themselues and their forefathers had bene kept in awe and obedience vnto God and their kings G. H. 24. The Commons might haue beene disburdened of their Subsidies had those reuenues and treasures which came or might haue come to the Crowne by the downefall of monasteries bene imployed as they might haue bene the plates and wires of gold of Beckets onely shrine together with the pearles and precious stones of inestimable value filling two great chests But God so ordered the matter for their laying of sacrilegious hands as it may be thought vpon those tenths which by himselfe were consecrated to himselfe that neither it nor the rest prospered neither was the king thereby much inriched nor the Commons relieued it beeing like the dead flie in the boxe of oyntment or the Colloquintida in the Prophets pottage Now for the peoples liberty in making lawes at their own pleasure to liue as they listed it is a matter fondly surmised and published of you not promised by the State nor demanded or expected by them The Lawes Ecclesiasticall were in King Henries time and by his authority appoynted to be compiled and digested by a certaine company of Bishops and other diuines ioyned in Commission with Ciuill and Canon-Lawyers to the number of 32. but this worke being leâ—t imperfect by the death of that king was afterward finished in the dayes and by the command of his sonne Edward which my selfe haue seene though by the vntimely death of that king also it neuer yet receiued publike allowance And for other lawes as the world knoweth they neither could nor can make any without the consent of the Lords spirituall and temporall and the approbation of the king And lastly how the lawes of your Church crossed their affections let their often and dangerous rebellions for the restoring of them testifie there beeing none in trueth more fitting to the humour of a natural minded man as may appeare by this that a man of no religion and like white paper or sponged tables apt to receiue any impression will sooner imbrace yours then any other in the world From this you digresse to their studying of the Scriptures that they might be able to confute confession satisfaction penance and to declaime against that tyranny of the Church whereby themselues and their forefathers had bene kept in awe and obedience to God and their king For their studying of the Scriptures it is indeede a great eye-sore to you because thereby your malice in withholding your followers from reading them and withall your burdensome traditions thrust vpon them for your owne honor and gaine but to their paine and grieuance are clearely discouered and discerned from that which before you call eternall trueth but to them nothing can bee more profitable or to their guides more comfortable so it bee done with reuerence and â—obriety and as our Preface to the Bishops Bible exhorts not so much to dispute and contradict as to learne and obey as being a practise which both our Sauiour himselfe and his Apostles and the holy Fathers of the Primitiue Church specially S. Chrysostome in diuers homilies often and earnestly exhort their heares vnto And for the confutation of those poyntes you name I am of opinion and I thinke not without reason that many of our people are better able by Scriptures to confute them as they are now held and vsed amongst you then your greatest Bishops and Cardinals are from thence able to proue them of whom some haue not sticked to professe that they thought that time which they passed in reading the Scriptures to be of all other the most vnprofitably spent preferring Tullies Orations before Pauls Epistles and Aristotles Ethikes before Solomons Prouerbes B. C. 25. To the Clergiemen that would turne with the times beside the possibilitie of present preferment by the alteration was giuen shortly after leaue to marrie to purchase and to enioy the profit and pleasure of the world as well as the laitie and what carnall minded Monke or Priest would not with might and maine keepe open the breach after he was once plunged in it rather then to be in danger to forgoe so pleasing a coÌ„moditie Hence did arise a necessitie of speaking and writing against Vowes Vrginitie Pouertie Fasting Praying Watching Obedience and all that austeriâ—ie of life which is by the Lawes of the Church required in a monasticall and Priestly conuersation G. H. 25. Little hope was there giuen for the present to the Church-men that yeelded to the King for matter of preferment since the Abbots and Priors were not onely turned out of doores but their houses rased and their goods and lands confiâ—cated And for the Bishops none of their places thereby fell voide they all Rochester onely excepted ioyntly concurring with the king in casting off the Romish yoke and for their marrying purchasing neither of theÌ„ were permitted during the reigne of king Henry who liued reigned somewhat aboue 14. yeres after the breach with Rome Howbeit if wee may credite Mr. Cambden an vnpartiall Antiquarie Churchmen were not forbidden mariage in England till the yere 1102. then Anselme Archbishop of Canterburie sayeth hee offered violence both to nature and to the Scriptures which he writes vpon occasion of one Ealphegus a Priest famous for his learning who was married and dwelt in the South part of Deuonshire And further he alledgeth the words of Henry of Huntindon touching that act of Anselme He forbadwiues to the English Priests being neuer before forbidden which to some seemed a thing very decent to others as dangerous least whiles they aimed to a puritie aboue their reach they might fall into horrible impurities to the dishonour of CHRISTS Name and their profession Those words of Cambden before quoted together with these of Huntindon by him alledged are commaunded to be rased by the Spanish Index But they might aswell haue rased those of theâ—I â—I in Platina auouching that hee saw great reason why Priests should be restrained of mariage but greater why it should be restored them or those of Cassander by that ouer rigorous and vnseasonable constitution speaking of restraint of marriage in Churchmen wee see much grieuous and abominable scandall to haue arisen in the Church or those of Mantuan touching S â— Hillary Bishop of Poictiers in France Non tibi progenies nocuit non obfuit vxor Legitimo coniuncta toro Or lastly those of the same Poet speaking of the father of Nazianzen Praesule Patre satus nam tunc idiura sinebant non horruit illâ Tempestate Deus Thalamos cunabula toedas And in another place of the father of Basil and Gregorie Nyssen Tutius esse volunt qua lex diuina sinebat Isse viâ veterumque sequi vestigia patrum Quorum vita fuit melior cum coniuge quam nunc Nostra sit exclusis Thalamis coniâ—gis vsu. And if marrying be allowed them I see no reason but they should withall be allowed purchasing as they are and alwayes haue
deliuered to his Apostles and disciples and here you tell vs that when you came to more iudgement for the better informing your selfe herein you read ouer the Chronicles of England a proper course indeede as if a man should reade ouer the Chronicles of England to search whether the practise of our Architects in building agree with Vitruuius his precepts or of our husbandmen in manuring their grounds with Columellaes rules For mine owne part I should rather haue thought that the readiest way to informe your selfe aright had been to compare the religion of England with the doctrine of the Gospels Epistles Actes of the Apostles and Church history the ende of a Chronicle being not to shew euery alteration in religion specially where it is made peece-meale insensibly and by degrees of which a man may say that hee sees it is changed though he sawe not the changing as he sees the grasse hath growen though he saw it nor growing and the shadow in a diall to haue mooued though not moouing The enuious man sowed his tares in the night so that men discouered it then when they sprang vp in the morning but the sowing of them they could not obserue because it was done cunningly in the night when all men slept and for a time they lay hid vnder the earth And yet are not our Chronicles so silent but that they euery where lay open the iust comp aint of our Kings and groning of our Clergie and people vnder the yoke of the Bishop of Rome as shal more clearely appeare when we come to shew what benefit euery estate may expect from the restitution of Romish religion But you say you found the religion of England a plaine change and change vpon change But our constant answere is that which you professe you hoped to finde that the change was in the Church of Rome our change being nothing else but the scowring off of that rust or the repairing of those ruines which we found had insensibly growen vpon it For to suppose that tract of time cannot drawe a corruption vpon religion aswell as vpon ciuil affaires is as if a man should imagine that Castles indeede are subiect to reparations but not Churches and for your pretended change vpon change wee may boldly say that our Common prayer booke hath not receiued so many changes as your Breuiaries your Portesses your Legends your Martyrologies your Pontificals your Ceremonials and specially your Missals haue done and that since our reformation nay since the framing and publishing of our Common prayer bookes in the beginning of the reigne of Edward the VI. wee find no change in any materiall point at all saue that in their Letanie they prayed to be deliuered by name from the tyrannie and malice of the Pope which for any thing I know might as iustly and vpon as good reason haue been retained by vs as it was by them put in H Now why Henrie the VIII should cause the first change in religion out of a desire to change his bed-fellow I see not except you esteeme a restraining of the Popes vnlimited power in dispensations to be a change in religion and indeed it may well be since now the world is come to that passe that the Popes authority and religion are in a manner as reciprocall as the definition and the thing defined And for the change of his bedfellow it is well knowen to those that haue read ouer our Chronicles with obseruation as your selfe pretend you haue that he being married to her at the age of 10. yeeres or thereabout protested against it when he came to 14. in the presence of Richard Foxe Bishop of Winchester and Iohn Reade a publique Notary as appeares by a deed vnder his owne hand being then Prince of Wales besides the Counsell both of Spaine and of France treating a mariage for the Lady Mary the one wiâ—h Charles the Emperour the other with Henry Duke of Orleans they both made a doubt whether the mariage of her mother hauing bene wife to the Kings owne brother could be dispensed with or the children begot in this second bed legitimate and by Law allowed to succeed to the crowne nay which is more D. Longland then Bishop of Lincolne the kings Confessour after it had long slept reuiued this Scruple in the kings conscience the Cardinall being Archbishop of Yorke and Legate to the Pope together with the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the rest of the Bishops Rochester onely excepted who was then lately made Cardinall but lost his head before his hat came ouer subscribed and sealed to the iustnesse of the diuorce both our Vniuersities yea many beyond the Seas to the number of 10. or 12. some of them in Italy it selfe and vnder the Popes peculiar iurisdiction confirmed it vnder their common seales diuerse of our Doctors being purposely sent to Rome about it offered dispute before the Pope to proue it Cranmer in a priuate conference at Vienna with Cornelius Agrippa then following the Emperour euery where admired for his learning so fully satisfied him that he held the proposition most true if it could be proued that the Lady Katherine was carnally knowen of Prince Arthur whereof the presumptions were great The one was that Prince Henry was deferred from his creation and title of Prince of Wales by the space of sixe moneths after Arthurs decease vpon a supposition that the Lady Katherine might be by him conceiued with childe Another was that for this cause the said Lady procured a second Bull from the Pope with this addition Velforsan cognitam and peraduenture carnally knowen which Bull was only purchased to dispense with this mariage A third presumption was from the report of Prince Arthurs Chamberlaine vpon certaine words spoken by the Prince the first morning that he rose from his bed A fourth was the relation of the Ambassadours of Ferdinando her father king of Spaine being sent hither purposely to see the mariage consummated who returned their knowledge of their mutuall coniunction by the markes and that nothing was left vnperformed of any nuptiall right And surely they being both of yeeres able enough to accomplish the acte he aboue 15. and she aboue 17. laid both in one bed almost fiue moneths together doe assure vs the certainety of that which in this businesse is made the greatest scruple These were the reasons which in appearance moued Henry the VIII to the remouing of his bed-fellow not those which you as fondly imagine as you suggest malitiously I doe not take vpon me the clearing of this king from all the blame that is cast vpon him yet I may truely say that strangers haue bene more fauourable vnto him then our owne countrey-men he being deepely and bitterly taxed not onely by Saunders from whom nothing but such slanders could be expected but by a later writer professing himselfe of our owne Church to the great content of the Romish faction whose obligation notwithstanding to the daughter in the
censure of wise men might deseruedly haue purchased some more respectiue termes of the Father whereas Thuanus the most vnpartiall and iudicious Historiographer of our age giues this testimonie of him that he was a Prince of singular naturall indowments and such a one in whom had hee not too much loosed the reines to this pleasure you could hardly find wanting any perfection Nay after his diuorce from his Queene and from the Church of Rome the Bishops which hee named sayth hee were honest men and good Schollers being euer himselfe a great Patron of learning which testimonie I the rather alledge because the Spanish expurgatorie index hath rased it as also diuers other verie memorable passages in this Author B. C. 5. Thus I satisfied my selfe at Schoole and studied the Artes and Philosophie and other humane learning vntill being Master of Artes and fellow of Corpus Christi Colledge in Cambridge I was at last by the Statutes of that house called to the studie of Diuinitie and bound to take vpon me the Order of Priest-hood then I thought it my duetie for the better satisfaction of mine owne soule and the sauing of othermens to looke as farre into the matter as possible I could that I might find out the Trueth and hauing the opportunitie of a very good Librarie in that Colledge I resolued with my selfe to studie hard and setting aside all respect of men then aliue or of Writers that had mooued or maintained Controuersies farther then to vnderstand the question which was betwixt them I fell to my prayers and betooke my selfe wholly to the reading of the Church Historie and of the ancient Fathers which had no interest on either side and specially â— made choise of S. Augustine because I hoped to find most comfort in him for the confirming of our Religion and the confuting of the Church of Rome G. H. 5. After your perusing the Chronicles of England you betake your selfe to the reading of the Church Historie and ancient Fathers and in speciall make choise of S. Augustine in whom you find the doctrine of Rome euery where confirmed and ours confuted But I would faine know whether one maine point of the doctrine of the Church of Rome be not the Supremacie of that Sea and whether a chiefe feather in that wing be not Appeals from forraine parts Now whether S. Augustine approued them I appeale to his practise being one of those Bishops in the Councell of Carthage who discouered and disclaimed the impudencie and forgerie of the Church of Rome in challenging that as right which some of constraint had performed and others of courtesie had graunted for which himselfe with his Fellow-Bishops were excoÌ„municated by the Bishop of Rome and for any thing I can finde in the Church Historie so died Some of his workes I haue read specially those of Christian doctrine and of them I will be bold to say that they confirme no one point of Romish doctrine controuersed at this day and surely there if any where had beene the proper place to declare the Bishop of Rome Supreame iudge in all controuersies B. C. 6. In this sort I spent my time continually for many yeeres and noted downe whatsoeuer I could gather or rather snatch either from the Scriptures or the Fathers to serue my turne But when after all my paines and desire to serue my selfe of Antiquitie I found the doctrine of the Church of Rome to be euery where coÌ„firmed by most profound demonstrations out of holy Scripture made most agreeable to the trueth of Christs Gospel and most conformable to all Christian soules and saw the current opinions of our great Preachers euery where confuted either in plaine termes or by most vnanswerable consequence although mine vnderstanding was thereby greatly edified for which I had great reason to render immortall thankes to our blessed Sauiour who by these meanes had vouchsafed to shewe himselfe vnto mee yet my heart was much grieued that I must be faine either not to preach at all or to crosse and varâ—e from the doctrine which I saw was commonly receiued G. H. 6. I haue perused your Common-place booke written for the most part with your owne hand and indeed it thereby appeares that your noting might more deseruedly bee termed a snatching then a gathering though by your will you solemnely bequeath it as a rich legacie to C.C.C. in Camb. whereof you were a Fellow but you found the doctrine of the Church of Rome you say euery where confirmed by most profound demonstrations from holy Scripture in trueth I must confesse they are so deepe that throughout this treatise they are inuisible but I much desire to knowe by what profound demonstration from holy Scripture you would proue the adoration of images the administration of the Sacrament vnder one kinde the exercise of publike prayer in a language not vnderstood of the people or lastly the Bishop of Romes vsurpation ouer the temporals of Princes vnlesse you bring Bellarmines profound demonstration to that purpose Pasce oues meas or Baronius Surge occide manduca or the Canonists fecit Deus duo magna luminaria much like a profound demonstration I haue heard of for proofe of the Salique law the lillies neither labour nor spinne therefore the Crowne of France ne tombe point sur laquenouille fals not to the distaffe or like that of a Frier who would needs proue that ten worlds were made in the first Creation and that out of our Sauiours wordes in the Gospel annon decem factisunt mundi but he was well answered by his brother in the words following Sed vbisunt nouem and did hee not deserue the title of D. profundus trow you for so profound a demonstration By such like profound demonstrations you find the doctrine of the Church of Rome made most agreeable to the trueth of Christs Gospel which for the Sacrament is drinke yee all of this and for the power of his ministers my kingdome is not of this world wordes deliuered as it seemes out of a propheticall spirit as foreseeing what errours should in after ages spring vp in his Church but you doe well to say that those doctrines were made agreeable to this trueth they may bee made so or at leastwise made to seeme so by forging and hammering vpon the anuill of mens conceits howbeit in themselues they are not so as the belles seeme to the childe to ring that tune which runnes in his head B. C. 7. Being thus perplexed with my selfe what course I were best to take I reflected backe againe vpon the Church of England and because the most of those Preachers which drewe the people after them in those dayes were Puritans and had grounded their diuinitie vpon Caluins institutions I thought peraduenture that they hauing gotten the multitude on their side might wrong the Church of England in her doctrine as well as they desired to doe in her discipline which indeed
apostata So then in Saint Augustines opinon God did not onely order those honours by his prouidence as you would haue it but conferre them by his bounty Neither haue we any reason to thinke but that he who called Cyrus his Shepheard and his Anointed and gaue him the treasures of darkenesse and assured Nabuchadonosor by his Propheâ— that himselfe had giuen to him a Kingdome and power and strength and glorie may as truely bee sayd to haue conferred that gouernment vpon the Turke which now he holds But it seemes you aime through the Turkes sides to strike at Queene Elizabeth and through her at King Iames Infidels and Heretikes being in the Roman language ranked together So that their king domes being not by Gods donation they might lie loose and by occasion fall as it were by excheate to his holinesse gift Your reasons of the largenesse and long continuance of the Turkish Empire are as farre from the purpose as your whole discourse is from any sound Diuinitie for not to stand vpon the sifting of the trueth of them which in some of them may not vniustly be questioned your inference is that such principles are of great importance to increase and maintaine a temporall estate But the point is whether any can be of sufficient importance to vphold any estate when God for the dishonouring of his CHRIST is purposed to ruine it and as the Psalmist speakes of a fruitfull land to make it barren for the iniquity of the people that dwell therein before you speake of a Supernaturall iudgement of God in destruction and here of a Naturall and humane inuention for preseruation which can hold no more proportion with the former then a Venice glasse with an yron pot or an earthen vessell with a brasen Lastly what states you should meane that are willing to become Turkish I know not but what they are that inioy their estates in capite Ecclesiae ad voluntatem Domini Papae and enioyne the greatest silence and outward reuerence in matters of Religion and withall are content to admit the toleration of Iewes and Turkes too in their Dominions rather then of Christians your selfe when you wrote this could not bee ignorant Nay some of the Popes themselues as namely Alexander the VI. and Paulus the III. if we may credite Thuanus had secret commerce with the great Turke against the Christian Princes and the former of them if Iouius and Guicciardin mistake not tooke vnder hand of the Turke Baiazets two hundred thousand Crownes to kill his brother Gemen And Alexander the III. wrote to the Soldan that if he would liue quietly he should by some sleight murther the Emperour Frederike Barbarossa and to that ende sent him the Emperours picture B. C. 6. It is most true which I gladly write and so giue out with all the honour I can of your Maiesty to speake that I thinke there was neuer any Catholike king in England that did in his time more imbrace and fauour the true body of the Church of England then your Maiesty doth the shadow thereof that is yet left and my firme hope is that this your desire to honour our blessed Sauiour in the shadow of the Church of England will moue him to honour your Maiesty so much as not to suffer you to die out of the body of his true Catholike Church and in the meane time to let you vnderstand that all honour that is intended to him by schisme and heresie doth redound to his great dishonour both in respect of his realla and of his mysticall body G. H. 6. You honour his Maiesty much indeed in giuing out that he imbraceth a shadow in stead of a substance as Ixion did a cloude in stead of Iuno and Iacob bleare-eyed Lea in stead of Rachel but in trueth of the Church of Rome wee may safely say that with Esops dog in snatching at the shadow she hath lost the substance of religion she hath so couered ouer all the parts of diuine seruice with the leaues of ceremonies that hardly is the fruit it selfe to be seene she hath so bepainted the face of Gods worship that not easily is the natiue complexion thereof to be â—ound The Poet spake it of the women of his time Pars minima est ipsa puellasui But we may more truely affirme it of the Romish religion her ornaments and apparell are such that a man may seeke Rome in Rome and her religion in her religion and not find either I will giue but one instance for all Bellarmine in the conclusion of his controuersies of the Sacrament of Baptisme maketh no lesse then twelue ceremonies to march before it fiue to assist and fiue to hold vp the traine of which some are profane the greatest part ridiculous and few or none wherein wee differ so much as knowen to the primitiue Church Now if the Church of England haue scowred off the drosse and pared away the superstition and nouelty retaining the substance together with the most comely and ancient ceremonies aswell in this Sacrament as in other parts of diuine seruice and his Maiesty follow her therein shall he therefore be sayd to imbrace the shadow and not the body whereas in truth if euer King of England embraced the body of religion without respect to the shadow of vaine and needlesse ceremonies it is his Maiesty which while he doth there is little feare by Gods grace of his dying out of the body of Christs true Catholike Church whose head is not the Bishop of Rome but Christ himselfe vnderstood in the 10. of S. Iohns Gospel and there shal be one sheepefold and one sheepeheard B. C. 7. For his reall body is not as the vbiquitaries would haue it euery where aswel without the Church as within but only where himselfe would haue it and hath ordained that it should bee and that is amongst his Apostles and Disciples and their successours in the Catholique Church to whom he deliuered his Sacraments and promised to continue with them vntill the worlds end So that though Christ bee present in that Schisme by the power of his dietie for so he is present in hell also yet by the grace of his humanity by participation of which grace onely there is hope of saluation hee is not present there at all except it be in corners and prisons and places of persecution and therefore whatsoeuer honour is pretended to be done to Christ in schisme and heresie is not done to him but to his vtter enemies G. H. 7. By the reall body of Christ I suppose you vnderstand the naturall his mysticall body being also reall but not naturall and I see not but this naturall body may as well bee euery where wherein you taxe the Vbiquitaries as in heauen and on earth and vpon earth in tenne thousand places at the same instant which the Church of Rome maintaines but it seemes by confining of him to the Church on earth your purpose is to exclude him from
Kings and Princes wheresoeuer they can preuaile in which passage can none other bee intended but the Netherlanders of whom touching this point I will say no more that they are now after the wasting of so much treasure and the shedding of so much Christian blood declared a free estate by him whose Regall right you pretend they ouerthrow Lastly those whom you call Caluinists either denie or call into question as few principles of Religion or Articles of Faith as any Romish Catholike nay I will be bold to say it and readie to make it good that the former maintaine some of them strongly which the latter ouerthrow if not in plaine termes and directly yet at least indirectly and by consequence by establishing their owne Articles Vnknowne to the Apostles and the Primitiue Church they make the Articles of our Christian Creede of none effect and for exposition which concernes not points in difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome if I can iudge any thing your Writers differ more among themselues and assume to themselues a greater libertie in expounding then ours and if they be restrained of their Allegoricall Tropologicall and Anagogicall interpretations as impertinent many times to the point in hand as wide from the scope of the Text they will presently cry out that wee despise the authoritie of the Church when it may be they haue wrested the meaning of one or two latter Fathers against the streame of Antiquitie and what bond of obedience can there be to God or to Kings for Gods sake in such Religion B. C. 14. It is commonly obiected by States-men that it is no matter what opinions men hold in matters of Religion so that they be kept in awe by Iustice and by the sword Indeed for this world it were no matter at all for Religion if it were possible to doe Iustice and to keepe men in awe by the Sword In Militarie estates while the Sword is in the hand there is the lesse need of Religion and the greatest and most martiall estates that euer were haue beene willing to vse the Conscience and reuerence of some Religion or other to prepare their Subiects to obedience but in a peaceable gouernment such as all Christian kingdomes doe professe to be if the reines of Religion bee let loose the sword commonly is too weake and comes to late and is like enough to giue the day to the Rebell And seeing the last and strongest bond of iustice is an Oath which is a principall act of Religion and were but a mockerie if it were not for the punishment of Hell and the reward of Heauen it is vnpossible to execute iustice without the helpe of Religion and therefore the neglect and contempt of Religion hath euer beene and euer shal be the forerunner of destruction in all setled States whatsoeuer G. H. 14. Hauing now spent your powder and shot in discharging your three substantiall reasons and the Apologizing of the Powder-treason for the filling vp of your paper but to the abusing of his Maiesties leisure and patience you here begin a fresh with a solemne discourse of the necessitie of Religion for a well ordered Common-wealth vnder colour of meeting with an obiection of States-men that it matters not what opinions men hold in matters of Religion so they bee kept in awe by iustice and by the sword But these Statesmen I take to be of Machiauels sect who of what nation he was by birth and of what religion by profession wee are not ignorant The ancient Romans indeed being themselues Lords of the world became vassals to the Idoles of all nations by admitting the free vse of their diuerse Religions of them all holding that as it seemeth the most perfect Religion which refused none as false neither is the Turke much different from that opinion howbeit hee preferre his owne Religion before all others but all other States-men who are so conuersant in affaires of State as they neglect not Christanitie can not but hold the Christian religion alone admittable in Christian Common-wealthes Now as we grant in all States some Religion necessary and in Christian States onely the Christian admittable So with all we confesse an Oath to bee a principall acte of that Religion But how it is abused by Romish Catholikes for seruing their owne turnes by Dispensations by aequiuocations and Mentall Reseruations both Histories witnesse and wee haue had too great experience By which meanes that which indeede should be the surest and strongest band of truth iustice and as the Apostle speakes an end of all strife is become the matter of quarrell and a meere visard for iniustice and falshood to maske vnder and by the same meanes as the Romish Religion is growen odious to vs so for their sakes both ours and theirs going both vnder the common name of Christians is in that respect growen odious to the very Turkes who obserue an oath made by the name of their Mahomet more inuiolably then wee by the Name of CHRIST one to another as well appeared by our King Henry the third who being a great exactor vpon the poore Commons as euer was any king before him or since and thinking thereby to winne the people sooner to his deuotion most faithfully promised them once or twice and thereunto bound himselfe with a solemne oath both before the Clergie and Laitie to graunt vnto them the old liberties and Customes of Magna Charta and Charta de Foresta perpetually to bee obserued whereupon a Quindecim was granted to the King but after the payment was sure the King trusting the Popes dispensation for a little money to be discharged of his oath and couenant went from that he had promised and solemnely sworne before In like manner the sayd King at another time being in neede of money signed himselfe with the crosse pretending and swearing deepely in the face of the whole Parliament that hee himselfe would goe in person against the Saracens but as soone as the money was fingred small care was taken for the performance of the oath being so put in head by certaine about him that hee needed not to passe of that periurie for so much as the Pope for an hundred pounds or two would quickly discharge him thereof as Matthew Parris reports it who liued at the same time and was often in Court with him this was then the account which by reason of the Popes easie dispensations Kings made of their oathes to their Subiects The like account by the same meanes did Charles the 9th of France and the Queene his mother make of their oath taken to the King of Nauarre the Prince of Condie the Admirall and the rest of the Protestant profession at what time his sisters marriage was made more red with their blood then his wine but this blood crying for vengeance himself at his death issued blood at all the passages of his bodie Neither did Subiects make any other reckoning of their oathes taken to their Kings
