Truth and Falshood Or A Comparison betweene the Truth now taught in England and the Doctrine of the Romish Church with a briefe confutation of that Popish doctrine Hereunto is added an Answere to such reasons as the popish Recusants alledge why they will not come to our Churches By Francis Bunny sometime fellow of Magdalen College in Oxford GAL. 1.9 If any man preach vnto you otherwise than that ye haue receiued let him be accursed LONDON Printed by Valentine Sims for Rafc Iacson dwelling in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the white Swanne 1595. To the right worshâ—â—full Companie of Ironmongers in London Francis Bunny somtime their Scholer wisheth increase of knowledge and zeale of the trueth with abundance of all spirituall graces heere and a happy life with God elsewhere IF the children of Ruben and Gad Numb 31.21 2â— might not setle theÌ„selues to rest ease til the Lord had cast out his enemies froÌ„ his sight but that they should sinne against the Lord and their sinne should finde them out for it is great reason that they that haue one inheritance promised should take paines together to get the same and put from it their common enemies then how much more shal God finde vs guiltie if so many and mighty enemies seeking by al meanes possible to keepe vs and our brethren from the possession of the trueth here and so from that spiritual Canaan and heauenly Ierusalem else-where we seeking our quiet estate and contenting our selues with our owne happy life do not our indeuour to scatter and confound according vnto our place and calling the common enemies to our saluation When the children of Ruben and Gad Iosh 22 1â— and the halfe tribe of Manasseh had builded them an altar in their countrey for a remembrance that they were to be accounted Israelites although Iordan parted them from the other tribes and the rest of Israel had thought that they had builded it to offer sacrifices vpon the same the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered them together at Shiloh to warre against them For they thought it to be euery mans part to oppose theÌ„selues against Gods enemies and to be forward in defence of his glorie Seeing theâ—â— fore a common cause requireth common help and they that â— he not keepe a good watch in the place that is appointed vnto them and in their calling doe as much as in them lieth betray the cause Matth. 25.30 and such as doe not occupie their talent shal be Cast into vtter darkenes as vnprofitable seruants I haue thought it good according to my slender skill and simple talent to oppose my selfe against our aduersaries in defence of Gods glorie and the truth euen against them who are both the most dangerous enimies to our soules health and the continual disturbers of all common wealths The first they indeuour by their false doctrine the other by their most perillous and endlesse practises Insomuch as of the troubles that are this day in the world the Cardinall of Loraine seemeth to haue made a true confession euen in the councell of Trent For our sakes brethren saieth hee is this storme risen therefore cast vs into the sea Indeede not for their sakes onely Gentil exam concil Trident. sess 22 lib. 4. but by their meanes are these troubles come vpon this part of the worlde Nowe the multitude or malice of our enemies must not discourage vs from doing our duty but how much more they increase in number so much the more diligent should we be and their crueltie and malice should increase our courage against them But in vaine doe wee withstand them with our tongues and pennes if the Christian Magistrates doe not put to their helping hand who haue also their du y to do in the church of God as wel as they to whom the ministery of the word is committed Moses Aaron the prince and the priest were brethren to teach vs what mutuall help the one of them must make to the other Kings and Queenes if they forget not their dutie must be nursing fathers nurces to Gods church Psa 49.23 They must cherish and norish it they must loue and defend it And as idolatrous princes the slaues of antichrist haue one mind â—â— ocal 17.12 and shal giue their power authoritie to the beast and shall fight with the Lamb 13 as we see it is come to passe in these our dayes euen so should all godly Princes and Magistrates be ashamed that zeale of Gods glory and loue vnto his trueth should not knit them as fast together and make them as willing to maintaine the good cause as superstition ambition and malice preuaileth with the wicked to make them so 〈◊〉 bornly to striue against Gods vndoubted word Such princes 〈◊〉 in scriptures commended vnto vs as haue beene ready to maintaine trueth set foorth Gods word and regarded the sinceritie of the same and haue on the contrary withstoode superstition put downe idolatry and compelled their people vnto the seruice of God both according to the first and second table of the Commandements And on the other side it is left as a staine vnto the memory of others that they did not take away occasions of idolatry and remoue such stumbling blockes out of mens wayes If then we could in such a godly consent as the Prophet Sophonie saith serue the Lord with one shoulder the ciuil magistrates Zophon 3.9 by the sword we by the word they by correction if neede require we by exhortations they by punishments we by threatnings remembring that both the one and the other must one day make an account of our stewardship and answere for our defaults then I doubt not but God would blesse our godly labors with great increase of knowlege and godlines But as in the end of this treatise I haue made some exhortation vnto magistrates to consider of their dutie in this point so haue I also thought it my part to maintaine to my power Truth against Falshood euen Gods word against mens inuentions And for this cause haue I taken this trauell to set downe the summe of that that we teach especially in such matters as are principally in question amongst vs and on the contrary what our aduersaries teach concerning the same Which I thought to be necessary because our doctrine is many times by the aduersaries slandered especially before such as are ignorant as though it were far otherwise than in truth it is And that the truth more easly may appeare what is taught by them and vs he that listeth may see with little labor euen as it were at one view both our opinions Neither do I vndertake to set downe all that we teach concerning those articles but onely the points that doe especially belong to the controuersies that are betweene vs. Then also haue I set downe the principall arguments whereby they confirme their doctrines and indeuour to confute them Wherein especially I
Gods spirit to deliuer to vs such trifling toyes thereby to comfort the afflicted conscience And thus I trust it appeareth that this their sacrament of anoyling is but a deuise of their owne braine hauing neither institution from Christ neither any commaundement from his apostles or example in the scriptures especiallie as it is now vsed in the church of Rome either for the matter whereof it must consist or the manner how it must bee done or the end vnto which they especially haue regard in that ceremony I had thought here to haue ended both this treatise of the sacraments and this chapter but before I go anie farther I would haue the christian reader to marke the euill dealing of the popish church who with their tongues and pennes proclaime as lowd as they can that our doctrine is not catholicke it is new is lately deuised And yet we appeale to the scriptures haue testimony for vs also the cōsent of the fathers of the purer times And on the cōtrary the church of Rome crieth stil they are the catholick church they haue the catholicke religion yea all that is with them is catholicke But if by the rules of catholicke which Vincentius Lyrinensis giueth Commonitorio adversus haereses with whose authority they seek often to stoppe our mouthes we examine their doctrines we shall finde them as farre from the catholicke religion as the priests and rulers amongst the Iews were from the truth For whereas he accounteth no doctrine catholicke but that which hath beene taught at all times in all places and by all men or at the least by the most and the best learned and godliest men wee might by this rule reiect manie of their doctrines which they deliuer to vs as catholicke and necessarie so that without beleeuing them there is no saluation For shortnesse sake let vs looke into this that last I handled They will haue it a catholicke doctrine to teach that anoyling is a true and proper Sacrament yea and the councell of Trent curseth them that saie the contrarie And yet maister Bellarmine who saith as much in effect as they all can saie in this point how catholickely doth hee proue it He with much adoe wresteth for it one place out of Saint Iames and hath not one mo in all the Scripture for him Then leapeth hee more then foure hundreth yeares after Christ and picketh out one pope Innocent who saith it is a kinde of Sacrament If he had proued it to be a Sacrament properly so called yet had he beene but one witnesse in foure hundred yeares Then about 1200. years after Christ he hath gotten another witnes and he is a pope also Innocent the third Then he telleth vs of the 69. canon of the councell of Nice which had in al but twenty canons Al aboue twenty were fetched out of Arabia but are neither mētioned in the Nicene councel set forth by thēselues Li. 1. cap. 6. neither yet of Ruffinus in his ecclesiastical history where he setteth downe the canōs of that councel who although he make 22. in nūber Yet is the matter no other than is set downe in the 1. booke of the coūcels in those 20. chapters Besides there are many other strong reasons pregnant presumptions to proue those 50. canons for they haue 70. to be falsly added to the councel therfore they deserue no credit He also alledgeth some particular councels which he commendeth for their antiquitie and yet the ancientest of them is about 800. yeares after Christ And about that time also are the most ancient fathers that seeme to say any thing for him Then if thou knowest the sunne to shine at noone day thou maist also know that this is not a catholicke doctrine neither can be so accompted It hath not beene taught at all times not in al places not by al or the most of the learned No it hath had scarce one sufficient witnes in 1200. yeares But for the substance of religion which we teach if we haue not a vniuersal consent of the scriptures and also the testimony of the fathers of the church in her most pure times we craue no credit we aske no hearing Therefore that which wee teach is the only catholicke faith because it hath the vniuersall consent of the purer times that which for the most part they teach is but new not warranted by the word not known or not taught amongst the godly fathers at the least for 400. or 500. yeares Which I thought good vpon this occasion thus offered to note vnto the christian reader that I might pull away from the faces of those counterfeites the visard of catholicke vniuersality antiquity and consent that their religion may appeare indeede as it is new not old particular not catholicke false not true because it is the deuise of man whose wisedom is folly whose words are lies and not the wil of God which is the infallible rule and of whose word not one title shall perish And thus I trust it appeareth that they who brag most of the name of catholicke church are the greatest enemies to true catholicke religion teaching that which is nothing lesse then catholicke Of originall sinne what it is And whether Concupiscence be sinne or not CHAP. 21 THE PROTESTANTS THat all mankind which is conceiued of vnclean seede is also infected with original sinne no man denieth but the question is what this original sinne is which we confes to bee in vs. Originall sinne We therefore say It is a generall corruption of our whole nature which corruption as an inheritance we receiue from Adam In our minde is ignorance where was light knowledge In our heart is vnaptnesse and vnreadinesse to any thing that is good in steade of an earnest forwardnes to serue God sincerely whereby it commeth to passe that by concupiscence and lust wee are inticed to sinne Which concupiscence because the Apostle to the Romanes doeth often call ◠in we also say it is sinne not only because it proceedeth from sin and also proceedeth from it but also because it is a thing in it selfe contrary to Gods Lawe THE PAPISTS BVT the Papistes although they can not deny but that wee all haue originall sinne yet woulde they haue the force therof as litle knowen as may bee And therefore some of them haue taught that it is nothing else but the imputation of Adams sinne vnto vs and not any corruption in our selues as Ambrose Catharinus Andrad Orthod expli l◠b. 3. de axiom 3. Cens Colon. dialog 2. Pighius two notable papists And others find fault that we do so amplify the corruption of the nature of man by original sin as though nothing that is good could come from it As for cōcupiscence they wil not grant that it is sin in the regenerat And yet the Apostle S. Paul being a man regenerate confesseth it to be sin in himselfe very often as may appeare Rom. 7. The reasons which moue vs thus
But themselues thinke it only at certaine times vnlawful Admit it be so If they wil not goe in the rancke with the old heretickes let it then be an heresie deuised in such sort as now it is by popish heretickes De violandis virginibus For if heresie be Whatsoeuer sauoureth against the truth although it be euen an olde custome as Tertullian very wel defineth it then doubtles this popish forbidding of certaine meats for conscience sake wil be found heresie For the truth saith that they who commaunde to abstaine from meates which God hath created to bee receiued with giuing of thankes 2. Tim. 4.1.2.3 depart from the faith giue heede vnto spirites of errour and doctrines of diuels and that they speake lies through hipocrisie and haue their consciences burned with an hote iron But the church of Rome teacheth that this is a catholike doctrine a sounde religion And they that teach it are good catholickes The church of Rome then sauoureth against the truth as in manie other articles so in this also and therefore it is hereticall But I knowe their answere that Saint Paul speaketh against the Eâ—bionites Tatianites and such heretickes as did vtterlie condemne flesh as an vncleane thing of it selfe It is true hee doth so but not against them onlie but rather against the popish heresie than against anie other And that for these reasons First the circumstance of the time moueth me to it 1. Tim. 4.1 For he saith that these men shal be in the latter time Nowe it were absurde to thinke that he that speaketh heere by the spirite of prophesie of this false doctrine should account for the latter times the times of those heretickes the world induring so long after as now it hath done And Ebion that was the first as I remember that deuised that heresie liued in the daies of the apostle and did sow his seede of that heretical doctrine verie soone after the apostles death Yea and Tatian also taught the same heresie about some seuentie yeares after Saint Paul If therefore had saint Paul ment of that heresie especially he woulde neuer haue pointed so farre as to haue tolde vs of the latter daies but rather woulde haue said that it were at hande The apostle therefore had respect chieflie to more dangerous heretickes than they were that could carry the matter more cunninglie than wholy to condemne the creature His wordes also are verie plaine if wee marke them well For he doth not saie that they shal condemne or dispraise meates which God hath made which was the heresie of those olde heretickes But they shall commaunde others to abstaine from them to refuse them not to receiue them and this is flat the heresie of the papists And the apostle confuting this heresie doeth not commend the goodnesse or purenesse of the creature as it had beene needefull for him to haue done if hee had chieflie ment his wordes against them but hee sheweth the lawful vse of the creature that it is to bee receiued and it is not to be refused Which especially armeth vs against the Romish infection for to speake as Saint Ambrose doeth vppon these wordes Ambrose vpon these words When such doctrines are hearde we maie knowe the diuel hath deuised them Thirdly the apostle seemeth to haue regard vnto such as shoulde