Who obteining that seate by vnlaufull meanes that is to saie vpon promise made to the Empresse to restore to the bishoprike of Constantinople Anthemius depriued thereof by Agapetus for heresie as sone as euer he entred into that seate the empresse chalenging him off his promise so was his wicked minde by gods speciall prouidence soddenly altered made answere that rather then ▪ he woulde restore an heretike to his seate from whence he was iustlie remoued he woulde soner suffer all the extremitie that might be And so did he in dede lyeng longe in prison suffer bothe hongre colde and diuerse other tormentes Whiche notwithstanding he acknowledged to be worthilie due vnto him for his greate offense The priuileage therefore I saie of this seate is suche that we be assured by his promise that saide to Peter that his faithe should Lucae 22. not faile that as hetherto the pope hathe allwaies fedde Christes churche withe sounde faithe and wholesome doctrine so shall he continue to doe so long as there is in earthe anie churche at all that is so longe as there is a worlde so long as Christes churche militant here in earthe and triumphant in heauen mete not in one to ioyne together And therefore yowe talcke of the popes tirannie to doe and say what he listeth yow talcke without boke M. Nowell and continue youre accustomed wont of sclaundring and lyeng Because yow well vnderstode that all this rouing talcke of youres was wide from the marcke that we shoote at and that happelie some one might saie vnto you that the matter which nowe is handled is whether there ought to be one generall heade in Christes churche or no and that therefore this place was brought in not to proue who it shoulde be or where he shoulde be resident yow thought it good to saie somewhat to this effecte to proue that this place is vntrulie applied to the proufe of the supremacy of one heade But howe proue yow this M. Nowell Because S. Cyprian alleageth this and other like places of scripture Nowell fo 60. a. 6 to make for the seuerall auctoritie of euerie peculier bishopp in his owne diocesse not of one heade ouer all bishoppes What thereof M. Nowell maye not one texte be applied Dorman by diuerse men diuersely and yeat no sense contrarie to the truthe The commaundement of S. Paule Omnis anima Rom. 12. potestatibus sublimioribus subditasit Let euerie soule be subiect to the higher powers maketh especiallie for the auctoritie of Emperours and kinges because it importeth moste that they be obeied yeat will you not I thinke saie that if the Iustice of a shiere or maior of a citie woulde bringe this texte to some stubborne man to wyn him to obedience that it were euill applied or were not when occasion serueth thertoe to be applied to the obedience of a kyng or emperour because it serueth also for his subiect The meaning of S. Cyprian was to persuade obedience to suche priestes as haue the charge to rule to the whiche purpose the example of the high prieste is well applied if it were for no other cause yeat euen for this that euerie bishop is in his owne diocesse the high and chiefe prieste of all the other that be of the same and no lesse to be obeied in that portion of his charge of those that be vnder him then he him selfe is bounde to obeye the pope the chiefe and heade in earthe of all bishoppes It agreeth not you saie that because the Iues one nation had Nowell one chiefe prieste therefore all nations thorough out the worlde shoulde haue one high prieste ouer all other You misuse the reader with the terme nation For not Dorman as one nation but as one Sinagoge as the onelie churche that then God had they had one highe prieste And so all Christians being but one catholike churche though manie nations ought to haue one heade bishop ouer all nations For as for the impossibilitie that yeat once againe you repeate of hauing one heade it hathe bene sufficinetly proned allreadie that that plea of youres is of no force and so far wide from the truth that it is not otherwise possible to haue the church well gouerned and without schismes God hauing nowe taken that ordre Which I saye as of the churche consisting of fraile and sinfull men For as touching God as you saie it is possible to him to gouerne the church without one heade so saye we it is not impossible to him to giue vs one heade to rule the whole and so to direct him that he neuer faile in his decrees concerning oure faithe Which because hetherto in dede he hathe done and beside hath promised that the faithe of Peter shall not faile we saye Lucae 22. of necessitie that it is and must be so S. Cyprian you saye alleageth this place of Deuteronomie of obedience to the high priest aswell for the auctoritie of Rogatianus Nowell a. 21. b. 28. as for his owne This is no more then you saied before which you ofte Dorman repeate to seme by ofte saing one thing to saie somewhat In dede it confirmeth verie muche my answere made before For whereas it is manifest that this place concerning the obedience due to the high prieste is alleaged as well for the auctoritie of Rogatianus who was an inferiour bishop as also for S. Cyprian the archebishop and Metropolitane of Africa it foloweth that S. Cyprian in the citing and alleaging therof had no other meaning then to persuade obedience to euerie bishop of what calling so euer he were bishop Archebishop primate patriarke or pope Excepte you will saye that he was of the minde that betwene bisshoppes and Archebishoppes he put no difference Yea verilie saie you of that minde was S. Cypriā in dede Nowell b. 15. For he confesseth in the beginning of his epistle to Rogatianus that he did but of courtesy and not of dutie refer this matter of his disobedient deacon by complaint to him c. I nede not muche to trauaile to proue that S. Cyprian Dorman shoulde not be of this minde seing that the learned knowe that the verie worde it selfe Archiepiscopus vsed in the churche bothe in S. Cyprians time and long before doth proue the contrarie and youre selfe haue vsed before the worde chiefe prelates of euerie prouince which were toe foolishe to be saied if there were betwen bishoppes no difference at al. Li. 3. epist 9. The wordes of S. Ciprian praising Rogatianus for that he did honorably towardes him and according to his accustomed hunulitie in referring the matter of his stubborn deacon to him being his archebishop whereas he him selfe by his owne auctoritie might haue punished him make nothing for this equalitie betwene all bishoppes If they had bene equall then might belike Rogatianus haue punisshed aswell one of S. Ciprians diocesse as he might the deacon who was of Rogatianus diocesse Which if you saye then will it
A DISPROVFE OF M. NOVVELLES REPROVFE By Thomas Dorman Bachiler of Diuinitie Dignare ergo rescribere nobis vt sciamus quomodo fieri possit vt ecclesiam suam Christus de toto orbe perdiderit in vobis solit habere coeperit August ad Honorat epist 161. Vouchesaufe to write againe to vs that we maye knowe howe it can be that Christe shoulde leese his churche ouer all the worlde and beginne to haue it emongest yow onlye SPES ALIT AGRICOLAS Imprinted at Antwerp by Iohn Laet Anno Domini 1565. 3 Decembris with speciall priuileage REGIAE Maiestatis priuilegio permissum est Thomae Dormanno S. Theologiae baccalaureo vt per aliquem typographorum admissorum impunè ei liceat imprimi curare per omnes Burgundicae ditionis regiones distrahere librum inscriptum A disproufe of M. Nowelles Reproufe omnibus alijs inhibitum ne eundem absque eiusdem Thomae consensu imprimant vel alibi impressum distrahant Dat. Bruxellae 17. Octob. Anno. 1565. Subsig Pratt THE PREFACE TO THE READERS CONTEINING THE ANSWERE TO M. NOWELLES PREFACE IF as in warre where worldly titles vse by dynt of sworde to be determined / so in skirmisshes of learning / where truthe in doubtefull matters / is only attempted to be tryed out where gods glorye not mannes preferment is chiefelye sought where the limites and boundes of Christes eternall kingdome the churche / not of worldly dominions which shall perishe and haue their ende / are defended it were laufull good Readers to vse false vndermining / and Stratagemes to deceiue / to raise smokes to blinde the eyes of the simple readers / as doth the politike capitaine when to conceale the better â–ª the weakenes of his power / which being knowen to the enimie might breede boldenesse / and encrease courage / he maketh fiers of greene fearne or wette strawe / that vnder the darcke smoke thereof he maye the saufflier lye vnespied finally if in controuersies about religion / it were laufull to saye with Lisander the Lacedemonian / that where the lions Plutarch in Lacâ— skyn will not serue it maie and muste be eached withe the case of the foxe then in this respecte / the auctor perhappes of the Reproufe / might for this smoky preface of his haue deserued at youre handes / the name at the least and title of a wary and circumspect capitaine / and be thought herafter worthy / to haue the leading of a greater army then hetherto he hathe had But if on the contrary parte / as the nature of the thinges about the which in these two kinde of warres the strife is / is contrary so the maner of triall and conquest be also diuerse if truthe be strong inough of herselfe and nede not the helpe of by practises to be supported by if her bright beames disdayne to be obscured withe clowdy mystes then hathe this auctor not furthered but hindâ—eâ— his â—ause / then hathe he discouered his weakenes / not shewed his proweâ—se / then maie he be termed a cowardly souldiour / not a valiant capiteine Nowe here must I desire yow as many as will aduenture to giue iudgement of the euent of this conflicte betwene vs / to open the eyes of youre vnderstanding / and to considre the vaine smokes whereby in this preface of his he laboureth to blinde yow / and to disgrace bothe me and all suche as haue written of late in Englishe The waye yow knowe well that be of the learned sorte to bring this to passe / ought to be by comparing matter with matter / cause with cause / and reason with reason But the aduersarye forseing when it shall come to the close / and to the pointe that the matter must so be tried / how weake and feeble he is like to be founde / thought it a pointe of wisdome / first before all thinges to get by steaâ—â—h / the possession as it were of your mindes / and there leauing preiudice his lieuetenaunt / him selfe to be afterwardes occupied about the residue of his affaires For this cause he raised these foule and thicke smokes / that suche as haue written of late in englishe be but seely translatours or borowers of those bokes whose first authors they would In the firste side of his praeface seeme to be that therfore mistrusting that suche kinde of writing or rather translating should not appeare worthy to be accompted the earnest doing of any learned or wise man they haue done wittely either to pretend that to be written but lightely for a priuate frende or twayne and not ment to be printed c. or elles to appoint suche to beare the name as authors of their bookes as maie seme moste meete therefore being accompted of all that knowe them for learning and discretioÌ„ the simplest men emongest them that these bookes haue bene elaborated at conuenient oportunitie by common conference Beholde here I praie yow / the fonde coniectures that haue smoked out of M. Nowelles idle braine / wherewith he thinketh so to dymme the eyes of all men / that he maie vnder these clowdes steale when he To the 1. will in to their bosoms If no newe boke maie be made as here he semeth to mainteine because all that can be spoken is saide allready if for this cause / who so euer will wright nowe / shall be but a seely translatour Nihil est dictuÌ„ quod non est dictum priùs and borower of other maie we not iustly saie to him and all suche who be yow that obiecte to vs the translating out of other mennes latyne worckes in to oure Englishe bokes Are yowe not of the conspiracy of them / that robbed all the heretikes that euer wrote before yow / to patche vp youre clouted Apologie Is there any one sentence there that hathe not bene filched from some one heretike or other You re greate Bassa if his doinges be thus examined / is he not like to be nombred emongest M. Iuell the seely translatours If he shoulde be cruelly called vpon to restore to youre Apologie / to Musculus his common places / to his maister Peter martir his note bokes / the debte that he hathe borowed of them / might he not think yow become banckerout shortly Your selfe also / and that other that skirmisheth with the crosse of Christe / shoulde yowe be in any better case / the one of yow borowing from Caluin his in stitutions / Brentius / and suche like / the other takinge out of the historie of Magdeburg / and the Englishe homilie against images / such matter as he founde there ready framed to his handes But what speake I herof / seing that by this meanes / neither is there any newe booke nowe adayes made / neither of longe time hathe bene / or hereafter can be made For neither made Cicero the bokes De Oratore neither Plato De Legibus neyther Hipocrates his Aphorismes / neyther Aristotle his Physica because all these
of heresies and schismes when men shoulde departe from the obedience of the pope the chiefe bishop of all other and therefore neither without cause or guilefully to deceiue the simple as yow vncharitably surmise Which youre selfe also perceiued verie well and therefore by the figure called extenuatio you terme this reason of mine a simple collection after this maner Now if he thinke yeat that he might make suche a simple collection Nowell fol. 5. a. 31. of S. Cyprian and S. Basile his wordes as this that as the beginning of heresies in their time was the contempte of the inferiours towardes their owne bishoppes for so Saint Cyprian teacheth so in likewise is the contempte of the Pope as the highest of all bishoppes the beginning of heresies nowe First I denie the argument for that it foloweth not though it be euill for the inferiour to disobey his owne bishop to whose obedience in all godlines he is bounden therefore it is euill for a straungier not to obey a straunge forraine vsurper to whome he oweth no dutie of obedience Againe I saie though it be the beginning of heresie to disobey Cyprian Rogatian yea or Cornelius being godly or catholike bishoppes yeat is it not likewise the beginning of heresies to disobeye any the late Popes of Rome who were not only no godly bishoppes as were Cyprian Rogatian and Cornelius but bothe moste wicked and in deede no bishoppes att all but false vsurpers of wordly tirannie Whome for the subiectes of an other Christian and laufull soueraigne to obeye and not to disobey is the beginning of heresies treasons and other mischiefes This is my simple collection you saie I acknowledge it Dâ—â—man for mine as simple as it is and to youre double answere thereto replye as foloweth First to the first that it is moste false that you laye for a grounded truthe that the bishop of Rome is a forraine vsurper as when I so gathered in my introduction I minded to proue in the handling of the first principall article of the popes auctoritie and so sence haue done Whereof seing youre selfe are not ignorant you haue delt not simply but doubly labouring to deceiue the simple by defacing as you thougth my preface as vnskilfully written for that I haue there only sayde and not proued that the pope is the chiefe heade of Christes churche in earthe whereas that I referred as by good ordre of writing the learned knowe I ought to the first article of the popes supremacie To the reasons and proufes in which place brought as in all youre answere you neuer come neare but cauill and wrangle against my Introduction whiche showeth the cause of schismes to be disobedience against pastours and bishops so if they be applied to this place as they must then shall it appeare how falsely you saye that the wordes of S. Cyprian were alleaged without all cause But because the whole force of this first answere of youres to proue my argument naught standeth in this that the bishop of Rome being a forriner no suche reason can be made from S. Cyprian and S. Basile his wordes I will here ouer and aboue that which I haue allreadie saide in the handling of this article in his propre place presently proue The pope taken for no foriner by S. Cyprian and S. Basile by S. Cyprian and S. Basile bothe that he was taken by them for no foriner neither in Africa Fraunce Spaine neither yeat in the Easte churche of the whiche S. Basile was For Africa first was the B. of Rome thinke yow taken Afrike there by S. Cyprian to be a forraine vsurpar whose churche he called ecclesiae catholicae radicem matricem the roote Lib. 4. epist 8. and mother churche of the catholike churche If the churche of Rome be the roote and mother to all other churches then if the mother be aboue the children if the mother and roote be no foriners to the children and branches of the tree it will folowe verie wel first that the churche of Rome as it is no foriner to the churches of Africa and to the other churches through out the worlde but aboue them all that so the bishop of the same is aboue the B. of Carthage and all other bishoppes and no foriner or vsurper And as carnall children how farre so euer they lyue from their naturall parentes cease not therfore to be their children nor their saide parentes become therby forriners euen so the bishop of Rome who gouerneth that churche that is mother to all other ceasseth not to be a father to his children dwell they neuer so farre of Was the B. of Rome reputed a straunger to the bishoppes of Africa Lib. 4. epist 8. who vsed to sende their legates to him to pacifie matters and to bring knowledge of the truthe Whose communion to holde S. Cyprian calleth in this epistle the firme holding and allowing of the vnitie and charitie of the catholike churche When all the African bishoppes assembled together in councel directed their lettres to the bishop Apud August epi â–ª 90. of Rome praying him to confirme their doings by the auctoritie of the Apostolicall See pro tuenda salute multorum quorundam peruersitate corrigenda for the preseruation of the healthe of manie and the amendement of the frowardenes of diuerse toke they him thinke yow for a forriner If S. Cyprian had had of the See of Rome that opinioÌ„ that you would gladlie persuade men he had woulde he thinke we haue saide of those schismatikes that sailed oute off Africa to Rome to complaine vpon him to Cornelius Post ista adhuc insuper c. Beside all this they haue bene so Lib. 1. Epist 3. bolde hauing appointed to them by the heretikes a false bishop to saile euen to Peters chaire and the principal churche from whence priestly vnitie sprang and to carie from schismatikes and prophane men lettres not considering that the Romaines are they whose faithe by the Apostles mouthe is praised and to whome false faithe can haue no accesse Woulde he haue saide Romam cum mendaciorum suorum merce nauigarunt quasi veritas post eos nauigare non posset quae mendaces linguas rei certae probatione conuinceret They are sailed to Rome with their marchandise of lies as though truthe coulde not saile after them able to conuince their lieng tongues by suer and vndoubted proufe Naye he shoulde and woulde you maie be suer had he bene of youre minde haue saide Let them go on goddes name what care I for the bishop of Rome Shall I be so foolishe to folowe them to debate the matter before him who is a plaine forriner to vs and hathe nothing to doe therein For thus woulde yow I dare saie at this daye answere if one shoulde go to Rome and complayne of you But nowe considering that saint Cyprian saied not thus but contrariewise made his account to stande with them and trie the matter before the bishop of
call it maie be taken as it is for good and sufficient Youre seconde answere for the first it semeth that youre Euill maners of rulers no cause to with drawe obedience selfe mistrusted and therfore added this as it were to vndreprop it is of all other moste vaine and fonde For what scripture haue you what Doctours what councelles if it were graunted to yow that the bishoppes of Rome haue bene of late yeares wicked men to proue that because of their euill maners their subiectes maie forsake them Oure Sauiour saide of the Phariseis allthough Matth. â—3 naughty and wicked men to his disciples that no man shoulde withdrawe his obedience from them but euery man Doe what they taught to be done but not what they did them selues vpon the which wordes S. Austen saith Illa ergo De doctr Christ lâ—b 4. Cap. 27. cathedra non illorum sed Mosis cogebat eos bona dicere etiam non bona facientes Agebant ergo sua in vita sua docere autem sua cathedra illos non permittebat aliena That chaire therfore being not theirs but Moyses his compelled them doing euill to speake good thinges They did therfore in their owne life their owne deedes but to teache their owne an other mannes chaire woulde not suffer them If moyses his chaire had this priuileage as if yow wil beleue S. Austen it had that they that possessed it how vile so euer their lyues were were yeat assured allwaies to teache no euill doctrine what obiect you for defence of youre running oute of the church and forsaking the head therof the euil life and wicked maners of theÌ„ that of late yeares haue you saie sitten in Peters chaire for whome oure Lorde praied that his faithe Lucae 22. might neuer faile as though oure Lorde god had only remembred the Iues and forgotten his churche But considre I praie yow M. Nowel against what men yow speake Yow reason against the gouernement of the bishoppes of Rome whose succession hath continued these 1500 yeares and holde that because of the euill maners of the latter popes they are not to be obeid as who woulde saie so long as their life was vpright and maners honest they were to be obeied otherwise this exception shoulde be in vaine Noweturne that parte of the wallat that hangeth before yow and is euer in youre eyes behinde and placing the other before loke vpon youre owne bishoppes not yeat settled in full 15. yeares quiet possession See whether they that before cried out vpon ambition pride couetousnes lacke of hospitalitie and suche like haue not in these fewe yeares ouertaken the bishoppes of 900. yeares before them and gone beyonde them toe What were to be loked for then might yow quietly continue after one hundred yeares that haue profited in wickednesse so muche in these fewe Might not youre scholers thinke yow euen by youre owne lesson bothe nowe and then giue yow ouer in the plaine fielde But if there be no remedie but that yow will nedes conclude thus of the popes of this latter age by which I thinke yow vnderstande as yow are wont all since S. Gregories time and without anie greate streining of curtosy him toe that because of their euill maners they were no bishoppes at all then giue me I praie yow leaue good sir to saie as muche to yow being as yeat no bishop but taking vpon yow to reproue the chiefe of al bishoppes as did S. Cyprian to Pupianus iudging his rulers no lesse then yow doe nowe all the latter popes Quis est enim hic superbiae tumor c. VVhat swelling pride is this VVhat arrogancie Lib. 4. epist. 9. and puffing vp of minde for the to call to thy examination thy rulers and priestes and except we make oure purgation before the and be absolued by thy sentence for the space of six yeares neither had the brotherhode anie bishop neither the people any heade neither the flocke anie shepherd neither the churche any gouernour neither Christe any bishop nor God any prieste Is it not so with vs M. Nowell not for the space of six yeares but for the continual space of 900 if it were true that yow Absurditie saye Should not the church by this meanes haue beÌ„ without any heade at all vniuersall or particuler Seing that all other bishoppes thorough out the worlde haue bene made bishoppes by the popes who being them selues no bisshoppes coulde not haue the auctoritie to make other And then will it folowe also that the churche hauing no bishoppes coulde haue no priestes if no priestes no sacramentes rightely ministred beside infinite absurdities mo that will folowe if that of all other moste foolishe doctrine of youres were true that naughty maners shoulde make of bishoppes no bishoppes Thus youre double answere made to my simple collection being confuted it remaineth that either yow confesse the collection to be good or seke out newe matter to impugne it One sclaunderouse lye of youres there remaineth yeat to be confuted Which allthough to the learneder sorte be nedelesse yeat for their sakes who be of the simpler with whome youre chiefe labour taken in youre boke is to deface me I shall shortly answere therto in mine owne defence Nowell fo 5. b. 23. In the conclusion it is to be noted when Basile speaketh of all the bishoppes of the East as the shepherdes striken M. Dorman altering the nombre speaketh it of the Pope as the only shepherd Here appeareth M. Nowell youre singuler honestie who burne with suche a hatred towardes my persone that so that somewhat you maie saye to ease youre stomacke yow passe not all is one to yow by what right or wrong For I A sclaunderouse lye 6. neuer alleaged these wordes as the wordes of S. Basile but alluded only to the scriptures where the prophete hathe Zachar. 13. Percute pastorem dispergentur oues Strike the shepheard and the sheepe shall be scattred Yow haue therfore delt vncharitably so falsely to sclaundre me and giuen the worlde withall to vnderstande that youre maliciouse affections beare no lesse swaye in youre pen in writing then in youre tongue in preaching That the historie of Nouatus is truly applied and that I am cleere from those lyes which M. Nowell sclaunderously laieth to my charge The. 4. Chapter Yow say M. Nowell that I maie be ashamed to forge so manifest alye as that Nouatus exacted an othe against the Popes supremacie Nowell Fo. 7. q. 3 or that yow folowe Nouatus in exacting the like othe as he did and to proue this conclusion of youres you laie for a ground that Nouatus his othe is not onely vnlike but cleane contrary to youre othes that the controuersie betwixt Cornelius and Nouatus was not whether the B. of Rome were the supreme heade as it is nowe betwene yow and vs but whether Cornelius or he was by right the B. of Rome I neuer saide that Nouatus exacted an othe against
of youres to Dorman this place borowed of Ruffians and ribauldes not of any that haue either learning or witte is most farre from the auctours meaning whiche as anie that vieweth the place will easely perceiue so is it in Eusebius from whome Nicephorus toke it moste euident euen at the eye For Eusebius hath that Nouatus made them sweare per ea quae vnusquisque tenebat in manibus by those thinges which euery one Lib. 6. cap. 34. of them helde in his handes but they sware by the bodye and bloud of Christe saieth Nicephorus ergo they had the bodie and bloud of Christe in their handes Well although you doubted whether youre stamping staring and swearing alehouse solution shoulde finde with all men suche credite that they woulde by and by beleue yow yeat of this you doubted nothing to make some men at the least beleue that the doctrine of transsubstantiation Fol. 8 a. 4. were by this place quite ouerthrowen and withall to set furth youre selues to the worlde as the verie folowers of the primitiue churche in deliuering the sacrament into the receiuers handes But this ioy if you conceiued anie hereof you are like to enioy but a while M. Nowell For both Eusebius and Nicephorus calling here the sacrament by the name of bread are to be vnderstand to haue folowed therin the phrase of scripture which either so calleth it as did S. Paule because a littell before it so was as Moises rod being 1. Cor. 11. turned in to a serpent was in scripture called notwithstanding Exod. 7. a rod and saide by the name of a rodde to haue deuoured the roddes of the enchauntors which were also serpentes or as oure sauioure him selfe did not meaning by this worde bread the substance of materiall bread but the true bread of life Ioan. 6. Whereas you saye oute off Nicephorus that they Fol. 8. b 5. tasted that which they receiued and expound it thus that is to saye bread that is youre owne blinde glose and is not in the text If you woulde nedes playe the expositour yow should haue referred that tasting of theirs to the bodye and bloude of Christ which he made them sweare by and which went next in the sentence before So shoulde yow haue done the part of a true interpretour and haue made Nicephorus agree with the auncient fathers of Christes churche and namelie to omitt Tertullian Chrisostome and diuerse other with Cirillus the B. of Alexandria who saith of this matter quomodo Lib. 4. in Ioan ca. 14 non viuemus qui carnem illam gustamus manducamus How can it be that we shoulde not liue who doe both taste and eate that fleshe But what speake I of making him to agree with other when by this meanes you shoulde haue made him to agree with him selfe who in other places for that which he calleth here simply bread ioining thereunto an epithetoÌ„ calleth it vitalis panis liuely bread And whereas Lib. 1. cap. 30. yow would haue him to saye that in this place the communicantes held breade in their haÌ„des and tasted breade in rehearsing the oration which S. Ambrose made to Theodosius the emperour minding to entre in to the churche of Milain bringeth in S. Ambrose emongest other thinges speaking after this sorte Quomodo manus extolles quae caede Lib. 12. cap. 41. iniqua diffluunt Quomodo in eis diuinuÌ„ etiam corpus excipies Quomodo sanguineÌ„ praetiosum ad os afferes per quod ira transuersim actus tantuÌ„ effudisti sanguinis that is How wilt thow lift vp thy handes which flow with wicked murdre yea how wilt thow receiue in them the diuine body How wilt thow bring to thy mouthe the pretiouse blood by the which being caried away with angre thow hast spilt so muche bloud B. 15. S. Austen calleth the sacrament of Chrâ—stes bodie and bloude the sacrament of the altar I made no lye neither yeat dissembled the truthe or cloked the matter as yow charge me vntruly by calling this heauenly and liuely bread the blessed sacrameÌ„t of the altar with the which worde if yow be offended yow maye chalenge S. Austen for his worde it is and not mine It is yow M. Nowell that haue muche daungered youre honestie by falsifieng this place of Nicephorus For where he hath Cum Lib. 10. de Ciuit dei cap. 6. oblationes offerret qui mos sacerdotibus est when he offered the oblations as the maner of priestes is yow adde to the text this worde his and saye when he made his oblations Which The place of Nicephorus falsified worde of youres so conueighed in is such a spiteful worde as destroieth the whole minde of the auctor For whereas we defende the consecration of Christes bodye and bloude of which name yow are ashamed as appeareth by youre ConsecratioÌ„ as they terme it although S. Austen so affirmed the same against Manicheus the heretike that he saieth plainely iff Lib. 20. cap. 13. the bread and chalice be not consecrate it is foode for refection but not a sacrament of religion whereas we I saye defende such consecration to be an oblation and sacrifice when yow sawe the wordes of Nicephorus to meane the publike oblations of the whole churche which are the bodye and bloude of Christe yow thought that sense to be litle for youre aduantage and therfore it semed good counsell to shift in the worde his to the intent it might be thought that Nouatus had offred somewhat of his owne priuate deuotion Let the worlde nowe iudge M. Nowell whether this be true dealing or no. As for youre bragging how yow folow the vsage of the primitiue churche by giuing the sacrament into their handes who receiue it I aske yow this question grounding the Ad Ianuar epist 118. same vpon S. Austen why yow wrangle more aboute the giuing the sacrament in to the receiuers handes because they so toke it in the primitiue churche then yowe doe about the receiuing it fasting which Christ and his apostles did not If that be altered which Christ and his apostles did for the more honour of this greate sacrament why might not for the same reason or for some other as greate or greater the other manner of receiuing it into the handes be abolished also and taken awaye and yow counted schismatikes for breaking the peace of the church Why cause yow not yong babes to communicate againe as once they did in the primitiue churche and then make youre bragges thereof to that yow kepe the vsage of the primitiue churche Now that yow haue discoursed learnedly as yow thinke Fo. 9. a. 3. vpon the place of Nicephorus with charging me off mingling impertinent thinges by the waye c. Whereas he that hath but halfe an eye maye see that without I woulde haue out of halfe the sentence I coulde doe no otherwise then I did Which if I had yow woulde not belike neither haue
