doctrine were of such authoritie with you why did you shut vppe your eares from your Masters lessones If you betooke your selues to Armes through occasion of one sentence wrongfully vnderstoode or misconstrued why dyd ye not forsake the field for so many my exhortatiōs and notable exclamations to the contrary But go to Osorius bycause vnder the person of the Boores complaynte you do so vehemently wrest all this false suggestion of mischief agaynst me What if I deny your Assumpsit how will you be able to proue it perhappes by heare say amongest the clownes what of any that be liuyng or that be dead But when the poore clownes lyued and were drawen to execution tormented and stretched out vpon the rackes in which extremitie men are wont for the more part to vtter more thē they know If there were one so much of that whole rable muttered euer halfe a sillable of me such as your Carterlyke and senselesse Imagination hath deuised agaynst me I will willyngly yeld to this accusation of suspitiō But by your occasion say you this tumult might haue bene raysed easily So might the Blacke Moore chaūge his skinne And Osor. also might leaue his lyeng But all thynges are not by and by done that may be done But onward how proue you that it might haue bene so Bycause say you that God worketh all in all in vs accordyng to Luthers Assertion and we be instrumentes onely applyed and wrest with his handes hereupon followeth it therefore sithe God onely raysed vppe these tumultes and was the onely procurour deuisour and accomplisher of this sturre that the Boores of necessitie must be guiltlesse and innocēt hereof Go to And do ye suppose Osorius that these wordes were the whole seédeplotte of all this Rebellion what shall we say thē to that which we read in Paul That it is God that worketh all in all And agayne That worketh all according to the purpose of his will And in the Prophet Amos. There is no euill in the Citie that the Lord hath not done And agayne whē we heare on euery side aswell amongest the Prophetes as the Apostle That men are made blinde of God are deliuered ouer into a Reprobate mynde Why might not the Boores haue taken occasion of these wordes aswell as of myne Go to And what and if I had writtē these wordes also namely That it is in the power of our Freewill to dispose our selues whereunto we lyst either to make our selues earthen vessels or golden vessels in the house of the Lord would the Boores haue the sooner bene quieted for this cause And yet this is the generall proclamation of that notorious Seé of Rome dispersed throughout all Catholicke Nations the same doe all their Recordes and Canons noyse abroad wheresoeuer they crawle yea many yeares before Luther was borne and the very same also doth Osorius write at this day in Portingall and many other of the lyke fraternitie elles where what was there neuer any cōmotions therfore of the rude multitude before Luther was borne in Portingall none in Italy Germany Fraunce England Cycill other Nations Could this or any other portiō of Scripture or doctrine euē so bridle the affections of the vnruly but that they would at one tyme or other burst out into outragious extremities I adde moreouer Admit that my wordes beyng either misconceaued or misconstrued might suggest some matter of euill occasiō shall it be lesse lawfull therfore to beare testimony of the truth bycause there be some that are so beastly brutish that will mishandle the wordes and deédes of others be they neuer so well spoken By this reason away with the Bible bycause out of the same the most parte of heretiques haue sucked their poyson what dyd not Paule therfore not commende the Iustice of God aright by our vnrighteousnesse bycause there wanted not that would abuse his saying to occasion of euill Let vs doe euill say they that good may come thereby The auncient godly Christians were wont to assemble together and sing Psalmes before day light and to receaue the Sacrament of bread wyne Hereupon began rumours to be scattered abroad that the Christiās dyd worshyp the rysing of the Sunne dyd sacrifice to Ceres Bacohus And what hath bene so well spoken or established at any tyme that the peéuishenesse of peruerse and froward persons will not depraue◠if they lyst to pyke a quarell or slaunder the good wordes and well doynges of men The same came to passe with Augustine him selfe through the Pelagians who after had once brought in the name and commendation of grace hereupon forthwith they began to quarell with him as though he should affirme that men are made good by fatall Necessitie And agayne where he denyed that Grace was distributed accordyng to mēs deseruyngs this saying they gnawed at as though he should say That no endeuour ought to be looked for from the will of man contrary that saying in the Gospell where the Lord spake Aske and it shal be geuen you seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shal be opened vnto you for euery one that doth aske shall receaue c. And all this haue I debated with you euen as it were truth that your counterfaite imagination hath deuised to witte that I should be the originall of all that rebellious insolencie I come now to that pynche of my true defence Namely to deny that there is or euer was any Boore in all Germany that did euer Iustifie this slaunder agaynst me This was neuer the speéche of any Boore but the rude vnshamefastnesse of Osorius voyde of all matter of probabilitie to make me authour of all this mischief The very authour wherof if as yet you do not know and would fayne know him in deéde I will tell him you but briefly yet truly Osorius When Sathan perceaued that the kyngdome of your pride was ready to haue a fall and that the Romishe Prelate could now no longer mainteyne his erroneous sacriledges agaynst the glorious excellency of the gladsome Gospell he entred by a notable pollicie into this deuise vnder the pretence of the Gospell to tickle vppe madd braynes thereby to bryng the Gospell in obloquy and infamy the ouerthrow whereof he perceaued now past his compasse as the which he was now no longer able to withstand Then also vnlesse this lying Osorius had sett him selfe forth as an especiall Instrument of this wyly Serpent vpon whose shauen sconse not so much as a herebreadth may be founde growing of an honest or sober man ye would neuer haue so filthyly infamed the good reporte and credite of honest personages standyng in the defence of the Gospell with so many slaunderous lyes and cursed reproches If Luther should vse this or the lyke counterbuffe accordyng to the frankenes of his speéche agaynst your rusty clownish and illfauored false Diuinitie I do not aske what you could answere him agayne Osorius But I feare this rather least as he should not
thynges are construed The callyng of the Apostles was equall one maner of function amongest them all the authoritie indifferent one selfe same holy Ghost poured vpon eche of them at one tyme the promises generall the reward proportionall The which though I doe knit vp briefly makyng hast foreward yet if any man will behold euery seuerall parcell and withall enter into a deépe consideration of the most pure and vndefiled Church of Christ and his Apostles as he shall perceaue an enterchaūgeable communion in that strickte societie of Apostleshyp so shall he soundly iudge of that Monarchie and superioritie in possessiōs in giftes and other functions and all other priuiledges of dignitie especially That they were vtterly renounced of Peter and of all that sacred Brotherhood These former positions therefore beyng now thus well fenced your cutted Apishe Sophisme is cut of by the rumpe wherewith you conclude so ridiculously If it be euidēt say you yea more apparaūt then the sunne in mid-day that Peter was aboue all the other Apostles in superioritie of degree then is it most manifest that the same honour and preheminence in dignitie is due to all them that suceede him in place O leaddagger Argumēt in which what shall I blame first If Peter you say were a Prince It is all one forsooth as if this our holy father had wynges perhaps he would flye like a Wildgoose But admit that Peter were placed in Pontisicalibus as you would haue it though it be quyte contrary as I haue already proued But we will graunt it vnto you for a tyme. What will you gayne hereby That the same dignitie is due to the Successours wherfore I pray you The priuiledge of the person is not extended beyond the person And therefore if the Maiestie of Peter were peculiar to Peter euen so it ended in him selfe But if you had no leysure to learne the Ciuill Law can not common reason teache you that whatsoeuer priuiledge is geuen to one person alone may not bee translated to his successours vnlesse it bee limited by name But if these two crooches deceaue you come of and learne of our Sauiour Iesu Christ him selfe what kinde of superiority that was wherof Christ made mentiō to Peter Blessed art thou Symon Bariona for fleshe and bloud haue not reuealed this vnto thee but my father which is in heauen Thou art Peter c. Which wordes doe playnly conuince that flesh and bloud were not partakers of this promise nor that any especiall choise was made of the person of Peter but of his fayth and confession onely For God doth not accept the person of any man In like maner neither flesh nor bloud may challenge any succession in this promise whether it be Iuly Boniface or any other But the fayth and confession of Peter is the true succession of Peter For if his succession were due vnto personages then should this dignitie be oftentymes committed to Sorcerors and heretiques but this is altogether repugnaunt to the sacred institution of our Sauiour Christ to builde his Churche vpon so stinkyng a puddle Therfore cast away this your patched conclusion lame and haltyng of euery legge For without all question Peter obteined no such interest in Principalitie or if he did it was but in his confession of fayth onely And therfore can no man clayme any other succession as lineally from him vnlesse perhaps you may cōmaunde God to loue an Italian Prelate because he is borne in Italic better then an English or Spanish Byshop or that ye will locke fast the holy Ghost to the Citie of Rome But the Spirite will blow where him listeth and the tyme commeth and is euen now already come that neither in this Mount nor in Ierusalem nor in any appointed place God shall be worshipped God is a spirite and his true worshippers shall worship him in spirite and truth But will ye come nearer home harken to your own Doctour Ierome whose iudgement I haue here noted worthy surely to he engrauen in letters of gold If authoritie bee enquired for the world is greater then a Citie whersoeuer a Byshop be either at Rome or at Eugubium or at Rhegium or at Constantinople or at Alexandria all be together equall of like merite and of like Priesthoode The power of riches or basenes of pouertie maketh not a Byshop higher or lower They all are the successours of the Apostles wheresoeuer they sit and of what estate so euer they be c. To the same effect writeth Cyprian in these wordes The same thyng verely were the Apostles that Peter was endued with like partakyng of honour and power But the begynnyng first entered by vnitie to the entent that the vnitie of the Church might be shewed to be one Is it euen so Cypriā is this thy verdite that all the Apostles were endued with like partakyng of honour and power But you my Lord affirme cleane contrary That Peter was appointed chief of all the Apostles and that this is more manifest then the Sunne in midday and that hereunto agree the Scriptures auncient fathers and that generall cōsent of antiquitie Truly you speake many wordes but no mā besides your fraternitie will beleue you not of any pleasure of gaynesaying but bycause you alledge nothyng that may enduce to yeld And bycause you seéme somewhat tymorous of the successe of your Diuinitie in this deépe principall cause of Monarchie you catch hold fast of a Sophistical target That in the church wiche is but one ought to be one chief Ruler vpon whom all men may depende by whose authoritie troubles may be appeased and outragious opinions may be suppressed c. There is in deéde but one Church generally as there is but one confession of Christian fayth yet this generalitie of the Church is distributed into many particular congregatiōs as all Nations haue their seuerall administrations of Iustice. Now therefore as euery dominion is deuided into seuerall distinctions of gouernement so to euery particular Church are ordeined seuerall Pastours and yet in the meane whiles finde no lacke at all of your new vpstart Monarchie whereof was neuer question moued in the golden age of the primitiue church But you Reply with pretie poppet reasons That contentious can not bee calmed nor outrages suppressed except some one be ordeined chief and head of the Church This fonde distinction the common course of humaine actions doth vtterly extinguish For euery seuerall Prince doth gouerne his common weale with wholesome distinct ordinaunces and yet make not so great aduauncement of this stately Monarchy as you do phantastically dreame But perhappes this is neédefull in matters of Religion why I pray you more then in temporall regiments The gouernement of Rome it selfe for the singularitie wherof you play the champion wil minister examples vnto vs of either part Augustus was an honorable Emperour Vespasian indifferent but Caius Caligula and Nero were horrible monsters who did not onely
that huge lumpe of idle wordes scattered abroad by you euery where without reason or measure more then the necessitie of the cause will require After that you haue waded in your accustomed grosse rayling agaynst the lyfe of our preacheâ—s imputyng vnto them all maner of wickednesse where with your Sinagogue swarmeth most euidently you recite at the last certeine of my wordes vouched out of Augustine which be as followeth Augustine doth greuously coÌ„playne that in his tyme such a rabble of beggerly ceremonies did ouerwhelme the Churche of Christians that the estate of Iewes was much more tollerable Osorius affirmeth that I did neuer read this sentence in Augustine This is well I will cite Augustine his owne wordes which are these For although it can not bee founde how they are agaynst the fayth yet doe they ouerwhelme Religion it selfe which the mercy of God willed to be freély exercised vnder a very fewe most euident Sacramentes with seruile burdens That the estate of the Iewes is much more tollerable who though knew not the tyme of libertie were subiect onely to the ordinaunces of the law and not to mens constitutions What say you haue I not cited Augustine truly doth he not speake the same and in the selfe same wordes playnly that I speake doth hee not render a reason also why the state of the Iewes was more tollerable in ceremonies then ours which beyng coÌ„fessed is not your ignoraunce linked with singular vnshamefastnes manifestly conuinced deny it if you can may rather bycause you can not yeld to the truth in the open light For manifest lyers are not to be winked at though they bee Byshops In lyke maner you be ouerseéne in that godly Father Ierome who requiryng all persons to searche the Scriptures and to learne them you would notwithstandyng coyne vs out of the same Ierome a contrary doctrine Bycuase he wrate vnto Paulinus that certeine persons hauing no vnderstandying nor being commendable in coÌ„uersation of lyfe did handle the Scriptures to licenciously In whiche speach of yours what would you haue vnderstoode els but that certeine wicked persons doe abuse the benefite of the Scriptures wherof no wise maÌ„ doth doubt You are ouerseéne therfore Ierome that will so foolishly and so wyde from the matter obiect Ierome agaynst hym selfe If you seéke to be further satisfied herein peruse Chrisostome who hath written of the same matter so much and so plentyfully as nothyng can bee more copious and more manifest I praysed Basile and besides him also those later Monckes which obserued Basiles rules as men that suffred lest losse Osorius denyeth it and affirmeth that we doe not contend with men but with chastitie it selfe What say you dotterell how happeneth that you rehearse the name of chastitie whereof I made no mention at all And with what face do you make our Nation guiltie of monstruous and barbarous crueltie as though it employed her whole endeuour to the rootyng out of chastitie from out our coastes whereas that kynde of sauagenes can not be seéne amongest the Turkes You proue it by the example of certeine Charterhouse Monckes forsooth whiche were worthely executed for hygh treasoÌ„ about xxx yeares past If those men say you would haue yelded to the wicked decrees of mariage then should they haue bene acquited of all other punishment As though the estate of Wedlocke were in any Realme accoumpted a punishment or as though we did constrayne Monckes to marry Wiues agaynst their willes or as though this most impudent father and shamelesse Byshop caÌ„vtter any thing in word or deéde sensibly When as he bealcheth out such foolish and filthy speaches agaynst our common weale beyng so voyde of all credite and truth as hauing no droppe of any probabilitie at all But let vs heare what a worthy conclusion this deépe wise man hath brought for his Lurdeines those mockemonckes But admit sayth hee that the greater part of them were full of all filthynes was it therfore forth with necessarie to suppresse the whole order First of all you doe notably defend your order which you confesse was full of all vice Then we deny that we subuerted any order but that those disorderous runneagates were reduced to the commoÌ„ societie of subiectes their own commoditie by meanes of our wholesome Statutes and Lawes In deéde traytours were executed accordyng to their desert as belonged to equitie The rest we remoued from their stinckyng Smynestyes defiled with all lazynes and fithynes deliuered whole and Iustie to publicke labour and exercise to prouide so for their liuyng accordyng to brotherly charitie But in the meane space say you they forsooke their orders of Dominicke and Benedicte Barnarde and Frauncisce of whom Portingall hath many perfect professours Let Portingall reteine such Ioselles a Gods name We hold our selues contented with that heauenly Oracle whiche was heard from heauen Thou art my welbeloued sonne in whom I am well pleased Him doe we attende vpon we harken vnto his Prophetes and Apostles and withall do performe our profession in Baptisme as farre forth as the frayltie of mans nature will permit other teachers other rules other orders we neither esteéme nor admit So do we also feéle and throughly know your superstitious vanitie herein You do inueigh bytterly agaynst me bycause I do compare our later Deuines in all maner of commeÌ„dation to the auncient fathers and herein you turmoyle your selfe wonderfully You shoote at randone my Lord. I do not make comparison betwixt them nor euer thought to compare them together and therefore you striue here in vayne and your whole Turkish eloquence is not worthe a straw My meanyng was to declare that the auncient Fathers did agreé with out Deuines And for examples sake I noted specially some common places reseruyng the rest for more conuenient place bycause all can not be expounded at once Ouerthrow this my course if you can but abuse not your tyme nor myne nor the Readers with such friuolous lyes nor seéme to be ouer eloquent where you haue no aduersary You are highly offended bycause I prayse Luther Let not this couÌ„ber you I will prayse him for a very prayse worthy man so will all the posteritie also and his studious trauaile in the enlargyng of the Gospell will remaine to that worldes end to his euerlastyng renowme though you and such as you are chaufe and fume neuer so much agaynst him And yet I thinke there be few like vnto you besides that durty pigge of Angrence your sweéte cabbemnate resemblyng you as it seémeth in nature and maners nearest But as to that you accuse Luther as authour of the vprores in Germany herein you reporte a manifest vntruth for no man did more earnestly defend all obedience due to the Magistrates and higher powers then Luther Whereas you adde hereunto the tumultes in Sueuya You do erre therein more then childishly where as the Switzers are farre vnlike vnto him in nature in situatioÌ„ in maners and
