owne conscience I must shortly appeare before the same Christ in the presence of the same his Church to giue an account thereof Therefore I neither durst any further to pursue my owne desire of honor nor to hazard my soule any farther in the iustification of that religion which I saw was impossible to be iustified by any such reason as at the day of Iudgement would goe for payment and that it may appeare that I haue not respected any thing so much in this world as my dutie to your Maiestie and my loue to my friends and Country I humbly beseech you giue me leaue as briefely as I can to recount vnto you the whole course of my studies and endeuours in this kinde euen from the beginning of my life vntill this ptesent 2 I was borne in the yeare 1566. being the sonne of ANTY CARIER a learned and deuout man who although he were a Protestant and a Preacher yet he did so season me with the principles of pietie and deuotion as I could not chuse but euer since be very zealous in matters of Religion Of him I learned that all false religions in the world were but policies inuented of men for the temporall seruice of Princes and States and therefore that they were diuers and alwayes changeable according to the diuers reasons and occasions of State But true Christian religion was a truth reuealed of God for the eternall saluation of soules and therefore was like to God alwayes one and the same so that all the Princes and States in the world neuer haue beene nor shall be able to ouerthrow that Religion This to mee seemed an excellent ground for the finding out of that religion wherein a man might finde rest vnto his soule which cannot be satisfied with any thing but eternall truth 3 My next care then was after I came to yeares of discretion by all the best means I could to informe my selfe whether the Religion of England were indeed the very same which being prefigured and prophecied in the old Testament was perfected by our blessed Sauiour and deliuerd to his Apostles and Disciples to continue by perpetuall succession in his visible Church vntill his comming againe or whether it were a new one for priuate purposes of Statesmen inuented and by humane lawes established Of this I could not chuse but make some doubt because I heard men talke much of those dayes of the change of religion which was then lately made in the beginning of Queene ELIZABETHS raigne 4 I was sorie to heare of change and of a new Religion seeing me thought in reason if true religion were Eternall then new religion could not be true But yet I hoped that the religion of England was not a change or new religion but a restitution of the olde and that the change was in the Church of Rome which in processe of time might perhaps grow to be superstitious and Idolatrous and therefore that England had done well to leaue the Church of Rome and to reforme it selfe and for this purpose I did at my leasure and best oportunitie as I came to more iudgement read ouer the Chronicles of England and obserued all the alterations of religion that I could find therein but when I found there that the present religion of England was a plaine change and change vpon change and that there was no cause of the change at all of the first but only that King HENRY the eight was desirous to change his old Bed-fellow that he might leaue some heires male behind him for belike hee feared that females would not be able to withstand the Title of Scotland and that the change was continued and increased by the posterity of his latter wiues I could not choose but suspect something but yet the loue of the world and hope of preferment would not suffer me to beleeue but that all was well and as it ought to be 5 This I satisfied my selfe at schoole and studied the Artes and Philosophie and other humane learning vntill being Master of Artes and Fellow of Corpus Christi Colledge in Cambridge I was at the last by the Statutes of that house called to the studie of Diuinitie and bound to take vpon me the order of Priest-hood then I thought it my duty for the better satisfaction of mine owne soule and the sauing of other mens to looke as farre into the matter as possibly I could that I might find out the truth And hauing the oportunity of a very good Library in that Colledge I resolued with my selfe to studie hard and sâ—tting aside all respect of men then aliue or of Writers that had moued or maintained controuersies further then to vnderstand the question which was betwixt them I fell to my praiers and betooke my selfe wholy to the reading of the Church historie and of the ancient Fathers which had no interest in either side and especially I made choise of Saint AVGVSTINE because I hoped to finde most comfort in him for the confirming of our Religion and the confuting of the Church of Rome 6 In this sort I spent my time continually for many yeares and noted downe whatsoeuer I could gather or rather snatch either from the Scriptures or the Fathers to serue my turne But when after all my paines and desire to serue my selfe of antiquitie I found the doctrine of the Church of Rome to be euery where confirmed and by most profound demonstrations out of holy Scripture made most agreeable to the truth of Christs