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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20949	The Iesuites shifts, and euasions; or, his deportment in controuersies of religion. Or, A treatise, wherein the causes are examined why Mr. Arnoux the Iesuite, refuseth to answere to seauenteene questions propounded by the ministers of the church of Paris Wherein also the treatise of fiue euasions which he hath added to the examination of our confession, is likewise examined and answered: by Peter Du Moulin.; Fuites et évasions du Sieur Arnoux. English	Du Moulin, Pierre, 1568-1658.	1624 (1624)	STC 7328; ESTC S111074	27,667	44

hee wanteth common sense to content himselfe to learne the beliefe of his aduersaries by their enemies inuectiues or by popular report rather than by their owne confession Whereby it happeneth that all the disputation is a manner of skirmishing in the ayre which striketh no man and a fantasie of an imaginary controuersie forged to storme or bestirre themselues against But this is the manner which at this day they vse with vs for they that preach or write against vs make vs as blacke as Pitch with slanders and forge another confession for vs. When wee reade our Aduersaries writings wee might imagine that they write against another Religion than ours if we saw not our names at the beginning of their Bookes and in the titles of the Chapters And what protestations soeuer wee make that we beleeue nothing that they make vs to say yet they are resolute and will perswade vs that wee doe beleeue it Master Arnoux Booke written against our confession iustifieth the same which in stead of refuting our confession changeth it in such manner that fighting against his owne inuentions his quarrell is against himselfe Whereupon I am forced in a briefe Table to set downe what kinde of confession of the faith our Aduersaries attribute vnto vs and how they paint out our confession like a horrible Monster which they shew vnto the people to get money thereby Peter Cotton the Iesuite made a Booke intituled Catholique Institution at the beginning whereof hee hath made a Preface to those of the pretended reformed Church wherein hee comprehendeth all our beliefe in 28. Articles which are these that follow 1 THat the Children of Christians may be saued onely by the faith of their Parents without baptisme and therefore that baptisme is not absolutely necessary 2 That the Bread in the Supper of our Lord is onely the figure of the Body of Iesus Christ 3 That the Church may erre 4 That we must not allow of any traditions 5 That Angels and Saints which are in glory know not our necessities and cannot heare our prayers 6 That Priests and religious persons may breake their vowes 7 That single life is not to bee preferred before marriage 8 That the Bookes of Macabees Wisdome Ecclesiasticus Tobias the rest of Daniel and Baruc are Apocripha 9 That the Soule of the Sonne of God did not descend into Hell to fetch the soules of the holy Fathers from thence which there stayed for his comming or that before the Ascension of Iesus Christ the soules of the Saints were receiued into Heauen not into Limbus nor into any other third place 10 That we must confesse our sinnes to God onely 11 That faith onely iustifieth 12 That when the fault of sinne is remitted the punishment also is remitted 13 That God did not create men in one and the same condition but that he created some to be saued and the rest to be damned perpetually 14 That euery particular man hath an Angell that watcheth ouer him 15 That it is not lawfull to salute him nor to call vpon him 16 That God doth not suffer sinne to be done but that he will haue it to be done that hee thrusteth vs forward vnto it and constraineth vs thereunto 17 That the Scripture is easie to be vnderstood and that the vnderstanding thereof is giuen vnto all men 18 That there needes no ordinary or extraordinary vocation to preach the Word of God 19 That we must beleeue nothing but that which is written 20 That God hath not giuen power to the Church to remit sinnes 21 That all sinnes are mortall 22 That a man cannot merit by grace 23 That it is impossible to keepe the Commaundements of God although he ayde vs. 24 That God doth not recompence good workes 25 That there is no distinction of blessednesse among the Saints and that they are all equall therein 26 That we must not vse the imposition of hands which the Apostles vsed vpon those of Samaria and Ephesus 27 That the precept to annoynt sicke persons with oyle whereof St. Iames speaketh ought not to be practised in the Church although it was vsed by the Apostles 28 That prayer for the dead was not vsed in ancient times nor yet in the Machabees time Vpon these eight twenty Articles he asketh vs proofes out of the holy Scriptures but he should aske proofes of all these Articles of those that beleeue such things and not of vs to whom all these poynts are in a manner slanderously imputed Vpon the which I will briefly say something to the Reader and run ouer all these Articles 1 IT is false that we say that Children may be saued onely by the faith of their Parents Touching the necessity of Baptisme with water the Church of Rome beleeueth it not The Councell of Trent is of opinion that a vow supplyeth the want of Baptisme with water and our Aduersaries say that the Baptisme of bloud and the Baptisme of the Spirit that is martyrdome and regeneration without baptisme with water may saue a man 2 