A TREATISE CONTEYNING THE TRVE CATHOLIKE AND APOSTOLIKE FAITH OF THE HOLY SACRIFICE AND SACRAMENT ORDEYNED by Christ at his last Supper VVith a declaration of the Berengarian heresie renewed in our age and an Answere to certain Sermons made by M. Robert Bruce Minister of Edinburgh concerning this matter By VVilliam Reynolde Priest Ioan. 6. 51. The bread vvhich I vvil give is my flesh the same vvhich I vvil give for the life of the vvorld AT ANTVVERPE Imprinted by Ioachim Trognesius M. D. XCIII TO THE RIGHT EXCELLENT AND MIGHTIE PRINCE IAMES THE SIXT BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF SCOTLAND HAVING of late perused examined answered certain Sermons preached in Edinburgh by one who entitleth him self Minister of Christs Euangel there for sundry causes most excellent and gratious Prince I haue ben induced of that my smale labour to make a present vnto your royal Maiestie First for that the Author of those Sermons published them vnder the name of your Highnes it seemed to me conuenieÌ„t that the Answere also should be offered vnto the same personage by conference whereof he might be able better with indiffereÌ„cy to iudge of both Next whereas those Sermons conteyne false doctrine against the sacraments against the eternal Testament of Christ ordeyned in his last Supper against the peculiar sacrifice and worship of God evermore and vniuersally practised in the Gospel and new law since the first preaching thereof by Christ and his Apostles and not only this but also they manifestly imply the foundation and ground of plain infidelitie of discrediting al the old new Testment of denying the chief and souerain articles of Christian faith who can blame me if where I perceiue so great daunger intended there I study to repel the same if where poison is addressed to infect the very hart of religion and head of the common welth there I oppose a counterpoison against that infection if I couet to preserue sound that which others endeuour to corrupt and desire by right argument of true Theologie to conâ—â—rme and establish that which the aduersarie by sleight Sophistrie and heretical cauils laboureth to ruinate ouerthrâ—w And thus to do as Christian dutie requireth for any article of our Christian beleef for the benefite of any Christian sowle like otherwise to perish so much greater is the obligation wherewith my self and al other English Catholikes acknowlege our seluâ—s bouÌ„d to our Countrymen the inhabitants of England and Scotland but especially in a singular degree vnto your royal person Vnto whom as the lawes of both â—eâ—lmes descent of blud custom inheritance drawen from the auncient kings of the one and other nation in ciuil respect geueth right to succede in gouernment of both crownes with al their dependences so is it the continual prayer of Christian Catholikes not only in both those nations but also in al prouinces of Europe that it wil please God so to inspire and direct your Ma. tus hart that yew may gouerne them in such Christian sort touching faith matter of eternal saluation as your most noble progenitors haue done froÌ„ the first Christened Prince to the last from Donaldus vnto Quene Marie your Graces most honorable most renoumed most constant religious mother who hauing so many yeres susteyned hard impri sonment and finally cruel death and martyrdom for profession of that first auncient Apostolike faith hath thereby left a glorious and immortal president to al her aftercoÌ„mers who clayme teÌ„poral right from succession of her blud to make the like or greater accompt of that right which cometh by succession to her in faith for which she with Heroical fortitude neglected her blud her libertie her crownes and what so euer is most deere to Princes in this world and for which neglect her name is more honorable before God his Angels her memorie more famous among Christians of this age and so wil be to al posteritie then if with refusal of that faith that is with refusal of Christ eternal blisse she had gayned as many teÌ„poral crownes realmes as they haue liued dayes howres who were occasioners of that so straunge woÌ„derful execution Now if it shal please your Grace to bestow some voyd tyme in overrunning this smale booke I nothing doubt but touching the argumeÌ„t here intreated that is touching the external seruice honour done to God by sacrifice and sacrament in his church your Grace shal easely see the manifest cleere euidece of our Catholike cause the truth thereof set downe in the most plain scriptures of God the coÌ„tinuaÌ„ce thereof testified by vniforme consent of al Antiquitie the first original roote of the coÌ„trarie heresie which now beareth greatest sway in your realme of ScotlaÌ„d as also in England from what fountaine it sprang by what Apostles it was spread by what