commit the chiefe charge and supreme gouernment of his Church c. Is altogither vnnecessarie for neuer did any of that sorte affirme that to bée true Wée doo all know that our Sauiour Christ did not call Emperours Kings Quéenes nor Princes to make them his messengers or Apostles but he called Fisher men and such other and made them able and méete to doo his message euen to Princes and Emperours and to all other the greatest personages in the world As saint Paule writeth 1. Cor. 1. 1 Cor 1 Quae stulta sunt mundi elegâ— Deus vt confundat sapientes c. God hath chosen the foolish things of the world that hée might confounde the wise and God chose the weake things of the world to confounde the stronge and the base and dispised thinges of the world hath God chosen yea and those thinges that bée not that hée might destroy those thinges that bée Yea and wée doo know that God did not prepare the hearts of the Princes and chiefe men of the world to receiue the doctrine of the gospell with the first so that the Apostle Paule had occasion to write thus to the same Corinthians 1. Cor. 1. 1 Cor 1 Videte vocationem vestram c. Brethren consider your calling for there are not amongst you many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many of noble Parentage c. Yea in the daies wherein Saint Augustin cliued which was 400. yéeres after the ascention of our sauiour Christ it séemed a strange thing euen in the City of Rome that any man of any account in the world would become a Christian man For when Victorinus a famous Rhethorician in that City would professe the Religion of Christ and be baptized hée did it as Saint Augustine hath written Confessionum lib. 8. cap. 2. Mirante Roma gauâ—â—nte Ecclesia August lib 8 Cap 2 Rome meruelling and the Church of Christ in Rome reioyceing There is therefore no cause why you shoulde require the learned Protestant to prooue by plain Scriptures that our Sauiour Christ did commit the chiefe charge and supreme gouernment of his Church to Emperors c. But this the Protestants doo hold and are able to prooue by plaine places of the Scriptures that Emperors Kings Quéenes Princes Dukes and all other Potentates are the supreme gouernours of those peoples ouer whom God hath placed them whether the same people bée by profession Christians or Miscreants Yea and that the chiefe charge that euery of these Potentates haue from God is that they shall in their owne persons walke in the Lordes wayes and leade their people in the same And for that cause they are in the Scriptures called Pastores that is Shéepeheards as in the 44. Cha. of his Prophecies Esay 44 Esaie speaking in the person of God saith Qui dico Cyro Pastor meus 〈◊〉 omnem voluntatem meam complebis That is Which doo say vnto Cyrus thou arte my Shéepeheard and thou shalt fulfill all my will Cyrus was an Heathen prince and yet the Lord calleth him his Shéepeheard and commaundeth him to fulfill all his will and pleasure King Dauid being a Shéepheard in déede was taken from the Shéepefold and made king ouer all Israell that hée might féede that people of the Lord euen as a Shéepeheard féedeth his flocke And hée did rule them prudently with all his possible powre Psal 78. Psalm 78 And that these Potentates might bée able to discharge that duety that the Lord God hath appointed them to doo hée hath giuen vnto them the powre of the Sword as in the 13. Rom 13. Chapter to the Romaines it appeareth Principes saith Saint Paule non sunt timori boni operis sed mali c. Princes are not to bée feared of them that doo well but of them that doo euill Wilt thou bée without feare of the Potentate Doo well and thou shalt bée praised of him For hée is Gods minister to doo the good But if thou doo euill then feare him for hée beareth not a Sword for nought Hée is Gods minister to take vengeance on him that dooth euill c. At that time wherein the Apostle wrote those woordes to the Romaines there was not one Christian Prince as it may bée thought in all the world And yet hée dooth certifie the Romaines that euen those heathen Princes were ordained of GOD for the benefit of Christians as of all other sortes of men that world bend them selues to walke in hys wayes and not contynue in ignoraunce of lyfe And for the punishment of all such as should giue them selues to leade a dissolute life Yea and it belonged to the office euen of those Princes not onely to vse the powre of the Sword in defending Innocents and in punishing wicked doers but also to set foorth aduaunce and maintaine right and true Religion as in the holy Histories it dooth appeare that they did as often as by any occasion their hearts were touched with the feare of GOD As Darius the Persian Emperour when hee had séene the mighty powre of GOD in preseruing Daniell in the Lyons den did hee not write immediately to all his subiects commaunding them to feare to stand in awe of Daniels God confessing him to be the lyuing and euerlasting God that his kingdome powre is euerlasting and that it is hée that deliuereth and saueth worketh woonders both in Heauen in Earth Daniel 6. Daniel 6. The same Darius as it appeareth in the sixt Chapter of the first booke of Esdras coÌ„maunded that the Temple in Hierusalem which had bin destroyed by the Babylonians should bée reedified as king Cyrus had commaunded and that it should bée furnished with all things necessary and meete for the seruice of God 1. Esdras 1. 