their originall Fountaine sith the most of them if not all might be gathered out of more ancient Liturgies For which See Biblioth Patru to 1. And if it be so then it may be said That the mud of Popery fell into them but they sprang not from Popery but from purer fountains * It hath been I confesse a long custome in the Latine Church ever since Pope Vitalian to celebrate the Church Service in the Latine tongue but it was never the custome of the Catholique or Vniversall so to doe The Greeke and Syrian and African and other Churches had from the beginning and have at this day their Service in their own languages Neither is the reason the Priest alleadgeth here of any force namely That w as the Catholike Religion is universall so it should be exercised in an universall language which he will have to be the Latine For first there is no necessitie that the Catholike Religion which is universall should be exercised in an universall language but rather in all languages Secondly since the division of tongues at the tower of Babell there was no language universall in all the world the Greeke was for a time the furthest spread and after the Romane but neither of them nor any other was spoken or understood by all Christians and at this day if we may beleeve travellers no language is so generally knowne and spoken as the Slavonian Thirdly the unity of language maketh nothing to the unitie of Religion or the Church neither doth the Apostle require that the Divine Service be performed in any one tongue but that it be done in a knowne tongue to the edification of the Church 1 Cor. 14.4.12.14.16 And to that end among others was the gift of tongues given x See page 28. Letterr. y See the lettero. pag. 17. z See the letter R pag. 28. a This definition of an heretique is both defective redundant defective for every obstinate deniall of an article of faith makes not an heretique unlesse his conscience be clearely convinced of his errour out of the word of God it is redundant also for a man may be an heretique by denying any article of faith though that article be not proposed to him by the Catholike Church to be beleeved though but his pastour or any other religious Christian out of Gods word clearely propound it to him and prove it or it be read by himselfe in the Scripture if he obstinately persist in the denyall thereof after his conscience is convinced he becomes an heretique b The Protestants of England know other Churches besides their own and some have learnedly discoursed of all the Churches in the Christian world as Purchas Brierwood Mocket Mr. Paget and others 〈◊〉 true it is they acknowledge no infallibilitie in the Roman or any particular Church nor receive any Church for true and Orthodoxe which consenteth not with them in all points of faith either expresly set downe or by cleare and necessarie consequence deduced from holy Scriptures c The Protestants hold nothing contrary to the Catholique Church though they hold many things contrary to the present Romane Church which is neither the Catholike Church nor a sound member thereof as is proved invincibly by Iohn Reynolds praefat thesium Sect. 12. Thes. ss 27. Apol. 5.23 And Bilsons answer to Cardinall Allen part 4. And Abbot against Bishop in a Treatise intituled The true ancient Romane Catholike to which none answer hath yet beene given nor sufficient can be d With what face can he say that the Protestants are incredulous and beleeve not the truth Who entirely beleeve the whole doctrine of the Scriptures together with the three Creeds that which beares the name of the Apostles the Nicene and that of Athanasius together with the foure first generall Councels in which time the Church most flourished as also the joynt Doctrine and unanimous consent of all the Fathers both of the Greeke and Latine Church for five hundred yeeres after Christ our Lord came into the flesh Let this traducer of the reformed Churches answer punctually whether he beleeveth that the learned Doctors Confessours and Martyrs who lived and died within the first 500. yeeres held the entire Catholique faith necessary to salvation or no If they held it not how were they saved upon what good ground or warrant are so many of them canonized for Saints even by the Roman Church but on the other side if they beleeved all things necessary to salvation how can we be esteemed incredulous or defective in our faith who beleeveth all that can be proved to have beene joyntly beleeved and unanimously professed by them e Is this the holy Romane Religion to make a May-game of Religion and to goe to Sermons as to a play to make themselves merry and dispell a Melancholly dumpe Besides their owne third commandement enjoynes them to keepe Holy-dayes and their owne Casuists allow the Lords day to be a day that is holy And is this a piece of holynesse to goe on such dayes to a play yet neither doe I beleeve that he can readily name the man much lesse many men that spake fustian with gravity in our Pulpits but I am sure he who patched up this Safeguard out of rags of Religion and falshood speaks Linsewoolsey through his whole Discourse and contrary to the law ploweth with an Oxe and an Asse The later of which here brayeth irrationally and unjustly against the generalitie of Protestant Preachers and Sermons Forsooth we are silly weake and ignorant men but they are all profound Gamaliels nay Angelicall and Seraphicall