true divers were wrought with legerdemain very many were most ridiculous no better with wise folks theÌ„ things to make sport albeit they were admired by the simple superstitious That worthy man Ludovicus Vives saw this wel inough wheÌ„ he spake so feelingly of this case x 〈◊〉 Lib â—…de verita sidei They saith he are the more execrable yea like the Devil who for gaine sake do faine miracles in the Churches of our Saints for wheÌ„ the vanity of theirs is laid open they make meÌ„ doubt of true miracles Therfore miracles must haue these marks the truth of the thing it selfe the quality of their beeing the maÌ„ner of the actioÌ„ the cause efficient the cause moving before hand the ende And afterwarde The avarice of some persons hath devised false loger-demaines of miracles by the vvhich beeing deprehended and made manifest such as are most true are made vncertaine which is a pestilent matter in religion and they are to bee execrated who doe devise them and deserve more punishment then such as counterfeit mony or doe mingle poison amonge these thinges vvhich are made for receites against poison You may heere once againe call to mind the Proclamation of Bruxelles before spoken of If the miracles so extolled in the Romish Church were examined after the notes marks heere proposed by Vives how poore how conteÌ„ptible how scornful would they be Let vs see some few examples and those not tosled vp and downe with rumours but beleeved and received as commended vnto vs by authours of good note y Hoveden part 2. In or neere Sicilia the fire did breake out of the mountaine Gibel which is a matter long agone written coÌ„cerning the hill Aetna The people of the countrey being frighted at it doe flye to the tombe of S. Agatha taking her veile froÌ„ thence do with it so beate back the fire into the sea that it dried vp the sea almost for the spice of a mile did halfe scorch or burne the fishes so that yet such fishes do remaine halfe broiled and are called S. Agathas fishes You must thinke that it is some commodity to the countrey in saving them fewel who eate of the fishes in as much as they are halfe broiled to their handes You must not aske whether if all the water vvere so gone that the fishe lying drye vvas burnte the people came and tosled them forvvard into the sea or else they laye there till the tyde came vp againe that they lived so longe after Nor whether there be yet any of the same fishe remaining for were it not time that they were spent And yet as men say fish is long lived But howsoever you must not sift a miracle too far as it is no good manners too much to examine a frieÌ„ds tale z Ibidem The same Authour hath another Narration coÌ„cerning Thomas Becket that he never draÌ„ke any thing but water on a time being at boorde with Pope Alexander the Pope would needs tast of his cup. There least the sanctity abstemiousnes of the holy maÌ„ should be discovered God so provided that Alexander could finde nothing but wine but when Becket came to pledge him in the same cup it was turned backe againe into water You must beleeve that although the Pope found it to be wine yet Thomas Becket drunke nothing but water And because it shold be known that he was as miraculous in his meate as he was in his drinke a Quod. lib. 8 7. one of our Secular Priestes in great earnest telleth vs that on a S. Markes day in Rome he had a Capon whereon he was eating turned into a Carpe Some haue talked of men that could or would haue gone invisible Perhaps some body wil ignorantly say that it was Frier Bacon No it was S. Bartholomew as b Past 3 quaest 54. aâ—…t 1. Thomas of Aquine telleth vs to whose body it was giveÌ„ as a miracle that if he himselfe would he might be visible if he would otherwise he shold not be beheld he might go invisible You wil hope that S. Bartholomew was an honest man or else nowe and then hee might haue done ill feates 16 That S. Francis the Patriarke of the Franciscanes was a maister of miracles we are not now to learne but see whether hee brought not vp his scholers vnto it also If wee give credite to the booke of his Conformities as I cannot see vvho can bee a good Catholike and not beleeve it e Conformit D. FraÌ„cisc Frier Frauncis one of the followers of the noble Saint Frauncis celebrating Maste founde a spider in the chalice and did not take him out but dranke him vp togither with the bloud Afterward rubbing his shin-bone and scratching where it itched that spider came whole out of his legge and did him no hurte And because such wonders as these bee must never cease in the Church of Rome but our age must haue her part our Iesuites who do as much honour the fouÌ„der of their Society Ignatius Loiola as the Franciscanes do S. Francis will informe you that Ignatius was not without his miracles for wheÌ„ d Petr Maff. in vita Ignat lib 1 7 he was sometimes at his praiers late in the night diverse peeping in vpon him haue seene his body hange in the aire two yards aboue the ground the spirit lifting vp the waight of his body to heaveÌ„-ward And moreover coÌ„ferring in speech with God which also is writeÌ„ of e Exod. 34. 35. Moses al his face would shine in marveilous maÌ„ner like the beames of the Sun But because the fouÌ„der of the Iesuits should not thus beare the bucklers away from all meÌ„ in our age there is since his time stepped vp another old gallant on Philippus Nerius a Florentine vvho hath erected an order called Congregatio Oratorij One Antonius Gallonius a Priest of his CoÌ„pany hath lately put out his life so many miracles done on by him that a man had need of a stronge faith which can beleevetheÌ„ Among other to be quit with those of Loiola f Vita B. Patr Philip Nerij lib. 1 Anno 1556. hee telleth that Philip was seene in praier time for an houre and a halfes space to haÌ„ge in the aire five cubits more aboue grouÌ„â— which being two yardes a halfe hath put downe Ignatius for halfe a yard better Also his face was seene to be wonderfully full of shining beames And because wee shoulde thinke that miracles were no dainties with him g An 1555. he could by his smel know a whore very eâ—sily he could by h An. 1559. looking a maÌ„in the face tel what he thought knew familiarly the secret cogitatioÌ„s of meÌ„s harts A man being absent from him but dreaming of him was i An 1595. cured of a vehement fever All these strange matters and many more he did albeit he told k De beati Philipâ— virtutib l. 3 Caesar Baronius then a
saiththat by Martin the 5. it was ratified But he extenuateth that of Basil and saith that by Nicolas the 5. it was approved in those things which beloÌ„g ad ciÌ„sur as causas boneficiales c Vt. supra Sic Bellar. de Concil lib 〈◊〉 cap 7 Possevinus like a Iesuit who must stick close to the Pope saith that indeed that of Censures of Benefices was allowed by Nicolas the 5. but the rest was al refused in the CouÌ„cel at Laterane by Leo the 10. And there he telleth vs that such part of the CouÌ„cel of CoÌ„staÌ„ce as did set the CouÌ„cel aboue the Pope was caslated cashiered but that which was done against Wiclef and Hus was ratified before by Pope Martin Is not your provorb here true So many meÌ„ so manie minds that faith giveÌ„ to I. Hus may be brokeÌ„ as being to an heretik shal staÌ„d for good doctrin but the allowaÌ„ce of the d Cochâ—… in Hist Hussit l. 7. Eucharist in both kinds made to the Hussits by y e deputies of the couÌ„cel of Basil the yeelding to the other 3. articles is frustrated And it wil go hard with the Vir. Mary also who there was quit of being conc Basil Sess 36. coÌ„ceived in Original sin whervpoÌ„ dependeth the feast of the coÌ„cepâ—… of our Lady as you cal it wherof what the FraÌ„ciscane Friers will thinke I leane to your consideration By this men may see how wise the Pope is who will surely liue without his damme if we will let him alone when albeit all the Prelates of Christendome come togither and determine that which is good for the regiment of the Church yet if it touch the Pope he will stande to nothing Nay if Martin say yea confirme it Leo comming after will say No and vndoe it So that let the Councel pray and talke what they wil of the holy Ghost being among them if the Popes holy spirit do not agree with theirs their holy Ghost is nothing Somewhat it was that Pope f Platin ain Faschal 2 Paschall did put on a girdle whence 7. keyes and 7. seales did hang that he might advertise men that according to the seven fold graces of the holy Spirit he had power to close and seale and open and shut the holie Churches over whom by Gods appointment he was ruler That you must thinke to be all the world and by a consequent the generallest Councell Open your eies Papists and see whither that these doctrines be not the mockery of all religion You were as good take a compendious course and say plainely that the Pope may doe what he list as talke of a Councell and trouble a greate many meÌ„ about nothing then the resolutioÌ„ must be with g Centu. 