is to iudge the later ANSVVER Who ever that was a supposed member in our Ecclesiasticall state durst disclaime the iudgement censure authority of our Church But your reasonlesse reason is the later Church is not to iudge the former If by the former Church you meane the ancient Catholike Church for the first 500. yeeres we maintaine our reformed Church to bee the same but if by the former church you meane the now Roman Catholike faith as Bristow and the Rhemists deliver Bristow mot 12. in marg Rhem in Annot in Rom. 1 8. that the Romane and Catholike Church be all one then we reiect and abhorre that Synagogue of Sathan wherein Ziim and Iim the Ostrich and Vulture and Schritchowle doe remaine And by many more degrees then Papistes prefer the Pope before the Emperour wee preferre the Reformed Churches which doe mainetaine the ancient Catholike Apostolike faith reformed from errors superstitions and heresies stealing in by the degrees of time and occasion into the window of the Church Mr LEECH And what did I herein good Reader but obserue the prescription of Antiquity in this behalfe Contr. Iulian Pelag. lib. 2. and namely that of S. Augustine against the Pelagian hereticks Patres oportet vt populi Christiani vestris novitatibus anteponant eisque potius eligant adhaerere quà m vobis ANSVVER Nay what did you but as Pelagian himselfe did magnifie the nature of man so strengthen the arme of flesh as if you would incite it to rebell against heaven and what did you otherwise then as hereticks of all ages who haue stoode so much vpon authorities out of some authors falsely collected that they will not be drawn no not by Scriptures to the acknoweledgemēt of their errors Such S. Austin observed the Donatists to be Aug. contra Donatist Quis autem nesciat sanctam Scripturam Canonicam tam veteris quā novi Testamēti c. where in a large discourse hee manifesteth that the Canon of Scripture is only so sure that there ought to bee no doubt or disputation thereof but for Fathers and Ancient Bishops much might be reprehended therein The cause that S. Austin in confuting the Pelagians did appoint the reading of the fathers to the people was this because the fathers formerly had delivered by strength of scripture the contrary doctrine to that heresie And yet that holy father speaking of himselfe and al the ancients before him Neque enim debeo negare saith he ad Vincentiū sicut in ipsis maioribus Aug. ad Vincentium Victorem ita multa esse in tam multis opusculis meis quae possunt iusto iudicio culpari that in him nor in any other this is a prescription of Antiquity to rely only on fathers Mr LEECH Here D. Airay distasting my refusall to stand vnto the verdict of the reformed Churches questioned with me about the rule of my faith I answered him briefly Contr. haeres cap. 1. c. See D. Field pag. 239. that I wholly followed Vincentius Lyrinensis his direction to wit Canonicall scripture and Ecclesiasticall traditiō the first being sensed by the second ANSVVER To refuse the iudgement of the ruler and to fly to a stranger is punishable in Policy to condemne and contemne your owne mother Church and to stand to the iudgement of a strange Church nay of a Synagogue a stranger from the Church is culpable in divinity It was a seasonable question to aske the rule of your faith whē it was manifest you had forsaken the faith your answer was vnsound ioining with Canonicall Scripture Ecclesiasticall tradition these be two therefore not the rule but rules whereas Canon regula must be but one Aq. lect 1. in 1. Tim. 6. Aquinas on Timothy affirming that the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles is called Canonicall because it is the rule Traditions wee renounce as vnworthy to be ioyned with Scripture Melch. Can. lib. 3. c. because Canus in this doeth expresly teach that whatsoever the Church of Rome practiseth and hath not warrant from Scripture the same things and the practise of them shee hath received by Tradition which Popish traditions we abhorre to supply scripture with as knowing that the Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation and also affirme that the most certaine rule of interpretation is by comparing Scripture with Scripture Vincentius Lerinensis is not for you he alloweth nothing barely vpon Tradition For by all the passages of his booke he doth plainely teach that no Traditiō is to be received but that which is consonant vnto Scripture such as S. Austin delivereth Quod vniversa tenet Ecclesia Lib. 4. contra Don. cap. 23. such as the whole Church hath doth hold agreeing to the Canon of the revealed word And from famous D. Field that powerfull hammer of all Heretikes that claime tenure in the Church you cā produce nothing to helpe your cause either in that page or in his whole booke Neither is Tradition to sense or expound the Scripture as you say This is your third interpreter first you appealed to the Church then to the Fathers now to Traditions the next appeale must bee to the Pope or else you will be cashierd Mr LEECH This rule he called Popish exclaiming against it as the very ground of Popery and superstition Wherevpon I desired him for my better instruction to giue a rule of faith more certaine infallible then this which be brāded with such disgracefull imputation ANSVVER Popish it is without all gainsaying For howsoever we reiect not all Traditions as first D. Field in his 4 booke of the Church the number and names of the Authors of Canonicall Scripture secondly the cheefe heades of Christian doctrine as delivered in the Creed of the Apostles Thirdly the religion purely collected out of Scripture delivered to succeeding ages fourthly the continuall practise of the Primitiue Church though not expresly commaunded but necessarily contained in Scripture and lastly Traditions of order not of faith such as are our Canons and Constitutions agreeing to the ancient and grounded on S. Paules speech Let all things be done in order I say we reiect not these though Waldensis in his time complained Waldens tom 3. tit 7. cap. 63. that the necessary Traditions of the Church were so confounded that they could hardly be discerned from the rest The points that we deny bee these first Scripture needeth not the Adiectiue help of Traditions it is a most sufficient rule and containeth all things necessary to salvation Secondly wee abhorre the comparison of these two and much more the preferring of tradition before Scripture as Hosius Baronius Symancha and others professe some affirming Hosius contr Petric c. 92. Baron an 33. nu 11. Sym. instit tit 24. n. 40. that all Scripture came to vs by Tradition therefore Tradition more worth others that Scripture needeth help from Traditions but Traditions neede no assistance from Scripture And therefore if you
may suffice for thy instruction concerning these Motiues Onely I may not forget to advertise thee that whereas through their titles I vse this perpetuall stile THE PROTESTANTS c. howbeit the most learned amongst them differ in iudgement from the common sort and in this respect cannot bee concluded in the generality of ALL I haue not done this without good consideration For though the principall divines in England do vtterly distast the vaine opinions of D. King and such like yet since by publike profession of the truth they giue not sufficient notice vnto the world of their Catholique positions I must involve them also in this common accusation And as they against their knowledge Corde creditur ad iustitiam ore fit confessio ad salutem doe suffer a preiudice to fall vpon God his truth they must likewise against their will suffer an infamy to remaine vpon their owne persons ANSVVER The Catholikes like to the olde Circumcellions are Individua vaga ever in motion Campians reasons Bristowes motiues the one ten the other 48 yours a Iurie This former treatise hath answered all yours But seeing they so commanded your affection and convinced your vnderstanding wee will heare your descriptions and marke the motions If it be the good of your Reader you wish you would not leade him into so many darke entries of the Chambers of death your booke is come into the hands of many better informed soules then your selfe and some that haue breathed lately from their Antichristianisme that haue seene and heard more then you haue and haue hated and abhorred and returned You seeke to iustifie but do condemne your selfe and you hope your satisfaction will proue an infection to some But each man doth disdaine that these should draw ouer any wise Proselyte They are the same in substance as in your sermon only as the Patron of error can change his shapes so doe these You say you must not forget to advertise and I cannot omit to discrie the vntruth in the advertisement For if with an indifferent eie ANY observant in the state of our Church doe looke vpon the more learned Of our Divines he shal finde that either they be writers or publike Readers or continuall Preachers against Popery neither doe they differ in iudgement from the common sort as most iniuriously you traduce them By publike profession in the vnity of the spirit in the bond of peace in the essense and substance of religion all agree And howsoever there haue beene some differences in opinion betweene many of the most orient fixed starres in the firmament of the Church as betweene Ruffinus Ierom Ierom Austin Austin Symplician and many others yet all the world wil free our Church from hauing in her Religion any diversly affected from the truth addicted to Popery at the least any that ever were of deserving note or accounted the Principall divines If there be any such homely and home-made peeces as your selfe that coccle they be no sooner noted but punished Your preiudice and infamy will returne vpon your selfe for accusing our worthiest to maintaine a linsey woolsey blended mangled Religion Being supplanted your selfe in reputation you seeke to supplāt others the vtmost spirits of your malice and spite being as Enginers to overthrow the credit of those that by their learned paines do seeke to overthrow the wals of Babell Their publique profession and positions free them from your common accusation their sermons Lectures writings might satisfie you but that these heavenly showers haue fallen besides you Error surprising your will ignorance your knowledge a smale things may moue you that were never setled Mr LEECH The First motive The Protestants admit not a triall of their Religion by the testimony of the Fathers whatsoever they pretend to the contrary BEcause it is a preposterous devise to iudge the former ages of the Church by the later D. Field pag 204. We willingly admit a triall by the Fathers saith he in the name of his Church therefore the courses of my study haue ever beene directed vnto a diligent pervsall of ancient Fathers whose authority simply considered as it may preponderate our moderne writers so in reference vnto the Church being her witnesses who is the iudge to define all controversies their testimony is to be preferred before all Authors whatsoever Neither resolued I thus without serious deliberation and especially contra haeref cap. 1. 2. the graue counsaile of Vincentius Lyrinēsis did prevaile with me seeing that learned holy men did generally conspire in this opinion If any man will discerne Heretical pravity from Catholike verity he must be furnished with a double helpe first the Canon of sacred Scripture Secondly the tradition of the Catholique Church wherein three things inseparably concurre Vniversality Antiquitie Consent The reason of which prescription is yealded by him to be this The Scripture is sublime and forasmuch as all men sense it not alike it is necessarie to adioine therevnto the continuall interpretation of the Church Vpon this infallible ground evident vnto all men of any apprehension I builded my faith conforming it alwaies vnto those Orthodoxe principles which I had derived out of the venerable Fathers Hence I assumed this doctrine of Evangelicall Coūsells which as I delivered out of the sacred volumes of Antiquitie so Antiquitie it selfe deduced it with mee out of the divine Oracles of holy Scripture And therefore seeing that my opinion was cleerely built vpon this foūdation I pressed it vncessantly vntill my vniust Iudges were enforced to forsake this meanes of triall and consequently to punish the Fathers in me as I had spoken by them But when I plainely saw that my doctrine could not be condemned without condemnation of the ancient Church and that my Iudges were driuen to this extremity I inferred that their Religion could not be good and that their consciences were verie bad ANSVVER It is a most preposterous devise to make the Fathers iudges of the Scriptures whereas the Scriptures as S. Austin confesseth ought to be the iudges of the Fathers otherwise what you impute to vs is the practise of your selues which you seeke approbation of the former Church by the latine That the Fathers may preponderate the moderne writers I answere for their antiquity they doe but where the same truth is in both for their authority they do not exceed Hath the Church had no growth since their time Hath the sonne of righteousnesse Psal 19. going from the ende of the heauens and in his compasse returning to the ende thereof againe by his beames given no more light then when it first rose Hath not God revealed somethings to one which he hath not to another 1. Cor. 14.30 as S. Paul speaketh Our reverend estimation of the Fathers is most learnedly and fully delivered by his Maiestie in his premonition and our willingnesse of a triall by the Fathers is openly testified by the Reverend Bewcleark D. Field these exceptions
done the like you had never rambled on such a Collection as this to say Christ had erroneously taught him the way to life by vade vende omnia if this bee not a Counsell of voluntary poverty Your sequell is out of ioint and absurd rather Christ would haue never applied this plaister if he looking through the windowes of this young mans soule into his inward most retired roome had not found covetousnes to be his hinderance and encombrance And this proveth it selfe in the Text for he went away sorrowfully I cannot but note the malice and virulent dealing of your ignorant contradicting spirit traducing Calvine for a blasphemous interpreter who taught no more then he learned of the Fathers and if among those that did interpret Scripture since the fathers time any one is worthy to be accounted fidus interpres Horat. Art Poet. for his soūdnesse and profoundnesse blessed Calvin is who was as Eramsus wrot of Tonstall a world of learning Eras epist 84. Claud. Verderius conscio in Autores pag. 174. and as Theodorus Gaza testified of Plutarch that if any mā were so limited that he could only read one humane authors bookes he would read Plutarch so many renowned Divines next vnto sacred Scripture haue of all other authors choisly and cheefly selected this holy servant of God So that in this Paragraph you blaspheme God iniure truth accuse your knowledge and abuse your conscience Mr LEECH Lastly I would but demand what S. Paule meant 2. Cor. 7.25 Vid. Damas dict Gnomi in Indice to distinguish plainely betwixt Precepts Coūsells thus praeceptum non habeo consilium do for so the vulgar readeth which all the latine Church followeth and all the Greeke Fathers haue so taken it if there be no Counsells For he groundeth this his distinction vpon his Masters wordes Non omnes capiunt and therefore S. Paul had no precept But qui potest capere capiat And hence floweth the second branch consilium do as S. Hierom S. Basill and divers others of both Churches doe obserue ANSVVER Discourses that grow tedious are odious and such is this your frequent and too often querulous quaere The distinction in S. Paule is betweene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betweene a precept and sentence no word signifying Counsell in that place I haue already shewed how Antoninus maketh S. Dominick the Author of Evangelicall Counsells Anton. parte 3. vt ante and S. Paul the teacher of faith and the law and yet you produce S. Paul as a speciall bullwark for your Counsel house Many Fathers haue I confesse read that Text so but the originall ministreth no such interpretation nor doe the Fathers themselues otherwise hence ground but that qui potest being enabled is qui debet hee that is commanded You and Coccius teach the Fathers to speak very preposterously Beware of the Fathers curse or rather of Gods curse seeing you call them to beare false witnesse against the Law Gospell and God himselfe Mr LEECH And that this point may be every way full and perfit builded vpon so many seuerall rockes as there bee seuerall places of Scriptures let the Doctors of the Church speake Vincentius Lyrin in cōmonitorio being the most probable Maisters and teachers in the Church against quot capita tot sensus the very bane of all religion mother of innovatiō let the church interpret Scripture and hee that will not heare the Church you know what followeth 2. Pet. 1. vlt. sit tibi tanquam haereticus Nay sit tibi tanquam ethnicus For as it is said of the letter of the scripture that it is not of any private inspiration For it came not in old time by the will of man but holy men spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Serm. 17. in Cantic So may it be as truely saide of the sense of the Scripture that it is not of any priuat spirits interpretation And the reason why every man should flie from a private spirits interpretation A sentence that striketh the Religion in England as dead as a dore naile is this as it is excellentlie rendred by that mellifluous Father S Bernard Nonnulli adesse putant spiritum cùm non adest suúmque sensum pro sensu spiritus sequuntur deviantes suásque sententias magistrorum sententijs praeferūt that is for I cānot but translate it many men thinke that they haue the spirit of God when they haue it not erroneouslie following the sense of their owne private spirits for the meaning of the holy Ghost preferring their owne private opinions before the publique iudgements of their masters and teachers ANSVVER You haue suffered shipwracke vpon your rockes They be severall indeed Psal for they are severed far from you which is manifest in that you rocke to and fro in your preposterous building like a tottering wall or like a broken hedge You call for advocates the Doctors of the Church Num. 23.38 and fetch them in as Balaac did Balaam but they answer as there hee did but with a more holy spirit We are come vnto thee and can we nowe say any thing at all The worde that God hath put in our mouthes that shall we speake But if this helpe you not you call the Church to testifie with you To the church we leaue as much as the spowse hath made her iointer in the interpretation of Scripture by the Church Tertull. libro de praescrip haereticorum that of Tertullian is to be remembred who warneth of some Qui non ad materiam Scripturas sed materiam ad Scriptur as excogitant and thereby run into one of those two miseries which S. Austin observeth Aust Comm. Faustum lib. 22. cap. 32. Caiet in praef Com. in lib. Mosis aut falli imprudenter aut fallere impudenter you say the Fathers of the Church are for you yet Caietā beleeveth that God hath not tyed the exposition of the Scriptures to the senses of the Fathers And if the Fathers serue not you saie let the Church interpret Scripture We distinguish the Church from the Synagogue of Antichrist and seeing wee hold that Scriptures must tell which is the Church wee must deny that the Church must tell vs the sense of Scripture Gerson doth disclaime the iudgement of Pope Gerson de exam doct part 1. cō 5. Councell or Church cōcerning interpretation of Scriptures and trial of doctrine when hee delivereth that the examination of doctrine concerning faith belongeth not to the Councell or Pope but to every one that is sufficiently learned in Scriptures Cus Ep. 2. pag. 833. And Cusanus cannot deny but that by the iudgement of the Church the Scripture is fitted to the time and the sense altered as the time altereth We make the spirit of God speaking in Scripture to be iudge of the Scripture and Act. 17.17 as the men of Berea sought the Scripture to approue the
