Peter particularly yea and in earnest will you vrge and defende stoutly the very same senteÌ„ce wherein Mathew Iohn by manifest proofe do coÌ„uince you who expresly do protest that the very same power of byndyng and loosing was geuen by our Sauiour Christ to the other Apostles in generall what will you not dare to do in the darcke good Syr that practize to defraude vs of the cleare shynyng sunne how will you peruert and wrest the fathers that will so craftely iuggle with the expresse wordes of the Scriptures truely you must either bewray your pestilent â—eger de mayne in this place or confesse your grosse errour Your thyrd place is this I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth saynte not and thou beyng at last conuerted confirme thy brethren And what hereof Can any man bee so witlesse to say that those wordes of our Sauiour Christ were not aswell spoken to the rest of the Apostles as to Peter by name I will therfore first scanne the wordes of the Euangelist in order that they may be more apparaunt But you are they which haue perseuered with me in all my temptations And I do prouide for you euen as my Father hath prouided for me a kingdome that you may eate and drinke at my table in my kingdome and may sit on seates iudging the xij Tribes of Israell And the Lord sayd Symon Symon behold Sathan hath desired to sist you as wheate but I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth faint not and thou at length being coÌ„uerted confirme thy brethren In this parcell of Scripture is nothyng particular to Peter but the same is common to all the Apostles That they perseuered with Christ was common to them all The reward likewise is common to them all videl to sit at the heauenly table Agayne the thyrd parcell had relation to them all Symon Symon Sathan hath desired to sift you as wheate Sithence the whole processe of the Text therfore was referred to them all by what Argument may it be applyed vnto Peter onely Namely sithence our Lord Iesus goyng a whiles after suffer death and makyng preparation for his Ascention into heauen poured out most earnest prayers vnto his Father with a long and vehement repetition of wordes not for Peter particularly but for all the rest of the Apostles in generall whiche last and generall prayer of Christ to the Father who so aduisedly considereth shall easely conceaue that our Lord Iesu Christ made not intercession for Peters faith alone but for all the rest of the Apostles And hereof will also maruell much how great learned Clarkes dayly exercised in the Scriptures can Iudge therof otherwise Truly the most notable of the auncient Fathers do constantly affirme that the very same sentences wherewith Supremacie is challenged vnto Peter are commoÌ„ to all the other Apostles together with Peter And this haue I most manifestly proued by the selfe same places which your selfe vouched And albeit we passe ouer all these geue eare to the holy Ghost speakyng vnto vs by the mouth of the sacred Scriptures yet all this Monarchie of Peter which you do so exquisitely aduaunce aboue the Moone and the seuen Starres shal be founde to haue bene vsurped by the inordinate ambition of Byshops of Rome and not by any authoritie grosided vpon the doctrine of the auncient Apostolicke Church I will begyn with our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ who hauyng spoken these wordes Thou art Peter c immediately after calleth Peter Sathan and commaunded him to departe from him bycause hee knew not the thynges that apparteined vnto God How did Christ then I beseéch you erect the supremacie of his Church in the person of Peter whom immediately almost with one breath he rebuked bytterly by that most execrable name of Sathan and that not without cause for hee dissuaded him from goyng to Ierusalem Moreouer if Christ made intercession to the Father for Peter onely that his fayth should not faynt how came it to passe that within a few dayes after Peter onely with open mouth denyed forsware Christ his Lord and Maister But I doe much miscontentedly make mention of the fall of so notable an Apostle whoÌ„ I do acknowledge the most excellent amongest the famous Apostles Onely this I would to be knowen that he was ordeined to no seuerall supremacie in the Churche of Christ by any authoritie of the Scriptures We haue heard Christ let vs come now a litle lower to his Apostles and namely vnto Paule who laboured in the Churche of God as hee reporteth of him selfe more then they all he therefore doth playnly and constantly affirme that he had receaued as great authoritie from Christ to be an Apostle ouer the Gentiles as Peter had ouer the Iewes and addeth further that he had conference with Iames Cephas and Iohn whom he nameth Pillers of the Church as the chief of all the rest Yet in the meane whiles hee acknowledgeth no singular prerogatiue of prheminence in Peter Nay rather he vseth great libertie of speach agaynst Peter him selfe without all respect of Principalitie or mention of dignitie But why seéke we other testimonies Peter is a good witnesse concernyng him selfe I beseech the Elders whiche are amongest you sayth heé that am also an Elder and a witnesse of the Passion of Christ and partaker of the same glorie which shal be reuealed c. Behold here the dignitie behold the Supremacy and Monarchie of this reuerend father He is an Elder amongest Elders A witnesse amongest other witnesses of the Passion of Christ partaker with the rest of the same glory to be reuealed Here is a Triple Crowne truely yea a most precious Crowne not made of goldâ— nor beset with precious stones A most honorable Ambassadour of the heauenly glory to bee reuealed not of any Temporall or earthly dominion Lastly a most Reuerend Father not in any singular Lordlynes but by especiall ordinary power of his fellow brethren Who so will throughly sift the doctrine the ordinaunces the lyfe and conuersation of the Apostles shall finde a most perfect patterne of vnchaungeable consent but shall not smell any tast no not one sparke so much of this Lordly Monarchie wherof this ghostly Prelate doth so subtlely and largely dispute Unlesse perhaps he will driue vs to friuolous gesses as to picke vp children kyckesses together As that Peter went before That hee spake oftentymes first that hee looked into Christes Sepulchre before Iohn But if we shall hunte after such gnattes The honour geueÌ„ to Iames is of more substaunce Namely when in their publicke assembly the rest of the Apostles did subscribe to the ordinaunce that he made And that other also to wit when Peter was desirous to know who should betray our Lord Sauiour Iesu Christ to the Iewes him selfe did not enquire therof but beckened to Iohn whiche did leane vpon the breast of our Lord that hee might demaunde the question But howsoeuer these
a matter It is very manifest you say for one of you doth sacrifice to lust an other to frensie an other to the paunche an other to slauÌ„deryng Cursed be thou thou Chapplein of the deuill Thy sect doth publickly worshyp a peéce of bread insteade of a golden Calfe and lyeth grouelyng on the grounde before a God made of bread your solemnities be ló Bacchus ló Venus You are defiled and contaminated with all kynde of wickednesse you do most abhominably mainteine slewes and Brothelhouses and yet in the meane whiles will translate your Idols vnto vs. But ye caÌ„ not Osorius Printe and painte and do what ye list ye caÌ„ not bring that to passe All the world almost is so well acquainted with your horrible filthy lyfe that a boye of seuen yeares of age can point with his finger at the places the persons and the whole course of your abhominations But where as you adde further that there is one fayth of Luther an other fayth of Bucer an other of Zuinglius and an other of Caluine This is your old quarell alwayes hacked vpon but neuer proued These worthy persons and graue Fathers of the Churche were alwayes of one fayth and of most agreable constaÌ„cy to the ouerthrow of your erreonious deuises In some pointes they did varie but in the substaunce of fayth they were of one mynde The like blemish happened to Augustine Ierome and Cyprian men very famous for their learnyng vertue in Origine TertulliaÌ„ were somewhat greater blottes whose fayth notwithstandyng as farre forth as is agreable with the Scriptures is not discredited by our Deuines ne yet by your owne Maistershyp if a maÌ„ may be so bold to tell you as also what I thinke you shall perhaps know hereafter in those your huge Uolumes entituled De Iusticia wherin you are of a cleane contrary opinioÌ„ to that learned man August in the thiefest part of all not in any small matter but in the Treatise of righteousnes it selfe wherein is conteined the foundation of our fayth and herein ye wrangle so bitterly so obstinately and so ouerthwartly that Cardinall Poole did wonderfully reprehend your arrogancy herein and thereunto replyed with most godly wordes That the abilitie of man could not bee to much embaced and the power of God could not be to much aduaunced But sith you can presume so much vpon your selfe as with such proude boldnesse to attempt the ouerthrow of so notable a father in the principall point of our Religion We neéde not marueile that ye can not forbeare vs if we varie in small matters of no value for amongest them truely was no litle controuersie in matters of great importaunce if they might haue had vpright iudges and learned vnlike to this our Osorius The functioÌ„ of the Apostles was equall their Iurisdiction in all respect one whereby it commeth to passe that amongest them no one may be in hyghest authoritie and this haue we partly approued before by the examples of Paul Peter and Iames and the same also haue I made so manifest in this Booke where I treated of the Monarchie of the Romish Prelate That you haue now no startyng hole to hyde your head in You say that it is euident in the writynges of Clement of Euaristus Lucius Marcellus and Pius that they were of opinion alwayes that the supremacie of the vniuersaâ—l Churche of Christendome was attributed to the Romishe See You rehearse vnto them Irenaeus Augustine and other holy auncient Fathers Afterwardes you vouche the whole Register of Antiquitie What impudencie is this What vntollerable arrogancie nay rather what retchiesse negligence and singular foolishnesse is this you doe recken vp many Byshops of Rome by name and yet alledge no one sillable so much out of their writinges to establish this prerogatiue of this Romish See no more do you cite out of Augustine and Irenaeus any one title for the maintenauÌ„ce of this your Ierarchie Lastly you make mention of all the auncient antiquitie yet vouch no one worde out of all that great number of yeares whereby that may appeare to bee true whereof you make so stoute a warraunt by your bare affirmatiue Is this to be accoumpted a Deuine Do ye defende the Romishe Seé no better Haue you no better a Target to couer this your holy and Emperour-like power Belike ye come vnto vs a new Pithagoras would haue the old Poesie in vre agayne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But we yeld not so much Osorius we receaue not your affirmatiue neither can you wryng any thyng out of our hands in the coÌ„ference of matters apperteinyng to fayth more then that you shal be able to Iustifie by good and sounde Argumentes We follow not your sayth as the which we haue tasted to bee almost in all thynges most detestable Wherfore if you meane to wynne any credite herein Let this be a watchword for you that ye must vnfold agayne all that lumpe of confused disputation and abandone those vnmeasurable raylinges forsake those clamorous exclamations renounce that vnaduised rashnesse of bare affirmatiues and argue with probable reasons iustifie with approued Argumentes and make good proofe by expresse sentences of holy Scriptures auÌ„cient Fathers But you are well furnished with Fathers forsooth for in your Bedroll ye haue lapped together not onely the old fathers but vnfold also vnto vs a certeine new Schoole of Fathers That is to say Ecckius Coclaeus Rossensis Pighius Auaunte with all these sworne bondslaues of your Monarchie whereof part were common dronkardes some lechers some traytours the remembrance of whom is odious as yet and notoriously infamous for sundry their notable crimes Or if ye will neédes allowe of these dregges of the Church beyng in deéde the sworne humble vassals of the Romish Seé Yeld me this much agayne my request to peruse the writynges of Bucer Melancthon Zuinglius Oecolampadius Peter Martyr Caluin and Beza men most excellent in conuersation of life and of singular learning And ye shall seé the contagious botches of your Papacie so raked abroad and ransackt by them that ye will neuer hereafter take any regard to any such scabbed Iades if you be wise You seeme to marueile much that I beyng a CiuiliaÌ„ and exercized in pleadyng temporall causes would spend my tyme to knowe your mysteries Truly you are herein somewhat to inquisitiue Osorius For albeit I do professe the Ciuill Law yet am I a Christian and desire to be edified in the law of the Lord And if you will haue this much graunted vnto you to apply your selfe to the knowledge of the tounges to be addict wholy to the study of eloquence to raunge in the bookes of Philosopers and will notwithstanding be accompted a ruler of the Roast in Diuinitie as in the speciall peculiar of your own profession looke not so coye vpon vs poore Ciuilians I pray you bycause we geue our endeuour to learne the Statutes of Christian Religion and are desirous to bathe
to exclayme agaynst Luther was hissed out of the place not without great gleé and delight of the beholders So small and so no acquayntaunce at all hath this proud hawty and loftye kynde of myncing Minnions with our Lord and Sauior Iesu Christ. I do willingly abstayne from naming of men because I would haue them forewarned rather to theyr benefitte then reproched to their infamy if there be any besides this Osor. whom this Ciceronian skabbe hath infected with like dottage But I come agayne to Pardons wherwith as they say they sweépe all Purgatory and make cleane riddaunce when they will and by which picklockes they locke fast the gates of hell opeÌ„ the gates of heauen to whom they list But I pray you Osorius by what authoritye doe they this By the same authoritye you will say where of was spoken to Peter I will geue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen c. That the keyes were geuen to Peter no man will denye But what is this to the Pope of Rome because next vnto Peter the succession of the See Apostolick falleth vpon the Pope forsooth And why so how will you proue this to be true I beseéch you What because he doth enioy Peters Chayre what had Peter no more Chayres but one or did he fitt no where but at Rome And what if he neuer sate at Rome But putt the case he sate at Rome I wil geue you an argument not much vnlike vnto this It was not vnknowne to be old Poetts what a skilfull Harper Orpheus was whom they imagined to haue drawen aâ—ter him with the sweétnesse of his Harpe stoanes and woodes It came to passe in processe of time that one Neanthus Sonne of Pittacus chaunced to come by the same Harpe who being farre vnlike this Orpheus in skill of playing altogether an Asse as the prouerbe speaketh at the harpe yet through a foolish opinion conceaued of himselfe dyd persuade himselfe that he should be able to draw after him Rocks and Woddes immediately vpon the sound of the Harpe This clownish Cocklorrell therefore wandring abroad ouer hilles and dales and maruayling that the Rockes and Woods stood still as before vnmoueable and would not sturre out of theyr place at the sound of the Harpe neuer surceased from striking from stretching from thumping the Harpe vntill hauing made hymselfe loathsome to the very cattell with the tedious and brutish noyse of the Harpe became a pray to dogges and was guawed and rent in pieces by them And what els doth this popish Prelate emport with his pompous pryde and stately Chayre wheron he is no lesse â—rantickly fond then this seély soule was vpon the Harpe I list not as now to gesse the garbroyle of his glory of the thing it selfe I dare boldly speake this much as Orpheus Harpe maketh not an Harper forthwith so neyther doe Peters Keyes shape a right succession but the onely confession and fayth of Peter And yet did the Church alwayes acknowledge the Byshoppe of Rome to be the Successour of Peter the Apostle So did also the consent of the Fathers and the Antiquity of time I do heare you But by what authority by what testimony and witnesses will you iustify this to be true or by why what reason or argument will you proue it what because he canne shew the Chayre that Peter sate in Nay rather lette him expresse the vertuous life and gratious giftes of Peter and in his life geue forth vnto vs as Peter did a President and patterne of the causes precedent and the true Circumstaunces for the which the Keyes were deliuered vnto Peter For on this wise are we enformed by the Gospell Because flesh and bloud hath not reuealed this vnto thee but my Father which is in heauen You doe heare mention made first of the notable testimony of his faith and open confession of the Sonne of God which was not discouered vnto him by flesh and bloud nor by any naturall Philosophy nor engraffed within him by any force of natures lore but which being endued with heauenly inspiration he had receaued from aboue beyond all reatch of humayne Capacity For the knowledge of Christ commeth by the onely inspiration of the holye Ghost Which assoone as the Lord perceaued was engrauen within Peter wondring as it were at the greatnesse of the miracle doth first declare vnto him the glad tydings of blessednes froÌ„ God Thou art blessed Simon Bariona then alluding to the nature of his name because he was called Cephas that is to say Peter vpon that Petra that is to say vpon that Rocke of his fayth an confession he doth promise to establish the building of his Churche And added hereunto the promise of the Keyes I wyll geue thee sayth he the Keyes of the Kingdome of God c. By which CircumstauÌ„ces what are we taught els then that the foundation of the Church of Christ wheresoeuer it be is grounded vpon nothing els then vpon true fayth and vnfayned confession of the Sonne of God For when the Lord spake this vnto Peter he made no accouÌ„pt of his righteousnesse nor of hys vertues and conuersation of life neither of his fastings nor his dutifull obseruation of the commaundementes ne yet the holines of his Religion forasmuch as all these ornamentes dyd shyne as aboundauntly in others as they did in Peter But at the first vtterannce and confession of his excellent fayth the Lord doth denounce him to be blessed buildeth his Churche and doth promise the Keyes vpon the same Whereupon remayneth that we conclude at the last most truely that wheresoeuer the Keyes are exercised which are Christes true Keyes in deéd there of necessity must an influence and speciall inspiratioÌ„ of the holyghost and a certayn earnest and harty effectualnes of fayth and coÌ„stant confession of Christ goe before On the contrary part where no perseueraunce or feéling can be perceiued of the ingraued knowledge of Christ from the heauenly Father whose minde being not endued with any influence of the holyghost sauoureth of nothing at all beyond the retch of flesh and bloud who hath wedded his hart to earthly treasures to the Royalty pompe and gorgeousnes of this world who neglecting the glory of Christ is vassall and bondslaue to Ambition subiect to affections geueth himselfe to pamper the paunch and is drowned in the deépe doungeon of worldly cares who doth breath out of his nostrilles the blood and butchery of his brethreÌ„ That person in what Chayre soeuer he sitte doth with to much shamelesse arrogancy vaunte vpon the possession of the Keyes And therefore yf this Romishe ruffler doe meane to royst stille with Peters keyes he must endeuor to expresse in his maners the vertuous lyfe and godly conuersation of an Apostle and not chatt so much of a Chaire Otherwise to what purpose is it how sumptuously soeuer a man be enthronized yf he be wicked and vnworthy the place the place doth not
