woman that had borne a sonne which is our sauiour Christ and the woman is his Catholique church This Church did the Dragon the diuell persecute by the ministrie of the Romaine Emperors by the space of 294. yéeres vnder Nero Domitian Tâ—aâ—ant Seuerus Commodus Decius and Dioclesian All this while the Dragon did persecute the Catholique church séeke by all meanes possible to roote it out but Almighty God had in mercifull prouidence prouided for his Church two wings of a great Egle whereby shée tooke flight into the wildernes into the place that was prepared for hir where shée was norished all that time out of the sight of the serpent Yea the serpent did cast out of his mouth after the woman as it had bin a riuer of water that shee might haue bin violently borne away of the water But the earth did help the woman and opening hir mouth did swallow vp the Riuer that the Dragon had cast out of his mouth after hir If such as bée of the learned sorte amongst them that be of the Romish Catholique church would with humbled mindes reade this booke of Reuelations séeke for the true fence meaning but of this one vision vndoubtedly they should finde and I hope they would confesse that the true Catholike church of Christ that was figured by the woman had not the glory of the world as the Romish Catholique church hath now but was in this world obscure and after a sorte hid from the presence of such as the serpent had stirred vp to persecute hir which were the mighty Emperors and other that were of great powre within the Romaine Empire And yet was shée still clad with the sunne had the Moone vnder hir féete c. That is shée was still glorious in the sight of God and of all good men For hir garment was Christ the bright shining light of the world Vnder hir feete shée had the Moone still for shée contemned trode vnder foote the vaine pompe glory of this world which shineth gloriously in the sight of the blinde worldlings euen as the Moone dooth in the darknes of the night Yea and shée had hir head crowned with the twelue starres the Patriarches which were Fathers to the twelue kinreds of Israell or those twelue Messengers or Apostles which our sauiour Christ had sent foorth as starres to giue light in the darknes of this world Yea although shee dwelt still in Rome in other Cities that belonged to the Romaine Empire yet shee was as in a wildernes as hauing nothing and yet possessing all things c. 2. Cor. 6. 2 Cor â— So that if this Offerer would but consider this conceiue in his minde the countenance that the Catholique church could beare in this world during the time of persecution vnder the aboue named Emperors surely hee would neuer for shame say that our Church is not the Catholique church bicause we confesse that for the space of one thousand yeeres it was by the two horned beast that is by the papacie kept vnder as that Church which hee him selfe dooth confesse to bée the right Catholique church of Christ was by the seuen headed Dragon which was the Romaine Empire If the Catholique church might haue hir Apostles Prophets Euangelists Pastors and Doctors as vndoubtedly shee had in the time of the first bloody persecutions which continued for the space of 294. yeeres almost continually why might shee not haue so many of those ministers as were necessarie for hir edification during the time of the later persecution which hath continued how almost a thousand yeeres togithers Yea and why might not she haue the ministration of Sacraments and execution of discipline as well in the one time as in the other And so by good consequence Why may not the Protestants Church be the Catholique church of Christ as well as that Church was that differed as much in all points from the knowne Popish Catholique church as our Protestant Catholique church dooth differ now from the same I conclude therefore that it is altogither vnnecessary to prooue any way that any other gospell or doctrine then that which was preached by the Apostles or any other SacrameÌ„ts then the same that Christ Iesus did first institute or any other discipline then that which the Catholique church of Christ hath practized should hée preached ministred and practized vniuersally openly that thereby wée might prooue our Church to be Catholique For it is manifest by the hystories that the right Catholique church hath sildome had such fréedome vpon earth that shee might haue hir doctrine publikely vniuersally preached hir sacraments ministred and hir discipline practized Wherefore except you will shew your selfe wilfull and obstinate you must now recant although heretofore you would not The tenth offer Offerer Tenth For as much as the Protestants doo affirme their congregation faith and Religion to haue bin practized in the Primatiue Church of Christ some of them for the space of the first three huÌ„dreth yeeres as Iohn Caluin some for the space of foure or fiue hundred yeeres as Martin Luther and his complices some for the whole space of the first sixe hundred yeeres as M. Ievvell and the authors of the Apollogie of the Church of England and therein not agreeing amongst themselues as the manner of Heretikes is I require some better staied and certaine tale of them where and when this sodaine change from the Protestants religion to the Papists should bee made as in what yeere of our Lord vnder what Pope