none allmost vnderstode And what meaned our Sauiour when he sayde vnto his disciples It is geuen vnto you to knowe the misteries of the kingdome of God but to the other in parables that seing they see not and hearing they vnderstande not What meaned our Lorde in these wordes Truly this that it is a speciall gifte of God to vnderstande well holy scripture and that this gifte was especially geuen vnto the Apostles and to their disciples and successours which should after thē beare their roume in Christes church Againe that it was inough for the people that as much as is necessary for saluation they might lerne of their pastours preachers and curates the exposition of holy scripture by similitudes and parables agreable to their capacite which may farther be proued by diuers places of holy scripture But I would here gladly aske of our newe Masters when they saye that the texte of scripture is sufficient that there nedeth no expositiō nor glose why write they so many cōmentaries such longe gloses vppon scripture so many bookes and that without all measure if we nede no exposition then surely all the Lutherans bookes and writings be vtterly superfluous vaine and to no purpose but only crafty snares to catche the simple and vnlerned withall But to tell you plainely what the protestāts meane by this sutle shifte to cleaue to the only writen worde surely this it is they would not haue the scripture vtterly not expoūded they meane nothing so for that in dede nothing serueth their turne but they would haue their expositions their maner of expounding to be receaued and beleued as the very worde of god But contrary wise when they haue to do with vs reiecting all interpretation of scripture they ring their olde songe in our eare The worde of god is cleare perspicuous aud plaine it nedeth no exposition it requireth no interpretatiō of the olde fathers or of the Churche wherein you see what is their impudencie and contrariete And this much haue we saide to showe that Scripture ought to be expounded that the bare text suffiseth not But here riseth now agreat question and worthy to be waighed Seing that holy scripture must be interpreted and that we see abrode many and diuers interpretations thereof and yet in one thing there can be but one truthe and as scripture it selfe is vndoubtedly true so the interpretation thereof must be vndoubted and certain whether of all these interpretations or what maner is to be accompted the right proper and vndoubted As for example No Christen man denieth but that these wordes of the last supper Take eate this is my body be the very wordes of God Christ him self And what coulde be sayde more plainely more distinctly more directly then these wordes of Christ are yet what happened Al the sectes and heresies that raign nowe adaies acknowlegde them for the wordes of God No secte denieth thē Whereupon then riseth these greate and horrible dissensions surely not whether secte hathe the worde of god but whether of them well expoundeth it And see howe diuersly these fewe wordes are expounded Zwinglius saith these wordes This is my body are as much to saie This significeth and betokeneth my body Oecolāpadius thus expoundeth them This is the signe or token of my body Carolstadius after this sorte Herein sitteth my body Swenck feldius yet after an other sorte This is my spiritual body Luther thus This is my naturall body in naturall breade The Catholikes haue allwaies thus expounded it Vnder the forme of bread it is the true boly of oure Lorde Nowe what shall here a simple and vnlerned man of the countre do hearing so diuers and contrary interpretations of so fewe wordes Truly if he will here of his owne head confer scriptures together and serch the true meaning of these wordes in scripture and the writen text he shall be as wise herein as these men aboue mentioned who all by conference of scripture you see howe swetely they agreed vpon the truthe But if there were any certainte in conference as sometimes it helpeth much yet the simple vnlerned man by common order of witt shal neuer finde it out For how can the vnlerned and ignorant iudge of that which he neuer lerned no more truly then the showemaker is able to iudge of the goldesmithes worke which he was neuer practised in And were not that showemaker to be accōpted very impudēt and vndiscret who seing two goldesmithes contending of the fines of some piece of gold or siluer would steppe in and take vpō him to determinat the matter betwene them much lesse ought the vnlerned medle with or determinat matters of Diuinite or take vpon them to expounde the meaning of the holy ghoste seing that in worldly affaires there can no waightier matter of more difficultie or of greater importaunce be taken in hande what then shal the vnlerned man do in this case If he may cleaue to no part at all then must he be of no church but make him selfe a newe secte forge him selfe a newe faith and so at length lese all faith and become a very painim whiche god forbid that euer any man should persuade the vnlerned If he cleaue to any part yet is he in greate daūger For almightie god cōmaūdeth straitly by his Apostle that we auoide the heretike Here truly the laye man ought to take good aduise For he is bounde him selfe to take hede of false prophets lest being blinde him selfe and not able to vnderstande holy scripture he suffer him selfe to be lead of a blinde guide such as the heretike is But howe can the blinde man see whether is guide be blinde or no Truly of him felfe he cā not see it vnlesse he hath lerned of suche as see wel some certain token howe to knowe it Is there then any such tokē or signe or where may a man seke it verely the mercifull prouidence of almighte God hath not failed in this point but hath left vnto the laie simple and vnlerned man a certain and vnfallible token whereby he may if he regarde his owne saluation beware of all false and heretical corruption in interpreting scripture There is no Christē man so rude or ignorant that knoweth not perfitly his Crede and can reherse it frō the beginning to the ending In the which though euery article ought diligētly to be marked and borne awaye yet in this time none more then the article where we saye Credo sanctā Catholicā Ecclesiam I beleue the holy Catholike church For in this worde Catholike is the very true token and marke to knowe the right interpretatiō of scripture by for that is called Catholike as S. Austin teacheth which euery where and at al times is and hath ben Thē this worde Chatolike attributed to the church is that which hath continued frō the Apostles time to our daies without any breache diuision or intermission For such a church did God the Father
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
laste confession writen against the Sacramentaries saieth that faith is like to a bell which as longe as it is whole kepeth his true sounde but when it is anything crased or cleft it iarreth and leseth cleane his proper tune like as an ear then vessel as longe as it is whole and sounde is called a pot a crocke or some like thing but ones broken or cleft it leseth his name and is called a potsheard Let no man therefore comforte him selfe with this vaine hope that although their preachers and ministres erre in some pointes yet are good Christians in other pointes for that auaileth nothing You must be saued within the arke of Noe or be drowned with out it There is herein no middle waye Therefore you must take very good hede that you be not deceaued lest that while wantōly and negligently you harken to euery newe doctrine and forged interpretation of scripture that one or two newe preachers teache you lese youre soules in good earnest Remembre rather what the prophet saieth Euery man is a lyar He meaneth not al men together For I for my part and you for youre part and euery man a part may lie erre and be deceaued But all good men together that is the whole Catholike churche of Christ can not erre in any article of faith For it is builded vpon the rocke of truthe and vpon that consideration is called the piller and grounde of al truthe Therefore when the simple and vnlerned man heareth sundry and cōtrary expositions of holy Scripture let him haue recours to his faith and fully determinat with him selfe for that he is not lerned in holy scripture not to take any other waie or folow any other guide then the article of his Crede I beleue the holy Catholike church persuading him selfe vndoubtedly that to be the only true interpretation of scripture which is Catholike That is which together with the writen text hath by the Apostles and their successours ben spred trough the whole worlde and continued vniforme and vncorrupted euen to our time And this only rule may serue as a buckler for the vnlerned mā that as ofte as newe preachers set a broche any newe doctrine and straunge then to thinke this with him selfe I am a man vnlerned I can not perceiue the drift of their disputing I can not iudge of their cōtrouersie But seing that my Crede teacheth me to beleue nothing but that which is Catholike and hath allwaies ben kept and receaued in Christēdom what shall I do to knowe whether these newe preachers doctrine be Catholike or no Here this vnlerned man must remembre the counsell of Moyses saying Aske of the daies that are past which were before the sence the daie that God created man vpon the earthe and aske frō one side of the heauē vnto the other and in an other place Remēbre the daies of the worlde that is past Consider the yeares from time to time aske thy father and he will showe the thy elders and they well tell the. For this is the true guide of a blinde man and ignorant to aske and enquire what his forefathers what his neighbours what the townes and countres about haue allwaies obserued and beleued sence the time they were first traded in Christen religion and haue so many yeares continued in This is the faith of that cooliar which being at point of deathe and tempted of the deuill what his faith was awnswered I beleue and die in the faith of Christes church Being againe demaunded what the faith of Christ his church was that faith saied he that I beleue in Thus the deuil getting no other awnswer of the simple man was ouercomed and put to flight By this faith of the cooliar euery vnlerned man may trie the spirits of men whether they be of god or no by this faith he may resist the deuill iudge the true interpretation of scripture from the false and discerne the Catholike preacher from the hereticall Minister the true doctrine from the forged But to set this whole matter before your eies as it were in a glasse take this example Suppose there came to some greate cyte fiue different and contrary preachers as by name Caluin a Zwinglian Longinusa Swencfeldiā Functius an Osiandrin Illyricus a Lutherā and some Catholike doctour suppose the magistrates of the cite graunted these fiue euery one to preache and defend openly his owne priuat doctrine what shal the vnlerned laie mā do here that he folowe not a blind guide and so fall bothe in to the dike surely as we haue saied before so must he do he shall aske first of Master Caluin whether his doctrine be the pure and very worde of god when he writeth that in the Supper of the Lorde not the true body of Christ but only the figure of his body is there and is geuē Againe that originall sinne is but a naturall infirmitie of the minde not giltie of eternall dānation Or els that God is the cause of the sinne of man that god compelleth and forceth men to wickednes blasphemies horedome theft lyeng deceites and such other Here of Caluin awnswer that al this is the pure and cleare worde of god let him aske him againe in what place of the Bible he readeth expresly these wordes In the Supper is not the true body of Christ but the figure only Originall sinne is but an infirmitie not giltie of eternall damnation laste of all that men are constrained of God to sinne To this Caluin will surely awnswer that although this his doctrine be not founde in scripture expresly in these wordes or termes yet that this sentence and meaning is there Marke here then that the doctrine of Caluin is not the expresse worde of God but the meaning and interpretation of it And this lo is their first deceite Let the laye man go yet farder with Caluin and aske whether this his interpretation be Catholike whether that Christen religion began with this doctrine in Germany Fraunce Italy England or any other where whether this his doctrine was preached of the Apostles and their successours receaued and vsed in the Catholike churche and deriued from our forefathers to vs through out al these countres For I maye the laye man saie haue asked here of my elders which denie they euer heard any such thing I haue enquired of the cytes and countres here about they knowe it not but saie it is newe and very straunge vnto them And here Caluin can not denie but that it is so and our men are not ashamed to sai◠that these thousand yeares all truthe hath ben loste therefore the vnlerned man may here boldly saye vnto him Well Sir if it be so fare you well I entend not to medle with you nor your doctrine any more So Athanasius writeth to Epictetus the bisshop that it is inough to awnswere an heretike after this sort The Catholike Church neuer taught this the
