to proue that our Religion standeth not all vpon negatiues but chiefly vppon affirmatiues it shall bée sufficiente to declare that we beleue and affirme all the articles of the Christian faithe and what soeuer is affirmed in the woorde of God as truthe like as wee denie all falshode and vntruthe We beleue and affirme that there is but one GOD wée affirme that in this God-heade there are three persones distincte but not diuided Wee affirme that the sonne of God was conceiued by the holie Ghoste borne of the virgine Marie and so foorthe as it followeth in the Crede by whiche it is manifeste that our Religion standeth not all in negatiues The Papiste Saincte Augustine doth define religion to be cultus diuinus a diuine seruice dew vnto God wherby as Isidore saieth wee dooe binde our selues to the worshipyng of God with a full purpose and intente to serue god True religion beyng in this wise put in a dewe worshippe and seruice to be doen vnto GOD the late begonne religion of this reformed Churche can not bee the true religion of GOD for as muche as it doeth not consiste in any action or seruice more now vnto God then was before but onely this religion standeth as I suppose by negatiues by an ouerthrowe and subuersiō makyng of all thinges before appoincted for the gouernement of his people both in the olde Testament and newe some preceptes whiche were morall some iudiciall some ceremoniall also sacrifice and sacramentes the doctrine of this newe religion and reformed Churche whiche as I saied dooeth stande onely or wholy by negatiues doeth denie The aunswere I will not stande in argumente with you whether this be a full difinition of religion whiche you alledge out of Saincte Augustine It is not by and by a diffinitiō of Religion whiche maie bee truely saied of Religion But what should moue you to thinke that our Religion teacheth not menne to worshippe God When we onely teache the right kinde of Gods seruice sette forthe in his woorde whereas you and all other heretikes worshippe God after the preceptes of menne which is no religion but superstition You saie our religion doth not consist in any action or seruice more nowe vnto God then was before but howe true this is let euery man iudge when we ascribe all religious seruice obedience honour faieth inuocation and thankes geuyng onely to God by our sauiour christe wheras you giue the greatest parte thereof to creatures some to Images some to sainctes departed some to your owne merites some to your beggerlie Ceremonies Let euery man therefore iudge whether our religion giue not more to God in Christ then you when we giue all to God the onely aucthour of all goodnes and Christe our only mediatour of all benefites to bee receiued of God and you giue him but parte of al the seruice that is due to hym and make so many mediatours beside our sauiour Christe Finally wher as you charge vs with the subuersiō of the preceptes moral ceremonial and iudiciall of Gods lawe it is a straunge matter to see your boldnes What morall preceptes of God doe we gainsaie doe wee not teache menne to obserue all the tenne Commaundementes And what Ceremonial lawes remaine there to vs which were not vtterly abrogated by Christ As for the iudiciall preceptes of the Iewishe lawe who euer required the christians to be bounde vnto theim The onely propiciatorie sacrifice of Christes Passion wee embrace al Sacramentes of christes institution Wherfore we neither stande al vppon negatiues neither denie we anie thing that we ought to affirme as true The Papiste First it denieth that the morall preceptes are possible to be kepte of man. The aunswere It shal not be néedefull our doctrine beyng so commonly knowen to the worlde to make a large discourse vpon euery one of these negatiues but onely to declare briefly how we denie them and to shewe a reason of our deniall We denie in deede that it is possible for any manne excepte Christe onely to keepe the morall preceptes of god Which is not suche a straunge paradoxe to any man that is not a starke hypocrite but his owne conscience will testifie the same vnto hym The morall preceptes are conteined in these twoo poinctes as our sauiour testifieth Thou shalte loue the Lorde thy GOD with all thy harte with all thy soule with all thy strengthe and thy neighbour as thy self Who is so paste all feare of God that he dare affirme that he is able to performe this Againe what is the cause that the scripture dooeth so often pronounce that no man can be iustified by the woorkes of the lawe but because no manne can fulfill the lawe Whiche if a man could performe he should liue therein and haue eternall saluation without Christe but no man can bee saued without Christ therefore no manne can fulfill the lawe For the lawe was giuē to shewe vs our weakenesse and so to bring vs to Christ. The Papiste Seconde it denieth that any iudgement in spirituall causes or in the high courte of conscience is to be geuen to the Prieste The aunswere The high courte of conscience is Gods owne iurisdiction the iudgement whereof perteineth neither to Prieste nor laie manne but to God alone But in causes spirituall to iudge according to