God but by his propre will and operation yea and whensoeuer men labour to do well that then they sinne deadly Of this tre haue growen all mischef fornication aduoutrie ryot dronknes extorsions robberies rebellion periuries deceites lies all contempt of honesty and vertu procliuite to all vice beside blasphemies of Gods holy name backbiting slaundering reproches iniuries and all kinde of wickednes frely and without grudge of coÌ„science practised Be not these noble and faire frutes of Luthers ghospell May not well the rule of Christ here take place By their frutes ye shall knowe them For looke what the tre is such is the frute and looke what the frute is such is thetre Although therefore we can not denie but amonge vs Catholikes much enormite is and much euill life yet no man can saie that we teache and allow these vices or that our doctrine is the cause off oure naughty liuing no man I saye can charge the Catholike doctrine to prescribe any thing against holy scripture against ciuill policie or publike magistrates as the newe forged ghospell of Luther doth Exacting therefore the Lutherans vnto this rule of Christ we worthely iudge them of their frutes to be false prophets and daungerous deceiuers The like they caÌ„ not do of vs for that the euill frutes that are in vs procede of oure selues not of our doctrine of swaruing from the precepts and godly constitutions off our faith not of obseruing them But the Lutherans naughty life procedeth euen of their doctrine as we haue in some certain pointes for example before declared Yet as touching the life of spirituall teachers and rulers god hath prescribed to the laitie and common people a perfit and absolute rule to discerne true doctrine from the false saying The scribes and Pharises sit in the Chaire of Moyses Do as they commaunde you to do not as they do theÌ„ selues in the which saying of Christ euery Christen man that regardeth his soule helth ought diligently waie two pointes First to know which is the lawfull chaire of Moyses and which is not then how the laye and common sort of people ought to beare them selues towardes the euill life of the clergy Let vs then first speake of the first point Sithen the time that these newe doctrines of Luther hath ben putin the peoples heads and so many diuers and contrary opinions hathe ben taught that the simple and vnlerned know not all most which waie to turne them selues many are brouht to that point that they reiect all religion at ones and think oure Christen faith to be but prety policies of mens inuention or rather olde wyues tales to feare childreÌ„ and with this imagination are become worldly Epicures terming their felicite in present pleasure as a great number do nowe in Germany Whereof truly we haue great cause to feare vnles these cursed heresies be spedely extinguished that almightie God of his dreadfull iustice will sturre vp the Turke or some cruell tiraÌ„ to rippe vp the belies of these fleshely swine and gredy gloutons destroying also with the wicked whiche God of his tender mercie forbid the good and vertuous But to thentent that all good and vertuous people may beware of such infidelite and wiâ—ked cogitations despering vtterly of all religion S. Paule hathe forewarned his scholer Timothe and in him vs all writing All scripture inspired froÌ„ God is profitable to teach to improue to amend and to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may be perfit and prepared vnto all good workes These are not mens imaginations but the very wordes of God pronounced by the holy ghoste in the mouthe of the Apostle And this is an expres commaundement of God that we beleue vndoubtedly in holy scripture that we seke our saluation therein walking and continuing vprightly in the pathes of that holy write not swaruing either on the right hande either on the left But that we maye so do it behoueth vs not only to reade the bare and literall text of holy scripture but to enquire also for the true and right vnderstanding of the same For the letter killeth but the Spirit geueth life Wherefore our Lorde speaking to the Iewes saieth Searche the scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life But it is one thinge to reade another to serche They are therefore much deceaued which crie now a daies that nothing must be receiued but holy scripture that all other interpretations being but the imaginations of man are not to be beleued If the protestants speake herein as they thinke I woÌ„der why the Lutherans and the Zuinglians haue writen so many and so large interpretations vpon the olde and newe testament and caused them to be printed abrode yea why make they suche continuall sermons to the people wherein they recite not allwaies expresse scripture but talke much beside the text adding their interpretations and expositions vnto it commaunding also and charging the people to take those their interpretations for the very worde of God And is not this a maruailous impudent and proude presumption of these protestant preachers When we on our part alleage the expositions of the holy fathers vpon holy scripture they as if it were in a rage crie out incontinently The holy fathers were but men the church hath erred in many pointes the expositions of those fathers are but their imaginations and deuises not the worde off God And therefore we nede not geue any credit vnto them But when they them selues preache vnto the people the commauÌ„de and persuade the people that if they tender their soule health they must vndoubtedly beleue that which is there preached vnto them and the interpretation of holy scripture which they bring is the pure and sincere worde of God the ghospell it selfe Is not this as I saied a a maruailous impudent and proude presumption of these protestant preachers Is it not an horrible arrogancie to terme their owne fantasies holy scripture their imaginations the ghospell the meaning and sens of their owne inuention the very worde off God condemning withall and reiecting the vniforme true and receaued interpretations of all olde holy fathers and writers approued hitherto in the Church of Christ by whom the same church hath ben from time to time gouuerned directed and instructed in all truthe sens the time of the Apostles this thowsand fiue hundred yeares and more vnder whose doctrine and godly instructions so many blessed martirs holy confessours and infinit thousands of other Christen soules haue attained to euerlasting life Whereas contrary wise by the expositions and interpretations of these newe preachers horrible schismes diuers and hainous heresies dissolute and licentious liuing strifes contentions and rebellions haue spronge vp and all most ouergrowen the garden off Christes church well planted before and tended by the holy fathers rulers thereof what can be more impudently and arrogantly presumed Yet these newe preachers to wrappe and entrappe the people more and
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
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
for shame denie partly go about to reconcile with the rest of their doctrine To the ende that hereby they may persuade the worlde that I belied thē hitherto affirming such to be their articles and charging them with dissension amonge themselues With these thre pointes by the grace of god I shal defend my simple conuersation and geue due information of my belief vsing herein a plaine and familiar stile of our vulgar tongue that the simple lay mā may also vnderstande me declaring sincerely and with all modestie the truth in all pointes without railing biting or any other vnciuill demeanour For so it becometh well meaning men to do Although my aduersaries to bring me in infamie and reproche omitte no such kinde of rethorike laieng on greate lode of lies and reproches whereby they haue cut awaie all honest meanes of reconciliation auoiding al maner of iudgement and ciuil triall Being yet frō god commaunded by Moises That all controuersies and debates should be tried by the lawfull Magistrat For this hathe alwaies ben my only desire and is yet that my aduersaries which either priuely or in open libels cease not to backbite me cōuēt me before my ordinary and lawfull magistrat and there make their complainte not making them selues the partie plaintif and defendant yea and iudges in their owne cause as against all order and lawe bothe spirituall and temporall thei haue hitherto most impudently done Truly as I haueben allwaies so am I now ready and desirous to present my self before my ordinary Magistrat and to abide the whole ordre and proces of the lawes against me For thanked be God I knowe my life and cōuersation hath ben such be it not spoken for any pride that I am not ashamed nor afeard to showe my face before any mā a liue And sure I am that if I had not laboured with the Emperours Maiestie and other Catholike princes for the maintenaūce of the Catholike religion against heretikes my life shoulde neuer haue bē touched of thē But seing that the Catholike doctrine it self praised be God can not by any good reason or coulour be impugned they laie at my person and fight against me letting the doctrine it selfe alone Vsing this argument that I against my owne conscience only for honour and riches sake defend the Catholikes whereas yet they knowe well them selues that I haue sustained the losse of some thousands of crownes and empaired much the helthe of my body in the quarell of the Catholike faith But howsoeuer the matter goeth Our Lorde knoweth who are his and he trieth the hartes of men and as Clemens Alexandrinus writeth No man is so great but God passeth him nor no mā so smal but God espieth him and he shal geue to euery man according to his desertes If I therefore do against my conscience herein wo is vnto me For only God knoweth the conscience of man But if I do vprightely herein wo is vnto you that take vpon you the secret iudgement of God Aud thus farre off my selfe inough Let vs nowe come vnto the matter OF THE TRVE AND RIGHT VNDERSTANDING OF HOLY SCRIPTVRE AS touching the first part whereas they laye to my charge that I labour to oppresse and tread vnder foot the holy ghospell and worde of God hauing before professed the same c. To this I aunswere plainely that herein they deale very vncourteously with me and do iniuriously slaunder me And I am very sure they haue not one iote to proue this their saying by But to remoue this their vaine and forged opinion with sure and vndoubted reason I would gladly knowe of them what is that they call the holy ghospell and worde of God Here if they awnswer me that the worde of God is no other thinge then the holy scripture commonly called the Bible that is the olde and newe Testament thē againe I awnswer thē they do most iniuriously slaunder me For they are neuer able to proue that euer I reiected or persecuted any one litle peace or parcell of the ghospell or of the lawe But I embrace and reuerence al the holy Bible the lawe and the ghospel and take it for no lesse thē the very worde of Gods mouth Yea and I graunte that sooner heauē and earth shal perish then any one iote of that worde Which I dare saie not only for my owne part but in the name of all Catholike Christians which hitherto euen from the Apostles time allmost these thousand six hundred yeares without any intermission haue read in churches songe alwaies in publick seruice of the Masse and taught openly in pulpits and haue also in the common breuiaries and portyses of the Romane vse comprised almost the whole corps of the Bible and that in such ordre that the priestes are bounde wekely to reade ouer the whole Psalter and yearely for lessons allmost all the ghospell and epistles and prophets as the most auncient custom practised so many hundred yeares past of the Canonicall howres the Prime the Third the Sixt the Ninth howres Euensong and Complin doth well declare which disposition and ordre of times was off the Apostles them selues as it may appeare in the Actes and other where so well and diligently appointed that to euery daye for the howres of our lordes passion psalmes lessons and ghospells do correspond with a reuerent and deuoute remēbraunce of Christes benefits whereby the church from the beginning vnto our time through out the whole worlde would testifie and teache vnto vs that all holy scripture ought to be construed and grounded on the passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ as in the true corner stone for the saluation of our soules as hereafter we shall in his due place by the scripture most plainely proue It is therefore a wonderfull slaunder that these men saye of the Catholikes That hitherto the ghospell and the worde of God hath ben bannished from the church kept in hucker mucker and at the length vnder the pope to haue ben vtterly extinguished but now is reuoked vnto light therefore those that embrace this newe ghospell to be worthely called men of the ghospell but that we which folow our swete parents and forefathers with the whole Catholike church keping and maintaining the olde Apostolicall doctrine must be called wicked papistes But here he that hath eyes to see let him open them and he that hath any regard of his saluation let him here take hede for this is that suttell deceit of these protestants and the mist wherewith they dimme the eyes of the simple people making them beleue that they only professe the worde of God And yet these newe preachers and masters knowe very well them selues the contrary as Luther him selfe in his booke against the Anabaptistes and the Zuinglians witnesseth saying that among the papistes that is in the churche of Rome the holy ghospell aud all holy scripture with al the bookes sentences wordes and prickes thereof hath remained in