shallow as proceeding rather from affection then iudgement is this because if a man aske you say in cold blood whether a Roman Catholike may be saued the most learned Church-man will not denie it Wherein if we be more charitable to you then you are to vs in passing censures of damnation it should in my iudgement rather argue the goodnesse of that Religion from whence such charity flowes towards mens persons then be vrged as a proofe for the approbation of that erronious doctrine which in it selfe it condemns The Turke is too liberall in admitting all Religions to the hope of saluation and on the other side you are too niggardly and sparing in shutting out all from the hope thereof which receiue not the marke of the beast in their foreheads or hands We desiring to runne a middle course betwixt both extremes as we shut out all such who directly deny the merits of CHRIST so doe wee passe a fauourable censure on those who deny him not of malice but of ignorance and that not directly but by consequence It is true that S. Paul hath in the fifth to the Galatians If yee be circumcised CHRIST shall profit you nothing That is if a man put his trust in Circumcision or in any thing else beside Christ though with Christ in the matter of iustification he is abolished from Christ and the merite of his death and Passion Now what confidence the Romanists put in their owne satisfaction for veniall sinnes and temporall punishment either in this life or in Purgatorie due to mortall their writings testifie but yet our assurance is that many of them when they come to make their last account betwixt God and their owne Conscience and throughly consider of the weakenesse and corruption of their owne nature for the vncertaintie of their owne proper righteousnesse and for the auoiding of vaineglory according to Bellarmins aduise they rest wholly in the alone mercie and goodnesse of God renouncing in particular that merite of worke which their Church in generall for her owne aduantage maintaineth and teacheth them to maintaine Or lastly God of his Graciousnesse may accept of their repentance for vnknowen sins and consequently for their erronious opinons which by reason of their education they vnwittingly imbrace yet this charitable construction of ours can bee no sufficient warrant for vs either to shut our eyes against a knowen trueth or to open our eares to hearken to any motion of reconcilement to a knowen errour Now whether a Romane Catholike may bee a good subiect wholly submitting himselfe to Romish positions I referre the reader to his Maiesties speech in Parliament in the yeere 1605 who should know what belongs to his owne state and to mine answere to the 12. Sect. of this Chapter a part of his Maiesties very words in that speech are these I therefore doe thus conclude this point that as vpon the one part many honest men seduced with some errors of Popery may yet remaine good faithfull subiects so vpon the other part none of those that truely knowe and beleeue the whole grounds and schoole conclusions of their doctrine can euer prooue good Christians or faithfull subiects If then we bee so farre diuided both in God and in the king how can we but be vtterly diuided in our selues B. C. 20. Truely there is no reason at all but onely the violence of affection which being in a course cannot without some force be stayed The multitude doth seldome or neuer iudge according vnto trueth but according vnto customes and therefore hauing beene bred and brought vp in the hatred of Spaniards and Papists cannot chuse but thinke they are bound to hate them still and that whosoeuer speaketh a word in fauour of the Church of Rome or of Catholike religion is their vtter enemy and the Puritanicall Preacher who can haue no being in charity doth neuer cease by falsifications and slanders to blow the coales that hee may burne them and warme himselfe But if your Maiesty shall euer bee pleased to commaund those make-bates to hold their peace a while and to say nothing but that they are able to proue by sufficient authority before those that are able to iudge and in the mean time to admit a conference of learned and moderate men on either side the people who are now abused and with the light of the Gospel held in extreme ignorance are not yet so vncapable but they will be glad to heare of the trueth when it shall be simply and euidently deliuered by honest men and then they will plainely see that their light of the Gospel which they so much talke of is but a counterfeit light in a theeues lanterne wherby honest mens eyes are dazeled and their purses robbed and it will also appeare that there is not indeed any such irreconciliable opposition betwixt the Church of England and the Church as they that liue by the schisme doe make the world beleeue there is neither in matter of doctrine nor in matter of State G. H. 20. You farther endeuour to prooue in the entrance of this Section that the diuision of the Church of England from the Church of Rome ariseth rather from affection then iudgement in as much as the multitude doth seldome or neuer iudge according to trueth but according vnto customes Now whether it be the Church of England or the Church of Rome that stands vpon multitude and that multitude vpon custome the Bishop of Rome himselfe shall be the iudge nay not onely your multitude but the chiefest pillars of your Church stand most vpon it if you had but looked into your great Cardinals notes of your Church you should haue found antiquity or custome to haue beene the second howbeit both Acosta and Xauerius in their seueral writings made the Indians standing vpon their customes the chiefe difficulty of their conuersion to CHRIST It was Symmachus the Pagans argument in his Epistle to Theodosius the Emperour recorded by S. Ambrose Seruanda est tot saeculis fides nostra sequendi sunt maiores nostri qui secuti sunt foeliciter suos Our religion which hath now continued so many yeeres is still to bee retained and our ancestours are to bee followed by vs who happily traced the steps of their forefathers and is not this Mr. Doctors owne argument to perswade his Maiesty to the Romish religion in the 2. and 10. Sect. of this Chapter how comes it then to passe that in this place he findes fault with those that iudge according to custome and makes it a popular errour teach that a while and indeed we may be brought to shake handes with Rome she standing vpon a pretended truth of antiquity but we vpon the antiquity of trueth in as much as our Sauiour said not I am antiquity but I am trueth And S. Cyprian his blessed Martyr Antiquity without truth is nothing els but ancient errour Now the reason you giue that our
of the same Epistle he mentioneth Marlorates Commentary on that place which was compiled out of the Comments of diuers other learned men but specially out of Caluins besides Caluin died in the yeere 1564. as Beza witnesseth and Salmeron in the yeere 1595. as Ribadineira hath left it vpon record So that it might well be and I verily thinke it was so that Caluin was dead many yeeres before Salmeron set vpon this exposition of the Epistles specially of that to Titus which among his sixteene seuerall Tomes is ranged in the last saue one So that it seemes he wrote it not long before his death and consequently many yeeres after Caluin was dead Lastly the vniformity of the style and the tenour of writing plainely discouers that Caluin was the creditour and Salmeron the debtor or rather the thiefe which I the more marueile at considering in the Preface of his exposition vpon the Epistles he professeth his intent was chiefly to dispute against the heretikes of these times who called themselues Paâ—ls Diuines and gloried in his doctrine And in the third part of his first booke next following proposeth diuers questions touching the Church and the gouernement against Luther and Caluin by name Now for Maldonate and Iansenius though they colour the matter more cunningly in the change of words yet are they nothing lesse beholding to Caluin in many places for the sence And thus we see how out of the mouthes and pennes of those who for reputation of learning were farre aboue and for bitternesse of malice were nothing inferiour to Dr. Carrier Caluins rare and singular gifts are truely acknowledged But he was neuer you say any good subiect or friend to Bishop Duke or King It was the same imputation which by the Iewes was cast vpon Christ and by the Pagans vpon the Christians in the Primitiue Church as may appeare in Tertullians apology for them deliuered by him to the Emperoâ—rs Seuerus and Antoninus a great part whereof is spent in wiping off that aspersion and therefore Caluin may beare it at your hands with the greater patience Against the state of Bishops if he any where write otherwise then becomes him we may well impute it to his zeale against the great abuse of that order in the Romane hierarchie and his desire of establishing his owne discipline which though he did well to erect at Geneua as being a kinde of gouernment most fit for that city yet to shew that wee make him no god we professe he did ill in imposing it as necessary on all other Churches What friend hee was to Kings beside infinite other passages through his voluminous writings his onely Epistle to Francis the French king prefixed to his Institutions doth sufficiently declare which as Beza not without good reason thinketh if that king had but read it would haue occasioned the giuing of some deepe wound to the whore of Babylon hee being not of the humour of those kings that followed after him in the kingdome but a sharpe censurer of a deepe iudgement a great patrone of learning and of himselfe not auerse from that side and though in his Commentaries vpon Amos he seeme to mislike Henry the 8th his title of Supreame Head which by Stephen Gardiner and other sycophants of Court was then interpreted to spread as farre include as ample power as that he had taken from the Pope yet the lawfull Supremacie of kings he both alloweth and defendeth as his Maiesty truely witnesseth for him in his Catalogue of Tortus lies annexed to his Premonition and therein hee sheweth himselfe a better friend to kings then D. Carrier was when he thus passed his censure on him for though hee often dranke to his Maiesties health as he professeth in a letter which he thought worthy the imparting to all well minded Catholikes yet withall hee laboured by might and maine to readuance and reestablish his authority amongst vs who hath professedly crossed and dashed the taking of that oath by which is onely testified that naturall allegiance which we owe his Maiestie Now for his comming to Geneua and the founding of that gouernment discipline there which continues in force amongst theÌ„ with no ill successe at this day whereas you tell vs that being a very yong man of some 26. or 27. yeres old at the most yet he thought good vpon the opportunity to giue the venture and step in himselfe For his age I will not much striue with you but onely desire you to remember that some of your Popes but many of your Bishops and Archbishops and Cardinals haue bin thrust or at least haue thrust themselues into places of greater charge before they arriued to those yeres and perchance before they saw one halfe or a quarter so many Yet it cannot bee denyed but it pleaseth God sometimes to raise vp the Spirit of a yong Daniel or a yong Samuel or a yong Timothie for the effecting of that which an old Ely is vnfit for yong men for the most being most zealous and aduenturous but with all more inconsiderate and old men more cold and remisse but withall more wary and circumspect according to that of S. Ierome in one of his Epistles to S Augustine Bos lassus fortius figit pedem The aduice of an old man is commoÌ„ly best but the execution of young The former haue alwayes beene accounted fitter for setled businesse but the latter for new enterprises in as much as men of age commonly obiect too much consult too long aduenture too little repent too soone and seldome driue businesse home to the full periode but content themselues with a mediocritie of successe as louing to sleepe in whole skinne I am not of that Rabbyes mind who because in Scripture Yong men are sayed to see visions and old men to dreame dreames thereupon inferreth that young men are admitted neerer to God then olde because vision is a clearer reuelation then a dreame But yet experience teacheth vs and a noble Gentleman before named hath rightly obserued it that the more a man drinketh of the world the more it intoxicateth and age doth profit rather in the powers of vnderstanding then in the vertues of the will and affections So that Caluin though hee had beene younger when he came to Geneua then you make him yet had his youth bin no sufficient cause to despise him considering as the Lawyers for the punishing of a malefactor vnder age are wont to say malitia supplet aetatem so may I much rather for a iust defence scientia or prudentia supplet aetatem which shewes it selfe in this that before his comming thither he had written his excellent Commentarie vpon Seneca de Clementia and at Orleans had beene offered the degree of Doctorship in the lawes without paying so much as the ordinary fees by the generall consent of all the publike professours of that facultie whereas their common determination is now sayd to bee Accipiamus pecuniam dimittamus asinum in
Apostles haue otherwise vsed all their censures only in Christs Name and neuer a word of his Vicars Peter we read did in all the Apostles meetings sit among them as one of their number and when chosen men were sent to Antiochia from that Apostolike Councell at Ierusalem the text sayeth it seemed good to the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church to send chosen men but no mention made of the head thereof and so in their Letters no mention is made of Peter but onely of the Apostles Elders and Brethren And it is a wonder why Paul rebuketh the Church of Corinth for making exception of persons because some followed Paul some Apollos some Cephas if Peter was their visible head for then those that followed not Peter or Cephas renounced the Catholike Faith But it appeareth well that Paul knew little of our new doctrine since he handleth Peter so rudely as hee not only compareth but preferreth himselfe vnto him But our Cardinall prooues Peters Superiority by Pauls going to visite him Indeed Paul sayeth he went to Ierusalem to visite Peter and to conferre with him but he should haue added and to kisse his feet To conclude then the trueth is that â—eter was both in age and in the time of Christs calling him one of the first of the Apostles in order the principall of the first twelue and one of the three whome Christ for orders sake preferred to all the rest and no further did the Bishop of Rome claime for three hundreth yeere after Christ Subiect they were to the generall Councels and euen but of late did the Councell of Constance depose three Popes and set vp the fourth and till Phocas dayes that murthered his Master were they subiect to Emperours But how they are now come to bee Christs Vicars Gods on earth Triple Crowned Kings of Heauen Earth and Hell Iudges of all the world and none to iudge them heads of the Faith absolute deciders of all controuersies by the infallibilitie of their spirit hauing all power both Spirituall and Temporall in their hands the high Bishops Monarchs of the whole earth Superiours to all Emperours and Kings yea Supreme Vice-gods who whether they will or not can not erre How they are now come I say to this top of greatnesse I know not but sure I am Wee that are kings haue greatest need to looke to it As for me Paul and Peter I know but these men I know not and yet to doubt of this is to denie the Catholike Faith nay the Word it selfe must be turned vpside downe and the order of Nature inuerted making the left hand to haue the place before the right that this Primacie may be maintained Thus we see how clearely and strongly his Maiestie both in his Apologie proues the Supremacie of Kings in causes Ecclesiasticall and disproues in his Premonition the pretended Supremacie of Popes euen in Spirituals denying them to be Christs Vicars Peters Successors visible Monarchs heads of the Faith deciders of all controuersies high Priests vniuersall Bishops and destroying the two maine grounds of that Monarchie the Supremacie of S. Peter and their infallibilitie in iudging Truely in the Writing hereof mee thought I was touched with shame and pittie that a Diuine should with such palpable falshoods belie his Soueraigne and gull the world and a Doctor of Diuinitie so fowlie stumble in so plaine and manifest a case howbeit it cannot be denyed to be true which he addes that his Maiestie by that Booke is partly ingaged to admit the triall of the first generall Councels and the most ancient Fathers For the Councels I reuerence and admit saith hee the foure first generall Councels as Catholike Orthodoxe and the said foure generall Councels are acknowledged by our Acts of Parliament and receiued for Orthodoxe by our Church And for the Fathers saith hee I reuerence them as much and more then the Iesuits doe for what euer the Fathers for the first fiue hundred yeeres did with an vnanime consent agree vpon to be beleeued as a necessarie point of saluation I either will beleeue it also or at least will be humbly silent not taking vpon me to condemne the same but for euery priuate Fathers opinion it bindes not my conscience more then Bellarmines euery one of the Fathers vsually contradicting others I will therefore in that case follow S. Augustines rule in iudging of their opinions as I find them agree with the Scriptures what I find agreeable thereunto I will gladly imbrace what is otherwise I will with their reuerence reiect So that his Maiestie admitteth the foure first Councels not as Diuine Oracles or as the foure Gospels but as Catholike and Orthodoxe and reuerenceth the most ancient Fathers not as the holy Scriptures but as consonant thereunto And if that triall should be made your holy Father would thereby gaine as litle for the countenancing of his vsurped Supremacie as Zozimus Boniface and Celestine his Predecessours in forging a Canon of the first Nicene Councell for their pretended Iurisdiction in appeales and labouring to force the Councell of Carthage thereunto whereas that Councell in precise termes confineth other Bishops and Patriarchs to the exercise of their iurisdictioÌ„ within their own Diocesses or Prouinces as the Custome of the Bishop of Rome was the words are these Let old Customes be kept they that are in Egypt and Lybia and Pentapolis that the Bishop of Alexandria haue the preheminence of all these because such is the Custome of the Bishop of Rome too likewise also in Antioch and in other Prouinces let the Churches enioy their dignities and prerogatiues which words of the Councel grounding on the Custome of the B. of Rome that as he had preeminence of all the Bishops about him so Alexandria and Antioch should haue of all about them and likewise other Churches as the Metropolitan each in their owne Prouinces doe shew that the Pope neither had preeminence of all through the world before the Nicene Councell nor ought to haue greater preeminence by their iudgement then he before time had This Councell was called about 327. yeeres after Christ and there met in it 318. Bishops the chiefe lights of Christian Religion at that time Ambrose saying that their number was mistically prefigured in those 318. Souldiers by whome Abraham got the victory ouer the fiue Kings The second generall Councell was helde at Constantinople against Macedonius who denyed the Diuinitie of the holy Ghost consisting of 150. Bishops about the yeere 383. called by Theodosius the Elder who both prescribed the place and time the matter to be discussed and maner of proceeding in it sent his Deputie thither to supplie his roome as moderator or president for the keeping of order obseruing of decencie and lastly by his Imperiall power ratified the Decrees thereof all which acts flowing from the prerogatiue of his place and office are now denyed by the Pope and his flatterers any way to belong to
said for your deliuerance from thence but that you must presently iumpe into heauen I durst warrant the Iesuits among whom you died did not esteem you such a Saint Indeed Castellanus who made the funerall oration vpon Francis the 1. the French King was excepted against and accused by the Sorbonists for saying That he doubted not but the Kings soule was in heauen but his purgation was made by Mendoza that he thought he called by Purgatorie in passing but being as he was of a stirring disposition hee made no stay there but I thinke M. Doctor who offers to vndertake the iustifying of all Romish doctrine was not of this opinion We teach with S. Iohn that Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord for they rest from their labours But M. Doctor should haue remembred that the Church of Rome teacheth with Virgil whose authority Bellarmine solemnly quoteth to that purpose That the soules of the most iust except they die by Martyrdome or presently after Baptisme or doe some notable Meritorious worke as for the purpose the killing of a King whom that Church shall iudge a Tyrant are all to bee scoured in the flames of Purgatory fire before they enter into heauen But in the meane time you say you will reioyce in nothing but onely in the Crosse of Christ which is the glory of his Maiesties Crowne where if by the Crosse of Christ you vnderstand as S. Paul did Christ Crucified you do well hee being indeed not only the Glory of his Maiesties Crowne but the Crowne of his and our glory but if the materiall Crosse or a painted or carued Crucifix this could bring but a shadow of ioy to you and of glory to his Maiesties Crowne Lastly you conclude that you are not gone from his Maiestie to his aduersaries but before him to his Mother For the first of which I demaund who his Maiestie shall account for his aduersaries but those who condemne such Romane Catholikes censuring their Books and commaunding them to purge themselues who onely maintaine his Ciuill power in Temporall affaires and restraine his subiects from taking the Oath of meere naturall Allegeance which in effect is all one as if they absolued them from that Oath being taken and consequently incouraged them to rebellion For the second part of your conclusion we doubt not but his Maiesties Mother might find mercie knowing no better religion then that in which shee was borne and bred when such Apostates as our of discontent or for temporall respects forsake a knowen trueth which they haue preached in which they were baptized to which they haue subscribed shall finde heauen gates shut against them But wee iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lord come who will lighten things that are in darkenesse and make the counsels of the heart manifest and then shall euery man haue praise of God Who so confirme vs in that we are right and reforme vs in that we are amisse that passing through things temporall wee may not finally lose eternall Now prayse and honour and glory and power bee vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and vnto the Lamhe for euermore B. C. Multum incola fuit anima mea cum his qui oderunt pacem eram pacificus cum loquebar illis impugnabunt me gratis Psal. 119. vers 5 6. G. H. The wordes of his mouth were smoother then butter but warre was in his heart his words were softer then oyle yet were they drawen swords Psal. 55. 21. AN ANSWERE TO THE MATERIALL POINTS of a second Letter of Dr. Cariers written also from Leige to his friends heere in ENGLAND WHen I had almost finished my former answere to the Doctors Letter to his Maiestie another Letter of his dated also from Leigâ— and directed to his friends in England came to mine hands wherunto are added certaine collections found in his Closet made by him as it is thought saith the Publisher of the miserable endes of such as haue impugned the Catholike Church to which is also annexed a briefe exhortation to perseuere constantly in the sayd Catholike Church what opposition soeuer may occurre and lastly a few examples of the admirable felicitie of such as haue defended the same Church First then for the Letter I must confesse I expected from Mr. Dr. some piece of greater value considering himselfe had promised vs in the last Section of his first chapter particularly to iustifie and make plaine froÌ„ point to point the Religion at this day practised and prescribed by the Church of Rome Pelitier for him that hauing consigned his writings into the hands of one of his friends wee should shortly haue that happinesse as to see them published to the ioy and comfort of Catholikes and the edification of those whom hee had forsaken But at last we haue receiued for payment in ful satisfaction of the whole debt as I conceiue this Letter with the appertenances which I would haue set downe intire as I found it the very sight of it being confutation sufficient but that I should haue done the Printer iniury in staying his presse and withall haue raised my booke to a bulk too far exceeding my purpose and it may be haue deceiued the reader too in offring that to his view which he would haue iudged scarce worth the reprinting In his entrance after his verball flourishes and the repetition of that which hath already been answered more then once if any way materiall hee settles at length vpon nine Propositions the very marrow and piâ—h of all his Letter all tending to draw what hee might from the authority of Scriptures and to cast it vpon the Church that is in his language the Romish Clergie as afterwards hee expresses himselfe I will examine the propsitions as they lie in order B. C. 1. That our Sauiour did leaue nothing in writing but taught his Religion to his Apostles by word of mouth G. H. 1. Doubtlesse our Sauiour was not of that Polish Cardinals minde who thought it had beene better for the Church had there beene no Scripture extant at all for though himselfe left nothing in writing touching his Religion yet by the Scriptures alone hee proues himselfe to be the Messias in his conferences his Sermons his disputations with it hee informes the ignorant confirmes the weake instructs his Disciples confutes the Pharisees puts the Sadduces to silence and the diuell to flâ—ght Not a booke of Moses and scarce a Prophet but hee either quotes some passages from him or at least alludes to some in him specially that of the Psalmes and the Prophet Esay Nay in the 24. of St. Luke it is said hee proued his passion and resurrection from Moses and all the Prophets Though it were hee that spake to the Patriarches in dreames and visions and Reuelations yet hee mentions none of them for proofe and except they were 〈◊〉 much lesse traditions but his ordinarie questions and exhâ—rtations and reprehensions are How readest thou and haue yee not
their Religion of the Church before they wrote it G. H. 4. Here I must confesse I could not but wonder what Mr. Dr. meant if hee had read and beleeued Saint Pauls Epistle to the Galathians in affirming that hee learned his Religion of the Church whereas himselfe in the first and second Chapter of that Epistle inforceth the contrary with so many and so inuincible arguments that they can not but instantly stop the mouth of any who would offer to open it in defence of Mr. Doctours assertions Now I certifie you brethren saith hee that the Gospel which was preached of mee was not after man for neither receiued I it of man neither was I taught it but by the Reuelation of Iesus Christ. Secondly for Saint Marke and Saint Luke though they learned their Religion of the Church by hearing the Apostles as the Apostles themselues did from Christ by hearing and seeing him yet doth it not follow but the former as well as the latter wrote by the instinct and direction of the holy Ghost nay doubtlesse it were no lesse then impietie once to imagine the contrary To which purpose the words of Bellarmine are worthy obseruation Vt vere dicitur Epistola principis quae à principe dictatur etiamsi is qui eam scripsit antea sciebat quae scripturus erat ita dicitur immediatum Dei verbum quod scriptum est ab Euangelistis Deo inspirante dirigente licet scripserint ea quae viderant vel audierant As that is truely sayed to be the Letter of a Prince which hee dictates though hee who wrote knew before what he would write So is it the immediate word of God which is written by the Euangelists God inspiring and directing them though they sawe and heard those things before which they wrote Lastly for S. Luke he learned not the actes of the Apostles which he wrote from the Church himselfe being an actour in a chiefe part of them and whereas Mr. Doctor affirmes that he was not of Christs company whiles he was vpon the earth Sâ—ella a Writer of the Church of Rome in his Enarrations vpon the 24. of S. Lukes Gospel and the 13. verse assures vs that graue Doctors by whome I take it hee meanes the Fathers were of opinion that S. Luke was one of those two Disciples whom our Sauiour instructed as they were iournying to Emmaus B. C. 5. That diuers others did write the Religion of Christ as they did apprehend it but their Gospels and Epistles were reiected by the Church Luke 1. 1. G. H. 5. In the Primitiue Church a great part of the beleeuers but specially their guides were miraculously indued as with other gifts so with a discerning spirit and that not onely in differencing the sinnes and persons of men but iudging of their writings so that though they wrote a trueth touching the Christian religion yet were they able to discerne whether that trueth were written by speciall illumination and instinct of the same spirit wherewith themselues were inspired whereupon wee haue good reason to accept what they accepted as Canonicall and as Apocryphall to reiect what they reiected but for the present Church though it should tenne thousand times reiect the whole or any parcell of that written trueth which they accepted yea though one from the dead or an Angel from heauen should preach any other Gospel yet ought wee rather to accurse then beleeue him notwithstanding the Church of Rome as if she were inuested with equall or higher power though indeede shee reiect no booke as Apocryphall which that Church accepted as Canonical yet doth she accept and impose diuers bookes as Canonicall which that reiected as Apocryphall B. C. 6. That at the day of iudgement there will be no writing to try true Religion from heresie but only the eternall trueth of Christ in the soules of his Saints G. H. 6. But that Eternall trueth of Christ in the soules of his Sainâ—s is the same and none other then which is contained in the holy Scriptures now the Gentiles indeed in as much as they haue sinned without the Law they shall also perish without the Law that is without the Law written saue onely in the tables of their hearts but the Iewes in as much as they haue sinned in the Law shall be iudged by the Law saith Saint Paul and our Sauiour There is one that accuseth you euen Moses in whom ye trust whereby none other thing can bee vnderstood then the Law written by Moses B. C. 7. That the Scriptures were written by men of the Church admitted Canonicall by Councils of the Church preserued from tyrants by the care of the Church and euer vntill late expounded by the consent of the Church G. H. 7. That the Scriptures were written by men of the Church we confesse yet so as withall it cannot bee denied but those holy men wrote as they were moued by the holy Ghost We also confesse that they were admitted Canonicall by the Councils of the Church that is declared not made to bee so and likewise that hitherto they haue been preserued by the care of the Church which therefore is called The pillar and ground of trueth neither ought they to be expounded but by the consent of the Church if wee speake of exposition to bee publikely allowed and receiued touching fundamentall points otherwise both Caietane and Andradius and Iansenius and Maldonat and diuers others of the Church of Rome in sundrie places professe that they rest not satisfied in any interpretation giuen by the Fathers but preferre either their owne or some other found out in this age So that if Mr. Doctor by the Church vnderstand the Fathers wee haue no reason to barre our selues of that liberty which the chiefe Doctors of the Church of Rome both challenge as due and practice as needfull yet so as wee vse that libertie with moderation and sobrietie the people submitting their iudgements to their Pastours and the Pastours in seuerall to their bodie vnited or represented where no very cleare and manifest reason appeareth to the contrary B. C. 8. How fewe men are able to reade and expound Scriptures any way and whether it be not easier to beleeue the Church then to beleeue a few priuate men that say they can expound Scriptures better then the Church G. H. 8. If wee should follow the rules and practise of the Church of Rome fewer would bee able either to expound or reade the Scriptures then now are Espencaeus a Dr. of the Sorbon witnesseth that hee was told by an Italian Bishop that his Countreymen were terrified from reading the Scriptures lest they should become herettikes but the Doctor demaunding what Arte they then professed why quoth the Bishop both the Lawes but specially the Canon And Robert Stephens demanding some of the Doctors of the Sorbon in what place some passage of the New Testament was written they answered that they had read it in Hierome or the decrees but for
the New Testament they were ignorant what it was nay one of them was wont to sweare by the light that hee wondered yong men talked so much of the New Testament himselfe being fifty yeeres old before he vnderstood so much as what it meant and if such blinde guides leade the blinde what marueile if both fall into the ditch Now for beleeuing priuate men I would faine know how the common people in their Church come to know the exposition of the Church or the Church it selfe but by the information of priuate men And if any of ours preferre their owne iudgement before the current opinion which I suppose Mr. Doctor meanes by the exposition of the Church I haue shewed before vpon what ground they doe it and that therein they doe no more then those very Romish Diuines who complaine most of them B. C. 9. That all sorts of heretikes haue alwaies boasted of the Scriptures and despised the Church G. H. 9. Though the deuill falsly alleaged Scripture yet our SAVIOVR thought it no sufficient reason to forbeare the alleaging of it and though the Pharises pretended the authoritie of the Church yet hee imbraced not their corrupt glosses leauing vs an example in both to follow his steps Vpon these Propositions Mr. Doctour inferreth that the onely way to finde the true religion of CHRIST is to enquire which is the true Church of CHRIST now to knowe the Church saith he our Sauiour did found we must obserue that this word doth signifie diuerse things sometimes the House of Gods seruice sometimes the Congregation of all those that are Baptized and sometimes the Clergie or Spiritualtie and in this sence alone our Sauiour founded a Church when hee did call and send his Apostles and gaue them the same power which himselfe as man had receiued of his Father Then to know which is the true Church saith he we must inquire which is the Clergie that was founded by CHRIST and continueth in the Vnitie of the Church by perpetuall Succession from the Apostles and so from CHRIST himselfe And for certaine resolution thereof he referreth vs to three arguments as he calleth them infallible whereof the first is Thâ— report of Chronicles and Histories The second is The Vniuersalitie Antiquitie and consent of doctrine taught in the true Church and The varietie noueltie and repugnancie taught in Schisme And herein you may inquire saith hee of the most learned and most honest to informe you The thirde is The testimonie of Scriptures of the olde and new Testament For answere to this inference I would willingly learne where Mr. Doctour learned those acceptions of the Church once I am sure he taketh it otherwise then it is taken in holy Scripture and againe in holy Scriptures it is taken otherwise then he taketh it Neither are his two former meanes for the finding out of the Church more iustifiable then his acceptions of the Church whereof the first is the report of Chronicles but to grant that all Chronicles spake as the Pope would haue them yet were all this but humane testimony a sufficient inducement to moue but no sufficient ground for the conscience to build vpon For the proofe of his second reason he refers his reader to the information of the most learned and most honest But how if as learned and more honest informe him and that more truely to the contrary Here needes a farther inquirie which Mr. Doctor foreseeing at length sends vs to the Scripture as being forced with vs to confesse that the last resolution and onely infallible stay of the Christian soule in search both of the trueth it selfe and consequently of the true Church professing and publishing that truth must nâ—cessarily rest vpon that and nothing else ¶ A briefe Answere to the other collections annexed to the Doctors last Letter NOw for those other Collections which are added to his Letter as the Publisher makes a doubt whether they were made by him or no so I make no doubt if hee had liued hee would neuer haue suffered them to come to the light in such sort as now they are published Notwithstanding because they appeare in his name I held it not amisse to make some answere vnto them First then for the miserable ends of such as haue opposed the Catholike Church hee brings the example of Iudas and Caiphas and Annas and the three Herods and Pontius Pilate and Nero and Domitian and Pharaoh and Haman and Iezebel and Antiochus and Ieroboam and a number of like stuffe After he comes to Arch-heretikes translating word for word what Bellarmine thereof hath obserued in his 17. Chapter of the notes of the Church where hee makes the 14. note to bee Infaelix exitus seu finis eorum qui Ecclesiam oppugnant The vnhappy end of such as haue oppugned the Church the greatest part of which excepting those last which Maister Doctor is pleased to call the monsters of our age we condemne as farre foorth as the Doctor did or Bellarmin doth But for the fabulous narration of their ends wee may truely say that Bellarmine as vniustly voucheth the authoritie of Cochlaeus and Bolsecke as the Doctor suppresseth Bellarmines For what law humane or diuine ciuill or naturall admitteth a mans mortall and sworne enemie to bee witnesse against him Yet such was Cochlaeus vnto Luther and Zuinglius and Bolseck vnto Caluin who both as they deadly hated them for their religion as the Samaritanes did the Iewes so had Bolseck a particular grudge against Caluin for that hee opposed himselfe so vehemently against his wicked errours and seditious practices in Geneua as hee procured his banishment from thence which mooued him to seeke this base kinde of reuenge vpon him the rather being requested and solicited thereunto as hee saith himselfe by very many his Lords and friends as hoping by the defamation of Caluin to recouer his lost credit with them And as being their malicious enemies they would not report the trueth so not being present at their endes they could not haue certaine knowledge thereof at leastwise their testimonie cannot with any reasonable or indifferent mindes counterpoise the euidence of those worthy men who were eye-witnesses and present with them For Pluris est oculatus testis vnus quà m auriti decem One eye-witnesse is of more force then tenne eare-witnesses and it is great folly saith Bellarmine to beleeue the reports of them that were not present rather then of them that were present But let vs particularly and seuerally but briefly examine their slanders Luther saith the Doctor out of the Cardinall and the Cardinall himselfe out of Cochlaeus died suddenly for hauing supped very delicately and pleasantly being in perfect health and hauing delighted all his companie with merrie conceits the same night hee died But Tho. Bozius a Friar of the new Oratory order reporteth otherwise and that vpon the testimonie of one that then was Luthers seruant but since as hee saith became theirs in religion namely
