great and horrible Persecutions of Christians in Rome and of their often Martyrings and that they remained constant notwitstanding in their Christian Faith to all mens admiration and that their number did increase daily even of the chiefest Nobility and that two worthy Senators in particular Pertinax and Tretellius had been lately converted from Paganism to profess Christ yea that the Emperour himself Marcus Aurelius then living began to be a Friend to Christians in respect of a famous Victory obtained by their Prayers all which things Baronius sheweth the Emperour's Legat in England to have told Lucius For these causes I say and for that he hated the Romans and their Old Religion to whom he understood the Christians to be contrary he resolved to be instructed in that Religion And understanding the chief Fountain thereof to be at Rome contented not himself either with Instructions he might have at home by Christians there nor yet from the Christian Bishops flourishing then in France as St. Irenaeus Photinus and others but sent men to Rome to demand Preachers of Eleutherius the Pope who directed to him two Romans named Fugatius and Damianus by whom the said King and his Countrey were converted about the year of Christ 180 as John Fox holdeth but as Baronius thinketh 183 from whom Pamelius Genebrard Nauclerus and other Chronographers do little dissent tho' Marianus Scotus doth put it in the year 177. And this Conversion of Britanny under King Lucius is testified both by the ancient Books of the Lives of the Roman Bishops attributed by some to Damasus as also by the ancient Ecclesiastical Tables and Martyrologies yet extant as Baronius proveth and by St. Bede in his History of England and after him by Ado Archbishop of Trevers and Marianus Scotus anno 177 and all Authors since 3. This then being so and John Fox the Father of Lies not â—â—â—ing openly to impugn the same yet granteth he the thing with such difficulty and strainings and telleth the story with so many hems and haws ifs and ands Interpretations and Restrictions as a man may see how greatly it grieveth him to confess the substance thereof I mean of this second Conversion by Pope Eleutherius and therefore he turneth himself hither and thither now granting now denying now doubting now equivocating as is both ridiculous and shameful to behold For as on the one side he would gladly deny the Truth of this Story so on the other side being press'd with the Authorities before alledged and general consent of all Writers he dareth not to utter himself plainly but endeavoureth to leave the Reader in suspence and doubtful whether it were true or no which is the effect most desired commonly of Heretical Writers to bring all things in doubt and question and there to leave the Reader And to this purpose doth the Fox tell us first That divers Authors of later Times do not agree about the certain year wherein this Conversion of King Lucius did happen some saying more and some saying less But what is this to the overthrow of the thing it self For that about the particular times wherein things were done there is often found no small variety among principal Writers and about principal Points and Mysteries of our Faith as about the coming of the Magi and Martyrdom of the Infants about the time of Christ's Baptism yea also of his Passion what Year and Day each of these things happened which yet doth not derogate from the certainty of the things themselves 4. And this is his first Cavil or rather light Skirmish whereby he would somewhat batter or weaken the credit of the Story before he cometh to lay the full Assault which ensueth immediately with seven double Cannons planted by him which he calleth seven good conjectural Reasons against the Tradition of Antiquity about this Conversion of Britanny from Pope Eleutherius Wherein notwithstanding you must note That he proposeth the Controversie as tho' his purpose were only to prove that Pope Eleutherius was not the first that converted England which thing as it might be granted in the sense before often touched if he spake or meant plainly so finding him to deal guilefully and to go about to prove in the end as appeareth by his Conclusion that Eleutherius converted not King Lucius at all but only helpt perhaps to convert him or to instruct him better in Religion being a Christian before I am constrained to examin briefly the Force or rather Fraud and Folly of these his seven Arguments to the end you may judge thereby how he behaveth himself in so main a Volume as his Acts and Monuments do contain seeing that in this one matter he beareth himself so fondly and maliciously And for brevities sake I will reduce the said seven Arguments to three general Heads or Kinds shewing first that all are Impertinent secondly that some besides Impertinency have also gross Ignorance thirdly that others besides these two commendations have Fraud and plain Imposture in them 5. To the first kind of Impertinent do appertain his fourth fifth and sixth Arguments handled by me before against the Magdeburgians to wit that St. Bede said in his time That the Britans celebrated Easter after the fashion of the East-Church that Petrus Cluniacensis testifieth the same in his days of some Scots and that Nicephorus saith that Simon Zelotes preached the Gospel in England All which three Arguments as they do serve to no purpose here but to shew that Fox stealeth all out of the Magdeburgians so no other Answer is needful to be made unto them than that which before hath been written seeing that all being granted that here is said yet proveth it nothing that the Faith of Britanny came not from Rome and consequently all is impertinent 6. Of the second sort both Impertinent and Ignorant Arguments are his second and third probations My second reason is saith he out of Tertullian who living near-about or rather somewhat before this Eleutherius testifieth in his Book contra Judaeos that the Gospel was dispersed abroad by the sound of Apostles in divers Countreys and then among other Kingdoms he reciteth also the parts of Britanny c. Thus you see how impertinent it is to the purpose we have in hand for that it concludeth not but that Pope Eleutherius after the Apostles time might convert King Lucius and his People publicly by Fugatius and Damianus as we affirm And then secondly it includeth notorious Error and Ignorance in that he saith Tertullian lived before Eleutherius for that it is prov'd out of Tertullian's own Works and Words especially in his Book de Pallio wherein he yieldeth the reason wherefore he changed his Habit from a Gown to a Cloak as Christians were wont to do in those days that he was converted to the Christian Faith in the tenth year of Pope Victor that was Successor to Eleutherius which was Anno Domini 196. And moreover he wrote
