in a traunce wherein shee did straungly alter her coūtenance with the other partes of her bodie and spake manie things in commendation of Idolatrie pilgrimage and other like points of popery and likewise in derogation of the Gospell in disallowance of King Henrie his diuorce from the Ladie Katherine the late wife of his elder brother Prince Arthur threatning as it were by way of prophecying that if he proceeded therein he should not be king one moneth after This knauerie beeing found out both shee and her abettors namely certen Munks Fryers Priests were executed for it See the booke of Martyres printed 1583. p. 1054. And other histories thereof The like is reported in the same booke p. 1291. out of the ninth booke of Sleydan his commentaries of certaine fryers of Orleance in Fraunce who because the Maiors wife of the citie vpon her death bed had desired her husband that shee might be buried without the solemnities then commonlie vsed at the funeralls of such persons whereby their noses were wiped of a great part of their accustomed gaine caused a boye in the time of their night seruice to make a straunge noyse in one of the vaults of the church where shee was buried as if he had been a spirit This boyish spirit or spirituall boye thus inspired by the deuill and the fryers and coniured like wise after their popish and deuelish manner hauing signified that he was a dumb spirit by signes also shewed that he was the soule of the said Maiors wife before buried now condemned in hell for the heresie of Martin Luther This frierlie prancke being found out the fryers by authority of the King were committed to prison where they continued a long time before they were released Let the reader see this more largelie in the booke of Martirs Sleidan his commentaries As these and such like meanes continuallie applied to shore vp popery do shew the rottēnes thereof so our religion continuing and standing right notwithstanding manie stormes and tempests against it doth shew it selfe to be sound and vpholden by him onely whose power none is able to resist But of this more shall be spoken afterward vpon other occasion THE THIRD ARGVMENT TOVCHING THE SVB iect matter of true religion AS these meanes hitherto spoken of doe mightelie speake against poperie and teach the verie simplest that are that it is not of God so also doth the matter substāce of popery speake as much For it is partly directlie contratie vnto and partlie farre differing from the matter and substance of that religion which God himselfe hath commended in his Scriptures and the which no mā can denie to be acceptable vnto god This is manifest first of all because that religion which the Scriptures commend is true knowledge of God of Christ Iesus of the truth The Lord saith by the Prophet Ose I desire mercie and not sacrifice and the knowledge of god more then burnt offrings Ose 6. 6. Oftentimes also the Lord reproueth and complaineth of the ignorance want of knowledge in his people as the cause of all euills both which they committed also which came vpō them as Ier. 9. 3. and in many other places S. Peter also saith in the name of all the Apostles We beleeue and know that thou art the Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Ioh. 6. 69. Our Sauiour Christ saith This is life eternall that they knovve thee to be the onely very God and him whome thou hast sent Jesus Christ Ioh. 17. 3. He like wise promiseth the knowledge of the truth to all his true disciples Ioh. 8. 32. The Apostle saith God will haue all men to be saued and come to the knowledge of the truth 1. Tim. 2. 4. And againe he describeth faith to be the knowledge of the truth according to godlines Tit. 1. 1. He forbiddeth also the Corinthians not to be children in vnderstanding 1. Cor. 14. 20. The Ephesians also not to be vnwise but to vnderstand what the will of the Lord is Eph. 5. 17. Finally the Apostle S. Peter biddeth the Christians to whome he wrote to ioyne vertue with faith and with vertue knowledge 2. Pet. 1. 5. By these and many other the like places we see that the Scriptures commend knowledge as the first matter of faith and religion We see also what knowledge they doe commend namely of God of Christ of the truth according to godlines of the will of God of the Scriptures themselues and that to all sorts of men Now what shall we saie is the matter of Poperie Truly to speake according to the nature of things poperie hath indeede no matter at all but is a meere vacuitie or emptines for the most part For may it be saide that poperie is knowledge and that of these things No certenly but it is a principle of poperie that ignorance is the mother of deuotion Therefore the whole popish Church generally condemneth all knowledge of God and of the scriptures in the common people prohibiting them the vse of any part of the scriptures as we haue heard before and teaching and commaunding them onely to beleeue as the Church beleeueth This they saie is sufficient faith and sufficient religion And indeede touching deuotion to their religion they speake most truly For no man will haue any deuotion vnto it that knowerh ought of God in the scriptures But to beleeue as the Church that is as their Church beleeueth is neither true faith nor the shadow of true