â—rasmus blame the old interpreter as dissenting from the greeke neither ought you thinke that therfore I commend Bezas translation because I bring him in commending yours for wherein he swarned from vs in Doctrine he swarued also in translation though with out grownd and therfore he is also reprehended by his fellow protestantes as namely Castalio saying in defens translat pag. 170. to note all errours saith he of Beza in traslating the nevv testament the vvorke vvould require to great a volume So that how shall a man build his faith vpon these men who in the very grownd worke it selfe a gree no better then the confusion of tongues in the Tower of Babell which that you may with more facility ease apprehend I haue written more in particuler hereafter But heere perchance you may further moue a question vvhat my intent and scope may be in vvritting all this and making such collection of places I ansvvere only that you may haue some sight and knowledge of the Catholique faith vvherby you shall the better iudge of me and see your ovvne estate vvithout vvhich faith there is no saluation by our Sauiours ovvne vvordes Matth. 12. â—0 Hee that is not vvith me is against me and he that gathereth not vvith me scattereth And as S. Paul saith Rom. 10.14 Hovv shall they beleeue in him vvhome they haue not heard which I suppose you as yet neuer truly vnderstood wherfore if this be true I pray grant me this reasonable request that you will at least read my endeuours Phil. 3.8 and say with S. Paul I esteeme all thinges to be detriment for the passing knovvledge of Iesus Christ for vvhome I haue made all thinges as detriment and esteeme as dounge that I may gaine Christ And surely no maruaile seeing the mouth of Christ hath vttered Matt. 16.26 vvhat doth it profit a man if he gaine the vvhole vvorld and sustaine the dommage of his ovvne soule in this being that one thing which he insinuates wher he saith Martha Martha Luc. 10.41 thou art troubled about very many thinges but one thing is necessarie So that seeing this one thinge is so necessary vvher vpon all other thinges depend happy yea thrice happy is that man that doth attayne vnto it but by reason the breuity of a Brotherly letter will not permit so large a discourse let your discreet and religious iudgment I beseech be the comment vpon so smale a text and what in wordes is wanting suppose in effect to be most aboundant But of that common humour of setting light by thease thinges and reiecting vvhatsoeuer is not ansvvereable to your affection do raigne in you and vvilfull passion ouersvvay reason a common deceipt euer in such cases practysed by the Diuell to lead poore soulâ—s capâ—tue to eternall perdition if I say this venim haue so seased vpon you and infected your senses that you haue no feeling or care of that to witt your soules health the verie remembrance vvhereof made the son of God our Deere Sauiour svveat drops of blood Luc 22 42. desiring his father if it vvere possible that chalice might passe from him Yf I say you are thus possessed vvith a resolution to forsake and reiect all good aduise vvhat is left forme but only vvith the Prophet Hieremie to lament your miserable case But vvhat is it true vvas your redemption so great an agonie to our Sauiour that the only remembrance thereof made him svveat blood and vvill you esteeme it a thing of so smale moment as rather to content your selfe vvith that estate I say with that religion vvhich you receaued from an Apostata Monke Martin Luther not yet a hundred yeeres since then to seeke the true knovvledge of God and his seruice in the Catholicke church vvhich our Sauiour promised should neuer erre Matt. 16.187 and that the gates of Hell should not preuaile against her yea vvhich vvilbe to your greater damnation your ovvne Doctors and Ministers graunt the true Apostolicke Doctrine to haue beene taught in the Roman Church vvith all sinceretie the first six hundred yeeres and can it be that the corruption of only one hundred by a dissolute Apostata Monke may violat our Sauiours credit with six hundred yeeres practyse I cannot think it at least in you for vvhat can there be more vvicked and deuoyd of human reason then God to be solicitous for mans euills and he himself nothing regard them if other wyse and that I am herein deceaued Matt. 26.21 Oh horride and dreadfull sentence it vvhere good for him if that man had not beene borne yea verily Hell it self vvill roare and craue his right saying vvhy doe I not deuoure and excruciate this vvretch in our eternall flames longe since there due My good Bro if I seeme more earnest then is meet excuse me I pray you it proceeds from no ill affection but that tender