Originals and binde to a corrupt translation as Authonâ—â—cal You suffer not the Scriptures to be vulgarly translated and read Thus you haue the Scriptures as in a prison but as you should haue them to make them common to all men by reading preaching and teaching you haue them not The interpretation of Scriptures you haue such as may stand with your Popish practise which is the priuie rule of your interpretation and such as it pleaseth the Pope to prescribe you But true interpretation of Scripture according to the plainer principles thereof and the rule of faith which Augustine so much commendeth you neither haue nor wil hade nor suffer others to haue if you may let it and so your interpretation is priuate as either being the Popes or proceeding from your owne faction addicted to your receiued practise but ours is the interpretation of the Spirit of God testified by himselfe in the Scriptures inspiried by him as by the Scriptures and the rule of faith we prooue and therefore blasphemously by you called priuate Seeing therefore the visibility of your Church is in those things which may be seen partly among the heathen partly in a false Church which the longer it continueth the worse You haue but some shew of the Fathers on your side when indeede they are against you and so haue not the antiquity of truth but of error you neither haue the Scriptures as you should haue them for your selues and others nor their true sense and interpretation but onely of your owne making your Popish faith though it be olde in it selfe yet in respect of the daies of our Fathers our Sauiour Christ the Apostles and Prophets the daies thereof haue been but few and euill and therefore it is not the olde Catholike Apostolike faith whatsoeuer this false and forcelesse Reasoner hath sayed PAPIST A short Addition Beleeue assuredly and holde for certaine that no Heretike and Schismatike that vniteth not himselfe to the Catholike Church againe how great almes so-euer hee giue yea or shed his bloud for Christes name can possibly be saued For manie heretikes by the cloake of Christes cause deceiuing the simple suffer much but where no true faith is there is no iustice because the iust liueth by faith so it is also of Schismatikes because where charitie is not no iustice can be there which of they had they would neuer plucke in peeces the bodie of Christ which is the Church A Sentence of S. Austin worthie to be noted of such as thinke that men which liue vertuouslie may goe to heauen though they beleeue not the Catholike faith nor be members of his true Church For as most certaine it is that none which beleeue not all the articles of the Catholike faith can be saued though to the eies of the world be liue or die neuer so well for without faith it is as Paul saith vnpossible to please God And S. Athanasius telleth vs that whosoeuer will be saued before all things it is necessarie that he holde the Catholike faith which faith without euerie one shall keepe whole and inviolate without doubt he shall perish for euer so no lesse certaine it is that although we beleeue neuer so well yet if we liue not according to that faith and so abstaine from communicating with heretiques in their seruice and Sacraments we cannot be saued For hee that shall denie Christ before men Christ also will denie him before his Father in heauen as himselfe saith And if we may without sinne temporize and frame our conscience according to the law when shall we take vp our Crosse and follow Crist as himselfe willeth vs And vvhat meant the blessed Apostles and so manie 1000. of Martyrs to shed their bloud for Christ of an inward and secret faith might haue brought them to heauen and they might outwardlie haue yeelded to Princes lawes and keepe their conscience to themselues This doctrine Christes seruants know not it is deuised only for the colde comfort of such as loue this vvorld too much and feare persecution But let such thinke of this saying of our Sauiour Feare ye not them that kill the body and are not able to kill the soule but rather feare him that can destroy both body soule into hel and let them imitate noble Eleazarus Mart. 2. 28. who rather made choise of cruell death then to dissemble in the cause of religion and do that with the scandal of others which of it selfe was no sinne at all PROTESTANT Augustines Sentence De fide and Pet. Diac. cap. 39. is oneâ—â— thus much Formissimè tene nullatenus dubites quemlibet hareticum siue schismaticum in nomine patris filij spiritus sancti baptizatum si ecclesiae Catholicae non fuerit aggregatus quantascunque eleemosinas fecerit si pro Christi nomine sanguinem fuderit nullatenus posse saluari that is Firmly beleeue by no meanes doubt that euery heretike or schismatike being baptized in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost how great almes soeuer he do yea though hee shed his bloud for Christs name yet if he be not gathered to the Catholike Church by no meanes can be saued This sentence though not word for word yet in effect you rehearse but you ad