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A73011 Looke beyond Luther: or An ansvvere to that question, so often and so insultingly proposed by our aduersaries, asking vs; where this our religion was before Luthers time? VVhereto are added sound props to beare vp honest-hearted Protestants, that they fall not from their sauing-faith. By Richard Bernard, of Batcombe in Sommersetshire. Bernard, Richard, 1568-1641. 1623 (1623) STC 1956.3; ESTC S123041 43,757 64

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the people of Israel once the people of God in Dauids and Salomons dayes and many hundred yeeres before when Idolatrie vnder pretence to worship no false but the true God was set vp and they not suffered then to do their office vnto the Lord as their office required If they were not no more are we For why doe we forsake the Romish Church Is it not because she hath set vp a new manner of seruice vnto God new kinds of Priests new Holy-dayes new Sacraments new Orders and will not permit the Lords Seruants and Ministers to do their Offices vnto the Lord as he hath by his written Word prescribed Therefore seeing we are not guiltie of Schisme we are not as Schismatikes out of the Church into which by Baptisme wee are receiued III. Not as excommunicate persons For if we be neither Heretikes nor Schismatikes vpon what other ground will they iudge vs to be proceeded against There are other causes for which men are excommunicate but in this question our aduersaries cannot pleade any such Againe I aske if wee bee excommunicate who hath pronounced the sentence Is it the Romish Church By what authoritie Their Church is not the Catholike Church but only a particular as ours is and it is by vs questioned and therefore in reason it cannot bee both a Partie accused and also a Iudge against vs in her owne cause Thirdly we doe appeale from her vnrighteous iudgement to a lawfull generall Councell where vpon earth our cause is onely to bee heard and decided lawfully Till which time wee for any censure of this Church of Rome doe remaine in the true Church into which by Baptisme wee are admitted out of which as yet we are not lawfully iudged to bee by any lawfull and supreme authoritie as either Heretikes Schismatikes or as excommunicate persons Therefore Christian-harted Reader thou that art a member of the Church of England though thou beest no Romanist assure thy soule that thou art of that Church which is vndoubtedly a member of the True Ancient Catholike and Apostolike Church in which abiding thou maist through the merits of thy blessed Sauiour obtaine eternall life if thou so beleeuing doest demeane thy selfe as it becommeth a good Christian and a Protestant in earnest And for thine owne more certaine assurance and stable abiding let me aduise thee to a few things Haue a care to keepe thy Couenant in thy Baptisme that thou mayst be better perswaded that God keepes his with thee and so to be one of his in the true Church Labour to feare God for it is the beginning of wisdome and the secrets of the Lord are with such as feare him and he will shew them his couenant Psal 25.14 Haue euer a loue of the truth and God will not giue thee ouer to beleeue lyes for this is a iudgement befalling such as loue not the truth beleeue it not but take pleasure in vnrighteousnesse Be a doer of the Word and thou shalt know the doctrine whether it bee of God or no. Beware of affected ignorance and carelesse neglect of knowledge but vse the meanes appointed to attaine vnto it Exercise thy selfe much in prayer beg of God wisdome and hee will giue it thee his Spirit and he will vouchsafe it thee pray against sedition and God will keepe thee frequent the company of such as haue knowledge the feare of God before them the loue of the truth in them and make conscience of their wayes Aske aduice of faithfull Teachers listen not to false Teachers feare to be seduced And further that thou mayst both defend the truth and also be able according to thy measure receiued to resist the aduersaries I. Learne carefully the truthes of God necessarie to saluation set downe in holy Scriptures Such truths are very manifestly and plainely deliuered either in expresse termes or by an vndoubted consequent drawne from thence and all such necessarie points as concerne all are written in the Scriptures as their Bellarmine confesseth With these Scriptures acquaint thy selfe and being an ordinarie Christian doe not trouble thy selfe about obscure places for plaine and easie places will bee sufficient to confirme thy faith in any thing necessarie for thee to beleeue and practize in the way of saluation II. Be well grounded in the Catechisme the parts whereof are the Creed the Lords Prayer the Decalogue and the doctrine of the Sacraments