brotherly loue and zeal vvhich I beare to vvardes both your bodie and soule not he vvhich desireth vvith Baal to die the death of the righteous or shall crie Lord Num 23.10 Matt. 7.21 Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he vvhich doth the vvill of his father which is in heauen and liueth the life of the righteous Yf you thinke my manner of writing strange and from my accustomed style suppose my condition to be altered and that with holy Iob I humbly thanke God for all his afflictions and crosses layd vpon me as peculier blessinges and pledges of his further loue whereby he hath taught me in some sort to know my self and that miserable state of blind ignorance in vvhich I haue hitherto liued in Novv therefore vnderstand that hauing chaunged master I haue also chaunged liuorie no more a protestant but now a Catholicke no more a vassale or bondslaue to Sathan and his ministers but now a seruant and follower of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and his Apostles whome I earnestly beseech in my dayly prayers that God wil be no lesse mercifull vnto you then he hath beene compassonate on me that he will heere also teach you your haruist that in the world to come wee may ioyfully reape eternall blisse together but S. Austin saith he which made thee without thee will not iustifie or saue thee without the wherefore once more I pray you vvith true zeal and harty deuotion bestovv your labour vpon this my trauell and I doubt nothing of Gods grace heere is the life you must make your incorruptible treasure in the next is nothing heard but immutable eternity vvhere all thinges passe according to this life vvell or ill if vvell happy man that euer hee vvas borne if ill vvoe and not temporall but eternall misery yea according to that of our Sauiour it vvere good for him if that man had not bene borne because there is no place for such as departe not this life in state of grace of sorrow to amendment vvherfore in vayne shall you then lament vvoe vvretch
is one thinge to be borne of the spirit and an other to feed of the spirit as it is one thing to be borne of the flesh which is done when the mother bringeth forth and an other to feed of the flesh which is done when the infant sucheth m lib 1 de peccator meâ—â—â— and remiss c. â—0 And in an other place he plainly demonstrateth that this precept Vnles yee eat is distinguished from the precept of Baptisme yea in infantes I answear therfore to the argument that S. Austine doth expound this place to be vnderstood of a Sacramentall eating but yet that he doth attribut that eating to infants not in the thing but in an inward desire which is had by baptisme as wee haue said To the other two places of S. Augustine I answere that that saying To what end doest thou prepare thy teeth and bellie belieue and thou hast eaten And that To belieue in him is to eat his flesh are spoken by him not of the Sacrament but of the beliefe of the incarnation for yet he had not com to that parte of the ghospell which treateth of the last supper but that saying whoe eateth in harte not who presseth with his teeth S. Augustine said when he spoke of the Sacrament not to exclude Sacramentall eating but that he might signifie the end of the Sacrament to be this to nourish our soule and not our body for he is truly refreshed with this meat that eateth in hart not that presseth it with his teeth to witt only with his teeth for he doth not exclude corporall eating when in the same place he saith that Iudas did eat it only corporally but only he doth preferre the spirituall eating before the corporall because the spirituall doth profitt without the carnall but not the corporall with out the spirituall The like is that place of Osea I vvill mercy not Sacrifice Osea cap. 6. Now our lord doth not reiect sacrifices but will none of them without mercy To the other Fathers I answere that they expound mystically not according to the letter but they in no place euer denied that those wordes ought not to be taken literally of the Sacramentall eating yea on the contrary they are aboue cited in be halfe of the Sacramentall eating for the literal and mysticall sense doe not repugne one an other To the last of S. Austine I answere Lib. â— de Doctrina Christiana he puteth a figure in the wordes concerning the manner of receauing the flesh of Christ not of the substance of the thing it self For he would not say the flesh of Christ so called figuratiuely is to be eaten that is the bread wherby his flesh is signified if wee consider the essence and verie thing of eating which only requireth that true meat be deliuered through the mouth vnto the stomake by vitall instrumentes