of will where our good workes are necessitate where the predestination of God taketh away all election and indifferencie By which and such like positions as Protestants teach it followeth that no Article of Religion can be certaine no Religion can be nothing is to be accounted sinne nothing reckoned for vertue For who can certainely beleeue that which most certainely is vncertaine or false or who can either praise or discommend that which is doone whether the doer wil or no How can such actions be rewarded or punished How can that soule be immortall and performe religion which should want free and reasonable operations the arguments and pledges of immortality But I defend a religion so measured as before that by no possibilitie any Decree can be vntrue a Religion that so concordeth the eternall praescience and predestination of God with the temporall cooperation of man that it both leaueth the first infallible and yet prooueth the temporall action appetite delight or consent to any things to be voluntary free and in the power of man to be effected or omitted praised or discommended rewarded or punished as the nature thereof deserueth Not that Religion which hath raised such dissentions that it hath taken all vnitie and communion of Saints away diuided the millitant and triumphant Church and dishonored both depriuing Angells and glorified soules of that honor their excellencie and dignitie with God requireth men in earth the militant church of that helpe and assistance it needeth and alwayes had from them as inferiour causes from superiour all pitty and compassion of those that liue and be in state of merite from the patient Church of the faithfull departed and spoyled them of that reliefe they euer receiued of those that liue and made such hauoke and confusion euen among the liuing that no man regardeth other euery one almost of a different and diuided minde from the rest in these things and neuer at concord with himselfe but vppon euery new conceipt differing from his former assertion in continuall combate and controuersie with his owne will and vnderstanding and so no communion and participation one with an other no care of offence and iniuries no minde of satisfaction for wrongs and iniustices no cōbination of comembers no penance no restraint from sinne where the passion of Christ hath bin so long vaunted and triumphed of that except in most sacrilegious and blasphemous swearing by the instruments of our redemption no memorie at all thereof is left no signe or token to put vs in minde no image or representation no commemoratiue sacrifice or signification of so many paines miseries and mysteries as our Sauiour indured and wrought for our redemption where no order or hierarchicall subordination no consecration or distinction of callings and vocations is except the letters patents of a temporall Prince can giue that to others which is not cannot be in the giuer But that Religion which as it is vnited and one in it selfe in earth consisteth of a most perfect hierarchicall regiment of Pope Patriarkes Archbishops Bishops Priests Deacons Subdeacons Acolathists Exorcists Lectors and other Vnder-officers euery one in his roome and dignitie and the meanest of all by calling and consecration of greater honour than any ministeriall preferment among Protestants being no reall thing but an ens rationis an Idoll of the minde as the making of Pursuvants Apparators and such Officers appoynted by others where our POPE which is so odious in England is so ample in iurisdiction in all the worlde that no temporall Prince christian or infidell no ruler or professor of regiment in ecclesiasticall and spirituall causes at this time or any heeretofore either is or was ' by many degrees possessed of so large a regimēt· And our priuate Priests namely the most reuerend and learned Fathers of the Societie of IESVS so contemptible in our country are honoured of the greatest Princes of the world by their preachings paines haue added so many kingdomes both to the spirituall regiment of Christ and temporall gouernement of Catholike kings Our Catholike kings be most mightie and they which regarde vs most the most rich puissant and greatest Princes of the worlde Our religion religeth and bindeth together as the name importeth not onely kingdomes and menne in earth but God and his Catholike seruants the triumphant militant and patient Church no duety is omitted no compassion or pitty wanting where the mysterie of our redeeming is so esteemed and remembred that no festiuitie no office or parte of diuine seruice is celebrated in the yeere but representeth vnto vs one benefite or other no ceremony is vsed in the holy sacrifice of Masse no action of the Priest no ornament or attire hee weareth no benediction hee giueth no signe of the Crosse hee maketh but hath his religious signification and preacheth vnto vs his introite to the Altare his actions there his returne from thence the very vestments wherewith he is adorned the putting of them on the wearing of them in that celebration his putting them off his Amice Albe Girdle Manciple Stoale Vestiment and all hee vseth speak nothing but Christ crucified the maner of his oblation the cloth wherewith he was blindfolded the white garment putte