by the authoritie of Scripture So saith the b August l. de natura grat c. 39. Credamus quod legimus quod non legimus nefas credamus ad struere quod de cunctis etiā dixisse sufficiut Pelagians in the same Authour Let vs beleeue saith Pelagius vvhat vve reade and vvhat vve reade not let vs beleeue it vnlavvfull to be established Let this suffice in all other matters So the c Aug l. post Collationem Nos sola portamus Euig lia Item concio 1. in Psal 32. Nos sola offerimus Euangelia Donatists in the same Authour saying vve bring vvith vs and present the Ghospells onely This was that which Eranistes aymed at whom a Apud Theod. in Dialog immutabilis Ego enim soli diuinae scripturae fidem habeo Theodoret brings in in his Dialogues where condemning all reasons he saith For I beleeue in the Ghospell onely So b Lib. 2. cont ipsum cap. 1. Fratribus nobiscum constitutisin sancto Euangelio Petilianus writing to his brethren vnder this title to our brethren constituted together vvith vs in the holy Ghospell So the Maximianists expressing them selues in these termes fighting with vs in the truth of the Ghospell Finally so the Arians Apud S. Aug. In veritate Euangelij nobiscum militantibus who were so wedded to the Scripture that they would not onely admit no sense but euen no word which was not comprised therin reiecting this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it was not found there Concil Nicenum All these auncient Heresiarkes condemned by the Church and by your selues had the Scripture as frequently in their mouthes as you They tearmed themselues Euangelicall men like you They made the Scripture the onely rule of their Faith as you doe yet wheras they did it in words not in deede as was fitting but in publishing its name they abused the authoritie therof they were cōdemned by the Church their doctrine was iudged worthy of hatred as yours also is and will be I am confident by the iudgement of the whole world when I shall haue made manifest that you abuse the scriptutes to your owne ends It is truly worthy of hatred because vnder pretext of scripture the writen word of God almightie 1. it doth reiect his word not written 2. a great part of the written word 3. it clearely contradicts in many passages that which it doth admitt 4. corrupts it in diuers parts 5. and lastly it makes the word of men passe for the word of God yea euen the word of euery Idiot establishing vpon them the principall articles of your Faith 1. Vvorthy of hatred because it reiecteth the vvord of God not vvritten If he be worthy of hatred who in establishing a thinge destroyes that without which it cannot subsiste and which is also commanded by it your doctrine is by a iust title hatefull for the Scripture which whilsts it extolls it destroyes the Traditions commanded by the same Scripture and without which it can in no sort subsiste That holy writ cānot subsiste without Traditions it is most cleare since by them onely we know that the bookes of Scripture which we haue came vnto our hands pure and intire such as they proceeded from the mouth of the holy Ghost You beleeue as an article of Faith that you haue those bookes pure and intire wherfore ether the written word affirmethit which indeede is not so or not affirming it it followes that some other word not written doth teach it vs or els we beleeue that with a diuine Faith which God neuer spoke a thing most absurde seeing that the word of God is the onely fundation of our Faith That Traditions are commanded by the Scripture the second to the a Cap. 2. Tenete traditiones quas didicistis siue per sermonem siue per Epistolam nostram Thessalonians makes manifest where the Apostle speakes so clearely of Traditions of Faith not written that euen b Vvhitat controu 1. q. 6. c. 10. Respondeo Noui Testamenti Canonē non fuisse tune editū at que constitutū cum Paulus hanc Epistolā scriberet .... nō sequitut ergo quando Apostolus scripsit ad Thessalon tum omnia necessaria non sunt scriptae ergo nec postea your owne men confesse that at he tyme when S. Paule wrote there were such like traditions which since are inserted in holy Vvrite A thing indeede easily said but hardly persuaded especially to such as consider that it is not to be found in all holy scripture that those things which were not yet written while S. Paule wrote that Epistle were afterwards put downe in writing 2. Vvorthy of hadted because it reiects part of the Vvrittē vvorde of God Conc. Carthag 3. Can. 47. Trullan can 2. Rom. sub Gelaesio Trident By what authoritie doe you reiect many of the bookes of Scripture which the Church at diuerse tymes in diuerse Councells in diuers parts of the world in Greece Italie Afrique and Germanie defines to be canonicall and diuine Vvhat a senselesse thing is it that you of your owne head should establish canons hauing nether Father who doth declare nor Councell that doth define which is to be noted the Canon of the bookes of holy scripture according to your way The presumption which you vse in opposing your iudgement against the iudgement of the auncient Fathers and the authoritie of the Church is truly worthy to be hated 3. Vvorthy of hatted because it contradicts the scripture He that opposeth what he ought religiously to follow is he not worthy of hatred And ought not all men to follow the scripture You make profession of doing so and yet directly to deney what it affirmes and beleeue the contrarie to that which it teacheth in expresse termes as I haue proued in the precedent Chapter is not this to contradict it If a man can be said to esteeme him whom he often belyes you esteeme the scripture and if one can hold that for a Rule to which he frequently opposeth his iudgement you doe vndoutedly hold the scripture for the rule of your saluation For plainely to affirme that a thingis not wheras the scripture saith it is what other thing is it then to giue the lye to the scripture and to haue a iudgement opposite to the iudgement therof 4 Your corruptions in the scripture are so perfp cuous Vvorthy of hatred because it corrupis the Scripture that euen your owne men doe reprehend them Did not Charles du Mullin who is famous amongst you for this cause say that a Molinaesus in suatranslatione Noni Testaementi Caluinus in sua Harmonia textum Euangelicum desutare facit sursum versum vt res ipsaindicat vim infert literae Euangelicae illam multis in locis transponit in super additlitterae Caluin in his Harmonie puts the text of the Ghospell topsie turuie as the thing it selfe makes manifest violates the letter of
the Ghospell transposeth it in many places addes to it And speaking of Beza his translation saith he not b Idem Molinae ibidem de facto mutat textum that indeede he changeth the text And doth not c Castalio in defensione suarum translationum ait Quo omnes eius Bezae errores noiarentur magno volumine opus esse Castalion going on in the same sense affirme that it would require a great volume to put downe all his errour To conclude that Great kinge whose witt did as far surpasse yours as his person did indignitie all his subiects the king of great Britaignie whose iudgement ought to be taken for the whole Church of England both because you esteeme him the heade therof and for that it is not credible that he would publish opinions which that Church holds not Saith not this Prince in the conferēce at Hampton Court that the verie worst version of the Bible was that of Geneua and further that he found the notes of the Geneua Bible vvonderfull partiall false seditious and too much smelling of the designes of a most dangerous and peruerse mynde 5 That you haue the true canon of scripture Vvorthy of hatred because it makes the vvord of men passe for scripture That the bookes which you allow of are not corrupted That the body of Iesus-Christ is onely figuratiuely in the Euchariste are not these the principall articles of your Faith And that your onely and absolute Faith that is the Faith by which euery one of the Faithfull beleeues to be iustifyed by the apprehension of the iustice of Iesus Christ doth iustifie you is it not the ground worke and soule of your Religiō And yet whereate these tenets found in the holy Scripture Formall and expresse passages such notwithstanding the ratification of your confession doth oblige you to produce there are none Toutes lesdites Eglises Françoises approuuēt ratifient la susescrite confession on tous ses chefs articles comme estant entieremēt fondee sur la pure expresse parole de Dieu You haue recourse to consequences which yet are not grounded vpon two diuine Principles contayned in the Scriptures but vpon two Principles wherof of the one is drawen from your owne braine which doth clearely demonstrate vnlesse I deceaue my selfe that you propose the word of men for the word of God which is found in holy Vvritt since that according to your owne tenet your faith can haue no other fundation then scripture Le ts see whether I be a Liar In the third Article of your Conf. you put downe for an article of Faith that the canon of scriptures is the onely rule of Faith you further accnowledge that all the bookes contayned in the said Canon proceeded from the mouth of the holy Ghost and are conserued in their originall puritie besides those you accnowledge none But by what syllogisme conclude you this in the margent of the next Article you cite sundrie passages of this nature The pure and vnspotted vvord of God Psal 12. v. 7. Psal 19. v. 8. The Lavv of God immaculate The Testimonie of God Faithfull giuing vvisdome to litle ones The Precept of our Lord cleare enlightening the eyes Out of these passages which doe not affirme in expresse tearmes that the bookes you admit of are canonicall you would by consequence inferre it you forme the maior of your argument as followeth The Law of God say you is immaculate pure and vnspotted But all the bookes which we hold for Canonicall and no others are immaculate pure and vnspotted Ergo They alone and no others are the Law of God Whence I pray you doe you draw your Minor Doth the Scripture affirme that these bookes and no other are pure and immaculate verily no. Vvho doth auerre it then You of your owne brayne This proposition therfore is humane and withall false which yet I will not now prosequute being sufficient for my present purpose to shew that this principle is but the words of men Vvhence it followes that ether your word passeth for Gods word or that your Faith in this point which vertually compriseth all the rest since now the question is touching the Scripture which you will haue to be the onely fundation of Faith is not diuine but onely humane whence it clearly followes that it is of no other kind euery conclusion being of the same nature with the more imperfect part of its cause But now let vs speake of the Euchariste You hold as an article of Faith that the words of consecration ought to be vnderstoode figuratiuely so that the body of Iesus Christ is not really vnder the species of bread as we sustayne it is The proofes that you bring of your Faith are diuers passages of holy Scripture which teaching as you dreame things that are incompatible with the reall presence of Christ in the Eucharist doe clearely shew that the words of consecration are figuratiue Let vs see some of your Arguments One body cannot be in two places by Gods omnipotencie to witt in heauen and in the Eucharist which is in earth But the scripture teacheth that the body of Christ is in heauen till the day of Iudgement Ergo it is not in the Euchariste The Maior not being found in all the scripture it is the word of men and consequently it is cleare ether that you make it passe for the word of God or els that your conclusion cannot be diuine and infallible for the reason I haue touched aboue Now let vs examine what your Faith is You beleeue that euery one of the faithfull is iustified by that faith wherby he certanely persuades him selfe that he is iustified in Christ Iesus Paraeus l. 3. de iustif c. 1. l. 1. c. 10. One of your moderne Authours formes this syllogisme Vvho so euer beleeues in the sonne of God shall be saued But I beleeue in the sonne of God Ego I shall be saued Not to dispute of the Maior suppose that it were in the scripture though in deede in your sense it is not The Minor can in no sort be found therin for it is not said in any place that Luther for example Caluin Beza Pereus and others beleeued whence it is euident euen according to your selues that it is the word of men and not of God whose whole word you will haue to be written Now hauing made manifest how you vse the scriptures all men I dare assure my selfe will greatly wonder with what face you dare so highly magnifie the scripture in words which in deedes you so horribly wronge But they will cease this admiration if they call to mynd how ordinarie a thing it is for heretikes to serue them selues of the scripture and to wrong it withall nay which is worse they are in some sort necessarily constrayned to doe both To serue them selues of the scripture because the true religiō being grounded vpon the word of God it is necessarie for euery sect that pretends a true religion