and Emperor by what persons of name it was so wrought and brought to passe and vpon what occasion and what Apostles Prophets Euangelists Pastors and Doctors of their congregations did gainesay or withstand the same And who dooth make any mention of this sodaine merueilous change of the Protestants religion to Papistrie what one Ecclesiasticall writer or auncient Father of the whole world and when they shal be able resonably to answere and to satisfie these my demaunds then I will recant and yeelde to them and not before Crowley This Offerer minding vtterly to discredit the Protestants hath with his pen testified for them that they doo al agree in this one point which is that their Congregation Faith and Religion haue bin practized in the Primatiue church of Christ But here hée thinketh to discredit them all Some of them as Iohn Caluin doo affirme that this was for the space of the first thrée hundreth yéeres some other as Martin Luther and his complices for the space of foure or fiue hundreth yéeres and some others as M. Iewell and the authors of the Apologie of the Church of England for the whole space of the first fixe hundreth yéeres c. To this I say That such amongst vs as haue said that the congregation or Church whereof wée bée had continuance for the space of the whole first sixe hundreth yéeres haue sayd truely and they that haue said for the space of thrée foure or
such haue a care to doo as Saint Paule dooth there exhorte when he sayeth Let euery one that calleth vpon the name of the Lord depart from euill And in so dooing they doo in some sorte make it knowen vnto men that they be the elected and chosen children of God But this knowledge can not bée so certaine that any one man may be therby assured of the election of an other because he séeth him depart from euil For gods sercet election can not be certainly knowen by any outward signes therfore the church of Christ as it consisteth of the number that God hath in his secret election appointed to be enheritors of his kingdome may rightly be sayd to be inuisile as knowen onely to God and vnknowen vnto men 2 Timoth cap. 2 But as it followeth in the same text of S. Paule to Timoth As in a great house there are vesselles not onely of golde and of siluer but of timber and of clay also some appoynted to honest vses some to dishonest euen so is it in the Church of Christ which is the housholde of God some are of one sorte and some of an other And this mixed multitude is visible and knowen to bée that number of people that beareth the name of Christ and is called christian And in thys multitude are those elected and chosen children of God that may rightly bée called the church of Christ in this respect may the secret church of Christ be called visible Math 13. This thing dooth our Sauiour Christ set foorth plainely in the parable of the net that being cast into the sea doth drawe together fishes of all sortes but when this nette is drawen to the shore the fisher men doo chuse out the good fishes and cast away the other as vnprofitable And againe in the parable of the fielde both the good graine and the tares doo growe togeather and the féelde is called the corne féeld and not the féelde of tares tyll the tyme of the Haruest bée come but then the good grayne is gathered into barnes and the tares are bound in bundles to bée burnte in the fyer Euen so the open and knowē church which is visible séene and hearde consisting of men women and children of all sortes continueth and shall continue a myxed multitude euen till the haruest which is the ende of the world shall come And then he that now dooth alone knowe his chosen Church shall make the same knowen to all men by receiuing them to himselfe and by refusing of the rest Thus this Offerer and his fellowes may sée howe the Church of Christ may be sayd to bee inuisible and yet not denied to bée visible But it is manifest what stone it is that these men doo stumble at They are perswaded that the Church of Christ must néeds be alwaies in such floorishing estate here on earth as the Church of Roome is now and as it hath continued for many yéeres togeather But they should consider that the woman the S. Iohn sawe Apoc 12. Apoc. 12. was driuen into wildernes by the crueltie of the Dragon as I haue noted in mine aunswer to the ninth offer and yet she is stil cloathed with the Sunne and hath the moone vnder her féete and is crowned with the 12. starres Yea she is the Cittie situated on the hyll the light of the world and the candle set on the candlesticke as she was euen in those daies of horrible persecution when the Bishops of Roome had no dwelling place in Roome nor the Christians in Roome any open Church to méete in for theyr exercise of Christian religion Looke well to that which I haue written in aunswer to the ninth offer and then I hope you will not charge vs as you haue doone As touching the admonitton that S. Paule gaue to the Hebrewes Hebr 13. in the 13 Chapter of that Epistle I wishe you to weighe it well and to consider the time and what doctrine was vsuall in that tyme wherein the wordes of that admonition were written Which if yée would doo you should finde that your doctrine for the real presence of Christs bodie in the holy Eucharist for the Sacrifice of the masse and the propitiation of sinnes both of the quicke and the