vniuersall churche to offer for the soules departed the sacrifice of Christes moste pretiouse body and bloude the sacrifice of oure mediatour who offred the Lib. confes 9. cap. 13. same for the soule of his mother Monica and had it offred after his deathe for his owne these and manie other places in his worckes are to moste men so well knowen that to alleage them here it maye seme superfluouse What remaineth nowe M. Nowell but that as S. Austen saide to Iulian a scholer of Pelagius after he had alleaged against his heresies the learned writers of the churche Ego a Pelagianis Lib. 2. contra Iulian. cirâ—asin ad istos tu ab istis ad quos I go from the Pelagians to these learned fathers thowe from these to whome wilt thow go so I saie to you a scholer of Caluins touching this matter I go from the Caluinistes to S. Iames to Chrisostome to Basile to Athanasius and you M. Nowell from these to whome will you go If you saie to the scriptures wherby it appereth that Christ offered him self once for al c. theÌ„ harkeÌ„ how you be yeat pressed farder by S. Austen Hebr. 10. VVhy saieth he be al thinges so out of frame is darcknesse so come to passe to be light and light darkenesse that Pelagius Celestius Ibid. Iulianus should see and Hilary Gregory and Ambrose should be blinde Why M. Nowel is the ordre of thinges so inuerted that Nowel Iuell Grindall Horne yea Luther and Caluin if yow will should see this obiection and S. Iames Basile Athanasius Hierome Austen and he which moueth the same obiection out of the 10. chap. of S. Paule to the Hebrues Chrilostom him selfe and answereth thereto shoulde be blinde and not see it Thus appeareth it by how fo 16. a. 10 good right you ouerthrow our altars on which the greatest Idolatrie that you feine to haue bene committed was the oblation of Christes bodye and bloud which you see to be by the iudgement of the most auncient fathers of Christes churche iustified and therefore were the examples of Asa Iosaphat Ezechias and Iosias moste wickedly abused by you for the ouerthrowing of oure altars and consequently that youre doctrine is diuelishe whereby altars are taught to be ouerthrowen whereby the visible sacrifice of the church is abolished and suche like As for the holie daies how euer you kepe those that be left you can not denie but that manie a one instituted by the churche you haue put downe and would count the keping of them now superstitiouse And as for hymnes and singing in the night if you counted it not superstition why haue you taken that maner awaye which Chrisostom Homil. ad popul Antioch 59. witnesseth that the monkes in this time vsed for the moste part of the night Which singing of theirs in the darcke and wheÌ„ other were a slepe he preferred before the melodiouse harmonie of any musical instrumeÌ„t what so euer it were and therefor to this you haue answered but scleÌ„drely saing that you haue such godly and goodly songes in the daye as though we had song only in the night and not in the day Your ministres what maner of men they be I am coÌ„tent to leaue to their iudgemeÌ„t who liuing in the realme emoÌ„gest theÌ„ caÌ„ better witnesse thereof Of whose coÌ„ning in the English toÌ„gue as much as you brag and deface the latin as did once a gentlemaÌ„ in kinge Edward his time who minding to coÌ„mend to Hoper for orders forsoth one of these mere English brethren said of him verie sadly that he was an honest maÌ„ in whoÌ„ a maÌ„ should find no other lacke saue that he had no knowledge in the popish toÌ„gue yeat could I name you some iwisse eueÌ„ the pewterer of Oxford with one eye that wheÌ„ he happened vpoÌ„ the wordes of the prophet 〈…〉 vpon him was streight in a greate rage against the papistes saing that they had corrupted the liuely word of the lord by adding to the texte the worde ostes againe that other greate clerke that for Christe is the propitiation c. reade Christe is the prouocation these I saie with other of like skill in the Englishe tongue manie mo I coulde name if I thought it nedefull And all though these haue not perhappes yeat anie greate learned mannes liuing yeat hathe he that was made not manye yeres since beleue by these wordes Missa fuit a Corintho which are in some bibles after the ende of the epistle to the Romaines that the name of the masse was expressely Cole mentioned in the scripture To cloke the better the ignoraunce of youre ministres Nowell fo 17. a. 11. you tell vs that S. Peter a fisher and S. Paule a tente maker vsed their artes after their calling to the Apostleship that you muche merueile of my iudgement who doe place Peter the fisher in the highest roume aboue all bishoppes and can not suffer other honest artificiers sufficiently exercised in the scriptures to haue any place at all in the inferiour ministerie Peter was a fisher and placed aboue all bishoppes Dorman not by me to take awaye youre merueilinge Hom il in Math. 55. but by Christe him selfe if you beleue Chrisostome who saieth of him that Christe promised to make him by these wordes And I saie vnto the that tho warte Peter c. being an obscure fisher the shepeherde and heade of the churche Matt. 16. that God the Father saing to Hieremias I haue placed the as an Iron piller and a brasen wall made him the gouernour but Herem 1. of one nation but that Christe placed Peter ouer all the worlde Paule had his learning in the scriptures and so had Peter to Note by inspiration Will you nowe because after their calling to the Apostleship they vsed their occupations make this special working of God done of his high â—â—â—dom 〈…〉 the princes and worldly wise of this world a cloke for euery malapert artificer to brag of the spirit to clyme into the pulpit more mete as one no lesse truly then merely saide to clyme a dawes neast as though Christ vsed now to worke by miracles as he did theÌ„ and not by ordinarie meanes and degrees This is a reasoÌ„ M. Nowel reiected of al learned meÌ„ but common I confesse to youre apren ministers Reade the epistle of S. Hierome to Paulinus and you shall see that although the Apostles were Theodidacti yeat men must loke now adayes to come to the knowledge of scripture by exercise and daily meditation As for that that you saye they are sufficiently exercised in the scriptures because no man shall saie that I charge you furder then by them of youre owne side hathe bene acknowledged call to your remeÌ„braunce the oration made in the conuocation by him that was then prolocutour not longe since wherein speaking of youre ministres he vttred these wordes Hodie plerisque locis reperias aut sutorem aut bubulcum Ianuarij
processe plaing the ape in mocking mowing and tossing of suche graue auctorities as maie serue for the confirmation thereof yow haue not impugned my proposition but scoffingly confirmed it Which maner of answering how it is to be liked I praye the discrete reader to iudge Of the necessitie of one heade in Christes churche The 11. chapitre When I minded to handle in writing the preeminence and superioritie of the B. of Rome ouer Christes vniuersall and catholike churche and considered first that the scripture it selfe then the fathers and councelles finally the examples of the primitiue churche alowed the same I laied for a fundation to builde vpon that there must nedes be one heade in Christes churche to gouerne it Not as though if to the wisdome of him who dothe in his wisdome all thinges it had so semed the gouernement of Aristocratie that is to saie off the best and wisest men might not haue bene preferred by him which is Lorde ouer nature before the rule of Monarchie that is of one alone whiche is moste agreable to nature And for this cause I saied that of necessitie it must so be Which necessitie if I had not bene able to proue as the contrarie shall hereafter appeare by that that you keping youre selfe to the title of youre boke haue onely reproued and not disproued anie one reason off myne yeat must all men off necessitie nedes confesse that seing Christ committed in the scriptures the whole charge of his church to only Peter giuing him auctoritie to feede al Lābes and shepe seing that the fathers with Ioan. 21. such cōformitie confesse the same of Peter and his successors as namely to omit other because I haue hādled this matter elles where and this is not the place propre therefore Chrisostome who saieth that Christ committed the whole charge of all to Peter and his successours nedes I saye must Homil. in Maeth 55 li. 2. de Sacerdot all mē acknowledge the necessitie of that one heade which by suche good proufes they see confirmed although I nor any man elles were able to proue the same by reason To make the matter more clere by example the churche of Christe holdeth that oure blessed ladye was a perpetuall virgin aswell after the byrth of Christe as before Eluidius the heretike holdeth the contrarie If I now to ouerthrowe Eluidius shoulde first place this proposition for my fundation to builde vpon against him That of necessitie that womā what so euer she were of whom the Sauiour of the worlde should take fleshe ought aswel to be preserued pure that that place might not be defiled through which Christ him selfe had passed after her bringing furthe as before it was preserued from being contaminat because he should passe through if this proposition were not proued or coulde not by reason or scriptures be proued woulde yow then that Eluidius shoulde go from the receiued faith of the churche and saye there neded no further battery or vndermining to be made to ouerthrow that which is manifestly proued in the persone off oure lady by the faithe of the churche as the matter is here in the personne of the pope What if disputing against a Iewe or infidell that woulde denie that Christ suffred death for the synnes of the world I should laye for the fundation this saing of the gospell Oportebat Christum pati c. Luca. 24. If Iwer not able to proue this necessitie because goddes omnipotent power might by other meanes haue wrought our saluation doth it by and by folowe that the infidell hath proued his purpose that Christ did not suffer death for vs I wright not this as though I mistrusted the prouing off this proposition of mine that there must be one heade c. but to encountre with you who beinge comen but thus farre beganne to repent yow of the long iourney that yow had to make and therefore to abridge the same thought here to make and therefore to abridge the same thought here to make the reader beleue that it shoulde be nedelesse to goe so farre as to Rome to the Popes owne sight that so youre shunning of the matter might seme to come of politike forsight not of dastardly cowardnesse I saide that the state of goddes people in the olde lawe and experience of ciuile gouernement did proue the Nowell Fol. 29. 2. 23. necessitie of one heade Yow answere that as goddes people in the olde law were one seueral people and had one high priest so that no further can be gathered thereof but that likewise in euery diocesse or countrie it were good to haue one chiefe bishop to rule in the cleargie Oh M. Nowell think you thus to ouerbeare youre pore Dorman neighbours You must remembre yow must remembre that you fight against truthe that will not so be outfaced You must remembre that when we talke of the Iewes as of the people of God we doe not in that point recon them as one seuerall people They were in dede seuerall in respect of other natiōs which had forsakē God but neuer in such sorte seueral as though the whole church of god were not vnder the gouernemnet of their lawe and chiefe priest They were therefore a figure not onelie of one diocesse or one countrie but of the whole churche that now is and made the churche that then was And so the example holdeth still You make my reason taken frō the exāples of kingdomes fol. 30. a. 21. societies families etc. and applied by force of greater reasō to the church to come from S. Cyprian to Pighius to D. Harding and so to me The mo that haue it the gladder I am But I pray you what is this to the purpose whose it be except yow doe this to shewe youre selfe to be a man of greate reading and ignorant neither in the olde writers nor in those of latter time What so euer yow make of me or how so euer it please you to take me I am not iwisse so verye a dolt but I could haue made this reason euen by the experience of those thinges which ronne dailie into myne eyes and neuer haue loked either in S. Cyprian or Pighius or borowed it off D. Harding and had not youre memorie failed you you could haue saide youre selfe that I tolde yow that experience was the thing that moued me to saye it Whose argument or reason so euer it be blinde yow saie it is That let indifferent eyes trye M. Nowell I reason thus Euery kingdome hath his seuerall king euery people citie towne village house and so furthe haue their seuer all head or gouernour ergo the whole churche which is but one diuided into many membres as saieth S. Cyprian must haue one heade as wel as hath one kingdome one people one citie c. Now what faulte finde you Li. 4 ep 2. with this reason I praie you that see so clerely and haue euē youre eies as a man woulde saie in youre handes
For so the I should haue concluded with S. Cyprian yow saye ergo b. 11. in likewise euerye diocesse and euery churche ought to haue their seuerall heade prelate or bishop I toke not my reason oute off S. Cyprian and therefore I folowe not his conclusiō What so euer it be my reason is that the whole churche dispersed through the whole worlde is as truly one kingdome of heauen one societie one body as any other company throughe oute the worlde is one be it greate or litle Therefore if I had concluded as S. Cyprian dothe vpon your graunting the same to be true as here you saye you woulde haue done that euerye diocesse and particuler churche nedeth a heade it woulde well haue folowed spite of youre bearde ergo in the whole churche being also one is more nede of one heade These cōclusions of S. Cipriās and mine be not cōtrary but stande wel together Euē as if one should inferre in our countrie vpon suche a proposition as is this of S. Cyprians ergo euery citie euery shiere hath nede of a heade to gouerne it and then vpon that againe ergo the whole realme it selfe conteining all these cities and shieres hathe muche more nede of one heade to gouerne that And yeat yow so shamelesse you are saye that S. Cyprian hath the cleane b. 21. contrarie to this conclusion saing thus Singulis pastoribus c. that is To euery pastour is a portion of our lordes flocke appointed the whiche euery one ought to rule and gouerne who shall giue accompt of his doing to oure Lorde This place you saye Lib. 1. epistol 3. maketh plainely againste the supremacy off one These wordes conuince you plainely of a lye This place if you knowe A lye 22. not how to vnderstand it be not ashamed to learne of S. S. Cypriā expoūded by S. Bernard Bernarde of whome you disdaine not to learne matter to reproue the maners of the bishoppes of Rome when yow thinke he maye serue you to that effect He telleth vs speaking to pope Eugenius Habent illi sibi assignatos greges singuli Lib. 2. ad Eugen. singulos tibi vniuersi crediti vni vnus that is to saie They haue also he meaneth the other bishoppes of the churche euery one their seuerall flockes assigned vnto them to the being one all are committed in one Lo M. Nowell S. Bernard telleth you whome youre selfe bothe alleage for youre purpose and to whome you giue the title of a blessed sainct that this reason of youres is not good Euerye pastour hath a portion off Christes flocke allotted out to him to gouerne Ergo there is no one heade ouer all For by this meanes if suche collections might be allowed aswell might euery parson and vicair because he hath also a portion of the flocke committed to his charge by him selfe be discharged from the obedience of his bishop as maye the bishoppes from the gouernement of one chiefe heade The maior bailif or other officier of anie the Quenes good townes in England hath a portion of the realme committed to his charge to gouerne will youre wisedome serue you M. Nowell to conclude vpon this that therefore there is no one in oure saide countrie who hathe the supremacie ouer all This is S. Cyprian his reason this is you saie his conclusion You beelye S. Cyprian M. Nowel he neither reasoneth nor fol. 30. b. 30. concludeth against the supremacy of one as I trust I haue made euident You might rather thinke that he who was for euery portion so hofull woulde be no lesse carefull to prouide for the whole where was more daunger and cause of feare For that you reason after youre maner negatiuely that neither S. Cyprian nor any other learned man doth vse these examples or similitudes any where to proue that there ought to be one heade or gouernour ouer the vniuersall churche that reason showeth it selfe from whence it commeth Will you now as you haue taught vs a newe kinde of diuinitie so teache vs also a newe waye of reasoning Yea will you teache the learned Lawiers and graue iudges off the realme neuer to decide case but suche as they shall finde recorded in their yeare bokes in the same termes Shall it not be laufull for them by youre depe diuinitie whereas it is impossible so to conceiue lawes that all cases maye be expressely comprehendid when suche a case shall happen to procede therein by the iudgement giuen in other cases where although the case be diuerse the reason is one Iff youre discretion will serue you to alowe this kinde of reasoning in the lawe whiche is nothing elles but altogether reason why take you then suche holde of this that S. Cyprian did not in termes that is to saye in the selfe same case of one heade ouer the vniuersall churche applye these examples seing that as I proued before S. Cyprians reason is one in bothe the cases yea greater and of more force in the fol. 30. b. 31. case of one heade ouer the whole church then of one ouer euery particuler churche Because M. Nowell thinketh as the truthe is that this conclusion that there ought to be one generall heade ouer all churches liketh me well and yeat that I haue handled it but ill it pleaseth him here of an extraordinarye liberalitie for the pitie that he taketh vpon me to playe once againe the scholemaister in his olde dayes and now because I am past my Grammer to teache me logike I shoulde haue reasoned thus my maister saieth There is one generall king ouer al the Nowell fo 31. a. 2. worlde one generall heade ouer all people c. Therefore there must be one generall heade ouer all the churche My maister plaieth here with me as S. Thomas More Dorman writeth that a poet of Cambridge did once with his boye whome plaing with him being a yong Sophister on a time for his pleasure he offred to proue an asse which when the boye denied well quoth the poet thow wilt graunte me this first that euery thing that hath two eares is an asse Nay mary maister will I not quoth the boye No wilt thow quoth the poete Ah wyly boye there thow wentest beyond me For and thow wouldest haue graunted me that I woulde haue proued the an asse anon Mary maister quoth the boye ye might well and so might euery foole toe Well quoth the poet I will goe now an other waye to worcke with the. Thow wilt graunt me that euerie asse hath two eares Naye marie will I not maister quoth the boye Why so boye quoth he Mary maister quoth he some asse maie happē to haue neuer a one for they maie be cut of bothe Naye then quoth the poet I giue the ouer thow arte to frowarde a boye for me Woulde not yow now M. Nowell make me here to reason as pleaseth you as the poet woulde haue made his boye to answere But how little nede I haue of youre
helpe God I thanke therefore to frame this reason to my purpose the argument made before will speake though I holde my peace In the meane season this of youres might haue some probabilitie if as Christe hath appointed one churche so God had assigned one kingdome in the whole worlde But seing that from the time the tongues were dispersed in Babilon many seuerall companies of men and not long after many seuerall Gen. 11. nations and consequently manie seuerall heades were so appointed by God that whether it were for the paine of sinne or elles to haue the partes of the earthe more quickly inhabited ones they were not one of them bounde to be vnder the other nor all to be vnder one heade in earthe whereas on the other side Christ came to gather together Psal 146. the dispersed of Israel in to one bodye one kingdome one folde and all the churches in the worlde be reduced accordingly to one churche which can not be saide of all the kingdomes for you nowe to requier no more one heade in the churche then there is one king in the worlde it is suche a kinde of argument as I thinke beside youre selfe it would haue bene harde to haue founde one other so foolishe that woulde haue made it What D. Harding saieth out of Homere or Aristotle it fol. 31. a. 15 maketh no matter to me allbeit it proueth verye well that those Gentiles sawe that the gouernement of one bodye belongeth to one heade And therefore if they had bene as verilie persuaded then that the whole worlde is but one kingdome as you are that the churche is but one bodie as they woulde of all likelihod haue concluded that it had not bene good to haue manie rulers so liuing now and being persuaded the like of the churche it is not to be doubted but that they woulde haue bene touching the same off the same opinion As for that that you adde scoffingly to deface it that it is M. D. Hardinge his poeticall argument for the popes supremacie I praie you be good M. Nowell to poetos of whome you sauour so muche in youre sermones and writinges and who the time hathe bene were the fairest floure in youre garland Otherwise you will giue men occasion bothe to thinke and to saie that the olde prouerbe is true in you that the parishe prieste remembreth not that once he was parishe clercke But I praie you maye it be laufull for you to folowe poetes in lieng as you doe and maie not other men alleage for their purpose one graue sentence of a poete yea all were it so that it were directly to proue the popes supremacie as this is not so brought in If it be so then scoffe also hardely at S. Paule who to proue the omnipotent power of God alleaged the sentence of the Act. 17. poete Aratus not so famouse iwisse as Homere is Aristotle misliketh not the gouernement of the best and wisest yeat preferreth he Monarchie the gouernement that is to saie of one alone before Aristocratie Euen so doe bothe D. Harding and I And therefore to saye that I am in fol. 31. b. 1. this point against bothe my maister for so you call D. Harding and I will be alwaies readie to confesse no lesse so long as it shall please him not to be ashamed of suche a scholer and Aristoâ—le so noble a philosopher I can call it no better but A lye 23. a verie lye You saye that the gouernement of the vniuersall churche Nowell b. 5. consisting of so many or rather innumerable thousandes of men and women of all countries nations and languages can not possibly be ruled by one neither was by God appointed to be so gouerned What God hath appointed I showed in the article of the Dorman popes supremacie whereunto you durst not approche and this will be bolde to saie thereof in this place that Monarchie Not impossible to gouerne the church by one being as youre selfe can not denie of all other the noblest kinde of gouernement it is likely that Christe would prouide the same for his spouse the churche in the which willing especially vnitie and concorde and commaunding nothing more it foloweth that he woulde binde it in one with that bande wirhout the which it coulde not either at all be had or not so commodiously had As for the possibilitie I praye the gentle reader considre with thy selfe what preachers and maisters thow hast who are nowe so malepart with God that beside that whiche their peuishe heades shall like to fantasye they will allowe him to be hable to doe nothinge Thus in oure present question doth M. Nowell hauing so muche at the length prouffited by teaching in the schole that he dareth now take vpon him to set God him selfe to schole and to tell him plainly that this ordre of his appointing in the churche one heade is suche as by no meanes possible can stande Thinkest thow not good Reader that he mistrusted all other proufes when he fleeth to this sorye shift Yes verelie doth he For as in the matter of the sacrament verie nede driueth them to this miserable refuge so persuade thy selfe that it standeth with them here But nowe to yow M. Nowell is the arme of God shroncken Esaiae 50. 59. or shorter then it was wont to be thinke you Can not he that appointeth one sonne to giue light to the whole worlde he that by diuerse riuers streames and brookes dispersed thorough the partes of all the earth maketh one body of the elementes of water bothe to come from one heade the sea and to returne to the same againe he that of so manie contrarie and disagreing qualities as heate colde moisture drougth maketh one well agreeing worlde is not he M. Nowell possibly able to rule and gouerne his church dispersed through all the earthe by one chiefe and supreme heade Especially sith one prince or Monarche as namely Assuerus being him selfe an infidell was able to gouerne Hester c. 1. from India to Aethiopia a hundred twentie and seuen prouinces The which as he gouerned by captaines and vnder officers after the example of Moises who being Exod. 18. not able to beare the burden of ruling the whole people alone did it notwithstanding with much facilitie by the helpe of suche rulers as he called to parte of his charge whiche were captaines or heades some ouer thousandes some ouer hundreds other some of fifty yea of ten so the pope gouerning the whole churche by patriarches primates archebisshopps bishoppes ArchedeacoÌ„s Archepriestes and priestes euery one in their degree with grace in him for that purpose by the worcking of God sufficiently multiplied is right well able to rule and gouerne the church were it greater then it is And this al wise meÌ„ and such as yealde to the omnipotency of God see to be so farre from all impossibilitie that some one perhappes moued with iust indignation against youre blasphemouse reasoning
is likely inough to tell you that I maie iustlier saie to you that suche talke procedeth not so muche from the absurditie of the matter as b. 12. Nowell Fo. 32. a. 6. it dothe from the disposition of youre noddies nowle M. Nowell and sight not dimme but altogether blinde then you doe to me affirming the contrarie that it maye seme to some that suche kinde of speache springeth not so muche out of the absurditie of the matter as out of the disposition off my drowsy head * Note that M. Nowel aloweth to bishoppes the ordre of religion to kinges and other gouernours the procuring of ciuile ordre and peace Dorman It foloweth that schismes and troubles rising in the church maye by the seuerall bishoppes of euerie diocesse and seueral chiefe prelates of euerie prouince aswell be auoided and appeased as the seuerall kinges of euerie kingdome the seuerall gouernours of euerie countrie and citie c. are able to ouersee their seuerall charges and to kepe their people in ciuile ordre and peace Not so M. Nowell the reason of difference betwe these two states of ecclesiasticall and temporall gouernement is greate For in the one that is in that which perteineth to the The difference betwene the two states off the world and the church worlde euery kingdom euery nation euery people haue their propre and seuerall lawes yea often times not diuerse onely but cōtrarie the one to the other This bredeth no disordre because they be diuerse bodies But to come to the church which as it is one so hath it by Christ one faith the same lawes the same sacramentes deliuered to be cōmon to all that wil be membres thereof without varietie in matters of substāce here what nede is thereof one head that this one faith may be of all mē and euery where inuiolably holden Seing that euen in kingdomes and common wealthes daily experience telleth vs that how well and quietly so euer such kinges and rulers gouerne their subiectes them selues they be not yeat hable so to gouerne while I proude and thou proude eche one thinketh him selfe as good as the other that they can absteine from mortal and cruel battaile wherby their innocent people perishe ful oftē on both sides most miserably If this be so emōgest worldly kinges where the dissenting of their lawes and ordonaūces the one from the other is no breach of amitie how much more is it to be feared emongest bishoppes where one faith must be common in all where vnitie maye be so lightely broken Which if it happen howe shoulde it be suppressed The debates and quarelles of princes are tried for moste parte by battaile Will you that in this case eache bishop make his frēdes and trie the matter by most voices The chiefe prelates you saie of euery prouince are able to take ordre in the matter What M. Nowell is the winde in that dore Haue yow so soddenly founde a superioritie in bishoppes that so lately before pronounced that as no man hathe anye Superioritie in baptisme or in faithe aboue other truly faithefull and baptised so no one bisshop hathe any Superioritie ouer other bishoppes Is it nowe at the length founde out that you mistooke S. Cyprian M. Nowel contrary to him selfe in one leafe when in the 22. leafe of youre boke a. you grounded vpon him that there was no difference of dignitie emongest bishoppes Maye yow not be ashamed in this verie leafe firste to saie that there be chiefe prelates in euery prouince and yeat after in the seconde side of the same leafe to affirme by the auctoritie of S. Ciprian wrongly construed that none but naughty and desperate men doe thinke the auctoritie off some bisshoppes to be inferiour to other Will you nedes be of the nombre of those naughty and desperate men Well M. Nowell as verye necessitie forced yow to go from that principle of youres that all bisshoppes be of equall auctoritie because otherwise you sawe that schismes coulde not possibly be kepte oute of particuler churches so shall I trust the same before yow and I haue ended force you to acknowledge a chiefe prelate ouer the whole and vniuersall churche for the appeasing of schismes therein In this pointe because the verye necessitie of one heade to gouerne Christes churche dothe specially consist I shall desire the learned reader to vse good circumspection and with aduised deliberation to waye with him selfe the reasons brought on bothe sides I obiect therefore to M. Nowell that for the appeasing of schismes and restoring the church being troubled to quietnes it is necessary that there be one chiefe heade He maketh me answere as you heard before that the seuerall chiefe prelates of euery prouince are aswell able An absurde doctrine that schismes may as wel be appeased by manie heades as by one to take ordre therfore as the seuerall gouernours of euery countrie for their seuerall charges The absurditie of this answere shall appeare by a demonstration There is nowe a controuersie in their newe churche of Englande about no small matter but concerning the reall presence of Christes blessed bodie in the sacrament M. Gest preaching at Rochester for the reall presence M. Grindall at London for the contrary Shall these two prelates be tried by M. D. Parkar of Cauntorbury suspected to be a Lutheran Although that I thinke M. Nowel would be lothe to graunte being him selfe a Caluinist yeat if he did and the matter were thoroughly decided on the one side might not the like schisme arise in the prouince of Yorke and bachiler Yong there calling his brethern together determine the cōtrouersy on the other side If this shoulde happen as it easely might in this equalitie of power betwene these two in these seuerall prouinces how should the schisme be appeased They wolde perhappes procure a parliament to be called that by auctoritie thereof the matter might be determined Were the bishoppes that coulde not agree before like the sooner to forsake their cōtentiouse mindes by this meanes Or should the matter be put only to the debating of the laitie Or howe euer it were the matter being brought thither and then the ordre of the house being suche that it must passe as wel through the lower house as the higher might not the house be equally diuided or the thinge brought to so narowe a pointe that the conclusion of this weightie controuersie might depende vpon the mouthe of some simple burgoise and meane artificer who might easely by lacke of iudgement choose the worse part Or if they all agreed vpon the truthe might not the like controuersie arise in Fraunce Germanie Spaine or in some other countrie and euery one determine either in this article or any lyke contrary to the other If they did as by the confesion of Augspurg and their communion boke allowed by the parliament of Englande the one so muche disagreing with the other it appeareth they doe shoulde not the churche in this case be
be inferiour to other Laste off all there is no worde tending to this sense that schismes maye be allwayes whiche yow must proue to deface the necessitie off one heade ouer all appeased by the seuerall bishoppes of seuerall diocesses therefore you haue made fower lyes vpon S. Cyprian A clustre of lyes 27 You repeate againe as that is a greate figure with you Nowell fol. 33. a. 6. that which yow saide before that it is impossible that there shoulde be one generall heade in earthe ouer the vniuersall churche or that suche a heade can ouersee his charge and kepe all churches from schismes and troubles and pacifie them when they are risen This as a thing tried by the state of the worlde at this daie and euer sith the first beginning thereof you will leaue to the reasonable reader to determine betwixt vs. As for the impossibilitie I answered before and saie againe Dorman fol. 50. b. that how euer it seme impossible the weake nature off maÌ„ coÌ„sidered yeat suer we are that he that appointed that ordre God him selfe is so able to multiplye grace in his ministre and to prouide him of suche helpe by the meanes of other inferiour ministres gouerning their seuerall charges vnder him that it shall not only not be impossible but easy enough Whether this one heade be hable to kepe the churche from schismes and pacifie them when they are risen better then many heades let the indifferent reader on Goddes name take the late table of Staphilus and after he hathe vpon the viewe thereof ioyned the fruiteful encrease of heresies in oure daies to the quiet agrement in faithe wherein we liued vndre the obedience of one heade lett him iudge whether he thinke more necessary for either the auoiding of schismes or suppressing of them when they be raised Which offer of youres to betried by the state off the worlde at this daye argueth to the worlde that yow haue neither wit in youre nowle nor shame in youre foreheade That the place taken out of S. Cyprian lib. 1. epist 3. proueth that for the which it was brought that is that there ought to be one generall chiefe heade ouer Christes vniuersall Churche The 12. chapitre I promised to bring the iudgement of certaine notable Nowell fo 33. a. 29 men to proue the necessitie of one heade lest anie man shoulde thinke me to be the auctor of that assertion Yow saie it was the inuention of ambitiouse popes I thinke other men haue bene ambitiouse aswell as the Dorman popes of Rome Yeat neuer was there hetherto any king or emperour muche lesse bishop or spirituall man able so manie hundred yeares to mainteine a superioritie by ambition only without all good title Neither was the diuell able to plant a succession of so many and so notable martirs confessours learned and vertuouse men as haue bene in the See of Rome to deceiue the worlde by the instrumentes of Christe It is Christe M. Nowell who hathe so by his auctoritie disposed the ordre of his churche that if you Lib. de vnit eccl will beleue S. Cyprian to make the same one he hath appointed one heade thereof in earthe as many riuers haue one spring many braunches one roote c. Which neded not by youre high diuinitie seing that it hath Christe the heade thereof in heauen in which respecte it might be one But nowe to the place of S. Cyprian here by me alleaged seing thus muche maye serue to proue you to haue made a saunderousâ—e lye Yow saie that this place of S. Cyprian here alleaged by me Nowell fol. 33. b. is not spoken of the pope Neither dothe it skill whether it be spoken of the pope Dorman or no. And yeat in this pointe yow spende a greate many of idle and superfluouse wordes For I am not as yeat come to proue the pope to be supreame heade of Christes churche but am only in the prouing hereof that it is necessarie that there be one suche heade If you woulde nedes comptrolle the alleaging of this place you shoulde showe that S. Cyprian speaketh not at all of anie necessitie to haue anye one heade or iudge in the stede of Christe obeied in earthe neither in particuler churches neither yeat ouer the vniuersal churche For so long as you coÌ„clude not thus it will euer Note folowe that if one prieste must be obeied in his owne diocesse for the auoiding and appeasing of heresies and schismes that by muche more greater reason must one prieste aboue all priestes be obeied in the stede of Christe to appease heresies and schismes in the vniuersall churche of God I had thought M. Nowell that you had knowen the proportion that is betwene the parte and the whole the lesse and the greater in the same kinde If one villaige can not consist without a heade muche lesse can one citie and yeat lesse can one shiere and lest of all can a prouince or whole kingdome Nowe when we speake of the churche one diocesse is in respecte of the whole churche as one villaige towne or shiere is in respecte of a whole prouince or kingdome As therfore it is not sufficient for the quiet gouerning of a prouince or kingdome that euery village and citie within the same haue a seuerall heade to ouersee the inhabitantes of suche villaiges or cities without there be beside one generall heade to ouersee all those inferiour heades Euen so the seuerall gouernours in particuler diocesses exclude not but inferre by a stronger reason the necessitie of one heade ouer all other heades in Christes being heade of the Churche excludeth not the ministerie of man the whole churche Which reason you can not shift awaie by saing that Christe is that only heade for so it maie be truly replied to you he is of all the particuler churches in the worlde toe And yeat this not withstanding as there woulde heresies and schismes rise in particuler churches if to vse S. Ciprians wordes there were not one prieste and iudge obeied in the same in the steede of Christe and for this cause one suche in euery diocesse supplieth the roome of Christe not visibly present in earthe so is not Christes being heade ouer the vniuersall churche any more let why there shoulde be a visible heade in his steede of the whole churche which is but one Especially seing the bishoppes maye as easely and are muche more likely to styrre vp schismes in the whole churche as are the particuler membres of euery particuler diocesse as the examples of youre first 600. yeares in which there was neuer yeat anie notable heresye that was not by bishoppes either begonne or mainteined sufficiently beare witnes Which chaunce happening seing that meanes must be sought to appease it aswell as the schismes of particuler churches and yeat Christe no more visibly present to be consulted in this case then he is in the other what remaineth to thinke but that he hath supplied
