in the gainesaying of Corah None here will be worthily thought men deceived by vaine and vnlearned suggestions Mr LEECH And if some men will obstinately shut their eies yet my trust is that others will looke vp to HeaveÌ„ whence this doctrine descended and whether it doth most readily conduce and that they will no longer take darknesse for light night for day poyson for medecine Heresie for verity since truth bringeth ever with it certainety peace and security at the last ANSVVER Psal 135.16.17 The legend giveth Scripture the lie Scripture saith that Idols haue eies and see not eares haue they and they heare not Legend Aurea and yet the legend reporteth that manie of the Idols Images haue spoken seen and hard They open their eies and see not we may shut our eies and yet see that this Doctrine never proceeded froÌ„ heaven or if it descended from thence the descention was like to Lucifer that fell from thence into the bottomlesse pit and no doubt Lucifers sin was no other then this so farre by elatioÌ„ to superlatiue man that in pride he rebell against God By respiratioÌ„ we send our praiers to heaven by inspiration wee receiue instruction from heaveÌ„ but I finde not that Phrase in any approved Author that doctrine descended from heaven And though the Priest in the law coulde only distinguish betweene a Leaper and a Leaper yet in the Gospell the Lord hath so illuminated his servants that they can easily discerne betweene the darknesse of the vnderstaÌ„ding which is falsum and the light thereof which is verum Which truth is the daughter of Syon and is atteÌ„ded with Peace of CoÌ„science ioy in the holy Ghost remission of sinnes communion of Saints and life everlasting Mr LEECH THE SECOND PART CONTAIning the irregular and violent processe of the Vice-chancellour and his complices against me and the former doctrine VVherein the Reader may excellently discerne the nature of heresie and the condition of Heretickes as in a perfit glasse * ⎠* As Iannes and Mambres resisted Moses so doe these resist the truth men corrupt in minde and reprobat concerning the faith 2. Tim. 3.8 ANSVVER THE SECOND PART CONTAIneth the exorbitant and virulent disobedience and palpable hereticall ignorance of the Author of the Triumph as also the false suggestions and vncharitable imputations against most of the Reverend and worthy Doctors of the Vniversity of Oxford wherein the nature of a conceited malecontented Apostat is discovered who having out of heresie spun the Spiders web an opinion Popish ridiculous out of slander and vnsavory words hatched the Coccatrice eâ—ges phrases reproachfull malitious doth beholde his naturall face in a glasse Psal 75. I said vnto the fooles deale not so madly Iud. 11. They haue followed the way of Caine and are cast away by the deceit of Balams wages and perish in the gainesaying of Korah A TRIVMPH OF TRVTH OR DECLARATION OF THE DOCTRINE CONCERNING EVANGELICAL COVNSAILES Mr LEECH CHAP. I. When I had ended my sermon it seemed good vnto Mr Doctor Hutton who was there present confronted me with ridiculous behaviour to cite me before himselfe immediatly in his owne lodging where I fouÌ„d him accompanied with two other Doctors D. Kilby and D. Benefield who gaue speciall attention vnto my sermoÌ„ with great shew of discontent ANSVVER Chrysost in 2. epist ad Tim. 2. IT is S. Chrysostomes observation that the cause of all evill is the neglect of the authority of spirituall governours when no reverence or feare or honour is vsed towardes them If this had not proved true in you you had not presumed when authority contradicted it to reiterate your former opinions Or to accuse D. Hutton of ridiculous behaviour whose gravity and reverent deportment according to his place age founde not in the whole course of his life any accuser but you his resolution in iudgement and office then in goverment were the motiues causing him to send for you you confesse that the Doctours accompanying him attended but much disliked your sermon so did not they only but the whole Church many standing amased to see you bring forth so publikely those two twins ignorance and impudence Of these two Doctors in the former part you affirmed that one of them approved your Doctrine and Apologisd for your opinion which is most vntrue for he ever abhord your assertioÌ„ as formerly I haue answered you that his worthinesse protesteth and as here plainely vnto all appeareth in that you say these two Doctors gaue attentioÌ„ to your sermon with great discontent Mr LEECH Before these men D. Hutton began to charge me with scandalous erroneous and Popish doctrine fitter to be preached in Rome then in Oxford and therefore in no case to bee suffered there to disturbe the peace of the Vniversitie ANSVVER The Provice chancellor and these Doctors as Indices et iudices veritatis did discharge that true care of Gods glory to charge you with the breach of the peace of the Church by obtruding a doctrine scandalous for the occasion erroneous for the opinion vnsafe to bee read and vnsound to be preached Mr LEECH To this accusation I framed my answer to the same tenour and effect as you haue formerly seene in the kitchin-conference adding farther that the doctrine of the Trinity consubstantialitie c. might be branded with the imputation of Popery as well as this doctrine of Evangelicall Counsells ANSVVER You preached this doctrine twise over verbatim almost as appeareth by the Coppies vnder your haÌ„d that now I haue in keeping at least verbatim in your extorted producing of testimony and now verbatim you haue the same Apology for your doctrine of the Trinity consubstantiality c. which you rank with Evangelicall Counsells and of which I shall haue occasion to reckon with you in your motiues Mr LEECH But such is the temerity of some men that they will rather disclaime a manifest truth then they will concurre in opinion with the Church of Rome And for my part I see no reason why you may not as well renounce that Popish doctrine of the Trinity as this of Evangelicall Counsells since both haue their evidence from the same ground Canonicall Scripture and Ecclesiasticall Tradition yea the later hath more cleere deduction and testification out of the Scripture then the former ANSVVER Such is the miserie of some men that they will in the corruption of their rotten hearts vndertake the defence of some manifest vntruth to get them a name as Reverend D. Kilby protesteth he ofteÌ„ warned you and it is the basenesse of some that in the fruitfull grounds of learning they smell after some dunghill questions of Popery to obtaine a title of singularity Mistake not slander not we disclaime not positions so much because Rome maintaineth them as because Antichrist and heresie invented them and yet looke into her streets marke well her Bullwarkes and religiously coÌ„sider what fountaine hath she not poisoned what part of
fierce as a tyger in tongue poysenous as an aspe in eie deadly as a Cockatrice in hand bloudy as a Lyon O avoide the heate of a Iesuite he is hell fire heaping powder breathing fire writing blood c Reip. geren praecept Plutarchs speech is true that fire beginneth not commonly in publike and sacred places but often breeds first in a private house by some snuff of a candle among straw and after sets on fire Churches and Temples so the stinking snuffes of candles that fall among quarrelling papers in the study of a male content if they be not quenched may fire Gods Church Take care that you be not so inflamed Mr LEECH And though divers of my best friends whose intreaty in any other matter might haue prevailed with me dissuaded me from this enterprise as being to full of perill fearing the violence of the time and the manifold dangers that by this resolution I stood likely to expose my selfe vnto yet ten thousand such like motiues of terrour could not detaine me nor deterre my resolution For a higher hand then humane euen the hand of heauen so ouerruled me commanding nay countermaunding all my affections that way that partly the pure zeale and entire affection which I euer bare vnto the blessed Fathers being wholy indebted vnto them for that little which I haue and partly my devoted loue vnto many of that Vniversitie whome I could not patiently suffer to be thus perverted in so main a doctrine tending to all Religious piety and lastly the perfit hatred that from my innermost soule I ever conceiued against Puritanisme the very bane of ancient Christianity these I say and the like motiues to recollect thē altogether could not suffer me without the shipwrack of all conscience to fit still and to be silent whilst God his eternall truth Christ his holy direction and the perpetuall tradition of the Catholike mother-Church were so publikely impugned and so notoriously prophaned ANSVVER Importunity of friends could not withdraw you manifold insuing perills could not touch you yet the d Booke of Canons agreed vpon with the Kings Maiesties licens in the Synod at London 1603 Canon 53. Canon provided against the publike contradiction of Preachers in the pulpit should haue staid you You attribute your act to the hand of heauen very rashly Howsoever e Senec. quicquid agimus quicquid patimur venit ex alto as the Poet well noteth yet that by the hand of heauen you should be moued so much to magnify the arme of flesh that whereas God f Iob. laieth folly on his Angells you will lay such perfection of glory on his mortall creatures it may seeme strange It was not the direction of the hand of heauen Your motiues commanding and countermanding you were as you say first your entire affection vnto the Fathers 1. Mot. your mother the Church should haue been dearer vnto you then all your Fathers her peace more thē their credit her maintained religion rather then out of thē your conceited opinion But you would vncouer nakednesse in the Fathers where there is none the Fathers disclaime your position for illegitimate I knowe you boast that you haue read all the Fathers and I thinke you haue seene all the world but the one in a mappe the other in a modell In this your tract when you bragge so much of reading the Fathers it calleth to my memory the distinction of g Goron Goronides concerning readers some are spunges which draw vp all with out distinguishing others are houre-glasses which receiue and powre out as fast as they fill others are bagges which retaine only the dregges of the spices and let the purest escape 2 Mot. others like Sieues only retaine the best I reckon you in the first number Your second motiue was your devoted loue to many of that Vniversity whom you could not suffer patiently to be thus perverted in so maine a point of doctrine tending to all religious piety Did ever any point that you preacht gaine any such beleef applause acceptance as that you should imagine that many would haue been perverted but for the opening thereof by you Or was that so main a point tending to all religious piety which served for no other vse but the induction of Monkery when as Monkery it selfe is but the privation of vertue the life of vice the habitation of darknesse stoue and stews of filthines 3 Mot. lethargie of drowsinesse dormitory of prophanesse and profession of idlenesse Your third motiue was the perfit hatred that from your innermost soul you conceiued against Puritanisme which you call the very bane of ancient Christianity For Puritanisme if there be any sparke of conscience or religious feare of God in you confesse how idely you traduce those reverend Fathers that opposed your doctrine These were no Motiues Temptations were your motiues which you obeyed by the Tēpter you were drawn to runne from God from the truth from your Country from your selfe Mr LEECH 1. Reg. 26. Therefore as Abishai out of his loue to his annointed king said vnto David Benefield with all his compeeres when he ment by one blow surely laid on to end all quarrels betwixt Saule and him let me strike him but once yea naile him to the earth with a speare seeing God hath thus closed him into thy hāds I wil strike him no more even so to apply the wordes only for I iustifie not the intēded fact of Abishai my loue vnto the king of heaven when I purposed by one other blow soundly given to end this controversie forced me to cry within any hart let me strike him but once I will strike him no more ANSVVER Your abuse of Scripture is so cōmon through out your booke that I admire it not only here 1. Sam. 26.8 in your wresting of that place of Abishais speech Let me strike him but once and naile him to the ground Impar congressus Achilli it was a very vnequall match Abishai vnworthie to strike a king and Abishag the fathers ignorāce as the word importeth vnworthy to deale with a Doctor First I marvaile you woulde offer to strike seeing S. Paule hath bounde all clergie men to the peace 1. Tim 3.2 2. Tim. 4.10 and to the good behaviour But Demas is fallen away and forgetteth S. Paule But if you would strike think you that this Paper-gun can strike downe such a worthy of Israell Caedars stir not at such blasts strong martialists fall not at such blowes Giue me leaue to catechise you in the intended fact of Abishay to kill Saule Doe not you iustifie it Take heede least you bee put out of cōmons againe Are you one of those Israelits that spake Ashdod and Hebrew Do not you iustifie that horid fact of that tragike fury who hath lately murthered that most illustrious and Victorious Prince the French King which howsoever that blood shall ever cry for vengeance being an act h Seneca in
S. Paul saith to the Corinthes 1. Cor. 6 2. that the Saints shall iudge the world shall iudge the Angels In the Gospell Christ pronounceth it vnto them of the regeneration and in the Epistle Paule proclaimeth it vnto the Saints and will you impropriate so great an honour only to your Observers of Evangelicall Counsells The Saints shall iudge the Angells iudicio assessionis or approbationis as the Schooles speake but they haue this endowment of honor for beeing of the regeneration not mentioned for keepers of Counsells And it was not only an assurance made to the Disciples but to all the Saints neither were the Disciples professors of voluntary poverty virginall chastity or humble obedience as you interpret obedience First not of voluntrary poverty we never read they begd Paule made Tents and Peter did fish neither of them did begge and not only the Disciples did labour but as S. Austin proueth the Monks Clergy men of ancient times enioyed both their possessions and wiues and taxeth the Apostolici some Ad quod vult Deum haeres 40. that in a blind superstitious ambition would imitate the Apostles in refusing those into their company that had goods and wiues Arrogantissimè se vocaverunt saith S Austin they did most arrogantly call themselues Apostolici I may adde that most falsly they called themselues so for the Apostles did not refuse the communion and fellowship of any in that kinde neither were they professors of voluntary poverty as it is proued neither did they professe virginall chastity as I proceed to proue The Apostles for the most part were married men S Ambrose saith In 2. Cor. 11. AL but only Iohn the Evangelist The old Postils Dormi secure in Iohan. 2.1 Dormi secure Bentontine others say that S. Iohn was also married and that when Christ was at the marriage of Canaan in Galily then Iohn his marriage was celebrated and Pontanus Diez Costerus Pontan bibl con tom 1. fol. 217. Diez Con. 1. Cost to 2. with many others of the most quicksilverd wits among the new Papists doe so affirme For their humble obedience they practised all obedience in generall but not Monasticall obedience as you intend not such obedience as Ignatius warneth his fellowes of in an Epistle to theÌ„ that they be carefull least saith he the famous simplicity of blind obedience should decay Ep. ad fratres in Lusitan A blind obedience indeed for it is so straightly inioined them Pseudo Martyr cap. of Iesuits obedience that if one of them were so highly dignified as in a revelation to talke with Angells if his superior call him he is bound to leaue them and come away The obedience of the Apostles was no Monasticall obligation And howsoever Bellarmin would found this vpoÌ„ Christ his speech to the yong man sequere me yet De Monach. c. 9. § sex Test Mat. 19.21 if it would please his father-hood to looke into the Text hee shall finde that that obedience is there Commanded not couÌ„selled Matth. 19.21 it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an imperatiue follow me But his Cardinalls hat serveth for a cap of maintenance for more wrestings and inforcements of Scripture then this You double your citatioÌ„ of the Saints iudging the Angels which you say all the wrangling wits and priuate contentious spirits in the world cannot wrest them The words of Scripture with all ioy and comfort we acknowledge but the inference we deny You sprinkle your lines with sulphur in steed of salt wee wrangle not about Scriptures we abuse them not wee wrest them not we say to all that shall reade our interpretations Aug. ad Petil. as Austin said of Petilian Petilianus Manichaeum me esse dicit dico me non esse eligite cui credatis So you say we are wrangling wits and contentious spirits we say we are not Let the world choose whether of vs they will beleeue But for the abuse detraction prophanation falsification and blasphematioÌ„ of Scripture by men of your side it is so commoÌ„ that men and Angells stand agast at it The yong Novice that vnderstood his father was an Abbot said hee might well cry Abba Pater Owen Epig. And Gonzaga himselfe the devout Iesuit Vita Gonz. fol. 187. when he heard his Father was dead answered that now nothing could hinder him from saying Our father which art in heauen These iocular wrestings be hatefull and harmefull but there bee not only these among you but most monstrous and blasphemous wrestings of holy writ whereby as enimies of righteousnes Act. 13.10 yee cease not to pervert the straight waies of the Lord. Mr LEECH To shut vp all in one word Precepts are exalted as necessary Counsells are offred as voluntary and arbitrarie The one being done is praised highly rewarded the other being vndone is reprehended and punished ANSVVER In one word Bell. de Mon. cap. 7. you should haue vrged Bellarmin his owne words from whom you had this Paragraph lib. 2. de Monachis cap. 7. Praeceptum visua obligat c. To which Iunius others answer humane couÌ„sel are arbitrary divine necessary For if that of Plato be true Plato ep 7. ad Dion propin fam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the petitioÌ„s or requests of kings lay a coÌ„maÌ„d much more should the counsels of God Rev. 3.18 those counsells being comands as among others that to the Church of Laodicaea I counsell thee to buy of me gold tryed by the fire that thou maiest be made rich it is a commande because it hath a threatning inferred in the former words Rev. 3. â—6 It will come to passe that I will spue thee out of my mouth the threat menaced enforceth it as necessary if necessary a precept and so your distinction betweene the precept and couÌ„sell properly holdeth not Mr LEECH This distinction betwixt precepts and Counsells is no new doctrine S. Hierom ad Eustochium de custodia virginitatis and against Iovinian layeth downe the point and differences thus Where there is a counsell there is left a freedome but precepts inioine a necessity precepts are common to all Counsells are the perfection of some few And this is agreeing with that of Gregory in the place aboue cited non omnibus praecipiuntur sed perfectioribus consuluntur they are not commanded to al but advised to men of the perfiter rank Precepts obserued haue a reward not observed a punishment Counsails not obserued haue no punishment but observed haue a greater reward ANSVVER Your vrging of these fathers is no new argumeÌ„t it is twise before answered Is this no new doctrin Plead antiquity while you will Scripture hath taught mee that the Gibeonites old shooes were but fained and that Bildad stood on Antiquity to overthrowe the Truth His words proue your worke for hee was the first that corruptly vrged the Fathers Ios 3.5 Iob. 8.8 Prepare thy selfe to search of their Fathers saith he