in discipline You accuse him also as a rayler agaynst Princes amongest whom you name the Emperour our famous Henry of worthy memory and George Duke of Saxone You do helye him in Caesar impudeÌ„tly for Luther did reuerence him most humbly In deéde he did mainteine the cause of the Gospell agaynst our kyng and somewhat sharpely confuted his Epistle written agaynst him at the first whom afterward beyng amended and reformed in doctrine hee embraced most louyngly and aduaunced with all kynde of honorable title LoÌ„g tyme he instructed George Duke of Saxone with most sweéte aduertisementes perswaded him called vpon hym with incessaunt prayers and Supplications But after the Duke had hard harted him selfe and waxed insolently obstinate in all thynges nor would make any ende of spoyling and turmoyling Gods people Lurther beholdyng the lamentable ruine of his Christian brethren round about him did bitterly inueighe agaynst that trayterous outrage of Duke George induced thereunto by the example of the holy Prophets agaynst the Princes of Iuda â— and of Iesu Christ our Sauior agaynst Herode the Tetrarche At the last you conclude That all Luthers preachyngs did tende to prouoke the people to sedition O shamelesse touÌ„g How would you delude vs if no man had read Luthers bookes but your selfe how would you abuse our age in heapyng lyes vpon lyes if we had no witnesse agaynst you when as Luther left behynde him as many pledges of Christian humilitie as he wrote bookes No man more constantly mainteined the authoritie of Magistrates no maÌ„ did more often inculcate more plentyfully preach more vehemently Imprinte more earnestly exact Christian obedience then he did His writyngs are extaunt liuely and florishyng and will with a whole searyng yron of detractioÌ„ marke you for a backbiter to your euerlasting reproch That was a great and manifest errour that I made but here ensueth a greater farre more horrible agaynst renowmed Princes notable common weales yea in matters of high treason by the which as by degreés this reuerend Prelase aduaunceth his shamelesse and execrable vanitie so much that all men may iudge him not onely to haue forgotten all truth and modestie but also vtterly abandoned the same This matter hee affirmeth to be most apparaunt that Lewes kyng of Hungarie and a great multitude of Christians were slayne in battell through the folly and wickednes of Luther and that hereof ensued the Conquest of Buda by the Turkishe Emperour O venemous toung to bee detested of all men that haue any loue of the truth or regard of humanitie Can you doubt or be ignoraunt of this most peruerse dissembler that this lamentable death of the king and the losse of Buda came by the onely outragious vnmeasurable rashnes of that cowled prelate Tomorraeus Archb. of Tholosse Which had so bewitched the people with hautie arrogaunt preachyng that they rushed out headlong with a small and weake handfull agaynst an huge hoste and inuincible power of Solyman in so much that after the Conquest Solyman him selfe could not keépe countaunce but smilingly scorned the insolencie of the Hungarians which had so vnaduisedly yelded into his hands their kyng to be slayne their kyngdome to be spoyled Is not this true do ye not know it perfectly Doth not Paulus Iouius your chief a counsell report this story parcell meale yea euery title therof was euer any man besides you so franticke as to charge Luther therewith The place it selfe doth conuince you wherein at that tyme scarse any Lutheran had set any footyng The tyme doth confute you for Luthers name was as yet scarsely knowen The circumstaunces of the History doe condemne you whiche doe cry out agaynst that Monkishe Archbyshop of Tholosse for that pityfull losse lamentable effusion of Christian bloud as I haue declared before out of Paulus Iouius But it is no maruell if hee can so franckely coyne a lye agaynst a Region so farre distant from vs when as hee spareth not to presse vpon vs Englishmen here in English with a most exectable lye For hee affirmeth that Edward the sixt our Royall kyng of famous memory was haynously poysoned in his Childhode O monstruous beast can you beyng a Portingall borne so impudently diffame our Region with the horrible crime without all likely or probable proofe now that sweÌ„tie yeares he spent and gone when as no sober or discreét English man did euer conceaue any such thought in his mynde The Phisitians reported that he dyed of a consumption The same was affirmed by the Groomes of his priuy Chamber whiche did keépe coÌ„tinuall watch with the sicke kyng All his subiectes did beleue it for a confessed truth Neither could your slaunderous Fable haue bene blowen abroad but amongest tattlyng women foolishe children and such malicious English loselles like vnto you nor yet could this rotten vnfauorie cauill haue had any discreét Authour had it not bene whispered into that Asse head of Osorius He coupleth hereunto Caesar who he saith was betrayed and destroyed by treason Truely Caesar did not onely pursue but also vanquishe the Germaines chasing them in Germanie with a great army of Spanish and Italian souldiours The which ouerthrow the Germaines shooke of as well as they might But the last warres raysed by Maurice what they purported and what successe they tooke I will passe ouer nor will blame in the dead whom I confesse a victorious Emperour when hee lyued He ioyneth Queene Mary a Princesse that raigned very lately and her also auoweth to haue bene destroyed with poyson Who euer beleéued or reported this but you railyng Scorpion All the English Nation and all other StrauÌ„gers that were then in England will manifestly reproue condemne this your malicious and shamelesse impudencie There raunged at that tyme a certeine outragious burnyng feauer which infected all the estates in the Realme and amoÌ„gest the rest shortned the liues of the richest and most honorable personages at what tyme Queéne Mary in many things most commendable after a few monethes dyed of the same disease In like maner Cardinall Poole an excellent learned maÌ„ beyng sicke of a quartan departed this world the same tyme. You demaunde of meâ—ery malaâ—ertly as if the matter were manifest and confessed whether I vnderstode any thyng of that conspiracie wherewith most wicked men practized the destruction of Queene Mary and Cardinall Poole Ueryly I do simply confesse that there was neuer any such matter spoken writteÌ„ fayned or surmised vnlesse by some such madde dogges as your selfe which hauyng els nothyng to snarle at do barcke and houle at the cloudes moone and starres and many tymes at their owne shadowes You tell vs a tale of some flying vapours and drousie dreames Osorius imagined in that rotten mazer of yours when you clatter out such matters whereof neither I or any man els euer heard or could heare one word except he might chaunceably light vpoÌ„ some Synon of Osorius trayning that could with most
enough and is busied about heaueÌ„ly thyngs and godly coÌ„templation Truly this your speach doth not describe vnto vs any godly Moncke but either some notorius hypocrite or happely some drunkard or some one distraught of his wittes For why should his senses be ouerwhelmed at the namyng of God They should rather be liuely and ioyfull Wherfore should he fall to the ground on the deuils name if he were a true Christian he should rather rayse him selfe vp and reioyce in him from whom onely commeth all saluatioÌ„ How chaunceth this holy father that you an old man a Byshop a Deuine of so great estimation are so fallen to Fables Certes a meéte aduocate for so monishe a matter You demauÌ„de of me why we suffered our MoÌ„ckeries to escape vnpunished if there were such licentiousnes of lyfe amongest them How did they escape vnpunished good Syr we ouerthrew their durtie dennes The Brothelles them selues beyng bondslaues to all vnthriftynes we haled out of their swynestyes set a libertie we did abolish the occasioÌ„s of their treachery as much as we might not hatyng that persoÌ„s but their vyces when their vyce was rooted out what els might haue bene exacted not of you onely who blinded with malice know nothyng but of any other reasonable person To this dauÌ„ce you hauge the Uestale virgines whom the auÌ„cient Romanes reuereÌ„ced greatly so in lyke maner require our Nunnes to be honored of vs. Surely you handle this matter very kindly Salij Priestes of Mars did dauÌ„ce naked in their opeÌ„ filthy Pageantes for this was a speciall Article of their Religion why then do not you likewise beyng an old priest thinke it as seémely for you to daunce for Religion sake Herein I may seéme to scoffe ouer bytterly No truely For what can be lesse tollerable then an old grayheaded Byshop and a Deuine as he persuadeth him selfe to march with the madde superstitioÌ„s of the Romaines agaynst the veritie of the Gospell of our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ You turmoyle your selfe much about the vowes of widowes which doth not coÌ„cerne our disputation and argue as though virgines vowyng chastitie could not bee ioyned in lawfull mariage without great haynousnesse How can men or maydens promise single life or if they promise rashly how can they performe truly when as chastitie is the peculiar gift of God and is not in our own power Get you to S. Paule whom you produce in your behalfe touchyng the same matter These be his wordes But euery man hath his proper gift of God one after this maner and an other after that What can be alledged more manifest then this If you be not yet satisfied annexe hereunto our Sauiour Christ and withall his owne wordes touchyng Eunuches wherein you triumph so Iollylye bycause that our Lord Iesus reported that some did geld them selues for the kyngdome of heauen Is not this also added a litle before He that can take it let him take it all men can not conceaue this saying but those to whom it is geuen Wherefore if chastitie be the proper gift of God we may not assure to our selues the thyng that is the proper gift of God And if none can be chast but to whom it is geueÌ„ how can we promise to our selues that which we know not whether we shall euer attaine or no Great is the force of the truth greater then this our great Maister of Israell can coÌ„prehend And howsoeuer he lyst to iangle here he confesseth the same a litle before in expresse wordes that chastitie is the gift of God as in deéde it is And for proofe therof vrgeth the same wordes of Christ mentioned before namely All men can not compreheÌ„d this saying but vnto whom it is geuen I maruell much Osorius that you haue so quickely forgotten your selfe But I ought not maruell thereat bycause of a very greédy affection to cauill an â—rabble you rush headlong many tymes into most pestilent errours You accuse Luther Bucer Zuinglius Oecolampadius Caluin and Martyr of lust As though men liued not chastly which hold them selues within the limittes of lawfull Matrimonie or as though all the Cowled droues of Sophisters aswell of your Nation as of any part of the world els were comparable with these godly fathers in commendable conuersatioÌ„ of life or excellencie of learnyng or as though the namyng of those persons made your cause any myte that better or as though Paule whom you do wrest and peruert for the mainteynaunce of your single lyfe did not sufficiently interprete him selfe or as though there were any thyng in you besides arrogancie cauillyng and choler You moue a very saucie question of Christian libertie Whether the same appeare greater in your Cowled generations then in maryed folkes I aunswere that the pure Eunuches whom God hath endued with the gift of chastitie do enioy most excellent freédome of mynde but the question coÌ„cerneth not those persons in this place But the rest of your mocke Eunuches haue no freédome of mynde except you lift to tearme it a wicked fréedome an horrible libertie to whoredome Neither am I alone of this iudgement for that were of no credite Paule is of the same mynde Who hauyng sayd It is good for a man not to touch a wife immediatly addeth But for auoyding fornication let euery maÌ„ haue his owne wife and thereof presently rendreth this reason For better it is to marry then to burne The first part of this senteÌ„ce you vrge very stoutly Osorius but the later you doe wickedly wincke at But we may not halt so bycause as Paule sayth we goe the right way to the Gospell not haltyng as you do But halt you as ye lift dissemble still wincke still at the horrible actions of your cowled Lurdeines yet is this true yea to true alas that these hypocriticall professours of chastitie doe not burne onely but swell also and are enflamed with insaciable firebrandes of Lecherie And it is not a whiueryng voyce of a vow bloweÌ„ out in respect of gayne or idlenes that can very easely quenche suppresse in the myndes of young persons those intollerable flames of naturall corruptioÌ„ There be great droues nay rather vnmeasurable herdes of your drousie Uotaries to be so bold as to coyne a new name for a new thyng whose poysoned filthynesse hath so defiled the earth that they may with horrible feare looke for Gods iust terrible vengeaunce to bee poured vpon them with Gomorrhean and Sodomiticall brimstone and fire heauen vnlesse they repent be tymes You do reproche Luther with his Mariage and slaunderously rayle that at the celebratyng thereof Venus was President not Venus of Paphia nor Erycina but Venus the furie of hell O vncleane mouth Dare you so blasphemously rayle agaynst the estate of Matrimonie commeÌ„ded with so glorious titles as which the holy Ghost commaunded to be honorable amongest all persons whiche our Lord Iesus Christ did honor with his presence which was ordeined of God
any good workes How know you this to bee true For I am assured that in Porting all and in Spayne good prouiso is made that no maÌ„ be so hardy to touch any of Luthers bookes if you referre your Assertion to England or Germany I doe not a litle marueile how this monstruous Spynx can cast his eyes ouer so many Seas so many high mountaines and so great distauuce of Countreys and so curiously behold the lyues of men and prye so precisely into their maners vnlesse some Phebus haue cloured vpon this Mydas head not the eares of Osorius but the eares of some lolleared Asse in the truncke wherof he may catche euery blast whatsoeuer any where blowen abroad or deuised in secrete through the reportes of whisperyng Talebearers like a credulous soole beleue the same forthwith But howsoeuer those Lutheranes in EnglaÌ„d and in Germany do exercise them selues in no good workes it goeth very well in the meane tyme with Porting all and Spayne that men lyue there holy and Angellike For I do beleue surely that men in those Countreys do so glytter in sinceritie of life and brightenes of vertues that their very shadowes do shyne in the darke and glyster more lyke Aungels then men that they are such men as plante their feéte no where but that they leaue behynd theÌ„ a certeine wonderfull fragrant sauour of modestie curtesie singular chastitie so make the very heauens in loue with their puritie sweétenes of their vertues But goe to Osorius tell vs at the length a good fellowshyp what the cause should be that such as doe geue eare to Luther will not apply them selues to doe good workes Truely I suppose that bycause he teacheth that meÌ„ are Iustified in the sight of God by fayth onely and not by workes therfore it must be an infallible consequent That whosoeuer attende to Luthers doctrine will forthwith abandone all thought to lyue vertuously and yeld him selfe carelesly ouer to all idlenesse and filthynesse As though with honest and well disposed persons fatherly clemencie shall cause the children to be sluggish to do their duties or as though the voyce of mercy doth at once vtterly abolish all Morall vertues To what ende therefore doth Christ so much not commende vnto vs that fatherly affection in the mercyfull father mentioned in the Gospell towardes his prodigall sonne but also painte him out vnto vs for an example if that doctrine of the freé mercyfulnesse of God be not true or if it be true that it ought not therefore be published bycause many vnchast and corrupt persons will abuse the same Nay rather why ought net the truth of God of greater reason be generally and openly preached for the necessary comfort of the godly Neither behoueth vs to be inquisitiue how much this doctrine doth worke in certeine particular men but rather to know how true this doctrine is of it selfe And accordyng as we doe finde the same to be true and constant so to preach the same accordyng to the capacitie of the hearers But Osorius doth vrge vs agayne with threé Argumentes chiefly as it were with a threé square battell lyke a threé headed Cerberus doth rushe vpon Luther with threé sondry assautes attemptyng to proue by his Logicke that this Luther of whom we speake doth exâ—irpe and roote out all vertue honestie and godly endeuour First by his disablyng of workes secondly through desperation of honestie thirdly by Confidence of false righteousnesse In threé wordes as it were threé lyes And first of all touchyng Desperation and CoÌ„fidence I thinke we haue spoken enough before where we haue so proued both to be falsely imputed to Luther as that we doe yet acknowledge them both in Luther For Luther doth describe CoÌ„fidence but the same which is the true Confidence he teacheth also Desperation I confesse it but the same very comfortable And therein teacheth nothyng els but the same that the EuaÌ„gelistes and Apostles haue alwayes taught For what can be more true and assureâ— Confidence or more comfortable Desperation or more â—onson unt with the Gospell of Iesu Christ and his Apostles then that we beyng in full dispaire of the righteousnesse of our owne workes doe shroude our selues wholy vnder the mercy of Christ and in his freé bounty and elemency That is to say not in workes whiche the grace of Christ hath wrought in vs but for vs As touchyng the brablyng that he maketh about the despising of good workes by what Logicke will hee proue his cauillatioÌ„ And now pause here a whiles good Reader note the passing pearcyng witte nurtured not in the Schoole of Stoicke Philosophy but nooseled by rather I suppose in some swynesty Luther doth strippe our merites and workes naked froÌ„ all Confidence Ergo Luther rendeth in peeces the very sinewes of all godlines setteth at nought and vtterly abolisheth all the efficacie and dignitie of good workes And though Osorius haue not placed his wordes after this order yet the bent of his conclusion tendeth to the same effect For what did Luther els in all his writynges and Sermons but cut of all hope of workes and so by that meanes allure vs to take ankerhold in the onely ayde helpe of the Mediatour if this be the waye to choake vp vertue and to bury her vnder grouÌ„de I confesse that Luther was an abolisher of vertue and S. Paule also as well as he But Osor. doth many tymes deny this Assertion of the Lutherans to be true that our righteousnes hope of our saluation so depeÌ„deth vpoÌ„ Christ as that the same should be Imputed to vs of God accouÌ„ted our own by ImputatioÌ„ through fayth onely For he supposeth this way to be ouer easie and that it will hereof come to passe that no man wil be carefull studious or desirous to accomplish any good worke In deéde I thinke Osorius is of the mynde of many persons whiche vnlesse be continually beaten pricked foreward lyke dull Oxen with goades and cudgels will neuer yeld their bodies to labour but forced as it were with threatenynges and stripes are drawen to the yoke quyte agaynst their willes But this neuer happeneth in natures of mylde and good disposition but rather the contrary so as by leâ—â—ie and remembrauÌ„ce of receaued benefites they are rather encouraged chearefully to doe their duties The bountifulnesse of almighty God is not to be measured after the proportion of mans imagination Neither ought we regarde how the wicked doe interprete thereof but rather what Christ doth coÌ„maunde to be preached how much the will of God will permitte and what thynges true discipline will allow of I know that there hath bene euer great store and that we shall neuer want to great a number of that sorte of people which will wickedly abuse all thynges that otherwise of their owne nature ought chiefly bee embraced Neither is it reason to defraude vertuous personages of their right for the abuses of
