of the trueth of Christs flesh and bloud there is no place left for doubting Answer Neither doe we doubt of the truth of Christs body and bloud but firmely believe the doctrine of the true Incaâ—nation of Christ. Objection Hilarie saith in nobis carnalibus manentem per carnem Christum habemus we men consisting of flesh and bloud have Christ remayning in us by his flâ—sh Answer So wee have by reason of our mysticall union with Christs flesh and not by any corporall transubstantiation of our flesh into Christ. The same Hilarie saith nos in eo naturaliter inessemus ipso in nobis naturaliter permanente Christ is naturally in us and wee in him but wee are not in him naturally or carnally by any transubstantiation therefore neither is he so in us these termes then of Hilaâ—ies permanentâ—m in nobis carnaliter silium the sonne remayning in us carnally note onely a greater and more reall union than barely by consent or concord of will such as the Arrians acknowledged onely betwixt the Father and the Sonne denying an unitie of nature purposely to avoid that text I and the Father are oneâ— Hilary speaking of this neere union calleth it the mysterie of a true and naturall union mysterium verae ac naturalis unitatis and so indeed it is in respect of Christs inseparable union which hee hath with us by his incarnation by which he is become flesh of our â—lesh and bone of our bone and in respect of our mysticall union with him and his body whereby wee become members of Christs body and quickned by his spirit Object Saint Cyril in his fourth Catechisme saith He that in the marriage of Cana changed water into wine by his onely will is not hee worthy that wee beleeve him that he hath changed wine into his blood Answer S. Cyrils place maintaineth not Popish transubstantiation for in this the shapes and accidents remaine and the materiall substance is corrupted but in our Saviours miracle in the second of Saint Iohn the shapes accidents and forme were changed and the common materiall substance remained Iohn 2.9 Object Cyril saith it is not simple bread and wine it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. Answer Hee sheweth his meaning to be this namely that the consecrated bread is not common ordinary and meere naturall bread but sanctified elevated and changed to supernaturall use and operation And so I proceed The Elements called Antitypes after Consecration The Fathers of this age treating of the Sacramentall Signes call them Similitudes correspondent types or figures of the body and blood of Christ the figure of the body and blood of the Lord Iesus saith Ambrose and Nazianzene speakes as wee have heard of his sisters laying up some portion of the types or tokens of Christs precious body and blood and againe how durst I offer unto him the type of so great a mysterie in lâ—ke sort Cyril of Hierusâ—lem cals them types and antitypes and they call the Symboles after Consecration Antitypes Now that which is a figure similitude and representation of a thing is not properly the same PA. It followeth not the Eucharist is termed the figure of Christs naturall body therefore it is not substantially and properly his body The figure of a thing may be the same with the thing figured Christ Iesus is a figure of his Fathers substance Hebr. 1.3 and yet is the same substantially with the Father Iohn 10.30 PRO. There is such opposition of Relatives as that the signe and the thing signified cannot bee the same in that very respect and point wherein they are opposite for the instance brought it followeth thus the sonne is the chaâ—acter of his Fathers substance ergo the Son is not the Father though of the same substance nor is the Father the Sonne so must the opposition of necessity hold the Sacrament is the figure signe and representation of Christs body ergo it is not the body of Christ but sacramentally and figuratively In a word you say that Christ is a Character and figure of his Father and yet of the same substance but to have spoken home to the matter in question you should have said that Christ a figure of the Fathers person is yet the same person that the Father which is utterly false To procâ—ed Saint Ambrose saith if thâ—re bee such vâ—rtue in the words of our Lord to make those things that were not to begin to bee how much more powerfull is his word that they remaine the same they were and yet bee changed into another thing hee holdeth the bread and wine in the Lords Supper to remaine to bee the same thaâ— they were therefore they are not changed in substance for then they should not be the same they were yet hee saith they are changed into other to wit not in substance but in qualitie use and signification for so hee saith before the blessing of the heavenly words another kind is named after the Consecration the body of Christ is signified Now if by the consecrated bread in the Eucharist the body bee signified then is not bread essentially the body PA. Saint Ambrose in the ninth chapter of such as are newly instructed in the mysteries saith Moses his word changed the water of Aegypt into blood if so great was the benediction of man what may wee thinke of divine Consecration where the very words of our Saviour worke hee saith also that by benediction or consecration the nature of the Elements in the Lords Supper is changed PRO. Among the six or seaven examples broâ—ght by Saint Ambrose only two are substantiall and the rest accidental for in the place alledged he addeth also these examples that Moses divided the Red Sea that Iordan turned his couâ—se that the bitter waters of Mara were made sweet in all which workes of God there was no Transubstantiation for the waters and the Red Sea were the same in nature and substance as they were before so that by these examples it appeareth that notwithstanding Saint Ambrose say the nature is changed yet he meant a change in qualitie onely and not in substance And such a change there is in the Eucharist the Elements are changed when of common and naturall creatures they are made sacred and become Channels and Instruments of saving grace and such a change Ambrose meant for comparing these miracles of the Prophets wherein God changed the nature of things with the change that is wrought in the Sacrament he saith that it is no lesse to adde some new things unto things than to change the nature of things averring plainly thereby that the bread had received some new thing without loosing the nature of bread and such a change is not strange for thus a piece of waxe becomming the Kings Seale changeth it's nature without Transubstantiation Besides the Fathers use the like Tenour of speech of the Sacrament of Baptisme and yet doe not hence inferre any Transubstantiation they
and he giveth a reason hereof because all merits are Gods gifts and so man is rather a debter to God for them than God to men for what are all merits to so great a glory Bernard indeed elsewhere telleth us of his owne merit but it is the Lords mercy which he calleth his merit Therefore my merit is the mercy of the Lord I am not poore in merit so long as he is not poore in mercy and if the mercies of the Lord be many my merits also are many THE THIRTEENTH CENTVRIE from the yeere of Grace one thousand two hundred to one thousand three hundred PAPIST WHat say you of this Age PROTESTANT In this age Sophistrie began to encroach upon Divinitie Aristotle and the Philoâ—ophers were as much studied as Saint Pauls Epistles Gratian and Lombard were as oft mentioned in the Schooles as the holy Scriptures and hence came so many Summes Sentences Quodlibets Legends Rules Decretals and Decrees for now by the example of Peter Lumbard many devised subtile and intricate disputations calling almost every thing into doubt after the manner of the Skeptiques or Academiques and leaving the plaine and wholesome food of the holy Scripture they began to gnaw on the bones of a controversie doting about questions and strife of words 1 Timoth. 6.4 and yet in this curious and scholastique age when men had almost lost themselves in the maze and mist of distinctions the Lord raised â—â—â—â—ch plaine witnesses as served to testifie his trutâ—â— though not in the words which the wisâ—dome of man teacheth yet in such as the Holy Ghost teachâ—th In this age lived William Bishop of Paris Gulielmus Altâ—ssiodorensis Hugo Cardinalis who made the first Concordance upon the Bible Honorius Augustodunnensis who composed the summe of historie Alexander of Hales an Englishman brought up in Paris he was stiled the Irrefragable Doctor and was tutour to Bonaventure of whom he used to say that He was of such a godly life and behaviour as Adam might seeme not to have sinned in him Now also lived Iohâ— Duns called Scotus because hee was descended of Scottish blood hee was from the subtilitie of his wit stiled the Subtile Doctorâ— he was borne at Emildon in Northumberland and being brought up in Merton Colledge in Oxford as also having heard Alexander Hales reade and professe in the Vniversitie of Paris he became wonderfull well learned in Logicke and in that crabbed and intricate divinitie of those dâ—yes yet as one still doubtfull and unresolved he did overcast the truth of religion with mists of obscurity and with so profound and admirable subtility in a daâ—ke and rude stile he wrote many workes that he deserved the title of the Subtile Doctor and after his owne name erected a new sect of the Scotists That he was boâ—ne here in England is vouched out of his owne Manuscript workes in the Libraâ—ie of Merton Colledge in Oxford which my selfe have seene which concludeth in this manner explicit Lectura c. that is Thus enâ—eth the Lecture of the subtile Doctor in the Vnâ—versity of Paris Iohn Duns borne in a certaine little Village or hamlet within the Parish of Emildon called Dunston in the County of Northumberland pertâ—ining to the house of the Schollers of Merton Hall in Oxford The famousest of all the schoolemen was Saint Thomas of Aquine entitled the Angelique Doctor In this age lived Robert Grosted Doctor of Divinitie in Oxford and Bishop of Lincolne he was termed the Maull and Hammer of the Romanists he wrote a famous letter to the Pope extant in Mathew Paris wherein he proved the Pope by his abhominable soule-murthering actions to be an heritike worthy of death yea to be Antichrist and to sit in the chaire of Pestilence as next to Lucifer himselfe Herewith the Pope was so incensed that he swore by Saint Peter and Paul he could finde in his heart to make the doating Prelate a mirrour of confusion to all the world for his saucinesse but some of the wiser Cardinals disswaded him from such courses telling him that it was true which he sayd that he was holier than any of themselvesâ— and therefore it was best to hush the matter and not to stirre the coales specially sith it was knowne that at length there would be a departure from their Church he prophecied that the Church would never be set free from her Agyptian bondage but by the edge of the sword which we have seene in part accomplished In this age flourished those two learned men Gerardus disciple to Sagarel us of Parma and Dulcinus disciple to one Novarius Hermannus these held and preached that the Pope was Antichrist and the Church of Rome Babilon some thirty of their followers came into England and were there persecuted for preaching that and the like doctrine It is like â—hat this Dulcinus had many followers for Cocâ—lâ—us saith that Iohn Hus coâ—mitted spirituall fornication with the Wiclevists and with the Dulcinists Bergomensis the Chronologer saith that there were some sixe thousand people that foâ—lowed Dulcinus and that in his time the remainders of this profession were living about Trent now he continued his Chronologie unto the yeare of Grace 1503. Prateolus saith that the remainder of the Dulcinists had in his time revived and renewed their opinions in divers places of France and Germanie Platina saith they were called Fratricelli or the Brethren and that Pope Clement the fifth sent out an armie against them into the Alpes where he famished and starved divers of them Nicholas Eymericus in his Directory for the Inquisitours saith that they filled the whole land of Lombardie with their opinions which he calleth erroneous Petrus de vincis Chancellour to Fredericke the Emperour in his letters to the Christian Princes feareth not to call the Pope an Apostata and the Beast rising out of the Sea full of names of blasphemie and like unto a Leopard and againe the Court of Rome may be called non curia sed cura marcam desideraus plusquam Marcum more desirous of a marke of silver than of S. Markes Gospell or of taking of Salmons than of reading of Salomon About this time lived Arnold de nova villa a Spanyard who taught that Satan had then seduced a great part of the world that the faith then taught was but such a faith as the devils might have who beleeve and tremble meaning belike a historicall and not a saving justifying faith as also that the Pope led men to hell that he and his Clergie did falsifie the doctrine of Christ that masses were not to be said for the dead In this age there were great odds betweene William of Saint Amour a Doctor of Paris and the Friers Mendicants or Iacobins he accused them for troubling the peace of the Church in that they preached in Churches against the will of the ordinary Pastours and heard confessions sleighting the parish Priests as men
wont to say In old time there were golden Prelates and woodden Chalices but in his time woodden Prelates and golden Chalices knowledge was now decayed Princes Prelates and others were now more busied in building or beautifying materiall Temples and Chappels than in the gathering together of living stones and reedifying Gods spirituall Temple so that in this time of Monkery many religious Houses were erected either out of voluntary Devotion or enjoyned Penance Now insteed of the right administration of the Word and Sacraments came in the dumbe guize of the Masse and the people instead of the pure milke of the Word were intertained with feigned Liturgies Legends and Miracles their consciences loaden with a number of unprofitable Ceremonies and unwarrantable Traditions now there was great conâ—idence put in holy Graines hallowed Beades Agnus Dei's and the like Babies and the honour due to the Creator was given to the creaâ—ure Now the people made many fond vowes went many merry Pilgrimages and beheld many garish Processions now they were taught that abâ—tinence from meates and drinkes was Meritorious that the opus operatum the worke done was sufficient in their Sacraments and their Devotions and much of this service performed in an unknowne tongue Now the crownes of Martyrdome wherewith the first Bishops of Rome were honoured were changed into a Triple Crowne and the Pastorall Staffe beganne to quarrell with the Princely Scepter and all these things were carried by the name of the Church the People many of them beleeving as the Church beleeved and this Church was the Roman and this Roman Church was the Pope Concerning the Church in the next 500. yeares even to these our times the Church began to recover her strengthâ— and the light of the Gospell was notably discovered by Waldus in France and his followers Wickliffe in England Iohn Hus and Martin Luther in Germanie Now also by the benefit of Printing which was found out in the fifteenth Century the Tongues came to bee knowne Knowledge increased Bookes were dispersed and Learning communicated the Scriptures were perused the Doctors and Fathers read Stories opened Times compared Truth discerned and Falshood detected Now because there hath already and will hereafter be occasion to speak of Antichrist I will therfore heere point out his severall Ages About the yeare 607. Antichrist began in part to appeare and show himselfe rising by degrees untill he came to the height of impietie for as other things so Antichrist also was to have his rising growth height and fall even as monstrous and huge Beasts goe with their young ones many yeares as other creatures doe many monthes The maine strength of the Romish Antichrist consisted in those two Swords the Spirituall and Temporall now the Pope did not at once attaine to the managing of these two Swords but by degrees he came to usurpe this two-handed Sword The first step that hee made to the throne of pride was about the yeare 607 when Pope Boniface the third by the grant of that murderer Phocas tooke to himselfe the Title Authoritie and Supremacie over the whole Church The next time that he notoriously shewed himselfe was after the thousand yeare when Gregory the â—eventh claimed and usurped both the Swords that is a Soveraigne and Universall Iurisdiction not onely Ecclesiasticall over the Clergie but also Temporall over Kings and Emperours unto this second Soveraigntie they had long aspired but never attained untill the time of this Hildebrand in whom Antichrist came to his growth yea the Pope was discovered to be Antichrist by those Catholike Bishops the Bishop of Florence and Robert Grosthead Bishop of Lincolne and others Vpon this discovery of the Man of Sinne sundry of Gods people refusing the Marke of the Beast severed themselves from the Papall Communion whereupon the Pope and his Faction raised grievous persecutions against the servants of God To speake yet more particularly the degrees of Antichrist may thus be reckoned He had his Birth or rising in Boniface the third who tooke to himselfe that Antichristian title of universall Bishop which his Predecessor Gregorie so greatly condemned Hee had his growth or increase in the time of Pope Adrian the first and the second Councell of Nice who jointly agreed to set up the Adoration of Images and the practice therof to be generally received in the Church Hee came to his Kingdome and reigned in Pope Hildebrand who excommunicated and deposed Henry the fourth the lawfull Emperour and gave away his Empire to Rodulph and after his death to others He was in his jollitie and triumphed in Pope Leo the tenth and his Lateran Councell sâ—ewing himselfe a God in pardoning sinnes delivering soules out of Purgatorie defining Faith setting himselfe above a generall Councell controuling and judging all men himselfe to be judged by none professing for so it is recorded of Gregory the seventh That he was a God and could not erre In a word as my learned kinsman hath deciphered him when he usurped an universall authoritie over all Bishops the Pope was but Antichrist Nascent when he maintained the doctrine of Adoration of Images he was Antichrist Crescent when hee exalted himselfe above all Kings and Emperours hee became Antichrist regnant but when he was made Lord of the Catholike Faith so that none must beleeve more nor lesse nor otherwise then hee prescribed hee became Antichrist Triumphant Thus did the Pope in processe of time become a perfect Antichrist playing the Hypocrite and Tyrant both in Church and State exalting himselfe aâ— a Monarch over Gods house making his owne word and definition of equall authoritie with holy Scripture usurping temporal Iurisdiction over Civill States murthering Christs servants that yeelded not to his becke His last Age is his declining age wherein the Lord by the spirit of his mouth 2 Thess. 