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 will briefly answer By the Angel is ment Iesus Christ the Angell of the couenant as Malachie calleth him and the Angell of the great councell of God So doth Aloisius Lipomanus that great Catholike Bishop of Verona both out of Cyrillus and of him-selfe expound it in these Cyrillus Alois Lipoma catena in Genes 48. words Cyrillus Iacob pueris benedicens deum paâ—rem nutrientem se 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 ConsideraÌ„dum quòd dictio hagoel vel redimens vel qui redimit propriè reddi potest quo loquendi modo clarissimè filius dei mundi generalis redemptor denotatur Et si diâ—igenter aduerseris tacitè propheta domini sanctissimam inuocat trinitatem patrem scilicet spiritum S. sub nomine dei bis repititi vnigenitum verò dei filiuÌ„ sub nomine Angeli Angelum verò intelligit redemptorem verbum diuinum saluatorem nostrum vel auxilij aispensationis 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 Wee must consider that the word Hagoel may bee translated either redeeming or he that redeemeth by which phrase of speech the sonn of God the generall redeemer of the worlde is most manifestly signified and if thou dilligently 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 Angell 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 bee counted amongst his sonnes to make vp the twelue tribes of Israel And euen so Frier Lyra doth Lyra in 48. cap Genes truely expound it in these words Inuocetur super eos nomen meum quia vocati sunt filij adoptiue 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 41. In that day seuen women shall lay hold of one man saying we will eate our owe 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 hee should bee 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 priuat 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 all the Scriptures There is one Francis Hamilton a Scot a Papist and fugitiue prior of S. Iames at Herbipolis in Gemany who in a discourse concerning inuocation of Saints writeth thus Porro libenter hîc 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 deuÌ„ faciunt vt ipsos inuocemus atque vt pro nobis orent rogemus Francist Hamiltonius de Iunocat Sanct. demonstrat priore in appendice pag. 3â— 81. nullo loco commendatur Vbi consulatur locus demonstrari non potest Sed neque couâ—eniebat vt aut commendaretur aut consuleretur nascentis maxime ecclesiae exordiis ne plures sibi deos more gentium fingere aut constituere existimarentur christiani quando etiam in suspitionem Idolatriae venerunt duÌ„ 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 wee should call vpon them and that wee should intreate them to pray for vs is in no place commended No place caÌ„ 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 Idolatry for worshipping the true GOD vnder the forme of bread 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 councelled in the Scriptures and therefore they doe wrest them and bring a priuate and faulse exposition to them which seeke to proue it by them You quoate also in the margent Apoc. 1. 4. whereat a man might well wonder that you would quote a place so impertinent for this purpose but that it is euer 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 seauen 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 seauen 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 trinit as demonstratur Heere the whole Trinitie is shewed and a little after Per septem autem spiritus spiritus sanctus cò quòd sit septiformis intelligitur By the seauen spirits the holy Ghost is vnderstood because hee worketh seauen 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 mee in Psal 50. 15. 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 hee not shew it I finde that God will not giue his glorie Isa 42. 8. Psal 115. 1 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 mercy and thy truths sake And that the Angell Apoc. 19. 10 2◠8. would not bee 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 wee wil 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 hee 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 wee deny the communion of the Church militant and the soules in purgatorie c. Wherevnto I answer that when you shal plainely pithily proue this your fained fire of purgatorie which the Greeke Church alwaies hath denied then we will yeeld vnto you and graunt our selues to bee 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 purgatory 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 therefore it must needs be the fire of purgatory for such is the great iudgement of these worthy writers that if they read 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 vnwritten verities or vanities But touching these places of Saint Paul because the author of this Pamphlet doth not aledge them but barely quote them I will but briefely touch thē To the first I say that Saint Paul there speaketh not of all men but only of teachers and preachers which be builders of Gods house and Church which euen Bellarmine confesseth Tom 1. contr 6 de purgat lib. 1 cap. 4. Secondly he speaketh not of all their workes but only of their doctrine whereby they build the Church of God Thirdly hee speaketh not of the purging of workes or persons but of the probation of doctrines Fourthly the works are said to bee prooued and not the persons Lastly if this place should be vnderstood of purgatory 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 plainely shew that this place cannot bee vnderstood 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 fide 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 holie doctrines abide the light and trial of Gods word when either vntrue doctrines or vaine speculations perish and be comsumed So doth Saint Ambrose expound it Mala doctrina Ambros in 1. Cor. 3. in igne omnibus apparebit nunc enim quosdam fallit 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 Euill and counterfeit doctrine is therefore signified by wood hay and stubble that it might be shewed Idem in Psal 118. in haec verba ignitum eloquiū tuum that it is but meate to bee 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 lightned but the hay stubble is consumed Therefore this fire clenseth the soule and consumeth error Hitherto Saint Ambrose whereby wee may see that neither Saint Augustine nor Saint Ambrose expound this place of Purgatory much lesse the Greeke Fathers who neuer acknowledged it Therfore to expound it of Purgatorie as the Papists do whether it bee not a priuate false exposition let the godly reader vprightly iudge The words of the other place here quoted are these Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for dead To picke Purgatorie pickpurse out of this place passeth my skill Here is mention made of baptisme for the dead but neither of Purgatorie nor of praier for the dead I am not ignorant that there bee sundrie expositions of this place yet I doe not remember that euer I read it expounded of Purgatorie or applied vnto it And therefore I will write no more at this present
veritâ—e that is both bee subiect to semblable incertaintie These errors I say they know not and consequentlie cannot discerne a true translation from a false and therefore must needes relie their faith vpon the sillie ministers faithlesse fidelitie which conuinceth they haue no faith at all Answere IDeny the Minor or second proposition of this Syllogisme and say that wee relie not our faith vpon the Ministers credit and sidelitie but vpon the worde of GOD translated the which wee know to bee true and holie not so much for that it is by publike authoritie and generall assent of men allowed as for that it containeth most holie doctrine agreeable to true faith and Godlie 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 hee is the Lambe 1. Tim. 1. Iob. 1. Tit. 2. 11. of GOD which taketh away the sinnes of the world that the grace of GOD which offereth saluation to all men hath appeared and treacheth vs that wee denie vngodlinesse and worldlie lust and liue soberlie righteously and Godlie in this present world c. not for that this or that man hath translated them but because the spirit of God doth beare witnesse vnto my heart that most holie 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 do 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 confider how this sottish reason tendeth to the discrediting not onely 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 Fathers of the Church who were almost al 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 Theodoretus writeth Hebraici vero libri non modò in Graecum idioma conuersi sunt sed in Romanam quoque Theodor. de cu. vatione Graecarum affectionum lib 5. 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 bee translated not onely into the Greeke tongue but also into the Romaine Egyptian 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 pretious promises of God contained in them And let this cauiller shew sufficient reason why were 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 bee and sometimes were euill men but vpon the sound holy and heauenly doctrien therein contained Saint Hierome exhorted ladies and gentlewomen Hieron ad Gaudentium de pacatulae Inâ—â—tulae educat ad letam de institut filiae not onely to reade the scriptures themselues but also to bring vp their young daughters when they were but seuen yeares old in that holy exercise They were not able to iudge of the translations otherwaies 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 bee Godly in these daies 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 principles of Christianitie or not I neede not heere aske vpon what or whome your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catholikes doe rely their faith when they reade either the old vulgar Latine translation of the Remish English seeing they can no more nor better iudge of these translations whether they bee true or false then wee I do not I say aske wheron they rely their faith for it seemeth that they build not their faith so much vpon Extrauagant Ioh. 22. cum inter in glossa dist 96. satis euidenter the written word of God in the scriptures as vpon vnwritten traditions of men customes of fathers decrees of councels and especially vpon the will and pleasure of their great GOD as his owne friends call him the Pope of Rome Whose will is the rule of their faith and life If he giue a dispensation for a man to mary his owne sister as Antoninus Sum. part 3. titu 1. cap. 11. 55. quod papa summa Angelica in Papa fol. â—32 Pope Martin the fift did it is lawfull if he giue a dispensation for one to marry his sisters daughter which is as vnlawfull as the other as a late Pope gaue to the late King Philip of Spaine it is lawfull But yet if any of these counted Catholikes will pretend to build their faith vpon the Scriptures and being ignorant of the Hebrew and Greeke tongues readeth either the vulgar Latine or English Remish translation of the new Testament I would aske how he doth know whether these translations bee true or false or whether hee will say that his faith dependeth vpon the credit and fidelitie of the translator or no But I know Counc TrideÌ„t Sessi decretum 2. what they will answere that the Latine vulgar translation is allowed by the Church that is to say by the councell of Trident which representeth the Church which hath decreed the same to bee taken for authenticall in readings disputations sermons or expositions and that no man bee bold or presume vpon any pretence to reiect or refuse it Wherevnto first I say that as this decree doth allow the Latine so it doth not approue the English Now how shall an English Catholike that vnderstandeth not the Latine know whether the same bee truely translated out of the Latine or no or shall his faith here rely vpon the credit and fidelitie of the translator I would know what difference there is betweene such a one reading or hearing that translation and one of vs reading or hearing ours And why the faith of the one doth more depend on the credit and fidelity of the translator then the other Surely this difference there is that our translations
terris ipse meruit Idem in confut assert Luther articulo 17. innumeri tamen sunt qui longè grauiores aerumnas pertulerunt quà m ad suorum suffecissent delictorum expiationem Secondly wee make this supposition that although there is none to whome God doth not giue a greater reward in Heauen then hee hath merited and deserued yet there bee many which haue suffered farre more grieuous griefes and punishments then would haue sufficed to the expiation and purging away their sinnes This is their doctrine and is this to beleeue the forgiuenesse 2. Pet. 2. of sinnes or is it not rather to denie the Lord Iesus that hath bought vs For I may say with Saint Paul that Galat. 2. if righteousnesse 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 forgiuenesse of sinnes themselues teaching such blasphemous doctrine so manifestly opposite and contrarie vnto it Againe they denie the forgiuenesse of the punishments 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 hee hath deliuered vs from eternall punishment but not from temporall which must bee sustained in Pugatorie whereby our sinnes or soules must bee 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 powre 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 hee haue discharged vs from eternall punishment in hell but not from the temporall in Purgatory then is hee 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 eximiâ—ur poena The guiltinesse of sinne beeing taken away the punishment Tertull. lib. de baptismo is also taken away And Chrysostome saith vbi enim gratia ibi venia vbi verò venia illic nulla erit poena Where grace is there is forgiuenesse and where forgiuenesse Chrysost ad Rom. Homil. 8. is there shall bee no punishment Saint Augustine saith Ablato ergo peccato auferetur poena pecati The sin beeing taken away the punishment of sinne shall also bee taken away By this let it be discerned who they bee that August de vera relig cap. 13 denie that article of the forgiuenesse of sinne Moreouer let the Christian reader consider how they attribute first that to their Purgatory which is proper to the bloud of Christ which as S. Iohn saith clenseth vs from all sinne and secondly more to their Dirges Masses Pardons and such 1. Ioh. 1. paltries then they doe to the death and passion of Iesus Christ For they may deliuer from the paines of Purgatory but Christs death doth not O coelum non sudas ô terra non tremis 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. Wee acknowledge that baptisme is a Sacrament of the forgiuenesse of our sinnes by the death and passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ whereby our faith is confirmed and we assured that as water washeth away the filth of the bodie so all the filth guiltinesse of our sinnes is so purged in the bloud of Christ that wee bee accepted for iust and righteous before God But we do not acknowledge that Baptisme or any other Sacrament doe conferre grace of themselues or haue grace included in them as in a vessell but wee affiame that they bee seales of Gods promises and instruments whereby God worketh in his elect and chosen people those graces which hee hath in his word promised and Iesus Christ hath purchased for them But all that bee outwardly baptized bee not inwardlie clensed as Simon Magus who beeing baptized was yet Act. 8. 23. still in the gall of bitternesse 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 wee 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 asâ—ure vs and confirme our faith in the forgiuenesse of all 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 beeing in this place of Saint Paul expressed that it is not mentioned neither necessarily to bee vnderstanded Saint Pauls sweete words bee these When the hountifulnesse and loue of God our Sauiour towards man appeared not by the workes of T it 3. 4. righteousnes which we had done but according to his mercy he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and renewing of the holy Ghost which hee shed on vs aboundantly through Iesus Christ our Sauiour Where is baptisme here mentioned or expressed to the lauer of regeneration Saint Paule doth here attribute this washing whereby wee bee regenerate and renewed to the holie Ghost alluding as it were to the words of God by the Prophet Ezechiel Then will I powre â—xech 36. 25. cleane water vpon you and ye shall be cleane yea from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will â— 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 onely 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 August lib. 2 â—le doct Câ—rist cap. 5. est seruitus signa pro rebus accipere supra creaturam corpoream oculum mentis ad hauriendum aeternum lumen leuare non posse This is miserable seruitude to take the signes for the things signified and not to bee 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 of Penance wherein all actuall sinnes committed after Baptisme are cancelled Your Popish penance