more often Recognized it in his prayer before his Sermons 4 Pag. 220. Where among such famous Doctors as were conuerted lately to the Romish Religion hee reckons Dr. Bull for one 5 See the late B. of Lincolnes answere to a namelesse Catholike p. 115. 6 May 21. 1610 7 His Maiesty there speakes of the French King Henry the IV. 8 Nâ—sâ— itaque idexpâ—ctâ—â—ur a serenâ—ssimo Regâ— vâ— palam â—or am vniueâ— so mundo profiteatur sâ—metâ—â— ad sidem cogâ— non vâ—deo quo modo aâ—imus Regius in tâ—m iusta 17a tanto perâ—â—â—lo suo suorum pâ—ssit ad corum parâ—es propius aâ—â—edere 9 See the relation of the state of religion in these Westerne parts which it were much to be wished the Author himselfe would perfect and publish 10 Brittaâ—nom 〈◊〉 pag. 324. 1 I can shew it in the Authors owne Letters that he had a purpose of publishing it 2 He hath now gotten more name and fame by running away from vs then by any acte that euer hee did among vs. 3 The Credite he had in Court was won by his hypocrisie 4 He was like enough to aspire to higher preferment but while he remained like himselfe not like to attaine it 5 What intiâ—ing baits could these be vnto him who by his own acknowledgement felt the state of his body such that hee could not long enioy them 6 The wauering was in his braine not in their opinions 7 Hee professeth indeed that hee found a large opposition betweene the new French as he calleth it and the old English but betweene the English and the Râ—mish none at all or â—o small as it might easily be reconciled Chap. 2. Sâ—ct 29. 8 Or rather a counterfeit light from him who is transformed into an Angel of Light 9 His owne relation shewes how slowly he proceeded in this businesse as being in hope of higher preferment and yet in despaire of longer life 10 Catholike Roman I take to be as much as Kent and Christâ—ndome 11 Had Mr. Dr. done so he had rested where he was Cap. 2. Sâ—â—t 36. 1 You might haue named Scripture as well as art but it seemes you purposely forbore it lest you shou'd seeme a Caluinist 2 In your 2. chap. 21. Sect. you affirme the doctrine of the Church of Eng. to be that which is conteined in the coÌ„mon prayer booke and Church Catechisme very nere agreeing with or at least not contradicting the Church of Rome 3 Had you brought any proofe from the Scriptures ancient Fathers for the trueth of that Religion which you call Cathol you would haue thereby giuen vs some reaâ—on to thinke â—ou had indeed studied them 4 Your reconcâ—liation of religâ—oÌ„ was nothing else but a renouncing of the truth 5 It is maruell you had not imparted knowledge by writing 6 Your place compelled you not to preach points of Râ—mish doctrine 7 Catholike Religion is not hated in England but the religion of pretended Catholikes is iustly restrained 8 You might as fully and â—reely haue enioyed the preâ—ence of our blessed Sauiour in the vnitâ—e of the English Church as the Râ—mish 9 How can there be a dayly oblation of that which himselfe offered once for all Heb. 7. 27. 9. 28. and 10. 10 10 When his Maiâ—sties reasons are answered why he should not bee already esteemed in the vnitie of the Catholike Church prayer for his admission into it will bee admitted 11 Your dueâ—ie would better haue appeared in writing somewhat in defence of his Maiesties writings 12 Your auowed presence at the dayly oblation as you call it was a sufficient declaration of your reuolt 13 How sufficiently either of these two bee shewed I leaue it to the indifferent Reader to iudge 14 I wonder that any hauing affiance in his Holinessâ— pardons should desire his Maâ—esties 15 Hee is indeed likely to bee a faithfull seruant to his Maiestie who flies to the tents and pleads the cause of his sworne enemies 1. Pâ—t 3. 4. 1 It was such a schisme as the Apostle practised when certaine were hardened disobeyed speaking euill of the way of God he departed from them and separated the discsples Acts 19. 9. and gâ—ue the like commandement to others if any teach otherwise and consenteth not to the wholsome words of the Lord Iesus and from such separate thy selfe 1. Tim. 6. 3 4 5. 2 This ambition of yours was it which being some what crossed or not fully satisfied caused your apostâ—sie as it did Arrius his heresie 3 Yet himselfe afterward iustifies it chap. 2. sâ—ct 21. 4 Doe men gather grapes of thornes or figs of thistles and can either duety or loue be expected from such subiects and friends better is the hâ—tred of an open enemy then the loue of such a friend 5 Ab ouo vsquâ— ad maluâ—â— He repeats the same phrase in diuers other places * Colâ—ss 2. 23. * Esai 1. 12. 6 Great zeale and neutralitie in Religion seldome stand together as neither doe gâ—eat zeâ—le and vehement ambition 7 We grant as much tâ—at the gates of hell shall neuer vtterly prâ—uaile against it Non bene câ—n 〈…〉 vna sede morantur ambitio zelus * Iames 3. 16. * Rom. 10. 2 * Lâ—ke 16. 8. * 2. Thes. 2. 7. * Matth. 10. 1â— 1 He indeede deliueredit to his Apostles and disciples to continue but sure wee are it continued not by that succession and in that Church which you call visible and perpetuall or at least not as he deliuered it the enuiâ—us man came in the night and sowed tares amongst it * Matth. 19. 8. 2 Obserue here the great zeale of this man which himselfe boasteth of in the 2. Sâ—ction going before * Matth. 13. 5. 25 1 It is to be noted that some of thesâ— Vniuersities professe in their published instruments that they tooke an oath to deliuer and to study vpon the foresaid questions as should be to the pleasure of God and according to conscience the copie whereof is to be seene in our English Chronicles 2 After the determinations of these Vniuersites were read in open Parliament there were shewen aboue a 100. bookes drawen by Doctours of strange regions which all agreed the Kings marâ—age to be vnlawfull 1 How learnedly you vnderstood the state of the question betwixt vs appeares afterward in setting downe the opinion of the Church of Rome touching Images 2 No mention at all of reading the Scriptures that was too base a worke for so great a Clerke 1 How comes it to passe then that the profouÌ„d Doctors for prooâ—e of many doctrines of that Church forsake the Scriptures flie to traditions 2 As if in your learning the Gospel were not Scripture 3 Belike then we in these colde Northerne Climats haue no Christian soules 4 When those Preachers shal be named and their current opinions specified and the passages quoted by which they are conâ—uted I doubt not but the vnanswerable
reason the Bishop of Rome hath or at least wise formerly had the word Mysterie engrauen on his diademe since in the seuenteenth of the Reuel at the fift verse it is foretold it should be written on the forehead of the â—reat Whore For to passe by other depthes of Satan as they bee called Reuel 2. verse 24. I would know what Religion was ener in the world which inuented a policie like to the Popes dispensations in generall but specially in Mariages it being hitherto the best stake in his hedge and without exception the strongest sinew for the tying of Christian Princes vnto him as to their head they being made many of them by it legitimate and illegitimate without it So they stand in a maner bound to defend his authority with the same sword that they do their own Crownes And I am verily perswaded were it not that they lie obnoxious to him in this regard some of them would not sticke so close to him as they doe especially since the publishing of his Maiesties learned and godly premonition vnto them Farther what vse they make of Confessions for the discouerie of all secrets as well of nature as of States Indulgences Canonizations Consecrations Of their bloodie Inquisition which like a sharpe Northerne winde nippes the spring of Religion in the bud Of forging false Authours and corrupting the true Of suppressing the bookes of our Writers and correcting their owne Of spreading false rumors and razing all antiquitie that makes against them the world hath long since discouered Besides all this they haue a baite for euery fish a motiue to draw euery seuerall humour for an ambitious disposition they haue a triple Crowne or a Cardinals cap for a Contemplatiue a Monkes cloister or a Friars coule for a working practical head imployment in State affaires for a Scholasticke preaching writing and in writing some they set to meditations some to politike discourses some to cases of conscience some to commentaries some to controuersies according to the seuerall point and temper of their wits Nay he that shal but consider the politike forme of gouernment obserued in the onely order of the Iesuits their rules their intelligence their corespondence their infinite cunning deuises how to winne some whom they desire for respects to be of their society or to make their friends and to disgrace or remoue others whom they suspect to stand in theirway may iustly pronounce of them that they haue perfectly learned the former part of our Sauiours lesson Be wise as serpents but not the latter be ye innocent as doues wheras nothing argues the inocency of our cause more then that it hitherto hath bin and still is supported meerely by the goodnesse of God and the euidence of trueth H Surely if true religion be vnchangeable then the Romish cannot be the true it hauing suffered so many changes both in doctrine and practise that wee may now iustly question it whether it bee the same or no as the Schollers of Athens did Theseus his ship after many reparations wee may seeke Rome in Rome it selfe and not find it I will instance onely in the Masse which like a beggars cloakehath receiued so many additions and patcheâ— that if S. Peter should now liue to see a Priest saying Masse hee would without doubt conceiue it to bee any thing rather then the commemoration of Christs death or the administration of his Supper and to speake a trueth as long as the traditions of Men are held of equall authoritie with the liuely Oracles and eternall trueth of God it caâ—not bee but that religion which is grounded on them should be as subiect to variation as are the conceptions of mens minds So that your ground for the finding out of that religion wherein a maâ— might finde rest vnto his soule is excellent good but your application erroneous since there is indeede no rest but vpon eternall trueth and no trueth eternall but that which is diuine B. C. 3. My next care then was after I came to yeeres of discretion by all the best meanes I could to enforme my selfe whether the religion of England were indeed the very same which being prefigured and prophecied in the olde Testament was perfected by our blessed Sauiour and deliuered to his Apostles and disciples to continue by perpetuall succession in his visible Church vntill his comming againe or whether it were a new one for priuate purposes of Statesmen inuented and by humane lawes established Of this I could not chuse but make some doubt because I heard men talke much in those dayes of the change of religion which was then lately made in the beginning of Queene ELIZABETHS raigne G. H. 3. I would demaund by M. Doctors leaue whethermen might not talke as much of the change of religion made in the beginning of Queene Maries raigne as Queene Elizabeths But you will say Queene Maries was a restitution to the ancient and wee replie that Queene Elizabeths was a restitution to a more ancient and most true it is the most ancient is the most true So that in this regard wee may iustly say Nos non sumus nouatores sed vos estis veteratores and with our Sauiour From the beginning it was not so B. C. 4. I was sorry to heare of a change and of a new religion seeing me thought in reason if true religion were eternall the new religion could not be the true But yet I hoped that the religion of England was not a change or a new religion but a restitution of the olde and that the change was in the Church of Rome which in processe of time might perhaps grow to bee Superstitious and Idolatrous and that therefore England had done well to leaue the Church of Rome and to reforme it selfe and for this purpose I did at my leisure and best opportunitie as I came to more iudgement reade ouer the Chronicles of England and obserued all the aâ—terations of religion that I could find therein but when I found there that the present religion of England was a plaine change and change vpon change and that there was no cause of the change at all at the first but onely that â— King Henry the VIII was desirous to change his olde bedfellow that hee might leaue some heires males behind him for belike hee feared the females would not bee able to withstand the title of Scotland and that the change was continued and increased by the posteritie of his latter wiues I could not chuse but suspect some thing But yet the loue of the world and hope of preferment would not suffer me to beleeue but that all was well and as it ought to be G. H. 4. You told vs before that your care was assoone as you came to yeeres of discretion by all meanes you could to enforme your selfe whether the religion of England were indeed the very same which being prefigured and prophecied in the olde Testament was perfected by our blessed Sauiour and
very honest men and such as I did loue with all my heart I was very loth to dissent from them in priuate much more loth to oppose them in publike and yet seeing I must needes preach I was lothest of all to oppugne mine owne conscience together with the faith wherein I was baptized and the soules of those to whome I preached neuerthelesse hauing gotten this ground to worke vpon I began to comfort my selfe with hope to proue that the religion established in England was the same at the least in part L which now was and euer had beene held in the Catholique Church the defects whereof might be supplied whensoeuer it should please God to moue your Maiestie thereunto without abrogating that which was alrâ—ady by Law established which I still pray for and am not altogether out of M hope to see and therfore I thought it my duety as farre as I durst rather by N charitable constructions to reconcile things that seemed different that so our soules might bee for euer saâ—ed in vnity then by malitious calumniations to maintaine quarrels that so mens turnes might for a time bee serued in dissention G. H. 8. L How then can we bee esteemed heretiques who broach their owne fantasies since holding as the Church of England doth we hold the same that the Catholike Church hath euer held M Truely you had little reason to hope to liue to see thosâ— vnwarrantable Supplies you speake of by his Maiesties command aswell in regard of your owne infirmities of body as his MAIESTIES strong resolution of minde to the contrarie but it may bee your intelligence deceiued you sure wee are your hope failed you N Touching your opinion of Reconciliation whether it may be thought to proceede of charitie or arrogancie as also whether it be probable or in a maner possible as the case now stands I shall haue fitter opportunitie to discusse hereafter then in this place Yet giue mee leaue by the way to tell you that in my iudgement you call that Vnitie which is indeed distraction it tending to nothing els but a rent and a drawing of vs further from other reformed Churches and neâ—rer to the Church of Rome for if this were not your meaning the same charitable constructions would haue serued to recoÌ„cile things that to you looking through the false spectacles of preiudice passion seemed verie different betwixt vs other reformed Churches abroad much better easier then for the reconciling of those maine broad differences which are indeed betwixt vs and the Church of Rome Of which I feare I may too truly say as Abraham doth to the rich glutton in hel between you and vs there is a great gulfe set so that they which would goe from hence to you can not neither can they come from thence to vs. I speake in regard of Reconciliation in differences of Religion for otherwise but too manie are suffered to goe from hence thither and hauing sucked their poison to returne againe at their pleasures for the vomitting of it out amongst vs notwithstanding the sharpe penalties and great gulfe set betweene vs. B. C. 9. In this course although I did neuer proceed any farther then law would giue me leaue yet I found the Puritans and Caluinists and all the creatures of Schisme to be my vtter enemies who were also like the sonnes of Zeruiah too strong for Dauiâ— himselfe 2. Sam 3. 39. but I well perceiued that all temperate and vnderstanding men who had no interest in the Schisme were glad to heare the trueth honestly and plainely preached vnto them and my hope was by patience and continuance I should in the ende vnmaske hypocrisie and gaine credite to the comfortable doctrine of Antiquitie euen amongst those also who out of misinformation and preiudice did as yet most mislike it And considering with my selfe that your right to the Crowne came onely by O Catholikes and was ancienter then the Schisme which would very faine haue vtterly extinguished it and that both your P disposition by nature your amitie with Catholike Princes your speeches and your proclamations did at the beginning all tend to peace and vnitie I hoped that this endeuour of mine to enforce Catholike Religion at the least as farre as the Common prayer Booke and Catechisme would giue leaue should be well accepted of your MAIESTIE and bee as an introduction vnto farther peace and vnitie with the Church of Rome G. H. 9. O His MAIESTIES right to the Crowne is double the one from his mother lineally descending of the first match of the Ladie Margaret daughter to Henrie the VII and sister to Henrie the VIII Kings of England with Iames the fourth King of Scotland his MAIESTIES great Grandfather who though she imbraced that Religion in which shee was brought vp being neuer acquainted with any other yet as his Maiesty obserueth in his Monitorie Preface to the Christian Princes shee disliked some of the superstious Ceremonies and abhorred those new opinions which the Iesuits call Catholike His second right aboue any other preâ—endor was from his father descended of the second match of the sayd Ladie Margaret with Archibald Douglas Earle of Angush being brought vp in Q. Elizabeths Court whose father the Duke of Lenox professing the reformed religion as well appeared by his practise in his life in receiuing the Sacrament after the manner of the reformed Churches and by the confession of his faith in the hearing of many ministers at his death in all likelihood his Maiesties father himselfe should be that way affected though Cardinall Bellarmine vpon the relation of I know not whom would faine haue it otherwise And whereas you say that schisme would faine haue extinguished his Maiesties right it is well knowen that those whom you call schismatikes were the chiefe instruments vnder God to preserue his Maiesties not onely right but life against the fury of some whom you call Catholikes both before his mothers death and since P From his Maiesties progenitors you come to his owne disposition by nature his amity with Catholike Princes his speaches his Proclamations which all tended at the beginning you say to peace and vnitie True indeed it is that his Maiestie by nature is disposed to mercy his amitie with Christian Princes argues his charitie and heroical ingenuitie voide of ielousie suspition euen where occasioÌ„ may seem to be giuen his speaches and Proclamations were not bloody yet all this could not serue your turne as a sufficieÌ„t warrant to endeauor a peace with the Church of Rome in matters of religion no more then a league with the great Turke for traffike should giue occasion of ioyning with him in Mahometisme but had you withall with the other eye reflected a little backe vpon his Maiesties education from his very Cradle the choice of his aliance in mariage his counsel to his sonne touching the matter of religion in the first booke of his Basilicon Doron his
exposition published vpon the 7. 8. 9. and 10. verses of the 20. chapter of the Reuel or lastly his subscription to the confession of his faith in the yeere 1581 assoon as hee came to yeeres of discretion you would haue had little reason to haue presumed so farre vpon him for hearkening to any peace with the Church of Rome as long as her whoredomes and witchcrafts râ—maine yet in such abundance and being offered cure â—hat we might know she is Babylon she hath and still doth wilfully refuse to be cured But the sandie ground of the vaine presumption will yet more liuely appeare if the forme of that subscription bee well considered in which hauing rehearsed and renounced the chiefe points of Popery as namely the Popes vsurped authoritie ouer the Scriptures ouer the Church ouer the ciuill Magistrate and the consciences of men his deuilish masse his blasphemous Priesthood his profane sacrifice for the quicke and the dead and in a word the erroneous and bloody decrees of the Councel of Trent hee promiseth and sweareth by the great name to the Lord God to perseuere in that faith and to defend it all the dayes of his life to the vtmost of his power vnder paine of all the Curses contained in the Law and the danger both of bodie and soule in the fearefull day of iudgement and further straightly chargeth and commandeth all his officers and ministers to make the same subscription themselues and to take it of others vnder their charge and lest we should thinke that arriuing to riper age hee altered his iudgement in his instructions to his sonne he giues vs this assurance As for the particular points of religion saith hee I neede not to dilate them I am no hypocrite follow my footesteps and your owne present education therein B. C. 10. But when after my long hope I at the last did plainely perceiue that God for our sinnes had suffered the deuill the athour of dissension so farre to preuaile as partly by the furious practise of some desperate Catholikes and partly by the fiery suggestions of all violent Puritans hee had quite diuerted that peaceable and temperate course which was hoped for and that I must now either alter my iudgement which was impossible or preach against my conscience which was vntolerable Lord what anxietie and distraction of soule did I suffer day night what strife betwixt my iudgement which was wholly for the Q peace and vnitie of the Church and my affection which was wholly to enjoy the R fauour of your Maiesty and the loue of my friends and Countrey this griefe of soule now growing desperate did still more and more increase the infirmities of my body and yet I was so loth to become a professed Catholike with the displeasure of your Maiestie and of all my honourable and louing friends as I rather desired to silence my iudgement with the profits and pleasures of the world which was before mee then to satisfie it with reconciling my selfe vnto the Catholique Church But it was Gods will that euer as I was about to forget the care of religion and to settle my selfe to the world among my neighbours I met with such humours as I saw by their violence against Catholikes and Catholike religion were like rather to waken my soule by torture then bring it asleepe by temper and therefore I was driven to S recoile to God and to his Church that I might find rest vnto my soule G. H. 10. Q Certainely for their sinnes it was that God suffered them to plot so barbarous a designe but for our good wee hope if in nothing else yet in working in vs a stronger hatred of that religion which produceth such effects and in awakening vs to beware of the like mischieuous plot againe if it be possible the like may be plotted we excuse not our selues but in this businesse we haue rather tasted of Gods mercy which we deserued not then of his iudgements which wee must acknowledge we deserued R Quis tulerit Gracchos deseditione querentes what patient eare can endure him talking of nothing but peace and vnity who did euer blow the coales of dissention both in Court and Countrey as well in the Colledge where he liued a fellow as in the Church where he was a Canon S So it may well be gathered out of your owne words that the chiefe ground of your griefe was that you saw your ambitious humour was now crossed in as much as you could not keepe the olde wont and withall rise to place of honour T Your apostasie and forsaking the faith and Church in which you were baptized you call a recoiling to God and to his Church neither will I much stand vpon it since we know that Antichrist must sit in the Temple of God bearing himselfe as God B. C. 11. And yet because I had heard often that the practise of the Church of Rome was contrary to her doctrine I thought good to make one triall more before I resolued and therefore hauing the aduise of diuerse learned Physitians to goe to the Spaw for the health of my body I thought good to make a vertue of necessitie and to get leaue to goe the rather for the satisfaction of my soule v hoping to find some greater offence in the seruice of the Church of Rome then I had done in her bookes that so I might returne better contented and persecute and abhorre the Catholikes at home after I should find them so wicked and idolatrous abroad as they were in euery pulpit in England affirmed to be For this purpose before I would frequent their Churches I talked with such learned men as I could meet withall and did of purpose dispute against them and with all the wit and learning I had both iustifie the doctrine of England established by Law and obiect their superstition and idolatrie which I thought they might commit either with the images in the Church or with the Sacrament of the Altar G. H. 11. That is a trueth to auouch the practise of the Church of Rome to be more grosse then her doctrine howbeit we must confesse her doctrine in many points to be very grosse appeares by this that the better and wiser sort among themselues both in their iudgements and writings condemne many fopperies vsually practised by the people and winked at by their guides as their hallowing of graines and medalls and beads by touching some supposed Relique with opinion of merit Their praying to fained Saints and beleeuing forged legends and miracles Their permitting of publique Stewes and a Priest to keepe his concubine vnder a yeerely rent which Espencaeus wisheth were falsly thrust in among the grieuances of Germany Their setting of certaine rates vpon the most grieuous sinnes before they bee committed as appeareth in their Taxa Camera Their allowing of Sanctuaries for wilfull murder Their ordinary buying and selling of soules in Purgatory as a man would buy an horse in
Smithfield Lastly the making of ghosts to walke and talke at their pleasure of images to moue to weepe to sweate to speake when they list are matters which the modester sort dare not defend and yet the most impudent cannot well deny and surely for mine owne part I must confesse that nothing so much mooued me to a loathing of their religion as the beholding of their practise their whole worship wherein we differ either consisting in apish ridiculous gestures or in a meere outward formality or directed wholly to the greatnesse and gaine of the Clergy And I haue heard some English gentlemen affirme that being induced by subtilty of argument to the entertaining of some doctrine of the Church of Rome the sight of her whorish countenance and the licentious liues of her chiefe Prelates euen in Rome it selfe hath wrought them to a distaste of it as supposing that a face so artificially painted and composed could not stand with simplicity of trueth nor such lewdnesse in liuing with soundnesse in doctrine which Adrian the VI. by nation a Netherlander one of the best Popes of latter dayes acknowledged to be the chiefe cause of so much scandall in the world and so generall and eager a desire of reformation as appeares in his instructions to his Nuntio to bee deliuered to the States of Germany assembled in Diet and recorded by Espencaeus in his Commentary on the first of Titus and therefore promiseth that he would begin with the reformation of his owne Court as our Sauiour did with the Temple but his disposition being discouered and his intent knowen order was takē that he should not proceed in that busines being shortly after cut off by vntimely death So that if you had so pleased you might haue found the practise of the Church of Rome much more grosse then her doctrine aswell for exercise of their religion as for the liues of their Clergie and religious men neither needed you to haue vndertaken a voyage to the Spaw for that purpose in as much as you had made or at least might haue made triall therof at your being in France with an honourable person imployed thither by his Maiesty In the last words of your Section going before this you tel vs that you were driuen to recoile to God and his Church that you might finde rest to your soule and here within 10. lines you tell vs that you got leaue to trauell beyond the Seas hoping to finde some greater offence in the seruice of that Church then you had done in her bookes in her practise then in her doctrine and yet both your instances in the Section following and conference with learned men argue their doctrine rather then their practise B. C. 12. Their common answere was that which by experience I nowe finde to be true viz. that they doe abhorre all idolatry and superstition and doe diligently admonish the people to take heed thereof and they vse images for none other purpose but onely for a deuout memorie and representation of the Church triumphant which is most fit to bee made in the time and place of prayer where after a more speciall maner we should with all reuerence haue our conuersation amongst the Saints in heaven G. H. 12. It appeares by resting satisfied with this answere that either your wit and learning were very slender to obiect hauing as it seemes scarce looked into later writers so much as to vnderstand the state of questions controuersed betweene vs which notwithstanding you pretend before in your fifth Section or else your will forestalled by preiudice was very apt to receiue satisfaction with any answere For what nouice is there so meanely studied in Controuersies who knowes not that the Church of Rome hath hitherto practised and still doth professe that the vse of Images in their Churches is not onely for memorie and representation as you affirme but for worship and adoration and withall commandeth her Pastours in that Catechisme which they call the Romane to teach the people so Nay which is more they both giue and maintaine to bee due the same adoration to the signe of the Crosse and neither lesse nor more then is due vnto Christ himselfe which opinion as a moderate and iudicious writer hath well obserued howsoeeuer they endeuour to varnish and qualifie with distinctions which the Schooles in speculation haue boulted out pretending that the Crosse which to outward sence presenteth visibly it selfe alone is not by them apprehended alone but hath in their secret surmise or conceit a reference to the person of our Lord Iesus Christ so that the honour which they ioyntly doe to both respecteth principally his person and the Crosse but onely for his persons sake yet the people not accustomed to trouble their braines with so nice and subtill differences in the exercise of religion are apparantly no lesse insnared by adoring the Crosse then the Iewes by burning incense to the Brasen serpent and in actions of this kinde we are more to respect what the greatest part of men are commonly prone to conceiue then what some fewe mens inuention can deuise in construction of their owne particular meanings His Maiesties owne wordes to this purpose are excellent and worthy obseruation But for worshipping either of them sayth hee speaking of Reliques or Images I must account it damnable Idolatry I am no Iconomachus I quarrell not the making of images either for publike decoration or mens priuate vses but that they should be worshipped and prayed vnto or any holinesse attributed vnto them was neuer knowen of the ancients and the Scriptures are so directly vehemently and punctually against it as I wonder what braine of man or suggestion of Sathan durst offer it to Christians and all must be salued with nice Philosophicall distinctions as Idolum nihil est and they worship forsooth the Images of things in being and the Image of the true God but the Scripture forbiddeth to worship the image of any thing that God created It was not a nihil then that God forbade onely should bee worshipped neither was the Brasen serpent nor the body of Moses a nihil and yet the one was destroyed and the other hidden for eschewing of Idolatrie yea the image of God himselfe is not onely expresly forbidden to be worshipped but euen to be made The reason is giuen that no eye euer saw God and how can wee paint his face when Moses the man that euer was most familiar with God neuer saw but his backe parts Surely since hee cannot bee drawen to the view it is a thankelesse labour to marre it with a false representation which no Prince nor scarce any other man would be contented with in their owne pictures Let them therefore that maintaine this doctrine answere it to Christ at the latter day when hee shall accuse them of Idolatrie and then I doubt if hee will bee payed with such nice Sophisticall distinctions Hitherto his Maiestie then which I see not what could
