to that that is outwardlye written For if so manye men of great learning and excellent vnderstanding haue found such great rocks in this rough sea which haue manye times ouerthrowen their ships howe daungerous then must it needes be vnto those that will take it in hande so doubtfull a nauigation hauing litle skill or none at all But as for you my masters of the contrarye syde you canne sayle with all tides and al winds geuing the gouernance of the ship or the guiding of the sterne without consideration to all kinde of people We haue at this daye in Fraunce I will not say in Englande many that haue the holy spirite Interpreters of the Scriptures And forsooth what are they Mary Pedlers Cobblers Tanners Bankrouts Runnegates and suche others which hauing no other liuing sue to my Lorde Bishop and he makes them ministers being not one of them but hath the holy spirite for assoone as they can saye the Lorde and rayle vpon the Pope the Bishops and al the learned men that haue bene in times past Oh these are great doctors no place of Scripture to them is harde all the auncient doctours were men and the generall Councels did erre I knowe that you doo mainteine your opinion with the saying of Christe alleaging it as other heretikes haue done the whiche is That the heauenly father hath hid these high and profound things from the great Clerkes and hath reuealed them vnto the meeke and humble This is true but it ought to be vnderstoode to the humble and meeke of spirite and not to those which trust so much to their owne wittes beinge puffed vp with arrogant ignoraunce that they thinke to knowe more in three dayes reading then the Doctours coulde in fyftie yeres studie faining themselues to be like the Apostles as if that god gouerned by their appetites did sende euery month the feast of Pentecost ¶ The .28 Chapter I Praye Syrs since you are so absolute aunswere me to this obiection Is it good to beleeue all maner of people that doo alleage the Scriptures or no If ye saye yea why doo not you beleue the abouenamed Valentinus Apollinaris Hebion Cherintus and Nestorius with diuers others that haue sought to mainteyne their errours with the newe and olde Testament If you saye no but that we ought rather to folowe the counsell of S. Iohn in his fyrste Epistle cap. 4. The which is not to beleue euery spirite but that we ought to proue whether it be of God or no What proufe will you shewe vs of yours Shewe the priuiledge that you haue by the which God doth enioyne vs to beleue your Gospell rather then the Gospell of the Pelagians Nouatians Nestorians and other suche false Apostles considering that they haue alleaged the Scriptures aswell as you If you saye that they were heretikes abusers of the people and rauishing wolues cloathed in lambes Skins and false Interpreters of the Scriptures all this is certaine But what though the like reporte goeth of you Ye saye that ye are sent from God to refourme the Churche They saye as muche They preached that the Pope was Antichriste shewinge themselues verye eloquent in detracting and rayling against the Catholike Romane Churche you doo the like At euery worde they did alleage the Scriptures in their Sermons to confyrme their doctrine as you do for yours That that they preached was called by them the Gospell and the pure worde of the Lord these are the very tearmes that you vse amonge your holye prophetes they haue beene condemned as heretikes by the generall Councels you are so likewise They did appeal vnto the pure word of God you doo the like Yet are they proued to be false cogging knaues and so shall you Then seing there is so great an vniformitie betweene you vppon what grounde shall we confyrme that reason that shoulde condemne theym as heretikes and allowe you for Catholikes S. Augustine in his Epistle .161 did put vnto a Donatist called Honoratus this probleme We desire thee not to think it much to aunswere vs to this what cause doest thou knowe or what thing hath there bene done that hath made Christ lose his inheritance spred ouer all the worlde to come to be contayned only in Affrick there only to remayne We put the like question to Caluin Beza Virett and the rest that it may please them to tell vs if that by chaunce they haue ben aduertised through what occasion our Sauiour Christ hath lost his inheritaunce that is to saye the Churche spread ouer all the worlde to remaine nowe in the latter dayes with a company of rude Swizers or in two or three corners besydes and not among the rest for there is a great number of good Catholikes what badge can ye shewe or what signe to make vs know that you are the successors of the Apostles of Christe If that the Scriptures that you alleage ought to be a sufficient proufe we are content to accepte it if you will be content to graunt the like vnto the abouenamed heretikes whiche haue fortifyed their campe with as manye places more then you doo alleage Nowe if that notwithstanding the Scriptures by them alleaged you doo condemne them as heretikes