hath done most harme of any other Truly who so knewe what maner of men these were what abhominable doctrine they haue taught how variable and inconstant they haue ben in their owne sayings and doings if he be a ChristeÌ„ man and feareth God he will neuer forsake the whole corps of Christendom and the Catholike faithe of so many hundred yeares to folowe the priuat newe and variable doctrine of their braynes But it semeth they are of a number vnknowen and hereuppon rashely beleued I will therefore adde vnto this worke of Staphylus a short discours touching the doctrine of these thre Archeprotestants of our time For euen as the intent and purpose of that vertuous and lerned man Fridericus Staphylus in this his Apology by vs translated was to reduce his deere countremen of Germany wandering like straie shepe to the flocke off Christes churche againe partly by discouering the falshod of their guides craking of Gods worde without the right meaning thereof and abusing the vnlerned with false forged translating off the same which in the first and second part of his Apology he hath done partly also by setting before mens eyes their greate variaunces and most clere dissensions in doctrine an euident argumeÌ„t of heresy euen so our intent and pupose is for the edifieng of such of my dere countremeÌ„ as haue not of malice but of ignoraÌ„ce cleaued vnto the plausible and pernicious doctrine of these thre Archeheretikes Martin Luther Phil. MelanchthoÌ„ and Iohn Caluin to make an especiall discours of their doctrine bicause they are in our countre aboue all other secte masters most folowed For not only the common sorte of deceiued protestants but the lerned and pretended prelats and ministres of our countre are partly LutheraÌ„s partly Sacramâ—taries And of the LutheraÌ„s some though the fewer nuÌ„bre are zelous and rigorous LutheraÌ„s that is such as wil in al points folow Luther taking hym for the verâ— prophet of God the fifte Euangelist and the third Elias of our time Some are ciuill Lutherans gentle and courtly protestants which admit Luther so farre as theÌ„ list professing a kinde of indifferency in many matters of religioÌ„ as Melanchthon their first Master taught them The third sorte of protestaÌ„ts the most common and allowed secte in Englande are the Sacramentaries of Geneua Who are so greate in nuÌ„bre and authorite that the other are allmost of no accoÌ„pt or reputatioÌ„ To these meÌ„ Luther is a papist and Caluin is the right and vndoubted prophet To the entent therefore that beside the generall discours of Staphylus the particular humours of our countre may somewhat be serued I haue thought it necessary to annexe here vnto a particular discours of these thre sectes by examining the thre first founders and fathers thereof But especially and most largely we entend to treate of the Sacramentary secte as being the greatest sore of the corrupted body off our countre And although we saie not herein al that may be saied which would require a large volume and perhap more tedious then profitable yet these fewe that we shal bring may be sufficient arguments to discredit the authorite of any one of them which in many mens eyes semeth so greate that at the warrant off their mouthe they sticke not to caste awaye all credit off all the lerned men in Christe his churche this fiftene hundred yeares and vpwarde For if I declare vnto you most manifest and clere heresies such as haue ben condemned aboue a thousand yeares paste in that state and time of Christes church as our protestants yet acknowleadg or â—eme at the lest to acknowledg for pure and vncorrupted to be in the doctrine of Caluin If I showe most manifest contradictions and brutish absurdites oute off his writings in the waightiest articles of our belefe as of the blessed Sacrament of Baptim and of free will of man if I declare vnto you such inconstancy of Melanchthon as woulde scarse become a meane scholer in matters of common lerning yf I discouer a numbre of olde heresies condemned also in the primitiue church renewed by Luther generally receaued of all protestants beside diuers other most certain tokens of hereticall doctrine auouched by him all this I truste shall be a iuste and sufficient cause not only to suspect but vtterly to mislike the residew off their doctrine and opinions whereby they haue inueigled the hartes of men to the vtter destruction off thousands of soules For truly if they be men sent especially from God to restore vnto vs the light of his holy worde after the darcknes of so many hundred yeares as they pretend to be and are taken for such it can not possibly be but that their sayings and doings must sauour of the Apostles holy Martirs and awncient fathers of Christes church by whom the faith of Christ was first planted here on earth and spred through oute the whole worlde That is they must haue Cor vnum animam vnam One harte and one mynde as the Apostles had they must Obedire excorde in eam formam doctrinae in qua traditi sunt Obeyeuen from their harte to that mâ—ner of doctrine wherein they were brought vp as the first Christians did they must haue the ensample of holesom wordes and doctrine which they heard of their first fathers and teachers as the churche of Christ hath allwaies continued But iff their sayings and doings repugne directly against the manner and vsage of these holy men if they be at variaunce amonge them selues and with them selues as especially you shall see in Caluin if they forsake the trade of olde doctrine and renewe in their place olde condemned heresies if they forsake the ensample of other forging doctrine of their owne no Christen man may doubte but that they are not off that race nor line but rather of the issue of the olde heretikes whose doctrine they renew and behauiour they folow For vndoubtedly the saying of our Sauiour can not be false By their frutes you shall knowe them But now to the matter and first of Luther It is well knowen by all the histories of our time as of Fontanus Reuerus Sleidan and other that the first breache of the well ordred aray of Christes churche was by Luther attempted not of reuelatioÌ„ conscience or lerning but only for the grief of a repulse taken touching the publishing of that famous pardon of the Croâ—sad For hereuppon began he first to open his lippes against the abuse of pardons after against the pardons them selues theÌ„ against the whole authorite of the church not only in that matter but almost in al other necessary articles of belefe And biâ—ause we wil not go by coÌ„iectures but by mostâ—â— redemonstrations I will bring you the wordes of Luthâ—â— him sâ—lfe In a disputation before the Duke George of Saxony helde openly at Lipsia with D. Eâ—kius he doth plainly pronounce That the quarell of religion theÌ„ by him enter prâ—sâ—d was not begonn for the honour
Matrimony is but the inuention of man and these wordes of Melanchthon saieng That the rest of the Sacraments amonge the whiche matrimony is counted be but mens imaginations And see the wicked doctrine off these ghospellers calling the blessed Sacraments but mens imaginations for what saith our Sauiour of holy matrimony VVhat God hath coupled let not man separat Is this nowe the inuentioÌ„ or imagination of meÌ„ and not rather the institution and ordonnaunce of God him selfe When the ghospell of Luther first sprange vp Melanchthon wrote that only faith iustified the Sacraments indued men with no grace baptim and the Supper were only Sacramentall signes A litle after he wrote they were true Sacraments and of two he made thre and at length foure so that in the espace of fewe yeares that which he first laughed to scorne and called imaginatioÌ„s of men sodenly they proued holy SacrameÌ„ts and weighty ordonnaunces of the liuinge Lorde I entend not here to dispute of the number of Sacraments what is the Catholike doctrine and what is the heretical it is not nowe oure purpose Farder the Lutherans will not be a knowen that they haue corrupted our Crede scraping out the worde Catholike in the article I beleue the holy Catholike churche Thus I saide before of them and saie it yet againe reporting my self herein to their Confession of Augspurg where they describing their church omitte cleane the worde Catholike In the Apologie Melanchthon being accused thereof maketh a litle mencion but so that he calleth Catholike that which heretikes in corners do imagin In his common places and in his booke Examen examinandorum he bableth and pratleth to no purpose very muche of the churche but the worde Catholike he can finde in no churche In the greate