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
the holy ghoste Againe that the Crede which the churche vseth to singe is not to be called the Crede of Athanasius but of Sathanasius as you woulde saie of the deuill Certain noble men of Pole demaunding of Petrus Statorius and Georgius Brandata where they had lerned this doctrine being newe and neuer heard off before in Pole they awnswered It was the pure ghospell and very worde off god and the very same doctrine which they had lerned of their masters Caluin Bullinger Peter Martir and VVolfgangus Musculus But the cause why it was not before heard of in Pole nor abrode in the worlde was that it pleased god to reuele to the worlde this highe misterie and greate treasure nowe in these later daies by his faithefull Ministres The Lorde Stanislaus Baron Mathias Stadnitzky and Franciscus Stancarus by their patent letters writen to to the Swinglian doctours aboue mencioned in the yeare 1561. and sent by their owne Messenger do testifie and write these thinges of Petrus Statorius and Brandata IN VVHAT ARTICLES THE CONFESSIONISTES SVCCESSOVRS OF LVTHER DO YET Agree and accorde HEtherto by the sondry and diuers factions of heretikes of vs rehearsed it may appeare howe and in what matters they swarue and disagree amonge them selues For who readeth nowe all the articles of the Confession off Augspurg he shall see that swaruing and scattering in all the reste they haue remained onely in these fewe of one accorde and agrement And of those articles this is the firste Firste they agree all in this that all sectes wil be called ghospellers all boaste them selues to folowe the worde of God the ghospell the Crede of the Apostles and of Athanasius they all saie that the worde off God is cleare and opeÌ„ and nedeth no interpretation that women and men laie and priestes maye al a like handle and treate off the worde off God And whatsoeuer sence of holy scripture shall like any man that he maye folowe and defend it for the worde of God it selfe The Second Article wherein they do all agree is that they do all with like endeuour and malice striue against the Catholike church that none of them all admitteth any Catholike or vniuersally receaued exposition of holy scripture that they all accompte the bishop of Rome for Antichriste all bishops Prelats Priestes for the meÌ„bres of the deuil that they do all abhorre constitutions and ceremonies of the Catholike churche That all hate and detest a like the blessed sacrifice of the Masse that all go aboute to take oute of the churche all priesthood and clergy The third article wherein all the protestants agree is that for the moste parte al leaders and Masters off sectes forge some notable lies vppon the Catholike writers and then persuade the people they are the doctrine of the papistes As for example They make the people wene that the papistes taught man to be able to merit the grace of God and the benefit off iustificatioÌ„ with his only good workes This and suche other lies they haue already so persuaded the people that although neuer Catholike man taught so yet they put this absurdite as the foundation and grounde of papisticall doctrine The fourth article wherein all protestants agree is that to confesse and reaken vp our sinnes to do any satisfaction whereby the temporall paine due for sinne may be released to labour and endeuoure to purchase euerlasting life by good workes proceding of the grace of God and depending of the merites of Christe is naught els but a papisticall buchery and torment of coÌ„sciences that CoÌ„firmatioÌ„ Matrimony and extreme vnction be mans inuentions not Sacraments of the church They agree also al in this that no man can liue chaste no more then he can liue withoute spetting as Luther writeth and that to faste certain appointed daies is the worshipping of deuils In these articles off the Confession off Augspurg in these articles of the fifte ghospell all sectes of our time agree wonderfully But in al other pointes they braule and snarle one at an other like cats and dogges A SHOVVE OF THE PROTESTANTS PETIGREVV as ye haue it before at large deducted An ougly Monster brought forth of a cowe in the yeare 1523. in Waltersdorff one myle from Friberg in one Steckers farme much resembling the cowle of a Fryer Whereby Luthers Monstrous life and doctrine was boded Bicause no coulours might expresse Luther the friers grace As also that such Champions might be knowen by their race Nature therefore in his chefe time of wedding and of preaching Did blase his armes in this Monster to geue the a warning Such faire figures such like truthes such foule rootes such ofspring Such holy fathers such good sonnes such ghospell such blessing Yet thou which maiest reade vpon this Monster do not musâ— But to haue more deformites his broode in this booke peruse A. Martin Luther of an Austin Fryer an ambitious Apostata A wicked deuiser of damnable doctrines Father of all the sectes of protestants The Archeheretike of our time Katerin Bore a Nonne by Luthers procurement ranne out of the Nonnery of Nymick in Saxony Easter eue at night in the yeare of our Lorde 1523. Came to Wittenberg liued twoo yeares a lewd life with the scholers there Then coupled her selfe in pretensed wedlock with Martin Luther a Nonne with a Fryer Apostatesse with Apostata B. C. Bernard Rotman an vnlerned laye man by reading of Luthers epistle ad Waldenses 〈…〉 Lutheran 〈…〉 meth 〈…〉 Of him spronge vp the buddes off this branche Adamites Sabbataries Anabaptistes Holders in common Howling Anabaptistes Mennonites Manywiuers Dauidgeorgians Byslepers Daemoniacalls Close Anabaptistes Steblers D. Zwinglius of a spiritual pastour a secular souldiar Reading the Assertions the Resolutions of Luther and his booke de formula Missa Becometh Father of the Sacramentaries multiplieng in to the sectes aboue named Signifiers Valuers Presentaries Iudaistes Imagebreakers Neutersacramentaries Metamorphistes Pleadgers Figurers E. Philip Melanchthon first the slaue of Luther allwaies a variable and inconstant felowe Euer lerning as S. Paul saieth but neuer attaining to the truthe Father and founder off the CoÌ„fessionistes spredding them selues in to thre famous factions eche faction breding a plentifull issue Zealous Lutherans diuided in to Lawles Lutherans Hellmasters Antidaemoniacalls Antidiapherists Antisuenckfeldians Handlayers Priesters Inuisiblers Twosacramenters Anticaluinistes Autofiandrins Amsâ—â—rsians Helltormenters Samosatenicalls Disordrely and vnruly Lutherans parted in to Suenckfeldians Stancarians Newpelagians Manichees and Marcionite alumisles Newmanichees Antistanckarians Osiandrins Ciuil Lutherans scattered in to Scripturians Thresacramenters Lutherancalicinistes Maiouristes Newpelagians Politick Lutherans Penitentiaries Halfosiandrins Foursacramenters Adiaphoristes THE PLACES AND COVNTRES VVHEREIN THE FORESAIDE PROTESTANTS AND HEREtikes either dwell openly or be conuersaunt secretly THe Anabaptistes dwell frely and opeÌ„ly in easte and weste Friselande and especially about Geddan Dantsch Elbing and Coiningsberg also in Morauia abundantly in Bohem not so com mon. Yet vnder pretext of Lutherans they liue here and there priuely vppon the
by them left vnto their lawfull successours with the very text of the scripture therefore it is cōmonly called the Tradition of the holy fathers and oftentimes the vnwriten verite in respect of the writen texte And bicause the truthe off the text and of the right vnderstanding of the texte must nedes be all one truly our aduersaries do slaunder vs fayning that in triall off cōtrouersies we woulde beside the worde of God sett as iudge the traditions of men directly against the worde of God The third principle is that holy continuall succession of the See Apostolike and other bishops in the Catholike churche For if we be able to proue by order of continuall succession that all bishops as well before vs as nowe haue allwaies expounded the holy scriptures euen as the first Apostles did can there be any more certain waye for the vnderstanding of scripture then this is I would gladly heare what can be saied against it The fourthe principle is the vnite and consent of the Catholike churche Whereby it is made that the like truthe be in euery part that is in the whole and so contrary wise These are moste Reuerend Prelate the right principles of Christian doctrine these are the foundations of all truthe these as foure quarres or corner stones holde vp the Catholike churche and therefore it is called One Holy Catholike and Apostolike churche For of these principles dependeth the Authorite of the councels Of these the holy Canons haue their beginning and of these all laufull and laudable rites of the church take force and strength These then being the principles of our religion not those which Brentius falsely chargeth vs withal Princes and rulers ought to looke more nerer vnto the doings and sayings of their preachers But nowe Bretius to make an oppositiō of the foresaide forged principles our principles are saieth he the worde of God Christ and an assured certainte of oure confidence in Christ But what is I praie you this your worde of God This it is that all maner of folke mē and womē cookes and coblers baudes and buchers tinkers and tailers pedlers and poticaries minstrels and mummers and all such like be priestes be bishops be doctours and pastours and haue authoritie to administrat the Sacraments to interpret Scripture and what interpretation eche one by the drifte of his braine draweth out of scripture that to be the pure ghospell off the Lorde and the expresse worde of God This is not right Reuerend father the worde of God but the worde of the diuell him selfe inuēted of Luther not inspired by the sprit of God For that man entending to peruert all that appertained to God or to man laboured trauailed and endeuoured by al meanes possible that there might remaine no spirituall magistrat whiche might by authorite discerne betwene leper and leper maintaining the right doctrine of the ghospell and remouing the bastard And this labour of Luther being well liked of Sathan he imagined an other worde of God as that among Christen men shoulde be no ciuill magistrat for all princes were fooles tyrans and men of no religion to thentent that if perhaps the heresies of Luther were condemned by the Spirituall magistrat and so forth with cōmitted to the secular sworde princes therunto might haue no authorite Hereuppon he forbiddeth Christen men to kepe warre against the Turke and commaundeth subiects to rebel against their princes Strait vppon this arose an other worde of an other God that all lawes of chaste and single life shoulde be taken awaye teaching amonge a sorte of maydes and yonge men that Man was no more able to refraine his fleshly lustes then not to spet when nature prouoked Againe that fasting and abstinence from flesh nothing helped prayer nothing furdered deuotion made nothing to sobriete These smaller pointes being first all most conquered he reacheth to higher and diuiner matters First bicause he teacheth that sinne is not by the grace of baptime taken away in dede but is saide and fained only to be taken away hereof he savve it vvolde folovve that mē oughte not be estemed righteous and good in dede but onely accompted and imputed for such Then bycause he made no difference nor degre of grace he admitted no encrease in vertu and therefore could not abide the Sacramēt of Confirmation Fardermore bicause if sinne be not rooted out if there be no encrease of grace nor goodnes but al is only by maner of accōpte and imputing thē must he also infer that the presence of Christes body may not be in earthe that no sacrifice be admitted and vvhich folovved thereupon no priesthood nether And of this point the Zuinglians picked out one worde of their straunge God and the Lutherās an other of this spring also arose the doctrine teaching mā to be iustified by only faith hope charite repentaunce and other good workes being pernicious and hurtefull to saluation what frute then thinke you proceded hereof This sothely and many other For if God doth compell man to sinne as Luther and the Caluinistes do write howe can God require good workes or by what lawe can be punish sinne seing that he worketh sinne in vs and good workes are thought to be pernicious And truly if there be no rewarde for vertu there shall be no punishment for sinne And then there is no hel nor place of punishment as in the seacoste townes of Germany it is taught there is no diuell to execute that punishment as Osiander teacheth This worde not of God but of the diuell beyng laied this principle being put an other principle concerning Christ ensued as that the humain nature of Christe is god as the Swenckfeldians will haue it or contrairely that Christe is not God as the Seruetians teache and Mathias Flaccius affirming that the worde in the first of Iohn is not the sonne of God Lo how fertill and abundant was this principle of Luther and Brentius There were in times past and are also nowe a dayes whiche openly denie Christ to be the son of God affirming him to be the son of Ioseph and Mary Which Mary also had as they saye many other children beside Christ. Other there be nowe which teache the ghospell of S. Iohn to be a tale of Plato baptim to be the inuentiō of the diuell And that there is not in God the Trinite of persons some other doubting whether this Trinite be man or woman So taught euen this winter a certayn new ghospeller in Sternberg a towne of Morauia and that with the fauour of the people but much against the will of the Bishop of Omoluke their diocesian There be nowe in Hungary also which in their baptim leaue out cleane the name of the Son There be in many places the Seruetians which call the blessed Trinite by the name of the hellhownd Cerberus whom the poetes fained to haue thre heads With like horrible blasphemies two other ghospellers daily
