waigh together the spouse of Christ with Luther Caluin Melancthon aecumenicall counsels with priuate opinions the reuerend and learned fathers with Arius Aetius Vigilantius men alwaies in their time burned for heretikes the harmony of Churches with the iarring of conuenticles of them that are in as great brawle with themselues as with the catholikes The vniforme practise of 1500. yeares with the often change of others The tradition of the Apostles with the dregs of heretikes Now let any man though ouerbalanced by affection consider with himselfe whether of these should be beleeued in expounding the scriptures and consequently in the truth of the controuersies which relyeth vpon the sence ANSVVERE THis is right the wise man of Athens who thought all the shippes his owne which came to hauen Church councels Fathers Apostolicall traditions all yours And we poore soules turned ouer to a few single spirits Luther Caluin Melancthon c. If I might be so bold with you as Sir Thomas More was in like case with a protestant it were time to put you in minde of one Caius who encountring with a scholler would needs haue his first demaunde graunted to wit whatsoeuer had two eares was a foolish beast For els he could not so gallantly haue come vpon him as otherwaies he had ment Your demand is alike reasonable For you assume no more as graunted but the iudgment of the Church the definition of councells the consent of Fathers the harmonie of Churches the practise of all ages the rule of Apostolicall tradition Which if we giue you and leaue our selues a few particular mens expositions indeede I confesse you may conclude at your pleasure But it is wel knowen we doe no further relie vpon those learned mens assertions then they be authorized by the forenamed witnesses Which testimonies so confidently alledged for your parte I hope you are not ignorant how that all along in our apologies defences and answeres they be brought against you by our defenders especially those witnesses of more ancient times vnto whom we are content to appeale as most indifferent iudges and more sincere then any of later times being neerer to Christ and further from these factions To put you out of doubt I will set downe our owne words Quam ea die Iuellus vocem verissimam ac constantissimam emisit quando ad sexcentorum annorum antiquitatem prouocanit vobisque obtulit vt si vel vnicam ex aliquo patre aut consilio claram dilucidam sententiam afferretis non recusaret quin vobis palmam concederet ea est nostrûm omnium professio idem omnes pollicemur fidem non fallemus THE SECOND MOTIVE THe mysteries of religion do so far exceede the narrow straites of our vnderstanding that because they cannot be comprehended by reason God hath therefore appointed faith to entertaine them which faith is built vpon diuine and vnfallible authoritie the minde yeelding obedience in stead of discourse receiuing indifferently the truth of doctrine vpon the credit and affiance of the teacher Therefore that religion which doth not stay the assent of the scholler and hath not irrefragable authoritie in all matters of faith hath neither merit of beliefe in it selfe nor others But such is the discipline of the protestants that they affoord their schollers no other but humane and mutable authoritie whereby to beleeue the number and dignitie of the scriptures with the sense and interpretation of them in which consisteth the summe of all religion ANSVVERE THe mysteries of religion doe far exceede the narrow straites of our vnderstanding for without controuersie great are those mysteries to wit God is manifested in the flesh iustified in the spirit seene of Angels beleeued on in the world and receiued vp into glorie Amongst which the schollers assent to those misteries is accounted one beleeued on in the world which you haue well expressed appointing faith not reason to entertaine them The mind yeelding obedience in steed of discourse receiuing indifferently the truth of doctrine vpon the credit and affiance of the teacher This teacher you haue determined to be the inflexible testimonie of the catholike Church of whome we receiued the forenamed principles of religion yea the scriptures themselues And surely that minde which would not yeeld obedience to the testimonie of this generall voice were in all sound iudgments most vnreasonable For doth not reason her selfe tell vs That which most men and wisest agree vpon is most true doth she not adde further Those men be wisest next God that are most deare vnto him Then that religion which is professed and taught by the most holy and catholike Church which is venerable for antiquitie certaine for succession comely for order admirable for vnitie approued by experience allowed by prouidence confirmed by miracles rooted in so many kingdomes neuer doubted of but by heretikes is in the very eye of reason to be imbraced How thinke you Is not this