altogeather vnknowne and latent so as further we acknowledge that for the space of many hundred years the Papacy (l) D. Field in his book of the Church l. â— c. 6. sayth The Church when Luther began was that apparent Church wherein Luther the rest wer baptized â—eceaued their Christianity ordination and power of Ministry osiander â—pâ—som â—ent 16. p. 1073. Ecclesia quae sub Papaâ—u fuit â—obuit ministerium Euangelij sacra biblia Baptismum Coenam Domini c. And Luther in loc comm class 1. sayth In medijs furoribus c. Euen in the middest of the furours of the Dragon and the Lyon there did remaine Baptisme the Eucharist the power of the Keyes holy Scripture c. Thus Luther alone enioyed the safe keeping of the Scriptures and an auaylable administration of the Sacraments Now heere I would demand of our Inuisibilists how these two assertions can stand togeather to wit the Pope is Antichrist the Pope so being preserued for so many ages the Scripturer incorrupted and administrated the Sacraments profitably Which if they can then can Israell be found in Babylon and participation be betweene Christ Belial then must Antichrist only preserue the means for the descryall of Antichrist and he who is falshood it selfe be by our owne inference columna firmamentum veritatis Then can heauenly musickâ— for at least in part the Pope expounded the Scriptures truly proceed from the Dragons voyce and medicinable phisicke be drunke out of that cup which shall inebriate the Kings of earth then must our soules saluation for without the vse of the Sacraments it cannot be obtayned be wrought by our soules chiefest enemy and Heauen be purchased by the mediation of the Man (m) 2. Thess vbi supra of sinne and sonne of pocalyps thus is Antichrist become Christs setuantes best supporter keep safe those records wherby those many hundred thousandes (n) Apocalyp 14. of Christs Virgins make their clayme to the inestimable reward allotted for their vowed chastity As easily may we belieue that the Arke and the Idol Dagon could be placed togeather or dreame with Copernicus that the heauens stand still and the earth moues Neither wil that extrauagant answere giuen by some of (o) Doctor VVhitak lide Eccles p 165. so sayth And Beza epist Theo. ep 1. Voluiâ— Deus in papatu seruare Ecclesiam et fi papatus noÌ„ est Ecciesia vs when we are demanded to reconeyle these points auayle vs at all The Church was in the Papacy the Papacy was in the Church and yet the Papacy was not the Church O Delphick and Aenigmatical or other childish idle and false since if we belieue S. Augustine Nihil prodest esse in Ecclesia nisi sis cum Ecclesia Lastly diuers of vs Protestants I do not say all do implye in our writings that a man may haue â—â—luation in any religion so he hould the fundamentall points of the Trinity the Incarnation that Christ suffered for vs c. This is euident from the testimonyes of such of our Protestant Brethren as acknowledge the Lutherans who dissent from them in the doctrine of the Reall presence and the Puriâ—â—ns differing also from them in seuerall articles of fayth for members of the Church Yea our Brother M. D. (p) In his treatise of the kingdoÌ„ of Israel and the Church p. 94. Morton I infinitly meruaile he would euer suffer such wordes to fall from his pen teacheth that the very Arians may be saued for â—â—us he writeth The Churches of the AriaÌ„s are to be accounted the Church of God because they hould the foundation of the Ghospell which is fayth in Iesus Christ the son of God Sauiour of the world where by the way I note that it is strange he should be so seuere towardes Catholiks if reports be true being so indulgent to the very Arians To this sentence D. (q) In his answere to a counterfeite Catholikâ— p â—9 Fulk seemeth well to agree saying The true Church vnder the Emperours Constantine Constans and Valens was greatly infected with the heresyes of Arius Thus in his iudgements an Arian is a member of the true Church and consequently in state of saluation But our foresayd D. (r) Vbisupra p. 91. Morton comprehendeth al sects and heresyes whatsoeuer within the compasse of Gods Church and consequently of saluation if so they belieue in Christ for thus he writeth Wheresoeuer a company of men do ioyntly and publikely by worshipping the true God in Christ professe the substance of Christian Religion which is fayth in Iesus Christ the son of God and Sauiour of the world there is a true Church notwithstanding any corruption whatsoeuer Where we are to note the last wordes notwithstanding any corruption whatsoeuer Good God! how different is this man as heereafter I will show from the iudgment of the ancient Fathers and practise of the Primitiue Church But to proceed this most pernicious yet plausible doctrine being the Prodromus and forerunner of Libertinisme originally springeth from the