vsuall amongst you and your fellowes in such sort to abuse the word of God The words of Saint Iohn be these Iohn to the seuen Churches which are in Asia Grace be with you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seuen spirits which are before his throne and from Iesus Christ c. What meaneth this man to alledge this for inuocation of Saints will he by these seuen spirits vnderstand the Saints either he knoweth little or he cannot be ignorant that this is expounded of the holy Ghost who although he be in person one yet by the communication of his vertue and demonstration of his diuine workes in those seuen Churches doth so perfectly shew himselfe as though there were so many spirits euery one working in his peculiar Church Ambrose set out by Doctor Tunstall Bishop of Duresme writeth vpon these words thus Hic tota trinitas demonstratur that is heere the whole Trinitie is shewed and a little after Per septem autem spiritus spiritus sanctus eò quod sit septiformis intelligitur that is By the seuen spirits the holy Ghost is vnderstoode because he worketh seuen manner of wayes And hard it were or rather absurd to pray for grace and peace from Saints and that before Iesus Christ But vpon this I will not stand onely the reader may consider how barren this cause is which hath no plainer proofes and driueth this man to such priuate and false exposition of Gods word Now whereas you say that by prayer you glorifie the Saints in heauen I say that by prayer we doe glorifie God Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me But that by prayer we should glorifie Saints I doe not finde in all the holy Scriptures If this man can why doth he not shew it I finde that God will not giue his glorie to any other and that the Saints with Dauid say Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the glorie for thy louing mercie and thy truths sake And that the Angell would not be worshiped or glorified but said vnto Iohn worship God As touching the Saints mediation when Iesus Christ shall cease to be our mediator and to sit at the right hand of God to make intercession for vs then we will seeke to your mediation of Saints In the meane time take you heede that in attributing that to the Saints which is proper and peculiar to the sonne of God yea which he hath bought with his bloud you doe not deny the Lord which hath bought vs and that you doe not horribly dishonor those Saints and make Idols of them Furthermore you say that we deny the communion of the Church militant and the soules in purgatorie c. Whereunto I answer y t when you shal plainely and pithily proue this your fayned fire of purgatorie which the Greeke Church alwayes hath denyed then we wil yeeld vnto you and graunt our selues to be to blame in not helping these seely soules with dirges masses c. out of the paines of this forged fire You quote in your margent for proofe thereof 1. Cor. 3. v. 15. 15. v. 29. Alas poore purgatorie that hath no better proofes The words of S. Paul in the first place be these If a mans worke burne he shall lose but he shall be saued himselfe neuerthelesse yet as it were by fire Here is mention of fire and therfore it must needs be the fire of purgatorie for such is the great iudgement of these worthie writers that if they reade in the Scriptures or Fathers this word fire it is none other but the fire of purgatorie if sacrifice it is the sacrifice of the Masse if confessiō it can be nothing but auricular confession to the priest if tradition it is vnwrittē verities or vanities But touching these places of S. Paul because the author of this Pamphlet doth not alledge them but barely quote them I will but briefely touch them To the first I say that S. Paul there speaketh not of all men but onely of teachers and preachers which be builders of Gods house and Church which euen Bellarmine confesseth Secondly he speaketh not of all their workes but onely of their doctrine whereby they build the Church of God Thirdly he speaketh not of the purging of workes or persons but of the probation of doctrines Fourthly the works are said to be proued and not the persons Lastly if this place should be vnderstood of purgatorie then euery man should bee throwne into it for it is said the fire shall try euery mans worke of what sort it is but this is contrarie to the doctrine of the papists who will not haue all men come into purgatorie These things plainly shew that this place cannot be vnderstoode of purgatorie Saint Augustine in many places doth vnderstand it of the afflictions and troubles sustained in this life and not of the paines of Purgatorie after this life Enchir. ad Laurentium cap. 68. de ciuit Dei lib. 21 cap. 26. de side operibus cap. 16. in Psal 80. But S. Paul speaketh of triall of doctrine shewing that as the fire trieth mettals so the light of Gods truth trieth doctrines and as gold and siluer abide in the fire and hay and stubble be consumed so true sound and holy doctrines abide the light and triall of Gods word when either vntrue doctrines or vaine speculations perish and be consumed So doth S. Ambrose expound it Mala doctrina in igne omnibus apparebit nunc enim quosdam fallit that is Euill doctrine shall appeare vnto all in the fire for now it deceiueth some Againe Mala enim adultera doctrina idcirco in ligno foeno stipula significata est vt ostenderetur ignis esse esca that is Euill and counterfeit doctrine is therfore signified by wood hay and stubble that it might be shewed that it is but meate to be consumed of fire And againe Ignis ergo hic Christi sermo est bonus ignis c. This fire is the word of Christ and it is a good fire which warmeth but burneth not but onely sinnes By this fire that gold of the Apostle laid vpon the good foundation is tried By this fire that siluer of manners or workes is proued By this fire those pretious stones are lightened but the hay and stubble is consumed Therefore this fire clenseth the soule and consumeth error Hitherto S. Ambrose whereby we may see y t neither S. Augustine nor S. Ambrose expound this place of Purgatorie much lesse the Greeke Fathers who neuer acknowledged it Therfore to expoūd it of Purgatorie as the Papists do whether it be not a priuate false exposition let y e godly reader vprightly iudge The words of the other place here quoted are these Else what shall they doe which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why
to doe as the noble man the Queene Candaces Treasurer did to seek to a faithful Philip that is a godly and learned man by him to seeke to haue them opened and expounded so did Fabiola other godly women to Saint Hierome So Augustine saith Scripturarum expositio ab ijs petenda est qui earum doctores se esse profitentur that is The exposition of the Scriptures is to be sought of them which professe themselues to be doctors and teachers of them Yet with Saint Paul we say that as we are not to despise prophesying that is the expounding of Gods word so we are not rashly to receiue whatsoeuer is deliuered to vs but we are to proue all and to hold that which is good and to abstaine from all apparance of euill for the eare trieth the words as the mouth tasteth meate So also Saint Basil saith Quod in edulijs est sensus qualitatis vniuscuiusque edulij hoc in verbis sanctae scripturae est intellectus Gula enim inquit cibos gustat mens verba dijudicat that is That which in meates is the tast of the qualitie of euery meate the same is the vnderstanding or minde in the words of the holy Scripture For the throate saith he tasteth the meates and the minde iudgeth the words Now I will retort your argument vpon you in this manner Whosoeuer buildeth his faith vpon priuate and false expositions of the Scripture is an infidel The Papists build their faith vpon priuate and false expositions of the Scripture as I haue shewed before and can proue in many places moe ergo the Papists be infidels And thus much to your second article of faith The Pamphlet All Protestants who are ignorant of the Greeke and Latine tongues are Infidels 3. Article WHosoeuer relieth his faith vpon the ministers credit and fidelitie hath no faith at all But all those in England who are ignorant of the Greeke and Hebrew tongues rely their faith vpon the ministers credit Ergo. All those in England who are ignorant of the Greeke and Hebrew tongues haue no faith at all The Maior is manifest because they themselues confesse that euery man may erre and doth erre neither haue they any warrant why the ministers doe not erre since they constantly doe defend that whole generall councels yea and the vniuersall Catholike Church may erre and hath erred The Minor I proue for all such Protestants ground their faith vpon the Bible translated into English the which translation they know not whether it be true or false whether the minister Tindall for example erred or no either vpon ignorance as Broughton one of the greatest linguists among the precisians affirmeth in an epistle dedicated to the Lords of the Counsell or vpon malice to induce the people to protestancie or to cause them to leaue the Catholike Religion as Gregorie Martin in his discouerie most pregnantly prooueth These errors I say they know not and consequently cannot discerne a true translation from a false and therefore must needes rely their faith vpon the sillie ministers faithles fidelitie which conuinceth that they haue no faith at all Answere I Deny the Minor or second proposition of this Syllogisme and say that we rely not our faith vpon the Ministers credit and fidelitie but vpon the word of God translated the which we know to be true and holy not so much for that it is by publike authoritie and generall assent of men allowed as for that it containeth most holy doctrine agreeable to true faith and godly life whereby any that readeth or heareth it may behold the Maiestie of Gods spirit appearing in it As for example I beleeue these sayings to be true that Iesus Christ came into this world to saue sinners that he is the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world that the grace of God which offereth saluation to all men hath appeared and teacheth vs that we deny vngodlinesse and worldly lust and liue soberly righteously and godly in this present world c. not for that this or that man hath translated them but because the spirit of God doth beare witnes vnto my hart that most holy pure and diuine doctrine is contained in them And therefore to say that those which vnderstand not the Hebrew and Greeke tongues because they vse the word of God translated to them into other languages doe rely their faith vpon the Ministers credit and fidelitie and haue no faith is most foolish and absurd And let the Christian reader marke and consider how this sottish reason tendeth to the discrediting not only of vs but also of the most part of all godly and faithfull Christians in all ages yea and to the most of the godly Doctors and Fathers of the Church who were almost all ignorant of the Hebrew tongue and some of the Greeke also The holy Scriptures were translated into many tongues in the which the people of God did reade and heare them As Theodoritus writeth Hebraici verò libri non modò in Graecum idioma conuersi sunt sed in Romanam quoque linguam Aegyptiacam Persicam Indicam Armenicamque Scythicam adeoque Sauromaticam semelque vt dicam in linguas omnes quibus ad hanc diem nationes vtantur that is The Hebrew bookes be translated not onely into the Greeke tongue but also into the Romaine Aegyptian Persian Indian Armenian and Scythian and also the Sclauonian tongues to say at a word into all languages which the nations vse vnto this day Did the ancient faithfull Christians which read and heard the holy Scriptures in these sundrie languages rely their faith vpon men that did translate them or vpon the diuine doctrine and precious promises of God contained in them And let this cauiller shew sufficient reason why we are not either to be acquited with them or they condemned with vs. They could no more iudge of the truth of the translations then our people can yet they did to their great comfort and godly instruction and edification reade and heare the holy Scriptures grounding their faith not vpon the translators who might be and sometimes were euill men but vpon the sound holy and heauenly doctrine therein contained Saint Hierome exhorted ladies and gentlewomen not onely to reade the Scriptures themselues but also to bring vp their young daughters when they were but seuen yeares ould in that holy exercise They were not able to iudge of the translations otherwayes then to discerne and perceiue that the doctrine by them deliuered was pure and holy agreeable to true faith and godly life And euen so they that be godly in these dayes although they hauing not the knowledge of the Hebrew and Greeke tongues cannot iudge so exactly of translations and of the truth of them as those that vnderstand them can yet they may discerne whether the translations deliuer sound and holy doctrine consonant to true faith good manners and the generall heads and