reasons discourse And a sound discourse You must not deny it for it is your owne If reason then build vpon Church authoritie how place you faith in reasons roome If this be reasons discourse what is that yeelding obedience in stead of discourse Where is that great mysterie of godlines beleeued on in the world which captiuates the vnderstanding to the obedience of faith Let me helpe you out with a schoole distinction that wee may cleere the way before vs. The schollers assent to the Church testimonie is called faith I confesse but such a faith as the schoole termeth Acquisita fides faith gotten by discourse testimonie of the holy men of God a faith caried along by reason grounding vpon sufficient witnes and conuincing the vnderstanding by euidence of demonstration a faith incident not to wicked men only but the diuels themselues But the schoole diuines haue taught a more diuine faith which they call Infusa fides immediatly inspired by the holy Ghost from heauen informing the minde inclining the will to entertaine the principles of christianitie with all perfect obedience in stead of discourse For the begetting of which faith in the hearts of men that former testimonie of the Church and discourse of argument doth wonderfully dispose and prepare the minde but y t which giues the stroke and addeth life vnto it is the celestiall motion of Gods spirit which Saint Iohn calls the witnes within vs opposing it to the Church testimonie without vs. This is that true faith which Aquin affirmes neuer to bee found in diuels which Scotus aueres neuer to be void of christian charitie which Bellarmin proues and Trent defines neuer to be obtained without diuine reuelation and inspiration of Gods spirit vpon which it is built as vpon diuine and vnfallible authoritie the minde yeelding obedience in steede of discourse and receiuing indifferently the truth of doctrine vpon the credit and affiance of this teacher Hereupon doth our religion stay the assent of the scholler and hath irrefragable authoritie in the
principles of faith wherein consisteth the summe of all religion These first principles of religion assented vnto by this infused faith as the principles of reason by the light of nature haue taken a deeper impression in the mindes of the faithfull than the voice of the Church or an Angell from heauen could haue made For if we saith Paul the Apostles of Christ nay if an Angell from heauen confirmed in the state of happines should preach any other Gospell that is lay any other principles of religion then be all readie layd let him bee accursed Then somewhat there is of more certaintie to vs then Peter or Paul or any Angell Sinos aut Angelus Thus farre therefore you must of necessitie yeeld vnto vs except you withstand the streame of your owne Doctors that albeit the voice of the Church be a witnesse of this truth without exception yet aboue and beside this the minde of a beleeuing Christian is stroken with a lightning from Heauen inspyred with diuine reuelation enformed with that infused faith which farre surpasseth that former faith gotten by discourse and testimonie of the Church without vs. This is the last resolution of our religion into a principle that standes vpon his own ground to wit into an vndoubted assent of the minde informed by true faith fixed by the holy Ghost vpon the Axioms of Christian religion All that I would say to this point is by your Doctor Stapleton well concluded in one period Fideles enim omnes per vocem ecclesiae inducuntur ad fidem inducti autem lumine inspirationis diuinae illustrati non iam amplius propter Loquelam ecclesiae sed propter Lumen illud diuinum credunt But for more remote conclusions drawen from principles by discourse and tract of consequence because therein to rely vpon speciall reuelation were dangerous we most willingly imbrace the voice of the Church in manner as we haue said to your first motiue alwaies acknowledging Gods spirit to be more fully resident in holy assemblies then priuate braines promising to leade the Church into all truth to be resident where two or three are gathered together in his name which spirit for his part will neuer be wanting if the Church for her part be not defectiue But whether these promises made be absolute or with condition that is suppose the Church will not be led whether the spirit will perforce driue her into all truth Suppose her chieftaines assemble themselues with preiudicate and sinister affections not with that sinceritie which is required whether the spirit will therin assist them Or whether these suppositions be possible that God in regard of our sins will suffer such corruptions to creepe into Synodes as may lead thē into errour in some ages more in some lesse though euermore preseruing life in the principles of religion is the point in question Vpon which issue we denie such a power of not erring to the Church militant as