common with you to al the solemnity of ceremonies that you vse now To trauell no further for the matter let vs but take a view of your rites and ceremonies in this case as they are set downe in your late Catechisme by the decree of the councell of Trent and Pius the fift Bishop of Rome writen and published for the instructioÌ„ of your parish Priests what and how to teach their people and we shall finde that these places doe not mention the one halfe of them by farre There first they are deuided in three rankes or sortes the first is of them that you by authority of that councell vnder paine of being anathematized must vse before the partie to be baptised come to the font the second is of such as be vsed in the baptizing of him and the third is of such as be vsed after Of the first stampe be these consecrating of the water with the oile of misticall vnction of Easter day and Whitsonday that shall serue for the whole yeare after as there shal be occasion to vse it the staying of the party without the Church dore vntill he either by himselfe or his Godfather for him promise the forsaking of the seruice of Sathan and his yeelding to enter into Gods seruice and family and being asked what he would haue answere be giuen that he would haue baptisme which being knowen theÌ„ it is saied further that he is to be instructed in the Cathecisme and is to answere it by himselfe or his godfather which done then in religious words and praiers exorcisme or adiuration to expell the deuil and to weaken and ouerthrow his power in him must be vsed a little salt must be put into his mouth the signe of the Crosse is to be made vpon his forehead eies brest shoulders and eares and lastly with the priests spettle his nostrels and eares must be anointed Now these things thus finished then he is admitted or brought to the font where next follow the rites of the second order which there are thus set downe then is he thrise asked whither he doe abreâ—ounce the deuill c. And thrise he or his godfather make answere abrenuÌ„tio I doe abrenouÌ„ce and then likewise he is asked whither he doe beleeue the twelue articles of the Christian faith whereunto answere is made credo I beleeue and lastly whither he will be baptized is demaunded wherunto answere being made volo I will he is baptized in the water in the font in the name of the father the sonne and holy Ghost either being dipt into the water or by hauing water poured or sprinkled vpon him according to the maner and fashion of the Church in that countrey where the party is baptized Where is also further shewed that it was the minde of that holy councel that at the most there should be but one godfather and one godmother thus to answere and vndertake for the baptized both because the order of discipline and instruction thorough a multitude of masters might be troubled and also because it was meet so to prouide least otherwise betwixt too many such spirituall affinities should grow as might hinder mariadge amongst men too much For as the writer of that booke further saieth most wisely by the Church it was decreed that there should grow such affinity not onely betwixt the baptized and baptizer but also betweene the baptized and the sureties and the baptized his true parents that thenceforth none of them might marry togither That also may not be forgotten that there also it is shewed that the naturall parentes of the party to bee baptized may not so promise answere for him that so that rather it weâ— appeare how farre this spirituall education differs froÌ„ the carnall Belike the authour of this Catechisme the councell Pope that set him a worke coÌ„maÌ„ded the publishing of his booke had quite forgotteÌ„ that S. Paul saieth to naturall pareÌ„ts yee fathers bring vp your childreÌ„ in instructioÌ„ informatioÌ„ of the Lord Ephes 6. ver 4. or else they were at a flat point they cared not whatsoeuer hee had taught Now your Ceremonies of the lust sort as he setteth theÌ„ out are these baptisme ministred finished the baptizeds crowne of the head is to be annointed with the holy chrisme a white garment or at least a white sudarioluÌ„ that is handkerchiefe or cloth to wipe away sweat withall is to be giuen him a burning waxe candle is to be put into his hand lastly his name must be giueÌ„ him Now I pray you what are the 5. things aforesaied mentioned in these places to such a nuÌ„ber as these And yet the Tridentine couÌ„cel whose mind this authour plainly set out thought al these so necessary can 13. de SacrameÌ„tis that it pronouÌ„ceth him accursed that shall coÌ„teÌ„ne omit or take vpoÌ„ him to alter any of these And the more is as it is euideÌ„t by your own doctors DuraÌ„d Dorbel Herolt others you obserue not these rites ceremonies with the opinioÌ„ that ecclesiasticall coÌ„stitutions of such matters ought only to be obserued wtal that is in hâ—lding stilfast the doctrine of ChristiaÌ„ liberty in your coÌ„scieÌ„ces obseruing theÌ„ for