Sophistrie malice dissimulatioÌ„ it hath encreased by what wickednes ignoraÌ„ce impietie it is maynteyned finally to what plain Atheisme or Paganisme it teÌ„deth For which cause many potent kings princes although otherwise circumuented by false ministers or seduced by evil counsailers vpon some humane reasons colourable coÌ„modities craftely obiected they departed from the vnitie of Christs church intangled them selues with other heresies of this tyme yet could they never be induced to approue or so much as to permit within their realmes this ZuingliaÌ„ or CalviniaÌ„ heresie because they were thoroughly resolved that it was the very bane pest of wel ordered coÌ„mon welthes for that it breadeth in her Sectaries a licentious libertie to beleeve what they fist against God his church and to live how they please against the magistrate his civil lawes to which it preacheth that no obedience is due for conscience sake Among which Princes for exaÌ„ples sake to name one lest I seeme to charge theÌ„ vniustly Christianus 3. king of Denmarke a Prince of great wisdom and experience grand-father to that vertuous Princesse whom your Highnes hath chosen for your spouse and Queene when as the congrègatioÌ„ of such kind of Protestants expelled from England by Queene Mary sought laboured by al meanes possible to obteyne harbour in his realme only for a few dayes vntil the extremitie of winter were somwhat passed over if not in regard of their religion which they said was purely Euangelical yet in consideratioÌ„ of many feble old men and wemen many infants yong children which were in the company vnable without certain hazard of their liues to abide any more trauail on the seas in that extreme season this notwithstanding that king otherwise of nature clemeÌ„t and mercyful and professing the Gospel as they cal it would by no meanes condescend that they should remayne any time within his dominions except they forthwith without farther disputes abandoned and condemned their Sacramentarie heresie which he iudged to be directly against the Gospel of Christ against the Articles of the Christian beleef against the publike quietnes
and memoratiue bread panis commemorialis of like qualitie or proprietie to signifie Christs death as is the ivie bush to signifie the sale of vvine or in some places a vvaze of stravv to signifie vvhere is good ale or as Zuingliê° vsing more Capitaynelyke and honorable comparison to the honour of his mysteries as a noble mans armes or princes scutchion signifieth the noble maÌ„ or prince to vvhoÌ„ it apperteineth For so vvriteth he See and marke wel this is the acramental presence of Christs body in the supper as Charles the Emperour or the king of France is said to be in the kingdome of Naples because their banners or scutchions are there where as in in the meane season one of them remayneth in Spaine the other in France So Christ also is here present in the harts and minds of the faithful As for the bread and wine they are wont to be called Christs body and blud but they are no more so then those banners or scutchions are the kings them selues non magis eadem sunt quam signa sunt ipsissimi reâ—es The selfe same in sundry other places he expresseth by many like similitudes some times calling them tesseras militares soldyars markes at an other tyme comparing them to a white crosse or rod vvhereby the buizzer soldyar and the Burgundian are distinguished vvhich is his more vsual comparison The sacrament saith he is an external marke whereby we shew whose men we are what is our dutie as one that weareth a white crosse thereby declareth him self to be a Suizzer And this is Caluins resolute iudgement of the supper that it serueth for nothing els but for a memorandum to refresh our memorie vvhich I could shevv more at large out of his vvritings vvere not the thing euident inough of it self For although some Lutherans not so conuersant in Caluins hipocritical stile vvhereby he vseth to set a graue solemne countenance on the matter vvhich othervvise is light and apish make so great a difference betvvene the old nevv Sacramentaries as before hath bene touched as though Carolostadius Zuinglius and other of that reuerend antiquitie thought one vvay and Caluin and the later heretikes of this nevv creation vvere of an other beleefe yet in truth if vve desire to heare and haue his plaine and simple explication such as his folovvers must be lead by he then ansvvereth and so Beza in his behalfe protesteth that he esteemeth of the supper no othervvise nor any vvaies more diuinely then those auncient and first sacramentaries did And therefore to such Lutherans and other Adâ—ersaries who obiected that Caluin a late vpstart in this matter varyed from those more auncient Euangelists Beza vvith great stomacke replieth