for these are the compendium or short summe of all Christianitie These well vnderstood will furnish thee with reasons to withstand seducers There is not any thing of which they shall speake but the same may be brought to some head in Catechisme as either concerning Faith and so referred to the Creed or concerning Prayer and so referred to the Lords Prayer or concerning obedience and so referred to the Decalogue or ten Commandements or else touching the Sacraments the Seales of our Faith III. Adde to these certaine considerations by which thou mayest defend the truth and ouerthrow falshood as the common law of Nature common reason right vse of senses common experience common equitie common charitie common honestie the witnesse of knowne Martyrs whereto adde the corruption of our nature allowing or disliking of any thing By the plaine euidence of Scripture by the Catechisme and by these considerations mayst thou trie all things which be necessarie for thee to stand vpon If a seducer come to thee and that he will needs deale with thee obserue two things first not to regard what he saith if it be not about necessarie points Secondly see that his confirmation or confutation bee onely by either some or all these three aforenamed to wit plaine Scriptures the parts of the Catechisme and those considerations from whence if hee cannot proue his assertions beleeue him not If he begin to tell thee of Councels ancient Fathers and the Churches custome in all Ages answere him first that the three former are knowne to thee the Bible common at hand the Catechisme in thy remembrance and the consideration of such as are without difficultie but as for these three last great reading and learning and knowledge in Historie are required to vnderstand them well and to cite them truly They are for the best learned of the world and not for any of the common sort ordinarie men cannot iudge aright by them neither will any such presume to thinke such abilitie to be in them if they would take notice of diuers things concerning Councels Fathers and the Churches custome I. Touching Councels they must know that they are not only subiect to errour but also haue erred that they haue contradicted one another that some of them haue been carried by a strong faction that ancient Fathers would not rest euer vpon the sole authoritie of Councels that Papists themselues though they pretend them yet doe not wholly resigne their iudgement vnto them that there are some counterfeite and forged Councels and counterfeite Canons added
Looke beyond Luther OR AN ANSWERE TO THAT QVESTION SO OFTEN AND SO INSVLTINGLY PROPOSED BY our Aduersaries asking vs Where this our Religion was before Luthers time WHERETO ARE ADDED SOVND PROPS TO BEARE vp honest-hearted Protestants that they fall not from their sauing-faith BY RICHARD BERNARD OF Batcombe in Sommersetshire LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston and are to be sold by Edmund Weauer at his shop at the great North-doore of Pauls 1623. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Sir WALTER ERLE Sir CLEMENT COTTEREL KNIGHTS And to their vertuous Ladies euersoundnesse of Faith with the power of Religion and constancie in both most heartie wished Right Worshipfull I Should maruell to see any once professing the truth to turne from the light vnto darkenes from the true Worship and Religion of Christ to the superstition and idolatrie of Antichrist but that I read that our first Parents beleeued Satan before God that men loue darkenesse more then the light and that fornot louing the truth and delighting in vnrighteousnesse God giueth such ouer to beleeue lyes that they may bee damned Could it else otherwise be that so many in this so cleare light of Gods Gospel should fall away What haue our aduersaries now more to pleade for their cause then heretofore they haue had What can they now say which is not alreadie fully answered by our learned men They put out indeed new bookes new in regard of the writing and printing but the reasons one and the same in older written and printed bookes this is in shew a putting of more strength to vphold their ruinous building but not in substance yet thus they beguile the simple and vnstable-minded By many waies they seeke to deceiue and beguile people but especially by accusing our Religion of falshood and nouelty and affirming theirs to bee the true and most ancient faith in both which they speake very vntruely For touching this their present Religion as it differeth from ours and as it is Popery it is but a new vpstart Religion a patcherie of Iudaisme Paganisme and Heresie a Religion deuised by men and not hauing God for the Author How farre our Religion is from falshood and noueltie I haue here indeuoured to shew answering to that question