fishing therefore vndertook no wilful Poverty he carried his sword stroke Malchus and therefore professed no Monasticall obedience you deal with S. Peter as the Printers in Rome doe with Christ for they in their Printed Tables of the Popes first place Christ then Peter c. as if Christ had been Pope But as Christ is contrary to the Pope Antichrist so S. Peter is most opposit to this your doctrine and giveth commande to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men 1. Pet. 2.15 Mr LEECH Appearing now vpon my summons Other Doctors of better worth who heard my sermons were not called vnto my triall whereas two only of these six Iudges were my Auditors I found M. Vice-chancellour assisted with 5. compeeres D. Airay D. Aglionbee D. Hutton D. Harding D. Benefield a selected company for his owne humor Who as they were generally to be excepted against by me as incompetent Iudges so in speciall D. Hutton for his inveterate malice conceived against me long since vpon a base and vnworthy respect D. Benefield as he was my principall opposite so he with the rest being a doctrinall Calvinist could never afford me an equall triall in this issue Quid mihi dabis c. depending vpon the Fathers which he and they do really disclaime ANSVVER These fiue Assistants are knowne to bee of much worth and sufficiency Iust censures they deserue not as living without the compasse of an adversary vniust they contemn Although you loade al of them plētifully you should express some reasō why these were incōpetent Iudges in generall seeing these were as eminent for learning honest for life haue beene oft chosen Delegates by our whole Vniversity in our Convocation for the greatest affaires that concerne our Academicall state Or what inveterate hate Doctor Hutton had against you in particular He was a speciall meanes to obtaine your place a continuall shelter for you against all stormes while you were in the house when he might haue imprisoned you hee forbare Is this the inveterat malice Hee may say as our Saviour said for which of these good deedes doe you persecute me For any aspersion of base bribery in your Marginal Quid mihi dabis he disclaimeth the thought and abhorreth the fact his free and good disposition course of life abilitie and integritie bee his compurgators and his protestation shall more prevaile with all honest mē then al your oathes Your exceptiō against Doctor Benefield is as vnsufficient as the former Malignant Though he were as you in scorne entitle him a Calvinist yet hee doth not disclaime the Fathers as in his practise we all can testifie having red more in thē then your head and your backe can carrie what his estimation of the fathers is in his Appendix hee doth manifest and for Mr Calvin his workes shew that he did read and vse the fathers not onlie approved thē but even the citing of heathen authors as may bee seene Cal. Com. in 1. Cor. 15.33 in his Comment vpon the Corinth 1. Cor. 15.33 though he be maliciouslie traduced to the contrary Mr LEECH These petty Iudges being thus assembled M. Vicechancellour inveighed against me with a bitter and passionat speech cōtaining in it these capitall accusations First that I had lately preached scandalous erroneous Doctrin Secondly that I was vehemently suspected of Popery and that by this doctrine I had nowe iustified the suspition Thirdly that I had brought an infamy vpon the Vniversity and in speciall vpon him and his house Wherefore I must expect a censure according to my demerit ANSVVER It is scornefull shamefull in you so to tearme mē of as Beaw-desert as our Church or kingdome hath anie The Vicechancelour in this your blast of wordes is often falsely taxed for being passionate whose passions are as so many good servants which stand in a diligent attendance ready onlie to bee commanded by reason and religion in no other sort is hee passionate The accusation consisting of those three articles was most true your doctrine was scādalous it offred much offence being generally distasted and was erroneous being detected to be the floodgate of Traitors staiers loosing in some supposititious doctrines and many blasphemous arrogating much to man derogating much from God Secondly it was suspected by many of our most religious and observant Doctors and Students that you were much tainted with Popish corruption and it now grew manifest by the breaking forth of the Impostume in your last sermō Thirdly that you drew publike infamy vpon Oxford where Popery in former ages of blindnesse had beene discovered that now in the splēdor of the Gospell here Popery should be by any maintained And you derived from the generall invndatiō a streame of aspersion vpon your Collegiate Gouernour and his house the worthy Deane and all his Society who all professe thus I and my house will serue the Lord vpon these your errors you were to expect the ensuing Censure Mr LEECH To the first I answered that as vpon sufficient descovery of the pretended errour I would recant it since I sought nothing but the advancement of truth so I should consequently acknowledge that I haue giuen the scandall if I haue preached the errour But my conscience telleth me that I haue offended neither in matter nor manner substance nor circumstance To the second that men might suspect what they pleased and that it lay not in me to hinder every suspition As for the imputation of Popery in this point it cleaueth vnto the Scripture and all Antiquity from which iointly I assumed this Popish doctrine To the third that as he and his house could receiue no infamy by such a truth so much lesse the Vniversity forasmuch as the best in iudgement there if not the most in number also concurred with me in this point ANSVVER I answere these three Paragraphs together thus First the discovery was made of the falsenesse and faultinesse of the doctrine by D. Huttons inhibition and by D. Benefields Lecture and therefore your cōscience might haue beene informed that you offended in MATTER by condemning the law for being imperfit and therefore requiring Counsells in mad insolence durst you controle where you should wonder In MANNER you offended daring to say over the same lesson which was by authority forbidden you Thus you were guilty both in substance and circumstance Secondly you ought to abstaine as the Apostle speaketh from all shew of evill as well in opinion as in action and therefore not to giue so iust occasiō of suspicion or more of detection of Popery in you This point of Popery like a high house built vpon small pillars though you say it had countenance frō Scripture Antiquity yet it is most plaine that both these authorities doe disclaime vtterly any maintenance of the point in controversie Thirdly that the best or most concurred with you is most vntrue Saint Austin in one of his Epistles mentioneth his conference with one that
desire to be taught the rule of faith out of an humble and a religious meaning here you may learne it it was a question worth his asking a point worthy your learning Mr LEECH Why said he what other ground of faith then the pure word of God I demaunded then who shall interpret this word Hee replied the spirit What spirit good Sir The spirit of God only which privat men thinke they haue Against which rule I except for that it was the common plea of all condemned Heretiques Wherefore I required a triall of this pretended spirit for I cannot admit that to be God his spirit in any private man which consenteth not with the spirit of the Catholique Church And thus you see M.D. Airay that what you formerly reiected out of my rule as Popish you must necessarily admit as true that is Ecclesiasticall Tradition annexed to the sacred Canon for the discerning of private spirits Otherwaies each Heretique will sense Scripture in the mould of his owne braine ANSVVER That the word of God is the ground of beleefe in God sacred Scripture it selfe proveth in manifold and pregnant places as in the olde Testament in the Proverbs Prov. 2.9 They make a man vnderstand righteousnes and iudgement and equity and every good path Esay 8.19.20 in Esay should not a people enquire at their God at the law and at the Testimonie they that speake not according to this word there is no light in them by Malachie Mal. 4.4 Remember the law of Moses which I commanded all Israell with the statutes and iudgements in the new Testament in S. Paul 2. Tim. 3.15 The Scriptures are able to make a man wise vnto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Iesus in S. Peter 2. Pet. 1.19 We haue a most sure word of the Prophets wherevnto we must giue heed as to a light that shineth in darknesse till the day starre arise in our hearts Luc. 1.4 in S. Luke They containe the certainty of those things whereof we are instructed and in S. Iohn Ioh. 5.39 These things are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is that Christ the sonne of God and in beleeuing yee might haue eternall life and by Christ himselfe sealing this point Search the Scriptures for in them you haue eternall life and they are they which testifie of mee but to this also the Fathers with all reverence haue agreed Basil Ep. 80. ad Eust Med. Let the Scriptures be arbitrators betweene vs saith Basill in his 80 Epistle and whosoever holds consonant opiniōs to those heavenly oracles let the truth bee adiudged on their side We are to enquire for iudges saith Optatus Contra Parmenianum de coelo quaerendus est Iudex Optat. cont Parmen l. 5. the Iudge must bee had from heaven but saith hee wherefore need we to knock at heauen when we haue a iudge wohm wee finde in the Gospell The Scripture is the rule of faith saith Tertullian contra Hermogenem Tertull. cont Hermog Chrysost in 13. Homil. in 2. Corinth It is a most exquisit rule saith Chrysostome in his 13 homily vpon the second to the Corinths It is an inflexible rule Greg. Nyss Grati. de ijs qui adeunt Hierosolymā saith Gregorius Nyssenus And S. Austin ample for this in many places in his booke de bono viduitatis testifieth that the Scripture pitcheth downe the rule of our faith And not only the Ancient Fathers but the Schoole-men haue succeeded in the same resolution Aquinas writeth expresly Aq 1. qu. 1. art 8. that our faith must rest vpon the Canonicall bookes of Scripture Durand agreeth with this Durand pref in senten that the maner of our knowledge exceed not the measure of faith and the holy Scripture expresseth the measure of faith Sum part 3. tit 18. c. 3. Nay Papists haue acknowledged this Antoninus confesseth that God hath spoken but once to vs and that in Scripture so plentifully that hee voucheth Gregory in the 22 book of his Moralls thus God needeth to speake no more concerning any necessary matter Al. 1. sent quaest 1. art 3 1. Coroll seeing all things are found in Scripture Alliaco consenteth to this The verities of Scripture bee the Principles of divinity quoniam ad ipsas saith he fit vltima resolutio Theologici discursus Bell de verbo Dei lib. 1. c. 2. In one word Bellarmin agreeth to all these Testimonies in his first book de verbo Dei Sacra Scriptura est regula credendi certissima tutissima This may serue to shew you that there is no other ground of faith then the worde of God Scriptures Fathers Schoolemen nay even our Adversaries being witnesses Deut. 32.31 as Moses speaketh You demaund who shall interpret this word It is replied the spirit of God which spirit the elect doe know certainly that they haue not only thinke as you traduce the speech of this reverēd Doctor but they assure thēselus that they haue the spirit and hee that knoweth not this ◠Cor. 3.16 is ignorant as Paul teacheth by an interrogatiō Knowe yee not that yee are the Temples of the holy Ghost and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you But against this rule you except for this was you say Chrysos prolog in Epist ad Rohan 3. de Lazar. the plea of al Heretiques It is false Heretiques and the devill did vrge Scripture but these could never for wāt of Gods spirit compare Scriptures together The privat spirit even every Priuat man of himselfe saith Chrysostom only by reading may vnderstand yea need nothing else but to read Chrysos hom 13. in Gene◠by which he meaneth to confer one place of Scripture with another And the same Father giveth the reason Scriptura seipsam exponit auditorem errare non sinit The scripture expoundeth it selfe and suffereth not the hearer to be deceived Distinct 37. Relatum So speaketh Chrys 13. hom in Genes The Canon Law is most plaine herein Non enim sensum extrinsecus alienum extraneum sed ex ipsis Scripturis sensum capere veritatis oportet For we must not from without them seeke a forraine and strange sense but wee must out of the Scriptures themselues receiue the meaning of the truth And a clowde of witnesses do testifie the same Wherefore it is no way necessary that we aske helpe of Tradition which is as I formerly spake the cittie of refuge for all runnagate points in your religion Popish Tradition in the Church soiourning only as the deuill doth to deceiue as a treacherous stranger not to be acquainted with or as an Infidell not to be conversed with and therefore D. Airay taught you the truth when you heretically thought you might mould the sense of scripture in the brain of the brasen head Tradition Mr LEECH And now M. D. Airay being thus overthrowne in the rule of his faith proposed vnto me a question of
froÌ„ robbing the Church of a Sonne the King of a Subiect and your selfe of a soule Your misapplication of that speech of God to Abraham I might dilate much vpon as hauing variety of interpretations which doe vnderstand that place of the devill the world the flesh But I come neerer to your purpose hoping that those wordes that you say God spake to you were receiued by no revelation a frequeÌ„t imposture amoÌ„g Papists filling the mouthes of many swaying the faiths of some But what is the blemish you see in your mother â—oth our Church deny the principles of ancieÌ„t Christianity Doe wee not receiue the Scriptures the Creedes and Fathers of the first 500 yeares Do we not build our Religion vpon the foundation Iesus Christ the corner stone Is the rule of our doctrine any other then Gods sacred will revealed in his word Is any iniury sustained by you for truth It is not iniury but true iustice to punish those that be stubborne in action precipitat in resolution and faulty in opinion not able to maintaine their cause but with much wresting of conscience their revolt ever attended with sedition scandall and humane respect Mr LEECH But I will pretermit good Reader here to make a speciall enumeration of my Motiues drawing me vnto my finall resolution for they will ensue orderly in the thirde last part of this Treatise Only consider with me now with what conflict of flesh bloud I could intertaine this resolution to come out of my Land from my kindred and from my Fathers howse with what griefe I could forsake a noble Vniversity the company of my kindest friends the comfort of my dearest familiars other emoluments which such a place doth actually yeeld and prepareth vnto greater ANSVVERE Your Motiues shall be answered as briefly as vrged because they be to bee scanned at a higher barre Your conflict was not with flesh and blood but you did agree with the world and the Diuell and applyed your selfe to the service of that painted but ill-favoured witch the church of Rome Neither did you forsake our Vniversity friends and familiars before they forsooke you They at length heard hated who at first obserued your folly and pittyed Mr LEECH Howbeit my Brethren since there is banishmeÌ„t indeed where no place is left for truth I esteeme al these things as dongue that I may gaine Christ for he is my sufficient reward I did not conceiue that when I preached my doctrine among you I shoulde haue giuen you such an example thereof in mine owne person But thankes be vnto him who disposeth all things sweetly for the benefit of his children Finally my brethren I wish that you may enioy your country which is aboue without forsaking that which is below But if you cannot by reason of the time theÌ„ looke vp vnto your eternity let not your excellent spirits abase themselues vnto the loue of transitory things For behold I shew you a more excellent way 1. Cor. 12.13 ANSVVER If in the world there be any sanctuary for truth it is there where shee may appeare without controll without colors or disguises Which you woulde willingly acknowledge to be true if ignorance were not the mother of your devotion To forsake all for Christ is blessed but to forsake eveÌ„ Christ himselfe it is most cursed He is a sufficient reward to all that feare follow him and will follow theÌ„ that fly from him How pervious you were to fly from your Country after you had fled from the truth your intent before and your practises since haue manifested But farre be it that God should be reputed as the disposer of you to this vnnaturall and vnchristian disobedience to the Church and State O what bitter punishment must attend that presumption that endangers a double perishing and is so far from having expresse commaund that it hath direct and iust inhibitions Your wish that we may enioy our countrey that is aboue is a wish aboue your charity We wish your admission into the heavenly Hierusalem which is aboue and would from our harts pray for your triumphant state there Luke 16.25 but that as Abraham said to Diues Remember thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasure and Lazarus paines therfore he is comforted and thou art tormented so we are willing to awake you with this that seeing you make your selfe of the Church triumphaÌ„t in earth you coÌ„tinuing this course are like to haue small part in the triumphant glory in heaven And while wee for our partes and stations are here wee will affect no pilgrimage but from nature to grace so to glory hoping to accompany them that are in possession of the lawrell And to this iourney we haue no other hie way 1. Kings 8.36 1. Sam. 12.23 Ier. 6.16 Ioh. 14 6. but the good way which God teacheth and the right way which Samuell describeth and the old way which Ieremy informeth al which be not as yours be Crosse waies but doe terminat in the way even Christ Iesus THE THIRD PART CONTAIning 12. Motiues which perswaded me to embrace the Catholicke Religion Briefely and naturally deriued out of the premises * ⎠* S. AVGVST In Psal contra partem Donati Scitis Catholica quid sit quid sit praecisum à vite Si qui sint inter vos cauti veniant vivant de radice THE THIRD PART CONTAINETH 12. Articles against you whereby your 12. Motiues are disproved as having not affinity with the faith of the 12 Patriarks or spirit of the 12. Prophets or doctrine of the 12. Apostles or beliefe of the 12. Articles of our Creed shewing that as Art doth imitate Nature and an ape a man so as many grounds as good Christians rely vpon for their faith Apostats boast to alleadge for their fall Wherein as in the premises the particular Apostasie is confuted condemned with much facility and breuity * ⎠* S. AVGVST In eod Psal Contra Partem Donati Ipsam formam habet sarmentuÌ„ quod praecisum est de vite Sed quid illi prodest forma si non viuit de radice Venite fratres si vult is ut inseremini in radice Dolor est cum vos videmus praecisos ita iacere Aug. de vnitate Ecclesiae cap. 2. De hoc inter nos illos quaestio versatur vtrum apud nos an apud illos vera Ecclesia sit Mr LEECH To the conscionable and Ingenious Reader THOVGH the generall motiues vnto the Catholique Religion are many and waighty yet the particular which issued out of this present businesse where such as conuinced my vnderstanding and swayed my affection to approue and embrace the same Wherefore courteous Reader aswell to procure thy good as to iustifie my selfe and to satisfie others I haue coÌ„municated them vnto thy view For matter they are the same now as when I conceiued them in the beginning for manner they are brought forth in somewhat a different shape Thus much
or rather annotations considered that there are divers Fathers meerely forged as Hyppolitus Amphilochius the epistles of Cletus Anacletus c. B. Iuell D. Rainolds that world of learning the honorable B. of Winchester haue proued which point was never answered as yet Secōdly divers false tracts are fathered on the true fathers as Mr Perkins Probleme a book neuer answered the worke now in our Oxford library in hand for comparing all the Fathers with their most ancient manuscripts do shew 136. bastard Epistles already discovered in Gregory Thirdly the Fathers are reiected most scornefully by Papists where they cannot wrest them to their purpose as is proved by the practise of Canus Villa vincētius Sixtus Senensis Baronius Bellarmine Fourthly that all of these Papists haue taxed the Fathers for particular errors Fiftly omitting many more reasōs the fathers make more for vs thē for Papists nay only for vs not for Papists as that precious Iewell of the Church hath irrefragably proved The counsaile out of Lyrinensis is already answered but this I adde hee doth not there meane vnwritten verities or a supply to bee made to scripture for hee doth acknowledge in the next Chapter and so againe in the 41. that solus Canon Scripturae sufficit ad omnia Vincent Lirinens satis supérque that the Scripture is sufficient alone against all Heretickes yea alone for all things more thē this that it is more then sufficient his 41. Chapter doth plainely deliver vnam regulā to be scripture the interpretation of which is ever to bee approved by Scripture And for those notes of vniversality Antiquity and consent which you say doe inseparably concurre Vinc. c. 4. c. 5. 11. he saith not so the word inseparably is not his for Vincentius sheweth that Heretikes haue claimed the two former shewing that the Arrians had vniversality and the Donatists Antiquity And for consent he forewarneth as a Prophet in 39 Chapter that when men endeavor Maiorum volumina vitiare to corrupt the ancient Fathers as Papists most openly doe to obtaine Consent then the only remedy is sola Scripturarum authoritate convincere to convince them by the only authority of Scripture And therefore if you built your fort vpon this ground as not hauing red or not vnderstood your Author choosing some fragments and not observing all the particulars and passages of his meaning your foundation is not on the corner stone the foundation rotten the building reeling and your doctrine hath no approbation from Vniuersality Antiquity or lastly from consent either iointly from all from the greatest number of fathers or from that which is the only Countenance and Approuer of Spirits Doctrines from the Scripture That therefore which you make your first motiue to haue rended you from the truth the same I make my first confirmation to settle me therein and to detest Popery that seeing Papists admit not a trial of their religion by Scriptures that the Fathers admitte none that reiect Scriptures as also that Papists approue not alwaies the Testimony of the Fathers as they pretend I infer in particular that this doctrine of yours is worthily condemned but not the Ancient Church as also in generall that by condemning of vs in any point you cōdemne Antiquity seeing our Reformed Churches be reduced to the ancient Primitiue And therfore your New foūd Religion is Rebellion against the Truth Apostasie frō Scripture and Antiquity Mr LEECH The second Motiue The Protestants preferre their Reformed Congregations before the ancient Catholique Church AS my violent Iudges did palpably disclaime the sentence of the ancient Church so they vnreasonablie required my submission vnto their reformed Congregations which as they be not comparable with the purity of the former so their principal Doctours Luther Zwinglius men no lesse odious each vnto the other S. Austin S. Ambros S. Hierom. then both are hatefull vnto the Church of Rome are no waies matchable with the Patrones of my doctrine For as S. Gregory Nazianzen iustly excepted against the Arrians in this māner If our faith be but 30. S. Gregory Epistola 1. ad Cledō contra Arrianos yeeres old 400 yeares being passed since the incarnation of Christ then our gospell hath been preached in vaine our martyrs haue died in vaine vntill this time c. So if for a point of faith I must remit my selfe vnto Luther Zwinglius Calvin and their reformed conuenticles rather then vnto the holy Fathers ancient Church thē surely the gospell hath beene miserably taught and all our predecessors haue beene pitifully deceiued for 1600. yeares since Singular therefore was the folly and partiality of my Iudges to detract authority from our blessed Fathers to yeeld it vnto Lutherans men of as new a stāpe in these times as the Arrians were in S. Gregory Nazianzen his time whose carnal appetites and base condition of life drew them to allow that in their doctrine which they performed in their practise being contrary in both vnto the canon of scripture and continual succession of the Church The consideration whereof did manifestly detect vnto me that either their vnderstāding is very meane or their will very perverse who feared not to disauthorise the Fathers yet would not grant me the same liberty against their brethren in whom I neuer approued any thing other waies then it was consonant with the prescription of Antiquity or dissonant from hir Tradition ANSVVER THe reformed Church that hath left Babylon and is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler having received true Religion 〈◊〉 according to Scripture was in all reason to haue had submission performed from you both because that the truth professed is against this position as also for that profession and subscription you had willingly afforded to her when you were supposed to be not only a member but a Minister in her Congregation Had you straied as a sheepe through simplicity it had been lamentable but to fly being a shepheard through Apostasie this is damnable Luther and Zwinglius though they agreed not in all points yet they both ioined in demolishing your Dagon Great lights of the Church haue diffred in some particulars nay haue whet their pens like rasors and edged their tongues like swords yet in the truth of God they haue agreed to the suppressing of the kingdome of Sathan The differēces between these two were nothing so scādalous as their ioint conflicts with Rome were victorious To coūtervaile your place out of Gregory Nazianzene Prudent Peristep hym 10 which you apply improperly Prudētius witnesseth the heathens did scornfully so deale with the religiō of Christianity in the beginning thereof Nunc dogma nobis Christianum nascitur post evolutos mille demū Consules so you as if after so many holy Fathers our Religion had beginning from Luther Zwinglius or Caluin But how contrary to all truth this is Bristow Motiue 45. Bristow his confession sheweth in