dived in the water that they must have Lamps lighted at their Baptism And for the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar they shew us How it was wont to be administred and sent when occasion was offered from one place to another how often it should be received and with what reverence and with what Vigils and Prayers before and how it was wont to be carried to them that lay on their Death-bed and how they were bound to confess it openly to be the true Body and Blood of Christ before they received it and what great Miracles fell out for proof and confirmation of the truth about this Real Presence These and almost infinite other points like unto these the Magdeburgians do prove at length to have been in use throughout this fourth Age by the Testimonies and Writings of the principal Doctors thereof 27. Wherefore I will leave the Reader to consider what manner of people these Lutheran Writers are who do record so many important Testimonies against themselves and having alledged them then they refute all again presently with this bare shift that they are either Jewish or Pagan Ceremonies brought in by the Fathers upon Superstition and so not to be regarded and this they think to be sufficient to refute them all As for Example talking of the Ceremony of Fasting in those days what Meats they did eat and how rigorously they abstained and how long these good fellows do write thus Jejunia observasse religiosiùs quidem seu superstitiosiùs quà m superioribus saeculis hujus aetatis Christianos Historiae testantur Histories do testifie unto us that the Christians of this Age did observe Fasting-days more religiously or rather more superstitiously than any Age before for that Human Traditions began now to be more multiplied and Epiphanius doth say that the Fast of Wednesdays and Fridays was observed at this time as a Tradition of the Apostles but we find no such thing in their Works Thus said these Germans that never perhaps fasted a day in their life nor ever abstained for Devotion-sake from any good morsel of Meat that their Lips could reach unto And so much of these men for they are not worth the spending of time to refute them Well then by these few Examples taken out of two Chapters only of the Magdeburgians about this fourth Age we see what may be gathered if we would go over all the three Centuries for these three Ages from Constantine to St. Gregory and thereby also we see the reason why Fox wrote so little of these three Ages being wholly against them 28. But now perhaps the Reader will ask how it falleth out that John Fox having dedicated a special Book to wit his second of Acts and Monuments unto these three Ages after Constantine for so is his Title how I say he could make up a distinct Book and yet say nothing of the Ecclesiastical Affairs therein contained Whereunto I answer That this is another Foxly fetch of his to promise and not perform and to do one thing for another for that despairing to have matter to his purpose out of the former three Ages as hath been shewed he slideth away slightly to another Argument which he had not promised in his Title to wit of some things fallen out in our English Church in the next 200 years after from the time of St. Augustin and King Ethelbert unto the time of King Egbert first Monarch of the English about the year of Christ 800. But for that these two Ages to wit the seventh and eighth do contain the times of our primitive English Church I think best to treat severally thereof in the next Chapter following this being sufficient to shew that in these second 300 years John Fox had as little room for his Church as in the former CHAP. IV. How matters passed in the Christian Church both abroad and at home in England during the third station of Time from Pope Gregory and Ethelbert King of Kent unto Egbert our first Monarch containing the space of two hundred years THere followeth in order the third distinction or station of Times appointed by John Fox in the beginning of his History and promised by him to be handled distinctly in the prosecution of his Work and so indeed this station ought to have been above the rest for that it containeth the time of our English primitive Church to wit the two first hundred years thereof from St. Augustin downward But as you have heard before he finding scarce any thing in these two Ages which delighted his heretical humor no not our very Conversion it self from Paganism to Christian Religion he shuffleth the same over in the end of his foresaid second Book together with the second 300 years after Christ from Constantine to Pope Gregory as before hath been shewed So as he includeth the Acts of 500 years of the most Famous and Glorious Times that ever were in the Church of God whether we respect the General and Universal Church or the Church of England in particular in a little Book of a dozen Leaves only of which dozen Leaves the least part doth concern this time whereas when he cometh down to handle the Acts and Gests of John Wickliff John Husse Hierom of Prague and other such paltry Heretics not worth the talking of he writeth whole Volumes and many hundred Leaves together but of these 200 years of our first Conversion and primitive Church Fathers Doctors and Saints thereof he writeth both very little and most contemptuously and yet wanted he not Authors to give him matter in this behalf seeing that St. Bede that lived in the first of these 200 years hath left five whole Books of the Acts and Gests thereof besides other that have ensued as Gosselinus Malmsbury Westmonasteriensis and others 2. But the truth is that John Fox seeing these times to be wholly against him and that they lay down more clearly before us if it may be than the rest especially to English-men the Truth and Evidence of the Catholic Roman Faith he had no heart nor courage to deal much therewith but sought to shuffle over in silence so much as he might conveniently and the rest to discredit by scoffs taunts corruption and falsification as after you shall see for I have thought good to make a distinct Chapter of these two Ages and thereby somewhat to let you see and behold what passed therein tho' very briefly and how John Fox doth behave himself in relating the same 3. First then if we consider the Universal Church of Christendom in these 200 years which are the 700 and 800 years of Christ there are recounted to have sitten in the Roman See Thirty-three Popes from Gregory I. to Leo III. and in the East Empire the West being decay'd before some Nineteen or Twenty Emperors reigned one after another from Mauritius to Constantine VI. and Irene his Mother in whose time Charles the Great of France was made Emperor of the