wee shall easily perceaue that S. Austine vnderstandeth it to be eatcn figuratiuely concerning the manner for the ordinarie and proper manner of eating flesh is that it be visibly cutt in partes and so taken by little and little boyled not raw c. but the flesh of Christ is taken whole and inuisibly without any hurt of it self wherfor the flesh of Christ is slaine and torne in eating not properly but only figuratiuely for wee represent the passion of Christ Now that S. Austine doth vnderstand it in this sense this manifest for tow respects first because he saith it is to be expounded figuratiuely least some vnlawfull acte or wickednes should seeme to be commaunded Moreouer it were a wicked thing to kill and eat the flesh of Christ in partes but not after a certayn spirituall manner to receaue the verie flesh it self in the Sacrament without any hurt ther vnto Secondly because he himself doth explicate what is the litterall sense which seemeth to sound any wickednes to witt that wherein the Capharnaites did take the wordes of Christ tract 27. in Ioann Psal 98. who thought that his flesh was to be torne as wee see it done in the shambles and some little parte giuen to euery one therfore when S. Austine saith that by this precept Vnlesse yee eat is commaunded that wee communicate by the passion of Christ and worship and cogitat it in our myndes he doth only signifie that which the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 11. That the flesh of Christ is to be receaued in the Sacrament for a remembrance of the passion and death of our lord All other friuoulous obiections for as much as they haue no authoritie but theire owne bare explications I thinke needlesse to write specially when you see that wee haue all antiquitie with the whole Church for our sentence and opinion to witt that the true body and blood of Christ is vndoubtedly and really eaten in the Sacrament of the Eucharist But to make S. Austine more cleare heare yet this one sentence of his he therfore expounding a little beneath these words He which eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood remayneth in me saith thus He that remayneth not in Christ in whome Christ doth not remayne without doubt he doth not eat his flesh spiritually nor drinke his blood although carnally and visibly he presse the body and blood of Christ with his teeth but doth rather eat ad drinke the Sacrament of so great a thinge to his owne iudgment because being vnclean he doth presume to coÌ„e to the SacrameÌ„t of Christ which no maÌ„ receaueth worthily vnlesse he be cleane These S. Austine whoe therfore caÌ„ be so froward as to deny say that S. Austine doth not expouÌ„d these words of S. Iohn to pertaine vnto the Sacrament of the Eucharist where the flesh and blood of Christ is realy eaten dronken and that he would only teach when he saith This bread is to be eaten by faith that neither teeth nor bellie is to be prepared but that faith and puritie of mynd is necessary wherby this meat ought to be taken that it may profit and be worthily eaten without which it doth not profit but hurt Againe our aduersaries obiect an other place out of S. Athanasius where in his tract vpon these wordes Whoesoeuer shall speak a word against the son of man it shal be for giuen c. saith thus How many men would his body haue sufficed for meat that it might become food for the whole world but therfore he made mention of his ascension into heauen that he might draw them from a corporall vnderstanding and that they afterwards might vnderstand his flesh wherof he spoke to be meat sent from heauen and spirituall food and that it was to be giuen by himself For the wordes which I speake vnto you our Sauiour are spirit and life which is the same as if he should say my body which is shevven and giuen for the world shal be giuen for meat that it may be giuen spirituallie to euery one and become a protection and preseruation to euery one vnto the
who haue dayly offered my pretious body and blood i lib. de velandis virginibus Tertullian anno 200. saith it is not permitted that women should teach or speake in the church nor Baptize nor offer k in epistola ad SmirneÌ„ses S. Ignatius anno 100. saith it is not lawfull without a Bishop to offer or sacrifice or celebrate Masses l lib. 4. aduer haeres cap. 32 ad finem S. Irenaeus anno 160. saith Christ the new oblation of the new testament that is to say of his body and blood which the church haueing receaued from the Apostles â—hee offereth vnto God through the whole world m Sermo de defunctis S. â—thanasâ—us anno 340. saith The oblation of the vnbloodie sacrifice is our propitiation n Sermo de câ—m Domini lib. 2 epist 〈◊〉 