the people to heare and reade the holy Scripture in a tongue knovven to all and that publike seruice should be done in your subiects Vvlgaire tongue that they might be instructed therby And that henceforth God should not be suspected by men as though his word were a dangerous booke from which the people ought to abstayne For France stands obliged vnto vs in this that we haue published holy Vvrit in the french tongue which formerly was an vnknovven booke and that we haue giuen the children a sight of their Fathers Vvill which was hertofore hidden from them ANSWERE YOu continue the guiles which you vsed in the precedent Chapter while you represent your selues as men loaden with hatred for certaine considerations which in your conceipt might purchace you loue Hauing insinuated your selues into the harts of the people by pretending Christs interest you haue recourse to their owne with more facilitie to intice and gayne them to your selues You promis them wondres and make shew of great obligations while yet you doe but delude deceaue and leade them to their perdition impose vpon vs manifestly contradict your selues condemne in vs what your selues practise bragge of things which belong not to you and affect nouelties a A vvord is not a vvordexcept in as much as it signifieth and expresseth the conceiptes of him that speaketh and for this reason the scripture to speake properly is not the vvord of God but by reason of the senses vvhich makes vs knovv the conceits or counsels of God Hieron Basil alij Patres passim Vvhit ad rationem And since reason the Fathers and the comon consent euen of your owne men 2. Campiani Ipsa vis res quidammodo anima Sacrarum literarum in sententia consistit Rectè Hieronymus non in legendo sed in intelligendo scripturae câ—nsistunt Et alibi non in verbis Scripturarum est Euangeliâ—m sed in sensu doe vrge you to grant that the holy scripture doth principally consiste in the sense not in the bare letter though it contayne the one and the other I shall with facilitie make manifest vnto all the word that you doe but deride the people Because while you proteste to permitt them the full and intire knowledge therof you grant them no more libertie in point of sense then the Catholike Church doth her children for though all yours haue perminion to reade the Scripture yet is it not lawfull for any of them to explicate it in any other sense then that of Caluine or your owne as is made manifest by sundrie examples and peculiarly by that of the institution of the Euchariste where none can explicate these words This is my body otherwise then figuratiuely Vvherin you resemble those that promising a great treasure giue onely the sight of the coffer wherin it is kept Nay you giue not yet so much for doubting of the translation of the scripture and ingeniously b Vvhit cont 1. q. 2. c. 7. Nullam nos editionem nisi Hebrateam in 〈◊〉 Grae câ—in nâ—â—o Tesâ—un ento authentiâ—am faâ—â—â—us coÌ„fessing that there is no version at all authenticall that is of sufficient credit the people haue iust reason not onely to doubt of the sense of the scripture which you deliuer but euen of the verie letter of the version which you propose vnto them and consequently of their saluation it being a cleare case that they can haue no greater assurance of that then they haue of the meanes wherby you would conduct them thither He that promiseth children fruite to eate and yet giues them onely Amands which they cannot crake doth but mocke them yea he mockes them doubly when the Amands are not true but conterfeit onely So doe you doubly delude those who beleeue you in a matter of importance since that the letter of the Scripture which you giue them is not authenticall not doe you permitt them of themselues to gather out of it the true and naturall sense which in their iudgement it contaynes You mocke them verily and deceaue them both at once You deceaue them because vnder the name of the word of God you present vnto them the word of men sithens you deliuer them the scripture changed by mans inuention and interpreted against the sense which the words beare as I haue alreadie shewen and that as a In 1. Gal. Interpretatione peruersa de EuaÌ„gelio Christi hominis fit Euangelium aut quod peius est diaboli Luther lib. de Missapriuata S. Hierome notes The Gospell of Iesus Christ is made the Gospell of men by a peruerse interpretation yea which is worse the Gospell of the Diuell because will I adde vse is made of it to establish vntruth and errour wherof he is the father And this may be more iustly auerred of yours then of any other because in certaine passages you obserue the sense which Luther receaued of the Diuell in a visible shape You delude the people by persuading them that of all the exteriour meanes vsefull for our saluation the reading of the Bible is the onely certaine one which is manifestly false for otherwise the blind which cannot reade simple and ignoraÌ„t people who haue no learning could not be amongst the number of the faithfull They that were Christians before the Gospell was written they that beleeued in the tyme of a Lib. 3. c. 4. S. Ireneus as he himselfe is witnes in Carist Iesus without paper and inke were not of the faithfull They againe who vnderstand not the hebrew and greeke tongue were not capable of faith since according to you no version is authenticall nor can faith be attayned vnto but by a meanes which is infallible But if you reply that such people may receaue it from the mouth of their Pastours who doe faithfully preach vnto them the word of God it followes then that the Scripture is not the onely externe meanes to obtayne Faith since you your selues adioyne this second which cannot be sufficient for some vnlesse it were so for all the rest And in deede what reason is there so to ty and restrayne the word of God to paper to the character and letter that it can no further be a meanes of saluation then it is contayned vnder these signes Haue they any force of their owne nature If not why is not the word of God in the hart and mouth of the Church and her Pastours an assured meanes of saluation You deceaue the people not onely by persuading them that the reading of Scripture is the sole meanes of saluation but moreouer in teaching them that it is a sufficient meanes and that none ought to looke after any other which is euidently false for two reasons first because the Scripture teacheth that faith cometh by hearing and that it hath so absolute a dependance of it that without it faith cannot be had How saith a Rom. 10. v. 14. Quomodo credent ei queÌ„ non audieruÌ„t Quomodo autâ—m audient
that since God doth promisse remission of sinns to conuerted sinners such as feele no remorse of conscience which may make them esteeme their repentance defectiue ought to haue peace of mynd and are morally certaine of their saluation And therfore it is not true simply to affirme that your doctrine is hated for teaching men to die with peace of conscience and assurance of saluation well might you auerre that it is worthy of hate for teaching that this certaintie of saluation which the faithfull may haue is not onely morall but euen infallible as proceeding from diuine faith which is the doctrine that the Church condemneth and you sustayne None can know saith the a Sess 6. c. 9. Councell of Trent by certaintie of Divine faith which is not subiect to deceiâ—t that he hath obtayned the grace of God Behold sirs I pray the true reason for which we may say vnto you with b In Ezech. 11. Vae his haeresibus hisque doctrints quae requiem pollicentes omnem aetatem sexumque deci piuni S. Hierome accursed be the heresies and doctrine which promiseng repose deceaue all ages and sexes Aud with the c Ierem. 4. scripture that which it affirmes of false Prophetes that hauing peace in their mouth in effect they haue it not Peace Peace and there is no peace For one may truly say that you deceaue the people seeing you doe assure them that this certaintie is of Faith and yet following your owne principles it hath not in scripture sufficient groundes For tell me ô Miristers I beseech you to you Ispeake in your owne particular where doe you find in scripture in expresse termes that one of you for example Peter du Moulin is assured of his saluation If you find it not how doe you beleeue it as an article of faith since you doe not hold the word of God barely but the expresse word of God to be the fundation of Faith as appeares by the testimonies of many a Calu. Epist contra Prâ—centorem Lugd. Nihil eredendum est quod non expressum sit in scripturiâ— Vvhital controu 1. quaest 4. c. 1. Omntae quae sunt ad salutem necessaria apertis verbis in scripturis pro. poni nostrum axioma est Luth. lib. cont Reg. Ang Nullum articulum sciat a me admitti nisi apertis scripturae verbis munitum The King of Eugland in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First Assure your conscience vpon the faundation of the most expressevuord of God Sadol desacrif c. â— Nos expressa seripturae sacrae testimonia efflagita mus of yours and particularly by the b The Ratification of the ffrench Confession All the ffrench harches approoue and ratifie the aboue mentioned Confession in all these heads and articles as being vuholy grounded vpon the pure and expresse vuord of God ratification of your confession of faith signed by the most famous men of your religion and the most learned Ministers that were then amongst you wherin you say that your faith is grounded intirly vpon the pure and expresse word of God You will easily grant that this which I demand is not expressy contayned in scripture but that you draw it thence by consequence This answere will appeare friuolous for diuers reasons First I aske you out of what passages of the scripture you proue that it is sufficient to make a thing to be beleeued by diuine faith that it be inferred out of scripture by discours and consequence as though forsoth faith were discursiue and not a simple habit like to that of Principles becausé as it giues present consent to its obiect by reason of the euidence therof so faith without reasoning doth forthwith imbrace the word of God which is its obiect by reason of infallible authotihe of him who doth reveale it If you find this supposition in scripture we are in the wrong if not you are ill grounded in your faith for it is euident that this Principle to witt that it is sufficient to make a proposition to be an Article of faith that it be inferred out of seripture is purely humaine and noâ— diuine Further put case it weretrue and made good by scripture that an inference were a valide fundation of faith yet according to your selues this would onely haue place in consequences drawen out of two diuine Principles which are both contayned in the scripture seeing it is euident that one of them being humane the certaintie of the coÌ„clusion cannot be diuine seeing that euery conclusion is of the same nature with the more imperfect part of its cause and that that wherby a thing is knowen ought to be better knowen then the thing it selfe So that if the Principle wherby a conclusion is knowen be onely knowen by a humane knowledge the conclusion cannot be knowen by a more perfect knowledge Wherfore albeit that euen an inference of this nature and kind might serue for a valide fundation of our faith yet were it nothing to your pourpose since in the sillogisme by which you conclude the assurance of your saluation euen admitting of your owne ac count there is but one of the Premises diuine contayned in the scripture that who soeuer beleeues is iustified the other which affirmes that you beleeue being meerly humane as not being mentioned in all the scripture nether in expresse termes nor yet by consequence I adde that though it were granted which yet is false that a conclusion drawen out of two principles the one diuine the other humane might be a sufficient motiue to oblige vs to beleeue yet should not that be but in regarde it were drawen by a companie of wise and learned men no man being of so weake a discourse as to thinke a conclusion drawen by an ignorant person or an Idiote who knowes not what belonges to a good inference drawen I say from a Principle which he alone tinowes is a sufficient and valide fundakon of diuine and infallible faith And yet in these termes are you A poore plough man vpon his death-bed can not be sure of his saluation vnlesse he inferre it by consequence on t of a Principle knowen to himselfe alone sith none but himselfe knowes whether he haue truly faith Nor doth it suffice to say that in this behalfe he is interiourly guided by the holy Ghost who assures him of faith Because in that case we were to admitt of another word of God not written and giuen not to the Church but onely to euery particular man whoÌ„ by that meanes you make solewittnes and Iudg in his owne cause Which you cannot with any appearance sustayne since contrarie to your owne principles you should admitt of another rule of saluation besids the scripture wheras also there is none but will confesse that though the expresse words of scripture were not necessarie to ground an article of faith yet in all reason should they be requisite to ground that by which you beleeue you haue faith since that is the onely fundation
