the Host to be vsed at the Masse 15. Or that the auncient Church hath held the bookes of Machabees for Canonicall 16. Or that the auncient Church hath beleeued that the Bishop of Rome cannot erre in faith 17. Or that the auncient Church hath beleeued that Iesus Christ by his death and sufferinges did clearely discharge vs of the paine and punishment of the sinnes that went before baptisme But as touching the paine of the sinnes committed after baptisme he hath onely changed it from eternall to temporall and that it lyeth in vs to satisfie the iustice of God for the same which is indeede the most important point of all Christian religion For he that would descend to smaller things and demaund of Coeffeteau if in any of the auncients there be mention made of Iubilees of Agnus Dei or holy Graines consecrated Medals of Cordelier-Friars or Iacobins or Iesuites and an infinite sort of religions and new deuotions I beleeue he would finde himselfe terribly puzled In all this as in those other seauenteene points before handled they receiue not the Fathers for Iudges Those auncient Doctors were not yet arriued to any so high point of learning But these messieurs our masters supply and support their ignorance in these matters In other controuersies they admit and receiue the Fathers for Iudges but with this caution and condition that themselues may be Iudges of the Fathers They allow the auncients to be interpreters of the Scriptures But themselues will be the interpreters of the auncients to the end to make them speake thinges contrary to the Scriptures ARTICLE IIII. Touching the authority of the holy Scriptures The KINGS Confession I Thinke also that no man doubteth but that I settle my faith and beleefe vpon the holy Scriptures according to the duty of a Christian Hereat Coeffeteau holdeth his peace and by his silence approueth the confession of the King of England For he doth not allow of the blasphemies which his companions disgorge against the sacred bookes of the word of God He hath not dared to say with Bellarmine Bellar. lib. 4. de verbo non scripto cap. 12. §. Respondeo Scripturae finem propriū praecipuum nō esse vt esset Regula Fidei Dico secundo Scripturam esseregulam Fidei nō totalem sed partialem that the Scripture is but a peece of a Rule and not the whole entire Rule of faith And that it was not properly made to bee the Rule of our faith It may be also that he doth not approue of Bellarmines saying who in his fourth Chapter of the fourth Booke of the word not written saith * Quarto Necesse nosse extare aliquos libros verè diuines quod certè ex sacris Scripturis haheri nullo modo possunt c. that a man cannot know by the testimony of the Scripture that there be any bookes of diuine inspiration albeit the Scripture doth say it and his reason is Because we reade aswell in the Alcoran of Mahomet that the Alcoran was sent from heauen It may be also that Coeffeteau hath not dared in this place to vse the tearmes of Doctor Charron in his booke called La troisiesme veritè where he saith that the Scripture is a Forrest to forrage in where Atheists lie in ambushments and that by reading it a man becommeth an Atheist Thou beleeuest saith he because thou readest so thou art not then a Christian It is cleare then that his Maiesty of England doth yeeld a thousand times more respect to the holy Scriptures then the Church of Rome or the Councel of Trent which ordaineth in the fourth Session that Traditions be receiued with like affection of piety and reuerence with the holy Scripture equalling mens Traditions with Gods diuine ordinances For the Pope hath letters of credit And we must presuppose that besides the new-Testament Iesus Christ hath made a Codicill or little booke which the Pope hath in his priuate custody whence hee draweth the ordinances that are not contained in the Scripture Yet this is but little For Bellarmine goeth farther and saith that Sunt quaedam Traditiones maiores quod ad obligationem quà m quaedam Scripturae That there are some traditions greater in respect of obligation then some partes of Scripture That is to say to which we are more bound to adhere Hauing good hope that in the end we shall see God to become Disciple to the Bishop of Rome ART V. Touching the Canonicall and Apocryphall bookes of Scripture The KINGS Confession In exposit Symboli BVt euen for the Apocrypha I hold them in the same account that the Auncients did They are still printed and bound with our Bibles and publikely read in our Churches I reuerence them as the writings of holy and good men but since they are not found in the Canon we account them to be secundae lectionis or ordinis which is Bellarmines owne distinction and therefore not sufficient whereupon alone to ground any article of faith except it be confirmed by some other place of Canonicall Scripture Concluding this point with Ruffinus who is no Nouelist I hope that the Apocryphall bookes were by the Fathers permitted to be read not for confirmation of Doctrine but only for instruction of the people Here Coeffeteau begins to put himselfe into the field In exposit Symb. we expected him long agoe He bringeth only two testimonies of the auncients and they are both false howbeit not through his fault for the falsification was made by others before him The first testimony is of S. Austen in his second booke of Christian Doctrine cap. 8. where he maketh an enumeration of the Canonical bookes almost agreeably to the Councell of Trent To this testimony hee adioyneth the third Councell of Carthage which also putteth Iudith Tobie the booke of Wisedome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees among the Canonicall bookes He saith that it is not iust nor fit to alleage the opinions of particulars where question is of the publike faith testified auouched by this Councell In saying so little as this he spendeth three leaues Answere and yet he contradicteth himselfe and condemneth himselfe of iniustice by alleaging S. Austin who is but one particular If he say that S. Austin doth but report that which was the common beleefe I answere that those particular witnesses whom he reiecteth doe report the same also Againe * Tenebit hunc modum in Scripturis Canonicis vt eas quae ab om nibus recipiuntu Ecclesijs Catholicis praeponat eis quas quaedam non accipiunt it is false that S. Austen doth relate the common beleefe for a little before he had said that there are some books among the Canonicall which were not receiued for such of al the Churches Moreouer Coeffeteau hereby contradicteth the Church of Rome who doth not hold the Councels of Carthage for generall Councels nor their Canons for the publike beleefe of the vniuersall Church 1. To cleare this matter then the
receiue some lustre from his reflection But those that desire to make themselues knowne by the greatnesse of their Aduersaries are alwaies such as haue little in themselues why the world should take note of them This Doctor in his booke handleth the King of great Britaine as a Nurce doth her nurce-childe who after shee hath dandled it beates it mingling curstnesse and flattery For in humble termes hee wrongeth him and giueth him respectfull lyes flatters him with iniuries accuseth him to speake vpon trust and that he busieth himselfe with quirkes and subtleties and sayes that he makes S. Paul an Interpreter of the Apocalips This is the forme of his writing as for the matter and substance of his booke I finde that he hath ill measured his owne strength and that with the weakenesse and meanenesse of his skill he hath made the strength of his Maiesties reasons more manifest Gyants are not to be ouerthrown with a breath neyther is a Lion to be fought against with a Festue Other kind of forces are necessary to make resistance to so exquisite a doctrine that is euer abundantly sustained by the truth And indeede he clearely confesseth his weakenesse in this that hee neuer cyteth the Text of the Kings booke but only reporteth the sense thereof disguised and weakened that he may giue himselfe greater scope and liberty forming to himself Chimera's which he impugneth with other Chimera's of his owne as will sufficiently appeare by the examination of his booke to which we now will enter God herein enlighten vs since that which wee say is for his truth which is the light of our soules CHAP. II. Certaine Remonstrances of COEFFETEAV his iudgement touching the Treasons and attempts vppon the life of the King of England ARISTOTLE in the second booke of his Rhetoriques Chap. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith that the Countrey people vse to haue their speeches very full of sentences but folly is more sufferable then vnseasonable wisedome Coeffeteau beginneth his booke much after such fashion making to the King of great Britaine many sententious Remonstrances interlaced and mingled with threats and commendations But whilst he representeth to Kings their duties he goeth beyond his owne for S. Ierome forbids Monkes to be teachers saying in his booke against Vigilantius Monachus non docentissed plangen tis habet officium wishing Monks rather to bewaile and be sorrowfull for their owne faults then to reprehend those of other men But chiefly his Remonstrances are ill employed to a King that is better read in the Bible then he is in his Missall and that hath carefully put in practise the commaundement of God in the seuenteenth of Deuteronomy where hee commaunds Kings to read the booke of the law all the dayes of their liues verse 19. The exhortation that Luther often vsed by his Letters to Pope Leo the tenth to renounce the papacy and to liue of his owne and to come and doe as he did had more grace with it then this of Coeffeteau for it is more probable of the two Sleidan li. 2. that the Pope was the likelier to haue followed Luthers counsell This Doctor hauing thus employed the seuen first pages of his book in these exhortations which haue no other fault but that they are ill applyed comes to those motiues which estrange and keepe the King of England from the Romane Religion supposing the conspiracies that haue beene against his person to be the causes of it thereupon protesteth Fol. 5. pag. 1. that the Romane Church no way approueth such attempts but condemnes them as parricides and wisheth to Princes secure gouernement victorious armes obedient people and faithfull Councell And after addeth That for these considerations the head of the Church which is the Pope cannot disaproue the courses that your Maiestie holaeth to secure your authority and person against the miserable enterprizes so that they bee not repugnant to that Religion which he is bound to desend To this I say Coeffeteau hath beene very ill enformed for the conspiracies against the King of Englands life haue not with-held or kept him from Popery since euen from his Infancy he hath made open profession of the true Religion and before this conspiracy had published the confession of his faith conformable to that which we professe And whereas he condemnes such attempts as are made vpon the liues of Kings we greatly commend him for it and thereby suppose that he no way approued the enterprize of Iames Clement who was domesticke with him and his companion From thence I likewise gather that when the Iesuite Mariana in the sixt Chapter of his booke De Regno prayseth the Act of Iames Clement saying that he was perswaded and enduced thereunto by Diuines with whom hee had conferr'd I gather that Coeffeteau was none of those Diuines and that when this Parricide Saint and Coeffeteau went a begging together hee made him not acquainted with his secret And further it is no small vertue in this Doctor that he feareth not in