in your margent Genes 48. 16. and Apoca. 1. 4. which make asmuch for prouing inuocation of Saints as Tityre tu patule doth The words of the place of Genesis be these The Angell which hath deliuered me from all euill blesse the children and let my name be called or named vpon them and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac that they may grow as fish into a multitude in the midst of the earth Out of this place the Papists take two arguments to proue prayer to Angels and to Saints The first out of these words The Angell which hath deliuered me c. the other out of those let my name be called vpon them c. But yet let the reader note this that of the Papists some doe finde the one saying and some the other so weake that some alledge the one and some the other and I haue not read any one that doth vse them both T. W. in a discourse of this matter alledged the former words of the Angell and Ecchius the latter To the which I wil briefly answere By the Angel is ment Iesus Christ the Angell of the couenant as Malachie calleth him and the Angell of the great counsell of God So doth Aloisius Lipomanus that great Catholike Bishop of Verona both out of Cyrillus and of himselfe expound it in these words Cyrillus Iacob pueris benedicens deum patrem nutrientemse Angelum liberantem nominat illum nempe Angelum qui Angelus magni consilij ab Esaia dicitur quia omnis benedictio omnis gratia non aliter quà m à deo per Iesum Christum in homines descendit Considerandum quòd dictio hagoel vel redimens vel qui redimit propriè reddi potest quo loquendi modo clarissimè filius dei mundi generalis redemptor denotatur Et si diligenter aduerteris tacitè propheta domini sanctissimam inuocat trinitatem patrem scilicet spiritum S. sub nomine dei bis repetiti vnigenitum verò dei filium sub nomine Angell Angelum verò intelligit redemptorem verbum diuinum saluatorem nostrum vel auxilij dispensationis diuinae ministrum ipse inquam ille benedicat pueris istis That is Cyrill Iacob blessing thy children doth name God both the father which did nourish him and the Angell which did deliuer him to wit that Angell whom Esay calleth the Angell of great counsell because all blessing and all grace descendeth no other wayes from God vpon men but by Iesus Christ We must consider that the word Hagoel may be translated either redeeming or he that redeemeth by which phrase of speech the sonne of God the generall redeemer of the world is most manifestly signified and if thou diligently marke thou maist perceiue that the prophet in secret sort calleth vpon the most holy Trinitie to wit the father and the holy Ghost vnder the name of God twise repeated and the onely begotten sonne of God vnder the name of the Angell For by the Angell he vnderstandeth the redeemer the word of God our Sauiour or the minister of Gods helpe and dispensation euen he I say blesse these children Hitherto Lipomanus who with that ancient Father Cyrill truely vnderstand by this Angell Iesus Christ and not any other ministring spirit or created Angel And therefore this place proueth the inuocation of Christ but not of other Angels By the other words Let my name be called vpon them c. Iacob meant nothing else but that Manasses and Ephraim Iosephs sonnes should be counted amongst his sonnes to make vp the twelue tribes of Israel And euen so Frier Lyra doth truely expound it in these words Inuocetur super cos nomen meum quia vocati sunt filij adoptiui Iacob facti sunt capita duarum tribuum sicut alij filij Iacob that is Let my name be called vpon them because they were called the adopt sonnes of Iacob and were made the heads of two tribes as were his other sonnes This phrase of speech is so vsed in other places of Scripture as Isa 4. 1. In that day seuen women shall lay hold of one man saying we will eate our owne bread and we will weare our owne garments onely let thy name be called vpon vs and take away our reproch Whereby is meant that he should be their husband and they counted and called his wiues The like phrase is 2. Sam. 12. 28. Hierem. 7. 10. c. And therefore that this exposition of this place whereby they go about to proue inuocation of Saints is a priuate and false exposition any man may easily perceiue And this is the more euident for that some great papists are forced to confesse that inuocation of Saints is not commended nor commaunded in al the Scriptures There is one Francis Hamilton a Scot a papist and fugitiue prior of S. Iames at Herbipolis in Germanie who in a discourse concerning inuocation of Saints writeth thus Porro lihic concedimus disertis scripturarum verbis ipsam inuocationem sanctorum non commendari Quibus enim cuius authoris cuius libri cuius instrumenti Noui an veteris commendantur Sancti commendatur oratio quam pro nobis ad deum faciunt vt ipsos inuocemus atque vt pro nobis orent rogemus nullo loco commendatur Vbi consulatur locus demonstrari non potest Sed neque conueniebat vt aut commendaretur aut consuleretur nascentis maxime ecclesiae exordijs ne plures sibi deos more gentium fingere aut constituere existimarentur christiani quando etiam in suspicionē Idololatriae venerunt dū sub specie panis vini verum deum colerent 83. praecepta ne est Non est praecepta c. that is Moreouer we doe heere willingly graunt that inuocation of Saints is not commended to vs by expresse words of the Scriptures For by what words of what authors of what booke of which testament the new or the old Saints are commended prayer which they make to God for vs is commended but that we should call vpon them and that we should intreate them to pray for vs is in no place commended No place cā be shewed where it is counselled Neither was it couenient that it should be either commended or counselled especially in the beginning of the Church arising lest christians should be thought to make vnto themselues after the maner of the gentiles moe Gods seeing they were suspected of Idolatrie for worshipping the true God vnder the forme of breade and wine 83. Is it commaunded It is not commaunded Hitherto the words of this Papist Hamilton by which it appeareth that inuocation of Saints is not commaunded nor counselled in the Scriptures and therefore they doe wrest them and bring a priuate and false exposition to them which seeke to proue it by them You quote also in the margent Apoc. 1. 4. where at a man might well wonder that you would quote a place so impertinent for this purpose but that it is euer
so plentifully that God can aske no more of them And in his Latin booke against Luther he hath these words Secundo supponimus quod quanquam nemo sit cui non cumulatius praemium in coelis Deus largiatur quà m hic in terris ipse meruit innumeri tamen sunt qui longè grauiores aerumnas pertulerunt quà m adsuorum suffecissent delictorum expiationem that is Secondly wee make this supposition that although there is none to whom God doth not giue a greater reward in heauen then hee hath merited and deserued yet there be many which haue suffered farre more grieuous griefes and punishments then would haue sufficed to the expiation and purging away of their sinnes This is their doctrine and is this to beleeue the forgiuenes of sinnes or is it not rather to denie the Lord Iesus that hath bought vs For I may say with S. Paul that if righteousnes come by the law or by our satisfaction then Christ died in vaine And with what face can these men accuse vs of denying this article The forgiuenes of sinnes themselues teaching such blasphemous doctrine so manifestly opposite and contrarie vnto it Againe they denie the forgiuenes of the punishment due for sinne saying that Christ hath deliuered vs à culpa from the fault or offence but not à poena from the punishment or at leastwise he hath deliuered vs from eternall punishment but not from temporall which must be sustained in Purgatorie whereby our sinnes or soules must be purged and Gods iustice satisfied And yet the Popes Pardons Masses and Dirges may discharge and deliuer from it Wherein first what doe they but extenuate and greatly diminish the vertue and power of Christs death For if our Sauiour Christ haue not deliuered vs from the punishment due to our sinnes what great good hath hee done vs And if he haue discharged vs from eternall punishment in hell but not from the temporall in Purgatorie then is he not a full and perfect Sauiour but an halfe Sauiour Haue you the testimonie of all Antiquitie for this doctrine Tertullian saith Exempto scilicet reatu eximitur poena that is The guiltines of sinne being taken away the punishment is also taken away And Chrysostome saith Vbi enim gratia ibi venia vbi verò venia illic nulla erit poena that is Where grace is there is forgiuenes where forgiuenes is there shall be no punishment S. Augustine saith Ablato ergo peccato auferetur poena peccati The sin being taken away the punishment of sinne shall also be taken away By this let it be discerned who they be that denie this article of the forgiuenes of sinne Moreouer let the Christian reader consider how they attribute first that to their Purgatorie which is proper to the blood of Christ which as S. Iohn saith clenseth vs from all sinne and secondly more to their Dirges Masses Pardons and such paltries then they doe to the death and passion of Iesus Christ For they may deliuer from the paines of Purgatorie but Christs death doth not O coelum non sudas ô terra non tremes c. But now let vs come to your proofe of this your accusation of our denying of this article Your first reason is that wee acknowledge no such effect in the Sacrament of Baptisme c. We acknowledge that baptisme is a Sacrament of the forgiuenes of our sinnes by the death and passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ whereby our faith is confirmed and wee assured that as water washeth away the filth of the bodie so all the filth and guiltines of our sinnes is so purged in the blood of Christ that wee be accepted for iust and righteous before God But we do not acknowledge that Baptisme or any other Sacrament do conferre grace of themselues or haue grace included in them as in a vessell but wee affirme that they be seales of Gods promises and instruments whereby God worketh in his elect and chosen people those graces which he hath in his word promised and Iesus Christ hath purchased for them But all that be outwardly baptized be not inwardly clensed as Simon Magus who being baptized was yet still in the gall of bitternes and in the bond of iniquitie For the spirit of God worketh by them in whom when and how much it pleaseth him Neither doe we beleeue that Baptisme serueth onely for the remission of sinnes committed before it as you say here but that the vse and benefit of it pertaineth to our whole life continually to assure vs and confirme our faith in the forgiuenes of al our sinnes by Iesus Christ And whereas you say that this our doctrine is contrarie to the expresse word of God which calleth this Sacrament the lauer of regeneration for that in it the soule dead by sinne is newly regenerate by grace I answere that Baptisme is so farre from being in this place of S. Paul expressed that it is not mentioned neither necessarily to be vnderstanded Saint Pauls sweet words be these When the bountifulnes and loue of God our Sauiour towards man appeared not by the workes of righteousnes which wee had done but according to his mercie he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and renewing of the holy Ghost which he shed on vs aboundantly through Iesus Christ our Sauiour Where is baptisme here mentioned or expressed to be the lauer of regeneration Saint Paul doth here attribute this washing whereby wee be regenerate and renewed to the holie Ghost alluding as it were to the words of God by the Prophet Ezechiel Then will I powre cleane water vpon you and ye shall be cleane yea from all your filthines and from all your Idols will I clense you By this cleane water is vnderstood the spirit of God as it is expounded in the two next verses following I confesse that Baptisme is a Sacrament and pledge vnto vs of this washing and clensing of the holie Ghost to whom this washing is to be attributed and not to baptisme as though it were included in it or affixed to it for as I said many be outwardly baptized which be not inwardly clensed but only the faithfull children of God in whom Gods spirit inwardly worketh that which by the word of God is promised and in baptisme sealed and confirmed And therefore this lauer is the spirit of God by whom we be regenerated and renewed Saint Augustine saith well Ea demum miserabilis est seruitus signa prorebus accipere supra creaturam corpoream oculum mentis ad hauriendum aeternū lumen leuare non posse that is This is miserable seruitude to take the signes for the things signified and not to be able to lift vp the eye of the minde aboue the corporeall creature to receiue eternall light Your second proofe is that we allow not the sacrament Penance wherin all actuall sins committed after Baptisme are cancelled Your popish