6. 1. Esd 1. 6 And amongst the good kings of Israell and Iuda Dauid not without a secret motion from God I am sure did cause the Arke of Gods couenant to bée brought to Hierusalem and placed in a Tabernacle which hée had prepared for it there yea and in his owne person hée vsed all such behauiour as might tend to the setting foorth of the glorie of God and abase him selfe in the sight of God and at his owne charges hée caused much sacrifice to bée offered to the Lord and afterward hée blessed the people of the Lord and gaue rewards of meate drinke to euery one of them as well the women as the men As appeareth in the sixt Chapter of the second booke of Samuell which you call the second of the kings 2. Reg. 6 And I pray you good M. Offerer who was hée whom God appointed to build his Temple in Hierusalem was it not Salomon the king And did not hée builde it in déed and furnish it according as the Lord had coÌ„maunded him Tertij Reg. 5. c. And who reformed Religion destroied the Idols that king Achas had caused to bee set vp in the Temple was it
but wee doo alwaies make one and the same sacrifice but wee doo rather worke the remembrance of a sacrifice Except our Aduersaries haue vtterly lost the vse of Reason they must needes see that Chrysostomes meaning was to teach that it is not the holy Eucharist but the death and passion of Christ whereof the Eucharist is a remembraunce that is the sacrifice propitiatorie whereby our sinnes are taken away Euen in the iudgement of Chrysostome therefore the Masse which you call blessed is in deede curssed bicause it is derogatory to the office of Christ Iesus whose comming into this worlde was to saue sinners And hee onely it is that hath saued his people from their sinns by making a sacrifice of him selfe once for all By which one sacrifice once made hee hath made perfect as many and bee made holie that is all the Elected and chosen children of God So that now there is no more sacrifice for sinne Hebr 10. As the Apostle hath written to the Hebrews Chapter 10. But what should I make any more to doo about this matter sith the Scripture is plaine on our side Sit Deus verax Psalm 116. omnis autem homo mendax Let GOD the author of the scriptures bée true and euery man a liar Now the last point of doctrine that you charge the Protestants with is the abolishing of Christes sacraments of all the graces and goodnesse by them conferred vnto vs. To this I say that no learned Protestant either hath doth or will abolish or consent to the abolishing of any one sacrament that our sauiour Christ hath instituted or of any grace or goodnes cōferred to vs by them Wée confesse with S. Augustine Ad Ianuarium Epist. 118. August ad Ianuarium 118. that our sauiour Christ hath instituted verie fewe sacraments and that the same are verie effectuall as is Baptisme and the Communion of the bodie and blood of our sauiour Christ These two sacraments wee acknowledge to bee instituted by our sauiour Christ as sacraments that is outward and visible signes representing inward inuisible and spirituall graces In Baptisme the outward and visible signe is water and the inward inuisible and spirituall grace is forgiuenes of sinnes and regeneration or new byrth both which we haue by the death and resurrection of Christ and in that sacrament wee receiue a seale and pledge of the same Yea and where wee are by nature the children of Gods wrath wee are by Baptisme receiued into the church and assured that wee are now the children of God ioyned and graffed into the bodie of Christ and are become his members and that wee doo grow into one bodie with him Yea and being assured that Gods couenant and promise made to faithfull Abraham and to his seede belongeth to vs and to our seede bicause belieuing in Christ wee bee the spirituall posteritie of Abraham wée are bould to baptise our children as fellow members togither with vs of the same mystical bodie of Christ that it hath pleased our heauenly Father to make vs members of And when they bee able to learne wee doo teach them to belieue and acknowledge that they bee so and to endeuour in their life to expresse that duetie both to God and man which was at their baptisme professed and promised In the other sacrament which we doo commonly call the Lords supper the outward and visible signe is breade and wine both which wee doo according to Christes commaundement receiue For hee hath said Take eate this is my bodie and drinke yee all of this for