de contribuer vos soins pour appaiser les troubles de la Chrestienté F. Leon de Paris Gardien of the Capueins of the Conuent of S. Honorie Fr. Archangell of Paris Gardien of the Capucins of S. Iameses Fr. Baltazar Langlois Prior of the Dominicains of S. Iames street F. Renault de Vault Prior of the great Conuent of the Carmelites of Paris Doctor of Diuinitie où nous prenons vn interest bien plus sensible qu'en ce qui nous pourroit concerner THE PRINCIPALL POINTS OF THE FAITH OF THE Catholike Church DEFENDED AGAINST the vvriting directed to the king by the foure Ministers of Charenton THE FIRST CHAP. MINISTERS SOVERAIGNE LORD The knovvledge which we haue of the mildnes of your naturall disposition makes vs hope that you will heare vs in our iuste complaintes and that to giue iudgement in an importāt cause you will not be satisfyed with hearing the accusation Againe the greatnes of your courage and the vigour of your witt which out run tyme and outstripe your age and wherof God hath alreadie made vse to restore peace to France fills your subiects vvith hope to see Peace and Pietie florish and Iustice maintayned vnder your raigne ANSWERE ONe may see that by experience in the first lines of your writing which is frequently noted by aunciēt historians Arrius in ep ad Constant apud Sozom. lib. 2. c. 26. Nestoriani tom 3. Conc. Ephes c. 18. that it is an ordinarie thing with such as erre in Faith to charme the eares of Princes with specious words that they may with more facilitie make glide into their hearts and imprint therin the opinions which they professe You extolle his Majesté thinking vnder the sweetnes of a truth to make him take downe that which is depraued in your beleifs and to couch vnder faire appearances the serpent which doth distroy soules as that Aegiptian hidde the aspe vnder figues which slew her The qualities which you attribute vnto the kinge doe truely appertayne vnto him nor haue I indeede any thinge to doe vpon this subiect but to approue the prayses wihich you asscribe vnto him and withall to adde to them euery one knowing not onely the strength of his witt and the fulnes of his courage but further the soliditie of his iudgement the inbred goodnes of his nature his pietie towards his people and zeale in point of Religion Yet in truth one that would be rigorous considering that a Respons ad epist Luth. Henry the eight king of England vvhom you so highy esteeme cōtemnes the prayses which Luther whom he condemnes of heresie ascribes vnto him might propose vnto his Maiestie to impose silence vpon you or at least to stop his eares against that which euen with truth you speake to his aduantage But I will nether indeuour the one nor the other the vehement desire and hope I conceaue of your conuersion There is nothing sayde in this Chapter of the Ministers inuiting the king to iudge of their cause ansvver being made thereto in 3. Chap. oblige me to treate you more mildly I will content my selfe to discouer vnto him your craft which consists in thinking to please him in euerie thing to thend you may please him in this point and vpon this I dwell praysing you for the prayses you giue him according to your dutie each subiect being obliged to speake and thinke well of his king CHAP. II. MINISTERS You haue SOVERAIGNE in your kingdome many thousands making profession of the old Christian Religion and such as Iesus-Christ did institute it and the Apostles did publish and put it downe in writing who for this cause haue suffered horrible persequutions which yet could neuer impeach their continuall loyaltie to their soueraigne Prince yea when the necessitie of the kingdome called they ran to the defence euen of those kinges who had persequuted them They DREAD SOVERAIGNE serued Henry the great your Father of most glorious memorie for a Refuge dureing his afflictions and vnder his conduct and for his defence gaue battaills and at the perill of their liues and fortunes brought hym by the point of the sword to his kingdome maugre the enemyes of the state Of which labours damages dangers others then they reape the revvard for the fruite which we reape therby is that we are constrayned to goe serue God far from Townes that the entrie to any dignities is become to vs for the most part impossibile or at least full of difficultie That our new borne children who are carried a far of to Baptisme are exposed to the rigour of the weather whence many die that we are hindred to instruct them yet that which doth most aggreeue vs is that our Religion is diffamed and denigrated with calumnies in your Maiesties presence while yet we are not permitted to purge our selues of those imputations in the presence of the said Maiestie ANSWERE IT is the custome of those that are tainted with errour to brage most of that which they least haue and to boast of it in aduātagious words which are ordinarie with them as S. a S. Hieron Osea cap. 10. Spumantibus verbis rumēt Hierome doth remarke This truely is your proceeding while you