for thee that thy fayth may not faile Allsoe Iesus sayd to Simon ' Peter Simon of Iona lovest thou me more then these he sayd vnto him yea Lorde thou knowest that I loue the c. Hee sayd vnto him feed my sheep 10. 11. 15. To thee will I give the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven Mat. 18. Prostest haue noewhere that vpon S. Peter by grace made à rock the Church was not built nor that he was instituted Pastor to feed the Christian flock and that to him were not given the Keyes of principallitie and that he had not the priviledge after that he was Pastor of not erring in matters of sayth But can ther be à more evidēt argument that the holy Scriptures cōfirme not Protestāt Religion how impudētly soever they pretēd Scriptures then their impious detraction from the authoritie of Moses the Evangelists the Apostles and their writings Wheras Mose was the first that writt any parte of Scriptures and he who writt the Lawe of God or tenne Commaundements Luther thus reiecteth him and his tenn Commaundements Tom. 3. Serm. fo. 40. 41. and in Colloq. Mensal Ser. fol. 152. 153. Wee will neyther he are nor soe Moses for he is given only to the Iewes neyther doth he belonge to vs In Colloq. Menfal C. de lege Evangel I will not receive Moses whith his Lawe for he is the enemy of Christ And ibid. fol. 118. Moyses is the master of all hangmen and in Serm. de Moyse The tenne Cōmaundements belonge not to Christians and in Convin Coloq cyted by Ourifal Cap. de lege let the Commaundements be altogether reiected and all heresies will presently cease for the tenne Commaundements are as it were from whence all heresies springe Islebius Luthers Scholler taught that the decalogue was not to be taught in the Church And from him came the Secte of Antinomans who publikly taught that the Law of God is not worthie to be called the worde of God If thou beest à whoremonger if an adulterer or otherwise à sinner beleive and thou walkest in the way of salvation when thou art drowned in sinne even to the bottome if thou belivest thou art in the middest of happines All that busie themselues about Moses that is the tenne Commaundements belonge to the Divell to the gallowes with Moses Luther doth not belive all things related in the booke of Iob. And with him it is as it were the argument of à fable He sayth of Ecclesiasticus this booke is not prefect manie things are taken away it wanteth bootes and spurres that is it hath noe prefect sentence And in his preface vpon S. Iames Epistle he styles it contentious tumide strawie and vnworthie of an Apostoticall spiritt and againe Luther preposterously comparinge the fower Evangelists among themselues preferreth the Epistles of S. Paul farre before the three former to witt before S. Mat. S. Marke and S. Luke and iudgeth that the onely Gospell of S. Iohn is excelent and true Castalio commaunded the Canticles of Solomon to be thurst out of the Cannon As an impure and obsceane songe Calvin feared not to affirme that S. Iames approved superstitious vowes and brought Paul to consent with him in the same faults in Ca. 21. Act. and vpon the 2. of S. Math. wrights that Mathew did improperly and often cyte the sentences of the ould Prophetts against their true and proper sence See him alsoe vpon the 4. Chap. 13. ve and in 8. C. v. 17. and n. 27. C. v. 9. And in his institutions li. 2. C. 16. 8. 10. doubt whether the Apostles Creed were made by the Apostles and in the 15. C. Act. affirmes that S. Marke Was à forsaker of his vocation and an Apostata c. and that he had filthilie through his owne fault fallen from his Chardge Elebitius opposeth the Evangelists one against another for in his victorie of truth and ruine of Poperie he hath these worde Marke and Mathew deliver the Contrarie therfore to Mathew and Marke beinge twoe Witnesses more credit is to be given then to one Luke Swinglius Tom. 2. cont. Anabapt. chardgeth the Anabaptists with ignorance for that they thinke the Commentaries of Evangelists the Epistles of the Apostles to haue been then in authoritie when Paul did wright these things as though Paul did attribute soe much to his Epistles that what soever was contained in them wus sacred c. which thinge sayth Swinglius were to attribute immoderate arrogancie to the Apostle Others as Witakres cont. Bell. Controu. 2. 9. 4. p. Fulk 32. Fulke against the Rem Test in Gal. 2. fo. 322. Condemne S. Peter to haue erred in matters of fayth even after the holie Ghosts descendinge vpon the Apostles Note But these things once admitted how then were the Evangelists and Apostles Scribes of the Holie Ghost and Erred not in their preachings M. Rogers vpon the 6. Article confesseth and nameth sundry of his brethren Protestants reiecting for Apocriphall S. Paules Epistle to the Hobrewes the epist. of S. Iames the 1. 2. and S. Io. of Iude and the revelation of S. Iohn wher by the way yow may observe the Concorde or Communion which Protestants haue even touchinge the Scripture and pretended principales of their fayth finallie doe not our Englishe Protestants discarde as Apocriphall and rase out of the auncient Cannon of the Church Tobie Iudith Esther Baruch the booke of Wisdome the 1. 