deceÌ„cy coÌ„lines edification wtout opinion of holines necessity merit therin for the better maintenaÌ„ce of order peace in the church but most grosly superstitiously idolatrously haue you taught meÌ„ to impute to a nuÌ„ber of them as naÌ„ely to your exorcism annointing crossing such force efficacy as that not only you haue made theÌ„ to encroch far vpoÌ„ the vse effect of baptism it self but also you haue do attribute so great so many spiritual graces effects to theÌ„ that litle or nothing is left as speciall to baptisme Nay who is so simple but that he seeth that these such other rites ceremonies amoÌ„gst you though it be neuer so euident that they be but of humane deuise inuentioÌ„ are more carefully vrged obserued theÌ„ that very order that expreslie it set downe in the scriptures theÌ„selues about concerning the administratioÌ„ of the sacrameÌ„ts if it were not thus you durst not so coÌ„trary to the doctrine order of S. Paul 1. cor 14. appoint vse rather as you do an vnknown tongue in the ministring of theÌ„ then a laÌ„guage that the people might vnderstaÌ„d be edified by so say ameÌ„ with vnderstaÌ„ding to your praiers thaÌ„ksgiuing Nether durst you thus to ad to the lords ordinaÌ„ces accurse theÌ„ that omit any of your additioÌ„s in the mean time take vpoÌ„ you quite coÌ„trary to the words of Christ drink ye al of this to bereaue the coÌ„moÌ„ people of the cup to the sacrameÌ„t of Christs body bloud wtall by your new found tearme and doctrine of concomitance peruerting quite the vse end of the sacrament in making it a sacrament of the life glory of Christ whereas by his ordinance it is a sacrament of his death and abasement for
and would haue quoted these not in his name but in Ambroses But yet then you took your mark amisse also For he hath no bookes neither that simply cary these titles Indeed he hath writen fiue de fide ad Gratianum and one de fide orthodoxâ contra Arrianos and a booke he hath writen de his qui initiantur mysteriis and fiue de sacramentis but in no seuenth nor eleuenth Chapters of any of his bookes de fide or symbolo hath he any thing to serue your turne Neuer man therefore was so abused as you Master Albine were I thinke in taking so few quotations of credit I would therefore henceforth aduise you vnlesse you be euen resolued vtterly to leese your credit trust no more thus either other mens eies or fingers Well Basil and Arnobius are yet behinde let vs see if you hit any rightlier of your places out of them you cite Basils 15 and 75 Chapters de Spiritu Sancto and Arnobius vpon the 27 Psalme Neither of which you haue rightly quoted For there are but 30 Chapters in al Basils booke de Spiritu Sancto as Erasmus hath translated him caused him to bee published and Arnobius vpon the twenty seuen Psalme hath not at all mentioned any ceremony about baptisme Basil in his fifteene and twenty seuen Chapters of that booke and Arnobius vpon the seuenty fiue Psalme make mention of abrenuntiation of some other ceremonies before mentioned by the other fathers but yet neither these nor all the other laied togither that you haue named either in the places mentioned by you nor any where else mention al the ceremonies which you vse by far though you would by your lowd bragging make your reader beleeue they doe Thus you see vnlesse you had beene disposed vtterly for euer to shame your selfe you could not in so few quotations especially not set on your margent but in your lines as they are the better to preuent wrong applying of them haue beene taken with thus many grosse ouersightes May not any man worthilie thinke you hereby iudge that howsoeuer the names of the fathers are familiar with you that yet you are a verie stranger in their workes indeed Of twenty places you haue alleadged aright and to the purpose scarse fiue and of seuen fathers belike because you would not deale partiallie with them your happe hath beene one waie or other to erre in quoting of euerie one of them Surelie you are worthie to bee trusted vpon your bare word without any further examination of your quotations an other time you haue dealt so faythfully and vprightlie in these And to conclude this point withall as though you had most rightly quoted and that they most pregnantlie had iustified all your Ceremonies as you vse them you confidently tell your reader that if hee will reade these places hee shall finde that they did vse the verie Ceremonies that you doe vse and wee so much myslike Thus yet you coulde set a good face on the matter though you could doe little else But in good earnest is it your meaning by these places to make mē before that none are to be accoūted rightly baptised vnles vnto him all these your ceremonies which you talke of be vsed What say you then to Christs baptisme and the multitudes baptised by Iohn in Iorden and after by the Apostles sometimes in one day in water that was next to hād Sure I am that none of your ceremonies that you striue