therunto more words whereof Augustine in that place hath neuer a one yet in the end conclude a sentence of S Austen as if all that goeth before were his sentence in that chapter It seemeth therefore that you read not Augustines words your selfe but borrowed them some where without discerning where Augustines words ended The rest is a truth but not true that Augustine there hath such a sentence what would you now inferre out of this sentence of Augustine First that men though they liue neuer so vertuously yet if they beleeue not the Catholike faith nor bee members of his true Church cannot be saued Secondly that if men beleeue neuer so well yet if they liue not according to the faith and so absteine from communicating with heretiks in their seruice and sacraments they cannot be saued and so proceede on to condemne those that outwardly haue yeelded to Princes Lawes and keepe their consciences to themselues All which may with no gaine to you be yeelded it the chiefe termes be well vnderstood to witte Catholike Church Catholike Faith and Heretikes or Schismatikes For if the Popish Church be not the Catholike Church nor the Popish Faith the Catholike Faith nor they Heretikes or Schismatikes that stand in opposition to Poperie or do depart from Popish communion then what gaine you by this whole addition But it is a world to see into what a maze you haue ledde the poore sheep of your flocke that no sooner they heare Catholike Church or Catholike Faith but by and by they thinke of Popish Church and Popish Faith betweene which there is no lesse difference then betweene light and darknes And againe when they heare of Herâ—tikes they presently
Sess 3. cap. 1. Can. 1. body is in the sacrament Circūscriptiuè But your Trent Councell saith that the body of Christ is conteined in the sacrament of the Eucharist Wherfore although Luther had an opinion of a Real presence by himself which he could not tell how to expresse nor would haue any disputation about the maner yet in as much as he was farre from allowing your Popish charme whereby you worke your monstrous Transubstantiation nor helde any carnall eating neuer alleage Martin Luthers Real presence to giue countenance to your carnall presence The Apologie may well acknowledge him an excellent man sent of God to giue light to the world and yet not allow of his error in any thing neither will we say that euery wrong beliefe euen in matter of the sacrament bringeth damnation to a godly man otherwise holding the foundation And lastly Martine Luthers priuate opinion is no principle of our religion as you very well know PAPIST These things being so with what conscience can the Protestants iustlie exclaime against vs for defending a speciall confession of our sinnes absolution of the Priest the vse of Images and the picture of Christ crucified the holie ceremonies of oile and exorcisme copes and holie vestiments that Angels know our praiers and may be praied vnto that Christs soule descended into hell for the deliuerie of the holy Fathers that died before his sacred Passion the Real presence of Christ in the sacrament when as all these points either in expresse termes or by necessarie consequence be gathered out of the grounds of their owne Religion PROTESTANT These things being so that no one of the points mentioned is any principle of our Religion nor in any one of the points which we acknowledge do we agree with the Papists and the last of the seauen is none of ours with what conscience could a Papist go about to raise a reason for Popish idolatrie out of the principles of our religion in the end neither build vpon any principle of our Religion nor proue any agreement betweene Popish confession and absolution and that which the Church of England vseth betweene the signe of the Crosse as it is vsed in the Church of England and Popish Images betweene Godfathers and Abrenunciation and popish oile and exorcisme as now they are betweene the decencie of the Surples and the superstition of Popish vestemints betweene the doctrine of some Protestants touching the article of descending into hel Popish Limbus no nor yet betweene Martin Luthers Real presence and Popish carnal presence wheras no one of these Popish points can either in expresse terms or by any necessary cōsequēce be gathered either out of any principle orany practise or ceremonie in our religion as hath been shewed PAPIST The Fourth reason That is the true Church which hath the scriptures on their side and expoundeth them in that sense and meaning which was intended by the holie Ghost and none can deny but al this is verified of the Catholike Church and not of the Protestant as a fewe plaine arguments shall make manifest First therefore no reason in the world can the Protestants aleage to proue that the scriptures be theirs or to iustifie their interpretation which we cannot bring also for vs. For let them pretend conference of places recourse to the fountaines of the Greeker Hebrue or what else they will all that we can say for our selues and with a◠great probability as