Oâ—â—cilium S. Cyprian anno 240 saith That the Eucharist is a holocaust to purge our sinnes And againe yf Iesus Christ our Lord and God be himself the high priest of God the Father and offered sacrifice to God the Father and commaunded this to be done in remembraunce of him verily 〈◊〉 performeth the office of a priest in place of Christ that â—â—â—â—ateth that which Christ hath done and he shall offer the true and full sacrifice to God the Father then in the church if he begine in such manner as he saw Christ offer o in Liturgia S. Basil anno â—80 saith make vs worthy to stand with a pure hart before thee and to minister vnto thee and offer the reuerend sacrifice for the aboliâ—hing our sins and reconciliation of thy people p Cateches S. â—â—ystâ—g S. Cyrill of Hierus anno 350 saith wee offer Christ slaine for our sins to the end wee may procure his fauour who is most mercifull both for our selues and for them q oraâ— de re◠〈…〉 c. S Gregory Niss anno 380 saith our Lord preuenting the violence of the Iewes offered himâ—elf a sacrifice being himself both priest and lambe but thou wilt say vnto me when was this done euen then when he gaue to his familiar friends his body to eat and his blood to drinke and that which himself did he commaunded his ministers to doe the same r homil â—4 in 1. ad Cor. S. Chrysostome saith anno 380. That instead of sacrifices and killing of brute beasts he commaunded himself to be offered Againe Å¿ homil in epistol ad Hebrâ—â— not many Christes saith he but one Christ is offered in many places being whole Christ in this place and in that place one body not many bodies Againe t in psal 95. the number of sacrifices in the law were great without number all which new grace coming afterwards vnto vs it doth imbrace them or comprehend them in one sacrifice establishing one true oblation Againe v in a homiâ— in 2. Tim. 1. The sacred oblation it self whether Peter or Paul or any other priest of any worth doe offer it is the same which Christ himself gaue to his disciples and which priestes also do now make this oblation hath nothing lesse then that hadd why so because maÌ„ doe not sanctifie this but Christ who sanctified that before for as the words which Christ spake be the same that the priest doth now pronounce so the oblation is also the same Againe x lib. 6. de Sacerdotio The priest saith he being an embassadour maketh intercession and prayer vnto God for the whole world that he would forgiue the sins of all men both liueing and dead y in Liturgia Againe make vs vvorthy to offer vnto thee giftes and sacrifices for our sins and the iniquitie of the people z in 1. cap. S. Lucae S. Ambrose anno 380 saith vvhen vve sacrifice Christ is present Christ is offered Christ is sacrificed because Christ our pasouer is offered Againe a lib. 1 de officiis cap 4â— in psalme 8. lib 5. epist 3â—8 Christ offereth himself as a priest to forgiue sins Againe although Christ be not now seene to offer yet he doth offer vpon earth when his body is offered Againe I continued in myne office saith he I beganne to say Masse and to pray vnto God in the oblation that he would be mercifull b trâ—ct 2. in Exodum S. Gaudentius anno 390. saith In the shadow of that legall passouer one lambe was not slayne but many because one vvas not sufficient for all c and the same lambe being offered through all chrches in the mysterie of bread and wine it refresheth being belieued it quickeneth being consecrated it sanctifieth the consecrators this is the flesh of the lambe this is his blood c in commeÌ„tario cap 1. ad Tâ—â— â—n S. Hierome anno 380. saith if lay men be commaunded to absteyn from their wiues for prayer vvhat shall vvee think of a Bishop vvho must dayly offer immaculate sacrifices vnto God for his owne sins and the sins of the people d quaest 57. in leuiticum S. Augustine anno 400. saith by those sacrifices this sacrifice wherby true remission of sins is obteyned was signified Againe e lib 4 de trâ—â—â—t cap. 14. what more acceptable thing saith he can be offered or receaued then the flesh of our sacrifice made the body of our priest Againe f lib. contra aduersatios legis cap 20. Malachie 1. v. 11. expounding that place of Malachie he saith The church by the successours of the Apostles offereth the sacrifice of payse in the body of Christ Againe g in omni loco offertur lib 18. de ciuitate Dei cap. â—6 for as much saith he as they may see in euery place euen from the rising of the sunne vnto the letting that this sacrifice is offered vnto God by priestes according to the order of Melchisedech they cannot deny but that the sacrifice of the Iewes of whome it is said I haue no w ll in you hath ceased or