because that they did interprete them contrary to that that the Churche doth teache and to say truth you can imagine no other excuse to what purpose doo you take vpon you the names of Catholikes seeing that you commit the like offence The diuersities of those old heresyes grounded vppon the Scriptures yll interpreted doo teache vs that we shoulde not permit the noyse of youre reformed Gospell that soundeth so shrill to make vs reele from our auncient fayth and without going so farre to seek that that we haue so neere at hande Let vs talke of the present time howe many contrarye sectes doth there reigne howe many heades of heresyes Some are Lutherans some Anabaptists some Puritans some Protestants some Precisians and all these do fortifye their campes with Scriptures to fight one against another The Zuinglians and the Caluinists on the other syde doo write that all these doo erre and they proue it by Scripture The Anabaptists laughe at all the rest The Prophetes Celestes which is another secte doo no lesse grounding theym selues vppon their reuelations because that Dauid sayeth Heare what the Lorde doeth speake in me The Deists or Trinitaries which are come last of all crye out and saye that all they are heretikes and they proue it by the olde and newe Testament I praye nowe tell me which of al these shall I receaue seeing that they doo all alleage the holye Scriptures If we receaue some and not all those that are refused will saye that we offer them wronge for they haue their shoppes stored with as good stuffe of the Scriptures and as wel alleaged as all the rest If we receaue them all it will be a renewing of the olde confusion of Babilon through the neglecting of so manye Gospels If you
in authoritie per quem reges regnant by whom kinges doo reigne who had Peter if he loued him to féede his shéepe who hath also constitute vnder him féeders vpon the earth some spirituall some temporall O I say that they would diligently looke vpon these wordes A good shepherde geueth his life for the sheepe seriouslye ponder in their minde what a charge is hid in this short sentēce how many thinges princeps pastorum the prince of shepherdes as Peter calleth him doth require of them whom he hath made herdsmen vnder him whose duetie is to be good pastours and faythfull féeders like to their master O that they wold call to their mind that they must at length depart hēce come where it shal be said to euery one of thē Redde rationem villicationis tuae Geue accompt of thy bayliwike Come forth and shew how thou hast fed my flock that I cōmitted to thy handes Thou Bishop howe haste thou visited thy diocesse what Parsons what Vicares haste thou admitted Thou Archedeacon howe often haste thou visited séene euery curate to do his duty how hast thou redressed al enormities and slaunders within thy iurisdictiō Thou parson thou vicare thou curate how hast thou fed thy flock with good ensamples of charitie vertuous liuing with kéeping of hospitality to thy power by preching holsome doctrine in reuerently ministring my Sacramentes Thou king howe haste thou ruled thy Realme What lawes lawes haste thou made for the setting forth of my glorye for the extirpation of heresyes for maintenaunce of equitie for punishment of wronge for prouision that thinges may be solde at a competent price that couetous men make no dearth to their condemnation when I geue plentie Thou Lorde howe haste thou gouerned vnder thy prince Thou man of woorship howe haste thou indeuoured to haue quietnes kepte and the princes lawes to be obeyed Thou Iustice how haste thou ministred right indifferently to all persons Thou Maior or head officer in anye Citie or Towne howe haste thou kept thy selfe cléere from periurie howe haste thou séene good order obserued and al ydlenes dissolute maners to be banished Finally thou whatsoeuer officer or Magistrate thou be howe haste thou regarded the common wealth and preferred it afore thy priuate lucre or commoditie O that these thinges were considered for as sure as God liueth these accomptes will he call vpon straytly None shall escape Cui multum datur as S. Gregorie sayeth multum ab eo quaeretur He that hath muche geuen him shall make a great accompt thereof and muche shall be of him required And at that daye percase he shall recken him selfe moste fortunate and happie that had leaste in this worlde and least to doo And he peraduenture moste infortunate that hath moste to doo in this worlde vnlesse he order it well vnlesse he order it righteously iustly and ordinately Nowe good Reader thou haste hearde that Christe sayeth Bonus pastor animam suam dat pro ouibus suis And to put thée out of doubt who is this good shepherde he sayeth Ego sum pastor bonus cognosco oues meas cognoscunt me meae I am the good shepherde which will geue my lyfe for my shéepe by my death to purchase thē lyfe that as I will rise and dye no more so shall they after their bodily death arise at the last day neuer to dye any more but to liue alwayes with my