oblige consciēces which is à doctrine detested by the Catholike Church and ought to be so by all the world sithens it layes open à broad gate to disobedience ther being no more efficacious meanes to teach the contempt of the authoritie of the Church Kings and Magistrates and to violate their lawes and ordonnances then by openly persuading all men that none of them oblige in conscience Now there remaynes nothing but that I earnestly beseech you to enter into your owne harts to dispose your selues to enter into the way of saluation What will you remayne in à religion which braging of much can proue nothing who knowes not that it is now 1600. Yeares since Iesus-Chr established his Church with promisse of perpetuitie how can that then which was but hatched within the tearme of 100. yeares be his who sees not that the names CATHOLIKE and CHRISTIAN being the Church her proper names the religion to which they belong not and to which the qualities which they signifie cannot agree cannot iustly boast that it hath the true Church Who sees not that à Religion which manifestly contradictes the Scripture in many principall points of its beleife is not that which was left vs by Iesus-Christ and his Apostles Who sees not that they who vnder pretext of Gods honour iniure him who in words pretend holy Scripture and in in deedes foist in place of it that of men and rely vpon it as the fundation of their faith who sees not I say that those men carrie not the torch which we are to follow Who will beleeue that he who denyes the greatest part of the misteries because they are burdensome vnto him who forsakes them to follow his owne wayes and fancie who will haue no visible Heade of the Church that they may liue free from obedience vnto him who to exempt himselfe from labour and painstaking will not haue the blood of Iesus-Christ to render our actiōs purgatiue propitiatorie or merirorious who in à word banisheth all paine to passe to heauē in à feather bed who I say will beleeue that such an one is in the way of saluation nay who doth not see that he runs the straight way to his Erernall perdition Is any so silly as not to discouer that they who promis the people full and intire libertie to use the Scripture and yet giue them no other but to looke upon the letters and receaue into their eares the sounds of words and who put the Bible into their hands as the way of saluation which yet they accnowledge not to be authenticall yea depraued and corrupt are but meere mockers and impostures in things of importance towards saluation Who will not planely see that à man hath no assurance in à religion wherin all the assurance of saluation depends vpon the warranty of mens opinions and of each one in his owne cause in à religion the authours wherof die desperate Shall one follow those who professe punctually to follow Iesus-Christ yet doe the contrarie to that which he did in that most sacred misterie which he instituted before his death Shall one iudge that à true religion which banisheth all sacryfice without which neuer yet religion was Who will not iudge that the true way not to follow the saints is to follow their enemyes and such as vomit out à thousand blasphemies against their honour and puritie Will any deeme it the readie way to Christ to loade him with blasphemies and contumelies issuing out of à sacrilegious mouth And will not euen blind men see that to make God authour of sinne and man's perdition is to perish in ones iudgment and to adiudge ones selfe to eternall flames And verily following the Father's iudgment he is lyable to à more greeuious cryme who diuides the misticall body of Christ then though he should teare in peeces his true body Who then will not hold your religion abominable which stands conuicted of so great and detestable à schisme And who is he that will not condemne it when he obserues it to be patched out of the horred heapes of old heresies and consequently condemned by it owne iudgment since it is condemned by the primitiue Church which it doth accnowledge to be the true Church Can à louer of vertue and hater of vice follow that societie which shuts vp all passages to vertue And will he not planely discerne that to lay open the way to all vice is no other thing then to lay open the broad way to Hell In fine who sees not that that societie which will submitt it-selfe to no lawes spirituall or ciuile cannot be subiect to the lawes of God They are worse then blind men that cannot discouer this light Let euery one open his eyes and beware of being misledd by the comō errour of many to witt that the desire they haue to be saued puts them in assurance where euer they be They may please to know that if our desire were sufficient to iustifie vs then they that thought they did seruice and sacryfice vnto God in putting to death the Apostles wrought their owne saluation and not the damnation of their soules Let them know that though one haue an intention to goe to Rome and yet holde on the way to Geneua they shall neuer arriue at Rome Let them learne of the Fathers that there is no saluation out of the Church none is assured against the wroth of God who is not sheltered vnder that couert Let not the simple deceaue themselues by thinking that their Ministers would not haue the face to preach with such assurāce what they were not assured of because if it were enough for heretikes for the approbation of their doctrine to publish it as good and all contrarie to it as worth nothing one could not accuse the impietie of the greatest Heresiarkes that euer liued for with the pretended assurance of truth they defended their blasphemies I know indeede that the conuersion of à soule is à difficult thing I know that as an impoysoned hart as the report goes cannot be consumed by fire so God who is à consuming fire doth hardly inflame harts infected with the poyson of errour by reason of the obstacles which he finds therin Yet can he and will he doe it if euery one putting of his passion put on à fitt disposition and imbrace the meanes prescribed by the holy Fathers If thou desirest saith a Lib. de vtilit credendi c. 8. Si iam tibi satis iactatus Sideris finemque huiusmodi laboribus vis imponere sequere viam Catholicae disciplinae quae ab ips◠Christo per Apostolos ad nos vsque manauit optime ad posteros manatura est S. Augustine speaking to one that seekes his owne saluation to put à periode to thy miserie put thy selfe into the way of Catholike discipline which by the Apostles descended vpon vs from Iesus Christ and which shall be continued in our posteritie That is to say follow the Roman Church which alone descended by an vninterrupted succession from Iesus Christ To this Church it is that you ought to repaire whither S. August by another more expresse place inuites you b Idid c. 17. Dubitamus nos eius Ecclesia condere Doe we feare saith he to betake our selues into the A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS and Sections contayned in this booke Chap. j. MInisters pag. 1 Answere pag. 2 Chap. ij Ministers pag. 4 Answere pag. 6 Ch. iij. Sect. j. Ministers pag. 32 Answere pag. 32 Section ij pag. 37 Answere pag. 38 Sect. iij. Ministers pag. 54 Answere pag. 54 Sect. iv Ministers pag. 76 Answere pag. 78 Sect. v. Ministers pag. 84 Answere pag. 58 Sect. vj. Ministers pag. 94 Answere pag. 94 Ch. iv Sect. j. Ministers pag. 108 Answere pag. 109 Sect. ij pag. 126 Ch. v. sect j. Ministers pag. 129 Answere pag. 130 Sect. ij Of Indulgences pag. 147 Ch. vj. Sect. j. Ministers pag. 155 Answere pag. 156 Sect. ij Of the Sacrifice pag. 169 Sect. iij. Of the Eleuation of the Hoste pag. 187 Sect. iv Of masses where the assistāts doe not communicate pag. 189 Sect. v. Of Communion vnder one kind pag. 194 Ch. vij Ministers pag. 202 Answere pag. 202 Ch. viij Ministers pag. 221 Answere pag. 222 Ch. ix Ministers pag. 241 Answere pag. 243 Ch. x. Ministers pag. 254 Answere pag. 254 Ch. xj Ministers pag. 257 Answere pag. 257 Ch. xij Ministers pag. 260 Answere pag. 261 Ch. xiij Ministers pag. 262 Answere pag. 264 Ch. xiv Ministers pag. 276 Answere pag. 277 Ch. xv The Religion Pretended to be reformed is worthy of hatred because it makes à schismè in the Church pag. 282 Ch. xvj That the religion which they call Reformed doth renewall the old heresies pag. 299 Chap. xvij The Religion pretended to be reformed doth banish all vertue pag. 314 Chap. xviij The Religion pretended to be reformed layes open the Gate to all vices pag. 318 Chap. xix The Religion pretended to be reformed doth teach that nether temporall nor spirituall laws of Princes doe oblige in conscience pag. 326 FINIS
c Philip. 2. v 7. he did for vs exinaniee himselfe taking the forme of a seruant That of the greater or lesse honour which doth accrue vnto God is but a bad way to establish one article of Faith and destroy another Vvher vpon d Hil. l. 1. de Trinit Religiese impius l. 4. irreisgiosam de Deo selt â—tudinem S. Hilarie tearmes the Arians who vse that way of proceeding Religiously vvicked people who doe irreligiously serue God Other grounds are necessaire Vve must know what the Church teacheth vs and those that are so carefull of Gods honour ought to be verie carefull to be in structed in it least they iniure him in deedes whom they honour in words which they doe in expressing things otherwise then they are indeede it being certaine as saith a Cassian l. 1. de Incarnat Quod non dicitur it ae vt est etiamsi honor videatur contumelia est Cassian disciple of S. Chrysostome that that vvhich is not exprest as it is though it seeme honourable is indeede a true contumelie That which is true be it of what kinde it will honours God because he would haue it so and that all his wills are to his owne aduantage But what is false though in apparance aduantagious turnes to disaduantage And though many things beare no proportion with the greatnes of the Almightie yet haue they connection with the infinite perfectioÌ„ of his loue and Charitie which appeares somuch the more perfect and accomphished by how much in vertue therof he descends to things more lowe and abiect And therfore it is an abuse to alledge gods honour to dazle and blinde the people Yet this you doe while you represent your Religion hated for fiue points which you esteeme honorable for him as being honorable in your opinion to Iesus Christ which is but yet so in apparance onely Hereupon I am forced to tell you with a Tertul. l. de pudic c. 2. talia tantae sparsilia eoruÌ„ quious Deo adulentur sibi lenocinantur effoeminantia magis quam vigoraÌ„tia disciplinaÌ„ Tertullian that those litle shiftes by vvhich you become flatterers of God and your selues doe rather vveaken then strengthen discipline So considering Religion in the shape you represent it me thinks I see not a chaste wife but a strumpet set out with sundrie adulterate colours to seduce the world and kill you come from you and become mistresse of your life which moues me to the end I may deliuer the people from errour to vndertake to wash her face vnmaske her and discouer her deformitie following the example and foot stepps of the Prophete who speaking of an Idolatrous b Nahu 3. Propter mu. titudinem fornicationuÌ„ meretricis speciosa gratae habeutis maleficiae quae veÌ„didit gentes in fornicationibus suis faemiliaes in maeleficiis suis Reuelabo pudenda tua in facie tua ostendam gentibus nuditaetem tuam regnis ignominiam tuam nation vseth these words For the abundance of the fornications of