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truth_n	abbot_n	bring_v	great_a	17	3	2.0729	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01299	A briefe confutation, of a popish discourse: lately set forth, and presumptuously dedicated to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie: by Iohn Howlet, or some other birde of the night, vnder that name Contayning certaine reasons, why papistes refuse to come to church, which reasons are here inserted and set downe at large, with their seuerall answeres. By D. Fulke, Maister of Penbroke Hall, in Cambridge. Seene and allowed.	Fulke, William, 1538-1589.; Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. Brief discours contayning certayne reasons why Catholiques refuse to goe to church.	1583 (1583)	STC 11421; ESTC S102704	108,905	118

you summoned before you to defend so ma●…y thousand Catholikes as in that realme make refusall to goe to Church ●…ut aduise your selfe well whether your Checke roule doe not deceiue you and by a Cyphar too muche make you insteede of a se●…e hundreds too sette downe so manye thousandes Or if your friende more woorshipfull then true of his woorde in certifiyng you of manye thousandes of Gentlemen imprisoned whose defense you take in hande ●…oo make hath deceyued you you séeme to bee a manne altogether vnme●…te to speake in the eares of her mo●…e excellent Maiestie and the Honourable Lords of her Priuie Connsell that I cléene omitte all the wyse and Learned of Englande whiche are so lighte of credite too imagine that so manye thousande Gentlemen of this Realme shoulde professe suche obstinacie after so manye yéeres teaching too refuse obedience too her Maiesties Lawes touching Religion when so fewe of anye calling repugned at the firste publishing of the same Or if you make a wilfull Lye because I cannot thinke so basely of youre witte too bée deceiued in so playne a matter not onelye her Maiestie and Honourable Counsell but all the wise and Learned of England maye easily gesse what trueth they shall looke for in the rest of your discourse when so manifest a fal●…ood is contayned in your firste sentence and what purpose you followed in faygning the refusall of so manye thousaundes whiche if they were all registred will not muche excéede the le●…e number of hundereds Well too omitte the number the cause you say of their refusall is not as their Aduersaries geue out But vppon conscience and greate reason and for the auoyding of manifest perill of eternall damnation whiche they shoulde incurre in yeelding too that whiche is demaunded at theyr handes And that all the wise and learned of the Lande with the Prince and her Counsel maye sée this to be so I saith hee haue put downe some causes and reasons here following ●…erily yo●… haue taken a greate péece of woorke in hande and ●…hosen no mean●… Iudges therefore it standeth you in hande to bring substantiall prooues Let vs heare therefore how you begin Your Margent noteth A necessary suppositiō your text runneth in these woordes But first o●… all it is to be noted that my reasons to the end they may conuince are to be supposed to proceede from a Catholike minde that is from a man which in his conscience is throughly perswaded that onely the catholike Romaine religion is trueth and that all other newe doctrines and religions are false religions as al new Gods are false Gods Certaynely it is a necessary supposition without the which al your reasons are not woorth a ●…igge and it is such a supposition as if it might haue byn allowed vnto Arius Macedonius or Eutyches c. Their reasons might haue conuinced all their aduersaries Suppose an He●…etike to bee a Catholike and heresie to bee truth and Arius was a good Priest Macedonius was an holy Bishop E●…yches was a reuerend Abbot Truely I was deceiued whē I Prognosticated in y ● beginning that the trauell of the mountanes would bring foorth a litle mouse For behold they haue brought ●…oorth a great Monster a necessary supposition y ● this writers reasons to the end they may cōuince are to bee supposed to procéede from a Catholike minde No maruell though you blewe the Trumpet and made a lowd noise That the Queenes most excellent Maiestie the Honourable Lordes of her priuie Counsell and all other the learned and wise of England might sée that all your niene reasons to the ende they may conuince must be supposed to procéede from a man that is persuaded that only the Catholike Romayne religion is trueth and all other new doctrines and religions are false But why doe you oppose the Catholike Romayne Religion to all other new doctrines When by the Catholike Romayne religion you meane the present Popishe religion and not the auncient Romayne religion which was the Catholike