Sir Iohn Old Castlâ— Lord Cobham and Sir Roger Acton knight burnt for Religion in the raign of king Henry the fift and in Queen Maries daies there were five Bishops one and twentie Divines and eight Gentlemen who suffered for the truth Lastly what though some of them were simple people Ruffinus makes mentioÌ„ of a heathen philosopher at Nice who through his great skill in the art of Logick wound himselfe Adder-like out of the bishops arguments that they were not able to put him to silence until there rose up in the Councel a simple man who knew nothing but Christ and him crucified who with some blunt Interrogatories so amazed the Philosopher that not onely as a dumb man he had not a word to reply but yeelded himselfe to the truth which the plaine man had uttered Yea but they were married priests whom we produce for martyrs what then Gregory Nazianzen brings in his Father who was Bp. of the same See speaking thus of him Nondum tot annisunt tui quotjam in sacris mihi sunt peracti victimis that is the yeares of thine age are not so many as of my Priesthood Whereby it is cleere that Gregorie Nazianzen was born to his father afâ—er the time of his holy Orders And least any man should suspâ—ct that this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this nondum or not aâ— yet might reach onâ—ly to the biâ—th not to the begetting of Gregorie Nazianzen so as perhaps hee might be born after his fathers oâ—dâ—rsâ— and begotten before thâ—m it is further shown which makes all sure and plaine that Gorgonia and Caesarius the sister and brother of this Gregory were by the same father begotteÌ„ afâ—erwards as is evideâ—t both by that verse of Nazianzen who speaking of his mother as thâ—n childles wheÌ„ shâ— begged him of God layes Cupiebat illa masculum soetum domi Spectare magna ut pars cupit mortalium And the cleare testimony of Elias Cretensis saying Although if you regard his birth he was not the onely child of his Parents forasmuch as after him both Gorgonia and Caesarius were borne Now if this Bishop after holy Orders conversed conjugally with his wife and that without the Churches scandall then is it not any disparagement to some of our Martyrs that they were married Priests PA. Fox nameth some for Martyrs who afterwards were living PRO. There might be some that received the sentence of death and martyrdom and yet the same parties upon occasion and mediation might come to be reprieved or released and this not come to Mr. Foxe his knowledge This caÌ„not discredit the whole story taken for the most part out of your owne registers and other credible witnesses PA. You have put some into your Catalogue who were excommunicate persons and condemned to bee burnt for Heretikes as namely Husse and Wickliffe whose body was digged up forty yeares after his buriall and burnt by the Popes command PRO. Indeed they were Heretikes in such manner as Christ was called and condemned for a Blasphemer or as Saint Paul saith After the way which they call heresie so worship we the God of our Fathers beleeving all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets Indeed if this be heresie to acknowledge no other foundation then that which God himselfe hath laid no other Mediatour then Christ Iesus nor any expiation but by his blood nor any propitiatory sacrifice but his death nor any satisfaction to Gods justice but his obedience nor any rule to guide us infallibly to salvation but his word contained in the holy Scriptures if this I say be heresie then may they and we bee so reputed Now to discover who be Heretikes indeed let the Reader looke to the voice of the Church before these odds grew and see which way the Church inclined For though in the Primitive Ages thereof the writers could not speake so expresly and punctually against heresies untill they sprang up yet even then they delivered such grounds as might serve to over-throw the errours and superstition which afterwards arose Yea but our Professors have beene excommunicated and condemned so was the blind man in the Gospell whom our Saviour cured he was cast out of the Synagogue and yet Christ tooke him into his protection for the good profession he made It might be that in those papall censures the keyes were mistaken or the wards of the locke changed and then Errante clave Ecclesia their censures did not bind The Ephesine Latrocinie for so it was called Synodus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adjudged and condemned Flavianus an holy and Catholike Bâ—shop for an Heretike under that censure Flavianâ—â— died nay was martyred by them the holy Councell at Chalcedâ—â— after the death of Flavâ—anus loosed that band wherewith the Latrocinous Conspirators at Ephesus thought they had fast tyed him but because their Key did erre they did not in truth they honoured and proclaimed Flavianus for a Saint and Martyr whom the faction of Dioscurus had murdered for an heretike By which example and warrantie of that holy Councell our Church of latter time restored to their Prâ—stine dignity and honour to Flaviani in their age Bucer and Fâ—gius after their death what time that papall conspirâ—cie had not only with an erring Key bound but digged up their bodies out of their graves and burned them to ashes The papall faction hath beene but too peremptory in their censures â—hey were farre from the moderation of the Curat in Paris who being to publish an Excommunication what time there was great difference between the Emperouâ— Fredericke the second and Pope Innocent the fourth he thus acquitted himselfe Give eare saith he to his Parishioners I have received commandement to pronounce the solemne sentence of Excommunication against the Emperour Frederick candles put out and bels ringing Now I know not the cause that deserves this and yet I am not ignorant of the great odds that is betweene them I know also that one of them doth wrong the other but which it is I know not so farre forth then as my power doth extend I excommunicaâ—e and pronounce excommunicated one of the two namely him that doth the injury to the other and absolve him that suffereth the wrong which is so hurtfull unto all Christendome Thus farre he Now the thing which wee require on the behalfe of out professors so injuriously dealt withall as that their sworne enemies bâ—came both their witnesses and their Iudges which even common reason it selfe forbids that I say which we crave is this that since neither themselves have confessed the crimes laid to their charge nor others have as yet justly convicted them thereof that they may have the benefit of the Law and accordingly be restored according to an ordinary Canon provided in that case PA. Your Waldenses Wicklifists and Hussites and such as you account Confessors and Martyrs they errea in divers points they varied amongst themselves
of the Evangelist what wants it what obscuritie is there in it all things there are full and perfect Saint Basil saith it is a manifest falling from the Faith and an argument of arrogancie either to reject any point of those things that are written or to bring in any of those things that are not written Gregory Nyssen layeth this for a ground which no man should contradict that in that onely the truth must be acknowledged wherein the seale of the Scripture testimonie is to be seene The same Father in an oration of his calleth the Scripture an even streight and inflexible Rule neither mentâ—oneth he any more rules but this onâ— and adding the word ipsa to the Rule he delareth the same to be an adaequate and onely Rule Of the Scripture Canon The Councell of Laodicea saith we ought to reade onely the bookes of the Old and New Testament yea the same Councell recites onely those Canonicall bookes of Scripture which we allow and the Canons of this Councell though a provinciall Councell are confirmed by the sixt generall Councell in Trullo now if it be replied the Laodicean Councell excludes the Apocrypha the Carthaginian Councell receives them and both these were confirmed in the sixt generall Councell held in the Palace called Trullo and how can this stand together the matter is thus reconciled the Laodicean speakes of the Canon of Faith the Carthaginian of the Canon of good manners to both which the sixt Councell subscribed in that sence and we to it To proceed Hilary tells us the Law of the Old Testament is conteined in two and twentie bookes according to the number of the Hebrew letters and Athanasius saith the same and as touching the Apocryphall bookes as namely the booke of Wisedome Maccabees and the rest he saith Libri non sunt Canonici they are read onely to the Caetechumens or novices in Religion but are not Canonicall Epiphanius after he had reckoned up the Canon of two and twentie bookes censureth the bookes of Wisedome and Ecclesiasâ—icus in these words they are fit and profitable but not reckoned amongst those bookes which are received by our Church and therefore were neither laid up with Aaron nor in the Arke of the New Testament Ruffinus in his explanation of the Creede which is found among Saint Cyprians workes and so attributed to him setteth downe the Catalogue conteining all those bookes which we admit secluding all those that are now in question wee must know saith he that there be also other bookes which are not Canonicall but are called of our Ancestors Ecclesiasticall as is the Wisedome of Salomon Ecclesiasticus Tobias Iudith and the bookes of Maccabees all which they will indeed have to be read in the Church but not to be alledged for Confirmation of Faith To this testimonie of Ruffin Canus a Popish writer thus replieth although Ruffin did affirme that the bookes of Maccabees were to be rejected by the tradition of the Fathers yet by the Readers leave he was ignorant of that Tradition as if Canus a late writer were better skilled in the Primitive tradition than Ruffinus or Cyprian Gregorie Nazianzen nameth all the bookes that wee admit save that he omitteth the booke of Hester being misperswaded of the whole by reason of those Apocryphall additions to it Now Bellarmine would shift off such testimonies as these by saying it was no fault in them to reject these bookâ—s because no