the lacke of his visible presence by appointing as in well one in his steede to the behooffe of the whole churche as of particuler churches For this one heade lest any man might cauill that he might erre and drawe all after Lucae 22. him Christ him selfe prayed saieng in the gospell to Peter whome he left in his place to be that heade I haue praied for the that thy faithe maye not faile We may not doubte therfore but that he obteined his petition We haue no cause to doubte considering that hetherto all other apostolicall seates and moste famouse churches of the worlde as Antioche Alexandria Hierusalem Constantinople hauing perniciously erred in the faithe and being quite ouerthrowen this onley seate of the chiefe heade of Christes churche the churche of Rome I meane against so manie wicked Emperours openly assaulting it so many De vtilit credendi ad Hoaorat Cap. 17. subtile heretikes craftily vndermining it and barcking rounde about it as S. Austen saieth so manie meanes inuented to bring it to defende euill and perniciouse doctrine hathe in all these difficulties continued allwaies and by goddes grace euer shall continue pure and vnspotted Beside this to stoppe all youre starting holes at once nowe for hereafter yow can not saye that by this reason of mine whereby I go about vpon the necessitie of one heade in euerie diocesse to proue the like ouer the whole churche it shoulde folowe aswell that there ought to be ouer all the kingdomes of the worlde one chiefe king or emperour because as I saide once before all the kingdomes in the worlde meete not together by goddes ordinaunce in one kingdome as all the churches doe in one churche Which if they did off necessitie they shoulde being one bodye haue one heade And therfore in this case I Lib. de vnitate eccles Cap. 12 maie saye with S. Austen Nèque enim quia in orbem terarrum plerunque regna diuiduntur ideo Christiana vnitas diuiditur Neither because kingdomes for the moste parte be diuided through the worlde therefore is Christian vnitie diuided also And yeat this is the thing that M. Nowell laboureth to bring to passe that because there be many kingdomes and consequently many kinges there shoulde be many churches and so many rulers of the churche or goddes apointment of gouerning the worlde by many kinges made frustrate and so no mo kingdomes then there be churches Thus I haue showed yow M. Nowell howe this place of S. Cyprian maketh for my purpose referring those wordes Neque vnus in ecclesia ad tempus sacerdos ad tempus iudex c. Neither that there is one prieste and one iudge acknowledged in the churche in the steede of Christe for the time to the proufe of the necessitie of one heade ouer the whole churche by an ineuitable consequent taken from S. Cyprians wordes not as directly ment of the pope as you laboure to make men beleue spending manie wordes here in vaine to proue that these wordes shoulde be spoken of S. Cyprian him selfe To all the which long processe of youres I will then make answere when I shall vse the place to suche purpose as you imagine I doe Although this I will aduertise you of by the way that the case is not altogether so clere as you take it to be that this place of S. Cyprian is only to be taken as spoken of him selfe and not of Cornelius as to him that shall considre that no particuler bishop is able to staye schismes so conueniently whereas the bishoppes of diuerse prouinces be of equall auctoritie as that one bishop that hathe auctoritie ouer the whole nombre of bishoppes it can not but be manifest And yeat maie euerie man see in this place that the one bishopp of whome S. Cyprian speaketh should be suche as being obeied there shoulde be no schismes in Christes church Which can be vnderstande of no one particuler bishop but of some such one as because his auctoritie is vniuersal it will folowe that the obeing of him shall procure to the whole churche to the colleage of priestes quietnes and vnitie Againe when S. Cyprian handling of purpose this argument of the vnitie off the church telleth vs how the the diuel haleth men to heresies and schismes because they go not to the beginning of the truthe seeke not out the heade obserue not the heauenly maisters teaching and addeth immediatly that our lorde saide to Peter Thow arte Peter c. as though he woulde teache * Not as M. Iuell iuglgeth with this place in 3. his printed sermoÌ„ vs therby Matth. 18. to come to the beginning of the truthe to finde out the heade to kepe the teaching of Christ that he disposed by his auctoritie that vnitie shoulde begin of one Last of all that he holdeth not the faithe that holdeth not the vnitie of this churche that began of Petre ought not these wordes vttred to teache vs to auoide schismes be a rule to directe vs to S. Cyprians meaning in this place where he saieth that heresies and schismes rise because one iudge in the church in the stede of Christe is not obeied But leauing the defence of this interpretation to those that haue so alleaged and vnderstode the place who are able it is not to be doubted to giue good reason of their doinges I will procede to that which foloweth Concerning the Apologie wherewith I founde faulte for saing that Christe in the gouernement of his churche â—ol 38. b. 7 vseth not the ministerye off anye one generall heade c which you labour here to defende I saie that it hathe not onely committed this faulte in denieng this maner off gouernement in Christes churche the contrarie whereof S. Cyprians wordes by a necessary consequent importe but is blasphemouse also against Christe whose ordonaunce it is to haue one heade to gouerne in his steade the churche by affirming so peremptorily that it is not possible for anye man alone to be hable to susteine that office To the which two if I shoulde adde this beside that it was moste foolishely vttred first of the Apologie and nowe moste impudently defended by yow it might perhappes moue Not impossible for one man alone to gouerne the churche vnder Christe youre cholere a litle but yeat M. Nowell it is true For what man that had but a cromme of witt in his heade woulde call that a thing impossible to be done which him selfe for the space of 900. yeares can not denie to haue bene done Denye if you can that thus manie yeares the whole worlde hathe not in spirituall matters obeyed one heade the B. of Rome I presse you not nowe with the first six hundred yeares before in the which the ecclesiasticall histories and writinges of the fathers make moste euident mention that this auctoritie of one generall heade was thorough out the whole worlde acknowledged of all men To this one heade appellations were made from all partes of
the worlde This one heade executed the censures of the churche vpon See M. Doctor Hardinges booke the seconde edition fol. 111. b. malefactours and transgressours of the ecclesiasticall canons confirmed the ordinations and elections off bishoppes approued or disalowed councelles restored bishoppes wrongfully condemned and depriued receiued into the church such as had erred and gone a straie and all this thorough out the whole worlde But with all this I saye I will not presse you because youre Apologie and you be it neuer so easy to be proued will yeat for your honour sake perhappes denie it Only this I aske of yow how yow be not ashamed to saie that it is impossible for one man to gouerne the whole churche seing by youre owne confession for 900. yeares it hathe bene so If yow will saie that the churche hathe bene euill gouerned these latter 900. yeares allthough that yow coulde right well proue as you shal neuer be hable what maketh that for this assertion off youres that one man can not possybly gouerne the whole churche conteining to vse yowre owne wordes so manie nations so diuerse Languages and natures of men Howe proueth it that one generall heade can not so ouersee his charge that he shall be able to kepe all churches from schismes and troubles and pacifie them when they are risen If one man alone coulde for the space of 900. yeares so rule all churches dispersed thorough out all the worlde that he Note was able to plant emongest so manie nations so diuerse languages and natures of men one naughty and corrupte faithe as yow saie might not the same or maye not an other with as muche facilitie haue planted or plant if it were to be planted a truthe thorough out the whole worlde If the churche haue bene so gouerned during this terme of 900. yeares that all the affaires of the churche haue by one heade bene so ordered that no membre hath had iust cause to complaine that all membres haue agreed in perfecte quietnesse one with an other and all with their heade as youre selfe hereafter confesse allthough yow labour to qualifye the matter in this wise In deede we must nedes confesse a truthe M. Nowels confession cōcerning the quiet agrement vnder the gouernement off the Pope fol. 56. b. 25. that whilest we all remained vnder the quiet obedience off youre Romishe heade in doctrine of his traditiōs there was a coloured hinde of quietnesse concorde and loue emongest all the membres of that heade the subiectes of that one gouernour and ruler and specially emongest the cleargie of that one churche if I saye by youre confession there was suche a quiete agreing thorough out all the worlde in false doctrine will you still abide by it that the same one heade that gouerned in this peasable maner all the worlde whome he fedde with euill doctrine might not haue gouerned them as quietly if he had deliuerd to them sounde and wholesome doctrine Or will you saye that God can doe lesse in procuring good thinges then the diuell in promoting euill that God can make one man hable alone to gouerne all the worlde without schismes or to appease them being moued as great as it is in euill gouernement but not in good If you will not saye thus you must nedes saie that it is nothing impossible for one man assisted by goddes grace to gouerne the churche of the whole worlde were it greater then it is and so to confesse with all that the Apologie in saing the contrary and yow in defending the Apologie haue bothe off yow falsely blasphemously and foolishely erred As for the reason whereunto the Apologie and yow leane that as God hathe giuen to no one king to be aboue all so to no one bishop to rule the whole churche that is as I tolde you before to appoint God because he hathe made manie kingdomes to make many heades of the churche which is but one and so consequently to multiply religions and make many faithes But because you repeate verie often this comparison and thinke it so absurde that there shoulde be any more one heade ouer the whole churche thē one chiefe king aboue all the kingdomes in the worlde I will here proue that within the first six hundred yeares it was taken for no absurditie There is no man I thinke that hathe bestowed anie time in the ecclesiasticall histories ignorant what a doe Theodora the Empresse wife to Iustinian the Emperour made to haue Siluerius the pope depriue Menna the good archebishop of Constantinople and to restore Anthimius the heretike laufully before by Agapetus the pope depriued To the which wicked attempt when by no meanes the good pope coulde be brought to consent false accusations were brought in against him and so he was by tirannie remoued and cōstreined to flee to a towne called Patara of the prouince of Lycia Whither the emperour Liberatus in Breuiario cap. 22. on a time comming the bishopp there as Liberatus the Archedeacon of Carthage writeth complaining to him and calling to witnesse the iust and terrible iudgemēt of God for the vniust expulsion of the bishop of so greate a seate addeth at the last these wordes Multos esse in hoc Many Kinges to gouerne the worlde one pope to gouerne the churche mundo reges non esse vnum sicut ille papa est super ecclesiam mundi totius a sua sede expulsus that there are manie kinges in this worlde and that there is no one only kinge as that pope is ouer all the whole churche of the worlde expelled from his seate Doe you not here see M. Nowell that within the first 600. yeares the whole worlde was gouerned by one heade in spirituall matters without anie necessitie to haue it so gouerned in temporall Woulde this good bishop is it credible being a suter to the Emperour if the churche had not bene gouerned by one heade at that time or if it had bene an absurditie that there shoulde be one chiefe bishop and manie equall kinges haue dasshed the Emperour in the mouthe with suche an absurde and flatte lye Or woulde the Emperour vpon this talcke immediatly haue caused Siluerius to be called backe againe into Italie and not rather haue checked the bishop for abusing him with a lye if he had not acknowledged his wordes to be true Thus muche I trust maye serue to make the indifferent reader vnderstande that I reprehended not the Apologie without iust cause You re railing against me because it is as youre selfe cōfesse fol. 39. a. beside the matter I passe ouer But so can I this by no meanes that yow take it for no reproche yow saye to haue Nowell b. 1. youre congregation secrete scattred and vnknowen to all the worlde because this is common to yow with the primitiue churche of oure Sauiour Christe and his holie Apostles Considre I beseche the good Reader whether these newe Dorman vpstart heretikes of oure age be not brought
to a very Exigent and to extreme desperation when to excuse the secretenesse of their congregation their hidden and vnknowen churche they wrappe them selues like crafty wolues for feare of being betraied in the fine fleeses and soft wooll of the name of Christe and his Apostles As though after so manie hundred yeares that Christes faithe hath floorished thorough out all the worlde it were nowe newe to begin againe Considre whether they ought not to be ashamed if shame there were anie in them to saie that the churche was in Christes time and his apostles secrete and vnknoweÌ„ seing that to them that shall reade the Actes Act. 2. 4 alibi of the Apostles it can not be vnknowen howe mightely the churche encreased euen in their tyme Seing that the Apostle S. Paule witnesseth the contrary in saing that the Rom. 1. faithe off the Romaines Christes true faithe was preached euen then in the vniuersall worlde It is therefore a A sclaunderouse and blasphemouse lye 28. moste sclaunderouse and blasphemouse lye to saye that Christes churche was at anye tyme after the comming downe of the holie ghost secrete or vnknowen It is a lye to saie that it was so hidden that who so euer woulde at anie time haue ioyned him selfe thereto might not haue knowen it But this is an olde shift off the Donatistes who when they coulde finde none off their religion but only in Africa were driueÌ„ to say that there the church was only as you must say it was 50. yeares agoe in Germanie or elles no where Of whom as S. AusteÌ„ said then so will I saie of you now O impudenteÌ„ voceÌ„ c. O impudeÌ„t voice is there no church because thow arte not in it See to thy selfe lest thow be not in it In psalm 101. therefore For the churche shal be allthough thow be not This abhominable this detestable voice of presumption and falshoode boulstred with no truthe lightened with no wisdome seasoned with no discretion vaine rashe hedlong perniciouse did the spirite of God forsee and spake euen as it were against them when he preached vnitie In gathering the people and kingdomes together to ser us Psalmus 101. oure lorde Where is now I praie you youre churche spred thorough all nations Where was there anie signe thereof in all the worlde the yeare before that Martin Luther begaÌ„ to preach his gospel When I call youre coÌ„gregation scattered and vnknoweÌ„ I haue relatioÌ„ to that time in which you first shewed your selues to the world For that you now brag that the pope and his haue both more knowledge and feling also of your coÌ„gration theÌ„ liking that is coÌ„mon to you seing you will nedes holde in coÌ„mon with the ArriaÌ„s Whose heresies were as famouse in the world as yours are and yeat coulde neuer by time so grow in credite God be praised therfore that their first beginning bewrayed them not to the worlde as youres doth you Might you not be ashamed M. Nowell if there were anie shame in you to goe about to persuade meÌ„ that Christes churche after fiftene hundred yeares shoulde be now in her enfancy yea within these fifty yeares not borne at all Ihon Caluin youre late maister in a litle treatise that he made against Michael Seruetus whome for his heresies he put to deathe in Geneua disputeth thus against him Ecclesiam fingit ab annis mille ducentis sexaginta fugatam Caluins opinion of the churche a mundo fuisse vt coelum illi exilium fuerit Nos certé é splendidis aedibus eiectam fuisse fatemur sed it a vt electas a se reliquias admirablili gratia seruauerit dominus Alioqui mentitus foret qui semper aliquem sibi populum in terra fore promisit quaÌ„diu Sol Luna in coelo fulgebunt Scimus quid passim de aeterno Christi regno testentur prophetae An eius sedem in coelis locant Imò fore praedicunt vt sceptrum eius é Sion procul dominus ostendat quo dominetur ab ortu vsque ad oâ—casum eius haereditas sit terraruÌ„ orbis Nunc ergo populo eum priuare qui nomeÌ„ eius celebret est ac si abscissa eius parte ipsum in coelo multilum includere tentemus Seruetus saieth Caluin feineth the churche these 12. hundred and thre score yeares to haue bene chased oute of the world so that it must be in banishement in heauen We trulie confesse that she hath bene cast out of glittring and shining palaces but yeat so that the lorde hathe preserued his chosen remenaÌ„tes by his merueilouse grace Otherwise he shoulde haue lyed who euer promised to him selfe some people in the earthe so long as the sonne and mone shoulde shine in the firmament We knowe what the prophetes doe in euerie place witnesse of the aeternal kingdom of Christe Doe they place his throne in heauen Yea trulie they prophecy that it shoulde come to passe that the lorde shoulde showe a far of his sceptre out of Sion with the which he shall rule froÌ„ the easte vnto the west and his enheritaunce shall be the whole worlde Now therefore to depriue him of his people which shoulde glorifie his name it is euen as though cutting of a parte of him we woulde assaie to include him mangled in heauen Thus farre Caluin touching the church And therfore you may not blame me M. Nowell if I reason as youre maister dothe nor maie not thinke your selfe well excused if after fiftie yeares you shewe a fewe remenantes of youre church which at the beginning thereof 51. yeares ago coulde not shewe in all the worlde one man that might be as a stone thereof so secrete so scattred so hidden and vnknowen was it Yow are not headlesse you saye yow haue Christe in heauen and youre prince vnder him c. you haue the rules and groundes Nowell fol. 39. b. 3 of goddes worde You are not headlesse if so manie bishoppes as you haue so manie heads you be vnder But you ioyne in no one head Dorman in earthe for which cause onelie I call you headlesse Your prince in earthe for now youre minde is changed and being past the places of S. Cyprian which made so muche for the auctoritie of priestes and bishoppes yow crie that the prince is youre heade can not make you haue a heade in earthe in so muche as youre whole congregation whereof I trowe yow will confesse youre selues in Englande to be membres is not vnder any one prince â–ª Yow haue not the rules and groundes of goddes worde to staye vpon forasmoche as you reiect the certeine meanes and waies to vnderstande goddes word by And therfore you knowe not whither to goe nor whereupon to rest That S. Hierom was of the minde that there ought to be one chiefe bishop in Christes churche Dialog aduersus Lucifer The 13. Chapter Yow graunt M. Nowell that saint Cyprian and saint Hierome fol. 30. b. 23. fol.
40. a. 1. were bothe of one minde Therefore saie I they bothe proue the necessitie of one heade Neither care I whether S. Hierome speake in this dialogue of the B. of Rome by name or no. It suffiseth to proue my entent that as by youre owne confession S. Cypriah is of the minde that in euerye diocesse there must be one prieste and iudge in the stede of Christe whome all the rest must obeye so S. Hierome also is of the same The which being once graunted it foloweth verie well that seing for one litle diocesse a heade ouer so meane men as parishe priestes be is precisely necessarie muche more is a heade in earthe ouer all the bishoppes which haue euerie one of them so greate power ouer their owne flocke lest theye abuse the same of greter and more forcible necessitie And therefore you take greate paines to no purpose to proue that S. Hierome speaketh not of the B. of Rome but of euery other bishop the which thinge I woulde hier you to proue for me For whereas if he had spoken of the B. of Rome by name it had bene a reason grounded vpon the auctoritie of S. Hierome alone now being spoken of euerie bishop it confirmeth by reconing the necessitie of one heade particulerly in euerye diocesse the greate necessitie of the same one heade in the whole bodie of the churche by naturall reason also which proueth my purpose better then any priuate mānes auctoritie can doe If cancred malice and desire to be reuenged had not caried yow so far and fast awaye that it gaue you no leisor to loke backe to the title of the argument that is here handled youre selfe woulde sone haue perceiued howe litle it were necessarie to haue in this place anie speciall mention made of the B. of Rome Which if yow had once marcked then woulde you neuer haue gathered so foolilishely and vnlearnedly out of the argument of the dialogue fol. 40. a. 6 writen by Erasmus Liber est c. The booke is very worthye to be reade as the whiche doth conceine manie ▪ wholesom preceptes M. Nowell a weake reasoner concerning the life of bishoppes that there was nothing in the same dialogue not asmuche as one worde that is special to the B. of Rome onelye For all thoughe there be no one worde there speciall to the B. of Rome as it is not necessary that there be how shoulde yeat this auctoritie presse him that woulde maintaine the contrary and saye to you what M. Nowell I thinke your wittes faile you Maye there not be some one worde speciall to the B. of Rome in that dialogue because it conteineth manie wholesome preceptes concerning the life of bishoppes Is not the B of Rome a bishop Muche like or more foolishe then this are youre other notes gathered here and there out of this dialogue to proue that which you saie of euerye bishoppes auctoritie and to reproue my wresting as you terme it of this place to the auctority of one bishop ouer the whole church For who sence reason was first poured in to mannes heade harde euer of one that occupieth the place of a wise man a more folishe or brainesicke kinde of reasoning then is this S. Hierome speaketh in diuerse places of this dialogue of manye bishoppes because the question was whether bishoppes returning from their heresies shoulde be vnbishopped or no before they were reconciled Ergo He meant not in the place alleaged that there shoulder be one chiefe bisshoppe in the churche This semed to your self to be farre from the marke I doubte not when you promise to come nearer to the place by fol. 40. b. 22. fol. 41. b. me alleaged And therefore you bring in certeine sentences going next before to proue that which I denie not that S. Hierome speaketh of euery bishop in his owne diocesse And thereupon you conclude And therefore this whole matter is altogether impertinent to Nowell fol. 42. b. 9 D. Harding and M. Dormans purpose of one onelye heade ouer the whole churche Vnlesse M. Dorman woulde frame vs thereof this lewde argument S. Hierome saieth that euery bishop ought to haue auctoritie aboue all other priestes of his owne diocesse Ergo the B. of Rome ought to haue a preeminence peerelesse aboue all bishoppes of all diocesses and ouer the whole church thorough out the whole worlde No M. Nowell I will not reason so in this place because Dorman the argument whiche I handle forceth me not so to doe But if I had so reasoned or woulde so reason as yow thinke no man being awake wil yeat am I he that euē in my slepe M. Nowell were able to defende that argument againste yow staring with bothe youre eyes wide open vpon me And that youre selfe perceiued well inough and therefore like a tendre harted mā as lothe to breake my sweete slepe you stolle from it as softlye as you might For this being I praye you first graunted that euery bishop ought to haue auctoritie aboue all other priestes of his owne diocesse and the reason being as S. Hierome hathe here and you in making the argument guilefully left out for the auoiding of schismes I woulde infer for the minor or seconde proposition but the same reason for the auoiding of schismes dothe no lesse yea more enforce that one haue perelesse auctoritie ouer the bishops and priestes of the whole world Ergo there must be one suche heade and that by a consequent the B. of Rome who hathe euer so bene reputed and taken except you by youre deanely auctoritie haue power to appoint some other But I brought not S. Hieromes auctoritie VVhy S. Hierome was first alleaged M. Nowell to conclude so particulerly or to force it to the B. of Romes supremacy but only to proue the necessitie of one generall heade ouer Christes vniuersal churche the which no reasonable man can denie but that most effectually it dooth So that nowe youre greate musing at any man that shall to this sense alleage this place of S. Hierome maye appeare rather to procede off some dumpish melancolike vapours occupieng youre fonde and idle heade or lacke of other matter to thinke vpon then vpon any iust cause or good grounde and that also yow haue vntruly saide of me that I haue wrested this place In answering the place of S. Hierom to Euagrius you saie Nowell fo 4◠b. 18 first that he sheweth that praesbiter and episcopus a prieste and a bishop be all one by the first institution and by the lawe of God If it had pleased yow so to haue taken S. Hierome he Dorman might haue ment that the name of a prieste and the name of a bishop was all one in the vse of speche in the holie scriptures and in the sacrament of ordres but not in dignitie preeminence and auctoritie For a bishop is preferred before a prieste in iurisdiction allthough their names were once confounded Neither are all those thinges
by and by to be confounded as one in truthe and nature the names whereof be confounded Otherwise because the Apostles are in the gospell called disciples an Apostle and a disciple are all one which is well knowen not to be so Likewise though the termes of prieste and bishop were common yeat the thinges were neuer one in so muche that S. Austen making mention of the heresie of Aerius saieth Dicebat etiam praesbiterum ab episcopo nulla differentia secerni debere He saide Ad quod vult Deum haeres 57. also that a prieste ought to be distinguished from a bishop by no difference But what meane you here M. Nowell to talcke so much of the equalitie of bishoppes and priestes being a matter in this place nothing to oure purpose Or if it were seing it might be saide that euen as the olde canons as I declared before in that equalitie which is in priestehode vsed yeat In the 6. chapitre fol. 33. b. the worde Archipraesbiter chiefe prieste and ordeined suche a dignitie in the churche so there is nothing that letteth why in the equalitie of bishoppes and priestes while no one is more bishop or prieste then an other there maie How one bishop is equall to an other not be degrees notwithstanding of superioritie allthough not in the sacrament of ordres which is common to them all yeat in the execution of that power that is conferred thereby But perhappes you be of the opinion youre selfe that there ought to be no difference betwene a bishop and a prieste and therefore are the gladder to snatche occasion by all meanes direct or indirect to vtter youre minde therin Nowe foloweth vpon this grounde laied that bishoppes and priestes be by the first institution and the lawe of God one youre conclusion whereby you will make it appeare that you haue not without cause made mention of this equalitie of bishoppes and priestes So that all bishoppes which be the successours of the Apostles Nowell b. 24. be also praesbiteri that is to saie elders or priestes Whereof it foloweth also that there is an equalitie emongest all bishoppes by goddes lawe as the equall successours of the Apostles And that this is S. Hieromes minde in that place all learned men who haue reade the saide epistle doe well knowe This was not the minde of S. Hierome but is an idle Dorman phantasy of youre owne The learned knowe and to their iudgement I appeale that his minde was here to compare together the state of a prieste and a bishop in the sacrament of holie ordres common aswell to the one as to the other that so he might refell the better the errour of those who helde that deacons ought to be equall to priestes as appeareth by these wordes of his in the beginning of the epistle In this epistle ad Euagri◠Nam quum Apostolus c. For whereas the Apostle teacheth manifestly that priestes and bishoppes be one what eyleth the seruaūt * He meaneth deacons of widowes and tables arrogātly to extoll him selfe aboue them at whose praiers the bodie and bloud of Christe is made Doth not this example put in the consecrating of the bodie and bloude off Christe the whiche the poorest prieste that is hathe as good auctoritie to doe giuen hym in the sacrament of holie ordres as the pope him selfe declare that S. Hieromes minde was no otherwise to make priestes equall to bishoppes but in the only ordre of priestehode common to bothe Yea but yow will saie that the Apostles were equall in all respectes for if you saie not so you can not conclude absolutely as yow doe that all bishoppes their successours be so equall If yow saie so that is but your bare Lib. 1. contra Iouinianum saing only not by the auctoritie of S. Hierome confirmed but most plainly by the same impugned Who in one place saieth that emongest the twelue there was a heade chosen Peter by name and in an other place that Christ made Peter In cap. Marci 14. Note the cause of appointing one heade the maister of his house THAT VNDER ONE SHEPHERD THERE MAY BE ONE FAITH Which is directly against the equalitie that you build vpō But let it be graunted vnto you that the apostles were equal yeat shall not your cōclusion folow for all that For it is to be considered that in the Apostles there is a double respect which is to be weighed nowe of vs. Either we considre them as they were all Apostles or as they were bishoppes As they were Apostles they How the Apostles were all equall were all equall they had all like power to preache and teache thorough out the whole worlde As they were bishoppes and rulers of particuler churches they were all subiect to Petre the chiefe bishop of all As they were Apostles that is to saye generall legates to plante Christes faithe thorough out all the world to founde churchs to preach the word of God finally to gouerne vniuersally in all places where their should come they trāsmitted this right none of thē to their successours but only Peter who was the generall shepherd of all Which is the cause that some of the fathers namely S. Austē saie that the power giuen to Peter was giuē to him In psalm 208. in the persone of the church because it was not giuē to him alone but to all his successours to cōtinue for euer As the Apostles were bishops of particuler places their auctoritie ended not with them but wēt further to the whole church to cōtinue for euer Now to applye this to our purpose howe doe the bishoppes that now are succede the Apostles They succede them as bishoppes not as Apostles For if they succeded them so who seeth not that as the Apostles made lawes absolued excommunicated and ruled thorough out all How bisshoppes be the successours of the Apostles the worlde where so euer they came so might the bishoppes that nowe succede thē doe the like The which thing seing we finde by no recordes sith the apostles time that euer it was practised in the church and if it should it were the nexte waie to disquiet al the worlde and to fill the churche full of schismes and heresies reason it selfe dothe conuince that the ordre taken emongest the Apostles was but by speciall priuileage not appointed to continue for euer or to derogate anie thing from the generall ordre begonne in Peter and appointed to be perpetuall as long as the church shoulde endure To conclude therfore I graunte to you M. Nowell that the Apostles were equall as they were all the generall legates of Christe but not as they had their speciall bishoprikes and charges limited vnto them In which latter sense because the bishoppes that are nowe succede the Apostles in which pointe they were not equall it foloweth against you that all bishoppes be not equall Iff yow will saye that the Apostles were also equall euen in that that