should enforce the mind to giue assent to counsell decrees in the same kind and degree of faith as to the articles of beleefe which remaines more fully to be shewed out of your owne groundes MOTIVE FOr they affirme that the authority of the Church and ministerie of whom their followers receiue the sacred scriptures and their expositours be humane and such as may goe aside into errour and sometimes doe So that of necessitie whosoeuer standeth in the integritie of their opinion either haue no faith at all or else onely humane and errant For they that haue a possible impotencie of erring in one point of faith what assurance can they make of distinction that they doe not erre in all ANSVVERE WE affirme the authoritie of the Church and ministerie to be humane in the same sense as Saint Iohn cals it the testimonie of men If we receiue the testimonie of men the testimonie of God is greater Which testimonie of men was by all consent the testimonie of the Apostles themselues who ioyntly were witnesses of the resurrection of the Lord of life Then if the testimonie of the Apostles be humane I hope in the like sense we may call the authoritie of the Church humane I come at the last to that grand motiue whereupon all the rest depends the omnipotence of not erring Wherein that I may quickly touch the point I spare to proue what is granted for we go along certaine steps together without iarring First it is confessed that any counsell particular or general may erre if it be not confirmed by the Pope Secondly that Pope and counsell may erre in any by matter beside the definitiue sentence principally intended Thirdly that they may errein application of scriptures in illustrations in sequel of argument drawne from scripture to inferre that definitiue sentence Fourthly the definitiue sentence it selfe may be erronious if it be defined onely as a probabilitie not as a point of faith Fiftly though it be concluded as a matter of faith yet there may be errour in the proprietie of speech by superfluitie or want of termes by displacing of wordes or such like Only the verie bare maine sense of the conclusion it selfe is cocke sure from errour Into this narrow straite they confesse themselues to haue been alreadie pursued the consideration of which point me thinkes should cause an indifferent mind to pause a little and thinke it strange at the least that the euident truth of the Church testimonie whereupon all catholike faith must depend that the first principle standing vpon his owne ground into which all religion is to be resolued as into a pure element should be put to so many shiftes and hunted into such a narrow roome But further to vrge you with your owne I demaund from whence a counsels definitiue sentence doth receiue her infallibilitie Either it must be immediately from the spirit of God or else by means of consequence from the text of scripture or article whereupon it groundeth The first is by your selues denied for it is the first and speciall difference Bellarmine putteth twixt counsels Canons and canonicall scripture that the word of God is authorized by immediate reuelation from the spirit but counsels deriue their conclusions by discourse from the word Your champion answered me to this point that indeed God would haue his Church to vse those meanes of discourse and testimonie yet at the vpshot the spirit doth fortifie the conclusion and lets the rest go So I hope Paul did apply his bookes and parchments vsed the meanes of studie and discourse though that which he resolued vpon to put in writing was by the immediate motion of the spirit Therefore still this makes no difference at all Then belike if Bellarmine stand it is the discourse sequele of argument which the conclusion must rely vpon for her certaintie but that also proues a broken staffe euen in your owne iudgements Bellarmine saieth it is erronious and Stapleton resolues vpon it that from erronious arguments counsels doe
be all sufficient for that ende and purpose to which it is referred and for which it was written denying all other doctrine to be in power and certaintie equiualent with the same For if we should account those reportes which we haue receiued by tradition from our forefathers to be of equall credit with the canon of Scripture I cannot easily conceaue how we should haue due and thankfull regard of that inestimable benefit of committing diuine truth to writing which almightie God did himselfe first ordaine and by diuine prouidence continually hath preserued in his Church euer since the first age of the world that the daies of man were shortned and his memorie waxed fraile For miserable no doubt by this time had the state of the Church been if the meanes of our saluation published by Christ and his Apostles had been deliuered to vs onely by way of tradition from so many reporters We may in some sorte gesse at the daungers by those remnants