the worde of God wee dooe not deny but it pertaineth to Ecclesiasticall persones from whiche rule of iustice if any of theim departe he is subiecte to the correction and punishemente of the Ciuile Magistrate As Aaron had his aucthoritie of iudgemēt in Spirituall causes yet was he reproued by Moises And Abiathar the high Priest was deposed by Salomon and Sadoc sett vp in his place And should not Ahaz if he had been a godlie Prince haue deposed Vriah for makyng the prophane alter The Papiste Thirde it dooeth denie all kinde of Ceremonies The aunswere Wee denie all kinde of Ceremonies that are of mannes inuention to worship God or to merite saluation by them For in the worshippe of God wee muste dooe onely that he commaundeth vs Other Ceremonies that are onely for order and decencie ordeined in the Churche wée receiue as I haue often shewed before The Papiste Fowerth it doeth denie the sacrifice of christes Testamente The aunswere The Sacrifice propitiatorie that onely taketh awaie the synnes of the worlde is the Sacrifice whiche Christe offered ones for all vpon the aulter of the crosse and thereby makyng perfecte for euer those that are sanctified can not be repeated without horrible iniurie dooen vnto the Passion of Christe and the merites thereof Hebr. vij ix x. and almost through out the whole Epistle In deede the Sacrifice of the Masse ▪ if it bee the Sacrifice ye meane wée vtterly deteste as blasphemous and abhominable For whiche you haue neither commaundemente nor example of Christe what soeuer you pretende by these woordes of our Sauiour Dooe this in remembraunce of me For besides that to celebrate the remēbraunce of Christe in the Sacramente hath
¶ A confutation of a Popishe and sclaunderous libelle in forme of an apologie geuen out into the courte and spread abrode in diuerse other places of the Realme ¶ VVritten by VVilliam Fulke Bacheler in Diuinitie and felowe of S. Ihons Colledge in Cambridge ¶ Imprinted at London by Ihon Kingston for William Iones and are to bee solde at the newe long shop at the West ende of Poules ¶ To the right honourable and vertuous Ladie the Ladie Margaret Strange YOur honourable and Godly request madame to haue this infamous and Popishe Apologie confuted maie bee a sufficient testimone bothe of your loyall affection towardes your prince countrie also of vnfeigned loue towardes God and his true religion For as the libell being sclanderous against our soueraigne and her lawes blasphemous against God his truthe might be a reioysyng to the obstinate rebellious and an offence to the weake and ignorant if the cloudes of calumniation and deceiptful reasonyng vsed therin were not driuē a waie with the blaste of some confutation so the falshod therof beyng opened and the crafte discouered by your L. procuremēt shal be a matter of gladnes to the godly of grief to the wicked of strenthenyng to the weake and of learnyng to the ignorant VVherby trueth beyng mainteined and errour cōfounded many men shal be profited God hymself shal be glorified And your L. for preferryng so many folde goodnes may be assured to receiue worthie thankes of men and plentifull reward of god But this especially wherin your L. ought chiefly to reioice is not to be omitted that as god hath iustified you in the merites of his sonne through faith cōceiued in your harte so he hath geuen you an occasion hereby of his holie name and religion to make opē profession in the world VVhē accordyng to the testimonie of the Apostle as a true and liuely beleif of the hart is necessarie for iustificatiō so a cleare open confession of the mouth is requisite to saluatiō So that this your L. requeste might seme in all poinctes most fortunat if it had not founde so meane an instrument as I am to accōplishe it For beside that I am inferiour to verie many of my brethren that are meate to take suche a matter in hād I haue been for these two yeres almost as it were sequestered both frō serious studie and plentie of such bokes as for such a purpose were most conuenient Notwithstāding esteming your L. motion as a prouocatiō sente of god to occupie my idle tyme to employe some parte of gods giftes to the profite of his Churche as my duetye bindeth me I thought good to shew my self rather vnable thē willing to satisfie your godly desire Not that the obiectiōs of the aduersarie were of suche weight but that thei might easely bee auoyded by many thousand christians whom God hath indued with meaner giftes of knowledge vnderstandyng then it hath pleased hym to bestowe vpon me but that I am priuie to myne owne imperfection whereby I am lesse apt to beautifie a matter with such copy eloquence as many other are I would wish that this argument might haue been handled Neuertheles accordyng to my bare and simple facultie I haue endeuoured to set forthe the truthe rather with substaunce of matter then with florishyng of woordes not caryng howe finely but howe plainly I might cause it to appere seyng it is no lesse charitable to teach the ignoraunt then it is commendable to please the learned And this labour I haue bestowed for the profite of others and not for the praise of my self For whiche