with the Gospell the persons with the thynges them selues righteousnesse of fayth with righteousnesse of workes neither noteth which are the naturall causes of the thynges nor which are the proper effectes of the causes but disguiseth the causes vnder title of effectes and effectes likewise misturneth into causes For where as workes are properly the effectes of fayth neither are of their owne nature good nor can be esteémed for good but through Iustification goyng before yet our Osorius frameth his discourse as though the chief and especiall bullwarke of all our righteousnesse were built wholy vpoÌ„ workes And that which he readeth in Scriptures shall come to passe accordyng to workes the same forthwith he coÌ„cludeth to be done for the workes sake as though heauen were now a due reward for our trauaile and labours not the gift of grace as though they do worke might clayme it as due dette for their workes sake and were not rather promised to them that beleue for the Sonne the Redeémer his sake But we haue discoursed enough vpon this matter it remaineth that we pursue the tracke of the rest of his disputation And bycause we haue spoken sufficiently as I suppose of the one of those two propositions which he calleth false and whereof hee hath accused Luther to be the Authour Let vs now fyritte out the other and seé what vermine it is and how it is able to defende it selfe First of all whereas Luther hath noted this saying to be the chief piller and foundation of Christian doctrine That no man ought to ascribe the meane of his Saluation in any thyng els then in the onely fayth of Iesus Christ afterwardes he proceédeth to the other pointe That the fruites of good workes are engendred and doe issue from this fayth euen as the fruite is engendred of the roote of a good treé and that workes doe follow fayth of necessitie none otherwise then as a fertile treé budding out first his greéne leafe and beautifull blossome doth at the last by course and force of nature bryng forth fruite The sentence Osorius iudgeth to be haynous in no wise sufferable and yet in the meane tyme denyeth not but that good workes do follow fayth But he cryeth out with an opeÌ„ mouth this to be false that good workes doe follow Luthers fayth But it is well yet that we heare in the meane whiles that good workes are engendred out of Fayth but in no wise out of Luthers fayth I would therfore learne of you Osorius out of whose Fayth good workes doe proceéde Forsooth my fayth sayth hee is not Luthers nor Haddones fayth if he bee Luther Scholer herein Come hither Osorius a good fellowshyp that I may stroke the smoath shauelyng of yours a whiles Truely I can not choose but all to beloue you and beleue you also when you speake the truth for I I suppose that the Oracle of Apollo can bee no more true then this Oracle is that workes doe follow your fayth as you say They follow in deéde apasse in great clusters And bycause ye vouchsafe not your selfe to expresse vnto vs what kynde of workes those are it shall not greéue me to do so much in your behalf And yet what neéde I make proclamatioÌ„ of them whenas your owne bookes do so aboundauntly and manifestly vtter the same as that no man can be so blynd or deafe but he must neédes seé heare them What art thou desirous Reader to haue described vnto theé as it were in a painted Table what blossoms this pregnaunt fayth of Osorius doth shewe forth Peruse his writynges and his bookes especially those Inuectiues compiled agaynst Luther Haddon Was euer man in this world that hath heaped together so many lyes vpon lyes hath compacted so many blasphemies and slaunders hath vttered so many errours hath euer by writyng or practize imagined expressed vomited out so many tauntes reproches madde wordes vanities cursinges bragges follies and Thrasonicall crakes so much rascallike scoldyng mockes doggishe snarllyng as this beast hath brayed out in this one booke wherein you shall neuer finde Luther once named but coupled together with some title of reproche as outragious fraÌ„ticke or madde If those trimme monuments of your gay workes do cleaue as fast to your dayly conuersatioÌ„ as they are ryfe to be founde euery where in your bookes and the testimonies of your witte I Appeale to the iudgement of the indifferent Reader what consideration may bee had of that your fayth which whelpeth out vnto vs such a monstruous lytter For if a good â—â—â—â—growyng vpon a sounde roote do not commonly bryng forth fruites vnlike to the stocke And if children doe vsually represent their progenitours in byrth in some lineamentes of personage resemblaunce of maners or other applyable feature of Nature for the Gleade as the Prouerbe is doth not hatche forth Piggeons it must surely follow of necessitie that either your workes whereof you vaunt your crest do by no meanes follow your fayth or els we must neédes adiudge you a man scarse of any fayth at all And therefore to aunswere briefly to those glorious vauntes whiche you make touching workes that follow your faith and not Luthers fayth if you meane those workes which I haue rehearsed I will gladly agreé with you but if your meanyng tende to good workes truly your owne writynges will without any other witnes condemne you for a great lyar But go ye to Let vs allow this vnto you which you require to be graunted that is to say That your Fayth doth necessaryly drawe after it good deédes as the Southeast wynde doth draw along the cloudes yet what should be thestoppell in the meane space to barre good deédes from Luthers or Haddones fayth more then from yours Bycause say you fayth commeth by hearyng and hearyng by the word of God I do acknowledge this a very Catholicke maxime a sentence meéte for a true Christian. But I wonder what monster these mouÌ„taines will bryng forth at the last But Luthers fayth commeth not of hearyng for hee doth not heare the wordes of Christ. What wordes I pray you and where are they writteÌ„ Forsooth where Christ as he sayth doth promise euerlastyng life to them that Repente and doth man ace hell and destruction to them that are impenitent Where is this Seéke it Reader And bycause Luther doth not heare those wordes of Christ. Ergo his fayth commeth not by hearyng and therefore yeldeth no fruites of good workes but starke bryers brambles onely Go to And what doth your fayth in the meane space Osorius Let vs heare what grapes it produceth But my fayth sayth he that is to say the faith of holy Church whenas it coÌ„senteth to the wordes of Christ And whenas also Christ hym selfe doth threaten destruction to the impenitent sinners this fayth therfore wherewith I doe beleue these wordes of Christ causeth me to be repentaunt What do I heare Osorus why what neédeth repentaunce
now sithence this vpstarte wrestler is skipt ouer the old barriers and hath catcht the collers in hand may any man doubt but that the whole force of the Enemy beyng vtterly discomsited and compelled to fleé the field the Maiestie of Freéwill hauyng bene long tyme wounded and weakened with greéuous maladie yea and through feéblenesse euen yeldyng vp the ghost shall presently recouer health stand vpon her feéte and be strong For this lusty gallaunt disdayneth to encounter as Bythus did sometyme with Bacchius or as Ecerinus with Pacidianus or as Hercules agaynst two or as Horarius agaynst threé brethren at once or with one man hand to hand onely but of valiaunt courage challengeth the field agaynst foure choise and tryed souldiours at one choppe together to witte Luther Melancthon Bucer Caluine Yea with them also agaynst the whole armye of Lutheranes Agaynst whom neuerthelesse if Osorius durst haue cast his gloue when they liued amongest vs or if they were present now to aunswere the challenge and defende the cause no doubt the iustie crakes of proude Iacke bragger would carry but a small coūtenaunce to moue the godly to be displeasaunt withall But as to rake the dead out of their graues and to pike quarell agaynst ghostes and spirites is the common guise of euery rascall varlet so to the discreét and well disposed hath it bene accompted most filthy and contemptuous yea most to be abhorred in our Osorius at this present who in all this his discourse of Freéwill alledgyng no one thyng agaynst them but that whiche in their writynges and bookes is fully aunswered and satisfied yet as though they had made no aunswere at all crawleth hee foreward neuerthelesse patchyng together his rotten and motheaten trumperie wherein neither is any thyng of his owne inuētion nor any new stuffe but that he hath somewhat furbushed the old rusty Argumentes of other raynebeaten souldiours with a fresh glaze of raylyng and slaunderous tearmes like the foolish Choughe attiryng him selfe wholy with the feathers of other Fowles and in this respect also more vyle and lothsome That where the other doe in their arguyng make a certeine shew of some reason vouched either out of Scriptures or of Doctours wrongfully wrested but he for the more part doth so frame his discourse rather to the accusing of men then to the discussing of the controuersie and doth so handle his matters as one hauyng regarde rather to the persons agaynst whom hee quarelleth then to the cause which ought to haue bene discouered by him The man is fully persuaded that Freewill ought to be mainteyned by all meanes possible But what the will or choyse of mā is what thyng is freé or not freé in the will of man what is necessary and what difference is betwixt freé and necessary and how many maner of wayes necessary to be taken he doth neither discouer by definition nor distinguishe by Argument nor deuide by partition nor doth declare what diuersitie and difference ought to be betwixt braunche and braunche Many sondry persons before him haue stoutely maynteined the quarell of Freewill yea with no lesse courage then they would haue done if the state of their countrey had bene in hazard In the same quarell long sithence the Celestines and Pelagians kept a great sturre agaynst Augustin Amōgest many others of late yeares wrate chiefly Roffensis and Eckius agaynst Luther Cardinall Pighius hath stuffed vp tenne Inuectiues full agaynst Caluine Likewise many others haue written agaynst Melancthon agaynst Bucer and others All which albeit preuayled very litle agaynst the truth yet to the end they might the more easily deceaue vnder a certeine visour of the truth they did shuffle amōgest their owne writynges many sentences of the Scriptures and many also of the most approued Doctours After all these our Osorius intendyng to vphold Freewill beyng in great ieopardie to perish what doth he what bryngeth he what vttereth he at length elles but certeine simple croppes scattered here and there in the fieldes of holy Scriptures which he hath gleaned together and wretchedly misordereth to make his Assertions get some credite yet nothyng auayleable to his purpose God knoweth In the meane whiles he citeth not one world so much out of the autenticke monumentes of the auncient Authours nor out of Augustine who was altogether busied in decydyng this controuersie and by whom he ought chiefly haue bene guided in this cause either bycause he hath practised other sciences and read nothyng of this writer or els bycause he is wicked and craftely dissembleth the thynges whiche he hath read And yet all this notwithstandyng this our Portingall champion so carrion leaue in the knowledge of Scriptures altogether disfournished of Doctours persuadeth him selfe to be man good enough if it may please the Muses to beare the whole brūt of the battell in the behalfe of Freewill against freély Luther Melancthon Bucer and Caluine not with mayne strength onely but euen with a proude Portingall looke But go to bycause we will not protract any long tyme with the Reader in wordes purposing to wrestle somewhat with Osorius herein Let vs approche to the marke And bycause the whole force of his communication seémeth to tend to this end to accuse men rather then to open any matter worthy to be learned and for as much he obserueth no order in teachyng in accusing ne yet in disputyng but beyng violently whirled and carried as it were in some forcible whirlewinde of accusation raūgeth the field without Iudgement and out of all aray and after a certeine confused maner of talke doth wrappe vp and mingle all thynges togethers as it were vnder one confused heape we on the contrary part will to temper our aunswere that as neare as the matters will permit we may dispose in some reasonable frame the chief pillers and Arguments of his accusation which him selfe hath set downe most disorderly And therefore in my simple conceite the whole substaunce of all his accusation whatsoeuer may bee gathered into foure or fiue principall places chiefly whiche he seémeth to finde fault with all most in Luthers doctrine as matters full of absurditie and which he obiectagayust Luther in this wise First that Luther affirmeth that there is no freé choyse or freédome in the will of man That all thyngs haue their begynnyng through absolute and vnanoydeable necessitie That impossible thynges are commaunded by God That men are damned for the thynges which they commit not of their owne freé and voluntary motion but compelled by fatall necessitie That God is to be taken for the originall and Authour of all mischief and wickednesse For into these few places as in a short Cataloge may be deuided all whatsoeuer is comprehended in this huge masse of Osorius Inuectiues Which beyng in this wise placed it remaineth that we frame our aunswere to euery of them particularly as oportunitie and place shall offer them in the discourse and so to purge and wash away as
ioue Peace yea and mainteyne Peace amongest them selues yet good men onely good Syr haue not Peace alone How glorius acceptable a thyng soeuer Peace is accoumpted to be in her owne nature yea though it be chiefly embraced and hadd in greatest price with good men Yet is not Peace alwayes and altogether conuersaunt amongest good men onely nor the entoyeng of Peace alone doth make men to be good For there is a certeyne Peace amongest the wicked Yea Pirates Theéues Robbers haue their certeine Peace and agreément in willes Neither is it to be doughted but that false Catholiques and such like heretiques haue their seuerall Conuenticles and peacyble bandes of concorde and consent euē as the false Apostles and false Prophetes had in tymes past They that worshypped the Golden Calfe and they that conspired took counsell agaynst the Lord cryeng Crucifige agaynst him did represent a certeine forme of the Churche and were firmely knitte together in mutuall Peace and agreément of myndes If it be an haynous matter to dissolue the bandes of Peace and knittyng together of fellowshyppes concluded and determined vpon for euer occasion whatsoeuer we must neédes thinke that Cicero dealt very wickedly who at the tyme of Catelynes conspiracie did breake a sunder and sparckle abroad the false treatheries of this detestable cōspiracie beyng linked together with a certeyne wonderfull agreément of willes and affections yea and affyed together sworne in one by drinkyng a cup of bloud So also did Elias very naughtely who detected so great a nūber of the Priestes of Baal agreéing together so constaūt in errour and in so great a tranquillitie causing them to be slayne And therfore it is not enough to pretend the names titles of Peace and of the Churche onely if their effectes be not aunswerable Peace sayth Hillarie hath a glorious name and truth is had in great admiratiō but who doughteth of this that the onely vnitie and peace of the Church and of the Gospell is that which is of Iesu Christ alone c. Now as the Peace of Christ and Christes true Churche doth alwayes lyue in a perfect vnitie so together with vnitie doth it alwayes enioy perfect truth and veritie On the contrary part that Peace and Churche whatsoeuer is not grounded vppon the Rocke of Christes infallible truth is not Peace but Battell rather is not the Churche of Christ but a conspirary of naughty packes And therfore we do seé many tymes come to passe that vnder the name of Peace very naturall dissentiōs are fostered and many persons are deceaued by the paynted vysour of the title of the Churche yea they are many tymes accumpted seditious persons which doe vphold and mainteyne Peace and tranquilitie most After this maner Tertullus the Oratour did accuse S. Paule to be a seditious fellow so was Christ him selfe also and his Apostles exclaymed vpon as seditious by the Phariseés the holy Martyrs were likewise charged with treasō procuring of vprores by that vnbeleéuyng Emperours and miscreant infidels Euen so fareth it now a dayes with Luther the Lutheranes Luther sayth he doth rende a sunder the Peace and tranquillitie of the Church with his writynges and preachynges doth teare in peeces Christes Coate that is without seame rayseth tumultes and vprores doth entāgle whole Christēdome with dissentions and varieties of opinions And why so Osorius I pray you From sooth bycause he doth discouer the liuely well-springes of sounde doctrine bycause he doth enstruct men to cōceaue the most wholesome and souereigne Grace of God in his Sonne and declareth vnto them the true rule of righteousnes and the true Peace which is in Christ Iesu bycause be allureth all men to the onely mercy of GOD excludyng all mans merites and vayne confidence of Freewill Now bycause their bleare eyed dulnes could not endure the sharpenes of this light from hence flush out all these fluddes of complaints from hence rush out all these Tragicall scoldinges exclamations wherewith these Rhetoricall Becons haue conceaued so greéuous a flame ragyng out on this wise Is not this mōstruous wickednesse is not this horrible maddnesse is not this intollerable presumption what feuer doth make thee so frantike Haddon what furies doe possesse thee Luther what paynes of haynousnesse doe pursue thee And such like pleasurable ornamentes of whotte eloquence which scarse any man can read without laughyng For who can endure to heare common outlawes complainyng of Sedition Truly I suppose Osorius that with the very same wordes and euen in the same maner of outrage or surely not much vnlike Herode and the whole Nation of Phariseés did crye out whenas the fame of Christes byrth being bruted abroad it was sayd that Herode the king was exceedingly troubled and with him all Ierusulem also And therfore accordyng to this Logicke and Rhetoricke of Osorius Let vs condemne Christ him selfe for a seditious fellow bycause vnlesse that child had bene borne and that Sonne had bene geuen vnto vs those troubles had neuer arisen amongest the Iewes What shall we say to that Where the same Christ afterwardes beyng now of well growē yeares did declare in playne open wordes That he came not to send peace in the earth but a sword but diuision but fire and that he desired no one thyng more earnestly thē that the same fire should be kindeled Wherfore if it be so much to be feared least breach of Peace and concorde breéde offence Let this Portingall aduise him selfe well whether Christ shal be here accused as farre forth as Luther bycause in the Gospell he is sayd to sturre vppe the Father agaynst the Sonne the daughter agaynst the mother the stepmother agaynst the daughter inlawe and the daughter in lawe agaynst the stepmother two agaynst three and three ogaynst two or whether Luther ought to be acquited with Christ for as much as in this accusation he can not duely be impeached with any one cryme which may not also aswell be charged vpon Christ. If the Peace of the Catholickes be disturbed in these our dayes through Luther the same also happened to the Phariseés in old tyme by the meanes of Christ and his Apostles yea not to the Phariseés onely but also in sturryng vppe all the Natiōs of the earth in an vproare wherein yet no fault can be layed vpon Christ who is himselfe the Prince of Peace and can by no meanes be vnlike him selfe In lyke maner and with lyke consideration Luthers doctrine is to be deémed as I suppose For what a sturre soeuer the Papisticall generation keépe in these our dayes yet surely is not their Peace hindered by Luther or if it be yet ought not he to be accused that ministred wholesome playster to the wound but the fault was to be imputed rather to them whose cankers were so vncurable that could not endure the operation of the Medicine And therefore as touchyng the crime of sedition and troublesome disturbaunce