doctrin of the Apostles though the Apostles doctrine was Scripture so we admit of no fundamentall interpretation to builde vpon but that which is approved by the sacred scriptures The place that you vrge out of Matthew Math. 18.17 Hee that will not heare the Church let him be tanquam Ethnicus you may vpō your better review finde it is spoken concerning those that refuse to heare the admonition or iudiciall censure of the Church not the glosse or interpretatiō of the Church Wee confesse the letter of Scripture was not nor the sense is of any privat inspiration and therefore trial which is made by the Scriptures is no privat iudgement but the publike cēsure of Gods spirit that speaketh openly in the Scriptures to all men And Basils rule shall bee ever the true practise of the true Church Basil de examin doctr part 1. Cons 5. that they that bee conversant in the Scriptures should examine all that is said whether it agreeth with Scriptures From a private interpretation not agreeing with the Canon of Scripture we fly because as you vrge out of Bernard Nonnulli adesse putant spiritum Acts and monuments by Mr Fox many thinke that they haue the spirit of God with them as they that in that Councell sang veni spiritus and an Owle was sent them they killed that spirit And many thinke they haue the spirit Nicol. Clau. disput de cōcil and yet shut out the spirit as the Councell of Pisa did You saie the sentence of Bernard striketh our religion as dead as a dore naile it is a clownish marginall you might haue learned amongst Scholers that a dore naile could not be said to be dead because it had never life Privat opinions with vs sway not each wel disposed mā submitteth himselfe to the censure of the Church wherein we liue our Church to the Scriptures and this wee make to be the last resolution Mr LEECH It is lawfull to followe the spirit in interpreting the Scripture but it must be the spirit of the Church that spirit of peace vnity charity that descended vpon the Apostles vnited for domus vna c. they abode all in one house a signe of externall charitie Mens anima vna one minde one soule for they had but one God one faith one Church Ancient Church Calvins and Luthers congregations a signe of internall spirituall vnity The same spirit ever since continued in the Church vnited in faith not divided in faction And wee may seeke for the sense of the scripture but where It must not be out of the stincking puddle of a private braine The aforesaid gentlemen c. but forth of the treasuring memory of the Church Christi Evangelio vim nō inferat humana praesumptio patrum semel definita non sunt iterum in dubium vocanda This is contrary to cursed Luther it is blessed Leo in his 94. Epistle let not humane presumption dare to offer violence vnto the Gospell of Christ for the constitutiōs of fathers once decreed are not further to bee questioned Nec definitiones eorum perpetuae commutandae quorum regulam secundum scripturam esse didicimus So speaketh Flavianus bishop of Constantinople in his Epistle to Pope Leo the first Neither are the perpetuall determinations of them to be changed whose rule we haue learned to agree with scripture ANSVVERE Vnity was the bond of Patriarkes Chariot of the Prophets refuge of the Apostles solace of the Saints and Character of Christians But is this belonging to them who abhorre vnity whose religion is rebelliō whose faith is faction as our Church litargie speaketh in the prayer against the conspiracies of Papists What part in vnity haue they that haue divided Christs Coate nay Christs body Christs Church Quis tulerit Gracchos de seditione loquentes Doe all the opinions in the world squadron themselues into so many divided factions as Papists Do not they like the Midianits sheath every man his sword in his neighbours side Cumel is against Suarez Bellarmine is invaded by Carerius for giuing to little to the Pope Marsilius and Father Paulus encounter him for giving to much Cardinall Columna striueth with Baronius Barelay with Boucher Antonius Augustine tilts against Gratian. That as Ieronymus de Cavallos hath set forth in the law his speculum aureum opinionum Communium contra communes so also in the diversitie of contradictions riotting one against another the sweet and mellifluous Author of the Peace of Rome whom I may tearme a library for a whole nation as Mirandula entitled another great scholler hath most amply delivered and sealed it with their own proofs Doct. Hall so also hath Crastovius in his booke Bellum Iesuiticū 205 contradictions of the Iesuits Pappus hath collected 237 differences in doctrine out of Bellarmine Laborious and reverend D. Willet proveth that there be 70 maine contradictions betweene the olde Papists and the new 37 among the Iesuits 57 points wherein Bellarmin is at strang variance with himself 39 essentiall contradictions of Popish religion 100 opposite Constitutions of the Popish Canons And many more might in this kinde bee registred wherein are divers assertions which are onely taile-tied as Sampsons Foxes with a firebrand betweene them but are head-severed wrenching one from another So that you are the divided factiō not we our difference only de fimbria non de toga yours de toga de corpore de Christo many ridiculous many blasphemous all erroneous We doe not seeke the sense of Scripture out of the stinking puddle of a privat brain as out of the Crows nest of your invention that impostumated phrase doth traduce vs nor doe wee by humane presumption offer violence to the Gospell of Christ as many thousand places in Popery bee abused as your blasphemous Pope who vpon that place Act. 2. Papa Clem. In Canonis cap. disertiss 12. quaest 1. Bellar. lib. 2. de sacram c. 1 Bell. Tom. 1. lib. 3. cap. 3. Bell. de Mon. Erant Apostolis omnia cōmunia addeth immo coniuges or your detorting Cardinal Tortus the Torturer of Scripture vpon that spiritus Domini ferebatur super aquas ergo Baptismus confert gratiam ex opere operato or againe vpon that Scripture Bibite ex hoc omnes id est saith hee omnes Apostoli or vpon that place vocauit nomen eius Enos coepit vocare nomen Domini ergo Enos fuit Monachus and infinite many more violences by him offred Your cursed epithet against Luther is full of hellish fury I doe assure my selfe that God blesseth where the Pope curseth and as sure I am blessed are they that die in the Lord and so is he for he resteth from his labours And was Luther cursed for denying some interpretations of the Fathers Did not Caietan as much In praef com in lib. Mosis in affirming that God had not tied the expositions of the Scriptures to the sēse of the Fathers And did not
his Lordship thereof as hee had inioined me in his said letters ANSVVERE MAny offende as much in obtruding themselues as others in retyring especially when their doctrine is vnsounde In this is your condemnation rather then commendation more that you acted the best part with so bad a minde seminare zizaniam as the old Seminary Sathā had done long before You were silenced not for assiduous but erroneous preaching and being desirous to vtter some such point in a more eminent place though wise men hold our Vniuersitie sermons to be as solemne and more censorious then any other in the land you by great meanes obtained letters from some Chaplaine to be sent for to preach a vacation sermon the Common course of which letters was that they passe in name of the Bishop who often knoweth not the men or their worth I must confesse that the Right Reuerend Bishop the Angell of that Church did know your person and your no worth and had bestowed vpon you a Chaplaines place by the earnest suite of some of Reuerend eminent place in Oxford but not for your first sermō as you arrogate His Lordship did not request you at al nor enioin you not to faile your summons as you boast They be the cursary Tearmes of every of those missiue letters Mr LEECH The Vicechancellour getting notice of these summons sent for me immediatly and requested that he might haue a view of the Bishops Letters which in curtesie I then cōmunicated vnto him howbeit I had iust reason to suspect for his countenance expressed much perturbation in his hart that he would plot some meanes to hinder this designment And as in all probability he did coniecture that I would haue constantly asseuered my former doctrine in the greatest audience of the kingdome so I must acknowledge that this was my resolued determination ANSVVER The Reuerend Bishoppe most earnestly required the Vicechancellor to call for those letters and the first notice that he had was from the Bishops owne mouth whereby it is manifest that his Lordship sent no such letters nor knew of them at first for he was so earnest with his worthy successor that in a zealous vehemencie hee desired that vpon his comming home to Christ-Church you might be expelled grieving he had beene a meanes to giue any encouragement to any so stubborn disobedient ignorant The letters being demanded by the Bishop it was not curtesie as you cal it but duty to communicate or rather to render vp those letters There was no perturbation expressed by the faithfully zealous in this wisely iealous Goueror he only grieved that such a shame was like by your scandall to be imputed to Oxford Howsoever what he did in this was by the direction yea obsecration of that Reuerend Bishop of London And durst you intēd againe to presūe to appeare I say not in the face of mē but in the sight of God to deliver a doctrine so confuted so cōdemned for preaching of which you were twise inhibited censured silenced This determination as you cal it came not from God no motion of his spirit But the truth is this how ever you brag here you avowed with all earnestnes and the most eager protestations imprecations against your selfe that if you might bee suffered this time to preach at the Crosse you woulde neither preach this nor any point of controuersie Mr LEECH But Master D. King fearing least with so publike a promulgation of this truth I shoulde also blazon his shame which now neither Oxford nor London nor our divided world it selfe shall containe within hir limits handled the matter so by his policie and authority that my Lord of London through his misinforming suggestions countermaunded the former by second letters discharging me from the performance of that duty And now Maister Vicechancellor thought that he had not only inconvenienced me but also secured himselfe ANSVVER Had the inke that wrote this been mixed with the poison of spiders it could not haue beene more venemous then this is malitious I grieue to thinke how little in this booke doth savor of a Minister nay of a Christiā What son of Zerviah can vtter more reproachfull shamefull speeches And what roapes can be vsed to drawe downe more speedy vengeance vpon your head then these false accusations against him that is true of heart He to feare his shame whose conscience is murus ahaeneus Hee receiue any disparagement from the mouth of any railer that by reviling of the most bright fixed starres in the firmamēt of our Church hath manifested an infallible demonstration of his degenerous and degenerate minde Shall not Oxford and London or the divided world only containe the promulgation of this I will not iniure Scripture but I hope I may safly apply that speech of Christ to the woman and therefore to counterblast your vnsavory breath I say wheresoeuer the Gospell shall be preached mention shall be made of him no way but in honor for the cleerenesse of iudgemēt sweetnesse of stile gravity of person grace of conversation and true hearted soundnesse in religion let them al backbiting Dogges spit out livor liuer and heart and all For what Erasmus spake of Prudētius shall be true of him Ibis quovis seculo inter Doctos Prudenti There was no suggestion vsed by the Vicechancelour against you it was the Bishops owne motion and earnest impetrature who also in his second letters manifested his reasons of disliking and disabling you for that service Mr LEECH For this end and purpose also he repaired then vnto a Doctor of principall place and eminent worth a man not vnder any if not over all with whom he intertained long discourse touching the Doctrine of Evangelicall Counsailes complaining that in Oxforde it had beene lately broached and obstinatly defended And now I pray you good Sir said he what is your opinion concerning this point ANSVVER To this Reverend Deane he was with many other Doctors invited to dinner he repaired not to him as to a Coūsellor in this businesse as you falsely enforme The worth and eminency of this Oracle of Textuall Schoole divinity is acknowledged with reverēce but from his owne mouth I haue received it that he protesteth against you in this imputation absolutely denying that the Vicechancellor ever asked counsell or opinion of him Only among many other discourses at Table this questiō was repeated but not debated Besides this false imputation here it is confessed by you that you obstinately defended the point and obstinacy is offensiue whatsoever the defence be Mr LEECH Here by the way giue me leaue good Reader to propose two things vnto thy discreet consideration First that D. King either had no knowledge at al or not well groūded in that point wherein he condemned me by violence of authority and not by force of reason Secondly that as I suffered with a good conscience so hee punished mee with an evill For I had not the least scruple nor
or rather annotations considered that there are divers Fathers meerely forged as Hyppolitus Amphilochius the epistles of Cletus Anacletus c. B. Iuell D. Rainolds that world of learning the honorable B. of Winchester haue proued which point was never answered as yet Secōdly divers false tracts are fathered on the true fathers as Mr Perkins Probleme a book neuer answered the worke now in our Oxford library in hand for comparing all the Fathers with their most ancient manuscripts do shew 136. bastard Epistles already discovered in Gregory Thirdly the Fathers are reiected most scornefully by Papists where they cannot wrest them to their purpose as is proved by the practise of Canus Villa vincētius Sixtus Senensis Baronius Bellarmine Fourthly that all of these Papists haue taxed the Fathers for particular errors Fiftly omitting many more reasōs the fathers make more for vs thē for Papists nay only for vs not for Papists as that precious Iewell of the Church hath irrefragably proved The counsaile out of Lyrinensis is already answered but this I adde hee doth not there meane vnwritten verities or a supply to bee made to scripture for hee doth acknowledge in the next Chapter and so againe in the 41. that solus Canon Scripturae sufficit ad omnia Vincent Lirinens satis supérque that the Scripture is sufficient alone against all Heretickes yea alone for all things more thē this that it is more then sufficient his 41. Chapter doth plainely deliver vnam regulā to be scripture the interpretation of which is ever to bee approved by Scripture And for those notes of vniversality Antiquity and consent which you say doe inseparably concurre Vinc. c. 4. c. 5. 11. he saith not so the word inseparably is not his for Vincentius sheweth that Heretikes haue claimed the two former shewing that the Arrians had vniversality and the Donatists Antiquity And for consent he forewarneth as a Prophet in 39 Chapter that when men endeavor Maiorum volumina vitiare to corrupt the ancient Fathers as Papists most openly doe to obtaine Consent then the only remedy is sola Scripturarum authoritate convincere to convince them by the only authority of Scripture And therefore if you built your fort vpon this ground as not hauing red or not vnderstood your Author choosing some fragments and not observing all the particulars and passages of his meaning your foundation is not on the corner stone the foundation rotten the building reeling and your doctrine hath no approbation from Vniuersality Antiquity or lastly from consent either iointly from all from the greatest number of fathers or from that which is the only Countenance and Approuer of Spirits Doctrines from the Scripture That therefore which you make your first motiue to haue rended you from the truth the same I make my first confirmation to settle me therein and to detest Popery that seeing Papists admit not a trial of their religion by Scriptures that the Fathers admitte none that reiect Scriptures as also that Papists approue not alwaies the Testimony of the Fathers as they pretend I infer in particular that this doctrine of yours is worthily condemned but not the Ancient Church as also in generall that by condemning of vs in any point you cōdemne Antiquity seeing our Reformed Churches be reduced to the ancient Primitiue And therfore your New foūd Religion is Rebellion against the Truth Apostasie frō Scripture and Antiquity Mr LEECH The second Motiue The Protestants preferre their Reformed Congregations before the ancient Catholique Church AS my violent Iudges did palpably disclaime the sentence of the ancient Church so they vnreasonablie required my submission vnto their reformed Congregations which as they be not comparable with the purity of the former so their principal Doctours Luther Zwinglius men no lesse odious each vnto the other S. Austin S. Ambros S. Hierom. then both are hatefull vnto the Church of Rome are no waies matchable with the Patrones of my doctrine For as S. Gregory Nazianzen iustly excepted against the Arrians in this māner If our faith be but 30. S. Gregory Epistola 1. ad Cledō contra Arrianos yeeres old 400 yeares being passed since the incarnation of Christ then our gospell hath been preached in vaine our martyrs haue died in vaine vntill this time c. So if for a point of faith I must remit my selfe vnto Luther Zwinglius Calvin and their reformed conuenticles rather then vnto the holy Fathers ancient Church thē surely the gospell hath beene miserably taught and all our predecessors haue beene pitifully deceiued for 1600. yeares since Singular therefore was the folly and partiality of my Iudges to detract authority from our blessed Fathers to yeeld it vnto Lutherans men of as new a stāpe in these times as the Arrians were in S. Gregory Nazianzen his time whose carnal appetites and base condition of life drew them to allow that in their doctrine which they performed in their practise being contrary in both vnto the canon of scripture and continual succession of the Church The consideration whereof did manifestly detect vnto me that either their vnderstāding is very meane or their will very perverse who feared not to disauthorise the Fathers yet would not grant me the same liberty against their brethren in whom I neuer approued any thing other waies then it was consonant with the prescription of Antiquity or dissonant from hir Tradition ANSVVER THe reformed Church that hath left Babylon and is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler having received true Religion 〈◊〉 according to Scripture was in all reason to haue had submission performed from you both because that the truth professed is against this position as also for that profession and subscription you had willingly afforded to her when you were supposed to be not only a member but a Minister in her Congregation Had you straied as a sheepe through simplicity it had been lamentable but to fly being a shepheard through Apostasie this is damnable Luther and Zwinglius though they agreed not in all points yet they both ioined in demolishing your Dagon Great lights of the Church haue diffred in some particulars nay haue whet their pens like rasors and edged their tongues like swords yet in the truth of God they haue agreed to the suppressing of the kingdome of Sathan The differēces between these two were nothing so scādalous as their ioint conflicts with Rome were victorious To coūtervaile your place out of Gregory Nazianzene Prudent Peristep hym 10 which you apply improperly Prudētius witnesseth the heathens did scornfully so deale with the religiō of Christianity in the beginning thereof Nunc dogma nobis Christianum nascitur post evolutos mille demū Consules so you as if after so many holy Fathers our Religion had beginning from Luther Zwinglius or Caluin But how contrary to all truth this is Bristow Motiue 45. Bristow his confession sheweth in