so iust a cause to condemne many Iesuites who were complices or instigators of this last conspiracy and haue been executed for it Nay more it sheweth a magnanimity in Coeffeteau that hee dares so couragiously oppose himselfe to the Pope and Bellarmine who by their letters before mentioned incite the English to rebellion which could neuer take effect so long as the Kings life should be in safety By the same meanes he likewise condemneth the Authors of the Legend of S. Iames Clement which wee haue seene with our eyes but not without much wonder and admiration The successe of things haue grudged him this honor and men haue beene nothing fauourable and propitious to this Saint otherwise doubtlesse hee had before this beene put into paradice It is likewise a cause of iust ioy vnto vs to see that a Doctor of the Sorbons dare approue the sentence of the Court of Parliament against Iohn Chastell though the Pope of late hath newly censured it By which it dooth also follow that he doth not thinke it well done that Garnet and Ouldcorne Iesuites and parties in the gunpowder treason are at Rome inserted in a roll of Martyres Whosoeuer prayseth and approueth an acte already done will questionlesse counsel and aduise the doing of it for that which is wicked in the vndertaking cannot be good in the execution But the Pope in his breue before mentioned calleth the punishment of Treason and rebellion by the name of Martyrdom which is a dangerous speech able to make Kings tremble when the people shall be taught by Murders and Treasons to seeke the Crowne of Martyrdome An abhominable and detestable doctrine can there be any so colde and frozen zeale that will not hereby be warmed and moued to a iust anger that this so sacred name of Martyr so much reuerenced in the Church should in such sort be prostituted that whereas the holy Scripture calleth them Martyrs which suffer for the testimony of the
c. that if they had been able they would certainly haue done it but that they feared to prouoke this Emperor against them to haue drawn persecution against the Christians O blessed Apostle how fitly to the purpose dost thou stop this euasion furnishest vs with an answer that cutteth off all difficultie for he saith That we must be subiect to Princes not only for wrath but euen for conscience sake He wil that we obey Princes not only for feare of incurring thier displeasure but also to satisfie the conscience and our duety towards God And S. Peter in like manner in his first Epistle and second Chapter Submit your selues to all manner ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as to the Superiour c. This then is to be done not only to stoope and yeelde to the present necessity but also for Gods sake And to say truth could not S. Peter at whose word Ananias and Saphyra gaue vp the ghost and S. Paul who in reasoning with Elymas the Sorcerer strooke him with blindenesse could not they I say by the same power haue crushed this monster Nero or haue throne him from the height of the Capitoll But what wil they say if we produce ages wherin Orthodox Christians were the stronger party and yet did they abstaine from the life or Crowne of the Emperour Constantius was an Arrian against whom Liberius Bishoppe of Rome did not cast forth his lightnings neyther did hee attempt to dispossesse him but vpon the Emperours commaund hee went into banishment After his decease Iulian the Apostata mightily laboured to restore Paganisme at what time almost the whole Empire was Christian and that which is more his Armies were composed of Christian souldiers as Ruffinus witnesseth in the first booke of his Story cap. 1. Theodoret lib 4. cap. 1. Socrates lib. 3. cap. 19. And indeed when the Armies after his death conferred the Empire vpon Iouinian a christian Prince they cryed with one voyce We are Christians What could there be more easie then to haue thrust this Apostata from the Empire And if God hath giuen to the Bishop of Rome this power to degrade Monarches why was he then wanting to this his duety when there was such a pressing necessity and so great a facility to haue done it There liued at that time Gregory Nazianzen the ornament of his age who in his first Oration against Iulian saith that the Christians at that time had no other remedy against the persecutors saue onely their teares But if our Popes now a dayes had then liued This passage is alleadged in the 11. Decree Quaest 3. c. Iulianus and might haue beene beleeued they would easily haue furnished other meanes S. Austin vpon the 124. Psal speaking of the obedience that the Christians yeelded to this Iulian Distinguebant Dominum aeternum a Domino temporali tamen subditi erāt propter Dominū aeternum etiam Domino temporali They made a difference saith he betweene the Lord eternall and the Lord temporall and yet they were subiect to their temporall Lord because of the Lord eternall Such a like example we haue in the Emperour Valens an Arrian and a persecutor whose officers and people were for the most part faithfull beleeuers but their Religion neuer brake out into rebellion The Emperour Valentinian the yonger was infected with Arrianisme as we see by the 33. Epistle of S. Ambrose where Valentinian sendeth his Colonels and Captaines to dispossesse the Orthodox Christians of the Temple in the City of Milan to put in the Arrians Ambrose the Christian people withstood him but with modesty saying Rogamus Auguste non pugnamus Non timemus sed rogamus Whereat Valentinian was so much offended that he called S. Ambrose ‡ Si Tyrannus es scrire volo vt sciam quemadmodum me aduersum te praeparem tyrant At the same time one * Sosomen lib. 7. cap. 13. Maximus a Catholick Prince rebelled against Valentinian and made him to forsake Italy taking in hand the defence of the true faith against an Emperour that was an Hereticke What did the Christians then Did S. Ambrose or the Bishop of Rome commaund the people to obey Maximus and to rebell against Valentinian Nothing lesse nay rather Valentinian by the helpe of Theodosius and the Orthodoxes was re-established in his authority which greatly serued to set him in the right way To be short we finde in the auncient Church many Bishops banished and chastised by Emperours but neuer any Emperour dispossessed of his Empire by the Bishoppe of Rome So then Cardinall Bellarmine doth accuse the auncient Bishops of Rome for that during the oppression of the Church they vsed not those means and remedies which they had in their hands in that they drew onely the spirituall sword whereas our new Popes skirmish with both hands and flourish both swords besides all other dexterities Yea futher if the auncient Bishoppes of Rome were in doubt to prouoke the Emperors for feare of being cause of much slaughter and confusion why did not this feare with-hold the late Popes from thundring against the Emperours Fredericke Barbarossa and Henry the fourth Why did they draw on those horrible confusions which filled the west Empire with blood sacked many townes and caused threescore maine battels to bee fought It is then a manifest corruption of the Scripture when in the same place he produceth the Epistle of S. Paul saying to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 6. that rather then they shold go to law before vngodly men or Infidels they should erect those who were of least estimation in the Church Iudges amongst them Then he addeth Is it so that there is not a wise man amongst you not one that can iudge betweene his brethren From this Text Bellarmine maketh this collection that the Corinthians might establish new Iudges This is to take the Scriptures cleane contrary to the meaning of them For first S. Paul doth not speake of deposing Magistrates secondly he doth not speake of erecting new ordinary Offices in the Common-wealth but to chuse out from among the faithfull some persons to compose their differences by arbitrement peacable meanes rather then to draw blame vpon the Church by bringing their suits and quarrels before Infidels This is the exposition that Theodoret and Chrysostome giue vpon this place and Lyranus and Thomas vpon this Epistle Now if the Cardinall maintaine that S. Paul doth speake of forsaking the ordinary Iudges to institute new in their places let him produce some examples hereof let him shew vs the practise of it There he is silent and for good cause for who maketh any doubt but that the Christians if they should haue set vp ordinary Iudges in place of Imperiall Officers should haue beene held culpable of Leze-maiesty The danger which he pretendeth to be intolerating an heretical King cannot beare skale against the commaundement of God Adde hereunto that this reason is but
he celebrated the Eucharist and that his body was already dead Lactantius in his fourth booke and fourteenth Chapter dooth formally denie the Diuinity of Iesus Christ and in his seuenth booke and one and twenty chapter he saith that the soules of men as well good as bad In vna communique custodia detinentur are detained in one common prison Saint Gregory Nazianzen in his Sermon of Baptisme willeth that vnlesse it be in case of vrgent necessity the Baptisme of young children be deferred vntill such time as they may be capable to aunswere and to yeeld account of their faith Himselfe in his Epitaph vpon Basill doth preferre him before Enoch Contemninus n. Phegor omnem ignominiam eius scientes quod qui in carne sunt non possunt placere Deo and compareth him to Abraham Saint Ierome in his first booke against Iouinian often calleth marriage an vnchast state of life and an ignominy and that the fruite of it is death and that a woman that doth marry the second time ought not to participate of the Almes no nor of the body of the Lord. The Church of Rome doth no longer beleeue the Purgatorie of Gregory the first which hee placeth sometimes in Bathes sometimes in the winde sometime in the water Nor the opinion of Honorius Bishop of Rome who was a Monothelite the Epistles whereof are inserted in the fift and sixt generall Councels For all these good seruants of God were subiect to mistaking and had their faults and vices like warts in a faire face to the end that in reading them a man should haue alwayes in his hand the Compasse of the holy Scripture and the rule of the word of God And that a man should beleeue that which they haue well said not because they haue said it but because it is found in the word of God if they erre in any thing Antiquity cannot authorize an errour There can be no prescription against the truth And a time there was when these Fathers were no Fathers and before they wrote the Christians were ruled by the word of God As touching that which the King of great Britaine saith that they doe contradict one another the verification of it is easie For euery man knoweth the contentions betweene Chrysostome and Epiphanius the Disputes betweene Cyrill and Theodoret the sharpe Epistles and full of gall of Saint Ierome to Saint Austin And S. Austin speaketh farre otherwise of Free-wil of Predestination and of the gift of Perseuerance then all the Greeke Fathers of his age He that will haue a cleare mirrour of this their discord let him compare the Commentaries of S. Austin vpon the Psalmes with those of Saint Ierome and he shall scarcely finde them to agree in two verses together It is then with very iust reason that Coeffeteau doth graunt this to the King of great Britaine and doth acknowledge the faults and contradictions of the auncients whom notwithstanding we ought to loue and honour as great lights in their times and worthy seruants of God who hauing combatted Heresies in their life time doe yet beat downe Popery after their deaths For we