Dâ—co impudentes esse calumniatores qui c. I say they are very impudent slaunderers that imagin there was euer any coÌ„trarietie betwene those most excellent men Zuinglius Oecâ—lampadius and Caluin in their doctrine concerning the sacraments So that â—â—yng vvhat is the doctrine of one of these great and excellent men the same is the doctrine of the other vvhere as both by Caluin and also Zuinglius the supper is nothing els but a token and memorial an obscure and slender image of Christs death pasâ—ed vvhich in bread and vvine is but poorely represented it foloweth that not only the true and real presence of Christs body as in the first place nor only a real vertue deriued and flowing from the flesh of Christ as in the second but also al other vertue grace operation is quit excluded remoued from the supper and that left a bare and naked token such as is a lyon rampant set in the beginning of M. B. his booke to represent the king of Scotland or 3. lyons passant to represent the Queene of England ¶ To which purpose also it auayleth much more to consider one other general point of their doctrine concerning the sacraments of the nevv Testament to wit that the Protestants and Caluin especially make them euen leuel vvith the sacraments of Moyses law attributing no more to our Eucharist then to the Iewish calues or sheep or laÌ„b or bread minchah vsually adioyned to al their sacrifices For which of these they wil make most properly answerable and correspondent to ours as they vse the matter I knovv not wel for that plaine bakers bread without sacrifice and real presence is not very aptly figured by the first and this being as graceles and emptie bread as bread may be caÌ„ not be wel foresignified by the last for that things performed in the new TestameÌ„t should be of more honour grace vertue efficacie then vvas the signe prefiguring it in the old But to omit this in that the Sacramentaries namely Caluin make no difference touching vertue and grace betvvene the sacraments of Christs gospel and Moses lavv hereof it is inâ—â—rred yet more certainly assuredly that al his first amplification of the diuine presence of our Sauiours body and blud in the Eucharist is more verbal and fantastical For in the sacraments of the old lavv nether he nor any of his vvil graunt I suppose that ether Christs body blud vvas truly really ioyned vvith the signe or any quickening vertue flowing from Christs â—â—esh was annexed to those sacraments For in al this discourse the reader must euer note carie away the state of the question which is noâ— what those men beleeued then or vvee beleeue novv or vvhether they did eate Christ by faith spiritually as we do or how they vvere sanctified or iustified by him as we are but what then sacraments ours in them selues by them selues considered were vvhat vertue and grace they gaue by then ovvner at â—re in that they vvere and ours are sacraments ordeyned by god seâ—nestred from al forain and external consideration Novv that thâ—s Caluin matcheth the lâ—vviâ—h sacraments of Moyses lavv vvith ours delâ—uered by Christ in the Gospel it is very manifest That â—holistical opinion saith he whereby the Papists put a great difference betwene the sacraments of the old and the new law as though they figured only the grace of god and these gauâ— it presently is altogether to be abandoned For the Apostle Pauâ—e speaketh no more divinely of the one then of the other whereis â—e teacheth that our fathers of the old law dâ—d eate the some spiritual meate that we do 1. Cor. 10. v. 3. c. And to the end no man vnder the gospel should prefer him self as though he had some priuilege the Apostle preuenteth this obiection making them altogether like to vs. And especially he sheweth this equalitie in the sacraments VVherefore al what soeuer we haue now geuen vs in our sacraments the same the Ieweâ— of old receiued in theirs that is Christ with his spiritual riches And the vertue whiâ—h ours haue they also found in theirs to wit that they should be seales of gods
infinite difference betvvene that antiquitie this noueltie that faith this infidelitie that sacrifice and sacrament of Christ and this sacrilegious bread and vvyne or perhaps some vvorse matter invented by Carolostadius his Sprite so if vve proceed on a litle farther to the practise and administration of this nevv deuised Communion vve shal yet somvvhat more throughly see in to the essence thereof and haue better helpe to iudge betvvene the one the other For before I come to Caluins opinion vpon vvhich I must lest most of al although in substance it be al one vvith these precedent I thinke it good for the better vnderstanding of the reader to let him see hovv the Protestants vse to administer this their supper vvithout superstition and most nighly to this