Gospell and most conformable to all Christian soules and saw the current opinions of our great Preachers to bee euery where confuted either in plaine termes or by most vnanswerable consequence although my vnderstanding was thereby greatly edified for which I had great cause to render immortall thankes to our blessed Sauiour who by these meanes had vouchsafed to shew himselfe vnto me yet my heart was much grieued that I must be faine either not to preach at all or else to crosse and varie from the doctrine which I saw was commonly receiued 7 Being thus perplexed with my selfe what course I were best to take I reflected back again vpon the Church of England and because the most of those Preachers which drew the people after them in those dayes were Puritans and had grounded their Diuinitie vpon CALVINS Institutions I thought peraduenture that they hauing gotten the multitude on their side might wrong the Church of England in her doctrine as well as they desired to doe in her Discipline which indeed vpon due search I found to be most true for I found the Common-prayer-booke and the Catechisme therein contained to hold no point of doctrine expressely contrarie to antiquitie but only that it was very defectiue and contained not enough And that for the doctrine of Predestination Sacraments Grace Free-will Sinne c. the new Catechismes and Sermons of those Preachers did run wholly against the Common-prayer book and Catechismes therin and did make as little account of the Doctrine
with the light of the Gospell held in extreame ignorance are not yet so vncapable but they will be glad to heare of the truth when it shall be simply and euidently deliuered by honest men and then they will plainly see that their light of the Gospell which they so much talke of is but a counterfeit light in a Theeues lanterne whereby honest mens eyes is dazeled and their purses robbed And it will also appeare that there is not indeed any such irreconciliable opposition betwixt the Church of England and the Church of Rome as they that liue by the Schisine doe make the world beleeue there is neither in matter of Doctrine nor matter of State 21 For matter of Doctrine there is no reason that your Maiesty or the Kingdome should be molested or burthened for the maintenance of Caluinisme which is as much against the religion of England as it is against the religion of Rome and will by necessary consequence ouerthrow not only the Catholike Church the Communion of Saints and the forgiuenes of sins but also all the Articles of the Creed sauing only so much as the Turke himselfe will be content to beleeue which will be easie to proue vpon better leasure The Doctrine of England is that which is contained in the Common-prayer booke and Church Catechisme confirmed by Act of Parliament and by your Maiesties Edict wherein all English-men are Baptised and ought to be confirmed and therefore there is some reason that this should be stood vpon But this Doctrine in most of the maine points thereof as hath bin touched before and requireth a iust treatise to set downe in particular doth much differ from the current opinions and Catechismes of Caluinisme or doth very neere agree with or at least not contradict the Church of Rome if we list with patience to heare one another And those points of Doctrine wherm we are made to be at warres with the Church of Rome whether we will or not do rather argue the corruptions of that State from whēce they come then are argued by the grounds of that religion whereupon they stand and the contradiction of Doctrine hath followed the alteration of State and not the alteration of State bin grounded vpon any truth of Doctrine 22 For when the breach was resolued vpon for the personall and palticular ease of King HENRY the eight and the children of his latter wiues it was necessary to giue euery part of the Common-wealth contentment for which they might hold out in the heat of affection and studie to maintayne the breach otherwise it was likely that in the clearnesse of iudgement it would quickly haue growne together againe then the Authors therof must haue been excluded and giuen account of their practise 23 Therefore to the Lords and Fauorites of the Court were giuen the lands and inheritance of the Abbeyes and Religious houses that hauing once as it were washed their hands in the bowels and bloud of the Church both they and their posteritie might be at vtter defiance therewith And so hauing ouerthrowne and prophaned the good workes of the Saints it was necessarie for them to get them Chaplains that might both dispute preach and write against the merits of good Works the Invocation of Saints the sacrifice of the Altar praier for the Dead and all such points of Catholike doctrine as were the grounds of those churches and religious houses which they had ouerthrowne and prophaned And it was not hard for those Chaplains by some shew of Scripture to proue that which their Lords and their followers were so willing to beleeue 24 To the Commons was giuen great hope of reliefe for their poucrtie ease of Subsidies and of the burden of so great a Clergie and many other goodly gay Nothings And for the present they should haue libertie and the