quenched but there remained sparkes of Gods spirit which afterwards being stirred vp and blowne by Nathans bellowes kindled and flamed to Gods glorie and Dauids eternall comfort and saluation Shall we thinke that Dauid had lost all loue of God of his law and of man was he cleane depriued of Gods spirit it appeareth by his owne words that he was not Who vpon Nathans preaching and reprouing of his sinne prayed and said Take not thy holy spirit from me Whereupon I reason thus He that was not cleane depriued of Gods spirit had not wholy lost faith and charitie But Dauid was not cleane depriued of Gods spirit therefore he had not wholy lost faith and charitie The first proposition is euident by the words of Dauid the second is manifest For it is absurd to say that the spirit of God should continue in him that hath lost all graces and gifts of the spirit It is with Gods elect and chosen children as it is with fire which in the night is so hid and couered that none appeareth and yet in the morning is stirred vp and is made to burne and to flame and as with a tree which in the winter hath neither fruite nor leafe vpon it yet it hath a sappe fallen into the roote which in the spring springeth and bringeth forth both leafe and fruite So is it with Gods holy Saints they be sometimes so ouertaken and ouercome with temptations that they seeme to be as trees without fruite withered and perished yet there remaineth a sappe of Gods spirit and grace in them which afterward riseth and buddeth forth good fruite And therefore to the second proposition of your secoÌ„d Syllogisme I say that although Dauid by those foule and fearefull offences deserued eternall death yet he did not remaine in death and although God hated those sinnes yet hee neuer hated Dauid For whom God loueth he loueth to the end and the giâ—ts and calling of God are without repentance If we loue a man and yet hate some sinne that he committeth might not God who is loue it selfe hate Dauids sinne and yet loue him and keepe some sparkes of his spirit and grace in him and so preserue as the externall life of the body so the internall life of the soule in him So that neither Dauid remained in death neither was his loue no not to Vrias altogether extinguished in him No doubt but he did loue him as his true and faithfull subiect and might loue him as the seruant of God yet in that temptation his owne selfe loue and desire to couer his owne sinne and shame did preuaile against his loue to Vrias and did draw him to doe an act which was no fruite nor effect of loue and charitie and yet did not wholy quench loue in him The Maior of your latter Syllogisme which needeth no proofe you seeke to proue by a false assertion in barely saying According to your manner but not by any place of Scripture prouing that charitie is the life of the â—oule I say that faith is the life of the soule the which I proue by these two sayings of the Scripture The Prophet Habacuk saith The iust shall liue by his faith Saint Paul saith In that I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith in the sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me Let this man shew two such plaine places of Scripture to proue charitie to be the life of the soule Properly Christ is the life of our soules Saint Paul in the place before alledged saith Christ liued in me And when Christ which is our life shall appeare And our Sauiour himselfe saith I am the way the truth and the life For when wee were dead in sinnes hee hath quickned vs and at he hath restored life vnto vs so hee doth continually nourish and preserue life in vs. But this is attributed to faith because by it Christ dwelleth in vs and we by it be put into the possession of Christ and of all the benefits of his passion Concerning the place of Ezechiel because you doe not vrge it I will not stand vpon it We doubt not but men may and doe fall from God and iust actions vnto wicked and vngodly deedes and may haue a temporall faith and fall away from the grace of God But this we say that true faith in Gods elect which are sealed with the spirit of adoption and to whose spirit Gods spirit doth beare witnes that they are the sonnes of God is neuer wholy lust in them and the same spirit worketh by charitie which in them may bee cooled but neuer cleane quenched But of the losing of faith and of the coniunction thereof with charitie I haue before intreated Now to returne this argument in some sort vpon you whereas the Papists auerre that the Popes faith cannot faile I reason thus He that loseth his charitie may lose his faith the Pope may lose his charitie Ergo the Pope may lose his faith The first proposition I haue proued alreadie and haue shewed that true faith is not separated from charitie but worketh by it And most manifest it is by Saint Iames that the faith which is without charitie and good workes is dead So that if the Pope be without Charitie then hee hath but a dead faith And a dead faith is as much faith as a dead man is a man That the Pope may bee without charitie I thinke they will not deny and if they doe it may be proued by many examples Pope Iohn the twelft or as Platina reckoneth the thirteenth tooke two of his Cardinals and cut off the nose of the one and the hand of the other as witnes Platina Blondus and many others Stephanus the sixt did take the bodie of Formosus his predecessor out of the graue after he was dead put him out of his pontificall habite and put on him a lay mans attire cut off the two fingers of his right hand where with he did consecrate and threw them into Tiber. Pope Sergius the third tooke vp againe the body of the same Formosus did cut off his head as if hee had been a liue and threw the bodie into Tiber as vn worthie of buriall Boniface the seuenth tooke Iohn a Cardinall and put out his eyes Vrban the sixt of seuen of his Cardinals which hee apprehended at Nuceria tooke fiue of them put them in sackes and cast them into the Sea Innocentius the seuenth caused by Lewes his nephew certaine citizens of Rome which sought the restitution of their ancient liberties and the reformation of the Common-wealth decayed by his euill gouernment to be throwne out of windowes and so killed Alexander the sixt caused both the right hand and tongue of Antonius Mancinellus to bee cut out because hee had written an eloquent oration against his wicked and filthie life Many such other pranckes of Popes might bee alleadged which were no more fruites of
AN APOLOGIE FOR RELIGION Or AN ANSWERE TO AN VNLEARNED and slanderous Pamphlet intituled Certaine Articles or forcible Reasons discouering the palpable absurdities and most notorious errors of the Protestants religion pretended to be printed at Antwerpe 1600. By EDVVARD BVLKLEY Doctor of Diuinitie Prouerb 14. 15. The foolish will beleeue euery thing but the prudent will consider his waies Lamenta 3. 40. Let vs search and trie our waies and turne againe vnto the Lord. Chrysost in Genes Hom. 5. Quocirca diuinae Scripturae vestigia sequamur neque seramus eos qui temerè quiduis blaterant i. Let vs follow the steps of the holy Scripture and not endure or abide them that rashly babble euery thing AT LONDON Printed by Felix Kingston for Arthur Iohnson and are to be sold at his shop in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Flower de-luce and Crowne 1602. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR THOMAS EGERTON KNIGHT LORD Keeper of the great Seale of England Chamberlaine of the Countie Palatine of Chester and one of her Maiesties most honourable priuie Councell grace and peace be multiplied WHen I consider Right Honourable the estate of England in these our daies I cannot better compare it then with the estate of the kingdome of Iudah vnder K. Iosias expressed shortly yet effectually by Sophonie the Prophet who liued and preached in that time For as then God gaue to that people that worthy and godly King who zealously rooted out Idolatrie and planted Gods true worship agreeable to his law so God in great mercy hath giuen vs our most gracious Queene Elizabeth by whose godly meanes Idolatrie hath been abolished Gods true religion and seruice restored his holy word truly and sincerely preached and peace and tranquilitie among vs long maintained And as in those daies vnder King Iosias notwithstanding that godly and zealous reformation there was great wickednes among the people as the said Sophonias sheweth For there were then which worshipped vpon the rouffes of their houses the host of heauen and which worshipped and sware by the true and onely God Iehoua and by Malcham their Idoll and such as were turned backe from after the true God and sought him not nor inquired after him and that did weare strange apparell and others that filled their masters houses with robberie and deceite and such as were frozen in their dregges and said in their hearts the Lord will neither doe good nor euill And Ierusalem was then a filthie and spoyling citie which heard not Gods voyce receiued not instruction trusted not in the Lord and drew not neere vnto her God c. Euen so how these sinnes abound at this time in this land I thinke there are but few but doe see and none that truly feareth God but doth lament To omit other sinnes here mentioned as then there were which worshipped Iehoua the onely true God and Malcham their Idoll euen so there be now not a few which to please the Prince and State pretend outwardly to like of religion established and yet inwardly in their hearts fauour Idolatrie and wicked worshippings repugnant to the same And as then many were turned backe from after God and sought him not nor inquired after him euen so now there are many which be reuolted from Gods holy worship agreeable to his word and vtterly forsake the holy assemblies where Gods word is truly preached the Sacraments are according to Christs institution rightly ministred and Gods holy name faithfully called vpon These with Lots wife looke backe vnto Sodome and are with the Israelites in heart turned backe into Egypt desiring rather to eate onions and garlike there then to feed vpon the heauenly Manna of Gods blessed word Of these thus turned backe from seeking after God they be most dangerous which being deceiued themselues endeuour by all meanes both by speaking and writing to seduce and deceiue others Such be the Seminarie Priests and Iesuites who although they be at this present time at leastwise in outward apparance at deadly fewd among themselues writing most bitterly one against another yet they all agree in resisting Gods truth seducing the simple and in labouring most earnestly to set vp againe their Dagon of the Masse fallen downe before the Arke of Christs Gospell To this end they write lewd lying and slaunderous Pamphlets wherein they traduce the truth and faithfull fauourers thereof deceiue the ignorant and confirme in error their ouer affectioned fauourers who without triall or examination ouer rashly receiue and ouer lightly beleeue whatsoeuer is broached by them Of these lying Libels there came one to my hands a yeere past and more pretended to be printed at Antwerpe 1600. wherein is boldly affirmed but faintly proued that we haue no faith nor religion that of vs both the learned and ignorant of the Greeke and Latine tongues be Infidels that wee know not what wee beleeue that we are bound in conscience both neuer to aske forgiuenes of our sinnes and also to auoide all good workes that wee make God the author of sinne and worse then the diuell These and such other shameles assertions and false slaunders when I read it came into my heart that Master Thomas Wright with whose spirit I had been acquainted was the venter of this ware In which opinion I was afterward confirmed for that both some of his fauourers could not denie it and in a written copie therof taken in a search in Shropshire and sent vnto me these two letters T.W. were set in the end of it This lewd Libell although in respect of the matter voide both of truth and learning deformed rather to be despised then earnestly answered yet because the author of it thinketh so highly of himself and so basely and contemptuously of vs giuing out in certaine written conferences which he hath dispersed abroad in this land and some faithfull men haue seene that wee be vnlearned and so giuen to worldly affaires that we bestow no time or but little in studie I although the meanest and vnmeetest of many was moued to write this answere thereby to confute these calumnies to cleere the truth to confirme the faithfull and if by Gods gracious blessing it might be to reclaime and reforme the ignorant and seduced Whereof I haue the lesse hope for that as they imitate those wicked Israelites which refused to hearken turned away their shoulder stopped their eares that they might not heare and made their hearts as an Adamant stone least they should heare the law and the words which the Lord of hosts sent in his spirit by his Prophets So they doe fully follow the peruerse Pagans which most obstinately refused to reade godlie bookes written by Christians as that ancient eloquent Christian Lactantius in these eloquent words declareth Non est apud me dubium Constantine Imperator Maxime quin hoc opus nostrum quo singularis ille rerum conditor huius immensi operis rector asseritur si quis attigerit ex
