the Apostle S. Paul which was diuinely inspired into him but in the Bishops assembled in the Councels aboue said In confidence whereof I will come vnto the Councell of Nice which imposed three yeeres penance vpon the Christians who hauing abandoned their Armes afterward returned to the warres againe which rigour is condemned by S. Iohn Baptist who did not commaund souldiers to forsake their Armes but exhorteth them to content themselues with their payes and to demaund nothing beside that which was ordained for them The Fathers assembled in the Arelatan Councell haue prohibited the admitting of a married man into the vocation of the holy Ministerie by an article cleane contrarie to the 〈◊〉 the Apostle S. Paul who saith in the first Epistle to Tim. chap. 3. that a Bishop must be the husband of one wife The second Councell of Nice allowed the adoration and seruice of Images a fault which you will not correct to obey the second commandement of the Lord who saith in Exodus chapter 20. verses 4. 5. Thou shalt make thee no grauen Images neither any similitude of things that are in heauen aboue neither that are in the earth beneath nor that are in the waters vnder the earth thou shalt not bow downe to them neither serue them In the Lateran Councell which was held vnder Pope Innocentius the third it was decreed that men should beleeue that the bread and wine was changed into the substance of the bodie and blood of Iesus Christ by the vertue of these fiue words Hoc est enim corpus meum Which is a false opinion and easie to be ouerthrowne by many places of holy scripture and especially by the 11. chapter of Saint Pauls first Epistle to the Corinth where after he had recited the institution of the Lords Supper and treated of the consecration of the bread and wine by these very words of our Lord Iesus Christ This is my body c. he retaineth those same words of bread and wine For he saith as often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew the Lords death till he come Againe Whosoeuer shall eate this bread finally let a man therefore examine himselfe and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. By which manner of speech he teacheth vs that there is no transubstantiation in the holy Supper but that the bread remaineth bread and the wine keepeth it owne naturall propertie They also which were present in the Councell of Toledo haue they not iudged that he which in stead of being espoused to any honest woman kept a concubine ought neuerthelesse not to bee cast out of the communion of the Lords Supper Doth not this sentence ouerthrow the institution of holy Matrimonie which by the Apostle S. Paul is called an vndefiled bed and honourable among all men Heb. 13. 4. Doth it not also fauour whoremongers which possesse the vessels of their bodie in dishonour and are condemned by God as well in the seuenth Commandement of his law as by many holie remonstrances of the Prophets and Apostles Moreouer the 72 Canon of the 6. generall Councel approued by Pope Adrian doth it not say that men ought to breake the promises of Mariage which the Catholikes haue made with heretikes and to hold them for nought as though they neuer had been made Is not this too too dangerous a Canon forged by the spirit of disloyaltie and dissension For the spirit of truth which guided the penne of the Apostle S. Paul doth it not signifie to vs in the first Epistle to the Corinthians the 7. chapter and 15. verse that God hath called the married in peace and that to entertaine and keep it If any brother haue a wife that beleeueth not if she be content to dwell with him he ought not to forsake her and if any woman hath an husband that beleeueth not if hee be content to dwell with her she ought not to forsake him neither Whereunto the Apostle addeth this reason as most worthy of consideration namely the vnbeleeuing husband is sanctified by the wife and the vnbeleeuing wife is sanctified by the husband and that through this coniunction their children are holy which else would be vncleane The Councell of Wormes abusing that admonition of the Apostle S. Paul in the 1. Epistle to the Cor. chap. 11. 28 where he saith Let a man therefore examine himselfe and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup thought it a matter of no moment to admit theeues and other scandalous persons vnto the Lords holy table vpon the trial and testimonie of their owne consciences These are the Councels very words It oftentimes happeneth that the Monkes in their Cloisters doe commit some crime of theft behold wee therefore iudge that these brethren being accused of such a fact ought to cleere themselues thereof and ordaine to this effect that the Abbat or some one among them of their brethren celebrate the Masse and that all trying and prouing themselues doe participate the same And in another Canon If any one hath charged the Bishop or Priest with some mischieuous deed he ought to celebrate the Masse and to shew thereby that he knowes himselfe innocent and guiltlesse of that crime which is laid vnto his charge This canon hath not only been approued but also put in practise by Pope Gregory the seuenth named before his popedome Hildebrand who being aduertised by letters that he was accused of sorcerie and simonicall heresie answered that to satisfie euery man according to that good canon of the Councell of Wormes and to take away that scandalous report of him out of y e Catholike Church he would receiue the body of our Lord in token of his innocencie True it is that afterward as Bellarmine writeth the Bishops thought good to abolish that pernicious canon whereby their predecessors had prostituted the communion of the bodie and blood of our Lord Iesus Christ to all sorts of leaud persons to be vnworthily trampled vnder their feete and prophaned But Bellarmine notwithstanding is driuen to confesse so much that it was receiued and allowed for some time in your Church To come now vnto the errors of some other Councels The Councels of Carthage and of Florence haue inrolled for canonicall bookes and as diuinely inspired to serue all men in the points of religion for a rule and as a law for their discourses the bookes of Tobit Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus and the Maccabees which neuerthelesse according to Cardinall Caietans owne confession are accounted by S. Ierome among the Apocrypha and not receiueable for to ground vpon them any article of faith and to the end the Reader may not be troubled in that the abouesaid Councels and the Popes Innocentius and Gelasius haue reckoned these bookes among the Canonicall the said Cardinall giueth him this counsell in his obseruations vpon the tenth chapter of Ester to reduce them to the rule and correction of
THE REFVTATION OF AN EPISTLE WRITTEN BY A CERTAIN DOCTOR OF the Augustins Order within the Citie of Leige TOGETHER WITH THE ARGVMENTS which he hath borrowed from Robert Bellarmine to proue the inuocation of Saints By IOHN POLYANDER Minister vnto the French Church in Dort And now translated by HENRY HEXHAM out of French into English 1. PETER 4. 11. If any man speake let him talke as the words of God AT LONDON Imprinted by F. K. for Thomas Man 1610. TO THE HONORABLE AND RIGHT WORTHIE SIR HORACE VERE Knight Lord Gouernour of his Maiesties Cautionarie Towne of Briel in Holland and chiefe Commander vnder his Excellencie of all the English Forces in the seruice of the Lords the States of the vnited Prouinces RIght Honourable and my best Lord it shal not offend any that know your Lordship how God hath honoured you with the eminent markes of Honour in your noble Birth great Exploits true vertues and vnfained godlinesse so much the greater by how much the rarer dignities that I stile you right Honourable and I trust it will not offend you that I call you my best Lord whom I haue long followed and next vnder God doe depend vpon If ought need excuse it is then this boldnesse that I presume vpon your fauour so much as to dedicate this Treatise vnto your name and that without your Lordships priuitie The Treatise right worthy being considered in it selfe is not vnworthie a noble Patron being written of a notable argument and by a notable Minister and in my opinion so much the more agreeable vnto you by how much you declare your self a zealous louer of that Truth which this author maintaineth and haue with losse of blood and hazard of life defended with your sword what this man by his pen. As touching my part therein which is the least and the translation though it be not so well worthie of you yet because it is due to you being done by one of your Lordships Companie and in the towne of your Garrison where it was also penned and by me that haue deuoted my selfe vnto your seruice in any dutie I can performe I hope your Lordship will not only pardon my boldnesse but accept my dutifull affections in this which in my prayers to God for you shall euer shew themselues to be such as becommeth me Your Lordships Souldier euer to be commanded Henry Hexham TO THE CHRISTIAN READER THe extreame libertie which this scribling age taketh of writing and publishing idle and vnprofitable pamphlets and the double diligence of Popish Writers in painting the old and withered face of their Iezabel not onely may but ought to prouoke those that can dee it to set forth wholesome things as counter-poysons or preseruatiues against the foresaid poysons of manners and doctrine Hereupon I confesse to haue encouraged the translator of this present Treatise to publish the same in our language into which hee had and so farre as I can indge both faithfully and fitly turned it out of French that our countrey-men might see how the Ministers of other Churches are assaulted and do make their iust defence with the same weapons with which our owne Touching the author of this booke I may not conceale that he is a man of singular note for his learning grauity pietie and conuersation and hath so stood in the seruice of the French Church at Dort in Holland for the space of eighteene yeeres to the praise of God Concerning the worke I will not so much ouervalew my selfe or vndervalew it as to recommend it vpon my word vnto the Churches of God for who am I but signifie that the seuerall impressions of it in French the translating thereof into the Dutch tongue and the good respect thereof in the French and Dutch Churches doe more then sufficiently commend it vnto all men wherefore good Reader I leaue it thus commended vnto thee and pray God to make it profitable to thee as it hath bin to many others Thine in the Lord Iohn Burges Preacher to the English at the Hagâ—â—e in Holland TO THE FRENCH CHVRCH ASSEMBLED together at Dort THere is no exercise most deare and worthie Brethren in the Lord more needfull nor more conuenient for a Christian man then to call vpon his Creator and Sauiour For sith that hee receiueth from his hand all manner of blessings aswell for this present life as for that which is to come he is therefore bound continually to inuocate and call vpon him for aide who is the Father of lights from whom commeth downe euery good giuing and euery perfect gift Beside it is also that marke by which the children of light are discerned from the children of this world who as it is written in the 14 Psalme haue no care to call vpon the Lord. Moreouer it is one of the parts of that Christian acknowledgement whereby wee make profession to beleeue that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that seeke him as the Apostle witnesseth in the 11. Chapter to the Hebrewes and sixth verse It is a sweete communication and a familiar discourse with God whereby wee freely declare to him our necessities and beseech him to returne an answere to our petitions in due time It may also be called an ambassage or a trusty Post which swiftly mounting vp to heauen knocketh at the gate of Gods palace there to present before him all our requests Finally it is the very soule of our soules and like as our bodies cannot liue nor subsist without our soules so likewise cannot our soules perseuere in the faith and hope of the grace of God which is the fountaine of life without the exercise of prayer Which point the Fathers of the old Testament considering ere they betooke themselues to any of their affaires began them euermore by calling vpon the name of God saying Our helpe is in the name of the Lord which hath made heauen and earth Which also the Iewes from the godlinesse of their forefathers hold yet vnto this day and obserue it so carefully that they addresse their prayers to none but to that sole Creator of all things Wherein these ignorant people which neither know the Sonne nor the Father shew themselues farre more wise and religious then the Papists which call themselues Christians and Catholikes and yet notwithstanding are so blockish and superstitious that in stead of addressing themselues to the only God Almightie immortall they implore the aide of the dead and their Idols not considering what the Lord speaketh by his Prophet Esay in the 42. chap. and 8. verse that his glorie he will not giue to another neither his praise to grauen Images But what the diuell sworne enemie against the honour of God and mans saluation hath with such an efficacy breathed this impiety into the hearts of those lying Doctors that albeit they are conuicted by an infinit number of sentences of holy Scripture by which God expressely forbiddeth vs not to worship any but