benefit of common law that is leaue to liue by such Lawes as themselues list to make and to contemne the authority of the Church which although it were for their benefit euery way yet because it crossed their affections like way ward children they could neuer abide it And was not this reason enough for them to hold out the breach and to studie Scripture themselues that they might be able to confute Confession Satisfaction Penance and to declaim against all that Tyrannie of the Church of Rome whereby themselues and their forefathers had beene kept in awe and obedience vnto God and their Kings 25 To the Clergy men that would turn with the times besides the possibilitie of present preferment by the alteration was giuen shortly after leaue to Marrie and to purchase and to enioy the profit and pleasure of the World as well as the Laitie And what carnall minded Monke or Priest would not with might and maine keepe open the breach after he was once plunged in it rather then be in danger to forgoe so pleasing a commoditie Hence did arise a necessitie of speaking and writing against Vowes Virginitie Pouertie Fasting Praying Watching Obedience and all that austeritie of life which is by the Lawes of the Church required in a Monasticall and Priestly conuersation 26 Vpon these conditions the Lords the Commons and the Clergie were content to beleeue that the King was supreme head of the Church of England not that they did thinke so indeede or that they desired to augment his authoritie but that they might be protected by him and freely enioy those commodities which they thought Schisme had brought vnto them and feared the vnitie of the Church might againe take from them Hence did arise a necessitie of inveighing against the Pope and the Church of Rome as against Antichrist and Babilon and the greatest Enemies of the state of England In so much that that Clergie man was most acceptable to them and in their opinion most worthie of prefermēts that could most confidently preach and write the most foule and monstruous assertions of the Pope and the Church of Rome though they were neuer so false These and such like are those temporall respects which would faine seeme the daughters of those doctrines which them selues haue brought forth and to bee diuided from the Catholike Church by doctrine when they themselues haue caused the doctrine of diuision 27 In all these and all other doctrine of diuision Men haue receiued great countenance encouragement from Geneua For although M. IOHN CALVIN were neuer any good Subiect or Friend to Bishop Duke or King yet he did so fit the Common people with new Doctrine that no Gospell can be so pleasing to them nor so lightsome as his For finding Geneua to be fallen out both with their Bishop who was their ancient Prince and their Duke to whom they pretended against their Bishop and to be all in a combustion among themselues for want of gouernment although he were then a stranger and a very yong man of some six and twenty or seuen and twenty yeares old at the most yet he thought good vpon the oportunity
should perswade the garrison that they might surrender the castle vnto him well enough and keepe the base towne to themselues But when the Diuell hath preuailed so farre as by false opinions in matters of the first truth that is of Religion to get the vnderstanding in possession which is the castle as it were watch-tower of both the soule and body and state and all he will peraduenture dissemble his purpose for a while and by slandering of the truth and pleasing them with the trifles of the world which by Gods permission are in his power make men beleeue that the world is amended for Nemorepentè fit pessimus but shortly after when he seeth his time he will out of his Arsenale of false apprehensions in vnderstanding send forth such distorted engines of life and actions as will easily subdue both body and goods and states and all to his deuotion 16 The Caluinisticall Preacher when he hath gotten his honest abused and misguided flock about him will cry out against me for this Popish collection and cal God and them to witnes that he doth daily in his Sermons exhort men to good workes and to obedience vnto the Kings Maiesty and am not I and my brethren saith he and our flocks as honest and as ciuill men as any Papist of them all For mine owne part I will not accuse any Caluinist though I could neither can I excuse all Papists though I would Iliacos inter muros peccator extra But I must neuer forget that most true and wise obseruation which the Noble and learned Sir FRANCIS BACON maketh in one of his first Essayes vz. that all Schismatikes vtterly failing in the Precepts of the first Table concerning the religion and worship of God haue Necessity in Policie to make a good shew of the second Table by their ciuill and demure conuersation towards men For otherwise they should at the first appeare to be as afterwards they shew themselues to be altogether out of their ten Commandements and so men would be as much ashamed to follow them at the first as they are at the last It is a sure rule of Policie that in euery mutation of State the Authors of the Change will for a while shew themselues honest rather of