teach the doctrine vnto that ende that some in his daies did among the Colossians to put some religion in these outward and bodily exercises exhorting them thus Touch not tast not handle not which all perish with the vsing Coloss 2.21.22 and are after the commaundements and doctrines of men And thefore the apostle saith by and by after 1. Tim. 4.8 that Bodily exercise profiteth little Amongst which bodily exercises saint Ambrose counteth fasting And thus in deed doe the papists vse their fasts thinking that a little pinching of their body should satisfie for their sinnes Against which foolish persuasion it is a sufficient confutation to saie with the apostle Coloss 2.16 Let no man iudge you in meates and drinke Let no man thinke you worse for eating or better for not eating Rom. 14.17 1. The. 5.22 For the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke but righteousnes and peace and ioie in the holy ghost Now I cannot but maruel seeing the apostle willeth vs to abstaine from all appearance of euil what is the reason that our aduersaries wil come so neere those heretical opinions which are so condemned by the godly of al ages Iohn 4.24 and doe not rather seeke to worship in spirite and truth as our sauiour Christ telleth vs we must doe than to put any holinesse in these external obseruances which wee see so many heretickes haue delighted in I would therefore exhort our aduersaries to be more wise in that point for they get them an euil name by hauing so great a smacke of such corrupt opinions and haue had lucke in the choice of their obseruances wherein they notwithstanding repose a great piece of holines For those two things wherein they suppose they commend themselues very much vnto the world which is forbidding of marriage to some sort of men and meates at some times to al and at al times to some men doe most euidently bewray their superstitious religion Wherein they are not only noted before of the apostle and pointed at to be had teachers but also almost al those heretickes that condemned flesh as vnholy were also enemies to marriage as in part at the least the papists are And thus whilest they will seeme more holy then others in not vsing holily and with thankes giuing Gods good ordinance and creatures they come so neare those prophane and wicked heretikes that haue gone before them that al good men take them to be a branch out of that roote and water of the same spring Bellar. de bonis operibus in part li. 2. cap. 5. But what arguments haue they to iustifie this their doctrine Master Bellarmine can affoorde vs but one that maketh any shewe of proofe that flesh is more vnlawfull to be eaten than other meates and that but a simple one Dan. 10.3 It is out of Daniel where he saieth I haue not eaten any pleasant bread neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth Master Bellarmines arguments are like to fruit that sheweth faire at the first but is rotten at the heart For what can hee prooue out of this Daniel abstained from flesh therefore no man that will chastice his body must eate flesh First that that Daniel did is no lawe to vs because it is not commanded vnto vs. Secondly he did it but for a time namely for three weekes what is this to prooue that it must be a continuall lawe for fasting He did it voluntarily what warrant can that be to force other men to it But to come to the very point I would aske of our aduersaries whether they thinke that Daniel commendeth vnto vs his fast in that
alleadge M. Bellarmines reasons though not alwayes because he is accounted learned amongest vs and also commeth after others so that he hath seene what others haue and hath taken out of them what he liketh And as in all this treatise my endeuour is to proue I trust with some good effect that the doctrine of the church of Rome is not catholike so that it may the better appeare I haue towards the end set downe an abridgement of Vincentius Lyrinensis whereby I trust the meanest that seeth it shal be able to iudge how they make an vniust claime to the catholike religion And although I know my own wants and could rather submit my selfe to be a scholer vnto many than a teacher almost of any yet because I know not how my minde giueth me that this manner of writing may do some good especially among the vnlearned that are desirous to be taught I thought my duetie forced me to take this in hand though I want many helpes and meanes that other haue And to whom should this my labour such as it is be due rather than vnto you next after that place where I did sucke as it were my first milke of learning and laid almost the foundation of that knowledge such as it is that God hath indued mee withall By your good liberalitie I confesse my selfe to be the better inabled to do any good be it neuer so little that I can do in the church of God To your Worships therefore I confesse this my trauell to be due as a simple token of my sincere heart which would haue yeelded a better remembrance if my abilitie could haue affoorded it And the rather do I dedicate this Booke vnto your W. Company that you seeing the meaning of bestowing your exhibition which is to bring vp Labourers in Gods haruest teachers in his church to be in some part performed in me who first in Oxford receiued your liberalitie as I doubt not but you haue seene much more plentiful fruit in many other you may the more willingly continue your godly course and not be weary of your wel-doing Accept in good part I pray you this simple gift and if you see in it but my desire to doe good giue glo◠y to God to whose good grace I commit you and yours and my selfe to your good prayers From my house at Ryton in the Bishoprike of Durham Anno 1595. ⧠A necessarie Table of all the principall matters contained in euery chapter of this Booke THAT the Scriptures or word written is onely Gods word and not traditions Chapter 1 That this word is sufficient Chapter 2 The Scripture a sure rule Chapter 3 Scriptures easie Chapter 4 That onely the canonicall bookes of the old and new testament are this written word or Scriptures Chapter 5 What the catholike church is that in the creede is mentioned Chapter 6 That the catholike church mentioned in the articles of our creede is not visible or to be seene Chapter 7 The church here militant vpon the earth may erre Chapter 8 Of the markes of the church or how we may know the true church Chapter 9 What a sacrament is what is the effect of it or what it worketh how many sacraments there are Chapter 10 Of the sacrament of Baptisme Chapter 11 Of Confirmation Chapter 12 Of the Lords supper and Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ and namely of transubstantiation Chapter 13 That the wicked receiue not in the sacrament Christs body and bloud Chapter 14 That the cup ought not to be denied to the lay people which thing the papists do Chapter 15 Against their sacrifice of the Masse or of the altar as they call it Chapter 16 Of true and christian repentance and of the Popish Sacrament of penance Chapter 17 Of lawfull calling into the ministerie and against the sacrament of Orders as they call it Chapter 18 Of matrimony that it is not a sacrament and that it is lawfull for all Chapter 19 Of anoiling or extreme vnction that it is not a sacrament Chapter 20 Of originall sin what it is and whether concupiscence be sin or not Chapter 21 Of the works of infidels and such as are not regenerate Chapter 22 Of Baptisme whether it doe extinguish and kill in vs originall sinne or not Chapter 23 That we haue not of our selues free wil or power to deliuer our selues from sinne Chapter 24 That by our workes we cannot bee iustified and against the doctrine of merites Chapter 25 Of iustification by faith and what faith is Chapter 26 That good works are necessary duties for all christians to perfourme Chapter 27 Of prayer to whome and how we should pray Chapter 28 Against Images in churches or anie where else for religions cause Chapter 29 What fasting is and of the true vse of fasting Chapter 30 Of Purgatorie Chapter 31 An Abridgement of Vincentius Lyrinensis with obseruations vpon the said Author Chapter 32 An exhortation to christian magistrates for to defend this truth Chapter 33 FINIS That the Scriptures or written word is onely Gods Word and not traditions CHAP. 1 THE PROTESTANTS The rule of faith life BEcause it is confessed of al that gods worde must bee the rule and square of our faith and life of our religion and conuersation It is very meete that first wee enquire what is this word of God And wee affirme What is gods word that that onelie which is contained in the Bookes of the old and new Testament is the very true word of God First bicause we are so often earnestly charged not to adde any thing to it or to take any thing from it Secondly this is prooued by the practise of the godlie of all times The Iewes most religiously kept the word written with great sinceritie and made it the Touchstone to try their actions by and by it they reformed such things as were amisse in religion especially As in Iehosaphat Ezechias Iosias and others it may appeare Christ also and his Apostles confirmed that which they taught out of the Scriptures yea they confirmed and expounded the Lawe Mat. 5. and preached no other gospell thā that which before was promised by the Prophets Rom. 1.2 And accounted them accursed that shoulde preach any other Gal. 1.6 7 8 9. Lastly the Fathers of the purer times of the Church did not only with open mouth submit their writings and doctrines to the iudgement of the Scriptures but also they tried doubts established all trueths and confuted all heresies onely by this word written THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of ROME not suffering herself to be hemmed in within so narow lists Prou. 22.28 hath remoued the ancient bounds which their fathers made and faineth that God who hath hitherto had but one voice now in our dayes shoulde speake with two tongues What is gods word in the Ro. church For they make Gods word to consist of two partes namely of the word written which we
that it seemeth vnanswerable euen in that respect that he trusteth so much in the strength of it I would not omit And it is this As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many are made iust But saith he by Adams disobedience we were made indeede sinners and not only by imputation Therefore by Christ we are not by imputation only made righteous but also indeed What if I should answere master Bellarmine that this word As doth not signifie the likenesse in the maner of iustifying vs but in the act it selfe Namely that many were partakers of Adams sinne and many were made righteous by Christ For this word As doth not alwaies import an agreement or likenes in euery point Among many examples that may be alleadged this one may serue for all Ioh. 20.21 As my father sent me so sende I you But God sent him from heauen to take vpon him a nature that he had not with fulnes of al power and graces the apostles were not so sent So that we see that master Bellarmine can not soundly reason because of this worde As that this contrariety betweene the first and the second Adam must hold in euery point But what neede we to stand vpon so narrowe a point Because the argument pleaseth him so wel I wil yeeld to it and confesse it to bee most true And yet shall it nothing helpe maister Bellarmine his cause But in truth the summe of the doctrine that is taught in that place as Saint Augustine doth gather De peceat met remiss li. c. 3 cap. 28. it is this That as al in Adam die in whom al sinned so they that are quickned are quickned by Christ in whom they are all iustified But if hee will needes that this making of vs righteous whereof the apostle speaketh should be by our sanctification I haue shewed that it cannot heere be perfect But whensoeuer that shall bee perfected in vs we must ascribe the glory thereof vnto Christ For what haue we that we haue not receiued 1. Cor. 4.7 And that is the meaning of these words heere That by him many are made righteous But because that there is also another way wherby we are made righteous namely in that our sinnes are not imputed vnto vs and that Christs merit is accounted to vs as ours and that our aduersaries wil in no wise heare vs speake of that they shall yet heare how Saint Barnard writeth euen alluding vnto the wordes from whence this vnanswerable argument in drawen What saith he could man the seruant of sinne Epist 190. and bond-slaue of Sathan doe to recouer righteousnes lost Anothers righteousnes was assigned vnto him because he lacked his owne And then alluding to these wordes of S. Paul Why should not righteousnes come from another seeing guiltines came from another It is one that maketh vs sinners and another that iustifieth from sinne The one in his seede the other in his bloud Is there sinne in the seed of the sinner and is not righteousnes in Christs bloud And that we may know how he accompteth himselfe made righteous by Christ he addeth If the fault conueied to me is mine why should not the righteousnes giuen to me be mine And verily that is safer for me that is giuen me then that is bred in me Many things he hath in that place to this end wherby it appeareth that he knew his owne righteousnes would not serue his turne and therfore that he reposed his trust in Christ his righteousnes imputed to him which he calleth anothers righteousnes I might also let you see how substantially Fisher sometime bishop of Rochester proueth this Christ saith he did say to some Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee therefore no sinne remaineth But his owne friendes are ashamed of such arguments For we confesse as our creede teacheth vs forgiuenesse of sinnes But he should proue that wee are also so sanctified that whilest heere we liue we be without sinne And that his argument cannot doe Thus then wee see that although we haue in baptisme the promise of remission of all our sinnes sealed vp vnto vs yet we cannot say Prou. 20.9 I haue made mine heart cleane I am cleane from sinne That wee haue not of our selues free will or power to deliuer our selues from sinne CHAP. 24. THE PROTESTANTS OVr nature then being thus corrupted and our sinne hanging so fast on Heb. 12.1 as before I haue taught in the three last chapters we must needes confesse that when we would doe good Rom. 7.21 euill is present with vs. The light of our vnderstaÌ„ding is so darkened that not only A natural man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God 1. Cor. 2.14 but euen the best men haue great need continually with the Prophet Dauid to pray Psal 119.12.34 O Lord teach me thy statutes Giue me vnderstanding As for our affections they are so froward that they wil not be subdued to the spirite of God but doe rather follow the flattering follies of inticing sinne Christes yoke we account too sore his burden too heauy so that if wee will come to Christ to serue and obey him we cannot vnlesse the father draw vs. Ioh. 6.44 Luc. 18.17 And if with the prodigall sonne we woulde but thinke to returne to our father againe â— Cor. 3.5 yet we are not sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing that is good as of our selues So that wee must pray Psalm 80. Psa 139.24 Psal 175. Psal 67.28 not only that God will Turne vs but also that he will leade vs in the way for euer And staie our steps in the path that our feete slide not and confirme euen vnto the end that which he hath begun in vs acknowledging the beginning of all good the continuance and ending in the same to be from him only Psal 119.36 who only can Incline our heart vnto his testimonies Psal 51.15 and open our lippes that our mouth may shewe forth his praise Psa 119.133 Phil. 2.13 and direst our steps in his word For it is God that worketh in vs both the will and the deede of his good pleasure Which will to doe good when he of his greate mercy hath wrought in vs by his spirit of regeneration wee confesse to be good but a free will it cannot be Because that although To will be present â— i th me yet I finde no means 〈◊〉 performe that which is good Free therefore that is to fry able to performe the good that it woâ—â— d it is not but willing it may be â— nd ready to obey sincerely THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of Rome will not heare of it that Adam by his transgression robbed both himselfe and vs of this free will to good they will not haue it quite lost or extinguished It needeth Concil Trid. Sess 6. can 5. saie they but to be stirred vp Ibidem ca. 5.