faith but rather of faith in the deuills The most part also of them when they teach this faith haue it not but can onely say that they haue it and that they doe beleeue as the Church beleeueth The most I saie doe onely saie that they doe so beleeue They doe not in deede beleeue as the Church beleeueth For how can they sith they knowe not what the Church beleeueth Yet are their bare words taken allowed for currant good lawfull faith of Rome I graunt with griefe that many amongst vs know not the principles of our religion yet no man alloweth such ignorance but euery godly man condemneth it and is grieued for it But be it that they did in deede beleeue as their Romish Church beleeueth and that they knew as much as the best Doctour and all their Romish Doctours know touching their religion yet this is not ynough For now to enter into the particular matter of their religiō First the Scripture teacheth vs oftētimes that there is but one God one Lord one Mediatour betweene God man Christ Iesus but poperie teacheth that there are many gods many mediatours For doth it not cōmunicate the peculiar properties of God the vbiquitie or vniuersall presence and such like vnto the body of Christ and doe they not so make an other god thereof doe they not attribute the doing thereof to seuerall saints for seuerall countries diseases and other seuerall affaires which is onely proper to God whereby they make so many seuerall
Apostle Hebr. 2. 4. where he saith that God did beare witnes vnto his gospel both with signes and wonders and diuerse miracles gifts of the Highost according to his own wil. 2 These actuall testimonies of God wherof I purpose now to speak are especially two The first are the gifts of the spirit which God hath promised to these last times of the world for the commendation of the gospell the second are his other works whereby likewise he doth beare witnes thereunto Touching the first let vs first of all consider of God his promise for those gifts secondly of the performance of that promise The promises are either made in the olde testament by the Prophets or in the new by Christ himselfe The promises of the old testament are many First of all the Prophet Dauid psal 68. 18. insinuateth a promise of the gifts of the spirit in these words Thou art saith he gone vp on high thou hast led captiuitie captiue and receiued gifts for men where the Prophet by receiuing gifts for men meaneth the gifts wherewith Christ as the Mediatour was furnished without measure to bestow vpon the Church after that he should vanquish his enemies triumphing ouer them should ascende into heauen there to sit at the right hand of God in all glorie and authoritie This interpretatioÌ„ is manifest both by the words immediately following Praised be the Lord the God of our saluation which loadeth vs daily with benefits and also by the application thereof Eph. 4. 8. where although the Apostle doe name onely the callings of the Church yet doth it not therefore follow that the place in the psalme is of such gifts onely to be vnderstoode because that euery generall may be applied not onely to some but also to all particulars comprehended in the generall The second promise is Isa 44. 3. where the Lord speaking of the latter times of the church saith thus I will poure water vpon the thirstie and floods vpon the drie ground I will poure my spirit vpon thy seede and my blessing vpon thy budds c. And least any should thinke that this promise was onely made to the Iewes or Israelites according to the flesh he addeth in the 5. v. One shal say I am the Lords another shal be called by the name of Iacob and another shall subscribe with his hand vnto the Lord and name himselfe by the came of Israel which words doe testifie that the promise before made was as wel to the Gentileâ— as to the Iewes because the Iewes were alreadie of the house of Israel called by his name The promise of the same gifts of the spirit is likewise signified by leading or driuing of them to the springs of waters Esa 49. 10. He renueth also the same promise Ioel 2. 28. Afterward saith the Lord in that place will I poure out my spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie your olde men shall dreame dreames and your young men shall see visions and also vpon the seruants and vpon the maidens in those daies will I poure my spirit so the same Prophet chap. 3. 18. expresseth the same promise in other words saying In that date shal the mountaines drop downe new wine and the hills shall flow with milke and al the riuers of Iuda shall runne vvith vvaters and a fountaine shall come forth of the house of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shithim By all these words he meaneth nothing else but the plentifull gifts of God his spirit calling them by the name of wine milke and waters both because of the varietie of them and also because of their diuers effects according to the diuers necessities of the diuers members of the Church And least this promise also should be restrained onely to the Iewes he addeth in the 21. v. this effect of the spirit that he would clense their bloode whome he had not yet clensed meaning by those whome he had not clensed the Gentiles that till the comming of Christ were without Christ aliens from the common-wealth of Israel straungers from the couenant of promise hauing no hope and being without God in the world Eph. 2. 