by faith Your last close concerning men assisted with power to punish you disaffected by peevish fancy is meerely false it was not peevish fancie as your Popish folly tearmeth it but it was religious piety policy that disaffected reiected your doctrine the power of Scripture of Fathers of all authority assisting them Rage not courage strengthned you and therefore Iustice and Religion did censure punish you and God wil without your repentance plague you for your vile and violēt tearms against the disciples of truth your selfe being a fellower of blindnes and a hater of goodnes In the meane time this is my 7 confirmation that our doctrine is true Religion and Catholique seeing they that seeke to disgrace it be either statizing Politiques or slaundering Heretiques able to say little in shewe lesse in sense least in truth Mr LEECH The eight Motiue The Protestantes can patiently suffer the articles of the Creede c. to be violated but they are severe in those things that repugne their vtility or sensuality whatsoever EVery truth in respect of God revealing it and the Church propoūding it is of equall necessity to be beleeved howbeit in respect of the matter it selfe one truth may be of greater consequence and dignity then an other And yet it is not the greatnes of the matter it selfe but the manner of revealing which tieth vs to a necessity of beliefe I will instance in this present busines The distinction of Evangelicall Counsailes from Legall Precepts is a truth to be accepted vpon necessity of salvation Why because it is sufficiently revealed vnto vs by God and fullie propounded by the Catholique Church so that it is either wilfull ignorance not to know it or extreame obstinacy to withstand it But yet the Articles of the Creede which are the first elements of faith commended vnto vs by Apostolicall tradition may iustly be reputed more waighty in respect of the matter which is handled therein as namely the descent of Christ into hell Which article of faith is admirably perverted by the Ministers in England un so much as 3. or 4 sondry opinions thereof are freely and vncontroulably deliuered by them vnto their simple flockes I might instance in their different opinions about the Sacraments and other high misteries of saluation wherin fanaticall spirits expatiate without any reproofe But I willingly pretermit these and come to other particular points of doctrine which I preached amōgst them without impeachment First against Caluin his hereticall Autotheisme destroying the vnity of the divine essence I taught with the Nicene Creede and all antiquity that Christ is Deus de Deo hauing the same substance that is in the Father really communicated vnto him in his eternall generation Secondly with S. Gregory Damascen the Greek Latine Church I taught that Christ assumed our nature perfit and complete in the very instant of his conception contrary to the absurd opinion of diuerse Calvinisticall Protestants who avouch that his incarnation was by tēporall degrees and not by entire perfection in an instant Thirdly that God was only the permissiue not any impulsiue cause of sinne though Calvin blaspheme to the contrary and deride the distinction Fourthly Christ crying out Deus meus Deus meus c was not in a traūce he suffred no torments of hell died not by degrees as though his senses decayed by little and little but in perfit sense paine obedience patience humility constancie he rendred vp his righteous soule a voluntary sacrifice for sin But the common opinion of Calvinists is contrary vnto this position Fiftly Filius spiritus sanctus quoniam non sunt a se diem horam iudicij nesciūt a se pater autem quoniam a se est scit a se Hilar. in Mat. Respectu ordinis non teporis Lib. epist 8. c. 42. In Marc. 13.32 Christ was not ignorant of the day of iudgement either as God or man not as God for though he knew it not primarily originally as of himselfe being not God of himselfe yet did he know it secondarily by way of communication from the Father Not as Man for though hee did not know it Ex naturâ humanitatis yet did he know it In naturâ humanitatis as S. Gregory distinguisheth And this doctrine is contrary to Calvin his blasphemous glosse to wit Christus communem habuit cum Angelis ignorantiam These and many such like doctrines directly opposite to Calvin his tenents as he is cōtrary to truth for though his disciples call him a great light of the gospel yet I rather approue the censure of D. Hunnius Calvin Iudaiz a famous Lutheran saying that Calvin is an Angell of darknesse could passe vnnoted and vncontroled by my Calvinian Iudges and all other adherents vnto that faction Why then is this distinction of Precepts Coūsailes so hatefull vnto the Calvinists Alas it toucheth their coppy hold most of them being either married men or bending that way and therefore let Sacraments Christ Church c be abused nay let many points of Catholique doctrine be preached by Orthodox divines yet they are more attentiue vnto the suppression of this truth the like which doth more directly concerne their carnall pleasure and worldly profit For they that haue sold themselues to be the exact vassals of their owne affections and other mens wils are carefull to provide against any thing right or wrong true or false which may be preiudiciall therevnto rather attending what it is which will maintaine their sensuality thē what is orthodox in sound divinity ANSVVER The dignity of truth with the necessity of every truth we preach but this distinctiō so oft idle and vnnecessarily repeated I passe over as ever holding that they be Evangelicall precepts The Article of Christ his descēt into hell is not perverted by our ministers it is beleeued taught by vs witnesse Mr Rogers in his booke The Catholique doctrine of the Church of England Mr Perkins on the Creed our Articles concluded vpon in Convocation and other bookes in this kinde Bellar. de Anima Christi l. 4. cap. 6. §. quaeritur Bellarmin de anima Christi lib. 4. cap. 6. § quaeritur 2. saith thus Omnes conveniunt quòd Christus aliquo modo ad inferos descenderit Of the maner only of this descending if there bee some doubt there was the like also among the Fathers and so Bellarmine also in the place before cited declareth that aboue threescore Creedes of the ancient Fathers Councells leaue out this Article yet Luther Brentius the Centuriasts retaine it and Calvin cited by Bellarmin lib. 2. Inst cap. 16. § 8. dicit hunc articulum in praecipuis habendum The schoolemen agree not on it Durand 3. sent dist 22. quaest 3. Durand 3. sent dist 22. quaest 3. is confuted by Bellarmin in his booke de anima Christi lib. 4. cap. 15. So that if this be a motiue to forsake vs it should also bee a motiue for you to
Salomons bed will be euer provided to encombat any Iesuiticall Philistin that revileth the host of the Lord of hosts It lacked not such worthies in the former time such was our ſ Scot. 4. see Dist 18. Scotus resisting the real presence Anno 1290. Our t Wolsius lect memor Tom 1. Occam confuting the Popes authority Anno 1330. Our u Balaeus cōt 6. cap. 1. Wickliffe writing against most points of Popery about the yeare 1360. besides those Roses of the field and Lyllies of the vallies as * Aug. Augustin called Martyres Cranmer-Ridly Latimer those reverend and holy Bishops whoe sealed our religion in Oxford with their owne bloud And it lacketh not such worthies in these later times such as are those reverēd Doctors who openly in Schooles those learned preachers who haue publikely and frequently in disputations and sermons worthily confuted vnsound and vnsauory positions amōg the rest this of yours For many haue descended so low as to take knowledge of this your vnsound receit or conceit all which haue valiantly discharged peales of ordinance against it maintaining the contrary irrefragably in Diuinity schooles in disputations in St. Maries and Christ-Church most frequently in sermons besides letters of condemnation against you from the right Reverend Father our Chancelor to the Convocation My L. Grace of Canterbury in his letters to the Convocation An o 1608. speeches in our publike Act by the Vicechancelor Proctors Respondents and almost al that can write or speake among vs wil witnesse how poore your hope of allowance is here Nothing at this time and ever since the publishing of your booke being more commonly gratefull to the hearers gracefull to the speakers thē the dayly cōdēning confuting of this your extravagāt Paradox so that for folly or pusillanimity it is not harboured in the breast of our Vniversitie Mr LEECH For you stile your Vniversity the Fountaine and Eie of the kingdome And you say not vnfitly forasmuch as the Doctrine there taught doth streame forth into al parts of our nation and all men come vnto you to receiue information of their vnderstandings by your Academicall instruction In which respect you stand deeply obliged vnto God and men as you haue care of his glory and their benefit to vindicate the truth from oppression and to redeeme hir out of captiuitie into freedome that her lustre may not be darkned where so great a pretense is made of the gospells light ANSVVER Ex ore tuo Shall I condemne you out of your own mouth The story in y Gell. Noct. Attic. lib. 18. cap. 3. Gellius tells you that when a bad man had set downe a good cause the people liking the speech but disliking the man caused it to bee pronounced by one of better respect I will not deale so with you but I will take even your owne testimony It is the fountaine of our kingdome and her streames bee cleere as Christall sweet as the waters of Bethell and fluent as Iordan that maketh glad the City of God It is the eie of the land wherein neither the moat of schisme nor beame of superstition I hope shall euer take place to darkē the sight of this glorious light Naioth in Samuels time Iericho in Elizeus time Ierusalē in Iosias time Corinth in S. Paules time all schooles of the Prophets and Vniversities never more illustrious for Colledges and students then this eie of our land hart of our body fort of our country glory of our kingdome Neither need you ever doubt but that there be many here able willing pressing sweating striving to vindicate the truth from oppression and redeeme her out of captivitie yea to lead captivity captiue and to seek to bring redemption vnto those that sit in darknes and to reduce them into the glorious liberties of the sonnes of God here being no pretense of the light of Christs Gospell but the reall presence of his spirit Mr LEECH Which iust kindnesse if I may not procure at your hāds yet the truth shall not be impaired thereby nor will I be any whit discomfited otherwise then in a sorrowfull commiseration of your estate For my resolution is firmely made within mine owne heart to spare no travell that I may purchase condigne approbation of my cause from all the Vniversities in Europe if iustice may not bee there done where Gods truth and I meerely for her sake haue received such iniurie as seemeth almost incredible vnto strangers who do not yet sufficiently vnderstand the courses of D. King and of other Calvinists the assistāts of his spleneticall proceedings ANSVVER The law holdes it iniustice to afforde kindnesse to an adversarie and so you are helde if not to our persons yet to our positions truth by you hath beene impugned not impaired for Rome and hell cannot suppresse it oppugnari potest non expugnari saith the Oratour For your cōmiserating of vs it is impossible you shoulde afford vs such kindnes being so vnkinde vnto your selfe Quid miserius misero non miserante seipsum saith z Aug. Augustin Charitie must begin with it selfe Begin then to pitty your selfe pray for your selfe that though you be led into temptation yet the tempter proue not victor Your resolution to travell all the Vniversities of Europe wil be verie laborious and yet very idle for the Vniversitie of Leaden may satisfie you well enough and it wil be verie laborious to carrie such a masse of flesh about you and so mountainous a heape of torments of conscience if you haue any conscience to remember that in a discontented humor you haue forsaken your God religion nation vocation the truth in which you were baptized by which you were bred and vnto which you agreed subscribed vowed your whole life and labour But if you determine to be so resolute a pilgrime as to travell al Vniversities in Europe assure your selfe it wil be as idle as laborious for it wil be to no purpose And if for idle i Mat. 12.37 words much more for idle actions answere must be made Yet in your travell thinke not to darken the sun as you may a Candle offer not to traduce him whom manners oathes of the Vniversitie Colledge where you lived haue obliged you to honour Thinke not to subiect the honourable reputation of your thrice worthy Deane our most worthy Vicechancelor by anie slanderous scandalous speeches nor let anie Phreneticall humor in you iudge his wise proceedings to relish of anie spleneticall savour Let neither nature through custome nor bitternesse through discontent force you so far to forget the dutie you owe to this k Basil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this most worthy servant of God seeing they that liue with him loue him all that know him reverence him they that heare of him admire him Qui primas nō habuisti sapientiae secundas habeas partes modestiae saith l Austin Retract Austin in his retractations I would you would so
bona sunt à fide Ecclesiae non recedere I would you had taken this course in reading Gregory But for the point in hand you haue not in al the words of S. Gregory the distinctiō of Praeceptū Consilium no place that defineth Evangelica consilia neither their name number or any thing concerning thē And therefore to any never so little intelligent you will seeme strangely ridiculous to make Gregory Godfather to that childe he never knewe or Author of that doctrine which he never taught or thought Wee call not his credit into question I would yours did it not as I formerly shewed and especially t Bar. Tom. 8. Annal. Ann. Christi 1593. num 62. p. 57. Baronius who speaking of the barrennesse of learning in Gregory his time sheweth that Gregory himselfe was ignoraunt in many things Mr LEECH And yet rather then the doctrine shall be thus odiouslie traduced and my Author want his promerited defence I will according to that poore ability wherewith God hath enabled me endeuor to defend both it and him and therefore if S. Gregory in this point hath not transgressed the boūds of Ancienter Church nor crossed any tenent of his owne Present Church nor yet for this hath hitherto been censured by the lawfull iudgement of any Catholique succeeding Church nay if the Church more ancient then his his owne present and the ever after succeeding Centuries of Catholique Church haue from hand to hand deliuered vnto him receiued with him and with vniforme consent followed him in this point of doctrine never so much as once noting it questioning it impugning it cōtradicting it which certainely they would haue done had the doctrine beene erroneous for their devoted piety spared no Heretique Origen Millienar Tertul. Montanising Cypr. rebaptising no not the most renowned martyrs nor glorious fathers of the Church in any of their errors repugnant vnto the vnity of Catholique verity then vpon these premises I may irrefragably conclude in defence of my Authour and doctrine that S. Gregory his position is no privat opinion hatched out of his owne braine but the vniforme deduction and tradition of Christ his spouse the true Catholique never erring Church inspired guided directed by God his holy spirit in all ages ANSVVER Rather then you will let truth haue the supereminence quae magna est praevalet you will continue to father your opinion vpon Gregory yea and vpon the Primitiue Derivatiue Church Act. 9. But it is hard for you to kicke against the truth The weedes of supererogation growing vnder the shaddow of Evangelicall Counsailes haue had no time of encrease of growing in the ancient primitiue Church None of the first and worthier Fathers taught it It is a common but not commēdable vse among you of imposturing interpreting the Fathers in a wrong sense The chiefest groūd for your doctrine is the misinterpreting of that place of S. Paule which sense neither the Originall will carrie nor any Greeke Father ever followed And that blessed servant of God Mr Perkins in his Probleme proveth against opposers how farre the Fathers were from mainetaining workes of supererogation Physitians that meane to cure the disease first beginnne with the cause so giue me leaue seeing workes of supererogation bee only the inductions and cause of teaching this doctrine First I desire you to answere whether S. Hierome thought any such works were performed who disclaiming them thus speaketh p Hier. lib. 1. c. 3. cont Pelag. Tum ergo iusti sumus quando nos peccatores fatemur iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito sed ex Dei consistit misericordia or whether S. q Retract l. 1. c. 19. Augustine doth thinke a man might supererogate who affirmeth a contrary positiō Omnia mandata Dei facta deputantur quando quicquid non fit ignoscitur or r Chrys in 8. Hom. in 4. ad Roman Chrysostome who in his 8. homily on the 4. to the Romanes affirmeth No man to bee iustified by the Law because none can fulfill the Law ſ Bern. in 73 ser in Cant. or Bernard in his 73. vpō the Canticles who wisheth no man to trust to his own iustice or fulfilling of the Law or to approch neerer what meant t De Consil Evang. statu perfectionis Gerson that famous Doctor to deny any perfection in Evangelicall counsailes Secōdly I desire you to answere why u Aq. 22 dae Art 5. Aquinas teacheth that perfection doth essentially which is perfectly consist in keeping the Commandements which none can do and in the fulfilling of the Lawe if that perfection of Counsailes bee so much aboue the Law why x In sent lib. 3. distinct 34 q. 3. Paludanus vpon the Sentences doth affirme that some men may attaine to as great height of perfection liuing in marriage and possessing much as they that liue single and giue away all that they haue I will aske no more questions but seeing this is so taught by so many reverend Ancients yea by many of your owne later y Ians in 100. Cap. in Evang Iansenius in his 100. chapter vpon the Evangelicall concord professing with Gerson and Aquinas that only the fulfilling of the law doth iustifie and z Cus excit lib. 10. Cardinall Cusanus confessing that none but Christ ever did fulfill the Commandements seeing all this is thus why will you so boldly affirme that this doctrine was never impugned never contradicted c which indeede was never rather taught never approved It is true S. Gregory was never contradicted in this for hee never taught any such thing But this opinion was gainesaid and disliked and the Church never received never generally delivered any such position Although if it had your epithet of never erring Church is scarce currant for you cannot deny but the Church hath had her blots a Dial. contra Lucif S. Ierome cōplained that the whole world groaned and wondred to see it selfe Arrian b Aduers proph Novit Vincentius Lerinēsis confesseth that not only some portion of the Church but the whole Church may be blotted with contagion But this was none of her blots spots or infectious blemishes for shee never generally mainetained or taught this Doctrine Mr LEECH But M. Doctour Hutton lending a deafe eare vnto my defence though in my conscience and iudgement it ought to haue satisfied him sounded another alarome and ringed a fresh peale in my eares charging nay surcharging me ad nauseam vsque for holding any distinction betwixt Precepts Counsailes For saide hee there is no such distinction those which you falsely cal Coūsailes are in deed Precepts and not Counsailes ANSVVER The Comoediā c Plautus Plautus taxeth some that had no stuffe in them but in their tongue and that only in speaking lewdly of their betters Isthic est thesaurus stultis in lingua situs ut quaestui habent malè loqui melioribus Let the lawes of God Nature and Nations