then grace vvere no grace Thus Saint Augustine sheweth that Gods election is not his prescience and foreseeing of workes to come but his owne grace good pleasure and purpose Now I come to your illations which vpon these false assertions you falsly inferre To the first I answere that God impelleth no man to sinne and therefore God is not the author of sinne Secondly God inforceth not men vpon necessitie to sinne but they sinne willingly and by the instigation of the diuell who worketh in the children of disobedience therefore God is not the author of sinne In your third inference where you say that sinne is free or no sinne belike you hold with Pighius some other Papists that originall sinne is no sinne for it is not free for vs to be without it And whereas you aske how man can sinne in conforming his will with Gods will I answere that they that sinne doe not conforme their will to Gods will but doe disobey it and oppose themselues vnto it This is the will of â—od saith Saint Paul your sanctification and that ye should abstaine from fornication 1. Thes 4. 3. Finally for as much as you can neuer shew that it is the Protestants confession that God moueth perswadeth and induceth men to sinne therfore you make a false and blasphemous collection for the which the Lord rebuke thee Satan Lastly whereas you thus charge vs to hold that God is the author of sinne I would desire you to shew where we do write more hardly of this matter then Iohn Fisher Bishop of Rochester hath written heereof whose words be these Neutrum sane potest sine Deo nec ad Iohn Roffens asserti Luther confuta artic 36. pag. 339. bonum se pararâ— neque malum opus facere Neque enim adulter absque generali fluxu Dei potest adulterandâ— facinus committere sed neque postquam ipsum admisit sine speciali auxilio Dei conari valebit vt resurgat i. Man can doe neither vvithout God neither prepare himselfe to good nor doe that vvhich is euill For the adulterer can neither commit adulterie vvithout the generall influence of God nor after hee hath committed it can he endeuour to rise vvithout the speciall helpe of God And againe Nam quantum ad substantiam actus etiam operibus malis cooperatur Deus Neque tamen recte Idem ibidem pag. 340. quisquam Deo peccatum imputabit quia tametsi cooperetur Deus adsubstantiam actus non tamen ipsam deficientiam operatur sed hoc agit sola voluntas i. As touching the substance of the act euen GOD doth cooperate or vvorke vvith euill vvorkes yet may not any man rightly impute sinne vnto God for although God doth cooperate to the substance of the deede yet he doth not vvorke the defect of the deede but onely mans vvill doth that Either shew where we haue written more hardly hereof or else condemne this Bishop and Martyr for the Popes cause with vs. I trust you will not say that hee taught Atheisme which is so rife in Rome as I haue before shewed c. The Pamphlet That faith once had may be lost 6. Article VVHosoeuer leeseth his charitie leeseth his faith But Dauid when he killed Vrias lost his charity Ergo Dauid when he killed Vrias lost his faith The Maior is a principle vndoubted of in the schooles of Protestants for they peremptorily affirme that true faith such as was in Dauid one of Gods elected can nâ— more be seuered from charitie then heate from fire or light from the sunne and therefore if Dauid killing Vrias lost his charitie no doubt but therewithall he lost his faith The Minor I prooue for whosoeuer remaineth in death is without charitie but Dauid when hee killed Vrias remained in death Ergo Dauid when he killed Vrias was without charitie If hee was without that which once he had no doubt but then he lost it for he was depriued thereof for his sinne The Maior proposition of this last Syllogisme thus I proue for charitie is the life of the soule and it is as impossible for a man to haue charitie and remaine in death as it is impossible to be dead in bodie and yet indued with a reasonable soule The Minor cannot be denied to wit that Dauid by killing Vrias remained in death for it is the expresse vvord of God Qui non diligit manet in morte He that loueth not 1. Ioh. 3. ver 14. his neighbour remaineth in death but certaine it is that Dauid loued not Vrias when he killed him Ergo likewise certaine it is that Dauid remained in death The same position might easily be prooued out of the eighteenth chapter of Ezech. verse twentie foure Si autem auerterit se iustus à iustitia sua c. Answere IDenie the Minor or second proposition that Dauid in procuring Vrias to be killed lost his charitie For although in this combat betweene the spirit and the flesh in Dauid the spirit retired and the flesh preuailed the new man was foyled and the olde man ouercame yet was not the spirit vtterly extinguished nor the new man cleane killed Indeede Dauids faith fainted his charity was cooled and his other gifts and graces couered yet not cleane quenched but there remained sparks of Gods spirit which afterwards being stirred vp and blowne by Nathans bellowes kindled flamed to Gods glory and Dauids eternall comfort and saluation Shall we thinke that Dauid had lost all loue of God of his law of man was he cleane depriued of Gods spirit it appeareth by his owne words that hee 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 Psal 51. 11. He that was not cleane depriued of Gods spirit had not wholly lost faith and charity But Dauid was not cleane depriued of Gods spirit therefore he had not wholly 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 brune and to flame and as with a tree which in the Winter hath neither fruite nor leafe vpon it yet it hath a sap fallen into the root which in the spring springeth 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 sap of Gods spirit and grace in them which afterward riseth and buddeth forth good fruit And therefore to the second proposition of your second Syllogisme I say that although Dauid by those foule
AN APOLOGIE FOR THE RELIGION established in the Church of England BEING AN ANSWER TO T. W. HIS 12. Articles of the last edition In this impres sion recognized and much inlarged Also Answers to three other writings of three seuerall Papists By ED BVLKLEY Doctor of Diuinitie Prouerb 14. 15. The foolish will beleeue euery thing but the prudent will consider his wayes Lamenta 3. 40 Let vs search and trie our wayes and turne againe vnto the Lord. Chrysost in Genes 〈◊〉 â— Quocirca diuinae Scripturae vestigia sequamur neque â—â—ramus eos qui temerâ— 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 George Eld for Arthur Iohnson and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the white Horse ouer-against the great North doore of S. Paules Church 1608. 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 his Maiesties most honourable priuie Councell grace and peace be multiplied WHen I consider right Honourable the estate of England in these our dayes 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 preached in that time For as then God gaue to that people that worthy godly King who zealously 2. King 25. rooted out Idolatrie and planted Gods true worship agreeable to his law so God in great mercy hath giuen vs our most gratious Queene Elizabeth by whose godly meanes Idolatrie hath beene 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 Sopho. 1. 5. vpon the rouffes of their houses the host of heauen and which worshipped and sware by the true and onely God Iehoua and by Malchaâ— their Idoll and 6. such as were turned backe from after the true God and sought him not nor inquired after him and 8. that did weare strange apparell and others that filled their maisters houses with robbery and deceit 9. and such as were frozen in their dregges and said in 12. their hearts the Lord will neither doe good nor euill And Ierusalem was then a filthie and spoyling Chap. 3. 1. 2. 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 truely 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 Genes 19. Numb 14. Sodome and are with the Israelites in heart turned back 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 bittely 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 slanderous Pamphlets wherein they traduce the truth and faithfull fauourers thereof deceiue the ignorant and confirme in error their ouer affectioned fauorers 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 forgiuenesse of our sinnes and also to auoide all good workes that we make God the author of sinne and worse then the diuell These and such other shameles assertions and false slanders when I read it came into my heart that Master Thomas Wright with whose spirit I had beene 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 deserued 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 wordly affaires that we bestow no time or but little in studie I although the meanest and vnmeetest of many was moued to wtite 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 Israelits which refused to hearkeÌ„ turned away their shoulder stopped their Zach. 7. 11. eares that they might not heare made their hearts as an Adamant stone least they should heare the law 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 read godly bookes written by Christians as that ancient eloquent Christian Lactantius in these eloquent words declareth Non est apud me dubium Constantine Imperator Lactant. lib. 5. cap. 1.
Maxime quin hoc opus nostrum quo singularis ille reruÌ„ conditor huius immensi operis rector asseritur si quis attigerit ex istis inepte religiosis vt sunt 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 eies from reading godly and learned bookes tending to the confutation of their errors the instruction of them in the truth Whom yet I am to intreate with Lactantius words immediatly following Ab hoc tamen si Idem ibidem fieri potest humanitatis iure postulamus vt noÌ„ prius daÌ„net 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 extremuÌ„ This reasonable request I would that I might obtaine at our Romish Catholickes hands that they would first read and examine this my answere before they condemne it For what is more vniust then to condemne that which a maÌ„ doth not know Howbeit I doubt least with the same Lanctantius I must say Sed noui hominum pertinaciam nunquam â—bidem impetrabimus Timent enim ne à nobis reuicti manus dare aliquando clamante ipsa veritate cogantur Obstrepunt igitur intercedunt 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 Act. 28. 27. 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 2. Thess 2. strong delusion to beleeue lyes But if these blinded with errour and ignorance for whose sake especially I haue written this answere will not vouchsafe to read it nor make any vse and profit of it yet if it may some what 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 mercy 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 Your Honors most humble to be commanded EDVVARD BVLELEY To the Christian Reader GOod Christian Reader whereas the author of these reasons vpon his good conceit of the forciblenesse of them to perswade to Popery hath thought them worthy of a second impression and a new augmentation I am partly thereby and partly by the request of the Printer and others moued to publish againe in Print my answer to them The which I haue recognised and in many places enlarged by adding not onely moe testimonies but also some discourses I haue also in the end adioyned answers to some friuolous cauillations which S. R. in his answer to Maister Bels downe-fall of Poperie and others haue made against it And hereof I must certifie thee good Reader that I haue inserted into the said reasons the Authors new additions the which that thou maist discerne from the other I haue put this marke vnto them the same marke also I haue put to my answers made to the same I haue also in this impression added an answer to certaine Popish questions written fifteene or sixteene yeares past the which although it was long agoe allowed to be published yet it hath vntill now lien by me howbeit now for the reasons in the Preface before it declared I haue thought good to ioyne it vnto this Now although this my answer will bring no profit to them that being wedded to will and bewitched by a strong delusion will not vouchsafe to looke vpon it much lesse will wholy read compare and examine it but will condemne it before they know it yet if it may serue to the defence of Gods truth and to the confirming of thee good Reader in the same as I shall therein obtaine that I doe seeke so my desire is that thou wilt remember mee at the throne of grace in thy faithfull prayers The Father of all mercy giue vs true vnderstanding in all things and guide vs by the light of his holy word outwardly and by his blessed spirit inwardly to beleeue his truth and obey his will to his owne glory and our eternall comfort Amen Aprill 22. 1608. Thine in Christ Iesus ED BVLKELEY AN ANSWER 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 Psal 119. 105 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 read the same both little them-selues and disswade and with-draw others from it Aeneas Syluius who was Pope called Pius Secundus writeth thus of the Italian Priests in his dayes and of the good people in Bohemia Pudeat Italiae Sacerdotes quos ne semel quidem Commenta de dictis sactis Alphonsi Reg. lib. 2. 17. nouam legem constat legisse apud Thaboritas vix mulierculam inuenias quae de Nouo Testamento veteri respondere nesciat i. The priests of Italie may bee 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 answer out of the old and new Testament Iohn Gerson Chancellor of the Vniuersitie of Paris who liued Anno 1415. and was a great dealer
discerne the absurdities of an vntrue religion Vertuous and well inclined affections which are the base of quiet secure and religious consciences abhor and detest such principles as either dishonor God abase mans nature occasion sinne fauor iniquity or any sort diminish deuotion or piety And therefore all the insequent articles shall stand vpon these two foundations to wit that the Protestants religion debarreth the wit from right vnderstanding the true faith and the will from following of any vertue or godlinesse Answere YOu wonder that any man in England endued with a good iudgement conioyned with a religious conscience can either accept or affect the Protestants new coyned gospell But why doe you not shew what is the new coyned gospell which the Protestants preach and professe The Gospell is the good and ioyfull message of our saluation through Gods mercies purchased vnto vs by Iesus Christ This Gospell God preached to Adam that Iesus Christ the seed of the woman should breake the Serpents Genes 3. 16. head This he renued to Abraham saying In thy seed shall all the nations of the world bee blessed This Gospell was Genes 22. 18. preached by all the Prophets who beare witnesse vnto Christ that through his name all that beleeue in him shall Act. 10. 43. reciue forgiuenesse of sinnes Now if you can prooue that wee preach or maintaine any other gospell then this then you may well call it a new coyned gospell if otherwise take heed you doe not belch out blasphemie in calling this old and true gospell of Iesus Christ a new coyned gospell And let the Christian reader which tendereth his owne saluation well consider who they be that coine a new false and counterfeit gospell Doe not they which teach vs to ascend into heauen by the bloud of Thomas Becket coyne a In the Popish Primer printed 1557. new and false gospell Tu per Thomae sanguinem c. which they Englished in Queene Maries dayes thus By the bloud of Thomas which hee for thee did spend make vs Christ to come whither Thomas did ascend Againe Iesu bone per Thomae merita nostra nobis dimitte debita O good Iesus for the merits of Thomas Becket forgiue vs our sinnes Doe not they which teach vs to seeke to bee deliuered from the fire of hell by the merits and prayers of Saint Nicholas maintaine a new coyned gospell Thus they prayed Quesimus vt eius meritis precibus à gehennae incendiis In the same Primer liberemur Grant wee beseech thee that by his merites and prayers wee may bee deliuered from the fire of hell Do not they which say and beleeue of an Agnus dei that is to say a peece of waxe and balme consecrated by the Pope Tollit omne malignum peccatum frangit vt Lib. 1. Caeremo titul 7. pag 91. Christi sanguis angit It taketh away all euill it breaketh and strangleth sinne as doth the bloud of Christ doe not they I say coine a new false and blasphemous Gospell Yes surely for to attribute remission of sinnes or any part of saluation to the merits of any other but onely of Iesus Christ crucified is to coine a new and false gospell for it is not that gospell of God which hee promised afore by his Rom. 1. 2. 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 Script Brita Centur. 4. p. 308. How your Friers went about aboue 300. yeares past to bring in a new coyned gospell which they called the euerlasting gospell and said that it excelled as much the Gospel of Christ as the Sunne in brightnesse excelleth the Moone and the kirnell the shell Maister Bale out of the Bookes of that execellent man William de Sancto amore who in those dayes did withstand their diuelish deuises did largely declare And whereas you wonder that men indued with iudgment and a religious conscience could affect or accept the gospel 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 Wee 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 Psal 115. 135. hands especially being so plainely and expresly forbidden in Gods commandements infinit 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 Cicero de Natura dâ—orum lib. 2. reason could say sed ecquem tam amentem esse put as 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 madnesse by a spirituall phrensie be these men fallen Wee 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 abhominations vpon their faces That Images did speake did sweate did roll their eyes did bleed 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 deuoute Inter sermones discipuli Serm. de S. Katherin 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 shee 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 In promptu discipuli Florence stories Mariale Summa praedicantia the festiuall Vitas patrum and that monstrous booke the Legend written by Iacobus de Voragine Archbishop of Genua Which Supplementum Chronicorum Bergomens li. 13. fol. 205. 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 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 eights daies Anno 1521. intituled The flower of the Commandements fully fraighted with such sottish and worse then old wiues fables which yet in those daies were preached
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 Christ 1. Tim. 1. 15. Iohn 1. 29. 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 Matth. 17. 5. to instruct vs in the will of his father whose onely voyce wee 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 intercessor to sitte 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 where-vnto God and our consciences bee witnesses we oppose to your false and slaunderous obtrectation and accusation saying with Saint Paul Wee passe very 1. Cor. 4. 3. little to bee 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 darkenesse and make the counsels of the hearts 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 Faith contained in his word but vpon mans deuises and traditions which as Epiphanius saith is worse then no faith Epipha in Anâ—â—rat◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that you bee not voyde of true hope by teaching the doctrine of doubting whereof Hope 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 Charity and persecuting vs so cruelly as you vse to doe when time and powre serueth you and that you haue no true repentance nor remorse of conscience for sinne in Repentance persisting so obstinately in damnable doctrine and abominable idolatrie and that by leaning to your owne righteousnesse and the merites of other men which were sinners themselues you loose not that true iustification Iustification which is the righteousnesse of GOD by the faith of Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that beleeue which is onely Rom. 3. 22. 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 no rising take heede you be not of the malignant Church which heareth not the voice of Christ Church 2. Thessalo 2. and wherein that man of sinne and sonne of perdition sitteth and raigneth and that you haue not such Idolatrous altars as Iereboam had against which the man of God cried and vpon which the like iudgement of God fell Altars 1. King 13. 2 as hath done vpon yours now And that you haue not a false forged sacrifice which appeaseth not but dailie prouoketh Sacrifice Gods wrath against you and that you bee not without Priests to teach the law of God truely but haue Priest Ierem. 2. 8. Malach. 2. 8. 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 bee not without Religion remembring Religion Lactant. de origi erroris lib. 2 cap 19. Christ August de ciuitate dei lib. 18. cap. 2. the saying of Lactantius Quare non est dubium quin religio nulla sit vbicunque simulachrum est 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 seauen hilles which in the daies of Saint Iohn raigned ouer the Apoc. 17. 9. 18 Kings of the earth wherefore bee not so rash in iudging so hardly and vncharitably of others but examine and iudge your selues that you bee not iudged of the Lord. But I now come to your pithie probation of this your vncharitable 1. Cor. 11. 31. 1 and shamelesse 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 wee will prooue by the testimonie of all recordes of antiquitie c. Wherevnto I answere that if wee take the world in that sense which the scripture sometimes doth for the multitude and societie of them Whereof the diuell Ioh. 14 30. 2. Cor. 4. 4 Iob. 15. 18. 19 1. Joh. 5. 19 Ioâ— 17 9 Ioh. 14. 22 is prince which hateth Christ and his true disciples which is set vpon wickednesse for the which our Sauiour Christ refused to pray saying I pray not for the world and whereof Iudas not Iscariot did say what is the cause that thou wilt shew thy selfe to vs and not vnto the world In this sense I may grant that the world hath not had these gifts of Gods grace these thousand yeares and put another thousand and more vnto them But if we take the world more generally for this great Globe and all the inhabitants thereof then prooue by the testimonie of all antiquitie that the doctrine which wee teach and professe hath not beene these 1500. yeares in the world and wee will yeeld and you shall winne the victorie But it is vsuall with you and your fellowes to make great and braue bragges to amaze the simple and ignorant and to bring small and poore proofes as you doe here none at all to perswade the wise and learned great braggers are no great doers In deede wee confesse that the Church is well compared by Saint Augustine to the Moone For as the August in Psa 10 Moone receiueth her light from the Sunne so doth the true Church receiue her light from Iesus Christ the sonne Malach. â— 2 of righteousnesse And as the Moone is sometimes in the full and shineth in full brightnesse and sometimes is in the waine and sometimes is eclipsed and doth little appeare euen so the Church is sometimes in the full and shineth in full brightnes and glory as in the Apostles times and diuers hundreth yeares after it did sometimes it is in the waine and eclipsed as for many