that Christ gaue power of losing and binding to al indifferently and that therfore Peter had no more premineÌ„ce then the rest is a naughty and vntrue reason as appeareth by these wordes of S. Hierome tamen etcae yeat one is chosen etc. Thirdly I gather that seing the apostles were bishoppes this Maxime of youres is cleane ouerthrowen that all bishoppes be equall and that no one hathe anie other ouer him seing the Apostles being bishoppes had Peter to be their heade Fourthly I note that this confession was wroong as it were by violence from S. Hierome by the force of his aduersarie his reason Which being that priestes might marie seing Peter the heade of the Apostles was maried it had bene for S. Hierome his vantage to haue denyed that he was heade of them to haue sayde as yow doe that they were all equall and no one aboue the other And so woulde he we maie be suer being so vehement and learned an aduersary as he was if it had not bene so manifest a truthe that it coulde be no more denied then that Peter was maried His qualifieng of the place here that the churche was in an other place builded vpon all maie giue vs to vnderstande what he woulde quickly haue done if Christe had not for all that specially made Peter the heade By this appeareth the corrupt iudgement of Erasmus who in his notes vpon the epistle Ad Marcellam where S. Hierome hath againe that the churche was builded Tom. 2. ad Marcellam adueâ—sus Montanum vpon Peter giueth this iudgement Hoc detorquet in commendationem Petri. This he wresteth to the commendation of Peter Last of all it is to be noted that in S. Hieromes time it was acknowledged euen by heretikes that Christe appointed this ordre of one heade as appeareth by this that Iouinian grounded him selfe thereupon in reasoning against S. Hierome for the maintenaunce of his heresie Vpon the which last note some other maie happely note that yow and youre companions are more shamelesse heretikes then were Iouinian and his To this place of S. Hierome I will adde one other to shewe that yow abuse his auctoritie to muche in labouring to founde vpon him this vntrue proposition of youres that not by goddes lawe but by mannes this ordre of one heade in Christes Churche shoulde be established The wordes off S. Hierome alluding to the house mentioned in the ghospell where Christe eate his passeouer are these Dominus domus Petrus apostolus est cui dominus domum suam In cap. 14. Marci credidit VTSVBVNO PASTORE SIT VNA FIDES The maister of the house is Peter the Apostle to whome One head shepherde that the faithe maye be one oure Lorde committed his house that vnder one shepheard the faithe maye be one Doe yow not see M. Nowell the necessitie of one heade that vnder one shepherd the faithe maye be one Heare yow not that it is not mannes deuise that it be so but Christes owne ordinaunce Haue you not with all S. Hierome expounding as it were the wordes of S. Cyprian tamen vt vnitatem manifestaret vnitatis eiusdem originem Lib. de vnitat ecclesiae ab vno incipientem sua auctoritate disposuit yeat to make vnitie manifest he Christe disposed by his auctoritie the beginning of this vnitie to procede from one by these wordes of his That vnder one shepherde there maye be one faithe By this it appeareth that S. Hierome is not of that minde that yow woulde haue him to be that is that this ordre of hauing one heade in the churche shoulde be off mannes ordinaunce not of Christes institution But here yow will aske me how I can then reconcile him and make him agree with him selfe who in this place hath that one Quòd vnus postea electus est S. Hierom expounded by him selfe was afterwarde chosen to rule the rest If after saye yow then not vpon goddes lawe Yes I reconcile him after this sorte M. Nowell If yow vnderstande this place to be of the Apostles then he expoundeth him selfe in the place that you harde before where allthough he confesse that in one place Christe builded the churche equally vpon all his Apostles which was done streight after his resurrection Ioan. 20. yeat in an other he graunteth that the good maister for so he calleth Christe there builded it vpon Peter a little before his ascension into heauen whome he appointed Ioan. vlt. to be the heade of the rest So that the worde here Postea afterwardes hath relation to that ordinarie prerogatiue of S. Peter giuen to him at Christes assension at whiche time he perfourming the promise made before to Peter in the future tense to builde his churche vpon him Matth. 16. appointed him as Chrisostome saieth vpon that place to haue orbis terrarum curaÌ„ the charge of the whole worlde Homil. vlt. in Ioan. vlt. If yow vnderstande not these wordes one chosen afterwarde to rule the rest of the Apostles but of the gouernement in particuler churches as because of the example brought by S. Hierome of the churche of Alexandria you thinke they shoulde then Postea afterwarde must haue this sense that whereas vnder one generall heade of Christes churche the particuler churches were at the beginning gouerned by manye heades and common consent whiche was as Epiphanius saieth because the apostles could not furthwith take ordre for all thinges his wordes are non enim omnia statim potuerunt Apostoli constituere for the apostles could not furthewith take ordre for all things afterwardes the state of the church being better Lib. 3. haeâ—es 75. setled and being come to vse the words of Epiphanius ad propriaÌ„ mensuraÌ„ to her own measure that ordre appearing to be such as was not coÌ„uenieÌ„t for the gouernemeÌ„t of the churche was alltered and one chosen to rule alone for the auoiding of schismes in euery particuler church not as though S. HieroÌ„ should meane that the vniuersall churche lacked at anie time one heade or had bene gouerned by diuerse the coÌ„trarie wherof he affirmed before but that afterward particuler churchs began to see the necessitie of one head ouer euerie churche according to the patern wherein Christ appointed Peter to be the chiefe head of all As S. Hierom him selfe in an other place doth well declare where he saieth An tequà m diaboli instinctu studia in religione fierent c. Before by the instigation of the diuell factions were made in religion and In cap. 1. epi. ad Tit. 1. Cor. 1. one saide I am of Paule I am of Apollo I of Cephas the churches were gouerned by the coÌ„mon councell of priestes But after that euery one thought those that he baptized to be his and not Christes it was thorough out all the worlde decreed that one being chosen out of the priestes shoulde be set ouer the rest to whome all the care of the churche should belong and the occasioÌ„ of
perceiue this agrement at home in youre owne chapitre where being all equall in the dignitie of canons or prebendaries yeat one deane him selfe also a canon and in that respecte equall to the rest is aboue the other in power nor in youre prouince of Cauntorburie where all the bisshoppes equall in that dignitie are yeat inferiour to the Archebishop in power as youre selfe some times graunte namelie before fol. 32. a. where you vse the worde chiefe prelates of euerie prouince yeat take the paines to make a step to westminstre hall where when yow beholde the honorable iudges sitting in their places although they beequall in this dignitie that they be all the Quenes iudges yeat is there you can not denie difference of power emongest them And so haue they all one dignitie common to them allthough some of them be in superioritie aboue the other I showed yow before but it pleaseth yow that it be repeated here againe where with I am also not offendid that so the reader maie the better vnderstande youre vanitie how S. Austen Contra duas epist 〈…〉 ea 1. Tom. ◠writing to Bonifacius then pope confesseth that he and other bishoppes haue all one bishoprike common with him beholde the dignitie common but that yeat altius praesidet he sitteth higher preaeminet celsiore fastigio speculae pastoralis he is aboue the rest in the higher top of the pastorall watche tower And what is this but in one dignitie difference of power whilest other bishoppes sit beneathe and loke onely euerie one to his owne flocke and he that sitteth aboue hathe power to ouerloke all This Iarre as yow call it is framed M. Nowell Yow maie now when it shall please yow doe this greate acte that you speake of that is proue Leo vntrue by two witnesses against one Although this M. Nowell calleth Leo thiefe by crafte I can not passe ouer in silence that where yow call Leo suche a witnesse as if a man shoulde aske youre felowe whether yow be a thiefe or no you liken and resemble him in those wordes to a thiefe whome the whole councell of Calcedon B. 24. as youre selfe confesse called moste holye and moste blessed yow sclaunder him whome they reioised that God had Allocutione Calcedon Concil ad Martianum Imp. prouided for his churche an impregnable defendour against all errours whome they called their heade and the kepar of oure Lordes vineyarde Youre venimouse and virulent tongue hath not spared him being deade whome Attila that cruell In Relatio Synod ad Leon. barbarouse tyrant he whome the worlde called flagellum dei the scourge of God durst not touche being a liue Paulus Diaconus an approued historiographer maketh mention Lib. 5. de Gestis Rom. that when hauing now spoiled Thracia Illiricum Macedonio Moesia Achaia Graecia Hungarie Germanie he was entred with like furie into Italie and had taken euen the high waie to Rome to sacke and destroie that this holye bishop and vertuouse olde man Leo accompanied as some saie with one Consul and parte of the Senate met him in the waye To whome after he had made a verie shorte but pithy oration to this effect to shewe mercy to the citie off Rome the cruell monstre without anie furder hurte doing reculed backe graunted to the bishop euen as he had wished before and confessed after to those that were nearest aboute him merueiling at and demaunding the cause of this sodeine chaunge of his minde that it was not for the feare of his persone who came vnto him but of an other reuerent olde man standing by him in priestly habite who threatened him terribly with a sworde ready drawen vnlesse he accorded to all thinges that he shoulde require Now considre you good readers what maner of man he is that raileth thus vpon suche a father as Leo was and thinke what it is that he will take conscience in the doing or saing who is not ashamed to diffame the chiefe man in his time of all the worlde But nowe let vs see how yow proue Leo to be vntrue Yow saye that he dissentith first from S. Cyprian and next Nowell fo 49. a. 23 from S Hierome From S. Cyprian because he is of the minde that controuersies shoulde be determined in the place where they doe arise and that this sentence of his and that no appellations shoulde be made to anie B. of an other prouince yea and that namelie not to the B. of Rome nor that he shoulde sende anie legates Laterall to heare or determine forraine matters doth the whole councell of Carthage where in was S. Augustine Orosius and Prosper confirme Youre allegation out of S. Cyprian is of no effect Dorman because yow belye him He speaketh not there against laufull appellations but onelie that criminall causes shoulde be iudged at home And so the pope allwaies obserueth He calleth not the witnesses to Rome from farre countries but delegateth a legat to the prouince where the cōtrouersie is The thing that specially grieued here S. Ciprian was that these desperate men of whome he speaketh ran to certeine Numidian bishoppes to be reconciled of them Of the B. of Rome that he neuer ment to diminish his auctoritie his sending a messenger to Rome to purge him selfe and prosecute the matter against those naughty mē with other diuerse arguments and cōiectures mētioned before in the 11. chap. doe well witnesse Of the 6. African councell because it dependeth vpon the matter of Zosimus I shall in the nexte chapitre entreate S. Ciprian you saye applieth manie suche places of the scriptures Nowell 49. b. 3. as are customably alleaged for the popes supremacie ouer all bishoppes to the declaration of the equall auctoritie of euerie bisshop in his owne diocesse The places brought by S. Cyprian are alleaged to persuade Dormen obedience to those that be heades and gouernours The graunting of one chiefe heade ouer all diminisheth not the auctoritie of inferiour bishoppes who in respecte of the priestes and people vnder them are in their diocesses the high priestes and princes of the people And thus muche doth Leo graunte in this epistle him selfe Therfore hetherto there is no Iarre betwene S. Cyprian and him You bring the place of S. Cyprian in his boke De simplicitate praelatorum or as the truer copies reade De vnitate ecclesiae to ouerthrowe Leo. The which place because youre selfe haue pitefully mangled as one that was not ignorant how euell it woulde haue serued youre turne without some helpe of youre accustomed squaring I will take the paines to alleage it trulie for you The wordes are these Et quamuis Apostolis omnibus post resurrectionem suam parem potestatem tribuat dicat Sicut misit me pater ego mitto vos accipite spiritum sanctum Si cui remiseritis peccata remittentur illi si cui tenueritis tenebuntur tamen vt vnitatem manifestaret vnitatis eiusdem originem ab vno incipientem sua auctoritate
Italie or Rome it selfe for his wordes haue euidentlie that relation and that none thinke the auctoritie of one bishop to be lesse then the auctoritie an other but a few wicked and desperate men You were driuē to the wall M. Nowell when you were forced Dorman for a pore shift to say that Leo said as he did because he wolde haue bene lord and heade ouer the church S. Cipriā saith that euerie bishop hath his seuerall portion The same saieth Leo. Leo saieth that the charge of the vniuersall church must Lib. 1. ep 3 haue recourse to Peters chaire S. Ciprian saieth not the cōtrarie Yea so saieth S. Ciprian toe calling Rome matricem the mother church And whither should children I pray you haue recourse for succour but to their mother He saith not that the subiecte of one bishop may not appeale to an other Lyes that is one lie He saieth not that the cause determined by one bishop may be called before no other that is an other lie He maketh no comparison as you say he doth betwene the bishoppes of Afrike Italie and Rome behold the third lye He saieth not that none but a fewe wicked and desperate men thinke the auctoritie of one bishop to be lesse then the auctoritie of an other which if he shoulde youre selfe were like by that meanes to be of the nombre of such desperate and wicked men who before acknowledged chiefe prelates a worde that presupposeth other that be inferiour and fol. 32. 2. be cōtrarie to him selfe as I proued before by his writing to Steuen the pope wherby he required him to take ordre by his lettres for the remouing from his bishoprike Martianus the B. of Arles and by that that him selfe sent to Rome to Cornelius to trie the matter before him with those euill mē that complained vpon him there by his excepting againste the sentence giuen by the pope for the restitution of Basilides for no other cause but because it was obteined by false information All which exāples doe not only proue that he was not of the minde that no one bishop was aboue an other but this also that the B. of Rome was of greater auctoritie then the bishoppes of Fraunce Spaine or Afrike Hetherto of the disagrement betwene S. Ciprian and Leo which by this time all men I trust perceiue to be no suche as you vaunted it was yea to be none at all but suche consent rather as in diuerse wordes there can not be greater It foloweth that we examine how Hierome and Leo agree S Hierome yow saye hath that all churches worshipping one Nowell fo 51. a. 10 Borowed out of Caluin Inst. lib. 4 cap. 7. Sect. 3. Christe and obseruing one rule of truthe are equall with the churche of Rome that all bishoppes be the successours of the Apostles and of one priestehod and of the same merite and dignitie But Leo saieth contrarie that it was giuen to one to be aboue all the rest and that they who be in greater diocesses or cities haue more care and auctoritie and that the onelie see of Peter hath charge of the vniuersall churche and is heade thereof Yow belye S. Hierome He saieth not that all the churches Dorman A lye 38. in the worlde be equall If he did he shoulde saie contrarie to Irinaeus who saieth that the churche of Rome hath potentiorem principalitatem greater souereintie then other churches haue contrary to S. Cipriā who calleth Rome the Li. 1. cap. 3 Lib. 1. ep 3. mother churche the roote and principall churche and contrarie to S. Austen who calleth it the churche in the which the principalitie of the apostolicall see hath allwaies florished Epist 162. He saieth that Christes church is not diuided * Nec altera Romanae vrbis ecclesia altera totius orbis existimanda as thoghe Rome were one and the whole worlde an other As for that that he saieth that all bishoppes be the successours off the apostles those wordes make merueilously for the opinion of Leo against you For vpon that proposition of S. Hierome I reason thus All bishoppes be the successours of the Apostles but the Apostles were not all equal because as S Hierom saith Peter was their head Ergo by S. Hieromes minde all bishoppes who be their successours be not equall but haue the successour of Peter their heade Againe Peter was heade of the Apostles and made because there shoulde arise no schisme emongest them Ergo the B. off Rome who is Peters successour must be heade of his felowe bishoppes for the same cause These two propositions that there was emongest the Apostles one heade and that that was Peter be S. Hieromes owne in his first boke against Iouinian The wordes although I rehersed before yeat because they perteine not onelie to this matter but to shewe also how these thre Ciprian Hierome and Leo mete and knit as it were together in this sentence that Christ appointed ouer his church one generall heade I will recite once againe The wordes therfore of S. Hierō to Iouiniā be these At dicis super Petrum fundatur ecclesia licet idipsum in alio loco super omnes apostolos fiat cuncti claues regni coelorum accipiant ex aequo super eos ecclesiae fortitudo solidetur tamen propterea inter duodecim vnus eligitur vt capite constituto schismatis tollatur occasio That is to saie But thou saiest The churche is builded vpon Peter although the same in an other place be done vpon all the Apostles and all of them receiue the keyes of heauen and equallye is the strength of the churche grounded vpon them yeat for all that is there one chosen emongest the twelue that by making a heade emongest them occasion of schisme maye be taken awaye See yow not nowe by this place of S. Hierome M. Nowell howe the equalitie of power that S. Cyprian speaketh of the similitude of honour and equalitie of calling that Leo remembreth the building of the churche in one place vpon all the Apostles indifferentlie that S. Hierome mentioneth notwithstanding they all three conclude in one maner with this worde tamen notwithstanding that the churche was builded vpon one that there was one heade that there was one preferred before the reste This place of S. Hierome as it vtterly stoppeth their mouthes who reason that the Apostles were absolutely in all pointes equall so confirmeth it moste strongly the answere made before to the place of S. Ciprian that the Apostles were all of equall power and auctority that that was true at the first but Ioan. 20. that after oure Lorde last before his ascension gaue the Ioan. 21. chiefe auctoritie to one in respecte as one was chosen from the rest vpon whome the churche shoulde be builded S. Hierome saieth that al bishoppes are of one priesthode and of the same merite you plaie the falsefier and adde of youre owne and of the same dignitie The gentlewoman
that translated a. 24. S. Hierom falsefied by adding the word dignitie whiche is not in him the Apologie hath preeminence whiche maketh me to thinke that you borowed this patche of her as liking better to be a folower of her falsehoode then of his simplicitie that translating Caluins institutions translated the place truly Nowe for further answere to this place of S. Hierome it is to be vnderstande that he speaketh here of the custome which was in Rome that at the testimonie off deacons priestes were promoted to ordres The whiche when he saieth he speaketh not of the B. of Rome him selfe and his auctoritie but of the vse and custome of that one citie Nowe is this a thing moste certeine that neither dothe the pope requier nor euer did that all churches shoulde folowe the priuate customes of his churche And therefore saieth S. Hierome that the custome of the citie of Rome is not the custome of the worlde Yea in suche a case if the custome came to be tried the pope him selfe woulde saie Si auctoritas quaeritur orbis est maior vrbe If you seke to mainteine this custome by auctoritie the worlde is greater then is a citie Againe where as you woulde persuade men that all bishoppes be equall because S. Hierome saieth that they be of equall merite and priesthode So were the Apostles toe yeat was one aboue the reste for all that as Hierome him selfe confesseth calling Peter the heade appointed by Christe You haue hearde good readers and I trust in parte vnderstode what shamefull shiftes M. Nowell hathe made howe busilie the man hathe bestirred him selfe with false additions wrong translations hacking hewing and dismembring of sentences howe he hath spared no vilanouse wordes or impudent lies to deface this vertuouse and learned father Leo. To shewe him selfe no changling he concludeth with a conclusion lyke to his premisses that he thinketh that fier and water are not of a more contrarie nature then are S. Nowell a. 31. b. 13. Cyprian and S. Hierome contrarie to this epistle alleaged as Leo the popes epistle beside S. Augustine and 200. and mo bishoppes agreing with them against this Leo. He repeteth againe his exceptions that Leo in his owne cause is to be suspected that it is to be doubted whether it be Leo his epistle in dede or an others vnder his name that the wordes of his testimonie be eather manifestly falsefied or at the least in diuerse copies not onelye diuerse but cleane contrarie And here his tendre harte coulde not suffer him anie longer to refreine him selfe but needes he fol. 52. a. 2. must burst oute and lament as it were the case off the pope and poperie that is brought nowe to suche miserie as that being forsaken of all men almoste learned and graue it coulde finde no other patrones but suche as I am Allthoughe for that he confesseth that all suche as are godly and loue the truthe haue cause to thanke almightie God Howe contrarie Leo is to S. Cyprian and S. Hierome Dorman let the learned iudge how S. Augustine and the other bisshoppes make for you the next chapitre because it dependeth vpon the historie of Zozimus shall make euident To the being witnes in his owne cawse to the doubte of the worcke whether it be Leo his or no hathe bene answered before Allthough to certifie yow further in the last point albeit reason woulde yow shoulde haue showed some better cause of youre doubte then yow haue lest by that meanes euerie auctoritie brought against yow maie be called in to controuersie if it please yow to doubte therof I doe note to yow here in the margent other places out of the same Sermon 1. 2. 3. In die Aniuers assumpt suae ad Pontificat Leo his worckes no epistles but certeine sermons of his where yow shall finde that Peter into whose place he saieth that he vnworthily succeded had the same right ouer the vniuersall churche that here in this epistle he chalengeth For the wordes that they be not falsified in this epistle I alleaged before a copie printed at Coleine which readeth as I doe But then you saie that the wordes be cleane contrarie and so that it is impossible that bothe shoulde be true Nowell B. 22. I am content M. Nowell to yow that yow take the Dorman place of Leo how yow will and reade either as some copies haue without non or as other haue with non and when yow haue done all shall come to one sense For allthough non being but a little sillable be notwithstanding of greate importaunce generallie yeat here by reason of the worde ordo which is ambiguouse and signifieth either a corporation and bodie as we vse to saie the honorable knightes off the ordre or proportiō in aray as when the herauld telleth euerie Lord what ordre he shall kepe in their solēne processions or other assemblies where this word is taken in an other significatiō and also of the word dignitas which being in like manner ambiguouse signifieth either the dignitie of the state of bishoppes or superioritie in that state it maketh no diuersitie at all When we reade thus Quibus etsi dignitas non sit communisest tamen ordo generalis To whome all though there be not one dignitie common yeat is there one ordre generall we vnderstande by this worde order the whole order of bishoppes emongest whome allthough there be diuersitie of dignities yeat because bishoppes archebishoppes primates patriarches popes be all bishoppes we saie that that order of being bishop is common to them all Likewise in this reading we take dignitas for superioritie in that ordre As contrariewise in the other reading Quibus etsi dignitas sit communis non est tamen ordo generalis we vnderstand that dignitas dothe signifie that whiche ordo did before and ordo signifieth that which dignitas did that is superioritie and preeminence in that vocation We were not blinde you see M. Nowell and I trust will beare vs witnes I thinke we sawe more then yow woulde we shoulde haue done As for my parte by whose taking this cawse in hande yow iudge that the matter shoulde be brought to greate extremitie I confesse God is my witnes that had I knowen that he had minded to haue written therein who dyd that I thinke I shoulde neuer haue taken pen in hande to haue written nor when I had done and ended my laboure and knewe howe muche how learnedlye had bene sayde for the defence thereof should euer haue suffered the same to goe in to the knowleadge off men had I not folowed the iudgement off my betters therein To which good meaning of myne at the firste and readie obedience to my superiours at the last seing that it hath pleased almightie God to giue suche successe as that M. Nowell hauing vttred all his eloquence and spent all his other store in awnswering of 143. leaues to onelye 15. hathe not yeat answered trulye
to 15. wordes I can not but thinke that his pleasure was by a young man suche as I am to shewe how little those greate pillers off their side were hable to doe I am not I confesse of that reading and studie in diuinitie that manie other be in oure countrie What so euer it be that is in me I vowe it to Christe and his catholike faithe against all heretikes and heresies during my life And suerlye that littell which I haue shal I trust I will saie with S. Cyprian dico prouocatus dico dolens dico compulsus I saie it being prouoked I saie it sorowfully I saie it compelled by yow thereto be sufficient at all times to matche with yow in anie of those foure questions that I haue handled in my boke For why should I doubte by the aide of God to be hable to saie in defence of the catholike faithe more then yow shall against it Yow saie that hetherto I haue proued nothing and that I Nowell fo 51. b. 1. haue gone about most lewdely to gather that because euerie seuerall countrie citie and companie haue their seuerall princes rulers and heades that all churches dispersed in all countries cities townes villages c. shoulde haue one onelie heade here in earthe I reasoned and yeat doe reason in this wise Euerie seuerall Dorman countrie because it is one bodie euerie seuerall citie and companie for the same cause must haue their seuerall rulers and heades Therefore all the churches in the worlde being but one misticall bodie must haue one chiefe heade to rule and gouerne the same I reasoned after the same māner Euerie particuler churche as hath S. Ciprian and S. Hierome must haue one bishop to rule the same and to be the heade thereof Therefore the whole churche of Christe where the daunger of schismes is greater and the mischiefe likelier to happen must haue in like case one heade I haue shewed yow nowe that youre reasons to the contrarie There is no one head ouer all the kingdoms in the world and it is impossible that there shoulde be one suche therfore in like maner it is impossible that there shoulde be one generall heade in earthe ouer the vniuersall church Fol. 32. b. 14. ar of no force forasmoche as the difference of these two states is suche as suffreth Supra cap. 11. fol. 49. b. 50. b fol. 50. a 61. a. not youre argument to holde As because the diuision off vnitie that is of faithe in the churche for the maintenaunce wherof this ordre was takē that there should be one heade in the whole church is merueilouse daungerouse to christian men forasmoch as without faith there is no saluatiō as hath our Sauiour him selfe Qui non crediderit condemnabitur Marci vlt. Heb. 11. he that beleueth not shall be damned And the Apostle Sine fide impossibile est placere deo To please God without faithe it is a thing impossibile Whereas it is not so touching the obseruation of anie other vnitie emongest Christian men in ciuile policie forasmuche as it is not necessarie that all agree in common gouernement but they maie well according to the diuersitie of countries tongues conditions of men haue diuerse maners of liuing and gouernement Yea it is necessarie the contrarie natures of men and countries so requiring that there be not onelie diuerse but contrarie positiue lawes in diuerse countries and prouinces When notwithstanding no diuersitie of natures no varietie of customes no circumstances what so euer they be can excuse them from the vniforme obseruing in all the whole worlde of godde◠commaundementes and ministring of his sacramentes without the which there is no entraunce to life To this maye be added that to gouerne the whole churche in spirituall thinges how harde and impossible a thing so euer it seme to you is yeat much more easie to be done then to gouerne the worlde in temporall gouernement bothe because the businesse and affaires of the worlde are more diuerse and contrarie then are those of the church and also because the sworde of excommunication wherewith the heade of the churche dothe punishe rebelles and suche as forsake the truthe passeth soner and easelier to the correction of suche offendours be they neuer so far of then doth the materiall sworde which the temporall magistrate vseth Againe that there shoulde be one head ouer the whole churche it is Christes institution who woulde so haue it when committing to Peter the charge of aswell his shepe as his lambes he made him generall shepherde and Homil. 87 in cap. 10. han 21. ruler as saith Chrisostome ouer the whole world Whereas in temporall gouernement it appeareth not by the scriptures that he planted euer anie suche ordre Naye the scripture Eccles 17. maketh mention of the contrarie if we will beleue yow It foloweth Nowell b. 17. You haue hearde also how ignorantly if he did not vnderstande how shamelesly if he did vnderstande he hathe alleaged S. Cyprian and S. Hieromo for him c. Men haue hearde M. Nowell doubt you not how like a Dorman propre mā you haue quit your selfe And yeat as though no man had sene you hetherto with a shamelesse repetition of a nombre of lies made before you turne you as it were about againe to be better considred Howe S. Ciprian and S. Hierome make not againste me but euidentlye with me how vaine or rather a balsphemouse lye it is to saie seing God hath so appointed it to be that it is impossible that there shoulde be one only heade ouer the whole churche How my witnesses agree with moste perfite consent it hathe bene to your shame before declared Yow see there was no suche opinion muche lesse knowledge Nowell of any suche heade emongest the Apostles or in the primitiue churche but that it is a newe diuelishe deuise of the late ambitiouse bishoppes of Rome who when they were neuer able yeat hitherto well to rule the churche of Rome one citie as by all histories and experience is euident woulde yeat of the worlde vsurpe the superioritie and supremacy And if S. Paule did thinke he was not meete to haue charge of one church who coulde not well gouern his own house of what mōstrouse ambitiō and presumption is he that being neuer yeat hable to gouern one peculier church doth claime the regiment of all churches thorough out the world whereas he is not hable to tell the onelie names of a small parte of the saide churches neither knoweth in what parte a greate many of them be Are yow not ashamed M. Nowell to call it a newe diuelishe Dorman deuise of the late bishoppes of Rome and to saye that there was no suche opinion of one heade emongest the Apostles or in the primitiue churche seing that S. Cyprian and Hierome who yow saye vntrulye are againste Epist ad Quint. fracrem Lib. 1. aduers Ioninian me doe make mention thereof as I shewed before
together stande in some stede You go forwarde and saye For the which it pleaseth D. Harding to call the Aricans emongest Nowell ◠25. whom S. Austen Orosius and Prosper with manie other learned and godly bishoppes were schismatikes as those that submitted not their neckes to the pope and folowing Hosius his auctor he saith that Africa cōtinued in this schisme 100. yeares to wit from Boniface the first to Boniface the seconde M. Doctour Harding neuer mentto inuolue S. Austen Dorman Orosius or Prosper in anie schisme with the Africanes For as at this councell it appeareth not in the recordes thereof that Orosius who neuer was bishop but only a prieste and therfore could giue no definitiue voice in the councell that cōsisted of only bishoppes or Prosper either were present so is it more then probable that S. Austen who to the first epistle sent to Bonifacius gaue his consent and subscribed with other wherein they protested to obserue all thinges demaunded by the pope till they coulde get from the Easte the true copies of the councell of Nice it is I saie more then probable that forasmoche as in this latter epistle to Celestinus no mention is made of him at all notwithstanding that he was legat for Numidia his name so famouse his bisshoprike so greate that he sawe in the meane season so muche right in the bishop of Romes cause and so little in the other allthough by no meanes their doinges tended to the vniuersall abrogating of the popes auctoritie that he refused so muche as to put his name or suffer him selfe to be named in those lettres of theirs So that before yow had charged M. D. Harding thus odiously you ought to haue proued that suche a decree was made in the African councell and haue noted to vs the canon then that Orosius and Prosper were present at the making thereof and gaue their consentes therto Last because yow seing that the decree of the councell was not to be founde referred youre selfe to the epistle written to Celestinus yow shoulde haue tolde vs in what wordes there the mention of this decree laie hidden and proued allthough S. Austens name be not there mentioned that yeat he consented therto Againe M. Nowell whē this matter betwene the B. of Rome and the Africanes began first to be called in question it was entreated with suche humilitie and submission by the Africanes as appeareth by this epistle to Celestinus that they coulde by no meanes be accounted schismatikes Afterwardes in dede the matter grewe so farre that it burst out in to open schisme and so continued to the time of Boniface the 2. To the which schisme that euer S. Austen Orosius or Prosper consented or any other good catholike prieste or bishop yow shall neuer be able to proue And so this lye with that houge Lye 43. heape of all the rest remaineth with you and the truth with vs. But because you bragge as you doe of the companie of S. Austen and Prosper and sclaundre them to the worlde to be schismatikes I will in defence of their innocency alleage out of their workes so muche as shall I trust with the better sorte suffice for their purgation Who is it I praie you M. Nowell that saieth of the church of Rome that in it the principalitie of the apostolike chaire hathe August epist 162. euer florished Who calleth Bonifacius the same in whose time this controuersie was moued the bishoppe that hathe Lib. 1. contra 2. epis Pelag. ca. 1 the preeminence in the bishoply care aboue all other Who calleth the See of Rome alluding to the wordes of Christe in the Psalm contra partē Donat. gospel the rock which the proude gates of hell shal not ouercome Who but S. Austē whom you be not here ashamed to matche with your selfe as thinking of the pope and See of Rome as heretically as you doe To come to Prosper when you here him acknowledg that Zozimus of whom all this talke riseth added to the decrees of the African councelles sententiae suae robur the strength and force of his sentence Lib. contra Collatorem cap. 41. that with Peters sworde to the cutting of of wicked men he armed the right handes of all bishoppes for so are his wordes in Latine ad impiorum detruncationem gladio Petri dexteras omnium armauit antistitum When you are not ignoraunt if you knowe anye thinge that the same Prosper saieth Lib. contra Collatorem cap. 10. that the holye See of Rome spake to all the worlde by the mouthe of Zozimus Will you not for shame call backe againe that wretched sclaunderouse lye off youres that Prosper shoulde be touching the bishoppe of Rome of the same minde that yow are Was Zozimus taken off Prosper to be a corrupter and falsarye a countrefeite catholike and in deede a false schismatike from Christe and the truthe as youre venimouse tongue hath not feared to pronounce of him Is fier more contrary to water then is this iudgemēt of youres to that of Prospers for his vertue and auctoritie You pretend that the fathers of the coūcel of Carthage would barre Zozimus of al auctority Prosper telleth vs that so much he was estemed of them that they had the strength of his sentence added to their decrees as muche to saye as to confirme and alowe them You call him a corrupter a falsarie a countrefeite catholike a false schismatike Prosper calleth him one that armed the right handes of al bishoppes with Peters sworde to cut of wicked mē from the rest of Christes mistical body the church You restreine his power to Rome Prosper confesseth that by his mouthe the See of Rome spake to all the worlde If this be not more then impudencie good reader in M. Nowel then what is impudencie I confesse I know not But acknowledged Prosper this auctoritie in Zozimus onely no verilye For in Celestinus to whome this epistle here mentioned was sent from the African bishoppes he witnesseth that there was suche power that he cured the Iland The pope meddled in England Scotland Fraunce and in the East off Britannye infected with Pelagius heresie that he ordeined Palladius bishoppe ouer the Scottishe men that with the Apostolicall sworde he aided Cirillus the B. of Alexandria to purge the churches of the East of a double plague the Nestorians and Pelagians that in Fraunce he put them to silence who reported euill of S. Augustins writinges Finally to them that reiected certeine bookes of S. Augustins vpon pretence that they were not allowed by the pope he answered An exception in the primitiue churche againste bookes that they were not allowed by the Pope Ibid. ca. 43 in this wise Agnoscāt calumniatores superfluò se obijcere quòd his libris non speciale neque discretum testimonium si◠perhibitum quorum in cunctis voluminibus norma laudatur Apostolica enim sedes quod a praecognitis sibi non discrepat cum praecognitis probat