for here so much which we mislike was vsed then to anie of them and yet I am sure neuer were any with these ceremonies of yours better baptized then these were Nay to presse you a litle further if these ceremonies were so necessarie as you pretend how chāceth it that aboue 600. yeares after Christ that is long after any of the fathers you haue named to countenance them withal we read in Bedaes story so often mētion as we do of so great multitudes here in England by famous Bishops baptised in one daie in common riuers It is vnpossible that they should baptise so many in so short time as that story shewes they did and yet vse to euery one all the solemnity of ceremonies that you here thus pleade for It is cleare thē by that practise that for all this and whatsoeuer else any where either these or any other doctour before that time had writen hereof that then there was no such danger imagined to bee in omitting of these as your Tridentine coūcell now would make men beleeue there is But for a general answere to al that you or any of your side haue or can alleadge out of any father either for the iustifying your kinde of vsing these your ceremonies or any of the other three points that follow in this Chapter as long as you are not able to warrant your doings and opiniōs therin by the scriptures which we are sure you shall neuer be able to doe by the fathers leaue though they were as pregnant for you as you pretend which they are not neither that by the direction and aduise of the best of themselues we will may chuse for all their writings whither we will like any whit the better of them or no. For Hierom saieth that all things which mē seeke out and inuent at their owne pleasure without authority and testimony of the scripture as though they were the traditions of the Apostles the sword of God cutteth of Vpon the first of Aggei And Origen in his first homily vpon Hierom confesseth that their iudgements without witnes of the scripture were of no credit And Hierom againe vpon the 98. Psalme writeth that all which they spake they were to proue by the scriptures and vpon the 23. of Mat. he saieth plainely that which hath not authority from the scriptures as easily is despised as approued And Chrysostome vpon the 2. to Tim. Hom. 9. saieth if there be any thing either to learne or to be ignorant of we shall learne it in the scriptures And as for all other authority Hilary saieth in his 7. booke of the trinity that it is short darke troublesome And as for Augustine he of all the rest hath most plainely taught vs this in his 19. Epistle to Hierom and also in his 111. epistle to Fortunatian where he plainely shewes that hee gaue no further credit to any mans writings then he found them agreeable to the scriptures and therefore de baptismo contra Donatistas li. 2. cap. 3. he refuseth to be pressed either with the authority of Cyprian or any other man or councell further then by the canonicall scriptures their iudgements are approued and he teacheth Paulina in his 112. epistle not to follow his authority or to beleeue a thing because he hath said it but to beleue the canonicall scripture We saie therefore with him lib. 1. cap. 22. de peccatorum meritis remissione let vs yeeld cōsent vnto the holy scriptures which can neither deceaue nor be deceaued
to escape this 1000. more such contrarieties betwixt your doctrin and the reueiled wil of God in the scriptures but by subtle sophistrie fonde quiddities and distinctions deuised of your owne heades without all warrant and ground frō thēce which in matters and questions of diuinity is intollerable These and such like contrarieties betwixt the doctrine of your Popes and Prelates and the trueth taught in the scriptures we hauing oft obserued and tolde them of and yet finding them most obstinatly to persist in the same hath caused vs rather in respect of their hereticall doctrine to call them wolues thē in respect of their negligence onely heretiques And for this same cause seeing all yours are thus infected you wish vs in vaine to ioyne some of the best of them with some of the best of ours to reforme things amisse in both For there is no hope of any good reformation at all where any such as yours haue any thing to doe therein And seeing it is and hath beene so cōmon a thing with vs as you cannot be ignorant if you haue reade anie of our bookes writen against you to denie that you continue in the doctrine which was preached vnto you at the first yea seeing you all know that we count your synagogue Antichristian for her manifold Apostasies from the ancient doctrine of Christ and his Apostles taught first vnto the Romans I wonder with what face or forehead you could write as you do in the cōclusion of this Chapter that we our selues cannot denie if we will confesse the trueth but that you haue continued in the doctrine that was first preached vnto you And therefore not onely for your lewdnes of life and negligent sheepherds