maintaine against whosoeuer he be that in the foure first ages and yet wee might discend much lower there shall not be found out any one man who hath had a Religion not so much as approaching to that of the Romish Church now-a-dayes And in this challenge I will lay downe my Ministers cloake ready to be frocked and cladde in a Monks-coule if I shall finde a man that will satisfie me in this point And to the end to expresse my selfe more clearly I say that betweene vs and our aduersaries there be two kindes of Controuersies for some there be vpon which they are wont to produce some passages for proofes But eyther they be quotations altogether false or maimed and curtalled or of no vse to proue the point in question or else places taken contrary to the authours meaning Yet being a thing ordinary with these Messieus to put the ancient Fathers vpon the racke to make them speake in fauour of an vntruth Such is the question of transubstantiation of praying for the dead or Purgatory and of the Sacrifice of the Masse But there are other Controuersies no lesse important and more in number In which they are cleane destitute of all authority of the auncient Church and vpon which being interrogated they answere besides the matter For changing the question they endeauour to proue that which is not demaunded of them See here some examples 1. They cannot shew that any auncient Church did celebrate the eucharist without communicants as it is done ordinarily in the Church of Rome yea and sometimes also without any assistants 2. They cannot shew that any ancient Church hath excluded that people from the communion of the cuppe or chalice 3. Or that in any ancient Church the publike seruice was done in a language not vnderstood of the people 4 Or that any ancient Church hath hindered the people from reading the holy Scripture As it is no way permitted in those Countries where the Pope is absolutely obeyed without speciall priuilege 5. Or that in any ancient Church they haue made Images of God and representations of the Trinity in stone or in picture 6. Also they cannot proue vnto vs that in any ancient Church the people hath beene instructed to pray without vnderstanding that which they say speaking in a tongue not vnderstood of himselfe that prayeth 7. Or that any ancient Church did yeeld worship or religious seruice to the Images of creatures kissing them decking them with robes kneeling before them and presenting them gifts and offerings c. 8. Or that the ancient Church hath beleeued that the Virgin Mary is crowned Queene of the heauens and Lady of the world as this is painted throughout all their Churches 9. Or that the ancient Church hath giuen to the Saints diuers charges as to one the commaund euer such a country to another the cure ouer such a maladie to a third to be Patron ouer such a trade and mysterie 10. Or that the ancient Church hath beleeued that the Pope can giue and take away Kingdomes And dispense with subiects for the oath of their alleageance Can canonize Saints and dispense with Vowes and promises solemnly made to God c. 11. Or that in the ancient Church the Pope by his pardons did distribute supererogatory satisfactions of the Saints for the remission of paine and punishment of other mens sinnes 12. Or that the Pope did then place his pardons in one Church and not in another In one Towne and not in another and that sometimes for an hundred and two hundred thousand yeares of pardon 13. Or that the auncient Church hath beleeued the Limbe of little children 14. Or that the auncient Church hath adored the host which the Priest holdeth vp with the worship of Latria which is done to God alone And to this end the Priest hath caused the Eleuation of
Reader shall obserue first that these bookes to wit Tobie Iudith the booke of Wisdome Ecclesiasticus the Machabees they are not found in the Hebrew tongue and consequently they are not in the originall of the old Testament wherein there are but two and twenty bookes 2. Secondly we ought also to know that the Church of the old Testament neuer acknowledged these bookes nor receiued into the Church See Eusebius lib. 8. of his Storie cap. 10 as witnesseth Iosephus in his first booke against Appion 3. Thirdly it is also very considerable that Iesus Christ nor his Apostles who alleaged vpon euery purpose Texts and passages out of the old Testament neuer named any of those bookes nor neuer drew quotation out of any of them 4. Fourthly the chiefe and principall is that in these bookes there be many faults aswell in the Doctrine as in the Storie whereof * In my booke intituled the waters of Siloé cap. 6. we haue elsewhere produced many proofes But let vs heare the testimony of the auncients S. Hierome in his preface vpon the bookes of Salomon speaketh of Ecclesiasticus and of the wisdome of Salomon a Sicut ergo Iudith Tobie Machabaeorum libros legit quideÌ„ Ecclesia sed eos inter Canonicas Scripturas noÌ„ recipit Sic haec duo volumina legat ad aedificationem plâ—bis non ad authoritatem Christianorum dogmatum confirmandam As then the Church doth reade indeede the bookes of Iudith of Tobie and the Machabees but doth not receiue them among the Canonicall Scriptures so let it also reade these two volumes for the edification of the people but not to confirme the faith of the Church He saith the same in his Prologus Galcatus and marke by the way that he saith that it is the beleefe of the Church Sciendum tamen est quod alij libri sunt qui non Canonici sed Ecclesiastici a maioribus appellati sunt vt est SapieÌ„tia Solomonis Ecclesiasticus libellus Tobiae Iudith macabaeo rumâ—libri quae omnia legi quidem in Ecclesiis voluerunt non tamen proferri ad authoritatem ex his fidei confirmandam Praeter istos sunt adâ—uc alij eius dem veteris instrumenti libri non Cononici qui Catechumenis tantum leguntur Sapientia Solomonis c. Amongst the workes of S. Cyprian there is a Treatise which seemeth rather to be the worke of Ruffinus touching the exposition of the Creede There he reckoneth vp the bookes of the old and the new Testament Then he addeth * These are then the bookes which the Fathers haue included in the Cannon or Rule and from which are drawne the proofs of our faith Notwithstanding we must know that there are other bookes which the auncients haue not called Canonicall but Ecclesiasticall bookes as is the wisdome of Salomon Ecclesiasticus Tobie Iudith and the bookes of the Machabees Then he addeth All which they would should be reade in the Church but that they should not be produced to confirme the authority of the faith S. Athanasius in his booke intituled Synopsis nameth al the bookes of the old Testament according to the Hebrew Bible Then he addeth Besides these there are yet other bookes of the old Testament not Canonicall which are not read but to the Catechumeni or Nouices newly taught and catechized such are the wisdome of Salomon the wisdome of Iesus the Sonne of Syrach Iudith Tobit c. Melito Bishop of Sardi as witnesseth Eusebius in his fourth booke of his Hystorie and the fiue and twentith Chapter Origen in Eusebius sixt booke and foure and twentieth chapter S. Hilary in his Preface vpon the Psalter S. Gregory Nazianzen in his verses of the holy Scripture Eusebius lib. 3. of his story cap. 10. Epiphanius in his booke of measures Damascene himselfe though long after in his fourth booke of the Orthodoxe faith cap. 18. And diuers other Fathers make an enumeration of the bookes of the olde Testament and yet do they not put in neyther Iudith nor Tobite nor Ecclesiasticus nor the booke of VVisedome nor the Maccabees But rather all with one consent and accord say that there are but two and twenty bookes in the olde Testament as many as there bee letters in the Hebrew Alphabet And yet further to conuince Coeffeteau let vs heare the very iudgement of him whom they most honour of all the Popes And this is Gregorie the first in his twenty sixe booke of morals vpon Iob cap. 29. where being desirous to alleadge the booke of Maccabees in the fact of Eleazar he excuseth himselfe in these wordes Of which thing we speake not out of reason Qua de re non inordinatè agimus si ex libris si non Canonicis sed ad Ecclesiae aedificationem scriptis testimonia proferimus if we produce the testimonies of bookes not Canonicall but written for the edification of the Church This ought to suffice to represent what was the heleefe of particular men who being assembled together are equiualent to a generallity Howbeit for the more store and the better supply let vs heare the Councels The Councell of Laodicea which was almost about the same time with the first Nicene Councell setteth ouer the last Canon this inscription 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say How many bookes there be of the olde Testament that men ought to reade Then it reckoneth vp the number of them as farre as two and twentie Genesis Exodus Leuiticus Numbers Deuteronomie Ioshua Iudges Ruth Hester the Kings or Samuel two bookes of Kings two bookes Paralipomena or the Chronicles Esdras Psalmes Prouerbs Ecclesiastes Canticles Iob the twelue Prophets Esay Ieremy Baruch or the Lamentations and Epistles Ezechiel Daniel But of Tobie or Iudith or the Maccabees c. there is no newes Aboue all it is a thing to be be noted that this Councell of Laodicea is confirmed by the sixt generall Councell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at the end of which Councell the Fathers assembled together in the Palace made one hundred and three Canons in the second of which it is said We doe confirme and ratifie the sacred Canons made by our holy Fathers at Laodicea of Phrygia And this was now in the yeare of Iesus Christ 684. I adde the fourth Councell of Carthage which in the Tomes of the Latin Councels which are horribly mangled and falsified hath beene very ill handled For we haue not these Councels in Latine but by the meanes of the Church of Rome who hath deliuered them vnto vs such as she would her selfe But she hath not had that power ouer the Greek Coppies where there is no speech at all of the Maccabees Reade the Greeke Canons of the Councels printed at Paris in the yeare 1540. with a Praeface of Iohn du Tillet and the Canons of Balsamon and you shall finde that which I say to be true But Coeffeteau being content to write as Hunters breake their Fast that is
