Church not to bind vnder mortall sinne the vnity of the Church not to be taken from one visible head the Pope to be the capitall eenemy of the whole Church the Masse to be no true sacrifice the ceremonies of the Masse to be light Comical gestures no transsubstantiation to be made auricular confession with absolution to be no true Sacrament that there is no purgatory satisfaction for release of the punishment after that the fault is forgiuen not to be necessary no Indulgences to be but of such penaltyes only as are imposed the Saintes not to be inuocated the worship of Relikes and Images not to be lawfull that there is no merit of good workes to euerlasting life These and the the like errours and manifest heresies not so much myne and new as of the auncient and modern heretickes and their bablings and doating dreames condemned alwayes by the Catholike Church in many holy generall Councells are miserable rockes vnto which such as approach make lamentable shipwracke of their faith and euerlastinge saluation and therefore I fly from them as far as I am able and least that I should haue beene cast away vppon them in England I was of necessity to depart from thence and rerurne to the true Church the port and harbour of Catholickes and forsake detest anathematize or accurse all the foresayd errors and whatsoeuer others if there be any other in those bookes which agree not with the faith expressed in the sacred Councells especially in the late Councell of Trent on the other side I imbrace and auer the contrary truthes to wit the chiefe Bishop of Rome by Christs iustitution to be his Vicar on earth to be the visible head of the militant Church which alwayes hath beene visible with full power receaued from God to gouerne and order the same the same Bishopp of Rome to haue power ouer temporall thinges in ordine ad spiritualia the implicite fayth to be profitable and sometymes necescessary as when one without his fault hath no expresse faith or beliefe of some articles the excommunications of the law or deliuered ipso facto to be of force and to be feared as induced by exceeding great reason and lawfull power the Popes to be able to excommunicate all faithfull people of what place or countrey soeuer in case they deserue to be so censured the commaundements of the Church bynd all vnder mortall sinne to obserue them the vnity of the Church chiefly to depend vpon the one visible head thereof the B. of Rome to be the true lawfull towards the sheepe of Christ as it behoueth the profitable Pastor of the whole Church the only eternall saluation of which I desire he may alwayes thirst and seeke with all care in in the Masse to be offered vp vnto God a true proper and propitiatory sacrifice the ceremonies of the Masse ordained by the Fathers and Pastors of the Church by the inspiration of the holy Ghost to be holy mystical profitable and by all meanes to be retayned transubstantiation to be made in the Sacrament of the Aultar that is the conuersion of turning of the whole substance of bread into the body of the whole substance of wine into the bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ by Sacramentall absolution wherby the priest absolues the penitent to be exercised a true and proper power of binding and losing sins which our Lord gaue to the ministers of his Sacraments in the Church to be purgatory in that manner as the holy Roman Apostolicke Church teacheth it to be graunted satisfaction to be much avayleable for the releasement of the punishment after that the sinne is forgiuen the vse of pardons in the Catholike Church to whome Christ hath giuē power to bestow them to be most ancient most soueraygne and approued by the authority of holy Councels the Saints not only without all errour of the faithfull to be inuocated but further that it is good profitable to haue recourse to their prayers and help the worship of Reliques and images to be good lawfull and profitable which cannot be abrogated without the spot of heresy the merit of eternall life to depend of our good workes The later General Councels which are of supreame authority in the Church my stomak being ouer charged with ill humours I did often despise especially the Councells of Florence Trent many times also that of Constance and through my procuring a certayn history came forth in print of the Councell of Trent of the truth of which history I had no certainty yea it is worthily suspected of imposture in these thinges also I confesse that I erred very much for I affirme all the most wholsome decrees of these Councells with full fayth to be imbraced by all the Catholikes 6. In a certayn sermon of mine had in Italian at London the first sonday in Aduent and printed I set down these errours which being after repeated agayne