father and me I knowe my shéepe not all onely that they be mine but I so knowe them for mine that I wil be their succour in their tribulations I will strengthen them in their persecutions I will receaue them into my ioye and glorie I knowe them and they knowe me This is then required of the shéepe that they knowe their shepherde Thrée properties must be in euery man or woman that shall haue this worthy name to be called a shéepe of Christe The firste propertie is that our Sauiour sayeth that his shéepe doo know him This knowledge haue Christes shéepe of him that by his godhead he is their father by his manhood he is their brother and by his benefites he is their louing lorde and master They knowe it is he and none other that hath made their peace with God his father Ipse enim est pax nostra for he is our peace Ad Ephesios secundo he hath gotten vs forgeuenes of our sinnes he hath deliuered vs out of the bondage of the deuill he hath purchased heauen for vs he is to vs Turris fortitudinis the Tower of our strength The seconde propertie of Christes shéepe is to heare their shepherdes voyce and to geue no eare to the voyce of any straunger You will aske me peraduenture how you shoulde heare him which although he be verily and bodily héere with vs in the Sacrament of the Aultare yet in his humane forme he is ascended vp into heauen and sitteth on the right hande of his father Wherevnto I aunswere that we must heare his voyce sounding by the mouth of his Churche which is the verye true spouse of Iesus Christe Quam sanctificauit mundans eam lauacro aquae in verbo vitae whom he hath sanctified and purified with the bath of water in the worde of life vt exhiberet ipse sibi gloriosam ecclesiam non habentem maculam aut rugam to make it a glorious Churche to himselfe without spot or wrinkle Ad Ephesios 5. If we heare the church we heare Christe for as the holy Bishop and Martyr Irenaeus writeth in the fortie Chapter of his thirde booke Vbi ecclesia ibi spiritus vbi spiritus dei illic ecclesia omnis gratia spiritus autem veritas where the Churche is there is the spirite of God and where the spirite of God is there is the Churche and all grace and the spirite is truth Wherefore as the same godly father writeth in the forty and thrée Chapiter of his fourth booke we be bounde to be obedient to the Prelates of the Churche his qui successionem habent ab Apostolis to them that haue their successiō from the Apostles Reliquos verò sayth he qui absistunt a principali successi quocunque loco colliguntur suspectos habere quasi haereticos oportet As for all other that go away from the principall succession we ought to suspect them as heretikes These are Ireneus wordes in the place nowe alleaged And Christ sayth him selfe Qui vos audit me audit He that heareth you heareth me Wherfore if we wil heare Christ as his father hath commaunded vs Ipsum audite Heare him Math. 17. then must we heare the Churche The Churche is our moste holy Mother whom we ought to haue in great reuerence and to commit our selues wholly vnto her to heare her and like obedient children to do what she biddeth vs What the Churche holdeth in matters of religion that must we holde what the Churche prescribeth it is our duetie to folowe what the Churche forbiddeth
doest thou O Apelles remoue my landes And a litle after he sayeth The place is mine I haue bene thus long time in possession and before thee I haue good title and euidence to mainteine my right of those to whom it did appertayne which lefte it me by inheritaunce from the Apostles etc. Our Churche of Fraunce which is one of the principall members of all the Catholike Churche might with good cause say vnto you the like And I praye what would you answere you cannot denye but that aboue a thousand yeres before ye were borne that the fayth in which ye were baptized and the which you haue falselye denied was planted I doo not saye in this onelye kingdome of Fraunce but ouer all Christendome If you pretende anye right to the contrary shewe the reason of your possession by the euidence of the auncient doctours and after come to demaund it as I haue saide before I meane that you should yeld the ecclesiasticall gouernment which you haue vsurped in manye places with to great libertie of conscience licence to doo euill which is the very death of the soule as Saint Augustine doth say epist. 