Priuate Spirit since this spirit giueth reynes to euery Man to beleiue what it selfe best suggesteth But since the Canker heereof is secretly spred into the harts of many men at this day I will therfore rest the longer in discouering the absurdity and falshood thereof by stirring a litle the earth about the roote of it it being indeed a fayth coÌ„sisting in a wast of fayth and a Religion resting in the denyall of the necessity of any one Religion And first it is certaine that without fayth a Man caÌ„not be saued sine (s) Hebr. 11. fide impossibile est placere Deo And again qui (t) Marc. 16. non crediderit condemnabitur Withall it is as certaine that this fayth according to that (u) Ephes 4. vna fides vnum baptisma ought to be One True and Supernatural for if it be not One and True it saueth not Man but seduceth him since Truth is One and Errour various and multiplicious Now heere I vrge that one fayth cannot be in seuerall Sects seeing these Sectes teach poynts not only in themselues disparate and different but contradictory and meerly repugnant Furthermore that that fayth which saueth man must be entyre and true in all poynts is confirmed by other two irrefragable Reasons The first altogether insisted vpon by S. Thomas (x) â—n â— distinct 23. 22 q. 5. art 5. and all cheife Schoolemen is this True Christian fayth as being a supernaturall and infused Vertue hath a necessary reference to two thinges the first is that which Deuynes heere call Prima Veritas reuelans which is God reuealing all truths of fayth to the Church the second the authority of the Church which God heere vseth as a meanes by the which he propouÌ„deth the said truths to be beleiued So as no true supernaturall fayth can be produced but where these two concurre The first of these is called by the Deuines Obiectum formale of fayth
the second Amussis Regula or the Propounder of the articles of fayth Now from hence it proceedeth that whosoeuer denyeth any one Truth propounded by the Church to whom God reuealeth it doth not beleiue any other Article with a true fayth Since the authority of the Church doth indifferently and alyke propound all Articles to be beleiued Therefore who beleiueth the Article of the Trinity or the Resurrection of the body through the Authority of the Church propounding them to be beleiued will also beleiue Freewill Prayer to Saints c. and any other poynt seeing these are no lesse propounded by the Church to be beleiued as reuealed by God then the former are Thus it is euident that who beleiueth one article of true Christian fayth and beleiueth not another this Man beleiueth not any one article by reason of the authority of Gods Church and consequently hath no true supernaturall fayth at all which is auaileable to Saluation but beleiueth it in regard only of the probability of the point in his Iudgment and thus it is not Beleife but Opinion only in such a Man For seeing the same credit and affiance is euer to be giuen in all things to the same authority whosoeuer doth not beleiue the said authority in any one poynt doth not as is said beleiue it in any other from whence it followeth that the authority of God his Church is equally contemned in the denyall of the smallest articles as of praying to Saints Purgatory c. as in the greatest articles of the Trinity Incarnation or any other sublime and high mystery The second Reason It is peculiar to Vertues Theologicall and Infused to be obliterated and extinguished by one only contrary Act. Thus for example one mortall Sinne wholy taketh away Charity and Grace One act of desperation the vertue of Hope the same may be exemplifyed in the vertues of PeÌ„nance Religion and others Now heere by the same reason I inferre that one Heresy I meane an obstinate maÌ„tayning of any one errour in fayth how small soeuer against the authority of Gods Church depriueth a man of true fayth which as other Vertues aboue are is supernaturall theologicall and infused In this next place we will see how the iudgments of auncient Fathers do approue the former doctryne Two or three for instance shall serue And first that light of the Latin Church I meane S. Augustine (y) Lib. 18. de ciuil Dei c. 91. doth thus pensill forth an Heretyke Qui in Ecclesia Christi aliquid prauuns sapiunt si correpti vt sanum rectumque sapiant resistant contu naciter Haeretici fiunt foras exeuntes habentur in exercentibus Haereticis That is Who beleiueth any wronge or false thing in the Church of God and being admonished to beleiue the truth do resist contumaciously they become Heretyks and departing out of the Church they are reputed for open and willfull Heretyks S. Ambrose thus answerably wryteth (z0 Lib. â— in Luc. 