16 in An. 1518 Silvester Prierias that the Popes authority is farre before the CouÌ„cels yea that the force of the sacred Scripture doth depend vpon the authority of the Pope or with h Ibidem Caietane the Cardinall who in a Conference with Luther at Auspurge did directly preferre the power of the Pope before al Scriptures and Councels which Luther good man would not beleeue I pray you gentle Doctor suffer your selfe to be coniured so farre as on your honesty to tell me whither you or we do attribute most to a Councel when we teach that many comming togither in the feare of God and sincerely vsing the best meanes that they possibly can and beeing directed by Gods spirit word may conclude that which must stand good and you say that be they never so many so learned so holy do they what they wil yet if the Pope like not of it he will not like any thing that shall binde him to any goodnes it is not al worth a straw 10 I cannot here omit that the milke which you gaue in the beginning of this Chapter is nowe cast downe by your owne heele I coÌ„mended you too soone A black More cannot change his skinne and you will to your owne biace Here the Councels were not only allowed and confirmed by one and the selfe same authority and this you meane to be your Popes but they are gathered also The impudencie of this Proposition which in a worde you thinke to steale away with I haue shewed before The Bishoppe of Rome durst neither for his head nor soule haue saide such a word in the time of the Primitiue Church He should haue been most arrogant before God and a rancke traytour to the Emperor his best master if he had assumed that vnto him I helped you even now with a place out of Socrates let mee now quit that with another Thus then he saith i Soc in pro aemio lib. 5. I haue everywhere in my storie made mention of the Emperours becacause since that time that they began to be Christians the businesse of the Church did seeme to depende vpon thâ—…â—…cke yâ—… and the greatest Councels were by their sentence or order called together and yet are so called Alas there was no token of the prety Popes supreame authority in coÌ„vocating such Occumenicall assemblies till almost a thousande yeares after Christ. Afterwarde when the Pope had got the head he began to bee a little bold but his Dictates were only attended in such places of the West as over which he had vsurped a spirituall dominion But the Greeke and Easterne Church tooke no notice of those assemblies more then of factious and partiall Conventicles which is the true cause that at the Councell of Florence which was cunningly got togither by Eugenius the 4. to toppe that of k Coch hist. Huss lib. 9. Basile held at the same time and which was assembled before by his owne authority but afterward thwatted some of his designes the Greekes did take no notice of any of the Synodes at Laterane Lions or Vienna where their ancestours before had not beene but only they tooke knowledge of such as whither the Greekes their predecessours had freely gone And therefore as l Li. 4. Chr. Genebrarde saith they who came to the meeting at FloreÌ„ce count that the eighth Synode which is to be vnderstood if they hold it for a Synode at all And in the m Scss. 5. 6. Councell of Florence it selfe the seconde helde before at Nice was then called by the Greekes the last Generall Councell and speciall exception was taken to that which is commonlye called the eighth Generall CouÌ„cel albeit it was held at CoÌ„staÌ„tinople they saying first that it never was at all received and secondly that afterward it was formerly abrogated For in as much as it had condemned Phoâ—ius Patriarke of Constantinople his successour Iohn called another Synode and antiquated the former Marke here that the Patriarke of the Greeke Church thinketh that he hath power to assemble Councels directly opposite to the proceedings of the Romish Bishop and that he challengeth to himselfe authoritie to dissolue and annullate that which he supposeth the Western Patriarke with
and fight vnder his banner And something they must returne for their hungrie pensions needy mainetenaunce which they receive from his Holinesse and the King Catholike besides the containing of their favourites heere in their former courses by refreshing their wittes with novelties and the solacing of their owne discontentments vvhich doe the lesse gaule and gripe their vnquie◅ hartes while their heades are busied with inventing and their handes with writing that which whether it be true or false tending to edification or destruction they little care or consider 2 But of the two it is more to be marveiled at that after so long and plentifull a flowing forth of the water of life there should yet be anie of our countri-men and women remaining at home who will tast of puddle water yea bee as greedie to drinke thereof as the maisters of the broken cisternes can bee ready to propose it vnto them That come there forth any pamphlet of what small worth soever yet some or other will either for their ignorance admire it or for their vnsetlednes entertaine it or for their perversenes embrace it as if it were some divine Oracle descended from aboue But this is the instabilitie of their iudgment who are once c Gal. 3. 1. bewitched like the foolish Galathians that although Christ hath beene so lively testified vnto them as if hee had beene crucified before their eies yet if newe teachers come one after another they will earnestly attend listen vnto thē The world is not so altered but that in their passage to d Num. 11. 4. Canaan some Israelites wil loath that Māna which is c Ps. 78. 25. the bread of Angels long to be againe in Aegypt If there were never philosopher so absurde to invent any fond opinion but there were some auditours as absurde to maintaine and follow the same who can conceive but that vntill the destructiō of that whore the famous strumpet with the f Apoc. 17. 2 cup of whose fornication many of the Kings and much of the people of the earth have bin dronken shoulde stil have some inamored on her As there ever will be deceivers so there shall be some which will be deceived Satan cannot give over his g Iob. 2. 2. compassing the earth his skoutes messengers vvill entend his service Some children of Idolaters to the worlds end shall vnto the h Exo. 20. 5. third and fourth generation participate of their parents curse God with-drawing his grace from them and not opening their eies the peevish will decline stumbling at some rocke of offence weake women to shew themselves to be Eves daughters will rather i Gen. 3. 1. chuse to harken vnto the serpent then to God almighty young ones for want of iudgment and discretion wil credulously listen to a Sirens Song Thus it hath bin and thus it wil be Not withstanding the Magistrate by his charge the Minister by his duty indeede every Christian in his place is both for pieties and charities sake to endevour to plucke as many as he can k Iud. 23. out of the fire as Saint Iude speaketh 3 Yet this being graunted that such leaders and such followers there be and will be it may neverthelesse be much marveiled at that the wisedome of Poperie is so blinded and the ability of English fugitives is growne to so low an ebbe in the Seminaries that to make good their party they haue no better means to vse but such base ones as in this booke or libel are presented to the world Especiallie since this treatise is pretended to come from a Doctor of Divinitie and one taking degree in one of those Vniversities which by themselves bee l See Reason 15. and Bristow Motive 31. reported to bee so famous as that almost he who may but smell the smoake of them or breath but a while on the ayre there shal be inspired with knowledge have more learning Metaphysically infused into him thē among vs is to bee attained to in many yeares And can a man of the highest degree in schoole there for the maintenance of his cause bring no better then such worne broken stuffe as heere is cōgested and heaped togither Yet worship betide him who not long before the birth of this tract put out the m Certaine Articles or forcible Reasons 1600. Pamphlet that the Protestants haue no faith nor religion that the learned Protestantes are Insidels that the Protestants are bound in conscience to avoide all good workes that the Protestants teach that God is worse thē the Devill and such other worthy conclusions to which n D. Barlow D. Buckley two learned men haue made reply For although he had but little honestie in propounding such prodigious and portentuous monsters yet he had more wit since that caried some ◅ūble with it albeit in such fort as that those who respected it were more afraide then hurt That which comming vnawares seemed to the improvident at the first to be some clap of thunder was at the last discerned not to be so much as the striking vp of a drumme It was no otherwise but a fewe stones shaken togither in an empty barrell Yet the wile of the man is to be commended that he could set som good words on it as the Montibank◅ doth vse who after open protestation that he hath somthing to sel of admirable vertue of incōparable value of inestimable benefite which the Graunde Seigneour of the Turks the Great Duke of Muscovy the Emperor of Germany wil accept of and desire yea earnestly call for which to have at their neede Lords and Ladies will thinke themselves most happie doth at the length after all this flourish produce some lippe-salve or other such toy as mooveth laughter in some and serious indignation in other who have not beene acquainted with the Mountibankes custome 4 But this gallant with whom I haue to deale and who speaketh as hereafter you shall heare imagining that all the men in England are as blind as he would have them to be hath sent vs a fresh garment made of other mens olde clothes which the most of vnderstanding have seene and knowne to bee both worne bare and torne like the Ruines of Time And hee hath little altered the verie fashion of it saving peradventure to sette the right sleeve where the left formerly was and something now before which erst stood behinde Indeed some peeces he hath shrunk drawne thē in narrower to make them seeme the thicker some other few for in sooth they are but few he hath enlarged with a skirt or hem of new cloath and yet willing to buy as little stuffe as possibly he might in some places he hath sewed two or three ragges togither so to make a pretty peece The truth is that now almost o An. 1574. thirty yeeres since a coūtry-man of ours whom D. Fulke not vnfitly called Bl◅ring Bristow did with much bouldnesse