in the booke of the Rocks now I haue worthily detested In that sermon I framed a certayn night of papall errours in the Roman Church wheras indeed in the Roman Church alone and others conioyned therewith there is true light the true and only most shining day out of which in England especially is continuall most darke night In the Church of Rome the light of truth the true and sincere vnderstanding of the holy scriptures driues far away from it al the darkenes of errours with which darknes miserable Englād being ouercast groapeth like a blind man at noone day I sayd in the same sermon and reiterated agayne in the booke of the Rocks that S. Peter was neuer at Rome but this as a soule and ignorant lye I freely confesse is to be condemned I made all the Apostles in planting and gouerning the Church to be equall whereas notwithstanding the supremacy of S. Peter ouer them is cleare by the very gospells and Apostolicall traditions I affirmed the Bishops to succeed the Apostles with equall power and to be Bishops in solidum of the Vniuersall Church whereas yet Bishops are but Pastors of particuler Churchs haue but a particuler charge the generall primacy being reserued to him who in the same succeedeth S. Peter who is the B. of Rome and chiefe Pastor I sayd that holy water graynes crosses hallowed images Papal and Episcopall blessings the stations diuersity of habits cords leather girdles visiting Churches and Altars beades processions and the like to be toyes when as it sufficiently appeareth almost all of these thinges to be auncient and allowed in the Catholicke Church which vse is to be cōtinued yea euen in those things which are more fresh inducements to piety deuotion I affirmed that there were only two Sacraments Baptisme and the Supper whereas yet the Catholike Church lightned by the holy ghost doth plainly teach define that there be seauen true Sacraments all which and what other heresyes soeuer condemned by the Catholike Roman Church I doe also condemne and with firme faith belieue
performed And this perpetuall custome of the Church of Inuocating Saints that they pray for vs and help vs with their prayers was neuer so much as found fault withall but rather the contrary errour was condeÌ„ned by S. Hierome in Vigilantius which condeÌ„natioÌ„ the whole Church allowed and therefore our new Vigilantians are to be condemned by the iudgement of the whole Church whose temerity in making our Inuocation to be idolatry is very singular neyther haue these Vigilantians any thing of moment that they can oppose their obiections I haue elsewhere fully refuted and I thinke that in another worke I haue fully defended the reuerent regard of holy Reliques which God himselfe as most pleasing vnto him hath confirmed by most manifest miracles 19. But our Aduersaryes bouldly affirme that in worshipping of holy images we commit idolatry and from hence they will haue their departure froÌ„ vs to be lawfull but this also is a most vayn pretext of theirs neyther can they thereby free themselues from the infamous note of most filthy schisme for in case we honour images with a proper peculiar honour worship which is exhibited to the thing it selfe represented by the image that is not supreme honour and worship nor that true adoration which alone is due vnto God whereas therefore we doe most playnly professe diuine honour and supreme worship not to be due eyther vnto Saynts or to their Reliques much lesse to their Images why doe they obiect Idolatry vnto vs The vse of Images belongs to Ecclesiasticall rites and in these the sure certayne and infallible rule to know whether they be lawfull and to be approued is the practise and vse especially of the primitiue Church In so much as they are to be esteemed good and lawfull rytes which eyther the Apostles or some Apostolicall men haue ordayned or haue eyther silently or expresly approued and it is most certaine yea most vncontrollable the Christian Church euen most auncient whole and vniuersall with ioynt and singular consent without all opposition or contradiction to haue reuerenced or worshipped holy Images eyther paynted or kerued S. Iohn Damascen hath collected in his three Orations which he wrote for Images most aboundant testimonyes The Fathers of the seauenth Generall Councell haue done the like and after these many others of our Church What ignorant companion then dare condemne that which the most holy and most learned Fathers haue commaunded haue taught haue practized that which the Catholike Church taught by the Apostles hath alwayes obserued that which God himselfe by mamiracles hath confirmed Are they not then accordinge to the verdict of S. Augustine August Epist 118. most insolent mad men who retayne not the vse of Images nor deuoutly keepe