166. And after that ye haue restored Fraunce to his olde estate then there wil be more apparaunce of the matter that ye are sent to preache the true worde of God then there is now But in this estate that ye are although that God had geuen you commission the which he neuer thought he would haue called it backe because of your noble actes Theodosius and Arcades whiche in old time were Emperours of Rome L. si quis in tantam cod vnde vi did establish or make an Edict that if the true owner or lorde of a thing should vse any force or to seeke by the waye of violence without staying for the sentence of the Iudge to get possession of his owne from another man yea although the other had no right to it he shoulde not onely lose the possession but likewise the propertie but if it were founde that he that did enter by force had no right to the Mannur he should not onely be depriued of it but moreouer he shoulde be condemned to geue as much more of his owne vnto him against whom he had vsed the force as the thinge was valued at that he sought to vsurpe If one shoulde call you my masters the newe refourmed Gospellers to such a reckening ye might well packe vp your pipes and transporte your fidelye into another countrey for you shoulde haue no other remedie but to runne awaye with the goodes and preache pouertie ¶ The .16 Chapter FOr your defence you alleage no other reason but youre good zeale and your ardent Apostolical affection the which hath moued you to sowe this seede of sedition You saye that the fielde is great and there are fewe good reapers but if you marke that that doth folowe afterwarde and to take the counsaile of the wise Christe doeth not commaunde therefore that euerye one shoulde take his sickle and goe and cut downe other mennes corne But he sayeth Praye the master of the worke to the ende that he sende more woorkemenne to his vine He doeth teache vs that if we see anye estate out of order we shoulde praye to God to redresse it And in the meane time we ought to correct and amend our own liues for if euery man were for him selfe God would be for vs all Yet notwithstanding this it is not reasonable that vnder the colour of a good zeale a seruant shoulde take in hand an acte of so great importance without expresse commaundement of his master as it is saide But now that we are come to talke of your good zeale if it please you let vs knowe if those ardent flames of charitie haue so inflamed you that you haue ouerthrowen the Chaires of the negligent Pastors and Bishops and in their roomes ye haue collocated your ministers in euery place where ye could beare any swaye as it doeth appere in many townes and Cities in this Realme I doo not doubt but that you will doo the best that ye can to doo the like with the rest I mean aswell Temporall as Spiritual For euē as God of whom ye speake so often doeth make no exception of persons euen so you that call your selues his Lieuetenants wil make no difference betwene the euyl estates the good Euery one doth know that the administration of iustice is very honourable before God and that there be many in this vocation that would not for any thing do any wrong vnto the widowe fatherlesse childe and yet we see and knowe by experience that ther are many others that without any conscience doe take brybes and offer wrong both to the fatherles and to the widowe the whiche crimes are no lesse in that estate then the careles liuing of the Bishops and Pastors So that I thinke by this that he that hath geuen you charge and power to turne the Byshops out of their seates the Curates out of their benefices and the Monkes Abbots out of their Abbeys because of their euil liuings would likewise extende your commission to put downe Lordes Knightes Iudges and Gentlemen because of the corrupt liues of many of them And to make an ende of the reformation your holy Ghoste and those zealous flames of the spirite woulde moue you to goe a litle higher for there is nothing done but the spirite may amend it Against the great trees striue the great windes and against great dignities great abuses It is not vnknowen to all mē that ther are good and godly Catholike princes and kinges whiche are surely to the people the great giftes of God but likewise one cannot denye but that there hath beene and are diuers ill princes that do gouerne their people carelesly and without Iustice And if by chaunce your Gospell shuld fal into some kingdom wher the prince were not so sage nor so wise as you would haue him in your conscience what wold you do to him I think that that very zeal if you could that hath moued you vnder the coulor of a refor Gospell to trouble so muche our state woulde likewise commaunde you to dispossesse those kinges that do abuse their owne kingdoms euen aswel as to depriue those Bishoppes that doo abuse their bishoprickes But O Lorde what a Gospell is this if it be permitted that the people shall call their princes to accompt or that they may correct their superiours vnder the color of a reformed gospel what seditions troubles warres shal we see ouer al Christendome we shal see fulfilled to our great harme the prophecie of Esay who saieth The people shall seeke to rayse one against another and euerye one against his neibour the yong man shal disdain the old and the ignoble the noble etc. But what coulor soeuer ye cloke your new gospel withal ye run far wide frō him that doth cōmaund vs to obeye all creatures for the loue of God.