is to be Printed severally for that the bulk of these two hath grown to a sufficient bigness for one Tome or Volume only I might note to the Reader in this last Paragraph that as our Adversaries do imitate the Donatists in the Point before mentioned out of their Conference with S. Augustin and other Catholic Bishops so have they done it also hitherto in flying all equal and lawful Conference with us as the Donatists did with those old Catholics so much as lay in their power until it was imposed upon them by commandment of the Emperor at the petition of S. Augustin and the Catholic Party as the said Father doth relate in his forenamed Book written of that Conference telling us two points in particular of their dealing in that Affair which he expresseth in these words Qui causam bonam non se habere sciebant id egerunt primum ne collatio fieret aut causa ipsa ageretur sed quia hoc obtinere minimè poterant id effecerunt multiplicitate gestorum ut quod actum est non facilè legeretur The Donatists knowing they had an evil Cause endeavored first to bring to pass that the Conference should not be made nor the Cause it self be handled at all but when they could not obtain this then went they about to put down so many things in writing as they might not easily be read 33. Thus writeth St. Augustin and for this cause thought he good to set down a Sum of all that passed calling it Breviculum Collationum shewing perspicuously the infinite Cavils Frauds and Shifts of these Heretics to avoid all due trial for when after all other delays both Parties were now met together Instare caeperunt saith he ut priùs ageretur de tempore de mandato de persona de causa tunc ad negotii merita veniretur The Donatists began to make new instance after all other Cavils and Exceptions taken before that first it might be treated about the time that this Conference should endure and about the Emperor's Commandment or Edict and Clauses thereof and about the Person as well of the Judge and Assistants as the Disputers of both parts and finally of the whole cause of difference what had passed therein between them hitherto and then after all this forsooth they should come to examine the merits of the principal Business or Controversie in hand which in effect would never be for that about every one of these Points the Donatists had many Quarrels as S. Augustin sheweth and by each one thereof they sought delays and particularly whereas order had been taken that 18 Bishops of each side should suffice they would needs have all their side to be admitted and so for ostentation sake they entred saith S. Augustin with great pomp into Carthage to the number of 279 Bishops of that Sect of Donatus a pitiful sight for Catholics together with all their Train Other shifts delays and tergiversations of theirs I leave for brevities sake to be read in S. Augustin himself 34. But how well our English Adversaries have imitated this manner of proceeding of the Donatists for shifting off all publick Conference and Trial for these 44 years of her Majesties Reign being so often and earnestly demanded at their hands is sufficiently known and needeth not to be proved or repeated here But if it would please Almighty God to inspire her Majesty to force them thereunto as he did the Emperor to compel the Donatists to a publick Trial I do not doubt but the like Issue would ensue and the like Sentence be given in that Cause by any indifferent Judge as was given by Marcellinus in the former Controversie to wit as S. Augustin's words are Confutatos à Catholicis Donatistas omnium documentorum manifestatione pronunciavit Marcellinus did pronounce by his Definitive Sentence that the Catholics had confuted the Donatists with manifestation of all kind of Learning And so much for this Matter The End of the Second Part. FINIS Cause of Dedication The substance of the Book Time of Trial. 1 Cor. 11. Philip. 1. Ibidem 1 Thes 1. The honorable course of English Catholics Internal Tribulations Esai 1. 1 Cor. 7. Psal 118. Matth. 8. Marc. 4. Luc. 8. S. Paulin. ep 11. ad Severum Gallican orat in Panaegyric 1. Constantini The moral vertues of Constantine before he was a Christian Euseb l. 8. hist c. 26. The strange deliverances of His Majesty from many perils The King 's excellent Book entituled Basilicon Doron Three rare Points of His Majesty's Book No reason to be yielded why a man should be rather of one Sect than another 1 Reg. 3. Hab. 5. Euseb l. 1. de vit Constant c. 11. Sap. 9. Sir F. Hastings in his Reply pag. 192. How the first Part of this Treatise was increased Arist in topicis Cicer. 1. ad Heren de Orator Why the second part of the search of John Fox's Church was added Fox in the title of his Acts and Monuments in his Protestation to the English Church Why the third part of this Treatise was added about the examination of Fox's Calendar The diligence which men ought to use for informing themselves of the truth of Catholic Religion in time of Heresies Possidon in vit Aug. Aug. l. 4 5. confes Athan. in Symbol vers 2. Mat. 13. Aug. l. de morib Eccl. c. 17. Chry. hom 14. in c. 24. Mat. Matth. 24. Marc. 13. Joann 7. 1 Cor. 11. Chrysost opere imperfect in Matt. cap. 23. pag. 962. Chrysost ibid. A representation of such as are negligent in examining the truth of Catholic Religion Dangerous cogitations The contention about the House and Mannor place The Catholic Parties Plea for the House The application of the two former Examples Four points of consideration about matters of Faith. The first point how our articles of Faith are above man's Reason Greg. hom 36. in Evang. Athan. tract de advent 1. cont Apollin Aug. trast 79. in Joan. ser 1. de festo S. Trin. Hebr. 11. First cause of obscurity in Faith. Second cause Ambr. l. 1. de Abraham c. 3. Third cause Joan. 2. How God proceedeth in revealing his Mysteries Gen. 2.6.7.8 Gen. 20.22.23 Exod. 1.2.3 Deut. 33. Act. 7. Jos 15. How Christ our Saviour proceeded in revealing his Mysteries and why he appeared not to all Act. 10. Joan. 20. Christ's Resurrection how and to whom it was made manifest Matth. 28. John 20. Act. 2.10.13.17 Rom. 4.8.14 1 Cor. 15. 2 Cor. 5. 2 Tim. 2. Luc. 24. Marc. 16. 1 Cor. 10. Marc. 16. The second Point of this consideration that notwithstanding the Articles of our Faith cannot be demonstrated by Reason yet have they sufficient Arguments of credibility Rom. 12. 2 Pet. 1. Arguments of credibility used by S. Peter Matth. 17. Arguments of credibility are not so evident as are philosophical Demonstrations Arguments for proof of Christian Religion Arguments of credibility for Catholic Religion against all