them with that peculiar honour due vnto them so as the supreme be not giuen them but rather abuse prophane and sacrilegiously cast them away 20. Two thinges especially doe our Aduersaryes vrge agaynst this our worshippinge of holy Images by which they contend that we cannot auoyd this charge of Idolatry and by â—he same they ground themselues in â—heir schisme as if it were lawful One is Gods coÌ„mandement which forbiddeth â—ll Images to be made the other that they cannot be excused from true externall idolatry who adore the true God in any exteriour signe that is a meere creature These men with Caluin will haue the golden calfe to haue beene vsed by the children of Israel to represent the true God and in this aboue all others doth Reynolds the English Puritan settle and ground his Treatise of the Idolatry of the RomaÌ„ Church but with me there is no doubt neyther can there be with our aduersaries but the most auncient Fathers and Catholike Church to haue known the ten Commandements and the history of the Calf and yet without all difficulty and scruple they vsed holy Images with honour and reuerence but neyther doth this disputation beseeme this short discourse the tyme wil come when I shal haue opportunity to to refute this booke of Reynolds Of the Idolatry of the Church of Rome on which England doth most of all maintayn her schisme Now to deale briefely I call to their remembrance the doings of Salomon who endewed with diuine wisdome not only adorned his temple with those Images and workes of art which God had caused to be made as were the Cherubims c. but added of him selfe so many shapes and kerued pictures of trees and beastes as we read in Scripture 3. Reg. 10. 19. 20. for there were brazen Oxen Palmes Pomegranats c. and his Throne he set out with great little golden Lyons Doubtles Salomon vnderstood this commaundement of not making Images hath by his own fact explicated the same vnto vs sufficiently to wit that it was not commanded for all tymes nor that it was of the diuine natural law but so farre forth as it denyed supreme worship to be giuen vnto them but only of the diuine positiue law Temporall and Conditionall then and so long to be obserued when and how long there should be danger least the picture should be cause and occasion of Idolatry wherfore seeing in vs now so well instructed there is no danger of committing idolatry by Images that prohibition of the law which forbiddeth pictures to be made hath no place with vs and therefore the Image-breakers abolishing the vse of Images breaking them in peeces and vnworthily handling theÌ„ haue alwaies been esteemed of the Church held for most wicked hereticks nuÌ„bred amoÌ„g the enemies of Christian Religion 21. The children of Israel in adoring the Calfe to haue coÌ„mitted Idolatry is a thing most euident neither will I euer grauÌ„t that this Calfe represented to theÌ„ the true God it is most false against the true sense of the Scripture to say the Israelites in that Calf to haue adored the true God they adored the same golden Calfe which they erring most beastly thought to haue had in it the diuinity of the true God this as I hope in due place time I shal coÌ„uince out of most cleere passages of the holy Scripture shal refute the light argumeÌ„ts of Caluin Reynolds Latria shew theÌ„ that God himselfe may be adored with highest honour in corporal signes without al danger of committing Idolatry and that the English rely on a most filthy errour whiles they dreame out of Reynolds follyes to triuÌ„ph ouer the Roman Church as if it were truly Idolatricall therfore by them lawfully reiected and forsaken In our vse of holy Images wheras euery ill circumstance all scandall are ordinarily wanting because we lyue not amongst Idolaters and are or may be well instructed touching the lawfull worship of Images most farre off from the supreme worship giuen vnto God therfore we may lawfully kneele before an Image and so adore the person represented therby with supreme honour in case he be capable therof So did the children of Israel adore God in the cloud