vaunt your selfe so much yet this discent in geÌ„try was not valued of Paule amongest the vertues qualities which he assigned to a Christian Byshop But other ornamentes where with I wishe you were better acquainted perhaps ye would then seéme somewhat a woorse Rhetorician but sure I am you would bee farre better Byshop But now you haue enured your selfe so much to vnmeasurable raylyng that ye seéme rather a coÌ„mon brauling Thersites theÌ„ a meéke Prelate You thinke that I yelde to much to the authoritie of kynges because I affirmed that the kynges of Israell dyd rule the Priestes in matters of Religion And this you say is not true Why so I pray you is it false bycause you say that it is false O notable Pithagoras the credite of your naked affirmatiues beyng bolstered vp with no reason nor witnesse bee not crept so farre on high benche as yet to be takeÌ„ for Iudges I did alledge a litle before Dauid Salomon Iosias Ezechias Peruse who so list the Chronicles of them and theÌ„ let him decide this controuersie betwixt vs. The sentences of Paule and Peter in the new Testament are very manifest as I haue sayd before For Paule Commaundeth prayers to be made for kinges and for all other set in authoritie In which sentence you may discerne a distinct degreé of Power and Nobilitie vnlesse you will bee blinded with malice conceaued agaynst the truth you may also seé the kyng to be placed first and highest In the same wise Peter Submit your selues to euery humune creature for the Lord whether to the king as most excellent or to the Magistrates as beyng appointed by him Loe here the lyke degreés loe here also the kyng placed chief and most excellent Here you cry out exclame Comically or rather tragically O heaueÌ„ O earth O the Seas of Neptune When as it had bene better for you to stoppe that lauishe foule mouth with the euident testimonies of the Apostles But you proceéde on rather Saying if kynges obteine the highest authoritie the whole world would be turned vpsidowne as ye thinke for that kynges would bee subiect to flatterers and so nothyng could bee executed in due order and truth but all thyngs would be gouerned after the lust of flatterers First of all kings of this our age are much beholdyng vnto you surely and amongest the rest your owne kyng especially For if it bee true that you stampe out so boldly that all Counsels of kyngs are corrupted by flatterers what one thyng do ye leaue vpright in their gouernement Beholde my good Lord and behold earnestly how trecherously and perillously you beguile your selfe with rashnesse and ignoraunce that blemish all regiment of kynges with so coÌ„mon an infamie But admit vnto you for this time that your saying is true in this respect that to to great store of flatterers swarme in Princes Courtes What then doth this let that in the Palaces of your holy Monarchies this kynde of vermine that we call a flatterer is not fostered is not dallied with all yea nâ—urished had in high price I will passe ouer myne owne neighbours and will referre you to all that new puddle of Schoolemen amongest whom you shall not finde any one sounde Exposition of Diuinitie but whole Commentaries of flatteries and Parasiticall poyson For they beautifie the Pope with these Titles videl They call him the Sunne of the worlde they ascribe vnto him both swordes Temporall Spirituall They create him the Lord of Purgatory They aduaunce him aboue the authoritie of the Canon Lawes They deny that hee is to be directed by any other person They affirme in their writynges that the Pope hath all lawes engrauen or rather lockt fast in the closet of his hart They say that the Pope can be guilty of no fault though hee throw many thousandes Soules into hell they make the Pope high Steward of PardoÌ„s as though they were the treasurie of the Churche so that hee may forgeue infinite sinnes both past already and sinnes not yet committed Furthermore they haue enthronized him chief Uicare of Christ vpon earth who can neither erre him selfe nor bryng others into errours vnto whom onely all generall Councels must be in subiection at whose feéte Emperours and Kyngs ought to prostrate them selues last of all whom all Christendome must honor and worship as an earthly God These blasphemous flatteries detestable and horrible blaunchyngs are not vttered onely by mouth at all aduenture but are extaunt in the monuments and bookes of the Romish patrones written by them aduisedly and in earnest Can you charge any kynges Courtes with the lyke Ye name Henry the eight a most excellent kyng endued with all kyngly ornaments who ye say tooke vnto him absolute authoritie ouer his subiectes through the enticemeÌ„ts of flatterers loue that he bare vnto theÌ„ boylyng also with malice agaynst the Byshop of Rome froÌ„ out whiche fountaine forsooth I know not how many floudes of wickednes and mischief did issue These be no proofes of a sober Byshop my good Lord but droÌ„keÌ„ dreames of a drousie Sophister For the noble kyng of most famous memory attempted nothyng either of loue or of hatred or by procurement of flatterours But wheÌ„ he perceaued that it was most euideÌ„t by the Gospell that generally all England was committed vnto him as his proper peculiar charge aswell by the authoritie of Gods law as mans law he banished out of his Realme that foreine authoritie and resumed his owne lawfull gouernement wholy into his owne handes studying to reserue the same inuiolable to him selfe as meéte was wherein he performed the duetie of a wise and perfect kyng and easing so his subiectes of great and importable trauailes and charges he left vnto his successours a very riche and florishyng kyngdome But touchyng the Iustice executed vpon More and Roffensis was not without much sorow of his Royall hart in respect of their witte and learnyng But after that they were publickly attainted of high treason and would by no persuasion be reclaymed from their wilfull errours hee must neédes suffer the law to proceéde agaynst them left wynking at their treachery he might haue opened a greater gappe of obstinacie and rebellion to others At the length you are come to Peters wordes but by the way spurnyng at me and calling me a most filthy person Wherin you do me no small iniurie like a wicked Sophister You demauÌ„de of me out of what wordes of Peter I framed my sentence which I vouched before touchyng the superioritie of kynges whether that enduced me bycause Peter doth name the kyng to be most excellent Not that onely graue Gentleman but the whole processe of Peters communication You doe argue in this wise That men are many tymes called excellent either in nobilitie or learnyng bycause they be very notable therein not bycause they are set in authoritie aboue all men and here a Gods name it pleaseth you to produce me for example
more commodious for vs namely sith him selfe hath spoken in the Gospell It behoveth you that I go for if I go not the comforter can not come If the corporall presence of Christ seéme in your conceiptes so necessary and so effectuall vnto Saluation Then bethinke this with your selfe how long the Apostles should haue neéded the vse of his bodyly presence how weake they were how grosse their vnderstandyng was notwithstandyng their dayly familiaritie and acquaintaunce with God and man notwithstandyng so may miracles seéne with their eyes notwithstanding so many apparaunt demonstrations notwithstādyng their dayly teachyng proceédyng from that heauenly voyce yet loe whē he should ascēde into heauē doth he not cast their incredulitie in their teéth And what was the cause hereof els but bycause the effectuall power and mighty force of the comforter could not enlighten their hartes vnlesse the fleshly presence of Christ had bene first takē away from them And do you not yet cease so drowsily to dreame vpon Christes flesh and euen for that cause haue you made such an horrible slaughter of so many thousand soules continuyng still in that sauadge and vnappeasable vnmercyfulnes And yet after this so great and cruell a bootchery may ye not endure to haue that your notable Prelate called by the name of Antichrist In deéde is this your aūcient Religion my Lord to speake nothyng in the meane space of that wherevnto the Rhetoriciās are wont to fleé whē they assayle their aduersaries most greéuously by an Impossibilitie of proofe as this that it is not possible for you to proue that your fleshly Assertiō of the Sacrament by any reason or by any deuise or imagination For how can you possibly bryng to passe that two contradictories may be verified of one selfe same body at one selfe instaunt so that the same selfe body of Christ seyng you will haue it one selfe body may be at one selfe same tyme in one and in diuerse places at one instaunt of tyme both glorified not glorified visible and not visible corruptible incorruptible which is not onely wonderfully absurde to be spoken but as impossible to be done and which also will admitte no miracle at all namely that the thyng that is true by nature should be false by miracle and be conceaued both true false at one instaunt of tyme. But bycause we determined not to prosecute Disputation hereof in this place but to treate onely of the antiquitie of doctrine I returne agayne to your Church which you garnish with a very gorgeous but in very deéde counterfaite and false title of Antiquitie wherein you deale also as subtelly and craftely Not much vnlyke to harlottes who when they will be atcompted for honest do as much as they may frame them selues to the resemblaunce of vertuous matrones from whose conuersatiō and maners they do varry notwithstandyng altogether Euen so fareth it with your Church I speake of that shape and countenaunce of the Church that now is not that which was long agoe For as I may not deny that the Church of Rome in that pure and primer age deserued wonderfull yea the principall commendation of all others not onely in respect of the noumber of Martyrs that suffred there but also in respect of her vnstayned sinceritie and Fayth euen so comparyng the Church that now is with the Church that then was The example is so farre of frō any liuely resemblaunce of the first patterne that it seémeth quite transformed and I can not tell how mishapen into a certeine chaungelyng Else without any mauer of likely applyable nesse to the feature or countenaunce of that first and auncient simplicitie and sinceritie For such was the lyfe of Christians in that purer age that they would not swerue one tytle so much from their profession Moreouer such was their profession that it would not raunge an hearebredth from the prescript rule of the Institutions Apostolique And such was the rage of persecution then as would now supper them to be Idely sluggish or to geaue themselues to vnlusty Lazines As for delightes and pleasures to rake riches together to build pallaces to seéke the exalting of themselues by honorable titles and dignityes they had neuer one minute of spare tyme to bestowe their wittes vpon Their dayly exercise then was a continuall wresting agaynst the world and the Deuill They spent all their tyme in labors and perills their whole lyfe was a paynfull turmoyle all their power was nought els but prayer Their fortresse was grounded vpon Christ Yea for Christ onely was their whole warfare Neither were those valiant souldiours destitute in the meane time of a singuler Chefetayne Christ himselfe was the chief generall of this Army who did either mitigate the horror and cruelty of their agonyes by his omnipotent power or with some comfortable restoratyue qualifie their greéues so ordering and attempering the proceédyngs and alterations of his Church that he would neither suffer the vaynes and sinowes of the same to gather any infection by ouerflowing plenty of ytching delights of this flattering world nor to be discouraged or vanquished with any immoderat assaultes or excessiue stormes of aduerse fortune and at the last would conduct them to a ioyfull Triumph and end of all their Troubles and afflictions And this was the very order of the first foundation and building of that auncient Church So that neither tickeling enticementes of the world could defile the lyfe of the godly nor any contagious error infect their doctrine For the very same ordinaunces and rules of doctrine which thapostles receaued of Christ and the holy ghost the same also which came from the Apostles vnto the Church were reteined with vnremoueable cōstancye So also was nothing at all mingled or chopt in for vse or worshippe vnlesse being deliuered from Christ or his Apostles had the rootes thereof vnseparably planted in the knowen authoritye of the sacred worde Inuielable as yet was that sacred rule of this commaundement See that you adde nothing nor diminishe any thing And that other also of Saint Paule Whosoeuer shall teach you any other Gospell lett him be holden accursed And this also They doe worshippe me in vayne teaching the doctrine and traditions of men c. Those superfluous swarmes of superstitious traditions of men were not yet growen in vre men were not yet ouercloyed with the cumbersume clusters of crabbed constitutions For it seemed good to the holye ghost not to burdeine the Gentiles with the ordinaunces prescribed in the old lawe That vnmeasurable heape of ragged Rytes were not yet raked together nor hard of in the Church Nor was there any neéde of naked ceremonies where sufficed to euery person to serue and worshippe God in spirite and trueth Nether was any thing worshipped then but his Deitye alone Afterwardes in deéde the age of the Apostles being runne ouer and the number of Christians encreasing certaine ordinaunces were instituted by
souereigne with shauelyngs and infinite skulles of fectes fortified with those Canons Decreés Decretalles and Rescriptes pampered vppe with Pardons exalted with Idolatry sumptuous in superstition entangled with so many snares and Articles embrued in so bloudy a bootchery of Saintes that might easily fill vp a thousand Toonnesfull of Babilonicall horrour and crueltie aduaunced with so many more then Pharisaicall Traditions and peltyng Ceremonies which would easily ouerlade a monstruous Carricke glitteryng in gold precious stones and pearle enriched with large and great possessions patrimonies beautified with purple and scarlet finally so blazing in brauery with the Royalties of S. Peter If S. Peter if Paule the Apostle if the holy Fathers and auÌ„cient Doctours of that pure primitiue Church had seéne these glorious gawdyes which we seé veryly I doe beleéue they would so litle acknowledge this Church for Catholicke that they would euen from the bottome of their hartes vtterly abhorre it and would scarsely acknowledge it by the name of a Christian Church And thus much to your Maior Now I do aunswere to your Minor wherein you haue committed a great eskape in the word which the Logitians do terme aequiuocum or ignoratio Elenchi For this word Romayne Church is in the Maior taken after one sort in the Minor after an other sort In the Maior it noteth such a Church as did retayne the true worshippyng of God and sincerity of Religion as into the which were no poysoned infections of sinister Doctrine no filth of false opinyons crept But in the Minor thys word Church is of a farre contrary condition and quality as the which doth carry no resemblaunce at all of that auntient and primitiue Church besides a bare name onely and a certayne whorysh dissembling counterfayt of outward Succession In all thynges els which do make a true vnspotted and vndefiled Church it beareth so no countenaunce at all as that it seémeth rather vnder the name and Tytle of the Church to be at defiaunce with the Church rather and vnder the name of a ChristiaÌ„ souldior to fight agaynst Christ her captain trayterously to betraye him to Antichryst For if Christ be the verity it selfe surely counterfayt verity as Origen sayth is very Antichrist And therfore if they will iustify theyr consent and Antiquity by good argument Let them yelde vs such a Church of Rome as the auncient Fathers did honourably esteéme of and then shall it not want our agreéable and mutuall assent and allowaunce And let them make vs a playne demonstration of those ornaments which are worthely ascribed to a true Christian Church and we will confesse it to be a true Church Where the Church is sayeth Irene there is the holy Ghost and where the Spirite of God is there is also the Church and all grace But the Spyryte is the verity therefore verity is the life of the Church without the which the Church is blinde and euen dead being aliue and deserueth not so much as the name of a Church no more then the portraiâ—t or counterfayt of a man doth deserue to be called a maÌ„ properly whereupon the Church is with the Apostle very fittely called a sure piâ—ler and a foundation not of mans authority but of Gods verity And by the testimony of Lactantius that Church is called the onely Catholicke Church wherein God is worshipped aright which Church if the ofspring of the auncient Romanistes did now professe as truely and in the same forme as the Catholicke Fathers did extoll prayse it with such great commendation there would be no controuersy at all On the other side if they haue determined with theÌ„selues neither to admit the trueth within theyr Citie themselues nor to tollerate the same to beé preached being brought in by others let them accuse themselues not the Lutherans who had rather patiently endure coÌ„tinuall enmity and hatred of them then to become open aduersaries of the truth Moreouer lette them also cease hereafter to pray in ayd of antiquity number of voyces for defence of their church forasmuch as they can alleadge no true report of the one and the other can helpe them nothing at all For if it may be lawfull for vs renouncing the verity to mayntayne one cause by vouching antiquity and number of nations namely in those thynges which appertayne properly to Christ and his Church then let vs not spare to argue after the same forme of Logick The Religion of Mahumette hath bene of as long a continuaunce of tyme and yeares as the Church of the Pope Ergo Mahumettes Religion is of as great authority as the Popes And agayne The greatest part of Priestes haue long sithence bene ouer gredily couetous Ergo They that doe inueigh agaynst theyr greedy Auarice most be accounted Cosen Germaynes to the valdenses heresy Agayne The greater part of the people did cry out Crucifige and stoaned Stephen to death And the most part of meÌ„ do at this day follow their owne sensuality and lust Ergo Let vs all ioyne together in sensuality and lust If on this wise we shall thinke to measure the truth and sincerity of Religion by the standard of Antiquity and number of yeares what shall we winne by this argument when we doe heare that many are called but few are chosen when as fooles also be in number infinite when as from the highest to the lowest all are become couetous when as euen from the Prophette to the Priestes all worke deceit What shall we win I say by this argument but that the part of Sathan which is more in number shall be of greater force and seéme to tryumph agaynst the Lord But to lette passe the Romysh Church I returne to our own Church In the which Osorius hauing alleadged nothing hetherto nor being by any meanes able to alleadge any matter truely that may seéme either new or straunge in our doctrine or that doth in any respect swarue from the institution and discipline of the Apostles he runneth away from the question that concerneth the sincerity of Religion and doctrine and commeth to this point to catch some occasion of outward life and maners of men whereby he may reproch vs subtlely enough I warrant you imitating herein the old crafty Rhetoricall Foxes who feéling themselues altogether vnable to prosecute the cause which is specially in hand with effect do wring the state of the Question an other way or enforce the whole bent of theyr accusation agaynst theyr aduersary with some contrary cauillation turning Catte in the Panne that so being not otherwise able to compas theyr cause it selfe they may yet at least entangle theyr Aduersary with some perill and daunger Not much vnlike hereunto happeneth now to Osorius in this kinde of controuersy who being not able to mayntayne the cause of his guilty Church with any iustifiable argumentes bendeth himselfe wholly to defame our Churches with falsehoodes and vntruethes And on this wise at length addresseth his
alwayes commend the person but yf the person be good he doth alwayes commend the place otherwise yf he be euill he doth shame the place And what yf Peter did receaue the keyes from Christ did he alone therefore receaue them was it not also spoken indifferently to all without exception Receaue ye the holy ghost whose soeuer sinnes you louse or binde vpon earth c. Could Peter be sent by any greater authoritye then by the authoritye of Christ himselfe Finally was not this spoken to all thapostles indifferently by Christ himselfe As the liuing father sent me euen so doe I send you Peter therefore did binde Peter did louse I doe perceaue you so did also Paule louse the Corynthian and reteigne Hermogenes and Alexander Iohn the Euangelist did louse the theéfe once or twise as Eusebius doth recorde in his 3. booke Cap. 17. Other Apostles did louse lykewise others euen by the same authoritye receaued from Christ himselfe and not from Peter at all What then because Peter did before the rest of thapostles confesse his fayth and because the keyes were first geuē to Peter doth this argue forthwith that the keyes were geuen to Peter alone But to goe foreward Putt the case that the keyes were deliuered to Peters custody both first yea in respect of his confessing of fayth besides this also to him alone sith you will haue it so yet what kinde of chopplogick is this The keyes were deliuered to Peter cōfessing Christ with a true and sincere fayth Ergo. The Popes of Rome onely be the successors of Peter and are inuested in the possession of the same power of binding and lousing by the expresse worde of God A trymm conclusion surely very Catholick Wherein neither the Antecedent is true and the consequent much more false Forasmuch as neither this force of binding and lousing was geuen to Peter alone their assumption hereof surmised that the Popes of Rome onely are Peters Successors is altogether as false The reason is because the simplicitye and natiue humilitye of the Gospell doth no where acquaint it selfe with any such carnall successions which are applyed to places persons and tymes as neither Christes philosophye doth acknowledge or regard carnall Fathers Sonnes affinities and kinreddes as the which doth mount on high and doth enter by farr more excellent meanes Goe to yet for example sake lett vs imagine that Peter hadd a sonne borne vnto him by his lawfull wyfe and an other Cephas resembling the father and by discent and course of nature next heire What shall we say that this Sonne shall clayme the priuiledge of his fathers Portershippe because he is his next heyre Not so you will say And will you so flattly deny that priuiledge to naturall discent which you yeld to place and to a rotten outward Chayre If Christ did neither acknowledge mother brethren nor sisters vpon the earth but those onely which yelded their due obedience to his fathers commaundements will the same Christ vouchsafe any other successors or vicars of Peter then such as present themselues with the same cognifizaunce and badge that he did acknowledge in Peter And admitt also the very best that maketh for you that the Byshoppe of Rome doth with neuer so good a face pretend this authoritie from Christ what and be not other Byshopps of other Churches endued with semblable fayth what prerogatiue hath he then in this office and keéping of keyes now as to challenge any superioritye ouer other Byshoppes and Presidēts of the Churche The Scripture doth in a certein place deny that he which hath not the spirite of Christ is of Christ. Now this spirite of Christ wheresoeuer it resteth is humble and meéke regardeth not the thinges of the earth seéketh not her owne suffereth the iniuries of others offereth iniury to none neither reuengeth any iniury offred to himselfe haleth no man to the slaughter-house thyrsteth after euery mans sauetye yea prayeth also for his enemies earnestly doth receaue the weake in fayth doth oppresse no man endureth many thinges becometh all in all to all persons that he may winne all vnto Christ accompteth other mens chaunces good or badde as his owne lyueth not to himselfe but to the publique benefite of many doth amend that is amisse addresseth that which is out of order recouereth the lost recomforteth the dispeired estates finally doth not breake in peéces the shieuered Reéde For in very deéde the spirite of Christe canne not be vnlyke to Christ himselfe And therefore hereof we may well conclude that wheresoeuer this spirite doth plant his Seate there doughtles is the successor of Peter there be the true keyes of the Church I doe not presume here to iudge of the spirite of the Pope he hath his Iudge and shall haue his daye of iudgement which shall display abroad into open light secrets of all darkenes In the meane space touching the Popes Pardons whereof these praters preach so presumptuously this is most certen and sure That thorough the whole scriptures or aūcient Fathers one sentēce so much cann not be found to make those their Pardons Iustifiable or coulorable First touching their whole allegation of Succession it is playne fraude and deceipt their bragge of the singuler prerogatiue of Peter is false The power of the keyes doth no more belong to the Seé of Rome then to the vniuersall Church of Christ. For if by those keyes power of binding and lousing be figured as hath bene allready spoken these keyes though Peter receaued first in deéde yet did not he alone receaue them nor did euer at any tyme exercise the power of the same otherwise then as he did enioye them together with thother Apostles which for asmuch as is confirmed by very many infallible profes and established by the cōtinuall vnbrokē course of auncient Antiquitye as also witnessed euidently by the testimony of the Cannons in the Councels of Ancyra and Nice whereof we made mencion before where it is sayd that the custome of the Church was then such as that euery Byshoppe should haue the order and ouersight of euery his peculiar Prouince and vpon due consideration of the behauiour of the Penitentiaries might lawfully either mittigate shorten or cutt of the tyme of their penaunce or prolong the same according as they should thinke in necessary and neédefull for reformation and correction So that it was shamelesse presumption and most arrogant insolencye of Pope Innocent the 3. to make this vndiscreéte decreé in the Councell of Laterane in the yeare 1215. Because sayth he through vndiscreate and superfluous Pardons which certē Prelates of the Church are not affrayd to graūt both the keyes of the Church are despised and penitentiall satisfaction is weakened we doe decree that when the feast of dedication of Saynt Peters Pallaice shall be solemnized Pardon shall not be graunted aboue one yeare and so foorth in the feast of the yearely dedication the tyme of appoynted Pardons