Wittenberg the newe Lutheran Papacye Holy order he added to the entent that the Masters of Wittenberg sending abrode their preachers might binde them with an othe to preache and teache no otherwise then they had lerned of their masters as the tenour of the othe set forthe in the Ordonnaunce of the vniuersite of Wittenberg declareth Although therefore the Lutheran protestants raile and inueigh without measure against the Pope bicause vnder him doctours and other be sworne to the obedience of the Catholike church and vniforme consent of doctrine in the same yet they them selues swere and charge by othe against all reason their scholers for the mainteaunce and vpholding of their heresies and abhominable doctrine Notwithstanding these Masters of Wittenberge could not obtaine their purpose Amsdorfius and Illyricus two great masters of Luthers schole woulde neuer agree vnto them but prouoked to the former writings of Melanchthon and Luther wherein they plainely teache that all laye people men and women are priestes may minister the sacraments may baptise expounde holy scripture teache and preache This Illyricus lately wrote against Menius who had obiected him the saying of the prophet that he ranne being not sent that is that he toke vppō him the highe vocation of a bishop that he interpreted scripture after his owne pleasure corrected his brethen cōdemned them of heresie ruled the churche not in one place only but through out the whole state of Lutherans whereas yet Melanchthon and the masters off Wittenberg neuer permitted him but had decreed against him finally that he was neuer called to the ministery like a Lutheran nor neuer ordained priest as a Catholike but from teaching of a grammer schole had taken vppon him the authorite of a bishop Thus in this bely fest kingdome of Lutherans you may see howe soone visards be chaunged and howe easie a matter it is to come a lofte For when Menius and Maior two great masters of the Lutheran ghospellers obiect vnto Illyricus that he was neuer called to the ministery neuer appointed to the worde nor sent to preache and therefore he should be ashamed to plaie the bishop in the churche of Luther and to cōdemne all other Superintendts and Ministers that would not agree to his propre and seuerall doctrines he awnswereth them againe that according to the doctrine of our father Luther Euery man was a priest as cacthepolles millers barbers Phisicians vshers and scholemasters especially such as professed the Hebrewe grammer But consider here I beseche the gentle reader how soone this wether is ouercast Now faire now fowle now clere now darke For here as you see while Illyricus hath to do with the masters of Wittenberg the Scripture saieth that Euery man is a priest and fit to teache in the cōgregation But a litle after the same Illyricus hauing to do with Osiāder and his cōpaniōs in Prussia curseth and banneth them crying and writing that to dogged Phisicians naming so the Phisicians of the prince who then were preachers of Osianders doctrine Matters of religion and ruling of churches ought not to be committed for that Phisicians were not called nor appointed to any such function Be not these trim preachers and masters of the newe ghospell is there not a ioly vniformite in their doctrine Maior and Melanchthon when they fight against the Catholikes if then you aske them what authorite they haue with their newe reformation to comptroll the whole corps of Christendom and the church of Christ being neuer called nor ordained of the churche to any such office by and by they will awnswer you out of Luthers bookes De Christiana libertate de Captiuitate Babilonica that euery man is a priest euery man hath authoritie to reade the Bible to discerne true and false interpretation of holy scripture But euen in the same moment before they moue a foote furder you maye see them accuse and crie out at Illyricus that he being nother priest nor called to the ministerie behaueth him selfe very seditiousely in Germanie taking vppon him to comptroll the masters of Wittenberge and of Lipsia by his owne priuat and proper authorite Notwithstanding all these enormites and aburdities ensuing of the bare text of scripture the Lutherans seing them selues on euery side entrapped and coūicted yet euer they plaie fox to the hole and rūne to this impudent shift to saie that The next of holy scripture is sufficient for all instruction and doctrine that it may be vnderstanded of all men and nede no gloses nor expositions Is not this I beseche the good reader a captious and suttle shift to thrust only the writen text to the people defrauding thē off the true meaning and interpretation of the text Euē so did the Sadduces heretikes of the olde lawe before Christes time as Iosephus in his Chronicles witnesseth So did after Christ the Arrians Dimeritae Apostolici and many such other heretikes as it is to be senein S. Basill Epiphanius and S. Augustin If the text of holy write nedeth no expositiō what meaned oure Sauiour when after his resurrection He expounded to his disciples all such scriptures as were writen of him beginning with Moyses and so all the prophets What meaned Philippus to aske the Eunuche of the Quene of Candace sitting vppon his chariot whether he vnderstoode that whiche he reade in Esaie the prophet and after the Eunuches awnswer saying howe can I if some expounde it not vnto me to expounde him the text declaring the right interpretation and meaninge thereof Againe what will they saie to that which the Apostle writeth That the holy ghost diuideth and distributeth to euery one his giftes as it pleaseth him so that all men haue not all giftes but euery man certaine and seuerall as some the gifte of healing other the gifte of diuers tonges and other the interpretation of tonges Euery man is not a Phisician diuine or lawier as S. Paule to the Corinthians largely declareth taking a comparison of the body of mā where are many mēbres and euery membre hathe his propre and seuerall function for what could be more absurde then if the feete would playe the handes or the hādes do that which belongeth to the head The like reason is to be cōsidered of functions offices and giftes in the gouuernement of Christen religion to the setting vp whereof God hath appointed diuers and sundry ministeries especially for the instructing and teaching the right vnderstanding of holy scripture that we might thereby knowe his will and pleasure in all thinges without doubt or controuersie Whiche if euery priuat and meane man without a teacher and interpreter were able to vnderstande to what purpose hathe the holy ghoste geuen in his churche vnto some the gifte of interpretation But what nede we spend herein many wordes let vs reade the bookes of Moyses the psalmes and the Prophets see we not there a number of highe and secret misteries which before the coming of Christ
perilous dissēsion amonge the papistes If our doctours and diuines should vse suche arguments against them howe woulde they scoffe and scorne at it But these ghospelling preachers vsing such must not onely not be founde faute withall but must be highely praised and commended therefore as men of excellent vertu and knowleadge Whiche allthough it be very iniurious and may well be complained of yet sence that it liketh them so to vse vs we must take it in good parte and beare it But as touching the matter euen as in our Christen religion we haue lerned of S. Paule to acknowleadge and beleue in one God euen so we must professe one faith and one baptim Although therefore among religious men and womē there be diuers orders and sundry rules likewise betwene the clergy and the laite diuers professions and vocatiōs and that by the sure and certain prouidēce of almightie God yet among these al there is but one God one faith one Christ one church one and the selfe same interpretation of holy scripture We by the true vnderstanding of Gods worde haue lerned in the churche the difference betwene the Catholike faythe of all men and the priuate hope of eueryman First in the articles of oure belefe we beleue al one thinge and al after one sort But to euery man priuately it is permitted that vpō right cōscience and due consideration for the encrease and cōfirmation of his hope which lacketh not his sure rewarde he maye take and chose vnto him some such honest trade of life and cōuersation as is agreable to his nature though he differ hereby from the common life and vocation of other men Therefore as concerning the agreement of our faithe we reade in the Apostle If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if there be any comforte of loue if there be any feloweship of the spirit if there be any compassion and mercie fullfill ye my ioye that ye be like minded hauing one loue being of one accorde that no thing be done through strife or of vaine glory And againe Neuertheles vnto that whiche we haue attained vnto let vs procede by one rule that we may be off one accorde Many such sentences are in holy Scripture whereby we are admonished that the doctrine of our faithe and belefe ought not to be referred to any one state or person but to the whole communite off Christ his churche Wherefore S. Iames commaundeth That we esteme not the faith of our Lorde Iesus Christe in respect of personnes Whereof it appeareth euidently that the vnite consent and agreement of our faith is builded and grounded vppon the communite off Christes Catholike churche Whereby all schismes and particular heresies are excluded But that the diuersite of grace of giftes and vocatiō is to be referred to the condition of euery man And what is the reason hereof Bicause as we haue many membres in one body but all membres haue not one office so all Christen men are one body in Christ but euery one hath his singular and peculiar giftes grace and vocation And this blessed Apostle saithe also in an other place Let euery man trie his owne doing and so he shall haue glorie in him selfe onely and not in an other For we shall all stande before the iudgment of Christe that euery man maye receaue the workes of his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Seing thē these two pointes the agreement of faithe and diuersite of vocations are in the Catholike churche by due reason to be waighed and eche in his place to be osberued I can not sufficiently maruaill at the sutle shifte and wily deceit off these Lutherans forcing the Catholikes to suffer amonge them heretikes beleuing as they list and sowing schismes at their pleasure bidding them withall dissemble and winke at the matter whereas yet them selues will not suffer the like liberty in diuersite of vocations amonge the Catholikes but will persuade Princes and Magistrates to force their subiects bothe temporall and Spirituall and Religious of all sorte to forsake their godly vocatiō and perfit professiō and to take such a frame of faith as it shall please the Prince or Magistrat to prescribe them What other thinge is this then to make that diuers and different in the Catholike faith whiche should be one and vniforme and that one and vniforme in persons and vocations whiche should be diuers and different O horrible confusion If there were not beside this point manifest and outragious impietes of the Lutherans repugning bothe to right reason and to the worde of God whereby we might iudge howe pestiferous abominable and wicked the doctrines and doings of these Lutheran preachers and protestant Ministres are yet of this only matter it might appeare euident while they confunde Vniformite and Diuersite Teaching that which ought to be in our belefe consonant and agreable that it maye varie and be diuers and cōtrairely those things whiche in euery mans peculiar vocation shoulde be proper and distinct maie in no wise varie or differ Whereof spronge the insurrection of the commōs in Germany the sedition of the Anabaptistes in West phalia and the rebellion against their highe rulers and magistrats Surely of no other roote then that Luther and all protestant preachers haue taught and do yet teache and write to that seing There is no respect of personnes before God therefore there ougth to be no difference of persons no magistrat in the church but that all Christen men are fre and therefore all other distinct estats dignites and qualites as well greate as small ought to be all one and all a like And whereof arise these greate and enormous dissensions in religiō but only of this occasiō that the Lutherās take awaie from the Catholike faithe all vnite and agreement and teache that euery man may be saued by his owne priuat faith which he forgeth him selfe and that he maye for his owne person frely beleue what he listeth Thus they would force the Catholikes to a certain dissembling deceit such as neuer was heard of As that they should suffer euery man to beleue as he list and set vp newe factiōs and schismes against the vnite and agrement of our faith But the difference of vocations qualites and degrees as is betwene lowe and high tēporall and spirituall priuat and publike they should no more suffer but make all estates cōmon all vocatiōs aequall al trade of life one and vniforme If this be not to confounde heauen and earthe surely I knowe not what heauen and earthe meaneth Colde which procedeth of water is of this nature that it knitteth and fastneth together diuers thinges in to one masse and substaunce and cōserueth them also in the same as golde siluer bras tinne leade claie also durte and wodde But heate contrairely resolueth and seuereth all these substaunces So likewise the property of faithe is to knitte ioyne
vnto the and we shall be turned And what necessite driueth vs to this crie and lamentation surely euen the very same which moued that Prophet so to bewaile and lament when he saieth VVo be vnto vs bicause we haue sinned For truly I thinke we germans haue sinned tentymes more greuousely then those Iewes And what was the plage of their hainous offences the prophet declareth The crowne and garland of our head is fallen of I feare me we germans shall heue the selfe same plage onles we spedely do penaunce for our wickednes It foloweth in the lamentatiō Therefore my harte is heauy and full of griefe We alas are not yet come so farre towarde penaunce that our harte hath ben heauy for our sinnes For we yet contynew in them and why spede we not to penaunce Bycause our eyes are darkned and wherefore for the hille of Sion that is the Catholike church why what is befallen it bycause it is destroyed O Mercifull god this is to to true with vs Germans For amonge vs one saythe Here is Christ an other saythe there is Christ. this man saythe Amonge the Caluinistes is the churche an other saythe Amonge the Illyricans the thirde amonge the Indifferents the fourthe amonge the Osiandrins the fifte amonge the Swenck feldians and so with the reste whereas yet it is vnpossible it should be amonge them all why so bicause it is destroied it is scattered it is vndone And howe cometh it o holy Ieremije that the holy hill of Sion the Catholike churche is so wasted and destroied Foxes haue walked in it In dede foxes that is as S. Ambrose and S. Augustin expounde it suttle crafty deceitefull stinking and lurking heretikes These foxes haue onerrunne spoiled and destroied the holy hil of Sion the Catholike church of Christ. And as soone as the light that shineth from this hill the Catholike church of whom it is saied I haue set the vp as a lighte to all nations was ones in Germany darkned and extinguished mens eyes and hartes were so blinded that with open eyes they see nothing and are so sicke that they fele no paine at all nor perceaue not howe daily the Croune falleth awaye from their heades Let him therefore pray that can praye and who so euer feareth the smarte of gods rodde let him labour to escape it and crie with the prophet Turne vs o lorde vnto the. and that he faile not also on his parte let him saie with mouthe and perfourme in dede And we will be turned But bicause that as S. Augustin teacheth repentaunce which procedeth not of faithe is vnprofitable there is no hope of true repentaunce amonge vs onles we embrace the true doctrine of Christen fayth To the entent therefore that euery common laie man may be sure and perfit of the faith and religion which he foloweth I will adde hereunto to knitte vp this our simple treatise a litle piece out of a booke that Vincētius lyrenēsis wrote aboue twelue hūdred yeares past vnder Theodosius the Emperour for the mayntenaūce and setting forth of Catholike religiō A man peraduenture maye demaunde saith he seing the Canon of holy scripture is sufficient off it selfe for all pointes what