and in the litle Cathechisme of Luther and in his litle booke of praiers where he reciteth the Crede and expoundeth it in euery place for the Catholike church he writeth the Christian churche And hereof it cometh that through oute all Germany where the ghospell of Luther is receaued children allwaies lerne their Crede and saie it at table euen as it is corrupted of Luther and Melanchthon Who like crafty heretikes laboured by all meanes possible that the worde Catholike might by litle and litle vtterly be forgotten And all heretikes haue euer shunned and auoided this article of our Crede I beleue the Catholike churche and that not without good cause for certayn they are if their doctrine come to examination to be bulted out by lerning that this only worde Catholike wil cutte their throtes Sithen then we see clerely and euidently by this which we haue saide that amonge the Lutherans are not only diuers and variable but pernicious and hainous hereticall schismes diuisions and opinions as out of their owne saings doings and writings we haue before declared surely it must of necessite folowe that the Lutherans be and remaine pernicious and detestable heretikes For doctour Smidelin him selfe and all heretikes do confesse this that whereas in the doctrine of faith that is in the principall articles of faithe are hereticall dissensions and schismes that then the teachers and setters forthe of such haeretiâ—all schismes must nedes be heretikes them selues But no man can nowe denie that the Lutheran preachers do sette forthe vpholde and defende hereticall schismes Wherefore it foloweth that these Lutherans ghospellers protestants or howsoeuer they call them selues be pernicious heretikes and for such are to be taken and auoided of al Christendom And truly there is no better meanes to reduce heretikes to the right and common highe waye of the Catholike church then to put before their eyes their hainous and hereticall dissensions wherein they haue runne a straie one this waie an other that way but all out of the waie of the Catholike and ChristeÌ„ belefe Or if heretikes will be obstinat allwaies and continewe wilfully in their errour and presumed opinioÌ„s the readiest waie to bring them to nought is to beseche god to suffer them to continew in the sprit of dissension that being seuered into diuers parcels and scattered into sundry schismes they maie the sooner perish and vanish awaie euen as the builders of the tower of Babell and all heretikes yet hitherto For the only destruction of all heresies hath ben their mutuall dissension and schismes This Luther him selfe testifieth writing thus vppon the fift psalme Euery kingdome diuided within it selfe shall be desolated for heretikes were neuer ouercomed by force or by art but only by their owne altercatioÌ„s and dissensioÌ„s Nether Christ by any other meanes ouerthroweth heresies then by suffering them to fall in to the sprit of dissension and variaunce as the Sichimites and buylders of Babell in the olde lawe and the Arrians Pelagians and Donatistes in the newe lawe The Iewes also were destroied only by discorde amonge them selues For as Hilarius writeth The warre of heretikes is the peace of the church Bicause by their contentions they perish euen bodyly not only in their soules Thus farre Luther And truly so it fareth when one heresie is ones spronge vp and that diuers Masters professe it straite vpoÌ„ many schismes and factioÌ„s arise Marcion that archeheretike brought forth many absurde opinions which ones being scattered in to the wild braines of his scholers his heresie incontinently began to breake in to sondry partes so that of him proceded Appelliani Seueriani and Manichei Again of the Manichei grewe the Priscillianistae Encratitae and diuers other all horrible heretikes and yet allmost in all countres suffred Epiphanius in the third booke confuting the Hemiarite and Arrians writeth of the Arrians thus For we saie the armie of the Arrians is diuided into thre bandes so that Eudoxius Germanus George of Alexandria Euzoius of Antioche be departed in to the first bande cutting them selues of from their felowes In to the seconde bande Basill not the doctour of the churche Eleusius Eustachius Georgius of Laodicea Syluanus of Tarsus and Macedonius of Constantinople haue straied In the third companye as I sayde before is Acacius Meletius and Eutychius All their doings be vaine and wicked For that as ony one taught the other would not receaue but with mutuall hatred and malice they dissent and disagree eche from the other Thus farre Epiphanius Who listeth more at large to see the schismes and diuisioÌ„s of these and of other heretikes he maye reade Eusebius and other ecclesiasticall stories S. Augustin maketh mencion off dissension of the Donatistes obiecting vnto them that Donatus his secte was distracted into son dry schismes For thus he writeth in his first booke â–ª De Baptismo contra Donatistas Cap. 6. This part of Donatus is cutte in to many smal pieces al which parcels repreheÌ„d very much this great portion where Primianus ruleth for approuing the baptim of the Maximinianiste â–ª and eche of all those parcels do stoutely affirme that the right and true baptim is only among them
Againe these two sectes in diuers other articles vary out off measure As in originall sinne in free will in baptim and in Penaunce For Caluin denieth all these as the Church teacheth whereas the Melanchthonistes acknowleadg them The Lutherans of Saxony to witt the zelous Lutheraus agree with the Caluinistes denying free will and braule with the Melanchthonistes for allowing free will against the doctrine of their Father Luther Yet againe these zelous Lutherans in the article of originall sinne agree with the Ciuill Lutherans and defie the Caluinistes But in the articles of Iustification of good workes of the Supper of our Lorde and how the lawe and the ghospel ought to be distinguished in these the zelous Lutherans dissent bothe from the Ciuill Lutherans and from the Caluinistes For they teache good workes to be pernicious to saluation they acknowleadg the reall presence which bothe the other sectes denie The Osiandrins agree with the zelous Lutherans of Saxony in the article of the Supper of our Lorde with the Ciuill Lutherans in the article of free will with the Caluinistes in the article of good workes But these againe dissent from all those three sectes in the article of Iustification and diuers other speciall pointes of doctrine The Suenckfeldians agree with the Osiandrins in the article of Iustification with the Melanchthonistes in the article of free will with the Caluinistes that euill men receiue not Christ in the Sacrament But with all other sectes they disagree in the doctrine of baptim and of al the Sacraments of preaching the worde of faith of the church of the humanite of Christ and of diuers other Thus you see brefely sett before you the vnite consent and agreement of this late ghospel You see what man Luther was what Melanchthon what Caluin the three cursed springs of three most wicked sectes swarming now in Christendom where this new ghospel hath spred his branches to witt of the zelous and vpright Lutherans of the Ciuill and conformable Lutherans and of the Caluinistes or Sacramentaries You may iudge by the heads what the ofspring is by their frutes what their sprits be by these particulars of their doctrine which for a taste only we haue discoursed vpon what their whole ghospell is These are the blinde guides and lying Masters whom in place of all approued writers in Christes church a numbre of deceiued persons haue folowed In stede of holy Hierom lewde Luther of lerned Augustin inconstant Melanchthon of blessed Ambrose proude Caluin In place of sounde religion olde condemned heresies of constant faith contrary opinions of vniuersall belefe priuat imaginations of Gods holy worde mens deuises A great shame to forsake auncient belefe A hainous offence to make partes in Christes church A wicked impiete to departe from Christ and his dere spouse the grounde and piller of all truthe But a farre greater shame to embrace the lewde liberte of Luther to folow the variable brayne of Melanchthon to cleaue to the cursed heresies fonde absurdites and clere contradictiōs of Caluin The heresies of Marcion Valentinus Arrius Nestorius and other had coulour of lerning The Montanistes the Tatiani the Manichees the Nouatians had pretence of holynes and vertu These two conditions were vehement persuasions to drawe the worlde vnto them But the heresies of our time be grosse blasphemous and dissolut