will teach you when I come some new doctrine and points of faith which Christ hath not taught or commanded me to teach but I haue added of mine owne If he thinke so let him tell vs that we may wonder at him If he doe not thinke so to what end is it that he alleageth those wordes Surely he who a little before so religiously telleth them that o Vos 23. he receiued of the Lord that which he deliuered to them should not seeme likely presently after to say that he would hereafter teach them other matters of his owne which he had not receiued of the Lord. M. Bishop therefore should haue vsed his discretion to put a difference betwixt matter of order and matter of faith so to vnderstand that though the Apostles might as the Church alwaies may prescribe orders for decency and conueniency in the publike assemblies and gouernement of the Church yet that in doctrine and faith neither they then nor the Church now may adde any thing to that which Christ our Lord commanded and deliuered both to them and vs. Of the same kinde is his other proofe out of that which the Apostle faith for aduice to the vnmarried so still to abide concerning which he professeth to haue receiued p 1. Cor. 7. 12. 25. no commandement from the Lord for what is this to shew that the Apostle hereby added a new point of faith when as whether the married or the vnmarried whether they that follow his aduise or they that follow it not all are saued by the same faith Aduise is of things arbitrary to be done faith is of things necessary to be beleeued The Apostle therfore might giue wholsome aduise without coÌ„mandement of the Lord and yet cannot hereupon be said to teach a new article of faith I said further in my answere that the Apostles preached only q Rom. 1. 2. the Gospell promised before by the Prophets in the holy Scriptures M. Bishop telleth me that I belye the Apostle and corrupt the text by adding the word only But I set downe the word only in a letter distinct from the wordes of the text as appeareth in my booke though he would not obserue it but hudleth all together and therefore there was no cause for him to charge me with corrupting the text And what will he say notwithstanding that it was not meant that they preached only the Gospell promised in the Scriptures Surely the Apostle noteth his calling and seruice to haue bin to preach the Gospell of God This Gospell of God he saith God had promised before by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures Now if M. Bishop will say that though the Gospell were there promised yet the whole Gospell was not promised he wrongeth the Apostle by making his wordes partly true and partly false true in one part of the Gospell because one part was promised false in another part because that other part was not promised Which to auoide he must confesse that the whole Gospell was promised in the Scriptures of the Prophets and because the Apostles preached only the Gospel of God therefore they preached only the Gospell promised in the Scriptures And thus in the end of the same Epistle the Apostle speaketh againe to the same effect that r Rom. 16. 26. the myslerie of the Gospell was published amongst all nations by the Scriptures of the Prophets We doe not thinke he dallied in so saying as to meane the Gospell is published that is to say a part thereof but not the whole but the Gospell entirely and perfectly is preached by the Scriptures of the Prophets Therefore elsewhere he professeth that in preaching the Gospell f he said no other things but what the Prophets and Moses did Acts 26. 22. say should come But here M. Bishop saith I mangle the text and breake off in the midst of a sentence that it might seeme appliable to all points of the Apostles preachings which the Apostle applieth only to Christs death and resurrection and the preaching and carrying of light to the Gentiles But he himselfe rather doth wrong in so abridging the wordes of the Apostle contrary to the practise of the Apostle who though here he name only a briefe of some principall points as accuslomably is done yet vnder these as the chiefe comprehendeth the whole doctrine which he taught He vsed the wordes to take away the offence which was generally conceiued against his preaching and seeing he did not preach these only particulars which are here set downe neither were they offended only at these therefore he must be so vnderstood as that the wordes must be applyed to all the rest and that taken as put in steede of all whereat they were offended most of all And if we doe not so take them we make him subiect to calumniation because he could not affirme that he said no other things then the Prophets and Moses did say should come if in any other points he taught any thing that had not the testimony of Moses and the Prophets Yea when the same Apostle saith generally of t Rom. 3. 21. 22 the righteousnesse of God by the faith of Iesus Christ that it hath the witnesse of the law and the Prophets how can M. Bishop perswade vs that in the preaching of the righteousnesse of God by the faith of Iesus Christ he should teach any thing but whereof hee had witnesse and warrant of the law and Prophets especially when wee see him as in other of his Epistles so specially in the Epistle to the Romans instifying all points of faith accordingly And that this is a truth not to be contradicted we will take witnesse of Gregory Bishop of Rome who saith that u Gregor in Cant c. 5. Apo 〈…〉 a Pro 〈…〉 â—ruâ—n dâ—ctis vt 〈◊〉 persisterent fidem integram 〈…〉 the Aposiles receiued the whole faith from those things that were spoken by the Prophets And againe x Idem in Ezech hom 6. Qued praedicat lâ—x hoc â—iani Prophete quod dâ—nuilciant Prophatae â—o◠〈…〉 bâ—t 〈◊〉 quod exâ—â—ourt Euangelium hoc praediâ—aâ—erunt Apostoâ—â— per mundum Looke what the law preacheth the same also doe the Prophets and what the Prophets teach the same the Gospell hath exhibited and what the Gospell exhibited the Apostles preached through the world Thus the law and the Prophets and the Gospell and the preaching of the Apostles haue all deliuered only one and the same thing Therefore he saith that y Ibid. Vâ—raque Testamenta in nullo a se dâ—screpant c. Inâ—st testamento veteri testamentum noâ—um c. Prophetia testamenti noâ—i testamentum vetus est expositio testamenti veteris testamentum nouum the two Testaments differ not in any thing one from the other that the new Testament is contained in the old that the old Testament is a prophecio of the now and the new Testament the exposition of the old The same had St. Austin said before that
viâ—tus tempus locus operandi suppetit tantò quis operatur quaÌ„tò Deum nouerat tantuÌ„ se nosse Deum indicat quantum pro Deo bona operatur c. Vnusquisque qui in hoc vitae exercitio versatur tantum credit quantum sperat amat tantum operatur quantum credit amat sperat also Gregory Bishop of Rome We finde saith he that faith hope charity and good workes so long as here we liue are equall in vs. For looke how much we beleeue so much also we loue and how much we loue so much we presume of hope Of faith and workes also St. Iohn confisseth saying He that saith he knoweth God and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar For the knowledge of God appertaineth to faith the keeping of the Commandements to workes When therefore power and time and place of working serueth so much doth a man worke as he knoweth God and so much doth he shew himselfe to know God as he worketh good things for Gods sake To be short euery one saith he that is conuersant in this exercise of life beleeueth so much as he hopeth and loueth and looke how much he beleeueth hopeth loueth so much he worketh These wordes are plaine enough and yet the wordes of Sixtus the third if that bee his which they haue lately published vnder his name are somewhat more plaine p Sixt. 3. Epist de malis Doctor oper fidei c. Biblioth sanct Patrum tom 5. Intelligere noâ— norunt vbicunque fidei fructus non sit illâ—â— quoque nec ipsam fidem esse credendam Caeterùm quis prudens addubitet vbi fides sit illâ—â— esse â—â—morem vbi timor sit illic esse obedientiam vbi obedientia sit illiâ— esse iâ—stitiam sicut â— contâ—ario vbi iustitia non sit illic nec obedientiam nec timorem esse nec fidem Ita enim haec sibi inuicâ—m sociata atque connexa sunt vt diuisa penitus esse non possint Wheresoeuer is not the fruit of faith saith he it is not to be beleeued that there is faith What wise man doubteth but that where faith is there is also feare and where feare is there is obedience and where obedience is there is righteousnesse as on the contrary where righteousnesse is not there is neither obedience nor feare nor faith For so are these coupled and ioyned togither as that they cannot in any wise be diuided The collection from these testimonies is very manifest neither neede I to declare it but very plainly we see the ancient doctrine of the Church of Rome according with ours and condemning as we doe the Popish separation that now is made betwixt faith and workes Thus then M. Bishops first conclusion is fallen to the ground and as for the second it deserueth not to be stood vpon because it is no wonder that faith auailed them nought nor saued them from the wrath of God in whom it appeareth by that that hath beene said that there was no faith CHAP. IX That the iustification of man before God is the imputation of righteousnesse without workes ANSWERE TO THE EPISTLE THe Apostle in expresse termes affirmeth imputation of righteousnesse without vvorkes c. to Paul teacheth that eternall life c. W. BISHOP WE hold with the Apostle that workes be not the cause of the first iustification whereof he there treateth nor to deserue it though inspired with Gods grace they doe prepare vs and make vs fit to receiue the gift of iustification neither doe the Protestants wholly exclude vvorkes from this iustification when they doe require true repentance which consisteth of many good workes as necessary thereto We hold that iustice is increased by good workes which we call the second iustification against which the Apostle speaketh not a word but doth confirme it when he saith in the same Epistle Not the hearers of Rom. 2. vers 13. the law are iust with God but the doers of the law shall bee iustified Marke how by doing of the law which is by doing good workes men are iustified with God and not only declared iust before men as the Protestants glose the matter Now touching imputation of See the place Rom. 4. vers 6. righteousnesse the Apostle speaketh not like a Protestant of the outward imputation of Christs iustice to vs but of inherent iustice to wit of faith which worketh by charity which are qualities powred into our hearts Rom. 6. by the holy Ghost so that there is only a bare sound of wordes for the Protestants the true substance of the Text making wholly for the Catholikes R. ABBOT CVrsed is the glosse they say that corrupteth the Text but more accursed is the glosse which to corrupt the text dissembleth and concealeth the wordes of it I set downe the imputation of righteousnesse without works all in a speciall letter as the wordes of the Apostle M. Bishop in that speciall letter setteth downe imputation of righteousnesse and no more but without workes he addeth in the common letter as if they were mine only and not the Apostles wordes knowing that his deuoted Reader who hee knew would not looke into the Text it selfe should hereby faile to see both the force of the words and the simplenesse of his answere And with the like fraud it is that in the margent of his answere he setteth downe see the place Rom. 4. vers 6. as to insinuate to his Reader that if he see the place he shall there see somewhat for his turne whereas hee knoweth that his Catacatholikes for whose sakes hee writeth to keepe his credit with them would hold it sacriledge for them to goe about to see the place for feare least the handling of the new Testament should make them turne Protestants neither durst hee set downe the wordes himselfe least they should euen by this text grow to suspicion of his dealing with them But I will doe that for him which he himselfe durst not doe the words of the Apostle being these a Rom. 4. 5. 6. To him that worketh not that is saith Photius b Phot. apud Oecumen in Rom. 4. Ei qui ab operibus siduciam non habet to him who hath no confidence by workes but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse euen as Dauid pronounceth the blessednesse of the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousnesse without workes Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne In which wordes wee see how the Apostle affirmeth accordingly as I said an imputation of righteousnesse without workes which he expresseth to be the reputing of faith for righteousnesse for that thereby we obtaine remission and forgiuenesse of sinnes To this M Bishop answereth that they hold with the Apostle that workes be not the cause of the first iustification nor doe deserue it though inspired
sect 18. elsewhere and I should wonder but that it is his manner so to doe that the absurdity thereof being so displayed he would thus repeate it againe almost in the same wordes It shall be here sufficient thence briefly to answere him that the iustifying faith of a Christian man is not incident to the Diuell But the Diuell is capable of beleeuing all â—o bee true which God hath reueiled The Diuell could beleeue that God according to his promise would giue Abraham a sonne and make him the father of many nations Therefore iustifying faith is more then to beleeue all to be true vvhich God hath reueiled That more is plainly gathered of that which Cyprian saith d Cyprian de dupl martyrio Non credit in Deum qui non in â—o solo collocat totius foelicitatis suae fiduciam He beleeueth not in God that doth not place or repose in God only the confidence and trust of his whole felicity and happinesse Iustifying faith then is the reposing of trust and confidence in God only to obtaine of him eternall blisse and happinesse through the merits and mediation of Iesus Christ And this was Abrahams faith not a carnall beliefe only that God vvould giue him a sonne and a great posterity of many nations but a beleefe of a spirituall e Gen. 12. 2. Gal. 3. 8. 9. blessing in his seede according to the promise of God both to himselfe and to all the nations of the earth And this vve see in the place which M. Bishop citeth vvhere the Apostle alleaging that Abrahams faith was imputed to him for righteousnesse addeth f Rom. 4. 23. Now it is not written for him only but also for vs to whom it shall be imputed for righteousnesse What to beleeue that old and barren persons may haue children if God say the word as M. Bishop in the place before mentioned very rudely expresseth the faith of Abraham Nay but to beleeue in him that raised vp Iesus the Lord from the dead who was deliuered to death for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification This was it which the faith of Abraham respected By beleefe of the promise of God g Iohn 8. 56. he saw the day of Christ He beleeued that of his seed should come a Sauiour both to himselfe and to vs who should be deliuered to death for our sinnes and rise againe for our iustification and by this faith he was iustified For the same faith saued Abraham that now saueth vs as hath beene before shewed But the faith that saueth vs is the faith of the Gospell the faith of Iesus Christ the faith of his Crosse the faith of his Bloud the faith of his Death and Resurrection Therefore this was also the faith that saued Abraham Thus M. Bishops heapes of testimonies proue for his part heapes of chaffe and not of corne they carry a shew of multitude but say nothing at all for him He is a â—aiâ—e man that goeth about by such allegations to impeach any peece of the Protestants iustification When he hath spent all his paper-shot the Protestants iustification vvill remaine still W. BISHOP §. 3. NOw I come to the other points named by M. Abbot There is nothing saith he in S. Paul for the merit of single life But he is greatly mistaken for the Apostle saith That the care of the single and vnmarried 1. Cor. 7. vers 32 33. 34. is to please God and their study to thinke vpon those things that appertaine vnto God and how they may be holy both in body and in spirit which must needes be more acceptable in Gods sight then to be carping for this world and caring how to please their yoke-mate To this wee adde Monkish vowes of which if hee were worthy to be a good Abbot he would speake more respectiuely somwhat S. Paul hath of the vow of chastiâ—y which is one of their principall vowes for he auoucheth certaine widdowes worthy of damnation because 1. Tim. 5. v. 12. they broke the same former vow of chastity And S. Paul himselfe shoare his head in Cenchris because Act. 18. vers 18. he had a vow which was the vow of a Nazarite not much vnlike for the time though much inferiour vnto the vow of religious persons see of that vow the sixt Chapter of the booke of Numbers There is nothing saith M. Abbot in S. Paul of prayer for the dead which is not true for he teacheth that some of the faithfull who haue built vpon the right foundation hay 1. Cor. 3. vers 13. stubble and such like trash shall notwithstanding at the day of our Lord bee saued yet so as through fire Which the ancient Doctors doe take to be the fire of SS Aug. in psal 37. Hieron lib. 2. cont Iouin 13. Ambros in hunc locum Gregor in psal 3. Poenitentialem Purgatory Now if many whiles the drosse of their workes be purged doe lie in fire it will easily follow thereof that euery good soule who hath any Christian compassion in him will pray for the release of their Christian brother out of those torments R. ABBOT THou maiest here see gentle Reader M. Bishops tergiuersation and manifest shifting I propounded out of Theodoret that the Epistle to the Romans containeth all manner doctrines of faith Vpon this ground I noted that the doctrine of Popery is to be condemned for that it containeth so many points as necessary articles of faith whereof there is nothing to be found in the Epistle to the Romans Herewith M. Bishop found himselfe greatly distressed On the one side he durst not openly reiect the testimony of Theodoret fearing least that haply might be some preiudice to him On the other side he saw he could not finde their religion in the Epistle to the Romans Now therefore silently he stealeth away and betaketh himselfe to the rest of Pauls Epistles not vpon any hope that he hath that he can thence make good his cause but for that hee findeth there some speeches deliuered vpon occasions whereby hee can better giue colour to some doctrines of theirs of which the Apostle neuer thought He telleth his Reader that I say there is nothing in St. Paul for the merit of single life But my saying was that in the Epistle to the Romans which Theodoret affirmeth to containe all kinde of doctrine there is nothing said for the merit of single life Well let him yet haue his way let vs giue him full liberty of the rest of St. Pauls Epistles and what hath he there for the proofe of it Forsooth he telleth vs that the Apostle saith that the care of the single and vnmarried is to please God and their study to thinke vpon those things that appertaine to God and how they may be holy both in body and in spirit which saith he must needes be more acceptable in Gods sight then to be carking for this world and caring how to please their yoke-mate But here he