c. First I would fayne learne what it was that these men did take vpon them to doe To call backe the life and most corrupt maners of men of that age to the perfect rule of the Gospell Truely they vndertooke a very hard charge farr exceeding all humayne power and abilitie Go to and where did Luther Zuinglius or any of the rest make any such promise of themselues by word or sillable of word so much at any time Surely I haue perused many of their works yet could I neuer finde any such thing hitherto If you haue glaunced vpon anye such thing by chaunce why do you not set down the place openly that the reader may perceaue that you deale not with forged lyes but with good matter not of any desire to cauill but of an vpright Iudgement not coldly and lyengly but simply and playnely not keeping a Iangling with vnsauory speaches and forged vntruthes which many men do blame you for but so and in such wise as you may seeme to haue made plaine demonstration of a true and iust reporte with as true and vpright a minde to haue the truth knowne by true proues and testimonies and not to mock and delude men with fables Surely it were to be wished of all good men that all Christians by profession and name would by all meanes possible leade their lyues truely Christianlike in all poyntes agreable with the doctrine which they professe And it is not to be doughted but that these new Gospellers as you call them did wishe this with all theyr hartes if wishing could haue auayled But to bryng the same to passe as was neuer in their power so did they neuer enter into any such couenaunt nor euer obliged themselues by any promise priuy or aperte that they would accomplishe the same Wherin how much you were not only deceaued in Luther but how much ye speake also against your self do ye but coniecture hereby For whereas Luther did professe that the substaunce of mans saluation did consist not in the life maners of men but in the onely fayth of the Sonne of God how doth this agree together that he whom a little earst you accused to be the subuertour of all honest accions and vertuous endeuour should nowe take vpon him to stoare and enriche the lyues and conuersacions of Christians with aboundance of vertuous plantes and seedes of godlines Albeit there neuer lacked in them a certayne Godly carefullnesse to exhort to all honest endeuours yet were they neuer so franticke as to make so glorious bragges of reformation of lyfe They trauelled earnestly euery one according to his abilitie as beseémed godly and well disposed personages if not as much as they could haue wished yet as much as was geuen them by the holy ghost And if they attayned nought els yet this they atchieued surely that though they coulde not restore the pure simplicitie of the EuaÌ„gelicall life yet they brought to passe that men by reading and comparing the holy scriptures beganne to haue a very euident feeling and a thorough taste of the corrupt and stincking matter of your absurde and filthy pernitious doctrine the durty puddle wherof albeit they mistrusted that they should not be able to clense throughly for the vnmeasurable tyranny of your aucthoritie and power Yet thought they not conuenient for the credite and function that they bare to suffer the same to be any longer cloaked and dissembled wtall And therefore stept forth amongst the rest Martine Luther and yet he was neyther the first nor yet so long agoe neyther so much of his owne voluntary will as necessarily of relieng duety not for hope of lucre ne yet to pamper vp the paunch as Hosius belieth him neyther of any hope at all to purchase any authority as Osorius mistaketh him but forced thereunto by the importunacy of others yea and that not without manifest perill of his lyfe Whereupon if any thinge chaunced afterwardes contrary to your expectations ye can iustly accuse no man but your selues which were the first authors of this flaming Beacon the heate whereof doth parch the very skinnes of your backes And what the very cause and occasion thereof was neither are the histories so obscure but that they tell playnly nor is the tyme so farre spent but you may easily call to minde the very time and season whenas Leo the Pope of Rome sending abroad hys commissioners of receipt and plaÌ„ting his treasories throughout all the Dominions of Europe appoynted a generall marte as it were of raking hys Marchandize together Whereupon diuers holy cloyster Marchauntes arriued into Germany And amongst them a certayne Fryer of S. Dominicks order named Tetcelius but in very deéde a mony marchaunt and a Regrator of the Popes markett laden with pardons and Bulles and proclayming generall fayres for the vtteraunce of them wherein remission of sinnes the kingdome of heauen and freé liberty to feede on fish or flesh were to be bought for a few pence Which proclamation seeming not a little iniurious to the people and tending to the ouerthrow of the Gospell of grace and mouing godly consciences to no small griefe and displeasaunce of mynde and that not without iust cause Luther a man continually exercized with inward agonyes and vnquiet passions of consciences thought it not in any wise tollerable for his part to permit such horrible erroneous impietie so directly a agaynst conscience and the manifest truth of the gladsome Gospell to be husht vppe and past ouer in tymerous and fearfull sâ—ilence Albeit he was well assured that this stincking and contagious weed could not be touched without present perill of life Wherefore he beganne to make a show of himselfe meaning to defend the quarrell of the Gospell but by a very sleÌ„der slight attempt as it were And first he propoundeth certayn propositioÌ„s onely and principles of questions agaynst these gainefull marketts of pardons and Bulles not of any vayne desire to concontend or dispute nor without an humble maner of submission of the cause thincking nothing lesse then that the successe thereof would be such as we now see is come to passe If the contrary part had with like moderation tempered their affections and eyther coÌ„tented themselues by saying nothing to haue yealded to the truth or to haue sought the aduauncement of Christs glory rather then to haue serued the Popes pompe and ambition these smale sparckles had neuer burst out into so great flames But now by the meanes of their owne waywardnes it came to passe in them as for the more part it falleth out with common brabblers who hauing many tymes the worst ende of the staffe and hauing no right in deéde to any part thereof striue so long till at the last they lose euery inche thereof and at the shutting vppe catch a rappe for their labour Agaynst these propositions of Pardones Tetcelius vnmeasurably ragyng not contented with no lesse intollerable arrogancie and insolency to aunswere them him selfe but sturred
your stoughtnes herein But because I neuer chaunced to see anye such Gospelles I do earnestly desire you O holy father for the loue ye beare to S. Fraunces to S. Bruno Finally for the loue of that fifth and euerlasting Gospell which the Dominick Fryers not long sithence beganne at Paris in the yeare of our Lord 1256. in the tyme of Pope Alexander the iiij That your holines will not be squeimish to acquaynte me what maner of gospells those be of Luther Melanchton Bucer Caluine c. whereof you make mencion If you can shewe none such it remayneth therefore that we hang vppe this accusation also vpon the file of your other staūderous lyes so long vntill in your next false inuectiues you acquite you of this cryme We haue heard touching the Gospelles Let vs now seé the fayth of hys Church Which he vaunteth franckly not to be of many coates but one Vniforme not lately risen vp and ioyned with vayne confidence but deliuered from the Apostles themselues not depraued with any peeuish interpretation or corruption of madde or franrick usage Go to and what if in like phrase of speeche I make euident that Luthers fayth was one and vniforme yea the same that all the Catholicke fathers of the primitiue churche did professe not start vppe yesterday or for a few dayes agoe not grounding vpō any variblenes nor toste to and fro by any vnsteadfast assurance but proclaymed by the Apostles themselues and wholly cleared from all madnesse and outrage What if I shall shewe playnely that all these quallities be in Luthers fayth what shall remayne then but that Osorius shall become a Lutherane whether he will or no if it be one vniforme fayth that he so much esteémeth or if he hold a contrary fayth then must he needes proue an open lyar But Osorius will not credite my wordes which I shall speake touching Luther and why then shall I creditte Osor speaking for his owne fayth namely sithe he voucheth nothing in proofe but bare wordes But if the truth thereof shall be decyded not with wordes but with substanciall matter by howe many euident demonstrations shall I be able to Iustifie that there is nothing in Luthers fayth but is agreable with the truth and the Auncient age of the primitiue Church in euery poynt And that in Osorius fayth be many thinges whiche do not onely vary cleane frō thē both but are also manifestly repugnaunt and contrary to them both But let vs drawe neere to the matter The fayth that you professe is vniforme you say If by this generall word Fayth you meane the Articles of the common Creéde forasmuch as there is no Churche of the Lutheranes but doth professe the same as well as you I seé no cause here why you should challenge a more speciall prerogatiue in vniformitie in this poynt then the Lutheranes And I would to God the Fayth of your Church would stay it self with the Lutheranes vpon those Articles onely where doughtles is matter sufficient enough for our saluation But now how many by hangers do you couple to this vniforme common Creéd how many new straunge stragglers bussardly blynde and vnknowne Raggmalles to the Auncient fathers And so couple them together as thinges most necessary to mans Saluation and for these also keepe a greater coyle then for the very articles of the Creéde Wherof we shall treate more at large in place fitt for it by Gods grace And therefore whereas you say that you obserue one vniformitie of fayth I would first learne what poynts you do ground this vniformitie vpon For although I may not deny but that in certayne Decrees and Decretalles is a certeine consent and agreément of conspiring doctrine such a one as it is yet if a mā will thoroughly sist many of thē wherein Luther doth dissent frō you he shall easily perceaue that Luth. hath not so much swarued from your vniformitie as your fayth is raunged altogether out of the right pathe of the true Christian fayth from the doctrine of both Testamentes from the Apostles and Prophetts yea and from the footsteppes of the Fayth of your owne predecessors of Rome whereby appeareth euidently that this fayth which you so gloriously vaunt is not auncient but new fangled not deliuered from the Apostles but patched together with mens Tradicious not grounded vpon any certaynty but full of vayneglorious braggery finally not vniforme but of many shapes and vtterly a Bastard vnlike the true vniformitie of Fayth Such as procure to themselues so many hyreling aduocates patrones and intercessours in heauen besides the onely Sonne of God Such as do worhip God otherwise then in spirite and truth with alters superalters Images Pictures Signes Formes and Shapes grauen in wood and in marble Such as before God do hunt after true righteousnes by other meanes and merytes then by onely fayth in the Sonne of God or do apply to themselues the effectuall grace of his great liberalitie otherwise then by this only Fayth Such as do promise Remission of Sinnes by any other meanes to themselues or to others but through the onely bloudshed of the Immaculate Lambe Such as with the price of pardons do sel that to others which Christ gaue freely Such as do dayly sacrifice him for the quick and the dead who by one onely oblation once for all did make attonement for all things in heauen and in earth such as make to thēselues a way passable to the kingdome of God life euerlasting by any other meanes and wayes to witte thorough the merites of Saintes through vowes Masses orders and Rules and through straightnes of profession by the merite of holy orders humble confessions mens absolutions and satisfactions through building of Abbyes and such other trumpery barganing as it were with God for merite meritorious and not for the onely death of Christ crucified for vs Such as do thrust into Churches other Sacramentes then Christ dyd euer Institute and commaund to be kept Such as robbe that lay people of one part of the sacrament contrary to the ordinaunce of the church and in the other part leaue nothing but that which can be no where els then in heauen and which if were present naturally ought not to be ministred as meate according to the veritie of the scriptures All these I say and an infinite table more of the same hiewe cleane contrary to the scriptures Such as do retayne in fayth mayntayne in vse clogge consciences withall and proclayme to be obserued in their Temples how dare they be so shamelesse to vaunt an obseruing of one vniforme Fayth agreéing with the Prophettes and Apostles vndefiled and cleare from all spotte of Noueltie or wrinckle of deformytie Wherfore you must either cōuince all these patcheries to be falsly burdened vpon your Church as I haue rehearsed them or els you must needes confesse that your fayth is neyther vniform nor Auncient nor sprong vppe with the Apostles nor yet consonaut to sound
measure without end raging vpon the bodyes vpon the goodes vpon all ages indifferently young and olde men women and children and all sexe and degrees of people yea of them also which doe confesse and professe the same Christ the eternall Sonne of God whō they do why do they broyle moyle and turmoyle all thinges with such cankred Ranckor with such furious outrage with so many dead corpses pilladge polladge as that all peacible tranquillitie beyng now vtterly taken away from out of al Christian natiōs there is no part thereof be it neuer so small which is not eyther crusht downe with more cruell and sauadge persecution then any Turke would haue vsed or at least that had not rather lyue vnder the Tyranny of the Turk then vnder the Iurisdiction of such a church What can it possibly enter into anye mans thought that these are the fruites of the holyghost or are guyded to the leading and conduct of our most meeke Sauiour Iesu Christ If you haue grounded such an indefesible confidēce vpon the truth of your cause if you stand so defensible by the protection of the holyghost agaynst all assaultes and attemptes of heretiques why then with a safe conscience and vndaunted courage do ye not committe your cause to the Lord the protector of the same and rest your selues assured vnder his sauegard following herein the good and godly councell of Gamaliell If the doctrine sayth he be not of God it will easely shiner in peeces though all the world seeke to vphold it Now this so great slaughter bootchery so great horror of Sauadge brutishe crueltie so execrable Phalarisme and Tyrāny from whatsoeuer authour it raungeth so rudely it sauoreth nothyng at all of the sweéte and amyable countenaunce of the holy Ghost surely nor of the naturall lenitie and humilitie of the Euangelicall doctrine But which he addeth last of all is of all the rest most magnificēt and Triumphaunt promising assuredly of the euerlastyng victory of his Churche that it shall remayne inuincible for euer For euen thus he speaketh wherein he seémeth in my conceite to differre very litle from that foolishe reioysing of a people mentioned in the Apocalipse who worshyppyng that same very Romishe Beast vndoughtedly did ascribe vnto her that vnuanquishable power of continuaunce euen by a like phrase of speach Who is like to the Beast say they and who is able to fight agaynst her And this much hitherto of the fayth the Church of Rome It ensueth next in order that we heare henceforth of the great Uicare of Christ somewhat and of the high and chief gouernour of the Church Bycause sayth he by the Gospell and testimony of Martyrs and the fayth and agreement of all holy Fathers Is there any more yet Finally we haue knowe the same by experience and proofe of thynges c. Goe to And what is it that you did know good Syrs That it could not possibly be that the Churche should be one vnlesse it haue one chief head the same highe Vicare of Christ. It is well and what doe ye conclude vpon this strong Reason at the last Forsooth that for this cause we yelde most humble obedience to the Byshop of Rome who is Christes Vicare vpō the earth c. Good GOD what