any such thing at any time no more can you make that iustifiable that you doe now by any approued testimony of the scripture or lawfull example of antiquitye But here will some one vrge agayne what did not Melchizedech offer bread and wine then I doe not deny it was he not a Priest Yes surely and a king also For he was both the king of Salem and the Priest of the most high God But he was not therefore a Priest because he did offer bread wine Nor did he geue bread and wine being a King because he would make a sacrifice thereof No more did he offer his presentes vnto God but vnto Abraham neither yet of any priestly duety but of a kingly magnificence moreouer he did not onely geue giftes which was the poynt of a princely hart but he blessed them also which was part of a priestly function For Priestes are wont to blesse men sometime but they do neuer accustome themselues to offer sacrifice to men The wordes of the History are playne and well knowne Therefore lett vs returne to the very springhead and originall according to the â—ounsell of Cyprian if it may please you After the olde TraÌ„slation the wordes be thus Melchizedech King of Salem bringing forth bread and wine for he was the Priest of the highest did blesse him c. Although here be not so muche as a word of Sacrificing Yet in this translatioÌ„ is no litle difference from the very originall whereas chaunging the copulatiue Hebrue sillable for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it readeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Moyses expresseth thys sentence after an other sort for he doth vse not the word of Sacrificing but hath Hozia which word what it signifyeth according to the verye naturall proprietye I referre me to the iudgement of the learned After the same maner also doth the chaldean expositor interpret the same And Iosephus an especiall witnesse hereof doth expound it after the same sence For Melchizedech sayth he did Banquet the souldiours of Abraham suffering them to lack nothing necessary for their sustenauÌ„ce and withall inuited Abraham to be a Guest of his owne Table Wherein the courtesy of the King is commended that disdained not to make Abraham a Guest of his owne Table Whereupon you seé that it is most false which they do assume in the Minor touching the oblation of Melchizedech who being both a Pryest and a Type of Christ is not called therefore a Pryest neuerthelesse in the history because he brought forth bread and wine as is declared before But agaynst this is there a strong countermure raysed namely the Authority of the Tridentine councell with a very horrible cursse annexed thundring out after this sort Whosoeuer shall say that the Masse is onely a sacrifyce of prayse and thankesgeuing or a bare memoriall of the Sacrifice performed vpon the Crosse and not a propitiatory sacrifice or that it auayleth to the Receiuer onely and ought not to be offered for the quick and the dead for sinnes for punishmentes satisfactions and other necessityes let him be holdeÌ„ accursed If he shall be holden accursed whosoeuer shall so say surelye the very same haue all the auncient Deuines before mentioned spoken and affirmed All the Doctors especially of the primitiue Church haue both sayd so and taught so neither did the whole Greéke Church almost teach otherwise not exempting out of the same beadroll all the Apostles of Christ no nor Christ himselfe vnlesse perhappes the Tridentine Lordinges will esteéme themselues to be of greater creditt and authoritye then Christ and the Apostles that so it may be lawfull for them to coyne a newfaÌ„gled Gospell wherew t Christ his Apostles were neuer acquainted First what the opinion of the doctors is herein hath bene expressely set downe before Surely Christ himselfe and the Apostle Paule do require nothing els in this celebratioÌ„ but onely a memoriall and an expressing and shewing forth of the Lordes death nor doth seéme to determine vpon any other end of this Sacrament then a remembraunce with a thankesgeuing This do ye sayth Christ in remembraunce of me And Paule deliuering to the Corinthians the same which he receiued of the Lord doth commaund them to shew forth the Lordes death whensoeuer they do celebrate this Supper vntill he come agayne Now I beseéch thee geÌ„tle reader doost thou heare any thing els in these wordes of Christ and his Apostle then the shewing forth of the Lordes death onely And what els will the Tridentine councell exact of vs Forsooth that we shall agayne and agayne offer the sonne of God for a sacrifice to God the Father for the remission of sinnes world without end a sacrifice I say not sacramentall onely but very propitiatorye which may helpe and be profitable not for the receiuer onely but may procure saluation for the quicke the dead also and wh thought to be offred of very necessity for the ease of punishmentes of satisfactions and of all other miseries afflictioÌ„s of this present lyfe But by what authority do they proue this where do they finde this of Christ of his Apostles or of any prescript word of Gods gospell No truly I am not of that mind But why do I demauÌ„d this of theÌ„ what warrant they haue by the word of God Lett it suffice me rather to admonish theÌ„ to beware lest through the selfe same Sacrifice wherewith they iudge themselues able to satisfy for their owne and other mens punishmentes and sinnes without all warrant of Gods word yea rather most wickedly requgnaunt to the expresse word of God they procure and heape vpon themselues lust damnation for this their shamelesse and horrible Idolatrye which they shall neuer be able to redeéme with all their massings and Iuggling Sacrifices It might seéme that we had alleadged sufficiently for thys matter and euicted the controuersy throughly if we were not pestered with such brawlers that dyd not delight rather to contend and striue for theyr owne victory then for the glorye of Christ or with such as would be satisfied with any authoritye of scriptures in the discouery of the truth of the question But they being now pressed downe and quyte ouerthrowen with the multitude of testimonies out of the sacred scripture fleé to the testimonies of men As though Diuinity as Tertullian sayth ought to be valued by the deuises of men or that the touchstone should be tryed by the golde and the golde not by the touchstone or that the course of the Sonne should be apportioned after the will of Iohn Clockekeéper and Iohn Clockekeéper not ruled rather by the course of the Sunne And on this wise now our catholicks bend their force with Testimonyes and Consent The Catholicke Churche hath alwayes hitherto from the age of the Apostles ratified those obseruaunces this doctrine of the sacrifice of the Masse whiche it would neuer haue done vnlesse this doctrine had bene agreable with the
receiue a remēbraūce of that sacrifice celebratyng the mysteries accordyng to the ordinaūce deliuered by him selfe and rendring thankes vnto God for our safety And agayne We doe erect vnto him an Altar of vnbloudy reasonable sacrifices accordyng to new mysteries Furthermore he doth forthwith expresse what kynde of new Mysteries they be Christ did offer sayth he a wonderfull sacrifice for the safety of vs all That is to say he gaue vs a memoriall to offer to God commaundyng vs to offer a memoriall for a sacrifice c. What shall I say of Cyrill Who doth call the prayers and melodious singing of fayth full soules praysing God cōtinually vnbloudy sacrifices And the same Cyrill writyng agaynst Iulian We sayth he forsaking the grosse sacrifice of the Iewes haue a commaūdement that we shall make a simple spirituall and a pearcyng sacrifice And therfore we do offer vnto God for a sweete smelling sauour all kindes of godlynes fayth hope and charitie c. If this controuersie may be decided with the greatest part of voyces who would require more wittnesses if with authoritie who will demaunde more auncient and more learned if by expresse euidence of wordes what is he so voyde of Reason that cā not playnly conceaue by the premisses that there is no one thyng more vntrue then that which these braynesicke men haue by a most false and vnsauory inuention Imagined concernyng the application and propiciation of this Sacrifice for the vtter ouerthrow of which doctrine what will more fittly serue the oportunitie now offered what cā be applyed more aptly for this present and more agreable to Reason then to kill them with their own swordes and to catch them in their owne pittfall for whereas the chiefest substaūce of a Sacrifice especially such a Sacrifice as is offred for Sinnes consisteth in slayeng of a body and sheadyng of bloud I would therfore learne of them by what reason the denomination of a Sacrifice may be properly applyable to their Popish Masse whereas neither any slaughter of a body or any sheadyng of bloud is discernable But there is represented say they a memoriall of sheadyng of bloud I do graunt it The holy Euchariste therefore doth not expresse any actuall killyng of the body or actuall sheddyng of bloud in truth and in deéde but representeth it by a memoriall onely Which bycause can not be denyed we say that hereof it commeth to passe wheras Remission of Sinnes is not otherwise obteined then by killyng of some body and sheadyng of bloud that for this cause therefore the Euchariste which executeth no actuall sheadyng of bloud but representeth onely a memoriall thereof can not of it selfe geue forgeuenesse of Sinnes but onely represent vnto vs a memoriall of the true Remission of Sinnes by way of Representation onely And what accoumpt shall mē make now I pray you of that dreadfull Decreé of the Tridentine Fathers who haue hundred out such flashes of horrible lightenyng whereby they doe scorche cleane into powder with their cursed Bull all them whosoeuer dare vtter halfe a word so much to say that the Sacrifice of the Masse is onely a bare commemoration of that Sacrifice finished vpō the Crosse and not a propiciatory Sacrifice rather I draw now somewhat neare to the very Canō of the Masse whereunto as these godly Catholickes do sticke most earnestly and do settle in the same the chief prore and pewpe as the Prouerbe is and shooteanker of their whole Idolatrous Sacrifice So doe they also in the same shyppe bulge them selues most of all and with their owne cable ouerhale them selues into an vnrecouerable gulfe The Tenor of which Canon is this Commaunde these giftes to be carried by the handes of thy holy Angelles vnto thyne hyghe Altar c. What Can not Christ sitte on the right hād of his Father vnlesse he be posted ouer by the Priest to be transported by Angelles vnto the highe Altar whenas he hath bene in actuall possession of the highest heauens long sithence not holpen thereunto by any person and sitteth on the right hād of his Father farre surmoūtyng in power euen the most excellent ministery of Priestes and Aungelles It followeth in the same Canō Through whom thou doest alwayes create sanctifie and blesse all these good gifts What is this that I doe heare must Christ be created blessed and sanctified agayne I haue passed my boundes somewhat further perhappes in prosecutyng this controuersie then the proportion of this our Apology would well admitt But hereunto was I forced partly by the peruersnes of Osorius partly by allurement of necessary persuasion for as much as I perceaued that there is no one thyng throughout all the doctrine of this phātasticall Religion wherein our Catholickes doe sweate and turmoyle them selues more greédely and raunge at riotte more perillously And therfore I thought it not amysse to rippe abroad the whole matter euen frō the very rootes of the foundation and so to encounter the franticke attemptes and engynes of our aduersaries Wherein if I haue not satisfied all mens expectation yet I trust that I haue reasonably brought to passe by this simple discourse that the Reader may easily conceaue how peéuish a plattforme this glorious Peacocke hath forged for his peltyng Purgatory and mumblyng maskyng Sacrifice vauntyng them to be matters of such importaunce as which the Apostles did deliuer ouer by mouth and which their Disciples dyd deliuer ouer to the posteritie and which the greatest consent of auncient Antiquitie with most Religious obseruaūce hath reteyned and approued so many hundred yeares with the generall Fayth and allowaūce of the vniuersall Church without any disagreement But on the contrary part as touchyng the Lutheranes they are cōfuted with the authorities of the aūcient Fathers and confounded with the generall consent of the whole Church whō Osorius with his copemates haue vtterly discoūtenaunced and discomfited with vnuanquishable Arguments vncomptrollable testimonies vnreproueable examples and conuinced them of horrible impiety and wickednes c. In good sooth these be lofty glorious magnificall speaches but besides the bare soūde of wordes no matter at all which wordes if must of necessitie fleé into the Castle of creditt bycause they be naked wordes onely without feathers surely you are well furnished with a very ready pollicie of persuasion Osorius and with a speciall practize for the speedy conquest of the cause But by this very same deuise of yours what a singular plattforme haue you layed forth for others to finde out the way to persuade as matter of truth whatsoeuer they liste to blast out in bare wordes For what is more easie then to pretend in word in speach those two wordes onely Church and Antiquitie if men wil be contented to haue their mouthes choaked with such boanes If the world be come to this passe that whosoeuer cā with finest floorish of wordes lauish abroad in the Church whatsoeuer him listeth the same shall obteine greatest creditt and
first ordeine lawes then assigne his Magistrates the Apostles Lastly that this bonde of mutuall societie might not be broken and so the couenable agreement of this Citie disturbed he did erect a Monarchie and therein inuested Peter with the highest soueraigntie First of all what heauenly commoÌ„ wealth do you dreame of vpon earth when as that heauenly Ierusalem is aboue wherein dwelleth God him selfe and our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ whereas the earth can haue none other Citie then earthly Neither did Iesu Christ take vnto him mans nature to the end hee would coyne new lawes but to accomplishe the old that the glad tydynges might be preached That prisoners might bee loosed that the sicke might be healed lastly that by offring vp his most precious body on the Crosse our sinnes might be clensed As for any superioritie in gouernement the Apostles receaued none nor any other authoritie was committed vnto them but that they should wander through the whole world emptie of all worldly furniture cariyng nothing with them and should sow in all places abroad the comfortable doctrine of the Gospell Nay rather when arose betwixt them a question who should be greatest amongest them our Lord and Sauiour Christ did so vtterly suppresse that ambicious contention that he briefly denounced that he which was left should be greatest amongest them Agayne when Iames Iohn had besought of our Lord and Sauiour that the one of them might sit on his right hand the other on his left hand when he were ascended into heauen vnto the throne of Maiestie he reproued them both so sharpely blamyng their ignoraunce that he told them They knew not what they asked and immediatly callyng the rest of the twelue together he so tempered vnto them lowlynes humilitie and obedience by manifest Arguments that they might easely perceiue how they were forbidden all maner of superioritie Sith these thyngs therfore are true I woÌ„der what came into your mynde to dreame of so dry a Summer that a Monarchie was erected amoÌ„gest the Apostles and that vnto Peter was geuen the preheminence thereof Was Peter so appointed the chief ouer the rest of the Apostles when as Christ him selfe doth so embace them and fearefully terrifle them from all maner of supremacie was Peter so worthy to be a Monarche when as Christ him selfe did hyde him out of the way bycause they would haue made him a kyng must we be so subiect to Peter and his Successours as vnto Princes when our Sauiour Iesu Christ came downe from heauen for this entent purpose to become a seruauÌ„t vnto others requiryng of his Apostles the selfe same duetie of abacement But there is nothyng you say more cleare then these wordes Thou art Peter and vpon this Rocke I will builde my Church And what soeuer thou byndest vpon earth shall be bound also in heauen And I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth may not fainte And thou at the last beyng coÌ„uerted confirme thy brethren And many other like Whereby you will coÌ„streine vs to beleue That Peter was preferred before the rest of the Apostles I will treate therfore of euery of these seuerally That it may be euidently knowen what a deépe insight this Reuerend Prelate hath in Diuinitie For if he haue made here a strong and souÌ„de foundation his passage wil be the easier to the rest of his Assertions But if his groundewordes be planted vpon Sande the rest of his buildyng will quickely shiuer in peéces and come to ruine First of all therefore Note this to bee commonly vsed throughout the whole Scripture That when our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ would demaunde any question of all his Apostles Peter would make auÌ„swere in the name of the whole generally and not in his owne name particularely So to that question But whom do you say I am Peter maketh auÌ„swere for them all Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuyng God Agayne when the Lord demaunded Whether they his Disciples would depart away from him with the rest of the Iewes Peter not onely for him selfe but for his whole company denyed saying Lord whether shall we goe Thou hast the wordes of eternall lyfe The life hereof is in Peters Sermon when he exhorted the Iewes to repose their whole affiaunce of saluation in Iesu Christ whom they Crucified and was risen agayne froÌ„ death to life For in the same place it is sayd that Peter alone did not preach to the Iewes but with the other eleuen The wordes were pronounced by Peters mouth onely but the mynde sentence enteÌ„t was agreed vpoÌ„ by all the Apostles Now therfore if those Scriptures do admitte these phrases of speach as appeareth playnly by the wordes of the holy Ghost Then this is a necessary consequent That our Lord Iesu Christ did in lyke maner apply his wonted communication vsed with the Apostles to Peters coÌ„mon aunswere In the like phrase of speach were those wordes Thou art Peter and vpon this Rocke will I build my Church For as Peter in the behalfe of all his fellowes affirmed that hee was Christ the sonne of the liuyng God so Christ likewise though he named Peter onely yet acknowledgeth the vniuersall consent and confession of all the rest and in the same doth promise to establish his Church which interpretatioÌ„ if you will not allow without witnesses behold Oâ—otius I haue alledged auncient Fathers mainteinyng myne allegation agaynst you and haue noted their places not obseruyng your disorder herein whiche vse to packe together a Rable of names of Fathers omittyng the matter as though to the resolution of doubtfull matters neéded nothyng but names Next hereunto you place in order the promise of Christ in these wordes What soeuer thou shall bynde vpon earth shall also be bounde in heauen what then ought this promise to bee restrained to Peter onely or was this promise equally coÌ„municated to the other Apostles whose speach is this then Receaue ye the holy Ghost whose soeuer sinnes ye do forgeue shal be forgeueÌ„ them and whose sinnes soeuer you doe reteine the same are reteined Is not this the gift of Christ is not this Christes promise made vnto his twelue Disciples standyng in the middest of them and preachyng vnto them all endyng them all with his heauenly blessing somewhat afore his Ascention Is not this sentence manifest enough the witnesse approued the authoritie not comptrollable vnlesse paraduenture you will contend like a child and stand vpon the nycenes of these sillables byndyng and loosing wherof you made mention before And yet if ye will obstinately persiste herein you shal be vrged with sillables and titles of like wordes Verely verely I say vnto you whatsoeuer you shall bynde on the earth the same shal be bounde in heauen also and whatsoeuer you loose vpon the earth shal be loosed also in heauen Here you this Do you also perceaue it and are ye not ashamed will you attribute that vnto
