is the cause why you enuie parishes that benefit which they reape by the presence of their pastors whereby you want that opportunitie which you desire to seduce the people for as Hierome saith Statim vt oues suas recedere velle de proprio grege viderit diabolus fremit irascitur furit perire sibi existimans quicquid Christo seruatur The diuell as soone as he seeth that his sheepe will goe from him he fretteth rageth thinking it a losse to him that is gained to Christ. I say no more at this time but pray as the Apostle saith that God may giue you and the rest that are blinded repentance that yee may know the truth and come to amendement out of the snare of the diuell And I would haue you thus thinke as Hierome saith Nostra correptio viuificatio est vt haeresi moriens viuas catholicae fidei Our correption is but a viuification or quickening that dying vnto heresie you may liue to the veritie And as Agesilaus sent this salutation to vaine Menecrates that he wished him a sound mind the like I wish vnto you from hence foorth I would you did not put vs to more busines to your owne cost least as Demades said to the Athenians that they neuer would decree or agree vnto peace without blacke garments when they first had smarted for their rash aduentures so you be forced to hold your peace with griefe and shame If reason will content you you are answered but if you will brabble still I can affoord you a moneths worke at any time as I haue done now though I desire to be occupied in more profitable studies And so I conclude with Hierome against Vigilantius Si dormitantius in mea rursus maledicta vigilauerit nequaquam illi breui lucubratiuncula sed tota nocte vigilabo If this drowsie writer shall watch againe to raile and speake euill of me I will awake for him not by short fits but whole nights Thus for this time I take my leaue of you Christian and curteous reader wishing you heartily to farewell in the Lord. Your heartie welwiller in the Lord and seruant to all that serâ—e God A. W. TO THE MOST HONOVRABLE AND RIGHT NOBLE LORD the Lord Dukes Grace of Lenox A. W. wisheth encrease of grace and vertue in this life and euerlasting saluation in the next THe holie Euangelist S. Luke writing his Gospell to noble Theophilus saluteth him by the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is most worthie or excellent and the same Euangelist doubteth not to call the brethren of Beroea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more noble and honourable because they receiued the word with all cheerefulnes Whereby the Scripture teacheth that vertue and pietie doe bring foorth true nobilitie diuine grace being added to a noble race doth make it more honourable and true Religion graft into a Princelie generation is more admirable For whereas to bee highly descended of an ancient house is but an humane priuiledge as hee well saith Noble birth is excellent but yet a gift from the parents True pietie doth make vs as the Apostle saith that we be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partakers of the diuine nature 2. Pet. 1. vers 4. This your Grace I know and am well assured is not ignorant of nor vnexpert in and as your owne nation doth hold you a right Christian Peere and both a zealous professor and a constant protector of the Gospell so wee trust that this Church and Countrie to the which you are happily arriued shall finde you One said of Plato Non accepit Platonem nobilem Philosophia sed fecit Philosophie receiued not Plato noble but rendred him he was not noble when he entred but noble after he had profited in the studie of Philosophie But your Honour both the Church receiued noble by natural propagation at your first entrance and by continuance shal make you more noble by the fruites of your spirituall regeneration Iphicrates when one Harmodius descended of the auncient and noble Harmodius obiected to him the basenes of his birth thus prudently answered My nobilitie beginneth in me and yours endeth in you But your Honour noble Duke as it began not with you being deriued from your honorable parents so I trust it shall not die or end in you being continued by vertue Now then seeing God hath exalted you to the honour of this life aduanced you to the fauour of your Prince hath giuen you both the priuiledge of nature in your noble condition and the praeeminence of grace in your Christian profession it must be your care to honour God who hath so highly honoured you to be a faithfull Steward according to your honourable name of your greatnes that Religion by you may flourish and waxe great of your fauour with your Prince to countenance the truth and promote good causes We hartely pray that you may be to his Maiestie as an Hur to hold vp Moses hands which we trust notwithstanding shall remaine steadie without any prop and as a faithfull Eliakim to be as a sure naile vpon the which wee may safely hang next vnder our Hezekiah the vessels of the Church the affaires of Religion God make you as a Ionathan to Dauid a friend to the faithfull as an Ahikam to Ieremie a Patrone of the Prophets as a Gamaliel to the Apostles a mediatour and aduocate for the innocent Concerning my enterprise at this time as I haue alreadie presented to his Christian Maiestie a generall treatise of all controuersies of Religion betweene vs and the Papists as a pledge of my seruice and dutie and testimonie of my ioy so vnto your Grace as a principall helper vnder him and a pillar and Peere of the kingdome I haue beene bold to offer this small book a defence of my former writings against the cauillous aduersarie as a token of my loue and signification of that hope which we all conceiue of you I will presume no further at this time to be troublesome I hartelie wish vnto you the Prophets Agurs moderation that you be neither too much lifted vp with prosperitie nor pressed downe with aduersitie like vnto Phocion that noble Athenian that was neuer seene either to laugh or weepe not to reioyce too much in worldly preferments nor to grieue too much at crossing discontentments yea I say with S. Paul to Agrippa God make you like that worthie Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not onely almost but altogether in the knowledge of Gods word in faith and zeale That as Zacharie prophecieth Holinesse shall be written vpon the horse bridles that your triumphes your warfare your martiall feates may be consecrate vnto God and sauour of religion that it may be said of you as Ambrose writeth of a religious Earle Quantum imperatori in bello militat tantum in pace militat saluatori He warreth in battell for the Emperour in peace for our Sauiour And
is read obtulit he offered Andrad in 4. defension 2. Bellarmine thus alleageth out of the canon of the Masse Quod tibi obtulit summus tuus sacerdos Melchisedech Which thy high Priest Melchisedech offered vnto thee libr. 1. de Miss cap. 6. 3. The Rhemists affirme that Melchisedech did offer in bread and wine Annot. in Heb. sect 8. It is false therefore that none of them reade obtulit be offered Secondly Bellarmine though he reade protulit he brought foorth yet vpon the vse of that word he groundeth the sacrifice of bread and wine and saith that it is idem quod offerre all one as to say offer the word 〈◊〉 iatsah signifieth to bring foorth yet it is alwaies saith he in the Scripture restrained to sacrifice lib. 1. de Miss c. 6. And againe wherefore with these words saith he brought foorth bread and wine are those ioyned and he was a Priest of the most high God Nisi vt intelligeremus paneÌ„ vinum à Melchisedecho prolatum vt offerretur Deo but that wee should vnderstand bread and wine to haue been brought foorth of Melchisedech to be offered to God Let any indifferent man now iudge whether Bellarmine doth not by force of that word which is the same as he saith as to offer and the Rhemists which say Melchisedech offered in bread and wine establish the sacrifice of the Masse Both these lies then and vntruths are forged out of the Detectors malicious braine and shaped in his vncharitable conceit so that we may say to him in Augustines words Homini homo falsus docendus fallax cauendus prius magistrum bonum posterius discipulum cautum desyderat A false man is to be instructed a deceitfull to be auoided the first requireth a good teacher the latter a warie learner Academic 2. 