istis ineptereligiosis vt sant nimia superstitione impatientes insectetur etiam maledictis vt vix lecto fortasse principio affligat proijciat execretur seque inexpiabili scelere contaminari atque astringi putet si haec aut legat patienter aut audiat One Bee or egge is not liker to another then to these Pagans be our peeuish Papists in shutting their eyes from reading godly and learned bookes tending to the confutation of their errors and the instruction of them in the truth Whom yet I am to intreate with Lactantius words immediately following Ab hoc tamen si fieri potest humanitatis iure postulamus vt non prius damnet quam vniuersa cognouerit Nam si sacrilegis proditoribus veneficis potestas defendendi sui datur nec praedamnari quenquam incognita causa licet non iniustè petere videmur vt si quis erit ille qui inciderit in haec si leget perlegat si audiet sententiam differat in extremum This reasonable request I would that I might obtaine at our Romish Catholickes hands that they would first reade and examine this my answere before they condemne it For what is more vniust then to condemne that which a man doth not know Howbeit I doubt least with the same Lactantius I must say Sed noui hominum pertinaciam nunquam impetrabimus Timent enim ne à nobis reuicti manus dare aliquando clamante ipsa veritate cogantur Obstrepunt igitur intercidunt ne audiant oculos suos opprimunt ne lumen videant quod offerimus Euen so our vntruly termed Catholickes doe follow this froward peruersitie of the Pagans in whom that saying also of the Prophet as it is alleaged by Saint Luke is verified The heart of this people is waxed grosse or fat and their eares are dull of hearing and they haue shut their eyes least they should see with their eyes and heare with their eares and vnderstand with their hearts and should be conuerted and I might heale them The which is a fearefull iudgement of God when men refusing the loue of the truth that they might be saued be giuen vp to a strong delusion to beleeue lies But if these blinded with errour and ignorance for whose sake especially I haue written this answere will not vouchsafe to reade it nor make any vse and profit of it yet if it may somewhat serue to edifie the faithfull and confirme the weake I shall thinke my labour not altogether lost The which how small or simple soeuer it be yet as I haue written it for the good of Gods Church so I haue bin by your Honours curtesie incouraged to offer and present it vnto your Lordship as a true testimony of my louing heart and dutiful affection towards your Honour for your fauour shewed me The God of all grace and mercie blesse your Lordship and all yours increase his good graces and gifts in you and long preserue you to the benefit of this Church and Common-wealth Amen Westminster the 7. of May 1602. Your Honours most humble to be commaunded EDVVARD BVLKLEY AN ANSWERE TO AN VNLEARNED SLANDEROVS AND LYING PAMPHLET INTITVLED Certaine articles or forcible reasons discouering the palpable absurdities and most notorious errors of the Protestants Religion pretended to be printed at Antwerpe 1600. TO the sayings of the Prophet Esaias chap. 59. 10. and Elizeus 4. King 6. 20. set in the first front of this peeuish Pamphlet whereby he would insinuate and signifie vs to be blind I answere that if we be blind which giue our selues daily and diligently both pastors and people to the reading and hearing of Gods holy word and doe endeuour to make that a light vnto our feete and a lanterne vnto our pathes in what estate be they which keepe the light of Gods word vnder the bushell of a strange tongue and reade the same both little themselues and disswade and withdraw others from it Aeneas Syluius who was Pope called Pius Secundus writeth thus of the Italian Priests in his daies and of the good people in Bohemia Pudeat Italiae Sacerdotes quos ne semel quidem nouam legem constat legisse apud Thaboritas vix mulierculam inuenias quae de Nouo Testamento veteri respondere nesciat i. The priests of Italie may be ashamed who are knowne not once to haue read the new Testament seeing with the Thaborites one can hardly finde a silly woman which cannot answere out of the olde and new Testament Iohn Gerson Chauncellor of the Vniuersitie of Paris who liued Anno 1415. and was a great dealer in the Councell of Constance writeth thus Nam queme Sacerdotum numero mihi dabis non ignarum legis Christi Whom among the multitude of Priests canst thou shew me which is not ignorant of Christs Law Nicolaus Clemangis a Doctor of Paris who liued in the same time that Gerson did complaineth in like manner of the grosse ignorance of the popish Clergie in these words Non tamen à studijs aut schola sed ab aratro etiam seruilibus artibus ad Parochias regendas caeteraque beneficia passim proficiscebantur qui paulo plus Latinae linguae quam Arabicae intelligerent c. i. Yet they commonly came to rule parishes and other benefices not from schooles and Vniuersities but from the plowe and seruile artes yea and such as could not reade and which is shamefull to be spoken could 〈…〉 discern A from B And againe Nam quotus quisque hodie est ad pontificale culmen euectus qui sacras vel perfunctoriè literas legerit audierit didicerit imo qui Sacrum codicem nisi tegamento tenui vnquam attigerit cum tamen iureiurando illas in sua institutione se nâ—sse confirment i. How many are there now aduanced to be Bishops which haue but lightly read the holy Scriptures heard or learned them yea who hath touched the holy Bible except it be the couering of it Againe De literis verò doctrina quid loqui attinet cum omnes ferè presbyteros sine aliquo captu aut rerum aut vocabulorum morosè syllabatimque vix legere videamus i. But what should I speake of learning for that we see in a manner all Priests can hardly spell and reade being without vnderstanding of the matter or words I might alleage the like complaints of Erasmus and others but to omit them if we who with the Councell of Toledo condemne ignorance as the mother of all errors and say with Epiphanius Nihil peius imperitia multos excaecauit ignorantia i. There is nothing worse than ignorance which hath blinded many and with S. Hieròme to be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ and doe with Salomon exhort all men to seeke for knowledge as for siluer and for vnderstanding as for treasures if we I say be blind in what estate are they which hold ignorance to be the mother
surely for to attribute remission of sinnes or any part of saluation to the merits of any other but only of Iesus Christ crucified is to coine a new and false gospell for it is not that gospell of God which he promised afore by his Prophets in the holy scriptures which is concerning his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord c. To conclude this point I say woe woe vnto them that accept or affect any new coined gospell And whereas you wonder that men indued with iudgement and a religious conscience could affect or accept the gospell that we preach which you falsely call a new coined gospell we may well wonder that any man that hath any sparke of knowledge or conscience should beleeue these foresaid false gospels We may also wonder that men indued with reasonable soules and senses being the handy worke of God should bow downe and worship a stone and stock which hath neither soule nor life hath eyes and seeth not eares and heareth not c. and is the workemanship of mans hands especially being so plainely and expresly forbidden in Gods commaundements infinite places of the scriptures We may wonder that any man should be so mad as to worship and thinke that which he doth eate to be his God and maker which is so absurd that euen Tully not without reason could say sedecquem tam amentem esse putas qui illud quo vescitur deum credat esse Doest thou thinke any man so mad as to beleeue that to be his God which he doth eate yet into this madnes by a spiritual phrensie be these men fallen We also may wonder that they should beleeue such false fables and lying miracles as abound in poperie as for example to cast the dung of their abominations vpon their faces That Images did speake did sweate did roll their eyes did bleede that the head of a dog being cut off from the body by theeues which vpon Saint Katherines day came to rob a Priest who was a deuout worshipper of her did still barke That the virgin Mary did for many yeares in a Nunnery keepe the keyes and supply the place of one Beatrix whilest she went away and played the whore These and many such absurd fables were preached published printed and beleeued as may appeare by Sermones discipuli Antoninus the Archbishop of Florence stories Mariale Summa praedicantia the festiuall Vitas patrum and that monstrous booke the Legend written by Iacobus de Varagine Archbishop of Genua Which yet was in so great reputation with them that it was published in print in the English tongue when the holy Bible was suppressed and had this title set before it The golden Legend for as gold excelleth all other mettals so this booke excelleth all other bookes to the which title that worthy and right worshipfull Knight Sir Andrew Corbet of blessed memory did adde these words In lying and so of a false and blasphemous title made it a most true title Yea I haue a booke in English in Folio translated out of French and printed in London in King Henry the 8. dayes Anno 1521. intituled The flower of the Commaundements fully fraighted with such sottish and worse then old wiues fables which yet in those dayes were preached and beleeued And we may wonder that men of any wisedome knowledge or iudgement should be deluded and mocked with such false fained reliques as were and are in Popery as with Saint Peters finger at Walsingham as big as if it had been of some Giant and also the virgin Maries milke there which seemeth by Erasmus to haue been the white of an egge and chalke mingled together and a vessell of the same at Rome as writeth Blondus the bloud of Hales the which was proued and declared at Paules Crosse by the Bishop of Rochester in King Henry the 8. dayes to haue been clarified honey coloured with saffron In Geneua there was worshipped for the arme of Saint Anthonie that which afterward was proued to be the pisle of a Stagge for a peece of S. Peters scull that which was found to be a pumish stone But this will not be beleeued of this writer and of his fellowes because Caluin did write it But why Caluin should write and publish euen in the French tongue in Geneua such a thing of Geneua vnlesse it were true which the Inhabitants thereof might know to be false I see no reason it could purchase no credit to him or to his doctrine But why might not that as well be true as the things before alleaged or as that which Gregorius Turonensis who liued sundry hundreth yeares past writeth that there was found in a boxe of reliques of a certaine Sainct rootes of trees the teeth of a Mole the bones of Mice and the clawes of Beares which were worshipt for holy reliques But of these iuglings I will write no more at this present God may giue occasion hereafter more largely to intreate of them At these things we may wonder but yet we do not ouermuch meruaile and wonder at them for that the spirit of God by Saint Paule hath foreshewed vs that the time would come when men should turne away their eares frō the truth and be giuen to fables and that the comming of Antichrist should be by the effectuall working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and in all deceiueablenes of vnrighteousnes among thē that perish because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued therefore God should send them a strong delusion to beleeue lyes that all they might be damned which beleeued not the truth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnes Whereas you request that he that shall answere this your pamphlet will do it briefely orderly and seriously I will indeuor to do the two last as God shall inable me But concerning breuitie I will vse my libertie and peraduenture more largely lay downe your absurdities then you would be willing I should do But whereas you say that you make this request for that you perceiue that the Protestants cannot answere with breuitie because their religion lacketh both certaintie and perspicuitie I say that with one breath you do vtter two vntruthes or to speake plaine English lyes The first that we cannot answere with breuitie which how vntrue it is let it be tried first by the briefe and pithie answeres of that great learned man Doctor Fulke who answering many of their bookes which yet to this day stand vndefended how briefely and pithily he answered the same let any man that hath but a graine of indifferent iudgement consider and iudge And particularly I referre them to his answere to Rishtons challenge and to Allens booke of Purgatorie both in one volume yea many times in his writings he called them from long and impertinent discourses to short syllogismes whereunto he could neuer bring them How closely that pretious Iewel and excellent ornament of this