he teache all waies the Son to be coeternall with the father wherefore they neuer would affirme that the Son had any beginning of substance Let vs thē leaue these Logicall disputations and looke vnto the expositiōs of the olde writers Put it therfore in the Emperours head that he cal the heretikes before him and aske thē what accōpt they make of such doctours and fathers as wrote before their heresie began and whether they iudge them to be Christen men or none of the church If they mislike thē let them if they dare condemne and anathematise them If they so do the very people will ouerrunne them And so truthe shall ouer come But yf they do not repell the olde doctours it shall thē be our part to bring forth their sayengs and by their testimonies confirme our doctrine This being tolde of Sisinius Nectarius goeth forth with vnto the Courte and declareth vnto the Emperour the aduise off Sisinius who liking it very well and going wisely aboute the matter called the heretikes before him and dissembling his purpose demanded them only whether they made any accompt of the Doctours of the church which liued before their heresie began or no. They not reiecting those writers but calling them their masters and fathers the Emperour asketh them againe whether they woulde admit them as worthy witnesses of the Christen faith The chief masters of that heresie hearing those wordes doubted much what they might answer Whereuppon they striued amonge them selues some thinking the Emperourment wel some mistrusting the issue of his demaundes and perceauing they made litle for their purpose For they were not all of one minde touching the writinges of the olde fathers differing in that point not only from other religions but also from them selues who professed all one religion Thus their wicked doctrine was discouered and confounded as the buylders of Babel by their variaunce in language For the emperour preceauing their disagrement and seing they trusted only vpon contentious disputing regarding not the exposition of olde writers he toke an otherwaie with them commaunding that eche religion should in writing shortly comprise the effect of their doctrine and opinion Thus farre the history of Socrates That Sisinius though good not to dispute with heretikes it was not his first deuise The holy canons had commaunded the same Tertullian and other holy fathers had writen the same And the cause why they thinke it not expedient to trie by disputation matters of our faith is that all heretikes do vtterly take away the true principles off Christen religion which are the sure groundes off good disputation and place in their stede false and forged which are all vncertain and maye serue as we see in coūting sometime for more sometime for lesse sometime nothing at all For he that taketh away the generall and the whole howe can he be sure of the partes Or if ye denie the substance to what purpose were it to dispute of the accident To none at all Therefore he that listeth dialectically and schole like to reason with an heretike if he agree not first with him for the principles he shall fight he woteth not against what nor to what purpose and sooner shall ye take a hare with a taburin then conclude a suttell heretike with an argument For he hath no certainte in his doctrine but is ready to denie that he graunted the last worde before and likewise to graunte that he laste denied flitting and flieng as vauntage serueth Brentius affirmeth the only text of the writen worde to be the first principle of Lutheran religion But in such sorte that it may be lawfull out of this writen text to cut of the epistle of S. Iames cast awaie the epistle to the Hebrews refuse the Apocalypse of S. Ihon and condemne the bookes of Machabes This principle serueth also to reiect any other part of the whole Bible for if any sentence euidently expressed in sctipture be brought against him strayte Brentius crieth The Hebrewe text readeth not so The greke copies haue otherwise And this principle of the only text serueth so fit for these heretikes purpose that for conference with them no waye can be made nor ende can be founde Then the Catholike and Apostolicall vnderstanding of holy Scripture which is euery where one and allwaies agreable with it selfe which is deriued from the Apostles which is the present iudge in all controuersies they vtterly refuse and very rudely and impudently appeale vnto Christ whom in earthe present iudge we can not haue Whom yet some of them denie to be God some to be man and some other saie he is but a tale of Plato And yet forsothe they boaste of the certainte of their faith which in dede is most vncertain as their most manifest dissension well declareth A very vaine and childish crake it is to crie allwaies that their Cōfession of Augspurg is grounded vppon the doctrine of the prophetes and of the Apostles For who saieth so but they them selues and of their only fecte which first inuented it and would impudently compel all Christendō to receaue it But if you ask them howe they proue it they will saie vnto you All the articles of our Confession agree with the prophets and the Apostles and differ frō thence in no point O the madnes of our countre That which is called in question they laie for their groūdes bringing for proufe that which ought to be proued What child in logick would so fondly reason For if you denie againe that the articles of this their confession is grounded vpon the doctrine of the prophets and the Apostles what haue they then to saye peraduenture left they may seme to be put to silence they will beginne to interpret and cōfer Scripture together after their maner But is not this the foule faute in logike called Petitio principij that is to aske that whiche ought to be proued For when we blame the Cōfessiō of Augspurg we blame nothing els but the false and wronge interpretation of holy Scripture vsed in that Confession But you will saye We may as well refuse the interpretation that the Catholikes do bringe of their owne Well truly and worthely For who will heare the Catholike doctour if he bring forthe nothing but saie only that the doctrine of the Catholike churche is grounded in holy Scriptures This must not be tolde but be proued What then will the Catholike bring that the heretike shall not be able to bring He will surely bring and declare first the interprerarion of Scripture which he vseth to be vniuersall to haue ben deriued from the Apostles to be receaued and allowed in all Christendom Then he will showe that euery article and principall point of our faith hath ben confirmed by miracles Last of all he will teache you that all matters of the Catholike church which be proper of the newe testament are founde expressed by euident figures in the olde Testament What
vtterly detesting all sectes and heresies becometh a right good Catholike And surely so it happeneth that who so ones departeth from the church if he entre but a litle with other heresies he is accompted an heretike of the heretikes them selues From the which our Lorde of his tender mercy preserue vs alwaies Amen Our forefathers the auncient Germans were euer accompted men of grauite constancie and of a setled iudgement not light brayned inconstant or wauering with euery wind as peraduenture some other countres were noted for For lightnes in dede in men of wisedome is a greate blotte But what can be more light or more vaine then to beleue euery light person without any sure grounde of his doctrine He that beleueth quickely saith the wise man is light of hart These preachers and newe ghospellers that nowe a daies runne from countre to countre be vile vagabondes light and wilde persones men of no grauite nor whorthy of any authorite And that their outewarde behauiour declareth Their bearde they let growe only vppon the vpper lippe like the Turkes their cotes be cut shorte at the buttokes with large wide sleues as the sergents or catchepolles in times past were wont to haue and thus like frogges they leape in to the pulpit crieng and creking there Our Confession of Auspurg is grounded vppon the writings of the Apostles and Prophets and hathe endured these thirty yeares Beholde good Catholike reader a wonderous matter The Confession of Augspurg is thirty yeares olde Is not this a maruailous loÌ„ge continaunce and yet these felowes will not be a knowen that our Catholike religion hath continued these thousand fyue hundred yeares and aboue twise their thirty without breache or interruption Nowe where they bable that their Confession is grounded vppon the writings of the Apostles and Prophets doth not euery secte and euery heretike crake the same Do not the Anabaptistes crie it is writen in the xxvj of Marke He that will not beleue shall be condemned But children haue no faith and can not beleue ergo they can not be saued nor ought not be baptised â—Like wise the ZuingliaÌ„s crie they not that it is writeÌ„ in the vj. of Ihon. The flesh profiteth nothing and therefore they will haue it but bread in the Sacrament Againe the scholers of Osiander alleage they not the saying of the prophet the 23. of Ieremie Iehouah is our iustice Who can denie but all these allegations be the writinges of the Apostles and prophets why theÌ„ do the LutheraÌ„s abhorre the Anabaptistes why condeÌ„ne they Osiander and his felowes why doth Luther call Zuinglius an heretike Do not they crie that their doctrine as well as the other crie that their Confession is grounded vpon the writings of the Apostles and prophets yes they crie truly so euen as lowde and as truly as the Lutherans What theÌ„ lacketh in this matter Truly not who alleageth Scripture for that euery heretike doth but who can proue his doctrine in dede not only in wordes by Scripture For who caÌ„ abide the preacher be he neuer so Catholike that crieth only that his doctrine is grounded vppon the writings of the Apostles and Prophets It is not sufficient to alleage and hudle vp many places of scripture which the heretikes do as roundely as the Catholikes but you must by good reason and sure grouÌ„de proue that those your places be well and duly alleaged and expounded But by what grouÌ„de and reason may this be proued By thre maners of waies First the teacher of any doctrine or preacher ought to proue and euidently declare that his doctrine or interpretation of holy Sripture is Catholike deriued from the Apostles receaued through out whole Christendom and continued vnto our time Secondarely that all the ordre maner and disposition of the church of Christ in the newe lawe was figured and shadowed by other obseruaunces and doings in the olde lawe Thirdly that euery principall article of our Catholike religion hath beÌ„ confirmed with some miracle whereby the verite of it hathe vnuincibly ben warranted As for example Amonge vs