5. Though I be out of hope to reforme this false slaunderer yet I trust the reader will take heede of such a deceiuer The third Slaunder SYnops. p. 63. of the latter edition because it is affirmed that the Communion in one kind was forged and inuented and decreed in the Councell of Constance not aboue two hundred yeeres agoe A grosse vntruth saith the Detector because both Thomas Aquinas and Alexander Hales long before allow the Communion vnder one kind and the same Councell of Constance saith it was consuetudo ab ecclesia diutissimè obseruata a custome long obserued of the Church The Defence FIrst who seeth not the cauilling spirit of this Libeller that hunteth after syllables and catcheth after words the defender was not ignorant that this superstitious vse of receiuing in one kinde was in hammering and deuising before the Councell of Constance but that it then onely began to be enforced and decreed as necessarie to be obserued of all that no Priest vnder paine of excommunication should minister vnder both kinds to the people so that the forging inuenting decreeing spoken of is vnderstood of the necessitie of so receiuing whereas it was free before which was first inuented forged and imposed by that Councell Secondly that no such thing was generally obserued before it is euident Concil Matisconens 2. can 4. celebrate about anno 600. and Concil Vormatiens can 31. anno 800. and Concil Bracarens 3. can 1. anno 670. or thereabout all which Councels allow the Communion vnder both kinds as they are alleaged Synops. pag. 560. to the which I referre the reader Thirdly Alexander Hales cited by the Libeller is alleaged by Bellarmine to bee of a contrarie iudgemeÌ„t to the rest of the Schoolmen whose opinion was that more spiritual fruite was receiued by communicating vnder both kinds then in one in 4. part sum qu. 53. memb 1. Fourthly what though this superstition might begin before the Councell of Constance yet it is cleere that it was but an humane inuention which is the thing the Defender would shew and this may appeare by the confession of the Councell it selfe that non obstante notwithstanding Christ did minister the Sacrament vnder both kindes of bread and wine c. similiter licet in primitiua ecclesia c. and likewise though in the Primitiue church this SacrameÌ„t were receiued of the faithfull vnder both kinds yet for all this it was decreed that this custome was rationabiliter introducta brought in vpon good reason I say then with Augustine to this shamelesse gainsayer that laboureth to conquer with lies Non bonum est homini hominem vincere sed bonum est homini vt eum veritas vincat volentem quia malum est homini vt eum veritas vincat inuitum It is not good for a man to ouercome a man but it is good for a man willingly to giue place to the truth for it is euil for a man against his will to be ouercome of the truth epistol 174. So it were better for this slaunderer to be ouercome of the truth and to confesse his fault then to seeke to ouercome with liâ—s The fourth Slaunder SYnops. pag. 6â— the name Christian was vsed in the Apostles time and by the Apostles themselues allowed but it is not certaine that the name Catholike came from the Apostles This the Libeller calleth a certaine vntruth and a lie because in the Apostles Creede we are taught to beleeue the holie Catholike Church and S. Iames Epistle hath the title of Catholike Epistle The Defence FIrst though it might be proued that the Apostles were the authors of the name Catholike yet is it not so certaine as that the name Christian came from them because this is directly expressed in scripture Act. 11. vers 26. The disciples of Antioch were the first that were called Christians but for the name Catholike no such proofe out of Scripture can be alleaged Wherefore in a charitable construction the words may be taken comparatiuely that one is not so certaine as the other The Creed called the Apostles is no Scripture but collected out of it and agreeable to it neither is it certaine whether it were made by the Apostles as it may appeare by that which Cyprian writeth of the article of the descension Sciendum est quod in Ecclesiae Romanae symbolo non habetur additum c. It is to be knowne that in the symbole of the church of Rome it is not added he descended into hell nor in the Churches of the East Cyprian in symbol If then the Apostles by their Apostolicall authoritie had set foorth the Creed it had been great presumption afterward to haue added vnto it Pacianus also Epistol ad Symprosian thus saith Sed sub Apostolis c. But thou wilt say vnder the Apostles no man was called Catholike admit it was so yet graunt this when after the Apostles there were heresies c. did not the Apostolike people require their surname whereby they might distinguish the vnitie of the incorrupt people c. Pacianus seemeth here to grant that the surname Catholike was not vsed in the Apostles time let
should make my choice I had rather be dispraised then praised of such As Antisthenes said when he was commended of certaine lewd persons I feare me saith he I haue done some euill because these commend me And Ambrose might haue told him Non credibile est bene posse eum viuere qui male loquitur It is not credible that he can liue well that speaketh euill in 4. ad Ephes. The 1. Corruption GReat exception is taken because wee reade Act. 3. 23. Whom the heauens must containe c. whereas it should bee translated according to the Greeke and Latin receiue c. The Correction 1. THis is no particular quarrell against the partie challenged but generall against the translation receiued 2. We reade indifferently in one translation receiue in another containe being both in sense all one 3. Gregorie Nazianzene so citeth this text as that it must bee vnderstood that Christ is contained in heauen orat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. Beza translateth the word better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 capere to containe or hold then the Latine recipere to receiue for this word in the English tongue is a compound but in the originall it is a simple 5. Whether we reade containe with Gregorie Nazianzene or hold with Beza or recipere to receiue with the Latine or excipere to receiue in as the Siriake translator or suscipere as Arias Montanus we will not greatly contend For howsoeuer it bee translated the words following vntill the time that all things be restored doe make it an inuincible place against Christs corporall presence in the Sacrament for if the heauens containe hold or receiue his bodie till his second comming till all things bee restored then his bodie before that time is not to bee expected on the earth The 2. Corruption SYnops. p. 165. He that putteth away a good conscience maketh shipwracke of faith A wilfull falsification for the Apostle speaketh not generally but that certaine repelling a good conscience made shipwrack about the faith 1. Tim. 1. 19. The Correction 1. BVt that this spider catcher is disposed to cauil he might well haue peceiued that the text of S. Paul is not here alleaged but a proposition from thence collected that whosoeuer doth put away a good conscience doth also make shipwracke of faith 2. And where the Apostle saith certaine this word maketh a distinction betweene those that haue faith and a good conscience whereof the Apostle speaketh in the beginning of the verse and them that make shipwracke of both not betweene some that make shipwracke of a good conscience and keepe faith and them which put away both but the Apostle speaketh in generall of all such that if they put away a good conscience consequently they also wracke their faith As the Apostle elsewhere sheweth 1. Tim. 4. 1. 2. That they which depart from the faith haue their consciences burned with a hot yron And Tit. 1. 15. Vnto the vnbeleeuing their minds and consciences are defiled These two therefore do alwaies goe together the wracke of faith and a good conscience And so Ambrose saith Dignus erat perdere inutilem fidem qui non exercuerat charitatem He is worthie to lose an vnprofitable faith that did not exercise charitie libr. 2. de vocat Gent. cap. 2. he setteth it downe as a generall axiome Likewise Chrysostome vpon these words Vbi vita reprehensibilis sit dogma item huiusmodi sit necessarium est Where the life is reprehensible a good conscience being put away there the doctrine must needes be such From the Apostles words he concludeth generally that wheresoeuer a conscience of a good life is cast off the doctrine of faith cannot be sound and therefore it is an euident signe that the Libeller making no conscience of lying and slaundering can be of no good faith and religion As for his lowd crying he hath put away a good conscience wee regard it not as Demosthenes said to one that had a great voyce but no great wit Not that which is great is well but that which is well done or said is great Augustine saith Nec malam conscientiam sanat praeconium laudantis nec bonam vulnerat conuiciantis opprobrium Neither doth praise heale a bad conscience nor dispraise hurt a good The 3. Corruption IN that text Ierem. 17. 7. alleaged to proue that we must trust onely in God and not in man these words are foisted in saith he onely and not in man and so likewise Psal. 50. 