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A18055 An ansvvere made by Oliuer Carter, Bacheler of Diuinitie: unto certaine popish questions and demaundes Carter, Oliver, 1540?-1605. 1579 (1579) STC 4697; ESTC S108169 79,017 198

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AN Ansvvere made by Oliuer Carter Bacheler of Diuinitie Vnto certaine Popish Questions and Demaundes 1. Cor. 11. Be ye followers of me euen as I am of CHRIST ¶ Imprinted at London for George Bishop 1579. To the right Honourable and his verie good Lorde Henrie Earle of Darbie Lord Stanley and Strange Lord of Man and of the Isles adioyning and Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter Oliuer Carter wisheth continuance of health with increase of honor COnsidering right Honourable the brittle and fraile state of mans life beeing subiect not only vnto manifold miseries by naturall inclinatiō but also in continual daunger and ieopardie through the assaultes of Sathan sinister practises of his vngodly mēbers I thinke it the part of all the childrē of God so much the more to imploye all their trauell both for the reclaiming of these decayed affections in man also for the suppressing and beating downe by all meanes possible all wicked sinfull attempts whereby Gods glorie may be hindered And although I amongest manie am most vnmeete both for want of knowledge and lacke of experience to take anie such enterprise in hande yet for satisfying the expectation of a godlie learned friend as also for the comfort of my poore neighbours whome I perceiue to bee ouer much seduced the more it is to bee lamented by these and such like Popish deuises and thereby not so willing to yeeld their dutifull and loyall submission to God and to their most Noble vertuous and godlie Soueraigne as most especiallie for the aduancement of Gods honour and increase of Christes kingdome If his heauenlie wisedome thinke good to worke by such simple meanes I haue thought good at the least to bestowe my labour referring the successe thereof wholie and onelie vnto god I am giuen to vnderstande and I do partlie know it for trueth that these Interrogations Questions inuented by some papist be secretlie spredde abroad in sundrie places And albeit I doe certainlie knowe what great care and paines godlie Magistrates for their partes do take to aduance and extoll the true seruice and worship of God to further the free passage of his most holie woord and Gospell to suppresse the rage of such as do obstinatelie and stubburnlie resist the trueth yet notwithstanding there be not onelie close and secret enimies which wander abroad in corners seducing the simple by wicked doctrine sedicious traiterous libells and false tales alienating their mindes by all meanes from true religion vnto superstition but also the rabble of the Romishe merchantes with their masking wares do so increase and multiplie that vnlesse redresse bee had in time I do feare least great inconuenience and mischiefe will ensue thereof For partlie by these Popish whisperers and partlie for lacke of true and faithfull Teachers shippewracke is made of the Gospell of Christ I do not wishe their punishment but desire their reformation for my conscience beareth me witnesse howe earnestlie for my part I haue laboured to reduce them where I haue had charge from the grosse errours in exercising that small talent which GOD of his goodnesse hath bestowed vpon me and what inward loue I doe beare vnto them if I were able to doe them good Neuerthelesse I cannot but lament their miserable state perceiuing in thē such a readinesse to imbrace euerie fonde idolatrous tradition inuented by man to accept the aduise and counsell of euerie ignorāt lurking rebellious priest to persist in their old doating customes and heathenishe ceremonies and such slacknesse or rather dulnesse to receiue the vndoubted trueth of Gods most holie worde whiche is the verie pathwaye to Christes eternal kingdome and the power of God vnto saluation to all that beleeue But it is not my purpose to make anie long discourse of these matters Onlie I beseech your Honor to pardon my bolde enterprise in presenting this litle Answere vnto you and to accept my good will herein in good part So you shall not onelie incourage me if the like occasion bee offered to take greater paynes hereafter but also binde mee daily to pray vnto GOD for your Honor that all your actions may tende to the honour and glorie of GOD and to the discharging of that office and function which God hath called you vnto which God graunt for his mercie sake To whom bee all prayse dominion and power now and for euer Your Honors Oliuer Carter To the Papist which made this offer and chalenge WHeras you may seme vnto the simple and vnlearned in this your offer which you haue spred abroade in sundrie places to haue made a bold large chalenge for the proofe of your Romish church and in defence of your religion yet it is night no longer then vntill the day doeth spring for light expelleth darkenesse Though golde be of all metalles most precious though the Diamond Saphyr and Margarite bee stones of great value and price yet truth passeth and surmounteth all these and carieth away the bell without comparison Things which often seeme precious haue a resemblance and shew of goodnesse may be but coūterfeite and faultie and haue neede of the touchstone or furnace neuerthelesse the veritie and trueth canne not dissemble she can not glosse she putteth on no vizard nor vseth anie colouring And albeit falsehood may oftentimes blinde the trueth as an harlot may appeare in apparell to bee an honest matron a theefe beare the countenance of a true man and the diuell chaunge him selfe into the shape of an Angell of light yet in continuance of time golde wil be seuered from drosse the darnell from the fine wheate and trueth from falsehood For trueth is great and preuaileth Dagon is not able to stand before the Arke of the Lorde But for that you affirme the trueth to be on your side and wee perswade our selues in like manner that we holde the trueth let vs not bee our owne iudges but obserue that order rule set downe by our Sauiour Christ for the triall of these controuersies Christ Iesus biddeth vs to searche the Scriptures for there is life euerlasting and they are they which testifie of him which is the trueth it selfe And againe he prayeth his father to sanctifie in the trueth those whome hee had chosen in renuing their mindes with his heauenlie grace that they might seeke his will set foorth in his worde which worde saieth hee is the trueth This is that word against which wee may ●ot heare an Angell though he come from heauen as the Apostle saieth Whiche wordes the godlie father Chrisostome expoundeth thus Saint Paul saith not ●f they teache the contrarie or if they o●erthrowe the whole Gospell but hee ●aith If they preache anie little or small ●hing besides the Gospell that ye haue ●eceiued or if they loose or shake down anie thing whatsouer it be accursed be ●hey Saint Augustin saith If an Angel from heauen preache vnto you anie other thing than you haue receiued in the
his went about continua●lie preaching the Gospel the Pope is carrie● about vppon mens shoulders to shewe h● pride and he and his labour continuallie t● suppresse the Gospell Beholde how the Pop● and his Prelates are in al things contrarie t● Christ so that it is in vaine to setle our fait● vpon them or to count them the catholik● church As for their vniuersal cōsent wherof they boast so much what is it but as they them selues are blind so must al their priest● nedes lead a blind people in a blind way consenting together in this that they knowe nothing of God neither will learne anie thing therefore babble they al their church seruice in that tongue that they do not vnderstand least the people should heare the worde of God in their knowen tongue vnderstande it and beleeue it Thus are they like a sort of blind men who may easilie consent together that they see nothing And I would to God that they would confesse that they see nothing for then their sinne were pardonable but nowe they say they see with the old Pharisees therefore their sinne remaineth The Papistes consent wee graunt but against the trueth not in the trueth They consent ● the Iewes and Turkes consent to walke the blindenesse of their owne heartes ●ey speake not according to the woorde GOD therefore there is no light in ●em saieth the Prophet Esaias And as ●emie the Prophete testifieth and saieth ●at they haue reiected the worde of ●e Lorde and what wisedome canne ●e in them They knowe not God and who ●eth not knowe that all trueth must be ●ied by his holie worde They are blinde ●d knowe not GOD and in this point are ●orse then either Turkes or Iewes that ●are c●ntrarie to his worde woorshippe ●nd serue God in Images and idolls They ●nowe not GOD that dare accompt him ●ther not perfectlie iust or not perfectlie ●ercifull These blinde Papistes say that GOD wil be satisfied and pleased with hu●aine iustice and satisfactions whiche the Prophete Esaie doeth call menstruouse cloutes so take they from God his perfect iustice and for his mercie they say that it onelie supplieth that whiche wanteth in mans merites What a patching is this of iustice of mercie and merites Againe they say that GOD hath not set downe in his Scriptures a perfect rule to all good workes but that they must add thereto their deuises of seruing and honoring God which neuer came in his remembrance neither were euer mencioned in his holie word wherin they must either make God not perfect in wisedome but ignorant of such things or not perfect in loue that would not declare such necessarie pointes vnto vs and so by their doctrine his infinit wisdome and infinit loue is denied whereby in effect they doe denie him to be god Againe these poore blind papistes know not Christ nor the scriptures whē they make him a body infinit that may be in many places in heauen in earth and in ten thousand places at once where the scriptures do plainlie teach vs That he would not take the nature of Angels but our humaine nature and became like vs in all thinges sinne only excepted and that the heauens must conteine him vntill the time that all things be restored They know not Christ to be the onlie Mediatour of intercession and redemption the onelie Priest that prayeth and sacrificeth for sinnes our onelie King and Prophet for they teach the cleane contrarie They knowledge none of these offices of Christ to belōg to him alone but giue the power thereof to other creatures Therefore are they but onelie by name Christians ●ow may we saffelie ioyne to such a church ●hirdlie they knowe not the holy Ghost to be the only satisficer and certifier of the conscience they haue so manie other satisfactions and certificates of their owne deuises and so ●●nie that a man can be certaine of