on by Herode the cordes and whippe wherewith hee was bound and scourged the purple vestment wherwith he was deluded and that mysticall and most holy sacrifice his bloody and cruental oblation vppon the Crosse no action gesture prayer or the least ceremony either in word or deede silence or otherwise but bringeth a religious lesson and meaning and tendeth to instruction no benefite that Christ bestowed vppon man from the first instant of his conception left vnremembred but one time or other celebrated Not that Religion which denieth al things and properties of Religion as their opinions all negatiue doe witnes that hath taken away and conuerted from common and spirituall religious vses to priuate and temporall pleasures and preferments all monuments and foundations of deuotion and places of religious exercise leauing and vsing nothing necessary to mans saluation But that Religion whose opinions against these men are all affirmatiue professing deuotion and one acte of pietie or other that hath founded Churches Schooles Colledges Monasteries and places where Christian learning euer was or is exercised at this day that obserueth all things and wanteth or omitteth nothing belonging or that can be required to true Religion I defend that most holy and religious worship which I will prooue by aboue an hundred arguments and all kinde of inuincible reasons diuine and humane naturall and supernaturall to be the onely true and lawfull reuerence which we owe to God by which we were labij vnius spake one language and one Religion vntill that confused Babel was begunne in Germany from whence so many different tongs and confusions in Religion haue proceeded SECT VI. What mooued the Authour to dedicate his Worke to the Councell WHerefore right Honorable although the endes and offices
where controuersie and multiplicity of opinions is Then how much more true is it in things so eleuated aboue naturall vnderstanding as the mysteries of religion be What a palpable prouocation and allurement of delightfull atheisme epicurisme and infidelitie is it to carnall mindes to see so many diuisions and no agreement For can any one particular voluptuous man or other in iudgement thinke himselfe wiser than so many great companies and congregations as hee is most sure are all deceiued And if hee shoulde aduenture to beleeue and be religious as others doe there is oddes three hundred to one he shall be brought into errour because he seeth so many religions erected defended against whatsoeuer he shall chuse to followe the pleasures he should forsake are certaine sensible and forcible to mooue affection that which hee should beleeue is most vncertaine ineuident and without motiue to be followed as it is proposed in these mens proceedings Or if that man bee of reading and iudgement to consider former times he shal finde foure hundred more religions contrary to any that is now professed in the Schoole of Protestants so that it will more than double the former danger and the same man shall vnderstand that the Catholike Church for whose election calling preseruing from errour and consummation the whole mysterie of Christ was wrought hath condemned and vtterly extirped all those foure hundred and by the same infallible authority and censure in diuers generall Councelles where the whole christian worlde was assembled reprooued and anathematized those that raigne in Protestants So that if a man in case of religion will deny the voyce of that spouse of Christ that piller of trueth and societie assisted by the promise of Christ from falling into error it is euident that a thousand to one he shall shal be seduced damned Who then wil wonder if many infidels atheists are entred among these men when at the worst their atheisme and that only in the end can bring but to damnatiō in the meane time brings al pleasures and delights and their professing of religion in such vncertaine maner first most certainly depriueth of those plesures 1000. to one brings to the same damnation Or who wil maruel if those that be not come to this perfection of policie nullifidianitie as I trust ther be but few one being too much in a christian nation be far more careles negligent vnduetifull in liuing well then such as doe liue in the vnitie of the whole Catholike worlde wherein there neuer was or is any disagreement or contradiction in matters of belieuing For if as I shewed before a man might would or should in reason doubt to giue assent to any religion where there was so manifest and apparant daunger of a false election if it be true in a speculatiue consent of faith onelie exacting an agreement of the vnderstanding howe much more doubt and difficultie will bee made for men of reason to aduenture so great paines and labours as holy Scriptures prescribe to be vsed for obtaining heauen when by reason it is euident before they begin that a thousand to one al their labors will be lost and their indeuours rewarded with euer-during damnation in hell Will any man now muse if the song of Epicures is so often tuned and so much impietie put in practise If it were in the execution of daily and ordinary affaires no man woulde labour much for that which so many affirme he could not get but contrariwise euery one in reason should and