a faire charmeing and mischieuous strumpet vvho hath sold nations in her formcations families in her diuelish prankes I vvil discouer thy shame in thy face and vvill shevv thy nakednes to all nations and thy ignominie to kingdomes Which I will doe so much the more willingly because I haue learnt of b Concil in psal 36. Tanto magis debemus commemorare vanitatem haereticorum quanto magis quaerimus salutem eorum S. Augustine that by how much more we desire the saluation of Heretikes by so much more we ought to indeuour to make the vanitie of their errour appeare SECTION II. VVe vvould make it clearely appeare vnto him that our religion is hated because it admitts no other rule of saluation then the vvord of God contayned in holy scripture ANSWERE IT is false that your Religion is hated for that it admitts no other rule of saluation then the scripture but true it is that it is worthy of hatred for the diuers abuses which it committs in Scripture That we teach no other rule of saluation then scripture will be manifest to any that knowes that these words an other rule doe importe in proper speach a Rule of a diuers kind as I will hereafter proue in the ensuing Section and withall an intire rule as I will presently make appeare following your owne tenets who will not admitte the Ghospell of S. Mathew to be an other rule then that of S. Marke considering they are but two parts of the same Rule and that this word rule simply taken signifies a compleate rule for as S. Basile saith a Rule admitts no addition but things that are imperfect are neuer rightly instiled by the name of Rule Now we nether admitt Rule of any other king then the scripture nor yet any compleate rule other then it yea we call it the compleate rule of our saluation for two reason both because it contaynes immediatly and formally the substance of our Faith all the articles necessarie necessitate Medij for mans saluation and also because it doth mediately comprehend all that we are to beleeue in that it doth remitt vs to the Church to learne the same which it assures vs is infallible Hence it followes that we draw that truth out of the scriptures which we receaue by the mouth of the Church if reason may preuayle which teacheth that whoso euer deputes another to speake for him speakes mediatly by his mouth and if a Aug. lib. 1. cont Cresco c. 33. Quamuis huius rei certè de scripturis Catholicis non proferatur exemplum earundem tameÌ„ scripturarum etiam in hacre à nobis tenetur veritas cum hoc facimus quod vniuersae placuit Ecclesiae quam ipsarum scripturarum commeÌ„dat authoritas Etsimi lia lib. de vnit Eccles c. 22. S. Augustine who deliuers it in expresse termes may gaine beleife Albeit saith he one can produce no example of scripture concerning this matter yet hold vve in it the truth of the same scripture since vve doe that vvhich is conformable to the vniuersall Church vvhom the authoritie of the selfe same scripture doth commend vnto vs. Behold in what esteeme the Scripture is with vs for which cause we also are to be esteemed Now we will see whether by reason of it you deserue not hatred though not in that sense in which you say you are hated for it But before we come to that point permit me I beseech you to extenuate a litle the glorie you hunt after in establishing the Scripture the onely rule of your saluation by making you share it onely with diuers Here tikes who before your tyme sustayned the same opinion So said the Manichies I can in no sorte saith Fortunatus in a Aug. l. cont Fortunatum Nullo genere rectè me credere ostendere pessum nisieaÌ„dem sideÌ„ scripturarum authoritate firmauerim S. Augustine make appeare that I rightly beleeue vnlesse I confirme my Faith
owne direction and also because your versions not being authenticall as you confesse the Scripture which you vse can be no sufficient rule of saluation euen to the learned That the Church is the true Guide if saint Augustine be beleeued whom a Luther in defensio verbo Caenae Meosaneiudicio post Apostolos Ecclesia now habuit meliorem Augustino Calu. 3. Instit cap. 3. §. 10. Ex Augustino sumant lectores si quid de sensu antiquitatis certi habere volunt you accnowledge to be a faithfull witnes of antiquitie it is a cleare case b August epist 16. Ait rectissimā discipli namesseveimperiti nitātur authoritate Ecclesia It is a most orderly discipline saith this great light that the ignorant should rely vpon the authoritie of the Church There is nothing so behouffull for a soule as to obey a Cone 2. in Psalm 70. Nihil tamexpedit anima quam obedire he adds in another place b Contra Eplani fundam cap. 5. Egovero Euangelio nen crederem nisime Catholicae Ecclesia commoueret authoritas .... qua infirmatae iamnec Euangelio credere potero And againe I would not leleeue the Gospell vnlesse the authoritie of the Catholike Church did moue me thervnto and after that which authoritie being thaken I should not giue credit to the Gospell where it is manifest that he speakes of himselfe as a Catholike not as a Manikie These words doe make a cleare demonstration that the Church is the true guide of the faithfull nor indeede can it be called in question if we consider that the holy Ghost declared it the pillar and strength of truth that the Fathers c August contra Epistolam fundam c. 5. Epist 118. l. De vtilitate cred c. 15. altbi passim Iren. l. 3. c. 3. 4. Hieron contra Luciferi doe accnowledge it to be infallible and that d Calu. 4. Instit c. 1. §. 10. Neque enim parui momentiest quod vxcatur columna fundamentum veritatis domus Dei quibies verbis significat Paulus ne intercidat veritas Deiin mundo Ecclesiam esse fidem eius custodem Etc. 2. §. 2. Verè Ecclesia columna est ac firmamentum veritatis Vvhitak cont 2. q. 4. c. 1. Nos dicinsus eam quae est Christi Ecclesia In absolute necessariis non posse errare Id. contra 1. quaest 3. c. 5 7. Fateor nos haraticos cogi conuinciposse authoritate Ecclesia necasio argumento externo validius ac fortius premi hareticos yours also allow it to be such in points necessarie to saluation And who would now say that a child were not to heare and follow the documents of a mother most louing to her children and who in things concerning their saluation can teach them nothing but truth Vve are bound to heare the Church I will shortly bring your owne Authours to make it good Now let vs examine whether as I haue said you doe not impose vpon vs. You doe openly impose vpon vs while you make your followers beleeue that we make a generall prohibition of the scripture as being a dangerous booke It is true we are not of those wherof a Tertul. Prascript c. 41. Omnes tumēt omnes scientiā pollicētur ipsa mulieres haveticae audent docere contendere c. Tertullian speaketh they are all puffed vp with pride they all promis knowledge yea the verie hercticall Women dare vndertake to teach and dispute Vve are not of that sort of people of whom b Traet 47 in Iean Nihil sic amant isti ac scientiam promittere sidem rerum verarum quas parunls crede we pracipiuntur velut imperitiam deridera saint Augustine affirmes that they are taken with nothing so much as to promis knowledge and laugh at the beleife of true things which the children were taught to beleeue as though it had bene a meere ignorance Vve haue no affinitie with Pelagius who will haue women to reade Scripture as a Hieron dial 1. contr Pelag. saint Hierome doth note and condamne him for it Vve are not of your humour who iudge the scripture so easie to be vnderstode that you make no difficultie to command all the world to reade it In a word we cannot allow of your wayes in making Idiots ignorant persons and women their owne Doctors and Prophetes Yet is it false to affirme that we prohibite the scripture as a perilous booke we doe not so far forgett the respect which we owe to the spirit that did dictate it nor disaccnowledge the happines and truth which it proposeth vnto vs. Marrie we doe boldly affirme that the Scripture such as you propose it that is changed or taken according to the letter without giuing its true sense the knowledge wherof depends vpon the Church her declaration is dangerous for those who ether by ignorance vanitie or malice would rashly make vse of it And in this we doe nothing to which we are not moued by the Scripture the Fathers and your owne men By the Scripture a 2. Corin 3. Litera occidit 2. per 3. Quae indocti instabiles deprauant ad suam ipscrum perditionem saying in expresse termes that the letter doth kill and that the vnlearned doe depraue it to their owne perdition By the Fathers b Lib. de resurrect carn c. 40. Haereses esse non perpe vam scriptura intelligi possent Hilarius l. 2. de Trinit Vigiltus Martyr l. 2. contr Eutych Tertullian saying that there could be no heresies at all if the Scripture could not be ill vnderstoode and saint Hilatie shewing by sundrie examples that they sprung from the false interpretation of the scripture By your owne Luther confessing that the scripture is the Heretiques booke If it be commendable in a carefull mother to take the knife out of her childs hands with which through want of yeares and discretion he might hurt himselfe and to giue it to one of more ripnes to vse you ought rather to prayse then blame vs sithens we prohibite the Scripture in a vulgaire tongue to some that might abuse it and permit it to such as may reape commoditie by it That we permitt it to some it is apparent by the verie confessions of a Vvhit controu 1. q. 2. c. 13. Papista hac in re certam exceptionem rationemque temporum locorum personarum haberi volunt Item Status quaestionis huiusmodiest vtrum vernacule versiones scripturarum sint omnibus promiscuè praponendae permittendae vel non illinegant nos affirmamus your owne men who doe accnowledge that in this we make exception of persons tymes and places and that the question berwixt you and vs is not whether any can reade them or not but whether we doe indifferently permitt all to reade them or no which we affirme saith whitakere and they meaning Catholikes deney that it ought to be done The exception which we make of
absolue from them Againe your cause is manifestly condemned by the Fathers Because treating of those punishments which the church remitted by Indulgences they somtymes referre the verie same to God So doth Tertull. Tertul. de pudicit c. 22. Sufficiat martyripropria delictae purgasse In grati vel saperbi est in altos quoque spargere quod pro magno fuerit consecutu◠Quis alienam mortem sua soluit nisi solus Dei filius proinde qui illum aemularis donande delicta si nihil ipse deliquisti plane patere pro me si vero peccatores quomodo oleum faculae tuae sufficere vt mihi tibi poserst in the place aboue cited where impugning the Catholike truth in nature of an heretike he euidently shewes that the question was of those paines which were due vnto God for sinne Who saith he doth authorise man to bestow the things which are proper to God Let it suffice a martir to haue expiated his owne offences It is the part of anvngrarfull or proode person to lauish that out to others which himselfe receaued as a thing of greatest prise Who is he that redeemes the death of another with his owne death saue the onely sonne of God Thou therfor who wilst imitate him in remitting sinns if thou thy selfe be not delinquent indure for me marrie if thou thy selfe be delinquent how dost thou thinke that the oyle of thy smale Lampe can be sufficient both for thee and me The words doe planly shew that the paines which were remitted in the primi tiue Church were due vnto God not to men and that indulgences of that nature were wont to be conferred without the Sacraments because as we are to marke they were done by vertue of the sufferance of Martires wheras Sacraments haue all their force from our sauiours passion Why doth Tertullian after he had spoken of the paines which are remitted by Iesus-Christ exprobate the Church for asscribing the same power to her Martires vnlesse he did accnowledge the paines pardoned in fauour of the Martires to be the verie same with those which Christ pardoned to witt those which are satisfactorie in the sight of God Why did Theophilactus expounding those words of S. Paule who did vse Indulgences towards the incestuous Corinthian say that a In 2. Corinth c. 2. In persona Christi hoc est secundum coram Christc tanquam illo hoe inbente aec veluti eius vicem gerens dimisi when he pardoned him he did it in the person of Christ as by Christ his command and as the vicegerent of Christ vnles the paynes which that great Apostle did remitt were satisfactorie before God This truth is so perspicuous that your owne