15. onely is added of his owne The Correction BEcause this trifler picketh quarrels at euery thing and taketh exception against the allegation of these and other texts I wil make him one answere for all and shew in what manner the Scriptures may be cited and alleaged without any corruption or falsification though the same words bee not alwaies precisely kept And this may be best learned from the example of our Sauiour Christ and the Apostles in the new Testiment where in the citing of the old Scriptures sometime they follow the words with some alteration sometime the sense and not the words the words are altered diuers waies 1. When as out of other places of Scripture other words are annexed as that testimonie Matth. 21. 13. is taken out of two other places of the Prophets Esay 57. 7. Ierem 7. 11. 2. Sometime a word is added which is not found in the text exegeticâ—s by way of exposition Matth. 4. 10. Him onely shalt thou serue whereas this word onely is supplied to shew the sense being not in the originall Deut. 6. 13. So Matth. 2. 6. art not the least where this word not is added to shew the sense in the accomplishment of that prophecie 3. Sometime the manner of speech is altered Matth. 13. 15. The Prophet speaketh in the imparatiue make the heart of this people fat Esay 6. 9. the Euangelist this peoples heart is waxed fat Matth. 1. 13. the person is changed they shal call his name Esay 7. 14. she shall call 4. Sometime another word is vsed but in the same sense Matth. 4. 14. sate in darknes Esay 9. 2. walke in darknes 5. The sense is gathered not the words rehearsed Matth. 22. 24. out of Deuteronom 25. 5. 6. Sometime an argument is framed out of the scripture not there expressed but from thence collected as Matth. 22. 32. Christ concludeth the resurrection out of these words I am the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Thus as Hierome saith Apostolis curae fuit non verba syllabas aucupari sed sententias dogmatum ponere The Apostles care was not to hunt after words and syllables but to set downe the sentence And as the Scriptures are not corrupted when the sense though not the words is retained So may the Scriptures bee abused when the same words are kept but the sense altered as Matth. 5. 38. an eye for an eye c. the Pharisies did vse the words but wrested the sense when they applied
also it was decreed that vacante imperio during the vacancie of the Empire the Pope doth imperatori succedere succeede the Emperor Clement lib. 2. tit 11. ca. 2. Thus the Emperour was perfectly excluded from the Popes election when as the Pope intruded into his office Bellarmine also granteth that the electioÌ„ by Cardinals began but ann 1179. de Cleric lib. 1. c. 9. So that by his reckoning so long the Emperour did beare sway in the Popes election I trust by any of these answeres the defender is freed from this false charge The Libeller should haue been better aduised then to blot so much paper with so many lies that may bee so soone wiped away Zeuxis the Painter being reprooued for his slow painting answered that hee tooke a long time to paint because he would haue it last long which he painted But the Libellers painted lies which he hath been so long in colouring shall in short time all I doubt not be dashed out he should haue done well to haue followed Hieromes counsell to Ruffinus Qui mendacij alterum criminaris desinas ipse mentiri You that accuse another of lying should forbeare lying your selfe Apol. 2. cont Ruffin The seuenth Slaunder SYnops. pag. 583. Neither Lay men nor midwines are authorized to baptize amongst vs this is noted for an vntruth for both of them are allowed saith the Libeller by the Communion booke to be ministers of that Sacrament The Defence FIrst the Communion booke where it setteth down the order of priuate baptisme maketh mention neither of lay men nor women to be ministers thereof howsoeuer indirectly by consequence some haue so collected therefore there being no expresse mention of either lay person or woman it cannot be so affirmed that the book doth allow and authorise any such baptisme Secondly whereas the resolution of doubts is by the booke referred to the iudgement of the Ordinarie as it may appeare in the preface to the Communion booke our Ordinaries haue thus resolued this doubt that the booke hath no such meaning to approue any baptisme of such Thirdly the practise of our Church confirmeth the same For such lay men or women as take vpon them to baptize are to be presented and are punishable by the Ordinarie for the same yea they which are allowed to bee publike Readers and no more if they take vpon them to baptize are subiect to the censures of the Church Wherfore if neither the letter of the book nor the sense which is giuen thereof nor the practise of our Church to the which chiefly the words excepted against are referred doe allow any such to baptize it is a great slaunder of our Church which hee vttereth that lay men and women are allowed by the booke for ministers of that Sacrament Therefore this vntruth may be returned vpon the deuisers head and noted both for a rash vntrue censure Simonides was wont to say that he neuer repented him for holding his peace but for speaking often And if this cauiller had been silent he might haue been blamelesse whereas his hastie pen will purchase him a blot but that he concealeth his name and hideth his face that we cannot see him blush I say vnto him as Ruffinus Ad incusandum non moâ—et fidei diuersitas sed peruersitas animi Not the diuersitie of faith but the peruersitie of his affection hath made him an accuser The eight Slaunder BEcause it is said Synops. pag. 29. that Tobie and Iudith were neuer taken for Canonicall till of late it was decreed by Councels of no great antiquitie for in the Laodicene Councell and other ancient Councels they were deemed not to be canonicall A notable vntruth because they are numbred among the Canonicall bookes in the third Councell of Carthage anno 47. where Augustine was present An vntruth also it is that the Councell of Laodicea deemed them not canonicall c. for the Apocalypse is omitted as well as Tobie and Iudith by the Councell and hath no more ancient authoritie then the Councell of Carthage c. The Defence FIrst whereas the Laodicene Councell accounteth but 22. bookes of the Old Testament Canonical and calleth the rest there not rehearsed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bookes not canonicall c. 59. and yet the Councel of Carthage comming after decreeth the same to be canonical as namely among the rest the books of Tobie and Iudith We cannot thinke that these Councels being not aboue fiftie yeere one before the other and so the one not likely to be ignorant of the others proceedings would decree contrarie things first because both these Councels are confirmed in the 6. generall Councell Trullane can 1. which Councell was not so vndiscreete as to ratifie contrarie decrees Secondly if Augustine were present it can not be thought that he would subscribe contrarie to his owne iudgement for whereas the Canon rehearseth fiue bookes of Salomon Augustine thinketh that the booke of Ecclesiasticus Wisedome of Salomon were only so called propter nonnullam eloquij similitudinem for some similitude of the stile de ciuitat Dei libr. 17. cap. 20. And of Ecclesiasticus he saith This booke was not receiued into the canon of the Scriptures De cur pro mortuis cap. 15. Likewise of the bookes of the Macchabees he thus writeth Iudaei non habent hanc scripturam sicut legem Prophetas Psalmos quibus Dominus testimonium perhibet vt testibus suis The Iewes haue not this Scripture as the law Prophets and Psalmes to the which the Lord giueth testimonie as to his witnesses libr. 2. cont Gauden c. 23. How is it like theÌ„ that Augustine would haue giuen consent to this decree if their meaning had been to make these bookes absolutely Canonicall Thirdly seeing the Canon of the Scriptures was confirmed before this Councell and acknowledged of the Fathers who make but 22. bookes of the Old Testament excluding all those which we hold to be Apocrypha as Origen apud Euseb. lib. 6. c. 25. Athanasâ—n synopsi Hilarius in prolog explanat Psalm Nazianzen in carminib Cyrillus 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiphan haeres 8. Hieron praefat in libr. regum it is not like that the Councell of Carthage would goe against the consent of so many learned Fathers Wherefore they must bee vnderstood to take this word Canonicall in a large sense for all those bookes which were allowed to bee read in the Church whereof there were two sorts some were read ad authoritatem ecclesiasticorum dogmatuÌ„ confirmandam to confirme the authoritie of Ecclesiasticall doctrine such were the right Canonicall some ad aedificationem plebis for the edifying of the people of which sort were the bookes of Tobie Iudith with the rest Hieron praefat in Prouer. And these were called Hagiographa Hieron praefat in Tobiam or Ecclesiastici Ecclesiasticall bookes the other Canonici Canonicall Cyprian in symbol This difference of the holie writings is allowed by Sixtus Senens lib. 1. bibliothec Stapleton lib.
