them selues How shall they in the holy scriptures discerne truth frō falsehoode To which I answere that they must haue great care as in the beginning of this Treatise I said holy and learned men taught me that they interpret the diuine and canonicall scripture according to tradition of the vniuersall Church according to the rules of the Catholike doctrine in which like wise they must of necessitie folow vniniuersalitie antiquitie and consent of the Catholicke Apostolike Church And therefore if at anye time a parte rebell against the wholle noueltie against antiquitie the dissention of one or a few caried away with error against the consent of all or the farre greater parte of Catholickes In that case let them preferre the integritie of vniuersalitie before the corruption of a parte And in vniuersalitie let them also preferr the religion of antiquitie before prophane noueltie and againe in antiquitie let them preferre before the temeritie of one or a few the decrees of a generall Councell if any be or if no such be founde let them take that which is next hand that is to followe the opinions of many and great learned Doctors agreeing togither which faithfully soberly diligentlye obserued and kept By Gods grace we shall without any great difficultie finde out the errors of new vpstarte Heretickes CHAP. XIIII HERE I perceaue by order it foloweth to shew by exāples how the prophane nouelties of heretickes are by bringing forth and conferring togither the olde Doctors opinions agreeing togither to be found out and condemned which auncient consent of holy fathers is not so carefullie and diligently to be sought for folowed in euery small question of the scripture but only and especially in the rule of faith neither yet alwaies nor all heresies are after this sorte to be impugned but only such as be new and vpstart to wit at their first springing vp before they haue lette with lacke of time falsified the rules of the auncient faith before the poison spreding far a broad goeth about to corrupte the Fathers workes But those heresies which haue alreadie gott ground and be of some contiunance are not this way to be delt with all because by long tracte of time they haue had oportunity to steal truth And therfore such kinde of prophane schismes and heresies which be of longer standing we must not otherwise conuince but either only if need be by the authoritie of the scriptures or else to auoide and detest them being already conuicted and condemned in olde time by generall Councels of Catholicke Preistes Therfore so soon as any infectious error begineth to break forth and for her defence to steale certain words of holy scripture craftely fradulently to expound thē straight waies for the right vnderstanding therof the Fathers opinions are to be gathered togither by which let any whatsoeuer new and therfore prophane doctrine growing vp with out all delay be deiected and speedely condemned But those Fathers opinions only are to be conferred togither which with holines wisdome and constancie liued taught and continued in the faith and communion of the Catholicke Church and finally deserued to die in Christ or happily for Christ to be martired whō notwithstāding we are to beleeue with this condition that whatsoeuer either all or the greater parte with one mind plainly commonlye constantly as it were a Councell of Doctors agreeing togither haue decreed and set downe receauing it from their auncestors holding it for their time and deliuering it to their posteritie let that be had and accounted for vndoubted for certaine and firme truth And whatsoeuer any although holy and learned although a Bishop although a Confessour and Martir hath holden otherwise then all or against all let that be put aside from the authoritie of the common publicke and generall faith reputed amongst his owne proper priuate and secrete opinions least with greate daunger of eternall saluation we do according to the custome of sacriligious Heretickes and Schismatickes forsake the trueth of the vniuersall faith and follow the nouell error of one man the holy and and Catholicke mind of which blessed Fathers least any man thinke that he may rashly cōtemne The Apostle saieth 1. Cor. 12. in his first epistle to the Corinthians And some verely hath God set in his Church first Apostles of which him self was one Secondly Prophetes as Agabas was of whom we read in the Actes Thirdly Doctors which now are called Cap. 11. Tractators whō also this Apostle some time nameth Prophetes because their office was to expound declare to the people the misteries of the Prophetes these therfore disposed and placed by God at diuers times and sundry places agreeing consenting all in one mind in Christ touching the vnderstanding of the Catholicke faith whosoeuer cōtemneth doth not contemne man but God and that we disagree not by any