thynges are construed The callyng of the Apostles was equall one maner of function amongest them all the authoritie indifferent one selfe same holy Ghost poured vpon eche of them at one tyme the promises generall the reward proportionall The which though I doe knit vp briefly makyng hast foreward yet if any man will behold euery seuerall parcell and withall enter into a deépe consideration of the most pure and vndefiled Church of Christ and his Apostles as he shall perceaue an enterchaūgeable communion in that strickte societie of Apostleshyp so shall he soundly iudge of that Monarchie and superioritie in possessiōs in giftes and other functions and all other priuiledges of dignitie especially That they were vtterly renounced of Peter and of all that sacred Brotherhood These former positions therefore beyng now thus well fenced your cutted Apishe Sophisme is cut of by the rumpe wherewith you conclude so ridiculously If it be euidēt say you yea more apparaūt then the sunne in mid-day that Peter was aboue all the other Apostles in superioritie of degree then is it most manifest that the same honour and preheminence in dignitie is due to all them that suceede him in place O leaddagger Argumēt in which what shall I blame first If Peter you say were a Prince It is all one forsooth as if this our holy father had wynges perhaps he would flye like a Wildgoose But admit that Peter were placed in Pontisicalibus as you would haue it though it be quyte contrary as I haue already proued But we will graunt it vnto you for a tyme. What will you gayne hereby That the same dignitie is due to the Successours wherfore I pray you The priuiledge of the person is not extended beyond the person And therefore if the Maiestie of Peter were peculiar to Peter euen so it ended in him selfe But if you had no leysure to learne the Ciuill Law can not common reason teache you that whatsoeuer priuiledge is geuen to one person alone may not bee translated to his successours vnlesse it bee limited by name But if these two crooches deceaue you come of and learne of our Sauiour Iesu Christ him selfe what kinde of superiority that was wherof Christ made mentiō to Peter Blessed art thou Symon Bariona for fleshe and bloud haue not reuealed this vnto thee but my father which is in heauen Thou art Peter c. Which wordes doe playnly conuince that flesh and bloud were not partakers of this promise nor that any especiall choise was made of the person of Peter but of his fayth and confession onely For God doth not accept the person of any man In like maner neither flesh nor bloud may challenge any succession in this promise whether it be Iuly Boniface or any other But the fayth and confession of Peter is the true succession of Peter For if his succession were due vnto personages then should this dignitie be oftentymes committed to Sorcerors and heretiques but this is altogether repugnaunt to the sacred institution of our Sauiour Christ to builde his Churche vpon so stinkyng a puddle Therfore cast away this your patched conclusion lame and haltyng of euery legge For without all question Peter obteined no such interest in Principalitie or if he did it was but in his confession of fayth onely And therfore can no man clayme any other succession as lineally from him vnlesse perhaps you may cōmaunde God to loue an Italian Prelate because he is borne in Italic better then an English or Spanish Byshop or that ye will locke fast the holy Ghost to the Citie of Rome But the Spirite will blow where him listeth and the tyme commeth and is euen now already come that neither in this Mount nor in Ierusalem nor in any appointed place God shall be worshipped God is a spirite and his true worshippers shall worship him in spirite and truth But will ye come nearer home harken to your own Doctour Ierome whose iudgement I haue here noted worthy surely to he engrauen in letters of gold If authoritie bee enquired for the world is greater then a Citie whersoeuer a Byshop be either at Rome or at Eugubium or at Rhegium or at Constantinople or at Alexandria all be together equall of like merite and of like Priesthoode The power of riches or basenes of pouertie maketh not a Byshop higher or lower They all are the successours of the Apostles wheresoeuer they sit and of what estate so euer they be c. To the same effect writeth Cyprian in these wordes The same thyng verely were the Apostles that Peter was endued with like partakyng of honour and power But the begynnyng first entered by vnitie to the entent that the vnitie of the Church might be shewed to be one Is it euen so Cypriā is this thy verdite that all the Apostles were endued with like partakyng of honour and power But you my Lord affirme cleane contrary That Peter was appointed chief of all the Apostles and that this is more manifest then the Sunne in midday and that hereunto agree the Scriptures auncient fathers and that generall cōsent of antiquitie Truly you speake many wordes but no mā besides your fraternitie will beleue you not of any pleasure of gaynesaying but bycause you alledge nothyng that may enduce to yeld And bycause you seéme somewhat tymorous of the successe of your Diuinitie in this deépe principall cause of Monarchie you catch hold fast of a Sophistical target That in the church wiche is but one ought to be one chief Ruler vpon whom all men may depende by whose authoritie troubles may be appeased and outragious opinions may be suppressed c. There is in deéde but one Church generally as there is but one confession of Christian fayth yet this generalitie of the Church is distributed into many particular congregatiōs as all Nations haue their seuerall administrations of Iustice. Now therefore as euery dominion is deuided into seuerall distinctions of gouernement so to euery particular Church are ordeined seuerall Pastours and yet in the meane whiles finde no lacke at all of your new vpstart Monarchie whereof was neuer question moued in the golden age of the primitiue church But you Reply with pretie poppet reasons That contentious can not bee calmed nor outrages suppressed except some one be ordeined chief and head of the Church This fonde distinction the common course of humaine actions doth vtterly extinguish For euery seuerall Prince doth gouerne his common weale with wholesome distinct ordinaunces and yet make not so great aduauncement of this stately Monarchy as you do phantastically dreame But perhappes this is neédefull in matters of Religion why I pray you more then in temporall regiments The gouernement of Rome it selfe for the singularitie wherof you play the champion wil minister examples vnto vs of either part Augustus was an honorable Emperour Vespasian indifferent but Caius Caligula and Nero were horrible monsters who did not onely
gay copes of sentences yet ye lose herein both your trauaile coste For you garnishe but a schooleharlotte a nurse of superstition a drudge of couetousnes and the common shoppe of all abomination And therfore you do well that in the enshryning of so filthy an inueÌ„tion of man you flye from all ayde of Scriptures And yet bycause ye produce some somwhat styâ—ye according to your discretion apply them as wisely though ye promise quyte contrary we will sift them a litle by your leaue and sée how they will helpe you in your iourney I speake nothyng here you say how in the old lawâ— in their sacrifices offred for cleansing of sinnes a certein confession of vnpure liuyng was brought to the Priestes But speake aloude rather what confession was that you speake of by what custome receaued in what place when and with what circumstaunces was it frequented either you ought haue vttered one of these or els we must playnly iudge that this confession was a certeine somewhat we know not what Whereof is no such thyng in all Scriptures as you make it or if any such were amongest the ordinaunces of the Priestes the same is worne out of â—re euen as the old sacrifices are quyte forgotten and this you can not deny vnlesse you be altogether ignoraunt in Diuinitie No nor that you thinke worthy to be noted you say that those whiche came to the Baptisme of Iohn Baptiste did of an earnest zeale confesse their sinnes You do wel Osorius that you do not note it but you had done better if you had neuer touched that place For at that tyme were no MassemoÌ„gers nor Cowled lozelles into whose eares the wretched rude people might particularly whisper their offences without whom this your goodly confession is of no value No nor it pleaseth you you say to rehearse the confession that ChristiaÌ„ men made to the Apostles of Christ meÌ„tioned in the Actes of the Apostles If it pleased you not to rehearse it why do you rehearse it theÌ„ nay rather why do ye make a speciall note out of the Actes of that which is not there The hartes of the Iewes were pricked at the preaching of Peter whom also Peter doth exhort to amendemeÌ„t of lyfe Here is no word of Confession and yet I doubt not but they did confesse their sinnes vnto God But I would not haue you Osorius beyng a Deuine and a Byshop so vnaduisedly to vouche any thyng out of scriptures wherof is no mentioÌ„ made there You say also that you will passe ouer in silence the Commaundement which Iames gaue coÌ„cernyng Confession Truly you ought to haue made no mention therof bycause that coÌ„maundement caÌ„ not be restrayned to Priests onely but exteÌ„deth it selfe to all persons indifferently and belongeth no lesse to common prayer then to mutuall confession as is euident by Iames his owne wordes Lastly you say that you will not vse these wordes where with Christ did manifestly commit vnto Priestes the iurisdictioÌ„ of the soule Ye do very well truly that you will not vse those places I would to God you would not abuse them But you do corrupt them fouly Osorius and that laudable wholesome order of the Apostles in remittyng offences whiche they vsed with prayers openly spoken in the name of our Lord Iesu you do depraue with a certeine authoritie of your owne in blynd corners either for lucre of some powlyng pence or for someother worse matters In a straunge toung ye send away the people that come vnto you nothyng ameÌ„ded nay rather ofteÌ„tymes more apte to deuise mischief surely for the more part much more corrupted rather then amended I do not lye Osorius though you stomacke my wordes Dayly practize common experience and the perpetuall hystorie of all ages will witnes the same to be true And beyng here destitute of Diuinitie you hauke for other helpes abroad and you raunge to two vertues very godly ones I promise you yet such as they be as farre wyde from your forged CoÌ„fession as heaueÌ„ is distant froÌ„ the earth You suppose it a goodly matter that we do know our selues And so it is in deéde You commende humilitie much I agreé with you therein But from whence come these vnto vs out of Friers Cowles or Priestes wyde sleéues or from the bosome of God the father from whom euery good and perfect gift is deliuered vnto vs Peruse you that Psalmes of Dauid what shall you finde in them but submission humilitie knowledge and embacyng of a mans selfe and yet that Prophet of God did not learne them of your Priests but of the creatour of all thynges God our most louyng and bountefull father of that same great mighty God I say who pronounceth of him selfe saying Behold therfore that I euen I I say am the same Lord and that there is no God besides me I do kill and I make aliue agayne I doe make the wounde but I will heale agayne c. Wherefore we must obey Iames who pronounceth in this maner Humble your selues in the sight of the Lord and he will exalte you But wherfore bryng you these thynges seuerally The whole discourse and tenour of the Scriptures doth teach humilitie and submissioÌ„ of myndes it breaketh obstinacie it abateth pride and â—ameth arrogancie And yet Osorius a Deuine and a Byshop doth leade vs away from the Scriptures and will thrust vs vnto market Confession to gather preceptes of good lyfe from Massemongers and Cowled Friers O blynd guide of the blind It is no maruell truely though you and your sheépe of Siluain fall both together into the ditche But at the length hee bringeth forth an inuincible ArgumeÌ„t and doth testifie of him selfe in earnest and as it were with Protestation That the holy Ghost hath wrought all that goodnesse that is in him by the meane of Confession He doth playnly Confesse that confession hath bene his Schoolemystres and nurse of all his godlynes in so much that he hath not one sparkle of the loue of God for so hee speaketh besides that whiche hath bene reuealed vnto him by illumination of this eare Confession First of all Maister Doctour I am easely persuaded this to bee true that you speake of your selfe and next I am ashamed and wery of you that haue altogether so hanged vpon CoÌ„fession that neither prayers nor study nor preceptes of holy Scriptures haue preuailed in any respect to enduce your mynde to godlynesse beyng a grayheaded Deuine a man of threé score yeares almost Then also I can not but beleue that either you haue bene a very blockheaded Scholer or that your maisters of Confession were very vnlucky which in so many yeares after so much buzzing in their eares after so many coÌ„ferences of godly matters could worke nothyng els in you theÌ„ to shape a madde Byshop of a senselesse Priest Epicure as you know was accustomed to glory that hee had neuer instructour in Philosophie I beleue
his name Christ teacheth farre otherwise of him selfe Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any maÌ„ heare my voyce and opeÌ„ vnto me the gate I will enter vnto him and will suppe with him and hee with me O sweéte and most comfortable voyce of our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ which if once may be throughly rooted in the inward partes of our soule will easely rase out abolish that priuy blind buzzyng in the eares of those Massemongers and Friers But Osorius sticketh fast to his substitution and mainteineth earnestly that the Apostles were assigned to be Christes Uicares on earth whiche should supply his iurisdiction and should enterlace their owne definitiue sentences with his These are both false God is a ielous God and will not geue his honour to any other Hee hath appointed no Uicare and the holy Scripture doth acknowledge no such word neither was it his will that the Apostles should entermedle in his Iurisdiction Your surmise is false quite contrary to his heauenly prerogatiue For Christ onely hath the keyes of hell and death Christ onely is the slayne Lambe and the Lyon of the Tribe of Iuda the roote of Dauid which openeth the booke and louseth the seuen seales therof neither was there any besides him in heauen in earth or vnder the earth that could open the booke and looke into it Our Lord Iesus beyng raysed from death and appearyng vnto his Apostles spake vnto them in this maner All power is geuen vnto me in heaueÌ„ and in earth Of this power was neuer iote empaired in any respect and neuer shal be What was the Commission of the Apostles then Christ him selfe doth open it in the selfe same place Goe ye therfore and teach all nations Baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost teachyng them to obserue all those sayings which I haue commauÌ„ded you This was the Embassie of the Apostles this was their CommissioÌ„ Iurisdiction or to speake more playnly bluntly this was their function this was their office To this authoritie the keyes of heauen and remission of sinnes and whatsoeuer els of the same kynde must be applyed S. Paule doth comprehend all these briefly in these wordes Let men so esteeme vs as Ministers of Christ and Stewardes of the mysteries of God You be not Uicares theÌ„ Osori you be Ministers ye be not iudges to constitute Lawes as you do wickedly take vpoÌ„ you but ye be Stewardes to dispose the mysteries of God or at the lest you ought to bee But how belongeth this doctrine of Christ and his Apostles to your Massemongers Confessours They haue an other Romishe doctrine whereby they doe receiue the seély rude people runnyng in heapes vnto them rehearsing their sinnes priuily and in some close corner superstitiously when they haue vttered what them listeth they pronounce ouer them of their own power an absolution in a strauÌ„ge language in steade of Satisfaction they do enioyne them some fastyng dayes or some long pilgrimages and to make an ende of the play they pike from them a few peÌ„ce for their labour This is your vsurped power of CoÌ„fessioÌ„s Osorius which you affirme was geuen first to the Apostles afterwardes to you by a certâ—ine title of Succession Tell me now did you euer read that any thyng was whispered into the Apostles eares priuily or that sinnes were seuerally repeated or the people absolued by their owne absolute power or any thyng done in a language not vnderstanded or any penauÌ„ce as you tearme it enioyned or at the last any reward taken What vnshamefastnes is this what impietie is it to defend this close superstitious and mercenarie eare confession vnder pretence of the authoritie of our Sauiour Christ example of his Apostles especially wheÌ„ as none of these was euer instituted by Christ or frequented of his Apostles But your braynes are so be witched and intoxicated with eare confessions that ye shame not to alledge other stuffe yet whiche is most absurde of all the rest You say that it is daungerous for men to bee left in their owne libertie wheÌ„ they should confesse them selues to God For if it were so we would not willingly yeld to that embacing and throwyng down of our selues which Dauid named to bee the most acceptable sacrifice to God You do heare and acknowledge your owne wordes my Lord then the which I neuer heard any thyng vttered more blockish The matter shal be made manifest by the same example of Dauid which your selfe do alledge Dauid beyng a Patriarche a Kyng and a Prophet and a maÌ„ accordyng to Gods hart to vse the wordes of the Scripture was notwithstandyng continunually exercized in this kynde of Confession whiche is betwixt God onely vs in whom there is such store of sorowyng sighyng lamentyng weépyng afflictyng and bewayling as the like hath neuer bene in all your seâ—â—et whisperyngs no not sith the first whelpyng of the same For 〈◊〉 els is there in all that heauenly golden Psalmes of Dauids pâ—ayer then a mournefull and lamentable confession of sinne ioyned with hartie repentaunce sure hope of pardon Be mercyfull to me O Lord sayth hee accordyng to thy manifold mercies wash me throughly froÌ„ my wickednes and clense me froÌ„ my sinnes for I do acknowledgâ— my faultes and my sinne is â—â—er before me Agaynst thee onely haue I sâ—â—ed and done wickedly in thy sight Loe here a true and souÌ„de forme of CoÌ„fession fully described in Dauid whoÌ„ you haue alledged In this coÌ„fession we do exercize our selues In this we remaine in this we do dwell We do also poure out publicke Confessions of sinnes in our Churhes where the godly Minister is harkened vnto which may minister an wholesome plaister to our wounded consciences some sentence 〈◊〉 of the authoritie of the Scriptures These be the keyes wherewith he doth opeÌ„ the kyngdome of God to theÌ„ which do vnfaynedly repent pronounceth vs that are bouÌ„de with the chaines of our sinnes freély loosed and deliuered from them in the name of our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ. These Confessions as well priuate as publicke these keyes this power of byndyng loosing we doe acknowledge appointed by the Scriptures and practized in the tyme of the Apostles Neither was any thyng done with Iohn in a corner touchyng Confession nor yet with the Disciples of Christ. This matter was referred and ended also to and before God wherof we haue a most manifest example in the Gospell which ought not onely enter the eares but also pearce the very hartes of all well disposed persons When the lost and prodigall sonne had riotously consumed and wasted all his substaunce in so much that he was driuen to eate Peascoddes with hogges he begynneth at the last to call him selfe home and earnestly to deuise how he might be reconciled to his father herein he prayeth no ayde of any Leuite nor sittyng in a