aduised to alleage this text whereby he doth but display and lay open his ignorance in the text and blindnes in the true sense thereof And further that Saul was not truly iust before God it appeareth by that Samuel saith 1. Sam. 13. 14. The Lord hath sought him a man after his owne heart that is Dauid Saul then was not a man after Gods owne heart Secondly Hierome saith the Detector lib. 3. aduers. Pelagian proueth that Iudas was once iust by these words of our Sauiour Ioh. 17. 12. Whom thou gauest me I haue kept and none of them perished but the sonne of perdition Cont. 1. He should haue done wel to haue alleaged Hieromes words seeing that booke is long and not distinguished into chapters but he sheweth himselfe as well seene here in Hierome as before in the Scripture The contrarie elsewhere may be gathered out of Hierome as where hee thus writeth to Hedibia quaest 10. Deus non saluat irrationabiliter absque iudicij veritate sed praecedentibus causis quia alij non susceperunt filium Dei alij sponte sua susceperunt God doth not saue without reason or true iudgement but by causes going before because some receiued not the son of God some willingly receiued him Therefore because Iudas was not saued he did not receiue Christ truly or aright beleeue in him 2. Augustine out of this Scripture concludeth the contrarie that Iudas was a reprobate Filius perditionis dictus est traditor Christi perditioni praedestinatus The betrayer of Christ is called the sonne of perdition because he was predestinate to perdition tract â—07 in Ioann If he were a reprobate from the beginning he was neuer a right good man in deede 3. That Iudas in his holiest course was but an hypocrite a theefe the Scripture testifieth Ioh. 6. 70. Haue I not chosen you twelue and one of you is a diuell This was spoken long before Iudas betrayed Christ when hee was newly chosen and daily conuersant with Christ and did the office of an Apostle with the rest When was hee holier in shew then while he walked with Christ preached with the rest and wrought miracles but euen then hee was a diuell and when he sate with Christ at the table and dipped his hand with him in the platter and as Origen thinketh was admitted ad mensam corporis Christi to the table of Christs bodie tract 35. in Math. yet euen then and before hee was a theefe Ioh. 12. 6. 4. I will conclude with that testimonie out of their owne Canon Caus. 2. quaest 1. c. 6. where Christ is brought in thus speaking of Iudas Although he be not yet excluded from you à me tamen qui omnia certissime noui separatus diuisus est yet I that know all things haue separated and diuided him et si ego per occulti iudicij sententiam damnatum habeo vos tamen adhuc illum per tolerantiam sustinete although I by the sentence of my secret iudgement hold him condemned yet you must tolerate him a while How then was hee truly iust before God when he was alreadie separated and condemned in the iudgement of Christ Now sir Detector let the Reader iudge whose mouth hath now ranne ouer such lips such lettice we present you your berries as a fit dish for your tooth the lies which you haue here forged as counterfeit stuffe we returne to your owne shoppe These are your proper colours such slaunderous spirits most of your sect are led by One may say of you as Leoâ—â—â—hidas of Demaratus sons that spake euill of him Non miror bene enim eorum nemo loqui potest I marueile not at it for none of them can speake well Bernards counsell had been good to such swift tongues Modicum membrum lingua sed nisi caueas magnum malum facile volat atque ideo facile violat charitatem The tongue a little member but worketh great mischiefe it flieth fast but of charitie soone maketh waste serm de triplic custod The twelfth Slaunder HEre the Libeller obiecteth foure vntruths together 1. That Bellarmine is at variance with himselfe in one place making the Pope the chief iudge of all controuersies in another the Pope with the Cardinals which both may well stand together without any variance 2. That it is affirmed that Bellarmine for exposition of Scripture referreth vs to the Fathers of the Church wherof he maketh no mention at all 3. False also that hee referreth vs from generall Councels to the Pope and Cardinals 4. False also that hee maketh mention of Cardinals of whom he saith nothing The Defence 1. WHether there be not variance and diuersitie in these two places of Bellarmine one while to make the Pope Iudge another while to ioyne the Cardinals with him as though hee were not sufficient without them for why else are they ioyned with him I leaue it to the Readers iudgement it is not a matter worthie to be contended about and I am ashamed to spend time in such friuolous stuffe but that a brabler must be answered 2. For the other three points they are not first of my deuising that worthie professor Master Whitakers doth so collect Bellarmines sense contr 1. quaest 5. cap. 3. And it seemeth to be Bellarmines meaning altogether for his words in this place are not by vs alleaged First that we should haue recourse to the Fathers for the exposition of the Scripture for he referreth vs to the Councell of Trent sess 4. which prescribeth that sense of the Scripture to bee followed which either the Church holdeth or the ioynt consent of the Fathers 3. Bellarmine referreth vs to a Councel confirmed by the chiefe pastor or to the chiefe pastor cum concilio aliorum pastorum with the counsell of other pastors these two being disioyned with this disiunctiue siue or cannot be taken in any good construction for all one as the Libeller doth insinuate p. 147. But Bellarmine must be expounded by himselfe who other where would haue appeales made from generall Councels to the Pope lib. 2. de concilior authoritat cap. 17. And so in this place this order is prescribed that where a Councel cannot resolue of doubts it shuld bee determined by the Pope with his assistance 4. Though the name Cardinals bee not here expressed in Bellarmine yet his concilium pastorum councell of pastors assistants to the Pope can be no other but the Colledge of Cardinals 1. For if he did meane any other Councell it were a vaine repetition of the same thing to say a Councell confirmed by the chiefe pastor or the chiefe pastor with a councell 2. It seemeth to be such a councell as is alwaies readie at hand so is no other councell but of the Cardinals that are alwaies resiant in Rome 3. Whereas the last reuolution of matters is to the Apostolike sea distinct 20. â— 1. By the sea Apostolike they vnderstand not the Pope onely sed concilium illud quo pontifex
workes The Libeller should rather haue shewed himselfe and entred into the lists and handled some controuersie of religion and taken vpon him to confute SYNOPSIS which hee carpeth at But as one said to Philip when he had ouercome and destroyed Olynthus that he could not build such a citie againe so I think it would appose this Sophister and trouble his wit to set such another booke by it as that which he seeketh so much to disgrace But I will proceed to examine the rest of his accusations not fearing any thing which he can obiect THE SECOND CHAPTER OF supposed Contradictions The 1. Contradiction HEre the Libeller obiecteth 1. That Bellarmine is falsified to say that the spirit of God is witnesse vnto vs that the Scriptures are the word of God pag. 154. 2. That the Scriptures themselues are witnesses which words vttered by Bellarmine shew a far different meaning saith he p. 155. 3. Another vntruth is noted that Bellarmine should make no mention of the Church to be a probation vnto vs of the Scriptures pag. 156. 