Catholikes it is a sure and vndoubted point in our religion that in the blessed Sacrament of the aultar vnder one kinde the whole and perfit body of Christe is contained as well as vnder bothe This point we first proue by the expresse worde of God vttered by the Apostle saying that Christ can not be diuided Nowe that this saying of the Apostle is well applied to the one kinde of bread in the Sacrament the common practise of Christes Catholike churche these many hundred yeares dothe abundantly witnesse Againe it is proued by an euident figure of the olde lawe For we reade in Moyses that although some gathered more some lesse of Manna which vndoubtedly as S. Paule witnesseth was the figure of our Lordes supper yet he that gathered lesse had as much as he that gathered more So Hilarius pope of Rome decreeth saying Where parte of the body is there is the whole for the like is in the body of our Lorde that was in Manna that figured it For not the visible quantite is to be considered in this misterie but the spirituall efficacie and vertu of the Sacrament Last of all this hath ben confirmed by so sundry and strauÌ„ge miracles wrought from God that who so hath any sparckle of Christen faith remaining in him can neuer doubt but that the body of Christ is as well vnder one kinde as vnder bothe The stories of the Iewes may testifie clerely this matter which happened in diuers places as at Passau Breslau Regenspurg and Tekendorph in Bauaria in the yeare of our Lorde 1337. and afterward at Berlin in the Marchise of Brandeburg in the yere 1512. and now lately in Pole in the dyocese of the Archebishop of Gnesna In whiche all places it hathe ben seen that out of the Hoste of our Lordes body foined in with daggers by the Iewes bloud hath gushed out and many other miracles haue befallen The which all surely almightie God of his mercie hath wrought for the confirmation of his churche in this article that vnder the forme of bread is fully contained his precious body and bloud and for the conuicting also of the damnable heresie of the Maniches who aboue a thousand yeares agone affirmed that vnder the forme of bread was the body without bloud This I haue brought in for an example to show howe the Catholike doctours are able to proue euery article of Catholike religioÌ„ That is by the Catholike vniuersal and receaued expositioÌ„ of holy scripture by the figures and shadowes of the olde lawe by the operation of miracles Surely who can thus proue his doctrine he may boldely saie that it is grounded vppon the writings of the Apostles and prophets Nowe if the Confessionistes speake as they think when they saie their doctrine is grounded vppon the Apostles and prophets and that they will proue it to be so in
iustification is necessary and that good workes were pernicious to saluatioÌ„ yet afterward writing against the Antinomi his scholers he corrected his former doctrine after this sort That the lawe before iustification is in dede necessary for the knowleadg of sinne but afterward is vtterly vnprofitable For the maintenaunce therefore of this PelagiaÌ„ and Manichean heresie the shifting in of the worde Nur nothinge but fitted his purpose maruailous well For by this only worde he hath planted againe two notable and auncient heresies The one of the Pelagians whiche saide that the lawe auailed nothing but for the knowleadg of sinne teaching what we ought to do and not to do and that by the ghospell we haue no grace geuen vs to perfourme that which by the lawe we learne to be good and godly An other of the Maniches which teache as Luther doth that the lawe is made for wicked men not for Christen men which can be helde in by no lawe nor are not bounde to any good workes In an other place where the Apostle according to the Latin and Greke text hath thus Haue we not power to leade about a sister a womaÌ„ Luther thus traÌ„slateth it Haben wir nicht macht ein Schwester zum Weib mit vmbher zu fijrn that is Haue we not power to leade about a sister for a wife Here againe like a false foister he shifteth in counterfaited droges amonge the swete spice of holy scripture adding thereunto of his owne these wordes zum Weib that is for a wife which is farre different from the meaning of the holy ghoste and was neuer writen by the Apostle nor reade in holy scripture from the beginning of the church by any Christen Catholike man But what intended Luther by this his addition surely to roote out of mens hartes all loue off chastite and virginite lest perhaps if S. Paule and the rest of the Apostles had caried no wiues aboute with them some woulde be content also by their example to lacke them yea he maketh the blessed Apostle a lyar whereby he might remoue him cleane out of the Bible For the Apostle say the in an other place I would haue allenâ—n be as my selfe That is as he expoundeth himselfe that all priestes and preachers off the worde of God should abstaine from matrimonie and all pleasure of the flesh to the entent that they might studie rather to please God then their wife As also againe when he saythe He that marieth his virgin doth wel and he that marieth her not doth better meaning thereby that bothe are right good bothe to mary and to liue single Yet whem one of the twaine and the better must be chosen certain it is that the Apostle preferreth single life before mariage But Luther by iumbling in only these wordes Lum Weib that is for a wife hath taken awaie the meaning and godly inteÌ„t of the Apostle not only out of the scripture but also out of thousandes of mens hartes not without great losse of many a soule He hath beside hereby not only disgraced the excellent vertu of chastite and virginite but also brought so in contempt the holy sacrameÌ„t of wedlock as if it were in inuention of maÌ„ that nothing is now more common then as Luther him self teacheth in the sixt tome of his workes If the wife will not let the maide come And there be yet extant certaine epistles of Luther and Melanchthon and aduises geuen by their letters wherein they do openly permit and pronounce it to be lawefull that one husband may haue two lawfull wiues I could also alleage and note with my finger diuers examples hereof agreable to the doctrine of these blessed ghospellers Neither may any man here thinck that this false and deceitefull translation of Luther is any newe inuented tricke of him selfe it was practised also in the time of S. Augustin who coÌ„futeth it with these wordes For vpon this respect sayth he speaking of relief made to the Apostles godly and faithefull wemen hauing wordly substaunce went about with the Apostles and ministred vnto theÌ„ of their substance that they lacked nothing necessary for this present life Which S. Paule showeth he might lawfully haue done as the other Apostles did but he saieth afterward he woulde not vse his power and authorite herein And this point certain men not perceauing expounded not asister woman where the Apostle saith haue we not power to leade aboute a sister woman but a wife These men seme to be deceaued by the ambiguite of the graeke worde For that in graeke one worde signifieth bothe a woman and a wife Allthouh the Apostle so placed that greke worde that they might not be deceaued For neither he sayde a woman only but a sister woman nor to mary but to leade aboute but other interpretours were nothing deceaued with this ambiguite translating it a woman not a wife Thus farre S. Augustin very plainely and roundely confuting the fonde interpretation or translation of Luther There is in the church a laudable custome and godly institution of the Apostles to applie holy scripture to the passion of Christ. So that Lessons and other praiers in the church especially of priestes and other in holy orders be so deuided and distributed in to certain howres that bothe the storie of Christ his passion and the rest of holy scripture may by that orderly distribution more coÌ„ueniently be vnderstaÌ„ded Hereof as we haue before touched were instituted the Canonical houres of Matins of Prime of the iij. vj and ix howres of EueÌ„song and CoÌ„plin And that al this is not by mans coÌ„stitutions or traditioÌ„s it may by diuers places of holy scripture euidently be confirmed Dauid in a certain psalme writeth SeueÌ„ times in the daye haue I saide laudes vnto the vpon the iudgemeÌ„ts of thy righteousnes And that this was done at certain houres and prescribed times it appereth by an other place of the same psalme I arose at midnight to confesse vnto the vpon the iudgements of thy righteousnes And in an other psalme he writeth At euening at morning and at none daie I wil praie and he shall heare my voice Morning praier in the church is couÌ„ted the Prime None daie the ix howre after Masse At euening the EueÌ„song In the Actes we reade of the Sixte howre Where it is writen that Peter ascended in the vpper partes to praie about the Sixte howre The iij. also the vj. and the ix howre aremeÌ„cioned in Daniel at the which howres he praied with teares ouer against HierusaleÌ„ Complin time of praier appeareth by that which S. Luke writeth of our Sauiour It happened in those daies he weÌ„t vp in to the MouÌ„te to praie alone and continued all night in praier to God These howres also by Gods institutioÌ„ are so distributed for the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of Christes passioÌ„ that euery howre coÌ„taineth the remeÌ„braunce of some speciall acte of the passioÌ„ For at Matins
that euery mā and womā were priestes Although this be an olde condemned heresie of the Aerians of Aetius and Pepusius raised vp now againe of Martin Luther by chaunging the worde Priesthoode in the worde Elders cōtrary the meaning of S. Paule and the common receaued interpretation of all Christendom hitherto Yet hath it pleased Master Luther to renew and preache to the worlde and olde detestable heresie vnder pretence of S. Paules doctrine and the expresse worde of God Nowe although these fewe examples might suffise to declare the honesty of Luther and vpright dealing in translation of the holy scripture yet for the more declaration thereof I will adde yet one place notably misused and willfully corrupted of Luther The Apostle writeth thus to the Colossians Beware lest any man deceiue you by philosophie or vaine deceites after the tradition of men after the elements of the worlde and not after Christ. Thus readeth the greke and the latin text But Luther drawing after his fashion the scripture for his purpose where it is in the text After the elements of the worlde he turneth it Nach der welt satzungen that is after the lawes and ordinaunces of the worlde It is surely a straunge case to see howe variabel and braynsicke these ghospellers are At the first broching of this newe ghospel while Luther as the rumor was lyued yet in his Patmus Philip Melanchthon taught that sithen Christen men were all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taught immediatly of God him self no man should study philosophie For al the writings of Plato Aristotle Cicero and such other were but friuolous tales and daungerous deceites and to be burned and destroied as in dede in many places so they were but onely the Bible ought to be read and studied For by these the holy ghoste would minister all knowledge bothe to serue God and to liue in this worlde bothe for euerlasting saluation and for this temporal estate That a Christē man should not liue a studious quyet life for that it was writē In the sweate of thy brow thou shalt eate thy bread that is as they expounde it thou must be a plowemā a showemaker a bucher a tayler or some such handy craftes man and so with thy owne labour get thy liuinge This fowle errour beside other occasions ministred thereunto was of Luther in sundry places of his workes stoutely maintained and defended One of such places I will here at large alleage Writing vnto the Nobilite of Germany he hath these wordes The vniuersites also haue nede of an earnest and sharp reformation Truly I must speake as I think let him be angry that listeth VVhatsoeuer was instituted or ordained vnder the pope tended only to the furderance of vice and encrease of errours for the vniuersites if they be not otherwise ordered then they haue ben hitherto what other thing are they then as it is noted in the Machabees scholes of children and of the greke glorie where is all licentious dissolutnes holy Scripture and Christen faith is not taught but that blind ethnick philosopher Aristotle ruleth aboue Christ him selfe VVhe refore by my aduise the Phisicks the Methaphisiks the bookes de Anima the Ethikes should vtterly be abolished with all the rest of his workes which professe to teache the naturall causes of thinges