Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	ancient_a	article_n	faith_n	3,056	5	4.9792	4	false

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15978	[A notable discourse, plainelye and truely discussing, who are the right ministers of the Catholike Church written against Calvin and his disciples, ... with an offer made by a Catholike to be a learned Protestant ... .]; Marques de la vraye église catholique. English	Albin de Valsergues, Jean d', d. 1566.; Rishton, Edward, 1550-1586, attributed name. aut; Allen, William, 1532-1594.	1575 (1575)	STC 274; ESTC S112318	85,201	271

them Let the learned protestant bring foorth and shewe suche a Communion booke or anye leafe lyne or worde of any suche doctrine or any churche or congregation that euer had any authenticall seruice or ministration of the Sacraments other then that which is yet daylye openly practised in the coÌ„mon knowen catholike churche of Christe And I shall then recant and not before Twelfth I demaunde of the learned protestant to knowe cause reason why their congregations do admit and receaue all Bishops priests deacons and other officers spirituall ordered by our catholike Churche as men lawfull and sufficient to preache the worde of God to minister the sacramentes and to exercise al spiritual Iurisdiction in no lesse wise but rather more then if they had bene ordered in their owne priuate congregations whereas the catholike churche of Christ doth not acknowledge any man of their ordering calling to be any whit the more fit for any spirituall function in Christ his church then other coÌ„mon lay men When therfore the learned Protestant shal be able to shewe good cause and reason whye our Catholike Churche hauing by their owne consent and approuing lawfull priestes Bishops and spiritual ministers not to be also the lawful true and catholike churche of Christe I will then recant and not before Thirtene I require of the learned protestant to expresse what furniture furtherance or commoditie to the honor and seruice of God did christianitie or any part of Christendome receaue by his Churche or congregations what temple or churche did you build at any time for your assemblies and seruice of god what Bishopriks for the better gouernment of the church did you founde or procure what vniuersities schooles or colleges did you at any time erect for the maintenaunce of christian doctrine fayth and religion When the learned Protestant shal be able to proue by ecclesiasticall histories and olde auncient writers these thinges to be the monumentes of their conuenticles and priuate congregations of their fayth and religion and not of the common knowen fayth religion and catholike Churche of Christe Then I shal in like maner yeelde and recant and not before Fourthtene Let the learned Protestant name anye one felowship or companye of beleeuers in the whole christian worlde that in all Articles of faith and religion be in one vnitie in one meaning and beliefe and contented also to captiue submit their seuerall meaninges to the iudgementes of their prelates and spirituall gouernours and of one chiefe head and pastor among them in all ecclesiasticall thinges and causes Let I saye the learned protestant name any one company thus agreing among them selues and thus humblye affected in Christian fayth and religion sauing onely the holye and blessed felowship of the common knowen catholike churche of Christe And I will then recant and not before Fyftene Againe I doo demaunde of the learned protestant whether the Lutherans Zuinglians Illirians Caluinists Confessionists Swenkfeldians Anabaptists and suche like be al of one church and congregation or no And if he be able to proue these sectes being of such diuersitie in fayth and religion to make one church and that euery one of them may geue saluation to their felowes being so disagreable one with another in high misteryes and poyntes of fayth and religion or that I ought to beleeue all those rather then the one true catholike churche of Christe or yet anye of these more one then another all of them making such a bolde chalenge of the truth of Gods worde and Gospell When the learned protestant shall be able by good reason or drifte of argument to satisfye these my requestes Then I shall yeelde and recant and not before Sixtene when the protestant shall be able to proue that those persons which in their departure made from the catholike churche of Christe haue more desyre to beare the name of Sectaryes as of Lutherans Suinglians Illyrians Caluinists Swenkfeldians and Anabaptistes then the name of Christians or Catholikes are the true members of Christe his Churche and not heretikes and schismatikes nor yet folowers therein of their forefathers the Arrians whiche toke their names of Arrius the Maniches of Manes the Nestorians of Nestorius the Nouatians the Vigilians the Iouinians Pelagians Eutichians and others Then I shall yeeld recant and not before Seuenthtene I demaunde of the learned protestant whether if the whole space of that thousand yeres of blindnes wherein their Churche laye hid and vnknowen suppressed by papistrie superstition and Idolatrye as they terme it whether they whiche were then baptized and openly professed Christ wer saued or not If the Protestant doo aunswere yea consequently it foloweth that they were saued without the Church of Christe liuing in all ignorance superstition Idolatry as they say If he aunswer no and that there was no saluation out of their hid vnknowen Church then all men of all degrees yong and olde for the whole space of the foresayde thousand yeeres by the Protestants iudgement perished without all hope of Gods mercye and were damned When therefore the learned Protestant shall be able to proue by good reason and argument eyther that ther is a way to saluation without the Churche of Christe or that all people professing Christe perished for so many hundreth yeeres together Then I will recant and not before Eightene Let the learned Protestant make prouf vnto me how their hid vnknowen and secrete churche not hauing in it the doctrine of Christ his Gospell openlye taught no ministration of Sacramentes no spirite of prophecying no discipline of rod or correction no ordering of Bisshops priestes and ecclesiasticall ministers nor yet anye other spirituall function executed in the same for the space of one thousand yeres together Let him proue their hid vnknowen Churche with the lacke of all these thinges to be the true spouse and Catholike church of Christe And I will recant and not before Ninthtene Againe on the other side let the learned protestant proue that it is not the true Churche of Christe that hath in the face of the world for the space of fiftene hundred yeres past exercised preaching the coÌ„uersion of nations to the obedience of the Gospell that hath alwayes had the administration of Sacraments the hearing of matters in controuersie the orderlye succession of Bishops the vniformitie of solemne Ceremonies and the vnitie of fayth that hath in her selfe all holye functions of the spirite as working of miracles remission of synnes the true sense and interpretation of Gods word that is beautifyed with diuersitie of states commended by Christe as with martyrs with confessors holye virgins such other Let the protestant proue vnto me that this is not the true churche and that we are not bound to obey beleue this church none other in all controuersies doubtes vprising eyther by the difficultie of scripture or by vain contention pride of heretikes and I wil yeld recant not before Twentie Moreouer let the

folowe by that that it is not of god For by that reason one mighte saye that GOD was not the authour of the priesthood of Aaron seing that Dathan Abyron and Ozias tooke it vpon theÌ„ of their owne boldenes the which is not true And as touching this that he saieth that our order of priesthood is not of God we will proue that false in some other place but at this time we must treat of our vocation to aunswere him his complices howe and by what vertue we exercise our ministerie We are called to this estate according to the ordinarie way that is to saye by the right succession of Bisshops and Pastors and by the continuance of one Catholique faith deriued from the Apostles to our dayes without the interruption of it vniuersallye for in diuers places of the worlde it hath bene euer cleere and certaine manifestlye shining like the light set on the table to geue light to all those of the house and not vnder the busshell to be shadowed with darknes S. Paule after that he had recited by order the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchie I meane of the Apostles Prophetes and Euangelists he doth declare at the last the cause why they were instituted being for the edification of the misticall body of Christe the which is the Catholique Church vntill saith he that in the vnitie of faith we go to meete him He taketh his similitude of many that come froÌ„ diuerse wayes and meete all in one waye And thus he meanes that the spirituall edification of the Churche ordeined of Bishops Pastours and Doctours shall endure vntill that the Gospell be preached through all nations By the effecte of the whiche Gospell both Frenche Spanish English Greeke Persian Arabian Latines and Barbares with manye other nations which were to tedious to name haue met together hauing of great antiquitie all one kinde of Catholike faith by the Apostles and their successors for euer As the sonne of God before he suffered did attaine and arriue to the perfection of his age euen so his misticall body of the Churche shall continue in this world vntill it be perfect in his members and that the number of the chosen be accomplished And eueÌ„ as a materiall building cannot be perfectly atchieued without continuance of workemen and Masons euen so the spirituall building of the Churche cannot be atchieued without the succession of Bishops and Pastors preaching or causing the worde of God to be preached which is the verye spiritual building the which hath bene euer common and visible in the Churche according to the prophecie of Esaye Sap. 61. who meaning to declare the care that God taketh as touching the preseruation of his Churche he did saye as it were representing the state of Hierusalem I haue established and ordeined watchemen vpon the walles the whiche shall neuer holde their peace neither daye nor night These watchemen are those that haue announced to vs our saluation They are the trompettes of Iesus Christe which neuer haue left their sounding in the true Churche of God from the Apostles time vnto this present daye Â¶ The .2 Chapter SAint Paule foloweth this discourse in the fourth Chapiter vnto the Ephesians where as he doeth declare vnto vs the fruit that doth procede of this succession of Pastors and of the perseuerance of the reasonable sheepe in one kinde of spirituall doctrine called the vnitie of fayth For he sayeth that God established this order to that ende that we shoulde not be like light childreÌ„ caried away with euerye blast of false doctrine through the subtilitie of men their craftie wordes full of deceipte In these wordes you doo see howe the Apostle doeth declare vnto vs the counsaile and the intention of the holye Ghoste I meane that we should be constant in our fayth the which is grounded vpon the worde of God interpreted and declared vnto vs by the Doctours and Pastors that successiuely haue continued in one kinde of faith and Catholike religion from the firste time that it was preached without turning with euery winde but rather that we ought to stande firme and stable Here is to be noted that when the Apostle doth tell how he hath lefte vs pastors and doctors to warne vs of the subtilitie of false teachers he doth vse a certain greeke worde very apte for this purpose the which hath in Englishe the signification of the playing or cogging at dise And euen as he that hath no great skill if he playe with suche a one he will soone loose his money because the other can cast what he wil Euen so if a simple man being vnlearned doo chaunce to talke with such a one as can cog or to speake plainely falsly interprete the Scriptures he may soone be deceaued as we see it dayly happen to many that playe awaye and put in hazarde the rest of al their spirituall inheritaunce I meane the faith which hath beene lefte to them by their fathers from age to age since Christes time Thus haue the Arrians the Nestorians and diuers other heretikes deceiued many a maÌ„ as I will shewe more at large hereafter The .3 Chapter THe place that I haue quoted of the Apostle doth shew howe dangerous a thinge it is to fall into the handes of such Coggers of the scriptures and likewise howe certaine a thinge it is to folowe the interpretation of the auncient Doctours standing to that that euer the Catholike Churche hath taught and not to turne at euery blast Vpon this matter one Vincentius Lyrinensis who florished aboue a thousande yeres agone he saith thus If anye man perchaunce demaunde saying Since that the rules of the Scripture are certaine and sufficient of them selues And what neede haue we then of the authoritie of the Churche He aunswereth For that sayeth he that the secretes and misteries of the holye Scriptures are such that euery man doeth not vnderstande them and interprete them after one sorte but that of one place this man and that man shall seeme to mainteyne their opinions being cleane contrary one to another so that looke howe manye men so many interpretations For one way it is interpreted by Nestorius another waye by Arrius another way by Sabellius and so forth according to diuers heresies that haue risen from time to time And therefore it is necessarye for the knowledge of the trueth among so manye errours to drawe the right line of the Propheticall and Apostolicall interpretation according to the rule and true sense of the Catholike Churche This is the learned opinion of this auncient father Vincentius Lyrinensis Â¶ The .4 Chapter WHose discourse doeth make me remember the Complaynt that the Soule doeth make vnto her Spouse IESVS CHRISTE being both represented by SalomoÌ„ and his legitimate spouse I praye thee saith she O my dere frende tell me in what place thou doest lye and rest at noone dayes for I woulde be very glad and desirous to folowe the flockes of thy felowes The which is as

