alleadgeth the Doctours most is most praysed of the audience as you vvell know which is a pittifull thing in thē and ridiculous in the Preacher vvho cannot but know if he haue read any of them himselfe that the Fathers detest vtterly that Doctrine which hee wresteth them to confirme and in the meane time the pore audience thinketh that they were of this new Religion vvhose simplicitie therein is most pittifullie abused by the Preacher THE XI REASON Triall of Trueth IT is manifest by the Holye Scriptures that it appertaineth to the Church to try to discerne spirits as also to determine to decide doubts And agreeably therunto shee hath in all ages mastered ouer-ruled captiuated the vnderstanding of euerye one were hee neuer so wise neuer so learned or had he neuer so extraordinary giftes except he obstinatly defended an errour which if he did hee was condemned for an heretike so came to nothing The Chatholike Church I saye directed by the Holye Ghost hath euer separated from the trueth all moales all singular opinions al errours and corruptions in euerie mans workes and writings in such sorte as that easilie and securelye euerie one maie knowe the trueth And certainelie the Protestantes although they saye that they giue no credite to the CHVRCH but so farre forth as they finde in their Scriptures doe can not otherwise but receaue the same Scriptures vppon the Catholike Romane Churches credit also the three Creedes of the Apostles of Athanasius and of Nice and some Articles of beleefe as the Holy Ghost to proceed from both the Father the Sonne yet as from one beginning and many tearmes as Person Trinitie Consubstantiall Sacraments c. which none coulde euer haue inuented but onely the Catholike Church Neyther is it possible for any man to know whether this Bible which is vsed amongest Christians be the true word of God indeede or some fained thing but onely vppon the Catholike Romane Churches credit And Saint Augustine confesseth plainely that he would not beleeue the Ghospell but that the authoritie of the Catholike Church moued him thereunto Con. Epist Manich. c. 5. lib. 2. de doct Chr. cap. 8. And by the same Churches authoritie hee was mooued to beleeue the bookes of Tobie Iudith Canticles Wisedome Ecclesiasticus Machabees c. as he himself sincerelie affirmeth And surely it is wōderfull to see how the Church of God receauing the Olde Testament from the Iewes and manifesting to the world the Canon of the Holy bookes of the new Testamēt hath in al times in so many alterations and chaunges kept from the destruction corruption of Heretikes Iewes and Panims the whole authenticall corps of Holy Scripture in such maner as no Heretike in the world can charge her with adding or diminishing the least iote thereof Iudge you here whether the madnes of these new fellowes be worthie to be wondred at or no who doe credit and beleeue the Church in this point and will not doe the same in others Why should they rather trust the Church in this thē in other things And I would euery man would here consider the wonderfull integritie of the Catholike Romane Church in keeping the Holy Bible so entire and vncorrupted these fifteene hundred yeares together at the least and the atheisticall treacherie of these of the the new Religion who occupying no Bible nor hauing to doe with the holy scriptures for a thousand yeares togeather as they themselues confesse haue after the vniust vvresting it out of the handes of the iust possessors thereof robbed the Church of so many whole bookes besides of so manie partes and particles of the same What these fellowes would bring the Holy Bible vnto in time if they shuld hold on they may easily gesse vvho know their manifold corruption therof in so few yeares And yet forsooth they vvill haue all controuersies to be tried by only scriptures which if they were not by them corrupted falselie translated yet could theye neuer finde out any secure truth by them only for that none of them alloweth anie other mans exposition but his owne and in so dealing they can but haue a gesse or an opinion or fantasie but no faith at all Which thing to declare more plainely I aske the Protestant how he relying vpon only scripture can shew mee certainely vvhich bookes be Scripture and which not And if hee be vnlearned how knoweth hee that the translation which hee vseth is truely made out of Hebrew Greeke Latine And then how is hee sure of the sence exposition And if he be neuer so learned haue neuer so many helps all that hee can search and finde out is but a priuate mans opinion and consequentlie his Faith which hee seemeth to haue is grounded vpon his owne particular iudgement and so indeed is no faith at all but an opinion onely as I said before for faith must haue Gods expresse authoritie for her foundation Here you may consider the miserable state and