direct and order thinges by This the Apostle after manie arguments to prooue that women should not be beareheaded in Churches applyed as a Fort most stronge and inuincible to beare downe the gain-sayers thereof If any man saith hee notwithstanding mine argumentes doe seeme to be contentious 1. Cor. 11. we haue no such custome as women to pray vncouered nor the Church of God And agreeablie vnto this Saint Augustine saith If the whole Church throughout the world doe vse any thing Epist 118. cap. 5. onely to call in question wheather that thing should be so done is a point of most proude or most straunge madnesse And for this cause against the Pelagians hee argueth ordinarilie out of the Churches custome proouing Children to be borne in sinne Epist 105. because the Church doth Baptize them for Remission of sinnes And because the Church vseth to Exorcise them and to blowe vpon them therefore the Diuell hath power ouer them and that by sinne And to this saith hee the Pelagians with all theyr crafte coulde not answere for they durst not say as the Protestants say wee care not for the Churches custome wee weigh not thereof De bono perseu ca. 23. Manie such like argumentes hath the same Saint Augustne else vvhere But in few vvordes the custome of the church was a thing so vndoubted as neuer any Heretike before this our age durst aduenture to stand against the same altogether But Heresies euer consisted only in some matter of erronious iudgement and false opinion but the teachers thereof neuer went about to chaunge the face of Religion as to take away the Sacrifice of the Church as the Protestants are bold to doe And surelie in this point the malepeartnesse and desperate boldnesse of the new Ghospellers is wonderfull who durst not onely attempt to chaunge diuers pointes of the Churches vse practise which in all ages of all men was accounted so heinous an offence to doe but also made no bones to take all quite away Customes Ceremonies Orders yea and the Holie Masse it selfe placing insteede thereof in some places Chapters and Psalmes ill translated into the Vulgar tongue in some other places Ballades made of Psalmes commonlie called Geneua Psalmes vvith rayling Sermons and in other places other stuffe as best pleased the humors of the deuisers thereof And to these new inuentions forsooth must the common people be compelled to come and to forsake renounce the Seruice and Sacrifice of the Catholike Church left by God Almightie and continued euer through out all Generations as it must doe manger all Protestants heades euen vnto the worlds end THE XIII REASON Doctrine THAT Church vvhose Doctrine tendeth to Mortification and Holinesse of life must needes be the true Church and consequentlie directed by Gods holie Spirit and contrariwise that Sect or Congregation which teacheth the contrarie is most vndoubtedly false and consequentlie guided by an euill spirit This is so manifest as it needeth no proofe for euery man knoweth that the Catholike Church is called Holy because it professeth or teacheth nothing but that which is Holie Now if a man consider duelie the Doctrine of the Romane Church he shall finde it to be of the former sort and easilie he may perceaue the Doctrine of this new religion to be of the latter But I vvill not heere speake of the fruites of CATHOLIKES and Protestants although indeede there be no comparison in life for that euery one seeth and easilie confesseth the Catholikes to liue most vprightlie Saint-like but I speake of that which their religion teacheth them to doe for of that especially our Lord meant vvhen he said Math. 7. You shall know them by theyr fruites First therefore to declare this pointe if you compare the clergie of the Romane Religion vvith these new Clergie men you may see the Orders and Institutions of the one sorte to mooue them to mortification to the contempt of earthly things and the institution of the other to prick them forward to all vanitie to carnall libertie for a Priest of the Catholike Church receaueth in a most solemne manner seauen Orders whereof three are called Holie because they are about Sacred and holie thinges as the Body Blood of our Sauiour holy vessels c And euery thing which the said priest must vse is holy and therefore there is required in him the greatest puritie possiblie to be had so as he must haue and thoughts free from all carnallitie and worldly thinges and for such like causes he is restrained from marriage although