beene over luxuriant in commending virginity and condemning matrimony your own men had not so censured him as they do Gregory Nazianzene his speech concerning Basill no doubt is as true of many thousād Protestāts who haue bridled the appetites and lusts of the flesh and haue subdued themselues to the obedience of Gods spirit And howsoever Antiquity haue commended the restraint of lawfull thinges to vs yet in this they ever taught that lawfull things when they are hurtfull to vs are vnlawfull we are bound to avoide al things that are hinderances to Gods service Cōtinue your virulency and acrimony of speech against Luther let his works and studies testifie whether hee were of so delicate a spirit as you affirme and if by his carnall sectaries you meane Protestants read our D. Downham Mr Rogers Mr Greenham nay Luther himselfe and see whether we maintaine not that a Christian is bound to watch and pray fast thē consider whether we teach a single faith or no for as wee teach that faith only must iustifie vs so also wee declare that workes must iustifie our faith and continually we preach the excellency and necessity of good works If you lacked Chastisement you might haue complained and beene supplyed fasting I doubt not but you were practised in you were put out of Commons for whipping the Monkes exercise though it sort better that you haue it abroad then at home yet that should not haue been wanting to you if you had acquainted your friends Seriously I answere that Protestants are not lulled a sleepe in the cradle of security How many sighes do many send vp to heaven for their sins what straines of compūction what streames of contrition flow from the limbecke of many of their souls And yet this only serveth not For if this had beene the only way to happines thē had the Pharisies by violence obtained heavē The holinesse of their carriage continuance at devotiō avoidance of all meanes of polution their yeerely tithing monthly almes weekely fastings dayly whippings howrely praiers had holp them But of al such God asketh Who required these things at your hands nay who counselled any man to do this but only such as require will-worship Al these waies in the ballance of the sanctuary appeare to be but hay and stubble straw To this the way hath not led the guides not directed the teachers not informed For performing of this the true Saints haue not beene registred in this the true church hath never bin practised Wherfore my fourth confirmation is to sticke to the vnity of that happy Church which hath so worthily cleared it selfe from these visards of perfection and ragges of superstition Mr LEECH The fift Motiue The Protestants corrupt the holy scripture in defence of their opinions THe proper meanes designed by God to convince Heresie are two to wit sacred scripture and Ecclesiasticall Tradition Now because Heretiques are clearely refuted by the second therefore they fly only vnto the first which they depraue and mangle according to the liberty of their spirits And this they performe partlie in their translations and partly in their interpretation thereof Though many examples might be afforded in this kind yet I need not seeke after further proofe then this present busines doth afford whereof I now intreate For whereas the words of our Saviour are easie and plaine all men do not receiue this saying as though there were such an impossibility therein that the freedome of will concurring with the grace of God could not subdue the inclinations of corrupt nature Tom. 7. in ep ad Wolfgang Hence Luther the slaue of his affections saith that the propension of fervent nature in MAN towardes a WOMAN is so created by God in his body that it cānot be extinct by any vowes and therefore he that resolveth to liue without a WOMAN must leaue the name of a MAN and make himselfe to be plainly an Angell or spirit For it is by no meanes granted vnto him by God so that it is aboue his strength to containe himselfe from a woman And this is by the compulsiue word of God willing and commanding the same Wherefore the Counsaile of virginity is intollerable with them that conceiue such an impossibility to fulfill it To increase Tom. 5. serm de matrimon and multiply it is not a precept saith Luther but it is more then a precept it is implanted nature it is as necessary as meate and drinke It is no more in the power of Man to liue without a womā then to be a woman and no man In vaine then doth our Saviour giue his advise and S. Paul his Counsaile For in Luthers gospell it is more then a precept to avoide virginity And yet my Iudges not admitting it to be a Counsaile could not deny it to be a precept Which yet if it be so why doe they then make lesse conscience to fulfill a Precept then Catholiques do to follow a Counsaile For the neglect of the first is a sin but it is not so in the second vnlesse we tie our selues vnto it by a voluntary vow being not constrained therevnto by a necessary command ANSVVER THe proper meanes appointed by God to confute all sprouting Heresie is Scripture which because it is so powerfull against Popery therefore Papists doe disclaime it and with the most contemptuous Phrases brand that testimony that hath marked them with the stamp of heresie Tearming it a nose of waxe as Peresius blasphemously doth Peres de Tradit praef Pighius con◠3. Eckius Enchr c. 1. prop. 4. or dead inke a dumb iudge as Pighius and besides many other titles of disgrace Eckius affirmeth that God never cōmanded his Apostles to write any Scripture Thus they vilifie the word to magnifie tradition which tradition we acknowledge not for with Mary wee haue chosen the better part and doe assure our selues that there is no means so absolute as scripture to cōvince Heretikes which meanes you would take from vs by laying to our charge false translations and corrupt interpretations Concerning false Translations much might be spoken conferring yours with the Originall how many hundred differences wil be foūd how many Additions Detractions Falsifications Depravations Lyndan de opt gen Interpret l. 3. c. 1. 2. 4. 6. and intolerable Barbarismes be in the vulgar Lindanus hath confessed who acknowledgeth that there be monstrous corruptions of all sorts in it scarse one booke of Scripture that is vndefiled and so haue Bannes and Sixtus Senensis and others accused it And I desire but this resolution of any learned Papist that seeing the Councell of Trent hath approved commanded the vse of the vulgar translation affixing a Bull before it and Sixtus Quintus hath afterwards commanded only his translation to stand in force shewing many errors in the vulgar therefore hath prefixed his Bull before it after him Clemens Octavus finding manifold corruptiōs in the Bible of his Predecessor caused it againe to
concerning your request for compassion and yet even in that your petition you breake into a furious passion to accuse those reverend learned Doctors who censured you as if they had beene a faction I will not be nice to climbe ouer those seeming difficulties that lie in my way and yet without enlarging the limits of your speech as all your assertions like so many diseases attend vpon the ague of error so this among the rest wherein you censure those that iudicially censured you to be a factiō If any afforded your pen maintenance or your sermons countenance by clancular approbation contrary to the iudgement and truth deliuered by the learned Vicechancelor and his worthy asistants they were the faction not these It is not a factious position which is generally maintained by the happy and gratious Church of England grounded vpō irrefragable places of holy Scriptures taught by many impregnable places of ancient Fathers yea your grand Iury of Fathers called into the Star chamber of iudgement by a iudicious learned religious k Doctor Benefield Divine now all witnessing against you Were you vnworthily intreated when loue allured you and authority sollicited you to take better councell Were you silenced or imprisoned or censured at all til that engastred impostume brake out in your last sermon all dayly expecting a much more earnest course against you the discommoning rather of you thē the losse of your commons And whereas you desire vs to be moued with compassion toward our selues we may vse the words of our Saviour weepe not for me but weepe for your selues so compassionate not vs but your selfe And for my selfe among many others I shall ever afford you that harty pitty non l Bernard oris attactu sed mentis affectu as to say to you as the m 1. Kings 13.30 old Prophet did of the seduced Prophet alas for thee my brother Mr LEECH For as the iniury which God and his truth haue sustained in my person is now made knowne not only vnto our nation but the fame thereof beginneth to spread it selfe abroad in these forraine parts so it concerneth you my louing fathers and brethren to wipe away that disgrace and blemish from your mother and your selues which some of har vnnaturall children would both staine her with and deriue vpon you endeavoring to obscure their private folly in the publike shame Which protection I will neuer afford vnto them vnlesse they can obtaine it by your own consent ANSVVER Was the quiet and long forborne conventing of you iudiciall hearing learned opposing religious counselling calme censuring of you such an iniurie vnto God and his truth that not only the whole Vniversity but also the whole nation and quae regio in terris vestri nō plena furoris almost al the world taketh notice as you say for the FAME thereof beginneth to spread it selfe in those forraine parts A good thing the more generally it is spread the better but of the contrary ever the contrary falleth out n Plut. Plutarch telleth of a plague that began in Aethiopia thence filled Athens killed Pericles vexed Thucydides and spread it selfe far It should seeme by the spreading of that report of what you endured that it was some contagious stuffe that did so expatiate But what if it doe so among those who haue banished truth as a stranger chained vp Religion as a prisoner To preach a doctrine twise before forbidden you was seditious to preach a doctrine no way to be warrāted was erroneous that doctrine so soone to spread it selfe through so great a nation so many forraine parts it was dangerous Good things are not so fertile The great eie of heauen and the God which must iudge you and that cōscience which must accuse you doe all witnesse how iniuriously you dealt here with your gouernors in disobeying them and now howe vniustly abroad in traducing them Durst any in those forraine parts so peremptorilie and presumptuously publiquely haue maintained any point of the contrary religion but hee had beene apprehended and presently cast into the iawes of that monster the Spanish inquisitiō your vsage was otherwise you were warned by some counselled by others pitied by al not publiquely convented not commanded to recante not imprisoned not expelled only forbidden to preach because you offended by preaching put out of commons for a while the common punishment for any collegiate offence the fame of this so far to spread it cannot profit you any way nor preiudice the chariots of our Israell the governours of our Vniversitie Only remember what o De fam spe diat 117. Petrarch admonisheth in such a case Multi famam se mereri sperant dum infamiam mereantur Let not this fame bee your infamy nor let these blemishes and disgraces which you impute to our Academicall mother or the vnnaturalnesse you deeme to bee in her children be found all of them in you feare your owne private folly flie your owne publike shame I vse your owne words To make a shew of nakednesse where there is none is worthily cōdemned but to spit such words of blemish disgrace folly and shame in the face of such reverend Fathers O remember it is accursed I haue gathered vp all your burdens bonds pressures complaints summe them vp all they be all nothing Mr LEECH Wherefore out of my affectionate zeale vnto your credit I doe both humbly desire and earnestly require you to avert this infamy from your noble mother and to free her from the imputation which otherwise you draw vpon her as being either a Patronesse of falshood or fearefull to defend the truth which folly in the first or pussillanimity in the second is a great staine to men of your quality and place ANSVVER It was p Diog. Laert. in vita Diog. Diogenes speech Oportet sapientiam ab insipientibus feriri but yet g wisdome shal be iustified by her children q Mat. 11.19 and the blowe given by you in the pulpit which you think shal leaue a scarr in the face of Oxford is easily remoued For no sooner were you remoued hence but the infamy was averted the aire purged from receauing the contagion of any such amphibious amphibologious heresie For your zealous affection when you are truely zealous towards God you will be truly affectionate towards his servants let not the fume of envy and fome of vanity turne holynes into hypocrisie zeale into folly and assure your self as long as this Metropolis of learning shal stād which I hope shal be as long as the sunne and moone endure shee will bee so far from being either Patronesse of falshood or feareful to defend the truth that she wil ever haue many strong men armed in the studies of Divinity furnished with the skill of tongues laboriously exercised in the sacred Scriptures studiously cōversant in the Fathers wel acquainted with the history of times who like the valiant men of Israell that guarded r Can. 3.7.8
this it will bee no otherwise prooved then c Confess Petric c. 92. de Traditionibus Hosius proveth that the greatest part of the Gospell is come to vs by tradition and verie little of it committed to writing which is a most rash false conceipt of his But Andradius acknowledgeth that the Cittie of refuge for all the runnagate points in Religion is Tradition His words d Andrad Orthod explic lib. 2. pag. â—0 be Quam traditionum autoritatem si tollas nutare vacillare videbuÌ„tur Manie points would reele totter if not supported by the helpe of Traditions Saint e 1. Cor. 9.6 Paule hath warned that no man presume aboue that which is written and f Regul contract 95. fol. pag. 502. Basill admonisheth that it is necessarie and consonant to reason that everie man learne that which is needfull out of Scripture both for the fulnes of godlines and least they bee invred to humane traditions Yet I answere concerning Traditions that when this controversie is fully discussed you wil be as vnable to proue your position from anie Apostolicall tradition as the men of Doryla in g Cicero pro L. Flacco Tully who when they were to proue somewhat against Flaccus out of their publike Records and their records were called for they said they were robd of theÌ„ by the waie so your Traditions which must speak for you they are lost by the waie no one neither Bellarmine nor Coccius nor Sonnius nor anie writer can produce one Apostolicall sanction tradition or authority And for the practise of the Church the Ecclesiasticall histories shew that the ancient servaÌ„ts of God which first retired themselues from the worlde did it not for anie opinion they had hereby to obtaine perfection but to escape persecution as h Sozomen lib. 1. c. 12. Sozomen writeth and to hide themselues And some of them were lay-men as k Athan. Ep. ad Dracont Dyonisius voucheth some of them married men as i Dion Ecclesiae hierar c. 6. Athanasius recordeth all of them freemen from binding themselues with vowes as l Nic. lib. 9. c. 14. Nicephorus proueth And for the practise of Popish Monkes now the patterns of this Evangelicall perfection m Philobib c. 5. Dunelmensis delivereth it Greges vellera fruges horrea porci olera potus patera lectiones sunt hodie studia Monachorum And you knowe the old verse O Monachi vestri stomachi sunt amphora Bacchi Vos estis Deus est testis teterrima pestis Mr LEECH But yet since contrary to my probable persuasion certaine private spirits whose faith is their owne fancy itching rather after prophane novelty and hereticall innovation then abiding the wholesome doctrine of sacred Antiquitie and the Churches dogmaticall tradition haue by all meanes laboured to impugne my doctrine and to defame my person I haue thought my selfe in conscience and duty both before God and man obliged a swell for the generall satisfaction of all whom this present busines may any way concerne as for my owne discharge in particular being the party herein especially interessed briefly to coÌ„pile and publish the whole carriage and progresse of this matter in the ensuing treatise humbly recommending and ever submitting my opinion vnto the graue and infallible iudgement of the Church at whose feete and tribunall alone prostrating my selfe I must stand or fall as also referring my selfe with the moderat deportment of my cause vnto the sincere iudgement of the discreet and impartiall Reader ANSVVER You were drawne to this vnwillingly in respect of your vnabillity to maintaine the opinioÌ„ but most willingly in desire to stand out in contradiction But why should you rubbe ouer any here with the title of itching spirits Barn It is the rule of S. Bernard when in disputation or coÌ„ference there is rayling or reviling tunc non veritas quaeritur sed animositas fatigatur Truth is not sought for but strong and stubborne stomakes disgordge their poison Hee that hath giuen leaue to try the spirits hath prohibited the condemning nay iudging of a brother and therefore while you slander them with the itch of prophane novelty you bewray your selfe to bee infected with the scab of heresie They that gainesaid your doctrine were wise and honest learned and religious not a few but the consent of all of all degrees among vs. And so farre are they from defaming of your person that I doe assure my selfe that everie religious honest heart in Oxford will bee desirous to cover it with the mantle of charity to pray that it maie bee invested with the robe of Christs righteousnes wishing from our harts that no other cause then conscience and duty as you saie had obliged you to publish this your Treatise and that the discharge of your selfe and satisfaction of others had beene more truelie and charitablie performed that you had submitted your opinion to Gods word rather then the Church seeing the Church is not the infallible rule of iudgement as you hold n Relec. controu 4. de potestat ecclesiae in se q. 3. art 2. resp ad arg 5. Stapleton him selfe after loÌ„g discussing durst not absolutelie affirme it but seemeth to make it rather probable then credible when he confesseth that it is not anie article of our faith to beleeue that the authoritie of the Church is the rule of our faith And not only a Doctor but a Pope speaketh in this case more plainlie o Decret Greg. lib. 5. de sent excom c. 28. a nobis saepe Innocentius affirming that the Churches iudgement followeth opinion which often deceiveth and is deceived And howsoever I maie saie to you as p Aug. de vnit Eccles cap. 2. S. Augustine did to some heretiques of his time De hoc inter nos quaestio versatur vtrùm apud nos an apud illos vera Ecclesia sit the question being controverted betweene you and vs whethers is the true Church neither of vs can proue the argument by the Church seeing q Chrysost in Hom. 10. in 1. Tit Chrysostome doth conclude that the Scriptures must teach who hath the true Church r De vnit Eccles cap. 16. S. Austin resolving that Scriptures be documenta fundamenta firmamenta the proofes foundations grounds of our cause and therefore vnlesse you bee contented to submit your opinion to the Scriptures it is manifest that you acknowledge that your doctrine and the Scriptures were never acquainted The Pharisies the false porters of the kingdome Å¿ Mat. 23.13 tooke awaie the key of knowledge and they received their reward a volley t Luk. 11.42 of wo. Take heede least doing the like you incurre the like danger More respectiue are the Schoolemen of Scripture then you are u Lom dist 23. LoÌ„bard x Scot. 3. dist 23. q. vin Scotus y Oc. 3. q. 8. art 3. Ockam z Bi 3. dist 23. q. 2. lit g. h.