Although therein nether natural nor spirituall knowledg is to be gotte Beside that they are of such obscurite that fewe haue hitherto vnderstode them good wittes lesing bothe labour and time about them I dare well saie that euery coblar hath as much knowleadg of natural thinges as is to be gotte in those bookes It greueth me euen to the hart that this cursed and crafty proude ethnike could so longe a time abuse and deceaue the lerned men of Christendō VVith this scorge haue we ben whipped for our sinnes This much wrote Luther in the yere of our Lorde 1520. out of these and such other writings of Luther Carolostadius and Melanchthon first sucked out the contempt of philosophie and all good lerning being so moued by the authorite of this german prophet Luther And by the yeare 152◠they furdered the matter so farre that in many famous vniuersites and cites all study of philosophie vtterly decaied And although this doctrine of Luther and Melanchthon taking awaie from Christen men as Iulian the apostat Emperour did all honest discipline liberall sciences and good lerning whereby the estat of Christēdom hathe alwaies ben in knowleadg and vertu directed and to driue all men to handycraft workes and husbandry only by a rude and bestly doctrine yet it so serued that time and was so wel liked that at Wittēberg many scholers burned all their bookes and became craftes men sheaperdes husband men and so forth Carolostadius him selfe being before Archedeacon of Wittenberg getting him to a village thereby became sodenly a ploweman tilled and sowed the grounde him self and brought wodde to the market of Wittenberg to be solde Beside many other cites especially Breslau did shet vp cleane all scholes and for the space of certain yeares suffred their youth to roue abrode without any education or instruction Which if a man had asked them why they did so the text of S. Paule serued them for a cloke of their foly where it was writen Beware ye that no man deceiue you by philosophie and vaine suttelties after the tradition of men But now Luther perceauing afterward that this serued nothing his purpose retourning from his Patmus to Wittenberg he corrected Melanchthon and draue Carolostadius out of the dominiō of Wittenberg professing then openly and declaring that without grammer logick and philosophie his ghospell could not be spread abrode conueniently Therefore in the yeare 1524. writing to the Magistrates and cites of Germanie of setting vp and main taining scholes he laboureth very ernestly to haue restored againe such as had decaied or were neglected making yet no mention of Carolostadius or Melanchthon by whom that enormite was committed To quenche therefore and appaise the tumultes stirred vp by his former doctrine and by Melanchthon letting passe the foresaied text of S. Paule he teacheth that philosophie is good in it selfe if it be wel vsed and not abused to deceiue mē Which in dede had ben of him well saide if he him selfe had not much abused philosophie to sett forthe his fleshely ghospell and to persuade his wily and suttle opinons But seing that he could not without philosophie and helpe of scholes vtter the wicked wares of his fresh and newe lerning letting passe as I saide the former text of the Apostle he toke holde of the wordes that folowed The elements of the worlde turning it the lawes and ordonaunces of the worlde For philosophie hindered not so much his purpose as the Magistrates and and lawes of the countre did Whose authorite onlesse he first ouerthrew drawing men from due obedience vnto their superiours he perceaued right wel that his purpose could
of Ihon Caluin in his booke of predestination and of Theodore Beza the archeheretike of FrauÌ„ce in his defence for Caluin This yeare 1561. one Lucas Sternberger in Omoluke a towne of Morauia being cast in to preson preaching amonge the Sternbergers and in diuers other places bearing him selfe for a Minister of the ghospel and scholer of Luther and Melanchthon preached and persuaded the people this doctrine that foloweth for the true and expresse worde of God First he openly taught and confessed That al suche as worship the name of the Blessed Trinite do imagin falsely the Gods That the name of the Trinite is vaine and superfluous bicause that worde is no where expressed in holy scripture beinge also but one God in heauen Therefore he forbad that the same songe O veneranda Trinitas O blessed Trinite should be songe and commaunded in his place to singe O blessed goodnes of God He wisheth also that all the deuills of hell woulde come and cary awaye this Trinite saieng he can not tell whether it be a man or a woman yet that he is sure that the same Trinite was ones a woman which had thre husbands Secondarely he confessed and taught that Christe was not true god but maÌ„ only like other meÌ„ For if he had beÌ„ god he should haue descended out of he auen in to earthe and committed the gouuernemeÌ„t of the worlde here to Angels That he was borne only of Mary and Ioseph the carpenter and that he exercised that crafte with Ioseph vntel the thirtyth yeare of his aage Beside he teacheth That Christ rose froÌ„ death not by his owne power but by the power of god almightie and that he worked no miracle but by the power and operatioÌ„ of almightie god which had endued him with more excellent giftes and graces then al the other prophets adopting him for his son at the leghth for his vertuous and honeste life when he was baptised of Ihon in the Iordayn and the voyce from heauen came downe saieng This is my welbeloued son in whom I am delited so that Christ is not the son of god but touching his soule onely bicause in the crosse he commended and gaue vp but his soule to god Thirdly he mocketh at the holy ghoste saieng that it is nothing els but a pigeon affirming beside that nothinge is writen of his diuinite in all scripture nether of the olde testameÌ„t nether of the newe and that it is not knowen what is this holy ghost Finally he had rather returne to the cloyster and be a papiste then to beleue in the holy ghoste Fourthely he will not the blessed virgin Mary mother of god to be a perpetuall virgin but that she had before two or thre sonnes and that she nothing differeth froÌ„ the rest of wemen and therefore nether she nor any other saints ought to be worshipped or haue their holy daies kepte Againe that men ought to worke the Sonday and reste the Saterday bicause in holy scripture the Saterday is coÌ„maunded to be kept holy But of the SoÌ„day nothing is prescribed nor appointed for as Luther taught nothinge ought to be admitted or obserued which god hath not in expres wordes commaunded or forbyd in holy scripture Fiftely he reiecteth holy baptim calling it a diuelish institution affirming also that it procureth nought els but hell and eternall damnation for circumcision was instituted of god not baptim Sixtely as touching the blessed Sacrament of the aultar he can neuer satisfie himselfe with mocking iesting and scorning at it for he saith the Iewes haue longe ago eaten vp the paschall lambe and if any thing were lefte they burned it Finally he confesseth he is of that opinion in this Sacrament as Melanchthon is For at a certain time hauing some communicating with him but fewer then he thought he inuited all other by speaking to them in these wordes Come hether for â—am not able to deuoure him vpp alone as for other sacraments he foloweth Luther in all points as his schole master of whom he receaued this doctrine Now that these heresies here reakoned vp be rife in Morauia and that many a soule is miserably in ueigled and seduced with them the experience showeth They also which are sene in the Alcoran of Mahomet and in Luthers doctrine may well consider and perceaue that this fifte ghospell of Luther prepareth and fostifieth the waie for Mahomets Alcoran to come in to Germany And though the Lutherans to excuse them selues and their ghospell will here obiect that Luther neuer inuented neuer thought nor taught these detestable heresies published by Lucas Sternberg it maye and ought well be awnswered vnto them that though Luther neuer tought these matters expresly which yet is to be doubted of yet he gaue abundant and sufficient occasion for these and all other heresies and schismes onely in that he writeth and bableth all waies that nothing ought to be receaued approued or obserued in the church which was not manifest euident and expresse in holy scripture And what other grounde hath this Lucas Sternberg to abolish al truthe of our Christen religion and to plante his deuelish doctrines then this lesson of Luther For euer he crieth VVhere is it writen where is it in holy scripture that there be thre persons VVhere is it read that Christ in the vnion of his godhead and manhood should be the Second person in Trinite or that Christ is the true and naturall son of God and not a creature according to his euerlasting and diuine generation VVhere is it expressed in scripture that the holy ghoste it selfe is any other then the euerlasting father VVhere is it noted in holy scripture that Mary the mother of Christe was a Virgin before and after the byrthe and that shee continued a Virgin allwaies In what place of the Bible can we reade that the Sabbaoth daie should be abrogated and the Sonday instituted And what heretike I pray you maye not saie the like of all the articles of our catholike faithe For what scripture hath saie the Anabaptistes that infants shoulde be baptised And the Swinglians VVhat Scripture saie they affirmeth that the true body and not the figure off Christ his body is in the Supper of the Lorde Againe the Lutherans VVhat place of scripture saie they dothe testifie that Christ instituted the Masse in his Supper Therefore if Luther had raised vp no other particular heresie yet this was detestable and cursed inoughe that he taught nothing to be obserued or receaued in the church but whiche god had expresly directly and in plaine wordes commaunded or forbed in the Bible To this heresie of Lucas Sternberg an other secte directly repugnant and contrary rose vp very lately at Pinczouia in Pole in the which place two new ghospellers Petrus Statorius and Georgius Brandata teach that there is not one God but thre gods and they so diuers one from an other as thre men yet that the son is somewhat lesse then the father and
the zelous Lutherans Illyricus Gallus Amssdorffius and such other which will not departe from any one iote of Luthers doctrine No nor Luther him selfe cannot abide it For thus he writeth in his presumptuous booke against our late Souuerain king Henry the eight It repenteth me saith Luther that I submitted my selfe so much before the Emperour at VVormes that I would suffer any man to sitt Iudge on my doctrine or heare if any man could conuince me of any errour For I should not haue declared so foolish an humilite being sure and certain of my doctrine Beside that the same submission nothing auailed me before that tyran A man must be so sure and certain of his doings that although all the worlde be sett against him yet he departe no one iote from them Thus farre Luther Where you see he confesseth not that he speaketh amisse sometime by infirmite sometime of a passion but he maketh him selfe to stande vpon a most sure grounde so that he can not saie a misse Likewise at what time Carolostadius suaruing from Luther would so haue excused him selfe that at the beginning he was but weake in the spirit c. Luther awnswereth him that the spirit of God vseth no such excuse Well then if the doctrine of Luther be so sure and constant that it may not vary will our protestants and new Masters at home stande stoutely to the same Will they condemne all Councells all holy Fathers all authorite of the Church all that Christen people haue hitherto beleued for these are the very wordes of Luther quoted you before oute of his workes Truly this were a compendious waie not only fot their purpose but for the Turkes to Yea and for Antichrist him selfe For when he cometh can he deuise any more politick engin to vnderminde Christendom can he wish for any better harbengers to prepare mens hartes and good wills to lodge him in waight the matter who listeth wisely and diligently he shall finde none like to this Yet Luther they will saie leaueth vs holy Scripture which Antichrist will not do Yea truly but how leaueth he it I meane to be read of the vnlerned laye man Forsothe he translateth it in to the mother tongue And how sincerely and truly I reporte me to the second part of this Apologie where you haue sene how vprightly he hath dealed herein As for the common text which our protestants after their Master Luther do vse