else they exspect another Christ h lib. 1. demonstrat Euang cap. vlt ad locuâ— Mal. cap. 1. S Eusebius anno 330. Cesariensis Therfore wee sacrifice vnto almightie God a sacrifice of prayse wee sacrifice vnto God a full sacrifice which carrieth a sweete smelling odour and most holy sacrifice wee sacrifice a pure sacrifice after a new manner according to the new testament S. Gregory 1. Pope i lib. 4. Dialog cap 58. anno 1600. saith This victime or sacrifice doth marueilouslie deliuer a soule from eternall destruction and doth also renew vnto vs in a mysterie that death of the only begotten who although rising againe from the dead he doe not now dye and death shall no more triumph ouer him yet liueing in himself immortallie and vncorruptiblie is sacrificed againe for vs in this mysterie of the holy sacrifice for his body is receaued there his flesh is giuen for the saluation of the people his blood is now powred out not into the handes of the vnfaithfull but into the mouâ—hes
that they seeme from hence to scrape testimonies to proue that it doe not suffice to confesse sins to God only or lay men but that the priest must know of it their diligence is shamefull and wicked For if the auncient Fathers doe at nny tyme persuade sinners to disburden them selues vnto their pastour it cannot be vnderstood of any recyting or such lyke matter wher of then as he doth not know so he doth not explicate yet a little after he saith although they teach a grosse errour in saying that it ought to be declared by word they trust in a ceremonie in stead of Doctrine An old condemned Heresie This was the heresie and chiefe errour of the Nouations witnes Theodoretut lib. de haeret fab and S. Cornelius Papa apub Euseb l 6. hist cap. 33. that the Church and priestes of Christ had no power to absolue sinners and reconcile them againe vnto God THE 36. ARTICLE Of Satisfaction THE CATHOLICKE DOCTRINE A man iustified may truly Satisfie God for the giult of his temporall payne wherfore there may iustly be inioyned Satisfactory workes as fastinge abstinence Almes deeds and discipline also chastisement of the body for a payne and punishment to such as fall and are penitent and such men also may piously and with great profit vndertake the same and fulfill it SCRIPTVRE a Nom. 2â— v. 12. BEcause you haue not belieued in me to Sanctify me before the Children of Israell you shall not bring in these people into the land which I will giue them b 2 Kinges cap. 12 14. Because thou hast made the emimes of our lord to blaspheme for this thing the son that is borne to thee shall die the death c 3. Kinges cap. 21. v. 27.28.29 When Achab had heard these words he rent his garments and couered his flesh with hearcloth and fasted and slept in sackcloth and the word of the lord came to Elias the Thisbite sayinge hast thou not seen Achab humbled before me therfore because he hath humbled himself for my sake I wil not bring in the evill in his dayes d 2. Kinges 24 22 c. Daniel 4 24. Choyse is giuen thee of three thinges c. either famine three months warre or three dayes pestilence for a penaunce e Tobias 12.8 9. and Ecclesiasticus 3.33 Prayer is good with fasting and Almes c. that is it which purgeth sinnes and maketh to find mercy and life euerlasting f Ioel 2.12 Turne to me with all your hart in fasting and in weeping and in mourning g Psal 6.7 I haue laboured in mourning I will wash my bed euery night I will water my bed with my teares h Ps 34.13.1 But when they were troublesome to me I did put on cloth of heare i Ps 24.18 See my humiliation and my labour and forgiue all my sins k Matt. 3.2 Doe pennaunce for the kingdome of heauen is at hand l cap. 11.21 They had done penance in hearcloth and ashes long a goe m Lucke 3.3 Preaching the baptisme of penance vnto remission of sinnes n cap. 13.3.5 Vnlesse you haue penance you shall all likewyse perish o Act 8 22. Doe penance therfore for this thy wickednes p cap. 2.38 But Peter said vnto them doe yee pennance and let euery one of you be baptized in the name of Iesus for the remission of your sinnes q 1 Cor. 5 5. See also Daniel 4. v 24. and prouerbs 26 6. To deliuer such an one to Sathan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saued FATHERS 1. Concilium Vacense anno 442. bringeth in S. Peter speaking thus yf peraduenture either enuie or infidelitie or any of those Mischiefs which you haue spoken of before shall secretly creep into any mans hart Let him not be ashamed to confesse those thinges vnto him that hath the care of the gouerment of his soule that he may be cured by him through the word of God and wholsome Councell wherby through sound faith and good workes he may avoyde the paynes