quod iudicio iungit laude non diuidit That is to saie Let these wranglers knowe that they obiect superfluously that there is no speciall nor seuerall testimonie giuen to these bookes the rule and doctrine whereof is praised in all bookes * Note For the Apostolicall See alloweth with those bookes that it knewe before those that differ not from theÌ„ and those which it ioyneth together in iudgement it seperateth not in praise Nowe to conclude M. Nowell are you no otherwise a schismatike thinke yow then S. Augustine and Prosper I woulde to God ye were not Then woulde you acknowledge with S. Augustine a preeminence in the B. of Rome aboue other bishoppes the seate of Rome to be suche as hell gates shall not preuaile against it Then woulde you submit to the pope your doinges to be alowed as bothe S. Augustine and the whole councell of Afrike did then woulde you extende the iurisdiction of that See to England Scotland Fraunce and to the Easte churches Then woulde you confesse that the B. of Rome for the time being is the mouthe to speake to all the worlde and beareth the sworde of Peter to cut of wicked men to helpe and arme the good For all these thinges doe S. Austen as hathe bene declared and Prosper acknowledge Whereby appeareth howe shamefully you haue sclaundered them with the maintenauÌ„ce of your schismaticall and erroniouse opinions concerning the See of Rome To S. Augustine Orosius and Prosper you ioyne the patriarkes of Alexandria and Constantinople Cirillus and Atticus But why them I praie you M. Nowell Because in those canons that they sent there was no mentioÌ„ of that which the B. of Rome alleaged I graunte you for they were burned by the Arrians as by the reporte of Athanasius yowe hearde before And must they nedes be schismatikes with yowe because the Arrians burned the true copies of the councell of Nice and they sent suche as they had Howe holdeth that argument I praie yow Well yow thought euerie thing woulde helpe and therefore yow iumbled all together let it speede as it might * The answere to the obiection made of the African councell Nowe to returne to the African councell and to conclude in fewe wordes all that hathe bene or maie hereafter by me be saide therein I first saie that the African councell made no suche decree as yow saie it did nexte that at this time when S. Austen and the other bishoppes of Africa were assembled about the time of Bonifacius the pope the firste the controuersie was not about the vniuersall auctoritie of the B. of Rome but touching the moderation and limiting thereof in certeine causes of appellation The like whereunto as it hathe bene attempted and done in this realme of England in the daies of that noble prince Edward E. 3. anno 25. 27. the thirde by restreining the popes power in conferring of ecclesiasticall promotions and barring the triall of certeine sutes out of the realme without breache of vnitie or renouncing due obedience to that See so was it at the beginning in Afrike although after it brake out in to an open schisme Thirdly I answere that if there had bene suche a decree made as is pretended yeat this considered that it had but the auctoritie of one prouince it ought to giue place to that councell at the which there were present bishoppes not of Africa only who were also there but off all the partes of the worlde beside I meane the councell of Sardica in the third and 7. canon whereof the bishoppes of Africa consenting thereto 300. if you go to nombring M. Nowell for your 217. and chosen men all of purpose to matche with the Arrians agreed vpon this which the Africanes denied to wit that it should be laufull for any bishop condemned to appeale to the bishop of Rome Last of all iff you thinke M. Nowell that it maie be laufull for you to obiect against vs the facte of the Africanes who vpon suche beginning as hathe bene declared came at the last to open rebellion against their laufull heade I doubte not but to all that be learned or wise it will seme as reasonable that we obiect to yow againe the perfecte reconciliation and humble submission of the saide Africanes made after a hundred Epistol Bonifacij 2. ad Eulalium Alexand Tom. 2. Concil yeares wandring a straie after greate plagues by loÌ„gue captiuitie vnder the moste barbarouse and cruell Wandales by Eulalius the Archebishop of Carthage in the name of that whole prouince to Bonifacius then pope the seconde off that name Thus muche touching the African councell It foloweth After this Zozimus his successour Bonifacius the firste Celestine the first with all others allmoste folowing Zozimus steppes and Nowell b. â—4 ambition haue with toothe and naile striuen for this supremacie and for that purpose did sticke still to the falsified Nicene canon and haue likewise falsified other councelles in sundrie places and haue forged a greate many of the epistles nowe abrode in the names of the olde popes Clement Anacletus Euaristus Telesphorus and other their predecessours Suerlye M. Nowell if there had bene that sinceritie in Dorman yow and vprightnes that shoulde be in a diuine yff that grauitie and poise that shoulde be in a writer yff that common honestie that shoulde be in euerie Christian man yow woulde either for the one respect or the other haue so tempered youre stile that there shoulde neuer haue slipped from youre pen into the viewe of the worlde suche cancred and rancorouse slaunders against suche learned and vertuouse fathers so sclendrelie yea by no meanes at all proued Bring furthe the canons therefore that yow saye haue bene falsified name the popes that haue forged these epistles Name them not onelie but proue it otherwise yow wil be taken for a maliciouse Lier Thinke yow that it maye be sufficient for yow to borowe this oute off Caluins Institutions and without anie farder proufe bid Lib. 4. Inst. cap. 8. Sect. 11. all the worlde beleue you Yow be not Caluin M. Nowell nor England is not Geneua God be praised therefore But yow proue it thus Whereas euer those godlye olde fathers euer subiect to persecution Nowell fo 48. a. 3. and deathe neuer thought of anie suche matters neither had lust or leisour to occupie their heades and pennes aboute such ambitiouse matters You are foulie deceauid M. Nowel for the greater the Dorman persecution was the more necessarie must it nedes be to teache that ordre which Christe left in his churche of the necessitie of one heade that so the membres acknowleging the same might be out of the feare of all schismaticall discorde Neither made they so often mention thereof for ambition sake as youre spiders nature sucketh out hauing learned at their Maisters handes before that the greatest emongest them shoulde belike the least Who seeth not that Lucae 22. by suche foolishe collections as
be suche doltes and so depriued of common sense that we vnderstand not to what ende the fauour shewed to an Anabaptist an Eluidian or anye other heretike for the crueltie practised on the catholike tendeth Argueth it not to the worlde that you seke rather meanes politikely for the tyme to staye them then vtterly for euer to represse them Well thus muche off youre priuate dissensions and lurking heresies whereof one of late in spite of all polycie sustening Verons heresie touching praedestination to abyde no longre burst oute hathe the blaste off common fame blowen ouer to vs. What other priuey store of opinions and seuerall doctrines maye be founde emonge you they knowe best that best are acquainted with you We as we can not knowe all so we can not reporte all This that hathe bene brought is sufficient to proue yowe M. Nowell a lowde lyer vntill you shewe the like to haue bene emongest vs before your heresies began The whiche because yow dispaired to be euer able to doe for yow confesse hereafter that there was at that time a coloured kinde off quietnesse emongest vs fol. 56. b. Yow bethought yow off a better councell that is to saye that emongest the Apostles of Christe the learned fathers of the councell off Nice and other off no lesse fame in Christes churche there haue bene also schismes and sectes You re wordes are these And though there were not a perfecte consent of all men in all pointes what merueile yeat were it if that shoulde happen emongest Nowell vs which was not alltogether lacking emongest the Apostles themselues c. This impudent and blasphemouse shifte you haue borowed Dorman of your Apologie the Apologie of Iohn Caluin he of that greate Lombard the diuell him selfe But here I beseche Staphilus in Epist ad Episcop Eystetēsen the considre with me good reader what either a miserable and detestable religiō is this either elles what weake but shamelesse patrones hathe it founde when suche faultes as be noted therein can no otherwise be excused but by sclaundring moste wickedly the learned doctours of the churche the generall councelles of the same yea the moste blessed and gloriouse apostles them selues Tell these newe gospellers that whereas the churche of Christe is Matth. 5. a citie builded vpon the toppe of a hill a candell set in the house to giue light to all that be in it a kingdome that reacheth from sea to sea and from the East to the west that Lucae 11. Psalm 71. their churche that they boast of is a secrete scattred congregation vnknowen to all the worlde and to them selues toe yow shall haue a peuishe proctour steppe furthe and answere as M. Nowell dyd before we take this obiection as Supra fol. 39. a. 32. no reproche being common to oure congregation with the primitiue churche of oure sauiour Christe and his holie apostles specially in the time of persecution Charge them as I doe here with schismes and you haue hearde the answere thereto allready The reporter whereof and as manie as before haue vsed this and like defences I can resemble to no worldly thing better then to a filthy and beastly sowe who being fowle and bemired her selfe neuer careth to be cleane but fodeth on still in the durte beraieng all thinges that she meeteth or rubbeth her selfe vpon as these schismaticall proctours doe not caring so muche to purge them selues as to laie their filthe vpon other that be cleane and to make them tomble and walowe in the mire as they doe Now to this blasphemouse shift because it is in the confutation of In the 3. parte fol. 136. and seq the Apologie so learnedly answered I will saie no more but that it is moste directly repugnant to the holie scriptures which beare witnesse that credentiū erat cor vnū anima vna Those which beleued at the first preaching of the Act. 4. Apostles were of one harte and of one minde It tendeth The Apostles varied dot in doctrine openly to the defacing of that marcke which Christe as of all other the moste certeine and suer to discerne those whiche are his gaue to his disciples when commending peace and vnitie he tolde them In hoc cognoscent omnes quia mei Ioan. 13. discipuli estis si diligatis inuicem In this marcke shall all men knowe that you are my disciples if you loue together M. Nowell chargeth the Apostles as the heathen philosophers dyd that finally it commeth from the ethnike and heathen spirite of certeine vaine philosophers as witnesseth the learned father Cirillus the B. of Alexandria who made in his time this verie obiection that M. Nowell nowe dothe Th◠Lib. 1. contra lulianū which place maie it please the learned reader to viewe and there shall he finde that this good bishop was so assured off that perfecte agrement of the Apostles that he was not afearde to make the offer to those vaine philosophers that so reasoned with him as M. Nowell dothe with me to leaue to defende them anie farder in case they coulde proue anie disagrement emongest them in doctrine Nowe that yow haue done with the Apostles yow come to the fathers and doctours of Christes churche of whome yow saye What wondre if that were emongest vs touching some pointes Nowell that was not wanting in the primitiue churche emongest the olde fathers Let the variance emongest the bishoppes assembled at Nicene councell let the contention betwene the bishoppes of the east and west churche about the keping of Easter daye * Beholde an arrogant spirite taking vpon him to iudge and reprehende the most vertuouse and learned bishoppes of the East and west churche Dorman a matter not worthy of suche variance be a witnesse thereof This vaine obiection borowed also of youre Apologie as is allmost alltogether what so euer yow haue here patched vp in fiue leaues concerning this matter of schismes is in the answere therto made abundantly satisfied Thither I referre the good reader where as thow maiest finde that some of these controuersies here mentioned by M. Nowell were of matters indifferent and not determined by the churche other some not of doctrine or religion but off priuate quarelles as happened emongest the fathers in the councell of Nice finally some suche as be schismes if they be schismes at all in logike not in diuinitie or matters off faithe so in matters of weight arrested vpon by the determination of the churche such striffes can not be named neither by this schismaticall proctour neither yeat by anye other So greate cause we haue to giue thankes to allmightie God the preseruer of his churche who hathe so mightely defended the same that when schismatikes and heretikes haue done all that they can for the better cloking of their dissension to proue the like in the fathers and learned doctours that haue gone before they being not able with all that malice can deuise or falsehode
Societye of Iesus other some to lyue in contemplations The cause of diuersitye off churche seruice emongest religiouse men and meditations as the Carthusians must bestowe more time in studye and contemplation then in publike prayer other to be wholly in the churche to praye for their sinnes and the sinnes of the people as the Benedictines and other who maye and ought therefore to haue their seruice longer yeat all this notwithstanding the churche seruice is in the substance thereof in all places vniforme For all religiouse men worshippe one God call vpon his blessed sainctes to helpe vs praie for the deade c. This because the whole churche of Christe doeth and euer hathe done denye it if yow can and yow doe not in youre seruice the blowe that yow had thought to haue fastened vpon vs is light vpon youre owne nowle and youre seruice thus farre differing frō Christes churche not theirs that agreeth therewith is schismaticall Youre last diuersitye is of rules and life Is it anie maruell good Reader if they that after the Apostles first practised the imitation of their life in renouncing the worlde and vanites thereof as S. Basile S. Austen S. Benedict S. Dominike S. Frauncis did deliuer to their folowers diuerse rules of life this considered that allthough Christ were the only marcke that they all shot at yeat the meanes that they vsed to compasse and atteine therto were diuerse S. Dominike for example had this speciall meaning to make Christe knowen to the rude and ignorant by preaching S. Frauncis bothe by worde and example enforced him selfe to persuade to the proude and arrogant humilitie and contempt of riches Who can now denie but that suche meanes are here to be prescribed as by the which the professours of this ordre or that maie sonest atteine to their desired ende As it is in these so is it in all other Benedictines Carthusians Bernardines c. Emongest all the which it suffiseth vs that yow are able to name no suche diuersitie of rules and life as being diuerse one from the other are anie of them against the commaundementes of God whereas contrarywise how diuerse so euer they seme to yow they all agree in the ende of glorifieng God allthough they differ in the meanes the one worcking this waie the other that and yeat euery waie good All times woulde faile me if I shoulde or coulde reherse all Nowell their diuersities which is the verie propretie off schismes and sectes Helpe the man to a daie more some good bodie for Dorman goddes sake Will yow see so much worthy matter lost for lacke of time to vtter it If not a daie some man spare him an idle houre perhappes it would serue his turne as well as a yeare O that there were now an other Iohannes de temporibus to lende yow M. Nowell some of his time But if the worst happen that no suche creditour can be founde rather take the morow after Domes daie or the Griekes calendes and holde men in suspense till that time put them not out of all hope by suche discomfortable wordes Well we haue all that we shall haue at this time I perceiue what conclude yow therfore of these diuersities that yow haue rehersed already Forso the that they are the verie propretie of schismes and sectes Nowe iwisse M. Nowell if yow had all times at commaundement if yow coulde proue no otherwise schismes and sectes to be emongest vs then by this meanes you nede to take no longre daie the time that you haue spent allready was long inough and to long to without yow had better bestowed it S. Austen teacheth you an other S. Austens definition of a schisme lesson to knowe schismes by then this that you haue learned of the Apologie of Bale and suche like maisters of the diuersitie of coates hosen shoes c. For thus defineth he a schisme Schisma est recens congregationis ex aliqua sententiarum Lib. 2. cap. 7. contra Crescon Crammat diuersitate dissensio Schisme is a newe dissension of a companie by some diuersitie of opinions Now I praie yow what schisme or secte haue yow proued all this while to be emongest Catholikes or what suche schisme or secte coulde yow proue if all times failed yow not The learned fathers Cyprian Austen Optatus and other describe schismatikes to be such as set vp chaire against chaire erect altar against altar How far wide is this frō your description These be those schismatikes and sectaries with an infinite multitude Nowell whereof of late Englande was replenished of the whiche nowe thankes be to God the realme is well ridde Vpon youre false and vntrue premisses yow inferre as Dorman false and as vntrue a conclusion I will make therefore the conclusion true and right for yow These be the religiouse persones who embrasing the perfection of christen religion after the counsell of oure Sauiour after the example of the Apostles of the learned and holie fathers S. Hierome S. Austen and S. Basile who professing voluntary pouerty holy obedience and perfecte virginitie serued God bothe daie and night preached the Catholike faith praied for all estates relieued the poer aboute them kept liberall hospitalite These be such whose profession and order is blamelesse though the life of many were faulty as it was also euen in the primitiue church in the time of S. Paule of S. Basill S. Hierom and S. Augustin who yet haue ben tolerated in Christendom for the good and vertuous sake as emonge all other sortes of men the euil are tolerated for the goodes sake These are they with a great multitude whereof praised be God and the deuotion of such as were the authours of such godly fundations our dere countre of England not of late onelie M. Nowell but euen sence the first cōming of Christen faithe in to England abunded to the honour of God and welth of the realme of the whiche now thankes be to lewde Apostatas to rennagat friers and monkes to vowebreakes and incestuous votaries to vpstert protestants the realme is miserably spoiled so that if yow passe from one ende of the realme vnto the other of so many thousand monasteries hospitals almes houses chappels and cloysters as then stode partly endued with bountefull liuely hods partly charitably maintained of the inhabitants to the great weale of their soules of so many I saie so standyng you shall not see one stande now but either defaced or prophaned either all ruinouse or in the hādes of such who vse it as temporall landes not for the maintenance of spirituall exercises So that if you meete a thousande men and women one after an Nowell other and aske of them of what religion be you they shall al and euery one answere you I am a Christian we be all Christians there shall not one answere to you as was wont vnder your heade I am of the religion of S. Frauncis c. I tolde you before that this worde
sprong vp euen with youre first maister and his scholers as youre selues can not denie and departe from Christes knowen churche or elles Christe had no churche at all as those disciples off Christe that you speake off did With whom youre resemblaunce is so muche the greater because that as these first heretikes departed from the church Christe and his Apostles because they would not beleue in Christes doctrine of the blessed sacrament so haue you parted a greate nombre of yow from vs for the same cause and mainteine the same heresie as S. Augustine In psalm 54. calleth it Nowe as it were no good reason to proue vs schismatikes because yow are parted from vs being onoe as yow can not denye of vs so can no man iustly charge Christe and his Apostles with that crime because his disciples parted from him And as I answere to this so doe I to youre other obiections of the schismatikes in S. Paules time of those other also of the Nicolaites the Simonians Cerinthians c. who all parting from the knowen churche of Christe ought not to preiudicate the same For their departure was alwaies so sensible that the true christian might saye with S. Iohn They haue departed from emongest Ioan. 1. cap. 2. vs but they were none of vs. The Apostles and their companye remained alwaies a visible and knowen churche So that these examples can nothing helpe to couer your schismaticall sores whereas in Christe and the Apostles them selues there was neuer anye breache of vnitie whiche yow shoulde haue proued lykewyse therby to excuse your first Christ and his Apostles Whereas an other plea of youres is that emongest the high priestes and Phariseis there was no dissention but greate vnity and concorde emongest them against Christes Apostles to that I saye that although they agreed in this all to persecute the Apostles yeat emongest them selues they were Ioseph lib. Antiq. Iudaie 13. cap. 8. diuided into sectes and schismes some being called Phariseis other some Sadduces and yeat a thirde secte called Esseni so that they resemble more liuely yow protestantes then vs catholikes agreing as the Phariseis did against the truthe and diuided also with them into sectes emongest youreselues If you departed from vs as Christ and the Apostles you saie did from the high priestes and their churche then should you be at vnitie and concorde emoÌ„gest your selues as the Apostles were then must you shewe out of the scripture the fall of the churche of Christe the corruption of Esaiae 6â— the same and the restitution in the latter daies to come all Esaiae 66. Hierem. 6. Ezech. 44 Habacuc 2. Act. 7. 13. 28. foreprophecied in the lawe as the Apostles proued oute of the scripture the fall of the Sinagoge the corruption of the high priestes the comming of Messias the placing of the newe lawe that shoulde continue When yowe can proue this and defeate Christes promise made of his churche to be visible and vniuersall ouer all the worlde and to his churche to continue for euer then call vs phariseis hardely Matth. 16. and spare not calle youre selues Christe and his apostles we giue yow leaue For furder excuse of your schismes and diuisions yow fo 56. b. 1. tell vs of the troubles that rose in Iurie and shortly after ouer all the world vpoÌ„ the preaching of Christes gospell c. If diuisions and troubles were then it is not to be merueiled at oure sauiour him selfe saing of him selfe non veni pacem Matth. 10. mittere sed gladium I come not to sende peace but a sworde But oure age is not nowe M. Nowell the primitiue churche oure faithe is not nowe to be begonne of newe It hathe bene with consent of all the worlde established these 12. hundred yeares And therefore youre comparison is lewde and vntrue Yow saie furder And as iustly might yow charge the Apostles and their doctrine Nowell with those schismes sectes and troubles as yow do charge vs with those that haue risen in oure dayes Euer yow harpe vpon that string that yow woulde be Dorman like the apostles which when yow can proue that Christ promised to builde an other churche beside that whereof he made Peter the heade and that frier Martine Luther shoulde be the seconde Messias and Zuinglius or Carolstadius the heade therof then we will easely graunte to you But note againe I praie yow M. Nowell the difference of the schismes arising in the Apostles time and of youre schismes arising in our time The Apostles were not at diuision emongest them selues yow are The Apostles were before those schismes yowe haue risen together with the schismes Those schismes departed out from the Apostles your schismes are within youre selues Againe see the agrement of those schismes with youres and confer the case of the state of the churche nowe with that of the primitiue churche then Those schismes and sectes departed out off the primitiue churche euen so haue yow departed nowe oute of the same churche being of longre continuance They being departed multiplied into mo schismes and parted into farder diuision yow being departed multiply daily from schisme to schisme and newe sectes haue risen sence youre departure from Martin Luther They troubled and disquieted the primitiue church of the Apostles yow trouble and disquiet the catholike churche that nowe is If you demaunde the prouffe of this which I saie answer the booke which I am suer yow will neuer be hable to answere lately set furthe in oure tongue moste truly called The forteresse of the faithe c. And shewe vs as you will stande to it hereafter when the faith and light of goddes holy word which yow saie hathe nowe of late sprong againe was extinguished where and by whome Where it is well knowen to the worlde that oure learned men Nowell haue by their writinges more oppugned and repressed the saide sectes then all the papistes haue done This is that whiche I saide before that yow in dede Dorman wright diligently one against an other which is a moste euident assurance of youre dissention in doctrine And if these youre writinges were in the vulgare tongues to be reade of all men there woulde be no better argument in the worlde to disgrace youre doctrine for euer Whereas yow compare your diligence in writing with that of the catholikes if the late writinges of learned catholikes of all countries especially of Germanie it selfe were in dede compared to youres it shoulde appeare howe false and vntrue this is In dede we must nedes confesse a truthe that whilest we all remained Nowell vnder this quiet obedience of youre Romishe heade in one doctrine of his traditions there was a coloured kinde of quiâ—tnesse c. Foelix necessitas quae cogit ad meliora Happye is the Dorman necessitie whiche forceth to the better Here M. Nowell correcting him selfe for that before he charged vs so heynously withe schismes and sectes wyll somewhat
folowe that euerie diocesse hath not now one chiefe ruler but manie If you will not so saye then muste you yealde to this that Rogatianus complaining to the Archebishop graunted that notwithstanding that superioritie whiche he had ouer all that were of his diocesse there was yeat the archebishop aboue him And if these two maie stande together Euerie bishop is the heade and chiefe priest of his owne diocesse and yeat there is one archebishop aboue all then why may not these propositions stande together Euerie Archebishop is chiefe of the prouince where he is Archebishop and yeat there is one pope chiefe of thē all Rogatianus did here more then he neded who denieth that If the B. of London haue in his diocesse a stubborne and vnruly prieste who doubteth but he maie first punishe him by his owne auctoritie if he list And yeat if he refer the matter to the Archebishop of Cauntorburie he dothe the Archebishop more honour and sheweth him selfe to be the more humble The Archebishop is an eye to ouersee the bishop that he doe his dutie as the pope is to ouersee all So long as the bishop is hable to take sufficiēt ordre for all occurrētes in his diocesse him selfe if he vse not this power but referre it to the Archebishop he dothe more then he nedeth but yeat honorablie for the Archebishoppes parte and humbly for his owne Where you saye that suche by S. Cyprian transgresse the Nowell fo 61. a. 1. lawe of God in the Deuteronomie that make them selues bishoppes ouer other bishoppes c. It is true in S. Cyprians meaning that is in suche as Pupianus Dorman was who being an inferiour membre no primate no patriarche no pope woulde take vpon him to iudge S. Cyprian the archebishoppe and iudge appointed of God This place includeth no more the pope who is heade bisshop ouer all other bishops and heade iudge ouer al iudges then it dothe note the bishoppes of euery diocesse for taking vppon them to be the iudges of the curates that be vnder them who in their seuerall cures be iudges in Christes steede it can not be denied For they haue power giuen them of God to loose and binde to iudge inter lepram lepram betwene syn and syn It perteineth I saye no more to the pope then it dothe to the Archebishop who iudging and ouerloking the bishoppes doinges falleth not I trust by youre owne iudgement into this faulte that S. Cyprian noted in Pupianus If then the bishop maye iudge ouer suche priestes as be vnder him Goddes iudges in their particuler cures and the Archebishoppes againe ouer the bishoppes without anye offence why may no◠I praye you the pope be iudge of the doinges of the Archebishops and all other Youre argument which is this Pupianus the bisshoppe might not be iudge ouer the doinges off Saint Cyprian An absurde reason who was an Archebishoppe Ergo the pope maye not be the iudge off all other bisshoppes is like to this M. Nowell maye not make him selfe iudge ouer the bishop of London ergo the Archeb of Cauntorbury dothe not well and is a false vsurper in making him selfe heade bishop ouer all the bisshoppes and chiefe iudge ouer all the iudges in his prouince For such a one as is M. Nowell was Pupianus that proude arrogant man a priuate persone for anye thinge that appeareth to the contrarye as he is This propertie whiche you falselye note to be in the pope is the propertie of your good Lorde M. Grindall with his felowes who occupye the places of other laufull bishoppes yeat liuing and therefore make themselues as S. Cyprian noteth of Pupianus bishoppes ouer bishoppes and iudges ouer the iudges off God for the time appointed That the place of Gregorie Nazianzen was applyed aptly and to the purpose The 19. Chapitre BECAVSE I saye that I remembre a sayng off Gregorye Nowell fol. 61. b. 3. Nazianzene yow infer thereuppon M. Nowell that men maye note that I haue a good memorie c which notwithstanding had I yow saie enlarged to a fewe wordes going before it had appeared that these wordes being spoken of one god gouerning the whole worlde had bene impertinent to proue that there ought to be one pope to gouerne the whole churche You maye note good readers that M. Nowell hath more Dorman wit then honestie that can cauill at a phrase of speache pleasantly when the matter it selfe he can not reproue trulye For yow saye M. Nowell full clerckely that this place b. 29 is alltogether impertinent to the purpose Yeat in the verye nexte wordes folowing youre shrewde wit put yow in remembraunce that there was a waie how I might bring it to make yeat at the least some shewe to the purpose And therefore you saye Nowe if M. Dorman list to transfer the sentence from God gouerning Nowell b. 29. all the worlde to men ruling in the worlde after this sorte Nazianzene saieth there is one onely God who gouerneth all Ergo there must be one onely pope or heade bishoppe to gouerne all the churche I denie the argument and affirme that it foloweth no more then that there must be one only Emperour to gouerne all the worlde I reason not M. Nowell altogether so barelye as yow Dorman surmise that there is but one God and that therefore there must be but one heade to gouerne the churche The force of my conclusion dependeth vpon the reason why there is but one God which is this where many rule there is sedition This argument of myne I so little repent me of that I will here presse you with one other comming from the same moulde S. Austen labouring to proue the certeintie of one God emongest other reasons vseth this for one Sicut enim in ipsa rerum naturamaior est auctoritas vnius ad vnum omnia Lib. de vera religio cap. 25. redigentis c. For euen as in naturall thinges the auctoritye off one bringing all thinges to one is greater neither hath any multitude in the kinde of man any power but such as consentith that is thinketh one thing so in religion the auctority of them ought to be greater and of more credite who call vs to one Of the place of Gregorie Nazianzene as before I reasoned that as there was but one god in the worlde to auoide confusion so there must be in the churche but one heade for the same cause Euen so from this faing of S. Augustine I reason in lyke maner that as the auctoritye of them is greater in religion who call vs to one God because their opinion maketh moste for the conseruation of vnitye so ought their auctoritye and credite to accounted greatest who call vs in the churche to one heade Now what haue yow to saie against this maner of reasoning M. Nowell Yow denie the argument and saie that it foloweth no more then that there must fo 62. a. 3. be one onely Emperour to