Christ and applied vnto our soules by the hand of faith by the which Christ doth dwell in our harts and is made ours We beleeue that we are true members of that holy Catholike Church which is Christes mysticall body and whereof he is the head which is his spouse and he the bridegroome which is his flock and he the shepheard which is the heauenly Hierusalem the Mother of vs all finally which is the number of Gods elect and chosen people that shall rest with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of Heauen And we know that we haue perticular and visible Churches wherein Gods word is more truly preached the Sacraments seales of the word are more purely ministred and Gods name more faithfully inuocated and called vpon then in any or all the Romish Synagogues Indeede we haue no Idolatrous altars to offer either carnall or externall sacrifices vpon as though Christs sweete smelling sacrifice were not yet offered but we haue Mensam Domini the Lords Table whereupon we minister the Supper of Christ which is a holy Sacrament of Christs body and bloud giuen for vs a memoriall of his death and passion and a pledge of our redemption and saluation purchased thereby We haue that sweete smelling and sufficient sacrifice which Iesus Christ by his eternall spirit offered without fault vnto God to purge our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God As for the sacrifice of the masse as being iniurious to the said sacrifice of Iesus Christ which he once for all and for euer offered vpon the Altar of the Crosse we deny and defie We haue no thauen nor greased priests to offer the said false and forged sacrifice of the Masse but we haue priests pastours or ministers howsoeuer we terme them according to the ordinance of Christ to preach his holy Gospell and to administer his sacraments to his Church We haue and vse that religion which hath the testimonie of the law prophets and wherein the true worship and seruice of God according to his will reuealed in his holy word is contained your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and superstition we flee and forsake Finally we haue that Christ which came into this world to saue sinners and which is that Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world whom we acknowledge more soundly to be our onely high prophet to instruct vs in the will of his father whose onely voyce we must heare our onely high priest with the sacrifice of his body and bloud once offered to redeeme vs and reconcile vs vnto God our onely mediator and intercessorto sit for euer at the right hand of God to make intercession for vs and our onely high king to deliuer vs out of the hands of our enemies to giue lawes vnto our consciences and to rule vs with the scepter of his holy word then the Pope and all his adherents doe This our true confession whereunto God and our consciences be witnesses we oppose to your false and slaunderous obtrectation and accusation saying with Saint Paul We passe very little to be iudged of you or of mans iudgement and with him also exhort you not to iudge before the time vntill the Lord come who will lighten things that are hid in darkenes and make the counsels of the harts manifest and then shall euery man haue praise of God Further I doe exhort you that take vpon you so seuerely to censure and iudge others carefully to take heede to your selues that you haue not a false faith grounded not vpon Gods promises contained in his word but vpon mans deuises and traditions which as Epiphanius saith as worse then no faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that you be not voyde of true hope by teaching the doctrine of doubting whereof I shall speake hereafter and by fearing to be after death throwne into the firie torments of purgatorie and that you want not true charitie in iudging so falsely and maliciously and persecuting vs so cruelly as you vse to doe when time and power serueth you and that you haue no true repentance nor remorse of conscience for sinne in persisting so obstinately in damnable doctrine and abominable idolatrie and that by leaning to your owne righteousnes and the merites of other men which were sinners themselues you lose not that true iustification which is the righteousnes of God by the faith of Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that beleeue which is onely able to stand and discharge vs before the iudgement seate of Iesus Christ and is the onely strong staffe to leane vpon to leap ouer the ditch of damnation and beware I say that you leaning vpon the weake reede of your owne merites and others fall not into the middest thereof from which there is norising take heede you be not of the malignant Church which heareth not the voyce of Christ and wherein that man of sinne and sonne of perdition sitteth and raigneth and that you haue not such Idolatrous altars as Ieneboam had against which the man of God cried and vpon which the like iudgement of God fell as hath done vpon yours now And that you haue not a false forged sacrifice which appeaseth not but daily prouoketh Gods wrath against you and that you be not without priests to teach the law of God truely but haue swarmes of such priests as say not where is the Lord and know not God but prophesie in Baal which haue gone out of the way and haue caused many to fall by the law c. Beware that you be not without religion remembring the saying of Lactantius Quare non est dubium quin veligio nulla sit vbicunque simulachrum est that is wherefore there is no doubt but that there is no religion wheresoeuer an Image is Finally I say againe and againe beware that you forsake not the true Christ and worship Antichrist sitting in the westerne Babylon built vpon seuen hilles which in the dayes of Saint Iohn raigned ouer the Kings of the earth wherefore be not so rash in iudging so hardly and vncharitably of others but examine and iudge your selues that you be not iudged of the Lord. But I now come to your pithie probation of this your vncharitable and shameles assertion The reason you say is For if they haue then the world was without them for a thousand yeares as they themselues must needes confesse videl all the time their Church was eclipsed and for 1500. as we will proue by the testimonie of all records of antiquitie c. Whereunto I answere that if we take the world in that sense which the scripture sometimes doth for the multitude and societie of them whereof the Diuell is prince which hateth Christ and his true disciples which is set vpon wickednes for the which our Sauiour Christ refused to pray saying I pray not for the world and where
as enuy and hatred moueth men to contention and to blow abroad the faults of their brethren to their infamie so loue and charitie should moue vs to couer and hide their faults and infirmities and rather seeke to amend them then to defame them and therefore these words are not ment of satisfying for our sinnes or couering them before God but of the couering of them before men And so doth D. Bayne Bishop of Lichfield in Queene Maries daies expound them What should I shew how priuatly or rather falsly they expound the places of Gen. 14. 18. touching Melchesedeck bringing forth bread and wine and that of Malachie 1. 11. of the incense and pure offering which in euery place shall be offered to God by which they seeke to maintaine their Masse and the false forged sacrifice thereof I would haue passed these places ouer in silence but that D. Harding doth so hardly handle vs and so grieuously charge vs for them in these words The Scripture it selfe ministring euident proofe for the oblation of Christ to his father by the Priests of the new Testament in the institution of this holy Sacrament in the figure of Melchisedeck and in the prophesie of Malachie the Prophet the authorities of the Fathers needed not to be alleaged were not the same Scriptures by the ouertwhart and false interpretations of our aduersaries wrested and turned to a contrarie sense to the hereticall seducing of the vnlearned These be Master D. Hardings modest words Let it therefore be examined and tried who they be that thus ouertwhart these places and turne them to a contrarie sense As touching the first place out of Genesis they expound it that Melchisedeck offered bread and wine for he was the Priest of the most high God and that was a type and figure of the sacrifice of the new Testament wherein Christ is offered vnto his father vnder the forme of bread and wine Pighius Controuers 5. Hosius Confess Petriconiensi cap. 41. Who saith that this is the opinion of all the holy Doctors of the Church that this bread and wine was offered for a sacrifice to God and not for a refection to Abraham But this both exposition and assertion is false for both Tertullian contra Iudaeos and also Epiphanius Haeres 55. expound it of his bringing forth of bread and wine to Abraham Epiphanius saith Abraham fuit 88. aut 90. plus minos tunc Melchisedec ipsi obuiam venit proposuit ipsi panem vinum i. Abraham was about 88. or 90. yeeres old when Melchesedeck met him and brought forth bread and wine vnto him So doth Iosephus expound it Melchisedec milites Abrahami hospitaliter habuit nihil illis ad victum deesse passus simul ipsum adhibuit mensae Melchisedech vsed hospitalitie to Abrahams Souldiers and suffered them to want no victualles and did take Abraham to his Table That this is the true sense it appeareth by the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth neuer signifie to offer and sacrifice but to bring forth and the force of truth forceth some of their owne side to confesse this to be true Cardinal Caietanus vpon this place writeth thus Nihil cribitur hic de sacrificio seu oblatione sed de prolatione seu extractione quam Iosephus dicit factam ad refectionem victorum Quod autem in vulgata editione subditur vt causa oblationis erat enim sacerdos dei altissimi in Hebraeo non habetur vt causa sed vt separata clausula that is There is nothing here said of sacrifice or oblation but of bringing forth which Iesephus saith was done to the refection of them which had gotten the victorie And that which in the vulgar edition is put after as a cause for he was the priest of the most high God in the Hebrew is not set as a cause but as a clause separated from it Andradius also the Iesuit doth herein forsake his friends and acknowledgeth this to be the true exposition his words be these De offerendi autem vocabulo non est Kemnici quod digladeremur cum in correctioribus latinis exemplaribus sanctis patribus qui locum hunc Eucharistiae accommoundat extet proferens atque ego cum illis sentiam qui lassos Abrahae milites diuturna pugnafractos Melchisedecom pane vinoque refecisse aiunt that is We neede not Kemnicus to striue about the word of offering seeing that both in the best corrected Latine coppies and also in the holy Fathers which apply this place to the Eucharist it is proferens brought forth and I in iudgement agree with them which say that Melchisedech refreshed Abrahams souldiers wearied and fainted with long fight Their exposition of the other place of Malachie is as absurd in applying it to the sacrifice of the Masse which is neither a pure sacrifice nor is offered in all places And the Fathers Tertullian Hierome and others expound it of the spiritual sacrifices of the faithfull which they offer in all places to God Tertullian in three places doth so expound it whereof I will set downe but one Et in omni loco sacrificium nomini meo offeretur sacrificium mundum scilicet simplex oratio de conscientia pura that is and in euery place a sacrifice shal be offered to my name and a pure oblation to wit simple prayer from a pure conscience S. Ierome expoundeth it thus Dicit orationes sanctorum domino offerendas esse non in vna orbis prouincia Iudaeae sed in omni loco à . He saith that the prayers of the Saints shall be offered to God not in Iudea one only prouince of the world but in euery place But I wil forbeare to write any more of the peruerse exposition of this place and wil refer the reader to that most learned conference of that excellent ornament of this Church of England Master Doctor Reynoldes with Iohn Harte where he shall finde this place fully discussed and Cardinall Allens reasons which he braggingly calleth valida planè bona that is strong and very good fully confuted Which booke I meruaile that neither this challenger nor any other of our Iesuites could as yet finde leasure to confute I might alledge many moe places most falsely expounded by these Romanistes but I will forbeare them and will shew you one place out of the 26. of Ieremie trimly applyed by Bonauenture a Seraphicall Doctor a Bishop a Cardinall of Rome and a Saint canonized by Pope Sixtus the fourth who did as holy an act in Saincting of him as he did in building nobile admodum Lupanar a noble stewes in Rome as Agrippa a papist writeth Bonauentures words be these Septimo eleuatur Corpus Christi ad ostendendam bonitatem Christi Quae enim maior bonitas quà m quod Christus dignatur captiuus esse in altari vnde ipse dicit in persona Hieremiae prophetae Ecce ego in mambus vestris sum