Biell in their distinction of faith they hold that it is either fides infusa inspirata an infused faith wrought in vs by the inlightning spirit of God and resting it selfe vpon the truth of God or else it is acquisita suasa a naturall faith grounding it selfe vpon humane authority and wrought by humane motions and persuasions The faith wee haue of the points in Scripture is of the former and better kind not relying on the testimony of the Church whose authority is but a created thing from the first verity as a Prin. fid doct lib. 8. Stapleton confesseth when as the first verity enforceth the minde without further autority to yeeld obedience As also Scripture is that b Rom. 1.16 power cōmanding that c Eph. 6.17 sword dividing that d Ier. 23.27 hammer driving in that e 2. Cor. 10. Pyoner powerfull to overthrow strong holds and to cast downe every high thing therefore onely the authority of the Scripture is to be relied vpon because our faith would reele and totter and fall if the authority of Scriptures stand not fast O then submit your selfe to the censure of Scripture whose maiestie is ineffable whose decree inevitable which rightly looked into with the eye of humility harkned vnto with the eare of attention and vnderstood with the hart of faith wil be the certaine rule authority testimony only to be relied on the piller of truth and Schoole of goodnesse Mr LEECH his Title A TRIVMPH OF TRVTH ANSVVERE A Triumph and why c Ludov. Vives in praefatio ad libros Aug. de civit Dei Honorius the Emperor had a fighting Cocke called Rome wherevpon Vives recordes that when the Goathes surprised Rome the Citty news was brought that Rome was lost the Emperour thought it was his Cocke not his Cittie Your Triumph and his Cocke may go togither d A booke in folio vpō the 4. Gospels Iohannes de la Hay the Jesuit hath lately robd you of the Title his great volume being intituled Triumphus Veritatis and surelie he had some semblance for it for his volume seemed to bee a vessell of good lading though it haue nothing in it but stubble and hay But you to giue your boate of so small burden the Title of a man of warre sure your title is too big your booke is too little It is A Triumph got by flying or a triumph got without fighting Let the Pharisee bee the Herauld of his owne praises Pigmalion enamored with his owne devises let Narcissus do ate on his shaddow let Thersites vaunt without modesty but how much better were it for you that you had styled your booke with some humble and religious title savouring of grace not of vaine-glory But alas Religion without Truth wil be ever vnsavory and reading without iudgement ever peremptory Mr LEECH CHAP. 1. INtreating of this parcell of holy scripture I sawe the dead In a sermon at Christ-Church in Oxford 1607 Apoc. 20.12 both great and small stande before God I distinguished a fowrefolde acception or signification of great and small FIRST great and small for worldly authoritie and temporall condition SECONDLY great and small in respect of heavenly supereminency of grace and spirituall infusion THIRDLY great and small in lieu of diversity of rewards and retribution FOVRTHLY great and small in regard of contrariety and disparitie of workes and operation ANSVVER A time there shall bee when the bookes of everie mans conscience shall be laide forth a day of feare and furie when an vniversall flowde of fire shall overstreame the whole world when the heavens shall threaten the earth cast vp al creatures cry vengeance devils accuse conscience giue evidence and the whole Iurie of Saints passe verdict vpon sinners and then the secrets of all harts shall be disclosed In holy Scripture this iudgement is often mentioned but of all others Hier. that glorious Eagle S. Iohn mounting the high spheare of divinest contemplation doth most expresly by his vision and revelation manifest the declaration thereof and of all other places most pregnantly in this your text Apoc. 20.12 And I saw the dead both great and small stand before God and the bookes were opened Was there no other place to confirme an vntruth but that which shall confound all vntruth no other Scripture to iustifie you but that which shall iudge you Would you sow tares vpon that ground vpon which wheate and tares shal be distinguished Remember whence you are fallen and repent and doe the first workes or else I will come against thee saith Christ Rev. 2.5 O the eternity of that cursed time Rev. 2.5 to be spēt in wretchednesse and confusion no myriads of yeeres to free from the execution of that perpetuall iudgement An end not ending a death not dying should terrifie and amase you and make you returne seeing the dead both great and smal shall stand before God But to your distinction There is a great mistake in your fourfold acception of great and small For antiquity which you so much boast of doe all expound it otherwise a Rupert in Apoc. Rupertus by mortuos magnos and pusillos vnderstanding homines impios spiritus malignos b Anselm in Apoc. 12. c Lyra in Apoc. 12. Anselmus Lyra d Hugo in Apoc. 12. Hugo the e Gloss in Apoc. 12. ordinary glosse and many others vnderstanding by the dead great and small malos only wicked men And f Carthus in eund Carthusian intimateth so much of St Austins opinion that he vnderstandeth not by mortuos magnos and pusillos the Saints but by libros apertos Carthusians words be plaine Augustinus per libros apertos intelligit Sanctos in quibus mali poterunt legere seu videre bona quae facere debuerunt neglexerunt Austin vnderstandeth by the books that were opened the Saints in whome the wicked might see and reade the good which they ought to haue done and haue neglected How then holdes your fourfold acception if by the dead you meane the living and by the wicked you meane the Saints g Caelius Rhodog lib. 20. Rhodogine recordeth that Polemo being the spectator of a Tragoedy at Smyrna a ridiculous actor comes out vpon the stage and being to pronounce O coelum ô terra bends his hands and eies to the earth and crieth ô coelum and then lifts his eies and hands to the heaven and pronounceth ô terra Polemo condemneth his action for a soloecisme It is no lesse in you to call evill good and good evill and in the Prophet it is forewarned with a woe Whose fourfold acception this should be I knowe not If your owne I am sorry for the mistake and I confesse it is the first notice that I ever tooke of your breathing in any Schoole learning and in that I shall doe you no more iniury then h Gretzer App. 1. ad lib. 1. Bellarm. § Idem dictū pag. 558. Caietanus homo
S. Paul saith to the Corinthes 1. Cor. 6 2. that the Saints shall iudge the world shall iudge the Angels In the Gospell Christ pronounceth it vnto them of the regeneration and in the Epistle Paule proclaimeth it vnto the Saints and will you impropriate so great an honour only to your Observers of Evangelicall Counsells The Saints shall iudge the Angells iudicio assessionis or approbationis as the Schooles speake but they haue this endowment of honor for beeing of the regeneration not mentioned for keepers of Counsells And it was not only an assurance made to the Disciples but to all the Saints neither were the Disciples professors of voluntary poverty virginall chastity or humble obedience as you interpret obedience First not of voluntrary poverty we never read they begd Paule made Tents and Peter did fish neither of them did begge and not only the Disciples did labour but as S. Austin proueth the Monks Clergy men of ancient times enioyed both their possessions and wiues and taxeth the Apostolici some Ad quod vult Deum haeres 40. that in a blind superstitious ambition would imitate the Apostles in refusing those into their company that had goods and wiues Arrogantissimè se vocaverunt saith S Austin they did most arrogantly call themselues Apostolici I may adde that most falsly they called themselues so for the Apostles did not refuse the communion and fellowship of any in that kinde neither were they professors of voluntary poverty as it is proued neither did they professe virginall chastity as I proceed to proue The Apostles for the most part were married men S Ambrose saith In 2. Cor. 11. AL but only Iohn the Evangelist The old Postils Dormi secure in Iohan. 2.1 Dormi secure Bentontine others say that S. Iohn was also married and that when Christ was at the marriage of Canaan in Galily then Iohn his marriage was celebrated and Pontanus Diez Costerus Pontan bibl con tom 1. fol. 217. Diez Con. 1. Cost to 2. with many others of the most quicksilverd wits among the new Papists doe so affirme For their humble obedience they practised all obedience in generall but not Monasticall obedience as you intend not such obedience as Ignatius warneth his fellowes of in an Epistle to theÌ„ that they be carefull least saith he the famous simplicity of blind obedience should decay Ep. ad fratres in Lusitan A blind obedience indeed for it is so straightly inioined them Pseudo Martyr cap. of Iesuits obedience that if one of them were so highly dignified as in a revelation to talke with Angells if his superior call him he is bound to leaue them and come away The obedience of the Apostles was no Monasticall obligation And howsoever Bellarmin would found this vpoÌ„ Christ his speech to the yong man sequere me yet De Monach. c. 9. § sex Test Mat. 19.21 if it would please his father-hood to looke into the Text hee shall finde that that obedience is there Commanded not couÌ„selled Matth. 19.21 it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an imperatiue follow me But his Cardinalls hat serveth for a cap of maintenance for more wrestings and inforcements of Scripture then this You double your citatioÌ„ of the Saints iudging the Angels which you say all the wrangling wits and priuate contentious spirits in the world cannot wrest them The words of Scripture with all ioy and comfort we acknowledge but the inference we deny You sprinkle your lines with sulphur in steed of salt wee wrangle not about Scriptures we abuse them not wee wrest them not we say to all that shall reade our interpretations Aug. ad Petil. as Austin said of Petilian Petilianus Manichaeum me esse dicit dico me non esse eligite cui credatis So you say we are wrangling wits and contentious spirits we say we are not Let the world choose whether of vs they will beleeue But for the abuse detraction prophanation falsification and blasphematioÌ„ of Scripture by men of your side it is so commoÌ„ that men and Angells stand agast at it The yong Novice that vnderstood his father was an Abbot said hee might well cry Abba Pater Owen Epig. And Gonzaga himselfe the devout Iesuit Vita Gonz. fol. 187. when he heard his Father was dead answered that now nothing could hinder him from saying Our father which art in heauen These iocular wrestings be hatefull and harmefull but there bee not only these among you but most monstrous and blasphemous wrestings of holy writ whereby as enimies of righteousnes Act. 13.10 yee cease not to pervert the straight waies of the Lord. Mr LEECH To shut vp all in one word Precepts are exalted as necessary Counsells are offred as voluntary and arbitrarie The one being done is praised highly rewarded the other being vndone is reprehended and punished ANSVVER In one word Bell. de Mon. cap. 7. you should haue vrged Bellarmin his owne words from whom you had this Paragraph lib. 2. de Monachis cap. 7. Praeceptum visua obligat c. To which Iunius others answer humane couÌ„sel are arbitrary divine necessary For if that of Plato be true Plato ep 7. ad Dion propin fam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the petitioÌ„s or requests of kings lay a coÌ„maÌ„d much more should the counsels of God Rev. 3.18 those counsells being comands as among others that to the Church of Laodicaea I counsell thee to buy of me gold tryed by the fire that thou maiest be made rich it is a commande because it hath a threatning inferred in the former words Rev. 3. â—6 It will come to passe that I will spue thee out of my mouth the threat menaced enforceth it as necessary if necessary a precept and so your distinction betweene the precept and couÌ„sell properly holdeth not Mr LEECH This distinction betwixt precepts and Counsells is no new doctrine S. Hierom ad Eustochium de custodia virginitatis and against Iovinian layeth downe the point and differences thus Where there is a counsell there is left a freedome but precepts inioine a necessity precepts are common to all Counsells are the perfection of some few And this is agreeing with that of Gregory in the place aboue cited non omnibus praecipiuntur sed perfectioribus consuluntur they are not commanded to al but advised to men of the perfiter rank Precepts obserued haue a reward not observed a punishment Counsails not obserued haue no punishment but observed haue a greater reward ANSVVER Your vrging of these fathers is no new argumeÌ„t it is twise before answered Is this no new doctrin Plead antiquity while you will Scripture hath taught mee that the Gibeonites old shooes were but fained and that Bildad stood on Antiquity to overthrowe the Truth His words proue your worke for hee was the first that corruptly vrged the Fathers Ios 3.5 Iob. 8.8 Prepare thy selfe to search of their Fathers saith he
Flavianus Bishop of Constantinople in his first Epistle to Pope Leo the first Haeretici est praecepta patrum declinare instituta eorum despicere It is the propertie of an heretique to decline the precepts of holy fathers contemning their cannons and decrees ANSVVER Your iudgement or opinion is very small seeing you take vp any thing at the second hand and from Coccius Treasury that cocks dunghil cul Pearles as you thinke them Twise before you submitted your selfe to the Church and in every page almost to the interpretatioÌ„ of the Fathers That the Church hath necessarily a stroak in the decision of Controversies we deny not but so ever that it subscrib to the truth of scriptures Next you submit to the Fathers the Fathers we reverence more then any Papists in the worlde doe neither doe I beleeue that ever any Protestant in the Christian world hath offered so much disreputation vnto the Fathers as Bellarmin himselfe hath don not only in generall De Pont. lib. 2. c. 27. § resp istas Bell. de Purg. c. 18. praeterâ—a q. ad quartum de poenitent l. 1. c. 1. § igitur Beilar de verbo Dei l. 3 c. 10. § dicens making all the Fathers but Children and novices to the Pope but in particular almost every Father is vilified by him To Damascene he giues the flatly and affirmeth that Tertullian is not to be reckoned amoÌ„g Catholiques so worse then so he speaketh of many others so ill a Patron is he of them that disesteeming any of them in any thing that crosseth his assertions he concludeth thus it is evident that the cheefest of them haue greeuously erred So that it seemeth Bellarmine is the heritique that Leo speaketh of who declineth from the precepts and coÌ„temneth the decres of holy Fathers Mr LEECH Thus much be spoken in defence of that great pillar of the latine Church S. Gregory saying Quidam non iudicantur pereunt quidam iudicantur pereunt quidam iudicantur regnant quidam non iudicantur regnant as also in defence of that sentence inferred vpon the last braunch transcendunt aliqui praecepta legis perfectiori virtute ANSVVERE It is strange in divinity not only but in common sense that first you should make your sermon theÌ„ after choose your Text it was vsuall in you if those that were best acquainted with your vnmethoded studies be not mistaken You grounded your distinction vpon that Text that without much wresting and wiredrawing would not serue you And you accommodated your distinction as vnfitly to this doctrine of Counsells as you father this doctrine vpon Gregory from whose authority you cannot produce any word of Evangelicall Counsell your defence was a very poore on you left S. Gregory to fight for himselfe for you fled Cum caeteri pugnabant maximè tu fugiebas maximè saith the Comoedy Father Anbignies defence for concealing Ravelliacks damned treason against the last French King was this Anti-Coton that God had given him a grace to forget all that he heard in confessioÌ„ It appeares you haue the like guift to mistake most that you read in the Fathers else you would never haue maintained such disiointed inferences Mr LEECH This I haue the rather done God and his holy Angels in whose presence I now stand and speak De Mysterio Mediatoris lib. 1. As hereticks as temporizers bearing me witnesse lest that imputation of Fulgentius should light vpon me viz. Fidem Ecclesiae nolle asserere est negare vno eodémque sileÌ„tio firmat errorem qui errore seu tempore possessus veritatem silendo noÌ„ astruit Dominicam gloriam qui non firmârit evacuat divinaÌ„ contumeliam qui non refutârit accumulat Miles ignavus som noleÌ„to corpore depressus regia castra oppugnantibus tradit dum competentibus vigilijs non defendit That is not to aver the Doctrine of the church is to deny the faith of the Church So are some in England So are others for with one the selfe same silence he strengthneth an error who being possessed or carried away with errour or time avoucheth not truth by his silence He that coÌ„firmeth not the glory of God weakneth it and he that confuteth not iniurie offred vnto God augmenteth it The slothfull sleepy souldiour betrayeth the Kings tents to his enimes whilst hee keepeth not true sentinell as he should ANSVVER Fulgentius speech fitteth vs as well as you your protestation we partly beleeue and yet but partly because you sinne more of negligence then of ignoraÌ„ce I would I could giue you that testimony which S. Paul did the Israelits Rom. 10.2 I beare you record that you haue the zeale of God but not according to knowledge or as another testimony of Scripture in the like case that you do onlie stray by ignorance Then would I hope that terrour of conscience should not punish your error in knowledge The Donatists loved their opinions better then their liues and you affect your owne folly more then Gods glory wherefore my exhortation to you is Returne Returne ô Shunamite Can. 6.12 if you wil not my praier and Petition for you is this Father forgiue him for he knoweth not what he doth Your marginallis false scaÌ„dal not our Church slander not our professors The Law Gospell agree in this Cursed be he that revileth the elders of his people Mr LEECH Hath any weedes of superstition growne vp with this Doctrine in the field of the Church Oh let not the pure wheate of Evangelicall Counsailes of perfection quoad viam quoad gradum fare the worse for the weedes Vnskilfull husbandmen are they and very vnfit to manure the Lord his tillage whose preposterous zeale issuing from the ground of a private groundlesse iudgement would pul vp both wheate and tares togither ANSVVER The words be otherwise in your coppy commanded by authority and by the notes against which exception was taken by the learnedst of our assemblie Vnder your owne hande This Paragraph beginneth thus Hath any weedes of SVPEREROGATION growne vp c. And dare you not nowe vse the same tearme Insteede of supererogation you put in superstitioÌ„ I grieue to think that you do receiue the wages of iniquity for maintaining as far as your poore revenews serues these two bastards of the Pope Aug. retract l. 1. c. 19. Hier. l. 1.3 contra Pelag. Theodor. in Rom. 10. Chrysost in Rom. 10. hom 17. Sed. in 10. RoÌ„ impiety absurdity The works of supererogation are of al other points of Popery most abhominable besids that none of the fathers teach so and that many of them bee expresly against theÌ„ as Austin HieroÌ„ Theodoret Chrysostome Sedulius your owne defenders Aquinas Gerson Iansenius Paludanus and Cusanus all deny this point And seeing that Scarlet whore of BabiloÌ„ druÌ„k with the blood of Gods Saints is nowe carted by heavenly iustice through all the reformed Congregations of the world I see not but every true Christian
