vttered many things in your leters concerning Peters chaire saying that he yet sitteth in it in his successours I truely doe acknowledge my selfe to be vnworthy not onely to be in the number of those that sit as rulers but of them that stand to bee ruled But I therefore willingly accept whatsoeuer you say because he hath spoken to me of Peters chaire that sitteth in Peters chaire and although it no way pleaseth or delighteth me to be specially honoured yet I greatly reioyced because what you attributed to me you gaue to your selues For who knoweth not that the holy Church is firmely established in the soundnesse of the Prince of the Apostles whose firmenesse his name doth shew for he is named Peter of Petra a Rocke to whom the voyce of Verity saith I will giue to thee the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen and thou being converted confirme thy brethren and againe Simon Ioanna Louest thou mee feede my sheepe Wherefore though there were many Apostles yet in respect of the chiefty he had the chaire of Peter chiefe of the Apostles grew to be in greater authority then the rest which is the chaire of one Apostle in three places For he exalted the See in which he was pleased to rest and to end this present life he beautified that See wherein he left the Evangelist his Disciple and he firmely established that See in which he sate seuen yeares though with purpose in the end to leaue it and to depart from it Whereas therefore there is the See of one and that but one wherein three Bishops by Gods appointment doe sit to rule whatsoeuer good I heare of you I account it mine owne and what you perswade your selues of mee thinke that you also are worthy of the same If this Epistle proue that the Pope cannot erre it proueth likewise that the Bishoppes of Alexandria and Antioche are free from errour For all these succeede that great Apostle Saint Peter to whom Christ saide To thee will I giue the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen and thou being turned confirme thy brethren And againe Louest thou me feede my sheepe as well as the Pope All these sit in Peters chaire Peters chaire is in Alexandria and at Antioche as well as at Rome and whatsoeuer they that are Bishops of Alexandria and Antioche attribute to the Bishop of Rome they may lawfully assume to themselues seeing they are worthy of the same as Gregory in this place telleth vs. Wherefore seeing not onely Fathers and Councels but euen Popes also in whose defence he writeth faile him the Cardinall flieth for helpe to the Priests of Aarons order and goeth about to proue that the Pope cannot erre because the high Priest had in his brest-plate Vrim and Thummim light and perfection or doctrine and trueth as hee will haue the Hebrew word translated importing as hee supposeth that he could not erre in the vnderstanding of the Law of God Whereupon as he thinketh God commaunded all those that any way doubted of the meaning of his Law to goe vp to the high Priest and to seeke to bee satisfied by him saying They shall iudge true iudgment vnto thee Lyra in his Annotations vpon this place reporteth that there was a certaine Glosse of the Hebrewes that if the High Priest should tell them that their right hand were their left or their left their right they were to hold it good and right The like opinion it seemeth the Romanists haue of the Pope But Lyra in that place condemneth the folly of those Iewes that so thought because the sentence of no man of what authoritie soeuer hee bee is to bee admitted if it containe a manifest vntruth and errour which hee saith is euident out of the very text it selfe in that it is said They shall iudge vnto thee true iudgement and thou shalt doe whatsoeuer they shall say vnto thee that are ouer the place that the Lord hath chosen and whatsoeuer they shall teach thee according to his lawes Whereby it appeareth that if they speake that which is vntrue or manifestly depart from the law they are not to be heard The Author of the ordinary Glosse agreeth with Lyra saying Note that the Lord requireth thee to doe whatsoeuer the Priests doe teach thee according to the Law because otherwise thou art not to obey them vnlesse they teach thee according to the Law Whereupon Christ saith the Scribes and Pharisees sit vpon Moses chaire who yet as the Author of the Interlineall Glosse noteth are not generally without exception to be hearkned vnto but then onely when they vtter and deliuer pertinentia ad Cathedram that is such things as beseeme him to vtter that sitteth in Moses chaire So that to conclude this point neither the Vrim and Thummim in Aarons breast-plate nor the Mandate of Almighty God to goe vp to the sonnes of Aaron to secke iudgement iustice proue that they could not erre and therefore the Pope is still in as bad case as euer he was Wherefore finding no helpe in the Tribe of Leui nor in the house of Aaron they betake themselues to experience and are in good hope to proue out of the experience of former times that the Pope cannot erre First because as they say whatsoever the Pope condemned at any time as hereticall was