saint Augustine by this prison meaneth hell De salut docu cap. 64 from whence the sinner shall neuer come Now what is this to purgatorie The fift place alledged by master Bellarmine is out of the same chapter Mat. 5.22 Whosoeuer is angrie with his brother c. Here master Bellarmine gathereth out of S. August that all these punishments belong to the life to come Then also that there are three sorts of sinnes De ser dom in mont li. ◠He might also haue told vs out of S. Augu. that in Gods iudgement anger that is the least of these sinnes deserueth hell But that maketh against purgatory and therefore he would not see it And it is most certaine that our sauiour Christ there teacheth vs that the cōmandement Thou shalt not kill is sundry waies broken Neither can out of these words be gathered that there must be satisfaction after this life which Bellar. would proue Moreouer he reasoneth out of S. Luke Make you friends of riches of iniquitie Luke 16.9 that when you shall want they may receiue you into euerlasting habitations If by friends in this place we should vnderstand the saints yet it maketh not for purgatory as may appeare For in this argumēt there can be no necessarie cōsequence The saints must receiue vs into heauen therfore we must go by purgatory but the saints cānot neither must they haue that honor giuē to thē that they shuld receiue vs into the euerlasting habitations Mat. 25.34 it is Christ that must say Come ye blessed He must giue that inheritance that hath bought it with his pretious bloud or else a man may giue it vnto the wicked that shall neuer come there or to such as out liue him neither of which can bee there to receiue him By al which reasons it appeareth that in those words our sauior Christ doth but allude vnto such as whilest they haue ability doe make others their friends So would hee haue vs whom God hath made his stewards with well vsing of our riches to please God that hee also of his gratious goodnes may shew mercy to vs. Luk. 23.42 Seuēthly Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdome saide the thiefe that was put to death with Christ therefore saieth maister Bellarmine he thought that sinnes might be after this life remitted So that this is his meaning as the papistes would perswade vs remember me that is let me be praied for when I am dead Vers 43. But they doe not remember how Christ promised he should not come in purgatory but be with him euen that day in Paradise His eight place He loosed the sorrows of death so it is in greeke Act. 2.24 but M. Bellarmine that hee might get an argument out of that place woulde haue vs reade the sorrowes of hell It is not worth answering because hee must alter the wordes or els he must haue one argument fewer than hee looked for His last place himselfe misliketh and thinketh it not to proue any thing for them and therefore I will not speake of it Now for their argumentes out of the fathers hee that will but indifferentlie consider of them shall finde the fathers to be in this point verie vncertaine And the question being amongst vs whether purgatory bee a catholicke doctrine wee haue not to regard what they in their priuate and doubtful opinions doe set downe but what with one consent and constantly they teach Seeing therefore that neither the fathers with one consent teach it neither themselues knowe well what to saie of it as in many places of maister Bellarmine his two bookes of purgatory may appeare I wil conclude with that golden saying taken out of Gelasius a pope We reade that Christ raised the dead Causa 24. Q. 2. ca. legitur but that hee absolued such as died in error wee doe not reade And afterwardes speaking of the authority of binding and loosing giuen in those words Math. 16 1◠Whatsoeuer thou shalt loose vpon earth shall bee loosed in heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth c. Gelasius thus inferreth In earth saith he for he that is dead being bound he said not that he should be absolued or loosed An abridgement of Vincentius Lirinensis with some obseruations vpon the saide Author CHAP. 32. NOw in steede of a conclusion vnto this treatise of controuersies I haue thought good to draw into a briefe summe that booke of Vincentius Lyrinensis against heresies which is so much alleadged against vs. Whom because they so confidently produce against vs in defence of their cause I take his authority to be so much the stronger against them that euen by the iudgement of their owne witnes for so they recken him they may bee conuinced of newnesse and falshood in their doctrine and of vntruth in challenging to their errours the name of catholicke faith and to themselues of catholicke men or women But before I come to the treatise it selfe that we may the better vnderstand vpon what occasion he so greatly accounteth of the ancient tradition of holy men for the interpretation of the scriptures first wee must perswade our selues that this learned father coulde not bee ignoraunt of that way to finde out the true meaning of the scriptures which the godly fathers a little before his time had set downe namely by conferring one place with another and by waying the circumstances of the place it selfe As S. Hillary de trin li. 1. Ambr. in Psal 118. Serm. 8. Hierom vpon Esay 19.1 Basil in reg breu quaest 267. Chrysostome vpon Gen. hom 12. And saint Augustine in many places haue plainly taught Neither yet must we imagine that Vincentius contrary to that which himselfe teacheth throughout this whole booke would that this his rule shoulde bee accounted the onlie way to finde out the trueth of Gods worde and that which so many before him with such a ful consent haue taught vs shoulde bee reiected Therefore it is cettaine that his meaning is to such godly waies as others before him haue vsed for trial of the truth to adde this also as a rule that may bee profitable and doe much good if it bee vsed wisely and truly considered of And the rather did hee teach vs this way because the Pelagians so boldly and confidently preferred their newe doctrine before the ancient faith whereof this authour complaineth fol. 15. And Nestorius condemned all that were before him as if they knew nothing in comparison of himselfe as wee maie see fol. 54. For this cause Vincentius teacheth vs in this his booke which hee therefore calleth Commonitorium an admonition or caueat to auoid the new deuises of priuate men and to holde fast the ancient faith of the vniuersal church And yet although Vincentius Lyrinensis did then see that that which was then catholicke and auncient it was also true and therefore that then it was a good rule to trie doctrines by yet the argument of the Church of
defineth that old heresies must not bee confuted by such arguments but onely such as are newly sprung vp And yet the Papists whose religion is almost nothing but a sinke of such old and vnsauourie heresies crie still to be tried by their vniuersalitie and antiquitie and the iudgements of men flat contrarie to Vincentius his rules And this triall he will not haue to be vsed but in great questions of fayth but they make it a proofe for their most foolish toyes So that although they readily call him in because hee nameth Antiquitie vniuersalitie and consent vnto the which they woulde faine seeme to make claime yet they will I trust from hencefoorth rather stoppe his mouth than suffer him to speake because his witnesse is their ouerthrowe Let vs therefore keepe that faythfully which is once deliuered vnto vs which to chaunge is to marre it to put to it or take from it is to corrupt it Let vs holde I say that fayth which is alwayes olde and alwayes one knowing that whatsoeuer we holde besides it it is not newe onely but euen starke naught also An exhortation to Christian Magistrates for to defend this truth CHAP. 33. THus hitherto haue I stood in defence of christian truth against popish falsehood indeuouring according to my simple talent and slender skill not only to admonish you of the baggage drosse which they bring vnto vs in steed of fine gold what filthie water they would haue vs to drinke for pure wine but also in the ballance of truth to trie what stuffe it is wherewith they seeke to comend the same vnto vs. And although the due acknowledging of mine own manifold wants weaknesse did discourage me a long time to enter into these lists yet the redinesse that I see in manie to take hold of the shadow of truth neglecting in the meane time the bodie of the same and on the other side the simplicitie of others to discerne betweene light and darkenes good and euill to stay the first and to helpe the latter sort I haue thought good at one view to set before thine eyes gentle reader that truth that we teach that thou mayest know howe they haue slaundered it and that falshoode which they maintaine with some touch of their chiefe arguments that thine owne selfe although ignorant and vnlearned may haue some triall of their corrupt doctrines Nowe the especiall cause that moued me to take vpon mee this enterprise God is my witnesse is that dutie that I and such as I am doe owe to the defence of the trueth by worde or writing or any such meanes whereby wee are bound to occupie vntill our Lord and master come the talent that he hath committed vnto vs to his most gaine and glorie Neither can I satisfie my self that I haue throughly performed my dutie when I haue set downe what is truth and what is falsehoode vnlesse I indeuour also to stirre vp all Christian magistrates to the defence thereof to their vttermost power in singlenesse of heart whom for that cause God hath set in high roomes and to whom God hath committed that great charge and at whose hands hee shall call for a strait account for that dutie Psa 10.11.12 Be wise therefore now O kings be learned ye that are Iudges of the earth Serue the Lord in feare and reioyce in trembling Kisse the sonne least he be angrie And if you will knowe how princes may nay howe princes must serue the Lord in feare Saint Augustine teacheth it Epist 50 In forbidding and punishing with religious seueritie those things which are done against Gods commandment So that this seruice of the Lord consisteth of two points First in making of good lawes for the maintenance of the truth and abolishing of idolatrie Secondly in punishing such as offend against the same with a religious seuerity This then is the first thing that is required in all godly Magistrates euen from the prince that sitteth vpon the throne vnto the meanest that beareth office in the common wealth but especially of thē that haue the soueraigne authoritie that they haue a watchfull eie and a continuall care to consider and finde out what things they are whereby either the glory of God is most hindred and his seruice prophaned or sin is within their common wealthes ◠r seuerall charges occasioned and maintained Which when they espie they must seeke by godly lawes and ordinances to prouide some speedie remedie for the same For when I affirme that princes magistrates must make decrees for the truth against idolatrie and superstition my meaning is not to enter into that question against the papists whether ciuill magistrates may meddle with matters of religion or not although euen the truth therof also by the way may appeare but because I speake to such as acknowledge and confesse this to be their dutie and haue giuen notable testimonie of their perswasion therein my desire and indeuour is to stir them vp that nether they will be vnmindful thereof but alwaies and earnestly thinke of it neither vnwilling thereto but readily and diligently performe it Esa 44.28 For this cause God calleth princes sometime sheepheards so was Cyrus to teach them that they ought to be as watchfull and painful for the good of their people as is the shepheard for the good of his flocke yea they must be watchemen ouer their people and take great heed that through their fault the people perish not for if they doe it will also turne to their owne destruction De pastoribus cap. 9. For as saint Augustine saieth Their negligence shall slay them Their negligence I say wherby they are slacke in performing their dutie They are also called heads ouer their people not onely because they should haue eies alwaies to prie and spie for the eies are in the head what danger may fall vpon the people and find meanes to auoid it but also because they should in all carefull and christian discretion guide and direct them that are vnder them And because it is true that saint Paul saith Rom. 13.4 He is the minister of God for the wealth of the people and that he beareth not the sworde for nought but for to take vengeance of them that doe euill It is most necessarie that he prouide such lawes as may tend to those endes and set downe such decrees as my bridle disobedient vngodly persons that they who faine would 1. Tim. 2.2 may the more quietly liue in honestie and godlines Such is that law or statute that Asa king of Iudah made when he sawe how readie his people were to fall to Idolatrie and superstition and had taken away the altars of the straunge gods and broken downe their images and high places 2. Chro. 14.3 4. He commaunded Iudah to seeke the Lord God of their fathers and to do according to the law the cōmandement Wherin it seemeth vnto me that their case and ours is verie like therefore we cannot
cal the Scriptures and vnwritten which they call Traditions Traditions And the traditions say they were either deliuered by the Apostles themselues to some special men and therfore are called Apostolike or else are set downe by the Church and for that cause called Traditions of the Church Traditions equall with the word Now traditions are made equall and to be receiued with as great reuerence as the Scriptures euen by the Councel of Trent Ses 4. decre 1 Preferred before the word the most modest Papists But there are others who in their excesse of impietie preferre the trâ— ditions before the word written and make them of greater force than it as Pighius in his Ecclesiasticall hierarchie Eccl. Hierar lib. 1. cap. 4. Thesi 9. In his preface Wolfgangus Screckius Nay in that he wil by traditions haue all doctrines tried he manifestly subiecteth the pure written woorde of God to the prophane deuises of man BVt to take away the proppes of this their ruinous building let vs see what grounds or foundations for so Melchior Canus a learned Papist termeth them they lay of this their doctrine Obiection Melchior Canus in his common places of Diuinitie and Bellarmine in his controuersies lib. 3. cap. 3 Bellar. lib. 4 〈◊〉 of Gods worde dâ— written and others also set this downe as a most neceâ—â—â—rie principle That the Church is more ancient than the Scriptures As in trueth the Church was more than two thousand yeres before there was any written word of God in bookes and therefore Bellarmine inferreth That the Scriptures are not simply necessary Answere First this ground doeth not vpholde that which is in controuersie among vs. For they shoulde prooue traditions to bee a part of Gods worde so that without them Gods word could not bee counted perfect And to proue that they tel vs that it was more than two thousand yeeres before the woord was written Which maketh nothing for them vnlesse they can shew vs that this word which is now written is not that same that before was deliuered by tradition vnto the fathers of that old world For the question betweene vs and the Papists is not of the maner of deliuering Gods word whether it were deliuered by word or by writing but of the matter namely whether Gods word be any thing else than that is written in the old and new testament which we deny but they affirme it because the word was so long time vnwritten yet the church was not then without the word So that because the word was reuealed after an other manner the Papists wil haue it another word Whereas in trueth that same word that was from the beginning Iohn 1.1 what word that is that is written is that verie word of God that was so long after the beginning written for the Iewes and is now deliuered vnto