advise both these Doctors do vtterly denie it and I am sorrie you so malitiously repeate it againe knowing how confident each of them bee in the contrary opinion to you Caietan in Thom. 22dae q. 184. art 7. Caietan his censure vpon the doctrine of Counsailes is that hee thinketh this doctrine fit to be sprinkled with salt I applie it to you your lines be vnseasoned they lacke truth in relation soundnesse in opinion want of verity in thē want of charity in you want of salt in both Mr LEECH Thus the good Doctor soundly plainely on al parts charitably afforded him his friendly advise And herevpō it was that Doctour Hutton was satisfied whereof he gaue sufficient signes when hee received the aforesaide copie ANSVVER The Hebrew c Buxdorf in Hebrea Gram Coniug Grāmarians haue a rule that Characteristicum temporis excludit Characteristicum coniugationis so the characters of the time in many Apostats doe exclude the notes of all honest respects and characters of all parts of honesty Your paper seemeth to groane vnder your lines it is so heaped and dawbed with vntruthes The Doctor spake charitably but his charity did not so fully cloath you but he left place for the rod of correction And though Doctour Hutton for a smal time seemed content having received your coppy yet hee daily exspected besides your silence some recantatory satisfaction Mr LEECH So the matter was for that time ended and the doctrine without any māner of preiudice or farther contradiction cleared being now at two severall times by me preached First generally glanced at intimated only Secondly against the Brethren who in private corners traduced it publiquely repeated amplified explaned ANSVVER There was onlie a cessation a while from your trouble no satisfactiō given for your doctrine Your feare was somewhat calmed but the point no waie cleared your inhibitiō was sufficient note of the contradiction of your opinion but that was not all for all among vs did distaste it You did present this twise to the Vniversity but it was denyed grace as oft as presented You verifie the Psalmists speech d Psalm Impij ambulant in circuitu The wicked weary their soules vntruely in their vnrulie designes and desires CHAP. 6. Mr LEECH AND nowe resolued as my next occasion drew me to preach to proceede forwards with the exposition of my text to haue vnfolded the sense of the opening of those mysticall bookes the booke of conscience the booke of God his eternal prescience for so it followed in my text the books were opened an other book was opened which is the booke of life This was my intention because I had now spoken sufficiently of that point as I thought which I met withall but obiter in my text vpon a subdivision and a distinction cited forth of S. Gregorie ANSVVERE IT had beene good that you had heere ended your course discourse vpon Counsailes without Counsaile rather then to sow vp these thin fig-leaues which you gathered out of Bellarmine and Coccius to cover the nakednesse of the cause you thought you spake sufficiently of the former point few so thought but your selfe Sufficiently indeed to manifest the corruption of your hart but not sufficiently to teach the truth of the point Mr LEECH As I resolued privately vpon this course so I had performed it accordingly if a certaine exorbitāt accidēt had not interrupted and disturbed this my quiet and setled resolution diuerting my purpose for that present cōverting my forces another way The occasion whereof was as followeth ANSVVER d Greg. Mor. lib. 18. c. 6. Gregory in his Moralls writeth of some new-fangled questionists Praedicamenta doctrinae quae quaerūt ad quaestionem habere non valent ad refectionem that as e 1. Tim. 1.4 S. Paul speaketh they giue heed to wrangling which breed questions rather then godly edifying which is by faith You haue beene ever ready but ever vnhappy in these questions for still comming to the well of a deepe and profound controversie either with the woman in the Gospell you had nothing to drawe with or else with the childe in the fable your bucket was too small and your roap too short What forces you meane I knowe not but it seemeth they were conducted vnder the regiment of the whore of Babylon Mr LEECH In the Easter time following M. Benefield one of the Inceptors of divinity for the Act ensuing whether it were of his owne proper motion which I very hardly can suppose or vpon the instigation of some other of the Brethren which I doe more easily belieue since he must needs goe whome a maine schisme driveth purposedly provided one of his six solemne lectures read for the assumpt of his degree of Doctorship mainely and directly by way of opposition and confutation of that erroneous Popish doctrine A new doctor of Oxford contrarie to all the Catholike Doctors of the Church For so it pleased this initiate Doctor to brand the Doctrine of all the Ancient Catholique Doctors delivered concerning Evangelicall Counsells Wherein whether I and my doctrine were mainely shot at and impugned or no I will not iudge in my owne cause let the equall and impartiall Reader vmpire for vs both ANSVVER This worthy discreet and learned Doctor f Corp. Christi Colledge of that honorable foundation which hath bread as rarely indowed divines Ludov. Vives B. Iuell Mr Hooker D. Rainolds c. as ever liued in our Church is much abused by you yet not so much iniured by you as honored by all others In respect of him and the Choisest oracles of our wisdome whom you abuse I cannot but breake out into that speech of Seneca g Seneca Trag. in Thyest Quid sancta prodest pietas Quid vita prodest honesta flagit io carens This good servant of God neither by instigation of others nor in contradiction of you as hee protesteth provided and promised in the publike schoole to reade on this point eight weekes before You know those solemne lectures are commonly all concerning points of controversie and why then might not this bee the subiect of one of his readings as well as any other No maine schisme ever drewe him to this action or any exotical opinion he was never subiect to interpretation for any Schismaticall contradiction his worthy Lord the most reverend Bishop of London Bishop Ravies of honorable memorie cuius pia memoria defleri potest nō deleri approued him to be free from schisme and abounding in science and his sermons Lectures Exercises actions all proceedings iustify him and condemne you in his lecture hee never named you nor aimed at you he only read against the question as Bellarmine defended it Mr LEECH This busines was not so secretly plotted by the aforesaid Brethren nor yet so privately intended and caried by the Actor himselfe but I had certaine notice giuen me by a friend of mine a graue Bachellour in divinity M. R. and
Thyest quod nulla posteritas taceat sed nulla probet exceeding any particular Scythian Scillian Marian Tartarian Barbarian Iewish Turkish villany yet it was plotted by Catholiques Anticoton conspired by Catholiques acted Ioh. Mariana and to be acted by Catholiques and maintained as a lawfull doctrinall position by Catholiques Heretofore it was a Catholique doctrine held tyrannous in a king to kill a Priest but now it is thought a meritorious point in a Priest to kill a king and you must iustifie it If you iustifie not it they will not iustifie you Mr LEECH And if this blowe haue not hit home to the finall deciding of this quarrel depriving his heresie of al breathing let him or any or all his complices and especially those six well selected doctours who haue so farre engaged their credits by interessing themselues so deepely in the quarrell warde and answere the blow which they haue publikely received Doctor Benefield for all of them put togither haue not yet diverted the stroke Or if the cause which the principall Actor vndertooke will abide so much as the least touchstone of tryal let him vpon what grounds and confidence soever he stādeth as I dare boldly chardge challeng him he standeth vpon none but hereticall divulge his lecture vnto the cēsure of the world ANSVVER Your challēdge is received But why were not those many challēages answered by you which were offered by the ingenious and learned students of Christ-church and by the ingemminated motions of the Reverend Deane that you shoulde sit to answere or oppose in the scholasticall forme of Disputations about this point The sixe Doctors need not to raise their forces to encounter you One of them whom it most cōcerneth hath opposed more then you and Rome will ever answer His lecture is divulged to the worlds censure so it was desired by the Rightly Honorable and most reverend Bishop Ravis whose great care before his death was that your ignorant scandalous Pamphlet they were his owne wordes might receiue a rigid answere The learned and painefull lecture is able to satisfie any who giue i 1. Tiim 4.1 no heed vnto spirits of errour doctrines of Divels which speake not lies through hypocrisie having their consciences seared with a hot yron With that lecture the places of Scripture be truely expounded the question as in the sight of God truely discussed in the Appendix the ancient Fathers most sufficiently answered Mr LEECH Meane while for the honor of God confusion of Sathan to preserue Christ his word the word of verity from the infectiō of Heresie for the iust defence of this doctrine the due reproofe of hereticall innovatiō I haue thought good here to insert a true coppy of the Sermon preached by me in Oxford to iustifie Evangelicall Counsailes vpon the occasion aboue mentioned Anno Dom. 1608. 27. die Iunij ANSVVERE k Chem. in loc Commun loc de Cons Evang. Luther about to cōfute this very doctrine vseth these words In perpetuam rei memoriam maximè verò in Redemptoris gloriam ista sunt memori mente servanda exaggeranda adversus impudentissimos rabulas Papisticae abominationis defensores I wil not bee so bitter But to the glory of God dischardge of my conscience and satisfying of those great and honorable friends that did importune me to this businesse I follow you line by line to see whether your coppy bee right You say you haue endevored to reproue hereticall innovation I say so much dicit Scaurus negat Varius vtri creditis you must put your selfe vpon God and the Country Mr LEECH Reade it deare Christian brother severely iudge of it impartially and God graunt it may effect in thee what I wish hartily and that is if thou feelest thy selfe called and thy soule mooved effectually to practise the same Amen ANSVVER Wish faithfully pray religiously then no doubt God will giue you vnderstanding in al things which you must haue in your selfe before you cā wish it or teach it to others I lament you should so oppose your selfe to the doctrine of Christs holy Catholique Church in a mercenary respect and discontented humour burthen your soule with so fowle a sinne as this is truely iudged to be even Apostasie All such to the life S. Paule doth decipher and giveth order against such 1. Tim. 6.3 4.5 If any man teach otherwise and consenteth not to the wholesome doctrine which is according to Godlinesse he is puft vp and knoweth nothing he doateth or languisheth about questions and strife of words whereof commeth envy strife raylings evill surmises vaine disputations of men of corrupt mindes destitute of the truth which thinke that gaine is Godlinesse Fly such and feare such So I wish you so I counsell you so I pray for you and seale my counsell wishes and prayers with Amen Mr LEECH THE SERMON PREACHED IN defence of EVANGELICALL COVNSAILES and the Fathers ANSVVER It was and ever will be true Causa patrocinio non bona peior erit In that it is Bellarmines doctrine all your authorities gathered from him you are his advocat hee your author But I know not whose the Sermon is he made it but preached it not you preached it but made it not Mr LEECH AND I saw the dead both great and small stande before God Apoc. 20.12 the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke of life and the dead were iudged of those things which were written in the bookes according to their works This verse naturally floweth into three streames of Christian Doctrine The first is a generall citation of all And I saw the dead both great and smal stand before God The second is a particuler examination of all vpon a two-fold evidence brought in liber conscientiae librū praescientiae the booke of conscience and the booke of God his eternall prescience the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke of life A finall retribution involved in the act and particuler manner of the iudgement and the dead were iudged of those things which were writtē in the books according to their workes ANSVVER AS the Surgion seeking to heale some vlcerated partes of a corrupted body doth not apply his Kataplasmes vnto every mēber but vnto those that are worse affected so must I deale with your sermon seeke to cure only those partes that are most tainted In this first Passage if by the rules of Criticisme I should examine it I shoulde finde it guilty of diverse errors but chiefly of your mistake in calling the first part of your text a Citation which is an appearance or a vision of the appearāce the effect of the citation I saw the dead both great and smal your best helpe here wil be to let it be dispensed with per metonimiam satis impropriam Mr LEECH The generall citation more particularly wrappeth in it the persons appearing the dead the extent of
Flavianus Bishop of Constantinople in his first Epistle to Pope Leo the first Haeretici est praecepta patrum declinare instituta eorum despicere It is the propertie of an heretique to decline the precepts of holy fathers contemning their cannons and decrees ANSVVER Your iudgement or opinion is very small seeing you take vp any thing at the second hand and from Coccius Treasury that cocks dunghil cul Pearles as you thinke them Twise before you submitted your selfe to the Church and in every page almost to the interpretatioÌ„ of the Fathers That the Church hath necessarily a stroak in the decision of Controversies we deny not but so ever that it subscrib to the truth of scriptures Next you submit to the Fathers the Fathers we reverence more then any Papists in the worlde doe neither doe I beleeue that ever any Protestant in the Christian world hath offered so much disreputation vnto the Fathers as Bellarmin himselfe hath don not only in generall De Pont. lib. 2. c. 27. § resp istas Bell. de Purg. c. 18. praeterâ—a q. ad quartum de poenitent l. 1. c. 1. § igitur Beilar de verbo Dei l. 3 c. 10. § dicens making all the Fathers but Children and novices to the Pope but in particular almost every Father is vilified by him To Damascene he giues the flatly and affirmeth that Tertullian is not to be reckoned amoÌ„g Catholiques so worse then so he speaketh of many others so ill a Patron is he of them that disesteeming any of them in any thing that crosseth his assertions he concludeth thus it is evident that the cheefest of them haue greeuously erred So that it seemeth Bellarmine is the heritique that Leo speaketh of who declineth from the precepts and coÌ„temneth the decres of holy Fathers Mr LEECH Thus much be spoken in defence of that great pillar of the latine Church S. Gregory saying Quidam non iudicantur pereunt quidam iudicantur pereunt quidam iudicantur regnant quidam non iudicantur regnant as also in defence of that sentence inferred vpon the last braunch transcendunt aliqui praecepta legis perfectiori virtute ANSVVERE It is strange in divinity not only but in common sense that first you should make your sermon theÌ„ after choose your Text it was vsuall in you if those that were best acquainted with your vnmethoded studies be not mistaken You grounded your distinction vpon that Text that without much wresting and wiredrawing would not serue you And you accommodated your distinction as vnfitly to this doctrine of Counsells as you father this doctrine vpon Gregory from whose authority you cannot produce any word of Evangelicall Counsell your defence was a very poore on you left S. Gregory to fight for himselfe for you fled Cum caeteri pugnabant maximè tu fugiebas maximè saith the Comoedy Father Anbignies defence for concealing Ravelliacks damned treason against the last French King was this Anti-Coton that God had given him a grace to forget all that he heard in confessioÌ„ It appeares you haue the like guift to mistake most that you read in the Fathers else you would never haue maintained such disiointed inferences Mr LEECH This I haue the rather done God and his holy Angels in whose presence I now stand and speak De Mysterio Mediatoris lib. 1. As hereticks as temporizers bearing me witnesse lest that imputation of Fulgentius should light vpon me viz. Fidem Ecclesiae nolle asserere est negare vno eodémque sileÌ„tio firmat errorem qui errore seu tempore possessus veritatem silendo noÌ„ astruit Dominicam gloriam qui non firmârit evacuat divinaÌ„ contumeliam qui non refutârit accumulat Miles ignavus som noleÌ„to corpore depressus regia castra oppugnantibus tradit dum competentibus vigilijs non defendit That is not to aver the Doctrine of the church is to deny the faith of the Church So are some in England So are others for with one the selfe same silence he strengthneth an error who being possessed or carried away with errour or time avoucheth not truth by his silence He that coÌ„firmeth not the glory of God weakneth it and he that confuteth not iniurie offred vnto God augmenteth it The slothfull sleepy souldiour betrayeth the Kings tents to his enimes whilst hee keepeth not true sentinell as he should ANSVVER Fulgentius speech fitteth vs as well as you your protestation we partly beleeue and yet but partly because you sinne more of negligence then of ignoraÌ„ce I would I could giue you that testimony which S. Paul did the Israelits Rom. 10.2 I beare you record that you haue the zeale of God but not according to knowledge or as another testimony of Scripture in the like case that you do onlie stray by ignorance Then would I hope that terrour of conscience should not punish your error in knowledge The Donatists loved their opinions better then their liues and you affect your owne folly more then Gods glory wherefore my exhortation to you is Returne Returne ô Shunamite Can. 6.12 if you wil not my praier and Petition for you is this Father forgiue him for he knoweth not what he doth Your marginallis false scaÌ„dal not our Church slander not our professors The Law Gospell agree in this Cursed be he that revileth the elders of his people Mr LEECH Hath any weedes of superstition growne vp with this Doctrine in the field of the Church Oh let not the pure wheate of Evangelicall Counsailes of perfection quoad viam quoad gradum fare the worse for the weedes Vnskilfull husbandmen are they and very vnfit to manure the Lord his tillage whose preposterous zeale issuing from the ground of a private groundlesse iudgement would pul vp both wheate and tares togither ANSVVER The words be otherwise in your coppy commanded by authority and by the notes against which exception was taken by the learnedst of our assemblie Vnder your owne hande This Paragraph beginneth thus Hath any weedes of SVPEREROGATION growne vp c. And dare you not nowe vse the same tearme Insteede of supererogation you put in superstitioÌ„ I grieue to think that you do receiue the wages of iniquity for maintaining as far as your poore revenews serues these two bastards of the Pope Aug. retract l. 1. c. 19. Hier. l. 1.3 contra Pelag. Theodor. in Rom. 10. Chrysost in Rom. 10. hom 17. Sed. in 10. RoÌ„ impiety absurdity The works of supererogation are of al other points of Popery most abhominable besids that none of the fathers teach so and that many of them bee expresly against theÌ„ as Austin HieroÌ„ Theodoret Chrysostome Sedulius your owne defenders Aquinas Gerson Iansenius Paludanus and Cusanus all deny this point And seeing that Scarlet whore of BabiloÌ„ druÌ„k with the blood of Gods Saints is nowe carted by heavenly iustice through all the reformed Congregations of the world I see not but every true Christian
should be ready to cast a stone the stone which I cast against superogatiō is no other thē that which S. Iohn cast against it who giveth the lie to him that saith he hath no sin Bell. de Mon. lib. 2. c. 13. And Bellarmine is constrained to cōfesse that S. Austin Bernard and Thomas doe thinke it impossible to keep that Commandement Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy minde Mr LEECH These are wiser fuller of zeale then Christ himself who suffred nay gaue commandement as it is in the parable that both tares and wheat should grow together vntill the harvest of the last iudgement and then shoulde the tares and weeds be bound vp in bundles fitted for the fire and the wheate should be gathered into his barne For at the last iudgement Sermo 3. de le iunio collectis 1. Cor. 3.12.13 there are some things vrenda flammis other things condenda horreis as S. Leo speaketh And doth not S. Paul allude to this Whose words be if any man build vpon Christ the foundation gold silver precious stones timber hay stubble every mans worke shal be made manifest for the day shal declare it because it shal be revealed by the fire and the fire shall try every mans workes of what sort they are To which fire let this Doctrine be reserved to stand or fall to burne as stubble hay timber or rather to escape as gould silver and precious stones ANSVVERE True zeale is the true seale of a Christian If you had any sparke therof I would wish as Porsenna did to Scaevola concerning his Country Lavater Iuberem macte virtute esse si pro mea patria virtus ista staret So I for true Religion Iobs friends had a bad cause but handled it well Iob had a good cause but maintained it ill neither ability of the cause nor dexterity of the handling haue assisted you The multiplicious abuse of Scripture in your text is frequēt that as the Prophet spake of aslying book so may al of your lying book You wold by intimation of that Scripture in the Parable of the Tares desire that as the tares are suffred to growe Mat. 13.30 so your doctrine may remaine vncēsured till the iudgement It is well that you acknowledge your doctrine to be like the Tares Fearefull will that iudgement be at that vniversall Sessions where Christ will be iudge the Saints the Iury when you are accused with those words of the Parable Master sowedst not thou good seed in thy field whence thē are these tares In that Parable of Christ as the streame of interpretation doth carry it is meant that by the evill seed mixt with the good the Church shall never be free from some wicked that it is impossible to roote them finally out for if wee wish to avoide these so fully as the godly could wish wee must goe out of the world as the Apostle speaketh So that of lewd persons not of hereticall positions that place is to be vnderstoode for Christ doth threaten the Churches in the Revelation for connivencie of false doctrine Laodicaea Rev. 2.3 chap for beeing neither hot nor cold Rev. 2.14 Rev. 2.20 Gal. Pergamus for maintaining the doctrine of Balaā Thyatira for suffring Iesabell to teach and deceiue his servants The Church of Galatia is reproved for that they suffered the Copartnership of Iewish Ceremonies when they were established in the Gospell of Christ and shall Religion the truest bond betwixt man and man the knot of coniunction and consociation In Dion Cass shall it bee divided Shall Maecenas wish Augustus to hate and correct any that change any thing in the service of the Gods Ioseph cont ap 2. Shall the Athenians enact that they that spake of their God otherwise then the law appointed should be severely punished And shall we so much neglect the attonement of iudgements and peace of soules as to suffer blending of doctrines not only leaven in our Lumpe but poison in our bread Far be it frō vs and from our seed for ever Let it be the brand not only of a luke-warme affection and of a Policie overpolitique but of Machiavillians and matchlesse villaines to call for connivency of hereticall positions From hel it came to hell it must returne againe We cannot chuse but suffer the Tares of iniquitie to grow vp but we will endeavour pro aris focis to eradicat the Tares of heresie Your second place of Scripture out of S. Paule A chardgeable Appeale is very fit for your purpose and the words in the next present verse as fit for mine 1. Cor. 3.11 Let every man take heed how he buildeth the later of those verses shall bee my praier for you that though your worke burne at that day and you loose yet you may be saved In the meane time Scripture hath disapproved you and the fathers haue refused you Mr LEECH Now to God only wise be rendred praise power might maiestie rule dominion and thanksgiving and let al the creatures in heavē in earth or vnder the earth say so be it Amen ANSVVER Vnto that supreame iudge Rev. 22.13 and to the last iudgment be this referred and vnto the everliving God who is in himselfe α ω in Angelis sapor et decor Aust in iustis adiutor protector in reprobis pavor et horror be ascribed the admiration of his Maiesty the acknowledgment of his mercy the awful remembrance of his power the ioyfull continuance of his favor And Hallelu-iah Rev. 19.1.2 Salvation and glory and honor and power be to the Lord our God for true and righteous are his iudgements for he hath condemned that great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornications Amen Hallelu-iah CHAP. 8. Mr LEECH THus gentle Reader thou hast seene my maine defence of this doctrine wherein I haue followed the mature advise of the Philosopher and Oratour For I thought it not sufficient to confirme truth in the former part of this sermon vnlesse I confuted falshood also in the later And this I did for establishing thee if thou be in the right or reducing thee vnto it if thou hast been in the wrong ANSVVER THus Gentle Reader thou hast seen the meane defence of this doctrine wherein whether the author as he professeth hath followed the advise of the Philosopher or Orator iudge by the contradictions misapplications falsifications in the sermon Can Oratory or Philosophy be obtained without Grammar or cannot a Grammarian distinguish between Concilium Consilium the one comming originally à conciendo Calepin id est convocando the other derived from Consileo eo quòd vno consulente caeteri consileant It was a most probable tryall of the Ephraimits in shibboleth Iudg. 12.6 and sibboleth the mistaking cost the death of the body It was a laudable triall betweene the Coūsell of Nice and
