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A32964
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Reasons of a challenge sent to the universities of England, in matters of religion by Edmund Campion ; faithfully translated into English.
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Campion, Edmund, Saint, 1540-1581.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing C407; ESTC R12917
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29,015
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40
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REASONS OF A CHALLENGE SENT TO THE Universities of ENGLAND IN Matters of Religion By Edmund Campion Priest of the Society of Jesus Faithfully Translated into English Permissu Superiorum LONDON Printed for Mat. Turner at the Sign of the Holy Lamb in High-Holbourn MDCLXXXVII To the most Pregnant Wits of the two Famous Universities of Oxford and Cambridge LAst year being come in a Mission to this Isle according to my imployment Renowned Champions I found waves more Tempestuous a great deal on the English Shore than I left in the Britannick Ocean By and by when I had pressed farther into England I saw nothing more common than unaccustomed Tortures nothing more certain than unexpected Dangers I recollected my self as well as I could mindful of the Justice of my cause and not forgetful of the times and lest I should by chance be taken up before I was heard I reduced the intentions of my mind into writing I thought fit to declare to the World what I came for what I zealously endeavour'd for what kind of War I wag'd and against whom I Proclaimed it I had the Original Copy with me which I was resolv'd should be taken with me if I was taken I intrusted a friend with a Copy of it who contrary to my knowledge communicated it to a great many more my Adversaries Rudely seized the Book as soon as it was Published passing their most malicious Censures upon it That one man should Challenge them all in matters of Religion although I should not stand alone in the Field in case I was ingaged for the Publick Faith Hanmer and Charke answered my Challenges and what then disingenously all for they made no material answer but one which will never be approved of We embrace your Proposals the Queen Espouses them make your application to her In the interim they cry our your Society your Seditions your Arrogance a Traytor without doubt a Traytor O Ridiculous Why do Wise Men thus lose their labour and credit But of these two one for his fancies sake made Incursions into my Book the last did more maliciously weigh the whole cause The Book was published lately being very plain treating of our Society of the injuries we sustained and of the Province we now undertake what remains therefore since our Adversaries prepare Torments for me and not the Schools but to prove the matter of Fact to you which Created so much Confidence in me as to demonstratively show the sources of things I would also exhort you whom it concerns above all men to take that care which Christ the Church your Country and Salvation requires of you had I trusted in my Parts Learning Subtilty Reading Memory and Challeng'd such a croud of Adversaries I had been Vain and Arrogant but I never regarded my self nor them but considering the cause I deem'd my self sufficient to uncloud the Sun at Noon Day therefore pardon those heats of Zeal which the honour of Christ my King and the invincible Truth have occasioned Ye know M. Tullius when Roscius did promise him a Victory in case he would defend by dint of Argument that Seven Hundred Miles could not be run in two days did not only not fear the force and efficacy of Hortensius his Arguments but even of those that were his betters the Philippi the Cottae Antonii and Crassi who gain'd to themselves great honour in Rhetorick Indeed there is some Truth so Transparent that no Sophistry in words nor Jugling in things can Eclipse Moreover that is more manifest which we undertake than that supposition of Roscius for if I can prove that there is a Heaven that there are Saints that there is one true Faith that there is a Christ the Victory is mine May I not be then Couragious here They may Martyr me but they can never Baffle me for I insist on those Doctrines which the Spirit hath Taught which is never deceived nor overthrown I beseech you that you would use the means whereby you might obtain Salvation as for the rest I am not at all in suspence but that I shall receive from those I Petition it of if they will apply themselves to study call upon Christ and be diligent they will certainly find out the Truth to the Confusion of its