〈◊〉 9. Negat ChristuÌ„ qui non omnia quae Christi sunt coÌ„fitetur he denyeth Christ who beleiueth not all poynts or articles concerning Christ. Thus who denyeth Lymbus Patrum denieth that Christ descended therinto and consequenly he denyeth Christ Finally S. Gregory (a) Orat. â—7 Nazianzene thus elegantly conspireth heerto Vnum vnicohaeret ex ijs quaedam verè aurea salutaris fit catena ideo si vel vnum dogma auferatur aut reddatur incertum tota catena disrumpetur That is One Article of fayth is so cohering with another that of them all there is made a goalden and healthfull chayne of fayth so as if but one article be taken away or made but doubtfull the whole chayne becommeth broken See the lyke agreeing testimonyes in (b) Apud Theod. l. 4. hist. c. 19. Basil (c) Lib. â— Apolog. contr Ruf. Ierome (d) Lib. 1. epist 6. ad Magnum Cyprian and (e) In Sym. Athanasius The auncient Fathers mynd in this poynt is manifested besydes by their particular Sentences from the practize of the Primitiue Church against Heretikes I meane from the perusall of the Catalogues of heeresyes written by them as is euident out of the Catalogues of heresyes and other such wrytings composed by Irenaeus Hierome Epiphanius Augustine Theodoret Philastrius and others in all which we shall find diuers condemned and branded for expresse Heretickes for their willfull maintayning in our iudgments but small errours though otherwise they belieued al the chiefe points of Christian fayth as the Trinity the Incarnation and the like For proofe wherof I will heere alleadg the wordes of S. Austine against the Pelagians whom he absolutly resolutly condemneth for Heretikes for their belieuing that man could keep the law of God only by force of nature without the force of Gods grace His words are these Nec (f) Epist 120. c. 37. tales sunt Pelagiani c. Neither are the Pelagians such men as thou shouldest easily contemne them for they liue continently are laudable in good works they beleiue not in a false Christ as the Manichees do c. yet because they are ignorant of the iustice of God endeauouring to make it their owne they are Heretyks and cast out of the Church And thus far for a touch of the practize of the ancient Church and the Fathers lyke conspyring testimonyes heerein where I may remit the Reader to what hath beene aboue alleadged touching the condeminatioÌ„ by the Primitiue Fathers of our Protestant doctrynes Which auncient Fathers as being learned and vertuous neither would nor durst register any for Heretyks but those who by the whole Church of God were reputed for Heretyks as afore I haue â—â—ted which point is made more euident in that we do not fynd any one of the said Fathers among so many to be contradicted by any other orthodoxall Father for such his proceeding But to leaue humane authority and to come to diuyne if we looke into Gods sacred Word it is cleare that who maintayneth any one Heresy the same hath no more true hope of his saluation then a Heathen or a Publican for we fynd our Sauiour to vse this commination Qui (g) Matt. 18. Ecclesiam non audiâ—â—it c. He that will not heare the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen or Publican Where we may obserue that Christ said not Who will not heare the Church in all things but absolutely pronounced Who will not heare the Church If then a Sectary or Heretyke will not heare the authority of the Church proposing such and such poynts for example of Freewill Indulgences Prayer for the dead c. to be beleiued how shall he escape the Anathema heere threatned And though these wordes immediatly be intended of fraternall correction yet à fortiori they are to be vnderstood of him who reiects the authority of the Church in matters of fayth Since this mans conteÌ„pt towards the Church is farre greater lesse pardonable For who refusetâ— to
Duraeum pag. 480. with the first instituting of the fast of Lent being in his tyme negligently obserued the doctryne of which fast was so auncient that (m) Exam Coucil Trid part â— pag. 89. Kemnitius thus writeth heerof Ambrose Maximus Taurinensis Theophilus Ierome and others do affirme the fast of Lent to be an Apostolicall Tradition Now the Collusion heere vsed in these examples resteth in a willfull confounding of the first Institution of a thing with a renouation of the practise of the said thing Againe we sometymes obiect thereby to intimate an vncertainty of Catholike Religion some canon or sentence decreed afore by a lawfull Councell and true Pope and after impugned by another lawfull Councell and true Pope But this then which the vulgar doth not obserue doth concerne not matter of fayth and doctrine which neuer fuffereth any alteration by Popes or Councells but only matter of fact the sentence whereof though afore giuen may without any impeachment of the Churches authority vpon better and later information be altered Such were the alterable decrees of the Popes Formosus and Stephanus the seauenth in their seuerall Councells grounded principally