order prescribed by Carolostadius Zuinglius Bullinger and the Tigurine gospellers after Zuinglius fasshion ¶ A Germane Protestant of this time in his booke vvhich he hath made conteyning 50. reasons vvhy one of his sect a Lutheran may not in any vvise become a Caluinist among other things vvriteth that the Caluinists or sacramentaries do so haâ—e the words of Christs Institution that they can not abide ether to see or to heare them therefore administer their supper vvithout them Ioachimus VVestphalus obiecteth to Caluin that the Ministers of his sâ—â—te in East Fâ—â—â—â—land minister the Eucharist vvith these only vvords Eate this bread beleeue and remember that the body of Christ offered on the crosse is the true sacrifice for your sinnes VVhich maner of administratio Caluin in his ansvvere iustifieth is as al men may perceiue very conformable to the assertioâ—s of Zuinglius of Bullinger of Oecolampadiê° those other before rehearsed The Anabaptists in this respect are perfite sacramentaries and Caluin in his booke against them vvhere he seuerally reciteth their errors and refuteth them confesseth that in the receiuing and administration of the supper they say nothing which we graunt not vnto them yea which we our selues teach not daily Nihil dicunt saith he quod ipsis non concedamus imo quod non quotidie doceamus So that in seeing the communioÌ„ of the Anabaptists vve see the communion of Caluinists and the forme and fashion of the one is a true and exact paterne of the other Novv that the Anabaptists vsually leaue out the vvords of Christs institution it is no lesse notorious to any man that knovveth their â—aith gospel and Communions whereof their practise in Munster the chief citie of VVestphalia where they began their kingdome the yere 1534 may seâ—â—e for a sufficient proofe One day as Sleidan reheaâ—seth the storie the king coÌ„maunded the brethern to meete in a certen place Being come thither some thousands in number they found their supper prouided beef mutton tost sod with such varietie as the country and time velded This supper being now almost exded the king him self reacheth bread to ech one vsing withal these words Take eate shew forth the death of the Lord. His Quene immediatly folowing deliuereth in like sort the cup saying drinke shew forth the death of the Lord. M. Fox our English Martyr-maker writing the storie of Anne Askew Iohn Lassels others in the end of king Henry the 8. his reigne setteth downe a long epistle writen by the said Lassels in which is conteyned their faith of the sacrament which faith also M. Fox seemeth wel to approue for that he saith This martyr confuteth the error of the Papists which are not contente with the spiritual receiuing also he doth câ—t oâ— tâ—e sinister interpretatioÌ„ which many make vpon the words of the institutioÌ„ Thus are the words of this martyr S. Paule 1. Cor. 11. saith That which I deliuered vnto yow I receaued of the Lord. For the lord Iesus the same night in which he was betrayed tooke bread thanked brake it and said take ye eâ—e ye this is my body which is broken for yow Here me seemeth S. Paule durst not take vpon him his Lord masters authoritie he durst not take vpon him to say This is my body It was the Lord IESVS that made the supper which also did finish it and made an end of the only act of our saluation both here in this world also with his father in heaven Now if any man be able to finish the act of our Sauiour in breaking of his body and shedding of his blud here also to finish it with his father in heauen then let him say it But I thinke if men wil looke vpon S. Paules words wel they shal be forced to say as S. Paule saith The Lord IESVS said it once for al which only was the fulfiller of it For these words HOC EST CORPVS MEVM This is my body were spoken of his natural presence which no man is able to deny Thus these martyrs By which discourse it appeareth that they acknowledge first the words of Christs supper to be spoken of Christs natural presence and body which they say is so playne that no man is able to deny it Next that this so apperteyneth to Christ alone that he only and no man euer after him could minister this supper â—or so it foloweth The act was finished on the crosse as the storie doth plainely manifest it to them that haue eyes Now this bluddy sacrifice is made an end of the supper is finished This seemeth to agree in part with Carolostadius in that it denyeth the words spoken by Christ at his last supper to perteyne to our Eucharist But it agreeth much more with the sansie of Petrus de Bruis author of the sect of the Albigenses For he taught directly that only once to wit in the last supper which Christ made with his Apostles was his body truly geuen vnder the forme of bread but afterward neuer as witnesseth