generall Councell in their dayes had decreed any thing touching them But we aske how it came to passe that so many Catholike Divines after this pretended decree of their Canon rejected these bookes as others had done before for some in every Age rejected thâ—m Of Communion under both and number of Sacraments Gregory Nazianzene saith of his sister Gorgonia in this manner if her hand had laid up any portion of the types or tokens of the precious body and of the bloud he saith that his sister after she had communicated she laid up some part of the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ now as she kept the consecrated bread in a cloth so she might carry the wine in a viall howsoever this religious woman received in both kinds The same Nazianzen bids reverence the Lords Table to which thou hast accesse the bread whereof thou hast beene partaker the cup which thou hast communicated being initiated in the passions of Christ. Athanasius being accused for breaking a Chalice writeth thus What manner of Cup or when or where was it broken in every house there are many Pots any of which if a man breake he committeth not sacriledge but if any man willingly break the sacred Chalice he committs sacriledge but that Chalice is no where but where there is a lawfull Bishop This is the use destin'd to that Chalice none other wherein you according to institution doe drinke unto and before the Laity This was the custome in Athanasius his dayes Saint Ambrose speakes to a great secular Prince Theodosius in this sort How dare you lift up to him those hands from which the blood yet droppeth will you receive with them the sacred body of our Lord or how will you put in your mouth his precious bloud who in the commanding fury of your wrath have wickedly shed so much innocent bloud The same Saint Ambrose in his Treatise that hee wholly set apart for the laying foorth of the Doctrine of the Sacraments specifyeth not any other than either those two of ours Baptisme and the Lords Supper and yet wee have of his as they are divided sixâ— bookes de Sacramentis of the Sacraments And so I come to treat of the Sacrament Of the Eucharist PA. You have produced Hilarie and Cyril of Hierusalem on your side whereas they make for us in the poynt of the Sacrament Saint Hâ—larie sayth nos verè verbum carnem cibo Dominico sumimus Hil. l. 8. de Trinitate PRO. Hilaries testimony was much urged by Mr. Musket Priest and was notably cleered by Doctour Featly in the second dayes disputation now to the place alleadged he sayth The Word truely became Flesh truely to wit by Faith and Spiritually not with the mouth and carnally Objection These words of Hilarie Sub Sacramento communicandae carnis and the like following nos verè sub mysterio carnem corporis sui sumimus wee truely receive the Flesh of his body under a mystery prove the reall presence of Christs flesh under the formes of bread and wine Answer Saint Hilarie by the words Sub Sacramento and sub mysterio carnem sumimus meaneth nothing but that in a mystery or Sacramentally we eate the true flesh of the Sonne of God sub mysterio is no more than in mysterio that is mystically under a similitude in a similitude or after a resemblance Object St. Hilarie sayth in the booke alleadged de veritate carnis sanguinis non est relictus ambigendi locus
Dinooch the Abbot of Bangor a learned man made it appearâ— by divers arguments when Austine required the Bishops to be subject unto him that they ought him no subjection yea they farther added That they had an Arch-bishop of their owne him they ought and would obey but they would not be subject to any forraigne Bishop For such an one belike they held the Pope to be Neither can it bee truly alleadged that they refused his jurisdiction not his religion for Bede saith That they withstood him in all that ever he sayd now surely hee sayd somewhat else besides his Arch-bishopricke and his Pall or else he had beene a very ambitious man Besides in the dayes of Laurentius Austines successour Bishop Daganus denied all Communion And refused to eate bread in the same Inne wherein the Romish Prelates lodged belike then they differed in matters of weight PA. Wherein stood the difference what doe you hence inferre whether were you not beholden to our Austine PRO. The Romans kept their Easter in memorie of Christs Resurrection upon the first Sunday after the full Moone of March the Britanes kept theirs in memory of Christs Passion upon the fourteenth day of the Moone of March on what day of the weeke soever it fell this they did after the example of the Easterne Churches in Asia grounded on a tradition received from Saint Iohn whereby it seemeth the British Church rather followed the custome of the East Church in Asia planted by Saint Iohn and his disciples than the Romane which yet had they been of the Romish jurisdiction they would in all likelyhood have followed now since they followed the Easterne custome it is probable that our first conversion to Christianitie came from the Converted Iewes or Grecians and not from the Romanes and that Britaine was not under their jurisdiction But whencesoever our Conversion were wee blesse God for it Now concerning Austine and the Britaines we acknowledge to Gods glory that howsoever the superfluitie of Ceremonies which Austine brought in might well have been spared yet Austine and his Assistants Iustus Iohn and Melitus converted many to the Faith Neither can we excuse the Britaines for refusing to joyne with Austine in the conversion of the Pagan Saxons yet withall we must needs say they had just reason to refuse to put their necks under his yoke and surely if Austine had not had a proud spirit he would onely have requested their helpe for the worke of the Lord and not have sought dominion over them which makes it very probable that his obtruding the Popes jurisdiction over the Britaines occasioned that lamentable slaughter of the Britaines For when as Austine solicited the Britaines to obey the See of Rome and they denied it then did Ethelbert a Saxon Prince lately converted by Austine stirre up Edelfred the Wild the Pagan King of Northumberland against the Britaines whereupon the Infidel Saxon Souldiers made a most lamentable slaughter of the Britaines assembled at Westchester and that not onely on the Souldiers prepared to fight but on the Monks of Bangor assembled for prayer of whom they slew twelue hundred together with Dinooch their Abbot all which as Ieffery Monmouth saith being that day honoured with Martyrdome obtained a seat in the Kingdome of Heaven And this was the wofull issue of their stickling for jurisdiction over other Churches PA. Baronius calleth the Britaines Schismaticks for not yeelding to the Pope PRO. The Britaine Church had anciently a Patriarke or Primate of her owne like other Provinces to him the other Bishops of his Church were subject and not to the Romane PA. The Nicâ—n Councel condemned the Quartadecimans and in them your Britaines for Hereticks saith Parsons PRO. To his testimonie we oppose the Iudgement of a Frier minorite who expressely calleth them Catholikes Besides had that famous Councell of Sardice held our British Bishops for Hereticks they had never admitted them to give sentence in that Councel as they did for by name Restitutus Bishop of London subscribed thereunto and was likewise pâ—esent at the Synod of Arles in France as Parsons reporteth out of Athanasius Againe those who kept Easter on the fourteenth day precisely were of two sorts Some as Polycrates and other Bishops in Asia kept it so meerely in imitation of Saint Iohn the Evangelist as an ancient but yet an indifferent and mutable rite or tradition and these were condemned for Hereticks and such were our Britaines Others kept the fourteenth day even eo nomine and by vertue of the Mosaicall law holding a necessity of observing that peremptory day as appointed by Mosesâ— now this was the meanes to bring Iudaisme which quite abolisheth Christ and evacuateth the whole Gospel like those who amongst the Galathians urged Circumcision to whom Saint Paul professeth that Christ should profit them nothing And this was it was condemned in the Quarta-decimans but of this the Britaine 's were cleere They should indeed have conformed themselves to the Councels decree yet because that decree was not a decree of Faith no farther then it condemned the Necessitie of observing the fourteenth day and therein condemned the Quartaâ—decimans but a decree of Order discipline and uniformity in the Church when it was once knowne and evident that any particular Church condemned the necessitie of that fourteenth day the Church by a connivencie permitted and did not censure the bare observing of that day The same Councel decreed that on every Lords day from Easter to Whitsâ—ntide none should pray kneeling but standing wherein the Church notwithstanding the decree useth the like connivence not strictly binding every particular Church to doe so so long as there is unitie and agreement in the doctrines of Faith the Church useth not to bee rigorous with particular Churches which are her children for the varietie and difference in outward rites though commanded by her selfe as my learned kinsman Doctor Crakanthorpe hath well observed PA. This odds about keeping Easter was but of small weight PRO. It was so if we consider our Christian libertie in the observation of times yâ—t was it held a matter of that consequence that Pope Victor Excommunicated all the Churches of Asia which differed from him in the observation thereof PA. What conclude you from your Britaines Faith PRO. Vpon the Premises it followeth that seeing the doctrine of the Popes Supremacie over all Churches was no part of the Britaines Faith when Austine came therefore neither was it any part of their Faith in Eleutherius dayes no nor in the Apostles time neither since as Mathew of Westminster saith The Britaines Faith never failed Againe seeing the Britaines Faith as Parsons truly affirmeth was then to wit at Austines comming the same which the Romanes and all Catholike Churches embraced it further followeth that the Popes Supremacie was no materiall part of the Romane Faith or of any Catholikes either in Pope