tumultuarily and in hast hath not had this curiosity It remaineth to examine the place of S. Austin of which euery one that hath a quicke smell will acknowledge the corruption and falsification First of all because it is not credible that this holy Personage would oppose himselfe single to the whole Church of his time and to all the Doctors that went before him and namely to the Councell of Carthage whereat himselfe had beene a present assistant Secondly because it is not credible that S. Austin would contradict himselfe for in the sixe and thirty Chapter of the eighteenth booke of the Citie of God he speaketh thus The supputation of these times since the building vp of the Temple is not found in the holy Scriptures which are called Canonicall but in other bookes among which are the Maccabees Is it possible to say in more plain and expresse termes that the Maccabees are not holy Scriptures nor Canonicall bookes But heere wee admire a pretty pleasant folly and stupidity of a taile handsomely fastened and sowed on by some Monke for after all this they make S. Austin to adde Which bookes not the Iewes but the Church boldeth for Canonicall O grosse Imposture After that hee had simply set downe that the Maccabees are not holy nor Canonicall Scriptures would hee say that the Church receiueth them for Canonicall By the same fraude this other place of S. Austin which Coeffeteau alleadgeth hath beene falsified Let vs adde hereunto that S. Austin cap. 23. of his second booke against Gaudentius answereth thus vnto Gaudentius who serued himselfe with the example of Razis who killed himselfe whereof mention is made in the second booke of the Maccabees The Iewes do not hold this booke in the same rancke with the law the Prophets and the Psalmes to which Iesus Christ beareth witnesse is they that beare record of him But this booke is receiued by the Church not vnprofitably if men read it soberly principally because of the sufferings of certaine Martyrs Who feeth not that he doth weaken the authority of these bookes in that Iesus Christ doth giue no testimony vnto them And if these bookes haue not beene reckoned for holy Scripture amongst the faithfull of the olde Testament I maruell when they became holy Scripture It is also a poynt very considerable that in this place of S. Austin produced by Coeffeteau Ecclesiasticus is put among the Canonicall bookes in which booke it is said cap. 46. Samuel prophesied after his death and declared vnto King Saul his death lifting vp his voyce out of earth An opinion which S. Austin doth condemne in his booke of Questions on the old Testament in the 27 Question saying Porrò autem hoc esi praestigium Satanae quo vt plurimos fallat etiam bonos se in potestate habere confingit that it is a great indignity to beleeue it and maintaineth that it was an illusion of Satan who to deceiue many faineth to haue good men in his power And in his booke of the care that men ought to haue of the dead after hauing spoken doubtfully he saith that men * Huic libro ex Hebraeorum Canone quia â—n eo non est contradicâ—tur controule the booke of Ecclesiasticus because it is not in the Canon of the Hebrews And in his booke of the eight Questions to Dulichius Quaest 6. he canuasseth this Question by way of Probleme leaning notwithstanding to the opinion that it was a meere fantasme or vaine apparition See hereupon the Canon Nec mirum in the Cause 26. Quest 6. where also S Austin is alleadged maintayning that this was done by enchantment Whence I conclude Caietan in fin-Commentaâ—oruÌ„ ad Historiam vet Test Ne turberis No uities si alicubi reperis libros istos inter Canonicos supputari vel in Sacris Con cilijs vel in Sacris Doctoribus Non. nâ—sunt Canonici id est regalares ad probandum ea quae sunt fidei possunt tamen Canonici dici ad aedificationem fidelium that S. Austin should contradict himselfe if after hauing refuted the opinion of Ecclesiasticus he should afterwards put him in the role of the Canonicall bookes These falshoods hauing not beene acknowledged by Cardinall Caietan droue him to finde out another euasion Be not astonished or troubled O thou who art but a Nouice in Diuinity if somtimes thou find eyther in the Councels or in the Doctors these bookes to be counted among the Canonicall For they are not Canonicall to proue the points of faith Notwithstanding they may be called Canonicall for the edification of the faithfull ARTICLE VI. Touching the memory of Saints and of their Feasts and holy dayes AS for the Saints departed I honour their memory The KINGS Confession and in honour of them doe wee in our Church obserue the dayes of so many of them as the Scripture doth Canonize for Saints but I am loath to beleeue all the tales of the Legended Saints Here Coeffeteau beginneth to skirmish without neede Fol 13. He complayneth for that the King speaketh onely of solemnizing the memory of those Saints of whom mention is made in the Scripture He saith that the Church of Smyrna did celebrate the feast of the Martyrdome of Polycarp That Basil did recommend the Feasts of S. Iulitta and of the forty Martyrs That Gregory Nazianzene did solemnize with the other Christians the Feast of S. Cyprian and S. Gregory of Nissa that of the Martyr Theodore That Cyprian commanded that they should marke out the dayes of the Passion of the Martyrs to the end that they mighcelebrate their memories That S. Austins twentieth booke against Faustus Manicheus cap. 21. saith that the Christian people did celebrate the memories of the Martyrs And yet that S. Polycarpe S. Iulitta c. are no Saints of whom there is any mention in the Scripture Hee addeth notwithstanding that the Church of England is in that lesse irreligious then the Caluinists of Fraunce who haue cut off all sorts of holy-daies of Saints aswell Apostles as others As touching the Legends We are saith hee no more credulous of them then you He saith he doth not receiue miracles vnlesse they be approued by the publique testimony of the Church and that euen in the first ages they suggested and foysted in false actes of Martyrs These passages which he alleadgeth are in part false partly they are of no vse to proue the Question Let vs begin with the falshood First in alleadging out of Eusebius the example of the Church of Smyrna who buried the bones of Polycarpe with honour and celebrated his memory Anniuersarily euery yeare there is no mention made of his Feast or Holy-day but onely of a day dedicated to the commemoration of his Martyrdome Ignorantes nos ChristuÌ„nunquam relinquere qui pro totius seruan dorum mundi salute passus est nec alium quenquam colere posse Nam hunc quidem tanquaÌ„ filium Dei adoramus Martyres verò
called Corpus Christi day to giue him contentment For seeing that euery Saint had his Feast it was iust and reasonable that God should haue his also 6 Then they sung no Masses in honour of the Saint whose Feast they celebrated And these Masses carry now a dayes the name of the Saint There is the Masse of S. Geneuiefue the Masse of S. Roth the Masse of S. Anthony c. Amongst which Masses we see in the same rancke the Masse of the Holy Ghost to testifie that the rest are not of that stampe 7 Then they did not diuersifie the furniture and preparation for their Masses in singing great or lesser Masses according to the greatnesse of the Feast Men were ignorant also of the distinction of high and low Masses Drie Masses and running Masses Masses in white or in greene There is nothing so pie-bald and new-fangled The Apostles vnderstood nothing in a manner in all this 8 Also in those times men knew not what it was to ground Feasts vpon an Allusion of Sillables As now adayes the Feast of the Mat-makers which they call Nattices is the day of the Natiuity of our Lady the Feast of Fel-mongers is Magdalen tyde La Magdalaine because they make L'amas de Laine an heape of wooll the Feast of Cooke-rosters is the Assumption of our Lady because assum is Latine for rosted The Feast of the Tylers or Slatters is Ascension day because they ascende and climbe the tops of houses Because Alga alludeth to Algeo which is to quake with colde So in the Physicke Alga aduersus querquerum as Apuleius speaketh You must giue Sea-weede or Sea-ore to one that is in a shiuering colde fit of the Ague Or to giue to a man that is hard bound a bunch of Keyes because there is nothing more opening Oh what a good time haue my Masters the Prelates had and how haue they dallied with Religion at their idle howers 9 But I would willingly know how it commeth to passe that those auncient Patriarkes such excellent personages Abraham Moses Dauid Daniel to whom there will not any be found comparable of all that haue liued within these fifteene hundred yeares how they notwithstanding all this haue no Feasts in the Church of Rome that no man prayeth in particular to Moses nor Samuel c. that no Temple beareth their name that it would indeede seeme a thing ridiculous to say S. Moses or S. Daniel or S. Iosaphat seeing that for a man but to beare the name of Isaac or Daniel or Abraham is enough to make a man to be suspected as a marke of Heresie If a man demaund whence commeth this great multitude of Feasts I say that auarice hath hatched them and that ambition hath bred them vp for the more Festiuall holy-dayes that there be the more often men goe to the offering and the pardons are more frequent when artisans and tradsemen shut vp their shoppes then the Priests open theirs The Prelates also are herein much honored for it is a great honour to these great Masters that at their commaundement the trafficke ceaseth the shops are shut vp the Sessions of the Iustices and of the Priuy Councell are by them broken vp And therefore when they are among themselues they gaude and mocke at the simplicity of the people For indeede they liue vpon their blindenes Let them then set vp the auncient simplicity againe let them restore to the Churches the liberty of gouerning themselues heerein according to the exigence of the time and place and we will not condemne their Feasts For indeede we doe not condemne this celebration of the memory of Martyrs and of Saints We like well the custome of the English Churches who haue certaine dayes affected and applyed to the commemoration of the Apostles for they are done without imposing necessity of keeping strict Holy-dayes and without opinion of merite without commandement of the Pope and without condemning the French Churches who hitherto haue feared to assigne any Feasts to any man because that liuing in a Countrey where superstitions doe swarme their people would easily be drawne into abuse and attainted with that running and ouer-spreading contagion which is to attribute that to the creature which belongeth to the Creator Meane while we let not to celebrate in our Churches the memory of the Saints and Martyrs but without any set day And we hold this rule for inuariable that God hauing said in his law in expresse termes Sixe dayes shalt thou labour he opposeth himselfe against God who saith Thou shalt not worke sixe dayes but thou shalt keepe holy those Feasts on the weeke dayes which I commaund thee Now if in the old Testament there be found any solemnities or Feasts besides the Sabboth day they are very few in number and ordayned by God himselfe who as he can giue the rules so also can he giue the exceptions Or if there be any feast found that was instituted by men you shall neuer be able to prooue that it was held vnlawfull to trauell vpon that day There should yet remaine to speake somewhat of Legends but I see that Coeffeteau is ashamed of them and would cast the blame vpon some particulars Legends neuerthelesse which haue beene for a long time yet are both in Italy and Spaine the subiect of Sermons yea very Fraunce is not exempt And those very miracles of which Coeffeteau is ashamed are those which we see painted on the walles and in the hangings of the Church As at Paris in the Cloyster of S. Geruase an Asse worshippeth and adoreth the Hoste neere thereto adioyning the Bees build a Chappell of waxe for an Hoste which they found in the fieldes In the Temple of S. Paul behinde the Quire on the left hand after the miracles of S. Roche painted promise is made vnto the people that they shall be healed of the swelling of the plague by adoring his pretious body at S. Benedict or S. Benets Cloyster wee see the said Saint tumbling himselfe starke naked amongst thornes and stopping the dogges with the signe of the Crosse In the forefront of the Church called Des Billettes an Hoste being pricked and stabbed by a Iew bleedeth with great droppes and being cast into a seething Caldron became a man in his visible greatnesse that is to say Iesus Christ boyling in a Caldron An infinite company of such things are so publick that Coeffeteau cannot condemne them without opposing himselfe to the whole Church of Rome Fictions that were built vp by the fauour of the night whiles they put the holy Scripture the onely light of our soules vnder a bushell And indeede very lately there haue beene composed two great Tomes of the Chronicles of S. Frauncis which challenge all the Legends and giue place to none of them for lies Insomuch that S. Dominicke Coeffeteaus Patron will henceforward be nothing in comparison of S. Frauncis ARTICLE VII Touching the Virgin Mary The KINGS Confession AND first for the blessed Virgin Mary I