doe I heare Osorius haue you pyked such a kynde of doctrine out of the Gospell and the Recordes of the Martyrs that there must neédes be one Churche on the earth wherein also of necessitie much be such a head as must beare chief principallitie rule and superioritie ouer all the rest In deéde if you meane this of Christ I am wholy on your side For he in very truth is the onely husbād of his onely spouse and Prince of Princes and the very head of all thynges without exception he onely is the highest and greatest of all But whereas you prouide two Princes for the Churche at one tyme together as it were an office committed vnto two persons wherof the one may supply the place of the other as though the other might in the meane tyme lye vpon one side doing nothyng I pray you good honest men did you euer learne this rule in the Scriptures Nay rather doth not the Gospell of Christ whereas it cōmaundeth all men to obedience and subiection prescribe that the Ministers of the Church aboue all others chiefly should cast away all Souereigntie and Lordlynes and should be contented with pouertie in so much that amongest the Apostles them selues it would admitte to superioritie Moreouer doth not Christ him selfe also throughout the whole Euangelistes very earnestly stirre vppe his Ministers to follow his example who was him selfe so farre of from desiryng any superioritie as that he refused the same vehemētly when it was offered would he thinke you Osori like well of such brabbling as we make now a dayes amongest our selues for Lordshyps and dignities And can you so boldly now take vpon you to be Proctour for this high Monarchy to be established in your Church cōtrary to the example of Christ defendyng the title therof by the Gospell and the Recordes of Martyrs contrary to the example of Christ him selfe and the prescript rules of his Gospell and yet in the meane tyme not vouch so much as one text out of the Gospell or the Histories of the Martyrs to make your party good Although I am not ignoraunt altogether that you haue certeine Sentences and wordes in the Gospell which by wringyng wrestyng you doe accustome to force to your purpose whether the Gospell will or no yet for as much as Haddon hath sufficiently enough aūswered those places in the first booke sith also nothyng can be superadded hereto that hath not already bene spoken it shal be but neédelesse to rubbe that gall my more But what he meaneth by Martyrs or what kinde of Martyrs he vnderstandeth I can not well perceaue If his meanyng respect those first auncient Martyrs of the Primitiue Church surely we haue ouer fewe monumentes of them left vnto vs yet none at all makyng ought for that Romishe Sinagogue But if you conceaue of the Martyrs of this later age in our dayes I am well assured that not onely the monumentes but the very bloud of thē also doth long sithence cry vnto the heauēs for vengeance against that vnconquerable Ierarchy of yours I speake here of true Martyrs And as to the Fayth and agreément of holy men vnlesse ye ioyne also hereunto a perpetuall consent of places and tymes generally and the truth also withall ye shall no more preiudice our cause then if you tell me of the consent and agreément of the Iewes cryeng out agaynst Christ Crucifige Crucifige And therfore in my conceipt your shall doe farre better if in steéde of this consent of men whereupō you bragge so lustely ye follow the counsell of Augustine Let not this be heard amongest vs sayth he This say I this say you but thus sayth
Frederick was addressing a supply into Asia for the Necessary defence of the Christianes agaynst the Saracens calleth him back froÌ„ his iourney immagineth deuises of lettes pyketh quarrells agaynst hym and accuseth him of I knowe not what crymes forceth him to make hys purgation at Rome putteth him to pennaunce stirreth vppe vnspeakeable conspiraces agaynst hym wrappeth him in horrible curses Finally raged in such outrage agaynst him because he did depart without taking leaue and not fininishing hys pennaunce that he sent a countermaund to the Christian armye in Syria to renounce hym for their Emperour and not to followe hys conduct finally hee graunted all suche as would fight agaynst him lyfe euerlasting The Emperour thus miserably circumueÌ„ted with the cruell cramps of the Pope was so hindered from hys iourney that he coulde by no intercession be released of that blinde and ridicoulous course before he had with payment of an hundred xx thousand ounces of golde stopt the throate of that vnsatiable Prelate I should rather haue sayd rauening wolfe in the yeare 1226. The same may be spoken of InnoceÌ„tius 4. Who nothing at all degenerating from Gregorius madnes doth himselfe also no lesse insolently ryde vpon the same Frederick and rayseth vproares agaynst him For flying to Lyons in Fraunce doth likewise thunder out new stormes of curses against hym and afterwardes forceth the seuen Electours to choose a new Emperour in the yeare 1240. With like rage Vrbane the 4. whom men by nickname called Turbanus beyng enflamed did cause the Frenchmen to make a roade into Italy agaynst the Successors of the sayd Fredericke in the yeare 1262. this enterlude beyng played and Turbanus departed forthwith stept foorth vpon the stage a fresh lusty ruffler Clement 4. A Byrd of the same feather filling the ayre with hys croaking For he like a iolly ChaÌ„pion supported by all meanes possible Charles Earle of Angeow with men municion caused hym to leade a strong armie into Italy against the Nephewes of the same Frederick where Manfredus beyng slayne Charles by the authoritie of Clement the pope is proclaymed King of Sicille and Ierusalem vnder this condicioÌ„ that he should pay to the Pope euery yeare 40. thousand franckes This beyng done Conradinus the Sonne of Conrade true inheritour and King of Sicile challenging the kingdome of his Auncestors marcheth forward with certayne Ensâ—gnes of Germaynes a long the Coast of Viterbia whom the popes holines beholding spake openly that he was lead like a Lambe to the slaughterhouse hereupon the Trumpets sounding allarme and the armyes ioyning in fight the Traytours discouering their treacherye Conradinus Fredericke of Austriche were taken prisoners The Pope beyng demaunded what he would haue done with Conradine aunswered like a most horrible Tyger The lyfe of Conradine quoth he is the death of Charles Whereupon Conradine and Fredericke both after sundrye reprochefull skornes and villanies were cutte shorter by the heades at the commaundement of the Pope in the yeare 1268. Thus much of Charles whom Clement 4. did thrust into the kingdome of Sicile This is the same Charles whom Nicholas 3. beyng offended with doth first depriue of the Lieuetenauntship of Hetruria TheÌ„ entring into compositions with Peter King of Arragon allureth him with the fayrest speaches possible to challenge agaynst hys auncyent Title to the Kingdome of Sicile Whereupon not long after followed wonderfull slaughter and a conspiracy agaynst the Frenchmen who at a watchword geuen by the sound of a Bell were all slayne in Sicile men women and children which slaughter though were performed in the tyme of Martyne his next Successor yet was procured and occasioned by the meanes of the same Nicholas who also entruded vpon the dignitie of Senatorshippe in Rome which hee forcibly had wrested out of the handes of the Romaynes and the sayd Charles also into his own possession What shall I speake of Martine 4. who beyng a Frencheman borne did mayntayne the confederates of Charles very carefully agaynst Peter king of Arragon the force of wh Charles Pope Nicholas before hym had vtterly suppressed he sent out against Peter the cursse of excommunication because he addressed a Nauye agaynst him the same did he also agaynst Michaell Paloeologus and raysed warres agaynst the Fryollers in the yeare 1284. What shall be sayd of Honorius 4. who also doth excommunicate the same Peter of Arragon king of Sicile sturring vp agaynst him Phillippe King of Spaigne in which Battell Peter being wounded dyed within a whiles after Anno. 1285. Next vnto these succeedeth Boniface which may be sayd to be a meete Successor for such predecessors equall with the proudest of hys forerunners in pryde and in Tyranny who drawing forth the first thread of hys treason from Celestine the Pope whom he circumuented by wonderfull crafte and pollicy and threw out of hys chayre headlong into prison there keeping him prisoner straight wayes conuerted all hys furious outrage against the Families of Columnensis and Vrsines as many as were of the faccion of the Gibellines and after a strange vnspeakable maner of beastlines casting ashes into the eyes of the Archbishoppe of Genua was in each respect so farre of to be commended for the duetifull obedience wherewith Osor. doth dignifie hys Catholickes so much as this glorious commendatione vaunted by Osorius is voyde of all truth But I come agayne to Boniface who after had first excommunicated Phillippe the Frenche King did also sundry tymes most proudly put back Albert the Emperour making great suite for hys confirmation neyther would in any wise confirme him before he had promised by couenaunt that he should conquer Fraunce and thrust Phillippe out of hys kingdome And no maruell if this pope could ouerthrow kinges forasmuch as he challenged the prerogatiue of both GouernemeÌ„ts both spirituall Temporall as appeareth in the sixt booke of the decretalles whiche amongest others Gratiane hath patched together in the yeare 1294. Moreouer what shall we say by Clement 5 Who was so farre of from acknowledging any obedience to the lawfull Magistrate that amongst his decreés he enacted that Themperours chosen by the Electours might be called Kinges of the Romaynes but could in no wise become Emperours before they had receaued their name and dignitie imperiall of the Pope besides this also that after the death of euery Emperour the meane Regiment vntill the confirmation of a new ought to be at the order and disposicion of the Pope and hys Successours onely 1305. Next after thys ClemeÌ„t 5. Succeéded ClemeÌ„t 6. being endued with no sparcke or more ClemeÌ„cy then hys predecessour vngentle by nature fierce full of trouble who most shamefully abused Ludouicke TheÌ„perour desturbed the Imperiall state vnmeasurably did excommunicate all Byshops and Princes that held with Themperour deposed froÌ„ the Electorship the Arch. of Mentz because he fauored the Innocency of Themperour displaced him froÌ„ his Byshoppricke enforced the Archbishoppes of Treuers and Saxone to
as was declared before And this was to cleare him selfe Osorius not to purge cleanse the Gospell with like submission humblenesse he testified his innocencie and vttered his conscieuce before the Emperour freély standyng then in perill of his owne life rather then making any bragge or vaunt of him selfe Phil. Mclancthon beyng Sommoned to appeare before the Councell rendered a Confession of his Fayth not so much of any hope to do any good as enforced by necessary constraint of obedience to make aunswere for him selfe beyng in no lesse hassard of his life then Luther The same in his common places of Diuinitie what vaunting or bragges hath he vttered Bucer and before him then Huldricke Zuinglius also after them both Iohn Caluine many other Deuines besides those for the earnest desire they had to know the truth applyed their wittes industry to the readyng of holy Scriptures For what could they do more coÌ„meÌ„dably wherein wheÌ„ they had well trauailed read and vnderstoode them immediately began the couert conueyaunces of fraude and desceipt to be made manifesâ— none otherwise then as thynges that lurcke before in darknesse do at the enlightenyng of a candle or torche immediately discouer them selues Now let Osorius tell vs what he would haue these faythfull Pastours do should they be mumme and say nothyng their coÌ„science would not permitte them For this had bene not to teach the flocke of Christ but to forsake it not to guide but to beguile it not to play the Shepheardes but wolues Theéues should they truly then and freely vndertake to defend the forlorne estate of the Veritie EueÌ„ this is it this is the very thyng they vndertooke if you be ignoraunt thereof Osorius and besides this nothyng els Whereas you say that this was a great and a hard enterprise you speake herein but the truth For whereas Veritie is a matter of great importaunce and doth commonly engeÌ„der to it selfe hatred surely they could not haue attempted any one thyng with more perill of their owne liues nor more daungerous for that present tyme yea I caÌ„ not well tell whether the Apostles them selues professing the Fayth of Christ first or the Prophetes when theâ— reproued mens traditions superstitious obseruatioÌ„ of ceremonies to much affiaunce in Sacrifices and the blind and preposterous opinioÌ„s of their people did euer enter vpon matter of more difficultie or daunger And therfore as touchyng the substaunce of the matter I do confesse that it was a perillous and an hard enterprise when they vndertooke the defence of the Veritie And yet they neuer attempted it of any such courage or confidence as to dare to promise any good successe of their labours to any others For neither was the state of that tyme so appliable as would permit them to promise any thing of theÌ„ selues though they would neuer so fayne wherein if they could escape without losse of life albeit they atchieued nought els yet they might well iudge that they had done a notable exploite So farre was it of that they could euer imagine or dreame of so great a renewyng of the Church of the vtter ouerthrow of the pope and Idolles and the like successes that ensued thereupoÌ„ the which thyng Luther shameth not to confesse simply without all dissimulation as that he could neuer so much as hope for the hundreth part of those thynges which God of his meare mercy and goodnesse brought to passe in them Whereby we do you to vnderstand Osorius that these matters were not begon by mans power or pollicie nor through any lightenes or braggyng of men but performed perfitted by the onely worke of the holy Ghost doubtles And therefore this Tertullus makyng his foundation with a manifest lye doth with like deceaueable falsehoode proceéde to the rest of his declamation that so he may seéme neuer vnlike him selfe You sayth he haue afflicted the Authoritie of the Bishop of Rome c. O affliction O cruell tormentes O holy Martyrdome O greéuous passions and woundes which this Godly Pope doth suffer for Christes sake Whiles I was readyng these wordes of yours Osorius I began to be sodenly in some doubt whether this were an ouerscape of your penne or the ouersight of Theobald your Printer whenas in steade of the Pope afflicted You would haue sayd the Lutherans afflicted or at least you should haue sayd so Certes if you indifferently and vprightly render a iust accompt of all the imprisonmentes setters gibbettes burning plates pyles of flaming woode recaÌ„tatioÌ„s beheadings boocheries fiers repeales armies tortures hostes rackynges and persecutions by fier and fagot it will easily appeare whether part hath afflicted and doth dayly afflict the other But bycause mention is made here of the afflictions of the Romish Authoritie it were neédefull for me to enquire of Osorius first what kinde of Authoritie Osorius doth define vnto vs For if he meane that Iurisdiction which the Byshop of Rome hath ouer his owne Seé of Rome and the other Prouinces aunexed to the same limited him by the Councell of Nice no man will striue agaynst him for this Authoritie But if by this name of Authoritie he will haue to be signified that hygh and vniuersall Authoritie which the Pope doth exercize and vsurpe equall with God him selfe ouer all Churches Prouinces Pastours and Byshops and aboue all generall Coâ—â—cels This Authoritie for as much as the true written Veritie doth not geue vnto him in any place yea rather oppugneth it very mightely and doth call it the See of the Beast to the which also it threateneth a vyall of vtter darkenes it can by no meanes be auoyded but one of these must neédes come to passe either that this vnmeasurable Authoritie of the Pope must geue place to the Scriptures of God or that this vniuersall Byshop shall triumphe and haue the victory the Scriptures of God beyng vtterly vanquished and put to sciâ—ence For as much as these two Authorities beyng so directly contrary eche to other can not stand together For if Christ would not permitte any superioritie amongest his owne Apostles will he suffer it amongest Byshoppes If the Lord himselfe came for this purpose as the scriptures do witnesse to become a minister to others to wash the feét of his disciples if he refused to be a king being sought vpon earnestlye for the same will there be any so proude a Disciple of Christ that will with his heéles treade vpoÌ„ the neckes of Emperours and will blaze abroad Scepters and Diademes of S. Peter in the poore and base Church of Christ what although the Pope of Rome will take vpon him more then the Authoritie of the Scriptures will allow him shall it not be lawfull therfore for godly Pastours learned Deuines to professe freély by the testimonies of the holy Scriptures that which they seé with their eyes and feéle with their handes but that they must be accounted scourgers of the Seé Apostolick But how much more wisely