Religion hath shee not corrupted The doctrine of the Trinity seeing you here againe vrge it as aboue so I hence remoue it as aboue to your Motiues Mr LEECH Secondly his worship obiected vnto me that D. Benefield had lately and learnedly confuted the said Popish doctrine of Evangelicall Counsells and that therevpon I ought to haue surceased my reply was that D. Benefield his opinion was no canon of my faith nor that his authority was of such value with mee as to preponderate the iudgement of the Ancient Church and testimonies of the venerable Fathers And therefore since I began to publish this doctrine vpon such grounds I was bound in cōscience to defend the same and specially since he made an opposition in schooles vnto my position in the pulpit so that I could not be silent without treason vnto God his truth ANSVVER The argument consisted of reason and religion in reason if the doctrine were answered how could it be gainsaid the learning wisdome degree of Doctor Benefield by infinit degrees paramounting all that ever will be in Mr Leech In religion for if the Canons of the Church grounded on Scripture doe someway obliege our consciences that among the rest one especially provideth that there be no publick contradictiō of points in religion how durst this to be infringed and opposition so peremptorily maintained by you in the Pulpit But you say you did so because that his opinion was no Canon of your faith c. And yet you did make opinion the Canon of your faith and produced your conceit distinction grounds testimonies proofes c all for the most part out of Bellarmine and though you disclaime it yet you vnderwent that Babilonicall servitude which by Alphonsus de Castro is called Miserrima servitus iurare in alicuius verba Magistri Alphons de Castro cont haeres lib. 1. cap. 7. so that opinion was your Canō I haue already professed from the Protestation of D. Benefield that he read no way with purpose to touch you but only in generall as this controversie was the occasion of much innovation much corruption so that yours was the contradiction not his Mr LEECH Thirdly whereas he laid vnto my charge that he had inhibited me to intermeddle any farther with this point I answered that de facto he had never done it and that de iure he could not doe it For God must bee obeyed rather then man Besides though in discretion submission vnto your authority I would haue surceased from prosecution of this matter yet this notorious and intollerable impugnation did force me to breake my intended silence ANSVVER Deny it not for you were charged vpon your second sermon not to intermeddle any further in this point and therefore your distinction de facto and de iure is fond Your inhibition de facto should haue restrained you de iure should haue feared you for the Magistrat beareth not Gods sword in vaine But you say God must be obeyed rather then man By what revelation or fained new found vision had you command from God to preach this sermon the second time We must obey say the Lawyers Parents and Magistrats in licitis honestis but God in omnibus because all things are not only lawful to vs but fruitfull for vs if enioined by him But God Stella in Luc. Glory iudgement vengeance proper to God only Psal 8.5 that as Stella observeth hath impropriated 3 things vnto himself the first being his glory never did send any warrant to you so much to oppose his glory as to place man not as David speaketh little lower but equall or somewhat higher then the Angells in Angelicall integrity spirituall transcendency c as if man should be beholdē to you more then to his glorious maker Besides say you intolerable impugnation did breake your silence you would make the world beleeue you were iniured S. Austin asketh in this case a question libet hominem vindicare Tom. 10. ser 42. in Orat. Domin and must you encourage your selfe in the vnlawfulnesse of revenge But God mē Angells testifie you doe iniury to affirme you had iniury by any notorious or intolerable impugnatiō Were you imprisoned censured excommunicated Deserving all these you were punished by none of these Mr LEECH Fourthly whereas he demanded a copy of my sermon protesting vpon his faith and troth to God that hee would send me presently vnto the Castle vnlesse I then delivered it I was content vpō the perswasion of Doctor Kilby to yeeld into his hands the originall and only copy thereof And so I was dismissed for this time ANSVVER The Copy was demanded And though you say you deliuered it vpon persuasion yet it might haue beene enforced from you This protestation you objected once before against the Provice chancelour and now againe If you could fasten any aspersion vpon him or any that the cause concerned I knowe you would Protestations are often iustifiable and commendable Rom. 9.1 2. Cor. 11.31 Gal. 1.20 as I haue giuen instance before in many of the Saints but especially in Paul in divers Epistles To the Romans I say the truth and lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse To the Corinthians God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ knoweth that I lie not To the Galathians I witnesse before God that I lie not And Espencaeus in his owne practise sheweth that a protestation may very religiously be vsed Espenc tract 6. Epist dedic ad Card. Cast his wordes translated be these I doe RELIGIOVSLY SWEARE that as often as I thought vpon the report of obtaining the Red hat freely which others hunted after for mony who were repulsed I giue immortall thankes vnto God that he suffered not I wil not say so much good but so much evill to happen vnto me Quid facerem Romae mentiri nescio What should I doe at Rome I cannot lie Thus much for your obiection against his protestation and thus much for the honesty of the place where your habitation is now supposed Mr LEECH CHAP. 2. This storme being thus overblowne a quiet calme ensued vntill M. Doctour King deane of Christ-Church and Vicechancellour of the Vniuersitie was now returned frō London vnto whō I made repaire partly to do my duty vnto him and partly to preuēt that sinister impression which D. Hutton and others sought to worke in him to the preiudice of me and of the doctrine which I had preached For which purpose I had collected the testimonies of 24. Fathers that thereby he might be well informed in the state of this present question ANSVVER A storme it was not you felt neither the thunderbolt of excōmunication nor lightning of expulsion If in this storme as you call it you had shed a showre of repentant teares then you might haue been happy Aust in that which S. Austin applyeth to such a purpose Post pluuiam sequitur magna serenitas post nubilū magna claritas post tempestatem magna
Of revolting in these later times he had reason to speake whē the misery of this age is such that an asses head is sold at a shekle and our Philistine adversaries will offer any preferment to him that will turne their Proselite and yet when they receiue them admit them into no order but of Mendicants as the late proofe of some present experience of your selfe shew ◠Pet. 2.1 Apostasie was foretold as by others so prophetically by Peter that there shal be false teachers which shall privily bring in damnable heresies And who can ponderat this but with much sense and sorrow he will lament that anie sonne of this Country nay any son in the outwarde appearance of the church shoulde exenterat his naturall nay his spirituall mother and do this in a sinister conceit either for some particular discontent or for want of preferment ever for want of iudgement Lamentable is such Apostasie to Antichristian Popery Mr LEECH At which simple suggestion I coulde not but smile within my selfe first to consider that whereas he had absolutely charged this doctrine to be erroneous yet nowe he could not tel whether it were true or false Secondly to obserue that the preaching of truth contained in the gospell should be a meanes to draw men from the gospell vnto Popery as he was pleased to speake ANSVVER Simple suggestion If the Cumane beast could speake more modesty and duty would bee vttered You smile like the Picture that having two faces hath his embleme over it Nos tres so you by an enterchangeable view looking on them two you smile as ill favored as they and so make three The first cause of your vnseemely smile is that which wil cause gnashing of teeth vnlesse you repent He whose wisdome and knowledge ioined togither faithfully and strongly to charge you with the error of your doctrine did hee now doubte whether it were erroneous It is a mint of forgeries and falshoode and vnworthy the invention of anie that is called Christian Your second smiling consideration was as fonde as the other was false did you preach the truth out of the Gospell Bern. sup Cant. ser 65. Evangelium apellasti ad Evāgelium ibis Hast thou appealed to the Gospell saith Bernard vnto the Gospell thou shalt go The Law is said to be the killing letter but the Gospell will bee the killing letter at the arraignement of this supposititious erroneous position Mr LEECH But perceiving him to be enkindled with the flames of passion I forboare to adde fuell vnto the fire and therefore I pretermitted the mētioning of his folies at that time Only I made this briefe answere that if some truth bee not to be preached at all times yet the Contrary vnto truth was to be preached at no time and if it be lawfull for any man to impugne it is it not lawful for me to defend it and especially when it concerneth my selfe in particular For so it did in this case the eie of the whole Vniversity being cast vpon me in this behalfe ANSVVERE Rather say But trembling and fearing to stay much lesse to speake that there is so black liuor in your paper seeing you had so white a liver at your speech I admire not much Iam. 3. seeing your fictiōs be great though your Poetry none at all You say you forbeare to adde fuell vnto the fire S. Iames saith the tongue is a fire but I finde that your pen is a fire and yet but ignis fatuus I wonder that these poysonfull and filthy calumnies fabricated in the forge of a froathy braine eate not through your paper Lubert Replic l. 1. c. 1. If you continue this railing reviling slaundring you will so envenom your booke that none will buy it as Gretzer the devills agent in slaundring villany and railing scurrility was vsed in Frisia where only one of his bookes were to bee sold which none would buy because that foule mouthed Cerberus doth so besmeare all mens reputations hee dealeth with The conceited malice in you whetted with a custome of slaunder and edged with a contagion of error hath made your tongue so keene your stile so sharp and your truth so short that you woūd whom you can What follies can the bottomlesse pit of your opē sepulchre mētiō against this Paragon of men In whose defence men and Angells stand against all clamorous railers When you say Only I made this breefe answere c. that onely is ONELY more you neither did nor could reply so You never had that advantage given you as the acknowledgemēt of one sparke of truth in that doctrine nor ever was there doubt made but truth is allowed to bee preached and that you say the eie of the Vniversity was vpon you it was only the eie of iudgement and condemnation not the eie of respect or expectation few lent you their eies fewer their eares none their beleefe Mr LEECH Thus I tooke my leaue of M. Vicechancellour hee being full of passion and I of resolution for this matter against which he declamed with many words and without any reason consorting herein with those furious Donatists of whom S. Augustin pronounceth truly Contra lit Petil. l. 2. c. 51. Quid hoc aliud est quà m nescire quid dicere tamen non posse nisi maledicere ANSVVER He was full of resolution you full of discontented turbulent passion you were glad to be gon being so beaten with the power of truth for the wordes that stroke you were full of reason faith and religion as your consciēce knoweth notwithstanding your profusd dissembling and professed railing S. Austins speech to the Donatists retorteth it selfe vpon you so full of contradiction and malediction Aust and with it I returne another speech of S. Austin Non est intuendū quà m amarum sed quà m falsum I stand not so much vpon your acerbity as to shew to the worlde how you falsifie Mr LEECH CHAP. 3. THis Magistrate intending a preposterous course against me and yet pretending a formality of iustice convented me before him in iuridicall manner vpon the vigill of S. Peter a practitioner of my doctrine Lord said he what shall we haue that haue forsaken all and followed thee ANSVVER THis faithfull deputy of his maker and Master entended no preposterous course against you His brest like the hart of a good Magistrate is the Ocean whereinto all the cares of our Academicall causes empty themselues which hee ever sendeth forth againe in a wise conveyance by the streames of iustice he hath in all the time of his goverment beene the Pay-master of good deserts and Patron of Peace it was not formality of iustice he pretended but the satisfaction of the whole Vniversity who importuned that you might be convented and censured What vaine-glorious humor riseth vp in that froth of ostentation to cause you cal S. Peter a practitioner of your doctrine He was married therefore practised no Counsell of Virginity hee continued his
that you wil deeply answere this vnlesse you staine your cheekes with the blushes of recantatiō sende over the forme of your penance without the secret glosses of double and reserved senses Did some in over much charity petitionat for your pardon from the heavy burden of censure do you traduce their innocency so far as to accuse thē for connivency nay for authorizing your doctrine You shall pardon me for crediting this any more thē that of Doctor Kilby of whom in your first booke and 8. chapter you report that hee contested with Doctor Hutton for the truth of the Doctrine and that you might answer it with credit whose reverend protestation against that speech and against your opinion against this subscription into which you entitled him is forcible and suasible and availeable with any honest hart to measure this speech by that and to assure all that here you traduce others as there him Mr LEECH But I pray you Sir to be advertised by me that I neuer made vse of their letters one reason whereof meeteth with your obiection For as I assumed this doctrine from the holy Scriptures and ancient Fathers so I determined to maintaine it vpon these grounds without any assistance and much lesse was I set on by anie of them ANSVVER This is a firme confirmation of my former opinion Would not you haue vsed those letters and produced thē if you had any such You that ransackt al the inventories and catalogues you could to muster vp testimonies your modesty so to modifie your cause as not to vrge vivum testimonium the living witnesses of your assertiō Absit far be it but that al here should hate falshoode more then death and bee so faithfull Clients of truth as not to yeeld an eare much lesse a hand or hart to any startling opposer Obiect as oft as you will that you vsed not these letters because you relyed on Scriptures and Fathers yet if you had had but the least manuall or oral assistance you would haue produced it and traduced the Authors whosoever Mr LEECH And that you may know vpon what authority I first began and do now proceede here are the Doctours 24. in number 12. Greeke 12. Latine who set me on here are their testimonies produce their bookes conuince me if you can ANSVVER And that you may know that there bee ashes scattered to descry your footing it is manifest that as in your sermon you gleaned frō Bellarmine very much so in your proofes you haue borrowed from Coecius much more the Quotations that you cite in the same order found in him as in you But as Bellarmine in the point of Purgatory professing to proue it by 10. places in the old Testamēt 9. in the New to make for it is afterwards cōstrained to cōfesse that there is no direct place in Scripture For being in the last Chap. 1. booke of Purgatory vrged by the argument of Peter Martyr and others that Purgatory is foūd in no place of Scripture therefore no matter of faith answereth Non est necesse vt Scriptura vbique omnia dicat Bellar. c. vlt. lib. 1. de Purg. And againe Talia enim ad Apostolicam traditionem sunt referenda So some of your Fathers haue not so much as the word Counsaile others that vse it doe either in the same wordes or in other places as I haue shewed distinguish the generall from the special precept by the name of Counsell that whereas some Challendge their Iury your Iury doeth challendge you of rash indiscretion and false information Mr LEECH Whereat his courage began to abate and first he excepted against me for producing the Greeke in whose language said he you haue but slender skill ANSVVER His purposes be so deliberate and resolution so firme that your paper gun could not abate his courage as you falsely enforme your leane-heart-fretting envie fatting it selfe with contumelious scornes You were questioned with twise whether you vnderstoode the Greeke first your answer was affirmatiue being pressed againe you confes you vnderstood it only by the translation It was replied by the Vicechancelour that if the translation erred then you did partake in that error instance given in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so much mistaken in the vulgar to this you did nor could answer a word You were not able to vnderstand the Greeke fathers and in retaliation none of the Greeke fathers will afford you one word of Counsell Mr LEECH To which malitious and impertinent exception I answered first that it was sufficient for me to rely vpon the translations approved commonly in the Church Secondly that I had so much skil in Greek as to compare the translation with the originall and that none there was so exact as to vnderstand some Greeke fathers and namely S. Gregory Nazianzen in their natiue idiome Thirdly that if I had no Greeke Author on my side yet here is a sufficient Iury of Latine Fathers whose language I vnderstand and whose conspiring tenent I hope you dare not renounce ANSVVER A Scandalous and vnreuerent Phrase Was it malitious and impertinent to aske whether you vnderstood the Greeke whē you dosend vp the greek fathers as if they had been pickled herrings yet vnderstood them only by the vse of an interpreter That you answer first it was sufficient for you to relie vpon translations I say in point of controversie it is not so S. Hierome did practise and did Counsell the contrarie Hier. Epist ad Suniam Fret tom 3. Aug. de Doc. Christ lib. 2. c. 11. Theol. Lov. Praef. lib. var. lect in lat Bib. edit vulg and S. Austin giveth the same rule in his booke de Doctrina Christiana The Divines of Lovaine approue the same Villavincentius doth prescribe it as most necessary In differences or doubts or cōtroversies to repaire to the Hebrew for the old Testament and to the Greeke for the new Secondly in that you affirme that you haue so much knowledge in Greeke as to compare the Translation with the originall and that none there were so exact as to vnderstād some greek father c. both parts be faulty He that is able to cōpare the translation must carry in his head a Lexicon you haue the roome but you lack this furniture It is the labour of a wel read throughly grounded Grecian And that any father should be so hard to bee interpreted that it were difficulty to finde out in this choice company one able to translate him it is a calumnie to the ancient Fathers and to these reverend Doctors the former writing elegantly these able to translate thē faithfully Your third hath cut off the third part but halfe your army of Fathers you are driven out of Greece and as the Greeke Fathers knew you not so the Latine Fathers as is plentifully proved assist you not Mr LEECH Doctour Aglionbee being thus pressed by me having nothing to answere in his defence D. King interposed himselfe obiecting