proprietas Ecclesia ea est vt Catholica nempe vniuersalis vocetur The third property of the Church is that it is called Catholike that is vniuersall or might the Catechisme say without absurdity that Catholike is Vniuersall and must I be absurd because I say The Catholike Church is the Vniuersall Church Surely when words of one language are borrowed to speciall vse in another the reddition of them in the tongue to which they are borrowed is taken with the learned as supplying the place of a definition and it is thereby made to appeare whether they be properly and rightly vsed or vnproperly abused M. Bishop and his fellowes abuse the name of Catholikes and of the Catholike Church which English men doe not so readily vnderstand Let them giue the signification of the word and call themselues vniuersals their Church the vniuersall Church and then all that haue will to vnderstand can easily see their foolery and are ready to deride them But this they hide vnder the veile and couer of a Greeke word and wee that the truth may be the better seene are necessarily to discouer and therefore iust cause had I to say The Catholike Church is the vniuersall Church and he is an absurd man to taxe it as a thing absurd Yet notwithstanding I wish the Reader duly to obserue how that taxation stand 〈…〉 with the other that the same proposition of mine is captious For why is it captious Marry because the Catholike Church doth signifiâ— both the whole body of the Church compacted of all the particular members in which sense no one pâ—rticular Church can be called the Catholike Church because it is not the whole body and secondly the Catholike Church doth also designe and note very properly euery particular Church that embraceth the true Christian faith Where we may wonder that within the compasse of so few lines the mans wits should so extremely faile him For if the Catholike Church and the vniuersall Church be one and the same thing as he hath already told vs and vniuersall be no distinct thing but the very signification of the word Catholike then how can it be which here he telleth vs that the Catholike Church signifieth both the whole body of the Church which is the vniuersall Church and doth also very properly designe and note euery particular true Christian Church If the Catholike Church be no distinct thing from the vniuersall Church then it cannot properly note or designe euery particular Church or if it doe properly designe euery particular Church then it is distinct from the vniuersall Church Tell vs M. Bishop how these things hang togither for if the vniuersall Church be the very signification of the Catholike Church then we cannot see how a particular Church can bee properly called the Catholike Church because no particular Church can properly be called the vniuersall Church As for the exception that here lyeth against vs that the Fathers in pointing to a particular assembly doubt not sometimes to vse the name of the Catholike Church I shewed it before to be no whit preiudiciall to that that wee say because they minded not in so doing to limit themselues to that particular assembly but in a particular assembly to demonstrate the vniuersall Church For to say in any Citty for distinction sake this is the Catholike Church what was it else but to say this is that Church which is vniuersally dispersed through the whole world euen as when a man to demonstrate the elements saith This is the aire this is the earth pointing to the aire or earth whereat he is present but therein intending to demonstrate the whole body of the aire or earth hauing continuation with that whereto he pointeth For as the Apostle directing his speech to the Church of Ephesus nameth l Act. 20. 28. The Church of God which he hath purchased with his owne bloud and againe m 1. Tim. 3. 15. the house of God which is the Church of the liuing God the pillar and ground of truth so speaking of a part as to conioyne it with the whole euen so no otherwise was it that in noting any particular Church it was said This is the Catholike Church the whole Church being totum similare as I said before and the whole being subiect to be designed in any part But M. Bishop here saith that this was not only because the Church is totum similare but because each of the said particular Churches hath the same faith the same Sacraments and order of gouernment Which is as wisely and discreetly spoken as if he had said that this was not only because the Church in all parts thereof hath the same faith and sacraments but because the said particular Churches haue all the same faith and Sacraments For why is the Church said to be totum homogeneum or similare a body whose parts are all of the same nature kinde and being but because in all parts thereof there are the same faith and Sacraments or to vse the wordes of the Apostle n Ephes 4. 4. One body one spirit one hope of calling one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and Father of all who is aboue all and through all and in vs all Surely either M. Bishop was sleepy or else his wits were a wooll-gathering when he put in this exception Now then it was not said that the word Catholike is not or may not bee directed to any particular M. Bishop doth therein but meerely calumniate but I said and shewed that it is neuer rightly applied any way or to any particular but with implication of the vniuersall Church The faith is called Catholike because it is the faith of the vniuersall Church propagated and spred by the Apostles ouer the whole world Particular Churches are called Catholike and particular persons are called Catholikes as a man would say Vniuersalists for maintayning communion and fellowship of this faith with the Church of the whole world And as the name of the aire or the earth being absolutely vsed importeth that whole element whereof we speake but yet according to distinction of places we say The aire of London the aire of Oxford the aire of Winchester c. without restraining the name of the aire to any one place more then other and only meaning that part of the aire that is in such or such a place euen so whereas the name of the Catholike Church simply and absolutely vsed importeth the whole vniuersall Church the same notwithstanding is found to be distinguished by diuersity of places the Catholike Church of such a place or the Catholike Church of such a place not limiting the name of the Catholike Church to any one place more then other and in true propriety of speech meaning nothing else but that part of the Catholike Church that is in this or that place And therefore I formerly noted and thinke not vnfit here to be repeated that as Leo wrote himselfe o Leo. epist 12. Leo
and firme assurance to which purpose the Apostles vsed these wordes to the Lord Encrease our faith And to this agreeth that which Oecumenius saith l Oecumen in Rom. 3. Hoc Dâ—◠〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 nâ—m 〈…〉 tate excedentis ex sola videlicet fide nos peccatis ianc mortuos viuisicarâ—aâ— sâ—scitare c. Verùm ad quid viuisicatur inquit qui credidit Ad perfectâ—ssimam fide immutabiâ—e habitus fortitudinem Nam ex side in fidem est viuificatio This is the property of the iustice of God exceeding the kindnesse of man euen by faith only to quicken and raise vs vp that are dead in sinnes And whereto is he quickened that hath beleeued To most perfict faith and vnchangeable strength of the habit thereof For our quickening is from faith to faith Here is then the iustice of God that is the iustification of man before God described by the Apostle that it beginneth with faith and goeth forward by faith and is more and more to be apprehended by increase and growth of faith It is begunne by faith only and because the proceeding and perfecting thereof is according to the beginning from faith to faith therefore it is consummate and perfect in faith only And this phrase of speech the holy Ghost seemeth to haue directed purposely against the errour of the Papists who though they acknowledge the beginning of iustification to be by faith yet determine the processe and perfection thereof to consist in workes so that our iustification with them is not according to the wordes of the Apostle from faith to faith but contrary to the doctrine of the Apostle from faith to workes m Bellarm. Recognit lib. de Iustificat Charitas verè absolutè formalis iustitia est c. fides propriè simplicitèr iustificat per modum dispositionis forâ— malitèr autem simplicitèr absolutè non iustiâ— ficat Charity saith Bellarmine is truly and absolutely formall righteousnesse faith properly and simply iustifieth in manner of a disposition but simply and absolutely it doth not iustifie formally And againe n IdeÌ„ Recog lib. de Grat. lib. Arbit QuaÌ„uis fides spes necessariò requirantur ad iustificationem tameÌ„ id quod verissimè proprijssimèque iustificat tanquam vnica formalis causa charitas est Although faith and hope be necessarily required to iustification yet charity is it which most truly and properly iustifieth as the only formall cause So then where the Apostle saith that o Rom. 3. 22. the righteousnesse of God is by the faith of Iesus Christ and that p Vers 30. God iustifieth by faith we must thinke that he speaketh vnproperly he speaketh not formally neither doth he name that wherein the iustification of man most truly consisteth Thus doe they take vpon them as the old Heretikes did to be q Iren. lib. 3. cap. 1. Audent dicere gloriantes emendatores se esse Apostolorum correctours of the Apostles to reforme their ouersights and to better their termes and phrases euen where they speake most vniformely and constantly to deliuer the doctrine of true faith But we will not hearken to them nor be led by them but rather take that which the Apostle teacheth vs that the iustification before God which is taught vs by the Gospell is from faith to faith that it beginneth in faith and continueth in faith and from the beginning to the end consisteth in faith only And hereto agreeth that which the Apostle saith elsewhere r Gal 2. 16. We who are Iewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowing that a man is not iustified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Iesus Christ euen we haue beleeued in Christ that we might or may be iustified by the faith of Christ and not by the workes of the law because by the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified Where wee see the processe of iustification plainly described as we haue said from faith to faith the Apostle professing to haue beleeued in Christ not thenceforth to be iustified by workes as Popery teacheth but to be iustified by faith because being now beleeuers they knew that by the workes of the law no flesh should be iustified And this meaning is further confirmed by the proofe which the Apostle bringeth of the wordes whereof we speake Å¿ Habac. 2 4. as it is written saith he The iust shall liue by faith For although those wordes of the Prophet doe seeme to attribute iustification and life to faith yet no otherwise doe they inferre it to be from faith to faith but in that sort as I haue said Certaine it is that but by faith no man can attaine to be called a iust man and therefore in the very name of the iust is an implication of faith The Prophet then teacheth that a man being by faith become a iust man is not thenceforth to expect life by his iustice but to goe on from faith to faith the iust saith he shall liue not by his iustice but by his faith For this cause doth he expresse it not by the present The iust doth liue as the vulgar corruptly readeth but by the future tense The iust shall liue by faith as to note that the iustice of God that is the iustice for which God accepteth and iustifieth vs as it beganne so proceedeth euen to the attainement of euerlasting life not by workes but by faith only And of all this we haue a notable example in our father Abraham who is set before vs as the patterne and example of all the faithfull of whom after that t Gen. 12. 1. 2 c. Heb. 11. 8. by faith he had obeyed God to goe out of his owne Countrey and had wrought many workes of iustice and righteousnesse yet to shew this continuation of the righteousnesse of God from faith to faith it is said u Gen. 15. 6. Abraham beleeued the Lord and hee counted that to him for righteousnesse He was not first iustified by faith to be afterwards iustified by workes but still his faith was it for which he was reputed righteous in the sight of God By all this then we see a direct opposition betwixt the doctrine of the ancient Roman Church and the doctrine of the Papists The Papists say that the righteousnesse of God beginneth with faith but the perfection thereof is in workes and that it consisteth most properly and truly in the righteousnesse of works and that the iust man though he become iust by faith yet must afterwards with God be iustified and attaine to life by workes But the old Church of Rome was farre otherwise minded that iustification before God beginneth in faith and is determined in faith and that the iust man be he neuer so iust must liue not by his iustice but by his faith it being true of iust men as Hierome telleth vs which is said x Hieron adu Pelag. l 2. Pro
for no other but a madde and frantike dreame and yet perforce must vse it because hee knew no better shift therefore he thought good to colour it the best he could by curtolling the wordes alleaged naming only imputation of righteousnesse whereas the Apostle nameth imputation of righteousnesse without workes But let him take the wordes as the Apostle setteth them downe and then giue vs his answere and we shall apparantly see him to be a most impudent man making no conscience of that he saith but studying only to blinde the Reader from seeing that truth which he himselfe knoweth not how with any probable shew to contradict Yet he telleth vs for conclusion that there is only a bare sound of wordes for the Protestants the true substance of the text making wholly for the Papists So then the sound of the wordes by his confession is for vs but inasmuch as the wordes are very plaine and cleare how may we be informed that the true substance and meaning of them is wholly for the Papists when as they containe in shew a flat contradiction to the doctrine of the Papists Wee see here the vse of that caueat which the Rhemists haue giuen to their Reader aduertising him o Rhem. Testam ArgumeÌ„t of the Epistles in generall to assure himselfe that if any thing in Pauls Epistles sound to him contrary to the doctrine of their Catholike Church he faileth of the right sense By this meanes if Saint Paul say it is white yet we must not thinke that he meaneth it to be white if it please their Church to call it blacke And therefore though here he speake of imputation of righteousnesse without works and bring testimony of ancient Scripture for confirmation thereof yet he must not be taken to meane that there is any such or any other but the imputation of the righteousnesse of workes because there is no other approued by the Roman Church Well may we thinke the iudgement of God to be fearefull vpon them who are so blinde as to be led with such fopperies and grosse deceipts CHAP. X. That eternall life is meerely and wholly the gift of God and cannot be purchased by merit or desert ANSWERE TO THE EPISTLE PAul teacheth that eternall life is the gift of God through Iesus Christ c. to Hee telleth vs againe and againe c. W. BISHOP IN the same place you had a large solution of this obiection but he that hath made a couenant with hell will not looke vpon that which might helpe him to heauen We teach with the Apostle and with his faithfull interpreter Saint Augustine That eternall life is the gift of God both originally because we must receiue grace by the free gift of God before we can doe any thing that doth deserue the ioyes of heauen and also principally the whole vertue and value of our merits doe proceede of the dignity of Gods grace in vs which doth eleuate and giue such worth to our workes that they thereby deserue life euerlasting Notwithstanding if we take not hold on Gods grace when it is freely offered vs and doe not concurre with it to the effecting of good workes we shall neuer be saued and this our working with the grace of God deserues heauen both which are prouedly this sentence of the same Apostle God will render to euery man according to Rom. 2. vers 6. 7. 8. his workes to them truly that according to patience in good workes seeke glory and honour and incorruption life eternall to them that are of contention and that obey not the truth but giue credit to iniquity wrath and indignation where you may see in expresse termes eternall life to be rendered and repaid for good workes to such men as diligently seeke to doe them and to others who refuse to obey the truth and rather choose to beleeue lies and to liue wickedly eternall death and damnation R. ABBOT WHether M. Bishop or I may bee thought more likely to flatter himselfe in an opinion of hauing made a couenant with hell I leaue it to be esteemed by the whole processe of this worke and the God of heauen shall make it one day more fully to appeare Against his solution of the obiection here propounded he knoweth well that I a Of Merits sect 8. haue returned a replication which sheweth the same to be infirme and vaine and seeing he can fortifie it no further the bare repeating of it is no other but womanish and idle talking The Apostle telleth vs that b Rom. 6. 23. eternall life is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the free grace or gift of God through Iâ—su Christ our Lord. We teach saith M. Bishop that eternall life is the gift of God originally and principally Thus by his shifting termes of originally and principally he limiteth the Apostles wordes and deludeth a maine Theoreme and Canon of Christian faith leauing it to be vnderstood that though eternall life be originally and principally the gift of God yet totally and absolutely it is not so Which iâ— it be true it must necessarily follow that as the Apostle saith truly that eternall life is the gift of God because in part it iâ— so so a man may truly say against the Apostle that eternall life is not the free gift of God because in part and in some sort it is not so And if no man may dare in this wise to gainsay the Apostle then wee must acknowledge that which Origen saith that c Origen in Rom. 4. Stipendia inquit peccati mors Et non addidâ—â— similitèr vt dicâ— et stâ—pendia aâ—â—â— iustitiae vita aterna sed ait Gratia autem Deâ— vâ—â—a aetâ—rna vt stâ—pend â—m quod vtique debiâ—o mercedi similé est retributionem poenâ— esse docâ—â—â—t mortis vâ—tam verâ— aternam soli gratiae consignareâ— the Apostle hauing said that the stipend of sinne is death did not adde in the like sort that the stipend of righteousnesse is eternall life but eternall life is the grace of God that he might teach that the retribution of punishment and death is a stipend which is like to a debt or wages but might assigne life eternall to grace only And thus the Apostle himselfe teacheth vs to conceiue when he saith d Rom. 11. 6. If it be of grace then it is not of workes otherwise grace is no grace For e August coÌ„t Pelag. Celest lib. 2. c 24. Gratia Dei non eriâ— gratâ—â— vllâ— modo nisigratâ—ita fuerâ—t omni modo grace saith Austin shall not be grace in any respect except it be free in euery respect f Idem Epist 120. c. 19. Haec est gratia quae gratis datur non meritâ—s operantis sed miseratione donantis That is grace saith he which is freely giuen not for the merits of the worker but by the mercy of the giuer Thus Hierome saith g Hieron Epist ad Demâ—trâ—ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non opâ—ruâ— retributio sed donamis est
at all Whereas secondly he saith that it can hardly be shewed that the name of Iew was a name of honour he saith vntruly because the Scripture in sundry places mentioneth it with honour as the name of them with whom God did dwell a Zachar. 8. 23. Men of all languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Iew and say we will goe with you for we haue heard that God is with you as the name of them from whom saluation was to be deriued to other nations b Iohn 4. 22. Saluation is of the Iewes as the name of them that had receiued preferment at Gods hands c Rom. 3. 1. What is the preferment of the Iew much euery manner of way the same giuing them a preeminence aboue others d Galat. 2. 15. We who are Iewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles as a name gloried and reioyced in e Rom. 2. 17. Behold thou art called a Iew in respect whereof the Apostle teacheth the truth of the name that they might not vainly reioyce in it f Vers 28. He is not a Iew which is one outward but he is a Iew which is one within for which cause the holy Ghost challengeth it from them who literally assumed to themselues the name for carnall propagation only without regard of inward truth g Apâ—c 2. 9. They say they are Iewes and are not but are the Synagogue of Satan He againe denyeth it to haue beene a proper title of the people of God but his instances to that purpose are vaine for albeit to speake of particular men God had many good seruants of other nations Iob the Husite Naaman the Syrian the Sydonian widdow and many Proselites and conuerts as he alleageth yet there was no other nation vouchsafed the honour to be called the people of God but only the nation of the Iewes according to that of the Psalme h Psal 147. 19. He hath giuen his lawes vnto Iacob hiâ— Statutes and Ordinances vnto Israel he hath not dealt so with any other nation As for the wordes which he addeth Many Gentiles were saued without the law they are his owne the Apostle hath no such and therefore he dealeth falsly to cite them vnder the name of the Apostle Well I say then that the name of Iewes was of old a name of honour and the proper title of the people of God and yet afterwards by their Apostasie who were so called it was left for a name of curse and reproch I quoted for this the words of the Prophet Esay i Esay 65. 15. Ye shall leaue your name as a curse vnto my chosen M. Bishop hereto saith Most vncertaine it is of what name the Prophet Esay speaketh when he saith It shall be left for a name of curse But the reason of his vncertainty is because he will be certaine of nothing which he seeth in any sort to make against him Certaine we are that the prophesie hath had his effect and we see the effect thereof in the name of Iew and in no other name and therefore how should we but be certaine that the prophesie hath reference to that name It is true that the place with some vndergoeth another translation and is thereby drawen to another construction but being translated as by M. Bishop it is set downe which is according to the most proper signification of the wordes no man vnderstandeth the name there mentioned of any other but of the name of Iew only Thus Hierome according to that translation expoundeth it k Hieron in Esa l. 8. c. 65. Nomen vestrum erit in iuramentum Electis meis vt pro malorum exemple vos habeant detestentur talia suslinere iurent sic Non hac patiâ—r qua possâ—â— est populâ—â— Iudâ—â—rum Your name shall be for an oth to mine Elect so as that they shall take you for an example of euils and shall abhorre to suffer such things and shall say Let me not suffer those things which the Iewes suffered The ordinary Glosse yeeldeth the meaning thus l Gloss Ordinar in Esai 65. Vt aliqui affirmantes dicant si alitèr fecero contiâ—gat mihi sicut Judaeis Romanorum gladio occisis So as that men by way of affirmation shall say If I doe otherwise then I say let it befall to me as to the Iewes that were slaine with the sword of the Romans Lyra thus m Lyra. ibid. Christiani sic iurant aliquando si feci istud quod mihi imponitur suspendar ego per pedes sicut Iudaeus Christians sometimes sweare thus If I haue done that wherewith I am charged let me be hanged by the feete like a Iew. Osorius their owne Paraphrast vnderstandeth it in the same sort n Osor Paraphras in Esai l. 5. o. 65. Nomen relinquetis electis infaustum abhominandum quod in dirarum imprecationibus vsurpetur ita vt quise voluerit execratione deuincire exitum sibi IudaoruÌ„ imprecetur si quicquam in se contra quà m fas officium requirit admiserit c. seruos suoâ— non tudaeos appellabit Dommus c. Yee shall leaue your name to mine Elect as vnfortunate and to be had in abhomination so as that it shall be vsed in imprecations and curses and he that will binde himselfe with a curse shall wish to himselfe the destruction of the Iewes if he haue done any otherwise then right and iust The Lord shall not call his seruants Iewes but shall giue them a new more excellent name The name of Iewes then it is which is meant in the wordes of the Prophet and therefore hither to there are no impertinences in mine example but his exceptions are altogither impertinent Yet being taken for such he is content like a kinde Gentleman to remit them but telleth me that there is a grosse fault in the maine point of the comparison which he cannot pardon Doubtlesse it is some reserued case his holy Father the Pope must pardon it and none but he And what is it I pray you Forsooth the name Iew being the name of a certaine people of one race and kindred and hauing a law giuen them by Moses which should continue only for a prescript time and end at the comming of Christ is not like the name Catholike It may be M. Bishop that in all things it is not like and I suppose you are not so ignorant but that you know that it is needlesse that things compared should euery way and in euery respect answere each the other It is a common saying that o Omnis similitudo vâ—â— pede claudicat euery similitude halte thou one foote at the least and concerning the similitudes and parables vsed by our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell Origen noteth that p Origen in Mat. cap. 13. Quemadmodum in imaginibus statuis similitudines non omni ex parte respondentijs adquâ— conferuntur c. simititer