never is nor cā be extinguished but hath a continual being Vnto which it may be added that since faith doth much cōsist d Heb. 11. 1. of things which are not seene we beleeve the holy Catholike Church as an Article of our faith it may follow that it need not ever be eminently visible and apparantly sensible vnto vs. 17 For the better exemplificatiō of this verity it may be remēbred what havocke was made by the heathen Romane Emperours their Deputies against the flock of Christ in the ten first persecutions That in the Roman dominion there was scant any to be heard of who professed Christianity but hee was soone cut of by the sword or otherwise Did they in those times suffer any patent visibility of true profeslours or when they once knewe where they were did they not forthwith labour to extirpate thē But in the daies of Cōstātius whē the Arriā Heresy had once gottē the head where in the world did there appeare any sēsible cōgregatiō maintaining the Orthodoxe belief Hieromes testimony of those daies was e Adversus Luci◅rianos The whole vvorld did sigh wondred that it selfe was Arrian The words are but fewe but they are to the purpose So said Gregorius Presbiter writing the life of Gregory Nazianzen The secte of the Arriās had almost possessed al the coastes of the world the power impiety of the Emperour ministring boldnes vnto it The words of Constātius himselfe in f Theodor. Hist. Eccles. lib. 2. 16. Theodoret do give testimony vnto this neither doth Liberius the Roman Bishop say ought to the cōtrary The speeches of the Arrian Emperour against him Athanasius are these The whole vvorld doth thinke that this is well The whole world hath givē sentēce of his impiety Thou alone dost embrace the friēdship of that wicked man And a litle before that Doth so great a part of the world reside in thee Liberius that thou alone dost dare to come in aide to that wicked mā disturb the peace of the vniversal world Whervnto Liberius did not take exceptiō saying that the visible Church stood for him Athanasius but rather giveth another reason to make good his being alone Be it that I am alone Notwithstāding for that the cause of the faith is not the worse For a great while agone there were three only foūd who would resist the Kings cōmandemēt Heere the Church for any external shew was low brought for if any body held it vp it was Athanasius who thē plaied least in sight durst not appeare For this Liberius who did for a time second him did afterward shrinke He went at first into banishmēt in defence of the truth but after that he was so sollicited laid at by g Hieron in Catalog script Eccles. Fortunatianus that he relēted cōdescended to subscribe to the Arrian heresy as Hierome witnesseth who lived in that age was longe cōversant in Rome therfore could better report what was the issue of Liberius his cōstācy thē some other who do relate it otherwise What can be said for him h De Pontifice Romano 4. 9. Bellarmine hath but yet enforced by the evident testimony of Athanasius Hilary Hierome he cōfesseth so much as I have heere set downe but cover it he would that he only consented to the externall acte of subscribing but remained in hart Orthodoxe Why should it then be a marveil◅ if in processe of time Antichrist growing to greater strength the Church should be in covert It is no more then often times fell out vnder the Iewish Synagogue and hath bin exemplified to have beene since among the Christians was so evidently foretolde before In so much that by the example of the i Apoc. 12. 6. woman it cannot be the true Church vnlesse it should be hidde in the wildernes Which while our Popish teachers deny to agree to their Romish Church but professe that it hath ever bin in sight they thēselves do by a cōsequēt proclaime that they are not the pure vndefiled flying womā but another painted harlot strūpet The true Church is for a time out of sight in the wildernes but so say they was their Church never and therefore will they nill they their Church is not the true Church 18 And heere to the end that the slaūderous calūniatiō of our Adversaries may the more bee manifested to all those who will not wilfully close their eies against truth I wil a little shewe the vanity and yet maliciousne◅ of their obiectiō whē they say that there was k Campian Ration 10. Q◅nti Evang pro fessores never any of our faith before the daies of Luther who in the yeere 1517. began for hi◅ part to display the kingdō of Antichrist Where I pray the Reader to cōsider that the most pa◅t of those whō I shal ◅e are Popish writers no way partially flected toward vs. We say thē that M. Luther was not the first brocher of those pointes which he taught against Papistry but as he did originally deduce thē frō the Scriptures out of the workes of the ancient Fathers so he did derive thē also hereditarily frō other who immediatly before him had taught the same doctrine left it both in bookes the harts of mē recōmēded vnto him As principal parties herein I name Iohn Hus Hierome of Prage al such as were their scholers in or about Bohemia who before Luthers time oppugned the beliefe of the Church of Rome and their professiō was not extinguished vntil his dates howsoever it before had bin mainly assaulted If we could learn this no where els yet Fraūcis Guicciardine an Italiā Florētine Historiographer would informe vs of it who l Histor. l. 13. writing of the yeere 1520 saith plainly that Luther did set abroad the Heresies as he tearmeth thē of the Bohemiās he nameth there Hus Hierome as former divulgers of the same And Petrus m In vita Wenceslai Messias a Spanyard therin agreeth with him who mētioning the opiniōs of Hus the Bohemians saith they were the seed of those errors which were afterward in Germany alluding to the doctrin of Luther There is no mā whose testimony in this behalfe may be of more worth thē Iohannes Cochleus first because hee wrote a large story n Historia Chochle◅ de Hassit◅s of purpose cōcerning the Hassites and therefore by his long search reading writing in that argument may bee presumed to knowe as much as any Secondly because it may bee vvell imagined that hee woulde faine nothing to doe Luther good in as much as hee also wrot◅ a o Histor de actis script M. Lutheri volume purposely against that worthy servāt of God intēding to rippe vp his whole life frō yeere to yeere to censure all his workes Yet this enimy of his in the story of the Hussites doth plētifully satisfie vs about the
were there is not one more pernicious to the Church of God then that of the Poore men of Lyons for three causes First because it is of longer continuance Some say that it hath endured from the time of Sylvester Other say that from the time of the Apostles The second is because it is more generall For there is almost no land in which this sect doth not creepe The thirde that whereas all other by the immâ—…ity of their Blasphemies against God do make men abhorte them this of the Lyonists having a great shew of godlinesse because they doe liue iustly before men and do beleeue all things well of God and all the Articles which are contained in the Creede only the Church of Rome they doe blaspheame and hate which the multitude is easie to beleeue and as Sampsoni Foxes had their faces severall waies but their tayles tyed one to the other so heretikes are diverse in sects among themselves but in the impugning of the Church they are vnited There can hardly be found a more honorable testimony out of the mouth or penne of a bitter and bloudy adversary as he was who wrote this and much more concerning those good servountes of God 30 VVe shall not neede to ascende any higher since hee giveth witnesse of the antiquity of their profession long before his â—…lme VVhich otherwise to make plaine is as easie as to deliver that which hitherto I have spoken And it is not to bee conceived that Petrus VValdâ—… of whom the VValdenses tooke their name at Lions had his doctrine from no body but that of himselfe he attained to his owne knowledge since he was not deeply learned c Matth. Parâ—… in Gul. Conquestore Berengarius indeede vvas onely called in question for denying of Transubstantiation in the Sacrament but it may well bee thought that in some thing else hee dissented from the Church of Rome And albeit by his ovvne vveakenesse and the importunitie of the Clergie hee yeelded once or tvvise to recant and abiure the true doctrine vvhich hee helde yet hee had many d CoÌ„tinuat histor de gestis Anglorum lib. 3. 27. scholers vvho by his example vvould not bee driven from the right Beleefe which they had apprehended These scholers were in e Malmisbur lib 3. France in great numbers and in diverse other Landes And Genebrard cannot conceale it but that about the f Chronogr lib. 4. yeere of our LORD 1088. Basilius the Monke did set on foote againe the errour of Berengarius And might not the doctrine of both these bee sucked from Bertram who wrote so learnedly and so directlie out of the Scriptures and Fathers against the Reall-presence and Transubstantiation that the Index g In Bertramo Expurgatorius cannot tell vvhat to make of him but the Bishoppe of h Resp. ad Dan. Tilen fol. 258. Eureux vnder the name of Henrie Connestable tearmeth him the greate fore-runner of all the Sacramentaries and i La saincte Messe declar lib. 2. 4 Richâ—…e the Iesuit disclaimeth him plainelie as a Sacramentarie Heretike Then Calvin and Zuinglius vvere not the first vvho gaine-saide Transubstantiation Before our ascending thus highe vvee might tell you of Saint Bernard vvhome although it is likelie at the first dashe you will chalendge as your ovvne yet vvhen you have vvell advised on him you may let him goe againe For albeit hee had his errours vvhich hee sucked from the age vvherein hee lived and vvee may not in all thinges subscribe to his iudgement but say of him as commonlie it is spoken Bernardiâ—… non vidit omnia yet vvee finde in him sâ—…rem partem a liberall profession of manie good and sound pointes agreeable to the Gospell He for a fashion acknowledgeth maine matters to bee in the Pope and giveth him k De considerat ad Eugen. lib. 2. 