deuise no lesse wicked then false To witte that the auncient Churche is peruerted by our Deuines and a new Church fashioned after our owne phantasies Whiche doe you call the auncient Church Osorius truly you name the Catholicke and Apostolique Churche to be auncient or so you ought to say founded in the Patriarches and Prophetes enlarged by our Lorde Iesu and his Disciples with vndefiled doctrine and vprightenesse of conuersation Haue we peruerted this holy Church Osorius haue we erected a new nay rather the matter is quite contrary We do most reuerently embrace this blessed Churche sealed vnto vs by the finger of our Lord Iesu and ordered by the pure ordinaunces of his Disciples we do appeale vnto this Church the same Church do we urge agaynst you and the same we do oppose agaynst you we combate agaynst all your filthy corruptions with the decreés of this Churche Herein we do persiste and cleaue fast vnto this Church and fight agaynst you in her defence directly with her owne weapons You are fallen away by litle and litle from this auncient Churche the inuincible fortresse of all truth and haue set your trust vpō the whyueryng reéde of the Romish Seé Then also you are so whirled vp downe as it were with whirlewyndes with the whirlyng and vnsauory Constitutions of Schoolemē ech contrary to other that ye cā finde no ankerhold any where Out of these tempests and whirlewindes of vpstart doctrines out of this immoderate gulfe of your idle braynes so manifold routes of fayned Gods peéped abroad so many sundry sortes of prayers made vnto them so many and so tedious pilgrimages to dumme blockes so many impieties of offrynges inuocations massinges adorations Finally so many blasphemous markets and fayres of pardons and redeémyng of soules out of Purgatory pickpurse are made To this beadroll may bee linked superstitious swarmes of Friers Mōckes Nunnes sproutyng and dayly buddyng one out of an other in infinite droues and innumerable factions This euen this is the true Image of your Church Osorius wherupon you doe bragge so much increased with the ofscombe of rascall brothells made dronken with the drousie dregges of Schoolemen and so farre estranged from the right trade of the auncient and Apostolicke Church that there is scarse any hope that it wil euer haue any regarde to her former duetie or euer returne frō whence it is estrayed In this your new Churche or rather Conuenticle of lozelles which you haue newly erected vnto your selues with the motheaten mockertes of your Schoolemen you moyle and wallow after your accustomed maner We are desirous to renewe the auncient dignitie of the Catholique Church as much as in vs lyeth Hereunto we do employ all our endeuoures to this we doe direct all our thoughtes that siftyng through and throwyng away all the dānable darnell whiche the enemy hath scattered abroad at this present in these newe Churches we may at the lēgth be vnited and gathered agayne into the true and auncient worshyppyng of God prescribed vnto vs by Iesu Christ in his Gospell And here our old peéuish wayward piketh a new quarell agaynst me bycause I will not acknowledge any other chief Bishop but Iesus Christ and that I do also by the name of a Byshop call him a kyng Truly I hartely confesse that our Lord Iesus was both a Byshop and a Kyng but that the name of a kyng is cōteined vnder the tearme of a Byshop is false as you haue set it downe as all other your doynges are for the most part Osorius But our vnconquerable Logiciā goeth onward demaūdeth Why we do admit any other kyng besides the Lord Iesus and yet abandone the chief Byshop whereas both dignities are conteined in the person of our Lord Iesu and in this place our glorious Peacocke pounceth out his feathers and the same question repeateth agayne and agayne very boyeshly in other wordes and sentences If it be lawfull sayth he that ye may haue vpon earth an other Kyng Vicare of that great kyng what reason is there that ye will not haue an other most holy Byshop Vicare of that hygh Byshop Will ye know why we do acknowledge a kyng vpon earth Uicare of that great and heauenly kyng The holy Ghost shall most euidently and expressely aunswere for vs and shall aunswere by the mouth of Peter from whom you deriue your clayme of supreme Byshop Bee ye subiect sayth hee to euery humane creature for the Lord whether it bee to the king as chief ouer the rest or to the Magistrates whiche are appointed by him to the punishment of the euill doers and the commendation of well doers for this is the will of God c. Behold how playnly how distinctly and how plētyfully Peter doth aunswere you which by expresse speache hath settled the Maiestie of kynges in the highest place aboue all vnto whom hee commaundeth vs to be subiect for the Lord. Then next vnder that authoritie he placeth other Magistrates whom notwithstandyng he ordeineth to be Ministers of his highe power Besides this heé instructeth vs withall how commodious this authoritie of kynges is and whereunto it ought to belong Lastly to take away all doubt he concludeth that this Is the will of God If you had any droppe of shame at all in you Osorius You would not haue moued this question so malapertly Why we doe acknowledge a kynges authoritie vpon earth When as ye can not be ignoraūt of this doctrine of Peter nay rather of the holy ghost being so euidēt so firme so notable so plētyful and so of all partes defensible When as also Peter a litle after cōmaundeth in this wise Feare God honor the king When as Paule likewise doth pronounce that A king is the Minister of God to whom he commaundeth euery soule to bee subiect to whom hee geueth the sword and willeth Tribute to be payde in euery of which thynges most royall and principall souereignetie is conteined And to the end the sentēce of Paule should stand firme out of all controuersie he commaundeth That prayers intercessions petitions thankesgeuynges be frequented for kinges and all others that are set in authoritie What say you now brablyng Sophister what cā you hisse out agaynst so many so strong and so notable testimonies approuyng the authoritie of kynges What shal be done vnto you brablyng Sophister that will so maddely so proudly so blasphemously kicke agaynst the doctrine of the holy Ghost But ye allowe of the authoritie of a kyng say you in some respect so that we will likewise admit the supremacie of the hyghe Byshop We haue already iustified the authoritie of a kyng by the inuincible testimonies of the holy scriptures if you can in lyke maner coyne vnto vs out of the same Scriptures a chief Byshop we will yeld But you can not for there is not one sillable of chief Byshop to bee founde in the Gospell besides our Lord Iesus alone and besides that question moued of the rites and
disagreé from his frend nor the Scholer from his Maister nor the Seruaunt from his Lord ne yet the wife from the husband That is to say it is not conuenieÌ„t that the frend from his frend the Scholer from his Maister the Seruaunt from his Lord or the wife should disagreé from her husband What say you Osorius is any of these not spoken after the Latine phrase are they not vttered playnly and properly doe ye not in all these conceaue the negatiue and not the affirmatiue Are you not ashamed doe ye blush nothyng at all at this manifest fault and marke of your follie I haue a boye of sixten yeares age whom I keépe to Grammar Schoole who shoulde haue felt the smarte hereof if hee had made so foule an escape in these Grammer principles Truely I am wery long sithence gentle Reader to bee so childishly occupyed in siftyng out the titles and sillables of wordes after this maner but you may note the amazednesse and ouerthwartenes of myne aduersary to whom the fault must be imputed accordyng to reason which beyng both bussardly blynd in ponderyng bare wordes and also fondly franticke and senselesse in the substaunce of thynges doth altogether deny any difference to be in this how farre so euer a sunder the head bee separated from the members so that they be vnited in one fayth Surely experience hath not onely taught vs here in England but the practize of all other natioÌ„s also doth playnly bewray his singular ignorauÌ„ce and blockishnesse what it is to be seuered from Italy by farre distaunce of regions when as in matters of Religion iustice equitie could not bee ministred but it must bee procured with immesurable charges and tedious pursuite of many yeares From whiche inconuenieÌ„ces we have good remedy prouided through the speciall goodnesse of God For we haue in our owne Realme both Iudges and Consistories But our reuerend Father caÌ„ not disgest this by any meanes that the Queénes Maiestie should entermedle with the Churche and after a long friuolous preamble after his accustomed maner at the length choppeth downe to a sentence of myne videl The Queenes Maiestie is Lord ouer all maner of persons in England And these wordes he supposeth to be spoken barbarously bycause the gouernement of a kyng is not with force Tyranny nor tendeth to keépe his CouÌ„trey people whom he hath vndertake to defende of a fatherly loue in seruile subiection nor is referred to the consideration of his owne profite but to the publicke sauetie of his subiectes And therfore sayth he it is false that a kyng doth rule as a Lord vnlesse we should take him for a Tyraunt rather then a kyng Harken I pray you harken vnto this AldermaÌ„ brable harken vnto this most subtill corrector of the Latine toung There was neuer such an other Valla or Varro in our tyme for this our notorious Prelate doth farre surmount all Vallaes and Varroes who by his fine pythe and polished Iudgement hath fishte a Poole and caught a Foole and with his new sharpenesse of witte hath espied that wherof no man could euer conceaue so much as a shadow in his dreame what say you my Lord Byshop doth no maÌ„ rule as a Lord except he be a Tyraunt Ergo no man is a Lord vnlesse he be a tyrauÌ„t if at least he bare any rule Truly you had neéde of Helleborous to purge that Calues braynes Our Lord Iesus Christ is sayd sometymes to bee a Lord of the quicke and the dead sometymes to be a Lord in heauen and in earth and in all the holy Scriptures throughout is called by this name Lord. Therefore this your blasphemous and horrible Grammar distinction ought be accompted a TyrauÌ„t this can not be denied Becommeth you an old Byshop to vtter such mockeries can you beyng a Prelate either through fury or maddenesse to be so frame shappenly translated to bee openly franticke and make your selfe a laughyng stocke to litle boyes Truely I am ashamed in your behalfe for I did neuer seé so great so foule so monstruous absurdities in a maÌ„ of such yeares that hath bene all his life long conuersaunt in learnyng Afterwardes you do make a very subtill distinction I promise you of the authoritie of kynges that is to say though they gouerne all their subiectes yet are they not Lordes ouer all causes Yes in deéde good sir they are Lordes ouer all causes aswel Ecclesiasticall as Temporall which may seéme to apperteine to the good gouernemeÌ„t of the coÌ„mon wealth And yet they do not minister in their own persons in matters Ecclesiasticall as I wrate before for how can they so do but they doe assigne and authorise other Magistrates vnder them who may execute euery thyng in due order In like maner albeit Emperours be onely chief of their Armyes yet haue they vnder them Centurians LieutenauÌ„ts Serieauntes Corporals and other meaner officers which do trayne in due order and exercize the whole affaires the rest of the Souldiours So doe Maisters of Nauies and Shippes appointe vnder them their Mates and Boateswaynes and other meaner degreés to their seuerall offices by this meanes to preserue their course the better at Seaboorde whereby appeareth that the chief authoritie is resiaunt alwayes in the chief and knowen estates but the trauaile toyle and execution of orders is ministred by inferiour Magistrates But ye require to make demonstration how these things can be so First of all your question is worthy to bee scorned beyng so voyde of reason to haue euident demonstration to be made of those thynges which common course of mans lyfe and dayly practize of all common weales may assure you were you neuer so voide of sense But I will satisfie that captious grossehead of yours in this matter with threé wordes I do affirme that the authoritie of kynges is aboue all other and yet that kyngs them selues do not minister in Ecclesiasticall matters Which two are most manifestly proued aswell by the gouernement of kyngs in the old TestameÌ„t as also in the later age in the tyme of the new Testament For Dauid Salomon losias Ezechias and other godly kynges amongest the people of Israell did commaunde the Priestes in matters of Religion yet did not they entermedle with execution of any thyng In the tyme of the Gospell Paule that great teacher of the Gentiles coÌ„mauÌ„deth That intercessions and publicke prayers bee made with fayth and truth first of all for kinges then for all others that are set in authoritie Peter also that excellent Elder For other name then Apostle or Elder did hee neuer acknowledge howsoeuer you do coÌ„uey your false Papisticall Seé froÌ„ him Peter I say in open and expresse wordes doth verifie my saying when as he geueth commaundement in this wise Submit your selues to euery humane creature for the Lordes sake whether it â—ee to the king as most excellent or to the Magistrates as to them that are sent by him assigning the punishement of
whom though some may bee of opinioÌ„ to excell in the knowledge of the Ciuill Law yet will not forthwith vnder that title yeld vnto me the lyke commendation in the interpretyng of holy Scriptures All this matter is resolued at a word O counterfait GrammariaÌ„ For if accordyng to the doctrine of Peter and Paule certaine degreés bee limited in eche dignitie and by the same doctrine likewise determined that the royall dignitie of a Kyng doth excell aboue all other power Then is it manifest by the same decreé that the authoritie of the kyng must be honored without all coÌ„parison as chiefest But after your wonted guise ye runne at raundon with many wordes concernyng the meanyng of Paule and of a distinction to bee made betwixt the ciuill and Ecclesiasticall authoritie First of all no maÌ„ can so snaffle that vnbridled touÌ„g but that it will roue and raunge triflyngly whether it lusteth And yet the meanyng of Paule and Peter can not bee vnknowen to any men that will haue but a will to vnderstand it for they doe make a diuision or speciall distinction of Magistrates by certaine degreés and in the same doe precisely and manifestly ascribe chief rule and highest authoritie to kyngs And albeit ye triumphe iolylye in your differeÌ„ce of tymes yet this will nothyng preuayle you For ye beleue that this speache of the Apostles ought not to be applyed to ChristiaÌ„ kynges bycause it was written in the tyme of wicked Emperours which were enemies to Christian Religion Consider the sayings of the Apostles more aduisedly peéuish Prelate and acknowledge once at last your owne vnskilfulnesse Peter writeth in this maner Submit your selues to euery humane creature for the Lord whether it be to the king as to the most excelleÌ„t or to the Rulers as vnto them who are sent by him to punishe the wicked doers and to aduaunce the well doers Now therfore I demaunde this question of you Osorius whether God did send Nero that sauadge and beastly cruell Tyraunt as you know an horrible bloudsucker of Christian professioÌ„ to punish the wicked aduaunce the well doers if ye affirme that he dyd you are madde if ye deny it then all your former AssertioÌ„ lyeth in the durte Let vs seé likewise what Paule sayth Whose sentence herein is much more plentyfull Princes sayth he are not fearefull to well doers but to the wicked wilt thou not feare the power doe well then and thou shalt haue prayse of the same for they be the ministers of God appointed for thy wealth But if thou doe euill then feare thou for they beare not the sworde in vayne For they bee the ministers of God to take vengeauÌ„ce on them that do euill What say you now could this speach of Paule touch Nero in any respect whiche embrued his sword in the bloud of innumerable ChristiaÌ„s who alwayes oppressed the innocentes who wallowed all his lyfe long in all maner of outrage and crueltie No discreét or sober person will thinke so But albeit the Apostles beyng enspired with the holy Ghost gaue these preceptes in the time of tyrannous Emperours yet they had relation thereby to Christian and godly kynges because they should vndertake the defence of their subiectes and should be nurses of the congregation of Christ accordyng to the Prophecie of Esay And yet due obedience is not thereby forbidden to be geuen vnto kynges in Ciuill causes though they bee inâ—idels as appeareth manifestly both by the example and doctrine of our Sauiour Christ. You are contented that kinges should be placed aboue the Nobilitie Ciuill Magistrates and other officers in temporall causes accordyng to the saying of Peter but not to be aboue the holynesse of Churches nor the profession of Religâ—ous persons ne yet to reconcile the fauour of God Paule commaundeth euery soule to be in subiection to the hygher power amongest whom the kyng is chiefest And therfore all ye Byshops together with all other what soeuer Ecclesiasticall orders are holden subiect vnder the authoritie of the kyng vnlesse ye bee without soules as perhappes your maistershyp is if then ye be subiect to kynges ye ought to obey their commaundementes vnlesse they prescribe agaynst God And yet they beare no function in your Churches nor â—it in your Churches as rulers of them nor administer the Sacramentes but they may and ought to chastize you reduce you into good order if happely ye neglect your dueties or behaue your selfe vnseémely in your function which is to be approued by the authoritie of both the old and new Testament as it is ofteÌ„times repeated before To coÌ„firme your AssertioÌ„ you bryng for example Core Dathan and Abyron of a singular blockishnesse and ignoraunce For they made Rebellion agaynst Moses and to vse the very wordes of the holy Scriptures They were gathered together agaynst Moses and Aaron and sayd vnto them Ye take enough and to much vppon you seyng all the multitude are holy euery one of them and the Lorde is amongest them Why lifte you your selues vppe aboue the Congregation of the Lord Behold here in this their execrable speach ouer and besides a most pernitious rebellion we heare also in the same one onely equabilitie in all degrees For asmuch therefore as they did abrogate all maner of authoritie from Magistrates beyng appointed by God as the Anabaptistes of our age do practize they were accordyng to their desert swallowed vp of the gapyng gulfe prouided by God for that purpose But why do ye thrust these persons into the stage who caÌ„ occupy no part of the play For we doe neither entreate of any Rebellion nor of any trayterous suppression of Magistrates but our coÌ„munication tendeth to this ende whether kynges haue any lawfull gouernement ouer Ecclesiastical persons No lesse foolishly haue ye patcht to your purpose Oza Ozias and Balthesar whom ye do affirme to haue bene greuously plagued of the Lord bicause they did rashly handle holy thynges and thus ye say was done accordyng to their deserte Likewise should our kynges be worthely punished of the Lord if they would vndertake to minister Baptisme to infantes or would in their owne persons distribute the Lordes Supper or clymbe vp into pulpittes and vsually preache For they should entrude into other mens functions namely Ministers and Elders whom God hath peculiarly chosen to execute those orders in Ministerie Euen so the Lord hath aduaunced kynges in hyghest superioritie bycause they should commauÌ„de and prouide that all matters should be executed by others their subiectes in due conuenient order This doctrine beyng both â—ounde and profitable approued by the testimonies and examples of the purest ages and most applyable to the ordinauÌ„ce of holy Scriptures yet this our pelting Prelate seémeth so squeymishe at it that he spareth not to curse vs to the pitte of hell bycause we will not agreé with him in his most friuolous Assertions Ye maruell much why I am so hatefully bent agaynst the Byshop of Rome why