in the gainesaying of Corah None here will be worthily thought men deceived by vaine and vnlearned suggestions Mr LEECH And if some men will obstinately shut their eies yet my trust is that others will looke vp to HeaveÌ„ whence this doctrine descended and whether it doth most readily conduce and that they will no longer take darknesse for light night for day poyson for medecine Heresie for verity since truth bringeth ever with it certainety peace and security at the last ANSVVER Psal 135.16.17 The legend giveth Scripture the lie Scripture saith that Idols haue eies and see not eares haue they and they heare not Legend Aurea and yet the legend reporteth that manie of the Idols Images haue spoken seen and hard They open their eies and see not we may shut our eies and yet see that this Doctrine never proceeded froÌ„ heaven or if it descended from thence the descention was like to Lucifer that fell from thence into the bottomlesse pit and no doubt Lucifers sin was no other then this so farre by elatioÌ„ to superlatiue man that in pride he rebell against God By respiratioÌ„ we send our praiers to heaven by inspiration wee receiue instruction from heaveÌ„ but I finde not that Phrase in any approved Author that doctrine descended from heaven And though the Priest in the law coulde only distinguish betweene a Leaper and a Leaper yet in the Gospell the Lord hath so illuminated his servants that they can easily discerne betweene the darknesse of the vnderstaÌ„ding which is falsum and the light thereof which is verum Which truth is the daughter of Syon and is atteÌ„ded with Peace of CoÌ„science ioy in the holy Ghost remission of sinnes communion of Saints and life everlasting Mr LEECH THE SECOND PART CONTAIning the irregular and violent processe of the Vice-chancellour and his complices against me and the former doctrine VVherein the Reader may excellently discerne the nature of heresie and the condition of Heretickes as in a perfit glasse * ⎠* As Iannes and Mambres resisted Moses so doe these resist the truth men corrupt in minde and reprobat concerning the faith 2. Tim. 3.8 ANSVVER THE SECOND PART CONTAIneth the exorbitant and virulent disobedience and palpable hereticall ignorance of the Author of the Triumph as also the false suggestions and vncharitable imputations against most of the Reverend and worthy Doctors of the Vniversity of Oxford wherein the nature of a conceited malecontented Apostat is discovered who having out of heresie spun the Spiders web an opinion Popish ridiculous out of slander and vnsavory words hatched the Coccatrice eâ—ges phrases reproachfull malitious doth beholde his naturall face in a glasse Psal 75. I said vnto the fooles deale not so madly Iud. 11. They haue followed the way of Caine and are cast away by the deceit of Balams wages and perish in the gainesaying of Korah A TRIVMPH OF TRVTH OR DECLARATION OF THE DOCTRINE CONCERNING EVANGELICAL COVNSAILES Mr LEECH CHAP. I. When I had ended my sermon it seemed good vnto Mr Doctor Hutton who was there present confronted me with ridiculous behaviour to cite me before himselfe immediatly in his owne lodging where I fouÌ„d him accompanied with two other Doctors D. Kilby and D. Benefield who gaue speciall attention vnto my sermoÌ„ with great shew of discontent ANSVVER Chrysost in 2. epist ad Tim. 2. IT is S. Chrysostomes observation that the cause of all evill is the neglect of the authority of spirituall governours when no reverence or feare or honour is vsed towardes them If this had not proved true in you you had not presumed when authority contradicted it to reiterate your former opinions Or to accuse D. Hutton of ridiculous behaviour whose gravity and reverent deportment according to his place age founde not in the whole course of his life any accuser but you his resolution in iudgement and office then in goverment were the motiues causing him to send for you you confesse that the Doctours accompanying him attended but much disliked your sermon so did not they only but the whole Church many standing amased to see you bring forth so publikely those two twins ignorance and impudence Of these two Doctors in the former part you affirmed that one of them approved your Doctrine and Apologisd for your opinion which is most vntrue for he ever abhord your assertioÌ„ as formerly I haue answered you that his worthinesse protesteth and as here plainely vnto all appeareth in that you say these two Doctors gaue attentioÌ„ to your sermon with great discontent Mr LEECH Before these men D. Hutton began to charge me with scandalous erroneous and Popish doctrine fitter to be preached in Rome then in Oxford and therefore in no case to bee suffered there to disturbe the peace of the Vniversitie ANSVVER The Provice chancellor and these Doctors as Indices et iudices veritatis did discharge that true care of Gods glory to charge you with the breach of the peace of the Church by obtruding a doctrine scandalous for the occasion erroneous for the opinion vnsafe to bee read and vnsound to be preached Mr LEECH To this accusation I framed my answer to the same tenour and effect as you haue formerly seene in the kitchin-conference adding farther that the doctrine of the Trinity consubstantialitie c. might be branded with the imputation of Popery as well as this doctrine of Evangelicall Counsells ANSVVER You preached this doctrine twise over verbatim almost as appeareth by the Coppies vnder your haÌ„d that now I haue in keeping at least verbatim in your extorted producing of testimony and now verbatim you haue the same Apology for your doctrine of the Trinity consubstantiality c. which you rank with Evangelicall Counsells and of which I shall haue occasion to reckon with you in your motiues Mr LEECH But such is the temerity of some men that they will rather disclaime a manifest truth then they will concurre in opinion with the Church of Rome And for my part I see no reason why you may not as well renounce that Popish doctrine of the Trinity as this of Evangelicall Counsells since both haue their evidence from the same ground Canonicall Scripture and Ecclesiasticall Tradition yea the later hath more cleere deduction and testification out of the Scripture then the former ANSVVER Such is the miserie of some men that they will in the corruption of their rotten hearts vndertake the defence of some manifest vntruth to get them a name as Reverend D. Kilby protesteth he ofteÌ„ warned you and it is the basenesse of some that in the fruitfull grounds of learning they smell after some dunghill questions of Popery to obtaine a title of singularity Mistake not slander not we disclaime not positions so much because Rome maintaineth them as because Antichrist and heresie invented them and yet looke into her streets marke well her Bullwarkes and religiously coÌ„sider what fountaine hath she not poisoned what part of
Religion hath shee not corrupted The doctrine of the Trinity seeing you here againe vrge it as aboue so I hence remoue it as aboue to your Motiues Mr LEECH Secondly his worship obiected vnto me that D. Benefield had lately and learnedly confuted the said Popish doctrine of Evangelicall Counsells and that therevpon I ought to haue surceased my reply was that D. Benefield his opinion was no canon of my faith nor that his authority was of such value with mee as to preponderate the iudgement of the Ancient Church and testimonies of the venerable Fathers And therefore since I began to publish this doctrine vpon such grounds I was bound in cōscience to defend the same and specially since he made an opposition in schooles vnto my position in the pulpit so that I could not be silent without treason vnto God his truth ANSVVER The argument consisted of reason and religion in reason if the doctrine were answered how could it be gainsaid the learning wisdome degree of Doctor Benefield by infinit degrees paramounting all that ever will be in Mr Leech In religion for if the Canons of the Church grounded on Scripture doe someway obliege our consciences that among the rest one especially provideth that there be no publick contradictiō of points in religion how durst this to be infringed and opposition so peremptorily maintained by you in the Pulpit But you say you did so because that his opinion was no Canon of your faith c. And yet you did make opinion the Canon of your faith and produced your conceit distinction grounds testimonies proofes c all for the most part out of Bellarmine and though you disclaime it yet you vnderwent that Babilonicall servitude which by Alphonsus de Castro is called Miserrima servitus iurare in alicuius verba Magistri Alphons de Castro cont haeres lib. 1. cap. 7. so that opinion was your Canō I haue already professed from the Protestation of D. Benefield that he read no way with purpose to touch you but only in generall as this controversie was the occasion of much innovation much corruption so that yours was the contradiction not his Mr LEECH Thirdly whereas he laid vnto my charge that he had inhibited me to intermeddle any farther with this point I answered that de facto he had never done it and that de iure he could not doe it For God must bee obeyed rather then man Besides though in discretion submission vnto your authority I would haue surceased from prosecution of this matter yet this notorious and intollerable impugnation did force me to breake my intended silence ANSVVER Deny it not for you were charged vpon your second sermon not to intermeddle any further in this point and therefore your distinction de facto and de iure is fond Your inhibition de facto should haue restrained you de iure should haue feared you for the Magistrat beareth not Gods sword in vaine But you say God must be obeyed rather then man By what revelation or fained new found vision had you command from God to preach this sermon the second time We must obey say the Lawyers Parents and Magistrats in licitis honestis but God in omnibus because all things are not only lawful to vs but fruitfull for vs if enioined by him But God Stella in Luc. Glory iudgement vengeance proper to God only Psal 8.5 that as Stella observeth hath impropriated 3 things vnto himself the first being his glory never did send any warrant to you so much to oppose his glory as to place man not as David speaketh little lower but equall or somewhat higher then the Angells in Angelicall integrity spirituall transcendency c as if man should be beholdē to you more then to his glorious maker Besides say you intolerable impugnation did breake your silence you would make the world beleeue you were iniured S. Austin asketh in this case a question libet hominem vindicare Tom. 10. ser 42. in Orat. Domin and must you encourage your selfe in the vnlawfulnesse of revenge But God mē Angells testifie you doe iniury to affirme you had iniury by any notorious or intolerable impugnatiō Were you imprisoned censured excommunicated Deserving all these you were punished by none of these Mr LEECH Fourthly whereas he demanded a copy of my sermon protesting vpon his faith and troth to God that hee would send me presently vnto the Castle vnlesse I then delivered it I was content vpō the perswasion of Doctor Kilby to yeeld into his hands the originall and only copy thereof And so I was dismissed for this time ANSVVER The Copy was demanded And though you say you deliuered it vpon persuasion yet it might haue beene enforced from you This protestation you objected once before against the Provice chancelour and now againe If you could fasten any aspersion vpon him or any that the cause concerned I knowe you would Protestations are often iustifiable and commendable Rom. 9.1 2. Cor. 11.31 Gal. 1.20 as I haue giuen instance before in many of the Saints but especially in Paul in divers Epistles To the Romans I say the truth and lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse To the Corinthians God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ knoweth that I lie not To the Galathians I witnesse before God that I lie not And Espencaeus in his owne practise sheweth that a protestation may very religiously be vsed Espenc tract 6. Epist dedic ad Card. Cast his wordes translated be these I doe RELIGIOVSLY SWEARE that as often as I thought vpon the report of obtaining the Red hat freely which others hunted after for mony who were repulsed I giue immortall thankes vnto God that he suffered not I wil not say so much good but so much evill to happen vnto me Quid facerem Romae mentiri nescio What should I doe at Rome I cannot lie Thus much for your obiection against his protestation and thus much for the honesty of the place where your habitation is now supposed Mr LEECH CHAP. 2. This storme being thus overblowne a quiet calme ensued vntill M. Doctour King deane of Christ-Church and Vicechancellour of the Vniuersitie was now returned frō London vnto whō I made repaire partly to do my duty vnto him and partly to preuēt that sinister impression which D. Hutton and others sought to worke in him to the preiudice of me and of the doctrine which I had preached For which purpose I had collected the testimonies of 24. Fathers that thereby he might be well informed in the state of this present question ANSVVER A storme it was not you felt neither the thunderbolt of excōmunication nor lightning of expulsion If in this storme as you call it you had shed a showre of repentant teares then you might haue been happy Aust in that which S. Austin applyeth to such a purpose Post pluuiam sequitur magna serenitas post nubilū magna claritas post tempestatem magna
tranquillitas Though you thought the storme calmed yet it was no otherwise then that the expectation of our most worthy Vicechācellors cōming home staid it to whō by preuention anticipation you made repaire to repaire your weather-beaten credit and you say to do your duty which you had neglected to his deputy But why feared you sōe sinister impressiō in him who like that noble Emperour in all causes kept an eare as well for defendant as plaintiffe I coniecture the cause cōscience was the Notary Register Remembrauncer of an offence and will proue the sting and scourge for the offence Conscience at this your first appearing made you inwardly cry guilty Mr LEECH Assone as he beheld me he brake forth into this passionate declamation Sir would you haue a worde with me In verie good time I haue many words to speak with you for the shamefull rumor of your doctrine hath filled my eares wheresoever I came in London in Lambeth or else where your doctrine was stil laid in my dish yea I haue beene charged by divers to my face for tolerating such scandalous and erroneous doctrine freelie and openly to be preached in this Vniversitie ANSVVER His passion was no other then that which should be the proper passion of every true hearted Christian He was with Elias iealous for the Lord of hoasts 1. King 19.14 2. Cor. 11.2 and as S. Paul was iealous with a godly iealousie so was hee passionate with a religious holy Passion It concerned him in a double respect as a provident Vicechancellour of the Vniversity to see that the Lords ground receiue no tares as the diligent Governour of that honourable Colledge to see that the envious man liue not in his house that would sow these tares His burden of this double labour requireth a double ardor and without doubt it will receiue a double honour The speech hee vsed to you was the living representation of himselfe full of courage wisdome truth and honourable spirit and therefore I may returne Martiall his Apostrophe vpon you Sed malè dum recitas incipit esse tuū His sweet speech hath lost much by running through your Channell Occasion of much griefe it was to him to heare that vnder his Collegiat regiment any one should presume to teach that which was scandalous most erroneous doctrine And what freedome the world vseth in taxing Governors as guilty of connivency to some vnrulie Heretoclits vnder their authority Seperatists and Papists like Herod Pilat in their daily invectiues do testifie Mr LEECH To whom returning my answere in dutifull sort I protested first that I came not to insinuate with him nor to divert any course of iustice Secondly I know the doctrine to be founded vpon such invincible proofes and reasons that it will stand impregnable against all assaults whatsoever For demonstration whereof I presented the aforesaid testimonies vnto him and desired him to take a diligent review of the places alleaged in that schedule ANSVVER Your dutifull answere was vndutifull in that first you came not to craue his favourable interpretation and thereby in submission to haue committed your selfe and cause vnto his worthy iudgement as being in a double respect vnder his government secondly you might haue remembred to speake truth in this your answer for you presented no such Testimony of Fathers as you report here nor collected any authorities out of them at all When you were Collector for the poore proofes that you produce it seemeth you were Collector for the high waies also you gathered that rubbish out of Bellarmine and Coccius Ierem. 6.16 not out of the old waie as the Prophet calleth them Mr LEECH Whervpon he contemptuously entwited me saying go go you are a foole an asse c whē you preach here is nothing but Leo Leech and al the Fathers A proverbe which he had borrowed from some braynsicke Puritans and prophane scoffers ANSVVER Reproofes be as necessary Purgations you knowe how lawful it is according to the proverb to affirme Schapha est Schapha as also that it is helde true in Physicke Morality and Diuinity varium poscit remediū diversa qualitas passionum Ioh. 4.7 Acts. 7.51 Iohn Baptist to the Pharisies crieth out O ye generations of vipers Stephen to the Iewes O yee stiffe necked and of vncircumcised hearts eares Peter to Ananias Why hath Sathā so filled thy hart Acts. 5.3 Acts. 13.10 that thou shouldest lie vnto the holy Ghost and Paul to Elymas vseth no other language but this O ful of al subtilty and of all mischiefe the child of the divell and enemy of all righteousnesse wilt thou not cease to pervert the straight waies of the Lord Such reproofes even to the dividing asunder the bones and the marrowe haue beene vsed frequently and necessarily But the wisdome of the reverend Vicechancellor forbare any such words as you impute here to him therefore in being the false relator you are become the author of these titles you giue your selfe The Title of Leo Leech was so commonly growne to a Proverb of you as that you grew prowd of it but without reason for you know how the creature was dealt with that strouted in the Lyons skin But this title of Leo Leech was not named then but deferred till your finall Censure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is your disease your Title of brainsicke Puritanes is spleneticall if not Phreneticall Wee are all free from the note of that Schisme we professe no transcendencie every man hath subscribed and willingly acknowledged the most auspitious and gracious goverment by the Religion professed and for ever to be avowed in our Church Forbeare then this tongue murthering and malignant slandering Mr LEECH Which contumely I repelled with few words and digested it with patience assuring him that Leech with one Leo woulde bee too hard for any man that impugned this doctrine ANSVVER Why should you boast of Leo when you had neither strength nor hony from this Lyon Leo is none of your Iury you haue no Counsaile from him Looke over your Catalogue you finde him not there and looke into your conscience and you wil finde that you made no mention of him here though you be false in opinion yet continue not in everie paragraph to be false in relation Mr LEECH And truely I could not but marvaile that hee who in his lectures vpon Ionah hath made a copious defence of the holy Fathers and approved the vse of their testimonies in publique sermons should now so vehemētly except against me and so meanely esteeme of them But such is the condition of these men that they will accept and reiect the Fathers at their owne pleasures as winde weather go ANSVVER That our worthy Vicechancellor was no Antipater may be plainely seene by his most exquisite apology for the vse of those great Fathers and Doctours of the Church who derived their streames of divine knoweledge from the Scriptures and from whose Lampes all Christendome haue