hardness of heart for that they had not believed those who had seen him risen from death again Which doubt and hardness of heart in believing he cured wholly afterwards by sending the Holy Ghost 25. But yet hereby we may evidently see that Christ required humility and obedience of belief even in things where our reason or sense resisted requiring us to captivate our understanding to use S. Paul's own word unto his obedience in matters of faith and not only to himself immediately but to those also that teach and preach unto us by lawful ordination and authority from him albeit they deliver us matters above our capacity reach and understanding and this under pain of eternal damnation for that our Saviour himself having given the Commission of preaching in S. Mark 's Gospel aforesaid Ite praedicate Go and preach he addeth presently Qui non crediderit condemnabitur He that will not believe shall be damned And this is sufficient for the first Point about the obscurity of the Object of Faith and Causes thereof 22. The second Point of this consideration is That albeit Almighty God will have us to yield obedience of faith unto him as well for his due honor as for our own utility yet doth he not leave us without sufficient testimony of the truth nor requireth at our hands this obedience but as rationabile obsequium to use S. Paul's words a reasonable obedience or an obedience founded in all reason of probability inducement and credibility For proof whereof we must understand that albeit the most parts of Christian Belief do so surmount as in the former Point hath been shewed the reach and capacity of human reason as they cannot be comprehended thereby tho' of some other there may be also demonstration made as shall be shewed in the fourth Point of this consideration yet for satisfaction of our understandings his divine Piety and Providence hath left unto us so many other proofs and arguments of persuasion and inducement called by Schoolmen Argumenta credibilitatis Arguments of credibility which being laid together and well pondered may justly move any indifferent prudent and discreet man to yield his assent thereunto and to rest fully satisfied of the truth as learnedly you have seen proved these days past by a Treatise set forth in English for answer of the new challenges of the Minister O. E. this matter is handled more largely But for my present purpose it is sufficient to record unto you that of these arguments of credibility are full fraught all the books and volumes of the ancient Fathers thereby to prove the credibility probability and convenience of Christian Religion and of every part and article thereof thereby to leave them inexcusable that will not believe the same whereof it shall be sufficient that I allege only the example of S. Peter who going about to persuade his audience useth these words Non indoctas fabulas sequuti c. Not induced by vain fables as the Gentiles were have we believed and made known to you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ but for that we have been made eye-witnesses of his greatness c. 27. Thus began S. Peter to persuade his Hearers alleging 2 or 3 strong Inducements of credibility for the same First that he and the rest of his Apostles had conversed with Christ himself upon earth and had been eye-witnesses of all his doings And secondly he allegeth that famous Miracle upon the Mount Thabor when he with S. James and S. John were present at his transfiguration and heard the voice from heaven This is my beloved Son hear him And thirdly he allegeth the Predictions of the old Prophets concerning Christ's coming life actions death and resurrection which S. Peter doth prefer before his sight knowledge and experience had with Christ and worthily for that the Predictions of the Scriptures and Prophets being written by God's Spirit so many Ages before Christ was born and now fufilled so evidently in his Person the Apostles sight and experience thereof was but a testimony to the others verity and nothing so certain as the foretellings of the said Prophets so evidently verifi'd in their sights 28. And yet were all these things but inducements and arguments of credibility as I have said and not demonstrations For albeit the truth of Scriptures be most certain and infallible in it self yet to me who must take them upon credit of others either concernings the books themselves traductions or interpretations or some other such circumstances they cannot have the clearness and evidence to convince our Vnderstandings which philosophical Demonstrations have albeit the assent of our Faith induced by these Arguments of credibility together with the help of our pious affection and assistance of God's grace be much more sure firm and immovable than that which is gotten by human knowledge which is partly seen in that a stronger reason coming against my knowledge I do change my judgment but not in Faith if it be sound The cause whereof is for that Faith is grounded upon a more certain foundation than is human science to wit upon the credit and authority of God himself wherein also is to be noted that these Inductions and Arguments of credibility may be much more evident to some than to others As for example the Miracles done by God in bringing home of the Jews from Egypt were much more evident to those Jews that then lived and were present and saw them than to others that came afterwards Albeit the Faith and Belief of some of the later might be as firm and constant as the former And so the Miracles of Christ and his Apostles were more evident to those that saw them than unto us that hear them only by relation tho' yet our Faith may be as good and firm yea more commendable and meritorious than theirs in that we believe them without seeing according to the aforesaid Saying of our Saviour to S. Thomas And this is the great Piety and Mercy of Almighty God that we that come after in the end of the World shall lose nothing if we will by our so late coming but may be equal in merit to the first 29. Well then this is the second Point what Arguments of credibility Christ hath left unto us for proof of Christian Faith whereof as I said all the ancient Fathers Books are full and you may see many in Eusebius's Learned Books De praeparatione demonstratione evangelica but especially in those that before him wrote Apologies for Christians in times of Persecution as Justin Martyr Tertullian and others S. Austin also in 22 excellent Books that he wrote De Civitate Dei gathered many And you may see good store laid up in our English Tongue in the first Book of Resolution c. 4. entituled Proofs of Christianity Which Arguments being indifferently weighed together with the absurdities of all other Religions besides the Christian do make our Faith most