so often propounded Where it was before Luthers time If any of our aduersaries or all of them together dare to goe plainely to worke for hitherto they haue not and first set downe ours and their accord wherein and how farre we and they in euery thing doe agree to cut off hereby all needlesse strife and contentions Secondly then truely and faithfully without equiuocall termes to deliuer their distinct differences from vs that so euery one may rightly discerne whereabout we do contend and what indeede their now present Religion is which we call Popery bing seuered from our common agreement Thirdly to bring these their differences to the due triall of Scriptures the common principles of Christianitie and the true writings of the ancient Fathers in the first Ages then will it clearely appeare to euery one of indifferent iudgement whether ours or theirs be the true Religion and whether ours or theirs be the false Church In the meane space till they proceede thus vprightly and sincerely I hope no Protestant in earnest will be insnared and catched by their deceites Let such as in the plentifull meanes of knowledge wilfully liue in ignorance or hauing knowledge liue lewdly without feare of God loue of truth and power of Religion be the prey for craftie Foxes for these be the fittest subiects for them to worke vpon and these only preuaile they with receiuing a iust punishment for their contempt of sauing knowledge or for their consciencelesse liuing contrary to their knowledge For there is no man of right vnderstanding and that makes conscience of his waies louing the truth walking humbly before his God being acquainted with Gods Word and praying for Gods direction that God either will giue ouer or that can in reason submit vnto this false Antichristian Church if he doe but seriously consider of such things as will worke if not an absolute condemnation yet a most iust suspition of her to be naught as first the vilifying of holy Scriptures locking them vp from the common people as if Gods Word were infectious Secondly her thrusting vpon the people her feigned traditions all besides and many of them against Scripture Thirdly the absurd and vnreasonablenesse of their Latine Seruice which the people vnderstand not Fourthly their idolatrous praying to Saints worshipping stockes and stones and reliques of the dead Fifthly their grosse conceit of Christs corporall presence in the Sacrament Sixthly the feigned miracles and notable coozenages therin found out here and in other Countries the boasting of them a farre off but not able to worke the like among vs. Seuenthly the shamelesse grosse belying of our doctrine and slandring the liues of our learned men as Luther Caluin Beza and others Eighthly the citing in defence of their Religion counterfeit Authors so knowne to be and so condemned to be by the learned on their owne side Ninthly the not permitting freely our bookes among them as wee doe theirs among vs. Tenthly the tying of the people to the Priests lippes and not permitting them to trie their doctrine as we doe The vniust curses dissembling practices and mercilesse cruelties vsed to vphold their Religion swearing for swearing by equiuocations ment all reseruations and Popes dispensations massacres and powder-plots and bloodie persecutions Twelfthly The auoyding of a free generall Councell to heare and determine our differences Who is he that shall consider of these things with iudgement but will suspect this Romish Church to be none of Christs Church if withal he adde hereto the consideration of the differences betweene the wisedome below by which that seate is guided which is earthly naturall sensuall deuilish and the wisdom from aboue by which Christs Church is guided which is pure peaceable gentle easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisie as Saint Iames writeth I doubt not but that you haue already considered of these premisses and that you are resolued that this is the true Religion and the good way wherein you walke euen the ancient Catholike and Apostolike veritie grounded vpon Scripture and the principles of Christianitie taught by the holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church and confirmed by the blood of blessed Martyrs My desire is that God would continue your loue with encrease of zeale towards the same more and more To this purpose are these my endeuors which I present vnto you praying your fauourable acceptance of my good meaning and hearty wel-wishes and worthie respect vnto your selues and to all that wish well to Sion and pray for the peace of Ierusalem God let them and you with yours to prosper which loue it Amen Your Worships in all Christian seruices to be commanded Richard Bernard Batcombe Sept. 26. Looke beyond Luther OR AN ANSWERE