I doe alwayes inueighe at him Truely I doe not hate the Byshop of Rome for hee neuer did me any iniurie personally it is his extraordinarie superioritie that I write agaynst Bycause in my opinion it is a manifest rebell agaynst the holy Scriptures agaynst saluation and the whole state of Christianitie Neither doe I reproue their Canons especially those whiche were established in that first and purer age of the Churche ne yet those later Canons such I meane as doe concerne Iudiciall Courtes Which teach good and commendable preceptes and rules for the administration of Iustice. But I do vtterly detest and as much as in me lyeth abhorre those ambitious and flatteryng constitutions and pestilent dispensations and such like infinite filthy absurdities erected for the procurement of dignities or for pillyng and pollyng of coyne I will alledge two holy constitutions for example sake Wherof the one is described in these wordes The Lord hath committed the charge of all earthly heauenly Empire vnto Peter beyng appointed porter of eternall life What Christian hart can willingly suffer such Sathanicall arrogancie to be yelded vnto a mortall creature And yet I will shewe one other of the same stampe farre more horrible The Pope hath an heauenly will and in those thinges that his will is bent vnto his will must bee taken for law neither can any man say the contrary why he should not doe so For he may dispence beyond all law and make that to bee right that is quyte cōtrary in amendyng and alteryng of lawes bycause the fulnesse of all power resteth in him These be those golden Decreés for sooth wherewith our Syr Ierome would haue vs yoked This is that notable Iurisdiction of that Papane Seé for the whiche our Osorius waxeth so whotte That though I burst in sonder yet ought all Christian Nations be subiect vnto it as he affirmeth But I on the contrary part do iustifie that this Papane supremacie is no more mentioned in the Scriptures then a meare straūger so altogether vnknowen vnto Peter vnto Paule and the rest of the Apostles and to the succeédyng course of the primitiue and purer Churches that there was neuer one worde spoken of it vntill the reigne of the Tyraunt Phocas at what tyme was the very first hatchyng of it Afterwardes in deéde by litle and litle through pride pillage peltyng flatteryng it enhaunced it selfe so farre aboue measure that it claymeth now Iurisdiction ouer Heauen Earth and Seas as I haue declared somwhat before doth more plētyfully appeare by other blasphemous Decretalles published by the very mouthes of these holy Popes them selues Wherfore this extraordinarie Iurisdiction of the Pope is a most friuolous paynted disguised and deformed frameshapen chaungelyng though Osorius would hange him selfe therefore And kingly authoritie shall beare chief preheminence vpō the earth accordyng to the sundry and euerlastyng testimonies both of the old and new Testament vnto the whiche Peter and Paule do in expresse wordes subscribe whereunto all cōmēdable antiquity most approued aūcientie haue willingly yelded their agreable cōsent which hath alwayes exercized their gouernement in so well disposed moderation as beyng contented with her owne limites territories hath not licentiously presumed vnlawfull clayme ouer all the worlde as your most arrogant chaire of pestilēce doth challenge whose vnsatiable greédy gapyng for filthy lucre the heauens the earth nor hell it selfe is able to satisfie You affirmed in your Epistle that through the abolishyng of your Canons all feare and care was vtterly rooted out of our hartes I made aunswere that many men were wonderfully enriched by your Canons but very fewe enduced to haue any especiall regarde to feare God by the knowledge of them But you trustyng to discredite myne aunswere demaunde a question of me Whether the Ciuill Law doe instruct men in the feare of God whiche albeit they doe not say you yet the monumentes therof ought not be consumed with fire What is the matter Osorius How hanges this together The question was moued of Canon Lawes and you on eche parte vbrayde agaynst vs the Ciuill Law Our communication was concernyng the feare of God You deny that the Ciuill Lawes ought to be burnt Are ye starcke dronke or doe ye bable this out in a dreame Are ye not ashamed of this monstruous talke truely it is very irkesome to me and I am throughly tyred out with so blockish an aduersary I affirmed that the authoritie of the Canon Lawes dyd so farre forth preuayle with vs as they were founde agreable to godlynes and that Iustice was ministred by the Decreés therof in our Ecclesiasticall Courtes You maruaile how this cā be true for so much as Luther had already burnte them all First of all I demaunde this question of you Why do ye maruaile at that thyng now which earste ye did so constauntly deny why did you so wtout all shame dissemble in matters so euident Wherewithall neither all Portingall nor your Maistershyp could but bee acquainted consideryng the dayly entercourse and continuall traffique betwixt vs. Agayne what moueth you to name Luther herein Uerely we for our partes haue the name of Luther in such great admiration that we do firmely beleue that you might likewise haue easely bene his Scholer in Diuinitie All which notwithstandyng we name not our selues Lutheranes but Christians neither doe we iudge any man so absolutely perfect amongest the whole ofspryng of Adam whose wordes and deédes we may accoumpt without exception vnreproueable Furthermore I founde fault with you bycause you accused our Preachers as though they taught in their publicke Sermons vnpunishable libertie in sinning and herein I likened your saucie malapertenes to litle better then to blasphemie because with so horrible reproche you did infamously slaunder the doctrine of the Gospell preached by our Deuines whiche sentence after your wonted guise you turne in and out and peruert the same from thyngs to persons and say that I doe ascribe Deuine Godhead to Luther Bucer and Martyr O monstruous vermine did I euer speake or thinke any such matter I did esteéme them in deéde when they lyued as famous worthy personages in respect of their learnyng and godlynesse in like maner now they are dead I will defend the remembraunce of their names as much as I may namely Bucer and Martyr with whom I was familiarly acquainted and did know them to be auncient godly Fathers exquisite in all vertue learnyng and so much more furmountyng you in Diuinitie as you do excell that your drawlatche derlyng Dalmada in your deintie delicacie of the Latin toūg But sithence it hath pleased you with so grosse and foolish a lye to forge new gods for me whō I should worshyp I will be bold by our leaue to disclose your Idoll whom maugre your teéth ye shall not deny but your selfe doe worshyp with Deuine honour I meane that Romishe Prelate of the Papall Seé The whiche for asmuch as accordyng
in this corruptible body but which consisteth rather in remission of sinnes and which after this lyfe will supporte the neédy and naked weakenesse of our workes be they neuer so feéble agaynst the importable burden of the rigour of the law Of which mercy Augustine maketh mention in this wise Stand not in Iudgemēt with me O Lord exactyng all thyngs which thou hast cōmaunded me For if thou enter into Iudgement with me thou shalt finde me guiltie Therefore I haue more neéde of thy mercy then thy manifest Iudgement Agayne in an other place treatyng of the last Iudgemēt He shall crown theé sayth he in mercy compassiōs This shall come to passe at that dreadfull day whenas the righteous kyng shall sit vpon his throne to render to euery mā according to his workes who then can glory that hee hath a pure and vndefiled hart or dare boast that he is without sinne And therfore it was necessary to make mention there of the compassions and mercy of the Lord. c. And agayne somewhat more playnly where hee describeth what maner of mercy shal be in the day of Iudgement he doth set it forth in this wise This is called mercy sayth he bycause God doth not regarde our deseruynges but his owne goodnesse that thereby forgeuyng vs all our sinnes he might promise vs euerlasting life Hereunto also may be annexed the testimonie of Basile no lesse worthy to bee noted touchyng the mercyfull Iudgement of God towardes his chosen people you shal heare his owne wordes as they are For if the Iudgement of GOD were so rigorous and precise in it selfe to render vnto vs after our worthynesse accordyng to the workes that we haue done what hope were then or what man should bee saued But now he loueth both mercy and Iudgement that is matchyng mercy equall with him selfe to beare chief rule in the regall seate of Iudgement and so bryngeth forth euery man to Iudgement That is to say if Gods Iudgement should proceéde of it selfe precisely and exactly requityng euery of vs accordyng to the deseruynges of our deédes that we haue done what hope should remayne for vs or what one person of mankynde should be saued But now God loueth mercy and Iudgement And reseruyng mercy for him selfe he hath placed her before the Royall Throne of Iustice as chief gouernesse and so citeth euery man vnto Iudgement You seé here mention made of mercy and the grace of God not that grace onely that doth engender in vs good workes but the same rather whiche doth forgeue sinnes and Sinners through the bloud of his sonne in which forgeuenesse consisteth our whole redemption accordyng to the testimonie of Paule the Apostle In whom sayth hee we obteine redemption through his bloud and remission of sinnes through the riches of his grace c. If I neéded in this matter to vse a multitude of witnesses rather thē substaūce of authority it were no hard matter for me to cite for defence of the Cause infinite testimonies out of Ambrose Ierome Gregory Bernarde others But what neéde I protract the time of the Reader in vouching a nūber whenas it is euident enough already I suppose by those sayinges spoken before that our saluation can by no meanes obteine place in Iudgement without the mercy of God and his freé Imputation The first wherof our Sinnes neéde to be couered withall the next euen our best workes shall want of necessitie Whereupon that saying of Bernarde wherof we made mention before as diuers other Sentences of his to the same effect bee very pitthye Not to sinne sayth he is the righteousnesse of God the righteousnesse of man is the freé pardon of God Of which pardon Augustine very litle differring from Bernarde maketh rehearsall in these wordes Thou hast done no good thyng sayth hee yet thy sinnes are forgeuen theé hitherto thou hearest the worke of mercy Marke now for Imputation Thy workes are examined and they are founde all faultie and forthwith concluding addeth If God should require these workes after their deseruynges he should surely condemne theé But God doth not geue theé due punishement but graunteth vndeserued mercy Thus much Augustine Euen as though hee would say Our best deédes seéme in none other respect good then as farreforth as they be vpholden by his pardon and freé Imputation who if otherwise should searche all our workes euen to the quicke after the most precise rule of his seuere Iustice hee should surely finde nothing sounde in our best deédes many things lothsome and wicked in our workes all thyngs in vs altogether corrupt and defiled Wherein we do not so aduaunce the mercy of God in his Iudgement as though we would haue all the partes of his Iustice excluded from thence But we doe mitigate rather the frettyng wounde of his Iustice which you do so stiffely mainteyne with your speache applyeng thereunto the sweéte and wholesome playster of his mercyfull Imputatiō For who cā be ignoraūt hereof that God shall Iudge the quicke and the dead with Iustice and equitie And who on the other part is so blind that can not discerne this to bee most false that Osorius mainteineth who rakyng all thynges to amplifie the estimation of pure righteousnes doth so stoutly defende this pointe That all our wordes workes are of such force and value in this Iudgement that of their owne nature they are auaylable towardes the purchase of the euerlastyng inheritaunce or els do procure vs a ready downefall to euerlastyng destruction In deede he speaketh truly in respect of the condemnation of the vnfaithful and vnbeleuyng persons and of them which beyng estraunged from fayth haue not acknowledged Christ in this world and of such as abusing their fayth haue despised Christ and of them also which seékyng to establish their own righteousnesse would not submit thē selues to the righteousnesse of Christ. Neither is it any maruell if God doe execute his Iustice somewhat more sharpely agaynst those persōs whenas their deédes beyng foūde guilty haue no ayde to pleade for them that may stand them in steéde besides Christ. For Christ is nothyng elles but a seuere Iudge to them that are not within the fortresse of Fayth as in effect the Gospell doth denounce vnto vs. Who so hath not beleued the Sonne the wrath of God dwelleth vpon him Iohn 3. But the matter goeth farre otherwise with them that are engraffed in Christ by faith of whom we read in Iohn the same Chap. He that beleueth the sonne hath euerlasting life Wherfore as Christ appeareth not a Redeémer but rather a Iudge to them which without the Castle of Fayth seéke to be rescued by the law so on the contrary part Those that shrowde them selues wholy vnder the assured Target of fayth and protection of the Sonne of God shall not finde Christ a rigorous Iudge but a mercyfull Redeémer The whiche sentence he doth verifie him selfe by his own testimony and
is well enough known what meanes he vsed for the suppressing that tēptes of Carolastadius the Suenfeldians Zuinglius in hys booke entitled Elenchus contra Catabaptistas Caluin de hereticis Bullenger of Tiguirine in hys inuectiue agaynst the sectes of our time the Basileanes against the Georgianes The Heluetianes and people of Sauoye and Lumbardie how seuere and earnest pursuers were all these in rooting out of wicked opinions how estraunged and alienated from all desire of Faccions all these I say haue geuen vnto vs notable presidēts and examples therof And to speak nothing of other Churches what hath bene done in England long sithence yea and of late also towardes the ouerthrowing and confuting of erroneous opinions Let your Portugall Marchaūt certifie you by letter your notary what soeuer he be or in what corner soeuer yee lurcke whō I suppose to be sent ouer into England not for any other purpose but to become Osor. hys spye Go to where is now the experience of Osorius by the wh he hath found out in Luther as he sayth so many sectes and diuersities of opinions But the names of Sects had neuer bene so raked vp together no nor any sound of any such should euer haue bene heard at any tyme. If abode had bene made in the Fayth of the Pope and of the Romanistes So likewise also I suppose that if weé had not bene diliuered from that Ethnick Paganisme of the old Idolatrye this Botche had neuer infected our Churches neyther had Ierusalem bene euer troubled at anye tyme vnlesse Christ had bene borne neyther had so great and so many swarmes of Heretickes flusht abroad vnlesse the Apostles had preached the Gospell why therefore are we not weltered back agayn into that puddle of Paganisme or Iewishnes hauing shaken away from our shoulders the most sincere and pure religion of Christ according to the choppe Logicke of Osorius that wee may shroud our selues safely from the company of those wilde faccious Sectes and daungerous diuisions But Osorius though fallen away at the last from his tackle of mans experience hath gathered more courage yet vnto hym takyng handfast of the Ankerholde of Christ his owne wordes for the proofe of the Popes Chayre so that nowe this Seé seémeth no more humayne or terrestryall but heauenly and Angelicall Affirming that this power is established not by the ordinaūce of man but chiefly by the very words and ordinaunce of our Lord and Sauiour Christ himselfe Surely if Osorius can perswade that to be true he shall beare the bell away But by what reason will he make it apparaunt vnto vs not with one nor with a simple and naked reason but with a double horned Argument that shall cutt like a sworde for besides the authority of holy Scriptures and the Testimonyes of all auncient antiquitie also whereof he boasteth himselfe not a litle skilfull he affirmeth that he knoweth it to be true by experience But go to it remayneth that you declare vnto vs what authoritie of the sacred Scripture that is at the length and wherein that testimony of auncient antiquitie is to be found Thou must needes attend a whiles perhappes he will tell theé hereafter gentle reader For as now because Osor. is not at leysure to tell theé let it suffice theé that the man hath spoken it and vouchsafe at this present to interprete all hys speaches to be very Oracles as sweéte as honny And this much hitherto touching the Maiesty of the Seé of Rome The next vnto this hath he placed in order the obedience that they yelde vnto Princes which I maruell if any man can reade and not laugh at so also I beleue sure that Osor. himselfe could not stay but laugh at himselfe or els doughtles he was disposed to dally with vs when he wrate these wordes so pleasauntly deuised and so cunningly coulered But we sayth he do not refuse the aucthoritie of any lawfull power Howe truely you speak herein how reuerētly you esteéme of princes how obediently you behaue your selues to the higher authoritie and how hūbly you do acknowledge it and how you refuse no commaundement of the Magistrate Weé will take a taste if it please you by the conference of faythfull Historiographers by the course affayres of experience whereof the actes monuments of Princes doe make mencion Finally by search of antiquitie it selfe whereof you make your selfe experte and well beseene And to beginne first with the Empire of Greece the lawfull succession whereof contynued from Constantine the founder thereof about 500. yeares more lesse if the Bishop of Rome at that tyme would not haue refused to be subiect to the authoritie of the higher powers why then did Hadriane and after him Leo 3. hauing rooted out the kingdome of Desiderius and the Lombardes contrary to their faith an allegiaunce presume to be so hardye as to pluck away the imperiall maiesty afterwardes from the right and true heyres vnto the whiche aswell they the Bishops thēselues as also all the Italiane Natiō had submitted and obliged them selues by othe no lesse then the Greékes and why did they at theyr owne appointemente trāslate the same frō the Greékes to the Frenche nacion And although Charles him self vnto whom the Diademe Imperiall was geuen seéme worthy to be registred amongst the most vertuous famous Princes as one that endued the Church of Rome with greatest treasures possessions and liberties Yet was not that cause sufficient wherefore the maiestie of the sacred Empyre should beé vyolated and oppressed with manifest iniuries Namely sithēs the ouerthrow of that state could not choose but draw after it wonderfull troubles rancour of hartes Which thing happened in very deéd not long after For euen by the meanes thereof chiefly it came to passe that not only the Emperours of the East West were enflamed agaynst ech other with perpetuall deadly and vnquenchable hartburning hatred and enmity but also that Greéce being left naked of those helpes became an open Road to the Turkes and Sarracens for the suppressing of whose powers and recouery of which countrey I knowe not whether the whole power of the Romanistes when they haue retched it to the vttermost will be euer able to preuayle But to admitte that this translation of the Empyre came either of the speciall prouidence of God or to attribute the same to the worthines of Carolus or the Necessitie of the tymes or to mittigate the matter with some plausible and colourable excuse Yet is not this excrable sawcines of these Romish Bishopps sufficiently accquited hereby which durst be so presumptuously arrogant at that tyme or the Popes of this present which do imagine that their authoritie which they claime from Peter may priuileadge their insolent vsurpacion ouer the kingdomes of the earth and theyr iniurious transposing them where they liste nor doth waraunt their shamelesse challenge of lineall succession in the same authoritie as deriued from Peter himselfe vnto
the Fathers and Elders which did apperteine to the well ordering and gouernmēt of outward discipline Yet euen in these was such a moderation consonauncy obserued as should nether extinguishe the glory of the Gospell nor entāgle consciences with combersome charge but serue onely for preseruation of necessarye orders For due obseruation of the which was graunted to the Church a certayne authoritye and power to dispose and determine according to the nature of places and necessitye of tymes such thinges as might seéme most agreéable and couenable for their assemblies But this authority hedged in as it were within her certein limits and boundes as was but humaine so forced it not such a necessitye of obseruance as did those other commaunded immediately from God For lyke consideration may not be taken of humaine precepts commaunded by men onely as must be had of thordinaunces of God Hereof commeth it that the breach or not performaunce of that one being done without arrogant cōtēpt or reprochful disdayn is not punishable as mortall deadly sinne In lyke maner the godly ministers of the Church were not without their due honor and authority yet such it was as exceéded not the appointed lymittes and measure For as then function ecclesiasticall was a Ministery and seruice not a Maistry or Lordshippe which consisteth in two thinges chiefly In preaching the worde and ministring the Sacraments and in directing outward discipline and ordering maners and misdemeanours In which kinde of ministery although cōmaundement be geuē to yeald due obediēce vnto the pastors yea though we heare these wordes spoken of Ministers He that heareth you heareth me Yet tend they not to this end that they may after their owne wittes and pleasures make new innouations frame new fashions of doctrine and coyne new Sacraments thrust in new worshippings and new Gods or thereby to erect a kingdome in the Church But their whole power and authoritye is restrayned to the prescript rule of the Gospell not to dispence and dispose thinges after their owne luste but to be the dispensors and disposers of the misteries of God Wherevpon in matters appertayning to Gods Lawe conscience is bound to yealde due obediēce to the pastoures according to this saying He that refuseth you refuseth me In other thinges that concerne the Tradicions of men or that haue no assurance of their creation by any principle of doctrine herein ought speciall regard to be had First to what end they are commaunded then also by what authoritye they are brought into the Church For the ordinaunces which are thrust in vnder such maner and condition as may enfeéble true confidence in the Mediator as may dispoyle cōsciences of their freédome and ouerthrowe the maiestie of gods grace or are linked together with a vayne opinion of righteousnes of worshipping of remission of sinnes of merites of Saluation or of vnauoydable necessitye Such I say ought without all respect to be hauished and abandoned as pestilent batches from the communion and congregation of the Church Consideration also must be had of the difference betwixt these thinges which the Church doth charge mens consciences withall by mans authoritye onely and the thinges which are established and proclaimed by the expresse word and commaundement of God For although the Church may of duety require a certein subiuection to the ecclesiasticall ministers as that we ought to obey the ordinaunces that are instituted for preseruation of ciuill societye and couenable decency Yet must the ministers be well aduised least vnder pretence and colour of ecclesiasticall authoritie they eyther commaund the things that are not expedient or oppresse the simple people with vnmeasurable Burdeines or thinke with them selues that the Church is tyed of neccessity to any Lawes established by men Euen so and the same that hath bene spoken of mēs Constitutions may in effect be applyed to Iudicall Courts Iudgementes For although authoritye be committed to the Church to iudge and determine of doctrines and outward misdemeanours although the resolution of doubtfull cōtrouersies the discouerie and opening of matters obscure the declaring and debatyng of matters confuse the reformation and amendement of matters amysse be left ouer to the Censure and iudgement of the Church many tymes Yet is not this ordinary authoritye so arbitrary and absolute but is also fast tyed to the direct rule of the worde So that in matters of controuersie this Authoritie came conclude commaunde nothing but that which the word of the Gospel must make warrantable Neither hath this authoritye any such prerogatiue to make any alteration of Gods Scriptures or to forge false and vntrue interpretations which may auaile to establishe an authoritye of men or of orders or to make any new articles of fayth or to bring in straunge Inuocations which are directly repugnant to the manifest authoritye of the Scriptures And therfore we creditt the Church as a Mistres and a teacher foreshewing the truth yet after an other maner altogether then as we be bound to obey the word of the Gospell preached in the Church by the mouth of Gods faythfull ministers which authoritye when they put in execution according to the authoritye of Gods word we doe beleue them yet so neuerthelesse beleue them as that our creditt is not grounded now vpon the testimonie of the Church nor vpon men but vpon the worde of God namely because their iudgemēt is agreable and consonant with the rule of the sacred scriptures and with a free confession of the Godly iudging directly accordyng to the voyce and worde of God The Church therfore hath authoritie in decyding controuersies of doctrine Yet so that it selfe must be ouerruled by the authoritie of the word Otherwise the Church hath neither authoritye nor iudgement contrary to the consonancy of the Scriptures In lyke maner in discipline and reformation of maners the Church may determine and iudge But here also consideration must be had of the differēce For the censures ecclesiasticall are of one kinde but Iudgements temporall of an other kinde For in forinsicall and temporall causes when Iudgementés are geuen although they receaue their authoritie from the word of God yet are they in force in respect of the authoritye of the Prince and the Magistrate And therefore they minister correction with punishment corporall according to the qualitye of the trespasse But the iudgements of the Church are farre vnlyke For in those maner of offences which appertayne to the ecclesiasticall Consistorye the Church hath her proper iudgements and peculiar punishments Wherewith it doth not afflict or crucifie mens bodyes notwithstandyng nor pursue vnto death but cutteth of from the congregation onely and common society of men such as doe wilfully and stubburnely sett themselues agaynst the Ministerye and such as doe harden themselues and obstinately perseuer in wickednes agaynst order and conscience and continue in errors and other notorious crimes contrary to the prescript rule of sound doctrine