auncient Agate stone which the people kissed and that himselfe beholding the ingrauing he found it to bee a Venus weeping ouer her Adonis lying by her And further that to Lewis of Bourbon Prince of Condee being in the same Towne there was brought amongst other Reliques an arme of siluer which being opened there was found within it a knaue of spades with a loue ditty And that at Bourges there was found in a casket of Reliques a little wheele turning round vpon a staffe hauing a little scroule written about it When this wheele about shall turne My loue with me in loue shall burne How can a man reconcile S. Iohn of Angerie with Amiens and Arras seeing that these three Townes doe bragge that they haue the head of Saint Iohn Baptist How many houses might there be built with that which is said to be the wood of the true Crosse Or who could recken the thornes of Christ his Crowne Or the milke or the haire of the Virgin Marie In England only in the beginning of the reformation of religion there were found aboue a bushel full of S. Apollonies teeth And alwaies the bason to receaue the offering is at hand Wee see many Churches founded by this meanes What semblance of these thinges was there amongst the auncients nay was there euer any grosser cosenage in all the Heathen Paganisme In all this abuse of Reliques finde me out any Relique or remnant of Pietie or any trace of Christianity ARTICLE XVIII Of Images The KINGS Confession BVt for worshipping either them or Images I must account it damnable Idolatrie I am no Iconomachus I quarell not the making of Images either for publike decoration or for mens priuate vses But that they should bee worshipped be prayed to or any holinesse attributed vnto them was neuer knowne of the Ancients and the Scriptures are so directly vehemently and punctually against it as I wonder what braine of man or suggestion of Sathan durst offer it to Christians and all must be salued with nice Philosophicall distinctions As Idolum nihil est And they worship forsooth the Images of things in being and the Image of the true God But the Scripture forbiddeth to worship the Image of any thing that God created It was not a nihil then that God forbad onely to be worshipped neither was the brasen Serpent nor the the body of Moses a nihil and yet the one was destroied and the other hidden for the eschewing of Idolatrie Master Coeffeteau answers Fol. 57. that the Church of Rome doeth not beleeue that there is any Deitie in Images nor doeth worship them nor make any petition vnto them or repose any confidence in them but doeth onely honour them for that which they represent Iust as the men of Reuben and Gad and the halfe tribe of Manasses beyond Iordan Ios 22. erected another Altar beside the Tabernacle only for amemoriall for their posteritie but not for the offering of sacrifices So Coeffeteau saith that the Church of Rome doth not erect Images vnto Saints that they should bee accounted either Gods or Images of God nor to offer sacrifices vnto them but to testifie that we are not depriued or seperated from the Communion of our holy brethren that dwell beyond Iordan in the Land of promise That as in ciuill Gouernements Statues are aduanced for those that haue spent their liues in the defence of the Commonwealth both for honour and example so for the same purposes are Martyrs adorned with triumphant Statues that they are faire Church ornaments and that thereby we make protestation that we liue in the same Church and in hope to attaine the same societie He addeth thereunto the testimonie of the Fathers alleadging one of the second age Lib. de pudic c. 7. to wit Tertullian speaking of an Image in a Chalice two of the fourth age First Gregorie Nyssenus Secondly Basil speaking of the Images of certaine Saints engrauen vpon a seeling and Painted vpon the Walles Lib. 5. byst c. 21. Three other Authours of the fifth age namely Sozomen who speakes of the Image of Iesus Christ broken by Iulian the broken pieces whereof were brought afterward into the Church and the Poet Prudentius and Paulinus speaking of Painting in Churches And farther he addeth that the distinction of an Image and an Idoll is grounded vpon the Scripture That the Cherubins were Images and not Idols That an Idoll either presenteth things that neuer were in being or representeth them in the nature of a God Which doth no way agree to the Images of Saints who haue had a true being and whom men doe onlie honour as the seruants of God That the brasen Serpent was broken and the bodie of Moses concealed for that the Iewes were humorouslie enclined to Idolatry and would readily haue acknowledged Moses for their Sauiour and worshipped and burnt incense vnto the brasen Serpent And that therefore Ezechias did religiously breake it but that he medled not with the Cherubins in the Temple because this was abused but those were not Whereupon Coeffeteau concludeth that the abuse not the Images is to be blamed the good vse of them being not forbidden especially in Churches This is the substance of his discourse Answere which hee loades with so many and such tedious wordes that the matter is hardly perceiued By which discourse he sheweth that he is ashamed of his religion For he speaketh of Images as of memorials or meere representations whereas the Church of Rome commandeth men to reuerence them to performe religious worship vnto them nay to adore them In the second Councell of Nice Pope Adrian writing to Tharasius Bishop of Constantinople speaketh thus a Act 2. Imagines omnium Sanctorum beatitas vestra colere adorare pergat Let your beatitude continue to serue adore the Images of all Saints This commandement is repeated through the whole Councell aboue twenty times These wordes are to be found in the seauenth Act. b Virginis Mariae Deiparae intemeratae quin etiam gloriosorum Angelorum omnium Sanctorum has quoque adorandas salutandas putamus Qui vero non est ita animatus sed circa venerādarum imaginū adorationem laborat dubitat cum anathematisat sancta venerāda nostra Synodus We hold that the Images of the pure Virgin Marie the mother of God and also of the glorious Angels and of all Saints are to be adored and saluted That if so be any be otherwise minded and doe wauer and be of a doubtfull opinion concerning the adoration of venerable Images our holy and reuerend Synod doth anathematise him And which is more in the first Act of this venerable Councell it is declared * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that a Church without Images is nothing worth Which is againe affirmed that to oppose Images is the worst of all heresies In the fourth Act it is said that c Vt etiam meo iudicio cum sanctis Euāgelijs venerāda
cruce aequi uaâ—eant Images are equiualent to the holy Gospels And in the eight Act it is ordained that d Imaginibus adorationem ex hibeant quemadmodâ— typo venerandae viuificae crucis sanctis EuaÌ„gelys such adoration be vsed vnto Images as is vnto the venerable and quickning Crosse and the holy Gospels In the same fourth Session speaking of the holy Hystories of Abraham and of the Martyrs it saith that maior est Imago quam oratio An Image is of more excellency then prayer In the fifth Act the entire body of the Councel pronounceth Ecclesia sentit noÌ„ omnino esse corporis expertes muisibiles veruÌ„ tenus corpore prae dito aerio siue igneo that the Church holdeth that the Angels are corporall and not inuisible but that they haue subtile bodies compounded of aire or fire And throughout the whole Councell is the worshipping of Images commanded Now this Councell in the Church of Rome is most authenticall is stiled Canonicall and confirmed by the Popes and it is to be beleeued that such a Councell cannot erre which is as much as can be said of the holy Scripture Bellarmine with other of their Doctors following this decision doth teach that Images are religiously to be worshipped and adored Who directly opposeth that which Coeffeteau saith that Images are worshipped Simply for that which they represent For Bellarmine in the 21. chapter of his booke of Images sets downe this maxime in Capitall letters that the Images of Christ and the Saints Imagines Christi SanctoruÌ„ venerandae sunt noÌ„ solum per accidens vel impropriè sed etiaÌ„ per se propriè tita vt ipsae termineÌ„t venerationeÌ„ vt in se considerantur non solum vt vicem gerunt exemplaris ought to be worshipped not by accident only or improperly but properly and by themselues so that the worship of them is determined in the Images as they are considered in themselues and not according to the patternes which they represent And about the end of the 22. chapter The vsuall worship performed vnto externall Images is considered properly and in themselues So the worship done to Images doth euidently shewe that they reuerence the Images for themselues For among the diuers Images of one Saint one is couered with dust another is cladd in silke and is often in change of rayment and some haue offerings tendered vnto them and some haue none and which â—s more the Images of the selfe same Saints haue diuers names there is our Lady of Vertue our Lady of Ioy our Lady of good newes our Lady of Snow whose festiuall day is in Italy celebrated in the moneth of August and hee that should call our Lady of Vertue by the name of our Lady of Ioy should be reputed a blockhead or that he had beene at Geneua And so doubtlesse when one censeth an Image or kindleth lights or clothes it with apparaile or offers vnto it or when one speaketh to a piece of wood or to the painting in a cloth I see not how the Saint is more honoured thereby for he meddles not with the perfumes and when the stones are polished he sees not a whit the clearer He takes no delight in seing the Images clothed or naked nor doth he gather vp anie of the offerings but they are all for the Curates and Vicars And if any should speake to the picture of a King the King would not esteeme himselfe honoured thereby And if Images which doe but doubtfully resemble the countenances of Saints must be worshipped then why should not the Bible bee adored wherein the power of God is most certainly represented Now if his Maiestie of England speake of this abuse as an abhomination what would he say if he had been an eye-witnesse of that superstitious madnesse wherwith the poore multitude are inflamed if he had seene behinde an Image of stone cladde in silke a poore naked picture standing for the Image of God if he had seene the people marching in procession before Lent toward the Image of our Lady for leaue to eate butter if he had seene the rule practised which the Tridentine catechisme sets downe approuing such as say a Pater noster before the picture of S. Dominicke or S. Barbara Cap. de Oratione Editionis Lonaniensis p. 483. Cum ad imaginem sancti alicuius quis Dominicam orationem pronunciat ita tum sentiat se ab illo petere vt secum oret if he had seene troupes of Saints in Churches diuersly apparailed among which some are but very basely cladde and some Saint hauing a hogge by his side some other a dogge c and these creatures to haue a share in the perfume to be equally adorned with lights He that should breake an arme of one of these liuelesse Images shall be thought to haue committed a greater fault then if he had broken the heades of a hundred liuing men howbeit the Image might be mended when