appertayneth be not according to the letter and in common speech called by that name Let him then vnderstand proportionably that the truth of the name of Catholikes belongeth not to the Romish faction who challenge to themselues as the Iewes did to haue gotten by succession the possession of the name and will be commonly so called but it belongeth to vs who though we vse not the word being growen to ill meaning by their abuse yet do maintayne one and the same truth with them who first were called by that name In a word as there is a double sense in the one so is there also in the other and I doe not so hoppe from one sense to another in the one but that I shew a iust â—orrespondence betwixt them both W. BISHOP §. 3. BVt and it please you the Protestants haue the kernell of the name Catholike and we but the shell Why doe they then so bitterly inueigh against it why are they not more willing to extoll and magnifie that renowmed title being of such ancient Nobility Twenty pound to a peny that what face soeuer he set on it yet in his heart he meruailously feareth the contrary himselfe If that faith and religion only be Catholike and Vniuersall as he acknowledgeth that hath euer beene and is also spread ouer all the world and shall continue to the worlds end then surely their religion cannot be Catholike euen by the vniforme confession of themselues who generally acknowledge that for nine hundred yeares togither the Papacy did so domineer all the world ouer that not a man of their religion was to be found in any corner of the world that durst peepe out his head to contradict it Could there be any Church of theirs then when there was not one Pastor and flocke of their religion though neuer so small in any one Countrey And euen now when their Gospell is at the hottest hath it spread it selfe all the world ouer is it receiued in Italie Spaine Greece Afrike or Asia or carried into the Indians nothing lesse They cannot then call themselues Catholikes after the sincere and ancient acceptation of that name which is as himselfe hath often repeated out of S. Augustine Quia communicant Ecclesiae to to or be diffusae Because they communicate in fellowship of faith with the Church spread ouer all the world They must therefore notwithstanding M. Abbots vaine bragges be content with the shell and leaue the kernell to vs who doe embrace the same faith that is dilated all Countries ouer yea they must be contented to walke in the foote-steps of their fore-fathers the Donatists euen according to M. Abbots explication and flie from the vniuersality of faith and communion of the Church spread all the world ouer vnto the perfection of their doctrine which is neuerthelesse more absurd and further from the true signification of the word Catholike then the Donatists shift was of fulnesse of Sacraments and obseruation of all Gods Commandements as hath beene already declared But let vs heare how clearely and substantially he will at length proue their Church to be Catholike R. ABBOT IT pleaseth vs very well M. Bishop that we haue the kernell of the name of Catholikes and in the meane time because your importunity so requireth we are content to leaue the shell to you The kernell serueth vs to feede vpon and it is very tastfull to vs but you haue berayed the shell and therefore we haue no care to meddle with it Our inueighing against it is no otherwise but in respect of your abuse let it be restored to his true vse and we shall be ready to extoll it and where it is so we doe so As for your wager M. Bishop of twenty pound to a peny you haue lost it and you know that you haue lost it because you see that I haue set no other face vpon the matter then by sufficient proofs I haue made good But here he taketh in hand to bereaue vs of the kernell because our faith and religion was neuer Catholike that is was neuer spred ouer the whole world Whereas I on the other side doe tell him that it is only our religion which appeareth to haue beene absolutely spred ouer all the word and none but ours For our religion is no more nor other then is contained in the Gospels and Epistles of the Apostles and because we know that the religion there set downe was spred ouer all the world therefore we cannot doubt but that our religion is that that was spred ouer all the world and though Apostasie hath ouershadowed it yet hath euer since continued in the world As for that which he alleageth to the contrary it is no vniforme confession of ours but a deformed lye of his owne We doe not acknowledge that for nine hundred yeares togither there was not a man of our religion to be found in the world The Papacy indeede did mightily domineer accordingly as it was foretold but yet it could neuer so preuaile to the extirpation of our religion but that euen in the middest of the Papacy it hath continued still yea thousands and hundred thousands as by their owne stories appeareth haue beene murthered and slaine for the profession thereof Yea in the very religion of Popery our religion hath continued for what is Popery but a doctrine compounded of our religion and their owne deuice Our religion hath serued them for a foundation whereupon to build not only their wood and hay and stubble but also the wild-fire and poison of their idolatries and damnable heresies which without the pretence and colour of our religion Christian eares would haue detested and abhorred but therefore dreaded them not because they saw them cloaked with shew of still retaining that which we professe They durst not deny those Canonicall bookes of the old and new Testament which our religion receiueth but to serue their turne they added other bookes not inspired of God to be notwithstanding of like authority with those They acknowledged the Lords praier the articles of the Creede the ten Commandements which we receiue as principles of our religion but they frustrated them by a superstitious custome brought in of reciting them like a charme in an vnknowen tongue They haue neuer denyed the two Sacraments which we teach which were fast rooted in Christian profession but they haue added to them other fiue and made them vp seuen They vsed no other substantiall forme of Baptisme then we doe only they prophaned it with sundry polluted and corrupt ceremonies of humane deuice In their Masse and Sacrament of the Altar the ground of all is that that we doe according to the institution of Christ and example of the primitiue Church They bring bread and wine to the Lords table they sanctifie or consecrate the same with the words of Christ when and where they list they administer the same to the people and all this they take vpon them to doe in remembrance of the Passion Death and
did they did discouer them though not so distinctly they saw them though it were as it were c Hebr. 11. 13. a farre off Euen as we see those things that are taught vs concerning the end of the world the resurrection of the dead the day of iudgement and the life to come which yet distinctly we doe not see so did they see those things which since by the effecting of them in Christ are become distinct and plaine to vs. Therefore St. Austin saith d August de nat grat c. 44. Ea sides iustos sanauit antiquos quae sanat nos id est mediatoris Dei â—emiâ—um hominis Jesâ— Christi fides sanguinis eius sides crucis eius sides mortis resurrectionis 〈◊〉 The same faith saued the iust of old that saueth vs the faith of the Mediator betwixt God and Man euen the man Iesus Christ the faith of his bloud the faith of his crosse the faith of his death and resurrection hereby signifying that they beleeued all these points of faith as well as we though being things to come they were not as yet so cleare and manifest vnto them As for the Scriptures which he alleageth because they make nothing against this therefore they make nothing against vs. He bringeth the Apostle saying that e Ephes 3. 5. the mysterie of Christ in other generations was not knowen vnto the sonnes of men as now it is reueiled vnto his holy Apostles and Prophets Be it so it was knowen then but it was not so knowen as it was reueiled and made knowen to his Apostles Let him take this from Thomas Aquinas so expounding the words f Tho. Aquin. in Ephes cap. 3. lect 1. â—â—et mysteria Christi Prophetis Patriarchis fuerint reuelata non tamen it a clarè sicut Apostolis Nam Prophetis Apostolis fuerunt reuelata in quadam generalitate sed Apostolis manifestata sunt quantum ad singulares determinatas circumstantias Though the mysteries of Christ were reueiled to the Patriarchs and Prophets yet not so clearly as to the Apostles for to the Prophets and Patriarchs they were reueiled in a kinde of generality but tot he Apostles they were manifested as touching particular and definite circumstances And hereby the answere is ready to the words of our Sauiour Christ g Mat. 13. 17. Many Prophets and iust men haue desired to see the things which yee see and haue not seene them and to heare those things which yee heare and haue not heard them For h Aug. cont lit Petil. l. 2. c. 37. Omnes superiorum temporum iusti Prophetae cupicbant videre coplâ—tum quod reuelante spiritu futurum esse cernebant vnde ipse Dominus ait Quoniam multi iusti c. they desired clearly and perfectly to see those things which they beleeued and with their eyes to behold the promised Sauiour in whom all their hope and ioy was fixed and to heare the gracious words that should issue from his mouth which notwithstanding they obtayned not i Iohn 8. 56. Your father Abraham saith our Sauiour elsewhere desired to see my day and he saw it and reioyced He saw it and yet still desired to see it because as yet he saw it not as he did desire to see He desired to see with his eies Christ come in the flesh but so he saw him not yet by faith he so foresaw his comming as that it was great ioy and gladnesse to him Three other Texts he quoteth not to proue his purpose but only to let vs see that he is able for a neede to cite the Scripture Two of those he appropriateth to the Apostles which appertaine to all the faithfull To shew that the Apostles were taught by Christs owne mouth he alleageth the wordes of Christ citing a sentence of Esay the Prophet k Iohn 6. 45. It is written in the Prophets And they shall be all taught of God whereas it is plaine that the words are spoken not of being outwardly taught by the mouth of Christ but of being inwardly taught by l Mat. 16. 17. the reuelation of the Father nor contayne any thing peculiar to the Apostles but common to all the Elect as both by the course of Christs speech appeareth and by the words themselues as they are set downe by the Prophet m Esa 54. 13. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord. So to the Apostles also he referreth the words of St. Paul of n Rom. 8. 23. hauing receiued the first fruits of the spirit whereas to be partaker of the first fruits of the spirit is the condition of euery regenerate man in which manner St. Austin generally applyeth it o August de Peccat Merit Remiss l. 2. c. 7. Nunc ei similes esse iam coepâ—mus primitias habentes spiritus Wee haue now begunne to bee like him by hauing the first fruits of the spirit and not only in the new but in the old Testament also because of vs both the Apostle witnesseth as we haue heard before that p 2. Cor. 4. 13. * John 15. 15. we haue the same spirit of faith In the third place Christ saith to his Apostles â— I haue called you friends for all things that I haue heard of my Father haue I made knowen to you But what will M. Bishop conclude hereof Will he argue that because Christ taught his Apostles all points of faith more plainly and clearely therefore the ancient Patriarchs knew not all points of faith Nay we will argue to the contrary that sith Christ maketh knowen to his friends all his fathers secrets as M. Bishop speaketh therefore God made knowen all those secrets to Abraham because Abraham was q Esa 41. 8. Iames 2. 23. called the friend of God and such a friend as that he saith of him r Genes 18 17. Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I will doe And seeing Abraham is called Å¿ Rom. 4 11. 12. the Father of all that beleeue as in the steps of whose faith we are to walke how can we doubt but that God reueiled vnto him all that faith which concerneth vs vnto eternall life In a word St. Austin saith againe of all those fathers and of vs t Aug. cont 2. Epist Pelag. l. 3. c. 4. Eadem sides in illis qui nondum nomine sed reipsa fucrunt Christiani in illis qui non solum sunt sed â—â—cantur in vtrisque eadem gratia per Sp. Sanâ—um There is the same faith both in them who before-time not yet in name but indeede were Christians and in them who not only are but also are called so and in both the same grace by the holy Ghost From which words it may be obserued what will become of those two absurdities which M. Bishop hath taken vpon him to obserue in me For first if those old Fathers were indeede Christians and therefore members of
and godly Fathers Nay it is a certaine demonstration that they had this knowledge of the God-head because out of those Scriptures wherein their knowledge and faith is set forth vnto vs wee haue testimony and proofe thereof though not so formall and cleare as in some few places of the new Testament is expressed yet such as from whence this point of faith is most certainly and vndoubtedly to be conceiued For when we finde on the one side h Deut. 6. 4. The Lord our God is one Lord and on the other side doe reade i Psal 2. 7. The Lord hath said vnto me Thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee and againe k Psal 110. 1. The Lord said vnto my Lord sit thou on my right hand c. and againe l Esa 48. 16. The Lord and his spirit hath sent me m Esa 61. 1. The spirit of the Lord God is vpon me with infinite other places to like effect how can we doubt but that in vnity of the God-head they saw distinctly three persons the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost And thus Gregory resolueth that n Gregor in Ezech. hom 16. Siâ—e hi qui elects in testameÌ„to veteri fuerunt siue hi qui in nouo testamento secuti sunt â—imirum constat quia omnes ex amore Trinitatis accensi sunt c. Ad veram speciem ex Trinitatis sunt cognitione decorats whether the elect in the old Testament or they that followed in the new they were all enkindled with the loue and adorned to true beauty with the knowledge of the holy Trinity As touching the last point which he mentioneth of Christ in vnity of person being both God and Man I answer him by St. Austin that they did so beleeue for o Aug. Epist 157. Cuius hominis eiusdemque Dei saluberrima fide â—tiam illi iusti salui facti sunt qui priusquam in carne vemret crediderunt illâ—m in carne centurum by the most wholsome beleefe saith he of Christ both God and Man euen those iust were saued who beleeued that hee should come in the flesh before that hee did come And in another place hee saith yet more expresly concerning Abraham p Idem cont Pelag. Celest lib. 2. c. 27. Nunquid il lud quod iubet Abraham ponere mark seruum suum sub semore suo iurare per Deum coeli alitèr quisquam rectè intellecturus est nisi Abraham scisse in qua vâ—ntuâ—us esset Deus coeli carnem de illo semore propagari When Abraham bid his seruant put his hand vnder his thigh and sweare by the God of heauen can any man otherwise vnderstand it aright but that Abraham knew that from that thigh should be deriued that flesh wherein the God of heauen should come If Abrah 〈…〉 knew that the God of heauen should come in flesh taken of his flesh hee could not bee ignorant I trow that when hee should bee come hee should bee in the flesh both God and Man To be short the same St. Austin presently after saith q Ibid. cap. 28. Nondum factum sed adhuc futurum eadem tamen ipsa patrum quae nostra est sides vna caÌ„tabal Tues Sacerdos in aternum c. The faith of the Fathers all one with our faith did sing that which then was not done but was as yet to come Thou art a Priest fâ—r euer after the order of Melchisedec Where we cannot doubt but their faith obserued as ours doth from the beginning of the Psalme that it was Dauids Lord to whom this was said and therefore that he was very God and because he could not be a Priest after the order of Melchisedec except he were man therefore that he was truly man and because God notwithstanding speaketh vnto him as only one therefore that in vnity of person he should be both God and man For conclusion M. Bishop granteth that they beleeued some few points of faith in particular and had a certaine confuse and darke conceipt by figures and types of most of the rest but inasmuch as he instanceth against me the most high mysteries of our Christian faith and yet it appeareth that they had the beleefe and knowledge thereof we doe not doubt but that they had likewise knowledge though not so easily as we but with more labour attained vnto yet they had knowledge not only of the most but also of all the rest W. BISHOP §. 3. TOuching these very points whereof M. Abbot would haue them wholly ignorant if his bare word without any manner of proofe were so powerfull I affirme that they held the most of them which I will not stand here to proue at large for that were Protestant-like to runne from one question to another without order but I will only giue a touch to euery one of his instances referâ—ing the Reader for more full satisfaction to the proper place of those head controuersies First no Catholike euer taught any man to worship Idols let that then passe as a Protestant slander but that Images are to be placed in Churches the examples recorded in the old Testament of hauing them both in their Tabernacle and in the Exod. 25. v. 18. Temple of Salomon and this sentence of the Psalmist 3. Reg 6. v. 23. Adore his foote-stole and many such like places and Psalm 98. v. 5. resemblances doe argue very strongly that Images are to be worshipped Secondly inuocation of Angels is most plainly practised by the holy Patriarke Iacob the Father of all Israelites God c. and the Angell that hath Genes 48. v. 16. deliuered me from all euill blesse these children The example of so religious a person is our sufficient warrant to pray to Angels and Saints for Saints in heauen are equall Luc. 22. to Angels as our Sauiour himselfe assureth vs and Iob was counsailed to pray and call for aide vnto some of the Saints Ad aliquem Sanctorum conuerte Thirdly Iob 5. vers 1. they of the old Testament knew good workes to merit life euerlasting and had by Gods grace free-will to doe them which I adde because by the same sentences I will proue both togither God said vnto Cain If thou doe Genes 4. v. 7. well shalt thou not receiue if euill thy sinne will be at the dore but the appetite or pange of it shall be vnder thee and thou shalt haue dominion ouer it see both power giuen to the wicked to doe well if they will and recompence promised therefore Againe in the law Moyses hauing propounded to the Israelites Gods Commandements exhorting them thereunto saith Consider Deut. 30. v. 15. that I set before you life and good and contrariwise death and euill if you loue God and will walke in his Commandemens life or else death c. choose therefore life c. Must they not be very dull Vers 19. that hence cannot gather the keeping of Gods
Commandements to deserue and merit life euerlasting and that man hath by the aide of Gods grace free-will to performe them Fourthly they that were skilfull in the law of Moyses could not be ignorant of workes of supererogation that is that there were many good workes which men were not bound to doe yet if they did them they might thereby aduance themselues in Gods fauour because there is speciall Numer 6. order taken for the sanctification of any man or woman that would be a Nazarite that is any one that of deuotion would withdraw himselfe from secular affaires and for some certaine time serue God more religiously yet no man was bound thereunto Further they were allowed and encouraged to make vowes which is also a worke of supererogation against M. Abbots fift instance For not only Dauid saith Vow and render it Psalm 75. v. 12. to our Lord but in the law it is written When thou Deut. 23. v. 21. doest vow a vow vnto the Lord thy God slacke not to performe it because the Lord thy God doth require it c. but if thou wilt not promise thou shalt be without sinne And to leaue the word Monkery as fitter for a Monkey then for an Abbot Iosephus a graue authour among the Iewes witnesseth That there liued Antiquitat Iudaic lib. 18. c. 2. in the time of the law many thousands called Esseni who were contemners of riches liued in common hauing neither wiues nor seruants What other thing doe Monkes professe then such pouerty and chastity sauing obedience which must needes also in some degree be among the others who liued no doubt in orderly society Sixtly neither they nor we either buy or sell pardons yet had great mercy and pardon shewed them for their forefathers sake as God testifieth in the first Commandement And that they were on the other side to endure temporall punishment for sinne after the guilt of the sinne and the eternall paine was forgiuen them is most clearly recorded both of all the people of Israel Whose murmuration against Numer 14. God was at the earnest intercession of Moyses pardoned and yet were they therefore depriued of entring into the land of promise Yea Moyses and Numer 20. v. 24 Aaron themselues were in like manner both pardoned for their diffidence that they did not glorifie God at the waters of contradiction and yet neuerthelesse debarred from entring into the land of promise for the Deut. 32. v. 51. same offence so that after the mortall guilt of sinne is remitted there remaineth either some temporall satisfaction to be made on our parties or else to be forgiuen and pardoned vs by God and his Ministers Seuenthly that they made prayers and offered Sacrifice for the soules in Purgatory is manifest by the fact of Iudas Machabeus 2. Mach. 12. who was a most noble vertuous and faithfull Israelite as all Christians doe confesse Neither is there any neede for this purpose to auerre and proue the bookes of the Machabees to be Canonicall Scripture when it serueth this turne that they be taken for a graue History and that the Protestants allow them to be of sufficient authority for instruction of manners Further all the Iewes euen to this day doe pray for the soules in Purgatory see the Catholike Apologie out of Protestant Authours Eightly the Titul 1. Sect. 4. Iewes of the male-kinde by their law were bound to goe as it were in pilgrimage at three solemne feasts in the yeare vnto one speciall place that God should choose for his seruice And King Salomon encouraged all strangers to goe on pilgrimage to the Temple builded by him when hee prayed that what stranger soeuer should Deut. 16. v. 16. come thither to pray hee might obtaine his sute And the bones of the Prophet Elizeus giuing life by 3. Reg. 8. v. 21. 4. Reg. 13. v. 21. their touch vnto a dead man doth sufficiently instruct all true beleeuers that it is very profitable to goe on pilgrimage vnto the sacred bones and holy relikes of Gods faithfull seruants departed Lastly they were not wholly vnacquainted with a kinde of shrift and absolution for they Numer 5. Leuit. 5. were charged to confesse the sinnes they had committed and to bring with them vnto the Priest a prescribed Sacrifice to be offered by them for their pardon and absolution And as the lepers by that law were bound to present themselues to the Priests and were by them declared such or purged from that imputation so in the law of grace men infected with the soules leprosie that is mortall sinne are either to be bound and declared obstinate by the Priests if they will not repent or repenting and confessing the same are to be cleansed therefrom by the Priests absolution as both S. Chrysostome Chrysost lib. 3. de Saceraot Hieron in cap. 16. Math. and S. Hierome doe argue This in briefe will suffice I hope for answere vnto M. Abbots particulars R. ABBOT I Gaue instance in mine answere of sundry points of faith and religion which I affirmed to bee vnknowen to the first Fathers which notwithstanding are such as they could not haue beene ignorant of if they were matters of so great moment in religion as they are pretended now I named the worshipping of Idols and Images Inuocation of Saints and Angels Merits and supererogations Monkish vowes Popish pardons and prayers for soules in Purgatory Pilgrimages to Relikes and dead mens bones auricular Confession and shrift in which and sundry other such like deuices the very substance of Catholike religion is now with the Papists imagined to consist Now M. Bishop affirmeth to the contrary that they held the most of these the most he saith not all thereby importing concerning some of them at least that they were vnknowen to them And yet as though hee wist not what hee had said he taketh in hand to touch euery one of my instances and to giue some proofe of euery one of them referring the Reader for more full satisfaction to the proper places of the head controuersies whereas he knoweth well that in the answere to those controuersies is already taken away almost all that he hath here said As first his exception against the name of Idoll a Of Images sect 5. I haue shewed to be wholly vaine and haue made it plaine out of Tertullian and others that euery Image consecrated to be worshipped is properly an Idoll Againe his allegations of Images in the Tabernacle and in the Temple of Salomon and of the wordes which he bringeth out of the Psalme b Ibid. Sect. 8. 16. Adore yee his foote-stoole haue beene also declared to be to his purpose false impertinent and vaine But yet to giue a touch for a touch note here also briefly the folly of them I say that the old Fathers worshipped no Images and he to proue the contrary alleageth that in the Tabernacle and Temple they had Images What is the one of these to