vs. Wee must therefore take heede that they deceiue vs not by the double signification of the word Scripture which sometime expresseth the manner of deliuering the word namely by writing and so we confesse the scripture was not so ancient as the church by mo than two thousand yeares but sometime the word Scripture signifieth the word it selfe which is deliuered vnto vs as it is commonly now taken and in this place must so be vnderstoode And so hath the word written beene from the beginning That is to say that the selfe same word which God by word of mouth as we say and by tradition did teach the patriarkes hee afterwards did cause to be written which word wee call the holy scriptures And further also we must remember that one manner of deliuering the word of God Diuerse maners of deliuering the word at diuerse times is fit for one time and an other manner of deliuering it for an other time As may appeare by that which hath beene said how that God hath in his infinite wisedome seene it needefull to deliuer it one way afore the Lawe in an other sort vnder the Lawe and the Gospell although not in like measure in both these latter times So that this argument cannot stand good The scriptures haue not beene written in the first age amongst the patriarkes therefore they are not necessary now amongst vs in these dayes to whom God hath by them reuealed his word Which argument is strongly confuted by Chrysostome that learned and ancient Father In Matth. hom 1. But to these men who are as Tertullian calleth the Heretikes of his time lucifugae scripturarum De resurrect carnis such as shunne the light of the scriptures and flee from it I may say as the same Tertullian speaketh in an other place De prescript Beleeue without the Scriptures that yee may also beleeue against the Scriptures Let them seeke the desert of their owne deuises and follow the trod of their owne traditions to finde out some couert for their superstitions but let vs content our selues to dwell in the cities of the Lawe the Prophets the Gospel and the Apostles which are the Scriptures and not goe out of them In Mich. li. 1 as Saint Ierome speaketh For euery word of God is pure Prou. 30.5 6 hee is a shield to those that trust in him Put nothing to his word lest he reprooue thee and thou be found a liar That this VVorde is sufficient CHAP. 2 THE PROTESTANTS This word is sufficient NOw this written word of God because it is sent vs froÌ„ that most gratious God that hath loued vs and chosen vs in Christ before the foundations of the world were laide Eph. 1.4 that we might be holy with out blame before him and is brought vnto vs by that most excellent Prophet In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Coloss 2.3 and therefore can teach vs Heb. 3.2 who also is faithful and therefore wil deale truely with vs yea who so heartily loueth vs that hee died for vs and therefore doubtlesse will be careful to teach vs what behooueth vs to knowe Seeing also the Apostle saint Paul doeth testifie that he kept nothing backe that was profitable Acts 20.20 27 but shewed them all the councell of God We therefore beleeue the Scriptures to be written Ioh. 20.31 that wee might beleeue and beleeuing might haue eternall life 2. Tim. 3.16 And that the whole scripture giuen by inspiration of God is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse 17 That the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto all good workes that is that the Scripture is so sufficient and perfect that it hath no want it needeth no supply nothing must be added THE PAPISTS BVT the Church of Rome knowing that Tertullian wrote truely De resurrect carnis That Heretikes if they be made to proue that they say by the Scriptures can not stand do find fault that they should be so straitly limited and tethered that
sentence of scripture a man may gather diuerse good lessons and that with good fruit to others and approbation of all men so long as those interpretations are agreeable to the rule of faith yet when any euill thing in faith or life is thereby maintained without all doubt the words are then wrested and it ceaseth to bee Gods word Now this is not the fault of the word but of mans corrupt affections which abuse the same Rom. 7.12 For the Lawe truely is holy and the commandement is holy iust and good And as Epiphanius saieth Heres 70 There is no discord in the Scripture nor one sentence disagreeing from an other And in an other place Heres 76 All things in the holy Scripture are cleane enough to them that with godly consideration will come vnto that diuine word and haue not conceiued in themselues the worke of the Diuell indeuoring to throw themselues into the pit of death Euen as saint Paul saith If our gospell be yet hid 2. Cor. 4 3 4 it is hid in them that are lost in whom the god of this world hath blinded their minds And what is Gods word the worse if the wicked will not know it 2. Pet. 3.16 or the vnlearned or vnstable peruert it to their owne destruction I wil therefore conclude with that golden saying of Iustine the martyre I would wish others to be of that mind Iustin Col. cum Tryphone Iud. that they would not swarue from our Sauiours wordes For they can put religion into them that wander from the right way and refresh with most sweete rest them that are exercised therein The Scriptures easie CHAP 4 THE PROTESTANTS Scripturs easie WE also teach the scripturs to be easie not bicause we thinke nothing to be hard in them or that they are easy to euery one but we affirme with Chrysostome 2. Thess 2 hom 3. All that is necessary is easy in them So that with a mind humbled and crauing of God to be instructed men study them The simple may learn by them their duety towardes God and man and how to behaue them selues in their particular dueties And whereas by the Papistes own confessiō the x commandements are very easie Bellarm. de verbo Dei lib. 3. cap. 2. no man can deny but that Gods threatnings against sin the promises of mercy and many other things in this writtē word are as easie Yea why were the prophets sent vnto all sorts of men why do the apostles write vnto all but because much if not all that they do write or say might be vnderstoode euen of the simple THE PAPISTS ANd on the contrary the church of Rome fearing least the light of the worde should discouer the darkenes of their blind deuotions doe what they can to discourage the people from being exercised in the Scriptures lest knowing the truth they shuld detest their superstitions and idolatries and for this cause they cry out with opē mouth that the scripture is too hard to bee vnderstoode and too darke for ignorant men to meddle with the same Wherby they haue brought many ignorant and lay men into that foolish and vnchristian conceit that they thinke it a great deale more dangerous for them euen for their soules health to be occupied in reading or hearing some peece of holie Scripture than the wanton and vnchaste Bookes of prophane men which corrupt good manners and breede noysome lustes that fight against the soule But because this is a great stumbling blocke in the way of the ignorant it shall not be amisse somewhat particularly to examine the Arguments that are vsed to prooue the hardnesse of the scriptures Argument The first argument of Bellarmines is this Dauid prayeth thus Giue me vnderstanding and I wil search thy law Open mine eies Lib. 3. cap. 1. de verbi Dei interpr and I will consider the woonderous things of thy lawe shew the light of thy countenance vpon thy seruant teach me thy statutes therefore the Scriptures are hard Answere It is certaine that Dauids prayers were not to haue his naturall or outward man only instructed for who can imagine that the prophet Dauid being so well acquainted in Gods booke could not vnderstand Gods lawe but to haue his mind and inward man lightned and directed and therefore this proueth not the sense of scripture to be hard for the like prayers are to be vsed of them that thinke it to be most easie Secondly euen the lawe which they confesse to be easie hath not only the literall sense but should also be a bridle vnto the affections and thoughts of men Matth. 5 as most plainly appeareth in those Commentaries which our Sauiour Christ maketh vppon the sixt seuenth and fourth commandements Rom. 7.14 In which respect also S. Paul doth call it Spirituall although Bellarmine seeme to account the commandements to be but Natural The Precepts saith he of the x. Commandements seeing they are natural may easily be vnderstood Dauid therfore may there pray as all christians ought to doe that he may know by Gods word not only how to rule his actiōs but also his words affections This thē doth not proue the scripturs to be hard concerning such good lessons as out of the literal sense may be learned but he proueth that vnlesse God lighten vs we cannot see the spirituall meaning Psa 119.27 which he calleth the maruellous things of the law Arg. 2 His second argument proueth some parts of Scripture to be hard which we denie not and therefore deserueth no answere Arg. 3 Lib. 2. ca 47 Contra Celsum lib. 7 In Exod. hom 12 His third argument is taken from the Fathers Irene saith in the scriptures I commit many things to God Orig. saith the scripture is darke in many places And in another place that we must pray night and day that the lamb of the Tribe of Iuda will come and that hee will vouchsafe to open the booke that is sealed Answere That many things in the scripture are hard we neuer denied as before I said and that with Reading wee should ioyne Prayer therefore Bellarmine when he took these weapons in hand did but feare his owne shadow That Basil and Gregory Nazianzene did seeke not by their owne presumption but by other mens writings that were before them to attaine to the vnderstanding of this written word Ruffinus doth well to commend them But I am sure that Bellarmine himselfe will not thereof conclude that they vnderstoode nothing of themselues or without teachers or that all the scriptures are hard He bringeth in Chrysostome saying that the deepe things therein cannot be attained vnto without great labour and that Christ would haue the Iewes not to reade onely but to search them also If of this hee conclude therfore al the scriptures are hard his argument is to be denied for that it hath no trueth in it if hee say therefore many things are hard we say
that with diligence the scriptures must be searched and without loathsomnes yea with reuerence receiued But that wee may the more easily and euidently see how little these fathers do make for them it is necessary to see with what purpose and to what end these say that they do write of the hardnesse of the scriptures Namely not to discourage men from reading of them but to stirre them vp to more diligence and carefulnesse in reading them As may appeare by the earnest and vehement exhortations which the ancient fathers doe make not onely to all men generally Hom. 9. in epist ad Coloss but euen to lay men in particular and especially Heare saith Chrysostome all yee lay men that are present and that haue wiues and children howe the Apostle commandeth euen you especially to reade the Scriptures and not to reade them only as it were by chance but with great diligence with many other such like exhortations in that place as also in many other of his writings Saint Hierome in sundry of his epistles vnto godly women exhorteth them to diligent reading of the same he also to intice them to be conuersant therein dedicateth vnto some women som of his treatises vpon the scriptures Yea and in his preface vnto Paula and Eustochium two women before his first booke vpon the epistle to the Ephesians which is the place out of which Bellarmines second argument out of Hierome was fetched doth highly commend the study and knowlege of the scriptures And in his preface vnto his second booke doth extoll Marcella for her diligent study therein Hom. 20 in Ios preferring her before himselfe Thou wilt say saith Origen the scriptures are hard yet it is good to reade them And wisheth that we all would doe as it is written namely Search the Scriptureâ— â—â—â—nelius Agryppa reporteth 〈◊〉 S 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that in the first Nicene councell it was decreed that no christian man should be without a bible in his house And Chrysostome exhorteth euen lay men and that very earnestly to get them Bibles Hom. 9 in Coloss or at the least the new Testament So then wee see to what intent the Fathers tell vs that the Scriptures are hard namely because they would not haue vs to be careles in the study of them and negligent or to imagine when wee knowe somewhat that we neede knowe no more but as Hierome would haue vs to doe Epistol ad Pâ—â— liâ— um We must cracke the nut if wee will eate the kernell We must take paines to get knowledge assuring our selues that wee can neuer learne too much because wee can neuer knowe enough And saint Augustine in his Confessions saith Liâ— 6. cap. â— they ought to bâ— read of all But the Papists in complaining of the hardnes of the scriptures shoot at an other marke that is to make the simple people afraide that they meddle not with it that they reade it not neither yet heare it read vnto them So that besides the other slaunders wherewith they seeke to staine Gods word proclaiming it not to be sufficient but that it wanteth many things and may be wrested to any fence they adde this also that it is hard and therefore dangerous for them that are not learned to reade it And this is the very cause why they speake so much of the hardnesse of the scriptures as not onely their writings and words proclaime in all places but also their cruell executions against such as haue had in their mother tongue For libr. ◠〈◊〉 is and Momun in the beginning I say not the bible or the New Testament but euen the Lordes prayer or the tenne commaundements which they would seeme to allow vnto the people Gregory Nazianzene doth write In Apologâ—â— that some ancient men amongst the Hebrewes report of a custome which the Iewes had which he also commendeth which was that some places of the scriptures were not permitted 〈…〉 body to reade before they were fiue and twentie yeeres old but the rest of the scripture they should learne euen from their childehoode Where note that they make no difference of any state calling or sexe but of age onely and that when they were fiue and twentie yeares olde they might reade any parcell of Scripture But the Papists permit not any parcell of the scriptures to the lay people nay hardly to their priests but onely as they will followe such sence thereof as they appoint Yea I haue knowen bachellors of diuinity admitted to reade some booke of the master of sentences as the vse then was when they proceeded so that this was their conclusion They are hard therefore you shall not reade them That the scriptures are so hard as they are Papists to be blamed for hardnesse of the Scripture by their and to so many none are to bee blamed but the church of Rome that so much complaineth of their hardnesse but in trueth are sory they are so easie as is most plaine to see first in that they would not haue them in the mother tongues but when they see there is no remedy but that the scripture will be published whether they will or not they send vs a Testament from Rhennes Translations so full of Hebrew Latine and Greeke wordes turned into English letters that all the world may see that they meane nothing lesse than that they that reade it should vnderstand it And yet they cry The scripture is hard Secondly they are the cause of the hardnesse of the scriptures when in the most plaine places that are they will not suffer men to follow that sence which the words themselues and the circumstances both before and after doe affoord Interpretations but they must haue their interpretation from the church of Rome without whose approbations they must neither trust their own eies for seeing nor their eares for hearing neither yet their wit for vnderstanding of any thing When they change the very sence and wordes and where they finde Lord they put Lady as in that blasphemous booke called the psalter of the Virgine Marie they doe through the whole psalmes and some other places When the first promise that was made of that blessed seede that should breake the head of the serpent they apply as much as they dare vnto the Virgine Marie when these wordes shall be currant stuffe to proue worshipping of the Saints departed In as much as yee haue doone it to the least of these my brethren Math. 25.40 yee haue doone it vnto mee which are spoken of our goodnesse to Gods needy creatures aliue as Eckius imagineth in his common places De vener sanct when I say the people are taught thus to vnderstand the scriptures must they not needes bee hard Lastly the greatest cause of this hardnesse is that the people are not acquainted with them for they are forbidden to reade them nay Forbidding to reade scripture it hath beene death to haue them found with the