with heresies and being by schisme deuided and separated from the truth are out of the Catholike vniuersall and true Church of Christ and these blind soules with their blynd guides rush and fall headlong into the pit of hell which I in my errour most wickedly and without grieuous iniury affirmed of the Roman Catholikes for from the Roman Church at all times to all other Churchs the most shining light of the pure and incorrupted fayth hath flowed and at this present flowes I remember also that in the preface of my bookes of the Ecclesiasticall commonwealth I vsed certayne wordes by which I insinuated all such to be in the Catholike Church who had receaued baptisme in the name of the Trinity but albeit the words haue an ill sound make all hereticall Churches true sound mēbers of the true Catholike Church which is most false and hereticall yet my meaning was that the Arian Nestorian Eutichian all hereticall and condemned Churches in tymes past should be excluded and only the true belieuers to be retayned which true belieuers I thought then to be many more then indeed they are and many Churches tainted with these latter Heresyes and by Schisme deuided I erroneously iudged to pertaine to the Catholike but though the Catholike Church be so denominated for her Vniuersality yet this Vniuersality includes no other then the true orthodoxe or right belieuing Churches spread ouer the whole world which remayne in vnity with the Roman And truly the vniuersality of the Roman Church doth consist not only in the cōtinual durance neuer yet interrupted or euer after to be and constance of sound beliefe but also is vniuersall because the selfe same fayth of Rome and supreme gouernement are extended after the cōming of Christ to all places and all Nations for which respect euen in these latter ages it is no lesse to be tearmed Catholike then it was in the tyme of the ancient Fathers because the fayth of the Roman Church euen at this tyme is propagated in the most remote vast regions of the East and West Indyes euen vnto the furthest corners of the earth in so much as the children of this Church euen in these dayes passing by continuall trauel from the rising of the Sunne vnto the setting and carrying with them the Fayth of Christ offering cleane sacrifices that now may be sayd especially to be fulfilled which God pronounced by the mouth of Malachy Malach. 1. v. 11. Ab ortu solis vsque ad occasum magnum est nomen meum in gentibus in omni loco sacrificatur offertur nominimeo oblatio munda From the rising of the sunne vnto the setting my name is great amongst the Gentills in euery place there is sacrificed and offered vnto my name a pure oblation Neither was it a lesse iniury and slaunder when I said that I had noted very many noueltyes and errors of the Court of Rome which nouelties which errors I neyther now or euer yet noted and I acknowledge it to be most false confesse it for such that euer there were or are in Rome such errors out of which the ruine and slaughter of soules doth proceed the peace of the Church is troubled or publick scandalls haue or doe arise truly next after God all peace of the Catholike Church her totall tranquillity and the euerlasting saluation of soules is to be ascribed to the care and sollicitude of the Roman Church I sayd that the more potent Bishops vnder the Bishop of Rome were but equiuocall or counterfeit Bishops and this saying cōteins no lesse falshood then iniury in it and therefore as raylatiue I condemne it for they are true and lawfull Bishops made by lawfull ordination I affirmed others who were not Potentates and Princes to haue lost the proper dignity and power of Bishops and truly this is also a slaunder for hierarchical subordinatiō in the Church hath been alwaies necessary much more doe I cōdemne as an heresy that which I said the Church no longer to remayn vnder the Bishop of Rome for as before I specifyed and earnestly auouched only the Church of Rome with the rest adhering therunto is the true Church of Christ that others are no Churchs at all And to conclude much in few I perceyue that in the first booke of my departure I specially endeauoured to infringe the primacy of the B. of Rome in which poynt I deny not but that I spake against the fayth of the whole Catholike Church and therefore greatly to haue erred for both by the Euangelicall ordinance traditions of the Apostles definitions of the holy Synods Generall Councells by very many decrees of Popes and common testimony of Fathers and ecclesiasticall histories it is manifest and cleere the B. of Rome alwayes to haue been taken for head of the whole Church to haue beene so appointed by Christ our Lord and alwayes to haue been taken for a singular oracle to whome no lesse the East then the West in all doubts of fayth should sue for instruction of beliefe definition secure doctrine as a maister appointed vs by God who should by his office teach and direct his Church any scholler may obserue very many examples in which the Bishops of Rome direct the Patriarkes and Bishops of the East they warne them rebuke them teach them condemne them absolue them depose them restore them controle them and that euen out of their office and power ouer them and the others checked by the Popes humbly gaue them eare obeyed resisted not or reclaymed and briefely it is cleare by the confession of all the Catholike Church the whole spirit of Christ for determining of these things which belong