2. of the Machabees c. here I saye nothinge of the manifould corruptions and erronious interpretations made by Protestants even in these Scriptures which themselues admitt to be Canonicall and how their Apostle Martin Luther whom they soe much magnifie sayth in his 1. Tom. witt fo. 155. In regarde that Christ is the treasure I care not for all the sayings of the scripture Planè nihil curo omnia Scripturae dicta And to omitt allsoe how in his Colloq ad Mensall fo. 286. he calles the Apostles great Knaues these be his wordes Apostoli etiam fuerunt peccatores crassi magni nebulones C. 2. p. 18 Note Here I appeale to the indifferent Iudgment of an impartiall reader whether any men livinge wold ever like vnto the Protestants and reformers soe reiect deride and Censure eyther the Prophetts Apostles Evangelists and the sacred Scriptures if they did favour their cause as they vaynly pretend Now to come to the tryall of the auncient Fathers who interpreted the Scriptures with great fame and prayse in the Church of God and lived within the first sixe hundred yeares which tymes they acknowledg to be pure and therfore appeale vnto them as best able to wittnes the profession of fayth of the primitiue Church as beinge the Pastors and Doctors therof For brevity sake I will forbeare to alledge the Fathers testimonies in prooffe of Catholiques doctrine which I haue reade But I will make evident by the playne Confessions of the best Champions of the reformed Church and greatest aduersaries of Catholiques that the auncient Fathers in
therof iustifieth not à Christian Catholiques haue expresly worke out your salvation with feare and trembling Phillp 2. Protestants haue noewher eyther that à man can worke nothing towards his owne salvation beinge helped by the grace of God or that à man should make it is beleiffe to be saved without feare or doubt Catholiques haue expresly Vow yee and render your vowes psal. 75. Protestants haue noewher vow yee not or break your vowes as beinge vnlawfull to vow Catholiques haue expressly Doe ye the worthie fruits of pennance Luke 3. Protestants haue noewhere that fayth onely is sufficient without all satisfaction and other works of pēnance on our partes Catholiques haue expresly That every man shal be saved accordinge to his works Revela 20. Protestants haue noewhere that men shal be Iudged accordinge to their fayth Catho haue expresly That the Angell of our Lorde sayd Oh Lorde of host how longe wilt thou not haue mercy on Ierusalem and on the Citiyes of Iuda with which thou hast been angrie Za. 1. 10. Protestants haue noewhere that Angells or Saints Make not intercession for men in this miserable life and therfore that it is idle to craue their prayers Catho haue alsoe expresly that Another Angell came and stood by the Alter of gould which is before the throne of God and the smoke of the incenses of the prayers of Saints ascended from the hand of the Angell before God Revel. 8. Protestants haue noewher that Angells and heavenly Saints doe not offer the prayers of the Saints of the Militant Church on earth and that they cannot know them to present thē vnto God Catholiques haue expresly Grace to yow and peace from him that is and that was and that shall come and from the seaven spiritts which are in the sight of his Throne and from Iesus Christ Revel. 1. 4. Protestants haue noewhere that S. Iohn the Evangelist did not invocate the seaven Spiritts or Angells wherof in the first Chap he maketh mention for the obtayninge of grace and peace for the Churches of Asia and that only wee must pray to God alone and not to Christ as man and the Angelicall Spiritts and heavenly Saints Liuing with Christ Catholiques haue expresly that God is wonderfull in his Saints psalm 67. Protestants haue noe where that he is dishonnored in them Catholiques haue expresly without any limite of time And these signes shall follow them that beleive In my name shall they cast out Divells they shall speake with new tongues they shall take vp Serpents and if they drinke any deadly thinge it shall not hurt them they shall laye handes on the sick and they shall recover Mar. 16. And againe verily verily I saye vnto yow he that beleiveth in me the works that I doe he shall doe allsoe and greater workes then these shall he doe Io. 14. Protest haue noe where that none which are of Christ Church or fayth and Congregation shall doe any Miracles lyke vnto his and that it is à signe of an Antichristian Church to worke such profitable Miracles Catholiques haue expresly that From Pauls bodie were brought vnto the sick handkircheeffes or napkins and the diseases departed from them and evill Spiritts went out of them Act. 19. 