hath taught vs this kinde of adoration nor that any of the Prophets haue euer commanded vs to worship a man much lesse a woman Verely she is saith Epiphanius an excellent chosen vessell yet notwithstanding she is a woman whose nature hath not in any thing been changed but as she that in honour hath been raised vp as the body of the Saints and if more may be said in her honour like as Elias a virgin from the belly of his mother which alwaies kept his virginitie was taken vp into heauen and saw no death or as Iohn whom the Lord loued and who leaned vpon his bosome or as holy Thecla but Mary is to be honoured much more then these because of the dispensation of that secret whereof as worthie she was reputed But Elias though he yet be liuing ought not to be worshipped nor Iohn albeit that by his owne prayer he made his death to be admired or receiued this grace from God rather no nor Theela nor any 〈◊〉 Saint ought to be adored The reason is because saith he that the ancient error should not domineere ouer vs that in forsaking the liuing God we should not worship the things which hee hath created For they haue worshipped and serued the creature haâ—ing forsaken the Creator and are become fooles For if he will not suffer vs to adore the Angels much lesse her that is borne of Anna who to Anna was giuen by Ioaechim she that through prayers and all deuotion was giuen according to the promise made to her father and mother and who in that respect is borne no otherwise then according to the nature of others but as all of the seed of man and out of the wombe of a woman For although the storie of Mary and the traditions doe report that it was said to her father Ioachim in the wildernesse Thywife hath conceiued yet was it not said that it should be without copulation or without the seed of man But the Angell which was sont foretold that which was to come to the inteÌ„t we should not enter into doubt because of that which in truth hath been done as alreadie it had been ordained and promised to the rightous and we see that the Scripture in many places declareth it to be so God then being descended out of heauen hath formed himselfe of the Virgin as of earth the Word hauing taken his flesh of the Virgin Mary neuerthelesse not to that end that the Virgin should be worshipped neither to the intent that hee would deifie her nor with meaning that wee should offer vp in her name Hereupon returning to the first originall of the error of these women hee crieth out saying From whence then is come this crooked Dragons from whence are these crooked Counsels renewed let Mary be in honour but let the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost be worshipped let none worship Mary nor any other woman no nor a man likewise for this mysterie is due only but to God The Angels themselues are not capable of such an honour therefore let the couetousnesse of the tree be taken away from before your eyes let the creature returne vnto his Creator let Adam with Eue come againe to reuerence and serue God only let her be no more seduced by the Serpents voice but let her abide in the commandement of God Thou shalt not eate of the tree This tree was not the error but by the tree came the disobedience of error let none then eate of the error which is for the Virgin Maries sake for although the tree be faire it is not therefore good to be eaten And though that Mary be exceeding faire holy and to be honoured yet is she not to be worshipped But these women renew a mixtion at hab nab and prepare a table not for God but for the diuell let Ieremy stay and withhold these peeuish women that they may not trouble the world nor say no more We honor the Queene of Heauen Whereupon briefly concluding his discourse he saith Let Mary be in honour and let the Lord be worshipped For the righteous saith he giue no occasion of error to any one God is not tempted with euill neither tempteth any man nor likewise his seruants to deceiue vs. If this holy Father had such zeale and courage to crie out so loud against these women in his time which offered but a cake vnto the Virgin Mary and that all the East trembled for it what would he doe at this day if he heard the prayers of your Iesuits wherein they iovne ordinarily the Virgin Mary with the holy Trinitie saying To God one in Trinitie and to the mother of God Mary alwaies virgin be glorie and thanks giuing vnte eternitie What would hee say of your prayer contained in the Psalter approoued by the Doctors of Sotbon and iudged not only worthie but also very profitable to be published in which you say to the Virgin Mary My only succour my lips are bound to publish no other praises then thine I haue put all my hope in thee to thee only I addresse my prayers I will loue no other then thee by thee the head of the Serpent hath been brused by thee the world is repaired thy power is boundlesse vnto thee I confesse my sinnes into thy hands I remit my soule Come vnto Mary ye which haue thâ—rst pray vnto her that with her water she will wash away the filthinesse of your sinnes promised woman to bruse the SerpeÌ„t pray for vs which sufferedst on the crosse with Christ take pitie on vs. What would he iudge of Iustus Lipsius who putting out his eyes wherewith he had seene the light of truth in Holland and who not long ago hath abused his penne to renew and disguise through the craft and cunning of his tongue the false rumours of the miracles of the Ladies of Hates and of Montague would he not liken this golden fable of Lipsius and the florish of prayers which you make to the Virgin Mary to the Cantarids and greene flies which are of colour very faire and shining like gold and yet are very dangerous and full of venome which they spue vp and cast on euery side vpon the trees and fruits of the earth would he not crie out much more louder and farre more rougher against your superstitions then he did in times past for the presenting but of a cake to the Virgin Mary Had he not greater reason to call the praises and prayers which daily you offer to the holy Virgin the instruments of error diabolicall enterprises a spirituall adulterie a doctrine blasphematorie and finally a forging Idoll heresie Now as for Chrysostome he teacheth vs in his sermons and vpon the exposition of the formular of the prayer which Iesus Christ gaue vnto his Disciples that God requireth not of vs that wee should addresse our prayers to any other but only vnto him and to his Sonne Iesus Christ our sole Mediatour to induce him to receiue
light of men And the light shined in the darknesse and the darknesse comprehended it not Hitherto saith he 〈◊〉 finde no prayer nor cause nor place of 〈◊〉 But because 〈◊〉 immediatly after he saith And the Word was made flesh and dâ—â—lt among vs thou hast a Godhead to which thou addressest thy prayer and a humanitie which prayeth for thee This was spoken by the Apostle euen since the resurrection of our Lord which sitteth at the right hand of God and soliciteth for vs because he hath vouchsafed to be our Mediatour And what is hee but a Mediatour betweene God and men not betweene the Father and men but betweene God and men What is that God The Father the Son and the holy Ghost What are men Sinners contemners of God and mortall Betweene this same Trinitie and the infirmitie and iniquitie of men was made a Mediatour a man not vniust but neuerthelesse weake to the end that in as much as 〈…〉 hee might ioyne vs to God in that that he was weake he might draw neere to thee and therefore to the intent hee might be a mediatour betweene God and men the Word was made flesh that is to say the Word was made man And vpon this sentence our Lord Iesus Christ saith I am the way the truthâ— and the life I am saith the Lord the truth and the life wilt thou 〈◊〉 I am the way wilt thou not be deceiued I am the truth wilt thou not die I am the life This thy Sauiour saith Thou hast no where to goe but only to me thou hast none to goe by but by me Goe by Christ man and thou shalt come vnto Godâ— If thou goest to him thou must goe by him seeke not any way by which thou maist come vnto him but by him he was made the way by which thou art to come I say not to thee seek the way he which is the way is come vnto thee Rise thou â—p and walke Walke with manners and not with feete Whosoeuer runneth out of this way and not by him the more hee runneth the more bee straâ—eth because he withdraweth himselfe the further out of the way Moreouer vpon the 94. Psalme If thou seekest saith he thy Mediatour to leade â—hee vnto God he is in heauens there prayeth for thee euen as he dâ—ed for thee in earth being entred into the sanctuary of heauen he only can present the prayers of the people which haue no neere accesse vnto God The same author noteth the words of the Apostle S. Iohn 1. Epistle chap. 2. vers 1. If any man sin we haue an aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the iust Where this Apostle taketh heed of making himselfe a companion with our aduocate Iesus Christ Surely saith he he was a iust and a great man who dranke out of the Lords bosome the secrets of his mysteries Being notwithstanding such a man he hath not said ye haue an aduocate with the Father but If any man hath sinned we haue an aduocate Neither did he say ye haue nor did he not say ye haue me nor likewise ye haue Christ but he propoundeth Christ and not himselfe and said we haue and not ye haue He chose rather to ranke himselfe in the number of sinners to the end that Christ might be his aduocate then to place himselfe an aduocate in stead of Christ to be accounted among the damnable proud ones BrethreÌ„ saith he we haue an aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the iust he is the propitiation for our sinnes who so holdeth that committeth no heresie nor hath made any schisme or partie For from whence are diuisions come from hence that men say wee are iust we sanctifie the vncleane we iustifie the wicked we pray we obtaine But what said Iohn If any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the iust Againe in his disputation against Parmenian lib. 2. cap. 2. If the Apostle S. Iohn had said He is the propitiation for your sinner it should haue seemed that hee would haue separated himselfe from sinners as if he had had no need of that propitiation which by the Mediatour is made who sitteth at the right hand of the Father and maketh request for vs. Which if hee had said hee had said it not only proudly but falsely Also if hee had said I haue written to you that yee might not sinne and if any man sinne ye haue me for a Mediatour with the Father and I obtaine the remission of your sins as Parmenian who in some place hath made the Bishop mediatour betweene the people and God what good and faithfull Christians could haue borne it who would haue respected him as the Apostle of Christ and not rather as Antichrist For Christian men saith he recommend one another vnto God through their mutuall prayers but hee which prayeth for all men and for whom none prayeth is the true and only Mediatour And for that his figure was represented to vs in the person of the High-priest of the old Testament it is not found that any should pray for the Priest Likewise S. Paul recommendeth himselfe to the prayers of the faithfull as one of the members of Christ neither doth he make himselfe any mediatour betweene God and the people but hee requireth that all the members of the body of Christ pray for him because that the prayâ—rs which the members make that yet are labouring on the earth mount vp to the Head which is gone before into heauen in whom is the propitiation for our sinnes Moreouer speaking of the Martyrs and other Saints departed in his Treatise of true Religion he expressely faith that the seruice of the dead ought not to be reckoned among Christians for religion and that wee ought to honour them by way of imitation and not to adore them by way of religion His words are Honorandi sunt propter imitationem non adorandi propter religionem And likewise of the Angels We honor them saith he through charitie and not through seruice And to the intent we might not think that we doe wrong to the Saints departed and Angels or should offend them in addressing or prayers only to God he proueth by certaine places of holy Scripture that neither the Angels nor the Saints deceased at any time heretofore or now would be worshipped of vs but that they rather call vs backe to our Creator desiring that wee should worship with them the same and one only God through whose contemplation they are blessed Heare â—aith Saint Austin on the 96. Psalme the Angel of the Lord and the instructor of the Apostle S. Iohn who fell down before him to haue worshipped him at it is written in the 19. chapter and 10. verse of the Reuelation This Angel which sought not but the glorie of his Lord said to him Arise what doest thou worship God I am thy fellow seruant and one of thy brethren What then my brethren let no man say
erred 49. 50 The Fathers inuocated the name of God only 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59 The Fathers prayed not to the Saints 61. 62. 63. 64 The Fathers called vpon God alone 65. 66. 67. 68. c. The Fathers condēned the worshippers of angels 57. 58. 59. 60 The ancient Fathers condemned the Adorers of Marie 61. 62. 63. 64 The ancient Doctors condemned the worshippers of creatures 52. 53. 54. c. 59. c. Bookes of the Fathers falsely fathered on them 81. 82. 83 An answere to his testimonie taken out of the writings of Irenaeus 85 An answere vpon his testimonie taken from Athanasius and Basil. 85. 86 An answere to his testimonie of Damascenus 88 Answere to his allegation of Hierome 88. 89 90 An answere to his allegation out of Anselmus and Bernard 91. 92 A particular answere vpon S. Bernards testimonie 94. 95 An answere vpon his citations out of Origen 96. 97 Books peruerted and altered by the Iesuites 98. 99. 100. 101 We ought to follow that forme of prayer which Christ hath taught vs. 102 False Prophets haue done miracles 103. 104 Sorcerers haue done miracles 105 The Saints departed cannot heare our prayers 105 The inuocation of Saints hath no ground nor foundation in the holy Scripture 107. 108 Touching his example of Abraham 111. 112. 113 What is to be vnderstood by Abrahams bosome 112. 113 There are but two waies 112 Of Lazarus and the rich Glutton 111. 112. 113. 14. 15 The departed doe not busie nor trouble themselues with our affaires 119. 