of diuine storie which the heathen receiuing by tradition haue deliuered to vs in their writings but so broken and intermingled with cloudie phansies and fabulous inuentions as they doe no more resemble the truth then the rainbowe doth the sunne Which though it be the image of the sunne yet are the beames thereof so broken by reflection and refraction in some watrie cloud that it doth alike resemble the sunne as those ancient poeticall fables doe expresse the true scripture storie from whence they borrowed their first light Therefore inualuable is the benefit of the written word aboue relations The ende of the writing whereof was the perfecting of the two premised parts of a Christian mans soule to wit the vnderstanding with diuine truth and the desire with life both ioyntly set downe by Saint Iohn 10. 31. These things are written that ye might beleeue that Iesus is Christ the Sonne of God And secondly that in beleeuing ye might haue life through his name For the effecting whereof albeit the scripture be alsufficient in it selfe yet least by our ignorance we should peruert the more obscure places to our owne destruction we doe with all diligence embrace those meanes which God hath prouided for the interpretation thereof not onely the rules of reason and humane arts sanctified by Gods grace in his faithfull seruants but adding thereto also the record of antiquitie consent of fathers testimony of learned men conferring places waighing circumstances examining translations with such like not singling any one meanes from the rest as you fondly imagine but ioyning them together doe alwaies acknowledge most meanes to make the strongest confirmation Amongst these manifold meanes it liketh you to cull out the conference of places as seeming most of all to be ouerruled by priuat opinion Which rule of interpretation we are so farre from being ashamed of as in earnest I meruaile you will take any exception vnto it since Saint Austin a witnes by your confession without all exception hath bestowed such cost vpon it preferring it before all other rules whatsoeuer In his booke de Doct. Christia laying this ground vndoubtedly that all things concerning beliefe and life are plainly written in the word his first rule is that those things be chiefly noted which are set downe plainly both precepts of life and rules offaith Secondly that obscure and darke sentences be enlightned and opened by the plaine and manifest Thirdly that doubtfull textes bee determined by the cleere and certaine Al this in one chapter After if we cannot finde the true meaning yet let such a sence be giuen as agreeth with the right faith approued by some other place of scripture If that cannot be discussed by sure testimonie of Scripture it might be proued by reason but the safer way farre is to walke by Scripture In that whole worke made for this purpose we finde no mention of your last Remoue from the text to the interpreter from the Scripture to the men But still hath he recourse to the scripture making it the onely Center whereupon we must stay our selues in all discourse and interpretation His generall conclusion is that all places of scripture be expounded by the scriptures which are canonicall as being the rule of godlinesse and faith Yea from the testimonie of the greatest number of ancient fathers alledged by Saint Hierome he still makes his appeale vnto Scripture Hitherto haue I said nothing but Saint Austin whom you acknowledge to assure you not of his owne onely but of the common and constant faith and confession of ancient fathers and Apostolike Church Yet this was Saint Austin his rule of interpretation his golden rule whereupon he so much relied practised at this day in our Church and make you this a motiue to separate your selfe from our Church To put you out of doubt that this rule shal not at last resolue into priuate opinion after all diligence hath been giuen in this kinde we confirme the same by consent of our faithfull and learned brethren and if neede be by the assembly of the Bishoppes and clergie of our Church vnto which our greatest clerkes doe most willingly submit their expositions Their wordes be The sence will I proue by scripture according to the rule of faith the proofe of the sence I submit to the priuat and publike iudgment of the Church Notwithstanding in these quarelsome dayes since each part by likelihood will draw scriptures to their seuerall assertions it is a rule most indifferent euen in your owne iudgments that for pointes of controuersie neither your Church nor ours be iudge but that of olde neerer to Christ and further from these factions which you know to be our owne chalenge and defence aswell as yours So that if you would lay al these together being al held and professed by our Church you should finde our expositions to be neither vncertaine nor priuate Vpon this misconceit you conclude vs to be in a