from that imputation Well and what of that Marry Chrysostome and Hierome do argue saith he that euen so in the law of grace men infected with the soules leprosie are either to be bound and declared obstinate by the Priest if they will not repent or repenting and confessing the same are to be cleansed therefrom by the Priests absolution First Chrysostome in the place by him alleaged saith nothing either of confession or absolution but noting by occasion what grace is administred by Priests in baptisme that u Chrysost de Sacerdot lib. 3. Authores nobis sunt natiuitatis eius quam à Deo habemus c. atque adeò adoptionis eius qua nos per gratiam silij Dei sumus effecti Corporiâ— lepram purgare seu verius dicam haud purgare quidem sed purgatos probaâ—e Iudaeorum Sacerdotibus solis licebat c. At verò nostris Sacerdotibus non corporis lepram verum animae sordes non dico purgatas probare sed purgare prorsus concessum est they are as he speaketh authours of our new birth and of that adoption whereby we are made the sonnes of God he addeth further thereof thus Only the Priests of the Iewes might purge the leprosie of the body or so speake more truly not purge it but giue warrant of them that were purged but to our Priests it is granted I will not say to approue such as are purged but to purge not the leprosie of the body but the vncleannesse of the soule This the Priest doth sacramentally and ministerially in baptisme when he x Acts 2. 38. baptizeth in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ to the remission of sinnes and what is this to M. Bishops turne As little is there in the words of Hierome who saith that y Hieron in Mat. c. 16. Quomodo ibi Sacerdoâ— facit leprosum mundâ— vel immundum non quò Sacerdotes leprosos faciant immundos sed quò habeant notitiam leprosi vel non leprosi possint discernere qui mundus quiuè immundus fit sic hic alligat vel soluit Episcopus Presbyter noÌ„â—os qui insontes sunt vel nâ—xij sed pro â—fficio suo cum peccatorum audierit varietates scit qui ligandus sit qui soluendus as the Priest in Moses law did make the leaper cleane or vncleane not for that he did so indeede but only tooke notice who was a leaper and who was not and did discerne betwixt the cleanâ— and the vncleane so here the Bishop or Priest doth binde or loose not binde them which are innocent or loose the guilty but when according to his office he heareth the variety of sinnes he knoweth who is to be bound and who to be loosed We see here the office and duty of the Priest to discerne betwixt man and man to acquit the innocent to bind the guilty by the publike censure of the Church to decide who is to be holden for loosed with God who for bound all which belong to the outward and publike discipline and gouernement of the Church but as for auricular confession or priuate absolution and pâ—nance thereto appertayning there is not so much as one word spoken thereof It is plainly here to be seene why M. Bishop quoted the authours only but did not set downe their wordes because the Reader would haue discerned his folly that would set downe such impertinent stuffe nothing at all concerning the point in hand Yet he hopeth that he hath said that that may suffice for answere to my particulars whereas he hath brought no tollerable proofe or probability for any one particular and therefore leaueth vs to resolue that none of those points of religion by me mentioned were euer knowen to the old Fathers W. BISHOP §. 4. I Might easily adde how the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ vnder the formes of bread and wine were both prefigured by Melchisedechs Host in bread and Genes 14. wine and fore-told by the Prophet Malachy and what a Malach. 1. liuely type Manna that Angelicall and delicate foode was of Christs body in the Sacrament And how the supreme authority of one headouer all the whole Church and that to belong to a Bishop and not to the lay Magistrate was not obscurely shadowed but liuely represented by the Soueraigne power that the high Priest of the old Testament had ouer all the rest To determine and end all doubts Deuter. 17. and controuersies arising about any hard point of the law As for consecrating of Priests and hallowing of Churches and Altars with all Vestiments and Ornaments thereunto appertaining and for the seuerall feasts and fasts there is so great resemblance betweene them and vs that Protestants commonly cry out against vs for the ouer great affinity that is betwixt the old law and our religion But as they are to be reproued of indiscreet zeale against the rites of Moyses law which were of God and good for the time and most of them figures and types of the law of grace according to that of the Apostle All 1. Cor. 10. things chanced to them in figure and were written for our correction and instruction so on the other side some strange defluxion and dâ—stillation of corrupt humours maruailously darkned M. Abbots sore eyes that he could not discerne nor find in the whole law of Moises any one shadow of that which we now practise May not these worthy words which S. Paul pronounced of the blinded Iewes in his time be verified of him Their senses 2. Cor. 3. were dulled vntill this day when Moyses is read a veile is put vpon their heart that is they reading and hearing the law of Moyses doe no more vnderstand it then doth a man hoodded or that hath a veile before his eyes see what is before him or else M. Abbot reading the old Testament could not choose but haue seene much of our religion and many articles of our faith there recorded And albeit we teach most mysteries of our faith to haue beene in the law of Moyses prefigured and foretold yet is it very absurd to say as M. Abbot doth that we beleeue no more articles of faith then they did for we were by the Sonne of God our blessed Sauiour giuen to vnderstand many high points of beliefe which were not reueiled vnto them as hath beene before declared R. ABBOT ANd I might as easily answere that the Popish Sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ as they call it vnder the formes of bread and wine is an absurd nouelty neither prefigured by Melchizedecke nor fore-told by Malachy the Prophet nor euer knowen to any ancient Father of the Christian Church Strange it is that a reall propitiatory sacrifice of Christs body and bloud vnder the formes of bread and wine should bee deriued from Melchizedecke with whom we see no token or semblance thereof of whom it is not said that he offered bread and wine but only that
a Genes 14. 18. hee brought forth bread and wine and that as Ambrose and Hierome say out of the Hebrew writers b Ambros ad Hebr. cap. 7. Hieron ad Euagr Nec mirum si Melchâ—zedec victori Abraham obuiam processerit in reseâ—â—ion em tam ipsius quam pugnatorum eius panesâ—â—mumque protulerit For the refreshing of him and his souldiers in which meaning c Ioseph Anâ—iq Iudaic. l. 1. â— 11. Milites Iosephus namely Abrahami hospitalitèr habuit nihil â—is ad victum decsse passus doth vnderstand it And if M. Bishop will needes haue it translated by the word of offering as his fellowes are wont greatly to wrangle to that intent yet Ambrose so also applyeth it that d Ambros de Sacram. l. 4. c. 3. Occurrit illi Melâ—lnsedec Sacâ—rdos â—btulit ei paâ—â—e vinii he offered to Abraham bread and wine thereby excluding all necessity of construction of sacrifice to God But if yet we shall perforce take it of offering to God we conceiue of it according to that which Cyprian saith thatâ— e Cyprian l. 2. Ep. 3. Domiâ—uâ— noster Iesus Christus Sacrificium Dâ—o Patri obtulit obtulit hoc idâ—m quod Melchisedec obtulâ—rat id est panem vinii suâ—â— scilicet corpus sanguineÌ„ our Lord Iesus Christ offering a sacrifice to God the Father offered the very same that Melchisedec had offered that is bread and wine euen his owne body and bloud If the sacrifice of Christ and Melchisedecke be the very same and Melchisedecke also offered the body and bloud of Christ as these words import then cannot our sacrifice be a true and real sacrifice of Christs body and bloud because Melchisedecks was not so Christ as yet not hauing taken his body and bloud and therefore must both that and this be vnderstood to be only the mysterie and signification thereof And this interpretation of the sacrifice on both sides Hierome confirmeth when of our Sauiour Christs institution of the Sacrament he saith f Hieron in Mat. 26. Assumit panem ad verum Paschae traÌ„sgreditur Sacramentum vâ— quomodo in praefiguratione eius Melchisedec suÌ„mi Dei Sacerdos panem vinii offerens fecerat ipse quoque veritatem sui corpâ—ris sanguiniâ— repraesentaret Christ taketh bread and goeth to the true Sacrament of the Passeouer that as Melchisedec the Priest of the high God in prefiguring of him offering bread and wine had done so he himselfe also might represent the truth of his body and bloud There is therefore both in the one and in the other not the very truth of the body and bloud of Christ but only a representation of the truth thereof euen as Chrysostome on the one side expresseth when he saith that g Chrys Op. imperfec hom 11 Haec vasa sactificata inquibus non â—st verii coâ—pus Christi sed mysterium corporis eius continetur in the holy vessels is contained not the true body of Christ but the mysterie of his body And vnlesse it be thus it cannot stand which Ambrose concerning this offering of Melchisedec saith that h Ambros de Sacram. l. 4. c. 3. Intellige Sacramenta quâ— accipis anteriâ—ra esse quà m sint Moysi Sacramenta c. the Sacraments which we receiue are more ancient then the Sacraments of Moses for how can that be if our Sacraments be truly and really the body and bloud of Christ which Melchisedecks were not Againe where God by Malachy saith i Mat. 1. 11. In euery place incense shall be offered vnto me and a pure offering whose eyes are so sharpe as that in those words he can discerne the Popish sacrifice of the Masse We reade here of incense and a pure offering but this roome is too little for the building of so large a house their Masse cannot stand within the compasse of this ground And when we consider how the Fathers expound the same Tertullian one where generally of k Tertul. adu ludaeos Desacrisicijs spiritualibus addit dicens In omni loco sacrificia munda offerâ—tur spirituall sacrifices another where of l Idem cont Marc. l. 4. Sacrificium mundum scilicet simplex oratio de conscientia pura sincere prayer out of a pure censcience Hierome of m Hieron in Zacha. c 8. Sacrificium mundum nequaquam in victimis veteris Testamenti sed in sanctuate Euangelica puritatis the sanctity and holinesse of Euangelicall purity Eusebius of n Euseb de demonstrat Euang lib. 1. c 6. Sacrificium quod appellaturpurum facimus per puras actiones pure and godly doings Austin of o Aug. cont lit Petil. l. 2. c. 86. Viuum Sacrificium de quo dictum est Immola Deo sacrificium laudis the liuely sacrifices of praise and thanks-giuing Theodoret of p Theodoret. in Mal. c. 1. Debitum honorem praestabuÌ„t accomodatum cultum adhibebunt the due honour and conuenient worship of God exemplifying the same by the words of Christ q John 4. 23. The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth and by the words of the Apostle r 1. Tim. 2. 8. Let men pray euery where lifting vp pure hands without wrath or doubting and Hierome by the words of the Psalme Å¿ Psal 141. 2. Let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the incense and the lifting vp of my hands as an euening sacrifice these things I say considered may we not be thought to be out of our wits if we shall beleeue them that the place must needes be vnderstood of their monstrous sacrifice That Manna was a type of the body of Christ no Christian man doubteth but that it was a type of Christs body as really in the Sacrament no wise man beleeueth and the reason wherby t Answere to M. Perkins Aduertisement sect 56. See the Confutation elsewhere he goeth about to proue it is there declared to be vaine So haue I also u Of Traditions sect 21. formerly shewed that the example of the high Priest amongst the Iewes giueth no manner warrant to the supreme authority of one head ouer the whole Christian Church that the high Priest amongst the Iewes had no such supremacy as they claime to the Pope that reason teacheth such a supremacy to be the manifest and certaine danger of the Church and experience hath found it to be the very ruine and desolation thereof As for their according with the Iewish ceremonies in consecrating of Priests and hallowing of Churches and Altars and Vestments c. it is a slender proofe for the finding of their religion amongst the Iewes because they haue borrowed many ceremonies from the Pagans also and yet they will not say that their religion was amongst the Pagans Their emuâ—aâ—â—on of those ceremonies we iustly cry out against as preposterous and absurd because they being as M. Bishop saith types and figures of the law of
grace the substance and truth being reueiled they ought to cease This was the very reason why the Apostles taught the Church x Col. 2. 17. 20. to be disburdened of those rites because they were shadowes of things to come the body whereof is in Christ. But M. Bishop telleth vs by another spirit that therefore the Church of Rome reteineth them because they were shadowes of things to come because they were types and figures of the law of grace and reproueth them of vndiscreet zeale that are minded otherwise Sith then he can obserue vndiscreet zeale in the Apostles I may not maruell that he deemeth my sore eyes darkened with strange defluxion and distillation of corrupt humours but such indeede is the case of mine eyes that in the law of Moses and in the Prophets I cannot see that religion which we call Popery which standeth in those points of faith whereof the question is betwixt them and vs. The rest of his wordes I passe ouer as idle talke What hee hath declared wee see and we see so much folly in it and so little weight as that we cannot but aduise him to take longer time and goe ouer the same againe W. BISHOP §. 5. ANd much more reprâ—chfull is it to hold as he doth That we worship God after the same manner as they did for then should we sacrifice to him Beefs Muttons Calues and Lambs and our sacrificers should be of Aarons issue and order and we all circumcised I omit all their ceremonies because M. Abbot excepteth them And if the Protestants doe altogether pray as they did and in the same termes as M. Abbot affirmeth them to doe they sometimes then doe pray vnto God to remember Exod. 32. v. 13. Abraham Isaac and Iacob and for their sakes to make mercy on them for to that effect and in those termes prayed the Prophet Moyses and that according vnto those Patriarkes expresse order and commandement Genes 48. v. 16. Whereunto if it please the Protestants to ioyne that other prayer of the Psalmist Remember O Lord Dauid Psal 131. and all his mildnesse let them tell mee whether this small prayer with which they finde so great fault Tu per Thomae sanguinem c. Thou O Lord for that blouds sake which thy seruant shed in defence of thy holy Church take compassion vpon vs be not warranted for good by example of the like recorded in the old Testament For if they then did desire God to remember the excellent vertues of his seruants and for their sakes to shew mercy to others why may not we doe the same now why may we not as well beseech God to remember the constant fortitude of S. Thomas as they did the mildnesse of Dauid I will not dwell vpon these impertinent and loose follies which all that be not babes may of themselues easily discry but doe out of the premises inferre first that no religion was to be called Catholike before the Gospell of Christ was preached or to be preached to all nations and therefore the law of Moyses being peculiar to one people and countrey could not be called Catholike secondly that the Roman faith and religion is very conformable to that of the Patriarks and Prophets as the verity is to the figure whence it followeth that the Protestants new deuices hold no due correspondence with them I haue already confuted this his assertion That Christ at his comming confirmed the faith and religion of the Iewes without any additions of his owne and commended it simply and nakedly only stripping it of types and shadowes to be preached to all nations And here I adde that then Christians may yet haue many wiues together as the Iewes had or giue their wiues vppon any displeasure a libell of diuorse for these were no shadowes nor ceremonies And briefly it should follow thereof that all that part of their law that doth belong to iustice and iudgement stands still in full force and vertue among vs Christians which is most opposite to the determination of the Apostles in the first Councel holden at Hierusalem where it was plainly decided that we Christians Act. 15. vers 28. were not bound to keepe the old law Againe if the Apostles were simply and nakedly to preach vnto the Gentiles the law of Moyses stript of types and shadowes why were they commanded to preach vnto them the Sacrament of baptisme or of our Lords Supper which are no where commanded in the law of Moyses Well let this then passe as a most notorious and grosse ouersight But the Apostles saith he added nothing of their owne which is very false for many things were left by our Sauiour to their disposition whereupon Saint Paul saith Caetera cum venero disponam I will dispose 1. Cor. 11. v. 3â— of the rest when I come and was further bold to say Haec dico ego non Dominus For the rest I say 1. Cor. 7. v. 12. not our Lord. M. Abbot goes on belying the Apostle and saying And they preached only the Gospell Rom. 1. promised before by the Prophets where he corrupteth the Text by adding the word only and weaueth into that Text to the Romans these wordes out of the Acts of the Apostles saying none other things then those Act. 26. v. 22. which the Prophets and Moyses did say should come where he both mangleth the Text and also breaks off in the middest of a sentence that it might seeme applyable to all points of the Apostles preachings which the Apostle applyeth only to Christs death and resurrection and the preaching and carrying of light vnto the Gentiles It is a peece of strange alchymie to distill out of these wordes of the Apostle that they preached nothing but the same faith and religion which the Iewes embraced S. Paul saith that he had preached nothing of Christs death and resurrection and that he was the light of the Gentiles but that which the Prophets did speake should come to passe M. Abbot of his owne head enlargeth this his speech to all other points of our faith Againe all is besides the purpose for the Apostle saith not that hee taught any one article which the common sort of the Iewes did beleeue but such things as the Prophets said should come to passe Who knowes not that they foresaw and fore-told many things that were no articles of faith in their dayes and touching these very particulars how many of the Iewes did beleeue that their Messias should die so shamefull a death or that Moyses law should be abrogated by their Messias and that the Gospell of Christ should be preached vnto all nations all these were great nouels and exceeding scandalous to the body of the Iewes wherefore though some better learned among them and more religiously affected might vnderstand the Prophets speaking of those points yet were they farre from the common reach and perswasion of that people of the Iewes from these points that the Iewes beleeued