vnto fayth to reside in the sole and one visible supreme head of the same Church which is only the Pope the chiefe Bishop and S. Peters succcessor 5. I freely confesse that the booke which I called the Rockes of Christiā shipwrack did exceedingly displease me presently after that it was set forth for without all choyce had of the matter without all discussion or search of truth I hudled it vp that I might some way or other please the Englishmē after my arriuall amongst them in writing of which I considered and layd open not what was true but what pleased best the enemies of the Church especially the vulgar and vnlearned multitude and this booke whiles I was in England preparing for my departure being obiected vnto me by the King and other men I did in plain wordes detest it and my selfe withstood the greater part of heresyes which it conteynes and as far as I was able impugned them al which here agayne I reiect abhorre and detest The heresies were these The B. of Rome not to be Christs vicar on earth and visible head of his Church that he had no power ouer temporall things implicite fayth to auayle nothing but much to hurt the faithfull the excommunications of the law to be vain buggs the cōmandements of the
that it may well be referred to the traditiō of the Apostles that besides the Sōday the birth-daies of Saintes should be kept holy which thing I see approued by the anciēt custom of the Church I find S. Cyprian very careful to haue the dayes noted Lib. 3. Ep. 6. in which the Christians were martired vt talibus saith he celebrētur hic à nobis oblationes sacrificia ob cōmemorationes ipsorū that on those daies they suffred we in remembrāce of them may celebrate here the oblatiōs sacrifices S. Iohn Chrysostome S. Augustine exhort the faithful to the due obseruance of the feastes of Saints Chrysost serm in martyrem Pelagiam Augu. in Psal 88. part 2. in fine Wherfore I cannot but exceedingly merueil at the new scruples of Protestants not soberly * So the Protestāts translate non plus sapere quā oportet sapere sed sapere ad sobrietatem Rom. 12.3 but more highly thinkinge of themselues then they ought whiles they haue fully iudged and taught all feastes of the Saints yea of the B. Virgin mother of God of the Apostles and most famous martirs to be abrogated and taken away albeyt the English Protestants be not so rigorous for in this matter they haue left somwhat to remayn as before though it be very little 14. To inuocate Saints departed say these mē is nothing els thē to make many Gods and this our calling vpon them and worshipping of their images not to differ frō the customes of Pagans vnder which pretext they abhorre and auoid vs all they can but for vs it were easy if this place would beare so long dispute to beate backe and refell all these slaunders of heretikes for they are forced if they beleeue the Scriptures to admit this as certayn that the soules of the Saints with God pray for vs mortall men and that not in generall only but also in particuler and it is most euident in this life the faithfull to be holpen by the prayers of the vertuous for Moyses often by his prayers turned away the wrath of God from the people of Israel Iob 42.18 and God exhorted the friends of Iob to intreate his prayers thereby to obteyne pardon for their folly Eph. 6. Coloss 4. 1. Thes 5. 2. Thes 3. Hebr. 13. c. S. Paul ofter cōmended himselfe to the prayers of the faithful these men may learne if they list the Saints whose soules liue in the the sight of God and raign with Christ to pray for such as are yet liuing in the militant Church out of Hieremy Ezechiell and the Apocalips Hierem. 15 Ezech. 14. Apocalip 5.8 8. That for their sakes God graunteth many fauours vnto them they haue in the same holy Scriptures and that in many places as Genes 26.4.5.24 Exodus 32.13 3. Regum 18.36 1. Paralip 29.18 3. Reg. 11.12.32.34 15.4 4. Reg. 8.19 19.34 and 20.6 and Isa 37.35 See the commentaries which are sayd to be S. Chrysostomes in the second Homily vpon the 50. Psalme Christ warneth vs to make fryends of the mammon of iniquity Luke 16. Vt cum defeceritis recipiant vos in aeterna tabernacula that when you fayle they receyue you into their euerlasting tabernacles August de ciuitate Dei lib. 21. c. 7. Gen. 28.12 Heb. 1.14 out of this place S. Augustine attributeth much to the intercessiō of Saints 15. This intercession of Saints the holy Fathers acknowledg admit and confirme And truly of Angels the Ladder of Iacob and their other employments for vs are notorious See Origen contra Celsum lib. 8. Of the Angells attending vpon vs see S. Augustine Aug. Epi. 122. and of our guardian Angell the Scriptures doe often and plainly make mention Gen. 48. Exod. 23. Psalm 33. Math. 18. Actor 1◠and the Fathers also