miserable case for that of an infallible proposition and arbitrarie assumption must needes follow a dangerous conclusion It is true indeede but this holdeth onely against protestantes and priuate spirits But wot you not that a counsell and the Pope of arbitrarie premisses can inferre infallible conclusions Cuius Doctrina in medijs discursiua in conclusione prophetica sine preiudicio fidei errare in argumentis potest salua conclusione See now yet are you so peremptorie must needesensue allwaies follow that whilest you lash out these rules of reason you entangle your self in high treason against his holinesse But what meane I still to rubbe this gall Sic tendimus in vetitum Had not your Doctor forbid it I had not so harped vpon it MOTIVE IN like manner they promise security of saluation without respect of repentance and workes which are ineuitable consequences if all be true that they teach So that he which hath faith needeth no more to care for good workes then they that haue drunken a sound purgation for going
which that ancient writer so approued by you doth auere Solus sufficit ad omnia satis superque all reformations of the Church whatsoeuer haue been since or hereafter shalbe must come vnder the name of meere restitutions without addition not instituting any new doctrine but restoring the ancient not creating a new Church as you fondly imagine but reducing the old vnto the primitiue Therefore in this kind there is no need of miracles or prodigious signes seeing our reformers bring no new reuelations of their owne but only make appeales to the iudgement of the primitiue Church desire credit of others no further then they giue euidence of argument drawne from such grounds as be receiued of all hands Then seeing their proceedings be ordinarie what extraordinarie wonders are to be expected Neither was it their desire motion in this reformatiō that the present visible Church should fly the world and leaue her kingdome royaltie but onely this y t it should be purged because reason telleth vs experience hath proued it that the visible Church is not al spirit but some flesh though she be informed by the holy Ghost in her holy and generall assemblies yet she consisteth likewise of earthly fraile sinful men therfore she must of necessity gather some dust in time grow corrupt if she do not clense refine her selfe Wherupon motion was made to the commanders of the Church for the reformation of certaine abuses which being crept in had gotten a head and were growne to that pitch that they became burdensome to the consciences of religious men This complaint being not harkened vnto they perswaded themselues that the backwardnes of their brethren could not be to them a sufficient excuse not to reforme themselues For this cause they protested a separation from their fellowship and communion in those points vntill such time as it should please God to moue their minds so to refine themselues from those corruptions as there might insue conformitie a thing wished and praied for with sighes not to be expressed So that the strength of this your Motiue which makes Martin Luther his fellowes seeme so odious vnto you is resolued into these two questions First whether in his time there were abuses in the Church that required a reformation Secondly reformation being denied vnhoped for whether they were abuses of that nature degree as did bind the conscience of true catholikes not to cōmunicate with others in them Which two points if they be true they cleer our reformers frō all slander suspitiō either of heresy or schisme vntil you haue proued them false this the like generall motiues to this purpose be mere shadows without substance of no value or force at all THE SIXTH MOTIVE AS the cause is the paterne of the effects vpon which ground Saint Paul from the vnitie of Gods Church buildeth the vnitie of faith so may we go backwards from the defference of effects to denie the affinitie of the cause and from the impossibilitie of vnion in faith take away the possibilitie of dependance vpon God Such is the religion of the protestants which hath no certaine principle of vnitie and therefore lacketh the cognisance whereby true religion is knowne For where there is not an infallible authoritie which doth iudge and decide controuersies by remouing all actions of doubt and reply and vnto which absolute obedience is tied there must needs be varietie of iudgements and opinions which cannot be tied in one knot For all vnitie in particulars proceedeth from the vnitie of some cause wherein all agree But there is no such infallible authoritie the iudge of controuersies besides the voice of the Church which the protestants either put altogether to silence or else obey so farre as they please For the scriptures whom they haue erected to be iudges as rebels that put downe all iudges and pretend to be ruled onely by the law cannot alone supply