gouerne all the worlde This fonde reason of youres hath bene sufficiently answered The 11. and 12. chap. It is in dede the effect of youre whole answere in this youre Reprouse as yow call it Yeat haue yow not so greate a clercke yow are in youre whole boke brought so muche as one pore sely reason for the confirmation of it But yow as if yow were in the pulpite tanquam auctoritatem habens affirme manie thinges stoutely and wil be beleued at youre worde without reason or proufe at all Where yow saie There is no confusion in the worlde nor disordre Nowell a. 13. for that sundry partes of it haue sundry ciuile gouernours Surelie youre wittes failed yow muche and yow nodded Dorman a little M. Nowell For what wise man seeth not what learned man readeth not of yearelie and almost daily batailes quarelles contentions bloudeshead conspiracies and of infinite suche disordre to be in the worlde at this present and to haue allwaies bene by the reason of sundrie ciuile gouernours Oure Sauiour when it pleased him to take fleshe and redeme man chose that state wherein moste quiete and rest shoulde be that men might so the better attende to the preaching of goddes word which by warres and tumultuouse hurly burlies can not but be hindred He chose to come at that time when but 15. yeares before the whole knowen worlde of Europe Asia and Afrike was vnder the obedience of one Romaine emperour Octauius Augustus In that state the worlde was ruled certeine hundred yeares after vntill the Christian faithe was published and dilated vnto all the partes of the worlde Doe we not reade M. Nowell that the same emperour August bis clausit Ianum as muche to saie had twise in his daies a perfecte Alexander ab Alexandro lib. 1. Gema dier cap. 14. peace thorough out all the partes of the worlde yea thrise as some write Before that state of one vniuersall Emperour was and sence that state hath decaied how manie warres haue bene to the disquieting of all Christendome stirred vp How manie battailes cruelly fought How muche innocent bloude vnmercifully spilt What one yeare in one place of the worlde or other hath not plentifully brought furthe suche fruites as these are Are not all histories full Haue we not daily experience Haue we not hearde of the Turkes warres scarse yeat colde against vs at the Isle off Malta of the late warres in Fraunce and Scotland of allmoste the continuall warres in the daies of Charles the fifthe now with Fraunce nowe against the Mores nowe in Germanie now in Italie it selfe All this is but in one parte of Europa If we had before oure eyes the actes of other countries how muche might be saide thereof And yeat M. Nowell as though all the worlde were shutt vpp in the house where he dwelleth at Poules saieth there is no confusion in the worlde nor disordre for that sundrie partes of the same haue sundrie ciuile gouernours This is I confesse a matter more mete for some practised Counselour to debate then for scholers suche as I am professing no such policie to entreate of It reacheth I wote well beyonde the compasse of my discourse to saie herein but some small parte of that which might be saied Yeat this small note shall I trust be sufficient to instructe the ignorant and hable to moue the learned to farder consideration Yow saie the scriptures declare it to be so appointed by Nowell a. 16. God that sundrie partes of the worlde shoulde haue sundrie ciuile gouernours Eccles 17 So hathe the churche toe sundrie seuerall gouernours Dorman in sundrie seuerall diocesses and yeat one chiefe heade ouer all notwithstanding And therefore that texte might be verified well inough allthough there were one generall Emperour or other ruler ouer all the worlde And suerlie if this place of Ecclesiasticus were so to be vnderstande as that it did forbid the hauing of one generall ruler ouer the whole neuer woulde yowe maie be suer oure Sauiour haue chosen that time to be borne in and that for a speciall liking as al writers agree that he had in that state of gouernement that then was But if it were so that God had appointed the ordre of the worlde to be suche as that there should be of necessitie in euerie particuler countrie a particuler heade and no one ouer the whole which negatiue wordes the scripture hathe not yeat might there be a secrete cause of goddes prouidence why this ordre shoulde be rather in worldly gouernement then in spirituall whiche we be not worthy to knowe Perhappes to be a punishement for sinne this ordre was taken that one off vs might be a whippe and scourge to the other whiche allthough God by his iustice doe to oure bodies thorough battaile and warre punishing them yeat woulde he not of his mercie so punishe by schismes and heresies oure soules You note to the Reader after the Hagiographa in the English The booke of Ecclesiasticus reiected by the protâ—stants alleaged Bibles that this boke of Ecclesiasticus is of the noÌ„bre of theÌ„ that are not to be alleaged for the proufe of doctrine Nowe what double dealing is this I praye you M. Nowell there to reproue it and here to alleage it and grounde a doctrine vpon it neuer hearde of before to witte that of necessitie euerie countrie must haue a seuerall supreme gouernour If you shoulde preache openly this doctrine in pulpite M. Nowell how soone woulde you either proue a traitour your selfe or make other traitours For were it not thinke you a faulte to the crowne of EnglaÌ„d in the nature of high treason to saie that Ireland being a seuerall countrie diuided from England by the maine Ocean ought to haue a seuerall gouernour other then Englishe Were it not treason for youre brethren protestantes of these lowe countries to preache by this texte as you write that because Spaine and Flaundres be farre diuerse and seuerall countries for this cause they ought not to be vnder one heade prince and kinge as they are Therefore if you loue the quiet of the realme and esteme youre dutie to youre souereigne and oures twange no more vpon that stringe I warne you like a frende You prosecute youre fonde argument and saye So is their no disordre that seuerall churches haue seueral bisshoppes to their heades Nowell a. 17. No disordre at all but moste conuenient ordre if those Dorman seuerall bishoppes obeye the one heade placed by Christe ouer them But to make those seuerall bishoppes to rule the seuerall churches without recourse when occasion shall requier to a higher as you doe we saye it is a greate disordre To returne to Nazianzene his saing where is no rule there Nowell a. 27. b. 1. is no ordre where many rule there is sedition you saye that if manie magistrates haue equall auctoritie in one common wealthe or if manie ecclesiasticall persones haue equall auctoritie in
one seuerall churche it is like to their fantasie who woulde haue manie equall goddes to rule the worlde But one seuerall ruler in one seuerall dominion one seueral bishop in one seuerall diocesse doe resemble one God ruling one whole worlde I take you at youre worde M. Nowell that if many magistrates Dorman haue equall rule in one common wealthe it is like to their fantasie who woulde haue manie equall goddes to rule the worlde But the churche of Christe saye I is but one An argument against M. Nowell vpon his owne graunte christian common wealthe therefore it foloweth by youre owne confessiō that if manie doe equally rule without relation to one head it is like to their fantasie who woulde haue manie equall goddes to rule the worlde One seuerall bishop in one seuerall diocesse dothe not fo 62. b. 4. resemble one God ruling one worlde as you dreame but one chiefe bishop in the catholike churche whiche in your crede you professe to be but one he M. Nowell resembleth trulie one God without anie presumption at all seing goddes pleasure is it shal be so It was no presumption in the apostles to sit still and suffer Christe to washe their Ioan. 3. feete You knowe what Peter had saide vnto him for streining curtosye as he did That you saie it is a thing vnheard of but in the pope of Rome there you made your bargaine somewhat wiselie We graunt the same and adde beside that it were intollerable presumption for anie other to lay claime to that auctoritie And yeat we trust because S. Peter Homil. vlt. in Ioan. was pope and as Chrisostome saieth maister of the whole worlde and thereto out of the compasse of the last nine hundred yeares and had this auctoritie by Christe and not from Phocas you wil be the better for his sake to all the rest Now foloweth youre conclusion VVherefore M. Dorman and D. Harding maie as well saye that Nowell b. 19. the worlde is seditiously gouerned by diuerse Princes as the churche by seuerall bishoppes But as Nazianzene neuer dreamed of one Emperour ouer all the worlde to auoide sedition though he teacheth there is one God no more did he though he teache one Christe yeat euer dreame of one only heade bishop or pope c. I haue oftentimes shewed here before that the regiment Dorman of the churche is farre different from that of the worlde It shal be nedelesse to repeate it here againe Yow can not therefore reason from the one to the other Whereof Nazianzene dreamed I knowe not of this I am suer that to applye by drift of reasoning the sentence of an Auctor to that which he neuer ment or intēded so that to his meaning and intent it be in no wise repugnant or contrarye is not onely no dreame but the vsage also and practise off learned men And therefore in the lawe manye a case is decided by wordes which the lawier neuer dreamed peraduenture that they euer shoulde be so applyed The better and more excellent the Author is the more ample sense maye be gathered in his writinges As in the Scripture especially the infinite variety of commentaries doth declare Wherefore I doe the more meruell that you a man traded and brought vp in good lettres and a professour off the same shoulde raue rather waking then talke after suche a sorte in yowre slepe dreaming But I knowe the cause youre parte is here altogether to reproue not to proue as by the title of youre boke you warned vs before He speaketh further in his sleape and sayeth Howe shall we Nowell fol. 63 a. 1. Psalm 86 then saie oure lord loueth Syon aboue al the tabernacles of Iacob What this dothe meane or to what purpose it is I knowe not Nor I beleue M. Dorman when he waketh if euer he wake can tel him selfe I am glad that my name ministreth you so muche Dorman matter of scoffing mirthe and sorie that so excellent inuention shoulde be more then halfe loste for that that the gretest parte of youre ministres thorough lacke off the Latine tongue can not perceiue that swete allusion that is betwene dormire in Latin and Dorman in Englishe But thinke you thus to passe ouer the scripture with a sleepish scoffe Thinketh youre noddis nowlle I might saye M. Nowell if I listed to contende with you in this kinde of eloquence so to delude the worde of God that yow maye call it a dreame and so let it slepe No M. Nowell truthe will ouercome when it shal be with you as it was in the beginning And therefore I repeate againe if the Sinagoge of the Iues had one heade to rule them and the churche more ample and therefore in more daunger of schisme and consequently standing in more nede of one heade haue yeat no suche heade then I saye M. Nowell howe dothe God tendre Syon the churche of Christe aboue the Synagoge of the Iues By Syon is ment therefore in this place the churche which oure Lorde loueth more then the Synagoge as Saint Augustine vpon this place dothe in these wordes well declare Diligit illam spiritualem ciuitatem super In. psalm 86. omnia figurata quibus intimabatur illa ciuitas semper manens He loueth that spirituall citie aboue all the figuratiue thinges by the which that citie which euer shall continue was signified This being therefore true it foloweth that he hathe left to vs aswell one heade to rule vs and directe vs in one vniforme faithe as he gaue to the Synagoge Nowe am I awake M. Nowell yow see and can tell you and haue tolde yow what I meane by these wordes Iff yow coulde as well tell what you meant by that musicall twang of youre harpe you should take out of many mennes heades manie odde crachettes You nede not now to be carefull for Pighius waking or to make any combate with his spirite for the matter who slepeth not excepte you will defende the heresie of them that beleue so of all soules but is in perfect rest I trust or in assured hope to be Howe God hathe prouided better for the churche then for the Synagoge and of the strength of my reason drawen from the Synagoge to the churche The 20. Chapter God hath prouided for the churche you saye as well as he Nowell fol. 63. a. 24. did for the Iues and better too Here you graunte all that I saied and more too But let Dorman vs marcke youre mightie reasoning howe you proue it I praye you For whereas they had but one chiefe bisshop for their whole Nowell nation he hath prouided for the churche in euery diocesse one that they may be the better gouerned and lesse pained to trauaile far for the decision of their doubtes and controuersies To this saye we if God had done no otherwise he had Dorman done lesse for the church then for the Iues. For better it is to haue one heade
vnto the whiche doubtes of greate importaunce maye be referred then to haue manie in manie places and euerie one without respect to one chiefe to doe as he shall thinke good Howe thinke you M. Nowell is it not better in one familie to haue one Maister in one citye one Maior in one shiere one lieutenant then in a familye manie maisters in a citie manie Maiors in a shiere many lieutenātes I know not who gouerneth in your house your wife or you or bothe but this I thinke I maye be bolde to saye that if youre wife were not quarter maister onely but as muche maister as you that you were not therefore in better case then youre nexte neighbour that had the whole rule of his house him selfe Iff the streightes off youre owne house like you not loke vpon the largenes of the whole realme and iudge whether it be better to haue one liege souereigne or manie Yow hearde S. Augustines opinion Lib. de verarelig ca. 25. a better diuine I trowe then yowe touching this matter before concluding that their auctoritie was greater and they of better credite that reduced all thinges to one God because in the worckes of nature he saied it was so So in the churche M. Nowell seing that as God is one the faithe is also one one heade is better to conserue that one faithe and the vnitie thereof then many Therefore if the Iues had one heade bishoppe and the churche diuerse heades it is by all reason worse prouided for Excepte you will saie that to haue manie equall rulers in one bodie in one common wealthe is better then to haue only one Which notwitstanding before yow resembled to their fantasy who woulde haue manie equall goddes to rule the worlde But yow saie there is muche labour and paines saued Here while yow seke for ease yow leese vnitie while yowe diminishe paines yow prepare the high waie to the multiplieng off schismes Yow haue an eye to the resorting to that one heade from all places of the worlde but yow considre not the fruite of peace and vnitie that is thereby procured Make diuerse equall heades in the churche and you shall neuer be hable to auoide schismes in the same whiche S. Hierome as yow hearde before saieth can not be kepte out of particuler churches without there be one prieste of perelesse auctoritie aboue the rest Now let the learned reader iudge whether paines be well redemed by suche an inestimable benefite Yow clatter still that this heade emongest the Iues was but of one nation I tell yowe againe as I dyd before it was the churche that God had in earthe at that time But M. Dorman dealeth not truly with the Apologie c. The Nowell fo 62. b. 7 Apologie saieth that as the church decaied in the olde lawe where was the same God the same Christe the same holie ghoste c. then as is nowe so maie it and hath it decaied now M. Dorman handleth the matter as though he coulde proue by the Apologie that because where was the same God the same Christe the same holie ghost c. in the Iuishe church as is nowe therfore must there be one heade bishopp ouer all the christian churches thorough out the world as there was one heade bishop ouer all the Iues whiche foloweth no more then that we muste haue circumcision nowe for that the Iues had it then I merueile that yow be not ashamed to make anie mention Dorman The reason of the Apologie The church decaied in the olde lawe ergo it maie and hathe decaied in the newe confuted of that foolishe false and blasphemouse reason vsed by the Apologie For the concealing whereof reason woulde yow shoulde rather haue thanked me then haue accused me of vntrue dealing But wilt thow see good Reader how vntrulie I haue delt Forsothe because the proposition off one God one Christe c. brought by the Apologie serued not for the proufe of that for whiche it was brought I vsed it being a generall and true maxime to proue a true conclusion But why shoulde it not serue his purpose as well yow will saie as mine I will tell yow the cause One especiall cause why this argument of the Apologie The Synagoge hath decaied Ergo the church hath decaied defended here stoutely by M. Nowell shoulde not be good is because God hathe made other maner of promises for the continuance of his church then euer he made to the Synagoge He hath promised that hell gates shall not preuaile Matth. 16. against it This were not true if it had bene either these 15. or nine hundred yeares either ouerrun with heresies He hath appointed it to continue with the sonne and to remaine till the monel be taken awaie If because the churche Psalm 71. of the olde lawe was brought to that paucitie that some times there were but eight as in Noes time or but Elias alone Gen. 7. as he was persuaded but yeat in dede 7000. mo as God tolde him and that in Israel for in Iuda notwithstanding 3. Reg. 19. the churche florished although your Apologie had not reade so farre If I saie the churche of Christe might after 15. hundred yeares continuance be brought to the same case In the Portress◠the 6. 7. 8. and 10. chapitres nowe where were all these promises with diuerse other diligently of late gathered together made to the churche and of the churche If because in the olde lawe God was Notus in Iudea in Israel magnum nomen ei us knowen in Psalm 75. Iurie and his name greate in Israel but so no farder it maie be laufull for yow to defende youre secrete conuenticles at Geneua or elles where where is then thorough out all nations Lucae 24. beginning at Hierusalem Where is the prophecie of Dauid spoken before hande of Christes kingdome the churche that it shoulde rule from sea to sea and from the floud to the Psalm 71. ende of the worlde Seing therefore these greate promises haue bene made by all mightie God to the churche whereas to the Synagoge the figure thereof there were made no such although it decaied although at the last it vanished awaie as the priestehod and lawe did we can not conclude that therfore the same should happen to the church which hath other maner of staies to holde it vp The compilers of youre Apologie might be ashamed M. Nowell if they had not abandoned all shame and honestie to abuse after this sorte the examples of the holie scripture to proue that Christes churche might faile because in the olde lawe it was brought to some pancitie◠whiche reason they borowed of the Donatistes those wicked heretikes as appeareth by Saint Augustine who confuteth the same And Lib. de vnitat eccle cap. 12. thus haue I shewed you M. Nowell a cause why this saing of youre Apologie could not be applied to the churche of Christe that is nowe it remaineth that I answere
it is true I graunte by such laufull ministres as are appointed Cap. 31. to teache it as appeareth by the verie place of Deuteron that yow alleage here For the mariage of priestes why yowe maie not reason from the olde lawe to the newe to establishe it the firste cause is because the priestes of the olde lawe did serue in the temple by turnes and when their courses came to serue they were seperated from theire wiues In the lawe of the Lib. 1. contra Iouinia Ca. 3. 1. ad Timoth. distin 31. cap. tenere ghospell the prieste must be readie continually and daylie to ministre This doe S. Hierome S. Ambrose and Innocentius the firste confirme by this argument The priestes off the olde lawe absteined from their wyues when their course came to ministre but the priestes of the newe lawe must be alwaies reaadie to ministre therfore they may not marye at all Againe the church makethe suche only priestes as doe vowe chastitie This vowe is free to be made or not made when it is made not the church onelye but the law of God forceth men to kepe it The single state in the olde law was not so cōmended nowe it is by the Apostle preferred before honorable wedlocke Beside this the Apostle sayeth The maried thinketh 1. Cor. 7. on those thinges that perteine to the worlde and how he maye please his wife the vnmaried man vpon those thinges that perteine to God how he maye please hym Therefore he exhorteth all men most of all the ministers of God to be like to him selfe that is single and vnmaried The fifth cause of differēce may be because priestehode went then by successiō within one tribue and therefore it was necessarie that they maried to continue the same whereas oures goeth by lauful vocatiō and the priestes are and may be chosen through out the worlde and therefore there is no such necessitie Last of al I answere as Sainte Austen did to Faustus the Manichee obiecting Lib. 22. Cap. 47. to Iacob as a greate crime the hauing of foure wiues Quando mos erat crimen non erat nunc propterea crimen est quia mos non est When the maner was so it was no faulte and nowe therfore it is a faulte because it is not the maner Are not these M. Nowell reasons sufficient to assoile youre doubte why priestes should not now mary because they were maried in the olde lawe Replye first againste these and then shall you here more In the meane season thus much be sayed to the lawe Nowe to your reason why ptiestes should be maried nowe as well as they were in the olde lawe You reason not with S. Paule as you bragge here but against him For whereas he saieth that such younge widowes a ▪ 28. 1. Timot. 5 as after theire vowes maried haue theire damnation you bring him for the contrarie disagreing by that meanes bothe with him selfe and the auncient fathers who agree all in the interpretation of this place He that can not conteine let him marye c. that it is to be vnderstanden of such 1. Cor. 7. Amb. cap. 5. ad virg lapsam alij alibi as hauing not vowed to the contrarie be yeat in the ful possession of their libertie and intende not to vse the meanes to atteine chastitie Yow reason against S. Paule whome you wrest here to this meaning that he should will all men to marye Whereas he wissheth on the contrarie parte in this very chapitre all men to be vnmaried as he was him selfe He meaneth here M. Nowell as witnesse S. Hierome S. Lib. 1. contra Iouin Amb. in hoc cap. 7. Chrysost hom 9. in hunclocū Ambrose and S. Chrysostome that the Corinthians whome saieth S. Ambrose he sawe so to swarme with vices that he thought it very harde for them to liue continentlie should continue to kepe euery man the cōpanie of his maried wife which they doubted whether it were laufull for them to doe or no and therefore consulted S. Paule therein That this is the true meaning of the place beside the auctoritie of these fathers by the whole discourse also of the chapitre and these wordes that followe nexte after those alleaged by you Vxori vir debitum reddat c. Let the man yealde to his wife the due debt of mariage it maye manifestly appeare To your last question of images I answere that suche images as Christian men haue were not forbidden They were idolles that were forbidden or images to be worsshipped as God of which sorte we haue none Men doe not stoupe to insensible blockes or stones no more than he dothe reuerence to wax or parchement that kisseth the Quenes broade seale and therefore that reason argueth him that of men hauing life or reason so saieth or thinketh to be him selfe for his witt a blocke for his Christian charitie a verie stone The honour that we giue to images is to the thinges that they represent not to the matter of the image it selfe You haue by this time I trust M. Nowell your request satisfied not by greate leasoure but all other busines set aparte with as much spede as I coulde The reason you see why I maie reason as I doe but not you as you woulde is other than my bare pleasure And therefore I will now procede further In this leafe and first side you saye first that Christ is the onelie fo 68. a. Nowell heade of the catholike churche and none but he alone then that the scriptures are the iudge of all controuersies because they shall iudge vs in the last greate daye Christ is onelie the chiefe heade of his churche and after Dorman that manner there is no other heade thereof but he Whiche as he is also of all the particuler churches that be in the worlde and yeat that no let but that there be other inferiour heades vnder him so is his being heade ouer the whole churche no more let that there shoulde be an other inferioure heade to rule in his corporal absence ouer the whole churche here in earth When you talke of Scripture and thinke it straunge that it shoulde not be the onelie iudge in all controuersies we merueile not seing we remembre that you haue reason to holde with youre forefathers olde condemned heretikes But of this I shall when I come hereafter to your discourse vpon this point haue more occasion to speake Presently I will note to the reader the wise reason that yowe bring to proue that the onelie scripture ought to be the iudge of all controuersies which is because it shall iudge bothe yow and vs in the latter daye So shall oure Sauioure in his visible personne M. Nowell So shall the 12. Apostles wil you proue therby that Christ and the twelue Apostles in their visible persones ought to be the iudges of all controuersies that arise now in the churche Beside that these wordes can not be
vnderstande of the text written there being then when Christ spake these wordes neuer a word written and therefore must be taken to be ment as well of his worde vnwritten as written of tradition M. Nowell euen that worde of God that once shal iudge you So good be youre reasons and suche wise consequences depend thereon And yeat you ende with a checke as though you had giuen the mate and saye M. Doman auoide the contempte th◠you may escape the iudgement Nowe M. Nowell you haue proued no contempte and therefore I feare not the iudgement Let this be necke till you giue a better checke Of certeine externall furniture of the churche where with M. Nowell chargeth the catholikes to haue blinded the worlde Of the Scriptures being iudge in all controuersies The 21. Chapitre BECAVSE I desired that I might be suffered a little 22. by the readers patience to open to the worlde youre craftye dealing and to shake yow oute off youre maskers clouttes c. Yowe crie holde not the man for Goddes sake Nowell cet No haste but good sir youre fantasie feineth that reason Dorman neuer tolde you I call not the holye Scripture youre A lye 56. clouttes I refer me to the place for my discharge and to proue you a lyer but youre owne clouted gloses are the clowtes the maskers apparell the glittering showes the whiche I speake off and by the whiche yow blinde not onelye the ignoraunt but the wyser sorte allso To discharge youre selues hereof it is a world to see how workemanly you handle the matter by discoursing shortly vpon two pointes The first is that we by copes vestimentes gilted crosses cādelstickes deade mens and ofte deade beastes bones by cerimonies Nowell fol. 69. a. 13. minstrelfye belles banners and other bables haue so be witched and stroken blinde bothe the simple and manie of the wiser sorte also that neither they can see anie thing of Christe their sauiour nor here and vnderstande ought of his moste holie worde Yea that we haue compelled them in stede of the true worshipping of God to put all religion in the outewarde and dombe ceremonies and not to regarde the God off their Father The seconde is a iustifieng of youre religion by the losse which manie of youre parte haue susteined in the defence thereof of liues and libertie To the firste I make answere that the ceremonies and Dorman ornamentes wherewith you scornefuly twite vs were partely The vse of ceremonies reuerent ceremonies to stirre vp deuotion partlye cōly ornamētes to decke the house of God that euen by such outewarde meanes men might eftsones be put in remembraunce to vse no demeanure vnsemelye for that place So far was it from this that the people was hindred thereby from the vnderstanding of Christe and his holye worde that dull affections were muche whetted and colde deuotion not a little enflammed thereby Let the maners off men that liued in that age when these ceremonies and ornamentes were most in vse beare witnes betwene you and me whether they were anie hinderaunce to the knowledge of Christe and his worde or no. It is a sclaunderouse lye of youres to saie that we compelled men in the steede off the A l7e 57. true worshippe off God to put all religion in ceremonies cet As it is also till you can proue it that deade beastes bones were A lye 58. burnished ouer with burning golde But this is M. Nowelles rhetorike good reader After that he and his companions haue brought vs from firme faith to a rashe cōfidence from the truthe it selfe to signes and tokens from one faithe to a nombre of contrary schismes and sectes from the feare of God to a dissolute securitie from praieng and fasting to plaieng and banqueting from repentaunce and confession of oure sinnes to laughter and mockerye of that holie and moste necessarie sacrament after that they haue spoiled the churche of fiue holie sacramentes the other two whiche remaine being made but bare signes and tokens the one a piece of breade the other a badge or signe of Christianitie after they haue robbed God of his due honour the blessed sacrifice of his bodie and bloude the sainctes and friendes of God of their due worshippe the soules departed of all charitable reliefe after they haue spoiled the realme of moste godlie fundations monasteries colleages hospitalles almes houses commeth solemnelye this protestant proctour and reconuenteth vs for copes crosses candlestickes c. As for the seconde pointe M. Nowell it is not iwisse the fo 69. b. 1. imprisonment of heretikes not the death of your stincking martirs not all the Actes and monumentes of Fox that can proue one protestant to be a good catholike Doe not Catholikes also suffer imprisonment losse of goddes lacke of libertie wiues and childern Are they not in banishemēt in a strainge lande out of their own countrie then which there is no worldly thing the lacke wherof grieueth them more not in suche wealthe M. Nowell as Marchantes mainteined yow no one penie whiche we neither requier nor loke for but onelie note youre state and oures herein how different they are comming from them to vs. Haue not manie of them also suffred bitter deathe yea more dreadefull to vse also in this respect youre own wordes then is vsuall to felons murtherers or to most sauage noysome wilde beastes Let the drawing hanging and quartering of that nombre of holie fathers of the Charter house the cruell execution of that good olde man father Forest and of others let the deathe of those two most worthy pearles of Englande B. Fisher and Sir Thomas More let the deathe of diuerse Abbates religiouse men gentlemen and other testifie that Catholikes when deathe was offered haue not forsaken to dye for religion also But what Deathe meaketh not the cause good then M. Nowell is this a sufficient argument to proue the cause good No no M. Nowell if it were so yow Sacramentaries and Lutheranes shoulde be of all sectes lest estemed The Anabaptistes doe in this pointe go far beyonde yowe Who to this houre dailye suffer in all countries where they be to be founde And that deathe being tombled headlong in sackes into the water they suffer secretely Whiche maner of execution if it had bene practised vpon Lutheranes and Sacramentaries that without the sight of the worlde the admiration and applause of the brotherhode without glorie and renowne they might haue ended in this worlde their wretched lyues it is thought that manie of them had yeat liued either for worse or for better I might here bring the example of the Donatistes whose excessiue desire to dye and to seale with their bloude their heresies S. Augustin in diuerse of his epistles and in the later ende of his thirde boke against the epistle of Parmenianus dothe well declare But this that hath bene saide maye Tom. 7. suffise to conclude M. Nowell that if all England shoulde