much to say as if she meant thus I see many sheperdes in these mountains which haue great aboundance of sheepe I see those of the Romane Church I see Donatistes I see Nouatians or to speake of our time I see one flocke folowe Luther another flocke folowe Zuinglius another folow Caluin another the Anabaptists another the Sacramentaries and so forth diuers others of whom when I demaunde particulerly Whose is this flocke they doo al aunswer me It is of Christ and euery one saieth this is the Catholike Churche euery one doeth saye that he is his felowe that is to saye as touching the guyding of his flock Now it is not possible that they doo all teache the truth considering howe they vary amonge them selues therfore I do desire thee to tell me where thou doest rest thy selfe at noone dayes that is as much to saye teache me which is the true Catholike Churche which doth celebrate the true misterie of the Crosse which is the place where thou wast nayled at noone dayes being nayled both handes and feete Heare nowe the aunswer of Iesus Christe If thou doest not know the place where I rest O moste beautifull among all women folowe thou the pathe that thy flocke hath made before thee setting thy tabernacle or thy lodge hard by the tabernacle of thy Shepherds If we well note and vnderstande this aunswere it will learne vs that that shal suffise to kepe vs froÌ„ ruÌ„ning euer astray The sense is this O thou Christian which art troubled in thy conscience not knowing because of so many heresyes which waye thou shalt goe or howe thou shalt decerne the true religion from other false doctrine take my counsaile the which is to folowe steppe by steppe the flocke that went before thee If that a thousande or two thousand sheepe runne ouer a plaine those that come afterwarde doo not they know well the path that is made before them doo not they discerne the waye that the firste went Yes surely although there be no Sheperd to guide them And if thou doest aunswere that this doth not suffise for I doo see diuers pathes I see the pathe of the Caluinistes the path of the Lutherans and the pathe of those of the Romane Churche but yet doo not I knowe which flocke I should chose To this I answere thus Set thy Tabernacle by the Tabernacle of the Shepherdes and of thy Pastors I mean that I woulde haue thee to leane to that flocke that can leade thee from age to age and from yere to yere vnto the Crosse of Iesus Christ on the which he was nailed at noone dayes and there it is where thou oughtest to quiet thy selfe and thy conscience Then to beginne If thou doest aske the Caluinistes Where is the true fayth the which as they saye doeth consiste in the true preaching of the worde of the Lorde and in the administration of the Sacramentes according to the institution of Iesus Christe they will aunswere It is at Geneua the Lutherans will aunswere At Wittemberge and the Anabaptistes will aunswere at Monasterium The Vbiquitaries they will aunswere At Tubinge and the Trinitaries At Petricone and so consequently of the rest And then pursue and aske farther where it was twentye yeares agone They will say in the saide Cities but if thou come to demaunde of them wher it was a hundred or two hundred yeres agone if they are ashamed anye thing at all to lye they will not aunswere at all for there is none of them that can deny but that Luther who beganne to preache his newe Gospell the yere 1517. was the firste beginner of all these troubles the father of all those that teache this reformed religion Then is it farre froÌ„ that place where thy frend was nailed at middaie or where he was crucifyed aboue 1500. yeres agone before the newe Churche was dreampt of And therefore thou maiest easelye perceaue that this flock cannot leade thee to the place that thou doest desire and consequently that is not the flocke that we shoulde folowe Then let vs com vnto the Romane Church demaund where was this flock an hundred yeres agone They wil aunswere thee In Fraunce Spaine Englande Germanie and so ouer all Christendom And if thou aske where it was 500. yeres agone they will say In the saide places And a thousande yeres agone likewise and likewise a thousande and fiue hundred yeres agone This flocke then will not leaue thee by the waye as the others doo but it will leade thee vnto the very time of the death and passion of Christe by continuaunce of one doctrine and by succession of pastors which Salomon doth call the tabernacle of the Shepherdes And therefore this is the place where thou must seeke thy Tabernacle and quiet thy conscience to the ende that thou be not a lost sheepe and that thou be not readie to turne at euery blast of newe doctrine that our newe Coggers of the Scriptures doo set forth to deceaue the simple sheepe Â¶ The .5 Chapter THe like vnto this is confirmed by Vincentius Lyrinensis of whom we haue spoken before for he saith in the booke aboue named that that person ought to be estemed a true Catholike that hath nothing in greater commendation then the true religion of the Catholike faith yea although it were the wisest man in the world and the greatest Philosopher the fairest speaker that euer was if he came to speake against the olde doctrine that hath bene taught vs of our forefathers time out of mind we ought saith he to disdaine that learned Clarke with all his philosophie cunning and to hold our selues to the auncient opinion of the Churche the which hath continued vntill this present day And if that nowe one should bring a newe doctrine that was not hearde of before contrary vnto that that hath euer ben taught in the Churche say that it doth not apperteine vnto the state of the Catholike faith that it is no religion but a temptatioÌ„ And therfore if we wil be saued we ought to liue and dye in that faith that hath continued by succession of Pastours euen from Christes time vnto these dayes S. Irenaeus a very famous writer in his fourth booke against heresies the. 65. Chapter who was within a fewe yeres of the Apostles Archbishop of Lions writeth the veri like saying that the true faith and the true knowledge of God is the doctrine of the Apostles and the auncient estate of the Church throughout the world according to the succession of those Bishops vnto whom only the Apostles committed the custodye of the Churche throughout the worlde the which sayeth he is come to vs This sayde Irenaeus doeth write in his thyrde booke and seconde Chapiter that he and his felowes did withstande the Valentinians and the Marcionistes which were great heretikes by the traditions of the Apostles that is to saye the doctrine not written but receued from age to age of the Apostles and so continued till

their time He saith likewise vnto the Traditions which are of the Apostles and that by succession of pastors haue bene vsed in the Churche we do persuade prouoke those that speake against Traditions He writes as much more in the thirde Chapter of the saide booke Forasmuch sayth he as it were to tedious to set forth in one booke the Successours of all the Churches and to tell them one by one we doo ouerthrowe those that for vayne glorie doo seeke to gather disciples together teaching them contrary to that that doth apperteyn vnto the Traditions of the Apostles the which we doo shewe to them by the saide Traditions and by the faith that hath bene taught and is come to vs by succession of the Bishops of the great and auncient Church of Rome the which was founded by the two glorious Martyrs and Apostles S. Peter and S. Paule These are his wordes in his thirde booke aduersus haereses the fyfth Chapter And at the beginning of the saide Chapter he saith thus All those that will vnderstand the truth may presently regard the traditions of the Apostles which are manifest throughout the world and we cannot coumpt the number of those that haue bene instituted and ordeyned Bishops in the Churche their Successoures till our dayes which haue neither knowen nor taughte anye thing like vnto the fables and tales that these doo preache vnto vs c. Not without cause wee may nowe a dayes say the like of the Lutherans Caluinistes other sectes of our time After this he doeth set forth all the Popes of Rome from S. Peter vnto Eleutherius which was Pope in his time And he did affirme that that number did suffise to proue that the doctrine of Marcian and Valentinian was false and very hurtfull because that it was vnknowen or at the least not receaued or approued by the Churche being vnder the gouernaunce of any of those Popes Then with greater reason ought prescriptioÌ„ to take place against a new doctrine which hath beene vnknowen this 1500. yeres or at the least if any bodie sought to publishe it he was condemned as a false pernitious heretike Â¶ The .6 Chapter S. Augustine in his Epistle 365. about the like matter doeth set forth all the Popes by order which haue bene from S. Peters time vntil Anastasius which was pope in his time and by his continuall succession he doeth proue that the doctrine of the Donatists is heretical because that none of those popes which he did recite nor no part of the Churche did receaue it I pray you maye not we saye the like by the Caluinistes and other heretikes The saide S. Augustine in the Epistle that he doth call Epistola fundamenti Cap. 4. doeth write the reasons that did keepe him vnder the obedience of the Catholike Romane Church And amonge other he doeth alleage the common consent of all nations and the continuall succession of Bishops And in his booke which he made against the aduersarie of the olde and newe lawe he doeth name the succession of the bishops as most certain to answer to that that we sayd before of S. Paul I mean that he would not haue vs to be wauering doubtfull in our doctrin but that we should be firm stable the which stablenes is obteined by the knowledge and intelligence of the Scriptures according to the traditions of the Churche and the succession of the Apostles and Bishops The Churche saieth S. Augustine froÌ„ the Apostles time hath continued through the certaine succession of the Bishops vntill our dayes Â¶ The .7 Chapter YOu doo studie as muche as you canne to reiect our succession and not without cause knowing that this onely doeth suffise to ouerthrowe all the heresies of those new reformed Gospellers Caluin as the moste apparant doth seeke to proue that our reason is of no force because that the Greekes haue had euer succession of Pastours and yet we doo not holde them as Catholikes But if the Reader doo well note that that we haue alreadie sayde he shall finde the aunswere vnto this obiection I meane because that the Greekes haue not had succession and continuaunce of doctrine called vnitie of fayth by the Apostles the which ought euer to be ioyned to the continuaunce of the Pastors to shew the true recognisaunce of the Catholike religion There is none that doo study reade of those matters but that doo know the vnconstant faith of the Greekes as touching the proceeding of the holye ghoste the which errour they had abiured at the last Councell of Florence and yet notwithstanding they did turne to it againe besides diuers other light thinges to speake moderatelye which are not approued by their auncient fathers S. Iohn Chrisostome S. Cirill S. Basil and Athanasius nor yet by our aduersaries at this present time The which errours I haue no neede to set foorth in this booke for my intent is but to speake of that that prickes vs at hande because of ill neighborhood Some doo alleage vnto vs the negligence of our pastors and their ill liues for the which cause they say that the meÌ„tioned succession cannot take place But this argument is of no force For althogh that the carelesse liues of some Bisshops and ecclesiasticall persons haue bene so great and so hurtfull vnto the blud of our Sauior Christ I mean to the soules bought with it yet notwithstanding that the Churche hath not lost the succession continuaunce of one doctrine as touching the administration of the Sacramentes by those that were deputed by the Bisshops If one should see a Prelate doing nothing and his lieftenant doing all which of those two woulde you take to be Bishop they haue both deuided their charges the one receueth the profite the other takes all the payne If they be both content what losse doo you feele he that hath anye interest let him valewe the damage And although that the negligence of the Bishop be not excusable before God with the diligence of the deputie nor his conscience cleere yet this ought to suffise that though his faultes be through negligence or through euil liuing yet that ought not to perturbe the assurance of our doctrin the which wee haue taught vs by the word of God interpreted by the true doctours that haue bene before vs agreing in vnitie of faith as I haue alredie said For neither the naughtines of Achas Num. 1. nor of Ioram nor of diuers other great sinners which are inrolled in the booke of the generation of Iesus Christe were not able to withstande the fulfilling of the promise of God made to Abraham that is to sai that he would be borne of this line Euen so the ill liues and conuersatioÌ„ of diuers wicked Popes that haue folowed after Saint Peter haue neuer beene able to moue Christe to breake his promise that is to saye that the fayth of his Churche shoulde neuer fayle Math. 16. and that the gates of hell that is to saye of