12. Protestants haue noewhere that by the Reliques of Saints Miracles may not be wrought and that they are not to be esteemed or regarded Catholiques haue expresly Concerninge Virgins I haue not à Commaundement from our Lorde but Counsell I give 1. Cor. 7. And againe the vnmarried shal be more blessed if she remaine soe accordinge to my Counsell Ioan. 40. Protestants haue noe where that it is not lawfull to doe anie thinge except it can be warranted by an expresse Commaund from God Catholiques haue expresly And the Apostles Elders came together for to consider of this matter Act. 15. 6. Allsoe wee haue sent therfore Iudas and Silas who shall allsoe tell yow the same things by mouth for it seemeth good to the holy Ghost and to vs c. Ibide ve 27. 28. Protestāts haue noewhere that when important Controversies of Religion doe arise men must be sent onely to Scriptures and to every ones private Spiritt or that it is needles to assemble Counsells of the Pastors of the Church for the determination of them and that their decrees be not infallible and proceeds not from the holy Ghost Catholiques haue expresly that He that hath determined in his hart beinge settled not havinge necessity but havinge power in his owne will and hath iudged this in his hart to keep his virgine doth well therfore he that ioyneth his virgine in Matrimony doth well but he that ioyneth it not doth better 1. Cor. 7. 37. Againe tho Lust therof shal be vnder thee and thou shalt haue dominion ouer it Gen. 4. 7. Protestants haue noewhere that mā hath not free will or power to choose good and to eschw that which is badd througe the assistance of Gods grace Catholiques haue expresly This is my body this is my blood Mat. 26. Alsoe the bread which I will giue is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the world Alsoe my flesh is meat indeed and my bloud is drinke indeed Io. 6. Protestants haue noewhere that vnder the externall accidents of bread and wyne that really the body and blood of Iesus Christ is not there and that it is not in substance flesh and blood indeed but only à figure or signe of it Catholiques haue From the risinge of the Sonne even to the goeinge downe great is my name amongst the Gentiles and in every place ther is sacrificinge and there is offered to my name à Cleane oblation because my name is great amonge the Gentils sayth the Lord of hoste Mall 1. 11. Protestants haue noe wher that ther is noe sacrificeing or publique oblation since Christ offerred himselfe at Ierusalem vpon the Crosse Catholiques haue expresly Hould the traditions which yee haue learned whether it be by worde or by our Epistle 2. Thess. 2. Allsoe my words which I haue put in thy mouth Shall not depart out of thy mouth and out of the mouth of thy seed and out of the mouth of the seed of thy seed sayth our Lorde from this present and forever Esay 59. and 21. Protestants haue noewhere that Apostolicall vnwritten conditions are not to be observed and that none of Gods word by divine assistance shall be cōtinnallie deliuered by word of mouth and not openly be still professed nor that there is noe infallible deliverie of true doctrine by word of mouth Catholiques haue expresly I will giue yow another Paraclet that he may abyde whith yow forever the Spiritt of truth he shall teach yow all truth 10. 14. 16. and 16. 13. Protest haue noewhere that the Church is not ever assisted by the holie Ghost and that at some tymes she may teach some errors Catholiques haue expresly Thou art Peter and vpon this rock will I build my Church Mat. 16. 18. and that I haue prayed
wee must be vnited if wee will be saued she onely beinge infallable and secure in her doctrine For if she onely beareth the cognissance and inseperable marke of Christ his Church as hath bin demōstrated then necessarily to her only are agreable those prerogatiues which by holy writt are conferred and confirmed on Christ his Church to witt that she is the foundation and pillar of Truth 2. ad Tim. 3. That she hath the spirit of truth ever to abyde with her Pastors to teach her all truth Io. 14. c. and 16. c. That she is the spowse of Christ without wrinkle or blemish which he hath espoused to himselfe by à continuall assistance vnto the consummation of the world Eph. 5. And finally that she is the Church to whose Iugment in Controversies of Religion wee are to referre our selues and to whose determination without further appeale wee ought to obey vnder the penalty of beinge reputed Heathers and publicans Math. 28. Math. 18. Wherfore I thus resolue that seeinge the Romane Church is Christ his true Church if he hath any on earth as most certainly he hath and that in no age or season Christ his true Church can erre in matters of fayth I ame resolued I saye to receive for à verity of fayth that which the Romane Church hath or shall declare to be such and on the contrary reiect and disclayme from whatsoever doctrine she hath or shall disapproue or condemne as repugnant to Gods worde written or vnwritten Let then her Athistical aduersaries presse never soe much to receive nothinge but that which by their naturall reason they can be convinced of I ame prepared accordinge to the advice of the Apostle to Captiuite my vnderstandinge obsequiously to the mysteries of fayth as beinge supernaturall and transeendinge naturall