It is false that wee beleeue that the Bread in the holy Supper is onely the figure of the body of Christ The Scripture teacheth vs that the Sacraments also are seales to confirme and that the bread which wee breake is the communion of the body of Christ 3 It is false that we simply say that the Church can erre The Church that is spoken of in the Creede which is the Church of the Elect cannot erre in deciding of the doubts in faith because it neuer assembleth to decide any thing Touching the visible vniuersall Church it was assembled in the persons of the Apostles which did wholly gouerne it then it could not erre Now it is diuided into particular contrary Churches seperated from communion It is impossible to assemble the same to decide any causes Touching particular Churches as the Greeke Romane and the Syrian c. There are some that may erre and there are some particular Churches wherein it is impossible to be saued that is those that are idolatrous where the benefit of Iesus Christ is corrupted 4 It is false that we reiect all traditions we reiect those onely which add something to the doctrine of faith contayned in the holy Scriptures 5 It is false that we beleeue that Angels and Saints know not our necessities they doe generally know that the Church of God is persecuted and hath great combats to resist The Angels that God hath appointed to be our gardians know our necessities and what estate we are in 6 It is false that we simply say that Priests ought not to keepe their vowes if they make a vow of possible things and conformable to the Word of God they ought to keepe them 7 It is false that we say that single life is not to be preferred before marriage single life that is continent and hath no euill desires hath great commodities and aduantages aboue marriage and more liberty to serue God 8. 9. The eighth and

of God either in this life or in purgatorie 10 Where God forbiddeth Priests and Monkes to marry 11 In what place of the Scripture we are commanded to adore the reliques of Saints 12 In what place of the Scripture there is any thing said of the place of Limbus for little Children 13 In what place of the Scripture it is said that the Church of Rome is the Soueraigne Iudge of doubts in faith and that she cannot erre 14 In what place of the Scripture the Virgin Mary is called Queene of Heauen 15 In what place of the Scripture God forbiddeth the people to reade the holy Scriptures without speciall permission 16 In what place of the Scripture power is giuen to the Pope to gather into the treasury of the Church the super-aboundant satisfactions of Saints and of Monkes and to conuert them into payment for others distributing them by Indulgences 17 Lastly where and when hath God giuen power to the Pope to depose Kings to draw soules out of Purgatorie and to giue pardons for seauen or eight hundred thousand yeares Vpon these seauenteene poynts which make the Body of Popery and wherein the abuse and tyranny thereof consisteth we aske Master Arnoux whether he will produce any places of holy Scripture to proue them and wee will content our selues with one place onely for euery seuerall poynt Our meaning is not to restraine him to finde these things in the Scripture word by word it shall suffice vs if he can finde them there in substance or that they can be deduced by good consequence For we seeke no delayes nor are not tyed to the number of syllables so the thing be proued in the word of God Now we must see what answere Mr. Arnoux maketh to these questions and how he proueth his Religion by the Word of God CHAP. II. Mr. Arnoux answere to these Questions THe Aduersarie maketh answere in these words 1. 100. page of Mr. Arnoux Booke First he saith it belongeth not vnto them to aske me the reason of my beleefe because I am in possession no man hath giuen them commission to pull the title of the inheritance which I hold out of my hands I answere that it is true that we haue no power to make him speake nor to binde him to giue vs an answere but the commandement of God bindeth him thereunto in the first Epistle of S. Peter 3.15 Be ready alwayes to giue an answere to euery man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekenesse and feare Iesus Christ made answere touching his doctrine to those that came vnto him although they were his enemles and had no power ouer him We haue answered Mr. Arnoux to all whatsoeuer he demanded of vs and obiected against vs although he hath no power ouer vs neither did shew vs his commission He hath bound himselfe to answere vs because he prouoked vs to speake For that asking vs a reason of our religion he might make his account that we would aske him a reason of his religion not in manner of reuenge but to let the truth be knowne and to shew that wee are better grounded in Religion then he is Whereas he saith that he is in possession of an inheritance and that we haue no commission to take it from him If by that inheritance he vnderstandeth earthly possessions and riches we enuie him not and wish that he had ten times as much more so he would become a defender of the truth But if by that inheritance hee vnderstandeth the possession of the true doctrine it is to presuppose that which is in question We goe not about to take a thing from the Church of Rome which she hath partly lost There needs no commission to aske a man what he beleeueth or the reason of his beleefe Charitie towards all men and a desire to lend our helping hand