2.8 that is by the Ministerie of his Word Shall consume this Man of Sinne and this is come to passe in part For hee is already fallen into a Consumption whereon he irrecoverably languisheth notwithstanding all the help that can be made him by his Colledge of Physicians Canonists Schoolemen Priests and Iesuits but for his finall Destruction wee must expect it at the glorious comming of our blessed Saviour The summe of all is this the Pope having pearkt himselfe above his fellow Bishops it grieved him to be subject to Kings and Emperours not to exalt himself above them he distracted both Church and State in the point of Image-worship which occasioned much bloodshed in Christendome and then having weakened the Empire he became superior to Kings and Emperours there being nothing now but the Church in his way he preuailed over it by his Lateran Flatterers who set the Pope above a generall Councel that is aboue Gods Church a Generall Councell being indeed the Representative Church of God here on earth and the Pope himselfe being the Vertuall Church for so Gretser confesseth that by the Church
for us Now though Christs Body is not according to his materiall substance wholly and intirely under the outward elements yet the Bread may bee truly termed Christs Body because of a Relative and Sacramentall union and donation of the thing signified together with the Signes worthily received PA. What reason have you to interpret these words figuratively this is my body that is this bread is a signe of my body and not plainely and literally as they sound PRO. Figurative speeches are oftentimes plaine speeches now there be no other Figures or Tropes in the Lords Supper but such as are and alwaies were usuall in Sacraments and familiarly knowne to the Church Now Sacraments must bee expounded Sacramentally and accordingly the words alledged must not bee taken literally but figuratively Christ taking bread and breaking bread said of the same This is my body now this cannot bee properly taken therefore for the right expounding of these words we are necessarily to have recourse to a figurative interpretation and the reason hereof is that common Maxime Disparatum de disparato non propriè praedicatur that is nothing can bee properly and literally affirmed joyntly of another thing which is of a different nature By this rule bread and Christs body cannot bee properly affirmed one of another bread being of a different nature from flesh can no more possibly be called the flâ—sh or body of Christ literally than lead can be called wood and this makes us interpret the words figuratively and wee have in Scripture most manifest places which proove these woâ—ds This is my body to be figuratively taken and understood because in Scripture whensoever the signe as the Bread being called Christ's body hath the name appellation of the thing signified the speech is alwayes tropicall and figurative And this agreâ—th with S. Austiâ—s Rule Sacraments bee signes which often doe take the names of those things which they doe signifie and represent therefore doe they carry the names of the things themselves thus is the signe of the Passeover the Lambe called the Passeover Math. 26.17 Exod. 12.11 27. the Rocke the signe of Christ in his passion is called Christ and the Rocke was Christ 1. Cor. 10 4. Circmmcision the signe of the Covenant called the Covenant and Bapâ—isme the signe of Christs buriall called Christs buriall for so saith S. Augustine that as Baptisme is called Christs buriall so is the Sacrament of the Body of Christ callâ—d his Body Now this shew or semblance of words concludes not that Christ or the Lambe were really the Rocke the Passeover but that these things are meant figuratively it being usuall in Scripture specially in such Sacramentally speeches as this is we are now about to give the name of the thing to that which it betokeneth and so to call Circumcision the Covenant because it is a signe thâ—t betokneth the Covenant and so of the rest Besides the other part of the Sâ—crament to wit This Cup is the New Testament in my blood Luke 22.20 is figurativâ— and not to be literally taken for you your selves sâ—y that Calix or the Cup is there taken for that which is iâ— the cup so that your sâ—lves admit a trope in the institution of this Sacrament PAP If these figurative speâ—ches were true yet I cannot see what argument you can draw from hence or how you can hence prove any thing against our Tenet saith our â—nglish Baron for it is a rule in Divinitie that Theologia Symbolica non est aâ—gumentativa that figurative speeches affoord no certaine proofe in matters of Faith PRO. The zeâ—lous Reverend and learned L. Bishop of Durâ—sme Doctor Morton tells your Baron and his Suggester that upon the no-pâ—oper sense of the words This is my body it must follow that there is no Transubstantiation in your Romish Masse no Corporall presence no râ—all Sacrifice no proper eating no lawfull divine adoration therof and as for the rule that Symbolicall arguments mâ—ke no necessary Conclusions the said learned and reveâ—end Father saith That this makes not against us touching the fiâ—urative woâ—ds of Christ This is my body the position maketh onely against them who extract either a liteâ—all sense out of a parabolicall and figurative speech as Origen did when having râ—ad that scriptureâ— Thâ—re bee some that castrate thâ—msâ—lves for the kingdome of God whâ—ch was but a pâ—rabolicall speech hee did really and thereforâ— fâ—â—lishly castrate himselfe or else when men tâ—râ—e the words of Scripture properly and literally spoken intâ—â— figurative meaningâ— as when Pope Innoâ—ent thâ— third tâ— pâ—oove that his Papall authoritie was above thâ— Impâ—riall aâ—lâ—dged that Scripture Gen. 1. God made two great lights the Sun and the Moone as if the Imperiall like the Moone had borrowed its authoritie from the Papall as from the Sun or as Pope Boniface 8 from those words Luk. 22. Behold here are two swords argued that both the temporall and spirituall sword are in the Pope as he is Vicar of Christ. Now such kinde of Symbolicall reasoning is indeed of no force â—ut by that position was it never forbid whensoever in Scripture the name of the thing signified is attributed to the symbol or signe that then the Symbolicall and Sacramental speech should be judged tropicall But this kind of exposition was alwayes approved of Christ and by his Church so here Christ taking bread and breaking bread which was the symbol and signe of Christs body and saying of the same Bread This is my body the sense cannot possibly bee literall but alâ—ogether figuâ—ative as hath bin shewne by divers â—xamples in Scripture to wit the signe of the passing over called the Passeover the Rock but a signe of Christ called Christ In each onâ— of these the Symbols being a Signe and Figuâ—e the speech must infallibly bee Figurative And therefore Bread being a Figure of Christs Body is called Christs body Figuratively And thus farre our learned Bishop of Duresme Of Images and Prayer to Saints The Church of Rome holds that Images are to bee had and retained and that due honour worship and veneration is to bee given to them The Church of England holds that the Romish doctrine of Adoration of Images and Reliques and also of Invocation of Saints is grounded upon no warraâ—tie of Scripture but rather repâ—gnant to the word of God And so indeed we finde that the Lord in his Morall law hath condemned in gâ—nerall all Imaâ—eâ— and Idols devised by man for worshâ—p and adoration And this Precept being a part of his Morall law it binds us in the state of the new Testament as it did the Israelites of old for in all the Apostles doctrine wee doe not finde that ever this prâ—câ—pt was abâ—ogated so that it bindes Israelites Christians and all PA. If all worship of Images be forbidden Exod. 20. ver 4 5. then all making of them is forbidden for the same precept which saith thou shalt not bow downe
eternall power and Godhead was manifested unto them by the creation of the World and the contemplation of the creatures hee addeth presently that God was sorely displeased with them and therefore gave them up unto vile affections because They changed the Glory of that incorruptible God into an Image made like unto corruptible men and to birds and foure-footed beasts and creeping things whereby it is evident that the Idolatry condemned in the wisest Heathen was the adoring of the invisible God whom they acknowledged to be the Creatour of all things in visible Images fashioned to the similitude of men and beast as the admirably learned Bishop Vsher hath observed in his Sermon preached before the Commons House of Parliament in Saint Margarets Church at Westminster Of Prayer to Saints There wanted not some who even in the Apostles daies under the pretence of Humilitie labored to bring into the Church the worshipping of Angels which carried with it a shew of Wisdome as Saint Paul speakes of it not much unlike that of the Papists who teach their simple people upon pretence of Humilitie and their owne unworthinesse to prepare the way to the Sonne by the servants the Saints and Angels this they counselled saith Theodoret should be done using humility and saying that the God of all was invisible and inaccessible and that it was fit men should get Gods favour by the meanes of Angels And the same Theodoret saith that they had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oratories or Chappels of Saint Michael Now the Councel of Laodicea to meete with this errour solemnly decreed that Christians ought not to forsake the Church of God and goe and invocate Angels and pronounced an Anathema against any that should be found to doe so because say they He hath forsaken our Lord Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and given himselfe to Idolatry And Theodoret mentions the Canon of this Councel and declares the meaning of it in these words Whatsoever ye doe in word or deed doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus giving thanks to God and the Father by him The Synod of Laodicea also following this Rule and desiring to heale that old disease made a Law that they should not pray unto Angels nor forsake our Lord Iesus Christ now there is the same reason of Saints that there is of the Angels PA. Iesuit Fisher in his Rejoynder to Doctor Whites Reply the second and third point saith The Councel and Theodoret are thus to be understood that Angels are not to be honoured as Gods PRO. How appeareth it that Christians were so rude in those Ages as to imagine that Angels were Gods or that sacrifices after the Pagan manner were due to them It appeareth by Theodoret that those whom he condemneth did not thinke the Angels to be Gods but that they served them as ministring Spirits whose service God had used for the publishing of the Law PA. Bellarmine saith The Councel forbad all worship of Angels called Latreia as being proper unto God but Binnius liketh Baronius exposition better who saith The Councel onely forbad the religious worship of false and heatheâ—â—sh Gods PRO. Bellarmine doth wrong in restraining the Councels speech to a speciall kind of worship for Theodoret saith generally that the Councell forbad the worship of Angels Neither did the Councell meane thereby to forbid the religious worship of false and heathenish Gods for Theodoret mentioneth the Oratories of Saint Michael and of such Angels as were supposed to give the Law and therefore were not ill Angels Baronius perceiving that the place in Theodoret toucheth the Papists to the quicke telleth us plainely That Theodoret by his leave did not well understand the meaning of Pauls words and that those Oratories of Saint Michael were anciently erected by Catholikes as if Baronius a man of yesterday at Rome could tell better what was long since done in Asia than Theodoret a Greeke Father and an ancient Father and Bishop living above twelve hundred yeares agoe not farre from those parts where these things were done Others to avoid the force of the canon have corrupted the Councell making this reading That men should not leave the Church to pray in angles or corners turning Angelos into Angulos Angels into Angles or corners but Veritas non quaerit angulos the truth will admit none of these corners neither hath the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any affinitie at all with corners To proceed the Fathers of this age affirme that religious prayer is a proper worship belonging to the sacred Trinitie and by this argument Rom. 10 14â— conclude against the Arrians and Macedonians that Christ Iesus and the Holy Ghost are truely God because Christians believe in them pray unto them they accept their petitions Athanasius saith No man would â—ver pray to receive any thing from the Father and from the Angels or from any of the other creatures Gregory Nyssen saith Wee are taught to worship and adore that nature onely which is uncreated and accordingly Antonius in his Melissa hath set downe the foresaid sentence but the Spanish Inquisitors have commanded that the word Onely should bee blotted out of his writings Now the word Onely is the onely principall word whereupon the whole sentence dependeth In like sort where Athanasius saith that God onely is to bee worshipped that the Creature is not to adore the creature that neither men nor Angels are to be worshipped The popish Index as is already observed in the Preface to this Treatise hath razed these sayings out of his Index or table which yet remaine in the text Epiphanius tels us of some superstitious women that were wont to offer up a Cake to the blessed Virgin and this vanitie hee calleth the womans Heresie because that sexe mostly vsed it but hee reproves them saying Let Mary bee in honour but let the Father and the Sonne and the Holy Ghost bee worshipped let no man worship or adore Mary and indeed hee bends all his force against that point of adoring no lesse then in sixe severall places saying Mariam nemo adoret Now Adoration being condemned it can not bee conceived that adoring her and offering to her they prayed not also to her and required of her somewhat againe All which Epiphanius reprooves Saint Ambrose speaking of our Advocate or Master of Requests saying What is so proper to Christ as to stand by God the Father for an Advocate of the people and elsewhere hee saith Tu solus Domine invocandus es thou Lord onely art to bee invocated and whereas there were some that about this time sued unto Saints and Angels saying Wee have recourse to Angels and Saints with devotion and humilitie that by their Intercâ—ssion God may bee more favourable unto us Saint Ambrose or who evâ—r else was author of those Commentaries upon Saint Pauls Epistles that are framed among his workes