12. Finally the Prophet Zacharie chap. 14. c. hath this promise In that daie shall the waters of life goe out of Jerusalem halfe of them toward the East and halfe of them tovvards the vtmost sea and shall be both in sommer and winter These and such like are the promises in the old testament which to belong to the new testament and to be made for the credit and commendation of the gospel appeares by the application of the promise in Joel made by Saint Peter Act. 2. 16. And although that Prophet speake of seeing visions dreaming dreames and prophesying c. yet by these are not onely to be vnderstoode the same but because these serued then the good of the church therefore by them the Prophet meaneth all such gifts as should make for the good of the church vnder the gospel the which is manifest because Saint Peter applieth this prophecie to the gift of tongues bestowed vpon the church at the feast of Pentecost 3 Touching the New Testament first our Sauiour alluding vnto and indeede plainly meaning these promises of the olde Testament before mentioned saith thus Ioh. 7. 38. He that beleeueth in me as saith the Scripture out of his bellâ—e shall flow riuers of water of life Where the Euangelist himselfe interpreteth our Sauiour to speake of the spirit which they that beleeue should afterward receiue The like promise is made so often as he speaketh of the Comforter Ioh. 14. 26. and 15. 26. 16. 7. and elswhere So also after his resurrection Act. 1. 5. Iohn indeed baptized with water but ye shal be baptised with the holy Ghost within these few dates All these promises doe teach and assure the Church that the gospel should not come forth in the latter daies poore and desolate but rich and accompanied with an honourable traine of all necessarie gifts and graces of God his spirit and that the more the gospel should flourish the more plentifull also should these gifts and graces flowe in the Church Thus much for the promises of the gifts of the spirit 4 Touching the performance thereof it is certen that it was especially accomplished in the time of the Apostles and fit it was it should be so because the gospel was then first to be coÌ„municated vnto the Gentiles who before that had neuer heard any such doctrine and because also as the Lord did then giue extraordinarie callings of the Apostles Euangelists and Prophets so it was also meere that they should haue gifts sutable to their callings Notwithstanding it is not to be doubted but that the promise should remaine and doth yet remaine in force euen vnto the ende of the world as touching the generall substance thereof and that therefore although those times are now past and those reasons now ceased when and why the
miraculosa Cognitio virtuosa Refectio gratiosa I leaue the english to the learned 4 His first sermon for Dominica in albis he maketh on this text Ioh. 20. Post dies octo iterum venit Iesus After eight daies came Iesus againe These eight daies he doth thus interpret in the beginning of the 19. leafe Hic octo dies sunt opera penitentialia quibus completis iterum venit Christ us Primus dies est peccatorum cognitio 2. cordis contritio 3. oris confessio 4. vite oorrectio 5. iniuriarū remissio 6. debitorum restitutio 7. fame reparatio 8. eucharistie communio that is Here eight daies are the works of penance or rather repentance In his first sermō for the 14. Lords day after Trinitie he speaketh often penitentiall works which beeing complete Christ came againe The first day is the knowledge of sinnes the second the contrition of the heart the third the confession of the mouth the fourth the amendment of life the fifth the remitting of iniuries the sixth the restoring of debts the seauenth the repairing of credit the eight the receiuing of the eucharist or communion Is not this a subtile a lightsome and an acute or wittie and sharpe manner of interpreting the scriptures according to the titles before giuen to this Vincent and was he not well worthie to be sainted for such interpretations but let vs see further 5 His fifth sermon for the same day is vpon these words Noli esse incredulus sed fidelis Be not faithles but beleeue Ioh. 20. Intreating of these words thus in the beginning of that sermon he writeth A principto mundi semper fuit necessarium ad saluationem habere fidem c. From the beginning of the world it was alwaies necessarie to saluation to haue faith c. but diuersly quoniam tempore legis naturae c. because in the law of nature that explicite faith was sufficient which might be What faith Saint Vincent maketh alwaies necessary to saluation had in the naturall vnderstanding with out any bookes namely to beleeue first that there was one God which may be knowne by naturall vnderstanding as the power of a lord is knowne by the building of a great house Secondly that he is a iust god a rewarder c. Then for the time of the law of Moses he saith that it was necessarie to beleeue three articles of faith namely the former two and for the third that God would send his sonne to be a sauiour of the world And he addeth Alia secreta fidei non tenebantur scire nisi magni literati The other secrets of faith none were bound to know but onely the great learned men Lastly now in the time of the law of grace he saith that men must beleeue the 12. articles of faith c. Who seeth not but that by this doctrine before the law of Moses a man might be saued first onely by naturall vnderstanding without any other grace yea without the helpe of any booke secondly without any faith at all in Christ euen to come And then what needed the Lord Gen. 3. 