meanes from the perfect and true vnitie of those Fathers the same Apostle doth earnestly beseech all Christians saying I beseech you brethren that you say all one thing and that there bee no schismes among you but that you be perfecte 1. Cor. 1 in one sence and in one knowledge And if any man separate him selfe from the communion of theire opinion let him heare that saying of the same Apostle He is not the God of dissention but 1. Cor. 14 of peace that is not of him that leaueth consent and vnitie but of them that remaine in peace and agreement As I do quoth he teach in all the Churches of the Saintes that is of Catholickes which therfore be holy because they continue in the cōmunion of the faith and least happily any one should contemne others and proudly require only to be heard only to be beleeued strait after he saieth What hath the word of God quoth he proceeded from you or haue it only come to you And least this might be taken as spoken slightlye he addeth If any quoth he seemeh a Prophet or spirituall that is a master in spirituall matters let him be a zealous louer of vnitie and peace in such wise that he neither preferre his owne opinion before the iudgement of others neither leaue or forsake the sence and common consent of all men The commaundementes of which thinges he that is quoth he ignorant of that is he that learneth not those thinges which he yet knoweth not or contemneth those which he knoweth he shal not be knowē that is he shall be thought vnworthie whom amongest such as be vnited in faith equall in humilitie God should regard and looke vpon a greater euill then which I doubt whether any man can inuēt or deuise which yet notwithstanding accordinge to the Apostles commination wee see to haue fallen vpon Iultan the Pelagian who either contēned to be ioined in opinion with his felowes or else presumed to separate him selfe from theire societie and communion But now it is time to bring forth the example which we promised how and after what sort
sobernes from new madnesse to auncient light from new darkenesse But in this diuine vertew which they shewed in the confession of their faith this thing is especially of vs to be noted that in that antiquitie of the church they tooke vpon them not the defence of any one part but of the wholle For it was not lawfull that such excelent famous men should maintaine and defend with so great might maine the erroneous suspitions and those contrary each to other of one or two men or should stand in contention for the temararious conspiracie of some small Prouince but they did those by folowing the Canons and decrees of the Catholicke and Apostolicke veritie of all the Preistes of holy Church rather to betray them selues then the vniuersall auncient faith For which fact of theirs they merited so great glorie that they are accounted not only Confessors but also iustly and worthely the Princes of all Confessors Great therfore surely diuine was the example of these blessed Confessors and of euery true Catholicke continually to be remembred who like the seuenfold Candlesticke shining with the seuenfold giftes of the holy Ghost deliuered vnto all posteritie a most notable example how afterward in each foolish and vaine error the boldnes of prophane noueltie was to be repressed with authoritie of sacred Antiquitie CHAP. III. NEITHER is this any new thing but alway vsuall in the Church of God that the more religious a man hath bene the more ready hath he allwayes resisted nouell inuentions examples wherof many might be brought but for breuity sake I will only make choyce of some one which shall be taken from the Apostolique sea by which al men may see most plainly with what force alwayes what zeale what indeuour the blessed succession of the blessed Apostles haue defended the integrity of that religion which they once receaued Therfore in times past Agrippinus of venerable memory Bishope of Carthage the first of all mortall men maintained this assertion against the deuine scripture against the of the vniuersall Church against the minde of all the preistes of his time against the custome and traditiō of his forefathers that rebaptization was to be admitted and put in practise Which presumptiō of his procured so great domage and hurte to the Church that not only it gaue all heriticks a paterne of sacrilege but also ministred occasion of errour to some Catholickes When therfore euery where al men exclaimed against the nouelty of the doctrine and all priestes in all places each one according to his zeale did repugne then Pope Steuē of blessed memory bishop of the Apostolique sea resisted in deed with the rest of his felow byshopes but yet more then the rest thinking it as I suppose reason so much to excell all other in deuotion towardes the faith as he was superiour to them in authoritie of place To conclude in his Epistle