The denial of the blessed Sacraments and right vse thereof procede of ignoraunce in true diuinite The deniall off free will and wicked assertion of fatall destine vnder the name of Gods forekuowleadge is a horrible blasphemy The breach of ecclesiasticall authorite doctrine of only faith contempt of all good order and constitutions is a mere licentious liberte and wantō dissolutnesse How then happenteh it that men are so abused that the lerned are drawen the vnlerned deceiued Wil you haue the truthe tolde Peccata nostra diuiserunt inter nos Deum Our sinnes haue diuided betwene God and vs. The gate of his grace is shutt from vs. And why We loue the worlde we let slippe our faith we be nailed to our tēporal trash we make it our God We will rather become hethen then suffer for our conscience Otherwise if we feared God we would mistrust this dissolut religion if we were not blinded with selfewill and hardnesse of hart the plage of former sinnes we should espie the absurdite and fondnesse off this vpstert ghospell Howe were it to be wished that at the entry of these newe preachers and planters of straunge doctrines we had had a Pacuuius amonge vs I will recite you the story of him It is writen first of Liuy and repeted of Macchiauell in his discourses After the greate bartaill lost by the Romains at Canne al Italy allmost forsaking their allegeaūce to the cyte of Rome and trēbling at the power of Hanniball the cyte of Capua misliking the gouuernement of their Senatours and Counsellers as it fareth in time of calamite and distresse that the faulte is layed to the Rulers conceiued a great hatred against them and deliberated to murher them euery one and to place other in their rowmes which they thought should better direct their cōmon welthe and more to their cōtentation This Pacuuius being then the chefest Ruler of the cyte perceauing well the peoples furious intention and the daunger the whole Senat stode in deuised with him selfe a witty policie both to appease the people and to saue the Senat. He calleth the Senat together Declareth them the intent of the people openeth them his meaning and saieth My aduise is you suffer your selfe to be shut vp in the palace in my custody I will assemble the people and showe them what case you stande in For the rest if you dare trust me I will take such order that no harme shall befall you They trusted him He calleth the people and saieth vnto them People the time is now come that you may order the Senatours as you desire without any farder tumult But yet bicause I know well you wil not leaue the cyte withoult a Senat and counsel you must nedes if you will destroye the old make a new And therefore lo here the names of all the Senatours As I name you one to deliuer vp in to your handes so you must name me an other to succede him This being saied he opened the scrolle and named an auncient and graue Senatour The people hearing his name cried straight he was a proude and cruell man and not worthy to beare rule Well then quod Pacuuius Who shall succede him Here the people was at a staie and looking one vpon an other knewe not a longe time whom to name At the length one being named some began to smile some to laugh other to disdaine All perceiued well as Macchiauell wittely noteth that the fault appearing in the Senat vniuersally when it came to particular examination was no faute in dede but a misseconstruing and wronge iudgemēt of the people By this meanes
by his owne wordes being forced to declare the same by the impudent reproches of Smidelinus his aduersary In his Absolut apology writē in the yeare 1562. thus he writeth Whereas Smidelinus obiecteth to me that I was Luthers and Melanchthons scholer I denie it not for I liued in the vniuersite of wittenberg ten yeares of my owne costes and charges studying there vnder Luther Melāchthon and others At that time also being a younge man rash and vnskilfull I was infected somwhat with the poisonnous doctrine of Luther Howbeit that was not so rooted in me but that it was soone driuen out again And that I neuer consented thoroughly to the fifte ghospell of Luther many thinges do euidently proue First that whereas the Masters off Wittenberg would nedes persuade me to procede Doctour amonge them I would neuer do it And that only bicause I would not take the othe of the vniuersite and make open confession of my belefe in that place And this Doctour George Maior who yet liueth can beare me witnes of Secondarely bicause I would neuer take vppon me the Lutheran Ministery in any church though fewe yeares past I haue ben required of certain Princes to high dignites as to be Superintendent in sondry places as at Augspurg at Lubeck and at Brunsuick Thirdly this may declare how litle I fancyed in my hart the doctrine of Luther that being called and chosen of the Duke of Prussia to be a Reader in his dominions at Coningsberg and a Counseller I caused in the write of my stipend this cōdition expresly to be put that I would be cōpelled to no religion or doctrine that in any point repugned with the doctrine of the primitiue Catholike and Apostolicall church and of this my condition I am able to show iff nede shall require sufficient testimonies By these wordes ye may see off what reputation and opinion of lerning and vertu this man was at Wittenberg Augspurg Lubeck and Brunsuick the most famous cytes of the Lutheran profession His wisedō and other noble qualites he well declared first in the seruice of a counseller to the Duke of Prusia from whome he was forced to depart and that as he writeth to the losse of some thousands of marks bicause like a worthy and faithfull Counseller he frely aduertised eftsones the Duke to beware of the cursed heresies of Osiander and his felowes Secondarely in the like seruice vnder the Catholike and vertuous Duke of Bauaria vnder whom he was in such credit that he was made ouerseer and Chauncelour of the vniuersite of Ingolstad iointly with the Bishop of Eistat Thirdely for his wisedom lerning and vertu he was of longe time and many yeares Counseller to the late most worthy Emperoure Ferdinandus vnder whom he hath done noble seruice as well in the diets and conferences in Germany as in embassages of Liflande Pole and other countres As for the great labour and diligence he bestowed to shift him selfe oute of the captious and contentious controuersies of this time wherein he was nouseled in his youth it may wel appeare in that as he writeth in the first part of this booke He emploied only the study of Diuinite and matters of Cōtrouersie about two and twenty yeares not medling in all that time with any worldly or ciuill matter And what thinck you after so many yeares study and labour after so great experience and lerning was the chiefest argument and reason whereuppon he forsoke the Lutherans and claue vnto the Catholikes forsoth he declareth it in the very same place last alleaged and it is right worthy to be noted This saieth he was the chief and principal cause why I actōpted the diuers doctrine of Luther and his felowes to be hereticall and for such do vtterly forsake it and detest it this again is the cause why I esteme the doctrine in all Christendom which they call the Popedom receiued to be the only true and holesom doctrine bicause this doctrine is the Catholike and vniuer sally receiued interpretation of holy scripture but their doctrine is only their priuat opinion and their priuat deprauation of holy Scripture This lowas the principall reason that drew this wise lerned and vertuous man from the sectes of his Masters Luther and Melāchthō and brought him home to the perfect vnite of the Catholike faith for he sawe by lōg experiēce that al the doctrine of the new ghospellers was nought els but their owne traditiōs their propre inuentions and priuat imaginations for ging vpon the worde of God such sence as them listed and telling then the people that the same was the very worde of God whereas the Catholikes folowed such sence and meaning of the writen worde as by the lerned fathers continual tradition and vniuersall consent of Christendom was receaued and allowed And truly this only reason may be sufficient bothe for the vnlerned and deceaued protestants to reduce them home again to the Catholike churche of Christ and to kepe also within the same such as by the grace of God vertuous education and good instructions haue not yet swarued from the same Which I beseche almighty God it may so do And thus much hitherto of this present Treatise and the author thereof Many other things there are which I would gladly aduertise the