nedeth the interpretation off the Church to be added thereunto to the which question he answereth For bicause forsothe holy scripture being depe and mystical is not of all men after the like sorte expounded but the sentences thereof some man expoundeth one waie some an other that allmoste as many men so diuers expositions may be drawen thereof For the Nouatian expoundeth it one waie Sabellius an other waie Donatus Arrius Eunomius Macedonius Photinus Apollinaris Priscillianus Iouinianus Pelagius Celestius and Nestorius al founders of sundry heresies folowe eche of them their owne proper and peculiar waie of interpreting holy scripture Wherefore it behoueth that in consideration of so many crekes and by erroneous pathes the line of interpreting holy prophets and Apostles be drawē and directed according to the rule of the Catholike and ecclesiasticall exposition In the Catholike churche it selfe we must seriousely prouide that we folowe onely that which is receaued in euery place at al times of al mē for this is Catholike in dede and properly as the worde it self emporteth comprehending all vniuersally This we maie so do if we folowe vniuersalite Antiquite and Consent Vniuersalite we shall folowe if we acknowledg that faith and belefe which the whole church through out the whole worlde acknowledgeth Antiquite if we departe not from those expositions which the holy awncient fathers haue lefte vnto vs. Consent likewise if in the antiquite we cleaue vnto the determinations of all or allmoste all priestes prelats and teachers of the church What then shall the Catholike and Christian man do if any part of the churche cutte it selfe of from the communion and societe of the generall belefe What other then that he muste preferre the whole body before the deseased parte What if some newe infection plage not onely some parte but the whole church Then must he diligently cleaue vnto the Antiquite or awncient receaued faith whiche can be seduced by no guile of nouelty VVhat if two or thre men or some one cyte or countre swarue from the Antiquite and receaued doctrine Then against the rashe ignorance of a fewe he must set the awncient and vniuersall decrees of some generall Councell What if such doubtes arise that no such decree can be founde Then let him labour to seke out and confer together the saiengs of the fathers such as though in diuers times and in diuers places yet remaining in the vnite and belefe of the Catholike church haue bē approued for teachers and doctours of the same and what soeuer he shal finde that not one or two onely of them but that al with one Consent haue clerely taught oftentimes writen and continually helde this without all doubte and stagger he ought to be leue Thus farre that holy father Vincentius Lyren It were much to be wished that this good and profitable booke were soundely and truly trāslated in to the vulgar tongue and so sett in printe to be read of all men For this holy father aboue twelue hundred yeares since hath so writen of this matter that he semeth thereby to cal to the Catholike vnite and prouoke to amendement off life not only the heretikes of his time but also euen these of our time To thentent that shaking off all sinne and heresie we might liue here in peace vnite and cōcorde and obtaine hereafter the euerlasting life praising with all the sainctes our Lorde and God for euer the which his dere son our Sauiour Iesus Christ by his tēder mercie and blessed merites graunte vs. AMEN FINIS A DISCOVRS VPON THE DOCTRINE OF THE PROTESTANTS TRIED BY THE THREE FIRST FOVNDERS and fathers thereof Martin Luther Philip Melanchthon and especially Iohn Caluin oute of whose workes are gathered sundry olde heresies absurdites and contradictions by
master to rule the sterne medling not with that he hath no skill of right so when preuy rebells or open apostatas of Christen religion sowe seditious schismes and preache hereticall doctrine troubling thereby the quiet and settled consciences of true and vpright beleuers euery Christen man especially such as are of the laye and inferiour sorte ought to cleaue vnto their heades and rulers in Christ his church medling not with the determination of any point called then in controuersy but looke to be directed as they haue allwaies ben by their catholike pastours and ouerseers to whom they are commaunded by the Apostle to obey and submitte them selues truly no lesse then the souldiar to his Capitain or the passanger to his master Therefore oure Sauiour biddeth the people to beware and Take hede of false prophets nor to beleue euery spirit but trie and discern whether they be of God or no. But this lo howe maye it be Howe shal the ignorant and laye man trie false doctrine from the true It hath ben put in to mens heads of late yeares that euery man for this purpose ought to reade holy scripture and thereby to trie and discern truthe from falshood It were perhaps to be wished if it had so pleased God that as holy scripture is the true triall thereof so it were open and euident to all men that seke the triall therein but what haue lerned men iudged in times past of holy scripture Many things saieth S. Augustin are darke in scriptures and it hath so ben prouided of God to the entent that our pridemight be tamed by trauail and our knowledg not cloyed with facilite which quickely contemneth that easely hath ben lerned In like maner S. Hierom. All prophecy or interpretation of scripture contayneth the truthe in darcknes and obscurite to the entent that the scholers and lerners within may vnderstande but the rude people set without may not knowe what is saied Orels we shall cast precious stones before hogges iff we open the treasure of holy scripture to euery man Epiphanius likewise The Scripture saieth he telleth all truthe but we haue nede of good intelligēce and perceiuerance to knowe God and his word There is in the ghospell saieth Origen the letter that killeth for the destroying letter is not only in the olde Testament but also in the newe Testament to him that vnderstandeth not spiritually that which is saied Tertullian speaketh yet more vehemently hereof I am not afeared saieth he to saie that the scriptures them selues haue ben so disposed by the will of God that they mought minister matter vnto heretikes seing that I reade that heresies must be which without scripture coulde not be This is the iudgement of the lerned fathers who haue trauailed more in holy scripture then any new preacher of oure time and yet can espie no greate facilite in it but rather do complaine of the maruailous difficulte thereof And doth not S. Peter write plainly that in the epistles of S. Paule Certain thinges were very harde to be vnderstanded which the vnlerned and inconstant depraued euen as other parts of scripture to their owne destruction Doth not S. Paule write that The ghospell is vailed and couered from those that perish Are we not commaunded to serch holy scripture doth not this serching importe a diligence and difficulty more then laye men can either attend vppon or attaine vnto The Eunuchus vnderstode not the prophet vntill the Apostle had expounded it vnto him And Christ after his Ascension opened the vnderstanding off his disciples that they might vnderstand the scriptures And thincke we oure selues able to vnderstand all that we reade This then being so howe shall the laye and vnlerned man perfourme the commaundement of the ghospell bidding him To beware of false prophetes and to discern the sprits whether they be of god or no Euery secte nowe a daies chalengeth the worde of god and the right vnderstanding thereof The Catholike likewise by prescription out of memory standeth in possession thereof and will not be brought from it for all the bragges the heretike maketh Howe then shall the vnlerned man hearing bothe tales conclude with him selfe which to folowe Were it not nowe good readers much to be wished that some clere and euident doctrine were taught by what meanes and howe the holy worde of God maye rightly be vnder standed and the false prophets preachers and protestants of oure time might be auoided Truly as the sauegarde of the soule passeth all worldly interest so euery Christen hart ought aboue all thinges tender the same and with all diligence possible procure spedy remedies for the pestiferous venim off heresy which crepeth on like a cancre and corrupteth the whole estat of our saluation Hauing therefore sene and perused a certain booke of Fridericus Staphylus writen first in the Allemain tongue and after translated in to Latin wherein he first teacheth the vnlerned laye man howe to beware of false and wrong interpretation of holy scripture which is no lesse necessary then the reading off scripture it selfe secondarely detecteth certain false translations of the Bible by Luther in to his mother tongue laste of all declareth the maruailous dissension and variaunces of the Lutherans in their doctrine and chiefest articles of our faith which is a most euident argument of the sprit of dissension the diuell him selfe speaking in thē and a clere proufe of hereticall doctrine for the truthe is but one I haue thought good to translate the whole in to our mother tongue trusting in almighty God to profit hereby many a Christen soule of my dere deceined countremen which as God is my witnes was my only respect in this smal labour The first part of this booke is a very necessary lesson for the vnlerned laye man For without the true and right interpretation of holy scripture such as the church teacheth he can haue no right faith and so hazardeth his soule and euerlasting life which he ought aboue all worldly respect tender and procure For as our Sauiour saieth What auaileth it a man to winne the whole worlde and lese his soule The second parte is a good admonition for al such as are not sene in the tongues to beware of newe translations of holy scripture falsely forged for a vauntage Our english bibles sette forth these last yeares lack not such foisting in of false termes In the epistles of S. Paule as ofte as the worde Idoll is founde in the greke and latin text so ofte they turne it Image as though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in greke idolum and imago in laten or idol and image in english were all one When God saieth in holy scripture Let vs make man according to our image will these men saie that God hath an idoll according to the which man was made and howe be they not ashamed to call couetousnes worshipping of images
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
to come backe frō whence we departed to returne to the vnite and cōsent of Christendom and all Catholike people For why be we Germans Christē men So are other nations and countres also Yf then we be not the whole corps off Christendom we are yet a parte of it But that parte is foule say the S. Austen whiche agreeth not with his whole What then surely this is the only medicine for our desease the only remedy for this mischef the only hope of amendment if that we being not the whole corps of Christendome but a parte of it suffer not our selues to be persuaded that any one parte of the body can be saued when the whole perisheth The nature and property of a generall councel is to cure euery parte of Christendom neglecting none Such a councell nowe therefore being called and prouulgated we are al called no man is excluded Truly no mans greafe or desease can be so greate but that the Coūcel is able to remedy it Nor none is of such vertu and perfection but that by the councel he may be more commēded Will we therefore auoide in time ths paganisme of these Epicures let vs all embrace the wholesom rule of Christen faithe submitting our selues to the holy Councell Will we caste of the yoke of Mahomet Will we flie the idolatry of the Alcoran Let vs seeke vnite let vs come vnto the Councell and all force of armes laied aside let vs quietly and with leasure debate our cause let vs in al softnes and loue deliberat and cōsult of the publike weale of vs al. For Charite as S. Paul teacheth is patiēt is gētle Charite striueth not it doth not frowardly it is not prowde not ambitious it seketh not her owne interest it is not prouoked it thinketh no euil it reioyseth not of iniquite but is delyted in verite it suffreth al thinges it beleueth al things it hopeth al things it abideth al things Let this lawe of the Apostle and rule of Christian Charite be the foundation of the proclaimed councell the maner of ordering it and the intent of debating in it But you will saye VVe are greuously offended with them Truly that is greate pitie But Charitie is patient suffreth all thinges is not prouoked Our aduersaires be vnlerned Charite striueth not is not proude not ambitious Our aduersaries be riche and kepe that is not their owne yea they haue that is oures Charite seketh not her owne interest it doth not frowardly It semeth the councel wil deceaue vs and not kepe promis with vs Charite thinketh no harme but beleueth al things hopeth all thinges But what if peraduenture we be there cast and condemned Charite reioyseth not of iniquite but is delited in verite Truly I am fully persuaded that if we woulde all with this minde and intent come to the Councell we shoude seking all for the truthe quickely see an ende of controuersies and seeking all vnite returne home in perfit agreement But you require to knowe the iudge and order of this councell In good time for the protestants woulde one of their flocke to be iudge and likewise the Catholikes of theirs againe they desire one order and these an other For priuat affections are on bothe sides feared lest the true iudgement be thereby corrupted Howe shall we then do to haue a Iudge voide of all suspicion that may vprightly iudge Let the worde of God and the Catholike and right interpretation of that worde be iudge in the whiche interpretation there is surely no lesse truthe then in the very texte of the worde of God For what can be more impudent and vnreasonable then to embrace the text only and reiecte the right and Catholike vnderstanding of the same to admit that is spoken and refuse that is mēt to vrge the letter that of it selfe killeth and flye the spiritual meaning which geueth life Herein therefore the greatest point of our debate cōsisteth whē the Catholike shal interpret holy scripture otherwise then the protestant or the protestāt otherwise then the Catholike to knowe which of these two bringeth forthe the more Catholike more right and more receaued interpretation And in this debate the ende must nedes be that they be iudged to haue brought the righter the more Catholike and the more receaued interpretation which are able euidently to showe their interpretation alleaged to be Catholike and Apostolicall that is to haue proceded from the Apostles to haue ben receaued of their successours deliuered from hande to hande by continuall succession and spred through the whole corps of Christēdom and so to haue come and reached euen to vs. They agayne must nedes be thought to haue alleaged the false and bastard interpretation of holy scripture which are not able to deduct it from the Apostles nor to proue it vniuersall As for example Let vs suppose that now in the councell with these newe Arrians of our dayes this question were to be debated Whether Christ be in dede the Son of God and of aequall substaunce with the father or no. where as the Arrians denie this the Catholikes do affirme it and the Arrians for their parte alleage that place of scripture where it is writē Pater maior me est The father is greater then I am againe the Catholikes alleage an other place Ego pater vnum sumus I and the father be alone and eche of them interpreting their place alleaged but bothe of them diuersly what can now help the very writen worde of God and bare text of the scripture to terminat this debate the writen worde is on bothe partes expresse and of bothe admitted Wherein then standeth the controuersie truly not in the text but in the right vnderstanding of the text Not in that which is spokē but in that which is ment Is not this I praie you agreable to the worde of God standeth it not with all reason that the same interpretation and vnderstanding of an alleaged text be iudged right and lawful which can euidētly be proued to haue ben deriued from the Apostles and so receaued and vsed in the whole corps of Christēdom I verely can imagin no better And with this my iudgmēt agreeth wel that Noble and wise Emperour Theodosius the first who in this very question of vs propounded chose for iudge in that controuersie the Catholike and receaued interpretatiō of holy scripture For thus we reade in the ecclesiastical historie of Socrates of one Sisinnius who gaue the Emperour this councell to aswage the greate contentions that were then in the church through that heresie of Arrius This Sisinius was as Socrates writeth an eloquent mā a man of much experience very well sene in the olde writers expounding holy scripture and a good philosopher This man therefore perceauing that by disputations and conferences with heretikes the schisme grewe on more and wexed more cōtentious he aduised Nectarius then Patriarche of Constantinople in this maner The olde writers saieth