they and so in any iudgmet not palpablypartial we nothing inferior On the cōtoary we to maintaine our expositiō beside all other helps cite the consent of ancient Fathers the cōmon practise of Gods Church the decrees of generall Councels none of which they will stand to and therefore in all equity and reason wee passing much superiour can we then lacke the true sense of scripture that haue all these to backe our interpretation specially that of Gods Church in generall councels or can the Protestants haue it that be destitute of all these as their deniall of them doth euidentlie proue and conuince PROTESTANT This forcible Reasoner seemeth now as if he would come to vs and ioyne issue with vs to be tryed by the Scriptures whether the Popish Church or our Church be the true Church But surely if there be no more force in his reason then plainenes in his dealing this reason wil be like his fellowes and so proue neither forcible nor plaine For when the reckoning of his reason is cast vp he calleth backe the triall of the true Church from the scriptures to his pretended Fathers and Councels and againe from them to Gods Church that is in his meaning the Popish Church from whence all vseth to be deuolued to the Pope And so in conclusion the question being whether the Popish Church be the true Church we must be tried by the Pope who were much to blame if he would not say that his owne Church is the true Church for euen theeues will say that they are honest men Your owne Cannon law hath prouided that in all matters of faith all men yea euen all Bishops must referre themselues to the Pope Quoties c. As often as anie matter Caus 24. q. 1 of faith is debated I thinke that all our brethren and fellow Bishops ought to referre the matter to none but to Peter that is to the authoritie of his name and honour What is the authority of Peters name and honour but the Pope and therefore the Glosse there setteth downe in the margent It is the Popes office to determine a question moued about faith And Thomas Aquinas It belongeth to faith to sticke to the Popes determination Opuse con error Graec. it matters of faith yea and in those things also that belong to good manners If then in matter of faith or maners we cannot agree vpō sense of scripture the Pope must strike the stroke which he will be sure shall not hurt himselfe So very fitly agreeth vnto you that which Athanasius speaketh against Orat. 1. con Arria◠the Arrians They presume to determine of faith and being themselues guiltie and obnoxious to indgment like vnto Caiaphas they vsurpe the office of indging These are the men that will proue their Church to be the true Church by hauing the scriptures on their side but they will be the interpretors of scriptures by the mouth of their Pope Well go too though vnder the bare pretence of scriptures you meane to bring in the Pope yet let vs see how you proue that the popish Church which you falsly call the Catholike Church hath the scriptures on her side and expoundeth them by the sense intended by the holy Ghost Your first argument is onely a vaine brag Forsooth you can bring any reason for your expositiōs that the Protestāts can bring for theirs as conference of places recourse to the fountaines and what else they will and with as great probabilitie as they Why then do you not vse to follow
also agreed that it must beare such a sense as may stand with the scripture and the analogie of faith then although we differ about the proper sense of the words yet differ we not about any matter of Faith as you do about originall sinne PAPIST Seeing therefore the Church of Christ continueth visible for â—uer as ours hath done and not theirs wee haue the auncient Fathers for patrones of our cause they be destitute of all antiquitie we haue the truth in many points according to their owne confessione and they consequentlie falshood wee haue the Scriptures and their true interpretation they onelie the bare name and priuate erroneous exposition I conclude that whosoeuer will be saued must not heare them but embrace our old Catholike Apostolike faith PROTESTANT The persons of all the members of the Church of Christ as men haue beene in their times visible are and shall be to the worlds end they haue beene also generally to some of their fellow members visiblie in their times as members of the body of Christ howbeit the visibility of Churches established and in their assemblies worshipping God in the word Sacraments and prayer they haue often wanted as in the Egyptian captiuitie the daies of Elias the captiuitie of Babylon the dispersion caused by Sauls persecution and vnder the ouer-spreading tyrannie of the Romish Antichrist driuing the woman that brought foorth the man-childe into Reuel 12. 13. 