120 The Saints deceased cannot heare vs. 122 AN EPISTLE WRITTEN BY A CERTAINE DOCTOR OF THE AVGVSTINS ORDER WITHIN THE CITIE OF LEIGE AND sent to a Leigois Merchant at DORT AFter my most humble salutations this present may serue according to my small power for to make cleere vnto you some certaine doubt which I vnderstood you haue to wit Whether it is true or how it is possible that the Saints which are aboue in heauen can heare our Prayers which we make to them here beneath on earth For the better cleering then of your demand wee will here handle two points as briefly as wee can beseeching you at your leisure you will be pleased to reade them ouer attentiuely The first will shew that it can be no otherwise then very good to pray and recommend vs to the Saints The second will declare the maner how they may heare our praiers and supplications For the first you must know that this hath alwaies been the doctrine of the Catholike Church to say and teach that this was a thing more then reasonable yea and most profitable for man to inuocate the Saints which the Church hath taught for the space of 1605 yeeres euen vnto this day But you must know this also that certaine heretikes which are sprung vp within this fortie or fiftie yeeres haue meant to teach and preach the cleane contrarir to wit the Lutherans and Caluinists who within a few yeeres seeking to ouerthrow so ancient a doctrine say that we must not pray vnto the Saints but vnto God onely Now let vs see whether these nouell Doctors haue been cleerer sighted wiser or better replenished with the spirit of God then all the Ancients The reason and most ordinary argument which they bring against this doctrine is this It is say they to doe wrong and iniurie vnto God to addresse our selues to any other then to him Loe this is that great peece of Canon wherewith they thunder against the walles of the towne and citie of God which is his Church For proofe whereof they alleage Saint Paul in his first Epistle to Timotheus the second Chapter and fifth verse saying that he calleth Iesus Christ our one and onely Mediator our Intercessor and our Bishop Let vs cite the words of the Apostle For There is saith he one God and one Mediator betweene God and man which is the man Christ Iesus These words of Saint Paul will say that there is one soueraigne Mediator which is Iesus Christ in that he is man but that hindereth not but there may bee moe which are subordinate and not soueraigne though that Iesus Christ be truly our onely Mediator sole Aduocate and only Redeemer My masters the Ministers and Preachers will reply and answer vs But how can these things agree together that Iesus Christ should be the onely Mediator and sole Intercessor for vs and yet neuerthelesse wee should haue some others namely the Saints If he be alone how hath he so many companions To answere this obiection we euermore confessse that Iesus Christ is our true Mediator and Intercessor vnto God for vs but we say also on the other side that the Saints may be likewise Mediators and Intercessors for vs. And if you aske me againe If the Saints may also be called Mediators and be so indeed how is it then that wee call Iesus Christ the onely Mediator I answere thereunto that it is for certaine causes and reasons which my masters the Ministers are either ignorant of or malitiouslie hide and conceale them from the people They are three in number The first cause why our Lord Iesus Christ is called the onely Mediator though the Saints be likewise after their manner is because he alone hath trod vpon the grapes in the wine presse and with the price of his bloud hath paid our ransome and hath reconciled vs vnto God his eternall father not only in praying as the Saints may doe but also in paying that which wee did owe which the Saints haue not done nor cannot doe for he alone hath redeemed vs. And for this cause we call him the only Mediator that is of ransome and of redemption And this is that which the Apostle Saint Paul would haue said in the place alleaged For after he had said that we haue one Mediator betweene God and man which is the man Christ he explaning himselfe presently addeth these words Qui dedit redemptionem semetipsum pro omnibus that is to say Who gaue himselfe a ransome for all men The second cause wherefore our Lord Iesus Christ is called the only Mediator is because he is not onely such by reason of the office whereby he mediats for vs and reconcileth vs to God but also by reason of his nature for he is in the midst betweene God and man being both God and man together which the Saints are not And for this cause he is called the only Intercessor like as the good and holy Fathers haue in times past taught vs to wit S. Austin in his 9. booke of the Citie of God and 17. Chapter S. Cyril in his 12. book S. Fulgence in hi◠2. booke ad Petrum chap. 2. and S. Theodoret vpon that very place of S. Paul with many others Thirdly Iesus Christ is called the only Mediator because that he is Mediator for all men in such a sort that he hath no need of any other Mediator either for himselfe or for other men
of Scripture that the Angels in heauen vnderstand our prayers considering they are the reporters of them to the Diuine Maiestie Now this is also another expresse text of Scripture that the Saints in heauen shall be like to the Angels according to the saying of the Sonne of God in the holy Gospell We must then conclude that the Saints heare our prayers seeing the Angels vnto whom they are likened heare them Me thinks I heare alreadie my Masters the Ministers to answere and say that this similitude of the Angels and Saints of which our Lord speaketh in the Gospell consisteth but only in their felicitie and blessednesse and not in their nature or office that is our Lord would say that the Angels and the Saints should be equall and like to each other in heauen because both of them should be blessed enioying one selfesame glory and felicitie But let vs suppose that the case were so let vs grant and admit that the answere of these my Masters be true yet notwithstanding euen by the same we can ensnare and entrap them For seeing the estate and happines of future life hindreth not the Angels from hearing the prayers of mortall men wherefore or how can it be but the Saints being in the selfe-same felicitie as the Angels are may not also heare our prayers as well as they this text then of Scripture sheweth that the Saints heare our prayers they heare vs they see vs neither are ignorant of that which is done vpon the earth which once more I will shew you out of the Scripture For the holy Patriarch Abraham being dead and in Limbo knew many things which were done among the children of Israel as you may see in the sixteenth Chapter of S. Luke First he knew that the people had the bookes of Moses and the Prophets of whom the auncientest was Moses who had written more then foure hundred yeares after the death of Abraham Secondly he knew the life that the rich Glutton had led vpon the earth and the miserie which poore Lazarus had there endured Thirdly he saw and knew the estate and condition of that vnhappie wretch and heard his prayer though he was not heard when he cryed Father Abraham haue mercy on me and send Lazarus c. And yet neuerthelesse there was a great distance betweene the one and the other as Abraham plainly told him Finally the rich Glutton though he was damned saw he not Abraham heard he not his answere gaue he not his replyes for all there was the distance of a great Gulfe betweene them Now I hope there is no man that dareth deny all this for it is written in the holy Gospell and is a historie pronounced by the mouth of him which cannot lye but is the truth himselfe euen Iesus Christ. If this thing and story be true as it is I then charge all the Caluinian and Lutherian Ministers and say vnto them in this manner If Abraham my masters shut vp in Limbo not enioying at that time the sight of God and being not yet blessed but through hope notwithstanding knew the things of this world knew the state and miserie of that rich Glutton and heard him make his prayer and request will you thinke then that the Saints in Paradise beholding God and enioying his most bright sight are lesse priuiledged then Abraham therefore the father S. Austine saith excellent well Quid non vident qui videntem omnia vident that is What is it saith he that the Saints aboue in heauen see not seeing they see him that seeth all things which is God And that which seemeth more If the damned themselues heare those speake which are afarre off from them as the rich man heard Abraham and by those words shewed himselfe mindfull and carefull of his brethren which were yet in the world being afraid lest they should come into the same place of torment wherein he was as you may see what he spake vnto Abraham in the Gospell shall we imagine that the Saints and all those which are in the kingdome of heauen see and know not that which we do vpon the earth And if the Saints and all the blessed ones that are departed this life know the things of this world what ought they to heare or know more then the prayers which are made vnto them And if they vnderstand and can heare the voice of the damned is it possible in your opinion that they should not vnderstand the prayers and requests of those which desire to be saued If the damned themselues as appeareth by the story of the rich Glutton would procure that no harme might happen to their brethren and friends will those which are saued be lesse charitable will not they aduance and help forward as much as in them lieth the saluation of their friends and Christian brethren and that so much the more if they see and heare that one requireth them thereunto Sir now you may demaund of me and say If so be I should conesse that the Saints heare our prayers yet faine would I know how and in what manner they heare vs To say the truth this is a very hard thing to be vnderstood and neuerthelesse it is true The father S. Austine acknowledging the hardnes of this question and through humilitie the small capacitie of his spirit though it was very great in his booke which he hath made and intituled De cura pro mortuis agenda c. 16. saith that In truth this question surpasseth the force of my vnderstanding being not able to conceaue after what a fashion the Martyrs help those which we know to be entirely helped by them By these words S. Austin acknowledgeth well that it is hard for him to vnderstand how they know the things of this world neuerthelesse he beleeueth that they know them and that indeed and certainely as he saith wee are succoured by them Wherein it may please you to note one difference among the rest that there is betweene our Catholicall Doctours and the Hereticall Doctours that is Ours if they cannot attaine to the totall and perfect knowledge of that matter or question which they handle they will not dispute it so farre as to denie the question and thing because they find it hard and surpassing their vnderstandings but admitting of the thing with humilitie they acknowledge only the smalnes of their capacitie as with very great modestie the most learned father S. Austin hath done in this point But these new hereticall Doctours which are come vp with and after Luther and Caluin though the thing or question disputed be true and grounded vpon good reason because they cannot comprehend nor compasse it within their vnderstandings flatly denie and reiect the thing as we see them daily doe in many other points and articles of religion seeking alwaies to reduce them within the capacitie of their spirits which very often is but small and ruinating the nature of faith which consisteth in beleeuing things that surpasse the reason and
vnderstanding of man And the like they do euen in this subject whereof we now intreat And therefore because they cannot conceaue how the blessed ones do heare vs they say and preach they cannot heare vs. They must also then deny that God of nothing hath created this world for it is impossible to comprehend how God was able to create of nothing so huge a frame as this whole world is and yet notwithstanding both they and we stedfastly beleeue that God euen of nothing was able to create it though our vnderstandings cannot conceaue a iot of it Let them then also denie the generall resurrection of the dead if one must denie all things which they cannot vnderstand or let them shew me how God is able to restore againe vnto man his owne flesh his owne bones and the rest of the parts of his body and not anothers after it hath bene eaten vp of wormes so many thousand yeares before and yet neither we nor they make doubt thereof though we vnderstand it not The like could I say vnto them of the mysterie of the holy Trinitie and many other things contained in the holy Scripture that albeit they are hard to be beleeued yet they cease not to be true Therefore it were much better for my masters the Ministers to confesse with humilitie their weaknesse with the good father Saint Austine and with him and vs to beleeue that the Saints can heare and assist vs. But what Heresie is too proude and the Heretikes will neuer be ouercome they may be conuinced as Saint Bernard saith but not ouercome because they are too passionate in maintaining their errours One may confound them rather then make them confesse their fault and as the prouerb saith Rather breake then bend Now to the end the Caluinists and Lutherans because we say with our father S. Austine that this is a very hard demaund to be vnderstood should not thinke that wee seeke an escape through the boggs and that the truth maketh not for vs we wil let downe before them the doctrine of that same Doctour S. Austine in his abouesaid booke De cura pro mortuis agenda For S. Austine minding particularly to declare how Abraham knew that the rich glutton had taken his pleasure in his life time and that Lazarus had suffred so much giueth vs three maner of waies whereby the soules departed may know and vnderstand that which is done in this world First by the arriuall of those which depart out of this life and goe from hence vnto them who to wit may aduertise them of the things which happen vpon the earth and especially of that which most of all concernes them The second by the report of the Angels which on a sudden mount vp into heauen and on a sudden againe euen in a trice are about vs. The third by the reuelation of Gods spirit which may beare it selfe towards the blessed departed into heauen euen in like maner as heretofore it bore it selfe towards the Prophets vpon the earth reuealing secret things to them and such as should be done a long time after them as the Scripture witnesseth so that God who seeth and knoweth all things whatsoeuer we do say and thinke may reueale vnto them our prayers S. Gregory lib. 12. Mor. c. 13. giueth vs beside these another sort or manner saying that the Saints beholding the face of God see all that which in any sort and manner appertaineth vnto them and consequently that they also heare our prayers So then by the doctrine of these holy Fathers we may somewhat gather how the blessed Saints heare vs when we call vnto them I wil make one more small argument against all these Heretikes and therewith I will conclude the whole All the holy Fathers and Doctours of the Church haue inuocated and prayed vnto the Saints they heare then our prayers The Antecedent hath bene alreadie prooued when we cited a great number of those which haue called vpon them The Consequence is cleare for seeing that so godly and learned personages prayed vnto them it is a signe and followeth necessarily how they beleeued with the Church that the Saints could well heare our prayers otherwise they would not haue bene so simple as to haue prayed vnto them To say as sometimes the Ministers say against vs that they were men and as men might haue erred that were too absurd to answere vs. For could it be possible that among so great a number of admirable vertuous and wise Doctours all of them should faile and that not one of them should haue thought whether the Saints could heare them or no Could it be possible that the whole Church should be in errour for a thousand and so many yeares and that in so many ages the Church should haue bene ignorant of that which the Lutherans and Caluinists pretend to know since so small a time Could it be possible that all the auncient Fathers and such excellent personages as S. Denis S. Athanasius S. Basil S. Iohn Chrysostome S. Iohn Damascenus S. Ambrose S. Hierome S. Gregorie S. Austin and many other lights of the Church haue presented so many prayers and petitions to those which neither had eares to heare them nor eyes to behold their necessities and so consequentlie haue cast their prayers into the wind into the aire and at randome Shall we beleeue that of them Shall we beleeue that all haue erred and that our Ministers onely say well That all haue benâ— blinde and that our Ministers onely are cleare sighted That all of them haue bene simple Schollers and disciples and our Ministers their Doctours and Controllers No we will neuer beleeue any such thing Wee had rather heare the voice of our auncient godly and wise Doctours then the voice of new and vnlearned which for this cause deserue not the name of Pastours and Shephards but Mercenaires onely suffering their sheepe to be deuoured vp yea themselues through their pernicious doctrine casting them into the throat of that infernall wolfe from whom Sir I pray God through his infinite mercie to preserue you beseeching you to take in good part this which in haste I send you though vnknowne vnto you protesting before God who knoweth the hearts of all men that all this which heere I haue spoken is only for his glory and your soules health Farewell from Leige this fifth of August 1605. AN ANSWERE TO THE ABOVESAID DOCTORS EPISTLE of the Augustins order Vpon the subiect of the inuocation of Saints HAuing of late seene and read your Letter touching that controuersie which is betweene you and vs Whether it is true or how it is possible that the Saints which are aboue in heauen can heare the Prayers that you make unto them from here beneath on earth I held it my dutie to answere thereunto and chiefly to these two points whereof the first is That it can be no otherwise then very good to pray and recommend vs to the Saints the second signifieth How