sies aboute the which the variaunce is The whiche sentence being giuen then dothe the Scripture alone decide the matter as that which cōteined allwayes the same truth whiche is nowe manifest being before secrete and hidden Whereas you saye that you can make suche good exceptions againste vs that we be not the churche if you had proposed youre exceptions you should haue hearde mine answere But to proue the contrarye that we be the true church I refer the Reader to the Fortresse of the faithe off late set furthe And further those that haue the vnderstanding of the Latine tongue to that shorte but notable epistle of saint Augustine to Honoratus a Donatist where this Epist 161. verye question Honoratus claiming the true churche to their syde as you doe nowe Saint Augustine defending the contrarye is attempted to be betwene them louinglye debated Vide eundē in psalm 101. concione ◠That whiche serued Saint Austen mainteining that the churche of Christe muste be thoroughe oute all the worlde and that therefore he who was of that faithe that all the worlde helde had the right churche on his side not Honoratus whose churche was onelye in Africa why shoulde it not serue for vs against you whose congregation within these fewe yeares was not onely not in anye whole parte of Germanie but in no one knowen man of Germanie nor of all the worlde beside neither Tell vs how Christe lost his churche and it came to you Thus muche for this present maie suffice for it is not meete that euerye extrauagant proposition of youres cast in to make youre boke swell with impertinent matter because you lacked better stuffing shoulde be here handled at large of the whiche eache alone woulde rise to a iust treatise You reioise mightely in the prosperouse successe of your fo 76. 2. 6. newe ghospell Who can let beggers to make much of their ragges Yeat is it not so farre anaunced as was the heresie of Arrius before Neither haue you so muche cause to triumphe vpon the matter all thinges well considered What marchandise you make and how youre gaine riseth in deceauing poore simple craftesmen I knowe not youre market is thought therein to stande at a staye But this I knowe in other countries and here crediblie that in oure owne the wyser and better learned fall dailye from yow You woulde here make men beleue that I was wont in tymes paste to make pastime vppon the stage by playeng b. 11. the vice If you speake this of youre owne deuising it commeth of malice if you speake it vpon the reporte of others of want of discretion so lightly to beleue euery false rumour Howe euer it be a lye it is maliciously feined to discredite my persone and writinges Although if it had bene Alye 67. as you saye bothe manie honest and learned men haue occupied that place in exercise of learning in the vniuersities and yow off all other might worst finde faulte therewith Whose profession the time hath bene was emongest other thinges to plaie the maister foole and to frame your scholers to these manners Of whome some one came sence to suche excellencie herein that whether he atteined to his maisters grace I am not able to pronounce but of this I am suer that of all that were in Oxforde in his time he bare the bell Yow knowe I dare saie Alexander Nowell that taught Gnato his nurtor to drawe his cap ouerthwart his felowe Parmeno his nose when he saluted him with plurima salute suum impertit Parmenonem Gnato And thus much might be saide to yowe had I euer practised that whiche yowe so often haue taught other to doe as by the lessons whiche like a maister in that facultie yow here giue maie to anye man easely appeare My parable of the felon is not impertinent being brought in to disproue the heretikes assertion crieng for onelie scripture and reiecting the visible heade of the churche whiche is the thing that in this first proposition I take on me to proue Yow will helpe yow saie the surmised felon Yow doe well Why shoulde not one frinde helpe an other I perceiue the olde prouerbe is true kinde will creepe where it can not go For how doe yow helpe him I praie yow Forsothe yow saie If the felon appealing for the triall of his innocencie to God Nowell fo 77. a. 12 can bring for him so manie testimonies of goddes owne mouthe as we are able for oure innocencie to bring testimonies of wordes proceding from the mouthe of God and of oure sauiour Iesus Christe and yeat it will not serue the seelie felowe nor helpe him anie thing in his plea of not guiltie then I thinke there can not be a fitter lawe to procede against him then the popes canons which yow knowe well M. Dorman for yowe haue therein spent more time thē in the studie of the scripture neither can he haue a meeter iudge to cōdemne him then the pope him selfe and a handesomer man emongest all men to be I will not saie his hangman but the forman of a popishe quest to passe against the seely soule shall not anie man I beleue easelie finde nor a fitter then is M. Dorman And thus I let his parable passe By what name yow call me M. Nowell hangman or Dorman forman it forceth not youre tongue is no sclaundre It maie beseme me well inough to be miuried by that tongue by the whiche Christe suffreth him selfe and his blessed sainctes to be blasphemed But I praie yowe how helpe yow this pore felon for all the malice that yowe beare to me If he coulde yow saie bringe as good testimonie of his innocencie owte off goddes worde as yowe can for youres c. If he brought no better then were he like to stretche a halter For let vs suppose youre selfe as meete a man as anie that I knowe to occupie this felons roume at the barre and see for youre onelie iustifieng faithe what one worde off scripture yow haue That the sacrament of the altar is only a figure what testimonie of goddes mouthe coulde yow bring That the laie princes are appointed by Christe to be the supreme gouernours in all ecclesiasticall thinges and causes no prince being Christened at the writing of the scriptures that all controuersies ought to be tried by onelie scriptures where is the scripture If the felon coulde bring as good testimonies as yow were he not now thinke yow like to be muche holpen by yowe But I merueile where youre wittes were M Nowell that yow be so far ouersene as where as I putt the case in a felon guiltie and that had well deserued to dye yow woulde euer make such a supposition as though suche a malefactour might finde anie testimonies in the scripture to proue him innocent But I knowe youre meaning well enough Yow thought couertly to signifie that there was no felon that had so grieuously offendid but that he might aswell proue his
innocencie by the scriptures as yowe youre doctrine thereby Except yow so ment to wrest my example to youre meaning or to suppose a thing that can not be as that an offendour worthy to dye by the lawes shoulde finde scripture for his defence either it lacketh to saie no worse policie or honestie And thus I let this parable passe That whiche foloweth of Sardanapalus Nero Heliogabalus fo 77. b. 4 Ventriloqui and suche like is but a twang of youre harpe whiche hathe nowe so often sounded vpon one string that yowe make vs beleue that yowe haue no more varitie in harping then hathe the cuckow shift of descant in singing It is a world to see how here yow lash owt the gospell in B. 26. the margent of youre boke against pardons masses soule masses trentalles diriges how yow defende the cause of Math. 21. 23. Marc. 12. the pore widowe that had her onelie cowe yowe wote not where taken awaie As though S. Mathewe and S. Marcke had expressely made mention of these thinges the widowes cowe and all whereas there is no suche thing in them to be founde sauing that there is mention of suche as robbe widdowes housen and in an other place of the castinge of the byers and sellers owte of the temple which if yowe thinke yow maie applie to such pore priestes emongest vs as were rewarded with a grote after they had saide masse for a soule departed this worlde what Marchandise is it I praie yowe that youre ministres make in taking a marcke ten shillinges a noble at the leaste for euerie funerall sermon I will not matche with you in Plautus termes in whome fo 78. a. ◠it appeareth you haue bestowed more time then in S. Austen or an other good doctour of the church and perhappes I might adde haue better borne awaie suche Plautine periphrases then oute of the scripture good Christian lessons Yeat this I must nedes marueile at M. Nowell how you be so sodenly fallen out with pore priestes lasshing at them so cruelly with youre Plautine periphrases To the whole ordre of whome in king Edwardes daies you pretended either for feare or flattry to beare so muche good will that whereas the auctor of the comoedy called Andrisca had feined a prieste to haue misused him selfe withe a curriers wife you exhibiting the same comoedy before the reuerend father in God the B. that then was of westminstre turned the prieste whome nowe it pleaseth yow to call by a plautine periphrasis trifur trifurcifer in to a souldior whome yow named Trisimachus At this sodeine change I saye of minde I can not choose but maruell and of the same can finde no cause excepte it be that from a sobre and modest scholemaister you be transformed into a lewde and Ruffianly souldiour as by the warlike phrases in youre booke and gonneshot of terrible threateninges and boasting bragges so common to yow in youre sermones yow giue men iust cause to thinke Of this argument of the Protestants Christe is heade of the churche Ergo the Pope is not Ergo there is no other The 22. Chapitre FIRST where as you saie that I made a wōdring before fo 73. b. 22. that Christe shoulde be heade of the churche I neuer wondered thereat but saide we founde no faulte therewith but confessed the same oure selues You beely me therefore As A lye 68. for your argument surely it shall neuer be worth a pypt nutte Yes saye you the argument is good Because the Apologie taketh the worde churche for the Vniuersall Nowell churche which hath not nor can possibly haue anie earthelie heade ouer it to gouerne it as hath bene often at large heretofore declared Wheresoeuer you haue declared anie thing before touching Dorman See the 11. Chapitre before and the. 12. this impossibilitie of one heade ouer Christes churche there haue I answered yow thither I refer the reader Yow might declare the good affection that yow haue to proue it and therfore yow saide circunspectly that you had declared for surely yow neuer proued it hetherto I saide that youre argument did not holde whereby yow reasoned that there could be no other heade of Christes vniuersall churche because Christe was him selfe no more then if one woulde saie that the prieste did not baptise forgiue sinnes c. because Christ do the these thinges by the meanes of his ministres To this yow saie that these examples make rather againste me then with me But why M. Nowell I praie yow Youre reason foloweth For one chiefe heade hath diuerse vndreministres in diuerse Nowell fo 79. a. 1. seruices and places vsually but what perteineth that to proue that there must be one heade ouer all places and seruices ecclesiasticall thorough out the whole worlde which is vnpossible to be These examples were neuer brought M. Nowel to proue Dorman that there must be one heade ouer the whole churche but to remoue the foolishe argument made against that one heade now they make not for one heade saye yow ergo they make rather against me Neither can youre scholasticall distinction of caput absolutum and Nowell ministeriale helpe the matter nor yeat Hosius declaration tending to the same ende how bishoppes be bothe seruantes and lordes can in this case any thing furder you For there can not possibly be one only heade ouer all the church more then there can be one vniuersall ciuile heade absolute in earth ouer all the worlde it selfe What a blinde harpar is this that harpeth allwayes vpon one string and giueth allwaies one solutiō to all argumentes and yeat neuer giueth other reason to fortifie that common solutiō grounded vpon Gods not omnipotency but impotency and lacke of power then that sory and seely reason which nedeth as muche to be vnderpropped as the other and betwene which two comparisons the difference hath bene manifestly showed before allreadie of gouerning the whole worlde by one vniuersall ciuile heade He neuer proueth but euer repeateth It is impossible it is impossible there shoulde be one heade thinking that at the leaste by often repeting and stoute bearing out the matter he shall make it at the length to seme right well proued to the reader I knowe M. Dorman dothe so qualifie this the popes supremacye Nowell 22. a. terming him caput ministeriale the ministeriall heade for that Christe is the absolute heade of all But yeat in respecte off the whole churche as being vnder the Pope he will haue hym called caput the heade But I woulde haue hym to make that relation of caput and these wordes seruus seruorum to agree and to be bothe caput and seruus or minister respectu eiusdem the head and the seruaunt in one respecte especiallye claiming suche a * M. Nowells terme capitalitye as dothe the Pope which can not agree with the humble ecclesiasticall ministerie c. Belike you woulde haue apposed Christe if it had bene Dorman youre chaunce to be
present when he saide Qui minor est Lucae 9. inter vos omnes hic maior est He that is the leaste emongeste you all is the greatest Belike you woulde haue asked hym how one could be the greater and the lesse But do you not youre selfe confesse that euerye bishop is the heade of hys diocesse And howe then M. Nowell doth that agree I vse youre owne wordes with the humble ecclesiastical ministery Is your heade the bishop a headye seruant and a seruile heade Kinges and Princes are they not the heades of the people whome they gouerne and yeat in that verie respecte that they be heades ministres notwithstanding as S. Paule witnesseth Rom. 13. and seruantes M. Dorman harpeth to muche vpon one string oute of tune Nowell b. 16. for his purpose I meane the example off the Iuish high prieste cet Who twangeth moste vppon one string that let the learned Dorman reader iudge Once this is suer that the string that you shoulde strike here you touche not so muche as once For I bringe not in this example of the high prieste off the Iues at this tyme as because I once did you dreame that I doe still to proue that there ought to be one onelye heade in Christes churche as there was emongest the Iues but to detecte the vanitie of this reason of youres Christe is heade of the churche and able to rule the same him selfe alone ergo there nedeth no other To this answered I so was M. Nowell dissembleth my reasō and twāgeth vpō a false string he being God heade of the Iuish Synagoge also and as wel hable to rule the same without anye helpe or meanes as he is nowe to rule his churche Yeat was his pleasure to appointe a highe prieste c. And therefore that ought to be no reason to persuade vs that he dothe not or maye not do the lyke nowe To this because yow were not hable to replye you dissembled my meaning as a little before in this verye place you doe when you saye that my examples make rather against me then with me The whiche practise you vse also hereafter as in place shal be declared For this matter I haue no more to saye but to aduise you that you take youre harpe into youre hande and twang once vpon the right string In prosecuting the confutation of that naughtie argument fol. 80. a. 24. 1. Reg. 15. of youre Apologie I vse the examples of Saule called in the scripture the heade ouer the tribues of Israel of the husbande called by Paule the heade of his wife off the 1. Cor. 11. Archebishoppe heade ouer the other bishoppes of his prouince and conclude thereupon that as it is no good reason to saye God was heade of the tribues of Israel therefore Saule was not Christe is heade of vs all men and wemen therefore the husbande is not heade of the wife The Arche bishoppe is heade of the other bishoppes of his prouince Therefore the bishoppes be not hedes euen so that the argument of youre Apologie Christe is heade of his churche therfore there is no other head is a faulty argument because if it were good it shoulde exclude also whiche it dothe not the other heades that I named confessed to be true heades in earthe For quae ratio partis ad partem eadem totius ad totum the same proportion that is of the parte to the parte the same is the proportion of the whole to the whole that is if their maie be a heade of one diocesse in earthe which is parte of the whole notwithstanding that God is heade of the whole there is no let by this argument but there maie be an other heade also vnder him ouer the whole And so I proue the reason of the Apologie naught in the whole quia non valet in partibus because it is not good in the partes To this reason of mine you neuer make answere but dissembling it as you did the other before you saie that I bring these examples to proue that there be diuerse seuerall b. 13. heades in earthe vnder Christe So I did in dede But why woulde I proue that To proue that there ought to be one heade ouer the whole Why saye you so for shame M. Nowell Why dissemble you that whiche anye man that hathe his common sense can not but see to be otherwise I bringe it to shewe howe absurde it is for you to graunte that ouer the tribues off Israel there maye be a heade ouer seuerall churches there maye be heades withoute derogation to Christes honour who is the chiefe and yeat you will not graunte so muche to the whole churche for the impediment of that pretended reason because Christe is the heade which letteth not in particuler churches And therfore neither Hosius nor I care whether Saul were head of the tribue of Leui or no this example prouing how euer it were sufficiently our intent whiche is to disproue your folishe reason that because Christ is heade of his church there nedeth no other When Hosius or I alleage this place to gather thereby that there ought to be one head in earth vnder Christ ouer all churches then we will folowe your minde in cōcluding In the meane season we take youre argument that because Christe is the onelie heade ouer the vniuersall churche therefore there nedeth no other generall heade vnder him to be by this example sufficiently confuted as before I shewed Yeat because your desire is that it maie be considered whether when the scripture saieth that Saul was made heade of the tribues of Israēl he were appointed heade ouer the tribue of Leui also that is ouer the cleargie considre it I praie yow and spare not and when yow haue all considered and done yow shall perceiue howe muche this exemption of the cleargie from the auctoritie of king Saul maketh against yow and youre companions that will make kinges to rule the cleargie in causes ecclesiasticall I doubte not but some of youre side that haue more staied heades then yowe and that are lesse passionat will saie that yowe might haue kepte this consideration to youre selfe still And where yow mingle kinges and bishoppes together whose Nowell b. 30. fo 81. a. 1. offices are distinct and vse the examples of the Archebishop off Cauntorbury and the bishop of London what titles so euer your bishoppes when they were in those roumes vsed or abused I am suer they who be nowe in place take it for their chiefe honour to be and to be called also gods ministers in his churche What a worlde is this when protestantes complaine of Dorman mingling kinges and bishoppes together As though the worlde knewe not who confoundeth and iumbleth together these two offices they or we But the faulte is founde with me for reasoning from their offices whiche be distincte Why yow knowe M. Nowell if you haue not forgotten youre logicke that it
haue loked so farre in the 34. and 35. leafe of my firste booke Nowe to the place of Chore Dathan and Abiron of the whiche you saye Nowell B. 5. thus Concerning the reason made by Chore Dathan and Abiron that the people ought not to obeye their gouernours because they be all holye * These wordes and the lorde is emōgest them left oute by M. Nowell Dorman and that therefore the magistrates ought not to lifte them selues aboue the Lordes people it is not oure reason cet No in dede M. Nowell as you haue alleaged it it is not youre reason But if you had trulye reported it it woulde haue gone as nere to your reason as twelue pense to a shilling But you doe here as you did before with the reasons of Swenckfielde that is leaue oute the chiefe reason wherein the comparison is made and then crie oute vpon me for making suche wise comparisons Who seeth not that I compare you hereto these schismatikes refusing to obeye Moises and Aaron not because they saide they were all holy but because they added in ipsis est Dominus and the Lorde is present with the multitude as you refuse that one heade of Christes churche because Christ is present with his churche As for the wordes that you note here in the margent of youre boke multitudo sanctorum and populus domini papae as though you coulde thereby make some shewe that this place might be applyed to Chanon Chore Deane Dathan and his felowes it deserueth to be rather laughed at then answered seing that bothe it is a manifeste lye wherewith you sclaundre the cleargye who neuer called them selues the holy people of the greate Lorde of Rome as you here feine and also it is well knowen that what so euer libertyes and immunities the cleargye had the same were giuen as the faithe encreased by Emperours and kinges them selues and therefore they were moste far from the maner of reasoning vsed by these schismatikes Nowe whereas M. Dorman alleageth the Apologie as thus reasoning Nowell B. 25. that the churche hathe no neede of anie other ruler because Christ is with it truth it is if M. Dormā doe meane one only heade of the vniuersall church For Christe nedeth no suche generall gouernour seing he is bothe present him selfe continually by his spirite as he promised and also for that he hathe in euery peculier countrie and churche his Moises and Aaron that is to saye his feuerall deputies in his steede euerye where here in earth for that no one mortall man can possibly suffice to the gouernaunce of the whole worlde or churche c. If he nede gouernours of euery peculier churche where Dorman he is no lesse present then with the whole why nedeth he not aswell one chiefe heade to gouerne the whole who shall emongest so manie heades diuided into partes euerye one thinking his opinion to be best strike the stroke and preserue vnitie If yowe saie God maie so preserue euerie bishop that he fall not into heresie you put god to worke daily mo miracles then he doth to preserue the chiefe bisshop of all whiche yet you stagger to graunte as a thinge impossible The wordes folowing in youre Apologie that no one mortall man can suffice to the gouernement of the whole fo 96. a. 3. worlde or church I of my accustomed sinceritie omitted yow saye And what haue you gotten by it nowe you haue alleaged it youre selfe Verilie this that you will make all men vnderstande that god is able with you to doe no more then you list to giue him leaue but of this I haue entreated before sufficiently You saye that you are far from rebelling Nowell against youre naturall soueraigne and other gods ministers appointed to gouerne you c. But how farre M. Nowell I Dorman praie you Who made the boke of succession at home Who sounded the two traiterouse blastes against the mōstrouse regiment of women their Quene being a woman From whence were they blowen but from the lake of Gehenna Who grudgeth against the princes ordinaunce in matters indifferent and of small importance no greater then of a square cap Who made warre against their prince in Scotland Who set all Fraunce in an vprore against their king Who but that vnhappy vermine the protestants That which foloweth fol. 96. b. and 97. a. b. is answered before That the waye to ouerthrow Fol. 68. vsque ad fol. 106. heresies is not by the only scripture The 27. chapiter THIS matter hath bene sufficiently handled before in the 21. chapitre And allthough in me it be a greate faulte and highly laide to my charge to alleage thrise one place of scripture yet muste yowe good readers beare withe M. Nowell if he alleage his absurde and wicked assertions more then six times thrise and maie not in any wise twite him with the prouerbe Crambe his that to muche of one thing is naught yea allthough he neuer proue anie of them once But maie yowe not be ashamed M. Nowell so vniustly to M. Nowell repre hending other men for vnreuerent speaking of the scripture speaketh of all other most vnreuerētly him selfe charge Pighius and Hosius with vnreuerent speaking of the scripture when youre selfe in this place applie your prophane prouer be to signifie that to muche of scripture maie be nought that anie place thereof maie so often be alleaged that it shoulde become vnsauory By what auctoritie claime yow I praie yowe tell vs suche libertie that yowe maie speake of the scriptures that whiche is vnlaufull and plaine blasphemie and other maie not vse so muche as similitudes or comparisons betwene the scriptures and other prophane thinges Why is it laufull for yow so oftentimes to repeate these heathenishe wordes that it is impossible for one man assisted by gods grace for otherwise we affirme it not to gouerne the whole churche of Christe that we be like to the Phariseis and high priestes of the Iues you to Christe and his apostles that there ought no more to be one chiefe heade to gouerne the churche then one emperour to gouerne the whole worlde that the pope can not be iudge in his owne cause as though goddes cause were his owne priuate cause with suche like absurdities a nombre mo and maie not be laufull for me to alleage thrise the holie scripture of God to proue three seuerall pointes Firste that it coulde not be likely that God prouiding for his chosen The place of Deuter. alleaged by me thrise to three seuerall purposes people the Iues a chiefe and heade gouernour to ende and determine all their controuersies woulde not for his churche whiche he loueth more tendrely where he knewe shoulde be greater nede doe the like nexte to answere thereby youre foolishe reason Christe is heade of his churche and present allwaies withe it therefore there nedeth no other By which reason I saide that God shoulde haue prouided for the Iues no chiefe
Dorman vaine or euill thing neither because the Arrians and Anabaptistes vsed it neither for any other cause you haue therfore beelied me once more I acknowledge it to be bothe A lye 80. proffitable and necessarie only I saie that to ende all controuersies it is an insufficient meanes Because reiecting the determination of the churche you take vpon you as the Arrians did and the Anabaptistes doe to mainteine youre heresies by this pretensed conference of scripture not regarding that suche iudgement belongeth to the churche therefore I call yow and iustly terme you heretikes And as I doe reiect this conference that you talcke of because you vse it to that ende that these heretikes did so doe I refuse all suche scripture toe as is falsely wrested as was that whiche the diuell alleaged In whiche sense because Christe and his Apostles neuer alleaged anie I can not finde faulte with them I can not you saye deuise a waye that shoulde satisfye Nowell a. 20. all heretikes withoute all contradiction or exception on their parte I can deuise no waie in dede M. Nowell to satisfie al heretikes Dorman it passeth my power I cōfesse But God hathe deuised a waye to ouerthrowe all heresies if suche as you are woulde The way to ouerthrowe heresies be no let to his working And that is the thinge that ought to suffice vs. Will you knowe what waye it is Forsothe if this principle and grounde the which I labour to proue that Christes churche here in earthe being but one and visible hathe also one chiefe visible heade to rule and gouerne the same were thoroughly as it ought to be persuaded to all men then the heretike which nowe by coloured argumentes triumpheth ouer not onely the meaner sorte but also oftentimes many of the wiser and better learned the thinge called into question being either suche as is the question of baptising of infantes as whereof we haue no expresse scripture but onelye a tradition continued in the churche from the Apostles time and deliuered from hande to hande to vs either elles so perplexe and doubteful as the aduersarie will for his heresie bring not onely as many but mo textes also that shall seme to make for his purpose then shall the catholike as did the Arrian then shoulde I saye the heretike in al mens iudgemēt although neuer in his owne easely be discomfited and ouerthrowen For then let the Anabaptiste crie as muche as he woulde that the baptisme of infantes hathe no grounde of scripture the meanest man in a parishe woulde be able to tell him Sir the churche whiche I am bidden to giue eare to by the scripture vseth it and hathe done from the beginning this suffiseth me Againe let the Arrian bringe and heape together all the scripture that he hathe let him vse all his shiftes distinctions and gloses when he hathe all done the true catholike seketh after the interpretation of the churche that interpretation to witte that the membres agreing with the heade obserue and haue obserued vniuersally thoroughe out the whole worlde Thus if the more parte of men woulde doe as they ought neither woulde heretikes haue any list to publishe heresies their starting holes being by this wholesome remedie taken awaye neither shoulde they being brought furthe into the light be hable anie while to continue And this call I the ouerthrowing of heretikes and heresies For to persuade an indurat heretike by anye meanes I confesse it to be a thing impossible seing that not euerye man that is a true Christian can by conference of the scripture be by and by persuaded in all doubtes as you here vntruly saye he maye When partes be taken in opinions emongest learned men eache parte forcing the scriptures by conference and otherwise to make for that sense which he hathe conceiued is no man a true Christian but he that cā be satisfied in this case by the scripture Hath it not bene sene that the mainteiners of suche contrary opinions beinge for vertue and learning estemed of the worlde haue made also right good Christians to doubte And what case had Christe lefte vs in if in this perplexitie there were not a churche to directe vs if that churche had not a heade to speake to vs which being in S. Augustine and Prospers tyme Prosper lib. contra Collator cap. 10. Zozimus the Pope as you hearde before shewe vs nowe if you can why Pius the pope shoulde not be the lyke And thus you see M. Nowell I truste that you haue to muche abused bothe the Readers and me in labouring firste to persuade that I mislike the Scriptures whiche I doe in no sense or the conference thereof whiche I doe not simply but in this respecte that you contende that that waye alone is sufficient to ende all controuersies nexte in this that you altre my reason whiche is that because by this pretensed conference of youres heresies can neuer be ouerthrowen while by the subtilitye of heretikes alleaging scripture conferring scripture and that so probably that euen the best learned maye be shaken in their faithe and so heresie mainteined you make the same reason to be because there can no waye possibly be founde able to satisfie all frowarde heretikes Vppon this supposall of youres that I reiect this conference of scripture as no sufficient meane to ende all controuersies because it can not satisfie al men you aske this question And thinketh he that Popes of Rome men of suche lyfe suche Nowell b. 6. Holde the man a bowle for he will vomite partialitie suche ignorance such vntruthe such falsehode such bribery Simoniakes poisonners murtherers shal satisfie all men in all iudgementes of all causes and controuersies yea in their owne verye causes wherein they be parties and that without all exception The diuell they shall and that I may saye truly Non loqueris sed latras you speake not here M. Nowell Dorman but you barcke you reason not but you raile If all these faultes that you here heape together were in one pope at one time yeat shoulde they not be all any let why the same might not and shoulde not giue true iudgement and satisfie all good men To this I haue answered before where Cap. 3. fol. 8. b. 10 fol. 39. b. yow gaue me like occasion thither I remit the reader Yeat this I woulde faine knowe of yowe by the waie and desire yow when yow wright nexte to resolue me therein whether if these popes had the contraries to these vices that is so manie vertues yowe thinke they might giue true iudgement and satisfie all men If yow saie they could not what neded then this odiouse rehersall of so manie grieuouse faultes seing by no meanes they coulde If yowe saie that being good men they might then shewe scripture or bring reason to proue that this auctoritie is lost by euill manners In controuersies rising vpon the scripture the popes cause is not handled but gods and
house he confesseth the minde of S. Hierome whiche he saieth was vtterly that all churches ought to be vndre the Romaine See or no strangers from it If Erasmus in his interpretation before saing that the churche was not as he thought builded vpon Rome but vpon the faith of Petre agree with S. Hierome in this pointe that all churches be subiect to the Romaine See howe happeneth it that you and youre fellowes to withdrawe all men from this subiection to that See make that principle that the churche was builded not vpon Rome but vpon Petres his faithe youre chiefe grounde seing that in Erasmus iudgement bothe might stande well inoughe together Iff on the contrarye parte this interpretation made by Erasmus can not agree with the minde of Saint Hierome Why shoulde we rather credite Erasmus not sure off his owne opinion then S. Hierome confidently affirming the contrarye Yea and furder the same Erasmus in the beginning of his argument Nowell fol. 108. b. 1. vpon his treatye against the Luciferians whiche is nexte to his two epistles to Damasus hathe these wordes Nulla haeresis grauius afflixit c. No heresie hathe more grieuously afflicted the churches of all the worlde then the Arrians in so muche that it hathe wrapped in the bishoppes of Rome and the emperours them selues It pleaseth M. Dorman sometime to alleage Erasmus against vs whose auctoritye if it be good downe goeth the pope and all popery For if the bishoppes of Rome haue bene infected with heresie then is not there that vniuersall rocke As good men as Erasmus and better to haue susteined Dorman the contrary that there was neuer bishoppe of Rome heretike But if there had it foloweth not thereof that there is not that vniuersall rocke Let that be the answere till I come to youre question What if the Pope be an heretike Nowe if M. Dorman did not see these notes of Erasmus vpon Nowell b. 16. the place by him alleaged out of S. Hierome I praise his diligence he maye of Dorman be called Dormitantius as S. Hierome whome he falsely alleageth called Vigilantius and more iustlye bothe by nature and sounde of name may M. Dorman be so called then euer was Vigilantius by S. Hierome c. I sawe them and vnderstode them it appeareth better Dorman then you Reade S. Hierome contra Vigilantium ad Exuperium and then see who is likely by S. Hieromes minde to be called Dormitantius you who with that drowsy sleeping heretike raile against the tapers and lightes in the churche the worshipping of sainctes the reuerent keping of their blessed relikes or I who with saint Hierome mainteine the contrary But I thinke euen for that cause a little thinge woulde make yow to call S. Hierome Dormitantius to for it appeareth that it pleased yow neuer a deale that he shoulde so roughly handle youre deare frinde and therefore yow prefer youre allusion to my name before that of his to the name of Vigilantius But I woulde counsell yow M. No-well either to gette yow some new trym name such as is Theodore Basile or some suche like or elles to leaue scoffing at other till this that yow haue conteining nothing well in it maie be mended Because yowe perceiued that Erasmus either made little for youre purpose or that his auctoritie woulde not be muche set by yow saie But if Erasmus iudgement be nothing worthe c. I will yeat in Christes quarell that he is the rocke and not Petres rotten Nowell B. 26. chaire bring furthe one witnes not onelie greater then Erasmus but also equall with S. Hierome and aboue all papistes in credite and auctoritie S. Austen in his 13. sermon vpon the ghospell off Mathew Yow fight with your owne shadowe M. Nowell when Dorman Fol. 109. ◠1. yow imagine to encountre with anie matche that shoulde offre Christe wrong No man denieth to Christe that excellencie to be the rocke of his churche yow maie therfore put vp youre dagger the fraie was donne before it begonne But yeat hereof it foloweth not that therefore Petres chaire that is to saie Peter is not also a fundation in Christe the first and greatest fundation as a little before I showed To the auctoritie of S. Austen I answere that euen as youre other witnesse that yowe brought before Erasmus durst in this case affirme nothing boldely but only shewed his minde doubtefully so is S. Austen in this question as it Lib. 1. Retractat cap. 21. appeareth in his worckes not fully resolued For in his first booke of Retractations where yow saie most impudently that he repeateth and mainteineth moste earnestlie this interpretation An impudent lye made vpō 12. S. Austen B. 18. that Christe and not Petre is the rocke he proposing bothe the interpretations that Peter is the rocke as he confessed that the same sense he had bothe him selfe giuen in writing against Donatus and was song in his time by the mouthe of manye in the verses of S. Ambrose where speaking of the cocke he saieth Hoc ipsa petra ecclesiae canente culpam diluit at the singing of this cocke the rocke of the churche him selfe purged his faulte he proposing I saie this sense and also that other that Christ is that rocke concludeth in this wise Harum autem duarum sententiarum quae sit probabilior eligat lector Of these two opinions let the reader chose that whiche he thinketh moste probable Is this M. Nowell to defende moste earnestly that Christe and not Petre is the rocke to sett men at libertie to beleue in this pointe as they list Is this the candor the sincere and vpright dealing that yowe speake so muche of But if yowe will yeat by no meanes graunte that S. Austen doubted of this pointe if he were resolued on anie parte I will proue by alleaging diuerse places against this one of youres that he thought as we doe and not with yow First in a sermon that he made of Petres chaire he hathe these wordes Petrū itaque fundamentū ecclesiae dominus nominauit August Serm. de cathedra S. Petri ideo digné fundamentū hoc ecclesia colit supra quod ecclesiastici aedificij altitudo cōsurgit That is to saie Our Lord therfore named Petre the fundation of the church and for that cause dothe the churche worthily worship this fundation vpon the whiche the heigth of the ecclesiasticall building riseth Againe in an other place speaking of the firste miracle Sermon de Sanct. 26. that S. Petre did in restoring to a lame man the vse of his feete he writeth thus Audistis frequenter ipsum Petrum a Act. 3. domino petram nuncupatum sicut ait Tu es Petrus super Matth. 16. hanc petram oedificabo ecclesiam meam Si ergo Petrus petra est supra quam aedificatur ecclesia recté prius pedes sanat vt sicut in ecclesia fidei fundamentum continet ita in homine membrorum