of St. Thomas as they did the mildnesse of Dauid But against that if of his I oppose the exposition that Thomas Aquinas maketh of the Apostles wordes concerning the Iewes that they were beloued for their Fathers sakes vnderstanding the same of the elect of that nation l Tho. Aquin. in Rom. c. 11. Lect. 4. Quod non est sic intelligendum quasi merita praestita patribus fuerint causa aternae electionis 〈◊〉 sed quâ—a Deus ab aterno elegit gratis patres filios hoc tamen ordine vt filij propter patres consequerentur salutem noÌ„ quasi merita patrum suffiâ— creat ad siliorum salutem sed per quandam abundantiam diuine gratiae 〈◊〉 hoc dicit quae in tintum patribus est exâ—â—bita vt prop ter promissiones eis factas etiam fily saluarentur Which saith he is not to be so taken as if the merits bestowed vpon the Fathers were the cause of the eternall election of the children but for that God from euerlasting chose freely both the Fathers and the children in such order notwithstanding as that the children for the Fathers sakes should obtaine saluation not as if the merits of the Fathers should suffice for the saluation of the children but he speaketh it according to an abundance of Gods grace and mercy which was so farre yeelded to the Fathers as that the children should be saued by vertue of the promises or for the promises sake made vnto their Fathers Here is then the true reason why they alleaged vnto God for themselues the names of the Fathers not for the merits of the Fathers but because of the promises that God had made vnto them Whereof we haue this for a certaine demonstration that wee no where finde any of the Fathers mentioned in that sort but only such to whom the promises of God haue in speciall manner beene made neither Abel nor Enoch nor Noe nor Iob nor Moses nor Esay nor any of the rest but only Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid to whom God vouchsafed to doe that honour by speciall couenants and promises to tie himselfe both to them and to their seede Yea and it is further to be obserued that this was no ordinary manner of praying amongst them as wherby to begge of God remission of sinnes and eternall life as we see that Popish prayer doth but when God in anger and displeasure seemed ready m Deut. 9. 25. 26. to destroy their nation and so to forget the promise made vnto their Fathers or when they would seeke any fauour at Gods hands for the iustification of that promise then would they alleage to God the names of their Fathers as it were to put him in minde of those things which he had promised Thus doth Moses himselfe declare the meaning of that prayer in another place when he saith n Exod. 32. 13. Remember Abraham Isaac and Iacob thy seruants to whom thou swarest by thine owne selfe and saidst vnto them I will multiply your seede c. In which sort the three children in the fiery furnace are brought in praying vnto God in the Apocryphall additions to Daniel o Song of the three children Vers 35. 36. Take not away thy mercy from vs for thy beloued Abrahams sake and for thy seruant Isaacs sake and for thine holy Israels sake to whom thou hast spoken and promised that thou wouldest multiply their seede c. And thus it is said that p 1. Chro. 13. 23 the Lord had mercy on them and pittyed them and had respect vnto them because of his couenant with Abraham Isaac and Iacob So concerning Dauid also we reade that q 2. Chro. 21. 7. the Lord though he were much prouoked yet would not destroy the house of Dauid because of the couenant that he had made with Dauid and because he had promised to giue a light to him and to his sonnes for euer This couenant and promise Salomon pleadeth in his prayer vnto God r 2. Chro. 6. 16. Lord God of Israel keepe with thy seruant Dauid my father that which thou hast promised him and againe Å¿ Vers 17. Let thy word be verified which thou spakest vnto thy seruant Dauid And thus the Church of the Iewes in time of affliction remembreth God concerning Dauid t Psal 89. 49. Lord where are thy old louing kindnesses which thou swarest vnto Dauid in thy truth By all which we see that it was not vpon the persons or vertues of Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid that those ancient faithfull rested themselues in their prayers but vpon the word the couenant the promise of God which he in mercy had vouchsafed to make vnto them And hereby we learne what to conceiue of those latter wordes which M. Bishop alleageth out of the Psalme u Psal 132. 11. Lord remember Dauid and all his mildnesse Where to make the wordes seeme somewhat the more effectuall to his purpose wee see how hee groundeth himselfe vpon an errour of translation For the wordes of the Psalme truly translated are not Remember Dauid and all his mildnesse but remember Dauid and all his affliction or trouble as not only x Hieron translat Psal iuxta Hebr. Memento Dauid omnis afflictionis cius Hierome in his translation opposed to the Septuagint in Greeke but also their owne interpreters y Pagn Ar. Mont. Vniuersa afflictionis eius Pagnine and Arias Montanus haue translated it Where vnder the name of affliction we vnderstand that feruent burning zeale and carefull trauell of minde wherewith Dauid was possessed and euen perplexed and anguished through desire that he had for the building of the Temple of God and for the setling of the Kingdome and state accordingly as God had promised vnto him With which desire he was so vehemently affected as here it is expressed as that hee sware and vowed to the Lord not to enter into his house nor to climbe vp to his bed not to suffer his eyes to sleepe nor his eye lids to slumber till he found the place for building the Temple of God the house of God wherin he would rest and dwell amongst them Salomon the sonne of Dauid whom I doubt not to haue beene the authour of this Psalme for that z Psal 132. â— c. a part hereof was vsed by him in a 2. Chro. 6. 41. the dedication of the Temple recommendeth herein to God the remembrance of this care and craueth successe thereto and that God would verifie in him all that he had thereupon said and promised to Dauid in that behalfe I haue before shewed how Chrysostome giueth the effect of this prayer in Salomons name b Chrysost in Psal 131. Quoniam genus ab co duxi quoniam cum tibi acceptum suissâ—t cius studâ—um diligentia dixisti te cius genus regnam erecturum propterea nunc haec paâ—la conuenta à te exig mus Idem habet Basil in Psal cund Because I am
inferiore apud Polycarpum essem c. Commemorarequeam quomodo se cum Joanne ac reliquis qui DominuÌ„ viderunt conuersatum esse dixerit sermones eorum memorauerit quae ex illis de Domino audierit de virtutibus eius doctrina tanquam ex ijs qui ipsi verbum vite viderant percepta cuncta sanctis Scripturis consona recâ—nsuerit that he had beene in his childhood with Polycarpus and that he had heard him tell how he had beene conuersant with Iohn and the rest that had seen the Lord and remembred their speeches and what he had heard of them concerning the Lord and his miracles and doctrine as receiued from them who themselues had seene the word of life and reported all things agreeable to the holy Scriptures Here is a commendation of the Scripture and an intimation giuen that tradition ought to be no other but consonant and agreeable to the holy Scripture but of referring to the Churches in cases of controuersie not so much as one word But though his head here failed hiâ— yet I know well what the place is that he meant to cite which followeth in the booke whence I alleaged the sentence to which he answereth And yet there is nothing in that place fitting to his purpose Ireneus hauing there to doe with Heretikes who being reproued by the Scriptures reiected the triall of the Scriptures vpon the like pretences as the Papists now doe and therefore being forced to vse against them the testimony of the Churches from the time of the Apostles for proofe of those things which were cleare by the writings of the Apostles as we now doe against the Papists but saying nothing at all as to deliuer a rule that when cases of controuersie doe arise we should alwaies haue recourse to such testimony of the Church Of that place of Ireneus I haue spoken sufficiently m Answere to Doctor Bishops Epistle to the King sect 11. before and therefore I will not here againe trouble the Reader any further therewith In what sort also he attributeth principality to the Roman Church I haue already declared in the n §. 2. first Chapter of this booke Now as he is impudent in answering Ireneus so in his answere to Tertullian he is much more impudent The sentences of those two Fathers I cited as depending one vpon another Ireneus saith that the Gospell which the Apostles preached they afterwards deliuered to vs in the Scriptures Tertullian saith o Tertul. de Praescript Nobis non est opus curiositate post Christum nec inquisitione post Euangelium Cum hâ—c credimus nihil desideramus vltrà credere hoc enim prius credimus non esse quod vltrà credere debemus Wee neede no curiosity after Christ nor further enquiry after the Gospell when we beleeue this we desire to beleeue nothing further for this we first beleeue that there is nothing further for vs to beleeue Marke well gentle Reader the coherence of these wordes The Apostles committed the Gospell to writing we neede no further inquiry after the Gospell we desire to beleeue nothing further we beleeue that there is nothing else for vs to beleeue To this what doth M. Bishop say Beleeuing this beleeuing what the written word only nothing lesse The Gospell M. Bishop it is the Gospell you see of the beleefe whereof he speaketh and beside which or after which he desireth to beleeue nothing yea beleeueth that there is nothing further to be beleeued Seeing then the Gospell is written as Ireneus saith it followeth by Tertullian that beside the written word there is nothing else to be beleeued Nothing lesse saith M. Bishop And why For in that whole Treatise saith he his principall drift is to proue that Heretikes cannot be confuted out of the written word but by ancient customes and traditions which he calleth Prescriptions Where he most shamefully abuseth that worke of Tertullian expounding Prescriptions to be meant of old customes and traditions whereas Tertullian hath nothing to that purpose but by Prescriptions meaneth grounds of reasons and arguments whereby to proceede and deale against Heretikes for the reprouing and conuincing of them Neither doth he goe about to proue that Heretikes cannot be confuted by the written word but only sheweth that it was to no purpose to deale with them by the Scriptures or written word because they receiued and reiected Scriptures as they list did put in and blot out alter and chop and change so that whatsoeuer made against them should goe for no Scripture Yea the matters of their heresies were touching those articles of our faith which are clearely and manifestly testified by the Scriptures and therefore M. Bishop dealeth very lewdly with Tertullian to make him to say that they could not be confuted thereby I neede not stand hereupon hauing p Of Traditions sect 10. before at large discouered M. Bishops dishonesty herein and shewed out of the matter of the booke how falsly he fathereth that drift vpon Tertullian Only it is here to be noted what a prety meaning he maketh of those wordes which I cited thence namely this When we beleeue the whole doctrine of Christ both written and deliuered by Apostolicall tradition then we desire to beleeue no more of any vpstart Heretikes new deuises Where I pray thee to note how his two answeres agree together He told vs before to Ireneus that the Apostles left the Gospell in writing Here to Tertullian speaking of the Gospell he answereth that the Gospell signifieth the whole doctrine of Christ both written and vnwritten So when he list the Gospell is written and when he list the Gospell is vnwritten and he cannot tell certainly what it is If the Gospell were left in writing then the Gospell is no doctrine vnwritten or if the Gospell doe signifie also vnwritten doctrine then the Apostles did not leaue the Gospell in writing but only a part and parcell thereof But we beleeue that the Apostles left vs a perfect written Gospell and therefore we say to M Bishop and his fellowes as Athanasius said to the Arian Heretikes q Athanas de Incar Christi Si Discipuli estis EuangelioruÌ„ ne loquamini contra Deum iniquitateÌ„ sed per scripturas cedite Quòd si diuersa à scripturis fabulari vultis cur nobiscum concertatis qui neque â—oqui neque audire sustinemus quod extraneum sit ab istis dicente Domino c. If yee be Schollers of the Gospell speake not iniquity against God but goe by the Scriptures but if you will babble things diuerse from the Scriptures why doe you meddle with vs who endure neither to speake nor heare any thing which is strange from the Scriptures our Lord Christ telling vs If yee abide in my word then shall yee be free indeed Now to shew that beside the written Gospell and word of God there is nothing else to be receiued I alleaged a peremptory sentence of St. Austin r Aug.
lib. 3. Illic pronuncianda est regulae â—nteruersio vbi posteritas inuenitur that where any after-faith is found there is to be pronounced the peruerting of the rule of faith Now therefore in question of religion the triall of truth shall be to haue recourse to that which was first deliuered or as Cyprian expresseth it c Cypâ—ian l. 2. Epist 3. Ad radicem atque originem traditionis Dominicae reuertatur to returne to the roote and originall of the Lords tradition and thence to secure our selues what we are to beleeue and what to doe that we may be saued To the same purpose I alleaged other wordes of Cyprian in the same place that d Ibid. Si soluâ— Christus audiâ—ndus est non debemus attendere quid aliquis ante nos faciendum putauerit sed quid qui ante omnes est Christ prior fecerit Neque enim hoâ—â—nis consuetudinem sequioportet sed Dei veritatâ— sith Christ only is to be heard according to that which the Father proclaimed from heauen concerning him This is my beloued sonne c. heare him we are not to regard what any man before vs hath thought fit to be done but what Christ hath done who is before all for we must not follow the custome of man but the truth of God Which wordes or the most of them as fitted my occasion being by me set downe in a distinct letter that they might be knowen to be Cyprians wordes M. Bishop in transcribing my text hath changed into his common letter that they might be thought to be but mine owne wordes knowing well enough that otherwise by the credit of the authour they would giue the Reader a preiudice against all that he hath here said We see that Cyprian teacheth vs first of all without respect what men haue done to looke to that which Christ did and thereby to iudge of all the custome of men But M. Bishop like the Crabbe that goeth backward teacheth a man to looke first what his father did and then his grandfather and then his great grandfather and so the rest that out of the custome of men he may learne what is the truth of Christ Those children saith he who follow the holy steps of their Catholike Progenitours ascending from sonne to father successiuely till they arriue at the first Christians of that Country are true Christians But what if the first conuersion of a Country be not aright as befell to the e Abb. Vrsperg in Chronico Valâ—ns Ariana persidiae saucius suae partis sautores illuc direxit praedicatores qui venientes rudibus ignaris illiâ—ò perfidâ—ae suae viruâ— insundunt Gothes whose conuersion was to Arianisme in the time of the Arrian Emperour Valens how then shall his rule stand good of ascending from sonne to father till we arriue at the first Christians of that Country Will he say that such doubtlesse beleeue aright because they beleeue as they did who first were conuerted in that Country If he alleage that he speaketh of following the holy steps of Catholike progenitors he maketh himselfe ridiculous because it is the question whether the Progenitours be Catholike and their steps holy and to be followed or not and he for triall hereof referreth vs to them that were in that country first conuerted who haply were corrupted at first by them by whom they were conuerted This case we put concerning the conuersion of our nation whereat he aimeth by Austin the Monke who though he brought hither the Christian religion yet brought it somewhat blended and sowred with the leauen of humane traditions and inuentions so that to receiue religion as he brought it is to receiue the corruption which he also brought which being growen since as in corruptions it falleth out from a little scabbe to a foule leprosie yet shall the foule leprosie be coloured and defended by the example of the scabbe This case being put M. Bishops rule is out of ioynt because we are come to the first conuerted of our nation and we doubt of some default in their conuerters which we the more suspect for that we f See the Answere to the Epistle sect 31. finde the Britaines who had beene formerly and anciently Christians refusing at that time to meddle with them Here then we are new to seeke and are forced to make further enquiry whether the faith of Christ as it was taught here first by that Romish Monke were in any such sort defiled or not But that being granted that a country is at the first rightly and truly conuerted to the faith of Christ how shall the posterity after so many generations haue infallible assurance that they hold inuiolably the same doctrine which they embraced who were first conuerted What rolles what records haue we certainly and particularly to informe vs that our fathers and fathers fathers and their fathers and forefathers from the beginning haue without adding or detracting without change or alteration either of phrase or meaning beleeued and practised thus and thus Will he send vs to the Chronicles and Stories of our country to be certified hereof To say nothing that euery one that seeketh assurance of his faith cannot studie Chronicles for the finding of it suppose a man hath read them all what is he the nearer inasmuch as Bellarmine hath taught vs to say of them all that g Bellarm. de Effect Sacram. l. 2. c. 25. Quòd historici quidam meminerint c. non potest parere fidem nisi humanam cui potest subesse falsum they breede but humane beleefe wherein there may be falshood Of the greatest matters many times they say least they deliuer things many times vnperfectly and often we may rather gather from them the priuate affection of the authour then any testimony of publike faith To the deuices of their owne times they apply the phrases of former times and corrupt the meaning of former times by speaking in the language of their owne times We finde many times differences and disagreements amongst them and that reproued by one which is approued by another Sometimes we descry lyes and tales wilfully deuised and falsly fathered vpon the times and persons that haue beene before and guilefully thrust into ancient bookes for the gracing of superstitions that haue growen of latter times and other writings and stories suppressed and made away which taxed such superstitions as they did arise Many vncertainties there are many difficulties and perplexities in this course and vnpossible it is for them that are the authors of it to set downe out of any records any perfect forme of their owne faith whereof a man can but reasonably satisfie himselfe that it hath beene vniuersally and vniformely receiued of all our fathers and continued wholly the same without alteration from the first conuerted till our time M. Bishop therefore by referring men in question of religion to their fathers forefathers doth but send them a long iourney in the darke not seeing which