certaine external meanes and helpes are required yet those moue vs nothing without the working of Gods holy spirit And he much misliketh of them that teach that our faith must rest vpon that point That we beleue that the church is true or cannot erre For therevpon he gathereth this absurditie that our faith should be grounded vpon the truth not of God but of man He also plainly affirmeth that if a man should aske how the faithfull do know that God hath reuealed that which they beleeue they cannot answere by the authoritie of the Church but it is by the inward light of Gods spirit that they know the same If now thou aske me how I know the Scriptures to be the Scriptures I answere out of Canus not by the authority of the Church but by the motion of Gods spirit and witnesse thereof If thou vrge that place of Augustine Canus telleth thee that they who are become Christians are not so brought to beleeue the Scriptures but onely Infidels and Nouices in religion So that this place serueth nothing to obiect against vs who professe Christianitie alreadie and beleeue the worde which the Manichies did not of whom and to whom Saint Augustine there writeth But we had neede out of that place to admonish you that in respect of that reuerence which with one consent al that professe Christianitie doe yeeld vnto the scriptures you would be ashamed so to depraue and despise them so to abuse and reiect them at your owne pleasure as you alwayes haue done You make vnlawfull that which God hath mad lawfull as for example It was lawfull in the Apostles time for euerie Priest Dion Carth. 1. Tim. 3. Bishop and Deacon to haue one wife but now by the appointment of the Pope they may not haue a wife sayth a friend of your owne a bird of your owne nest So that not the scripture or the will of God but the worde of the Pope must be the rule of our life so that whereas Augustine for the Church beleeued the scriptures you for your Churches sake controll the scriptures and disobey them And for the establishing of that vndue honour which they would bestow vpon the most happie mother of Christ the virgin Mary Marke the boldnesse of Durand a great piller in the Popish Church Rathon◠di◠li. 4. rub 6. who writeth thus Although it is said in the Scriptures that Christ rising did first appeare to Marie Magdalen yet it is more truly beleeued that first of all he appeared to his mother Is it not plaine how that to establish their foolish toyes he giueth the lie to that word that is onely true O grosse boldnesse Seeing therefore this worde hath not onely testimonie within vs which is the strongest witnesse but also with so great consent is knowne to be Gods worde be ashamed now to call it into question or to put it to the triall of the Church by which the Papists alwaies vnderstand the Romish Church whether it shal be allowed for currant or not For in deede this blasphemous sense which as I haue shewed euen their owne friends can in no wise like of is now the cōmon exposition of those words of S. Aug. I will not beleeue the scriptures vnlesse the Church of Rome do allow the Bookes for Canonicall and expound them as she shall thinke good And thus much to answer this their common obiection What the Catholike Church is that is mentioned in the Creede CHAP. 6 THE PROTESTANTS VVE say with the Apostle Saint Paul that the catholike church which is spoken of in the Creede s. Tim. 3. Is the house of God the pillar and ground of truth And with the fathers that it is the companie of all the faithfull of all times and of all places And with Saint Iohn The Bride of the Lambe Apoc. 21 9. and the bodie of Christ And therefore that the wicked and faithlesse are not of this Church nor can be counted of this companie THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of Rome to get a Catholike Church admit good and bad to be of their Church namely reprobates wicked Bellar. de Eccle. li. 3. cap. 2. and vngodly ones Neither do thinke that they neede any inward vertue to bee of their Church but onely that they professe religion and be vnder the Pope Well may they in some sort seeme to haue a Catholike Church because all is fish that comes into their net but holy apostolike it shal not be nor Catholike as in the Creed is meant Wherein this is worthie to be reproued in them that whereas they crie out in worde and writing The Catholike church of Rome and vnlesse you beleeue the Catholike Church you cannot be saued And for proofe hereof they alledge this article I beleeue the Catholike church yet when they should tell vs what this Catholike church is wherevnto we must so necessarily be subiect they onely paint vnto vs I know not what Romish Church The catholike church in the Creed and the Romish contrary which is no more like the true Catholike church than that church of Israel when it was started aside from the true worship of God was like to the true church of God that remained amongest the people of the Iewes as by these few reasons may appeare The catholike church is One One that is to say one companie and vnited and knit togither by one spirite and the selfe same graces but the reprobate and vngodly who fill vp a place in the Romish catholike church neither are one company with the Saints nor vnited to them by the same spirit and graces to be partakers of the communion of Saints Therefore that catholike and the Romish catholike Church are not all one Secondly that Church is Holy Holy and that not in part but perfectly euen without spot or wrinckle Ephe. 5.26.27 For in our Creed we doe not speake of the church that is but that shal be not that which we see with our eye but by faith not that which is perfected but hoped for which we shall not in deede behold with our eyes Reuel 21 vntill it come downe from heauen as saint Iohn speaketh of the heauenly Ierusalem Apoc. 11 which as witnesseth saint Ambrose doth represent the Church that shall bee after the ende of the world Apoc. 21 Of which minde is also saint Augustine But the Romish catholike church is of omnigatheroms as people goe to faires or markets of all sorts and qualities And although a man haue not one good thing in him not one crum of honestie hee is good enough to make vp a number in the Church of Rome but such a church is not holy and therefore not that that is mentioned in the Creede Thirdly that church is catholike Catholike that is as all the godly haue acknoledged it the mother of all Christians the companie of all the saints both in heauen and vpon earth But the Romish catholike church
we derogate anie thing herein from the power of the spirit whose direction if we could follow we should neuer do amisse but impute it to our owne weaknes ignorance corruption whereby it commeth to passe that euen the godly many times grieue Gods spirit and suffer him not to haue his perfect worke Other arguments also they haue but they haue scarce any shew of truth and therefore I thinke them not worthie answering for their places out of the fathers doe commend the faith of Rome that then was and their constancie in the same but what is that to this degenerate church of Rome that now is of the church whereof we may say as one saith of their citie that a man will seeke Rome in the midst of Rome So a man will seeke the church euen in the midst of their most shewe of religion and yet not finde it Of the markes of the Church or how wee may know the true Church CHAP. 9. THE PROTESTANTS WE must iudge of the tree of the church by the fruits that she bringeth foorth that is by the faith or religion that shee teacheth the confession or profession of the same that she maketh the exercise of the same that she vseth but we cānot iudge truely of these her fruits but only by the scriptures as in the fiue first chapters hath beene shewed therfore the true and infallible tokens or markes of the true church are to be had out of the word of God or the Scriptures THE PAPISTS NOwe the Papistes will haue their church to bee the true church because shee hath by vniust claime a good name to bee called Catholike Name catholike Antiquity Continuance Greatnesse Succession because shee is ancient and hath lasted long she is great and hath alwayes borne fruit such as it was for these are the first fiue notes reckoned vp by Bellarmine Lib. 4. de notis eccles and indeede their chiefest which especially they rest vppon And may not an euill tree haue all these properties Yes verely And as for the rest of his marks in the iudgement of an indifferent Reader they will neuer be accounted true markes of the Church excepting those notes wherein he seemeth to consent with vs to try the church by the word namely by holinesse of doctrine Because I haue in another treatise shewed I trust sufficiently that those markes of the church which they make greatest account of neither are any true markes and that we may make as good claime to them as they can it shall now be sufficient briefly to passe ouer this point and with one or two arguments to answer this question The scripture the true note of the true church Those markes of the church whereby wee may truely know the church and not be deceiued those I say onely are the true markes of the church But the scriptures onely are such Therefore they onely are the infallible markes The maior or first proposition no man will deny And that the Scriptures are such may appeare by infinite testimonies De pec merit remiss lib. 1. cap. 22. Saint Augustine saith it can not deceiue nor be deceiued And against the Donatists de bapt lib. 2. cap. 6. calleth the Scriptures the holy wey-scales or ballances Cap. 1. And in his booke de bono viduitatis he saith that the holy scripture doth set him his rule how to teach And to be short writing vpon saint Iohns Epistle he saith that Against deceitfull errours In Ioh. epist tractatu 2. God would set a strength or stay in the scriptures And Chrysostome saith vpon Genesis Hom. 12. in Genes that the Scripture wil not suffer him to erre or go astray that heareth it And therefore Gregory Nazianzene sometimes calleth the Scriptures The Kings high way Matth. 24. And our sauior Christ although he foretold the danger of error a litle before he suffered yet doeth hee not giue the Disciples any such markes whereby they should know the true Christ or true church as the Papistes speake of but he earnestly commendeth his word vnto them Ioh. 14.15 23. 15.7 And feruently prayeth vnto his father to sanctifie them with his trueth Ioh. 17.3 17 namely with his word for he knew that to be the way to keepe them from errour By all which it appeareth that the scriptures onely are accounted that perfect rule not only by the iudgement of the fathers but also by the practise of our sauiour Christ But most plainly S. Chrysost saith Opere imperf hom 49 That the true Church can be knowen only by the Scriptures I know that Bellarmine answereth this place in his 4. booke de verbo Dei ca. 11. after two sorts First that the booke sauoureth somwhat of Arianisme But in these words what Arianisme can Bellarmine finde Yea Bellarmine himselfe doth in other places alleage this booke But his second answer I confesse is very forcible For he telleth vs that in a booke printed of late that place is left out Haue they not thinke you answered the place strongly when they haue thrust it quite out of the booke If they had vsed Chrysostome onely in this sort yet were it too bad dealing but it may appeare by Franciscus Iunius his preface before the booke called Index Expurgatorius that they haue left few of the Fathers vncorrupted I would to God therefore that this and such other gelding and falsifying of the fathers by that deceiuing church of Rome which seekes to make them al say as she doth could stir vp the christiā princes that professe religion in a godly care to prouide for the safetie and maintenaunce of religion and the trueth thereof in time to come Which in my iudgement can not well be perfourmed except that to preuent the credite of those falsified copies which within short time are almost onely like to remaine because the ancient which are the truest wil be worne out the godly Princes by common consent woulde take some speedy order for printing of al the fathers according to the ancientest and most pure copies that might be found The second argument is this Whatsoeuer notes do not teach it to be euidently true that the church whereof they are the notes is the true church of God may deceiue and therefore are not certaine notes of the true church But such are the notes that the Papists would haue vs to beleeue therefore they are but deceitfull notes De verbo de◠lib. 1. cap. 2. The maior or first proposition is most true and may well bee prooued out of that axiome or rule that Bellarmine setteth downe saying De notis eccles li. 3. ca. 3. That the rule of the catholike faith must bee sure or certaine The minor or second proposition is Bellarmines owne confession euen in the selfe same words that I haue set downe Therefore it followeth necessarily that we must not trust the notes of the catholike church set downe by them CHAP. 10. Before I beginne