which then was sent to Afrike he decreed the same in these wordes That nothing was to bee innouated but that which came by tradition ought to be obserued For that holy and prudent man knew well that the nature of pietie could admitt nothing else but only to deliuer and teach our children that religion and that faith which we receaued and learned of our forefathers and that we ought to folow religion whither it doth lead vs and not to lead religion whither it please vs and that nothing is more proper to Christian modestie and grauitie then not to leaue vnto posteritie our owne inuentions but to preserue and keepe that which our Predecessors left vs. What therfore was thē the end of that wholle busines What else but common and vsuall to wecte antiquitie was retained noueltie abandoned But perhaps that new inuention lacked patrons and defenders To which I say on the contrary that it had such pregnant wittes such eloquent tonges such number of defendants such shew of truth such testimonies of scripture but glosed after a new and naughtie fashion that all that conspiracie and schisme shoulde haue semed vnto me inuincible had not the very profession of noueltie it selfe so taken in hand vnder that name defended with that title recōmended ouerthrowen the very ground of so great a schisme To conclude what force had the Councell or decree of Africke By Gods prouidence none but all things there agreed vpon were abolished disanulled abrogated as dreames as fables as superfluous And O strange change of the worlde the authours of that opinion are iudged and thought Catholickes the folowers accounted reputed Heretickes the masters discharged the schollers condemned the writers of those bookes shall be children of the kingdome of Heauen the maintainers of those books shall burne in Hell For who donbteth but holy S. Ciprian that light of all Saintes that lanterne of Bishops and spectacle of Martirs with the rest of his companions shall raigne with Christ for-euer And contrariwise who is so wicked to deny that the Donatists and such other pestilent Heretickes which by the authority of that Coūcell vaunt that they do practise rebaptization shall burne for euer with the Deuill his Angells Which iudgemēt in mine opinion seemeth to haue come frō God for their fraudulent dealing especially which endeuoring vnder the cloake of an other mans name coningly to frame an heresie commonly laye holde of some darke sayings of one auncient Father or other which by reason of the obscuritie may seeme to make for theire opinion to th end they may be thought that whatsoeuer I know not what they bring forth to the worlde neither to haue bene the first that so taught neither alone of that opinion whose wicked deuice in mine opinion is worthie of dubble hatred both for that they feare not to sow their poisoned seed of heresie amongest others and also because they blemishe the memorie of some holy man as it were with prophane handes cast his dead ashes into the wind bringing infamously that to light which rather with silence were to be buried folowing therin the steps of their father Chā who not only neglected to couer the nakednes of venerable Noë but also shewed it to others to laugh at by which fact of his he incurred so great a crime of impietie that Gen. 9 his posteritie was subiect to the malediction of his sinne his blessed brethrē doing farr otherwise who neither with their owne eies would violate the nakednesse of their reuerend father nor yet permit it to remaine vncouered for other to behold but going backward as the holy text saith they couerd him which is as much to say that they neither approued with harte nor blased with tong the holy mans fault and therfore they their posterity were rewarded with their fathers blessing But to returne to our purpose CHAP. IIII. VVE haue therfore much to feare the sacrilege of a changed faith of a violated religion from which fault not only the discipline of the ecclesiasticall decree doth restraine vs but the authoritie also of the
and receaue what a gods name I shake to speake for they are so proud and presumptuous that as they can not be maintained with-out sin so neither impngned without some blotte of offence CHAP. V. BVT some man will say why then doth god very often permit certaine notable and excellent men in the Church to preach vnto Catholicks a new religion A very good question and such as deserueth a more diligent and ample discourse vnto which notwithstāding I. will answer out of mine owne head but with the authoritie of sacred scripture and the doctrine of a notable master in Gods Church let vs then heare holy Moises let him giue vs the reason why learned men and such as for their great gift of knowledge are called of the Apostle Prophets be some times permitted to preach new doctrine which the olde testament allegorically calleth strange