and commaunde to be read in Churches we haue in our preface noted you in part the truthe and soundnes thereof But to show to the worlde their fidelite and sincerite yet farder I will here specify some other places of holy Scripture altered and corrupted by them And this I will do but in part and brefely noting such as it hath ben my chaunce here and there to espie not making any speciall discours vpon the whole translation of the english Bible which may with time and more diligence hereafter be done Where as S. Paule hath Haereticum hominem deuita Auoide the heretike man our new english traÌ„slatioÌ„s reade Auoide a man that is an author of sectes as though an heretike and an author of a secte wer all one By this false forged text the doctrine of our protestants being proued hereticall yet Luther Caluin Suâ—nâ—k feldius Osiander and such other were only to be auoided as being the authors and first beginners off these present theresies but our protestants being no authors theÌ„ selues of sectes but folowers of other may notwithstanding S. Paules wodes be embraced and supported But an heretike as S. Augustin defineth is he which for tempor all commodite honour or welth either forgeth him selfe new doctrine or foloweth And all such S. Paule biddeth vs auoide But no maruail iff these men did so alter this text It is good reason a maÌ„ fauour him self for els perhaps the people reading this text of S. Paul would beginne to auoide our protestants whom they see to be heretikes And therefore in an other place where S. Paule saieth Oportet haereses esse There must be heresies they likewise turne it There must be sâ—ctes auoiding allwaies the name of heresy bicause it touched them to nigh And verely it were not amisse for them if the name of heresy and heretikes were quite forgotten seâ—â—g their whole doctrine which they haue lerned of Luther and Caluin is nothingels but olde condemned heresies patched together and newly scoured as in this discourse we shall euidently declare vnto you For this purpose also where S. Paule writeth to Timothe Pâ—ophanas vocum nouitates deuita auoyde straunge nouelties of wordes whereby he ment new â—ereticall doctrine these men turne it auoide vnghostely vanities of voyces altering quite bothe the wordes and the sence of the Apostle for it standeth vpon these men to haue nouelties allowed With the like vaine of euangelicall sincerite bicause they may not abyde to heare off aultar hauing plucked them downe against the expressâ— practise of the primitiue churche and all ages where S. Paule writeth Are not they which eate of the sacrifice partakâ—â—s of the aultar these men turne for the 〈…〉 The latin hath altare and the graeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the same place they make S. Paule talke of images as thoughe Christen men had then worshipped images whiche yet they say is but a late inuention where as he talketh only of idols and idolaters In like maner bicause traditions are a great eye sore to all newe ghospellers they putt out of S. Paule the worde Traditions and put in his place sometime Ordinaunces sometime Institutions as ofte as S. Paule biddeth theÌ„ to be kept In other places when the traditions of the Iewes are reprehended then they kepe the worde gladly All Sacramentaries that folow the banner of Caluin make light of the Sacrament of baptim teaching that the children of Christen parents may withoute daunger lacke it if there be no coÌ„tempt or negligence on our parte We shall haue occasion in examining of Caluins doctrine to speake more of this cursed heresie Nowe bicause the saying of oure Sauiour in S. Iohns ghospel Onlesse a man be borne again of water and the holy Ghoste he shall not entre in to the kingdome of heauen did vtterly ouerthrowe this wicked opinion our protestants in their translatioÌ„s haue founde the meanes so to clippe the text that it might no lenger directly fight against them and therefore they leaue out the worde againe in S. Iohn which of necessite imported a second natiuite of baptim But of this we shal haue occasioÌ„ to speake more hereafter In the me ane ye see the vpright dealing of our protestaÌ„ts How are they to be trusted in their sermoÌ„s in their homelies and in a numbre of assertions and articles which they teache without scripture that corrupt the Scripture it selfe They wil saie they alter sometimes the text bicause of the greke which varieth from the latin
being preached of a preteÌ„ded prelat of the Realme before so honourable an audience and at such a solemne memoriall or Obsequy I must here craue pardon gentle Reader of the if I diuert a litle from my principall purpose to examin that parte off the sermon as defendeth this olde heresie of Aerius Neither may you M. Grindall be offended herewith when you shall vnderstand it as I wish you maye iff a young scholer and puine student in diuinite adueÌ„ter to encounter with you The cause of the Catholike church whom wickedly with the olde heretike Aerius you blame and reproue the honourable Nobilite of the realme which in that place presumptuousely you abused the vnlerned audience of our dere countremen which shamefully you deceaued maketh me bothe to breake the order of my discourse and not to feare your person whom authorite hath more auaunced then lerning or true religion commended Non enim possumus aliquid aduersus veritatem sed pro veritate for we can not do any thinge against the truthe but for the truthe And what is it good Sir that moueth you to disproue praier for the dead First of all saie you in the Scriptures we finde no commaundement to praie for the soules of the dead vnlesse they will cite the place of the booke off Machabees And then S. Hierom shall make theÌ„ awnswer who permitteth in dede these bookes of Machabees to be read but bicause they be not of the Canon of the Scriptures they be not saieth S. Hierom sufficient of them selues to establish any doctrines in the Church of God This is your first reason Master Grindall why we ought not to praie for the dead and it containeth two partes First that we haue no coÌ„maundement in Scripture to praie for the soules of the dead but the place of the Machabees and then that the same place is not in the Canon off the Scriptures As touching the first parte I awnswer it that we are commaunded of S. Paul Tenere traditiones quas accepimus siue per sermonem siue per epistolam To kepe suche traditions as we haue receiued either by worde or by writing And S. Chrisostom telleth vs that it is a tradition of the Apostles to pray for the dead these are his wordes Non temere ab Apostolis haec sancita fuerunt vt in tremendis mysterijs defunctorum agatur commemoratio sciunt enim illis inde multum contingere lucrum vtilitatem multam Quum enim totus constiterit populus extensis manibus sacerdotalis plenitudo tremeÌ„duÌ„ proponatur sacrificiuÌ„ quo modo DeuÌ„ noÌ„ exorabimus pro his deprecantes that is These things saieth Chrisostom were not without cause decreed of the Apostles that in the dreadful mysteries we should remeÌ„bre the dead For they do know that it shall much auaile them For when al the people staÌ„deth with their haÌ„des stretched forthe and the number of priestes wheÌ„ the dreadfull sacrifice is proposed howe maye it be but that we shall obtaine of God praiyng for theÌ„ Now Sir S. ChrisostoÌ„ telleth vs it is a decree of the Apostles to pray for the dead which decree being not expressed in scripture is called a tradition And S. Paul biddeth vs kepe such traditions ergo we haue coÌ„maundement in Scripture to praie for the dead beside the place of the Machabees Againe are we not commaunded in scripture to praie one for an other Howe farre doth this commaundement extende doth it not reache to all those whose sinnes are remissible who are in the state to haue their sinnes forgeuen What then if scripture tel vs that after this life some sinnes are forgeuen Ought we not then praie for our brethern departed this life and burdned yet with such sinnes Let vs harken what our Sauiour saieth in the ghospell Whosoeuer saieth our Sauiour shall speà ke against the holy Ghoste it shall not be forgeuen him neither in this worlde neither in the worlde to come Other sinnes then of lesse offence and importaunce though they be not here forgeueÌ„ yet in the worlde to come they may be pardoned and released What place that is let your wisedome instruct vs M. Grindall In hel you knowe nulla est redeÌ„ptio there is no redemption and in to heauen nihil coinquinatum intrabit no defiled or spotted thinge shall enter How saie we then Scripture commaunding vs to praie one for an other and that praier extending to all suche as are in the state to haue their sinnes forgeueÌ„ such a state also being proued by scripture to be in the world to come which caÌ„ not be but of such as haue departed this world haue we not againe fouÌ„de in scripture a coÌ„maundement to pray for the deade and departed soules of this worlde beside the place of the Machabees What will you replie M. Grindall or what can you obiect against these arguments The principle of S. Paul bidding vs to kepe vnwriten traditioÌ„s if you limit and restraine it neuer so much yet must you nedes suffer it to extende to suche traditions as the Apostles them selues left vnto vs. You will not I dare saie prescribe against the Apostles And that the Apostles decreed praier to be done at the Masse time for the dead you heare Chrisostom saie and affirme Will you discredit S. Chrisostom Will you as Brentius youre mate saied of Epiphanius affirming that the Apostles had deliuered and taught that the vowe of virginite could not be broken Iudico eum tam bonum tam pium virum vt hac asseueratione non voluerit Ecclesiam Domini scienter fallere sed cum non fuerit admodum vicinus temporibus Apostolorum cogito multa ad eum publica sed incerta fama nomine Apostolorum relata esse quae fortassis alijde Apostolis vt plausibiâ—ior a essent coÌ„finxerunt so saie also of Chrisostom that you iudge Chrisostom in dede so good and â—â—tuous a man that he woulde not wittingly beguile the church of God with so stoute an asseueration and yet bicause he was not very nigh the Apostles you imagin that he might haue hearde many thinges by reporte as froÌ„ the Apostles which other perhaps to make such matters more plausible had fained that they came eueÌ„ froÌ„ the Apostles Will you thus I saie as your mate Brentius did delude the authorite of Chrisostom Truly other shift you haue none And theÌ„ we may aske you whether you were nerer to the Apostles and more assured what doctrine they lefte behind them then Chrisostom was There is no lesse you knowe then twelue hundred yeares betwene you and Chrisostom And yet not only Brentius but your selfe and all such as with you haue departed from the Catholike doctrine of Christes churche do stoutely affirme that the Apostles neuer praied for the dead nor neuer decreed any such matter Nowe then let the Christen Reader iudge who is herein more to be trusted Chrisostom or you and iff one Chrisostom fuffise not let S. Augustin a