iust imputation of apostasie if to them we shall retire our selues from the religion of our fathers And see here how M. Bishop goeth a way quite contrary to St. Austin for St. Austin vsed the Scriptures to draw the Donatists to the example of their former fathers and M. Bishop vseth the example of our former fathers to draw vs away from the Scriptures But against all his vaine motiues we are setled by the charge giuen by God himselfe n Ezech. 20. 18 Walke yee not in the ordinances of your fathers neither obserue their manners nor defile your selues with their Idols I am the Lord your God Walke in my statutes and keepe my iudgements and doe them Gods statutes are the line and rule whereby he hath appointed vs to goe we respect not therefore what our fathers haue done but we looke to the statutes of God in the word of God to the example and teaching of Christ in the word of Christ there to learne how farre we may approue the doings of our fathers To doe otherwise is as the Prophet speaketh o Ierem. 2. 13. to forsake the fountaine of liuing waters which God hath shewed and to digge to our selues broken pits that will hold no water at least no other but puddle water For conclusion strange it is to see how impudently he peruerteth the wordes of Cyprian To returne to the originall of the Lords tradition is with Cyprian to leaue the example of our fathers and to looke to the Gospell what the Lord hath there deliuered but with M. Bishop it is to returne to our forefathers and in steede of the Gospell to learne of them what it is that Christ taught Cyprian saith We are not to regard what any man before vs hath thought fit to be done but what Christ did who was before all M. Bishop saith that we are to regard what our fathers before vs haue thought fit to be done that of them we may learne what Christ did who is before all Cyprian saith We are not to follow the custome of men but the truth of God M. Bishop saith we are to follow the custome of men that we may thereby come to the knowledge of the truth of God Thus very directly he crosseth Cyprian and yet will be very angry if we say that he speaketh any otherwise then Cyprian doth W. BISHOP §. 2. NOw to that point which followeth in M. Abbot There shall be a time when the Kings of the Apocal. 17. earth shall giue their power to the beast and bend themselues to fight against the Lambe which I doe willingly admit but when that time shall be or what Kings it is very vncertaine for there shall be also a time When the Kings of the earth shall be as nurses to Esay 60. Psalm 72. the true Church and shall most humbly both obey it and also enrich and defend it to the vttermost of their power Now by the very insinuation of the Text and the vniforme consent of ancient writers the good Kings shall cherish exalt and magnifie the Church before those euill Kings shall arise who falling away from their fathers faith and from the Catholike Church will lend their aide to her professed enemies to worke her ouerthrow which is a shrewd presumption that the Kings of former ages stoode farre better affected to the true Church of God then some of later times Well this I leaue to vnderstanding mens iudgement But I may not slippe M. Abbots exceeding grosse ouer-sight or rather hainous crime in ranking his Maiesty among those Kings mentioned in the Apocalypse for albeit they shall hate Cap. 17. the whoore and make her desolate and naked and eate her flesh c. yet they shall be most wicked and impious Kings and shall adore the monstruous beast there described and fight against Christ Iesus These be the very wordes of the Text And the ten hornes c. be ten Kings c. these haue one counsell and force and their power they shall deliuer to the beast these shall fight with the Lambe and the Lambe shall ouerthrow them c. And the ten hornes which Vers 16. thou sawest in the beast these shall hate the harlot and make her desolate and naked c. so that the very same ten Kings signified there by ten hornes that did giue all their power to the beast did hate the harlot But how can it be saith one that they who hate the wicked harlot should ioyne with the beast who was as wicked as shee Yes that may well be for it is no newes that wicked men fall out among themselues so that one vngodly and wicked Prince doth sometimes with all his might aide another more wicked then himselfe and at the same instant perhaps or shortly after fight against a third the most wicked of all they doe fight against both good and euill as their owne rage passions or occasions carry them Which I say to stoppe a starting hole of the Protestants who to auoide this inconuenience say that first these ten Kings were bent to all mischiefe and then helped the beast against the Lambe but afterward repented them of their former iniquity then loe they hated the harlot and persecuted her which they would not haue done if they had beene badde Princes this is a prety shift Well say first that this sense could stand with the wordes of the text yet they cannot be applyed to his Maiesty who was not in his former time any â—ider of our religion and now is fallen of from that to the Protestants wherefore this deuice if it could stand with the text will not serue their turne But the spirit of God hath preuented and wholly cut off this vaine imagination for it saith in the next verse That the ten Kings who hated the harlot euen then and after too gaue their Kingdomes to the beast till the word of God be consummate that is till the end of all Wherefore most manifest it is euen by the warrant of Gods sacred word that those Kings mentioned in the Apocalypse were reprobates such did they liue and such shall they die Let then his most excellent Maiesty censure what reward they are worthy off who feare not to thrust his Highnesse into that list of condemned cast-a-waies and that too after they had such faire warning as in my answere to M. Perkins I gaue them to beware how they did his Maiesty that shame and despite If it please his Highnesse to take notice of it I doubt not but that he will conne them little thanke for this their commendation of him R. ABBOT IT hath beene already very gloriously fulfilled which God promised vnto his Church a Esay 49. 23. Kings shall â—e thy nursing fathers and Queenes shall be thy nourses c. The great states of the world the Emperours and Kings and Princes Constantine Theodosius Valentinian Honorius Lucius of Britaine Theodebert and Theodelind of France Reccaredus of Spaine and infinite other of the
Ecclesiasticall as the King of Scots did he well knoweth they durst not As for his other tales that the country was poore and could not spare money for which the Legate came and that the charges of entertainment of such a state would be ouer great they are his owne skiruy deuices the storie mentioneth no such thing and we know the Popes authority where it is acknowledged is not wont to be put off with such slender excuses He then that considereth what I haue alleaged and what he hath answered will easily see that I said truly of them and that there is no cause to returne it vpon me They care not indeede what they say or write so that it may carry a magnificall and braue shew to dazell the eyes of them that are not acquainted with their lewd and naughty dealing THere followed here M. Bishops answere to my sharpe taxation of him for vpbraiding the Kings Maiestie with misfortune in his breeding and bringing vp which for that it concerneth no matter of controuersie I haue left to be touched otherwhere amongst other matters of like nature and proceede to that that followeth for the sixt Chapter CHAP. VI. That the reasons of Popery where there is not a minde preiudicate are not vrgent or forcible and that M. Bishop was iustly censured for that in repeating a rule deliuered by the Kings Maiesty for iudgement of true religion hee left out some wordes thereof ANSWERE TO THE EPISTLE YOu talke M. Bishop of many vrgent and forcible reasons but you talke as c. to VVe hope you will not deny c. W. BISHOP TRue there is no hast indeede for M. Abbot comes faire and soft to the matter What a number of idle vaunting wordes and vaine repetitions be here as though any iuditious man were to be perswaded by bare wordes and voluntary supposals before hee see any proofe Sir I doubt not but the indifferent Reader will suspend his iudgement and deeme nere the worse of my writing for your empty censure till he see good reason to the contrary Sure I am that some Catholikes hauing read your booke doe like much the better of mine and esteeme yours a very fond peece of worke full of babble lies and foule wordes voide of sound proofes and farre from common ciuility Who are more circumspect then you your selues to keepe your followers from reading our bookes who first imprison any that will helpe to print them then set fines on all their heads that shall keep them and make very diligent search after them so that all these common wordes may most truly be returned vpon your selfe Mutato nomine de te narratur fabula You note that I subtilly left out of his Maiesties speech from Christ her Lord and head but shew no cause why and no maruaile for none indeede can be shewed they are needlesse wordes as being comprehended in the former For if the Church of Rome departed not from her selfe when shee was in her most-flourishing and best estate shee cannot depart from Christ her Lord and head wherefore to note this for a subtle tricke giueth the Reader cause to note you for a wrangler and one that is very captious where no cause is offered M. Abbot comes at length to my first reason and goeth about to disproue it thus R. ABBOT HOwsoeuer I seeme to M. Bishop to come faire and soft to the matter I make no doubt but he would haue beene very well contented that I should haue made lesse hast His vpbraiding me with idle vaunting wordes and vaine repetitions with bare wordes and voluntary suppâ—sals seemeth to me no strange thing because he knoweth it to be for his behoofe that all that I haue written be so accounted But euery man can conceiue that he is no fit man to be iudge of my writings He hath a web in his eye that troubleth his sight so as that nothing seemeth streight to him but that that is crooked What reason and proofe I haue brought for that that I say and whether my censure of him be right or wrong it resteth with the iudicious and indifferent Reader duely to consider and then to pronounce accordingly But the lest is in that that followeth Sure I am saith he that some Catholikes hauing read your booke doe like much the better of mine And doe they so indeede M. Bishop Happy man are you then and neede no longer care where you begge your bread You are certainly in the right if some Catholikes like better of your booke then they doe of mine But take heede M. Bishop that you be not deceiued by them It may be they doe but flatter you and to please you are content to say that which they do not thinke It may be they too much fauour you and you may remember what Seneca saith that a Senec. de Tranquill. animi Semper iudicio fauor officit fauour alwaies hindereth a man from iudging aright I told you before of the Prouerbe b Quisquis amat Ranam Ranam putat esse Dianam Who loues the frogge in filthy dike He thinks the frogge Diana-like As in the body so in the mind there is a corrupt disposition which maketh a man to like nothing but that that serueth for the further corrupting of him Yea and it may be they are like to children that thinke the bels sound whatsoeuer they fancy and therefore doe esteeme mine a very fond peece of worke full of babble and lyes and I know not what but yours on the other side a graue profound learned and super-learned booke But M. Bishop if they were not forestalled with preiudice and bewitched thereto with Romish inchantments surely they would see that your Epistle to the King is so farre from bringing those vrgent and forcible reasons which you pretend as that it consisteth wholly of meere cauils and calumniations such and so apparant as that you haue beene glad to let it goe because you saw it vnpossible to defend it Gladly would I know of those iudicious Readers of yours how well they like of your alleaging against vs the opinion of c See the Aduertisement concerning D. Bishops Reproofe sect 16. Proclus the Heretike You haue beene so hot and so confident in it as that hauing set forth the matter at large I would willingly heare of them whether they thinke you or me more worthy to be thrust into the Asses skinne To let passe many other matters you haue there tendered to the King diuers conclusions drawen from our doctrine within the compasse of a few lines Of that that we say that it is vnpossible in this state of mortality and corruption perfectly to fulfill the law you inferre d Epistle to the King sect 19. 20. Therefore it is in vaine to goe about it therefore it is vnpossible to haue charity therefore it is vnpossible to haue faith therefore it is vnpossible for a Protestant cleauing to the grounds of his owne religion to hope for any saluation Againe
of that that we say that the best worke of the righteous man is stained with sinne you conclude Therefore as good to leaue all vndone as to doe any therefore all men are bound vnder paine of damnation neuer to doe any good deede I doe but only name those worthy disputes of yours referring the Reader to their proper places to see further the absurd inconsequence and vanity of them I might goe along your questions of that part and put you in minde of a great number of such illations but I will content my selfe to name an argument or two in the last only To proue the worshipping of Images e Of Images sect 16. you alleage out of the Psalme Cast downe your selues before his foote-stoole and conclude that much more Images may be worshipped Againe to proue that the Arke was worshipped you tell vs First none but the high Priest might come into the place where it was and it was carried before the campe with great solemnity when they were to fight against the Philistines they had great confidence in the presence of the Arke the Bethshamites were slaine for looking into it Oza was smitten of God for touching it You propound first that by these things it is euident that the Arke was worshipped and when you haue set them downe as it were to make your selfe ridiculous you demand Doth not all this conuince in what reuerence the Arke was had Anone f Sect. 17. after for confirmation of the same point that Images are holy and to be reuerenced you alleage that the place where Moses stood was holy ground that daies were called holy and worshipfull that the Priests Vestiments were holy from which wee wonder how you should dreame to deriue that conclusion which you intend Some man will haply excuse the matter that being towards the end of your booke you had spent your wits and knew not well what you said which we would easily admit but that we see that hauing refreshed your wits againe your arguments in this booke are found to be of the same stampe I require example out of the old Testament for the worshipping of Images and you answere that g Chap. 4. §. 3. the hauing of them in the Tabernacle and the Temple where it was neuer thought lawfull to set vp the Image of a man but only the Cheâ—ubins to vs vnknowen what they were and the pictures of Lyons and Buls and Palme trees and Flowers for garnishing the house and the sentence of the Psalmist Adore yee his foote-stoole and many such places and resemblances doe very strongly argue that Images are to be worshipped To proue the profession of Monkery amongst the Iewes you tell vs out of Iosephus of the Essees that were amongst them who with the Pharisees and Sadducees as I haue shewed were no other but Iewish Heretikes For example of Pilgrimages to Relikes and dead mens bones you answer vs that all the males amongst the Iewes were bound by the law to goe thrise in the yeare to the Temple of God at Ierusalem To make good that you may lawfully pray to haue your sinnes forgiuen by the bloud of Thomas Becket and by the same bloud to be brought to heauen you alleage that in the Psalme it is said h Ibid. §. 5. Lord remember Dauid and all his trouble To shew that St. Paul speaketh of the Masse you tell vs hereafter that i 1. Tim. 2. 1. he desireth that obsecrations prayers postulations thanks-giuings be made for all men What M. Bishop doe your iudicious Catholikes of whom you speake tell you that they like well of these proofes of yours And may not we then thinke that both you and they haue drunke of a spiced or rather an inchanted cup that will take such wilfull and affected Sophistications to be very vrgent and forcible reasons Surely M. Bishop with as much wit as you haue told vs here that some Catholikes like better of your booke then they doe of mine I might also tell you that many Protestants hauing seene these your collections and our solutions doe pitty your Catholikes that suffer themselues to be gulled and deluded with such reasonlesse reasons as before I affirmed them to be Yea so reasonlesse are they that when we haue shewed by answere how little reason there is in them we neuer doubt to commit them to the sight of all men And whereas you aske who are more circumspect then we are to keepe our followers from the reading of your bookes I aske of you what cause you your selfe haue to complaine in that behalfe Surely your bookes haue beene very openly and commonly sold and whereas you say that we imprison any that will helpe to print them you see your owne bookes printed for you and free for all men to buy that are desirous of them How many other of your books are there in the same sort common to the view of all men and by vs made common our care only being not to suffer poison to goe freely abroad without a preseruatiue therfore hauing ioyned answer to them we leaue euery one that list to reade at his liberty to iudge of both It would goe amisse with you M. Bishop if our books had that free passage amongst you that yours haue amongst vs. Your Kingdome would soone goe downe euen in Italie and Spaine if your men had liberty to reade our answeres togither with your books The last part of this passage concerneth his deliuery of a speech vttered by his Maiesty at the conference at Hampton Court That no Church ought further to separate it selfe from the Church of Rome in doctrine and ceremonie then shee hath departed from her selfe when shee was in her flourishing and best estate and from Christ her Lord and head In the rehearsall whereof I note him that subtilly he left out the last wordes And from Christ her Lord and head He telleth me that I shew no cause why I doe so and that indeede none can be shewed because they are needlesse wordes and comprehended in the former But we suppose that he needeth more vnderstanding that conceiueth those wordes to be needlesse which are no otherwise comprehended in the former then as the former are expounded by them For although in right meaning it be true which he saith that if the Church of Rome be not departed from her selfe when shee was in her flourishing and best estate shee cannot bee departed from Christ her Lord and head yet such a meaning he may make of her flourishing and best estate as that in that estate shee may be found somewhat to haue departed from Christ her Lord and head His Maiestie therefore to preuent this with great iudgement added And from Christ her Lord and head as to note that by her departing from Christ her Lord wee are to take knowledge of her departing from her selfe when shee was in her flourishing and best estate because then was her flourishing and best estate when shee was nearest to
worke it Lastly the same Apostle teacheth that sinne hath no dominion ouer them that are vnder grace which were false if concupiscence were properly sinne for that hath such dominion ouer euery good body that they cannot auoid the motion and sting of it No not S. Paul could be clearely deliuered 2. Cor. 12. vers 8. from that pricke of the flesh though he praied most earnestly for it wherefore by the testimony of S. Paul himselfe concupiscence is not properly sinne no more is it to lust if lust be taken for the first motions of concupiscence But concupiscence when it hath conceiued Iacob 1. vers 15. as S. Iames speaketh that is by our liking beginneth to take hold on vs bringeth forth sinne yet but veniall marry when it is consummate by our consent or long lingring in it then it engendreth death that is mortall sinne R. ABBOT EVen so might the adulterer pleade for himselfe that as Christ is said to haue been made sinne and yet is not properly sinne so adultery though it be called sinne yet is not so called because it is indeede and properly sinne but only because it is an effect of sinne and draweth on to many sinnes Surely in what manner the Apostle saith that adultery is sinne in the same manner doth he say that concupiscence is sinne and very vntowardly and shamefully doth M. Bishop bring that as a speech of the like kinde whereby it is said that a 2. Cor. 5. 2â— Christ for vs was made sinne As for that which he citeth out of St. Austin I haue b Of Original sinne after Baptisme sect 9. elsewhere before examined the places and haue shewed at large how falsly and wickedly they abuse him St. Austin neuer denying concupiscence in the regenerate to be sinne but only as sinne implieth a guilt of punishment which to the faithfull is remitted and therefore the condition of sinne in that respect abolished If we consider the nature of sinne in the corruption and vncleannesse of it St. Austin acknowledgeth concupiscence to be such an euill quality as maketh vs euill which nothing can doe but sinne yea he saith that it is c August coÌ„t Iulian. l. 6. c. 5. Tale ac tammagnum malum tantum quia inest quomodo non tenerâ—t in morte c. so great an euill as that only for that it is in vs it should hold vs in death and bring vs to euerlasting death but that the bond that is the guilt thereof is loosed in baptisme by the remission of all our sinnes I note these things but briefly because I choose rather to referre the Reader to the treaty hereof at large And thereby he shall perceiue how vntruly M. Bishop here saith as by the doctrine of St. Austin that if by the helpe of Gods grace we represse concupiscence we are deliuered from the infection and guilt of it Indeede St. Austin saith so much of the guilt but neuer did he say or thinke that we are or shal be deliuerâ—â—â— from the infection and vncleannesse of it d Aug. Epist 54. Malos diâ—it propter vitia infirmitatis humanae donec totum quo constamus ab omni vitiositate sanatum transeat in eam vitam vbi nihil omninò peccabitur vntill all whereof we consist healed from all corruption shall passe into that life where there shall be no sinne But if St. Austin will not take his part he will proue that which he saith by St. Paul himselfe in the same Chapter He demandeth saith he Who shall deliuer me from this body of death and answereth presently The grace of God by Iesus Christ our Lord. Where we see how according to his vsuall manner he setteth downe the wordes as to haue his Reader thinke that he tendereth him a proofe of that which he saith but neuer goeth about to shew how that which he saith is to be deduced therfrom And here his falshood is the greater for that hee alleageth the Apostles wordes for that which he saith whereas that which he saith is vtterly ouerthrowen by the wordes which he alleageth For let me aske him doth the Apostle by deliuerance from this body of death meane a deliuerance from the infection of originall sinne He will say yes because for proofe thereof he citeth the Apostles wordes Well but tell vs then doe you not beleeue that St. Paul was a partaker of the grace of God and did thereby represse and resist the motions of concupiscence Neither will he here dare to say nay and if he should what Christian man would not spit at him But then we will aske him againe if the Apostle by the grace of Christ did resist concupiscence and euery one that so doth be deliuered from the infection thereof how standeth it that the Apostle did yet remaine in case to be deliuered from this infection Marke I pray thee gentle Reader the Apostle saith who shall deliuer me giuing thereby to vnderstand that he was not as yet deliuered He saith the grace of God shall deliuer me but he doth not say it hath deliuered me from the infection of concupiscence Here M Bishop is mute he hath taken a fall in his owne trippe and knoweth not which way to recouer himselfe The Apostle St. Paul though by the grace of God he resisted the motions of concupiscence yet was not as yet deliuered from the infection of it It is false therefore which M. Bishop saith that if by the helpe of the grace of God we represse it we are deliuered from the infection of it I haue e Of Original sinne sect 4. before shewed that the Apostle in naming this body of death hath reference to this infection meaning thereby f Rom. 6. 6. the body of sinne as he hath termed it in the former Chapter g August de Temp. â—er 45. Per concupiscentiam dâ—ctum est hoc nostrummortis corpus which is to be destroyed and to which by and for concupiscence belongeth death It is true then which M. Bishop saith that the Apostle in desiring to be deliuered from this body of death did thereby intend a release from the infection of concupiscence but where was his vnderstanding that could not see that this maketh directly against himselfe and plainly sheweth that this release and deliuerance is yet to come and befalleth not vnto vs so long as we continue clothed with mortality and corruption But he telleth vs yet further that St. Austin out of the same sentence where concupiscence is called sinne Now not I worke it any more but sinne that dwelleth in me argueth very soundly that the Apostle could not meane sinne properly which cannot saith he be committed without consent of the minde He quoteth for this Lib. 6. cont Iulian. cap. 23. whereas in that sixt booke there are but thirteene Chapters But the place which he meaneth I take to be in the eleuenth Chapter of the same booke where St. Austin hauing mentioned those words of the Apostle goeth