cause also I thought it not beste to encomber the simple reader with many reasōs or authorities to proue one matter but to enstructe hym with a few and those pitthie of force to perswade Sauyng that in one questiō of iustification in multitude of testimonies I maie seme to be ouer tedious if the cause be not considered whiche prouoked me thereto For seyng the aduersaries without shame crie out that our doctrine of iustification is suche a straunge paradox as neuer was hearde of in the worlde before our tyme the same doctrine beeyng the chiefe foundation of true Religion I thought it expedient that the vnlearned were admonished what plētifull witnesses it hath of antiquitie as it hath moste manifest aucthoritie in the holie worde of god To conclude there were twoo other considerations that encouraged me to take vpon me this cōfutation One because this Popishe apologie discouereth no greate learnyng of the aucthor there is no greate connyng to bee required in hym that should make answere to it for that it hath presumed to thrust it self into the princes court it is not impertinēt that it should be confuted by one that is attēdant in the same Thus hauing doen my good will I moste humbly desire your L. to take it in good parte besechyng almightie God so to continue and encrease his giftes of vertue and godlines in your L. that you maie be blessed with true honour and prosperitie in this life and afterward rewarded with eternall ioye and felicitie Your L. to commaunde in the Lorde William Fulke An aunswere to a Popishe apologie ¶ An Apollogie of a Papiste confuted by W. F. THere was found in the court either cast of purpose or lost of negligence a certain small pamphlette conteinyng an Apollogie or aunswere of a Papiste to some frendes of his that perswaded hym to conforme hymself to the Religion now receiued in the realme by publike aucthoritie whiche when it came to my handes supposyng it might do some hurte emong them that are ignoraunte I thought good briefly to confute it But because the copie whiche was founde was vnskilfully written I had some diffultie to reade it in certaine places and sometymes I mighte plainely perceiue that the aucthours meanyng was chaunged by vntrue writyng So that the aucthour or his frendes maie haue some occasion to cauill at my publishing of the copie whiche was so muche corrupted In cōsideratiō wherof I would haue been verie glad to haue had the principall copie of the aucthours owne hande if I could haue knowen how to come by it But seyng I was out of hope of that I perused and restored the copie that I had as faithfully as I could desiryng the aucthour or his frendes that haue the originall if I haue erred in any woorde of any momente to lette me haue knowledge thereof and I will thereby reforme the apologie and alter myne answere thereto accordyngly The writyng had this title The Papiste Certaine considerations and causes mouyng me not to bee presente at nor to receiue neither vse the seruice of the newe booke otherwise called the Common boke of praiers The aunswere If the copie of your title as it came to my hande was not peruerted you shewe your self in your title to bee a very peruerse ▪ and froward persone that maie not vouchsafe to call the booke as it is commonly
the Arians did agree with the Christen menne in theim bothe as in all Sacramentes and in all poinctes of praiyng sauing that the Arians did sing Gloria patri in filio and the Christian menne Gloria patri filio c. And therfore and for that onely poinct Ihō Chrysostome then beyng Bishop of Constantinople did appoincte vnto the christian men a seperate place and maner of praier from them as it appeareth in the sixth of the Historie Ecclesiastike And therefore the notable doctour S. Augustine doth conclude on thys wise saiyng that they shall not communicate in Sacramētes with vs whose doctrine we cannot approue and allowe The aunswere Your third consideration standeth vppon a foolishe fallation of Sophistrie called petitio principij whiche is whē a man will take that as true whiche his aduersarie will not graunte hym As you doe in this your argument where you take that for a true principle whiche you shall neuer be able to proue namely that we are Heretikes and Schismatikes And so you committe double folie Firste in prouyng that so diligentely whiche no manne will deny whiche is that a manne ought not to communicate in religion with Heretikes and secondly in bringing no proofe at all of that which all your aduersaries wil deny namely that thei are Heretikes or Schismatikes For you must first prooue that thei are suche before you can proue that you ought to auoide their societie The Papiste The fowerth consideration is that the receiuyng of this new booke of seruice is a condemnation of the olde wherby is taken away 5. of the. 7. Sacramentes the reall presence of Christes body in the Sacramente of the alter the sacrifice of the masse many traditions of the Apostles as the holiyng of the Fonte oile and Chrisma in Baptisme and Confirmation the making of the signe of the Crosse praiers for the deade and vnto sainctes All sacramentall and godly cerimonies frequented in