this Principle That every Whole is greater than its Part or that man is a reasonable Creature or like evident things and then is our Vnderstanding forc'd to yield thereunto and consequently hath the less Merit by how much less freedom it leaveth to our will and affection to give our assent or no. But yet this knowledg gotten by human Reason doth not so take away the merit of the other that proceeded of free assent of Faith but that both may stand together in one and the self-same man about one and the self-same thing to wit Faith and Demonstration as distinct lights gotten by different and distinct means the one by Revelation from God the other by Demonstration of Reason for that otherwise this great inconvenience say the Authors that hold this Opinion would follow that learned men should be in far worse case for their merits in Faith than the ignorant for that whensoever the said learned men do come by means of their study to see clearly by Reason the truth of any Conclusion of Divinity or Article of Belief which simply before they did believe only as revealed from God which thing may very well happen and often doth to learned men that then they should lose their former Faith or at leastwise the Merit thereof if it be granted that Faith and Science may in no case stand together 36. But to leave this to be disputed in Schools and to return to our purpose There is no doubt but that some Points belonging to Christian Faith may plainly and absolutely be demonstrated and prov'd by human Reason Science as those which I have here touched of One God his Omnipotency Providence and the like Some other there be which tho' they cannot be altogether so absolutely convinc'd by Demonstrations yet may they in part by way of supposition that is to say by supposing some one or two Points belonging thereunto which the Adversary will either grant or cannot deny As for example Supposing there is a God and that he hath appointed any Religion to mankind and that the Prophets and Prophesies of the Old Testament are to be believed it is not hard to prove and demonstrate the Verity of Christian Religion against either Jew or Gentile And the like is it in this matter here treated by me in this Book against J. Fox and his Fellows about the Beginning Planting Growing and Continuance of Catholic Religion For if you suppose only that Christ is God and that he hath appointed any Religion at all and that the first Religion and Church instituted by him was true and truly meant by him and that he was able to perform his promises made to the first Christians for the Preservation and Perpetuity thereof This I say being granted what I infer in this Treatise followeth by necessary consequence of moral Demonstration as you will find in the perusal 37. These four Points then I thought good gentle Reader to touch briefly in this Preface meaning to make four several Inferences out of the same not unprofitable in mine opinion to the purpose we have in hand For out of the First Point concerning the height and sublimity of matters of our Faith above the capacity of Man's Reason I make this inference That every one ought to come to treat and talk of such things as belong to Faith and Belief with great reverence respect modesty and submission of mind not condemning that which his sense or reason reacheth not unto nor making the Depth of his own Capacity the Rule and Measure of his Belief A thing noted in the Sect of Manichees by S. Austin who writeth That for this cause principally he was nine years of their Company for that they told him still he being a young man desirous of Knowledg that Catholics did superstitiously require Faith before Reason and that They the Manichees forsooth did teach nothing but that which should clearly be discuss'd by force of good Argument and Reason before it was believed c. Vpon which occasion also the said Father wrote that excellent Book beforementioned de Utilitate Credendi of the great utility and infinite commodities which Catholic Christian People have in believing simply by Tradition of their Ancestors that Faith which is established in the Universal Church of Christ tho' their own Reason arrive not to penetrate the same for whosoever openeth once his Ears especially the Unlearned sort to hearken to Human Reasons against the Mysteries of their Faith he is in danger presently either to lose his Faith or at leastwise the Merit thereof together with the peace comfort and tranquility of his mind and thereby openeth a wide gap to the Devil and all his Instruments as well Infidels as Heretics to enter in and trouble the House of his Conscience 38. And as for Heretics it hath been an old practice to trouble or draw men from Catholic Religion or make them stagger by this means of pretending human Reason against Belief as we have shewed by example of the Manichees who took this trick from the old Heathen Philosophers whom S. Hierom for this cause principally calleth the Patriarchs of Heretics The Arians also deceiv'd many by the tricks of human Reason drawing out their Napkins as Theodoretus saith and asking the common people whether Three corners thereof could be One or no and then inferring deceitfully thereupon said No more could Three Persons be One God. The Sadducees founded their Heresie against the Resurrection of the Flesh upon the contrariety it seem'd to have with human Reason which prevail'd afterwards with divers sorts of Heretics that had infinit Followers as Simon Magus Basilides Hymenaeus Philetus Valentinus Marcion Appelles the Ophites Cerdonists Cainites Albigenses and others And now in our days with Zuinglians Calvinists Anabaptists Trinitarians Family of Love Brownists and divers other Sects who do nothing but rave and blaspheme against the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament upon the same ground that it seemeth contrary to Sense and human Reason And finally this is a way to all Misbelief Atheism and Infidelity c. 39. Out of the Second Point concerning Arguments of Credibility for our Belief I infer That seeing God hath left us such store and variety of Arguments for our comfort and consolation in that we believe every man ought to be diligent and careful to seek out and use them and not suffer himself to be overborn by deceitful quarrelling people in a suit of so great importance without looking upon his Writings and Evidences that he hath for the same For how greatly would we condemn the sloth and negligence of a Man who descending for many Ages as lawful Heir from a most Ancient and Noble House of great Riches and Possessions and seeing false Pretenders to make claim thereunto and by slight and intrusion to put both Him and his Posterity from the same How much I say should we condemn him if having whole Chests full of