hath well mâ—t with them calling it A miserable excuse in that they thinke to goe to God by these as men goe to the King by an Ofâ—icer Goe to saith he is any man so mad or so unmindfull of his salvation as to give the Kings honour to an Officer for therefore doe men goe to the King by Tribunes or Officers because the King is but a man and knoweth not to whom to commit the state of the Common wealth but to procure the favour of God from whom nothing is hid for he kâ—oweth the works of all men wee need no spokesman but a devout mind for wheresoever such a one shall speake unto him he will answer him This testimonie is so full that it makes mee remember what I have seene written with his owne hand in Saint Ambrose his Margent by Archbishop Hutton one that by Campians testimony was well verst in the Fathers namely hoc testimonium jugulat pontificios this evidence choakes the Papists Reply The place alleadged is none of Saint Ambroses neither was hee the Authour of those Commentaries on Saint Paul's Epistles Answer Wee are not so streightned that wee need make any great reckoning whether they bee his or no for wee have alleadged other places of Saint Ambrose out of his workes of which there is no question And yet they are usually cited under Saint Ambrose his name Bellarmine in five severall places alleadgeth them and in particular this Commentary on the Romanes and the Rhemists they vouch them too and when any thing in these Commentaries seeme to make for them then they cry them up and say Beatus Ambrosius and when they would thence proove the Pope to bee the ruler of the whole Church then the stile runnes Blessed Sâ—int Ambrose in his Commentaries saith thus and thus and then Saint Ambrose is the Authour of them Reply Where Saint Ambrose saith Thou Lord onely art to bee invocated it is saith Cardinall Perron very true of Invocation absolute soveraigne and finall Answer This is as much as wee desire saith our acute and learned Bishop of Winchester Doctor Andrewes for as for their relative and subalterne Invocation wee know them not and it is likely the Fathers knew not of any such oblique meanes to helpe men in their devotions for if they had so many so diverse Fathers in so many Treatises specially where they wrote de Oratione of Prayer must somewhere have mentioned them Reply Saint Ambrose saith Ad Deum suffragatore non opus est now suffragari is to give ones voice God indeed needs not any be they Elements Stars Angels or Saints they meant to interpose betweene God and men pour l' enformer to informe him but there needs some to interpose betweene God and men pour les favoriser to procure favour on our behalfe Rejoynder Although the word in Heathen Authours be used in that sense yet in the Churches stile Suffrages are taken for Prayers and in their Portuises language I find that Suffrages are used for Ora pro nobis now to the poynt God as hee needs not any Referendarie to give him intelligence nor Counsailer to give him advice so neither needeth bee any Solliciter to incline him to heare the Prayers of a devour spirit but the great Mediatour of all which is Christ our Saviour saith our learned Winchester Reply Bellarmine replyeth that non opus est suâ—â—ragatore is not sayd on our part but on Gods Râ—joynder It would bee asked of him saith the same learned Bishop when it is sayd Ad Dâ—um suffragatore non est opus whether non est opus shâ—ll bee non est opus nobis or non est opus Deo to say non est opus Deo were absurd so iâ— must bee non â—st opus nobis and so the opus est must needs lye on our parts Reply Bellarmine saith that Ambrose speakes against the Heathen that worshipped the Starres whereupon hee saith that they worshipped their fellow servants that is Creatures Answer How doth it appeare that they were so rude as to imagine that the Starres were Mediatours to God for them PRO. What doe you say to the testimonies of Athanasius Ambrose and Epiphanius alleadged against praying to Saints PA. Iesuit Fisher in his Rejoynder to Doctour Whites Reply sayth The Fathers are thus to be understood that Angels are not to be honoured as Gods nor by Sacrifices in the heathenish manner PRO. This answer is defective for the Fathers not onely when they answer Heathens but when they instruct Christians deliver the like speeches as appeareth by Chrysostome in the fifth Age. Besides how doth it appeare that Christians were so rude in those Ages as to imagine that Angels were Gods or that Sacrifices after the Pagan manner were due to them Reply Bâ—llarmine saith farther that the Fathers alleadged doe speake against the errours of the Gentiles who made wicked men departed their Gods and did offer Sacrifice unto them Rejoynder By this Reply of Bellarmines the Reader saith the Right reverend learned Lord Primate Doctor Vsher may discerne the just hand of God confounding the mans wits that would thus abuse his learning to the upholding of Idolatry for had he beene his owne man he could not possibly have failed so fowly as to râ—ckon the Angels and the Saints and the very mother of God her selfe of whom these Fathers specially Epiphanius doe expressely speake in the number of those wicked persons whom the Gentiles did take for their Gods PA. Wee give Latrîa or worship to God and Dulia or service to the Saints PRO. You give a higher worship to God and a lesser to his Saints like that wanton Roman Dame who thought to excuse her folly by saying she companied with Metellus as with a Husband and with Clodius as with a Brother whereas all was due to her husband onely so doe these spirituall wantons part stakes in Gods worship whereas all religious worship is due to God alone Neither will this distinction salve the sore for the Scripture useth these terms without any such difference for the word Latria which you appropriate to Gods service is applied to men as in this place you shall doe no servile worke the word used is Latria Lâ—vit 23.7 the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so contrariwise the word Dulia is taken in Scripture for the proper service of God as in this place serving the Lord with all Humility the word there used is Dulia so that this distinction is idle since that Religious worship and service is all one PA. We doe not invocate the Saints by Faith as Authors of the benefits we crave PRO. Your practice sheweth the contrary for you pray to the Virgin Mary in these termes Maria mater gratiae Mater misericordiae Tu nos ab hoste protege Et horâ mortis suscipe Mary Mother of Hâ—avens grace Mother where mercy hath chiefe place From
who set forth Eusebius Now Eusebius hath no such thing as is pretended his words in his owne language are these It is our custome to come to the Tombes and Monuments of the Martyrs and to make our prayers at or befâ—re those Shrines or Tombes and to honour those blessed soules Plâ—â—saith they used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to present themseâ—ves at the Martyrs Tombes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to make their prayers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those Toâ—bes and Monuments he saith not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to these Martyrs as Bellarmine would have it It is onething to pray ad memorias Martyrum before or neere the Sepulchers of â—he Martyrs as ancieÌ„tly they were wont to doe another thing to say as our adversariâ—s doe that these Prayeâ—s were made unto the Martyrs themselves the truth is they were made unto God to pâ—aise him for the assistaâ—ce given unto the Martyrs and to crave of God the like Gâ—ace 4. Fâ—urthly and lastly Eusebius in the same treatise doth fully expreâ—se himselfe touching this matter saying We are taught to worship God onely and to honour those blessed Powers that are about him with such honour as is fit and agreeable to their â—state and condition and againe To God onely will we give the worship due unâ—o his name and him onely doe we religiouslie worship and adore Object Saint Ephraim the Syrian saith Wee pray you O yeâ— blâ—ssed Spirits vouchsafe to make intercession to God for us miserable sinners Answer The learned take exceptions at this Ephraim as being a counterfeit lately brought to light and not set forth in his native language but taught to speake in the Roman tongue â—ut bee it that it is the true Saint Ephraem yet hee saith nothing directly for praying to Saints for it is but an Apostrophe in generall which infeâ—reth no coâ—â—lusion aâ— all noâ— is it directed to any one peculiar Saint bâ—t â—o the Saints iâ— geneâ—all Now it is conâ—essed that they pray to God Pro nobis miseris peccatoribus and this their bâ—other-like affâ—ction and Saint-like performance is an â—speciall paâ—t of the Communion of Saints Besides Ephraem take him as hee commâ—th to our hands delivereth that which overthroweâ—h Saintly Invocatioâ— for hee prayeth to God onely without mentioâ—ing any Saint at all yea hee saith expresly That hee knoweth no other save God to whom hee should present his prayers and yet more fully saying Tibi soli redemptori supplico To thee only my Saviour and Redeemer I make my prayer and supplication And thus speakes Ephraem when once he is out of his pâ—osopopeiaes and Rhetoricall compellations his paâ—egyâ—icks and commendatorie orations of the Saints Of Iustification by Faith onely Concerning Iustification by Faith onely Saint Ambrose or some of the same standing with Ambrose is cleare and plentifull throughout his Commentaries on Saint Pauls Epistles They are justified by faith alone by the gift of God yea hee farther saith No worke of the Law but onely faith is to bee given in Christ's cause Saint Hilarie saith That which the Law could not unloose is remitted by Christ for faith alone justifieth Saint Basil saith That it is true and perfect rejoycing in the Lord when a man is not puffed up with his owne righteousnesse but acknowledgeth his want thereof yet râ—joyceth that hee is justified by faith alone in Christ. By this that hath beene said it appeareth that when wee say Faith onely justifieth wee have not departed from the doctrine of the ancient Fathers in this point of Iustification Of Merit Concerning Merit Saint Ambrose saith Whence should I have so great merit seeing mercy is my crowne and againe What can wee doe worthy of the heavenly rewards the sâ—ffâ—ringâ— of this time are uâ—worthy for the glory tâ—â—t is to come therefore the forme of heavâ—nly Decrees doth proceed with men not according to our meâ—its but according to Gods mercy Basil saith Everlasting rest is layd up for them that strive lawfully in this life not to bee rendred according to the dâ—bt of workes but exhibited by the grace of the bountifull God to them that trust in him Macarius the Aegyptian Hermite touching the gift which Christians shall inherit averreth That this a man may rightly say that if any one from the time wherein Adam was created unto the very end of the world did fight against Satan and undergoe afflictions hee should doe no great matter in respect of the glory that hee shall inherit for heâ— shall reigne together with Christ world without end PA. You produced Saint Cyril of Hierusalem as if he should witnesse for you whereas hee is ours and your Mr. Cooke tellâ—th us that Bellarmine often alleadgeth him on our behalfe PRO. The learned make question whether Cyril or Iohn B. of Hierusalem were the Author of those Catechismes and surely in some part thereof there bee divers things unworthy of that ancient and learned Cyril who is the more to be beloved of the Orthodoxe as he was greatly hated of the Aâ—rians yet even in these Catechismes take them as they come to our hands Master Rivet a learned and judicious Divine finds many testimonies that make for us and against the Papists For instance sake Cyril in his Catechisme having numbred all the bookes of the old Testament omitteth all those that are controverted and saith Peruse the two and twenty bookes but meddle not with the Apocrypha meditate diligently upon those Scriptures which the Church doth confidently read and use no other Hee saith That the safetie and preservation of faith consists not in the eloquence of words but in the proofe of divine Scripture The same Cyril saith Receive the body of Christ with a hallow hand saying Amen and after the partaking of the body of Christ come also to the cup of the Lord. The same Cyril saith that the words my Body were Spoken of the bread Christ thus avoucheth and saith of the Bread this is my Body He resembleth the consecrated oyle wherewith their foreheads were annoynted to the consecrated bread in the Eucharist Looke saith he Thou doe not thinke it to be onely bare and simple oyle for even as the consecrated bread after prayer and invocation is no more common bread but Christs body so the holy oyle is no more bare and simple oyle or common but Charisma the gift of Grace whence as Master Rivet saith wee may thus argue as is the change in the oyle such there is in the Eucharist but in the oyle there is no change in substance but use and sanctification by grace and therefore there is no substantiall change or conversion in the Elements of bread and wine when they become the body and blood of Christ. Objection Saint Cyril saith Know you for a surety that the bread which is seene of us is not bread though the taste
and Austine in this point are ours Of Communion under both kinds Saint Chrysostome saiâ—h that whereas Vnder the Law there was a difference betweene Priests and Laicks in communicating of victimâ—s In the nâ—w it is otherwise for one body and one Cup is ministred to all Hierom saith that the Pastors administred the Eucharist and distributed the bloud of our Lord to his people the same Hierome reportâ—th how Exuperius Bishop of Tholouse in France was wont to carry the CoÌ„munion to persoâ—s absent There was no man saith he richer than Exuperius who carried the Lords body in a Wicker basket and his bloud in a Glasse It is true indeed that the Bishop sold the Churchâ—Plate for the reliefe of the poore so that he was driven to use Osier baskets and Glasse-cups but withall the story saith he carried the consecrated bread and wine severally and apart and not by way of Concomitancie Besides that the wine might be carried abroad in a viall to sicke persons without any such danger of spilling as the Iesuit dreames on Saint Austine saith All that would have life are exhâ—â—ted to drinke of the bloud and that The whole Church having received the Cup answereth Amen Pope Lâ—o râ—proveth such as in his time refused the Cup which is a token that the Cup was then in use among the Laietie his words are these Whereas some to hide their infidelitie come sometimes to Catholike Churches and are present at the celebration of sacred mysteries they so temper the matter that with unworthy mouthes they receive the Lords body but decline to drinke the bloud of our Redemption I would â—herefore have your holinesse take notice that by these signes they may be discovered and their Sacrilegious dissembling may be found out and descried that being thus discovered they may by Priestly authoritie he cast out of the societie of the Saints In like sort Gelasius enjoyned Communion in both kinds We have found saith he That certaiâ—e having received a poâ—tion of the sacred body onely abstaine from the Cup of the most holy blâ—ud which men because they are said to be intangled with I know not what superstition either let them receive the whole Sacrament or else let them be wholly â—xcluded from receiving because there can be no dividing of one and the same mysterie without grievous Sacriledge Reply Gelasius hap'ly speaketh of some Priests who consecrated the elements but themselves received not in both kinds Answer The words hee useth are Recipiant and Arceantur which doe evidently prove that he speakes of the people who doe not themselves receive the Sacrament but from the Ministers hand as also the word Arceantur that is Let them not be received though they offer themselves Besides the ancient histories speake not of any Priest that ever made scruple of drinking of the Chalice which himselfe had consecrated Reply The Manichees had an opinion that Wine was not created by God but by some evill spirit and that Christ did not shed his bloud on the Crosse and hereupon they abstained from the Chalice therefore the Church in detestation of this errour for a time commanded Communion under both kinds upon this occasion Gelasius made the Decree recorded by Gratian. Râ—joynder This was not done upon occasion of the Manichee's errour for before ever they appeared in any number Communion in both kinds was practised as appeareth by the Apostles Ignatius Iustin Martyr Irenaeus Tertullian and Saint Cyprian Now Cyprian the youngest of these flourished about the yeere two hundred and fiftie and the Manichees rose not till about the yeere two hundred seventy three Againe although Leo speake of the Manichee's yet Iesuit Vasques sayth that He commanded not the use of the Cup because of them but required that those which feigned themselves Catholikes and came to the holy Communion receiving the bread and taking the Cup into their hands pretending that they dranke the wine and yet did not should carefully be observed Now among a multitude of Communicants some few might hold the Cup to their mouth and make shew of drinking and yet receive no wine The Cup then was not for a time only allowed to the Laicks by Leo and Gelasius thereby to discover who were Manichees but in these Popes dayes the Cup was usually and ordinarily given to the Laicks and upon the refusing of the Cup then in use among the Catholikes the Manichees were discovered otherwisâ— how could the Pope have reproved their practice How could the Manichees have beâ—ne espyed and kâ—owne if they and the Catholikes had received in one kind both alike For this is the token that Leo would have them knowne by for that Thâ—y refuse to drinke the bloud of our Redemption by which words it is cleere that the Cup was offâ—red orderly unto them as unto others but thâ—y refused it Now touching the place of Gâ—lasius the same Vasquâ—z sayth that Whereas some of his part apply the same to the Manichees Canonâ— for therein he teacheth That the mysterie of the Eucharist is of that natuâ—e in regard of it selfe that without griâ—vous sacriledge it cannot bee dâ—vided and severed the one part from the other to wit because of the institution and signification Admit then that the Manichees occasioned this Decree yet this Decree is backed with a generall â—eason which forbids all to communicate in one kind onely under the perill of Sacriledge so that the Popes Canon reacheth not onely to the Manichee but to all such as halve the Communion be they Manichees oâ— Papists or whatsoever they be Of the number of Sacraments Saint Austine with others tell us That the Sacraments of the nâ—w Law flowed out of Christ's side now none issued thence but the Sacrament of water which is Baptisme and the Sacrament of bloud in the Supper The same Austine sayth Our Lord and his Apostles have dâ—livâ—red unto us a few Sacraments in stead of many and the same in doing most easie in signification most excellent in obsâ—rvation most revâ—rend as is the Sacrament of Baptisme and the celebration of the body and bloud of our Lord. And the same Father speaking of the same Sacraments whiâ—h he calleth for number the fewest for observation easiest for signification excellentest withall indeed addeth a si quid aliud if any such other Sacrament bee to bee found in Scripture but himselfe could not find any other for he concludeth them within the number of two saying These be the two Sacraments of the Church Of the Eucharist Saint Chrysostome saith that Before the Bread be sanctifyed we call it Bread but when Gods grace after consecration hath sanctifyed it by the meanes of the Priest it is freed from the name of Bread and is accounted worthy of the name of the Body of Christ although the nature of the Bread remaine still in it Châ—ysostome sayth the nature of bread remayneth after consecration they say