the men could haue no amends This abuse is boundlesse and here superstition addeth madnesse vnto their blindnesse For the liuing Image of God fals downe before the Image of a dead man He among them that should see a church without Images would thinke himselfe in a newe world or he that should see Images vnworshipped would perswade himselfe he were among Deuils Such as blush at this abuse and speake thereof more nicely as Coeffeteau doth they say that Images doe helpe our deuotion but whence then is it that they may not be seene in Lent which is the time of deuotion and what deuotion is there without nay against the commandement of God Others say that they are ignorant mens bookes and they say the truth for they keepe them in ignorance So Habacuc cap. 2. calleth them teachers of lyes the mischiefe is that whiles the Churches and publique places are filled with these bookes for the ignorant they keepe away the Scripture which might haue made them learned and cured their ignorance they amaze the people insteed of instructing them they quicken the sense but dull the conscience they kindle their wax-lights while the Candle of Gods word is hid vnder the bushell of an vnknowledge language and by this meanes are men turned into stones hauing stones for their instructers And this is an old tricke of policie to busie the people with playes and publike shewes while their liberty is vndermined Tacitus in Iulio Agricola Paulatim discessum ad del inimenta vitiorum porticus balnea conuiuiorum elegantiam Id apud imperitos humanitas vo cabatur cum pars â—eruitutis esset so dealt Alcibtades by the Athenians and so as Cor. Tacitus witnesseth the Romanes dealt in great Britaine The same cunning hath beene vsed by the Pope who hath built his Hierarchy vpon the ruines of the Romane Monarchy he sets the people gazing on paintings and spectacles while he doth insensibly change the doctrine of saluation to make it seruiceable
nostram veniunt non appendi As I was in a Village called Anablata seeing as I walked along a burning lampe and perceiuing that it was a Church I went in to pray and found in the porch a veile hung vp coloured and painted hauing in it the picture as it were of Christ or some Saint for I doe not well remember of what hauing then seene that in the Church of Christ there was hung vp the Image of a man contrarie to the authority of the Scriptures I rent it and aduised the keepers of the place to burie some poore dead bodie in it He addeth that hee sent another veile without any Image for recompence of that which he had torne to content the keepers that murmured at it after that he saith I pray you that in the Church of Christ such veiles be no more hung vp which are opposite to our religion And this same Epistle is in the same wordes alleaged in the Councell of Paris held vnder Lewes le debonaire in the yeare 824 that none may thinke it a peece of new forgerie Gregorie of Tours speaking of the Baptisme of King Clouis and his children witnesseth that the adorning of Churches was to hang the Church with veiles or white linnen Of which S. Ambrose speakes Epist 33. and this custome doth yet continue in Lent An euident proofe that then they had no Images for to what end should they then keepe them couered and this was about the yeare of our Lord fiue hundred Out of Monsieur Pithou his librarie who was a man rarelie learned we haue the Councell of Paris against Images wherein King Lewes le debonaires and the French Bishops doe make remonstrances vnto Pope Eugenius who defended Images tooth and naile For the Popes laide handfast vpon this occasionn to shake off the yoke of their master the Emperour of the East vnder a coulour that he puld downe Images Not long before in the yeare 794. Charlemaigne assembled the Councell of Franckford against the worshipping of Images Adonis Chronicon in an 795. Abbas Vspergensis in anno 793. Hinemarus Remensis lib. 20. coÌ„tra Episc Iandunensem Matth. WestmonasterieÌ„s in hyst an 793. Auentinus Annonius Regino Vignier c. wherein the second Nicene Councell was condemned before which Councell of Nice a generall Councell was held at Constantinople in the yeare 750 where there were three hundred and thirty eight Bishops some parts of which Councel are alleaged in the secoÌ„d Councell of Nice howsoeuer maymed yet stronger then that which those Nicence Bishops opposed against it About the yeare 600. Serenus Bishop of Marsilia puld downe all the Images found in Churches because the people worshipped them Greg. Epist 109. ad Serenum Episc Massiliensem lib. 9. Epist 9. and it is not by any meanes credible that the Christians accounted Images for Gods or worshipped them as God Nor doe we find that the said Serenus erected them againe notwithstanding hee was controuled by Gregorie Bishop of Rome Petrus Pithoeus in praefatione in hystorias Miscellas à Paulo Aquilegiensi Diacono collectas Nuper admâ—dâ—m nostri homines imaginosi esse coeperuÌ„t And indeede Monsieur Pithou hath good ground to say that the French-men beganne verie soone after to be addicted vnto Images For Anastasius keeper of the Librarie one superstitiously giuen in the preface to the second Councel of Nice saith that the Gaules had not yet receiued Images because the truth was not yet reuealed vnto them that is to say more then eight hundred yeares after Christ And Nicetas Choniates in the second booke of the raigne of Augustus Angelus saith that the Armenians did gladly receiue the Almaines because Apud Alemannos Armenios Imaginum adoratio aequè interdicta est among the Almaines and Armenians the worshipping of Images was forbidden alike For Charlemaigne had so farre reiected the worshipping of Images that hee himselfe wrote a booke against it which is yet extant And soone after Agobardus Bishop of Lyons compiled a great volume against Images which is also extant and newly printed at Paris To conclude whosoeuer shall diligently reade the scornefull inuectiues of the primitiue Christians flouting the Images of the auncient Pagans shall finde that their reprehensions had beene ridiculous if the Christians had then had Images in their Churches as when Lactantius lib. 2. cap. 4. doth call the Statues in the Pagan-temples Grandes puppas great babies and when cap. 2. he saith that the Images of the Gods are of no vse if they be present and that if they be in heauen then we should rather direct our prayers toward heauen And when S. Austin vpon the 113. Psalme saith that they draw the deuotion of the people in that they haue a humane shape and are set in some high roome And doubtlesse the Infidels would haue returnde the reproofe and reproach to the Christians and to their Images of the Saints and the worshipping of their Statues which they doe not But we haue heretofore heard that they aske the Christians for what cause they haue no Images that any could see ARTICLE XIX Of the Image of God The KINGS Confession YEa the Image of God himselfe is not only expresly forbidden to bee worshipped but euen to bee made The reason is giuen that no eye euer saw God and how can we paint his face when Moses the man that euer was most familiar which God neuer saw but his backe parts Surely since he cannot be drawne to the viue it is a thankelesse labour to marre it with a false representation which no Prince nor scarce any other man will be contented with in their owne pictures Let them therefore that maintaine this doctrine answere it to Christ at the latter day when he shall accuse them of Idolatrie And then I doubt if he will be payed with such nice sophisticall Distinctions For answere whereunto Coeffeteau saith that the Images of God are not made to represent his essence but onlie to expresse the formes wherein he hath appeared That none is so brutish to beleeue that any can paint an essence immortall infinite c. I expected that M. Coeffeteau would haue produced some commandement of God for his ground of the Images of God or some place to shew that God was pleased to haue his Images made seing they are not made to represent his essence at least some auncient example either true or false after his old manner But here is none of these he only saith that Images doe not expresse his being I answere that this may bee said aswell of the Images of men yea of beastes for their pictures doe not represent their essence and neuer was any man so vnreasonable as to thinke that the essence of anie thing could be expressed in a picture Then in like manner doe I say that if these Images be not the Images of God because they represent not his essence then the Images of Saints are not their Images because they represent not
But for the worshipping of Crosses of golde or siluer for the mettall is honoured we say with the auncient Christians in the Dialogue of Minutius Foelix Cruces nec colimus nec optamus We neyther worship nor wish for Crosses He doth vs wrong that thinkes that we reiect this signe and memoriall of the passion we onely wish the abuse and Idolatry to be reformed ARTICLE XXI Of Purgatory AS for Purgatory and all the trash depending thereupon The KINGS Confession Iubilees Indulgences Satisfactions for the dead c Lib. 2 de Purg. cap. 7. it is not worth the talking of Bellarmine cannot find any ground for it in all the Scriptures Only I would pray him to tel me if that faire greene Meadow that is in Purgatory haue a brooke running thorow it that in case I come there I may haue hawking vpon it But as for me I am sure there is a Heauen and a Hell praemium et poena for the Elect and Reprobate How many other roomes there be Iohn 14. I am not on God his counsell Multae sunt mansiones in domo Patris mei sayth Christ who is the true Purgatory for our sins But how many chambers and anti-chambers the Diuell hath they can best tell that goe to him But in case there were more places for soules to goe to then we know of yet let vs content vs with that which in his Word bee hath reuealed vnto vs and not require further into his secrets Heauen and Hell are there reuealed to be the eternall home of all mankinde let vs endeauour to winne the one and eschue the other and there is an end In this point of such great consequence wherein the benefites of Christ and the cleansing of our sinnes are handled it were very behoouefull for Mr. Coeffeteau to bring some proofes out of the word of God whereunto the King of great Britaines wordes doe binde him seeing he reproacheth Cardinall Bellarmine with ignorance of any one passage of the Scripture whereon to ground his Purgatorie and therefore hee cals the other Doctors to assist the Cardinall and supply this default In steed whereof Coeffeteau rusheth vpon the Fathers and saith that the Fathers haue prayed for the dead and that prayer for the dead were to no purpose if there were no Purgatory He alleadgeth the testimony but of two Fathers Chrysostome and S. Austen for touching Cyrils Catechismes wee haue already conuinced them of falshood To these allegations he addeth neyther reason neyther answereth the obiections made by his Maiesty of England much lesse doth hee bring any proofe of Scripture but onely sets downe his opinion in certain timorous and ambiguous termes he saith that Christ is the true sacrifice expiatory for our sinnes and that his bloud is our true purgation but that this primarie Purgation is applied vnto vs by the fire of Purgatory that the first causes doe not exclude the second and that soules are purged in the Purgatorie fire by a power giuen thereunto by the bloud of Christ That the Scripture doth expresly make but two places for soules to remaine in after this life but when it speakes in this manner the meaning is of places eternall But that Purgatorie is a place where