of eternall sier and obteyn the rewards of life euerlasting S. Dionysius Areopagita anno 80. Epist 6. Vehemently rebuketh Demophilus the monke because with his foot he thrust away a sinner that had submitted and prostrated himself at the knees of the priest being about to confesse his sinnes and receaue absolution from the same S. Iustine Martyr anno 150. Quaest 79. asketh a question why God permitted king Iosias to be slayne with a sworde being a most holy man and he answereth in these words Certenly Iosias had a woefull end of his life because he obeyed not the commaund of Hieremias who said vnto him by Gods commaund that he should not proceed to meet the kinge of Aegipt in battayl as Hieremias saith Wherfor that our lord might receaue him out of this world purified from his sinnes he therfore gaue him to be punished for his disobedience by the sworde of the Aegiptians S. Irenaeus anno 160. saith Lib. 4. cap. 28 in fine He tought that he should doe those thinges that were commaunded by God from the beginnig and that they should disolue the old concupiscence by good workes and follow Christ and that those things which men possesse being distributed to the poore doe make a dissolution of that concupiscence past Tacheus Maketh it manifest saying behold I giue one halfe of my goods to the poore lib. de paenit Tertullian anno 200. saith thou hast offended but thou maist yet be reconciled thou hast one to whome thou maist make Satisfaction Et infra Satisfaction is wrought by confession And a little before he saith what a foolish thing is it not to fullfill our penaunce and soe to obteyne the pardon of our sins this is as much as not to pay the price and yet to say hold on the marchandice for our lord hath appoynted to graunt pardon for this price he hath determined that a full discharge from punishment should be obteyned by this Satisfaction of penaunce homii 6. in Exod. Origen anno 230. saith if any man peraduenture being deceaued by the Diuell hath receaued such money let him not altogether dispaire for our lord is mercifull and full of compassion and desireth not the death of his creature but rather that he be conuerted and liue by penaunce weeping and Satisfaction let him blott out that which is committed homil 3. in lib. Iud. Againe See saith he how our mercifull lord mixeth his mercy with seueritie and measureth the payn it self by a iust and milde weight he doth not wherby reiect offenders but as longe tyme as thou knowest thou hast erred as longe tyme as thou hast offended so much the more humble thy selfe vnto God and satisfie him by the confession of penaunce Sermone do opere Elcemosynis S. Cyprian anno 240. saith Neither should infirmity haue any humane frailty which imbecillity could ouer come vnlesse
suffered because the offender doth after wards reiect them and they may very well be purged by satisfaction THE ADVERSARIE The i Cent. â— col 127. l. 40. See also M. VVhitaker contr camp rat 5. pag 78. and himself also alledged in M Fulkes def of the English traÌ„slations ca. 13 pag. 68. Centuri-wryters affirme that penance or satisfaction was inioyned according to the offence and that the same Fathers thought by such their externall discipline of life to paye the paynes due vnto sins and to satisfie Gods iustice and that not Cyprian only but almost all the holy Fathers of that age were in that errour k Toby 129. Almes doth deliuer from death and doth purge all sinne Againe l cap 410. Almes doth deliuer from death and suffereth not the soule to goe into darknes m Ecclesiâ—sticus cap. 333. Water quencheth burning sier and almes resisteth sinnes This place of Ecclesiasticus and the other of Toby are so euident that the ministers of lincolne Diocesse say n in their abridgment c. pag. 76. The twoe places of Toby and ecclesiasticus tend daungerously to the iustifying of the merit of almes deeds LVTHERS DOCTRINE in assert articulor art 5. I mortally hate saith he and earnestly desire that terme satiefaction to be taken quite away which not only is not found in scripture but it hath a daungerous sense as if any man could satisfie God for his sin when as he doth freely pardon althings wherfor saith he I said that true satisfaction is not found neither in the scriptures nor in the fathers in Apolog. confessionis Augustanae art de coÌ„fess satisfactione Philipp Melanchthon Luthers Schollâ—r saith But yet our aduersaries saith he confesse that satisfactions doe not profit vnto the remission of the fault but doe fame that satisfactions profit to redeeme the paynes either of purgatorie or other payns Et infra this is ameere fiction and a thing newly inuented without authoritie either of scripture