Adversaries in the mean while it behoves us who are so firmly grounded to take the Field with a magnanimous Courage I draw the Curtain here because the rest which I have to say is Dedicated to you Farewel The Heads of the Reasons 1. HOly Scripture 2. The Sense of Holy Scripture 3. The Nature of the Church 4. Councils 5. Fathers 6. Decrees of the Fathers 7. History 8. Paradoxes 9. Sophisms 10. All sorts of Witnesses The Reasons of the Challenge sent to the Vniversities of England by Edmund Campion ALthough there are Innumerable Arguments to Demonstrate our Adversaries Diffidence in their Cause yet not any one so Material as their Violation of the Divine Majesty of the Holy Bible which is the Authority I draw my Sword for against Those who after they have contemned the Votes and Suffrages of all other Witnesses yet are reduced to that Non-plus that they cannot subsist unless they seize on SCRIPTURE and deprive Her of her Stings Indeed they do by their Actions insinuate unto the World as though they were driven into very dangerous Streights and were resolv'd in this so imminent danger of Shipwrack to make their most Audacious Efforts for their Religions and their last What induced the Manichees to reject the Gospel of St. Matthew and the Acts of the Apostles Distrust in their Cause For at these Volumes they were Thunder-struck who denied Christ Born of the Virgin Mary and who feigned that the Spirit descended from Heaven upon Christians when their Paracletus a Diabolical Persian started up Why did the Ebionites divorce the Epistles of St. Paul Distrust in their Cause for these retaining their pristin Grandeur their Ancient though Polite Imbellishments were antiquated which they forsooth had newly reformed What Instigated Luther that cursed Apostate to Censure the Epistle of St. James as Contentious bigg with Pride and Arrogance insipid empty and unworthy of an Apostolical Spirit Distrust in his Cause For with this Particle of Scripture the Fiend was Wounded and Stabbed to the Heart when he took up the Gauntlet for Justification by Faith only What made Luther's Hell-hounds strike out of the Authentick Canon Tobias Ecclesiasticus Maccabees and many others with the same disgust Distrust in their Cause For with these Oracles they were most Eloquently reprimanded as often as they disputed of Guardian Angels of the Liberty of free will of the Faithful departed this Life and the Intercession of the Saints But is it so Is there so great Infidelity so great Confidence when the Foot-steps of Antiquity and Authority are imprinted in the Church Councils Popes Fathers Martyrs Empires Peoples Laws Universities Histories by Scripture they are resolved to put an end to Controversies
is Homonymia of long and large extent as to what purpose is the Order of Priests when John call'd us all Priests also he subjoin'd this We will reign upon the Earth To what end therefore are Kings Also the Prophet celebrates the Spiritual Feast that is Abstinence from inveterate Crimes Therefore let choice of foods and set days prevail Is it so therefore Moses David Elias Baptistes Apostles were mad who determinated the fasting of the Week to 2 or 3 days which indeed is a perpetual crime You see now what it is I make hast The fourth is added to this Circulation after this manner Give me I say the marks of your Church the Word of God and the most pure Sacraments What are these with you who doubts it But I deny it Counsel the word of God I have Counselled it already and I less favour you than I did before ah but yet it is plain Prove it to me because indeed we do not depart the breadth of a nail from the Word of God Where is your Wit you will always take for an Argument that which is put in the Question How often do I inculcate this Dost not thou watch me Are not the Torches to be remov'd I say the Word of God to be a little explain'd by thee I have 15 Ages witnesses stand to the sense not mine nor thine but of these all I will stand to the sense of the Word of God Where the Spirit will it breathes Behold what circles what wheels does he make This is a Trifler a Coiner of so many words and sophistries I know not to whom he cannot be deceitful he may be troublesome perhaps Your Prudence will raise the trouble the thing will cast away fear The Tenth Reason THis will be to you a direct way so that Fools cannot err by it For who is there although dull in a Common-wealth when desirous of Salvation hath consider'd a little doth not see and hold the Path of the Church so well plained detesting both Brambles and Rocks and inaccessible places These things also shall be desired by the Ignorant as Isaias foretold To you also