we haue forgotten the name of our God and holden vp our hands to a strange god shall not God search this out for hee knoweth the secrets of the heart And when the Apostle S. Paul maketh this demaund in his Epistle to the Romanes How shall they call on him in whom they haue not beleeued he sheweth thereby that as man is forbidden to beleeue in any other but in God only so is he not permitted to pray vnto any other then to the Creator of heauen and earth seeing that inuocation is the companion of faith And therefore King Dauid in his Psalmes addresseth his prayers to none but onely vnto God with a full assurance of faith oftentimes calling him his buckler his shield his retreat his foundation his deliuerer his tower his fortresse his defender and the horne of his saluation According to which the Prophet Asaph in the 73 Psalme and 25 verse signifieth That God only is his refuge in his distresses For saith hee whom haue I in heauen but thee and I haue desired none in the earth with thee Also it is written in the 2. of the Chron. 20. 9. that King Iehoshaphat being afraid of the Moabites and Ammonites which were come to assaile him disposed himselfe to pray vnto the Lord and in the prayer which he made in the temple in the name of his people saith If euill come vpon vs as the sword of iudgement or pestilence or famine we will stand before this house and in thy presence for thy name is in this house and will crie vnto thee in our tribulation and thou wilt heare and helpe But to come now vnto your Argument which scornfully you call The great peece of Canon wherewith wee thunder against the walles of the towne and city of God which is his Church this it is That whosoeuer addresseth himself to any other but to God doth wrong to God For proofe whereof you adde that which wee alleage out of the first Epistle of S. Paul to Timotheus the second chapter and fifth verse That as there is but one God so there is but one Mediatour betweene God and men to wit the man Christ Iesus You shuffle together either through ignorance or malice the Questions that are distinct and seuerally handled by our Diuines The first is Who is it that we ought to call vpon whereunto wee answere God only The second In whose name whereunto we answere In the name of Iesus Christ who is our onely Aduocate and Intercessor For confirmation not of the first as you presuppose but of the second answere wee alleage the abouesaid text out of the first Epistle to Timotheus in the second chapter and fifth verse which I pray you against an other time to note and to take better aduice and consideration vpon our Arguments that you may propound them more sincerely Touching your exception though the Apostle S. Paul teacheth vs in that very text which I haue named that there is but one Mediatour yet you say that That hindreth not but there may be some which are subordinate and not soueraigne It shewes from what a spirit it commeth foorth euen from the spirit of lying and contradiction Of lying because you adde thereto that which is not found nor can bee gathered from that abouesaid text of the Apostle to wit that Iesus Christ is the soueraigne Mediatour onely in regard of others which are inferiour Of contradiction because you your selfe say thus Though that Iesus Christ be truly our only Mediatour sole Aduocate and only Redeemer that that hindreth not but there may be moe which are subordinate and not soueraigne For to be only Mediatour to haue some others besides as subordinate are things contradictorie And if you will that we should admit of such a glosse you must then grant to vs that out of this very text will follow that when the Apostle saith There is but one God he meaneth one soueraigne God and albeit that verely hee is onely God yet notwithstanding there be others subordinate which one can neither speake nor thinke without blasphemie Heereupon you alleage two replies of our Ministers The first How can these things agree together that Christ is our onely Mediatour and sole Intercessor for vs and neuerthelesse there are some others besides him to wit the Saints The second If the Saints may also be called Mediatours and are so indeede how then is it that Iesus Christ is called the only Mediatour To speake properly these two replies are but one now let vs see your answere vpon the latter and the answere which you alleage therein with share reproch that our Ministers are either ignorant of them or maliciously hide and conceale them from the people Now what are they The first is that Iesus Christ is called the only Mediatour because that hee alone hath troâ—de vpon the grapes in the wine-presse and through the price of his blood hath paid our ransome and hath reconciled vs vnto God his eternall father not only in praying but also in paying that which wee did owe which the Saints haue not done nor cannot doe All this is true but that which you adde is false that Iesus Christ is the onely Mediatour that is to say only of Ransome and Redemption and this is that which S. Paul meanes in the place alleaged for after he saith We haue one Mediatour betweene God and men which is the man Christ Iesus in explaining himselfe hee presently addeth these words Quit dedit redemptionem semetipsâ—m pro omnibus that is who gaue himselfe a ransome for all men For although the Apostle maketh no mention in this place but of the first effect of the mediation of our Lord Iesus Christ it followeth not from thence that his intent was to exclude the second which he setteth downe elsewhere expressely and namely in his Epistle to the Romanes and 8. chapter vers 34. where hee ioyneth together those two fruites of the mediation of our Redeemer for when he first demaudeth this Who shall condemne vs and answereth himselfe It is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe to wit for to deliuer vs from condemnation in those words he setteth downe the first effect and going forward in answering who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request also for vs hee likewise setteth downe the second and giueth vs sufficiently to vnderstand that Iesus Christ is our Mediatour and Aduocate towards God not only in so much as he hath redeemed vs but also in so much that hee maketh intercession vnto God his father for vs and presents to him our supplications And albeit that the Apostle in the abouesaid text to Tim. chap. 2. speaketh nothing of the intercession of Iesus Christ yet neuerthelesse S. Austin hauing respect to that which the Apostle admonisheth vs of in the verses going before that is to make requests vnto God for all men and that in the name
you equal hir with our redeemer in calling hit Reparatrix and Salâ—atrix of mankind The queene of mercy the valiant woman which hath broken the serpents head and she alone that hath rooted out all the heresiâ—s in the world Cardinall Bâ—nauenture makes no conscience to appropriate to hit all that Dauid in his psalmes hath attributed to God the father the sonne and the holy Ghost Blessedâ— is that man saith he which liueth Mary which giueth praise vnto 〈◊〉 name which putteth his trust in hir which hopeth in hit Come vnto hir all ye that are wearie and she will giue rest vnto your soules The heauens declare thy glorie The earth and hir fulnesse is thine thou raignest eternally with God blessed are those which make much of thee because in thy mercies thou wilt wash their sins haue mercie on me mother of mercie and according to the bowels of thy mercies wash me from all mine iniquities Wicked serpent whereof bostest thou thy selfe put thy necke vnder Mary ô Ladie bruse him by the vertue of thy foot cast him down by thy force into the bottomlesse pu Saue me in thy name and deliuer me from mine vnrighteousnesse take pitie on me for my heart is readie to receiue thy will Lord for our sinnes thou hast repulsed vs and because of the virgin Marie hast taken pitie on vs. Let Marie arise and all hir enemies shall be destroyed Lord giue thy iudgement to thy sonne and thy mercy to the queene his mother God is the God of vengance Ladie saluation and life consists in thy hand O how good is God vnto them that worship his mother Come and let vs adore the Ladie let us giue praise vnto the virgin that hath saued vs. Let vs worship hir and confesse vnto hir our sinnes The Lord reigneth Mary fitteth vpon the Cherubins at his right hand whâ— dwelleth vnder hir wing is vnder a safe protection haue remembrance ô Ladie of Dauid and of all those which call vpon thy name The Lord said to my Ladie sit my mother at my right hand thou hast taken pleasure in goodnesse and holinesse and therefore shalt thou raigne with me Praise the Lord because he is good for his mercie is giuen by Mary You transferre in like manner to the Virgin that which in all humilitie of heart she sung to the honor of her Creator and Sauiour And in stead of that which she sung as the Euangelist S. Luke witnesseth in the first chapter and 45. verse My soule magnifieth the Lord and my spirit reioyceth in God my Sauiour c. Because he that is mighty hath done for me great things c. you say My soule magnifieth my Ladie and my heart reioyceth in my Ladie because hee that is mightie hath done for mee great things through Mary his mother What should I say more You celebrate in your Canticles the Virgin Mary as Lady of the Angels espouse and Mother of the eternall king Promise of the Patriarches Veritie of the Prophets Teacher of the Apostles Mistrâ—s of the Euangelists Lady of the Word and Queene of Heauen And hereupon you beseech her that she would saue her people Likewise you craue of her in expresse tearmes all that which God himselfe will or can giue vnto vs by his onely sonne Iesus Christ Impetra nobis veniam applica nobis grattam praparâ— nobis gloriam that is to say Obtaine pardon for vs applie grace vnto vs prepare glorie for vs. You haue corrupted Simeons song and in stead of that which the Euangelist Saint Luke reciteth in the second chapter and 29 verse how this good Father holding the Sauiour of the world in his armes blesseth God and saith Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes haue seene thy saluation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people you misturne these his words to the handmaide of the Virgin Mary saying Lord now lettest thou depart in peace the handmaid of the Virgin Mary for mine eyes haue seene the saluation of Mary which thou hast prepared before the face of all people a light to inlighten the Gentiles c. You hold her for the true saluation the true felicitie the greatnesse of charitie the largenesse of pietie vnto whom the Angels obey as by one of your Letanies appeareth Which is worse your Cardinals and Bishops assembled in the Councel of Constance in which they condemned to death Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prague both of them Bohemians constant in the true faith to adde vnto the heape of their crueltie against these Martyrs some token of their impietie and hatred against the holy Ghost which had endowed these two witnesses with his truth and with such a mouth and wisedome against which these good fathers were not able to resist they thought good to applie vnto the Virgin Mary that prayer which is made to the honour of the holie Ghost and in stead of saying as before Veni sancte Spiritus c. to haue made them sing Veni maier gratiae fons misericordiae miseris remedium veni lux Ecclesiae tristibus laetitiâ— â—â—ne infundâ— radium Simonis nanicula fiâ—y tunicula 〈◊〉 scindatur prohibe quae DeuÌ„ hominibus 〈◊〉 inngis ô puerpera Hereses interime schismataque reprime firmâ— pacis fâ—â—era That is to say Come mother of grace fountains of mercie remedie of the wretched câ—â—e light of the Church shed vpon these heauie soules the beame of ioy the small ship of Simon surnamed Peter suffer not the little coatâ— of thy sonne to be torne in peeces ô mother in childbed which coâ—ioynest God with men and the inferiour creatures with the celestiall abâ—lish Heresies represse Schismes and establish the couenants of peace I am astonished at the blasphemies of Barnardine de Busto and Anthonine Archbishop of Florence who set the Virgin Mary aboue the onely sonne of God for see what Barnardinâ— saith of her in his Mariall Men may say of the Virgin Mary that she is the light of the Genâ—les and the glory of her people Israel For God at her natiuitie said vnto her I haue giuen thee as a light to the Gentiles to the end thou maist be our saluation to the ends of the earth a light to lighten the Gentiles All graces saith he come downe vpon vs from the Father and the Sonne by the Virgin Mary mediatrix between God and men no grace coÌ„meth from heauen but by her hands All graces enter into her and come foorth from her They are in Christ â—s in the head from whence they flow they are in Mary as in the neck which distributeth them Moreouer If any man feele himselfe grieued at Gods iustice hee may appeale to the Virgin Mary which hath been signified in the booke of Ester chap. 5. where it is said that King Abashuerosâ— being in anger and wroth against the Iewes Queene Ester came to appease him and found such fauour with the King that hee said vnto her What