or auncient ecclesiasticall writters Againe in locis commun tit de satisfactione prope finem de carnis mortificationibus such manner saith he of voluntarie mortifications or tormentings belonge vnto that rule in vayne do they worship me with the commaundements of men also it is against these precepts Thou shalt not Kill and that Giue honour to the body who euer heard of a more sweeter ghospell then this of Luthers CALVINS DOCTRINE They assigne saith he the thirde place of satisfaction in penance lib. 3. instit cap. 3. ¶ 30. wherof whatsoeuer they bable it may all be confuted in one word they say it doth not suffice the penitent to abstayne from sins past to amend his manners vnlesse he doe satisfie God for that which he hath committed they say there are many helps wherby wee may redeeme our sins as teares fastinges oblations and the offices of charity And a little after against such lyes I oppose free remission of sins and that which is gratis then which there is nothing more clearly mentioned in the scriptures what I pray you hath Christ done for vs if the punishment for sin should still be exacted for when wee say that he suffered for all our sinnes vpon the crosse wee signifie no other thing then that he died with that payn and reueunge which was de for our sinnes Et infra I know that they speake yet more subtilly when as they distinguish betweene eternall payne and temporall paynes but in that they say temporall payne is a certayne punishment which God doth take as well of the body as the soule excepting only eternall death this restraint doth little availe them Again ¶ 38. all those thinges which doe euery where occurre in the writings of the fathers coÌ„cerning satisfaction do little moue me I see indeed that many of them yea I will speake plainly almost all whose bookes are now extant that in this matter they did either erre or speake to bitter and harsh ¶ 39. Againe But they called it for the most part satisfaction not a recompence which should be rendered vnto God but a publike testification wherby such as were punnished with excommunication when they would be receaued into communion againe they did make their penance knowne vnto the church And a little after confessions and satisfactions which are at this day in vse tooke their beginning from that old ceremonie indeed a viperous broode wherby it is come to passe that there is not so much as a shadow left of any better custome I know that the auncient writters did speake sometyme to hardly in this matter neither peraduenture as I said euen now did they erre therein lib. 4 cap. 12. ¶ 8. Againe the immodest authority saith he of the auncient writers can by no means be excused which doth altogether swarue and dissent from the precept of God and is very daungerous where also he saith that S. Cyprian was not so strickt but S. Chrysostome was more exact THE 37. ARTICLE Of the Single life of Priestes and Clergie men THE CATHOLICKE DOCTRINE Virginitie and single life is farre more excellent and conuenient for diuine exercices them wedlocke or matrimonie wherfor it doth chiefly become priestes and the ministers of the church to be so and that they are iustly bound vnto it by holy Cannons and vow SCRIPTVRE a Exod. 19 1â— BE ready against the third day and come not neere your wiues b Matth. 19.12 And there are Eunuches which haue gelded themselues for the kingdome of heauen c cap. 22. v. 30. In the resurrection neither shall they marrie or be married but are as the Angels of God in heauen d 1. Cor. 75. v. 7. Defraud not one an other except perhaps for a tyme by consent that you way giue your selues to prayer c. I would all men to be as my self to witt vnmarried FATHERS e lib. de virgin extremo S. Athanasius anno 380. saith O virginitie a neuer fayling riches an immortall crowne the temple of God the Dwelsing howse of the holy ghost a pretious pearle inuisible to the world the ioy of the Prophets the glory of the Apostles the life of Angels the crowne of Saintes f lib. de virginibus S. Ambrose anno 380. saith lett no man maruail if they be compared to Angels which are coupled with our Lord. g Catechesi 12. S. Cyrill Hierosol anno 350. saith let vs not be ignorant of the glory of chastity for it is an Angelicall crowne yea this perfection is aboue man h in 2. Dialogo b. Suâ—pitius anno 420. saith o blessed beauty and worthy of God i lib. de virginitate cap. 31. S. Austine anno 400. saith Therfore when professors of perpetuall continency shall compare themselues vnto those that are maried they shall find that according to the scriptures they are farre inferiour vnto them both in worke desert vow and reward also then presently doth that saying come