of Rome as what it ought to doe For this is rather an admonition then a commendation and with a praise giueth warning of duty Wherefore you shall doe well Calander as S. Peter warnes you if you alwaies giue attention to the holy Scripture as to the candle to the Church as to the candle-sticke so long as it containeth and vpholdeth that candle giuing light to all the house For if it bee bereft of the light of her sunne and being blinde endeauours to make others blinde also while it makes new Articles of the faith and conceales the old it doth retain the name of a Church but it hath altogether lost the nature that which may very truely be spoken of the Church of Rome § 128 You doe very vnaduisedly traduce the Church of Rome saith Saturnine by whom you thinke that new Articles of the faith were made for the Articles of the faith which it propoundes are diuided into two sortes One are of immediate Reuelation Others are drawne and fetcht from thence What articles of faith the Church maketh The Church doth not make new Articles of the faith of the first sort But the Church maketh Articles of the second sort which ought to bee beleeued with the Catholicke faith as the case requireth if it thinke them necessary Therefore Vincentius Lyrinensis thinketh that the life of propheticall and euangelicall doctrine must be directed by the rule of Ecclesiasticall and Catholike sense so that he doth in vaine brag of the text of scripture who reiecteth the sense of the Church § 129 Then Patriott how absurdly is it said saith he that the Church doth not make immediate reuelations of God Vnlesse that be more absurd to thinke that to fetch and draw from is the same which to make for an Article must first be made before a doctrine can be drawne or fetcht from the same Therefore that is said to bee an Article of the faith which is drawne from an Article Foolishly Articles are principles deductions are conclusions An article is one thing a conclusion drawne from the article is another which often is so contrarie that it vtterly ouerthroweth the article As it shall bee made cleare in the explication of your creede For I confesse with Vincentius Lyrinensis that the line of propheticall and Apostolicall doctrine is to be directed by the rule of the ecclesiasticall and catholicke sense For the ecclesiasticall and catholicke sense must alway agree with the Propheticall and apostolicall text For where the text doth faile vs the glosse cannot helpe vs. Whence I conclude that nothing can bee Catholicke and Ecclesiasticall which is not Propheticall or Apostolicall Now because Vincentius doth restraine the propheticall and apostolicall line to the cannon of the Scripture which he confesseth to be more then sufficient for faith it followeth that nothing contrarie to the canonicall Scripture can be Ca holicke though it bee so determined by the Church Wherefore Calander if the Church of Rome haue cast any article of faith into the Creede of the second sort which is contrarie to an Article of the first sort and haue added an ecclesiasticall glosse disagreeing from the definition of canonicall Scripture that Church shall sooner leaue off to be the Catholicke Church then that Article shall beginne to be Catholicke Let vs come therefore to the Creede and let vs intreat Argentine if hee please to open it vnto vs. Then Argentine I will doe it and very willingly and § 130 I will so professe it as it is propounded by the Bull of Pius the 4. to be a forme of an Oath of the profession of the orthodoxall faith 1 I William Argentine doe firmely admit and hold the Apostolicall and Ecclesiasticall traditions and other ordinances and constitutions of the Church of Rome The Popes creede Traditions Scriptures according to the Romane sense 2 I doe firmely hold and admit the holy Scriptures according to that sense which the mother Church hath and doth hold whose right it is to iudge of the true sense and interpretation of the Scripture neither will I euer admit it or expound it but according to the ioynt consent of the fathers 3 I professe that there be seauen Sacraments truely and properly of the new Law 7 Sacraments ordained by our Lord Iesus necessarie for the saluation of mankind Baptisme Confirmation the Eucharist Penance Extream vnction Orders Matrimony I admit the receiued and approoued rites of the Catholicke Church Originall sin and iustification 4 I admit and hold all and euery those points concerning originall sinne and iustification which were determined in the holy Councell of Trent The Masse 5 I professe that there is offered vp in the Masse vnto God a true proper propitiatorie sacrifice for the quicke and the dead Transsubstantiation 6 I beleeue that in the holy Eucharist the body and blood of Christ is truely and really and substantially and that there is made a change of the whole substance of bread into his body and of the whole substance of wine into his blood which change or conuersion the Catholicke Church calleth transsubstantiation I confesse also that vnder one kinde onely whole Christ is receiued and a true sacrament Purgatorie 7 I constantly hold that there is a purgatorie and that the soules there deteined are holpe with the praiers of the faithfull Adoration of Saints 8 I hold that the Saints raigning with Christ are to be worshipped and to be called vpon and that they offer vp their prayers to God for vs and that their reliques are to be worshipped The worshipping of Images 9 I firmely hold that the Images of Christ and the euer blessed Virgin and of other Saintes are to bee had and to be adored with due worshippe Indulgences 10 That the power of indulgences was left by Christ and that the vse of them is very auaileable for saluation The supremacie of the Pope 11 I acknowledge the Catholicke and Apostolicke Romaine Church to be the mother and mistris of all Churches and I vowe and sweare true obedience to the Byshoppe of Rome the successour of blessed Peter the Prince of the Apostles and the Vicar of Iesus Christ The authority of the Councell of Trent 12 I vndoubtedly likewise receiue all other thinges defined and determined by the holy Canons and Occumenicall Councells chiefly of the holy Councell of Trent and I reiect and accurse all things contrarie and all heresies reiected by the Church This true Catholicke faith without which none can § 130 be saued at this present I voluntarily professe I will procure as farre as lyeth in me to be wholy vncorruptly and constantly kept and taught by Gods assistance to my liues end I the same William promise vow and sweare so help me God and these his holy Euangelist And I stand in feare of that which the most holy Father added It shall not bee lawfull for any man to infringe this authoritie of our ordination inhibition