15. and often elswhere before the lawe of Moses to haue made any promise of Christ Iesus yea how is it said that Abraham beleeued and it was accounted vnto him for righteousnes yea that Abraham did see the daie of Christ and reioyced 6 In his third sermon for the first Lords day post octa Paschae thus he writeth Nota quod Christus in cruce c. leafe 33. that is Note that Christ vpon the crosse did especially sustaine sorowes in fiue parts of his body namely first in his whole bodie when it lay vpon the hard heauie crosse 2. in nailing of his right hād 3. of his left hand 4. of his right foote 5. of his left foote Here let the reader note how wittily this great Saint Doctour maketh the whole bodie of Christ a part of his bodie 7 To passe by many other things for his first sermon of the bodie of Christ leafe 97. he taketh this text Ego accepi a domino quod tradidi vobis I haue receiued of the Lord that which I haue deliuered vnto you Then he sheweth his auditors where he had this text verbum istud habetur textualiter 1. Cor. 11. c. In the beginning of this sermon he hath some pretie things indeede worth the obseruation as that he saith that the heart of man is not to enlarge it selfe to beleeue more nor the mouth to speake nisi quantum habemus ex sacra scriptura but as much as we haue out of the holy scripture And againe The holy scripture is the mouth of god hauing two lippes namely the two testaments the upper lippe is the new testamēt the nether the old testamēt But presently he returneth to his old fashion sheweth the cōmō learning of those times adding Inter cetera mirabilia secreta huius sacramētisunt quing principalia c. 1. est mutatio substantialis 2. operatio sacerdotalis 3. habitatio sacramentalis 4. perreptio sensualis 5. receptio vsuoelis that is Amongst other miracles and secrets of this sacrament fiue are principall c. The 1. is a substantiall chaunge the 2. the priestly operation the 3. a sacramentall dwelling the 4. a sensible perceiuing the 5. an vsuall receiuing In handling the second of these and magnifying the operation of the priest by the place from whence he fetcheth Christ into the sacrament he setteth downe first diuers places from whence Christ is not drawne into the sacrament namely nor out of the aire nor out of the sphere of the fire nor out of the heauen of the moone nor out of the heauen of Mercurie nor out of the heauen of Venus nor out of the heauen of the sunne nor out of the heauen of Mars nor out of the heauen of the starres O wonderfull eloquence at last he sheweth that he fetcheth him out of the highest heauen Then he addeth his rhetoricall acclamation Ecce operatio sacerdotalis behold the priestly operation or working Then followeth this goodly similitude Sicut quod quando virgo c. For as when the virgin Marie beeing saluted by the angel Gabriel did giue her consent and said Behold the handmaid of the Lord Luk. 1. at the last word heauen was opened and the sonne of God descended into her wombe and the angel and the virgin did worship him in the wombe and as the mouth of the virgin opened heauen so doth the mouth of the priest and that in a more excellent manner it shall not offend the virgin Marie if I speake the The priests work in the masse greater then the virgins in conceiuing of Christ Habuit dicere octo verba Neither the virgin nor Christ spake any latin truth because the virgin to open heauen had to say eight wordes the 1. Behold the 2. the handmaid c. till shee had saide all for then was heauen opened and shee conceiued but the
also to our profession yet doth not our religion maintaine and allow them in their sinnes but contrarily it condemneth such hypocrites and teacheth that their iudgement in the latter daie shall be greater then the iudgement of Papists and the heathen themselues for the same sinnes But as for the like amongst O ye you Papists you religion it selfe and the head and pillars of your Church doe allow approoue and iustifie them yea also commend some of these manifest transgressions of God his laws as excellent vertues and such as whereby the transgressours shall merit heauen THE SEAVENTH ARGVMENT touching one necessarie effect or fruit of true religion which is true ioy and sound comfort of heart I Might adde many other effects and fruits of poperie whereby more plentifully to prooue it not to be of God but because I haue written much alreadie and yet haue diuers other arguments of as good moment as the former remaining I will adde one fruit more or at the least one fruit which that religion that is commended in the Scriptures doth alwaies bring forth but beeing not to be found vpon the whole tree of poperie doth therefore prooue the same neuer to be planted or grafted by the Lord. This fruit is the great ioy and sound comfort of conscience that alwaies groweth vpon the religion commended in the scriptures The statutes of the Lord saith Dauid are right and reioyce the heart Psal 19. 