condition of your newe Ghospellers in that forsaking the Catholike and vniuersall faith of Christendome deliuered to thē by the vniuersal Church as founded vppon Scripture vvhich Church Christ and his Apostles gaue thē expresse Commission to beleeue which was properly Faith founded vpon a rocke which could not faile in that forsaking I say that fortres they cast themselues into the waues of new opinions whereby they haue no certaintie at all but euery one chuseth vvhat hee liketh to himselfe vvhich choise is properly called Heresie and so the word signifieth And let anie Protestant in our Countrie of England tell mee why he doth rather beleeue his owne iudgement in points of Religion then the iudgement of Luther Caluin and Beza whome he thinketh were so excellent men for euery one that hath any learning knoweth that they taught otherwise then now is taught in England This you may plainely see the only touchstone of truth to be the Catholike Church which cannot faile and that they who cleaue to her iudgement haue most vndoubtedly the truth whereas on the other side they who ground only vpon Scriptures expounding them according to their owne fantasie and braine playing the Maisters and Pilots and Boat-swaines themselues admitting no iudge no interpreter no antiquitie nor any other manner of tryall which is the greatest madnesse and malediction that can be must needes be destitute of all certaintie and of all Religion and of all stay and of all foundation and of all rule and of all order and must needes wrangle and iangle without end and without meanes to make an end and must needes cause Nouelties without number and libertie of life without feare or force of Ecclesiasticall Discipline to restraine them and to conclude they haue no meanes to rest vntill the end in Atheisme THE XII REASON The vse and custome of the Church THE vse custome and practise of the Church hath as it vvas in the prime thereof beene alvvaies an infallible rule to
but the Protestantes force the Bible to followe them THE IX REASON Councells THe Church of God hath euer bin accustomed when any heresie did spring vp therein to gather a Councell of Bishoppes Prelates and of other Learned Men in which the trueth was approued and the heresie condemned And whosoeuer were condemned by such Councells confirmed by the See Apostolike were euer deemed and in very deede were heretiks for such at length were taken of all men in the end vanished away So were the Arrians condemned in the Nyceene Counsel the Macedonians in the Councel of Constantinople the Nestorians in the Ephesyne the Eutychians in the Chalcedonian others in other Councels Al which heretiks although they flourished for a time and drewe manye people yea Emperours Kings States Countries after them yet in time they came to nothing the councels which condemned thē were vniuersally embraced And no doubt the late famouse councel of Trent which by the same autority order hath cōdemned the Protestants other sectaries for heretiks will in time be euery where receiued and these newe fellowes by it anathematized will vtterlye vanishe away For indeed if a man consider the matter throughly he shal plainly perceiue that these sects haue no likelihoode of continuance by reason they haue no meanes to gather a Councel much lesse to decide matters therein if it were gathered being without an head as they are euery one cleauing only to his own priuate opinion therfore can neuer all meete together or if by anye power they were compelled therunto they haue no means to agre in one for that they wil not yeeld to any iudgement but what is framed of their own braine therefore it must needs be amongst them as we see it to be Quot homines tot sententiae So many men so many opinions Lastly I would haue you here to marke the dealing of heretiks who play by generall Councels euē as they play by the scriptures for they take leaue as they luste as best serueth their turne There haue bin in all general Councels 18. Al gathered allowed confirmed by one the selfesame autority of which the Greeks receiue only 7. the Lutherans Concil Florent sess 5. 6. Magdebur cent 8. cap 9. cent 9. cap. 9. the first 6. the Eutychians which are in Asia onely the first 3. the Nestorians which are yet in the East onely the first 2. the Trinitaries which are in Hungary and Poleland receiue none at all Beholde the libertie of your Gospell THE X. REASON Fathers THE Catholike Romane Religion is most plainely taught by all the auncient Fathers of the first second third fourth fift and sixt hundred yeares after Christ and hath bin euer without al controuersie taught of the Fathers of euerie age since vntill this day That religion did Dyonysius Areopagita Saint Paule his Scholler so manifestly teach Causaeus dialogue 5 11. as Causaeus a french Protestant called him for his labour a doating old