto Vicâ—â—â— l. 1. de Trinit e. r. si errorest quod credimus à te deceptisumus And with this I heere end agreeing in part with S. Augustine whome as among other reasons Miracles did as himselfe (z) Tom. a. contra epist Manich c. 4. affirmeth iustly hould within the Catholike Churches besome so the forces of miracles among other Motiues hath first reduced me to the sayd Churches bosom since indeed I can repute it little lesse then a miracle that a man of iudgment and reading should incorporate himselfe into any other Church then which is honoured and confirmed with mirâ—cles THE VII MOTIVE Absurdityes in the Protestants Religion IT is most true that our ProtestaÌ„nt Fayth is not inuolued with such obscurityes perplexing the iudgement of Man as we find to be in the Catholike fayth where in some points insteed of discourse the vnderstanding yealdeth an vnexamined humble assent where reasons of credibility first vrged concerning fayth cause vs in the end to expect no reasons for proof of fayth laudo (a) Terâ—â—â— de Corona mâ—litis fideÌ„ quae antea credit quam didicit the primitiue cause of the disparity heerof being in that the Protestant fayth eloquar an sileam but my tonguescornes any longer to betray the truth is indeed a meere Negatiue fayth consisting for the most part in annihilating destroying the positine assertions of the Catholikes Which being so what then can be more easy to the Vnderstanding then to conceane that such or such a thing or point not Since so the vnderstanding is only exercised like the eare iudging of silence or the eye of darknes Neuer the lesse if we take into our consideration diuers of the Protestants positions we shal find included therein in lieu of high Misteryes such reall contrariety in sense and grosse absurdityes in the immediate ineuitable illations from them as that they impugne all naturall light and so a man beginning to giue assent thereto ceaseth to be himselfe that is a Creature indued with reason I will exemplify this in some few
altogeather vnknowne and latent so as further we acknowledge that for the space of many hundred years the Papacy (l) D. Field in his book of the Church l. â— c. 6. sayth The Church when Luther began was that apparent Church wherein Luther the rest wer baptized â—eceaued their Christianity ordination and power of Ministry osiander â—pâ—som â—ent 16. p. 1073. Ecclesia quae sub Papaâ—u fuit â—obuit ministerium Euangelij sacra biblia Baptismum Coenam Domini c. And Luther in loc comm class 1. sayth In medijs furoribus c. Euen in the middest of the furours of the Dragon and the Lyon there did remaine Baptisme the Eucharist the power of the Keyes holy Scripture c. Thus Luther alone enioyed the safe keeping of the Scriptures and an auaylable administration of the Sacraments Now heere I would demand of our Inuisibilists how these two assertions can stand togeather to wit the Pope is Antichrist the Pope so being preserued for so many ages the Scripturer incorrupted and administrated the Sacraments profitably Which if they can then can Israell be found in Babylon and participation be betweene Christ Belial then must Antichrist only preserue the means for the descryall of Antichrist and he who is falshood it selfe be by our owne inference columna firmamentum veritatis Then can heauenly musickâ— for at least in part the Pope expounded the Scriptures truly proceed from the Dragons voyce and medicinable phisicke be drunke out of that cup which shall inebriate the Kings of earth then must our soules saluation for without the vse of the Sacraments it cannot be obtayned be wrought by our soules chiefest enemy and Heauen be purchased by the mediation of the Man (m) 2. Thess vbi supra of sinne and sonne of pocalyps thus is Antichrist become Christs setuantes best supporter keep safe those records wherby those many hundred thousandes (n) Apocalyp 14. of Christs Virgins make their clayme to the inestimable reward allotted for their vowed chastity As easily may we belieue that the Arke and the Idol Dagon could be placed togeather or dreame with Copernicus that the heauens stand still and the earth moues Neither wil that extrauagant answere giuen by some of (o) Doctor VVhitak lide Eccles p 165. so sayth And Beza epist Theo. ep 1. Voluiâ— Deus in papatu seruare Ecclesiam et fi papatus noÌ„ est Ecciesia vs when we are demanded to reconeyle these points auayle vs at all The Church was in the Papacy the Papacy was in the Church and yet the Papacy was not the Church O Delphick and Aenigmatical or other childish idle and false since if we belieue S. Augustine Nihil prodest esse in Ecclesia nisi sis cum Ecclesia Lastly diuers of vs Protestants I do not say all do implye in our writings that a man may haue â—â—luation in any religion so he hould the fundamentall points of the Trinity the Incarnation that Christ suffered for vs c. This is euident from the testimonyes of such of our Protestant Brethren as acknowledge the Lutherans who dissent from them in the doctrine of the Reall presence and the Puriâ—â—ns differing also from them in seuerall articles of fayth for members of the Church Yea our Brother M. D. (p) In his treatise of the kingdoÌ„ of Israel and the Church p. 94. Morton I infinitly meruaile he would euer suffer such wordes to fall from his pen teacheth that the very Arians may be saued for â—â—us he writeth The Churches of the AriaÌ„s are to be accounted the Church of God because they hould the foundation of the Ghospell which is fayth in Iesus Christ the son of God Sauiour of the world where by the way I note that it is strange he should be so seuere towardes Catholiks if reports be true being so indulgent to the very Arians To this sentence D. (q) In his answere to a counterfeite Catholikâ— p â—9 Fulk seemeth well to agree saying The true Church vnder the Emperours Constantine Constans and Valens was greatly infected with the heresyes of Arius Thus in his iudgements an Arian is a member of the true Church and consequently in state of saluation But our foresayd D. (r) Vbisupra p. 91. Morton comprehendeth al sects and heresyes whatsoeuer within the compasse of Gods Church and consequently of saluation if so they belieue in Christ for thus he writeth Wheresoeuer a company of men do ioyntly and publikely by worshipping the true God in Christ professe the substance of Christian Religion which is fayth in Iesus Christ the son of God and Sauiour of the world there is a true Church notwithstanding any corruption whatsoeuer Where we are to note the last wordes notwithstanding any corruption whatsoeuer Good God! how different is this man as heereafter I will show from the iudgment of the ancient Fathers and practise of the Primitiue Church But to proceed this most pernicious yet plausible doctrine being the Prodromus and forerunner of Libertinisme originally springeth from the Priuate Spirit since this spirit giueth reynes to euery Man to beleiue what it selfe best suggesteth But since the Canker heereof is secretly spred into the harts of many men at this day I will therfore rest the longer in discouering the absurdity and falshood thereof by stirring a litle the earth about the roote of it it being indeed a fayth coÌ„sisting in a wast of fayth and a Religion resting in the denyall of the necessity of any one Religion And first it is certaine that without fayth a Man caÌ„not be saued sine (s) Hebr. 11. fide impossibile est placere Deo And again qui (t) Marc. 16. non crediderit condemnabitur Withall it is as certaine that this fayth according to that (u) Ephes 4. vna fides vnum baptisma ought to be One True and Supernatural for if it be not One and True it saueth not Man but seduceth him since Truth is One and Errour various and multiplicious Now heere I vrge that one fayth cannot be in seuerall Sects seeing these Sectes teach poynts not only in themselues disparate and different but contradictory and meerly repugnant Furthermore that that fayth which saueth man must be entyre and true in all poynts is confirmed by other two irrefragable Reasons The first altogether insisted vpon by S. Thomas (x) â—n â— distinct 23. 22 q. 5. art 5. and all cheife Schoolemen is this True Christian fayth as being a supernaturall and infused Vertue hath a necessary reference to two thinges the first is that which Deuynes heere call Prima Veritas reuelans which is God reuealing all truths of fayth to the Church the second the authority of the Church which God heere vseth as a meanes by the which he propouÌ„deth the said truths to be beleiued So as no true supernaturall fayth can be produced but where these two concurre The first of these is called by the Deuines Obiectum formale of fayth
the second Amussis Regula or the Propounder of the articles of fayth Now from hence it proceedeth that whosoeuer denyeth any one Truth propounded by the Church to whom God reuealeth it doth not beleiue any other Article with a true fayth Since the authority of the Church doth indifferently and alyke propound all Articles to be beleiued Therefore who beleiueth the Article of the Trinity or the Resurrection of the body through the Authority of the Church propounding them to be beleiued will also beleiue Freewill Prayer to Saints c. and any other poynt seeing these are no lesse propounded by the Church to be beleiued as reuealed by God then the former are Thus it is euident that who beleiueth one article of true Christian fayth and beleiueth not another this Man beleiueth not any one article by reason of the authority of Gods Church and consequently hath no true supernaturall fayth at all which is auaileable to Saluation but beleiueth it in regard only of the probability of the point in his Iudgment and thus it is not Beleife but Opinion only in such a Man For seeing the same credit and affiance is euer to be giuen in all things to the same authority whosoeuer doth not beleiue the said authority in any one poynt doth not as is said beleiue it in any other from whence it followeth that the authority of God his Church is equally contemned in the denyall of the smallest articles as of praying to Saints Purgatory c. as in the greatest articles of the Trinity Incarnation or any other sublime and high mystery The second Reason It is peculiar to Vertues Theologicall and Infused to be obliterated and extinguished by one only contrary Act. Thus for example one mortall Sinne wholy taketh away Charity and Grace One act of desperation the vertue of Hope the same may be exemplifyed in the vertues of PeÌ„nance Religion and others Now heere by the same reason I inferre that one Heresy I meane an obstinate maÌ„tayning of any one errour in fayth how small soeuer against the authority of Gods Church depriueth a man of true fayth which as other Vertues aboue are is supernaturall theologicall and infused In this next place we will see how the iudgments of auncient Fathers do approue the former doctryne Two or three for instance shall serue And first that light of the Latin Church I meane S. Augustine (y) Lib. 18. de ciuil Dei c. 91. doth thus pensill forth an Heretyke Qui in Ecclesia Christi aliquid prauuns sapiunt si correpti vt sanum rectumque sapiant resistant contu naciter Haeretici fiunt foras exeuntes habentur in exercentibus Haereticis That is Who beleiueth any wronge or false thing in the Church of God and being admonished to beleiue the truth do resist contumaciously they become Heretyks and departing out of the Church they are reputed for open and willfull Heretyks S. Ambrose thus answerably wryteth (z0 Lib. â— in Luc. 〈◊〉 9. Negat ChristuÌ„ qui non omnia quae Christi sunt coÌ„fitetur he denyeth Christ who beleiueth not all poynts or articles concerning Christ. Thus who denyeth Lymbus Patrum denieth that Christ descended therinto and consequenly he denyeth Christ Finally S. Gregory (a) Orat. â—7 Nazianzene thus elegantly conspireth heerto Vnum vnicohaeret ex ijs quaedam verè aurea salutaris fit catena ideo si vel vnum dogma auferatur aut reddatur incertum tota catena disrumpetur That is One Article of fayth is so cohering with another that of them all there is made a goalden and healthfull chayne of fayth so as if but one article be taken away or made but doubtfull the whole chayne becommeth broken See the lyke agreeing testimonyes in (b) Apud Theod. l. 4. hist. c. 19. Basil (c) Lib. â— Apolog. contr Ruf. Ierome (d) Lib. 1. epist 6. ad Magnum Cyprian and (e) In Sym. Athanasius The auncient Fathers mynd in this poynt is manifested besydes by their particular Sentences from the practize of the Primitiue Church against Heretikes I meane from the perusall of the Catalogues of heeresyes written by them as is euident out of the Catalogues of heresyes and other such wrytings composed by Irenaeus Hierome Epiphanius Augustine Theodoret Philastrius and others in all which we shall find diuers condemned and branded for expresse Heretickes for their willfull maintayning in our iudgments but small errours though otherwise they belieued al the chiefe points of Christian fayth as the Trinity the Incarnation and the like For proofe wherof I will heere alleadg the wordes of S. Austine against the Pelagians whom he absolutly resolutly condemneth for Heretikes for their belieuing that man could keep the law of God only by force of nature without the force of Gods grace His words are these Nec (f) Epist 120. c. 37. tales sunt Pelagiani c. Neither are the Pelagians such men as thou shouldest easily contemne them for they liue continently are laudable in good works they beleiue not in a false Christ as the Manichees do c. yet because they are ignorant of the iustice of God endeauouring to make it their owne they are Heretyks and cast out of the Church And thus far for a touch of the practize of the ancient Church and the Fathers lyke conspyring testimonyes heerein where I may remit the Reader to what hath beene aboue alleadged touching the condeminatioÌ„ by the Primitiue Fathers of our Protestant doctrynes Which auncient Fathers as being learned and vertuous neither would nor durst register any for Heretyks but those who by the whole Church of God were reputed for Heretyks as afore I haue â—â—ted which point is made more euident in that we do not fynd any one of the said Fathers among so many to be contradicted by any other orthodoxall Father for such his proceeding But to leaue humane authority and to come to diuyne if we looke into Gods sacred Word it is cleare that who maintayneth any one Heresy the same hath no more true hope of his saluation then a Heathen or a Publican for we fynd our Sauiour to vse this commination Qui (g) Matt. 18. Ecclesiam non audiâ—â—it c. He that will not heare the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen or Publican Where we may obserue that Christ said not Who will not heare the Church in all things but absolutely pronounced Who will not heare the Church If then a Sectary or Heretyke will not heare the authority of the Church proposing such and such poynts for example of Freewill Indulgences Prayer for the dead c. to be beleiued how shall he escape the Anathema heere threatned And though these wordes immediatly be intended of fraternall correction yet à fortiori they are to be vnderstood of him who reiects the authority of the Church in matters of fayth Since this mans conteÌ„pt towards the Church is farre greater lesse pardonable For who refusetâ— to