spite then of conscience that they may disgrace those whom they haue suppressed but it doth neuer hold in the next generation You shall scarce heare of a Puritan father but his sonne proues either a Catholike or an Atheist Mutinous souldiers whilest the enemy is in the field will be orderly not for loue of their Generall but for feare of the enemie but if they be not held in the ancient discipline of warres they will vpon the least truce or cessation quickly shew themselues 17 And as for their exhortations to obedience to your Maiesty when they haue first infected the vnderstanding of your subiects with such principles of rebellion as haue disturbed and ouerthrowne all other States where they had their will it is a ridiculous thing to thinke vpon such exhortations and all one as if a phantasticall fellow finding a herd of yong cattell in a close should first breake downe the hedges and then cry alowd to the cattell they do not venture to go out nor to seeke any fatter pasture for feare they be put into the pound and if they chance to feed where they are because they haue no experience of other and to tary in the close for an houre or two then the vnhappy fellow should runne to the owner of the cattell and tell him what great seruice he had done him and how he had kept his cattell in the close by his goodly charmes and exhortations Let them say what they list of their owne honesty and of their exhortations to obedience as long as they do freely infect the peoples soules with such false opinions in Religion they do certainly sow the seeds of disobedience and Rebellion in mens vnderstandings which if they be not preuented by your Maiesties giuing way to Catholike Religion will in all likelihood spring vp in the next generation to the great preiudice and molestation of your Maiesty and your posterity So that whether I do respect heauen or earth mine owne soule or the seruice of your Maiesty God or your Neighbours or your subiects my assured hope is that by ioyning my selfe to the Catholike Church I neither haue done nor euer shall do any ill duty or seruice vnto your Maiesty 18 But perhaps there is such opposition both in matter of doctrine and in matter of State as it is impossible that euer there should be any reconciliation in at all betwixt the Church of England and the Church of Rome of which I humbly pray your Maiesty to giue me leaue to shew to you what I haue obserued 19 It is true the breach hath continued now these many years and it is much increased by so long continuance so that it was neuer greater then it seems to be at this day nor neuer more dangerous to deale withall for if a man do but go about to stop it there ariseth presently a great and fearfull noise and roaring of the waters against him but yet neuerthelesse the greatnes of the noise ought not to discourage vs but rather to giue vs hope that although it be wide yet it is but shallow and not far from the bottome as proceeding from affection which is sudden and violent and not from iudgement which is quiet constant and alwayes like it selfe for if a man aske in cold bloud whether a Roman Catholike may be saued the most learned Church-man will not deny it And if a man aske whether a Roman Catholike may be a good subiect the most wise Statesman will easily grant it May we be both saued then we are not diuided in God May we be both good subiects then we are not diuided in the King What reason is there then that we should be thus hotly and vnplacably diuided 20 Truely there is no reason at all but only the violence of affection which being in a course cannot without some force be stayed The multitude doth seldome or neuer iudge according vnto truth but according vnto customes And therefore hauing been bred and brought vp in the hatred of Spaniards and Papists cannot choose but thinke they are bound to hate them still and that whosoeuer speaketh a word in fauour of the Church of Rome or of Catholike Religion is their vtter enemy And the Puritanicall Preacher who can haue no being in charity doth neuer cease by falsifications and slanders to blow the coales that he may burne them and warme himselfe But if your Maiesty shall euer be pleased to command those make-bates to hold their peace a while and to say nothing but that they are able to proue by sufficient authority before those that are able to iudge and in the meane time to admit a conference of learned and moderate men on either side the people who are now abused and