religion of all true Christians I sée wel as we must first of all suppose you to be a true Catholik so wee must secondly suppose the present Popishe Heresie to be the auncient Romayne and vniuersall religion of al the Catholike Church of Christ. These suppositions will doe you greate pleasure to the ende as you saye that your reasons maye conuince But by such suppositions the théefe that standeth at the barre with as good reason may bee acquited and the I●…dge that 〈◊〉 on the benche by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bee cond●…ned After this necessary supposition followeth a profitable diuision of Catholikes whereof there are twoo sortes in Englande One of them whiche although they iudge that all participation with all other Religions is noughte yet for feare or fauour or for some worldly cause they are content to communicate with them in all or some thinges by him named As in deede or in shewe by othe by Sacramentes by going to theyr prayers seruice or otherwise These hee pronounceth t●… bée out of all doubte in a damnable case for this hée all●…adgeth Augustine Saint Paule Thomas of Aquine c. And it is verie true that whosoeuer doeth contrary to his conscience ●…ee it iustly or falsely perswaded sinneth damnablye but when hee proceedeth further to charge such with sinne agaynst the holye Ghost whereof our Sauiour Christe sayeth that it shall ne●…r be forgeuen in this worlde nor in the worlde to come hee pronounceth not onelye a fals●… but also an vnle●…ed Iudgemente and euen contrarie too himselfe and tho●…e principles whiche hee alloweth For although hée sinne verie grieuously whiche sinneth wilfully agaynst his owne Conscience yet hée sinneth not alwayes irremisibly For hée that knoweth M●…ther Adulterie and suche like 〈◊〉 offences too ●…ee damnable and yet wilfully his conscience reclaiming béeyng ouercome of yre or lust or suchother wicked affection doth committe them doeth not by and by committe sinne agaynst the holie Ghoste but by the grace of GOD may bée renewed by repentance The same is too bee saide of them that dissemble their profession and outwardly communicate with Idolaters and Heretikes but not woorse then the●…s nor halfe so ill is the case of dissembling Papistes whiche beside their ignoraunce and false perswasion whiche resteth in supposition this manne himselfe confesseth for feare or fauour or other worldlye cause too doe that whiche is contrarie too theire corrupte Conscience and erroneous perswasion Which is the sinne of humane ●…railtie and not of malicious contumelie and blas●…mie against the grace and spirite of GOD. Neither doth Augustine who●… hee cyteth vppon the fiftie foure Psalme maintayne his cruel and desperate Censure who●… w●…Wrdes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse qu●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nonne vi●…us discendis 〈◊〉 inferos If thou diddest descende when thou werte deade thou shouldest not knowe what thou 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when th●… knowest that too bee euill whiche tho●…doest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not

Turkish state in which the sense féeling of vertue was neuer so wholy extinguished but some remained euen in them that knewe not God nor serued him aright The king of Sodoma shewed some sense féeling of gratitude equitie when he was content to yéeld to Abraham his deliuerer the whole pray and spoyle of the aduersaries so that hée might recouer his captiu●…d people But let that passe and consider the grounde of this comfort So many gen●…lemen en both for their yeeres lyuings and habilities as 〈◊〉 to be as vaine as the rest as though all other Gentlemen were vaine but they so precise in matters of religion and respectiue of their consciences c. To omit that which is ●…e in secrete the manifest couetousnes ●…ppression and wrong dealing in some of their liues appearing declareth small precisenes to be in their religion or respect of their conscience in their refusal But admit that none of them might he touched in conuersatiō as that were not sufficient to iustifie their religion so it shoulde be small matter of comfort vnto a christian man to sée so many Gentlemen refusing to yéelde to the trueth and so few poore men to whom the Gospel properly perteineth that dare withstand the Lawes that are now made of religion Whereas the true religion hath but fewe noble in comparison of the multitude of the poore that receiue and imbrace the Gospell It is therefore but a smal likelihood that Papistrie shoulde be the true religion which few or none but Gentlemen dare professe in Englād Which argueth y ● y ● greatest number of thē being able by welth to beare out the greatest punishment that is