and a pure oblation to wit simple praier from a pure conscience S. Ierome expoundeth it thus Dicit orationes Hierom. in Maâ—ach cap. 1 sanctorum domino offerendas esse non in vna orbis prouincia Iudâ—ae sed in omni loco i. Hee saith that the praiers of the Saints shall be offered to God not in Iudea one onely prouince of the world but in euery place But I wil forbeare to write any more of the peruerse exposition of this place and will referre the reader to that most learned conference Cap. 8. pa. 454 146. 562 of that excellent ornament of this Church of England Master Doctor Reynoldes with Iohn Harte where he shal finde this place fully discussed and Cardinall Allens reasons which hee braggingly called validae planè bona 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 bâ—t I will forbeare them and will shew you one place out of the 26. of Ieremie trimly applied by Bonauenture a Seraphicall Doctor a Bishop a Cardinall of Rome and a Saint De vanitut Scient cap. 64 Benauâ—nt part â— operum in exposi missae fol. 100. G. canonized by Pope Sixtus the fourth who did as holy an act in Saincting of him as hee did in building nobile admodum Lupana a noble stewes in Rome as Agrippa a Papist writeth Bonauentures words bee these Septimo eleuatur Corpus Christiad 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 manibus vestris sum quod bonum rectum est in oculis vestris facite mihi Nota quod dum aliquis dux propter suos captiuus tenetur non dimittitur nisi det magnam pecuniam Sic nec nos Christum captiuum dimittere debemus nisi remissionem peccatorum nobis tribuat regnum coeleste abeâ— accipiamus Eleuat orgo sacerdos Corpus Christi in altari q. d. Ecâ—e 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 bee prisoner vpon the Aultar whereupon he saith in the person of Hieremiâ— the Prophet Behold I am in your hands that which is good and right in your eyes doe yee vnto me Note that when any captaine is kept prisoner for his people hee is held prisoner and not let goe vnlesse hee giue a great summe of money So also wee ought inot to let Christ our prisoner goe vnlesse he giue vnto vs forgiuenesse of sinnes and that wee receiue of him the kingdome of heauen Therefore the Priest doth lift vp the body of Christ vpon the Aultar as though hee should say behold hee whom the whole world is not able to containe is our prisoner therefore let vs not let him go vnlesse wee doe first obtaine of him that which wee 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 how finely they haue applied the scriptures By this doctrine Christ is prisoner in the Masse and hee 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 whome Ieremie spake saying The Lord hath sent me to prophecy against this House â—erem 26. 12 and against this Citie all the things that yee haue heard therefore now amend your waies and your workes and heare the voice 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 certaintâ—e that if yee put me to death yee shal bring innocent bloud vpon your selues vpon this Citie and vpon the inhabitants thereof For of a truth the Lord hath sent me vnto you to speake al these words in your eares Is not this place finely expounded and applied and doth it not substantially prooue that Christ is in the Priests hands at Masse when he holdeth him ouer his head belike goeth about to kill him as they did Hieremie Indeed by their doctrine they teare him with their teeth and deuour him Yea the Popes themselues in their Canon law by which they rule the Church do most falsely absurdly expound the scriptures as for example God made two great lights Genes 1. 16 the greater light to rule the day and the lesse light to rule the night By the Popes exposition the greater light is the Popes authority and the lesser is the Emperours dignitie and therevpon gathereth that as the sunne is fourtie seauen times greater then the Moone so the Popes powre is as much greater then the Emperours De maâ—orit cap. solit and the glosse there God saith to Ieremy Behold Ierem. 1. 10 this day haue I set thee ouer the nations and ouer the kingdomes to pluck vp and to route out and to destroie and throwe downe to build and to plant by the Popes exposition of these wordes all Kings and Monarches are the Popes vassals and that hee may aduance whome hee will and put downe whome hee list De maiorit ibidim Christ cured the withered hand of a man vpon the Sabboth Mat. 12. 13 daie By the Popes exposition heereof hee would prooue that hee is to bee tied by no lawe 25 Quest 2. Cap. ideo permittente Whereas it is sayd Behold here two swordes by the Popes exposition it is prooued Luk. 22. 38 that both swordes as well temporall as ecclesiasticall doe belong vnto him Where Saint Paul saith The spirituall 1. Cor. man iudgeth or discerneth all things by the Popes exposition all men and matters are to bee iudged by him but hee is to bee iudged by none De maiorit Cap. vnum solit Infinite such other places there are so falsely and absurdly expounded and applied that sundry Papists yea euen the Iesuites themselues be now ashamed of them Thus wee see how these Romish diuines and Saintes haue handled and expounded the word of God of whom that may be wel sayd and verified which Polidore Virgil a fauorer of the Romish religion writeth of the popish Lawiers and canonists Vide non secus isti iurisconsulti aliquoties Polido Virg de inuent rerum lib. 4. cap. 9. detorquent sacras scripturas quò volunt ac sutores sordidas solent dentibus extendere
pelles See how these Lawiers wee may say Diuines yea and Saintes doe sometimes no otherwaies wrest the holie scriptures then coblers vse to stretch out with their teeth their filthie leather or skinnes And that also which Theophylactus saith Ita exponere In Iohn 14. scripturas manifestâ— delirare est So to expound the scriptures is to dote or bee madde I might shew infinit other places which they haue most falsely expounded and applied yea and also which they haue corrupted mangled and altered which I minde hereafter somewhat to doe but this shall suffice at this present to let the reader see who they bee 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 truly 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 answer that we refuse not the alledging of Scriptures by any but vpon good and sound reason which we will be ready to iustifie and maintaine If you thinke either Augustine in that booke de cura pro mortuis which you quote which is more full of doubts 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 answer 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 Act. 17. 11. for examining the writings and expositions of the Fathers by the Scriptures as long as it cannot be proued that we doe otherwaies 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 disting uendum est c. This kind of writing is to be distinguished from the authority of the canon of the August epist 48. Scriptures For they be not so read as though a testimonie were so aleaged out of them that we may not thinke or iudge other-wise if they haue any where other-waies 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 wee read as diligenty as you doe which we reiect if we do not shew good reason for the same let vs beare the blame and shame of it Neuerthelesse wee doe not allow euery paltry companion as you terme them either to be an expositor of Christs word or to preferre his exposition thereof before all ancient fathers Neither doe I know any man so to doe but we allow all men to read 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 wee exhort them to do as the nobleman the Act. 8. Hierom. in epâ—taphio Fabiolae August de mo rib us eccles Catho cap. 1. 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 them-selues to be doctors and teachers of them Yet with Saint Paul we say that as 1. Thess 5. 20. 21. 22. we are not to dispise prophesying that is the expounding of Gods word so we are not rashly to receiue whatsoeuer is diliuered 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 Job 33. 3. Basil Quaest compend exptica Quaest 279. So also Saint Basil saith Quod in edulijs est sensus qualitatis vniuscuiusque edulii hoc in verbis sanctae Scripturae est intellectus Gula enim inquit cibos gustat mens verbi diiudicat That which in meates is the tast of the qualitity 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 mind iudgeth the words Now I will retory your argument vpon you in this manner Whosoeuer buildeth his faith vpon priuate and false expositions of the Scripture is an insidel The Papists build their their faith vpon priuate and false expositions of the scripture as I haue shewed before and can prooue 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 In the 2 edition he putteth for Latine Hebrew 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 relie 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 do 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 prooue for all such Protestants ground their faith vpon the Bible translated into English the which translation they know not whether it bee 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 Councell or vpon malice to induce the people to Protestancie or to cause them to leaue the Catholike Religion as Gregoy Martin in his discouerie most pregnantly prooueth And for that all the old translations are false and the Geneuians the worst the ministers are now in moulding a new one the which will haue as great immunitie from falsity as the former were voide of
hinder it would suffer others to do it yet there Popeholy deuotion hath moued them to translate into English to publish in print aboue an hundred yeares past there golden Legend fully fraughted with lying fables as is before signified and is by some papistes confessed More-ouer will you confesse that because your Popes Sixtus the fift and Clemens the eight haue beene moulding a new your vulgare latine translation as I haue shewed that therefore it was before false and nought Surely whatsoeuer you will herein confesse both this their moulding and the booke it selfe did plainly shew that it was become very mouldy and corrupt and full of foule faults as sundry Papists haue acknowledged And why may not we as well bee moulding againe our translations as these Popes haue beene moulding this their mouldy translation which when their kingdome most florished by little vse and much rest had gotten much rust Aud therefore vntill you haue answered the same you may bee ashamed to brag of his pregnant proofs which were so weake and cauils so greatand many that he rather discouered his own folly then discredited our translators What Maister Broughton writeth concerning our translation I doe not knowe 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 and be voyd of wilfull corruptions either for doctrine or manners yet I do not thinke them to be voyde of imperfections in respect of propriety of words and phrases wherein they may be somewhat 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 hee could discredit our translations and cause the Reader to doubt of the truth of them I wil shew not onely the good Christian but also the Romish Catholike y◠hath vnderstanding of the Latine tongue how he may discerne and know the truth and faithfulnesse of our translations and so not to relie vpon the credit of our Ministers There is a Latine translation of the old Testament made from the Hebrew very well and learnedly by Sanctes Pagninus an Italian and a dominicke Frier a man excellentlie 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 libeller and his fellowes vse to doe who of enui◠and malice wherewith their hearts bee infected and possessed cannot giue a good word to any thing we do though it be neuer so good and Godly This translation hee did dedicate to Pope Clemens the feauenth 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 hee 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 Isay the Reader compare our translations with these and although hee 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 hee 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 shall finde in our translation 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 sixe 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 beene in all ages the drift of the Diuell to seeke 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 Maister Tindall who as hee did patiently and constantly beare and abide their furious crueltie and confirmed the truth of God which hee had taught with the shedding of his bloud in flaming fire so hee 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 bee 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 wickednesse Monstra Portenta Monsters of mankinde But he that iustifieth Platina in Benedioto 4. Christophoro 1. Ioan. 13. prou 17. 15. Psal 1 16. Rom. 3. the wicked and hee that condemneth the innocent euen they both are abhominatiō to God That al men may erre wee doe confesse Omnis homo Mendax all men be liers and generall councells which consist of men may erre and haue erred wee doe not doubt But of this it shall bee impertinent to speake at this present I will onelie now retort your argument vpon you Whosoeuer relieth his faith vpon man hath no faith but all English Papists that vnderstand not the Hebrew Greeke and Latine and reade the Remish translation relie their faith vpon man videl the translator of that Testament ergo all such English Papists haue no faith The like may bee said of them that reade the Latine which relie their faith vpon the councell of Trent who were men Againe whosoeuer relieth his faith vpon man hath no faith all Papists relie 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 councells 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 say the sphere of their faith is extended solely and wholy to the word of God set
God the enemie of God Answer IN this fourth article the Sylogisme promised is not performed but in steed thereof here is an accusation that we know not what we beleeeue nor why we beleeue Your proofe before I haue examined and what we beleeue I haue declared whereof the rule is not our owne fancie as you say shew not as the rule of your faith and life is the Popes folly as hath been in part shewed You say we haue no rule whereby to know what is the matter of faith We haue the word of God contained in the canonicall Scriptures of the old and new Testament and is that no rule I pray you what doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie but a rule and why be Thom. Aquinas in 1. Tim. 6. the scriptures called canonical but because they be the rule of our faith life Thomas Aquinas saith Doctrina enâ—m Apostolorum Prophetarum dicitur canonica quia est regula intellectus nostri The Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets is called canonicall because they be the rule of our vnderstanding Dauid when he said thy word is a light Psal 119 105. vnto my feete and a lanterne vnto my pathes what did hee but make that same the rule direction and guide of his faith and life when Moses said Now therefore hearken O Israell vnto the ordinances and to the lawes which I teach you Deut. 4. 1. to do that yea may liue go in and possesse the land which the Lord God of your Fathers giueth you ye shall put nothing to the word which I command you neither shall take ought therefrom that ye may keepe the commaundements of the Lord your God which I commaund you what did he but make Gods word declared to him and written by him the rule of Iosâ— 1. â— their faith and life When God said to Iosua Let not this booke of the law depart out of thy mouth but meditate therein day and night that thou maist obserue and doe according to all that is written therin for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous and then shalt thou haue good successe What did he but make his written word the rule of his faith and whole life When Abraham said to the rich man condemned in Hell They haue Moses and the Prophets let them heare them what Luk. 16. 