can do nothing but preach the Word as they call it which Lay-men must iudge of and may preach to if they will where occasion serues if the studie and knowledge of Antiquity Vniuersalitie and Consent be not necessarie but euery man may expound Scripture as his owne spirit shall moue him if I say these and such like opinions be as true as they are among the Caluinists in the world common and in England too much fauoured and maintained there will certainly appeare no reason at all vnto your Parliament whensoeuer your Maiestie or your Successor shall please to aske them why they should be at so great a charge as they are to maintaine so needlesse a partie as these opinions doe make the Clergie to be They can haue a great many more Sermons a great deale better cheape and in the opinion of Caluinisme the Clergie doe no other seruice They that doe in England fauour and maintaine those opinions and suppresse and disgrace those that doe confute them they although themselues can be content to be Lords and to goe in Rochets are indeed the greatest enemies of the Clergie And it were no great matter for the Clergie they might easily turne Lay and liue as well as they doe for the most part But it is a thing full of compassion and commiseration to see that by these false and wicked opinions the Diuell the father of these and all other lies doth daily take possession of the soules of your subiects both of Clergie and Laytie These kinde of Clergie men I confesse I doe not desire to satisfie any other way then as I haue alwaies done that is by the most friendly and plaine confutation of their errors to shew them the truth As for other Clergie men that are conformable to the Religion established by law as well for their Doctrine as for their Discipline if they be good schollers and temperate men as I know many of them are they cannot but in their iudgements approue the truth of Catholike Religion and if it were not for feare of losse or disgrace to their wiues and children they would be as glad as my selfe that a more temperate course might be held and more libertie afforded vnto Catholikes and Catholike Religion in England These Clergie men I am and euer shall be desirous to satisfie not only in respect of themselues but also in respect of their wiues and children whom I am so far from condemning and misliking as that I do account my selfe one of them and I desire nothing more in this world then in the toleration of Catholike Religion to liue and die among them And therefore I haue had so great care in this point as before I did submit my selfe to the Catholike Church I receiued assurance from some of the greatest that if your Maiestie would admit the ancient subordination of the Church of Canterburie vnto that Mother Church by whose authoritie all other Churches in England at the first were and still are subordinate vnto Canterburie and the first free vse of that Sacrament for which especially all the Churches in Christendome were first founded The Pope for his part would confirme the Interest of all these that haue present possession in any Ecclesiasticall liuing in England And would also permit the free vse of the Common-prayer book in English for Morning and Euening prayer with very little or no alteration And for the contentment and securitie of your Maiestie he would giue you not only any satisfaction but all the honor that with the vnitie of the Church and the safetie of Catholike religion may be required which seemed to me so reasonable as being before satisfied for the truth of Catholike Religion I could aske no more So that I am verily perswaded that by yeelding to that truth which I could not deny I haue neither neglected my duetie and seruice to your Maiestie and your Children nor my respect and honor to your Lords and Commons nor my loue and kindnesse to my honest friends and brethren of the Clergie but rather that my example and my prayers shall doe good vnto all 46 But that which I must trust to when all the rest will faile me is the seruice of God and the sauing of my soule in the vnitie of that Church which was founded by Christ himselfe and shall continue vntill his comming againe wherein all the Saints of God haue serued him on earth and doe enioy him in heauen without which Catholike Church there is no communion of Saints no forgiuenesse of sinnes no hope of resurrection vnto life euerlasting I beseech your Maiestie let not CALVINS Ecclesia Predestinatorus deceiue you it may serue a Turke as well as a Christian it hath no Faith but opinion no Hope but presumption no Charitie but lust no Faith but a fancie no God but an Idoll For Deus est omnibus Religionibus commune Nomen Aug. Ep. All Religions in the world beginne their Creede with I beleeue in God But homini extra Ecclesiani Relligio sua est culius phantasmatum suorum and error suus est Deus suus as S. AVGVSTINE affirmeth 48 I haue more things to write but the hast of answering your Maiesties commandement signified to mee by Sir THOMAS LAKE his Letters haue made mee commit many faults in writing this very sodainly for which I craue pardon and cut off the rest But for my returning into England I can answere no otherwise but thus I haue sent you my SOVLE in this Treatise and if it may finde entertainment and passage my BODIE shall most gladly follow after And if not I pray God I send my Soule to heauen and my Bodie to the graue assoone as may be In the meane time I will reioyce in nothing but only in the Crosse of CHRIST which is the glorie of your Crowne And therefore I will triumph therein not as being gone from you to your Aduetsarie but as being gone before you to your Mother where I desire and hope for euer to continue Your Maiesties true seruant and Beadsman B. CARIER Liege Decemb. 12. An. 1613. PSAL. 119. VERS 5. 6. Multum incola fuit anima mea Cum bis qui oderunt pacem eram pacificus cùm loquebar illis impugnabant me gratis Pac. 17. 19. Luc. 15. 4. Heb 15. 25 Psa. 83. 12.