quod bonum rectum est in oculis vestris facite mihi Nota quod dum aliquis dux propter suos captiuus tenetur non dimittitur nisidet magnam pecuniam Sic nec nos Christum captiuum dimittere debemus nisi remissionem peccatorum nobis tribuat regnum coeleste ab eo accipiamus Eleuat ergo sacerdos Corpus Christi in altari q. d. Ecce quem totus mundus capere non potest captiuus noster est Ergo eum non dimittamus nisi quod petimus prius obtineamus that is Seuenthly the body of Christ is lifted vp to shew the goodnesse of Christ for what greater goodnesse is there then that Christ vouchsafeth to be prisoner vpon the Aultar whereupon he saith in the person of Hieremie the Prophet Behold I am in your hands that which is good and right in your eyes doe yee vnt me Note that when any captaine is kept prisoner for his people he is held prisoner and not let goe vnlesse he giue a great summe of money So also we ought not to let Christ our prisoner goe vnlesse he giue vnto vs forgiuenesse of sinnes and that we receiue of him the kingdome of Heauen Therefore the priest doth lift vp the body of Christ vpon the Aultar as though he should say behold hee whom the whole world is not able to containe is our prisoner therefore let vs not let him goe vnlesse we doe first obtaine of him that which we require This place I thought good the more largely to lay downe that the reader may see what diuine doctrine these Romish Saints haue deliuered and how finely they haue applied the Scriptures By this doctrine Christ is prisoner in the Masse and he must not be let goe vntill he haue paied his ransome And this is substantially proued out of Ieremie chap. 26. where Ieremie hauing preached the word of God and denounced his fearefull plagues against Iuda and Ierusalem the priests and people tooke him and went about to kill him to whom Ieremie spake saying The Lord hath sent me to prophecie against this House and against this Citie all the things that yee haue heard therefore now amend your wayes and your workes and heare the voyce of the Lord your God that the Lord may repent him of the plague that he hath pronounced against you As for me behold I am in your hands doe with me as you thinke good and right But know yee for certaintie that if yee put me to death yee shall bring innocent bloud vpon your selues and vpon this Citie and vpon the inhabitants thereof For of a truth the Lord hath sent me vnto you to speake all these words in your cares Is not this place finely expounded and applyed and doth it not substantially proue that Christ is in the priests hands at Masse when he holdeth him ouer his head and belike goeth about to kill him as they did Hieremie In deede by their doctrine they teare him with their teeth and deuoure him Thus we see how these Romish diuines and Saints haue handled and expounded the word of God of whom that may be well said and verified which Polidore Virgil fauorer of the Romish religion writeth of the popish lawyers and canonists videl Non secus isti iurisconsulti aliquoties detorquent sacras scripturas quo volunt ac sutores sordidas solent dentibus extendere pelles that is See how these lawyers we may say diuines yea and Saints doe sometimes no otherwayes wrest the holy Scriptures then coblers vse to stretch out with their teeth their filthie leather or skinnes And that also which Theophylactus saith Ita exponere scripturas manifestè delirare est that is So to expound the Scriptures is to dote or be madde I might shew infinit other places which they haue most falsely expounded and applyed yea and also which they haue corrupted mangled and altered which I mind hereafter somwhat to doe but this shall suffice at this present to let the reader see who they be which follow priuate and false expositions of the Scriptures and consequently be infidels And if the author of this pamphlet or his companions can charge vs with the like then they may truely say that we haue followed priuate expositions and be Infidels But it is the vsuall manner of these men to make many vehement accusations and to bring few sound proofes Where you say that we reiect Saint Augustine and other Fathers who bring Scripture to proue prayer for the dead I answere that we refuse not the alledging of Scriptures by any but vpon good and sound reason which we will be readie to iustifie and maintaine If you thinke either Augustine in that booke de cura pro mortuis which you quote which is more full of doubtes then of sound proofes out of the Scripture or other Fathers haue any plaine places of Scripture to prooue prayer for the dead you may produce them vrge them and make syllogismes of them and we will answere them But you speake many things generally and proue few particularly and pithily For vs to proue and examine by the Scriptures the expositions of the Fathers is no fault For if the spirit of God commend that good people of Berea for examining Pauls preaching by the Scriptures we cannot be worthily blamed for examining the writings and expositions of the Fathers by the Scriptures as long as it cannot be proued that we doe otherwayes then accept the good and reiect the euill So Saint Augustine speaking of the writings of godly Fathers saith Hoc genus literarum ab autoritate canonis distinguendum est c. This kinde of writing is to be distinguished from the authoritie of the canon of the Scriptures For they be not so read as though a testimonie were so alleaged out of them that we may not thinke or iudge otherwise if they haue any where otherwayes thought then the truth required For we are of the number of them which doe not disdaine to accept to our selues that which was said of the Apostle If you be otherwise minded God shall reueale the same vnto you The like he writeth in his 111. epistle to Fortunatianus and in his 112. epist and in his second booke against Cresconius cap. 31. 32. which I forbeare to alledge To conclude if you can produce any expositions of the ancient Fathers whom we reuerence and whose workes we reade as diligently as you doe which we reiect if we doe not shew good reason for the same let vs beare the blame and shame of it Neuerthelesse we doe not allow euery paltrie companion as you terme them either to be an expositor of Christs word or to preferre his exposition there of before all ancient fathers Neither doe I know any man so to doe but we allow all men to reade and heare Gods holy word and as they may be much edified and comforted by the things that be plaine so if they vnderstand not some places we exhort them
translators which he seeketh so much to discredite As for Gregorie Martines pregnant proofes in his discouerie they belong agoe effectually and learnedly confuted by D. Fulke to this day stand vndefended And therefore vntil you haue answered the same you may be ashamed to brag of his pregnant proofs which were so weak and cauils so greate many that he rather discouered his owne folly then discredited our translators What Master Broughton writeth concerning our translation I doe not know neither do I greatly care yet this I say although that our translations were made in the feare of God to profit Gods Church and people according to the measure of the grace of God bestowed vpon the laborers in that holy worke be voyd of wilful corruptions either for doctrine or manners yet I do not thinke them to be voyd of imperfections in respect of proprietie of words and phrases wherein they may be some what reformed and amended And hard it is to haue a translation so exact and perfit but that some such imperfectnes may be in it which yet be not repugnant either to holy doctrine or good life And for asmuch as this man of malice would faine if he could discredit our translations and cause the Reader to doubt of the truth of them I will shew not onely the good Christian but also the Romish Catholike that hath vnderstanding of the Latine tongue how he may discerne and know the truth and faithfulnesse of our translations and so not to rely vpon the credit of our Ministers There is a Latine translation of the old Testament made from the Hebrew very well and learnedly by Sanctos Pagninus an Italian and a dominicke Frier a man excellently learned in the Hebrew tongue for I will giue him and his worke their due and deserued praise and commendation and not doe as this libiller and his fellowes vse to doe who of enuie and malice wherewith their harts be infected and possessed cannot giue a good word to any thing we doe though it be neuer so good and godly This translation he did dedicate to Pope Clemens the seuenth Let the Reader compare our translations especially of the latter editions with the said translation and see whether in any substantiall matter of faith and life he can finde any corruptions and any great and notorious dissensions from the same And the like I may say of Erasmus translation of the new Testament dedicated to Pope Leo the tenth and allowed by him Let I say the Reader compare our translations with these and although he may finde some difference in words and phrases yet in matters of substance which concerne either the doctrine of faith or precepts of good life I am sure he shall finde a goodly and godly harmonie and agreement to his comfort and contentation And lastly I wil offer to this challenger who offereth challenge of disputation with vs and to al his partakers that for one fault of moment or weight that they shal finde in our translations especially as I said of the latter editions wherein they differ from the originall fountaines of the Hebrew and Greeke I will vndertake to finde fixe yea ten greater and fouler in that vulgar Latine translation which the councell of Trident hath most absurdly confirmed and made authentical And therefore let neither the godly Christian Reader nor the seduced Catholike be disswaded from reading of our translations nor doubt of the truth of them But this hath been in all ages the drift of the Diuell to secke to discredite and diffame those godly men that haue labored in Gods vineyard and haue indeuored to translate his holy word to the comfort and saluation of his elect and chosen people How Saint Hierome of old and Erasmus of late were vsed I haue elsewhere shewed So this cauiller dealeth now with that blessed man of God and constant Martyr of Iesus Christ Master Tindall who as he did patiently and constantly beare and abide their furious crueltie and confirmed the truth of God which he had taught with the shedding of his bloud in flaming fire so he needeth not my defence Who was a man of such mortification and godly life that I haue knowne some of great credite and authoritie that knew him and liued with him at Antwerpe that would say of him that if a man could be like God it was Tindall I doubt not but he was indued with much more godlines then a hundreth of your Popes whom their owne friends and fauorers call for their horrible wickednes Monstra Portenta Monsters of mankinde But he that iustifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the innocent euen they both are abomination to God That all men may erre we doe confesse Omnis homo Mendax that is all men be liers and generall councels which consist of men may erre and haue erred we doe not doubt But of this it shall be impertinent to speake at this present I will onely now retort your argument vpon you Whosoeuer relyeth his faith vpon man hath no faith but all English papists that vnderstand not the Hebrew Greeke and Latine and reade the Remish translation rely their faith vpon man videl the translator of that Testament ergo all such English papists haue no faith The like may be said of them that reade the Latine which rely their faith vpon the councell of Trent who were men Againe whosoeuer relyeth his faith vpon man hath no faith all papists rely their faith vpon the Pope who I trow is a man ergo all papists haue no faith And this shall suffice for answere to your third article The Pamphlet The Protestants know not what they beleeue 4. Article THe Protestants know not what they beleeue nor why they beleeue that they know not why they beleeue I haue shewed before For that the ground of their beleefe is not the authoritie of Scripture of councels of Doctors nor of the Church but their owne fancie And that they know not what they beleeue is manifest because they haue no rule whereby to know what is matter of faith and what is not Some will limit their beleefe to their creede saying that nothing ought to be beleeued which is not in the Apostles creed But then I would demaund of them whether that we ought to beleeue that the Scripture is the word of God that baptisme is a Sacrament that in the Eucharist is the bodie of Christ by faith to what article should these be reduced seeing they are not contained in the creed or how shall we know infallibly how these be matters of faith since they are not contained in the creed others deny some articles of their creed also for the Protestants deny three articles of our creed and the puritans fiue The first is the Catholike Church Credo ecclesiam sanctam Catholicam I beleeue the holy Catholike Church the which in very deede they doe not beleeue because Catholike is vniuersall and so the Church of Christ which we are bound