that you haue punished me for teaching the contrary assertion ANSVVERE Your second demand was out of all course of reason or sense Was it not knowne to al that you were censured for preaching such Evangelicall Counsells of perfection whereby a man might doe more then the law required yea more then man need to haue performed was not your convention now and inhibition before censure at last sufficient witnes to all the world what you delivered why you were censured c. Nay was not this yea more then this your request offred you viz. that you should if you durst hold your position in the divinity Chappell in Christ church and in forme of a Respondent answere the Vicechancellour promising to appoint fiue paires of Masters to oppose you which you knewe had easily beene performed in that honourable and fruitful Colledge This you refused and thereby shewd that you had not an originall state but a Traditionall insight in this question This you durst not and therefore you required the subscription to make way to some threatning opposition That as the Poet speaketh Pede pes cuspide cuspis so now you hoped there might haue bin another kinde of digladiation pen against pen and hands against hands which you never could haue obtained Mr LEECH This request D. King not only denied but also exclaimed against me for making this petition And no marvell for he that durst never throughout this whole proceeding formally and by expresse mention condemne Evangelicall Counsells how could hee yeeld vnto any such subscription whereby he and the rest might haue remained Heretiques vpon their owne record ANSVVER You neglected the reverence you did owe to his government and detected the wilfull weaknesse of your owne iudgement to require it No such course vsuall in any Iuridicall proceedings And for your vile slaunder that the Vicechancelour durst not condemne Evangelicall Counsells it is impudent He did in the proceedings often rebuke and confute your maner of handling that point not denying but that a nominall distinction of counsells was sometimes vsed but he expresly condemned such Counsells as you preached being of another kinde then S. Austin dâ—livereth with the rest of the Fathers and Wickliffe whom you vrge who all maintaine each Counsell to be a commande for some time and some circuÌ„stance Which sentence and iudgement how you oppugned in your sermons may be seene where till you recant you remaine an Heretique vpoÌ„ your own record I vse your owne wordes Mr LEECH The conclusion of all was this M. Vicechancellour beating me downe with the blow of authority hauing no other meanes to convince me pronounced his definitiue sentence against mee which I will here relate word for word as neere as I could possibly beare it away ANSVVER You were beaten downe as you truly say by authority but more theÌ„ by humane by diuine You were driveÌ„ by Scripture to refuse scripture to be your iudg beateÌ„ by the censure of the Church that you deny to be censured by the Church convicted for stubborne impudence for preaching that doctrine which was inhibited you wheÌ„ you were countermanded it You were convinced for ignorance in that you produced witnesses that you knewe not and vrged Greeke Fathers that you read not And this conviction was not only by the blow of authority but by such a blow from heauen as Paul in the Acts was stroken Scripture Church Fathers Acts. 9. and all arguments of power did agree to this deiection of you and your cause and to the censure that ensueth Mr LEECH M. Leech for preaching scandalous and erroneous doctrine Doctrine as you well knowe stifly defended by the Church of Rome and wherevpon many absurdities doe follow I doe first as Vicechancellour silence you from preaching Secondly as Deane of this house I suspend you from your commons and function here for the space of twelue moneths This is my sentence and before these my associates I require you to take notice thereof ANSVVERE Here is the Act the manner of the Act the reason of the Act or censure The sentence was deliberat and guided with ripe wisdome the hand of Iustice in him was slower then the tongue For besides your heresie in the deliverie there was contumacie in you for presuming so to preach forbidden by Authority and yet was this censure easie by many wished to bee more by all marvailed at that it was no more For as the times increase in daunger so the rigor should increase in discipline But the manner of this censure was milde it passed no farther then losse of commons for a time this was within the walles of the Colledge and silence for preaching within the precincts of Oxford and this within the limits of the Vniversity This was no eiection expulsion out of Colledge and Vniuersity It had been worse by infinite degrees had you beene sent to London And the reason of all this was first intimated for your scandalous erroneous doctrine a doctrine stifly defended by the church of Rome inducing many absurdities I will vse an honourable speech of that most noble CouÌ„sellor at the arraignement of Garnet Earle of NorthamptoÌ„ fit to be bestowed vpon you Currat lex viuat Rex vincat veritas The marginall scurrile Note which you borrowed from some more witty but as wicked pate as your owne I coulde returne as a dart to your very soule but I forbeare because all reproach and contumelies against this worthy do breake themselues as waues shattered in peeces by the force of a rocke Mr LEECH Which sentence though it were tyrannicall and vniust yet it no waies discouraged me but rather confirmed me in my opinion Wherefore I protested the doctrine againe more resolutely then before wishing M. Vicechancellor and his assistaÌ„ts to vnderstande thus much from me First that I held the doctrine with asmuch nay more confidence then ever I did Secondly that I farther concluded the invincibility of the point out of the manner of their proceedings whereat they were driven into the extremity of fury and passion ANSVVER This vvas a greate degree of the hardnesse of your hart and it is manifest that you apprehended this as a pretence of your revolt The Vicechancelour was vrged to this doome which as it was impartiall so was it no way Tyrannicall had it been any other it had bin mercifull iniustice You should haue acknowledged the Truths victory given some signe of humility modesty and reverence to authority You say you were hereby confirmed CoÌ„firmed you were in your flight not in your faith And in your boast that you so againe protested the doctrine if it had beene so you shewed more boldnes then goodnes and the Truth had lost lesse then you gained but it was not so you did not you durst not contest so vmbragiously as you protest here My obseruation through your whole book holdeth true where you bragge most you faine most where you paint your speech there it is most corrupted and
falsified Mr LEECH Thus the assēbly was dissolued I putting M. Vicechancellour in minde of the Articles which he formerly promised and bade me now to expect within two or three daies tooke my leaue for that time ANSVVER What prostituted cōscience would so persevere in falsity This must not passe vnconfronted Articles were not promised you It is more then improbable that such experienced discreation and expert resolution should first condemne and sentence and after giue the reason It is neither the custome nor commendation of Iuridicall proceedings His wisdome prevented you in this scandall and told you before many that you most falsly did bely him all may perceiue your spiting spleene to break out in revenge which revenge that you seeke to wreake vpon others will without repentance proue vengeance to your selfe Mr LEECH And now courteous Reader since thou hast seene the proceedings of these mē consider with me whether I haue not iust cause to complaine against them as S. Augustine complained long before against the Donatistical faction Fecerunt quod voluerunt tunc in illâ caecitate Non Iudices sederunt non Sacerdotes de more Quod solent in magnis causis congregati judicare Non accusator reus steterunt in quaestione Non testes documētū quo possent crimē probare Sed Furor Dolus Tumultus qui regnant in falsitate Wherfore I conclude this whole passage with the burthē of that excellent Psalme Omnes qui gaudetis de pace modò verum judicate ANSVVER Consider Christian reader duly ponderat whether a malignant adversary or a repugnāt Controversiary may more truely be portraied then these antecedent proceedings of M. Leech haue most liuely deciphered Malice hath strengthned error error begot heresie and this last brought forth Apostasie The virulence of speech is much in the former chapters Prolog ad 1. sentent the accusation in this Paragraph is the summe of all Lombard well noteth that in such cases fidei defectionem sequitur hypocrisis mendax And I feare me this will proue a remaining disease in the bowels not only of this Triumphant Pamphlet but of any thing that shall come from the same Author It is absurd you should so vnfitly and rudely apply S. Austins verses Fury Deceit and Tumult are the vpholders only of Heretikes And as good Physick misapplied is but poison so good Authorities misvsed though they keep the sense yet loose their reason To your verses so rudely applied in prose we returne S. Chrysostome his speech vpon Genesis Chrysost in Gen. hom 5. Quocirca divinae Scripturae vestigia sequamur neque feramus eos qui temerè quidvis blaterant and this shall bee the resolution of vs to follow the steppes of holy Scripture and not to endure those that rashly babble every thing And if this prose serue not wee returne part of the same Psalme of Austin contra Partem Donati Sacerdotes transmarini possent inde iudicare Quid curritis ad schisma altare contra altare Vt quod postea iudicatum est iam non possetis audire Et à iudicibus vestris cogeremini appellare Dum vultis erroris regnum quoquo modo confirmare You may abuse and accuse your iudges seeing like to the Donatists you appeale from them The clause and aphorisme of the song of S. Austin we receiue and honor our Saviour is the Prince of peace our Gospell the Gospell of peace we are the children of peace and the end of our beleefe is the peace of God that passeth all vnderstanding CHAP. 4. Mr LEECH VVHen S. Paul had appealed vnto the tribunall of Caesar Festus the deputy thought it an vnreasonable thing to send a prisoner vnto his Lord and not to signifie the cause For thus the light of nature could teach an Heathen that in discretiō and in iustice no man should be called into question without a pretence at the least of some speciall crime But see now a Christian Magistrate inferiour vnto an heathen in this behalfe who did not only convent but cōdemne me and never signified the cause which yet could be none other 1. Cor. 7.25 then that which concerned S. Paul himselfe Consilium do c. ANSVVER To whom appealed you whether were you sent Prisoner An idle and dull comparisō And to vse your owne wordes if but the light of nature had taught you any thing your comparison had not beene so rude nor your senses so duld as not to remember what was obiected not as a pretence but as a generall scandall offred not only against authority and the Vniversity but against the law and the truth of God For which you were often convented threatned inhibited now censured Was not the cause signified by Doctor Hutton by the Vicechancelor in your censure and by all that were assistants and dare you say the cause was never signified Was it so and do you deny it Do you deny it in one line in the next say it could be no other then that which concerned S. Paule himselfe Consilium Do wheras it is manifest S. Paul hath not the word Consilium By this you cōfesse the cause of the censure though we deny that ever S. Paul was the cause of your doctrine Mr LEECH Howbeit if he had dealt with me according to the law sparke of sinne he would answer him as he answereth you Avoide Sathan I will worship the Lord my God I abhorre the name of periury I will never sweare but in truth and iudgement and iustice And for that which followeth in this poisōful Paragraph I say that which S. Ierome in the like case counselleth Ierom. prol super Mat. if Shemei barke and snarle at thee contumelious wordes are to bee regarded only as the barking of Dogs And I ende this with the speech of Seneca Men speake evil of him but evil men If Marcus Cato if wise Lelius if Scipio should so speake it would grieue him but when professed slaunderers branded with the indelible marke of falshood and pursued with the fury of feare taught by error tempted by Sathan replenished with vnrighteousnesse and malitiousnesse let it no way grieue goodnesse it selfe Mr LEECH When I perceiued what small conscience he made either of faith in his promise or of equity in his proceedings I desired him with many earnest obtestations that it woulde please him at the least to signifie vnto me now by worde of mouth expresly what that point is for which he had thus punished me to my disgrace and losse And this fauor I hūbly requested at his hands asmuch for the generall as my owne particular satisfaction For many saw the punishment but could not know the cause ANSVVER Is there extant in the worlds greatest volume of history example of such dulnesse and senselesse apprehēsion that when the cause had been ingeminated yea tergeminated so often mentioned yea so often exprobrated and censured that yet you should pleade that you knew not the cause And that without
his Lordship thereof as hee had inioined me in his said letters ANSVVERE MAny offende as much in obtruding themselues as others in retyring especially when their doctrine is vnsounde In this is your condemnation rather then commendation more that you acted the best part with so bad a minde seminare zizaniam as the old Seminary Sathā had done long before You were silenced not for assiduous but erroneous preaching and being desirous to vtter some such point in a more eminent place though wise men hold our Vniuersitie sermons to be as solemne and more censorious then any other in the land you by great meanes obtained letters from some Chaplaine to be sent for to preach a vacation sermon the Common course of which letters was that they passe in name of the Bishop who often knoweth not the men or their worth I must confesse that the Right Reuerend Bishop the Angell of that Church did know your person and your no worth and had bestowed vpon you a Chaplaines place by the earnest suite of some of Reuerend eminent place in Oxford but not for your first sermō as you arrogate His Lordship did not request you at al nor enioin you not to faile your summons as you boast They be the cursary Tearmes of every of those missiue letters Mr LEECH The Vicechancellour getting notice of these summons sent for me immediatly and requested that he might haue a view of the Bishops Letters which in curtesie I then cōmunicated vnto him howbeit I had iust reason to suspect for his countenance expressed much perturbation in his hart that he would plot some meanes to hinder this designment And as in all probability he did coniecture that I would haue constantly asseuered my former doctrine in the greatest audience of the kingdome so I must acknowledge that this was my resolued determination ANSVVER The Reuerend Bishoppe most earnestly required the Vicechancellor to call for those letters and the first notice that he had was from the Bishops owne mouth whereby it is manifest that his Lordship sent no such letters nor knew of them at first for he was so earnest with his worthy successor that in a zealous vehemencie hee desired that vpon his comming home to Christ-Church you might be expelled grieving he had beene a meanes to giue any encouragement to any so stubborn disobedient ignorant The letters being demanded by the Bishop it was not curtesie as you cal it but duty to communicate or rather to render vp those letters There was no perturbation expressed by the faithfully zealous in this wisely iealous Goueror he only grieved that such a shame was like by your scandall to be imputed to Oxford Howsoever what he did in this was by the direction yea obsecration of that Reuerend Bishop of London And durst you intēd againe to presūe to appeare I say not in the face of mē but in the sight of God to deliver a doctrine so confuted so cōdemned for preaching of which you were twise inhibited censured silenced This determination as you cal it came not from God no motion of his spirit But the truth is this how ever you brag here you avowed with all earnestnes and the most eager protestations imprecations against your selfe that if you might bee suffered this time to preach at the Crosse you woulde neither preach this nor any point of controuersie Mr LEECH But Master D. King fearing least with so publike a promulgation of this truth I shoulde also blazon his shame which now neither Oxford nor London nor our divided world it selfe shall containe within hir limits handled the matter so by his policie and authority that my Lord of London through his misinforming suggestions countermaunded the former by second letters discharging me from the performance of that duty And now Maister Vicechancellor thought that he had not only inconvenienced me but also secured himselfe ANSVVER Had the inke that wrote this been mixed with the poison of spiders it could not haue beene more venemous then this is malitious I grieue to thinke how little in this booke doth savor of a Minister nay of a Christiā What son of Zerviah can vtter more reproachfull shamefull speeches And what roapes can be vsed to drawe downe more speedy vengeance vpon your head then these false accusations against him that is true of heart He to feare his shame whose conscience is murus ahaeneus Hee receiue any disparagement from the mouth of any railer that by reviling of the most bright fixed starres in the firmamēt of our Church hath manifested an infallible demonstration of his degenerous and degenerate minde Shall not Oxford and London or the divided world only containe the promulgation of this I will not iniure Scripture but I hope I may safly apply that speech of Christ to the woman and therefore to counterblast your vnsavory breath I say wheresoeuer the Gospell shall be preached mention shall be made of him no way but in honor for the cleerenesse of iudgemēt sweetnesse of stile gravity of person grace of conversation and true hearted soundnesse in religion let them al backbiting Dogges spit out livor liuer and heart and all For what Erasmus spake of Prudētius shall be true of him Ibis quovis seculo inter Doctos Prudenti There was no suggestion vsed by the Vicechancelour against you it was the Bishops owne motion and earnest impetrature who also in his second letters manifested his reasons of disliking and disabling you for that service Mr LEECH For this end and purpose also he repaired then vnto a Doctor of principall place and eminent worth a man not vnder any if not over all with whom he intertained long discourse touching the Doctrine of Evangelicall Counsailes complaining that in Oxforde it had beene lately broached and obstinatly defended And now I pray you good Sir said he what is your opinion concerning this point ANSVVER To this Reverend Deane he was with many other Doctors invited to dinner he repaired not to him as to a Coūsellor in this businesse as you falsely enforme The worth and eminency of this Oracle of Textuall Schoole divinity is acknowledged with reverēce but from his owne mouth I haue received it that he protesteth against you in this imputation absolutely denying that the Vicechancellor ever asked counsell or opinion of him Only among many other discourses at Table this questiō was repeated but not debated Besides this false imputation here it is confessed by you that you obstinately defended the point and obstinacy is offensiue whatsoever the defence be Mr LEECH Here by the way giue me leaue good Reader to propose two things vnto thy discreet consideration First that D. King either had no knowledge at al or not well groūded in that point wherein he condemned me by violence of authority and not by force of reason Secondly that as I suffered with a good conscience so hee punished mee with an evill For I had not the least scruple nor