much upon Theodoret but Gregorie Valence tells you that Theodoret was taxed of errour by the Councell of Ephesus although he afterwards revoked his errour Reply You should have showne that the Councell taxed him with errour in this point of the Sacrament or that he retracted this opinion as erronious and then you had said somewhat It is true indeed that at fiâ—st he was not so firme in his faith being too much addicted to Theodorus Bishop of Mopsvestia and to Nestorius so that he wrote against the twelve Chapâ—ers which Cyril composed against the Nestorians but afterwards he revoked his errour and accuâ—sed Nestorius and whosoever should not confesse the blessed Virgin to bee the mother of God whereupon thâ— Councell of Chalcedon received him into their Communion Besides in the Dialogues alleadged Theodoret hath notably opposed the Grand Heretique Eutyches and therin shewed himselfe very Orthodoxe I proceede to Saint Austine the Oracle of the Latine Fathers whose judgâ—ment touching the Eucharist hath beene in part declared in the first Centurie Hee held that those words This is my Body were to be taken in a figurative sence his rule is that whensoever the Signe as the Bread being called Chrisâ—'s body hath the name of The thing signified the speech is alwayes figurative for Sacraments be signes which often doe take the names of those things which they doe signifie and reprâ—sent Therefore doe they carry the names of the things themselves Thus Baptisme the signe of Christ's buriall is called Christ's buriall now as Baptisme is called Christ's Burial so is the Sacrament of the Body of Christ called his Body and againe Christ doubted not to say This is my Body when he gave a signe of his body The same Father upon occasion of Christ's speech Except you eate the flesh of the Son of man Ioh. 6.53 gives us this general rule That whensoâ—ver we find in Scripture any speech of commanding some heynous act or forbidding some laudable thing there to hold the speâ—ch to be figurative even as this of eating the flesh of Chrâ—st Now of this Sacrament doth not Christ say Take eate This is my Body Saint Austines words are these If the Scripture seeme to command any vile or ill fact the speech is figurative Except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloud yee have no life in you facinus vel flagitium videtur jubere Christ seemeth to command a wicked and sinfull act figura est ergo It is therefore a figurative speech Commanding us to partake of the passion of Christ and sweetly and profitably keepe in memory that his flesh was crucified for us Now for the manner of our feeding on Christs body the same Father tells us that It is not corporall and sensuall but spirituall credendo by believing How shall I send up my hand into heaven to take hold on Christ fitting there Send thy Faith saith he and thou hast hold of him Againe Why preparest thou thy teeth and thy belly Believe and thou hast eaten and againe For this is to eate the living bread to believe in him he that believeth in him eateth Objection You rely much upon Saint Augustine but he makes for us as may appeare by that place where he saith that Christ at his Supper carried himselfe in his owne hands Answer Our learned Doctor Bishop Morton hath notably cleered this place Saint Augustine expounding the 3â— Psalme and falling upon a wrong translation of that place in Samuel 1.21.13 And David feigned himsâ—lfe mad in their hands reades thus He carried himselfe in his owne hands Now this cannot saith he be meant of David or any other man literally they are meant then of Christ when he said of the Eucharist This is my body Now these words Et ferebatur in manibus suis are neither in the Originall Hebrew text nor in your vulgar Translation for there it isâ— collabebatur inter manus eorum David playing the mad man slipt or fell into the hands of others they that transcribed the Septuagint mistaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his hands his owne hands for their hands occasioned this interprâ—tation Now Saint Austine interprets himselfe and answereth his Quomodo ferebatur with a Quodammodo an Adverbe of likenesse and similitude saying that After a certaine manner Christ carried himselfe in his owne hands and thus he qualifies his foâ—mer speech so that it cannot be understood of Christs Corporall carrying of his body properly in his owne hands but Quodammodo afâ—er a soâ—t and thus Saint Austine saith Secuâ—dum quendam modum this Sacrament after a sort is the body of Christ nâ—t literally but as Baptisme the Sacrament of Faith is called faith to wit figuratively and imâ—roperly Objection You alleadged Saint Chrysostome against Transubstantion but he makes for it saying Doest thou see bread doest thou see wine doe these things goe to the draught as other meates doe not so thinke not soâ— for as when waxe is put to the fire nothing of the substance remaineth nothing redoundeth so here also tâ—inke thou the mysteries consumed with the substance of the body of Christ. Answer This place as Bishop Bilson saith makes not for you for you say the substance is abolished but the accidents of bread and wine remaine but when you put waxe inâ—o the fire nothing neither shew nor substance nor accidents remaine and yet if you consult the Schooles they will tell you the accidents onely perish the matter doth not Neither doth Chrysostome say that the mysteries are consumed by the body of Christâ— but hee saith So thinke when thou commest to the mysteries that is thinke not on the elements but lift up the eyes of thy minde above them as if they were consumed and this hee spoke to stirre up the Communicants rather to marke in this Sacrament the wonderfull power and effects of Gods spirit and grace than the condition and naturall digestion of the bread and wine And it is cleare that this was his meaning for in the very next wordes following he saith Wherefore approaching to the Lords Table doe not thinke that you receive the divine body at the hands of a man but that you take a fiery coale from a Seraphim or Angel with a paire of tongs By this straine of rhetoricke Chrysostome as his manner is perswadeth the people to come to the Lords Table with no lesse reverence than if they were to receive a fiery coale as Esay did in his vision from one of the glorious Seraphims Chrysostome had no intent that the bread was transubstantiated no more than that the Priest was changed into an Angel or his hand into a payre of tongs or the body of Christ into a coale of fire and hee useth the same amplification in both the speeches the same phrase thinke you and at the same time and to the same people so that if one bee as certainely
a monster And it may bee some of the well-gifted moderne Doctors may see as farre as some of the ancient Friar Stella though it bee farre from him to condemne the common exposition given by the ancient holy Doctors Yet I know full well saith he that Pygmeis being put upon Gyants shoulders doe see farther than the Gyants themselves Neither doe wee speake this as if wee refused the tryall of Fathers but partly to bring the matter to a shorter issue and partly to give the word of God the foundation on which wee build our faith it 's due for we doe usuallâ— produce the Fathers testimonies thereby to shew our consent with the ancient Church PA. Will you charge the Fathers with errour PRO. The Fathers being but men have erred through oversight and affection Saint Cyprian and a whole Councell with him â—rred in the point of Rebaptization whiles through too much hatred of Heretickes they condemned the Baptisme of Heretickes as unlawfull and would have them baptized anew Origen through too much compassion of the wicked thought that the Devills themselves should bee saved at length Tertullian through spite of the Romane Cleargie revolted to the Montanists and was taken up with their idle Prophecies and revelations Divers of the Fathers were tainted with the errour of the Chiliasts or Millenaries mistaken herein in that they thought that Christians afâ—er the Resurrection should raigne a thousand yeares with Christ upon the earth and there should marry wives beget children eate drinke and live in corporall delights which errour though flatly repugnant to the Scriptures which say that in the Resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriagâ— but are as the Angels in heaven they fell into partâ—y by confâ—unding the first and second Resurrection Revel 20.5 and parâ—ly by taking that carnally which was mystically meant in the Revelations Revel 21.10 and 22.2 Besides the Fathers in the exposition of Scripture doe ofâ—entimes differ each from other as Sixtus Senensis hath observed in his Bibliothecâ lib. 5. PA. Though particular Fathers doe erre in some things yet the body of them is â—ound now we are bound to interpret the Scripture according to the joynt consent of the Fathers PRO. You have forfeited your bond for in the division of the ten coÌ„â—andements to conceale your Idolatry touching Image worship forbidden in the second you goe against the streame of antiquitie the learned Iewes the Fathers Greeke and Latine for though Saint Austin in respect of the mystery of the blessed Trinitie placed three commandements in the first table and seaven in the later yet there be a dozen of the Ancients that divide them as we doe namely the Hebrewes as Philo and Iosespus shew and amongst the Grecians Gregorie Nazianzene Origen Athanasius Chrysostome or whosoever was the Author of the worke unperfit upon Mathew amongst the Latines S. Ambrose S Hierome and one more ancient then they both to wit the Author of the questions of the old and new Testament going under Saint Austins name And for Historianâ— Sulpitius Severus in his sacred Historie and Zonaras in his Annals they be of the same mind where is now your submission to the joynt consent of the Fathers In like sort you hold that the blessed Virgin was free from all spot of Originall sinneâ— and yet the Scripture sayth That in Adam all have sinned Rom. 5.12 and your owne man Melchior Canus produceth seventeene Fathers to the contrary Sancti omnes all the holy Fathers that have mentioned this matter uno ore with one consent affirme the blessed Virgin to have beene conceived in Originall sinne And yet these be the men that crake of the unanimous consent of Fathers that the Fathers are as sure to them as Gregory the thirteenth is a loving Father to his children of the Church The truth is whatsoever they say of the Fathers to dazel the peoples eyes withall they use them as Merchants doe their Counters sometimes standing for pence sometime for pounds even as they be next and readiest at hand to make up their accounts neither are they farther entertained then they favour the keyes and authority of the Church saith Duraeus now by the Church he meanes the Roman Church And Gretsâ—r saith that if the Fathers teach otherwise than the Church namely the Roman Church then they bee not Fathers but step-fathers not Doctours but Seducers Cornelius Mus the Bishop of Bitonto sayth That in points of Faith he giveth more creâ—it to the Pope than to a thousand Austines Hieromes Gregories and yet these be the men that cry up the Fatheâ—s Now if the Fathers make so much for them or they of the Fathers how is it that they corrupt the writings of the true Fathers and devise such sleights to elude their testimonies how is it that they are driven to fly to the bastard treatises of false Fathers going under the name of Abdias Linus Clemens S. Denys and the like Knights of the Poste brought in to depose on their behalfe though others of their owne side have cashiered them as counterfeits for instance sake amongst the Popes decretall Epistles the first of Clemens written as is pretended to Iames the brother of the Lord is vouched by Bellarmine for proofe of the Popes Supremacie as also by the Rhemists to prove that Peter promised Saint Clement that after his departure he would not cease to pray for him and his flocke now this Clement is pretended to be the same that lived in the Apâ—stles times and is mentioned by Saint Paul but it is discovered for a counâ—erfeit for in this Epistle it is said that Peter prayed Clemens to write after his death this Epistle to Iames the brother of the Lord to comfort him and Clemens did so whereas Iames was dead long before Peter about an eight yeares at least now what a sencelesse thing is this to write letters to a dead man specially knowing him to be dead and hereupon Cardinal Cusanus hath cast off this Epistle as counterfeit In deed Turrian the Iesuit striveth to defend this Epistle but yet hee cannot shew by what carryer Clement did send the letters to Saint Iames. And yet must these bee vouched under the reverent names of Saints Abdias Saint Linus Saint Clement Saint Denys beeing not much unlike as one in Budaeus compares some grave pontifician Fathers to antiques in Churches which bow and crouch under vaults and pillars and seeme to beare up the Church as sometime the Pope thought hee saw the Church of Saint Iohn Latterane totter and ready to fall had not Saint Dominick upheld it with his shoulder whereas these doe not beare up the Church but are borne out by the Church and are indeed but puppets PA. Master Wadesworth saith Hee found the Catholickes had farre greater and better armies of evident witnesses than
their râ—formation so that they were constrained to tollerate these and the like abuses insomuch that the same Austine speaking of them saith Approbare non possum I can no way allow them and yet liberius improbare non audeo I dare not freely reprove them and why lest thereby I either offend some good men or provoke some turbulent spirits And the same Father speaking of such as dranke drunke over the Sepulchers of the dead withall he addeth It is one thing that we teach another that we tollerate it is one thing that which we are commanded to teach another thing we are commanded to correct and which we are constrained to beare withall untill that it be amended Neither indeed is it to be marvailed if the learned among them and such as were lately come from the Philosophers Schooles into Christian Colledges and a people newly crept out of Paganisme I say it is not to be marvailed if they retained something of their formâ—r Tenets and customes but these are no presidents for us who have now better learned Christ Iesus For farther caution wee may make use of that rule which Bellarmine layeth downe and it is this Wee must saith hee conferre the Fathers one with another and the same Father oft times in diverse Treatises with himselfe and by those things that are clearely set downe in one place or one Fathâ—r expound those things that seeme more obscure and doubtfull in another Now wee accept of this rule and thereby defeat diverse of our Adversaries allegations for example Those words of Saint Ambrose are much pressed Benedictione natura mutatur By benediction or consecration the nature of the elements in the Lords supper is changed and yet Saint Cyrill saith as much of Baptisme namely That the Waters are changed into a divine nature They will not hence inferre a Transubstantiation in Baptisme why will they then from the like words in Saint Ambrose inferre a Transubstantiation in the Lords Supper Those wordes of Gregory Nyssen are much pressed namely Panem in corpus Christi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bread to bee changed into Christs Body Now let Nyssen expound Nyssen who in the words immediately going before saith Corpus Christi ad divinam dignitatem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Christ's body is changed or turned into a divine excellencie and yet this is done without any Transubstansiation at all In like sort that of Theophylact is much urged who saith of the Bread That it is trans-elementated into the body of Christ hee useth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now Theophylact may expound Theophylact who in the very same place saith Nos in Christum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that