with Haymo as indeed his Commentaries on Saint Pauls Epistles are in a manner all taken out of Haymo as Doctor Rivet hath observed It is the report of our Ancestors saith Walafridus Strabo that in the Primitive times they were wont according to Christs Institution to Communicate and partake of the Body and Bloud of our Lord even as many as were prepared and thought fit Regino describeth the manner of Pope Adrians delivering the Communion to King Lotharius and his followers in both kindes The King saith hee takes the Body and Bloud of our Lord at the hands of the Pope and so did the Kings Fallowers Paschasius saith These bee the Sacramentâ— of Christ in the Church Baptisme and Chrysme and the Body and Bloud of Christ and Rabanus hath the selfe same words Now with Baptisme they joyne Chrysme because they used to annoint such as were baptized for otherwise Rabanus speakes precisely of two saying What doe these two Sacraments effect and then hee answers That by the one we are borne anew in Christ and by the other Christ abides in us Of the Eucharist Rabanus saith Bread because it strengthneth the body is therefore called the Body and Wine because it maketh bloud is therefore referred to Christs bloud Haymo saith the same with Rabanus Rabanus farther saith That the Sacrament in one thing and the power thereof another the Sacrament is turned into the nourishment of the body by the vertue of the Sacrament we attaine â—ternall life Hee saith the Sacrament which is the Bread is turned into our bodily nourishment nâ—w spâ—cies shewes and accidents can not nourish but these latter words of Rabanus are razâ—d â—ut whereas the Monke of Malmesbury witnesses that Rabanus wrote accordingly as is alleaged and this razure is observed by the publisher of Mathew of Westminsters Historie Haymo calls the Eucharist A Memoriall of that Gift or Legacie which Christ dimised unto us at his Death Rabanus saith that Christ at first instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Bloud with blessing and thanksgiving and delivered it to his Apostles and they to their Successors to doe accordingly and that now the whole Church throughout the world observes this manner Christianus Druthmarus reporting our Saviours Act at his last Supper sayth Christ changed the bread into his body and the wine into his bloud Spiritually he speaks not of any change of substances Walafridus Strabo saith That Châ—ist delivered to his Disciples the Sacraments of his body and bloud in panis vini substantiâ in the substance â—f bread and Wine When Carolus Calvus the Emperour desired to compose some diffeâ—ences about the Sacrament then on â—oot he râ—quired Bertram a learned man of that Age tâ— deliver hâ—s jâ—dgement in that poynt Whether the body and bloud of Christ which in the Church is received by the mouth oâ— tâ—â— faithful be celebrated in a mystery or in the truth anâ— whether it be the same body which was borne of Mary Whereunto hâ— returnes this answer That the bread and the wine aâ—e tâ—â— body and bloud of Christ figuratively that This body is tâ—e pledge and the â—igure the other the very naturall bodie That for the substance of the Creatures that which they were before consecration the same are they also afterward That they are called the Lords body and bloud because they take the name of that thing of which thâ—y are a Sacrament That there is a great difference betwixt the mystery of the bloud and body of Christ which is taken now by the faithfull in the Church and that which was borne of the Virgin Mary All which he proves at large by Scriptures and Fathers Your wisedome most excellent Prince may perceive saith he that I have proved by the testimonies of holy Scriptures and Fathers that the bread which is called Christs body and the Cup that is called his bloud is a figure because it is a mysterie PA. I except against Bertram his booke is forbid to be read but by such as are licenced or purpose to conâ—ute him PRO. Bertram wrote of the body and bloud of Chrâ—st as Trithemius saith and by your Belgicke or Lâ—w Countrey Index Bertram is stiled Catholicke Now this Index was published by the King of Spaines commandment the Duke of Alva and first printed at Antwerp in the yeare 1571 and often since reprinted Now so it is howsoever he be accounted a Catholicke Priest and much commended by Trithemius yet are this Catholicks writings forbid to be read as appeares by severall Indices the one set forth by the Deputies of the Trent Councel and another printed at Parts under Clement the eight Now these Inquisitors dealt too roughly and therefore the divines of Doway perceiving that the â—orbidding of the booke kept not men from reading it but rather oâ—casioned them to seeke after it thought iâ— better policie that Bertram should be suffered to goe abroad but with his keeper to wit some popish glosse to wait on him Seeing therefore say they we beare with many errours in other old Catholicke writers and extenuate them excuse them by inventing some device oftentimes deny them and â—aine some commodious sense for them when they are objected in disputation with our adversaries we doe not see why Bertram may not deserve the same equitie and diligent revisall lesâ— the Herâ—ticks cry out that we burne and forbid such antiquity as maketh for them and accordingly they have dealt wiâ—h Bertram for by their Recognition We must reade Invisibiliter in stead of Visibiliter and these words The Substance of the Creatures must be expounded to signifie outward shewes or Accidents But this will not serve the turne for Bertram speaking of the consecâ—ated bâ—ead and wine saith that for the substance of the creatures they remaine the same after consecration that they were before Now if they doe so then is not the substance of bâ—ead and wine changed into the substance of the flesh and bloud of Christ as the Trent Councel would have it Nor will it serve to say that by the substance of the Creatures is meant the outward accidents as the whitenesse of the bread the colour of the wine or the like for Bertram speakes properly that the consecrated bread and wine remaine the same in substance And it were an improper speech to attribute the word Substance to Accidents as to say the substance of the colour or rednesse of the wine or the like PA. Master Brerely suspects that this booke was lately set forth by Oâ—colampadius under Bertrams name PRO. This suspicion is cleered by the antient Manuscript copies of Bertram extant before Occolampadius was borne one whereof that great Scholler Causabon saw in the Librarie of Master Iames Gilot a Burgesse of Paris as he witnessed to the Reverend and learned Primate Doctor Vsher. And yet besides these Mâ—nuscripts Bertram
Waldenses from such foule imputations The first Article Objected Parsons saith they held that when the flesh doth burne that all conjunction with man or woman is lawfull without destinction The three Conversions the 3 part chap. 3 nu 12. Answere Indeed many have borne false witnesse against them but their witnesse doe not agree together I know this is objected by Parsons and others and yet Reinerius who was one of their Inquisitors said of them as is already alleaged that they made a great shew of Godlines and lived righteously before men and beleeved all things rightly touching God and concerning all other Articles of the Creed Againe Casti sunt Leonistae the Leonist's liue chastly and againe Quae libet naturâ turpia devitant They avoyd whatsoever is naturally dishonest Claudius Seisselius Archbishop of Turin a man in great credit under Lewes the twelfth King of France although he had written a booke expresly against the Waldenses yet he thus farre cleereth them saying that it makes much for the confirmation and toleration of that profâ—ssion that setting aside differences in point of Faith in other things they welnigh leade a more godly life than other Christians for they sweare not unlesse they he constrayned they seldome take the name of the Lord in vaine and they are very carefull to keepe their promise When some of the Cardinalls and Prelates accused the remainders of the Waldenses in Merindol and Cabriers that they were Heretickes sorcerers and incestuous persons and thereupon mooved that good King Lewis the twelfth to roote them out the Waldenses having notice hereof sent their Deputies to his Majesty to declare unto him their innocencie whereupon the Prelates were instant upon the King not to give such Heretikes any accesse or audience but the King answered that if he were to make warre against the Turke he would first of all heare him whereupon the King sent master Adam Fume his Master of Requests and one Doctor Parvi his confessor to search and inquire both into their life and religion the Commissioners accordingly visited those places and upon their returne related to the King what they had found namely that Infants were baptized the Articles of faith were taught the Lords Prayer the ten Commandements the Lords day observed the Word of God Preached and no shew of wickednesse or fornication to be perceived amongst them onely they found not any Images in their Churches nor any ornaments belonging to the Masse The King hearing this report of the Commissioners sayd and he bound it with an oath that they were better men than he or his people better than himselfe and the rest of his subjects And thus we have cleared the Waldenses from Parsons his first imputation a foule slander indeed but yet such as we finde was cast upon the auncient Christians as well as upon them and most unjustly and untruely upon both of them Object They held that it was not lawfull for Christians to sweare at all for any cause whatsoever because it is written Doe not sweare Matthew 5. Iames 5. They held also that the magistrate ought not to condemne any to death because it is written Iudge not Matthew chap. 7. Luke chap. 6. Parsons loco citato Answere Claudius Seissel as before is alleadged saith indeed that they doe not sweare unlesse they be constrained belike then being lawfully called they refuse not to sweare in Iudgement in triviall matters they would not