4. A contradiction is noted because it is confessed that Bellarmine should say that wee are not bound to take the Scriptures for the word of God without the authoritie of the Church pag. 148. The Reconciliation 1. FIrst what difference I pray you to say God himselfe is a witnesse to vs and the spirit of God is a witnesse for this is one exception which the libeller taketh is not the spirit of God God And think you that when Bellarmine said God himselfe is witnesse he excluded the spirit As though the inspiration interpretation protection and preseruation of the Scriptures be not the worke of the spirit of God 2. Timoth. 3. 16. 2. Pet. 1. 21. Yea but Bellarmine saith in another sense that God is a witnesse not by the inward testimony of his spirit but by defending the scripture from humane profanation by heauenly punishment Libel pag. 154. Cont. 1. Is this a good consequent I pray you God beareth witnesse to the Scripture sometime by taking vengeance Ergo not by the inward testimonie of his spirit Sir Sophister if your Logicke had not here failed you you would not haue made so slender a collection for whereas Bellarmine maketh the great number of miracles the fift witnesse doth not the Scripture say Hebr. 2. 3. God bearing witnesse thereto with signes and wonders and diuers miracles God then is not a witnesse onely by punishments but by signes and miracles 2. Bellarmine himselfe saith afterward in the same chapter Non omnes per internum afflatum Deus docet c. sed per corporales literas quas legeremus cerneremus erudire nos voluit God teacheth not all by inward inspiration c. but by corporall letters which we should reade and see hee would instruct vs. We also refuse immediate reuelations and inspirations but God by the lection and inspection of the Scriptures doth instruct vs. God then doth vse the Scriptures themselues as meanes of this spiritual instruction which is the inward testimonie of Gods spirit by our outward reading and hearing of the Scripture inwardly witnessing the truth thereof vnto vs how much I pray you differ we now 3. Whereas Bellarmine maketh these the witnesses of Scripture first the trueth of the prophesies secondly the agreement of the holie writers thirdly God himselfe fourthly the perpetuall truth of the Scriptures may it not wel be gathered hereupon that Bellarmine thinketh that God inwardly working in our hearts by the Scriptures themselues which wee finde to be most perfect consonant true doth teach vs which is the word of God for I pray you who maketh vs to acknowledge the Scriptures by the truth harmonie constancie thereof doth not the spirit of God by these meanes mouing and perswading the heart Bellarmine then is not slaundered at all when it is affirmed that in this place he holdeth as wee doe concerning the meanes how to know the Canonicall Scriptures for we also teach that the Scriptures by no forren or extrinsecall meanes but from themselues the veritie harmonie holines thereof the spirit of God hereby working in our hearts are knowne to be the word of God 2. Secondly let it be seene whether in a different sense Bellarmine and wee in this place for I deale no further doe make the Scriptures witnesses to themselues These are his words Fourthly the Scripture it selfe is witnesse whose prophesies if they were true of things to come why should not the testimonies of things present be true The Scripture then beareth witnesse to it selfe by the constant and perpetuall truth thereof what other thing doe we say but that the Scripture from it self doth proue it selfe by the truth constancie maiestie thereof to be the word of God 3. Thirdly Bellarmine maketh here no mention of the Church among these fiue witnesses 1. The truth of prophecies 2. The consent of the holie writers 3. God himselfe c. 4. The Scripture it selfe 5. Postremò testis est c. Lastly is witnesse the infinite number of miracles Now I pray you sir Cauiller is here any mention made of the Church your dealing is too childish to send vs to other places for Bellarmines iudgemēt I know him to be elsewhere corrupt enough I onely vrge his testimonie against himselfe in this place 4. Fourthly so is your supposed contradiction also reconciled for to say that Bellarmine in this place among these fiue witnesses maketh no mention of the Church and y◠otherwhere he would haue the Scriptures depend vpon the authoritie of the Church is no contradiction in him that noteth this diuersitie but in Bellarmine that varieth from himselfe But now somewhat to answere to your blasphemous railings as pag. 154. God may punish him for such trickes of falsification tending to the seducing and vtter subuersion of sillie soules c. I say rather with S. Paul God shall smite thee thou painted wall Act. 23. 3. God wil iudge all such hypocrites in his time as make no conscience to slaunder and reuile the members of Christ. And if God doe sometime giue witnesse to the Scriptures as most true it is by punishing them that prophane or blaspheme them then how shall your popish writers escape vnpunished that haue not been ashamed thus vnreuerently to speake of the Scriptures Hosius saith it is egenum quoddam elementum a beggerly element ex Nicol. Gall. Lodouicus saith Scriptura est quasi mortuum atramentum The Scripture is as dead inke Illyric in vorm concil The Bishop of Poicters Scriptura estres inanimis muta The Scripture is a dumbe and dead thing Sleidan lib. 23. Eckius calleth it Euangelium nigrum Theologiam atramentariam A blacke Gospel and inky Diuinitie Kemnit pag. 23. Pigghius Sunt velut nasus cereus The Scriptures are as a nose of waxe Hierar libr. 3. cap. 3. And that the children may fill vp the iniquitie of their fathers of late this present yeere 1602. in a certaine colloquie at
slanderous tongue as Chabrias said A weake mans strokes and an vnwise mans threats are not to be feared And as Hierome saith Possum omnes propositionum riuulos vno veritatis sole siccare I can drie vp the streame of his obiections with the sunne of the truth THE THIRD CHAPTER OF pretended falsifications The 1. Falsification SYnops. pag. 219. Bernard saith The beast in the Apocalypse to the which a mouth was giuen speaking blasphemies doth sit in Peters chaire epistol 126. Bernard here calleth not the Pope Antichrist which was then Innocentius but the vsurper that intruded himselfe The Iustification 1. WHat Bernard faith in other places where he coÌ„mendeth either Eugenius or Innocentius it is not to the purpose neither was this place produced to proue Innocentius or any other particular Pope to be Antichrist but that Peters chaire should be the seate of Antichrist which whether these words doe shew any poore Grammarian that can but translate a sentence of Latine will easily iudge 2. But to make Bernards minde more fully appeare hee reporteth of one Norbertus that did hold that Antichrist should be reuealed ea quae nunc est generatione in that very age non visurum se mortem and that he should not see death till hee saw a generall persecution in the Church epistol 56. Though Bernard there saith he was not bound certò credere certainly to beleeue it to be so yet he commendeth this Norbertus and speaketh reuerently of him calling his mouth caelestem fistulam an heauenly pipe Again Serm. Cantic 33. speaking of the prelates of the church that vsed gold in their bridles saddles and spurres Ministri sunt Christi seruiunt Antichristâ— They are the ministers of Christ and yet serue Antichrist But to whom â—ls I pray you were the great prelates subiect for they were no small birds that thus glittered in gold but to the Pope We haue then both the time of Antichrists comming the persons among the Clergie and the place described the chaire of Peter I report me now to any indifferent Iudge whether Bernard either in word or sense bee misreported I trust that whosoeuer readeth your vncharitable accusations will do as Alexander did who when a complaint was made against one of his familiars laid his hand vpon one eare reseruing it for his defence that was absent So I hope they will suspend their iudgement till they heare your cauils and sophistications answered And I say with Ambrose Non erit longi subsellij ista iudicatio facile est tibi de nostris iudicare This matter will require no long iudgement the discreete Reader will soone iudge betweene vs epist. 