the vniuersal churche of Christe and brougt into this realme with the faithe of Christe by S. Augustine and here by hym established as suer signes and tokens of christian faieth like as the holy S. Bede witnesseth in his firste boke de gestis Anglorum in the 25.29.30 chapiters beside that all the foresaide thinges haue been alwaie approued vsed and allowed throughout the vniuersal church of christ And therfore saieth S. Augustine all these thinges whiche haue been receiued in the vniuersall Churche of Christe and approued by the vse and consente therof ought not to be ouerthrowen nor yet to be chaūged by the iudgemente of one priuate person be his learnyng and liuyng neuer so good nor yet by the Bishoppes of any one prouince or countrie when thereby they shoulde breake the vnitie of Gods spirite whiche is the chief treasure in his Churche commended by our sauiour Christe vnto his Apostles wishynge and praiynge the same vnitie to be amongest theim whiche was betwixt him and God Ioan 17 the father The Apostle S. Paule tought the Corinthians aboue all thinges to obserue this vnitie and willed the Romaines that with one minde and one mouth they shoulde glorifie god And in the Epistle to the Ephesians he besought theim most entirely to obserue this vnitie Again S. Augustine saieth these thinges whiche the vniuersall churche doth teache therfore are to be obserued and kepte of all menne because the churche which is the spouse of Christ hath the full aucthoritie of her husband Christ and suche gouernement also of the holy ghost that she cannot consent but to true thinges nor she cannot commaunde but onely suche thinges whiche are both holy holsome and good And farther the same S. Augustine saieth that in the ministratiō of the Sacramentes and in the manner of praiyng vsed of Preestes there must be an vniformitie obserued in Christes catholike Churche that by their Lawe and maner of praiyng there may be established the lawe of beleuyng And lest that the lawe and maner of praiyng being chaunged may also bring foorthe a chaunge and alteration of faieth like as it hath so proued in thys realme Beside that S. Ambrose doth thinke that there can not bee the faieth where Schisme is for albeit that schismatikes may haue faieth towardes God yet they cannot haue faieth towarde the Churche of God whom they suffer to bee dismembred and discerped in peeces For wheras our sauiour Christe suffered for his Churche and the Churche is the mysticall bodie of Christe how therfore may thei haue faith in christ by whom his Passion is made frustrate and his mysticall bodie drawen in peeces And therefore woulde not we shoulde chaunge an order set or a custome of Christes churche For albeit saieth he the reason or cause of a custome may be sought for yet must it be so sought for that the custome thereby be not infirmed or broken for the searche may not bee made vnto destruction but vnto aedification wherby thou maist better obserue the custome when thou arte assured of the cause and reason therof I do praise thee saieth Tertuliane whiche firste doeth beleue the custome to be obserued before it hath learned the cause and reason why and wherfore The aunswere In your fowerth consideration you should haue likewise considered that suche thynges as are graunted of bothe partes nede small proofe and that those matters whiche are in controuersie should be substancially cōfirmed As for example How necessarie vnitie is for the Churche of Christe no manne doubteth so it bee in truthe and not in falshed for there is vnitie emong the mooste wicked but not in truthe and honestie On the other side that there be fiue sacramentes more then the boke alloweth that there is a carnall presence in the Sacrament of the Lordes bodie and bloude that there is or ought to be a Sacrifice in the masse ye bring not one worde of proof Concernyng Ceremonies whiche you call traditions of the Apostles you saie in deede a little although to little purpose and yet so confusely and out of all good order that you seme rather to confounde then to instructe your simple reader for what an hochpotte is this in the middes of your Sacramentes and Sacramentalles to choppe in praiers for the deade and inuocation of sainctes whiche bée articles of doctrine and not Ceremoniall obseruations Againe when you haue rehersed by name diuers Ceremonies as oile and chrisme in Baptisme your maner of confirmation the signe of the Crosse and all other your Sacramentalls and Ceremonies you bryng in certain broken and vnperfecte sentences of Doctours whiche speake generally of Ceremonies vsed in the churche in their age and doe not shew that your Ceremonies were vsed then in suche maner as you vse them now which is a meere mockerie of your readers For wheras you doe comprehende thē all vnder the name of Traditions of the Apostles if you be a man of suche learning as you would seme to be I dare saie in your behalfe you will bee ashamed to come to triall of this poincte that