14 the wildernesse into a pâ—â—e prepared for her of God During which captiuitie of the Church in seuerall times either heathenish idolatry as in Egypt or Church idolatry as the golden calues and the seruice of Baal before and in the daies of Elias or carnal worship as among the Iewes in the dispersion afore-saide or meere Atheisme as vnder Sanballat and Tobijah or the mysterie of iniquity vnder the shew of pseudochristianitie as in the Apostasie of Antichrist hath borne the sway in the world as the onely Religion Such is the visibility of your Romish apostafie like the visibility of Ierobâ—ams calues of Baals Church of the Scribes and Pharisies and in pretence to build with the Iâ—wes that is the true Church of Christ semblant to Sanballat and Tobijah or at the beâ—â— to Eliashab their friend In this visibility you haue set foorth many goodly Pageants to dazell the eies of all those in whoÌ„ â—he God of this world hath blinded their eiâ—s that the light of the 2 Cor. 4. 3. 4. glorious Gospell of Christ should not shine vnto them as the state of Popes and Cardinals the Babylonish magnificence of your temples beset with sumptuous idols the stage play of your Masse with your whole Antichristian tyrannie which you haue vaunted to the world as the harlot her bedecked bed Prou. 7. 15. 17. with ornaments carpets and layes of Egypt perfumed with Mirrhe Aloes and Cinamon and like vnto the picture of Apoc. 17. 3. 4. 5. your Church the mother of whoredomes and abhominations that sitteth vpon a scarlet coloured beast and is arrayed in purple and scarlet and guided with gold and precious stones and pearles and hath a cup of gold in her hand full of abhominations and filthinesse of her fornications Of such visibility wee giue you leaue to boast and reioyce that wee haue no part with you in your glory least wee should also haue part with you in your plagues And albeit GOD hath graunted more visibility to our Churches then you can indure with patience to behold yet make wee not out of such visibility any demonstration that our Church is the true Church That faith that worship which by open confession and practise was visible in our Sauiour Christ and his blessed Apostles which in their holy writings inspired of God they haue deliuered to be seene read and vnderstood to be held and obserued of all the true Church of God is a demonstratiue and infallible visibility which wheresoeuer it is to be seene and discerned prooueth and conuinceth that they are the Church of Christ This is the onely visibility wherby the true Church is to be discerned and knowen which we haue often prooued and we hope is manifest to all mens consciences to be found in our Church and you shall neuer be able while the world standeth to make any sound proofe that your Church hath any such visibilitie but manifestly the contrary What patronage the auncient Fathers lend vnto your cause hath beene before shewed where you alleadged anie thing out of them and often hath beene further in all the fundamentall points wherein you â— dissent from vs and from the truth You imitate some rites twice dead and buried since they vsed them you are confident to affirme some things whereof they doubted you take vp their errors for principles of your faith you abuse and peruert their words and phrases to a contrarie meaning and in these onely as touching your Popish religion you follow the Fathers but their indicious testimonies touching the fundameÌ„tall points of Doctrine as originall sinne and the fruit therof concupiscence free will instification the vse of good workes the Sacraments and diuerse other points you will not see or else you peruert as the instable doe the Scriptures to their owne destruction 2. Pet. 3. 16. Compare what they write in one place with that which they write in another note the occasion marke the end discerne the aduersarie they haue to deale with consider the straine of their moued affections acknowledge their tropes and figures of speech you shall finde the Fathers to yeeld you but small helpe and to be but slender patrones of your apostasie on the contrary you shall perceiue that as wee haue the eldest antiquity for proofe whereof we cite the records of Scripture so haue wee the body of all consequent antiquity in all matters of faith touching the Deitie the Trinitie prouidence touching Christ his person natures offices mediation and our redemption by him touching the holie Ghost and his operation in the Church â—ouching the Catholike Church the communion of Saints and all necessarie parts thereof touching remission of sinnes touching the resurrection and eternall life In other matters if some where we varie from the Fathers as they varied one from another and some of them from themselues we haâ—e their leaues I haue before shewed you what difference Cont. Iulian. Pelag. lib 1. Augustine makes betweene Fundamenta fides Alia de quibus doctrissimi atque optimi Catholicae regulae defensores salua fidei compage non consonant betweene the Foundations of faith and other pointes whereabout the learned stayd best defenders of the Catholike rule doe not agree yelw â—hout impeachment to the frame of faith To your vaine pretence of our consent in any point of your Popish faith enough hath beene said before As for the Scriptures you haue them indeene and you keepe them so close that neither your selues wil search them as you ought nor suffer those that wold You banish the