authours condemne you for condemning it Which is manifest by kemnitius b. Kemnitius part 4. exam tit de Indulgentiis p. 112. Talia sunt quae salua fide scilicet protestantium necpossunt nee dehent sicut sonant accipi est intelligi vpon Whom you put so high a rate Who When he had cursatily expounded what the Church and Fathers for the most part had written of this subiect ingenuously confesseth that it cannot be Expounded literally and as the words importe without the ouerthrow of your religion in this behalfe Whence we haue euen by your owne confessions that the faith which you doe impugne is the selfe same which the ancient fathers of the church fought for And if the a Conc. Nicenum can 11. Chalced. Acta Church in her primitiue puritie vsed that power why may she not now also vse the same Doe you hold it sufficient to improue this power to produce some abuses which you pretend hath crept in By this artifice you shall one'y gayne to your selues in the opinion of all men the imputation of being of the nature and disposition of those whom Oratio◠3 de Eunomianis S. Grego Nazian compares to flies saying they for sake the sound and adheare to the vlcered partes of the bodie especially your c Vbitat controu 1. quae 2. c. 14. Abu sus rei non rollit vsum siusdem owne men confessing that the abuse of a thing doth not take away the vse of the same Wherfore the power of Indulgences is grounded vpon scrpture Fathers and the practise of the ancient Chruch yea euen vpon your owne mens confession The vse of them is holy and if it open a gappe to trafficke it is to à spirituall traffike of the merits of Christ and his saints by which he doth inrych the faythfull people by honest and lawfull meanes nor doth auarice cause any other discommoditie in this point then that which is befallen you in so much as it was the first motiue that caused Luthere to question this power of the Church and which consequently made him Tributarie to the Diuell CHAP. VI. SECT 1. MINISTERS YOur Maiestie should also see that we are hated because in the holy sacrament of the last supper we speake and doe as Iesus Christ did with his disciples for sithens all doe confesse what Iesus Christ did and that nothing was to be reprehended in his institution the Pope might make an end of all the contentions and troubles sprang vp amongst Christians vpon this point if he would reduce the holy supper to the forme in which Iesus Christ did celobrat it speaking and doing as he did deposing all disputes and centayning our selues with in the sobrietie prescribed by the word of God By this meanes all should communcate nor should we haue any more priuate Masses There should be no eleuation of the hoste No oblation of sacrifice Euery one should communicate vnder both kinds ANSWERE You are of those men that would neuer loose if their owne plea might be taken Christ celebrated the misterie of the Euchariste in a Dining roome you in the Church he at night you in the morning he after supper you before dinner he a litle before his death you along ty me before yours he in vnleauened you in leauened breade he with men alone you with men and women promiscuously he once in his whole life you ofen in yours he after he had washed the Apostles feete whom he did communicate you without obseruing this ceremonie which yet ho expresly a Si ergo laui pedes vestros dominus magister sic vos debetis alter alterū lauare peaes exemplum dedi vobis vt quemad medum ego fect vobis ita ves factatis cōmanded he according to the ancient custumelyng you standing vpright he permitting his Apostles if they pleased to talke together you commanding silence he breaking the bread you cutting it he blissing the bread you omitting the same Is this your imitation of Christ in euery thing Now wheras the scripture is the rule of your actiōs produce some one passage by which you are warranted to change in so many circunstances what Iesus Christ performed since you are in euery thinge to follow his footstepps and example
and doth accnowledge it to be such that by good right it ought to be a Retinenâ—â—m esse eleationem hi vhi vt npiae prohieiur abolendam vbi vt ni cessaria prcipitur retayned and obserued where it is prohibited as impious There be also others of yours who place it amoÌ„gst the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are nether commanded nor prohibited finally others confesse that it was in vse in the primitiue Church as they make good by the testimonies of the Fathers Wher vpon b Vvitemberegenses refutationâ— Orthodoxi consensus p 101. Eleua tionem ren adiophoraâ— quaea Chris nec praecept nec prohibi sit omnes ir telligentes pios fateriâ—â— non dubium est Et Hospâ—â—nian par 1. Histo l. 2. fo 31. In primâ—tiua Ecclesisymbola Eucharistica paululum eleuata populo ostensa fuetunt we are moued diligently to defend and conserue it and the rather because as you affirme it was the counsell of your first father or if it please your worp that we should change it sith c Dionysj Ecclesiae Hierar cap. 3. Chrysostomihomil 36. in 1. Corinth hom 3. ad Ephes Basilij Lib. d sp s c. 27. c. Rom. 4. v. 15. S. Paule teacheth vs that where there is no law there is no transgression produce I beseech you one passage of the scripture which doth prohibite it which if you cannot performe confesse at least that the Church is indowed with sufficieÌ„t power to institute the same for d S. Augustine holds it to be a meere madnes to contende that that is not to be done which the Church is accustomed to doe through the vniuersall world Wherto e one of yours also doth assent in these words that any may be compelled and conuinced by the authoritie of the Church and that heretikes are not more forcibly and efficatiouly vrged by any externall argument SECT IV. OF MASSES WHERE THE ASSISTANTS DOE NOT COMMVNICATE BY this same rule you will loose this cause too I meane the question which you moue about priuate masses 〈◊〉 Epist. 118. 〈◊〉 Vvhitat â—ontrou 1. q. 〈◊〉 cap. 5. â—â— ffateor â—os haereâ—â—cos cogi â—onuinci posâ—â— author â—taâ—e â—â—elesiae â—ec alto argumento exâ—e â—â—o vâ—â—â—diâ—s ac forâ—ius preâ—â—i â—areticos as you please to tearme them and communion vnder both kinds in both which kinds the Church did many yeares agoe practise what we now practise How beit I will briefely touch both those points hoping to make manifest that you are as ill grounded in those as in the others which we haue alreadie examined There is no man that doth not ingenuously confesse that the celebration of the Euchariste when the people doe communicate is more perfect then that where they communicate not common reason conuinceth that to all the world both because the fruits of the sacrifice are more fruitfully communicated when the hoste is consummated by the assistants worthyly disposed then when it is not receaued by them and also because this mysterie being both a sacrament and a sacryfice is more perfectly accomplished when it is not onely offered to God in sacryfice but also imparted to the people as a sacrament For these considerations the ancient canons and Fathers doe inuite exhort yea command christians to coÌ„municate at the masses which they hearè and the Councell of Trent doth expresly desire it Sess 2â— Wher for if you pretend no more but that it were better that the faithfull should communicate all at the masses they heare we doe loyne hands with you And in this cause in lieu of condemning the good and wholsome doctrine of the Church in this point as in all the rest you should complaine of the indeuotion of the people sith it is their coldnes that is cause of their not communicating not the Pastours fault But â—f your bent be to condemne the masses where the assistants communicate not to be vnlawfull we must oppose and with great reason in all mens iudgment since none are found who iustifie your pretentions and condemne ours If the masses where the people communicate not were vnlawfull it must needs be because the oblation of the Euchariste as it is a sacrifice should be necessarily annected to the participation of the people in the Eucharist as it is a Sacrament which could onely come to passe two wayes other by reason of the nature of the sacrifice or because God would haue it so By reason of the sacrifice it cannot be since it is manifest that its beeing doth not depend of the participation of the assistants none did eate of the holocausts which were wholy coÌ„sumedâ— none did participate after the manner we speâ—ke of of that which was ordayned by Moyses for the remission of sinnes Leuit. 6. for as it is written preists alone had libertie to eate of it Nâ—y in the sacryfice of the Crosse which was offered for vs all none at all did participate in that manner in which our aduersaries would oblige vs to partake in the Eucharist Nether can one affirme that Iesus-Christ would haue no masses celebrated without communicants there nether being any formall law nor expresse word in all the scripture whence you will haue all the truthes of faith to be deriued wherby we may gather it You will happily say that Christ in his last supper communicated his Apostles and consequently that we are bound to imitate him by distributing the Eucharist to the people But this proues no more but that the people may communicate that it is to be desired that they would communicate and that when they will it should not be refused them but it imports not that we are bound to thrust the Eucharist vpon them against their will and that we are not to celebrate vnlesse they communicate For who is able to sustayne that in case the Apostles had not communicated our sauiour had not celebrated the Euchariste Who dare affirme that it was Gods will that so glorious à mysterie should haue depended vpon the will of another and that the indeuotion of the comon people should make the Pastour indeuoute But I would willingly aske you since you make our sauiours imitatioÌ„ an inuio lable law vnto you alwayes to communicate the people Cap. de Euchar. Ad rectam Eucharistiae actionem requiruntur ad minus duo â—idelices Minister bucharistiae benedicens â—s cui Eucharistiae Sacramertum dispensatur why doth it not oblige you also to communicate all the people Which yet you doe not for the Confession of Witemberg is content that one onely should coÌ„municate and againe many are present at your suppers who coÌ„municate not In à word seeing S. Paul doth tell vs that where there is no law there is no transgression and that sinne is à trangession of the law and seing you produce no place of scripture which condemnes vs you your selues stand guiltie of the fault not in this respect onely but in many others First by
doubt of his saluation that he suffered the paines of the damned that by his corporall death our redemption was not accoÌ„plished that his passion and torments had not bene à condigne prise of our redemption vnlesse he had also indured the paynes of the damned But this is but litle you say yet many more and greater things which in à few words I will shew Doe not your a Daâ—â—us Apolg. ad lacob Andrae Christus quatenus homo non est adorandus nec inuocandusâ— Peza in Col â—q Moâ—â—bel Negamus humanitatem Christi adorandam esse Authours conteÌ„d that Christ as man is not to be adored not to be inuoked Doth not Caluine b In 2. Luc. v. 40. Anima eâ—us subiectae fuit ignorantiae affirme that his soule was subiect to ignorance and that à voice of Despaire c In Matth. 