or some other kynde of wilde fruite the tree can beare no other but Crabbes or wyldinges Euen so we Chrystian persons who are the trees of God planted by the pleasaunt fountayne of his grace and purged with the holy water of Baptisme to beare fruite at our season so that we take euer to prospet withall the dewe of his grace that planted vs I meane the fayth of our Sauiour Iesus Christe so long we beare good fruite as it is sayd before alleaging the 3. of S. Iohn yll vnderstoode by Iouinian He that is borne of God doth not sinne for the generation of God doth preserue him the enimy of our health shal not touche him And in the sayde Chapter he sayth agayne All men or euery man that is borne of God doth not sinne for the seede of God is in him and he can not sinne because he is borne of god By this it is not ment that Baptisme the which he doth cal the beeing borne of God doth take away from man the power or libertie to do euyl for if he wyl degenerat from the grace that he hath receaued by the Sacrament of regeneration that in steede of growing graft vpon the stocke of the loue of God which is the true life that he will fructifie towards his death and destruction in this case he is no more the sonne of God for as Christe sayth If ye be the children of Abraham do the works of Abraham But as he doth coÌ„tinue and hath this good wyl which was taught by the Angel vnto the Shepheards that he doth continue hauing the grace that was inspired in him by the holy ghost at his baptisme so long he doth not sinne vnto eternal death for the generation of God that is to say the grace receyued by this holy Sacrament doth so defend him that the diuel can not persecute him to death being not able to preuayle agaynst him and as long as this good seede which is the word of god doth dwel in him he cannot sinne and if he did sinne the sede would no longer remaine in him The holy ghost sayth The wise man shal refuse the hypocrite and dissembler and shal depart from the vayne and craftie cogitations and therefore the grace of God and sinne can not dwel togeather nor we oughte not thinke S. Iohns wordes straunge in that he sayth That he that is borne of God doth not sin for it is as much to say as that one can not serue two masters and that he that serueth god can not serue the diuel For S. Paul sayth You can not assist at the Table of god and of the diuel altogether for what communication is there betweene Iustice and Iniquitie or betweene Iesus Christ Belial And he that doth loue this world declareth him selfe an enemy vnto god And a little before he had sayd He that doth commit sinne is the sonne of the deuil the which doeth not affyrme that a sinner cannot be the sonne of God if he repent and do penaunce but in the meane while he that is in actuall sin or hath a minde to doo euil is as then not the sonne of God but the sonne of the deuill The good tree doeth not beare yll fruite for although the fruit doo rot or perishe vpon the tree that corruption doeth not proceede of the tree but of the wormes byrdes or of some other kinde of vermine therefore when they saye that by the fruite we shall knowe the tree and by the workes the faith this ought to be vnderstood when the fruite doth ripe in season that it hath the naturall humour and propertie of the tree And in a man that he haue the influence of the true fayth and not otherwise for euen as the rotten fruite hanging vppon the tree doth not digresse nothing from the good Stocke euen so the yil workes of vs that are Christians ought not to stayne our holy and Catholike religion For the corruption of our yll fruites commeth of our selues and not of our religion the whiche doth defende vs from doing that we do I meane to sweare to blaspheme to commit adultery to doo anye man wronge or to offende God any way He that doeth desyre then by the fruit to knowe whether the tree of our religion be good he ought not to bende his eyes to looke vpon the rotten fruite as if that were sufficient to proue the goodnes of the tree but let him looke vppon the good fruites Suche are all the Doctours aswell of the Greeke as Latine Churche so manye good Emperours and vertuous Kinges Princes Dukes and erles which haue reigned in France Spayne Germany and Englande and ouer all the worlde and haue dyed in the fayth leauing their workes to bear witnes of their good fruites The which haue buylded so many fayre hospitals to helpe and releue the poore so many goodly Colleges to enterteyne fatherles children at their bookes so many foundations workes for the common wealth and that haue buylded so manye sumptuous Abbeys and houses of Religion the whiche you with your godly zeale haue not only robbed spoyled but that that is more odious you haue pulled theÌ„ cleane down to deface the memory of our Auncesters and to acquite al these which are notable monumentes you brag of the good deedes that your good Christians doo which are much like vnto the gaynes of those that vse to cogge at dise for although they winne much it is neuer seene or like the Iewes whiche to color their horrible cruelty in putting our Sauiour vniustly to death they went and bought with the money that they gaue to Iudas a field to bury the dead And so you hauing robbed spoyled from the religious houses and Abbeyes more then you are able to restore you thinke to acquite it all with geuing a litle to the poore No no these deuises are but vaine yf by the fruite the tree be knowen as Christe sayth let them that haue any iudgement looke vpon the fruit of our trees and then iudge whether they be good or no. Â¶ The .36 Chapter NOwe seing that you haue visited our gardein If a man may be so bolde I pray lend vs the keyes that we maye in like maner visite yours that we may see the fruits of your religioÌ„ Reade all the histories writteÌ„ froÌ„ the Passion of Christe to our dayes and you shall fynd that all those sects that haue left our Romane Churche haue done more mischiese in one yere being seperated from the said Church then they did in an hundred yeres before But because our meaning is not to recite all the acts of your predecessors enemies to the Catholike church it shall suffise to make a short discourse of those that haue bene of late dayes I meane the Bohemians or Hussites whose folowers you doo affyrm your selues to be for in your godly booke of Martyrs you haue placed Iohn Hus as the fyrste Martyr of your auncient Church who was

vndoubtedly led with the spirite of god in them both For if the Catholike Churche had the true spirite of God in discerning and iudging the true Scriptures of God from the rest not Scriptures why shoulde not we beleeue that same catholike churche gouerned and led by the same spirite in geuing the true sense meaning and vnderstanding of the scriptures WheÌ„ ye shal be able to render a sufficient reason of the one and not of the other I shall then yeelde and recant and not before Fourth Let the protestantes make sufficient proufe by auncient writers of the ecclesiasticall historyes what church it is that all these fyftene hundred yeeres past hath continued thoroughout fyrme and stedfast whiles all other conuenticles and congregations aswell of the Atrians as of the Nestorians Maniches Nouatians Vigilians Iouinians and the rest of heretikes of all sortes haue decayed bene conuinced and ouerthrowen that by any other church then by the common knowen catholike Churche of Christe And I shal then yeeld and recant and not before Fyfte If it may sufficiently be proued that any other Churche then the common knowen catholike churche of Christe hath instituted and ordeyned all goodly ceremonies solemne obseruations in the same dayly practised and vsed as the festiuall dayes of Christmas Candlemas Easter Whitsontide the feasts of thapostles and holy Euangelists of S. Michaell tharchangell and of all halowes blessed Saintes the obseruation of the holye fast of Lent and Imber dayes the faste of thapostles and of all the aforesaide festiual Eues beside the weekely fast of Frydayes Saturdayes the rest yet obserued and allowed on both sydes to the honour and glorye of God Then I will recante and not before Sixth let the protestantes shewe what Church from Christe his time hitherto and for the whole space of these fiftene hundred yeres past hath exercised discipline and due correction vpon offenders in all degrees and for that purpose hath not onely prouided and made but continuallye executed lawes canons and decrees ecclesiasticall by suspension excommunication degradation and such other like Let theÌ„ proue this discipline to haue proceeded of the Protestants congregations or to haue continued from time to time in anye other Churche then in the common knowen Catholike Churche of Christe And I will then recant and not before Seuenth let me know of the Protestants what Church hath brought forth for the space of these fyftene hundred yeres past as children begotten of her owne wombe so manye thousandes of blessed Martyrs of stoute and bolde confessors of pure and innocent virgins and of other holye Saintes of al sortes and so acknowledged of eyther partie And if it shall in fine fall out that anye one of them was of the Protestants congregatioÌ„ faith or belief whiles they liued here and not of the coÌ„mon knowen faith and religion of the Catholike Church of Christe or that they were approued and canonized for Saintes when they were deade by the protestantes congregation and not only by the catholike churche of Christe I shal then submit and recant and not before Eight Wheras the Apostle Saint Paule testifieth that Christ gaue vnto his Churche some Apostles some Prophetes some Euangelistes some pastors and doctours ad consummationem sanctorum in opus ministerij and so to continue to the edifying of his body the catholike Churche vntill his comming agayne Nowe if the Protestants shal be able to proue by ecclesiasticall historyes of all ages the continuance and vse of the said functions and degrees in their congregations and that by some orderly succession and playne accompt made from Christ his time hitherto thei haue neuer lacked the sayde appoynted officers or that any other church theÌ„ the common knowen catholike church of Christe hath had at all times the continuance of the same I shall then recant and relent and not before Ninth whereas the protestants by the drift of reason and argument are forced of the Catholikes to acknowledge and confesse their churche and congregations to haue lyen hydden vnknowen for the space of one whole thousand yeres together without all the foresayde functions and ministrations of Apostles prophets Euangelists pastors doctors of their gospel fayth and religion at the least wise to be openly perceyued and knowen If therefore they shal be able for the space of that whole time to proue by auncient writers of ecclesiastical historyes any other worde Gospell or doctrine to be vniuersally and openly taught any other Sacramentes to be ministred anye other discipline or correction to be practised anye other Iudgementes Decrees Canons or lawes to be exeuted then those which were dayly practised in the coÌ„mon knowen Catholike Churche of Christe I will then recant and not before Tenth forasmuche as the Protestantes doo affyrme their congregations faith and religion to haue bene practised in the primatiue Churche of Christe some of them for the space of the firste three hundreth yeeres as Iohn Caluine some for the space of foure or fyue hundred yeres as Martine Luther and his complices some for the whole space of the fyrste sixe hundreth yeeres as master Iewell and the authours of the Apologie of the Churche of Ingland and therin not agreeing among them selues as the maner of heretikes is I requyre some better stayed and certayne tale of them where and when this sodeyn change from the Protestants religioÌ„ to the Papists should be made as in what yere of our Lorde vnder what Pope and Emperour by what persons of name it was so wrought and brought to passe and vpon what occasion what Apostles Prophetes Euangelistes Pastors and doctours of their congregations did gaynesay or withstande the same And who doth make anye mention of this sodeyne and meruailous change of the Protestantes religion to Papistrie what one eccesiastical writer or auncient father of the whole world And when they shal be able reasonablye to aunswere and to satisfye these my demaundes then I will recant yeelde to them and not before Eleuenth Let the learned Protestant shewe me what order of seruice or common prayer what order of ministration of Sacramentes their Churche had before papistrie as they call it preuayled in the worlde Let im shewe me one booke or copie of any Communion or what els you liste that was in Englishe or in anye vulgare or common tonge beside the Hebrewe Greeke and Latine or that lacked prayer for the soules departed or inuocation to Saintes or sacrifice for the sinnes both of the quicke the deade or that charged a number to receaue with the prieste or that he could not els consecrate or say Masse receauing alone or that the people should take the sacrament for breade and wine and not for the reall bodye and bloud of Christe or that they should geue no honour to it or not reserue the same for the comfort of the sicke and diseased people or that denied extreme vnction with the rest of the Sacramentes to be behoufull or necessary for

or stay in any one of them vntill they come ad profundum malorum and to a most playne and open apostacie to be miscreants Turkishe and of Mahomets religion not caring or setting by God nor the deuill neither for heauen nor hell Nowe heresyes being thus ficle and mouing the finall ende of them thus lamentable and horrible in the sight of God Let any learned protestant liuing answere directlye and playnelye without all cauill coloure or fraude of wordes without all vnprofitable and impertinent digressions not onely to this but to al the foresaide signes tokens and demaundes And I shall for company good felowship with them leaue the common knowen churche and the playne way of saluation beaten by our forefathers for the space of these fyftene hundred yeres past and nowe wander with theÌ„ in their vncertaine bypathes through vnknowen desertes rough woods brambles and bryers to seeke in the end we cannot tell what And here to conclude and of my part to minister vnto you some occasion in the relinquishing of these priuate churches and congregations of sectaries to returne to the vnitie and attonement of the common knowen catholike churche of Christe where stabilitie and constancie of fayth and religion is onely to be founde I shall here lay before you the worthy example of the blessed martyr Sebastian by him brought of a loafe of breade to Genserichus then king of the Vandales a furious and a barbarous nation whiche breaking into Affrike they founde there many valiant captayns placed by the Emperour Theodosius the second for the defence and sauegarde of the countrey amonge the rest was this Sebastian by dignitie an earle and a couragious and valiant captayne who with the rest yeelding to the force of Gensericus was as Victor de persecutione Vandalorum writeth for his great wisedome and valiantnes not so muche beloued as feared of the king Genserichus who being an Arrian intended by colour of religion to work his death For Genserichus knowing Sebastian to be a seuere and a perfit christian man conuented him before the Arrian Bishops and vnder the pretence that amitie and frendshippe might be the surer and continue the longer betwixte them Genserichus moued him to become an Arrian and to professe the same maner of beleefe and religion as he and his people were of For answere this holy martyr Sebastian requested Genserichus the king to commaunde a fyne wheten loafe to be brought vnto him and taking it in his hande and here to omit many of his wordes and notable sayinges he requested the king Genserichus to commaund the loafe of breade to be broken in peeces to be ground brought to flower and boulted afreshe to be seasoned with water and salte and baked agayne if then it should in the end proue better bread then it was before he would not faile to accomplishe the king Genserichus his will pleasure but if it were not possible by breaking of the loafe and baking of it againe to better it but to make woorse breade then before he wold not nor could not consent therevnto And in fine suffered death in the defence of the christian fayth religioÌ„ by him alreadye professed and receaued rather then he would condiscend to the impayring infringing or breaking of any part therof And so Genserichus caused this blessed man Sebastian to dye a holye Martyr Thus much I haue brieflye deducted out of the history of Victor to that intent that so apte and familiar an example of so holy blessed a martyr might in these perplexities and doubtes in these ofte changes mutations of religion confort the weaklings of Christ his church and bring them to some more better stay when by this example of Sebastians loaf certain sure we may be that the loafe of the vnitie of Christe his Churche the loafe of his Gospell fayth and religion being by schisme and heresye neuer so ofte broken neuer so finely grynded boulted searced and syfted kneaded baked agayne and agayne they shall neuer be able to better it or to bring it to that perfection which it had before And therfore all their attemptes to the contrarye are moste vayne the only remembraunce of this Sebastians loafe should suffise to confyrme the faythfull to stay the wauering and weaklinges and to plucke the deceaued backe agayne and to cause them in leauing of this their fickle waueringnes of this their proceedinges as they terme it from one secte to another from one congregation to another and from their scatering abrode with Antichriste to stay them selues and to gather them selues with our Sauiour Christ into the vnitie of his common knowen catholike churche where they shal be sure to â—ynd vnitie of religion vniformitie in all ceremonies and obseruances of the same with thattonement of christian fayth throughout in all Sacramentes and articles of our Creede to the pacifying of many contentions and strifes among vs to the quietation of mens consciences causing vs all professours of Christe as brethren here to liue together in quietnes peace and vnitie to the more better assuraunce of the publique estate of this Realme and to the great glorye and honour of almightie God to whom be all prayse honour and glorye worlde without ende Amen FINIS Act. 20. In his booke of Insti ca. 18. Art. 58. Heb. 5. L. Si quis ad se ad leg lul de nil publ c Num. 16. 2. Paral. 26 Math. 5. Ephe. 4. Lib. con haer Canti 1. Canti 1. Lib. 4. contra haeres cap. 65. Ephe. 1. Galat. 1. 1. Cor. 10. Exod. 29. Leuit. 4. Num. 8. 17. Act. 8. 19. 13. Tim. â— A 7. Cip. 1. epist. cap. 6. Gal. 1. Ioh. 6. Mat. 22. Rom. 10. Mat. 15. Cap. 3. Rom. 13. Rom. 13. Cap. 14. Cap. 34. Math. 11. Cod. vt nemo in sua causa iud Ioh. 15. Gen. 20. 1. Ioh. 4. Mat. 28. Mat. 12. 24. Exod. 19. Act. 14. Gen. 20. Gen. 24. Iud. 2. Psal. 18. Sap. 13. Rom. 1. Act. 12. Lib. â— ca. 15. Act. 3. Deut. 16. Act. 10. Li. 8. fo 4. Cap. 6. 10. 12. An heresie of the Puritans Cap. 5. Cap. 3. Math. ca. 10. 16. Psal. 90. Ioh. 6. Ioh. 2. 1. Cor 5. Ioh. 8. Psal. 84. Ioh. 5. Gen. ca. 12 15. 19. 22. 24. Ioh. 5. Mat. 11. Luk. 6 Mat. 15. Dani. 15 Iohn 18. Rom. 1. Iohn 8. Sap. 1. 1. Cor. 10. Iohn 10. Ioh. 20. Mat. 16. 2. Cor. 4. Luk. 16. Mat. 7. In his booke of the true body of Christ in the sacrif written in Latin. Mat. 28. Mar. 16. Act. 20. Heb. 13. Ioh. 14. Certayne and assured signes and tokeÌ„s of false prophetes heretikes and schismatikes 1. Iohn 2. Rom. 10. Heb. 5. Heb. 13. 1. Cor. 1. 2. Tim. 3. Exod. 7.