man much like as his Father Luther had said before him that Areopagita his vvorkes vvere like to dreames In Capt. Babilonica and most pernicious The same faith was taught of saint Ignatius Clemens Iustinus Tertullian Cyprian Irenaeus and in one word all the auncient Fathers not one excepted This is very plaine in that the Catholikes are put compelled by the Protestants to defend maintaine and vpholde the credit and authoritie of the saide Fathers for the Protestants rayle at thē the Catholiks defend them the Protestants refuse theyr authoritie the Catholikes hold it for good the Protestants will not be tried by them the Catholikes appeale to theyr iudgement and to be briefe the Protestāts make no more account of them longer then they can wrest them to serue their turne then thy doe of Beuis of Southampton or of Adam Bell. And in naming the Protestants I include all the Puritanes for I am not ignorant how the saide Protestants are driuen by the said Puritanes to defende the Fathers and also are called papists for theyr labour And hereby it is manifest that the Fathers are with the Catholikes and neyther with the Protestants nor Puritanes And whether all those auncients being men of excellent wittes of continuall studie of wonderfull learning feruent in prayer holie in conuersation greatlie in Gods fauour mightie in vvorking of miracles adorned with many such like giftes were more like to vnderstand the Scriptures freshly deliuered vnto them from the Apostles themselues who also no doubt taught their schollers the true sense thereof and they theirs from one age to another or these late foolish vnstudied vnlearned prophane and arrogant fellowes be iudges your selues But indeed it is no maruaile though the protestants doe contemne yea reuile the Fathers Luther in Capt. Bab. Causaeus vbi supra Centuriat centur 2. cap. 10. Caluin instit cap. 13 num 29. Centur. 2. cap. 5. Causaeus dialog 8. 11. 6 beza in act Apost ca. 23. in saying they taught thinges most like to dreames they were doating oldmen they had foule blemishes and tolde trifling tales they had weedes and dregges blasphemyes and monsters they were childish dull and destitute of God babled they knew not what they were bewitched of the Diuell as damned as the Diuell blasphemers naughty wicked for they who cannot endure certaine set times to fast in no meruaile though they reuile S. Basil S. Gregory Nazianzene S. Leo S. Chrisostome which wrote such notable Sermons of Lent and of other fasting dayes then vsed as they are now in the Catholike Church And they who be giuen to Lust to Gluttonie to Ambition to Couetousnes and doe teach such doctrine as necessarilie bringeth foorth such fruites must needes contemne S. Basil S. Chrisostome S. Hierome and S. Augustine who haue written so excellently of the Order Rule Vertues of Monkes And generally whereas the Doctrine of the auncient Fathers is cleane contrarie to the Doctrine of Protestants no meruaile though they be reiected by thē as they euer haue bin of Heretikes And although Iwell in his Sermon at Paules Crosse most impudently challenged the Catholiks to bring any thing for certaine points of theyr Religion out of the Doctours of the first sixe hundred yeares yet Laurence Humfrey his pue fellowe Humfridus in vita Iwelli confessed that hee gaue and graunted to the papists more than was meete and vvas to himselfe iniurious c. and so hee confessed against his companion that the FATHERS of the Primitiue Church were on the Papists side and consequently not on theirs And yet because they haue founde by experience that to teach Doctrine contrary to the auncient Fathers soundeth but badlie in the peoples eares in theyr Sermons they gladlie now then alleadge the authoritie of some Doctor or Father vvhen they can by anie meanes wring or wrest any peece of a sentence so as it may seeme to make for them And indeede hee vvho
be saide that they doe as the firste Christians did which denyed and destroyed the false and superstitious religion of the Heathens for that the Christians did that by manifest Commission from God himselfe by working of Miracles by planting Christian religion in place thereof but the Protestantes neither doe that which they do by any authoritie from God nor euer could work any one miracle as is afore-saide and insteede of that which they reiect pull downe they place iust nothing THE XV. REASON Diuinitie IF you looke into the Vniuersities of the Catholiks of Protestants you shal see in the one the whole corps of Diuinitie and of Christian trueth most pythelie and profoundly taught but in the other nothing but a number of pelting obiections taken out of Caluins Institutions or out of the Magdeburgenses or out of some Hereticall Pamphlet together with wrested interpretations of the new Testament which they haue learned of Beza or of some such like