I heare of some I hope they bee but a few false brethren like to Ianus are wont to bee though lightly bitten and reprehended Who if they be not ours they might doe very well if they would more open themselues if they be ours as I rather desire let them fauour our holy labours vnlesse they desire to heare of some writer of ours which Lelius a certaine criticall reprehender heard out of Martiall When Lelius carpeth mine and keepeth in his verse Or let him hold his prate or else his owne rehearse For it is both greeuous and vnseemly that their writings should be closly bit with a Theonine tooth by false brethren whose throates are first assailed with a leonine crueltie by open enemies There is almost none of our writers who haue not written that the Pope is Antichrist But there be certaine men among vs very moderate forsooth and politicke who would not haue the Aduersarie so angered and stirred vp with so sharpe a conclusion and that thereby all hope of composition and peace betweene the parties should bee cut off betweene whom they thinke to bee a great difference of wordes but little or none at all of things that God is alike deare to each Church and that the liturgie of each is alike accepted of God that saluation is in both when each doth rest vpon Christ the foundation that a Papist may although halting come to heauen and that the hatred of Papists is not so great as we make it and that it is not conceiued by their owne accord but that it is encensed by such bitter disputations and that the quarrell had been ended if certaine hot spirited Theologians had not encreased the controuersie These luke-warme Christians that seeme to bee of no side and of both sides seeme to dispute soberly and politickly But your religious wisedome Christian Reader doth better vnderstand that the Romane Synagogue is full of idolatrie and that it doth therefore hate God and by Moses iudgement is againe hatefull to God neither was Caine prouoked with any iniurie of Abels but by his owne malice and hatred of godlines And though both of them were wont to sacrifice to God in Adames house yet Caines sacrifice was reiected Abels accepted and the worke pleased God for the person not the person for the worke that which Saint Gregorie gathereth out of Moses because the person was first made righteous by faith as the Apostle taught Heb. 11. and that therefore there is no lesse difference of worship and faith betweene a Protestant and a Papist then was betweene Caine and Abell And that the Synagogues anger against our Church is as implacable as Caines against Abell and Ismaels against Isaac and that before it was stirred vp with the blast of contention it was moued with hatred of the promise And as the hatred of Ismael against the promise which he derided being couered with a visard of circumcision brake out against the sonne of the promise so the hidden and secret hatred of the Synagogue of Rome against the holy scriptures the tables of the promise as I said being couered with a certaine shew of voluntarie religion did greiuously breake and burne out against our Church the heire of the promise so that Agar doth not leaue off to persecute Sara againe the Haidmayde her Mistris in the house of Abraham And when it can bee proued that Caines sacrifice was as well accepted of God as Abels then I will grant that the Papists Masse be as acceptable to God as the Liturgie of the Protestants and when it can be euicted that Christ alone apprehended by faith without our workes is not the foundation of the church I wil grant that the same is the foūdation of both Churches Lastly when it shall appeare that Ismael the sonne of the handmaide borne by the power of nature is coheyre of the house of Abraham with Isaac the sonne of the free woman borne by the force of the promise then I will grant that an obstinate Papist may come halting to heauen In the meane time I will warne these luke-warme and halting Protestant that they will giue sentence in Gods matters according to the certaine truth of God not out of their prevaricating charitie and that there be no middle counsell to be taken neither let them trust the Pope being more ioyntly and easily intreated by them will be the more easie and gentle to them Whom we by short conclusions out of holy Paul and Iohn excellently expounded by notable worthies of our Church although a little more bitterly and roughly then seemeth good to some we shew to be Antichrist I confesse that this is a weighty and darke prophecie whose importance doth reiect the vanitie of tales whose obscuritie requireth more cleare light of interpretation So it falleth out sometime that the exposition is larger the conclusion shorter For a short exposition and a long conclusion are faultie alike when hard and controuersies of importance are handled For a short exposition wants light and a long conclusion wants sharpenesse of wit The Aduersarie doth offend in both while hee is busied in the interpretation of the prophecie for it doth lessen things of weight neither doth it make plaine matters obscure For hee doth depresse the excellencie of the prophecy by stuffing it vp with the vanitie of many fables and being satisfied with vncertaine coniectures of Fathers and with their naked names hath not driuen away the obscuritie So it falleth out that from strange and vnkinde expositions of the prophecie they gather weake and idle conclusions In the vnfoulding of this mysterie the holy fathers haue stood vs in good steed and more had if they had beene Prophets But whenas they Daniel being the Authour doe teach that the vnderstanding of the prophesie is to be taken from the performance of it and grant that truth is the daughter of time we that are fallen vpon the endes of times conferring all the parts of the prophecie betweene themselues with great study and reuerence and bringing light to the text out of the context and to the context out of the euent because Christ hath opened the booke that was sealed vp nor called it an a A thing sealed hidden apocrypse but an b A thing opened and reuealed apocalypse we do from thence more confidently drawe a conclusion not as an Article of faith but as asure demonstration of the doctrine of Christ Although the popish Synagogue which without any testimonie of Scripture makes this the thirteenth Article of their faith I beleeue that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ may iustly pardon the reformed Church if being taught by so many testimonies of Scripture it make this to be an Article of their faith I beleeue that the Pope is Antichrist Now I did foresee that when I made a looking glasse for Paul the 5. it would come to passe that the Iesuites who do so often traduce the King of great Britaine with their slanderous and infamous libels
and that which is crooked as the Philosopher well said yet let vs yeeld so much to our Aduersaries either ignorance or obstinacie that as wee haue brought out the true and right notes of Antichrist out of the text of Scripture so wee may refute the false and fained proceeding out of the braine of man Bellarmine writes honestly that the opinions of the Fathers about Antichrist which cannot be prooued out of the Scriptures are not to be held as certaine truths or to bee beleeued as matter of faith I would hee would follow his owne rule we should sooner agree among our selues And he hath reiected some of their fables in this cause the Scripture being his guide but I thinke hee refused other mens deuises herein that with greater authoritie he might shew foorth his owne Some of them as false and absurd others as more probable but false for all that both of them he doth reiect Why so I pray Because they cannot be prooued out of the Scripture Who would not thinke that this man dealeth with vs in good sooth Of the generation of Antichrist 1 Antichrist is not as he saith borne of a Virgin 2 He is not the Deuill as Hypolitus thought 3 He is not a Deuill incarnate 4 He is not Nero brought to life againe These opinions saith he are absurde Others are more probable neither true 1 Antichrist is not a bastard as Damascen said 2 He is not of the Tribe of Dan as 12. Fathers do thinke and all Papists almost besides Bellarmine Do you not see Paul the 5. how your Bellarmine reiecteth twelue Fathers in this cause and giues his own side the slippe He denieth the old Tribe of Antichrist we looke he