Reader of But bicause we haue I feare ben ouerlong allready and the Author him selfe hath prefixed a long but a lerned and profitable preface and therefore not to be omitted I wil here breake of and after the ende of the Authors whole discourse put for conclusion the rest of my meaning aduertising in the meane season the reader of this one thing that this our labour being an interpretation and bound to the inuentiō of the Author we haue not ne coulde not vse the like eloquence as the free stile geueth beseching the notwithstanding gentle Reader to take our paines in good part Farewell At Louain the 12. of Nouember 1564. Thomas Stapleton THen saieth Nicephorus of the time of Constantius his empire vnder whom the Arrians flourished new deuises were commended and increased daily growing to a straunge alteration so farre that euery man setting light by all auncient lawes and ordonaunces forged him selfe fresh of his owne And yet their doctrine he meaneth the Arrians was not of all such receiued but eche one imagined new opinions heaping vp euer doctrine vpon doctrine Then Aetius Eunomius Eudoxius eche one diuersly Vttered their blasphemies against Christ. Then Macedonius also blasphemed against the holy Ghoste Gregory Nazianzen reasoned against those newe doctrines in this sorte IF our faith be but yet thirty yeares olde foure hundred yeares being now passed ouer sence the coming of Christ then our ghospell hath ben so long in vaine our faith also hath ben to no purpose Then so many Martirs haue invaine testified their faith in Christ. Then so many Bishops and pastours haue in vaine so longe fedd the flock of Christ. If prescription of foure hundred
promis to his onely begotten Son speaking by the prophet Dauid in this wise Thou arte my Son this daie haue I begotten the aske of me and I shall geue the nations for thine inheritaunce and the vtmost partes of the earthe for thy possession which place all holy fathers haue so expounded that God the father hathe geuen to Christ such a church as should be spred through out the whole worlde not only in Suethelande Denmarke or Germanie So the Son of god taking vpon him the nature of man after he had here in earthe purchased our saluatioÌ„ sente abrode the holy Apostles as Embassadours through out the whole world to take possession of the foresaide inheritaunce charging them in this wise All power is geuen vnto me in heauen and in earthe Go ye and teache all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and the SoÌ„ and the Holy ghoste teaching them to kepe al those thinges whatsoeuer I haue commaunded vnto you And beholde I am with you all waies euen to the ende of the worlde In this highe and waightie embassage of our Sauiour Iesus Christ two thinges are especially notised First that his Apostles should go and preache trough out the whole worlde Secondarely that he will tary with them vntell the end of the worlde In whiche two pointes as S. Augustin at large disputeth against the heretikes of his time this artikle of our Crede is comprised I beleue the Catholike churche In the which wordes we confesse that the church of Christ must be vniuersall and spred through out the whole worlde and that from the time of the Apostles forwarde it should continewe by the continuall assistaunce and presence of Christ. And in this consideration the Apostle calleth the church the Piller and grouÌ„d of truthe signifieng by the worde ground the largenes of Christendome by the worde Piller the continuall smothe and not interrupted succession of the Apostles and their scholers vpon whom al truthe is builded And this interpretatioÌ„ of the worde Catholike S. Augustin teacheth in many places against the Donatistes especially in his booke de vnitate ecclesiae Therefore to denie it were to become a Donatiste and to take the parte of those detestable heretikes And this much of this question But to returne nowe to the true exposition of holy scripture euery Christen man ought not only beleue this article of the Catholike church but be also one of the same and beleue what so euer it beleueth expounde and interpret the scriptures as it expoundeth and interpreteth them condemne and reproue all such thinges as it condemneth and reproueth And what surer token or more certain marke could God geue to discerne false expositions of scripture from the true then this article of our Crede I beleue the holy Catholike Church For when thre coÌ„trary opinions thre diuers interpretations of holy scripture are brought forthe whereof two are fresh and newe neuer taught nor heard of before our time the third is auncient accustomed and receaued of our forefathers deriued euen from the Apostles time and continued hitherto what laye or vnlerned man is in this case so rude or ignorant but if he liste as he professeth in his Crede to beleue the Catholike church which is allwaies and in all places maye easely iudge this thirde interpretation to be the right meaning off the holy ghoste the other two to be false and hereticall For the more declaration of this matter I will recite here a storie whiche I lerned being a boye and happened at Lubek In Lubek there dwelled a riche man whose familie and kinred was of Turing This man being in Lubeck at point of death and hauing no child to be his heire bequeued his goods to certaine of his kinsfolkes at Turing They shortly after this mans decease coming to Lubek bring with them a Proctour open the will and founde there that the widowe of the departed man beside other goods bequeued should deliuer them a thousand and two hundred shipbordes commonly called there Wagenschoff But the Proctour and heyres of Turing cauilling vppon the worde Wagenschoff required a thousand and two hundred greate pieces of artillerie saying that in their countre the worde so signified Neither would these men of Turing be brought from their chalenge vntell at the length the matter must be tried by iudgement Wherein their processe being longe debated and bothe partes heard it was founde that the interpretation of the worde Wagenschoff alleaged by those of Turing was a newe and straunge interpretation neuer heard of before in that countre whereas the widowe by the consent of all the people and the whole countre proued that of olde time the worde Wagenschoff signified nothing els theÌ„ shipbordes which are coÌ„monly brought thither out of Lifland and Pole Whereuppon the interpretation of the proctour of Turing was reiected and laughed to scorne as newe curious superstitious and straunge Much more ought we that are Christians do the like in these newe and straunge expositions of Gods worde inuented by proude and presumptuous heretikes detesting and auoidinge them as present poison For surely such newe forged interpretatioÌ„s ones spread abrode do crepe like a cancre and infect daily more and more as we see nowe by experience in sundry places Euery man nowe a daies calleth vpon scripture euery man demaundeth the expres worde of God And what I praie you can be more expresse then that the Apostle S. Peter saieth So that ye first knowe this that no prophecie in the scripture hath any priâ—â—t interpretation In the which wordes it is to be noted that S. Peter will haue vs first and before al other thinges knowe this that no prophecie in the scripture hathe any priuat interpretation Therefore it must nedes be very perilous to beleue straight this or that interpretation whatsoeuer we here For it is a common saying it is euill toying with the eye with maydenhood and with our faith But many there are nowe a daies which when they heare contrarietes in doctrine and diuers interpretations of scripture they comforte them selues carelesly in this sort What nede we passe for the contentions of preachers and controuersies of Diuines Although they misse in certain pointes and disagree in some certain articles yet our faith and belefe is not brokeÌ„ or empaired We in the meane season will saie oure Pater noster beare awaye oure Crede and the ten commaundements and peraduenture the catechisme of children As for other matters let the lerned contend amonge theÌ„ selues as longe as they list we passe not vppon it But alas o mercifull God what a vaine comforte and pernicious persuasion is this For what saythe S. Iames the Apostle Whosoeuer saythe he shall kepe the whole lawe and yet faile in one point he is giltie of all So is it in our faith who denieth one article denieth the whole This vayne comfort teached first the Zwinglians against the which Luther in his