wee also are trans-elementated into Christ that a Christian is in a manner trans-elementated into Christ Now they will not say that wee are transubstantiated into Christ therefore neither doth Theophylact by the word Trans-elementation used of the Bread and Wine understand any substantiall but onely a Sacramentall change The like is showne in the testimonies objected out of Hilarie in the fourth age and Cyrill of Alexandria in the fifth answered by themselves Wee are to make a dfference of the Fathers age and wâ—itings as also of their gifts Saint Austin wrote more soundly than Origen though Origen were his Ancient for Origen turned almost all into Allegories yet as with Wines so in Writings usually the elder the better and the Water neere the Spring-head runnes cleare and sweet so it was with the Fathers that wrote during the first five hundred yeares next after Christ others that wrote after the first sixe hundred yeares such as Damascen Anselme and the like they were post-nati to primitive antiquitie and out of the verge of the Churches purity as also some of them partiall for so was Damascen a party in that Image quarrell in the Easterne Church and therefore in that case his testimonie is to be barred Besides for the answering of allegations out of the Fathers wee must sever the bastard treatises from the true and undoubted writings of the Fathers for example Dionysius Hierarchy is a counterfeit Clements constitutions are suspected and Cyprian de Coena domini is not Cyprians as is already shewne in the third Centurie Object If these be counterfeits how is it that your selves produce divers testimonies out of them as also out of the Commentaries of Saint Hierome and Saint Ambrose upon Saint Pauls Epistles which yet your selves doe not hold them to be Saint Hieromes and Saint Ambroses Answer It is not to bee marvelled if some of our learned Protestants admitting the bookes were written by them whose names they doe beare doe thence produce testimonies against you for it is a rule in Law Testem quem quis inducit pro se tenetur recipere contre se you have produced them for your owne benefit and theâ—efore in reason you cannot disallow of them now though it be to your great hinderance you first produced these witnesses and now that they are in the face of the Court you must give us leave to examine them upon crosse Interrogatories To close up this point the Fathers are more to bee credited when they conclude a thing de fide dogmatic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 didactic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doctrinally positively purposely by way of setting forth a matter of faith than when they write Agonistic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say by way of contention and disputation or obiter touching a point onely upon the by and as it may serve and suite with the point they have in hand without farther respect thereunto They are more to be credited when they speake Categoric 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assertivè with asseveration than speaking onely Historic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and ex opinione aliorum relating onely the opinion of others or what was done and not delivering their owne judgement they are more to bee esteemed whâ—n they speake as Divines in a professed discourse than when they speake as Orators Poets Panegyrifts and in a popular discourse In a word wee must observe what they write out of their private opinion and what they deliver as the judgement of the Church when any of them goe alone it is not so safe following them but where wee have their unanimous and joynt consent in any materiall point wee may more securely rely upon them and this was one of King Iames his directions for Students in Divinity and I find the same rule in Vincentius Lirinensis to wit That wee may rely upon that not which one or two of the Fathers but either all or most of them have taught and that manifestly frequently and constantly PA. Although in some things the Fathers make for you yet in the point of Merit prayer for the dead and prayer to Saints they are against you they used the word Merit and held as wee doe PRO. The
resiant at Constantinople and part of the countrey that rebelled was Conquered by the King of Lumbardie and Rome and the Romane Dukedome fell unto the Pope now was the Emperour driven out of Italie and every one caâ—cht what he could the Lumbards were the strongâ—st partie and with them the Pope falls at oddes about the dividing of the spoyle and finding them too hard for him as before he had used the strength of the Lumbards to suppresse the Emperour so now he cals in Pipin Marshall of the Palace or Constable of France and â—â—aâ—les his son surnamed the Great and by their power he suppressed the Lumbards this service did Pipin and his sonne to the See of Rome in requitall whereof Chilpâ—ricke being a weake Prince was deposed Pipin and the Barons and the people of France are absolved from their Oath of Allegeance and by Pope Zacharies favour Pipin sonne to Carolus Martellus is crowned King of the Fâ—aâ—ks and Charles the Great sonne to Pipin is crowned Emperour of the West by Pope Leo the third who sâ—cceeded Adrian Then came the Pope and Charlemaigne to the partage of the Empire leaving a poore pitâ—ance for the Emperour of Greece And this was the issue of the fierce contentions about Images The Popes pulling downe Emperours and setting up Images and indeed these babies and puppits served the Popes to stalke withâ—ll but other fowle was shot at to wit Iurisdiction and a temporall Monarchie and indeed about this time the Pope grew great so that it was Gods gracious dealing with his Church that he found such opposition as he did the Easterne Emperour not daring and the Westerne in regard of late courtesies received from the Pope being haply not willing openly to affront him And thus much of Images come we now to speake a word or two of Prayer to Saints Concerning Prayer Bede in his Commentarie on the Proverbes rightly ascribed to Bede and not to Saint Hierome saith We ought to invocate that is by prayer to call into us none but God Antonius in his Melissa or mellifluous Sermon saith that Wee are taught to worship and adore that nature onely which is uncreated but the Spanish Inquisitors have clipt off a piece of his tongue Commanding the word Onely to be blotted out of his writings now the word Onely is the onely principall word that shewes us the Authors drift and the word which Gregorie Nyssen from whom he borrwed this speech used in the Originall Of Faith and Merits Bede held that we are justified by the merits of Christ imputed to us Christs condemnation is our Iustification his death is our life Hee disclaimed Iustification by inherent Righteousnesse for speaking of a regenerate man he saith That no man shall bee saved by the righteousnesse of workes but onely by the righteousnesse of Faith and therefore No man should beleeve that either his freedome of will or his merits are sufficient to bring him unto blisse but understand that he can be saved by the grace of God onely And elsewhere he saith That in the life to come we shall be well rewarded and that not by merits but by grace onely and he hath a sweet prayer that the Lord would take compassion of him and that after the worth and condignitie of his mercies and not after the condignitie of wrath which himselfe had deserved His Scholler Alcuinus maintained the same truth as appeares by these passages following I could saith Alcuinus defile my selfe with sinne but I cannot clense my selfe it is my Saviours bloud that must purge me and againe Whiles I looke on my selfe I find nothing in mee but sinne thy righteousnesse must deliver mee it is thy mercy not my merits that saves mee And elsewhere he saith very sweetly He onely can free me from sinne who came without sinne and was made a sacrifice for sinne And thus by Gods prouidence was the weightie point of Iustification preserved found in these latter and declining times THE NINTH CENTVRIE From the yeare of Grace 800. to 900. PAPIST WHat say you of this ninth Age PROTESTANT The seeds of Knowledge which our worthy Coâ—ntrey-men Bede and Alâ—win planted in Gods Field shewed themselues in their Schollers such as were Claudius Scotus Scholler to Saint Bede Rabbanus Maurus Abbot of Fulden one who as Trithemius saith for his learning had not his match in Italy or Germanie Haymo bishop of Halberstat and our Countrie-man Ioannes Scotus Erigena all three Schollers to Alcuinus Now also lived Christianus Druthmarus the Monke and the Abbot Walafridus Strabo who collected the ordinary Glosse on the Bible Agobardus bishop of Liâ—ns Claudius bishop of Thurin in Piemont Bertram a Pâ—iest and Monke of Corbey Abbey wherâ—of Paschaâ—ius was sometimes Abbot and about the yeare Eight huâ—dred and â—inetie according to Bellarmine lived the Monke Ambrosius Ausbertus About the yeare 880â— lived Remigius borne at Auxâ—rre in Fraâ—ce and sometimes called Rhemensis haply because he taught at Rhemes there was another Remigius Archbishop of Rhemes who liued in the sixth Age and converted King Clovis of France to the Christian Faith but this Saint Remigius for ought wee know wrot nothing Claudius Scotus already mentioned was one of the Irish Nation by birth a famous Divine and accounted one of the Founders of the Vniversitie of Paris this Claudius Clemens Presbiter was of latter standing and inferiour in place to that other Claudius Scotus bishop of Auxerâ—e a great opposite to Boniface Archbishop of Meâ—ts This latter Claudius wrote on the Gospels and Epistles and is often alleaged by the Reverend and learned Lord Primate Doctor Vsher. Of the Scriptures sufficiencie and Canon Claudius Scotus saith That men therefore erre because they know not the Scriptures and because they are ignorant thereof they consequently know not Christ who is the power and wisdome of God Hee also bringeth in that knowne Canon of Saint Herome This because it hath not authoritie from the Scriptures is with the same facilitie contemned wherewith it is avowed Nicephorus Patriarke of Constantinople gives us to understand That the Bookes of the old Testament were twenty and two And treating of the Apocriphall Bookes he mentioneth in particular the Bookes of Maccabees Wisdome Ester Iudith Susanna Tobie Of Communion under both kindes and number of Sacraments Paschasius upon our Saviours words Drinke yee all of this saith Drinke yee all of this as well Ministers as the rest of the Faithfull Rabanus saith That the Lord would have the Sacrament of his Body and bloâ—d to be received by the mouth of the Faithfull Haymo saith The Cup is called the Communion because all communicate of it and doe take part of the bloud of the Lord which it containeth in it Hee saith all did communicate so that the People as well as the Priests were admitted to the Cup. And Rhemigius hath the very same words
taught the same doctrine in other books also to wit De Nativitate Christi and de Animâ which are to be seene in the Libraries of the Cathedrall Church of Sarisburie and Bennet Colledge in Cambridge as the same Bishop Vsher observes PA. Was Bertram a learned man and of a good liâ—e PRO. Trithemius the Abbot gives him a large commendation For his excellent learning in Scripture his godly life his worthy Bookes and by name this of the Body and Bloud of Christ. Clodius de Sanctes â—aith Hee is put in the Catologue of Ecclesiasticall Writers for one Catholike in life and doctrine and your Brerely saith That ancient Catholike Writers doubt not to honour Bertram for a holy Martyr of their Church Now are wee come to our famous countrey-man Scotus much what of Bertrams standing and both of them in favour with Charles unto whom as Bertram Dedicated his Treatise of the Sacrament so also Ioannes Scotus wrot of the same argument and to the same effect that Bertram had done Bellarmine saith That Scotus was the first who in the Latine Church wrot doubtâ—fully of the reall presence It is indeed their fault that we have not his Booke yet may wee presume that he wrot positively neither doe we any where find that his booke of the Sacrament was condemned before the dayes of Lanfrancke who was the first that leavened the Church of England with this corrupt doctrine of the carnall presence so that all this while to wit from the yeare 876 to 1050 he passed for a good Catholike PA. Was Scotus a man of that note PRO. He was as Possevine saith Scholler to Bede Fellow-pupill with Alcuinus and accounted one of the founders of the Vniversitie of Paris and in the end dyed like a Martyr For after that he came into England and was publike Reader in Oxford by the favour of King Alfred he retired himselfe into Malmsbury Abbey and was there by his owne Schollers stabbed to death with Pen-knives and this was done saith Bale and others Fortassis non sine Monachorum impulsâ— haply not without the Monks procurement being murdered by his Schollers whiles he opposed the carnall presence which then some private persons began to set on foot By his birth he was one of the Scottish or Irish nation and is sometime called Erigena sometime Scotigena He was sirnamed Scotus the Wise and for his extraordinary learning in great account with our King Alfred and familiarly entertained by Charles the Great to whom he wrote divers letters In a word there is an old homely Epitaph which speakes what this Scotus was Clauditur hoc tumulo Sanctus Sophista Ioannes Qui ditatus erat jà m vivens dogmate miro Martyrio tandem Christi conscendere regnum Quoâ— meruit sancti regnant per saecula cuncti Vnder this stone Lyes Sophister Iohn Who living had store Of singular Lore At length he did merit Heaven to inherit A Martyr blest Where all Saints rest Or thus Here lyes interr'd Scotus the Sage A Saint and Martyr of this Age. Of Images and Prayer to Saints Ionas Bishop of Orleance who wrote against Claudius bishop of Turin in the defence of Images holds that The Images of Saintâ— and Stories of divine things may bâ—e painted in the Church not to be worshipped but to be an oâ—nament and to bring into the minds of simple people things done and past But to adore the Creature or to give it any part of divine honour we count it saith he a vile wickednesse detesting the doâ—r thereof as worthy to be accursed It is flâ—t impiete saith the same Ionas out of Origen to adore any save the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost Agobardus bishop of Lyons saith That the Ancients they had the pictures of the Saints but it was for historie sake and not for adoration and that none of thâ— ancient Catholicks haply thought that Images are to be worshipped or adored And the Orthodoxe Fathers for avoiding of superstition did carefully provide that no pictures should bee set up in Churches lest that which is worshipped should be painted on the walls Rhemigius saith That neither Images nor Angels are to be adored and Walasfridus Strabo would not have divine honour given to ought that is made by us or any other Creature Now what say the Papists to these Testimonies Baronius yeelds us Walafridus Strabo Ionas bishop of Orâ—leance Hincmarus Archbishop of Rhemes and saith That they foâ—sooke the received opinion of the Church and yet they were ever held sound Catholicks Bellarmine saith That Ionas was overtaken with Agobard his errour and other bishops of France in that Age and therefore puts in a Caveat that Ionas must bee read warily So that by their owne confession the learnedst and famousest men of this Age stand for us in this point this makes them seeke to suppresse such testimonies as are given of them Papirius Massonus set forth this booke of Agobards and delivers the argument therof to be this Detecting most manifestly the errours of the Greciâ—ns touching images pictures he to wit bishop Agobard denies tâ—at they ought to be worshipped which opinion all we Catholicks do allow and follow the testimony of Gregory the great concerning them Now this passage the Spanish Inquisitors in their expurgatorie Index Commanded tâ— bee blotted out and this is accordingly performed by the Divines of Collen in their late corrupt Edition of the great Bibliothek of the ancienâ— Fathers To close up this poynt Charles the Great was seconded by his Sonne Lewis the Godly for by his appointment the Doctors of France assembled at Paris in the yeare 842 and there condemned the adoration of Images It is not strange saith Ambrose Ansberâ—us that our prayers and teares are not offered up unto God by us but by our High Priest since that Saint Paul exhorts us to offer up the Sacrifiâ—e of Praise unto God Haymo upon those words of Isay 〈◊〉 enim Pater noster Thou O Lord art our Father Isay. 6â— ver 16. â—aith Et rectè solum invocamus ac dâ—p ecamur te And we doe right onely to invocate thee and to make our supplication to thee Of Faith and Merit Claudius Scotus saith that Faith alone saveth us because by the works of the Law no man shall be justified yet he addeth withall this caution Not as if the works of the Law should be contemned and without them a simple faith so he calleth that solitary faith which is a simple faith indeed should bee desired but that the works themselves should be adorned with the Faith of Christ. Rhemigius saith That in truth those onely are happy who are freely justified of grace and not of merit Haymo saith Wee are saved by Gods grace and not our owne merits for we have no merits at all Ambros. Ansbertus expounding that place Revel 19.