A GODLY AND LEARNED ANSWER TO a lewd and vnlearned Pamphlet INTITVLED A few plaine and forcible Reasons for the Catholike Faith against the Religion of the Protestants By RICHARD WOODCOKE Batchellor of Diuinitie 2. COR. 4. 3. 4. If our Gospell hid it is hid to them that are lost In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds c. LABORE ET CONSTANTIA LONDON Printed by N. O. for Iohn Bache and Nicholas Bourne and are to be sold at his shop vnder the Royall Exchange 1608. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL SIR ALEXANDER HAMPDEN KNIGHT AND TO THE WHOLE Worshipfull and auncient Familie of the HAMPDENS in Buckingham Shire RIght Worshipfull it is now almost a yeare and a halfe since there came to my knowledge a Popish Pamphlet made and scattered abroad as it seemeth by some popish seedesman and I cannot tell whether some ligter in our quarters which yet I hold to be more then probable This pamphlet he intituled A few plaine and forcible Reasons for the Catholike Faith against the Religion of the Protetestants These reasons comming into the hands of a young Papist and Recusant as I take it whom this or some other deceitfull workeman had poysoned with the venome of Poperie He attributed so much thereunto that being moued by a faithfull and louing kinseman to renounce his popish recusancie and to come to the Church and become a Protestant he answered that he was vndoubteâ—ly perswaded that he held the right and therefore would persist therein and that because They were resolued and put out of doubt of the truth of their Religion by these foure Reasons The aforesaid yong Papist deliuered these 4 reasoÌ„s to a Minister of his acquâ—â—tance with purpose to haue them deliuered to a godly Preacher as a chalenge for so I interpret it by reason that he by his vigilant and industrious trauell stood much in their light that they could not spread their popish heresie so farrâ— and so freely as they desired This Pamphlet being thus come to his hands God offering opportunitie of a Christian meeting of some few of vs Fellow-ministers he brought forth vnto vs and specially requested me the Pamphlet being not very long a little that time to peruse it which in some part I did Being further moued by him to take it in hand and to frame and answer thereunto I alleaged for a tust excuse that there was in it nothing new but that which had beene often obiected and often answered And therefore as this Crambe I held not worth the answering so if any vnresolued were desirous to receiue satisfaction in the matter they might plentefully find it if they listed to peruse what before time had bene answered by many others Howbeit not so satisfying him for that it seemed good these 4 Reasons being so highly esteemed to discouer the vanity of them I was content to take them with me as he requested Yet without any certaine promise to deale with them the rather because I had then in hand some labor of writing in another argument which being finished finding by perusing them how full of vaine ostentation they were how subtle by a new fiction to pretend somewhat for Poperie out of the Religion of Protestants how pernicious by striuing to worke the highest resolution in Papists how closely the matter was conueted to get authoritie and credit to popish heresie by these Corner creeping reasons which seemed already to be made familiar to the vulgar sort I thought it a point of charitie plainly and demonstratiuely so to lay open the vanity of them as euen the vulgar sort whose iudgement was already captiuated by these reasons might be able to discerne the truth of my answer Many things in the same arguments hâ—â—e bâ—na herâ—tofore copiously and learnedly written by sundry graue Diuines which yet in one respect or other being aboue the reach of common Christians haue either not come to their hands or exceeded the measure of their capacitie For their sakes therefore haue I chiefly trauelled not to speake much but to speake plainely and as neere as I could the point of the obâ—ection After I had finished my first Copie I was constrained to write it the second time hauing no other meaning but to returne my written answer to my godly brother of whom I receiued the Copie of the 4. Reasons so to communicate it if he thought there were any that might receiue satisfaction by it The young Papist that deliuered abroad the Reasons had before boasted that because the Reasons had rested some time as he thought in the hands of him to whom they first came vâ—answered therefore he was sassured that they could not be answered The truth is that before I could obteine leysure to take them in hand or was indeed fully resolued so to do there passed one quarter of a yeare and more and when I had finished the answer I made no haste as to some is knowne to write the second copie When at conuenient times I had finished it I sent it to be deliuered in writing and I vnderstand accordingly it was and came to sight as of some