and of all them that came after him he was the best 5. Lo here Envy and Malice how blind they are for as for Baseness if he means in Blood or Worldly Honor it might perhaps with more probability have been attributed to all or any of the Popes that were before him than to Gregory who was as is known the Son of a most Noble and Rich Senator Gordianus as all Authors do testifie Whose Palace on the Hill Scaurus near to that of the Emperours is at this day a fair Church and Monastery and this Man being his Fathers Heir built with his own Substance seven Monasteries and endued them with rents before he entred into any religious Order himself Wherefore touching Birth and wordly Wealth this was so far off from the Baseness wherewith Fox would disgrace him as he might perhaps with more probability have subscribed this note as before I said to any other Pope from St. Peter downward then to St. Gregory And as for rare and singular Learning which impugneth also Baseness or for Holiness of Life that increaseth much Nobility I think John Fox dareth not to make St. Gregory inferiour to many Popes that went before him tho he were no Martyr as many of them were So that hard it were to determine wherein this Baseness doth consist but that the simple fellow would needs say somewhat to so great a Mans Disgrace And for terming him the best of all that followed this is not so much to praise him as to dispraise the rest or to make base and best to fall out in Tune and so we must pass it over as an impertinent Speech 6. But if we should stand upon the Testimonies of Antiquity in this behalf to oppose them against John Fox as namely Joannes Diaconus that wrote his Life and many other after him we should oppress the poor Fellow with Multitude of Witnesses yet cannot we let pass two that lived in Spain at the same time the one and the other soon after The first is Isidorus Archbishop of Sevil who writeth thus presently upon his Death Gregorius Papa Romanae Sedis Apostolicae Praesul compunctione timoris Dei plenus humilitate summus tantoque per gratiam Spiritus Sancti scientiae lumine praeditus ut non modo illi praesentium temporum quisquam sed nec in praeteritis quidem par fuit unquam Pope Gregory Bishop of the Roman and Apostolic See being full of Compunction of the Fear of God and most high in Humility was indued by the Holy Ghost with so great light of Knowledge as not only any Man of the present time is equal unto him but neither of the Ages past 7. This is his judgment which holy St. Hildefonsus Archbishop of Tollet having cited in a Book of his of the same Title not long after yieldeth as it were the Reason of this Asseveration of St. Isidore in these words Ita enim cunctorum meritorum claruit perfectione sublimis ut exclusis omnium illustrium virorum comparationibus nihil illi simile demonstret antiquitas Vicit enim sanctitate Antonium eloquentia Cyprianum sapientia Augustinum c. For St. Gregory did shine with so high a perfection of all kind of merits as the comparisons of all other worthy Men being excluded Antiquity hath nothing to shew like unto him seeing that in Holiness he surpassed St. Anthony in Eloquence St. Cyprian in Wisdom St. Augustin c. Thus wrote these Men in those days and albeit it may seem some kind of exaggerations yet we may hereby behold the judgment of those Ages and the sense of these two learned and holy Prelates how different they were from John Fox and his Mates in our days that seek so fondly to discredit so rare a Man and this shall be sufficient for St. Gregory 8. Now as for our Apostle St. Augustin tho' the malice of our Heretics be exceeding great both against his person and actions yet is Fox oftentimes forced to speak well of him and his company as in these words At length when the King Ethelbert had well considered the honest Conversation of their Life and moved with the Miracles wrought through Gods hand by them he heard them more gladly and lastly by their wholsom Exhortations and Example of godly Life he was by them converted and Christened in the year abovesaid 596. and the 36 of his Reign 9. Thus writeth he there and moreover talking of a great and special Miracle wrought by St. Augustin in sight of the Britans then his Adversaries for confirmation of the Roman Doctrin in observing the Easter-feast as now it is used which Miracle was the restoring of a blind Man to his sight by only kneeling down and praying to God for him in the presence of the multitude whose Prelates had attempted the like before but could not atchieve it he saith that the stories both of Bede and Polychronicon Huntington Iornalensis Fabian and other more do agree in this matter And yet in the very next Page following he goeth about to discredit him by all means possibl◠and to diminish the Opinion of Sanctity in him For talking of a certain meeting of seven Britan Bishops with him where they say St. Austin being now made Archbishop and Primate of England would not raise nor move his Body at their coming in Fox writeth thus Much less would his Pharisaical Solemnity have girded himself as Christ did and wash his Brethrens feet after their journey but how knoweth John Fox this Hear his Reason Seeing his Lordship was so high or rather so heavy or rather so proud that he could not find in his heart to give them a little moving of his Body c. By this is his Affection seen to the Man and also by that he would gladly bring him in some manner of suspition to have been some part of the cause of the slaughter of the Britan Monks of Bangor slain by Ethelfred a Heathen King of Northumberland for that they come to Chester to pray against him Whereas Fox himself notwithstanding doth confess that both Huntington and other Authors and he might have said also Bede himself do say that St. Augustin was dead when this slaughter happened nor could any way this matter appertain unto him or to any occasion given by him yet doth another Companion of John Fox go further and more maliciously against this holy Man our Apostle to wit John Bale the Apostate Frier who writeth thus Augustinus Romanus à Gregorio primo ad Anglosaxones papistica fide initiandos Apostolus mittebatur Augustin the Roman was sent as an Apostle from Gregory the first to convert the English-Saxons to a Popish Faith. Behold here how ancient Papists the Catholics of England are by this Mans Opinion 11. I pass over the rest of Bales false and contumelious Speech concerning St. Augustin as that he being ignorant of the Scriptures taught false Doctrin and that he made himself Archbishop