sweare rashly according whereunto they alleadged our Saviours precept besides they affirme that there are lawfull oathes tending to the honour of God and their Neighbours good and they alleadge that place in the sixth to the Hebrewes 16. that an oath for confirmation to them is an end of all strife The other cavill arose upon their complaining that the magistrates delivered them to death without any other knowledge of the cause than the bare report of their Inquisitors Priests and Friers who were parties and their professed enemies otherwise the Waldensian doctrine was that they were not to suffer the Malefactour to live Object They hold that the Apostles Creed is to be contemned and no account at all to be made of it and that no other prayer is to be used but onely the Pater Noster set downe in Scripturâ— Parsons quò suprà Answere This is an idle cavill for Reinerius hath already told us that they beleeve all the Articles contained in the Creed besides in their bookes they have very good and Catholike expositions of the Creed Doe these men then slight the Creed They doe not indeed hold the Creede to be a prayer no more doe they that of the Angels Haile to Mary they hold it to be a salutation and no direct invocation as Claudius Seissel saith it followes not hence because they hold not the Creede nor the Angelicall Salutation to be any direct prayer that therefore they neglect the Creede The other allegation is as idle for their owne writers Reyner and others record divers other of their prayers as for grace before meate this He that blessed the five Barly loaves and two Fishes in the Desert to his Disciples blesse this table unto us and after meate thus God which hath given us corporall food give us also spirituall life Object They held that the power of consecrating the body of Christ and of hearing confessions was left by Christ not onely to priests but also to lay-men if they be just Parsons ibid. Answere The first part of this Article they held not but rather the contrary that neither Priests nor Laikes could consecrate the body of Christ for Reinerius saith They doe not beleeve the Sacrament to be the true body and blood of Christ but the bread consecrated is called in a certaine figure the body of Christ as it is sayd the Rocke was Christ and the like For the second they sayd truely and we hold that we are to confesse our faults one to another Iames 5 16. yea though they be Lay-people so they be godly and discreet and able to counsaile and comfort us but especially to the discreet and learned Minister of Gods Word to receive from him Ghostly comfort counsaile and upon our hearty repentance absolution Object They held that no Priests must have any living at all but must live on almes and that no Bishops or other dignity is to be admitted in the Clergie but that all must be equall Parsons ibid. Answere That their Ministers may not lawfully take and enjoy livings or that it was sinne so to doe they taught not but were sorry they had not sufficient stayed livings for them whereby they might have more time to their studies and greater opportunity to instruct them with necessary doctrine and knowledgeâ— but they were not ashamed of their Ministers that were content to worke with their hands to get their living as the Apostles had done before them So that if they spoke ought that looked that way
old time against one Prophet of God there were found eight hundred and fifty Prophets of Baal So at this day in this cause how many O Lord doe now sight with Pelagius for freewill against thy free grace and against Paul the spirituall Champion of grace how many at this day reject free grace and onely declare free-will to be sufficient unto Salvation for the whole world almost is gone after Pelagius into errour Arise therefore O Lord and judge thine owne cause Now also lived that famous Preacher Taulerus at Strasbrough in Germany Bellarmine tells us that Eckius Luthers great Antagonist suspected Taulerus that he was not a sound Catholike but Lewes Blosius hath notably defended him the truth is his judgement was reasonable cleare considering the time wherein he lived For instance sake hee saith There be many and theÌ„ of the religious sort that have forsaken the fountaine of living waters and digged themselves pits that can hold no water Ierem. 2.13 and these saith hee are wholly addicted to their owne Iâ—stitutes orders und outward exercises now though they performe many and great workes in appearance yet it is not their going on procession and pilgrimage to procure pardons and indulgences as they call them it is not all their Orizons their knocking on their breast their gazing on curious pictures and images and their bowing of the knee before them all this saith he will not make their service acceptable to God and why because that in doing this they direct not their affections and intentions unto God but divert them to the Creature He saith There be many that goe under the name of Religious who take great paines in set Fasts wakes and vigils orizons and frequent shrift and thinke they shal be saved and justified by these bodily exercises but it can not be so for God requireth the heart Hee saith alleadging the Prophet Esay 64.6 that all our righteousnesse is as filthy elouts and that therefore we must not put our trust or repose our conâ—â—dence in any thing that is ours be it our words or workes but in God He commends unto us the practise of the woman of Canaan and farther saith hee knew a Virgin who tooke the like course and obtained her request Now we know the practise of the woman of Canaan of whom S. Chrysostome long before him observed that shee intreated not Iames nor Iohn nor came to Saint Peter but breaking through the whole company of them sayd I have no neede of a mediatour but taking repentance with me for a spokesman I come to the fountaine it selfe By that which hath beene said we see what Taulerus thought touching humane traditions mans merits and Saintly invocation In this age also lived Gregorius Ariminensis whom Vega stiles The most able and carefull defender of St. Augustine This learned Schoole-man in his booke upon the Sentences hath diligently confuted divers tenets which are now holden by the Church of Rome touching Predestination Originall sinne Free-will the merite of workes and other points PAP You have produced divers witnesses but Mr. Briereley excepteth against them and namely against Nilus as erroneous touching the proceeding of the holy Ghost as also a professed adversary to the Roman Church insomuch as his booke is put in the Catalogue of bookes forbidden And as for Iohn de Rupe scissa William of St. Amour Petrus Blesensis Ockam and Scotus they were such as onely reprooved the life and manners of the Clergy PROT. If you barre Nilus from witnessing on our behalfe because hee erred in the point mentioned by the like reason may we challenge Damascen whom you usually produce on your behalfe as also others of the Greeke Church Neither can you disable his testimony because he wrote against the Popes primacy and purgatory hee had no personall quarrell with the Bishop of Rome for ought we know he might give his judgement on these points and be unpartiall if the Pope forbad his booke there be other good men that approove it and that for the proofes and reasons which he brings Touching the other exception for the preventing â—hereof I have purposely given instance in this Catalogue in points of faith and sparingly alleadged such as onely taxed Romish corruptions in life and manners which yet is oft-times accompanied with errour in judgement for as Ockam saith Because evill manners blind the judgement therefore every assembly which may erre notoriously in manners may erre against the Faith Besides William of St. Amour as hath beene sayd opposed their Monkish vowes which is a Doctrinal point Ockam opposed the Popes supremacy which is a Dogmaticall point Peter of Bloix and Iohn de Rupe-scissa held the Pope to be Antichrist and Ockam and Scotus held with us in divers doctrinall points And now having cleared this coast I come to speake of our countrey-man Iohn Wickliffe he was borne in the North where there is neare to the place where I live an ancient and worshipfull house bearing the name of Wickliffe of Wickliffe Hee flourished about the yeere 1371. was Fellow of Merton-colledge Master of Balioll-colledge in Oxford where he commenced Doctour and was chosen Reader in Divinity In his publique Lectures at Oxford he shewed himselfe a learned Schoole-man in his ordinary Sermons a faithfull Pastour of the Church for whose use and benefit he translated the whole Bible into the vulgar tongue one Copy whereof written with his owne hand is extant in St. Iohn Baptist Colledge in Oxford In his writings hee spoke and taught against the then corrupred doctrine of the Church of Rome and specially against the order of the begging Friers exhibiting a complaint to rhe King and Parliament against the Orders of Friers which thing created him the hatred of divers Prelats but many good men fauoured him PAP Were there many that tooke part with Wickliffe and followed his doctrine and were those of the better ranke or onely some meane persons PROT. He was highly favoured of the Nobility the City of London and the Vniversity of Oxford Hee was publiquely borne out as Parsons confesseth by Iohn of Gant and Lord Henry Percy the one of them Duke of Lancaster the other Marshall of England And Walsingham saith That when Wickliffe personally appeared before the Prelates who purposed to put the Popes Mandate in execution Lewis Clifford came with a Prohibition from the Queene charging them not to give sentence against him whereupon they were sore frighted and desisted In like sort another time hee escaped their hands by the meanes of the Citizens Burgesses and Commons of London as the same Walsingham saith and indeed the Londoners favoured him so much that in all likelyhood it stayed the Prelats from farther proceeding against him But that which Walsingham most admires is this that Wickliffes opinions were not onely entertained in Cities and Townes but even in the Vniversity of Oxford it selfe where was as hee saith the very height and