most cleerely Nyssenus in vita Moysis Basil in Psal 33. Hieron in 18. Mat. If therefore euery man haue to assist and guard him an Angell of our Lord what shall hinder but that he may craue his help I heard once in Englād with great gust one of my fellow Chanons of Windesor preaching before the King and affirming roundly in his sermon that he saw no reason to the contrary why euery faythful man might not turne and conuert himselfe towards his good Angell and say Sancte Angele custos ora pro me holy guardian Angell pray for me Of the intercession of Angells their labours for our helpe and benefit any one besides the former may also reade these Fathers S. Anton. Monachorum Parentem Epist 2. ad Arseonitas Anastasium Synaitam in Hexam lib. 5. Antiochum Abbat Hom. 61. Chrysost de incomprehensib Dei natura Hom. 3. Hom in Martyres Aegyptios Hieron in Epist 1. Cyrill Alexandrinum apud Anastasium Nycaenum quaest 61. Theodoretū ibidem Damascen Lib. 1. Parales cap. 7. c. 16. For Intercession of Saints we haue the common consent of the auncient Fathers See S. Cyprian Lib. de mortalitate Hieron aduersus Vigilantium August de Baptismo Lib. 5. cap. 7. Lib. 7. cap. 1. de verbis Apost Sermo 47. Sermon 46. de Sanctis Lib. 9. Confess cap. 3. Lib. de cura pro mortuis agenda cap. 16. contra Faustum Lib. 20. cap. 21. in Meditatio c. 20. Leo Magnus Sermon de Sancto Laurentio Gaudentius Brixian Serm. 17. Gregorius Magnus lib. 7. Indictione 2. Epist. 25. Bernard in Cantic Serm. 77. I pretermit innumerable others of later tymes the Scriptures therefore and Fathers and consent of the vniuersall Church doe securely warrant vs that the Angells and soules of Saints departed this life doe pray for the liuing and that also in particular Why then should not euery faythfull man take courage to inuocate or call vpon them whome most certainly he knowes to pray for him in heauen 17. That the Inuocation of Angels Saints to the end that they pray for vs and ioyne their prayers with ours as S. Chrysostome speaketh Serm. in Sanctum Meletium cannot be doubted of is most euident and of the B. Virgin Mother of God a part that she is to be inuocated by vs that she pray for vs to her sonne we haue most euident testimonyes Iraeneus lib. 5. cap. 19. Athanas in Euang. de Deipara Nazianzen orat in Cyprianum Basilius Seleuciae orat 1. de verbo incarnato August sermo 1. de Annunciatione Cosmas Hierosolym Sophronius item Hierosolymitanus orat 6. de Angelorum excellentia Hildefonsus Toletanus c. 18. Now for the Inuocation of other Saints besides the sacred Virgin that the most auncient practice of the Church doth so much as I sayd before it appertaineth to the tradition of the Apostles for this inuocation hath alwaies beene in vse and neuer reproued by any who was not held for an heretike It were to long a labour to recount the Fathers who inuocate Saints or teach them to be inuocated that elsewhere I haue aboundantly
at the gate of the tabernacle Exod. 33. but they adored not the cloud lykewise in the fyre 2. Paralip 7.3 neyther did they cōmit idolatry whiles they adored God in these corporal signs such therfore as condēne this adoration as of it self purly properly idolatrical haue not in them so much as one drāme of a pure soūd Deuine In vain therfor doe the Protestants cōplaine of this Idolatry that they may defēd their schisme in this very thing first of al they defile themselues with heresy further they remaine true Schismatikes because there was no lawful cause of their separation 22. They obiect vnto vs a most cleere Idolatry or bread-worship in the adoration of the B. Sacrament of the Altar and by this also they seeke to excuse themselues from sinne but they are fowly mistaken for to vs the real corporall presence of the body bloud of our Lord Iesus-Christ in the sacred mysteries of the Eucharist is most certayn and vndoubted we adore the same body of Christ capable of it selfe by reason of the hypostaticall vnion with the Word of supreme honour lying hidden vnder these formes of bread and wine but hereof I cannot much dispute in this place This reall and corporall presence we suppose and this supposall by our fayth is certayn because we take it from the gospell Christ saying when he had bread in his hands Hoc est corpus meum this is my body according to the promise he had made saying Ioan. 6. Panis quem ego dabo caro mea est the bread which I will giue is my body and therefore our aduersaryes cannot suspect that in this adoration we are lyable vnto the errour of idolatry and so neither from this can they pretend any excuse for their schisme but they are truly and properly not only schismatiks but also heretiks and therefore I was to depart from amongst them and no longer to adhere vnto their errours 23. Besides the