a holy Nation Which words God commandeth Moses and his Prophets continually to repeate vnto the children of Israel So our Lord Iesus Christ also making large promises to his Apostles and in their names to all Christians to abide with them through the communication of the wholesome gifts of his holy spirit euen to the end of the world putteth them oftentimes in minde of this condition If yee loue me if yee keepe my words if yee abide in me if my words abide in you if yee shall keepe my commandements my Father will loue you ye shall be my friends and my Father and I will come vnto you for to make our abiding with you in the Gospell according to S. Iohn chap. 14. vers 14. All these conditionall promises signifie vnto vs euidently that those which are acknowledged for the members of the visible Church may fall either into some fault against the second table as it chanced to Dauid who committed adulterie with Bathsheba the wife of Vriah and sent him to the campe with letters of commaund to Ioab to expose him to the enemies that he might be slaine 2. Sam. 11 or in some error against the first table as happened vnto Aaron the high Priest who formed a golden Calfe for the Israelites to worship Exod. 32. 4. and after that to many Iudges and Kings as to Gedeon Iudg. chap. 8. vers 27. and to Salomon 1. King 11 or into some reuolt from the Christian faith or into some other abuse as appeareth by the fall of S. Peter who trusting too much to himselfe denied his Master thrice and after his repentance and confirmation into his Apostleship was reproued by the Apostle S. Paul in the citie of Antioch because that in constraining the Gentiles to become Ierish as the Apostle speaketh thereof in the second chapter and 14. verse he went not with a right foote to the truth of the Gospell And if those which are in the visible Church cannot fall why doth the Apostle then reproue the Galathians first chapter 6. verse that in forsaking him which had called them by grace that is to say Christ they had transported themselues to another Gospell And in the third chapter and third verse that hauing begun in the spirit they would make an end by the flesh Wherefore hauing pourtraied before the eyes of the Corinthians sundrie faults and transgressions which the Israelites had committed against the Lord in the wildernesse hee addeth that these haue been examples for them to the end to admonish them to stand vpon their gards and that he which thinketh he standeth take heede lest he fall Surely if the Apostolicall Church could not haue failed the Apostle S. Paul had had no reason to haue feared so much lest the Corinthians which he called the members of God and sanctified in Christs Iesus and Saints by calling should be corrupted in their thoughts turning themselues aside from the simplicitie that is in Christ as the Serpent beguiled Eue through his subtiltie 2. Cor. 11. 3. Secondly I answere that you presuppose that which we neuer will grant you to wit that the Clergie and generall Councell which represents the Church cannot erre and that whatsoeuer at any time hath been determined and decreed by the Councels is certaine and ought to be receiued without contradiction To begin then with the Councell of the 4. hundred Prophets of King Ahab I require of you if the assemblie of these Doctors of lies who flattered the said King and counselled him all with with one consent to make warre against the Syrians haue not erred The Historiographer sheweth vs that all of them were possessed with the spirit of error and that onely Michaiah resisted them couragiously and although he was cōdemned smitten and cast into prison that the King notwithstanding would experiment it and that euen with the perill of his life hee was deceiued by the lying spirit of his foure hundred Prophets You Catholikes will also graunt me that the Councell of the chiefe Priests the Scribes and the Elders of the people assembled in the hall of the high Priest called Caiphas erred greatly when they held a Councell and consulted together how they might take Iesus by subtiltie and kill him according as the Euangelist S. Matthew teciteth it in the 26. chapter of his Gospell the third and fourth verses If you suppose that the successors of S. Peter and the other Apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ haue receiued the priuiledge that they could not erre you abuse your selues For the Apostle S. Paul aduertiseth all Christians in his second Epistle to the Thessalonians of an Apostasie and generall reuolt which should come to passe in the Church of the New Testament and declareth to them that this mysterie of iniquitie began to worke in his time and should be reuealed by the comming of the sonne of perdition which exalteth himselfe against God euen to be set as God in the Temple of God bearing himselfe as if he were God Now as this seducement of sinne glided by little and little into the Primitiue Church through the craft and malice of Satan so hath it by many degrees discouered it selfe more and more and one day hath added error to another because in the beginning there was no heede taken to the Councels and assemblies of the ancient Bishops who haue not alwaies followed the true paterne of the wholesome words which 〈◊〉 receiued from the Apostles and from their purer predecessors but giuing eare to the lying and ambitious spirits of their companions which pleased them in their inuentions are gone astray from the truth Euen so the Fathers assembled in the Councels of Neocesarea and Laodicea haue there cōcluded that by the doctrine of the Apostle S. Paul it was permitted to the Christians to take in mariage a second wife but according to reason and the rule of truth it is a kinde of whoredome and for this cause they forbad the Priests not to bee present at the feast of any second wedlocke and enioyned those which were married to their second match to doe penance for the same Whereupon you must needes grant me one of these two things either that the Apostle S. Paul hath erred in that he hath not onely permitted a second marriage in the first Epistle to the Corinthians chap. 7. verses 27. 28. where hee shewes to him that is loosed from a wife that he sinneth not in marrying himselfe againe but giueth counsell also to the widowes in his first Epistle to Timoth. chap. 5. vers 19. saying I will therefore that the younger women marrie and beare children and gouerne the house c. Or that the Bishops of the aforesaid Councels haue erred in that they held the couenant of second wedlocke for an vnlawfull thing and fornication forbidden by God in the seuenth commandement of his law I presuppose that you will grant me rather that there was no error in the instruction of
that in his daies the Church was exercised in workes of pietie and charitie and not by the inuocation of Angels and Saints departed nor in inchantments or any other wicked curiositie but addressing purely and manifestly their prayers to the Lord who made all things and in the name of Iesus Christ according to the necessitie of euery one Clement Alexandrine treating vpon this subiect was sore grieued at the Christians which worshipped the spirits of the deceased saying in his 7. booke that it is a great brutishnes to craue any thing of those which were not Gods And hereupon hauing respect vnto the true rule of inuocation the which hee followeth with the rest of all the Christians after the imitation of the Angels hee addeth That whereas there is but one only good that is God both wee and the Angels pray vnto him either to giue vs or to let vs haue such blessings as he knoweth to be healthfull for vs. And in his first booke of Pedagogie chap. 7. Iesus Christ saith he is our schoolemaster who as children hath led vs vnto euerlasting life and hath taken care of vs. And if we suffer our selues to be instructed by this schoolemaster and conductor we shall obtaine all things of God which we can iustly demaund of him The Church also with S. Tertullian hath followed this rule who speaking of his fashion and of all the Christian Church in his Apologie chap. 3. We pray saith he for the welfare of Emperours vnto the eternall God the true God the liuing God and lift vp our hands to heauen for them beseeching God that it would please him to giue vnto them a long life and empire without feare a safe Court a strong armie a faithfull Magistrate a loyall people and a peaceable world These things can I demand of none in my prayers but of him from whom I know I can obtaine them because hee only hath made them and I am his seruant which lookes vp to him alone and vnto whom he will grant them The like also saith Origen against Celsus lib. 8. We present saith he the first fruits only vnto him to whom wee addresse our prayers to wit vnto God hauing an high Priest which is entred the heauens euen Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and we shall hold constantly the profession of this faith so long as through the blessednesse of God and of his Sonne who hath manifested himselfe amongst vs we doe remaine aliue And although we know that not the diuels but the Angels ouer see the abundance of fruites and the multiplication of cattell yet neuer thelesse wee must not giue vnto them that honour which is due only vnto God for God will not haue it so nor they vnto whom such charges are committed but they loue vs because wee offer no sacrifices vnto them nor haue they any need of his odours and we are but to pray vnto one only God and to appease him who is the Lord of all things and to seeke only his fauour through pietie and other vertues In that prayer which S. Cyprian hath composed and repeated so many times in memorie of the benefit of the death and passion of our Lord Iesus he betaketh himself to none but to God the Father the Sonne and the holie Ghost without making any mention therein either of Angels or of Saints I should be too long and troublesome to recite it at length only wee will content our selues to propound briefly the conclusion thereof to the Reader to the intent he may censure thereof Through thy name Lord Iesus saith this good Father in the end of his prayer deliuer me from the power of the aduersarie thou that are a mightie deliuerer and the aduocate of our prayers for the requests of our soules solicite night and day for my sins present my prayer to thy Father and thou Lord O holy Father deigne to behold and looke vpon my prayers as vpon the offerings of Abel Vouchsafe to deliuer me from fire and eternall paine and from all torments that thou hast prepared for the wicked through our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ through whom be all praise glorie and honour to thee for euer and euer In that most excellent prayer which S. Hilarie made vnto God to beseech him to giue him his grace to expound well the great mysterie of the holy Trinitie he addresseth himself to none but vnto God building vpon his promise that to him which asketh hee shall receiue to him which seeketh hee shall finde and to him which knocketh it shall be opened Also Eusebius in his bookes of preparation sheweth that in his daies the Christians worshipped only God in spirit and truth For what writeth hee thereof in his 4. booke of Preparation We are taught saith he to serue religiously the only God of all creatures and for this cause wee attribute to him alone the worship that appertaines vnto him seruing him only by way of religion Afterward treating in another place of the intercession of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ and the reasons wherefore the Christians call vpon God in the name of his only Sonne first he rehearseth that it is because hee being become man and taken our flesh vpon him hath suffered for our sakes all manner of wrongs and reproches Secondly because hee prayeth vnto his Father for vs and through his request which hee makes vnto his Father for vs repulseth behinde vs all our enemies both visible and inuisible Thirdly because neither S. Paul S. Peter nor any of the other Saints haue been crucified for vs but our only Redeemer Iesus Christ from whence he concludeth that the intercession which he maketh vnto his Father is proper to him and incommunicable to the Saints seeing he is the only high Priest who once hath offered himselfe in a sacrifice to God his Father both for vs for himselfe and for man which he had taken out of the earth who is ascended vp into heauen there to celebrate for vs the spirituall sacrifices to wit our supplications which hee presenteth vnto God his Father praying him with vs that for his sake hee will be mercifull and fauourable vnto vs. According to which he giueth vs this testimonie of S. Denys Bishop of Alexandria in his Ecclesiastical storie lib. 7. cap. 10. who being called before Aemilian Gouernour of Egypt to render an account of his faith and to answere vnto his demands and among the rest vnto this vnto what God he and the other Christians addresse their prayers He answereth him freely that himselfe nor the rest of the Christians did neither worship or serue religiously any other but that God which only is hee who hath created of nothing the heauens the sea the earth and all things which are in them Moreouer he repeateth in this very historie lib. 10. cap. 4. that Paulin Bishop of Tyre taught publikely both by mouth and writing that Christ is our only Aduocate the only author of life the