vpon matter of fact vsually obiected by vs against our Aduersaryes of which point see Sigebert in his Chronicle Whereas our Aduersaryes as aboue is deliuered show that many of our Protestant doctrines were condemned for heresyes by Augustine Hierem Epiphanius others in those primitiue tymes Now we by way of recrimination do confidently auouch the same of diuers Catholike articles to wit that euen in those dayes they were condemned for heresyes by the sayd Fathers but how truely we auerre this good Reader obserue and if thou be a Protestant blush in thy brethrens behalfe Two examples shall serue for many Well then D. (o) In his Chalenge concerning the Roman Church p. 113. Sutcliffe and D. (p) In his answere to a counterfeit Cath. pag. 22. Fulke insimulate the Catholikes with the heresy of the Collyridans who according to Epiphanius were condemned as these men say for worshipping the Virgin Mary But let (q) Haeres 79. Epiphanius heere explaine himselfe his wordes are these Hi qui hoc docent qui sunt prae terquam mulieres Who teach this except they be women So as this fect consisted only of women of whome Epiphanius thus further writeth Sellam (r) Vbi supra quadratam ornantes panem proponunt offerunt in nomine Mariae c. that is These women adorning a square table do set bread thereupon and offer it in the name of Mary Thus their errour consisted in instituting a feminin Priesthood in sacrifying to Mary belieuing her to be a God And thereupon Epiphanius in the very same place thus censureth heerof Deo ab aeterâ—o nullatenus Mulier sacrificauit c. And againe Neq Deus est Maria c. nemo in nomine eius offerat How farre distant are the Catholikes from mantayning this Heresy either in their doctrine or practise Againe for a second example D. (s) In his answere to a Counterfeit Catâ— pag. 22. Fulke thus speaketh to the Catholikes Of the Heretikes Caiani you haue learned to calvpoÌ„ the Angels he alleadging Epiphanius for the same But Epiphanius wordes are these farre different from D. Fulkes application Non (t) Haeres 38. posse aiunt aliquos saluari nisi c. The heretiks Caiani taught none could be saued till they had gone through all sinnes and committing thereupon wicked thinges and actions they called vpon the name of such as were true Angells and of such as were by them vntruly tearmed Angells referrin to this Angell and that Angell proprian actionem their peculiar action saying when they committed their wickednes O tu Angele vtor tuo opere O Angell I now vse or execute thy worke c. Thus their errour consisted not in calling vpon the Angells but in calling both vpon true false Angells as making them Patrons of their wicked actions Would any man thinke we should wrong our owne reputation and honours in vsing these willfull and iniustifyable misapplications and forgeryes against the Catholikes We are scholars and should remember that as learning beautifyeth the mind so candor and integrity learning And therfore it is strange to see D. Willet in his Tetrastyson Papiseni D. Fulke and D. Sutcliffe in their afore alleadged bookes thus to bloâ— paper in labouring by these and other such like detortions of the Fathers words to perswade their Readers that many articles of Catholike Religion were condemned for heresyes in those ancient tymes But to proceed to other passages of this our Scene whereby we seeke thus to bleare the iudgementes of our credulous followers The better to grace our Religion with the venerable title of Antiquity some of vs (u) D Pulk in his answere to a counterfeit Catâ— passim M VVotion in his desence of D. Perkins pag. 500. touching â—ouâ—nian are not ashamed to insist in the former old registred heretiks of the primitiue church aboue rehearsed vrging them for Protestants But what gaine we heereby For first not any one of them did hould more then two or three points of Protestancy in all others being Catholike Againe such their points of Protestancy though first broached so long since were instantly condemned by the whole Church of God And who knoweth not that erring Antiquity is no better then late appearing Innouation I heere passe ouer our alleadging for these later ages as partly aboue touched of Waldo Wicklifse Husse Polydor Virgil Nilus Cassander and the like for members of the Protestant Church of which not any one was a perfect Protestant both because euery one of them euer belieued most articles of the Catholike Church dissenting from it only in two or three as also in that diuers of them mantayned sundry grosse (x) Whereof see their owâ— books yet extant and absurd doctrines both in our and the Catholikes iudgements and this with great stifnes and pertinancy of will which pertinacy euer consummates perfects an heresy And thus by this their obstinancy contemning the authority of Gods Church they became as I may tearme them formall