former they obiect vnto vs a certayn hidden or secret idolatry when after the Exorcismes and blessings we place a spirituall confidence in salt in water in oyle and the like all which they heape together out of a desyre to slaunder vs and that they may seeme by any meanes to excuse their schisme but they know full well that we place no certayn confidence in these things as if we taught these creatures to receaue any certayn and infallible force from our exorcismes and prayers these things we say are Sacramentalls but not Sacraments and hallowed to the end we may stirre vp our deuotion by them all our confidence is placed in God alone who moued by the prayers of the Church euen by these creatures by vertue of the same prayers blessings bestowes his guifts vppon vs the greatest part of those and the like rites the Church hath receaued from Apostolicall tradition and from hād to hād of the most ancient Church which who so followes cannot erre he who contemnes and casts away is himselfe to be cast forth as a rash man and enemy of the Church Tertullian sets down the vse of holy Oyle Tertul. li. de Baptismo and amongst the matters of the Sacraments S. Augustine reckons Oyle Aug. Ep. 119. The hallowing of the water of Baptisme hath been obserued from tyme out of mind for S. Cyprian makes mention of the hallowing of water and oyle and of Vnction also Cyprian li. 1. Epist. vltima The holy Churches I meane the materiall in case by any chaunce they should be defiled were wont to be cleansed by exorcisme and washing of the walls this we haue deliuered by Optatus Mileuitanus Optatus Mileu lib. 2. con Parmenian S. Basill also from tradition deduceth the common ryte of annoyntinge with oyle the party that was baptized Basil lib. de Spiritu sācto cap. 27 all antiquity doth further teach vs the signe of the Crosse to haue beene vsed in euery blessing and consecration Iustinus quaestione 118. Nazianzen Orat. 1. in Iulian. Orat. in funere Patris Chrysostom Hom. 55. in Matthaeum Augustin tract 118. in Ioan. sermo de tempore 181. cap. 3. Areopagita alij There are perhapps some rytes now vsed in the Church not so auncient in which we vse thinges blessed and consecrated but as the primitiue Church taught by the Apostles neuer feared any dāger of secret Idolatry if it vsed cōsecrated oyle and the lyke why should we now feare who attribute no more to these new cōsecrated things thē antiquity attributed vnto the other For these things to fly to Schisme is supreme impiety these rytes are good most of them were instituted by the Apostles others haue had their beginning from the deuotiō of Catholike Churches no way cōtrary to Faith yea most conforme agreeing therunto the variety of rites and ceremonyes was in auncient tyme in Churches and yet none vnder that pretence did depart frō mutuall communion amongest themselues The Auncients sayth Sozomen Sozomen lib. 7. c. 19◠did worthily iudge yt a friuolous or foolish matter that they for custome sake should be separated from one another who in the chiefe points of Religion did agree therefore this separation of the Englishmen is friuolous yea rash and wicked by which they haue deuided themselues from the true Catholike Church and haue broken forth without cause into open schisme with whom to communicate in diuine things is to consent to their most vniust and pernicious schisme 24. Touching the new articles of which they make their complaynt and excuse their schisme I wil not now dispute I should be too prolixe if I should now turne aside to these pointes in due place to be handled only here I demād of thē whether they thinke these new articles as they call them to be contrary vnto fayth or not If they were contrary to fayth they should be heresies and they would make the maintayners hereticks and worthily to be detested and separated from the communion of all Catholike Churches But I haue now proued that there is no heresy in the Church of Rome the most soueraygne King of great Britanny very many learned men in that kingdome confessing that the Church of Rome stands entier in the fundamentall faith but I haue shewed before that there is no true Article that it not fundamental and with assured fayth to be beleeued therefore it hath no articles which are contrary to the Catholike fayth and in case they be not cōtrary to the true faith but contayn the same they can yield no occasion of schisme But say they because we reiect and refuse these articles the Church of Rome hath separated cut vs of from that body Truly I lamēt and bewayle these men to haue made a beastly and perfect schisme before any thing was done or defined concerning those which they call new Articles in much as they cānot without exceeding vanity couer their schisme by these new articles for the