of godly men to vse his words raysed vp by the Holy Ghost Againe Gregory the Great and Augustin who first planted in England Christian Religion are confessed by vs to haue beene Papists as aboue is showed and yet they are thus styled by vs That (t) M. Godwin in his Catal. of Bishops pag. 3. See the like coÌ„mendation giuen to them by D. Fulke against Heskins Sanders c p. 561. blessed and holy Fathers S. Gregory and S. Augustine our Apostle S. Bernard by our acknowledgment was so confessed a Papist as that he was an Abbot and (u) Osiand in epitom Cent. 12. p. 309. Authour of many Monasteryes in France and Flaunders and yet D. (x) Lib. de E cles p. 369. Whitaker thus writeth of him Ego quidem BernarduÌ„ verè suisse Sanctum existimo And Osiander (y) Cent. 12. p. 309. tearmeth him A very good man Of Bernard Francis others Tindall (z) Act. mon. pag. 1338. thus acknowledgeth I doubt not but S. Bernard Francis and many others like holy men erred as concerning Masse thus he confessing them to be men of Sanctity and holynes and consequently in state of saluation And touching the same point Luther (a) In col loq Germ. cap. de Missa thus saith Priuate Massse hath deceaued many Saints and carryed them away into errour from the tyme of Gregory for 800. yeares Of S. Dominicke who was the Authour of the Order of the Dominican Fryars (b) In Chronic. p. 200. Pantaleon a Protestant relateth much and speaking greatly of his piety and vertue concludeth thus Dominicus erat vir doctus bonus Praedicatorum Ordinem instituit His like confessed Holines is celebrated much at large by the (c) Cent. â—â— col 1179. Centurists To conclude of these three former Saints Luther thus confesseth Fateor c. I gâ—aunt that the guifts of God were not want ng to Francis Dominicke and Bernard and to others who were the first Authours of Colledges for Monks but these guifts are but personall But such guifts cannot stand without true vertue nor true vertue without hope of saluation And thus farre of this most certaine and vndeleble truth that Catholikes dying as Catholikâ— may be saved confessed in the cleare words of the most learned Protestants from whence we may be assured of their iudgments especially deliuered in the behalfe of their Aduersaryes answerable heerein to their writinges since wordes are the naturall shadow of the mind cast by the light of the Vnderstanding But heere do present vnto vs two Porismata or Resultancyes out of the Premisses of this Passage The first That all true Reason perswadeth me to implant and ingraft my self in that Church which I fynd to be acknowledged for the true church promising Saluation to her members euen by her Aduersaryes For if I dye Catholyke my lyfe being agreable thereto both Catholyks and Protestants warrant my Saluation But dying in the fayth of Protestancy the Protestant alone and this in honour of their owne Religion assure me of it For there is neuer a learned Catholyke wryter in the world an obseruation much to be weighed who granteth that a Protestant dying with a positiue setled and contumacious neglect of the Catholyke Church and fayth can be saued This then being thus shall I in so great a busines leaue a certainty for vncertainty God forbid We Protestants expect to be beleiued in other our Positions and doctrynes Why not then in this Since then the Protestants do teach that Catholyks so dying are in state of Saluation I am resolued my Brethrens wrytings shall haue that powerfull influence ouer me as what theÌ„selues doe heerin teach I will through Gods grace put in execution And so my Will shall become in this poynt a ready and seruiceable Handmayd to their Iudgments The second The Wronge which we Protestants commit in afflicting the Catholyks and in vnnaturally betrampling vpon their deiected estats only for matters of Religion Alas by our owne doctryne they are neither Babylonians nor Aegyptians both they and we being as we teach Isralits why then should Israel thus persecute Israel Are we not become the gaze of Christendome thus to fight without an enemy Thus for kynred to wound it owne kyndred yea often the Father the Sonne so turning our owne swords into our owne childrens breasts we still inciting his Maiesty to greater seuerity a Prince of his owne disposition of the most benigne mercifull and commiserating nature that the World at this day enioyes and all this for the Catholyks liuing in that fayth and Religion in which our selues teach they may be saued thus do we make the confessed hope of their saluation to be the sole cause of their pressures and calamityes Good God! who would thinke that Christians the cheifest articles of whose fayth are either reputed but as Indifferencyes or which is more beleiued for true doctrine by their Oppressours whose Church is acknowledged to be the d Dâ— Morton vbi supra Church of God houlding the foundation of the Gospell the (e) M. Hooker vbi supra family of Iesus Christ it being no seuerall (f) M. Bunny vbi supra Church from theirs nor theirs from it houlding (g) D. Field vbi supra a sauing Profession of the truth in Christ in which many (h) D. Couell with the other Doctours vbi supra dying are by their Aduersaries registred for most glorious Saints shold neuertheles be persecuted by other Christians of their owne Country yea their owne flesh for their only perseuering in the foresaid Church with confiscation of goods restraint of body and sometymes with sheeding of most innobloud suffering a cruel death Obstupescite (i) Hierem cap. 2. Cali super hoc portaecius desâ—lamini vehementer Heere now I will stay my penne making this last Motiue as a fitting Catastrophe for all Since that Closure and End is warrantable inough which euicteth from the ingenuous Confessions of the most learned Protestants that I may be saued in that Religion wherein I am resolued to dye THE CONCLVSION TO MY DEARE AND REVEREND BRETHREN THE LORDES ARCH-BISHOPS AND BISHOPS OF ENGLAND REVEREND and Learned Brethren the ouerlooking eyes of our Nation my Pen heere salutes your Lordships before it taketh it last pawse This smal Legacy I haue determined to leaue behind me primitiuely for the iustifying of my vnrepented reuolt from you in matter of Fayth for Non (a) Tert. suffundar errore quo caruisse delector Secondarily for the benefit of those whose weake Iudgments haue beene abused through their ouer-hasty swearing Fealty to their Protestant Maysters To your selues it is needles as already enioying the same other forcible demonstrations in the like behalf Diuers of you haue spent I know many yeares in seriously perusing the holy Scriptures the voluminous Commentaryes of the Lights of Gods Church the Ecclesiasticall Historyes of all ages the Oecumenicall Councells of the Primitiue Church
see D. Bancrofts suruey pag. 219. verbum Deiprouoco But to resume my former heads Since then this reuealing spirit is not afraid to expunge out of the sacred Canon of Scripture such bookes as Apocriphall wherin it owne Religion is euidently impugned since it alloweth only such expositions of confessed Scripture as best sort to the supporting of it owne errours since it betrampleth all authorityes of Councells and Fathers who expound Gods word differently from it Since it hath beene the custome of all Heretikes to withdraw themselues to the weake retyre of only Scripture and their owne spirit interpreting the Scripture thus making a circular motion where from point to point there is a true progression but from the first point no progression at all since this Spirit engēdreth contrarieties in doctrine in the enioyers of it through ech mans misconstruction of Scripture Since the Scripture it selfe is of that abstruse sublimity as that Man without Gods directing grace cannot lay any true leuell thereto To conclude since the exorbitancy pride and petulancy of this Spirit is such as it expecteth in the end that all men should receaue from it as from a second Moyses the tables of our Euangelicall Law Non * Tert. de Orat. agnosei poterit à Spiritu sancto spiritus inquinatus What then remaineth but that my selfe carefull of my saluation should for euer after become iealous of the truth of that Religion which I find to be seated vpon those groundes and only those grounds which euery heresy promiscuously challengeth to it selfe And that relying on Gods holy visible Church vpon which he hath (p) Matt. 18. ◠Tim. 3. entayled his spirit of Truth I may interpose her infallible authority as an Isthmos or firmeland to stop the entercourse of the two mayne Oceans I meane the Scriptures abysmall profoundity and this Priuate spirits floating and boundles vncertainty But inough of this subiect of which as potentially inuoluing all other Controuersyes within it selfe I haue drawne I confesse for my fuller satisfaction certaine notes in some few scattered Papers THE II. MOTIVE That the Prophesyes of Scripture confirme the Catholike Religion and refute Protestancy PROPHESYES are diuine and infallible Predictions of thinges future future in respect of vs who measure all actions with the yard of Tyme but present in the eyes of God with whome there is neither tyme past nor tyme to come both being confounded in the depth of his owne Eternity Infallible as proceeding only from him who by his power disposeth all thinges as shall best please him by his Prescience forseeth distinctly all things so disposed as things present in the cleare glasse of his own essence And by his Will vouchsafeth that men shall warrant the certainty of his foreknowledge Prescientia Dei (a) Tert. l. 2 contr Marcion tot habet testes quot fecit Prophetas Now of the Prophesyes recorded in the old Testament I will take into my consideratiō only two The inditers of which according to the iudgment of (b) In Psal 3◠conc 2. S. Augustine as foreseeing Controuersyes and doubts in fayth to come spake more clearely of the Church then of Christ himselfe The first shall concerne the propagation of the Church of Christ and the conuerting of Kinges heathen and kingdomes to it faith touching which I will insist in those places of Scripture whose true sense and interpretation is acknowledged for such both by the Catholikes and by our Protestants Priuate spirit the alleadging of which texts is the more forcible since the confessed sense of Scripture is the soule as it were which informeth the body of the Letter Of this first point the Prophet I say thus speaketh The (c) 60. Iles shall waite for thee meaning the Church their Kinges shall minister vnto thee and thy gates shal be continually open neither day nor night shall they be shut that men may bring to thee the riches of the Gentils c. And againe speaking of and to the Church he further thus sayth Thou (d) Ibid. shalt sucke the milke of the Gentils and the breasts of Kinges Kings shal be thy noursing Fathers and Queenes thy Mothers And further Enlarge (e) 54. the place of thy tents spread out the curtaines of thy habitation for thou shalt increase on the right hand and on the left thy seed shall possesse the Gentils and inhabite the desolate Cittyes To the truth of which conuersions of Heathen Kinges and Countreyes to the fayth of Christ the Kingly Prophet speaking in the person of God to the Church thus accordeth I (f) Psalm 2. will giue thee the Heathens for thy inheritance and the ends of the earth for thy pessession That these places besides diuers others are vnderstood of the enlargment of Christs Church and the conuersions of Kingdomes and Nations vnto it is warranted by the marginall annotations of our own English (g) Frinted in the yeare 1576. Bibles no lesse agreeable to the particuler iudgments of (h) Vpon Ieremy Oecolampadius that learned Protestant D. Whitguift (i) In his defence p. 466. late Archbishop of Canterbury D. (k) In his answere M. VVilliam Reynolds Whitaker and all other graue Writers The next point which heere presenteth it selfe to be wayghed is to consider whether the foresayd predictions of the dilatation of the fayth of Christ and conuerting to it Kinges and kingdomes haue beene accomplished in the Protestants Church or in the Catholike and Roman Church for the clearing of which point we will begin with the tymes from Luthers first change of Religion and so ascend by degrees to the age of the Apostles in the discouery whereof we are to recurre to Ecclesiasticall Writers And thus the ground of beliefe touching this point is heere remoued from Scripture to man yet man is heere belieued to wit in relating whether the true or false fayth was then taught and brought in by reason of the Scripture And first that these Conuersions propagation of the Church any tyme for the space of these last thousand yeares euen vp to the dayes of Boniface the third and Gregory Bishops of Rome were not performed in the Protestant Church is ouer euident from all Ecclesiasticall historyes and records and from the voluntary confessions of learned Protestants so as to find the cōtrary in any approued Authors we may wel make the subiect of our desire but not of our expectation And first for Historyes we Protestants cannot produce any one authenticall history or narration notwithstāding some late effectles attempts of our own Nation in that nature being still in labour of that which I feare will neuer be borne intimating so much And which is more the Protestant Ecclesiasticall Writers do euen particulerly set downe and relate the conuersion of many Countryes made by catholiks euen to their own mayn preiudice heerin But the better to enleuen our discourse with examples where I will omit the subiecting of many vast Countryes to