29. did he but shew that the writings of Moyses the Prophets were the only rule which his brethren should follow to auoyd damnation and consequently to ataine eternall saluation Chrisostom saith Ne igitur multorum opiniones habeamus Chrisost in 2. Col. hom 13. sed res ipsas inquiramus Quomodo autem non asurdum propter pecunias alijs non credere sed ipsas numerare supputare pro rebus autem amplioribus aliorum sententiam sequi simpliciter praesertim cùm habeamus omnium exactissimaÌ„ trutinam gnomonem ac regulam diuinaruÌ„ inquam legum assertionem Ideo obsecro oro vos omnes vt relinquatis quidnam huic vel illi videatur deque hijs à scripturis haec omnia inquirite c. i. Let vs not seeke the opinions of many men but let vs search the things themselues for how is it not absurd not to beleeue men concerning mony but that we wil count it for matters of greater waight to follow simply the minde and opinion of others especially seeing we haue the most exact ballance square rule the doctrine of Gods lawes Therefore I request and beseech you all to leaue and forsake what seemeth good to this or that man of these matters Idem in Genes homil 58. Jdem hom de Adam Heâ—a search ye al these things by the Scriptures The same Chrisostom hath these words Vides in quantan absurditateÌ„ incidunt qui diuinae scripturae canonem sequi nolunt sed suis cogitationibus permittunt omnia i. Thou seest into how great absurdity they doe fall which follow not the rule of the diuine Scriptures but permit all things to their owne fancies and deuises And againe Satis sufficere credimus quicquid secundum preâ—ictas regulas Apostolica scripta nos docuerunt vt prorsus non opinemur catholicum quod apparuerit praefixis Then is not the doctrine of the Church of Rome Catholike sententiis contrarium we beleeue that that is sufficient enough whatsoeuer according to the foresaid rules the writings of the Apostles haue taught vs so that wee doe not at all iudge that to bee Catholike which shall appeare to bee contrary to the foresaid rules Theodoret saith Thedor dialog 3. pag. 268. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. We haue learned from the holy Scripture the rule of doctrines Saint Augustine saith Sancta Scriptura nostrae doctrinae regulam August de bono viduitatis cap. 1. figit â—ne audiamus sapere plusque oportet The holy Scripture doth set a rule to our doctrine that we may not presume to bee wise abue that we ought to be Beda hath anexcelent saying hereof which is recorded in Gratians decrees Beda 8. quest 1. Neâ— sufficere Nobis sacris literis vnica est credendâ— pariter viuendi regula praescripta The onely rule both of faith and also of life is prescribed vnto vs in the holy Scriptures This rule wee haue and will you say this is no rule If you haue a better rule let vs knowe it Whereas in your second cogitations vpon these your forcible reasons you affirme that some say the sphere of their faith is extended soly and wholy to the word of God set downe in holy writ and how-so-euer you pitty our poore ignorance and say that herein wee do no more then all heritiks doe yet wee bee not abashed to professe our selues to bee of this number and desire to haue our faith ranged and restrained within the circumference of this Sphere of the holy Scriptures and herein if our poore ignorance do not deceaue vs wee thinke that we ioyne with S. Paule who being by Tertullus falsely charged with heresie as wee now are answeared in these words But this I confesse vnto thee that after the way which they call herisie so worshippe I the God of my fathers beleeuing Act. 24. 14 all things which are written in the law and Prophets In which words Saint Paule expelleth that acusation of herisie with this argument He that beleeueth all things that are written in the law the Prophets is not to be accompted for an heritike but I beleeue all this written in the law and in the prophets Therefore I am not to bee accounted for an heretike But in the profound knowledge of this writer this was but poore ignorance and a sillie reason For what Heretike saith he beleeueth not so much And so Saint Pauls reason by this mans deepe diuinitie is not worth a rush For Tertullus might haue replied and sayd that notwithstanding his beleeuing all that is written in the Law and Prophetes hee was
an Heretike for all Heretikes doe as much But Maister T. W. for I will not misname you by H. T. dic sodes tell vs in sooth and sadnesse Do Heretikes beleeue the scriptures I in my poore ignorance haue heretofore thought that Heretikes beleeued erronious and false doctrines repugnant and contrary to the scriptures and that therevpon this argument would haue holden water viz. that they which beleeue false doctrines doe not beleeue the holie Scriptures which containe nothing but new doctrine but Heretikes beleeue false doctrines ergo they beleeue not the holie Scriptures Tell vs also will Heretikes haue the sphere of their faith extended solie and wholie to the worde of GOD set downe in holy writ Then this saying of Tertullian which in my poore ignorance I haue thought that neuer any misliked vnlesse hee were an Heretike will not goe for currant Aufer deniquae haereticis c. Take away from Heretikes Tertul. deresurrect carnis whatsoeuer the Ethnikes haue thought and taught that they may trie their questions Onelie by the Scriptures and they cannot stand For how can this bee that they which beleeue the Scriptures cannot stand if their doctrines bee tried onely by the scriptures But you will say that Heretikes professe that they beleeue the scriptures But is this all one with you for Heretikes to profeâ—â—e the beleefe of the scriptures and in Tiâ— 1. 16. deede to beleeue them Saint Paul saith that some professe to know GOD and by workes do denie him Some also professed themselues to bee Iewes that is to say worshippers Apoca. 2. 9. of GOD as you doe now professe yourselues to bee Catholikes and some to bee of the societie of Iesus when both they were and you are the synagogue and of the societie of sathan Some professed themselues to bee Iohn 8. 39. 40. the Children of Abraham which did not the workes of Abraham but their faither was the diuell as our Sauiour Christ told them Euen so Heritikes may professe Psal 44. that they beleeue the Scriptures when indeede they beleeue them not but reiect the truth of them and beleeue false and damnable doctrines repugnant vnto them Heretikes bee theeues which endeuor to steale away the truth from the people of whom Saint Chrysostome saith Qâ—i sacra non vtitur scriptura sed ascendit aliunde Chrysost in Iorm hom 58. idest non concessa via fur est Hee is a theefe that vseth not the scripture hee saith not that beleeueth the scripture but clymeth into the sheepefold by an other way which is not allowed Of the true sense and exposition of the Scripture I haue intreated at large before Onely now I will ioyne this issue with you vpon these words of Saint Hierome recorded 24. Quaest 3. Haeâ—sis by Gratian in the decrees Quicunque aliter scripturam intelligit c. Whosoeuer expoundeth the scripture otherwaies then the sense of the Holie Ghost by whome it was written doth require although hee haue not departed from the Church yet hee may bee called an Heretike Let them with good will of vs and you that shall soundlie bee prooued to expound the Scriptures other-waies then the sense of the Holie Ghost requireth bee called accounted condemned and punnished Heritikes yea your Expositions bee so false and for ours true that some Papists and euen some of your sweete bretheren the Iesuites are forced by the euidence of Apa Cathel part 2 lib. 5. cap. 17. 18. 19. c. truth to forsake yours and to approoue ours as M. D. Morton hath learnedly and largely declared What you or any other Heretikes say of our Religion beleefe and expositions wee little regard as long as you cannot prooue them to bee hereticall and wee are by the worde of GOD well assured that they bee orthodoxall As touching the book of the Canticles of Sollomon we by the Scriptures doe beleeue that it is the worde of God Saint Paule speaking of the Scripture contained in the canonicall bookes of the old Testament and receiued by the Church of Israell saith that the whole Scripture is inspired of God But this booke of the Canticles was with the other books both of Sollomâ—n and of the rest of the old Testament receiued by the Church of Israell therefore by Saint Paules 2 Tim. 3. 16. iudgement it was inspired of God and so consequently the worde of God as well as others But if we did ioyne herein either with some wicked Anabaptistes now or with some old Hertikes heretofore who haue denied this book to be of the Canon of the Scripture as Phylastrius writeth some did whose opinion we abhorre yet from this particular Jn Catall cap. 133. you could not inferre the proofe of your article being generall that the Protestants know not what they beleeue But herein you do as soundly and substantially reason as Bellarmine and others of you do that because the Enuch did not vnderstand that obscure propheticall speech of Isaias which hee was reading when Philip came to him therefore hee vnderstood nothing in the Prophet Isaias Yea and that all the Scripture is so hard and obscure that it is not expedient for the lay people to read it Concerning the alteration of the Sabbath wee gather by the Scriptures and thereby do beleeue that it was made by the Apostles 1. Cor. 16. 2. Apoca. 1. 10. As your owne fellowes of Rhemes in their annotations vpon these places do confesse And therefore the Sabbath we now obserue is warranted by the Scriptures As for that idle speech of yours of generall and perticuler beleeuing thinges in the Scripture little pertinent to the proofe of your article I answer briefly that although neither all Protestants nor Papistes haue perfect and distinct knowldge of all the Scripture Yet God hath so manifestly expressed therein all thinges needfull to our saluation that it is a most perfect rule of faith and life as is before out of Beda alledged although some men blinded by sinne and mallice do not see them no more then men blinde in body see the cleare light of the Sunne nor doe rightly vse this right rule giuen of God vnto them Chrisostome saith Quaecunquâ— necessâ—ria sunt manifesta sunt Whatsoeuer In 2 Thess Hom. 3. thinges are necessary are manifest Againe Scripturae et seruâ— c. The Scriptures are easie to bee vnderstood both of seruants and misticall people of widdowes In Math. Hom. 1. and boyes and to him that is very Ignorant And whereas you would haue the Councels Doctors and Church the rule of our faith and life bring such like plaine places out of the Scriptures and Doctors for the proofe of it then we wil yeeld vnto you As touching the Apostles creed we acknowledge it to be a briefe abridgement of the especiall and principal points of Christian faith doctrine yet there bee some truthes which are not particularly expressed in the same But whereas you say or rather falsely slaunder that the
sola sacrameÌ„ta in EuaÌ„gelio manifestè tradita legimus i We read that these only 2. sacraments are plainely deliuered to vs in the Gospell yet did hee not deny this article of faith Your owne doctor Alexander de Hales flatly affirmeth yâ— neither Christ nor his Apostles did Alexand. de Halis par quest â—4 men 1. institute ordain the Sacrament of Confirmation but yâ— 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 yâ— Chtist did institue 7. sacraments deny this article of faith The coÌ„munion of Saints But to proceed with you concerning the true reall presence of Christ in the Eucharist we deny the same not to the faith of the godly worthy receiuer but to the mouth teeth of the carnal eater We beleeue say that Christs body bloud in as much as they were offred vpon the crosse for our redeÌ„ption are the spiritual food of our soules without which wee can neither liue vnto God heare nor liue with God hereafter and that the same is offred to vs partly in the promises of the Gospel partly in the sacrameÌ„ts of Baptisme Christs supper is in both appreheÌ„ded 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 S. Paul 1. Cor. 10. 17. foisting in this word Body for Bread S. Paules words be thus we that are many are one bread and one body because we are partakers of one bread This shifting of the words of the holy Ghost is too vsual with your companions Bounderius a Louaine Frier alleaging Compend concept titul 21. act the words of Saint Paul in the next chapter verse 27. Quicunque manducauerit panem hunc c. Hee that eateth this bread c. putteth out the word panem and foisteth in the word carnem flesh alleaging it thus Qui manducat carnem bibet calicem Domini indigne c. He that eateth the flesh drinketh the cup of the Lord vnworthily c. D. Harding in his confutation of the Apology intreating Confut. Apolo cap. 16. diuis 1 of Purgatory 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 thereof putteth Satisfâ—tation 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 Deisigno Consâ— Petri 10 cap. 13. crucis vlla creatura sanctificetur They cannot abide that any creature should bee sanctified by the word of God and signe of the crosse Hee putteth out prayer and putteth in the signe of the Crosse as a more holy thing The foresaid Bunderius doth most shamefully alleage a Ibid titul 3. 0. arti 5. place of the Apostlein this sort Nam si cinis vâ—tâ—lae conspersas populum sanctificauit atque mundauit quantò magis aqua sale conspersa diuinis precibus sacrata poulum sanctificat atque mundat 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 bee these If the bloud of bulles and goats and Heb. 9. 13. 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 eternal spirit offered himselfe without fault to God purge your conscience from dead workes to serue the liuing God Is not this horrible handling of Gods word and blasphemous attributing that to their salt water which is proper and peculiar to the bloud of Christ I could shew in like manner how they haue clipped the coine of Gods word in leauing out words of purpose which serue not their turne but I will omit them only this I say yâ— if they which counterfet clip the kings coine deserue haÌ„ging what do they deserue yâ— counterfeit clip the word of the eternall God king of all kings but corrupt doctrine caÌ„not be maintained without corruptioÌ„ of Gods word But to returne to S. Pauls place he there disswadeth the Christians of Corinth from going to Idolatours 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 and 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 togither and bee 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 bodie videl of the Diuil Now as there needed no transubstantiation of the one no more there doth for the other Also this bread which Saint Paul calleth the coÌ„munion of the body of Christ is broken yet I trust they wil not say that Christs body is broken although Pope Nicholas De consecra distinct 2. Eâ—o Berenga 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 wee deny the communion of the Chuch militant and triumphant by exclaming against inuocation of Saintes by which holie exercise those blessed Saints in Heauen and wee in earth communicate wee by praier glorifying them and they by meditation I thinke it should bee mediation obtayning our requests Herevnto I answere first that this inuocation of Saints is vnlawfull and cannot bee prooued by the holie Scriptures And this offer I do 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 matters of Religion You quote in your margent Genes 48. 16. and Apoca. 1. 4. which make asmuch for proouing inuocation of Saintes as Tityre tu patule doth The words of the place of Genesis be these The Angell which hath deliuered mee from all euill blesse the children and let my name bee called or named vpon them and the name of my fathers Abraham 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 praier 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
consisting in shriuing to a Priest receiuing absolution from him and 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 do iudge that we can doe nothing acceptable to God which proceedeth not from this true repentance The third things whereby you would proue that wee denie this article of remission of sinnes which you say exceedeth all in absurditie is that wee denie that our sinnes are perfectly forgiuen but onely not imputed and as it were veiled or couered with the passion of Christ c. Wherevnto I answere 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 sin is couered Blessed is the man vnto whome Psal 32. 1. the Lord imputeth not iniquitie and in whose spirit there is no guile Doth not Dauid here take these all for one and attribute blessednes alike to euery one of them When S. Paul saith God was in Christ and reconciled the world to himself not 2. Cor. 5. 19 imputing their sinnes vnto them what doth he meane by not imputing of sin but forgiuing of sin Primasius expoundeth it thus Non reputans illis delict â— ipsorum hoc est indulgens Primasius in illum locum persolam fidem quâ— gratis donata est i. Not imputing to theÌ„ their sinnes that is to say pardoning them by onely 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 Chrysosto iâ— 2 Corinth hom 11. the contrarie and maketh not imputing greater then forgiuing in these words Attamen cuÌ„m tanta sint nostra peâ—cata non solum non exposcit poenam sed conciliatus est non solùm dimisit sed neque imputaâ—it c. But where as our sinnes bee so great hee doth not onely not require punishment but also is reconciled with vs and not only hath forgiuen but hath not so much as imputed our sinnes to vs. Bernard thinketh not so basely of not imputing as you doe his sweete words bee these Sufficit mihi ad omnem iustitiam Bernard in Cant. serm 23. solum habere propitium cui soli peccaui Omne quod mihi ipse non imputare decreuerit sic est quasi non fuerit Non peccare Dei iustitia est hominis iustitia indulgentia Dei It is sufficient for mee vnto all righteousnesse to haue him mercifull against whome onely I haue sinned whatsoeuer hee hath determined not to impute vnto mee 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 Ephesi 5. 2 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 bee sweete and acceptable Luk. 15. in the sight of God And if the robe which the Father put vpon his prodigall sonne could so hide all his ragges that hee 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 Math. 22. 12. 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 wee hauing the mariage garment of Christs righteousnesse be acepted to the mariage of the Lambe notwithstanding all the botches and biles which it couereth Yet we do not say that we can couer or hide all our sinnes from the piercing 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 Son doth accept vs his members for such as Iesus Christ himselfe is And do you not thinke that that which God hideth is well hid and shall neuer come to light Dauid saith of GOD Psal 85. 2 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 and couering is as substantiall a one as that is of your blind and barbarous Schooleman Richardus de Sancto Victore Christus Ri. de S. Victore de potestate ligandi soluendi pâ—r 1. cap. 14. 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 in sinne This is as Erasmus saith Frigidissimis distinctionibus omnia confundere with friuolous distinctions to confound all Erasmus in vita Hieronymi things And this much for this Article of the Creede which you do as foolishly proue as you falsly affirme that we deny it Now I come to the fourth Article that you say the Puritans in effect deny 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 Pag. 50. rather ratiocinari quaÌ„ calumniari to reason then to raile and slaunder But to this your malicious and false accusation I will first oppose the true confession of faith concerning this Article where-vnto all the reformed Churches whereof Ex. Gall. confessione I haue either heard or read do assent and agree Wee beleeue and acknowledge one onely GOD who is one onely and simple essence spirituall eternall inuisible immutable infinite incomprehensible almighty most wise good iust and mercifull and that in that one and simple diuine essence there bee three persons subsisting the Father the Sonne 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 efficacy 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