it be in it selfe honorable instituted by God himselfe but yet who so is yoaked therein must needes apply himselfe to worldly affaires and so is diuided as the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 7. And because he is restrained from marriage bound to liue Chaste or continent hee may not vse anye trimming or tricking vp of himselfe in amorous attyre nor vse any dalliance or fondnes with weomen but euer remembring that he is as a dead man in regarde of such thinges he must be far from such lightnesse but on the other side the Protestant Minister hauing receiued no Orders but a certaine kinde of Deaconshippe and Ministershippe of their owne inuention and hauing no Holy or Sacred thinges to deale withal but left to all liberty of winning rewinning which he cannot ordinarily doe without woing woe he cannot handsomely without hee something tricke trimme vp himselfe to allure please the eie of his sweet hart must needes goe trickly with faire starched ruffes fine mousaches trimme tuscalonians vse amorous glaunces yea that sometimes when they are reading their Chapters in the Church with a thowsand such-like fonde foolishe inconueniences which ensue thereupon Furthermore the Romane Religion teacheth Restitution of goods wrongfully taken and of all wronges whatsoeuer which brideleth and restraineth people from bribery extortion theft vsury symony from such like But the Protestants medling litle with such doctrine leaueth al at large to his folowers without restraint of any such crime The Catholike religion teacheth obseruatiō of vowes promises which must needes cause great trust fidelity in the professors therof the Protestant teacheth that they bind not in cōscience which openeth the doare to distrust and maketh the people that one wil not trust another but must haue him in bandes with suerties with all fastnes possible to be deuised The Catholike religiō teacheth abstinēce fasting which mortifieth our bodies enricheth our coūtry the Protestāt teacheth to eat flesh al kinds of meats euery day as often as the belly desireth which causeth plenty of lust in the carcase dearth scarcity in the cōmon-wealth The Catholike Religion forbiddeth Land-Lords to raise their rents except vrgēt occasion driue thē so to doe by which prohibition infinite nūbers of people be benefited holpe the Protestant teaching the Land-Lord to doe what he list with his owne ruyneth and vtterly beggereth
themselues slaues to ambition as they did in Scotland or by following Lust and Leacherie or of some such like brutish occasion and neuer indeede vpon anie good ground vsing their religion only as a serueturne when other meanes faile to atchieue theyr vnlawfull desires It is plaine therefore in my iudgement that the Catholiks are they who euer fished simplie and syncerely with Saint Peeters Net and therein haue enclosed myraculous multitudes of fishes and that the Protestantes by theyr extraordinary and late angling haue caught none but such as were in a better and more sound maner taken before And although Freculphus writeth In Chron. tom 2. li. 4 cap. 20. that the Arrian heretikes conuerted the whole nation of the Gothes from Paganysme to the Faith in the time of Valens the Emperour socrates lib. 4. cap. 27. sozom. l. 6 cap. 37. Theodoret lib 4. cap. vlt. yet it appeareth by Socrates Sozomenus and Theodoretus that the greatest part of those Gothes were Catholike Christians before and afterward seduced by the Arrians for Heretikes cannot possiblie conuert anie to such faith as may make the conuerted better then they were before for that they hauing indeede the Scripture in some sort yet haue not the true sense thereof vvhich properly is the sword of the spirit and the wordes are rather the scabard in which the sword is sheathed And therefore they fighting only with the scabard without the sword cannot wound the harts of Infidels And no meruaile though they peruert Catholikes for that men are prone to libertie and to loosenesse of life which by such doctrine is permitted So that they are indeed most aptly by S. Augustine likened vnto Partridges lib. 13. contra faust cap. 12. which gather together young ones which they begot not whereas contrariwise the Holy Church is a most fertle Doue which continuallie bringeth forth new Pigeons THE FIFT REASON largenes of Dominion through the multitude of Beleeuers THE Church vvhich the Messias was to plant must be as is aforesaid dispersed throughout al