continued in the world but by the Ministery of the Pastours and Doctours In like sort touching the continuall administration of the Sacraments the same is more particulerly euicted from the cleare wordes of our Sauiour and S. Paul seeing by the help of them we shal show (*) 1. Cor. 11. the Lords death vntill be come A point so euident that it lyeth out of the way of all Contradiction and therefore we Protestants in plaine wordes mantaine That the absence (f) Doctor VViles in his Synopsis pag. 1. of the Sacraments doth make a nullity of the Church And againe in D. Whâ—takers (g) Centra Duâ—aâ—â—m l. 3. p. 249. phrase That the administration of the word and Sacraments being present doth constitute a Church being absent doth subuert it and againe as the same Doctour (h) Vbi supra pag. 260. styleth them that they are Ecclesiae essentiales proprietates Thus do we and Catholikes ioyntly teach that not at sometymes only the Church of Christ being his intemerate immaculat spouse is to enioy Pastours Doctours and the vse of the word and Sacraments at other tymes to be wholy destitute of them ague-like hauing thus accesses and remittings but that at all tymes in all ages in al seasons the Church without any interruption is to continue in it full Orbe by euer enioying the foresayd meanes of mans saluation Now this being the true and confessed sense of all sides of the former Prophesyes We are to examine if in the Protestant Church the administration of the word and Sacraments haue for any ages or yeares beene interrupted since such an interruption being once proued it then ineuitably followeth that the Protestant Church is not that true Church of Christ which is delineated and descrybed in the former wordes by the Apostle To euict this our Aduersaryes the Catholikes do instance in the last hundred years before Luther vrging that if any such administration of the Word Sacraments had been in that age some one history or other would haue mentioned the Pastours and Doctors of those dayes But all historyes and relations of that age say they are most silent therein What answere can we giue heereto To produce any one Historiographer of that age but intimating so much we are not able Shall we then say as some of vs haue not beene ashamed to suggest that the Pope did determinately cause all such narrations both of former tymes and of that age aboue instanced concerning Protestancy to be suppressed thereby to bury in obliuion all memory of Protestant Religion It is a phantasy it is a dreame The personall faults and vices of some Popes are (i) So was Gregory the seaâ—eÌ„th wrote against by Bâ—nno Benedictus 3. by the Councell of Constance Eugâ—nius 4. by the Councel of Basil and sâ—m others recorded in Historyes yet to be read Is it then probable that the Popes were so solicitous to extinguish all remembrance of the Protestant Payth and yet content to suffer the lesse warrantable liues of themselues and their Predecessours to be recorded for all posterity Againe in the Canons of the CouÌ„cells of euery age there is frequent mention made of particuler heresyes which then embroyled the Church condemned by the sayd Councells Can we then thinke it possible to speake morally not metaphisically that the Pope and the Councells should be so distracted in iudgment as carefully to register all other impugned Heresyes and on the other side as carefully to suppresse all arysing opinions of Protestancy It is improbable it is absurd Lastly besides that the particuler subiect of all Ecclesiasticall historyes in the relation of new doctrins recorded in the sayd historyes are not the writinges of Husse Wykcliffe and others wherin they first disgorged forth some few pointes of Protestancy yet extant euen to these dayes So transparent in a cleare eye the former answere is Or shall we secondly labour to euade our Aduersaryes pressing vs by clayming Waldo VVikcliffe Husse and such others for pastours of the Protestants Church in their tymes Durum telum necessitas our challenging of them ryseth from our extreme want and penury It is most cleare that the foresayd men were no true Protestants since not only they euer retained most of the points of Catholike religion comparting with vs Protestants only in three or foure articles but also they broached diuers errours vniustify able in our owne and our Aduersaryes iudgments with which their owne writinges do still vpbraid them So much haue some of vs (k) Pox Act. Mon. pag. 618. p. 85. diuers other ProtestaÌ„ts wronged the reputed honour of our owne Church by pretending those former Heterogeneous and mongrill Sectaryes to be true meÌ„bers therof Againe suppose them to be entyre ProtestaÌ„ts it but iustifyeth the being of ProtestaÌ„t Doctors Pastours only for their own tymes we not being able to instaÌ„ce the like for diuers ages before them But sooner shall the seas ebbing and flowing forsake the moones course then the true Church of Christ be depriued but for one age yeare or day of her Pastours and an answerable administration of the Word and Sacraments Or shall we say that in the age aboue instanced as also in many other ages before there were Pastours and Doctours of the Protestant Church notwithstanding by reason of the tyranny of the Pope they were latent and vnknowne How inexplicable or rather contraditory is this Did those Pastours conceale their owne fayth through seare of persecution the strongest pulse which beateth in weakest mindes ioyning in outward show with the supposed Idolatry of the Church of Rome Then were they dissemblers forsakers of their owne Religion and no good members of the Church Ore (*) Rom. 10. fit confessiâ— ad salutem Did they openly professe notwithstanding the imaginary rage of their enemyes their fayth and exercise the Word the SacrameÌ„ts Then by so doing they were made most eminent for what Church is better known theÌ„ that Church which liueth vnder the hatches of persecution resembling the Sunne which is best subiect to the eye in it lowest descent Or what man can for his religion be persecuted which is not knowne Eye-witnesses heereof are those Countryes wherein the Catholike religion at this day suffereth pressures tribulations But to draw towards an end the doctrine of the Churches inuisibility mantayned by many of vs Protestants is a Supersedeas to all our former answeres since it irrefragably euicteth the want of Pastours and Doctours and consequently an interruption of the Word and Sacraments except we wil misapply to the Pastours and Doctours those words of Tacitus Eo ipso praefulgebant quod non visebantur For if the Protestant fayth for many ages was absolutly extinct and no such religion was then mantayned in any Countrey then followeth it that there were neither men in the world to preach the Word and minister the Sacraments according to that religion nor any to heare it preached or receaue theÌ„
Which serious disquisition search of myne I grant first inuited me to spend the more tyme and labour after in the reading of all our Protestant Wryters of any eminency And therefore what authorityes of Protestants are in these Motiues insisted vpon by me I except not one I do iustify them not as borrowed from any Catholike wryter for I hould that course vnworthy a Man of my Place but as from my owne most diligent and laborious reading of the Protestant Bookes themselues But to returne We haue aboue euidently proued that the auncient Fathers were supporters and defenders of the Roman Religion and that in their writings they do transmit and commend ouer the same to all posterity Can we thinke they iustifyed a false fayth they being the Churches Sentinells in those times Vpon thy walls (k) Isa 6â— O Ierusaâ—em I haue set watches for euer Or shall we dreame the Church of Christ being then in her greatest purity that vpon her Altar the Arke of Truth could be compatible with the Dagon of Heresy It is repugnant to Gods Prouidence repugnant to his (l) Matth. 16. Promise And doubtlesse if the Fathers fayth were false and Protestancy the true Fayth I may iustly say all collaterall respects weighed that heere Falshood is much honored with probabilityes and Truth discountenanced with Vnlykely hoods But for my selfe in particular my body daily hasting to it graue through it languishing sicknes the question is Whether during this short remnant of Tyme I should longer consociate my selfe in fayth and Religion with my former Brethren the Protestants or subscrybe to the Cristalline and cleare iudgments heerein of the Auncient Fathers But the election is already made And in these few leaues so my leaues shall not be without fruit that is my desyres without effect I do protest to God and the world that I haue and do renounce all Innouation of doctryne heeretofore imbraced by me and do with all resignation of mynd submit my iudgment to the iudgments of those Primitiue reuerend vertuous and learned Fathers whose voluminous Wrytings I grant for some yeares past haue had an influence and soueraignty ouer my Vnderstanding THE V. MOTIVE That the articles of Protestancy are particulerly condemned for Heresyes by the auncient Fathers And that all Protestants originally came out of the Catholyke Church IALLOVV well the proceeding of Theodosius (a) Sozomen l. 7. histor cap. 12. the Emperour who for his better suppressing of the arrising Heresyes of his dayes was accustomed to demaund of their cheife Patrones whether they thought the auncient Fathers liuing and sterning Gods Church before those new doctrines first appeared were orthodoxall in their fayth or no To which question when they gaue their assent by reputing the said Fathers for such he thus concluded Examinemus ergo doxtrinam vestram ad illorum scripta si cum illis consenserit retineamus sin winus abijciatur The lyke course I hould to be obserued in triall of our Protestant doctrin But I much feare the euent this for two different reasons The one in that I fynd as aboue is showed our owne brethren openly to breake with the cheifest Fathers of the primitiue Church reputing them as so many supporters of Papistry The other because many articles of our Protestant religion newly springing vp in those tymes thus the Gospell d teacheth vs (b) Matt. 13. that the Cokcle was presently sowne after the good seede haue beene condemned for Heresyes by Irenaeus Ierome â—piphanius Augustine and other Fathers in their Catalogues of Heresyes and other their wrytings I do not speake this of euery article of Protestancy since I grant some haue taken their first being from out owne sensuality lyke vnto certayne weeds which grow rather out of the Lust of the earth then from any formal seed Now these Fathers since they were learned could not but know since they were pious and godly would not but confesse the said then arysing doctrines to be crosse to the generall professed Religion of their owne and former tymes And it cannot be as yet nor hath beene by way of retaliation answered that any one of them were euer reprehended for ranging that opinion in the Catalogue of heresyes which was not then generally accepted for heresy Let vs exemplify in some The Arians besides their greater blasphemyes taught that all vnwritten (c) Lib. 1. c. a. contra Matrimin l. vlc Traditions were to be reiected they further perpetrated many sacriledges (d) Atha in apoleg pro fuga against the Sacraments Altars Priests and religious or professed persons And do not we Protestants bring them vpon the stage againe acting their parts in our writings and deportments The Aeriâ—ns to vse S. (e) â—ib de Haeres c. 33. Augustines wordes thought it vnlawfull orare vel offerre promortuis to pray or offer vp sacrifice for the dead or to obserue set dayes of fast and heereupon they were condemned for eating flesh in Lent See how we Caluinists are lineally proseminated sprung from the loines of Aerius so fully we do reintegrate his heresyes The heretike (f) Hier. l. 1. 2. contr Iouinian Aug. lib. de haeres cap. 82. Iouinian taught that Fasting was not meritorious that Virginity was not to be preferred before Wedlocke and that a man once hauing true fayth could not sinne Either we Caluinists are heerein Posthumi to Iouinian or Iouinian by preuention of tyme was an anti-dated Caluinist the difference is but small The o Eunomians maintayned (g) Aug. l. de haeres cap. 54. that no sinne could be hurtfull to one hauing fayth Wil you haue this doctrine deliuered in Luthers (h) Lib. de capt Babilon c. de Euchar. wordes Tam diues est Christianus vt non possit perire etiamsi velit quamtumq malè viuat nisi nolit credere so conspiringly we iumpe togeather in imbracing this confident presumption which as I may tearme it is no better then Hope out of it wits The Manichees depriued man of freewill according to that of S. Augustine Peccatorum (i) Lib de haeres c. 46. origineÌ„ non tribuunt Manichaei libero arbitrio Now Luther and (k) Lib. de seruo arbit Caluin (l) Lib. 2. Insiâ—t c. 2.3 4. are so precipitate and headlong in this doctrine that neither of them can brooks the name or sound of the word Freewill yet heerin they dissent from the Manichees in that they by taking away freewill ascribed all sins wickednes to that God which they tearmed an euill God as to the first cause whereas our men will needes impute the perpetrating of the greatest sinnes whatsoeuer to that God which they acknowledge for good The Donatists (m) Aug. l. 1. contra Petilian cap 51. 61. l. 3. cap. 40. most implacably hated the Bishop of Rome calling his feate Cathedram pestilentiae the very dialect of vs Protestants they most cruelly persecuted Monkes and Religious men