other so of that very Papist who was the instrument to giue abroad the Reasons who as the maner of them is hauing read some three or foure leaues flung it vp and made a tush at it saing He could answer the booke himselfe And not vnlike he could after their fashion euery child and audacious woman amongst them presuming to speake Fathers and Doctors as if their idoâ—atrous Priests and familiars did speake in them My godly brother hauing iust cause to suspect that the sayd popish Reasons were dispersed and considering that it was very hard for one written copie to serâ—e for all that were corrupted by them perswaded me to suffer â—y answer to deprinted I did as he knoweth not hastily intertaine his motion but wished to haue the aduise of some other of grauity godlinesse and learning from whom receiuing incouragement I yet made no hast being vnwilling in such satietie of bookes to increase the number especially hauing nothing to say but what had bene better said before Now at last perceiuing it to be desired and expected of those whom worthily I respect that I should permit my answer such as it is to be imprinted I haue yeelded my poore seruice in this little booke to the censure of the Church of God to the instruction of the seduced if it so please God and haue exposed it to the vttermost calumniation of the restlesse aduersarie who like raging sea is alwayes foaming vp his owne shame and casteth vp continually myre and dirt And because my ordinary ministerie hath now for some good time bene bestowed in that place where your Worship is an ordinary hearer considering also that the occasion hath sprung vp within the diuision of your Magistracie I haue presumed to offer vnto you and to publish in your name this small fruit of my extraordinary labors for remembring that worthy Griffith
such like women as followed our Sauiour Christ and ministred vnto him and his of their substance For what power or authoritie Luk. 8. 3. had the Apostles to leade about such women after them but to leade about a wife they had power Besides the purpose of the Apostle is to shew that himselfe and Barnabas had right to put the Church to more charge by leading such a one about with them but if he had meant such women as following them in their iourneies ministred vnto them of their substance to haue such in their company had beene an ease and no charge to the Church the contrarie whereof the Apostle plainely expresseth in giuing reason why he and Barnabas might haue done so Who goeth a warfare at any time of his owne cost c. If vve haue sowen vnto you Verse 33. spirituall things is it a great matter if we reape your carnall The Church therefore of their carnal substance must haue borne the charge of such a sister lead about and therfore no doubt Math. 8. 14. the Apostle meant a wife who going with her husband there could be nothing said against it and for her husbands sake the Church must also prouide for her To which charge because the Apostle put them not when hee might haue done it hee hath therefore the more to say in his owne defence Fourthly the Scripture recording of Peter that hee was maried and auncient writers that other of the Apostles and Disciples were maried namely Ambrose in 2. Cor. 11. All the Apostles excepting Iohn and Paul had vvines and Eusebius hâ—st Eccles lib. 30. cap. 30. out of Clemens Alexandrinus of Peter Philip and as he saith Paul the Apostles words directly point at that liberty in them in the words as well as other Apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas And verie plainly out of the report that Eusebius maketh out of Clemens euery maÌ„ may see that in those times the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was taken for a wife Paul saith hee in a certaine Epistle maketh mention of his wife whom hee therefore did not lead about with him that more easily and freelie he might performe his ministerie Howbeit if Paul were vnmaried yet is it no corruption so to translate his words for as much as hee had that libertie though he vsed it not Lastly you knowe that the Scripture saith Mariage is honourable amongst all men and the bed vndefiled What more Heb. 13. 4. cleare and full allowance can there be that Priests may lawfully marie except you will say that priesthood depriueth them of the honour of Gods ordinance which he hath sanctified to all men Hauing generall and speciall warrant for Priests mariage besides the place in question what need we force it you rather haue forced single life vpon Gods Ministers against his manifest word PAPIST If theÌ„ they be learned malition flie corrupt the text who wil trust them with the interpretation as for vnlearned Protestants how can they gather a true sense out of a corrupted sentence can a streight line be drawen by a crooked Rule PROTESTANT Nay rather if the Popish Rabbies haue first set vp many a crooked practise both in doctrine and Gods worship and then will haue the line of interpretotion drawen by the crooked rule of Popish practise secundum currentem Ecclesiae sensum Who will