shew the cause it is to the ende that my name be knowen ouer al the earth that is to say that men shoulde know that he is god If we come to the Apostles we shall fynde likewise that their doctrine was not new for when they began to preache vnto the Gentiles Idolaters they did not at the first preach Iesus Christ but thei did seeke to blot out of the mindes of the simple people the foolishe opinion that they had in the multitude of gods to teach thē that there was but one god who had created the heauen earth who sendeth rayne in time of neede and all thinges els that are required for the sustenance of in This is the doctrin that S. Paule did preach as we reade in the Actes This doctrine was not newe amonge men although it were so that they were Paynims for not onely in Moyses lawe nor in the law of Grace but euen by the lawe of Nature God hath bene knowen euen of those which were not of the familie of Abraham Isaac and Iacob vnto whō the promise of the Incarnation of Christe was made Of this doth Abimilech the king of Gerar bear witnes who did excuse himselfe before god for the wife of Abraham he could neuer haue knowen howe to talke thus with God if he had not knowē him Besydes this he made Abraham to sweare by the inuocation of the saide God that neither he nor his heires shoulde suffer any damage by his posteritie Bathuell did likewise knowe God when he confessed that he was the authour of the mariage of his daughter with Abrahams son euen so Abimilech the king of the Palestines and Phicol Ochosath sayde vnto Isaac We heare that God is with thee and therefore we are come to make alliance together Adonibezeth although he were a Gentile did not he confesse one God when he sayde that he had geuē him the selfe same punishment that he had geuē the 70. kinges Iob al his frends althogh they were Gentiles haue auouched one God to be the Creator of heauen and earth euen aswell as the Israelites as it doeth appere by the discourse of the saide Iob. If we reade the histories of the Paynims we shal find that they bear witnes of one God among themselues Diogenes Laertius in the liues of the Philosophers doth write that the Emperoure Adrian did demaunde of a philosopher called Secundus what God was He aunswered God is an immortall spirite incomprehensible conteyning all the worlde a light and a soueraine goodnes True it is that this Secundus was bolder to speake of God then another Philosopher called Simenides of whō Tullie doth write in his fyrst booke De natura deorum vnto whom when the tyrāt Hyero did demaūd of him what God was and that he had geuē him diuers dayes of respit to answer him at the last he saide that he did acknowledge in him an infinite of all thinges Cicero himself in the fyrst question of his Tusculanes doth gouerne geue the being to all things And in diuers places of that worke he doth wel expresse that he knew well that there was one God that the gods that the Gentiles did worship wer but mortal mē And in the saide booke he saieth that we know God by his workes in the which he doth not much differ frō Dauid saying That the heuens declare the glory of God and the firmament doth anoūce his works And in the 40. chapter of Esay whē god did talke with the Gentiles he did cal his works to bere witnes of his greatnes Lift vp your eyes saith he and beholde who hath made this And the Sage doth say that men through their vaniti haue not knowē God by his works And S. Paul doth absolutely cōdemne thē saying the thei can procure no excuse of ignorance for the inuisible things such as is the diuinitie of God may be knowe by the visible thinges And therfore they are vnexcusable hauing hidden the truth of God to vniustice for after that they haue knowen him they haue not geuen him that thankes and honour that they should haue done but they haue beene deceaued through their owne subtilitie making a profession of knowledge they haue beene founde foolishe and ignoraunt S. Augustine 8. lib. de Ciu. dei ca. 24. doeth reckē Mercurius called Hermes Trimegistus among these forasmuche as he did continue in his owne erroure although he knewe by that that one may see in his owne writinges that his auncetours did erre greatly in the making and worshipping of so many Gods. ¶ The .20 Chapter LActantius Firmianus in his booke of his diuine Institutions Cap. 5. writing against the Gentiles doeth proue that there is but one God and he doeth alleage as witnesses all the olde learned Philosophers suche as Thales Milesius Pithagoras Anaxagoras Cleanthus Anaximeus Crysippus Heno Plato Aristotel Seneca others Octauius likewise a christian Orator disputing against Caecilius as then a Gentile doeth alleage likewise to confounde these olde Philosophers and he doeth adde more Xenophon Spensippus Demaritus Strato Theophrastus and many more S. Paule likewise preaching to the Athenians doth protest that he doth teach them no newe thing but rather him whom they did worship and did not knowe By the which it is plainelye to be seene that the Apostles did not announce vnto the people any newe lawe for it was verye olde and notwithstanding they did confirme it with miracles And if you saye that although those learned Philosophers had a knowledge