gods because there opinions are so obserued honored of heretickes as the gods were of the gentels thus thē writeth blessed Moyses in Deuteronomie If there shall arise quoth he in the middest Deut. 13 of thee a prophet or one which sayth he hath seene a dreame that is some master in the Church whose disciples or followers suppose to teach by some reuelation from god what then shall fortell quoth he some signe or miracle that shall happen which he hath sayed some greate master is here surely ment and one of so deepe knowledge whom his folowers imagin not only to know things humane but also to foresee future such as shall happē which is far aboue mans reach as the scholers for the most part of Valentinus Donatus Photinus Apollinaris such like did bragge that their masters were What foloweth And shall quoth he say vnto thee let vs go and folow strange Gods which thou knowest not and let vs serue them What is ment by strange Gods but forraine errors which thou knowest not that is new and neuer heard of before and let vs serue them that is beleeue them folow them What thē Thou shalt not quoth he heare the wordes of that Prophet or Dreamer And why I pray you is not that forbidden by GOD to bee taught which is by God forbidden to be heard Because quoth he the Lord your God doth tempt you that it may appeare whether you loue him or no in your wholle heart and in your wholle soule The reason thē is more cleare then day why the prouidence of God doth some time suffer certaine teachers and masters of the Church to preach certaine new opiniōs that your Lord God quoth he may tempt you And surely a great tentation it is when as he whom you thinke a Prophet a disciple of the Prophetes whom you esteeme a Doctor and maintainer of the truth whom you haue highly reuerenced and most intierly loued when he sodenly priuily bringeth in pernicious errors which neither you can quickly spie lead away with preiudice of your old teacher nor easelie condemne hindered with loue to your old master CHAP. VI. HERE some man haply doth earnestly desire to see that proued by some ecclesiasticall examples which by the authoritie of Moises hath already bene auouched The demaund is reasonable and therfore of reason not long to be differred Wherfore to beginne with those which are yet fresh in memorie to the world best knowne What kinde of tentation thincke you was that of late daies when that vngratious and cursed Nestorius sodenly frō a sheepe transformed into a wolfe began to deuour the flocke of Christ at such time as those which were spoiled commonly tooke him for a sheepe and therfore were more subiect to his crueltie For who would haue easely imagined him to haue erred whom euery man knew to haue bene chosen with such iudgement of the Empire who was so highly in grace with the Cleargie so much beloued of all holy men so greatly in fauour with the people who openly expounded the scriptures and also confuted the pestiferous error of the Iewes why could not this man by such meanes easelie perswade any that he taught aright preched aright beleeued aright who to smooth the way make entrance for his owne heresie persecuted preached against the blasphemies of all others But this was that which Moises saith The Lord your God doth tempt you if you loue him or no. And to passeouer Nestorius in whom was alwaies more admiration then profite more fame thē experience whom for some time humane fauour had made greater then Gods grace exalted Lett vs rather speake of them which endowed with many giftes and men of greate industrie haue bene no small tentation to Catholickes as amongst the Pauonians in our Fathers memorie Photinus is recorded to haue tempted the Church of Sirminum in which being preferred with the liking of all men vnto the dignitie of Priesthood for sometime he behaued him selfe very Catholikely but sodenly like that naughtie Prophet or Dreamer of whom Moises speaketh he beganne to perswade the people of God committed to his charge to folow other gods that is strange and vnknowen errors which before they were not acquainted with But as this is vsuall so that was verie pernitiouse that he had so great helpes and furtherance for the aduancing of so great wickednes For he was both of an excelent witte and singulerly well learned and passing eloquent as he which both in disputation and writing was copious graue in either language as appeareth by the bookes which he wrote partly in greek and partly in the latin tong But in hapned well that Christes sheepe committed to his charge very vigilāt and carefull in keeping the Catholike faith did speedely remember Moises warning and therfore albeit they admired much the eloquence of their Prophet and Pastor yet were they not ignorant of the temptation And therefore whom before they folowed as the cheefe leader of the flocke the same very man afterward they