selues to think any thing but our sufficiencie is of God And agayne to the Philippians Chapter first Philip. 2. Sainte Paule saith thus Deus enim est qui operatur in vobis velle perficere pro bona voluntate It is God that worketh in you both the will and the powre to performe the will And againe to the Romaines Chap. 7. Rom. 7. Velle adiacet mihi perficere autem bonum non inuenio c. I haue a will but to performe that which is good I finde not For I doo not that good thing which I am willing to doo but the euill thing which I am vnwilling to doo that doo I. Now it is not I that doo it but sinne that dwelleth in mée By these plaine places of Scripture it appeereth manifestly that the learned Protestants doo teach nothing concerning free will but that which our Sauiour Christ his Apostle Paule haue taught But now to the fourth pointe of doctrine The fourth point of doctrine is the denyall of the reall presence of Christes body in the holie Eucharist It is very true that all learned Protestants doo deny the reall presence of Christes bodie in the holie Eucharist And there is good cause why they should doo so For touching the reall presence of his body our Sauiour Christ him selfe hath sayd as wée reade in the 11. Cha. of S. Iohns gospeâ—l Lazarus is deade and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there that you may beléeue If you will say that Christes body was not then glorified as nowe it is and therefore could not then as nowe it may bee in moe places at once then one then consider the words of S. Peter Act. 3. Act. 3. Repent and bée conuerted that your sinnes may bée blotted out when the time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord shall come when hée shall send him that hath beene preached vnto you euen Iesus Christ whom heauen must containe euen till the time of the restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of his holie Prophets from the beginning By these woordes of Saint Peter it appeareth that hee knew nothing of this reall presence of Christs body in the holie Eucharist For hee saith that heauen is the place where the Reall bodie of Christ must bee till that tyme wherein hée shall appeere in iudgement which is the time of the Restitution of all thinges as hee hath spoken by the mouth of his holie Prophets which haue bene since the world began According to this dooth Saint Augustine write to Dardanus Tim 2. Epist 57. Cauendum est enim ne ita diuinitatem adstruamus hominis vt veritatem corporis auferamus Wee must take héede that wée doo not so builde vp the diuinity of the manhoode that wee take away the truth of the bodie For it followeth not that whatsoeuer is in God should bée euery where as GOD is By this it appeereth that Saint Augustine knew nothing of our Offerers reall presence of the bodie of our Sauiour Christ in the holie Eucharist All this notwithstanding wee hold that the body and blood of Christ are in the holy Eucharist present to the faythfull receiuers verily and in deede So that as many as doo with a full assurance of the mercies of God promised in Christ receiue the holy Eucharist doo vndoubtedly by faith receiue into their soules the verie body and blood of Christ to their endlesse comfort The learned Protestants doo not teach as you doo slauÌ„derously report of vs that in the holy Eucharist there is nothing but bread and wine for wee know what S. Paule hath written to the Corinth in the 10. Chapter of the first Epistle Vt prudentibus loquor iudicate vos quod dico 1. Cor. 10. Poculum benedictionis cui benedicimus c. I doo speake as vnto wise men doo you iudge that which I doo speake The Cup of blessing which wee doo blesse is it not the common partaking of the blood of Christ And the bread which wée breake is it not the coÌ„mon partaking of the body of Christ The Lord hath made vs able to iudge of the meaning of the Apostle in these woords wée doo know that as many as doo come worthely to the Lords table and be partakers of the holie Eucharist doo not receiue the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ onely but they receiue his verie bodie and blood Although not really substancially and bodily as you imagine yet spiritually sacramentally and verily and in deed And this is according to that which saint Augustine hath written in his Sermon De Sacramentis fidelium De Sacramentis fidelium Hoc est ergo manducare illam escam c. This is therefore to eate that meate and to drinke that drink for a man to dwell in Christ and to haue Christ dwelling in him And hereby hee that dwelleth not in Christ and in whom Christ dwelleth not without doubt hee neither eateth his flesh nor drinketh his blood although hée doo eate and drink the Sacrament of so excellent a thing to his owne condemnation This may suffice to certifie any reasonable man that wee denie not that presence of Christes bodie in the holie Eucharist which is taughte in the Scriptures and in the writings of S. Augustine The fift point that the Offerer dooth charge vs with is that wee denie the Sacrifice of the most blessed Mâ—sse You should haue sayd the most abhominâ—ble Mâ—sse For what thing can bee more abhominable then that thing which is directly contrarie to the scriptures and derogatorie to that one sacrifice that Christ Iesus our high Priest made of himself once for all Saint Paule to the Hebrews Chapter 10. Hebre. 10. speaking of our Sauiour Christ sayth thus Hic vero vna pro peccatis oblata victima c. After this man had offered vp one sacrifice for sinne hee sitteth at the right hand of God for euer waighting from hence forth till his enemies may bee made his foote stoole For with one oblation hee hath made perfect for euer such as are made holie And the holie Ghost dooth certifie vs when hee saith thus This is the Testament that I will make vnto them after those daies saith the Lord giuing my lawes in their hearts and in their mindes I will write them and their sinnes iniquities will I not remember any more And where there is forgiuenes of those sinnes and iniquities there is nowe no Sacrifice for sinne This farre Saint Paule What can bee written or spoken more plainely then this is for the proofe of that which wee holâ—e that is that in the Masse there is no sacrifice for sinne Christ our high Priest hauing offered vp one oblation is set downe on the right hand of God for euer and what other thing can bee ment by this then that which followeth which is that by that one oblation he hath made perfect al such as are made holie that