40. The 2. Falsification SYnops. pag. 293. Augustine is alleaged to proue that the vow of obedience promised in Baptisme is a generall vow of necessity to be kept in Psal. 75. the Libeller crieth out that Augustine is falsified because the rest of the words that follow are not alleaged wherin he maketh mention of other vowes as of virginitie of distribution of our goods to the poore pag. 217. 218. The Iustification FIrst whereas Bellarmine denieth that our promise of obedience and of pietie in Baptisme is no vow Augustine is cited as a witnesse not to proue it to be the onely vow for in the same place it is confessed that there is another kind of vowes that directly concerneth not the worship of God Synops. pag. 292. what cause was there then to alleage Augustine impertinently for that which was not in question We doe not vse to paint whole pages with long sentences for want of matter as you doe the question then was this whether to vow to beleeue to hope in God to liue well be the generall vow of Christians which Augustine there affirmeth not whether there were any other vowes beside which Augustine also in the same place sheweth but it belongeth to another question Secondly whereas S. Augustine as he saith taketh a vow in the largest signification when he calleth these vowes to beleeue to liue well c. as though they were improperlie called vowes I will shew Augustines opinion further for that in Psal. 115. Quisquis bene cogitat quid voueat Domino seipsum voueat seip-Sum reddat hoc exigitur hoc debetur Whosoeuer thinketh well what he should vow vnto God let him vow himselfe let him render himself this is exacted this we owe. Againe de tempor serm 7. One voweth a cloake another oyle another waxe for the lights another that he will drinke no wine Non est istud votum optimum neque perfectum aliud melius volo c. ipsum offer hoc est animam tuam This is not the best or a perfect vow I would haue a better thing offer thy selfe that is thy soule Origen also is a plentifull witnesse herein Hom. 13. in Exod. Non vult Moses vt offeras aliquid quod extra te est c. Moses will not haue you offer any thing without you take from your selues and offer to God as euery man hath conceiued in his heart doth gold grow within me or siluer c. thou hast therfore offered gold to the tabernacle that is the faith of thy heart Again Hom. 24. Scio diuersa vota in scripturis referri c. I know there are diuers vowes rehearsed in the Scripture Anna vowed to God the fruit of her wombe Iepthe his daughter some Calues some Rammes but he that is called the Nazarite doth vow himselfe vnto God this is the vow of the Nazarite quod est super omne votum which is aboue all vowes he that doth this imitateth Christ which gaue himselfe for vs c. If then for a man to vow himself his soule his faith to God be the vow which wee owe and God exacteth if it be a perfect and the best vow as Augustine if it be that which the Scripture requireth a vow aboue all vowes as Origen testifieth then is it most properly and truly called a vow And the Libeller is found to be the falsifier that saith neither the Scripture nor Augustine properly do call it a vow What cause then had this intemperate and impatient man to crie out here against malicious dealing pag. 220. whereas himselfe is the man in these vnfriendly words that sheweth malice But God forgiue him I will not render euil for euil reproch for reproch Demosthenes well said I will not enter into that combate where hee that is ouercome is better then he that ouercommeth And Ambrose saith Haec sunt arma iusti vt cedendo vincat sicut fugientes grauioribus sequentem solent vulnerare ictibus These are the weapons of iust men to ouercome by giuing place as they that flie away vse to hurt them worst that follow them de offic libr. 1. cap. 5. I will therefore giue way to his reuiling speeches that wherein hee thinketh to conquer himselfe may be ouerthrowne The 3. Falsification SYnops. pag. 297. It was the heresie of the Pelagians
did it not when they were aliue nothing commeth to the dead in Psal. 48. con 1. Ergo the prayers of the liuing doe not profit the dead Argum. 3. If the state of the dead cannot be altered but in what condition soeuer they die in the same they rise to iudgement then it followeth that prayer is in vaine for the dead But the first is affirmed by Augustine Vnusquisque cum causa sua dormit cum causa sua surgit Euery man sleepeth with his cause and riseth with his cause Tract in Ioann 49 Redimite vos ipsi dum viuitis quia post mortem nemo vos redimere potest Redeeme your selues while you liue for after death no man can redeeme you De rectitud Catholic conuersat tom 9. Quales in die isto quisque moritur talis in die illo iudicabitur As a man dieth in this day so shal he be iudged in that day epist. 80. ad Hesych Ergo prayers are not auaileable for the dead Argum. 4. That which a man hath obtained already if euer hee shall obtaine it is in vaine prayed for The soules of the departed are presently at rest if they be counted worthie August Requiem quae continuo post mortem datur si ea dignus est tum accipit quisque cum moritur Rest which is presently giuen after death euery one euen then receiueth if hee be worthie when he dieth tract in Ioann 49. Ergo it is in vaine to pray for the rest of their soules Argum. 5. He that departeth this life without sin needeth not afterward to be prayed for to be forgiuen his sinne but euery one that shall be saued goeth foorth of this life without sinne Augustin epist. 89. ad Hilar. qu. 1. He that assisted by the grace of God doth abstaine from those sins which are called crimes and those sinnes without the which a man liueth not here doth not neglect to cleanse by the workes of mercie and godly prayers merebitur hinc exire sine peccato quamuis cum hic viueret habuerit nonnulla peccata quia sicut ista non defuerunt ita remedia quibus purgarentur adfuerunt shall procure to goe out hence without sin although while he liued here he had some sinnes for as these things were not wanting so the remedies whereby they are purged were present But what if a man neglect to vse these remedies while he liueth certainly he is depriued of them for euer hee cannot haue them afterward Augustine saith Noli differre ò homo remedia salutis tuae quia nescis quando anima à te repetatur Deferre not O man the remedies of thy saluation for thou knowest not when thy soule shall be taken from thee Ergo if he that is saued hath his sins forgiuen him before hee goe hence prayer for pardon afterward is superfluous Argum. 6. Where there is no remission of sinnes nor effectual repentance there prayer for remission is in vaine But after death there is neither remission nor yet true repentance Aug. de temp serm 66. Tempus est nunc remissionis poenitentibus sed tempus erit post mortem vindicationis negligentibus confiteri peccata Now is the acceptâ—ble time the time of saluation now is the time for remission to the penitent but after death shall be the time of reuenge to all those that neglected to confesse their sinnes Serm. 181. cap. 16. Cum abducti fuerimus ab hoc seculo ibi poenitebit nos sed nulla est vtilitas poenitentiae When we are caried out of this world there it shall repent vs but there shall be no vtilitie or profit of our repentance Ergo prayer for remission of sinnes is in vaine when it cannot be had Argum. 7. Euery man dieth either penitently or impenitently if he die penitently all his sinnes are forgiuen him August serm 181. cap. 16. Donec sumus in hac vita quantacunque nobis acciderint peccata possibile est omnia ablui per poenitentiam As long as we liue in this life it is possible for all our sinnes how great soeuer to bee washed away by repentance For such therfore prayer is superfluous if a man die without repentance prayer can not helpe them because they enter into damnation Si sine poenitentia mortui fuerint non veniunt ad vitam sed praecipitantur ad mortem If they die without repentance they come not to life but are cast headlong to death sermon 217. Ergo prayer is profitable to none that are departed Argum. 