tyme and consequently imbraced another religion lesse auncient These words contayne a stampe or Character impressed vpon Innouation to distinguish it from Antiquity Wherunto wel accordeth that sentence of Optatus (n) Cont. Donat. l. 1. Videndum est quis in radice cum toto orbe manserit quis foras exiérit and more literally that of (o) Tract 3. in epist Ioan. Augustin Omnes Haeretici omnes Scismatici ex nobis exierunt idest ex Ecclesia exeunt intending heerby that whosoeuer maketh choyce of any new sect or doctryne the same Man either in himselfe or in his predecessours in doctryne did depart from a more generall society of men houlding a more auncient fayth then that which by him is chosen From which ground the two wordes Haeresis Apostata tooke their Ecclesiasticall signification the one signyfying a separation or choyce the other a Man going out or reuolting from Heer now I prouoke my own Brethren how learned soeuer to make good two things The one to show from what coÌ„pany or Church more ancient they catholiks departed The other to nominate any one Sect-mayster of Protestancy who was not originally a Catholyke retayning other points of the said Religion departed from this more ancient CoÌ„munity of fayth by forging som one heresy or other Concerning the first it is not sufficient for our Brethren vnder their reducing of the matter to the scripture interpreted by the priuate Spirit being but an idle circulation and maze of dispute to affirme that the Catholykes haue departed from the auncient fayth first instituted by Christ except withall they show some certaine Community of Christians more auncient then the Catholyks from whome they departed the Catholiques by by this meanes taking vpon them a certaine name of the first stampers of their doctryne as the Manichies the Donatists the Iouinians and all others haue done or from the doctryne it selfe But hic labor hoc opus est Our Brethren can neuer do it Neither in my reading haue I found any one Protestant how conuersant soeuer in Ecclesiasticall historyes either to attempt to proue this poynt though most materiall or but once to vrge it against the Catholyks so dangerously he forsaw it might be retorted vpon himselfe and his Religion Concerning the second Our Brethren cannot name any one Protestant euen from the first fiue hundred yeares or afore to the dayes of Luther a compasse of tyme contayning at least a thousand yeares which was not originally a Catholyke himselfe being afore a member of the Catholike Church and going out of it by dogmatizing some few new doctrynes still beleeuing the rest of the articles of Catholike Religion The Precedents of the Hussies Wicleffists and Waldenses may cleare this poynt all which supposing them for the tyme to be ProtestaÌ„ts are reduced as the streame to the fountayne and the branch to the tree to a knowne Catholyke beginning to wit to Husse Wicleffe and Waldo who by our owne acknowledgment were borne and baptized in the Roman Church themselues after leaping out of it by mantayning and broaching some one new doctryne or other not allowed by the Church of Rome according to that of (p) Adue MarcioneÌ„ Tertull. Haereses prodierunt ex nobis non nostrae If then the matter standeth thus that our Brethren notwithstanding their most diligent perusing of all Ecclesiasticall wryters whose proiected labour is to relate al occurents of the Church cannot shew any visible society of Men professing the crue Christian fayth from which as more auncient the present Roman Religion euer departed or went out And that on the contrary part out Aduersaryes are able to proue that euen from the first fiue hundred yeares till Luthers dayes not any one Man can be suggested or put forth for a Protestant who was not originally a Catholyke and no Protestant departing from the Catholyks by his after making choyce of some Innouation in doctryne If then I say this be so what inference more irrefragable can be made or what mathematicall demonstration more counincing then that the Catholyke fayth was more auncient then Protetestancy that being the (q) Matt. 13. good seed which was first sowne though hindred by an after casting into the ground of some tares of Nouelliâ—me and Heresy And thus farre of this poynt the which once more I commend to the diligent perusall of a cleare Iudgment The force of which Argument more easely inuadeth a vulgar Vnderstanding by forging this supposall Imagine then two great familyes or Houses the one in the first tymes of all comming out of the other but whether not confessed both standing in this competency of Antiquity If heere the heyre of the one should not only prouoke and will the other to show by good euidence when any of this heyres ancestours desceded out of the others family he not being able by sufficient wrytings to proue any such descent but withall would engage himselfe to manifest by most auncient and vndoubted Records that all the other parents in their first Ancestours were primitiuely descended from out his owne House And vpon such their descent and other circumstantiall occasions had their names first changed Now this heyre thus vndertaking and thus performing followeth it not most euidently that his house is the more auncient it being indeed the stem and the other but the branch Our Case heerein is the same both in respect of the poynt questioned being cast in one Mould THE VI. MOTIVE That true Miracles haue been wrought for proofe of the Catholyke Religion but not any for Protestancy SVCH is the benigne and mercifull proceeding of God with Man humbling himselfe in a certaine maÌ„ner to the weaknes of our Nature as that he expecteth not true fayth and doctrine at it first promulgation should vnder any penalty of punishment be beleiued except the truth of it were then fortifyed and warranted with some strange and great Miracles Thus he thought good in the vnsearcheable and abysmall depth of his wisdome to ordayne a necessity of Miracles to the confirmation of euery true new doctryne and extraordinary mission for the preaching thereof Both the Testaments afford plentifull proofe herein In the old we reade that when Moyses was sent by God to the People and said to God They (a) Exod. 4. People will not beleiue me nor heare my voyce God thereupon instantly gaue him power to worke miracles to the end as God said that the People may beleiue that the Lord appeared vnto thee a poynt so euident that in our English Bibles our owne marginall Note to this place is thus (b) Printed anno 1â—76 This power to worke miracles was to confirme his doctryne and to assure him of his Vocation In the New the words of our Sauiour to his Apostles proclayme the lyke truth saying As (c) Mate 10. you go preach heale the sicke clense the leprous raise vp the dead cast out the deuills c. And heereupon our Lord Iesus in another place thus
Prayer to Saints S. (r) lib. de ciuit Dei 22. cap. 8. Augustin relating of a holy woman called Palladia being diseased and praying to S. Steuen before his tombe or monument thus writeth Adsanctum Martyrem orare perexerat quae mox vt cancellos attigit collapsa velut ad somnum sana surrexit that is She comming to pray to the holy Martyr and touching the cancels or borders of his monument fell as it were into a sleep or slumber but waking she found her selfe cured of her sicknes Thus Augustine who reporteth this miracle to be done in the presence of himselfe and diuers others Touching the honouring the Reliques of Saints bodyes S. Augustine relateth how at the dead bodyes of Geruasius and Protasius which were many yeares after found incorrupted a blind man receaued his sight A miracle sayth Augustine done at Millan (Å¿) Lib. 9. Confess c. 7. 8. when I was there many people being witnesses thereof S Augustine also (t) Lib. de ciuit Dei 22. c. 8 mentioneth how ten infirme people were in the sight of himselfe and many hundreds more being eyewitnesses therof miraculously cured at the Monument of S. Steuen To be short the working of miracles at the monuments of Saints was so frequent in S. Austines dayes that thus he (u) Aug. vbi supra writeth It would require many bookes to set downe the miracles of healings curings done only at the monument or tombe of S. Steuen A verity so irrefragable and acknowledged by all men of those tymes that D. (x) Contra Duraeum l. 10. pag. 8â—6 Whitaker thus confesseth of this point saying I doe not thinke those miracles vaine which are reported to haue beene done at the monuments of Saints Touching the many Miracles performed by Monkes who confessedly being Catholiks in Religion could not worke any one true Miracle if their Religion were false read (y) Histo l. 4. c. 13. lib. 6.28 Zozomene (z) In vita Hilarion Iereme (a) In his Theoph. Theodoret and (b) Viz. Socrates hist. lib. 4. c. 18. Euagrius hist lib. 6. cap. 22. others besydes our owne Centurists by diuers of which Miracles men were raised from death to lyfe others were cured of diseases by Prayer the raging and inundation of the Sea was suddenly stayed and the lyke But to omit for breuity other infinite Miracles recorded by the Fathers of the Primitiue Church many of them being exhibited in proofe of the Catholyke fayth and all of them performed by men that professed the Catholyke fayth we will descend to these later ages (c) Cent. 4. col 493 by degrees euen to our dayes And first for the space of thirteene hundred yeares next after Christ we will content our selues in that behalfe besydes that which is allready deliuered with the testimonyes and acknoledgments of the Magdeburgenses our Brethren who out of the most approued and authorized Cronicles and wryters do record the miracles of euery age successiuely making the thirteenth chapter of euery Century the subiect thereof To whose wrytings concerning so many ages for greater expedition they being earnest Protestants and enemyes to the Roman Religion I referre the Reader as to so many impartiall witnesses In the fourteenth age many were eminent for working of miracles but especially S. Nicolaus Tolentinas S. Catharine of Siena and S. Bernardinus as Antoninus (d) In 〈◊〉 part histo tit 23. 24. relateth In the fyfteenth age S. Vincentius was celebrious for Miracles as also S. Antonius whose lyfe may be read in Surius And lastly to arryue to this our owne age It is most certaine that S. Franciscus (e) Vide Surium de Paula wrought diuers most stupeÌ„dious miracles also that (f) See the booke of the life of Xauerius Xaucrius the Iesuite in the conuersion of the East Indians did worke the lyke for the more precise examination of whose Miracles by oath (h) See Abraham Hart well his booke heerof seruant to the Archbishop of CaÌ„terbury the King of Portugall did send forth a Commission to his Viceroy there dated in Aprill 1556. the which were so euidently true that D. Whitaker (g) Lib. de Eccles coÌ„t Bellar. p. 353. acknowledging theÌ„ calleth them Antichristian Miracles Againe the Miracles done in Congo in Afrike vpon it Conuersion to the present Roman Religion are diuulged by Protestant g Wryters But we will come neare at home and will somwhat insist in the many astonishing Miracles wrought these late yeares in the low Countryes at Sichem of which forty or aboue are recorded by the learned and eminent man (i) In his booke entituled Diua Sichemiensis siue Aspricollis then being a ProtestaÌ„t Iustus Lipsius then liuing in those Countryes one of too great iudgment to giue credit much lesse to diuulge in print euery fabulous wonder which might come to his eares and a man with whom in my yonger eares I haue had entercourse by letters Therefore we may morally assure our selues that he would not record any one for miracle but such and so himselfe affirmeth as either by his own knowledg were warranted for true himselfe seeing and speaking with the partyes vpon whome the miracles were wrought or by the testimonyes of many Oaths taken before the Magistrats in those places The consideration of which Miracles fortifyed with all probabiltyes of truth whatsoeuer especially either all or most of them consisting in supernaturally curing without any physick incurable diseases hath and doth still much preuayle with me and the more in regard of that great considence of truth which the forsaid Iustus Lipsius showeth in his relation of them for thus he wryteth (k) Vbi supra p. 1. 5. Ecce in oculis auribus omnium gesta ecce concursu plausu fructu gentium celebrata quae sides potest esse in rebus humanis si hac non est and againe Miracula Sichemiensi in agro euenere itemque eueniunt a bitris his sensibus Nos â—idemus nos audimus quis profestus abnuet in so much that in respect of his owne reuerence giuen to the place of Sichem where these miracles were wrought he (l) Vbi supra p â—6 mentioneth that himself made a pilgrimage to it But inough of Sichem and thus far concerning the glorious guyft of working Miracles promised by our Sauiour euer to be in his Church neuer practized as yet by any one ProtestaÌ„t but in all ages peculiar to the Catholyke Church and all this by the playne confessions of vs Protestants Now what can we iustly reply or oppose against the Miracles wrought by the members of the Catholyke Church To deny the working of all such Miracles were to denye all Ecclesiasticall records testimonyes and indeed to take away by the same ground all authority of history either ecclesiasticall or prophane Therefore if we will but ascry be as much credit to the wrytings of Zozomene Augustin Ierome Chrysostom Theodoret Eusebius others of those primitiue
Duraeum pag. 480. with the first instituting of the fast of Lent being in his tyme negligently obserued the doctryne of which fast was so auncient that (m) Exam Coucil Trid part â— pag. 89. Kemnitius thus writeth heerof Ambrose Maximus Taurinensis Theophilus Ierome and others do affirme the fast of Lent to be an Apostolicall Tradition Now the Collusion heere vsed in these examples resteth in a willfull confounding of the first Institution of a thing with a renouation of the practise of the said thing Againe we sometymes obiect thereby to intimate an vncertainty of Catholike Religion some canon or sentence decreed afore by a lawfull Councell and true Pope and after impugned by another lawfull Councell and true Pope But this then which the vulgar doth not obserue doth concerne not matter of fayth and doctrine which neuer fuffereth any alteration by Popes or Councells but only matter of fact the sentence whereof though afore giuen may without any impeachment of the Churches authority vpon better and later information be altered Such were the alterable decrees of the Popes Formosus and Stephanus the seauenth in their seuerall Councells grounded principally vpon matter of fact vsually obiected by vs against our Aduersaryes of which point see Sigebert in his Chronicle Whereas our Aduersaryes as aboue is deliuered show that many of our Protestant doctrines were condemned for heresyes by Augustine Hierem Epiphanius others in those primitiue tymes Now we by way of recrimination do confidently auouch the same of diuers Catholike articles to wit that euen in those dayes they were condemned for heresyes by the sayd Fathers but how truely we auerre this good Reader obserue and if thou be a Protestant blush in thy brethrens behalfe Two examples shall serue for many Well then D. (o) In his Chalenge concerning the Roman Church p. 113. Sutcliffe and D. (p) In his answere to a counterfeit Cath. pag. 22. Fulke insimulate the Catholikes with the heresy of the Collyridans who according to Epiphanius were condemned as these men say for worshipping the Virgin Mary But let (q) Haeres 79. Epiphanius heere explaine himselfe his wordes are these Hi qui hoc docent qui sunt prae terquam mulieres Who teach this except they be women So as this fect consisted