Arragon and made warre against the sayd king of Arragon About the yeere of our Lord 1280. Pope Bonifacius 8. in a great glorie shewed him selfe twice First in his pontificalibus granting large pardons to the people and on the next day in the imperiall robes hauing a naked sworde carried before him And as hée sate in his maiestie hée cried with a lowde voyce saying Ecce duo gladij hic Behold héere are two swords This was about the yeere 1300. A Frier of the Order of the popish preachers did poyson Henry the seuenth Emperor by deliuering vnto him a consecrated hoste as they terme it wherein hee had put a stronge poyson which dispatched him About the yéere 1310. Pope Clement the sixt hauing excommunicated Lewes the Emperor and all the Princes and bishops that tooke parte with him sayd that now th' Empire was fallen vnto him and therefore he placed captaines in the cities of Italy This was about the yeere 1340. Pope Vrbane the sixt in hatred toward Clement the 7. whom the Frenchmen had chosen to be Pope tooke fiue Cardinalles and lapped them in one sacke and drowned them This was doone about the yéere 1380. A singular example of true charitie Yea and a singular example of obedience is to be seene in Alexander the third of whom I spake before in that hee admitting the Emperor Frederike surnamed Barbarossa to the kissing of his foote did set his foote in the Emperors neck pronouncing these woords of the Psalme 91. Super aspidem c. Vpon the Adder and Basiliske shalt thou walk and thou shalt stamp vpon the Lyon the Dragon This was done about the yeere 1170. And Celestinus the fourth when he crowned the Emperor Henry the fift sonne to the foresaid Frederike did set the Emperiall crowne vpon the head of the Emperor with his feete and did topple it of againe with one of his féete in token that as hee had powre to make an Emperor so hée had powre to depose him againe Héere M. Offerer may sée a number of examples of obedience to the higher powers of great grauitie of true charitie euen in such as haue bin the chiefe in his Catholike church if hée can shew mee but one example amongest them that haue bin of the protestants Catholike church like vnto these manifolde examples of commaunding controuling excommunicating persecuting and deposing of the higher powers and triumphing ouer them then will I recant the protestants Catholike religion and professe Poperie as this Offerer dooth and not before But now on the contrarie saith this Offerer if discord in religion licentiousnes in liuing contempt of discipline reiecting of penaunce lothsomnes of fasting lacke of zeale and deuotion disobedience to maiestrates sacryledge Apostacie breaking of vowes vnlawfull lusts and wantonnes in all life and maners doo not agree better more cleere to the protestants then to the Catholique being the plaine signes fraits of a false church then will I recant and not before As touching discord in religion the Offerer may think him selfe to bee sufficiently answered in that which I haue said to the fiftéenth Offer The rest that hée rehearseth as falâ—â— agréeing to the protestantes religion are not at all agréeable to that religion that the Protestants doo professe For wée say as S. Iames hath written Iacob 1. Iacob 1. If any man doo think him selfe to bee religious and yet refraineth not his owne tounge but suffreth his owne heart to go a stray that mans religion is vayne This is the religion that is pure and vndefiled before God and the father for a man to visite the fatherlesse widowes in their trouble to kéepe him selfe vnspotted of the world Yea wee holde as saint Paule teacheth Coloss 3. Coloss 3. that Christians being risen againe togither with Christ should seeke those thinges that are aboue where Christ is at the right hand of God and not things that are héere on earth Yea anâ— as the same S. Paule wrote to the Phillip 3. Philip 3. that Christians should haue their conuersation in heauen not vpon earth so that although our bodies must be heere for a while yet our mindes must be setled in heauen froÌ„ whence wée looke for a Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus who by that mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all thing to him selfe shall transforme alter and change our vile bodies and make them like vnto his owne glorious body Yea and wée doo holde as S. Paule taught the Romaines Cap. 6. Rom. 6 that such as are baptized are baptized to dye and to bee buried with Christ vnto sinne to be risen againe with him vnto righteousnes of life So that as naturally wée are enclined to make all our partes instruments or tooles of vnrighteousnes procéeding from one vnrighteousnes to another euen so being baptized our duetie is to endeuour to make our bodies and all our partes instruments of righteousnes proceeding from one righteousnes to another Yea and as hee writeth in the 12. Chap. we hold that our duety is to make our bodies a sacrifice to God that is as I take it the most acceptable seruice that wee can doo vnto God Rom. 12. Rom. 13. Yea and as he writeth it the 13. Chap. we hold that wee may make no prouision for the flesh to satisfie the lusts thereof But as he writeth 1. Tim. 6. 1. Tim. 6. hauing meats and drink and cloth necessarie house harbor wée be there with contented Yea we doo hold as S. Peter hath taught 1. Pet. 2. 1 Peter 2. that our dutie is to abstaine from fleshly lusts that fight against the soule and by honest and good conuersation to stop the mouthes of malicious speakers if it be possible to winne them to ioyne with vs in religion that wee may glorifie God togither Now let the indifferent reader iudge howe those foule vices that you doo charge our religion with doo agrée with this our profession It maye that there be some and I confesse that there bee a great number to many amongst vs which are not of vs but doo only beare the name of protestant Catholiques and are in déede of no religion And these are such as you speake of the vices that you name doo very well agree vnto theÌ„ And I pray you hath your popish Catholike church at any time lacked a good rouÌ„d number of such maner of men When your Pope who is the head of your church was such a one as Platina reporteth Iohn the 12. to be MonstruÌ„ hominis A monster amongst men and as Volateran saith Sceleratum hominem A man giuen ouer to all wickednes that he was slaine being taken in adultery And as the same Platina and Volateran doe say of Syluester the second that be gaue himselfe to the deuill that he might be made Pope and that he was made Pope in déede and did gouerne your church foure yeeres togither And your Pope Benedictus the ninth of
A Deliberat answere made to a rash offer which a popish Antichristian Catholique made to a learned protestant as he saieth and caused to be publyshed in printe Anno. Do. 1575. Wherein the Protestant hath plainly substantially prooued that the papists that doo nowe call themselues Catholiques are in déed Antichristian schismatiks and that the religious protestants are in deed the right Catholiques VVritten by Robert Crowley in the yeere 1587. LONDON Printed by I. Charlwood and are to bée sold at the signe of the black Beare in Paules Church yâ—rde 1588. Falts escaped in the print In the 7. leafe and in the last line of the first page in the first of the second page reade thus innocencie of life for not continue in ignorance c. In the 9. leafe and 15. line of the first page reade thus and not let vs haue peace And in the last line saue one of the second page reade thus they are all become vnprofitable In the 10. leafe and 14. line of the second page read thus traxerit In the 16. leafe and 6. line of the first page read tend for bend In the 25. leafe and 12. line of the second page read conuenticles In the 26. leafe and 18. line of the 1. page read fasts for feasts In the 27. leafe and 9. line of the 1. page read cases for causes In the 31. leafe and 12. line of the eight Offer read at all times the continuance c. In the 36. leafe 7. line of the 2. page read such for those In the 39. leafe last line saue 4. of the 1. page read Qui pridie In the 50. leafe and last line saue 6. of the 2. page read at any time In the 53. leafe and 29. line of the 1. page read which are not c. In the 55. leafe and 