Gods Church much more then a thousand yeeres after Christ neither that fulnes of comfort that wee learne by the bread wine that Christ is vnto vs both meate and drinke that is the perfect and sufficient foode of our hungry and thirstie soules haue robbed the lay people of the one halfe of the Lordes supper proclaming thereby vnto the world that they are disobedient against Christes commaundement iniurious to his people and that in steede of the continuall and auncient practise of the Primitiue Church they establish their owne new deuise Lo what cause haue they to bragge of their ancient faith And for the vpholding of this their doing against both Trueth and Antiquitie they bring some reasons Fisher sometime bishop of Rochester in his booke against the assertions of Luther Artic. 16. to defende that it was lawfull for the church to alter the institution of Christ and therefore to take awaie the cup from the lay people alleadgeth the example of the Apostles who are saide to baptise in the name of Christ only whereas the sacrament of baptisme Acts 8.16 10.48 Matth. 28.19 was commaunded In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holie Ghost But to bishop Fisher the papist I oppose Bellarmine the Iesuite and a papist who writing of the sacrament of baptisme Lib. 1. cap. 3. plainelie denieth that the Apostles baptised in the name of Christ only and largely proueth it and sheweth that where it is saide that they baptised in the name of Iesus or in the Lordes name the meaning is that they baptised in the faith of Iesus or by his authoritie or with baptisme which he instituted or in his name but not in his name only So that this reason which Fisher maketh for to proue the authoritie of the church heerein De Euch. lib. 4. cap. 28. is verie sufficiently answered by Master Bellarmine It is therefore needefull hee shoulde make a supplie of some other argument to proue that seeing hee hath taken that weapon out of their handes Let vs therefore see how hee mendeth the matter The church saith hee may ordaine and prescribe those thinges that belong not to the substaunce of the sacramentes and are not ordered by the word of God But the rite of eating vnder one kinde or vnder two is such Therefore it maie bee ordered and prescribed of the Church These are his verie wordes this is his argument whereof the maior or first proposition as himselfe saith is most true and therefore wee graunt it but the minor which is that to eate in one kinde or in both kindes is not of the substaunce of the sacrament or ordered by the word of God that is most false And because it containeth two pointes I will brieflie touch them both Where he saith it is not of the substance of the sacrament whether we receiue in one kinde or in two it is in my iudgement euen against all reason and testimony of antiquity and the very nature of a sacrament For the sacrament must needes consist of matter and forme The matter is the bread and wine I speake of that which Irene calleth the earthly matter Iren. li. 4. ca. 34 To the forme of this Sacrament belong these wordes He brake breade and gaue them and saide take eate Math. 26.26 27 this is my bodie Hee tooke the cup blessed and saide drinke yee all of this c. Yea and neither of these can be wel omitted but that therby we are the lesse occasioned to meditate of the efficacy of Christs death passion For as the breaking of the bread that it might be giuen to vs that our bodies might be nourished thereby is a representation of Christes body which was for vs tormented so the drinking of the cup is the representation of the shedding of Christs bloud for vs. Moreouer let vs consider what is that which they would haue the material part or rather a substantial part in this sacramēt To receiue the sacrament as appeares by the censure of Collen Expl. dialog 9 expl Theol lib. 7. and Andradius but in what kinde it is receiued is not materiall say they Marke their boldenesse In the institution there is not one word that willeth vs in such generall termes to receiue the Eucharist or Sacrament but expresse wordes to will vs to Take and eate the bread and to drinke of the cup and yet that which God doth not mention they will haue to be of the substance of a sacrament and that which is expresly set downe in the word they may chuse whether they wil doe it or not But how doth Bellarmine prooue that the rite of communicating in on or two kindes De Euch. li. 4. cap. ◠8. belongeth not to the substance of the sacrament The vse of a thing saith he that is permanent is not the substance of it but the communicating is the vse of the sacrament which sacrament is a thing permanent Therefore the communicating in one or two kindes is not the substance of it The whole force of this argument consisteth in that which is chiefly in question amongst vs that is whether the sacrament is a thing permanent or not And we vpon iust cause deny it And therefore his argument is a plaine fallacie called the begging of the thing that is in question and can bee no strong reason against vs. By a thing permanent they vnderstand that the Eucharist is not onely a Sacrament as they say their other sacraments are and as baptisme is in respect of the vse and receuing of it but also that it being consecrated once to be a sacrament continueth so to bee whether it be receiued or not Which opinion they holde stiffely for the maintenance of their adoration and carrying it about For they teach it still to bee a sacrament howsoeuer they vse it Out of which absurde principle hee gathereth this false and detestable doctrine that they may change this point of Christs institution as they will But wee knowing that the Sacraments are onelie helpes for our infirmities and instituted to supply our wants and that the eating of the bodily foode in the Sacrament and so applying it to the nourishment of our our bodies is that which representeth vnto vs most liuely our receiuing of Christ by a true faith to the nourishment of our soules detest and despise those captious and curious subtilties whereby the papistes doe seeke to defend their wonderfull boldnesse in changing the very institution and in breaking the expresse commaundement of Christ Wherein wee haue for our warrant the worde of Christ which biddeth vs eate and drinke and therefore it can not be but arrogant presumption for man to forbid that which Christ hath commaunded howsoeuer hee will pretend that it is not of the substance of the Sacrament We haue also the practise in the primitiue church which is testified by Isichius In Leuit. lib. 2. cap. 8. which vsed for to burne that which
remained of the sacramēt Origen also reporteth the same Which they would not haue don if they had thought as do the papists that it had beene transubstantiated into Christs body or else that it had beene as heere they affirme a sacrament although it be not receiued as Christ commaunded it should be Seeing therefore these men that would seeme pillars in the church of Christ doe picke quarrelles at his ordinance and make exception to his commaundement and all to writhe their neckes out of his yoke and to free themselues from his lawes like lewd seruauntes which will not frame themselues to doe that which woulde best please their maisters but that onely which they must bee forced to doe whether they will or not let vs nowe see how in the second point they do seeke to peruert the verie decree it selfe that Christ set down concerning this matter to make men beleeue that hee meant no such thing as in trueth he did The second part of his assertion is that it is not ordered by the word of God what shall be done in that point This is an intollerable boldenesse Doth not our sauiour Christ take order as well for the cup as for the bread Doth not he that saieth Take eate say also Drinke ye all of this If any man will answere as Bellarmine doth in one place De Euchar. lib. 4. cap. 27. that they were not both giuen at one time and therefore that properly to speake the Supper of the Lord consisteth but of one kind he should plainly declare that he hath rather a desire to contend than to knowe the trueth For what is it to vs how long time was betweene the one commaundement and the other so that we know that both the one and the other is instituted of Christ Yea the Apostle saint Paul very plainely telleth vs 1. Cor. 11. that the order both for the cup and the bread is deliuered to him of the Lord That which I receiued of the Lord I deliuered vnto you And then hee sheweth Christs institution for the bread and also the cup. But with full mouth and one consent they tell vs that that commaundement belongeth to the Apostles onely and not to all the disciples And yet saint Mathew saith Math. 26.26 he gaue it to his disciples Yea and Christ commaundeth Drinke yee all of this And hath not saide concerning the bread eate ye all of this although wee deny not that euery one hauing prooued themselues should eate of it But seeing God hath giuen a more expresse commaundement vnto all for the cup than for the bread why should they rather restraine lay men from receiuing the cup than from the bread Againe doeth he not say to all them Drinke yee all of this to whome before hee saide Take eate Yes verily for the text is plaine both in the Euangelists and saint Paule But the bread must be giuen to al they confesse therefore why not the cup also And that which saint Paule wrote concerning the vse of the Sacrament it is plaine he wrote vnto all the church of Corinth not onely by that place which Kemnitius alleadgeth 1. Cor. 1.2 To all that call vppon the name of the Lorde and that hee writeth vnto the church of Corinth De Euchar. lib. 4. cap. 25. which Bellarmine doeth seeke to answere rather least he should seeme to say nothing than that in truth he saith anie thing worth the setting downe but also by the punishment that followed the abuse of the sacrament For this cause many are weake and feeble amongst you and many sleepe Which came vpon them not that did eate of that bread onely but also that drunke of that cup vnworthily And it cannot be imagined that either the ministers were so bad at that time so generally that so many of them would haue offended therein or if the fault had beene in them the Apostle would more particularly haue reprooued them neither were they then so many in one place that it could haue beene truely saide of them that many are weake and many sleepe or are dead Therefore whereas many were punished amongst the Corinthians for vnworthily receiuing both the bread and the cup and this word Many cannot as I haue prooued be there referred to their Teachers onely it followeth that this punishment was amongest the lay men as well at the last as amongst their ministers and therefore that the lay men in the church of Corinth receiued the cup. And thus much of that wicked assertion wherein they doe affirme that it is lawfull for the church to alter this part of Christes institution and also to take away the cup. Nowe to a second and as wicked a proposition as the other Wherein they teach that it is needelesse to be receiued in both kindes And to prooue this Bellarmine taketh some paines in three whole chapters De Euch. lib. 4. cap. 21 22 23 In the first two he sheweth that the whole sacrament may be receiued vnder one kinde and therefore in the last hee teacheth that no more good is to be gotten of the sacrament vnder both kindes than vnder one And although we can not allowe of that concomitance as it is termed that is that inseparable coniunction of the body and blood vnder either of the signes which especially hee prooueth in the first chapter of those three namely the one and twentieth that the whole substance of a sacrament is found in either kinde as hee teacheth in the two and twentieth chapter yet if we should grant those two points that which master Bellarmine would conclude in the three and twentieth chapter can not follow For what if Christ may bee wholy receiued vnder one kinde Yet it should not follow that vnder one as effectually he may be receiued as vnder both For as before I shewed his death is more liuely represented by the bread and his bloudsheding by the wine And that which more effectually representeth it is more profitable than that which lesse representeth the same And it is too much sawcinesse so to controll the wisedome of God that when hee saith Drinke yee all of this which is a plaine commandement any foolish man dare say It is to no profite it can do you no good As for the causes that are alleaged by Gerson and other why the popish church thought good to take away the cup from the lay people they are so foolish and friuolous that a man would think rather that they iested than spake in earnest But what cause soeuer man can pretend to alter that which Christ hath ordained it doth but testifie that he thought not Christ wise enough to preuent such inconueniences as hee by his wisedome hath prouided for Seeing therfore the church cannot forbid that that God commaundeth whatsoeuer causes they will pretend and if they might yet the causes set downe by the Romish church either are blasphemous or at the least friuolous it is a sure way for vs rather to regard
Which as it is true in all matters of religion so especially in the Sacraments wee must take heede lest in adding any thing to them wee change thereby the vse of them In this thing if in any de Coron Mil. is that true that Tertullian hath said It is forbidden that is not frankely permitted And that also that in an other place he hath de Monog The Scripture forbiddeth whatsoeuer it noteth not Secondly master Bellarmine thinketh it to bee a thing belonging vnto the substance of the Sacrament that the partes wherein the fiue senses are shoulde bee annointed that is the eies the eares the nose the lippes and the handes Then let the councell of Trent shew this commaunded by saint Iames but that can neuer be perfourmed so that wee see that bolde affirmation of the councell of Trent was rather to blind the eies of men vnder a shew of good words seeking thereby to make the world beleeue that they adde no materiall point vnto that which saint Iames commaundeth and that is most false as hath beene shewed and might also further be prooued For where is that forme commaunded by Saint Iames that is prescribed by the councell of Trent By this holie ointment c. Sess 14. ca. 1. de sacr vnct He had no minde of any such matter Besides this their adding to that which saint Iames hath willed to be done which is but a small matter with the church of Rome for all their religion wherein wee differ from them is nothing else but additions to Gods worde their owne diuersitie of opinions concerning this their sacrament doeth shew it to be a deuise of their owne for they knowe not what to say for the institution of it They haue not so much as any shew or colour that it was instituted by Christ or before his death but onely that place of saint Marke Mar. 6.13 where it is saide that the Apostles annointed many that had infirmities and healed them And therefore Thomas Walden Alfonsus and others doe seeke for the institution of the sacrament out of that place But master Bellarmine seeing what danger may come to their sacrament De sacr vnct cap. 2. if they should seeme to make that the ground of their sacrament because sundry of the auncient fathers seeme to make that vnction that saint Iames speaketh of to be none other but that which saint Marke mentioned hee seeketh to prouide a plaister for that sore And he will not in any sort haue those wordes to bee the ground or institution of the Sacrament And for that cause hee prooueth by many reasons that they are not all one For hee seeth that it can not be denied and therefore himselfe graunteth that that vnction which the Apostles in that sixt chapter are saide to vse was onely or especially for bodily diseases and therefore that the sacrament cannot bee prooued out of it for the sacraments as there he also confesseth are belonging principally to the soule Therefore hee will in no wise like of them that alleadge this place of saint Marke for this their sacrament although they bee many yea and those great pillers of Poperie and no small fooles I warrant you But such as Eckius Decree 10. De Sacram. vnct sess 14. cap. 1. the Scotish man Nicoll Burne the prouinciall Councell called Senonense yea and the Councell of Trent although it set it downe somewhat fearefullie for it saith it was insinuated by our Lorde Christ in Saint Marke all these with others I say establish their sacrament of Vnction and ground it vpon that place yet Bellarmine as I haue sayde will not in any wise yeeld vnto it And for my part I thinke hee saieth truely when hee sayeth it is not grounded vpon that place And as truly also if hee should affirme that it hath no warrant out of that place of saint Iames. For that place of saint Marke and that other of saint Iames speake both of one sort of annointing as Beda Theophilact and Occumenius doe testifie But saint Markes wordes can not proue the sacrament of Vnction De Vnct. cap. 2. as maister Bellarmine doeth not confesse onely but hee taketh much paines to prooue it also by foure or fiue arguments therefore that place of saint Iames prooueth not their sacrament of annoyling And then is it destitute of all proofe by Gods worde and so must bee accounted but a foolish toy as nowe it is vsed of mans braine Neither are they agreed vpon that other high poynt what parts must be anoynted of necessitie whether all those seuen parts before mentioned or els only those fiue first which are the instruments of the senses Bel. de Vnct. Cap 10. Some thinke that there is not necessitie that anie one part shoulde bee anoynted rather than other And others thinke that the anoynting of euerie of these seuen places is so necessarie that it is not a perfect sacrament if any be omitted But maister Bellarmine out of Thomas Aquinas telleth vs that onely the fiue first are of the essence of the sacrament Nowe in this diuersitie of opinions I knowe not whose part Laurence Vaus will take but he resolueth vs of one great doubt If a man want eyes eares nose mouth or handes what the Priest should then doe Hee must oynt the part next to the place where these members should bee So it seemeth hee alloweth of the first opinion But are these such matters as should busie mens mindes so as they doe No no it is the subtiltie of Sathan to occupie mens heades about such trifles that in the meane time hee may by false teachers steale from the heartes of the people the trueth of all christian Religion They teach also that this their sacrament of annoyling or vnction may be often receyued In the life of Pius 2. And yet how long they haue beene of that minde I knowe not nor find menâ— ioned But if wee will beleeue Platina Pope Pius the second seemed not to bee resolued of that poynt nor so perswaded For hee at the poynt of death disputed with a learned man the Bishop of Ferrara earnestly whether hee might againe bee annoyled seeing hee had once before beene annoyled By all which diuersities of iudgements in the most materiall pointes of this their Sacrament they giue vs iust cause to doubt of their Sacrament it selfe that it is not of God And by the way I cannot but wonder with what faces they can obiect to vs our diuersities in opinions seeing that they in such materiall poynts of Religion and in their doctrines that concerne the verie substance of their sacraments are so verie farre from being of one iudgement And thus briefly we see how the Papists differ from the scriptures whereupon themselues indeuor but al in vaine to ground the institution of their Sacrament and also disagree amongest themselues about the same De Sacram. vnct sess 14. can 1. And yet with great boldnesse they cursse all them that