nations kingdomes as the Holy Prophets most plainely foreshewed and namely the Royall Prophet speaking of the Apostles and Preachers vvhich should Succeede them saieth Psal 18. Theyr sounde went foorth into all partes of the Earth and theyr wordes vnto the endes of the circle of the earth And most manifestlie doth he foretell the largenesse of Christian Religion in the 71. Psalme And S. Iohn saw the foure beasts Apoc. c. 5. the foure and twentie Elders fall downe before the Lambe singing thus Thou art worthie Lord to take the Booke and to open the seales therof for thou hast bin slaine hast redeemed vs to God in thy Blood Cap. 7. out of euery Tribe people Language Nation in another place After these things saith hee I saw a great companie which no man was able to nūber of all Nations Tribes and Peoples and Tongues These thinges with manie such like in Holy writ are no wise verefied in any Religion vnder Heauen but onely in the Romaine Catholike Church for that none but it as euerie man knoweth hath had any large scope to account vpon in any age And it hath beene for these thousand yeares at the least throughout both the Hemyspheres in such sort as the sunne stretcheth not his beames further then it doth and hath done yea there is no tongue nor people nor climate in the vvorlde which hath not heard of in some measure receaued the Catholike Romaine Religion Neither can the Protestantes say that the Church now beginneth to flourish and to dilate it selfe in the worlde after so many ages for that now it is growen olde and aged as is most plaine to say that she increased not in her younge yeares but now in her olde age is to make her a monster She must therefore of necessitie haue growen increased occupied if not all the world yet no doubt the greatest part thereof and so hath the Catholike Romaine Church and none but she done Colloss 1. for in the Apostles time shee began to fructifie in all the world And in S. Irenaeus his time Irenaeus l. 1. cap. 3. Tertul. li. contra Iudaeos ca. 4. Cyprian de vuit eccles Athanas lib. de humanit shee was spreade all ouer the vvorld then knowen as she was afterwards in Tertullian his time and in the dayes of S. Cyprian Athanasius Chrisostome Hierome Augustine Theodoretus Leo the great and Prosper vvho in his booke De Ingratis hath these wordes verbi Chrisost Hieron in Mat. 24. Aug. in Epist 78. 80. ad Hesychium Theod. lib de legibus Leo. Mag. ser 1. de S S. Petro Paulo Sedes Roma Petri quae pastoralis honoris Facta caput mundo quic quid nos possidit armis Religione tenet Which thus may be Englished Rome Peters seate whose Bishop is of Prelates Peereles Lord Religion Lady makes of all which armes do not afford But the Protestantes peraduenture will graunt that the true Church flourished in those dayes but not afterwardes vntill this age in which they haue reformed the same yet is it most manifest that it flourished afterwards euen vntill this our time no lesse then it did before if not more for in Saint Gregory his dayes it was spread all ouer the world as appeareth by his Epistles to the Bishoppes of the East of Afrike Spayne Fraunce England Sicilie And by Saint Bede in cap. 6. cantic In vita S. Bernardi lib. 2. ca. 7. as also by Saint Bernard who disputing before Rogerius King of Sicilie auouched that in those dayes the East all the West Fraunce Germanie England Spaniardes and manie barbarous nations obeyed the Bishop of Rome And in these dayes it is all ouer Italie all ouer Spayne and in Fraunce in most parts of Germanie in Poleland Boheme besides England Hungarie Greece Syria Aethiopia Aegypt in vvhich Landes are manie Catholikes and in the nevve world it flourisheth mightily in al the foure parts of the world Eastward in the Indies Westward in America Northward in Iaponia Southward in Brasilia and in the vttermost parts of Afrike And to name somewhat more in particular some Countries in which it is happely receaued of many if not vniuersally of all but yet in many lāds it is receaued of the greatest parte of the inhabitants in Goa in Malabar in Cochin in Bazain in Colā in Tana in Daman in Ciaul in Coran in Salsetta in Pescaria in Manar in Trauancor in Cogiro in Bugen in Cicungo in Cicugne in Oian in Gomotto in Gensura in Xichi in Ormuz in Ternate in Momoia in Ambonio in Macazar in Cerignano in Siligan in Butuan in Pimiliran in Camigu in Supa in Sian in Bacian in Solar in Malacca in Tidor in Selebi and in the Ilandes of S. Thomazo S. Domingo Madera and in all those innumerable Islandes vvhich the King of Spayne there possesseth So that the Catholike Romaine Religion hath had and