his saluation by the spirit of god They knowe not that the whole Scripture is giuen by the Spirit of God is profitable to teach to improue to correct to instruct in righteousnesse that the mā of God may be made perfect to all good works But being led with a contrarie spirit euē the spirit of errour as Paule saith they doe teach the doctrine of diuels forbidding meates and forbidding to marrie Thus the papistes in their doctrine erring in the principal articles of our Christian faith as also in their other commaundements cannot be the true Catholike church As for their outward forme of gouernement wherevpon they do so much boast let all men consider what it is They neither haue the names nor the offices nor the discipline appointed by Christe and his Apostles or practised in the primatiue Church Christe our sauiour commaunded his twelue Apostles to publish the Gospell the which these men labour to suppresse As for their discipline and gouernement in their courtes it is not to suppresse sinne but by feeding vppon the sinnes of the people to make them selues fat and riche They call their Courtes spirituall but they be carnall earthlie and diuelish Their suspensions excommunications and absolutions for monie Their dispensations for marriage quarter sermons are all for monie All sinnes in that court may be bought and solde for monie What haue they nowe to boast of when they neither haue the right order of gouernement neither reteine the right offices functions nor so much as the names allowed in the scriptures As for vs whom they accompt so cōtemptible we confirme the antiquitie and succession of the church from Christ his Apostles because we teach the selfe same doctrine and none other but that which we receiued of them which is written in the old and newe Testaments This is the succession which God him selfe promised to remaine for euer My words which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy lippes nor out of the mouth of thy seede for euer saith the Lord so that wee may iustly approue our succession in the word and the sacraments which are the chief markes of the church Neither vse we as they do anie moe sacraments then Christ him selfe ordeined As for the names of our officers we cal them the ministers of Christ or like names according to the scriptures and they do the offices appointed by our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles And we vse when we may do require alwayes that discipline that our maister Christ taught his Apostles practised to wit first brotherlie admonition in priuate then before some others afterwards if there be no repentance to tell the church last of all if the offender doe remaine obstinate to excommunicate from the sacramēts Loe in fewe wordes the names the offices and our church gouernement we vse all grounded vpon Gods holy word not vpon the phantasies of men as yours is O ye Papistes repent therfore imagine no more such motiues subtile questions least your shame
this parte You aske moreouer whether the religion or faith of the Protestantes was euer taught to anie nations in steede of true Christianitie I beseeche you examine well the doctrine of the Protestants and compare it with the doctrine of Christ of the Apostles of the primitiue churche and with the religion set foorth by the godlie writers whiche wrote about the time of Constantine or shortly after And if you can proue that we doe not in al pointes agree with the religion of Christ of the apostles as it is set down in the old and new Testament Choose what translation you will or that we consent not in all thinges concerning faith and the substance of the true doctrine which the auncient fathers as appeareth in their bookes a few erroures by them mainteined onelie excepted then wee will willingly yeelde 〈◊〉 you As for example I will note a fewe capitall pointes of religion because I will not wander in generalities First we confesse with them one waye to ●e iustified and saued by which is by ●●● free mercies of God graunted vs by th● onely death passiō of Christ our onely Lord and Sauiour and that faith is the onely meanes and instrument to apprehend this our iustification and saluation That Christ is our Mediator both of redemption and intercession that we ought ●● pray onely vnto God not to anie Saints ●● parted and that in the name of Christ and not in the name of anie Angell or ●●int whatsoeuer To praye for those that be aliue and not for those which bee deade That in the Lordes Supper according to his institution we doo spiritu●●ly by faith feed vpon the body of Christ and that Sacrament truely and faithfully receiued as the remembraunce of the ●eath and passion of Christ is a spirituall foode and sustenaunce vnto our soules and a pledge of eternall life to satisfie our consciences We say further that Christ his naturall body fleshe blood and bone is no● in the Sacrament vnder the fourme of breade it being onely in heauen on the right hand of God according to the articles of our faith where in body he shall remaine vntill the day of iudgement though Christ our Sauiour as he is God in his diuine nature filleth all places and is with his children powring daily the abundance of his graces vpon them Lastly we say that man hath no free will of himselfe to doo anie good thing no not anie good thought but that it is God that worketh in vs both the will and also the deede according to his good pleasure euen of his free grace If you will either giue eare to the doctrine which we do preach or peruse the bookes which wee haue and doe write you shall see that the Protestantes did neuer vary one ynch from these pointes of true religion which I haue recited But because you make mencion of a knowne catholike Church it behoueth for that an Harlot may haue the countenaunce of an honest woman to distinguish betwixt the true church of God the counterfeit Church and to shew howe they both may be discerned and knowne Wee must needes auouch with the holy spirit of God that the true Church of Christ being the congregation and companie of the faithfull dispersed ouer the face of the whole earth is discerned and knowen by the woord of God For the true Sheepe doo heare the voice of their Pastor Christ Neither is there anie other signe or marke to knowe the Church of God sauing onely the Scriptures of God which are the treasurie of all truth For the citie of the Saintes and houshold of God as the Apostle saith is builded vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe Corner stone So then that is the true Catholike Church consecrated a spirituall Temple 〈◊〉 God which is guided and ruled by the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets Therefore the Church of God is called the Spouse of Christ for that shee ought in al ●inges to harken vnto the voyce of the ●idegroome In like manner the church ● as a piller which the Lord God hath ● in the earth amongst men therein so to little his truth that all stormes and Tempests euen the gates of hell and all the fernall powers fighting against it yet sh● they not preuaile because shee stayeth ● selfe onely vppon the woord of God a● thereby stayeth others and therefore a g●ly father saith The piller and strength ● the Church is the Gospel and the spi● of lyfe Likewise Saint Agustine sa●ther be certain books of our Lord vn● the authoritie whereof ech part agreeth there let vs seeke for the Church therb● let vs examine and try our matters An in the same Chapter I will saieth hee haue you to shew me the church not b● the doctrines of men but by the woor● of God. Saint Chrisostome saith it cannot by any means be known what is the true church but only by the scriptures ▪ what the counterfeit Church is it appereth by the promisses truely euen that Church which consisteth onely in outwarde shewe challenging authoritie ouer the woord and spirit of God prescribing a rule of woorshiping of God by her owne deuise without anie warrant of the woord of GOD which deuiseth other meanes to be saued by then onely Christ which feigneth that her faith can neuer faile notwithstanding ●●e neuer aspired vnto the true faith of Christ but hath persecuted the same keeping the sonne of righteousnesse as vnder ●●●ile or cloud not suffering him to shine in simple mens mindes and hartes by his holye Scriptures which are the keyes of knowledge the very power of God to saluation to as many as beleeue If we cānot vnderstād the scriptures the fault is in vs and not in them As no man may cōdemne the brightnes of the sonne because his eye is not able to sustaine the clearenes therof so the hardnes of the mistery which we can not sometimes cōpasse or perfectly vnderstand in the scriptures ought not to take away frō vs the vse of the scriptures Now ●●●ing you depende much vppon the aunci●●● doctors fathers I purpose for the satisfying of the reader to knit vp this diffe●●●ce betwixt the church of God and the counterfeite Synagogue of Sathan with these woords of S. Augustine Whether they haue the church or no let thē shew ● the Canonicall bookes of the holy ●riptures we must knowe the Church of ●hrist euen as we likewise know Christ ●hich is the head of the church in the ca●nical scriptures And what can be more ●laine then that which is spoken by the Euangelist Iohn disseuering the t●●● Church from the false the true Christia● from hipocrices and the faithful ministe● and preachers of the Gospell from fa● prophets and counterfeit teachers in th● fewe woordes Hereby shall ye kno● the spirit of God euery spirit which c●fesseth that Iesus Christ is come in th● flesh is of