33. line of the 1. page read perceiue by that c. In the 72. leafe 12. line of the 1. page reade Linus In the 75. leafe and 1. line of the 1 page read or doth seeme to bee In the 77. leafe and 1. line of the 1. page this woorde them is to much In 78. leafe 4. line of the 2. page read admonition In the 80. leafe 22. line of the 1. page read they for then In the 81. leafe in the title of the 1. signe read of false prophets In the 84 and 20. line of the first page read some of them contrarie to the expresse c. ¶ To all and singular popish Recusants SVpposing that all such papists as do refuse to ioyne with vs in the profession and exercise of religion and are therefore called Recusants be of one the same minde with that popish Offerer that first wrote these Offers and did publish them in print I haue thought it a thing very meete to request the same Offerer if hee bee yet liuing and all the rest that bee of his minde to afforde mee so much fauour as to reade ouer their owne Offers and that answere that I haue made therunto I trust you will not deny mee this request for your Offerer hath in the end of euery part of his Offer vsed these words or the like prooue this then I will relent and recant not before I know that ther be many amongst you that are worshipfull wise and learned such I hope will not blemish their worship wisedome and learning by fore-iudging ought that is or shal be written in answere to any Offer that any of their minde hath or shall make and require answere thereunto I doo not require any of you to giue credit to that which I haue written before you haue tried the same and found it worthy of credit And therefore I haue set ouer the heads of the pages of this my booke this admonition First trie and then trust If you shall finde that I haue sufficiently prooued all those thinges that your Offerer requireth the protestant to prooue then I hope you wil redily performe those Offers that he hath made And if you shall finde any insufficiency in mine answeres I hope that some of the learned on your side will vse some meanes whereby I may haue knowledge of that insufficiency And in the word faith of a Christian I doo promise you that what soeuer any of you shal write touching this matter I will reade it deliberatly and without all parciall affection with earnest prayer to the almighty for the direction of his holy spirite whereby I may be stayed from straying out of the way of truth I know that there is but one way to euerlasting life I doo know that Christ only is that way if any of your sort therefore can make it plaine vnto me that your popish Catholique church dooth walke in that way then will I leaue that way wherein wee protestants doo walk and runne with you for I tell you truly that none of you can haue a greater or more earnest desire to enter with the Bridgrome Christ then I haue and as I hope shall haue to the end My pen would gladly proceede in paynting my paper with moe sentences to the like effect but I haue thought good to stay it for that I doo persuade my selfe that you doo think the time longe before you can take in hand to performe that request that I haue herein made Frare you well From my house at S. Gyles without Creplegate of London The Lord Iesus direct you in all that you shall doo Amen Ianuarie 16. An. 1587. Your well willer Robert Crovvley The deliberate aunswer that Robert Crowley a Protestant Christian hath made to that rash offer that a popish Antichristan Catholique made to a learned Protestant Imprinted in Dovvaie as he saith Anno Domini 1575. Crowley IN the yeere of our Lord. 1586. there came to my handes by what meane I doo not well knowe but by the prouidence of God I am sure a certaine booke that had béen imprinted and published in Doway in Fraunce in the yéere 1575. in the Englishe Tongue That booke is intituled A notable discourse plainely and truely discussing who are the right ministers of the Catholique Church written against Caluin and his disciples by one Maister Iohn de Albine called De Seres Archdeacon of Tolossa in Fraunce Wherunto are annexed certaine Offers made by a popish Catholique to a lerned ProtestaÌ„t c. This booke lay by me as a thing whereof I made small accompt tyll the moneth of May in the yéere .1587 When hauing by occasion more spare time then in long time before I had or could haue I tooke this booke in hand and did deliberately reade ouer both the booke and the offers I found both the booke and the offers to stuffed with coulour of pietie trueth and sinceritie that I coulde not but thinke that the hauing of this booke in secrete hath béene one great cause of the Apostacie of so many young men as haue in late yéeres fallen away from the pure profession of the
not his sonne Ezechias And did not the same Ezechias brake the brasen Serpent 4. Reg. 18. bicause the people had burned Incense to it Yea and when the Priestes did any thing in the reformation of Religion did they it not by the appointment and at the commaundement of those good kings Dauid Salomon Ezechias and Iosias Reade the History of the kings and you shall sée And what did Christ come to take this Authority from Princes And hath hée taken it from them and giuen it to Peter and his Successors Hée him selfe hath acknowledged that authority in Princes in that hée payde Tribute to the Emperour both for him selfe and for Peter Math. 17. In the 13. Chapter to the Romaines Math 17. saint Paule declareth that the paying of Tribute is an acknowledging of the highest authority in Princes Chrysostome Chrysost in Rom. 13. expounding that place of Saint Paules Epistle writeth thus Cur enim inquit vectigalia Regi damus Nunquid tanquam prospicienti Nunquid tanquam praesidenti curae tuitionisque mercedem soluentes For why saith hée doo wée giue Tribute to the king Doo wée not giue it as vnto him that hath a prouident care for vs Doo wée it not as men that pay vnto him that hath the rule of vs the wages or hyer that is due to him for the care that hée hath to defend vs 1 Peter 2 And dooth not Saint Peter from whom your Bishops and Priests doo claime their high authority write thus in the second Chapter of his first Epistle Subdite igitur estote c. Bée yée subiect therefore to euery humaine creature euen for the Lords cause whether it be to the king as to him that excelleth either to Dukes as to them that are sent of him for the punishment of euill dooers but for â—he praise of them that bée good For so is the will of God that behauing your selues well you may stop the mouthes of foolish and Ignoraunt men as being free and not hauing the liberty for a cloke of maliciousnes but as the seruants of God Thus if you haue eyes to sée you may sée that the very testimonies that you haue alleaged being taken in their right sence doo prooue sufficiently that though no learned Protestant can prooue or dooth or hath affirmed that our Sauiour Christ did commit the chiefe charge and supreme gouernmeÌ„t of his Chruch to Emperors kings c. Yet the chiefe charge sepreme gouernment of men of all sorts hath bin alwaies is still and euer shal be in such Potentats euen by the ordinance of God him selfe as by the other testimonies that I haue alleaged dooth most manifestly appeare And where as you require the learned Protestant to prooue that any one of Christes Apostles or Disciples did by preaching the Protestants doctrine conuert any people