8. greater titles then any Papist can iustifie but it is by such infinuation to winne him the more attention froÌ„ Eugenius and then having procured liberty or rather taken it to himselfe hee schooleth and lessoneth the Pope plainely shewing that hee liked not of their ordinarie courses neither did hee repute him to have that preheminence or prerogative which his Parasites did allowe him But touching the matter l Serm. 61. in Cantiâ—… of merit by good workes for m Epist. 190. Iustification by faith alone in Christ for n De gratia libero arbitrio Free-will for o Serm. 3. de 7. misericordijs Certaine assurance of salvation in the death and by the strength of our Saviour and for p Serm. in Concil Rhemens dislikeing then the vile life of the Clergy how cleâ—…re how pregnant how copious is hee These thinges wee teach togither with him and notwithstanding his other slippes wee doubt not but his soule doth rest with the Lord God pardoning vnto him his errours and ignorances which hee being caried vvith the streame of that time did never discusse but tooke them as they were delivered to him without scanning or examining And to this good hope we are firmely induced by that saying of Saint Paule q 1. Cor 3. 11. Other foundation can no man laye then that vvhich iâ—…aide vvhich is Iesus Christ And if anie man builde on this foundation golde silver precious stones timber hay or stubble everie mans worke shall bee made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall bee reveiled by the fire and the fire shall trie everie mans vvorke of vvhat sorte it is If any mans vvorke that hee hath builte vpon abide hee shall receive vvages If any mans vvorke burne hee shall lose but hee shall bee safe himselfe Hee helde the foundation of Iustification by onely faith in Christ and that our best deedes are but r De gratia liber arbitr via regni non cause regnandâ—… the vvay to the kingdome not the cause of raigning and for that cause we doubt not but his soule is safe though his hay and stubble of praying vnto Saints and other such stuffe as cannot endure the fire of the holy Ghosts triall do burne and consume And this is our iudgment touching many other both before and after the time of Saint Bernard that holding Christâ—…e foundation aright and groning vnder the heavy but then of humane Traditions Satisfactions and other Popish trash they by a generall repentance from their errours and lâ—…pses knowne and vnknowne and by an assured faith in their Saviour did finde favour with the Lord. Such as these vvere vvee holde to bee Gods good servants to be of the number of the Elect and propter saâ—…rem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for their founder and better parte to bee of that Church vvhereof vvee are to bee members of that bodye vvhereof by the grace of Christ vvee are a portion 31 And in this respect our setled and resolved iudgement is that when it is asked where our Church in former ages was we may besides that which formerly hath beene
answered truely say that it was in England in France in Spaine in Italy yea in Rome it selfe Spiritus vbi vult spirat The holy Ghost breatheth Ioh. 3. 8. where it pleaseth For who cannot conceiue by the writings of many in former ages or by such touches as other doe giue concerning them that diverse who lived nearest the whore of Babylon did most detest her abomination finding that the weakenesse and impurity of her doctrine could not truely satisfie the hungry thirsty soule did according to that knowledge which Christ out of his word reveiled to theÌ„ seeke some meanes which was not ordinarily professed in that time And if it be asked who they were and how could they lie hid from the world it may truly bee answered that their case was like the case of them in the daies of s 1. Reg. 19. 18. Elias who were not known to that State which would haue persecuted them Now why should not we thinke but as God had his secret and invisible company at that time in that most idolatrous country so in the time of the deepest darknesse he had those who saw light this Christian children among Antichrists broode such as embraced true religion among the superstitious So that Italy and Rome and these Westerne parts had some of Godâ—… Saints in all ages who like sea-fish most fresh in the faltest water and being removed in their affections though not in their persons did with 〈◊〉 Lot vexe their righteous soules in the 2 Pet 〈◊〉 8. middest of a spiritual Sodome and kept themselues 〈◊〉 vnspotted â—…am 1. 27. of the world And yet it is not to be taken that we coâ—…rctate the Church within those Provinces onely which looked toward the See of Rome but know that God had thousands of his elect elswhere Osor. li. 3. de gest Emanuel Christians haue beene in 〈◊〉 India even by perpetuall dilcent from the daies of the Apostles and so in Africa among the 〈◊〉 Abyssines in 〈◊〉 and huge-companies besides Li. 9. Dam. 〈◊〉 Goes de morib Aethiop such as haue continued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Asia the lesser Aegypt but especially in the Greeke Church which was never so much as in shew extinguished and from whome the Russians and Muscovites had their faith Our Popish lads would gladly shut al these out of Christs fold because they acknowledged not the Bishop of Rome for their vniversall Pastour but we should do wrong to Almighty God to pinne his iudgment vpon the Popes sleeue and to offer to pull from him so many ample Churches whereas charity and common sence might put vs in minde that hee might there haue thousandes throughout all ages Looke to these places yee Papists and imagine that if there had been none but these yet the wordes of the Scripture which in generality speake of a spowse had beene true and Christ had there had his body on earth and the Church had not beene vtterly extinguished if neither we nor the Synagoge of Rome had beene extant 32 But in as much as it cannot be denied but that the Prophecies concerning Antichrist doe most touch the Westerne world y Apoc. 17. 18. Rome being by the holy Ghost evidently designed to bee the seate of the whore of Babylon as also because our Romish standard-bearers are more willing to talke of those partes then of any other I will once againe returne to the Countreies neere adioining Then in some parts or other of Christendome how many men were there in al ages who loâ—…thed both the See of Rome the whole courses of it as the Israelites did loath the Aegyptian bondage Matthew Paris alone giveth vs many notable experiments that way as relating the Actes of the z In Hen. 3. Emperour Frederike who put out diverse declarations in detestation of the Pope and adding else where farther of his owne that a Ibidem Pope Gregory did absolve from the oth of fealty all who were bound vnto the Emperour perswading them that they should bee faithfull in vnfaithfulnesse obedâ—…nt in disobedâ—…ence But somuch deserved the Romane Churches lowdnesse which is to be exâ—…ed of all men that the Popes authority did meritâ—… to bee harkened vnto by few or none He reporteth also of a certaine b Ibidem Carthusian Monke aâ—… Cambridge who cryed out against the Pope and said that he was an heretike and that the Churches were profaned And of Robert Grosthead Bishop of Lancolne who was a man both holy and learned in his time This Lincolniensis while hee lived had many Combates with the Bishoppe of Rome and openly resisted his barbarous tyranny in dominering so farre in Englande as to inioyne Provision of the best Benefices to be taken vp for Italian boyes which for a c Lincolniens epistol Prebend in his Church at Lincolne hee vvould not yeeld vnto and for that cause vvas by the Pope excommunicated But vvhen he was d Matth Paris in Hen. 3 dying hee most bitterly inveighed against the Romane Bishop and the Ecclesiasticall Persons as being the most wâ—…ked men that did liue In the same e Ibidem Authour you may also find the conceite which the most Reverende Arch-bâ—…shop of Yorke Sewaldus had of them and their proceedings VVhat should I mention f Hoveden parte secuÌ„da loachim who said that in his time Antichrist was already borne and was in the Citty of Rome Or that Bishop of g Platina in Paschal 2. Florence who lived about the yeare 1100. and did vse to say that Antichrist was then in the worlde which mooved Pope Paschalis so much as that he thought fit to enquire of him in a Councell and did there castigate him for it Notable in this kind are the contentions of Philippus Pulcher the King of Fraunce and his whole Cleargy against h Pap. Masâ—…on in Bonifac 8. Boniface the eighth I might adde to these Petrus de Brus and many other learned men who laid the axe to the very roote of Popery and some in set Treatises oppugned one of their documents and some assaulted other but that the writer of the Catalogus Testium veritatis as it is lately enlarged and i In Histor. Ecclesiast Master Foxe and Master k In Catal. script Brit. Laur. HuÌ„â—…r â—…uitism part 1. Bale and diverse 1 other haue largely handled this to the reading of vvhose bookes I doe referte them who in particular desire to bee more advertised in this behalfe Now if these things doe appeare much by their owne witnesse and by the confession of Papistes themselues as also by such few Records as by Gods providence so disposing doe yet remaine howe many illustrious argumentes might there haue beene of the confession of our faith if the Clergy and Magistracy of those darke times had not burned suppressed all things which made against thâ—… as I shewed before touching the bookes of Iohn VViclef and Reginald Pecocke in Oxford The Clergy in those dayes did almost