and positiue heretikes though heresy be but a priuation To proue that Catholikes do disagree in matters of Fayth we obiect some differences among them but such if they be well obserued doe not rest in the Conclusion it selfe of the doctrine belieued but in the manner or some other circumstance of the Conclusion or article of faith which manner except it be defy ned by the Church may be disputed of and seuerally mantained without breach of fayth Thus they all conspyre and agree in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Schoolmen speake though not in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which later point is commonly reduced and tryed by scholasticall diuinity Thus for example when Christ descended into Lymbus Patrum to deliuer the soules of the Iust from thence some few Catholiks mantaine that he descended efficacioussy
obey the Church in one poynt doth as aboue is said wholy and absolutely contemne all the authority of the Church Againe we fynd the Apostle speaking of the works of the flesh meaning those workes which are committed by wicked men without the assistaÌ„ce of the Holy Ghost thus to wryte (h) Galat. â— The works of the flesh are Adultery Fornication c. Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Debate Emulations Wrath Contentions Seditions Heresyes c. they which do such things shall not inherit the kyngdome of God where we fynd the word Heresy particulerly set down in our English Bibles though the latin word being Sectae is more remisse and therefore increaseth heere the force of our illation Now from hence I thus argue As the Apostle doth in this place pronounce sentence of condemnation against the Sinne of fornication though but once committed so also against but one sect or Heresy Since he heere maketh no mention of the plurality of tymes in committing any Sinne nor of the number of Heresyes before the workers and defendours of them can deserue damnation And thus farre of our Adiaphorists or Neutralls in fayth for I can tearme them no better who though they beleiue some articles that are true yet beleiue those truths falsly as not relying vpon the grounds of beleife to wit God reuealing and the Church propounding And indeed such men if they be punctually examined are found to beleiue nothing but their Sense at most their Iudgment So they giue credit to the matter but not to the Authour and so much euery man affoards to a discredited and blemished witnes Away then among Christians with this tepidity or cold indifferency in fayth which is of that charitable disposition forsooth as to promise that to all others I meane Saluation of which it selfe is not capable Therefore to conclude my last Arrest and sentence heerin it that indifferently to allow all Religion is to take away all Religion and that Neutralisme in fayth finally discargeth it selfe into Libertinisme in maners I will heere stay my Pen passing ouer many other Positions of like nature breathing such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and impossibilityes which we mantayne Only I say as aboue I touched that if we ballance them with the most abstruse difficultyes to be found in the Catholyke Religion yea with those in the doctryne of the Reall Presence we may conclude that those more easely may become the Obiect of our beleife and so to be beleiued then these and other such lyke exorbitant grosse and absurd Assertions or Connexions of ours Since those former only transcend Reason these manifestly impugne Reason By beleiuing the first we forbeare to be Heathens by beleiuing these other we cease to be Men Those do aduance and magnify in Man the power of God these obliterate and deface in him by giuing assent thereto the Image of God To be short those may be apprehended by the light of fayth these are euen incompatible with the light of our Vnderstanding THE VIII MOTIVE Deceites and sleights practised by Protestant VVryters I HAVE euer beene of mind that matters of Religion are to be proceeded in with a fearefull and innocent pen and that who approacheth thereto ought with (a) Exod. cap. 3. Moyses to put their shooes off their feet the place wherin they stand being holy ground that is ought to cast off al imperfections of intended calumnyes impostures and other fraudes in regard of the venerable subiect to be intreated of I would to God I could not iustly charge my owne brethren with faultines heerein so exempting them out of the number of those who to vse the Prophets phrase Dolosam (b) Ose 12. calumniam diligunt But it falleth out far otherwise to their dishonour and my griefe since if tryall be made we shall find many Babylonians to dwell in our supposed Hierusalem Our owne fraudulent deportements in this great busines of Religion great in that it concerns our soules interminable weale or woe haue much disedifyed me begetting at