27. v. 46. Elapsa est â—s desperationis vox issued from him In à word you disciphere Christ in such à sort that that may most iustly be imputed to you which S. August d S. Aug. in Enchir c. 4. Sienim â—iliâ—enter quae ad ChristuÌ„ pertinent câ—gitantur nomine tenur inuenitur Christus apuâ— quosdam Hâ—reticos ascribes to all heretikes If we diligently consider what belongs vnto Christ we shall find him in words onely in all heretikes To attribute as many vices to Christ as there are truly vertues in him is not this to hate Christ If you loue Christ it is in words onely If you know Christ you know him by name onely But if they that teach and defend such blasphemies be not enemyes of Christ then he caÌ„not be said to be an enemy of the innoceÌ„t who by malice makes him noceÌ„t Or if such an one be iustly to be esteemed the enemies of the innocent you shall neuer auoyd the iust censure of enemies of Christ yea euen by your owne iudgments And as concerning good workes Enemies of good Workes with what face can you deni that you doe not hold them necessarie vnto saluation what meanes those words of Luthere a Luth. lib. de Libert Christ Nullo opere nulla loge Christiane opus est ad salutem Item libertas Christiana fuit ne cuiquâ—â— opus sit lege operibus ad â—â—stitiam aut salutem I pray which he doth so often iterate and inculcate A Christian stands in neede of no workes no law to saluation Wherupon the more rigide Lutherans as Schusselburgius b Tom 7. Catal. haeret doth witnesse doe condemne this proposition Good workes are necessarie to saluation Wherfore did Pareus c Parâ—â—us l 4 de Iustifiâ— c 1. Flauians ad vitandum scandalum errâ—ris periculum contende bant istam propositionem opera sunt necessaria ad saluteÌ„ non esse in Ecclesia vsurpandam qua in parte faâ—â—le nos eis subscripsimus à Caluinist as you are after he had related that the Flaccians which are more absolute LutheraÌ„s did professe that this proposition workes are necessarie to saluation was not to be admitted in the Church addes these words in which point we doe willingly subscribe vnto them but to make publike profession of that which you so audaciously deny Why doth he also continually adde that the Gospell d Ibid. Euangel stricte est doctrina gratie sic solum conditionem fides requirit requires no other condition but faith Why doth he also say in another place e Et lib. 3. de iustif c. 12. Non esse absolute necessaria ad salutem intelligitur I vnderstand these workes not to be necessarie to saluation absolutly If you reply that he is but one authour I answere that this man makes profession of the Doctrine of your Church as those words we subscribe to them doe planly shew Againe Kemnitius whose learning your meÌ„ doe so much esteeme that they giue him immortall prayse and honour him with no other title theÌ„ that with which Homere f Homer Odysix Oâ—os 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adorned Tiresián that they would haue him to be the onely wise man of all his fellowes doth sufficiently shew that this is the doctrine of your Churches when he saith g Kemnit I. par exam de fide iustificant In nostris Ecclesijs communibus suffiagijs explofa sunt bâ—y opositionas bona opera ad iustificationem it a esse necessaria â—t impossibilesit quenquam sine operibuisaluarâ— In our Churches these propositioÌ„s are reiected by common snffrages good workes are necessarie to iustification the a In decl are c. 4 booke of the coÌ„cord of LutheraÌ„s hath the verie same in these words The propositioÌ„ of good workes necessarie to saluatioÌ„ is to be hissed at aÌ„dreiected out of our Churches â—false Further the b Confess Holuet c. 16. Non sontimus bona opera ad salutom it a esse necessaria vt absque illis nemo vnquam sit seruatus confession of Faith of the Heluetians whom you accnowledge to be your brethren and which â—oÌ„fession the Church of Geneua approued doth manifestly confirme the same in these words We doe not iudge good workes so necessatie to saluatioÌ„ that none at all can be saued without them What I pray you haue you to replie to these so cleare testimonies How will you be euer able to warrant your selues from the blame and hatred to which these testimoies doe worthily expose you Will you say that he meanes onely that workes are not necessarie as the causes of saluation though otherwise their presence are necessarily required continually to accoÌ„paignie faith as the shadow the body though the shadow doth nothing at all coÌ„tribute to the conseruation of the body This shift shall not yet serue your turne since they affirme the contradictorie to that which you doe simply and absolutly deny without all reserue wheras Illyricus c Apud Schusselbourg 10.7 Sola necesstas praeseÌ„tia operum ad salutem excluso omni merito nihilominus hac incommoda secum affert doth also in expresse words affirme That the onely necessitie of the presence of workes had vssered in many discommodities Amongst which he numbers despaire of saluatioÌ„ which of it selfe and of its owne nature doth condeÌ„ne that necessarie presence Pareus d Paraeus l. 4. de Iustsfic c. 1. Latronem qui toto vitae cursu nihil boni fecerat cum in agone ad Christum confugeret morte praeuentum sine operibus saluatum existimamus also doth dispute that the good thiefe was saued without workes and contends that they are not absolutly necessarie In conclusion doth not the e Lib. 3. c. 12. supra cit Confession of the Heluetians ouerthrow the necessitie of the presence of good workes where it planly teacheth that saluation may be obtayned without them Yea Luther Illyricus Amsdorfius and others did not onely teach that good workes were not necessarie to saluation but they added further that they were pernicious vnto it aÌ„d that too according to its
the fift part of your subiects to witt the Church men who hold not themselues to belyable to the lawes of your Court yea for their temporallities they haue another whom they accnowledge soueraigne out of your kingdome To which adde that which the Pope pretends and that which he hath alreadie practised yea euen in our tyme to witt that he hath authoritie to depriue your Ma. of life and crowne what remaynes dread souueraigne but that your kingdome is held in homage to the Pope and that you liue and raigne at his discretion onely ANSWERE It is an old trike of craft when one is guiltie of à fault to put it vpon another Yet I stand astonishd to thinke how you dare make vse of if it against the whole Clergie of this kingdome whom you striue to make the king suspect accusing them of faction wherof they are wholy innocent and you generally knowen to be stickers in The nature of your Ministerie deptines you of credit in point of accusing priests for S. Augustine a Hareticorum accusationes coÌ„tra Catholicum prebyterum admittere nec possumâ—â— nec debemm doth teach vs that your accusations nether ought to be nether indeed can be admitted and that it is the trike of heretikes b Aug. Epist 137. Hoeretici non hahendo quod in causa sua defensionis defendant non nisi hominuÌ„ crimina colligere affectant ea ipsa plurafalsissime iactant vt quia ipsam diuine scripturae veritatem qua vbique diffusa Christi Ecclesia commendatur crimiuari obscurate non possunt homines per ques pradicatur adducant in odium de quibâ—â— fingere quitquid in mentem Generit possunt when they haue nothing to say to defende them selues in point of their diuision from the Catholike Church to make à list of meÌ„s faults and following their owne fancie falsly to inlarge them selues thervpon to bring them into hatred who teach the truth which they are notable to find faultie or to obscure Hauing alreadie sufficiently manifested in what manner you susteyned the dignitie of this crowne and how litle occasion you had to draw pride or vanitie from it I will onely obserue in this place that you doe too too far swarue from truth and modestie in saying that you are ill vsed in this kingdome and by assuring yourselues that if you were not hated and hardly treated for maintayning the dignitie therof you should for euer after be exeÌ„pt from all hatted and hard vsage To what purpose did you taxe the two first Orders of State accusing the one of factioÌ„ the other of weaknes preiudiciall to the kings Maiestie but to let the world see that when you beare à splene against any one wtih à wonderfull boldnes you faigne faults to diffame him though withont all fundation for none can beignorant but that if there were any faction it gott entrie by their meanes who out of tyme aÌ„d seasoÌ„ would needs moue à question wherof the Church Nobilitie and the greater part of the three states striue to stoppe the course moued therto by diuers reasons which in à few wonds I will deduce First because the questioÌ„ being meerly spirituall whether God had giueÌ„ power to the Church to depose kings in cases of heresie and in fidelitie when they doe not onely make profession of them but doe also shew theÌ„ selues persequutours of the name of Christ aÌ„d the true faith as also whether this power did aggree with the word of God or no finall whether it were lawfull to vrge all the people to take an oath wherby they should affirme that it was not according to Gods word which being handled in the assemblie a body composed of lay-persons could not intermeddle in it without sacriledge without intrenching vpon the liberties of others mounting into Moyses his chaire laying hand vpon the incensoir and consequently without exposing themselues to the desasters which are wont to follow such impious and sacrilegious enterprises Nay euen the Clergie it selfe of a particular Church as of the Church of France could not decide this point since it belongs to the vniuersall Church onely to define Articles of Faith Secondly because all the kings and states in Christendome hauing interest in this cause one onely kingdome could not iudge of it without the appouall and authoritie of all the rest Thirdly because the holy Sea being interressed in this matter your adherents who haue sworne its destruction and who esteeme the ruine therof their establishment could not be held impattiall iudges though some of them indeuoured to deale in it Fourthly because out of the definition which you aymed at there followed a most euident schisme by establishing an article of faith particular to the Churches of France not Catholike or common to the vniuersall Church whence there followed a diuision in faith Lastly because the decision of this question was not onely of no effect to the health and securitie of kings which was yet the sole end of the question but was euen preiudiciall vnto them as may be seene by that which that great Cardinall and honour of his age wrote vpon that subiect who doth most amply handle this matter with eloquence equall to the profunditie of learning which all the world admires in him These reasons being coÌ„sidered without passion will leaue no doubt in any man but that the Clergie-men were worthy of praise not of blame for refusing to decide a question which was proposed vnto them to a bad end nor did the decision therof belong vnto them And therfore it carries no colour but is quite contrarie to truth to accuse them of faction adding that they and a part of the nobilitie made the king loose his cause For how doe you not blush for shame to affirme this since it is notorious to the word that in all the articles of the Clergie and nobilitie there was no proposition made much lesse any determination of any thing that tends in any the least measure to the diminution of the soueraigne power of our kings and the dignitie of their crowne and that the article presented by the aduise of some of the third order was onely reiected without euer deliberating vpon the contents therof it is a grosse impertinence to say that we caused the king to loose a cause where no iudgment was past and to make his Maiestie a partie in a cause where he onely interposed himselfe by his authoritie to conserue things in the same state in which they stoode If any were cast in their cause it is you who vnder pretext of maintayning the authoritie of kings would haue brought inn a schisme amongst Catholikes As for the letters which the Pope wrote vpon this matter if it be a fault in a father to write to his children to receaue their fathers letters his holines is blame-worthy to haue done that honour to the two orders wherof we speake and they culpable in receauing them Marrie seeing common sense doth teach vs that there