In cap. Marci 14. Peter was made ruler of the churche vt sub vno pastore sit vna fides that vndre one shepherd there maie be one faithe that the same remedie ought to continue also that is that there be one heade But to this will you by no meanes be brought and therefore I maie iustly conclude that you are those headlesse bishoppes that sitte in these pestilēt chaires making to youre selues seates out of the churche and against the church by troubling the ordre begonne by sainte Petre as bothe this auncient auctor saieth here and Optatus moste euidently in his worckes against the Donatistes Lib. 2. doing the like But against this you reason and saie that we must first Nowell fol. 112. proue oure selues to be the true churche of Christe which we shall neuer be hable to doe being in deede the Sinagog of Antichrist We will not proue it M. Nowell but will make you and Dorman youre companions to proue it for vs in spite of your beardes be you neuer so lothe For when being asked where youre church in the which you make youre ministres and bishoppes was but fifty yeares ago you shall not be hable to answere youre verie silence shall speake for vs seing that a church Christe must haue allwaies which because it could not be youres that was no where it must be that of whiche we are that was allwaies and euery where Your nexte refuge is to this that these wordes whose seate Nowell fol. 113. a. 1. he vsurpeth seme to proue that the auctor here noted some Antipope which hath bene no noueltie for these 3. or 4. hundred yeares to haue two or three popes at once And so some writer in fauour of him by like that was chosen and kepte residence at Rome hathe written this against some other that vsurped Petres seate c. It is happy M. Nowell that this is but a bare surmise of Dorman youres leaning to no sure fundation but confirmed by a pore by Like As for the wordes whose seate he vsurpeth they make nothing for youre Antipope but haue relation to suche false bishoppes as being heretikes or schismatikes corrupt the traditiō of catholike bishoppes whose seates they vsurpe by making warre with the church and chalenging to be of the ordre of bishoppes and of the bodye of Christes church whereas of their bishoppes they can shewe no beginning and of their bodye they will haue no heade You can not here saye that because they were oute of the church thys auncient auctor called them a body without Christe their heade For althoughe that be true Yeat the wordes that go next before They trouble the ordre begonne of Peter c. chalenging to them selues an ordre withoute beginning that is to saie professing a body without a heade argue an other heade then Christe whose auctoritie of being heade of his church depended not vpon Petre you wote well but contraryewise Peters vpon his Whereas you restreine this place to be ment against some false pope intruding him selfe into the bishoprike of Rome you doe the auctor greate wronge who as the learned will easely espye speaketh here generally of all suche bishoppes as make them selues sees out off the churche or against the churche You might if it had pleased you haue gessed nearer if you had saide that he had noted the false Donatist bishoppes who making them selues Sees against the churche professed a bodye withoute a heade as you doe As appeareth by Optatus liuing in the same time and writing of their bishoppes in this wise Igitur Optatus lib. 2. de Schismat Donatist quia Claudianus Luciano Lucianus Macrobio Macrobius Encolpio Encolpius Bonifacio Bonifacius Victori successisse videntur si Victori diceretur vbi sederit nec ante se aliquem illic fuisse monstraret nec cathedram aliquā nist pestilentiae ostenderet that is to saie Therefore because Claudianus seemeth to haue succeded Lucianus Lucianus Macrobius Macrobius Encolpius Encolpius Bonifacius Bonifacius Victor if one shoulde aske Victor to whome he succeded neither coulde he name any before him nor shewe any other chaire then the chaire of pestilence That to colour the better this fond fantasy of youres you saie it hath bene no noueltie for these 3. or 400. yeares to haue 2. or 3. popes at once as though some late writer were the auctor of this worcke it is a most miserable shifte seing that bothe there be store of olde writtē copies not vnwritten these 500. yeares where this worcke is to be founde in the name of S. Augustine and therefore can this place by no meanes excepte yowe woulde haue it written by prophecie before the thing were done be vnderstande of anie suche schismaticall pope and againe if it be not S. Augustins it is yeat more auncient for as muche as the auctor thereof counteth but 300. Quaestio 44. yeares from the comming of Christe to his time Howe so euer it be the matter can not be applied to vs who Nowell a. 10. doe not vsurpe Peters chaire Further what worde is there here to proue the chaire of Rome to be the heade of the vniuersall churche c. You trouble the ordre begonne of Petre whiche is inough Dorman to proue youre chaire the chaire of pestilence For that I noted you of althoughe by taking vpon you that whiche belongeth to that chaire you vsurpe his chaire also These wordes the ordre begonne of Petre include the auctoritye of the See of Rome that ordre being first begonne in Peter that he was the heade of the reste as hathe bene declared and so are you answered to youre demaunde what word there is here to proue the chaire of Rome to be the heade of the vniuersall church To procede we hauing Christe to be oure heade our churche Nowell is no deade troncke as lacking an heade and hauing him oure heade onely and other his ministres oure gouernours vnder him oure churche is no lyue monstre as hauing manye heades no more then oure common wealth hauing God the onely heade in heauen oure prince his seruaunt oure heade gouernoure in earthe is therefore a liue monstre or the whole worlde hauing God to his heade is therefore a deade troncke because it hathe no one onely earthly heade nor can haue any suche no more can the vniuersall churche thorough oute the whole worlde haue anye suche one earthly heade c. and so maye he conclude that God and Christe the authors of lyfe be no heades or no suche heades as can saue the bodies whereof they be heades from being deade tronckes excepte the saide bodies haue a false vsurper from Rome to be their heade beside and to giue them life You twang here M. Nowell vpon that olde false string Dorman that euer iarreth and neuer is in tune For as I haue euer tolde you so often as you made mention of this comparison betwene the state of the worlde and the church
which hathe bene in this Repronfe of youres verie often that betwene the gouernemet of the church and the whole worlde there is greate oâ—â—es so doe I nowe answere you againe But you will saie that I am the auctor of this comparison my selfe who reason that the churche must haue one heade because kingdomes countries cities be so best gouerned It is my reason I confesse that euery thing that is one is best gouerned by one And therefore the worlde it selfe were for vs that liue in the same best gouerned by one chiefe heade vnder Christe if for the paine of oure sinnes God had not disposed the same to be gouerned by manie Which when yow saie to be a thing impossible bothe in the church and in the world you speake as you are wont without anie proufe muche to the derogation of goddes omnipotency Nowe to come to youre comparison see I praie yow whether if God had appointed all the kingdomes in the worlde to be one as he hathe all the churches to be one for he came into the worlde vt dispersos congregaret in vnum Psal 146. to gather the dispersed together it shoulde not be also a deade troncke if it lacked a visible heade to make it one Your similitude betwene the churche and oure common wealthe is made betwene Christe heade of the churche onlye a multitude of ministres gouernours of the same vndre him and the common wealthe hauing God the heade in heauen and one prince his seruaunt and heade gouernour in earthe This comparison maketh not onelye not withe yow but verie muche also against yow First it maketh not with yow because yow supposing the churche to be one bodie and Christe the onelye heade thereof allowe to the churche manie vndreheades whereas in the common wealthe being allso one bodye and the other parte of the comparison there is mention but of one heade vndre Christe the prince him selfe So that thereupon to infer that the churche hauing an infinite no more of heades beinge but one bodye is no monstre because the common wealth hauing but one visible heade like to it selfe is no monstre it is a monstrouse conclusion more meete to procede from a blocke that hathe no sense or a monstre that hathe manye heades but wit in none of them then from a creature endowed with reason It maketh against yowe thus the common wealth where be manie heades and euerie one will gouerne is a monstrouse bodye but the churche is Christes common wealthe and hathe as yowe saie manie heades to gouerne it therfore it is a monstre Againe The common wealthe that because Christe is the onelye heade thereof in heauen will admit no other chiefe heade in earthe is a blocke But so doeth youre churche therefore it is a blocke or deade troncke As for the conclusions that yowe saie I maie make that God and Christe be no heades or no suche heades c. and againe that aswell all kingdomes and common wealthes in Christendom be liue monstres as hauing many heades c. In dede I muste nedes confesse a truthe God hathe giuen me free will and I maie abuse it if I list and make as manye foolishe conclusions as yow haue done But I trust yowe will not deale with me as yow ruffled before with the pore Franciscanes and those of the company of Iesus to conclude that I will saie so because I maie saie so if I list to plaie the foole Nowe to these conclusions I saie that trulie I can not so conclude the first of them folowing no better then if yow M. Nowell woulde conclude that God and Christe the auctors of all true doctrine can not instructe men if it so pleased them in all wholesome knowledge without the externall helpe of man because they doe this by men For euen as God vseth the ministery of men to teache and preache not as though he coulde not so doe without for our infirmities sake and because it pleased the diuine wisdome that Christe the seconde persone in Trinitie should not be allwaies visibly present with vs for the same cause hathe it pleased all mightie God to gouerne the membres of his churche by the meanes of one visible heade the B. of Rome The folie of youre seconde conclusion appeareth I doubte not by the difference that is betwene all the churches of the world which make all but one and the kingdomes which be diuerse and were neuer appointed to be one And had M. Dorman had so muche leasure from his diuinitie Nowell matters as to haue looked better vpon his notes of the canon lawe his peculier studie he woulde haue bene better aduised then to haue called vs Acephalos headlesse and therefore deade trunckes who doe obeie oure owne prelates seing Acephali as is there noted are those who be subiecte to no prelate And had M. Nowell had so muche witte to haue loked Dorman first vpon the texte and then vpon the glose from whence he borowed this note he woulde haue bene better aduised then to haue alleaged it of all other for their defence For by the texte it appeareth that those whome the glose there calleth Acephali had heades quos ministros seu custodes vel gardianos aut nominibus alijs appellant whome they cal ministres kepars wardens or by other names Why dothe the glose then call then headlesse quia sub nullius veri praelati obedientia existunt because they are vnder the obedience of no true prelate This is the reason of the glose But yeat let vs aske an other question why were they vnder the obedieÌ„ce of no true prelate Because their heades were not alowed by the pope This is the reason of the texte You must not be angry with me M. Nowel for charging you as I doe with the canoÌ„ law For you bogge me in my peculier studie as you saie and you seme to haue coÌ„ceiued greate trust vpoÌ„ this place which maketh me the bolder and earnester to With the texte and the glose agreeth reason for if your head that standeth now vpon your shoulders should sodenly be turned in to the heade of an Asse he should not saye amisse that for all the long eares shoulde saye you were headlesse not for that that yow had no heade at all suche a one as it were but in this respect that you had no suche heade as you shoulde haue no suche heade as a preacher shoulde loke out of a pulpite withal To come nowe nearer to the common case of you all and to exemplifie it by some of youre lignage that haue gone before you were the subiectes of Nouatus trowe you that false bishop Acephali without a heade when forsaking Cornelius the B. of Rome they obeied him If they were you are For youre case is like your bishoppes being no more truly bisshoppes then Nouatus was nor alltogether so truly neither For he was made bishop by two bishoppes laufully made by the pope whereas you were made by the commission
one and therein resteth the strength and force of my exāple I make no comparison betwene all kingdomes of the worlde whiche be manie and all churches which are but one as you doe here deceauing your selfe and other toe For if I shoulde so haue done then had not the comparison bene good Nowe if it were as true that God had ordeined all the kingdomes of the worlde to make one kingdome and not manie as he hath all the churches to be one and not manie then if you denied to all these kingdomes ioyned in one a visible king to be aboue all the rest and to gouerne the whole because god is the Monarche and ruler of all as you doe to the vniuersall churche for the same cause I woulde saie that you offendid as muche therein not alowing to all these kingdomes being but one one heade and chiefe gouernour as you shoulde doe if you woulde graunte to particuler kingdomes no particuler king the reason being as greate why the whole shoulde haue one ruler ouer it as why anie particuler membre shoulde But nowe I can not so saye because God hath appointed no suche ordre in the worlde as he hath in his kingdome the churche and therfore the questions be not like From this you runne as one that feared to tarie to long to gesse what we woulde saie if the time serued vs and here on Gods name you tel vs a long tale of the popes rule ouer all the worlde in temporalities and of king Iohn as muche to the purpose as if you had tolde vs of Robin hood and therfore I passe it ouer with youre other reasons that folowe fo 118. b. made to boulster vp the rotten reason of youre Apologie because they haue bene so often answered by showing the difference betwene the two states of the worlde and the churche The answere to the conclusion The 32. chapiter NOWE foloweth M. Nowelles conclusion wherein drawing nere to the ende and knowing howe weakely the matter hathe bene handled by him in the whole processe of his booke before he thinketh by a certeine lusty brauery of wordes to make amendes and so to beare awaye the garlande But nowe let vs here howe he bestirreth him Thus I trust good Readers you see the insufficiencie or more Nowell fo 119. a. 7. truly the lewdnesse of M. Dormans prouffes of the necessitie of one only heade ouer Christes whole church here in earthe you see where he saieth he hathe sufficiētly proued it to be Christes pleasure that there shoulde be suche an one heade that he hathe not nor coulde not for if he coulde he woulde alleage out of the newe testament where Christes will and pleasure is written and declared moste largely and manifestly as muche as one worde foūding to that purpose so farre of is it that it is as he saieth sufficiētly proued Thus I trust you see good Readers howe M. Nowell Dorman hauing begonne with a lye in the verie title of his booke calling it a Reproufe of my boke which reproueth but only 15. leaues hathe continued and nowe endeth the same in such wise as the middle and ende maye appeare in all mennes iudgement to answere to the beginning Yow see where he saieth that I haue not sufficiently proued it to be Christes pleasure that there shoulde be one heade in his steede in the whole churche because I alleaged no testimonie oute of the newe testament that in restreining my prouffes to the only newe testament and calling the testimonies brought out of the olde lawe as he dothe hereafter olde shadowes while he reproueth my prouffes for this cause he semeth not to be farre from the heresie of the Manichees who condemned the olde testament It was not M. Nowell because I coulde not that I alleaged no proufe out of the newe testament But the cause if you will nedes knowe it was for this that I thought it best to vse suche testimonies as consisting in facte and hauing bene alreadye put in execution you shoulde be lesse able to cauill against especially making my counte that the appointing of one chiefe prieste in the olde lawe being for the benefite of Goddes people you woulde easely admitte that Christe woulde be as beneficiall to his churche in the newe lawe Otherwise I coulde haue brought to you oute of the ghospell of S. Matthewe the wordes of oure Sauiour Matth. 16. to S. Petre where he vsing these wordes And I tell the that thow arte Petre and vpon this rocke I will builde my churche and againe what so euer thow shalt binde vpon earthe shall be bounde in heauen c. made Peter as Chrisostom witnesseth Shepeherd of the churche heade of the churche ruler ouer the whole Homi. 55. lu Matth. worlde I coulde haue alleaged lhe place of S. Iohn where Christe committing to Peter the charge of all his flocke Ioan. vlt. excepting none made by that meanes one ruler of the whole Homil. in cap. Ioan. vlt. and committed curam orbis terrarum the charge of the vniuersall worlde to Peter as saieth the same Chrisostome These places coulde I haue alleaged and other also had it not bene to auoide wrangling and for that that I persuaded my selfe that this example takē from the gouernement of Goddes people the Iues shoulde be to all indifferent mē sufficient enough to confirme my purpose as til M. Nowell confute it it is Yow see that schismes and controuersies by S. Cyprians iudgement Nowell and S. Augustins with 217. bishoppes moe assembled in the African councell with him and by good reason and experience allso maye be beste quieted in the countries where they arise You see that neither S. Cyprian neither S. Augustine Dorman neither the 217. bishoppes emongest whome M. Nowell before nombred Orosius being no bishoppe but a prieste onely and Prosper a bishop of Rhegium in Italie and therefore not like to be at anye councell in Africa neither yeat reason or experience whiche teache the contrarye doe saye Supra cap. 11. that schismes and controuersies maye be best quieted and decided in the countries where they arise That which they saye is ment of criminall causes not of schismes about doctrine as those wordes of S. Cyprian conteining the reason why he woulde haue suche causes hearde in the countries where they happen being these but ought there to make answere to their causes where they maye haue accusers and witnesses of their crimes doe well declare And thus you see that this is a manifold lye Yow see that it becommeth man vnhable well to gouerne a Nowell verie little thinge to humble him selfe and to yealde vp the honour and glory of gouerning the whole worlde and churche to God c. You see by the example of Peter refusing of humilitie Dorman the seruice that Christ offred to him in wasshing his feete Ioan 13. that true humilitye is to doe that whiche Christe biddeth to be done Yow see withall M. Nowells honestie
you haue hearde were yeat emongest the religiouse in the primitiue church You see how often he repeateth and neuer proueth that it is impossible for one man to gouerne the whole churche You see that Nazianzenes wordes were not alleaged by me as spoken of one pope and that therfore therein as in manie other thinges he hathe also beelied me You see the wordes of an auncient auctor printed with S. Austen and of long time taken for him alleaged why not as boldely M. Nowel as you without blusshing alleage a worcke by the title of being printed withe Chrisostome and of long time taken for him And vniuersally you see M. Nowelles falsehode in translating or fraude in corrupting mangling or adding to suche auctors as he dothe alleage you see his lyes as thicke as leaues You see my selfe discharged of suche false translating corrupting mangling as here vntruly he reproueth me of 5. tymes in the margent Neither is his deceite and fol. 120. b. 30. guile comparable to his impudency as being not abasshed to alleage the epistle of the African councell sent to Celestinus for the proufe of a decree pretended to be made in the councell against appealing from thence to Rome and sending legates from Rome thither whereas there is no suche decree specified there And thus you see good Readers while M. Nowell in this long Reproufe of his hathe answered nothing to the scripture alleaged but moste vainely and fondly this that God hathe prouided better for his churche then for the Synagoge by apointing ouer it many heades where as the Synagoge had but one and also that the Iues were but one nation c. which answeres haue bene cōfuted before while the argument taken from S. Cyprian and S. Hierom concluding that seing schismes be raised by not obeing the particuler heades of euery diocesse that then by greater reason schismes are like to growe in the vniuersall church if emongest so manie heades there be not one chiefe heade to rule the rest is not yeat soluted while the reason that euerie seuerall companie that is one ought to haue a seuerall heade to rule the same applied to the churche hath not hetherto bene answered the only reason that M. Nowell leaneth to to the contrarie that it is impossible for one man to gouerne the whole churche being directed by the spirite of God for otherwise we affirme it not neuer being proued it foloweth that my prouffes by the scripture by the mindes of the auncient fathers by good and probable reason stande vpright against youre wrangling Reproufe M. Nowell You re charging of me with impertinent discourses I answered before let the iudgement of that matter be referred to the learned reader But beholde nowe foloweth M. Nowelles conclusion Seing therfore this first and moste principall pointe of one heade of the churche is not proued c. all the popes supremacie Nowell commeth downe vpon their heades If I had proued this first pointe as weakely as you woulde Dorman make men beleue I haue or not proued it all yeat commeth not downe the popes supremacy as before in the beginning of the. 11. cbapitre I shewed And therfore for the councell that you giue me here out of time to recoyle from this Thesis of one heade of the churche to the Hypothesis of the pope heade of the churche as there is no nede to admit it so there is no cause to thanke you for it You saie that I haue placed in the residue of my booke as in the rerewarde bag and baggage withe suche pages drudges Nowell and slaues to attende vpon the same as are more readie to runne awaye then to abide anie brunt of battaile The which saie you I haue not as yeat assailed for that I saw the B. of Sarisbury his bāde bent vpon them whose hādes if anie of that cowardly company escape c. I promise to haue them shortly in the chase vntill I haue left of all M. Dormans bragging but moste cowardly army of lewde popishe reasons and allegations not asmuch as one souldiour vntaken or put to shamefull flight Take heade what you doe and aske councel of your wife Dorman It is possible that the fauourable aspecte of Venus may moderate youre Martiall fury In any case if this great bishoppes bande that you speake of encountre not with this cowardly company as I heare saye he hath inough to doe already and wil combre him selfe with no more venture not your owne person so good a mannes bodye against suche drudges and slaues Against whom as it is possible that you may take some hurte so are you suer neuer to gett honour What should so valiant a capitaine as ful oftē times you haue at Paules crosse shewed your selfe to be when that coragiouse stomacke of youres hath prouoked the papistes to meete with you when they durst whose daggers were as sharpe as theirs you tolde thē when you offere your selfe with a small cōpanie but yeat so that they were of the same spirite that you are to kepe Newehauen against all the power of Fraunce when it woulde you saide doe youre harte good to rase youre buckler vpon a papistes face What shoulde I save so singuler a capitaine matche him selfe with suche a sorte of pages drudges and slaues as were those mecocke and dastardly bishoppes assembled in the coūcelles of Nice Constantinople Ephesus Calcedon as were Beholde what pages drudges and slaues M. Nowell hath foūde oute Ignatius Policarpus Irinaeus Ambrose Hierome Augustine Chrisostome Athanasius Theodoret Leo Innocentius whome I placed as it were in the rerewarde more likelier as you saye to runne awaye or to bide by it and laye their heades vpon the blocke then to plaie the tosse buckler to kepe a holde with you or to dye in the fielde armed with youre maister Swinglius But thanked be God this is but youre opinion and a fewe other suche Bulliners as you are emongest the learned they haue bene allwayes taken to be as they are triarij milites of the verie best souldiors M. Nowell Of this question whether a laye man a woman or a childe maye be heade of the church The last Chapitre THIS being the second pointe of my purposed ordre to proue that the partye that shoulde gouerne in spirituall matters ought to be a prieste no laye man c. it is a worlde to see howe M. Nowell bestyrreth him selfe aboute it and whereas he dareth not come neare to it howe yeat he reacheth at it a farre of as it were with a long pole or a morispike and so laboureth to saue his honour as well as maye be For he saieth that I proue those thinges whiche no man dothe denye to witte that no prince man woman nor childe maie ministre the sacramentes preache excommunicate and absolute c. And lo this is the ioly pretense that M. Nowell maketh to shifte his handes of this seconde pointe as that wherein for excuse of his silence he saieth that
his election be vncerteine or vnlaufull Must he yeat Nowell fol. 115. a. 2 be the moste certeine and onely iudge If the election be not lauful it giueth to the elected person Dorman no right VVhat if we haue a shee pope suche as was pope Ioane otherwise Nowell Iohn the eight What iff that be a lye and to be founde in no storye Dorman of worthy credite Iff suche a chaunce should yeat happen then were there no pope but for the time the See vacant VVhat if the popes successours doe disanull their praedecessours Nowell popes decrees c In matters perteining to thinges indifferent it maye so Dorman chaunce time and place so requiring but in faithe and doctrine deliuered to the whole church that any such chaunge or alteration hath happened you are not able to shewe nor euer shall and therfore you might haue kepte this what if with the rest in youre purse Thus are these doubtes of youres answered M. Nowell and so shall I trust the other great manie mo that you threaten me withall which you loked for belike at the writing hereof to come shortly from Franckeforde marte The pope is not iudge in his owne cause The cause is A. 19. gods and the churches So I tolde yow before Yow make muche a doe to proue that the scriptures are the waye of truthe iudgementes yea and iudgementes off truthe whiche no man denieth For it hathe bene allwaies graunted vnto yow that the scriptures conteine all truthe in them sufficient to confirme all true doctrine and to ouerthrowe the contrarie when by the voice of the churche they are interpreted and made manifest When we harcken to the popes interpretation of scripture we acknowledge and so ought all true catholikes that we heare the holy gost speaking by his mouthe in which case we saie that the credite whiche we giue to his sentence is not giuen to him as he is a man but to gods worde whereby we are taught that the thing whiche mannes nature coulde not obteine Christe God and man obteined for Peter the first pope of Rome Lucae 22. that is that his faithe shoulde not faile and so consequently for all that shoulde after him succede in the gouernement of the churche And so is youre texte answered God is true but euerie man is a lier Or elles we coulde not be assured of that which the prophetes and Apostles teache vs. Of the title heade of the churche of England giuen to oure late souereigne Kinge Henry the 8. The 31. Chapter I ASKED here by occasion of that foolishe reason of fo 116. a. 1. your Apologie Christ is heade of the church Ergo it hath or nedeth no other how it happened then that youre companions gaue to kinge Henry the 8. the title of heade of the churche of Englande and yow youre selues to oure moste gratiouse lady his daughter the same also in effecte To this yow saie If it will please yow to resorte to the recordes of the 22. and 24. Nowell 1. b. 7. yeares of King Henry the 8. there shall yow finde who they were that first offred this title to the saide Kinge there shall yowe finde that all Abbottes and other religiouse all the bishoppes Deanes Archedeacons and cleargie of both the houses of the conuocation then liuing gaue him that title To the latter question of the Quenes maiestie to that yowe will shortly answere yowe saie but presently yow doe not When yow haue ransacked all the recordes and saide all Dorman that yow can to make the Catholikes oure forefathers partakers withe yow of this facte yeat is this moste surelie recorded in all mennes remembraunce that all Catholikes ioyned not with yow and those that did were folowers and no leaders consented to that title which was required and offred it not of their owne motion The first auctors that put that wicked deuise in to the kinges moste noble heade were not the catholikes but heretikes and the scholers of Luther suche as were Cromwell Cranmere and other I speake not this notwithstanding to excuse them who confesse their owne faultes and are moste sorie and penitent therefore This was a case wherein we maie saie withe oure forefathers peccauimus iniusté egimus iniquitatem fecimus We haue sinned we haue done vniustly we haue committed iniquitie But what is all this to the purpose What if the catholikes did amisse withe yow as they did how can yowe answere this standing in youre wicked opinion still that a particuler church maie haue one heade gouernour vnder Christe in earthe and the whole maie not To that yow saie I truste the reason is not to seeke in the good readers memorie Nowell fo 117. a. 22. seing it hathe bene so ofte declared before yet will I answere M. Dormans question by an other question Yow burden verie sore the readers memorie to remembre Dorman that which hetherto yowe neuer vttred Yow are not wont to be so daungerouse I reporte me to the reader to repeate one thing diuerse times but there was good cause that yow shoulde here doe as yow did to wit because yow are not hable standing in strength the argument of youre Apologie to giue anie reason why the churche of one particuler realme hauing two prouinces two archebishoppes and vndre them aboue 20. bishoppes whereof Christe is as muche the heade as of the whole churche shoulde more haue an other heade beside Christ ouer all these particuler heades then all the particuler heades of Christes vniuersall churche shoulde haue an other heade beside Christe ouer them Yeat I knowe yowe meane that reason of youres whiche being so foolishe so wicked and blasphemouse that one man is not hable to rule and gouerne vndre Christe the whole churche alone yow haue so often repeated hauing no other shift of descant that euen verie shame compelleth yow now at the last to wrappe and inuolue it in silence As for the answere that yowe make by a question VVhy one kingdome maye haue in earth vnder God one head and the whole world can not to that I saie that it is a false proposition that the whole worlde can not haue one onlye head in earth vndre God often in this youre Reproufe stoutely affirmed but neuer as yeat proued To this answere I ioyne also the seconde that the questions be not like But then you saye If M. Dorman saye the questions be not like I aske with what Nowell b. 1. face he can so saye seing that in the beginning of this his treatie he brought the example of ciuile gouernement in the whiche euery kingdome hath his king euerie countrie citie and companie haue their seuerall gouernours c. to proue that the church ought likewise to haue one head I acknowledge this example and dare further make Dorman you M. Nowell youre selfe the iudge whether these questions of youres and mine be lyke I compare one kingdome to the whole church which is also