the first in me a staggering opinion whether that can be Truth which needeth such supporters of deceite and collusion I will exemplify in diuers And to omit our pretence of the Priuate spirit for the auoyding of all authorityes as already discouered aboue The first kind of these shall concerne the English translation of our Bibles The sleight consisteth in translating such texts as mention Traditions and merit of Workes I will heer forbeare to show how the Scripture (c) Ioan. â—ic 1. Thess 2. commandeth vs not to relye only vpon Scripture or how our men haue borrowed our fayth heerein from the old Heretikes Nestorius (d) Vt habetur in sexto Synodo act 1. and Dioscorus so as we receaue by Tradition to reiect Traditions The imposture only in translating it is wherein I now dwell Whereas then the new Testament maketh relation of good traditions and bad wicked and Iewish traditions expressing them both by one and the same greeke word to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifyeth Traditio Now our English translations in such (e) 1. Cor. 2. I pray you Brethren that you be mindfud of mâ— and as I haue deliuered vnto you you kâ—ep my OrdinaÌ„ces The lâ—ke translating of the word Ordinances is in 2. Thess 2. texts wherein are vnderstood good and profitable Traditions doe translate insteed of the word Traditions the word Ordinances But where the texts speake of wicked (f) Matth. 15 VVhy doe you transgresse the CommandmeÌ„ts of God by your Traditions and friuolous Traditions there they remember precisely to set downe in their translations the right word Traditions and not the word Ordinances or any other word in lieu of it as may be seene in these Textes quoted But this I feare was done in dislike of Apostolical traditions that so the ignorant Reader should neuer find the word tradition in Scripture in a good sense but alwayes in a bad and disallowed Though now in our last translation but not in any former for the better plaistering of the matter we put in the margent of such texts speaking of godly Traditions the word Traditions The like course we take in translaring the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying dignus in english worthy and the verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be made worthy for in those Texts (g) Luc. 21. watch at alâ—ryâ—as praying that you may be accounted worthy to stand befor the sonne of God The like iâ— done in the Greeke verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Luc. 20. 2. Thess 1. which concerne merit of workes wherein these forsayd wordes are vsed we translate them to seeme to be worthy and to seeme only to be made worthy therby to weaken such texts for the prouing of merit of Workes But in other Texts (h) O how much forer punishment shall he be worthy which tredeth vnder foot the son of God not touching the doctrine of merit we can be content to
and writinges rarell out the tyme working with such improbity of libour and toyle theâ—pyders webb which is so easily swept away Laborâ—ose nihil agunt to say with Seneca The Pope and the Church thus far proceed They declare only what bookes be Scripture or not Scripture among many Apochriphal writings and which construction of true Scripture among many suggested senses thereof is the intended meaning of the Holy Ghost Thus they neither make nor vnmake Scripture nor impose any sense vpon it which afore it had not but only declare which afore it had And thus by this meanes they assume no more to themselues then any priuate Protestant practiseth by the help of his reuealing spirit But what Must it needes be inferred that the Pope and the Church for such their proceeding seeke to be aboue the Scripture Then may it be alike concluded that the Iudge is aboue the Law since he expresseth what is Law and which is the true meaning of the Law-giuer therein All that hence may be truely deduced is this viz. That the Pope and the Church is not aboue Scripture which with all reuerence they affect but aboue the Iudgments of priuate men expounding the Scripture But heere to make an end of the Catholiks mistaken doctrines I cannot but call to mind how I was seueral tyms accustomed to charge the Priests and others of their Religion appearing before me with the defence of the former absurdityes though I confesse I did then well know what their learned men did hold therein And I do assure the Reader that the Priestes being expostulated heereof did seeme halfe amazed at these my strange demandes Yea one of the Priestes a bold and resolute man thus answered me My Lord if you demand of me and others in earnest whether these senseles positions be our do Irines it seemes you know not what the Catholik Church teacheth heerein and then it is strang his Maiesty should place you in seate of iudgment against vs to punish vs for that ReligioÌ„ your selfe