they see others fall by resting on their owne strength Now therefore be it that some who not are but see me to be in grace and to stand doe afterwards fall and be cut off this maketh nothing against the assurance of them who are indeede in grace and doe truly beleeue in the name of the sonne of God who i 1. Iohn 5. 11. beleeuing the record that God hath witnessed of his sonne that God hath giuen vnto vs eternall life and this life is in his sonne are hereby taught k Vers 13. 15. to know that they haue eternall life and that they haue the petitions that they desire of him And thus Gregory saith as touching the heauenly City Ierusâ—lem which is aboue that l Gregor Exposit in 1. Reg. l. 1. c. 1. Moral Quam familiariter dilâ—git suam esse indubitantèr credit Suam naÌ„que hanc ciuitatemesse cognouerat qui dicebat scimê° quia si terrestris nostra domus c. he that entirely loueth it doth vndoubtedly beleeue it to be his owne For saith he he knew this City to be his that said m 2. Cor. 5. 1. We know that if our earthly house of this habitation be dissolued we haue a building which is of God a house not made with hands eternall in heauen And thus saith Leo that n Leo de Resurrect Domini ser 2. Quam idcò vsque ad celerrimâ—m resurrectionem voluit esse mortalem vt credentibus in cum nec persecutio insuperabilis nec mors posset esse terribilis cùm ita dubitandum non esset de consortio gloriae sicut dubitandum non crat de communione naturae Si ergò incunctantèr corde credimus quod â—re profitemur nos in Christo crucifiâ—i nos sumus mortui nos sepulti nos etiam die tertia suscitati Christ would haue his flesh to continue in case of mortality vntill his resâ—rrection that to them that beleeued in him neither persecution might be vnconquerable nor death might be terrible for that they were no more to doubt of being partakers of glory with him then they were to doubt of his being partaker of the same nature with them If saith he we stedfastly beleeue with the heart that which we professe with the mouth we are crucified in Christ we are dead we are buried we are also the third day raised againe from the dead o Ibid. serm 1. Non haesitamus diffidentia nec incerta expectatione suspendimur sed acceptâ— promissionis exâ—rdiâ— fidei oculis quâ— sunt futura iam cernimus natura pronectiâ—ne gaudentes quod credimus iam tenemus We stagger not by distrust saith he againe neither doe we hang in vncertaine expectation but hauing receiued the beginning of the promise we now see with the eyes of faith the things that are to come and reioycing for the aduancement of our nature we euen now hold that which we beleeue This is the assurance of the faithfull euen an vndoubted beleefe and knowledge that the heauenly City is theirs a certaine and vndoubted expectation of the glory of Christ whereby they reioyce as being in him already raised againe from the dead and as already holding and possessing that which they doe beleeue Howsoeuer therefore men are to be shaken out of all carnall security and presumption of their saluation yet the godly security and presumption of faith is not to be denyed and the more we grow in faith the more doth the soule grow secure and vndoubted of God to be our God presuming not of our selues where indeede we see nothing but cause of feare but of God only to say of him p Psal 71. 14. I will goe forth in the strength of the Lord God and will make mention of thy righteousnesse only And againe q Psal 124. 7. Our helpe standeth in the name of the Lord which hath made heauen and earth In a word one truth agreeth with another and therefore M. Bishop in opposing some formall speeches of the holy Ghost against other the like formall speeches which in their true meaning stand very well and agree together doth no other but deforme the truth and wickedly taketh vpon him the patronage and maintenance of falshood and vntruth CHAP. XIII That the good workes and sufferings of this life are not meritorious or worthy of the blisse of the life to come ANSWERE TO THE EPISTLE PAul saith The sufferings of this time are not worthy of the glory that shall be reueiled c. to Paul saith nothing for those points c. W. BISHOP I Say that M. Abbot hath gotten such a custome of abusing Gods word that hee scarce alleageth one sentence of it without one paltry shift or other The wordes of S. Paul truly translated are Our sufferings are not worthy to the glory or as our English phrase is are not to be compared to the glory of c. that is our labours or paines are not either so great and waighty or of so long endurance as be the ioyes of heauen yet through the dignity which we receiue by being made members of Christ and by the vertue of Gods grace wherewith those workes be wrought and by the promise of God both we are accounted worthy of heauen according to S Pauls owne phrase Which persecutions 2. Thessal 1. v. 5. you sustaine that you may be counted worthy the Kingdome of God and our sufferings meritorious of life euerlasting which S. Paul doth very precisely teach where he saith that our tribulation which for the 2. Cor. 4. vers 17. present is momentary and light yet worketh aboue measure exceedingly an eternall waight of glory in vs we not considering the things that are seene but that are not seene and elsewhere is bold to say That 2. Tim 4. vers 8. God had laid vp for him a crowne of iustice which our Lord will render to me in that day a iust Iudge and not only to me but to them also that loue his comming If God as a iust Iudge render the ioyes of heauen as a crowne of iustice then were they before iustly deserued and the sufferings of them that deserued them were in iust proportion worthy of them Thus briefly any indifferent Reader may perceiue how farre S. Paul being rightly taken is from affording any reliefe vnto the Protestant cause They doe now as many vnlearned and vnstable men did euen in his owne time witnesse Saint Peter depraue and misuse certaine sentences of his 2. Pet. 3. vers 16. hard to be vnderstood to their owne perdition and to the deceiuing and vndoing of their followers for in all his Epistles being vnderstood as he meant them there is not one word or sillable that maketh for the Protestants or any other Sectaries and plenty there are of plaine texts for the most points of the Catholike faith A tast whereof I will giue you as soone as I shall haue made an end of answering vnto this his idle discourse
loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy minde with all thy soule with all thy strength But d August de perfect iustitiae Rat. 17. Cum est adhac aliquid conâ—up sâ—â—aâ—ie carnalis quod vel continendo sraenetur non omnimodo ex tota anima dâ—ligitur Dens Noâ— enâ—m taro sine anâ—ma concupâ—sâ—â—t quauis caro concupâ—ctre dicatur quia carnaliter anima concupiscâ—t so long as there is any carnall concupiscence saith Austin which by temperancy or continency is to be refrained God is not perfectly loued with all the soule For the flesh lusteth not without the soule though therefore the flesh is said to lust because the soule lusteth according to the flesh It followeth therefore that so long as there remaineth any concupiscence of the flesh so long there is not that loue which is the fulfilling of the law But so long as here we liue there is found in vs the concupiscence of the flesh Therefore so long as here wee liue wee neuer attaine to the fulfilling of the law and therefore cannot be iustified thereby Neither doth the Apostle in the place by M. Bishop alleaged intend any thing concerning iustification but speaketh of fulfilling the law according to the modell of humane life and conuersation wherein we set the law before vs as the rule of our life and the marke whereat we aâ—me and whereto we tend to which we approch so much the nearer by how much the more we abound in loue though we neuer attaine so sarre as to be iustified thereby In the next place he againe opposeth against the certainty of saluation citing the words of the Apostle e Rom. 11. 20. Thou standest by faith be not high minded but feare c. Which text he hath cited f Chapt. 12. a little before and hath there had answere of it and therefore I omit it here To thâ—s he addeth another like a two edged sword cutting two waies at once The Apostle saith g Phil. 2. 12. Worke your saluation with feare and trembling Marke saith he how two points of the Protestants doctrine be wounded in one sentence and two of ours confirmed But it is neither so nor so the place neither hurteth vs nor helpeth him We must worke our saluation saith he it comes not then by faith only But that followeth not for it doth come by faith only and yet we must worke our owne saluation The title and right of saluation commeth by faith only but we must worke to our selues the possession of it our good workes being as St. Bernard saith h Bernard de Grat. lib. Arbit in sine Si propriè appellentur ea quae dicimus nostra merita via sunt regni non causa regnandi the way to the Kingdome though not the cause for which we obtaine the Kingdome i Ephes 2. 8. By grace we are saued through faith not of our selues it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast and yet k Vers 10. we are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which he hath prepared for vs to walke in so to bring vs to the fruition of that saluation which by faith only he hath giuen vs freely for Christs sake As we are said l Acts 2. 40. to saue our selues so are we said to worke our saluation not for doing any thing by vertue whereof we are saued but for embracing the meanes and following the course whereby God hath ordained to giue effect and way to that saluation which Christ only hath purchased for vs. And thus our saluation is said m 2. Cor. 1. 6. to be wrought in the enduring of afflictions not for that afflictions haue any power to saue vs but because God hauing of his owne mercy in Iesus Christ appointed vs to be n 1. Pet. 2. 5. liuely stones for the building of his spirituall Temple vseth afflictions as his axe whereby to hew vs and square vs and fit vs to be laied in this building and o Col. 1. 12. maketh vs meete as the Apostle speaketh to be partakers of inheritance with the Saints in light To be short the Apostles intention is plaine to exhort the Philippians and by them vs that being entred into the state and way of saluation by faith in Iesus Christ wee goe on forward and continue constant in our way till God by his mercy bring vs to bee partakers thereof euen as if hee had said accordingly as wee translate make an end of your saluation in feare and trembling But if with feare and trembling we are not then saith M. Bishop assured of it before hand by the certainty of faith which excludeth all feare and doubt of it Which foolish paradoxe runneth strongly in his head a conceipt he hath gotten and his bable he will not leaue for the tower of London Faith saith he excludeth all feare and doubt But who knoweth not that there is greater faith and lesser faith and that the greater faith is the lesse there is of feare and doubt but yet all manner of faith excludeth not all feare and doubt If hee scorne to learne of mee let Gregory Bishop of Rome be Master in this behalfe both to him and me p Greg. Mor. lib. 22. cap. 14. Fides ipsa quae ad bona alia capessenda nos imbuit plerunque in exordijs suis nutat solida est tam certissimè habetur tamen de eius siducia adhuc sub dubitatione trepidatur Pars namque eius priùs accipitur vt in nobis postmodum perfectè compleatur Faith saith he which seasoneth vs to the receiuing of other graces commonly in the beginnings thereof is both wauering and sound wee already most certainly haue it and yet of the assurance thereof we feare and doubt for we first receiue a part of it that it may be afterwards perfectly fulfilled in vs. He bringeth for example hereof the poore man in the Gospell to whom Christ said q Mar. 9. 23. 24. If thou canst beleeue all things are possible to him that beleeueth and he answered Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeliefe r Ibid. Vno codemque tempore clamabat se ctia credere adhuc ex incredulitate dubitare At one and the same time saith he he cryed that he did beleeue and yet did still doubt by vnbeliefe Å¿ IdeÌ„ in Ezech. hom 15. Vno codemque tempore is qui necdum perfecte crediderat simul credâ—bat merâ—duâ—us erat At one and the same time saith he in another place hee which did not perfectly beleeue did both beleeue and was also vnbeleeuing And yet againe in another place he saith It often falleth out that faith now is growing in the minde and yet by doubting it languisheth in some part that certainty of sound faith strengtheneth one and the same minde which notwithstanding the winde of doubtfulnesse shaketh by some mutability of vnbeliefe As
namely he saith Idem Moral l. 10. c. 8. Saepe â—ontingit â—t fides in menâ—e iam viâ—eat sed tamen ex parte aliqua in dubietate contabâ—scat Vnam candemque mentem cerâ—â—uao solidae sidâ—i roborat tamen ex aliquantula mutabilitate perfidâ—e aura dubictatis versat of the man before mentioned that u Ibid. Per sidem sperans per infidelitatem fluctuans dicebat c. Et exerare certus iam po sidem coeperat adhuc incertus vndas persidiae ex incredulitate â—â—lerabat hoping by faith and wauering by vnbeliefe he said Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeliefe He beganne to pray saith he certaine now by faith and yet being vncertaine hee bare the waues of vnbeliefe Wee see here beside all that hath beene formerly said that saith and vnbeliefe certainty and vncertainty assurance and doubt bee blended together in one and the same man and why doth M. Bishop then professing to be a Romanist thus absurdly crosse the old doctrine of the Church of Rome why doth he tell vs so often that faith excludeth all feare and doubt But he committeth here a further errour in wresting x See hereof the question of the certainty of saluation sect 10. the Apostles wordes to doubting feare which is dâ—strustfull of God whereas the Apostle speaketh of that godly feare whereby we are distrustfull of our selues that we may trust in God only The Apostle doth not say Worke your saluation in feare and trembling so as to bee alwaies in feare and doubt of your being saued but so as that you neuer dare trust to your selues or attribute any thing in this behalfe to your owne power or worke but alwaies to giue glory vnto God and to depend vpon him seeking to be enabled and strengthened by his arme because though you be willed to worke your owne saluation yet you must know that it is God that worketh in you both to will it and to worke it euen of his owne good will Dauid in the Psalme saith y Psal 2. 11. Serue the Lord in feare What meaneth this saith St. Austin z August in Psal 65. Quid hoc sihi vult Audi vocem Apostoli Cum timore inquit tremore c. Quare cum timore tremore subiecit causam Dâ—us est enim c. si ergò Deus operatur â—â—te Dei gratia benè operaris non viribus tuis Ergo si gaudes time ne fortè quod datum est humili auscratur superbo Heare what the Apostle saith with feare and trembling worke your owne saluation Why with feare and trembling He addeth the cause for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe If God then worke in thee thou workest well by the grace of God not by thine owne strength Where we see how St. Austin vnderstandeth feare in the Apostles wordes as he doth in the wordes of Dauid and would M. Bishop be so absurd as to vnderstand Dauid to say serue the Lord so as to be continually in feare and doubt of your owne saluation And whereas St. Austin saith that the Apostle to giue a reason why hee saith in feare and trembling addeth those other wordes for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe will M. Bishop be so madde as to couple these speeches in this sort Worke your saluation being alwaies in feare and doubt thereof because it is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe What is it a reason for vs to doubt of our owne saluation because it is God that worketh in vs both to will and to do The same St. Austin in another place citing the same words of the Psalme Serue the Lord in feare and reioyce vnto him with trembling saith that a August de corrept grat cap. â— Quid ostendens nisi cos esse commonitos qui ambulant in via iusta vt in tiâ— more Deo seruiant id est non altum sapiat sed timeant qâ—od significat non superbiant sed humiâ—es sint c. exultent Deo sed cum tremoâ—e in nullo gloriantes quando nostrum nihil sit vt qui gloriatur in Domino gloriâ—tur ne perâ—ant de via iusta in qua iam ambulare coeperâ—t dum sibi â—oc ipsum assignant quò◠in ea sunt His verbis vsus est Apostolê° vbi ait cum timore c. ostendens quare cum timore tremore ait dâ—us est â—â—m c. they who walke in the right way are admonished thereby not to be proud but to be humble to reioyce vnto God but with trembling not glorying in any thing because nothing is ours that hee that reioyceth may reioyce in the Lord lest they perish out of the right way wherin they haue begunne to walke whilest they attribute it to themselues that they are in the way Whereupon he addeth The like wordes the Apostle also vseth With feare and trembling worke your owne saluation and to shew why with feare and trembling hee saith for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe The feare then which the Apostle commendeth to vs is not a doubting feare such as is contrary to assurance of faith but such as is contrary to presumption and pride and trust in our selues and importeth humility lowlinesse of minde distrust of our owne strength that wee may relie vpon the strength and power of God Why doth M. Bishop then forgoe a plaine and manifest construction to force a meaning vpon the Apostle which can by no meanes bee sitting or agreeing with the wordes from hence he goeth forward to proue that we ought to haue a firme hope of saluation But why doth he take such paines to proue that which we deny not or how is it that he seeth not that the proofe of that is his owne reproofe For if we must firmely hope for saluation then we must not stand in feare of our saluation But he saith b Of the certainty of saluation sect 10. we must stand in feare of our saluation we must feare whether we shall be saued or not Therefore we ought not firmely and stedfastly to hope for it These two cannot stand together we cannot firmely hope for saluation if we must stand in feare and doubt whether we shall be saued or not Last of all he quarrelleth vs as touching the nature of true faith The very faith saith he whereby we are iustified is no such kinde of faith as the Protestants claime to be iustified by What is it then Forsooth it is that faith whereby wee beleeue all things to be true which God hath reueiled And how doth that appeare Marry St. Paul declareth Abraham to haue beene iustified by beleeuing that God according to his promise would giue him a sonne and make him the father of many nations Which his base and vndiuine conceipt of Christian saith I haue exagitated c Of Iustification
is therein approued by the Councell of Ephesus n Cyril Epist 10. ad Nestor Nec praeter ipsum alteri cuipid homini siue sacerdotij nomen siue rem ipsam ascribimus We ascribe not the name of Priesthood or the thing it selfe to any other but to Christ only o August coÌ„t Faust l. 22. c. 17 Vnus verus Sacerdos Mediator Dei hominum c. The only true Priest as St. Austin calleth him p Ibid. l. 20. c. 18. Verum sacrificium c. quo eius Altare solus Christus impleuit Who only saith he hath filled Gods Altar with true sacrifice Whilest he limiteth the sacrifice of Christ to his q Heb. 7. 27. 10. 10. once offering of himselfe r Heb. 9. 12. by the shedding of his bloud and denyeth plainly his Å¿ Heb. 7. 27. 9. 1. 25. often offering he disclaimeth the Popish sacrifice which is often offered not from yeare to yeare only but from day to day after the manner of the Leuiticall sacrifice which is therefore argued not to haue taken away sinnes t Heb. 10. 1. 2. because it was often offered For u Vers 18. where there is remission of sinnes there is no more offering for sinne Where there is therefore still offering for sinne there is a deniall of the purchase of remission of sinnes But in the x Mat. 26. 28. shedding of the bloud of Christ who doubteth but that there is remission of sinnes Who then can doubt but that after the shedding of the bloud of Christ there is no more offering or sacrifice for sinne Therefore St. Austin saith y Aug. cont aduersar leg proph lib. 1. cap. 18. Singulari solo vero sacrificio Christi pro nobis sanguis effususest For the soueraigne and only true sacrifice the bloud of Christ was shed for vs. If the shedding of the bloud of Christ be the only true sacrifice then is there no true sacrifice in the Popish Masse and therefore St. Austin neuer vnderstood the Apostles words of any Popish sacrifice Well though the Apostle say nothing for the sacrifice yet he saith somewhat M. Bishop telleth vs for the principall part of the Masse which is the Reall presence But what is the Reall presence now the principall part of the Masse They will haue vs by the Masse to vnderstand a sacrifice and the Reall presence may stand without any sacrifice and so by this meanes wee shall haue a Masse without a Masse But what saith the Apostle for the Reall presence Forsooth he deliuereth it in as expresse termes as may be euen as he had receiued it from our Lord This is my body which shall be deliuered for you c. and addeth that he that eateth and drinketh it vnworthily eateth and drinketh iudgement to himselfe not discerning the body of our Lord. Wee see the wordes we reade them daylie but we cannot see in them the Reall presence Christ saith there This is my body but he doth not say This is my body really present He telleth vs that the vnworthy receiuer incurreth iudgement for not discerning the Lords body but he doth not tell vs that this is for not discerning his body really present M. Bishop should here haue giuen vs a sound reason that these wordes doe necessarily enforce a reall presence and cannot be verified but by the granting thereof For if there may be another interpretation of these wordes standing well with Scriptures approued by Fathers confonant and agreeable to the nature of all Sacraments then how childishly how vainly doth he deale only to set downe the place and to say it is a proofe for the reall presence Nay see how by alleaging places in this sort he circumuenteth himselfe and destroyeth by one place that which he seeketh to fortifie by another For whereas Transubstantiation is the foundation and ground of Reall presence the latter place which he citeth is the bane of Transubstantiation and giueth vs a conuenient and true exposition of the former wordes without any necessity of Reall presence For how can it stand which the Apostle saith z 1. Cor. 10. 16. The bread which we breake is the coÌ„munion of the body of Christ if the Popish doctrine of transubstantiation be true that there is no bread to breake It is true which St. Paul saith that it is bread which we breake therefore it is false which the Papists say that the bread by consecration is substantially turned into the body of Christ and ceaseth thenceforth to be bread And this the Apostle inculcateth againe and againe in the former place a 1. Cor. 11. 26. 27. 28. As oft as yee shall eate of this bread c. Whosoeuer shall eate of this bread c. Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of this bread c. and yet notwithstanding all this it must be denyed to be bread But of this bread he telleth vs that it is the communion or participation of the body of Christ and thereby giueth vs a true and certaine exposition of the wordes of Christ This is my body that is this bread is the communion or participation of my body signifying that though in naturall substance and being it be but bread yet by sacramentall vnderstanding and effect it is to the due and faithfull receiuer the communion of the body of Christ. For by Gods institution and ordinance b Cypr. serm de Resurrect Christi Quod videtur nomine virtute Christi corpus censetur the visible element as Cyprian saith is accounted both in name and power the body of Christ and therefore in the due receiuing of the Sacrament is the participating of Christs body as on the other side the not discerning of the Sacrament is the not discerning of the body of Christ which to vs the Sacrament is though in it selfe it be not so Now the body of Christ is here vnderstood as giuen for vs and his bloud as shedde for vs and therefore the communion of the body and bloud of Christ is the participation of his Passion Death and Resurrection so that the Sacrament is to vs as Optatus saith c Optat. cont Parmen lib. 6. Pignus salutis aeternae tutela sidei spes resurrectionis the pledge of eternall life the protection of our faith the hope of our resurrection There was cause therefore why our Sauiour Christ should say of the Sacrament This is my body because to vs it is in effect the body of Christ though really it be not so but d Tertuâ—l coÌ„t Marc. lib. 4 Hoc est corpus mâ—um id est figura corporis mei the figure of his body as Tertullian expoundeth e August coÌ„t Adima â—t c. 12. Non dubitauit Dominus dicere Hoc est corpus meum cum daret signum corporis sui the signe of his body as St. Austin speaketh f Hieron in Mat 16. Vt veritatem corporis sangâ—â—is sui