Presbyterum conuiuio secundarum nuptiarum interesse non debere maxime cum paecipiatur secundis nuptiis poenitentiam tribuere A priest ought not to be present at the feast of second marriages specially because he is commanded to appoint Distiâ—st cap. 20 de libellis penance to second mariages This councell although it were prouinciall was confirmed by Pope Leo the fourth as appeareth by Gratian and the Papists hold that prouinciall Sozom. lib. 4. cap. 17. councels confirmed by the Pope cannot erre The councel of Ariminum wherin were assembled aboue foure hundred Bishoppes horribly erred in maintaining the blasphemous doctrine of Arius The like did the Councels of Millaine Seleucia and of Tyrus The second Councell of Ephesus erred and maintained the false doctrine of Eutycheâ— These councels the Papists confesse to haue erred and why because they were not allowed and confirmed by the Bishoppe of Rome A simple and shamelesse shift as though the Bishop of Rome had in those daies power either to call or confirme Councels any more then the other Patriarks had In that second Councell of Nice most vnlike vnto the first not onely the wicked worshipping of Images was allowed and the Scriptures for the confirmation therof most shamefully abused and detorted as appeareth by the said corrupt councell and Caluin and Caluin Instit lib. 1. cap. 11. Sec. 14. Mart. Ciâ—mni exam Concil Tridet part 4. de imagine Action 5. Mart. Chemnicius haue largely shewed but also in the same was decreed that the Angels haue bodies and that the soule of man is corporall and therefore they may bee painted the which be soule 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 Platiâ—a in Stepha 6. many other Councells 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 Platina in â—oan 10. 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 De coÌ„se Inst 2. Ego Bereng Sâ—ss 13 man Berengarius to recant and to confesse that the very true body of Christ is indeed handled and broken by the Priests hands and torne wtth 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 cuppe of the Lord from the lay people contrary 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 Councells both these excellent learned men Martinus Chennicius Innocentius Gentilletus haue shee l and wee doe and will proue to the consciences of all those whom the God of this world hath not blinded I am not ignorant what coullors the Iesuite Bellarmine seeketh to cast vppon the foresaid errours of these Councels and such others and what simple shifts he seeketh to elude 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. Wbitakers where hee may find the weakenesse and nakednesse of Bellarmines said shifts plainly discouered and the same fully confuted the which I thnke will stand as other of his workes 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 nor 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 many 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 plainely 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 all 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 Euery 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 1. Cor 10. 15. 1. Ioâ— 4. 1. Ibid. 14. 29. 1. Thess 5. 20. speake as vnto wise men iudge ye what I say Let the Prophets speake two or three and let the other Iudge Despise not prophecying Try al things keep that which is good Abstain froÌ„ al apperance of euill Beloued beleeu not euery spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God The spirituall man iudgeth all 1. Cor. 2. 15. Heb. 5. 14 Iohn 10. 5. things Good Christians ought to haue their wits excersised to discerne both good and euill The true sheepe of Christ heare and know his voycâ— and they will not follow a stranger but they flye from him for they know not the voyce of strangers whereby our Sauiour christ sheweth that those which bee his sheepe and bee truly gathered into his fold can iudge and discerne betweene his voye sounding in the Scriptures and the voyce of strangers deliuering a strange doctrine differing and dissenting from the same such is the false doctrine of the Church of Rome Wee 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 bee assembled in Synodes and Councels to examine questions of greater difficultie and to decide the same Howbeit their iudgements be not infallible Psal 11 6. for all men be lyars and subiect to ignorance and errour neither haue they any absolute power and authoritie to iudge after their owne spirit or mind but according to
that Caluin of blessed memory well liked and allowed such authority in Kings and magistrates as wee acknowledge to bee in our gratious King and his Maiesty claymeth and vseth This Doctrine Caluine most soundly setteth downe both in many places of his workes and especially in his Institutions lib. 4 chap. 20. But Caluin iustly misliked that power and authority which that great enemy of Gods truth and parasitycall flatterer Stephen Gardiner did attribute to King Henry the same in effect which before they had acknowledged to be in the Pope to doe in a manner what he would in the seruice of God For Caluin saith that Gardiner being at In Amoâ— cap. 7. Ratisbone and dealing about matters of religion disputed not by arguments nether greatly cared for the testimonies of the Scriptures but said that it was in the Kinges will and pleasure to abrogate ordinances and to ordaine new rites and orders That the King might apoint the people to eate flesh this or that day that he might forbid Priestes to marry wiues that hee might take away the cup from the Lay people in receauing the Sacrament of Christes supper This was that which Caluin misliked and our gratious Soueraigne nether challengeth nor exerciseth He acknowledgeth him-selfe to be Gods minister and seruant and that it belongeth to his imperiall crowne and dignity which he hath receaued from GOD to see and prouide that GODS word bee truly preached that GOD according to his owne will therein reuealed bee rightly worshipped and serued and that such decent and holy orders bee vsed in the Church as truly tend to GODLY edifications Of the presbiteries dealing in Scotland I am ignorant But that they opposed them-selues against our Kings authority as though he had nothing to doe with the kirke you generally affirme but doe not particularly proue It may appeare by their subscribing to the second Heluetian confession of faith that they euer haue and alwaies will both subscribe See the 2. Heluet. conâ—ession cap. 30. and sweare to the doctrine of the Kinges authority ouer all persons and in all causes in such sort as here before is set downe Hereby I am moued thus to conceaue of them If any be otherwaies minded I approue them not nor their adherents The same I say of those whom you call praecisions at home who not denying the kings authority in eclesiastical causes yet forbeare the things here by you named because they be not perswaded of the Lawfulnes of them and for that as that most reuerend and learned father Bishoppe Iuell saith they haue bâ—ene of them of your part fouly abused to filthy purposes and because they would not gladly in any appearance shew themselues like vnto them that haue so Defen of the Apol. Part. 3. cap. 5. Diâ—â—s 1. Page 400. vntruly and of long deceiued the world c. But leauing these to their owne defence certaine it is that neither the Presbitery in Scotland nor these praecisians in England haue euer made any shew of such horrible barbarous and trayterous practises against the Kinges not onely authoritie but also life and safety as cursed Papists and diuelish Iesuits or rather Iebusites haue done As touching the second matter you obiect of the authoritie of Bishops I do know none that do so hardly and iniuriously iudge of it as you here do in calling it if your owne fingers or your Printer haue not deceiued you an hereticall order Howbeit we make it not so a matter of faith that saluation dependeth on it But wee beleeue that God may be glorified in that his holy word is truly preached and effectually receiued and good order in the Church vsed where the authoritie of Bishops is allowed and receiued and where the same is not obserued for as in the politicall estate there be diuers orders of gouernment as Monarchie Aristocratie and Democratie which haue bene and as yet are vsed to the good of the people so in the Ecclesiasticall estate there may be diuers formes of regiment vnder which God may be truly worshipped the people vnto saluation edified sin suppressed and good order in the Church obserued And although there bee some diuersitie of opinions amongst vs which is the best forme of Ecclesiastical regimeÌ„t yet in this we al concurre and consent that the meanest and worst which is in any of the reformed Churches is better and more to the glory of God and true comfort of the people then that exorbitant insolent and tyrannicall gouernment is which your great Monarch the Pope hath to the dishonour of Princes and calamities of countries long excersised For the third thing alleadged concerning our iarring it seemeth that you draw very low when you obiect vnto vs dissention about feastes and holy-daies I know neither Protestant nor as you distinguish them Puritane who accoumpt them the Sabboth day excepted as matters of faith and saluation but that they may be vsed or refused as to them in authoritie shall be thought meet Socrates the Ecclesiasticall Historiographer saith that neither Lib. 5. cap. 22. fol. 248. Christ nor his Apostles did command any thing concerning holidaies and that it was the scope and purpose of the Apostles not to giue lawes of holidaies but to bring men to good life and godlynesse Your owne friendes and fauourers haue misliked the multitude of your holy dayes Annot. in Math. 1. Erasmus saith that in the dayes of Saint Hierome there were but few Festiuall dayes Nunc feriarum neque finis neque modus est but now there is neither end nor measure of Ja argum in Tertul. de corona militis Hollidaies Beatus Rhenanus writing of these holydaies saith Quarum antiquitus mira paucitas Holydaies in old time were very few As for that you write of the Quarto-decimani I finde that the Councell of Nyce did take order that Easter day should vniuersally be kept after one sort and order and Ruffin lib. i. c. p. 6 that not vppon the fourteenth day of the Moone as the East Churches had vsed it and many did still obserue it But that the Councell did condemne them for heretikes Haeres 50. de Haeres 29. I finde not in the Canons of it expressed I am not ignorant that Epiphamus Augustinâ— do number the Quaterdecimans among heretiks The which it may seeme they did ouer obstinatly partly to much follow the fashion of the Iewes whose law concerning that matter was expired and nayled to Christâ— crosse partly resist the decree of that godly Councell which did therein seeke the peace and vnitie of the Church which had beene too much distracted and troubled by it especially by the meanes of Victor Lib 55. cap. 25. Bishop of Rome as appeareth by Eusebius Concerning your fourth matter of fasting neither you doe make proofe nor I doe accknowledge any controuersie in this Church of England but that all will willingly Defen of the Apol. part 1. cap. 2 diuis â—t part 2. cap. 14. diuis
you prooue little The GOD of patience and consolation giue vnto Rom. 15 5. vs and you that wee may bee like minded one towards an other according to Christ Iesus that we may all with one minde and one mouth praise God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ Amen Whereas you say that we haue no argument to prooue that we haue the true Church true religion and true faith but such as al heretikes haue euer vsed I answere that wee haue that argument and proofe for these things which although Heretikes haue falsely pretended as popish heretikes now do yet the Godly learned Fathers haue sincerely vsed And that is the holy word of God the only touchstone of truth and piller of the Church for as the Church 1. Tim. 3. 15 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 Chrysost in illum locum ho mil. 11. Math. 4. 4 7 10. Math. 19. 4. ibid. 22 29. Luk. 24. 27. 32 44 46 Rom. 1 2. 3 21. 4 3. 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 our 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 Gospel 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 Act. 21. 23. ibid. 18 2 8 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 Athanas de de cretis Nicen. Synod pag. 528 decrees of the councell of Nice against the Arians writeth thus Atque harum rerum non aliunde nos quà m ex scripturis persuasionem habemus that is We be perswaded of these things by no other meanes but by the Scriptures Epiphanius saith In Scripturis sanctis Trinttas nobit Epipâ— contra pâ—â—umaiomachos haeres 7â— annuÌ„tiatur ac creditur citra curiositatem c. The Trinity is in the holy Scriptures preached vnto vs without curiositie beleued And that by theÌ„ al doctrines are to be confirmed al errors and heresies to be confuted they plainely and plentifully shew Tertullian saith that if Heretikes Tertul. lib de resurrec carnes Eâ—iph contra pâ—ulum Samosa haeres 66 Basii epist 80. bee brought to examine and try their questions onely by the Scriptures they cannot stand Epiphanius saith that wee are not to discusse questions by our owne wittes and reasons Sedex Scripturarum consequentia By the consequeÌ„ce 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 sayd vnto the Bishoppes in the Nicene Councell The Euangelicall and Apostolicall bookes and the Oracles of the Theod. lib. 8. cap. 7 sol 284. 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 saying inspired of GOD. So saith Saint Augustine Verum nos sacris literis accommodemus auditum c. August in Euang Ioan. tract 60. August de cura pro mortuis cap. 2. Let vs hearken vnto the holy Scriptures and according to them let vs helpe by the grace of God to dissolue this question And againe Non secunduÌ„ opinionem c. We must consider of this matter not according to yâ— commoÌ„ opinion but according to the holy Scriptures of our religion And of yâ— Church he saith thus Sed vtrum ipsi ecclesiam De vnitate ecclesiae cap. 16. teneant non nisi diuinarum ScripturaruÌ„ canonicis libris ostendant but whether they haue yâ— church let them shew by no other meanes but by the Canonical books of the diuine Scriptures Chrysostom saith yâ— we cannot know Chrisostom in Math. Homil. 44. which is the true Church of Christ Nisi tantummodo per Scripturas but onely by the Scriptures Therefore by the Scriptures proue your doctrine and shew your Church Math 4. But you say the Arians others Heretikes alleadged the Scriptures whereunto I adde that so did the Diuel also but in such sort as you and your fellowes doe in mangling them falsly expounding and applying them as I haue in some part before shewed I am conteÌ„t to ioyne this issue with you that they with be proued to depraue detort mangle and falsly expound and apply the scriptures be heretikes and to bee condemned with these old heretikes whome you here name To whome 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 Athanas tomâ— 2. to elude and shift of the truth and so do you They denied the person of Christ and you deny the office of Christ in not acknowledging him to be our onely Prophet and teacher whose onely voyce wee must heare and obey nor the only King and head of his Church nor our onely high Priest with the sweet smelling sacrifice of himselfe once for euer offered to redeeme and reconcile vs vnto God nor our only mediator to make intercession for vs. The Arians did cruelly persecute the true Christians Ruffin lib. 1. cap. 17. Socrates lib. 1. cap. 17. zozo in lib. 4. cap. 27. Gregor Nazi anz artic ad Arianos and so do Papists when power is in their hand to doe it The Arians when they could not preuaile against that excellent man Athanasius fell to raile vpon him and to slaunder him accusing him of adulterie murther and sorcerie and euen so do you now deale with such as for their godlinesse and learning may well bee compared with Athanaesiuâ— I meane especially Caeluin whome the Author of that vnlearned libell and beastly booke intituled A quartron of reasons of Catholike religion c. is not ashmed 5. reasoÌ„ pa. 30. to call a seare backt Priest for Sodomie O thou shamelesse man or rather monsterlart thou not ashamed to slaunder and belie such a man of whome they that knew him did truly write of him ipsâ— Ã quo potuit virtutem discere virtus Theo Beza that euen virtue it selfe might as it were haue learned vertue of him How doest thou know that Caluin was such a man I assure my selfe