should deny his Countrey anone Hee denieth him to be of Dan by and by he will deny him to be a Iew. For as for the Tribe of Dan Bellarmine alloweth Hyeromes opinion Why This cannot saith hee be prooued out of the Scripture Although for the Tribe diuers Papists bring texts as probable as Bellarmine doth for the nation But those this plaine dealing man forsooth hath reiected Doe you not see how your men disagree in this matter that you may no more tell our men of their disagreements CHAP. XXVIII Of the Nation Religion Office and seat of ANTICHRIST BVT Antichrist saith he shall be by Nation a Iew by Religion circumcised and for a time a keeper of the Saboth by his office Messias for he shall especially come for the Iewes sake and shall be accepted of them for Messias and he shall sit at Ierusalem in the Temple of God reedified by himselfe A lyer must beare a memorie Messias of the Iewes saith he shall come not in his owne name but in Gods name So Bellarmine Bellarmines contradiction But Antichrist shall come not in Gods name but in his owne saith Bellarmine Antichrist therefore is not the Messias of the Iewes But he proueth out of two places of the Scripture that Antichrist is the Messias of the Iewes one if another shall come in his owne name saith Christ Ioh. 5. him you shall receiue Whereout of a compound supposition of an indefinite person if another hee doth inferre a simple proposition definitely that is that Antichrist absurdly nor well applied to the purpose Which sets downe that that Antichrist shall come a little before the end of the world Those Iewes therefore whom Christ spake to then aliue now dead could not receiue Antichrist for Messias Vnlesse peraduenture as he tells vs Enoch and Elias shall returne before the end who shall resist Antichrist A great absurdity so he imagines the Iewes that Christ spake to shall rise againe before the generall resurrection to receiue Antichrist But see how vntowardly the parts of this tale hangs together For he saith That Enoch and Elias should be killed of Antichrist and after three daies and a halfe liue againe and that it shall come to passe afterward that the Iewes being conuerted by that miracle shall kill their Messias in the mount oliue and shall returne to Christ who shall come 45. daies after Which dreame of his he refuteth in another place which he bringeth The Apostle saith that to them who receiue not the loue of the truth to their saluation God will send the working of error to beleeue lies and so to be iudged with the iudgement of condemnation 2. Thess 2.9 Wo be to those saith he who haue not receiued Christ The Iewes Although the Apostle saith not who receiued not the truth 1. Christ but who receiued not the loue of the truth as false Christians But how shall God punish those Iewes God shall send vpon them the working of error that they might beleeue a lye 1 Antichrist and should bee damned Therefore the Iewes shall receiue Antichrist for Messias But Bellarmine doth affirme that the Iewes shall bee conuerted by Enoch and Elias and therefore shall bee saued The Apostle speaketh of men reiecting Christ and therefore to be condemned he speakes not therefore of the Iewes But the Apostle saith that Antichrist is sent to them who would not receiue Christ which of the Iewes is true of the Christians false Yea he saith that he is sent to seduce those who haue not receiued the loue of truth which doth well agree with the Papists those false-christians Who although they receiue Christ The Papist receiue Christ but not the loue of Christ receiue not the loue of Christ But the Apostle speaketh of the time past Who haue not receiued the loue of truth not in the future Therefore he vnderstandeth the Iewes who before the Apostle wrote this refused to beleeue the preaching of Christ and his Apostles But the Apostle speaking of the sinne and punishment of Antichristians which presupposeth a sinne going before did expresse their sinne in the pretertense which is not to be referred to the time of the Epistle which Paul writ but to the time of the punishment which he enioyned But if the Iesuite doe vrge the pretertense so farre as if the Apostle should vnderstand that Antichrist should be receiued of them only who had reiected Christ before that time hee must hold that he must be receiued of them in the end of the world who were dead a thousand fiue hundred yeares before And is not this a worthy demonstration A popish absurdity whereby he proueth that Antichrist shall bee in Office the Messias of the Iewes to be receiued of them in the end of the world whence as one error begets another he concludeth that he is by nation a Iew by Religion circumcised c. I haue wonne it now that Antichrist is an Apostata-christian It followeth therefore that hee can by no meanes bee an Infidell Iew who as yet was not come to Christ I prooued that hee was an inward and hypocriticall enemy who denied Christ secretly indirectly It followeth then that the Iew no waies can be an outward and professed enemy who denieth Christ directly and plainely
derogation will statute decree and commandement or by any rash attempt to withstand it If any shal presume to attempt any thing against these let him know that he shall incurre the displeasure of almightie God and of blessed Peter and Paul his Apostles Giuen at Rome at Saint Peters in the yeare of the incarnation of our Lord 1564. in the Ides of Nouember and of our Byshopricke the first You haue heard of mee Calander the 12. open and § 131 knowne Articles of the Popes Creede Secret Articles drawne from the former Now if it please you take them which are drawne from them more hidden and vnknown I hope my old friend Saturnine will giue me leaue to open vnto you seeing your time is not long and are not farre from heauen and doe daily expect the houre of your departure to open I say to you the inward sense of the creede and to furnish you as it werewith prouision in this your iorney that when you depart hence Saint Peter the Porter of heauen may the sooner let you in being thus prouided The Masters speake wisedome among those that bee perfect they haue certaine hid mysteries all which they doe not lay open to all but some certaine to some as these are thought best to agree with their capacities and desires Neither will I poure out all I will reserue the mysticall sense of euery Article to be found out by the practise In the meane time by your fauour Saturnine the order being somewhat inuerted I will propound the primacy the eleuenth Article in order the first in authoritie whereon all the rest depend which I desire you with some of your best reasons to defend now rather then at any other time wherein it is fiercely impugned by the assaltes of the Heretickes of our time § 132 I beleeue therefore that Saint Peter was very certainly appointed in the Scripture to be the primate The primacy is the chiefe head of faith and the cheife foundation of the Catholike faith as Bellar in Torto most plainly grounded vpon the Scriptures and Prince of the Apostles and of the vniuersall Church and that the Pope of Rome Peters successor is the heire of this primacy and vniuersal principality in the whole who being the key-keeper of eternall life the Pastour of the vniuersall flocke the head and foundation of the vniuersall Church the infallible rule of faith the cheife iudge of all causes and persons hauing the same tribunall with Christ and the same consistorie in steade of Christ nay in steade of God nay as God himselfe vpon earth and therefore I hold him to bee reuerenced and