trust them to be interpreters of scriptures who are conspired to maintaine whatsoeuer their Synagogue hath corruptly practised For how can a streight line be drawen by a crooked rule or how can the vnlearned Papists haue any meanes to trie the true interpretatioÌ„ of scriptures euen in matters necessarie to saluation who must of necessity sel their soules into the hands of Popish Hucksters to receiue whatsoeuer sense of scriptures they thrust vpon them and aboue all must receiue Popish practise as their Creede and as the practise changeth so must the sense of Scriptures change and be one to day another to morrowe one this yeare another the next according to Cusanus his rule Intellectus currit cumpraxi The vnderstanding of the scriptures runneth with the practise which practise interpreteth the Nicol. Cusan de author eccles Conc. Sup. et cont scriptu scripture at one time after one sort at another time after another sort This is the constancie of Popish faith whereof Papists boast so much PAPIST Out of the premisses we may learne the cause why we haue such vnity in faith to be for that we acknowledge an infallible Iudge for the expounding of the Scriptures and though in other thinges wee haue dissention as fell out likewise betwixt Saint Paul and Barnabas and no time hath been free from such scandals yet we keep all one and the same Catholike faith through the world and the cause why the Protestants haue such mortal dissention in matters of faith without all hope of agreement is for that they acknowledge 1 Ioh. 4. 1. not any infallible and certaine Iudge for the interpretation of the scriptures For they will be tried by nothing but by the Scripture and if we presse them that the scriptures may be falsly expounded theÌ„ they repaire to the spirit and if we tell theÌ„ of Iohn that we must not beleeue euery spirit then for trial of the spirit back againe they post to the scripture and so if they be vrged on forward they runne round froÌ„ the scripture to the spirit froÌ„ the spirit to the scripture world without end And so whilest their spirits agree not togeither we see them about manie articles of faith as about the descending of Christ into hell about the lawfulnesse of Archbishops and Bishops like the campe of the Madianites to haue turned their weapons to mutuall destruction and to lie lugging together Iudges 7. by the eares in endlesse brawles and contentions PROTESTANT If it were true that you boast of that you haue such vnity of your Popish faith yet could you from such vnity no better proue the truth of your Religion then from the consent of the Israelites erecting the calfe in the wildernes or from the consent of the Iewish Synagogue against our Sauiour Christ crying Crucific him crucifie him or from the consent of all Israel in the daies of Achab and Iezabel being confederate against Elias alone you can prooue that the Calfe was the God that brought the people out of the land of Egypt or that Baal was the true God or that our Sauiour Christ was a deceiuer as the high Priestes termed him Of such vnity God hath forewarned vs to take heede by the Prophet Esay Say ye not a confederacie to all them to whom this people saieth a confederacie but rather to the law and to the testimonie Esa 8. 12. vers 20. ver 9 against which though the people be gathered together in beapes they shall be broken in peeces and though they take counsell together yet it shall bee brought to nought though they pronounce
vers 10 a decree it shall not stand The Kings of the earth stand vp and the rulers take councell together against the Lord and against Psal 2. 2. his Christ Not onely Tyrants without the Church but euen within the Site of the church those that springing out of the Church vsurpe tyranny ouer the Church and against the Lord Christ do make their decrees with a common consent that if any man confesse Christ he shall be cast out of the Synagogue Ioh. 9. 22. and hauing obtained power to sitt in mens consciences oppresse them by pretense of sacred authority to make rules of faith as high Priests and Pharisees deale with their officers sent to apprehend Christ Doth any of the rulers Ioh. 7. 48 ver 49 or of the Pharisees say they beleeue in him They make shew I grant to square their faith by the law but with great craft they arrogate to themselues that they onelie knowe the Lawe This people say they which know not the law are accursed If any man teach or beleeue otherwise then pleaseth theÌ„ forsooth they know not the Lawe These Rabbies chalenge onely to themselues that they only haue the forme of knowledge and truth in the lawe that they must be the guides of the blinde forsooth they only haue eies all other are blinde This is your Popish vnity these be your infallible Iudges for the expouÌ„ding of the scriptures you first deuise a forme of faith most seruiceable to your idle bellies your Bishops Miters your Cardinals hattes your Popes triple Crowne theÌ„ you cospire vpon a prescription to haue in your hands the onely commande of scriptures and their sense and exposition