fellow in some they trouble themselues with nothing but onely with the Controuersies of this time that is all the Diuinity which they haue or meddle withall But the Catholike Diuines studie and teache in theyr Schooles most exactlie all thinges vvhich man may in this life know of God ALMIGHTIE of his Simplicitie Perfection Goodnesse Infinitie of his being in his creatures of his immutabilitie Eternitie Vnitie knowledge and seeing of him of his names Science Idees Life Will Loue Iustice and Mercie Prouidence Power Felicitie of the Blessed Trinitie of the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost of theyr Equalitie Vnitie Consubstantialitie in one GOD-HEADE of the Creation of thinges of Angels of theyr substance Incorporcitie locall motion Knowledge Will Loue Production Goodnesse and Badnesse of mans Creation of his Bodie Soule of all the powers and parts thereof of his Propagation of the end whereunto hee is created of Vertue and Vice in generall and in particular of the Incarnation of Gods Sonne ioyning two most different natures of God and Man both entire both complete without cōmixtion or confusion into the vnitie of one person of the perfections defects assumpted by him of the Resurrection Iudgemēt and of many other profound pointes vvhich the Protestantes neuer beate their braines about and indeede they cannot possiblie studie these thinges throughlie beeing somuch occupied about wooing vvenching and wiueing taking vppon them to be Doctours of Diuinitie and Husbandes also And therefore if the learnedst amongst them should appeare in Catholicke Schooles or Vniuersities abroade hee would not once dare to open his mouth in matters of Learning among the great nūber of most excellent learned men which there are founde as wee haue vvell proued by such of your Protestants as nowe and then goe abroade to forraine VNIVERSITIES and are very quicklie brought to Confesse theyr inequalitie in this kinde for that they scarce vnderstand the verie ordinarie tearmes of the learned sciences which the others doe fullie possesse And I pray you what a learned Clargie was there in Queene Maryes time in our Countrie of England in respect of these pore creatures that occupy now theyr Prebends and sit in the sunne-shine of theyr new pretended Ghospell with theyr Wiues and Children rounde about them Were not one Tonstall one Watson one Christopherson for learning one Fecknā one Gardener one White for wisdome learning togeather able to set to Schoole all your ruffed Cleargie at this day for tearme of life and after as by their workes writings yet extant doth wel appeare This grosse ignorance of these newe Ghospellers is the cause that the people doe remaine vtterly voide of the knowledge of mysteries which they are bound to beleeue vppon paine of damnation and they cannot otherwise be when as their Leaders Doctours are altogether vnskilfull of the points afore-named But if they can speake a litle Greeke and a few words in Hebrew and vse some Inke horne Eloquence with rayling against Pope and Papistes then are they forsooth deepe Diuines Take the most learned Doctour of them all and set him to reason with an Heathen or with an Atheist and you shall see what goodly arguments hee will make nay you shall see him betray the truth for lack of learning for that he is vtterly ignorant as they are all of Schoole Diuinitie And hereupon it is that theyr Preachers comming to reason vvith the Turkish Priestes haue beene driuen to yeelde and haue become Mahometans for indeed one who taketh vpon him to be Doctor of Diuinitie ought to be so instructed furnished with Philosophie Morall Physicall and Metaphysicall with Logicke and with all humane helps with Councels Fathers Histories and such like and not only with the bare text of the Bible as that he may be able to defend the faith of Christ in all points against Iewes Turkes Heathens Atheistes not only against heretiks And here I cānot but admire the prouidēce goodnes of God towards his Church in furnishing it with all kinds of learning sciences whereby it may defend and maintaine it self against all sorts of enimies be they Iewes Turks Heathens Atheists or Heretikes vvhatsoeuer for in the Vniuersities thereof you may see most learnedly substantially orderly and vniuersallie taught all Christian truth and that in short space for in 4. or 5. yeares the whole course of Diuinity is taught vnder two or three readers in the same time the Controuersies by another reader by another all the new Testament is learnedlie foundly expounded besides an 100. publike Disputations euerie yeare of some whole matter as of Baptisme of the Eucharist of the Trinitie of the Incarnation of Angels of the Supremacie c. and withall the whole Bible read ouer at Table euery yeare alwaies after Dinner and Supper two Chapters of it one of the new and