8. They are also sweeter then honie or the honie combe v. 10. He saith also that the promise of God had beene his comfort in his trouble and had quickned him psal 119. 50. and that he remembred the ancient iudgements of God and so was comforted v. 52. and againe v. 92. that except the law of God had beene his delight he should haue perished in his affliction S. Peter also ioyneth these two religions together beleeuing in him whome we see not and reioycing with ioy vnspeakable and glorious 1. Pet. 1. 8. And indeede how can this religion be without such ioy and comfort For it teacheth that the sinnes of such as doe beleeue according to the scriptures are forgiuen Matth. 9. 2. that they are iustified and haue peace with God Rom. 5. 1. that they shall neuer be cast awaie Joh. 6. 37. but raised vp at the latter daie v. 44. that they are in the hands of Christ and that no man shall take them out but that they shall certenly haue eternall life Ioh. 10. 28. which eternal life is kept for them in heauen as likewise they are kept for it in earth not by men or angels but by the mightie power of God 1. Pet. 1 4 and 5. that they are translated from death to life 1. Ioh. 3. 14. and are of the truth and doe as certenly know themselues to be of the truth and that therfore they shall before him assure their hearts as God himselfe greater then their hearts knoweth all things v. 19 and 20. that they are borne of God 1. Ioh. 4. 7. and therefore are the children of God and heyres of God and coheyres with Christ Rom. 8. 17. and that nothing shall separate them from the loue of God v. 38. that they are so built vpon a rocke that no stormes or tempests shall ouerthrow them Math. 7. 25. but stand fast for euer like vnto mount Zion psal 125. 1. that they may no more doubt that God will forget the worke and labour of their loue then they may doubt of the righteousnesse of God himselfe Heb. 6. 10. not in respect of their works but in respect of his promise 1. Ioh. 2. 25. and the price wherewith they are bought by Christ Iesus 1. Cor. 7. 23. and 1. Pet. 1. 9. and of the earnest of their inheritance euen the spirit Eph. 1. 14. and of the continuall intercession of Christ for them at the right hand of God his father Rom. 8. 34. These and such like things doth the Scripture assure all them of that by the fruits of a true faith and religion both inward and outward know that they haue true faith and religion How therefore can they be heauie yea how can they not reioyce with ioy vnspeakable and glorious 2 But what ioy and comfort can there be in poperie doth not poperie denie the first foundation of sound comfort namely the doctrine of particular election whereby a man is taught that God loued him and predestinated him to eternall saluation before the world was made doth not poperie take awaie the word of God that giueth wisdome to the simple sight to the blinde light to them that sit in darknes and life to them that are dead in their sinnes and doth it not therefore leaue men foolish and blinde in darknes and in death it selfe Can there be any comfort in such an estate Doth not poperie teach that saluation is to be had partly yea chiefely by our owne works and merits And who knoweth when he hath wrought and merited enough Doth not poperie teach that the efficacie of the sacrament dependeth vpon the intention of the priest Who knoweth the intention of any man his heart but his owne 1. Cor. 2. 11. who therefore knoweth when he receiueth the sacrament and when he doth not Doth not poperie teach that it is presumption for any man to saie that he is certen and sure of the fauour of God and his continuance therein and of his saluation What sound and certen comfort can there be without assurance of these things 3 I graunt that the Papists reioyce and are merrie as other wicked men reioyce and are merrie But such ioy is fleshly superficiall and vncertaine the ground thereof beeing not in God but in themselues in Saints in reliques of Saints in the bloode of Martyrs in the pardon and indulgences of the Pope and such like sandie stuffe and therefore not certaine The ioy of the Papists is like the ioy of the Israelites at the making and worshipping of the calfe Exod. 32. 6 17 18 and 19. The ioye of the Papists is the ioye of Nabal in his great feast 1. Sam. 25. 36. The ioye of the Papists is like the ioye of Belshazzar when he made the great feast to a thousand of his Princes and dranke wine before the thousand commaunding the holy vessells of the Temple of the Lord to be brought forth vnto that feast and polluting them at his pleasure Dan. 5. 1. Euen such I saie and no other is the ioye of the Papists before their Calfe that is before their innumerable idols and grauen images and at their solemne feastes which they dedicate to the honour and worshippe of them and of their Saints 4 Contrariwise our religion teacheth all these thinges which before wee heard to be taught in the Scriptures it teacheth men to applie them to themselues and by them to assure themselues of God his loue and fauour as certenly as if the angel Gabriel were sent to thē as he was to the Virgin Marie euen to speake to them