auoided as a rauening wolfe Neither do we learne only by Photinus but also by the example of Apollinaris the daunger of this ecclesiasticall tentation and therby also be admonished diligently to keepe retaine our faith and religion For this Apollinaris procured his auditors great trouble anguish of mind whilest the authoritie of the Church drew them one way and the acquaintance of their master haled them another so that wauering tottering betwixt both they were vncertaine whether parte was best to be folowed But haply he was such a one as easely deserued to be contemned Nay he was so famous and worthie a man that in very may thinges he wone credite too fast For who surpassed him in sharpnes of witt in exercise in learning how many heresies in many and greate bookes hath he ouerthrowne how many errors against the faith hath he cōfuted That most notable great worke of thirtie bookes in which with great waight of reason he confounded the franticke cauills of Porphirius doth giue credit to my report and testifie the truth of my relation
not brought forth of thee wherin thou must not be an author but akeeper not a beginner but a folower not a leader but a comer after Keepe the depositum Preserue the talent of the Catholicke faith pure and sincere that which is committed to thee let that remaine with thee and that deliuer vnto the people Thou hast receiued gold render then gold I will not haue one thing for another Do not for gold giue me either impudently leade or craftily brasse I will not the shew but the verie nature of golde it selfe O Timothie O Preiste O Teacher O Doctour if Gods gift hath made thee meete and sufficient for thy witt exercise and learning shew thy selfe Beseelel that diuine workeman in building of the spirituall tabernacle ingraue those pretious stones of Gods religion faithfully set them wisely adorne them put vpon them brightnes giue them grace giue thē bewtie That which men before beleeued obsourely let them by thy exposition vnderstand more cleerly Let posteritie reioice for comming to the knowledge of that by thy means which antiquitie without that knowledge had in veneration Yet for all this in such sort deliuer what thou hast learned that albeit thou teachest newly and after a new maner yet thou neuer preach a new religion and deliuer a new faith CHAP. XIII BVT peraduenture some will say shall we then haue no increase of religion in the Church of Christ no growing on no proceeding forward To which I answere and say Let vs a-Gods name haue the greatest and most that may be For who is either so enuious to men or hatefull to God which wold labour to stop or hinder that but yet in such sort with this prouiso that it may appeare to be truely an increase in faith not proue to be a change in religion for this is the nature of such thinges as increase that in them selues they become and grow greater And this is the nature of a change mutation that some thing be turned from one thing which it was to an other which it was not Conuenient it is and very necessary that the vnderstanding knowledge and wisdome as well of euery man in particuler as of all in common as well of one a lone as of the wholle Church in generall of all ages in times past should aboundantly increase and go forwarde but yet for all that onely in his owne kinde and nature that is in the same faith in the same sence in the same sentence In this case let the religion of our soule imitate the nature of our bodies which although with proces of time they passouer many yeeres yet they remaine the same that they were There is great difference betwixt florishing youth withered age yet the selfe same men become olde which before were yong so that although the state and condition of one and the selfe same man be altered yet one very nature and person doth still remaine The limmes members of infants be small of young men great yet not diuers but the very same So many iointes as young childrē haue so many haue they when they be men and if any partes there be which with increase of yeeres spring forth those before by nature were in man virtually planted so that no newe thing come forth in olde men which before were not contained in them being yet children Wherfore there can be no doubt but that this is the due and right order of growing the most naturall goodliest way of increasing only to haue in olde yeeres those mēbers those partes and iointes which the wisdome of our Creator before framed when we were yet but litle ones And therfore if a man be afterward chāged into some other shape or likenes thē his nature require or if the number of his mēbers be more or lesse thē nature prescribeth then of necessitie the wholle body must either perishe or become monstrouse or at least remaine lame maimed In like manner Christian religion must folow these rules of increasing and growing to weet that