this is the Cup of the new testament in my blood c. And wee are assured by Faith that as wee doo receiue the breade and wine into our mouthes and stomacks euen so wee doo by faith receiue into our soules the very body and blood of Chryst that heauenly foode whereby our soules are refreshed and fed vnto euerlasting life And this bodie blood of Christ are the heauenly parte of this sacrament remooued from all outward senses But wée doo not belieue as you popish Catholiques would haue vs belieue that the substance of the bread and wine in this sacrament is turned into the substance of the bodie and blood of Christ for so it could not bee a sacrament which must haue in it both an outward and visible signe and an inward inuisible grace Wherefore the bread and wine must remaine in their natures and properties Neither doo wée belieue that this sacrament was ordeined to bee a sacrifice to God the father for the remission of sinnes for wee know that onely Christ Iesus hath bin and is able and worthy to offer sacrifice for the deliuerance of mankinde from sinne And that hee hath by that sacrifice that hee made of himselfe once for all fully satisfied for the sinnes of the whole world and hath left nothing for vs to doo but firmely to fixe our faith in him and thankefully to take the vse of this eternall sacrifice which wee chiefly doo when wee come worthely to the Lords table bee partakers of that holy sacrament Now if you thinke that I haue doone that which you required the learned Protestant to doo then shame not to yeelde and recant and bee no longer an obstinate and wilfull blinde popish Catholique which is an Antichristian schismaticke But bee a tractable and an obedient Scholler of Christ Iesus hearkening to and belieuing the gospell of Christ which is the glad tidings of free pardon and full forgiuenes of all our sinnes by the merites and mediation of our onely Lord and sauiour Iesus Christ protesting to hold euerie gospell that is contrary to this Gospell accursed as saint Paule willed the Galathians to doo So shall you bee a right Catholique Christian holding and professing that Catholique faith which Christ himselfe commanded his messengers to teach Catholiquely when hee sayde thus Euntes in mundum vniuersum docete omnes gentes baptizantes eos in nomine patris Math. 28. filij spiritus sancti c. Going into all the world teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the father of the sonne and of the holy ghost teaching them to obserue all those things that I haue commaunded you This is the Catholique doctrine that wee haue heard and learned and doo belieue it By hearing this woord of the gospell or glad tidings of free pardon and forgiuenesse of sinnes our God hath wrought in vs such an assurance of Saluation that wee doubt nothing thereof And this assuraunce woorketh in vs an vnfayned loue towards him that hath adopted predestinated and called vs to bee meete Images of his sonne and one of vs towards another although not in such perfection as hee hath loued vs and as hée commaundeth vs to loue one another yet in some measure and in such measure as hee in mercie alloweth of Wee protest therefore that wee will hold this faith and still craue the encrease of this faith and that wée may grow ritch in
those workes that our Lord the hath made vs redéemed vs consecrated vs to his own seruice hath prepared for vs to walke in As for workes diuised by men wee esteeme of them as wee finde them If wee sée that they bend to the setting foorth of Gods glory in our edification wee vse them otherwise wee refuse them But the workes that God hath commaunded wee are carefull to doo And when by the infirmitie and corruption of our nature wee stumble and fall wée crie vnto our mercifull father for help as being assured that hee heareth vs and in tender affection towards vs will help vs yea though hee doo for a time suffer vs to lie vnder that too too heauie burthen of sinne vnder which wée are fallen by infirmitie Wee seeke not to our fellow seruants as to Angels or men much lesse to Antichrist the professed enimie of our Christ and sauiour Wee trust not in our owne strength nor in any merites that may bée in vs but wée trust in our God and our onely sauiour Iesus Christ And when wee haue walked vpright and haue done that which wee are commaunded to doo wee say as our Sauiour hath taught vs to say wee are vnprofitable bond slaues wee haue done nothing but that which of duetie wee ought to doo But now let vs sée the second offer that our Offerer maketh The second offer The Offerer Second Christ his Catholique Church being on this wise planted by the Apostles and Disciples of Christ by Bishops and Priests the successors of them had at all times a speciall care and regarde not onely of preaching Gods word but also of the preseruation of the same woord and gospell by writing of the sacred Bible and holy scriptures and did discerne and iudge them from all