abroade of Christe to preache and woorke miracles vsed by the same ceremonie to heale many that were sick But now whē the gifte of healyng continueth not in the Churche it were a verie ridiculous thyng to vse that Ceremonie And as for your extreme vnction by no meanes can be accompted that vsage of the Apostles for you anoint none almost but suche as are past hope of recouerie so farre you are frō restoring any to healthe by your beggerly ceremonie The Papiste Eight in the Primitiue churche we dooe reade in the nintinth chapiter of the actes of the Apostles how vpon a certain plague there made vpon seuen bretheren the sonnes of one Sceba by a man that was possessed with the Diuelle many of the people whiche did beleue in Iesus Christe theruppon came and made vpen confession of their sinnes and made declaration of their priuate actes and dedes whiche the reformatour of this our Englishe Churche will none of by the deniall of Sacramente of penance and all the partes therof The Aunswere It is straunge to see vnto how narrow shiftes you are driuen to make vp a number of argumentes Haue you nothing but open confession to proue your priuate and auriculer confessiōs God be thanked ther are many also in our churche that make open confession and declaration of their former life led in blindenes and superstition of their falling in time of persecutiō and other like offences but what is this to your popishe Sacramente of auricular cōfession or what likelihode hath it with the same Firste the faithfull bringyng forthe certeine examples of their actions acknowledge how they were seduced by the deuill before they embraced the faith the popes law compelleth men to reherse all their deedes wordes and thoughtes These men made their cōfession once the popes law requireth eche man to confesse euery yere once at least these came forth to this confession of their owne accorde the pope compelleth all men vppon necessitie of saluation Againe the text saieth that many came but not all the popes lawe excepteth none these Ephesians made open confessiō before al the church as you your selfe acknowledge the pope commaundeth euery man to whisper his confession into a préestes eare Let al men iudge what agrement this their confession hath with your auricular confession And wheras you saie we deny the Sacrament of penaunce and all the partes therof The truth is we preache repentance as we are commaunded by the woorde of God but no Sacrament of penance dooe wee finde in the Scripture what you meane by the partes of penance I cannot well tell but if it be those three that bee commonly sette forthe in writers of your dunsical diuinitie contrition of harte confession of mouth and satisfactiō of worke you shall here what wée thinke of theim Thei are suche as a verie limme of the Deuill maie performe and yet goe to the Deuill when he hath dooen Example in Iudas Iscarioth who hadde contrition of harte as the Scripture teacheth when he was sorie for his facte And he made confession of mouthe to the priestes when he saied I haue synned in betraiyng of innocente bloode Finally he made satisfaction of woorke when he restored the thirtie siluerlynges whiche he receiued for his treason And when he had so dooen wente and hanged hym self in despaire You see that Iudas lacked none of youre three partes of penaunce but he lacked faithe without the whiche all contrition confession and outward satisfaction is nothyng auailable And therefore you teach a verie wholsome kinde of penaunce in whiche faithe in the bloode of Christe is no parte at all Neither is it necessarely required thereto by your owne doctrine For Sacramentes you teach giue grace ex opere operato that is of the woorke wroughte so a manne dooeth not withstande the receiuyng of them whiche you call ponere obicem And therefore penaunce beyng one of your Sacramentes and absolution of sinnes maie be receiued without faithe in the merites of christ Therfore kepe your penaunce for your frendes we can not skill of suche Sacramentes The Papiste Ninth the order and maner of the Primitiue churche was to celebrate the Sacramente of christes bodie after supper as it apeareth both by the example geuen therof by our sauiour Christe and by the testimonies of the Apostle sainct Paule which they doe not obserue nor followe The aunswere You are not able to proue that any suche order was established in the primitiue Churche that the Sacrament of the bodie and bloode of Christe should bée receiued after Supper Although it was by our Sauiour institited after his laste Supper Not appoinctyng any tyme in whiche it ought of necessitie to bee receiued no more then the Sacrament of Baptisme is bounde either to Mornyng or Euenyng daie or night or to any tyme of the daie in whiche it was firste ordeined And whereas you alledge the aucthoritie of saincte Paule for your purpose you doe hym greate wronge for he reproueth the Corinthians for confoundyng drunken and prophane bankettes with the holie Sacrament of the Lordes Supper i. Cor. xj And as for the tyme place and other like circumstances perteinyng to the ministration of the Sacramentes thei are in the discretiō of the churche to appoinct as thei maie beste serue for order comelinesse and edification But ouer the substaunce of the Sacramentes the Churche hath no power as to take the cuppe