most trusty witnes by the verdit of Iohn Caluin whose iudgemeÌ„t you will not I suppose discredit of antiquite in the doctrine of the churche come and affirme as muche Who writing to Paulinus of praieng for the dead saieth Allbeit it were not read in the olde scriptures yet the authorite off the vniuersall church is not small which in this custome is euident VVhere in the praier of the priestes which are offred to our Lorde God at his aultar the commendation of the dead hath his place Io here S. Augustin calleth it a custome of the vniuersail churche to praie for the dead at the aultar of God And vninersall is that by the meaning of S. Augustin which euery where and at all times is and hath ben which in all places euen from the Apostles them selues hath ben obserued Epiphanius also coufuting Aerius affirmeth it to be a tradition of the Apostles to pray for the dead Thus much then of the first parte of your first reason M. Grindall that we haue no commaundement in Scripture to praie for the dead but the place of the Machabees Nowe Sir as touching the second parte that you saie the same place of the Machabees is not in the Canon of the Scriptures I maruail not much hereat considering of what race youre doctrine procedeth For as you haue lerned of the olde heretike Aerius condemned aboue twelue hundred yeares past to disproue praier for the dead so haue you lerned off a numbre of olde heretikes to denie for scripture suche places as ouerthrow your heresy For euen so did the Marcionistes allowe but 9. of S. Paules epistles whereas the church alloweth 14. So did the Manichees take awaie the first chapter of S. Mathewes ghospell and reiected allmost all the olde Testament as S. Augustin witnesseth So the Arrians disallowed the epistle of S. Paul to the hebrewes as Theodoret recordeth in the prohem of his commentary vpon that epistle So Aetius also denied much of the olde Testament as Epiphanius mencioneth of him Briefly it was the manner of all heretikes so to do as Tertullian in his prescriptioÌ„s noteth Therefore as I saied I maruail the lesse at your demeanour herein considering that it is no new thing for an heretike to denie scripture it self wheÌ„ al other shiftes faile What theÌ„ M. Grindal Must we proue vnto you that the bookes of the Maechabees are in the canoÌ„ of the Scriptures O the blessed daies of our time wherein not only al the articles almost of our belefe but the Scriptures theÌ„ selues also are called in coÌ„trouersy and that of such meÌ„ as beare the persoÌ„s of Prelats and rulers in Christes church What authorites theÌ„ may be sufficient to proue that those bookes are of the CanoÌ„ You bring against vs S. HieroÌ„ you tel vs he saieth that these bookes of Machabees be not sufficieÌ„t of them selues to establish any doctrines in the church of God You quote vs his preface vpoÌ„ the boo kes of Salomon Sir if you reade the place againe and marke it wel you shal finde that he saieth this of the Prouerbes of SalomoÌ„ and of the Ecclesiastes not of the Machabees though in dede he saie in that place that they are not of the Canon And this saying of S. HieroÌ„ in that place I may wel expouÌ„d by his wordes in an other place In his preface vpoÌ„ these bookes of the Machabees he saieth expressely that they are not in the CanoÌ„ of the Iewes but of the church of Christ they are receiued inter diuina volumina amoÌ„g Gods bookes But what if S. HieroÌ„ do not acknowledg them for Canonicall scripture What if in reakoning off the Canonicall Scripture he folow the Hebrewes and Iosephus especially as lerned men haue noted of him What if in his time they were not with full authorite receiued The whole corps off scripture was not you know at one push approued It was longe doubted of the epistle to the Hebrewes off the second epistle of S Peter of S. Iohns Reuelation and yet afterward without doubte and controuersy they were in all Christendom receiued and reuerenced for holy Scripture Shall it nowe be lawfull for euery heretike to condemne such parcells of holy Scripture as haue ben so many hundred yeares of all Christendom vniformely receiued bicause they were ones doubted of It is not sitting for the wisedome of a Prelat it staÌ„deth not with the Charite of a Christen maÌ„ to renew suche doubtes and to make a schisme in the church of God vpon priuat presumption and affectioÌ„ But to matche the authorite of S. Hierom whom only you alleage and to knitt vp this matter shortly you shall see what we can saie for the bookes of the Machabees The 85. canons of the Apostles allowed for such by the generall Councell helde at Constantinople in Tâ—ullo in reakoning vp the bookes of Canonicall scripture recite the thre bookes of the Machabees amonge them The third Councell of Carthage helde not longe after the time that S. Hierom liued reakoneth them vp also for Canonicall Scripture Isidorus declareth also that in his time they were vndoubtedly approued for holy Scripture S. Augustin is most clere in this point for not onely in his bookes de doctrina Christiana where of sette purpose he reakoneth the whole corps of the olde and new Testament he placeth these bookes of the Machabees amonge them but also in his bookes de ciuitate dei he doth constantly affirme that they are approued of the Church for holy Scripture And beholde a most clere testimony of S. Augustins iudgement herein A sorte of Donatistes called Circuncelliones murdered and sâ—ewe them selues commonly being persecuted for their heresy of the Catholikes they defended this their diuelish fury and rage with the example of Razias who slew him selfe as in the Machabees it appeareth They builded vpon this fact of Razias as vpon an example of holy Scripture What aunswered them here S. Augustin It had ben truly a ready answer for him to saye those bookes are not of the Canon off holy Scripture and therefore the example of him can nothing helpe you if he had so thought in dede off these bookes But S. Augustin denieth them not to be of the Canon as you do M. Grindall for the maintenaunce of your heresy though it had ben much then for his vauntage and might soone so haue stopped the heretikes mouth if he had thought it the duty of a Catholike bishop to flit from scripture when vauntage serued His obedience to the Church off God his lerning and vertu taught him to cleaue vnto the Church in determining holy Scripture and to seke other meanes to awnswer heretikes Therefore notwithstanding the facte of Razias who semeth in that booke to be commended for killing him selfe he acknowledgeth the bookes for Canonicall Scriptures and teacheth vs also how such examples in holy Scripture are to be read These are his wordes Landatus est itaque iste Razias
had for the blessed fleshe and precious bloud of oure Sauiour pronounced to be in this most dreadfull mystery by the mouthe off Christ him selfe substituted materiall bread and wine and yet to make a coulour of holynes as the woÌ„te of the deuill is had tolde vs that he separated not the verite from the figure Christ from the bread fearing lest perhaps by this tale some scrupulous sacramentary would haue worshipped the verite not separated from the figure to witt Christe ioyned with the bread he turneth his tale and telleth them at the ende of his talke whiche he thought shoulde beste sticke by the readers that the sacrament is but a signe and hathe not the thinge or verite of the signe included in it Nether dothe he coÌ„ceale his wicked purpose but boldely vttereth it euen straight saieng they that worship in the Sacrament Christ make an idoll of it I haue lo discouered vnto you good readers the wicked deuise of this proctour of the deuill Ihon Caluin stoppe your eares at the wiâ—ked enchantmeÌ„ts of this flattering Circé and harken rather to the doctrine of that holy and lerned Father of the Church S. Augustin who speaking of the worshipping off Christe in this blessed Sacrament saieth Non solum non peccatur adorando sed peccatur non adorando that is VVe do not onely not sinne or offend in adoring it but we do sinne if we do not adore it Lo this lerned Father feareth no idolatry in adoration of the Sacrament but pronouÌ„ceth it a sinne not to adore it wherein he declareth the doctrine and belefe of Christ his churche at that time and he spake these wordes in pulpit preaching to his people and expounding them the worde of God Nowe this cursed caitif Caluin bereueth oure blessed Sauiour of his due honour and telleth vs we make him an idoll well the deuill yet hath gotte small worship at his proctours hande here making him to speake suche contradictions as shal worke at the length I truste in god his vtter confusion and all enemies of gods honour And therefore we will yet discouer you more of his contradictions and sory lessons lerned of his master the deuill the spirit of dissension and contrariete In the thirtenth article of his resolutions he saieth the sacrament is an instrument by the whiche god worketh If the sacrament be an instrument whereby Christ worketh howe is it a figure of Christ as these Sacramentaries will haue it onely to be who euer heard that the figure of the workeman as a figure were his Instrument or the instrument his figure Is not this doctrine a mere confusion and contradiction The truthe is that bread is nether the figure of Christ nor the instrumeÌ„t whereby he worketh No scripture saieth so The churche neuer taught so No reason persuadeth so It is but a dreame off Caluin In the fiftenth article he saieth the Sacrament doth warrant vs Christ. In the tenth he sayed it was but a bare signe and that we shoulde not regarde it Beleue nowe whether parte ye liste Truly bothe can not be true In the sixtenth article he sayeth the sacrament warraÌ„teth Christ onely in the elected and predestiant In the .18 article he saieth that in the sacrament Christ is offred aequally vnto all and that the promis of god is not weakened by the incredulite of men If the sacrament warranteth and confirmeth Christ onely in the elected is not the promis or verite of god promised in the sacrament weakened by the incredulite of men for they by theyr incredulite saieth Caluin can not receaue Christ which is the substaunce of the sacrameÌ„t and that which Crist promiseth You see his constancy and agrement Is not this a worthy guide for a man to builde his faith vpon and forsake his former belefe In the twentith article he saieth it maye happeÌ„ that the vse of the Supper which profited vs nothinge in the acte or doing of it bicause of oure negligence or slacknes maye afterwarde bringe forthe better frute This point lo is contrary to all his doctrine in his institutions and coÌ„mentaries vpon holy scripture where he teacheth the effect of the Sacrament that god fedeth vs not with bare signes that he geueth life withall thath oure soules are fedde with Christ truly and really For nowe a man maye receaue the Sacrament and lacke all this He maye I saie receaue it well and worthely and haue none of all these For if the vnworthy receauer receaueth forthewith his damnation as S. Paule saieth Caluin can not meane this of the vnworthy receauer especially saying withall that it may afterwarde bringe forthe better frute whiche to the vnworthy receauer it can not do In the sixe and twentith article he saieth we muste not tye Christe to the bread and to the wine and yet in the ninthe article he him selfe tieth Christ thereto For he sayeth Nous ne separons pas la verite d'auec les figures we separat not the verite from the figures If Caluin do not separat Christ whiche is the verite from the figures of bread and wine dothe he not couple and tye Christ thereunto Truly the Sacramentaries and Lutherans bothe do it making the bread and the wine to remaine The Catholike churche dothe not beleuing that the coÌ„secrated and blessed bread is no more bread but as Christ saieth His body and the the wine his blode Lo you haue good readers a number of contradictions gathered oute of this small treatise of Caluin wherein yet according to the title thereof he minded to geue the worlde a full and perfit resolution of the Sacraments But whiles he laboureth to vtter his heresy vnder coulour of some Christianite and to persuade his falshood vnder the cloke of some truth he is miserably driueÌ„ to tell contrary tales to saie one thinge and thinke an other brefely to confounde him selfe with his owne wordes For what better reason may possibly be founde to discouer false forged doctrine of an heretike then to trippe him in his talke and take him in contradiction Nothing can more discredit the Author of a secte or declare more his wicked pretence then to espie diuersite of doctrine and variaunce of opinions in him nor neuer I thinke appeared it better in any heretike except allwaies that fonde frere Martin Luther them in Ihon Caluin And yet this is he vpon whose onely warrant and worde diuers deceaued persons haue hazarded their soules and loste their life I beseche god geue the remnant grace to see knowe and deteste from henceforthe suche a teacher as you see nowe Caluin is Diuers other contradictions might be gathered oute of this mans doctrine touching this blessed Sacrament if we listed to scanne eche of his propositions and saiengs But bicause I haue ben ouer longe allready and yet in so good a purpose me thinketh I can neuer be longe inough I wil nowe passe to the repugnaunce in his doctrine against holy scripture Our Sauiour sayth