is nothing in all this which is not most conuenient you wrong vs in vpbrading vs with it and in striuing to bring our holy Father into hatred as though forsooth by vertue of that letter he would haue made some aduantage ouer this state which is altogether ridiculous Your strife in this is to make the Popes power be suspected by all the kings of the earth But regall dignitie and the dignitie of the Church haue noe repugnancie the duties which we render to the holy Sea doe no wayes hinder vs to make appeare by effects what you professe in words to wit that a subiect owes his life and all his fortunes to the defence of the dignitie of his king's crowne In this you shall continually haue vs not for companions onely but euen for Guides And doubtlesse if you second vs as I beseech God grant and giue credit vnto vs France shall conserue her peace which hitherto hath bene too much troubled by yours But with what face can you affirme that the Pope hath the thirds of the the territories of France that he hath seduced the fift part of the knigs subiects from their obedience to him and that out of the kingdome we haue another soueraigne in pointe of temporalities It is false that the Pope hath the third part of France seeing he hath onely the Countie of Amgnion which his Predecessours bought of the Counts of that Prouince It is false that he withdrew the Clergie from their obedience to their king sith they preach obedience vnto and will preach it all the dayes of their life in word and worke It is false that we doe not esteeme our selues the kings subiects sithens in subiection to him we are readie to spend our liues for his seruice It is false that we did not submitt our selues to temporall iurisdiction as though to pretend exemptions in certaine cases by the concession and grant of our Princes whose authoritie is in question were to franchise our selues from their iurisdiction and to inioy a benefit granted by a king in vertue of his Grant were not rather an accnowledgment of his authoritie then a withdrawing from it It is false that we accnowledge any other soueraigne in our temporalls then our king It is false that the Pope pretends to haue authoritie to put kings to death False that he practised this pretended power false that he holds this kingdome to be a fief which holds on and owes homage to his chaire false to conclud that the king liues but at his discretion Kings would be immortall if their conseruation depended vpon Popes who wish their good as parents the good of their children Vvhy did he who to the great happines of all Christen dome sits now in the chaire of Peter The censure of Ianuarie 1613. cause Becanus to be censured who had put out seditious propositions and with all importing danger to kings but to prouide for their safetie Vvhy did he approue that the Clergie of France in the assemblie of the states and that Sorbone at other tymes did renew the publication of the article of the Councell of Constance which pronunceth a curse vpon those that doe attempt vpon kings vnlesse their liues were as deare to him as his owne You passe ouer these truthes in obliuion and not without reason seeing they discouer to all men that it is false to affirme that the Popes and Clergie of France doe not affect the kings prosperitie they doe and will alwayes doe in such a measure that the Pope will not omitt to indeuour any thinge which may tend to their good nor will the Clergie-men of France euer spare their owne liues to assure the life of their saueraigne If accusations were enough to make a man culpable none would be found without faulte innocencie would not be exempt You are bold in laying aspersions but that which is your disgrace is that you fall short in your proofes You make vs criminall in point of our dutie towards our France while to you she stands bound for benefits as though forsooth her defence were onely found in your hands and your weapons were her warrant against the vsurpations of strangers You doe wisely to tearme them strangers least your owne enterprises might be comprised which are so frequent and palpable that the weakest witt will with facilitie deserne that it is not your affection to your king which makes you so zealous of their greatnes but your hatred to the Pope and the vniuersall Church And that it may not seeme that I impose vpon you I will make clearly appeare that you grant a far greater power to the people then that which you deny the Pope which is exceedingly disaduantagious to kings for there is no man that doth not esteement a thing far more perilous to be exposed to the discretion of the rude multitude which doth easily though falsly esteeme it selfe oppressed and which is a many headed Hyder which is ordinarily gouerned by its owne passions then to be subiect to the correction of a tender Father whose hart is full of affection for his childrens aduantage The common people a Lib. de iure regni Popule ius est de sceptro regni disponends pro libito suo saith Bucanan whom b Epist. 78. Beza accnowledgeth to be excellent and a man of great merit haue right to dispose of the scepters of kingdomes at their will and pleasure Bad Princes saith an c In Apolog. Godman English man who was d Epist 306. Caluins intimate friend and whom he called brother according to the Law of God ought to be deposed and in case the Magistrates neglect to doe their dutie the people hath also as free libertie to doe it as though ther were no Magistrate at all and in those circunstances of tyme God enlargeth them with leaue to vse the sword a Goodman in Apolog. Reges ius regnandi à populo habent qui occasione data illud reâ—ocare potest The same Authour in the reigne of Marie Queene of England composed a booke intitled of obedience printed at Geneua approued by Beza and Caluine wherin these words are found Kings haue right to raigne from the people who vpon accasion can also reuoke it Nor are you content with saying that kings may be deposed you steppe on further teaching that they may be punished condemned and slayne That a reward is to be giuen to the executioners of so horrible and execrable crimes The People saith Vvicklefs followers as b Osiander in Epist centur art 17. Vulgus provoluntate sua punire potest principes peccantes Osian relates may as they shall please punish their Princes which offend The c Goodman in Apolog. Protestant booke wherof I made mention aboue printed at Geneua in the Raigne of Queene Marie of England saith that if Magistrates transgresse the law of God and oblige others to doe the like they fall from the dignitie and obedience which otherwise is due vnto them and
take not vpon thee to iudge the commands of thy betters Finally so b Greg. l. 2. c. 4. in 1. Regum Vera obedientia nec Praepositorum intentionem discutit nec praecepta discernit quia qui omne vitae suae iudicium maiori subdidit in hoc solo gaudet si quod sibi praecipitur operatur Nescit enim iudicare quisquis perfeclè didiceris obedire sainc Gregorie in these tearmes That true obedience doth nether examine the intention of Superiours nor discerne their commands because he that hath submitted all the iudgement of his whole life to one greater then himselfe hath no fairer way then to execute what he is commanded and he that hath learnt perfect obedience knowes not how to iudge Therfore the Iesuites are not to be blamed for making and obseruing a vowe which the Fathers of the primitiue Church doe not onely approue but euen ordayne as a thing necessarie for religious people You say further that they promis this blind obedience to a Generall who is alwayes subiect to the king of Spayne If you had informed your selues well of the truth of the busines you had learnt that it is false that their Generalls are ought to be or were alwayes such for euen Father Vitelesque who at this present is deseruedly possessed of that charge is a Romane borne and the last before him who lately deceased was a Liegois Next you vpbraid them with the Decrees which were made against them but it is sufficient that they were restored and established by the Edict of Henry the Great approued by all the Courts of Parlement in France Vvhich doth sufficiently iustifie the zeale of this order towards kings the affection therof towards the state and the profite which youthes reape of the care they take to instruct them Concerning their doctrine in point of power which they attribute to Popes ouer kinges you had spoken otherwise and more to the purpose if insteed of gathering it out of the writings of some particular men you had receaued it from the mouth of their Generall who in the yeare 1610. made a publike declaration wherby he doth not onely improue and disallow but absolutly prohibite those of his Order vnder most greeuous paines to maintayne vpon what pretext of tyrannie soeuer that it is lawfull to attempt vpon the persons of kings and Princes As touching the secrete of confession I haue not yet vnderstood that they hold any other opinion then that which the vniuersall Church holdeth But it is no wonder since you quarrell with the Sacrament that you imploy all your craft to make this become odious therby to hinder them whom you hold your enemyes because you are the enemyes of Gods Church from hauing accesse to kings persons and from the knowledge of secretes of their consciences wherat you ayme as the last words of your paragrafe doe testifie As for the Equiuocations which you say they vse and teach others to vse before their Iudges I referre you to the Answeres which they so often haue returned you vpon this subiect it shall suffice me onely to shew that blaming equiuocation in in them you practise it your selues nay euen most manifest lyes in matter of faith Vvicklef In the 2. booke on the life of â—videf by whom your french Martyrologe saith it pleased God to awake the world which was buried in the dreame of humane traditions being demanded an accompt of his faith did not he and his vse tergiuersations if we may credit your said Martyrologe who speakes of them in these words Striuing onely to find out tergiuersations and friuolous excuses therby to escape through ambiguitie of words Did not your Augustana Confessio vse equiuocation when it said Cap de Missa Our Churches were falsly accused of abolishing Masse for we doe yet retayne Masse and celebrate it with greatest reuerence Did not Melancton vse equiuocation Apud Hospiman part 2. hister an 25 41. when he did confesse that he and his had made the Articles at Asbroug ambiguous and easie to be turned To what end doth he say that the Articles made at Asbroug were to be changed and to be suted to occasions if he condemne equiuocation They framed ambiguous and guilefull formes of Transsubstantiation saith Caluine Epist 12. speaking of him and Bucere He indeuoured saith Chauaterus to setle a certaine concorde in an ambiguous kind of speach An. 1538. meaning Bucere Vve haue met with a confessing aduersarie For he himselfe teacheth vpon Erasmus that it is lawfull in the affaires of the Gospell to vse colours and clockes Bucere therfore and his fellowes when they grant to Luthere that the body of Christ is truly and substantially in the Eucharist and also that the vnworthy doe receaue it doe they not without compulsion for their owne pleasure yea and euen in matter of faith vse tergiuersatioÌ„s and equiuocations Doth not the same say that the Zuinglians differe from Luther though indeede it is false but in words onely Hospinian part 1. hist Sacram. Doth not Luther vpon this occasion tearme him a sower of words as saith Hospiniane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doe not the same Hospiniane and Simblerus swethish authours relate that Martir did vse for a tyme obscure and ambiguous words in the matter of the last supper In a word your Authouâ—s confesse that your inuisible Church for the space of many ages did professe our religion though with hart and mouth they beleeued yours which they could not doe not onely not without equiuocation but euen not without denying God And yet where is any of ours who doth not accnowledge that he is rather a thousand tymes to dy then to vse equiuacatioÌ„ in matter of Faith or to deny him not onely in hart but euen in word whom we are bound to confesse with both Touching their bookes if cortaine particular men composed any which were burnt what need you to stirre in their ashes Doe not the same Decrees which adiudged them to the fire iudge many of yours worthy of the same flames since they handle the same argument The picture which you mention cannot any way aduantage you since you and they aggree not in the fact for they sustayne that he whom you esteeme conuicted of a conspiracie against his king is wholy innocent of the fact and hold that he dyed for the sole defence of the Catholike religion Vvhence in comes to passe that if there be any errour in this it is errour of fact de facto not of right non de iure of Fact as beleeuing he dyed for his vertue not for his vice not of right as though they sustayned that it were lawfull to murther kings and that to suffer death for that cause were martirdome Now to conclud this Chapter it onely remaynes that we beseech God to shewre downe vpon you the waters of the fountaines of his Grace because being the nature of calumnie to obscure and blacken its owne authours not him