difference then is there betwene the right Catholike and the deceaued heretike Truly herein heretikes agree with the Catholikes that bothe embrace alleage and defend holy scripture as the very worde of God hut herein differ all heretikes from the Catholikes that these bring the Catholike and vniuersall interpretation of holy scripture they bring their owne priuat and heretikall These are able to proue their doctrine by miracles they are neuer able Last of all that these are able to showe the matter of the newe Testament by the figures of the olde lawe as in the sacrifice in the sâ—craments and ceremonies they can not These two different waies being by iust balances indifferently pondered and tried it will soone appeare whiche ouerwaieth the other And in dede if they bereue vs of the common and receaued iudgement of the whole churche wherewith all thinges in the church are iudged why may they not in like maner take away all the rest For as if ye plucked out a mans eyes and yet wolde saie that ye bereued him not of that which might be sene euen so it is if heretikes graunt vs the text of the bible and yet take from vs the true vnderstanding thereof If it forceth not whether we vnderstand holy Scripture rightly or no howe shall we then discerne fashood from the truthe Whereby shall we trie the truthe or what iudgement shall the churche haue of the truthe And who woulde folowe such teachers of religion whiche confoundeth truthe and falshood together which spoileth vs of all iudgement of the truthe which leaueth vs no meanes to trie the truthe which blindeth and blereth our eyes of all intelligence Yet in better case were the Cimmerij who although they had loste the light of the Son yet might vse the fire But these men that take awaye from vs the consent of Christendom and the iudgement of the churche which mocke and scorne at the miracles of God which refuse the doctrine and figures of Moyses do leaue vs in such horrible darcknes that we haue not so much as one sparckle of light remaininâ— Euen in the time of the Apostles heresies sprange vp as of Simon Magus of Hermogenes of Philetus and such like But by what marke trowe ye was the doctrine of these heretikes knowen from the doctrine of the Apostles but that the Apostles and all that folowed them were Of one harte one minde and one belefe And this only touchestone left Christ to knowe the church by that whereas two or thre be gathered together in his name and agree in any matter there he is to be founde in the middest of them This consent then and agreement in any matter as in the Apostolicall doctrine and right vnderstanding of holy Scripture being vniforme and all one in all howe can it not be the sure and certain iudgement of the Apostolicall doctrine and of the churche Beside as in Christ him felse so in his Apostles it happened that such as beleued not their wordes through infirmitie were yet forced to beleue their miraculous workes they being an euident proufe from God of their doctrine Farder such ordre of the church as the Apostles began to frame and left to their successours to be perfited and thoroughly poolished they thought it to be shadowed in the figures of Moyses lawe and expressed in the light of the newe lawe But what like to these marks of the true church did Simon Magus Hermogenes and Philetus bring euen so much as nowe of late Luther Melanchthon and Caluin For these newe doctours be not of one harte one minde nor one beleefe and much lesse such disciples as folowed these false preachers For these dissent in euery point agree in no point and therefore Christ the author and God of vnite is not among them but the diuell the master of all dissension Caluin very childishely and vainely going about to excuse him selfe saieth that the LutheraÌ„s are no more to be blamed for that so diuers and so horrible heresies springe vp nowe a daies in euery place then the Apostles were in their time vnder whom many haeresies also sprange vp This maketh nothing for your excuse Caluin You denie flat Master Caluin and so do al your companyons of Zurich that Luther was any prophet at all or in any point like to the Apostles But you saie the diuell spake in his mouthe not the holy goste The which testimonie of your church of Zurich the truer it is the more ye proue the very same diuell to speake in your selues For the very same Luther in diuers pointes of your doctrine you folowe whom you write and affirme to speake by the instinct of the diuell And what newe secte is nowe in any place of Christendom which hath not drawen the first acte of his tragedie out of Luthers schole wheÌ„ce toke Munzer the beginning of that greate rebellion of the commons in Germanie but of Luther For He forbad men openly to obey their princes and condemned al warre againe the Turkes whom he writeth to be tenfolde better then our foolish and madde princes So he termeth them Whence digged out the Anabaptistes that carreÌ„ of the olde heresie of the Donatistes Out of a certaine epistle of Luther ad WaldeÌ„ses in the which he writeth That it were better not to baptise children at all then to baptise them without faith Whence toke Carolostadius occasion to renew the heresie of Berengarius Out of his commentary on S. Ihon and the translation of these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The fleshe profiteth nothing I reaken here vp the notable and principal sectes only of our time I coulde saye as much of the baser sorte if it were nedefull whiche are so diuers and so many that we see almost as many sectes as families amonge the Lutherans For these therefore and other waighty considerations which all to recounte were now out of time If I mought be credited or beare any authorite amonge princes in this matter most Reuerend prelate I would geue theÌ„ that aduise that Sisinius made vnto the Emperour Theodosius That is They should charge and commaund their preachers and ministers to accept and acknowledg for right that sense and vnderstaÌ„ding of holy scripture which is Catholike and may be deriued from the Apostles and approued by the testimonie of miracles and that to be false which is priuat of their owne forging and whereof they be not able to showe any furder euidence And truly vnlesse this aduise other by my suggestion or by some other maÌ„s be not put in to the head of princes and persuaded them we shall neuer liue in quiet the churche will be ouerrunne and we of Germany shal other become slaues to the Turkes as the grekes are or to the Moscouites as the Liflandmen are or whiche will be more miserable we shall be vtterly in perpetuall thraldome as the Iewes the Hungarians and many other countres are now But I will leaue as I
continuall succession of time vncorrupted whole and perfite whiche maketh me more to maruaill what wicked and malitious sprit moued these protestants to terme them selues only ghospellers and professours of Gods worde calling the Catholikes papistes and enemies of the worde of God seing that bothe nowe and in all ages we reade the ghospell in our churches we preache the worde of God in our pulpits and interpret it to the people we expresse it by outward ceremonies rites and gestures such as we haue receaued of our forefathers euen from the primitiue church and the Apostles time And this Luther knewe him selfe well inough But why dissembled he it then forsothe to deceaue and entrappe the easier the simple people in to his preteÌ„ded religion For Luther and all his ministers knowe very wel that in the ghospel and worde of God two thinges are to be considered First that the text be sownd and not corrupted then that the same text be expounded Catholikely and not heretically For as S. Bernard saieth looke with what sprit the scriptures were writen with the same must they be read and vnderstanded Seing then the text by the instinct of the holy ghost hath ben geuen vs true and perfit the vnderstanding also and interpretation thereof coming of the holy ghost must be true and perfit so that one shall be as true and of as much force as the other It is not inough therefore to reade holy scripture perfitly but to vnderstande it well also For as S. Hierom sayeth The scriptures consist not in reading but in vnderstanding All this Luther was not ignorant of But to depraue and corrupt the right interpretation of holy scripture and to bring in place his owne hereticall and forged expositions he maketh no mencion off the text but crieth still the worde of God calling the dreames of his braine pure and holy scripture For if ye aske of the Lutherans when they preache that God coÌ„straineth men to do euill that God was the cause of Iudas his reprobation and obstinat desperation that good workes are hurtefull to saluation and such like matters what maner of doctrine that is they will incontinently awnswer you that This is the pure ghospell the sincere worde of God and holy scripture it selfe But then if ye go farder and desire them to showe yow these very wordes and propositions in holy scripture there they hush Yet will they tell you that the wordes in dede them selues be not in the Bible but the meaning of them is there To the which if ye replie agayn and vrge them farder it will soone appere that the controuersie betwene the protestants and vs is not of holy scripture it self but of the true vnderstanding of the same And so S. Hilary hauing to do with heretikes in his time pronounced Heresie sayth he is in the vnderstaÌ„ding not in the scripture And truly all heretikes neuer cried other thing theÌ„ the holy scripture the worde of God and we that are Catholikes also haue holy scripture allwaies in our mouth Nowe then a man may maruaill and aske howe cometh it to passe that the Lutherans and the Catholikes the protestants and the papistes striue and contend so one with an other where as yet bothe haue the ghospell bothe loue and embrace it bothe cleaue vnto it and bothe are ready to spende their good and their life for it Here I beseche the Christian reader marke and perceaue well that this is not the coÌ„trouersie whether the Catholikes or the Lutherans haue the worde of God but which of them doth truly rightely and sincerely expounde that worde off God For this is the Lutherans common saying The papistes vnderstand not the Bible but we haue founde the right interpretation thereof and the kaye of all truthe And to set a good coulour vppon this holy protestation they saye farder That all bisshops prelats priestes and Monkes be all without lerning all incoÌ„tinent all of euill life geauen to couetousnes to pleasure and to the bely But they theÌ„ selues that is the Lutherans be learned chaste sobre liberall deuowte and of perfit life and such as haue done great miracles and yet do Neither are these impudeÌ„t heretikes ashamed of these lowde lies although all the worlde well knoweth it is nothing so while they see Churches hospitalls religious houses of all sorte colledges and bishoprickes of these men partly cleane ouerthrowen partly rifled all taken into their handes and conuerted into palaces armories barnes cole houses shops of Marchaundrise yea and in some places in to stables These lo be the miracles of this new ghospell abundantly practised all this fourty yeares As for other miracles not one of these new ghospellers was euer able so much as to cure a lame colte or a halting biche so farre is it that these meÌ„ could euer cast out deuils heale the lame cure the blinde restore the deafe or raise vp the dead all which miracles many holy fathers of the olde ghospell as I may so speake which these men call Papistes haue wrought from time to time in Christ his churche as right approued histories do manifestly declare Now as for the good and perfit life of these men and excellent lerning all the worlde seeth it An olde sorte of heretikes called Donatistes obiected in times past to S. Augustin the very same argumeÌ„t saying that their church only was vpright holy pure and lerned But the Catholike churche was nothing so And therefore the doctrine of the Donatistes was vndoubtedly souÌ„de and perfit but that of the Catholikes false and vntrue But what awnswered theÌ„ here S. Augustin The argument saieth he that proueth mens doctrine by their life is false But let vs suppose that these holy protestants passed al the vniuersall Catholike church of Christ sens the time of the Apostles bothe in godlines of life and excellency of lerning Which I thinke in good sothe they wil not al together affirme But if it were so it wil not yet thereuppon ensue that only the Lutherans vnderstande holy scripture and the Catholikes neuer vnderstoode it For if the right intelligence of holy Scripture be only to be sought amonge such as will stoutely affirme of them selues to passe all the rest of men in vprightnes of life and excellency of lerning then in very dede must we nedes leaue this great treasure of the right meaning of holy scripture vnto heretikes For in all ages heretikes allwaies craked of their great lerning and perfit life as the ecclesiasticall histories well declare of the Arrians the Manâ—ches the Pelagians and such like And what other thinge dothe Luther in many of his workes especially in his booke against the pope Then call the olde Catholike writers and holy fathers fooles asses rude and vnlerned babes of the pope hermaphrodites and such like Neither contemneth he only the Catholikes but euen his owne coÌ„panions and felow heretikes also as Zuinglius