accuse St. Ambrose for using these words Missam facere Offerre Offerre Sacrificium c. To say Mass to offer to offer up Sacrifice c. They reprehend Gregory Nyssen for teaching of Transmutation or Transubstantiation Dei verbo Sanctificatum panem in Dei verbi corpus credimus immutari We do believe that the Bread which is Sanctified by the word of God is by the same word of God changed into the Body of the Son of God. 20. It would be overlong to Treat of all the Points in Controversie for which the Magdeburgians do reprehend and Condemn the Fathers of this Age which so highly they commended a little before For about Justification by Faith only they Condemn by Name Lactantius Nilus Chromacius Ephrem and St. Hierom. And why for that he saith non sufficit murum habere fidei nisi ipsa fides bonis operibus confirmetur It is not enough to have the wall of Faith except Faith be confirmed with good works Which yet you have heard approved by the Sentence of Sir Francis Hastings before 21. They condemn the same Lactantius together with St. Gregory Nyssen St. Hillary St. Nazianzen St. Ambrose St. Ephrem and Theophilus Alexandrinus for Attributing to much to good works but especially to those that are voluntary Inter omnia opera say they Electitiis plurimum haec aetas tribuit Sic enim ait Theophilus hi qui jejunia id est Angelicam conversationem in terris imitantur per continentiam brevi parvo labore magna sibi aeterna conciliant praemia But among all other works say the Magdeburgians this Age doth Attribute most unto voluntary works or such as are chosen by a Mans self for so saith Theophilus Arch-Bishop of Alexandria those that do follow Fasting that is to say an Angelical Conversation upon Earth do gain unto themselves by this short and small labor of abstinence great and eternal rewards 22. About Satisfaction they reprehend greatly and put it for an Error in great Hilarius for that he writeth upon these words of the 118 Psalm My eyes have brought forth fountains of waters c. Haec poenitentiae vox est lachrymis orare lachrymis ingemiscere This is the voice of true Penance to pray with tears and sigh with tears And again Haec venia peccati est fontem fletus stere largo lachrymarum imbre mad fieri This is the forgiveness of sin to weep a whole fountain of tears and to wash our selves with a large shower of weeping c. This did greatly discontent our Good-fellow Germans but St. Hilarius was of another Opinion 23. What should I recite here other Controversies seeing it would but tire the Reader For about Invocation and Prayer to Saints they condemn by name St. Athanasius lib. de Incarnatione for praying to our Lady St. Basil oratione in quadraginta Martyres for praying to the said Forty Martyrs St. Gregory Nazianzen oratione in Basilium for praying to St. Basil after he was dead also for praying to St. Cyprian after he was martyred Orat. in Cyprianum they condemn also St. Ambrose lib. de viduis for praying to St. Peter and St. Andrew and our Lady they condemn Prudentius for praying to St. Laurence and in another place to St. Vincentius and Cassianus Martyrs Hym. in Laur. Vincent Cassian They condemn Epiphanius for saying that Prayers of the Living do help the Dead Haeres 75. They condemn St. Ephrem for saying that the Saints in Paradise did pray for them that are alive lib. 1. de compunctione cordis cap. 13. 24. As for unwritten Tradition they condemn all the Fathers of this Age one by one reciting their Sentences and rejecting them They condemn by name Lactantius Prudentius and Hieronymus for holding Purgatory they condemn St. Epiphanius for affirming that the Church admitteth no man to marry after he is Priest Et haec certe sancta Dei Ecclesia cum sinceritate observat And truly the holy Church of God saith Epiphanius doth observe this Custom with all sincerity And thus much be spoken only about one Chapter to wit of Doctrin having over-skipped many other things for brevity-sake in the same Chapter 25. But if I would pass to other Chapters especially that of Rites and Ceremonies which is their sixth in order there would be no end For first in the very first Paragraph about Rites or Ceremonies belonging to Churches Service and public Meeting which is but one of almost twenty Paragraphs contained in this Chapter they set down these Rites following which do easily shew that Our Religion and not Theirs was in practice in this fourth Age. As for example the Building of Churches in Honor of Saints by Constantine and others at the beginning of this Age and dedicating them to the same Saints out of Eusebius and other Authors pag. 407. nu 50. Dedications also and Consecrations of the same Temples or Churches and the Days of the said Consecration kept Holy and Festival with great solemnity out of Athanasius and others ibid. Service at midnight used in the Churches at that time out of St. Basil and others ibid. Altars builded in Churches for Christian Sacrifice by the testimony of Socrates Zozomenus Theodoretus and others ibid. The Interpretation also what an Altar meaneth set down by Optatus Quid est Altare nisi sedes Corporis Sanguinis Christi What is an Altar but the seat of the Body and Blood of Christ Images also set up and painted in Churches in this Age out of Zozomenus Eusebius Optatus and others pag. 409. Caereas Candelas Lampades Torches Wax-Candles and burning Lamps set up in the Church by Constantine himself out of Eusebius lib. 4. de vita Constant pag. 410. Of Vigils and Watches kept in Church-Feasts out of Basil Theodoret and others ibid. The use of Litanies in those days they shew out of Basil Theodoret and others ibid. 26. I leave many more Rites and Catholic Ceremonies set down by them in this first Paragraph which is of public Meetings Churches c. But if I would pass from this unto many other Heads handled by them as about the use of Baptism and administration of other Sacraments and Sacrifice about Feasts Fasts Marriage Burying Honoring Martyrs Tombs Pilgrimages consecrating of Monks and Nuns and other such points which these Magdeburgians do handle here at large out of the Fathers of this Age and practice of that Church to the number of nineteen or twenty all against themselves it were sufficient to make a several Book apart As for Example about Baptism they teach us That those who are to be baptized must first be confessed of their sins that they must say abrenuntio tibi Sathana omnibus operibus tuis that they must be prepared by Exorcisms and after Baptism be anointed with holy Chrism that they must fast a certain number of days before their Baptism that they must thrice be