God euery spirit which c●fesseth not Iesus Christ to haue come ● the flesh is not of God wherfore the sam● is not of God which denieth either the d●uine or humaine nature of Christ and t● true vniting of them both or derogateth any thing from the office of Christ beeing● king who onely hath all spirituall rule an● authoritie committed vnto him beeing Prophet who onely is appointed to del●uer vnto vs his fathers minde and will● and to teach vs all truth being a Priest● who hath offered a sweete smelling Sacrifice for vs vnto God the father euen his owne body vppon the Crosse once for all which onely Sacrifice is of force and value to purge and clense the sinnes of all those that beleeue But who be they which denie Christ in person or in office ▪ euen that Church that woulde haue Christ as hee is ●n to be in any other shape fourme then that which he receiued of the virgin Ma 〈◊〉 in sundry places at one time contrary the nature of a true body or affirmeth ●at mankinde lost through Adams fal and ans●ression could be saued by any other lea●es then onely by Christ whether it be ●y mans merits and works or by the par●ons and indulgences of the Pope or by ●nie other deuise of man Finally that Church which teacheth anie other media●●● betwixt God and man either of re●emption or intercession then onely Christ ●he same Church denieth Christ to haue ●ome in the flesh and therefore is not the 〈◊〉 Church of god The bare name or title of the Church is not sufficient but as gold is tried by the Touchstone so we must prooue the Church by the woorde of 〈◊〉 which is the Touchstone of all truth This Church by the preaching of the Gospell by the Lodestarre of Christ his holy ●ord hath from time to time brought the ●le of God from Gentilitie from Iu●me from the grosse Idolatrie whiche ● haue vsed in your Church and from ● darke dungeon of ignorance and blindnes into the cleare light shining brightnes of true knowledge Yea this same r●ligion and doctrine which nowe we d● teach was deliuered first by Iesus Chri● vnto the Apostles then preached by them afterwardes yet not without bloodshed taught from time to time for the space ● sixe hundred yeares as the writings of a● the auncient Fathers doo witnesse● and so forwarde vntill by little and little your superstitious patched religion increased by fire and Fagot and other extrem● tortures and cruelties These thinges being manifest I tendering your saluation ● which doo call your ●elfe a Catholik or Papiste doo most earnestly admonish you that according vnto your promise yo● would yeeld your self vnto the eternal God who knoweth all secrets and abhorreth all hipocrisie Let Christ Iesus by the scepter of his woorde rule your conscience and direct your hart in his trueth suffer the holy spirit of God to instill the sweete tast of Gods holy woord into your minde that you may hate your owne ignorance and blindenesse and study to attaine the true light and to bee guided by the motions of the same comfortable spirit of God which the Lord graunt to you for his Christs sake Papist Aske of him what Church it was which ● hath induced the Christian people tho●row out the whole worlde to giue most ● humble credit in all pointes to the holy ●●●kes of the Byble what Church hath had 〈◊〉 discerning and seuering them from o●●● writinges of all sortes what Churche ●●th had the custody of them and most safe●● hath preserued them for the necessarie vse of Gods people and from the corruption of aduersaries aswell Iewes as Heretiks of all sortes and let the Protestant declare vnto me that this congregation hath had from time to time or euer had any right herein ●● anie other Church sauing the catholike Church and I recante Answeare I Do merueile with what face you can ●rrogate vnto your Church that you haue moued the people throughout the ●orlde to giue credit vnto the scriptures 〈◊〉 that your Church hath deterred the ●●●ople from reading them affirminge ●●●m to be harde and difficult daunge●●●us to the simple and vnlearned a nose 〈◊〉 waxe a shippmans hose a dead letter and either of enuie vnto the poore sou● whom you call dogges and hogges a● sing this text giue not that which is h● vnto dogges or of hate vnto the scriptur● you haue kept the key knowledge wh● is the holy woorde of God vnder a va● in an vnknowne tounge fearinge a● iudge lest the misty cloudes of your persticious deuises would vanish aw● if the bright beames of Christ his G●pell might shine in simple mens mind● What humble credite do you giue vnto Scriptures seing that one of the piller● your Church saieth That the Scriptur● are not autenticall or of credite b● onelie by the warrant and aucthori● of your Churche of Rome an other your Doctoures hath these woorde● The Apostles saith he when they deliu●red the Creed neuer said I beleue t● holy Byble or the holy Gospel but the saide I beleeue the holy Churche A● likewise in an other place he saith ● any man haue the exposition of th● Church of Rome touchinge any plac● of the Scriptures although he neithe● knowe nor vnderstand whether or how● it agreeth with the wordes of the Scriptures yet he hath the very word of God. ●nd how doubtful vncertain al your in●●●pretations be Cusanus a Cardinall 〈◊〉 the Churche of Rome sheweth It 〈◊〉 no meruaile saith he though the practise of the Churche expounde the ●●●iptures at one time one way and at ●●●other time another way For the vnder●●●nding or the sence of the scriptures run●●●h with the practise and that sence so agreeinge with the practise is the quic●●ninge spirite And therefore the scrip●●res followe the Churche but contra●iewise the Churche followeth not the Scriptures And whereas in verie ●eede the scriptures be the light that ge●●●th sight to the blinde and rightly called 〈◊〉 candle whereby the theefe is taken the truth which doeth disclose all errours 〈◊〉 rule to square and frame mans lyfe 〈◊〉 power of God vnto saluation I muse ●●●uely howe you da●● presume to keepe his hid treasure from Gods inheritance ●nd yet pretēd that you do perswade them ●●●stantly to giue most humble credit there●●●to And forsomuche as you do challeng ●●●e discerning seuering the Scriptures ●●●om other writinges of all sortes you haue in verie deed not onely corrupted the tr● sense of the Bible but also abased the authoritie of the scriptures and haue mad● equall or rather preferred your owne decrees and constitutions before the hol● Bible the errours in your old translatiō o● the Bible which you falsly ascribe vnt● S. Ierome be so manifest so grosse tha● euery childe may easily espy them as i● the third chapter of Genesis these worde● are to be found Ipsa conteret caput tuu● She shall breake
thy heade meaning th● woman Which text the Louanistes woul● seeme to reforme do put in ipse referring it to Christ You may see into what miseries you woulde bring vs to haue vs to beleue that the Virgin Marie should brus● the Serpents head whereas the words are to be vnderstanded of the seede of the woman Likewise in the Epistle vnto the Corinthians your olde translation hath these wordes Omnes quidē resurgemus ▪ sed non omnes imutabimur Wee shall all rise againe but wee shall not all be changed Which words be vntruely translated for all shall not rise againe because that at Christes comming some shall be founde aliue yet neuerthelesse All must be chaunged and this corruptible flesh must put on corruptiō But you wil perhaps say that the fault is not in the translation but in the Printer Why then hath your Church suffered the same translation to haue beene printed so often and hath not corrected these faultes Nay why with your Tridentine generall councell precisely say Let no man be so bolde or presume by any manner of colour to refuse the old common translation of the Bible To conclude you persuade the world if you haue authoritie not onely to allowe what translation ye list but also as your owne Canonistes doe auouch that the Pope the heade of your Church can at 〈◊〉 pleasure dispense against the Lawe of God against the Lawe of nature against the Apostles against all the commaundements of the olde and newe Testament That hee is Christes Lieftetenaunt not onely ouer thinges in heauen ouer thinges in earth and ouer things ●● hell but also ouer the angels both good and badde whereas the true Church of God hath not at any time made her selfe ●●udge ouer the worde and lawe of God 〈◊〉 alwaies hath vsed subiection vnto the ●●●e grounding all her religion and faith ●●on the same worde And this you must needes confesse vnlesse you will denie a knowen trueth that we whose religion you doe so vehemently withstande haue alwayes perswaded the people not to beleeue vs one iotte further then we bring the woorde of God for our warrant And whereas you further enquire what Church hath had the custodie of the Bible and hath most safely preserued it I must needes say that God of his singuler mercie towardes his Churche by his diuine prouidence hath alwayes preserued his woorde to the comforte of his children as he preserued Elias in the wildernesse Daniel in the Lions denne the three children in the fornace Howe I pray you hath the Byble bene preserued by your Churche sith the whole worlde can testifie howe you haue burned the olde and newe Testament whiche thing is yet freshe in mans memorie● Did not Cutbert Tunstall being then Bishop of London cause the newe Testament to be burned at Pawles crosse in London as your Churche learned of Iehoakim king of Iuda who threw the boke which the Prophete Ieremie by Goddes commaundement had indited conteining the wrath of God against Iuda into the fier But you will say the Testamentes were falselie and vntrulie translated and therefore were burned If that had beene the cause it had bene your partes rather to haue disclosed and quoated forth the erroures and to haue amended the faultes Doeth the mother cast away the milke wherewith the children shoulde be nourished for that sometimes motes doe fall into it but rather culleth forth the moates giueth the Milke to the children euen so you ought to haue done What faultes were I beseech you in that translation you neuer noted anie if there had bene as indeede there were none why haue not you set forth a better what doctour of your Churche or fauorer of your Romishe Religion hath written in whose workes can not be found some errour yet we burned them not but are content to giue them the readinge and do reuerence them so farre as they agree with Gods truthe Further if ●n Angell should speake or write we ought not to beleue him Iudge you nowe laying away all affection whether your Church ●● ours doe better esteme of the Bible or ●● the better preserue the same Papist SHew me why our common knowen church did not as well corrupt the text of the Testament as the true religion contained in the same Shewe me why she kepte not as trulie and as faithfully the true sense of Gods woorde as she preserued the worde it selfe Shewe me why we shoulde beleeue the Papistes as ye tearme them for the worde it selfe and yet we shoulde beleeue you Protestantes for the meaning of the worde rather than them Shewe me why you beleeued our Churche telling you this to be Gods booke and will not credite her aduouching this to be the true and vndoubted sense of the same booke and last of all shewe me why you beleeued the elder knowen Churche affirming this to be the word and doe not beleeue her affirming Luther to be an Heretike Shewe me good reason or Scripture for these poyntes and I recant Answeare YF you meane by your common knowen Churche the Churche of Rome as you will easily assent therevnto then your Church is more common than true For triall whereof it is plaine and that by Saint Barnarde that the pastoures of your Churche of Rome keepe not the spouse of God whiche is his Churche but they destroy her They keepe not the flock but they kill and deuoure And one whiche writeth of your Church in that great and solemne assemblie at Constance saieth They did quenche the spirite they did dispise the voice of the prophetes they persecuted Christ in his members and it was altogether a persecuting churche Barnard in an other place likewise crieth out O miserable Rome which in the time of our Elders hast brought foorth the lightes of worthie Fathers but in our dayes hast brought forth the monstruous darkenes shamefull and slanderous to the time to come An other calleth Rome a schoole of errour a temple of heresie And your old friend Thomas Becket whome you haue canonized for a Saint saith Our holy mother of Rome is become an harlot and hath prostituted her self that is hath set her selfe open to euerie man for reward And what neede we goe farre one of your owne nest in the late councell of Trent sheweth his iudgement of your Churche of Rome They haue brought to passe saieth he that godlinesse is turned into hypocrisie and that the sauoure of life is turned into the sauour of death Woulde to GOD they were not gone with one generall consent from religion to superstition from faith to infidelitie from Christ to Antichrist from God to Epicure saying with wicked heartes and filthie mouthes there is no god Truth seketh not to be shrouded in corners I haue noted before a fewe places amongst many in which you haue corrupted the text of the Byble You seeme to vrge this matter instantly that your Church hath kept and