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
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
and his soule And this is lo the well spring of sondry heresies nowe a daies Wherein me thinketh it fareth as if the common craftes men of a cite vpon a stomach of priuat presumption would sodenly displace all phisicians and remoue poticaries from their shops persuading themselues to knowe as wel as they the vertu of their medicines balmes drogges waters ointmēts rootes herbes and other such ware and hereuppon would take vpon them to minister bothe to them selues and vnto other potions purgations and all kinde of medicine Were not these men thinke you likely to do much good in shorte time especially if other would be so madde as to beleue them would not experience quickely teache them to call home againe their olde Masters Phisicians and poticaries and set these men to their craftes againe Surely so it is of the holy scripture translated in to the vulgar tongue and so made common for all men For the laye man may so reade them and picke out metsons mete for his appetit but for lacke of skill as experience hath tried he will cast him selfe downe being whole before and so as they saie shall paie for touching For in very dede the vnlerned man is not acquainted with the phrase of scripture he knoweth not the language of the holy ghoste and although he heare the sounde yet he seeth nothing nor vnderstādeth not to what ende or purpose this or that be spokē For it fareth in scripture as in medicines which although they are ordained of God for the helthe of mans body and are the giftes of God yet if they be not vsed in time and place as the desease requireth and as the lerned physician appointeth they may be mischef in stede of a remedy and serue to kill man being made to heale man By this similitude the vnlerned maie gather howe dangerous it is for him to reade the scripture in his mother tongue especially with the entēt to interpret it as he shal thinke best him selfe Nowe whereas I haue in dede founde faute with the translation of Luther and haue withdrawen men frō reading of it I haue don it vpon good reason and waightie considerations For it is euident that Luther in his translatiō hath bothe corrupted the text omitting and altering the very wordes and also hath depraued the sence of the text by false and hereticall gloses partly added in the margin partly foisted in the text it selfe So by clipping awaie the termes of the text and patching on the suttle shiftes of his owne braine he hath gaily coloured his pernicious doctrine with the painted shethe of pretended scripture I wil here bringe you for a taste some fewe examples of his liegerdemain geuing you to vnderstāde what conscience he is likely to haue in other doctrine that feareth not to iugle to cogge and to foist in holy scripture it selfe S. Paule writeth thus vnto the Ephesians according to the Latin translation Which also worde for worde agreeth with the graeke text Wherefore take vnto you the whole armour of God that ye maye be able to resist in the euill daie and stande perfite in all thinges These wordes of S. Paule the honourable and lerned man George Gienger one of the preuie counsell vnto the Emperoures Maiestie translated after this sorte Darum ergreift den harnisch Gottes auf daffir andem boesen tag widersteē kundt vnd in al len dingē als die volkommen vesteen mijghr that is Therefore take on the barnis of God to the entent that in the euill daie you maie resist and in all thinges stande as the perfite But Luther clipping the text translated it thus Omb des wegen so ergreifft den hamisch Gottes auff daf ir widersteen kundt an dem bosen tag vnd in allen ewren thun besteen mijgt which soundeth thus Therefore so take on the barnis of God to the entent that you may resiste in the euill daie and stande in all workes In the which sentence Luther omitteth the worde perfecti in laten als die volkommen in dutche perfyte in englishe which deprauation of the text in this place and cutting awaie the worde perfyte serued his turne very well to raise vp againe the stinking heresie of the Maniches For he writeth that Sinne is parte of man and a thing giltie it selfe which cleaueth also so fast vnto man that it can in this life be taken a waie by no vertu of the grace of God or of the Sacraments and therefore that man remaineth allwaies in sinne nor is not able to attaine to any point of righteousnes in this life And herein Luther as the maner and custome of heretikes is fighteth against scripture with scripture it selfe For S. Paule saieth Not bicause I am alreadye perfyte but I folowe iff that I may comprehend and a litle after Let vs therefore as many as be perfyte be thus wise minded Here he maketh mencion of two sortes of perfectiō One which cōsisteth in hope and is looked for in the life to come of the wich the Apostle in an other place speaketh By hope we are saued an other which Christ speaketh of saying Be ye perfyte as your father of heauē is perfyte and again Be merciful as your father of heauē is merciful which perfectiō is as for exāple that oure glory be the witnes of our owne conscience which we are boūde to haue in this life and therefore ought to labour as S. Paule before exhorted vs that taking vpon vs the armour of God we may stāde perfyte in all thinges Now Luther admitteth no perfectiō in this life but teacheth that man is so farre from being perfyte in this life that God doth compell him to sinne S. Paule vseth often times the worde perfection but so that he confoundeth not the perfectiō of the life to come with the present which in this life as procliue and subiect to sinne maye and ought be kept of vs as farre as our infirmitie beareth Yet this perfection as litle as it is Luther to the entent he might vtterly take awaie he sticketh not as you see to clippe the coyne of Gods worde and bereue the text of the worde perfite lest any man perhaps woulde labour to be honest and vertuous The like slight vsed he in an other place of the Apostle for the like purpose and intent For whereas the Latin and Greke text bothe do reade By the lawe we haue knowleadge of sinne Luther corrupteth it translating after this sorte Durchs Gesetz ist nur erkantuus dee Sijnden that is By the lawe is nothing but knowledg of sinne For as before he clipped awaie the worde perfyte so here he foisteth in the worde Nur nothinge but to buylde againe the former heresie vpon this text But although Luther as by his writinges it is manifest and as the Illyricans and Antinomi his scholers do yet teache professed at the first that the lawe nor before nor after
with all this will seme to remaine in Luthers doctrine Is not this to denie God and his holy worde Is not this to begyle and mocke the Emperour Is not this to faine the papisticall religion and counter faite the Lutheran This is if any thing be to halte on bothe sides to serue God and Baal to please God and men Fiftely we condemne this proposition good workes are necessary to saluation Beside these fiue some there are as D. Pfeffinger bishop of Lipsia and his felowes that teache man to be able and sufficient to dispose him selfe to grace and make him selfe meete to receaue the holy ghost by the naturall power of his owne fre will as the same Sophistes Thomas and Scote taught For this Pfeffinger in a disputation made about two yeares past of free will rashely and boldely concludeth with these wordes A man maye by his owne naturall power assent to the ghospell apprehend the promis of Christe not withstande the holy ghoste c. Thus farre Amsdorfius Here we see this Lutheran Master condemneth six diuers sectes and schismes which all except only the Swenckfeldians do yet depend of the Confession of Augspurg and defende and embrace euen to this daie their doctrine For though some peraduenture doe wene that the Swinglians be excluded froÌ„ the Confession of Augspurg yet I finde the coÌ„trary in IhoÌ„ of lasky writing to the King of Pole and in Ihon Caluin in the which places bothe of them affirme directly that the Confession of Augspurg teacheth the very same touching the SacrameÌ„t of the aultar that Zwinglius and the Sacramentaries do Seing then these foresaide sectes so bitterly varie one with an other in the chefe pointes of our religion that eche pronounceth the other heretike truly right it is they be taken for such as they pronouÌ„ce them selues to be In the meane yese by this proces of Amsdorffius howe well and truly M. Doctour Smidelin affimeth and maketh him selfe sure that amonge the Lutherans is no dissension touching the articles of the CoÌ„fession of Augspurg Yet to make this matter more clere I wil adde hereuÌ„to some other testimonies of their owne felowe ministers if peradueÌ„ture their owne coÌ„scieÌ„ce may touch them to acknowledg the truthe Nicolaus gallus in Thesibus Hipotiposibus in the laste leafe writeth thus The altercations and contentions betwene vs Luthâ—ran preachers are not light nor of light matters but of the principall articles of Christian religion of the lawe and the ghospel of iustificatioÌ„ and good workes of the Sacraments and vse of Ceremonies so greate that they seme impossible to be brought at one For some are plaine contradictions that caÌ„ not be reconciled as That the lawe must be preached in Christ his church and must not be preached That our righteousnes is the very substance of God in vs or his operatioÌ„ actioÌ„ and omissioÌ„ within vs or the imputing of his obedience without vs. That the Bloud of Christ doth iustifie no maÌ„ and that which the Apostle saieth we are iustified in his bloud That no man hath ben saued without good workes that good workes are necessary to saluation And coÌ„trairely that good workes are not necessary to saluation or as the psalme saythe happy are they whose sinnes are forgeuen happy is the man to whom God hath not imputed sinne whiche seketh not after good workes nor can haue none to be saued by That Christ is in the Supper and is receaued there corporally vnder bread and wine bothe of the beleuers and of those whiche beleue not and againe that he is there only spiritually and is receaued only of them whiche beleue Thus farre Nicolaus Gallus who although he rehearse with no lesse stomach the contrary and repugnant heresies of the Lutherans his felowes then Amsdorffius doth yet beside he confesseth there are many more a coining and readye to come to light And no doubt but it is so for not longe sens the princes of Saxony and Countes of Mansfeld eche off them hathe sett forthe seuerally greate volumes touching this matter where they reaken vp vnleuen sundry sectes lately sprong vp condemning them all for heresies to witt The Anabaptistes The Seruetians The Antinomi The Iesuites The Osiandrins The Melanchthonistes The Maioristes The Adiaphoristes or Indifferents The Swenckfeldians The Sacramentaries Nowe where Smidelin denieth that amonge the ghospellers is no heresie no dissension in religion no variaunce in the Confession of Augspurg I woulde he tolde vs what is it that those Superintendents Amsdorfius and Nicolaus Gallus condemne in their former sentences What meaned the princes of Saxony and the Countes of Mansfeld Do not all these fore named sectes acknowledge the Confession of Augspurg and belonge thereunto The Anabaptistes in dede do not and much lesse the Iesuites But all the rest walke vnder the winge of the newe ghospel and vpholde them selues vnder the pretence of the ConfessioÌ„ of Augspurg For Lasky in Pole and Caluin in Sauoye labour continually to persuade men thrt their sacramentary doctrine is expresse in the Confession off Augspurg Here I would demaunde of Master Smidelin whether the articles coÌ„demned here and recited of the princes of Saxony the Countes of Mansfeld of Amsdorfius and Gallus and defended of those ten sectes aboue mencioned do properly appertaine to the Confession of Augspurg or no. Surely I see not what awnswer this doctour of Gopping is able to make vs for if he saie these articles touche not the doctrine of tbe Confession of Augspurg then would I desire him to take the paines for his estimation sake only to affirme the same in one printed leafe of paper against those Superintendents Amsdorffius and Gallus and against the princes and Countes aforesaide Whiche if he dare not for his life to do then must he nedes be an impudent felowe and past all shame and honesty to affirme openly that the Lutherans do all agree in the grounde and chiefe pointes of their Confession off Augspurg Here I holde this wily foxe and be he neuer so ssipper yet shall he not escape here my fingers And therefore yet we will laye hande on him more surely In the booke of the Countes of Mansfeld against the vnleuen sectes the Ministers saie in this wise The reader nede not to maruaile that Osiander to auouche his matter alleageth plenty of scripture but rather ought diligeÌ„tly to marke howe wickedly he wretheth and corrupteth the right meaning and vnderstanding of holy Scripture Thus much saie they But what nowe saith Master Smidelin hereunto In the booke he made this yeare against the longe table where he goeth about to reconcile together the Masters of Wittenberg and Osiander thus he writeth Then bothe partes proue their opinions by holy Scripture and truly with the very same sentences but not the very same interpretations allthough yet not contrary Let vs harken I praie yow howe swetely these bells agree The Ministres off MaÌ„sfeld saie that