euer holden to bee so by the whole Church and many heresies were neuer condemned any otherwise but by his iudgement onely Secondly because neuer any Pope was an Heretique whereas all other principall Sees and Churches haue had Bishoppes not onely erring but teaching and professing heresie The instances that Bellarmine giueth of heresies and heretiques condemned by the Pope and reiected for such by the Church onely because hee condemned them are the Pelagians Priscillianists Iouinian and Vigilantius and their heresies It is hard I see for a Blackamoore to change his skinne for a Leopard to put away his spots or for a man that hath long acquainted himselfe with false and vnfaithfull dealing to learne to deale sincerely and truely For touching the heretickes mentioned by the Cardinall all the world knoweth they were condemned in Synodes by many Bishops and not by the priuate censure of the Bishoppe of Rome alone Nay it is most certaine that others shewed more care diligence in suppressing some of these heretickes and their errours then euer the Romane Bishop did which I will make to appeare in the particulars beginning with the Pelagians Pelagius the founder of these hereticks was borne in great Britaine and becomming a Monke in the East parts of the world after hee had sparsed his errours in other places abroad returned home into his owne countrey and infected it almost wholly with his heresie Heereupon the Britaines sought helpe and direction of the French Bishoppes because learning at that time flourished more among them then it did among the Britaines who willing to reach forth their helping hands to their neighbours and brethren in this time of their
worthy Scofferius whose true report wee oppose against the wicked and vile slaunders of that base and branded runnagate Bolsecus That Zuinglius died in the field with his Countrey-men in defence of their liues liberties and Religion is no certaine note as I take it that his Religion was false but rather an excellent proofe and demonstration of the Christian magnanimitie and resolution that rested in him How infortunate they haue beene in their attempts how vnhappy in their endes that haue most opposed themselues against the trueth of that Religion which wee professe we are able to produce many examples CHAP. 52. Of the Sanctity of the liues of them that are of the true Church THe last note of the Church assigned by them is the sanctitie holinesse and good conversation of such as are of it In assigning of this note as in some of the former they shew how sweetly they conspire and agree together For Cardinall Allen in his preface before his booke of Purgatory confesseth that by the guile and craftie conveyance of our common enemie the diuell falsehood is often so cloaked in shadow and shape of truth and the masters thereof make such shew of vertue and godly life that you would thinke it had no affinitie with vice nor origine of mans misbehauiour at all So did hee couer the wicked heresies of Manicheus Marcion Tatianus and the like with a fained flourish of continency and chastitie So did hee ouer-cast the enemie of Gods grace Pelagius with the apparance of all grauitie constancie and humility And so hath he alwayes where craft was requisite to his intent made shew of a simple sheepe in the cruell carcasse of a wily wolfe transfiguring himselfe into an Angell of light And that his schollers play the like parts our Maister Christ of his singular loue gaue his flock this watch-word for a speciall provizo Take heede of false Prophets that come in sheepes vesture but within are ravening Wolues So that in all cloaked heresies men must haue an eye to the fruit of the doctrines preached and not onely or principally to the liues of such as teach them by the outward appearance whereof it is not alwayes safe to judge This the Rhemists doe more fully expresse in their annotations vpon this place saying the fruits that heretiques are knowne by are division from the whole Church division amongst themselues inconstancie in doctrine and such like and that these are lightly common to all heretiques but that there are some other more peculiar to certaine as wickednesse of life and doctrine directly tending to corruption of good life in all states of men Thus then wee see that appearing sanctity grauity and godlynesse are no sure certaine infallible and perpetuall notes to knowe the true professors by from such as erre and are deceiued But passing by this their ouersight in that they make such things to be notes of the Church as are not proper vnto it nor doe not clearely distinguish it from heretickes let vs see what they indeauour to proue against vs or for themselues by the force and euidence of this note Thus therefore they reason The chiefe guides of the reformed Churches and professours of the reformed religion are apparently wicked and godlesse men of vile and scandalous conuersation and the people wicked yea much worse then they were in the Papacy but their Pristes Prelates Monkes Friers and people are holy and religious therefore the truth of religion is theirs This imputation