worshipped I beleeue the chiefe inward power annexed to the primacy is of 2 sorts Sacred Temporall The sacred whereby the Byshoppe of Rome as the spirituall Lord can by excommunication driue away Kings and Princes from the flocke of Christ not onely Heretickes in the faith as rauening wolues but Catholickes also if they proue wicked as outragious rammes and to depriue them of all gouernment and free their subiectes from the Oath of fealty and Obedience The temporall whereby the Pope as Lord of the temporalties in earth can dispose of all crownes and them directly Princes saucily resembled to Wolues Rammes by Bellarmine or indirectly in order to the spiritualls as it set downe by you Saturnine in the former Dialogue can take from one and bestow vpon another as hee shall thinke it to be auaileable to the spirituall end And I vow and sweare spirituall obedience to the chiefe Prince my spirituall Byshoppe of Rome according to those mysticall rules which our Masters haue prescribed to the cureent right of the present Church and the preseruation of the same Here Saturnine you seeme not halfe wary enough § 133 Argentine said he who not contenting your selfe with a publicke profession of the faith Popish misteries not to be reuealed which Pius the 4. did prescribe especially to the more learned sort but haue published the hidden and secret Articles drawne from thence i. Mysteries as wee call them and that in the presence of Heretickes which before the creede was set out ought to haue beene beleeued of you but ought not to be reuealed It seemes then said Patriott as Aristotle had some strange bookes which he writ to all and other subtill bookes which he writ for them of the wiser sort which were said to be set out and not set out So the Pope hath some doctrine that is populare and other that is mysticall that many of the doctrines of your Church seem to be Proserpinaes mysteries Yet you see sometime how they fall from men that bee not so euill disposed and come abroad into the world Then Argentine as much as euer I hated heresie so § 134 much I loue the Catholicke faith whereof I need not be ashamed seeing Calander required it at my handes and you were present who can stoutly maintaine the same against any cauelling Hereticke whatsoeuer That was very necessarie said Calander seeing other were here who could as stoutly make answere Therefore let vs ignorant Lay-men learne let the learned teach It is your part to answere mine to demaund It is an olde song of the Papists a learner must beleeue but a truer a learner must aske You beleeue too many things Argentine as there be many men who bee too incredulous in many thtngs so I feare that in many things many be too credulous When we beginne to beleeue that wee ought not wee will not beleeue that wee ought How oft and that without cause may you heare it among vs It is a matter of faith which ranging out of the circuite of holy Scripture I suppose reacheth farther then it ought These doctrines therefore of the Catholicke faith as they are called which are brought by our men into the forme of a creed the state and drift of euery cotrouersie being briefly and truly propounded I could wish they were soundly disputed and discust by you But chiefly that primarie Article of the supremacy whereof I desire not to know all but the most chiefe pointes as also of the rest that the errors of the Church of Rome now doting for age as they be well obserued by certaine honest Pontificians may appeare vnto vs. § 135 Those certaine Pontificians Saturnine said must be very honest I warrant you that reproue our Father the Pope and accuse our mother the Church of dotage For whereas you desire to haue the Articles of the Catholicke faith discust Calander you are in a great error For they are in all humilitie to be receiued not curiously to be discussed For as Austen saith well the simplicity of beleeuing not the quicknesse of vnderstanding is required in a Christian man That he may with reuerence beleeue what the Church teacheth not wittily discusse it and may humbly submit himselfe to the iudgement of the Church without any discourse § 136 But said Calander if you confesse that our mother the Church hath
no errors The Pope of Rome doth erre by the Papists iudgement Peter de Aliaco a Cardinall Adrianus Pope The three Legates of the Trent councel I wonder that Peter de Aliaco a very learned Cardinall granted that there were many things not only in manners but in faith had neede of reformation Why did Adrian the sixt ill touching the fountaine it selfe say that all mischiefe came from the cheife Byshoppe into the whole Church and promised reformation of all things by his Legate Cheregatus to the Germaines I wonder also why the three Legates in the Councell of Trent did apply that Prophesie of Ieremy to themselues and to the popish people This people haue committed two great euills They haue forsaken mee saith the Lord the fountaine of liuing water and haue digged to themselues cisternes that can hold no water And in the Councell it selfe Cornelius the Byshoppe of Bitont did openly acknowledge the Apostasie of the Church of Rome in the chiefe heades both of doctrine and life I would to God saith he that they had not falne wholy from religion to superstition from faith to infidelitie from Christ to Antichrist from God to Epicurisme saying out of a wicked heart and with an impure mouth There is no God Neither did any Shepheard or Pope care for these things For all of them sought their owne and not one of them all sought for those things that belong to Iesus Christ § 137 I wonder also why after that Councell many not onely priuate Doctours did plucke in peeces the decrees of that Councell as Sixtus Senensis Canus The councell of Trent reiected by their owne side Lindanus the Byshoppe Catharinus Pighius Ouander Ferus and many more but Pope Pius himselfe confest that the worshippe of the Church of Rome had much swarued by continuance of time from the ancient institution Therefore these reuerend Doctours Cardinalls and holy Byshoppes doe giue mee both cause and leaue greatly to doubt Neither doe I desire only that the chiefe Articles of immediate Reuelation be discust which I embrace with all faith and reuerence but these articles of the second sort which are supposed to be fetcht from the first and in truth doe altogether ouerthrow them For whereas by the aduice of Austen the simplicitie of beleeuing noâ— the quickenesse of vnderstanding is required not an humble desire of learning things necessarie but a curious desire to seeke after high mysteries is forbidden by him For the simplicitie of beleife Implicite faith blinde Idoll doth as well shut out brutish ignorance as presumptuous knowledge I can therefore no longer adore that blinde Idoll implicite faith whereby we are taught to receiue with all reuerence what the Church teacheth and to beleeue as the Church beleeueth though wee doe not well know what the Church beleeueth Bellarm de iustific lib. 1. cap. 7. Neither can I giue credit to Bellarmine saying that faith doth consist in the assent not in knowledge and may better be defined by ignorance then vnderstanding Whence our learned aduersaries do too truly conclude that as Cleargy poperie was before nothing else but a catechisme of treason so Laicke-popery was nothing else but meere idiotisme and as they worthily laugh at the fox-like craft of our Doctors so likewise the asse-headed ignorance of our schollers Such faith which the colliar had so commended by Staphilus A certaine colliar being at the poynt of death Apolâ—g