nor are good for any thing but to giue a false alarme and content such as please themselues to heare calumnies cast out against the Church This moues you to cry out that Catholike religion is made a traffike and that Prelates intrench vpon the liuing and the deade Is it to intrench vpon the deade to doe that which we see hath bene practised in the primitiue Church in the tyme of a Tert. â—l de cer mil. c. 3. Oblationes pro defunctis pro natalitiis annua die faci mus Item l de Monoga pro anima eius offerat annuis diebus Tertul. b Cyprian ep 66. refert vt si quis frater clericum tutorem nominas set non offeretur pro eo nec saecrificium pro dormitatione eius celebraretur S. Cyprian and others and the contrarie to which is condeÌ„ned for heresie in the persoÌ„ of Aerius by the relation of a Aug haec 53. Epiphan har 75. S. Augustine and S. Epiphanius As your beliefe resembles that of the auncient Heresiarkes condemned by the Church so your manner of proceeding is not vnlike to theirs for the Manichees did vpbraide S. Augustine Vigilantius and S. Hierome that for their owne profit and interest they defeÌ„ded the doctrine of the Church which is the verie same which now you obiect against vs. The Prelates nether intrench vpon the liuing nor the deade but doe greatly assiste the one and the other wheras you abuse them both They assiste the liuing by instructions and Sacraments the liuing and the deade by their prayers and their sacryfices wheras you doe altogether neglect the deade and the care which you haue of the liuing hath no other effect then the death of their soules You say that the Pope for some ages past hath hindred kings to read the Scriptures Where doe you find that prohibition The Popes would alwayes exceedingly reioyce that kings who are learned and are addicted to reading should exactly reade them being confident that by the assistaÌ„ce of learned men who are able to explicate the sense vnto theÌ„ they will clearly discouer that the gouerment of the Church is not built vpon the ignorance of the word of God as you calumniate but that your religion is grounded vpon the corruptions and bad interpretations of that sacred word They will also see that the Pope makes not himselfe the supreame iudge of faith but that he was constituted such by God and the Church which is the pillar and rocke of truth seeing God did constitute Peter a Petra or rocke vpon which it is built And indeede S. Hierome though most conuersant in all holy Scripture did yet beseech Pope Damasus that he would decree whether we ought to say one or thee hypostases professing that he would hold as an article of faith what he defined Had not S. Bernard also the Scripture before his eyes when he wrote to Pope Innocent the II. that all the dangers and scandalls which rise in the kingdome of God ought to be referred to his Apostleshippe especially things concerning faith Vvas the Scripture vnknowen to IustiniaÌ„ the Emperour when he saith in his Epistle to Pope Iohn the II. we suffer nothing to passe which belongs to the state of the Church vnknowen to your Holines who is the heade of all the holy Churches Vvhy did the Ecumenicall Councells held in the primitiue Church demand the confirmation of their Decrees of the Pope if they knew not by holy write that they were obliged therunto Vvas not the Scripture both in the east and west Church when as S. Hâ—erome relates the Synodicall consultations of both those parts of the world were sent to Pope Damasus to be confirmed Kings meete with nothing in Scripture but your condemnatioÌ„ And if they daigne to cast an eye vpon historie they shall find that the Popes whose greatnes is represented as preiudiciall to this our France hath not bene a litle aduantagious vnto it But if any haue raysed themselues to the detriment of France alwayes most Catholike and with the diminution of the most Christians kings dignitie you are the men who being enemyes to the Catholike Church and Christian religion like true children of darknes had your birth and groth by meanes of their obscuritie CHAP. XIV MINISTERS THe neglect of these things hath for the space of many yrares drawen great inconueniencies vpon France and hath made it a Theater wherupon bloodie Tragedies haue bene acted while God punisheth the contempt of his word and the oppression of his children The ripenes of your witt dread Soueraigne euen in the spring of your yeares and the tymelynes in princelike and Christian vertues which discouer themselues in your Maiestie makes vs hope for a more happie age vnder your raigne God who besto wed your Maiestie on France in his benediction will by his prouidence conserue you and will settle and confirme your scepter in your hands making vse of it to the establishment of his sonns kingdome who is king of kings so that God raigning by you may raigne also in you to the end that you may raigne with him for euer But if contrarie suggestions hinder our humble supplications from being receaued of your Maiestie with wished successe yet will we neuer cease while God grants life to instruct your people in obedience and loyallie to Wards your Maiestie and we will pray to God for the conseruation of your person and the prosperitie of your Kingdome as it becomes such as are c. ANSWERE IT is not at this present onely that the professours of a false beliefe impute the calamities which happen in their tymes to the contempt of their errours for euen Tertull. Arnobius S. Cyprian S. August and diuers others doe witnesse that the Pagans ascribed all the disasters of their tymes to the honour in which Christian religion was held and to the contempt of theirs In this you imitate these old PagaÌ„s and indeede since the end doth crowne the worke it was fitting that your writing which is full of the imitations of ancient heretiques condemned by the Church should be crowned with the imitation of Pagans condemned by all christian societies If the calamities of France did proceede from the contempt of your religion it had not so much florished in the tyme oâ— the Albigeois whom you accnowledge to be your brothers seeing it did persequute them in open warre And without doubt it had bene oppressed with miseries vnder the raigne of Pepin Charlemagne who religiously honored the Popes and the Roman Church wheras it was neuer more florishing then in their raigne Againe Italie and spayne where your errours are not currant whence those that professe them are banished and where the holy sea is as much honored as in any place of the world should be most miserable contries But your assertions haue no grounde of reason It is true indeede as the Fathers doe obserue that temporall felicitie doth follow religion marrie not yours but that onely
and withall that he sustayned that the body of Iesus Christ would haue bene conceaued to haue bene an onely Phantome if it had not bene berd and borne after the manner of other children which belonges not to the Virginitie of the mynde but that of body onely Therfor my assertion stands firme that your beleife in this point was condemned in the primitiue Church in the person of Iouinian 4. Poini You hold and teach that the iust onely are in the true Church which is an errour condemned in the Donatists more then 1300. yeares agoe That you are of this opinion a 4. Instit c. 1 §. 7. In Ecclesiam quae reuera est coram Deo nulli recipiuntur nisi qui adoptionit gratia filij Dei sunt Caluine doth make manifest in these tearmes None is receaued into the Church which is truly the Church before the face of God but he onely who is the sonne of God by the grace of adoption And b Art 27. your confession doth beare the same saying we affirme then that the true Church following the word of God is the companie of the faithfull who vnanimously follow the same word and the pure religion depending therupon and who profit in the same all the dayes of their life That this opinion was condemned for heresie in the Donatists S. Aug. makes euident by the passages which he alleageth impugned by him and other Catholikes in the conferences had with them c In collat 3. die c 8. Zizania inter triticum non Ecclesia sed in trundo permixta dixerunt Eâ—t c. 10. Non bene intelligi aiuÌ„t Ecclesiaem inquua simul triticuÌ„ zizania iussa sunt crescere They say that the dernel is mixed amongst the wheate not in the Church but in the world they say that one can not well conceaue à Church in which wheate and cocle growe both together You will say here as in the formar points that there is a faire difference betweene the errour condemned in the Donatists and your beleife because they deneyed that the wicked were in the visible Church which yet you grant deneying onely that they are in the true Church To which I answere that though it were à visible Church from which the Donatists did exclud the wicked yet puts that no impediment why there may not be à coÌ„formitie betwixt them and you in the point I speake of to witt in that both exclude the wicked from the true Church True it is there is this difference betweene them and you that they accnowledge the visible Church to be the true Church which you asscribe onely to the inuisible Church whence it is manifest that the difference betwixt you and the Donatists is whether the true Church be visible or inuisible not whether the wicked are in it or no whence you both equally exclude them Thence it is manifest that hauing shewen that that opinion was coÌ„demned of heresie in the person of the Donatists I haue shewen by consequence that it ought also to be condemned in you That it was from the true Church from which the Donatists excluded the wicked S. Aug. makes it cleare a lib. 2. cont Caudent c. 2. in vera germanaque Catholica Ecclesia saying in expresse words that they deneyed that the wicked were in the true and lawfull Catholike Church and againe b lib. de vnit Eccles c. 2. in corpore Christi cuius Christus est Saluator that they were in the body of Iesus-Chrst wherof Iesus-Christ is the Sauiour Which are a Whitak controu 2. q. 1. c. 7. In Eccles Cath. quae est corpus Cristi Item possunt esse in visibili Ecclesia reprobi sed non in Ecclesia Catholica the verie words in which you expresse the true Church And therfor it is à thinge not to be called in doubt that this article of your faith was condemned in the primitiue Church in the person of the Donatists You will say perhappes that wellingly you will ioyne hands if we can conuince you that these 4. points of your faith were condemned by any generall Councell in the primitiue Church but that the authoritie of one or two Fathers is of smale consideration and consequently that you suffer no preiudice for being condemned by them To this I answere that it is not alwayes necessarie to interpose the authoritie of à generall councell for the condemnation of an heresie which is euident by this that when the Pelagians would not esteeme themselues condemned because it was not performed in à generall councell S. Augustine laughes at such friuolous euasions As though saith b Aug. l. 4. cone duas Epist Pelagii c. vltimo Quasi nulla haeresis aliquando esset nisi Synodâ— congregatione damnata sit cuÌ„ potius rarissime inueniantur propter quas damnandas nesessitas talis extiterit mulioque sint incomparabiliter plures quae vbi extiterunt illic improbari damnarique meruerunt atque inde per caeteras terras deuitandae in nolescere potuerunt he neuer heresie had bene coÌ„demned but by à Synode seeing verie few such haue bene found as that it was requisite for the condemnation of them to assemble à Councell and that there were incomparably more in number which deserued to be reproued and condemned in the same place wher they were hatched whence they might be diuulged through out all the world to the end they might be shunned Secondly I say that I doe not produce the authoritie of one or two Fathers against our aduersaries as reputing their authoritie sufficient to condemne their opinion but as esteeming it sufficient to declare what was the beleife of the Church in their tyme wherby we iustly iudge such condemned of heresie as by their relation appeare so to be Being à thing most reasonable and agreeable euen to iudgements of least capacitie rather to giue credit to those auncients in the relation of things which they affirme to haue past in their tymes then to you who fall far short of them especially seeing S. Augustine teacheth us Lib. cont Iul. c. 10. Quod inuenerunt in Eccles tenuerunt quod didiscerunt docuerunt quod à Patribus acceptrunt hoc filijs tradiderunt that they held what they found in the Church that they taught what they had learnt and left to their children what they had receaued from their Fathers Finding this answere no armour of proofe you will flie for refuge to another saying that S. August S. Epiphanius Theodoret and others who had made à catalogue of heresies did not propose vnto themselues to put onely into it heresies properly speaking whence it appeares that to shew that an opinion is related therin is not à sufficient proofe that it was condemned as hereticall To which I replie 1. that this answere is without grownd or proofe 2. that the Fathers ayme and end in reducing into à certaine order and framing as it were à list of all the heresies doe