another of the old testament diligentlie examined vvith familiar conference betweene the learned and the younger sort And besides all this there are taught Cases of Conscience in which is set downe what is sinne and vvhat not the differences of sinnes which great which lesser c. which is a most fruitfull a most profitable kind of knowledge and therefore is much studied and practised by Catholike Priests Diuines who teach the people thereby to rule and to order their liues and actions Neyther doth the Protestant meddle with these matters of Conscience but fraighteth his ship only with Faith and neuer beateth his braine about sinnes for that he thinketh none to be imputed to such Predestinated as they all weene them-selues to be vvhich causeth the people theyr followers to be vtterly ignorant of the nature differences and quality of sins and consequently nothing fearefull or stayed by any conscience to committ the same THE XVI REASON Holinesse of Life ALthough vpon externall outwarde holinesse vve may not infallibly inferre true Religion for that among Iewes Turkes and other Infidelles some make great shewe of piety and deuotion yet we may truelie argue that
amongst what company or congregation soeuer there is not generally any piety deuotion mortification or holinesse of life but contrary-wise impiety irreligiosity carnallity and losenesse of life vniuersally to be seene and that necessarily issuing out of the bowelles of their doctrine that there possibly can be no true Religion For that the spirit of God who guideth directeth and as it were informeth true Religion will not suffer it to be vniuersally fruitlesse and of no efficasie For otherwise it should be frustrated of it end which is to make the embracers thereof Holy good And besides it was foretolde by the Prophet Esa cap. 11 that CHRIST his Doctrine should alter mens conditions and natures so as such as were most fierce sauage and wicked before should by it become most humble kind gentle which can no way be applied to the Protestants as their bloody tragedies raised in Fraunce Flaunders Scotland Switzerland and in other partes of Germany sufficiently doe witnesse where were slaine aboue an hundred thowsande people within one yeere by the rebellion and wars of the countriemē against their Lords for the controuersie of Religion such humility Sledan obedience and meekenesse of hart this new Doctrine imprinted presentlye as it came And albeit externall holinesse doth not as is aforesaide necessarilie inferre true religion yet doth it giue a great presumption thereof especially if there be inwarde zeale and aboue all Charity Nowe it cannot be but most plaine to euery one who knoweth both that the liues of Catholikes in all landes and that in all ages and namely of our auncestours and predecessours there in Englande were are of those who now be for the most part most Holy most Innocent most Religious and most Godly and the liues of the Protestantes ordinarilye most lewde loose and voide of piety And first if you take a viewe of the Cleargie of the Religious-men weomen of the Catholike church you shal finde infinit numbers to haue lead Celestiall and Angelicall liues heere on earth free from all worldly carnall earthly desires with contempt of all humane transitory things as S. Paul the first Eremite S. Anthony S. Hilarion S. Greg. S. Ier. S. Aug. S. Bern. S. Fraun S. Dom. S Bened. S. Thom. Aquinas S. Bonauenture with innumerable others such-like whose liues were most heauenly togeather with millions of professed Virgins vowed Widdowes poore by wil and promise persons of both sexes dedicated to God by renouncing the vvorlde with the delightes thereof some liuing in Deserts or Caues of the earth some in Cloysters in communitie vnder obedience with infinite numbers of secular Priestes most godlie and deuoute And although I will not denie but that some there were among the Cleargie and Religious people in this latter age which liued not according to theyr Orders Rules but scandalized the Church of God yet may I truelie say that they who did so vvere not the hundreth part so many as the Protestantes most falsely make them But the trueth is that among a great number for there were of Priestes and Religious men at the least fiue times so many as there be now ministers a few were bad and now the ministers being but fewe in respect of them are all naught And no meruaile for the Catholike Cleargie and Religious persons were by theyr Orders bound to sundrie diuers houres of prayer as to seauen in the day night the religious to rise euery night at midnight to pray sing laudes to God when others sleep two or three houres togeather besides other Exercises Contemplations and Meditations in the day time and neuer to haue so much as one vvhole houre voyde of some godlie employmentes I would you did but see the manner