received light But in this Art Grace so far aboue Art haue so enriched his iudgement by study that though he mainetaineth the reading of the fathers and the frequent quotation of thē and maketh vse of them in Sermons as much as anie whatsoever in which kinde as in all others his talent is most extraordinary yet he farre disclaimeth that ever he beleeved that you could produce anie true authorities either in generall from the fathers or in particular from Gregory whom you make the Author pillar and maintainer of your Doctrine The observation of Ludovicus Rabus is fit to bee remembred by you In his 1. volume of Collection out of Austin Lud. Rab. in 1. tom to recōcile by the meditatiō of that reverend father divers places of Scriptures There bee saith he two sorts of men which much wrong antiquity Quorum alterum iniquum nimis planè distortum omnia à veteribus piâ antiquitate prodita magno supercilio fastidit atque contemnit D. Kings 40. Lecture vpon Ionas And these are most learnedly confuted by the 40. Lecture of Doctor King vpō Ionas Being worthy to be hissed at and contemned for contemning those blessed ornaments of learning and pillers of religion in their time who spake and wrote lived and died in defence of Christs truth Ambrose worthily stiled orbis terrarum oculus Augustin haereticorum malleus great Athanasius eloquent Cyprian golden mouthed Chrysostome and the rest Their names be memorable and their monuments of indefategable paines be honourable throughout all generations and let it for ever bee a brand of the greatest ignorance to contemne their learning and writing Lud. Rab. ibid Alterum vero nimis cautum circumspectū absque iuditio aut discrimine vllo omnia veterum dicta scripta tanquam Praetoria amplectitur mordicus defēsa cupit such as suck only the gall of their inke study only the blotts of their papers and if there be any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imposed and impostured into the Fathers writings these they study to maintaine That if Tertullian savor of Montanisme or Cyprian of Rebaptisme or Origen of Millieranisme if Nazianzen seem to be an Angelist or Hierome a Monagamist this they swallow without distinction or discreatiō never looking into the Interpretations or Retractations of those opinions And this they will as resolutely teach as Canon of Scripture whereas the most worthy Father that ever lived since Christ time S. Austin in his 2 Tome Epist 19. Aust 2. Tom. Ep. 19. Ep. 40. ad Vinc. Ep. 111. ad Fortun. ad Hieronymum in his 48 Epistle ad Vincentium in his 111 Epistle ad Fortunatianum doth absolutly conclude Neque enim quorumlibet disputationes quam vis catholicorum laudatorum hominum velut Scriptur as Canonicas habere debemus vt nobis nō liceat salva honorificentia quae illis debetur hominibus aliquid in eorum scriptis improbare atque respuere si forte invenerimus quoad aliter senserint quà m veritas habet divino adiutorio vel ab alijs intellecta vel à nobis Talis ego sum in scriptis aliorū tales volo esse intellectores meorum This caveat may serue you especially who relie more vpon reading then vpon vnderstanding Your clause of accusation is false wherein you impute to that famous Doctor and others the accepting and reiecting of the Fathers at their pleasure It is the common practise of your owne as I haue already shewed Mr LEECH Now whereas I added farther that the best learned in Oxford concurred with me in this point yea said hee there are many of you that will play with Popery as the fly doth with the candle you hoouer over and about it as neere as you dare but you will bee sure to keep your wings from sindging ANSVVER You that father opinions vpon the ancient Fathers may as easily traduce moderne Doctors Did ever any concurre with you in publike declaration of this doctrine I speake it againe and am assured of it that you traduce some that favoured your person rather then your doctrine and did much distast that you should any way deale with controversie Who interceeded for you who offered to defend it to dispute it The speech of Mr Vicechancelour concerning those that play with Popery c. I beleeue was only and particularly appropriated to your selfe though you desire to draw others into your reputation livery If any doe confectionat their religion and double in the true worship of God I feare to iudge them and as much feare to follow them Mr LEECH Though I made a friendly defence of those men at whō he malitiously girded as being mē of incomparable worth in that place yet I disclaimed all assistance from them or any others protesting that I depended not vpon men nor Angells but only vpon the sacred Scripture interpreted by the ancient Church Which rule of faith as it is most certaine so my application thereof in this particular is free from all exception ANSVVER Your friendly defence it doth offer offence in cōtinuing the derivation of your owne folly vpon any of incomparable worth Incomparable worth is a title to be bestowed only vpon men of Incomparable paines and studies and so are our Publike Governors and most learned Readers in divinity Of these as many as had occasion to discourse vpon your doctrine haue all gainsaid it and in solemne Lectures and Disputations in our publike divinity Schoole it hath beene often fanned confuted You say you depend not vpō Angells so thinke I also for though the Angells be not ambitious yet I am sure they would thinke it some iniury if not to thē yet to the truth that man should be equall to them in perfection and Angelicall integrity as you affirme From Scriptures interpreted by the Church you received it not the Church did never graunt it the Scriptures doe no where ground it What the rule of faith is you haue already beene taught Mr LEECH Well quoth he whether I shall bee able to proue this doctrine false or not I cannot tell but as I think I shall Howsoever certaine I am that I shall be able to condemne you of great indiscretiō for preaching such doctrine in these revolting times when there is such generall Apostasie from the gospel vnto Popery ANSVVER Qui semel verecundiae limites transilijt gnaviter fit impudēs Whether this your speech deserue not the blackest Character of falshood or no I will not say I cānot tell but I am bound by all the assurances of truth to beleeue that your report in this will be an article against you in iudgement O◠impudens Was there diffidēce or distrust or the least touch of doubt in him was not his resolution so firme and his protestation so faithfull that he told you with much zeale and earnestnesse he knew and would proue your doctrine to bee false and shamefull and your selfe ignorant and most vnskilfull in point of Controversie
that D. Hutton had inhibited me that D. Benefield whose bookes I was not worthy to carry had publikely confuted my doctrine c. with such like frivolous allegations ANSVVER Here to helpe your memory which wandreth as much as your iudgement you forget that vpō your bragge that all the Latine Church held with you D. Aglionbee asked you what was the Church and you receiving a blow where you had no ward were driven so farre out of the way as to affirme the last resolution of the Church to be not in primam veritatem but in the iudgement of men the absurdity of which position I haue dealt with in your Epistle The Vicechancellour seeing such presumptuous insolence ioined with ignorance herevpon remembred you how the inhibition by authority and the confutation of that controversie might haue staid your proceedings and added the due worth of the Doctor who had determined that point in his solemne Lecture Mr LEECH As for D. Hutton his inhibition I answered as before adding farther that I respected not his iudgement in this matter For I knew indeed that as his vnderstāding is not very deepe so his affection is not very good who in a certaine booke or rather statizing pamphlet concerning the crosse in baptisme defendeth this laudable Christian ceremony by tradition of the Church as it is witnessed by the holy Fathers and yet now in a point of greater importance expressed in Scripture taught by Fathers practised by the Saints defined by the whole Church he blushed not to accuse me nay S. Gregory himselfe of Popery in this doctrine But singular is my comfort to consider by what Iudge I am thus vsed in what cause and with what Patrone from whom our Nation first receiued her first faith for whose faith I must now forsake my nation ANSVVERE You leaue the answer of your neglect of D. Huttons gouernement and traduce his iudgement Inhibition is matter of authority not of learning why disobeyed you that command you answere but not to the purpose you respected not his iudgement Let not malice be iudge but cōsider how base infamous malitious your reproaches be his soūdnes of iudgment is approved sufficiently by the consent of our whole Vniversity And that booke which so scornfully you reproach is esteemed deservingly and is of reverend respect with the best Bishops of our Church Where the Fathers agreeing to Scripture are truly vrged and vnderstandingly interpreted both D. Hutton and all of our part with all willingnesse receiue their assertions But when Fathers are misvrged arrested and impostured by Coccius or Bellarmin and you receiue them at second hand not from the foūtaine but from the ditches we returne your party-coloured blended sentences as vnworthy of approbation because they be vsed as the Tyrant entertained his guest if to long for his bed to chop of if to short to racke them out The doctrine which you call a point of great importance expressed in Scripture taught by Fathers practised by the Saints and defined by the whole Church is not so founded as you presume to teach Scriptures no where expresse it Fathers teach it not the Saints of God haue not practised it the Church of Christ hath not defined it Therefore he only accused you of Popery but not Gregory For as formerly hath beene said D. Hutton and all any way seene in Gregories Moralls may perceiue how you foist into the Text the words Evangelicall Counsells Your comfort will proue your corrasiue your Iudge in this was God others were but his deputies the cause was religiō nay the very marrow pith of Religion and the opposition of many absurd hereticall positions Your Patron was not Gregory hee neither taught you this nor from him our Church received their first faith Neither for defending this were you cōstrained to leaue the Land you forsooke your Religion rather then your Nation Vegetius tells that in the Roman Armies Vegetius Non fugere was a speciall precept The way for you to Triumph had beene to recant and to remaine in your station not to fly Bosquiers speech is true Bonsq cont 7 the Devill is overcome by resisting but the flesh and the world by running away but you fled because you would run into the world Mr LEECH As for D. Benefield with his lecture his bookes I passed them over considering that M. Vicechancellour made excursions from the point loading me only with contumely and disgrace ANSVVER You passed him ouer because he doth so far overpasse you but he is in your bosome his Lecture lyeth heavy on your heart it is such a pang that you will not easily remoue The Vicechancellour loading you as you call it with disgrace knewe you had a back provided for a burthen If his speech seeme harsh to you you turned his tongue being turned your selfe Otherwise his tongue is the hearauld of encouragement and comfort himselfe the refuge of innocencie a Tutor to his Colledge and a father to the Clergy in his Accademicall governement Mr LEECH Wherefore not suffering him to divert mee from the maine issue Haeretici est praecepta Patrum declinare saith worthy Flavian in his first epist to LEO the great I desired him to deale punctually that is to say first to admit a triall by the Fathers or to deny it if he denied it he should be thereby sufficiently convinced Secondly if he admitted this triall then either to disproue my authorities or to approue my doctrine ANSVVER To deale punctually is so proper vnto all his discourses that all his Auditors will acknowledge this a speciall felicity in the power of his speech Your demands were preposterous in your Epistle you commit your selfe to the censure of the Church now to the triall of the Fathers no appeale at all to the Scriptures without which whatsoever is taught is like Israells building in Aegypt without stuffe no warrant for the matter they build with Mr LEECH But he not daring to make a briefe and punctuall answer to my reasonable demands fell extravagantly into a mention of the reformed Churches summoning me before their tribunall for the censuring of this doctrine ANSVVER Not daring Why continueth this Bracchadochian humor it hath long beene in the consumption it will at length spend it selfe What dareth not he that vndertakes without rashnes and performes without feare did ever your experience finde him to be a read shaken with the winde or to want the sinewes of courage and resolution No you knowe hee is ballaced with wisedome and worth able to vndertake the most resolute and vndauntedest of the contrary side in the worlde Neither in this was there the least note of extravancie as your exorbitancie of accusation doth impute for by whom should a minister of the reformed Churches bee censured but by the power iudgement of the reformed Churches Mr LEECH Which course of proceeding I vtterly disclaimed as vnequall because the later Church is not to iudge the former but contrarily the former
desire to be taught the rule of faith out of an humble and a religious meaning here you may learne it it was a question worth his asking a point worthy your learning Mr LEECH Why said he what other ground of faith then the pure word of God I demaunded then who shall interpret this word Hee replied the spirit What spirit good Sir The spirit of God only which privat men thinke they haue Against which rule I except for that it was the common plea of all condemned Heretiques Wherefore I required a triall of this pretended spirit for I cannot admit that to be God his spirit in any private man which consenteth not with the spirit of the Catholique Church And thus you see M.D. Airay that what you formerly reiected out of my rule as Popish you must necessarily admit as true that is Ecclesiasticall Tradition annexed to the sacred Canon for the discerning of private spirits Otherwaies each Heretique will sense Scripture in the mould of his owne braine ANSVVER That the word of God is the ground of beleefe in God sacred Scripture it selfe proveth in manifold and pregnant places as in the olde Testament in the Proverbs Prov. 2.9 They make a man vnderstand righteousnes and iudgement and equity and every good path Esay 8.19.20 in Esay should not a people enquire at their God at the law and at the Testimonie they that speake not according to this word there is no light in them by Malachie Mal. 4.4 Remember the law of Moses which I commanded all Israell with the statutes and iudgements in the new Testament in S. Paul 2. Tim. 3.15 The Scriptures are able to make a man wise vnto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Iesus in S. Peter 2. Pet. 1.19 We haue a most sure word of the Prophets wherevnto we must giue heed as to a light that shineth in darknesse till the day starre arise in our hearts Luc. 1.4 in S. Luke They containe the certainty of those things whereof we are instructed and in S. Iohn Ioh. 5.39 These things are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is that Christ the sonne of God and in beleeuing yee might haue eternall life and by Christ himselfe sealing this point Search the Scriptures for in them you haue eternall life and they are they which testifie of mee but to this also the Fathers with all reverence haue agreed Basil Ep. 80. ad Eust Med. Let the Scriptures be arbitrators betweene vs saith Basill in his 80 Epistle and whosoever holds consonant opiniōs to those heavenly oracles let the truth bee adiudged on their side We are to enquire for iudges saith Optatus Contra Parmenianum de coelo quaerendus est Iudex Optat. cont Parmen l. 5. the Iudge must bee had from heaven but saith hee wherefore need we to knock at heauen when we haue a iudge wohm wee finde in the Gospell The Scripture is the rule of faith saith Tertullian contra Hermogenem Tertull. cont Hermog Chrysost in 13. Homil. in 2. Corinth It is a most exquisit rule saith Chrysostome in his 13 homily vpon the second to the Corinths It is an inflexible rule Greg. Nyss Grati. de ijs qui adeunt Hierosolymā saith Gregorius Nyssenus And S. Austin ample for this in many places in his booke de bono viduitatis testifieth that the Scripture pitcheth downe the rule of our faith And not only the Ancient Fathers but the Schoole-men haue succeeded in the same resolution Aquinas writeth expresly Aq 1. qu. 1. art 8. that our faith must rest vpon the Canonicall bookes of Scripture Durand agreeth with this Durand pref in senten that the maner of our knowledge exceed not the measure of faith and the holy Scripture expresseth the measure of faith Sum part 3. tit 18. c. 3. Nay Papists haue acknowledged this Antoninus confesseth that God hath spoken but once to vs and that in Scripture so plentifully that hee voucheth Gregory in the 22 book of his Moralls thus God needeth to speake no more concerning any necessary matter Al. 1. sent quaest 1. art 3 1. Coroll seeing all things are found in Scripture Alliaco consenteth to this The verities of Scripture bee the Principles of divinity quoniam ad ipsas saith he fit vltima resolutio Theologici discursus Bell de verbo Dei lib. 1. c. 2. In one word Bellarmin agreeth to all these Testimonies in his first book de verbo Dei Sacra Scriptura est regula credendi certissima tutissima This may serue to shew you that there is no other ground of faith then the worde of God Scriptures Fathers Schoolemen nay even our Adversaries being witnesses Deut. 32.31 as Moses speaketh You demaund who shall interpret this word It is replied the spirit of God which spirit the elect doe know certainly that they haue not only thinke as you traduce the speech of this reverēd Doctor but they assure thēselus that they haue the spirit and hee that knoweth not this ◠Cor. 3.16 is ignorant as Paul teacheth by an interrogatiō Knowe yee not that yee are the Temples of the holy Ghost and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you But against this rule you except for this was you say Chrysos prolog in Epist ad Rohan 3. de Lazar. the plea of al Heretiques It is false Heretiques and the devill did vrge Scripture but these could never for wāt of Gods spirit compare Scriptures together The privat spirit even every Priuat man of himselfe saith Chrysostom only by reading may vnderstand yea need nothing else but to read Chrysos hom 13. in Gene◠by which he meaneth to confer one place of Scripture with another And the same Father giveth the reason Scriptura seipsam exponit auditorem errare non sinit The scripture expoundeth it selfe and suffereth not the hearer to be deceived Distinct 37. Relatum So speaketh Chrys 13. hom in Genes The Canon Law is most plaine herein Non enim sensum extrinsecus alienum extraneum sed ex ipsis Scripturis sensum capere veritatis oportet For we must not from without them seeke a forraine and strange sense but wee must out of the Scriptures themselues receiue the meaning of the truth And a clowde of witnesses do testifie the same Wherefore it is no way necessary that we aske helpe of Tradition which is as I formerly spake the cittie of refuge for all runnagate points in your religion Popish Tradition in the Church soiourning only as the deuill doth to deceiue as a treacherous stranger not to be acquainted with or as an Infidell not to be conversed with and therefore D. Airay taught you the truth when you heretically thought you might mould the sense of scripture in the brain of the brasen head Tradition Mr LEECH And now M. D. Airay being thus overthrowne in the rule of his faith proposed vnto me a question of