other writings prophane or authentique of all sortes What Church hath had from time to time the custodie of the sacred scriptures and most safely hath preserued them for the necessarie foode of Gods people and from the corruption of the aduersaries as well Iewes and Gentiles as schismatikes and heretikes of all sorts but onely the common knowne Catholiquâ— Church of Christ When therefore the learned Protestants shal be able to bring proofe to the contrarie that their priuate conuenticles and Congregations were the first bringers forth of this sacred Bible and word of God written the chiefe preseruers and defenders of the same in all times and ages from all Iewes Gentiles betikes and schismatikes then will I as I sayd before reuolt and recant Crowley In this his second Offer the Offerer vseth a fallace or disceit which in reasoning is called Petitio principij That is hee laboureth to confirme his assertion wherein there is no certenty by that wherein there is as litle or lesse certenty then in that assertion that hee holdeth And yet hee setteth a face vpon it as though nothing were or could bee more certaine then both the assertion and that whereby hée would prooue it bee His assertion is that the Church of Rome which he calleth Catholique is and euer hath bin from time to time the conseruer and kéeper of the sacred scriptures and this hee would prooue by another like assertion that is that the same Church was the first Preacher and Writer of the same scripture which hée calleth the sacred Bible and holy scriptures When the vnlearned Reader considereth this assertion hée is brought into such a maze that hee knoweth not which way to take For this Offerer would beare him in hand that the sacred Bible which containeth those bookes that are called the old Testament were neuer written before the church which he calleth Catholike did take in haÌ„d to write them Where as in very déede some of those bookes were written before the first foundation of Rome was layde Yea hee would that men should thinke that that Romish Church which hée calleth Catholique is the same that was first planted amongst the Nations of the worlde by the preaching of the gospell amongst them Which preaching began at Hierusalem sprang from thence as from a most plentifull Fountaine and was by the labour and trauell of the Apostles and Disciples of our sauiour Christ in preaching the gospell speedily spred ouer all the worlde And that it was this Romish Church that did first wryte the Gospels and other bookes of the new Testament and hath discerned of those bookes that are accounted for holy scripture and hath seuered them from all other writinges what so euer and hath preserued them from all corruption c. But such as bee learned doo know that all the bookes of the old Testament commonly called the Bible were written before the Incarnation of our sauiour Christ and therefore before any such Church as this Offerer imagineth the Romish Catholique Church to bée could haue any being Our Sauiour him selfe hath sayd Iohn 5. Iohn 5. Scrutamini scripturas c. Serch the Scriptures for you think to haue euerlasting life in them And those scriptures bée they that doo giue testimonie of mee And againe the Euangelist Luke saith thus Chapt. 24. Et incipiens a Mose Luc 24. omnibus Prophetis c. And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets hee did interpret vnto them all the scriptures which were written concerning him Saint Peter also saith thus Act. 3. Act 3. Et omnes Prophetae a Samuele c. And all the Prophets from Samuel forward euen as many as haue spoken haue made mention of these daies yea and saint Paule in that Epistle that hée directed to those Romaines that were the first Christians in Rome Rom 15. wryteth thus Quaecunque enâ—m scripta sunt c. What so euer things haue bin setdowne in writing haue bin written for our learning that through patience and consolation of the scriptures wée might conceiue hope And to Timoth. 2. Timoth. 3. 2. Timot. 3. Saint Paule saith thus Omnis scriptura diuinitus inspirata vtilis est c. Euerie scripture giuen dy diuine inspiration is profitable for teaching for reproouing for rebuking for instructing c. By all these places of scripture it appeareth plainely that the sacred Bible was written before the Romish Catholique Church had hir beginning and therefore coulde not bée first written by that Church as this Offerer laboureth to perswade that it was Yea and the bookes of the new testament were written by the Euangelists and Apostles and not by any such Bishops and Priests as this Offerer would haue vs think to bée the immediate successors of the Apostles and Disciples of our sauiour Christ and to bée the Bishops Priests of the City of Rome For when saint Paule being in prison at Rome wrote his second Epistle to Timothie there were no such Bishops or Priestes there as might worthyly bee taken for Christians For thus dooth S. Paule write In prima mea defensione nemo mihi affuit c. In my first defence 2. Timot. 4. there was not one man that