and more then must be granted by vs it reaching to the deposition of Princes from their thrones and the disposition of their Crownes when his Holinesse shall iudge it fit for the vnity of the Church as well appeared in his Buls both against King Henry the father and Queene Elizabeth the daughter And thus farre Cardinall Perron that peaceable man and your great Patron expressed himselfe in the last assemblie of the three estates of France for which the Pope gaue him and the rest of the Clergy who stucke to him in that businesse as great thankes as if they had saued Saint Peters shippe from sinking both the Cardinall and the Pope supposing as it seemes that those sparkes flew into France from the fire of England howsoeuer sure it is they were quenched by the water of Tyber B. C. 15. So that whereas my hope was that by finding out the corruptions of the Church of Rome I should grow further in loue with the Church of England and ioyfully returne home and by inueighing against the Papists both enioy my present preferments and obtaine more and more I saw the matteâ— was like to fall out cleane contrary It is true indeed that there are many corruptionsâ— in all States God hath not his wheat field in this world wherein the deuill hath no tares growing and there are not tares more ranke then those that grow among the wheat for optimi corruptio pessima and where grace aboundeth if it be contemned there sinne aboundeth much more But seeing my reading and experience hath now taught me that the trueth of Christian Religion taught and practised at this day in the Church of Rome and all the obedient members thereof is the very same in substance which was preâ—igured and prophesied from the beginning of the world perfected by CHRIST himselfe deliuered to his Apostles and by them and their Successours perpetually and vniuersally practised vntill this day without any W substantiall alteration and that the new religion in X England wherein it doth differ hath no ground but either the pleasure of the Prince and Parliament or the common crie and voyce of the people nor no constancie or agreement with it selfe what should I now doe It is not in my power not to know that which I doe know nor to doubt of that which I haue spent so much time and taken so much paines and bestowed so much cost and made so many trials to find And I know if I should yeeld to be reconciled to the Church I should be in this world in all likelihood vtterly vndone and which grieued me more I should bee reiected of your Maiestie my most redoubted Lord and Master and despised by all my deare friends and louers in England G. H. 15. W The Church of Rome holds indeed the substance of Christian Religion in profession but yet by consequence shakes the foundation of it as it holds the death of Christ to be satisfactory for sinne and yet adding thereunto her owne meritorious satisfaction consequently by the latter she ouerthrowes the former for If righteousnesse be by the Law then Christ died without a cause and in reason impossible it is if traditions be held of equall valew with the Scriptures for the constituting of substantiall points but that in short time there should ensue a substantiall alteration and he that knowes not that the Church of Rome holds many things now as parts of the Catholike faith which it helds not in former ages knowes little what hath bene anciently held or now is X If by the religion of England you vnderstand that which is by Law established as in coÌ„mon construction you cannot otherwise be vnderstood you coÌ„demne your selfe out of your owne mouth in as much as you acknowledge before that the religion established by law in England was the same saue onely it was somewhat defectiue which now is and euer had beene held in the Catholike Church and yet here you say it hath no ground but the pleasure of the Prince and Parliament wheras in trueth we build vpon the Rocke of the Scriptures but you vpon the sand of traditions and which of vs hath the sounder foundation I appeale no farther then reason it selfe to iudge You as though you were not yet dead from the ordinances of the world burden your selues with traditions as touch not taste not handle not which all perish with the vsing and are after the commandements and doctrines of men but we haue a most sure word of the Prophets taking heede thereto according to S. Peters counsell as to a light that shineth in a darke place and as our ground is sure so is our agreement constant and vniforme in all points materiall and necessary to saluation whereas in the building of your tower of Babel such diuersitie of languages is heard that there is hardly any exposition of Scripture or point in controuersie which hath not bene or is called into question either directly or by consequent by some that liued and died in that Church which you call Catholike as will easily appeare to him who shall turne ouer the volumes of of Cardinall Bellarmine which is the true reason as I suppose that his workes are not allowed to bee read of all but of publike professours and such others as haue speciall permission from their Superiours B. C. 16. These were my thoughts at the Spaw which did so vexe and afflict my soule as that the waters could doe my body no good at all but rather much hurt neuerthelesse I auoided the company of Catholikes abstained from the Church and did both dispute and write against the Church of Rome as occasion was offered I still hoped that time would giue better counsell and therefore resolued to goe from the Spaw to Heidelberge to doe my duetie there in the meane time I thought with my selfe it may be God hath mooued his Maiesties heart to peace and reconciliation I knowe his disposition was so in the beginning and I remember M. Casaubon told me when I brought him out of France that his errand was nothing else but to mediate peace betweene the Church of Rome and the church of England Therefore I thought before I would submit my selfe to the Church of Rome I would write vnto M. Casaubon such a letter as he might shew vnto your Maiestie containing such conditions as I thought might satisfie your Maiestie if they were performed by the Church of Rome The copie of which letter is too long here to set down But when M. Casaubon answered me that he knew your Maiestie was resolued to haue no societie with the Church of Rome vpon any condition what soeuer and that it would be my vndoing if those my letters should come to your Maiesties hands or of those that bare the sway I began to despaire of my returne into England vnlesse I would ouerthrow both the health of my bodie and the quiet of my
alterum diem Deo volente Qui te seruet Illustrissime Domine Londini VIII Eid Sept. MDCXIII Tuae Reuerentiae obseruantiss cultor IS CASAVBONVS Right Reuerend my Gracious Lord I Send vnto your Grace the Letter whereof you haue heard The Letter was sent me with intent it should be communicated vnto the King but I thought it fitter to bee suppressed and to be shewed vnto none For I cannot approue the drift of that learned man who wrâ—te the Letter Wherefore I answered him forâ—â—with and with many words aduised him to desist from that purpose I brought him many reasons why I certainely beleeued it was folly or rather frensie to hope for any good from the Romish Phalaris for that very terme I vsed who laughs at our euils if there be any amongst vs. I laid before his eyes how auerse the Peeres of the Romish Church are from all equitie specially Bellarmine of whose impiety I wrote at large vnto him I set before his eyes with how great danger to himselfe he seemed to become the Popes Patron I alledged testimonies of Matthew Paris of the great misery of England when it was vnder the Popes obedience I added the example of that Narbonois who of late sent vnto the Kings MAIESTY a booke of the like argument that being commanded by the KING to say my mind I professed my detestation thereof and that it was his MAIESTIES will to haue some animaduersions set in the margent of the booke After which what became of Carier I know not This I thought good to signifie vnto your Grace but I expected vntill you were returned vnto the Citie for the publishing of my booke stayes meat home I haue other weighty matters whereof to aduise with your Grace within this day or two God willing who preserue you my gracious Lord. London Sept. 6. 1613. Your Graces most respectiue Obseruer ISA. CASAVBON B. C. 17. There is a statute in England made by King Henry the VIII to make him supreame head of the Church in spirituall and Ecclesiasticall causes which Statute enioynes all the subiects of England on paine of death to beleeue and to sweare they doe beleeue that it is true and yet all the world knowes if King Henry the VIII could haue gotten the Pope to diuorce Queene Katherine that he might marrie Anne Bullen that Statute had neuer been made by him and if that title had not enabled the King to pull downe Abbeys and religious houses and giue them to Lay men the Lords and Commons of that time would neuer haue suffered such a Statute to be made This Statute was continued by Queene Elizabeth to serue her owne turne and it is confirmed by your Maiestie to satisfie other men and yet your Maiestie yeeldeth the Church of Rome to be the mother Church and the Bishop of Rome to bee the chiefe Bishop or Primate of all the Westerne Churches which I doe also verely beleeue and therfore I doe verely thinke he hath or ought to haue some spirituall iurisdiction in England and although in mine yonger dayes the fashion of the world made me sweare as other did for which I pray God forgiue mee yet I euer doubted and I am now resolued that no Christian man can take that oath with a safe conscience neither will I euer take it to gaine the greatest preferment in the world G. H. 17. The Statute here intended can be none other then the Sâ—tute 26. of H. VIII Cap. 1. for that is the first Statute that medleth with the Supremacie which Statute is as the Common Lawyers terme it Statutum declaratiuum not introductiuum noui iuris as doth clearely appeare by the Preamble which hath these words Albeit the Kings Maiestie iustly and rightfully is and ought to bee taken and accepted supreame head of the Church of England and so is recognized by the Clergie in their Conuocation yet neuerthelesse for corroboration and confirmation thereof Be it enacted that the King shall bee taken and accepted Supreme head c. So that the Doctor is fowly mistaken to say that there was a Statute made by K. Henry the VIII to make him Supreme head for it was his ancient right that made him so and it was his Clergie that had acknowledged him to be so before the making of this Statâ—te nay the very phrase and letter of this Statute it selfe doeth purposely renounce the power of making and assumes onely the authority of confirming Whereby it is cleare that Henrie VIII made not a statute to make himselfe Supreme in Ecclesiasticall causes as Mr. Doctor affirmeth but to confirme those Statutes and Rights which his noble Progenitors as iuâ—tly challenged to belong to their Crown as the Bishops of Rome vniustly pretended to be annexed to their Myter And where he sayes that the Statute which according to his vnderstanding made him Supreme head did also enioyne the Subiect to beleeue and sweare it tâ— bee true it is manifest that there is not any mention at all of any oath in that Statute but it is true indeede that in the 28. of Henry VIII chap. 10. there is an oath of Supremacie ordeined the refusall whereof by some certaine persons enioyned by that Act to take it was made high Treason And herein againe is the Doctour deceiued nay which is worse seeketh to deceiue others for onely some certaine persons were bound by that Statute to take the oath and not all the Subiects of England as he falsely surmiseth Anno 35. Henry VIII cap. 1. the oath of Supremacie ordeined by 28. was repealed and a new forme of oath prescribed and extended to more persons but neuer to all in generall The same Parliament Cap. 3. enioyneth that the stile of Supreme head be receiued and vsed and this was all that was done by Henry VIII in the point of Supremacie by way of Statute So that to say as Master Doctor doth that all the Subiects in England are bound vpon paine of death to beleeue the Supremacie is a malicious fiction in two respects First touching the persons enioyned to take the oath and lyable to the punishment and then againe as touching the offence for that beliefe alone which is a secret inclination of the minde knowne onely to God the searcher of the heart and not issuable nor tryable by any Law humane should be made an offence punishable by death is in it selfe so absurde as it cannot but appeare to bee a false imputation to charge our Law-makers therewithall Lastly whereas hee sayes that Henry the VIII would neuer haue made that Statute if he could haue gotten the Pope to haue diuorced Queene Katherine that he might haue married Anne Boleine it is cleare and all the world may know that if King Henry would haue ioyned with Francis the French King in the warre of Naples against Charles the Emperour the Pope would not haue stucke to haue giuen way to that diuorce for the better procuring of which Combination hee did not onely
preiudice of any honest man in England to see some vnity betwixt the Church of England and her mother the Church of Rome And now hauing declared the meanes of my couersion to Catholike religion I will briefly also shew vnto you the hopes I haue to doe your Maiesty no ill seruice therein G. H. 21. It is true indeed that those Statutes which you alledge are not seuerall in themselues but members of the same And it appeares well though you had not professed it that at the writing hereof you had not your bookes about you you affirme things vncertaine so confidently and things certaine so falsly But you are sure you say they make such fellonies and treasons as were the greatest vertues of the Primitiue Church whereas wee are more sure that the greatest vertues and fattest sacrifices and shortest cut to heauen as they are now esteemed in the Church of Rome were in the Primitiâ—e Church held none other but murders and parricides and felonies and treasons Thou doest promise saith Augustine to Patilian that thou wilt reckon many of the Emperours and iudges which by persecuting you perished and concealing the Emperours thou mâ—anest two iudges or deputies why didst thou not name the Emperors of thy Communion wert thou afraid to bee accused as guilâ—y of treason where is your courage which feare not to kill your selues To say the Emperours perished for persecuting was treason in his time in our age you thinke it much that reproching of Princes as tyrants and heretiques and aiding the Pope with your perswasions absolutions and rebellions to take their Crownes from them should be punished or adiudged treason how beit a certaine trueth it is that there is no conspiracie so pernitious and dangerous to the state as that which is whispered into mens eares and conueyed into their hearts vpon a sense of deuotion and outwardly couered with a shew of religion notwithstanding as true it is that in England none are put to death for Caâ—holâ—ke religion no nor for the Romish which you call Catholike as hath beene at large iustified in a booke written by a Peere of the Realme intiâ—uled the defence of the iustice of England and is verified by his Maiesty in his Apologie for the Oath of Allegiance in the very entrance of his answere to the Popes first Breue where he not onely cleareth himselfe at large from this imputation but the late Queene that blessed defunct Lady as he there calleth her in whose proceedings saith he who list to compare with an indifferent eye the manifold intended iâ—uasions against her whole kingdome the forreine practises the internall publike rebellions the priuate plots and machinations poysonings murthers and all sorts of deuises dayly set abroach and all these wares continually fostered and fomented from Rome together with the continuall corrupting of her Subiects aswell by temporall bribes as by faire and spaciâ—us promises of eternall felicitie and nothing but booke vpon booke publikely set foorth by her fugitiues for approbation of so holy dâ—signes who list I say with an indifferent eye to looke on the one part vpon these infinite and intollerable temptations and on the other part vpon the iust yet moderate punishmeÌ„t of a part of these hainous offenders shal easily see that that blessed defunct Lady was as free from persecution as thâ—y shall free these hellish instruments from the honour of Martyrdome And againâ— his Maiestie maintaineth the same in his Premonition to Christian Princes not farre from the conclusion As for the cause of their punishment sayth he speaking of Romish Catholikes I doe constantly maintaine that which I haue sayd in my Apologie that no man either in my time or the late Queenes euer dyed here for his Conscience for let him be neuer so deuout a Papist nay though he professe the same neuer so constantly his life is in no danger by the Law if he breake not out into some outward act expressely against the words of the Law or plot some vnlawfull or dangerous practise or attempt Priests and Popish Churchmen onely excepted that receiue orders beyond the Seas who for the manifold treasonable practises that they haue kindled and plotted in this countrey are discharged to come home againe vnder paine of Treason after their receauing of the sayd orders abroad and yet without some other guilt in them then their bare home comming haue none of them beene euer put to death Hitherto his Maiestie Whereas on the otherside wee iustly complaine that they execute our professours though strangers for Religion and only for Religion and in that most bloodie and barbarous manner specially where the Inquisition is in force that whore of Babylon being drunke and yet not filled with the blood of the Saints And whereas you impute crâ—elty to our Lawes what tragicall cruelties were exercisâ—d in Queene Maries dayes euen vpon women and children nay which is most odious and vnnaturall vpon women great with childe I pray God as well forget as some yet aliue well remember Now as you holde and handle our Martyrs worse then Traytors So your most notorious Traâ—tors must stand registred in the Calender of Martyrs Not many dayes before Garnet suffered there came to visite him at his lodging in the Tower certaine choise Diuines amongst whome the chiefe were My Lordes the Bishops of Bath and Wells of Lincolne and Leichfield as now they are among other questions one of them proposed this Whether if the Church of Rome afâ—er his execution should declare him a Martyr hee did approoue thereof hee deepely sighing and shrinking vp his shoulders made this answere Me a Martyr O what a Martyr but the Church will nâ—uer doe it and I pray God it be neuer so much as thought vpon Indeed if I had dyed for the Catholike Religion and vnhappie man had beene acquainted with nothing else but that which was reuealed mee in Confession I might perhaps seeme not vnworthy the honor of Martyrdome and merite the iudgement of the Church but now as the case stands I must acknowledge my fault and confesse the sentence of death pronounced against me most iust Then againe doubling and trebling his sighes and shewing tokens of vnfained sorrow I would to God sayeth he what is done might be vndone I could wish that any other chance had befallen me rather then my name should thus be stained with the blot of Treason which offence though most grieuous yet I distrust not but it may be washed away with the teares of repentance and that Christ will haue mercie on me Sure I am that if I had all the world in my power to bestow I would willingly giue all that I might be freed from the guilt and imputation of treason which lies heauie vpon my conscience shall stand recorded in the sentence of my condemnation Notwithstanding all this is hee recorded a Martyr apologized by Eudemon and by Delrio paralelled with Denis the Areopagite What would Mr. Doctour say to this now had wee
my Kingdomes was grounded vpon the plaine words of the Scripture without the which all points of Religion are superfluous as any thing contray to the same is abomination I had neuer outwardly auowed it for pleasure or awe of any flesh I take his meaning to be either for loue or feare of any mortall man or rather for any worldly and fleshly consideration whether it were to gaine and make aduantage by entertaining and embracing it or to loose and suffer disaduantage by reiecting and opposing the contrary I speake not this as if by Gods grace as much and more both honour and securitie did not waite vpon our Religion as vpon the Romish but onely to shew that these are no sufficient inducements to draw so much as a priuate man much lesse to mooue the diuine and noble spirit of a Christian prince specially such a prince as hath often shewed himselfe able to iudge of reasons of a higher straine to the accepting of a new beliefe and another forme in the seruice of God but only the plaine demonstration and cleare euidence of the truth of that beliefe and necessitie of that forme B. C. 3. The first reason of my hope is the promise of God himselfe to blesse and honour those that blesse his Church and honour him and to curse and confound those that curse his Church and dishonor him which hee hath made good in all ages There was neuer any man or Citie or State or Empire so preserued and aduanced as they that haue preserued the vnitie and aduanced the prosperitie of the Church of Christ nor any been made more miserable and inglorious then they that haue dishonoured Christ and make hauocke of his Church by Schisme and heresie G. H. 3. To grant that which you assume that the Church of Rome is the onely true Church this argument drawen from temporall blessings is sometimes false vncertaine alwayes and your assertion that neuer any man or Citie or State was preserued aduanced as they that haue presâ—rued the vnitie and aduanced the prosperitie of the Church of Christ is very broad and too large considering it extends euen to Solomon himselfe who though hee aduanced the Church yet can it not properly bee said that hee aduanced the Church of Christ nay out of the Church who were euer more prosperous succesfull in their affaires then Augustus and Traian Of the former of whom it is said that he found Rome of Bricke and left it of Marble of the later that hee raised the Romane Empire to the highest pitch of glory and spread the power of their Command vnto the farthest borders and largest circuit that euer before or since hath by them been possessed for the kingdome of Dacia hee subdued Armenia Parthia and Mesopotamia made subiect Assyria Persia and Babylon conquered passed Tygris and stretched the confines of the Romane Empire vnto the remotest dominions of the Indies which neuer before that time had seene the Romane Banners or so much as heard of their name besides his morall vertues were such that in the choyce of a new Emperour they euer wished for one more happie then Augustus better then Traian and yet this man with whom for outward prosperitie no Christian Emperour can bee balanced was not only out of the Church but an enemie to it raised against it the third and one of the hotest persecutions of the tenne For further proofe hereof I referre the reader for this point to S. Augustines first 10. bookes of the Citie of God and surely he that shal duely consider the flourishing greatnesse of the Assy rian and Grecian but especially the Romane Monarchy will easily discouer the lightnesse of this reason and the vanitie of the assertion I speake not to detract from the Christian and truely Catholike religion euen in regard of outward blessings but onely to proue that God bestowes them sometimes vpon the good thereby to shew that absolutely and in themselues they are not bad sometimes againe vpon the bad to shew that in themselues they are not good and takes them sometimes from both to shew that in their owne nature they are indifferent B. C. 4. If I had leasure and bookes it were easie for mee to enlarge this point with a long enumeration of particulars but I thinke it needlesse because I cannot call to mind any example to the contrarie except it be the State of Queene Elizabeth or some one or two others lately fallen from the vnitie of the Catholike Church or the State of the great Turke that doth still persecute the Church of Christ and yet continues in great glory in this world but when I consider of Queene Elizabeth I find in her many singularities she was a woman and a mayden Queene which gaue her many aduantages of admiration she was the last of her Race and needed not care what became of the world after her dayes were ended she came vpon the remainders of deuotion and Catholike religion which like a Bowle in his course or an Arrow in his flight would goe on for a while by the force of the first moouer and shee had a practise of maintaining warres among her neighbours which became a woman well that she might be quiet at home and whatsoeuer prosperitie or honour there was in her dayes or is yet remaining in England I can not but ascribe it to the Church of Rome and to Catholike religion which was for many hundred yeeres together the first mouer of that gouernment and it is still in euery setled kingdome and hath left the steppes and shadow thereof behinde it which in all likelihood cannot continue many yeeres without a new supplie from the fountaine G. H. 4. Why you should ioyne Queene Elizabeth with the great Turke I see no reason but onely for the iustifying of Rainolds his booke of Caluino Turcisme Otherwise a marueile it is that you would instance in her happinesse whom the Pope in his Briefe declared amiserable woman and yet her gouernement was not more happie then her sisters who notwithstanding shee submitted her necke to the Romane yoke was vnfortunate howbeit in her owne disposition she is reported to haue been a gracious and vertuous Lady instance may bee brought in the bringing in of a forreiner the frustrating of the great hope of her conception her short and bloody reigne extraordinary dearths and hurts by thunder and fire and lastly the losse of Calis the last footing wee had in France being held by her predecessors the space of about 250 yeeres whereas Queene Elizabeth oppugned and accursed from her very Cradle by the Church of Rome their thunderbolts returned vpon their owne heads and her selfe like a tender plant after a thunder shower prospered the more and being no lesse full of honour then dayes she was gathered to her fathers as a ripe sheafe of corne that is carried into the barne in so much that her Successour our most renowned SOVERAIGNE in admiration of
heauen and surely mine opinion is God forgiue me if I thinke amisse that a great part of those who professe his naturall body to be here doubt much of his being there And for the grace of his humanitie as you call it thus much no Christian man will denie that when Christ sanctified his owne flesh giuing as God and taking as man the holy Ghost he did not this for himselfe onely but for our sakes that the grace of sanctification and life which was first receiued in him might passe from him to his whole race as malediction came from Adam vnto all mankinde That which quickeneth vs is the spirit of the second Adam and his flesh that wherewith hee quickneth our corruptible bodies could neuer liue the life they shall liue were it not that here they are ioyned with his body which is incorruptible and that his is in ours as a cause of immortality and as little doubt there is but that this vitall and sauing grace which flowes from the humanitie of Christ is imparted vnto vs by meanes of the Sacraments they being sensible instruments for the conueying of those blessings to our soules which are in themselues incomprehensible And for that Sacrament which is most properly said to impart life vnto the receauer as the other doth food and sustenance it is acknowledged by those very men who are otherwise most bitter and vncharitable towards vs that children baptized with vs are thereby made capable of eternall saluation as far forth as if they had receiued that Sacrament in that Church after that forme which they cal Catholike coÌ„sequently you are inforced out of the streÌ„gth of your own principles to grant howbeit out of malice you labour to denie it that the grace of Christs humanity is not onely present with vs in corners and prisons among your complices but in our publique congregations in a more speciall manner then by the power of his dietie by which he is as wel present among the diuels in hell as among the Pope Cardinals assembled in consistory for the subuersion of states and ruine of kingdoms yet to affirme that he is none otherwise present in that Church except in corners and prisons and places of persecution but onely by the power of his dietie and not at all by the grace of his humanity I will neither be so vnaduised as to deliuer nor so vncharitable as to conceiue howbeit I haue good reason both to conceiue and to deliuer thus much that the honour which you pretend you doe him in your will-worship cannot but redound to his great dishonour nay our assurance is that being successours of his Apostles and Disciples in doctrine as you are of the Pharises in traditions the promise of his presence to the worlds end as well by the sanctification as the direction of his holy Spirit is rather made to vs then you B. C. 8. And for his mysticall body which is his Church and Kingdome there can bee no greater dishonour done to Christ then to maintaine Schisme and discention therein What would your Maiestie thinke of any subiects of yours that should goe about to raise ciuill dissention or warres in your Kingdome and of those that should foster and adhere vnto such men It is the fashion of all rebels when they are in armes to pretend the safety of the king and the good of the countrey but pretend what they will you cannot account such men any better then traitours and shall we beleeue that our blessed Sauiour the King of kings doth sit in heauen and either not see the practises of those that vnder colour of seruing him by reformation doe nothing els but serue their owne turnes and distract his Church that is his kingdome on earth by sedition or shall wee thinke that hee will not in time reuenge this wrong verely hee seeth it and doth regard it and will in time reuenge it G. H. 8. Wee as willingly grant as you are ready to prooue that a great dishonour is done to Christ by maintaining Schisme and dissention in his Church which ought to bee without seame as his coat But we demand who were the authours of this Schisme they which departed not froÌ„ the Church it selfe but from the corruptions thereof or they who stiffely maintaining those corruptions inforced this departure when Iacob was driuen to depart from Laban by his ill vsage was the breach in Iacob or in Laban when God commaundeth his people to goe out of Babylon lest they should partake of her sinnes and plagues doeth the going out of the people make a Schisme or the sinnes of Babylon It is true that wee haue forsaken that society which wee held with Rome but no farther then Rome it selâ—â—â—ath forsaken Christ and howsoeuer shee pretend the honâ—â—â— of Christ as rebels doe the name of the King and State yet in trueth she is Antichristian in persecuting the members of Christ and as in many other things so chiefly in challenging that vniuersality of power and infallibility of iudgement to her selfe which is onely due to our Sauiour And shall we thinke that he will not in time reuenge this wrong It cannot be but that her sinnes are come vp to heauen and God hath remembred her iniquities and in due time that command will take place Reward her as she hath rewarded you and giue her double according to her workes and in the cup that shee hath filled to you fill her the double in so much as she glorified her selfe and liued in pleasure so much giue ye to her of torment and sorrow for shee saith in her heart I sit being a Queene and am no widow and shall see no mourning Therefore shall her plagues come at one day death and sorrow and famine and shee shall bee burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God which will condemne her And thus our assurance is that your threats shall returne vpon your selues verily hee seeth it and doth regard and will in time reuenge it B. C. 9. But I hope and pray that hee will not reuenge it vpon you nor yours but rather that he will shew that your desire to honour him is accepted of him and therefore will mooue you to honour your selfe and your posterity with bestowing the same your fauour vpon his Church in the vnity thereof which you doe now bestow in the Schisme and that hee will reward both you and yours for the same according to his promise not onely with euerlasting glory in heauen but also with long continued temporall honour and security in this world and this is the first reason of my hope grounded vpon the promise of God G. H. 9. You are herein somewhat more manerly in words though litle lesse malicious in heart then Dr. Bishop a bird of the same feather who in an Epistle directed in like manner to his MAIESTIE as yours is spares not to speake out but tels him plainely when they see no hope of remedie the
state being now setled and a continuall posteritie like to ensue of one nature and condition God knoweth what that forcible weapon of necessitie may constraine and driue men vnto at length But thankes be vnto God the Father of our Lord Iesus CHRIST who hath so fixed and stablished the Royall heart of our gracious Soueraigne as that neither his bloodie threates nor your sugred promises can moue it one point from the center of that trueth which himselfe hath still professed and in which his posterity are trained vp And thus the weakenesse of the foundation vpon which the first reason of your vaine hope is grounded is discouered God in his promises is alwayes most sure but this your reason pretended to be grounded thereupon most vnsure since neither the true Religion is found at this day in that Church which you call Catholike neither are temporall blessings alwayes annexed to that Religion which is indeed true Thus much you might haue learned of Hall the Iesuite who after the discouery of the Powderplot recites vnto Littleton for his comfort certaine examples of Heretikes ouercomming Catholikes in battell and Infidels ouerthrowing Christians or of father Robert Parsons in his Replie to his MAIESTIE touching Queene ELIZABETHS happinesse outward felicities saith hee are worldlings arguments no necessary improuements of Gods blessing howbeit Father Robert Bellarmine makes it one of the 15. and Bozius one of his 100. notes of the true Church but much rather and better might you haue learned it of the Prophet Dauid who was so sorely perplexed with this point that till he went into the Sanctuarie of God and there vpon consultation with him vnderstood the reason of it hee was well nigh at his wits end saying to himselfe in a kinde of despaire Then haue I clensed mine heart in vaine in vaine haue I washed mine hands in innocencie Yet if the argument were infallible God hath approued the trueth of his Maiesties Religion by those manifold outward blessings and miraculous deliuerances which of his mercâ—e hee hath vouchsafed him So that his Maiestie might iustly take vp that of the same Prophet in another place Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with louing kindnesse and tender mercies and our hope and vnfained prayer to God is that whiles his Maiestie ceaseth not in this maner to honour God God will not cease in like maner to honour him and his posteritie with many blessings in this world and in the next with eternall happinesse B. C. 10. The second reason of my hope that Catholike Religion may be a great meanes of honor security to your Maiesties posteritie is taken from the consideration of your neighbors the Kings and Princes of Christendome among whom there is no state ancient and truely honourable but onely those that are Catholike The reason whereof I take to be because the rules of Catholike Religion are Eternall Vniuersall and Constant vnto themselues and with all so consonant to Maiestie and Greatnesse as they haue made and preserued the Catholike Church reuerent and venerable throughout the Christian world for these thousand and sixe hundred yeres and those temporall states that haue beene conformable thereunto haue beene alwayes most honourable and so are like to continue vntill they hearken vnto Schisme And as for those that haue reiected and opposed the rules of Catholike Religion they haue beene driuen in short time to degenerate and become either tyrannicall or popular Your Maiestie I know doth abhorre tyrannie but if Schisme and Heresie might haue their full swinge ouer the Seas the very shadow and reliques of Maiestie in England should be vtterly defaced and quickly turned into Heluetian or Belgian popularity for they that make no conscience to prophane the Maiesty of God and his Saints in the Church will when they feele their strength make no bones to violate the Maiestie of the King and his children in the common wealth G. H. 10. Hauing opened your entrance to a second reason in shew but indeed the same with the former you tell vs that among all the Kings and Princes of Christendome there is no state ancient and truely honorable but onely those that are Catholike wherein you doe the King of Denmarke and Sweden specially the former great honour in consideration belike of his neere alliance to his Maiestie as also to all the secular Princes of Germanie the house of Austria and the Duke of Bauaria onely excepted and among the rest the Prince Elector Palatine of Rhine his Maiesties sonne in law is most bound to thanke you and it seemes you conceiued so much by intending your iourney to Hydelberg and good reason you should haue been welcome considering you make both him and all the rest of the Kings and Princes of Christendome that haue forsaken Communion with the Church of Rome to bee both base and tyrannicall wheras I may be bold to say it that at this day there are none more moderate in their gouernments then those whom you call Schismatikes and of them the greatest part were neuer so flourishing as since they renounced societie with that Church specially the Heluetians and Belgians in whom you instance being growen more rich more powerfull and politike in their affaires then euer before And for popularity the Heluetians had it long before any change of religion and those very Cantons which call themselues Catholike retaine that forme and none other vnto this day And for the Belgians it appeares by the Prince of Orenge his Apollogie that they euer challenged their freedome as due by the Capitulations betweene them and their gouernours the Dukes of Burgundy and now at last after so much Christian blood spilt as all the world knowes in the Articles of peace concluded betweene the King of Spaine and them they are declared a free State Now whether they make any conscience of profaning the Maiestie of God let their published Confessions which testifie and hee that compares their practise with that of the Italians may easily iudge of the tree by the fruits whether wee regard the prophanation of his Maiesty in the blaspheming of his Name or the disgracing of his word or the vnsanctifying of his day for his Saints they all agree I speake for the maine body of their guides and professours in giuing them as much honour as they are lawfully capable of or would themselues willingly receiue and if this bee the heresie you meane wee professe it hath had its full swinge ouer seas already but doe not yet perceiue that therâ—by the Maiestie of our King is any way violated but rather strengthened and increased Lastly whereas you tell vs that you take the reason of all this to bee because the rules of Catholike religion are eternall vniuersall and constant to themselues I graunt there is and ought to be a mutuall dependance betwixt religion and ciuill policie the one both giuing