somme vp by millions your followers in France though now they be reduced to a far lesse number Imitating herin the Donatists who though but few in number brought downe to a part of Affrike and that a litle one too did yet make brages of the multitude of their followers You make vse of a deceipt yet easie to be discouered you see that the scripture and all the b Hieron tentra Lucif Fathers make the Catholike Church the lawfull Spouse of Iesus-Christ more fruitefull then any adulterer wherevpon you attribute to your selues many brethren but in vaine it being cleare euen vnto the blind that the number of yours are no more considerable in respect of the kings other subiects then all those that are of your professiō in the whole world being compared to those who in all christendome liue vnder the lawes of the Romane Church That this is so it is easie for me to proue by the same argument which a S. Aug. cap. 3. de vnitat◠Eccles lib. de Past c. 18. S. Augustine makes vse of against the Donatists for the vniuersall Church making onely appeare that your beleife hath no place in diuers townes and places of this kingdome where the Catholike Church is and that yet the Catholike Church is found in euery place where profession is made of your religion so it is not strange that when b Caluin 2. Colos 2. v. 19. videmus vt modo procer sit ac amplun Papae regnused prodigios magnitudine vrgeat Et in Praef. lib. de libero arbit Nos exiguun sumus home num manus illi Papistae ingentem faciunt exerc◠tum some of your owne men doe compare the number of their followers with the number of Catholikes they confesse that theirs is
without reserue to the heade of their order who is and alwayes was subiect to the king of spayne who were condemned by your Courts of Parlament as enemyes of your state of the liues of kings and corrupters of youth who teach the people that the Pope hath power to depose kings to cause them to be slayne and to transport their crownes to others That they are not to detect conspiracies against the king which they heare in confession and that being attached they may vse equiuocation before the Iudge Vvhence effectes haue sprung pernicious to France and to all Christendome Vvherpon their bookes put out by the publike approbation of the Generall of their Order together with a good quantitie of Iesuite Docteurs were by the Decree of the Court publikly burnt by the comon executioner And if your Maiestie will daigne to informe himselfe he shall find in the Iesuite Colledge of Flesche founded by the bountie of the king your Father of most glorious memorie he shall find I say in the Fathers low hall a great Picture wherin are represented the Martyres of their Order amongst whom some are found who were put to death for hauing enterprised the death of their kings and that this punishment is there called martirdome and this is placed in the view of a multitude of youthes to induce them by their examples to attayne to the glorie of Martirdome by the same meanes And yet euen those men without hauing made any retractation or publike declaration wherby to condemne such bookes and such doctrine haue at this day the eares of our kings they search the secretes of their consciences and haue freest accesse to their royall personns ANSWERE GOd's goodnes is so greate that ordinarily he doth conuert the euil which is intended against his friends to their benefit Your ayme is to hurt the Iesuites and you doe them great seruice since all men will confesse that it is a great glorie vnto them to be blamed with the same mouth which doth accuse the Catholike Church reiects good workes calumniates the saintes iniures Iesus Christ yea makes euen God himselfe blame-worthy It is a thing truly whichmakes greatly to their aduantage we see it by experience for so much as besides the considerations which ought to make all men esteeme them diuers doe loue them particularly because you hate them Let vs see the crymes which you lay to their charge You say they call themselues the companions of Iesus Christ what proofe doe you bring to make this good you will say that to call ones selfe of the companie of Iesus is to make themselues the companions of Iesus but your consequence is impertinent for to be said to be of the companie of a Prince no other thing is required then to be one of his followers marrie to be said to be his companion much more is requisite False therfore it is that the Iesuites tearme themselues the Companions of Iesus Christ though they be said to be of his companie Wherin they doe nothing worthy of reprehension since the words of the Apostle 1. Cor. 1. v. 9. 