make anie long or large discourse or rehersal as concerning the Originall and offspring of your holy Churche of Rome whose beginning was with moste detestable and heynous murders poysoninges and other suche like meanes and practises neyther yet to dilate vppon the proceading succession or continuance thereof from time to tyme and vntill this present day neyther doo I mynde to remember you of the honour and reuerence which by the collour of your succession you haue wonne therevnto from God vnto whome onely such honor is due But to answeare you in few words the true Church of God began first to decay whe● as your Byshoppes of Rome not conte●ted with their dioces and their peculia● charge vsurped other mens rightes an● interest or when they chalenged aucthoritie aboue their felow Byshoppes Thi● was in Phocas time who flew his Maist● Mauritius the Emperour and to curr● fauoure with the Pope yeelded vnto hi● that superioritie that he shoulde be calle● the vniuersall Byshoppe and heade of th● Churche And so saith Platina Bonifa● saith he the thirde of that name obtained of Phocas the Emperoure ye● not without greate contention that h● should be called the heade of the Churche So saieth Sabellicus The Pope Boniface the thirde saith he at his beginning intreated Phocas the Emperoure that the Romaine Church might be the heade of all other Churches and that was graunted vnto the Apostolike Sea not without greate strife the Grecians claiming that honour saying that they ought by Christian pietie to be chiefest in respecte of the Empire whiche long before that time was at Constantinople Yet it appeareth by the writinges of Gregorie the greate that this challenge shoulde rather be a signe of Antichrist then of a true minister of Christ and therefore he writeth vnto Iohn Byshoppe of Constantinople saying It is not my cause but it is Goddes not I onely but the whole Church is troubled because godlie lawes reuerend synodes and the verie commaundementes of our Lord are ouerthrowne by a certaine proude and pontificall name or worde of vniuersalitie And againe he saith Whosoeuer doeth call him selfe an vniuersall Byshoppe is either Antichriste or the forerunner of Antichrist And agayne None of our Romaine Bishoppes euer chalēged this name of singularitie none of my predecessors euer agreed to vse this prophane worde we will not receiue this honour though it were offered vnto vs. And to speake the playne trueth euen from this time Goddes true Churche beganne to decay and the superstitions of your Churche of Rome by little and little to increase and as your Churche grewe in wealth and riches so it waxed proude and carelesse as a good writer spake of it Ecclesia peperit diuitias et filia deuorauit matrem Th● Church brought forth riches and t● daughter deuoured the mother Fo● euen this same Gregorie who liued sixe hundred yeares and odde after Christ not wtihstanding his owne bookes doe witnesse agaynst him to all posterities yet in his latter age he claymed this name of vniuersalitie though he could neuer attaine it for not onelie he but all before him and manie after him yeelded them selues vnto the Emperours refusing to be called vniuersall byshoppes or heades of the Churche Marcellus Meltiades and Siluester Byshoppes of Rome were in subiection vnto Constantine the Emperour Sirilius in subiection to Theodosius Anno domini 388. Hilarius vnto Iustinian Anno Domini 528. Gregorie the first vnto Mauritius Anno domini 600 Adrian and Leo to Ludouicus Pius Anno domini 830. Sergius vnto Lotharius Anno. 840. Benedict 3. and Iohn 9. vnto Ludouicus the Emperour Sonne of Lotharius Anno domini 856. But some of these byshops with their successoures peeced and patched with certaine superstitious ceremonies your Churche euen vntil ●ildebrandes time otherwise called Gregorie the. 7. at whiche time as it was prophecied long before Antichrist ●d beginne his full raigne Which Hilde●ande by a councell of nineteene byshops ●olden at Brixia was condemned for a ●riured person and a Necromancer As for your masse which was and is a more abhominable Idoll then the idoll at Delphos thoughe the Diuell himselfe was worshipped there in personall forme it was seuen hundred yeares in setting together and in framing And transubstantiation the piller of your masse not hatched vntil your Lateran councel beganne which was after Christ 1215. yeares and some euen the chiefest doctoures of your Churche cannot tell whether it be true or false certaine or vncertaine or a verie dreame or no. For Petrus Lumba●●us rehearseth these doubtes and therevnto he addeth his aunswere Quibusdam ita videtur Quidam dicunt quidam tradunt quidam concedunt alii putauerunt substantiam ibi panis et vini remanere Some men iudge thus Some say thus Some haue written thus some graunt this some other haue thought thus that the verie substance of the breade and wine remaineth still But marke your doctours iudgement and aunswere Si autem queritur qualis sit illa conuersio an formalis an substantialis an alterius generis definire non sufficio Yf a question weare moued what maner of conuersion or chaunge this is whether it be in forme or in substaunce or of some other sort I cannot define You may see your great doctors to be as ignorant and as doubtfull as the rest An other of your doctours saith How the body of Christ is there whether it be by chaūging of something into it or Christ his body begin to be there to gither with the bread both the substance and the accidents of the breade remaining still without chaunge it is not found expressed in the canon of the bible Beholde your Church Behold your doctours Beholde your vniforme assent and agreement whiche vntruely you so much boast of What time prayers for the dead soules Inuocation to Saintes seruice in an vnknowne and straunge tounge began in your Romish Church it is not much materiall seing they be all expresly ●gainst the worde of god The continu●unce of an errour doth not make the er●our a truth You may knowe by the scrip●ures that the soules of such as departe his life in the faith of Christ be with La●arus in Abrahams bosome as Saint ●ohn saith in rest and need not your prai●rs Such as end theire life in wickednes ● dye without true repentaunce be in hell ●here as the scripture saith that there is ●o redemption Concerning inuocation ●nd praier which is a parte of gods wor●hip you robbe God of his due honour if ●ou giue that to anie creature which is ●roper to the creator For God saith by ●is prophet Honorē meum alteri non ●abo I will not giue mine honour to ●nie other And againe Call vpon me ●n the day of thy trouble and I wil heare ●hee So likewise our Sauiour Christ ●aith whatsoeuer you shal aske my father ●n my name he shall giue it you And Saint Iohn saith If anie man sinne ●ee haue an
they mighte bee permitted to haue still the Gospels the Epistles and the Creede in their vulgare tongue i● which peticion they affirmed that in the Sclauon language it had beene vsed of old in the Church and likewise in their owne kingdome Charles the great called fiue councels namely at Mentze Rome Remes Cabilon and Arelate also decreed that onely the canonicall bookes of the Scripture shoulde be reade in the Church and none other as it was decreed long before in the councell holden at Carthage He ●ame one of them in the whole Church ei●her erected for your faith Church and ser●ice or not prepared for all sortes for catho●ke practises proue to me that it was done ●or any other seruice and religion then ours ●r that they be monuments of any other faith ●r church then that common knowne catho●cke church And I recant Answeare 9. WHereas you demaund What furniture our Congregation euer ●ad c. I must needes tell you that either ●he hauing of such furniture or the want ●hereof are but weake feble argumentes ● proue the true Church of God by In ●utwarde pompe in superfluous orna●ents in vnnecessarie toyes in vaine dec●ing of your Churches with gold and sil●er and other precious and costly attire in ●nprofitable rites in furnishinge your ●mples with abhominable idols in plea●ng the eare in delightinge the eye in ●uginge in roaring in toying in trif●ng in nodding in becking in ducking ● all such heathenishe shewes and sensles significations wee thinke your Romish● Church excelled all idolatrous Ethnicks before and therefore in such superstitiou● trifles wee will not compare with you but willingly geue vnto you the preheminence because they be not signes of true religion but badges of Antichriste and furniture to deck the whore of Rome withall For all such kind of trumperie be her very markes As these was none of these toyes in the primitiue Churche neither in anie true reformed Churche sithence that ●●ine ▪ so there was no Churches vntill the time of Constantine the great who builded churches and moued others to doe the like for the people of God to repaire vnto for to heare the worde of God truly preached to receiue the Sacramentes faithfully ministred according to Christes institution for the same vse and purpose we haue builded Churches and doe continually repaire and reedifie suche as be decayed and ●u●nous But vnto the time of Constantine the Christians were violentely and extremelie put to death and persecuted of tyrantes hauing no publike places to resorte vnto but priuately assembled themselues sometimes in dwelling houses sometimes in hollowe caues and dennes ●or feare of the cruel bloudie torments Laurentius Valla saith that in times past before the raigne of Constantine the greate the Christians had no temples but secrete and close places holie little houses but no great and gorgeous buildinges chappelles no Churches oratories within priuate walles no publike