after the old and new Testament written and the Canon of the Scriptures established and confirmed there bee any thing further to bee receiued for doctrine of faith and truth appertaining to saluation that is not contained in the Scriptures Tradition as he here speaketh thereof is confounded with Scripture because it is one and the same doctrine first preached by word of mouth and afterwards committed to writing in the Scripture but Tradition as we question it is diuided against Scripture and importeth doctrine ouer and beside that which is now taught vs by the Scriptures We know well that the doctrine of saluation vntill the time of Moses was only taught by word of mouth but is that an argument to proue that now that wee haue the Scriptures we must also receiue vnwritten Traditions besides the Scriptures Nay when it seemed good to the wisedome God to commit his word to writing hee would not doe it in part only but fully and perfectly so that a Exod. 34. 4. Moses wrote all the wordes of the Lord and said of that which he wrote b Deut. 12. 32. What I command thee that only shalt thou doe vnto the Lord thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take ought therefrom Therefore although the word of God were afterwards also deliuered by word of mouth in the Preachings and Sermons of the Prophets yet were they in their Sermons to preach no other doctrine neither did they but what had authority and warrant by Moses law Now their Sermons being also written for exposition and application of the law of Moses and a further supply added of the Scriptures of the Apostles and Euangelists how much more ought we to content our selues with the Scriptures without adding to them or taking from them receiuing and beleeuing only those things that we are taught thereby as being assured of that which the Scriptures themselues teach that c 2. Tim. 3. 15. the Scriptures are able to make a man wise vnto saluation through the faith which is in Christ Iesus Hereby then appeareth M. Bishops fallacy in the citing of those texts which he hath here alleaged St. Paul willed the Romans d Rom. 16. 17. to marke and auoide them that made dissensions and scandals contrary to the doctrine which they had learned True it is and what then But the doctrine saith he which they had then learned before St. Paul sent them this Epistle was by word of mouth and Tradition for little or none of the new Testament was then written Marke what he saith before St. Paul sent them this Epistle for hereby hee in a manner acknowledgeth that St. Paul comprised in this Epistle the doctrine which they had before learned by Tradition The Apostles intendment then appeareth plainly to be this that they should shunne those which dissented from the doctrine which they had hitherto learned by Tradition that is by preaching and word of mouth the summe whereof he had now sent them written in this Epistle that they might henceforth learne to shunne them that dissented from the same doctrine deliuered to them in the Scriptures How ill-fauouredly then doth M. Bishop argue out of these wordes that we are now to receiue other doctrines then are contained in the Scriptures There can no argument be rightly framed out of that text whereof it can be any harme to vs to grant the conclusion If he will set it in due order it must be this The doctrine which the Romans had learned they had learned hitherto by Tradition but the Apostle teacheth them to auoide such as dissented from the doctrine which they had learned therefore he teacheth them to auoide such as dissented from the doctrine which they had hitherto learned by Tradition This we grant and what will he conclude thereof Surely if he will inferre any thing against vs hee must goe on and say But they learned somewhat then by Tradition which is not since deliuered in the Scriptures Which if hee will say wee require proofe of it and the text which he here alleageth will yeeld none We say that the whole doctrine which the Apostles first deliuered by Tradition and word of mouth they committed afterwards to writing ech his part as God inspired and directed for comprehending of the whole Seeing therefore they were tyed to shunne all that dissented from the doctrine receiued by the Tradition and Preaching of the Apostles wee hauing the same doctrine contained in the Scriptures are likewise tyed to shunne all doctrine that hath not testimony of the Scriptures Albeit it is here further to be noted how rashly M. Bishop saith that the doctrine which the Romans had learned they learned only by Tradition and word of mouth inasmuch as the Apostle telleth vs that the Gospell as it e Rom 1. 2. was promised in the Scriptures of the Prophets so was also f Rom. 16. 26. preached by the Scriptures of the Prophets so that St. Luke telleth vs that the noble Iewes of Berhea hearing the Apostles preaching g Acts 17. 11. searched the Scriptures daylie whether those things were so and that our Sauiour Christ when he sent them forth to preach h Luke 24. 45. opened their vnderstanding that they might vnderstand the Scriptures that so they might be enabled for their preaching I haue i Chap. 4. §. 5. before shewed out of Gregory and others that the whole faith which the Apostles preached they receiued from the Scriptures of the Prophets and therefore they deliuered not the Gospell only by Tradition but what they taught they confirmed by the Scriptures So then the Apostles admonition to the Romans will fall out to be this that they should auoide them that dissented from the doctrine which they had learned by the Scriptures though not yet by the Scriptures of the new Testament yet by the Scriptures of the old k Luke 24 27. 44. the law of Moses the Prophets and the Psalmes l Aug. cont 2. Gaudent lipist l. 2. cap. 23. Quibus Dominus testimonium perhibet tanquam testibus suis which Christ named for his witnesses and whereof he said m John 5 39. Search the Scriptures for in them yee thinke to haue eternall life and they are they that testifie of me The two next proofes which hee bringeth are such as that he iustly deserueth to be dubbed for them It is of record saith he how St. Paul n Acts 15. 41. walking through Syria and Cilicia confirming the Churches commanded them to keepe the precepts of the Apostles and of the Ancients and o Acts 16. 4. when they passed through the Cities they deliuered vnto them to keepe the decrees that were decreed by the Apostles and Ancients which were at Hierusalem and the Churches were confirmed in the faith And what hereof It appeareth saith he that those decrees were made matter of faith and necessary to be beleeued to saluation before they were written Yea were But did not you know M. Bishop that
Catholike Church from the errour of perfidiousnesse the obseruance or obedience almost of the whole world ioyned to his name and honour in which manner â—armenian also though he held the Church d Optat. lib. 2. Eam tu apud â—os solos esse dixisti to be with them only yet pretended e Ibid. post Offerre vos dicitis pro vna Ecclesia quae sit in totâ— terrarum orbe dissusa to offer or pray for one Church which is dispersed ouer the whole world Euen so the Papists also albeit they know that it is but a small part of the world wherein the communion of the Bishop and Church of Rome is accepted or acknowledged yet take pleasure to babble and prate as if the Popes triple crowne were so wide as to compasse the whole earth and his scepter so long as to reach to the worlds end Thus much then M. Bishop hath gained by being angry at my comparing the Papists to the Donatists that whereas I mentioned but fiue resemblances before I haue now added twelue more and so like are they in all these that I doubt not but by obseruation they may be found like in many moe As for the retortion of this comparison which he hath vsed in his answere to my Epistle Dedicatory as it is wholly forced and violent in it selfe so it argueth only malice and folly in him I will set downe the branches of the Donatists heresie as he hath noted them and adde the application that he hath made of euery of them First he f Reproofe pag. 42. saith they held that the true Church of Christ was perished all the world ouer sauing in some coastes of Africa where their doctrine was currant Well and what is that to vs The Protestants saith he teach euen as they did that Christs visible Church was perished for nine hundred yeares at the least all the world ouer and is now wholly decayed in all other parts of the world sauing where their doctrine is embraced and this he saith was the maine point of the Donatists heresie To shew why he nameth the visible Church he putteth in a parenthesis thus for the inuisible Church the Donatists held could not perish as St. Austin witnesseth in Psal 101. Which is a very lie neither is there any thing to be found in St. Austin to that effect But as touching the visible Church where doe the Protestants hold or affirme that it was or is perished in that sort as he saith Why doth he not cite vs some authour of this assertion Well whether we say so or not it skilleth not g Bellarm. de notis Eccles c. 9. Ecclesiam visibilem a multis seculis perijsse nunc solum esse in septentrionalibus partibus vbi ipsi sunt doceâ—t omnes Bellarmine hath told him that we all say so and that is enough for him Yet that we doe not all say so M. Bishop may sufficiently vnderstand by that that hath beene before handled at large as touching this point in the answere h Sect. 17. to the Preface to his second part whither I referre the Reader for further satisfaction hereof Here I briefly answere him that we hold in all that time wherof he speaketh one only Catholike church whereof the Church of England was a part and the Church of Rome another part and the Greeke Church another part and so the rest throughout the whole world The Church in these parts was in that time blemished with many corruptions and errours whilest first the Teachers in steede of i 1. Cor. 3. 18. siluer and gold and pearle built hay and straw and stubble vpon the foundation and secondly the Pastors more and more k Ierem. 10. 21. became beasts as the Prophet saith and sought not the Lord nor had any vnderstanding to teach Gods law by meanes whereof ignorance encreased and of ignorance grew superstition and one idolatry begat another till the whole face of the Church was berayed with the filth thereof l Mat. 24. 15. the abhomination of desolation standing in the holy place and the man of sinne tyraÌ„nizing ouer the Church and giuing strength to all abuse and corruption for his owne gaine So grosse were the enormities and superstitions which in this time had growen into the Church as that the great Rabbines of the Church of Rome could not for shame but in some part acknowledge the same and tooke vpon them to correct sundry things m Trident. CoÌ„cil sess 22. de Missa celebr Quae siue temporum vitio siue hominum incuria improbitate irrepserunt in Missam ipsam which either by the corruption of times or by the carelesnesse and naughtinesse of men were crept into the very Masse And thus the Pope himselfe confessed concerning their Offices and Primers that n Offic. Beatae Mariae per Pium V. in Summar constitut indulgent c. Vanis superstitionum erroribus alia ferè omnia huiusmodi officia etiam Latino sermone referta esse deprehensum fuit c. Credant ijsdeâ— alijs â—fficijs multas sub falsis confictis sanctorum nominiê° confictâ—â— orationes fuisse insertas they were found to be stuffed with vaine errours of superstitions and that many counterfaite praiers were inserted into them vnder false and counterfaite names of Saints Of these errours and superstitions they reformed what they list and purged their bookes and Seruice of many things that were amisse and what will any man say hereupon that they became another Church We proceeded further and voided the Church of the rest of those abhominations which ignorance and errour had brought in which they were not willing to haue medled with because the same were gainfull to them and shall we be said hereupon to deny that there was any visible Church before and to beginne a new Church No we say that the Church hath continued still from the time that it was first planted we affirme it to haue been the house of God the garden and vineyard of the Lord but we say that the husbandmen had long dealt wickedly and vnfaithfully in the vsage of it they drest not the Lords vine but suffered it to grow wild they let this garden be ouergrowen with briars and weedes and Foxes and Swine had liberty to tread it downe and to destroy it All that we haue done hath beene but to loppe and prune the vine to dresse and water the garden that lay wast to plucke vp the weedes and thornes to driue out the noysome beasts and to repaire the fence that they may be kept out Therefore we doe not take vpon vs to be another Church but the same Church reformed neither haue we gone about to bring in a new religion but only to reforme that which they call the old retaining still the same Scriptures which they acknowledged the same articles of faith the same Sacraments of Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord the same forme of diuine Seruice saue
only that we haue cut off what their superstition had brought in contrary to the word of God and practise of the first Church Many goodly stones and pillars of Christian doctrine there were remayning amongst them which we continue and acknowledge according to the word of Christ and whereby we cannot doubt but that in those times of darkenesse many found meanes to see the light of God and were thereby directed vnto eternall life Farre therefore are we from Donatisme who neither affirme the perishing of the Church in any part of the world no not in Rome it selfe nor tie it to any one place as the Papists doe to Rome nor hang it vpon the necke of any one man as they doe vppon the Popes necke but acknowledge all nations and all men indifferently accepted with God accordingly as in spirit and truth they faithfully worship him The second point of the Donatists heresie he nameth this that they rebaptized Catholikes that fell into their sect His application is Though all the Protestants doe not rebaptize yet one part of them to wit the Anabaptists doe vse it But his foolery in that deserueth no answere it being knowen to himselfe that the Anabaptists are exploded and detested vniuersally of all Protestant Churches The Anabaptists shall be rather theirs then ours And whereas he diuideth the Protestants into Lutherans Sacramentaries and Anabaptists as answerable to the Donatists Rogatists and Maximianists he should rather haue made the like diuision of Papists into Anabaptists Secularists and Iesuitists the Anabaptists answering the Rogatists in challenging the Church from the rest of the body of their Schisme only to themselues the Secularists and Iesuitists fully resembling the Donatists and Maximianists each diuided for a time by mortall quarrell amongst themselues but content after a while as men of one Church and religion to bee reconciled againe The third point that he mentioneth is this They held not the faith of the blessed Trinity entire and whole but some of them taught like Arians the sonne to be lesse then the father though as St. Austin noteth this was not marked of their followers This he applyeth to vs in this sort Thirdly diuers of their principall teachers as Melanchton Caluin and many others doe corrupt the sound doctrine of the most sacred Trinity as I haue shewed saith he in the Preface of the Reformation of a deformed Catholike though the common sort of them doe not greatly obserue it In which third point he very wilfully belyeth both St. Austin and the Donatists and vs. For St. Austin doth not say of the Donatists but only of a second Donatus who was a follower of the former that o August ad Quodvult haeres 69. Apparet cum etiam non Catholicam de Trinitate babuisse sententiam c. Verùm in hunc quem de Trinitate habuit â—ius errorem Donatistarum multitudo intenta noÌ„ fuit nec facilè in eis quisquam qui hoc illâ— sensisse nouerit inuenitur he had an vncatholike opinion of the Trinity which the Donatists were so farre from approuing as that he saith there was scant any one found amongst them that knew that hee thought so so that to him only it is referred which St. Austin saith in his Epistle p Idem Epist 50. Si aliqui ipsorum â—â—â—orem filium dixerunt esse quà m pater est â—iusdem tamen substantiâ— non negarunt If any of them haue said that the sonne is lesse then the Father yet they haue not denyed him to be of the same substance And indeede St. Austin though liuing amongst them and hauing perfect knowledge of them yet neuer vpbraideth them with this heresie and therefore M. Bishop doth wrong both to them in laying this heresie to them and to St. Austin in making him the witnesse thereof Neither shall it helpe him that Theodoret chargeth them therewith who as it plainly appeareth by his relation neuer knew what their heresie was and being deceiued perhaps by the writings of that Donatus reporteth that as common to them all which St. Austin of his knowledge noteth to haue beene proper to him only As for that he chargeth Melancthon Caluin and other our principall teachers with corrupting the doctrine of the holy Trinity how lewdly and falsly he dealeth therein q Answere to the Preface of the second part of Doct. Bishops Reformation sect 6. 7. I haue fully declared in answere of the Preface where he saith he hath shewed the same The fourth matter of the Donatists by him noted is their being soone diuided into three sects whereof he saith nothing but what is before touched Only he addeth There were also amongst them many frantike furious fellowes called Circumcellions who rouing vp and downe committed many outrages c But what is this to the Protestants Forsooth for plucking downe of Churches abusing the most blessed Sacrament holy Oiles and all holy ornaments that belonged to Catholikes Churches the Protestants are not behinde but goe farre beyond the Donatists But this I let passe as another part of his idle babling only telling him that to fit the example of the Circumcellions he should rather haue looked to those memorable acts that haue beene done by the Leaguers and Iesuits and other madde-braines of their imployment in France Germanie Poland and in all places almost of Christendome where they haue gotten any strength whereof goodly stories might be here set downe if it were pertineÌ„t to the maine point that we haue now in hand In the last thing which he noteth of the Donatists he specially sheweth his great abundance of little wit the matter whereto he alludeth being such as whence I might most iustly haue taken yet a further resemblance betwixt the Donatists and them Finally saith he the Donatists deuised a new kinde of Psalmes to be sung before their diuine Seruice and Sermons And what the Protestants Forsooth they haue also compounded and framed a new kinde of Psalmes saith he called Geneua Psalmes to be sung before their Sermons A new kinde of Psalmes say you M. Bishop What doe not you know that those Geneua psalmes as you call them are only the Psalmes of Dauid and other Prophets and holy Men translated into English Meter and doe they seeme to you a new kinde of Psalmes They were turned into Meter and Verse and fitted with plaine and easie notes and tunes to serue for popular and common vse of Christian exercise and edification both in our Churches and priuate houses that we may answere the exhortation of the Apostle r Col. 3. 16. Let the word of Christ dwell plentifully in you in all wisedome teaching and admonishing your selues or one another in Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall Songs singing with a grace in your hearts vnto the Lord. Now marke I pray thee gentle Reader what St. Austin faith hereof in the place whence M. Bishop would fetch a resemblance betwixt the Donatists and vs. Of Å¿ Aug. Epist 119. cap. 18. De