holy fathers neuer receaued this VVherefore it is writen Auoide the heretike man In the like maner shall the vnlerned and laie man behaue himselfe with the Suenck feldian demaunding of him whether this be the pure worde of God when he teacheth That Christ as touching his humain nature is not a creature but a begotten thing conceiued and borne of the holy ghoste and that afther the ascension of Christ in to heauen his humanite was made God or rather was chaunged in to God Againe that the same power and operation which is in the worde of God preached is the only begotten euerlasting Son of God Laste of all that all the giftes and graces of God be parcels of the diuine nature For when Longinus the Swenckfeldian shall saie that these doctrines are the very sincere worde of God the laye man maye aske of him againe where holy scripture doth clerely expresse this doctrine To this LoÌ„ginus caÌ„ make no other awnswer then that although it be not there expressed yet it is there mente and vnderstanded here if to the laye maÌ„ asking whether this meaning and vnderstandinge be Catholike and planted by the Apostles or their scholers in Swethen and Silesia and from thence deriued vnto our time Longinus do awnswer ye then must he proue in what place of Silesia and vnder what bisshop that happened Which being not able to do he proueth him selfe a vaine folowe and a lyar But if he saie that this doctrine vntell this time was not receaued in Silesia bicause our forefathers were not of capacite to conceaue these high misteries the laye man may roundely saie vnto him Auaunt heretike and take this fâ—r a finall awnswer The Catholike church neuer taught this the holy fathers neuer receaued this Wherefore it is writen Auoide the heretike man After the same order also maye the laye man aske of Functius the Osiandrin when he teacheth vpon these wordes of Hieremie God is our righteousnes that man ought to be iust by the essentiall iustice of God againe that Christ doth iustifie vs with his only diuinite the humanite being excluded and such like doctrine which he calleth the very expresse worde of God in what place of scripture it is read When he awnswereth that worde for worde it is not in scripture but it agreeth well with the meaning of scripture let him be asked againe whether this his meaning agree with the Catholike expositioÌ„ of scripture deriued from the holy fathers and successours of the Apostles and obserued hitherto continually in the church of Christ without contradiction Here if Functius his conscience forcing him do confesse that this doctrine was of late planted in Prussia by Andreas Osiander and although it was not vntell nowe reueled yet according to his iudgement it agreeth very well with the worde of God and the ghospell the laie man may geue him the finall awnswer of Athanasius The Catholike churche neuer taught this the holy fathers neuer receaued this Wherefore it is writen Auoide the heretike man The like awnswer also may be made to the straunge doctrine of Illyricus the Lutheran writing That good workes are pernicious to saluation that God doth iustifie men by wordes and not by dedes And truly this awnswer is of such force and so mete for a Christen man that vnto all heretikall interpretations to all erroneous doctrine yea though an Angel froÌ„ heaueÌ„ if it were possible should bring any newe ghospell it might with these wordes be awnswered A waye false prophet the third Elias the fifte Euangelist For The catholike church neuer taught this the holy fathers neuer receaued this Wherefore it is writen Auoide the heretike man Last of all the vnlerned laye man may well also demaunde of the Catholike doctour or preacher howe he liketh the opinions of these newe ghospellers whereunto he will awnswer that he hathe perceaued these newe and straunge interpretations of holy scripture and after longe waighing and coÌ„sidering theÌ„ hath founde that they are all auncient condemned heresies which nowe certain braynsicke men by the instinct of the deuill raised vp againe to the vtter destruction of the Romane empire and our dere countre of Germanie Therefore he is readie to showe by good groundes of holy scripture by the right and Catholike vnderstanding of Scripture that the olde religion hitherto receaued is grounded vppon those two pillers and vpon them hath ben sustained from the Apostles time vntel our daies through out the whole corps of Christendom and maintained sounde and perfit against al busy barking of heretikes and cruell bytes of pagan princes And is not this most agreable bothe with religion and with reason that we should embrace and accept that interpretation of the holy Bible for the true and sincere which in all churches of all people and countres hath ben receaued confessed preached maintained and sence the Apostles time hitherto continued as by the testimonies of auncient doctours we are able in all pointes euidently to declare Contrary wise may we not worthely esteme these newe doctrines broched so lately proceding of olde condemned heresies and renued by wild worldely men to be hainous heresies and detestable deceites of the deuill Surely this was the chefe and principall cause why I accompted the diuers doctrine of Luther and his felowes to be hereticall and for such do vâ—terly forsake it and detest it this againe is the cause why I esteme the doctrine in all Christendom which they call the Papacy receaued to be the only true and wholesom doctrine bicause this doctrine is the Catholike and vniuersally receaued interpretation of scripture but their doctrine is only their priuat opinioÌ„ and their priuat deprauatioÌ„ off holy scripture I coÌ„fesse I haue emploied the studie off Diuinite and laboured matters of controuersie about these two and twenty yeares not medling with any other worldely or ciuill matter in all that time nor I can not denie but I haue ben a scholer of the Lutherans and haue so farre lerned their misteries that within these fourten or fiften yeares the diuines of WitteÌ„berg would allmost haue coÌ„strained me to be a doctour of their vniuersitie Againe I haue bestowed much time that I might thoroughely and substantially be lerned in the Catholike doctrine conferring allwaies the sayings and writings of bothe partes And allthough that I had much a do to shift my selfe out of their crafty captious and contentious controuersies yet as sone as by the helpe of God I attained thereunto espieng the erroneous and hereticall doctrine of the Lutherans and perceauing the true and sounde doctrine of the Catholikes I laboured not only vtterly to ridde my stomacke of that poisonned doctrine of Luther but also to auoide all company and familiarite of heretikes that I might neither see them nor heare of them Which lacke of my olde acquaintaunce and maner of liuing bothe empaired much the helthe of my body and procured also great losse of my substaunce And is like to do
daily more and more vnlesse God of his mercie stretch forthe his helping hande Howbeit whatsoeuer befall of me I am ready to lese body and life honour and goods for the furderaunce of the auncient Catholike religion And I wish to my dere countre of Germanie that minde also For sure I am whosoeuer is no Catholike he must nedes be an heretike Seing therefore that holy write aduertiseth vs to flie from heresies euen as from present poison I be seche all good men to marke wel this example which I knowe to be true and wil here recite to showe what it is to be ones fallen in to heresie A certain young man of my acquayntaunce very well lerned and sometime preacher in Misnia being according to the doctrine of Melanchthon and Maior an Adiaphoriste that is of that secte of Lutherans which take good workes and constitutions of the church to be thinges indifferent c. departed in to Saxony vppon hope of some ecclesiastical liuing there Being then demaunded of what religion he was he awnswered that he was of the opinion of Philip Melanchthon and Georgius Maior Then saieth vnto him the Illyrican Superintendent it semeth thou arte an apostat heretike And withall asked him whether he thought good workes to be pernicious vnto saluation Whereunto this poore preacher awnswering he beleued that they helped rather then hindered saluation the Superintendent strait saith vnto him Seing you are an heretike of the ghospell you maye not abide in this cite nor countre and therefore get you hence With this awnswer he departed and went in to Prussia where meting with an Osiandr in Superintendent and desiring some ecclesiasticall seruice he was demaunded whether he beleued That man ought to be made iuste by the essentiall iustice of God and