and heare our supplications And albeit that God in his word hath coÌ„manded vs to succour one another with our mutuall prayers with promise to heare vs notwithstanding hee sheweth vs that to purchase the fauour of God wee haue no neede of any other helpe then by addressing our selues to our only Sauiour Iesus Christ we haue free accesse vnto his grace and stand sure in the same God saith he in his fifth sermon vpon the 8. chapter of S. Matthew will not grant vs so much of his grace at the request of them which pray for vs as when wee our selues pray to the end wee might vse freedome in speaking to him and that desiring to reconcile him vnto vs we may reforme our selues For so tooke he pitie on the Canaanitish woman so on the theefe without either the intercession of aduocate or mediatour And wilt thou learne this that we in praying for our selues do more good with God then when others pray for vs The Canaanitish woman cried and as the disciples came vnto him they besought Christ saying Send her away for she crieth after vs and Christ Iesus answered I am not sent but vnto the lost sheepe of the house of Israel but when she came her selfe and continued on her crying saying Truth Lord yet indeed the whelps eate of the crummes which fall from their masters table then hee did her good and said Be it vnto thee as thou desirest Thou maist see hoâ— hee put her off when others prayed for her and heard her when she her selfe prayed In like manner in his 16. sermon vpon certain texts of the Gospel according to S. Matthew he saith Is God farre from thee that thou goest to seeke him in some place He is not shut vp in any place but alwaies he is by thee And he which no place can containe faith will containe him For if thou wilt pray vnto a man thou enquirest what he doth and he to whom thou speakest heareth thee dreamingly or hath not the leisure or will not vouchsafe to answere thee With God all this is needlesse but in what place soeuer thou art if thou callest on him hee is at hand Thou â—ast no neede of an vsher mediatour or seruant doe but say take pitie on me and as soone as thou hast spoken he is there neither canst thou haue finished thy speech but hee will say here I am Againe in his discourse vpon the Canaanitish woman Tell me woman how durst thou addresse thy selfe to Iesus Christ thou which art sinfull and wicked I knew well what I doe answered she Behold the wisedome of the woman she prayeth not to Iames she addresseth not her selfe to Peter she cares not for all the Apostles she seeketh no Mediatour but in stead of all these she taketh repentance along with her for her conâ—vanion which was in place of a Mediatour for her and so is gone vnto the souraigne fountaine For said she therefore is he descended from heauen therefore tooke he flesh vpon him and made himselfe man that I might dare to speake to him aboue in heauen the Cherubims tremble before him the Seraphiâ—s feare him and heere beneath on earth a woman of a wicked life speaketh vnto him and saith haue mercie on me ô admirable aboue trembling beneath boldnesse haue mercie on me I haue no need of a Mediatour He repeateth this doctrine in his treatise of Repentance God only saith he can cure the heart who hath made the heart of euery one and who euery day vnderstandeth our affaires He then can enter into our consciences which is not possible for the Angels and Saints departed to touch our spirits and bow our soules Knowing then these things let vs haue our recourse vnto God who will and can separate our vexations For when wee haue to doe with men to obtaine any thing at their hands we must first meete with porters then perswade flatterers and oftentimes take a great iourney With God there is no such thing without either mediatour or spokesman he is inclined to heare thee without either money or charge he yeeldeth to thy prayer It is sufficient if thou criest only to him with thy heart or sheadest thy teares he is then quickly moued to mercie He addeth vpon the fourth Psalme Thou canst not say I am afraid to come neere and pray vnto God for thou hast no need of any vshers which should bring thee vnto him nor guards nor friends but when thou art alone by thy selfe then is the principall time in which he will heare thee for euen so did he with the Canaanitish woman when Peter and Iames came vnto him he did not grant her request but when she persisted on then he gaue her that which she craued From whence he draweth this conclusion in his sermon of the profit and aduancement of the Gospell Thou hast no need of any aduocates vnto God nor of any long discourse but although thou beest alone without an aduocate and praiest thy selfe vnto God thou shalt obtaine thy desire Touching the intercession of the Saints departed he determineth nothing thereof particularly but writing to Râ—parius he admonisheth vs in generalâ— that we ought not to worship neither Reliques Angels nor any other creature whatsoeuer And so oft as he treateth of prayer he exhorteth vs not to haue our recourse to any creature but vnto God only and to follow in our prayers that forme of prayer and instruction of our Lord Iesus Christ which hee recommendeth vnto vs in his 14 Sermon vpon S. Matthew where hee saith that hee which prayeth not as Christ hath taught is none of Christs disciples and that the Father willingly heareth the prayer which his Sonne hath indited because the Father knoweth the intention and words of his Sonne neither receiueth any thing but what his wisedome hath expounded reiecting all that men haue inuented and followed through custome and vsurpation So is it then that Iesus Christ the only Sonne of God hath taught vs to call vpon our heauenly Father but in his name And S. Chrysostome expounding the fifth verse of the first Epistle to Timothy Chap. 2. There is one God and one Mediatour betweene God and man which is the man Christ Iesus noteth vpon this place that Christ to be our Mediatour ought to be ioyned with God and Man and that if hee were separated from the substance of the Father and had no naturall communion therewith he could in no wise be our Mediatour And to the end wee should not thinke that God is pleased with doing vs good and giuing â—are to our requests for the sake and merit of any other Saint he signifieth to vs that all men except our Redeemer Iesus Christ haue been defiled here with some sinne God saith he in his 40. Sermon on Genesis permitted that sometimes the righteous through their owne will should fall into sinne to the intent that he alone should be without sinne From hence it chanced that Abraham hath sinned
themselues wise saith he they became fooles and when they were ashamed that they had forsaken God they accustomed to vse a miserable excuse for themselues saying they had accesse vnto God through them as in a Court by the Earles and Lords one hath accesse vnto the King But I pray you is there any man so foolish and so carelesse of his preseruation as to attribute to an Earle the honour of his King sith that in vsing him so it is by right high treason and will not those men think themselues to be guiltie which attribute to the creature the honour due vnto his Creator and abandon their Lord to adore their fellow seruants For surely the reason why men come vnto the King by officers or Earles is because the King is a man and knoweth not whom to trust vnto in his Common-weale But to procure God to be fauourable vnto vs from whom nothing is hid and who knoweth what is in euery one of vs there is no need of any intercessor or spokesman but of a deuout spirit for in what place soeuer such a man will speake vnto him he answereth him And in his third booke of the Holy Ghost and 12. chapter We must not adore any thing beside God for it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serue If then the mysterie of the incarnation is to be adored as a worke of the holy Ghost according as it is written The holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most high shall ouershadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be borne of thee shall be called the Sonne of God without all doubt the holy Ghost also ought to be worshipped seeing wee worship him who according to the flesh was conceiued by the holy Ghost But let no man straine that vnto the Virgin Mary she was the temple of God but not the God of the Temple and therefore he only ought to be adored which wrought in that temple And vpon the first chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians The Apostle saith he hath declared from the beginning how exceeding great and infinite the omnipotence of Christ is to the intent to teach vs that it is he alone in whom wee must put our trust because that through him all things are and nothing can liue without him either in heauen or earth So that if any one thinke he ought to affectate his deuotion to some one of the elements to the Angels or to the superiour powers let him know that he erreth Therefore Christ ought only to be heard and only serued by way of religion and none ought to be esteemed of in respect of him because he which is the head hath all others subiect to him for he which humbleth himselfe before his subiects erreth because that in holding not on the head he is a stocke that is he is like vnto a twigge cut off from the tree and which hath no roote in such sort that such a man is without the head whereof saith he dependeth the life of the rest of that body Also vpon his admonition of S. Paul in his Epistle to the Colossians chap. 2. vers 8. Beware lest there be any man that spoile you through Philosophie and vaine deceit through the traditions of men according to the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. Hee declareth that through vaine deceit and traditions of men we must vnderstand the superstition which serueth the world for a Religion and not God which is one and which leadeth vs not to Iesus Christ in whom is the perfection of the Godhead Moreouer Saint Ierome in his disputes against Vigilantius speaking generally of the Christians in his time We shorship not saith he nor serue by way of Religion neither Angels nor Archangels nor Châ—rubins nor Seraphins nor any name which is named neither in this present world nor in the world to come lest wee should rather serue the creature then the Creator which is blessed eternally S. Cyprian proceedeth further and saith in his fifth Sermon of such as are falne Cursed is the man which putteth his hope in man We must pray vnto the Lord and call vpon God the Father in the name of his Sonne Iesus Christ as he himselfe expoundeth it in his excellent discourse vpon the Lords Prayer where he admonisheth vs that there is no prayer more certaine or more pleasing to the Father then that which by the mouth of his Sonne hath been pronounced who is the Truth and that to pray otherwise theÌ„ hee hath taught vs is not only ignorance but an absurd fault and like to that of the Iewes whom the Lord rebuketh that they did reiect the commandement of God to establish their owne traditions Let vs pray then saith hee euen as our Lord hath taught vs. Prayer is acceptable to God when as we pray with a prayer which is his owne and that wee send vp into his eares the words of his Son The Father knowes the language of his Sonne when wee make to him our prayer Lâ—t him that dwelleth in your harts be in your voice and vpon your tongue And seeing that the Sonne is our Aduocate whensoeuer we craue pardon for our faults let vs take our Aduocates words 〈◊〉 our mouth for sith he saith that whatsoeuer wee shall aske of the Father in his name it shall be granted vs when can our prayers then take greater force if not when wee call vpon him with that prayer which himselfe hath made According to which S. Cyril teacheth vs in his 16 book vpon the 17 chapter of S. Iohn That if we would be heard of the Father we must pray in the name of our Sauiour And S. Lactantius saith That they which pray vnto the dead shall beare the paine of their impietie and wickednesse Likewise S. Ambrose That those which forsake the liuing God to seeke after the dead are accounted among the dead For as hee expoundeth it himselfe in his booke of Isaac and of the blessed life saith that Iesus is our mouth by which we speake vnto the Father our eye by which wee behold the Father and our right hand whereby we offer our selues vnto the Father without the which Mediatour these is no approching vnto God neither for vs nor for any of the Saints And S. Austin who sometimes was an Auditour of S. Ambroses Sermons saith the like therof vpon the 105. Psalme to wit that the prayer which is not made through Christ Christ not only cannot blot out the sinne but turneth it also into sinne Also on the 29. Psalme If we consider saith he what God thundreth foorth by S. Iohn as it were out of a cloud saying do the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God 〈…〉 was in the beginning with God All things were made by it and without it was made nothing that was made In it was life and the life was the
answere I neuer knew you To this end also S. Gregorie Bishop of Rome saith Because oft times miracles are done through the inspiration of the diuell my brethren loue not those signes as are common with the reprobate And S. Austin saith The diuels doe miracles like vnto those which were done by the seruants of God c. Considering therefore that the wicked Spirit hath often times done miracles among the Iewes and Gentiles and that it was foretold that Antichrist and his supporters shall in great number doe them in the latter daies to establish their errors and seduce the elect of God if it were possible it is a follie in you to conclude that the miracles done through the inuocation of the departed Saints is a seruice pure and approued by God But to reproue the course of your fine discourse adorned with this figure of preuention There is one thing will some man say which troubleth much these heretikes and what is it how they cannot vnderstand nor imagine that the Saints doe heare vs affirming that it is vnpossible for a man praying beneath on earth to be heard of the departed Saints into heauen Which according to the scope of your writing is the second point which wee haue yet to examine It were to be wished that in this examination you were more discreet and sincere You consider not that in tearming vs heretikes because we will not beleeue that the Saints deceased vnderstand and heare the prayers of those which call vpon them you also reproue Salomon the wise of heresie who teacheth vs in the first booke of Kings and 8. chapter that there is none but God only who knoweth the hearts of all men and that that is one of the principall causes wherefore we should call vpon him and to expect from him alone the accomplishment of our desires Lord saith he what prayer and supplication soeuer shall be made of any man or of all thy people Israel when euery one shall know the plague in his owne heart and stretch foorth his hand in this house Heare thou then in heauen in thy dwelling place and be mercifull and doe and giue euery man according to all his waies as thou knowest his heart for thou only knowest the hearts of all the children of men Moreouer in stead of speaking seriously you at your pleasure flout at Caluin and our arguments You say that our strongest arguments and that which we most set by is that which wee hold from our Captaine Caluin who asketh you in the third booke of his Institutions chap. 20. sect 24. Who hath reuealed to you this secret that the departed Saints haue so long eares to stretch them downe vnto your words and so sharp eyes that they can behold your necessities It is maruell that you who so diligently set foorth your tongue with the colours of Rhetorique vnderstand not that hee maketh this demaund of you by an Ironia or manner of mockage and laugheth at your foolish imagination that the Saints which are aboue in heauen heare and see what is done here beneath on earth For without searching any further Caluin confesseth in that very section that the soules of the blessed albeit they are separated from their bodies and vse no more the instruments of eyes and eares yet vnderstand many things which concerne the aduancement of the glorie of God and his kingdome Yea and that they seeke it with a setled and vnmoued will which