and open Churches For your chalices I will onelie vse the saying of Pope Boniface In time past saith he golden Byshoppes vsed woodden chalices but now wodden Byshopps vse golden chalices In like manner in Constantine his time there were no altars of lime stone but communion tables of wood and a long time after as it may easilie be proued by auncient writers Athanasius writeth That the Arriā Heretikes in their furie and their rage did carrie foorth and burne the seates the pulpettes the wodden table and boorde and suche other thinges as they coulde gett out of Christian Churches S. Augustine writeth the same of the Donatistes Concerning your vestimentes your catholike practises and all your trumperies and beggerly Ceremonies for which you haue no warrant in Gods booke we way not one rushe Wee hould vs contented with that which Christ our sauior his Apostles and other catholik godly Fathers vsed Did not our sauiour Christ I pray you minister his last supper vnto his Apostles at the table without any further ceremonie euen as the Apostles all true Christians haue done euer more ▪ whose example the Lord graūt vs to folow Papist 10 I Aske of them whether the Lutherans Zwinglians Illirians Caluinists Confessionists Zwingfeldians Anabaptists and such like be all of one church And if either they can proue vnto me that these being of such diuersitie in faith and religion make one church or that eche of these sectes may giue saluation to their folowers being so disagreable one with the other in high points of our religion or that I should beleeue all these rather then the catholike church or one of these more then an other all makinge such a bould chalēge for the truth Gospel Let the protestants of all these conferr together shew me of these things and with all amōg them selues agree to what sort of these sectes they would haue me I recant Answeare 10 I Do merueile greatly that you impute vnto our religion the heresies of the Anabaptists Swingfeldians seing that wee doe not in our daily sermons inueigh against their blasphemous errours but also haue written sundry bookes to confute the the same You doe aske a verie hard difficult questiō which you do vtter either for want of wit or lacke of knowledge to wit Whether Caluin c. were of one Churche whether they gaue saluatiō to their followers It is not in man precisely to define who is of Gods Church for that they only be of Gods inuisible church Whome God hath elected vnto saluation in his sonne Christ before the foūdatiō of the world was layd God only doth knowe who are his But it may be that you vnderstand it of the visible church then I will aunswere you accordingly that we are certainly persuaded that they were Gods children and that they ended their life and closed vp their eyes in the true faith of Christe doe rest now in Gods Kingdom Where you seeme to charg them with manifold scismes diuersitie of iudgmentes the truth is that they agreed in all points with the scriptures sauing that Luther in the real presence dissented from the rest which heresie as I haue noted before he receiued of your church of Rome I would not haue you to thinke that we ground our faith and religion or repose any part of our saluation vpon any particular Church or Councel or vpon any mortall man as you do We receiue mens iudgments and writings as they are men and so may erre And so the godly Fathers in times past were reputed and taken S Augustine hath these woordes Wee ought not sayth he to accept the disputations writings of any one be they neuer so Catholik and prayse worthie as we do receiue the canonicall scriptures but that sauinge their reuerence due vnto them we may well finde fault with or reiect some thinges in their writinges if it happen we finde they haue otherwise thought then the truth may beare them so am I in
other mens writing and so would I haue others vnderstand myne It is most true that Origem Ambrose Augustine Hierom the other fathers of the Church haue their seuerall errors one doth write against an other most vehemently What maruell is it that these did differ seing that ●he Apostles thē selues could not agree alwayes in all pointes Paule did withstand Peter in the face before all men Platina one of your owne storie writers affirmeth that the Popes them selues whom you brage so much of did repugne one an others decrees The next Pope saith he either breaketh or vtterly repealeth his predecessors decrees For these little petie Popes had no other studie to occupie them selues with all but only to deface the name of the former Popes of which church were not only these Popes but also your owne scholemen pillers of your religion How came it to passe that these thinges were vttered in your owne boks Barnardus non vidit omnia Barnarde did not see all things Hic magister non tenetur Here one maister is not to bee receiued Thomas Aquine saith that we are not bōnd vpon the necessitie of saluatiō to beleue not only the Doctours of the Churche as Hierom. August ▪ but also neither the church it selfe sauing only matters concerning the substaunce of faith But lett all mens aucthoritie passe and receiue that remaining in eight Persons the which which the holy Apostle wriceth Whosoeuer bringeth not the Doctrine of the Gospell receiue them not And againe If wee or an Angell from heauen doe preach any other doctrine thē you haue receiued hold him accursed To conclud we ought not to leane either to this man or that to the right hand or to the left to this church or that church in any thing whatsoeuer further then the truth of Gods word doth direct vs Neither doeth our saluation depend vppon anie earthly man but we ascribe it wholy to our lord sauiour Christ by whose stripes onely we are healed Papist 11 MOreouer I aske of the Protestants whether in the time on which they hold the true Church to haue bene hidden or lost the people that learned this article of their Creede I beleue the catholik Church was bound to goe from the church which they sawe and which taught them both that article all other things touching their faith by which they were christened receiued al other sacramentes commodities of saluation And whether they were bound to seeke for this vnknowne closse congregation which they could neither come vnto nor by ●hich they neuer receaued any benefit nor ●ould receiue any so forsake the church ●y whome and in whome they receiued both ●heir faith sacraments Shew me therfore ●hat the Christian men of those dates were charged to beleue any other church or seke for any other church thē that which taught them the articles of the church and baptized them And I recant Answeare 11 YOu further demaūd Whether the people when the Church was hid were bound to goe from the church which they sawe seeke the vnknowne church beleue the same If you will vouchsafe to peruse that which I haue noted heretofore which is also confirmed by sundrie learned authorities viz. that the true church of God is to be sought for to be found only by the scripturs which are the foundations of the same church you may be satisfied heerein that the people ought to stay them selues vpon the scriptures not to beleue any further then Gods word leadeth thē The true church of God is not alwayes most apparant in earth or consistinge of the greatest number This appeareth by Noah in setting him selfe against all the worlde the true Church onely excepted then were saued in the arke and all the worlde else drowned Was not Lot his small familie the true Church of God deliuered by the Angells and the fiue whole citties destroyed ▪ where was the Church in the time of Elias when he complained most bitterly and said I haue bene verie ielous for the Lord God of hoastes For the children of Israel haue forsaken the couenant broken downe the altars slaine thy Prophetes with the swoord I only am lefte and they seeke my life to take it away Where was the Church when Esay the Prophet cried out How is the faithfull cittie become an harlot it was full of iudgement iustice lodged therein but now they are murtherers their siluer is become drosse their wine is mixed with water their Princes are rebellious and companions of theeues Where was the Church when Dauid the Prophet did breake for the into theise words there is not one that doeth good no not one If there were any Church of God in these times in which these Prophe●es liued no doubt it was in verie fewe or els hid altogether otherwise they would not so greeuouslie haue complained of the want thereof And yet there was in all ●ese times a Church in outwarde forme ●ewe to the iudgment of man supposed to ● the true Church where the Iewes the ●●e Church at what time they bosted most ● the outwarde beautie of their Church ●ying We are the temple of the Lord or ●hen they sayd wee are the children of God whereas euen at that time they went ● whoring after their owne inuentions But as the Scribes Pharisies vaunted ●em selues that they were the true Church ●f God the Disciples of Moses the sonnes ●f Abraham where as in deede by the te●●imonie of our sauiour Christ they wor●●ipped God in vaine teachinge the pre●eptes and doctrines of men and erred for ●hat they knowe not the scriptures were ●ypocrites dissemblers deuouring wi●owes houses vnder a colour of longe prai●r euen so you with your Church of Rome ●hough you bragge neuer so much of your ●uccession and aucthoritie the holy ghost ●lainly sheweth that your Babilon shall ●aue a fal Our sauiour Christ telleth both ●ou the pharisees that you haue made through your own deuises the temple of God adenn of theues Triumph neuer so much that you are the catholike church ▪ that you are in the arke of Noah you are none of Gods neither shall be till you renounce abolish your vaine ceremonies ● false worshipping of God other thinges which you do contrarie to his holy worde● The true church of God is cōpared to the Moone which sometimes is full clere a● bright sometimes in the Eclips is wan ● darke so the church of God is now great now small now calme and in quietnesse nowe subiect to tempests and troubles nowe in many nowe in fewe And therefore you are greatlie deceiued in that you do thinke the Church vtterly extinguished whē it appeareth not at your pleasure Thus you may learne by sundrie writers that God hath had wil haue alwaies his church whether it be more or lesse One which hath written the Forte of