to him that is fallen and the zeale that we ought to beare to the defence of Gods cause sufficiently bindeth vs to speake and to propound the doctrine of saluation to those that require it It is to no purpose to say it is already long time since I haue bin in possession of this doctrine For Pagans Iewes and Turkes may say as much whose religions are ancienter then Papistry We dispute not by numbers or yeeres but by proofes The Church is in a Country where there is a written Law and not in a Country where custome onely ruleth There is no prescription against the heauenly truth which alwayes is most ancient for that vntruth or lying is but a corruption of the truth An ancient opinion once was new and if time may authorize a doctrine tell me how many yeeres at the least me must haue to giue authoritie thereunto Then we must proceed to the ground and to the institution contained in the Word of God And without speaking of the Word of God yet it will be found that the most part of the errors of the Church of Rome are very new As the deposing of Kings by the Pope the Communion vnder one kinde The forbidding to reade the holy Scriptures c. 2 Mr. Arnoux addeth and saith Their request should be more tollerable if they made it before some Iudge that had authoritie to end our difference If this excuse made by the Iesuite were allowable before he sets vpon vs he ought to finde out a Iudge that could set vs at an agreement But that notwithstanding we haue not spared to answere him because that although at this day there is no man to be found that is fit to be a Iudge of Controuersies with infallible certainty and soueraigne authority yet euery particular man ought to haue iudgement with discretion to discerne which of vs best proueth and iustifieth his sayings by the Word of God Then that should bee no hinderance vnto him to answere vs. 3 The third excuse that he addeth is no better then the former which is seeing saith he that they haue bound themselues to re-establish the Church that is fallen and that I offer my selfe vnto them to be drawne out of the ruines wherewith as they thinke I am inclosed It belongs to them to lend me their hand to shew me those notable places and to produce the Scriptures I answere that it is false that we haue taken vpon vs to reforme the Church and that wee haue bound our selues thereunto It is sufficient for vs to reforme our selues They call our Churches reformed and not reformers And they are called reformed because they are Christian Churches purged from Papistrie It is true that as euery true Christian is moued with compassion towards those that erre we could gladly wish that our aduersaries eyes were opened and that we could take the vaile of ignorance from before them But yet we take not on vs the title of reformers I am perswaded that our aduersaries which beleeue that they haue the truth on their sides would be glad if they could doe the like for vs

Iesus Christ himselfe planted as also seeing that the rest of the Apostles hauing left no successors in their Apostles charge why should Saint Peter onely haue one in his Did Iesus Christ euer declare that Saint Peter onely among the Apostles should haue a successor in his charge of Apostle or did Saint Peter euer declare that the Bishop of Rome should be his successour in quality of the head of the vniuersall Church Where is there any one word of this succession vsed in the Word of God As also that the heresies * Leo the second complaineth of Honorius his Predecessor for that by his heresie he had defiled the seat of Rome In the action 18. of the 6. Councell of diuers Popes acknowledged by the Popes themselues and the schismes which haue rent that Seate and which often times haue bin the meanes that of diuers Antipopes contending for the same the wickedest and the most vniust of them intruding himselfe hath carried it away haue partly broken the line of this imaginary succession for to what purpose doth it serue to shew a list of mens names in a picture from Saint Peter to our time if they shew not that the second of them taught as the first did and the third as the second and so by degrees Many hereticall Churches in that manner produce their succession and are nothing the better for that for a succession of a chaire without succession of Doctrine is rather an expulsion than a succession Pag. 120. J●nius lib. ● cap 3. But M●ster Arnoux saith that learned Irenius saith that it is altogether necessary that euery Church should resort and ioyne vnto that of Rome wherein the chiefe Principalitie reci●●● But M●ster Arnoux hauing not in all his Booke alledge● an● place that is not either cut short or falsified would not at the end of his booke begin to alledge them truely For first he addeth this word adherer which is not in Irenius and the word conuenire he translateth resorting whereas it signifieth to land or to come from diuers places into one place And to these two falshoods Master Arnoux addeth a notable corruption of the sense for Irenius by this chiefe Principalitie vnderstandeth the power of the City of Rome because of the emperiall Seate and not of the supremacie of the Bishop or of his Church for that Christians from all Churches arriued at or came to Rome because of the Emperours Seate and of the Senate where they had some affaires to be dispatched As if I should say that from all the Churches of France they come to Paris because the Kings soueraigne Court is there Then we must