not knowing the doctrine which the sayd religion teacheth An answere blunt and without respect yet not much to be disliked since it is a wronge to truth to be outfaced and depressed with calumnyes Towards the Auncient Fathers we haue seuerall peculiar deportments first we stryue to breake through their authorityes with sleighty euasions this fayling next to breake downe their authorityes by open disclayminges Thus in the former manner we proceed diuers wayes First when any place of a Father is obiected against vs we endeauour so loath we are to make an absolut departure from them if possibly it could be auoyded to interprete the Fathers words in some other sense then they are vrged by our Aduersaryes or intended by the Fathers Thus where (r) Lib. 4. de Trinit cap. 〈◊〉 4. Augustin (s) Lib. 6. desacerd Chrysostome (t) In psal 38. Ambrose (u) Lib. 6. contra Parmenianum others do teach that the Sacrament of the Excharist contayneth in it selfe a true and proper sacrifice Our Brethren in answere heereto say these Fathers meaning only to be that the prayer powred out by the faythfull at the tyme of the Communion are Spirituall Sacrifices But this is but a shadow of an answeare since the Fathers affirme literally that the body and bloud of Christ without the least intimation of any prayers being offered vp in the celebration of the Eucharist is a proper and true sacrifice Quid gratiùs offervi saith (x) V bi supra Augustine aut suscipi possit quà m carâ— sacrificij nostri corpus effectum sacerdotis nostri Next if the place of the obiected Father be so perspicuous as that it will receaue no other tincture of Interpretation then what the naturall colour of the sentence will properly beare we then labour to oppose another Father against him in the said poynt or if possibly we can the said Father aginst himselfe by vrgiâ—g some seeming contrary sentence our of him all this to disualew in the Readers eye the authority of the said Father Thus where Basill is produced in defence of TraditioÌ„s D. (y) Lib. de sacra scriptura p. 670 Whitaker answereth thereto pretending some other contrary place out of Basill saying Basilius secumpugnat After the same manner D. Whitaker (z) V bi supra pag. 6.6 auoydeth S. Augustins authority touching Traditions saying Although Augustine in this place may seeme to fauour Traditions yet in other places he defendeth earnestly the â—erfection of the Scriptures An vnworthy aspersion vpon the Fathers as if they were of that wauering irresolution in their fayth as to mantayne meere contrary doctrynes at one and the same tyme. Another sleight vsed by vs is that if the Father vrged in defence of any Catholyke poynt can be deprehended to haue maintayned any one acknoledged errour then we vsually reiect the said Fathers authority in all poynts of Catholyke Religion This chiefly taketh place in the produced testimonyes of Cyprian Tertullian and Origen euery one of them mantayning their peculiar errour This euasion is most weake except we could proue that these Fathers are condemned by the ioynt consent of other Fathers for their houlding of Catholyke doctrynes which is impossible to proue as well as they were written against by other Fathers touching their acknowledged Errours Another of our Sleights or Subtiltyes toucheth Mission and Vocation of Ministers which the Scripture teacheth to be visible according to those words of the Apostle No (a) Hebr â— 5. man taketh to him the honour of Pryesthood but he that is called of God as Aaron was which calling in the Apostles tymes was only by Imposition (b) 2. Timâ— 1. of Bishops hands Now then when we are charged by our Aduersaries in the first planting of Protestancy to want this lawfull Vocation and Mission since no man did either send vs nor from any did we receaue this Imposition of hands we to extricate and free our selues out of this Labyrinth haue excogitated out of the delicacy of our wit or rather extreme Necessity a new kynd of calling honouring it with the title of an Extraordinary and immediate calling from God Without any authority of man therein And so our first broachers of Protestancy do challeng this to themselues besydes that our doctrine of the Inuisibility of the Church potentially implyeth the same Answerably heerto Caluin thus saith Quia (c) So alleadged to say by Lasciuius a protestaÌ„t in his book de Russarâ—â—Ì„ c. religiâ—nâ— p. 2â— Papa tyrannide c. Because through the tyranny of the Pope the true order of ordination was interrupted therefore in these dayes we haue neede of a new helpe and this guyft is altogeather extraordinary Likewyse D. Fulke (d) Againest Stapleton Martiall p. 2. The Protestants that first preached these last dayes had likewyse extraordinary calling A sleight inuented to free our selues from the authority of the visible Church of God examining this our