lande or countrey from their Idolatry and Ethnike kinde of liuing to Christian faith and Religion as of onely faith to iustifie c. I say that neuer any one of the Apostles or Disciples of Christ were the meanes that God vsed in the conuerting of any one lande people or countrey by the preaching of any other doctrine then that which you call the Protestants doctrine You note sixe points of doctrine preached by the Protestants which as you say neither the Apostles nor any Disciple of Christ preached First that faith onely iustifieth Secondly that all good works are vncleane in the sight of God Thirdly that there is no frée will Fourthly that the body of Christ is not really present in the Eucharist Fiftly that the blessed Masse is not a Sacrifice And sixtly the abolishing of Christes Sacraments and all the graces and goodnes that is conferred to vs by them For the first I say that Christ him selfe hath taught it in that hée hath sayd thus Mar. 16. Qui crediderit baptizatus fuerit saluus erit Qui vere non crediderit coâ—demnabitur Marci 16 Hée that shall belieue and bée baptized shal be saued But hée that shall not belieue shal be condemned Saint Paule hath taught it to the Romaines Chap. 5. Rom. 5. in these woords Justificati ergo ex fide pacem habeamus ad Deum per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum per quem habemus accessum per fidem in gratiam istam in qua stamus gloriamar in spe gloriae filiorum Dei. Being iustified by faith therefore let vs bee at peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ by whom wée haue accesse through faith into this grace wherein wée stand and doo reioyce in the hope of the glorie of the children of God To take from you all occasion of quarrelling I haue cited the words of S. Paule as I finde them in your allowed latine translation Although I doo know that in the gréeke it is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pacem habemus And not habeamus Wée haue peace and let vs not haue peace but to a simple meaning minde the sence is all one whether wée say wee haue peace or let vs haue peace And in the end of the sentence it maketh no difference to say wée glory or reioyce in the hope of the sonnes of God or wee reioyce in the hope of the glory of God For take it which way yee will Saint Paules meaning must néedes bée that wée are iustified that is wée apprehend and lay hold vpon frée discharge of our sinnes that wée haue by the mediation of Christ onely by faith and by none other meane And againe in the second Chapter to the Ephesians Ephe. 2. Saint Paule writeth thus Gratia enim estis saluati per fidem hoc non ex vobis Dei enim dâ—num est non ex operibus ne quis glorietur For by grace that is frée mercy you are saued thorough faith and that not 〈…〉 selues For it is the gifte of God and commeth not of workes least any man should boaste The Epistles of the Apostle Paule are full of matter to prooue this pointe of doctrine to bee true The second pointe of doctrine is as you doo terme it the contempt of good workes and that they bee all vncleane in the sight of God Wee contemne not good workes but wée esteeme of them as they ought to bee esteemed of that is as of the good fruites of a good faith And wée teach that no workes may bée accounted good otherwise or in any other respect but as they bée the fruits of a good faith This point of doctrine was taught by our sauiour Christ when hée sayd thus Lucae 17. Cum feceritis omnia quae praecepta sunt vobis Lucae 17. dicite serui inutiles sumus Quod de buimus facere fecimus When yee shall haue doone all that you are commaunded to doo then say we are vnprofitable seruants We haue doone that our duety was to doo And againe in the 20. of Mathew Math. 20. in the Parable of the labourers that laboured in the Vineyarde Volo autem
but wee doo alwaies make one and the same sacrifice but wee doo rather worke the remembrance of a sacrifice Except our Aduersaries haue vtterly lost the vse of Reason they must needes see that Chrysostomes meaning was to teach that it is not the holy Eucharist but the death and passion of Christ whereof the Eucharist is a remembraunce that is the sacrifice propitiatorie whereby our sinnes are taken away Euen in the iudgement of Chrysostome therefore the Masse which you call blessed is in deede curssed bicause it is derogatory to the office of Christ Iesus whose comming into this worlde was to saue sinners And hee onely it is that hath saued his people from their sinns by making a sacrifice of him selfe once for all By which one sacrifice once made hee hath made perfect as many and bee made holie that is all the Elected and chosen children of God So that now there is no more sacrifice for sinne Hebr 10. As the Apostle hath written to the Hebrews Chapter 10. But what should I make any more to doo about this matter sith the Scripture is plaine on our side Sit Deus verax Psalm 116. omnis autem homo mendax Let GOD the author of the scriptures bée true and euery man a liar Now the last point of doctrine that you charge the Protestants with is the abolishing of Christes sacraments of all the graces and goodnesse by them conferred vnto vs. To this I say that no learned Protestant either hath doth or will abolish or consent to the abolishing of any one sacrament that our sauiour Christ hath instituted or of any grace or goodnes cōferred to vs by them Wée confesse with S. Augustine Ad Ianuarium Epist. 118. August ad Ianuarium 118. that our sauiour Christ hath instituted verie fewe sacraments and that the same are verie effectuall as is Baptisme and the Communion of the bodie and blood of our sauiour Christ These two sacraments wee acknowledge to bee instituted by our sauiour Christ as sacraments that is outward and visible signes representing inward inuisible and spirituall graces In Baptisme the outward and visible signe is water and the inward inuisible and spirituall grace is forgiuenes of sinnes and regeneration or new byrth both which we haue by the death and resurrection of Christ and in that sacrament wee receiue a seale and pledge of the same Yea and where wee are by nature the children of Gods wrath wee are by Baptisme receiued into the church and assured that wee are now the children of God ioyned and graffed into the bodie of Christ and are become his members and that wee doo grow into one bodie with him Yea and being assured that Gods couenant and promise made to faithfull Abraham and to his seede belongeth to vs and to our seede bicause belieuing in Christ wee bee the spirituall posteritie of Abraham wée are bould to baptise our children as fellow members togither with vs of the same mystical bodie of Christ that it hath pleased our heauenly Father to make vs members of And when they bee able to learne wee doo teach them to belieue and acknowledge that they bee so and to endeuour in their life to expresse that duetie both to God and man which was at their baptisme professed and promised In the other sacrament which we doo commonly call the Lords supper the outward and visible signe is breade and wine both which wee doo according to Christes commaundement receiue For hee hath said Take eate this is my bodie and drinke yee all of this for this is the Cup of the new testament in my blood c. And wee are assured by Faith that as wee doo receiue the breade and wine into our mouthes and stomacks euen so wee