Osiander wickedly wretheth and corrupteth holy scripture this man saith that the interpretations of them bothe are not contrary Againe in the same booke of the Countes of Mansfeld thus we reade Neither is this errour of Osiander sightely to be passed ouer by the which he bindeth the benefits of Christ to certain circunstaunces to bring men thereby to desperation while the minde of man hangeth in doubt whether he be fit to receaue the benefits of Christ or no. But cleane contrarely writeth Smidelin in the booke aboue named If that Osiander saithe he or his aduersaries bicause of this contention inschole pointes only are to be counted heretikes what shall we saie I praie you of the olde fathers But howe swetely agree the semen The Ministers of Mansfeld saie that the doctrine of Osiander hath such a notable errour annexed vnto it that it forceth men to desperation Smidelin saieth it is but a light contention in schole pointes But this felowe perceauing that such manifeste and diuers heresies can in dede by no meanes be reconciled together he bringeth in the olde fathers for example as thoughe they had vsed to confute heretikes by false interpretation of holy scripture which caÌ„ neuer be proued of them Yea it is impossible that heresies may be ouerthrowen by false doctrine For as Aristotle teacheth it is impossible that of a false grounde any truthe may be coÌ„cluded Farder in this booke of Mansfeld the Ministres saie VVe ought to suspect the doctrine of Osiander bicause it is new and not heard of before in the church and we finde nothing in holy scripture that is anything like to the doctrine of Osiander Let vs nowe here what saithe Master Smidelin in his booke alleaged A childe of seuen yeares olde which had lerned but his cathechisme maye euidently perceaue that bothe these doctrines of Osiander and of the VVitenbergers disagree neuer a whit If there were in oure Germain tongue any one worde that might thouroughely expresse an impudent and shameles felowe surely it would nowe serue well the turne to tricke this doctour in his termes So impudently and so past al shame in the face of al the worlde he lieth so lowdely and boasteth so bestly that amonge them all is no difference in doctrine no variaunce in opinions but all smothe all quiet all vniforme and agreable yea and that so euidently so swetely so like pigeons they agree and coll together that a very childe of seuen yeare olde woulde be the better to see it But seing this good man slepeth so soundely in the swete concent and vniforme harmonie of his brethern that it semeth he hathe forgot all the worlde and remembreth not the prety pageants they haue plaied of late and what notes of discorde hathe fallen amoge I wil be so bolde as a litle to wake him and call him to remembraunce of the fourten Lutheran churches which all of late wrote and set forthe in print their writinges against the Confession of Andreas Osiander amonge the which the chefe are The Ministers or diuines of Wittenberge the Ministres of the younger Lordes of Vinaria the Ministres of Magdenburg The ministers of Franckford on this side of Viader The ministers of Ihon of Costrin the Marquis of the dukes of Pomerain and of the cites on the seacost of Saxony as of Lubek of Hamburg of Breme of Luneburg and diuers other Vnto all the which churches and Ministres Osiander in his booke entituled Schmeckbier awnswered paieng them home with such coine as they laide out so that nowe they are bothe on fire one against an other cursing and charging eche other with hainous and abhominable heresies He that listeth not to beleue me let him proue and trie the truthe in their bookes that are abiode in all mens handes let him serche the printers shops of Germany and he shall finde bitter contentions and greuous controuersies betwene the Lutherans and the Osiandrins Yet Smidelin winketh and noddeth still and will not see all this But if he be an vpright and plaine dealing man let him come forthe and proue in open writing that any thinge here saide in false or fained Well Smidelin goeth forthe after his fashion and laboureth against al reason to make the worlde wene That amonge the Lutherans and the Zwinglians there is no variaunce of any waight or force touching any articles of our faith of Christian religioÌ„ But against this saieng of Smidelin Luther him self directly pronounceth codemning the Swinglians in these wordes I must nedes eschew and auoide them as men condemned by their owne iudgemeÌ„t nether may I ioyne with them in any meanes nor by letters nor by writinges nor by worde nor by dede as the Lorde hathe commaunded whether he be Swenckfeldius Zwinglius or what soeuer he be called For I accompte them all a lyke as in dede they are whosoeuer beleue not that in the Supper of the Lorde the bread is his true and naturall body which as well Iudas and the wicked man doth receaue as S. Peter and all the Saintes VVhosoeuer will not beleue this let him not medle with me or in writing or in talke nor let him not looke for any communion with me For he shall but lese his labour And a litle after It shall nothing helpe the Swermers or Sacramentaries that they trifle aboute the Sacrament of the spirituall eating and drinking of the body and bloud of Christ and of the charite and vnite of Christians c. It is in vaine that they beleue in the father the Son and the holy ghoste and in Christ our Sauyour All this I saye nothing auaileth them howe truly and sincerely so euer they pronounce this faith with their false and blasphemous tongue as longe as they denie this one article or reproue it as false where Christ saith of the Sacrament Take breade and eate This is my body For this is the maner of all heretikes first to beginne but with one article and then after to denie all the rest euen as a ringe if it be ones broken or cleft it is vnprofitable and vnfite and as a bell if he be crackt or crased in any part he leseth his so wnde and is worth nought Thus farre Luther Let vs nowe on the other side here the awnswer of the Swinglians of Zuriâ—h In the third treatise of their booke made against the last Confession of Luther thus they write Luther craketh him selfe to be the prophet and Apostle of the Germans which neuer lerned of any man but all other of him that no man did any thing but Luther hath done all and whatsoeuer he hath not done hath remained vndone VVhatsoeuer he hath saide it must stand and no man so hardy to gainsaie it Iff men speake not iust as Luther doth then they are cursed and persecuted as heretikes And a litle before Luther hath forsaken god and all his honour calling vs a condemned and cursed
protestants are hotte and seditious and after a sorte kepe vnite and peace with all other sectes as in times paste the heretikes Meletiani amonge the Arrians and Rhetorij Biblijstae Scripturians whiche affirme that nothing is to be admitted read or sette forthe to the people in the church or to the youthe in scholes but onely the bare text and holy scripture of the Bible â–ª and that there nedeth no interpretation for that we be all instructed froÌ„ God So writeth MelanchthoÌ„ to Georgius Spalatinus in his preface vppon the Canons off the Apostles Againe that no parte off Philosophie is to be lerned bicause S. Paule forbiddeth vs to folowe vaine philosophie And againe bicause it is writen of Moyses that men ought to eate their bread in the sweate of their browe Therefore while Luther remained in his Pathmus Carolostadius and Melanchthon persuaded the scholers of Wittenberg that burning their humanite bookes euery man should gette him to some haÌ„dry crafte worke Many did as they were counselled Carolostadius in a certain Village by in the grounde of VVittenberg being before Archedeacon of the cyte became a labouring husband man and Melanchthon getting him to a bakehouse lerned to bake This decree of so great diuines was dispersed abrode in to many cytes of Germany And to omitte the rest it is wel knoweÌ„ that in Silesia at Breslau and Suidnicia graÌ„mer scholes were for the espace of two yeares shet vp and abolished al which time the scholers of the Master ghospellers did reade nothing but the very text of scripture There be at this daye liuing which can well testifie all this The same allso appeareth well in two bookes of Luther set forthe in the yeare 1522. writen to the Magistrates and cytes off Germany for the setting vpp agayne off scholes Adiaphoristae Indifferents which teache that the lawefull constitutions of the churche and of Councels also the cerimonies are thinges indifferent which to obserue or to breake is no sinne So teache the Masters or diuines of Wittenberge and of Lipsia in their Interim made at Lipsia Trisacramentales which admitt onely thre Sacraments Baptim the Supper of our Lorde and Absolution or penaunce such is the practise in the Ordynaunce of Lipsia Quadrisacramentales which alowe foure sacrameÌ„ts Baptim the Supper of our Lorde Penaunce and holy Order so is it obserued in the Ordinaunce of WitteÌ„berg out of Melanchthons common places Lutherocaluiniani which counterfaite that the Lutherans and the Zwinglians accorde smothely in the matter of the Sacrament and would make men wene that the contention is in wordes not in the thinge See Iames Smidelins booke of the Supper of the Lorde See also Nicolaus Amsdorffius in his CoÌ„feâ—sion who vehemently reprehendeth this guile and deceite of Smidelin Semiosiandrini which against Osiander taking the parte of the Antosiandrini teache that man in this life is accompted iuste and righteous by imputation onely â–ª and againe taking Osianders part against the Antosiandrins teache that in the life to come man must in dede be iustified with that very iustice where with God him selfe is essentially iuste of this opinion are the diuines and Masters of Tubing Reade the duke of Prussia his booke set forthe vpon this controuersie of Osiander and the epistle of Brentius writen vnto his prince of the very same controuersie and printed at Wittenberg in the yeare .1552 Maioristae which denie that any man yea infants them selues can be iustified or euer haue ben saued without good workes going before Georgius Maior in many writinges against Illyricus Poenitentiarij which haue corrupted the doctrine of penaunce with seuen grosse errours Illyricus accuseth hereof the diuines of Wittenberg and of Lipsia in a writing set forthe against the corruption of the ghospell printed in Iene in the yeare .1559 and thus intituled Beriche M. F. Illyrici von ethliken artikelen Nouipelagiani newe pelagians which write that a man may dispose him selfe by his owne naturall power to receiue the grace of God so Illyricus accuseth Melanchthon in the writing aboue named and Amsdorfius in his Confession Syncretisantes politik Lutherans whiche persuade and counsell al other sectes that they pretend at leaste vnite amonge them selues seing they can not come to any true agremeÌ„t that like the people of Creta they may with more yoined force sett vpon their common aduersaries the papistes and ouercome theÌ„ the sooner This writeth Melanchthon in his booke against Staphylus The third secte of the confessionistes wherein are the disorderly and vnruly Lutherans althoughe they manifestly oppugne and resist the doctrine of the Confession of Augspurg yet vnder pretext of the same Confession the mayne flocke of these shepe of Melanchthon beare them selues for Lutherans Swenck feldians haue hetherto ben all moste all of one opinion but nowe they begin to scatter and swarue amonge them selues For of the selfe same points in doctrine those of Breslau haue one opinion approuing one point and reprouing an other in Swenckfeldius those of Suidnicia haue an other finding faute with those Swenck feldians whiche call baptim ein Sewbad that is a bathe for swine and those of Glogouia haue yet an other measuring by their proper sprit the writings of Swenckfeldius But the peculiar and speciall doctrines of that man are these That the manhood of Christ is the begetting of the holy ghoste not the creature of God as other men are but a middle thinge betwene God the Creator and man the creature but yet in suche wise that the same manhood of Christ after his ascension in to heauen was made very God This testifieth manifestly his legat at Augspurg and his bookes offred off late to a certain frend off his there Againe that euery man is endued with the same righteousnes the same wisedome the same charite and all the same vertus with the which God is essentially endued of like worthines and in like maner and by this very diuine nature is God Beside that the same vertu or operation which is in the worde of God preached is the very son of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the worde as scripture termeth it Thus he writeth in his booke de duplici statu Christi de vero euangelij vsu and in many other writings whiche he presented to a certayn frende Truly this man wrote many thinges not amisse but these and many other very euill a man not so malitious as vnlerned in true diuinite Osiandrini which saie that Christe iustifieth man by his diuine nature onely vtterly excluding his humanite againe that a Christen man ought to be iuste with that very iustice where with god him selfe is essentially iuste farder that Christe the onely begotten son of god according to bothe natures off god and man as he was in his mothers wombe is the very same image after the which the firste man was created therefore when man in the sacrament of baptim putteth on Christe according to bothe natures of god and man that he is made the
which is but one are they agreed Truly as cattes and dogges Luther neuer wrote so bitterly against vs Catholikes as he doth against the poore Sacramentaries of Zurich You haue the greuous complaint of the brotherhood of Zurich in the third parte of this booke against Luther Reade the later wordes of the place and see howe charitably he vseth them Caluin likewise calleth VVestphalus a papist and findeth faute with Bullinger for teaching that to eate Christ and to beleue in Christ is all one And Brentius woulde proue against all the swarme of Sacramentaries that Christ is euery where really not only in the Sacrament What then is there no meanes lefte vs sure and certain to knowe and vnderstande the right meaning of holy Scripture by Sothely if you take the shameles brode waie that Luther prescribeth you none at all But if ye acknowleadg and reuerence the authorite of holy fathers of awncient Councells off the Catholike and vniuersall Church of Christ during continually from the time of the blessed Apostles hetherto there is a right sure and infallible waie to obtaine your desire In the preface of Staphylus to the Bishop of Eystat and the first parte of this his Apologie you haue a very euident and sensible declaration thereof As you tendre your soule health and the inestimable treasure of life euerlasting which without right belefe is not to be had reade and peruse diligently the Authour And you shall I trust in God finde your felfe satisfied to the vttermost For howe thinke you May you not worthely suspect that mās cause that disableth so many witnesses so lerned so holy as Luther doth condemning all holy Fathers and Councels Is it not a pride comparable to the loftines of Lucifer him selfe to saie I will no iudgement but I require obedience Is it not a most impudent arrogancy and a detestable blasphemy to saie that al holy men of the Church are damned if they thought as they taught Neuer sence the worlde stode was there heretike that vttered such horrible blasphemies as the cursed mouthe and penne of Luther hath done But sithen that Luther condemneth the olde fathers of the Church is he nowe the first father thereof hath he no predecessours in his doctrine Surely the Lutheran protestants of our countre crie so much vpon the fathers that seing their Master denieth all fathers it may much be maruailed where the scholers haue founde them After longe study I haue at the length espied who are their fathers And for the instruction of my dere deceiued countremen I will not lett to declare them S. Paule to the Corinthians saieth Though ye haue thousands of masters in Christ yet not many fathers For in Christ Iesus by the ghospell I haue begotten you Such thē are to be accompted the fathers of Christes Church or of heretikes whose doctrine the church of Christ foloweth or heretikes Let vs see then whose doctrine Luther and his scholers the protestants do folowe First not the doctrine of the Fathers of Christes Church For they pardie by the vardit of Luther are all damned if they thought as they taught Off what fathers then hath he and his scholers lerned