Petrus Cluniacensis who then liued and reâ—uted this error of his VVhereas then these gospellers wil haue the words of Christs institution quit remoued from the administration of the supper some perhaps would gladly know in what sort they would haue it ministred Forsooth as before the Caluinsts of Fâ—isâ—laâ—d and Anabaptists in VVestphalia vsed VVhich M. Fox declareth thus Here now foloweth the administration of the supper of the Lord which I wil take at Christs hands after the resurrection although other men wil not be ashamed to bring their wicked Councels or foolish inuentions for them And it came to passe as Christ satte at meate with them he tooke bread blessed it and brake it gaue it vnto them their eyes were opened and they knew him and he vanished out of their sight and the Apostles did know him in breaking of bread Here we learne what is the supper not after the wicked Councels foolish inuentions of men for so I thinke it would be although by error the pâ—â—nter set it otherwise but after the Lords owne order
in the church VVherefore the ministerie of the word is not coÌ„mon to them al Christians Here vnto he answereth I confesse that it is not permitted to women to speake as nether to men that be dumbe For I beleeue that albeit this right is common to al yet no man can nor ought to practise it but only he who is fitter then other to him other are bound to yeld place that order comlynes may be kept And to speake in publike assembly besides the spirite there is required a good voyce eloquence memorie other natural gifts which who so wanteth he must yeld his right to an other So Paule forbiddeth wemen to speake not altogether but in the church that is to say where are men able to speake that for order honesties sake For a man is more fit then a woman and the spirite doth more inspire men then women this is the meaning of Paules place Otherwise how should Paule alone withstand the holy ghost who saith Ioel 2. your daughters shal prophecie and Act. 21. Philip had 4. daughters that prophecied Out of al vvhich much more to like effect he draweth this conclusion Order therefore honestie requireth that men speaking wemen should hold their peace But where men speake not there it is necessarie that wemen speake By al which we see that the word of god forbiddeth not wemen to prophecie that is in the new gospel to preach no not amongst men much lesse amongst wemen which is the highest office consequently nether to minister the communion baptisme which is a great deale lesse if so be that they haue better learning vtterance then men haue as oft tymes it chaunceth or if the minister through negligence and ignorance be not able to preach the word which perhaps in Scotland England is very common And of this same opinion with Luther are Pèter Martyr and Huldrike Zuinglius Of the same opinion were the first reformers of our English church M. Horne bishop so called of VVinchester others who of this matter write thus There is so much required in a spiritual minister that al men be not meete for the office therefore with good reason wemen be debarred from it Albeit at some time it pleaseth god to vse their Ministerie VVherefore me thinke euen in this point we must vse a certain moderation not absolutely in euery wise to debar them herein as it shal please god to serue Christ I pray yow what more vehemency vseth S. Paule in forbidding wemen to preach then in forbidding them to vncouer their heads And yet yow know in the best reformed churches of al Germanie al the maydes be barehedded which the preachers learned men make no great accompt of As much to say that it is a thing indifferent for wemen to preach minister the Sacraments may wel be suffered no lesse then it is that maydes go with their heads vncouered which S. Paule forbiddeth with like vehemencie as he doth their preaching yet the best reformed churches of al Germanie with the learned men ministers there make no great accompt of it It were very easie to proue this by a number of other Protestant writers authorities especially English where a womaÌ„ being supreme head of the church from whence al ecclesiastical power authoritie is deriued to bishops and ministers who hauing in her as writeth my I. Archbishop of Canterbury the supreme gouernemeÌ„t in al causes ouer al persons as she doth exercise the one apperteyning to matters ciuil temporal by the Lord Chauncellor so doth she the other concerning the church religion by the Archbishops what reasonable man can deny or doubt but that a woman in whom is the fulnes of al ecclesiastical gouernement may geue vnto a woman some inferior peece thereof no lesse then she geueth the excercise of many parts vnto the Archbishop who receiueth al his order power from her And whereas king Harry imparted the exercise of