of God as it doeth appere by their workes yet there is founde in them no mention of Iesus Christe and therfore that it was necessary to approue that doctrine with signes and miracles But contrarywise that you in your newe refourmed Gospell doo preache the olde Apostolicall lawe I doo aunswere you to this that the .9 Sybilles did speake of his comming and byrth euen as playnly as any of the Prophetes and amongst other Sybilla Erithrea did as fully prophesie of the comming of our Sauiour to iudge the quicke and the dead as any other prophet as S. Augustine doth testifie Li. 1. de ciui dei cap. 23. Likewise of his death and passion and of the myracles he should doo before his death The Oracles of the false goddes haue likewise declared vnto the Gentiles the comming of Christe as Lactantius Firmianus doth write lib. 4. cap. 15. in his booke of the deuine institutions Nicephorus in like maner dothe write howe Augustus Caesar sacrifising to the God Apollo Pythius in his temple coulde get no other but a very breefe aunswere then Caesar dyd demaund why he coulde not make him then as fullye aunswere as he did at other tymes Apollo was constrayned to saye the trueth the whyche was that a young Hebrewe childe borne of late did commaunded him to retire him selfe into his hell vnto whom he was forced to yeelde obediently forasmuche as he was god and gouernour of the
woulde be mercifull to them because their error proceeded of ignoraunce and so that he will haue pitie of vs because of ours But I knowe that you will say that we are nowe vnexcusable because that wee do refuse the truth that you do preach By the selfe same reason our auncesters can alleage before God no good excuse forasmuch as they do make no accompt of the receauing of such ministers as you are and that haue preched the like Gospell that you doo announce vnto vs S. Hierome and al the Christians of his time are then condemned because they woulde not receaue the Gospell of Vigilantius who did euen as you doo preache that we shoulde not allowe the exposition of the doctours nor honour the relicques of Martyrs S. Augustine is likewise condemned because he wrote preached against the Arrians who taught as you do that it is an offence to pray for the dead And to be briefe if that which you doo preach ought to be called the Gospel and true word of God since the Apostles time ther hath bene neuer a Christian Doctour in the Church for they haue all taught the contrarye to your forged Gospell as euery man may see that will take the payne but to looke in their workes or to reade those places that are quoted by me and diuers others that haue confuted your heresies manye a hundred yeere agone by their authorities Let them then that haue any eyes beholde the hazarde that ye runne into and so manye others throughout the worlde which folowe your opinion If one shoulde come to accuse another of falsehoode and that before he be assured of this matter wherewith he did seeke to attaynt the defendaunt woulde not one thinke his matter verye great or his knowledge very small to run headlong into the daunger of that crime which if he could not proue he shoulde be condemned for himselfe What then shall become of you O most simple sheepe which seeke with fayned arguments to condemne not one or two but all the Christians and Catholikes that haue bene in this worlde since the Passion of Christ the which haue refused and reproued your doctrine as hereticall haue taught vs this that wee holde at this day But now to aunswer vnto that that was mentioned a litle before and that which a number of your flocke haue told me when I haue cōferred with them which is that the errour of our predecessours was not imputed vnto thē forasmuch as these good simple people went to worke after the grossest sort thinking to doo well and that as then they did not vnderstande well the truth which is nowe brought to light through your Gospell I saye that in this ye are deceaued more then halfe the value of your religion for before some of them dyed they had forgotten more then euer you haue learned for all that that you know you haue learned it of their bookes or stollen it to say the truth interpreting both their workes and the Scriptures contrary to the truth of their meaning And although it were so that they had al erred your colored excuse of simplicitie could auaile them nothing for the worde of God would accuse them If the Gospell saith S. Paule had bene hidden it hath bene hidden to those that haue perished the spirites of the which the God of this world hath blinded then if that those vnto whom the truth hath beene hiddē haue perished wherfore doth your excuse serue them This being true as it is moste like I meane that they haue not erred nor that you onely shal be saued and they all condemned To my iudgement our auncesters with all their simplicitie did neuer erre so muche as your disciples doo to folowe such masters as condemne that faith that the catholike church hath taught mainteyned these 1500 