heresyes of Valentine and suche other whose wordes taken out of his fourth Chapter of the sayde booke I will briefely rehearse Si quae de aliqua modica quaestione disceptatio esset nonnÃ¨ oporteret in antiquissimas recurrere ecclesias in quibus Apostoli conuersati sunt ab eis de praesenti quaestione sumere quod certum re liquidum est If any controuersie shoulde be of any question were it neuer so litle must it not be mÃ©ete to haue our recourse vnto the moste auncient Churches in the which the Apostles were conuersant and of them to receaue the playne certaintie thereof It foloweth Quid autem si neque Apostoli quidem Scripturas reliquissent nobis nonnÃ¨ oportebat ordinem sequi traditionis quam tradiderunt his quibus committebant ecclesias But what if the Apostles left nothing written of that matter must we not folow the tradition of them to whose gouernaunce they committed the Churches Here haue you the minde of Irenaeus who was nÃ©ere vnto Christ his time for as S. Hierome testifyeth in an Epistle to one Theodora he was Disciple to Papias who was S. Iohn the Euangelists scholler He woulde haue men to be taught of Christe of his Apostles and their successours and not of euery one which rashelye and without lawfull authoritie taketh vpon him to be a teacher Christen men should be obedient to christen ordinaunces and folowe that doctrine that is alowed by them that are lawfully called and haue the censure of doctrine committed to them Such were the Apostles called and put in authoritie by Christe Suche were they to whom these agayne gaue the charge ouer anye faythfull congregation Suche are all they which haue so from time to time bÃ©ene lawfully called by them that haue power to put others in authoritie and so succÃ©eded in due order els QuomodÃ² praedicabuÌ„t nisi mittantur Howe shall they preache except they be sent as it is written in the tenth to the Romanes and sent by them which haue authoritie to sende Did not S. Paule for that purpose leaue Titus in Crete Did he not also geue Timothie charge to laye handes to quickelye on no man To these that be thus lawfullye ordeyned and called to haue cure and charge of soules ye are bounde to geue an eare by these ye must be ruled in matters of religion as obedient children to their spiriritual fathers And this biddeth S. Hierome writing to Nepotian Esto subiectus pontifici tuo quasi animae parentem suspice Be subiect to thy Bishop reuerence him as thy soules father The same lesson teacheth Chrisostome in an Homilye De recipiendo Seueriano where he beginneth thus Sicuti capiti corpus cohaerere necessarium est ita ecclesiam sacerdoti principi populum As it is of necessitie that the body cleaue to the head so it is likewise of necessitie that the congregation cleaue to their Priest and spirituall ruler and the people to their prince And within a fewe wordes after he alleageth for the confirmation of this matter the Apostle writing thus to the Hebrewes in the thirtenth Chapter Obedite praepositis vestris obtemperate eis quia ipsi peruigilant pro vobis quasi pro animabus vestris rationem reddituri Obeye them that haue the ouersight of you and doo as they would haue you for they watch for your sakes as they which shall geue accoumptes for your soules This obedience doth our Sauiour require of all men saying Qui vos audit me audit He that heareth you heareth me This obedience to Christes Churche hath continued throughout all Christendome time out of minde And if the authoritie of the learned and holye fathers ought to beare swaye and preuayle as of right it ought to doo in dÃ©ede Arrogantium enim hominum est maiorum suorum authoritatem aspernari se illis ingenio vel sapientia anteponere For it is the maner and propertie of proude arrogant persons to contemne the authoritie of their elders and to preferre themselues before themin wit or learning If the consent of all christen Regions should be regarded probabilia sayth Aristotle in the first Chapter of the firste booke of his Topikes quae videntur omnibus vel plurimis Those things are probable which all men or at the least the most part doo iudge to be so If the long continuaunce of time must be of importance In his enim as witnesseth S. Hilarie vpon the hundred and eyghtÃ©ene psalme tanquÃ m in coelo verbum dei permanet in quibus hoc verbum non offenditur In theÌ„ doth the word of God abide among whom that worde is not offended If these thrÃ©e I saye The authoritie of the learned Fathers The common consent of christian Regions The long continuaunce of time may be a sufficient testimonie for the veritie we haue the true Gospell and the true sense of it Our religion is the very christian religion The order of Ceremonyes that the Catholike Churche doth vse is the right order Our fasting and praying is according to the Scriptures Our Church is the true and lawfull spouse of Christ from the which as many as seperate them selues they are no shÃ©epe of Christes folde they are reprobate persons they are the children of Beliall they are ympes of hell You know what order your fathers kept howe they liued and howe they belÃ©eued You are not ignoraunt howe you haue bÃ©ene brought vp instructed and trained in the lawes of Christe Whosoeuer goeth about to infringe or breake any part of that godly order of that auncient custome and laudable vsage he is an heretike an enemye to God a murtherer to mannes soule a disturber of the common wealth a subuerter of all honest discipline and therfore moste vnwoorthy to liue among men I haue hearde read and sÃ©ene manye thinges yet can I not reade heare or sÃ©e any worlde more contaminate and proue to all kinde of vices then this our age is And howbeit afore our dayes haue bÃ©ene in all times and ages men and women verye vitious and monstrous in their liuing yet then vertue was vertue and vice was vice But nowe in our corrupt time we haue lost the true names and vse of all thinges and vertue with vs is taken for vice and contrarily vice is coumpted for vertue They that be studious of modestie obseruers of temperancie and louers of sobrietie they be nowe a dayes called Pinchepennyes and suche that hunger droppeth out of their noses If any be vertuous folowers of the Catholike which is the true religion they be called Phariseys Papists The discrete maÌ„ he is called an hipocrite the small talker a foole and an ignorant person On the other side they that leade their liues in all kinde of ryote they be called hansome men men of the right making and suche as can tell howe to kÃ©epe honest mennes companye Agayne the statelyer that one goeth the higher that he looketh and the stouter and malapertlier that he speaketh the more is

infidelitie which are the portes of damnation should neuer preuaile against it Esa. 58. Our aduersaries therefore that take suche great paines to set forth in golden legends the liues of the wicked popes that haue beene since S. Peters time thinking thereby to ouerthrowe the succession of the Catholike ecclesiasticall fayth doo no lesse offende God then if they should go about to proue the promise of God made to the Patriarches to be vaine because of the euill liues of their successours Therefore those that doo reproche vnto vs now that the popes of our dayes are not altogether so holy as S. Peter we do coÌ„fesse it But they cannot deny or they wil coÌ„fesse vnto vs that the aboue named euil kings Achaz Ioram Manasses Amon Iechonias and others did leade no suche holy liues as Abraham Isaac Iacob or Dauid and yet notwithstanding those euill kinges haue beene set forth in the generation of our Sauiour as the Fathers of the iust Iesus Christe Let them iudge theÌ„ that haue any wit whether this be a great foly or no to see howe these craftie Coggers of the Scriptures should make many simple persons refuse to be the Popes spiritual childreÌ„ because they were sinners seeking thereby to ouerthrowe all the auncient customes of the Churche Â¶ The .8 Chapter VPon Moyses Chayre there sitteth sayeth oure Sauiour Christe who not the godliest menne of the worlde but the Scribes and Pharises Doo that they saye but not that that they doo But if our newe Gospellers had beene in those dayes they woulde haue tolde Christe that his commaundement was not to be obserued because the liues of Anna and Cayphas were not correspondent vnto those of Moyses and Aaron for the firste came to the vocation of priesthood being called of God but the last attained to it by the vocation of their purses and yet notwithstanding rather then our Sauiour wold breake this harmonie of the misticall body of the Churche he was not onlye content to permit that Caiphas should execute his office although he was vnworthye as one that came to it by Simony but rather he did confirme his Pontificate with the gifte of the spirite of prophecying with the which he was as fullye inspired as euer was Dauid Esay or any of the rest al to teache vs that that I haue alreadie said I meane that the Ecclesiastical order the administration of the Sacramentes doo not consist in the good or euill liues of the Pastors but only of God and of his worde interpreted by them As touching that that appertaineth to our health God hath no regarde to the life of the magistrate temporall or ecclesiastical for he can aswell serue him with an euill person to doo good to the common wealth as of a good as the godlye prophecies of the wicked Balaam doo wel witnes Num. 24. And here is to be noted that when we talke of the succession of Bishops and of the doctrine continuing in the Churche we doo not meane onely to talke of the Popes but of all the Bishops and other hauing Ecclesiasticall charges not onely at Rome but through all other places where the true preaching and right administratioÌ„ of the Sacraments be vsed And therefore you doo pretende in vaine to proue that the aboue mentioned succession hath beene interrupted by the dissention of Popes and Antipopes and by the Ciuill warres that haue beene at Rome in times past For althoughe that the Sea of Rome was vacant for a time the Chaires of the Bishops in Fraunce Spaine Englande and ouer all Christendome were not vacant they did not for their debates let to administer the precious body of Iesus Christ and the rest of the Sacramentes to preache and teache the people doing manye other godlye deedes And to be briefe the Ciuil dissention at Rome did not cause the rest of the people throughout Christendome to breake the vnitie of their fayth which they helde before their discordes The ambition of the popes of Rome was in nothing preiudiciall vnto those that helde the integritie of their fayth nor through the reason of their yl gouernaÌ„ce our sauiour Christ did not lose his rightful inheritaunce Â¶ The .9 Chapter NOwe seing that we haue yelded you a full accompt of our vocatioÌ„ to the ministery if we may be so bold I thinke it is no great presumption to demaunde the like of yours For euen as Caluin hath heretofore called vpon vs to haue vs proue that wee are the children of God or otherwise he woulde absolutelye affirme that God can not be called the authour of our vocation to the ministery We say likewise that if you doo not shewe the like of yours you shall geue vs leaue although it be against youre willes to saye that yours commeth not from God but from the procurement of his aduersarye Tertulian who as you knowe aboue 1200. yeres agone speaking against suche as you are in his booke de praescript haeret doth write these words Edant origines Ecclesiarum suarum euoluent ordinem Episcoporum suoruÌ„ per successiones ab initio decurrentem Hoc enim modo Ecclesiae Apostolicae cursus suos deferunt sicut Romanorum Clementem Episcopum Ã Petro ordinatum id proinde vtique et coeteri exhibeant quos ab Apostolis in Episcopalibus constitutos Apostolico semine radices habeant You see well by these wordes howe that Tertulian doeth continue with the succession of the Pastours the which he doeth affirme to be necessarye saying that you and such as you are ought not to be receiued to the ministerie of the Church nor to teach the people contrary to the ecclesiasticall order except that you shewe the antiquitie of your table And it is necessary saith he that you recken your Pastors and Bishops by order and howe they haue succeeded one after another for this is the waye that the Churches doo maintaine their right The saide Tertulian doth ground his similitude vppon the custome of the Ciuill gouernaunce For when that those yare princes or Lordes doo suruaye their landes the subiectes are bounde to shewe what bandes they holde of them setting it all forth by accompt shewing by what tenure they holde their copie and whether it be demeanes or freeholde comming by inheritance or bought they ought likewise to name him that had it before and by their owne title to ouerthrowe all other persons that maye make claime vnto it According to this paterne and order we haue geuen you accompt of our inheritance although we were not bounde to it setting before your eyes the similitude of Salomon by whom our Sauiour Iesus Christe is represented That same Salomon doeth geue the sheepe that runnes astray counsaile to set his Tabernacle by the Tabernacle of the Sheperdes and to folow their flocke vntil he come to the place where Christe was nailed on the Crosse at noone dayes The whiche counsell as the moste certaine according to Tertulian his opinion we doo folowe thinking it sufficient to keepe vs firmely in