his like supreme ecclesiastical regiment to my L. Crumwel Erle of Essex his subhead in the church of England and vicegerent for and concerning al his iurisdiction ecclesiastical who can with any probabilitie of reason yea without incurring manifest treason deny but that as K. Harry a man gaue vnto my Lord of Essex so the Quene a woman may geue vnto my Lady of Essex or any other al her iurisdiction ecclesiastical especially for that it is by supreme authoritie so precisely defined that the Quene may assigne name and authorise whom so euer she shal thinke meete and conuenient and for such so long time such persons being naturally borne subiect as Ladies vvemen are to vse and execute vnder her al maner of iurisdiction spiritual or ecclesiastical And if the pattie thus assigned named authorised be also vvel spoken and learned then not only mans lavv but also gods as Luther and the English doctors haue before taught iustifieth such wemens both preaching al other ministring For if they may haue the greater authoritie to preach and yet to be supreme head of the church is much more then al inferior offices belonging to the edification of the church aâ— baptizing ministring the coÌ„munion binding losing calling Synodes c. may much more be exercised by them as Luther disputeth manifest reason convinceth and our English Iewel together vvith the Qâ—ea ler of this new Divinitie in Cambridge teacheth VVho by authoritie of S. Fabianus an auncient Pope and Martyr 1400 yeres sithence and also of S. Bernard vvil needs proue against D. Harding that in the Primitiue church wemen no lesse then men made the sacrifice of the altar and that of bread wine after the order of Melchisedech VVherefore to returne to our matter of making vp an euangelical communion hereof it appeareth I suppose sufficiently that 3. or 4. Euangelical gossips meeting together and eating and drinking in such â—oâ—t as hath bene said make a very true real perfect and absolute coÌ„munion touching al substance required by the Protestant doctrine And therefore I vvish them selues to iudge vvhether Martin Luther that reuerend Father as M. Fox calleth him vnderstanding throughly their meaning and sense had not some cause to say that Christ had bene very vnwise he vseth a more vvicked terme vvhich I vvil nor English to haue instituted a peculier supper whereas otherwise the world is ful of such suppers quum caenarum huiusmodi totus mundus alioqui plenus sit vvhich after they haue turned and tossed so many vvaies as they can vvil proue nothing but as Luther affirmeth it a poore and vulgar banquet or rather a rustical compotation For if 3. or 4. vvemen so meeting and gossiping make such a coÌ„munion then 3. or 4. men vvemen consequently as many men boyes may serue to do the like so there is no rustical cortage where there is
men by the very light of nature and natural conscience though out of grace therefore not availeable to glory as the Apostle and true Theologie assureth And therefore vvhereas M. B. against al reason against â—l Theologie against the Apostle and al Apostles and Euangelists of Christ that ever vvere telleth his auditors and biddeth them locke vp this as a sure conclusion that if they once had any of these vertues they before they dye shal have them againe if ever they had any one of them then had they faith vvhereof that vvas a suie certain argumeÌ„t vvhich faith is proper to the elect therefore they are Gods elect perpetually then they can not possibly perish vvhereas he maketh thus far such linking together coÌ„nexioÌ„ of his Theological or rather diabological propositions vvhat one of his auditors or disciples is so simple but he can deduce one farther conclusion out of these premisses that he may live how he vvil he may do vvhat he please he may freely folow the lusts of his flesh in al catnalitie and sensualitie having assurance before hand from this preacher that he shal never be damned for it that if ever he vvere inclined to any good since his infancie he shal be surely as good again before he die and if once he felt any grace of God any good effect of his grace al his life time he shal find God gracious merciful to him for ever for that his gifts favour are irrevocable vvhom he once loved him vvil he love eternally This is the coÌ„clusion consequence of that former preaching this is not to preach God but Epicure not Christ but Antichrist not civil and moral honestie as becometh an honest civil man much lesse as becometh an Euangelist and preacher of Christian pietie and religion but rather this is to set open the schole of Sardanapalus of Lucian and Diagoras to make a mocke of religion to extinguish and eradicare honest life and al vertue other ciuil or Christian and briefly in â—â—eed of making preparation to the vvorthy receiuing