Doctors Whereunto I answer as Saint Paul did to the calumnies of the false Apostles 2 Cor. 10.12 We dare not make our selves of the number to compare our selves with them that commend themselves but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves amongst themselves understand not The Catholiques he saith are Hounds â—lood Hounds I grant and our Ministers timorous Hares they dare not encounter the weakest Romane Catholique they neither understand the controversies of Religion nor dare meddle with any in their Sermons If this were true which all our hearers know to be most false yet me thinks Iuvâ—nal speaks very good reason Loripedem rectus derideat Aethiopem albus And what great Clarks I pray were those of whom Boniface Bishop of 〈◊〉 â—pâ—ke in his time heretofore we had woodden Chalices and golden Priests â—ut now we have golden Chalices and woodden Priests what great Gamaliels were they of whom Bonaventure complaines Quidam sacerdotum â—lavem habent he speaketh of the Key of knowledge quidam claviculam quidam nullam what was he upon whom Sir Thomas Moore thus playes in his â—pigrâ—m tu bene cavisti ne te ulla occidere possit litera nam nulla est lâ—tera nota tibi Be not frighted at the words of the Apostle the letter killeth thou hast taken good order that it shall not kill thee for thou knowest not a lettâ—â— What was he
of the common wealth which is the chiefe thing that States men aime at mens consciences being left to themselves they may be obeyed as I hâ—ve said out of Azorius tom 1o. lib. 8. instit moral cap. 27. puncto 5o. And for as much as concerned the abrogation of Masse which by the law of God was unlawfull they did consequenter to the State government then for having rejected the authoritie â—f the Pope they likewise rejected the Masse as knowing that there could be no Masse without Priests nor Priests without the Pope And therefore taking as much of the Masse as would serve for their Service and to be independent of the Pope they left the rest But that they did it in hatred of God and his Church or for any distinction sake it is altogether improbable For what would a man get by hating of God or the Church of which himselfe must be a member to be saved or how could they make a distinction of that they knew not for the Protestant Church was not then knowne or scarce established And therefore without wholly granting the Major or distinguishing the Minor I answer that every one ought under paine of damnation to obey his temporall Prince in matters lawfull Yet to suffer for his religion and abstracting from all obedience either to Statute or Rescâ—ipt not for Recusancie It may be objected thirdly that of S. Paul to the Romans 10.10 With the heart we beleeve unto justice but wâ—th the mouth confession is made to salvation Ergo No man can goe to Church I deny the sequele and to the Antecedent I answer that according to Divines a man is bound to confesse his religion Semper sed non ad semper alwaies but not at all waies that is not at all times and in all places but as I have said before out of Saint Thomas of Aquin in the said two cases viz. as often as the honour and glory of God requires the same or the spirituall profit of our neighbour shall exact it as likely to be impaired by silence which to be requisite I have before granted Yet hence it doth not follow that I am bound to goe into the Market place and cry out I am a Catholike who will punish me or before I am called to publish my religion to make my selfe be called or to live and converse to the same time as having a setled being and not going to Church I read that Saint Faelix going to martyrdome S. Adaucâ—us came to the Officers that led him thither and said to them that he lived in the same law with Saint Faelix and therefore that they should likewise put him to death Yet I conceive that he had a speciall revelation for the same and that it is no warrant for our indiscretion If it be replyed that so a man shall professe no religion I answer the inference to be naught for suppose a mans recusancie were never discovered this man professeth some religion for he doth not live a heathen Why then recusancie being rejected should he not professe the same If it be said that it is written that no man can serve two masters rightly Yet a man may serve one Master and have a servant to serve him or he may serve one master and keepe or use that Masters picture howsoever ill it be drawne It may be objected fourthly that the Rescript of Pope Paul the fifth in which he writes to the Catholiques of England declareth that they ought not to goe to the Churches of Heretiques or heare their Sermons without detriment of the divine worship and their owne salvation To which I answer that the said Pope wrote both piously fatherly and Apostolically according to the aforesaid suggestions by him received and if he had had the truth of the state of England I beleeve he would have written as piously the contrary For put the case that those zealous suggestors had presented to the consideration of the Councel of Trent or the Pope himselfe the truth and lawfulnesse of Catholiques going to Church with these seven reasons following supposing an absolute necessitie 1. First that there is no evill or harme done or said in the Protestant Churches to the prejudice of any Catholike soule that may not either be hindred or prevented very well by the instruction of