whether he iudged those for heretikes which thought or taught the contrary Whereunto awnswering that he could not so thinke seing that Melanchthō and Illyricus interpreted the scripture otherwise incontinently he was thrust backe like an heretike and commaunded to depart out of all the dominions of that countre After this he came in to Pole and meting with certain Caluinistes being of thē examined and founde that he agreed not with the Zuinglians he was repelled also of them for an heretike Seing then he could not spede there passing on furder by the waye he came to the Picardi hoping that he might be receaued in to their secte But when he refused to abiure all other sectes and religions and beleue onely them he was faine to departe thence also After which he came to a Noble man of Silesia requiring seruice of whom being required howe he liked the doctrine of Swenck feldius whether he beleued That the externall ministerie or preaching was but superfluous and that the internall worde or rather the power and operacion off the worde being preached were the Son of God him selfe he awnswered that this doctrine semed vnto him an olde heresie confuted thouroughly of Illyricus Melanchthō Caluin and diuers other writers Which awnswer nothing pleasing that Noble mā our poore Minister was forced to get him packing Seing therefore that he loste his labour and spent his time in vaine he stroke ouer to Morauia where the Anabaptistes beare rule Not that he minded to tary and abide with them but to trie and knowe their religion But they craftely preuēting him asking him first of what religion he was though he went about the bush with them thinking to coulour the matter yet they perceauing that he liked not their rebaptising he was also chased from thence as an heretike At the last after longe and wery trauail and trouble this poore Minister came vnto Vienna where he happened vpon a Catholike lerned man vnto whom he declared his trauaill aduersites and diuersites off heresies that he chaunced vpon beseching him for the loue of God to helpe him and instruct him howe he might attaine to some sure and certaine doctrine and interpretatiō off holy scripture Then was it tolde him that he should folowe such doctrine and embrace such interpretation of Gods worde as was Catholike and vniuersally receiued in all places and at al times casting awaie all priuat opinions and propre interpretations of this secte or that secte For it was impossible that any priuat secte could admit the Catholike exposition of scripture whiche is commō to all or that the sectes could euer agree among them selues eche one setting forthe his owne opinion and condemning all the rest As it is writen in the prophet Ezechiel Wo be vnto these foolish prophetes which folowe their owne sprit and see nothing Therefore if he would be a Christen man and in all places be taken for such he should embrace and folowe the Catholike vnderstanding of scripture such as in Catholike doctours and writers we find From the which Catholike and vniforme expositiō of scripture although many in diuers countres haue failed and departed yet before our time it was in all places without contradictiō or gainesaieng receiued and beleued and many thousands of soules haue in that belefe ben saued Beside that there are also yet diuers Christen Countres and kingdomes diuers natiōs and people which acknowledg no other doctrine or interpreation of holy scripture then the Catholike and olde accustomed which they haue receaued of the Apostles and their first founders of religion Wherein if any doubt nowe a daies ariseth or any cōtrary interpretation be brought it is most expedient to seke of the first and most auncient teachers of Christen religion the truthe thereof For so Scripture willeth vs to do and all auncient and approued doctours as in S. Irenee a writer very nie vnto the Apostles you may see whose wordes are these These thinges then being so euident we ought not to seke the truthe at other mens handes which we maye easely haue of the Church For the Apostles left vnto the church and layde vp in her as in a riche aumerie all truthe that whosoeuer listeth may drawe of her the drinke of life For the Church is the gate of life all other are theues therefore we must auoide them but loue all that the Church teacheth vs and embrace the traditiō of truthe For what if there were but a small matter called in controuersie ought we not to haue recourse to the most aūciēt Churches in the which the Apostles haue liued and enquire of them the truthe and certainte of our doubt And what if the Apostles had not left vnto vs scripture at all ought we not to haue folowed the order of tradition which they deliuered vntothē whom they left to gouuerne the Churche after them the which order many nations of Barbarous people such as beleue in Christ do folowe hauing their saluation without paper and ynke by the holy ghoste writen in their harte and keping diligently their olde traditions Thus farre S. Irenee With this good lesson and information the Lutheran Minister being somewhat amended afterward in shorte time
dere coūtre as nature and iust indignatiō moued mē I haue done this but slightly and shortly and yet I trust sufficiētly hauing first ētred the printing of this booke before I vnderstode of the sermon and yet desirous to saie somewhat rather then to suffer a preached and printed heresy vncōptrolled or the truthe vntolde I desire the catholike reader to take this short digression in good part and I wish the protestāt rather to marke the waight then the copie of that I haue saied Let vs then now returne to the olde cōdemned here sies renewed by Luther and folowed of al protestāts of our vnhappy time Luther with all his scholers contemne fasting daies ordained by the church abusing Christen liberte for a cloke of their fleshly fantasie They haue herein right auncient Fathers the Manichees as Leo witnesseth Aerius as Ephiphanius and S. Augustin write and Eustathius as the Councell of Gangra aboue thirten hundred yeares past recordeth They wedde freres and Nūnes Luther leading the daunce of that wanton trace with Kater Bore and breake vowes of chastite without scruple of consciēce folowing the stepps of their father Iouinian condemned therefore for an heretike as S. Augustin recordeth They throwe downe Martyrs towmes scoffe at the deuout visiting of thē inueigh and raile against pilgrimage holy reliques and places of deuotion Nothing truly was in the primitiue church more frequent then going on pilgrimage in so muche that Chrisostom crieth out in one place Iff I were of a stronge body and without ecclesiasticall charge I woulde not refuse so longe a pilgrimage as to go see onely the chaines wherewith and the prison wherein Paull was bounde Iff I had liued then to haue sene those holy handes bounde for our Lordes sake I would haue put my very eyes on them and continually haue kissed them Thus speaketh Chrisostom an auncient and lerned father of the Catholike church and Bishopp of the greate cyte of Constantinople and thinketh it no superstition to preache it to the people for these wordes he spake in pulpit But what fathers haue the protestāts in their cōtrary opinion Of whom lerned they to mocke and scoffe at suche deuotions Of right worthy masters I warrant you First beside the Pagans of whom The odoret maketh mencion of Iuliā the Apostata as you may see in the workes of Cyrillus against him thē of Eustathius as the Coūcel of Gangra reporteth After these of Vigilantius whom S. Hierom refuteth and aboue seuen hundred yeares paste off one Claudius againste whom Ionas Bishop off Orleans in Fraunce wrote Luther and all that folowe his banner be mortall enemies to the images of Christ and off all Saintes Their holy fathers be olde cursed heretikes the Marcionistes the Manichees Aerius Felicianus and all the wicked secte of Iconomachi as it is at large mencioned in the sixte generall Councell and seconde of Nicea Nicephorus also recordeth off one Xenaias who helde this heresy vnder Anastasius the Emperour about a thousand yeares past Luther taught first in our time that holy Orders is no Sacrament that euery Christen man and woman is a priest And all the zelous Lutherans to this daie beleue and teache the same thoughe Melanchthon and many of the Ciuill Lutherans be departed from that fonde and absurde opinion It is also a currant doctrine in the pulpits in certain dyoceses of oure countre The fathers of this heresy were Pepuziani as S. Augustin maketh mencion and Collyridiani as Epiphanius writeth It is common to all Lutherans