they continue but for a time to wit vntil they haue satisfied the iustice of God and that they are cleansed from those corruptions which hinder them from entring into the heauenly Ierusalem And therefore saith hee wee acknowledge no Purgatorie after the resurrection or the last iudgement that no man thinkes faith Saint Austen that there be any Purgatory paines but onely before the last and dreadfull iudgement But of giuing satisfaction to the Kings reasons or defending Bellarmines flowry fielde wee heare no newes He hath not vndertaken the one and he is ashamed of the other This being one of the vlcerous fistula's of the body of the Romish Church it doth deserue a deepe search and diligent examination and herein we must declare 1 The beleefe of the Church of Rome 2 The doctrine of the Scripture 3 The iudgement of the Fathers eyther not vnderstood or fraudulently alleadged by Coeffeteau The opinion of the Church of Rome THe Church of Rome holdeth that the subterrane Region is diuided into foure lofts the lowest whereof is Hell the next Purgatory the third Limbus puerorum and the last Limbus Patrum which now stands empty In this building the lowest chambers are the hortest contrary to the course of nature Beside Purgatorie doth Cardinal Bellarmine place a verdant fielde diapred with flowers where the soules are refreshed in passing out from this fire grounded vpon the opinion of Dionysius Carthusianus an Author of great authority In the seuenth chap. and second booke of Purgatory This purging fire is grounded vpon this maxime drawne from the vnwritten Word that Christ by his death and sufferings hath freed vs from the fault and from the punishment of sinnes before baptisme This is clearly expounded in the Tridentine Catechisme in the chap. of penance baptisme but that it doth not discharge vs from the punishment of sinnes committed after baptisme for which we must satisfie the iustice of God both here and in Purgatorie that no vncleane thing entreth into Paradice and therefore we must be purged first that this purging fire is one of the meanes whereby to apply the satisfaction of Christ vnto vs. This fire shall last till the day of iudgement and that it is farre hotter then our ordinarie fire all the torments of this life being nothing in comparison thereof and that seauen yeares torment must be endured for one sinne which is the reason why the Pope doth graunt pardons of fifty and of a hundred thousand yeares for according to the wound must the playster bee the broader Thence is it that they pray for such as haue beene dead eight hundred or nine hundred yeares supposing them to be yet in this fire Neuerthelesse the mercy of the Popes doth often mitigate this punishment for they haue erected certaine priuiledged Altars at which whosoeuer saies a set number of Masses doth deliuer what soule he will out of Purgatory Which makes me to wonder why they that doe continually singe Masses for one that hath beene dead fiue hundred or sixe hundred yeares haue not the wit to say some Masses for him vpon these priuiledged Altars whereby they might determine his torments The Pope doth also graunt certain Bulles by which hee deliuereth some particular soule out of Purgatorie at the instance of his parents if they be persons of quality For he bestowes not these spirituall graces vpon meane soules vnlesse it be vpon the day of his Coronation on which in S. Peters place he disperseth pardons among the multitude for two or three thousand yeares There are also certaine priuiledged persons which eyther come not there or immediately goe out againe although they are loaden with as many sinnes as other men Iacobus de Rampont Carmelitarum praesentatus Metensis
or whether one man should haue superiority ouer one onely flocke or ouer many It is another question and tendeth nothing to the kings purpose which is only to withstand the Monarchy of one single man ouer the vniuersall Church For admitting it should be yeelded that in euery Countrey and Prouince there ought to be one soueraine Prelate It would not follow thereupon that therefore there must be one Monarch ouer all Prelates or one head of the Vniuersall Church no more then if a man by proouing that a Monarchy is the most exact forme of Gouernement should by that conclude that therefore there must be one Monarch ouer the whole world No there are no shoulders of strength enough to beare so great a head the prouidence of no one man can stretch or extend it selfe so farre or deuide it selfe into so many peeces Such Countries as are placed vnder an other Hemisphere and fall vnder the tyranny of Lieftenants and officers ouer whose gouernement a carefull eye could not be had The same inconuenience or rather much greater would be in the Church for besides this difficulty pride is much more pernitious in Diuine then in humane things And it would be very hard that any man should climbe so high but that his head would be giddy for if pride get in amongst beggars whom we see quarrell and contest whilst whilst they sit ridding themselues of vermine how much more would it fasten it selfe to such a height of glory which inuesteth a weake man and many times a vitious with the title of the head of the Church which title the Scripture giueth not but to the onely Sonne of God Now the end and scope of the gouernement of the Church and of Ecclesiasticall Discipline is the peace of the Church the reformation of manners suppressions of scandals and the conseruation of the purity of doctrine to which end I conceiue we may attaine by different wayes And he should be rash that would tye all other Churches to that exterior Ecclesiasticall policy which is practised in his owne Countrey or by a peeuish presumption prescribe his particular example for an vniuersall rule Farre is it from the charitable opinion of the King of England who towards the end of his book declareth that he no way intendeth to condemne those Churches which hold a differing forme of gouernement since in the grounds and in all the points of doctrine we fully agree with the English Churches which are our brethren in our Lord Iesus members of the same body sensible of our common greefes and whose quarrell we esteeme to be our owne as persons tending to the selfe same end and by the selfe same way though cloathed perhaps in colours differing For the suspition of Mr. Coeffeteau is ill grounded when vpon the protestation which the King of great Britaine maketh that he disliketh the Puritanes hee inferreth that his confession of faith published in Scotland was a supposed confession made by the Scottish Ministers in which they make him speake like a Puritane for that confession agreeth in substance with that which the same King inserteth into his booke the defence whereof we vndertake But if in Coeffeteau his opinion to pray to God onely in the name of Iesus Christ to denie the fire of Purgatory to reiect the Popes Indulgences to pray in a knowne tongue and to abstaine from Idolatry if this be to be a Puritane there is none of vs that had not rather be a Puritane with the Apostles then be impure with the Bishop of Rome So that his Maiesty by the same wisdome by which he prudently gouerneth his Kingdomes can well discerne in this matter of Ecclesiasticall gouernment betwixt such of his subiects as oppose themselues meerely for contradiction and whose heat is accompanied with contempts from such who though they differ somewhat in opinion yet walke in obedience and with a good conscience desiring nothing more then the establishment of his Throne and are ready to lay downe their liues for his seruice such are the faithfull Ministers who carefully employ themselues to root out those tares which Sathan soweth whilst we sleepe and to pull vp Popery out of mens hearts the encrease whereof being nourished by our petty discords cannot choose but be a weakening to the greatnesse of Kings and the diminution of their Empire for it is certaine vnto himselfe in England so many subiects his Maiesty doth gaine vnto his Crowne seeing that according to the rules of Popery a King is an vsurper if he be not approued by the Pope and that his subiects are bound to rebell assoone as the lightnings of the Vatican haue beene cast forth vpon any soueraigne Prince And seeing that also the Cardinal Bellarmine dareth to affirme and to maintaine that England is part of the Popes Demaines and that the King is Feudatory and Vassall to the Bishop of Rome It is to be presumed that his Maiesty hath sent him his picture drawne out of the Apocalips to pay him his Arrearages and to yeelde homage to his Lord in cheefe These things considered the best meanes to be reuenged of so great an iniury is to giue order that the people bee carefully instructed and that the Countrey Churches be not vnprouided of faithfull Pastors who may watch carefully ouer their Flockes and may expound plainly the benefites of Iesus Christ and the doctrine of the Gospell In presence of which Poperie doth vanish and fall downe as DAGON fell before the Arke of the Couenant ARTICLE XXIII Of the Popes Supremacy ANd for his temporall Principality ouer the Signory of Rome The KINGS Confession I doe not quarrell it neyther let him in God his Name be Primus Episcopus inter omnes Episcopos and Princeps Episcoporum so it be no otherwise but as Peter was Princeps Apostolorum But as I well allow of the Hierarchie of the Church for distinction of Orders for so I vnderstand it so I vtterly denie that there is an earthly Monarch thereof whose word must be a Law and who cannot erre in his Sentence by an infallibility of Spirite Because earthly Kingdomes must haue earthly Monarches it doth not follow that the Church should haue a visible Monarch too for the world hath not One earthly temporall Monarch Christ is his Churches Monarch and the holy Ghost his Deputy Reges gentium dominantur eorum vos autem non sic Luke 22.25 Christ did not promise before his ascension to leaue Peter with them to direct and instruct them in all things but he promised to send the holy Ghost vnto them for that end Iohn 14.26 And as for these two before cyted places whereby Bellarmine maketh the Pope to triumph ouer Kings Matth. 18.18 I mean pasce oues and Tibi dabo claues the Cardinall knowes well enough that the same wordes of Tibi dabo are in another place spoken by Christ in the plurall number And he likewise knowes what reason the Auncients doe giue why Christ bade