approved the doctrin of the Papacy acknowledged the Pope to be the Vicar of Christ. This was about the yeer 1439. And to shew his facility in this kind of invention the same Eugenius provided some to come not into the couÌ„cel for feare of the pack being discovered but about the ending of it who said that they were the Legats of the Patriark of Armeniâ—… who also professed to allow the faith of the Pope to approue that which was concluded in the CoÌ„veÌ„ticle of FloreÌ„ce And because such fine trickes as these shold not grow cleane out of vse at the last meeting at TreÌ„t t Idem in Session 21. Pope Pius the 4. had such a PageaÌ„t For he caused Amulius the Cardinal theÌ„ abiding at Rome with him to write a solemne letter to the Fathers at TreÌ„t that one Abdisu the Patriarke of the AssiriaÌ„s in the East dwelling neere the river Tigris was by the advise of his people come to Rome the yeare before accoÌ„panied with some Priests a Deacon That the Pope in a full consistory of his Cardinals had pronounced him to be the Patriarke Pastour of that people yet not so but that first he did heare him make the coÌ„fession of his faith and tooke an othe of him to keepe obedience to the See Apostolike That departing away hee desired to have sent him a copy of the Decrees of the Tridentine couÌ„cel wheÌ„ all there shold be accoÌ„plished But in the meane while he did testify that the same faith which is nowe helde in the Church of Rome had without any variatioÌ„ bin among theÌ„ since the daies of the Apostles All this was divulged after that Abdisu was gone from Rome to the end that no maÌ„ might disprove it What a wroÌ„g did you to your cause that you did not put these in especially since the Iurisdiction of this Patriarke was so large that hee had vnder him in the Great Turkes dominion seaven Archbishoprickes all Metropolitans thirteene Bishoprickes vnder the Sophy of of Persia five Arch-bishoprickes Metropolitane thirteene Bishoprickes â—…yea vnder the dominion of the Portingals in India three Arch-bishoprickes one Bishopricke VVould not this have made a faire shewe when your troupes vvere in the fielde you have done your Lord and Maister the Pope wronge so to oover-skippe these in such a fashion For our part we must winke at such simple trickes as these bee Yet these will serve to abuse the children of vnbeleefe and to gulle many a good silye Papist 11 Some kind harted man wil pity me that wheÌ„ you leade me such a daunce over all the world as you doe I must bee bound to follow you But let my friends take no care for if you make not very good hast I shall bee in some of the places as soone as you Now we come to the new worlds whereof our great Grand-fathers never heard and there we must thinke that Popery springeth by thousands In what countrey are you Sir when to make vp your foure quarters you put Iaponia in the North It is within lesse then ten degrees of the Tropicke and more Southward then Spaine yet with you it must bee North. So Brasilia is South-ward when yet the vpper parte thereof is verie neere to the line If you had named the South Continent for South and the Iles tovvard the Northerne Pole for North or else Cathay vvee had better allovved thereof But vvee must take what you give vs and you must give vvhat you gette VVee vvill for the while doe you the favour as to imagine you to stand iust vnder the Aequinoctial But the coÌ„mon bragge which is agreed vpoÌ„ amoÌ„g you is that you have large harvests in the new world Bristowe u Motiv 2â—… saith that the Church hath in those partes vvonne more incomparably then iâ—… hath lost by Heretikes in these our partes Stapleton goeth as farre beyond him as hee goeth beyond the truth Thus then hee talketh 〈◊〉 Though in very deede through the A Discourse vpoÌ„ the doctrin of the Protestantes pernicious persuasions of that wedded Frier certaine places and couers of Christendome have svvarved from the Catholike Church and authority of the Apostolike Seâ—… in these North partes of the world yet it hath thousands folde more beene enlarged in the West parts and the new lands found out by Spanyards and Portingales in these late yeeres as the letters of the Iesuites directed from those countries into these partes doe evidently and Miraculouslie declare Hee who wrote the Apologie of the Seminaries harpeth vpon this string but with a lower tone z Chap. 6. The Iesuites in the East Indies have brought countries which were very barbarous and the most potent Princes of them togither vvith the provinces and people subiect vnto them to the Catholike Romans faith y Con. Davidem Chytraeum Possevinus your great States-man proclaimeth that in these laÌ„ds lately discovered it is a miracle of al miracles to see how many be coÌ„ verted meÌ„ going through so many seas to do it then without weapoÌ„ or force alluring theÌ„ to Christ. But al these great clamors not withstanding they who will read either your own writers or other know how it standeth wel enough Then briefly to open the truth In the yeare Pet. Mar. Decad. 1. 1. 1492 ColuÌ„bus the Genoway with some Spanyards at the charge of Ferdinandus Elizabeth king and Queene of Castile did faile so far to the West that he came to the Ilands since called Cuba Hispaniola The matter vvhich there they aimed at was store of gold and silver which the couÌ„try did yeeld afterward they did light also there-about on aboundance of pearle all which were sweet baites for the greedy needy Spanyards The fame of this stirred vp both the Princes to send the subiects to goe in huge numbers thither when not longâ—… after the maine lande of America was descryed and after that Peru the South sea the kingdome of Mexico a Benzo in nova novi orbis hâ—stâ—ria li. 1 2. In all these rich Provinces did these Spanyards set footing and finding them litle better then naked men without armour yron or steele having only for their weapons clubs and simple bowes arrowes they without leaue or liking of the inhabitants built at first Castles in divers places afterward at their pleasure townes citties Some of the ancient people there they slew downe in warâ—some other of them they caused to destroy one another either raysing new discords among them or cunningly perpetuating their olde thousands of them did these new commers slay taking them single and alone such as lived they inforced to bee their slaues causing theÌ„ to worke like brute beasts in their mines without any compassion of them where if they were slacke they were chastised with intolerable torture which made many of theÌ„ drown theÌ„selus some others throw theÌ„selus froÌ„ rocks or into the mines yea generally they so
many therfore were attainted and accordingly received punishment If they should be well examined the Visions which are fathered on Philippus Nerius of whom I spake before and who not 〈◊〉 many 〈◊〉 An 1595. yeares since dyed at Rome would proue to be of this quality Divers of his friends g Eius vitae l 1 An 1556 dying are said to appeare vnto him he saw their soules immediatly passing into the kingdome of heaven Nay h An 1559 Christ himselfe was seene of him And as he saw Visions for other so other saw some for him whence we may learne that false laddes neede no other brokers then themselues This Philip and his fellowes had pretended to go into India to convert soules but one i An 1557 Augustinus Ghettinus a Monke and confederate of his saw Iohn the Evangelist in a Vision who told him that Rome must be Philips Indies that he was chosen to dresse Gods vineyard there Thus they packed togither that their credit might be saved and yet they might sleep at home in a whole skinne also Since that time Father Weston alias Edmundes the Iesuite and his fellowes the Priestes haue made great vse of Visions in England especially by the meanes of one Richarde Mainy who since by confession on his k A declaration of Popish Impostures Confes. ofâ—… Mainy oth hath discovered all to be but an impure and most cousening iuggling devise It was long beleeved touching him that he saw a glistering light come from the thumbs and fore fingers of the Priests at sundry times which was devised to make the world beleeue that those thuÌ„bs and fingers were most holy matters being annointed with holy oyle when they were made Priests In a traunce of his he said he was in Purgatory and reported many strang things thereof Also he foresawe that from that time till Good-Fryday he should haue Visions every Sunday and this with like frawde was accomplished sometimes it being prophecied that Papists should sustaine great persecutions in England and sometimes it beeing related that Christ with great multitudes of Angels or the Virgin Marie with traines of blessed Virgins were present in the Chamber and then downe the staÌ„ders by must on their knees to worship theÌ„ pray to theÌ„ One part of Mainies fore-sightes was that on the Good-friday he should dye but when that day came he was warned that it must be otherwise so indeed the deade maÌ„ is aliue yet hath disclosed the whol devise Yet the shamelesse Iesuite aboue named wrote a whole quire of paper concerning these Visions of his and many a silie Papist both be hither and beyond the seas haue beene bobbed with the strang reports of these counterfeit RevelatioÌ„s perhaps have beleeved them as they would do their Creed Many examples more in this kind might be produced which may teach men not to be too credulous in these coÌ„ceits which evermore originally come vpon the report of one person for he it is who must tell his owne dreame or Vision and easie it is for some reporters themselues to be deluded by the Devill as easie for some other to delude as many as wil giue credite vnto them Then since both Divinity and humanity doe shew this to be a matter most suspecte let Papistes accept this for a weake reason of their vnsound beleife wee for our partes will haue nothing to doe with it 9 And yet it is not amisse before the shutting vp of this Chap. to obserue that they are alwaies beateÌ„ with their own rodde For if we may attribute any thing to those whoÌ„ in the last ages they hold for the greatest Prophets