the worlde and that in eating the bread we eate nothing els â–ª And truly if you remembre his doctrine before yow see he meaneth nought ells S. Paule speaking of our Lordes body and bloud geuen vs in the blessed sacrament saithe thus He that eateth and drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnation not discerning the body of oure Lorde Caluin in his coÌ„mentaries vppoÌ„ this place saithe That the wicked person therefore eateth vnworthely bicause he refuseth the body of our Lorde offred vnto him eating thereby the onely signe to wit bare bared Marke the differeÌ„ce of S. Paules doctrine and Caluins imagination For howe dothe the wicked eate the body and therewith his daÌ„nation whiche S. Paule teacheth iff he eate but bread and refuse the body which Caluin imagineth I will graunte who refuseth Christ refuseth life and thereby worketh his owne damnation But this is not to eate his damnation in such sorte as S. Paule speaketh there Our Sauiour in the sixte of Ihon saithe Your fathers did eate Manna in the desert and are dead This is that bread whiche cometh downe from heauen that a man maye eate thereof and not die Caluin in his commentaries vpoÌ„ the first to the CorinthiaÌ„s the tenth chapter teacheth that the Iewes eating MaÌ„na did eate the very body of Christ spiritually as we do and receaued the same effect by eating the Manna as we do by the communion He laboureth muche in that place to proue this fonde doctrine and forgeth a sory shifte to auoide these wordes of our Sauiour in S. Ihon. Christ saythe he hauing to do with the Iewes preferring Moyses before him in his answer to them expounded not what Manna signified but letting all other thinges passe framed them an answer mete for their capacite speaking not according to the nature of the thinge but according to the meaning and sâ—ns of the hearers Thus muche Caluin But beholde I beseche you the sophistry of this wily heretike He woulde make vs beleue that Christ in S. IhoÌ„ plaied the RhetoriciaÌ„s part and withall is not afeared to make our Sauiour O blasphemous Sacramentary a lyar For Christe saithe plainely That the Iewes eating Manna died for not by eating Manna but by beleuing in the Messias to come they were fedde of Christ But the bread which he would geue shoulde be life euerlasting to those whiche eate off it Iff nowe as Caluin saithe the eating of Manna serued their turne no lesse then the bread of life Christ him selfe serued oures to witt that they receaued also the bread of life spiritually in eating Manna as we do in eating the blessed Sacrament then were not that sayieng off Christe true nor his comparison good preferring the bread of life which he would geue vs before the Manna of the Iewes For their Manna as Caluin saithe was bread of life to them then was it not inferiour to that whiche Christe woulde geue but all one and the same But nowe to an other Our Sauiour in S. Ihon hath these wordes Who eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him Caluin correcteth these wordes in his doctrine of the Supper and maketh this proposition Who beleueth in the death and resurrectioÌ„ of Christ the coÌ„munion of his flesh is deriued vnto him by the vertu of his holy Spirit First in this doctrine where Christ biddeth vs eate his flesh and so promiseth him selfe to dwel with vs and in vs Caluin biddeth vs beleue in Christ his death saieng thereby we eate his flesh and theÌ„ in stede of Christ God and maÌ„ abiding in vs which our Sauiour in this most holy SacrameÌ„t promiseth and no doubt perfourmeth vnto vs Caluin warraÌ„teth vs of a certain coÌ„munioÌ„ of the flesh remaining only in heaueÌ„ which shal be deriued he sayeth by the Spirit off Christ vnto vs. This is lo not to haue God and man Christ him selfe abiding in vs which bicause Christ promiseth vs we must vndoubtedly beleue so but to haue him onely spiritually abiding in vs to witt coming to vs onely by spirit and abiding onely in heauen by fleshe How false and howe farre disagreble with the wordes of our Sauiour this doctrine of Caluin is we haue in his absurdites and contradictions declared Presently it suffiseth to knowe that he dothe bothe in termes and in sense comptroll and alter the wordes and meaning of oure Sauiour S. Paule writing to the Corinthians of the due accesse and reuerence of this blessed Sacrament saith Let euery maÌ„ trie him selfe and so eate of this bread Caluin in his Institutions and vpon the sixte of Ihon teacheth that by beleuing we eate Christ. Nowe seing that no man trieth him selfe but first he beleueth and in beleuing we eate Christ then before we trie oure selues we do eate contrary to the expresse wordes off the Apostle bidding vs first to trie our selues and so to eate of this bread of life And truly according to the doctrine of Caluin as you haue sene before beleuing in Christes deathe and resurrection we eate and receaue the body and bloud off Christ allwaies no lesse then in the vse of the Supper or communion Which excludeth all triall of our selues required by S. Paul For the maintenance of this wicked Sacramentary doctrine Caluin abuseth and turneth from their right vnderstanding not onely suche places of holy scripture as directly make against him as you haue hetherto partly sene but also suche as by any consequence of reason might seme to hinder the course of his wicked doctrine For example I will pnt you in minde of one or two Whereas it is writen in S. Ihon that Christ entred where his disciples were the doores being shutt bicause this miracle might importe to the body of oure Sauiour a possibilite of being in sundry places at ones and so destroy the false grounde of these sacramentaries tying Christ to the right hande of his Father Caluin in his institutions saithe that Christ entred not the dores being shutt but that the dores opened of them selues Otherwhere he writeth that an erthequake was made and so the dores opened Brefely he inuenteth what shifte he maie rather them he will yelde to the truthe of the churche With like confidence this presumptuous SacrameÌ„tary Ihon Caluin peruerteth by false traÌ„slatioÌ„ the wordes of holy scripture in the prouerbes of SalomoÌ„ coÌ„taining a clere prophecy of this blessed sacrameÌ„t We alleaged you the place before and after what sort it was by him corrupted If we would in other pointes and articles of the Catholike faith by him denied and impugned vse the like diligence we could be as loÌ„ge in the retical and setting forthe of theÌ„ as he is in the whole corps of his workes where such doctrine is taught But nowe I will procede to the other partes of oure promis touching this one article and after saie somewhat of some other point of his doctrine Oure Lorde in holy scripture by the mouthe off his prophet
yeares serued then this lerned father against the thirty yeares of the Arrians how much more may fiften hundred and twise thirty yeares serue vs for a most stronge presciption against the protestants of our countre who haue not yet half thirty yeares among vs ben in possession of this their pretended religion in such sorte as it is now professed TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD PRINCE AND LORDE HIS SINGVLAR GOOD LORDE the Lorde Martin Bishop of Eystat FRIDERICVS STAPHYLVS wisheth health VVhereas you are most Reuerēd Prelat as you forefathers were by orderly vocation placed as Patrone and protectour to this vniuersite of Ingolstad sithen that also the right honorable Prince Albert Duke of Bauaria hath set me ouerseer and gouuerner of the same it had becomed me long ere this time to haue offred vnto you my seruice especially hauing certain matters committed to my charge whereof I should before this time haue conferred with you But whereas oure voluntarie deliberation by trouble of time was defeated being constrained not as I would but as I was forced to yelde to necessite and therefore must omitte the one and do the other Yet in this busines to be somewhat occupied and in the principall by the waye to be doing I haue not suffred suche leasure as at times happened to passe withoute some frute of publicke commodite Whereof hauing longe thought it semed me I coulde not by the waie more profitably be doing then if at what time other plaie or banquet I laboured vppon some such thing as might enforme the poore deceaued people and not offend rulers and magistrats And to this ende truly these darke winter dayes as leasure serued me I haue compiled this booke framing my stile after a rude and simple sorte that the vnlearned might vnderstande me but letting passe no iote of the truthe to cure and remedy the falshood Although therefor the lerned by this booke shall not perhaps be much instructed yet the good witte shall finde herein that is right worthy to be knowen and truly in medecines the wise Phisician will not so much regarde that they be pleasaunt or fayre to the eye as that they be holesome This is therefor my meaning and the marke I shoote at that the good people may be admonished of their saluation and aduertised of the daungerous deceites of heretikes by whose crafte and guile we see the noble Romain empire much weakened and empaired euen nowe to fainte and thousands of Christen soules other where daily to perish But the deceites of these heretikes being spredd so farre and so diuersly in Christendom that the vnlerned can not comprise them and the lerned scant espie them it shall be inoughe for the people to lerne to knowe them selues to be people that is to vnderstande that it is ynough for their parte to learne of the spirituall magistrat howe to do their duty to God and of the ciuill or temporall magistrat to learne their duty to their prince and in all thinges rather to lerne then to teache rather to obey then to commaunde For these two estates the spirituall and the temporall haue of God him selfe ben ordained duly receaued of vs confirmed and established by lawes and haue serued vs as two walles by the which the power of the Romain empire hath ben in Germany stayed vp and continued all most these eight hundred yeares And truly as longe as matters appertaining to God were by the spiritualty and the common welthe by the temporalty gouuerned and the lawes off bothe estates ordained were inuiolatly obserued thē Germany might contend in wisedō with the grekes in stoutnes of courage with the Romanes in godlines with all Christen nations then it mought more surely of vs then of the Romanes be saied By auncient lawes and men doth stande Thestate of Germany and Allemain lande Then it could when lawes ruled men not men the lawes maintaine peace abrode and reste at home kepe out their enemie valiantly and gouuerne their people in all felicite But Satan not abiding the repos of this countre stirred vp Martin Luther a German borne pricked him with furious rage and draue him so forwarde that he ouerthrew all auncient lawes by the which this Empire hitherto hath staied and continued and placed for them newe by the which it should perishe and fall Luther iolted and enraged by this rider Satan began with a fury to set vpon the two saide walles of the empire and in shorte time as well by his battering the walles were sore beaten as by the sounde slepe of the rulers the warde and watche was forsaken And that in such sorte vntel one of the walles the Spiritualty was vtterly ouerthrowen the other the Temporalty was put in greate hazarde For so it proueth in dede when that as the poete saieth The sore dissembled doth fester and growe While the idle shepeard taking his ease Sercheth not spedely the wounde to knowe But asketh the Gods to cure the desease But this negligence being ones committed and done it can not nowe be vndone Yet although of thinges past we haue the remembraunce only consultation or deliberation we haue none truly I can not forget with what a perpetuall ignominie and shame we are to be noted that coulde suffer a lewd frier and that neither craftely cladde in his shepes cote neither excellently lerned to worcke so foule and so pernicious a mischef against all Christendom that hauing first all most ouerthrowen the Spiritualty he hath so shaken and weakened also the Temporalty that it semeth rather already fallen downe then liekely to fall But what entry made Luther Howe began he to ouerthrowe these two estates His beginning was surely vaine and foolish and stuffed all with lies The principles and growndes saieth he of the papistes are the traditions of men not expressed in holy write the pope of Rome doubting and vncertainte of the grace of god But who saieth this Luther euery where What witnes hath he Ihon Brentius in his booke of the causes of dissension But howe proueth he it to be trewe for none other reason forsothe but for that Luther is as he saieth an Euāgelist and Brentius is an other S. Ihon. I thinke the thirtenth Apostle But as for these principles or groundes there was neuer Catholike that so much as dreamed them so farre is it that any man affirmed them or defended them The true principles of Diuinite with vs are and haue allwayes ben these first the worde of God to wit the doctrine of the prophets and the Apostles and brefely al the holy Scripture whiche we call the Bible The seconde principle is the right and Catholike sence and vnderstanding of tbe worde of God deliuered by the Apostles to their successours and by them spred through the whole worlde declared also in many Councels of the holy fathers and brought in to Canons For this Catholike exposition of the holy scripture bicause it was deliuered vnto the Apostles by Christ him selfe and