only of women of whome Epiphanius thus further writeth Sellam (r) Vbi supra quadratam ornantes panem proponunt offerunt in nomine Mariae c. that is These women adorning a square table do set bread thereupon and offer it in the name of Mary Thus their errour consisted in instituting a feminin Priesthood in sacrifying to Mary belieuing her to be a God And thereupon Epiphanius in the very same place thus censureth heerof Deo ab aeterâ—o nullatenus Mulier sacrificauit c. And againe Neq Deus est Maria c. nemo in nomine eius offerat How farre distant are the Catholikes from mantayning this Heresy either in their doctrine or practise Againe for a second example D. (s) In his answere to a Counterfeit Catâ— pag. 22. Fulke thus speaketh to the Catholikes Of the Heretikes Caiani you haue learned to calvpoÌ„ the Angels he alleadging Epiphanius for the same But Epiphanius wordes are these farre different from D. Fulkes application Non (t) Haeres 38. posse aiunt aliquos saluari nisi c. The heretiks Caiani taught none could be saued till they had gone through all sinnes and committing thereupon wicked thinges and actions they called vpon the name of such as were true Angells and of such as were by them vntruly tearmed Angells referrin to this Angell and that Angell proprian actionem their peculiar action saying when they committed their wickednes O tu Angele vtor tuo opere O Angell I now vse or execute thy worke c. Thus their errour consisted not in calling vpon the Angells but in calling both vpon true false Angells as making them Patrons of their wicked actions Would any man thinke we should wrong our owne reputation and honours in vsing these willfull and iniustifyable misapplications and forgeryes against the Catholikes We are scholars and should remember that as learning beautifyeth the mind so candor and integrity learning And therfore it is strange to see D. Willet in his Tetrastyson Papiseni D. Fulke and D. Sutcliffe in their afore alleadged bookes thus to bloâ— paper in labouring by these and other such like detortions of the Fathers words to perswade their Readers that many articles of Catholike Religion were condemned for heresyes in those ancient tymes But to proceed to other passages of this our Scene whereby we seeke thus to bleare the iudgementes of our credulous followers The better to grace our Religion with the venerable title of Antiquity some of vs (u) D Pulk in his answere to a counterfeit Catâ— passim M VVotion in his desence of D. Perkins pag. 500. touching â—ouâ—nian are not ashamed to insist in the former old registred heretiks of the primitiue church aboue rehearsed vrging them for Protestants But what gaine we heereby For first not any one of them did hould more then two or three points of Protestancy in all others being Catholike Againe such their points of Protestancy though first broached so long since were instantly condemned by the whole Church of God And who knoweth not that erring Antiquity is no better then late appearing Innouation I heere passe ouer our alleadging for these later ages as partly aboue touched of Waldo Wicklifse Husse Polydor Virgil Nilus Cassander and the like for members of the Protestant Church of which not any one was a perfect Protestant both because euery one of them euer belieued most articles of the Catholike Church dissenting from it only in two or three as also in that diuers of them mantayned sundry grosse (x) Whereof see their owâ— books yet extant and absurd doctrines both in our and the Catholikes iudgements and this with great stifnes and pertinancy of will which pertinacy euer consummates perfects an heresy And thus by this their obstinancy contemning the authority of Gods Church they became as I may tearme them formall and positiue heretikes though heresy be but a priuation To proue that Catholikes do disagree in matters of Fayth we obiect some differences among them but such if they be well obserued doe not rest in the Conclusion it selfe of the doctrine belieued but in the manner or some other circumstance of the Conclusion or article of faith which manner except it be defy ned by the Church may be disputed of and seuerally mantained without breach of fayth Thus they all conspyre and agree in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Schoolmen speake though not in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which later point is commonly reduced and tryed by scholasticall diuinity Thus for example when Christ descended into Lymbus Patrum to deliuer the soules of the Iust from thence some few Catholiks mantaine that he descended efficacioussy
Subiect and Syr Edwin (b) In his relation of Religion Sands his words a man of great eminency among vs shall seale vp all the Premisses of this chapter The Protestant Wryters in relation of things haue abused this present age and preiudiced Posterity Loue and Dislyke haue so dazled their eyes that they cannot be beleiued But heer I must take leaue to vse a kynd of introuersion vpon our former deportments When I first noted diuers of these peculiar deliueryes of our owne Brethren I confesse I was moued to a vertuous anger O how often sweet Iesus did I demand in silence of spirit Can that Religion be true which for the supporting of it self is forced to flye to these Collusions and Deceits as to it strongest Sanctuary Must the light of the Ghospell be needs thus blemished for it own maintenance with such works of darknes Cannot true fayth be preached and planted in Mens soules but by such deceauable meanes Yes Different Centers haue euer in their Orbes different motions and truth and falshood cannot run one and the same lyne of proceeding Poore man then that I am haue I so many yeares in my sermons and speaches so much laboured to perswade to that Religion which otherwyse then by these base and ignoble meanes cannot be vpholden But mercifull Lord looke vpon me with the eye of Pitty I acknowledg my fault and do confesse in the words of Ieremy that perhaps euen from my tongue and pen at vnawares calumniam sustinuerunt filij Israel (e) Iereâ—â— cap. 50. The Catholyks and their religion I haue wronged and depraued so iustly are thy owne words verifyed in my weaknes Quod natum (d) Ioan. cap. 3. est ex carne caro est flesh and bloud were the motiues which for some yeares past sealed vp my lips from deliuering and preaching the Truth THE IX MOTIVE That the doctrine of Catholike Religion tendes directly to vertue of Protestancy to vice and Liberty THE Propheticall King deliuereth this Encomion or prayse of the kingdom of Christ which is his church That it is Lex (a) Psalm 18. Domini immaculata testimonium fidele praeceptum Domini illucidum Meaning heereby that the doctrine of the Ghospell of Christ contayneth nothing that is false in respect of fayth nothing vniust or wicked in regard of manners The former point being in part already discussed in this other I will a little insist briefly running ouer some few articles both of the Catholike and Protestant Religion and so will referre to the indifferent Reader which is that fayth which leadeth to the broad way (b) Matt. 7. of destruction and which to the narrow strait (c) Luc. 1â— Matth. 7. way of life And first touching our Protestant doctrine of Iustification by only fayth what liberty breedeth it in mans soule Since by it we are taught that notwithstanding our perpetrating of the most facinerous crimes one naked act of fayth in belieuing that Christ dyed for our sinnes washeth away all our ordure and stench This fayth assureth vs that Confession of sinnes is needles that all satisfaction and Almesdeeds are bootles that instantly vpon our deaths without suffering any temporall punishment in Purgatory we flye vp to heauen And all this because Christ hath suffered and payed for vs all so little we belieue that saying Satisfactio (*) Tert. l. de poeniâ—â—nt Confessione disponitur Confessio poenitentia nascitur poenitentia Deus mitigatur Now doth not this open the sluce to all licenciousnes May not a man reply vpon this ground that we need not either to pray or fast at all since Christ hath prayed and fasted for vs Our doctrine of depriuing man of Freewill how preiudiciall is it to a vertuous life Since it deadeth and blunteth all our endeauours in seeking to liue vertuously For it teacheth to deliuer it in Luthers (d) Serm. de Moyse wordes That the ten Commandments appertaine not vnto Christians or in M. Foxe his phrase That the ten Commandments were giuen vs not to doe them but to know our damnation and to call for mercy to God And heereupon one Thesis or Conclusion of our fayth is The impossibility of keeping the Commandments taught by vs all and particulerly by D. Willet (f) Synop. paâ—ism p. 〈◊〉 in these wordes The law remayneth still impossible to be kept by vs through the weaknes of our flesh Neither doth God giue vs ability to keep it but Christ hath fullfilled it for vs. Now if we want Free-will to what end should we striue to obserue the Commandments by mortifying our passions or by for bearing the actions prohibited by them Or to what end are admonitions to vertue or threats deterring from vice to be vsed either by God in his holy write or by man in humane lawes In like sort this doctrine of want of Freewill teacheth vs that we haue not the guift of Chastity a doctrine most (*) M. Perkins in his reformed Cath. pag. 161. sayâ—h The vow of continenâ—y is not in the power of him that voweth dangerous to all men and women vnmarryed and also to those in state of Wedlocke when the one party either through absence or impotency cannot discharge the due of Mariage And out of this puddle streamed that filth of Luthers wordes It (g) Tom. 5 VVittemberg sâ—rm de Matrimo is not in our power to be without a woman c. It is as necessary as to eate drinke purge make cleane the nose c. And againe If the wife will not let the maid come What flesh-diuinity is this Thus doth our first Euangelicall Prophet who vaunted euer much of the spirit like a good peace-maker ioyne those two thinges togeather I meane the Spirit and the Flesh which the Scripture (h) Matt. 1â— Rom. 8. Calaâ— 1. euer deuydeth and opposeth Our doctrine of the diuision of sinnes teacheth that to the faythfull professours of the Ghospel all sinnes though in others most heinous and grieuous are but (i) Musculus in loc comm de peâ—cat seâ—t 5. and D. Pulke against the Rhemish Testament in epist Ioan. veniall Now what encouragement to sinne doth this doctrine affoard to all those who are perswaded they haue true fayth Since by this their doctrine commit they what sinnes they will they learne their sinnes shall not be imputed vnto them And heereto euen D. Whitaker (k) De Eccles coÌ„t Bellarm. contro 2. quast 5. p. 301. accordeth in these wordes Si quis actum fidei habet eipectata non nocent Sinne doth not hurt him who actually belieueth And Luther No (l) In his Sermons englished printed anno 1578. pag. 126. worke is disallowed of God vnles the Authour thereof be disallowed And M. Wetton To (m) In his answere to the late popish artiâ—ies pag. 91. 41. the faythfull sinne is pardoned as soone as it is committed they hauing receaued forgiuenes of all their sinnes past and to come strange and dangerous
I may tearme them after they haue once forsaken the Catholike Church they being descended from those mentioned in Iob (e) Cap. 15. Bibunt quasi aquam iniquitatem They euen meditate how to become extremely vicious and as I may say they hould it a sinne to be but second in any sinne so much they affect all principality therein Witnesses heereof are the reuolted Priests the very scumm and improfitable burdens of the earth Good God! what base treacherous and inhumane motions haue some of them made to me for my imploying of their seruice But I will stay my pen. Concerning those who leauing Protestancy become Catholyks Many euen Protestants do obserue and confesse with me that by such their change in fayth they make a greater change in manners the will thus expecting to partake of the VnderstaÌ„dings good stil bettering their course of life and regulating in part their former exorbitancyes My self haue much marked this alteration and one example I cannot without wronge passe ouer It is this One yeare in my Vice chancelouriship in Oxford my deare mother from whose brestes I haue sucked my best milke there was a Mayster of Arts a man of reasonable yeares in iudgment a most forward and earnest Protestant of a delicate and choyce wit good literature a great spirit but extremely dissolute and loose in manners as wholy giuen ouer to Sensuality I wished him well for his good partes though his tares did ouergrow his wheat and for his friends behalfe My many perswasions for his change of lyfe was but as seede sowne in a barren ground in so much as I was forced otherwyse to chastize him for his publike disorders This Man leauing Oxford trauelled beyond the Seas there stayed some yeares altered his iudgment in Religion renewed his studyes was made Priest returned into England was apprehended and conuented before me then B. of London At the first sight I remembred well the Man and he me I could him I was sorry to heare that he had changed Ierusalem for Babylon I did meane EnglaÌ„d for Rome and the light of the Ghospel for supposed blynd Superstition I talked with him in priuate He denyed not his Priesthood I vrged him that his former bad Course of lyfe serued as a disposition to his now worse state I profered him if so hâ— would returne to the Truth to procure besydes his liberty present competency of Meanes and hereafter better aduancements for I thought such a man might be much seruiceable in our Church He kyndly thanked me for my proffers But I remember at my touching of his lyfe he gushed out into abundance of teares fully acknoledging his former enormous courses and his teares ceasing thus replyed My Lord for this was his answere it is to be feared that I may say with some Ancients perijssem si non perijssem since the reflecting vpon the deformity and vglines of my owne former wicked courses was occasionally a meanes for my change of Religion and my incorporating into Gods Church through his infinite mercy who worketh good out of euill as once he (f) 2. Cor 1.4 did commaÌ„d Light to shyne out of Darknes Me thought I saw compunction humility in his face such a change there was betweene him and his former selfe he tould me for temporall benefits he expected none his enlargment he desyred so far forth as therby he might more fully execute his Priesthood saying he desyred no other haruest in this World then to reduce poore