first if the Pope may erre in the question of fact it followeth also that he may erre in the question of Right seeing that the one dependeth vpon the other if he may be ignorant whether Iesus Christ came into the world or whether hee died for vs he may also be ignorant whether we ought to beleeue in him or no. So likewise if he may erre in maners it followeth that he may teach false doctrine for to lie and to speake against his conscience is certainly a defaillance in manners If then the Pope cannot be ignorant of the true doctrine and yet through malitiousnesse will bury the truth wilfully to deceiue to what end serueth this truth hidden in the Popes vnderstanding if the people in the meane time be fed with lies But this is an absurdity aboue the rest to thinke that the Pope may erre as man or as a particular Doctor but not as Pope for why doth not the Pope correct the doctor Or when Pope Boniface or Clement doe erre as Boniface but not as Pope why doth not Boniface aske counsell of the Pope why dooth hee not consult himselfe why doth he not betake himselfe from his priuate chaire to the Popes Seate to the end to change his opinion If the Popes diuine knowledge be tyed to his Chaire or Papall habite it followeth that when he riseth from his seat or putteth off his Robes Titulo 2. de Constitutionib cap. licet in 6. that withall he strippeth himselfe out of his knowledge And that Boniface the eight was to blame to inclose the Popes knowledge in his breast Shall we thinke that these men haue a desire to be credited and that by these pleasant distinctions they do not mocke the Pope Put the case that all this may be reconciled and that the Pope may be contrary to himselfe and worse then himselfe and at one instant both Hereticke and an Orthodox what doth all this auaile the people seeing that in what sort soeuer the Pope teacheth whether as Pope or as Doctor he will alwayes be beleeued Neyther can the people discerne these subtle Distinctions Neyther may wee omit that the Pope vpon Maundy Thursday doth excommunicate all Heretickes whence it should follow that if himselfe be an hereticke as man he is also excommunicate and consequently is out of the Church and so it should come to passe that the man may be out of the Church but the Pope be within it which is as if I should say that the King at the same instant is within his Palace as King but without it as man or that Coeffeteau is at the same time in the Refectory or dyning-hall as Fryer and without as man so that a man shall finde him in two places at once It was then a great vnhappinesse to the auncient Fathers to haue beene ignorant of this Distinction and to haue assembled so many Councels so long and so painful for the deciding of differents in Religion seing that they needed only to haue addressed themselues to the Bishop of Rome and to intreate him not as man or as Doctor but as Pope to pronounce the sentence giue decision of the Controuersie Whence also it followeth that then the Popes had but small zeale to the publique good of the Church seeing that they refused to be present at generall Councels which were the speciall places in which they ought to haue put on this their Infallibility As also when the Romane Bishop had giuen his aduise by his Deputies the Councels did not forbeare for all that to sound and examine the matter to the bottome and to heare the opinions of others Howbeit Coeffeteau produceth this Scripture to shew that the Pope cannot erre he saith that our Lord said to S. Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy faith should not faile Whence he concludeth that the Pope cannot erre in faith Surely wee haue no greater proofe of the patience of God then that he suffreth his holy word thus to be abused for first is there any mention here of the Pope Is all that that was spoken to S. Peter spoken also to the Bishop of Rome If that be so then must we needes say that that which our Sauiour said to Peter Mat. 16. he said also to the Pope Get thee behinde me Sathan Secondly adde that which wee will hereafter shew that the Pope is not the Successour of S. Peter vnlesse it be as sickenesse succeedeth health Thirdly and albeit this had beene spoken to the Pope yet by these words Christ doth not promise to S. Peter that he should not erre at all in faith for it is one thing not to faile another thing not vtterly to fall away There be many that misse and faile but yet doe they not wholly miscarrie whence ensueth that though Christ should haue prayed for the Pope that his faith should not vtterly faile yet can he not for all that be exempted from power of erring Fourthly if the Successors of S. Peter enter also vpon this vertue of his neuer to erre then should the Bishop of Antioch who stileth himselfe Peters Successor be exempted also from erring Fiftly seeing that Saint Iohn S Paul S. Iames c. were no lesse exempted from this power of erring then was S. Peter why should not their Successours inherite the infallibility of the rest of the Apostles as well as the Successors of S. Peter Sixtly but without any more adoe let vs looke vpon the place and reade with one breath the verses following and we shall finde that Christ in that place did foretell to S. Peter his fall and deniall and promiseth that his faith should not vtterly be vanquished in that temptation that was then personall and peculiar to S. Peter yet so that our Sauiour would haue his fall and rising againe to serue to confirme his brethrē Here by the way the Reader may note that this Passage and Text of Scripture is the onely foundation that the Church of Rome can finde to prop vp the Popes infallibility which is as if a man would plant and reare vp an huge Colossus vpon Reedes or from a thing of nothing to make a long chaine of Consequences to depend Wherefore Coeffeteau being put off from Scripture he hath recourse to the Fathers and saith that S. Cyprian is bold to say that the Church of Rome is that to which treachery and false hood can haue no accesse Cyprian thereby vnderstands that it cannot be the refuge of perfidious men neyther can they be receiued there to finde shelter which is true of euery Orthodox Church for Cyprian varied from the Bishop of Rome vpon the poynt of Rebaptization of heretickes which is an euident proofe that he did not beleeue that the Bishop of Rome could not erre and indeede in the Epistle to Pompeius written after that which Coeffeteau alleadgeth he saith that Stephen Bishop of Rome was in an errour Stephani errorē denotabis inter caetera vel superuacanea vel ad rem
the holy Ghost to whom soeuer you shall forgiue their sinnes they shall be forgiuen and looke whose sinnes yee retaine they shall be retained Now to vnderstand how farre the gift of any charge extendeth it selfe we must not so much respect the promises made as the actuall donation and the maner how it is receaued 4 Doubtlesse if by these words Iesus Christ had giuen vnto S. Peter power ouer the other Apostles he would haue commanded them to obey S. Peter and to acknowledge him for their Superior which is not found in any place of Scripture Now that Iesus Christ gaue the Keyes and power of binding and losing to all the Apostles Putas soli Petro dantur à Christo claues coelorum nemo ali bea toruÌ„ accipiet cas Si auteÌ„ coÌ„mune est inter omnes quod dicitur dabo tibi claues reg ni coelorum quomodo non omnia quae superius sunt dicta ad Petrum omnium videantur esse communia it doth appeare not only by the reasons afore alleadged but also by the testimony of auncient Fathers Origen vpon the sixteenth of Matthew the first Treatise How then saith he hath Iesus Christ giuen the Keyes onely to S. Peter And shall not the other receiue them also Or if that which is said I will giue vnto thee the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen be also common to all the other why should not as well also all that that goeth before and that which followeth after be common though it were spoken to Peter Hilary in the fixth booke of the Trinity speaking to the Apostles Vos ô Sancti beati viri ob fidei vestrae meritum claues regai coelorum ligandi soluen dâ—ius in terra adepti O ye blessed men that by the merite of your faith haue the Keyes of the Kingdome and the power to binde and lose And then hee further saith Heare the Lordsaying I will giue thee the keyes c. That which is spoken to Peter is spoken to the Apostles Audi dicentem Tibi dabo c. Quod Petro dicitur Apostol's dicitur S. Ierome in his first booke against Iouinian All the Apostles receiue the Keyes of the Kingdome of heauen Cum illud vnus pro omnibus dixerit hoc cum omaib tauquam bersonam gerens ipsius vnitatis acceperit Ideo vnus pro omnib quia vnitas est in omnib S. Augustine in his 218. Tract vpon Iohn saith S. Peter spake these wordes for all and receiued the aunswere with all the other as representing the vnity in his person and therefore one receiued it for all because there was one vnity amongst them all In the Councell of Aix vnder Lewes the courteous the people is brought in speaking thus of the Clergy in generall By whom we are made Christians Tom. 3. Concil pag. 416. per quos Christiani sumus qui claues regni coelorum habentes quodommodo ante diem iudicij iudicant Who hauing the Keyes of the kingdome of heauen doe after asort Iudge before the day of Iudgement In the Councell of Paris vnder Lewes and Lotharius Emperours the third booke and eight chapter the Bishops of France speake thus This may easily be vnderstood by the wordes of the Lord Quod ex verbis Domini facile intelligere possunt quibus beato Petro cuiê° vicem indigni gerimus ait Quaecunque liga ueris c. when he said to Peter Whose place we vnwrothily occupie whatsoeuer thou bindest c. you see that they be all called the Successours of Peter and that they enioy his place And chap. 3. they giue those titles vnto Priests They are the strong Pillars vpon whom the whole multitude of beleeuers being founded Cap. 9. Ipsi sunt Ianitores quibus claues datae sunt regni coelorum Fol. 84. p. 2. are by them vpheld and supported Againe they are the Porters vnto whom the keyes of the kingdome of heauen are giuen But the Priests of Fraunce dare not speake now adayes in this stile To be short the case is so cleare that Coeffeteau is constrained to confesse that the Keyes were giuen to all the Apostles but he saith not with so large extent as they were to Peter See then the issue of this difference all our aduersaries acknowledge that the Keyes were equally giuen to all the Apostles but not in so high a degree as to S. Peter being demaunded where they finde this difference Or if there be any place of Scripture where Iesus Christ giueth the Keyes to S. Peter more then to the rest here they are as dumbe as fishes and when they come to the very exigent and issue of the matter they bleede at the nose and cannot produce any kind of proofe from the word of God Coeffeteau onely alleadgeth Hilary which is to bring in mans testimony against God and yet hee speaketh not any thing that eyther contradicteth the Gospell or vs for he onely saith that S. Peter is the Foundation of the Church and that he hath the Keyes but he saith not that he hath them more then the rest of the Apostles And if that Coeffeteau acknowledge that the Keyes are giuen to all the Aposties let him shew me in what place of scripture for there is not any place in the Gospell that speaketh of the giueing of keyes but this onely and here is no speech made of two kindes of giuing the keyes Besides it is easie for vs to proue that the Pope doth vniustly diminish the power of the Keyes giuen to all Bishops and Priests for since they be all Successors of the Apostles they ought to haue the same Keyes which the Apostles had Whence it followeth that God saith to all the faithful Pastors of the Church in the person of the Apostles That whatsoeuer they shal binde on earth shal be bound in heauen But the Pope correcteth this and sayth vnto them whatsoeuer you lose shall not be vnbound for there are certaine great offences which are called Cases reserued the absolution whereof lyeth not in your power but is a priuiledge peculiar vnto me Vnderstand now what these greeuous sinnes are that are thus reserued to the Pope Is it Paricide Incest treason against Princes murder or blasphemy against God No such matter that is euer pardoned by euery Bishop for such sinnes are but against the law of God but the sinnes that be out of their power are these See the Bull de caena Domini which is of cases reserued to the pope If any man hinder them that goe to Rome for Pardons if any man be an intruder into any Benefice or office Ecclesiasticall if any haue purloyned the goods of the Church or if any haue offended the Sea Apostolicall the absolution of such horrible sinnes as these are is no where else to be had but at Rome These are the cases reserued For to offend the Pope or to bereaue him of his profite is matter farre more heynous then to