wherewith they haue practized the dissipation ouerthrow vtter spoyle and consumyng of all thynges both publicke and priuate with fire and sword yea the most holy thynges of the Church Be of good cheare now I suppose this whotte flamyng Rhetoricall smoake is come almost to an end Can Osorius amplification adde yet more hereunto surely these be great matters yea very great in deéde but yet you shall heare farre more haynous For whereas emongest other kynde of liuyng creatures which nature hath formed to the destruction of mankynd some do bewitche with their eyes and lookyng on some do infect with touchyng others doe kill with their teeth and some with their tayles These Lutherās do so contriue their matters that they doe not onely poyson the bodyes the soules and the lyues of men with the contagion of their wickednesse but vpon what grounde soeuer they set footyng I doe not say they defile the same with those former small faultes but wheresoeuer they tread with their feete they leaue the same lande contamined and poysoned with many more ye more execrable abhominations And why doth he not adde this also withall that what shyppe soeuer they enter into of purpose to sayle ouer Sea they do also drowne the same shipp into the bottome of the Sea with ouer burdē of their wickednes why then clappe your handes reioyce you Osorians congratulate this yonr notable Rhethoriciā who if you haue not yet learned the arte of lying and flaunderyng haue here a notable Schoolemaister whom ye may follow And so when you haue magnified this your exquisite Maister triumphauntly enough write some Epitaphe for this wretched caytife Haddon worthy his impudencie who notwithstandyng all these horrible abhominations shamed not to stand in the defence of this new doctrine agaynst this great Doctour Osorius Moreouer that the singuler excellency of this your Maister may shyne so much the more notably Behold now not the Rhetoricke but the modesty and humanitie of the man For whereas this might haue sufficed him if at least he might haue woonne this much which we can in no wise deny to witte that our maners are not correspondent to that most exact and exquisite rule of most holy and Apostlicque Religion Which thyng these new Apostles vndērtooke to bryng to passe yet the sweete man contented of his incredible courtesie to acquite vs of this quarell doth now deale with vs after this maner not to compare vs as he might of his Pontificall authoritie doe it well enough with the Apostles nor with auncient Fathers of the primitiue Church but doth referre vs to our owne forefathers and doth require this onely at our handes that we Englishmē should frame our selues to the grauitie vertue Religion and holynes of our aūcestours and by their example become like vnto them in lyke integritie of lyfe But for as much as we can not aspire to the glory and renowme of their vertues which were also by many degrees inferiour to the Apostles how much and how farre discrepant therfore is the Institutiō of our Church in this point that it may carry any resemblaunce at all of that Apostolicke institution and discipline which discipline ought to expresse it selfe not in vayne ostentation and tauntyng but in superexcellent examples of righteousnes chastitie sinceritie Religion and charitie and a life altogether vndefiled vnreproueable conuersation and a most serious desire and endeuour of heauenly vertue You haue heard godly Reader the knittyng vppe of the conclusion of this Peroratiō fetcht out of the very entrailes of all Rhethoricke Now take an Argument of the same somewhat more compendiously knitte vppe not with floorishyng figures of Rhetoricke but framed euen in the very schoole and Arte of Logicke and comprehended in fewe wordes that it may easily appeare how to Iudge of the same more certeinly and to aunswere the matter more fittely The life of the Lutheranes as he calleth them is haynous and farre vnlike the life of the Apostles and their own auncestours Ergo The doctrine that the Lutheranes do professe in their Churches is altogether discrepant from the Doctrine and Institution of the Apostles For as much as this is the whole force and Summary conclusion of your Argument Osorius It remaineth agayne that we aunswere vnto the same And what aunswere may we frame more fitte and agreable to the matter then to deny the Argumēt For I beseéch you where did you learne this Logicke to knitte such fleéyng fruitlesse moates together or where haue you learned this Diuinitie to measure mens doctrine and profession by maners and conuersation of life When Haddon debated with you of Fayth onely and Religion it behoued you to haue aunswered the same accordyngly which if seémed in your conceipt to varry from the Institution Apostolicke in any pointes the same should haue bene layd open by you the Articles shoulde haue bene noted by some speciall marke and conuinced with Scriptures those errours should haue bene refuted with lawfull Testimonies and authorities those heresies should haue bene discouered and confuted But you omittyng that part of the controuersie which belonged to doctrine skyppe away to other matters not such as are of no importaunce but such neuerthelesse as concerne the present matter nothyng at all accordyng to the old Prouerbe which is the way to Canterbury a pocke full of plummes And this much to the Conclusion of your euillfauoured clouted Argument I come now to aunswere that part of your argument wherewith you vrge vs most namely Manners albeit the same hath bene once done already but so I would aunswere you as that I would desire you to aunswere me first simply to a few questions First whereas you Rayle so franckly agaynst the maners of our people do you know this that ye write to be true by any sure argument or knowledge of your owne but how canne you attayne vnto it being so meare a straunger and so farre seuered from vs by distaunce of place Or els haue you conceaued it to be so by some coniecture of your owne head but we take you for no Proyet Or haue you beleued it vpon some vagarant tales or reports of others but talebearers may deceaue you haue deceiued many Or did you dreame of any such happely ouercharged with some wine of Creéte But the men of Creete haue bene alwayes accounted lyers Agayne euery fond dreame is not by and by a prophecy As Basile reporteth Moreouer do you inueigh against all the Lutheranes generally or agaynst some particulerly if you meane all you speake vntruely If you speake of many tell vs when did you number thē if of some perticuler persons it standeth agaynst all reason that the offence of a few dissolute persones should be a cōmon reproch to the whole order of Mynisterie Now agayne lette vs seé what kinde of offences they be wherwith you charge vs what do you meane therfore all kindes and sortes of abhominations Osorius without any exception or those small
white garmentes least the shame of thy nakednes do appeare and annoynt thine eyes with precious oyntment that thou mayst see c. But here will some one interrupt me and say that the keyes of heauen were not geuen in vayne Neither do I gaynsay him herein But that is not the thyng that we seéke to be satisfied in at this presēt whether Christ gaue any such keyes but this is it whether the keyes were geuen to the Byshop of Rome onely For we do not defraude the Church of her right but accordyng to right we do pleade agaynst the Pope who raketh vppe vnto him selfe as matter of his proper professiō that which was geuen to the whole Church in the name of Peter excluding all other Churches ioynte commoners with him in the same By meanes whereof the Pope doth incurre a double trespasse and is to aunswere double dammage for the one wherein he entruded wrongfully vpon the right of the whole order for the other wherein he doth most filthely abuse the right vse of the keyes For if it be true first that Augustine doth protest boldly and which Thomas Aquinas doth not deny That in the person of Peter the keyes were committed to the other Apostles and to the whole Church herein surely that most horrible abuse of the Romish challenge doth bewray a notorious fraude who scraping to it selfe full prerogatiue of all power doth penne vppe within such narrow streightes all other Archbyshops and Byshopps as that it shall not be lawfull for any one to geue Pardon aboue the space of one whole yeare within his peculiar Prouince or Diocese without leaue of his Lordshypp Agayne he doth committ as great an offence in the vse of the keyes For whereas this power of bindyng and lousing wherein the whole force and efficacie of the keyes consisteth was receaued of the Preachers and Ministers of the word for none other end but to the necessary consolation and comfort of the Church nor was executed at any tyme by the Apostles but in very hard and weighty necessitie onely As if a man had dispayred of the mercy of Christ or had cōmitted some haynous and notorious offence publiquely here was their power employed either to comfort and rayse vp them that were fallen or to suppresse and bridle the insolency of such as seémed manifestly iniurious and rebellious agaynst the glory of Christ. Which kynde of Iudiciall vse of the keyes was not very commonly frequented by the Apostles nor yet applyed but in great and vrgent necessitie There was besides this at the same tyme an other more vsuall execution of the keyes and is now commonly in vse in euery well ordered Congregation For whereas the Preacher doth openly proclayme by the authoritie of the word euerlastyng lyfe to all whosoeuer truly an vnfaynedly repenting and beleéuyng in Christ Jesu what doth he els then open the kyngdome of heauen to mē as it were with a key and close it fast agayne as neéde shall require For euen as with a materiall keye as witnesseth Thomas doores be opened the barres and gynnes beyng forced backe which did forclose the passadge to them that would enter in Euen so when as by hearyng the word fayth ariseth and the blockes and barres of Sinne be turned out of the waye these keyes therfore are rightly sayd to be cōmitted to the Ministers of the Church wherewith as it were vnlockyng the lockes and vnloasing the obstacles of sinnes they do lead and conduct Sinners into heauē and open the eyes of the blind With this power was Paule also furnished by the Lord him selfe beyng sent vnto the Gentiles That thou mayest open their eyes sayth he whereby they may be cōuerted from darckenes to light and deliuered from the power of Sathan vnto God may attaine Remission of their Sinnes and their portion emongest the Saintes through fayth which is in Christ Iesu our Lord. I beseéch you Syr could Peter be sent with more authoritie in any respect vnto the Iewes thē Paule was sent vnto the Gentiles And what shall I say of the rest of the Apostles and Disciples of Christ was this a small slender authoritie wherein was committed vnto them the whole world to be taught in the word of GOD whereby also they wrought so many miracles so great signes emongest the people wherfore if these wordes byndyng and lowsing do consiste in the power of the holy Ghost in propagation of Fayth in the ministery of Reconciliation in publishyng the Gospell what aunswere will myne opposed aduersary make me here doth the Byshop of Rome onely Preach the Gospell Or is he onely endued with the power of the holy Ghost doe not other Byshops and Ministers Preach the word as well as he And from whēce then hath this notable Prelate this so notorious a fullnes Now to graunt this much to the Ministers of the Churche that the keyes are commēded to them together with the Byshop of Rome wherewith they may deteigne and release Sinnes accordyng to their power cōmited vnto them yet ought not this power be so narrowly streighted either to one Byshop onely or emparted also with other Ministers in such wise as though there were none other Remissiō of Sinnes besides in the Churche vnlesse it come by the Ministers keyes or the Popes Pardons or as though no man could make him selfe a way passable into heauē vnlesse he be admitted by this Popish Porter or his Ministers The Minister doth open in deéde Be it so Yet doth he not so open but the euery one may open also to him selfe by his owne Fayth So also doth the voyce and authoritie of the Ministers breake the bandes of Sinnes a sunder in those which do hartely repent Yet neuerthelesse this sentence remayneth alwayes vnreproueable Being iustified through fayth we haue peace with God through our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ. Again this also feare not beleue onely thou art made whole All things are possible to him that doth beleue And in an other place purifiing our hartes by fayth Moreouer we heare our Lord himselfe speaking That they may receiue Remission of their sinnes and their portion amongest the Sanctified through fayth which is in me And although it serue to great purpose in the Church to haue due consideration what and to whom release is made in Christ his name by the ministery of a faythfull Minister Yet is not the force and effectualnesse of fayth any title diminished hereby but that she may make a way passable to the throne of the Maiesty in assured confidence Neither must we thinke that the Lord gaue vnto the Ministers so large a commission of these opening Keyes as that there remayne none other meanes of attayne forgeuenesse of sinnes It may sometimes come to passe and euen so it happeneth very often that the voyce and coūcell of the Ministers must needes be inquyred as when a man is at any time ouer greéuously
before the floud which as theÌ„ were vnbeleuing liued after the fleshe For he was in Noah through the power of the holy ghost and in other good men through whose godly conuersation he did enstruct others that they might be conuerted vnto God Thus much the Glose which if cann not yet satisfy your incredulitye Lett vs heare Lyra harping vpon the very same string on this wise He did preach in spirite sayth he that is to say by the preaching of Noah when he enspired to make the Arke and to preach Repentaunce although Christes humanitye did not appeare as yet Loe here Osorius you doe heare now that the thinges were done not before Christ hadd cloathed himselfe in fleshe but before the generall floud Howbeit I am not altogether ignorauÌ„t froÌ„ whence you skraped that your illfauored toye to witt out of an other patch of a certein Gloaser who forsaking as himselfe doth confesse the glosse and the solemn aucthoritye of the Doctors not without crauing pardon of his malepert saucynes doth chopp in an exposition of his own illfauouredly botcht together farr differing from the other so that he doth interpret this Prison whereof Peter maketh mention in this place to be that Lymbus Patrum In the which Christ as he sayth descending in soule did make manifest to the auncient Fathers that the mistery of his redemption was accomplished Emongest whom sayth he were some that perished bodely in the generall floud c. But how shall this appeare to be true for whereas that Lymbus did receaue none but the godly Fathers and holy ones onely and Peter affirmeth that those to whome this preaching came were vnbeleuers how then could this Lymbus be a fitt place to chopp the vnbeleuers holy ones together But here againe will our Osorius and his glauering Gloaser iumpe with me alleadging that those sowles were vnbeleuers first but afterwardes repented and amended their lyues For on this wise wryteth he And it may be spoken probably enough That many of them which did not beleue perceauing the waters to increase more and more did then beleue and repented them of their Sinnes and so desceÌ„ded into Lymbum with the other holy ones c. But this probable coniecture is ouerthrowen cleane by the wordes of Christ himselfe They were eating and drinking sayth Christ and the floud came and destroyed all Where is that your Repentaunce then Osorius vnlesse peraduenture you fleé to this shift with your shuffling Gloaser to say that although this ouerflowing of waters came â—irst sodenly ouer the vallyes and low places yet came it not so vnawares ouer the hills but that such as dwelt on high stype places seing the ouerflowing encrease might repeÌ„t theÌ„ Which if be true then did Christ accordyng to this saying preach to those mounteyn men onely that were in prison And all the rest that were lowe Countrey men were throwen downe into hell Now I beseéch theé gentle Reader didst thou euer heare a more eloquent exposition and more worthy to be laught at howbeit to admitt this pleasurable Trifler his mery conceipt of mounteines vallyes yet this prety Mounteyne Gloser will preuayle very litle to the building vpp of Osorius Purgatory For whereas after the iudgement of that mysticall Diuinitie of your own Schoolemen there be sayd to be 4. Mansions in hell The deépest wherof is sayd to be the pitt of hell The second Lymbus a place for such as are not Baptised wherein the payne of the wante of fruition onely is assigned The third Purgatory where both the payne of the feélyng and the payne of want of fruition is susteined The 4. the Aboade of the auncient Fathers as you would say the bosome of AbrahaÌ„ In whether prison of all these 4. you shall shutt vp your mounteyn men will very litle preuayle you to proue your Purgatory by First I am sure that you will not thrust them downe into the lowest Doungeon of Deuills no more can you in Limbo of the vnchristened froÌ„ whence is no possible way to gett out agayne And if you will send them to Purgatory then your Gloser doth lye who affirmeth that they did repent in the end therfore doth reckon theÌ„ a place in the fourth roome emongest the holy ones And if this be graunted also then doth Osorius lye who hath thrust them not into Lymbum Patrum but into Purgatory by this reason Because he sayth that although they might haue repented them of their filthy and wicked lyfe at the last yet ought they neuerthelesse be kept fast lockt within the gayle of Purgatory vntill such tyme as they hadd suffered sufficient punishment according to the appointment of God Wherein if our Osorius doe say truely his Gloser doth lye as I sayd who assigneth a place for these mounteyn men after repentaunce in Lymbo emongest the holy ones But if he speake the trueth then must Osorius neédes be in an error Now whom were best for vs to beleue Osorius besides his Glosers or his Glosers agaynst Osorius I referr me herein to the Iudgement of Deuines Or if Osorius will not agreé that other Deuines shall determine vpon the matter I will set ouer the matter to this Syluaine Byshopp himselfe and his copemate Angrenc to be more curiously overlooked that in their next Invectiues vpon more deliberate aduise they may send vs word what aunswere they shall Iudge to make to these Gloses and Commentaryes I doe make hast to thother proper Reasons which are in number two th one fetc ht out of Baptisme thother out of Sacrifice for the dead I will aunswere to both What shall they doe sayth Paul which are Baptized for the dead if the dead doe not Ryse agayne These be Paules wordes in the I. to the Corinthians the 15. Chap. Wherein Osorius doth committ a doubble errour First in the very sence of the wordes and next in the knitting vp of the Argument For whereas Paul hath these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Osorius doth expound it as though this should be necessaryly spoken of them who doe receaue Baptisme in stead of them that are dead and do aunswere for their faith Whereas the meaning of the Apostle doth seéme more agreably appliable to them who in receauing Baptisme doe as it were putt on the nature and condition of dead men in profession and conuersation though they lyue otherwise after the maner of naturall liuing men And therefore as often as any man is be sprinckled with this holy founteyne he is sayd there to protest that he doth vtterly renounce and forgoe the vanities of this world as though he were not now in this world but dead vnto the world wherupon the Apostle sayth that we are Baptized for the dead he doth not say that we are Baptized in the behalfe of the dead but for dead bodyes or after the maner of dead bodyes that is to say after such an estate and condition that all which are