may bee proued by some texts out of the Bible but hee condemneth the boldnesse of your Sophists who without any testimonie of holie Scripture dare affirme that the brightnesse of Gods face is so great that in the contemplation thereof the Saints may behold as in a mirrour the things which in this world do happen But whilest you bark against this demand of Caluins you dissemble our arguments and accuse your selues of falsehood and deliberate malice seeing you vaunt that you haue read the writings of our Ministers and haue therein obserued the reasons which they propound against the second point of your doctrine If it be true that you haue perused the principall reasons of our Pastors why then do you let passe in silence that which they haue drawne out of the fountaine of the holy Scriptures and namely in the 9. chapter of Ecclesiastes vers 6. That the loue and the hatred of the dead is now perished and they haue no more portion for euer in all that is done vnder the Sunne And in the 63. chapter of Esay and 16. verse Lord thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of vs and Israel know vs not Whereupon this argument of our Teachers is grounded The holy Scripture manifestly instructeth vs in those aboue said texts y ◠the Saints deceased this world haue no more portion in the things which are done vnder the cope of heauen nor any knowledge of our affaires Therfore it is a folly in them which yet walk in this vaile of miserie to call vpon them But to proceed on with the course of your inuectiue you say that the disciples of Caluin and Luther to shew themselues wiser then their Masters haue begun since that to demaund of the Catholiques some expresse texts and examples taken out of the holy Scripture whereby it might appeare that the Saints aboue in Paradise vnderstand heare our prayers Whereunto I replie that Luther and Caluin haue not required of you any expresse texts by the which it might appeare that the deceased Saints heare our Prayers because they knew exceeding well that there could not be found for it so much as one only word in the Word of God For what saith Caluin thereof in his 3. booke and 20. chapter sect 21 What angell or diuell euer reueiled to any man any one syllable of this intercessiō of Saints which these men haue forged For in the Scripture there is nothing said thereof What reason had he then to seeke it there And as for vs which are none of Luthers or Caluins disciples but Christs wee require of you some proofes taken out of the marrow of the holy Scripture not for that wee thinke it is possible for you but because wee might haue the greater occasion to confute you of leasing euen by your own consciences And when all is said and when we come to that ye feare the blowes to saue your selues from them you answere vs reciprocally by a demaund whether wee can proue our negatiue by some text to wit that the Scripture teacheth vs not that the Saints which are in heauen can heare our prayers In your inuectiue against Caluin you reproch him in that hee wanteth Philosophie but herein I may rebuke you by an argument farre more forcible that you haue not learned the lawes Dialecticae that is of Logick which teacheth vs Quod affirmanti incumbat probatio to wit that he which affirmeth any thing is bound to proue his affirmation So it is
Hesichius In such a case saith he as thy last day findeth thee euen such will the last day of this world take thee Such as man dieth in that very day such shall he be iudged in the other And in his 10. Sermon vpon the Apostles words There are two homes the one in eternall fire the other in an eternall kingdome Likewise in his 232. Serm. intituled De Tempore Brethrē saith he let no man deceiue himselfe for there are but two places and no third for any one Whereunto his exposition serueth which in another place he speaketh of in disputing against the Pelagians The Catholique faith saith he by diuine authoritie beleeueth that the first place is the kingdome of heauen the second hell where all apostates and reuolters from the faith in Christ shall feele euerlasting torments As touching a third we are wholly ignorant of and which is more wee finde by the holy scripture that there is none Besides in the 9. booke of his Confessions he maintaineth y ◠one seeth God in Abrahams bosome and thereby he sheweth as a thing most certaine that the soule of Abraham and the faithfull fathers departed this world was in heauen and not in Limbo or Purgatorie where none can behold God but in the alone seate of the blessed according to that sentence of our Sauiour contained in the fifth chapter of S. Matthew and 8. verse Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God On the other side the same Doctor saith of the Fathers of the old Testament that they which beleeued in Christ before hee came in the flesh haue been saued through their faith in Christ Iesus I could here alleage a sentence of S. Gregorie Nazianzen whereby he comforted himselfe at his brothers death saying that he was ascended vp into heauen and rested in the bosome of Abraham and many others to the same effect but because I will not be too tedious I will now examine the second point of your opinion which is that that which Christ teacheth of the rich Glutton and Lazarus is a historie which wee denie because there are sundry circumstances which shew also that it is partly a parable For in that storie we cannot take the things literally which are recited in them neither can it be possible in all that which Christ heretofore did preach of the rich Glutton and poore Lazarus because Christ therein attributeth tongues fingers and eyes to the soules of the departed which hee doth by a manner of speech which is called historicall but is parabolicall by which spirituall things are made cleere by the comparison and similitude of corporall Now although wee shall approue that which wee haue denied to wit that Abraham heard the complaints of the rich man yet cannot you solidly conclude from thence that the departed Saints also doe heare the prayers of such as liue vpon the face of the earth For Bellarmine your Doctor describeth the distance which is between Limbus and Hell in such a sort as if he had bin there himselfe to haue measured the one and the other place where hee saith there is betwixt them a great opening neither more nor lesse then is betweene two places separated only by the aire so that from the one part of this gulfe one may see and heare what is done in the other By this reckoning then the distance is not so great betweene those places as it is betweene heauen and earth seeing that these two places are shut vp on all sides and so farre separated from each other that it is not possible that the Saints which are in heauen and we which are here beneath on earth can heare or see each other Neuerthelesse to giue some colour to your opinion you bring in S. Austin vpon this point speaking in this manner Quid non vident qui videntem omnia vident What saith he doe not the Saints aboue in heauen see in seeing him which seeth all things to wit God But wherefore haue you not marked that place is it not because you dare not openly gainsay those which attribute these words to S. Gregory But howsoeuer if they were his he forgot himselfe in pronouncing these words for albeit that God seeth all things yet it followeth not from thence that the Saints which behold God should see all things likewise If you should propound such an argument in Schooles to Aristotles disciples they would presently confute you by the like argument which an ignorant person might make you of the Sunne and of vs which daily doe behold it to wit sith that the Sunne which is the eye of the world as Philosophers tearme it seeth and discouereth all things which are vnder the cope of heauen that wee likewise in beholding the Sunne should see all things which are vnder the Sunne What man is it that perceiueth not this consequence to be bad And if it were good yet yours would remaine false naughtily grounded because wee denie that which you affirme without any testimonie of holy Scripture that is that God or the Trinitie serue as a mirror to the soules of the departed thereby to behold all things as the Sunne and Moone which are as spectacles to our bodily eyes to perceiue by them the things which are represented to our sight Besides this it is an easie matter to stop your mouth and to shew by the testimonie of Christ and his Apostle in the sixth chapter of the Reuelation that the Angels and the spirits of the departed though they behold the face of God yet they see not nor know the day and houre of the last comming of Christ. Moreouer wee can conuince you thereof euen by your predecessors and can proue by their owne writings how they taught that the soules of the departed see not any thing which is done vpon the earth for you may see what Albertus Bishop of Ratisbone writeth thereof who was Master to Thomas of Aquin in his booke of our Coniunction with God and 8. chapter The departed Saints saith he busie not themselues about the affaires of this world neither care for the estate thereof neither of peace nor warre neither of faire weather or raine nor in summe for any man here below but are wholly deuoted to one God and all of them vnited and employed to apply and accommodate themselues to him Finally from the blessed you descend to the damned and as though you had heard their discourses and sounded their spirits you reason without reason aswell of their knowledge as of their charitie towards God and men suruiuing them for thus you discourse If the damned doe likewise heare those speake which are so farre distant from them as the rich man heard Abraham and shewed himselfe mindfull and carefull for his brethren which yet remaine vpon the earth being afraid left they should come into the same place of torment where he was as you may see in the Gospell by that which he spake vnto Abraham should we
thinke that the Saints and those which are in the kingdome of heauen see not or know not what wee doe vpon the earth Poore Diuine that thou art which vnderstands not yet that which the holy Scripture teacheth vs so cleerly in many places that the zeale and charitie to the glorie of God and the desire of our neighbours saluation are vertues proper in the fourth degree as in schooles they teach it only to the elect and children of God and are neuer found in the damned after this life which are sworne enemies against God and the children of his kingdome If then the reprobate are without charity and are glad to see many companions of their distresses as some of your new Doctors confesse what a stupiditie is it then in you not to consider that Christ as alreadie we haue touched attributeth to the rich Glutton the care of his brethren by a parable or similitude as also the speech of a liuing man vsing his tongue and other members of his bodie which neuerthelesse was separated by buriall from the soule cast downe into hâ—ll I am much more astonied because that Saint Austin whom as it seemeth by your writing you haue read saith expressely of the rich Glutton that albeit he prayed Abraham to send Lazarus vnto his brethren yet hee knew not what his brethren did nor what did then happen to them But to beate you with your owne rod you present vs a proofe that the Saints which are in heauen see vs because they behold God who seeth all things From whence I argue by the contrarie that forasmuch as the damned which are cast into vtter darknesse see not the brightnesse of the face of God therefore they see not a iot nor haue any knowledge of our affaires Afterward you stirre the pot about and fall againe into your beginning holding as an article worthie of beleefe that which you haue not proued nor euer can prooue by holy Scripture to wit that the Saints and all blessed soules departed this life know the things of this world and thereupon you build your argument which is called in Schooles From the lesse to the greater If the departed Saints know all things in this world must they not much more know and heare the prayers which men make vnto them Againe If they can vnderstand and heare the voyce of the dâ—mned is it possible that they should not vnderstand the prayers of such as are desirous to be saued Beside if the damned themselues as appeareth by the storie of the rich Glutton would procure that there happen no euill to their brethren and friends will those which are saued be lesse charitable will they not aduance as much as they can the saluation of their friends and Christian brethren and that so much the more because they see and heare that men doe seeke vnto them for it To speake properly your first argument is no argument but a troublesome repetition of the principij that is to say of the principall question which needeth a proofe of better stuffe then as yet you haue offered to satisfie vs withall The others depend on the former and haue been refuted alreadie I will then goe on with the course of your Treatise and aduertise you that neither hee to whom you haue written your Epistle not they vnto whom he hath communicated it to be read and examined doe giue any beleefe to your false affirmations that the Christians are commanded to inuocate the Saints departed or that they doe heare their prayers Hereupon you propound this question how the Saints can heare vs and you acknowledge that to say the truth this is a hard question to be resolued but neuerthelesse that your doctrine is true To this point you produce that which S. Austin writeth thereof in his Treatise De cura pro mortuis gerenda cap. 16. In truth saith S. Austin this question surpasseth the force of my vnderstanding being vnable to comprehend how and in what manner the Martyrs helpe those which we certainly know to be helped by them I will here briefly repeate that which heretofore I haue shewne to wit how this sentence of S. Austins is contrarie to those which I haue gathered out of his writings into which some since his departure haue maliciously sowne many tares and wicked seed which is the cause that wee hold this passage in suspition And though it were S. Austins yet are we not bound to receiue it seeing it is contrarie to the holy Scripture But to refute you by that very booke which you attribute to S. Austin answereth not he himself to this question whether the Saints departed intermeddle with our affaires that hee is of an opinion they doe not Doth he not reason in the same manner as we haue reasoned afore to shew that his opinion is grounded in the holy Scriptures I will here recite his owne words to the end the moderate reader may iudge of them Let euery man take saith Austin as he will what I shall speake If the soules of the departed were present in the businesses of the liuing and so that we should see them they would speake to vs in dreames to say nothing of others my good mother then would not leaue me one night alone who for to liue with me hath followed me by sea and land But that which is sung in the Psalme is true My father and my mother haue forsaken mee but the Lord hath receiued me If then our fathers haue left vs how can they meddle with our affaires and if our fathers and mothers be not present in them what others of the dead are there which know the things that we doe and that which we suffer The Prophet Esay saith Thou art our father for Abraham is ignorant of vs and Israel hath not knowne vs. If these Patriarchs were ignorant of that which this people did precreated from them how can the dead busie themselues to succour the liuing in their actions and affaires and how could we say it were well with those which are departed this world before the euils which followed their death had happened if after their death they should likewise feele the things which come to passe in the calamities of humane life or else wee should speake these things erroneously and should we hold those to be in rest which are in paine because of their suruiuers which haue no repose in this life What is that then which God promised to holy King Iosiah as a great blessing that he would take him to himselfe by death that hee might not see the euils which hee threatned the people Behold saith the Lord I will gather thee to thy Fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not see all the euill which I will bring vpon this place and vpon the inhabitants of the same The spirits then of the deceased are in that place where they see not the things which are done