capitall danger wishing M. Vicechancellor to question me vpon the point of the kings Supremacy for surely said he you shall finde him vnsound therein ANSVVER The reverend faithfull and laborious Doctor must possesse his soule in patience and receiue his part of your improbable and vncharitable interpretations as wel as others His vnderstanding inlightened with the beames of diuine truth suffer not as you slander him to be overthrowne in his rule of faith his memorable free-will offrings in Sabaoth exercises to turne many to righteousnes his worthy performance of all Vniuersity exercises his indefatigable studies so greate that a place of the most publike charge did sue to him to draw him from his chosen retirednesse his zeale paine faith doctrine manner of living though hee hold his minde vnfainedly below his place yet these testifie to the world his worth to be farre aboue his state The reason that he proposed the point of supremacy to you was this in the course of the proceedings and speeches with you he observed that you had forsaken the reformed congregations of the church the scriptures the infallible rule of faith and therfore seeing your fidelity to God was so changed it was fit time to obserue how you were affected to the Kings Maiesty seeing the Apostle ioineth them togither Feare God honor the King you having neglected the first the second was to be feared The question of the supremacy in this kinde was the only Touchstone the Shibboleh to try an Ephramit Iud. 12.6 for in every true subiect there ought not to be more loue in his hart thē liberty in his tongue to professe the crowne and dignitie and supremacy of that loadstone and gracious loadstar of hearts the kings most royall Maiesty This being not only an ancient Canon and a point confessed by Bishops in this our land in the raigne of the most ancient kings who resisted the vsurpation of that man of blood the Pope but as in the beginning of many Princes raignes so revived in the inauguratiō of our most peaceable most wise most religious Salomon Canons and Constitutiōs made 1603. Canon 1. When in the Convocation helde by all the Beaw-peeres of learning the Bishops and Clergy it was commaunded that all Ecclesiasticall persons of what degree soever should maintaine no obedience or subiection to be due to any forraigne power but that the Kings power within his Realmes of England Scotland and Ireland and all other his Dominions Coūtries is the highest power vnder God to whom all men as well inhabitants as borne within the same doe by Gods lawes owe most loyalty and obedience afore and aboue all other Powers and Potentates in earth If you giue not God what is due to God no marvaile you gaue not Cesar what is due to Cesar A disease in the head is the head of diseases and rebelliō against the head doth manifest the infectious state of the whole body of your beliefe And therfore it wisely was questioned concerning the supremacy It was a question guided by a religious intention and grounded vpon wise observation Mr LEECH But M. Vicechancellours thoughts carried him so far away at that present that he gaue no care vnto this impertinent bloudy question but prosecuting the vindictiue designement formerly concluded vpon betwixt D. Aglionbee and himselfe who held a secret cōference together he resumed his old accusations of false erroneous scandalous and Popish doctrine for delivering and reinforcing whereof I deserued the seuerity of Iustice ANSVVER His vigilancy was not absent Had he beene set on vengeance as you shamefully accuse nowe had beene the time to be avenged but now you see notwithstanding al your reproaches and slanders of passion the worthy Vicechancellour limited his power by his wil and this was a noble revenge that he might hurt and did not There was no such conference between Doctor Aglionbee and him as you report But he did truely and worthily ingeminate and often repeate those tearmes of erroneous scandalous and Popish doctrine Mr LEECH Perceiving now their resolution to punish me without farther examination of my cause or respect of my iust defence I finally proposed vnto them these two demands First that they would proceede against me iuridically by way of Articles so I should know precisely what was the error and falshood of my Doctrine and they should receiue my answer made in forme of law For this hath ever beene the custome of proceeding in this Vniversity and in God his Church ANSVVER It was time when you held right neither in point of Scripture of faith of the Church or of the point in controversie reiected their censure neglected their iudgement and able to vphold your selfe by no means but negatiues And therefore never continue this obstinate accusatiō that they did not examine your cause or respect your defence The cause was offred by disputation to be discussed by Lecture it was already confuted defence you were able to make none but what you brought in a schedule transcribed out of Coccius Your first demand was senselesse Was it not a Iuridicall proceeding to be called according to our Vniuersity statute in that behalfe which is this that for scandalous preaching the Vicechancellour require the assistance of the Doctor of the chaire whose incomparable indefatigable paines hindering him he desired to be spared at that time by the present approach of the Act. D. Holland Vpon the absence of the Reuerend Father of the chaire some other Doctors of Divinity are to be called and there were fiue more in Iuridicall manner appointed here you were convented and censured by the most absolute forme of Law Mr LEECH Herevnto M. Vicechancellour replyed What Articles you shall haue articles time enough meane while I say that all meaning my Sermon is false scandalous Popish erroneous c. ANSVVER Articles were not promised you you accused your selfe and delivered your Articles in your sermō no mention no promise no expectation of any at this your conventing You prevaricat by prescriptiō and custome The old Monke almost blasphemously applied Sicut erat in principio but I may say truly beginning middle ending every Page Section Paragraph haue matter faulty in faith or false in fact And among the rest this Article is to bee preferred against you for speaking of Articles here where there was no such request obtained by you nor expectation of any by promise from him It was iustified and ever will bee till you recant that your doctrine was false in opinion scandalous for the occasion Popish for tradition and erroneous for hereticall innovation Mr LEECH My Second demaund therevpon was that he and his associats would condescend vnto this small request to wit I will here set downe this affirmatiue proposition Sunt Evangelica Consilia and subscribe vnto it in your presence May it please you also to set downe the negatiue Nō sunt Evangelica Consilia and subscribe your severall names therevnto and signifie therewithall
diffidence in this point All testimonies divine humane of God and of his Church did firmely establish me therein And therefore though I conferred with many learned men vpon the same yet I never demaunded of any man by way of doubt Sir What is your opinion c. but I alwaies said This is the Doctrine of all the Fathers this is the iudgement of the whole Church it is founded vpon sacred Scripture c. will you stand to it or will you disclaime it wherevpon I commonly receiued this answere the doctrine is true in it selfe though not seasonable for these times But Master D. King hauing not any such certainty of infallible grounds could not but fluctuate in the instability of his private iudgement ANSVVER VVhich two proposed coÌ„siderations be both false How can any indifferent Reader looke vpoÌ„ your lines with any other entertainement but contempt first you accuse Doctor King to want well grouÌ„ded knowledge whoÌ„ your conscience knoweth to be profound ready and resolute in all faculties in all studies in all learning was not the force of reason vsed as the meanes to coÌ„vert you when a solemne lecture was read vpoÌ„ the point was not the TeneÌ„t of our Church shewed you were not disputations many times offred you and did not the Doctors that assisted at the convention of you catechise you so farre as they founde you not able to answer what the church was what faith was what the rule and Canon was c was this violence of Authority or force of reason Violence did not appeare in authority against you never was wilde fire so quietly quenchâ—d nor open mouthed aduersary so favourably handled so movingly incited or so fully confuted Your secoÌ„dly is twin with the former only the limmes be greater Did he punish you with an evill conscience you suffred with a good Or you suffered with an evill and he censured you with a good You say you had not the least scruple of diffidence or distrust in this point Doubting in some causes is commeÌ„dable it is the meanes to sift and fanne try the wheat of truth froÌ„ the chaffe of error What mist had veiled and invelloped that eie sight that sawe not the monstrous absurdities of this point But you say all Testimonies are for you divine humane c. Your Testimonies haue beene pervsed and in them there is nothing worthie to commande affection or beliefe God and his Church I am sure certitudine fidei be against you and this I am established in that Gods law is not wanting nor imperfect craveth not the assistance and support of CouÌ„sels God vseth not second editions with supplemeÌ„ts he hath set forth no other Deuteronomy In your conference with many I beleeue you traduce many for I knowe that some that you had personall though not doctrinal fauor from do for ever disclaime any honest thought of you Were any common measure of hatred fit for a revolter I shoulde haue hoped that you would forbeare your slanders against many but your heate and hate do both conspire to make them subiect to interpretation who are most opposite to your opinion I dare pronounce it that no one of iudgemeÌ„t learning sound Religion did giue you that answere that here you deliver I haue beene bolde to enquire of your questions with some of very worthy respect and they disclaime the countenance and mainetenance of your opinion you know you were so repressed from preaching this Doctrine that while a Reverende and learned Doctor of publike respect and place in the Church and private goverment in the Vniversity remained here you durst not deliuer this but in the time of his attendance and absence in Convocation busines then you began to settle your selfe vnsettle truth Traduce none nor gull the world as if any affirmed your doctrine to be true All the learned in the world can not make sense of that which you by your written coppy deliuered where your literall meaning is often so poore that it can reach no sense and your mysticall so transcendent that no sense can reach it Truth is seasonable at all times and only enimies of truth will at any time suppresse it Falsifie no mans speech This slaunder coÌ„meth from no good spirit The well rooted resolution of the Vicechancelour anchored him his grouÌ„ds had certainty if Scripture containe it hee had truth infallibility his iudgement was not privat his certainty did not fluctuate Iude. 11. 2. Pet. 2.17 S. Iude doth attribute this to Apostats and S. Peter describeth them to be clowdes without water carried about with a tempest to whom the blacknesse of darknesse is reserved for ever Mr LEECH To returne now vnto the conference of M. Vicechancellor with the aforesaid Doctour he received a cold satisfaction vnto his hot demaund For the Doctour wondering that any difficulty should be made in this matter answered presently without any demur there are Evangelicall Counsailes and no doubt can be made thereof And what was thinke you Doctour Kings reply vnto this graue and confident assertion Did he dispute against it no he could not Did hee gainsay it no he durst not Thus the renowned pulpit-Doctor that could domineere over his poore inferiour censure him depraue him vilifie him with intolerable reproaches such as he feared not to vtter but I am ashamed to mentioÌ„ stoode mute not daring to disclose his opinioÌ„ which he could not iustifie by any waight of reason ANSVVER To returne to your most vntrue relation As before so againe I answere that the Vicechancelour did not doubt of the doctrine he manifested no haesitation he sought no satisfactioÌ„ The discourse was at dinner where neither argument was vrged nor any suffrage of iudgement required the allowance of the distinction being graunted by this reverend Deane what followeth therevpon Dare you conclude therefore that your doctrine was true The other sister and famous Vniversity hath had much experience of his rare dexterity in cleering the obscure subtilties of the Schoole and easie explication of the most perplexe discourses And not only he but others haue graunted such a distinction for distinctions bee but intentions they are signarerum non res signatae Many graunt Counsells that doe as much hate your opinion as you hate our Religion And how different froÌ„ your Tenent this learned Doctor is doth appeare in the sequele of this Chapter But first to your interrogation or rather your imaginary supposition The Vicechancelour needed not to dispute it nor meant to gainesay it For howsoever properly there bee no Evangelicall Counsells so he doth and ever did maintaine yet he never denied such a distinction repreheÌ„ding the consequents positions you grounded therevpon rather then the name of Counsels In scorne you call him the renowned Pulpit Doctor a Title generally worthily bestowed vpon him for who ever saw him without reverence or hard him without wonder Yet you heape so many obloquies vpon him that I marvell your soule doth not
froÌ„ robbing the Church of a Sonne the King of a Subiect and your selfe of a soule Your misapplication of that speech of God to Abraham I might dilate much vpon as hauing variety of interpretations which doe vnderstand that place of the devill the world the flesh But I come neerer to your purpose hoping that those wordes that you say God spake to you were receiued by no revelation a frequeÌ„t imposture amoÌ„g Papists filling the mouthes of many swaying the faiths of some But what is the blemish you see in your mother â—oth our Church deny the principles of ancieÌ„t Christianity Doe wee not receiue the Scriptures the Creedes and Fathers of the first 500 yeares Do we not build our Religion vpon the foundation Iesus Christ the corner stone Is the rule of our doctrine any other then Gods sacred will revealed in his word Is any iniury sustained by you for truth It is not iniury but true iustice to punish those that be stubborne in action precipitat in resolution and faulty in opinion not able to maintaine their cause but with much wresting of conscience their revolt ever attended with sedition scandall and humane respect Mr LEECH But I will pretermit good Reader here to make a speciall enumeration of my Motiues drawing me vnto my finall resolution for they will ensue orderly in the thirde last part of this Treatise Only consider with me now with what conflict of flesh bloud I could intertaine this resolution to come out of my Land from my kindred and from my Fathers howse with what griefe I could forsake a noble Vniversity the company of my kindest friends the comfort of my dearest familiars other emoluments which such a place doth actually yeeld and prepareth vnto greater ANSVVERE Your Motiues shall be answered as briefly as vrged because they be to bee scanned at a higher barre Your conflict was not with flesh and blood but you did agree with the world and the Diuell and applyed your selfe to the service of that painted but ill-favoured witch the church of Rome Neither did you forsake our Vniversity friends and familiars before they forsooke you They at length heard hated who at first obserued your folly and pittyed Mr LEECH Howbeit my Brethren since there is banishmeÌ„t indeed where no place is left for truth I esteeme al these things as dongue that I may gaine Christ for he is my sufficient reward I did not conceiue that when I preached my doctrine among you I shoulde haue giuen you such an example thereof in mine owne person But thankes be vnto him who disposeth all things sweetly for the benefit of his children Finally my brethren I wish that you may enioy your country which is aboue without forsaking that which is below But if you cannot by reason of the time theÌ„ looke vp vnto your eternity let not your excellent spirits abase themselues vnto the loue of transitory things For behold I shew you a more excellent way 1. Cor. 12.13 ANSVVER If in the world there be any sanctuary for truth it is there where shee may appeare without controll without colors or disguises Which you woulde willingly acknowledge to be true if ignorance were not the mother of your devotion To forsake all for Christ is blessed but to forsake eveÌ„ Christ himselfe it is most cursed He is a sufficient reward to all that feare follow him and will follow theÌ„ that fly from him How pervious you were to fly from your Country after you had fled from the truth your intent before and your practises since haue manifested But farre be it that God should be reputed as the disposer of you to this vnnaturall and vnchristian disobedience to the Church and State O what bitter punishment must attend that presumption that endangers a double perishing and is so far from having expresse commaund that it hath direct and iust inhibitions Your wish that we may enioy our countrey that is aboue is a wish aboue your charity We wish your admission into the heavenly Hierusalem which is aboue and would from our harts pray for your triumphant state there Luke 16.25 but that as Abraham said to Diues Remember thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasure and Lazarus paines therfore he is comforted and thou art tormented so we are willing to awake you with this that seeing you make your selfe of the Church triumphaÌ„t in earth you coÌ„tinuing this course are like to haue small part in the triumphant glory in heaven And while wee for our partes and stations are here wee will affect no pilgrimage but from nature to grace so to glory hoping to accompany them that are in possession of the lawrell And to this iourney we haue no other hie way 1. Kings 8.36 1. Sam. 12.23 Ier. 6.16 Ioh. 14 6. but the good way which God teacheth and the right way which Samuell describeth and the old way which Ieremy informeth al which be not as yours be Crosse waies but doe terminat in the way even Christ Iesus THE THIRD PART CONTAIning 12. Motiues which perswaded me to embrace the Catholicke Religion Briefely and naturally deriued out of the premises * ⎠* S. AVGVST In Psal contra partem Donati Scitis Catholica quid sit quid sit praecisum à vite Si qui sint inter vos cauti veniant vivant de radice THE THIRD PART CONTAINETH 12. Articles against you whereby your 12. Motiues are disproved as having not affinity with the faith of the 12 Patriarks or spirit of the 12. Prophets or doctrine of the 12. Apostles or beliefe of the 12. Articles of our Creed shewing that as Art doth imitate Nature and an ape a man so as many grounds as good Christians rely vpon for their faith Apostats boast to alleadge for their fall Wherein as in the premises the particular Apostasie is confuted condemned with much facility and breuity * ⎠* S. AVGVST In eod Psal Contra Partem Donati Ipsam formam habet sarmentuÌ„ quod praecisum est de vite Sed quid illi prodest forma si non viuit de radice Venite fratres si vult is ut inseremini in radice Dolor est cum vos videmus praecisos ita iacere Aug. de vnitate Ecclesiae cap. 2. De hoc inter nos illos quaestio versatur vtrum apud nos an apud illos vera Ecclesia sit Mr LEECH To the conscionable and Ingenious Reader THOVGH the generall motiues vnto the Catholique Religion are many and waighty yet the particular which issued out of this present businesse where such as conuinced my vnderstanding and swayed my affection to approue and embrace the same Wherefore courteous Reader aswell to procure thy good as to iustifie my selfe and to satisfie others I haue coÌ„municated them vnto thy view For matter they are the same now as when I conceiued them in the beginning for manner they are brought forth in somewhat a different shape Thus much