the Friars be not liegemen to the King ne subject to his lawes For though they stealen mens Children to enter into their orders it is sayd there goes no law upon them Friars saien apertly that if the King and Lords and other men stonden thus against their begging and other things Friars will goe out of the land and come againe with bright heads and looke whether this be treason or no Friart faynen that though an Abbot and all his Covent ben open traytours yet the king may not take from them an halfe penny Friars also destroyen the Article of Christian faith I beliefe a common or generall Church for they teachen that thâ— men that shall be damned be members of holy Church and thus they wedden Christ and the divel together Friars by hypocrisie binden men to impossible things that they may not doe for they binden them over the commandements of God as they themselves say Friars wast the treasure of the land forgetting Dispensations vaine pardons and priviledges But of the pardon that men usen to day fro the Court of Rome z they have no sikernes that is certainty by holy writ ne reason ne ensample of Christ or his Apostles By this we see that Wickliffe stoutly opposed those Innovatours the Friers who like their successours the Iesuites taught and practised obedience to another Soveraigne than the King persecution for preaching the Gospell exemption of Cleaâ—gy-men the use of Legends in the Church and reading of fables to the people pardons and indulgences the heresie of an accident without a subject singular and blind obedience and lastly workes of Supererogation Now whereas Wickliffe was reputed an Heretike it is likely that this imputation was laid upon him especially by Friars to whose innovations he was a professed enemy PAP Many exceptions are taken against Wickliffe and namely that hee held That God ought to obey the divell PROT. Our learned Antiquary of Oxford Doctour Iames hath made Wickliffes Apology and answered such slanderous objections as are urged by Parsons the Apologists and others Now for the objection made there is neither colour nor savour of truth in it there was no such thing objected to him in the Convocation at Lambeth neither can his adversaries shew any such words out of any booke written by Wickliffe although he wrote very many Indeed wee finde the quite contrary in his workes saith his Apologist for Wickliffe saith That the divel is clepid that is called Gods Angell for he may doe nothing but at Gods suffering and that he serveth God in tormenting of sinfull men The phrase indeed is strange and if either he or any of his Schollers used such speeches their meaning haply was that God not in his owne person but in his creatures yeeldeth obedience to the devill that is sometimes giveth him power over his creatures PAP Wickliffe taught That Magistrates and Masters are not to be obeyed by their subjects and servants so long as they are in deadly sinne PROT. Even as light House-wives lay their bastards at honest mens doores so you falsely father this â—is-begotten opinion on Wickliffe which some of your owne side say belongs to one Iohn Parvi a Doctour of Sorbone And indeed in right it is your owne inasmuch as you upon colour and pretence of heresie in Princes absolve subjects from their Allegeance and raise them up in armes against their lawfull Soveraigne witnesse your bloody massacres in France the death of the two last Henryes in France the untimely death of the Prince of Orange the many attempts and treasons against Queene Elizabeth as also that hellish designe of the Gun-powder treason But supppose Wickliffe said so yet his words might have a tollerable construction to wit that a Prince being in state of mortall sinne ceased to be a Prince any longer he ceased to be so in respect of any spirituall right or title to his place that he could pleade with God if he were pleased to take the advantage of the forfeiture but that in respect of men he had a good title still in the course of mundane justice so that whosoever should lift vp his hand against him offered him wrong Wickliffe indeede admonisheth the King and all other inferiour Officers and Magistrates as elsewhere he doth Bishops That he beareth not the sword in vaine but to doe the office of a King well and truely to see his Lawes rightly executed wherein if hee faile then he telleth him that he is not properly and truely a King that is in effect and operation which words are spoken by way of exhortation but so farre was hee from mutiny himselfe or perswading others to rebellion that never any man of his ranke for the times wherein he lived did more stoutly maintaine the Kings Supremacy in all causes as well as over all persons ecclesiasticall and civill against all usurped and forreine Iurisdiction and one of his reasons was this that otherwise he should not be King over all England but Regulus parvae partis a petty governour of some small parts of the Realme PAP Wickliffe taught that so long as a man is in deadly sinne he is no Bishop nor Prelate neither doth he consecrate or baptize PROT. If Wickliffe said so he sayd no more than the Fathers and a Councell said before him Saint Ambrose saith Vnlesse thou embrace and follow the good-worke of a Bishop a Bishop thou canst not be The Provinciall Councell saith Whosoever after the order of Bishop or Priesthood shall say they have beene defiled with mortall sinne let them be remooved from the foresaid orders The truth is Wickliffe lived in a very corrupt time and this made him so sharpely inveigh against the abuses of the Cleargy but abusus non tollit rei usum and yet Wickliffe writeth against them that will not honour their Prelats And hee elsewhere expresseth his owne meaning that it is not the name but the life that makes a Bishop that if a man have the name of a Prelate and doe not answere the reason thereof in sincerity of doctrine and integrity of life but live scandalously and in mortall sinne that he is but a nomine-tenus Sacerdos a Bishop or Priest in name not in truth Neverthelesse his ministeriall Act may be availeable for thus saith Wickliffe Vnlesse the Christian Priest be united unto Christ by grace Christ cannot be his Saviour nec sine falsitate â—icit verba sacramentalia Neither can he speake the Sacramentall words without lying licèt prosint capacibus Though the worthy receiver be hereby nothing hindred from grace PAP Wickliffe held that it was not lawfull for any Ecclesiasticall persons to have any temporall possessions or property in any thing but should begge PROT. This imputation is untrue for what were the lands and goods of Bishops Cathedrall Churches or otherwise belonging to Religious houses which were given Deo Ecclesiâ— were they
acts of pietie and devotion without these frivolous Additions Gabriel Biel in his Lectures upon the Canon of the Masse saith That the Saints in Heaven by their naturall knowledge which is the knowledge of things in their proper kinde know no Prayers of ours that are here upon earth neither mentall nor vocall by reason of the immoderate distance that is betwixt us and them Secondly That it is no part of their essentiall beatitude that they should see our prayers or our other actions in the eternall word and thirdly That it is not altogether certaine whether it doe appertaine to their accidentall felicity to see our Prayers At length he concludeth That it may seeme Probable that although it doe not follow necessarily upon the Saints beatitude that they should heare our Prayers of congruitie yet it may seeme probable that God revealeth unto them all those suits which men present unto them By this we see that for the maine Gabriel concludeth that the Saints with God doe not by any power of their owne by any naturall or evening knowledge whatsoever understand our prayers mentall or vocall they and we are dâ—sparted so farre asunder as there can not bee that relation betweene us so that wee might haply call and they not bee Idonei auditores not at hand to heare us Now as learned Master Mountague now Lord Bishop of Chichester saith The Saints their naturall or evening knowledge onely is that which wee must trust unto as being a lonely in their power to use and to dispose and of ordinary dispensation In a word Peter Lombard saith It is not incredible that the soules of Saints heare the prayers of the suppliants Biel saith as we have heard That it is not certaine but it may seeme probable that God reveleth unto Saints all those suits which men present unto them here is nothing but probability and uncertainâ—y nothing whereon to ground our praying to Saints Of Iustification and Merits Trithemius the Abbot who lived in this age complaines that Aristotle and the heathen Philosophers were oftner alleadged in the Pulpit than Saint Peter and Saint Paul and therefore hee disswades his friend Kymolanus from too much study of profane sciences Let us saith hee seeke after true and heavenly wisedome which consisteth in faith onely in our Lord Iesus Christ working by love Cardinall Cusanus in a treatise of his De pace fidei brings in Dialogue-wise Saint Peter and Saint Paul instructing the severall nations of the world Greekes and Arabians the French and the Almanies Tartarians and Armenians and there in that conference hee laboureth to bring them to an agreement In pace fidei in the unity of faith and amongst other things he proves at large That wee are justified only by faith in Christ and not by any merit of our owne workes The doctriâ—e of free Iustification is excellently handled by Savonarola in his meditations upon the fiftieth Psalme which Possevine acknowledgeth to be composed by him whiles hee was in durance the day before hee was led to the stake Vpon occasion of those woâ—ds of the Psalmist They gat not the land in possâ—ssion through their owne sword neither was it their oâ—ne arme that helped them but thy right hand and thine arme and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a favour unto them Psalm 4â— ver 3.4 â—e sweetly commâ—nteth on this sort Thou â—avâ—uredst them that iâ— they were not saved by their owne merits or workes lâ—st they should glory thâ—â—ein