euen so did they 1. Ti. 2 1. Timot. 2. we beléeue that Christ Iesus hath taken vpon him selfe all our infirmities that the correction that was due to our sins is fallen vpon him and that by those wounds that he suffered we are made whole and so did they Es 53. Esay 53. We beléeue that Christ Iesus is that Lambe of God that hath taken awâ—y the sins of the world and so did they Ioh. 1. 1. Iohn 1. We beléeue that he is that son of the blessed virgin Mary whom the Angel named before he was borne saying to Ioseph his supposed father thou shalt call his name Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sins Mat 1 Math. 1. and so did they We doo beléeue that it is he that is our high Préest that he is entred into the holiest place of the tabernacle not made with handes and hath made there a sacrifice not of straying blood as of a Calfe or of a Goate but of his own heart blood hath thereby obtained vs eternall redemption Hebr 9 Heb. 9. and euen so dyd they We doo beléeue that Christ Iesus hath by that one oblation made of him selfe once offered made perfect as many as be made holy that is all the elected people of God and that he hath thereby so satisfied to God for the sins of all such that they shall neuer be charged with their sins any more and that where there is remission of sins theris no more sacrifice to be offered for sin Heb. 10. Hebr 10. euen so did they We know and confesse that our duty is to be as careful as possibly we may to liue with our sin and that when by infirmity of our nature we do sin we haue an aduocate with God the father which is Iesus Christ the righteous and that he is the propitiation for our sins 1 Io 2 1 Iohn 2. and euen so did they To be bréefe we differ not from theÌ„ neither did they differ from vs in any one point of the substance of faith And where as the Offerer saith that those holy Martirs c. were not of our religion I am sure that we doo hold professe that religion Iacob 1. that S. Iames dooth call pure vndefiled before God the father which is to visite the fatherlesse and widdowe in their tribulation for a man to kéepe himself vnspotted of this world And I thinke that M. Offerer will not deny that the holy martirs the rest that he speketh of did hold professe the same religion And how can he then say that they were not of the Protestantes religion If the Offerer will say that those Martirs c. did obserue and kéepe the religion and did performe in déede that which they did professe so that they were in déede vnspotted of thys world which none of vs dooth then I must say that they all did say as all we doo say as the Prophet Dauid hath written Psa 143. Psa 143 Esay 64 Lord enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for no flesh is righteous in thy sight And as the Prophet Esay hath written Cha. 64. Al our righteousnesses 1 Iohn 1 are euen like vnto a filthy cloath And as the Apostle Iohn hath wrytten 1. Epist 1. If wée shall say that we haue no sinne wée shall desceiue our selfe and there is no trueth in vs. And where as the Offerer hath termed his virgins pure and innocent I thinke he wold haue sayd immaculate for that is an Epithiton méeter for a virgin then innocent is I am sure that none of them was either pure or innocent of them selfe neither did they account them selfe so to be but being washed in the fountaine of water by the worde of lyfe they were members of that glorious Church that in Christ is purged and made so cleane that in it is neyther spot nor wrincle or any such thing but in him al those Martyrs confessours virgins and we also that doo beléeue as they dyd are holy and vnblameable haue in vs no spot of sin Ep 5. Ephe 5. For Christ Iesus hath washed vs in the sope of his owne hart blood and made vs as white as the most white woole yea and as shining white as the snowe We therfore with the Martirs confessors and virgins that you speake of are the virgins that doo and for euer shall accompanie the Lambe Christ vpon the Mount Sion Apo 14. Apoc 14. As for your approouing and cannonizing of these Martirs c. Whereby you haue made them saintes after they were departed out of this lyfe it may well be compared to the building and garnishing of the Tombes of the Prophets by the Scribes and Phariseis Math 23. Math. 23. For although you pretende to haue a reuerend care for the kéeping of the worthy and valiant acts of those Martirs in remembrance yet you doo daily murder as many of that sorte of men as God wyll suffer you to haue power ouer and so you shew your selues to be the children of those bloody Tyrants that murdered those Martyrs that you speake of I thinke you can not but see now that all the thousandes of Martyrs confessors and virgins that were brought forth in the first sixe hundreth yéeres next after the ascention of our Sauiour Christ were the children of that Mother the