doest thou O Apelles remoue my landes And a litle after he sayeth The place is mine I haue bene thus long time in possession and before thee I haue good title and euidence to mainteine my right of those to whom it did appertayne which lefte it me by inheritaunce from the Apostles etc. Our Churche of Fraunce which is one of the principall members of all the Catholike Churche might with good cause say vnto you the like And I praye what would you answere you cannot denye but that aboue a thousand yeres before ye were borne that the fayth in which ye were baptized and the which you haue falselye denied was planted I doo not saye in this onelye kingdome of Fraunce but ouer all Christendome If you pretende anye right to the contrary shewe the reason of your possession by the euidence of the auncient doctours and after come to demaund it as I haue saide before I meane that you should yeld the ecclesiasticall gouernment which you haue vsurped in manye places with to great libertie of conscience licence to doo euill which is the very death of the soule as Saint Augustine doth say epist. 166. And after that ye haue restored Fraunce to his olde estate then there wil be more apparaunce of the matter that ye are sent to preache the true worde of God then there is now But in this estate that ye are although that God had geuen you commission the which he neuer thought he would haue called it backe because of your noble actes Theodosius and Arcades whiche in old time were Emperours of Rome L. si quis in tantam cod vnde vi did establish or make an Edict that if the true owner or lorde of a thing should vse any force or to seeke by the waye of violence without staying for the sentence of the Iudge to get possession of his owne from another man yea although the other had no right to it he shoulde not onely lose the possession but likewise the propertie but if it were founde that he that did enter by force had no right to the Mannur he should not onely be depriued of it but moreouer he shoulde be condemned to geue as much more of his owne vnto him against whom he had vsed the force as the thinge was valued at that he sought to vsurpe If one shoulde call you my masters the newe refourmed Gospellers to such a reckening ye might well packe vp your pipes and transporte your fidelye into another countrey for you shoulde haue no other remedie but to runne awaye with the goodes and preache pouertie Â¶ The .16 Chapter FOr your defence you alleage no other reason but youre good zeale and your ardent Apostolical affection the which hath moued you to sowe this seede of sedition You saye that the fielde is great and there are fewe good reapers but if you marke that that doth folowe afterwarde and to take the counsaile of the wise Christe doeth not commaunde therefore that euerye one shoulde take his sickle and goe and cut downe other mennes corne But he sayeth Praye the master of the worke to the ende that he sende more woorkemenne to his vine He doeth teache vs that if we see anye estate out of order we shoulde praye to God to redresse it And in the meane time we ought to correct and amend our own liues for if euery man were for him selfe God would be for vs all Yet notwithstanding this it is not reasonable that vnder the colour of a good zeale a seruant shoulde take in hand an acte of so great importance without expresse commaundement of his master as it is saide But now that we are come to talke of your good zeale if it please you let vs knowe if those ardent flames of charitie haue so inflamed you that you haue ouerthrowen the Chaires of the negligent Pastors and Bishops and in their roomes ye haue collocated your ministers in euery place where ye could beare any swaye as it doeth appere in many townes and Cities in this Realme I doo not doubt but that you will doo the best that ye can to doo the like with the rest I mean aswell Temporall as Spiritual For eueÌ„ as God of whom ye speake so often doeth make no exception of persons euen so you that call your selues his Lieuetenants wil make no difference betwene the euyl estates the good Euery one doth know that the administration of iustice is very honourable before God and that there be many in this vocation that would not for any thing do any wrong vnto the widowe fatherlesse childe and yet we see and knowe by experience that ther are many others that without any conscience doe take brybes and offer wrong both to the fatherles and to the widowe the whiche crimes are no lesse in that estate then the careles liuing of the Bishops and Pastors So that I thinke by this that he that hath geuen you charge and power to turne the Byshops out of their seates the Curates out of their benefices and the Monkes Abbots out of their Abbeys because of their euil liuings would likewise extende your commission to put downe Lordes Knightes Iudges and Gentlemen because of the corrupt liues of many of them And to make an ende of the reformation your holy Ghoste and those zealous flames of the spirite woulde moue you to goe a litle higher for there is nothing done but the spirite may amend it Against the great trees striue the great windes and against great dignities great abuses It is not vnknowen to all meÌ„ that ther are good and godly Catholike princes and kinges whiche are surely to the people the great giftes of God but likewise one cannot denye but that there hath beene and are diuers ill princes that do gouerne their people carelesly and without Iustice And if by chaunce your Gospell shuld fal into some kingdom wher the prince were not so sage nor so wise as you would haue him in your conscience what wold you do to him I think that that very zeal if you could that hath moued you vnder the coulor of a refor Gospell to trouble so muche our state woulde likewise commaunde you to dispossesse those kinges that do abuse their owne kingdoms euen aswel as to depriue those Bishoppes that doo abuse their bishoprickes But O Lorde what a Gospell is this if it be permitted that the people shall call their princes to accompt or that they may correct their superiours vnder the color of a reformed gospel what seditions troubles warres shal we see ouer al Christendome we shal see fulfilled to our great harme the prophecie of Esay who saieth The people shall seeke to rayse one against another and euerye one against his neibour the yong man shal disdain the old and the ignoble the noble etc. But what coulor soeuer ye cloke your new gospel withal ye run far wide froÌ„ him that doth coÌ„maund vs to obeye all creatures for the loue of God.

passe drye foote ouer the redde Sea Whye did ye not require at his hande that it mighte please him to authorize his worde preached by youre ministers with Signes miracles and tokens as he did when he sente youre felowes the Apostles seeinge that you are Prophetes howe commeth it to passe that you haue not foreseene that we would not beleue you for who is he although he were a deuil that could not say as muche But we haue one disauowe which God hath geuen to manye which doo report that they doo come from him whiche doth greatly ouerthrowe the authoritie of your commission He doth say in the .14 of Hieremie The Prophets preache falsely in my name I haue not sent them I haue not commaunded them nor I haue not spoken vnto theÌ„ but they prophecie vnto you false visions and naughtie diuinations to deceaue your heartes And likewise in the .27 Chapiter I haue not sent them saith the Lord God and they prophecie in my name falselye to thintent I should forsake you and that aswell you as your prophetes should perishe Item in the .29 Let not your Prophetes seduce you that are amongest you nor your Southsayers and doo not marke the dreames that ye dreame for they doo prophecie falselye vnto you in my name seing that I haue not sent them saith the Lorde etc. So that although it wer true that God hath sent you as it is false we might with a iust cause pretend an excuse of ignorance and to saye with great assuraunce that that Abymilech sayde vnto God where he threatned that he woulde kill him because he kepte Abrahams wife O Lorde God sayde he would you kill a poore simple nation Shall it be sayde that we beleue all those that fayne to come in youre name haue not you commaunded vs by the Apostle That we shoulde not beleue euery spirite and that the Angel of darknes doth transfourme himselfe into an Angell of light Haue not you commaunded to be written that we should beware which way we take that suche a waye doth seeme good the whiche notwithstanding doeth leade vnto damnation and perdition If any saying that he is our princes seruant should come to demaunde a summe of mony in his masters name and that he had neither his hand nor his seale to warrant his demaunde would not we sende him awaye like a false merchant fering that he wold deceaue vs then with greater reason ought we to feare the committing of our faith and the hope of our saluation into their hands whom we know not nor that cannot shewe any miracles to confirme their preaching as the Apostles did Qui confirmabant sermonem sequentibus signis That is which did confyrme their preaching with Signes or miracles folowing why do not they sai as he said whose successors they professe to be the signs of my commission Apostleship haue bene accomplished among you with signes and miracles 2. Cor. 12. Â¶ The .18 Chapter YOu do aunswere vs as that Iewes were answered by Christe when they did demaund him to shew some Miracles The generation adulterous and peruerse doeth demaunde signes but no signe shal be geuen them etc. But this comparison can not be applyed vnto vs for we are not so hard of beliefe as the Iewes nor you such faithful messengers of God as Christ was of whom the Iewes did demaunde some signes of obstinate hatred after thei had sene so many lame healed so many blinde receiue their sight so many deafe heare so many dispossest that had spirites but as for you we haue sene your coÌ„mission not to haue extended so far as to restore a flie to life againe or to heale a lame goose although that greater matters are required to confirme so straunge and so new a reformed Gospel These wordes doo make you mad crying out and preching in euery place that your Churche ought not to be called newe but rather that it is olde and Apostolicall and that your doctrine is the verye same that S. Peter and S. Paule did preache And to drawe the simple people to beleue that that you saye you doo declare your faith saying that you doo beleue doo preach that there is one God in Trinitie of persons and the second which is our Sauiour became manne from the wombe of the virgin and that he suffered and did rise againe and to be briefe you shewe that you haue profited in your religion for you haue bene but fortie yeeres which is the time since it began in learning the great Creede the Pater noster the whiche you coulde not learne in a thousande and fyue hundred of ours But in all this you say nothing to the purpose for we doo not demaunde of you whether you can well your Cathechisme the which you hauing learned of vs you teache to others And as Sampson saide Iud. 15. If you had not labored with my Cowe ye would neuer haue hit my Riddle That is to sai That if that our Churche had not nursed or taught you which are her rebellious children you woulde haue knowen nothing for it is of our Churche that you haue learned the principles of your faith She is the Cowe that hath nourished Caluin in a Chanonrie of Noyon Theodore de Bexa in the Priorie of Louinnam harde by Paris and consequentlye all the other ministers which haue learned all that they knowe at the Conuent of S. Fraunces S. Dominick S. Augustine and of S. Bennet where ye were nourished spirituallye as touching your doctrine and temporally as touching the mainteyning of your studie at the charge of that Church against the which ye doo nowe so striue as the Camels whiche sometime rewarde their masters for their good keeping with yerking biting so that coulor it howe you list ye cannot denye but that ye set forth newe deuises For althogh it is so that your heresyes which to please the eares of the vnlearned ye call the refourmed Gospel and pure worde of God haue bene in times past yet they were buried in the very depth of hell and you haue raised them againe cloked with newe coulors But although it were so that your doctrine were not new but very olde yet ought not you to be more priuiledged theÌ„ Moyses and the Prophetes whose simple and playne wordes the world would not beleue although they preached no new doctrine no more then you say that you doo Moyses did shewe manye miracles in Egipt and why was the principall cause to deliuer the children of Israell out of the captiuitie of Pharao No surelye for to what purpose I pray you shuld God shewe such great power and might against a simple worme of earth Is it like to be true that he shoulde moue the whole heauens with suche great darkenes to send so many notable plages to bring him to yeld which had confessed his wickednes for the torment that he suffered with the flyes the frogges Grashoppers Surely no he himselfe doth