hundred yeeres for so long you say hath it lasted whereas in trueth if that be true where our religion hath yeelded one rebell to speake within compasse yours hath yeelded a thousand and if the Principles of our religion as the case now stands induce men to rebellion surely in common reason it should much rather doe so if a contrary be once admitted to confront it So that whiles you pretend to perswade his Maiestie to the safest course you aduise him in all likelihood to the most dangerous Whether his Maiestie then respect heauen or earth his neighbours abroad or his Subiects 〈◊〉 home his securest course will bee to maintaine and allow that onely religion which he professeth and consequently in labouring to draw him to the contrary you cannot but doe him very ill seruice B. C. 18. But perhaps there is such opposition both in matter of doctrine and matter of State as it is impossible that euer there should be any reconciliation at all betwixt the Church of England and the Church of Rome of which I humbly pray your Maiestie to giue mee leaue to shew to you what I haue obserued G. H. 18. Your imaginary possibility of reconciling England with Rome is a fond speculation of an idle braine and nothing else but a Castle built in the ayre whether we consider as a later writer of our owne hath well obserued the indisposition of the parties or the qualitie of the Controuersies or the difficultie of the meanes For the first of which were we neuer so peaceably disposed yet such a stiffe auersenesse there is in the Romanists that they suffer not their adherents to ioyne with vs in any religious exercise against which notwithstanding themselues can no way except They excommunicate their Subiects who trauell or traffique into our countreys they straightly charge them not to reade or keepe any of our Bookes though meerely tending to the practise of piety no nor the Bible it selfe without speciall leaue though of their owne tranâ—lation And for vs they esteeme no better of vs then of Iewes or Turkes nay to the Iewes they allow Synagogues within Rome it selfe whereas vs they persecute with fire and sword and for the Turkes they hold their Alcoran in nothing inferiour and in some things much betteâ— then our religion or our Translation of the Bible No maruaile then though Cassander by labouring to mediate a reconcilement howbeit hee were set a worke by Ferdinand and Maximilian both Emperors hath carried away blowes on both sides which it seems Bellarmin in his 3. booke and 19. Chap. of Laiks thought he well deserued helping to lay on loade vpon him The second thing that makes vs irreconcileable is the qualitie of our controuersies they being not verball differences as some would haue but materiall and that of the highest nature no lesse then the redemption of mankind and the iustification of a sinner but aboue all that vpon which the rest depend of the Bishop of Romes power in iudging and determining inâ—alliblely of all controuersies arising in matter of religion wee may bee sure they will euer while they are able without yeelding an inch as stiffely maintaine as wee iustly oppugne which the latest writings of their Iesuites haue giuen vs so sufficient occasion by aduancing and inlarging this power to the vtmost to bee confident of that wee neede make no farther doubt of that matter The third thing which makes vs irreconciliable is the difficultie in the meanes of reconcilement which in the iudgement of the wisest is in likelihood the definition of a generall Councill or nothing But who shall call this Councill and prescribe the time and place of meeting and persons that shall meete who shall sit as President in it what shall be the rule of disputing and meanes of executing what is determined we shal need a former Councill to define B. C. 19. It is true that the breach hath continued now these many yeres and it is much increased by so long continuance so that it was neuer greater then it seemes to be at this day nor neuer more dangerous to deale withall For if a man doe but goe about to stop it there ariseth presently a great and fearefull noise and roaring of the waters against him but yet neuerthelesse the greatnesse of the noise ought not to discourage vs but rather to giue vs hope that though it bee wide yet it is but shallow and not farre from the bottome as proceeding from affection which is sudden and violent and not from iudgement which is quiet constant and alwayes like it selfe For if a man aske in colde blood whether a Romane Catholike may be saued the most learned Churchman will not denie it and if a man aske whether a Roman Catholike may be a good Subiect the most wise States-man will easily grant it May we be both saued then we are not diuided in God May wee be both good Subiects then we are not diuided in the King What reason is there then that we should be thus hotely and vnplacably diuided G. H. 19. The increase of the reformed Churches which you call a breach so that their strength was neuer greater nor more dangerous to deale withall then at this day though the disciples of Rome grieue and gnash their teeth at it and consume away to see it yet haue we good reason to thanke God for it in as much as neither the deuil nor the Pope neither Rome nor the gates of Hell with all their bloodie Persecutions their holy Leagues and mischeiuous Combinations could euer yet preuaile against it Nay hitherto the more they haue laboured to quench it and trample it vnder foot the more hath it shined like a bright torch and flourished as the Palme tree which the more it is pressed downe the more it spreadeth Their blood hitherto hath prooued the seede of the Church and that which S. Augustine speakes of the first Christians may be verified of them they were mangled they were scourged they were stoned they were burned they were multiplied and because you cannot with all your malice and power and policie destroy it we argue with Gamaliel that it is from God neither can you iustly call that sudden or violent which as your selfe before confesse hath now continued these many yeeres and hath increased by continuance whereas sudden things in their ordinary course and by discourse of reason last little and by continuance rather decrease it being proper only to naturall motions to gather strength and fortifie themselues in going And for that great roaring of the waters which you pretend though it be a noise fearefull to you yet to vs is it acceptable as being occasioned not so much from the shallownesse of the waters themselues as from the stoppings and opposition of others and their own concurrence to remoue and beare down by all lawfull meanes that which is opposed for the stopping of their current But the reason which you adde why wee should thinke them
multitude iudge according to custome is because that they beeing bred and brought vp in the hatred of Spaniards and Papists can not choose but thinke they are bound to hate them still Wee might giue the same reason with more shew of truth of your multitude trained vp in the hatred of those who you call Lutheranes and Caluinists whom they are taught to hate more then ours either a Spaniard or Papist which two what reason you haue to couple together I vnderstand not except it be to iustifie the front of Puentes his booke Chronicler to the King of Spaine which sets forth Rome as the Sunne with this inscription Luminare maius vt praesit vrbi orbi and Spaine as the Moone with this Luminare minus vt subdatur vrbi dominetur orbi ouer both is written Fecit Deus duo magna luminaria and in the midst betweene both are the armes of Rome and Spaine knit together with this motto In vinculo pacis vnder the one is set Rome as a conquerour and vnder the other Spaine as a warriour both supporting betweene them the ball of the world vnder which is this title Tomo Primero de la conueniencia de las dos Monarquias Catholicas la de la Iglesia Romana y la del Imperio Espanol c. Neither are we ignorant who they are that doe not whisper it in corners but publish it to the world in their bookes that GOD MADE TWO GREAT LIGHTS ☉ The greater to be the Soueraigne of the City and the World ☽ The lesser to be ruled by the City and to ouer-rule the World IN THE BOND OF PEACE THE FIRST VOLVME OF THE CONVENIENCIE OF THE TVVO CATHOLIKE MONARCHIES THAT OF THE CHVRCH OF ROME and the other of the Spanish Empire With a Defence of the Precedencie of the Catholike KINGS of SPAINE before all the KINGS of the World TO THE MOST GLORIOVS PHILIPPO ERMENIGILDO OVR LORD EMPEROVR OF THE KINGDOMES OF SPAINE AND SENIOR OF THE GREAtest Monarchie that euer hath bene amongst men from the Creation of the World to this age AVTHOR Mr. Fr. IVAN de la Puente of the Order of the Predicants Chronicler to the Catholicall Maiestie Calificador to the Inquisition and Prior of S. Thomas in Madrid 1612. We haue the true resemblances of royall linages ROME SPAINE IN MVTVALL AYDE At MADRID Out of the Kings Print P.P. fe FECIT DEVS DVO LVMINARIA MAGNA Luminare maius vt praesit Vrbi et Orbi Luminare minus vt subdatur vrbi et dominetur orbi In vinculo pacis TOMO PRIMERO DE LA conueniencÃa de las dos MonarquÃas CatolÃcas la de la Iglesia Romana y la del ImperÃo Espanol y defensa de la Precedencia de los Reyes Catolicos de Espanna a todos los Reyes del Mundo AL GLORIOSISIMO FILIPO Ermenigildo nuestro Sennor Emperador de las EspanÌ„as y SenÌ„or de la maior Monarquia que antenÃdo los hombres des de la creacÃon hasta el SÃglo presente Autor el Maestro fr Iuan de la Puente de la orden de Predicadores ChronÃsta de la Mag a CatolÃca CalÃfÃcador dela InquisicÃon y PrÃor de S to Tomas de MadrÃd 1612. as there is one head who guides all in spirituall so there should bee but one to doe well in all Christendome to gouerne all in ciuill affaires and not vnlikely Mr. Doctor when he thus ioyned Spaniards and Papists together might secretly ayme at some such matter and yet are not the Pope and the Spaniard so firmely vnited betweene themselues but that Charles the V. was content to winke at least at the sacking of Rome by Charles Burbon then vnder his pay and Phillip the II. his sonne being one of the pretenders to the Crowne of Portugall refused to stand to his Holinesse arbitrement in the decision of that controuersie and they both while they liued were and this present king yerely is accursed at least inclusiuely for withholding the kingdomes of Naples and Sicilie as being of right parts of S. Peters patrimonie But all that is obiected against the Papists or Spaniards are in your account the falsifications and slanders of puritanicall Preachers howbeit who they are that labour by that meanes to disgrace their opposites let the Pictures forged and printed of our fained persecutions in couering your Catholikes with Beares skinnes and baiting them with dogs testifie and your reports which my selfe haue heard from your Friers in their Pulpits of our strange barbarisme as well in manners as religion as if no sparke of ciuilitie or knowledge of God were left amongst vs. It is your practise if not your doctrine Calumniare audacter semper aliquid haeret Bee bold to lay on loade with slandering somwhat will alwaies sticke to though the wound be closed and cured some scarre will euer remaine though a man purge himselfe neuer so sufficiently yet such is the nature of slander that it runnes faster and spreads farther then the purgation Many who heard the one neuer heard of the other or if they heard it through malice and naturall corruption they more willingly hold fast and entertaine the one then the other I haue heard it credibly reported that a Spaniard comming to Oxford and seeing the Trinitie pictured long agoe in the Diuinitie schoole window he wondred at it considering hee had been taught by their Preachers that wee denied and blasphemed the Trinitie And here the Pamphlet written and published of Bezaes death and reuolt which himselfe liued to answere with Bezarediuiuus though it bee famously knowen yet it is not amisse to reuiue it being so notable and shamelesse an imposture Touching your motion to his Maiestie for the silencing of those Preachers vpon whom for speaking freely against the abuses of the Church of Rome you bestow the liuerie of Make-bates it is not vnlike for the manner of it to Philips capitulating with the Athenians that for the better negotiating of a peace they would be content for a while to deliuer ouer their Orators into his custodie But Demosthenes finding himselfe to be chiefly interessed in that businesse told his citizens that it was as much as if the woolues should desire to haue the dogs in their keeping that guarded the sheepe His Holinesse may permit and countenance and by rewards incourage his Iesuites and Friars to speake and write what they list of Kings Princes and namely of his Maiestie our most renowmed Soueraigne witnesse the railings and slanders of Pacenius Christanouie Becanus Coquaeus Eudaemon Schoppius Rebullus Parsons Coffeteau Peletier Gretser their pennes may walke at libertie their tongues are theirs they ought to speake what Lord shall them controll But his Maiestie shall doe well to bridle and restraine his most painefull and duetifull Ministers who stand in the watch-tower and keepe Sentinell to discrie the incursions of the enemie and to discouer such false Prophets as come to vs in sheepes clothing but within are rauening woolues or if
and Alexander the VI. who lying vpon his death-bed the very night of his departure making a lamentable and bitter complaint to the Priests and Monkes that stood about him of the miserable estate of the Church and laying the burthen of so great a mischiefe vpon the Popes shoulders whom therefore he called Heretike and Antichrist at length hee yeelded vp his soule vnto God with these words in his mouth Non liberabitur Ecclesâ—a ab Egiptiaca seruitute nisi in ore gladij cruentandi The Church will neuer bee freed from this Egyptian slauery but by the point of a bloodie sword Thus did this holy man foresee and foretel as it were by a Prophetical Spirit that which we see accoÌ„plished So that Henrie the VIII serued onely as a midwife to bring to the world that birth wherewith our countrey had bene in trauell many yeres before and had not he bene borne some other meanes would haue beene found out for the doing of that which he did and what we see already done in England will also vndoubtedly be brought to passe in other Nations when their measure is full and God will In the meane time that the trueth of this assertion may the better appeare I will adde to those examples and instances brought to this purpose by his Maiestie in his Premonition two others in my iudgment very obserâ—able the one of William surnamed the Conquerour the other of Henrie for his learning surnamed Beauclerke his third sonne and second Successor in the Kingdome both out of the Manuscripts of that noble Antiquarie Sr Robert Cotton knight Barronnet The father thus writes to Gregory the VII commonly knowen by the name of Hildebrand vpon notice giuen him from his Legate Hubert that he was to doe him fealtie and â—o pay him money as his ancestors had done Hubertus Legatus tuus Religiose Pater ad me veniens ex tua parte me admonuit quatenus tibi successoribus tuis fidelitatem facerem de pecunia quam antecessores mei ad Romanam Ecclesiam mittere solebant melius cogitarem vnum admisi alterum non admisi fidelitatem facere nolui nec volo quia nec ego promisi nec antecessores meos antecessoribus tuis id fecisse comperio Hubert your Legate Religious Father comming vnto me aduertised me as from you that I was to doe fealtie to you and your Successors and that I should bethinke my selfe better of the money which my Predecessors were wont to send to the Church of Rome the one I admitted the other I admitted not The fealtie I would not performe neither will I because neither my selfe promised it nor doe I find that my Predecessors performed it to yours Vpon which occasion as it may well be supposed the Pope returned this answer to his Legate Hubert after signification how little he esteemed money without honour giuen him hee comes to the person of the King in these termes Multa sunt vnde Sancta Romana Ecclesia aduersus eum queri potest nemo enim omnium Regum etiam Paganorum contra Apostolicam sedem hoc praesumpsit tentare quod is non erubuit facere There are many things whereof the holy Roman Church may complaine of against him in as much as none of the Pagan kings haue attempted that against the Sea Apostolike which hee hath not blushed to put in execution Now for Henry the sonne who in this regarde swarued not from his fathers steppes part of Pope Paschals letter vnto him runnes thus Paschalis seruus seruorum Dei dilecto filio Henrico illustri Anglorum Regi Salutem Apostolicam benedictionem Cum de manu Domini largiùs honorem diuitias pacemque susceperis mir amur vehementius grauamur quod in Regno potestateque tua beatus Petrus in beato Petro Dominus honorem suum iustitiamque perdiderit Sedis enim Apostolicae nuncij vel literae praeter iussum Regiae Maiestatis nullam in potestate tua susceptioneÌ„ vel aditum promerentur nullus inde clamor nullum inde iudicium ad sedem Apostolicam destinatur Paschal the seruant of the seruants of God to our beloued sonne Henry the most renowned King of England health and Apostolicall benediction Sythence you haue plentifully receiued honour riches and peace from the hand of the Lord We exceedingly woonder and take it in ill part that in your Kingdome and vnder your Gouernment S. Peter and in S. Peter the Lord hath lost his honour and right in as much as the Nuntioes and Breues of the Sea Apostolike are not thought worthy entertainement or admittance in any part of your Dominions without your Maiesties warrant No complaint now no appeale comes from thence to the Sea Apostolike To which the King after termes of complement replies in in this manner Eos honores eam obedientiam quam tempore Patris mei antecessores vestri in Regno Angliae habuerunt tempore meo vt habeatis volo eo videlicet tenore vt dignitates vsus consuetudines quas pater meus tempore antecessorum vestrorum in regno Angliae habuit ego tempore vestro in eodem regno meo integrè obtineam Notumque habeat Sanctitas vestra quod me viuente Deo auxiliante dignitates vsus regni Angliae non minuentur Et si ego quod absit in tanta me deiectione ponerem Optimates mei imo totius Angliae populus id nullo modo pateretur Habita igitur Charissime Pater vtiliori deliberatione ita se erga nos moderetur benignitas vestra ne quod inuitùs faciam à vestra me cogatis recedere obedientia That honour and obedience which your predecessors had in the Kingdome of England during the Reigne of my father my will is you should haue in my time with this condition that my selfe fully and wholly enioy all the Dignities Prerogatiues and Customes which my father enioyed in the sayd Kingdome in the time of your predecessors and I would your Holinesse should vnderstand that during my life the digninities and prerogatiues of the Crowne of England by Gods grace shall not bee minished and if I should so farre abase my selfe which God forbid my Lords and Commons would by no meanes endure it wherfore most deare Father vpon better aduice let your gentlenesse be so tempered toward vs that I bee not enforced which I shall vnwillingly doe to withdraw my selfe from your obedience Whereby it appeares that Henry the first began to hammer and beate vpon that which Henry the last by Gods appointment in the fulnesse of time brought to perfection and though these two Kings the Father and the Sonne gaue way to some part of the Popes iurisdiction as I shewed before Yet hereby it appeares it was a burthen vnto them B. C. 23. Therefore to the Lords and fauorites of the Court was giuen the lands and inheritance of the Abbies and religious houses that hauing once as it were washed their hands in the bowels and bloud of the Church
beene in the Easterne Church hee being worse then an Infidell that prouideth not for those of his owne houshold To conclude wee neither speake nor write against lawfull Vowes but the rashnesse of them and impossibilitie in performing them Not against true Virginity but the fained shew of it and the preferring it by so many degrees before the honourable estate of mariage Not against necessary Pouertie but the voluntarie choise of it when more good may be done by possessing and vsing those meanes God hath sent vs Not against Fasting but the pharesaicall vse of it and making it part of diuine worship Not against Praying but the performance of it in a strange tongue rather for custome then for conscience rather by number then by weight in drawing neere vnto God with our lippes when our hearts are farre from him Not against Watching but the pretended apish imitation and merit in it Not against Obedience but the abuse of it in the enterprising of damnable and desperate attempts Lastly not against austeritie of life but inciuilitie and that shew of wisedome which S. Paul censureth in the second to the Col. Consisting in voluntary Religion and humblenesse of minde and not sparing the bodie You doe well to adde that all these are required in a Monasticall conuersation but how they were or are performed God knowes and the world not vndeseruedly suspects B. C. 26. Vpon these conditions the Lords the Commons and the Clergie were content to beleeue that the King was Supreme head of the Church of England Not that they did thinke so indeed or that they desired to augment his authoritie but that they might bee protected by him freely enioy those commodities which they thought schisme had brought vnto them and feared the vnity of the Church might againe take from them Hence did arise a necessitie of inueighing against the Pope and the Church of Rome as against Antichrist and Babylon and the greatest enemies of the State of England Insomuch that that Clergie man was most acceptable to them and in their opinion most worthy of preferments that could most confidently preach and write the most foule and monstrous assertions of the Pope and the Church of Rome though they were neuer so false These and such like are those temporall respects which would faine seeme the daughters of those doctrines which themselues haue brought foorth and to be diuided from the Catholike Church by doctrine when they themselues haue caused the doctrine of diuision G. H. 26. Vpon these conditions you say that the Lords and Commons and Clergie were content to beleeue that the King was supreame head of the Church of England whereas your selfe before confesse that these conditions were afterward graunted to the Clergie who notwithstanding were the forwardest in perswading the King to accept and assume that title as may appeare by the booke set out by the whole Conuocation of England intituled The Institution of a Christian man besides the Treatises of diuers particular Bishops to the same purpose as namely Stephen Gardiners discourse of true obedience together with Bonners Preface annexed to it Longelands Sermon and Tunstals Letter to Cardinall Poole all which are extant to be reade and seene at this day and surely he that shall obserue their vehement protestations specially of Gardiner whom I hold the most sufficient among them for learning and withall the soundnesse and weight of the reasons which they enforce against the Popes pretended iurisdiction will easily beleeue that they thought in very deede as they wrote that their minds and their pennes concurred in one But from hence you say arose a necessitie of enuying against the Pope and the Church of Rome as against Antichrist and Babylon as if his Holinesse had neuer beene graced with the title of Antichrist before Henry assumed his title of supreame head nor Rome called Babylon before England was freed from that Babylonish captiuity Whereas your famous Cardinall hath none other proofe from Scripture that S. Peter was euer at Rome but by expounding Rome to be the Babylon from whence he dated his first Epistle And when the seuerall markes of Antichrist shall be applied to any so properly as to the Bishop of Rome I will confesse he is iniuriously so styled in the meane time I can hardly imagine any so foule and monstrous assertions which some of your Popes haue not deserued euen by the confession of your owne Writers it being enough to make a modest man blush in reading and relating that which they blushed not to act nay boasted of being acted in so much as I doubt not but I may confidently affirme that neither the Catalogue of Emperours taking in the Heathenish among the Christians nor any one succession of Kings in the world since the first creation of it to this present age euer afforded so many monsters of men so many incarnate deuils so expert in all kind of villanies as that of your Popes neither can any one King or Emperour be named whom some of your Popes haue not out-stripped And what needed then any imitation of your side in faining false assertions where true were so plentifull B. C. 27. In all these and all other doctrine of diuision men haue receiued great countenance and encouragement from Geneua For although M. Iohn Caluin were neuer any good subiect or friend to Bishop Duke or King yet hee did so fit the common people with new doctrine that no Gospel can be so pleasing to them nor so light some as his for finding Geneua to be fallen out both with their Bishop who was their ancient Prince and their Duke to whom they pretended against their Bishop and to bee all in a combustion amongst themselues for want of gouernment although he were then a stranger and a very young man of some sixe and twenty or seuen and twenty yeeres olde at the most yet he thought good vpon the opportunity to giue the venture and to step in himselfe to be founder of a new Church and state amongst them And for that purpose hee found them such a Catechisme as they might easily contemne all ancient learning and authority and saue themselues by a strong fancie which hee called faith And this pleased the Bourgers of Geneua so well that they called a meeting and caused all the Citizens to sweare that that Catechisme was true and all Popery false as may appeare in Caluins life written by Beza and prefixed to his Epistles And although the ministeriall Presbitery of Geneua haue lost much of M. Caluins greatnesse yet the Citie hath had the fortune euer since by the helpe of their neighbours to hold out against their Bishop and the Duke and all their ancient gouernours G. H. 27. You passe on in this Section and the next to passe your censure vpon Geneua and Caluin in as much as from them wee haue receiued great countenance and encouragement whereas neither Geneua nor Caluin were
termeth Caluin a reuerend Father and worthy ornament of the Church of God Now touching his booke of Christian Institution in particular M. Hooker who is well knowne not to haue contemned the doctrine of the Church of England as a ragge of Poperie thus writes Two things saith he speaking of Caluin in his Preface to his bookes of Ecclesiasticall policie of principall moment there are which haue deseruedly procured him honour through the world The one his exceeding paines in composing the Institutions of Christian religion The other his no lesse industrious trauaâ—les for exposition of holy Scripture according to the same Institutions In which two things whatsoeuer they were that afterward bestowed their labour he gained the aduantage of preiudice against them if they gaine-sayed and of glory aboue them if they consented Then which I cannot imagine what could bee vttered more effectually Thus malice would not suffer you to see that worth in Caluin and his Writings which these Worthies professed and published who were notwithstanding more earnest and zealous Patrones of the doctrine of the Church of England then your selfe But it may be you thought it would bee credit enough for you onely to enter the lists with so stout and renowned a champion howbeit to hunt after applause by dishonouring the names of famous men was held by S. Ierome and is accounted by all good and wise men but a tricke of vaine and childish arrogancie there being lesse comparison betwixt Carier and Caluin then Caluin and Stapleton whom notwithstanding a great Diuine and publike professour of one of our owne Vniuersities comparing together professeth there was more sound Diuinity in Caluins little finger then Stapletons head or whole body I will conclude mine answere to this Section with the words of a graue Bishop yet liuing no enemie to the doctrine of the Church of England as his Writings shew Caluin is so well knowen sayeth hee to all those that bee learned or wise for his great paines and good labours in the Church of God that a fewe snarling Friars cannot impeach his name though you would neuer so wretchedly peruert his words Thus much of Caluin and his Writings for I durst not goe so farre as Thurius Praeter Apostolicas post Christi tempora chartas Huic peperere viro saecula nulla parem B. C. 29. These reasons or rather corruptions of State haue so confounded the doctrine of the Church of England and so slandered the doctrine of the Church of Rome as it hath turned mens braines and made the multitude on both sides like two fooles which being set backe to backe doe thinke they are as farre asunder as the horizons are they looke vpon But if it please your Maiestie to command them to turne each of them but a quarter about and looke both one way to the seruice of God and your Maiestie and to the saluation of soules they should presently see themselues to bee a great deale more neere in matters of doctrineâ— then the Puâ—itanicall Preachers on both sides doe make them beleeue they are I can not in the breuity of this discourse descend into particulars but if it please your Maiestie to command me or any other honest man that hath taken paines to vnderstand and obserue all sides freely and plainely to set downe the difference betwixt Caluinisme and the doctrine of England established by Law and then to shew Locos Concessos and Locos Controuersos betwixt the Church of England and the Church of Rome I doubt not but the distance that will be left betwixt for matter of doctrine may by your Maiesty be easily compounded G. H. 29. Whether reason or rather corruption of State haue not bred confusion rather in the doctrine of the Church of Rome then of England let Romes infinite ambition and insatiable couetousnesse masked vnder pretence of doctrine testifie As long as the Bishops of Rome kept them to their profession in the gaining of soules to God matters went wel for doctrine but when once they turned Statists in stead of gaining soules cast about for the gouernment of the world then were their Friars and flatterers found who were as readie to shape and frame her Doctrine according to the modell of State Before the Councill of Trent which was called in the memorie of some yet liuing it is made euident by my learned brother Dr. Carleton in his Consent of the Catholike Church against the Tridentines that the Doctrine of the rule of Controuersies of the Church of Iustifying Faith of Grace was the same in the Church of Rome which is now publikely taught and professed with vs. If by the Church of Rome we will vnderstand her chiefe Prelates not those Friars and flatterers which belonged rather to her Court then her Church from whence then arose this confusion of doctrine which followed after but onely from that corruption of State which went before and yet it cannot but bee acknowledged that as our bodies first warme our clothes and then our clothes serue to keepe warme our bodies so the corruption of State first brought foorth this confusion of doctrine but being brought foorth the daughter serues to nourish and maintaine the mother Now for the confounding of our doctrine wee answere with S. Paul If our Gospel saith he be hid it is hid to them that are lost So we if our doctrine bee confounded it is to them whom the God of this world hath confounded and blinded lest the light of the glorious Gospel of CHRIST who is the image of God should shine vnto them The second thing which you charge vs with is the slandering the doctrine of the Church of Rome and are your Romanists cleare of that accusation or dare any man of iudgement and learning discharge them doth not Pererius accuse Catharinus for calling that an intollerable and desperate opinion of Luther touching Reprobation which notwithstanding was the same opinion and none other as Pererius confesseth then S. Augustine maintained touching the same point Doth not Reynolds our Countrey man howbeit otherwise maliciously bitter against Caluin specially in his Caluino Turcisme in his iudgement free Caluin from the imputation of making God the authour of sinne in his latter yeeres which notwithstanding is still pressed vpon him both by your selfe and others Doth not Bellarmine cleare him from making the second person in Trinitie to be from himselfe and not from the first with which errour notwithstanding hee is charged by Genebrard by Lyndan by Canisius And for our owne Church doth not Bristow affirme that our Religion is prooued by experience to be indeed no Religion Doth not Allen speaking of our Sacraments Seruice and Sermons call them things which assuredly procure damnation Doth not Reynolds in the booke before named endeuour to make our Religion worse then the Turkish not distinguishing betwixt Caluinisme and the doctrine of the Church of England But
to wit Westminster Chester Peterborough Oxford Bristol and Gloucester whereof the fiue last are yet in being at which time hee also erected at Canterbury a Deane with 12. Prebends at Winchester another with 12. more at Worcester another with ten at Chester another with sixe at Peterborough another with sixe at Oxford another with eight at Ely another with eight at Gloucester another with sixe at Bristol another with sixe at Carlile another with foure at Durham another with twelue at Rochester another with sixe and lastly at Norwich another with sixe so that wee haue good reason to thinke he returned againe to the Church much out of the Abbey lands and if notwithstanding all this God blessed him not in his thriuing wee haue nothing else to answere but that of Salomon It is a snare to the man who deuoureth that which is holy and after vowes to make inquiry But in his wiuing hee so blessed him though in this too hee shewed himselfe a man and consequently subiect to humane passion and frailty that three of his children successiuely wore the Crown after him of which the first was renowmed for his vertue beyond his age and the last beyond her Sexe of the one and his mother it was written Phoenix Ianaiacet nato Phoenice dolendum Saecula Phoenices nullatulisse duas And to the other might bee applied Non decor effecit fragilem non sceptra superbam Sola potens humilis sola pudica decens And though they all died without issue yet doth his honour still liue in theirs Henry the II. of France died in the vnitie of the Church of Rome yet three of his sonnes reigning after him left the Crown to a neighbour Prince as the children of Henry the VIII heere with vs did yet none that I haue met with hold him in that regard accursed of God and if in that respect God cursed Henry because hee renounced the pretended authoritie of the Church of Rome then should hee by vertue of that reason haue blessed Henries eldest daughter with issue who with great submission and deuotion reconciled her selfe to that Church and married to the most Catholike King and though the world were for a while so borne in hand yet in the end the great and solemne expectation thereof vanished into smoake Now that Henrie was wearie of his title of Supremacie before he died it appeares not and that hee wished to bee reconciled to the Pope which you call being in the Church againe is as vnlikely since no doubt is to bee made but vpon notice giuen of his Contrition and desire of Satisfaction hee might as easily haue beene absolued as wished it But certaine it is that hee wished it not if we may make coniecture of his wishes from those speeches which a little before his death hee deliuered to Mounsieur de Hannibault Lord Admirall of France and Ambassadour to the French king being then at Hampton Court in the moneth of August and in the yeere 1546. in the hearing of Cranmer Lord Archbishop of Canterburie concerning the reformation of Religion and afterwards more neere his death and more openly to Bruno Ambassador of Iohn Frederike Duke of Saxonie vnto whom the King gaue this answere in the hearing of these foure sufficient witnesses the Lord Seymer Earle of Hartford Lord Lisley then Admirall the Earle of Bedford Lord Priuie Seale and the Lord Paget That if the quarrell of the Duke of Saxonie were nothing else against the Emperour but for matter of Religion he should stand to it strongly and hee would take his part willing him not to doubt nor feare and with this answere dismissed him Besides the manner of his sonne and heire Apparent Prince Edwards education the qualitie and disposition of those persons whom he named as the principall ouerseers of his Will from which number hee excluded the Bishop of Winchester the most busie and forward instrument in those times for the maintenance of the Romish Religion though hee had once admitted him and was earnestly solicited by some of his bed chamber to readmit him are to mee so many euident demonstrations that hee was so farre from wishiug reconciliation with the Church of Rome that hee rather desired and intended if God had spared him life a while longer some more full and perfect reformation of Religon But the secret working of Gods holy prouidence which disposeth all things after his owne wisedome and purpose thought it good rather by taking that King away to reserue the accomplishment of that worke as he did the building of his Temple to Solomon to the peaceable time of his sonne Edward and Elizabeth his daughter whose hands were vndefiled with any blood and life vnspotted with any violence or crueltie Lastly not content to rippe vp the disgraces of his life you dogge him to his very graue bearing vs in hand that he was accursed of God in as much as hee wanted a Tombe which was the want also of Queene Mary his daughter But if the want of a Tombe be a token of Gods Curse vpon Henry then the hauing of it must consequently be a token of his blessing vpon Elizabeth whom notwithstanding you wrappe in the same Curse Nay how many of your Bishops of Rome then are Cursed of God of whom a number are not onely without Tombes but some in the first age of the Church by the fury of their persecutors and some in latter times by the malice of their Successors without Graues also Indeed wee reade of Dauid a man after Gods owne heart His Sepulchre is with vs vnto this day But of Moses a faithfull seruant in all the house of God No man knoweth of his Sepulchre vnto this day And yet in my remembrance we read it no were that either Dauid was more blessed of God for the one or Moses cursed for the other the heathen Poet could tell vs Coelo tegitur quinon habet vrnam And S. Augustine that these kinde of Monuments and Memorials are Solatia viuorum not suâ—sidia mortuorum comforts only for the liuing no helpes for the dead and many noble spirits may be of Catoes minde desirous rather that after their deaths it should be demaunded why they haue no statue erected to their memory then why they haue one This I speake onely to shew that had hee had no Tombe yet were it no great dishonor to him But if we may credite the last but not the worst compiler of the Historie of our Countrey hee was with great solemnitie buried at Windsor vnder a most costly and stately Tombe begun in copper and guilt but neuer finished In the inclosures of whose grates is curiously cast this Inscription Henricus Octauus Rex Angliae Franciae Dominus Hiberniae Fidei defensor And that it might appeare to posteritie how Artificiall and Magnificent this worke was intended he there sets downe the seuerall parcels and pieces of the Modell thereof as he found it described in a Manuscript receiued from Mr. Lancaster