were called Sadduces which in the Hebrew tongue doth signifie iust and righteous men Another sect were Pharisies so called as some thinke because they were expounders of the Law as others iudge Tanquam separati i. as separated from the societie of others in effect the same that Monachi that is to say liuers alone yet notwithstanding this glorious title and sundry austere and straite obseruations which in their liues they vsed they were the greatest aduersaries our Sauiour Christ had The Valentinian Epipha herae 31. â—ertul de mongam and Montaniest Heritiques called themselues Spirituales spirituall men and counted others carnall Therefore we are not to be moued with such outward titles which are but sheepes clothings to hide rauening Wolues But Rom. 2. 28. as S. Paul saieth hee is not a Iew which is one outward euen so euery one is not a Catholique that is so outwardly called but hee is a true Catholique that truly in his heart beleeueth and obeieth the heauenly doctrine of almightie God contained in the holy canonicall Scriptures in which the onely rule both of faith and life is Caus 8. Quaest 1. â—ec sufficere prescribed vnto vs as Beda saith the which holy doctrine deliuered and sanctified vnto vs in the holy Scriptures if this Gentlewoman and other of the same sect not obey as most certainely they doe not and as hereafter shall be proued they be no true Catholiques howsoeuer they be so outwardly called and doe vainely bragge of the same to whom may be well applied that saying of the Prophet Heare yee this O house of Iacob which are called by the name of Israel and come out of the waters of Iuda which sweare by the name of the Lord and make mention of the God of Israell but not in truth nor in righteousnesse But now I come to the questions 1. First whether Masse or Communion was brought first to England at the conuersion of our English nation to Christianitie 2. Secondly whether Masse or Communion be more ancient 3. Thirdly whether the CoÌ„munion as it is now practised in England were extant in any nation before the Raigne of King Henry the eight Answere AS touching the administration of the Sacrament of Christs body bloud which is commonly called the Communion because it is a pledge vnto vs of that Communion and fellowship which wee haue both with our Sauiour Christ and also one with another two kinde of things are to be considered First such as be of the substance and essence thereof which are vnchangeable Secondly such things as be Accidentall pertayning to the forme and fashion of the ministration thereof which be variable Of the former sort is the hauing of bread and wine the distribution of the same to them that be present prayer and thankesgiuing in a knowne tongue that all with one mouth and heart may giue thankes to God for his great and infinite mercies towards vs in nor sparing but giuing his owne deare sonne for vs euen his body to be broken vpon the Crosse and his bloud to be shed for our saluation whereof the bread and wine is a Sacrament that is to say a holy signe remembrance and pledge vnto vs yea and a meane and instrument whereby wee are made partakers of Christes body and bloud giuen for vs and of all the benefits of his passion These things be of the substance of the Sacrament and ought alwaies to be vsed and may not be altered Other things there be accidentall as the time and place of ministring the same the habit or tire to be vsed of the Minister the forme of praier and thanksgiuing in respect of the words These and such other be not of the substance of the Sacrament and haue no expresse commandement but be variable and changeable so that all things be done decently and to edification Now to come vnto your questions If you meane by the Communion and Masse the forme of praiers and Liturgie vsed by vs and you I may well say that neither of them both were first brought into England at the conuersion thereof to Christianitie altogether in such forme as now they be vsed for both what diuersities of Liturgies and seruice bookes haue beene and also what additions haue beene put to the same is not vnknowne Gregorie Lib 7. iud 2. Epist 6 3. saith the Apostles did consecrate and minister the Sacrament only with the prayer of our Sauiour Christ There be extant diuers sundrie Liturgies of the which the Papists attribute one to S. Iames another to S. Basil another to S. Chrysostome one differing froÌ„ another And in this small Iland within the time of Popery there were three or foure sorts of Masse bookes one after the manner of Yorke another after Sarum another after Bangor And about thirtie yeares past there was brought in a Romane Missall which abolisheth the rest It appeareth both by Augustine the Monkes questions and Gregorie the first answeres that there were diuers and different orders in diuers Churches Augustines question hath these words Cum vna sit fides sunt Ecclesiarum diuersa consuetudines Beda Ecclesiast hist lib. 1. cap. 28. altera consuetudo missarum in sancta Romana ecclesia utque altera in Galliarum tenetur i. Whereas there is but one faith there be diuers customes of the Churches and there is one custome or order of Masses in the holy Church of Rome and another in the Churches of France So also wee confesse that in the Churches where the truth of Christs Gospell is taught there be sundry Liturgies differing in forme of words and yet agreeing in substance of matter which may well be vsed to the glory of God and comfort of his people So that it forceth not though our Liturgie or forme of prayer vsed at the ministration of Christs holy supper were not brought into this Land at the first conuersion thereof or were neuer vsed before the raigne of King Henrie the eight as long as it cannot be prooued that it containeth any thing vngodly and dissenting from the word of God neither doth it auaile them though they could proue that their Masse as it is now vsed was brought into this Land at the conuersion of it which they cannot doe as long as we can plainely proue that it containeth a false sained sacrifice and hath many wicked prayers and superstitious toyes contrarie to the word of God Well saith Tâ—rtullian Quadâ—unque Tertul. de Virgin vâ—land aduersus veritatem sapit hoc â—rit Hâ—resiâ— ettam vetus consuetudo i. Whaâ—soeuer is against the truâ—th the same is Heresiâ— euen an olde custome But I will shew that some of their olde prayers which they vse in their Masse be wicked and dissenting from the word of God The Priests in the Canon of the Masse after Consecration prayeth in these words Supra quae propitio sereno vultu respicere digneris c. That thou wouldest vouchsafe to looke with a mercifull and fauourable
countenance vpon the said sacrifice and that thou wouldest accept the same as thou vouchsafedst to accept the gifts of thy righteous seruant Abel and sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham and the holy sacrifice and immaculate hoast which Melchisedech the high Priest offered vnto thee Here the Priest prayeth to God mercifully to look vpon and to accept this sacrifice as hee accepted the sacrifices of Abel Abraham and Melchisedech And what is this sacrifice forsooth say they Iesus Christ himselfe whom they offer for a propitiatorie sacrifice So that by this doctrine the Priest prayeth to God the father mercifully and fauourably to looke vpon and to accept Iesus Christ his sonne S. Paul teacheth vs that Christ sitteth Rom. 8. 34. at the right hand of God and maketh intercession for vs this Popish Canon teacheth vs that the Priest maketh intercession to GOD the father for Iesus Christ And whereas Saint Paul faith that Christ is the onely Mediatour 1. Tim. 2. 5. betweene God and man this Popish Canon maketh the Priest Mediatour betweene God the father and Iesus Christ Is not this good Catholike doctrine the which must needes follow if their doctrine of their Reall offering and sacrificing of Iesus Christ himselfe for a propitiatorie sacrifice be true Moreouer if here by the sacrifice of Melchâ—sedech be meant that which in the 14. of Genesis is mentioned whereby they often endeuour to proue their fained sacrifice then I say the Scripture is falsified for Melchisedech did not offer bread and wine for a sacrifice vnto God but brought them forth to refresh Abraham and his Souldiours returning from the battell In the Canon they haue another prayer Libera nos quaesuâ—us Domine c. Deliuer vs wee beseech thee O Lord from all euils past present and to come and through the intercession of the blessed and glorious and alwaies Virgine Mariâ— the mother of God and of thine Apostles Peter and Paul grant vs mercifully peace in our dayes c. When they shall by the holy Scriptures the onely rule of faith and life as is before said proue that this doctrine of the intercession of the blessed Virgine and other Saints is â—ound and true then we will grant this to be an holy prayer in the meane time we must otherwise iudge of it to be a wicked and blasphemous prayer derogating from the intercession of Iesus Christ of whom Saint Iohn saith If any man sinne wee haue an Aduocate with the father Iesus the iust and 1. Ioh. 2. 2 hee is the reconciliation for our sinnes Where Saint Iohn teacheth vs that hee is the Mediatour and Aduocate to make intercession for vs who is the reconciliation for our sinnes but neither the Virgine Marie nor anie Saint in heauen is the reconciliation for our sinnes therefore no Saints can be our Aduocate and Mediatour to make intercession to God for vs. Other most blasphemous prayers they haue vsed in their Masses as for example Christe Iesu per. Thomae vulnera quaeâ—nos ligant reaxa sâ—elera i. Oh Christ Iesu by the vvounds of Thomas release or vnloose our sinnes vvhich doe binde vs. Againe Opâ— nobis Thoma porrige rege staÌ„tes iâ—centes erige mores actus ac vitam corrige in pacis nos viam dirige Salue Thoma virga iustitiae mundâ— iubar robur ecclesiae plebis amor cleri deliciae salue gregis tutor egregie salua tua gaudâ—nâ—es gloriâ— O Thomas helpe vs gouerne them which stand lift vp them that fall correct our manners actions and life and direct vs in the way of peace All haile Thomas the rod of righteousnes the brightnes of the world the strength of the Church the true loue of the people the delight of the Clergy All haile oh thou worthy preseruer of the flocke saue those that reioice in thy glory Whether these be not most wicked and blasphemous praiers let any that hath any sparke of iudgement iudge What can we more in a manner either aske of God or attribute to our Sauiour Christ then here is attributed and asked of Thomas Becket of whom wee may well doubt whether he be a Saint in heauen or not Yea by the testimony of certaine old chroniclers it may be thought that he is rather a diuell in hell then a sainct in Heauen For both he wickedly disobeied the King which had beene his gratious Lord and aduancer and also most of the Bishops of England then were against him But it is enough that the holy father of Rome hath canonized him and made him a Sainct though God neuer did Then wee may also pray and say Tuper Thomae sanguinem quem pro te impendit fac nos Christe scandere quo Thomas asendit The which that they might not be void both of rime and reason they thus translated and printed in Queene Maries daies By the bloud of Thomas which he for thee did speÌ„d make vs Christ to come whither Thomas did ascend If such praiers as these which tend euen to the denying of our Lord Iesus Christ that hath bought vs were in our communion bookes then I would euen wish them all in a flaming fire with the which I would all the masse bookes Portuisses and popish Primers in EnglaÌ„d were purged Now if these named Catholiques can proue that the praiers vsed by vs at the ministration of Christs supper bee wicked not agreeable to Gods holy word then they say somewhat But if they be sound and godly then it maketh no matter how new they be in respect of the forme of words being olde godly and comfortable in respect of the substance and matter Their owne horae canoâ—icae canonicall houres vsed in their portuises were ordained by Vrbanus the second in the time of William Rufus Moreouer as touching those essentiall and substantiall things of the Sacrament before mentioned I would aske of this Catholique gentlewoman and her fauourers whether they in their consciences doe thinke that the said sacrament was first ministred in a tongue knowne generally of the people or in a strange vnknowne tongue and whether is most ancient the ministring of it vnder both kinds of bread and wine or onely vnder one kinde and whether is elder the distributing of it to all the people present or the sole receiuing of it by the Priest alone the people standing by gazing vpon it and worshipping it I am sure none can affirme the latter but he that is ferreioris et plumbei cordis hath a face of yron and a heart of lead as Lud uicus Vâ—uâ—s himselfe a Papist sometimes said of the Author of The title of the Legend the golden legend And therefore the godly Christian Reader may plainly perceiue that our ministring the Sacrament of Christs body and bloud is more ancient then theirs And if we compare our communion booke with their new Romane Missall now and newly receiued though ours were neuer before the raigne of King Henry the eight yet it is more ancient then theirs which hath
not beene for ought that I know before the raigne of our gratious Queene Elizabeth And this may sufficiently serue for to answere the three first questions which tend all to one end in the which not onely antiquitie but also verity is to be respected for as antiquitie ioyned with verity is effectuall so separated from the same it is of no force as Saint Cyprian saith Consuetudo sine veritate Ad Pom Coâ— Epist Stepha vetustas erroris est i. Custome without truth is but old error Now followeth in the said paper Wherefore is not the communion according to the institution of Christ recorded in the three Euangelists viz. Mathew Marke and Luke where it is written that Christ first washed the feete of all them that receiued and commanded them to doe the like then preached vnto them afterward tooke bread in his hand lifted vp his eies to heauen blessed it brake it c. and all this he did after supper but our minister now doth obserue none of these Answere IN this question is both follie and falshoode follie in asking wherefore the Communion is not administred according to the institution of Christ which doth agree therewith in all the substantiall points thereof wheras their masse vtterly differeth from the same And falsehood in saying that it is written in the three Euangelists Matthew Marke and Luke that Christ washed the feete of all those that receiued whereas indeede this is written in none of them but onely in Saint Iohn neither was that either done by our Sauiour Christ or recorded by Saint Iohn to binde vs alwaies to wash the feete of those that doe receiue the Sacrament but onely to teach vs to auoid ambition and pride which hath too much raigned in the papacie and to humble and submit our selues one to another in the feare of God 1. Cor. 11. Iustin Apol. 2. Wee read both in the scriptures and in the ancient Fathers of the ministration of Christs holy supper yet there is no mention of washing of feete before the same Neither was the same required or vsed in the time of Poperie And therefore this is foolishly required of vs now as a part of the institution of Christ which may appeare to bee no part thereof in that by the prouidence of God those three Euangelists heâ—e named who doe rehearse and describe the institution of our Sauiour Christs supper doe omit it and that Euangelist which doth not touch the institution doth record it Therefore the scope and purpose of our Sauiour Christ is as I haue said by this washing of his disciples feete to teach vs humility and not to binde vs of necessitie to wash the feete of them that shall receiue Moreouer this gentlewoman or Author saith that Christ preached tooke bread in his hand lifted vp his eies to heauen blessed it brake it c. and all this hee did after supper but our minister now obserueth none of all these things As touching preaching all good godly and learned ministers doe vse to preach the word of God before the ministration of the Sacrament both thereby to declare the death of Christ vntill he come that by it only wee be deliuered from eternall death and be made the children of Gods mercie and heires of his glorie and also to stirre vp the people reuerently and worthely to receiue that holy mysterie being as I saide before a pledge vnto vs of Christs body and bloud giuen for vs and of our saluation purchased thereby This preaching of Gods word wee thinke very requisite to bee ioyned with the Sacrament which is a seale thereof and therefore we bee as neare in following Christs steps in this point as it hath beene vtterly neglected by the Papists who haue beene so farre from preaching at the ministration of the Sacrament that they haue not made any declaration of Christs death and the fruit thereof in a knowne tongue to the peoples instruction and edification If the preaching of the word be in some particular Churches omitted it is for want of the sufficiency of allowance in some parishes not able to maintaine a learned and a preaching Minister and yet in those Churches there are by order appointed such lessons instructions an â— exhortations to bee read at the ministrie of that blessed Sacrament which setting out plainly the excellent power and effect of Christ his death may mooue the people present to a mâ—re reuerend regard of that holy seruice We take the bread into our hands both when wee receiue it our selues and deliuer it to others whereas in Poperie the people were not so holy as the Priest to touch it with their hands but had it thrust into their mouthes As touching lifting vp of eyes I read not in the three Euangelists heere named any mention made of our Sauiour Christs lifting vp of his eies at the time of the celebrating of his Supper with his Disciples and therefore you haue falsly foysted in this of your owne But yet if our Sauiour Christ did at his Supper lift vp his eyes to heauen wee are not thereby bound of necessity to follow the same True it is that euery action of our Sauiour Christ is for our instruction but false it were to say that euery action of our Sauiours is for our imâ—tation that is of necessity of vs to bee followed I write not these as though I thought it vnlawfull to lift vp our eies to heauen but this I acknowledge that as when wee doe behold and consider our owne manifold heynous and horrible sins whereby wee haue transgressed Gods lawes offended his Maiesty and deserued his wrath and eternall damnation wee may with the Publican bee ashamed to lift Luke 18. 13. vp our eies to heauen So on the other side when by a true faith in Gods promises wee behold his great loue and mercie towards vs in not sparing but giuing his owne deare Sonne for vs we haue good cause to lift vp our eyes hands and hearts vnto God which is in heauen giuing him most humble and heartie thankes for his said vnspeakeable mercies towards vs in Iesus Christ But whereas you say that Christ blessed it meaning the bread I say in plaine words that you bely the text for it is not there sayd that hee blessed the bread but that hee blessed that is to say gaue thankes to his heauenly father for his great mercy towards mankinde and for the great worke of our redemption and saluation which hee was then to accomplish That our Sauiour Christ by blessing did meane not a Magicall incantation of the consecrating and transubstantiating the bread and wine into his naturall body and blood as you falsly surmise but a thankesgiuing to his father it is most manifest by the texts for whereas in Saint Matthew and Saint Marke it is recorded Matth. 26. 26. 27. Mark 14. 22. 23. that when our Sauiour Christ tooke the bread he blessed immediatly followeth that when hee tooke the cup hee gaue thankes whereby