doo by faith receiue into our soules the very body and blood of Chryst that heauenly foode whereby our soules are refreshed and fed vnto euerlasting life And this bodie blood of Christ are the heauenly parte of this sacrament remooued from all outward senses But wée doo not belieue as you popish Catholiques would haue vs belieue that the substance of the bread and wine in this sacrament is turned into the substance of the bodie and blood of Christ for so it could not bee a sacrament which must haue in it both an outward and visible signe and an inward inuisible grace Wherefore the bread and wine must remaine in their natures and properties Neither doo wée belieue that this sacrament was ordeined to bee a sacrifice to God the father for the remission of sinnes for wee know that onely Christ Iesus hath bin and is able and worthy to offer sacrifice for the deliuerance of mankinde from sinne And that hee hath by that sacrifice that hee made of himselfe once for all fully satisfied for the sinnes of the whole world and hath left nothing for vs to doo but firmely to fixe our faith in him and thankefully to take the vse of this eternall sacrifice which wee chiefly doo when wee come worthely to the Lords table bee partakers of that holy sacrament Now if you thinke that I haue doone that which you required the learned Protestant to doo then shame not to yeelde and recant and bee no longer an obstinate and wilfull blinde popish Catholique which is an Antichristian schismaticke But bee a tractable and an obedient Scholler of Christ Iesus hearkening to and belieuing the gospell of Christ which is the glad tidings of free pardon and full forgiuenes of all our sinnes by the merites and mediation of our onely Lord and sauiour Iesus Christ protesting to hold euerie gospell that is contrary to this Gospell accursed as saint Paule willed the Galathians to doo So shall you bee a right Catholique Christian holding and professing that Catholique faith which Christ himselfe commanded his messengers to teach Catholiquely when hee sayde thus Euntes in mundum vniuersum docete omnes gentes baptizantes eos in nomine patris Math. 28. filij spiritus sancti c. Going into all the world teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the father of the sonne and of the holy ghost teaching them to obserue all those things that I haue commaunded you This is the Catholique doctrine that wee haue heard and learned and doo belieue it By hearing this woord of the gospell or glad tidings of free pardon and forgiuenesse of sinnes our God hath wrought in vs such an assurance of Saluation that wee doubt nothing thereof And this assuraunce woorketh in vs an vnfayned loue towards him that hath adopted predestinated and called vs to bee meete Images of his sonne and one of vs towards another although not in such perfection as hee hath loued vs and as hée commaundeth vs to loue one another yet in some measure and in such measure as hee in mercie alloweth of Wee protest therefore that wee will hold this faith and still craue the encrease of this faith and that wée may grow ritch in
those Ceremonies To bée briefe the first Catholique church did acknowledge none to bée her vniuersall head but Christ Iâ—sus onely and shée submitted her selfe to bee gouerned in matters of faith by his spirite which spirite did in déede gouerne hir in the vnderstanding of the scriptures which are the rule of Christian Religion And in ciuill gouernement shee submitted herselfe to Princes and other Potentats acknowledging that God hath giuen vnto them the power of the sword and hath made them his reuengers vpon earth coÌ„maunding them to vse that power in defending innocents and in punishing of such as doo transgresse his lawes But your Romish Catholique church must haue a Pope to bee hir vniuersall head vnder the name of Christes vicar generall and hee must haue absolute power vpon earth diriued from the Apostle Peter that neuer tooke vpon him selfe any such power but willed all Christians to submit themselues to all estates of men euen for the Lord Iesus sake Yea hee willed them to honour all men to loue brotherly fellowship to feare God and to honour the king 1. Peter 2. 1. Peter 2. But your Pope must haue power ouer all men euen ouer Princes to whom Peter submitted him selfe and willed al christians to doo the like Yea hée must haue power to depose all such Princes as will not bow to him and bee his Executioners in executing the paines of death vpon all such as it pleaseth him to take for Heretikes Such Princes dooth your Pope take vpon him to depose to depriue them of all princely dignitie to set vp in their place such as will submit them selues vnto him become his sworne vassalles And that he may the more easily bring these things to passe hée absolueth all the subiects of such Princes from their dutifull oth of obedience which they haue dutifully taken to those their leage and naturall Princes Yea as late and daily practises doo teach they spare not to promise the kingdome of God to such subiects as will most vndutifully most vnnaturally murder not onely their naturall countrimen but also their naturall Princes By these differences it apreareth how great the difference is betwixt the first Romish church which was in déede Catholique and yours which you call catholique but is in déede Cacolike But now you conclude that if the learned Protestant can prooue that the priuate conuenticles congregations of the Protestants were the first bringers foorth of the sacred Bible and written woord of God the chiefe preseruers and defenders of the same in all times and ages from all Iewes Gentiles Heretikes and schismatiks then you wil reuolt and recant as you haue saide before To this I say on the behalfe of the learned Protestant that neither the Catholique church nor any other congregations haue bin the first bringers foorth of the sacred Bible c. For those bookes which are called the Bible were brought foorth and written before our sauiour Christ sayd thus to the Iewes Scrutamini scripturas c. Ioh. 5. Ioh. 5. Serch the scriptures c. And as for the preseruing and defending of them from Iewes Gentiles c. I say that it hath not bin the worke of man but of God him selfe who is the only Author of the same Apocal. 6. In the sixt chapter of saint Iohns Reuelations it is written that when the third seale of that booke which was sealed with seuen seales was opened there was a voyce which came from the midst of the foure beasts which saide to him that sate vpon the blacke horse had a balaunce in his hand Wine and oyle see thou doo not hurt In the iudgment of all learned interpreters wine and oyle doo in that place signifie the scriptures which God would not suffer to bee hurt by any mans interpretation no not in the time of most déepe Ignorance The Iewes could neuer corrupt the text of the Canonicall scriptures although they lacked no good will to haue corrupted them Neither could your Popish catholiques at any time corrupt those scripcures for God hath reserued a Remnant of the Iewes with whom those scriptures are and alwaies haue bin had in such estimation and reuerence that they would neuer leaue them to any that would corrupt them and this hath God wrought by them vsing them as his instruments therein In like manner the Grecians haue bin his instruments in kéeping the Gréeke text both of the olde and newe testament from all manner of Corruption in all partes thereof that doo concerne any parte of the substance of our Religion so that though your Popish Catholiques would as no doubt they are willing enough yet they can not corrupt either the Hebrew or Gréeke text Thus if you will you may sée maister Offerer that God alone by such meanes as hée hath dooth and will vse hath bin the bringer foorth of the sacred Bible and other holy scriptures for the holy men of God did speake as the holy spirite of God did mooue them to speake 2. Pet. 1. 