deade thereby for your penaunce with the fruites thereof your straightnes of lyfe your vowes inuocation of Saintes and your prayer for soules departed and such lyke are the various and strange doctrines that Saint Paule dooth warne you of For all those doctrines were straung in those daies and scarcely was any one of them hearde of Thinke therefore that S. Paule sayeth vnto you be not ledde or caried away with the diuers and straung doctrines of Transubstantiation of massing for the quicke the dead of satisfying for sinnes by penaunce enioyned by a ghostly father by fasting watching praying vowing inuocating of Saints c. For they are not agréeing but contrarie to the receiued and commonly knowen doctrine of Christes Catholique church When the Popish antichristian catholiques can be able to prooue that the high Préests Scribes and Phariseis were not the raysers vppe of those contentions and strifes that were styrred vp in the dayes wherein Christ and hys apostles preached in Ierusalem and Iewrie but Christ his apostles by preaching the doctrine of the Gospell And that the contentions and strifes that haue béene and bee styll styrred vp in our dayes haue not béene nor are styll styrred vp by them by theyr preaching and maintayning of theyr strange doctrines of transubstantiation such lyke but by vs that béeing members of the most auncient Catholike Church doo preach the same catholique doctrine that Christ and hys Apoles dyd preach and none other then wyll I recant and become a Papist and not before And because I haue in the iudgement of all indifferent readers sufficiently prooued that which this Offerer hath in this Offer required the learned Protestant to prooue I doo requyre him to doo as becommeth an honest man in performing his promise Which is to submit him selfe and to recant although hetherto he haue refused so to doo The fourth signe and token of false Prophets Offerer Fourth signe and token of false Prophets Heretiques and Schismatiques is Schisma in Ecclesiam introducere To bring into the Church of Christ by their doctrine schisme diuision and seperation of one member from another and of the whole mistical body from the true head Iesus Christ For where as the health and saluation of Christ hys flocke and people dooth most cheefely consist in peace concord and vnitie they therefore which by Schisme doo deuide and disperse his flocke and of one societie and fellowship before doo make many and diuers they in not spareinge nor preseruing in vnitie the flock of Christ are become rauening Wolues Th'apostle S. Paule knowing the great daunger and hurte vprising of Schisme dooth most humbly beseech vs with all dilligent circumspection to auoide the same saying Obsecro vos
orderly succession of Bishops the vniformitie of solemne Ceremonies and the vnitie of faith that hath in her selfe all holy functions of the spirite as working of miracles remission of sinnes the true cence and interpretation of Gods word that is beautified with diuersity of states commended by Christ as with Martirs with Confessors holy virgins and such other Let the Protestant prooue vnto me that this is not the true Church and that we are not bound to obey and beleeue this Church and none other in al controuersies doubts vprising eyther by the difficulty of Scripture or by vayne contention and pride of Heretickes and I wyll yeelde and recant and not before Crowley The Protestant hath already prooued that the Church whereof this Offerer is a member hath not béene of so long continuaunce as fiftéene hundreth yéeres Yea and that there be not yet a full thousand yéeres past since that Church became of such power and estimation in the world as now it dooth challendge to it selfe and as this Offerer dooth bragge of That Church which is Catholique in déede whereof all right Protestāts be members hath bad continuance euen euer since this promise was made in the daies of the first man I wyll put enimitie betwixt thée and the woman betwixt thy séede and her séede her séede shall breake thy heade and thou shalt assalt his héele Gen 3. These wordes dyd God him selfe speake to the sperpent and this promise dyd the first man and his wyfe beléeue and they and theyr faithfull posteritie dyd from time to time looke for and long after the performaunce of this promise euen tyll our Sauiour Christ which is that blessed séede of the woman had in déede performed it Our Sauiour Christ speaking of this looking for and longing after sayd thus to his disciples Many Prophets and Princes haue desired to sée those things that you sée and haue not séene them and to heare those wordes that you heare and haue not heard them Luc. 10. Lucae 10 And againe speaking to the Iewes he sayd Your father Abraham dyd aduaunce him selfe that he might sée my day and he dyd sée it and reioyce in it Iohn 8. Iohn 8. And this Catholique Church hath continued still in all troubles and persecutions and dooth continue to this day and so shall to the ende still reioysing in the day of Christ that is already past and looking and longing after that day of his that is yet to come which is the day of his appearing in glory when all his shall appeare with him in glorie Colo 3. Coloss 3 This Church hath had the vse of Sacraments euer since Sacraments were instituted But before Abrahams time there was not any Sacrament