1. Ioan. 1. v. 3. you are called into the societie of his sonne and those ef saint Iohn let our societie be with the Father and his sonne Iesus Christ are not onely to be vnderstoode of those to whom they are spoken but of all Christians in generall who follow the faith and doctrine of Iesus Christ But how is it sufferable that the Reuerend Ministers should blame the Iesuites as though they called themselues the Companions of Iesus while they assume to themselues that title which they blame for arrogant Certainly you haue forgotten your Catechisme 6. Sunday where speaking of Iesus Christ you say in plane tearmes we are Companions of his priesthoode And it appeares planly that you begin to neglect Caluine by reason of the multitude of blasphemies wherof his workes are conuinced for if you had read him you had obserued without doubt that it being said in the second of S. Peter Cap. 1. v. 4. that we are partakers of the diuine nature he made vs fellowes of Christ in the eternitie of life You would also haue noted him where he saith that a Calu. in Coloss 1. v. 24. Paule was Christs companion that Christ b In Mar. 13. v. 43. promised the thiefe that he would make him his fellow-partner of eternall life c In Hebra 2. v. 13. that we are all fellowes to the sonne of God that the d 3. Instit c. 18. §. 1. Elect are taken into the fallow shipe of Christ yea of God too e ibid. c. 17. § 6 Or if you had bene conuersant in f Luth postillain Domin 5. post Pascha Luthere certainly you would haue fallen vpon these words Through Iesus Christ we are made equall and brothers to him to witt to God The Iesuites say you make an oath of blind obedience and that without all exception If you were not your selues blind you would see that a vowe of its owne nature contaynes an exception of all that may be preiudiciall to kings for seeing all vowes haue good for their obiect a man cannot oblige himselfe by vowe to doe any thing contrarie to the law of God the Decrees of the Church obedience due to the kinge and loue to our neighbours If you had diligently reade the Fathers you would haue learnt that the obedience which you call blind is not subiect to blame since they teach that a true religious ought to haue it So saith a Basil in cōstit Mon. c. 23. Quamadmodū igitur Pastori suo oues obtemperant viam quācunque vult ingrediuntur sic qui ex Deo pietatis cultores sunt moderatoribus sins obsequi debent nihil omninò iussa eorū curiosius perscrutantes quando libera sunt à peccaco c. Item vt Faber singulis aertis instrumentis pro arbitrio vtitur suo neque vnquam vllum enuentum est instrumētum quod ad quēcumque vsum elle voluisset non se facile tractādū praebuerit c. S. Basile teaching that it is not the part of a true religious to examine his Superious commande so longe as he doth not oblige him to sinne and he compares him to a sheepe which goes which way the Pastour pleaseth and to an instrument which neuer resistes his will that vseth it So b Bernard Tract de pracepto dispensat c. 9. Perfecta obedientia legem nescit terminis non arctatur largiori voluntate fertur in altitudinem charitatis c. S. Bernard saying perfect obedience knowes no lawes no limines but is carried with a full will into the depth of charitie to all that is commanded So a S. Hieron epist 4. ad Rustic c. 4. credas tibi salutare quicquid praepositus praeceperit nec de maiorum sententiae iudices saint Hierome when he saith be confident that all that thy Superiour commands thee is wholsome for thee and
them vnto a gentleman of our religion to bring them vnto vs. ANSWERE SInce Euery man vnderstands his owne busines best I haue nothing to say vpon this paragrafe which toucheth F. Arnould he hauing in his replie answered it himselfe onely this I will say he that knowes his merits learning Zeale and moderation of mynd will easily iudge him to be a man of greater performance then vndertaking and more prone to render your soules gratefull to God then your persons hatefull to men CHAP. XIII MINISTERS THis Soueraigne Lord did oblige vs to make answere for this confession hauing bene made to giue an accompt of our faith to our Soueraignes and to that effect being presented to king Henry the II. your predecessour we thought fitt to addresse the Defence of the same confession to his successour in whose presence it was calumniated And I wish to God we were licenced to propose our defence verbally in the presence of your Maiestie and were authorised publikly and in presence of the king which God hath bestowed vpon vs to mantayne the truth of the Gospell against those that doe diffame it which is a thing which your Maiestie ought also to desire For seeing a dissension amongst your subiects in point of religion what is more conuenient then that he who is the common father of vs all should know in what the difference consistes and see the ground of the processe and to this effect he should looke to the head of the fountaine to discouer what Christian religion was in its source For he that is established on earth to see that God be serued ought exactly to know the rule of Gods seruice he who in his charge represents God's royaltie ought in his actions to imitate his iustice which how can it be done without knowing the soueraigne rule of Iustice which is the word of God Vvher vpon it is that God commands kings continually to haue before their eyes the