to the Laitie The Title of the former was Dilectis filijs Archipresbytero reliquo Clero Anglicano and the other Dilectis filijs principibus nobilibus Catholicis Anglicanis salutem Apostolicam Benedictionem The summe of both thus To our Beloued sonnes the Archpriest and the Clergie the Peeres and nobles Catholikes of England greeting and Apostolicall benediction The tenor was That after the death of her Maiestie then liuing whether by course of nature or otherwise whosoeuer should lay Claime or Title to the Crowne of England though neuer so directly and neerely interessed by discent should not be admitted to the throne vnlesse hee would first tolerate the Romish religion and by all his best endeuours promote the Catholike cause vnto which by a solemne and sacred Oath hee should religiously subscribe after the death of that miserable woman for so it pleased his Holinesse to terme Elizabeth that most great and happie Queene By vertue of which Bulles if vertue may be in any such vicious libels the Iesuites disswaded the Romish minded Subiects from yeelding in any wise obedience vnto our most gracious Soueraigne now being But this not working to their wished effect and hee now solemnely proclaimed with an vniuersall applause loue and peace their hopes beganne to wither and growe colde and no succours from Spaine being now to bee expected Garnet the Superiour for the auoyding farther dangers sacrificed these starued Buls to the God of fire Moreouer in the yeere 1588. when his Holinesse blessed that inuincible Spanish Nauie was it to settle the Crowne vpon his Maiestie after Queene Elizabeth should be deposed Surely his Maiestie both rightly conceiued and freely expressed the contrary to Sir Robert Sidney at that time sent into Scotland from Queene Elizabeth affirming that hee expected none other good turne at the Spaniards hands but that which Polyphemus promised to Vlisses that others being first deuoured himselfe should haue the fauour to bee swallowed last And did not the greatest part of Pius his Bull aiming principally at her through her sides also strike his Maiestie And did not one Robert Parsons who sate at the helme in Rome write a certaine Booke of Titles intituled Doleman wherein he excludes his Maiestie and prefers the Infant a of Spaines right before all other pretenders to the Crowne but when hee once saw his Maiestie setled beyond all hope and expectation he made as you doe and the rest at that time did a vertue of necessitie acknowledging his vndoubted and lawfull Claime in his Preface to his Triple conuersion whereof for mine owne part I can giue none other reason then that which you adde to another purpose the case is altered Whiles his Maiestie was onely in hope you shewed your selues in your owne colours being now quiet in possession you plucke in your hornes yeelde to the times and are content to bee carried with the streame And though the personall case bee altered in regard of his Maiestie and Henry the VIII yet if his Maiesty either needed the like dispensations or had the like will to pull down Churches I make no question but his Holinesse would without any great difficulty giue way to both conditionally that his pretended but vsurped authority might be restored But as he is a publique person and represents the body of the State the case is no way different which is the freeing of it from forraine and vniust vsurpation And for Queene Elizabeth I will be bold to say it that at her comming to the Crowne she was not so farre ingaged for the defence of that religion which she constantly maintained to her dying day as his Maiesty hath by manifold obligations bound himselfe to the maintenance and continuance of that which she at her death left and hee at his entrance found established amongst vs. For testimonies wee neede goe no farther then his frequent and solemne protestations aswell by his penne as by word of mouth and that not onely before but since his comming to the Crowne to which if we adde the carefull education of his Sonne the most noble and hopefull Prince euen in that respect the bestowing of his onely daughter that most sweet and vertuous Lady vpon the Prince Palatine not onely a Protestant but as you terme them a Caluinist the honourable entertainement of Isaac Casaubon and Peter Moulin the liberty giuen to the French Dutch for the free and publike exercise of their religion in diuers parts of his Maiesties Dominions and lastly his constant refusall of so much as the Toleration of any other religion notwithstanding the importunitie of suits and supplications for it the matter as I suppose will be cleane out of doubt And as Queene Elizabeth was prouoked by Pius V. so was his Maiesty by Paulus V. in a degree very little different the one absoluing her subiects from their oath of Allegeance and the other forbidding his to take such an oath So that though the Parenthesis in regard of personall succession bee ended yet in respect of profession which of the two is the more to bee regarded the sentence as yet runnes on and as we hope will haue no period but with the worlds end But the more to exasperate his Maiesty against King Henry the VIII and his daughter Queene Elizabeth you tell him that if the Schisme could haue preuented his title neither his Mother nor himselfe should euer haue made Queene Elizabeth afraid with their right to the Crowne of England For the iustnesse of the diuorce I haue already deliuered mine opinion at large and yet if any desire farther satisfaction let him reade the first dialogue of Antisanderus who both strongly maintaines the equity of the Kings proceedings in that businesse and clearely confutes the slanders of that base fugitiue and for his wiues had the way bene fairely made vnto them no iust exception could be taken to the number Philip the II. of Spaine besides his Mistresses had successiuely foure wiues whereof the first was his fathers Cousin germane and the last his owne For the compassing of which what strange courses he tooke I list not to relate but referre the reader to the Prince of Aurange his Apologie yet none that I know hath taxed him for his multitude of wiues in as much as he liued and died a Romane Catholike Did not Henry the last of France diuorce his first wife after they had bene almost as long married and vpon lesse shew of iust reason then Henry the VIII but the one made semblance at last of subiecting himselfe to the See Apostolike which the other by no meanes could bee brought vnto as he did at first this alone beeing it that varied the case and that which he did herein may well be interpreted to haue sprong from a desire of setling the Crowne in his owne posterity rather then of preiudicing the title of Scotland For though during his reigne some discontentments there were between the two nations yet not long before his death
reason The like befell Iohn de la Poole designed by Richard the third after the death of his owne sonne to bee his Successour himselfe being alwayes euen in that respect suspected of Henry the VII till at last he was slaine and his brother vnder Henry the VIII beheaded These reasons might mooue her Maiestie for the stopping of that declaration not the feare of his Maiesties right but the care of preseruing it being sufficiently proclaimed in his blood and discent Whatsoeuer it were since his Maiestie who had the neerest interest in that errand hath bene content thus graciously to passe it ouer it cannot but argue want both of wisdome and charitie in Mr. Doctor thus vnseasonably and maliciously to reuiue it Lastly God of purpose no doubt raised vp his Maiestie to crosse the worldly and diuelish pretence of Rome and to perpetuate the life of that Religion which you call Schisme and I make no doubt but if King Henry the VII had found it left by his predecessor in the state that his Maiestie did hee would in his wisedome haue left it to his Successor as hee is like to doe and I am the rather induced to thinke so because in the first yeere of his raigne the Pope hauing excommunicated all such persons as had bought allome of the Florentines by his permission if not command it was resolued by all the Iudges of England that the Popes Excommunication ought not to be obeyed or to bee put in Execution within the Realme of England and in the same yeere hee suffered sharpe lawes to be made by the Parliament to which himselfe gaue being by his Royall assent for the reformation of his Clergie then growen very dissolute and in the eleuenth yere of his raigne a Statute was enacted that though by the Ecclesiasticall Lawes allowed within this Realme a Priest cannot haue two Benefices nor a bastard be a Priest yet it should be lawfull for the King to dispence with both of these as being mala prohibita but not mala per se all which argues that they then held the King to bee personam mixtam as it was declared in the tenth yeere of his reigne that is a person mixt because hee hath both Ecclesiasticall and Temporall iurisdiction vnited in his person B. C. 34. But perhaps the Schisme though it serue you to none other vse at all for your title yet it doth much increase your authority and your wealth and therefore it cannot stand with your honour to further the vnity of the Church of Christ. Truely those your most famous and renowned ancestours that did part with their authority and their wealth to bestow them vpon the Church of CHRIST and did curse and execrate those that should diminish and take them away againe did not thinke so nor finde it so And I would to God your Maiesty were so powerfull and so rich as some of those kings were that were most bountifull that way You are our Soueraigne Lord All our bodies and our goods are at your command but our soules as they belong not to your charge but as by way of protection in Catholike religion so they cannot increase your honour and authority but in a due subordination vnto Christ and to those that supply his place in iis quae sunt iuris diuini It was essentiall to Heathen Emperours to bee Pontifices as well as Reges because they were themselues authors of their owne religion But among Christians where Religion comes from CHRIST who was no worldy Emperour though aboue them all the spirituaâ— and temporall authority haue two beginnings and therefore two Supremes who if they bee subordinate doe vphold and increase one another but if the temporall authority oppose the spirituall it destroyeth it selfe and dishonoureth him from whom the spirituall authority is deriued Heresie doth naturally spread it selfe like a caâ—kâ—r and needes little helpe to put it forward So that it is an easie matter for a meane Prince to be a great man amongst heretikes but it is an hard matter for a great king to gouerne them When I haue sometimes obserued how hardly your Maiesty could effect your most reasonable desires amongst those that stand most vpon your Supremacy I haue bene bold to bee angry but durst say nothing onely I did with my selfe resolue for certaine that the keyes were wont to doe the Crowne more seruice when they were in the armes of the miter then they can doe now they are tyed together with the scepter and that your title in spirituall affaires doth but serue other mens turnes and not your owne G. H. 34. Hauing passed your supposed remoouall of all opposition both in doctrine and State thereby to make a readier way to your imaginary reconciliation you now come to an endeuour of clearing such obiections as you conceiued would offer themselues whereof the first is that the religion established which you call schisme serues to increase his Maiesties authoritie and wealth and therefore it cannot stand with his honour to further the vnity of the Church of CHRIST Indeed it must be confessed and cannot bee denied that the religion established yeelds his Maiestie the authority due vnto him which is more then the Romish yeelds to the Soueraigne Princes of her profession and yet no more then CHRIST and his Apostles in practise yeelded and in precept command And yet withall it cannot be denied but some of his Maiesties ancestours partly through the insensible incrochment of some ambitious Popes and partly through the neglect of some weake kings did part indeed with some of their authority to bestow it vpon that Church to which you intitle Christ yet that they reserued to themselues a power euen in Ecclesiasticall causes I haue already made sufficiently to appeare in mine answere to the 16 section of the first chapter and in diuers other places to which I wil presume to adde that which his Maiesty hath published to the world touching this very point in his Premonition to all Christian Princes and States My Predecessors ye see of this kingdome euen when the Popes triumphed in their greatnesse spared not to punish any of their Subiects that would preferre the Popes obedience to theirs euen in Church matters so farre were they then from acknowledging the Pope their temporall Superiour or yet from doubting that their owne Church men were not their Subiects And now I will close vp all these examples with an Acte of Parliament in King Richard the II. his time whereby it was prohibited that none should procure â— benefice from Rome vnder paine to be put out of the kings protection And thus may ye see that what those kings successiuely one to another by foure generations haue acted in priuate the same was also maintained by a publike law By these few examples now I hope I haue sufficiently cleared my selfe from the imputation that any ambition or desire of nouelty in me should
to any man of iudgement whereof a chiefe one is his Maiesties vndertaking the cause in writing wherein wee are bound to blesse God that hath set such a King ouer vs whom he hath indowed with such singular gifts as to giue occasion to such an Obiection Hee was no foole that pronounced that CoÌ„mon-wealth happy where learned men had the gouernment or the gouernors were learned and another who holds those wise men in the Gospel who came from the East are therefore held Kings because they were learned which I speake not to derogate froÌ„ other Kings but to thanke God for our owne whose drops that fall both from his tongue and Pen are as the Prophet Dauid speakes in another case like raine falling vpon the mowen grasse or as showers that water the earth We haue read in our own Chronicles of one Bladud a Brittish King who studied at Athens of Alured a Saxon King who translated the Psalter into his own language of Henry a Norman King who for his great schollership was surnamed the Beauclarke but for a King only Dauid and Salomon excepted that hath written so much and so well as his Maiestie exposing it to publike censure hath left it as an euerlasting monumeÌ„t of his name to posterity for mine owne part I must confesse in my small reading I haue not met with any either in our owne or forreine History Some Kings haue done some what in this kinde but hee excelleth them all so that for a Christian King to write and to publish his writings to the world euen in matter of Religion is not without example The Booke of Charlemaine in defence of the decree of the Synode of Frankeford which himselfe had thither called and against the Canons of the second Nicene Council touching the controuersie of adoring images is yet extant to bee seene in the Palatine library so is it acknowledged by Augustinus Steuchus in his second booke of Constantines donation where hee presses some things in that Booke for the Popes aduantage Howbeit Bellarmine in his second Booke of Images and 15th Chapter labourto prooue the contrary granting that it was sent by that Emperour to Pope Adrian but not as his owne His Maiesties Bookes aswell the former in defence of the Oath of Allegeance as the later by way of Premonition to the Christian States are no doubt as great corrasiues and eyesores to you as to vs they are cordiall and comfortable and cannot be but to him as dishonourable if hee should recall them as now they are honourable if hee continue constant to himselfe and them Now that they should proceede rather from the instigation of others then his owne disposition is a surmise of your owne I know not whether more foolish as being ignorant of that which hee had both written and spoken and done since hee came to yeeres of discretion conformably thereunto or dishonest in calling his Maiesties singular wisedome into question in suffering himselfe to bee so farre abused as vnwittingly to bee sent on other mens errands and to serue other mens turnes Howsoeuer there is nothing you say in that booke by which you cannot but vnderstand both the Premonition and the Apologie both bound together in one volume and titled together in one front why his Maiestie may not when he please admit the Popes Supremacie in Spirituals wherein first you dash though peraduenture vnawares against your great Cardinal who in his Letter to Blackwell professeth that in whatsoeuer words the Oath of Allegeance in defence of which his Maiestie wrote his Apologie bee conceiued it tends to none other end but that the authorie of the head of the Church of England may bee transferred from the Successour of S. Peter to the Successour of K. Henry the VIII this indeed he affirmes falsly but both in his Tortus against his Maiesties Apologie and in his Apologie against his Maiesties Premonition hee affirmeth truely that the vsurped Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome is in them both impugned And I cannot but marueile at such shamelesse impudencie as dares thus to write to his Maiestie touching his owne writings whose very words toward the later end of his Apologie are these discoursing before of the Supremacie of K. Henry the VIII in Church-matters for which Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas Moore were pretended to haue suffered I am sure saith hee that the Supremacie of Kings may and will euer be better maintained by the word of God which must euer be the true rule to discerne all weighty heads of doctrine by to bee the true and proper office of Christian Kings in their owne dominions then hee will euer be able to maintaine his annihilating Kings and their authorities together with his base and vnreuerent speaches of them wherewith both his former great volumes and his late bookes against Venice are filled Where he goes on and proues this Supremacie aswell by the Old as the New Testament and the practise both of the Kings of Israel and the Christian Emperours in the Primitiue Church both explaning and iustifying the Oath of Supremacie as it is by him imposed and taken by vs and in his Premonition written afterward though set before in the Booke he is so cleere in this point that Mr. Dr. cannot but stand conuinced either of grosse negligeÌ„ce in not reading or vnpardonable forgetfulnes in not remembring what he had read His Maiesties words are these But as I well allow of the Hierarchie of the Church for distinction of orders for so I vnderstand it so I vtterly deny that there is an earthly Monarch thereof whose word must be a Law and who cannot erre in his sentence by an infabilitie of spirit Because earthly Kingdomes must haue earthly Monarchies it doth not follow that the Church must haue a visible Monarch too for the world hath not one earthly Temporall Monarch Christ is his Churches Monarch and the holy Ghost his Deputie Reges gentium dominantur eorum vos autem non sic Christ did not promise before his Ascension to leaue Peter with them to direct and instruct them in all things but he promised to send the holy Ghost vnto them to that end And for these two before cited places whereby Bellarmine maketh the Pope to triumph ouer Kings I meane Pasce oues and Tibi dabo claues the Cardinall knowes well enough the same woâ—â—s of Tibi dabo are in another place spoken by Christ in the plurall number and hee likewise knowes what reasons the ancients doe giue why Christ bade Peter Pasce oues and also what a cloud of witnesses there is both of ancients and euen of late Popish Writers yea diuers Cardinals that doe all agree that both these speeches vsed to Peter were meant to all the Apostles represented in his person otherwise how could Paul direct the Church of Corinth to excommunicate the Incestuous person Cum Spiritu suo whereas he should then haue sayed Cum Spiritu Petri and how could all the
first Tome of the Councils If Mr. Doctour I say had well coâ—â—â—ered this together with that famous resistance made by the sixt Councill of Carthage in which S. Augustine was a member to the vniust claime of three succeeding Popes Zozimus Boniface and Celestine in the high businesse of Appeales hee might in good discretion haue forborne to presse his Maiestie to the triall of the most ancient Fathers Now touching the question of Antichrist it is not discussed by his Maiestie as an hypotheticall proposition but as his opinion his Maiesties words are these As for the definition of Antichrist I will not vrge so obscure a point as a matter of faith to be necessarily beleeued of all Christians but what I thinke herein I will simply declare Cardinall Peron indeed makes the proposition of deposing Kings to bee problematicall and yet withall a part of the Catholike faith but his Maiestie though he make his opinion of Antichrist no part of his faith yet beeing his opinion in regard of his apprehension you cannot make it hypotheticall which hee also declared to bee his iudgement before his comming to the Crowne of England by his Commentarie on certaine verses of the 20th Chapter of the Reuelation of S. Iohn neither is his Maiestie the onely King that hath been of that opinion You may remember not long since one of the French who stamped on his coyne Perdam Babylonem vntill then his Maiesties substantiall and weighty reasons touching that point bee disprooued I see no reason hee hath to recall what hee hath written in the meane time his Maiestie may more iustly take vp that then the Author of it what I haue written I haue written lest hee should incurre the censure of changing as the Moone Lastly for the example of Henry the VIII it is both false and impertinent false in that you say he contradicted his booke whereas his booke as I haue already shewed is onely touching the seuen Sacraments which he held to his dying day impertinent in that you take it as granted that his Maiesty by recalling himselfe should alter from lesse good to much better which is the thing alwayes by vs denied but neuer was or euer can be proued by you Indeed we find that S. Augustine made his Retractations from naught or lesse good to better and Bellarmine in his Recognitions from bad to worse and Dr. Carier to haue fallen from a formall Protestant to a professed Papist and as our Sauiour speakes to Saint Peter thou being conuerted strengthen thy brethren So hee contrariwise being himselfe peruerted labours to weaken his Maiesties faith but it is grounded on that Rocke against which the gates of hell with their power much lesse the instruments of Rome with their foisting and cogging shall neuer be able to preuaile B. C. 37. The other and the greatest obiection that howsoeuer your Maiesty before your comming to the Crowne and in the beginning of your reigne were indifferent yet after the Gun-powder treason you were so angred and auerted as now you are resolued neuer to be friends and therfore he is no good subiect that will either himselfe be reconciled to the Church of Rome or perswade any of your subiects thereunto I confesse your Maiesty had good cause to bee throughly angry and so had all good men whether Catholikes or Protestants but if your Maiesty will hearken to those that worke their owne purposes out of your anger you shall bee driuen to liue and die out of charity which although it bee not so horrible to the body yet is it much more harmefull to the soule then violent or sudden death It is hard I confesse for a priuate man to asswage his anger on the sudden and there is as much difference betwixt the anger of a priuate man and the indignations of a Prince as betwixt a blast vpon the riuer which is soone downe and a storme vpon the sea which hauing raised the billowes to the height is nourished by the motion thereof and cannot settle againe in a long time but there is a time for all things and seuen yeeres is a long time When a man is in the midst of his anger it pleaseth him not to bee intreated by his neighbours much lesse by his seruants but when a man hath chidden and punished vntill he is weary hee will bee content to heare his seruant speake reason and though he be not the wisest yet he is the louingst seruant that will venter to speake to his master in such a case God himselfe is exorable and it pleaseth him to be intreated by his seruants for his enemies I am perswaded there is no good Catholike in the world that can be your Maiesties enemy and therfore I doe assure my selfe that God will be pleased with you to heare them speake and not bee angry with me for mouing you thereunto And if your Maiesty doe but vouchsafe so much patience as to giue equall hearing I doubt not but yoâ— shall receiue such satisfaction as will giue you great quiet and contentment and disquiet none of your subiects but those onely that doe for their aduantage misinforme your Maiesty and misleade your people And if your Maiesty haue no such vse of the Schisme as King Henry the VIII and Queene Elizabeth had and that it doth neither increase your authority nor your wealth nor your honour but rather hinder them all and depriue you of that blessing which otherwise you might expect from CHRIST and his Church from your Catholike neighbour Princes and subiects and from the Saints in heauen in whose Communion is the comfort of euery Christian both in life and death then whatsoeuer some great Statesman may say to the contrary I do verely beleeue they doe but speake for themselues And that there is no true reason that may concerne your Maiesty to hinder you from admitting a toleration of Catholikes and Catholike Religion that those who cannot command their vnderstanding to thinke otherwise may find the comfort they doe with so great zeale pursue in the vnitie of the Catholike Church amongst whome I confesse my selfe to be one that would thinke my selfe the happiest man in the world if I might vnderstand that your Maiesty were content that I should bee so G. H. 37. You come at last to the greatest obiection as you terme it which is the Gun-powder treason but doubtlesse in the iudgement of any indifferent reader you say least in the clearing of it seeming rather in conclusion to referre it to a farther hearing then for the present to answere the obiection or excuse the plot That which you haue to say is that there is a time for all things and God himselfe is exorable as if his Maiesty were mercilesse and inexorable whereas hee proceeded vpon the discouery of that most barbarous designe with such rare clemency and singular moderation that iustice was onely taken vpon the very actors and offenders themselues
wherewith you being kindled haue no lesse constantly and couragiously then wisely and religiously withstood so great rashnesse wee had been vtterly ouerwhelmed with intolerable griefe and indeed this had been a fearefull token seeing wee may not without cause suspect lest into France haue flowen sparkes of the lamentable fire of England to the consuming and destruction of all true Pietie and Religion in that most Christian Kingdome which wee trust relying on Gods helpe shall alwayes more and more increase vnder the patronage of so godly a King trained vp with so great vigilancie to this end principally by a most religious and truely most Christian mother you thereunto diligently yeelding your helpe as you alwayes commendably haue done but although such hopes doe not a little comfort vs yet are wee not for all this free and voide of all affliction and trouble yea wee are vehemently anguished considering with our selues in how crosse and stormie a time wee by the secret dispensation of God vndertooke the guiding of S. Peters Barke standing doubtfull and perplexed lest happily through our negligence the sinke of vices increase and consequently the nauigation growe more dangerous and difficult for this cause wee dayly flie vnto him and implore his helpe who as without any merit of ours so also when wee thought nothing lesse was pleased we should sit at the sterne and guide the helme whom wee pray that while the waues rush against the Prow and heapes of foming Sea swell on each side and tempest follow in the Sterne hee not suffer any wracke notwithstanding so violent shaking of the shippe meane while we giue the greatest thankes to his infinite goodnesse that in the greatest danger which hitherto happily wee haue been in hee hath relieued vs with most seasonable succours to wit by your singular vertue and prouided for the safetie of the Kingdome of France by the counsell industry and religious fortitude of the Ecclesiasticall order of that Kingdome and on the other side wee gratulate you much and withall greatly praise you that your France nowe beholdeth flourishing againe in you the zeale pietie learning and magnanimity of her holy Fathers Denis Hilary Martin Bernard and the rest whose memorie is blessed for their care of Gods honour and the Churches dignity yea and all the holy Church of God may acknowledge of your company Cardinals of such eminence as become so worthy members of the holy Apostolike Sea and Bishops and Prelats and Pastours who are good seruants and faithfull and truely worthy of their Master hauing really shewed that they loue his glory more then themselues true Pastours of the sheepe of Christ who for the saluation of their flocke haue not doubted to lay downe their owne life while by shedding of their owne blood they haue with so great feruencie of minde shewed themselues ready to maintaine the fences of the Lords folde that is the Churches Rights Highly therefore doe wee praise you and gratulate you againe for what is more laudable what more glorious then for the Priests of God setting aside respect of all humane commoditie constantly to haue defended the dignity of holy Church and through zeale of maintaining the Catholike trueth to neglect their owne life As also it is to bee ascribed to the greatest happinesse that it so fell out this noble triall of your Priestly vertue should be made the Pietie and Religion of holy King Lewis his Progenitour no lesse reigning in your King then the memory of his glorious name reuiues in him wherefore wee doe the more exhort you that you alwayes more earnestly persist in your most laudable enterprise God verely will perfect the worke hee hath begun in you acknowledge his hand wonderfully moouing the hearts of Kings which hee holdeth and with one accord beare vp against the violence of the raging Sea stirred with the storme of humane pride and the whirlewind of secular wisedome seuered from the feare of God doubtles the tempests that are risen he will allay who failed not his wauering disciples indeed hee suffereth vs to bee tempted but giues an issue with the temptation therefore bee of good courage knowing that the Iudge standeth aboue and beholdeth the combate of his seruants to giue vnto euery one a reward worthy of his labour and he that fighteth valiantly shall be worthily rewarded Now we whose charitie hath been alwayes great toward you in the Lord vehemently louing you and highly esteeming your excellent vertue doe most willingly promise to afford you whatsoeuer helpe or Comfort in the Lord vpon this occasion we can yeeld being exceedingly bound to you for your so glorious and admirable exploit not ceasing in the meane time daily to pray vnto God the Father of mercies that by the increase of his holy grace hee would vouchsafe alwayes to keepe and strengthen you in his holy seruice and because wee cannot sufficiently according to our desire manifest vnto you by writing this most louing affection of our heart vnto you wee haue giuen in charge to our Venerable Brother Robert Bishop of Montpellier our Apostolike Nounce that what hee hath receiued in Commission touching this businesse more at large from vs hee carefully by word of mouth impart vnto you who will also further declare vnto you what wee thinke fitting for the full perfecting of the businesse To him therefore shall yee giue altogether the same credence which yee would to our selues speaking vnto you God confirme you in euery good worke and direct alwayes your Counsels and endeuours according to his holy pleasure and we from the inmost bowels of our charitie bestow vpon you our Apostolike benediction Yeuen at Rome at S. Mary the greater vnder the Signet of the Fisherman the last of Ianuary 1615. the 15th yeere of our Popedome Petrus Strozza Now as long as such griefe such ioy such hope such feare such loue such ielousie is so passionately expressed in the main businesse about which his Maiesties personall and publique quarrell with Rome first beganne what likelihood is there of perswading his Maiestie that no Roman Catholike in the world can bee his enemie except first hee bee perswaded that the Pope of Rome is no Roman Catholike yet how farre hee was mooued to anger vpon occasion of the Powder-treason against the body of that profession his owne wordes deliuered in the next session of Parliament after the discouery of that bloody designe shall testifie as for mine owne part sayth hee I would wish with those ancient Philosophers that there were a Christall window in my brest wherein all my people might see the secretest thoughts of my heart for then might you all see no alteration in my mind for this accident further then in these two points The first caution and warinesse in gouernment to discouer and search out the mysteries of this wickednesse as farre as may beâ— The other after due triall seuerity of punishment vpon those that shall bee found guilty of so detestable and vnheard of a villenie This was