Priests for they preach not against any notable point of doctrine held in the Catholique Church although some simple Minister for want of matter may glance at some of our tenets by halfes understood or in these daies to please his auditorie may raile against the Pope which he doth so irrationally that few Protestants of any judgement do beleeve him for if he should seriously preach controversies as insisting seriously upon the true doctrine of both sides his Auditors or at lest some of them would be apt to doubt and so to search and dive further into the truth for as Saint Augustine saith doubt begets science which might be an occasion of somes falling from him which fearing he is silent in doctrine and onely teacheth moralitie which why a man may not heare in urgent extremity from any man I cannot conceive 2. Secondly that their going to Church would be a conservation and a preservation of their lands and goods with a prevention of ruine to the family and posterity 3. That it would be a means to obtaine and purchase the love of their neighbours and a meanes of their conversion by an affable conversation by which likewise they might beare the greatest Offices in the common wealth and become Parliament men as well as others of whom and whose power and force in matters of Religion these dayes can somewhat declare 4. Fourthly that it would be a meanes that whereas Priests leave their Colledges and now live in private mens houses to the benefit of one or two and to the great danger of themselves and their Patrons they might by this meanes more freely converse with all sorts of people after an Apostolicall manner and convert many to the honour of God the increase of his Church and good of their owne soules Whereas now they doe little good out of that private house unlesse maintaine some decayed gentlewomen in good clothes to gossip up and downe and like bels to ring their praises that they may fish one in a yeere to the disparagement of their function and great prejudice of their Mission 5. Fifthly that divers Schismaticks that now goe to Church with an ill conscience and thinke themselves in state of damnation doe suffer spirituall detriment and oftentimes being prevented with sudden death everlastingly perish 6. Sixthly many thousands that are very morall and well affected Protestants were it not for the stop of Recusancie would become Catholiques Which rather then they will undoe themselves and Family now will not heare of it 7. Seventhly that no poore Catholique that is not able to give twenty pound per annum with their children to some Colledge beyond the Seas can bring
her Majesties Servants means if a Sancta Clara himselfe may be beleeved unblemished told divers persons seriously speaking that there was never an able man in Rome To which some replying yes The Pope and Court of Cardinals in faith quoth he no making a signe of contempt with his hand they are slight and weake fellows Here is a fellow to get Buls here is one that got himselfe made the Popes Protonotary and bound himselfe by oath to reveale whatsoever he heard or saw done evilly against the Pope yet he is as ready as any to abuse him I wonder what account he can give to the Pope of this his office but it should seeme that he did except himselfe in his oath that he might evilly intreat him at his pleasure That this is true it will be deposed upon oath by divers witnesses whensoever his Holinesse will be pleased to exact the same And further the said a Sancta Clara added that he was writing a booke conceiving as it should seeme the whole Church to be weake and to want his helpe wherein he would shew what Rules generall Councels ought to observe in declaring matters of faith which rules as he said not observed the Councell should not be held lawfull Oh abominable presumption and ambition let any man judge whether this man be not descending to Lucifer who will presume to be copartner with the holy Ghost in directing and â—eaching his Church If this man live we may perchance in time have broached a quaternitie in divinis but I hope that God will prevent his hereticall humour And thus leaving the said a Sancta Clara to him that will have him my intent here is only to shew upon what unjust grounds by suggestion a Bull may be gotten from Rome And whether the aforesaid suggestors for Recusancy who lived at the Popes doores and continually at his or their favorites sides might not also get their rescripts Buls and Declarations by the like fraud for their own ends although questionlesse with the like pretended zeale and pietie I leave to every mans conscience to judge For as in Catholique Countreys where Buls and Breves are directed to Bishops of Diocesses there can be no thought of any sinister proceedings so out of such countreys where particular men or Corporations busie themselves in procuring such Buls c. there is never want of suspition and most commonly of abusive dealing And it stands with reason because particular men would never sue for generall Briefs concerning a whole State or trouble themselves more then others if it were not for their own ends and did not concerne themselves above the rest And therefore the ancient Pietie and Apostolicall Clemencie of Popes in such Cases hath been patiently to heare wherein they have been misinformed and abused for it is not their intention at any time to grant any thing either upon a veyled truth