2. Peter 1. And it is hée that hath vsed his good meanes both in discerning of the holy writings from the prophane and also in preseruing and defending of them from all maner corruption Wherefore if you minde to bée as good as your woord you must reuolt and recant The third Offer The Offerer Third Shew mee good reason why yee Protestants doo belieue our Catholique Church enforming and telling you this to bee the woord of God written the true Bible and sacred scriptures and doo refuse to credit hir in the true sense and vnderstanding of the same Scripture shee being vndoubtedly led with the spirite of God in them both For if the Catholique Church had the spirit of God in discerning and iudging the true Scriptures of God from the rest not Scriptures why should not wee belieue that same Catholique church gouerned and led by the same spyrite in giuing the true sense meaning and vnderstanding of the Scriptures When yee shal be able to render a sufficient reason of the one and not of the other I shall then yeelde and recant and not before Crowley There is no reason why wée should shewe you good reason why wée doo that thing which none of vs either haue done doo or minde to doo In beliuing that the Bible and scriptures that wee haue is the true Bible and scripture wée doo as the people of Sichar did Iohn the fourth chapter They said to the woman that told them of Iesus Iam non propter tuam orationem credimus c. Iohn 4. Now doo wée belieue not bicause of the tale that thou hast told vs for wee our selues haue heard and doo know that this is very Christ the sauiour of the world Euen so wee confesse that when wee were amongst you wée heard you talke of a Bible scriptures wée were desirous to sée them but you kept them from vs by all the meanes that you coulde deuise but at the
fiue hundreth yéeres haue kept themselues within their bounds and therefore they haue not lied If Caluin had said that the Church whereof wée bée had continuance for no longer time then the first thrée hundreth yéeres where Luther had said before that it had continuance for the space of foure or fiue hundreth yéeres And M. Iewell comming after them both should haue said the continuance was for the space of the first sixe hundreth yéeres in such perfection as in the first thrée hundreth yéeres then this Offerer might haue taken some oecasion to note disagréement such as is to bée séene amongst Heretikes But now hée hath no iust occasion at all Caluin considered that during the time of the first 300. yeeres the Church of Christ was still vnder tyrants and was persecuted and was thereby kept occupied in better exercises then in such pompous and ceremonial diuine seruice as now is vsed in your popish Catholique church And therefore hee is bolde to say that the Church whereof wee Protestants bee is the same that was in the first 300. yeeres after Christ for wee haue abandoned as farre foorth as wee may all those superfluous ceremonies as haue bin diuised by men and enforced vpon the Church of Christ since the ende of the first 300. yeeres which are in deede too too many as by the woords of saint Augustine Epist. 119. August in Epist 119. Ad Ianuarium Seruilibus oneribus premunt vt tolerabilior fit conditio Iudeorum c They oppresse vs with seruile burdens so that the condition or estate of the Iewes was more tollerable then ours is None of all those burdens were layde vpon the Church before the ende of the first 300. yeeres but the Christians being vnder the crosse of persecution serued God in fréedome of conscience were not tied to any necessity of ceremonies but vsed a few such ceremonies as séemed to serue best for their edification in their exercise of religion and so doo wée and that congregation also amongst whom Caluin liued which might mooue him to say that the faith and religion that is professed by vs was practized in the first 300. yeeres after the incarnation of our sauiour Christ But this Offerer requireth some better staied certaine tale c. bicause Luther and other doo differ from Caluin He must know where when this sodaine change from the protestants religion to the papists was made as in what yéere of our Lord c. If it shal please him to read it aduisedly to weigh euery part of it hee shall haue heere as plaine a tale concerning this matter as euer hée did read or heare And thus it beginneth When Christ Iesus had giuen so large a commission to his Apostles as to go into all the world to teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the father of the sonne of the holy Ghost they executed that cōmission with al painefull diligence not fearing what man either would or could doo against them And so in short time the knowledge of the gospell was spred all the world ouer as the Apostle Paule writeth to the Romaines Cap. 10. Rom. 10. citing the woords of the Prophet Dauid Psal 19. Psal 19. Jn omnem terram c. The sound of them is gone out into all the world c. But the doctrine of the gospell which they preached was not so regarded in the city of Rome as it should haue bin as it séemeth that this Offerer and his fellowes bée persuaded that it was at that time wherein saint Paule was brought prisoner to Rome which was in the tenth yeere of the raigne of Nero but foure yéeres before S. Paule ended his life At that time the chiefe amongst the Iewes that then liued in Rome being called togither by S. Paule and being occasioned by him to speake of the christian Religion they said thus Wee are willing to heare of thee what thine opinion is for we doo know that this sect is euery where spoken against Act. 28 Act 28 Yea and when S. Paule was first called to his answere before the Emperor the Christians then in Rome were so faint hearted that they did leaue him alone as he him selfe hath written to Timoth. 2. Timoth. 4. 2. Timot. 