from the laie people whiche none but the churche of Antichrist would presume to doe The Papiste Tenth in the Primitiue Churche it was decreed by a solemne law holden by the Apostles of Christe at Hierusalem that the christen men men shoulde absteine à sanguine suffocato from blood and all suffocate thinges whiche our reformatours performe not nor will admit any fasting from meates and drinkes at all by the whiche testimonies and proues gathered out of the diuine scriptures howe plaine a matter it is that they purpose not in their reformation to reduce vs to the Primitiue Churche of Christe when therewith besides they haue no agreaunce they doe all thinges cleane to the contrary like as ye haue partlie hearde by profes made therfore out of the diuine scriptures and shal heareafter more at large by the writinges and testimonies of the moste best learned and grauest fathers that euer were in Christes Churche The aunswere The Apostles in that Counsaile made not a perpetuall lawe to binde any mannes conscience but onely a temporall decree to auoide offence of the weake Iewes who were accustomed to abstaine from suche thinges and this decree as occasion serued was broken and altered But where you saie wee can admitte no fastyng from meates and drinkes at all You shall vnderstande that we compte it no fastyng to abstaine from one kinde of meate and to fille your beallie with an other kinde as to refraine fleshe and to glutte your stomack with fishe Or as the Maniches abstained from liuyng creatures and riotted in fruictes spices and delicate
is performed in infantes by the Sacramente of Baptisme And therfore to ascribe our iustification to onely faieth is not onely to deny with the Anabaptistes Baptisme of infantes but also that the Sacrament of Baptisme is needefull or necessarie for oure health and saluation Seconde iustification is qua ex homine lapso post baptismum fit conuersio ad deum wherby a man beyng fallen into sinne after Baptisme doeth retourne backe againe vnto God the whiche iustification is performed in vs by the Sacrament of penaunce and therfore the affirmation of our iustificatiō by onely faieth is a plaine denial of the Sacramente of penaunce Thirde iustification is qua ex iusto redditur quis iustior wherby a man hath increase of rightousnesse and of a rightous man before is made more rightous in the sight of God wherof speaketh sainct Ihon in his Apocalipse saiyng that he whiche is rightous muste be made more rightous VVhiche iustification is performed in vs partely by the Sacramente of Confirmation partly by the rest of Christes Sacramentes and chiefly by the Sacramente of the holy Eucharistia and more generally by al kind of good workes wherof speaketh the Apostle sainct Paule Saiyng to the Philippians doe you worke your owne saluation with feare and tremblyng And the Apostle saincte Peter in confirmation therof willeth vs to geue all diligence for to minister in our faieth vertue and in vertue knowledge in knowledge temperaunce and in temperance patience in pacience godlines in godlines brotherly loue and in brotherly loue charitie for if these are among you and plenteous they will make you that you shall be neither idle nor vnfructful in the knowledge of our lorde Iesus Christ. But he that lacketh these thinges is blinde as saieth the Apostle sainct Peter and gropeth for the waie with his hande and hath forgottē that hee was pourged from his oulde sinnes VVherefore bretheren saieth the Apostle saincte Peter geue you more diligence for to make your callyng and your election by your good workes more suer for if you doe suche thinges you shall not sinne yea and by this meanes an entring in shall be ministred vnto you abundantly in the euerlastyng kingdome of our lorde Iesus christe And by the affirmation of our iustificatiō by faieth alone they doe denie not onely the Sacrament of Baptisme of penaunce of the holie Eucharistia with the rest of Christes Sacramentes but more generally they doe denie all kinde of Good woorkes here commended and tought both by saincte Peter and sainct Paule Saincte Augustine in his booke de fide operibus gaue to vs sufficient admonition how daungerous an errour and heresie it was to put our whole iustification to faieth onely and faieth alone and saieth how vppon the mistakyng of the wordes of sainct Paule of our iustification by faieth vppon these woordes misconstrued certaine persones denied the merite of good workes vprising and springyng of faieth promising to them selues safetie and securitie of saluatien by onely faieth and faieth alone for reformation of the whiche errour Augustine saieth that the Apostles sainct Iames sainct Peter and sainct Ihon did write their Canonicall Epistles whiche admonition therof geuen by S Augustine shoulde haue sufficed both learned and Christen men The aunswere By affirmyng that onely faithe doeth iustifie we neither denie the Sacramentes to be receiued nor any good worke to be exercised as GOD and all the worlde doeth knowe For ascribyng to faith that whiche is her peculier office wee dooe not deny the offices of any other thinges that belong vnto theim As if I affirme that