and for preseruation of this your tyranny and to secure the hope of your conspiracie you reduce all to the Popes Brest and Chaire who is not without the Diuels wisedome not to be diuided against himselfe And so how fallible soeuer your Iudge be to be deceiued himself and to deceiue others that he before them and they after him may tumble downe into the bottomlesse pitte of hell by hy heapes yet you are sure he will neuer faile you Now surely this is a blessed vnity for which you are so much beholding to your infallible Iudge But is it true that you boast of that by reason you acknowledge one infallible Iudge for the expounding of the scriptures you keepe all one and the same Catholike throughout the world I will not spend time in ripping vp the infinite dissentions that are among your schoole Tribes least you shist off and say that their dislentions were in other things and not in matters of faith The true doctrine of originall sinne is a matter of Faith not onely in those remote points 1. That there is originall sinne 2. That by propagation it is spreade ouer all mankinde from Adam 3. That the effectes thereof are all the calamities which continually waite vpon mans life Which are the pointes whereof as being certaine Defen fid Trid. lib. 50. cleere the Church as Andradius saith hath giuen her sentence Quod vniuerso mortalium generi naturae necessitate insidet cum quo omnes illas calamitates hausimus quibus hominum vit a continenter premitur That by necessitie of nature it cleaueth to all mankinde wherewithall we haue drawen all those calamities wherewith mans life is continually pressed But chiefly in discerning and defining what originall sin is and wherein it doth consist To shew you one Catholike faith in this point I will not reckon vp the sundrie opinions of originall sinne whereof your selues as yet could neuer agree I will take the confession of the Councell of Trent For thus they say Inter Sess 5. decret 1. pluriâ—a mala quibus ecclesia his nostris temporibus perturbatur eriam de peccato originali eiusque remedio non solum vetera sedetiam noua dissidia excitanitâ—i Among many euils wherewith the Church of God in these our times is troubled the Diuel hath raised vp not only old but new dissentioÌ„s about originall sin and the remedie thereof Was your Church destitute of such an infallible Iudge for the expounding of scriptures vntill the late Councell of Trent if it were your infallible Iudge is very young yet you see for all your infallible Iudge both of old and vntill and in the times of that Councell your Church was troubled with many dissentions both about originall sinne and the remedie thereof which I trowe you will not deny to be points of the Catholike faith Andradius after this Councell confesseth no lesse Ita peccati huius immanissioni natura Defens fid Trid. lib. 5. latet atrocissimi Syderis omnia populantis ratio est innoluta vt nulla in re sit doctorum hominum mator varietas coÌ„certatio i. The nature of this most monstrous haynous sin that makes hauocke of all is so intricate that about no point there is greater varietie and contention among learned men Whereunto he ioyneth another question no lesse controuerted as he saieth among your excellent wits to wit how originall sinne which he calleth TetruÌ„ immane facinus a foule and monstrous wickednesse could cleaue vnto little children that scarcely liued to see the light nor euer had anie power to will but perhaps the Councell of Trent made an end of these dissensions and so expounded the Scriptures that now you haue but one and the same Catholike faith throughout all the worlde in this point No verily if Andradius were priuie to the Councels meaning For he affirmeth that the controuersie which the auncients had about the true definition thereof hath not yet bin vllius Concilij authoritate sedata appeased by the authoritie of no Councel therfore free for euery man to hold what opinion he likes best of this controuersie not sufficiently inlightened by the Church Wherfore except your Catholike faith in this point be quot capita tot seÌ„sus how many heads so many opinioÌ„s so that your infinit dissent may be allowed for coÌ„sent and your many and discording opinions may goe for one and the same Catholike faith in this great point of faith you haue either no faith or a faith of many fashions variable according to the forge it comes out of In this fundamental principle the discouerie I meane of originall sinne to be as the Apostle calleth it the flesh vvherein dwelleth no good Rom. 7. 18. verse 20. thing that sinne that dwelleth in vs vvherewith vve are so yoaked that it is alwaies present with vs a lawe in our members rebelling against the lawe of the minde and leading vs captiue to the verse 21. lawe of sinne that is in our members Which vntill it be knowen and verse 23. discerned euen concupiscence condemned in the verse 7. lawe is not knowen to be sinne when it is knowen it makes vs crie out and bewaile our misery and to confesse with Dauid vers 24. Beholde I was borne in iniquitie