alleadgeth the Doctours most is most praysed of the audience as you vvell know which is a pittifull thing in thē and ridiculous in the Preacher vvho cannot but know if he haue read any of them himselfe that the Fathers detest vtterly that Doctrine which hee wresteth them to confirme and in the meane time the pore audience thinketh that they were of this new Religion vvhose simplicitie therein is most pittifullie abused by the Preacher THE XI REASON Triall of Trueth IT is manifest by the Holye Scriptures that it appertaineth to the Church to try to discerne spirits as also to determine to decide doubts And agreeably therunto shee hath in all ages mastered ouer-ruled captiuated the vnderstanding of euerye one were hee neuer so wise neuer so learned or had he neuer so extraordinary giftes except he obstinatly defended an errour which if he did hee was condemned for an heretike so came to nothing The Chatholike Church I saye directed by the Holye Ghost hath euer separated from the trueth all moales all singular opinions al errours and corruptions in euerie mans workes and writings in such sorte as that easilie and securelye euerie one maie knowe the trueth And certainelie the Protestantes although they saye that they giue no credite to the CHVRCH but so farre forth as they finde in their Scriptures doe can not otherwise but receaue the same Scriptures vppon the Catholike Romane Churches credit also the three Creedes of the Apostles of Athanasius and of Nice and some Articles of beleefe as the Holy Ghost to proceed from both the Father the Sonne yet as from one beginning and many tearmes as Person Trinitie Consubstantiall Sacraments c. which none coulde euer haue inuented but onely the Catholike Church Neyther is it possible for any man to know whether this Bible which is vsed amongest Christians be the true word of God indeede or some fained thing but onely vppon the Catholike Romane Churches credit And Saint Augustine confesseth plainely that he would not beleeue the Ghospell but that the authoritie of the Catholike Church moued him thereunto Con. Epist Manich. c. 5. lib. 2. de doct Chr. cap. 8. And by the same Churches authoritie hee was mooued to beleeue the bookes of Tobie Iudith Canticles Wisedome Ecclesiasticus Machabees c. as he himself sincerelie affirmeth And surely it is wōderfull to see how the Church of God receauing the Olde Testament from the Iewes and manifesting to the world the Canon of the Holy bookes of the new Testamēt hath in al times in so many alterations and chaunges kept from the destruction corruption of Heretikes Iewes and Panims the whole authenticall corps of Holy Scripture in such maner as no Heretike in the world can charge her with adding or diminishing the least iote thereof Iudge you here whether the madnes of these new fellowes be worthie to be wondred at or no who doe credit and beleeue the Church in this point and will not doe the same in others Why should they rather trust the Church in this thē in other things And I would euery man would here consider the wonderfull integritie of the Catholike Romane Church in keeping the Holy Bible so entire and vncorrupted these fifteene hundred yeares together at the least and the atheisticall treacherie of these of the the new Religion who occupying no Bible nor hauing to doe with the holy scriptures for a thousand yeares togeather as they themselues confesse haue after the vniust vvresting it out of the handes of the iust possessors thereof robbed the Church of so many whole bookes besides of so manie partes and particles of the same What these fellowes would bring the Holy Bible vnto in time if they shuld hold on they may easily gesse vvho know their manifold corruption therof in so few yeares And yet forsooth they vvill haue all controuersies to be tried by only scriptures which if they were not by them corrupted falselie translated yet could theye neuer finde out any secure truth by them only for that none of them alloweth anie other mans exposition but his owne and in so dealing they can but haue a gesse or an opinion or fantasie but no faith at all Which thing to declare more plainely I aske the Protestant how he relying vpon only scripture can shew mee certainely vvhich bookes be Scripture and which not And if hee be vnlearned how knoweth hee that the