speaking of this point of Diuinitie which is most necessarie to bee vnderstoode of euerie one euen from the highest to the lowest would speake or write so subtilly or obscurely And who tolde him these lusts striue not against the lawe as it commaundeth the meanes that is to say as it commaundeth to resist and not to yeeld to them Doubtlesse that lust which rebelleth against this commaundement Thou shalt not lust will neuer yeeld when it is resisted for euerie thing naturally seeketh the preseruation of it selfe But the resisting of lust is the destruction of it therefore it will not yeeld to it And as reason teacheth this so saint Paule by experience found it to be true when hee saide Sinne tooke occasion by the commaundement Rom. 7.23 and wrought in mee all maner of concupiscence So that this concupiscence is by resisting made more stubburne and is so farre from yeelding that it fighteth more fiercely against the lawe And hereof is that combat and battell which the godly haue betweene the flesh and the spirite The wicked are not acquainted with it because they willingly yeelde to their lusts But the godly because they resist the same Doe see another lawe in their members rebelling against the lawe of their minde Rom. 7.23 Thus we see that this distinction whereby master Bellarmine striueth against trueth is neither according to the meaning of the Apostle nor hath any colour of trueth But here by the way I must note how grossely and how absurdly maister Bellarmine in the place next before alledged affirmeth that he is not a sinner that attaineth not to the ende of the commaundement His reason is because it lieth not in his power no more thā he is too blame that being commaunded to subdue the enemies can not do it But master Bellarmine should consider where is the cause of this want in vs and through whose fault it is that wee can not obey this commaundement thou shalt not lust If it bee in man as in trueth it is because hee fell from that estate of innocencie wherein hee was created then is there no reason but that sinne should bee imputed vnto vs for not performing that commaundement thou shalt not lust And by this also it appeareth that master Bellarmine his similitude is nothing like because that the subduing of the enemie was not in their power But not to lust wickedly was in mans power once which because through his owne fault hee lost the not fulfilling of that commaundement may iustly bee layde to his charge for sinne Thirdly I thus proue concupiscence to be sinne Not to loue the Lorde our God with all our heart Luke 10.27 with all our soule with all our strength and with all our thought is sinne But to lust is to faile in this loue August de perfect iustitiae cont celest For if the heart consent not yet at the least the thought by this concupiscence is hindered from this perfection of loue therefore concupiscence is sinne Againe De August gratiae li. 4. Cap. 2. Li. 2. Dist 3◠Originall sinne is sinne properly so called as maister Bellarmine confesseth But Concupiscence is originall sinne as the maister of Sentences affirmeth therefore concupiscence is sinne properly so called Againe whatsoeuer maketh vs hated of God is sinne Andrad Orthod Explic. lib. 3. But concupiscence maketh vs hated of God Bellar. de Amiss gratiae lib. 5. cap. 13 therefore concupiscence is sinne And thus much briefly to proue concupiscence not onely to be called but indeed to be sinne But what need I stand so much herevpon If the church of Rome ment that the light of the truth should shine vnto men she would neuer cast these mists before their eyes thus to contend about tearmes and wordes For themselues doe ascribe vnto concupiscence both the nature and the effects of sinne when they say it De Amiss gratiae li. 5. cap. 13 ◠is vice it is truly euill b Can 14. it is vnlawful condemned and hated of God that Andrad saith sin only can worke For all this M. Bellarmine affirmeth of concupiscence c Cap. 13. Orthod explic li. 3. and many such like things which whether they may be affirmed of any thing but sinne let maister Bellarmine and his fauourites well consider But I for my part doe thinke I may truely conclude and boldly affirme seeing the Apostle so often calleth it sinne without any expounding of himselfe to speake vnproperty seeing it rebelleth agaynst the lawe of the minde and maketh such a want in the loue of God that in this and such like respects concupiscence is sinne properly so called whatsoeuer the Councell of Trent decree to the contrarie Sess 5. can 5 Of the works of Infidels or such as are not regenerate CHAP. 22. THE PROTESTANTS WE thē being thus infected with the filth of original sin and by our concupiscence which can not whilest here we liue be rooted out of vs being intised to sin and hindred in al good what can come from them Ephe. 4.18 that haue their cogitations darkned throgh the ignorance that is in thē but that they walke after the lusts of the flesh Ephe. 2.1.3 in fulfilling the will of the flesh And so are in deed no better than dead in sinnes and trespasses 5 by their owne nature the children of wrath 4 So that from such no good can proceede in thought word or deed and in such no good can be vntil God of his abundant mercie 1. Pet. 1.3 haue begotten them again vnto a liuelie hope of immortall seede ◠23 by the worde of God hauing by his holy spirite renued the light of their mind and reformed the frowardnesse of their heart Vntill then I say what excellent vertues so euer they seeme to haue yet is there nothing in thē acceptable to God bicause they haue not that fountaine of regeneration frō whence onely can spring that which god accepteth for good Neither haue they faith without which nothing can please God Heb. 11.6 THE PAPISTS BVt the papists Andrad orthod explic li. 3. as they wil in no wise that concupiscence is of it selfe sinne no not in the vnregenerate but only in respect that it is destitute of originall righteousnesse so doe they seeke by all meanes to cloake and couer the corruption and sinfulnesse of our wretched nature Hereof commeth it that they shame not to teach that the workes of infidels and godlesse persons Andrad ibidem such as wee account Turkes or Iewes maie bee without spot of sinne and woorthie of notable prayse As though a filthie spring coulde sende foorth pleasant waters Iam. 3.11 Math. 7.18 or an euill tree could beare good fruit Iohn 15.4 or a branch that is not of the vine tree coulde haue a kindlie grape All which the scriptures denie Doe men gather grapes of thornes Mat. 7.16 or figs of thistles Luke 6.45 No doubtlesse For An euill man
by Grace De gratia Cristi cont pelag Celest cap. 31. Prim. vpon this place that which is set against workes And Primasius saith By his grace because hee paid for vs that which hee ought vs not that he might saue vs being freely redeemed Thus doth Augustine and Primasius take this word Grace for Gods loue to vs not for any vertue inherent in vs cleane contrarie to master Bellarmines minde And by these and some other places he would faine proue that the worde of iustifying may sometime signifie an inherent righteousnesse And what if we grant that to him yet thereof it followeth not that that inherent righteousnesse doth iustifie vs before God which master Bellarmine would faine proue As for that which he saith of Abel and Noah that they were accounted iust if hee will by that commendation that is giuen to them exempt them from all sin saint Augustine will be directly against him De peccat merit remiss lib. 2. cap. 12. 13. who speaking of Iobs righteousnesse sheweth that perfection was not in Iob neither that it can be any But in comparison of others he was iust And if perfection cannot be in any then shall no man by any inherent righteousnesse answere Gods iust iudgement Ber. epist 34. For Our greatest perfection is desire to bee more perfect and alwayes to confesse our imperfection Two or three argumentes mo hath maister Bellarmine in that place but because they are not woorth answering of purpose I omit them concluding with that golden saying of saint Ambrose Amb. epist 32 lib. 5. not the lawe but faith maketh a man iust because righteousnesse is not by the law but by faith That good workes are necessarie duties for all Christians to performe CHAP. 27. THE PROTESTANTS BVt although we denie that our good workes cā any thing merit our iustification Ephe. 1.4 yet we affirme that God hath chosen vs vnto himselfe before the foundations of the world were laid Ephe. 2.19 so wee are his workmāship created in christ Iesu vnto good works which God hath ordained that we should walke in them For the same spirite of God that worketh in vs faith and maketh it to take sure hold of Christ doth also make it as a fruitfull plant to bring foorth fruite in great abundance of holie obedience Neither can this faith if it bee a true faith be idle but it will worke by loue By loue I say towards God wherby we will bee readie to loue him carefull to serue him and willing to please him By loue also towardes our neighbour to the performance of al Christian duties in mercifulnesse and brotherly kindnesse For wee know that God hath giuen vnto vs his law that though we cānot be saued by it yet we should walke in the same law with our whole indeuour THE PAPISTS BVt our aduersaries teach vs not to do good workes for Gods sake Mat. 5.16 That men seing our good works may glorifie our father which is in heauen but for our owne sake namely to purchase heauen thereby and to satisfie for our sins So that this is the difference betwene vs and thē That good works should be done wee crie it as lowd as they But we differ somtime in the worke it selfe for wee say that is onely a good worke that is done according to Gods commandements Mat. ◠5.9 And ad Orthod expli lib. 5. They teach for doctrines the precepts of men yea that men may offende God more sometime in breaking the lawes of the church than Gods law Which how blaspemously it is written let the world iudge We also direct our workes to another end than they do We do good works to glorifie God and because hee hath commanded vs that we may so offer vnto him a sacrifice of obedience They worke that they may merit thereby and so do disgrace the merit of Iesus Christ And thus much I thought good to set down concerning this point to stop the mouthes to stay the pens of slaunderous papists who go about to discredit our true doctrine with the simple and ignorant as though wee spake against good works when as in truth we exhort earnestly all men to shew their faith by their workes and to walke worthy of their calling Only this we admonish all men out of Gods worde that they esteeme not as good workes the foolish fancies of mans deuice for wee must giue God leaue to teach vs what is good and what is euill for he is our law-maker then also that they refer vnto Gods glory the good works which they do and to no other end and that they do them in singlenes of heart to performe their dutifull obedience to God And these points being obserued we instantly exhort yea command all men Gal. 6.9.10 whilest they haue time to do good and neuer to be wearie of well doing Of praier to whom and how wee shoulde praie CHAP. 28. THE PROTESTANTS PRaier is a good worke commended and commanded of God and therfore to be vsed a most ready meane to supply our wants a most sure stay comfort in all our dangers and distresses and therefore not to be neglected For how can we either relieue our necessities better or in heauines comfort our selues more effectually than if wee conuerse and talke with God Greg. Nissen orat 1. in orat Dominicam 1. Thess 5.17 Which thing wee doe in praier And therefore the Apostle willeth vs to pray alwaies or continually euen without ceasing Because we alwaies stand in neede of comfort and helpe Yea Christ would haue vs alwaies to pray and not to wax faint Luc. 18.1 But wee must aske all good thinges of God only from whom only commeth euery good giuing Iam. 1.17 and euery perfect gift And that in the name of Christ Iesus and for his sake We must also pray in faith if we will be heard and with vnderstanding that we may pray in spirit THE PAPISTS OVR aduersaries also speake much of praier but their praiers haue many faultes For first they praie not to God only but also to the Saints and creatures expresly against Gods lawe Then also they number their praiers vpon their beades as if they woulde knowe howe much God is become indebted vnto them for their praiers Thirdly they pray in a tōgue vnknowen to them that doe pray many times namely in latine And fourthly out of these ariseth another fault in their praiers that the praiers that are directed to any other than to God and are also such as they that doe praie knowe not what they aske or what they pray for because they pray in latine therefore they praie not in faith and so their praiers are turned into sinne and prouoke God to anger First we must pray vnto God only in respect of Gods commandement Thou shalt haue no other Gods but me For thereby God doth challenge vnto himselfe not only that we should acknowledge him to be God but