Staphi pars 1. pag. 53. was tempted by the Diuell and demanded what faith he held the colliar answered I beleeue and die in the faith of the Church of Christ The Colliars faith And beeing againe demanded what was the faith of the Church answered as it § 138 were in a circle it is that faith that I holde and so the Diuell being vanquished by this answer fled away if we may beleeue Staphilus Therfore the faith of a Romish Catholike is the Colliars faith that is a circular faith I pray you Saturnine teach mee first before I giue my assent and write to that reuerend Bellarmine that hee will prouide that implicite faith which is nothing else but blinde and affected ignorance bee put out of the creede wherewith the grauity and wisdome of the Catholike religion is greatly defaced I haue learnt at last to distinguish between the fictions of mans braine and the doctrines of Christian faith the foundations wherof are not the opinions of men but the oracles of God and those which are committed to writing by the Prophets and Apostles by inspiration of God wherein all necessarie principles of faith and precepts of life are plentifully contained as I heare it affirmed by the fathers Let vs now come to the creed § 139 Wherein first I demand whether the supremacy of Peter with such things as depend thereon haue her foundation directly in the Scripture as the Cardinall writeth in Tortus For I hold no doctrin necessary to be beleeued vnlesse it bee founded on the Scripture as Pope Gregorie the first reacheth I am a bad Text-man and I reade the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles but seldome the reading whereof the Church hath forbidden to vs lay-men fearing lest by reading we should fall into heresies But I am both ashamed and repent of that my ignorance and negligence Yet I leaue not off to reuerence the fathers both olde and new whose sonne I professe my felfe to bee and not their seruant I account them for schollers in the Scripture not masters witnesses and interpreters thereof not arbitrators and iudges Neither am I so much mooued with their names as with their reasons I seeke not then what they bring out of themselues but what they prooue out of the Scripture in the cause of faith I will henceforth admit of no definition of the Church vnlesse it relie vpon a manifest testimonie of holy Scripture or at the least a necessarie conclusion drawen from thence I will not haue the matter ordered by bare authority but let thing with thing cause with cause and reason striue with reason neither am I led with the number of arguments but with the waight * Number doth oppresse the memory waight doth beget knowledge Neither am I delighted with circumstances I desire breuity And I will preferre one sound argument shortly and directly concluded out of the Scripture before all the quirkes of men brought for pompe and shew Neither will I suffer any of you to leape from this one poynt to another before I see this bee fully sifted and discussed among you Buckle vp your selfe therefore Saturnine to set the onset and confirme the supremacy of Peter and the succession of the Pope and that power which you say is annext to the supremacie out of the holy Scripture but that you may not swarue from the state of the question remember that you are to prooue the primacy not of order and distinction which is granted to Peter but the primacy of power and iurisdiction which is denied For
another whereof is mention to the Ephesians where he vnderstandeth not Peter only but all the Apostles as they be Doctors of the Church are the doctrinall or instructing foundations as it is in the Apocalypse where the Apostles are accounted the 12 foundations of the house of God § 158 Let Saturnine now come and himselfe be iudge whether he can call the person of Peter the rocke and the foundation of the Church If he affirme it still for I know his wrangling and neuer yeelding wit let him say likewise that Peter was borne for vs dyed for vs rose againe for vs and ascended into heauen for vs that Peter was made of God for vs wisdom iustice sanctification redemption satisfaction purging life glory that our faith and confidence is as well vpon Peter as vpon a foundation as vpon Christ For Christ in this sense is both the rocke and foundation of the Church Do you not see Calander these mens open blasphemie Popish blasphemie who haue called Peter and in him the Pope the second foundation of the Church to me truly there can be no more deadly plague than they who make a meere man the rocke of the Church But they make a holy man but a man as Marie a blessed woman but a woman when as shee is said to breake the Serpents head as Peter a holy man but a mortall man and a sinner And then hardly a man when fearing death he denied life as Gregorie saith yet they call him the rocke whom Christ afterward called Sathan Who put such a weake and slender foundation of Christ his Church what other thing do they offer to the world than that which the Atheist may scoffe at and the Iewes detest Let them leaue of therefore any more to be madd with the disgrace and hurt of the Church and let them confesse the only sonne of God to be the eternall foundation of the eternall Church But the names of King Lord Bishop Pastor and § 159 the like giuen to Christ are giuen to Kings and Priests We confesse and acknowledge that such names as expresse his ministerie giuen to Christ may be giuen to Magistrates either ecclesiasticall or ciuill after a certaine manner but that those names which do expresse the neerest coniunction of Christ and his Church Certaine names giuen to Christ not to be giuen to men by the power whereof life and saluation is deriued vnto vs as the names of Head Rocke Foundation that those should be giuen to any mortall man whatsoeuer in respect of the whole Church that we deny againe and againe But the Fathers call Peter the rocke wherevpon Christ hath founded his Church as Ierome and diuers other Fathers affirme Cusan lib 2. de cencord eccles cap. 13. But your Cardinall Cusan hath answered before out of Ierome although Peter by the rocke is to be vnderstood the stone of the foundation yet agreable to him the other Apostles were likewise the stones of the Church as Apoc 21. twelue stones The rest rocks as well as Peter therefore so many Apostles so many foundations which is spoken in respect of the Apostolicall doctrine as Paul before expounded it Other and that more iustly vpon this rocke I will build my Church expound it of Christ as Austin August â—e verb D m secund Mat Sâ—m 13. Thou therefore saith he art Peter and vpon this rocke which thou hast confessed vpon this rocke which thou hast acknowledged saying Christ the only rocke Thou art the sonne of the liuing God I will build my Church that is I will build my Church vpon my selfe the sonne of the liuing God vpon my selfe I will build thee not my selfe vpon thee And Gregorie Christ saith he doth call himselfe the rocke Other call the faith and confession of Peter the rocke Chrysost serm de Pent Homil. 