laide vpon them suffer of wilfulnesse rather then of conscience who if they were put to the same tryal y ● the poore martyres were in time of popish persecution it is hard to say how many of these gentlemen that abide imprisonment woulde indure to ende their liues as those did in firy ●…ormēts Experience we haue in the daies of king Henry king Edward whē sharper punishmēt then now is practised was executed vpon offendours in some cases how few there were those y ● were discouered by others rather thē by their own open professiō that indured the seueritie of those lawes Yet were those times more likely to haue yéelded thousands of martyrs confessours when men were newly drawne from their old inueterated opinions if certeiutie of truth had béen in papistrie which might haue b●…d a constant faith to haue suffered death willingly faithfully for the defence testimonie of gods religion against heresie which error builded vpon vncertaine or false grounds albeit it may worke wilful per●… in a fewe yet neuer is able to giue pa●…ience constancie in the ●…ttermost a ●…tions vnto ma nie The same thing the experience of these times doth cōfirme in which only they suffer by their wils to whom the suffering is no great smart But y e mener sort although in hart they fauour popery yet because they haue no faith but an vncertaine opinion they dare make no confession to bring them selues in greater trouble then they are able without greate paine too suffer And 〈◊〉 those of weal●…h that care not to be imprisoned rather then to 〈◊〉 to Church how many of them dare make confession of that which is the profession of all Pap●…sts that he acknowledgeth the supreme authoritie of the Pope is by Bul or other token of pardon reconciled to the Sea of Rome And wherefore are they so dangerous in this matter rather then the ōther but because y ● law 〈◊〉 shar●… in y ● point for acknowleging y ● popes authoritie thē for going to church Whereas if they suffered of conscience grounded vpō a Christiā faith they would neuer be ashamed to confes him whō they think in their erronious perswasiō to be the rock of the Church y ● head singuler shepheard of the same without acknow legeing of whose autority they hold y ● there is no church no truth no saluation I omit that there is apparant probable suspitions in some of the imprisoned of hope of greater preferment worldly aduauntement in another state then they looke to obteine in this whereto doth tend al their diuelish traiterous machinations against the Prince present state by Gods goodnes hitherto preuented and I hope if our sinnes which deserue the contrary doe not 〈◊〉 shalbe finally and perpetually disapointed But this their obst●… is such a thing saith this discourser as it must needes bryng comfort to all men So that in his iudgement they are no mē to whom the wilful contempt of Papists bringeth no cōfort what more It can iustly greeue none except the cōmon enimy the dyuel hymselfe Sée 〈◊〉 not what 〈◊〉 he maketh of her Maiestie at her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Nobilitie Comminaltie all whom it cannot but gr●… excéedingly y ● any of her born subiects there naturall countriemen should so obstinately refuse the hearing of Gods word cōmunication with his Churche without y e which there is no hope of saluation that they had rather bee imprisoned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 displeasure of God them natural Prince then be at large with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ 〈◊〉 li●… of their soueraigne Yet further 〈◊〉 how not only in general but also in particuler he presu meth to ●…rine of her Maiestie And as for the Princes herselfe saith he she cannot but becomforted therein Behold how confidently hée ●…dereth her 〈◊〉 Mais●…ie in bearing men in hand not only that she is 〈◊〉 by ●…he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of her subiects but also that it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but that ●…hée should be comforted by that which euen cōmon sense abhorreth that the ruler shoulde be comforted by disobedience and a Christian ruler by disobedience vnto Christes faith wherof she is a ●…olous defendor What other thing therfore is ment by this supposed impossibilitie but to ●…nuat in most s●…anderous infamous suggestion y ● her Maiestie fauoureth the contempt of her lawes liketh well of disobedient subiectes yea is greatly conforted at the obstinacie of th●…m whom by publike lawes and open profession she hath declared these 22. yéeres to be enimies of Gods truth maintayners of superstition and defend●…rs of heresie But let vs yet more néerely beholde the cause which maketh it impossible but that shée must néedes be conforted therein She cannot but be conforted threin saieth hée assuring her selfe that if these men doe sticke so firmely vnto their consciences and faith sworne vnto God in their oth of baptisme Then will they as firmly for the same consciences stick vnto her maiestie if occasion shall serue in keeping their secundary fayth and alleageance sworn vnto her heighnes as to the substitute of god No doubt but her maiesty must take great comfort y ● she setteth forth and executeth lawes to defende such a faith religion as men cannot obay but by breaking their