to draw once somewhat nearer to the Epilogue of his notable Oration hauyng dispatcht that part of the accusation now wherein he hath discouered whatsoeuer hath bene spoyled by the Lutheranes he bendeth his eloquence to declare by the rest of his talke what supply hath come in for that which hath bene spoyled And here our proper fine Orator takyng a through and circumspect view of all thynges I warraūt you can espy no one thing of all that is reformed any thing prayseworthy nor any thyng in any respect aunswerable to the promises of these men who promising to cure the woundes and blemishes of the Church haue brought it into farre worse case more putrified and fuller of corruption And why so Bycause they do see that not onely the professours but the hearers also of this new Gospell are not onely not made better but defiled with many more haynous offences more prouoked to troublesome diuisions to venerous lust to theeuery and murther and to all other horrible practizes This is a stale deuise and an old practize of a pratyng Rhetorician that when thou seést thy selfe confounded with truth of matter to fleé forthwith to slaunderyng scoldyng and backbyting But to aunswere you somewhat hereunto What do ye note all the professours of the word Osorius or some particuler persons I thinke neither you will nor iustly can iustifie your saying agaynst all no more can ye agaynst many of them for as much as ye know not throughly the one halfe of our conuersations But if you thinke thus of some particuler person why do ye maruell so much at this sithence the state and condition of mans life attained neuer yet so perfect a felicitie but that there was alwayes iust cause of cōplaint agaynst the maners of many men and the worst part commonly were more in nomber thē the better Yea in Paradise it selfe sithence man and woman alone beyng but two onely could not liue long together in that humaine flesh without sinne how much lesse is this to be wondered in a multitude And yet in respect of those some persons whom you note as it were with a coale I know some also and could note them by name whose commendable conuersation of life I would rather chuse then all the holynes of all your Portingalls whatsoeuer vnlesse you demeane your selues more godly at home in Portingall then some of you lately behaued your selues here in England whom notwithstandyng I will not at this present openly diffame nor speake of them all that I know concealing their names of set purpose to the end your noble Nation shall not be infamed for their lewdenes by any reporte of myne And therfore let all that be Catholick be heauenly and Angelicke also for me And in this sort also had it bene as seémely for you good Catholicke Syr not to haue rusht so rudely with your vnmanerly penne agaynst them whose maners be altogether as farre from your knowledge as their names be As touchyng report what hath bene carried vnto you or what not I do not so much esteéme which as you know carrieth lyes for the more part rather then truth But admitte that the report be true marke yet I pray you how iniurious and slaūderous you are both in respect of the persons agaynst whō you do inueighe so much in respect of the cause which you do defende For wheras they do treate vpon Relligion and doctrine onely you apply all the action to life and maners without all cōsideratiō of the differēce betwixt these two For whereas Relligion is referred to God onely and maners respect mans state and condition properly hereby it commeth to passe that in that one nothyng ought to be permitted except it be most sincere and pure and in these other nothyng at all can be founde that is in any respect perfect Now if the order and course of mans life be not in all pointes correspondent to that absolute and exact rule of doctrine which we professe yet doth this neither countenaūce your errour nor preiudice the sinceritie of the Relligion that is taught out of the Gospell Wherfore this was altogether besides the cushian Osorius to raunge so lauishly agaynst men to speake so litle of the matter and substaunce of the question which concerned not mens maners but the pointes of doctrine properly But peraduenture this place serued here to the Rhetoricall commō place of vice and vertue taken out somewhere of some Oratours booke which perhappes you would haue cleane forgotten vnlesse you had furbushed it a fresh at this present Wherein notwithstandyng I do neither disallow your diligence much nor despise your Rhetoricall florishyng and beautifieng of righteousnesse For I know and confesse that this integritie of life which you commēde so highly apperteineth much to the dignifieng of the Church But yet this great boast maketh but small roast and serueth as litle to this present cause Which in deéde is this That a playne demonstration ought to haue bene made by the testimony of the Scriptures not what is pure or what is corrupt in mens maners but in the cōtrouersies of Relligion what is true and what is false Now if you be not so well furnished with Scriptures as to be able to debate throughly of the controuersies of Relligiō and therfore would conuerte your penne to this Rhetoricall kynde of cauillyng and scoldyng thē should you haue for seéne this much that this your hideous barkyng might at the least haue resembled the barking of those dogges that were trayned vppe lōg sithence in the Capitoll of Rome not to barke at honest Citizēs walking abroad in the day tyme but to driue away theéues gadders by night and to discouer thē with their barkyng But you so frame your accusation now I know not how preposterously ouerthwartly as that ye seéme more worthy to be noted for a Sycophant thē an accuser as one who passing ouer those lazye Drones and waspes which of all others chiefly ought to haue bene beaten away farre from the Hyues of the Church ye rush onely vpō thē altogether whose worthy trauailes if you were an honest man you would thinke neuer to be able to requite with cōdigne thankefulnes And yet in this your accusation agaynst them you do so enforce the whole bent of your Inuectiue and speach as that no part thereof at all carrieth any shew of truth nor agreément in it selfe First you doe say That these men tooke vpon them this enterprise of a great courage arrogancie and boldnesse whereby they promised to reforme the corrupt maners of the Church accordyng to her former auncient beauty and to bryng this to passe they bounde them selues by solemne oathe Which I haue already declared to be most vntrue yea the whole world witnessing same though I would hold my peace Yea annexe further That many ordinaūces well established in the Church first are taken away by them and abrogated Which also hath bene disproued to be no
to witte That the Church is a multitude of people such as is bounde to obey the Pope of Rome seuered from other Nations by certeine Ceremonies which the Popes haue ordeyned fast tyed to the ordinary cōtinued course of Succession of Byshops and to that onely interpretation of Scriptures which the Byshops and Councels doe deliuer And this is the true proportion and full Definitiō of your Church if I be not deceaued But this Definitiō the learned in Logicke will deny to be good sounde where the thyng defined is not of all partes equiualēt with the Definitiō Which rule is not obserued here For to admitte this vnto you that in the true Church of Christ must be Popes Byshops who must be obeyed who also must haue an ordinary outward succession and who may challenge vnto them selues a speciall prerogatiue in the interpretation of the holy Scripture yet is not this by and by true that all Popes Byshops which are entituled by the name of Popes and Byshops which do pretende a continuall succession which do carry the countenaunce of consentes which do challenge a right in the interpretatiō of Scriptures are the true sheapherds of the Lordes flocke And why so forsooth bycause that thyng wāteth which makyng specially for the purpose you haue specially left out namely the truth of sounde doctrine which may be able to treade downe and crushe in peéces errour and hypocrisie That is to say That Byshops do truly and vnfaynedly become the same in the sight of God which in vtter shew they would fayne seéme in the sight of men Agayne that Succession be not of persons onely but a speciall Succession of Fayth vertuous lyfe that the obedience of the people may not proceéde so much of feare of punishment as of harty affection and willyngnesse of mynde that the interpretation of scriptures be not wrested to the maintenaunce of errour and mens sensualitie but be directed and aunswerable to the meanyng of the holy Ghost and the true naturall sense of the Scripture For these be the true markes Osor. whereby a true Church is discernable from a false not the title and name of a Church not the authoritie and Succession of Byshops not the opinion of a multitude besides the truth of Gods word But the very Rule of the word must be kept which will so describe vnto vs a true Church by true markes tokēs boundes and foundations That it be a Congregation dispersed abroad euery where ouer the face of the whole earth vnited agreéyng together in soūd◠doctrine of Fayth and the true worshyppyng of God which beyng sanctified by the holy Ghost and admitted by partaking the Sacramentes do truly beleéue in God through the Sonne of God Iesu Christ accordyng to the doctrine of the Gospell although some be enlightened with more spiritual graces gifts and some with lesse By this standard and Rule let vs measure now the Argumentes of Osorius Luther and Melancthon are fallen away from the Pope of Rome and his Cardinalles Ergo Luther and Melancthon haue rent in sunder the vnitie of the Church The onely Church of Rome hath an ordinary succession from Peter Ergo The onely Church of Rome is the true Church The great part of Christendome doth acknowledge the Church of Rome Ergo The Churche of Rome is the Mother Churche and Queene of all Churches The Churche of God hath a promise that it shall neuer erre Ergo He that doth interprete the Scriptures otherwise then after the meaning of the Church of Rome or that doth not acknowledge him selfe obedient to the Romish Decrees in all thynges is an heretique and doth sequester him selfe from the boundes and communiō of the Church To this aunswere shal be made briefly and logically These be meére fallacyes and deceites of the Equiuocation deriued from a false description of the Church and the succession thereof and from false markes For as touching the names and Tytles as touching the long pedigreés of neuer interrupted course of Succession as touching the consent of the multitude and the promises made by God if the other tagges were tyed to these poyntes and made suteable namely sound doctrine true godlynesse surely it would seéme somewhat to the purpose that Osorius mayntayneth But now whatsoeuer they bragge and vaunt of tytles and other reliques without the especiall coupling and cōioyning of the Euangelicall and Apostolicall doctrine is altogether nought els but smoake and winde nothing auayleable to establish the true vnity of the Church First as concerning the name of the Church we do heare Christ himselfe speaking Many shall come in my name Touching Successiō we heare out of Ierome Not they that sitte in the places of Sainctes c. Touching the multitude Augustine doth teach vs. That the consentes of voyces must be weyed and measured not numbred Touching Gods promise made for perseuerance in the trueth harken what Iohn Baptist speaketh Do not say we haue Abrahā to our Father For God is of power to rayse vppe sonnes to Abraham out of these stoanes If Osorius will argue after this maner why should not these arguments be of as great force The high Priest of the old law in the Iewish Regiment did beare the face and name of the Church with full allowaunce and cōmon consent of all the multitude yea euen in the tyme of Esay Ieremy Amos Elias and Christ. The same also did conuey theyr Succession from the priesthood of Aaron And did vouch also theyr authority seat lawe and the promise agaynst Ieremy agaynst the Prophettes and agaynst Christ. The Law say they shall not perish from the Priestes Ergo Those high priestes did enioy a true Church nor coulde possibly erre at any tyme. But if Osorius shall thinke with him selfe that these Argumentes were not forcible enough in the olde Church why should they be more effectuall in the new Churche In the olde lawe it was lawfull to examine the very prophettes themselues if they spake the word of the Lord yea certayne infallible tokens were set downe whereby they might be discerned In like maner euen in the new testament we are commaunded to proue the Spirites if obey be of God being forewarned by the spirite of God that we beleue not euery spirite And what kinde of people then be these Popes and Cardinals of Rome which of a more then Imperious Lordlynesse doe commaund and require all men to receaue and reuerence their Satutes Ordinaunces Ceremonies opinions and all theyr wordes and deédes ingenerall without exception and contradictiō vpon greéuous paynes and Penalties that shall ensue agaynst him whosoeuer dare presume to make a question of the right of their authoritye or to make any doubt of any theyr deuises and imaginations And so geuing the slippe to all those he commeth downe againe to our Church with a maruailous blaff of windy words but with no reason at all imagining to proue
and so left not that we should seéke for forgeuenes of Sinnes out of the same but that these outward signes deliuered vnto vs to Eate might putt vs in remembraunce of that euerlasting remission of sinnes which Christ should purchase for vs by the shedding of his precious bloud And for this cause he doth call it the upp in his bloud which shall be shedd for many sayth he into the remission of sinnes not transitory remission I suppose Osorius but into euerlasting forgeuenes of sinnes For other wise if it be a forgeuenes Temporall how will that saying of Ieremy be true And I will make with them an euerlasting couenaunt that I may not remember their sinnes any more If it be an euerlasting Release what neéde we then any further Sacrifices or what shall be sayd of that your holynes of Religion which doth make that thing transitory to vs that God hath vouchsafed for vs to be vnremoueable and to continue beyond all ages To be briefe that we may now knitt vp the matter by that that hath bene spoken before Behold here in few wordes the trueth and substaunce of this Sacrament Iustified with most true and approued Argumēts Whereunto if you will aunswere in your next letters to the Queénes Maiestie at your conuenient leasure you shall do vs a great pleasure 1. The Lord departing from hence did carry away with him out of the earth the substaunce of his body Ergo. He did not leaue the same substaunce behinde him 2. Christ did deliuer vnto vs a Mistery of his body onely Ergo. He did not deliuer his very naturall body 3. Christ did institute a Mistery of his body to be eaten onely Ergo. Not to be sacrificed In the remembraunce of forgeuenes of sinnes onely Ergo. Not a Sacrifice of cleansing and forgeuing of Sinnes 4 Saluation and remission of Sinnes is promised to them onely that beleue in Christ. Ergo not to them that doe sacrifice Christ. 5 Remission of Sinnes is not geuen without shedding of bloud Heb. 9 In the vnbloudy Sacrifice of the Masse there is no effusion of bloud Ergo. In the Sacrifice of the Masse is no Remission of sinnes 6. Saluation and free Remission of Sinnes doth consist of the promise through fayth The Sacrifice of the Masse is not free but meritorious nor cōsisteth of fayth but of merite Meritorious Ergo. The Sacrifice of the Masse is vneffectuall to Saluation and to the Reconciling of God 7. There is no Materiall cause of forgeuenes of Sinnes but the onely shedding of Christes bloud and no formall cause but fayth The vnbloudy Sacrifice of the Masse is neither fayth neither hath in it any effusion of bloud Ergo in the Sacrifice of the Masse there is neither Materiall nor Formall cause of Remission of Sinnes 8. The Sacrifices that doe not cease to be offred for Sinnes doe not satisfie for Sinnes Heb. 10. The oblatiōs of the Lawe can neuer make the receauers thereof perfect for if they could they would neuer haue ceased to be offred c. The Sacrifices of the Altar doe not cease to be offred doth name it a Sacramentall ministration In Clement it is called a representation of the kingly body of Christ. Others doe call it a signe of a true Sacrifice sometymes it is called the Sacrifice of prayer and thankesgeuyng by a certein mysticall figure of speakyng As in a certein place Ambrose doth call our Soules Altares Where writyng of virgines I dare boldly affirme sayth he that your Soules are Altares In the which Christ is dayly offred for the redemption of the body Not bycause our Soules be Altares or that the flesh of Christ is naturally or materially offered of vs but these sayinges are to be taken in the same sence as many other like sayings of the old writers are to be vnderstanded As where Ierome writeth on this wise That which was borne of the Virgine is dayly borne vnto vs Christ is Crucified vnto vs dayly c. After the same maner also doth Augustine speake Then is Christ dayly slayne to euery of vs whē we beleeue in him that he was slayne And the same Augustine in an other place vpon the wordes of the Lord. Christ doth ryse agayne dayly vnto thee And in his 10. booke De Ciuit ate Dei Cap. 5. God is not delighted in the Sacrifices of slayne beastes but of a slayne hart Euen as Chrisostome speaketh likewise In the holy mysteries the death of Christ is executed Besides this also as Gregory de Consecrat Dist. 2. Christ doth dye agayne in this mystery c. And yet is there no man so senselesse to say that Christ is borne euery day or is Crucified ryseth agayne oftentymes or that his death is executed in the mysteries accordyng to the very substaunce thereof But these be figuratiue and vnproper kyndes of speaches wherein is celebrated a certein mysticall execution of those thynges for a Remembraunce so that the thyngs them selues be not present properly which were long sithence finished but are representations by certein applyable resemblaūces of thinges signified onely whereby our fayth may as it were from hād to hand be admonished by the application of these outward signes what was accomplished before spiritually for vs in that most excellent Sacrifice of Christ. Euē as the Natiō of the Hebrues were sometyme fedd with the visible Manna as our bodyes are at this present strenghthened with dayly food of nourishyng sustenaunce which would otherwise perish through want Semblably bycause there can be no saluation for our forlorne nature besides the bloud of Christ Christ is therfore worthely called the bread of our lyfe and the foode of the world whereby the bodies are not fed for a few yeares but the soules are nourished to euerlastyng lyfe And for this cause Christ takyng an occasion of their communication which were cōferryng together of Manna and the eatyng of his flesh not vnaptly alluding to that heauenly banquett in Moyses which dyd refresh the hunger of the body for a tyme did call him selfe bread in deéde and spake the same also truly And why truly bycause he is truly and in deéde the bread and foode of lyfe not onely of this trāsitory and temporall lyfe but of euerlastyng lyfe not this lyfe onely which we doe now enioy in this world but which we shall lyue much more truly in the world to come And for this cause purposing euen then to suffer death for vs he did note vnto vs his body and bloud vnder the names of bread wyne This is my body sayth he This is the cuppe of my bloud Not bycause that bread and that cuppe were chaunged into his body and his bloud naturally substauncially and in deéde but bycause he could not before his death represent vnto vs the force and efficacy of that euerlastyng and spirituall Sacrifice by any more apt similitude or application of any other likenes which might continually preserue the remembraunce of him in