●e Lord we will not heare them of thee ●ut we wil doo whatsoeuer thing goeth ●orth of our owne mouth as to burne ●ncense vnto the Queene of heauen and ●o poure our drinke offerings vnto her as we haue doone both we and our fathers our kinges and our princes in the ●itie of Iuda in the streetes of Hierusalem Whereas in deede they woorshipped sacrificed to the Sonne Moone and Starres and committed grosse Idolatrie against god Euen as you haue learned by that idolatrous people and grounded I thinke vppon this place to call the Virgin Mary Queene of heauen and to sing Salue Regina and againe Regina coeli laetare Reioyce O Queene of heauen And euen from this same time wherein Ieremie liued and for the most parte vntill the time of our Sauiour there were false Prophets and men of greate learning which preached idolatrie in steed of Gods lawe yet imagined that they serued God shal we say that these were of Gods church because their religion continued so long a time woulde that excuse them or the Pharisees in pleading that they were the true successors of Moses the children of Abraham and that they taught the Lawe of God when as in deede they had corrupted the Lawe Euen so albeit you boaste neuer so much of succession or that your Church hath continued thus manie hundre● or thus many thousand yeeres or that your Churche is the knowne Catholike Church if that you be not able to prooue by the woord of God that your Church is the true Church and the religion and doctrine of your Church is fully and wholy in euery point grounded vppon the Gospell of Christ which you shall neuer be able to doo then you boaste and bragge in vayne The Turke himselfe by this argument of succession and continuance may approue the Alcaron and religion of Mahomet and this to be as true a Churche as yours This reason might the Aegyptians the Persians the Romanes and all Esawes broode haue alleadged for themselues So that to ende this matter it is neither the title or name of a Churche neither the succession of Officers or the continuance of the same or the aucthoritie of anie man that maketh the difference betwixte the true and false Churche but onelie the true worde of God which discetneth them Papist 14 MOreouer let anie Protestant shewe how that can be the piller of truth whiche durst not for a thousande yeares together claime either the preaching of Gods worde or ministring the Sacramentes or woulde vtter her selfe against falshood and superstition Let any man shew that all the giftes of the Spirite and functions of the holie Ghoste haue been taken from her for a thousande yeares together and onely practised for the peoples vse by the adulterous Churche Let it bee declared how the gates of bell haue not preuailed and Christes woordes promise and warrant for her hath not bene voyde and frustrate of a bastarde churche exercising perpetuall idolatrie as they say hath spoyled the true churche of all holie actions and of the whole gouernement and of the whole name of Christianity almost euer since Christes time Let me see therefore howe the onely dareling and spouse of Christe shoulde be neglected so long of him so long let the Aduersarie shewe that the Churche should euer by superstition and falshood committ adulterie or deserue to be deuorced from him or that Christ shoulde euer want his spouse in earth or that he shoulde be either a heade without a bodie or of such an vnknowen and small bodie or that Christ his onel●e kingdome should become so contemptable or that his spouse in earth shoulde euer lacke the singuler prerogatiue of Gods spirit Shewe me these things and I recant Answeare 14. COncerning the principal matter comprised in this your demaunde it is sufficientlie answeared before howe that all the Christians in Greece and Asia haue euer refused to agree with your Churche in faith and doctrine that God hath raised vp from time to time since your Churche declined from the true and Apostolike faith some which haue inueighed against your superstitious traditions euen as it is recorded by a learned writer who affirmeth That there hath bene some in euerie age which haue honored and embraced the Gospell but that within the space of these foure hundred yeares the zeale therof hath decaied in manie men And whereas you aske Howe the holie Ghost coulde be kepte so long from this close ●hurche how the gates of hell haue not pre●ayled against it howe Christes dearling ●ould● be neglected howe Christe shoulde ●e head of suche a Churche as hath either ●o bodie at all or else a very small and ●tle bodie ▪ I answeare that albeit to your ●do ●mea● the Churche of God whiche ●s the congregation of the faithful be con●mptible and despised yet neuerthelesse ● God 's eyes it is precious The holie Ghost commeth not in visi●le forme vnto the children of God as the Owle or Howlet presented himselfe in the ●ytime and stared your Pope Iohn in ●e face when he and his Cleargie were ●t in a general Councell holden at Rome by which occasion the Councel was dissol●ed ▪ but he is the comforter which shall ●wayes remaine with the church of God ●hich dwelleth with suche as be faithful ●hich guydeth and ruleth their mindes ●hich doth sāctifie them inwardly whiche ●pirite doeth breathe his graces where ●e listeth and when he pleaseth And there●ore it is a great fault in you to vtter suche ●ashe iudgement and to propounde suche vayne questions or rather as you seeme to define where Gods spirite remayneth as though you had him in a string or that he should be at your becke and appointment The wordes of Christ be true That Hell gates which is the power of Sathan Antichrist which standeth in crafte and violence shall not preuaile against the Churche of God. For you may burne their bodies racke them in peeces teare them in sunder with wilde Horses boyle them in cauldrons roaste them on spittes broyle them vppon gridyorns stabbe and prodde them in with bodkins or penkniues throwe them vnto wilde beastes or other waies to torment them as your Church o● Rome hath vsed the children of God euen this close Churche whiche you so often do skoffe at Neuerthelesse their names are written in the booke of life When yo● haue consumed the bodie you haue no further power you haue done all that you ca● for Christes Churche is Christes darling in deede whom he wil not forsake because he is alwayes faithfull and sure in his promises The mouth of God hath promised them helpe whiche cannot lie Christe i● deede is the true andonelie heade of his Churche whiche be the faithfull children ●f God truely called the temple of God ●ecause that GOD is resident in them by ●is holie spirite and these faithfull are the ●tones of the new Ierusalem which is the ●niuersall Churche of God of
of God and your vnitie to agree ●ith Christs veritie and Gospell But is ●t this rather truely verified of your suc●ssion which was vttered by Pope A●riā Succedimus non Petro in pascēdo ●d Romulo in parricidio We succeade ●aith hee not Peter in feeding but Ro●ulus in murdering Succession of place ●uaileth not one strawe if you cannot in ●ke maner proue the succession of Christ ●s true doctrine The idolatrous priestes ● al ages might verie wel haue boasted of ●ccession of place And so might the Pha●sees which bragged somuch of their tem●le and of their succession euen from Mo●es and yet they were fouly fallen awaye ●rō the sincere pure Law of God wor●hipped god in vain teaching the precepts ●nd doctrine of men You claime your suc●ession from Peter the blessed Apostle of Christ for that as you saie he was Bishope of Rome If nowe you can proue that your religiō is the same that Peter taught written by the spirit of truth for the comfort of the true Church of God conteined in the newe testament of Christ Then not onely I but all which defende the same truth with me will willingly ioyne handes with you But and if you can not proue your doctrine by gods worde you must thē pardō vs in that we wil not take your part against Christ I woulde to God that you woulde vnfainedlie sect forthe to the vse of gods people that religion which the Apostle Paule I will not say Peter for that there is no warrāt in the scriptures for his beinge at anie time in Rome planted amongst the Romanes Which faith true religion the Apostle commendeth in thē ▪ Then surely we woulde not onely goe but rūne with you to the building of gods temple and woulde lay to our handes and our harts To this effect spaketh S. Ciprian that alwaies wee builde our faith succession and whole religion vpon a sure stedfast foundation If saith he The pipes of the cundit which before ran with aboundaunce happen to faile doe wee not serche to the heade c ▪ The priests of God ▪ ●●●ing gods commaundements must doe the same that if the truthe haue fainted or failed in any point we turne to the very originall of our Lord and to the traditions of the Gospell and of the Apostles that from thence the reason of our actions or doings may arise from whence the order it selfe and originall first began Thus wee may say of your vnitie in faith your vniformi●ie in ceremonies your holy functions If you can proue confirme these thinges by manifest places of the holy scriptures for my parte I will recant ●nd be of your religion But though you ●r an Angel would perswade me to the cōtrarie without the testimonie of Gods worde God assisting me with his spirit I will not beleue you I marueile why you will seeme to mainteine these matters se●ng it is most repugnanc to the truth The ●eade Capitaines of your religion and Doctours of your Church do not agree in ●he vnitie of your religion but do dis●ent in the principle pointes thereof Some ●aye That Christes naturall body euen ●he same which was borne of the vir●in Marie is receiued in the Sacrament ●ome denye saying that so soone as the forme of the bread is grated with the teethe straight way the body of Christ is caught vp into Heauen One sayth That a mouse may eate the body of Christ an other sayth That a mouse can not eate it and to dissolue these questions the cheefe piller of your church euen Petrus Lombardus saith What the mouse doth take or what she eateth God knoweth I can not tell And noting further the disagrement of your church men he saith Some men iudge thus some say thus some haue written thus some graunt thus some others haue taught thus that the verie substance of the bread wine remaine still And if a question saith he were moued what maner of conuersion or chaunge this is whether in forme or in substaunce or in some other manner I am not able to discusse An other saith How the body of Christ is there whether it bee by chaunging of something into it or Christes body beginne to bee there together with the bread both the substance and the accidents of the bread remaining still without chaunging it is not founde exprest in the canon of the Bible Innocentius the thirde Pope of that name sayth that there were some which sayde that as after consecration there remayned the very accidentes or formes of ●reade so likewise the verie substance of the same breade remaineth still Marke howe the pleas●●nt and swete ●armonie and concordaunce of your ●hurch of Rome doeth agree and hange ●ogether as cōcerning these weightie cau●s I thinke you iudge this transubstan●ation a matter of faith You may see ●en howe you agree or rather disagree ● the vnitie of faith Concerning your ●iformitie in your so