diffidence in this point All testimonies divine humane of God and of his Church did firmely establish me therein And therefore though I conferred with many learned men vpon the same yet I never demaunded of any man by way of doubt Sir What is your opinion c. but I alwaies said This is the Doctrine of all the Fathers this is the iudgement of the whole Church it is founded vpon sacred Scripture c. will you stand to it or will you disclaime it wherevpon I commonly receiued this answere the doctrine is true in it selfe though not seasonable for these times But Master D. King hauing not any such certainty of infallible grounds could not but fluctuate in the instability of his private iudgement ANSVVER VVhich two proposed coÌ„siderations be both false How can any indifferent Reader looke vpoÌ„ your lines with any other entertainement but contempt first you accuse Doctor King to want well grouÌ„ded knowledge whoÌ„ your conscience knoweth to be profound ready and resolute in all faculties in all studies in all learning was not the force of reason vsed as the meanes to coÌ„vert you when a solemne lecture was read vpoÌ„ the point was not the TeneÌ„t of our Church shewed you were not disputations many times offred you and did not the Doctors that assisted at the convention of you catechise you so farre as they founde you not able to answer what the church was what faith was what the rule and Canon was c was this violence of Authority or force of reason Violence did not appeare in authority against you never was wilde fire so quietly quenchâ—d nor open mouthed aduersary so favourably handled so movingly incited or so fully confuted Your secoÌ„dly is twin with the former only the limmes be greater Did he punish you with an evill conscience you suffred with a good Or you suffered with an evill and he censured you with a good You say you had not the least scruple of diffidence or distrust in this point Doubting in some causes is commeÌ„dable it is the meanes to sift and fanne try the wheat of truth froÌ„ the chaffe of error What mist had veiled and invelloped that eie sight that sawe not the monstrous absurdities of this point But you say all Testimonies are for you divine humane c. Your Testimonies haue beene pervsed and in them there is nothing worthie to commande affection or beliefe God and his Church I am sure certitudine fidei be against you and this I am established in that Gods law is not wanting nor imperfect craveth not the assistance and support of CouÌ„sels God vseth not second editions with supplemeÌ„ts he hath set forth no other Deuteronomy In your conference with many I beleeue you traduce many for I knowe that some that you had personall though not doctrinal fauor from do for ever disclaime any honest thought of you Were any common measure of hatred fit for a revolter I shoulde haue hoped that you would forbeare your slanders against many but your heate and hate do both conspire to make them subiect to interpretation who are most opposite to your opinion I dare pronounce it that no one of iudgemeÌ„t learning sound Religion did giue you that answere that here you deliver I haue beene bolde to enquire of your questions with some of very worthy respect and they disclaime the countenance and mainetenance of your opinion you know you were so repressed from preaching this Doctrine that while a Reverende and learned Doctor of publike respect and place in the Church and private goverment in the Vniversity remained here you durst not deliuer this but in the time of his attendance and absence in Convocation busines then you began to settle your selfe vnsettle truth Traduce none nor gull the world as if any affirmed your doctrine to be true All the learned in the world can not make sense of that which you by your written coppy deliuered where your literall meaning is often so poore that it can reach no sense and your mysticall so transcendent that no sense can reach it Truth is seasonable at all times and only enimies of truth will at any time suppresse it Falsifie no mans speech This slaunder coÌ„meth from no good spirit The well rooted resolution of the Vicechancelour anchored him his grouÌ„ds had certainty if Scripture containe it hee had truth infallibility his iudgement was not privat his certainty did not fluctuate Iude. 11. 2. Pet. 2.17 S. Iude doth attribute this to Apostats and S. Peter describeth them to be clowdes without water carried about with a tempest to whom the blacknesse of darknesse is reserved for ever Mr LEECH To returne now vnto the conference of M. Vicechancellor with the aforesaid Doctour he received a cold satisfaction vnto his hot demaund For the Doctour wondering that any difficulty should be made in this matter answered presently without any demur there are Evangelicall Counsailes and no doubt can be made thereof And what was thinke you Doctour Kings reply vnto this graue and confident assertion Did he dispute against it no he could not Did hee gainsay it no he durst not Thus the renowned pulpit-Doctor that could domineere over his poore inferiour censure him depraue him vilifie him with intolerable reproaches such as he feared not to vtter but I am ashamed to mentioÌ„ stoode mute not daring to disclose his opinioÌ„ which he could not iustifie by any waight of reason ANSVVER To returne to your most vntrue relation As before so againe I answere that the Vicechancelour did not doubt of the doctrine he manifested no haesitation he sought no satisfactioÌ„ The discourse was at dinner where neither argument was vrged nor any suffrage of iudgement required the allowance of the distinction being graunted by this reverend Deane what followeth therevpon Dare you conclude therefore that your doctrine was true The other sister and famous Vniversity hath had much experience of his rare dexterity in cleering the obscure subtilties of the Schoole and easie explication of the most perplexe discourses And not only he but others haue graunted such a distinction for distinctions bee but intentions they are signarerum non res signatae Many graunt Counsells that doe as much hate your opinion as you hate our Religion And how different froÌ„ your Tenent this learned Doctor is doth appeare in the sequele of this Chapter But first to your interrogation or rather your imaginary supposition The Vicechancelour needed not to dispute it nor meant to gainesay it For howsoever properly there bee no Evangelicall Counsells so he doth and ever did maintaine yet he never denied such a distinction repreheÌ„ding the consequents positions you grounded therevpon rather then the name of Counsels In scorne you call him the renowned Pulpit Doctor a Title generally worthily bestowed vpon him for who ever saw him without reverence or hard him without wonder Yet you heape so many obloquies vpon him that I marvell your soule doth not
breake with the burden Did hee domineere over you whose care did pitty you and if in any thing he be partiall it is to his enemy Did he vilifie you who received many slanders many scandals nay many bitter imprecations O bloody against him and his And yet hated to pay these privat wrongs with the advantage of his publike office Was he mute who was as able and resolute in the Point as any whatsoever if you suffer your lawlesse Tōgue to walk through the dangerous Pathes of such false conceited suppositions Each eare will be weary of you you at lēgth weary of your selfe Mr LEECH Now if Doctor King will stand in denial hereof or any other be in doubt of my report I protest in the faith of a Catholique man that I write this from the immediate relation of the Doctor himselfe vnto whom I was ledde by the conduct of my good Angell Farther I am so well perswaded of his resolute iudgement and honest heart that I dare boldly say Doctor King shall never be able to procure his subscription against this doctrine ANSVVERE I will not bandy oathes with you but in the religion and faith and truth of a Christian I doe protest that from the immediate and proper personall speech and mouth of this monument of learning I receiued these circumstances following to satisfie all that see how you traduce him You came to enquire his opinion concerning the point as you falsly traduced D. King in the former Paragraphs and receiued this answere The distinction of Counsells may be vsed so that hence merit perfection or supererogation be not taught for this is erroneous Popish To which answere you replied that the Fathers were absolute for that point His wisedome sounding the depth of you and finding that your collectiō of the Fathers was but at the second hand blamed you much shewing how herein any may bee seduced and further told you plainely how worthy you were of censure and how vnworthy to deale in controversie that so impudently would assume authorities out of Bellarmin or any other Papist With these and other such goads as Salomon calleth the words of the wise Eccl. 11.11 you were prickt that you departed much discontented because all his words tended to condemne your iudgement yeelding no iot of encouragement as here you bragge And howsoever there needeth not so great meanes to convince your ignorant impudency as to seeke subscription from any for that which God himselfe hath subscribed yet I returne your owne wordes I am not only persuaded but I am sure such is the riches of his learning he is in argument so powerfull in knowledge so plentifull in truth so faithfull that he denieth defieth the least maintenance of the point and that all the meanes of the world shall not obtaine approbation from him of those Popish doctrines and consequences that you preached And this you might haue observed by his speech But the deaf Adder will not here charme the Charmer never so wisely CHAP. 6. Mr LEECH AS I alwaies had comfort in my wrongs because I suffred for righteousnesse sake so I conceiued good hope that the superiour Magistrate would rectifie the proceedings of his inferiour Wherefore being oppressed with the iniuries of the Vicechancellour I appealed vnto the Archbishop thinking that his house had beene as Hierusalem when iustice and iudgement were lodged therein Being admitted into his Graces presence I vnfoulded the whole processe of this busines acquainting him first with the doctrine which I had preached Secondly with the groundes and reasons wherevpon I built the same Thirdly with the entertainement which it and I for it had found within the vniversity of Oxford ANSVVERE PErsecution for righteousnesse sake is pronounced blessed but neither were you persecuted nor your cause righteous Your Appeale was needlesse causelesse your offence being cēsured not by rigor but favour of the proceedings You fled frō the Vicechancellour to the Chancellor but the higher the worse like Phaetō here you burnt your wings and received your fall The Asylum of iustice and iudgement you found in the Archbishops house but you iniure all you deale with Your admittance was an apparance and at your declaration what circumstances passed all tending to your disgrace I omit In your third you confessed how generall the mislike of this doctrine was in Oxford Mr LEECH The maine summe of his answere consisted in these two particulars First that he must defend the estimatiō of his Vicechancellour of whom a good opinion was generally conceiued Secondly that the Text of S. Math. commonly alleaged for that purpose doth not afford the doctrine of Evangelicall Counsailes 19. 21. vade vende omnia c. And here his Grace falling into Calvins false and absurd exposition said that our Saviour doth not here giue any Counsaile of Poverty but only dismasked the hypocrisie of the young man being a proud boasting Pharisee c. ANSVVER First that it is the care of superiour Magistrates to defend the estimation of their deputies Piety in many causes and Policie in all doth command but then especially when the eie of the world doth beholde the integrity and dignity of the Governor Secondly it was not only Calvins exposition that this young man did maske vnder a vaile of hypocrisie but as I formerly shewed Hilary Hierom Ambrose Austin Theophylact and Beda doe all concurre in this opinion and therefore the Epithets of false and absurd belong not to Calvins interpretation Mr LEECH My whole reply was that as I sought not the impeachment of his Vicechancellours credit farther then he had wronged it himselfe by his indirect proceedings so if I could not make my accusations good against him I would be contēt to sustaine my former punishment with a greater augmentation ANSVVER How you sought the impeachment of the Vicechancellours credit and how many breaches you sought to make for invasion into the generall honorable reputation of him the former passadges doe testifie Your accusations what how many and how faulty they were I haue examined but had you bin so observant as you professe your iourney had been spared and the businesse ended at Oxford where your doctrine had beene brought to the touch and test and ballance by disputation Mr LEECH As for the text of S. Matth. I expounded it by Saint Marke who saith that Christ beholding the young man loued him which loue of Christ did cleere him from all suspition of hypocrisie and dissimulation Besides I humbly intreated his Grace to remit himselfe and me vnto the generall consent of Antiquitie in this matter ANSVVER The Text of S. Matthew compared with S. Marke doe both ioine to afford that interpretation which is proued true in my answere to your Sermon Pag. 176. that Christ loved that which he saw good in him and yet did descrie the covetousnesse of him And for your request to his Grace to remit you to Antiquity compare Ierom and Austin Theophylact c. with Basill and
your place or faculty to preach That being most true which you falsely apply of Iehu and Ioram while the fornications of Iezabell and the abominations of Babell were mainetained by you no peace to be kept with you Isay 48.22 God commandeth it There is no peace to the wicked saith God Mr LEECH Wherefore after signification of my thankful minde to his Lordship who now vouchsafed in some sort to commiserat my vniust vexations I answered that I had greater respect of the cause for which I suffered then of the punishment which I did sustaine assuring M. Barkham that restitution vnto my place was not the principall part of my desire For as God did require of me the constant iustification of his eternall truth so I coulde not but require it also at their hands who by their function as Ministers and dignity as Bishops were specially obliged therevnto ANSVVER His Grace commiserated your stubborn opposition but never iudged your iust punishment vniust vexation The respect you had of the cause was more then your respect of God truth faith peace or conscience If restitutiō to your place was not the chiefest of your desires what was Was it your desire of conquest and victory that your individual sentence should haue overswayed the iudgement definitiue resolution of so many so wise and learned Iudges It is impietie to averre that God did require the iustification of this truth by you Truth it is not to be iustified it was not by all the proceedings it is manifest that God by the mediatiō mouth of his Magistrates approveth it not The function and dignity of your iudges did yeeld you all equity though you continue your accusations and supercilious detractions against them Mr LEECH Whereas he pressed me farther with motiues of profit and that I hindered the course of my preferment by contending against the authority of Magistrates who as he said must stand one with another my reply was to this effect that I desired not to rise where truth must fall vertue is the path to Honor Heavē must not be lost for earth the plenty of riches doth not recompence the emptines of the soule a good conscience is a continuall feast ANSVVER These motiues of profit and preferment if they were vsed are subordinate to the motiue of sauing your soule These can neither repaire nor empaire those directing inciting comforts that come from aboue The contentments that the world cā afford are but weake and momentary but the ambition of preferment in heauen is the holy resolution making a true Christian firme and square You hindred your selfe in your worldly heauenly course in cōtending with religious Authority And howsoever you professe you made vertue the path to honour yet this is proued contrary for you refused the best of vertues Lombard quadruplex conscientia your religion And though a good conscience be a continuall feast yet Lombard and others distinguish of conscience that as a good conscience may be troubled so an evill conscience may bee so quieted that it thinkes it selfe good Mr LEECH As for the Magistrates I reverenced their persons and honoured their places knowing that their power is from God but designed for the preservatiō of his truth which if I impugned let them strik mee with the sworde of Iustice but if they withstood it yet I must defend it with courage Ecclus 4. as also I shall suffer for it with patience For I alwaies had the counsaile of the wise man before mine eies Striue for the Truth vnto death c. ANSVVER Had you considered duly that not only their power is from God Rom. 13.2.4 as Paul speaketh but as hee addeth hee that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receiue to themselues condemnation giving the reason for hee beareth not the sworde in vaine your respect had beene more to thē if you had thus remembred the dignity from God giuen them Courage is then good when a good cause and a good conscience meet But to be couragious in defence of any adulterine proposition that hath not radicall truth it is condemned and wil be punished Acts are to be measured by desires desires by integrity And had you had God alwaies before your eies you had not been so Apocryphally wife in your owne eies Mr LEECH Which resolution in me though it sorted not with his liking nor yet perhapps was expected from a poore oppressed scholler whom his vncharitable adversaries had determined either to bowe or breake yet hee importuned me at the least to see his Lord and not to neglect his favorable inclination to doe me good ANSVVER Poore and lame and slack arguments cannot enforce resolution in the will or settle information in the vnderstanding All the connexions and all your concoxions out of Coccius had not this nutritiue power to nourish your conscience to such a strength of resolution But some other vnrevealed cause there is which only the searcher of all hearts knoweth Reprehension is not oppression nor had you any vncharitable adversaries they are adversaries to all vncharitablenesse they meant to direct straighten you not to bow much lesse to breake Some vpon whom you seemed to relie most in Oxford haue protested that they had proceeded in the same or a more strict course against you if the censure had passed their hands Mr LEECH Wherevpon I made a shew that I would shortly visit his Grace And this I did because I did probably collect that my intention was by some meanes disclosed vnto him whereby I might be defeated of that course vpon which I was now wholly resolved For me thought that God did speake within my heart as he spake sometimes vnto Abraham his seruant Goe forth of thy land Gen. 12.1 and from thy kindred and from thy fathers house and come into the land which I shall shew vnto thee For can any Church or any faith be in that land where the very grounds and principles of ancient Christianity are dissolved where there is no certaine foundation to build Religion vpon Where every mans power is his reason to make good his doctrine Where an iniury sustained for the truth can finde no redresse without treasonable connivencie to see the truth oppressed ANSVVER This was Aequivocation in speech and action neither honest but both common among Papists S. Austin condemned the Priscilianists for this and so other Fathers haue reproved this lying mummery hypocrisie Sepulueda de Ration dicēdi testimon Et de ratione dicendi occulta in praefat Azor. Ies Inst par 1. l. 11. c. 4. in fine cap. Emanuel Sa. in Aphor. And not only Scotus Aquinas Henricus Gabriell Biell are resolute against it as Sepulveda witneseth but also Iesuits themselues haue reproued it as Azorius Emanuell Sa and others You began to equivocate timely I doubt not but you haue increased it The reason of making this hypocriticall shew was lest you should be defrauded
as Hereticall for which Act S Ierom himselfe was much condemned and how his bookes against Iovinian were excepted against even at Rome D. Field sheweth in the place cited by you Whose words which you propose so disgracefully are better worth the pondering then you thinke Our determination state of that question is this breefly virginity is a state of life wherein if all things be answerable in the parties that embrace it there are fewer occasions of distractions from God and more opportunities of attaining to the height of excellēt vertue then in the opposite state of marriage yet so that it is possible for some married men so to vse their estate that they be no way inferiour to those that are single This doth S. Austin confidently defend so your Iesuit Espencaeus as before and so also Gregory Nazianzen absolutly doth proue it Nazianz. in his Oration made in the praise of Gorgonia his sister I might stand much in proofe of this as also that the olde Roman Church did defend and maintaine the cause of Iovinian But I haue in many places already answered this accusatiō and therefore I retort vpon you that seeing your imputations be furnished with malice spite rather then truth and spirit my sixt resolution is to acknowledge with thankfulnesse duty comfort the truth of God defended in this Church of England from whence rather out of a desire to maligne thē out of strength of argument to repugne you are fallen by contumacy in action and heresie in opinion Mr LEECH The seauenth Motiue The Protestants accommodate their Religion vnto the state and present time AS the formes of Ecclesiasticall gouernments are varied by the Calvinists in sondry places according vnto the state vnder which they liue so their Doctrines are framed according to the times and made sutable vnto the policy of their common wealths Pipe state and dance Church Religion must haue no coat otherwise then measure is taken by the State Aiust experience whereof I had in the passage of this businesse For as the more grosse and senselesse Calvinists in England do Heretically confound Evangelicall Counsailes with Legall Precepts so others more regardfull of the time wherein they liue then of the truth which they should professe doe willingly yeeld for if they should doe otherwaies they should speake against their iudgement and conscience that this distinctiō is founded in the gospell and propounded by the Church but they say that it is not a doctrine seasonably to bee delivered in these times And might not this statizing reason aswell plead for Arrius his damnable Heresie being more generally disaffected by the state in those times Contra Lucifer dum totus mundus ingemuit sub Arrianismo as S. Hierom speaketh But I considered first that truth is not to be impugned suppressed is the common fury of Calvinists hath euer sought to extinguish it to the vttermost of their power in which respect I found my selfe extraordinarily affected for the reiection of their heresie in this behalfe And I trust it was not without speciall motion of that spirit which breatheth in the whole body of the Catholike church and consequently in every member of the same Secondly though time beare the blame yet men are in the fault therfore seeing that the opē enemies of truth did barke when her secret friends did holde their peace I conceived that it was my duty rather to change the time from evill into good then to suffer it to grow from evill in to worse And though some men assisted with power to punish that which their peevish fansie disaffected did beare me downe by violence yet I tooke no lesse comfort by this iniurie which they offred vnto me thē courage by the course which they held against my doctrine For I saw that they rather observed prophane policie to force me vnto silence then either shew of iustice or piety in proceeding against my falsely supposed crime or waight of reason in convincing my vnderstanding And why they are the slaues of time but not disciples of truth ANSVVER HOw true this imputation vrged against vs is in the Romane Religiō some parts of the Christian world see and others feele it Leo that kinsman of the roaring Lyon when he was about to go in visitation to his infernall cosen confessed how much worth to his purse fabula Christi that tale of Christ was as he blasphemously called the gospell And is it any better esteemed at this day among Papists at lest haue they not enioined tales and fables and lies to bee beleeved as well as the Gospell Indulgences and Purgatory to go no farther be they not only invented to get mony doth the Pope ever keepe fire but he hath his fuell from Purgatory Is not this doctrine of Monkery only invēted to humor divers melācholike fat paūches If our land were a poore Coūtrey the Pope would never keep such a stirre it is not to gaine souls but Peter pence And to sum vp all in one word all religion depends on the Popes pleasure That as in the Metaphysickes the vtmost proposition is Nihil simul est non est so in Popish divinity the vtmost resolution is Papa non potest errare Wherefore Bellarmine holdeth Question of Supremacy which all the world seeth to be but a matter of Policie Bellarm. in praef ad 3 cōtrovers to be summam rei Christianae who then are the statizers To say nothing of your Iesuits that manage al the affaires of those Princes in whose Courts like Salomons Spiders they remaine Our Religion is the same which the Apostles did teach was in practise in the Primitiue Church happy is the state in which this true Religion flourisheth your distinction of Precepts and Counsels hath beene sufficiently cāvased and you haue been taught in what sense wee retaine the name of Counsell and that S. Austin calleth your Consilia perfectionis Aug. lib. de perfect iustitiae ad coelestinum praecepta perfectionis It is a slander by which you seek to deceiue by your speech of accusing any of our part as if they did professe that your doctrine was true but not seasonable for these times We hold that all places and all times must entertaine truth and therfore your first collection is false Calvinists extinguish not truth Rome doth racke burne torture the Gospell and the truth therof but we feare the punishmēt of sinning against conscience and knowledge if wee should suppresse but the lest truth we behold it with an impartiall eie we represse not the professors but adversaries thereof of which number you were accounted one Your second Collection which hath more sound then sense is easily refuted time beareth no blame for truth secret enemies may looke against her open friendes but wisdome will bee iustified and though Sathan seek to sow bad seed in good ground yet the Lords busbandmen sleepe not but will reforme ill by good refute that is false