saye that we oughte to folowe those that conforme them selues moste vnto the pure worde of God that will come to one ende for if I doo demaunde of you how we shall know whiche do conforme theym selues moste vnto the truthe you aunswere me that it must be done by the grace of the holye Ghoste sent by the Lorde yf with a true hearte he is inuocated of the faythfull Seeing you knowe so well the way how to agree together howe comes it to passe that you haue not vsed it this fortie or fiftie yeres which are the precinctes of the time since your auncient Churche beganne seeing that you haue assembled so manye times together why haue ye not prayed vnto the Lorde to sende the spirite of truth to make peace amongst his Apostles I thinke that you are not so vnshamfaste that you will denye the quarels and debates that haue risen amonge you I doo not saye in light wordes but in great battailes in rayling processes in horrible excommunications sent from the Churches of the Lutherans vnto the Caluinists and from the Caluinists vnto the Lutherans as I haue set foorth at large in the booke that I made of the Sacrament and therefore ye are greatlye ouerseene that ye haue not inuocated the spirite of the Lorde as Caluin hath taught you in his Cathechisme to the ende that you may come to some accorde Â¶ The .29 Chapter NOwe to turne againe to our former purpose if it were so that of our owne free deliberation we were minded to forsake our Catholike religion the iniurious disputations that you vse amonge your selues were sufficient to make vs to suspende oure iudgement without leaning to anye of both parties vntill that we coulde see you more resolute in youre opinions being the hardest matter the knowing in what countrey the residence shoulde be kepte for that matter You haue geueÌ„ absolute sentence saying that the Catholike Churche hath erred euen from the Apostles time vnto this present in praying to God for the soules of those that are deade constituted in a thirde place called Purgatorye You shoulde me thinke at the least allowe a thirde place although it be not that to receaue the soules of those whose consciences you haue so troubled that they knowe nowe neither what is their faith nor of what religion they should be for wheÌ„ they reade Luthers workes they are Lutherans wheÌ„ they meete with Caluins workes they are Caluinists and at the last they do not know which side in deede is the truest being both false and therfore I think it were good that a sequestration were made that neyther God nor the Deuill might haue parte of their soules till there were a farther inquirye made of suche a number of sects and that some good and honest arbitratour might geue iudgement as concerning which partie hath moste right And in the meane while I beseeche God to open so the eyes of the people that they maye see both youre errours and their owne and that through the aboundaunce of their sinnes he permit them not to fall into an Heathenisme vnto the which you doo seeke to drawe them with so manye contrary Gospels Â¶ The .30 Chapter IT doth appere well by that that I haue saide howe the assuraunce of your vocation to the ministerie is but founded vpon sande forasmuche as you doo seeke particulerly a contrary meaning euery one to his owne perticuler sense being not this the waye that an extraordinarye minister sent from God shoulde vse to confyrme his doctrine for this hath beene the custome of all olde heretikes as I haue alreadye sayde There is a verye great difference betweene setting foorth the Scripture to refourme ones religion to reforme ones conditions for when there is any questioÌ„ of the refourming of ones maners there is no neede to regarde whether the doctrine be newe or olde for as the Apostle sayth let euery man take it to his owne sense but when it is to be talked of as touching ones fayth the Catholike ought greatlye to beware of singuler interpretations and to holde them as very suspitious He ought to folowe the sentence that is holden and taught by the auncient Catholike Churche without making any accompt of all these new deuises for euen as when one will repaire an olde house he dares commit it to anye Mason although his cunning be but small but if the foundation must be touched he will seeke the best masters he can fynde Euen so when one will correct me for my euill life or conditions although that it be so that he that seeks to reforme me be not of the wisest of the worlde and that he alleage to me some place or figure of the Sceipture not altogether to the purpose yet all this ought to turne to me to one effect for I know his meaning although he cannot well expresse it the which is to haue me chaunge my naughtie life and to leaue my yll conditions But when he shall come to touche my fayth and to perswade me from that that all my auncetours did euer holde froÌ„ that that the Catholike Churche deriued from the Apostles hath holden and doth holde and from that that both the Scripture and the generall Councels and all the auncient doctours teache and affyrme In the repayre of this foundation I ought to trust none but euen the verye best I meane not one or two but all these that I haue named And now if you say that they maye all erre I praye remember the olde prouerbe that saith He is a foole that thinkes that he onely is wise and all the other fooles and that it is more agreable to reason that one onely should erre then one great multitude for as thei say commonly two eyes see more then one and fowre more then two Â¶ The .31 Chapter OVr Sauiour Christe did approue his vocation after another sort theÌ„ you doo yours Searche saith he the Scriptures for they beare witnes of me he doth not say that they ar Iudges as you saye for you will haue none other arbitrator but the word of god You knowe that they are two different thinges to beare witnes and to be a Iudge yet the scriptures of the old Testament doo conteine not only the veritie of the doctrine of our Sauiour Christ but therwithall the very sufficient probation of his person to teache vs the true worde of God to ouerthrow destroy the whole kingdome of Sathan as it is plainlye seene by those that list to looke vppon the oracles of the olde patriarchs and Prophetes It is written in the third of Genesis that God saide vnto the woman that her seede shoulde breake downe the serpents head And likewise in the said booke ther is mentioÌ„ made of this diuine seede of Abraham in the. 15. and. 53. Chapters of Esay in the. 2. Psalme Dauid doth talke of it And in like maner Daniell Moyses Aaron with al the rest of the prophets in their sacrifices haue very

folow the sectes of perdition If all our Shepheardes had bene as carefull to keepe their flockes as they ought to haue bene your Congregation had neuer ben so strongly builded as it is at this day in Fraunce And therefore you offer your Churche if it maye be so called great wronge when you speake against the abuses of ours for our sinnes haue bene and are the principall foundation of your buildinge And euen as the worme is nourished in the Aposteme with the yll humors euen so you feede of our faultes and are nourished with our sinnes youre fyre burnes with our wood and if we woulde amende our liues I knowe howe soone your religion woulde decaye And therefore our Pastors are not wolues but they haue permitted the wolues to deuoure their sheepe and so they shall aunswere for them before the throne of the eternall Iudge who doth aduertise them by the Prophete Ezechiell that they shal aunswere for all the mischiefes that happen vnto their sheepe manye of the which are scabbed and full of diseases and therefore I would haue you to cause some bodye to choose among yours and ours those that are best to the ende that through this diuision and your ayde we maye take the rest I thinke that if anye thing condemne vs it wil be this cause forasmuch as we haue continued in that doctrine which was preached vnto vs at the firste as you your selues can not denye if you will confesse the truth Â¶ The .38 Chapter ALl our auncient doctours aswell of the Greeke as of the Latine Churche since the Apostles time and the Christians of all the foure quarters of the world which wer in those dayes haue made their promises and vowes vnto God euen as we doo now at their baptisme they did vse euen those very Ceremonies that we do with the self same exorcismes adiurations and annoyntings that we doo vse in our Catholike Churche which you call Papisticall to proue this true we wil bring the said auncieÌ„t doctours as witnesses if it please you to read the places that we wil quote Tertulian who liued verye neere the Apostles time doeth make mention in his booke that he intituled De resurrectione carnis of the annoynting vsed at the Baptisme and of the renouncing the deuil and all his pompe In his booke De corona militis he doth speake of the thirde dipping vnder the water in the name of the father the sonne and the holye Ghoste S. Ciprian the Martyr who was aboue 1300. yeres agone doth write in the second volume of his Epistles epist. 12. how they did vse in his time to geue the holye Chrisme vnto the children that were baptised Origen in his twelfth Homilie and in diuers other places of his works doth make mention of the renouncing of the deuill at ones baptisme and of the making of the signe of the Crosse vppon childrens faces when they were christened S. Iohn Chrisostome in his 12. Homilie vpon the fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians Cap. 4. And in his fyrste Homilie vppon the fyrste Chapter to the Ephesians he doth make mention of the sayde renunciation made from the deuill and all his workes Reade I pray if it be your pleasure S. Aug. in Psal. 31. Aug. li. 15. contra Iulia. Pelag li. 1. Cap. 2. Item de nuptiis et concupiscentia Lib. 1. Cap. 20. In IoanneÌ„ tract 33. In Canonicam Ioannis tract 3. et Tractat. 6. Et de ecclesi dogmat Cap. 31. De Simbolo lib. 1. Cap. 7. et lib. 2. Cap. 11. Et libro de his qui initiantur sacris Cap. 1. Basilius de Spiritu Sancto Cap. 15. et 75. Arnobius in Ps. 27. All these Doctoures which were aboue a thousande yeeres agone if you reade in them the places that heere I haue quoted you shall fynde that they did vse at the Baptisme of their children those verye Cerimonyes that we doo nowe vse and that you doo so mislike And as for Confession before the receauing of the Sacrament our Sauiour Christe doeth teache vs that the Ecclesiasticall Ministers haue authoritie to bynde and forgeue sinnes S. Ciprian in his fyfth Sermon De lapsis Origen vppon the thirtie and seuenth Psalme and in Leuit. Hom. 2. S. Augustine lib. 2. de visitatione infirmorum Cap. 4. S. Ciril libro 12. in Ioannem Cap. 56. S. Hierom in Ecclesi Cap. 10. All these Doctours according to the Scriptures in these places doo confyrme auriculer confession And as for praying vnto the Saintes in Paradise to helpe vs with their prayers reade Origen in his thirde Homilie vpon the Canticles and in his second booke vppon Iob and in his eyght booke in Ecclesi Reade Chrisostome in his eyght Homilie vppon the Epistle to the Ephesians the fourth Chapter and S. Augustine in his twentie booke against Faustinus the one and twentie Chapter and Saint Hierom against Vigilantius All these make mention of the praying vnto the Saintes And for praying for the deade Reade Tertulian in his booke De Monogonia and in his booke De Corona militis and Saint Ciprian ad plebem Furnensem and in the fyrst booke of his Epistles and Origen in Hieremiam Hom. 12. Item in epist. ad Ro. lib. 8. cap. 11. Reade Chrisostome in his third Homilie vpon the Epistle of S. Paule to the Philippians and S. Aug. li. 2. de gen against the Maniches Cap. 20. and in the Incheridion ad Laurent Cap. 110. Item libro de cura pro mortuis agenda All these Doctours whose workes haue continued these 1200. yeeres doo teache vs all these thinges that nowe we doo obserue the which they left in writing by the ordinaunce of God to confute suche heretikes as you are Â¶ The .39 Chapter ANd if I did not thinke that it would be to tedious for the Reader I woulde set forth the rest of our Catholike doctrine the confyrmation of it by the testimonie of suche a number of not onely Doctours but therewith al holy Confessors Martyrs which haue suffered for our religion and that haue taught vs both by worde of mouth and by writing all that we doo vse at this daye teaching vs to liue and dye in it and for it I would haue you answere me vnto this Doo you thinke that they be in heauen or in hell I know wel that meere scrupulositie of conscience will make you not expresse plainelye that that your works doo teache and that you will remit this questioÌ„ to the iudgement of god But this is not to the purpose for I do not demaund of you any absolute aunswere as if you had bene in heuen or hell to see it but this to vtter in your conscience what you thinke of those that haue holden mainteyned and confessed our fayth whom you call Infidels and superstitious Papistes are they condemned If you say yea Then wherefore was the bloud of Christe shed on the Crosse it had bene better that he had neuer suffred if this were true If you saye that God