holy Catholique Church of Christ that hath brought foorth and nourished vp vs whome you call Schismatickes and Heretickes But now I pray you good M. Offerer let mee learne of you the name of one Martir that your mother the Popish Catholique Church hath brought forth since the dayes of Boniface the thyrd which was the time wherein your Apostacie beganne I thinke you can not name me one Martyr that hath béene brought foorth by that mother of yours in all that time which is almost the space of a thousande yéeres Not one I am sure of all your Popes that haue succéeded that Bonifacius hath béene made a Martyr excepte you account for martirdome the poisoning of some of them which hath béene doone by some such as themselues that haue hasted to be in theyr place And the rest of the Children of that mother haue béene whelpes of the same heare namely blood thirstie bloodhoundes and bloody Butthers Curres Yea it appeareth manifestly that the whole state of your Popish Catholique Church hath béene and still is none other thing but that which was figured by that two horned Beast that rose out of the earth of whom mencion is made in the 13. Chap of the Reuelations So that Apoc 13 this mother of yours neither hath nor dooth bring foorth Martirs but hath dooth make Martyrs whom the holy Catholique Church of Christ our mother hath and dooth daily bring foorth and nourishe vp For whosoeuer in all this time hath refused to worship the image of the Beast which is the estate of the Romish Papacie hath dyed for
vpon hir the title of Antichrist which was in the dayes of Phocas the Emperor at whose hands Bonifacius obtained the prophane title of vniuersall bishop whereof Gregorie the first surnamed the great writeth thus Grego Epi. 66. Epist 66. ad Mauricium imperatorem Sed absit a cordibus christianorum nomen istud blasphemiae in quo omnium sacerdotum honor adimitur dum ab vno sibi dâ—mâ—nter arrogatur But let this name of blasphemie bee far from christian hearts wherein the honor of all Priests is taken away whils one Priest dooth like a mad man arrogate the same vnto him selfe And againe Episto 68. Grego Epi. 68. Ad Iohn Episc Constantinopol Tu quid Christo vniuersalis scilicet Ecclesiae capiti in extremi iudicij es dicturus examine qui cuncta eius membra tibimet conaris vniuersalis appellatione supponere What wilt thou say vnto Christ that is to the head of the vniuersall Church saith Gregorie to Iohn bishop of Constantinople in the triall of the last iudgement which doost by the name of vniuersall goe about to make subiect vnto thy selfe all his members who can write or speake more plainely in this matter then this Gregorie hath written both to Mauricius the Emperour and to Iohn Bishop of Constantinople I hope therefore you will take this for a stayed certaine tale and bée therewith satisfied Considering that after Constantine the first christened Emperor had endued the Church with some possessions and so poysoned the Church as by a voice that was heard from heauen it was signified which voice vttered this speach Hodie datum est venenum in Ecclesiam This day is the Church poysoned that poyson did not presently worke the effect but by litle and litle So that the change from the Protestants religion to Poperie was not sodaine although meruailous but brought to passe by leysure and yet with as much spéede as the Dragon could by his members and ministers bring it to passe As for gainesayers it lacked none amongst whom I thinke you will allowe Gregorie the first to bee one of the chiefest Now therefore I require your promise which is to recant and yéelde although you haue hitherto refused so to doo The eleuenth Offer Offerer Let the learned Protestant shew me what order of seruice or coÌ„mon prayer what order of ministration of sacraments their Church had before Papistrie as they call it preuailed in the world Let him shew mee one booke or copie of any communion or what els you list that was in English or in any vulgar or coÌ„mon tongue beside the Hebrew Greeke and Latine or that lacked prayer for the foules departed or inuocation to saints or sacrifice for the sinnes both of the quicke and the dead or that charged a number to receiue with the priest or that he could not els consecrate or say Masse receiuing alone or that the people should take the sacrament for bread and wine and not for the reall body blood of Christ or that they should giue no honor to it or not reserue the same for the comfort of the sicke and diseased people or that denied extreme vnction with the rest of the sacraments to bee behoufull or necessarie for them let the learned Protestant bring forth and shew such a communion booke or any leafe line or word of any such doctrine or any Church or congregatition that euer had authenticall seruice or ministration of the sacraments other then that which is yet daily and o-openly practized in the common knowne Catholique church of Christ and I shall