of the liues of the blessed Capucynes which here to recount would be so long and hardlie could I reckon vp all theyr holy Exercises of mortifications or of the happie Fathers of the Societie of Iesus or of others such like Oh what Fasting what Prayer vvhat Meditation what Contemplation what wearing of Haire-cloth what whiping of themselues what watching what visiting of the sicke what teaching of the ignoraunt vvhat rebuking of Sinners vvhat comforting of the afflicted shoulde you beholde These pray whilest your ministers playe These taste whilest they feaste These meditate the Contempt of the World whilest they beat their braines to compasse worldly commodities These Watche sing Praises to God in the Night whilest they in a warme bedde hugge their Sweete heart in their armes Who is he amongest you which seeth not and is not ashamed of the liues of your ministers Are not some of them almost in euery circuite hanged for robberies for rapes imprisoned for Zodomie for hauing diuers wiues at once for debt and for other knaueries The law bindeth them to haue but one Wife at once and shee must bee vewed by two Iustices of Peace to see that shee be a maide for sooth But doe they not now then take their wiues from Colmans hedge Frō thence had the vicar of wearam his trul by his own confession and some other common strumpets and doe not theyr wiues proue thereafter An hundred examples I could here alleadge to prooue these thinges but I will not pollute my paper at this time with such filthie matter Looke into the Laitie of the Protestants and tell mee weather there euer was such Pride especially in apparell Did not all these new-fashioned attyres come in with your new religion Your loose Gownes your Traines your Verdingales your Borders your Peringles your Coronets your Wyres your Ruffes starched white blew c. your Shew me whome this Ghospell hath made of a rauenous glutton a sober abstainer of cruell gentle of couetous liberall of a slaunderer a good reporter of an vnchaste sinner a vertuous liuer I will shew thee many that haue bin made worse then them-selues Thus far Erasmus And no meruaile though the followers be such when as theyr verie first Apostle Ringleader and Reformer of all who first broake the ice was indeed the Authour and founder of theyr Religion led a most brutishe life for was he not a leacherous Friar tooke he not a Nunne to Wife if so I may tearme it An act not onlie forbidden by holie writ but by the Ciuil Lawes L. Si quis non dicā cap. de Epist Cop. cleric and by Iouinian the Emperour aboue a thousand yeres agoe and that vnder the paine of death Surpassed he not all other in Pride Confesseth hee not that hee had conference with the diuell about the Masse Was not Enuie and Couetousnes the causes of his reuolt Read his life and see whether hee was a man fit to Reforme the Christian Worlde or rather sent to shame all his followers Good Lord that men can be so blinde and so bewitched as to thinke that the trueth from Heauen should be reuealed to such a one or that such should haue grace to know the trueth
and to follow it who neuer fast seldome or neuer praie to obtaine the same neuer punish theyr bodies neuer mortifie theyr earthlie members c. rather then to a number of quiet modest harmeles men who by prayer by fasting by almes deedes by workes of mercie by all vertuous meanes labour to attaine the knowledge of the truth And who is he that can deny but that in our auncestors dayes when Catholike Religion flourished brauerie in apparrell was vnknowne and insteede thereof innocent plainenesse vvas to be seene that there was no chaūge no new deuises litle lawing for when anie strife fell out the Priest theyr Ghostlie Father decided the matter and made them friends seldome any single woman miscarried in any parrish no Simony no Vsury litle fraude or deceit each one trusted other without bill or bond and to be briefe that euery where raigned simplicity innocency Oh how many thousandes then left the world before it left thē dedicating themselues whollie to the seruice of God and that of all Estates many Kings and Queenes not only of other Countries but diuers euen of England gaue ouer their Kingdomes and became Religious men and women And the like did innumerable of inferiour degrees whereas the Protestants prouide by wast desolation destruction and as it were by law that no such orders of holie men and women be amongst them they will haue no Maides but such as can get no matches no man is poore amongst them but vvith grudge and much against his wil no vow is made to God but if it should be it must not be kept fasters with them are Pharises Monks mad men those which mortifie thēselues they account Hypocrites in in one word they are in theyr liues as they be in doctrine Libertines And in nothing more doth the difference of the efficacy of their