woulde be mercifull to them because their error proceeded of ignoraunce and so that he will haue pitie of vs because of ours But I knowe that you will say that we are nowe vnexcusable because that wee do refuse the truth that you do preach By the selfe same reason our auncesters can alleage before God no good excuse forasmuch as they do make no accompt of the receauing of such ministers as you are and that haue preched the like Gospell that you doo announce vnto vs S. Hierome and al the Christians of his time are then condemned because they woulde not receaue the Gospell of Vigilantius who did euen as you doo preache that we shoulde not allowe the exposition of the doctours nor honour the relicques of Martyrs S. Augustine is likewise condemned because he wrote preached against the Arrians who taught as you do that it is an offence to pray for the dead And to be briefe if that which you doo preach ought to be called the Gospel and true word of God since the Apostles time ther hath bene neuer a Christian Doctour in the Church for they haue all taught the contrarye to your forged Gospell as euery man may see that will take the payne but to looke in their workes or to reade those places that are quoted by me and diuers others that haue confuted your heresies manye a hundred yeere agone by their authorities Let them then that haue any eyes beholde the hazarde that ye runne into and so manye others throughout the worlde which folowe your opinion If one shoulde come to accuse another of falsehoode and that before he be assured of this matter wherewith he did seeke to attaynt the defendaunt woulde not one thinke his matter verye great or his knowledge very small to run headlong into the daunger of that crime which if he could not proue he shoulde be condemned for himselfe What then shall become of you O most simple sheepe which seeke with fayned arguments to condemne not one or two but all the Christians and Catholikes that haue bene in this worlde since the Passion of Christ the which haue refused and reproued your doctrine as hereticall haue taught vs this that wee holde at this day But now to aunswer vnto that that was mentioned a litle before and that which a number of your flocke haue told me when I haue coÌ„ferred with them which is that the errour of our predecessours was not imputed vnto theÌ„ forasmuch as these good simple people went to worke after the grossest sort thinking to doo well and that as then they did not vnderstande well the truth which is nowe brought to light through your Gospell I saye that in this ye are deceaued more then halfe the value of your religion for before some of them dyed they had forgotten more then euer you haue learned for all that that you know you haue learned it of their bookes or stollen it to say the truth interpreting both their workes and the Scriptures contrary to the truth of their meaning And although it were so that they had al erred your colored excuse of simplicitie could auaile them nothing for the worde of God would accuse them If the Gospell saith S. Paule had bene hidden it hath bene hidden to those that haue perished the spirites of the which the God of this world hath blinded then if that those vnto whom the truth hath beene hiddeÌ„ haue perished wherfore doth your excuse serue them This being true as it is moste like I meane that they haue not erred nor that you onely shal be saued and they all condemned To my iudgement our auncesters with all their simplicitie did neuer erre so muche as your disciples doo to folowe such masters as condemne that faith that the catholike church hath taught mainteyned these 1500 yeres to mainteyn those heresies that haue bene buried in hel many an hundred yere agone and nowe are called vp againe by Martin Luther Caluin and his felowes Â¶ The .40 Chapter YF that by a good and a right title your disciples call them selues the children of god this makes me beleue that the saying of our Sauiour is fulfilled in them the which is The childreÌ„ of this world are wiser in their generation then the children of light To proue this true we see this daily experience for a wise worldly man when he doth put out his money to gayne he will not trust the promise so soone of one or two or three as he will doo the bondes of a whole Towne or Citie that should warrant or assure his gayne But you nor your disciples haue not done thus but rather the contrarye It had bene better for you to haue fyrste put youre fayth and truste in God beleeuing that he hath geuen his holye spirite and declared the meaning as touching the Scriptures vnto the Catholike Churche and not to hazarde the hope of your saluation putting it into the handes of Luther Zuinglius Oecolampadius and three or fowre other such pelting merchantes which haue newly set vp shoppes at Wittemberge Geneua and Losane which one of these dayes we shall see bankruptes as their predecessours haue bene before them the which after that they had deceaued the poore simple Catholikes and gayned some of their soules for the deuill they haue at the laste solde all theyr their honestie and credite so that at this daye except that it be those that reade the auncient historyes no bodye els doth remember that euer they liued in the world You are come now last of al to make vp their merchaundise but your credite can hardlye be good before God for you shall haue against you all the auncient Catholike Churche which hath continued visible since the comming of Christe vnto this daye all the doctours of all the vniuersities all the Empires Kingdomes and priuate state throughout all the worlde which haue receaued honoured this doctrine that you call Papistical And if you saye that you will not trust men but the very word of the Lord we agree to the like that we ought all to beleue the Scripture but we vary about the interpretation for you interprete it after one sort and we after another you expounde it after a new sort and the Catholike Churche doth folowe the olde exposition of the auncient Doctours and traditions which you haue forsaken or to saye the truth your Ministers haue led the sheepe astraye from the olde flocke at the departing from the which they haue bene all scatered abroade some folowing Luther some Caluine some the Anabaptists and so forth for the which the Popes and kinges and others that haue had the gouernment of the Churche shal answere at the last day of iudgement for as much as while they slept you haue come and sowed weedes among the good corne Then seeing you are the sheepe that rome astray what excuse can they make before God that wilfully folowe your steppes We confesse that we are the poore sheepe of God

that haue continued with oure olde flocke stedfast and whole as touching our religion but verye weake sickly as touching our maners that is to say full of sinnes and vices attending some sage phisitions to heale vs and good pastors to keepe vs casting out the chaffe from the corne I mean cutting off those abuses that are offensiue not to suche scrupulous consciences as you haue but vnto him that doth threaten them for the carelesse liues of their sheepe and so to continue in that auncient fayth that by succession of pastors we haue receued from the Apostles Â¶ The .41 Chapter I Knowe well that you wil take this confessioÌ„ of mine to your aduantage saying that for feare of being infected with our superstitious diseases you haue seperated your selues froÌ„ the common flocke but if you do consider my firste wordes they haue barred you al maner of wayes to reply iustly for I haue already said that althogh we be sickly and weake sheepe as touching our doings or maners yet in regarde of our fayth thankes be to God we are safe and sounde keeping still that integritie of religion that by succession of pastors we haue receaued from the Apostles without adding or diminishing any thing to the grounde of our catholike beliefe for as for ceremonies the Church hath vsed theÌ„ euer as touching that time the place to the honor of god edification of our neighbor and therfore if you did seperate your selues from our kind of liuing to leade a holy solitarye life as the holy Heremites and saintes haue done in times past forsaking the conuersatioÌ„ of the coÌ„mon people to liue in contemplation without seperating theÌ„ selues froÌ„ the coÌ„munion of the Churche in the which they haue bene baptised and had receaued their faith your doings had ben as much worthi of praise in that respect as nowe they are damnable considering howe you forsake the common tabernacle within the which both you and we haue receaued the Sacraments of regeneration and our spirituall foode altogether And to the ende that no bodye runne astray from the right path that he should folowe the good Christian ought to fixe in his minde this resolution I mean to serue God and to liue in the Catholike fayth commonlye or priuately for when there is any question put as touching the life the common way as Christe doth saye doeth leade one to perdition and the narow waye doth guide vnto the port of saluation But if one speake of religion the contrarye is verifyed for the common way is the way of health the priuate way is the path of damnation The Prophete Dauid in the. 24. Psalme had a regarde to this when he prayed god to teach him his waies by the religion and his pathes by the maners and customes Â¶ The .42 Chapter NOw to turne to the partition that we haue vpon the. 34. and. 37. of Ezechiell and vppon the tenth of Iohn it is playne that we are the flockes of weake and sickly sheepe and your disciples are the sheepe that runne this way and that way astraye those that are our yll prelats take vpon them the title of Mercenarij pastoris but vnto your Ministers the titles of deuouring wolues may be applyed without any scrupulositie of conscience for you watche to none other intent but to make the sheepe runne out of the fold and to deuour them because that our pastors haue not taken care to keepe them And although they bee not excusable aswell for their silence as for their naughtie liues I see not your Patriarchs and zealous Ministers amende muche them selues the faultes that they finde in vs for besydes the true and certayne experience that we haue had by the tryall that we haue seene to our coste in this Realme within these fyue or six yeres I haue read full manye a golden Legend of your sacred martyrs and holy Bishops which do not altogether redound to the honor of your pretended reformed Church And among others Theodore de Beza Caluins successor in the Pontificate seate of the holy Citie of Geneua of whom suche thinges are preached abrode that if the one halfe of them be true he is scant so good a man as S. Iohn Baptist And because I woulde not haue you to mislike them for their religion I will not alleage to verifye this anye Catholike authour but some of Luthers Successours your fyrste founder who taught you to write so learnedlye I woulde saye raylinglye againste the Churche of Rome Tilemanus Heshusius a Minister of the Lutherans in the booke that I haue alreadye noted doeth openlye accuse the sayde Beza of great infamye that he did not onely content the fansie of his minde with leading a luxurious and a licentious life and to stayne his vow with a bolte of adulterous loue but that that is worse he himselfe hath set forth in writing al his lasciuious acts the which saith he he hath songe in sacrilege ryme to the Instrument to manifest his synne to the whole sight of the worlde And in that very booke he doth say that Beza who as I haue tolde you is a Bishop of the holy Citie of Geneua is an infamous monster whose naughty life any man maye reade set forth by himselfe in his owne Epigrams notwithstanding sayth he to heare him speake you woulde thinke he were Saint Iohn Baptist for he can talke of nothinge but of his holye life This same very Minister in the booke where he writeth these thinges he doeth laye to Bezas charge that he tooke with him to Geneua another mans wife without the knowledge of her husbande whose name was Candida Thus seeing by the verye testimonie of those that are our enemies that are your brethren as touching the seeking to ouerthrowe the Catholike Churche The principall pillers of your Church are bawdes theeues and adulterers ruffins why doo ye not firste begin to reforme your selues to this intent that when we see that you haue taken the blocke out of your own eyes we may be the better content that you should spye the mote in ours Remember that our Sauiour sayth in the Gospel that the phisition ought to cure himselfe Â¶ The .43 Chapter YOu that can saye so well that one ought to liue according to the scripture and that you will by it refourme vs why do ye not beginne with your selues to geue vs the better example From whence come so many kinde of vsuries and excessiue interests as you doo vse You call our Churche abhominable and adulterous He that is among you without sinne let him cast the fyrste stone You doo abhorre oure Idols as you terme them talking of our Images howe commeth it to passe then that some of youres should come so neere vs that are Idolaters as to rob our Churches and to carye away the Images and reliques and to go and sell them in other places But nowe to make an ende of this discourse although it were so that your woorkes were

the best of the worlde yea whollye without spot or sinne as some of you doo affyrme yet were not they sufficient to moue vs to chaunge our religion nor to forsake that that our forefathers haue taught vs for although it be so that our Sauiour Christe was as iust and as innocent as any can be hath beene or euer shal be yet neyther his holy life nor the Scriptures that he did alleage to proue his comming by the authoritie of the Prophetes nor the testimonie of S. Iohn Baptist all these thinges together wer not sufficient to perswade the Iewes to forsake their old lawes and to receaue the Gospell without the testimonie of the great miracles that he did in their presence He doeth confesse this plainely where he sayth If I had not done in their presence the workes and miracles that neuer any had done they should haue no sin This sentence is moste notable and woorthy to be grauen in the heartes of all Catholikes to assure their consciences which are troubled with such diuersitie of opinions For although it were so that you my masters were the honestest men of the worlde sent from God to teache and preache a true doctrine yet shoulde we be excusable before God for not receauing of your commission euen as the Iewes had bene for not receuing of our Sauiour Christe if he had not done so manye miracles For we knowe no cause why you shoulde be more priuileged then Christe And seing that you haue shewed nothing to verifye it this waye and that the Scriptures make no mention of your vocation nor you shewe no miracles and that your liues are at the least as yll as ours what moues you to be so bolde and so vnshamefaced as to threaten vs with eternall damnation if we receaue not your hereticall doctrine the which is so full of discordes and diuisions that one maye easilye gather by this from whence it came and whither it doeth leade one although yee haue nothing in your mouthes but the Gospell the worde of the Lorde and as S. Augustine sayde vnto your semblables Sola personat apud vos veritatis pollicitatio I say no more at this time but that I beseeche God to drawe you as nere to vs as you are farre from vs and to inspire youre mindes to turne to the flock of Christ the which both to your owne harme and ours you haue forsaken FINIS Â¶ An offer made by a Catholike to a learned Protestant wherein shall appere the difference betwixte the open knowen Churche of the Catholikes from the hidde and vnknowen congregation of the Protestants FIrste seeing it cannot be denyed that our Sauiour Christe before his departure and Ascension did commit the charge and gouernment of his Churche the testimonie of his word the truth of his Gospell the ministration of his Sacramentes to his Apostles and Disciples that not only for them selues but to their successors Bishops and priests to none other saying onely vnto them Euntes docete omnes gentes Goe ye and teache all people and nations of the worlde baptising them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghoste teaching them to obserue and keepe all thinges which I haue commaunded you Further Thapostle S Paule being at Miletum in executing of his charge and gouernment gaue this admonition to the bishops and priestes there assembled before him saying Attendite vobis et vniuerso gregi Take hede vnto your selues and vnto the whole flocke of Christe in the which the holy ghoste hath ordeyned you bishops Regere ecclesiam dei to gouerne the church of God. And in the thirtenth Chapiter of his Epistle to the Hebrews he doth commaunde al other sortes of men without exception of Emperours kinges Queenes princes to obey their bisshops and priestes saying Obedite Praepositis vestris et subiacete eis ipsi enim peruigilant quasi rationem pro animabus vestris reddituri Obey your Prelates and doo what they appoynt you for they doo watche as men that shall render accoumptes for your soules Seeing that by the testimonies before alleaged it can not be denyed but that the charge and gouernment of Christe his churche the preaching of his doctrine the administration of his Sacraments was by him committed to his Apostles disciples and to all Bishops and priestes as Successors of them to plant christian fayth and religion in his catholike churche vniuersally throughout all nations coastes and quarters of the worlde Seeing this is by the playnnes of the sayde Testimonyes of suche an vndoubted truth that it cannot be denyed Nowe let the learned Protestant affyrming princes to be the supreme heades of the Church eyther shewe by some suche other like playne testimonyes of the scriptures that our Sauiour Christe did committe the chiefe charge and supreme gouernment of his Churche to Emperours kinges Queenes and princes to plant christian fayth religion in the same or that anye one of Christe his Apostles or disciples did conuert any people lande or countrey from their Idolatry Ethnike kinde of liuing to Christian fayth religion by preaching the doctrine of the Protestantes as of onely fayth to iustifye the contempt of good workes and that they be all vncleane in the sight of God the denyall of free will of the reall presence of Christes bodye in the holy Eucharist of the sacrifice of the moste blessed Masse the abolishing of Christe his Sacramentes of all grace and goodnes by them coÌ„ferred vnto vs then I shal yeelde and recant and not before Seconde Christe his Catholike Churche being on this wise planted by Thapostles disciples of Christe by Bishops and priests the successors of them had at all times a special care and regarde not onelye of preaching Gods worde but also of the preseruation of the same worde and Gospel by writing of the sacred Bible and holy Scriptures and did discerne iudge them from all other writinges prophane or authentique of all sortes What Churche hath had from time to time the custody of the sacred scriptures and moste safely hath preserued them for the necessary foode of Gods people and from the corruption of the aduersaries aswel Iewes and Gentiles as schismatikes and heretikes of all sortes but onely the common knowen Catholike Church of Christ When therefore the learned Protestantes shal be able to bring proufe to the contrarye that their priuate conuenticles and congregations were the firste bringers forth of this sacred Bible and the worde of God written the chiefe preseruers and defenders of the same in all times and ages from all Iewes Gentiles heretikes and schismatikes Then I will as I saide before reuolte and recant Thirde shew me good reason why ye protestants doo beleeue our catholike churche enfourming and telling you this to be the word of God written the true Bible and sacred Scriptures and doo refuse to credite her in the true sense and vnderstanding of the same Scripture she being