their doctrine We shall see by the particulars Luther in his Assertions against Pope Leo teacheth that fre wil after the fal of mā is but a bare title and that man while he doth as much as lieth in him sinneth deadly yea and that the iuste man in his good worke sinneth also deadly And Melanchthon his scholer in his Annotations vpon S. Paule to the Romans saieth that the aduoutry of Dauid is as properly the worke of God as the calling of Paule blaming the glose of such as saie that God permitteth euill but doth none for fonde and foolish So teacheth also Iohn Caluin and Beza his derling This heresy they lerned of Simon Magus of Marcion of the Manichees of Petrus Abailhardus all cōdemned heretikes as in S. Augustin ad Quoduultdeum in Epiphanius in S. Clement of Rome and in S. Bernard it is to be sene The allegations of these places we note only at this present without recitall at large to auoide prolixite Vpon this doctrine it folowed that good workes by the deniall of fre wil being wiped away faith must do the dede Luther therefore and all his felow heretikes teache the sufficiency of only faith to saluation Yea and our protestants are not ashamed to putt it in to their Crede songe in their churches And for this purpose where S. Paul writeth VVe thinke man to be iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe Luther translateth it thus VVe thinke man to be iustified by only faith This olde dānable and most enormous heresie they haue lerned of olde heretikes aboue a thousand yeares ago for ye may not thinke these mē lacke antiquite in their doctrine Their Fathers herein are Eunomius and Aetius who taught likewise only faith to suffise condemned therefore for heretikes off the Church as S. Augustin and Epiphanius recordeth Luther and all his scholers can not abide worshipping of Saints calling such seruice idolatry Their fathers touching this doctrine are Faustus Manicheus the heretike and Maximus Madaureusis the pagan finding faute with the Christians for such deuotion as S. Augustin mencioneth They condemne praieng for the dead they abhorre the blessed Sacrifice of the Masse celebrated for the dead they would make men beleue it was neuer vsed before S. Gregories time how saie we then if the contrary opinion denieng praier for the dead were condemned for an heresy longe before S. Gregories time was not troweye such praier allowed and practised S. Augustin reakoning vp the heresies before his time writeth of the Aerians thus Aeriani ab Aerio qui cum esset praesbyter dolens quôd episcopus nō potuit ordinari in Arrianorū haeresim lapsus propria quoque dogmata addidit nonuulla dicens orare vel offerre pro mortuis oblationem non oportere that is The Aerians so called off Aerius who being priest for grief that he could not be made a bishop fell in to the heresy of the Arrians and added also certain doctrines of his owne saying that men ought not to praie nor to offer oblation for the dead The like writeth of him before S. Augustin Epiphanius in his booke of heresies It was preached of late before diuers of the honourable Nobilite of the Realme in the solemne funerall of the late most Catholike Emperour Ferdinandus that praier for the dead was bothe superfluous and superstitious It was saied a third place such as purgatory is could not be iustified by Scripture and that the auncient fathers before the time of S. Gregory acknowledged no suche place nor praier for the dead in such sence as the Catholikes now take it and vse it This sermon also hath ben thought worthy to be printed and sette forthe to the vewe of the whole world
amator ciuitatis vt valde bene audiens c I stam vero eius mortem mirabiliorem quā quā prudentiorem narrauit quemadmodum facta esset non tanquam facienda esset scriptura laudauit Nostrum est autem sicut Apostolus admonet omnia probare quod bonum est tenere Et hanc quidem scripturam que appellatur Machabaeorum non habent Iudaei sicut legem Prophetas psalmos sed recepta est ab Ecclesia non inutiliter si sobrie legatur vel audiatur that is Razias therefore was praised as one that tendred the cyte and a man of a very good name c. But his deathe more straunge and wonderfull then wise and discret is declared of the scripture howe it was done not commended as if it ought so to be done But it is our parte as the Apostle teacheth vs to proue and trie all thinges and to holde that good is And this Scripture which is called the Machabees the Iewes in dede receiue not as the lawe the prophets and the psalmes But it is receaued of the church not vnprofitably if it be read and heard with discretion Thus farre S. Augustin In whose Wordes you see M. Grindall that not only he acknowledgeth the bookes off the Machabees for Scripture and that receiued off the Church but also he telleth vs how Razias is commended in these bookes not as you obiect in your Sermon bicause he killed him selfe but bicause he was amator ciuitatis c. Howe thinke you shall we condemne the bookes of the Iudges bicause we reade there of Sampson that he killed him selfe or the Genesis bicause we reade there of Lot that he laie with his daughters and off Iudas that he compained as he thought with a hoore by the high waie shall we not rather reuerence the holy Scripture and saie with S. Augustin that Scripture declareth these thinges howe they were done not commending them as if they ought to be done As for your other sory shift where you gesse that the place of the Machabees commēding praier for the dead hath ben put to the text by some addition of late yeares bicause you saie certain of the oldest copies in greke haue no mention thereof I answer to charge the Church withe any such addition hauing no proufe thereof as yet you bringe none is the maner of olde heretikes the Manichees by name who saied also the genealogie in S. Matthew was added to his ghospell by some they knew not who And as for greke copies that lacke that place of praieng for the dead if you haue sene any such M. Grindall you may rather thinke they are corrupted of some olde or new Aerians heretikes as you haue heard in that point then to doubte of the common receiued text of holy Scripture els what heresy is there that may not escape by this shift if it may be lawfull vpon variete off copies which may rise of sundry causes as well the printed as the writen to call in doubt the authorite of holy scripture which ought without all doubt being ones vniuersally authorised assuredly and constantly be beleued and folowed And thus much to the reasons and arguments brought against the bookes of Machabees You go forthe M. Grindall and you saie Secondarely we haue no example in the Canonicall Scripture of any inuocation for the dead What then M. Grindall if that were true as we haue proued it already false will you therefore condemne the practise of the vniuersall Church which is clere and euident in this point What example in Canonicall scripture haue you off celebrating the Sonday holy daie Will you therefore driue men to their craftes that daie with the Sabbataries a secte of the Anabaptistes of oure time what example of Canonicall scripture haue you of inuocation of the holy Ghost Will you therefore as that protestant Minister of Morauia preached rather be a papist then beleue in the holy Ghoste What example haue you in Canonicall Scripture of baptising infants before the yeares of discretion Will you therefore with the Anabaptistes baptise no children hereafter in the Realme and call vs all to the fonte againe And did not thinke you the Anabaptiste laugh in his sleue when he heard you make youre reasons in pulpit vpon lacke of example of Canonicall scripture Especially when you concluded afterward so stoutely and solemnely For most certain it is if praier for the dead had ben so necessarie as many now adaies woulde haue it seme it had not lacked all authorite and example of the Canonicall Scriptures as it doth Surely M. Grindal you can neuer speake better worde for heretikes then graunting them this your proposition that without example and authorite of Canonicall scripture nothing is to be admitted And yet this one sentence is the grounde and foundation of all your newe doctrine For why May not the Anabaptiste saie vnto you iff yow hadde him in consistory before you Most certain it is my L. if baptising of infants and babes were so necessary as you would haue it seme it had not lacked all authorite and example of the Canonicall Scriptures as it doth And could you then repell him for so saying seing you preache it in pulpit and make it your strongest argument to ouerthrow praier for the dead Againe might not Nestorius haue tolde Cyrillus and all the fathers of the Ephesin Councell We haue no example in the Canonicall scripture that Our Lady is called the Mother of God And certain it is if it were so necessary a matter to haue her so called and beleued for such as you will haue it seme pronouncing me an heretike for denying it and assembling your selues so from al partes of the worlde for approuing and defending it it had not lacked all authorite and example of Canonicall Scriptures as it dothe might he not I saie thus haue tolde them as you M. Grindall do tell vs if that argument had ben thought worth the telling Might not Arrius haue quarelled in like maner with the fathers of the Nicen Councel for the wordes Consubstantiall and ingenitus might not Heluidius haue vsed the like againste S. Hierom for the perpetuall virginite of our Lady and Nouatus with S. Cyprian for reconciling of such as had abiured Christ For none of al these had any authorite or exāple in the Canonical Scriptures And yet M. Grin dall the Anabaptistes the Nestorians the Arrians the Nouatians the Heluidians be all condēned heretikes euen by your owne iudgement I doubt not though the Catholike doctrine in confuting of al those heresies lacke all authorite and example of the Canonicall Scriptures Where is then nowe become your argument against vs for lacke of Scripture supposing it were true we did so lacke Where is nowe that stoute and great assertion Most certain it is cae But to ouerthrow with one worde this forte and shooteancker of all your pretended religion tell vs I praie yow if without authorite and
parare rias eius thou shalt go before the face of oure Lorde to praepare his waies and saie with Caluin that he Christned mē as well as Christ dyd and was the Lorde him selfe that should weane vs in to the faithe by his baptim Thirdly the baptim of S. Ihon is called in holy scripture no other but baptismus penitentiae the baptim of repentaunce For repentaunce was the waie that S. Ihon made to bring men to Christ. Nowe the baptim of Christ is called lauacrum regenerationis renouationis spiritus sancti the fountaine of regeneration and renewing of the holy ghoste Be these all one Is there not a farre passing difference betwene them Laste of all we reade in the actes of the Apostles euidētly that suche as were baptised before of Ihon were after baptised againe by S. Paule The wordes of the scripture are these Paule coming to Ephesus founde there certain disciples that is suche as bore them selues for Christians and he saied vnto them haue ye receiued the holy ghost and do ye beleue but they saied vnto him We haue not so muche as heard if there be any holy Ghoste Then he saied Wherein then are ye baptised which awnswered vnto him In the baptim of Ihon. Then Paule saied Ihon baptised the people with the baptim of penaunce telling thē they should beleue in him that should come after him that is in Iesus This being heard they were baptised in the name of oure Lorde Iesus Hetherto the wordes of holy scripture Nowe if the baptim of Ihō and Christ were al one as Caluin saieth why dyd S. Paule baptise them againe as the scripture here declareth Doth Caluin allowe rebaptisation Is he an Anabaptist Or were they baptised againe bicause they were not instructed before in the holy ghoste This were in dede a good reason for the furious Anabaptistes to make vs all come to the fonte again bicause when we were babes we vnderstode nothing of the holy ghoste What shift then hath Caluin here to defeate this most expresse text of holy scripture Truly he laboureth impudently to defeate in it his institutions but with no lesse foly then impudency For whereas it is writen they were baptised in the name of Iesus that is saieth Caluin they receaued visible and sensible graces of the holy ghost they were not baptised again Lo the scripture saieth they were baptised in the name of Iesus Caluin saieth they receaued visible graces of the holy ghoste Maye not a mā by this meanes come and denie baptim vtterly and saie that after the ascension of Christ none were baptised For in all the newe testament after the ascension of Christ we reade of no other baptim but that men were baptised in the name of Iesus So we reade in the first sermon of S. Peter made after the coming downe of the holy goste Baptizetur vnusquisque vestrum in nomine Iesu Christi Let euery one of you be baptised in the name of Iesus Christ. And of the Centurion and all his house it is writen they were baptised in the name of oure lorde Iesus Christ. Nowe all this by Caluins doctrine was no baptim but onely a receauing of visible graces from the holy ghoste For why maye it not as well meane so in other places as here shall scripture meane sometime one thinge sometimes an other as it pleaseth Caluin Againe many were baptised that receaued not those visible graces Or els Caluin must saie there is no baptim nowe in the worlde nor hath no ben these many hundred yeares Cornelius also and his family receaued those visible graces before they were baptised Whereby we lerne it is not al one to receaue those visible graces and to be baptised But what nede we farder refute this impudent hereticall shifte of Caluin It foloweth immediately in the text aboue recited Et quum imposuisset manus eis Paulus venit Spiritus Sanctus super eos loquebantur lin guis prophetabant that is And when Paule had laied handes ouer them the holy ghoste came down vpon them and they spake with tongues and prophecied Lo these visible giftes were geuen them after they were baptised by laieng on of handes For the scripture telleth vs that first S. Paule baptised them and after layed handes on them which being done the visible graces were geuen them What thinke ye now did Caluin trow ye reade so farre yes sothely And yet goeth he forth to defend impudently that which he had ones wickedly affirmed For he saieth all this was but one action though it be diuersly tolde for two seuerall actions and he saieth so onely But by what authorite by what reason saieth he so He telleth vs it is the maner of the hebrew phrase to speake first the matter shortely and after to sette it forthe mere at large What if it be the maner of the hebrew phrase Is it so allwaies or sometimes onely If it be so all waies then shoulde he at leste haue brought here one example Nowe he bringeth none at al. Beside that he shooteth very wide of the marke No tounge auoideth more idle repetitions of one thinge no tounge affecteth more breuite and speaketh more in fewer wordes then the hebrew dothe and therefore it is called of al other most chaste frugall and lesse ryotous in lāguage I reporte me herein to the skilful thereof If he meane it is the hebrewe phrase sometimes to speake so what of that so is it the greke phrase the latin phrase and the phrase of all tongues sometimes to do What then Bicause it dothe so sometime ergo dothe it so in this place But where trowe ye was Caluins witt and remembraunce when he wrote this What meaned he to bleare oure eyes with the authorite of an hebrew phrase in this place whiche nother was writen in the hebrew tongue nor of any hebrician For whose wordes are those we alleaged you before Be they not writen in the Actes of the Apostles the .19 chapter Was the Actes of the Apostles euer writen in the hebrewe tongue we neuer heard yet that any parte of the new testament was writen in the hebrewe tongue except S. Matthewes ghospell onely and the epistle vnto the hebrewes Againe who wrote the Actes of the Apostles Was it not S. Luke the Euangelist a greke borne to witt at Antiochia To what a miserable shift trowe ye was this willfull proude heretike driuen when to vpholde his heresy against the expresse wordes of scripture after all other shiftes he was glad at the length to flie to the succour of an hebrewe phrase in suche a text as neither was writen in the hebrewe tongue neither of any hebrewe borne But what will not an heretike do rather then he will acknowleadg the truthe We reade that onely Christ was able to put the Pharises to silence and stoppe the mouthes of the Sadduces two hereticall sectes of the Iewes as the Lutherans and the Caluinistes are nowe of the