4. In prima mea defensione nemo mihi affuit sed omnes dereliquerunt me non illis imputetur c. In my first defence no man did take part with mee but all did forsake mee God grant that it bee not laid to their charge but the Lord did assist strengthen me c. And this was more then thirty yeeres after our Sauiour Christ had sent foorth his Apostles to preach If Peter were bishop of Rome at the time that S. Paule speaketh of in that 4. Cap. 2. Timoth. surely then hee performed not the parte of a good bishop neither yet of a good christian For amongst all hee must needes bee one And S. Paule saith that all did forsake him But let this passe The estate of the whole Church was no better in those daies yea it was not much better at any time during the first 300. yeeres after Christes ascention For when Constantinus the first christian Emperor began his raigne Syluester then bishop of Rome had not his aboade then in Rome but made his dwelling place in some caue in a mountaine named Soracte xx myles distant from Rome that so hée might bée more safe from the tyrannie of the Romaine Emperor But when hee vnderstoode that Constantinus was likely to bee fauorable to the Christians hée repaired to the City By this it may appeare of what account the Romaine bishops had bin what publike open preaching of the gospell there had bin in the City of Rome during that time of the first 300. yeeres It appeereth in Hystories that they had their places wherein they met and had the preaching of the woorde ministration of the Sacraments but those places were not such as Saint Peters Church which is now in Rome For that Church with the rest of the Churches in Rome were not then builded as in Platina and in other Hystories it appeereth By this you may see what cause Caluin had to say that the Catholique Religion which is the same that wee protestants doo now professe was practized for the space of the first 300. yeeres after Christ From that time forward Religion began to decline by litle and litle from that perfection that it had continued in vnder persecution and to grow towards that great decay that it came vnto in the dayes of Bonifacius the third Martin Luther therefore and M. Iewell with the rest of the authors of the Apologie of the Church of England had iust cause to say that it continued in the Romish church for the space of the first foure fiue yea sixe hundreth yéeres after Christs ascention for the Romish church was not altogither fallen away from the Catholique Religion before shee had taken
that hee will neuer remember them anie more 1 Iohn 2 and that therefore there is no more sacrifice for sin And in the second chapter of S. Iohns first Epistle wee are assured that Christ Iesus the righteous is the propitiation for our sinnes Your opinion therefore concerning a Sacrifice propitiatorie to bée offered in your Masse is blasphemous and dooth derogate from the glorie of Christ who is our onely mediator whose mediation is sufficient and néedeth no helpe of your massing Préesthoode Your penaunce also is in some part blasphemous as in that you teache your ghostly children to satisfie to God for theyr sinnes by suche workes as you enioyne them to doo And the fruites thereof which you call worthy as fasting watchinge praying and all straightnes of lyfe are supersticious and Hipocriticall and therefore we speake against them Your vowes your inuocation of Saints and your prayers for the soules departed are superfluous and in your meaning superstitious in very déed very wicked blasphemous For what néede hath a Christian to adde any vowe to that which is made in baptisme sith no man can truely say that eyther he hath or could performe that vow so but that God might iustly charge him with the lacke of performaunce thereof That vowe is to forsake the deuill and all his works and pompes the vanities of the wicked world and all the sinfull lustes of the fleshe To beléeue all the articles of the Christian fayth and to kéepe all the commaundementes of God all the dayes of our lyfe If this vowe bee so straight that not one amongst thousandes can bée sound that dooth not fayle in performing of it then is it more then superfluous to adde any other which may séeme to bée more straight and hard to be performed then this is or séeme to bée Your praying vnto Saintes also is superfluous For God himselfe that is all sufficient and able to doo for vs all that we doo or can desire yea and much more then wee can deuise to craue of him hath commaunded vs to call vpon hym yea and he hath promised to heare vs and to giue vs cause to glorifie him for our deliueraunce In the 50. Psal Psalme 50. the prophet Dauid saith thus in the person of God himself Jnuoca me in die tribulationis eruaÌ„ te honorificabis me Call vpon me in the day of thy trouble I wil deliuer thée thou shalt honor me And in the Psalm 81 Open thy mouth wide Psal 81 145. and I wil fil it And in the Psa 145. The Lord is hard at hand with euery one that calleth vpon him which eueryone the calleth vpoÌ„ him faithfully Esay the Prophet cha 63. Esay 63 Made his praier vnto God not to AbrahaÌ„ not to Isacke not to Iacob The apostle Paule bowed his knées that is to say hee prayed to the father of our Lord Iesus Christ that is the diuine maiestie not to the Saintes or holy Angels Ephe 3. Ephes 3 Our Sauiour Christ teaching his schollers how they should pray sayth thus When thou wilt pray enter into thy chamber and when thou hast shut thy doore pray vnto thy father in secrete and thy father which séeth in secret shall giue vnto thée And againe he sayth On this wise therefore shall you pray Our father which art in heauen c. Math 6. Math 6. By these places of Scripture and many other we are encouraged to make our prayers vnto God and to be assured that he dooth heare vs and that he will graunt our peticions For hée is both able and ready to helpe vs as a most mighty and mercifull father It is therefore a thing altogeather vayne and superfluous and vnnecessarie to make any prayers to any other In lyke manner it is a thing altogeather vnnecessary to make prayers for the soules departed For if they be departed in the Lord they be happie and blessed as wee are certified by that voyce which came from Heauen Apo 14. Apoc â—â— And on the contrary if they departed not in the Lord then are they most vnhappie and cursed so that thereis no saluation for them Nothing that we can doo can profit them So that in the one case they doo not stand in néede of our prayers and in the other our prayers can doo them no good Your prayer therefore for the dead is altogether superfluous and vnnecessary Your opinion in this poynt is grounded vpon no Canonicall Scripture but vpon an imagination that you haue conceiued concerning the meaning of Iudas Machabaeus 2. Mach 12 2 Mach 12. Of what authoritie the booke is may appeare in that which Saint Hierome hath written in hys preface vpon the bookes of Salmon Hierom praef in pruden Salomon Thus hath Saint Hierome written there Sicut ergo Iudith Tobiae Machabeorum libros legit quidem Ecclesia sed eos inter canonicas scriptura non recipit sic haec duo volumina c. In English thus Euen as the Church dooth in déede reade the bookes of Iudeth and Tobias and of the Machabies but doth not receiue them amongst the cannocall Scriptures euen so she may reade these two bookes meaning the Booke of wisedome and Ecclesiasticus to the edifying of the people but not for the confirming of Ecclesiasticall doctrine By this it appeareth that the foundation of your imagination is verie weake and not sufficient to beare that waightie buildinge that you doo lay vpon it Which is as weighty as an article of our fayth The authoritie of that booke may bée séene also euen in the last lines of the booke wherein the authour dooth shewe himselfe to stand in doubt whether he had doon so well as he wished to doo and in case he had not he craueth pardon at the handes of his readers And he vseth a similitude to mooue his readers to pardon him Which is not found in any of the writers of the Canonicall Sriptures And in the latter part of the 14. Chapter of that second booke of the Machabies 2 Macha 14 theris great commendation giuen to one Razias for that he dyd murder himselfe whych can not make for the credite of the author of the booke neither of the matter contained in the booke But let the booke bée of as great authority as this Offerer wold with it to be what hath Iudas Machabaeus doone that may mooue vs to thinke that he had any such meaning as this Offerer and his fellowes doo imagine the he had The Historian sayth that afâ—er the Armie of Gorgias was by the mightie power of God put to flight Iudas hauing gathered his armie togeather came to the Cittie Odolla And when the seauenth day was come and they were purified 2 Mach Chap 12. according to the custome they did in the same place spende the time of the Saboth And the next day following Iudas came with his company to take vp the deade bodies of them that were slaine and