aster longe teaching he bée further vrged too confesse it experience as Augustine testifieth of manye Donatistes doeth shewe that although hée did first professe it by compulsion hée maye by Gods grace woorking in him afterwarde imbrace it willingly Wherefore the compulsion pretended to bee vsed is neyther so daungerous to them that are compelled nor so hurtefull to them that muste vse it being the last refuge to bring vngodly persons to repentaunce by threatning and executingof punishment which contemne despyse all gentle and fatherly admonishment Which if it will not preuayle but that of some it is borne out with obstinacie of other pretended by hypocricis the Magistrate hath discharged his dutie the offendor hath not founde damnation which hée should haue ●…raped Albeit by contumacie or dissimulation hée haue ●…creased the same Now followeth the other parte of the diuision for the first and the persons contayned therin our discourser refuseth to deale with all as of whome there is no ho●…e because they are damned in this lyfe they are no christians and much ●…sse catholikes But there are another sor●…e of catholyes which 〈◊〉 they iudge as the former 〈◊〉 that alother religious beside their own 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 ●…able yet doe they not thinke but that for some world●… 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 th●…ir offices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and other like they may in some of the former things a●… lest wise in going to church shewe themselues conformable to the 〈◊〉 of them of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For reformi●…g of thos●… mens wrong and perrillo●… 〈◊〉 a●…ons these nine reasons following vnder the necessary supposition before sayde are franied The first Reason THe first reason why I being a Catholyke in minde maye not goe to the churches or seruice of the cōtrary relygion is because I perswading myself theyr doctrine to be false doctrine consequētly venomous vnto the ●…earer I may not venture my soule to be infected with the 〈◊〉 For us it is damnable for a man to kyll him selfe and consequently deadly si●…ne without 〈◊〉 cause to put his body in probable daunger of death so is it much more offens●… to God to put my soule ten thousand tymes of more valewe then my body in daunger to the deadly stroke of fals●… doctrine and heresie especially seeing I 〈◊〉 ●…o warrant of 〈◊〉 ●…ping but rather I heare God crying to the contrary Hee that ●…eth daunger shall per●… in the same Neyther is it sufficient for me to thinke that I am sure inoughe from beeing infected for that I am grounded inough I am learned sufficiently For what yf God take his grace from thee and let thee fall because thou hast not folowed his 〈◊〉 which is If thou wilt not be bi●…ten with the 〈◊〉 not do sleepe ●…gh the hedg●… If thou wil●… not be spo●…ed then not to touch the Pitch Wherefore 8. Paule to as good a man as learned as strong as I am gaue a generall rule to auoyde and flye an he●…ticall man The lyke precepte hee gaue to Timothy beeyng a By sho●… to auoyde a certayne heretyque by name Alexa●…der 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet hee 〈◊〉 as it we●…e the Thessalon 〈◊〉 in the name of Iesus Christes that they should 〈◊〉 drawe them selues 〈◊〉 like fellowes The sa●…e hee repeateth agayne to the 〈◊〉 beseechyng them to note and to de●…yne from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The reason of this ●… 〈◊〉 vttereth 〈◊〉 Ty●…thye Because their speech creepeth like a canker and they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the 〈◊〉 of the same men By sweete wordes and gay blessinges they s●…uce the heartes of the Innocent And S. Peter saieth of them that they doe allure vnto them vnconstant soules Heere nowe I see the scripture carefully counsayling and commannding mee to auoyde the company and speech of falle teachers it putteth downe also the perrill if I doe it not which is as great as the death of my soule And on the contrary ●…de I haue no warrant of scripture or example of good men to aduenture the same For I doe reade this written of farre my betters The Apostles and their schollers were so warie and circumspect in this