straying soules to the Catholik Church But touching my motioning his reuolt in his fayth his reply was that if he had as many lyues as there are stars in Heauen a supernaturall and wonderfull resolution he would lose them all before he would change his religion I enquyred of his cariage in prison and I was informed that besides the affliction of the place which might seeme sufficient he vsed diuers voluntary austerityes The end was I not preuayling with him in my desyres did hasten his banishement But obseruing his different comportmentes at these two different tymes how often thought I for then I made no other construction though I graunt since I haue giuen it another Comment must it be the mishap of the Gospell of Christ and the aduantage of Superstition that a Man professing the true sayth must engulfe himself in all wickednes and after comming from the light into the darknes of Errour must instantly breath penitency of former sinnes humility charity and sanctity of lyfe But inough of this Man As concerning other Priests in generall my experience taken from their often appearance and conuiction before me assureth my iudgment that abstracting from the Lawes of the Realme they are good Men greatly deuoted to vertue and piety labouring with exposall of their liues to imminent danger to saue seduced Soules And indeed it is aboue the leuell of Nature to see most of them Gentlemen by byrth of liberall education hauing otherwise competency of meanes yea some heyres to their parents whole Patrimony and state thus to shake hands with the world and all the pleasures thereof so bearing a spirituall death in a naturall lyfe and ready only for the good of other soules to become so many yonge Isaacs expecting to be made sacrifices if the Angell of mercy stay not the hand of the Law Thus where some two or three of them among many scores through a base reuolting pusillanimity commonly vshered afore with a secret vitious course are glad to purchase an ignoble lyfe with ouerthrow the rest stand prepared to suffer a most happy death with Victory For the Lay-Catholykes I know they are commonly of most tender Consciences How many besydes men euen Women yea Gentlewomen and Ladyes of note haue beene afore me to whom I haue profered all kyndnes if they would show but the least relenting in the smallest poynt of their Religion but their resolution was so vnalterable that I was wont to muse thereat and say to my selfe see how weaknes remaynes firme and vnuanquished when strength oftentymes doth fall and yeald Besydes how many young gentlewomen of good portions and fitting for the World do leaue for euer their Countrey friends only to cloyster themselues within a wall and there to sperâ—â— all their dayes in Chastity fasting prayer and deuotion Holy Iesus forgiue me for my hindering of diuers such from taking this holy Course But to hasten to an end Since the doctryne of Catholyks and Protestans are so different in nature the one euen exhaling forth liberty and sensuality the other vertue piety and mortification and since the lyke disparity would be found in their lyues if due examination were made thereof what els can I conclude but that the Catholyke Religion is the true Religion and Protestancy but Errour Innouation Except I should mantayne contrary to the prouidence goodnes charity of God and to all naturall Reason that true fayth must needs be accompanyed with a bad lyfe and false fayth with a good
lyfe as if Truth in doctryne had interleaged and couenanted with Vice and Vertue with falshood and Errour to deceaue Mankynd THE X. MOTIVE That Luther and Caluin are cheife Patrones of Arianisme and therefore in other poynts of fayth are not to be followed NVM QVID (a) Matt 6 7. colligunt de spinis vuas aut de tribulis ficus saith our Blessed Sauiour By which words I am taught that Truth in particuler doctrynes hardly taketh it flowing and emanation from those Men who are transcendently euil either in their liues or in their mayntenance of any execrable blasphemyes Since then I fynd Luther and Caluin the two cheife Corner-stones in the edifice of our Protestant Church maynely in their wrytings to impugne the sacred Mystery of the holy Trinity the most supreme and Cardinall poynt of Christian Religion I cannot easily be induced any longer to imbrace and entertayne other dogmaticall poynts of fayth as true first broached in these dayes by them Good Protestant Reader who shalt deigne to peruse this passage I do not wish thee heere to blush through shame at these thy Grand Maysters proceedinges for that were an ouer myld and gentle redargution of them but I will thee euen to grow pale through feare and horrour to fynd Men vpon whose credit and affiance thy fayth and consequently the weale or woe of thy owne Soule greatly dependeth to rise to that ascent of Impiety as to reuine and raise vp out of the depth of Hell the most blasphemous Heresy of Arius against the Maiesty of the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the world But heer I see it is true (b) Tert. contra Gentes fiunt non nascumtur Christiani To come to the poynt And first concerning Luther Is it not confessed that Luther was so aduerse to the Blessed Trinity as that he would not brooke this Verse to stand in the Litanyes (d) In postil maiore Basileae printed 15â—7 Holy (c) Vide Enchirid. precum anni 1543. Trinity one very God haue mercy vpon vs He affirming c the word Trinity to be an humane inuention and to sound coldly And hence it is that Luther in these ensuing words disgorgeth forth his poison against the most sacred Trinity Anima (e) Luth. â—il cont Iacobum Latomum tom 2. VVittemb latinèedito anno 15â—â— though in later editions these wordes are purposely left out omitted mea odit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 optimè exegerunt Ariani ne votem illam prophanam nouam regulis fidei statui liceret that is My soule euen hateth the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Consubstantialie And the Arians iustly vrged that this prophane and new word should not be inserted within the rules or principles of our fayth And beer upon also it well may be that Luther purposely expungeth out of his Dutch Bibles this following place of Scripture being a markable text in proof of the Trinity There be (f) 1. Ioan. 5. three which giue witnes in Heauen the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three be one And thus much for some tast of Luthers mynd heerein who stands so iustly chargeable with this execrable Heresy of Arius that Zu nglius wryting against him touching that subiect thus rebuketh him In (g) Tom. 2. in resp Luth. sol 474. verbis Lutheri grauissimi errores latitant c. There lye most great errors in Luthers words When I reade Luthers booke it seemes to me that a beastly Hog doth gruntle in a garden beset with most fragrant flowers so impurely so vnlyke to a Deuyne and so improperly Luther disputeth of God al holy things Thus Zuinglius To come to Caluin Luthers heyre-apparent though by his owne industry he hath much improued as I may say his bequeathed inheritance Caluins absolute dislike of the Trinity and the doctrine thereof is manifested three seuerall wayes First by his owne speaches deliuered against the Trinity his different expounding from all Antiquity the chiefest passages of Scripture vsually alleadged in proofe of the Trinity Secondly from the testimonyes of other learned Protestants for I purposly forbeare all authority of Catholikes heerein charging Caluin with Arianisme Thirdly from the examples of the new Arians who before their reuolt thereto were commonly earnest and forward Caluinistes To begin with the first And first we do find Caluin to tread the steps of Luther in disallowing that somer prayer Holy Trinity one God haue mercy vpon vs. For thus Caluin (h) In epist 2. ad Polonos in tract theolog pag. 796. writeth Precatio sancta Trinitas vnus Deus miserere nostri mihi non placet ac omnino barbariem sapit That is That prayer holy Trinity one God haue mercy vpoÌ„ vs pleaseth not me since it wholy tasteth of Barbarisme Touching Caluins contrary interpreting of the chiefest texts of Scripture alleadged by all antiquity for proofe of the Trinity two or three texts shall serue for example And first that principall passage I and (i) Ioan. 10. the Father are vnum one viz. thing euer mainly insisted vpon by the (*) Viz. Basiâ— l. 1. in Eunom circa fineÌ„ Chrysost in hunc locum Augu. in hunc locuÌ„ omnes adj Fathers against the old Arians for proofe of the Trinity is thus auoyded by Caluin Abusi (k) In Ioan cap. 10. sunt hoc loco veteres vt probarent Christum esse Patri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neq enim Christus de vnitaâ—e substantiae disputat sed de consensu c That is The Ancients haue abused this place to proue from thence Christ to be consubstantiall to his Father for Christ heere disputeth not of the vnity of essence but of the vnity of consent and Will this being indeed the old condemned interpretation of Arius Againe that text Thou (l) Psalm 2. art my Sonne hodie this day I haue begotten thee interpreted not only by the Fathers but euen by the Apostle (m) Hebr. cap. 1. himself to proue Christs diuinity is in these words shifted off by Caluin Scio (n) Calu. in psal 2. hunc locuÌ„ de aeterna Chrisâ—i generationâ— Ã mult is fuisse expositum qui in verbo hodie argutè philo ophati sunt c. I know well that many haue interpreted this place of the eternall generation of Christ subtily disputing about the word hodie Againe that markable passage aboue touched There (o) 1 Ioan. 5. be three that giue testimony in heauen the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three be one Which words all Fathers (*) Hier. in hunc locum Cypr. l. de vnit Eccles â—than in l. 1 ad l beâ—ph and Interpreters euer expounded of the Trinity is thus answered by Caluin Quod (p) Calu. in hun locum dicit tres essâ— vnum ad essentiam non refertur sed ad conscusum potiùs That is Where it is heere sayd these three are one these wordes
are not to be referred to one in respect of essence but rather in respect of consent And thus far of some few chiefest texts of all pretermitting diuers others (q) As in Genes c. 1. touching the word Eâ—oim and Genes c. 19. Psal 33. diâ—eâ— 3 other textes prouing the Blessed Trinity for breuity prouing the doctrine of the most B. Trinity yet otherwise depraued and misconstrued by Caluin Now that Caluin is charged by diuers Protestants for mantayning of Arianisme is no lesse euident For among others Aegidius Hunnius a most remarkable and learned Protestant writeth a book against Caluin euen of this subiect entituling it Caluinus Iudaizans Hoc est Iudaicae glossae corruptelae quibus Ioannes Caluinus illustrissima Scripturae sacrae loca testimonia de gloriosa Trinit ate c. aetestandum in modum corrumpere non exhorruit In like sort the sayd Author writeth a secoÌ„d book of the same subiect calling it Anti-paraeus Againe Conradus (r) In theolog Caluinist l. 2. fol. 38 39.4â— c. Schlusselburg a Protestant deeply and frequently chargeth Caluin with Arianisme Ioannes Matthaeus a Protestant writing against Caluin for teaching Arianisme entituleth his booke De cauendo Caluinistarum fermento c. Also Pelargus a Protestant thus passeth ouer Caluin and his schollars in these wordes Non (s) In his admenit de Arianis hic Caluinum Caluinianos in plurinis scripturae expositionibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 laboriosè ostendam c. That is I heere pretermit to show how Caluin and the Caluinists in many expositions of sacred Scripture do play the Iewes and the Arians Lastly Stancarus a Caluinist in other poynts thus wryteth to Caeluin Conclusum (t) Contra ministâ—os Geâ—teuenses Tyguâ—inos est ô Caluine doctrinam tuam de filio Dei esse plane Arianam de qua resilias quaÌ„primum te â—ro atque obsecro that is O Caluin it is concluded that thy doctryne touching the Sonne of God is plainly Arian from which I beseech thee that thou wouldest presently depart Now to crosse these learned Mens iudgements passed vpon Caluin it is not sufficient to affirme that Caluin euer in his lyfe professed himselfe to beleiue the doctryne of the Trinity since such his profession can be but only externall and in words for how can he be presumed inwardly and vndoubtedly to beleiue that doctryne the greatest authorityes in proofe of which doctrine himselfe laboureth to ouerthrow at least to eneruate and weaken Touching the third poynt to wit that most of our new Arians at this day were afore earnest Caluinists is auerred by diuers learned Protestan s And first M. Hooker thus faith of this (u) In his Eccles policy l. 4. p. 183. The Arians in the reformed Churches of Poland meaning thereby the reformed Churches of the Caluinists there thinke the very beleife of the Trinity to be a part of AntichristiaÌ„ corruption And that the Popes triple crowne is a sensible marke whereby the world might know him to be that mysticaâ—l beast spoken of in the Reuelation in 〈◊〉 respect so much as in his doctryne of the Trinity Againe the afore alledged Stancarus (x) Contra Ministros Geâ—teuenses Tyguâ—mos fol. 94. thus peremptorily auerreth The reformed Churches of Geneua and Tigure are Arians Iacobus (y) â—â—â—n praefat refutat Apolog. Dauaei Andraeas a learned Proâ—estaÌ„t thus giueth his iudgment heerein Minimù mirandum est ex Caluinianis in Polania Transiluaâ—is Hâ—ungaria â—lyâ—que locis quamplurimos ad Arianismum accessisse c that is It is not to be woundred that very many Caluinists in Polonia Transiluania Hungary and other places do imbrace Arianisme c. to which impiety the doctryne of Caluin hath prepared way Thus Andraeas to whose sentence the learned (*) In his Antiparaeus p. 97 Hunnius subcribeth in these words Tot celebres Anti-trinitary ex Caluinianorum Scholis Ecclesijs prodierunt c. So many eminent Anti-trinitarians or enemyes to the doctrine of the Trinity haue issued out of the Schooies and Churches of the Caluinists c. But to seale vp the truth heerof with producing examples of particuler men who being Caluinists became Arians I will heere content my selfe with one testimony only Adam Neuserus a Caluinist of great note and once cheife Pastour of Heidelberge became an Arian and after a Turke and thereupon flying to Constantinople did wryte from thence to one Gerlachius a Protestant Minister in Iuly 2. anno 1574. in this sort None (a) This is related by Osiander in Epitom ceut 16. p. 208. is knowne to be in our tyme made an Arian who was not first a Caluinist as Seruetus Blandrata Paulus Alciatus