it most euidently appeareth that blessing and thankesgiuing is all one thing And yet this is more manifest For whereas Saint Matthew and Saint Marke say as is before declared that our Sauiour when hee tooke bread blessed Saint Luke Luke â—2 19. 1 Cor. 10 24. â— Cor. 14. 16. and Saint Paul say hee gaue thankes Hereunto also pertaineth that plaine place of Saint Paul When thâ—â— blessest in the spiâ—it how shall hee that occupieth the place of the vnlearned say Amen to thy giuing of thankes seeing hee knoweth not what thou sayest Who is so blinde and so ignorant that heere seeth not blessing and thankesgiuing to be all one thing And therefore againe I say that by blessing is not here meant a secret whispering of fiue words to the conuerting of the substance of bread and wine into Christs body and blood as Priests foolishly vse and falsly teach but a thankesgiuing to GOD for so louing vs that hee hath giuen his onely begotten Iohn 3. 26. Sonne for vs that as many as beleeue in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life For the which cause this Sacrament is of the ancient fathers called Eucharistia that is to say thankesgiuing As touching the breaking of bread which mâ—y resemble to vs the breaking of Christs body vpon the Crosse wee doe follow our Sauiour Christ therein and doe breake it when we distribâ—â—e it vnto the people the which the Papistes doe not but thrust in a whole vnbroken wafer into their mouthes Indeed I know that the Priest himselfe doth in his Masse breake his hoste into three parts One to signifie the Saints in heauen another the faithfull vpon the earth the third the soules in Purgatory But this deep diuâ—nity they haue found vpon the back side of the Bible But because this Gentlewoman or author of this scrole vrgeth eagerly the breaking of bread I would faine know what the Priest doth breake when he breaketh his Hosâ—e as they call it into three parts First hee breaketh not by their doctrine the substance of bread for they say there is none remaining to say that they breake Christs body wre blasphemy although it pleased that holy Pope Nicholas with his Councell to prescribe that godly and learned man Berengarius in his De consecra dist 2 â—go Berengariuâ— recantation to affirme the body of Christ Manibus Sacerdotum tractari frangi fidelium denâ—â—bus atterâ— i. To be handled with the Priests hands to be broken and torne with the teeth of the faithfull And to say they breake accidents without a substance were folly or rather madnesse These things before being considered let the indifferent reader vprightly consider how truely this Catholike Gentlewoman saith that we obserue none of these Now it followeth in the sayd paper The truth of the Catholike religion and of euery part thereof is proued euidently by the testimony and consent of all writers in all ages since Christ and his Apostles As for example the Real presence of Christ in the Sacrament the Sacrifice of the masse Purgatorie Prayer for the dead Prayers to Saints the vse of Images the signe of the Crosse Pilgrimage to holy Places and the rest now in controuersie Answere HEere bee things as boldly affirmed as they bee barely proued or rather cleane omitted and therefore they might without further proofe as well bee denied of mee as they bee affirmed of them And although I minde not long to stand vpon these particular poynts yet I will not let them goe so nakedly as they do but will somewhat touch them But heere let the Christian reader consider and marke that whereas this Catholike Gentlewoman saith that the truth of their Catholike religion and euery part thereof is prooued euidently by the testimonies of all writers in all ages since Christ and his Apostles they seeme to exclude from this proofe the Law and the Prophets the Gospell of our Sauiour Christ and the writings of the Apostles contained in the canonicall Scriptures For if they had meant otherwise they would haue sayd that the truth of the Catholike religion and euery part thereof is proued euidently by the testimony of the holy Scriptures and of all writers in all ages since Christ and his Apostles Therefore if their meaning bee as their words seeme to import to exclude from this proofe the canonicall Scriptures then they exclude the onely true triall of Christian religion for if the holy Scriptures Caâ—s 8. quest Nec suffâ— â—erâ— bee the onely rule of our faith and life as Beda saith in these words before alledged Nobis sacris literis vnica est credendi pariter viuendi regula praescripta i. The onely rule both of faith and life is prescribed vnto vs in the holy Scriptures then in the proofe of Christian religion we ought not to exclude them but chiefely yea onely to admit them And if Saint Aug. de natu â— grat cap. 60. Augustine doe truely say that wee ought without refusâ—ll to giue our consent onely to the Canonicall Scriptures then surely wee ought to trie and examine all matters by them Therefore I may say vnto you with the same Saint Augustine Auferantur ergo De vâ—itat Eccle cap. 2. c. Let these things bee taken away which wee recite and bring one against another not out of the holy Canonicall bookes but from else where And so let vs trie these points of your Catholike Religion by the holy Canonicall Scriptures the testimony whereof is sufficient and all other testimonies without the same bee of no force so saith the same Saint Agustine Qui diuina testimonia non sequuntur c. Arg. Epist 50. i. They that follow not the diuine testimonies haue lost the waight of mans testimonie Therefore I conclude this point with the same Saint Augustine Non audiâ—mus c. i. Let vs not heare This say I This sayest thou but Aug. de vnitat Eccles cap. 3. let vs heare This saith the Lord. There bee the Lords books whose authority we both consent vnto we both beleeue and wee both obey there let vs seeâ—ke the Church there let vs discusse our cause Bring then plaine proofes out of the holy Canonicall Scriptures for those your catholike points of Religion and I will yeeld And without them whatsoeuer testimonies you bring else where you shall nothing preuaile Well saith Saint Ierome Omne quod loquimur debemus affirmare Hier. in Psalm 98. de Scripturis sacris i. Whatsoeuer wee speake wee ought to affirme or proue it out of the holy Scriptures Idem ad Titum And againe Sine authoritate Scripturarum garrulitas non habet fidem i. Without the authority of the Scriptures pratling hath no credit Now to come to your particular points As touching your Real presence of Christ in the Sacrament if you meane thereby not a Real presence of Christ to the faith of the godly and worthy receiuer whereby wee affirme and beleeue that hee doth
c. The inuenting of Idols and Images was the beginning of VVis 14. 2 Cor. 6. 16. 1 Ioh. 5. 21. Apoca. 9. 20. whoredome and the finding of them is the corruption of life What agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols or Images Babes keepe your selues from Images The remnant of the men which were not killed by these plagues repented not of the workes of their handes that they should not worship deuills and Idols of gold and of siluer of brasse and of stone and of wood which neither can see neither heare nor goe Also they repented not of their murther and of their sorcerie neither of their fornication nor of their theft I wil for shortnes sake omit many other places of Scripture wherein Images in the worship of God are condemned and the vanitie of them liuely painted forth Now as touching the state of the Church after Christ and his Apostles it is most certaine that the Christians in Lib. 3. cap. 23. the primitiue Church neither had nor worshipped Images Eusebius writeth that Plinius secundus a Pagane writing to Traiane the Emperour a persecutor of Christians did certifie him that hee found no wickednes in the Christians but that they would not worshippe Images Origne writeth that Celsus that railer and Blasphemour of Christianity did obiect this as a fault against the Con. Celse lib. 4. Apolog. cap. 12. Christians that they had no Images Tertullian writeth thus If we worship not vaine pictures and Images that are like dead men which Kites Mise and Spiders know what they be doth not the forsaking of this knowne errour deserue rather praise then punishment Lactantius saith that God is greater then man therefore he is aboue and not below neither Lib 2. de Orig. 9. error cap 19. is he to be sought below vpon the earth but in the highestrehioÌ„ of heauen wherefore ther is no doubt but that there is no religion wheresoeuer there is an Image Clemens writeth Lib. 5. recog cap 6. thus That Serpent the Deuill vseth by others to vtter such words we to the honor of God do worship visible Images the which is most certainely false for if you would truly worship the Image of God by doing well vnto man you should in him worship the true Image of God for in euery man is the true Image of God But yet not in all the true similitude but where there is a good soule and a pure minde If therefore you would honor the Image of God wee doe shew you what is good that you do good and giue honor and reuerence vnto man who is made after the Image of God giuing meate vnto the hungry and drinke vnto the thirsty apparell vnto the naked seruice vnto the sicke hospitality vnto strangers and things necessarie vnto him that is in prison And this is that which shal be accepted as truely done vnto God And these things doe so farre forth tende vnto Gods Image and the honor thereof that he that doth them not is thought to offer iniury vnto the Image of God Therefore what honour of God is this to gâ—d after Images of stone and of woode and to worshippe as God vaine and liuelesse Images and to despise man in whom is truly the Image of God Hitherto Clement Epiphanius comming into a church and there finding a Com. 3. opem Hicronimi vaile hanging and hauing on it an Image as it were of Christ or some Saint did teare it in peeces willed them to wrap some dead body in it and not to hange such in the churches contrary to the authority of the scriptures This Epistle wherein this is contained hath the authority not onely of Epiphanius which did write it but also of Saint Hierome who did translate and alledge it against Iohn the Bishop of Ierusalem Saint Augustine commendeth that Lib. â— de ciuit dei cap. 9 learned Romaine Varro for that hee affirmed that they which ordained Images for the people both tooke away feare and brought in error And againe hee writeth of the Ibim cap. 31 same Varro in this sort Wherefore seeing that Varro did say that they did know what was God who did beleeue that hee is a soule or spirit gouerning the world and did thinke that religion might more chastly bee obserued without Images who did not see how neare hee came to truth Heare Saint Augustine affirmeth that Varro came neare vnto the truth in thinking that religion might more chastly and purely be obserued without Images then with them The same Saint Augustine writeth thus Vere mendatia c. Our fathers haue indeed worshipped lies euen Images in which is no profit Saint Ambrose sayth The De fug â—culi cap. 5. cap. 36. Church knoweth not idle formes and vaine figures Images The counsel Elibertimum decreed that Images ought not to be in the Church and that which is worshipped or adored 〈◊〉 lib. 1. a coas a. Euangel cap. 10. should not be painted â—poâ— walls I will conclude this matter o Images with an other saying of S. Augustine Sic omnine errare meruerunt quia ChristuÌ„ et Apostolos eius non in sanctis condicibus sed in pictis parietibus quaesiueruÌ„t i. They haue altogither deserued to bee deceiued because they haue sought Christ and his Apostles not in the holy bookes of the scriptures but in painted walls And thus much at this time for Images expecting that this Catholike gentlewoman or some of her friends will proue by the testimony of the holy scriptures and the testimony of all writers in all ages since Christ and his Apostles not onely the vse of them as here they say but also the horrible abuse of them such as was in Popery in running a pilgrimage to them in kneeling creeping to them in burning candles and tapers before them in offering incense and all kinde of other oblations vnto them in making them to nodde with their heads and their eyes to gogle to deceiue the simple c. This shal be as easie for them to doe as to moue mountaines As touching the crosse and pilgrimage I will for shortnesse sake write nothing requiring them by the foresayd testimonies for to proue them Now it followeth in the sayd scroole or paper I Would know whether it bee not true that Aerius was condemned an Heretike aboue these thousand yeares for denying praier for the dead and Vigilantius for denying the praiers to Saints and the Nouatianes for denying the power of the Church to forgiue sinnes and Eustathius for denying Pilgrimage to holie places and Simon Magus for denying free will and Iouiniane for affirming the marriage of Priestes all the which opinions and many moe that are now preached for Gods word haue beene these thousand yeares condemned for heresies as I am told out of bookes of Saint Ireneus Saint Ambrose Saint Augustine Saint Epiphanius Saint Hierome and other holy fathers of the primitiue Church Answere AS touching these here charged with
First that the grace of God whereby we are saued is giuen Hier. et Auguâ— aduersus pelag according to our merites Secondly that the law of God might be fulfilled of vs. Thirdly that we haue free-will and sayd that therefore grace was giuen vnto men that what things they might doe by free-will they might the more easily do them by grace I haue heard that there Hier. aduersus Heluidium was an Heritike called Heluidius reproued by an ancient learned father for foolishly thinking that the greeke bookes of the new testament were corrupted which both our Rhemists in their preface of the new testament by them set forth and others also of the same crewe do openly auouch I haue heard of certaine heritikes called Angellici so named for worshiping Angells and of others called Augu de heres cap 39. â—rencus lib 1. cap 35 Epâ—ph heres 79. Collyradiani condemned for worshiping the Virgine Mary And yet they did not call her Queene of heauen Empresse of hell the gate of Paradise their hope c. They did not pray vnto her saying lube deum pecâ—ator bus misereri i. Command God to be mercifull to sinners nor monstrate esse matrem iure matris impera i. Shew thy selfe â—â—nauent in Psâ—lâ—â—rio â—eaâ—â— Viâ—ginis to be a mother rule or command Christ by the authority of a mother but onely they offered a cake in the honour of her Whether these be not now taught and maintained for Catholike doctrines in the Romish church let the indifferent reader vprightly iudge Now to conclude and make an end I would exhort this gentlewoman and all others of her sect and opinion to take heed in the name of God how they resist the truth of God which in his great mercy hee hath reueiled vnto vs and that they doe not wilfully shut their eyes against it nor maintaine false and damnable doctrines which they bee neuer able by the word of God to defend Let them consider the grosse blindnesse and ignorance of former ages when such fables â—egâ—nd Festâ—ual c. and lies were published and preached as they be now ashamed of them and the booke of God was as good as lost the light thereof being kept vnder the bushell of a strange tongue by meanes whereof the people had no instruction nor comfort of it but sate in darkenesse and shadow of death were carried away after creatures and led after dum Idols as the Apostle sayth 1. Corr. 12. 2. Now is the word of God truely translated and sincerely preached the truth of God published and Popish heresies Ioh. 3. 19. effectually confuted and confounded Light is come into the world loue not darkenesse more then light We haue the Heauenly Manna of Gods holy word among vs bee not like the vnthankfull Isralites loathing the same and desiring to eate againe Onyons and Garlike in Aegipt But search diligently the holy scriptures make them the rule of your religion and line to leade your life by Proue all things hold that which is good and abstaine from all appearance of euill The God of all mercie roote 1. Thess 5. 21. out all errors and Herisies and giue free passage to his holy word lighten the eyes of the ignorant strengthen them that be weake treade downe sathan vnder our feete and giue vs grace to bee like minded one towards another according to Iesus Christ that with one minde and one mouth wee may glorifie God euen the Father of our Iesus Christ So be it Amen Amen I receiued aboue two yeares past out of Lankâ—shire this writing here following which I haue haue set downe in the same words forme and orthography as I receiued it and can yet shew it Thus it beginneth with this title Notes of dissention c. D. BVckley in answeare to the 12. articles c. fol. 17. 18. 19. noteth that the Waldenses Albingenses Boemia and many such other c. Were the true church of God were killed for the word of God and haue washed their roabes in the bloud of the Lambe and now haue beauty for asshes the oyle of ioy for mourning c. B. ante o. e. A. ante d. a. A. ante l. i. Vide Coupers Dixionary in these words Boemia Adamitae Albingenses Albanenses Boemia is a Realme called Beame inclosed with the bounds of Germany hauing on the East Hungary on the South Bauier on the West c. They vary from the Catholike faith in sundry opinions and do scorne aâ—l ceremonies In some places there the priuely obserue the sect of the Adamites and Waldenses the act of lechery whereof it is written in the words Adamitae c. 2 Adamitae or Adamiani were heretikes which tooke their beginning of a Piâ—ard who came into the Land of Bohemia And sayd that hee was the sonne of God and named himselfe Adam and hee commanded all men and women to goe naked and that whosoeuer desired to company carnally with any woman should take her by the hand and bring her to him and say that he feruently desired her company and then would Adam saie goe together and increase and multiplie This heresie began the yeare of our Lord 1412. in the time of Sigismundus the Emperour and men suppose that it dureth yet not only in Boemia but in other places also 3. Albingenses were the heretikes which began by Tolouse in Fraâ—ce the yeare of our Lord 120. which held the heresies of the Albanenses touching soule Baptisme God and the generall Resurrection Moreouer that it was not lawfull for the christian men to eate flesh 4. Albanenses were certaine Heretikes in the yeare of our Lord 1120. This sect held sundry heresies one was that the soule of man after his death was put into an other body an other that Baptisme was of no effect The third that there were two Gods one good and an other euill And that of the good proceeded good things and of the euill God euill things the 4. that in heil were none other paines then be in this world the 5. that the generall iudgement is past and that there is none to come the 6. that it is lawful for any man to sweare the 7. that man hath no free-will The 8. that the matter whereof the world was made was not made of God but is co-eternall with God the 9. that there is no originall sinne also that sinne commeth not of free-will but of the diueâ—l the 10. they denied that the body should eftsoones arise at the day of iudgement the 11. they abiected all the olde testament as a vaine thing and of none authoritie An Obiection SEe these seuerall opinions of two of your Doctors Buckley and Couper of the manner of beleefe of doctrine of the aboue named Martirs who Buckley pag. 18. saith haue washed their roabes in the bloud of the Lambe therefore iudge as to your owne selfe shall seeme best Begardy were women impeccabiles that is without sinne Buckley pag. 17 vide acts â—o