praier fol. 69. Heresies suffred in the church for our triall fol. 2. .3 The duty off a Christen man in time off heresy fol. 3. b. Hungary loste by Luthers heresy fol. 128. b. The destruction off Grece through heresy fol. 129. Hierusalem destroied by schismes fol. 129. b. The miserable estat off Lislande through heresy fol. 130. Countres lost in Germany by heresy fol. 127. b The meanes whereby many haue fallen in to heresy fol. 146. The heretike more dangerous then the Turke fol. 150. b. Grece and Afrike loste the faith by heresy fol. 182. The ende of present heresies fol. 19. Good counsell of Sisinnius to defeat heretikes fol. 21. b. It behoueth not to dispute with heretikes fol. 22. b. Inconstancy of Lutherans fol. 97. b. Inconstancy of Lutherans fol. 44. b. A lowde lie of the Lutherans against the Catholike church 33. b A prety story of wronge interpretation fo 51. The liberty of Luthers ghospell fo 75. VVhat partes of scripture may be read of the laite fol. 78. b Liflande loste by Luthers heresy f. 128 The pride and presumption of Luther f. 132. Luthers penaunce fol. 133. He becometh a papist for a vauntage fol. 134. b. He is a false prophet fo 139. A murderer and stroÌ„ge thefe in the church ibi The Lutherans vary at their metings and conferences like the Arrians fo 186. b. The labells of the Lutherans principles fol. 18. b Sacramentary sectes amonge the Lutherans fol. 87. b The outward behauiour off Lutherans in Germany fol. 59. VVhy protestants barke at the euill life of the clergy fo 61. b. The church ought not to be forsaken for the euill life off men in the church fo 62. Laye men are not commaunded to read scripture f. 64. The hebrew text could not be read off the laye Iewes folio 64. b. The dangers proceding off the laites reading scripture fo 65. Luther will proue by Scripture there ought to be no Magistrats amonge Christen men f. 140. b. The marriage off Luther fol. 141. b. Contrariete in his doctrine fol. 142. The cause of Luthers breache from the church and the maner of the first entry thereof fo 149. a. b. Luther proued an heretike fo 179. His proper heresy touching the Sacrament hath wrought his owne confusion fo 181. b. Lutherans in Bohem teache the soule to die with the body fol. 17. b. Luther at the first planting of his heresy writeth against obedience to princes fol. 16. He maketh chastite a thing impossible ibid. Luther clippeth the coyne of Gods worde fol. 66. He addeth to the text fol. â—8 Enemy to virginite and wedlock bothe Ibidem b. He teacheth pluralite of wiues fol. 69. reneweth the heresy of the Pelagians and off the Manichees fol. 68. Item of Vigilantius fol 69. Chaungeth opinion in doctrine fol. 72. 74. con demneth good lerning fol. 73. writeth against obedience to Magistrats fol. 75. A notable testimony of the Caluinistes against Luther fol. 25. All new sectes haue begonne of Luther ibidem b. The frute off liberty preached by Luther fo 44. The pride of Luther fol. 36. A notable testimony of Luther of the life of his scholers lbi b. The frutes of the Lutherans doctrine fol. 39. The euill life of the Catholikes and of the Lutherans procede of diuers causes fo 40. b. 41. MelaÌ„chthon teacheth pluralite of wiues fol. 69. chaungeth opinion in doctrine fo 72. becometh a Suinglian fo 88. is a dissembling ghospeller fol. 90. he becometh a baker fo 107. b. Horrible blasphemies of a ghospelling Minister f. 112. b VVicked doctrine of Luther touching Matrimony fol. 96. Melanchthon inconstant in doctrine fol. 183. A corrupter off Luthers bookes ibidem b. A breder of sedition and rebellion f. 185. a. b malitious and cruell fo 187. b. The Machâ—bees proued to be of the Canon fol. 166. The writings of men in the churche to be folowed fol. 168. The fathers off the protestants fo 161. 162. Item fol. 165. b. and in the leaues folowing The doctrine of our protestants consisteth of olde heresies folio 161. 162. Item fol. 175. and in the leaues folowing The principle off the only written text how it is ment of protestants fol. 7. Protestants refusing the Councell show them selues to lacke Charite fol. 20. Luther proueth coÌ„tempte of Princes by scripture fol. 139. b. his counsell to â—rinces fol. 140. Protestants are proued to be heretikes fol. 98. The protestants are Manichâ—es fol. 111. b. Protestants confounde vniformite and diuersite fol. 122. b. The frutes of protestants confusion in doâ—â—rine fol. 123. Prussia loste by Luthers heresy fol. 127. b A necessary lesson for deceiued protestants fol. 58. A vaine crake of protestants fol. 59. No certainte of Faith in protestants fol. 18. Disagreement in doctrine amonge our protestants fol. 7. Outward pretence off agreement in the same ibidem b. Speciall articles off contradictions amonge the protestants fol. 80. b. Thirten heresies amonge the protestants touching the blessed sacrament fol. 90. b. Fiue amonge the Lutherans fol. 90. and eight amonge the Zwinglians 86. b. The grounde off all protestants doctrine false and deceitfull fol. 42. An other decitfull ground off protestants fol. 43. A persit rule to discern false preachers fol. 37. A charitable shift of the protestants fol. 29. b. Reall receauing can not stand without reall presence fol. 194. The cause of diuers professions of religion in the Catholike church fol. 125. Hereticall rebellion neuer proueth fol. 125. b. Scripture nedeth exposition 47. VVhy the protestants crie vpon only Scripture fol. 48. VVhat the vnlerned shall do in variete off interpretations off scripture fol. 48. b. A token to know false interpretation off scripture from true fol. 49. b. Euery heretike alleageth scripture fol. 59. b. How interpretation off Scripture is tried true fol. 60. The body of Christe vnder one kinde of the SacrameÌ„t perfit and whole 60. A similitude fol. 3. b. fol. 65. b. fol. 124. b. .189 b. Scripture corrupted by Luther fol. 66. and many leaues folowing The doctrine of Sacramentaries destroieth the resurrection of our bodies fol. 227. Caluin maketh the blessed Sacraments bare signes tokens and badges fol. 203. Of the Sacrament of the aultar see in the worde Caluin That the soule only is not fedd of Christ in the Sacrament f. 193 Chalenging of only Scripture cause of heresies fol. 114. The ground of the Leage at Smalcaldium brickle and variable fol. 110. The Sacramentaries desire to be vnder the winge of the Lutherans fol. 81. b. they condemne Luther fol. 84. b. Luther condemneth them fol. 84. and fol. 86. b. Foure Sacraments acknowledged of Melanchthon fol. 45. Scripture alone suffiseth not fol. 41. b. 42. Great confusion in the church by small alteration of the Scripture fol. 70. b. Scripture hard to be vnderstanded fol. 4. The custome of heretikes to denie partes of scripture fol. 165. doctrine defended without expresse coÌ„maundement in scripture fol. 169. Staphylus refuseth to be doctour of
of the Lutherans In decret Synodi Nicenae Lib. praescrip Melanchthon acknovvled geth iiij sacrameÌ„ts Philipp in annot in epist Pauli in postrema ediâ—â—one Loc. Com. Lege scholae VVitten bergensis ordinationem Illyricus li. contra lustuÌ„ meniuÌ„ Ierem. 18. Illyricus li. coÌ„tra OuÌ„an drina iustiluta Note the disorder of these Archeprotestants To cleane vnto the vvriten text only is an olde heresie Scripture nedeth exposition Luc. 24. Actâ— 8. 1. Cor. 12. Lucae 8. VVhy the protestaÌ„ts crie vpon only Scripture A questioÌ„ vvhat interpretation of scripture is to be so lovved Lucae 22. Vide Luthe ri Confessi onem de Coena VVhat the vnlerned shall do in perplexite and variete of interpretations of scripture Tit. 3. Matth. 7. 16. A tokeÌ„ to knovve the false interpretion of scripture from the true VVhat is Catholike Cotra Gau denâ—iuÌ„ Donat lib. 3. Psal. 2. Matth. 28 Lib. de vni late ecclesi 1. Tim. 3. A prety storie of false interpretation 2. Tim. 2. 2. Petri. 1. Avvicked persuasioÌ„ of vvorldly careler men Iaco. 2. Vide Ious Lascy coÌ„tra episcopum Hosium et Lutherum in vltima CoÌ„fessione suade Coena Deuâ—iâ— Psalm 115 Matth. 16. 1 Timo. 3. A buckler for the vnlerned against nevve preachers Den. 4 Deut. 32. A very good faith of a Coolyar A readie vvaie to trie out an heretike Matth. 13. Caluinâ—s libr. contra IoachimuÌ„ VVestphalum Zuinglius lib. de baptismo coÌ„tra Vrbanum Regium Caluinus li. de praedestinatione Theodorus Beza in defensione Caluini Epiph anius lib. 2. coÌ„tra hereses Tit. 3. Suentfeldius lib. de dup statu Christi mulnis alijs tractat OsiaÌ„der lib de Confessi one doctrinae suae Hiorem 23. 33. Tit. 3. Vide Amsdorsium de haâ— proposâ—â—one Luther in 3. cap. ad Gal. See out discourse VVhy the author forsoke the Lutherant The duty of a conuerted Catholike A notable example of the sun dry sectes in Germany A necessary lesson for deceiued protestants Ezech. 13. Lib. 3. cap. 4. coÌ„tra hereses A Godly instruction of Ireneus Eccle. 19. The outvvarde be hauiour of the Lutheran in Germany A vaine crake of protestants Euery heretike all ageth the scripture Hovv interpretation of Scripture is tried true The body of Christ vn der one kinde per fit and vvhole 1. Cor. 1. Exodi 16. 2. Cor. 10. De CoÌ„secr dict 2. cap. vbi pars Bedurum Vratisluia Ratispona In the yeare 1556. Vide Pontanum li. 5 fol. 432. Matth. 13. VVhy the protestaÌ„ts bark at the euil life of the clergy Mat. 18. Tit. 3. Tvvo good and godly lessons of S. Antony Math. 7. Matth. 15. The churche muste not beforsaken for the euill life of meÌ„ in the church Mat. 13. Mat. 24. Ephes. 4. Hebre. 13. Matth. 13. Mat. 23. Heb. 13. Matth. 7. Math. 16. Mat. 13. 1. Cor. 5. Eccl. histor li. 10. ca. 2 Laye men are not coÌ„maunded to reade Scripture Luc. 8. Vide Theo philactuÌ„ 〈◊〉 Luc. cap. 8 Math. 7. Exod. 24. Num. 11. The hebrevv text could not be readen of the coÌ„mon Ievves Vide Iosephum Iusti num mart in suo paraenetico I renaeum lib 3. cap. 25. ClemeÌ„ Alex lib. 1. StromatuÌ„ HilariuÌ„ in 2. psal August de ciuit dei lib. 18. cap. 42 43. 2. Par. 26. Num. 16. The dangers proceding of the laities reading Scripture The vvel spring of heresies novv a daies A similitude vvorthy to be noted Hovv and vvhere Luther hath corrupted the text of the Bible Ephes. 6. S. Paule corrupted by Luther The maner of he retikes Philip. 3. Rom. 8. Matth. 5. Luc. 6. 2. Cor. 1. Ephes. 6. Lib. de seruo Arbitrio Caluiaus de prae destruat Rom. 2. Lib. Saxonice ecclesiae contra Geor. MaioreÌ„ Amsdorffius in libello Bona opera saluti obesse Vide Nileuitanum et ArausicanuÌ„ CoÌ„ciliae 1. Cor. 9. This place is also corrupted in our English traÌ„slations printed in the yeares 1549. and 1551. 1. Cor. 7. Ibidem Luther addeth to the text Luther enemy to Varginite and vvedlock Luther and MelanchthoÌ„ teache pluralite of vviues Lib. de opere Monachorum cap. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of the Canonicall hovv resvsed in the churche Psal. 118. Psal. 54. Acto 10. Daâ— 6. Lut. 6. Actor 2. Actor 3. Great coÌ„ fusion in the churche by small alteration of the scripture Acto 3. 1. Tim. 4. Oure English traÌ„slations printed in the yeares 1549. and 1551. haue corrupted this place also The Lnther ns Ministres Luher and MelanchthoÌ„ chaungâ— their language So do also the later English translations printed in the yeares 1â—52 and. â—502 The schâ—clers of Luther disobey their Master Vide lib. 2. EpiphaÌ„ de haeresibus Bernardum Coloss. 2. So hathe our englishe traÌ„slatioÌ„ anno 1552. 62. Vide Lutheri prefaetionem in annotat Philippi in Paâ—um Genes 2. Tom. 6. fol. 589. Luther condemneth good lerning Nicephorus li. 10. cap. 26. histor eccles And MelanchthoÌ„ becometh a baker See the Table folovving Vratislauis Coloss. 2. Luther chauÌ„geth his hoode Luther vvriteth against obedience to magistrats Note the liberty of Luthers ghospell Gen. 19. Gene. 38. Num. 5. Vide Hieron praefat in Ezechielem VVhat partes of Scripture may be read of the laite Confessio Augustana Note the grounde of this booke The first testimony of the LutheraÌ„s disagreing In the yeare 1557. The definition of a zelous LutheraÌ„ Our protestants haue vvell marked this Our protestants a-recondemned by the LutheraÌ„s The master Lutherans of Lipsia be Pelagians The schole doctours neuer taugh so Caluinus in vltima admonitione sua ad Ioach VVestphalum The second testimony Special articles of contradictions among tho Protestants Rom. 6. The third testimony * Although in very dede the Iesuites are no more to be counted amonge these he retikes then pigeons amonge crowes The Sacramentaries desire to be vnder the vving of the Lutherans fo 179. In lib. contra longioreÌ„ CataloguÌ„ sol 166. Fol. 1. 2. Li. 8. Top. Fol. 152. Novv Lutherans can abide no nevve doctrine Fol. 1. 2. The fourthe testimony Vide Ioannis Functij scriptum de rebus Osiandri The fift testimony Luther him selfe Tom. 2. Iâ—o 260. Math. 18. Luther excludeth Suinglius and SvveÌ„cfeldius froÌ„ his grace Fo. 263. Note Luther did vvhich he reproued in his scholers Note hovve heretikes maye be used The protestants of Zurich against Luther Aniâ—â—um in saâ—hanasiatum super sathaâ—aâ—atum persathana aâ—uÌ„ Fol 3. libri contra catalogum Luther against the Sacramentaries Luther calleth SvveÌ„cfeldius by the name of Stencfeldius in mockerie as one that stinketh Corpus pancum Of this mide vvas Melanchthon at his later daies In iudicio Heidelbergensi Doctor Smidelin proueth Luther to be a vviched man Sacramentary sectes and diuisions amoÌ„ge the Lutheraus The sixt testimony Melanchthon So in the Alcoran of Mahomet all disputing of religion is forbed MelanchthoÌ„ vvoulde haue vs chaunge thâ— institutioÌ„ of Christ in the Supper and saie this is the participation of my body vvhereas Christ saide this is my body