or unjust though speciously suggested grounds Hence Alexander the third writing to an Archbishop of Canterbury gives a Rule of large extent Extra de rescript ex parte That in these kinde of letters that is such as proceed upon information as our Case is this Condition If the request bee upon true grounds is ever understood though it be not expressed And writing to the Archbishop of Ravenna Ibidem he saith Siquando If at any time we write such things to you as exasperate your minde you must not be troubled but diligently considering the qualitie of the businesse whereof we write either reverently fulfill our command or pretend by your letters a reasonable cause why you cannot for we will endure patiently if you forbeare to performe that which was suggested to us by evill information by which appeares the worthy integritie of the See Apostolique howsoever it be by the unworthinesse of flattering hypocrites oftentimes abused §. 3. That it is not unlawfull to goe to Church for feare of danger of subversion or Blasphemy which is the third and last branch of the Minor to be proved WHich I prove thus Not danger of subversion for to what purpose should they preach subversive doctrine when that supposeth a knowledge in the Minister of some people there present to be subverted Which supposition is false and must needs savour of a broken fancie For the Minister intends no more then to exhort his Auditors to a good life and to instruct them in moralitie For as I have said if he should preach controversies he must know some Catholiques to be there or otherwise he would but ingender doubts among Protestants and doubts science and by that meanes would more trouble and disturbe the mindes of the people then profit them which out of prudencie he forbeares and so contents himselfe now and then with an untruth and away And in Catholique countries I my selfe have heard Priests rebuked for preaching of controversies to a Catholique auditorie as being a meanes rather to disturbe them then profit them as troubling themselves with doubts of things either above their reach and capacitie or whereof otherwise they are infallibly certaine so that generally controversies are never preached unlesse it be to bring people from their doubts to a better and greater certaintie then they were in before which hath onely place among people newly converted or staggering in their religion Secondly A man is said to be in danger when that which is feared commonly oftner hapneth then the contrary so a man is in danger of subversion by going to a place where few come but are subverted but so it hapneth not in the Protestant Church as is apparent by Schismaticks of all sorts who many yeeres frequent the Protestant Church and yet retaine their opinion of the Catholique religion without subversion and become Catholiques at last Adde that going to Church will rather confirme Catholiques in their religion then subvert them from the same for then they will have upon their owne knowledge what now they take upon trust for if what is done in Protestants Churches be opposite to what is done in Catholique Churches as the contrarie opinion useth to say comparing them to light and darkenesse which are privative opposites according to Dialecticks although the comparison be false I say opposita per se posita magis elucescunt opposites being set together doe more clearely shew each other then that which is best sends the best species to the power from the object and consequently to be embraced Now if a man hath the best already it will then more clearely appeare and he is not so mad as to leave the best and take the worâ—â— but will be more sure and certain that he hath the best as seeing the opposite and confirme himselfe theâ—ein This appeares true to every meane capacitie What danger then can there be in going to Church shall we be afraid to let a Greyhound goe into the field for feare he should be taken by an Hare Thirdly those that goe to Church either they were borne Catholiques or converted Protestants
if the latter then that which moved them to become Catholiques cannot move them to be Protestants againe If the first it were a wonderfull thing that hearing a little moralitie should make them fall from the doctrine they were brought up in all their life or hearing a small piece of controversie mentioned if it should so happen by a Minister they should be presently carried away from the doctrine they have so long knowne and never once tell it to the priests they daily converse with especially when they goe not out of any dislike of their religion but with a cleare conscience for some other ends I conceive it would rather confirme them in hearing that spoken which in their owne conscience they know to be untrue that it will be so farre from troubling or striking their consciences that they will come home rejoycing at the truth which they heard that day impugned as that they heard the Minister speake of such or such a point as that Catholiques adored pâ—ctures or the like which they knew in their owne conâ—sciences to be false and thereby stirre up an earnestnesse in them in religion as zealing their owne being opposed by falshood and this may ingender such passion or distraction in the hearer that it may be thought zeale of religion or heate of devotion Which heate if after this fight of contrarieties or opposition should not be allayed the parties being