translation which hee vseth is truely made out of Hebrew Greeke Latine And then how is hee sure of the sence exposition And if he be neuer so learned haue neuer so many helps all that hee can search and finde out is but a priuate mans opinion and consequentlie his Faith which hee seemeth to haue is grounded vpon his owne particular iudgement and so indeed is no faith at all but an opinion onely as I said before for faith must haue Gods expresse authoritie for her foundation Here you may consider the miserable state and condition of your newe Ghospellers in that forsaking the Catholike and vniuersall faith of Christendome deliuered to thē by the vniuersal Church as founded vppon Scripture vvhich Church Christ and his Apostles gaue thē expresse Commission to beleeue which was properly Faith founded vpon a rocke which could not faile in that forsaking I say that fortres they cast themselues into the waues of new opinions whereby they haue no certaintie at all but euery one chuseth vvhat hee liketh to himselfe vvhich choise is properly called Heresie and so the word signifieth And let anie Protestant in our Countrie of England tell mee why he doth rather beleeue his owne iudgement in points of Religion then the iudgement of Luther Caluin and Beza whome he thinketh were so excellent men for euery one that hath any learning knoweth that they taught otherwise then now is taught in England This you may plainely see the only touchstone of truth to be the Catholike Church which cannot faile and that they who cleaue to her iudgement haue most vndoubtedly the truth whereas on the other side they who ground only vpon Scriptures expounding them according to their owne fantasie and braine playing the Maisters and Pilots and Boat-swaines themselues admitting no iudge no interpreter no antiquitie nor any other manner of tryall which is the greatest madnesse and malediction that can be must needes be destitute of all certaintie and of all Religion and of all stay and of all foundation and of all rule and of all order and must needes wrangle and iangle without end and without meanes to make an end and must needes cause Nouelties without number and libertie of life without feare or force of Ecclesiasticall Discipline to restraine them and to conclude they haue no meanes to rest vntill the end in Atheisme THE XII REASON The vse and custome of the Church THE vse custome and practise of the Church hath as it vvas in the prime thereof beene alvvaies an infallible rule to
done Satisfaction for his sinnes In artic Smalcal dic in artic 3. fal paenit papist that he is therby iust before God without Christ or faith which is a lye no lesse shamefull than the other For the Catholikes teache that no Iustice is had no sinne forgiuen no good thing obtained but by the Passion of our Sauiour Christ 6. They affirme that the Papists doe worship Saints in steed of Christ doe honour them as Gods which is a grose impudent lye as euery maÌ„ knoweth Hadd cont Osorium 7. They are not ashamed to write that Religion was not changed in England but by the coÌ„sent of the Bishops that the landes goods of Abbies Religious houses were distributed to Godly vses as to Schooles Vniuersities Hospitals And that the Pope for an ordinary tribute to him yeerely paide giueth free leaue vnder his great seale to Priestes to keepe concubines openly without controlement And the like lies they lay vpon the auncient Fathers as Melancthon said of S. Austen In Apol. tit de pec orig that he taught Originall sinne to be taken awaye in Baptisme not that it was not any more but that it was not imputed Whereas S. Austen spoke not there of Originall sin but of concpiscence So they say S. Bernard recaÌ„ted monachisme at his later ende Luth. tom 5. Ien. ger fol. 457. Teleman Heshus l. 1. de vera ec p. 60. that most of auncient writers Fathers retracted reuoked before they died the Doctrine which they had written or else that they thought otherwise than they wrote spoke By this meanes to defend their newe doctrine to shift off the auncient Fathers which are altogether plainly against it they are constrained to lay two notable lies vpoÌ„ the said fathers the one that they recalled their doctrine before their death the other that they wrote spoke one thing but thought another And no maruell though they slaunder wrong in this Atheistical manner the Holy Fathers when as some of them spare not the Apostles themselues If the three Apostles Peter Paul Barnabas