manie superstitious ●uiteles and tedious Ceremonies and ●aditions of your owne inuentions it ●ay easily be veiwed and seene by the ma●fold sectes of your religious stoare and ●ble of your heremites your Ankers ●d Ancresses your recluses your holy ●onkes of Benettes order of Cluniacen●s order of Lazarits order of Saint ●ieronimus order of Saint Gregories ●der the order of the shadowed valley of ●saphattes order of the Humiliats or●r of the Celestines order of Gilber●nes order of Iustinians order of the Charter house Monks of the Templaries order of the Iacobites order the Monks of Mount Oliuete Maries bretheren the order of the Flagellatours the Starred Monkes some white some black some graie some maled so called for tha● they did weare male cotes next their skin the order of Iesuites and a greate company of orders besides these Of Friers som● were called crosse bearers some Carmelit● or white Friers some Minorities or gre● Friers some obseruant Friers some Mendicant or begging Friers some Dominicke some Franciscans so called of Sain● Frances whose coule as Thomas Aquine faith had power to remoue sinne I omitte your Channons your Virgi● Nunnes of all sortes but such as had n● oyle in their Lampes your Nominals your reals I might make a long discourse here in describinge the varietie of this religions crue and companie not only in ceremoniall matters but also in matters of faith and doctrine But I trust all the world doth knowe howe they haue bene bewitched with such kind of sorceries and therefore I should but wast labour and lose time You aske further Whether wee bee bounde to obey your Church of Rome and none other in all controuesies and doubtes raised by the difficultie of the Scriptures or by the vaine contention of heresies Hereby you seeme to chalenge two thinges not onely a prerogatiue or preheminence aboue all other churches but also the interpretation of the scriptures solely and wholy to appertaine vnto you But I pray you tell me from whence you had this
priuiledge I am sure you will say that you receiued it of Peter the Apostle of Christ because that herevpon you doe ground all your church and religion For that as you say Peter being the cheefe and head of the Apostles hauing the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen cōmitted vnto him being Bishop of Rome it commeth by discent and orderly succession vnto all the Bishops of Rome But this your supposition I vtterly denie that either Peter was the cheife of the Apostles or that the keyes were solely and only giuen vnto him by Christ or that Peter euer was at Rome That Peter was not the heade of the Apostles it is playne by the testimonie of S. Paule who saith That he which was mightie by Peter in the Apostolike ouer the circumcision was also mightie by him towardes the Gentils And againe he saith when Iames Cephas and Iohn knewe of the grace that was giuen vnto me whiche are compted to be pillers they gaue to me to Barnabas the right hands of felowship that we should preach vnto the Gentils they to the circumcision And your ordinarie glose vpon this word saith That Paule did not learne of others as of his superiours but did conferre with them as with his friendes and equals When the. 2. sonnes of Zebede desired to be exalted and that the other tenne disdayned therefore at them our Sauiour Christ called them all before him saying Ye knowe that the Lordes of the Gentils haue dominion ouer them that they be great exercise auctoritie ouer thē but it shall not bee so among you but whosoeuer will be great among you let him bee your seruant and whosoeuer will be chiefe among you let him bee your minister When the Apostles disputed by the way for superioritie our Sauiour Christe saide If anie man desire to be firste or chiefe the same shal be last of all and seruaunt vnto all And oftentimes the Apostle Paule calleth all the Apostles Fellowe laborers Workers together and Companions That godly father Cyprian sayth Peter was euen the same that the other Apostles were indued with like fellowshippe both in honour and also in dignitie And Chrisostome writinge vppon the Epistle to the Galathians saieth Paule had no neede of Peter neither did he lacke his consent but was his fellowe companion in honour Nowe for the keyes you say that Christ gaue them onely vnto Peter When he said Vnto thee will I giue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen First you must vnderstande that the keyes of which our sauiour Christ heare maketh mencion are the worde and scriptures of God And so Saint Chrisostome doeth expounde these words saying Clauis est scientia scripturarum per quam aperiturianua veritatis The keye is the knowledge of the holy scriptures by the which the gate of the trueth is opened And these keyes were not proper to Peter but common to all For Saint Augustine saith That when Christ did saie vnto Peter I will giue vnto thee the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen he meant his whole church An other saith The keye beareres are the ministers of Gods word vnto whome is committed the teaching of the word and the interpretation of the Scriptures An other sayth This saying vnto thee I will giue the keyes of the kingdome of Heauen is common also vnto other the words which followe as spoken vnto Peter are common to all Thus you may see that Peter neither hath any diuinitie aboue the rest neither the keyes which be the scriptures do belonge more vnto him then to the other Apostles and faithfull ministers of Gods church Nowe to proue that Peter was neuer at Rome It appeareth euidently that our sauiour Christ gaue Peter and the rest a charge to tarry at Hierusalem after his ascention who continued there preaching the Gospel insomuch that he conuerted at one sermon three thousande soules Hee is put in prison and beinge deliuered was charged not to speak any more in the name of Iesus Notwithstandinge he with the rest did preach still and being put in prison againe was deliuered by an Angell who setteth open the prison doores The Apostle Peter with his fellowes cease not to preach both dayly in the temple and also in priuate houses Paule is conuerted the first yeare after Christes ascention receiueth the holy Ghost yet he remaineth at Damascus and in the coūtreis adioyning for the space of three yeares after his conuersion in the fourthe yeare he cometh to Hierusalem to see Peter where he aboade with him fifteene dayes Peter then goeth to Ioppa where he healeth Aeneas which had kept his bedde èight yeares and was sicke of the palsie he rayseth Tabitha from death Hee is sent for vnto Caesarea where he conuerteth Cornelius Peter returneth to Hierusalem where hauing some contention with them of the circumcision he sheweth the cause why he went vnto the Gentills Peter is put in prison againe by Herodes commaundement and sleeping betwene two souldiers bound with two chaines the Angel smot him on the side and the chaines fel of and he was brought forth of prison and entred into the citie the iron gate opened to them by it owne accorde and they came to Maries house Shortly after he goeth againe to Caesaria where he abideth I shewed before that in the fourth yeare after Paules conuersion he came to Hierusalem to see Peter Then fourteene yeares after that he cometh to Hierusalem againe where the Apostles helde a Councell together where Peter was present where Iames Peter and Iohn gaue vnto Paule and Barnabas the right hands of felloweshippe that they shoulde preache vnto the Gentills And Peter and his fellowes vnto the Iewes For Paule had saide before that the Gospell ouer the vncircumcision which were the Gentilles was committed to him as the Gospell ouer the Circumcision which were in the Iewes was committed vnto Peter Then Paule goeth vnto Antioche Whether Peter after a short time did also come whome Paule rebuked before all men because he caused the Gentills to liue after the manner of the Iewes These thinges should be done about nineteene yeares after Paule his conuersion in which time it is manifest that Peter had not bene at Rome Whereby they bee deceaued whiche affirme that Peter was Bishop of Rome fiue and twentie yeares for that nowe he should haue bene in the middest of his Bishoprike and that he could not after this time be fiue and twentie yeares there it is most plaine for that he liued in all after Christes ascention but three and thirtie yeares But nowe to proceede to my purpose that is to proue that Peter was neuer at Rome by such coniecturall argumentes as will hardly by the Scriptures bee disproued About two and twentie yeares after Paule his conuersion vnderstanding that Claudius the Emperour had commaunded all the Iewes to depart from Rome he
the king as vnto the chiefe And to conclude he saieth Honour all men Loue brotherly felowship feare God honoure the king Mark● also howe Tertullian a godlie Father agreeth with the Apostle against your sup●rioritie We honour saith he the Emperoures maiestie as a man next vnto GOD for so is the Emperour greate● then all men while he is lesse then onelie the true God. Of this minde wa● Pope Gregory as hee sheweth in an Epistle which he writeth vnto Mauritiu● the Emperour Beholde saith he Thu● will Christe answeare you by me bein● both his and your most humble seruant● I haue committed my priests into you● handes as for my parte I beyng subiect vnto your Maiesties commaund●ment haue caused your order to be sen● throughout diuerse parts of the world ▪ So that by the premisses it plainel● appeareth what dangerous errours and corrupt doctrine moste repugnant to Christe your Churche of Rome hath taught the people of God. Papist 18 LET anie Protestante in the whole worlde prooue vnto me that their Churche coulde rightly be called Catholike which was so particular that ● man aliue coulde name a place where ●y such churche was or that it might bee ●lled holie which had neither Baptisme ●r anie other sacrament to sanctifie anie ● her felowes withall or that it coulde bee ●e which as it grewe vp in the worlde was ●uided into so manie sundrie sectes ▪ or that ● might be called Apostolike which coulde ●uer make an accompt by orderly successi● from anie apostolike man or that the se●ete base and disordered congregation was ●er of that maiestie that it might require ●e obedience of all nations or that it was ●er able to gather generall councels or ex●cise discipline vpon offendours or that ●hese titles proper by scripture and doctours ● the true church could euer be chalēged by ●ght to their congregation I meane these ●itles following Corpus Christi the bodie of Christ Sponsa Christi the spouse of Christ ●nicè dilecta Christo the dearely beloued of Christ Amica Christi Christes louer Do●us dei Gods house Columba speciosa the beautifull Doue Columna veritatis th● piller of truth Ciuitas Dei the citie of God● Ciuitas super montem posita a Citie