the height of his anger any more then this he declared not and lesse then this well he could not But before this you say in the entrance of this Section stil harping vpon your old string He was indifferent wheras your great Cardinall a man of no meane intelligence in his Tortus makes his Maiesty to haue bene a Puritane whiles hee was in Scotland and againe confirmes the same in his Apologie for that in the first booke of his Baâ—ilicon Doron he affirmes that the religioÌ„ there professed was grounded vpon the plaine words of the Scripture and againe in his second booke that the reâ—ormation of religion in Scotland was extraordinarily wrought by God And before the Powder treason he makes him so farre from indifferencie as he faines the seuerity of his lawes against Romane Catholikes to haue giuen occasion to that foule conspiracy and to the conspirators being then without all hope of entring into so desperate a course And sure it seemes the Powder-traytours themselues held him not indifferent for they discouered greater anger towards him in the proiecting of that bloody treason then he toward them or their associates after the discouery of it which notwithstanding it seemes by Watsons confession not long before his execution the Iesuites were hatching before his vndertaken for religion too was detected not full three moneths after his Maiesties right to the Crowne before it was setled or so much as set on his head nay Garnet himselfe their Arch-Priest being sollicited not long before the Queenes death by a gentleman of a noble family but Popishly affected that when time serued hee would set forward the kings title among Catholikes returned this answere that he had nothing to doe with the kings right or the promoting it in as much as he was so hardened in a religion contrary to his that now there was no hope of his conuersion left Thus we see that neither the Powder-traitours themselues nor Watson and Clerke Priests nor the Iesuits nor the Arch-Priest nor the Cardinall held him indifferent before the Powder-treason yet Mr. Doctor is of a contrary opinion to them all perswaded it may be by his Maiesties Letters pretended to be addressed before his entrance into this kingdome in the yeere 1598. to Pope Clement the VIII Cardinall Aldobrandin and Cardinall Bellarmine that some one of the Scottish nation might bee created Cardinall by whose intercourse he might more freely and safely negotiate with the Pope this reason indeede I haue heard some Romane Catholikes much stand vpon and except this be it I cannot conceiue what should moue Mr. Doctour thus boldly and frequently to vpbraid his Maiesty with indifferency which was the fault of the Angel of the Church of the LaodiceaÌ„s And surely he that writing to his Maiesty so grosly erreth about his Maiesties writings I may I hope without breach of charity suppose that hee neuer so much as read or saw the full answere to this obiection long since published to the view of the world standing partly vpon his Maiesties peremptory deniall of euer yeelding his consent to the sending of such letters and giuing the Pope to vnderstand by messages deliuered by word of mouth that if hee haâ— receiued any letters at all as written from him he should esteeme them none otherwise but as counterfeit or gotten by stealth partly vpon the confession of the party himselfe before his Maiesty and the Lords of his Counsell who out of an ambitious desire of aduancing his neere kinsman to the dignity of a Cardinal being then the Secretary of State shufled in those letters among others when his Maiesty was ready to take horse and so by cunning got them to be subscribed and partly vpon the Popes proceedings after the receit of them which was the shewing of them to such as came thither of the Scottish nation and demanding whether they thought the subscription to bee his Maiesties owne hand suffering some to take copies of them besides he neither answered the Letters nor granted the suite contained in them and some yeeres after writing to his Maiesty by Sr. Iames Lindsey he neither mentioned those letters nor blessed his Maiesty with Apostolike benediction and after all this sent his two Breues to the Romane Catholikes here in England for the excluding of him from the Crowne And thus haue we now not onely the traitours the secular Priests the Iesuits the Arch-Priest the Cardinall but the Pope himselfe making against this vaine supposition of his Maiesties indifferencie before the Powder-treason To conclude this Section then and therewithall my reply to such pretended motiues as might incline his Maiestie to reconcilement with the Church of Rome or toleration of Roman Catholikes if his Maiestie haue as great reason to continue seperation with the Church of Rome as Henry had to make it and Queene Elizabeth to maintaine it and that it doth increase his lawfull authoritie both ouer more persons and in more causes if it may serue for the better inriching of his coffers an vnion with that Church can not but bring both his honour and wisedome into question being so farre prouoked without iust occasion giuen or any satisfaction hitherto made and hauing so deepely ingaged himselfe in the quarrell if thereby hee shall depriue himselfe of that blessing which otherwise he might expect and hitherto hath felt from Christ his Sauiour whose cause hee pleadeth from his Christian and truely Catholike neighbour Princes states and Subiects and lastly from the Church of CHRIST in whose communion is the greatest comfort both in life and death then whatsoeuer some discontented fugitiue or hired aduocate of Rome may say to the contrary I doe verely beleeue they doe but speake for themselues and that there is no true reason that may concerne his Maiesties good but rather danger and harme why hee should admit a publike toleration of Papists and Popish Religion who stoppe their eares at home against the charmer charme hee neuer so wisely and abroad with great eagernesse pursue the ruine of their natiue countrey among whom I professe I must hold Mr. Doctor to haue been one till I be better informed to the contrary B. C. 38. But although your Maiestie sit at the Sterne and commaund all yet are you caried in the same â—hippe and it is not possible to weild so great a vessell against winde and tyde and therefore though it doe not concerne your Maiestie in your owne estate yet if your Lords and your Commons and your Clergie doe reape any great benefit by the Schisme it will be very hard for your Maiestie to â—ffect vnitie but if vpon due examination there bee no such matter then is it but the crie of the passengers who for want of experience are afraid where there is no danger and that can be no hinderance to any course your Maiestie shall thinke to bee best for the attaining of the hauen G. H. 38. From his Maiestie that sits at the Sterne and commands
Kings Henry the VIII and Edward the VI. who by their Letters Patents haue warranted the same of which landes and possessions if the owners should now be dispossessed the King should be bound to repay vnto them all their money which would arise to such a huge masse that it would be a hard matter for the Crowne to restore it 3 The Nobles and Gentry of this realme most of whom haue sold and aliened their ancient inheritances to buy these new cannot liue according to their degrees if these possessions should be taken from them 4 The purchasers or owners of such lands and possessions in as much as they came to them by iust title according to the ordinance of the Kings of this kingdome haue held and doe still hold a good and iustifyable course in obteining them 5 The enioying of such landes and possessions is so common vnto euery State and condition of men Cities Colledges and Incorporations that if the same bee taken from them there will necessarily follow thereupon throughout the whole Kingdome a suddaine change and confusion of all Orders and Degrees 6 Seeing that the goods and possessions of the Church euen by the authority of the Cannons may bee aliened for the redemption of captiues and that the same may bee done by that Church onely to whom such possessions doe belong It is fit and reasonable that such dispensations should bee granted for continuing of possession already gotten for so great a good of publike concord and vnity of the Church and preseruation of this State as well in body as in soule Those possessions indeed in many places I speake specially of Tenths which by reason of Popish dispensations were first caried from the Church are as the flâ—sh which the Eagle stole from the Altar carying a coale of fire with it to the burning down and quite consuming of the nests of many of them that held them and in this respect Mr. Doctor may well say that the most part of them who now enioy them haue payed well for them in asmuch as the first owners were enforced or their posteritie within a generation or two to sell that which others purchased Now this curse of God I can impute to none other thing then to the alienation of Tenths from their proper vse to which they were and still should be ordained or at leastwise the bare and scant allowance which is made to the Minister of the greatest part of the fattest Impropriations so that commonly no Parishes are worse prouided for then those that pay most the redresse wherof if it should please God to put into his Maiesties heart and the assembly of the Estates in parliament it would bee a worke no doubt honourable in it selfe acceptable to CHRIST and beneficiall to his Church for which he would the rather blesse their other proceedings I speake not for the restoring of Impropriations though that were rather to be wished then hoped their value being little or nothing inferiour to the Benefices but the making of a coÌ„petent allowance out of them for the maintenance of a preaching Minister and I am sory to heare that some of them should be so backward in the former who most vrge the later the rather for that I would not haue it thought our Religion cannot stand but by the spoyle of the Church liuings though the Pope as it seemes by Mr. Doctor cares not who loseth so that himselfe may winne The vertue of the Sacraments expressed in holy Scripture wee preach not against but as for merit of workes and inuocation of Saints they were preached against and that in England long before the lands were taken from the Abbeys and though they are still preached against yet with vs are the Saints reuerenced with the honour due vnto them by our obseruation of the dayes consecrated to the memorials of their glorious and precious deaths And some Churches are built among vs as occasion serues and necessitie requires but more Hospitals Schooles almeshouses Colledges Libraries and the like charitable workes since the beginning of Queene Elizabeths reigne to this present time then in the space of any three score yeeres successiuely taken since the Conquest which I speake not to boast of the fruits of our Religion but to giue God the honour and as for the Hugonotes of France as you are pleased to terme them if they bee guilty of pulling downe Churches wee neither incourage them to it nor defend them in it as neither doe wee the Papists in their barbarous massacres but onely say of them as the parents of the blind man they are of sufficient age let them answere for themselues Lastly because you addresse your discourse in particular to the Nobles in this Section I craue leaue to put them in mind of a peece of a letter written by their predecessors to the Bishop of Rome during the reigâ—e of Henrie the III. I will recite it in the words of Matthew Parris translated The great ones sayth hee by writing to the Pope complained of the scandals bred out of the rapine and auarice of Rome and spread not onely in England but through the Christian world that themselues would not endure that their countrey from thencefoorth should bee so rudely handled no though the King himselfe should winke at it and vnlesse say they these matters bee speedily redressed by you let your Holinesse know for certaine that it may not vniustly bee feared that such a danger is likely thereby to ensue both to the Church of Rome and to our Lord the King that no remedie will easily bee found for it My hope then is that our Nobles being now farther enlightned by the beames of the Gospell and the cleare discouery of the trueth in the writings of learned men then their predecessours who liued in those times of darkenesse will like the Noble Theophilus to whom S. Luke dedicates his Gospell and The Actes of the Apostles and those noble Bereans who the more noble they were receiued the word with the greater readinesse hold fast the profession which they haue vowed themselues vnto by resisting the vsurpation and tyranny of that man of sinne and maintaining the libertie and freedome of their countrey In the first Parliament held by Queene Mary after her Comming to the Crowne the Nobilitie of England though they gaue way to the administration of the Sacraments and other doctrinall points as they were vsed and held in her Father Kings Henries time yet could they hardly be induced either by her importunitie whom it most concerned in regard of her birthright made good by the Popes dispensation or by the perswasions of Cardinall Poole her Cosin and by her made Archbishop of Canterbury who had beene for many yeeres maintained for the most part at the Popes charge to yeeld that the Queene should surrender her title of Supreme head of the Church of England or that the Pope should bee suffered to exercise his wonted iurisdiction within her dominions how much more then at
themselues might haue liued and died in the seruice of God without posteritie and haue helped to maintaine the rest of their families which was so great a benefit to the Common-wealth both for the exoneration and prouision thereof as no humane policie can procure the like The Farmer and Husbandman who laboureth to discharge his payments hath little or nothing left at theyeres end to lay vp for his children that increase grow vpon him may remember that in Catholike times there were better penny-worths to bee had when the Clergie had a great part of the Land in their hands who had no neede to raise the Rents themselues and did what they could to make other Lords let at a reasonable rate which was also an inestimable benefite to the Commons so that whereas ignorant men carried with enuie against the Clergie are wont to obiect the multitude of them and the greatnesse of their prouisions they speake therein as much against themselues as is possible for the greater the number is of such men as be mundo mortui the more is the exoneration of the Commons and the more the land is of such as can haue no proprietie in them the better is the prouision of the Commons for themselues can haue no more then their food and their regular apparell all the rest either remaines in the hands of the Tenants or returnes in hospitalitie and reliefe to their neighbours or is kept in a liuing Exchequer for the seruice of the Prince and Countrey in time of necessitie so that the Commons doe gaine no wealth at all but rather doe lose much by the Schisme G. H. 41. You proceede and assure the Commons that our separation from Rome makes much against their wealth and libertie for proofe whereof you beginne with the Puritan vnthrift who lookes for the ouerthrow of Bishops and Churches Cathedrall hoping to haue his share in them Now I denie not but some such vnthrifts there may bee shrouding themselues vnder the vizard of those whome you call Puritans but their power is not so great God bee thanked as wee neede feare them nor I hope shall bee whiles his Maiestie and his posterity sway the Scepter who is so farre from pulling them downe or giuing any way vnto it that hee hath not onely to his immortall fame bound his hands from withdrawing any thing from them but restored them in Scotland and both often and openly professed No Bishop no King and as for them which looke for that ouerthrow let their eyes drop out of their sockets with looking and the yong rauens deuoure them I haue heard of a platforme of our Church gouernment deuised by Parsons if the Pope should once againe recouer his footing amongst vs in which one especiall piece of his proiect is the pulling downe of the Bishopricks Churches Cathedrall that his Holinesse and the Padres may bee all in all so that the Iesuites may most properly bee termed those Puritan vnthrifts And I make no doubt but if his Holinesse could dispence with those who withhold the Tenths of the Church he might as well dispence with the pulling downe of Bishoprickes and Cathedrall Churches Now for those honest Protestants who for matter of religion could be content it were as it was conditionally themselues might receiue more benefit their heads may bee in England but sure their hearts are in Rome deceiuing themselues aswell in vndervalewing the benefit they haue as in expecting that they haue not nor are euer like to haue the faire pretexts and promises made them from Rome being like the Apothecaries boxes haâ—â—ng Catholicon set on their front in capitall letters as if they conteined a soueraigne medicine for all diseases but within are full of deadly poison or like the apples of Sodome which are to looke to beautifull buâ— being touched onely with the finger presently are turned into dust The first apple you present the Commons if they yeeld to the reentertaining of Popish religion is increase of wealth But before we goe any farther in the triall of this point I shall desire all ingenuous Papists rightly to informe both themselues and others what the two Monkes Matthew Paris and Matthew of Westminster haue left vpon record touching the Bishop of Romes most intolerable exactions in this kingdome whiles his authority here preuailed and then to iudge indifferently whether by submitting our neckes to that yoke which our fathers were not able to beare it be likely the wealth of our land should be increased That which one of the Popes pronounced touching our Countrey was doubtlesse the opinion of them all I speake of latter times Verè hortus noster deliciarum est Anglia verè puteus inexhaustus est vbi multa abundant de multis multa possunt extorqueri England is our Paradise of pleasure a well neuer to bee drawne drie and where much abounds much may be taken It was the speach of Innocent the IV. reported by Maâ—thew Paris anno 1245. about which time S. Edmond Archbishop of Canterbury vndertooke a voyage to Rome to complaine of the great vexations and extortions offered the Clergie and people by Caâ—dinall Otho his Legate who hiding himselfe in the tower of Ousnie Abbey for feare of a tumult of the Schollers of Oxford they termed him Vsurer Simonist rent-racker money-thirster peruerter of the King subuerter of the kingdome enriching strangers with the spoiles of the English but Edmund returning home without successe in his complaint and weary of his life in England by reason that hee could not redresse the Popes oppressions made choise of a voluntary banishment at Pountney in France where hee died with the honour and opinion of a Saint Not long after his Holinesse desirous to see England caused his Cardinals to write their letters to the King that it would be a thing tending much to his honour and safety and to his kingdomes immortall glory to enioy the Lord Popes presence who did long to view the rarities of Westminster and the riches of London but the Kings Counsell told him plainely that the Romane rapines and simonies had enough stained the English puritie though the Pope himselfe came not personally to spoile and prey vpon the wealth of this Church and kingdome the like deniall of entrance hee had found both in France and Arragon it being said that the Pope was like a mouse in a sachell or a snake in ones bosome who but ill repay their hosts for their lodging and the infamies of his Court deserued none other whose filth saith our Monke sent foorth a steame and stench as high as the very cloudes These and worse were the effects of the Bishop of Romes vsurpation here in England by imposing continuall taxes and tallages being sometimes the tenth sometimes the fifteenth sometimes the third sometimes the moity of all the goods both of the Clergie and Laity vnder colour of maintaining the Popes holy warres against the Emperour and the Greeke Church who were then
lawfull to the Confessor to publish that which he heard in confession but none saith hee of those holy Fathers euer decreed that constitution of Ecclesiasticall discipline with such strictnesse as thereby to make the Law of God of none effect They knew well enough that if the case so stood as the Law of the Church enioyned silence and the law of God vtterance wee should rather obey God then man They knew well enough that Dauid is commended of the Sonne of God to whom properly belongs the interpretation of the lawe himselfe being the author of it for the eating of the Shew-bread which otherwise was not lawfull saith Christ for him to eate rather then hee would suffer himselfe to starue with hunger To like effect is that which my Lord of Ely hath in his last booke against Bellarmine Let that reuerence which is due to that seale be preserued inuiolate but towards penitents not wilfull proceeders in thier mischieuous plots neither is that saith hee the seale of God and CHRIST but of Satan and Antichrist with which so horrible villanies are masked But will Mr. Doctor say these are but the opinions of priuate men I demaund the authority of your Church for the seale of secresie but if he had â—in as skilful in the decrees Canons of our Church as he would beare vs in hand he was he would surely haue forborne that demaund the 113. Can. of those which were agreed vpon in Conuocation anno 160â— ratified by his Maiesties royal assent concluding thus Prouided alwayes that if any man confesse his secret hidden sins to the Minister for the vnburthening of his conscience and to receiue spirituall consolation and ease of mind from him wee doe not any way binde the said Minister by this our Constitution but doe straightly charge and admonish him that he do not at any time reueale and make knowen to any person whatsoeuer any crime or offence so committed to his trust secrecie except they be such crimes as by the Lawes of this Realme his owne life may be called into question for concealing them vnder paine of irregularitie So that neither is Mr. Doctors Assertion true that the people with vs are freed from the possiâ—ility of Confessing though they are from the necessitie nor his reason because wee haue taken away the seale of secrecie the abuse being onely by vs remouâ—d but the vse aswell by publike authoritie as priuate opinions retained and maintained But to conclude this point the libertie which the people haue gained by separation from Rome stands not so much in forbearance of Confession rightly vsed as in that libertie wherewith CHRIST hath made them free for if the sonne haue made them free then are they free indeed if they intangle not themselues againe with the yoke of bondage my counsell is that which the Apostle there aduiseth Stand fast and to like effect though in another place and case Art thou free seeke not to bee bound and as many as walke according to this rule peace shall bee vponthem and mercie and vpon the Israel of God B. C. 43. As for the libertie of making Lawes in Church-matters the common Lawyer may perhaps make an aduantage of it and threfore greatly stand vpon it but to the Common people it is no pleasure at all but rather a great burden for the great multitude of Statutes which haue been made since the Schisme which are more then fiue times so many that euer were made before since the name of Parliament was in England hath caused also an infinite number of Lawyers all which must liue by the Commons and raise new families which cannot bee done without the decay of the old and if the Canon of the Church and Courts of Confession were in requâ—st the Lawyers market would soone bee marred and therefore most of your Lawyers in this point are Puritans and doe still furnish the Parliament with grieuances against the Clergie as knowing very well that their owne glory came at the first from the Court Infidel and therefore cannot stand with the authoritie of the Church which came at the first from the Court Christian I speake not against the anciâ—nt lawes of England which since King Ethelberts time were all Catholike nor against the honest Lawyers of England I know many and honour all good men among them and doe looke for better times by the learning wisedome and moderation of the chiefest But I am verely perswaded that the pretended liberties of the Commons to make Lawes in matter of Religion doth burden the Common-wealth and doth trouble and preiudice your Maiestie and pleasure none at all but the Puritan and petti-fogging Lawyer that would faine fetch the antiquity of his Common Law from the Saxons that were before King Ethelbert So that whether wee respect the spirituall instruction and comfort or the temporall wealth and libertie of the Commons of England if the Puritan Preacher and the Puritan Lawyer who both seeke the ouerthrowe of the Church and deceiue and consume the people would let them alone there would quickely appeare no reason of their state at all why they should hate the Catholike Church that is so comfortable and beneficiall vnto them or maintaine the Schisme that with sugred speaches and counterfeit faces doth so much abuse them G. H. 4â— The next priuiledge which you pretend to the Commons is the liberty of making Lawes in Church-matters as if they could make lawes without the consent of the Lords both Spirituall and Temporall or they all without the royall assent of his Maiestie and for the multitude of Statutes which you speake of the multitude of erroneous opinions deuilish practises from Rome haue caused a great part of them and the malice both of the deuil as knowing his time to be but short and of men in this last and worst age of the world generally increasing must needes giue occasion to more lawes Hee that shall looke into the bodie of the ciuill law may find that those lawes multiplied faster from Constantines time to the ende of Iustinians which was about 200. yeere then in foure nay in fiue hundred yeeres before though the one were vnder a Christian gouernement and the other vnder an heathenish whâ— tooke their beginnings as wee knowe onely from the lawes of the twelue tables which were brought out of Greece Did not God himselfe besides those twelue precepts grounded vpon the law of nature adde many lawes therunto for the gouernement of his Church and that which hee did by the Ministry of Moses vnto that speciall people the same power hath hee left to the gouernours of particular Churches conditionally all their lawes bee conformable or at leastwise not repugnant vnto his law the rule and square of all humane lawes how hath the Canon law it selfe to which Mr. Doctors drift is wholly to resubmit vs in Church gouernement growen vp to a great bulke and massie bodie and
G. H. 44. And wee are on the other side as confident that in going to the Church of Rome and forsaking your owne in which you were bred and baptized besides the indangering of your own soule you haue done no good seruice to his Maiestie neither in respect of himselfe nor his children neither of his Lords nor Commons in perswading vnitie with the Church of Rome vnlesse first shee could bee perswaded to the imbracing of the same veritie in Religion with vs. There is onely the Clergie left which if Popery should goe on and preuaile as you desire it should shall not in the next age bee left to bee satisfied or to giue satisfaction but there is little reason that any man that loues the Clergie should desire to satisfie such Clergie-men as your selfe while you were among vs who vnder hand fauour Papists and maintaine such points of doctrine as if his Maiesties authoritie were not would out of hand ouerthrow the doctrine established and in stead thereof reestablish the Papacie B. C. 45. There neuer was is nor shall bee any wellsetled State in the world either Christian or heathen but the Clergie and Priesthood was is and must bee a principall part of the gouernment depending vpon none but him onely whom they suppose to bee their God but where Caluinisme preuaileth three or foure stipendary Ministers that must preach as it shall please Mr. Maior and his brethren may serue for a whole city and indeede if their opinions bee true it is but folly for any State to maintaine more For if God haue predestinated a certaine number to bee saued without any condition at all of their beeing in the visible Church by Faith or their perseuering therein by good workes If God hath reprobated the greatest part of the world without any respect at all of their infidelity heresie or wicked life if the faith of CHRIST be nothing else but the assured perswasion of a mans owne predestination to glory by him if the Sacraments of the Church bee nothing but signes and badges of that grace which a man hath before by the carnall couenant of his parents faith if Priesthood can doe nothing but preach the word as they call it which lay Lay-men must iudge of and may preach to if they will where occasion serues If the study and knowledge of antiquity vniuersality and consent be not necessary but euery man may expound Scripture as his owne spirit shall moue him If I say these and such like opinions be as true as they are among the Caluinists in the world common and in England too much fauoured and maintained there will certainely appeare no reason at all vnto your Parliament whensoeuer your Maiesty or your successours shall please to aske them why they should bee at so great a charge as they are to maintaine so needlesse a party as these opinions doe make the Clergie to be They can haue a great many more sermons a great deale better cheape and in the opinion of Caluinisme the Clergie doe no other seruice they that doe in England fauour and maintaine those opinions and suppresse and disgrace those that doe confute them they although themselues can be content to bee lordes and to goe in Rochets are indeed the greatest enemies of the Clergie and it were no great matter for the Clergie they might easily turne lay and liue as well as they do for the most part but it is a thing full of compassion and commiseration to see that by these false and wicked opinions the deuill the father of these and all other lies doth daily take possession of the soules of your Subiects both of Clergie and laitie These kind of Clergie men I confesse I doe not desire to satisfie any other way then as I haue alwayes done that is by the most friendly and plaine confutation of their errours to shew them the trueth as for other Clergie men that are conformable to the religion established by Law as well for their doctrine as for their discipline if they be good Schollers and temperate men as I know many of them are they cannot but in their iudgements approue the truth of Catholike religion and if it were not for feare of losse or disgrace to their wiues and children they would be as glad as my selfe that a more temperate course might be held and more liberty afforded to Catholikes and Catholike Religion in England These Clergie men I am and euer shall be desirous to satisfie not onely in respect of themselues but also in respect of their wiues and children whom I am so farre from condemning or misliking as that I doe account my selfe one of them and I desire nothing more in this world then in the toleration of Catholike religion to liue and die among them and therefore I haue had so great care in this point as before I did submit my selfe to the Catholike Church I receiued assurance from some of the greatest that if his Maiesty would admit the ancient subordination of the Church of Canterbury vnto that mother by whose authority all other Churches in England at the first were and still are subordinate vnto Canterbury and the first free vse of that Sacrament for which especially all the Churches in Christendome were first founded the Pope for his part would confirme the interest of all those that haue present possession in any Ecclesiasticall liuing in England and would also permit the free vse of the Common Prayer booke in English for Morning and Euening Prayer with very little or no alteration and for the contentment and security of your Maiesty he would giue you not onely any satisfaction but all the honor that with the vnity of the Church and the safetie of Catholike Religion may be required which seemed to me so reasonable as beeing before satisfied for the trueth of Catholike Religion I could aske no more so that I am verely perswaded that by yeelding to that trueth which I could not deny I haue neither neglected my duety and seruice to your Maiesty and your children nor my respect and honour to your Lords and Commons nor my loue and kindenesse to my honest friends and brethren of the Clergie but rather that my example and my prayers shall doe good vnto all G. H. 45. That the Clergie should be a Principall member of the body popolitike we graunt but that they should depend on none but him only whom they suppose to bee their god wee denie Indeed where the authority of the Bishop of Rome swayes looke how many Clergy men there are so many subiects are exempt from the Iurisdiction of the secular power and wholy depend vpon his Holinesse who is to them in regard of the vniuersalitie of his commaund and the infallibilitie of his iudgement in stead of their God but for vs Non habemus talem consuetudinem neque Ecclesia Dei we depend