but even because of thy goâ—d will and pleâ—sure Vpon occasion of that Petition of the Lords prayer Forgive as our trespasses hee renounceth all merit of his owne workes and professeth in the words of the Pâ—ophet Esay That all our righteousnesse is as the rags of a menstruous woman Picus Mirandula treating on the same Petition saith it is certaine that wee are not saved for our owne merits but by the onely meâ—cy of our God Gerson taught that wee are not justified by the perfection of any inherent qualitie that all our inherent righteousnesse is imperfect yea that it is like the polluted rags of a menstruous woman that it cannot endure the triall of Gods severe judgement even Esay himselfe with the rest became vile in his owne eyes and pronounceth this lowly confession all our righteousnesse is as filthy rags The Cardinall of Cambray proveth by many reasons and authorities of Scripâ—uâ—e That no act of ours from how great charity soever it proceed can merit eternall life of condignity And whereas God is said to give the kingdome of hâ—aven for good merits or good workes the Cardinall for clearing hereof delivereth us this distinction That the word Propter or for is not to be taken Causally as if good workes were the efficient cause of the reward as fire is the cause of heate but improperly and by way of consequence noting thâ— order of oâ—e thing following oâ— another signifying that the reward is given after the good worke and not but after it yet noâ— for it so that a meritorious act is said to be a cause in respect of the rewâ—rd as Causa sine quâ— non also is said to be a caâ—se though it be no cause properly Thomas Walden professeth plainely his dislike of that saying That a man by his merits is worthy of the kingdome of heaven of this grace or that glory hoâ—sâ—ever certaine schoole-men that they might so spâ—ake had invented the termes of Condignity and Congruity But I repute him saith he the sounder Divine the more faithfull Catholike and more consonant with the holy Scriptures who doth simply deny such merit and with the qualification of the Apostle and of the Scriptures confesseth that simply no man meriteth the kingdome of heaven but by the grace of God or will of the Giver as all the former Saints untill the late Schoole-men and the Vniversall Church hath written Out of which words of Waldens wee may further observe saith the learned and Right Reverend Doctor Vsher Arch-bishop of Armagâ— both the time when and the persons by whom this innovation was made in these later dayes of the Church namely that the late Schoole-men were they that corrupted the ancient doctrine of the Church and to that end devised their new termes of the merit of Congruity and Condignity Paulus Burgensis expounding those words of David Psal. 36.5 Thy mercy O Lord is in heaven or reacheth unto the heavens writeth thus No man according to the common Law can merit by condignity the glory of heaven Whence the Apostle saith in the 8. to the Romans that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory which shall be revealed in us And so it is manifest that in heaven most of all the mercy of God shineth forth in the blessed I will close up this point as also this age with that memorable
lesse moment and danger such as blemished indeed but tooke not away the Churches being and that they held the true foundation of Religion that is Iustification and Salvation by Iesus Christ his merits onely God dealing graciously with our fore-fathers in that this point was ordinarily taught in their bookes of Visitation and Consolation of the sicke In this respect wee hope that divers both formerly and in our dayes who live Papists die Protestants for howsoever in their life time they talke of Workes Merits and Satisfaction to God yet on their death-bed divers of them find little comfort in Crosses and Crucifixes Pictures and Popes pardons in Agnus Dei's blessed Gâ—aines Reliques and the like then they renounce all meere humane satisfaction merit and workes and breath out their last breath in the Protestant language of that holy Martyr Master Lambert who lift up his hands such hands as he had and his fingers ends flaming with fire and cried out to the people in these words None but Christ none but Christ. The example of Stephen Garâ—iner Bishop of Winchester is notable to this purpose when the Bishop lay sicke on his death-bed and Doctor Day Bishop of Chichester comming to visit him began to comfort him repeating to him such places of Scripture as did expresse or import the free justification of a repentant sinner in the blood of Christ hereunto Winchester replyed What my Lord quoth he will you open that gap now then farewâ—ll altogether you may tell this to such as me and others in my case but open once this window to the people and then farewell altogether Laâ—tly we are not simply and in euery thing to follow our Ancestors it was the argument of Simmachus the heathen Our religion which hath continued so long is to bee retained and our Ancestors to be followed by us who happily traced their fore fathers but the Loâ—d saith Walke yee not in the ordinances of your fore-fathers neither after their manners nor defile your sâ—lves with their Idols I am the Lord your God walke yee in my statuâ—es and keepe them and not after your vaine conversation which yee have received by the tradition of the Fathers as Saint Peter speakes Object If you hope so well of our fore-fathers why hope you not so well of us their children Answer The parties are not alike besides there is great difference of the times then and now the former were times of ignorance these are the dayes wherein light is come into the world in what they erred they erred ignorantly following the conduct of their guides doing as they taught them and so were mislead as Saint Austine saith Errantes ab errantibus by their blind guides but upon better information wee presume they would have reformed their errours Now he is more to bee pitied who stumbleth in the darke than in the day-light men are now admonished of their erâ—rours offer is made to them to be better instructed so that their censure will bee heavier if either they dote on their owne opinions unwilling to bee instructed in the reveled truth or after sufficient knowlâ—dge and conviction for some worldly respects they wilfully and obstinatly persist in their old errors and which is farre worse hate and persecute the maintainers of the truth Saint Cyprian saith If any of our Predecessors either of ignorance of simplicity hath noâ— observed and held that which our Lord hath taught us by his word and example by the Lords mercy pardon might bee granted to his simplicitie but to us that are now admonished and instructed of the Lord pardon cannot bee granted Saint Augustine puts a difference betwixt Heretikes and them that beleeve Heretikes and he saith farther They that defend an opinion false and perverse without pertinacious selfe-mindednesse especially which not the boldnâ—sse of their owne presumption hath begotten but which from their seduced and erronious Parents they have received and themselves doe seeke the truth with care and diligence ready to amend their errour when they find the truth they are in no wise to bee reckoned among Heretikes this was the case of our Fathers under the Papacie In a word our Fathers they lived in those errours of ignorance not of obstinacie and knew not the dangerous consequence of them such men by particular repenâ—ance of sinnes knowne and generall repentance of unknowne might by Gods mercie be saved Object If holding the foundation will serve as you seeme to say in the case of our fore-fathers then we may safely obtaine salvation in the Church of Rome Answer This followeth not for the Church of Rome buildeth many things which by consequent destroy the foundation Rome doth both hold the foundation and destroy it she holds it directly destroyes it by consequent As the Galathians held the foundation to wit salvation by Iesus Christ and yet withall held a necessity of joyning Circumcision with Christ which doctrine by consequence destroyed the very foundation for so Saint Paul wrote unto them Galat. 5.2.4 If they were circumcised Christ profited them nothing hâ—e became of none effect unto them they were fallen from gracâ— In like sort Poperie opposeth the Faith not directly but obliquely not formally but virtually not in expresse termes but by consequence Poperie overthrowes the foundation by consequence whiles it brings on so many stories of unsound adjections and corrupt super-additions upon the ancient ground-sole of Religion as are like to â—ndanger the whole frame The learned and acute Doctor Doctor Hall now Lord Bishop of Exceter gives severall instances hereof Poperie overthroweth the truth of our Iustification whiles it ascribes it to our owne works the All-sufficiencie of Christs owne Sacrifice whiles they reiterate it daily by the hands of a Priest Of his Satisfaction while thâ—y hold a payment of our utmost farthings in a devised Purgatorie Of his Mediation while they implore others to ayde them not onely by their Intercession but their Merits suing not onely for their prayers but their gifts the value of the Scriptures whiles they hold them unsufficient obscure in points essâ—ntiall to salvation and bind them to an uncertaine dâ—pendance upon the Church Now for the simpler sort whilâ—s in truth of heart they hold the maine principles which they know doubtlâ—sse the mercy of God may passe over their ignorant weakenesse in what they cannot know For the other I feare not to say that many of their errours are wilfull The light of truth hath shined out of heaven to them and they loved darkenesse more than lighâ— Thus farre that learned â—ishop PA. The Protestants at â—ast many of them conâ—â—sse there may be salvation in our Church we absolutely deny thereâ—s salvâ—tion in theirs therefore it is safâ—r to come to ours than to sâ—ay in theirs to be where almost all grant salvation than where the greater part of the world deny it PRO. This point is fully cleered by the judicious Author of the Answer to