Tom. 3. Ien. Ger. fol. 261. saith Luther had not held their tackle about Faith without works al the multitude had failed therin Iames stuÌ„bled in it But of this kind of stuffe I wil not here alleadge any more he who desireth to hear moe of their lies slauÌ„ders may find theÌ„ aboundantly set down by diuerse sundry authors at this day but yet take with you this saying of your M. Luther He who once lieth Tom. 1. Germ. fol. 423. saith he certainly is not of God is worthily suspected in all things And as for reuiling railing I thinke that Lucifer himselfe coulde little haue exceeded the Protestants therein especially their first Apostle the saide Martine Luther who with filthy beastly scuruy opprobrious speeches so be daubeth the Catholike church the magistrats therof as euery one may see what spirite possessed his heart the same out of all doubt which delighteth in filthinesse scurrility And to the end you may haue some aime what kinde of fellowe this Arche-apostle of your protestantisme was I wil here brieflie set downe a few words of his filthie mouth Hee calleth the Archbiship of Ments being a Prince Elector descended of the Princely Electorall familie of Brandeburge Tom 3. Germ. fol. 533. a. b. f. 326. 360. col mens f. 342. 343. a fraudulent a most shamefull lyar a shifting Bishop a filthie shitten Priest an hellish Cardinall a great a notable Epicure an impudent and euill worme a damned and lost man a craftie scoffer the greatest knaue that euer was except Nero Caligula c. Hee reuileth the Princes of the Empire Tom. 5. Germ. in glossa super edictuÌ„ imperat which did meete at the Diet at Angusta Anno. 1530. calling them traitours wicked men the diuels seruantes knaues madde hogges great and grosse asses Hee calleth the Princes of Germanie fooles Tom. 3. fol. 195. b. fol. 200 190. Tom. 2. scales and bubles of the Pope Gods Isbeers and hangemen Germane beasts the diuels puppies c. Hee braggeth that he esteemed the King of England and other Catholike Princes as miserable beggers dizzards and fooles vvhich make him pastime and as new nâ—ttes which he would haue to glorie and to sing in this manner Here wee nits doe sit vpon the head of the noblest beast in the earth in his haire wee are of a base lynage lice are our Parents those great Giants which killed euen Scilla the Romane Emperour Tom. 3. IeÌ„ Ger. f. 331. f. 334 a. and many others What haue wee to doe with Luther a begger it is true you are nits but yet you are not lice And in his infamous libell against the said King of England hee hath great store of oprobrious titles and names as Henrie by the inclemencie of God King of England King of lyes c. So dealt hee vvith that moste famous Prince George Duke of Saxonie Tom. 2. Ger. fol. 206. a. Tom. 6. f. 6. calling him a Tyrant freneticall mad possessed corporally of the diuell the diuels Apostle c. And in his infamous libell entituled Wider hans worst hee calleth Henry Duke of Brunswicke a grosse asse a stocke a tronke an impudent liar a mad man lunatike damned the theefe on the left hand asse of all asses in Wolfenbutell a pudding a sausage an house-firer who stuffeth him-selfe not by drinking wine but by deuouring and drinking Diuelles a fearefull fugitiue knaue a doting eunuch Prince of cut throats a broudy dogge by a thousand such like names But against the Catholike diuines yea and against his own of-spring the SacrameÌ„taries Iesu what terms vseth he where he hath so often that malepert interiection Trotz Swinglius setting forth the said Luther in his colours bringeth him in this maner reuiling In resp a. v. a. Sweâ—mer a knaue a diuell a theefe an hypocrite Trotz Botz Plotz Plitz tonitru po pu pa plump c. And when he had put the word Sola of his own braine into the text Rom. 3. beeing admonished by some of it he braied out said Tom. 5. Germ. fol. 141. fol. 144. Doctor Martine Luther will so affirmeth that a Papist and an asse are all one I wil haue it so I commaund it so againe Luther will so saith that he is a doctor aboue all the doctors in the Papacy Yea afterward it repented him that he had not corrupted the text of the Apostle worse in putting in more of his owne head and that he had not made the Apostle to say We suppose a man to be iustified by faith only without all works of al Lawes And many moe such like outrages I could here set down of his but I hope these maye suffice to make you to knowe what a milde and modest man this reformer of the christian worlde