translate Irenius in this mannner To this Church * Ad hanc Ecclesiam propter potentiam pr ncip●l●atem nece●s● est omnem co●uen●i Ecclesiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all Churches must necessarily come because of the soueraigne power which is the emperiall power Vpon the same reason the councell of Antiochia in the ninth Canon groundeth the superioritie of the Bishops of great Townes because saith that Councell that all those that haue any businesse come to the Metropolitane City ●or that cau●e it hath beene ordained that the Bishops thereof should haue preheminence of honour Therefore the Church of Alexandria went before Antiochia although the Church of Antiochia was ancienter and founded as it is said by Saint Peter because that among the Cities of the Romish Empire Alexandria according to ciuill order was the second City after Rome and was before Antiochia The 17. Canon of the Councell of Calcidonia speaketh expresly thereof where it is ordained that the order of Ecclesiasticall Dioces should be accommodated according to ciuill and publique forme For conclusion our aduersary immitating as he saith the example of Saint Augustine referreth vs to the Fathers that are not partiall in this cause I maruell why hee doth not rather referre vs to the Word of God which is not partiall no more than the ancient Doctors are and which speaketh with another manner of authority and much more that he referreth the people to the reading of the Greeke and Latine Fathers whose workes are infinite to be read and the vnderstanding of them obscure and which hee knoweth the common people vnderstand not and that out of their workes there are not many places alledged whereupon there is not some question made touching the sense and the interpretation of them And I am much more abasht that he referreth the people to the reading of the Fathers to be resolued in Religion seeing there is not one of the Fathers which the Doctors of the Romish Church doe not censure and often times reproue them For they make themselues Iudges of the Fathers in stead of receiuing the Fathers for Iudges In their bookes of Controuersies you shall see nothing but diuers opinions of the Fathers wherof they choose those whom they please and reiect the rest and many times reiect them all to establish their owne opinions Now to shew that the reason why they referre the common people to the reading of the Fathers is not because the Fathers fauour them but onely to shun the holy Scriptures which they feare and to leade the mindes of the common-people through a way wherein they can neither see nor know any thing I would gladly know whether our aduersaries receiue the Fathers for Iudges in all our Controuersies if they receiued them not for Iudges but in certain poynts why not also in others but if they receiue them for Iudges in all things then they must enter into the lists and let some of them shew vs in the Fathers these seauenteene poynts wherunto hauing beene so often times prest and vrged they are yet to answere 1 For I say and maintaine it that they cannot shew that any ancient Church euer celebrated the Eucharist without communicants as they ordinarily doe in the Church of Rome and many times also without any assistants 2 They cannot shew that any ancient Church kept the people from the communion of the cup. 3 Or that in any ancient Church publique Seruice and the reading of the holy Scriptures was done in a language not vnderstood by the people 4 Or that any ancient Church did forbid or hinder the people from reading of the holy Scripture which is by no meanes permitted without speciall priuiledge in these countries where the Pope is absolutely obayed 5 Or that in any ancient Church they made Images of God and representation of the Trinity in stone or in picture 6 Neither can they shew vs that in any ancient Church the people haue been taught to pray without vnderstanding what they say and to be Barbarians to themselues 7 Or that any ancient Church hath done any seruice to the Images of creatures as kissing clothing kneeling before them or offering vnto them 8 Or that the ancient Church did beleeue that the Virgin Mary is crowned Queene of Heauen and Lady of the World as she is painted in all the

That we say that a Verse is sliden from the Margent to the Text. That wee reiect the common translation receiued by all the Fathers That we adde vnto and take away from the holy Scriptures That wee forge metaphors and improprieties of phrases That we esteeme that to be spoken per Ironia which is said vpon oath that we tye a conditionall particle to a period to draw it from the absolute sense thereof and make thirty manifest places of the Scripture intricate by one obscure place This cart of confused calumniations without any proofes deserueth no answere It is an easie thing to speake euill of a man without any proofe And I beleeue that Master Arnoux hath made a collection of faults wherein the Doctors of the Romish Church are culpable to impose them vpon vs for in Master Arnoux Booke wee finde that in euery place hee changeth our beliefe and maketh vs say things which wee abhorre as much as he doth Hee knoweth or ought to know that the Doctors and Writers of the Romish Church say and speake a thousand iniuries of Popes and detest their liues and doctrine He knoweth that the Church of Rome reiecteth the originall text of the Bible which is the Greek the Hebrew and preferreth the vulgar translation before it which neuerthelesse is so much corrupted that if you compare the vulgar translation with the Hebrew you will say that there is no Booke in the world so badly translated Sixtus Seuensis the Popes keeper of his Library acknowledgeth the same in the seauenth Booke of the Library * Heres prima Editionis venetae p. 921. 