most autheÌ„tical seers of VisioÌ„s Popery is al naught For we scaÌ„t find any who in a general speech is reported to haue had that gifte but a great parte of his other talke hath bin against the Papacy Clergy therof l Catalog â—…estium veâ—…at lib 15 Hildegardis was by many held to be a Prophetisse and she did not only taxe the lewde life of the Romish Priests but their neglect of Ecclesiastical duty their horrible destroying of the Church of God Among other words she hath these TheÌ„ the meter of the Apostolike honor shal be devided because no religioÌ„ shal be fouÌ„d in the Apostolicalorder for that cause shal they lightly esteeme the dignity of that name shal set vp vnto theÌ„selues other meÌ„ Arch-Bishops so that the keeper of the see Apostolik at that time by the diminishing of his honour shal scant haue Rome a few things adioyning vnder his miter About the same time also which is more theÌ„ 400. yeeres agone lived m Ibideâ—… Mechâ—…hildis reputed al so for a Prophetisse And she speaking of coÌ„tentioÌ„s which shold be in Germany for religioÌ„ addeth that theÌ„ the church of Rome should wholy apostate opeÌ„ly froÌ„ the faith of Christ that there should remaine in Germany a poore afflicted company who should serve God religiously purely There was also one n Ibidem Elizabeth a maiden attendant on Hildegardis who is recorded to have such predictions invectiues against the Romanists The Prophecies of Ioachimus Abbas Anselmus termed Episcopus Marsicanus are lately o An. 1589 put out at Venice by Paschalinus Regiselmus there is the Pope still pictured in his triple crowne and he hath part nay seemeth to be the cheefe in al the iniquity there intended Brigit who lived about the yeere 1370. is by our Papistes helde for a famous Prophetisse and by the Pope she is Canonized for a Saint In her p Catalogs lib. 18. Revelations she calleth the Pope a killer of soules the disperser tearer of the sheepe of Iesus Christ. Shee saith that hee is more abhominable then the Iewes more cruel then Iudas more vuiâ—…st then Pelate worse and viler then Lucifer himselfe That the seate of the Pope shall be drowned in the deepe like a heavy stone That those who sit with him shall be burned in fire of brimstone which is not to be quenched Thus did shee and many other scowre the Church of Rome which as it seemeth Doctour Hill knevve vvell inough and therfore suppressed the names of these least he shold be thought to mention those who flattered the Popedome Savanorola by the confession of vnpartiall Iudges was a man who fore-prophecied many things He fore-tolde the comming of Charles the 8. the FreÌ„ch King into Italie how there he should prevaile Philippus q De bello NeapolitaÌ„ lib. 3. Comineus spake with him in person at such time as the Venetians had thought with their armye to haue entercepted Charles returning home-ward with no great forces And Comineus saith of hi that hiÌ„self coÌ„miÌ„g new froÌ„ the heÌ„ch army yet was by him informed of many thiÌ„gs there doÌ„e Savanorola knowing theÌ„ better beiÌ„g abseÌ„t theÌ„ he did who was preseÌ„t And he told Comineus that albeit Charles his master were hardly laid to by
there is a worke vnder the name of S. Austen intituled d Lib 2 34 De mirabilibus sacrae Scripturae where by the Authour the book of Machabees is secluded from the Canon NotwithstaÌ„ding we do not vrge thâ—…t to be his but take it for a counterfeit rather yeeld that S. Austen framing his iudgment to some others opinion in the Westerne Church did repute these also Canonicall Yet here that is to be remembred which briefly before I touched concerning S. Ambrose that this mistaking in this worthy Father grew by his want of knowledge in that tongue wherein the old Testa was originally writteÌ„ by which means he was not acquatÌ„ed with many things appertaining to the Iewish church vnto whoÌ„ since al Scripture before Christs time was coÌ„mitted if these had bin Scripture they also should haue bin coÌ„mended then they should haue bin written in the tongue which they vnderstood that is to say in the Hebrew not in the Greek which was a laÌ„guage of the GeÌ„tiles as e Aut l 30. 9 Iosephus testifieth the Iews did not accoÌ„modate theÌ„selues to the learning of any tongue but their own which is to be interpreted of the ordinary sort of theÌ„ But all these controversed writings are only in the Greeke and not in the Hebrew which is a maine argument against them and ruinateth the very foundation of them Now that S. AusteÌ„ knew nothing of the Hebrew he in his own f â—…pist 131. modesty most ingenuously confesseth as also in another place he acknowledgeth that he had but little skil in the Greeke I g Cont. liter Petilian DO nat lib. 〈◊〉 truely haue attained vnto very little of the Greeke tongue and almost nothing And this made the iudgment of S. Austen the more defectiue in that behalfe Now as this great Doctour might bee overtaken partly by his ignorance of the Hebrew and many circumstances belonging to the Iews partly by leaning to the opinion of some other neere about him in the Westerne Churches of Italy Afrike so it is a matter very probable that the h CoÌ„c cart 3. can 471 CouÌ„cel of Carthage induced by the same reasons and most of all by the authority of S. Austen mighte exorbitate in their Censure vvhen they put all these Apocriphal bookes among the writingâ—… Canonical For there assembled none but such Prelates as were about Carthage which standeth toward the West of Africa in comparison of the East Churches The same causes doubtlesse moved i Decret Innocâ—…n CoÌ„câ—…js Innocentius the Bishop of Rome and therefore of the Westerne Church to put all these books into the Canon Tobias excepted of whoÌ„ he saith nothing An errour once begon goeth plentifully forward is not stayed vpon the suddaine WheÌ„ce it was that k Gelas. Epist. in Concilijs Gelasius coÌ„ ming after InnoceÌ„tius did in this case treade the steps of his Predecessor wheÌ„ himselfe togither with seveÌ„ty Bishops doth define al these writings to be sacred Scripture NotwithstaÌ„ding he who wil looke the Decree of Gelasius as l Part 1 Dist. 15. 4 Gratian citeth it about this matter shal see that the iudgmeÌ„t of Gelasius coÌ„cerning the CanoÌ„ is very weake little to be regarded And in those decrees of his which are found amoÌ„g the CouÌ„cels the same wil appeere wheÌ„ he maketh meaner things theÌ„ these coÌ„troversed books to be of irrefragable authority For in the very next Decree to that which I formerly mentioned he saith thus touching an Epistle of Leo one of his Antecessors in the Roman see The text of the Epistle of Pope Leo if any maÌ„ shal dispute of eveÌ„ to one iote shal not revereâ—…ly receive it in all things let him be accursed This heate doth shew that Gelasius was not too too much advised in his determinations of this nature but followed the tract of those that weÌ„t before him without farther ventilating or disquisitioÌ„ And this is the most of that which by mine own reading I find in Antiquity making for the iustification of these Apocryphal bookes And some such shewes there be for the story of Susanna of Bel with the Dragon which also are not in the Hebrew therfore togither with the fragmeÌ„ts of the booke of Esther some other of equal sort are by vs held to be no Scripture Hee who would behould what farther may be saide for these things let him looke m De verbâ—… Dci lib. 1. Cardinall Bellarmine where he shal finde a many weake citatioÌ„s agreeing in substance with those whom before I haue named Now if we looke what is against them we shal easily discover testimony of greater ponderosity to overturne them then is any to support vphold them 12 VVhat the Iewes did or doe esteeme of them you haue heard before Onely take this with you that n 〈◊〉 l. c. 10. Bellarmine can say out of S. o â—…n Prolog gelâ—…at Hierome that all these bookes togither are reiected by the Hebrewes Now let vs see what witnes the Easterne Church giveth of them p Eccl. Hist. lib 4 2â—… Eusebius hath an Epistle of Melito sometimes Bishop of Sardis in Asia the lesser where Melito himselfe saith that of purpose he travelled to Hierusalem into Palestina to know what were the Canonical Scriptures of the Church before Christ and there he setteth downe all those bookes which wee admit none other This was very soone after the age wherin the Apostles lived It is heere to be marked concerning this holy man as also of al the rest whom I shall name that they never had in this businesse reference to ought but to the course of the Iewes accepting their iudgement for the bookes of the olde Testament to be that wherevnto Christians also should cleaue Not long after that time came Clemens Alexandrinus of whom q Lib. 6 11 Eusebius writing saith that hee cited the bookes of Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus in his vvorkes vvhich bookes saith Eusebius all men do not receiue And he addeth as it may seeme to prevent least any man vpon his example should attribute much to those two that he cited also the Epistle of Barnabas of Clement By the iudgement then of Eusebius Wisedome Ecclesiasticus at the least are books coÌ„troversed Soone after came r Cap 19 OrigeÌ„ who lived at AlexaÌ„dria in Aegypt And he reckoneth vp the CanoÌ„ of the Iews coÌ„prised in two tweÌ„ty voluÌ„es accepting all that which we accept not naming the other saving the Machabees which he saith to be reiected of the Iews That worke of OrigeÌ„ wherin that was coÌ„tained is now lost yet in those which remain he saith that the book of Wisdome s De principijâ—… lib 4. 3â—… is not accouÌ„ted of authority with al. Athanatius after his time lived also at Alexandria he sheweth what was held for Canonical what was refused s In Synopsi There be Canonicall of the old Testament two