7 makes this inference In this doe wee give glory to him when we doe confesse that by no precedent merits of our good deeds but by his mercie onely wee have attained unto so great a dignitie And Rabanus in his commentaries upon the Lamentations of Ieremie least they should say our Fathers were accepted for their Merit and therefore they obtained such great things at the hands of the Lord he adjoyneth that it was not given to their Merits but because it so pleased God whose free gift is whatsoever he bestoweth I will close up this Age onely with producing an Evidence drawne about the yeare 860 namely a learned Epistle which Huldericke Bishop of Ausburg in Germanie wrote to Pope Nicolas in defence of Priests Marriage From this holy discretion saith he thou hast no a little swarved when as thou woâ—ldst have those Cleargy-men whom thou oughtest only to advise to abstinence from mariage compelled unto it by a certaine imperious violence for is not this justly in the judgement of all Wise men to be accounted violence when as against the Evangelicall institution and the charge of the Holy Ghost any man is constrained to the execution of private Decrees The Lord in the old Law appointed marriage to his Priest which he is never read afterwards to have forbidden PA. Master Brerely saith that this Epistle is forged under the name of Ulrick Bishop of Augusta PRO. Your Spanish Inquisitors have suppressed this Tesâ—imonie and strucke it dead with a Deleatur Let that whole Epistle be blotted out but our learned bishop Doctor Hall prooves that this Huldericke wrote such a Treatise and about the time assigned and also that this Record is Authenticke that it is extant as Illyricus saith in the Libraries of Germanie that ouâ— Archbishop Parker bishop Iewell Iohn Foxe had Copies of it in Parchment of great Antiquitie Besides your owne man Aeneas Sylvius afterwards Pope Pius the second almost two hundred yeares agoe mentions it and reports the Argument of it for speaking of Ausburg he saith Saint Vdalricus huic praesidet qui papam arguit de Concubinis Vdalricke is the Saint of that City who reproved the Pope concerning Concubines THE TENTH CENTVRIE From the yeare of Grace 900. to 1000. PAPIST WE are now drawing on to the thousandth yeare what say you to this tenth Age PROTESTANT By the fall of the Romane Empiâ—e Learning was now decayed and the publike Service no longer to be understood by reason of the change of the vulgar Tongues Wernerus a Carthusian Monke saith of this Age That holinesse had left the Popes and fled to the Emperours Bellarmine saith There was no Age so unlearned so unluckie And Baronius complaines saying What was then the face of the Roman Church when potent and base Whores bare all the sway at Rome at whose lust Sees were changed Bishoprickes bestowed and their Lovers thrust into Saint Peters Chaire Insomuch as Baronius is glad to prepare his Reader with a Preface before he would have him venter upon the Annals of this Age Lest a weake man seeing in the Story of those times the abomination of Desolation sitting in the Temple should bee offended and not rather wonder that there followed not immediatly the Desolation of the Temple And he had reason to Preface as much considering the corruption that grew in this Thousandth yeare wherein Satan was let loose For at thiâ— time they of Rome forbad others to marâ—y and in the meane whiles themselves slept in an unlawfull bed They also devised a carnall Presence of Christ in the Sacrament so that as the noble Morney saith The lesse that they beleeved God in hâ—aven the more carefull were they to affirme him to bee in the Bread in the Priests hands in his words in his nods and that by these meanes when it pleased them they could make him appeare upon earth Thus dishonesty accompanied infidelitie and no marvell since as Ockam saith A lewd life oftentimes blindâ—th the understanding But leâ— us see whether in this Monkish Age during this mist in Aegypt wee can discover any light in the Land of Goshen In this Age lived the Monke Radulphus Flaviaceâ—sis Stephanus Edvensis Bishop Smaragdus Abbot of Saint Michaels in Germany and Aelfricke Abbot of Malmesburie about the yeare 975. Of the Scriptures sufâ—iciencie and Canon Flaviacensis compares the Scripture to a well-furnished Table or Ordinarie It is saith hee our spirituall refection and Cordiall given to us against the heart-qualmes of our enemies The same Author speaking of Bookes pertainning to sacred Historie saith The Bookes of Tobit Iudith and of the Machabees though they bee read â—or the Churches instruction yet they have not any perfect Authoritie In like sort Aelfricke Abbot of Malmesburie in his Saxon Treatie of the old Testament tell us There are two Bookes more placed with Salomons workes as if he had made them which for likenesse of Stile and profitable vse have gone for his but Iesus the sonne of Syrach composed them one is called Liber Sapientiae the Booke of Wisdome and the other Ecclesiasticus very large Bookes and read in the Church of long custome for much good instruction amongst these Bookes the Church hath accustomed to place two other tending to the glory of God and intituled Maccabaeorum I have turned them into English and so reade them you may if you please for your owne instruction Now by this Saxon Treatise written by Aelfricus Abbas about the time of King Edgar seven hundred yeares agoe it appeares what was the Canon of holy Scripture here then received and that the Church of England had it so long agoe in her Mother tongue Of Communion under both and number of Sacraments Stephanus Edvensis saith These gifâ—s or benefits â—re dayly performed unto us when the Body and Bloud of Christ is taken at the Altar Aelfricke mentions but two Sacraments of Baptisme aâ—d the Lords Supper the same which Gods people had under the Law who though they had many Rites and Ceremonies yet in proper sense but two Sacraments his words are these The Apostle Paul saith 1 Cor. chap. 10. vers 1 2 3 4. That the Israelites did eate the same ghostly meate and drinke the same ghostly drinke because that heavenly meate that fed them fortie yeares and that water which from the Stone did flow had signification of Christs Body and his Bloud that now bee offered dayly in Gods Church So that as a good Author saith This Age acknowledged onely two Sacraments Of the Eucharist Our English Abbot Aelfricke in his Saxon Homily which was appointed publikely to be read to the people in England on Easter day before they received the Communion hath these wordes All our Forâ—fathers they did eate the same Ghostly meate and dranke the same Ghostly drinke they dranke truely of the stone that followed them and that stone was Christ neither was
his realm was subject to the Court of Rome or the Pope and that he had that libertie in his realme that the Emperour had in his Empire Anselme therefore was accused of high treason and being still desirous to goe to Rome the King told him That if hee would promise and sweare neither to goe nor Appeale to Rome for any affaires whatsoever he should then well and peaceably enjoy his Bishopricke if not that it should be free for him to passe the Seas but never to returne as the Monke of Saint Albans reports the matter Now also there arose great contention about the carnall presence of Christ in the Sacrament under Pope Victor and Nicholas the second Hildebrand being the brand that kindled it making Berengarius subscribe to their Tenet That all the faithfull in the Sacrament doe really teare with their teeth the body of Christ which position neverthelesse in these dayes is with them accounted hereticall And to say the truth they really teare the body of Christ who by their ambition doe miserably teare in pieces the Church of Christ. Now to proceede there lived in this Age Fulbertus bishop of Chartres Anselme of Laon Author of the Interlineall Glosse Theophylact Archbishop of the Bulgarians a great follower of Chrysostome and indeed his Epitomizer or Abbreviator and our Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury a man of speciall note in this Age. For as the Monke of Malmsbury reports in the Councel at Barre when the Greekes disputed against Pope Vrban so eagerly against the procession of the Holy Ghost that the Pope was at a Non plus remembring himselfe that Anselme was in the Councel he cried aloud before the whole Councel Pater Magister Anselme ubi es Oh my Father and Master Anselme where are you come now and defend your Mother the Church and when theâ— brought him in presence among them Pope Vrban said Includamus hunc in orbe nostro quasi alterius orbis papam Let us inclose him in our Circle as the Pope of the other world Now also lived Oecumenius Radulphus Ardens and Berengarius And now let us see what these good men and â—â—ue Catholâ—cke witnesses can say to the matter in quâ—stion Of the Scriptures suâ—ficiencie and Canon Saâ—nt Paul saith of the Scriptures that They are able to make us wise unto salvation that the man of God may bee peâ—fited thorowly furnished unto all good workes That the man of God saith Oâ—cumenius may bee not onely partaker after a vulgar manner of every good worke but perfect and compleate by the doctrine of the Scripâ—uâ—e And Anselme in his Commentarie upon this place saith They are able to make thee sufficiently learned to obtaine eternall salvation Petrus Cluniacensis Abbot of Clugin abutting on these times for he was saith Bellarmine of the same standing with Saint Bernard who was borne in this Age â—ut flourished about the yeare 1130 after the recitall of the canonicall bookes saith that There are besides the Authenticall bookes â—ixe others not to be rejected as namely Iudith Tobias Wisdome Ecclesiasticus and the two bookes of Maccabees which though they attaine not tâ— the high dignitie of the former yet they are received of the Church as containing necessary and profitable doctrine Of Communion under both and number of Sacraments Theophylact sharply reproves those who delighted in drinking alone and quaffing by themselves saying to such How dost thou take thy cup alone considering that the dreadfull Chalice is alike delivered unto all The Normans saith Mathew Paris thâ— morning before they fought with Harald strengthned themselves with the body and bloud of Christ. Hildebert B. of Mans â—â—lates and approves that Canon of the Councel of Brachara which condemneth the delivering of the bread sopt in the wine to the Laitie for the whole CoÌ„munion It is the manner saith Hildebert in your monasteries to give the Sacramentall bread to none but dipt in the wine which custome we find is not taken either from the Lords institution nor out of authencall constitutions Now they that misliked the receiving of the bread dipt in wine how would they have beene pleased with a dry feast for of the two it is better to receive the bread dipt in wine than the bread and no wine at all Fulbertus shewes us the way of Christian Religion Is to believe the Trinitie and veritie of the Deitie and to know the cause of his Baptisme and in whom duo vitae Sacramenta the two Sacraments of our life are contained Anselme mentions but two Sacraments common to us under the Gospâ—l as the other were to the Iewes under the law they two and we two two and no more Of the Eucharist In the year 1608 there were published at Paris certaine works of Fulbertus pertaining as wel to the refuting of the heresies of this time for so saith the Inscription as to the clearing of the history of the French Among these things that appertain to the confutatioâ—â—f the heresies of this time there is one specially fol. 168. laid down in these words Vnlesse saith Christ ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his bloud ye shall not have life in you he seemeth to command an outrage or wickednesse It is therefore a figure will the Heretick say requiring us only to communicate with the Lords passion and sweetly and profitably to lay up in our memory that his flâ—sh was crucified wounded for us He that put in these words Dicet Haereticus thought he had notably met with the Hereticks of this time but was not aware that therby he made S. Austin an Hereticke for company for the words alleadged are S. Austins de doctrinâ Christianâ lib. 3. cap. 16. Which some belike having put the publisher in mind of he was glad to put this among his Errata to confesse that these two words Dicet Haereticus were not to be found in the Manuscript copie which he had from Pâ—tavius buâ— telleth us not what we are to think of him that for the countenancing of the Popish cause ventured so shamefully to abuse S. Austin as both the learned Archbishop of Armagh Doctor Vsher and Master Moulin have observed PA. Here is much a doe about a mistake of two words saith our Iâ—suit Maloune PRO. There hath been much a doe ere this about one word the word Deipara whether the blessed Virgin Maâ—y were to be called the mother of God or no great difference raised in the Church touching the Sacrament and all about three prepositions Trans Con and Sub and the greatest stirre that ever was in Gods Church was about one letter it was but one little Iota whilst the Arriansâ—eld â—eld Christ to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the like substance with the Father but denied him to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Consubstantiall of the same substance with the Father Besides was it
then that you doe what reward can you looke for if God doe all and these and such like Pelagian speeches of some Monkes occasioned him to write his treatise of Grace and free will wherein he denying such freewill as many Popish schoolemen teach ascribes the whole originall power of good in the consent of the will unto grace saying That the good which we doe is not partly Gods but it is to be ascribed wholly unto God He disclaimed humane satisfactions saying Who will murmure and say we labour too much fast too much since we are unable to dâ—scharge the thousandth nay not the least part of our debts He held that man was unable to keepe the Law in perfection according to Gods Commandements Neither saith he was the commander ignorant that the weight of the Commandement exceeded mans strength but he judged it to be profitable thereby to put them in mind of their owne insufficiencie so that God by commanding things impossible to us did not thereby make man a transgressour but humbled him to the intent that we receiving the Law and feeling our owne wants might call to heaven and the Lord might helpe us And to the same purpose he elsewhere saith God hath therefore commanded his precepts to be observed exceedingly or to the full that we beholding our imperfection and falling short and finding that we are unable to fulfill that which we ought may fly to his mercy He held certainety of Salvation saying that a just man by the testimonie of the Holy Spirit within him may be assured of grace Bernard likewise held that our workes doe not merit condignely and herein he is most direct and punctuall against all Popish merit-mongers Dangerous saith he is the dwelling of them that trust in their owne merits dangerous bâ—causâ— ruinous And This is the whole merit of man if he put all his trust in him who saveth the whole man Againe the merits of men are not such saith he as that eternall life is due to them of right or as if â—od should doe wrong if he did not yeeld the same unto them and he giveth a reason hereof because all merits are Gods gifts and so man is rather a debter to God for them than God to men for what are all merits to so â—reat a glory Indeed he elsewhere telleth us of his merits but they be Christs and these we doe willingly embrace with Saint Bernard and apply them to our selves his words are these Therefore my merit is the mercy of the Lord I am not poore in merit so long as he is not poore in mercie and if the mercies of the Lord be many my merits also are many otherwise S. Bernard renounced al confidence of his owne merit reposing his soule on that imputative Iustice which is without man even the merit of Christ as in that al-sufficient satisfaction saying I am not worthy I confesse neither can I by my owne merits obtaine the kingdome of heaven but rest upon that interest which I have in the merits of Christs passion Now what could be spoken more Protestant-like and yet thus spake Bernard of himselfe And in this sweete meditation the devout Father closed his life as the reporter thereof hath left recorded Now besides these Articles already mentioned which are weighty ones Bernard was no universall Tâ—ent Papist neither held he divers points which your Trent Counsell hath established for foundamentall and namely the doctrine of Transubstantiation of which he is altogether silent even there where he was likeliest to treate of it if he had then knowne it for Catholike doctrine yea he there delivereth that which makes against it He taught also that the Eucharist was a commemorative sacrifice onely insomuch as alleadging those words Do this in remembrance of me he menâ—ioneth no reall sacrifice of â—hrists body and blood such as is made in the Masse but a thankefull remembrance of his death and passion Indeed S. Bâ—rnard in that Sermon of the Lords Supper if it be his for Bellarmie saith it is nothing like S. Bernards sâ—ile speakes of the Priests holding his God and reaching him forth to others as also of touching God with their hand with their mouth and hearing him speake unto them Now as the Priest heareth Christ speake unto him so he holdeth Châ—ist in his hand but the Priest heareth not Christ speake verily and indeed but in a certaine peculiar manner and forme of speech therefore he holds not Christ in his hand really and indeed but after a sort for a straine of Rhetoricall amamplification he is sayd to hold God that holdeth any thing specially pertaining to God Besides hee held the sufficiencie of the Scriptures without Traditions for writing unto a Covent of Abbots he requireth such a Councell wherein the traditions of men are not obstinately defended but which doth diligently and humbly enquire what is the good and perfect will of God and elsewhere hee saith that the Word of God is all in all He held habituall Concupiscence to be a sinne saying That kinde of sin which so often troubles us I meane our concupiscence and evill desires ought indeed to be repressed Besides he never taught adoration of Images hee held not the precise number of seaven Sacraments he stood against the opinion of the immaculate conception of the blessed Virgin Marie and the like Tenets which be Articles of Faith with you In a word he plainely confessed that the Roman Church was degenerate from the auncient religion And this may suffise to shew what religion S. Bernard professed if any man desire to see more testimonies he may finde them in Master Pankes Collectanea out of Saint Gregorie the Great and S. Bernard the devout shewing that in most foundamentall points they are ours PAP Well but I challenge Saint Bernard for one of our side PROT. I have showne already that he was ours on the surer side he was indeed a Monke and in some things superstitious and no mervaile since he lived in a later age above a thousand yeares after Christ what time as errours crept into the Church which hee might sucke in from the age wherein he lived neverthelesse he was sound in the principall points of Religion for other things wee defend him not since as your owne Proverbe goes Bernardus non vidit omnia even holy Bernard had his blemishes Yet since he held the foundation of Iustification by Faith onely in Christ and disclaimed his owne merits though otherwise his hay and stubble of praying to Saints and such like stuffe as cannot endure the fire of the Holy Ghosts triall doe burne and consume yet since he kept close to the foundation wee doubt not but his soule is safe and rests with the Lord God pardoning his errours and ignorances which he being carryed with the streame of the time tooke up as they were delivered to him without scanning or