of wickednesse Bellarmine fastneth vpon Wickliffe and Luther and from them descendeth to the people Touching Wickliffe it is a most impudent and shamelesse challenge for Waldensis sheweth that his conuersation was such and his manner of life soe shadowed with shewes of vertue that he thereby preuailed much thereupon sheweth at large that it is not safe to discerne the truth of religion by the appearance of sanctity and good conuersation of them that professe it and that heretickes haue and often do cloth themselues with the robes and garments of seeming vertue and piety But hath he no proofe that Wickliffe was a wicked and godlesse man Doubtlesse hee hath and that very pregnant For Waldensis reporteth vpon an vncertaine rumour that a Bishoppe of Salisburie in a very great and solemne assembly of the Clergie of the Prouence of Canterbury affirmed that Wickliffe affected the Bishopricke of Worcester which when he obtained not hee grewe discontented and so became an enimy to the Catholike Church impugned the different degrees of Ministerie and the dignity of Bishops If this kind of proofe bee good innocencie it selfe will not be able to abide the triall Wherefore passing from Wickliffe against whom it seemeth our aduersaries are able to say little let vs see what are those greeuous crimes wherewith they charge Luther First they say he beganne to impugne the sale and marchandise of indulgences not led by any iust reason mouing him to dislike them but because the publishing of them was not committed to the Friers of his order but to the Friers predicant This vile slaunder hath no better ground then the former against Wickliffe For who will regard the malitious report of Coclaeus his sworne enimie against the whole course of things that passed in those times and the cleare euidence of the trueth it selfe Guicciardine reporteth that the abuses in the marchandise of those pardons were so intolerable that the pardon sellers set the price of redemption and deliuerance of soules out of Purgatorie as a stake at dice to be played for in euery Inne and Ta◅erne where they came that all good men disliked much this impious and irreligious abusing the people of God and that thereupon Luther began his opposition against them not without the great applause of the Christian world But to make it most cleare to all not wilfully blinded that noe such sinister respect mooued Luther to impugne the Kingdome of the Roman Antichrist It is certaine hee had before this occasion was offered vnto him cleared the doctrine of Originall sinne of Nature and Grace of the difference betweene the spirit and the letter the Law and grace of freewill and the like which are the maine grounds of all that doctrine wherein hee dissenteth from the Romish Synagogue But saith Bellarmine Coclaeus reporteth that Luther in the disputatiō at Lipsia between him Eckius said his opposition against the Pope Poperie was never begun out of any desire of Gods glory nor would euer haue any good end This is is a diuellish slaunder for Luther said no such thing but that this disputation was not begunne on his aduersaries part out of any desire of the glory of God or the good of his Church and that therefore it would neuer haue any good end That which hee writeth to them of Strawesborough that hee would willingly be of their opinion and denie the reall presence of the body of Christ in the Sacrament if the euidence of truth did
Epaunine Councell agreeth and the second Councell of Bracar saying If any widdow of a Bishop Presbyter or Deacon take an husband let no Cleargy-man nor no religious woman banquet with them neither let her euer communicate onely at the time of her death let the Sacraments of the Church bee administred vnto her Likewise the Councel of Antisiodorum decreeth to the same effect Neither can it be answered that these Councels forbid the widdows of Presbyters Deacōs Subdeacons to marry because during the life of their husbands vpon some voluntary parting they bound themselues by promise to liue continently For the Councell of Matiscon decreeth that if the wiues of Subdeacons Exorcistes or Acoluthes shall after their death ioyne themselues in marriage the second time they shall bee separated and thrust into the houses of Nunnes And yet these might lawfully liue with their husbands euen in the judgement of them that made this decree Neither were they any way induced necessarily to promise to containe Thus hauing seene where when and by whom the forbidding of the lawfull marriage of Presbyters entred into the Church in what sort it was vrged at the first how afterwards what contradiction it found how farre forth in the end it preuailed it remaineth that wee proceed to see what good followed vpon it Where first Aventinus telleth vs that after the restraint of Hildebrand vnder the honest name of Chastity the greatest part euery where without checke of punishment committed whoredomes incests and adulteries and that the Lawe of single life which offended the good was exceeding pleasing to impure companions who now for one wife might haue sixe hundred Harlots