and twenty bookes equal in nuÌ„ber to the Hebrew letters For among the Hebrewes the elemeÌ„ts of the letters are so many But besides these there be yet of the same old TestameÌ„t other books not Canonical which are read only to the Catechumeus Heere is a most manifest distinction betweene the Canonical and the Apocryphall and a signification that these inferiour volumes were only read to such as were novices in the faith but they were not accounted authentical vnquestionable Next I ioyne Epiphanius who lived in Cyprus he t Haetes 8 rehearseth for Canonical Scriptures of the old Testament the Iewes bookes the other not admitted by them he expungeth for Apocryphal And in a u Haeres 76 second place reckoning vp al the divine writings he shutteth out these Apocryphal fellows only after al the volumes of the old new TestameÌ„t rehearsed he nameth also the Wisedoms of SalomoÌ„ of the sonne of Sirach He nameth theÌ„ I say but after al the right ones yet least any man should take advaÌ„tage of the mencioning of those two heare him else-where u De mensuris poÌ„deribus Among the Hebrews there are two and twenty bookes For thâ—…se two bookes written in verse The Wisedome of Salomon which is called Panaretus of all kinde of vertue and the Wisedome of Iesus the sonne of Syrach the nephew of that Iesus vvho wrote that Wisedome in Hebrew so that his nephew interpreting it did vvrite it in Greeke are profitable and commâ—…dious but are not put into the number of those vvhich are received How corruptly theÌ„ doth x De verbo Dei l. 1 14 Bellarmine deale who citeth Epiphanius as an allower of these two bookes and denieth that hee spake against them otherwise then according to the opinion iudgement of the Iewes But infinite such base shiftes are to bee found in that Cardinall In the meane time we see that thus Epiphanius who was very wel skilled in the Hebrew keepeth close both with the Iewish Canon and the iudgement of the Easterne Church 13 Gregory Nazianzen hath a y De veris libris Scriptur little treatise in verse of purpose made to shew what are the books of the old new TestameÌ„t inspired froÌ„ God He in the old reckoneth vp two twenty books after the Iewish fashioÌ„ so oft aboue meÌ„tioned no more There he putteth al these whoÌ„ we acknowledge vouchsafeth not so much as to name Tobias or Iudith or any one of those whoÌ„ we seclude And so doth he againe z De recta educatione ad Selencum To all these so famous learned men of the East Greeke Church wil I adde for the conclusion the Councel of Laodicea which in the last a Canon 59 Canon recapitulateth all the Canonicall bookes of the old Testament but hath not one of those whom the Romanists vvould gladly thrust vpon vs. Nowe is it not a greate sinne thinke you for vs to ioyne in iudgement vvith so many learned and holie men with all the good and religious Hebrews who were before the time of Christ withal the Eastern Church without impeachment for ought that I can truely find Are not we worthy to be reviled and revelled at as renters tearers and clippers of the sacred Bible I doe marvaile why we should be Heretikes for not admitting of these Apocryphals since so many Fathers and reverend Doctors of the Primitiue Church did the same that wee do and yet heretiks they are none Yea but the Romanists doe loue to be tried by themselues And great reason The Westerne Churches they will say haue ever beene of another minde Wel yet here is but one against two and then by S. Austens rule before named the matter should go on our side But what if we find in the Latin Church as much against it as for it Are not our popish people in a prety case for railing vpon vs as if we were manglers deâ—…uÌ„catours of the Bible Hilary was a Bishop of FraÌ„ce and b Prolog su per 〈◊〉 he saith that there bee two and twenty bookes of the olde scripture See his own opinion consonant with that of the Greekish and Iewish Church vnto which number saith hee some doe adde Tobias and Iudith and so make foure and twenty Marke that they be but some who do adde more and these doe adde but two so that the Machabees and the rest are vndoubtedly gone in his iudgement nay I may say in his minde these two also But if any man be in this cause to be heard it is Hierome whom Lodovicus Vives some-where did truely call miraculum orbis the miracle of the worlde Hee lived a good while at Rome and thought highly of that Church and therefore would not hastily break from any thing vvhich generally or vvith good ground was there received Hee travailed into Palestina and there spent much of his time and by longe conference vvith a Ievve and other his extreame labour attained to the exact knovveledge of the Hebrevve tongue and there-vpon as some thinke translated the vvhole Bible into Latin as others suppose reformed and castigated that version vvhich is called the Vulgar and is now only currant among the Papists Also hee made those learned Commentaries on the Prophets which labour may truly be said to be the glory and beauty of all his vvorkes vvhich yet otherwise are renoumed sufficiently Then if any man bee to be heard in this Argument it is this Hierome and that deservedly Hee then speaking of Iudith bestovveth this ierke on it c Epist 10 UUee doe reade in Iudith notvvithstanding of it please any man to receiue that booke But aftervvarde hee goeth more generally to vvorke and d Epist â—…06 sheweth which are the Canonicall bookes even those whome vvee holde for Canonicall and vvhich are Apocryphall even the very same that wee reckon for Apocryphall Neither hath hee yet done but continuing in the same iudgement he sheweth how and in what manner the Church readeth and accepteth those inferiour bookes e Epist 115. As therefore the Church indeed doth read the bookes of Iudith of Tobias and the Machabees but doth not receiue them among the Canonical scriptures so it may read also these two volumes that is Ecclesiasticus and the booke of Wisdome to the edification of the people not to confirme the authority of Ecclesiasticall doctrines What would he haue said thinke you if he had seene our Papists bring these bookes as the chiefe pillers of praier for the dead and intercession of Saints and other such like Apocryphal trumpery 14 And that there were more learned men of the Westerne Church in the same minde with Hierome wee appeale to that treatise on the Creede of the Apostles vvhich some suppose to haue beene written by Cyprian and for that cause it is found among his workes but more generally it is thought to be of Ruffiuus his doing who very well might speake for the evidency
was not to vpholde trueth but to destroy it You should then haue said that sometimes such Councels were assembled where â—…f the Spirite of God did illustrate them with truth all matters were well and especially those of mainest moment but if they were directed by faction or humane courses it fell out otherwise That Synode in the Actes was such an holy Act 15 6 meeting where about some differences in religion and doctrine the Apostles came togither and thâ—…â—…rit of God was President among them But in the fourth place that it should be of the essence of a lawful Councel that it must be ratified by the Romish Bishop is a iest i Bellar. de concâ—…l 〈◊〉 12 sometimes peradventure mencioned and arrogantly challenged by some of that See but never by other in any antiquity assented vnto b Lib 2 5 Socrates indeed speaketh of a Canon of the Church that without the sentence or advise of the Bishop of Rome decrees for the Church should not be established But this is spoken by him as taking it vp only from some claime of Iulius the stirring Pope then living and not from anie authenticall recorde For where was that ever concluded The Nicene Councell indeede taking order that there might be Patriarkes in severall places of the world who might compose and direct Ecclesiasticall matters in their Provinces had for the respect which was then borne to Rome as being the Imperial city suffered the Bishop thereof to take the first c Socr. 5. 8. place in all generall Convocations as it gaue the seconde to the Patriarke of Constantinople and afterward to the other Patriarks in their order Further prerogatiue we finde none given howsoever the Bishops of Rome aspiring to an Ecclesiasticall Monarchy did in processe of time stand on it that they had more In a d Concil carthaginens 3. Councell at Carthage it was decreed that the Bishop of the first See should not be called the Prince of Priests or the highest Priest or any such thing but only the Bishop of the first See And e Part 1 Distinct. 99 3 Gratian citeth the very same words out of a Councell of Afrike which intendeth that of Carthage but he addeth in the end of the Decree But let not even the Bishop of Rome hee called Universall And f â—…lbid 4 farther he citeth a Decree of Pelagius the Pope Let none of the Patriarkes ever vse the word of Vniversallity because if our Patriarke be called Vâ—…iversall the name of Patriarkes to derogated from otherâ—… but fâ—…r be this from faithfull men that any one should take that to himselfe whence in any the smallest respect he may seeme to dâ—…sh the honour of his brethreÌ„ And least any man should say that the Pope meant this of other Patriarkes and not of himselfe it followeth in the same g lbid 5. GratiaÌ„ that Pope Gregory was angry with Eulogius that he had called him Vniversall Pope I confesse that in progresse of time the Bishops of Rome vnder a colour of a Canon in the Nicene Councell did claime that appeâ—… should be made to them but when the Fathers of Afrike assemâ—…ed at h Con. Carthaginen 6 Carthage disclaimed it and would by no meanes take knowledge of any such Canon they sent to Nicea to see the Originall of the Nicene Councell and finding no such matter there they put the Pope to much shame in as much as it was but a forged Canon vpon which hee had insisted But to returne to Iulius in whose behalfe the former chalenge was made when the Easterne Bishops had received imperious letters from him they did no lesse then scorne it in him would not indure any such vsurpation of his as both i Lib at 〈◊〉 Socrates and k Lib 3 7. Sozomen do relate Yea we finde in Athanasius himselfe who had fled to lulius whoÌ„ it coÌ„cerned that lulius shuld haue nothing of his true authority diminished because he stuck close to Athanasius in his toubles that the l Athana in Apolog. 