ordayned for the first Sacrament was Circumcision and the other Sacrament was the Passe-ouer which was instituted in the dayes of Moses By this it appeareth that the Church was before the sacramentes were and so it followeth by good consequence that Sacramentes are not necessarily required to the constituting of a Church Yea and after those Sairamentes were instituted the vse of them was by occasion intermitted and yet the Church that dyd intermit the vse of those Sacramentes was still the Church of God notwithstanding the intermitting of the vse of the Sacraments As in the time of the people of Isralites béeing in the wildernes which was fortie yéeres both Circumcission and the Passeouer were intermitted and yet that people were styll accounted to bée and were in déede the Church of God Euen so our Sauiour Christ haueing fulfilled the lawe did institute two Sacramentes in the place or stéede of those two that were before hys incarnation namely Baptisme and the Sacrament of his body and blood and left them to hys Church with commaundement that they should bee vsed in hys Church and therfore the Church of Christ may not refuse to vse them But yet if by iust occasion the Church shal be enforced to intermit the vse of them for as long or longer tyme then the Isralites dyd intermit the vse of theyr Sacramēts this may not be thought to be a iust cause to account that Church to be no Catholique Church which hath for a tyme intermitted the vse of Sacramentes But that Catholique Church whereof we Protestants be members hath not any at time intermitted the vse of these two Sacraments that Christ hath ordayned no not in the tyme of most bloody persecution as in most auncient Histories it dooth appeare And after the ende of those bloody persecutions which dyd continue almost to the ende of the first 300. yéeres after Christes ascention the same Church dyd continue the vse of the same Sacramentes publiquely and openly which before that time bloodie Tirrannie would not suffer them to doo But when the tyme of Apostacie was come and the man of sinne of whom S. Paule wrote 2 Thessa 2. 2 Thessa 2 had gotten the vpper hand then this Church was inforced to leaue that open vse that of Sacraments that it had continued for the space almost of 300. yéeres and to vse them as before shee had doone in the time of the first bloody persecutions For the Romane Church béeing fallen away from the Catholique Church became as bloodily minded as euer the Romane Empire had béene Thus the Catholique Church whereof wee bée members hath continued and dooth stil continue the vse of those Sacraments that Christ hath instituted As for confirmation order and that which you call penaunce matrimony and extreame vnction wée doo not acknowledge to bée Sacraments because they agrée not with the definition or discription of a Sacrament which is a visible signe of an inuisible spirituall grace instituted by Christ him selfe we knowe and doo confesse that confirmation is a good order and may bée vsed to the edification of the Church and therfore it is appointed by publique Authority that when younglinges shal be instructed so that they shal be able in some measure to make profession of the Christian fayth they shal bée brought to the Bishop that by prayer to God for them and laying on of his handes vpon them they may bée the better confirmed in that faith which they haue learned and professed The ordering of ministers we allowe of also as of a good profitable order in the Church for we know that no man may take vpon himselfe that honour but such as shal be called thereunto as Aron was And therefore as great care as may be is taken in the chosing of such as shal be admitted to the ministry and as great circumspection in the admitting Heb. 5. If any fault be in this behalfe it is not in the lawe that prescribeth a good and perfect order to be obserued herein but in the lacke of care that may be in such as haue the execution of the law As touching that which you cal penance wée doo neither accept of it as of a Sacrament because we knowe that it is none neyther doo we take
shew great signes wōders in so much that if it were possible that very elect shold be brought into error But behold saith our sauiour I haue told you before hand c. The moe miracles you doo brag of the greater cause we haue to suspect you for these are not the daies wherin credit is to be giuen to miracles but wherin workers of wonders are to be had in suspition Your Church hath you say remission of sins In déed the true catholique church of Christ hath so but not according to your meaning as I think The true catholique church whereof we are members hath remission of sins in Christ and by his mediation And therfore in the confession of our faith we say we beléeue the remission of sins But as I think your meaning is that your church hath power to forgiue sins And hereupon you ground your ingendulces pardons for many yéeres many Lentes and in diuers considerations plenary forgiuenes A paena a culpa Both from the payne that the faulte hath deserued and from the fault it selfe also This remission of Sinnes your Pope bestoweth at hys pleasure but neuer for naught But whether he doo giue or sell this remission of sinnes he dooth in taking vpon himselfe to forgiue sinnes shewe him selfe to bée that man of sinne that S. Paule wrote of the 2. Thessal 2. 