this disputation that our Lord Iesus Christ hath as he speaketh in the Gospell put vs vnder his easie yoke and light burthen whereupon he hath bound together the societie and communion of his people by Sacraments in nūber fewest in obseruation easiest in significatiō most excellent as is baptisme consecrated in y e name of the Trinity the cōmunion of his body bloud if there be any thing els commēded in the canonical scriptures The like he writeth in his 3. booke de doctr Christiana cap. 9. by the which it appeareth that he thought these two Sacraments to be sufficient for faithful Christians to communicate in And if he had acknowledged any mo it is maruell y t writing of purpose of thē he did not name them Yet S. Augustine did not deny this article of the cōmunion of Saints Bessarion a Cardinal of Rome a learned man dissenteth frō you saith Haec duo sola sacramēta in Euāgelio manifestè tradita legimus i. We read that these only 2. sacraments are plainly deliuered to vs in the Gospell yet did he not deny this article of faith Your own doctor Alexander de Hales flatly affirmeth that neither Christ nor his Apostles did institute ordain the Sacramēt of Cōfirmation but y t it was afterward ordained in the Councel called Meldense yet he denied not this Article And therfore you ouershot your self in saying that they which beleeue not y t Christ did institute 7. sacramēts deny this article of faith The cōmunion of Saints But to proceed with you concerning y e true real presence of Christ in the Eucharist we denie the same not to the faith of the godly worthy receiuer but to the mouth teeth of y e car nal eater We beleeue and say that Christs bodie bloud in as much as they were offred vpon the crosse for our redēption are the spirituall food of our soules without which we can neither liue vnto God here nor liue with God here after that y e same is offred to vs partly in the promises of the Gospel partly in y e sacramēts of Baptisme Christs supper and is in both apprehended of vs by faith without which neither the word nor Sacraments can profit vs. But here I must put you in mind that you corruptly alleage a place of Saint Paul 1. Cor. 10. 17. foisting in this word Bodie for Bread S. Paules words bethus We that are manie are one bread and one bodie because we are partakers of one bread This shifting of the words of the holy Ghost is too vsuall with your companions Bunderius a Louaine Frier alleaging the words of Saint Paul in the next chapter verse 27. Quicunque manducauerit panem hunc c. He that eateth this bread c. putteth out the word panem and foisteth in the word carnem flesh alleaging it thus Qui manducat carnem bibit calicem Domini indignè c. He that eateth the flesh drinketh the cup of the Lord vnworthily c. D. Harding in his Confutation of the Apology intreating of Purgatorie alleaging the words of S. Paul 2. Cor. 7. 1. to proue satisfaction for sinnes by that fained fire putteth out Sanctification and in place therof putteth Satisfaction alleaging it thus making perfect satisfaction in the feare of God Cardinall Hosius changeth the words of Saint Paul alleaging them thus Neque ferre possunt vt per verbum Dei signo crucis vlla creatura sanctificetur that is They cannot abide that anie creature should be sanctified by the word of God and signe of the crosse He putteth out prayer and putteth in the signe of the Crosse as a more holie thing The foresaid Bunderius doth most shamefully alleage a place of the Apostle in this sort Nam si cinis vitulae conspersus populum sanctificauit atque mundauit quantò magis aqua sale conspersa diuinis precibus sacrata populum sanctificat atque mundat that is If the ashes of an heifer sprinkled haue sanctified and cleansed the people how much more shall water sprinkled with salt being hallowed with diuine prayers sanctifie and cleanse the people c. The words of the Apostle be these If the bloud of bulles goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling them that are vncleane sanctifieth as touching the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the bloud of Christ which through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without fault to God purge your conscience from dead works to serue the liuing God Is not this horrible handling of Gods word blasphemous attributing that to their salt water which is proper peculiar to the bloud of Christ I could shew in like maner how they haue clipped the coine of Gods word in leauing out words of purpose which serue not their turne but I wil omit them only this I say y t if they which counterfeit clip the kings coin deserue hāging what do they deserue y t counterfeit clip the word of the eternal God king of al Kings but corrupt doctrine cānot be maintained without corruptiō of Gods word But to returne to S. Pauls place he there disswadeth the Christians of Corinth from going to Idolatrous feasts by a reason taken from the Supper of our Sauiour Christ shewing that as the faithfull by eating that bread which there is broken drinking that Cup are made partakers of Christ Iesus so they that did eate those feasts ordained to the honoring of Idols were partakers of Idolatrie there committed or rather of the Diuell that was there serued And as the faithfull by being partakers of that bread haue communion together and be made one body to wit the mysticall body of Christ so they that receiue those Idol bankets haue communion together and shew themselues to be of one body videl of the Diuell Now as there needed no transubstantiation for the one no more there doth for the other Also this bread which S. Paul calleth the communiō of the body of Christ is broken yet I trust they wil not say that Christs body is broken although Pope Nicholas caused that excellent man Berengarius so to confesse But of the grosse and absurd doctrine of transubstantiation I will speake no more at this present You say moreouer that we deny the communion of the Church militant and triumphant by exclaming against inuocation of Saints by which holy exercise those blessed Saints in heauen and we in earth communicate we by prayer glorifying them and they by meditation I thinke it should be mediation obtayning our requests Hereunto I answere first that this inuocation of Saints is vnlawfull and cannot bee proued by the holy Scriptures And this offer I doe make you that if you can bring one plaine place out of all the holy Scriptures wherein it was euer commaunded or of any faithfull man or woman vsed I will yeeld vnto you not onely in this but also in all matters of Religion You quote
penance consisting in shriuing to a Priest receiuing absolution frō him doing some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wil worshippings appointed by him we allow not but true repentance which consisteth in vnfained sorrow for sinne earnest confession with remorse of conscience both to God and man offended and a true reformation and amendment of life we allow and commend and doe iudge that we can do nothing acceptable to God which proceedeth not from this true repentance The third thing whereby you would proue that we denie this article of remission of sinnes which you say exceedeth all in absurditie is that we denie that our sins are perfectly forgiuen but only not imputed as it were veiled or couered with the passion of Christ c. Wherunto I answer that you here bring an absurd distinction For what difference is there betweene forgiuing not imputing and couering and hiding of sinne Surely it seemeth that Dauid could find no such ods betwixt them as you dreame of whose words be these Blessed is he whose wickednesse is forgiuen and whose sinne is couered Blessed is the man vnto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquitie and in whose spirit there is no guile Doth not Dauid here take these all for one attribute blessednes alike to euery one of thē Whē S. Paul saith God was in Christ and recōciled the world to himself not imputing their sins vnto them what doth he meane by not imputing of sin but forgiuing of sin Primasius expoundeth it thus Non reputans illis delicta ipsorum hoc est indulgens per solam fidem quae gratis donata est i. Not imputing to them their sinnes that is to say pardoning them by only faith which is freely giuen And whereas you so much extenuate Not imputing and make it not so much as Forgiuing Chrysostome a man of greater iudgement then you affirmeth the contrarie and maketh not imputing greater then forgiuing in these words Attamen cùm tanta sint nostra peccata non solum non exposcit poenam sed conciliatus est non solùm dimisit sed neque imputauit c. that is But whereas our sinnes be so great he doth not only not require punishment but also is reconciled with vs and not onely hath forgiuen but hath not so much as imputed our sins to vs. Bernard thinketh not basely of not imputing as you do his sweete words be these Sufficit mihi ad omnem iustitiam solum habere propitium cui soli peccaui Omne quod mihi ipse non imputare decreuerit sic est quasinon fuerit Non peccare Dei iustitia est hominis iustitia indulgentia Dei that is It is sufficient for me vnto all righteousnesse to haue him mercifull against whom onely I haue sinned whatsoeuer he hath determined not to impute vnto me is so as though it had neuer beene Not to sinne is the iustice of God mans iustice is Gods mercie Bernard here saith that the not imputing of our sins vnto vs is as much as though they had neuer beene committed And will you say that notwithstanding the not imputing of them yet their botches biles filth and abomination remaine still exhaling a most pestiferous sent in the sight of God Is not the sweet smelling sacrifice of Iesus Christ able so to perfume them and vs that we and all our actions may be sweet and acceptable in the sight of God And if the robe which the Father put vpon his prodigall sonne could so hide all his ragges that he was deare in his fathers eyes cannot the robe of Christs righteousnesse so couer and hide all our ragges yea our botches and biles that we may bee deare and precious in the sight of God our heauenly and most mercifull father And if those that had the mariage garment vpon them were admitted to the mariage without regard what the said garment couered shall not we hauing the mariage garment of Christs righteousnes be acpted to the mariage of the Lambe notwithstanding all the botches and biles which it couereth Yet we doe not say that we can couer or hide all our sinnes from the piereing eyes of God but this we say that euen God himselfe doth hide them with this robe of Christs righteousnesse and looking on vs in the face of Iesus Christ his Sonne doth accept vs his members for such as Iesus Christ himselfe is And do you not think that that which God hideth is well hid and shall neuer come to light Dauid saith of God Thou hast forgiuen the iniquitie of thy people and couered all their sinnes Doth not Dauid here take forgiuenesse and hiding both for one And therefore this your distinction betwixt perfect forgiuing and not imputing couering is as substantiall a one as that is of your blind and barbarous Schooleman Richardus de Sancto Victore Christus potuit dimittere peccata nos verò non possumus dimittere peccata sed tantum remittere As great difference as there is betwixt dimittere and remittere so much there is betwixt forgiuing not imputing and couering of sin This is as Erasmus saith Frigidissimis distinctionibus omnia confundere that is with friuolous distinctions to confound all things And this much for this Article of the Creede which you do as foolishly proue as you falsly affirm that wee denie it Now I come to the fourth Article that you say the Puritanes in effect denie which is no lesse then Christ to bee the Sonne of God But who bee these Puritanes that bee thus grieuously charged what are their names why be not their bookes named and sayings produced These things ought to haue beene done if you had beene disposed rather ratiocinari quā calumniari that is to reason then to raile and slaunder But to this your malicious and false accusation I wil first oppose the true confession of faith concerning this article whereunto all the reformed Churches whereof I haue either heard or read do assent and agree We beleeue and acknowledge one onely God who is one onely and simple essence spirituall eternall inuisible immutable infinite incomprehensible almightie most wise good iust and mercifull and that in that one and simple diuine essence there be three persons subsisting the Father the Son and the holy Ghost The Father the first cause in order and the beginning of all things the Sonne his wisedome and euerlasting word the holy Ghost his true power and efficacie The Sonne begotten of the Father from euerlasting the holy Ghost from euerlasting proceeding from the Father and the Sonne which three persons are not confounded but distinct and yet not deuided but coëssentiall coëternall and coëquall If you mislike any thing in this confession confute it if you know any of vs that maintaine any diuers doctrine dissenting from this name them produce their sayings and quote the places But you say that these whom you terme puritanes peremptorily affirme that Christ is God of