estimation of his speaches without yeloyng any reason or demonstration of the thynges which he vttereth in good sooth then haue you spoken enough Osorius and crackt the creditt of all the poore Lutherans vtterly as you say But if in decidyng of controuersies trueth must be tryed not with bare speéches but with substantiall matter certes either you must gett a better visor for your glorious persuation or els in my iudgement you were better hold your peace altogether You doe oppresse vs in a glorious braggery of speéch with the speéches of the Apostles and with the tradicioÌ„s of the Apostles disciples And yet out of all the Apostles writings can not any man hitherto force from you no not by violence one title so much which will auaile any ioate to the creditt of those your Assertions but will rather deface them discouer your packing Upon the neck of them you do force vpon vs also the authoritye of auncient Fathers and the generall consent of the vniuersall Church cleare from all maner of variablenes and disagreéing What a iest is this As though there were any one of those auncient Fathers euer borne as yet that euer vttered one sillable so much of purging the sinnes of the faythfull after they were once departed this lyfe or of the Popes Pardons of the Propiciatory Sacrifice of the Masse of Transubstantiation of Merite Meritorious of Merite of CoÌ„gruum and Condignum or that euer durst presume to make the Sacrifice of the Altar comparable with the Sacrifice of the Crosse or durst affirme that Christ himselfe was really in the consecrated hoast with all the dimentions and liniaments of the same body which suffred death vpon the Crosse or would euer ascribe to a pelting Priest full power to Merite and offerr Sacrifice for the quick and the dead Now if euer you haue chaunced vpon any such Doctrine in the writings of the auncient Fathers gentle Syr Byshopp why doe yoe not vouch the same boldly wherby you may seéme to haue confuted vs not with babling but with trueth and substaunce of matter But if you haue not so done as yet nor seéme euer able to doe it where is then that generall consent and agreément of the whole Church Where be these Records and Monuments of auncient Antiquitye and of all foreages Where be those inuincible Arguments Where be those irreproueable Testimonyes and vndeceiueable examples wherevpon you crake so lustely perhappes you will empart them vnto vs in your next bookes at your better leysure For hitherto as yet you haue hadd no leysure to muster that your braue guarison that you beare your selfe so stought vpon and to leade them into the fielde being otherwise surcharged with farr more weightie affaires And now to deteigne theé no longer geÌ„tle Reader thou hast heard heretofore howe this Portiugall hath powred forth his prattling Rhetorick for the vpholding of his Purgatory his Uowes his Supplications and Prayers for the safety of the dead and also of that most holy oblation of all other the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ offred for the reconcilemeÌ„t of Gods wrath and displeasure There remayneth behinde the knitting vp of all this geare Wherein purposing to make an end of his whole discourse he rusheth vpon Haddon with all the bent of his Eloquence Dare you be so bold sayth he to call this holynes of Religion this ardent endeuour of Loue this comfortable oblation offred not for vs alone but for our bretheren also wherewith we are knitt together in an euerlasting amitye to be defacinges disgracements of Religion A very haynous offeÌ„ce verily to call a Boate by the name of a Boate and a Mattock by the name of a Mattock But here was one sharde left open which must neédes be slopt vp with some brambles and Bryars Is not this foolishnes Is not this vnshamefastnes Is not this Madnes For if Osorius Eloquence were not furnished with these flashing flames surely it would be very colde But how more commendable yea how much more seémely and sittingly for his personage in my conceipt should he haue done if surceasing these outragious exclamations which preuaile not to the creditt of his cause the value of a pinne he hadd discreetly and with sober reasons debated the matter first and examined thoroughly whether Haddon hadd spoken trueth or falshood If he haue vttered the trueth then is Osorius frendly dealt withall If he haue spoken any untruethes there be scriptures there be arguments meéte and couenable Reasons wherwith Osorius might easily both defend the truth of his ReligioÌ„ and preserue it from to be impeached by others Spightfull reproching Skornefull taunting Cotqueanelyke rayling Rascallyke raging and Barbarous exclaming further not the defence of his cause If Osorius be so fully settled and so throughly wedded to his Church that no persuasion will seduce him to thinke that his Churche may straye by any meanes from the right course and that in all his Religion is no wrinkle or spott that may be amended surely he is herein very much deceaued Conferr who so list the whole face shape of the Popes ReligioÌ„ to witt his adoratioÌ„ his SacrameÌ„ts his Masses his breadworshipp his Imageworshipp his Sacrifices his ApplicatioÌ„ his TransubstantiatioÌ„ his Releasing of sinnes his Merits his Ceremonyes his Pardons sixe hundreth lyke papisticall truÌ„peries with the pure cleare founteines of the sacred Scriptures with the Institution Euangelicall and the expresse rule of the doctrine Apostolique and he shall easily perceaue that Haddon did vse an ouer myld maner of speéch wheÌ„ he called theÌ„ disgracements Some other man perhappes would haue blazed abroad these dreggs with some grosser tearmes Truely if the Apostle Paul hadd heard these profound opinions and these deépe deuises of the Romish Religion and hadd seéne their decrees their Cannons their Clogges of Ceremonies snares of consciences I he liued now and beheld these obseruations of dayes Monethes times these vowes and restraintes of meÌ„ forbidding Marriage denying the lawfull vse of meates which are now dayly frequented in the Church would any man dought whether he would call these disgracements of Religion or the Doctrines of Deuils rather But because we haue spoken hereof sufficiently before It shall be lesse neédefull to take this dounghill abroad any more But Osorius goeth forward and because HaddoÌ„ shall not escape sâ—â—tfreé for naming his pontificall pilfe to be disgracements of Religion Osorius acquiteth him with the like beadroll of the Lutherans corruptions in a long raggemarow of wordes that so comparing both partes one with an other to witt Luthers nakednes and beggery with the maiestie glory of the Catholickes he may make them to grow into the greater obloquy and hatred It remaineth therefore that we geue eare a whiles vnto the gallaunt brauery and loftines of Osorius Eloquence To abaÌ„don dutifull obedieÌ„ce to the Magistrate to disturbe the auncient ordinaunces of the Church to defyle the virginitie of sacred Nunnes
SathaÌ„s Deuilles Treasons false Prophets Coyners of a new Gospel subuertours of vertue Enemies of theyr countrey and of ReligioÌ„ Churchrobbers most abhominable the destruction and pestilent CoÌ„tagion of the whole world and what not But if this outragious licentiousnes of your unmoderate wilfuâ—lnes might haue bene satisfied with threé or foure tauntes and slaunderous reproches it might haue bene pardonable as seémyng some escape issuing somewhat vnaduisedly rather in some heate of disputation then of any naturall greédynesse of curssed speaking Now what is your whole aunswere els almost then a continuall processe and an vncessaunt course of cursed raylyng You begynn with cauillyng you proceéde with slaunderyng and end with rayling Neuerthelesse after all these tragicall outragies wherewith you haue prouoked both the wrath of the Lord and teazed all godly personages agaynst you so insolently you do now at the length challenge other men to keépe modesty If any man saye you do write agaynst me if he will argue with reason with Argumentes or with Testimonyes I will not refuse the Challenge c. And herewithall in the meane space is enterlaâ—ed a place of S. Paule Whereby we be taught to eschew the company of endurate heretyques after once or twise admonition forasmuch as they be condemned by theyr owne iudgement Which Rule of the Apostle if must be obserued duely as it ought to be surely there is nothing of more force to maintaine our departure fromout your papisticall Seé For if we be commauÌ„ded by the authority of the Apostle to auoyde the company of such as being once or twise warned will not be conuerted from theyr waywarde obstinacye in error what fellowshipp and partaking ought we to haue with such a conuenticle which being polluted with so many more then hereticall errors which being so bastardly estraunged and defiled with so heathenish Idolatry with such absurde Traditions and so manifest blasphemies doth not onely couple with this filthye stenche of Deuelish doctrine sciffenecked and obstinate supportauÌ„ce but also adde thereunto a more then Pharisaicall and Tyrannicall persecution Wherefore in that you thinke it best to passe ouer and eschew our society from henceforth therein follow your owne affection Osorius a gods name But whereas you geue vs full skoape to frett fume exclayme as much as we lyste truely we are not so mynded nor affectioned to rush so rudely into other mens interest as to seéke to disfrauÌ„chise you of your froward malapert sawcinesse whiche by the law of Armes you haue so valiantlye wonne in the field And therefore you shall freély and without impeachment continew still your possession as in your owne proper Title From the which we do so much the rather disclayme because in this kinde of faculty you doe excell and are Mayster of the Craft But lett vs heare this most milde Byshopp reasoning with this vnquiet Haddon I did neuer prouoke you say you by word or writing beyng a maÌ„ that I neuer knew Myne Epistle which you doe infame with slauÌ„derous railyng is cleare from all vnseemely speeches vnlesse perhappes you will say that a most iust quarrell and a true discouery of Errors and wickednesse is a kinde of reproche c. First I will say somewhat touching your Epistle and of Haddon shall be spoken afterwardes Now therefore were your wittes distempered with wyne when you wrate this Epistle haue you forgotteÌ„ now what you wrate then If your Epistle haue not one reprochefull word I beseéche you what name shall we geue to these wordes wherewith you rage not onely agaynst Luther as though he were a dissolute persoÌ„ a common Barretor and manqueller but withall agaynst all the congregation of those which professe the true Gospell of Christ agaynst whom you be carried with more then a Carterly kinde of rayling with foule mouth and most slaunderous Tauntes As men that raging in maddnesse doe rend in sunder all established orders of law and Religion Pag. 14. who with their frantyque preaching and bookes do exile all shamefastnes do put honesty to slight do treade vnder foote all lawes positiue and politique do proclayme hauocke of sinning defile Temples skorne holynes do support vnshamefastnesse do supplaÌ„t all ChristiaÌ„ society with most horrible fierbraÌ„des of discord Pag. 15. all whose enterprises tend to none other end then that spoyling Princes of theyr liues they may conspyre with full consentes agaynst the vtter rooting out of theyr dignityes and honours some of whom they haue raught hence already by poyson and some others they doe practise to destroy with the sword Pag. 16. Finally he calleth them false Prophetts Pag. 34. Who wheresoeuer they sett foote on ground of purpose to enforce theyr Gospell vpon the ignorauÌ„t they are so farr of from Reformation of maners that they doe defile all thinges with muche more stench then they found it who do abandone ciuility geue skoape for couetousnesse to raunge riotously and renouncing all feare of God graunt free libertye to doe all maner mischieues without coÌ„trollement in such shamelesse carelessenesse that they seeme to wish nothing rather theÌ„ to see vtter confusion of all thinges Pag. 30. Who be not onelye of themselues estraunged from all honesty but accompt it yea and ratify it for matter as haynous also as hygh TreasoÌ„ if any man dare be so bolde to vow perpetuall Chastity for Religion sake Pag. 22. Who also do affirme that it is wicked to be sorrowfull for sinne Pag. 27. And do say that sorrowfull teares do emport a weakenesse waÌ„t of fayth pag. 26. And this much of the professors of the gospell Now let vs heare his blasphemous tongue touching the Gospell it selfe the doctrine thereof which he doth call by the name of a Secte For these be his wordes Beleeue me gracious Queene sayth he this secte which for our sinnes hath inuaded many partes of Christendome is the ruine of CoÌ„moÌ„weales the Canker of Ciuilitie the dissipation of the Realme and the small destruction of princely renowme Pag. 17. And in an other place making meÌ„cion of the same Gospell he doth exclame on this wise O Gospell full of conspiracye and false dissimulation for it promiseth lardge good thinges and procureth present infection it maketh a fayre countenaunce of hope of Freedome and it cloggeth with yoakes of intollerable bondage it doth persuade with glauering allurements of present felicity afterwardes it drowneth the soule in deepe doungeon of dispayre it preacheth a direct way vnto heauen and them that trust vpon assuraunce thereof it doth throw downe headlong into hell Page 32. And agayne proceading in the same Epistle doth geue this iudgemeÌ„t of the doctrine of the Gospellers that he affirmeth it to be wholy patcht together of the craftes and subtiltyes of SathaÌ„ Pag. 35. I haue now rehearsed your owne wordes Osorius if at least they be your owne wordes and not some other guest of yours not all of the best which how farre doe differ from reprochefull and slaunderous raylyng in your eye I
EuaÌ„g lib. 1. cap. 6. Chrisost. to the Heb. Homil. 17. Eusebius demonst lib. cap. 10. Nazianzen Iustinus Martyr in Dialo cum Triphone Augustine contra aduers leg prophe August in lib. quest 61. August coÌ„tra Faust. 20. cap. 21. A comparison betwixt the passeouer and Christ. An Argument out of the Trident Councell Aunswere Aug. de ciuitat dei lib. 10. cap. 5 By what reasoÌ„ Melchizedech did represeÌ„t the Type of Christ. Melchizedech is denyed to offer bread wine for a Sacrifice A comparisoÌ„ betwixt Melchizedech and Christ. No lykenes betwixt the Sacrifice of the Masse and Melchizedech Melchizedech a king and a Priest The place of Melchizedech his offring is expounded Gene. 14. Iosephus libro 1. Antiquitat Cap. 10. The TrydeÌ„tine Councell Sess. 6. Can. 3. Aunswere Luk. 22. 1. Cor. 11. Tetullia in Apologetico ArgumeÌ„tes of the aduersaries by witnesses and coÌ„sent of Doctours Obiection out of Cyprian Lib. 2 Aunswere to CypriaÌ„s wordes August against Crescentius Heb. 11. Cyprian in the same Epistle In the 2. booke the 3. Epistle An Obiect out of Ierom out of hys Epistle written to Marcellus Aunswere An Allegoricall Argument doth conclude no truth The Obiection out of Augustine quest vete no. Testa quest 109. AuÌ„swere to the Obiection An obiection out of Hesychi writing vpoÌ„ Leuiti lib. 1 cap. 4. Aunswere out of August in the 23. Epistle Out of the Maister of the Sentences 4. book 12 distinct Glossa CoÌ„ment de Consecrat Distinct. 2. Semel An Obiection out of Iren. Lib. 4. Cap. 32. An Aunswere to the place of Irene The Sacrifice of the Masse expiatory and propitiatory Tridenti Councell Sess. 6. cap. 3. Out of Steuen Gardiner and other Irenaeus lib. 4. Cap. 32. Irenaeus Cap. 33. Ambrose treating vpon virgins Chrisost. in psal 95. Chrisost. in psal 26. August de tempore ser. 125. The second counsell of Nyce Euseb. demonst lib. 1. cap. 10. Cyrill us ad Reginas Cyrill agaynst Iulian lib. 10. The Eucharist doth not forgeue sinnes but doth represeÌ„t the memory of a true forgeuenesse Sinod Trident sessi 6. cant 3. Out of the Canon of the Masse Osort pag. 199. 202. 204. The Apostles ordinaunces Authoritie of Fathers Osor. pag. 209. Disgracementes of Religion 1. Tim. 4. Osori pag. 203. Osorius pag. 203. August coÌ„tra lib. 2. cap. 14. August in the same place The Authoritie of the Pope is denyed to be lawfull The kyngdome of Antichrist The cauillatioÌ„ of Osori of the Memory of vertue abolished A cauillation of Razyng of Church Chrisost. ad Rom. 23. Gregor Epist 64. lib. 3. Aug. contralite petilia lib. 2. cap. 33. Of Reliques The Maunger wherein Christ was layde The foreskin of Christ. The Altar whereupon Christ was Circumcised The swathling cloutes and Cradel of Christ. The Piller where vnto Christ did leane when he disputed in the temple Water pots The Shoes The Reliques of Christes bloud The Tables whereas Christ made his last supper The bread of the supper The knife that stucke the pascall Lambe The Cupp The platter The towell wherewith Christ did wash his disciples feete Broken bread The Reliques of the Crosse. The Title of the Crosse. The Nayles of the Crosse. The Speare head The crown of Thornes Christes coate without a seame The Vernycle of Veronica Christ wynding sheete The Reede The SpoÌ„ge The xxx pence The Grieces in Pilats Iudgement hall The Crosse which appeared to Constantine in the ayre The fotestepps of Christ vpon the earth Our Ladies heare Our Ladies Milke Our Ladies smocke Our Ladies kerchiefe Our Ladies kirtell Our Ladies girdle Her slipper Her Shoe Her Coambes The wedding Ring of our hady Iosephes hose and his boanes Monstruous pictures Images Out of Alanus Copus in his Dialogues The dagger the buckler of Michaell The feathers of the holy ghost The Coales of S. Laurence The Reliques of Iohn Baptiste Diuers scrappes of Iohn Baptistes head in sondry places His Iawes A peece of his eare The whole headd of Saint Iohn at Rome His Arme. His Finger His Ashes His shoe His heary shyrt His Altar A lynnen Cloath The sword that behedded him The bodies of Peter Paule Peters law Peters brayne Peters slâ—pper Peters Chayre and his massing vestmentes Peters sword The staffe wherewith he walked The blocke whereupon he was beheaded Sixe bodies of the Apostles The cupp of S. Iohn Anne the Mother of our Lady Three bodyes of Lazarus Mary Magdalen hath two bodyes S. Longius the blinde knight with his speare Three kings of Colleine S. Denis two bodies S. Stephens body His headd His bones The Stones wherewith he was Stoned to death S. Laurenceâ— body His Arme. His gredierne S. Laurence Coales His coate with long sleeues The bodies of Geruase and Protaâ—us S. Sebastian multiplied into iiij bodyes Petronilla the daughter of Peter S. Susans two bodies S. Helene Vrsula and the eleuen thousand Virgines Two bodies of Hyllary Two bodies of Honoratus Gyles Simphorianes many bodyes S. Lupus S. Ferreol The boanes of AbrahaÌ„ Isaac and Iacob August in in his book de opere MonachoruÌ„ cap. 28. Osor. pag. 204. Osor. pag. 204. Osor. pag. 205. Osorius pag. 206. Aristotel Hippodamus Milesius The principles and chiefe groundes of the Popish doctrine The cause of the first bâ—ildinges of Abbyes in England Ethelbert King of Kent Ealbalde sonne of Ethelbert Anno. 618. Ethelrede kyng of Mercia Anno. 681. Berthewalde For what cause Monasteryes were â—rected at the first Out of the Cronicle of Osberne vpon the lyfe of Dun stane and out of Malmes b. Roger HouedeÌ„ and others King Edgar Osori pag. 208. Osor. pag. 208. Osori doth exclude Princes froÌ„ Ecclesiasticall gouernement Chrisost. vpon the 13. to the Romaines Osor. pag. 208. Osor. pag. 209. How pernitious the obedience of the pope hath alwayes bene to ChristiaÌ„ Princes In the yere of our Lord 1404. To much lenitie of Princes towardes the Pope Tim. 5. Constantinus Theodosius Lndouicus Pius Ambrose did enstruct Theodosius the Emperor Rom. 3. It apperteineth to the Ciuill Magistrate to gouerne ecclesiasticall causes The Triper tite history 1. booke cap. 5. Socrates lib. 1. cap. 5. Socrates lib. 5. cap. 10. Action 2. Iustinian in cap. de Episcop Cleâ—isis Ierome Augustine Chrisostome Paule the Apostle Actes Cap. Osori pag. 209. Grego lib. 11. Epist 8. 2. quest 5. Out of the auncient recordes and Hystoryes of England AEsopes Crow Osori pag. 209. Osori pag. 209. Osor. pag. 210. Osor. pag. 211. The booke of Wisedome the first chap. Ex plutarcho de vitis The cruelty of the Portingalles agaynst Gardiner an Englishe man â—x Abbat vspergens Ex staurastico IohaÌ„ Francisci Pici Mirandule Apocal. 19. Osori pag. 211. The doctrine of the Gospell is not now first sprong vpp but is renewed froÌ„ out loÌ„g darkenes in to a more freedome of lightsomnesse Apoc. 11. The auÌ„cieÌ„t witnesses professours of the Gospell Rob. Grostred Byâ—h of Lyncolne The Gospell of Christ as it is true so is it not