owne fellowes as this the advantage is small to take vp a tearme of contumely from any hot-brained railer to cast vpon the name of this Angell of his Church Your Paradoxes did not passe vnnoted both because of the rudenesse of the delivery of them the vnaptnesse of the tearmes as also your ignorance that as you would not truely preach as a Protestant so you knewe not how neatly to play the Papist All of any note noted your absurdity and insufficiencie either to shew yourselfe a friend or an enemie You aske why this distinction was so hatefull I answere the distinction so vsed as the Fathers interpreted was not denied but the cōsequēces of it as you vrged it were harmefull therefore hatefull Not because so many of our Religion be married for howsoever marriage is a most honorable state how many hundreds in our Vniversity haue consecrated themselues to God in the Ministrie that abhorre your opinion and yet be not matched or married but the cause of the contempt and loathing of the Doctrine is that it was derogatory to the law of God to the Church of God to the sonn of God a doctrine that hath bewitched many and led them Captiues into the habitation of darknesse the Cell or Hell of blindnesse a doctrine whose roote is heresie whose trunk vncommanded privacie whose branches be infidelity against truth violating the law contemning the Precept whose leaues be pertinacity hypocrisie whose fruits be idlenesse drowsinesse filthinesse This is the cause of the suppressing and choaking of this and such continuing weeds of heresie that seek growth in our Church no other cause of pleasure or profit God and his Angells be witnesses They that haue sould themselves to worke wickednes with greedinesse looking for the reward of Balaams wages are ready to resist all truth and if it fall within compasse of their itching humor willing to get a name will be the Patrons of bewitching error And therefore here I fasten my right constant determination to avoid that religion that corrupteth the knowledge with blindnesse and the heart with hardnesse Mr LEECH The ninth Motiue The Protestants doe vnconscionably impugne the knowne and manifest truth SInce the controversies of Religion are many in number and intricate in nature it was my desire from the beginning of my paines in the study of sacred Theology to finde out the true Church that so I might referre my selfe vnto her decision and rest within her bosome For which cause I wholly employed my selfe in turning ouer the volums of the ancient Fathers and whatsoever I found clearely expressed by their vniforme testimony I accepted that according to Vincentius his rule as the iudgement of the Church Among other Doctrines which seeme Popish vnto the new Evangelists I receiued this particular from their instruction so clearly taught so conformably witnessed so iointly approued that if the grounds of Religion be not vncertaine then this Doctrine is absolutely free from all exception And for proofe hereof I remit me vnto the sētences of the Fathers wherewith I thought it meete to conclude this discourse Wherefore since they that glory in the Fathers wāt neither wit nor learning for this matter doe impugne this doctrine and punish her professours how can I think that they doe not fight against their conscience and reasō And how can I thinke that any truth will finde entertainement at their hands when this truth so potent so irrefragable is thus fondly reiected by my Calvinian iudges But whome haue they condemned me a brother somtimes of their gospell a graduat of their schooles a Minister of their Church No but in me and with mee reverend Antiquity the gray headed Fathers the venerable Doctors yea holy scripture it selfe is censured by my vnworthy iudges Wherefore as Ieremiah See Apolog. Iusti Calvin pag. 11. 12. the Patriarch of Constantinople wrote vnto the Lutherans so may I testifie and proclaime vnto these men The ancient divines who were the light of the Church you intreate at your owne pleasure honouring and extolling them in wordes but reiecting them in deed endeauoring to shake them out of our hands whose holy and divine testimonies we should vse against you We see that you will never submit your selues vnto the truth Finally as the Patriarch concludeth that hee will haue no entercourse with the Lutherans forasmuch as hee is taught by S. Paul to avoid an heretike after the first or second admonition so I being persecuted by men of this condition am bound to a void them knowing as S. Paul speaketh that such as they are condemned by their owne iudgements ANSVVER THE controversies in Religion are many hence great alterations haue beene moved in Europe great changes through the world Controversies were in abundance raised by the infection of the smoake of the bottomlesse pit divers armies of Hereticks vanquished by the Reverend fathers yet al these as if but half dead are againe revived by Antichrist only this is the difference the former Heretikes were cōfuted because they opposed the fathers these later wiser in their generatiō seeke to confute all other that oppose them by the Fathers Each man among them at first asketh the way to the Church no Church can serue them but Rome that is their parish Church all other but Chappels they obserue not the alteration of many Christian nations from the sea of Rome or the occasion of this revolt the declination of that sea from the sincerity of the faith and the vnspeakeable corruption thereof Which seperatiō was made vpō these two groūds first because Rome did persecute the professors of this reformatiō with al bloody massacres secōdly because that Antichristian sea would admit no reformation of her corruptiōs but grew vncurable according to that of the Prophet We would haue cured Babilon but shee would not be healed And such hath beene the growth of this Reformation the Lords most holy name for ever be praised that the Church hath recovered more health in one age then shee had lost in two and the Romane Synagogue left infected as that it hath not only drunke the cup of all others abominations but breedeth heresies in it selfe inwardly and hath received such poysons by ambition such corruptions by want of reformation and such indelible markes of Antichrist by continuall persecution outwardly as now it is made plaine to all the world shee is not the Church But the Question of the church you aske of the fathers It is a worthy speech of Iob aske the fathers and they shall tell thee but how vnhappy is hee that perverteth all he readeth or that stomacke that turneth all into poisō that it receiveth you say you bestowed your whole time in turning over the volumes of the Fathers you did turne them indeed frō their meaning it was no more cōmēdable thē the cōtinuall praying of the Eutichae or the cōtinual reading of the Pharisies the one without care senselesse the other without knowledge fruitlesse and both superstitions
Vincentius rule is twice already interpreted and without any further answer to your clamarous repetitions interrogations You received not this point iointly from the fathers The Latin fathers how ever they retaine vpon mistake of S. Paul the word Counsel yet haue no part of your meaning the Greeke are so far from your meaning that they had not so much as the word They therfore that impugne your doctrin do it not vntruly or vnconscionably nor haue condēned you as a brother a graduat or a Minister but because you were a false brother and betraied truth and in your degrees like the Sun that went many degrees backward that in your ministry you were disobediēt you were no better then a Minister of Sathan to buffet the eares of Gods servantes with heresies and in a stubborne opposition contradiction you did repugne Authority and orders stoode out against the Iudges and Magistrates that confuted and censured you And how could you professe such reverence to the fathers you knew not when you were so opposite to your natural fathers as this is your Country Academicall fathers as this is your Vniversity spiritual fathers as this is Aust 48. epist your Church We answer your Patriarke with Saint Austin in his 48. epistle Audi dicit Dominus non dicit Donatus aut Rogatus aut Vincentius aut Hilarius aut Ambrosius aut Augustinus sed dicit Dominus We honor the fathers and where they bring Dicit dominus our eares and harts be open to entertaine them And as S. Austin vsing the same words which your Patriarch doth both vsing the words of Scripture Haereticū devita so this is my 9. irrefragable position to avoid that Religion which claimeth but hath no Antiquitie and only hath though it confesseth it not the most absurd and ridiculous Novelty for mainetenance of their positions Mr LEECH The tenth Motiue The Protestants for want of better meanes to convince the Catholiques propose vnto them questions of capitall daunger I haue often heard the Catholiques cōplaine that where as they are persecuted for righteousnes sake for their Religion yet they are traduced with the crime of obstinacy disobedience treason and such like odious imputations But aboue the rest their iust griefe arising from vniust vexations did seeme to deserue great compassion forasmuch as their life and liuelyhood is alwaies in the mercie of a most vnmercifull law touching Reconciliation and the Supremacie matters of high and capitall nature Touching the later of these two I can say more Doctor Aray because the bloudy hart of a Calvinist did seeke my ruine and subversion thereby For whereas in my sermons I continually gaue this stile vnto his excellent Maiestie viz in all causes and aboue al persons for iustice and iudgmēt supreme Head and Governour the Calvinist suspecting me not to stand throughly affected to the kings Supremacy according to the purport of the law whereby his Maiestie hath as much spirituall Iurisdiction as ever the Pope de facto had in England and 26. Henr. 8. chap. I. I. Edward 6.1 Elizab. See these things excellently discoursed by a Cath. divine against the 5. part of Sir Ed. Cookes Reportes by vertue of his saide supremacie power of Excommunication is graunted by the Lord Chancellour vnto the Delegates vpon Appeales from the Archbishop of Canterbury his courts wished M. Vicechancellour to examine me vpon this point and to require my opinion therein Which severity though it was then declined yet if that other Calvinist had beene in office as lately he was al mē may easily conceiue into what extremity of perill I had beene cast For though I ever did and shall attribute that right vnto his Maiestie which by the law temporal not dissenting frō law divine is annexed vnto his imperiall crown yet I must confesse that I did purposely moderate his title of Supremacie as the law hath established it because I alwaies conceived that the stile of Defensor fidei given vnto the Crowne of England by the Pope did more properly belong vnto him then the other which was translated from the Pope vnto the Crowne by the violence of a King and by the flattery of his subiects And if Doctor Airay had made a cōscience of his Masters iudgement he would rather haue condescended vnto the equity of my opinion then sought to draw my life into the certainety of such a danger But these men are so possessed with malice and adulation that they rather desire to satisfie their owne passions and to winne favour from their Superiours then to speak or doe according to the truth which pleadeth for it selfe within their corrupt hearts and dayly accuseth them before the throne of greatest iustice ANSVVER MAny complaine without a cause as the ful bellied Monks so fatte that they coulde scarsely breath yet cry Heu quāta patimur pro Christo The Protestants never persecuted your Religion but for the vnrighteousnes therof The mulct was inflicted for Popish opinion but execution never was threatned for Religion The oath of supremacy required is not as you treacherously cal it a most vnmercifull law if it were not required it were an vnwise vniust mercy Your accusation so vncharitable as to tearme him bloody who in his governement hath beene meeke as Moses nay in heavy iniuries cast vpō him hath beene as meeke as a Lambe and not opened his mouth I would you were as farre from bloodthirsting as his hart was frō the desire of your bloodshedding But if you remember the particulars as they bee discussed in my answer Pag. 262. it was most seasonable to sound how you stood affected to the kings Maiesty when you denied your faith and appealed from your Church The rather because in your Prayer you often left out the words supreame Head and Governor For howsoever you infer that you vsed all that belongeth to the Supremacie in acknowledging his most excellent Maiesty to be supreame Head and Governour in all causes and aboue all persons for iustice and iudgement yet seeing in the forme of the oath prescribed vnto al you were in particular bound vtterly to testifie declare in your Conscience that the Kings Highnesse is the only supreame Gouernor of this Realme and of all other his Highnesse dominions and countries as well in spirituall or Ecclesiasticall things or causes as Tēporall you ought for the avoidance of this suspition to haue spoken cleerely and plainely I knowe there be some that vse such manner of speech in their publike prayers for his Maiestie yet their forme is much more consonant to the required forme then yours is And howsoeuer Salomon was placed on his throne for iustice and iudgement as the Queene of Sheba told him and Doctor Raynolds in the end of the Preface to Harts Conference 1. Reg. 10.9 affirmeth that the Lords Annointed are the higher powers ordained to execute iustice and iudgement yet ever these words haue beene interpreted to containe not only ius Politicum
the 50. Paragraph of his way to the true Church doth proue And that we haue had the assistance of Councels in al ages to make laws against such positions witnesse the Greek Church against Bonif. his Supremacie the 6. generall Councell decreeing the marriage of Priests the generall Councell of Constantinople vnder Leo Isamus against Images the Councell of Constantinople vnder Constantine Capronymus of Franckford vnder Charles the great the second Nicene Councel and many others This doctrin of yours was repugned by doctrinall and legall authority and without reiecting of the fathers we reiected your Doctrines we maintaine that they never received it with Arrians or Donatists wee reiect not the fathers All that shall see the premises will witnesse that you were dealt with legally according to the statuts of our Vniuersity for the breach of that order which inhibited you to forbeare preaching this doctrine againe as also you were censured Canonically for infrindging that Canon made against the publicke oppositions of Preachers Your Pope Syricius and his Councell taxe no position that we hold if Ambrose had any more then what Doctor Benefield hath fully satisfied you had before this produced it Sathan was at your elbow when you wrote that hereticall imputation of singular pride and therefore you are culpable of iudgement if not of further punishment Stand to your promise come backe confesse repent retract if you be not convinced by truth which stirreth in your conscience and moaneth that you haue so repressed her then for ever forget the name of any thing but Hereticke Otherwise this shall be my 11. Motiue to abhorre that Religion that doeth so possesse any that they grow resolute in evill actiōs peremptory in talking fastidious in hearing hard-harted in obeying hypocriticall in professing the worde of God Mr LEECH The twelfth Motiue The superiour Magistrates amongst the Protestants concurre with their subordinates to suppresse the truth and to oppresse the patrones thereof against all equity and conscience Though there be a very neere connexion betwixt the superiour and inferiour Magistrate yet since all Magistracie is ordained for the conservation of truth and iustice aswell in the Church as in the common wealth nay much more in the first then in the second it is very requisite that the superiour shoulde yeelde redresse where the inferior hath done a wrong and that rather respecting the cause then the persons hee should minister equity vnto both with an impartill hand For which consideration when my petty iudges had oppressed me according to their owne humours and passions I appealed vnto my Lord of Canterbury his Grace in regard of his Academicall soveraignty over me and them being our honourable Chancellour and much more in respect of his Archiepiscopall dignity he being the Primat of our Church perswading my felfe also that as he is more high in place so he would haue beene more equal in iustice and specially in this cause since his Grace hath sufficientlie manifested himselfe and hath beene so generally reputed to be averse from Calvinisme Tempora mutantur nos mutamur in illis and my hope was that his present place had not changed his former vnderstanding To whom though I truely vnfolded the whole businesse and acquainted him with all circumstances therevnto belonging yet his Grace seeming to favour Calvins opinion but how conscionably it shall bee now referred vnto the iudge of all the world and he will reveale it in the appointed time put me of with continuall delaies But his Grace had iust reason to expect a strong resolution in me since I did appeale vnto him to doe me iustice only and much more to giue his verdict vpon the doctrine it selfe For otherwaies no favour nor benefit whatsoever could yeeld contentment vnto my greived soule I leaue it vnto others to consider how his Grace standeth affected vnto truth as for me I trust that I haue given a sufficient demonstration on my part that I would rather loose my liberty of speech then that shee should want my vttermost defence Here the indifferent Reader may also conceiue with me that if my doctrine had beene liable vnto a iust censure then surely his Grace would haue made no stay to cōdemne it in solemne manner especially since it was so publiquely taught so earnestly defended by me and since I did now entirely desire him to doe me iustice without any fauour But since this Doctrine was not subiect vnto his condemnation why then had his Grace so little reverence vnto the eternall truth of God and so smale respect of mee that he would suffer it to bee so indignely censured by his vicegerent and leaue me helplesse from such iniurious oppression his pretenses to the contrary if he haue any are nothing but smoaky euaporations I am nothing and worse then nothing But I pleaded for iustice In what In a point of faith When being violently oppressed Before whom my most proper iudge to whom the decision of these things doth most fitly appertaine For what ende the honour of God and his gospells sake which I truely delivered and for which I was shamefully intreated ANSVVER THis 12 and last motiue serveth rather to fill the number then the matter wherin is a Rhapsodie of insolent indiscretion and malapart irreligion wronging the living memorie of a dead monument of most honorable and reverend estimation the late worthie Chancellour of this Vniversitie who beeing appointed for the conservation of truth and iustice did iustifie the proceedinges of his worthie and onlie Vicechancellour and therfore you call in question his Truth first and then his Iustice For any aversenes in him frō Calvinisme by which you mean the Protestants religion it is to say no more of it a biting slander vnfit to proceede from the mouth of a Minister In another man it is a double sinne against his owne soule and doth proue him guilty not only of malitious slander to revile the innocent but of impudent and infamous libelling to dishonor the name of a personage so truely reverend But in a Minister it is not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Philo speaketh not a twofold but a manifold offence bad in intent in act in example in consequence c. His workes follow him his iudgement proved him to be sound by his preferment of those that were sound by his government repressing the opinions censuring the Authors of any positions vnsound by his deere and neere respect of those that he foresaw were like to stand in the gap couragiously and victoriously against the Popish Philistims Truth hath lost a defender and the Church a father the one he maintained by precepts and constitutions the other he defended not only with praiers petitions but as Paul spake cū lachrymis suspirijs with sighes lamentations to see howe the venomous Gangren of Atheisme doth infect this age some flying frō the religion of the church others stealing from the possession of our Church thereby incurring that curse