brag of the obscurity and contemptibility of their Church And so again whereas we hold and highly esteem that our Church hath all truth of Christ's Doctrin and Religion in it Fox writeth of his Church as before we have recorded That by God's mighty Providence there hath always been kept in her some sparks of Christ's true Doctrin and Religion 15. Again whereas we glory that in our Church there is power to absolve from sins security from error and the like Fox denieth these privileges to be in his Church objecting unto us for an error against the first in a certain Treatise of his before his Acts and Monuments That we in our Church have Confession and Absolution at the Priests hands c. And against the second he bringeth in a large Conference of Ridley and Latimer agreeing together that the greater part of the Universal Catholic Church may err but yet fearfully as you shall see more largely in the Third Part of this Treatise when we shall come to treat of these Foxian Saints and their Festival Days Acts and Monuments The same Patriarchs also do censure S. Augustin's Speech before by me alleged for an excessive vehemency for so are their words where he saith That he would not believe the Gospel if the Authority of the Catholic Church did not move him thereunto signifying thereby as before hath been noted that he could not know Scriptures to be Scriptures nor the Gospel to be Gospel neither their sense and meaning to be such as they were taken for but by the Authority of the Universal Catholic Church that had conserved them from time to time and delivered them to him and to the rest of the World for such to be believed 16. Wherefore to conclude this matter seeing that John Fox doth allow so well this Doctrin of his Patriarchs Ridley and Latimer and thereby doth take from the true Church and consequently in his meaning from his own all this excellent Authority which S. Augustin and other Fathers do ascribe to the Catholic Church to wit the Sovereignty of approving or rejecting true or false Scriptures of discerning between Books and Books and judging of their true interpretations and seeing further he taketh away from his Church both Confession and Absolution of sins and all efficacy of Sacraments leaving them only to bare Signs that do signifie and not work seeing he taketh away from her all infallibility of Doctrin confessing that she may err and contenteth himself that she retain ever some sparkles only of true Doctrin and Religion as before hath been shewed out of his own words and considering moreover that he maketh her so poor a thing as now you have seen and furnisheth her with such rags to wit with such variety of Sectaries as is ridiculous to name they disagreeing among themselves and the one most opposite to the other in Doctrin and Belief she being such a Church I say so poor and miserable so obscure and ragged so doubtful and uncertain no marvail tho' they make little account of her or give small credit unto her which in very deed is no greater than is given to the worst man or most dishonest woman living which is to believe her so far as she can prove by others what she saith to be true to wit by Scriptures without which witness none of her own children or houshold will credit or believe her which is a remarkable Point for that with the same condition they will believe the Devil himself and must do if he allege Scriptures in the true sense and meaning 17. And this is the estimation which Protestants do hold of their new Church Now let us pass to speak a word only about the second Point which concerneth the assigning out or description of this Church Clear it is and cannot be denied that Catholics do assign such a Church as may be seen and known by all men begun visibly by Christ himself in Jury when he gathered his Apostles and Disciples together and continued afterward with infinite increase of Nations and People Countries and Kingdoms that in tract of time adjoyned themselves thereunto and that this most manifest notorious and known Church hath endured ever since under the name of the Christian Catholic Church for the space of sixteen hundred years as we have shewed before both largely and particularly in the former Treatise which is plain dealing clear and manifest whereas on the other side the Protestants of our days following herein the steps of old Heretics their Ancestors do seek to assign such a Church as no man can tell where to find it for that it is rather imaginary mathematical or metaphysical than sensible to man's eyes consisting as they teach of just and predestinate men only whom where or how to find you see how uncertain and difficult a thing it is in this mortal life 18. Wherefore as the ancient Fathers condemned wholly the Heretics of their times for this fond and pernicious device and wrote eagerly against the same as S. Cyprian against the Novatians S. Epiphanius and S. Augustin against the Donatists and Pelagians for that under this cover and colour they would make themselves to be the only true Church to wit every Sect their own Sectaries and Congregation saying that they only are predestinate just holy and God's chosen people and consequently also his only true Church so do we at this day stand in the very same controversie with Protestants that seek the same evasion and refuge 19. And he that hath but so much leisure as to read over the Conference of the Third day had between S. Augustin and other Catholic Bishops on the one side and the Bishops of the Donatists on the other side at Carthage by the Emperor's persmission and appointment even upon this very Question of assigning the Church he shall see the matter most clearly handled and that the Catholics of this time do urge nothing in this Point but that S. Augustin and his fellow Catholic Bishops did urge in that Conference against the Donatists and that the Protestants of our time do take no other course of shifting and defending themselves therein than the Donatists did in those days for that after infinite delays and tergiversations used before they could be brought to this Conference which S. Augustin setteth down in the collation of the first and second day when at length in the third days meeting they came to joyn upon the Controversie in hand they began first about the word Catholic it self which the Catholics urg'd against the Donatists as we do now against the Sectaries of this Age and the Donatists sought to avoid the same by the very same sleights which ours do as appeareth by S. Augustin's words 20. Donatistae saith S. August responderunt Catholicum nomen non ex universitate gentium sed ex plenitudine Sacramentorum institutum petiverunt ut pro barent Catholici c. The Donatists did