2. Easterne Bishops asseÌ„bled in the CouÌ„cel at Sardis do cal Iulius their beloved fellow servant nothing more Which was the phrase not only of theÌ„ being a coÌ„pany of Catholiks Orthodox Bishops but m Epistol 3 CypriaÌ„ before that did vse to cal Cornelius the Rom. Bishop his brother no more 4 Yet if it should be grauÌ„ted that the Patriarkes in the name behalfe of their Provinces should haue a voice of necessary coÌ„sent what is that more to the Romish Bishops then to the other Patriarchical Sees And besids this the place of Socrates teÌ„deth to nothing but political ordinances ceremonies customes for governmeÌ„t of the church which were not to be obtruded on all without coÌ„sent of some chief in every Province especially that of Rome the most emineÌ„t in the empire And of that nature was the cause of Athanasius there who was questioned as depriueable of his Bishoptik because he had exercised his fuÌ„ctioÌ„ iurisdictioÌ„ being not restored again after his suspensioÌ„ by a Synod of some Bish. But if that a general CouÌ„cel should with good grouÌ„ds out of the word of God coÌ„deÌ„ne heresie and the Pope would not ioine with theÌ„ whether this coÌ„demnatioÌ„ were lawful or no is rather our questioÌ„ Where although your Popes wil take on theÌ„ to haue a Negatiue voice against the CouÌ„cel your Canonists Pope-flaterers so dispute it yet the CouÌ„cel of CoÌ„staÌ„ce is flat to y e coÌ„trary for there as n In Ioh. 24. Platina saith the Pope is subiected to y e CouÌ„ cel yea deprived by it also And the o concâ—… coÌ„stant Sess. 5 CouÌ„cel it selfe saith that a general CouÌ„cell hath power immediatly froÌ„ Christ to which everie one of what state or dignity so ever he be yea if it be Papal is bouÌ„d to obey in those things which pertain to faith to the rooting out of schisme the reformatioÌ„ of the Church in the head in the meÌ„bers Thus the CouÌ„cell speaketh flatly and the Popes speake directly to the contrary and learned Papistes themselues are shrewdly in suspence what to say or beleeue herein p Replique a 〈◊〉 â—…e de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verit cap. 5. One of them a French man saying more in the beginning then we accept confesseth of late farther in this manner Never did Christian man say or doubt whither the Pope were aboue other Bishops but the question is whither hee bee aboue a Councell and the whole Catholike Church 〈◊〉 body gathered This is 〈◊〉 vndecided and 〈◊〉 rather a matter of policie or governement then of the substauncâ—… of faith Nevertheles it were good that this knot were opened before that you talke to much of your CouÌ„cels and your Popes ratifying of theÌ„ It were well that your Papists knew what to beleeue Now to proceed Such as the first ancient Councelâ—… condeÌ„ned for Heretiks were rightly so accouÌ„ted for they were iustly
assured that we haue none but those which are right in the whole and in the parts For Actes of Councels haue bin much falsified as it is alleadged in the sixt Generall Councell holden at Constantinople t Action 14 that some had falsified the Actes of the fifth Generall Councel holden in the same place as was apparantly deprehended How those in Afrike did cōplaine of the Popes forsting in somewhat to the first Nicene Synode I haue shewed before and how the Councell sent to Nice it selfe to see the Originall But in the same manner hath the Pope complained that other haue also falsified the Actes of the same Councell For Felix Bishop of Rome himselfe hath made this Decree u In Decretis felicis Papae In Concilijs Let the persons of the accusers be without all suspicion because by reason of the molestations offered by evill men this was defined in the Nicene Councell by all although by the falshoode of lewde persons these and many other things are blotted out We then had neede to take heede that wee do not beleeue those things as certaine which of themselues are so vncertaine Let Papists doe it if they wil. Lastly before I shut vp this Chapter it is not amisse to know that it is not for the ancient Synods that the Romanists doe striue but for those which lately were helde wherein their Pope bore much sway and their Popery was established by fragments For out of the old Councels both Provinciall and Vniversall there are many matters contrary to their definitions As in the thirde Councel at Carthage there is much spoken concerning the children of Priests which sheweth that Priests then were ordinarily marryed And there it is that the Pope should not be called the Prince of Priests or chiefe Priest In the Elibertine Councell is a flat decree against Images in Churches It u Canon 36 pleaseth vs that pictures should not be in the Churches least that which is worshipped or adored should be painted on wals In the fifth x In epistol felicis Councell at Constantinople by an Epistle of Pope Felix to Zeno it is shewed that the Church is built on the confession of Peter not on his person or place In the ninth Councel of y Canon 1. Toledo if a Metropolitane defraude the Church complaint thereof is to be made to the king which sheweth that Princes then had to do with persons and causes Ecclesiasticall Very many more such instances may be brought how the old Councels knew nothing of that hart of Popery which since hath growne vp by the connivence of some Princes the weaknes of other and the notable cunning of Antichrist And for times now long agone the extravagancie and transcendencie of the Roman Bishops power is no where knowne For in the Nicene z Canon 6 Councell the Bishop of Alexandria in his Province and the Patriarke of Antioch in his haue as much iurisdiction as the Pope hath in his In the a Isidor in praefat Cōcil Ephesin Ephesine Synode Cyrill of Alexandria was president and not the Bishoppe of Rome and there it is saide that b In epistol ad Nestoriū Peter and Iohn were each to other of equall dignitie because they were Apostles and holie disciples which overthroweth the Primacie of the Romane Bishoppe deriving his prerogatiue only from Peters preeminence And in the Councell of c Canon 1. Chalcedon all is confirmed which was decreed before in other Synodes Thus the Pope and Papists should gaine much by sending vs to looke into the most ancient Councels THE TENTH REASON Fathers T. HILL THE Catholike Romane religion is most plainely taught by all the ancient Fathers of the first second thirde fourth fift and sixt hundred yeares after Christ and hath beene ever vvithout all controversie taught of the Fathers of everie age since vntill this day That religion did Diony sius Areopagita S. Paule his scholer so manifestly teach as Causaeus a French Protestant called him for his labour a doating old Causaeus Dial. 5. 11. In capt Babilonica man much like as his father Luther had said before him that Areopagita his workes were like to dreames and most pernicious The same faith vvas taught of Saint Ignatius Clemens Iustinus Tertullian Cyprian Irenaeus and in one vvord all the anncient Fathers not one excepted G. ABBOT WHen Thomas Pilcher sometimes an vnworthy fellow of a Colledge in Oxford but afterward an vnlearned Priest of the Seminary after pardon once given him for his life and beeing exiled from his Countrey returned againe into Englande to pervert the subiectes of her late Maiestie he vvas by arrest of lawe to be brought to execution vvhere as I haue heard being remembred by an intelligent person that he should bee well advised what the right or wronge of the cause was for which hee did suffer his reply was that if hee were in an errour then Irenaeus and Iustine Martyr Tertullian and Origene Lactantius Hilary Chrysostome Ambrose Hierome Austen Gregorie Bearnarde and all other the olde Fathers of the Primitiue Church vvere mightily deceived for what he held they taught The silye man had much adoe to learne the names of all these but for reading any of them or for knowing what they vvrote there bee many yet living who dare safely giue their word that he good man was never troubled with it This is the very case of the greatest part of you Papists you wil speak without the book and make good little of that which you say but yet for lacke of chalenging facing it out you will loose nothing of antiquity And among al your copes-mates as one that knoweth least and therfore dareth to say most you lay about you here for al al againe You are now come to your selfe revested with your olde spirite and therefore wee will looke for a legion of Vniversals at your handes The vn-Catholike Romane Religion it is Papistry which you meane is not onely taught or plainly taught but most plainelie taughte not by some but by all the ancient Fathers of the first sixe ages after Christ and hath beene not sometimes but ever not doubtingly but without all controversie taught of the Fathers of each age vntill this day If you had a fore-heade lefte and knevve vvhat you did saye vvhich I thinke you doe not but onely take vp this speech on the word of other men you would blush a whole yeare togither at this your owne absurdity and by that time woulde this rubour bee so setled in your face that it would never out For that I may plucke you a little backe by the sleeue doth Saint Augustine and Orosius Fulgentius and Bernard where they of purpose handle the argument teach as you do teach cōcerning the freenesse of Gods grace every way and touching free will a In pref 1. 5 Bibli Sāct Sixtus Senensis shall condemne you who reiecteth Saint Augustines doctrine in that behalfe Doe Lactantius and