painted the which he foule errors If you will not allow the worshipping of Images to be an errour then you cannot say but that the Councell of Constantinople vnder Leo the Emperour where were present 338. Bishops and another of Frankford vnder Charles the Great in which the worshipping of images was condemned did erre Some of these Councels erred To omit for breuitie sake manie other Councels a Councell at Rome vnder Stephanus the sixth or as some reckon seuenth condemned Pope Formosus and his doings Another Councell at Rauenna vnder Pope Iohn the tenth restored Formosus and condemned Stephen and the actes of his Councell I hope you will not or cannot say but that one of these Councels erred Another Councell at Rome vnder Pope Nicholas the second caused that excellent learned and godly man Berengarius to recant and to confesse that the verie true bodie of Christ is indeed handled and broken by the priests hands and torne with the teeth of faithfull people The which is a grosse false and blasphemous doctrine The Councell of Constance erred most wickedly in taking away the cup of the Lord from the lay people contrarie to the word of God and the testimonie of all antiquitie And that their last Councell of Trident hath fouly erred and confirmed false doctrine repugnant to the truth of Gods word and the Canons of ancient Councels both these excellent learned men Martinus Chemnicius and Innocentius Gentilletus haue shewed and we do and will proue to the consciences of all those whom the God of this world hath not blinded I am not ignorant what colours that Iesuite Bellarmine seeketh to cast vpon the foresaid errours of these Councels and such others and what simple shifts he seeketh to elude and auoid them the which I wil not stand here to answer but I will referre the reader to the answers of Lamb. Danaeus and to that excellent man of blessed memory D. Whitakers where he may find the weaknesse and nakednesse of Bellarmines said shifts plainly discouered and the same fully confuted the which I thinke will stand as other of his works haue done long vndefended Whereas you note in your margent the ancient Councels of Nice Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon wherin old heretikes were confuted and condemned and thereby claime them to appertaine to your Church I answer that as it is most certaine that those Councels were not called not gouerned and directed by the Bishops of Rome as now by vsurpation they are so you shall neuer proue that those godly and learned fathers agreed with you in manie great and principall points of Christian doctrine It were easie to shew that sundry things were condemned by them which be receiued and vsed by you And therefore you vainly brag of their names whose doctrine and proceedings you haue forsaken neither haue you so much by disputation in Councels as by cruel persecution through fire and fagot suppressed such as in all ages haue complained of your idolatry and abominations as plainly appeareth by histories As it is true that we admit the holy Scripture or rather the holy Ghost speaking in the Scripture to bee the supreme vmpier and Iudge in matters of controuersies and acknowledge him to be the onely infallible interpreter of his own words so is it false that we admit no other iudge but remit al to euery mans priuate spirit and singular exposition We say that as the holy Ghost in the Scriptures is the high infallible iudge and interpreter of the Scriptures so we acknowledge inferiour Iudges and interpreters both priuate and publike Euerie man is a priuate iudge to discerne and iudge of the doctrine which he heareth or readeth in the Scriptures So Saint Paul saith I speake as vnto wise men iudge ye what I say Let the Prophet speake two or three and let the other iudge Despise not prophecying Try all things and keep that which is good Abstain frō all appearance of euill Beloued beleeue not euery spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God The spirituall man iudgeth all things Good Christians ought to haue their wits exercised to discerne both good and euill The true sheepe of Christ heare and know his voice and they will not follow a stranger but they flie frō him for they know not the voice of strangers whereby our Sauiour Christ sheweth that those which be his sheepe and be truely gathered into his fold can iudge and discerne betweene his voyce sounding in the Scriptures and the voyce of strangers deliuering a strange doctrine differing and dissenting from the same such as is the false doctrine of the Church of Rome We also admit publike iudges of controuersies both seuerally as learned Bishops pastors and doctors who may giue their sentences and iudgements in matters in question and coniunctly when they be assembled in Synodes and Councels to examine questions of greater difficultie and to decide the same How beit their iudgements be not infallible for all men be lyars and subiect to ignorance and errour neither haue they any absolute power and authoritie to iudge after their own spirit or mind but according to the canonicall Scriptures from the which if they bee found to decline and swarue their iudgements are not to be followed But your meaning is that the Pope with his Councell is the supreme vmpire and iudge in matters of controuersie and the infallible interpreter thereof How they haue most falsly interpreted the Scriptures I haue in some part shewed before and that he who is a partie and whom a great part of Christendome doth accuse to bee Antichrist and guilty of most grieuous crimes as of impietie idolatrie tyrannie ouer the Church sacrilege treason c. should be iudge in this his owne cause is against all law and reason It is written in your owne Canon lawe Si Papa cum aliquo causam habet non debet ipse esse iudex i. If the Pope haue matter with any other he ought not himselfe to be iudge And againe Quando Papa est in statu qui plerisque est offendiculo scandalizat Ecclesiā noc est corrigibilis tunc non potest esse iudex quia videtur male sentire de fide i. When the Pope is in that state that he is an offence to manie and scandalizeth the Church and is incorrigible then he canot be Iudge because he seemeth to be of an euill faith And euen so not only we do but also manie of his owne fauourers haue iustly accused the Pope to be You vainly and falsly exaggerate controuersies and irreconciliable iarres as you terme them among vs in essentiall points of faith But why do you not particularly expresle some of those essentiall points of faith Surely because you cannot I cōfesse there hath been in our Church some controuersie concerning externall ceremonies and forme of gouernment as there hath beene heretofore betweene good men as betweene Peter and Paul betweene Paul and
Barnabas betweene Anicetus Bishop of Rome and Polycarpus betweene Chrysostome and Epiphanius and manie others who all were godly men agreeing in vnity of faith and knowledge of the Sonne of God But you that are so eager in traducing our iarres cannot see your own manifold and vnreconciliable iarres and controuersies among your selues As betweene your Schoolemen namely your Thomists and Scotists differing in sundrie matters of moment as not onely Erasmus hath declared but also Iohn Bishop of Rochester hath affirmed Also betweene your Dominican and Franciscan Friers about the conception of the virgin Mary debated not onely by words but also by blowes which controuersie was neuer yet decided but in the Councell of Basil which the Papists count a schismaticall Councell and in the same was the false doctrine approued to wit that the Virgin Mary was conceiued without sinne You cannot see your iarres betweene your great Maister of Sentences Peter Lumbard who iustled Saint Paul out of the schooles and your Sorbonist Doctors of Paris which found and condemned 26. errours in him nor the iarres betweene Ambrosius Catharinus Archbishop of Minorien and Dominicus de Soto confesson to Charles the fift concerning assurance of Gods grace predestination originall sinne freewll and induration of a sinner as in their bitter bookes one against another about these matters appeareth nor y e iarres betweene the said Catharinus and Cardinall Caietane whom Catharinus chargeth with 200. errors of which he writeth thus Quae vt non solum euidenter falsa meritò culpari possent verum etiam vt Christianae religioni perniciosa c. Which may be worthily reproued not onely as euidently false but also as pernicious to Christian religion I might mention many mo iarres among the Papists and namely betweene the secular Priests and Iesuits as appeareth by their bitter bookes one against another and particularly that of William Watson a secular Priest lately published in print against the Iesuits which this camlling exclamor cannot espy who can see a moate in our eyes but cannot behold great beames in their owne but for shortnes sake I omit them at this present onely the learned may see how that great Rabbi Rob. Bellarmine iarreth with all other his pewfellowes and in very many essentiall points of doctrine dissenteth from them and controuleth them Whereof also Iohannes Pappus hath made a large collection Whereas you say y t we haue no argument to proue that we haue the true Church true religion and true faith but such as al heretikes haue euer vsed I answere that we haue that argument proofe for these things which although Heretikes haue falsely pretended as popish heretikes now doe yet the godly learned Fathers haue sincerely vsed And that is the holy word of God the onely touchstone of truth and piller of the Church for as the Church in one respect is the piller of truth as Saint Paul saith so in another the truth is the piller and prop of the Church as Chrysostom saith For by what meanes els haue the godly and learned Fathers in all ages confuted heresies and proued the Church but by the Scriptures by them out Sauiour Christ foyled the Diuell and put him to flight By them he answered the Pharisies By them he confuted the Sadduces By them he proued himselfe to be the promised Messias and Sauiour of the world By them Saint Paul confirmed the Gospell which he preached By them hee perswaded the Iewes those things which concerned Christ Iesus both out of the Law of Moses and out of the Prophets By them Apollos confuted the Iewes with great vehemencie shewing by the Scriptures that Iesus was the Christ By them the godly and learned Fathers confuted and confounded the Arians and other Heretikes whom you here name as by their bookes and particular sayings it euidently appeareth Athanasius speaking of the godly decrees of the Councell of Nice against the Arians writeth thus Atque harum rerum non aliunde nos quà m ex scriptutis persuasionem habemus that is We be perswaded of these things by no other meanes but by the Scriptures Epiphanius saith In Scripturis sanctis Trinitas nobis annuntiatur ac creditur citra curiositatem c. The Trinitie is in the holy Scriptures preached vnto vs and without curiositie beleeued And that by thē all doctrines are to be confirmed and all errors and heresies to be confuted they plainely and plentifully shew Tertullian saith that if Heretikes bee brought to examine and try their questions onely by the Scriptures they cannot stand Epiphanius saith that we are not to discusse questions by our owne wits and reasons Sedex scripturarum consequentia By the consequence of the Scriptures Saint Basil saith Let vs stand to the arbitrement of the Scripture inspired of God and with whome bee found doctrines agreeable to those diuine words let the truth be iudged to be with them Constantine said vnto the Bishops in the Nicene Councell The Euangelicall and Apostolicall bookes and the oracles of the Prophets doe plainely instruct vs of God wherefore laying away all enimitie and discord let vs take the explication or resolution of the questions in controuersie out of those sayings inspired of God So saith Saint Augustine Verum nos sacris literis accommodemus auditum c. that is Let vs harken vnto the holy Scriptures and according to them let vs by the helpe of God dissolue this question And againe Non secundū opinionem c. We must consider of this matter not according to y e commō opinion but according to the holy Scriptures of our religion And of the church he saith thus Sed vtrum ipsi ecclesiam teneant non nisi diuinarum Scripturarum canonicis libris ostendant that is But whether they haue the Church let them shew by no other meanes but by the Canonicall bookes of the diuine Scriptures Chrysostom saith that we cannot know which is the true Church of Christ Nisi tantummodo per Scripturas that is but onely by the Scriptures Therefore by the Scriptures proue your doctrine and shew your Church But you say the Arians and other Heretikes alleadged the Scriptures whereunto I adde that so did the Diuell also but 〈◊〉 in such sort as you and your fellowes do in mangling them and falsly expounding and applying them as I haue in some part before shewed I am cōtent to ioyne this issue with you that they which be proued to depraue detort mangle and falsly expound and apply the scriptures be heretikes and to bee condemued with these old heretikes whom you here name To whom whether you or we bee more like let the vpright Reader indifferently iudge The Arians seeing that they could haue nothing out of the Scriptures fled as Athanasius saith vnto the Fathers and euen so do you The Arians vsed subtill distinctions to elude and shift off the truth and so do you They denied