first on God and then on the Soueraigne Magistrate his annointed and vicegerent on earth In regard of externall coactiue iurisdiction with Saint Augustine wee distinguish betweene the eternall God and the temporall Lord yet wee obey the temporall Lord for his sake that is the eternall God But where Caluinisme preuaileth three or foure stipendary Ministers you say that must preach as it shall please Mr. Maior and his brethren may serue for a whole Citie where by Caluinisme you vnderstand not the discipline or forme of Church gouernment conceiued by Caluin but Doctrinall pointes maintained by him or at leastwise by you imposed on him I say imposed on him in as much as the greatest part of those positions is certainly no part of his Doctrine and for the rest malice and preiudice set aside they might suffer as fauourable a construction in Caluin as in Saint Augustin or in Bellarmine and other Iesuits and schoolemen neither is all that Caluin hath written without exception maintained by those in England who otherwise imbrace and reuerence his paines as of a chiefe Captaine in the Lords battailes your positions I will examine as they lie in order whereof the first is That God hath predestinated a certaine number to bee saued without any condition at all of their being in the visible Church by faith or their perseuering therein by good workes To which I answere that if wee consider Predestination before the fall it can haue no reference to Faith or good workes flowing from thence in as much as if Adam had stood in his originall integritie wee should not haue needed the comming of CHRIST for our saluation and consequently neither faith in him nor those workes which are the necessarie fruits and effects of that faith but if after the fall then are they both required not as impulsiue and meritorious causes but as markes and effects infallible of our Predestination and withall as the ordinary conditions and meanes of our saluation This I take to bee Caluins opinion in the third booke and 22. chap. of his Institutions and not Caluins onely but Martyrs in his Commentary on the 8th to the Romanes and Zanchies in his 5. booke of the nature of God and second chapter and Bezaes in the acts of the conference at Montpelgard and generally of our owne Writers that haue touched this point and if wee erre herein wee erre with St. Augustine who in his 87. tract vpon Iohn thus speaks Hic certe vacillat eoruÌ„ ratiocinatio qui praescientiam Dei defendunt contra gratiaÌ„ Dei ideo dicunt nos electos ante mundi constitutionem quia praesciuit nos Deus futuros bonos non seipsum nos facturuÌ„ bonos Non hoc dicit qui dicit non vos me elegistis quoniam si propterea nos elegisset quia bonos futuros â—sse nos praesciuerat simul etiam praescisset quòd eum nos fuissemus prius electuri Heere falleth to the ground their vaine manner of reasoning who defend the foresight of God against the grace of God affirming that wee were therefore chosen before the foundation of the world because God foresaw wee would bee good not that himselfe would make vs good But hee sayes not so who sayes you haue not chosen mee for had hee chosen vs because hee foresaw wee would bee good hee should also haue foreseene that we would first haue chosen him To the same purpose doth hee speake in the 98. Chapter of his Manuel to Laurence and in his 105. Epistle neither doeth the Master of sentences disâ—ent from him herein in his first Booke and 41. distinction Opinati sunt quidam sayeth he Deum ideo elegisse Iacob quia talem futurum praesciuit qui in eum crederet ei seruiret Some saith he haue beene of opinion that God chose Iacob because hee knew hee would beleeue on him and serue him which Saint Augustin in his Retractions confesseth that himselfe sometimes held where hee plainely prooueth that had hee bin chosen for any merit to come that election had not proceeded from grace The same is also the opinion of Scotus of Aquinas and Bellarmin himselfe so that to say God hath predestinated a certaine number without any condition of faith or workes as the impulsiue or meritorious cause of our predestination is not Caluins opinion alone neither was he the first broacher of it And to say that hee predestinated a certaine number without any condition of Faith and workes as the markes and effects of our Predestination and the means of our saluation is not Caluins opinion at all but thrust vpon him by Mr. Doctor He hath chosen vs sayeth the Apostle before the foundation of the world that wee should bee holy making holinesse the finall but not the efficient cause with which distinction doeth Sixtus Senensis shut vp the matter in the sixth Booke of his Library where hauing at large alleaged the sayings of Origen Chrysostome Ambrose Hierome c. who seeme to hold that the Prescience of workes is the cause of diuine Predestination quae quidem sententia sayeth he in Pelagio damnata est which opinion was coÌ„demned in Pelagius he addeth that Augustin hauing sometime held the same vpon better aduice retracted it almost in innumerable places and at length concluds Neâ— dubium est c. Neither is there any doubt to bee made but that some of those foresayd Fathers in pronouncing our workes foreseene to bee the cause of Gods Predestination vnderstood it of the finall cause and not of the meritorious The second point which you call Caluiniâ—me is that God hath Reprobated the greatest part of the world without any respect at all of their infidelitie heresie or wicked life to which I answere that this point of Doctrine being rightly vnderstood is not Caluins alone but Martyrs Zanchies Bezaes in the places before alleaged and generally of our owne diuines nay of Saâ—nt Augustin of Lombard of Scotus of Thomas and of Bellarmine himselfe who in the place aboue quoted distinguisheth Reprobation into a negatiue and a positiue acte the negatiue is Gods will of not sauing men the positiue his will of damning men of the former of these sayeth hee no cause can bee assigned in regard of vs as neither of our Predestination but of the lattter the cause is the foresight of sinne Now the former of these two acts is that by which men are properly sayd to bee reprobated as by the latter to bee damned so that to say God hath reprobated the greatest part of the world without respect of any thing in themselues is no more Caluinisme then Beâ—â—arminisme Catherinus indeed enueighs bitterly against those who affirme that God reprobats some not because hee foresees their wicked life but because his pleasure is to exclude them from Eternall life and this opinion hee ascribes to Luther calling it impious and intolerable but Pererius somewhat sharper sighted takes vp the blundring olde man for it putting him
man of their owne side reiects it as a meere â—able for hee reports that hauing for the space of full seauen yeeres fought with diuers diseases and griefes yet was he therefore neuer a whit lesse diligent in his function nor absteined from continuall writing and at length died of the disease called the difficulty of breathing Nay Genebrard though farre from the ingenuitie of Thuanus and one that raileth most impotently vpon Caluin yet durst not charge him herewith and was ashamed to defile his Chronicle with such an impudent lie Fr. Iunius saith that hee was at Geneua then wen Caluin dyed yet neither saw nor heard nor knew nor perceiued any such thing nor so much as euer dreamed of any such matter In a word he was visited in his sickenesse by sundrie excellent personages by the Syndicks of the Citie by the Ministers by others all which are witnesses of the sickenesse whereof hee dyed And Theod. Beza who faithfully wrote his life and death whereof as he saith hee had beene a spectator sixteene yeeres together testifieth that in him was proposed vnto all a most excellent patterne of Christian both life and death which saith he is as easie to calumniate as it is hard to imitate These things considered I referre mee now vnto the Readers indifferencie whether is more worthy of credite the whole Citie of Geneua and so many notable men present at his sicknesse and death and testifying of his peaceable holy and Christian departure or one Hieron Bolseck a Knight of the poste twice banished thrice a runagate who of a Carmelite became a Physitian or rather a Quacksaluer a sworne enemie to Caluin one that had beene from Geneua more then ten yeeres together and had sold his pen vnto his Lords and friends to defame Caluin And thus much in defence of those men whom the Dr. termeth the Monsters of our age Now although the vnhappy end of some particular men be no demonstratiue proofe and scarce a coniecturall signe of the falshood of that religion which they professe and that Church in which they make their last end yet that it may appeare in requital of the Dr. or rather the Cardinal how vnhappily some zealous persecutors of such as haue forsaken fellowship with the Church of Rome haue ended their liues I could referre the Reader to a large Discourse touching that point toward the end of the second part of the Acts and Monuments and also in Hassenmullerus in the conclusion of his booke Neither can the like iust exception bee taken against their euidences as against that of Bolseck and Cochlaeus But I will content my selfe with the testimonie of Thuanus a professed member of that Church which Mr. Doctor cals Catholike yet such a one as besides his great paines and diligence in the search of trueth had singular meanes for the finding of it out himselfe being now President in the Court Parliament of Paris where his father had bin Premier President before him This man then testifies first of the Cardinall of S. Andrewes in Scotland who condemned George Wiseheart vnto the fire that standing at a window sumptuously set forth with cushions and hangings of silke to behold his execution George being exhorted when the fire began to burne to be of good courage This flame indeed answered hee is painefull to my bodie but it doth no whit dismay my minde but hee that now from aloft lookes downe so proudly vpon me as arrogantly as now he sits so ignominiously within these fewe dayes shall hee lie along which soone after came to passe for being miserably slaine his dead body was in the open sight of all laide along in the same window from whence he had so ioyfully beheld the burning of Wiseheart And so the euent saith Thuanus verified his Prophecie Iohn Roman a Monke and cruell persecutor inuented a new kind of torment for the persecuted he would draw vpon their legs boots full of hote boiling grease and then setting spurres vpon their heeles iestingly would demand of them whether they were not sufficiently appointed for their iourney But vnderstanding that a summons was granted out against him by the Parliament of Aix to answere for his cruelties and that by the commandement of Francis the I hee fled vnto Auinion where thinking himselfe safe from men yet hee escaped not saith Thuanus the vengeance of God For he was spoiled by his owne seruants of all that he had and brought to extreme pouertie his body also was so full of loathsome vlcers that oftentimes he wisht for death which yet he could not obtaine but after a long time and horrible torments Oppeda another bloody persecutor being called to answer for his more then barbarous cruelties in the Parliament of Paris by the appointment of the said King Francis scaped indeed that danger by the commendation of the Guise and together with his Collegues was restored vnto his former dignity neuerthelesse soone after he was striken with horrible paines in his entrailes wherewith he was a long time tormented and at length in the mids of most cruell torments breathed forth his cruell soule God saith Thuanus inflicting on him that iust punishment which the iudges exacted not which though it were long in comming yet fell the more heauily when it came Albaspineus when Protestants were brought forth to execution aduised to stop their mouthes that they might not speake vnto the people Not long after falling deepely in loue with a certaine woman he fel withal out of his wits and being strikeÌ„ also with the lowzie disease he died in most grieuous torments his friends putting a bridle into his mouth to force him to receiue some sustenance which yet he frantikely refused hauing decreed to famish himselfe because of the vnsufferablenesse of his paines Ponsenatius another butcher being fallen into great debt hauing riotously wasted both his owne patrimony and his wiues dowry vpon conscience of his wicked life fell likewise mad whereupon despairing of his saluation being chained vp by his friends with lamentable shrikings and rending of himselfe hee finished his life in extreme pouerty Finally Cardinall Crescentius the Popes Agent in the Council of Trent hauing spent much of the night in writing letters to the Pope and at length rising from his chaire he seemed to see a dog which with huge iawes firie eyes and eares hanging downe to the ground furiously came towards him and by and by couched vnder the table then calling his seruants and light being brought when hee saw the dog no where appeare he was astonished at it and thereupon fell into many sad cogitations and so into sicknesse which he no sooner felt but presently hee despaired of life although his Physicians and friends gaue him good hope of recouery At last being caried from thence to Verona and euen at deaths dore he would often call vpon them that attended him to take heed of the dog and to keepe him from comming vpon his
bed Thus farre out of Thuanus To these may be added the miserable end of Philip the II. King of Spaine who though he had bene a chiefe pillar of the Romish Church and a great enemy of the Protestants and their religion yet died hee of the same disease which the Doctour out of Bellarmin and Bellarmine out of Cochaeus imputes to Caluin As also the vnhappy endes of all those who were the chiefe plotters in the Massacre of France Charles the IX then King the Queene Mother Henry the third then Duke of Aniou the Kings brother and the Duke of Guise of which Charles died wallowing in his owne blood issuing out of all the conduits of his body the Duke of Guise was suddenly slaine at Blois by Henries command for griefe whereof the Queene Mother died within a few dayes and in reuenge of the Guises death not long after Henry himselfe was murdered by a Frier Lastly to crie quittance also with the Dr. in regard of the ends of Luther Zuinglius Oecolampadius and Caluin whom he counteth Arch-heretikes and termeth Monsters it may please him to remember that sundry of the Bishops of Rome who haue bene very Antichrists and by his owne Platina and Genebrard are called Monsters of men haue had most fearefull and wretched ends For some haue beene poisoned some murdered by Anti-Popes some haue died in prison Iohn the XII euen in the very act of adultery was suddenly striken by the deuill saith Turrecremata and died without repentance others that haue compacted with the deuill haue bene caried away by him and not to reckon vp all that thus haue perished seeing it would bee too tedious fiftie Popes arow being rather Apostatical then Apostolicall and monsters of men It is no marueile saith Genebrard if they were so many in few yeeres and died quickly His last argument is the temporall prosperity of them which haue defended the Church His examples are likewise a meere translation of Bellarmines 18th Chapter of the notes of the Church So that for answere thereunto I might iustly referre the Reader to them who haue answered him as also to my Replie to the fourth Section of M. Doctors second chapter of his Letter to his Maiesty But I chuse rather to close vp the whole with his Maiesties words in the latter end of his answer to Cardinall Perrons oration History saith his Maiesty and experience teach vs that disunion with the Pope hath no whit impeached the prosperitie of kingdomes Philip the faire reigned in peace and prosperity notwithstanding his attempts vpon the Papall Sea King Lewis the twelfth defeated in battell the troupes of Pope Iuly the second and his alies declared him falne from the Papacie and caused Crowns to be stamped wherin Rome is called Babylon yet neuerthelesse was loued and honoured of his subiects who gaue him the title of Father of the people Neuer did Great Britaine euer receiue so great blessings of God nor enioyed so much peace and plentie as since the time that Popes haue no more but the looking on and sent no more their Legats to gather the tribute of S. Peter and that the Kings of England doe no longer homage vnto the Pope for their Crowne and are no more lashed by Monkes What was Holland Zeland and Frizeland before that God lighted among them the torch of the Gospell in comparison of the riches and prosperitie wherein God hath aduanced them The Common wealth of Venice doeth it enioy lesse peace and prosperity then before since they haue taken from the Pope one of his swords and haue shaken off his temporall power On the contrary side the Kings of France after they had giuen vnto the Popes all what they held in Italy and the Countie of Auinion haue againe receiued of them but course entertainmeÌ„t Popes haue forged a donation of Constantine to the end to deface the memory of the donation of Pepin and Charlemaine They haue troubled the State banding themselues for the sons of Lewis the Courteous against their owne father whose life was an example of innocence They haue skimmed the Realme of Money by infinite pillages wherewith the Kings of France haue endeuoured to meete by their pragmaticall sanction They haue oftentimes interdicted the Realme degraded their Kings sollicited their neighbours to inuade the kingdome stirred vp the people against the King whence many troubles and parricides haue ensued Rauilliac rendred this reason of his attempt because said hee the King would make warre against God inasmuch as hee would make warre against the Pope and that the Pope was God Which maketh mee to maruell how the Cardinall could alleage for example the late trouâ—lâ—s during which France fell foule with the Pope seeing that the Pope himselfe raised vp those troubles If the Kings or people of France hauing offended the Pope God had otherwayes sent among them somâ— pestilence or famine this might with some probabilitie haue been taken for a reuenge of the iniurie done vnto his Vicar but seeing the Pope himselfe hath caused these euils it is not God who punisheth the iniuries done vnto the Pope but the Pope who reuengeth himselfe and which is worse without receiuing any wrong Whence it appâ—areth that to exhort the Kingdome to maintaine vnion with the Pope by the remembrance of the calamities past is not to exhort them to loue the Pope but to call to minde the euils which he hath caused and to tremble at his thundrings and conspiracies which hurt those onely that feare them and which haue drawen vpon my kingdome many blessings Now if France haue had any prosperitie during the time that it well accorded with the Pope this hath been because the Pope seeketh the amitie of those Princes that are in prosperitie and which haue meanes to annoy him Kings are not therefore in prosperitie because the Pope is vnited with them but the Pope is vnited with them because they are in prosperitie Euen as swallowes arriue in the spring but make not the spring so the Pope ioyneth himselfe to the prosperitie of kingdomes but maketh not their prosperitie But if there happen any disaster in a Kingdome or any ciuill warre which putteth an Estate in danger the Pope vnder a shadow of hauing care of the saluation of soules thrusteth himselfe into the quarrell and runneth vnto the wracke to reape his profit thereby And if a State change its Master hee will that the new possessour vnto whom hee hath giuen aide hold the kingdome of his liberalitie but if the ancient possessour conquer his enemies notwithstanding the Popes thundrings then his Holinesse offers him all sorts of Indulgences and out of his compassion receiueth him againe whom hee was not able to destroy Hitherto his Maiestie then which nothing can bee spoken more fully and effectually to this purpose For surely not to speake of the prosperitie of forraine countries who haue broken off communion with the Roman Synagogue he is more then blind that cannot see and too
too enuious that seeing will not acknowledge how extraordinarily God hath blessed this our Realme with all kind of benedictions more then in former times since it held the Pope to bee Antichrist and Rome Babylon and departed from them When the late Queene Elizabeth of blessed memorie vndertooke the protection of the Low-Countreys against so mightie a Prince as the King Catholike all the world wondred at the greatnesse of her spirit and the King of Sweden said that so doing she had puld the Crowne from her owne head yet so prosperous was she in all that she tooke in hand so victorious in her wâ—rres so beloued at home so feared abroad and in a word blessed with so continuall a course of happie successe in all things euen to her liues end that it hath forced euen from those who almost hold it a sinne to giue the least commendation of Protestant Princes an ingenuous and free acknowledgment thereof A man may truely say of this Princesse saith Florimond Raemond otherwise a bitter enemie to these of our Religion that excepting the matter of Religion and for the world she had as great glorie in her kingdome continuing in all her affaires so well authorized and carried matters with as great wisedome as any Prince that hath liued these many yeeres But suppose we though we haue sufficiently proued it to be otherwise that the defenders of the Roman Sea haue had temporall prosperitie and felicitie and that wee haue seldome thriued and prospered against them what would your Doctor hereupon inferre That therefore we should forsake the Church whereof we are members and with him retire our selues into the bosome of the Romish Church where temporall prosperitie and felicitie is to be found Indeede it may bee that this was the Doctors chiefest motiue vnto his Apostacie and that perceiuing his ambitious hopes to quaile at home hee would trie his fortunes there where Abbeyes and Bishoprickes and perhappes also Cardinalshippes are promised to such as with more diligence then others negotiate for the Pope But I would faâ—e know of him how this agreeth with that which he saith elsewhere that the Crosse is the most precious iewell of our Sauiour Christ and that of this iewell hee alwayes giueth the greatest portion to his dearest friends For if the dearest friends of Christ be those of whom the Church consisteth and they haue the greatest portion of his Crosse then is not temporall prosperitie and felicitie a note of your Church and if it be then is not the Crosse the portion thereof But to conclude all although Pietie hauè the promise euen of this life and the Church of God sometime abound in these worldly blessings yet is it with condition of the Crosse as God shall in his deepe wisedome thinke it fittest and â—uch a blessing as euen the Church of the malignant may be and euer hath been partaker of For the Sunne riseth and the raine falleth indifferently vpon both And no man knoweth either loue or hatred by all that is before him Yea euen the Iesuits of Rhemes on the place of Mathew before alledged confesse as much We see say they that temporall prosperity of persons countryes is no signe of better men or truer Religion but as S. Austin saith Temporall goods and euils are common both to the iust and wicked which God therefore dispenseth in this sort that neither we too greedily couet those goods which wee see the wicked haue nor basely auoide those euils which light vpon the good Wherfore all this discourse of the Dr. is impertinent and friuolous As touching the Storie of Burden and his associates with which he concludes his vnsauorie collections how they went in Procession from Douer to Canterbury in dirision of Catholikes and how grieuously God punished it vpon them I hold it for no better then a meere Canterburie tale or to speake in the Romish dialect a godly fraud or lie deuised for the aduantage of his holy Mother such as is the baiting of Catholikes sewed vp in Beare-skins with Mastiues in Douer And further answere then this I vouchsafe it not Soli Deo immortali sit gloria FINIS Errata THe Authour being farrâ— from the Presse whiles the Booke was in it the more faults in printing must needs escape whereof the chiefe obserued are these Pag. 22 and 23. the letters of reference in the Doctors text are mistaken Pag. 47. lin 6. marg for Chapt. 2 45. reade Chap. 1. Sect. 19. Pag. 59. lin 27. for Paâ—ilian readâ— Petilian Pag. 72. lin 17. for estate from readâ— estate in her conceit from Pag. 73. lin 6. for was not more reade was more Pag. 99. the quotations are disorderly placed Pag. 100. lin 11. for of his booke reade of his 5. booke Pag. 109. lin 17. for more that reade more but that Pag. 164. the marginall note to bee set against the 27. line Pag. 191. lin 33. for Stanley reade Stucley Pag. 197. lin 32. fâ—r his owne reade his owne neece Pag. 219. lin 12. marg for is not reade is Pag. 235. marg wants distance betwixt Suarez and Beaumanoir Pag. 256. lin 2. marg for your Preachers readâ— our Preachers Pag. 275. lin 4. marg for Monsieur Seruius reade Monsieur Seruins Pag. 277. lin vlâ— for alteration reade Altercation Pag. 279. lin 35. for enuie reade inueigh * I cannot but marueile that M. Doctour in inueighing so much against that which hee cals the new religion should in quoting thereof forsake the old translation 1 Cap. 2. Sect. 41. 2 Cap. 2. Sect. 45. 3 Impia mysteria instituta ad Caluini praescriptum a se suscepta obseruata etiam a subditis seruari mandauit circa med bull 4 La charité que nous portons aux sieurs estats nos voisins confederezfaisants profession de la mesme religion auecques nous Declaration toâ—chant le faict de Conradus Vorstius pag. 6. Messieurs les estats doncques estants non seulement nos alliez mais le principallion de nostre coniunction estant nostre vniformité en la vraye religion pag. 40. Mais la religion dont moy eux faisons profession nâ—a esté iugée â—n aucun concile ou nous ayons esté ouys speaking of those of the reformed religion in France desense du droit des Rois pag. 82. Ce qu'â—l dit que les heretiques de France font leur profit de ceste diuision est fondée sur ceste proposition que ceux de la religion Christienne reformee cest a dire repurgée du papisme sont heretiques ce qui se prouuera quand vn aura fait vn autre euangile ou forgé vn auâ—re bible ib. p. 109 5 Cap. 1. Sect. 20. 6 Cap. 1. Sect. 13. 7 Cap. 2. Sect. 6. 1 Discours de la mort du Sieur Carter c. 2 Britannom minist lib. 3. cap. 5. part 8. 3 This can ill be applyed to D. Carâ—â—r who often tooke the oath of Supremacie
consequents will finde a sufficient answere in the meane time you must giue vs leaue to suspect that Doluâ— latet in vniuersalibus falshood insists vpon generals 5 Wee haue good reason to thinke you were not so much grieued for crossing those great preachers you speake of as that thereby your prefeâ—ment was crossed 1 Such a profound demonsration is that of Bellarmine out of Petrus Damianus to shew the reason why in the Popes old Seales S. Paul was on the right hand of S. Peter because forsooth Paul was of the tribe of Beniamin and Beniamin signifies the sonne of the right hand and for this he quotes Gen. 35. and 42. * Matth. 26. 27. * Iohn 18. 36. 1 It seemes then your Puritane for you tell vs before those preachers were such may be a very honest man yet afterwards you tell vs their principles are such as ouerthrow all honesty 2 As loth as you were to oppose them in publike yet you did as farre as you durst as your selfe afterwards confesse 3 The faith in which you were baptized is the â—ame which now is professed in the Church of England and that I am sure no man expected you should oppugne * Luke 16. 26. 1 I had thought before that a Puritane and a Caluenist a creature of Schisme in your language had bene all one 2 If Dauid himselfe bee a Schismatike as you make him how were the creatures of Schisme to strong for him 3 Those whom you call temperate men we may suspect to bee neutrals made of lincie whoolsie neither hote nor cold but halting betweene two opinions 1. Kings 18. 21. 4 That which you call honest preaching of the Trueth wee take to be the neerest approching that may be to Româ— gates 5 Herein you failed not in that at last you vnmasked your owne hypocriosie * 2. King 9. â— â—â— * Ierem. 51. 9. 1 You might more properly haue applied fiery to your desperate Cath. for such was their practise 2 There needed no great violence to aggrauate the haynousnesse of that plot 3 How comes it then to passe that notwithstanding all this in the next chap. you so earnestly labour the conuersion of his Maiestie and the whole Realme Ex oreâ—tuâ— condemnaberis serue nequam Luke 1â— 22. 1 What needed any great wit or learning for the iustification of that doctrine which by your owne confession holds no point expresly contrary to antiquity 1 To allow the people images for religious vse and then to admonish them that they take heed of idolatry is as if a man should put an hungry horse into a goodly pasture and then command him not to eate or a child vpon the top of a lâ—dder and then bid him take heed of a fall 2 Why do they couer them in Lent then 3 We should indeed haue our conuersation amongst the Saints in heauen but not amongst their images on earth M. Hooker in his 5. booke of Ecclesiastical policie Sect. 65. 1 I tolde you before you were prepossessed with preiudice which made you obiect so weakely 2 Had it taken effect they would haue abhorred it as Sixtus did the Friars murthering of Henry the III. of France in the Consistorie of Cardinals where he compares it to the worke of our Redemption 3 A likely matter that his Maiestie should make complaint in a iudicial proceeding to him in whom he professeth that he acknowledgeth no right of proceeding iudicially in the censure of his owne Subiects 4 All those Writers whom you call Catholikes doe so condemne it as they seeme rather to thinke it vnfortunate in the successe then mischieuous in the plot 5 What authoritie this is will appeare in Pius his Bull whose words are these And him alone hath hee made chiefe ouer all nations and kingdomes who may alone root out destroy scatter waste plant and build that the faithfull people knit together with the band of mutuall charitie might be kept in the vnitie of the Spirit 1 How could your hope bee such since your resolution was to the contrary as appeares by your own words in diuers passages before 2 Your selfe within a fewe lines after acknowledge you found many 3 So that it seemes by your owne confession the greatest corruptions are to be found in the Church of Rome seeing by Gods wheate field in your vnderstanding can bee meant none other but that Church in which in your opinion grace most aboundeth 4 Belike then you saw some broad difference in the circumstance 5 You made sure worke for that by carrying ouer store of monies with you by obtaining pensions from the Pope the Q. Mother of France and Cardinall Peâ—â—on * Gal. 2. 21. * Col. 2. 20 21 22 * 1. Pet. 1. 19. 1 It may bee those afflictions serued to free you from Purgatorie as you presume in the conclusion of your letter otherwise I see not why you should afflict your selfe for chusing the only supposed meanes of your saluation 2 You disputed with such learned men as you could meet with and yet auoided the companie of Catholiks you promise his Maiesty to remember him at the dayly oblation and yet you abstained from their Churches 3 That which you call peace is a betraying of 〈◊〉 the trueth and 〈◊〉 that which you call a reconciliation is a rent froÌ„ forreine reformed Churches 4 I marueile who gaue you authoritie to bring M. Casaubon ouer from France 5 Hauing receiued this answere What moued you to be so saucie and importunate to mooue his Maiestie the second time to entertaine Societie with that Church 6 Though you loued that Romish religion well you loued your life better 1 In what sense Rome may bee termed the mother â—hurch see in mine answere to the 45. Section 2 His Maiestie termeth him the Patriarch but not the Primate of the West 3 Where was your great zeale then to sweare against your conscience for fashion but did you not take it again when you came to yeres of discretion at the taking of your degrees at your institution in your Benefices at your admittance to your Prebendry and Chaplenship and oft recognize the truth of the summe of the said oth in your prayer before euery sermon you made How then comes it now to passe that you would not take it again to gaine the greatest preâ—ermeÌ„t in yâ— world but that you were out of hope to get any or by your owne confession long to enioy it 4 The Bishops in K. Hen. the 8. time thought themselues as good Christians as your selfe yet they tooke it or at least made a shew of taking it with a good conscience besides you call thâ— consciences or the Christianity of your honest brethren of the Clergy into question who haue taken the same oath it may be more then once and yet being good Schollers as you pretend they could not be ignorant what offence they incurred in taking it 1 Master Dâ—â—lington in his inference vpoÌ„ Guicciardines Degression
this time should they plucke vp their spirits to the abandoning of that vniust challenge hauing now a Soueraigne who in his writings last published to the world bearing the date of this yeere Consecrates his Scepter his Sword his pen his endeuours vnto God in a thankefull acknowledgment of the grace bestowed on him in freeing him from the error of this age and his kingdome from the Popes yoke which kept it in thraldome in which God is now sincerely serued and called vpon in a language vnder stood of all in which the people may read the Scriptures without any speciall priuiledge and with the same freedome as the people of Ephesus of Rome of Corinth reade the Epistles written by S. Paul in which they pay no more tribute by the Polle thereby to obtaine the remission of there sinnes as they did scarce one hundreth yeeres yet past neither are they inforced to seeke their pardons beyond the Seas and the mountaines God himselfe presenting them to my Subiects sayeth hee in there owne Countrey by the doctrine of the Gospel and if in this regard it bee that the Cardinall termes the Churches of my Kingdome miserable for mine owne part 1 esteeme our misery aboue his happinesse since then wee haue by Gods prouidence such a Soueraigne let that aspersion neuer be fastened vpon our Nobility which his Maiesty iustly casteth vpon the French that in as much as they gaue way to the acknowledging of their King to bee deposable by the Pope it were fit that withall they should diuest themselues of their titles and resigne them to the third estate who were the only men that could neither bee so drawen by promises nor affrighted by threats but that they euer helde them fast to the maintenance of their Kings honour and the surety of his person B. C. 40. But perhaps the Commons of England doe gaine so much by the Schisme as they cannot abide to heare of vnity Indeed when the Puritan Preacher hath called his flocke about him and described the Church of Rome to bee so ignorant so Idolatrous and so wicked as hee hath made himselfe beleeue shee is then is hee wont to Congratulate his poore deceiued audience that they by the meanes of such good men as himselfe is are deliuered from the darkenesse and Idolatry and wickednesse of Popery and there is no man dare say a word or once mutter to the contrary But the people haue heard these lyes so long as most of them beginne to bee wearie and the wisest of them cannot but wonder how these Puritan Preachers should become more learned and more honest then all the rest that liued in ancient times or that liue still in Catholike Countreys or then those in England whom these men are wont to Condemne for Papists Neuerthelesse I confesse there bee many honest men and women amongst them that being carried away with preiudice or pretext of Scriptures doe follow these Preachers more of zeale and deuotion to the Church as my selfe did vntill I knew it was but Counterfeite and these good people if they might be so happy as to heare Catholikes answere for themselues and tell them the trueth would bee the most deuout Catholikes of all other But the most of the people were neuer lead by Sermons if they were the Catholike Church is both able and willing to supply them farre better then the Schisme but it was an opinion of wealth and liberty made them breake at first and if they doe duely consider of it they are neuer the better for either of both but much the worse G. H. 40. From the Nobles you descend to the Commons entring your discourse with the like imaginary Sermon of a Puritan Preacher as before you brought vpon the Stage in the 16th Section of this Chapter you paint him forth describing the Ignorance Idolatry and Wickednâ—sse of the Church of Rome and surely if this make a Puritan Dante 's and Boccace and Petrarch and Mantuan must bee Puritan Poets too and Guicciardin a Puritan historian and Sauanorola a Puritan Preacher though all Italians and most of them well acquainted with the Court of Rome which is now come in a manner to be all one with the Church of Rome The Ignorance of the people is such that they adore it as the mother of deuotion contenting themselues to beleeue as the Church beleeueth Of their ordinary Priests that my selfe meeting some of them in the streets and inquiring the way in Latin they haue replied they vnderstood not my Dutch Of their Friars that they haue a Company termed the Fraternitie of Ignorance of their Bishops and Cardinals that in the Tridentine Councill scarce twenty of two hundreth durst aduenture to speake publiquely but serued only as cyphers to fill vp the roomes and make vp the number of voyces Nay of their Popes themselues that some haue passed their grants with Fiatur in stead of Fiat others haue excommunicated them who helde the Antipodes as Zacharie at the instance of Boniface Archbishop of Mentz did Vergilius the famous Mathematician And lastly some haue condemned them for heretikes who studied the more refined kind of learning or any way smelt of the vniuersitie as Platina reports it of Paulus Secundus in whose time he liued and with the description of his life ended his owne Touching their Idolatrie when I shall see Doctor Raynolds his booke De Idololatria Romana soundly and fully answered I will in my Iudgement free them from that imputation before then I must take leaue to suspend it Lastly concerning their wickednesse I maruell the Doctor would giue occasion to rubbe afresh vpon that sore which if I should throughly open would proue so noisome and vnsauory Now if this make a Püritan Preacher to informe his auditory of these corruptions in that Church and to thanke God for our deliuerance from them if not in whole yet by Gods grace in some good measure I confesse my selfe to be a Puritan Preacher and thinke no honest minded Minister in England wil refuse that title tendred vnder those conditions and if the people doe not acknowledge this inestimable blessing with hearty thankefulnesse to God for it it is to bee feared he will remoue their Candlesticke and in his iudgement suffer them to relapse againe into their former disease B. C. 41. For wealth the Puritan vnthrift that lookes for the ouerthrow of Bishops and Churches Cathedrall hopes to haue his share in them if they would fallonce and therefore hee cannot chuse but desire to increase the Schisme that he may gaine by it but the honest Protestant that can endure the State of England as it is could bee content it were as it was for hee should receiue more benefit by it euery way The poore Gentleman and Yeoman that are burthened with many children may remember that in Catholike times the Church would haue receiued and prouided for many of their sonnes and daughters so as