and protestants of oure time to abhorre the name and profession of a Mōke This was the maner also of the Donatistes and of the Circumcelliones VVhat meaneth saied these heretikes this name of Monkes Vnto whom S. Augustin awnswereth Howe much better may we saie what meaneth this name off Circumcelliones Againste such writeth Chrisostom whole treatises entituling them Against the dispraisers of monastical life The Lutherans and present protestants of our dayes protest that they haue departed from the see of Rome and other Catholike Bishops for the euil and wicked life of the Popes and prelats in Christes church The Apologie of England pretendeth the same excuse But was this their owne imagination thinke you and deuise No truly It was the very grounde of that cursed secte of the Donatistes And their fathers herein are Cresconius Gaudentius Parmenianus and other As S. Augustin writing against them eftsoones declareth It is the doctrine of Luther in his booke de Christiana libertate and diuers other places that faith ought to be free and no man constrained thereunto In our countre also whē the sworde was against them Frithe and his felowes cried for that liberty though nowe they cease not continually to crie for the contrary It was the olde accustomed maner of al heretikes especially of the Donatistes as S. Augustin in sundry places witnesseth Likewise before these heresies were fauoured off Princes and authorised of higher powers the riches and possessions of Bishops was a great eye sore to all Lutherans and protestants Nowe they can like well the pompe of Prelats being placed them selues in suche preferment But their former griefe was an hereticall grudge of the olde heretikes Vadiani as S. Augustin writeth or Audiani as Epiphanius calleth them What is nowe more common in the mouth of all protestants then that nothing ought to be added to the commaundemēts of God For by this short blowe they wipe awaye all constitutions and ordinaunces of the Churche They lerned this argument off Iulian the Apostata who vsed it against the deuotions off the Christians as in Cyrillus it appeareth Protestants will be counted martirs being cutt of by the secular sworde that their cancred doctrine infect not the sounde shepe of Christes flocke Great crakes are made and greate workes sett forthe of their stiff standing to the stake and glorious embrasing of the fire None do this more stoutely then the Anabaptistes whom yet the greater part of protestants detest and abhorre for hainous heretikes But not only these new heretikes but much more the old as the Marcionistes and especially the Circumcelliones excelled in this pretended patience and proude persuasion of Martyrdom See S. Augustin and the ecclesiasticall history of Nicephorus libro 4. capite 23. S. Cipriā also lib de simplicitate praelatorum Luther at the diet helde at Augspurg in the yeare 1521. being much intreated of diuers tendring him for the authorite of Friderik duke of Saxony to leaue all singularites and not to reiect so rashely auncient Councels of Christes Church he awnswered he disproued none except the councell of Constance and thereto he saied he was moued with an vnuincible reason and most assured argument ▪ that was bicause that councell had condemned Iohn Huss affirming that the church of Christ consisted only of such as were predestined and elected And in this opinion he would liue and die All
people This much Melanchthon who although he would neuer before this time openly in writing professe his minde of the Sacrament yet he allwaies tolde his familiar frendes and men of worship that in this point he condemned Luther and claue vnto Swinglius correcting yet a litle his opinion For where as Swinglius saide This signifieth my body he will haue it saied This is the participation of my body which newe interpretation is plainely a newe Sacramentary heresie and neuer heard of amonge the rest of the Swinglians And to maintaine this his proper and newe heresie he vseth two pointes of sutteltie and falshood first when he saith the holy fathers taught no conuersion or transsubstantiation of the bread which is a very impudent and lowde lie For the conuersion of the bread and reall presence of Christ his true body and bloud in the Sacrament may euidently be proued out of all the fathers aboue named and many mo and the contrary opinion clerely condemned Secondarely whē he rebuketh his owne scholers and chargeth them with fiue other Sacramentarie heresies For he saith some be of Heshusius minde some of Sarcerius some other folowe the ministers of Breme and some Ioachimus Morlinus then he alleageth other whose opinion is that Christ his body may be in euery place These fiue heresies which as Melāchthon testifieth are amonge the Lutherans and the other eight which Luther showeth to be amonge the Swingliās make all together thirten heresies which al noweadaies vpon the Sacramēt only are folowed professed and defended amonge the protestants Here againe we may consider the honesty and truthe of M. Doctor Smidelin which is not ashamed to terme such open schismes manifest to al the worlde a sure and certain agremēt of Catholike religion who beside all this knoweth well inough what agreate and vehement altercation there was this present yeare 1560 at Heidelberg amonge the diuines and ministres there touching only this point of the blessed Sacramēt of the which matter Guilelmus Klebicius of Brandeburg hath writen very bitterly and sharpely And this much hitherto of the dissension amonge the protestants touching only the point of the blessed Sacrament The dissension and variaunce of the Lutherans touching the doctrine of Penaunce I haue noted before in a litle booke For some of them put two some thre partes of penaunce But doctor Smidelin will accorde all this discorde with a worde saing it is all one to put two or thre partes of penaunce As though that al other Superintendents and ministres of Luthers secte ought to couche and obey the pontificall authorite of Doctor Smidelin taking vppon him like a pope of protestants But Illyricus will not abide that persuading him selfe that he is of as good mettall to make a Lutheran pope as any other is and therefore he will not graunte to the Masters of Wittenberg no nor to his owne Master Luther to define diuide and determinat the ghospell at their pleasur For in the booke which he intituled An information vpon certain articles of Christen religion he writeth in this sort But not so much he meaning Melanchthon as his proctours do exasperat this matter although they agree not amōg them selues for one interpreteth the matter after one sorte and the other after an other as it happeneth in euill causes One saieh that the worde Penaunce signifieth only sorowe or contrition an other that it signifieth contrition and faithe with al. One saith that the ghospell preacheth repentaunce of one sinne only as of infidelite an other saith of all sinnes Some imagin this glose that the ghospell preacheth repentaunce vnproperly vndirectly and by occasion only some saie that consequently it preacheth repentaunce An other saithe by a figure of contrariete the fourth saith after a sorte and in some point The fift saith it doth but argue mens incredulite or slacknes of belefe The sixt saieth that it reiecteth the small faithe The seuenth saith that it preacheth repentaunce not principally Thus they disagree amonge thē selues no lesse then the Sacramentaries or Babylonians or those builders of idols that Esaie speaketh of where one thinketh to holde vp the idoll with glue another with nailes and the third with chaines But all these gloses bothe destroy them selues one another and the definition also Thus farre Illyricus Doth not Illyricus affirme here that Melanchthons diuines varie one from an other and sett vp seuen sondry opinions neuer a true and all repugnant one with an other no lesse then the sectes of the Sacramentaries and that they agree as the builders of the towre of Babilon in olde time Saithe not directly all this Illyricus And what saieth Smidelinus VVe in the principall articles and grounde of our doctrine do not vary Which if it be true then must we saie that the doctrine of penaunce and of the Sacrament of the aultar appertaine not to the grounde of Christen religion nor are not necessary articles of the same For Smidelin in his litle booke whiche he set forth against me standeth stiffe in this minde That it forceth not whether two or thre partes of penaunce be taught nor skilleth any whit whether you beleue vprightly or embrace that seuenfolde heresie