doctrine the Catholikes appeare then in this that if for feare of troubles or for any other cause one who was a Cath. is become in outward show a Protestant for in his conscience such a one seldome or neuer thinketh the Protestants religion to be true the same is so far from bettering his former life thereby according to Erasmus his saying before alleaged as that you may see him wallowe in al kind of sins Set before your eies any one ther in England who hath left the Catholike Religion is become a Protestant marke whether he be not as a yoūg calfe let out of his crew or as a colt leapt out of his inclosure How manie may you see there amongst you of such good fellowes which shew plainely that they haue Conscientiam cauteriatam a seared Conscience If you turne any Seminary Priest to your side doth he liue more vnspottedly with you then hee liued before in his own professiō or doth he not rather then drinke vp any kind of sinne as easilie as a Dogge lapeth water But on the other side if anie doe leaue the Protestants become a Catholike doth he not forthwith leaue al his vices I wish you would but consider a litle the wonderfull chaunge of such a one whom I may more easilie leaue to your consideration then describe him but surely if you did see into it you would say Digitus Dei est hic this is the finger or power of God THE XVII REASON Constancie in Doctrine THE Doctrine of the Romaine Church hath euer remained setled and stated without chaunge or innouation howsoeuer time euer fleeting altereth many thinges to disaduantage and no man will denie but that it had the truth when the Apostles said to the Romanes Rom. ca. 1. I giue thanks to my God through Iesus Christ for you all because your faith is reported in the vniuersall world Therefore vntil it be shewed that it hath swarued from that Faith vvhich the Apostle then spoke of I cannot but iudge it to haue the true Religion And I thinke that no man can proue that euer anie Pope or Bishoppe in anye See did at anye time chaunge in any point the Religion of his predecessour For example sake if you looke but into the See of Canterbury in your owne Countrye rekon from him who was Arch-bishop therof in King Henry the eight his daies before he chaunged Religion you shal find that that Arch-bishop taught the same Religion in all pointes which his next predecessor had dōe before him and he the same that his next predecessour and so from one to another euen vntil the first that sate in that See The very same may you see in other Bishops Sees and especially in the Apostolike See the See of Rome for neuer was any mā able to proue that the successor at any time changed the doctrine of his predecessour so it must needes be al one the same that was immediately before this new religion and at the first beginning or in the Apostles time For I aske the protestants for examples sake whē Italy Fraunce or Spaine chaunged their Religion I am sure they neuer changed but kept still the same which was deliuered to thē by their first Apostles But cōtrariwise the Protestantes beginning but some fiftie or threescore yeares agoe haue in this small time so chopped chaunged so altered and transformed theyr Religion as you may well saye Proteus in regard of them to be constant in shape wherin they shew thēselues like theyr Fathers the old Heretikes Greg. lib. 3 mor. expo sit in Iob. cap. 19. who also in inconstancy of doctrine were very notable and no meruaile for when they be once foorth of the right waie they take euerie pathe which offereth it selfe vnto them but neuer can happen vpon the right way againe except they goe backe from whence they came but runne stil further 2. tim 3. and further out of the vvay euer learning but neuer comming to the knowledge of the Trueth This inconstancy chaunge in Doctrine was so great in Luther his followers Riuander in lupo excoriato fol 73. as that they themselues complained therof And heereupon it is that the Lutheranes are so easilie chaunged into Zwinglians or Caluinistes Caluinistes into Anabaptistes or Arrians Anabaptists into Libertines Frākistes or into the Family of Loue. And this lenity they haue as they haue all their other Capricches frō their grandsire Luther whose inconstancy in Doctrine is most notable For at his first beginning hee protested that he only misliked the abuse of Indulgences and in no wise the Indulgences themselues A litle after he plainly despised the Indulgences themselues Vlemberg causa 12. pag. 391. Then he began to call in question the authoritye of the Pope afterwardes Ceremonies and by little and little going forwarde at the length he denied Free-will rowling vp and downe as it were a snowe-ball of heresie made the same bigger and bigger in such sorte as he came to that audacitye that he burned openly at Wittenberge the bookes of the Canon Lawe affirming the Pope