would contend for principall preferrement and commodity which all men graunt he might obtaine hee that by consent of all hath vndeniable title to a kingdome or meaner dignitie will refuse no aduenture to winne it he whome all or most deny to haue such interest either will not at all or faintly take it in hand hauing little or no hope to bring his attempt to passe euen so in these spirituall affaires For although the Crowne and inheritaunce of heauen proposed to Christians is incomparably more excellent than such terrene preferments yet being a spirituall and supernaturall reward and not so proportionate to the manner of humane knowledge and affection in this life depending of sence and imagination as temporall aduauncements and pleasures are and being so vncertain vnprobable or rather vnpossible to be obtained as these men make it it can be no matter of admiration that so much wickednesse doth rule and so few aduenture so certaine and painefull a worke for so vncertaine and doubtfull recompence Thus it alwayes chaunced in temporall things so it euer did and will come to passe in questions of religion whether it be true or false The Idolatrous state of the Gentiles when they were most diuided for their diuersities and placalities of gods rites and sacrifices were farre more wicked then when fewer pretended title to be worshipped The Mahumetans though euer lewd and impious yet after the Persian schisme and diuisions among them they daily fell to be more wicked than before and the Iewish people sometimes the true seruants of God and religious so long as they remained in vnitie among themselues after they were diuided into Sectes became more carelesse of seruing God as is manifest not onely in the schisme betweene the houses of Roboam and Ieroboam recorded in holy Scriptures but most euident in their last desolation For at the comming of Christ the time of the Messias being expleated they were diuided into many Sects and Religions who should be hee and what they shoulde beleeue So that besides Christians the true worshippers there were at that time in that nation Samaritanes Pharises Sadduces Essenes Baptists Herodians Galileans Ezechians Atongists Theudists Egiptists Barrownosbonists Vespasianians and other sects whereby that nation so vertuous and religious when it was vnited in true worship was come to that carelesnesse of religion and liuing well that they were drowned and ouerwhelmed in such monstrous and erroneous iniquities that their owne Historian Iosephus affirmeth their sinnes to haue beene so great that if the Romanes had not come to take such extraordinary reuengement vpon them he did thinke Authiatu terrae deuorandam fuisse ciuitatem That their Cittie Hierusalem would either haue beene swallowed vppe of the earth or drowned with some deluge and inundation or be consumed with fire and lightnings as the Sodomites were In like manner it alwaies happened in all times places and persons polluted with hereticall Sects and diuisions as all Antiquities and Historians witnesse SECT IIII. The scope and intent of the Authour to teach a most vndoubted certaintie and vnitie in religion WHerefore right Honourable as it is so euident that it can not be denied but such troupes of errours and impieties haue embatteled themselues in the camp of Protestants and by ample reasons may bee had in iust suspition that many doubters or rather deniers at least in affection of all Worship as euer in like times
those parents of whom you are discended and haue receiued being had not bin matched together for so great disparitie betweene them and so you had neither enioyed honour dignitie life or any being at all So that howe much or whatsoeuer you can chalenge to haue you are indebted vnto them And the rest of the nobilitie of England though not chosen to that high credite and fauour of our Princesse yet whatsoeuer it is they haue landes castles mannors titles of dignitie they possesse it by their ordinance as euery Cittizen his priuiledge and immunitie euery countrey vplandish man his quiet and orderly gouernement and protection And that miserable people of England that vntruely challengeth the name of Cleargie among Protestants whatsoeuer honour Archbishop Bishop Deane or inferior order or degrees and titles in Schooles as Doctors Bachilors and Maisters and places of learning Vniuersities Colledges or Learning it selfe or their Bishoppricks Benefices Churches Houses Donations Priuiledges or any other thing they can name was deriued from our Catholike Kings Princes and those that were of that Religion Sigebertus Kingylsus Ethelbert Ofricus Wiferus Etheldredus Oswye Wbykred Oswalde Cissa Edgar Ethelbalde Iua Kenulfus Offa Aluredus Ethelwulfe Edwarde and others before the conquest and such as raigned after to the Protestant regiment no Protestant Prince enriched many spoyled churches Wherefore seeing all estates in England Soueraigne and subiects of euery condition and calling haue receiued and doe enioy so many and irrecompensible fauours from those Catholike Kings and by as many obligations are bound and endebted to so honourable and immortall benefactors no person can be so vnmindfull of duty or irregardfull of gratitude to be displeased with my defence of them which