then recant and not before Crowley It séemeth by this Offer that this Offerer and his fellowes are perswaded that what soeuer is now openly practized in the popish diuine seruice and ministration of sacraments hath bin so openly practized as now it is euen euer since the Church of Christ was first planted in the City of Rome Which is a wronge persuasion For the greatest number of the ceremonies yea well nigh all that are now vsed in that ministration haue bin diuised since the ende of the first 300. yéeres as by their owne Hystories it dooth most plainly appeere I will therefore answere this offer with another not much vnlike to this and thus I say Let this Offerer shew mée what order of seruice or common praier what order of ministration of sacraments the Church had before the end of the first 300. yéeres Let him shew mée one booke or copy of any communion or what els you list that was in Hebrew Gréeke Latine or in any other language that had in it prayer for the soules departed or inuocation to saints or sacrifice for the quicke and the deade or that did not coÌ„mand a number to receiue with the priest or that did teach the people not to take the sacrament for breade and wine but for the reall body and blood of Christ or that they shoulde giue honor to the outwarde sacrament or that they should reserue it for the sicke diseased people or that taught extreme vnction Confirmation Order Penance and Matrimony to bée Sacraments behooufull or necessarie for Christians let this learned Offerer bringe foorth and shew such a communion booke or any leafe line or word of any such doctrine or any Church or congregation that euer had any such authenticall seruice or ministration of sacraments as is now openly practized in the coÌ„monly knowne popish Catholique church before the ende of the first 300. yeeres And then will I recant and bée a Papist as this Offerer is and not before I thinke I haue offered you faire play If you like the offer take it I will not flée from it If not for shame bragge no more of the antiquitie of your authentike seruice that is now practized in your Antichristian Catholike church But recant as you haue promised The first bishop of Rome that was bolde to diuise any thing to bée added to that which the Apostles vsed in the ministration of the Lords supper was Alexander the first And what did hée Platina saith that this man added Qui pridem quam pateretur vsque ad hanc clausulam hoc est Corpus meum Which is thus in English Which a day before hee suffered euen vnto this clause This is my body And Platina saith that Alexander did this that there might bee a remembrance of the passion of Christ Hée deuised also the making of holy water the vse whereof was to driue diuells out of Temples and chambers He ordained also that water should bée mixed with the wine in the ministration of the Sacrament and that the breade should not bée leauened but vnleauened to take away the occasion that the Ebionits tooke to finde fault in that behalfe Thus much writeth Platina in vita Alexandri primi This Alezander was the sixt bishop of Rome after Peter Plantina in vita Alexandri primi if Platina haue written truly and was made bishop in the yéere 110. after the incarnation of our sauiour
whom Volateran saith that hee was Vir plane probrosus infamis A man altogither worthy of reproches and euill reports and infamous And Platina saith that after his death hee was séene in an horrible shape and that hee said thus Iusto Dei iudicio damnatus sum quia sine lege vixi I am damned euen by the iust iudgement of God bicause I liued without law These gouerned your church one of them nine yeeres another foure yeeres and the third fifteene yeeres Now if that did saying bee true as in very déede it is alwaies founde to true Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis the whole world doo frame them selues after the example of the Ruler how could it otherwise bée but that in the daies wherein those men ruled your church you had great plenty of such men as they were But you will say this is not to be ascribed to the religion but to the persons that professed the religion Well then I hope you will be contented that we doo say that the falts wherewith you doo charge our religion are the falts of such persons as professing our religion be of no religion and are not to be imputed to our religion but to those irreligious persons Wee wish after and seeke for concord in true Catholike religion wée detest and abhorre licentiousnes of life Wée â—raue and beg both of God and of men the reuiuing of that discipline that God him selfe commaunded to bee exercised by his people Wée embrace true and vnfained repentance which is as Dauid teacheth Psal 34. Psalm 34. to turne away from euill and to doo the thing that is good We loue and practize true fasting such as Esay the prophet requireth in the people of God Esay 58. Esay 58. which consisteth in mercifull dealinge towards