contrary in it selfe in the matter of penaunce Againe in his booke against my table writing of the altercations betwene the Illyricans and the Adiaphoristes he saith Although one write bitterly against the other yet in their churches there is no alteration of doctrine but they professe and teache the pure doctrine of the ghospell in perfit agrement with vs and them selues euen as before this altercation beganne Howe soūdeth thinke you these wordes of Smidelin with the saieng of Illyricus In like maner doth he defend Andreas Musculus For where I write that he teacheth the Godhead of Christ to haue as well died in the Crosse as the māhood Smidelin goeth about to purge him in these wordes I haue vnderstode nowe that Staphylus dothe iniuriously slaunder Andreas Musculus For Musculus in open writing published and printed hathe purged him self against Staphylus Thus saithe Smidelin It is the nature and custome of all heretikes not to continew longe in one minde But to denie to morowe which they saide to daie So dothe Musculus And although Smidelin as he confesseth him selfe be vtterly ignorant of the debate betwene Musculus and Stācarus wherein those wordes be vttered yet he sticketh not to write that I slaunder Musculus Truly bicause he would be counted a common pacifier of all contentions a physician for all sores and a reconciler of all vnruly heresies But what will bothe Musculus and Smidelin saie vnto me if I bring their owne brethern and felowe heretikes witnesses against them The Lutheran churches of Pole sent to the vniuersite of Lausana for the determination of this matter betwene Musculus and Stancarus and the doctours of Lausana sent them this awnswer Although well beloued brethern we can neuer saie inough
against the opinion of Islebius and Andreas Musculus teaching that Christ suffred in bothe natures of God and of man and yet bringing no argument against the contrary Neuertheles seing you desire to know our iudgement and minde of this opinion we can not conceale it from you c. Thus therefore you shall vnderstande VVe denie vtterly that God can suffer any mutation cae Here thou maiest perceaue gentle reader what kinde of men these Lutherans are Sometime whot sometime colde sometime white sometime blacke And yet not withstanding Smidelin writeth It is a greate lie to saie there is any difference amonge our diuines touching the articles of our Confession of Augspurg It is a worlde to see howe this felowe hath hardened his face against all shame and howe proudely he persuadeth him selfe to blinde all the worlde seing and feling that the Lutherans disagree in the articles and grounde of their Confession of Augspurg For the better Declaration whereof let vs yet a litle more diligently waighe and expend the articles of their Confession of Augspurg Clere it is that their chefe and principall articles are of the Blessed Trinite of free will of Iustification of the lawe and the gospel of good and euill workes of faith of Christe Iesus our Mediator of the numbre of Sacraments of Baptim of the Supper of our Lorde of Penaunce and such other These are the principall and chefe articles of the Confession of Augspurg Which if Smidelin denie I appeale to the printed copie of their confession being very sure that all these articles are there But if he graunte me they are all there then I demaunde of him as I haue often times done before whether he wil confesse or denie that the Ministers and Preachers of this newe ghospell agree in al these articles or no. If as he hath done hitherto he denie it I must nedes rest vppon my former sentence and pronounce that surely his wittes be not his owne he is braynesicke and beside him selfe For he knoweth very well as anon in the Genealogie of Luther or table of the heretikes we shall at large declare that first as concerning the blessed Trinite diuers heresies haue in a short space sprong vp As the heresies of Seruetus of Illyricus and of diuers other in Bohem and in the vpper Silesia Againe euident it is that the Caluinistes and the Illyricās can not abide to heare of fre will whereas the Melanchthonistes and the Adiaphoristes contend hereof bitterly against them Nor it is not vnknowen what greuous altercations be amonge the ghospellers about Iustification In so much that there haue risen fourten contrary opinions against Osiander onely vpon this worde of Iustification And howe terribly fighte Illyricus Gallus and such as take their partes against the Melanchthonistes and the Adiaphoristes about the name of the lawe and the ghospell howe one differeth from the other and what eche one is Nowe howe the ghospellers like the brethern of Cadmus raile and brawle aboute good workes some saieng they are profitable to saluation and some that they are pernicious all the worlde seeth and feleth As touching faith howe many yeares haue the ghospellers had as thongh it were open warre thereupon while some crie that Only faith iustifieth some that faith for the more parte iustifieth and good workes for the lesse parte or as some other write faith principally and good workes partly What shal I tell howe they storme and rage in contradiction about Christ howe he is our mediatour and howe he doth iustifie vs For some teache that Christe iustifieth man only by his manhood some only by his godhead some againe teache that the godhead of Christ died in the Crosse. About the numbre of the Sacraments there hath ben a longe time and is yet amonge them cruell variaunce and dissension For some saie there are but two Sacraments some thre some foure some none at all The Caluinistes thinke otherwise of Baptim and the vertu thereof then the Lutherans do but the Anabaptistes differ from them bothe As touching the Supper of our lorde Luther hath noted eight diuers sectes amonge the Swinglians and Melanchthon of late fiue amonge the Lutherans Aboute penaunce Illyricus reakoneth vp seuen contrary heresies amonge the Adiaphoristes But what should I recite all that may be saide Here againe I demaunde of Smidelin let him tell me whether those articles by reason of which the princes of Saxony and Countes of Mansfeld condemned the ten sectes of heresie be of the Confession of Augspurg or no. Againe whereas Amsdorffius Illyricus and Gallus in open and printed bookes do testifie that the Melanchthonistes and Adiaphoristes haue swarued in six or seuen principall articles from the Confession off Augspurg whether that altercation and contention be not of the articles of this Confession or no. Howsoeuer Smidelin here awnswereth he can not escape but he must buckle with the Illyricans Yea Gallus hath of late set forthe a greate commentary wherein he doth not only accuse the Melanchthonistes and Adiaphoristes but proueth plainly that they haue departed like Apostatas from the Confession off Augspurg in the most principall and waightiest articles thereof By these articles therefore aboue rehearsed and by diuers other which you maye see in my table of heretikes it is euident and can not be denied that very fewe articles of the Confession of Augspurg remaine which are not distracted and torne in to sondry and diuers heresies Surely any common laye or vnlerned man if he desire to knowe the truthe hereof he nedeth not much lerning of skill to espie the contrarietes of the protestants only he maye diligently reade waighe and think vpon the places that I haue alleaged out of their owne bookes and writings and he shall finde to be alas to true all that I haue noted of the diuers contrary and repugnant sectes of the Lutherans I aske then of Smidelin whether euer he read in the Confession of Augspurg the articles aboue reakoned Againe whether they belong to the ground of the same Confession Or if these articles were cleane taken out of the Confession what would be lefte if he awnswer that the aboue rehearsed articles be not of the Confession of Augspurg euery man that hath sene the bookes can proue him a lyar For I appeale to the booke of that Confession and I am very sure that the whole ground of that Confession lyeth in those articles If he graunte that those articles are the chefe pointes and grounde of that Confession he must be driuen to saie that the Lutherans in those articles agtee very well and vary in no point or that they varie not so that for that variaunce they may be charged of heresies Nowe then let Smidelin come forthe and tell vs if he stand stiffe in his opinon howe he estemeth the Princes off Saxony and Countes off Mansfeld whether he think that Illyricus Gallus Amsdorffius Morlinus Ioachimus westphalus be all lyars when they