this place to take away all occasionof controuersies And if there were no other argument their owne irreconcilable quarrels in so manifold differences among themselues might suffice to stop their mouthes herein For as diuers parcels of silke of deeper or lighter ground dipped by the Dyar in the same liquour drink in a seuerall tincture of colour according to their former varietie so they that diue in the letter of the holy scripture according as their iudgements are before stained with preiudice of one or other opinion come forth againe not in vnity of minds but in the same differences as they went in more or lesse Or as in the miracle of tongues giuen to the Apostles when many auditors of diuers languages came to heare them although the same men could speake no more but one idiome at once yet the seuerall auditours comprehended them as if they had spoken in the proprietie of their speech so when many of diuers languages in religion come to heare some one of the Apostles speaking in the scripture although the author vse onely the voice of the truth yet euery sundrie faction doth conceiue him as speaking in the seuerall confusion of their opinions Neither can they comfort themselues with any hope to see these diuerse opinions wound vp in one confession For as the vnitie in conclusion in logick cannot be without the vnitie of the medium so they cannot meete in that middle way which should bring them into peace able cōposition vnlesse they returne to the Church For all grant there is no way to accomplish it without a councell but who shall call it when there is none whom they all obey How many factions shall assemble out of what sect shall the president be chosen what number of suffrages shall there be on euery side what rule shall bee allowed for the interpretation of the scriptures And if all this were by a dreame imagined yet the authoritie of the Canons and conclusions shall not be so authenticall but that any priuate head may refuse it if in his owne singularity he thinke it disagreeing from the scripture so desperate is the possibilitie of vnion among them that hope which imagineth impossible things cannot possibly imagine it ANSVVERE AS euery defect and imperfection tendeth vnto dissolution so the good estate of euery bodie aswell politicke and mistical as natural doth consist in the vnity of the whole harmonie of the parts amongst themselues Therfore seeing the band of vnitie knitting many members into one whole maketh an entire body that societie is of all others conceiued to be most absolute which hath attained to the greatest perfection of vnitie Which kind of reason moued the Philosopher to giue the preeminence to a Monarchy before other simple formes So the Apostle in the place whence you take your rise from the vnitie of Gods Church doth build the vnity of faith as also the vnity of spirit in the bond of peace vrging a preseruation and increase of the same as a thing most perfecting the
principally we appeale to scripture as to the certaine rule and ground of all the rest yet for the true sense and interpretation of scripture we confirme our selues by the consent of the learned in the Church by the analogie of faith and common grounds of beliefe deliuered by the Church and collected by the ancient fathers out of the most plaine vndoubted scriptures by the generall consent of antiquitie by prouinciall and generall counsels which at this day we wish and heartily pray might be called without partialitie but our complaint is the same with Saint Basil and Gregorie Nazianzene in their time that a generall counsell cannot be called with indifferencie in the throng of so many quarrels especially since the head of the strongest faction must needs be possessed with a preiudice in his owne cause These meanes of finding and maintaining the truth of God though taken seuerally they may seeme the weaker yet all or most of them ioyned together are sufficient to rest the consciences of true Catholikes To the perfection where of we labour to attaine forgetting that which is behind and endeuouring to that which is before THE SEVENTH MOTIVE THe diuine prouidence which as a center indifferently extendeth it selfe to the vniuersalitie of things hath allowed euerie creature common strength to preserue his being such is in liuelesse bodies their place or motion or qualities in vegetable their instinct of distinguishing their proper aliment in beastes the iudgement of sense and priuiledge of nature and in man an apprehension censure and proiect from the intelligence of sensible occurrents both in naturall and ciuill bodies The same wisedome and bountie which hath been so enlarged to his seruants cannot be straightned to his children and therefore it is aboue all doubt that he hath set some plaine and certaine direction in his Church both of discerning of heresies when they arise and of auoiding the infection of them neither hath the holy Ghost failed herein for because all the dangers of the Church were chiefly to come from heretikes hee hath drawne in the scripture as in a table the picture of heretikes their apparrell fashion speech and cariage whereby they might be noted vpon the first apparance But among all other Items none is oftener giuen for a marke to discerne them then their difference of doctrine from the former tradition and custome There shall be false teachers which shall bring in heresies 2. Peter 2. 