set vpo● a hill Hortus conclusus a close garden Fons signatus a fountaine sealed vp Sponsa agnt The spouse of the Lambe Answeare 18 YOu doe v●ge often this Catholike Church and doe seme as of right to challenge i● to be your Churche of Rome but how vntruely I haue partely touched before This worde Catholike doth signifie vniuersall as in deede the true church of God is vniuersally spread and scattered abroade in all coastes and countries of the worlde and so doe di●erse good writers speake of it Saint Augustine sayeth That the catholike Churche is dispearsed throughout the whole earth And i● another place hee sayeth That the Church is called Catholike because she is vniuersally perfect and halteth in nothing and is poured throughout the whole worlde An other saith That the vniuersall Churche is Hierusalem the citie of the liuing God which comprehendeth the congregation of the electe and chosen written in heauen An other sayeth That the churche is truely called catholike which is separated by sincere pure and vnspotted communion or felowship from all vnfaithful persons and from their successours and companions These thinges of duetie appertaine vnto the Churche First that it is vniuersall and therefore as I haue sayde before it is not limited eyther to place time or person Secondarily that it is of ●he elect whome God in his secrete and ●rcane knowledge hath sealed vnto life e●erlasting Thirdly that it hath no felow●hippe with the vnfaithfull and with such ●s will not beleeue the trueth Neuer●helesse in the visible churche there be of ●ll sortes mixte together both good and ●adde beleeuers and hypocrites dar●ell and pure wheate But to answeare ●our interrogation You woulde knowe Howe the Protestantes churche can be cal●d the true Catholike and Apostolike ●hurche And I woulde demaund the like ●f you howe your Churche of Rome can ● knowne to be the true churche of god ●ruly there is an vnfallible rule set down readie howe the true Churche of God may be knowne and howe this controuersie may easily be decided For if we will beleeue the holie Apostle of God he telleth the Ephesians That they are no more straungers and Forrenners but citizens with the sainctes and of the howshould of God and are built vppon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophetes Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone in whome all the building coupled together groweth to an holy temple in the Lorde So that you may see that the true Church of God is discerned and knowen by the Scriptures The true sheepe doe heare the voice of Christ and will not heare a stranger And so the godly father Augustine saith That in the scriptures wee learne● Christ in the Scriptures wee learne the Churche Wherefore doe wee not then reteine in them both Christe and his Church And writing against the Donatists being notorious heretikes he saith Betwixt vs and you this cometh in question where the church is what shall wee doe nowe in this matter ▪ Shall wee seeke for the church in our owne words or in the words of her heade which is our Lorde Iesus Christ I thinke that wee ought to seeke it rather in his woords who is the truth and doth best of all knowe his owne body So Chrisostome saith That since the time that Heresies inuaded the church there can bee no triall of true Christianitie neither any other refuge of Christians which woulde know the true faith but onely the scriptures of God and therefore he which will know the true Church of God howe shall he know it but onely by the Scriptures Thus it appeareth that the true Church of God dooth defend her selfe onely by the Scriptures and woord of God which your Church of Rome doeth vtterly refuse for that you boldly affirme that the Scriptures haue not their strength neither receiue their authoritie from god But from the Church of Rome Yea moreouer you say That the holy Church of Rome hath power by a singular priuiledge graunted vnto her to open and to shut vp the gates of the Kingdome of heauen from whom shee listeth and that this power of binding and loosing is no lesse in your church of Rome then it is in Christ But you will say that I doe sclaunder you in saying That you affirme the Scriptures of God to haue their strength and authoritie from the church of Rome Truly one of your owne writers hath these wordes Who soeuer leaneth not sayth he to the doctrine of the Romaine church and to the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome as vnto the vnfallible rule of God of which Doctrine the holy Scripture taketh her force and authoritie he is an heretike He saith further That
the Scriptures of God onely which are called by Godly writers and Fathers the Pastures for the Children of God to feede in it dooth teache Christ onely to be our Sauiour And no name to be giuē vnto men vnder heauē in which we may be saued but onely the name of the onely begotten sonne of God Iesus Christ that his blood doth purge vs from all sinne Your Church of Rome dooth tell the people that they must seeke their saluation in Trentalles of Masses in pardons in their owne woorkes in the bloode of Hales in the blood of Thomas For these be your owne wordes Tu per Thomae Sanguinem quem pro te impendit Fac nos coelum scandere quò Thomas ascendit Which is as much to say O as Christ make thou vs euen for the bloode of Thomas whiche he shed for thy sake to climbe vp into heauē whether Thomas is ascended Seeing therefore that your Church dooth not vpholde and manteine the truth of God but hir owne inuentions and deuises howe can your Church be called The piller of truth Howe can your Church be called the Citie of God or you Citizens of God sith that you wil not submit your selues vnto the Lawes of God set forth by his worde Howe can your church be called The spouse of Christ seing as a bloodie mother you deuide the child and do persecute and crucifie a freshe Christe in his members These titles alledged by you are no doubt to bee vnderstanded of the inuisible Church of God whiche is the number of Goddes electe and faithfull children scattered abroade throughout the whole worlde neither can they be applied vnto your church of Rome whiche is no parte or parcell of Goddes Church for that as I haue saide before she neither holdeth the true doctrine of the Gospell nor heareth the voyce of the onely begotten sonne of God the true and onely pastor and teacher as hee himselfe sayth My sheepe doe heare my voyce and do follow me neither ministreth the Sacramentes truely according to the institution of Christ neither obserueth the voyce in veritie powred foorth by the spirit of God into the heartes of the faithfull true ●embers of Christ neither doeth im●race the true Catholike and Apostolike ●aith as necessarily the true church of God ●oth with full consent and agreement Wherefore to conclude this my answeare I wishe you not to claime and chalenge ●hese glorious names and titles vnto ●oure Churche vnlesse you were able to ●o proue the same by the holy word of God ●or the trueth of Gods Gospell shall pre●ayle will you nill you yea in spite of Mahomete and Antichrist your Pope ●ud the more that you shall spurne agaynst ● the greater harme shall redownd to your ●lues Though I am vnknowen vnto you ●et this good will I doe beare you that I ●oste heartily doe pray vnto God for you ●hat your eyes may be opened to vnder●ande what his will is set foorth in his ●oorde and knowing the same that you ●ay imploy all your studie to aduaunce ●nd extoll the glorie of God whiche God graunte you for his Christes sake To whom with the holie spirit be all honour and glorie now for euer Amen 1. Sam. 5. 3. Io. 5. 3 9. Io. 17. 17. Gal. 1. 8. Chrisost in epist. ad Gallat cap. 1. August cont lit Petilian lib. 3. cap. 6. Gene. 19. 16. 2. Cor. 6. 2. ●●ech 33. 11. Aug. Ste●chus in lib. Num. cap. 19. Platina Esai 53. 5. Ioh. 1. 29. Act. 4. 12. 1. Ioh. 1. 7. Apoc. 1. 5. 1. Ioh. 2. 1. Heb. 10. 14. 1. Cor. 10. 14. Ioh. 5. 24. Apoc. 14. 13. 1. Cor. 1. 30. Luke 23. 44. Luke 16. 22. Deut. 5. 32. Apoca. 22. 18. Mat. 24. 9. Iohn 15. 18. Iohn 16. 1. 1. Pet 1. 7. 〈◊〉 9. 41. Esa. 8. 20. Ierem. 8. 9. Esa. 64. 6. 〈◊〉 3. 21. 2. Tim. 3. 16. 1. Tim. 4. 3. 〈◊〉 59. 21. Mat. 18. 15. Colos 1. 6. 1. Pet. 5. 1. Ephe. 4. 11. Ioh. 10. 1. Gal. 4. 13. Esai 50. 1● ●se 2. 2. 3. 4. Apoc. 14. 8. Mar. 16. 15. Tertul. cont Iudaeos Phil. 1. 13. 3. Reg. 18. 3. Tertul. in Apologetico Act. 17. 18. Phil. 2. 13. Iohn 10. 3. Ephes 2. 20. Iraene lib. 3. cap. 11. Aug. de Vinitate Eccle. cap. 3. Chrisostom in opere imperfecto hom 44. Rom. 1. 16. Aug. de venitat● Eccle. cap. 16. 1. Ioh. 4. 2. Pigghius Libro 3. Cap. 3. Hetarchia Eckius De Ecclesia Hosius in confessione Petri. cap. 80. Hosius De Expresso Dei verbo Nicholaus Cusanus de autoritate ecclesiae et concilio supra et contra Scripturam Gen. 3. 14. 1. Cor. 15. 51 1. Cor. 15. 53. Concil Triden Extra de constitutionibus statuta Canon felici Ierem 36. 23 Gal. 18. 1. Barnat in synod Ramensi Parali Vspergens pag. 396. Barnar in concilio Ramensi Petrarch Tho. Becket ad Episco Moguntinum Cornel. Bitonti●●s in c●ncilio ●ridentino Luke 22. 38 ●e maiorit et o●ed vnam sanc●am Psalm 8. 6. Antoni in sum ma. p. 3. Titul 22 cap. 5. Psal 91. 13. Ambrosi Catharin concil Tri. Session 2. Bemb Cardi. in epist. ad Charol Act. 24. 5. Act. 24. 14. Ioh. 9. 34. Ioh. 16. 1. Apoc. 13. 15. 1. Cor. 1. 3. 1. Tim. 1. 20. Ambros in 1. Ti. ca. 5. Cyprian lib. 3. epist. 19. Lib. 4. sent dist 18. Luke 12. 32. Iohn 16. 20. Iohn 16. 20. Ephe. 4. 11. Paulus Aemilius Io. 8. 33. Io. 9. 28. Luke 20. 4. Acs. 20. 28. Rom. 10. 17. Rom. 10. 17. Mat● ●4 15 ▪ ●ira in Matth. cap. 16. Platin. in Rom. 1● Adrian 4. Aug. cont Donatist lib. 6. Aug. cont Donatist lib. 6. Irenaeus lib. 4. cap. 43. Cyprian lib. 2. epist. 3. August de Doct. Christian lib. 3. cap. 9. Paschasius de coena domini Hierom. in Chro. Onomasticon Sozomen lib. 1. Cap. 17. Act. 3. 21. Platin. in Bonis 3. Sabellicus Gregor lib. 4. epist. 36. August Abbas vrsperg Anno. 1083. 1215. Sentenc 4. dist Si autem Gabriel Biel. in canon lect 40. Luke 16. 22. Apo. 14. 13 Io. 16. 23. 1. Io. 2. 1. Esai 63. 16. Aug. lib. de cura pro mortuis agenda Cap. 14. 1. Cor. 14. 8. 1. Cor. 14. 19. Reinulph C●●● Sabellicus Anno. 1131 ▪ Sabellicus Platina Anno. 1133. Anno. 1280. Anno. 1178. Roger Houeden Laziardus Anno. 1170. Reinerius Co●cil constan Platina ●enno Cardinalis Auentinus 2. Thes 3. 4. 5. Apoc. 18. 3. Platina Agrippa devanitate scientiarum Irenaeus Ancelm 2. thess. 2. Gregorie in Iob. lib. 25. cap. 14. 1. Cor. 11. 23. Act. 2. 42. Ex primo Tom. Conciliorum Anno. 810. Ra●●lphus Ces●●iens I aurentius vall● de donatione Constantini Bonifacius Athanasius in epist. ad sol●taria●● vitam agendam Augu. ad Bonif● cium epist. 50. Math. 26. 26 ▪ 1. Cor. 10. 21. Aug. contra Anabaptists B●llinger ▪ contra Anabaptistas Ephe. 1. 4. Aug ad Fortuna●ianum ●pist 3. Gal. 2. 11. Platina in Stephano Romano