signifying mysteryâ— rei veritas the truth of the thing as it is opposed to significans mysterium a signifying mystery simply excludes the reality of the thing for it is all one as if he had sayd that it is there onely in a signifying mystery as also in saying it is there suo modo after a sort onely he implieth that it is not there truely or in the truth of the thing visibly or invisibly So that these words of Gratian drawne from Saint Austin and Prosper seconded by the Glosse and inserted into the body of the Cannon law confirmed by Pope Gregorie the thirteenth make strongly against the reall presence of Christ's body under the Accidents of Bread and Wine as my learned friend Master Doctor Featly made it appeare in his first dayes Conference with Master Musket touching Transubstantiation Besides there were divers in this age who employed both their tongues and their pennes in defence of this truth Zacharias Chrysopolitanus saith that there were some perhaps many but hardly to bee discerned and noted that thought still as Berengarius did whom they then condemned scorning not a little the â—olly of them that say the appearing accidents of Bread and Wine after the conversion doe hang in the ayre or that the sences are deceived Rupertus saith It is not to be concealed that there are diverse though hardly to be discerned and noted which are of opinion and defend the same both by word and writing that the Fathers under the Law did eate and drinke the very Bread and Wine which wee receive in the Sacrament of the Altar And hee saith they grounded their opinion upon that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.3.4 They did all eate the same spirituall meate and did all drinke of the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of the spiritual rock that followed them and the rocke was Christ. and the same Rupert addeth that the Church tollerated this diversity of opinion touching the sacrament of the Eucharist for so he saith in his seaventh booke whence we may observe that forsomuch as the Fathers under the Law did eate of the same Christ in Manna that we doe in the Sacrament of the Supper and yet did not nor could not eate him carnally who was not then borne nor had flesh we also in our Sacrament can have no such fleshly communication with Christ as some imagine And whereas Bellarmine replyes that the Fathers received the same among themselves but not the same with us Christians he is controlled by Saint Austine who saith it was the same which we eate the corporall food indeed was diverse but the spirituall meate was the same they eate of the same spirituall meate Of Images and Prayer to Saint Nicetas Choniates a Greeke historian reports in the life and reigne of Isaac Angelus one of the Easterne Emperours that when Fredericke Emperour of the West made an expedition into Palestina the Armenians did gladly receive the Almaines because among the Almaines and Armenians the worshipping of Images was forbidden alike Claudius Sâ—yssell and Claudius Coussord both which wrote against the Waldenses reckon up this among the Waldensian errours that they denyed the placing of Images in Churches or worshipping of them Gratian saith that question is mooved whether the deceased doe know what the living heere on earth doe and withall he addeth how that the Prophet in the person of the afflicted Israelites saith Abraham our father is ignorant of us and Israell knoweth us not Esay 63 16. and hâ—rein Gratian followed Saint Austine who maketh the same inference upon that place of Scripture Gratians resolution in this point is farther layd downe by the Glosse in those termes Gratian mooveth a certaine incident question whether the dead know the things that are done in this world by the living and he answereth that they doe not and this he proveth by the authority of Esay viz. Esay 63.16 the Master of the Sentences saith It is not incredible that the soules of the Saints that delight in the secrets of Gods countenance in beholding the same see things that are done in the world below Hugo de Sancto victore leaveth it doubtfull whether the Saints doe heare our prayers or not and rejecteth that saying of Gregorie brought to prove that they doe qui videt videntem omnia videt omnia hee that seeth him who seeth all things seeth all things hee confesseth ingenuously saying I presume not to determin this matter â—arther than thus that they see so much as it pleaseth him whom they see and in whom they see what soever they see and he saith it is a hard taske to decide these points and withall thus debateth the matter Yea but thou wilt reply If they heare me not I doe but waste words in vâ—ine in making intercession unto them that doe neither heare â—nor understand Be it so Saints heare not the words of those that call unto them well nor is it pertinent to their blessed estate to be made acquainted with what is done on earth admit that they doe not heare at all doth not God therefore heare If he heare thee why art thou sollicitous then what they heare and how much they heare seeing it is most certaine that God heareth unto whom thou prayest he seeth thy humility and will reward thy pietie and devotion so that in effect Hugo makes it not any materiall thing or of necessity to pray unto Saints Rupertus upon those Words of our Saviour Whatsoever ye shall aske the Father in my Name he will give it yoâ— Iohn 16.22 saâ—th that it is the wholesome custome and Rule of the Catholicke Church to direct her prayers to God the Father through Iesus Christ our Lord because there is no other way nor passage but by him and againe we need no other chariot save onely the name of Iesus to carry and convey our prayers into heaven Claudius Seyssel saith the Waldenses held that it was in vaine to pray to the Saints and that it was superstition for to worship and adore them Of Faith and Merit SAint Bernard beleeved Iustification by Faith alone saying Let him beleeve in thee who justifiest the ungodly and being justified by Faith onely he shall have peace with God Rupertus saith that the obstinate Iew sleights the Faith of Iesus Christ which alone is able to justifie him and seekes to be saved by his owne workes Rupertus saith that God hath freely called us by the ministery of his Word unto the state of Salvation and justified us by the gracious pardon of our sinnes not upon any precedent merits of ours Saint Bernard likewise held as we have showne that our workes doe not merit condignely and herein he is most direct and punctuall The merits of men are not such saith he as that eternall life is due to them of right or as if God should doe wrong if he did not yeeld the same unto them
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
amisse and not to prosecute Luther but this Councel was not followed wherupon divers parts according to Gersons Councel began this worke of Reformation so much desired by all good men howsoever opposed by the pope and his adherents PA. A Reformation presupposeth that things were amisse will you charge the Catholicke Church with errour PRO. Wee say that particular Churches and such is that of Rome may erre and divers have erred Sixtus Senensis reckons up many Fathers that held the Millenary errour mistaking that place in the Revelation 20.5 They said that there should be two Resurrections the first of the godly to live with Christ a thousand yeares on earth in all wordly happinesse before the wicked should awake out of the sleepe of death and after that thousand yeares the second Resurrection of the wicked should bee to eternall death and the godly should ascend to eternall life this errour continued almost two hundred yeares after it began before it was condemned for an heresie and was held by so many Church-men of great account and Martyrs that Saint Augustine and Ierome did very modestly dissent saith the same Senensis The opinion of the necessity of Infants receiving the Sacrament of the Lords body and blood as well as Baptisme did possesse the minds of many in the Church for certaine hundreds of yeares as appeareth by that which Saint Austine writeth of it in his time and Hugo de Sancto victoâ—e many hundred of yeares after him Were there not also superstition and abuses in the primitive Churches did not a Councell forbid those night vigils which some Christians then used at the graves of the Martyrs in honour of the deceased Saints and are not these Vigils now abolished Doth not Saint Aâ—stine confesse there were certaine Adoratores sepulchrâ—rum â—t picturarum worshippers of tombes and pictures in the Church in his time and doth not the same Father taxe them for it To come to later times Thomas Bradwardine complayned That the whole world almoâ—t was gone after Pelagius into errour arise therefore O Lord saith hee and judge thine owne cause Gregorius Ariminensis saith That to affirme that man by his naturall strength without the speciall helpe of God can doe any vertuous action or morally good is one of the damned heresies of Pelagius or if in any thing it differ from his heresie it is further from truth The same Gregory saith The heresies of Pelagius were taught in the Church and that not by a few or them meane men but so many and of so great place that hee almost feared to follow the doctrine of the Fathers and oppose himselfe against them therein Cardinall Contaren saith That there were some who pretended to be Catholikes and opposite to Luther who whiles they laboured to advance free-will too high they detracted too much from the free-grace of God and so became adversaries to the greatest lights of the Church and friends to Pelagius It is not strange then that weâ— say there hath beene a defection not onely of Heretikes from the Câ—urch and faithâ— but also in the Church of her owne children from the sincerity of faiâ—h dâ—livered by Christ and his Apostles not for that all or the whole Church at any time did forsake the true faith but for that many fell from it according to that of Saint Paul 1. Tim. 4.1 In the last times some shall depart from the faith attâ—nding to spirits of errour Besides such a famine of the word as fell out in these later times must needs have brought in corruption in doctrine and this was it that called for Reformation For in sundry ages last past the Roman Church hath behaved her selfe more like a step-dame then a naturall mother insomuch as shee hath deprived her children of a principall portion of the food of life the word of God her publike readings and service were in an unknowne tongue the holy Scriptures were closed up that people might not cast their eyes upon them fabulous Legends were read and preached insteed of Gods word but as Claudius Espencaeus a Doctor of Paris a bitter enemy to Bâ—za and therefore more worthy of credit in this bâ—halfe saith Our Ancestors as devoutly affâ—cted to the Saints as we thought is not fit that the rehearsall of the Saints lives should shoulder out the bookes of the old and new Testament and the reading thereof And hereby it came to passe as one of their owne Authors saiâ—h That the greater number of people understood no more concerning God and things divine in particular and distinct notions then Infidels or heathen people And here in England there was such a dearth of the word in these later times of popeâ—y that some gave five markes some more some lesse for an English booke some gave a load of hay for a few Chapters of Saint Iames or of Saint Paul in English Was it not now high time to reforme these things but Rome would neither acknowledge her errours nor reâ—orme them but rather sought to defend them persecuting such as by authority established laboured this reformation How easie and safe had it beene for Rome had shee tendered the peace of Christendome to have according as the truth required permitted the uâ—e of the Cup as sometime the Councell of Basil allowed it to the Bohemians and the publike service of God in a knowne language as was sometimes granted to the Slavons as also to have abolished the worship of Imâ—ges and the like without which the Church wâ—s and that very well for a long time But Rome would not yeeld in one point lest shee should bee suspected to have erred in the rest and therely the Infallibility of the Roman Oracle the Pope bee called in question PA. That which is reformed remaines the same in substance that it was before And therefore the Catholike Religion and the substantiall exercise thereof should have remayned in England upon the Reformation but you have set up another Religion PRO. We doe not say that the Catholike Religion is reformed for that cannot bee amended but that wee have reformed Religion in that we have purged it from certaine devises and corruptions which had crept into it Before this reformation Religion was like to a certaine lumpâ— or masâ—e consisting partly of gold aâ—d partly of other refuse mettall and drosse to a sicke body wherein besides the flesh blood and bones and vitall spirits there were also divers naughty humours that had surprised the body our reformation tooke not away your gold to wit those fundamentall truths wherein you agree with us but purged it from the drosse it drew not the good blood from the body but onely purged out the pestilent humour so that we have retained whatsoever was sound Catholike and primitively ancient onely those things that were patched to the ground-soles of Religion that wee have pared away as superfluous wee have not removed the ancient land-markes