55. in Matth Hilar. de Trin lib 2. as Chrysostome Vpon this rocke saith hee not vpon this Peter for hee buildeth not his house vpon a man but vpon faith And Hilarie There is one immoueable foundation there is one blessed rocke of faith confessed by the mouth of Peter Thou art the sonne of the liuing God vpon this rock of confession is the Church builded this faith is the foundation of the Church Ambros in Ephes cap. 2. And Ambrose The Lord said to Peter vpon this rocke I will build my Church .i. vpon this catholike confession of faith Faith therefore is the foundation of the Church for there is nothing said of the flesh of Peter but of the faith of Peter because the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it § 160 Out of whose most weighty witnesses that I may reckon no more I gather this argument not to be excepted against That according to Scripture and Fathers which Peter confessed that wherein he beleeued was and is the rocke But Peter confessed Christ not himselfe Peter beleeued in Christ not in himselfe Therefore according to Scripture and Fathers not Peter but Christ was and is the rocke which argument may be gathered out of venerable Bede Beda in cap 21. Johan who writeth that Christ was the rocke vpon which foundation euen Peter himselfe was to be built The ground whereof agreable to the Scripture may be fetcht out of Peter de Alliaco Pet de Alliacâ— recommen scrip pag. 269. a reuerend Cardinall of Rome a very eager maintayner of the Popes supremacie who notwithstanding being ouercome with the light of that truth By the rocke saith he Peter doth not seeme to be vnderstood but Christ. For who can ground the strength of the Church vpon Peters weaknes whereof aske but the damosell that kept the dore and she will answer you that Peter being frighted at her word as Gregorie saith while he feared death denyed life Wherefore seing Peter did stagger and his Vicar hath no fast footing and seing Bishops them-selues doe so greatly differ about the chiefe Priesthood of Peter and Priests wrangle about their chiefe Priest who dare presume to say any man of what sanctitie or dignitie soeuer whether he be Priest or chiefe Bishop whether it be Peter or Peters Vicar or any other whosoeuer but Christ himselfe to be the foundation of the Christian Church Christ therefore hath founded his Church vpon himselfe as a most sure foundation against the synagogue of Satan and vpon this rocke hath surely grounded Peter himselfe of whom hee spake that former sentence vpon this Rocke These are the words of Peter de Alliaco You would thinke that Luther or Caluin were speaking And yet Cardinall Bellarmine was so saucie as to § 161 apply the prophecie of Esay of the chosen stone Blasphemie subscribed to by the popish pretious corner stone a sure foundation placed in Sion to the Pope sur reuerence This hath that base slaue of Antichrist deliuered against the most manifest exposition of Peter 1 Pet 2. to whom Tho Aquin. Cardinall Caictan and Maldonat and Fererius Iesuites and many
with their decrees The popish levvd dealing Here the Popes side haue brought in so many voluntarie corruptions forgeries impostures wherewith they might foyste in false Canons and blot out true that they who haue dealt so deceitfully are rightly deemed to haue a bad cause Lastly wee brought into open view not only the doctrine and practise of Christ and Peter that the literall sense hath reproued this supremacie which the allegoricall sense of the Scripture did not proue and that literall sense is confirmed not only by the testimonie of the ancient Fathers and Doctors of our owne side but by the testimonie of the very Papists themselues So that this tower of Babylon being not only bereft of her rotten weake vpholders but being also thrust at by our strongest engines that is by the decrees of the Church and oracles of scripture must needs be shaken in peeces and fall to the groud Therefore the supremacie of Peter that in Bellarmines iudgement is a transcendent thing aboue all by the censure of the Scripture is nothing at all and the succession of the Pope is not from the institution of Christ as they say but from the fact of Peter and this fact is proued not by any certaine reuelation but by an vncertaine vision Behold why the primacie of Bellarmine in Tortus did vaunt that this article of the catholike faith had a sure ground in the Scriptures And now marke Calander to what passe all Bellarmines deuises are brought The deposing of a King hangeth on the excommunication of the Pope the power of excommunication is vnited to the supremacie the supremacie hath the beginning from a Primate but the Primate though hee be narrowly fought for yet cannot possibly be found in the text Where is then the supremacie where is the power of excommunicating Kings where is the right of deposing them Truly your Primate hath either a bad title or a bad Patron But the Patron is said to be very good therefore the title is very bad But the Papists will accept any thing at his hands as he hopeth with whom if hee preuaile in this cause it is more for the credulitie of the Readers than the wisdome of the Writer Then Regius The supremacie being ouer-turned that double power which is so annexed to the supremacie must needs be ouer-turned the spirituall and the temporall The spirituall whereby as a Bishop by excommunication hee thinks hee may driue from their kingdomes Kings that are in opposition whether Heretikes or Roman-Catholikes The temporall whether it be direct or indirect whereby hee may as the chiefe spirituall Prince take the Crowne from one and bestow it at his pleasure vpon another But of the temporall we shall see afterward Excōmunication the mother of rebellion Now let vs consider of the spirituall This great Sophister when the Pope of Rome purposed to shoot his venemous arrow at the head of the Prince he bent the Popes bowe with this double power as it were with a double stringe that if the temporall did faile the spirituall should hit him home Which if I should not accompt holy as the desire of gold is holy I should lye For this tricke of popish excommunication wherewith he bindeth Kings that they cannot raigne or absolue subiects that they doe not obey the world hath felt long since that it is but a diuelish arte as Vrshergensis saith which hath brought in treacherie and rebellion vnder the cloake of faith and religion dreadfull to Kings damnable to subiects to whose bodies it hath brought destruction and damnation to their soules as appeareth manifestly by the former Dialogue § 222 Then Saturnine We saith he for our parts do not greatly care what Heretikes say what the Church ordeynes that we regard neither are we bound to their conceits but to hir decrees And wee retayne the supremacie by a double right by claime and by possession About the claime the Heretikes haue often moued many brawles from the possession they shall neuer remoue vs. Then Regius you say that you regard the constitutions of the Church as you call them I wish rather you should regard the oracles of Scripture You say that you hold the supremacie by a double right by clayming and by possessing The Pope is falne from the right of a great claymer as Patriott hath plainly won Now at the last you vrge another right of a great possessor which what is it else than the right of a strong theefe For what other law belongs to theeues than to brag that that which they possesse is their owne howsoeuer they haue got it Now seing the supremacie is not grounded vpon Gods institution but mans ambition which you see to be clearely ouerthrowne by the oracles of the scripture and decrees of the Councells it followeth now that the serpents head being broken we breake in peeces likewise the rest of his members Then Calander Saturnine seemes to bee driuen to straites when as being beaten from the right of clayming he flyeth to possession That therfore you may haue a breathing time let vs put of the conference about the other Articles till another day for now it is more than time that you refresh your minds being tyred with the labor of this discourse A Table of the principall matters conteyned in this Treatise A. ABomination of desolation what is ment thereby 82. 