case in a●…yding heretikes that they would not so much as once reason the matter with any of them who endeuoured by their lyings or new deuices to corrupt the truth 〈◊〉 I am sure I can neuer take good by hearing them but I am in great possibilitie to take euill as many more learned men then I in olde tyme haue done As Dionisius Alexandrinus confesseth of himselfe and of Origen and Tertulian it is knowne and manye men in England can be witnesses which both to thems●…ues and also to other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the time was so firme and grounded in religion as nothing could moue them and yet nowe they haue proued otherwise Wherefore it cannot bee but great sinne in mee notwithstanding all this if I shall put my soule in such daunger by aduenturing to their companie to their serui●…e to theyr sermons to reading their boo●…es or the lyke wherby in any wise I may be corrupted The which aduenture what a 〈◊〉 it was counted in the primatiue church it may appeare by the seue●… lawes made both by the clergie and temporaltie for the prohibiting and punishing of the same in that time as is to be seene in the councels and fathers and in the decrees of the good christian Emperours Martian and 〈◊〉 and especially of the noble and zelous first christian Emperour Constantine which made it death after the condemnation of Arius by the generall councell of Nyce for anye man more to reade his bookes and thereby to aduenture to be poysoned with his heresies And reason For if Da●… had not ventured to behold Be●…abe he had not beene entrapped wi●…h her lone and so had not committed those horrible sins that ensewed And if Dame Eua had not presumed to heare the serpent talke she had not beene beguiled and if when Luther first began to teach new doctrine the catholiks at that time had not vouchsa●…ed to giue him the hering but had auoided his prechings preuy cōuenticles the●… had not bin now in worlde either Lutheran Swinglian Caluenist Puritan Anabaptist Trinetarie Family of loue Adamite or the lyke whereof now there are so many thousands abroad al springing of that first secte and troubling at this day the whole worlde with the eternall damnation of infinite soules the which soules at the day of iudgement shall be scuselesse and receaue that heauie sentence of euerlasting fire for that they had not a●…oyded the daunger of infection The first reason THe first reasō why a Papist may not go to church is y ● perril of infectiō which is as good a reasō as y ● a fowle toad may not come into a cléere spring to wash her spewe out her venome for feare of infection not of the well of which there is greater daunger but of her owne body vnto whose

shewes by which the veritie of the Gospel is hidden the word of God despised or by which the ignorant and infidel is confirmed in his error or by which the weake is offended are not of Cod but of Sathan altogether contrary vnto the trueth of the word Therefore we must not halt of both sides but go vprightly before that great God which seeth beholdeth and knoweth all thinges euen before they are begunne Loe heere We see the sentence of their Doctours to the contrary who presse vs so muche to goe to their Churches against our consciences Iferrour finde such zeale what zeale ought trueth to haue If these fellowes each of them for the defence of their priuate fond fancies be content most willi●…gly to aduenture any danger or extremitie whatsoeuer rather then to come to the true catholike churche wherein they were borne and to the which in Baptisme they swore obedience why should suche blame be laide vpon vs for standing in defence of our consciences and for refusing to go to their churches wherin we were neither borne nor bread vp nor euer perswaded that they had any trueth or holinesse in them This reason only may suffice any reasonableman especially the Protestant except hee will mislike with his owne doctrine whiche condemneth mee of hypocrisie dissimulation and renouncing of Christe and his Gospel If I present but my only body to the churches of them whose Religion I am not persuaded to be true The which saying of his in a sense hath good reason albeit the workes and meaning 〈◊〉 wicked For if there bee no man either so foolish or impious in the worlde but muste needes thinke that one only religion amongst christians is true and al other false And if euery man which hath any religion and is resolued therein must needes presuppose this only trueth to bee in his owne religion then ●…t followeth necessarily that hee must likewise persuade himselfe that all other religions besides his owne are false and erronious and consequently a●…l assemblies conuenticles and publike actes of the same to bee wicked damnable dishonourable