learned protestant proue that the true and catholike churche of Christe may at any time be voyde of Gods spirite which he hath promised to be with his churche for euer saying Et ego rogabo patreÌ„ et alium paracletum dabit vobis vt maneat vobiscum in aeternum or falsly to interprete any senteÌ„ce of holy scripture or to induce any error among the people or approue vnprofitable and hurtful vsages among the christians or that she suffereth any damnable abuse in her religion without open reprehension thereof Let the learned protestant proue anye of these poyntes And I will then yeelde and recant and not before One twentie If vnitie in faith austeritie of life sharpe discipline great penance muche fasting large almes godly deuotion obedience to higher powers grauitie and true charitie be not more euidentlye exercised and vsed in our common knowen catholike church then in the protestants congregation And contrarywise if discord in religion licentiousnes in liuing contempt of discipline reiecting of penaunce lothsomnes of fasting lacke of zeale and deuotion disobedience to Magistrates Sacrilege Apostacie breaking of vowes vnlawfull lustes wantonnes in all life and maners doo not agree better and more cleere to the protestantes then to the catholikes being the playne signes and fruits of a false churche Then wil I recant and not before Two and twenty Let the learned protestant proue vnto me that their churche congregation might rightlye be called catholike which for the space of a thousande yeres together was so particuler that no man could name any certaine place where their churche was or that it might be called holye which had for so longe time and space neyther the doctrine of Christes Gospell taught in it neyther Baptisme nor anye other Sacrament of Christe vsed to sanctifye them withal or that it could be called one church which assoone as it grew vp and shewed it selfe to the worlde was deuided into so many sundry sects of Lutherans Zuinglians Illiricans Caluinists Swenfeldians Anabaptists and such other or that it might be called Apostolike whiche coulde neuer make an accompt by orderly succession and discent from any one of Christe his Apostles or any other Apostolike man or that their secrete hid and vnknowen congregation was euer of that maiestie or authoriti that it had at any one time or season the true obedience of all christian nations or that it was euer able to assemble and gather vniuersall and generall Councels of all nations christian people or to exercise any discipline or correction vppon offenders throughout all kingdomes and regions professing Christe or that these titles folowing properly applyed by the Scriptures and doctors to the true churche of Christe could euer be chalenged by any right to their hid vnknowen congregation I mean these titles namelye Corpus Christi The body of Christe Sponsa Christi The spouse of Christe Amica Christi The louer of Christ Vnice dilecta Christo Dearely beloued of Christ Columba speciosa The beautifull doue Domus dei The house of God Columna veritatis The piller of truth Ciuitas dei The Citie of God Ciuitas super montem posita A Citie set vppon an hill Fons signatus A spring or fountayne surely signed and sealed Sponsa Agni The spouse of the Lambe Mulier amicta sole A woman clothed with the Sun Habitatio fratruÌ„ inuiceÌ„ a dwelling of brethren all together Mons dei The hill of God Sacra Anchora The holye Anchore Vinea Domini Our Lordes vineyarde Terra viuentium The lande of the liuing Ecclesia magna The great and mightie Churche Archa Noe Noes Arche Vna Sancta Catholica et Apostolica Ecclesia One holye Catholike and Apostolike Churche Domus pacis The house of peace Domus refugij The house of refuge Domus veritatis The house of truth Societas Sanctorum The felowship of holy Saints Nutrix Christianorum The Norishe of the Christians Vxor de latere Christi The Spouse out of Christe his syde sicut Eua de latere Adam like as Eue was out of the syde of Adam Let the learned Protestant make proufe that these moste excellent propertyes and peculier Denominations and Callinges maye possiblye agree to their hid and vnknowen congregations and priuate societies or to any other knowen societie of the whole worlde but onely to the holy societie moste blessed companye and felowship of the common knowen catholike Church of Christ And I will then relent yeelde and recant and not before Last of all when these notes folowing being most certayne and sure signes and tokens of Antichristians false Prophetes heretikes and schismatikes mentioned and manifestlye expressed in diuers partes of the scriptures shall by the learned protestant be proued more aptly and truely to agree vnto vs of the common knowen catholike Church of Christe then vnto the protestants of so many sundrye and diuers sects and congregations I shal submit yeelde and recant and not before First signe and token appropriated to Antichristes false Prophetes heretikes and schismatikes in the scripture is their departure from the coÌ„mon knowen catholike churche of Christe wherein they were baptised and first receaued christian faith and religion of the which sygne and token speaketh Thapostle S. Iohn saying Ex nobis prodierunt sed non erant ex nobis nam si fuissent ex nobis permansissent vtique nobiscum They departed from vs but they were not of vs for if they had bene of vs and of our Churche they woulde sayeth Thapostle S. Iohn haue continued with vs still and not haue departed from vs And here nowe the learned protestant not being able to denye that they haue departed from our coÌ„mon knowen catholike church from our fayth and religion wherein they were fyrste baptised and not we departed from them but still remaining in the profession of the same fayth religion that we fyrste receaued he must needes by the dryfte of argument and reason graunt also that this fyrste signe and token of false prophetes heretikes and schismatiks was before spoken of the Apostle S. Iohn onely of them and not of vs. Second sure marke sygne and token of false prophetes heretikes and schismatikes is that they being thus departed from the Catholike church doo of themselues and of their owne authoritie without warrant beinge not sent set vp a newe Gospell a new fayth and religion by preaching of a newe doctrine to assemble and set vp a newe churche and congregation Of this signe and token and great presumption speaketh thapostle S. Paule Quomodo enim praedicabunt nisi mittantur How shall men preach except they be sent And in his Epistle to the Hebrewes he sayeth Nec quisquam sibi sumit honorem nisi qui vocatur a deo quemadmodum et Aaron Let no man take vnto himselfe honoure except he be called of God like as Aaron was Certayne it is that Aaron was called vnto the office and dignitie of a Bishop ordinarily by Moyses and by externall and

visible vnction Moyses himselfe was extraordinarilye called and sent of God approued by miracle as it appereth in the fourth Chapiter of Exodus And therfore the Apostle S Paule nameth Aaron and not Moises to signifye that all extraordinary vocations by miracles as Moyses was are nowe ceassed and that we must from hencefoorth be ordinarilye called by externall vnction as Aaron was When therfore the learned protestant shal be able to proue their iust and due vocation ordinarily or extraordinarilye to proceede of God and not onely of man I shall then yeelde and recant and not before Thirde signe token of false Prophetes heretikes and Schismatiks is that they being first departed from the catholike churche and secondarily not called doo forthwith al of them selues preache and teach contentiouslye and seditiously against the doctrine before time taught of the common knowen catholike churche of Christe as against the Sacraments of Christe his Churche by a flat denyall of manye of them against the reall presence of Christe his bodye in the holy Eucharist against the blessed sacrifice of the Masse propitiatorye both for the liue the deade against penaunce and worthy fruites therof by fasting watche prayer and all straightnes of life against vowes inuocation of Saintes prayer for soules departed and finally agaynst the churche it selfe flatlye denying that Christe hath here vpon the earth any Spouse or visible churche here to be heard speake perceaued or seene The Apostle S. Paule in admonition geuing vnto vs to beware of this sygne and token sayeth Doctrinis varijs et peregrinis nolite abduci Be not you led and caried awaye with these diuers and straunge doctrines so termed of Thapostle S. Paule because they are not agreing but contrary to the receaued and common knowen doctrine of Christ his catholike churche When therfore the learned Protestant sâ—al be able to proue that they and their congregations are not the raysers vp of these contentions and strifes by their preaching of these straunge doctrines but we that are members of the catholike Churche Then I will submit and recant and not before Fourth signe and token of false prophetes heretikes and schismatikes is Schisma in ecclesiam introducere To bring into the churche of Christe by their doctrine schisme diuision and seperatioÌ„ of one member from another and of the whole misticall body from the true heade Iesus Christe For whereas the health and saluation of Christe his flocke people doth moste chiefely consist in peace concorde and vnitie they therfore which by schisme doo deuide and disperse his flock and of one societie and felowship before do make many and diuers they innot sparing nor preseruing in vnitie the flock of Christe are become raueâ—â—ng wolues Thapostle S. Paule knowing the great daunger and hurt vprising of schisme doth moste humblye beseeche vs with all diligent circumspection to auoyde the same saying Obsecro vos fratres per nomen domini nostri Iesu Christi vt idipsum dicatis omnes et non sint in vobis schismata sitis autem perfecti in eodem sensu et in eadem sententia I beseeche you brethren by the name of our Lorde Iesus Christe that ye all say one thinge and that there be no schismes among you but be perfect in one minde and one meaning Nowe if the learned protestant shal be able to proue that wheras about the time of three score yeres and aboue we were al not onlye here in this Realme but vniuersallye in all other Realmes professing Christe of one Churche of one fayth and religion and of one vnitie therein if he shal be able to proue that this late schisme whereby we are so deuided and dispersed that some are become Lutherans some Zuinglians some Caluinists some Puritans and Anabaptists did proceede from vs and from the common knowen Catholike Church of Christe and not whollye from their priuate Churche and congregations and of the deceptfull and false doctrine by them preached and taught I shall then stay no longer but yeeld and recant and not before Fyfte signe and token of false prophetes heretikes and schismatikes is disobedience Et non obedire sed resistere eis qui praesunt in ecclesia dei And not to obey but resist those which doo beare rule and gouerne in the church of God of the which sort of men the Apostle S. Paule geueth vs warning saying Quemadmodum Iamnes et Mambres restiterunt Moysi ita et hi resistunt veritati homines corrupti meÌ„te reprobi circa fidem Like as Iamnes and Mambres did resist Moises euen so do these resist the truth being men of corrupt mind and reprobates in faith Now when the learned protestant shal be able to proue that this rebellion and disobedience to all Bisshops prelates and ecclesiasticall gouernours is to be found in the catholike churche and not in the priuate churche congregations of the protestantes Then I shall yeelde submit and recant and not before Sixte signe and token of false prophets heretikes and schismatikes is the ficklenes weak slippernes of errors heresies QuÃ²d quaelibet haeresis prae catholicae fidei peepetua firmitate facile transit ac perit For that euerye heresye in comparison of the stabilitie and perpetual continuance and firmnes of the catholike fayth doth soone perish and passe away Thapostle S Peter in speaking of these false prophetes sayeth Magistri mendaces superducent sibi celerem perditionem et perditio eorum non dormitat These lying masters doo bring vppon them selues a quick and speedie ouerthrow and their destruction shall not be slacked nor slowed The truth of this testimonie is to be tryed by all sectaries and sortes of heretikes that euer haue bene as of the Nicolaites Arrians Donatists Maniches Pelagians Iouinists Nestorians Nouatians Sabellians and the rest of heretikes whose errors and heresyes being neuer so stoutly vpholdeÌ„ by Emperors kinges and princes yet by generall councels and censures of Christe his catholike churche they had in fyne their iust condemnation and ouerthrowe What shoulde I here make mention of the Lutherans and protestants of our time When the Lutherans here in this Realme haue taken their iust ouerthrowe already for the great desyre the protestants had to preferre the doctrine of the Oecolampadians Suinglians and Caluinists The Suinglians and Caluinists with the rest sectaryes of all sortes are nowe here in this Realme at the very neere and like poynte they being nowe readye to yeelde vp the ghoste and to tylte vp their heeles for the great desyre the common and baser sorte of the people haue to be Precisians and Puritans And they being winked at of the Magistrats there be no small number of all degrees and sortes of men that doo further and fauour them in this their attempt to the great increase of theÌ„ It cannot therefore be denyed but that all sectaryes and heresyes are on this wise mouing sitting and euer passing from one secte to another without any long time of continuance

Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Text snippets containing the quad