2 Thessa 2 Who sitting in the temple of God boasteth hymselfe to bée God For who can forgiue sinnes but God onelie Marci 2. Marci 2 Wée doo know and confesse that our sauiour Christ hath giuen powre to his church both to remit and to retaine sinnes and that powre dooth our Catholike church exercise by certifying the penitent sinners by the scriptures that their sinnes vnfainedly repented be vndoubtedly pardoned through Christ in whom they must belieue assuredly that shal be capable of this remission of sinnes But our Catholike church dooth not make sale of this remission of sinnes as your popish Catholike Church dooth And our Catholike church hath powre to retaine the sinnes of such sinners as shée findeth obstinate and impenitent by certifying them by the scriptures that except they shall repent vnfaynedly and belieue the gospell that is the glad tydings of frée pardon of all their sinnes in and by Christ their sinnes shall neuer bee forgiuen The scriptures are the keyes that Christ gaue vnto Peter and in him to his whole church as S. Augustine hath written in his fiftith treatise vpon Ioh. Si hoc ergo in Ecclesia fit August in Io. tract 50. Petrus quando claues accepit Ecclesiam sanctam significauit If this thing be done in the church then when Peter did receiue the keyes hee did signifie the holy Church So that the power of loosing and binding belonged not to Peter alone but to him togither with the rest of the Apostles wherefore the same powre dooth not now belonge to any one person alone in the Church but to the whole Church togither You say further that your church hath the true sense interpretation of the woorde of God so that no sense or interpretation of Gods woorde may bee taken for true but that which is set down by your church although that which is set downe by your church shal be prooued to bee directly contrarie to the text of Gods woord it selfe In your generall counseil holden at Trident in the yéere 1563. and in the tewenty fifth Session thereof your church hath anathematized as many as shall hold or teach that the Images of Christ of the virgine his mother and of other saintes be not very profitable for Christians and that they are not to bee worshipped Their decrée concerning this matter beginneth thus Jmagines porro Chrsti c. That is The holy Synode dooth commaunde that the Images of Christ and of the virgin the mother of God and of other saints to be had and retained especially in churches that due honor and worship bée giuen vnto them This is the sense and interpretation that your Catholike church hath set downe in that decrée concerning the meaning of these sentences written in the woord of God Cursed is that man or woman that shall make a carued or molten Image that the Lord abhorreth the worke of the hands of Craftesmen and shall set it in a secret place Deut. 27. Deut. 27. Againe in Esay Cap. 44. Quis formauit Deum c. Who hath fashioned a God and hath made a carued Image Esay 44. Exod. 20. that is good for nothing And againe Exod. 20. Non facies tibi scuptile c. Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image nor the likenes of any thing that is in heauen aboue or in the earth beneath nor in the water vnder the earth Thou shalt not worship nor serue them c. Yea and S. Paule in his second Epistle to the Corinthes 2. Cor. 6. 2. Cor. 6. What agreement is there betwixt the temple of God and Images directly contrary to the sentences of scripture your holy mother the Catholike church as you doo terme hir but in very déede the church of Antichrist hath in that generall counsell decréed that the Images of Christ of the Virgin the mother of God and of other saintes must be had and retayned especially in churches and that their due honour and reuerence must bée giuen vnto them Much more might bee noted out of your generall counselles where by it might bee made most manifest plaine that there was neuer any sorte of Heretikes that swarued further from the true sense and interpretation of the word of God euen in the chiefest points of religion then that Synagogue of Satan your Antichristian Catholike church hath doone for the space of these 1000. yéeres now last past almost and dooth still But your church is beautified with diuersity of states commended by Christ as with Martyrs with Confessors holy Virgins and such other If a man should require you to shew your Martyrologie and to shew the causes wherefore these Martyrs of yours suffered it would bee hard for you to make proofe that any one of those that you doo account for Martyrs did suffer for any other then for Antichrist If you shall begin with Thomas Becket the best that you can say for him is that hée died for the liberties of the Church And what were those liberties That all clergie men should be exempted from the powre of their princes So that if a clergie man should cōmit any maner of felonie murther or Treason or any other capitall crime none of the princes officers might deale with him to execute the penalty of the lawe vpon him as vpon a felon murderer or Traytor but he must be punished by this Ordinarie c. And what was this other then to dye for Antichrist who contrary to Christs doctrine vsurpeth authoritie ouer princes and wil not suffer any of his to be in subiection to princes and to princes lawes To bee briefe