reason And therfore will I rest in the Iudgment of the Church which is ever directed by à supernaturall Agent that teacheth her all Truth Hee that seeketh fayth seeketh not reasō Sayth Tertullian and Chrisologus Athens hath nothing to intermeddle with Hierusalem nor the Academy with the Church our schoole is the porch of Solomon which teacheth vs that wee must search for God with simplicity of Hart and not with frivolous curiositie of naturall reason what wronge doth the Creator to vs if he would haue vs beleiue more then wee are able to comprehend It is not for the iron to aske of the Adamant from whence those charmes and secret influences come wherwith he attracteth and captiuats him It is enough that he followe when God proposeth à verity to vs by the voyce and generall consent of the Church wee are not to appeale to humaine reason and to sence which haue winges tooshort to vndertake such à flight while one proceedeth in this Manner fayth wil be noe true fayth but à fantesy or opinion If S. Peter would not haue beleiued Christ to haue bin the sonne of God except naturall reason and carnall sence had convinced him therof Our Saviour had not pronounced Blessed art thou Simon Bariona for that fleshe and blood hath not revealed it vnto yow c. vpon this Rock will I build my Church For in the comprehension of the verities and the misteries of fayth It is the spirit that quickeneth and the fleshe profitteth nothinge as our blessed Saviour avoucheth against those which were incredulous that the bread which he would giue to eate was his fleshe for the liffe of the world For according to S. Gregoire Fides non habet meritum vbi ratio praebet experimentum and therefore blessed ore those who beleeue and doe not see viz by the evidence of natural reason or sense Lett also Heretickes obiect against any Article of our fayth any Texte of Scriptures perversly or malitiously interpretted and to theire owne perdition misvnderstood according to the dictamen of their owne private vnwarranted spiritt Lett them I saye with noe lesse pryde then madmes proclayme the Churches authority lyable to Error in declaringe what is truly Cōformable or repugnant to the worde I value not their erronious Iudgments knowinge full well that she is ever assisted by the spirit of all teachinge truth accordinge to the infallible promise of Christ and cānot teach any thinge repugnant to the worde of God noe more then God can teach contrary to himselfe who is her director And therfore whosoever harkenneth vnto her voyce that is to the generall Iudgment of the Pastors and teachers heareth the voyce and word of Christ soe that the worde of the Church is the worde of Christ Whence S. Augustin who dilligently observed this rule sayeth The truth of Scripture is holden by vs when wee doe that which know hath pleased the vniversall Church which the authority of the same Scripture doth commend that seeinge the Holy Scripture cannot deceive whosoever feareth to be deceived by the obscurity of this question lett him take Counsell therof from the Church which without any ambiguitie the Scriptures doth demonstrate And in another place he sayth it is most insolent madnes what she professes and practices to call in question Epist. 118. ad Ianuarium cap. 5. And why I pray is this most insolent madnesse to question what the Church professes and practiseth but because this in effect is to denie or dispute against the Canonicall Scriptures aknowledged on both sides For if in the aknowledged worde of God by most cleare testimonies the authority of Christ his Church is soe highly magnified as that she is styled the pillar and foundation of Truth the vnspotted Spouse without wrinkle his body his Lott his Inheritance and kingdome given him in this world in which he hath placed Apostles Doctors and Pastors to the Consummation of the Electe which Doctors are ever assisted by the spirit that teacheth them all truth and accompanied by our Saviour to the Consummation of the world who Comaunds vs to harken to his Spouse the Church Sub poena of beinge reputed Heathens or Publicans Tell me then is not this most insolent madnesse to call her profession and practice in question Note To be soe Antichristianly proud as to preferr our owne Iudgments and expositions of the worde before the Church which is directed by the Spirit of Truth Is not this in words to boast much of Scriptures and indeed not to follow them for if yow search the Scriptures that is profoundly and not superficiasly or malitiously consider them yow shall finde that the same are they that give testimony of her and how she is to be obeyed and as eagerly followed Wherfore to draw to à Conclusion seeinge the true Church of Christ which is but one cannot Erre in matters of Fayth and onely the Romane Church beareth the vnseperable marke of it To vse the Apostle S. Paules words From hence foward lett noe man trouble me for I beare the markes of my Lorde Iesus in my bodie ad Gal. 5. from hence forth let noe man goe about to molest my conscience for being incorporated in the bodie of