accomplished once and in one place onely It remayneth therefore that this propheticall sacrifice of Malachy must signifie the vnbloudy sacrifice of the Masse according to the Testimonyes of the Ecclesiasticall writers Irene Augustine Ierome Damascene c. The same Argument in a forme Logicall In the new testament suche a sacrifice must remayne as may be dayly and perpetuall and celebrated in euery place as appeareth by the wordes of Malachy There can be no suche kynde of Sacrifice els but the sacrifice of the Masse proued by the Reasons before mentioned Ergo The sacrifice of the Masse is that perpetuall sacrifice whereof Malachy doth prophecy and which can not be dissolued The words of the Prophet do so throughly expound the meaning of the Prophett as that they neéd none other interpretation A pure offering sayth Malachy is offered vnto my name because my name is great amongest the Gentiles The Prophet doth playnely prophecy of the Church which is to be gathered together from out emongest the Gentiles of the enlarging of the Gospell of fayth of the knowledge of God of calling vpon his name of confessing his name and geuing of thankes And this pure and acceptable offering of the Gentiles by how farre it is outstretched and proclaymed ouer all the world so much the more euidently it doth disclose the meaning of the Prophet The Sacrifices of the Synagogue and of the Leuiticall worshipping which were ministred with outward Ceremonies be abolished to the end that spirituall Sacrifices wherein God doth take greater pleasure should supplye theyr place who as he is himselfe a spirite doth delight to be worshipped in spirite and trueth And because this heauenlye and celestiall kinde of worshipping must be proclaymed euery where ouer all the face of the earth therefore the Lord doth foreshew by the mouth of the Prophet that it shall come to passe that the great name of god should waxe mighty in all places should be generally worshipped with worthy sacrifices true honor And by what meanes can this saying vphold this outward applicatory Sacrifices of the Masse as they call it And yet if they will neédes haue it so what shall this be els thē to descēd frō flesh to flesh to make a chaūge of the old Iewishnes with a new Iewishnes S. Paule doth testifie playnly of this Propheticall Sacrifice Rom. 15. That the Gētiles may glorifie God for his mercy as it is writtē For this cause will I prayse thee emongest the Gentiles c. Prayse the Lord all ye Gētiles Psal. 117. And there shall spring a braunche out of the roote of lesse in him shall the Gentiles trust Esay 11. That the offeringes of the Gentiles sayth Paule might be acceptable Of the same Sacrifice let vs now heare what Epiphanius and other writers doe write in their Commentaries vpon these wordes of Malachy Sacrificing the Gospell sayth Epiphanius ouer all the face of the earth Agayne Tertullian agaynst Marcion in his 4. booke I haue no pleasure in you bycause from the rising of the Sunne to the going downe of the same my name is glorified in all places a Sacrifice is offred vnto my name yea and that a pure Sacrifice what kinde of Sacrifice he doth not say the Sacrifice of the Altar but pure prayer powred forth of a cleare conscience c. And in his thyrd booke he doth him selfe expresse what kynde of Sacrifice this is Namely the proclamation of glory thankesgeuing and prayse and Psalme c. The same Tertullian also Contra Iudaeos Fol. 4. Wherfore thē doth the spirite Prophecie afterwardes by the Prophetes that it shall come to passe that ouer all the earth and in all places sacrifices should be offred vnto God as he spake by the mouth of Malachy I will not accept the sacrifice of your handes doubtles bycause the sounde of the preaching of the Apostles should be heard ouer all the world Because God must be worshipped not with earthly sacrifices but with spirituall we read this where it is written A contrite hart is a sacrifice vnto God And in an other place Offer vnto God the sacrifice of prayse and paye thy vowes to the highest After this maner therfore are the spirituall sacrifices of prayse noted such an acceptable sacrifice to God is a contrite hart knowen to be c. Moreouer if you will learne what kynde of sacrifice of the Church this must be Let vs heare the wordes of the same Tertullian to Scapula And therfore we do offer sacrifice for the good preseruation of the Emperour but we do sacrifice vnto our God and his but how euen as God hath commaunded vs namely with pure prayers Thus much out of Tertullian Irene is his fourth booke agaynst the heresies of Valentine and other like vnto him cityng this place of Malachy doth say that by these wordes he made a most manyfest demonstratiō that the first people did cease to sacrifice vnto God but in all places a sacrifice is offered vnto God yea and that a pure sacrifice But his name shal be glorified emongest the Gentiles And in the 33. Chap. Iohn in his Reuelatiō sayth he doth call the prayer of the Sainctes by the name of Incense vnto the Lord. And in his 34. Chap. expoundyng the same place of Malachy And therfore he will haue vs offerre an offryng at the altar without intermission This Altar therfore is in the heauens for vnto that Altar must our prayers and oblations be directed and to that Temple c. What shall we say to Augustine Who writyng vpon the same place doth affirme the Incense there is taken for the prayers of the faythfull And immediately annexyng thereunto When he sayd I will not accept the Calues of thyne house Offer vnto God the sacrifice of prayse The same God by the mouth of this foretelling the thing that should come to passe as though it were done already doth say From the rising of the sunne to the going down of the same my name is glorified emongest the Gentiles and in euery place Incense is offered to my name and a pure oblation c. You seé therfore Osorius by the testimonie of Augu. what kinde of pure sacrifice this is in Malachy namely That Prayse and Thankesgeuing is the continuall and dayly sacrifice of the Christians but especially when we doe represent the death of Christ wherewith he redeémed us and the cōioynyng of his mysticall body by the partakyng of the holy Communion of the bread and wyne Of the same mynde also is Eusebius who doth interprete this sacrifice of Malachy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which is as much to say Incēse of prayer What shall I say of Ierome Whose Exposition upō the same place of the Prophet doth not vary from the Expositiō of Tertullian affirming that the prayers of the faithfull must be offred vnto the Lord not in one onely prouince of Iury but in all places
schooles which doth affirme that an Allegoricall Argument concludeth no trueth I referr me to the Logicians Of no greater valydyty is that Argument lykewyse which they rake out of Augustines wordes For on thys wyse is Augustine cited Melchizedech sayth he did deliuer to Abraham first as to thè Father of the faythfull the Eucharist of the body bloud of Christ. c. To graunt this vnto them as for confessed which neuerthelesse resteth yet vnproued That Melchizedech did represent the Euchariste in a type and vnder a veyle of likenesse yet whereas he offered nothing but bread and wyne this is not a good argument to proue that the Pryest which doth celebrate the Masse shall by and by offer vpon the Altar vnto God the Father the very same substaunce of his sonne for sinnes whiche suffered on the Crosse. Neyther is thys forme of argument allowable in Schooles Melchizedech did represent the Eucharist in a figure Ergo The flesh of the sonne of God is really offered for the quick and the dead in the Masse or Communion But lett vs proceéde to the remnaunt of our Aduersaryes Fragmentes There is also thrust in place a saying of Hesychius who writing vpon Leuiticus but as going before sayth he he did offer vpp himselfe in the Apostles supper Which they do know who be partakers of the efficacy of the misteries c. Nothing withstandeth but that Christ may be sayd after a certeine sorte to offer himselfe to the Father in his last supper euē by the same figuratiue speéch wherein the Lambe is sayd to be slayne from the beginning of the world Or as it is sayd in the old Testament that oblation is offered by Sacrifices in which phrase of speéch the same Hesychius in an other place in the same Chap. doth call Christ an Altar Christ being incarnate in the Uirgines wombe to be a soddē Sacrifice not in actuall veritye in naturall trueth of the thing in deéde but in power and vertue of a Mystery Whereupon lett vs heare what aunswere August doth make not vnaptly to these figuratiue speéches of Hesychius was not Christ once offred in himselfe sayth he And yet he is offred to the people not onely at euery solemne feast of Easter but euery day also Neither doth he lye that being demaunded shall aunswere that he was Sacrificed For if Sacraments hadd not a certain lykenesse of the thinges whereof they be Sacramentes they should not be Sacramentes at all Thus much Augustine whose authoritye if be not of sufficient creditt Lett vs annexe thereunto the Sentence of Lombard For thus speaketh he After this sayth he question is demaunded whether the action of the Priest may be called a Sacrifice properly or an oblation And whether Christ be dayly offred or whether he be offred once onely whereunto may be aunswered briefely That the thing that is offred and consecrated by the Priest is called a Sacrifice an oblatiō because it is a memoriall and a representatiō of the true sacrifice an oblatiō offred vpon the Altar of the Crosse. For Christ did suffer death vpon the Crosse once and was there offred in himselfe But he is dayly offred in the sacrament because in the same sacrament a memoriall is made of the same thing that was once offred c. And because we may not seéme to want witnesses lett vs couple hereunto the common Glosse differing nothing at all from the Maister of the sentēces which enterlacing a commentary vpon the place of Augustine where Christ is sayd to be Sacrificed De consecrat Distinct. 2. he doth expound the wordes of the distinction on this wise Christ is sacrificed That is to say the sacrifice of Christ sayth he is represented and a memoriall is made of his passion c. Now Syr how doe these hang together with the decreés of the Tridentine ghostly Fathers who are not satisfied to call the Masse by the name of Sacramentall Sacrifice wherein a memoriall and a representation may be made of the Lordes Sacrifice vnlesse it be accompted also a Satisfactory and Propitiatory sacrifice beyond all consideration and trueth of Scripture and besides all custome of the auncient Fathers But I retourne agayne to Hesychius who sayth that Christ did Sacrifice himselfe at his supper which saying I do admitt But Augustine doth playnely disclose what maner of Sacrifice that was De consecratione distinct 2. The very Sacrifice sayth he which is made with the Priestes handes is called the Passion of Christ his death his crucifying not in the trueth of the thing in deed but in a signifyeng mistery c. And agayne When the hoast is broken and the blood powred into the mouthes of the faythfull what is signified thereby els then the offering of the body of Christ vpon the crosse c. Therefore such as be of sound iudgementes will say that to deduct true and vnreproueable propositions frō the wordes that are spoken figuratyuely and after a certein sort is a shyft of subtle sophisters and not a poynt of sober Diuynes After this ensueth a place out of Irene very much and many times canuassed by our Aduersaries And he tooke sayth he that which is of the substaunce of bread and gaue thankes saying This is my body And the cuppe likewise which is of the creature of wine that is vsuall with vs he did confesse to be his bloud and did teach a new oblation of a new Testament which the Churche receiuing from the Apostles doth offer vnto God through the whole world of the which amongest the twelue prophets Malachy did prophecy on this wise I haue no pleasure in you sayth the Lord God of hostes and I will not accept an offering of your handes c. The place of Irene whereupon they beate their braynes so busily is chopt in here at this present according as the olde prouerbe sayth as good neuer a whitt as neuer the better as iust as Germaines lipps For whereas proofe ought to haue bene made that the same boyd of Christ which was once hāged on the Crosse thrust through the side vpon the Crosse is offered dayly in the Masse really and substantially in an vnbloudy Sacrifice for the redemption of sinnes for hereunto tendeth their inuincible Maxime they slipp away frō thēce now are come to shew that we are bound to offer vnto God the first fruites of all his creatures by the commaūdemēt of God least we may seéme vnthākefull vngratefull For besides this the wordes of Irene emporte nothing Now to graunt them all this that Christ tooke bread and the cupp of the Creature of wine that is vsuall with vs and did call the same his bloud what will all this preuaile to defend them in this lurking hoale for the question here is not whether we onght to make an oblation to God of the first fruites of all his creatures nor whether Christ gaue his commaundement to his Apostles which they did
With like outrage did Queéne Alfrithe kyng Edgar his wife most cruelly murther Edward the Martyr her sonne in law by meanes wherof she might place into the kyngdome her owne sonne Egelrede At the last repeÌ„tyng her of her former wickednes did erect two Abbayes in satisfactioÌ„ of her murther to witt Amesbury and Werwell about the yeare of our Lord. 979. Kyng Athelstane hauyng slayne his brother Egwyne whoÌ„ he drowned tyraÌ„nously in the Sea after the slaughter of his brother did builde two Abbayes namely Mydleton and Michelney enriched them with great reuenewes for the Redemption of his brothers soule and forgeuenes of the murther Upon the same occasioÌ„ or not much vnlike was Battell Abbay first founded which kyng William the Conquerour after he hadd wooâ—ne the fielde and slayne a great multitude of notable Souldiours did cause to be builded in the same place for the release of the soules and Sinnes of all such as were slayne in that battell I haue thought good to sett downe a brief note of these the like whereof I could haue rehearsed many more All which albeit I had rypped abroad would haue bene sufficient Presidentes that they all had one maner of begynning and one cause of foundation namely none other then which might vtterly deface the glory of Christ the assuraunce and trust of our Redemption and withall the whole Grace and comfort of Christes Gospell O holy foundation of Monckish Religion O wonderfull monumentes of maruelous holynesse O sweéte and smoathe Deuine that can so amyably persuade vs to retourne to these principles and foundations wherein he seémeth in my Iudgement to endeuour nothyng els then to bryng vs Christians in belief that forsakyng Christ and renouncyng the doctrine of the Gospell we should repose the saluation and redemption of our soules and the forgeuenes of our Sinnes not in the Sonne of God but in Monckes and Monckeries But lett vs pursue Osorius by the tracke of his foote whiles he hasteneth to the end of his booke who glauncyng away from the MouÌ„ckes at the last doth begyn to proyne his feathers and to make a shew of his proper witt to Kinges and Princes And here he rusheth vpon the poore Lutheranes with an horrible accusation of high Treason And why so I pray you whether because the life of Princes hath bene preserued by them or deâ—owred by theyr practise No. But treason hath bene conspired agaynst theyr lyues and theyr Crownes and vproares raysed As in Germany agaynst Charles the Emperour In Fraunce agaynst Henrye the Kyng in England against Edward who he doth affirme was poysoned by the Lutherans Agaynst Queene Mary In Scotland agaynst the King whom he affirmeth to be horribly murthered Yea Syr in this last you speake true indeéd but to name the Author of this murther you play mumme budgett Yea and not agaynst these Princes onely but agaynst many more prynces besides Osorius doth boldly say conspyracies to haue bene attempted by the Lutheranes And why doth he not emongest the Kynges and Princes of Germany Fraunce England and Scotland before named reckon vpp also Prynces of Turky of Scithia of Persia of India of Aethiopia with their Emperors Kinges and Potentates The great Sophye Emperour of Persia and Moskouia Prester Iohn And sithence he taketh so great a delight in lying why doth he not with as shamelesse a face exclayme that the Lutheranes haue conspired Treasons and procured poysons agaynst those persons forasmuch as hys lying therein cann beare no better countenaunce then it doth in the rest But forasmuch as these slaunders are wisely and sufficiently aunswered before by mayster Haddon in the first book it were labor lost to abuse the Readers time in refuting those vntruthes which be alreadye confounded before especiallye sithence this cause doth neither concerne the doctrine which we do professe and sithence Osorius will be proued a lyar herein by no person more easily then by the Scottish Queéne her selfe to speake nothing in the meane space of the publique and generall testimonies of Germany Fraunce and England Therefore passing ouer those Princes I will frame my selfe to the other part of his complaynt which concerneth our most gracious Queéne Elizabeth aboue all the rest And here I beseéch theé geÌ„tle Reader lett it not seéme tedious vnto theé to pawse a whyles that thou mayst perceiue how like a Deuine Osorius doth behaue himselfe For framing himselfe to discourse vpon Ecclesiasticall gouernement which he doth constantly denye is not meéte shoulde be committed to the creditte of a Temporall King much lesse to a Queéne in any respect which because the Queénes Maiesty shall not take in ill part as though he defaced any part of her honor he doth very humbly craue pardon of her grace with an honorable preface For he is not the man that will presume to extenuate any part of her honour but rather doth wishe with all hys hart that she may of all partes so abound in vertue that she may be shrined for a Saynct We do ioyfully embrace the godly modesty of this sweéte Byshopp and loe because we will not be found vnthankefull vnto him for the vertues that he doth hartely wish to our gratious Queéne we in requitall of his curtesy doe pray to GOD to endue him with as much of his heauenly grace as may conuert him from a vayneglorious papisticall Babler into a frendly follower and embracer of the infallible truth of the Gospell But lett vs returne agayne to the Ecclesiasticall supremacy of Osorius which he doth yoake so fast to the Byshopp onely that he doth vtterly exclude all other kinges and Queénes especially from all charge ecclesiasticall So that he verilye adiudgeth that there cann come no greater infamy to Religion theÌ„ that all Churches ceremonyes and all ordinaunces of the Church all priestly dignityes and holynesse should be subiect to the gouernement of a woman For these be his owne words wherein what he meaneth himselfe either he doth not sufficiently expresse in telling his tale or els my blockishnesse surely can not compreheÌ„d his deépenesse He doth so swell in hawtynesse of speéch that whiles he endeuoureth with waxed winges to fleé beyond the view of common sence aboue the bright cloudes of playne Grammer that through the heat of his skalding braynes he hath drowned himselfe in the deépe and by reaching beyond his reach he reacheth nothing at all Wherefore renouncing once at the length this curious cripsing and blazing brauery of hawtye speéch begyn once at the last to declare vnto vs in playne tearmes distinctly and playnely what your Rhetoryck meaneth by these wordes that all holynesse should be subiect to the gouernement of a woman If you meane of thinges that are of theÌ„selues holy and deuine your quarrell is altogether vntrue wherewith you charge the Queénes maiesty For where did the Queéne euer desire to gouerne or where did she euer desire to beare rule ouer all holy and sacred thinges and this holynesse whereof you make mention