Francis us Dauid Gentilis Gebraldus Siluanus others Therefore who feareth to fall into Arianisme let him take heed of Caluinisme Thus much Neuserus for example of himselfe and these other particuler Arians who first were Caluinists And thus far of this subiect where we fynd by seuerall kynds of proofs that Luther Caluin are Posthumi to Arius and that Mans Vnderstanding in these our tymes neuer receaueth the deepe and full dye of Arianisme except first as for a due preparation thereto it be drenched and steeped in the tincture of Caluinisme But now to turne backe vpon the Premisses and vpon my selfe What Reason can I probably haue that Luther Caluin and their ofspring thus maynly erring in the fundamentall poyntes of Christianity doth not also erre in other lesser principles of their owne religion Is it possible that the wronging of Christ in his Essence being honour should be a step or disposition to preach in other poynts the true fayth of Christ Or shall the supporters and reuiuers of Arius the designed enemy of my Sauiour be my instructors and guydes touching my beleife in my Sauiour No. Such Pseudochristians and their serpentine and hidden malice against thee sweet Iesus I loath and disclayme from who though not as the Lambe of God which taketh away the Sinne of the world yet as the Lyon of (b) Apoc. cap. 5. the Trybe of Iuda which confoundeth his enemyes will for thyne honours sake inflict iust punishments vpon them for these their perpetrated indignityes THE XI MOTIVE That there is vnity in Faith in Catholike Religion and disagreements in fayth in Protestancy AMONG other incommunicable Attributes of God it is ascribed vnto him that he is (a) Since his vnity is opposed to all multitude as his simplicity of nature is to all composition summè Vnus though this his vnity of Essence and Nature comprehendeth eminenter all multiplicity of perfections in creatures This Vnity by way of Analogy that so the spouse might be heerein like to her Brydegrome God hath imprinted vpon his Church as an inseparable marke or Character And this consisteth in that her members are to imbrace one fayth one Religion and according to the Apostles wordes endeauouring (b) Ephes
4. to keep the vnity of spirit in the band of peace continuing (c) Philip. 1. 1. Petr. 3. in one spirit and one mind Which sacred and indeleble stampe of vnity is so proper to God euen in this secondary acceptance that therefore the (d) 1. â—or 14. Apostle styleth him the God not of dissention but of vnity Heere then it commeth to be examined to which Church this venerable title of Vnity may best seeme to be appropriated Touching the Catholik Church we find our own BrethreÌ„ though loath to ascribe to her greater perfections then she truly enioyeth for willingly Nolunt (e) Tert. coutra Gentes audire quod auditum damnare non possunt to confesse thus much Contentiones (f) D. VVhitak de Eccles cont Bellarm cont 2. q. 5. pag. 327. Papistarum sunt friuolae futiles de figmentis commentis sui cerebri meaning heereby that the Catholikes contentions strike not at the hart of their Religion but concerne thinges only of small moment so graunting their differences to be only about Indifferencyes But D. Fulke (g) Against Hesâ—ms Sanders c p. 295. acknowledgeth of this point more fully saying As for the consent and peace of the Popish Church it proueth nothing but that the Diuell had then all thinges at his will and therefore might sleep thus graunting an vnity of fayth in the Roman Church but falsly obtruding it vpon the enemy of Vnity But if now we looke backe vpon our selues it is cleare that D. Whitaker (h) Vbi supra had good reason to say Nostrae contentiones sunt propter fidem they shaking indeed the whole Systema and frame of Protestancy For we do nothing els but by our reciprocall writings one against another labour to reedify the tower of Babylon Such a tumultuous and confused heape and masse of dissentions in doctrine we haue raysed vp by our pennes and now raised cannot laye them we resembling heerin the Moone which is able to stir and moue the humours in mans body but not of force to dissipate and dispell them And first we disagree euen in the approuall or dispronall of Scripture since there are whole Churches (i) These bookes are denyeâ— by most Lutherans in Germany both beertofore particulerly by KeÌ„nitius in â—nchiâ—id p. 63. end in exam Conci Tri. part 1. p. 55. and at this day they not suffering these books to be printed in the same volume with other acknowledged Scripture in Germany and all professing Protestancy which at this day do reiect the Epistles of Iameâ— of Iude the second of Peter the second and third of Iohn the epistle to the Hebrewes and the Apocalips Secondly we disagree in our translating of confessed Scripture as heereafter shal be demonstrated Thirdly we disagree in the construction of that Scripture which we acknowledge to be Canonicall and truly translated as will more fully appeare heereafter in our mutuall accusations But to approach more neerely to this point the Reader is to conceaue that our interchangeable dissentions and condemnatious in matters of Religion are in seuerall sorts First the Lutherans with the Sacramentaryes I meane with the Zuingliaus and Calninists Secondly the Sacramentaryes condemning the Lutherans Thirdly the Lutherans among themselues Fourthly the Sacramentaryes among themselues vnder whome are comprehended the Protestants and Puritans heere in England And first to begin with the iudgment of the Lutherans passed vpon the Sacramentaryes Luther himselfe thus sayth We (k) Thes 21. contra Louaniens seriously iudge the Zuinglians Sacramentaryes to be heretiks and aliens from the Church of God And againe he sayth The (l) Epist ad IoanneÌ„ Heruag Typograp Argent Sacramentaryes began their opinion of the Sacrament with lyes and with lyes they end it And yet further We will (m) Tom. 7. in defâ—ns verbo Coenae Domini fol. 386. reproue and condemne them to wit the Sacramentaryes for Idolaters corrupters of Gods word blasâ—emers and deceauers and of them as of the enemyes of the Ghospell we will sustaine persecution and spoyle of our goods c. Thus much Luther himselfe Neither are Luthers Posthumi I meane the Lutherans whome by testimony of D (n) In his answere to F. Camp his 8. reason Whitaker the English Protestants imbrace as their deare brethren in Christ more mild in censuring the Sacramentaryes then their Father was For Luke (o) Enchi cont Calu. cap 7. Osiander a Lutheran speaking of certaine wicked assertions touching Christ sayth thus But heere gentle Reader beyond aboue those blasphemous things which in the discourse afore we haue heard against the Son of God out of the opinion of our Aduersaryes the â—aluinists there openeth it selfe a gulfe of hell of Caluinian doctrine in which God is sayd to be the Authour of sinne c. And hence of necessity must arise in the hartes of men manifest blasphemyes against God West halus a Lutheran auerreth (p) Apol. cont Calu. p. 430. c. 19. that all the Caluinian workes are stuffed with taunts curses and lyes And he further affirmeth That there are certaine pages of Caluins works of which euery one contayneth aboue twenty lyes tauÌ„ts (q) In his epist dedicatory to the coâ—â—utations of Caluins deprauatioÌ„s Hunnius a most remarkable Lutheran chargeth Caluin that he wresteth the Scriptures horribly from their true sense to the ouerthrow of himselfe and others Brentius (r) In recognit Prophetar sayth All the Zuinglians workes are full of deprauations cunnings deceits and slaunders Conradus (s) In praesat Theo. Caâ—uiâ— Schlusselourâ—e confidently auerreth That the Caluinists do nourish Arian and Turkish impietyes in their harts which doth not seldome at sit tymes openly disclose it selfe And thus passing ouer the censures which the Bookes Caluinus Iudaizans and Caluino-papismus both written by Lutherans do giue besides many other bookes written against him and the Sacramentaryes by the Lutherans this already set downe shall suffice concerning the Lutherans çondemnation of Caluin and other Sacramentaryes Next let vs obserue how the Sacramentaryes carry themselues towardes Luther And first Zuingliùs (t) Zuing. tom 2. in resp ad Luth. Confess fol. 4â—8 469. calleth Luther Marcion the old heretike further sayth that Luther is guilty of high blasphemy against the nature and essence of God in that he taught that Christ dyed according to his Diuinity He Further speaketh of Luther touching the same poynt saying This can be by no reason explayned or excused for Luther clearely and manifestly confesseth that he will not acknowledge Christ to be his Sauiour if only his Humanity had suffered Zuinglius also wryting in another place against (u) In resp ad Luther I. desacrament fol. 401. Luthers doctryne thus prouoketh Thou Luther shalt be forced either to denye the whole Scripturs of the new Testament or to acknowledg Marcions Heresy And in the same place fol. 478. Zuinglius saith of Luther thus En vt totum
to the word of God And again In the Communion-booke there be things of which there is nâ— reasonable sense there is contradiction in it euen in necessary and essentiall points of Religion the holy Scripture is disgraced in it c Others of them (k) In the Suruey p. 20. 24. say thus The Communion booke of England is not agreable to the word of God in many thinges A third (l) Certain confiderations printed anno 1605. fol. 10.11.12 thus censureth of it The Protestants Communion-booke and seruice iâ— naught it hath grosse and palpable repugnancy in it This dislike of the Puritans of the Communion-booke is so euident that D. Couell (m) In his exam pag. 179. their aduersary and allowing the Communion book thus setteth down their iudgement heerein The Communion-booke is boldly despised grosse errâ—urs and manifeâ—t impietyes meaning in their opinion are in the Communion-booke Thus much of the Communion-booke Touching our English translations of the Scripture we find the Puritans most violent headlong in condemning of them Answerably heerto diuers of (n) In the abridgmeÌ„t of a booke deliuered by certaine Ministers to the King pag 11. and 12. the Ministers with one consent thus write of the english Translation A translation that taketh away from the Text that addeth to the text and this somtymes to the changing or obscuring of the meaning of the Holy Ghost And againe A translation which is absurd and senseles peruerting in many places the meaning of the holy Ghost M. Burges (o) In his Apology sect 6. speakes in this sort of the English Translation How shall I approue vnder my hand a Translation which hath many omissions many additions which sometimes obscureth sometymes peruerteth the sense being sometymes senseles sometyms contrary M. (p) In his aduertisment to the Bishops Broughton the great Hebrician thus sayth The publike translation of the Scripture in English is such as it peruerteth the Text of the old Testament in eight hundred fourty and eight places and it causeth millions of millions to reiect the new Testament and to runne into eternall flames Thus he D. (q) In his answere to M. VVillam Reynolds pag. â—25 Whitaker though fauouring the English Translation of the Bible as much as possibly he may thus confesseth I haue not sayd otherwise but that somethings in the English translation might be amended To conclude this point we find that at the Conference at Hampton Court before the Kinges Maiesty D. Reynolds the foreman for the Puritans openly refused to subscribe to the Communion-book because sayd he it warranted a corrupt false translation of the Bible Thus far of this second point Now in the last place let vs take a short view how we that are moderate and Parlamentary Protestants doe censure of the Puritans M. (r) Powell in his considerations Powell censureth the Puritans to be notorious and minifest Schismatiks out off from the Church of God M. (s) In his enist dedic pag. 3. Parks auerreth thus The Puritans seeke to vndermine the fouÌ„dation of fayth And further he thus sayth The Creed it (t) Vbi supra selfe which alwayes hath beene the badge and cognizance whereby to discerne and know the faythfull from vnbelieuers c. is the maine point in question betweene vs and the Puritans D. Couell (u) Exam pag 71. speaking of certain hot and fyrebrand Ministers thus wryteth The first english Ministers so far dissented that some bookes and the greatest part of Christendome was filled with irreuerent vnholy and vnnaturall Contentions c. I will close this poynt with the testimony of a great (x) In the Suruey of the pretended discipime c. 5. c. 24. cap. 3â— Pillar of our church who thus chargeth the Puritans They peruert the true meaning of certaine places both of Scriptures and Fathers to serue their owne turnes And againe the said Authour saith of them The word of God is troubled with such choppers changers of it finally to leaue out diuers other such passages he further thus complayneth The Caterbrawls pittisull distractions and Confusions among the Puritans proceed of such intollerab e presumption as is vsed by peruerting and false interpretation of holy Scripture And thus far for some tast not setting downe thereof the hundred part of our recriminations vsed against the Puritans But before I come to the Catastrophe and end of this Scene I am to put the Reader in mynd that as auoyding prolixity vnwilling to launce deeper into our owne wounds I passe ouer first How the very names of Lutherans Caluinists Protestants and Puritans are not inuented by the Papists or out of malice by ech others Aduersaryes but euen of Necessity to distinguish the different doctrine of euery Professour as D. Whitakew (y) In his answere to to M. Reynalds prafat p. 44. and x Conradus Schlusselburge do acknowledge (z) In his catalog hâ—retic p. 866. Secondly I passe ouer the infinite bookes written by forraine Protestants one against another amounting to the number of foure hundred and aboue as is euident to any one who will peruse Iudocus Coccius his Thesaurus tom 2. Hospinan his historia Sacramentaria part altera and the yearly Catalogues of Bookes returned from Franekford Thirdly I pretermit to show how the Contentions of forraine Protestants only for matter of Religion haue beene so violent as that they haue prohibited (a) Vide Hospinan in historta Sacram. part altera fol. 393. sale of each others Bookes haue appointed (b) Hosp vbi supra Articles of Visitation concerning the apprehending of ech ones Aduersaryes and which is more not forbearing to (c) Hosp vbi supra fol. 395. Ofiander epitom cent 16. p. 7â—5 enter into open armes and hostility Lastly I passe ouer to mention the Books made by English Protestants one against another touching these questions following 1. Of Christs descending into Hell 2 Of Bishops and Ceremonyes 3. Concerning the sufficiency of our Redemption by our Sauiours bodily death vpoÌ„ the Crosse or whether that his further suffering in Soule the paynes of Hell was also needfull 4. Concerning Vniuersality of Grace 5 Concerning the lawfulnes or vnlawfulnes of Vsury 6. Touching the Innocent partyes marying againe in case of diuorce vpon Adultery besydes some others the number of all which will amount to seuerall scores All this I say I passe ouer but I cannot passe ouer but obserue and therat smyle the subtle deportments of vs Protestants in this matter of our Dissentions Since when we wryte one against another we with great intemperance of words do deepely charge our Aduersaryes other Protestants with obscuring the Gospell of Christ and laboring to maintayne their owne darknes of Ignorance eue in the fundamentall poynts of Christian fayth as is showed But when we Protestants are vpbrayded by our Aduersaryes the Catholyks for such our diuisions in matters of fayth then the Case is altered and we beare it out