1. If any man come to you and bring not this doctrine Iohn 2. 10. And the contradiction of Corah 1. Tim. 8. If any man teach other wise then that which you haue heard from the beginning Let it abide in you fight for the faith once deliuered keepe the traditions you are taught And if any man would fashion in his wishes a plaine and sensible rule whereby the thickest conceits that are not able to goe betweene truth and errour in the loosest controuersies might determine any question there cannot bee a better fancied then this difference of teaching and innouation of doctrine which he that vnderstandeth not the sense may perceiue by the words the soundes and contradiction of former opinion as men that are skilfull in musicall proportions and being acquainted through vse of song can easily iudge if any chaunge be made therein By this were all heresies apprehended at the first and also arraigned So that Stephanus Bishop of Rome ouerthrew the decree of the councell of Carthage for rebaptising wherein Saint Cyprian was president with his owne rule Ecclesia Dei non habet talem consuetudinem So Luther and Zwinglius and the rest of that crewe were at the first appearing branded by this note for heretikes ANSVVERE THis is the same fallacie with the former applyed another way for as in the last motiue you haue assured the Church of an infallible meanes to define all truth so in this you secure her members likewise of a power with facilitie to discerne heretikes by argument drawen from the generall prouidence of God extending it selfe to all creatures but most of all to his children In which ground there is some truth but entwined with some errours For as in other creatures the diuine prouidence is verie bountifull for the preseruation of their seuerall beings against iniurie and daungers yet for all the power of nature in senceles things or the iudgment of sense in the vnreasonable or the benefit of reason in men they be notwithstanding oftentimes subiect aswell to the pray and violence as to the crafte and deceit of others so is it in the professours of christian faith vnto whom God hath reuealed a meanes to preserue their spirituall being in this state militant more certaine and far more sufficient for them then he hath giuen to any other yet not with such ease facilitie to be enioyed as in this motiue you indeuour to perswade For albeit the Scripture hath not been wanting in describing heretikes so plainly as by way of prophecie could possibly be expressed yet are they not thereby presently knowne vpon the first appearance nor can the thickest conceites so easily iudge of them If you take your markes as you say from their apparell fashion or outward carriage then a sheeps skin drawen ouer a woolfe will easily deceaue you their outward apparance will in euery respect seeme holy and innocent as the sheepe of Christ. Therefore is there neede of a serpents wisedome to discerne them and not that onely but also of diligence and watchfulnesse to espie them For as they come in sheeps skins so come they priuily as Saint Peter noteth in the place by you first mencioned There shalbe false teachers who priuilie shall bring in damnable heresies Which word though it carie the emphasis of the sentence yet is it by you wisely omitted happily because you thought it a note of an heretike not so well beseeming Martin Luther who came not so priuily I wis but open inough and in his owne liknes contrarie to the common fashion of heretikes who first put on a sheepes skin and then creepe into the flock the easier to deceiue Wherefore when that prophecie is fufilled which you haue so fitted vnto these times concerning the doctrine of many false Christs where the bodie is thither will the Eagles resort not owles or bussards but such as haue a quicke eye of faith to discerne the Lord and the swift wing of deuotiō to fly vnto him Nay y e delusions of heresies shal thē grow so strong as nothing shall be able to withstand them but only the eternall election of God For if it were possible the verie elect should be deceiued A small number God knowes in compare of that glorious multitude you so boast of in your fifth motiue yet it seemes these fewe must stand when many great troupes are caried with the doctrine of false Christs Ecce hic ecce illic But these difficulties seeme nothing vnto you who can imagine a direction so plaine against