owne fellowes as this the advantage is small to take vp a tearme of contumely from any hot-brained railer to cast vpon the name of this Angell of his Church Your Paradoxes did not passe vnnoted both because of the rudenesse of the delivery of them the vnaptnesse of the tearmes as also your ignorance that as you would not truely preach as a Protestant so you knewe not how neatly to play the Papist All of any note noted your absurdity and insufficiencie either to shew yourselfe a friend or an enemie You aske why this distinction was so hatefull I answere the distinction so vsed as the Fathers interpreted was not denied but the cōsequēces of it as you vrged it were harmefull therefore hatefull Not because so many of our Religion be married for howsoever marriage is a most honorable state how many hundreds in our Vniversity haue consecrated themselues to God in the Ministrie that abhorre your opinion and yet be not matched or married but the cause of the contempt and loathing of the Doctrine is that it was derogatory to the law of God to the Church of God to the sonn of God a doctrine that hath bewitched many and led them Captiues into the habitation of darknesse the Cell or Hell of blindnesse a doctrine whose roote is heresie whose trunk vncommanded privacie whose branches be infidelity against truth violating the law contemning the Precept whose leaues be pertinacity hypocrisie whose fruits be idlenesse drowsinesse filthinesse This is the cause of the suppressing and choaking of this and such continuing weeds of heresie that seek growth in our Church no other cause of pleasure or profit God and his Angells be witnesses They that haue sould themselves to worke wickednes with greedinesse looking for the reward of Balaams wages are ready to resist all truth and if it fall within compasse of their itching humor willing to get a name will be the Patrons of bewitching error And therefore here I fasten my right constant determination to avoid that religion that corrupteth the knowledge with blindnesse and the heart with hardnesse Mr LEECH The ninth Motiue The Protestants doe vnconscionably impugne the knowne and manifest truth SInce the controversies of Religion are many in number and intricate in nature it was my desire from the beginning of my paines in the study of sacred Theology to finde out the true Church that so I might referre my selfe vnto her decision and rest within her bosome For which cause I wholly employed my selfe in turning ouer the volums of the ancient Fathers and whatsoever I found clearely expressed by their vniforme testimony I accepted that according to Vincentius his rule as the iudgement of the Church Among other Doctrines which seeme Popish vnto the new Evangelists I receiued this particular from their instruction so clearly taught so conformably witnessed so iointly approued that if the grounds of Religion be not vncertaine then this Doctrine is absolutely free from all exception And for proofe hereof I remit me vnto the sētences of the Fathers wherewith I thought it meete to conclude this discourse Wherefore since they that glory in the Fathers wāt neither wit nor learning for this matter doe impugne this doctrine and punish her professours how can I think that they doe not fight against their conscience and reasō And how can I thinke that any truth will finde entertainement at their hands when this truth so potent so irrefragable is thus fondly reiected by my Calvinian iudges But whome haue they condemned me a brother somtimes of their gospell a graduat of their schooles a Minister of their Church No but in me and with mee reverend Antiquity the gray headed Fathers the venerable Doctors yea holy scripture it selfe is censured by my vnworthy iudges Wherefore as Ieremiah See Apolog. Iusti Calvin pag. 11. 12. the Patriarch of Constantinople wrote vnto the Lutherans so may I testifie and proclaime vnto these men The ancient divines who were the light of the Church you intreate at your owne pleasure honouring and extolling them in wordes but reiecting them in deed endeauoring to shake them out of our hands whose holy and divine testimonies we should vse against you We see that you will never submit your selues vnto the truth Finally as the Patriarch concludeth that hee will haue no entercourse with the Lutherans forasmuch as hee is taught by S. Paul to avoid an heretike after the first or second admonition so I being persecuted by men of this condition am bound to a void them knowing as S. Paul speaketh that such as they are condemned by their owne iudgements ANSVVER THE controversies in Religion are many hence great alterations haue beene moved in Europe great changes through the world Controversies were in abundance raised by the infection of the smoake of the bottomlesse pit divers armies of Hereticks vanquished by the Reverend fathers yet al these as if but half dead are againe revived by Antichrist only this is the difference the former Heretikes were cōfuted because they opposed the fathers these later wiser in their generatiō seeke to confute all other that oppose them by the Fathers Each man among them at first asketh the way to the Church no Church can serue them but Rome that is their parish Church all other but Chappels they obserue not the alteration of many Christian nations from the sea of Rome or the occasion of this revolt the declination of that sea from the sincerity of the faith and the vnspeakeable corruption thereof Which seperatiō was made vpō these two groūds first because Rome did persecute the professors of this reformatiō with al bloody massacres secōdly because that Antichristian sea would admit no reformation of her corruptiōs but grew vncurable according to that of the Prophet We would haue cured Babilon but shee would not be healed And such hath beene the growth of this Reformation the Lords most holy name for ever be praised that the Church hath recovered more health in one age then shee had lost in two and the Romane Synagogue left infected as that it hath not only drunke the cup of all others abominations but breedeth heresies in it selfe inwardly and hath received such poysons by ambition such corruptions by want of reformation and such indelible markes of Antichrist by continuall persecution outwardly as now it is made plaine to all the world shee is not the Church But the Question of the church you aske of the fathers It is a worthy speech of Iob aske the fathers and they shall tell thee but how vnhappy is hee that perverteth all he readeth or that stomacke that turneth all into poisō that it receiveth you say you bestowed your whole time in turning over the volumes of the Fathers you did turne them indeed frō their meaning it was no more cōmēdable thē the cōtinuall praying of the Eutichae or the cōtinual reading of the Pharisies the one without care senselesse the other without knowledge fruitlesse and both superstitions
of eradication to bee rooted out of their possessions whereas otherwise their daies might haue been long in the land which the Lord their God had given thē The most Reverend but now deceased much lamēted Prelat did not by chāge of place chāge his thoughts your intimation is base and false to make the worlde beleeue any other affection in his Grace towardes Religion then what God and man approved openly so by the sequel of your busines it is manifest Where in your second limb of that mōstrous accusation is against his Iustice his approbation of the Vniversitie censure was as much as another condemnation of you pretenses his grace needed not for maine reasons wanted not his experience of the truth knowledge wisedome iudgement and goverment of his vicegerent and the worlds experience of his Graces prudent and eminent carriage in all his high and honourable imployments do free them both from your imputations and returne you your smoaky evaporations a Phrase lent you from the sulphureous fume of the bottomlesse pit But you conclude that you are nothing and worse then nothing The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of your booke sheweth that you are somewhat more then nothing the only argumēt to serue your turne to proue the Pope to be God is because he can make something of Purgatory which is nothing I could turn this vpon you but I forbeare and only returne to your owne figure How pleaded you for Iustice With stubborne tumultuous quarellous disobediēce In what In a point derogatory to the Iustice and Law of God When Then when you oppressed truth reiected your faith disobeyed your Iudge beganne to forsake your Church Before whom In the open face of heaven in the presence of God men and Angels in the holie place the pulpit in the best place on the best day For what end the dishonor of God the disgrace of his law which you accused of insufficiencie and imperfection Thus you did delude and were deluded for this these Reverēd Doctors haue beene by you iniuriously traduced That I may truely say no Revolter ever did offer more scandall in generall to our Church or slander in particular to so many worthy members thereof Mr LEECH TO M. DOCTOR KING DEANE OF Christ-Church in Oxford and Vicechancellour of the Vniversitie H. L. wisheth health and salvation in Christ IESVS SIR though your will was your law to punish me without my offence yet it shall not bee your sanctuary to defend your selfe without more sufficient reason For as you convented me before a selected Calvinian assembly so now I convent you and them before all men in the assured confidence of my good cause and in the comfortable peace of my sincere heart And since you dealt with me as a Magistrate by the strength of your authority you must giue mee leaue now to deale with you as a Scholler by the validity of arguments Finally because I wish your future happinesse I cannot omit to acquaint you with your present miserie which I will lay forth before your eies in Syllogisticall manner and then I will referre you vnto the consultation of your owne heart Whatsoever doctrine is founded vpon Scripture according to the conformable opinion of the ancient Church that is a point of Catholike faith But the doctrine of Evangelicall Counsailes is founded vpon Scripture according to the conformable opiniō of the ancient Church Therefore the Doctrine of Evangelicall Counsailes is a point of Catholique faith The Maior is a maxime in all Christian schooles The Minor is proued by the ensuing testimonies of the Fathers whose vniforme verdict in this behalfe is the iudgement of the Church Whosoeuer doth obstinately impugne any point of Catholique faith he is an heretike But Doctour Kinge D. Aglionby D. Airay D. Hutton D. Benefield c. do obstinately impugne a point of Catholique faith Therefore D. Kinge D. Aglionby c. are heretikes De haeres ad Quod-vult D. in perorat The Maior is granted by all men of iudgement and is confirmed by S. Augustines rule The Minor is proued by their own proceedings against me in this particular Every heretike is bound to recant his heresie or else he is liable to the punishment decreed in the Canonicall law of the Church But D. King D. Aglionby c. are heretickes Therefore D. King D. Aglionby c. are bound to recant their heresie or else they are liable to the punishment decreed in the Canonicall law of the Church The Maior is cleare of it selfe The Minor is proued already And because it shall appeare yet more sensibly I pray you to consider that whosoeuer reiecteth the ioint consent of Fathers in a point of doctrine as D. King doth herein he is an hereticke and this I will breefly declare by foure evidences FIRST Epist 1. ad Leon. cap. 1. by the testimony of Flavianus Patriarch of Constantinople saying Haeretici est praecepta Patrum declinare instituta eorum despicere In Concil Chalced. SECONDLY by the testimony of Eudoxius admitted in a generall Councell qui non consentit sacrosanctorum Patrum expositionibus alienat se ab omni sacerdotali communione a Christi praesentia See Sozom. l. 7. c. 12. THIRDLY by the proceedings of the most Christian emperour Theodosius against the proud distracted Hetikes who would not submit themselues vnto the iudgements of the venerable Fathers See Vincent Lit. cap. 41. FOVRTHLY by the practise of the Ephesine Counsaile against Nestorius who was iudged an heretike not only in regard of the matter itselfe Veterum interpretum scripta perdiscere dedignatus est See Socrat. l. 7. c. 32. NOTA. wherein he erred damnably but in regard of the manner and tryall by the holy Fathers which his contemptuous spirit did vtterly decline Many also of those Fathers by whose testimony the cause was then handled against Nestorius are the very same whose verdicts I shall now produce against D. King and against his abettours whosoeuer ANSVVER TO Mr. HVMFREY LEECH LATE Minister now Revolter SIr it is Salomons counsel in the 4. verse of the 26. Chap. of Proverbs not to answer some sort of mē yet in the next verse he adviseth to answer such lest they TRIVPMH in their owne eies Vpō the instruction of the former verse this worthy Deane intends to contēne rather then answer and yet wisheth you lesse presūption greater knowledg lesse sophistry more honesty but vpō the directiō of the insuing vers I the weakest of many yet strōg enough for this cause haue vpon reasons of some importance vndertaken to confute your calumnies to cleere the truth to cōfirme the faithfull In Christian Policy you were to be answered and in common charity you are to bee counselled hereafter to care what you write whom you revile so to rule your pen and order your tongue that you be not iudged either in this worlde or in the future or in both for a prostituted cōsciēce if not a
hardned hart In that presumptuous speech that will was the law to punish you without an offence yet shall not be the sanctuary to defend that Reverende Governour that censured you you are much offensiue to truth It was your ignoraÌ„ce that betrayed you the offence coÌ„deÌ„ned you the law did ceÌ„sure you Now you are far of you veÌ„t your gall like vnto Gall his reproach against Abimelek when he supposed him far enough from him Who is Abimelek and who is Shechem that wee should serue him Your threats be blasts he needs no sanctuary that hath so many in the eares and hearts of the most honoured and best affected of this lande And though you presume to CoÌ„vent him yet at this time a farre meaner man shall discharge him You desire leaue to deale as a scholler it is wel you wil aske leaue that you neglect not all duty to your Master but I assure you it is generally beleeved that if any thing in your whole book be truely your own it appeareth in the validity of these argumeÌ„ts framed so sophistically as if you had only learn'd logike by that rude prescriptioÌ„ Discere si cupias Logicam discas Titlemannum Ille Sophistarum crimina pandere vult Mr Wright complaines that none of our Protestants answer breefly and punctually you shall not need to complaine so In two wordes I answere your three arguments Negatur minor For ever you affirme as a Principle the thinges to be proued which manner of argumentation 2. Prior. c. 16. 8. Topic. 13. 1. soph 5. 2. Soph. 12. Aristotle reckons for a fallacy in many places and tearmes it by this name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a begging to haue that graunted which in the beginning was the maine controversie So Archimedes would moue the whole earth if he could obtaine a seperat standing from the earth which might not be And this is the dealing of all your Champions first they take this as graunted that the Church of Rome is the Catholike Church and then conclude that wee are the Heretiques which is the especiall point to bee proued In your first syllogisme your presumption rather theÌ„ assumption is faulty But the doctrine of Evangelicall Counsailes is founded vpon Scripture according to the conformable opinion of the ancient Church Was there any hope that this might passe vncontroled being the maine controversie of all But it is proued saie you by the ensuing testimonies of the Fathers but it is disproued say I both by that which hath beene said in this Tract as also in particular answer to every Father by D. Benefield that except you be more then perversly obstinate you will vndertake no more such challenges The minor in both your other syllogâ—smes assume that D. King D. Aglion by c. obstinately oppugn a point of Catholique faith and are heretiques and therefore must recant c. And your poore proofes bee their proceedings against you in this particular Alas doe you boast of reading Fathers Schoolemen Children Schooleboyes would be asham'd of such arguments which I easily returne againe in this manner Whatsoeuer doctrin is not fouÌ„ded vpoÌ„ scripture c. aut the doctrin of EuaÌ„gelical CouÌ„sels is not fouÌ„ded c Therefore the doctrine of Evangelicall Counsells is not a point of Catholike faith The syllogisme is good in the first figure by the rules of Logicke though the Minor be negatiue because the Maior is convertible The Minor is proued before in the right interpreting of the testimonies of the Scriptures Fathers which you manifestly wrested and perverted Whosoever doth obstinately maintaine any point of doctrine contrary to Catholique faith is c. But Mr Leech doth obstinately maintaine a point of doctrine contrary to Catholike faith Therefore Mr Leech is an heretique The Maior is graunted by all men of iudgement and it is taught by the same rule of Austin The Minor is proued by his owne proceedings in this particular Every hereticke as in your owne words c. But Mr Leech is an heretike c. Therefore Mr Leech c. The Maior is cleere of it selfe The Minor is proued already and your foure evidences that follow are evidently turned vpon your selfe Thus Baals Priests launce themselues and Saul falleth on his owne sword And in full satisfaction that it may appeare to all men that we suppresse not the truch we reiected not the Fathers for though by the rule of Vincentius and the graunt of Bellarmin all learned Papists wee are only to receiue the vniforme consent of the Fathers yet in this you haue neither all nor the most nor any places pregnant for your doctrine as is manifest by the answere to them and the interpretation of the Fathers To your fourfold evidence In praef com lib. Mosis I might returne First the authority of Cardinall Caietan thus God hath not tied the exposition of the Scripture vnto the sense of the Fathers Andrad defens fidei Trid. lib. 2. Secondly the iudgemeÌ„t of Andradius that they spake not Oracles when they expounded the Scriptures that the oversights of the translation which they followed must needes cause theÌ„ to miste sometimes the right meaning of the holy Ghost Turrecrem In c. sancta Romana d. 15 nu 4. Possev Bibl. select l. 12. c. 23. Thirdly what Turrecremata hath deliuered herein thus At this day there be many things found in the Fathers deseruing no credit Fourthly what Possevine coÌ„cludeth somethings in the Fathers wherein vnwittingly they dissented from the Church are iudged and condemned I could vrge for your foure fortie of your own that doe disclaime the authoritie of Fathers your graÌ„d Iurie is answered so fully by D. Benefield that as no man can say more so I hope it will make you say much lesse I denied not these 4 authorities you here bring but I deny that they bee applied to the present for in all the course of your testimonies we denied no Fathers but interpreted all And now Mr LEECH let me tell you your vndeceiueable Iudge doth see you and wee both must receiue our censure at another barre Once one church held vs in an honourable function one Vniversitie in a loving Communion one Towne the flowrishing and happy and chiefe Towne of our Shire in a kinde participation of all good offices But you are departed Now you are gone you haue broken all these leagues nay more broken your covenant with God in the Ministry of his Church Shame the Devil forsake your stepmother satisfie the world saue your soule We shal wish you but not misse you weep for you but not want you VnderstaÌ„d not amisse good reader for nothing is so contrary to the will consent as error Had these offers beene proposed these propositions had never beene refused First hee only proposed out of a Popish peevish writer these extracted or rather extorted authorities and would never condiscend to answer the point as a scholler in disputation Secondly it was disproved by a publike lecture it was maintained against him by the Reverend Doctors his Iudges that neither Scriptures nor Orthodoxe fathers were for him Thirdly it was manifest that to preach Perfection in this life especially Angelicall integrity was at the least Pelagianisme heresie coÌ„demned by the Fathers and Ancient Church Fourthly that this doctrine being the grounde of workes of supererogation merit c. was plainely against the position of our Church as Doctor Benefield in private conference offered to proue The scandals therefore be full of iniquity which you impose on the Reader if hee beleeue your advertisement I wish you may finde more acceptance before God in the day of retribution then your words are like to finde with any True harted ChristiaÌ„s Seeing error conceived them humor produced them FINIS CHristian Reader this booke was long since promised my attendance was the cause of the stay but at length it is finished I had rather with Cato craue pardon for my fault in doing this then keepe my selfe cleere from committing this fault for I haue herein satisfied the importunity which imposed it on me and the necessity of the cause which drew me to it In the Triumph that is proued true which Tully spake of Athenagoras Of his offence hee spake nothing but complained of his punishment There was small cause of the Authors flying lesse of his reviling His reproachfull tearmes defiling and besmearing those many and worthy Divines I could haue returned in the same language hardly can any that shall answer him avoid it without calumny or so pay him his owne without note of infamy But in these labours nothing is to be more praied for then a sanctified spirit and therefore I haue as much as possibly I might avoided any thing that may seem contumelious or malitious It resteth that I find Christian and brotherly interpretation in this labor by those that shall pervse it My hast may betray the manner of my writing not the matter And it may be I shall find some such readers Hier Prooem in l. 2 coÌ„met in OseaÌ„ as S. Hierom did Alij saith he quasi parva contemnunt quicquid dixerimus contractare despiciunt alij magis aliorum silentium quà m nostrum studium probant quidam in eo se disertos arbitrantur doctos si alieno operi detrahant If such Readers meete with my booke I feare not If my book meet with such I care not The better sort I hope to find leaue attentiue and will pray for all meanes of their instruction in this world and salvation in the better world Errata Read Children p. 40. l. 16. metonymiam p. 113. l. 30. some acknowledge some denie p. 126. l. 10. Aetnam p. 131 l. 9. quo seniores eo saniores 193. l. 5. Ambigne p. 195. l. 15. quod 227. l. 4. editions p. 336. l. 19. Norris l 24.