Ministers to marry In divers other points also many of your side say the same with the Protestants as it is already shown in this treaâ—ise And therefore if you will force the Argument to make that the safest way of salvation which differing parts agree upon why doe you not joyne with uâ— since for the Positive and Affirmative Articles of our Religion noâ— onâ—ly the mâ—st but alâ— Prâ—tâ—stant and Papâ—â—â— agâ—eâ— therein For example sâ—ke Wee agree on boâ—h sides the Scripâ—ures to be the Râ—le of Faith the bookes of the old Testamâ—nt written in Hebrew to bee Canonicall that wee are justified by Faith that God hath made two Receptaclâ—s for mens sâ—â—les aftâ—r death Heaven and Hell that God may â—e woâ—shipped in spirit wiâ—hout an Image thaâ— we are â—o pray unto God by Christ that there bee two Sacramâ—nâ—s that Christ is really recâ—ived in the Lords Suâ—per that Christ made one oblation of himselfe upon the Crosse for the Redemption Propiâ—iation and Satisfaction for the sinnes of the whole world In a word where they take the Negative part as in with-holding the Cup from the Laiâ—ie foâ—bidding the administration of the Sacraments in the vulgar tongue and restraining the marriage oâ— Pâ—iests yet even in thâ—se they condescend unto uâ— for tâ—e lawfulnesse of the thingâ— in themselves and in respâ—ct of the law of God anâ— oâ—pose them onely in regaâ—d of their conveniencie and for that the Church of Rome hath otherwise ordaâ—ned But see our â—ffiâ—mations content them not To the Scriptures theâ— addâ— and equalize unwritâ—en Traditions to â—he Hebrâ—w Canon the Apocrypha to Faith in the act of Iuâ—â—ification works to Heaven and Hell Purgaâ—oâ—ie Limbus Patrum and Limbus Pueroâ—um to the woâ—ship of God in spirit Images to Prayer to God by Chriâ—t Iâ—vocation and Intercession of Sâ—inâ—s to Bapâ—isme and â—he Lords Supper five other Sacramâ—nts to the Realiâ—ie of Christ in the Sacramenâ— his Coâ—porall presence to tâ—e Sacrifice of Châ—ist upon the Crosâ—e â—he Sacrifice in tâ—e Masse witâ— other like and these wee deny as beâ—ng Corrupt Additions to the Faith These be our grounds wherein we enter-common with them and these be their additions and improvements which they have raised and enclosed upon the Lords Freehold Let us briâ—fely survey them both Bellâ—â—mâ—ne is confidâ—nt that The Apostles never used to Preach openly to the people other things than the Articles of the Apostles Creâ—dâ— the ten Commanâ—â—mâ—nts and some of the Sacraments because saith he these are simply necessary and profitable for all men the rest besides such as that a man may be saved without them If one worship God without an Image they will not deny but that this spirituall worship is acceptable to God If one call upon God alone by the onely mediation of Christ they will not say that this dâ—votion is fruitlesse If one say the Lords Prayer or other devotions in the vulgar tongue they will not deny but that such Prayers as aâ—e made with understanding and in a knowne languagâ— may be fruitfull and effectuall For Lyra saith that If the people understand the prayer of the Priest they are better brought to the knowledge of God and they answâ—r Amen with greater devotion Cardinal Cajetan who had often performed the publike service in an unknowne tongue in the Church yet contrary to his practice professeth It is better by Saint Pauls doctrine for the â—difying of the Church that publike prayers were made in a vulgar tongue to bee understood indifferently by Priâ—sts and people â—han in Latine If a man receive the Sacâ—ament in both kinds they will not I suppose deny but that it is very comfortable to receive boâ—h pâ—rts oâ— the Eucharist Alexander of Hales the first and greatest of all the Schoole mâ—n prâ—fesseâ—h that Though the order of receiving in one kiâ—d bâ— sufâ—icient yet the order of both kinds is of morâ— merit for incâ—ease of devotion and faith If oâ—e peâ—forme the best woâ—kes hee can which wee also require and stand not upon the point of meâ—it but only upon the mercy of God as we doe this likewise serves to justiâ—ie our doctrine for they themselves hold it a Mans safest course not to trust to his owne merits but wholly and solely to cast himselfe on the mâ—rcy of God in Iesus Christ. Now this justifies our Religion and shewes that it is suâ—â—icient to salvation in as much as the grounds thereof setting aside the matters in question betweene us are fully able to instruct a man in all points necessary to his salvation both how to live religiously and to die comfortably Hence also it followeth that by their owne confâ—ssion the controveâ—ted points are unnecessary and superfluous in as much as a man may bee saved who neither knowes nor beleeves nor practises these additions and excesses of theirs Object You talke of our excesses and conceale your owne defects now as the Arch-bishop of Spalato saith Heresie consists in the defect not in the excesse of beleeving and he is an Heretike who falleth short in his faith by not belâ—eving something that is written and not hee that abounds in his faith by beleeving more than is written now you faile in that you scant the measure of your faith Answer The Analogie and integrity of faith is hurt and broken by Addition as well as Subtraction by Diseases as well as by Maimes We are forbidden under the same pâ—naltie either to adde or diminish ought from Gods word Faith is of the nature of a rule or certaine measure to which if any thing be added or taken from it it ceaseth to be that Rule Faith saith Tertullian Is contained in a Rule to know nothing beyond it is to know all thâ—ngs And a little before This first of all wee beleeve that no more ought to be bâ—leeved as necessary to all Vâ—rtue is in the meanâ— vice as well in the excesâ—e as in the defect in our body the superabundance of humours is as dangerous as lacke of them as many dye of Plethories as of Consumptions a hand or foote which hath more fingers or toes than ordinary is alike monstrous as that which wanteth the due number A foundation may bee as well overthrowne by laying on it more than it will beare as by taking away that which is necessary to support the building Errours of addition are dangerous as appeares by these instances following The Samaritanes feared the Lord and served their owne Gods 2. King 17.33 The Galathians beleeved the Gospell yet retained also and observed the legall Ceremonies Galath 4.9 Helvidiuâ— held that blessed Mary had other children unto Ioseph her husband after her sonne Iesus here was an excesse of beliefe for hee beleeved more than was revealed this opinion of Helvidius although it be not denied in the Scripture yet it is erroneous in as much as it is not therein affirmed neither can it bee thence deduced by any good consequence and therefore the
top of wisedome and learning Neither did some young Students onely follow him but even the chiefe of the Vniversity Master Robert Rigge Vice-chancellour and the two Proctors tooke part with him as also Nicholas Herford Iohn Ashton of Mâ—rton-Colledge Iohn Ashwarby of Oriel-Colledge Pastour of St. Maries Church these being preachers and Bachelours of Divinity ioyned with him and were questioned on that behalfe Thomas Walsingham specially notes that when the Archbishop of Canterbury had sent Wickliffes condemnation to Robert Rigge Chancellour of the Vniversity of Oxford to be divulged hee appointed them to preach that day whom hee knew to be most zealous followers of Wickliffe and among others hee ordained one Philip Repington a Chanon of Leycester to preach on Corpus Christi day who concluded his Sermon with these words for speculative doctrine saith hee such as the point of the Sacrament of the Altar is I will set a barre on my lips while God hath otherwise instructed or illuminated the hearts of the Cleargy And afterwards when Bulles came thicke from Rome from the two Gregories the eleventh and twelfth against Wickliffe and his doctrine the whole Vniversity gave a testimony in favour of him under their seale in their Congregation house in these words among others God forbid that our Prelats should have condemned a man of suâ—h honesty for an Heretique but there is nothing that may more amply testifie the spreading of his Doctrine than an Act of Parliament in the dayes of King Richard the second where it is related that there were divers preaching dayly not onely in Churches and Church-yards but also in Markets Faires and other open places where a great congregation of people is divers Sermons contayning heresies and notorious errours for so they pleased to stile it in those dayes PAP Was Wickliffes doctrine followed after his death PROT. That which Wickliffe taught was neither borne with him nor died with him indeed if either the strength or policy of man could have made it away it had not continued as it doth to this day for in the yeere 1378. Pope Gregory the eleventh directed his Bull to the Vniversity of Oxford against the doctrine and Articles of that learned man even Rome it selfe ringing of his opinions in that Vniversity and Walsingam sayth that the Pope taxed the Heads of the Vniversity for the sleight care they tooke in the suppressing of Wickliffes doctrine and the same Walsingham complaines that those of the Vniversity were long time in suspence whether they should receive the Popes Bull with honour or rejeâ—t it with reproach Afterwards Gregory the twelfth directed another Bull to Oxford against Wickliffe Thomas Arundell Archbishop of Canterbury held a Councell at Oxford and procured a visitation and sharpe Inquisition against the Heads of Colledges Halls and others suspected of Wicklevisme or Lollardy and this Constitution is to be seene in Linwood Now this was but a Provinciall Constitution in comes the Councell of Constance and condemnes Wickliffe causing his bones to be taken up and burned forty yeares after his death and buriall and this mandate of the Popes was executed by Richard Flemming Bishop of Lincolne as Linwood testifieth who lived at the time when this was done to wit in the yeere 1428. and thus was the canonicall censure passed upon Wickliffe and his adherents now the secular power joyned with them for in the dayes