onely the eye doeth see I doe not denie the eare to heare or the tounge to tast or the hande to handle or the foote to goe but I denie that the eare or any other member dooeth sée saue onely the iye So affirmyng that onely faithe dooeth iustifie wee dooe not denie the Sacramentes to be seales of Goddes promises nor good woorkes to be fruites of our iustification by whiche God is glorified and our election in vs established and yet we deny that the Sacramentes or good woorkes or any other thyng in vs dooeth iustifie saue onely faithe that taketh holde of Goddes mercie by beleuyng Gods promises As it is written of Abraham not for hym onely as saincte Paule testifieth but for vs also Abraham beleued God and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse so that faithe doeth not iustifie vs by the merite or worthinesse therof but by Goddes imputation of righteousnes therevnto For to be iustified before GOD is not to bee righteous by any qualitie that is in vs but to be accoumpted righteous of GOD for Christes sake hauing our synnes purged by his passion But whereas you take vpon you to talke of iustification and that so substancially that you wil tell vs what all learnyng agreeth thereof you declare that youre learnyng and discretion are bothe a like For it were enough for you to speake of all your owne learning whiche you knowe and not of all learnyng in generall whiche you knowe not It is not by and by all lernyng that the Maister of the Sentence and after hym all the sentenciaries and whole rable of Papistes also doe holde There is some learnyng of the olde writers and there is some learnyng of the newe writers And the Protestantes I trust bee not voide of all learnyng It were sufficiente for you to challenge truthe though you did not boaste of all learning But seyng all learnyng is on your side as you saie your self will you giue a poore manne of small learnyng leaue to aske you one question concernyng that diuision whiche all learnyng dooeth agree of Is this your diuision of the worde of iustification Or of the thing it self whiche is Iustification If it be onely of the woorde iustification sauyng the correction of all learnyng I finde in scripture three other diuerse kindes of iustification of whiche neuer a one can be comprehended in any of your three kindes of iustification The firste is in the. Lj. Psalme Vt iustificeris in sermonibus tuis vincas cum iudicaris That thou maiest bee iustified in thy saiynges and gette the vpper hande when thou art iudged The seconde is in the eleuenth chapiter of sainct Matthew Iustificata est sapientia a filijs suis. Wisedome is iustified of her own childrē The thirde is j. Timo. iij. Deus manifestatus est in carne iustificatus est in spiritu c. God was shewed in the fleshe iustified in the spirite c. Loe heare are three seueral iustifications more then your learned diuision dooeth conteine But if you vnderstande your diuision not of the diuerses acceptions of the worde but of the thyng it self I would demaunde by what kinde of iustification the Publicane was iustified of whom our sauiour Christe dooeth testifie that he departed iustified rather then the Pharisie Luke xviij The firste kinde you saie is by Baptisme but he was not baptised the seconde you make by penaunce but he
vniuersally and haue been alwaies vsed in the Churche Secondely that thei bee not contrary to the doctrine of the Apostles conteined in the holie scriptures for then it is moste certaine thei are no Traditions of the Apostles for thei did not deliuer one thyng in writyng and a contrary thyng in Tradition Thirdly that whatsoeuer Tradition of the Apostles is not conteined in the scriptures although wee knewe it came from the Apostles it is lawfull vpon good consideration to alter it For seyng that all necessarie matters are conteigned in the scriptures whatsouer thei deliuered whiche is not conteined in the scriptures was but temporall might be chaunged aswell as the decree De sanguine et suffocato of blood strangled And that we ought not to receiue whatsoeuer is commended to vs as a Traditiō of the Apostles maie appere by these exāples Irenaeus was a manne that liued nere to the age of the Apostles for he sawe as he hymself doeth testifie Polycarpus the disciple of sainct Ihon. And he declareth that it was a Tradition commonly receiued in Asia as of sainct Ihon the Apostle and of other of the Apostles that our sauiour Christe liued fiftie yeres whiche is contrary to the truthe of the Gospell Irenaeus libri 2. Cap. xxxv If suche a fable could bee credited for an Apostolike Tradition so sone after the Apostles departure what maie bee iudged of those that in two hundreth three hundreth fiue hundreth sixe hundreth eight hundreth yeres after the Apostles were not heard of but sodainlie were sette out in the worlde as Traditions of the Apostles Eusebius also reporteth libri v. Cap. xviii that it was alledged as a Traditiō of the Apostles that Christ commaunded theim not to departe from Hierusalem twelue yeres after his ascension whiche is manifestly contrary to the the historie of the Actes of the Apostles Tertuliane after he was fallen into