were held as you say not by the best members of the Church but by a domineering faction therein how came it that the prevailing faction suffered others to dissent from them in judgement Answer So long as men yeelded outward obedience to the Church-ceremonies without scandall in other things they were suffered to abound in their owne sense so that they submitted themsâ—lves to the obedience of the Church of Rome Besides the Church of Râ—me had not so strictly defined those Tenets in any Councel before as afterwards they did in the Councel of Tâ—ent PA. Our name Catholicke is ancient your Protestant name came not in till after Luther Besides it is a scandalous thing for your Church to derive authoritie from Wickliffâ— Husse Luther and Calvin PRO. Indeed the name Protestant began upon the protâ—sting of the Elector and Laâ—d grave against the Edict howsoever the Faith is ancient though the name bee not and yet if you stand upon names wee are called Christians and into that name were wee Baptized and that is anciâ—nter than your Roman catholicke Now you are called Catholickes but it is with an aliâs or addition Roman-Caâ—holickes as much as to say Particular Vniversall the part is the whole one Citty the woâ—ld and it is your selves that terme you Catholickes Now if one Papist call another so it is but as if one Mule should claw another The Hagarens boldly usurped the name of Sarazens although they were only the brood that sprang from the wombe of Hagar the hand-maid of Sara The Papists by this terme Catholicke worke upon simple people arguing from the one to the other as if all the priviledges of the Catholicke Church belonged to the Romane but we tell them as Optatus did the Donatists who pinned up the Church in a corner of Africke as the Romanists now conâ—ine her to their See that Their Church is Quasi Ecclesia in some sort a Church but not the Catholicke Church but an unsound member thereof We doe not derive our Church from any other than the Primitive Catholicke and Apoâ—tolickâ— Chuâ—ch The Lord is not farre from every â—â—e of us for we are also his off spring Christ Iesus is the top of our kiâ—ne and Religion the stocke Your Pedegre mâ—y be drawne in part from some of the ancient Hereâ—iâ—kes in â—espect of your Invocaâ—ion of Sainâ—s and Angelsâ— you are a kinne at least by the halfe bloud to the Angelici Who as Saint Austâ—ne saith were inclined to the worship of Angels and were from thence as Isidore noteth Called Angelici because they did worship Angelâ— By your Hyperdalâ—a and wâ—â—ship given to the blessed Virgin you shew your selves allied to the Collyridian Hereâ—ikes whom Epiphanius termes Idolaters now thâ—y were called Collyridians from the Collyrides or Cakes which at a certaine time of the yeare they used to offer unto the blessed Virgin sacrificing to her as to the Qâ—eene of heavâ—n By your doctrine of merit and workes of supererogâ—tion you resemble the Pelagians or Catharists Isidore notes it for a propertie of the Catharists or ancient Puritans To glory of their merits Thomas Waldâ—n saith It was a branch of the Pelagian heresie to â—old that according to the measure of meritorious workes God will reward a man so meriâ—ing Now the Rhemists a sprig of this branch mainâ—aine That they doe woâ—ke by their owne freewill and thereby deserve their salvation as also that Good workes are meritorious and the very cause of salvatâ—on so farre that God should be unjust if he rendred not hâ—aven for the same Now concerning the names of Wicklâ—ffe and Husse Luther and Calvin wherewith you pressâ—uâ— you shâ—ll not hereby drive us from holding that with them which thâ—y held of God for though wee rejoyce not in names drawnâ— from men but in the name of Christians into the which we are bapâ—ized yet wee know no great harme by them nor you we thinke set slaunders apaâ—t why we shâ—uld bee ashamed of them more than oâ—r Fathers were of Caecilian of whom the Dâ—natists câ—lled thâ—m Caeciâ—ianists but had they beene as evill almost as their enemies report them from which impâ—tations they are alrâ—aâ—y cleared anâ— theiâ— doctâ—ine â—ixâ— with lâ—â—ven as was the Phâ—risees yet Saint Paul hath tauâ—ht us to acknowledge our selves even Pâ—â—â—iseâ—s iâ— need be not onely Lutherans or Waldensâ—s in that the Pharisees taught a truth of Christian faith to wit the Resurrection of the dead In a word we esteeme of Calvin and Luther and the rest of the first Reformers as worthy men but wee make them not Lords over our faith PA. What thinke you of our fore-fathers that lived and died in the time of Poperie as you call it they were of our Religion PRO. I thinke charitably of them that they might bee saved for many of them were well meaning men and wanting meanes of better instruction they were carried with the sway of the times and as Saint Paul saith 1. Tim. 1.13 Did it ignorantly like those two hundred 2. Sam. 15.11 who in simplicity of heart followed Absalon knowing nothing of his treason and rebellion intended they knew not the depth and mysterie of poperie not their Merit of condignity nor their severall sorts of adoration their Latria Dulia and Hyperdulia Indeed the Scriptures and Church-service were lockt up in an unknowne tongue and yet even in the depth of Poperie as appeares by a Councell held at Clyffe and also by a Provinciall Constitution of Iohn Peckam Arch-bishop of Canterbury The Priests were enjoyned to teach the people the heads of Christian faith and Religion and namely to expound unto them the Creed the ten Commandements and the Sacraments and that vulgariter that is as the Glosse there saith in the vulgar and mother tongue to wit in English to the native English and in French to the French-borne so that even in those daâ—ker times there was a measure of explicite faith required at the hands of Lay-people and they were to be trained up in the knowledge of those Credendorum so farre as the Letter of the Creed might leade them and Faciendorum such as the Decalogue appointed them and Petendorum comprised in the Lords prayer and Recipiendorum tendred in the Sacraments It is Lyrae's conceit that when Saint Paul saith 1. Cor. 14.19 Hee had ratâ—er in the Church speake five words with his undeâ—standing then ten thousand in a strange tongue that those five words were those Agenda and Credenda which concerne our faith and manners as also those Vitanda Timenda and Speranda which the Pastors were to declare unto the people Besides there were divers parcels of the Creed concerning Christ and namely touching his Incarnation Passion his Resurrection and Ascension that were wont to be represented to their memories and meditations in the severall Festivities and Holy-dayes which the Church solemnized Besides wee hope the better for that they erred in points of
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
cruel Foe our soules defend And them receive when life shall end The Crosse is likewise devouâ—ly saluted in this manner O Crux ave spes unica Hoc passionis tempore Auge pijs justitiam Reâ—sque dona veniam All haile O Crosse our onely hope In this time of the passion Increase thou justice to the godly And give to sinners pardon PA. You have alleadged divers Fathers against praying to Saints give me now leave to produce such testimonies as Bellarmine brings in for invocation of Saints PRO. The learned Bishopâ— on our side Bishop Andrewes and Bishop Montague have particularly examined the severall testimonies alleadged by Bellarmine and found that hee hath utterly failed in his proofes PA. Let us heare the Fathers themselves speake for their testimonies seeme to be cleere for us for instance sake Nazianzâ—n repâ—rts that Cypâ—ian whiles hee was a Pagan and a Conjurer he fell in love with Iustina a Christian virgine at Antioch whom when as by wooing and ordinary meanes hee could not winne to his will hee went about to intice and prevaile with by Magicall spells and conjurations which the Damosell perceiving besought the Virgin Mary to succour her being a distressed virgin PRO. This goes under his name but haply is none of his for it is not likely that Nazianzene one of so great learning judgement and memory could as Billius spâ—akes be so grossely mistaken to ascribe that unto Saint Cyprian Bishop of Carthage in Africke that if it were at all was done by one Cyprian the Deacon of Antioch in Asia But yet say it were Nazianzen's owne report it being but a private act out of the devout affection in a Mayd it cannot bee drawne to a rule of Faith neither is it proposed as an example to bee followed but onely by way of bare narration what shee did the relater passeth not his owne censure upon it yea but hee taxeth it not though hee did not yet others and by name Epiphanius in the same age taxed such of that sexe as offered Cakes and the like presents and oblations to the blessed Virgin Lastly the story saith that despayring of all other remedies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shee flyeth to God and then assumeth for her Patron and Protectour Christ Iesus her Spouse and after this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shee besought the Virgin Mary to succour her being a distressed virgin First she flyeth to God secondly shee maketh Christ her Patron thirdly she requesteth the Virgin Mary in zeale rather than upon knowledge And although Nazianzen speaking onely by hearesay reporteth that shee supplicated not by any Collect or set forme of devotion but by a short ejaculation to the Virgin Mary yet this was done by her in the last place and after shee had first sought to God and Christ Whereas in their Romish devotions our Lady hath their orizons first addressed to her and our Lord hath them but as it were at second hand the reveâ—sion of thâ—m PA. Gregory Nyssen cals to Theodore the Martyr saying gather together the troopes of thy brother Martyrs and thou with them joyntly beseech God to stay the invasion of the Barbarous Gothes PRO. Nyssen spake this in a Panegyricall oration as an Oratour not as a Divine in a popular sermon of Commemoration not in doctrinall determination In like sort Bellarmine objects Nazianzen in his orations calling unto Cyprian Basil and Athanasius with a tu autem è supernis nos respice doe thou favourably looke upon us from an high Whereas this is no direct invocation but rather a vote wish and desire that Basil and Athanasius might doe so and so for it is not respice nos but o si or Vtinam nos respicias and so hee speakes of Basil and now Basil is in the heavens offering as I thinke sacrifices for us and praying for the people hee comes with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as I take it as I am perswaded it was but his opinion and conjecture being indeed nothing but a Rhetoricâ—ll flourish The like answer may serve to that of Hierome who concluding his Funerall Oration upon Paula desireth her in heaven to assist him with her prayers the â—peech hâ—e useth is no more but a Rhetoricall Apostrophe or conversion to her Besides it is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a wish and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a direct prayer unto her In the like manner â—or proofe of prayer to Saints Bellarmine alleadgeth two Poets Paulinus and Prudentius now wee answer him in his owne words who when Prudentiâ—s was alleadged against him in the point of Purgatory hee puts it off saying Prudentius played the Poet so say wee that they spoke it in a poeticall vaine as others in a straine of Rhetorike Now in Poetrie men take more libertie besides their words serve them not at will as they doe in prose but they must often take such to make up their verse as were otherwise inconvenient to bee used moreover the heate of their invention carrieth them further oftentimes then in a temperate speech they would be carried PA. Saint Ambrose exhorts widowes to pray to the Angels and Martyrs whom hee calleth beholders of our lives and actions PRO. Saint Ambrose was chosen from a secular Iudge to bee Bishop of Millaine and was faine to bee christned before hee could bee consecrated Now this booke de Viduis of widowes was written about the beginning of his christianitie and divinitie both and therefore it is not strange if in his beginning and novice ship hee said some things for which hee afterwardâ— corrected himselfe of this sort is that which he hath in the booke alleadged which shewes hee was a novice in divinitie when hee wrote that booke de Viduis for there hee doubts whether the Martyrs had any sinnes or nâ— and then saith That the sinnes they had they did themsâ—lves wash away with their owne blood Whereas the holy Scripture gives us no other Lâ—ver for our sinnes than the blood of Iesus Christ Who hath loved us and washed us from our sinnes in his owne blood And againe The Saints have washed their robes in the blood of the Lambe Now the blood of Martyrs is not the blood of Christ and therefore that speech was neither so safely nor properly set downe Besides the words reaâ—h not home it is onely his opinion that the Saints and Angâ—ls are our Patrons Videmur Wee seeme to have their paâ—ronage and yet it is but Patrocinium quoddam a certaine kind of gardian ship But what Saint Ambrose's opinion was touching this point no man can better tell than himselfe who elsewhere saith That to procure Gods favour wee need no spokesman but a devout mind and againe Thou onely O Lord oughtest to bee invocated and prayed unto Objection Saint Cyril of Hierusalem saith That wee make mention of those that sleepe in the Lord before us that by their Intercession
God would receive our prayers Thus he in his mystagogicall Catechismes Answer The learned doe thinke that Cyril of Hierusalem was not Author thereof but one Iohn Bishop of Hierusalem who lived about the yeare 767 a great advocate of Images and indeed it may seeme so by some idle stuffe we find in them as namely where it is said That the wood of the Crosse did increase and multiply in such sort that the earth was full thereof But be it Cyrils of Hierusalem it makes not for the Romists All he saith is this in effect he supposeth that those holy ones with God doe continually pray unto God which prayers he desires God would mercifully heare and grant unto them for the good of his servants here on earth Lastly he sayth mentionem facimus and so did the ancients in their Commemorations mention the Godly Saints deceased and yet without any direct invoking of them And so Saint Austin saith That the Martyrs were named at the Communion Table but yet not invocated by the Priest Saint Austin flatly opposeth invocantur to nominantur nominantur sed non invocantur so that they might be nominated and mentioned as Cyril speakes and yet not at all invocated Objection Saint Hilary saith that by reason of our infirmitie we stand in need of the intercession of Angels and the like he hath upon the 124 Psalme Answer Hilary speakes onely of Angelicall intercession not a word touching invocation or intercession of Saints And if any intercession be intended it is that in generall for the whole Church In the other place upon the 124 Psalme Hilary speaks neither of Saints praying for us nor of praying to them but sayth That the Church hath no small ayde in the Apostles Prophets and Patriarkes or rather in the Angels which hedge and compasse the Church round about with a certaine guard the ayde therefore he meaneth is the example and doctrine of the Saints departed and the ministerie of the Angels Objection The Emperour Theodosius went in Procession with his Clergy and Laity to the Oratories and Chappels and lying prostrate before the Shrines and Monuments of the Apostles and Martyrs he required ayde to himselfe by the faithfull intercession of the Saints Answer The Emperour did not invocate any Saint or Saints at all onely upon that exigent of the rebellion of Eugenius and his complices he repayres to the Shrines and Chappels of the Apostles Martyrs and other holy Saints there he made his prayers unto God in Christ not unto them desiring God to ayde him against his enemies and the rather upon the prayers and intercession of the Saints on his behalfe now invocation followes not presently upon intercession Reply Sozomen telleth us that the Emperour before he joyned battaile he earnestly intreated to be assisted by Saint Iohn Baptist. Rejoynder The learned Bishop Bishop Mountague answereth that the credit of this story may â—e questioned for Socrates and Thâ—odoret elder than Sozomen have it not and Sozomen himselfe hath no greater warrant for iâ— then heaâ—e say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the report is but who the Author was whaâ— credit it was of is not related But supposing the truth of the story Ruffinus hath the very forme of the Prayer which the Emperour made and there is no mention therein of invocating either Saint or Angâ—l Socrates saith that the Emperor implored Gods assistance and had his desire Theodoret saith that the Eâ—perour prayed to God so that the Emperour had repayre unto God alone without any mediation at all I have consulted with the Originall and there indeed I find that the Emperour being in Saint Iohn Baptist's Church which Theodosius himsâ—lfe had built He called to have Saint Iohn Baptist's assistance in the battaile he did not directly call upon S. Iohn Baptist but he called upon God that he would appoint the Baptist for to aâ—d him But be it that he called upon the Baptist indeed yet this was done in the second place after he had first immediatly called upon God himsâ—lfe Objection Athanasius in his Sermon upon the Annunciation of blessâ—d Virgin sayth to the Virgin Mary Incline thine cares to our prayers and forget not thy people Answer Indeed this speakes home but it is not the true Athanâ—sius but some counterfeits bearing his name and this is confessed by the two Arch pillars of Poperie Bellarmine and Baronius for howsoever Bellarmine to make up his number produce Athanâ—sius for proofe of Saintly invocation yet the same Bâ—llarmine when he is out of the heat of his controversies and is not tied to maintaine â—he invocation of Saints but treateth of other matters then in his Catalogue of Ecclesiasticall wriâ—ers he is of another judgement and saith that this Sermon of Athanasius of the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin seemeth not to be Athanasiusses but some later writeâ—s who lived afâ—er the sixâ—h generall Councel Baronius also is of the same judgement and indeed he that shall consider and wâ—iâ—h what the true Athanasius writes to wit That God onely is to be worshipped that the creature is not to fall downe and worship or supplicate the creature nor to make the Saints being but creatures no creators speciall helpers and opitulators he I say that shall duely weigh these things will easily conceive when he reads this Sermon of the Annunciation that either Athanasius was not constant to his own doctrine which is not to bee imagined or that this Homily alleadged is none of the true Athanasiusses it is so farre different from his other doctrine Objection Bellarmine for proofe of Saintly invocation alleadgeth a place out of Eusebius the testimonie speaketh thus as there it standeth reported out of the thirteenth Booke and seaventh Chapter of his Evangelicall Preparation This we daily doe we honour those heavenly Souldiers as Gods friends we approach unto their Monuments and pray unto them as unto Holy men by whose intercession we professe our selves to be much holpâ—n Answer Eusebius speakes not of particular invocation for particular intercession but of generall mediation of the Saints in heaveÌ„ who pray for Saints on earth in general according to the nature of Communion of Saints without any intercession used to theÌ„ or invocation of them by that other moity of the Church Militant oâ— earth Secondly Eusebiuâ— doth not enlarge his speech to all the Saints departed but unto Martyrs onely whom he calleâ—h Heavenly Souldiers Now the case of Martyrs and other Saints is not equall for in the opinion of the Ancients that of Martyrs was faâ—re above all other depaâ—ted with God as enjoying moâ—e priviledge from God with Christ in glory by some specially enlarged dispensation than they the other holy Saints did as Saint Augustine teacheth 3. Thirdly the place alleadged is taken out of a corrupt translation made by Trapezuntius and afterwards followed by Dadroeus a Doctour of Paris