euery English-man is so much obliged to defend And if it appertaine to the title and iurisdiction of christian Kings such as no man can denie them to haue beene to determine matters and questions of Religion as the English Protestants maintaine then if I should bring no other argument but the decrees and constitutions of those holy and learned Kings to proue my entent it ought to be admitted especially ioyning therewith the authority and consent of the still forcible lawes of my euer honored Princesse for in so dooing I shall prooue my Religion by that ground whereby onely it is impugned by the Protestants of England assigning the temporall prince for the time being to haue supreame authoritie in that cause and of what credite soeuer the Statutes of the Protestants are in this question touching her Maiesties catholike predecessors it was in all vpright iudgement vnpossible they should be deceiued For if God giueth ordinary or extraordinary assistaunce to Kings and Princes either for their owne vertuous endeuours and sanctity or for the pietie learning and number of them by whome they are counsailed and aduised there is no comparison but rather Protestant princes should erre then they the zeale and deuotion of those Kings catholike I haue cited before and Protestant writers Pantaleon Foxe and others acknowledge many of them to be glorious Saints in heauen whither false Religion could not bring theÌ„ And to giue example it is written not onely by English both Catholike and Protestant but forraine Historians that king Aelfred builded the monastery of monkes in Ethelingsey and that of nunnes in Shaftesbury he founded the vniuersitie of Oxford hee translated the lawes into our English tongue and diuerse other profitable Bookes for the instruction of his subiects hee diuided the foure and twenty houres of the day and night into three equall partes eight houres he spent in writing reading and praying eight houres in sleepe and other bodily prouision and the other eight houres in hearing and dispatching the causes and complaintes of his subiectes Such was the exercise of Kings in those catholike times as all Historians and Registers are witnesse and their constitutions themselues contained among the Lawes of Saint Edwarde reported by Foxe and yet to be seene in Guilde Hall giue euidence wherein is contained that King which dooth not such things in his owne person is not woorthy the name of a King and that hee ought to take his solemne oathe vppon the Euangelists and blessed Relickes of Saints before the whole state of his realme to execute such things and maintaine the holy Church with all integrity and libertie according to the Constitutions of his Auncestors and Predecessors before he be crowned of the Archbishops and Bishoppes and that he ought to haue vnder him three seruants as vassails fleshly lust auarice and greedy desire This was the integritie exercise and profession of those Princes so that if these â—ters must bee referred to Princes iudgements in regarde of themselues it is not likely they were permitted by God to bee in errour which performed all things both for the aduauncing his honour and the publike peace which was the rigorous execution of their duetie If wee considder what counsaile and aduise they vsed as in matters of warre they consulted with such expert and valiant captaines as were both a securitie at home and a terrour to forraine Nations and in causes of peace and publike gouernement with the most prudent wise and sage men iudges and others of our nation as the wordes of the auntient donations of our Kings Cum consilio Episcoporum Principum by the counsaile of Bishops and Princes and as all Monuments and the teste of euery Writ in law to this day wil declare so concerning matters of practicall conscience the greatest offices as Chancellor priuie Seale and Treasurer which be the chiefest places of confidence and conscience were alwayes executed in those dayes as Maister Fox reporteth by the Claergie and Bishoppes of England And touching matters of Faith and Religion they had alwayes of their priuy Councel the most holy vertuous and learned Bishops of their time such were Saint Cedde Saint Anselme Saint Dunstane Saint Thomas of Canterbury Saint Thomas of Hereford Lanfrancus and others to their Kings and whatsoeuer any publike decree of religious causes was to be enacted or receiued in parliament the whole Cleargie of England in their Cardinals Archbishops Bishops Suffragans Abbots Priors and other chiefe ecclesiasticall persons ten to one in number to the parliament ministery of this time was alwayes present and no decree of faith euer concluded but by the generall consent of the whole christian worlde generall councells and the vniuersall Church of God which can neuer be seduced so that no possible place of errour was left for those kings except God would which he could not permitte the whole world to be deluded To which if wee adde so many supernaturall signes and miracles as are written confessed by Protestants themselues in the liues of Saint Oswable Saint Edmunds Saint Edwards Lucius Kingylsus Iua Ceoluisus Offa Sigebertus and other knowne catholike kings of England shewed by God to testifie the trueth of their Religion in earth and