90 Absurdities 78. 108. 133 An admonition to popish Princes 156. Adrian against Fredericke choakt with a flye 253. Agathus obedience to Constantine 249 The oath of Allegeance and Supremacie confounded 240 Ambrose did obey Valentinian an Arrian 248 Alexander the 3. in a Cooks attyre 374 Alexander and his foure Princes 99 Alexander trod vpon the Emperors necke 254 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof it is a note 6. Antichrists type in Daniel himselfe in Iohn 2. The reasons 98. Hee began to worke in Pauls time 2. He must decay by the preaching of the word and perish at Christs last comming 793. Epiphanes described in Daniel not Antichrist 3. Hee shall worke wonders 3. Hee is held for one single man 5. The reasons ib but is a succession 9. Antichrist hath two hornes like a lambe speaketh like a dragon 5. 40. Antichrist is Christs Vicar in apparance in truth his aduersarie 6. Antichrist not a beast of three yeares and a halfes continuance 8. Heresies makes the great Antich 8. 28. Antichrist is the Land beast 9. As many Marij in one Caesar so many Antichrists in one Antichrist 11. He is that man of sinne and sonne of perdition 11. Antichrist in many ages yet but one 11 The popish description of Antich 12 a bearer 39 Antichrist a falling starre an Apostata a Renegate from the Lord. 13 He is not a Iew but an Apostaticall Christian 15. He sitteth in the temple of God or against the temple 17 He doth not openly deny Christ 19 Antichrist denieth Christs two natures three offices and the benefits therof 20. 21. 26. 27 His kingdome darke and smoakie
to my selfe that I might lay open the new creede of faith gathered out of the new Articles of faith both open and secret by the Byshoppe of Rome himselfe not so much for our owne Countrimen that are Papists whom if so many bookes so excellently set foorth in English cannot satisfie nothing at all can satisfie as in a Latine Dialogue for their sakes that are in forrain parts And this Dialogue is diuided into three bookes whereof two of them are now set forth the third God willing which at this time lieth in scattered papers if my health will permit shall be committed to print assoone as may be In all which I first bring in a certaine Iesuite Robert Saturnine a turbulent and wicked fellow who with his choisest arguments doth egerly defend heresie and treason And I ioyne with him for an answerer Antonius Patriotta an Orthodoxall Diuine Cicero You know the manner of Dialogues that men speake those things in them which they neuer spake Therefore Saturnine will happily complaine that those things are laid to his charge which he neuer spake whenas I dare religiously affirme that this factious Priest doth not vse onely the arguments of the chiefest Iesuits but their methode and their wordes chiefly of Alan Bellarmine and Parsons that any of them in all things may seeme to be Robert Saturnine I haue prefixed before the Dialogue a true looking-glasse for the Pope i. a liuely picture of Antichrist prophetically drawne out by S. Paul and S. Iohn expounded by the antient Fathers as farre as they could foresee and by the new more certainely by the euent I thought good to set it together with short conclusions prest to that end wherein the Pope with all his rabble may discerne himselfe For the order of nature did require that he should euict the Pope to be Antichrist which appeareth by the Glasse who had a purpose to proue poperie to be Antichristianity which is taught in the Creede I thought good to set before them both the Glasse of Christ and a short compendium of Christianity fetcht out of the Gospell and expressed in my Epistle to the Christian Reader For you know that two duties belong to the Minister one that hee preach Christ sincerely the other that he plainely lay open Antichrist as that worthy man and Martyr of God Iohn Husse thought in his time Now all this I know not how little or nothing fathers and brethren I submit to your iudgement and commit to your patronage For those reasons which seemed equall to me to take in hand the defense of the busines should seem so to you for the defense of my person I when I read that there was mention made of the popish creede by our men but saw that it was laid open by none to my knowledge of set purpose with any of their discourses I tooke the matter in hand not so much in hope to performe that I should doe as for desire to trie what I could doe hoping thereby to stirre vp other mens cares who can deale in the busines more learnedly and eloquently You haue hitherto heard why I vndertooke this labor now if it please you vnderstand why I dedicated it to you For when I perceiued that the whole body of Religion was to be handled by me in this Creed I thought good most humbly to call together the Religious Clergie to bee Patron of this worke of whom the Romish Clergie haue taken so many deadly blowes that they feare no Clergies forces and blowes more and whom it greeueth them to see endowed of God with so many excellent parts of pietie knowledge tongues and prophesie Therefore that great Tiberine fisherman when as his trade of fishing began to be laid aside and waxe cold because that certaine great fishes had broken out of his netts torne and worne for age drew vnto him certaine skilfull workemen out of our Vniuersities with deceitfull rewards who might mend againe the netts being so tatterd and torne and make them fit to catch not Soules but Crownes and those whom he first caught with his golden baite as fishes he sent backe againe as fishermen Whereto agreeth that of Martiall He sent vs great rewards but sent them on a hooke How can the fish on fisherman in louely manner looke With the same cunning deceipt he doth daily endeuour to entangle young learned students and to entise them with deadly gifts vnto him that they may helpe and vphold his forlorne and desperate quarrell Wherein he seemes to be like to that Pithius the vsurer in Cicero Cic Offic 3. who that he might cosen Cannius a plaine countrey Gentleman calld to him all the fishermen and taught them what they should do that they should fish altogether and bring the fish when it was caught and lay them at his feete by which deuise hee might sell his farme at a dearer rate So the Bishop hath sent for fishermen out of Germanie Which is the Popes signet but chiefly out of England vnder the ring of the fisherman who should secretly returne to the fish ponds whence they came and being caught themselues should catch others and should bring their boates and fishes of all sorts to him that by that meanes he might make the marchandise of his Church the more salable This is the Bishops cunning Was this the reason he allured our youth vnto him with rewards and placed them in his Colleges of Rome and Rhemes that he should send them backe twise worse than hee found them This cousenage of our young men wherewith this grand cousoner of the world doth vphold his seat is to be preuented with all the aduise we can Whereby hee doth plainly shew what great confidence he puts in our mens witts wherewith he perceiueth that the tower of Babylon is both most egerly defended and impugned in this age of ours Hee hath none of his side more learned than the English-Priests chiefely the Iesuites who that they might infect the English write in English in the iudgement of wisemen elegantly in the iudgement of fooles probably that they may supply that by the goodnes of their style which is wanting to the goodnes of their cause Neither yet doe they bring any new matter but they pol sh and trim ouer their old stuffe obiected a hundred times by their side and refuted a hundred times by ours and they cast a new colour and flourish ouer there thred-bare and withered arguments that the Iesuites schoole may seeme to haue refined old poperie as Medea did Pelia with her enchantments The discription of a Papist But it doth bewray in the encounter both her feare and diffidence while she doth enlarge the Canon with the Apocriphals diminish the Scripture with her traditions ouerthrow the originall with her translation peruert the text with her glosse In the meane while she sends out bookes wherein she stuffes out hir arguments concluded commonly out of meere allegories enforced proportions lame similitudes fained miracles foolish