of their lords supper except Satan be their lord this is to prepare men to celebrate the Supper and feasts of Bacchus and Venus of Lupercalia and Bacchanalia to set a man headlong in to al filthines villanie al dissolution both bodily and ghostly The conclusion conteyning certaine general reasons vvhy the Calvinian Gospel novv preached in Scotland can not be accounted the Gospel of Christ The Argument The conclusion drawen out of the precedent discourse preaching of M. B. sheweth that whereas al religion especially Christian coÌ„sisteth principally of two partes 1. faith towards God 2. honest charitable behavicur towards men both these the Calvinists vtterly destroy by their preaching of only and special faith and therefore their gospel hath no shew or face of any religion These 2. partes are proued severally first touching good life next touching necessarie points of ChristiaÌ„ saith For which cause euer since the beginning this Calvinian gospel hath bene abherred and condemned not only by al Catholikes but also by very many Protestants and those of most same and learning The Caluinian gospel is nothing so coloured with probable shew of Christianitie as were many old heresies The preachers of it are much more variable mutable contrarie to them selues and therefore the shame miserie and condemnation of men is greater who have departed from the Catholike and Apostolike faith of al ages vnto it The nature of the Caluinian and Sacramentarie Gospel is never to be constant but to be always chaunging the solowers whereof are neuer setled in any one certain faith For which reason and also for that in many chief articles it dissenteth from the Gospel of Christ and his Apostles as most Scottish and English detest it so al Christians haue iust causeâ— hate it and returne from it to Christs Catholike church and Gospel The Conclusion AND now to leave M. B. and turne my talke to thee my deare countryman vvhose benefit I most entend whose eternal good I vvish and daily pray for as thow regardest thy owne saluation and hopest to have part vvith Christ thy Saviour in heaven and to avoid eternal torment vvth Luciser and the damned in hel consider vvith thy self advisedly as the vveight of the case requireth vvhether in coÌ„mon sense and probabilitie in reason humane or divine the vvay to attayne the one and avoid the other be this vvhich these late ragged and scattered Apostataes divided against them selves al Christendome besides Luther and Zvinglius Caluin Beza vvhom M. B. more exactly foloweth have of late inveted or rather that vvhich al thy forefathers for these 13. or 14. hundred yeres in vnitie vvith them selves and al other Christian provinces and countries ouer the vvhole vvorld have taught by vvord and vvorke and in such an vniuersal Catholike faith have happely offered their blessed sowles to God CoÌ„sider vvith thy self omitting al other inferior and secondarie controuersies vvith vvhich the Christian vvorld is now by these new Evangelists so pestered that the nature of every religion in general much more the Christian vvhich only in truth and by vvay of excellency is called religion is built vpon 2. vniversal pillers faith and charitie to beleeve vvel and to live wel as Christ and his Apostles every vvhere teach And leauing to thy private remembrance knowlege if thow be of age if not to thy information by bookes or other better learned how our Catholike religion hath evermore framed her childreÌ„ to both these to right faith and godly charitable life vvhereof the daily discipline and practise of the church is the best proofe and the very face of our realmes Scotland and England adorned vvith such a number of goodly hospitals of colleges of monasteries built first to the honor of God next to the benefit of the realme of the poore of impotent of orphans of al sorts of men in the realme ech in their degree and order ruinated now by these caterpillers and false ministers yeldeth abundant confirmation to leaue this and to behold a litle the other part the religion brought in by these ministers which they intitle by the name of their Gospel consider vvhich thow maist do vvithout any great learning as being a thing evident to the eye vvhether it plucke not vp even by the rootes as it vvere al faith and good life For demonstration vvhereof I vvil not trouble thee vvith any new discourse but only 〈◊〉 vpon that vvhich touching ether of these hath bene said already in the last chapter or at the farthest in this present treatise And concerning good life vvhen men are taught that vvhat so ever they do is sinne and that mortal deseruing damnation that thus they sinne when they studie to do best vvho vvil labour vvho vvil studie to auoid sinne vvhich he beleeveth to be a thing vnpossible VVhen men are taught that if ever