92● Vulgata edito quae Hieronymi esse dicitur in multis à Graeca veritate distat where hee saith that the vulgar Edition which is said to be Saint Hieromes in many things differeth from the truth of the Greeke That which Bellarmine acknowledgeth is so farre a Bell. lib. 2. de Verbo Dei ca. 2. Heretici huic temporis odio editionis vulgatae nimium tribuunt editioni Hebraicae c. from accusing vs of reiecting the Hebrew or Greeke Text that to the contrary he accuseth vs of holding too much with it and of referring too much vnto it Heretiques saith hee in hatred of the vulgar Edition attribute too much to the Hebrew Edition For Caluin and Kemnitius will haue all examined and corrected by the Hebrew Text. To the contrary hee b Eodem cap. 2. §. His ergo Scripturas Hebraicas non esse in vniuers deprauatas opera vel malitia Iudaeorum nec tamen esse omnino integras maintaineth that the Scripture in the Hebrew is corrupted in many places and contradicteth the opinions of Hierome and Augustine that will haue the Latine translation to be examined and corrected by the Hebrew and the Greeke c Cap. 11. Fontes scripturarum anteponendi riuulis versionem quando constat fontes non esse turbatos Nunc autem fontes multis locis turbidos fluere iam ante ostendinus For he will haue the vulgar translation to be preferred before the Greeke and Hebrew And that men should haue their recourse to the little Riuers because the spring is troubled But those of the Church of Rome that haue some remnant of equity in them and that plainely perceiue that this opinion is an entrance into Atheisme and maketh nothing certaine in the Word of God ioyne themselues with vs and not onely reproue the vulgar translation as Sixtus Seuensis aforesaid but also they themselues haue made translations of the Bible according to the Hebrew as Sanctes Pagninus a Luquois Monke and Arias Montanus a Spaniard between the which translations and that which is vsed in our Churches there is great conformity Whereas Master Arnoux saith that the vulgar translation hath beene receiued of all the Fathers hee sheweth that hee neuer lookt into the Fathers for in Saint Augustine there are two thousand places of the holy Scriptures alledged in other words than they are set downe in the vulgar translation And Tertullian vseth a different translation from all the rest and in Hierome we haue diuers places of the old Testament by him truely translated according to the Hebrew and Bellarmine in the tenth Chapter of his second Booke de Verbo Dei saith that the vulgar translation began to be receiued in the Church of Rome in the time of Gregory the first that is sixe hundred yeares after Iesus Christ And Saint Augustine acknowledgeth that in his time the diuersity of Latine translations were infinite in the second Booke of Christian Doctrine Chapter 11. In all these things De Doctr. Christianae l. 2. ca. 11. as also in the rest of the smaller calumniations which he setteth downe he sheweth that he knoweth not what we say nor what he himselfe saith and that he hath no knowledge of antiquity nor of the nature of our Controuersies and had done wisely if hee had shewed his Booke to men of some iudgement before he published the same in stead of taking all his defence out of Father Gontri without any other examination which Iesuite if he were liuing would aske for his feathers againe and so Mr. Arnoux should be starke naked The reproach which hee giueth vs to take from the Scriptures without telling wherein and how it is done is vnseemely in the mouthes of those that from the Law of God cut off a whole Commaundement that is the second Commaundement wherein the worshipping of Images is prohibited But we must of force say something touching the reproach which he giueth vs that we attribute things to the Romish Church which she beleeueth not To auoid this blame in the defence of our confession of the faith against Master Arnoux I haue drawne our Aduersaries beliefe from the Councels of the Church of Rome and specially from the Councell of Trent as also from the Decrees and Canons of Popes and from the Text of the Masse And where there is any discord betweene our Aduersaries I haue not hidden it to the end that an error which belongeth but to one part of the Romish Church should not be imputed to the whole body thereof And if I haue alledged any particular Doctors they are some of the notablest at the fore-front of whose writings the approbation of the Doctors and of the faculties of Theologie is apposed In controuersies of Religion to impute contrary things to the aduerse party which he beleeueth not is expresly to make warre against God and to feare that the truth should be knowne that is to make controuersies where none are as if wee had not true controuersies enough without forged false controuersies It is a confession of a bad cause and an acknowledging of the truth of the contrary opinion when before wee speake against it wee seeke to disguise it To be short it is a confessing that if the opinion of the Aduersaries were truely propounded it could not be contradicted Or if any man doth it without malice he sheweth that