to God contumelious to Christe and therfore to his conscience which thinketh so detestable Now then suppose the case thus I know in E●…gland certaine places where at certaine times dayes assemblies are made by certaine men in shew to honour and commend but in my conceit to dishonor dispraise and impugne the maiestie of my moste dread Soueraigne Ladie the Queene And I am inuited thither to heare the fame by my parents kinsmen and acquaintance nay I am inforced thither by the greatest authoritie that vnder her Maiestie may cōmaunde mee Tell mee nowe If I should goe thither vnder any pretence whatsoeuer of gratifying my friends or by cōmandemēt of any her inferiour powers can her Maiestie take it well or account of mee better then of a tratierous catiue for yeelding my selfe to stay there to heare them to countenance their doings with my presence to holde my peace when they speake euill of her to hold my hands whiles they slaunder her and finally to say nothing whiles they induce other men to forsake her and her cause And if her Maiestie or any other prince in the worlde could not beare at their subiectes handes any such dissimulation trecherie or treason howe much lesse shal the omnipotent Maiestie of God who requireth and deserueth muche more exact seruice at our handes beare this dissimulation and traiterous dealing of ours if we be content for temporall respectes and for satisfaction of any mortall power lesse then himself to present our selues to such places and assemblies where we shal heare his Maiestie dishonoured his sonne slaundered his worde falsified his churche impugned his Saints and Martyrs discredited his Bishoppes and Pastours reuiled and al the whole Ecclesiastical Ierarchie rent broken disseuered and turned vpside downe and his people purchased with his blood and dearer vnto him then his owne life excited and stirred vpp against him and his Ministers and by sweete wordes and gay benedictions flocked away to the slaughter house of heresie What noble man is there in the worlde whiche coulde take it well if hee shoulde see his friende and muche more his sonne in the companie of his professed enimie at such time principally as he knoweth that his enimie abuseth him in speeche and seeketh most his discredite and dishonour but especially if hee shoulde see him come in open assemblie of the worlde to the barre against him in companie with his aduersarie when his saide aduersarie commeth of set purpose to deface him as Heretikes doe to their Churches and Pulpettes to dishonour GOD I thinke I say hee coulde hardly beare it And shal suche disdaine be taken by a mortal man for a little iniurie and discurtesie shewed and shal not the iustice of God be reuenged vpon our treacherie and dissimulation in his cause If I giue my seruant but fortie shillinges a yeere yet I thinke him bounde to defende mee in al points causes to bee friend to my friends enimie to my aduersaries to vpholde my credite mainteine my honour to resist my detractours and to reuenge himselfe vpon my euil willers and if hee can bee content to holde his peace hearing mee spoken of and to put vp my slaunder without opening his mouth I wil account him vnworthie to weare my cloth howe muche more inexcusable shall we be at the dreadful day of iudgement if wee receiuing at our Lorde and maisters handes such extraordinarie pay for our seruice in this life and expecting further and aboue this al that himselfe is worth for the eternitie of the life to come his kingdome his glory and his euerlasting ioy with his riches and treasures vnspeakeable which neither eare euer heard nor eye saw nor heart of man cōceiued how great they are how 〈◊〉 I say shal wee bee at that terrible rekoning day and howe confounded by the examples of seruantes in this life so zealous for their maisters vppon so smal wages if wee notwithstanding al our rewardes both present and to come shalbe yet key cold in our maister his seruice present at his iniuries and silent at his slaunders Neither sufficeth it to say that these suppositions are false and that there are not such things committed against God at the Protestants chur ches and seruices for howesoeuer that bee whereof I dispute not now yet I being in my hearte of an other religion must needes thinke not onely them but also all other religions whatsoeuer to commit the same as I knowe they doe also thinke of mine Wherefore howe good and holy soeuer they were yea if they were Angels yet shoulde I bee condemned for going amongst them for that in my sight iudgement and conscience by which only I must bee iudged they must needes seeme enimies to God being of the contrarie religion By this it may appeare howe greuously they sinne dayly in Englande and cause other