as it were swallowed up with zeale of the house of our Lord and the dislike of the Sermon as fraught with untruths seeme too troublesome they may depart the Church for there be many cases of necessitie to make a man go out of the Church and as many likewise to make him come short of the same as to Service if it stand if not there is the lesse to be done and it shall never trouble me Sermon or both for as there are many waies to the wood so there are many waies to the Protestant Church And I have alwaies observed that most commonly Catholiques converted from Protestancie have been more firme and solid in religion as knowing both then those that never knew but one And if Schismaticks of whom I have before spoken from the wisest to the meanest of capacity that notwithstanding they goe to Church and are voyd of grace are never so much as shaken from their intention of being Catholiques or their opinion of Catholique religion why should those that abound so much with Gods grace and professed Catholiques be said to be in danger or feared to swerve from a religion they so well know As for blasphemie there is likewise none If you reply as the contrary opinion useth to doe out of Saint Thomas 2a. 2ae q. 13. art 1. and 2. that Protestants out of a set intent and purpose ascribe their heresies to Gods revelation and denie his revelations to Orthodox articles of faith in which consists blasphemy and without this blasphemy they cannot preach and therefore no Catholique can goe to Church I answer the antecedent to be false and this blasphemie to be much like the Rhemists Idolatry as preferring and embracing their owne opinions before God and so honouring a creature and rejecting their Creator but in truth and charitie we ought not to make them worse then they are for blasphemie and Idolatrie being sinnes there must be some formall intention in the sinner to deny God his due in what he doth And so likewise there must be an intention of committing Idolatry that is of preferring and embracing that which is a morally knowne creature before the Creator and so to give the creature what is due to the Creator or otherwise there can be neither blasphemie nor Idolatry As no man will say that I eating flesh on a fasting day unknowne or forgotten commit Idolatry in preferring my belly before the law of Gods Church and consequently God because I had no intention thereto so no man can say that in the Protestant Church there is formall Idolatry or blasphemy because they mistake For Diana saith 5a. parte tract de par mamae resol pag. 138. that blasphemy is a sinne in that contumelious words are spoken against God with a minde or intention to dishonour God either directly or indirectly virtually or interpretative Now in the Protestant Churches what contumelious words are spoken against God with a minde c If you say as before that they ascribe their heresies to Gods revelation and deny his revelation to Orthodoxe Articles I answer thâ—t their minds and intentions are not so much as interpretativè to dishonour God thereby or indeed so to ascribe their heresies For if they knew their opinions to be heresies and the tenents they reject to be Orthodoxe Articles as we do by the light of faith it would evidently follow that they spake sometimes contumeliously against God which they doe not know but simply interpret Scripture according to their owne fancies and therein they erre and mistake And because they doe not endeavour the meanes to search and know the truth by the definitions of Councels and Doctrine of Catholique Fathers they sinne yet doe not commit Idolatrie for it is not their intention to make an Idol of their opinion unlesse you take Idolatry so largely as every sinner may be said to be an Idolater because in every sinne there is an aversion from God and a conversion to the creature and consequently in this sense all sinners are Idolaters And if it be unlawfull to converse with these Idolaters or the like blasphemers that is such as sinne by word or deed we must converse onely in spatio imaginario or as Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 5. vers 10. We must goe out of this world There were divers very learned and holy Fathers as Saint Cyprian in the question of Baptisme administred by hereticks St. Anselme and others who did mistake and erre before they knew the sense and definition of the Church whom therefore to call blasphemers or Idolaters were blasphemie indeed So likewise there are divers points this day controverted among Catholique Divines as the immaculate conception of our blessed Lady and the like the Authours of which to count blasphemers before they knew the sense of the Church were more then peevish Neither are they to be so accounted after the sense of the Church is knowne for the time they held their opinions before So it is with Protestants for although the Orthodoxe Articles are knowne to us by the Church yet to them they are unknowne and to most of them so unknowne as if they had not been revealed at all because they know none other Church but their owne And therefore what they beleeve they have by errour and mistake and not as blasphemy Whence in my opinion it were more proper and Apostolicall for such men as call them blasphemers and Idolaters to use some prudent and faire way to propose to the aforesaid Protestants the true Church and the authoritie of the same without all suspition of