with yeeres it waxe more sound with time become more ample with continuance be more exalted yet remaine pure and incorrupt and continue full and perfect with each of his partes and as it were with all his members and proper sences And furthermore that it admit no change or mutation sustaine no losse of his proprietie no varietie or mutabilitie in definition for example sake Our forefathers in olde time in the spirituall feilde of the Church sowed the wheaten seede of true faith and religion it were now very iniurious and vnreasonable that we their posteritie in steed of perfecte and true wheate should reape the false error of cockle And contrariwise it is reason and very conueniēt that the beginning and ending not disagreeing with it selfe we should of the increase of wheatē seed reape the fruit of wheaten religion so that when with tract of time any of those first seedes beginne to budd and come forth let them be tilled trimmed yet without chāging ought of the proprietie of the corne springing vp and albeit fashion shape and distinction be added put to yet must the nature of each kinde remaine and abide For God forbid that those rosie plantes of the Catholike doctrine should be chaunged into thirstles and thornes God forbid I say that in this spirituall paradise of the slippes of Cinamon Balsme should sodenly grow vp darnel and poison Therfore what soeuer hath by the grace of God and our Fathers faith beene sowen in this Church reason it is that the same be cultiuated maintained by the industry of the childrē meet that it florish waxe ripe conuenient it grow come to perfectiō for lawfull it is that those auncient articles of heauenly philosophie shoulde be trimmed smoothed and polished but vnlawfull it is that they should be changed mangled and maimed And albeit they receaue perspicuitie light and distinction yet of necessitie must they retaine their fulnes soundnes and proprietie For if once this licentiousnes of wicked fraud be admitted I tremble to speake what daunger is like to ensue of rasing and abandoning religion for if we take away any parte of the Catholicke faith straight waies other partes and after that other and againe other and that as it were of custome and by law shall be abandoned And what followeth when euery parte by litle and litle is abolished but that in conclusion the wholle corps of religion at one blow be refused and reiected And contrariwise if new things and olde forraine and domesticall prophane and sacred begin once to be confounded togither then must needs this custome generally folow that nothing hereafter remaine in the Church vntowched nothinge without corruption nothing sounde nothing pure nothing sincere and so where before was the sacred schoole of chaste and immaculate truth there shall be a very brothel house of wicked filthie errors But God of his goodnes deliuer his seruants frō such minds and let the
as it were with the sweete powder of Gods worde that he which quicklie would haue cōtemned mans erronious inuention dare not so readilie reiecte Gods diuine scripture wherin they are like to those which minding to minister bitter potions to yonge childrē do first annoint the brimmes of the cuppe with honie that ther by vnwarie youth feeling the swetnes may nothing feare the bitter confection This deuise also practise they which vpon noughtie herbes and hurtfull ioyces writte the names of good wholsome medicines wherby almost no man reading the good superscription anything suspecteth the lurking poysō The selfe same thing likewise our Sauiour crieth out to all Christiās Take ye heed of false prophets Mat. 7 which come to you in sheepes cloathing but inwardly are rauening wolues What is ment else by sheepes clothing but the sayings of the Prophetes and Apostles which they with sheepelike sinceritie did weare like certain fleeces for that immaculate Lambe which taketh away the sinnes of the world And what is to be vnderstood by rauening wolues but the cruell dogged opinions of hereticks which alwaies trouble the sheepfoldes of the Church and by all meanes possible teare in peeces the flocke of Christ But to th end they may more craftely set vpon the sheepe of Christ mistrusting nothing remaining still cruell beastes they putt of their woluish weed and shroude them selues with the wordes of scripture as it were with certaine fleeces whereby it hapneth that when the feelie sheepe feele the soft woll they litle feare their sharpe teeth But what saieth our Sauiour By their fruites you shall knowe them That is when then beginne not only to vtter those wordes but also to expound them not only to cast them forth but also to interpret them then doth that bitternes breake forth then is that sharpenes espied then is that madnes perceaued then is that fresh and new poison belched out then are prophane nouelties sett abroch then may