or all the holy ordinaunces and benefices of Ministers But if you vnderstand of the personages of men that is to say of the Ministers themselues and of Byshoppes by whom those holy thynges are frequented If you do exempt those persons from the lawfull gouernement of theyr owne Prince herein you shew your selfe no lesse iniurious to our Queéne then a manifest rebell to S. Paule who geueth a farr other commaundement in the scriptures To witt That euery soule ought to submitt it selfe to the power of their owne Magistrates Upon which place of Paule Chrisostome making an exposition doth so exempt no kinde of people from this subiection that he spareth not to comprehend vnder the gouernement of the higher powers all persons by one law aswell Apostles themselues Prophettes and Euangelistes as Mounkes But lett vs peruse the Argumentes wherewith this gentle and obedient childe of the Popes good grace doth make his wordes warrantable Tell I pray you if you please fayth he where did you euer reade that a Christian Prynce dyd take vpon hym the office of the Pope Truely to confesse the trueth I did heare neuer of any For there was neuer any Christian Prynce so shamelesse to presume to take vpon him so grat a function to professe himselfe to be the head of the vniuersall Church to challenge the prerogatiue of the consistory in common with God and to vsurpe both swordes spirituall and temporall to compell all humayne creatures vpon payne of damnation to sweare him allegeaunce and to yelde all power and authority vnder him And therefore that I may be so bolde to demaund a like question of you in as few wordes I pray you tell vs if it may please you Osorius where did you euer discerne so shamelesse an Impudency in any mortall creature at any tyme that would presume so arrogaÌ„tly to entrude vpoÌ„ the onely possession and inheritauÌ„ce of almighty God and challenge an interest therein in his owne right besides this onely high Byshopp of yours But lett vs heare Osorius how he doth prosecute his argumentes Nay rather all Princes sayth he which did embrace godlynesse and iustice did reuerence the iudgementes of Priestes did obay the Byshoppes without any refusall and did most wiselye accompt it the greatest part of theyr honour to be subiect to theyr commaundementes And because his saying shall not be voyd of creditt for want of examples and witnesses there is vouched agaynst vs Englishmen our owne Countreyman Constantine the singuler ornament of our English Nation The Emperour Theodosius Lodowicke the French Kyng Princes aboue all other most famous All which besides that they were notably renowmed for theyr worthy actes and Princely exploytes yet deserued they not so great commendation and renowme for any one thing more then in that they did shew themselues so humble and obedient to the commaundementes of the Popes We are taught by the rules and principles of the ciuill law that matters of equity are not determinable by examples but by Law what Princes haue done or what they haue not done doth not make so much to the purpose But if right must be decided by law to witt what ought haue bene done I do auÌ„swere that there hath bene many and mighty Monarches whose ouermuch tendernesse and lenity towardes Popes and Byshoppes hath procured the destruction and vtter ruyne of theyr owne esâ—ate and theyr Realmes withall Whenas Rodolph Duke of SwelaÌ„d reuolted against his owne Emperor HeÌ„ry the 4. by the instigation of the Pope what successe his obedience to the Pope came vnto let Historyes report Henry the fifth became a Traytor agaynst the Emperour his owne Father by the procurement of the Pope he did obay the Pope vanquished his Father and famished him in Pryson Osor. is not ignoraunt what ensued vpon that obedieÌ„ce Phillipp the french Prince french Kinges sonne was teazed to lead an army agaynst Iohn King of England by the commaundement of the Pope he obayed and bidd him battell what he wann at the length by that submission obedience besides many miserable calamities appertayneth not for this place to make report There was a truce takeÌ„ with Amurathes the Turkish Emperour for tenn yeares by the HuÌ„garianes not long after league being broken contrary to the law of Armes by the abetting of the Pope Ladislaus King of Hungary is brought forth into the field to encounter with the Turke and ouerthrowen in the conflict In which battell the King was not onely bereft of life but Christendome also lost almost all Hungary withall I could make a great Register of the warres of Henry the 4. and Henry the v. agayne of Fredericke the first Fredericke the secoÌ„d After those of the battell of Ludouicke Prince of Bauiere Fredericke Duke of Austriche withall of the slaughter of many Christian Princes and Dukes But for as much as hath bene treated sufficiently hereof before it shall suffice to haue touched these fewe by the way by comparison whereof the Readers may vnderstand what kynde a thyng this obedience towardes this notorious Seé hath bene which hath bene the nourse of so many treasons conspiracies tumultes and vproares emongest Emperours Kynges Princes and Subiectes and which doth dayly inuade the Christian commoÌ„ weales with horrible outragies doth rende a sunder Ciuill societie doth disturbe the quiet calme of Christes Church with seditious Bulles and cruell curses doth entangle the most mighty Monarches of the world with vnappeasable mutynes vproares tumultes finally doth ouerwhelme the whole state of the world with vnrecouerable perniciousnes destruction dissipation For as it is a neédeles matter to reuiue the remembraunce of the old broyles of the late scattered world which doth flicke fast in our skyrtes yet scarse able to be shaken from the shoulders of all Chistendome euen yesterday almost in the fresh beholdyng of vs that are liuyng what one other grudge did prouoke the late Emperour Charles the v. to inuade the Germaines enflamed the Spaniardes to the bloudy spoyle of so many of their own bowels In EnglaÌ„d likewise what one thing did procure so many rebellions of the subiectes agaynst their liege Lordes Henry the 8. and Edward the 6 What thing teazed Mary the Queéne to so sauadge a cruelty agaynst her owne naturall subiectes rakyng together â—o many Fagottes loades of woodes to the broylyng of so many Martyrs finally what one thyng at this present doth captiuate and deteigne the whole Realme of Fraunce in such an vnentreatable massacre but this Popishe obedience wherewith Princes as Osorius doth suppose do most circumspectly thrust their neckes vnder the Popes gyrdle But I am of a contrary mynde and beleéue veryly that Princes might haue demeaned them selues much more wisely and prudently if in steéde of this childish submissioÌ„ seruile subiectioÌ„ they would with Princely seueritie haue snaâ—â—led the outragious insoleÌ„cy of so shameles arrogaÌ„cy in that proude Prelate folowyng the President of our most gracious
the lesse was he minded to throw you out of your right But in the meane space as was most cōueniēt for him and most commodius for you he thought it not amisse to geue you frendly aduise according to the sage Counsayle of Aristophanes Lett euery man deale in the matters wherein he is skilfull exercized Not because he would haue you estraūge your affection from the knowledge of Gods trueth but because he sawe you abuse the sacred Scriptures of God most peruersly wrested by you to deface the veritye of Christes gospell therefore he gaue you this counsayle not that you should renounce your profession but that you should restrayne the vnbridled insolency of your penne not that you should not reade any thing in these profound misteryes of heauenly wisedome but that in reading those bookes you should learne first to vnderstand well what you doe reade in them before you take vpon you the person of an Expositor not because he cōplayned of any defect of witt or pregnaunt capacitye in you but because in explaning these controuersies he found in you a greater mayme of iudgement then want of witt and thys also not he onely and alone sawe in you For I know many besides him both godly learned who conceaue of you herein as much as Haddon did And I thinke there is no man though but meanely exercised in the conference of holy Scriptures who perusing these your Inuectiues that will not easily descry the same mayme and want of Iudgement that others doe finde in you and withall wishe and geue aduise with Haddon that your industry may from henceforth be wholy applyed to this kinde of learning to your singuler profite and increase in knowledge but would hartely desire that your penne sithence it delighteth so much to vaunt out her skill may be employed to such kinde of matter as may procure your greater commendation in disputing and may lesse abuse the Reader by your Iudgement Bidd adiewe to these dispightfull reproches and peruersnesse of brabbling sett a side partialitye cursed custome of euill speaking and blind affections And let vs now weye in vpright ballaunces of indifferent iudgement those your bookes so exquisitely slaūderous which you haue hitherto published touching the order and administratiō of most sacred Religiō euen as it were in despight of Diuinytye What may any man finde in them commendable for a learned Deuine or aunswerable to the soūd doctrine of Christes Euangelye There be skattered here and there certein sentences takē out of the very bowells of holy scriptures but I pray you how vnaptly applyed how contraryly misconstrued and how iniuriously mangled In how great choler doe you moūt as it were an vnentreatable Orbilius against godly and learned men whom you call enemies of Religion of whom it might haue beseémed you to haue learned your lesson rather then to haue controlled them with your Ferula You say that you haue entred vpon a most iust complaynt and most true discouery of our wickednesse and abhominable filthynesse of lyfe In slaundering and reproching whereof you doe employ the greater part of your discourse which being layd open by you shall finde no place to be shrowded or coloured by any protection of mine Yet in the meane time you may not be ignoraunt hereof good Syr that it is not enough for a man to snarle and barcke openly at other mens faultes vnlesse he ioyne withall an vpright consideration namely with what affection vpon what occasion by whose perswasion and vpon what certeintye in trueth he may iustifye his raunging so at ryott If you haue taken vpon you to inueigh so insolently agaynst other mens maners carryed by ouermuch creditt of tale-bearers and secret whisperers or the report of fleeing fame as ye confesse in one place of your writing which is commonly geuen to speake the worst and to make a Camell of a gnatt what doe you herein els then willingly bring your selfe into deserued obloquy and to be noted of that filthy disease of gyddy credulitye But if you haue coyned the same out of your owne ydle braynes how can you cleare your selfe of intollerable Sychophancye In both which you may doe very well to enquire what your owne conscience will tell you in your eare In maners lykewise common conuersatiō of lyfe in the order and discipline of vertues you doe alledge much matter the same not altogether amisse but yet in such wise as you make no distinctiō betwixt the gospell and the law and by vtter shew expresse your selfe a morall Philosopher rather then a Christian Deuine or at least not vnlike those Deuines whom S. Paule in his Epistle to Timothe doth note by these wordes They would fayne seeme to be Doctours of the Law sayth he and yet vnderstand not what they speake nor what they doe iustifie c. Neuerthelesse you proceéde on still and keépe a foule coyle but with bare brawlyng onely and castyng your cappe agaynst the wynde you kicke sturdely but altogether agaynst the pricke you are a prety bow man but your luck is very ill you are a good Piper but an illfauoured Fiddler you prate hard but you proue nought you builde a pace but not vpon the Rocke nor doe you couch your stoanes with Euangelicall lyme and morter but with Babylonicall durte and playster wherein you builde not the consciences of men but highe steépe Memphyticall steéples as I may tearme them very stately and notorious in stately turretts of lofty speaches but groūded vpon no sure foundation of truth Of all which if we should make a proportionable accompt accordyng to the noumber of wordes heaped vpp together with a tedious lauishenes of toung and hoyste vpp a loft euen beyond the cloudes they be infinite and incomprehēsible but if we measure them accordyng to the qualitie of their substaunce they be wythered wyndeshakē leaues If we consider the truth of them they be vntruthes lyes If we sift them accordyng to the rules and fourme of Logicke there will almost nothyng els appeare in all this glorious Iocado akane of wordes then as was some tyme noted in Anaximenes by Theocritus A great floodd of wordes but neuer a droppe of water Lett any man peruse the will or that can spare so much tyme this whole discourse of the true and false Church of the Romish Lordly Maiestie of the inuocation of Sainctes of worshypping of Images of Mounckery of coacted single lyfe of vowes of ceremonies of Sacramentes of Ecclesiasticall and Temporall preéminence and of all other thynges which this monstruous deépe Deuine so long and so much exercised in Readyng Diuinitie as he persuadeth him selfe hath either forged of his owne imagination or scraped from some where els not out of the closettes of Crispine but botched and patcht vpp together out of the ragges and refuse of Hosius Pighius Latomus Eckius Roffensis and such like clouters euery where the discourse and the handlyng of the matter will easily discouer it selfe how in
word of God Ergo They are worthy to be accursed whosoeuer will spurne agaynst this Catholicke doctrine And because they may seéme to speake this not without some good ground they haue scraped together a few shreddes out of Auncient Fathers namely Cyprian Hesychius Ierome Ambrose Irene Oecumenicus wherewith they may bolster vpp not their credytt but their false packyng shuffled in among to delude the simple people withall Out of Cyprian is vouched first this sentence in an Epistle of hys For why rather sayth he the priest of the high God then our Lord Iesus Christ who did offer a sacrifice vnto God the Father and did offer the selfe same that Melchizedech did namely bread and wine to witt his body and bloud c. And immediately after As therefore it is sayd in Genesis that the representatiō of the sacrifice did goe before by Melchizedech consisting of bread and wine which thing the Lord performing and accomplishing did offer the bread and the cupp mingled with wine and he that it fulnesse it selfe hath fulfilled the verity of the prefigured representation Whereupon groweth this Argument We are commaunded to do the same that Christ did Christ did at his supper offer the Sacrifyce of his bodye and bloud Ergo We also ought to do the same if we beleeue Cyprian I do acknowledge the wordes of Cyprian I doe allow the authority neyther doe I sist out ouer narrowly how he doth agreé herein with the trueth of the hebrue letter because he sayth that Melchizedech did offer bread and wine and that vpon this offring hys Pryesthood was grounded because he did offer bread and wine As though Melchizedech were not a Pryest before he offered bread and wine Neyther doe I presume to take vpon me to aunswere herein as Augustine did aūswere Crescentius I am not bound to the authority of this Epistle because I doe not accompt the Epistles of Cyprian as canonicall but I do measure thē by the Canonicall scriptures And whatsoeuer I finde in him agreable with the authority of Gods word I doe allow of it and cōmend him therefore but whatsoeuer is contrary to Gods word I do by his patience refuse it c. And therefore lett those sayinges of Cyprian be true and autentick for me Goe to then and what aduantage hereof may be gathered for the ratyfiyng of the popish sacrifice wherein they do say that they do offer the sonne of God really for a propitiatory sacrifice which is auayleable not to the Receauer onely but to the quicke and dead also We are commaunded sayth he to do the same that Christ did at his last supper But he did not offer sacrifice for himselfe at his last supper as I suppose And how then doth the Pryest do the same thing that Chryst did yet neuerthelesse he did offer at his supper his owne body and bloud Did he offer it for sinnes yea or nay If you say yea The Apostle will deny it who did acknowledge none other sacrifice of Christ but onely one and doth likewise affirme that Christ was offered once onely to purge and wype away the sinnes of many If you say nay how then doe the Priestes the selfe same who do sacrifyce for sinnes as they say But I returne agayne to Cyprian Christ sayth he accomplishing in effect and trueth that which went before in a shadow dyd offer his owne body and bloud This is true in deéd But where did he offer it at his supper surely so say the Papistes But Cypriā doth not say so For whereas he speaketh of bread and wyne mixt together what he meaneth thereby he doth imediately declare in the same Epistle very playnely and doth interpret himselfe openly that it may appeare that this was not done at the tyme of hys supper but doth confesse that the same was performed at the passion and death of our Lord which was foreshewed and prefigured before And agayn a whiles after he shall wash sayth he his garment in wyne and his vesture in the blood of the grape Now when it is named the blood of the grape what els is declared then the wine of the cupp of the blood of the Lord And thus much Cyprian not meaning the supper surely but the crosse of Christ which doth appeare euidently by this that he annexeth forthwith in the same place denying that we are able to drinke the blood of Christ vnlesse Christ had bene troden and prest in the wine presse first and had dronken of the Cupp before of which Cupp he should haue tasted first to the beleeuers Which speéch of Cyprian forasmuch as can not be aptly applied to any other thyng then to the sacrifyce of the Crosse it may easily appeare hereby what aunswere ought to be framed to the Argument The same which Christ did must be imitated of vs. Christ did offer at his supper hys bodye and his bloud according to the Testimony of Cyprian But this is false For Cyprian throughout all that whole Epistle did neuer affirme that Christ dyd offer his bodye and bloud at hys supper but vpon the Crosse. If an Argument must neédes be framed from out the wordes of Cyprian we shall argue much more probably on thys wyse The same that Christ did offer we must offer also Christ did offer the same that Melchizedech did Ergo We must offer the same that Melchizedech did But Melchizedech did offer bread wine according as Cyprian doth witnesse Ergo We also must offer bread and wine Is there any sillable here that may helpe the Papistes cause or vtterly ouerthrow it rather Here is an other boane to pycke vpon raked out of Ierome where he sayth Melchizedech in the Type of Chryst dyd offer bread and wyne and dyd dedycate a Christian Mystery in the bloud and body of our sauiour c. This knott also is cleane cutt away with the very same two-edged Axe for I am not ignoraunt that the Ecclesiasticall writers doe make comparison now and then betwixt the presentes of Melchizedech which he gaue to Abraham and the sacrifice of Christ vpon the Crosse to witte that one figuratiuely this other truely and in veryty Be it now as they say Yet is thys no good proofe notwithstandyng to iustify that the Priest doth forth with offer the Sonne of GOD in the mysticall Supper really to God the Father in full remyssion of sinnes And yet here also do not all the holy Doctours agreé amongest themselues in all poyntes whereas some do compare the oblation of Melchyzedech with the Sacrifice of the Crosse Agayne other do compare it with the Celebrating of the holy communion yea and do make it equiualent therewyth Some do neyther agreé with thēselues applying the Allegory now this way now that way and many times both waies Finally though they should be vniforme in theyr Allegory yet how true that Argument is that is deriued from an Allegory accordyng to that saying which is commōly frequēted in