of King Henry the fourth and fifth there was made the Statute de Haeretico comburendo whereby the Wicklevists and Lollards were adjudged to be burned After this King Edward the fourth sent mandatory letters to the Governours in Oxford to make search for Wickliffes bookes and to burne them and accordingly the Masters and Doctours did Here is now both his bones and his bookes burnt they thought belike to make sure worke and never to heare more of the man againe but so it was that out of his ashes as it were there arose another Phoenix and generation of Wicklevists which renued his memory doctrine belike then there were many that followed his Doctrine or else why made they so much adoe what needed so many Statutes Letters and Proclamations so many Bulles Councels and Constitutions Indeede there were many in Oxford and else-where and them of good note who imbraced Wickliffes opinions after his decease as namely Lawrence Redman master of Arts David Sawtree a Divine William Iones Thomas Brightwell William Haulam a Civilian Raphe Greenhurst Fellow of New-colledge as also one Walter Bruite a Layman mentioned by one William Wideford a great Papist this Wideford writing against Wickliffe mentions a booke of his owne sent to the Bishop of Hereford in confutation of the booke of Walter Bruite In a word Wickliffes doctrine was not contained within England onely but it gave light to other countries also insomuch as one Peter Paine who was Wickliffes Scholler and was sent with other Legats to the Councell at Basil went into Bohemia whither he carried with him some of Wickliffes bookes some part where of Iohn Hussâ— translated into his mothers tongue as Cochleus saith who also reports how one of the Bishops wrote to him out of England that he had two Volumes of Wickliffes which were almost as large as Saint Austins workes PAP What taught Wickliffe taught he as you doe PROT. Hee taught the same in substance that we doe as may appeare by a Treatise of Wickliffes Conformity with the now Church of England both in doctrine and discipline Besides we may take a taste of his Tenets out of his Treatise against the orders of Friers wherein he saith as followeth First Friars seyen that their Religion founden on sinfull men is more perfit than that Religion or order which Christ himselfe made Friars pursuen true Priests and letten them to preach the Gospell They pursuen Priests for they reproven their sins as God bids both to burne them and the Gospell of â—hrist written in English to most learning of our nation Friars send out Ideots full of covetise to preach not the Gospell but Chronicles fables and leasings to please the people and to rob them Friars by letters of Fraternity deceiven the people in Faith robben them of temporall goods and maken the people to trust more in dead parchment sealed with leasings and in vaine prayers of Hypocrites than in the helpe of God Friars perverten the right faith of the Sacrament of the Auter and bringen a new heresie they say it is an Accident withouten subjeâ—t which heresie came never into the Church till the foule feende Satanas was unbounden after a thousand yeeres Friars being made Bishops robben men by extortion as in punishing of sinne for money and suffren men to lie in sin getten of Antichrist false exemption Friars teachen Lords and namely Ladies that if they dyen in Francis habit they shall never come in hell for the vertue thereof Men sayen
Church holding that shee was a pure Virgin both before the birth of Christ and that shee also continued a Virgin all her life after condemned Helvidius for an Heretike now why were the Helvidians adjudged Heretikes surely because they beleeved more than was reveled in the word and would have thrust that on the Church for an Article of faith which had no ground at all And this is your case you over-â—each in your beliefe as the Helvidian Heretikes did witnesse your tenets of Transubstantiation adoration of Images Invocation of Saints Purgatory the Popes supremacie and the like wherein your faith is monstrous like the Gâ—ant of Gath who had on every hand sixe fingers and on every foote sixe toes and so it is with you who in the new Creed of Pope Pius the fourth have shuffled in more Articles of faith than ever God and his Catholike Church made Neither doe wee fall short in our beliefe for wee measure our faith by the standard and rule of Gods written wordâ— now since it jumpeth with the rule it neither faileth in defect nor over-reacheth in excesse Now by this time I hope I have performed the taske which I undertooke PA. You have indeed given in a Catalogue of visible Professors in some part of Christendome but what is this to the whole universall Church PRO. Very much for these particular congregations serve to make up the whole state of Christ his Church militant here on earth now this Church farre and wide dispersed hath in her particular members for substance of doctrine taught as wee doe To begin with the Easterne Church amongst the Grecians and Armenians The Grecians held that the Romane Church had not any Supremacie of Iurisdiction authoritie and grace above or over all other Churches They celebrated the Sacrament of the Eucharist in both kinds as we doe They denied that there was any Purgatorie fire They denied Extreame unction to bee a Sacrament properly so called They reject the Religious use of Massie Images or Statues admitting yet Pictures or plaine Images in their Churches The Armenians denie the true body of Christ to be really in the Sacrament of the Eucharist under the Species of Bread and Wine They denie the vertue of conferring grace to belong to the Sacraments Ex Opere operato They denie the Popes Supremacie and are subject to two of their owne Patriarches whom they call Catholicks They reject Purgatorie They have their publicke Service in their vulgar language The North-east Church amongst the Russians and Muscovites as they were converted to Christianitie by the Grecians so have they ever since continued of the Greeke Communion and Religion They have their divine Service in their owne vulgar language They reject Purgatorie They communicate in both kinds They denie the spirituall efficacie of Extreame unction To proceede now to the South-Church amongst the Habassines or mid land Aethiopians the Character of their Religion is this as I find it in Maâ—hew Dresser who reports it from Francis Alvarez a Portugal Priest and sometimes Legat into Aethiopia They communicate in both kinds They use no Extreame unction They reverence the Saints but they pray not unto them they doe much honour the mother of Christ but they neither adore her nor crave her mediation They have their Liturgie or Church Service in their owne vulgar language They have a Patriarcke of their owne who is confirmed and consecrated by the Patriarcke of Alexandria on which See they depend and not on the Romane In the Westerne Church we have the consent of the Waldenses in France the Wicklevists in England commonly called Lollards and Thaborites in Bohemia Here be then the Greeke and Latine Church the Churches in the the East West North and South all of them teaching for substance of doctrine as we doe I know indeed that Bellarmine sleighteth these Churches of Graecia Armenia Russia and Aethiopia saying We are no more moved with their examples than with the examples of Lutherans and Calvinists for they bee either Hereticks or Schismaticks So that all Churches be they never so Catholicke and ancient if they subscribe not to the now Romanâ— Faith are either Schismaticall or Hâ—reticall But we may not be so uncharitable to these afflicted Churches For as learned Bishop Vsher saith if wee should take a survey of these Churches and put by the points wherein they did differ one from another and gather into one body the rest of the Articles wherein they all did generally agree we should find that in those propositions which without all controveâ—sie are universally â—eceived in the whole Christian world so much truth is conâ—eined as being joyned with holy obedience may be sufficient to bring a man unto everlasting salvation Object I except against the Greeke Church for that it denieth the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son of God Answer Every errour denieth not Christ the foundation Indeed it would have grated the foundation if they had so denied the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Sonne as that they had made an inequalitie betweene the Persons but since their forme of speech is that the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father by the Sonne and is the spirit of the Sonne and since as the Master of the Sentences saith Non est aliud It is not another thing to say the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of the Father and the Sonne then that he is or proceeds from the Father and the Sonne in this they seeme to agree with us In eandem fidei sententiam upon the same sentence of Faith though they differ in words Since I say they thus expresse themselves they may continue to bee a true Church though erronious in the point mentioned In like sort Scotus following his Master Lombard saith that The difference betweene the Greekes and the Latines in this point is rather Verball in the manner of speech than Reall and materiall Besides it seemes by the same Scotus that the Greeks held no other Heresie then Saint Basil and Gregory Nazianzene held whom yet no man durst ever yet call Hereticks so that you must give us the famous Greeke Church againe PA. I have yet divers exceptions to take at your Catalogue as also at your English Martyrologie for you have named out of Foxe some for Martyrs who were very meane persons namely Iohn Claydon a Curriar of Leather Richard Howden a Wooll-winder as also some by name Thomas Bagley for a Martyr who was a married Priest PRO. What though some of them were tradesmen did not Peter stay divers daies in Ioppa with one Simon a Tanner Act. 9.43 Was not that godly convert Lydia a seller of Purple Act. 16.14 Hath not God chosen the base things of the world to confound the mighty 1 Cor. 1.27 c. Besides they were no such base people for among others I produced