yeres to mainteyn those heresies that haue bene buried in hel many an hundred yere agone and nowe are called vp againe by Martin Luther Caluin and his felowes ¶ The .40 Chapter YF that by a good and a right title your disciples call them selues the children of god this makes me beleue that the saying of our Sauiour is fulfilled in them the which is The childrē of this world are wiser in their generation then the children of light To proue this true we see this daily experience for a wise worldly man when he doth put out his money to gayne he will not trust the promise so soone of one or two or three as he will doo the bondes of a whole Towne or Citie that should warrant or assure his gayne But you nor your disciples haue not done thus but rather the contrarye It had bene better for you to haue fyrste put youre fayth and truste in God beleeuing that he hath geuen his holye spirite and declared the meaning as touching the Scriptures vnto the Catholike Churche and not to hazarde the hope of your saluation putting it into the handes of Luther Zuinglius Oecolampadius and three or fowre other such pelting merchantes which haue newly set vp shoppes at Wittemberge Geneua and Losane which one of these dayes we shall see bankruptes as their predecessours haue bene before them the which after that they had deceaued the poore simple Catholikes and gayned some of their soules for the deuill they haue at the laste solde all theyr their honestie and credite so that at this daye except that it be those that reade the auncient historyes no bodye els doth remember that euer they liued in the world You are come now last of al to make vp their merchaundise but your credite can hardlye be good before God for you shall haue against you all the auncient Catholike Churche which hath continued visible since the comming of Christe vnto this daye all the doctours of all the vniuersities all the Empires Kingdomes and priuate state throughout all the worlde which haue receaued honoured this doctrine that you call Papistical And if you saye that you will not trust men but the very word of the Lord we agree to the like that we ought all to beleue the Scripture but we vary about the interpretation for you interprete it after one sort and we after another you expounde it after a new sort and the Catholike Churche doth folowe the olde exposition of the auncient Doctours and traditions which you haue forsaken or to saye the truth your Ministers haue led the sheepe astraye from the olde flocke at the departing from the which they haue bene all scatered abroade some folowing Luther some Caluine some the Anabaptists and so forth for the which the Popes and kinges and others that haue had the gouernment of the Churche shal answere at the last day of iudgement for as much as while they slept you haue come and sowed weedes among the good corne Then seeing you are the sheepe that rome astray what excuse can they make before God that wilfully folowe your steppes We confesse that we are the poore sheepe of God
them Let the learned protestant bring foorth and shewe suche a Communion booke or anye leafe lyne or worde of any suche doctrine or any churche or congregation that euer had any authenticall seruice or ministration of the Sacraments other then that which is yet daylye openly practised in the cōmon knowen catholike churche of Christe And I shall then recant and not before Twelfth I demaunde of the learned protestant to knowe cause reason why their congregations do admit and receaue all Bishops priests deacons and other officers spirituall ordered by our catholike Churche as men lawfull and sufficient to preache the worde of God to minister the sacramentes and to exercise al spiritual Iurisdiction in no lesse wise but rather more then if they had bene ordered in their owne priuate congregations whereas the catholike churche of Christ doth not acknowledge any man of their ordering calling to be any whit the more fit for any spirituall function in Christ his church then other cōmon lay men When therfore the learned Protestant shal be able to shewe good cause and reason whye our Catholike Churche hauing by their owne consent and approuing lawfull priestes Bishops and spiritual ministers not to be also the lawful true and catholike churche of Christe I will then recant and not before Thirtene I require of the learned protestant to expresse what furniture furtherance or commoditie to the honor and seruice of God did christianitie or any part of Christendome receaue by his Churche or congregations what temple or churche did you build at any time for your assemblies and seruice of god what Bishopriks for the better gouernment of the church did you founde or procure what vniuersities schooles or colleges did you at any time erect for the maintenaunce of christian doctrine fayth and religion When the learned Protestant shal be able to proue by ecclesiasticall histories and olde auncient writers these thinges to be the monumentes of their conuenticles and