bad sheepe doeth your kingdome decay as you would insinuate but especially for this also that in the points we striue with you about you are quite gone from the ancient sound Catholique faith and religion first taught by Christ and his Apostles and receiued and continued many yeares in the ancient Roman church others The only way therefore for you is to preuēt an vtter vniuersall subuersion and confusion first to returne againe from your new Antichristian Religiō doctrine to the true ancient Catholique faith taught in the scriptures and thē to amend your maners according to the direction of the same The XXXVII Chapter ALL our ancient doctours a This is but an arrogant false brag as we are able to proue come to particulars when you will as well of the Greeke as of the Latine church since the Apostles time and the Christians of all the foure quarters of the world which were in those daies b Christians haue alwaies vowed and promised lawful thinges onely to God they haue had a care to make those vowes and promises discreetly of such things as they saw he had made possible vnto thē which things are neglected in the vowes that I feare you most mean haue made their promises and vowes vnto God euen as we doe now and at their baptisme they did vse euen those verie ceremonies that we doe with the selfesame exorcismes adiurations and annoyntings that we doe vse in our Catholique church which you call Papisticall and to proue this true we will bring the saied ancient doctours as witnesses if it please you to reade the c Neuer man had worse hap in quoting so few places as is euident in the answer to this Chapter places that we will quote Tertullian who liued verie neere the Apostles time doeth make mention in his booke that he intituled De resurrectione carnis of the annointing vsed at the Baptisme and of the renouncing the Deuill all his pompe In his booke de coronâ militis he doeth speake of the third dipping vnder the water in the name of the father the sonne and the holy ghost S. Cyprian the Martyr who was aboue 1300. yeares agone doeth write in the second volume of his Epistles Epist 12. how they did vse in his time to giue the holy Chrisme vnto the children that were baptised Origen in his twelfth Homilie and in diuerse other places of his workes doeth make mention of the renouncing of the Deuill at ones baptisme of the making of the signe of the crosse vpon childrens faces when they were christened S. Iohn Chrysostome in his 12. Homilie vpon the first Epistle to the Corinthians cap. 4. And in his first Homilie vpon the first Chapter to the Ephesians he doeth make mention of the saied renunciation made from the Deuill and all his workes Reade I praie if it be your pleasure S. Aug. in Psal 31. Aug. li 15. contra Iulia. Pelag. li. 1. ca. 2. Item de nuptiis cōcupiscentia lib. 1. cap. 20. in Ioannem tract 33. in Canonicam Ioannis tract 3. tractat 6. Et de eccle dogmat cap. 31. De Simbolo lib. 1. cap. 7. lib. 2. cap. 11. Et libro de his qui initiantur sacris Cap. 1. Basilius de Spiritu Sancto cap. 15. 27. Arnobius in Psalm 75. All these doctours which were aboue a thousand yeares agone if you reade in them the places that heere I haue quoted you shall finde that they did vse at the Baptisme of their children those verie ceremonies that wee doe now vse and that you doe so mislike And as for confession before the receiuing of the Sacrament our sauiour Christ doeth teach vs that the Ecclesiasticall ministers haue authoritie to binde and forgiue sinnes Saint Cyprian in his fifth Sermon de lapsis Origen vpon the thirtie and seuenth Psalm and in Leuit. Hom. 2. Saint Augustine libro 2. de visitatione infirmorum Cap. 4. Saint Cyril libro 12. in Iohannem Cap. 56. Saint Hierom in Ecclesiast Cap. 10. All these doctours according to the Scriptures in these places doe confirme auriculer confession And as for praying vnto the Saintes in Paradise to helpe vs vvith their praiers read Origen in his third Homilie vpō the Cāticles and in his 2. book vpō Iob his eight book in Eccl. Reade Chrysostom in his eight Homilie vpon the Epistle to the Ephesians the fourth Chapter and S. Augustine in his twentie booke against Faustus the one and twenty Chapter and Saint Hierom against Vigilantius All these make mention of the praying vnto the Saintes And for praying for the dead reade Tertullian in his booke De Monogonia and in his booke De corona militis and Saint Cyprian ad plebem Furnensem and in the first booke of his Epistles and Origen in Hieremiam Homil. 12. Item in Epist ad Rom. libro 8. cap. 11. Reade Chrysostome in his thirde Homilie vpon the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Philippians and S. Augustine lib. 2. de gen against the Manichees cap. 20. in the Encheridion ad Laurent cap. 110. Item libro de cura pro mortuis agenda All these doctours whose workes haue continued these 1200. yeares doe teach vs all these thinges that now we doe obserue the which