fratres per nomen domini nostri Jesu Christi vt idipsum dicatis omnes nō sint in vobis schismata sitis autem perfecti in eodem sensu in eadem sententia 1. Cor 1. I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that you say all one thinge and that there bee no schisme amongst you but be perfect in one minde and one meaning Nowe if the learned Protestant shal be able to prooue that where as about the time of threescore yeeres and aboue we were all not onely in this realme but vniuersally in al other realmes professing Christ of one church of one fayth and religion and of one vnitie therein if hee shal be able to prooue that this late Schisme whereby wee are so deuided and dispersed that some are become Lutherans some Zuinglians some Caluinists some Puritans and Annabaptists dyd proceede from vs and from the common knowen Catholique Church of Christ and not wholy from theyr priuate Church and congregations and of the deceitfull and false doctrine by them preached and taught I shall then stay no longer but yeelde and recant and not before Crowley They that be the bringers of Schismes and diuisions into the Church of Christ c may rightly be said to be false Prophettes Heretiques and Schismatiques And th'apostle Paule dooth very well and loouingly exhorte and beséech vs euen in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ to be all of one minde and that there be no Schismes amongst vs c. But now the learned Protestant must prooue that the late Schisme whereby the people of all Christian realmes are diuided into Lutherans Zuinglians Caluinistes Puritans and Anabaptists did procéede from the common knowen Catholique Church of Christ and not wholy from the Protestants congregations and from their deceitfull doctrine otherwise there is no hope that euer this Offerer will recant and yéelde Well let vs sée what may be said to this offer First as I doo vnderstand the wordes of this Offerer hee affirmeth that till it was within the space of thréescore and some odde yéeres last past there had béene no Schisme brought into the Church of Christ so that before that tyme al were of one Church of one fayth and religion and of one vnitie therein And thus he hath discharged all those olde Heretiques that troubled the Church of Christ in the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel amongst the nations from thense forth till it was within thréescore odde yéeres before the tyme wherein he made this offer None of them may bée taken for false Prophets Heretiques or Schismatiques if thys bée the meaning of this offerers wordes as I thynke it must néedes bée But how soeuer this offerer and his fellowes doo account of these men that then brought Schismes into the Church of Christ we Protestants doo déeme them to be false Prophets Heretiques and Schismatickes yea and members of antichrist and we doo by all meanes possible shunne theyr doctrine and teach all other Christians to shunne them also It may bée that this offerer meant not of any other false Prophets Heretiques or Schismatickes then such as haue troubled the Church of Christ within these thréescore and odde yéeres last past and therefore hee beginneth with Luther Zuinglius c. But if that were his meaning then I must tell him that he and his fellowes the antichristian catholiques are the false Prophets Heretiques and Schismatiques that haue troubled the Catholique Church of Christ all this while many hundrethes of yéeres before euen euer since the dayes of Phocas the Emperour and the dayes of Boniface the thyrd theyr first Apostatate Bishop of Roome As for Luther Zuinglius and Caluine they dyd but departe from the antichristian Schismaticall Church wherin then had béene fostered and ioyned themselues to the true catholique Church of Christ euen as the Apostle Paule leauing the Hipocriticall profession of a Pharisey wherin he had béene brought vp euen at the féete of Gamaliell the good Pharisey ioyned himselfe to the Church and religion of Christ which was not a forsaking of the lawe but a cleauing vnto him that is the perfection of the Lawe Luther Zuinglius and Caluine dyd not take vpon them to be authors of any new religions but they embraced and laboured to maintayne that olde religion that had béene planted by the Apostles and professed by theyr immediate successors And as they could they dyd endeuour to purge it of al such filth as you M. Offerer and your predissessors had begrimed it with If in this busines they dyd not so well in all poyntes as they wished yet theyr meaning béeing good they are to bée helde excused Though they dyd nowe and then buylde timber strawe and stubble yet so long as they did laye no new foundation but dyd set all theyr building vppon the rocke Christ which is the right foundation and the onely foundation for Christians to build vpon they shal be saued as S. Paule hath assured vs. 1 Cor 3. 1 Cor 3. We Protestant Catholiques doo estéeme of these men none otherwise then as of faithfull labourers in the Lords haruest and carefull followers of Christ Iesus If they did in any poynt goe astray as béeing men they might and vndoubtedly dyd our profession is not to followe them Their profession was to followe Christ and so is ours The learned Protestant therefore may conclude that not the knowē catholique Church of Christ but the knowen antichristian Church of Roome whereof this Offerer and his fellowes are members haue by theyr doctrine brought into the Church of Christ Schisme Diuision and seperation of one member from another and of the whole misticall body from the true heade Iesus Christ For you enforce all such as wyll enioy any outwarde peace in this lyfe to submit themselues to the state of the papasie as to theyr vniuersall heade here vpon earth directly contrarie to the commaundement of Christ Math 23. Math 23 Sée that you do not name any man your common father vpon earth for one is your father which is in heauen Neither be ye called masters for Christ only is your maister If we will enioy peace amōgst you we must learne to say thus Our most holy father the Popes holines is heade of the vniuersall Church of Christ And we must acknowledge that his colledge of Cardinalles and the Prelates that he calleth togeather in hys generall councelles binding them by an oath to maintaine the estate of your antichristian Church are our masters or teachers for suche masters our sauiour Christ spake of at that tyme and what so euer they shall teach that must wée beléeue although we doo knowe and sée that they doo teach directly contrarie to that which is taught by the holy ghost in the Scriptures The peace therefore the concorde and the vnitie that you doo maintaine is not in verity and trueth but in impietie and false religion By your Schisme wherein you are growen excéeding