readinesse to heare vs. Yea many times men speake the words of prayer neither considering what they aske or howe greatly they stande in neede to be heard or to whom they speake or with what boldnesse they may come vnto him in respect of his abundant mercies But because this is rather the fault of the men than of the doctrine I will not meddle with it But yet I cannot but maruell at master Bellarmine De bouis operibus in particulari lib. 1. ca. 9. who thinketh that a man needeth not in prayer to haue such fayth as that he is assured thereby that God will heare him but onely a generall perswasion of his power will c. Against which daungerous doctrine I will for this time onely say thus much Our faith the more particular it is the stronger it is and the stronger it is the better holde shall it take of Gods mercies and the more readily obtaine at Gods hande Therefore still weaknesse of fayth is reprooued Iames. 1.6 And saint Iames willeth vs to pray in fayth without wauering But this their generall or hystoricall faith is sufficiently confuted if we compare it with that exceeding great and particular perswasion of Gods goodnesse which the Apostle did feele in the eight to the Romans where hee assureth himselfe that no bodie can condemne him no neither yet accuse him Rom. 8. nothing can separate him from Gods loue which his particular faith also appeareth in many other places and did make him pray with assurance And thus I haue I trust proued that wee must pray to God onely I can aske these things saith Tertullian of none but of him In Apolog. ◠Tim. 2.5 of whome I knowe I shall speede for it is onely he that giueth it And that by one onely mediator betweene God and man the man Christ Iesus And wee must pray in humilitie and yet faithfully Because although our prayers are not of themselues worthie to bee heard yet Christ shall offer them vp vnto God as a sweete perfume Apoc. 8.3 as saint Iohn in the spirit of prophecie did see Against Images in Churches or any where else for Religions cause CHAP. 29 THE PROTESTANTS ANd as wee must haue one onely God in whome we must trust to whō onely we must pray so we dare not make vnto our selues any Image of God or of any creature to doe any kinde of worship vnto the same For first God hath commanded vs that wee should not haue anie grauen thing no nor yet the likenesse of any thing in heauen in the earth or in the waters to worship it Then also mans great weakenes maketh vs afraide to haue them Because more easily we wil worship the thing that we see thē that which we see not Thirdly the godlie among Gods people did alwaies carefully take heed therof coūting it a thing most vnlawfull Lastly the best teachers of truth Christ his apostles did neuer cōmēd thē to vs but rather the contrary Which doubtlesse they would haue done if they had bin needefull THE PAPISTS BVt the Papists whom neither Gods commaunment can restraine neither experience that teacheth euē fooles can admonish though they may dayly see if themselues were not like their Idols hauing eyes and see not eares and heare not the manifest and manifolde superstitions that by them are crept into their Churches and although they want all warrant of the word and haue no example of the purer times of the primitiue church to induce them thereto yet doe they dailie set vp those dangerous stumbling blockes in their churches I mean◠the Images before which men doe pray vnto which men doe bowe and kneele and serue And that they might the easlier lead men and women to superstition they will sometime make them to wag their head moue their eies fome at the mouth or shew other such signes that they are either pleased or angry with such as come to them And if in anie article of their religion then sure in this in my iudgement they haue a most miserable defence seeing they cannot commend their Images as thinges commended to them of God or vsed of the Godly They can only plead not guilty Our Images are not Idols We worship them not with any vnlawful worship And so all that they can doe is to excuse themselues from being Idolaters No it is more then they can doe considering howe God hath forbidden them and good men haue detested them Are they not carelesse thinke you of their owne or other mens saluation that will commend that to the people as good and necessary whereof when they haue spoken the best they can they cannot truely saie it is not euill But let vs see by what arguments they will proue that images are not euil images I saie that haue anie worship done vnto them For such images as are not in danger to be worshipped we speake not against First they put a difference betweene an Idol and an image saie that an Idol is a false likenes of a thing an image doth truely represent thinges vnto vs. Bellar. lib 2. de Imag. c. 5. First in matter or substance they will confesse that there is no difference betweene them For both are made of gold siluer wood stone or such like Secondly in forme they agree for they are like some man or woman Thirdly they are of like might or power either against mise or rats or dust and cobwebs and alike able they are or rather vnable to helpe themselues or others Fourthly the vse of the Idols that the gentiles had De preparat Euang. lib. 3. and that the papists haue is all one For Eusebius sheweth that the gentiles did vse their Idols as bookes to learne by them God himselfe and his power Contra gent. lib. 1. and to expresse and set forth the inuisible things of God by their images And Athanasius a little before him affirmeth the same For he reporteth that such as were the wiser sorte of them said they were as bookes or letters wherein they might read and learne to know God And are they not vsed in the popish church to be laie mens bookes Let themselues speake We desire in this cause no other witnesses Why then saith Athanasius in the place before alleadged what is there in the image that doth represent God Is it the matter What neede was there then that a shape should be giuen vnto it Or what need we seeke that in few places that is in many For stone wood gold and such like maie easlier els where be found then in churches Is it the forme the likenesse of men or other creatures Why then shoulde it not bee thought that men themselues or other creatures shoulde more liuelie represent God than their image Is it the cunning or workemanship Then men that deuised this skill maie rather teach vs than the image which they made Thus we see how this ancient writer doth confute soundlie not only the opinion that
Rome is too too foolish when thus they reason This religion is olde and hath had approbation of the greatest number for some hundredes of yeares therefore it is good For Vincentius did looke vnto that faith that was then ancient and catholicke many hundred yeares before many articles of popish religion were hatched But the papistes thinke it enough for them if they can proue their religion to bee nowe olde Whereas in trueth and according to Vincentius his rule also that which was not then olde is not now good That which was not then catholicke is nowe of all good men to bee reiected But let vs see what Vincentius saith After that hee hath declared how that by opportunity of time and place hee was mooued to write hee sheweth that to finde out the falshoode of heresies there are two waies The one by the authoritie of Gods word Gods word sufficient Whose rule is perfect and of it selfe sufficeth for all thinges aboundantly Yet because it is diuersly expounded such is the depth thereof as by example of sundry heresies doeth appeare The seconde way to finde out heresies hee maketh this By the tradition and rule of the catholicke Church to interpret that which is set downe in the writings of the Prophetes and apostles But so as wee take heede that wee receiue not for Catholicke euery thing that is holden in the Catholicke Church Catholicke but that onely that is beleeued in all places and so hath vniuersality at all times and so hath antiquity of all or almost all the godly and learned and so hath consent So that a Catholicke Christian must more regarde the soundnesse of the whole body than a parte thereof that is corrupted And where the infection is generall that which hath beene taught of olde is to bee preferred before the new But before the auncient errour of two or three or of one citty or cuntry a man must preferre that which vniuersally the vniuersall Church hath decreede if anie such bee If not then hee must consider of the iudgementes of the sincerest fathers not of a fewe of them but of all What they haue holden written taught When the fathers aâ—â— to be beleeued with one consent plainely often not changing their minde that hee may boldely beleeue So did the godly fathers in Affrica against Donatus and also others against that heresie of the Arrians that had infected almost al christendome and caused great destruction and cruelty because there were brought in superstitions inuented by men in steede of the Heauenly doctrine as is proued out of saint Ambrose and newe deuises for ancient decrees Yea so they withstoode all heresies whilest in the verie antiquity of the church they defended that only that was also vniuersal that is to say Ancient Vniuersality Ancient vniuersality And the more deuout that men were the more stifly did they oppose themselues to new inuentions As for example Stephen bishop of Rome with his associates did set themselues against the new opinion of Agrippinus bishop of Carthage yea and against the councell of Carthage For hee knewe that nothing can in account be godly We must follow religion and not lead her Vnlesse all thinges were sealed vp to the children as faithfully as the fathers receiued them And that we must not leade religion which way we will but followe her which way shee wil go And that it be seemeth not christian modestie or grauitie to deliuer to their posterity any thing of their owne but to preserue that which is receiued from the fathers And by occasion of the Donatistes who vnder colour of the decrees of the councell of Carthage saide that they baptised againe such as were baptised by heretickes hee teacheth that some deceiuers going about in some other bodies names to set forth their owne heresie A liuely description of popish teaching Doe snatch some of the writings of the ancient fathers such lightly as are most obscurely written which for their obscuritie maie after a sort agree with that they teach to this ende that whatsoeuer they say they may be thought neither first nor onlie to saie it Whose fault is double both in that they broach heresies and also open that in the fathers which shoulde bee hidden as did Cham whose rewarde vpon him and his posterity should feare them But to alter the faith or corrupt religion men should be afraid not only in respect of ecclesiasticall discipline but also in regard of the censure of the apostle against such Gal. 1.6.7 2. Tim. 4.3 1. Tim. 5.12 Rom. 16.17 2. Tim. 3.6 7. Tit. 1.16 1. Tim. 3.1 1. Tim. 6.4 5. 1. Tim. 5.13 1. Tim. 1.19 1. Tim. 2.16 17. 2. Tim. 3.9 Such aâ—â— our Seminary prists who for their owne benefit indanger many not men only but euen countries And because there came amongst the Galathians such as carried about errours and set them on sale whom the Galathians hearing did loathe the trueth vomiting the Manna of Apostolike and catholike doctrine liking well of the filth of nouelties the apostle denounceth that they should not heare either the apostles or an angell from heauen if he should preach any thing besides that hee had preached Gal. 1.8 9. And this caueat belongeth not to the Galathians only no more than the other precepts of godly life so that it hath not beene is or shall be lawfull for catholike christians to teach any thing besides that that they haue receiued And to hold accursed al those Take heed of beleuing vnwritten traditions who preach any thing else than that which is Once receiued it alwayes hath beene is and shall be our duetie So that to preach any thing else is too much boldenesse and to heare any thing else is too much lightnesse Althogh some frogges midges and flies of a short time such as the Pelagians crie against it seeking to drawe vs from that which hath beene committed vnto vs by our fathers and notable persons are thus many times infected Why the learned are heretikes because God will by them proue whether men loue God vnfainedly or not Deuteronomie 13.3 But this is a dangerous tentation and may deceiue many as by Nestorius Photinus and Apollinaris may appeare whose heresies he describeth as also the catholike doctrine with some confutation of Arrianisme and Manicheisme and the other forenamed heresies Against which danger of being by such men deceiued he would haue vs to holde this propertie of true catholikes How â—â— rre the fathers are to be heard with the Church to receiue the Doctours but not with the Doctours to forsake the faith of the Church Then hauing shewed the daunger that the great learning of Origen and Tertullian brought vnto the Church when they erred hee repeateth triall to bee cause of heresies many times A true catholike and then gathereth Him to bee a true catholike who loueth Gods truth the church the bodie of Christ who esteemeth nothing more than Gods religion than
so especially such great blasphemies as this as hath with it a manifest contempt of God and his worde bringeth for the most parte a generall destruction Prou. 8.15 If Princes therefore bee Gods lieutenantes and supply his roome as indeede they doe if by him they beare rule as Salomon affirmeth it is their dutie to watch all opportunities to reforme if it maie be or else to roote out their maisters enemies and to imploy their whole power in defence of his glorie who setteth them in honour establisheth their authority subdueth vnto them their subiectes giueth peace in their lande when neede is if it seeme good to him vanquisheth their enemies to bee shorte without whom they haue no power Let it neuer bee saide that in a lande wherein the gospell is so constantly and zealously professed and by so many godlie lawes established it shall bee lawfull for some seduced but very selfe-willed folkes such as recusantes are for the most parte to reiect it without all feare of punishment or for a prophane crew such are these Atheistes to blaspheme God without controlement If wee loue the truth let vs with courage set our selues against the enemies therof If wee feare God truely let vs also feare to bee partakers of their sinnes that will not acknowledge him But priuate persons that allowe or doe not reprooue Magistrates that doe not refourme such sinnes are partakers thereof Rowze vp your selues therefore O Christian magistrats be zealous in his cause that is so louing to you Be faithful vnto him that neuer deceiued any that trusted in him Beate downe sinne maintaine the trueth cherish the godlie against all popish heretickes against all prophane Atheistes that such as doe euill may feare and know that Magistrats beare not the sword for naught Rom. 13.4 Thinke it to be the best pollicie to serue the Lord sincerely For so Moses teacheth the Israelites but his lesson is not of many politickes well learned Keepe therefore saith he and do them for that is your wisedome And that it is no wisdome to be colde or carelesse in Gods cause Deut. 4.6 for it procureth his wrath for Cursed be he that doeth the worke of the Lorde negligently Yea and when God will haue his iudgementes sharpely executed Ierem. 48.10 Cursed be he that keepeth backe his sworde from bloud And as those are accursed that doe not execute those sharpe iudgementes of God against his enemies so shall not they bee free from wrath that are too remisse in inflicting of gentler punishmentes when occasion requireth Serue the Lorde therefore and he wil saue you Defend his cause and he wil defend you Rest not vpon your owne strength or pollicie do his wil faithfully and he will not faile you So shal you bring safety and quietnesse to your selues and Gods blessing vpon your people Whereas on the contrary if such despisers of God and his trueth be not in some reasonable sort brideled and reformed God is by such want of zeale prouoked the offendours by such remisnesse are incouraged in their euil and manie not euill persons are much discouraged from their dutiful obedience to God and man The Lord therefore open the eies of our christian Magistrates and giue them wisedome that they maie see and wisely consider of these things The Lorde I say by his holie spirite worke in their heartes so earnest a zeale to Gods trueth that they may as in duty they ought seeke sincerely to maintaine the same and to growe not in knowledge onlie and outwarde profession Psal 78 7â— but in practise also and holy conuersation That as Dauid did feede the people according to the simplicity of his heart and guide them by the discretion of his handes so they may walke euery one in their place and calling vprightly and with a sincere hearte before the Lorde to guide their people in the good waies to bring them to the wholsome pastures that they and we their subiects may with one heart serue Christ our Lord here and raigne with him else-where to whom with the father and the holyghost be al honor and glory now and for euer FINIS