the errour of the Montanistes voucheth the Tradition of the Apostles against the Catholikes whom he calleth Psychicos that is animales naturall men and not spirituall Ieronime in Euangel Math. libr. 4. Cap. xxv declareth that it was a Tradition emong the Iewes that Christ should come at midnight whervpon he gathereth that the Tradition of the Apostles was deriued that on Easter eue the people should not depart out of the churche before midnight but tary there for the commyng of christ A likely matter that the Apostles would make a Tradition of the erroure of the Iewes The same Ieronyme vpon the firste Chapiter of Agge saieth verie well of the Apostolicall Traditions Sed alia quae absque auctoritate testimonijs scripturarum quasi Apostolica traditione sponte reperiunt atque confingunt percutit gladius dei But other thinges also speakyng of heretikes whiche thei finde out and feigne of them selues without the aucthoritie and testimonies of the scriptures as it were by Tradition of the Apostles the sworde of God dooeth strike By these examples and testimonies it is manifeste that wée must not by and by receiue what soeuer is saied to be a Tradition of the Apostles The Papiste Fowerth saincte Augustine in his thirde Epistle ad Ianuarium in speakyng of these thinges whiche in diuerse partes are obserued in christes Churche diuersely he geueth that certeine and sure rule that if thei be not against the professed faieth of christes churche nor against the good liuyng and maners of men but haue in theim some maner of encouragement of a better life wheresoeuer saieth he we dooe knowe anie such thing diuersely to be vsed we shal not only not disalow theim but also folow thē with praise and innouation of life So that the infirmitie and weakenes of some men be not let therunto when otherwise if more profette maie come therby vnto the good then hurte vnto the weake offended therby sine dubitatione faciēda sunt without doubte saieth he al suche although thei be diuerse and in diuerse places diuersely obserued yet they ought to be continued and kepte The aunswere Wée agree with sainct Augustine that suche Ceremonies as are instituted for order and comelinesse sake beyng diuers in diuerse churches if thei be not contrary to the Scriptures are to bée obserued of suche as remaine in those Churches And what this should make either for you or againste vs I dooe not sée at all For your Ceremonies are voide of edifiyng vnorderly vndecent for the churche of Christ and then the opinion of merite and satisfaction that you ioigne vnto them beyng contrary to the Christian faithe and the aucthoritie of the Scriptures maketh thē to be vtterly abhominable Furthermore when you make them essentiall partes of the religion and worshippe of GOD our sauiour Christe hym self out of the Prophete Esaie doeth vtterly condemne thē For GOD will not be worshipped with the doctrine Traditions and preceptes of menne Matth. xv Thus neither your ten reasōs out of the scriptures nor your ten argumentes out of the doctours nor your fower bulwarkes out of S. Augustine are able to defende your Popishe churche from ouerthrowe whiche if she take vpon her to encounter with the truthe muste needes bée discomfited and come to vtter destruction The Papiste Besides that this refourmed Englishe churche hath no agreaunce with the catholike churche of christe the religion thereof doeth onely stande of negatiues like as it shall appeare in the processe followyng The aunswere Besides that your Rhetorike in railyng on our Churche is verie vnreasonable your Sophistrie it self in quarellyng againste vs is voide of sufficient subtiltie not onely to defende it self but at leaste wise to hide it self For what impudente kinde of arguing call you this by enumeration of a fewe particulers to conclude any vniuersall proposition These newe reformators deny twentie thynges whiche the Papistes affirme ergo their religion standeth onely of negatiues Maie not I likewise reason the Papistes denie fourtie thynges that the Protestauntes affirme Ergo the Religion of Papistes standeth onely vpon negatiues Furthermore whē euery affirmatiue proposition implieth a negation of his contradictorie and euery negatiue propositiō importeth an affirmation of his contradictorie you maie as well saie that it standeth altogether vpon affirmatiues as you dooe vpon negatiues Like as in the tenne commaūdementes of GOD onely twoo are affirmatiue and eight are negatiue wherein all the duetie of a Christian manne consisteth you might reason that Gods commaundementes stande almoste all of negatiues as though God did onely tell vs what we should not doe and did not teach vs what wée should dooe like as you conclude afterward vpō the sale of Clare the Butchers horse but that right reason telleth vs that the prohibitiue Commaūdementes are also preceptiue and the preceptiue commaundementes are also prohibitiue for he whiche forbiddeth adulteterie commaundeth a chaste life and he whiche commaundeth to honour our parentes forbiddeth vs to disobey the same But because faithe whiche is the foundation of religion is an affirmation of those thinges whiche are beleued