as though the Sunne equally and indifferently shyned vpon vs all auerring with (d) D. â—e well in his Apology of the Church of England p. 101. sayth thus The ZuingliaÌ„s and Lutherans are good friends they vary not betweâ—ne themselves vpon the principles and foundatioÌ„s of our Religion but vpon only one questioÌ„ which is neither waighty nor great The like sayth D. VVhitakâ— in resp ad rationes Camp rat 8. p. 155. monstrous boldnes that the ProtestaÌ„t differ among themselues not in any mayne poynts of fayth but only in Ceremonyes and some few matters of Indifferency so making our pens and Controuersyes for our owne aduantage to partake of the nature of diaphanous and transparent bodyes which are equally capable of light darknes In lyke sort I cannot but obserue in the thronge of so many great differences among our selues the detriment we suffer particularly by our dissensions touching our Communion-Booke of Prayer and our English Translation of Scripture Since by the first we are not resolued how we ought to pray to God whether our prayers made for the remitting of our Sinnes be not an increase of our sinnes since wrongfully and with a false fayth to pray is but to offend God And thus do we depriue our selues of the cheife means of pacifying Gods wrath and indignation Seing Prayer is a secondary Mediatour betweene God and man by meanes of it God as I may say knoweth not that to wit our Sinnes which from all Etermity he did know nor remembers that which before the perpetrating thereof was firmely registed in the Booke of his Prescience Prayer indeed being the spirituall ayre which refrigerates the heat of our Passions Os (e) Psalm 1â—8 meum aperui attraxi spiritum In lyke sort we being at wars which is the true Word of God in our translations of Scripture we are in the meane tyme depriued euen by our owne grounds of the true Iudge for the appeasing determining of Controuersyes in Religion since granting the Scripture to be this Iudge yet this is to be vnderstoode of the Scripture as it is pure in it self and incontaminated not as it is abastarded with false Translations Besydes being vnresolued which is the true Word of God we know not which is that heauenly Kings true â—â—mbassadour bringing to mankynd the comfortable message of Saluation or rather which is the Great Seale of that most great God whereunto he hath set his hand obliging himself by promise to giue Pardon to all truly Penitent euery sentence thereof being indeed the Lyse of our Soule and Soule of our Life (f) Ioan. cap. 6. Verba quae ego locutus sum vobis spir tus vita sâ—nt But to conclude this Chapter since the Catholyks in respect of fayth enioy a perfect Vnity since the Protestants maintayne strange diuersityes of doctrine attended on with intestine simultyes and vnchristian Anathematizings And since I haue but one poore indiuisible soule not capable of seuerall wayes therefore I am resolued that this one soule of myne shall in her fayth according to her owne being and essence tread the path of Vnity not of multiplicious Contrariety and repugnancy in Religion THE XII MOTIVE That Saluation may be had in Catholyke Religion by the confession of Protestants PERVERSITAS fidei est probata non credere non probata prasumere saith the ancient and learned (a) Aduer Gâ—osticos Tertullian By which words we are taught that an indubious and and fully warranted Truth ought to ouerballance in matter of fayth all vncertaine iniustifiable fluctuations of a contrary iudgment Heere then the Question being in what fa th and Religion a man dying may be saued a primary and Cardinall poynt I fynd that the learneder sort of Protestants do conspiringly seach that a Catholyke or in our own phrase a Papist dying a Papist may be saued but I do not fynd the lyke fauorable censure of our learned Aduersaryes so vnanimously to passe vpon vs dying Protestants Thus the first poynt as being on all sydes approued I may securely beleiue the second as not granted I must apprehend at least as doubtfull The consideration of our owne Brethrens iudgments heere in the behalfe of our Aduersaryes I grant hath much swayed me For as some of vs do teach (b) Peter Martyr in his Comm. places parâ— 2 p. 319. Among all testimonyes that testimony is of greatest respect which is witnessed by the Enemy since such an authour by disprouing the truth most strongly approues it and by impugning propugnes it This poynt then to wit that the hope of Saluation belongeth to Papists dying Papists shall be demonstrated foure seuerall wayes euen from the ingenuous and plaine acknowledgment of those Protestants whose pennes and wrytings haue most stroÌ„gly inuaded the iudgment of their Readers First by showing that diuers of vs doe hould that the cheifest Articles of Catholyke Religion are but poynts of Iudifferency and compatible with Saluation and which is more by prouing that sundry learned Protestants haue actually and really beleiued the said Catholike Articles as true Secondly by manifesting euen from our owne wrytings that the Church of Rome is the true Church of Christ and that in that Church Saluation is to be obtayned Thirdly from our doctryne practize in baptizing the children of Catholyks Fourthly by insisting in diuers examples of particuler men which haue dyed in the Roman and Catholike Church and yet by vs Protestants are reputed for glorious Saints in heauen As touching the first I will rest for greater expedition in some few of the chiefest articls of the Roman fayth the which being accounted by vs as matters of indifferencyes may stand by our owne censures with saluation from whence we may inferre that then much more many other articles of the sayd Religion be reputed by vs to be of the like indifferency And first concerning the primacy of the Church Luther (c) In assert art 36. himselfe thus sayth The Popes supremacy is among those vnnecessary trifles wherin the Popes leuity and foolery is to be borne withall Melancthon (d) In his epist extant in the booke styled Centuria epist Theolog. epist 74. proceedeth more plainely saying An agreement may easily be established in the Article of the Popes Primacy if other articles could be agreed vpon The doctrine of the Primacy to wit that one must be chiefe in the Church of God is taught by (e) Vbi supra MelanctoÌ„ (f) So related by Hospinian hist p. 389. Iacobus Andreas (g) Luth. in loc com class c. 37 Luther and D. (h) D. Couell in his exam fol. 106. Couell who giueth this reason thereof saying If there were not one supreme head in the Church of God the Church should be worse then the meanest Commonwealth yea then any den of theeues Touching the reall presence D. Reynolds (i) In his conclus annexed to his conference pag. 722. so depresseth the weight thereof that he sayth
59. Muscuâ—uâ— and (b) in ep Paul ad Philipens Coless c. fol. 223. Zanchius But if bowing to the Name of Iesus being heard or read be lawfull then followeth it irrefragably that the honoring of Christs Image is lawfull since the name of Iesus is to the eare as his Image is to the eye And thus far of certaine mayne points of the Catholike ReligioÌ„ acknowledged but as matters of IndiffereÌ„cy by certaine Protestants and therefore not excluding in their Iudgments the beleiuers of them from Saluation and taught and beleiued for most true by other learned Protestants In this second place we will show that our learned Brethren do teach the Church of Rome notwithstanding her certaine supposed Errours to be the true Church of Christ and consequently her Professours to be not Analogical and half ChristiaÌ„s but true and perfect Christians and therefore not excluded euen by our owne mens iudgments from the hope of Saluation First then we do fynd our Brother (c) In his treatise of the kingdome of Israel and of the Church p. 24. D. Morton now Bishop of Couentry and Lichfyeld thus to wryte Papists are to be accounted the Church of God because they do hould the foundation of the Gospell which is fayth in Christ Iesus the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the World If then the Papists by the Church of God it followeth they are the true Church of God since to speake with S. Cyprian Adulterari (d) Lib de vnit Eccl. non potest sponsa Christi incorrupta est pudica In like sort M. (e) In his fift booke of Eccles policy pag. 188. Hooker giueth this honourable and worthy respect to the Church of Rome saying The Church of Rome is to be reputed a part of the house of God a limme of the visible Church of Christ we gladly acknowledge them to be of the family of Iesus Christ M. Bunny (f) In his treat tending to pacific p. 109 111. speaking of the Catholikes and I rotestants thus writeth Neither of vs may iustly account the other to be none of the Church of God we are no seuerall Church from them nor they from vs. D. Field thus writeth We (g) Of the Church l. 3. cap. 46. doubt not but that the Church in which the Bishop of Rome with more then Luciferlike pride exalted himselfe was notwithstanding the true Church of God that it held a sauing profession of the truth in Christ therefore in his iudgment those which dyed in this Church might be saued D. Some If (h) In his defence against Penry p. â—76 you thinke that all the popish sort which dyed in the Popish Church are damned you thinke absurdly and do dissent from the iudgment of all learned Protestants D. Barow I (i) In his 4. sermoÌ„s 2. questions disputed ad Clerum p. 448. dare not deny the name of Christians to the Romanists sith the learneder writers do acknowledge the Church of Rome to be the Church of God To be short leauing out the authorityes of many others D. (k) in his defence of M. Hook c. p. 77. Couell thus auerreth We affirme them of the Church of Rome to be paries of the Church of Christ and that those that liue and dye in that Church may notwithstanding be saued This Doctour further charging those that thinke the contrary with l ignorant zeale Thus we see how the Sphere of Catholike Religion euen according to the Theoryes of our best Euangelicall Mathematicians turneth vpon the Poles of Mans saluation A third way of prouing the former verity may be taken from the Protestants doctrine and practize touching the baptizing of Catholike children which baptisme we Protestants teach to be good and auaylable whether it be ministred by Catholike Priests or by Protestant Ministers and this as we (m) So teach the Deumes of Geneua in the propositions and principles disputed at Geneua p. 178. The same is taught by D. VVhigist in his defence p. 623. by M. Hooker in his Eccles policy l. 3. pag. 131. affirme because they are coÌ„prehended within the couenant of eternall life by meanes of the fayth of their parents Now when we Protestants baptize the children of Catholiks it is not sayth M. (n) Vbisupra Hooker very learnedly in regard of Gods promise which reacheth vnto a thousand generations since if it were so then saith he all the world might be baptized meaning the children of Iewes Turkes c. in so much as no man is a thousand descents remoued from Adam but it is by reason of the fayth of their Catholike parents And hence it is that D Some (o) In his defence against Penry cap. 22. affirmes That Infants children of West Indian Christians whose former Ancestours in regard of their late conuersion to Christianity neuer knew the Christian fayth being baptized by their Catholike Priests receaue true baptisme to vse his wordes are engrafted into Christ. But heere I vrge If the fayth of Catholyke Parents be auaylable for their Childrens Saluation much more then is it auaylable for their owne Saluation except we will imagine their fayth to participate of the nature of the Ayre which is a principall Cause why all other things may be seene and yet it selfe depriued of the benefit of being seene The fourth and last Medium which I will heere vse for the warranting of the foresaid Verity of Catholyks Saluation shall be to apply the former vniuersall Truth of Schooles learned Protestants to particuler Persons that is to set downe the iudgments of vs Protestants articulately and punctually passed vpon certaine men who by our owne Confessions dyed Catholyks whom neuerthelesse we affirme to be saued And first touching the Fathers in generall whom to haue lyued and dyed Papists as being reiected for their doctryne by vs is euident out of our former passages Now of them (p) In his reply in â—octor VVhirgif defence p. 82. M Cartwright thus charitably wryteth I doubt not but diuers Fathers of the Greek Church who were Patrones of Free will are saued The lyke iudgment D. Whitaker (q) Contra rat Camp pag. 78. vs supra giueth of the Fathers notwithstanding their doctryne touching Satisfaction and Merit of works And the same iudgment of vs is proued euen from the word and title of Saint which almost all the sober learned ProtestaÌ„ts commonly giue in their wrytings speaches to Augustin Ierome Ignatius and the rest of the Primitiue Church Now if we entitle them Saints then do we acknowledg they are saued except we would say there are some Saints which are not saued But to descend to more particuler examples Beda as Osiander (r) In epitom cent 8. l. 2. c. 3. witnesseth was wrapped in all popish errours wherein we at this day dissent from the Pope and yet he is acknowledged by D. (s) In â—esuâ—â—sme par 2. rat 3. Humfrey to be in the nuÌ„ber