priuate congregations of their fayth and religion and not of the common knowen fayth religion and catholike Churche of Christe Then I shal in like maner yeelde and recant and not before Fourthtene Let the learned Protestant name anye one felowship or companye of beleeuers in the whole christian worlde that in all Articles of faith and religion be in one vnitie in one meaning and beliefe and contented also to captiue submit their seuerall meaninges to the iudgementes of their prelates and spirituall gouernours and of one chiefe head and pastor among them in all ecclesiasticall thinges and causes Let I saye the learned protestant name any one company thus agreing among them selues and thus humblye affected in Christian fayth and religion sauing onely the holye and blessed felowship of the common knowen catholike churche of Christe And I will then recant and not before Fyftene Againe I doo demaunde of the learned protestant whether the Lutherans Zuinglians Illirians Caluinists Confessionists Swenkfeldians Anabaptists and suche like be al of one church and congregation or no And if he be able to proue these sectes being of such diuersitie in fayth and religion to make one church and that euery one of them may geue saluation to their felowes being so disagreable one with another in high misteryes and poyntes of fayth and religion or that I ought to beleeue all those rather then the one true catholike churche of Christe or yet anye of these more one then another all of them making such a bolde chalenge of the truth of Gods worde and Gospell When the learned protestant shall be able by good reason or drifte of argument to satisfye these my requestes Then I shall yeelde and recant and not before Sixtene when the protestant shall be able to proue that those persons which in their departure made from the catholike churche of Christe haue more desyre to beare the name of Sectaryes as of Lutherans Suinglians Illyrians Caluinists Swenkfeldians and Anabaptistes then the name of Christians or Catholikes are the true members of Christe his Churche and not heretikes and schismatikes nor yet folowers therein of their forefathers the Arrians whiche toke their names of Arrius the Maniches of Manes the Nestorians of Nestorius the Nouatians the Vigilians the Iouinians Pelagians Eutichians and others Then I shall yeeld recant and not before Seuenthtene I demaunde of the learned protestant whether if the whole space of that thousand yeres of blindnes wherein their Churche laye hid and vnknowen suppressed by papistrie superstition and Idolatrye as they terme it whether they whiche were then baptized and openly professed Christ wer saued or not If the Protestant doo aunswere yea consequently it foloweth that they were saued without the Church of Christe liuing in all ignorance superstition Idolatry as they say If he aunswer no and that there was no saluation out of their hid vnknowen Church then all men of all degrees yong and olde for the whole space of the foresayde thousand yeeres by the Protestants iudgement perished without all hope of Gods mercye and were damned When therefore the learned Protestant shall be able to proue by good reason and argument eyther that ther is a way to saluation without the Churche of Christe or that all people professing Christe perished for so many hundreth yeeres together Then I will recant and not before Eightene Let the learned Protestant make prouf vnto me how their hid vnknowen and secrete churche not hauing in it the doctrine of Christ his Gospell openlye taught no ministration of Sacramentes no spirite of prophecying no discipline of rod or correction no ordering of Bisshops priestes and ecclesiasticall ministers nor yet anye other spirituall function executed in the same for the space of one thousand yeres together Let him proue their hid vnknowen Churche with the lacke of all these thinges to be the true spouse and Catholike church of Christe And I will recant and not before Ninthtene Againe on the other side let the learned protestant proue that it is not the true Churche of Christe that hath in the face of the world for the space of fiftene hundred yeres past exercised preaching the cōuersion of nations to the obedience of the Gospell that hath alwayes had the administration of Sacraments the hearing of matters in controuersie the orderlye succession of Bishops the vniformitie of solemne Ceremonies and the vnitie of fayth that hath in her selfe all holye functions of the spirite as working of miracles remission of synnes the true sense and interpretation of Gods word that is beautifyed with diuersitie of states commended by Christe as with martyrs with confessors holye virgins such other Let the protestant proue vnto me that this is not the true churche and that we are not bound to obey beleue this church none other in all controuersies doubtes vprising eyther by the difficultie of scripture or by vain contention pride of heretikes and I wil yeld recant not before Twentie Moreouer let the