reuelations naked names of Fathers hired testimonies of Scholemen which she I must confesse hath furnished with fine words and well polished and with a curious composition of sentences attiring the Romaine harlot with all her trimmings with the entisements whereof the vnstable and vnwary young age of many may be caught and deceiued Vpon the Fauorers of which bookes who either bring them ouer to vs or by reading defend them or giue them to other to be read with allowance of them I wish that punishment might be inflicted D. Ed. Cok. do com place in his Epistle prefixed before the case of Postnati which a most Reuerend Iudge declareth to be prescribed by law The authors of these bookes assoone as the Italian ayre hath blowne vpon them do thinke the northerne people to be scarce men who write against them though they write with a better conscience and greater faithfulnesse then themselues For they hold themselues to the true Canon they trust wholy to the writen word they go to the originall The discription of a Protestant they haue the same text and commentarie but that they bring in the Apostles breaking the way and the Fathers following after as witnesses of their owne times as those that iudge the Apostles in a matter of faith are to hee harkened vnto without the Fathers and not the Fathers without the Apostles So they doe not play with reedes in their hands like the Aduersaries but strike thorow with their dartes neither doe they alleage arguments without testimonies or testimonies without argumentes which they doe not reckon vp for number but consider for the weight neither do they deceitfully vrge parcells taken out of the body of the Scripture as the Aduersaries who read them reported out of some magistrall booke or other but alleage them being furnished with all circumstances that from thence they may inferre and vrge the truth neither doe they follow after types and allegories but search out the inward substances and natures of things neither doe the vse any whorish trimmings but such sound and sober ornaments which become the cause of God Fearefull opponents great Orators such as many more are to be esteemed who doe not write whose stinges if any shall thinke are lost because they lye close he is much deceiued By hearing of whose learned Lectures and Sermons and reading their bookes I ingenuously confesse I come better instructed and prepared to defend the cause That as we read the familie of the Scipios were borne to the ruine and ouerthrow of Carthage so me thinke I may hope that our Clergie is borne againe of God and sent into the world to the vtter ruin and destruction of Rome Whom therefore may I better desire to be the Patrone of my labors then that Clergie that is the fatall vanquisher of Rome I may adde thereto that seeing my selfe in the former course of my life haue beene ioyned with many notable men in the Vniuersitie either in the fellowshippe of studies or in the Court in the dutie of preaching or in conuersation in the bond of friendship I thought by this my dutifull Dedication I should renew the memorie of our acquaintance in Christ Last of all who is ignorant that our writers when once they haue stirred vp more earnestly the God of this world and haue touched Antichrist to the quicke with what virulent calumniations the professed enemies will traduce them And it is not to be wondered at if they spare not their bookes whose throates they would cut and detract from their good names whose liues they seeke after who when they cannot doe mischiefe to good men by themselues will attempt to effect it by false brethren If this were done in the greene tree how much more in the withered and if they deale thus with the tale Cedars how will they presse downe the meane trees and lower shrubbs The greater is my hope that it will come to passe that they who write being moued with the sense of their iniurie and they that do not write being moued with the goodnes of the cause will by their authoritie maintaine another that offers himselfe to danger for the glory of Christ For the Doctors and writers in the cause of the Gospell as they be most odious to such as bee wicked so should they be most deare to them that be well giuen For these causes Fathers and Brethren I haue thought good to haue these my small labours to be most humbly and dutifully dedicated vnto you in whose religion I thought faithfulnesse in whose doctrine assistance in whose loue comfort and in whose authority helpe did consist You haue seene as I said at the first the insolencie of the Papists your Fathers haue felt their crueltie you cannot neither ought you to forget the powder or rather the Iesuits treason which threatned the Kingdome the massacres of Paris and the Church the fires of Queene Marie whose imbers the Pope your old friend O ye Clergie of England doth hide and couer he doth well remember your dutie he forgets not your loue toward him Against your argument drawne from the Scripture he fetcheth his drawne from the fagots You passe ouer the fire couered ouer with false ashes Therefore that which ministreth occasion to many to write the same must be an occasion for all to take heed And that which was cause to me to seeke for your patronage and helpe the same should be the cause of stirring vp our zeale and watchfulnesse GOD preserue the KING and Kingdome GOD defend the Clergie the most flourishing of the whole world being the eye of the Kingdome from the iniuries and treacheries of all their enemies Your Lordships and Your worships most deuoted in Christ LEONEL SHARPE THE EPISTLE to the Christian READER Wherein the glasse of Christ and Christianitie is conteyned YOV are not ignorant Christian Reader that the hatred of the Synagogue of Rome hath been a long time very deadly and open against the reformed Church and that it hath been secret against the Scripture and couered ouer with a shadow of outward Religion and a vayle of deuotion For although shee be much moued with the enuy at our florishing Church and with the iniurie of her owne beauty so despised yet because shee feeleth hirselfe so wounded in her head with a weapon from heauen cast by the hand of man shee is no lesse angry with God that gaue the weapon than with man that cast it Which if it were not so truly shee would neuer haue endured so many a Aesops fables a nose of waxe a shipmans hose a Delphian sword blacke and inkie Diuinitie Scripture men inckie Diuines slanders so wickedly prophanely vtterd against the holy Scripture to haue been published in print shee would neuer haue furthered such deuises in her inward Laterane Conclaue which should haue framed b Matth Paris in Hen 3. pag 104. a new Gospell c Liâ—â— consor Franâ—isi pag 304. a new Iesus d The Bull of Pius