8. After iudgement prayers helpe not August Non post iudicium patet precum aut meritorum locus There is no place for prayer or merite after iudgement serm 22. in Matth. But in death euery man receiueth his iudgement Aug. in Psa. 32. Misericordiae tempus modo est iudicij post erit Now is the time of mercie the time of iudgement shall be afterward Qualis exieris ex hac vita redderis illi As you goe out of this world so shal you be presented vnto God in Psal. 36. 1. Ergo after death there is no place for prayers I could produce no lesse then an hundred of such places out of Augustine to shew that there is no vtilitie or profit comming to the dead by the prayers of the liuing but these may suffice Wherefore then will it be said doth Augustine allow prayer for the dead I answere that they did it in some commiseration and tender affection not of any necessitie as I shewed before and then prayer for the dead was farre differing from popish Dirges and Masses of Requiem as is before declared And what if Augustine or any other Father of the Church doth seeme to like and approue prayer for the dead that is no sufficient warrant vnlesse they can shew their ground out of Scripture And this iudgement Augustine himselfe would haue vsed toward his writings Auferantur de medio chartae nostrae procedat in medium codex Dei audi Christum dicentem audi veritatem loquentem Let our writings bee taken out of the way let the booke of God be brought forth heare Christ saying heare the trueth speaking in Psal. 57. Wherefore neither the opinion of Augustine nor of any other Doctor ought to bind vs without authoritie of scripture which in this point of prayer for the dead faileth Whereas then the Libeller thinketh that these words which were sorted out of Augustine doe little make against prayer for the dead indeede it may well be that more pregnant places might haue been produced out of Augustine to that end as any of these before alleaged yet howsoeuer for any thing he hath said for himself there remaineth some life in those obiections still and the partie traduced is cleered of the crime of falsification which cleaueth fast as pitch to the traducers face As for his vngodly blasphemies of malicious and wilfull corruptions shaking hand with death detest such a malicious Minister they do as a filthie some bewray his cankred and corrupt
to vs and we heare them that is in our affection denotion and desire Thirdly concerning that place cited out of lib. 22. de ciuitat Dei cap. 8. I answere that many fabulous reports are foisted into that chapter and so thinketh Lodouicus Viues in his annotations there In hoc capite non dubium saith he quin multa addita ab ijs qui omnia magnorum authoruÌ„ scripta spurcis suis manibus contaminabant No doubt but in this chapter many things are added by way of declaration by those which with their vncleane hands defiled all the writings of great authors This may serue as answere to your counterfiet Augustine other reasons I could shew to proue these stories counterfeit but neither time now nor place here serueth And what if Augustine notwithstanding or any other Father might bee produced directly to speake for the inuocation of Saints if they haue not Scripture on their side as we are sure in this matter they haue not wee are not to heare them Augustine himselfe saith speaking of humane writings Hoc genus literarum non cum credendi necessitate sed cum iudicandi libertate legendum est This kinde of writing is to bee read not with necessitie of beleeuing but with libertie of iudging cont Faust. lib. 11. cap. 5. Now as for cunnicatching trickes monstrous falsification and your plaine English lie I say no more but with Hierome Haec sunt sibila serpentis antiqui These are the hissings of the old serpent lib. 1. cont Iouinian I hope it now appeareth which of the two hath best deserued the name of a falsarie at the length your false packing is discouered as Menâ—â—der saith That no lier can long time be hid The 11. Falsification TEtrastyl pag. 112. because the Pelagians opinion is reported to be this that a man may be perfect in this life and keepe all the commandements he taketh a double exception 1. That Augustine is corrupted because he condemneth not the Pelagians for Heretikes because they taught that men may bee perfect in this life c. but because they said that iust men in this life were void of all sin and that the commaundements might bee kept without grace 2. The Rhemists nor any other Catholike doe hold that a man may be so perfect in this life as to haue no sinne at all and keepe all the commandements without helpe of Gods grace Libel pag. 255. The Iustification 1. FIrst the Pelagians did hold these two opinions first that a man may be perfect without sin and keepe all the commandements of God in this life Secondly that a man is able to doe all this without grace by his owne free will These two hereticall opinions Augustine in the place alleaged hâ—res 88. toucheth ioyntly together but elsewhere hee distinguisheth them sunderly as libr. de perfect iustit cont Celest. ratiocinat 16. whereas the Pelagian had asked this question whether a man might be without sinne Augustine answereth Posse esse hominem sine peccato neque nos negamus quando autem possit per quem possit hoc quaeritur si enim modo est non omni animae fideli positae in corpore mortali orandum est c. That a man may be without sin we denie not but when and by whom that is the question for if now then it were not needfull for euery faithfull soule placed in this mortall bodie to pray forgiue vs our trespasses c. And againe epistol 89. Augustine handleth these two questions seuerally first whether a man may attaine to that perfection in this life to be without all sinne Secondly whether mans free will doe suffice to keepe all the commandements quaest 2. Now then seeing the Pelagians held both these erronious assertions it was impertinent to produce that opinion which to the aduersarie was not obiected These being then two errors of the Pelagians that all the commaundements may be kept in this life and that by free will without grace the first onely is obiected and the other as impertinent omitted 2. But it will bee obiected that the Pelagians error herein was not whether it is possible to keep the commandements but whether one may be perfect in this life without sinne Ans. All these doe depend one vpon another for he that can keepe all the commandements is perfect and consequently without sinne This first is proued by the Scriptures Iam. 3. 2. If any man sinne not in word he is a perfect man much more is he perfect that sinneth neither in word nor deede Againe 1. Ioh. 3. 