such as bee in our daunger and in mercifull relieuing of such as doo lake thinges necessarie that wee are able to help them to Wée call vpon God for encrease of zeale deuotion grounded vpon knowledge Wée obay all Magistrats in the Lord for the Lord. But how standeth your religion with obedience to magistrats when you dare assure them of euerlasting life that will enterprize to murther a prince as bisides your practizes of olde whereof wée reade in histories you did of late assure him that murthered the Prince of Orendge and such as should haue murthered our soueraigne Lady that now raigneth ouer vs Yea that Bull that Felton fixed to the bishop of Londons gate dooth make it manifest what obedience men of your minde doo vse to shew vnto Magistrats Sacriledge wée doo detest but you haue taught our Patrons Princes to rob churches and parishes of tythes and so consequently of the foode of the soule by due administration of the woord and sacraments and of the relife of the poore by liberall hospitalitie Apostacie wée leaue to men of your sort which are fallen away from the auncient true and Apostolike catholike church of Christ and doo obstinatly stand in defence of that schimne that you are fallen into notwithstanding that your falling away is made as manifest vnto all men as those things are that lie open in the cleare light of the day We are carefull to kéepe and performe that vowe that was made in our names when wée were baptized but if any of vs haue made an vnlawfull or a rash vow the performance whereof should tend to the dishonoring or displeasing of God any way wée doo earnestly repent that euer we made such a vow choosing rather to stand to the mercie of God in not performing such a rash and wicked vow then to commit greater wickednes in the perfourming thereof as Herod did in cutting of the head of Iohn Baptist Math. 14. Mat 14. As for vnlawfull lusts and wantonnes of lyfe maners wée doo flée from as it is seemely for Christians Wée haue learned to possesse our vessells that is our bodies in holines and in honor Which in déede many of vs coulde not doo without that remedie that God him selfe hath appointed which is honorable and holy Matrimony Heb. 13. Hebr 13. Such therfore amongst vs as otherwise can not haue chast mindes in chaste bodies doo choose to liue with chaste wiues in chaste marriage for we haue learned that it is better to marrie then to burne 1. Cor. 7. 1. Cor. 7. And wée know what saint Paule hath written to the Ephes concerning the dealing of some of your sort Ephes 5. Ephe 5. It is a shame euen to speake of those things that they doo in secret If the indifferent reader will not say that the vices that you haue charged our profession and religion with doo more clearely agrée to the popish Catholikes then to the protestants bee in them plaine signes and fruites of false religion then will I recant and not before The two and twenty Offer Offerer Two and twenty Let the learned proue vnto mee that their church and congregation might rightly bee called Catholike which for the space of a thousand yeeres togither was so particuler that no man coulde name any certaine place where their church was or that it might bee called holy which had for so longe time and space neyther the doctrine of Christes gospell taught in it neyther baptisme nor any other sacrament of Christ vsed to sanctifie them withall or that it could bee called one church which as soone as it grew vp shewed selfe to the world was deuided into so many and sundry sectes of Lutherans Zuinglians Iliricans Caluinists Svvenfeldians Anabaptists and such other or that it might bee called Apostolike which could neuer make an account by orderly succession and discent from any one of Christ his Apostles or any other Apostolike man or that their secret hid vnknowne congregation was euer of that maiesty or authority that it had at any one time or season the true obedyence of all christian nations or that it was euer of that maiesty or authority that it had at any one time or season the true obedyence of all christian nations or that it was euer able to assemble gather vniuersall and generall counselles of all nations and Christian people or to exercise any discipline or correction vpon offenders throughout all kingdomes and regions professing Christ or that these titles following properly applied by the scriptures and doctors to the true church of Christ could euer bee challenged by any right to their hyd and vnknowne congregation I meane these titles namely Corpus Christi the body of Christ Sponsa Christi the spouse of Christ Amica Christi the louer of Christ Vnice dilecta Christo dearely beloued of Christ Columba speciosa the beautifull Doue Domus Dei the house of God Columna veritatis the Piller of truth Ciuitas Dei the city of God Ciuitas super montem posita a city set vpon an hill Fons signatus a Spring or Fountaine surely signed and sealed Sponsa agni the spouse of