if you would have it very desirously we lay a prospect of the Scene of things before your Eyes What is more we Err in all things to us affords an argument Let us go into Heaven let us contemplate Roses and Lillies purpled with Martyrdom white with Innocency Three and Thirty Popes slain together the Pastors in all Nations who pawn'd their Blood for the Name of Christ the Flocks of the Faithful who traced their Pastors steps all the Heavenly Saints with crouds of men shining forth with Purity and Holiness thou mayst see ours liv'd here but ours are remov'd from hence ours was Ignatius that I may take a smack of few things mâ—st thirsty of Martyrdom Who in Ecclesiastical affairs equaliz'd none yea not the King himself with a Bishop Who committed many Apostolical Traditions of which he himself was witness to writing Our Anchorite Telesphorus who commanded the Fast of Lent being establish'd by the Apostles to be more severely observed Our Irenaeus who deriv'd the Apostolick Faith from the Succession of the Roman See Ours was Pope Victor who restrain'd all Asia with his Edict which did seem so sharp to some and also to Irenaeus a very Holy Man yet no body envied it as a Foreign Power Our Polycarp who went to Rome upon the Query of the Passover whose burnt Relicks Smyrna gathered up reverencing their Bishop on an Anniversary day and with particular ceremonies Our Cornelius and Cyprian a Golden Pair of Martyrs both great Bishops but greater was he who being a Roman suppressed the African Heresie Who being renown'd for his vigilancy Prosecuted his own Predecessor Our Sextus to whom waiting at the Altar Seven Angels appeared Our Arch Deacon Laurence whom our Adversaries struck out of their Calender although so much extoll'd by Prudentius in him de S. Laur. Ours those blessed Virgins Caecilia Agatha Anastasia Barbara Agnes Lucia Dorothy Catherine who established their devoted Chastity against the Tyranny both of Men and Devils Our Hellen whom the Festival of Inventio Crucis Celebrates Our Monica who dying most religiously desir'd to be Pray'd for after her Death Our Paula who from a Palace fled into a Cave of Bethlehem although a stranger in so great a Journey to attend the Person of Christ. Ours Paul Hilarion Antony who retired into a Wilderness Our Satyrus Brother-in-law to St. Ambrose who carrying the Consecrated Host about him in danger of Shipwrack leaped into the Ocean and being full of Faith Swam out again Our Bishops Nicolas and Martin exercised in Watches Fenced in with Turfes fed with fasting Our Benedict the Father of so many Monks I could not finish those Chiliads in ten years Neither do I repeat those which I ranked before amongst the Doctors of the Church I am mindful of shortness Let them inspect those as will in the Fertile History of the Ancients or rather in the most Grave Authors who almost each of them have left each of the Saints to memory Let any one declare to me out of those most Ancient and blessed Books what he thinks whether they are Catholick Doctrine or Lutheran I call the throne of God to witness and that Tribunal before which I shall stand to give the Reason of these Reasons Word and Deed whether there is no Heaven or whether it is ours If there is we embrace it if not we defie it Now on the contrary if you will let us look into Hell They are burnt with everlasting fire who the Jews what Church were they averse to Ours Who the Gentiles What Church did they most cruelly Persecute Ours Who the Turks Whose Temples did they demolish Ours Who Hereticks of whose Church were they Enemies Ours For what Church besides ours hath oppos'd it self against the Gates of Hell When the Jews being banish'd the Christians settled at Jerusalem Good God! What concourse of People resorted to the Holy Tabernacles what the Festival of the Sepulchre what of the Manger what of the Cross what of all Saints with which as it were with the Ornaments of a Spouse they were delighted Hence arose the fierce and implacable hatred of the Jews towards us Also they say now our Ancestors were the cause of their own destruction but they receiv'd no blow from Simon Magus or the Lutherans The Gentiles were very furious who in a small space of time brought most miserable Persecutions on the Christians On whom The Fathers and Sons of our Church Hear ye the voice of the Tyrant who Roasted St. Lawrence on a Grid-iron of which See Prudentius in him de S. Laur. Against whom doth he rage The Holy things of whose Church Lamps Rites and Ornaments doth he root out To whom doth he envy Golden Dishes and Silver Chalices and rich Treasure To us Indeed it is Luther like For what other Veil did his Nimrods