4. Sinne is the transgression of the law he then that transgresseth not the law sinneth not and he that transgresseth it sinneth If a man then keepe al the commandements he also sinneth not Augustine saith Cur non praeciperetur homini ista perfectio quamuis eam in hac vita nemo habeat Why should not this perfection be commaunded though in this life no man can haue it The perfection commanded is to keepe Gods commandements as a little before he said Non omni modo ex tota anima diligitur Deus God is not here loued altogether with the whole heart And againe Tunc homo iustus erit Then a man shall be iust without sinne that is in the next life when he shall with his whole soule loue God Thus Augustine confuteth Celestius the Pelagian that affirmed it was commanded that man should be without sinne shewing that man can neither be perfect in this life with that perfection which is commanded nor yet perfectly keepe the commandements Hierome likewise disputing against the Pelagians that held facilia esse Dei praecepta that the precepts of God might be done thus reasoneth first Cur ausus es dicere facilia esse quae nullus impleuit How dare you say they are easie to bee done seeing no man euer kept them Secondly whereas they demaunded whether the commandements were possible or impossible he answereth Si hoc mihi cum Christo commune c. If this bee common to me with Christ that is to haue no sinne quid ille proprium habuit what was then proper to him Thirdly Asseris homineÌ„ esse sine peccato si velit c. You say a maÌ„ may be without sin if he will frustra conaris adiungere non sine Dei gratia and after an heauie sleepe to deceiue simple soules you goe about in vaine to say not without Gods grace sic Hieron ad Ctesiphont Thus Hierome prooueth against the Pelagians that the commandements cannot be kept because Christ onely was without sinne Whereupon it must be inferred that they which keep the commandements sinne not yea he seemeth to mislike the Pelagians assertion that a man may be without sinne being not without the grace of God To be then without sinne in this life and to keepe the commaundements is all one question both with Augustine and Hierome and this differing from the other whether free will be sufficient thereto without grace Augustine then
what to say if you had not propounded one vnto your selfe to gainsay The 7. Corruption BEcause Synops. pag. 730. of the first edition this sentence is alleaged When wee haue done all wee are vnprofitable seruants and we did no more then was our dutie he crieth out that the words of Christ are corrupted because these words all that are commaunded you and say ye are left out Then hee taketh vpon him to expound this text that we are vnprofitable seruants first in respect of God secondly in respect of our nature thirdly wee must so acknowledge for humilitie c. pag. 270. 271. The Correction 1. FIrst He might easily haue seene that the text is not alleaged in the same forme of words for Christ speaketh in the second person when you haue done c. the sentence is pronounced in the first when we haue done therefore the sense was more aimed at then the words 2. So much of the sentence is alleaged as was pertinent to shew that no workes are meritorious because when wee haue done all wee are vnprofitable in which word lieth the force of this testimonie in this place Yet otherwhere the whole sentence is produced where the occasion so requireth as Synops. pag. 288. argum 3. and pag. 662. arg 2. therefore he had no iust cause to complaine of corruption 3. The Euangelists in citing the old scriptures repeate so much of the sentence as is to the purpose and leaue the rest as Mat. 4. 13. out of Esay 9. 1. a great part of the verse is omitted 4. And if this bee a point of corruption Hierome also is a corrupter of Scripture who thus alleageth this text Cum omnia feceritis dicite serui inutiles sumus when you haue done all say ye are vnprofitable seruants He leaueth out all things that are commaunded you c. ad Ctesiphont 2. Secondly 1. Our Sauiour speaketh of that profit which redoundeth to our selues as may appeare by the parable Doth he thank that seruant c. So likewise where no thankes is receiued what profit to a man is gained or deserued And if it be taken as he saith that wee are vnprofitable seruants to God this place still remaineth strong against merits for if God receiue nothing from vs then can we not merit or deserue from him 2. Our Sauiour speaketh not of men in the corruption of nature for they are not Gods seruants being not yet called but of such as are vnder grace and doe walke in obedience of Gods commaundements and so doth Ambrose expound it Quis tanta salutis beneficia digno possit aequare seruitio Who can counteruaile so great benefits of saluation with worthie seruice serm 16. in Psal. 119. 3. And of all other it is most absurd that Christ biddeth vs so to say for humilitie as Augustine saith Quomodo est humilitas vbi regnat falsitas There is no humilitie where there is falsitie Non ita caueatur arrogantia vt veritas relinquatur Doe not so take heede of arrogancie that you leaue the veritie Caus. 22. qis 2. c. 9. 11. It is not to be thought that Christ the veritie would haue his Apostles lie for humilitie to confesse themselues to be vnprofitable seruants if they were not so indeede For a more full answere concerning the true meaning of this Scripture I referre the Reader to another treatise Synops. pag. 933. The 8. Corruption SYnops. p. 668. The Scripture saith God only forgiueth sinnes Mark 2. 7. it is no scripture but the wicked Scribes and Pharisees so thought whom our Sauiour reprehendeth Lib. pag. 273. The Correction 1. OVr blessed Sauiour doth not reprehend the Scribes for so saying who can forgiue sinnes but God onely but because they charged him with blasphemie for taking vpon him to forgiue sinnes not acknowledging the diuine power in him our Sauiour rather by his silence approueth that sentence of theirs as agreeable to Scripture 2. This saying is called scripture not because it was vttered by the Scribes and Pharisees but because it is a principle taken out of the Scripture Esay 43. 25. I am hee that putteth away thine iniquitie for mine owne sake c. And Iob saith Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthines there is not one Iob. 14. 4. If no man can make one cleane then it is God only that can doe it 3. Ambrose citeth this text as scripture Quis potest dimittere peccata nisi solus Deus qui per eos quoque dimittit quibus dimittendi tribuit potestatem Who can forgiue sinnes but God onely who also forgiueth by them to whom he giueth that power c. lib. 5. in Luc. Goe now and charge Ambrose likewise to bee an abuser of scripture But in trueth you your selfe are the man that abuse your selfe and others with these childish and sottish cauils that doe euery where proclaime your ignorance and bewray your euill heart For as Basil saith Lying is the very scope and end of impietie But passing ouer his vnchristiaÌ„ termes and vnseemely scoffes as not worthie the answere I say with Augustine In bona conscientia teneo quisquis volens detrahit famae meae nolens addit mercedi meae In a good conscience I speake it hee that willingly doth detract from my good name vnwillingly doth adde to my reward The 9. Corruption SYnops. pag. 749. To speake simply death is the wages of all sinne Rom. 6. 23. he hath falsified S. Paul by foisting in the word all The Correction 1. THe Apostles sense not his sentence is there repeated for in other places where the text is cited the words as they stand are repeated as Synops. p. 747. lin 17. pag. 656. lin 31. pag. 775. lin 50. 2. This word all is added exegeticâ—s by way of exposition for indefinit propositions in Scripture though they want the note of vniuersalitie yet are aequiualent vnto them as Ioh. 1. 29. Behold the lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world Ye may as well say that Christ taketh not away all the sinnes of the world because all is not expressed as that all sinne deserueth not death because the Apostle onely saith the wages of sinne is death 3. S. Paul Rom. 10. vers 11. alleaging the Prophet Esay 28. 16. saith Whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not be ashamed where the Apostle putteth to these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all or whosoeuer and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in him which words the Prophet hath not will you say that the Apostle falsified the Prophet Which is not alleaged as though any man had now the like gift of interpreting Scripture as Paul had but to shew that it is lawfull in more words to expresse the sense and meaning of Scripture 4. Neither was hee the first whom you challenge specially for this that thus collected vpon this text but a reuerend writer of our Church before him thus inferreth vpon this text The wages and worthily deserued reward of all sinne in