Neither is this the priuate conceit of Auentinus alone but all good wise men beare witnes with him that hee speaketh the truth say as much as he Bern speaking of the state of the Cleargie in his time saith Many not all truely but yet many vndoubtedly who neither canne bee hid they are so many nor care to bee hid they are so shamelesse many surely seeme to haue made the liberty in which they are called to serue as a fitte occasion to satisfie the flesh abstayning from the remedy of Mariage and powring forth themselues into all manner of sinfull wickednesses And in the same Chapter he saith That if wee digge downe the wall according to the wordes of the Prophet Ezechiell wee shall see horrible things in the house of God For after whoredomes adulteries and incests there are found the passions of ignominy and the workes of impurity and filthinesse Would to GOD saith hee those thinges that are most vnnaturall were not committed that neither the Apostles needed to write of them nor wee to speake and that no man would beleeue that so abominable lust did euer possesse the minde of man Were not those Citties which were the Mothers of this impure filthinesse long since condemned by the iudgement of God himselfe and consumed with fire Did not the fire of hell impatient of delay preuent the time and in a sort before the time consume that cursed Nation Did not fire brimestone and the sto◅mie tempest consume the very earth and ground it selfe as priuie to such confusions as should neuer so much as once bee thought of Was not all the whole land and ground it selfe turned into an horrible Lake Surely fiue heads of the Monster Hydra are cut off but woe is vnto vs innumerable moe are risen vp Who hath reedified those Cities of villany who hath inlarged the walles of impuritie and who hath spread out those venimous branches Woe woe the enemy of man-kinde hath scattered euery where round about the vnhappy reliques of that sulphureous burning and hath sprinckled the body of the Church with those execrable ashes hath filled some of the Ministers of the Church with that filthy stinking and impure running sore Saluianus in like sort in his booke of diuine Prouidence hath these wordes It is surely altogether a new and strange kinde of conuersion that some men talke of lawfull thinges they doe not and vnlawfull thinges they committe They refraine from mariage but refraine not from Rape What doest thou O foolish perswasion God forbad sinne not mariage your deedes agree not with your profession You should not bee the friends of enormous crimes who professe to doe the workes of vertue It is a preposterous thing that you doe it is not conuersion but auersion You that haue long since as the same is forsaken the worke of honest mariage cease at the last from sinfull wickednesse With these agree the Historians generally reporting that innumerable euills followed the prohibition of the mariage of Cleargie-men published by Pope Hildebrand that few liued continently though some counterfaited so to doe for filthie lucres sake and for ostentation and that many ioyned both periurie and adultery together and not contenting them-selues with an ordinary degree of wickednesse multiplyed their whoredomes and adulteries exceedingly Whereupon wee shall finde that many of the best learned most judicious worthiest men the Church had in latter times wished the Law of single life to be taken away euen as many resisted it when it was first made Durandus in his booke De modo celebrandi Concilii proueth by many reasons that it were fit that the libertie of mariage were againe restored to Priests in a Generall councell In the councell of Basill when exception was taken against the choice of Amedeus Duke of Savoy whō many thought fit to be Pope for that he had beene a maried man and had children it was answered by some of good esteeme that that was no exception and that haply it were much better that Priests were permitted to liue in mariage then restrained For that many of them might be saued in chaste mariage which now perish in their filthie and impure single life Aeneas Sylvius a great man in that councell who was afterwards Pope and named Pius the second in an Epistle to a friend of his who was in the holy orders of the ministery of the church yet desirous for the avoiding of fornicatiō to marry a wife writeth thus We suppose that you are not ill advised if when you cannot containe you seeke a wife though that should haue been thought on before you had entred into holy Orders But wee are not Gods neither can wee fore-see things to come Wherefore seeing things are come to this passe that you cannot resist the law of the flesh it is better to marry then to burne Yet cannot the Pope be perswaded to dispense with you but he standeth resolued to holde his seuere course still and thinketh it not fit to grant that to one which may be hurtfull vnto many If therefore you desire safely to marry you must expect some other Pope who may be more inclineable and yeelding And of this Aeneas Sylvius afterwards named Pius the second Platina and Sabellicus report that hee was wont