or which happen in the life of man These are the words of S. Austin which purposely you haue omitted to deceiue the ignorant and to take an occasion from an imperfect allegation of his discourse touching the obscuritie and difficultie of this matter of rising vp furiously against vs and falsely to impose vpō vs by a great medley of vaine words that which we cannot nor will not beleeue with S. Austin to wit that this surpasseth the capacitie of our vnderstanding For as we beleeue the creation of the world the mysterie of the holy Trinity and the resurrection of the flesh though we cānot mete them by the measure of our vnderstanding and that because they are plainly taught vs in the holy Scripture so when you shall prooue vnto vs by expresse tearmes out of the writings of the Prophets that the Saints heare vs and ought to be adored and called vpon by vs that are here beneath on earth then wee will be obedient to your counsell and will subscribe in all humilitie and reuerence to that article But what you would not that men should rebuke you nor likewise should thinke that you seeke an escape through the bogges and besides in stead of bringing in some authenticall testimonie of the Bible you begin againe to alleage to vs three manner of waies whereby S. Austin which might erre and by his retractations roundly confesseth his errors thought that the departed Saints might heare our requests The first is By the arriuall of those which depart this life and goe from hence to them who may aduertise them of the things which happen on earth and especially of that which concernes them most The second By the report of the Angels which sometimes mount vp into heauen and sometimes againe euen in an instant are about vs. The third By the reuelation of Gods spirit which may comport I retaine your fine speeches or beare it selfe with the soules of the blessed in heauen neither more nor lesse then heretofore it did comport it selfe with the Prophets on earth reuealing to them secret things and that which should be done a long while after them as the Scripture testifieth it Whereunto you adde yet a fourth manner of speech inuented by Saint Gregorie which is this That the Saints seeing the face of God see whatsoeuer appertaines to them in any sort and consequently heare also our prayers From whence you conclude that by the doctrine of the Fathers we may conceiue somewhat how the blessed ones heare vs when we call vpon them We now come to refute this fourth meane forged out of mens braines without any ground of holy Scripture First I will only aduertise the reader that it is not likely this sentence to wit that the departed Saints beholding the face of God doe see all things was forged by S. Gregorie seeing in the same chapter that you haue alleaged in your Epistle he saith the contrarie to wit that as they which are liuing know not the estate of soules departed so likewise is vnknowne vnto the dead the manner of life which those leade that remaine after them in the flesh For the life saith he of the spirit is farre different from the life of the flesh and as things corporall and spirituall are differing in nature so are they likewise in knowledge Now it resteth that we should examine those three former waies of the particular knowledge which you attribute to the Saints departed I answere then to the first that nothing is written thereof by the ancient Prophets nor Apostles and therefore wee are not bound to beleeue it Moreouer it often happeneth that the citizens which dwel in one citie know not the affaires of one another how can they then after their departure declare them to the soules of the blessed which they finde in heauen Besides there are many which in praying cast their eyes vp towards heauen whilest none of their neighbours happen to decease who is it then that should doe their message to the Saints departed And notwithstanding if so be there should be at that instant some one ready to die when one prayeth and to carry the newes to heauen what man among you can shew me by diuine scripture that God hath enioyned to him that speciall charge not one Or if you would that one should approue your first manner you necessarily must grant me that there is no Purgatory For if that soules must passe through Purgatory and stay there for some time according to the number of Masses which are caused to be said for their deliuerance how can it be possible for them to aduertise in time the departed Saints of the prayers which were made vnto them so long before Your second and third meanes are of no more certaintie then the others because it is neither written in the old Testament nor in the new that the departed Saints know our necessities by the report of the Angels neither that God indueth y e Saints after their departure with the spirit of prophecie and reuelation as at sometimes hee did to his holy seruants according as the necessitie did require to make them capable of their extraordinarie calling whereunto he had called them Now followeth your last argument which you your selfe calles least of all and that for a good reason For you number vp many of the Fathers which haue inuocated the Saints departed and afterward you close vp your Epistle with flouts against the Ministers of the reformed Churches But whatsoeuer you heape vp against them is 〈◊〉 winde and smoake yea dung in respect of the puritie and excellencie of the word of Iesus Christ and his Apostles which we had rather follow then that of men for we haue no certaine testimonie that their doctrine was diuinely inspired as we haue of the Prophets and Apostles and that these men of God were not led by a humane wil but were moued thereunto by the spirit of our principall Pastor and Bishop Iesus Christ in whose name I admonish you no more to protest so lightly before God his Father that whatsoeuer you haue said tendeth to his honour and the saluation of him to whom you haue sent your Epistle most preiudiciall and contrarie to the glorie of God and the repose of the true members of Iesus Christ vnto whom I pray to giue me his grace constantly to maintaine his pure truth and to accompanie this mine answere with the vertue of his holie Spirit to the end that thereby hee may moue your heart to conceiue your errors and to renounce them for the aduancement of his glorie the acquitting of your conscience and the augmentation of his kingdome FINIS Iames 1. 17. Heb. 11. 6. Psal. 124. 8. Esay 42. 8. 2. Cor. 13. 8. 1. Epist. chap. 4. vers 1. The summe of the demand The answere thereof diuided into two parts Although that Christ be our only mediator yet the Saints are called mediators for three reasons In French Sequestre Other proofes taken from the
come to S. Dominicus who hath been like vnto the Lord as Authonine the Archbishop writeth and consequently hath been Dominicus in name and in deed being that in possession which Christ is in authority Which Anthonme sheweth by many comparisons betweene Christ and Dominicus alleaging first that as Christ said I am the light of the world euen so the Church singeth of Dominicus Thou art the light of the world Secondly like as Iesus Christ praying vnto God his father was alwaies heard when he would so likewise Dominicus neuer demanded any thing of God but â—e obtained it entirely according to his desire This neuerthelesse is not to be omitted that herein he preferreth his Dominicus before Iesus Christ that hee hath demanded no thing of God as Iesus Christ did in the garden according to sensualiâ—â—â— that is to say according to the infirmitie of the flesh but all things according to reason and for this respect his prayer was alwaies heard as Dominicus a witnesse not worthie of beliefe in his owne cause recounted it himselfe to one of his familiar friends To proceed vnto the comparisons of this Adorator of Dominicus As Christ before his departure out of this world bad his Disciples farewel promised them the great Comforter the Spirit of truth and shewed them that it was expedient he should depart euen so saith this brauing fellow Dominicus answered his welbeloued friends Weepe not my welbeloued and let not my bodily departure these are his very words trouble you where I goe I shall be more profitable to you then I haue been here and after my death you shall haue mee for the best Aduocate you can haue in this life These fine fables haue been verified by your Friers and authorized by your Popes who haue canonized these holy Fathers and ranked them with those which haue merited to bee adored Is it not then with false shewes and against your conscience that thus you doe boast your selues that praying to the Saints you doe no wrong nor dishonour to Iesus Christ whoÌ„ ignominiously you cast out of his place setting him beneath the Virgin Mary these two seducers of the people which I haue named And yet this is not all for the Euangelists make mention that the souldiers of Pontius Pilate to expose our Sauiour to open reproch and scorne before all the world nailed him on the Crosse betweene two theeues as captaine of the malefactors but you as though it were a vertue in you to doe worse place him in heauen amidst many seditious fellowes and murtherers canonized by your Popes and too well knowne by your Iacobins and Iesuites What would Bonauenture say at this who at last corrected his owne excessiue praises aswell to the Virgin Mary as to the other Saints departed confessing in his 3. sentence dist 3. quest 2. Sith that Iesus Christ is the Sauiour and vniuersall Redeemer of all mankinde who hath opened the gates of heauen hee onely dying for all therefore one ought not to shut out of this generallitie that is to say from the companie of all those which Christ hath saued the blessed virgin Mary nor to amplifie the excellencie of the Mother to diminish the glorie of the Sonne because that in so doing wee should prouoke her to wrath as she who being but a creature and he a Creator had rather that her Sonne should be exalted then her selfe Would he not say the same which Iohn Wicliffe did whom God shortly after raised vp to awaken the world buried in the dreames of your vaine Traditions that it was a great folly yea and a detestable impietie to make a scurram that is to say a bouffon or a base fellow his Mediatour And as for the authoritie of the Catholike Church of generall Councels of holy Fathers and Doctors whereby you thinke to dazle our eyes and to amaze vs First of all I answere that you are of the same humor as the high Priests and inhabitants of Ierusalem were extreamely rebellious to the doctrine of the Prophet Ieremy who in time past did say the same as you doe at this day and maintained also obstinately as you doe that they could not erre The law said they shall not perish from the Priest nor counsell from the wise nor the word from the Prophet Come and let vs smite Ieremie with the tongue and let vs not giue heed to any of his words according to the complaint which the Prophet Ieremie maketh thereof in the 18. chap. and 18. verse But what did the Lord answere them by the mouth of his Prophet Trust not in lying words saying The temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord this is the temple of the Lord. Is this house become a denne of theeues whereupon my name is called before your eyes behold euen I see it saith the Lord. But goe ye now vnto my place which was in Shilo where I set my name at the beginning and behold what I did to it for the wickednesse of my people Israel Therefore will I doe vnto this house whereupon my name is called wherein also yee trust euen vnto the place that I gaue to you and to your fathers as I haue done vnto Shilo And I will cast you out of my sight as I haue cast out all your brethren euen the whole seed of Ephraim The Priests said not where is the Lord and they that should minister the law knew me not and the Pastours also offended against me and the Prophets prophecied in Baal and went after things that did not profit Moreouer From the least euen vnto the greatest euery one is giuen to couetousnes and froÌ„ the Prophet euen vnto the Priest euery one dealeth falsly Likewise by the Prophet Ezekâ—el chap. 22. vers 26. 28. Her Priests haue broken my law and haue defiled mine holy things they haue put no difference betweene the holy and prophane And her Prophets haue seene vanities and diumed 〈◊〉 vnto them saying Thus saith the Lord God when the Lord hath not spoken In like manner the Prophet Azariah 2. Chron. 15. vers 2. 3. The Lord is with you while ye be with him and if yee seeke him hee will be found of you but if ye forsake him he will forsake you Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God and without Priest to teach and without law Where wee are to note that God promised to the conductors of Israel that thee would remaine with them not simply but with this condition if they would abide with him and follow his holy Commandements And he addeth euermore this condition to the promises of his Couenant with the children of Israel If yee will heare my voyce indeed saith the Lord by Moses in the 19. chapter of Exod. 5. 6. verses and keepe my couenant then ye shall be my chiefe treasure aboue all people though all the earth be mine Yee shall be vnto me also a kingdome of Priests and