tom 2 and not able to proceed further in grace and that they neede neither praier nor fast nor bee subiect to law and carnall act no sinne hauing a desire thereto with other such like opinions Concilium viennense yet Martirs Iewell defence Apol. part 1. cap. 7. Diuision 3. speaking of the Albingenses saith of them we haue no skill they are none of ours But Maister Buckley doth say and hold that they were the true Church of God with much more pag. vt supra Therefore what godlines or goodnes maister Buckley hath red of them more then Iewell or Bishop Couper faine would I know vale in Christo I meane of the Albigenses and the rest Also D. Willet in his Trast pag. 113. of the latter editiâ—n calleth them heretikes I meane Begardy and D. Fulke answere to the Remis Rom. cap. 11. Sect. 3. commâ—ndeth the Waldenses c. Hitherto the words of the said paper which I receiued proceeding as it may seeme from some morrow masse-priest of more skill in his Portuise and masse-booke and better studied in Eliots and Coupers Dictonary then in other good authors The drift and scope thereof seemeth to be to shew a difference contradiction betwixt me and those reuerend and learned Bishops D. Couper and â—ewel for that I doe commend the Albigenses for faithfull and Godly men and holy Martiers and they in the opinion of this ignorant papist do seeme to mislike them I will first render â— reason of my good opinion conceiued of them and then I will indeuour to wipe away that fancie of contradiction which this man imagineth to bee be-twixt me and the forenamed reuerend and learned fathers I am mooued to thinke reuerently of that people called Albingenses and to commend them as witnesses of Gods truth First because the Pope of Rome whom wee Rad. Gualt Hom 5. de Antichri Lamb. Danaeus de Anticâ—ri Rob Abbot demonst de Antichristo D. Downam of Antichrist Gabr. Powel de Antichri Aduers haeres lib. 2. de commu here 's 7 Rob. Gaguin Hâ—sto lâ—b 6 Fascicul Temp fol. 77. Lib. 5. p. 458 charge to be the great Artichrist prophecied of by Saint Paule 2. Thess 2. and Saint Iohn in the Apocaplips of which imputation his followers and fauourers the Iebusites neither haue nor can discharge him did so cruellie persecute them and raise such bloudy warre against them Secondly for that it is certaine that these Albingenses so called of the countrie Albingens nere Tholosa where they inhabited as the Spanish frier Alphonsus de Castro writeth of them were the same which otherwise and els where were called Waldenses and Pauperes de Lugduno who were dispersed into sundrie countries as diuers Popish writers do confesse and hold the same doctrines that they did This is also confessed by that reuerend and learned maÌ„ Iacobus Aug. Thuanus praesident of the parliament of Paris in the first part of his excellent history And what their doctrines were none doth more effectually shew then doth Pope Pius the second in his History Aenaeas Siluy Histor Bohem. cap. 35. p. 103. of Bohemia attributing in these words these opinions vnto them That the Bishoppe of Rome is equall to other Bishops and Vide quoque Albert Krantii vandalia lib. 10. cap. 2. that there is no difference among Priests that not dignity but good life maketh a prasbiter or Priest the better that soules as soone as they depart out of the bodies be forthwith either cast into perpetuall paine or obtaine eternall ioy That no purgatory can be found that it is a vaine thing to pray for the dead and an inuention of couetous Priestes That the images of God and Saintes are to bee destroyed That the blessinge of water and palmes is to be derided That the orders of begging Freers were inuented by the diuell that Priests ought to be poore and be content onely with almes That the preaching of the word of God ought freely to be open to all That no capitall on great sinne ought to bee suffered for the auoyding of a greater euill That he which is guilty of deadly sin ought not to enioy either secullar or Ecclesiasticall dignity nor to be obeied That confirmation with oile extreame Vnction are not to be counted amongst the Sacraments of the Church That auricular confession is friuolous and that it is sufficient for men to confesse their sinnes vnto God in their chamber That baptisme is to be vsed in water without mixture of hollowed oile That the vse of Church-yardes was vaine and brought in for couetousnee sake and that it maketh noe matter with what earth mens bodies be couered That the world is the temple of God who is in al places that doe they restraine his maiesty which build Churches Monasteries and oratories as though his diuine goodnes and mercy were to be found sooner in them then in other places That the robes of Priests ornamentes of Altars palles Corporasses Chalices Patens and other vessels are of no valew That a Priest may in any place and at all times consecrat the holy body of Christ and minister it to them that doe require it that it is sufficient for him only to vse the sacrameÌ„tal words That the praiers of Saints raigning with Christ in heauen are in vaine prayed for and cannot helpe vs. That the time is euill spent in singing or saying Canonicall seruice or praiers That men ought to cease from their labours vpon no day but vpon that which is now called the Lords day and that the feastes of Saintes are to be reiected That there is no merit or goodnesse in the fastes which be appointed by the Church These be the doctrines which the Pope imputeth to the Waldenses Now when any of you shall effectually proue by the word of GOD the most and chiefe of these doctrines for some seeme to bee more hardly set downe by this their aduersary then they did meane them to be errours and heresies then I will confesse my selfe to haue beene deceiued and both the Waldenses and Albingenses to haue beene iustly reputed for heretikes And that the Albingenses ioyned with the Waldenses in these doctrines although it bee the harder to shew because it appeareth that the Pope and his followers were very carefull to suppresse their doctrines and to keepe them from the knowledge of the people as Robert Gaguine In Philip August Lib. 6. fol. â—04 the French historiographer sheweth in that no writer before his time which hee did know had committed them to writing for whereas saith he they call them haeretikes and doe declare that for that offence they were destroyed yet they haue lette passe to shew the kinde of their haeresie By this their polliticke concealing of their doctrines it seemeth that they did to neerely touch the Popes triple Crowne and too much did shake the cuppe of his abhominations where-with hee hath made Kinges and nations drunken Notwithstanding by some writers it appeareth what their doctrines
and Papistes thought well of Pope Formosus whome other Popes did malitiously and dispitefully vse being dead Some papists thought well of them that were called â—agellantes whome others condemned and punished for â—uill dooers Vide paralip Abbaâ— vâ—spâ—rg pag 369. Pope Alexander the 6. and others burned at Florence Hierom Saoaâ—orola whome both Phillip Comineus and Antonius Falminius accompted for a holy man â—aminius fine verses in commendation of him worthy to be reade Anno. 1497. I haue thought good to set downe Dum fâ—ra flamma tuos Hieroni me pascitur artus Religio sâ—nctas dilaniata câ—mas Fleuit â—t ô dixit crudeles parcite flammae parite sâ—nt isto viscera nostra rogo But to omit this I cannot omit to shew the grosse ignorance of this blinde Papist in saying that these Albingenses began by Tolousa in France the yeare of our Lord 120. I graunt that it is so in the said fiâ—st edition of Sir Thomas Eliotâ— Dictionary and continued in the other editions following But I cannot so much attribute so grosse an ouersight and error to Sir Thomas Eliot being a learned man as to the negligence â—ther of the writer or printer which faulte by them might easely be committed for whereas this number in the said first edition is set downe in these figures 120. they might easely omit the figure in the fourth place So that Maister Eliot setting iâ— downe 1120. they might either write or print 120. But this man of purpose alleaging it might if all his Historicall learning had not beene contained in the sad dictionary haue easely espied and amended this fault for most certaine it is that noe auncient writer neere an 120 yeares after Christ or diuers hundreth yeares after doth make any mention of a people called Albiâ—genses and noted for religon The first mention that I find of them or that this man with al his companions can shew is in the raigne Rob. Gâ—gâ—iâ— lâ—b 6. of Phillip surnamed Augustus King of France who entred into his Kingdome in the yeare of our Lord 1181. Matheus Bâ—roaldus atâ—rybuteth their time to the thirtieth yeare of the said King which was in the yeare 1210. and many popish writers declare that they were persecuted and destroyed by the procurement of Pope Innocent the third who entred into his Papacie in the yeare 1199. This I confesse that as the errours which the Albinggenses impugned and abhorred were not in the yeare of Christ 120. by the Diuell hatched and broched so the true doctrine which they maintained and for the same constantly suffered was then of the faithful professed and before by our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles published But that they were then knowne by this name none but such a blind buzard as this is would euer affirme And such blind guides they deserue to haue to be led by them vnto perdition that wilfully shutte their eyes against the light of Gods truth which might shine to their saluation if their eyes were open to see it their hearts to receiue and beleeue it Concerning them that were called Begardi to whome this man out of lying Prateolus and other mallicious enemies attributeth false and wicked opinions abhorred by vs I will shew what hath and doth moue me to thinke also of them as witnesses of GODS truth I doe nothing doubt but these called by some writers Begardi were the same which others do call Pychardâ— Now what opinions these Pychardâ— did hold Ioannes Slechta Kostelecius a learned Bohaemian and Papist declareth in an epistle to Erasmus in these words Tertia secta est eorum quos Inter epist Erasmus lib. 12. pag 464. scripta 10. Octob. 1519. vocaâ—t Pyghardos c. The third sect is of them whome they call Pyghardi so he writeth them who were so named of a Fugitiue of the same nation Picardie in France that comming hither about 97. yeares past when Iohn Zisca a sacriligeous wicked man made war against the So vntruly hee termeth him ecclesiastical persons and whole Clergie and spoiled their goods this man being ioined to him infected with pestiferous doctrines both the Captaine him-selfe and all the whole armie which he had gathered of theeues murthertherers So they call them but cannot so proue them outlawed and other dregges of wicked men which continued vnto the time of King Vladislaus who of late yeares died and vnder him greatly increased for he being King of Hungary and abiding there more then in Bohemia had small care what was done there so that al his subiects did liue in peace These men did accoumpt the Pope Cardinals Bishoppes and other Ecclesiasticall parsons for manifest Antichristes they called the Pope sometimes the beast and sometimes the whore spoken of in the Apocalips and that they doing all thinges against the Doctrine and tradition of Christ they could doe nothing of any authority or vertue in Gods seruice but that whatsoeuer proceeded from their seruice was neither holy nor sacramentes nor blessings but meere execrations abhominations and curses These men chuse for themselues for Bishops and Priestes Lay men rude and voyd of learning hauing wiues and children they call and salute one an other by the name of brothers and sisters They receiue onely the authority of the old and new Testament of the Scriptures They contemne all old and new Doctors nor attribute any thing to their doctrine Their Priestes when they say Masse doe it without any Priestly garments nor therein vse any praiers besides the Lords praier wherewith they consecrate the bread being leauened They beleeue almost little or nothing of the Sacraments of the Church They that receiue their heresie are caused to be rebaptized in simple water neither blessing salt nor water nor vsing any consecrate oyle They beleeue that the dâ—ity is not in the Sacrament of the Eucharist but affirme that ther is onely bread and wine consecrate representing by certaine sercet signes the death of Christ and that therefore all that bow their knees and kneele before it or worshippe it be Idolaters seeing that Sacrament was not ordained by Christ to any other end but to put vs in remembrance of his passion and not to be carried vp and downe hether and thether nor to be lifted vp of the Priest and shewed to the people because that Christ him-selfe who is to bee adored and worshipped with the worship of Latria sitteth at the right hand of the father as the Church of Christ confesseth in the Creed They accoumpt praiers to Saintes and for the dead to be a vaine and ridiculous thing in like manner Auriculare confession and penance inioyned by Priestes for sinne They affirme vigils and fastes to be but counterfeyt couerings of hypocrites and that the holy daies of the virgin Mary of the Apostles and other Saintes are but the inuention of idle parsons and they onely keepe the Lords daies and the feast of the Natiuitie of Christ of Easter and Whitsontide c. Hetherto the words of
in our writings auoyding all curious questions and intricate and needlesse distinctions we appeale to the consciences of al that reade and heare vs. As touching your method concerning errours in doctrine and inordinate affections in manners if you can proue that our wits be inueigled with them and our liues stained with these more then wee can prooue euen your holy Fathers the Popes forsooth Peters successors and Christes vicars haue beene you shall winne the victorie You seeme to attribute too much to our very naturall faculties to the iudging and discerning of truth proposed not considering the corruption of our naturall faculties by sinne how both the minde is blinded and the will peruerted Our Sauiour Christ saith The light shineth in darkenesse and the darkenesse Iohn 1. 5. 1. Cor. 2. 14. comprehendeth it not Saitn Paul saith that animalis homo the naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of GOD for they are foolishnes vnto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned But of this I forbeare to speake any more and also will leaue the other wast words in your letter and doe come vnto your articles of faith The Pamphlet The first article concerning knowledge and faith The Protestants haue no faith nor Religion THe Protestants haue no faith no hope no charitie no repentance no iustification no Church no alter no sacrifice no Priest no Religion no Christ the reason is for if they haue then the world was without them for a thousand yeeres as they themselues must needes confesse videlicet all the time their Church was eclipsed and 1500. as we will prooue by all records of antiquitie as Histories Councels monuments of ancient Fathers Whereby it plainely appeareth that the synagogue of the Iewes was more constant in continuance more ample for place then the Church of Christ For the haue had their sinagogue visible in diuers countries euer since Christs death and passion euen vntill this day which is the very path to lead men into Atheisme as though Christ were not as yet come into the world a Isa 60. 11. whose admirable promises are not accomplished b Math 16 18. whose assistance hath failed in preseruing his Church vnto the worlds end whose presence was absent many hundred yeeres before â— cap 28 20. the finall consumation and consequenetly they open the gap to all Machiuillians who say that our Sauiour was one of the deceiuers of the world promising so much concerning his Church and performing so little Answer LOoking in this first article to haue found a syllogisme which this worthy writer vseth in some articles following but heere for want of a good medium as it may seeme to frame one by hath omitted I found a false assertion and a foolish probation The assertion that we haue no faith Haue we no faith The Deuils haue some faith Saint Iames saith The Deuills beleeue tremble and haue wee no faith wee are much beholden Iaâ— 2 19. vnto you for your charitable opinion of vs. You are by the doctrine of Saint Paule not to thinke so euill but to 1 Cor. 13. 7. hope the best of them that professe Iesus Christ and his holy Gospell But to this your false and slaunderous assertion I will oppose a true affirmation and confession Wee beleeue all that God hath deliuered to vs by Moses the Faith Prophets and Apostles in the old and new Testament yea we beleeue the contents of the Creeds of the Apostles Nicene Athanasius and yet haue we no faith Wee hope Hope to passe hereafter from death vnto life and to bee partakers of that kingdome of glory which God hath promised and Iesus Christ hath purchased for all those that truly beleeue in him We trust that we haue Charitie loue both towards God and man although wee confesse not in such Charitâ—e full and perfect measure as wee ought to haue Wee with Saint Iohn say Hee that loueth not his brother abideth in 1. Iohn 3 14. death Wee acknowledge repentance to bee one of those Repentance chiefe heads wherein the summe of Christianity is comprised Saint Marke setting forth the summe and substance of Christes doctrine comprehendeth it in these two Repent Marke 1 16. Acts 20 21. and beleeue the Gospell so did saint Paule witnes sing both to the Iewes and to the Grecians the repentance towards GGD and faith towards our Lord Iesus Christ We beleeue to be iustified not by our owne works of righteousnes which wee vnprofitable seruants and prodigall Iustification Luke 17. 10. 15. 21. children haue done nor by the merits of any Saints in heauen or in earth but by the mercies of God purchased vnto vs by the blessed and bloudy merits of Iesus Christ and applied vnto our soules by the band of faith by the John 3. 36. Rom. 3. 25. 4. 5. Ephes 2. 8. Ephes 3. 17. Church which Christ doth dwell in our hearts and is made ours We beleeue that wee are true members of that holy Catholike Church which is Christes misticall body and whereof hee is the head which is the spouse and hee the bridegroome which is his flocke and he the shepeard which is the heauenly Hierusalem the Mother of vs all Galath 4. 26 finally which is the number of Gods elect and chosen people that shall rest with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Math. 8. 11 Kingdome of Heauen And wee know that wee 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 Indeed wee haue no Idolatrous Alters to offer either carnall or externall sacrifices vpon as though Altars Christs sweet smelling sacrifice were not yet offered but wee haue Mensam Domini the Lords Table where-vpon we minister the Supper of Christ which is a holy Sacrament 1. Cor. 10. 21. 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 Wee haue that sweete smelling and sufficient Sacrifice which Iesus Christ by his eternall spirit offered without fault vnto GOD to purge Sacrifice Hebre. 9. 14. 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 wee deny and defie We haue no shauen nor greased Priests to offer the Priests said false and forged sacrifice of the Masse but wee haue priests pastours or ministers how-so-euer wee 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 Religion Rom. 3. the law and prophets