you see straight way the hedge cut in two the olde fathers bounds remoued the Cotholicke doctrine shaken and the Churches faith torne in peeces Such were they whome the Apostle sharplie reprehendeth in the 2. epistle to the Corinthians For such false Apostles quoth he are crafty workers 2. Cor. 11 transfiguring them selues into the Apostles of Christ What is transfiguring them selues into the Apostles of Christ But this The Apostles alleadged the examples of scripture they likewise cited them The Apostles cited the authoritie of the Psalmes and they likewise vsed it The Apostles vsed the sayinges of the Prophetes and they in like maner brought them forth But whē that scripture which was alike alleadged alike cited alike brought forth was not alike and in one sence expounded then were discerned the simple from the craftie the sincere frō the counterfeit the right good from the froward and peruerse and to conclude true Apostles from those false Apostataes And no maruell quoth Saint PAVL For Sathan him selfe transfigureth him selfe into an Angell of light it is no great matter therfore if his ministers be transfigured as the ministers of Iustice Wherfore according to Saint PAVL whensoeuer either false Apostles or false Prophets or false Doctors do bring forth the words of holy scripture by which they would according to their noughtie interpretation confirme their error there is no doubt but that they folow the craftie sleight of their maister which surely he would neuer haue inuented but that he knoweth verie well that there is no readier way to deceaue the people then where the bringing in of wicked error is intended that there the authoritie of the word of God should be pretēded But some will say how proue you that the Deuill vseth to alledge scripture Such as doubt therof let them read the Gospell where it is written Then the Deuill tooke him vp that is our Lord and Sauiour and set him vpon the pinnacle of the Temple and said vnto him if thou be the sonne of God cast thy selfe downe for it is written that he will geue his Angels Mat. 4 charge of thee that they may keepe theee in all thy waies in their hands shall they hold the vp least perhaps thou knock thy foote against a stone How will he thinke you handle seely poore soules which so setteth vpon the Lord of maiestie with the authoritie of scripture If thou be quoth he the sonne of god cast thy selfe downe Why so For it is writtē quoth he we haue diligētly to waigh the doctrine of this place to keepe it in mind that by so notable an example of the scripture we make no scruple or doubt when we see any alleadge some place of the Apostles or Prophetes against the Catholike faith but that by his mouth the deuil himself doth speak For as at that time the head spake vnto the head so now the mēbers do talke vnto the members that is the mēbers of the Deuill to the members of Christ the faithlesse to the faithfull the irreligious to the religious to conclude Heretickes to Catholickes But what I pray saieth the Deuill If thou be the sonne of God quoth he cast thy selfe downe That is to say Desirest thou to be the sonne of God and to enioy the inheritance of the Kingdome of Heauen Cast thy selfe downe that is Cast thy selfe downe from this doctrine tradition of this high and loftie Church which is reputed to be the Temple of God And if any one demaund of these hereticks perswading thē such things how do you proue and conuince me that I ought to forsake the olde and vniuersall faith of the Catholike Church Straight waies is ready at hand For it is written forthwith he will alledge you a thousand testimonies a thousand examples a thousand authorities out of the law out of the Psalmes out of the Apostles out of the Prophetes by which expounded after a new wicked fashion he would throw headlong the vnfortunate soules from the tower of the Catholike Church into the deep dungeon of wicked heresie Now with these sweete promises which followe Heretickes doe wonderfully deceaue simple men For they dare promise and teach that in their Church that is in the conuenticle of their communion is to be found a great and speciall yea a certaine personall grace of God So that whosoeuer be one of their crew they shall straight waies without any labour without any study without any industrie yea although they neuer seek nor craue nor knocke haue such speciall dispensation that they shall be caried vp with the handes of Angells that is preserued by Angelicall protection that they neuer hurt their foote against a stone that is that they neuer can be scandilized But some man wil say if the Deuill his disciples wherof some be false Apostles false Prophetes and false teachers and all perfecte Heretickes do vse the scriptures cite their sayings bring forth their promises what shall Catholicke men do How shall the children of the Church behaue