booke of the law therin to read all the dayes of their life But if they permitt themselues to be hood winked and be content to follow without seeing the way before them the Popes and Prelates haue faire occasion to accommodate religion to their priuate lucre and crect their owne greatnes vpon the ruines of the Ghospell For now religion is made a trafike and those our great Masters haue inuented rules of pietie which doth intrench not onely vpon the liuing but euen vpon the deade To no other end haue the Popes for some ages past probibited the kings your Maiesties Predecessours to read the holy Scripture but that their Empire is grounded vpon the ignorance of Gods word Neuer had it bene permitted to haue growen so great with the diminution of the greatnes of our Kings if they had not wrought vpon the aduantage of an obscure age wherin few people discouered their designe He could not haue made himselfe soueraigne Iudge in points of faith if the people had had the rule of faith before their eyes which God long agoe pronounced with his owne mouth ANSWERE IT is a great art in him that is feable and fearefull to fayne himselfe bold and valourous you put a good face vpon it and beare it boldly to make the world beleeue that you haue a great desire to appeare before the king to make good in his presence and in publike the truth of your new Gospell Your words which sound no other thing but a chalance wherby you prouoke all the Clergie of France to a publike disputation makes me call to mynd the Troian wherof mention is made in Homere Iliad 7 who boldly prouoked to combate marrie when it came once to blowes he stood in neede of a cloud to couer his flight and shame Vve could with facilitie if we pleased refuse to giue you battaile without the disaduantage of our dishonour or affording you occasion of complaint For Luther doth sustayne that we are not to dispute with such as renew old heresies which were long agoe condemned But we will not proceede so rigorously with you the Church of France by Gods prouidence being prouided of store of Prelates wherof I am the least and of an infinite number of Doctours who vpon all occasions will make appeare the veritie of her doctrine the vanitie of your errours The onely shadow of that great Cardinall will alwayes be able to defeate you for the same reason for which the Picture of Alexander made him quake vnder whose powerfull hand he had somtymes sunke to the grouÌ„d Is it not a mere flatterie to inuite a king to discerne differences in religion Vvill you haue princes to assume to themselues the authoritie of Iudges in such causes Though you would yet would not your brethren consent therto Princes themselues haue no such pretension The Holy fathers giue testimonie and the Scriptures teach that iustly they cannot doe it That your brethren will not haue it so they themselues shall speake Princes saith a Bezainconfess c. 5. art 15. Principes Synodo intersint non vt regnent sed vt seruiaÌ„t non vt leges condant sed vt ex Deiverbo per os ministrorum explicatas sibi aliis obseruandas proponant Beza are present in synods not to rule but to serue not to inact lawes but to propose those to be kept by themselues and the people which according vnto the word of God are explicated by the mouth of the Minister The Prince saith b Controu 5. lib. 2. c. 18. De sensu fidei mec cognoscit Princeps nec cognoscere officio Principali potest Iunius nether doth nor can by vertue of his charge iudge of the meaning of faith Vve say saith c Controu 1. q. 5. c. 4. Dicimus lites Ecclesiasticas decernendas esseex lege diuina per Ministrum Item cap. 6. Respondeo Martinum Ecclesiae vindicare iudicium de genere doctrinae non coÌ„cedere Imperatort c. Vhitakere that Ecclesiasticall differences are to be decided by the Minister in vertue of the diuine law In another place I answere that Martine doth ascribe the iudgement of points of doctrine to the Church he doth not grant it to the Emperour and who will deny that this iudgment appertaynes to â—ishopes Finally it belongs not to kings and Princes to confirme euen true doctrine but they are to be subiect to and obseruant of it saith Luthere That Princes doe not pretend to make themselues Iudges in matters of Faith the a Apud Soz. l. 6. c. 7. Mihiquisum de sorte plebis fas non est talia perserutari Sacerdotibus ista curae sunt Emperour Valentinian doth confirme in these words It is not lawfull for me who am of the ranke of the people to sound and search into those things they are committed to the Preistes care It belongs me not saith the same as b Epist 32. noÌ„ est mecum iudicare inter Episcopos S. Ambrose relates to iudge of the differences which rise amongst Bishops
It is the part of a subiect to serue without voyceing his seruices leauing the accnowlekgment and publishing therof to the Prince If the Prince come short of our iust expectation yet hath a man no actioÌ„ of coÌ„plaint against him If a man coÌ„playne he is blameworthy and coÌ„sequently much more if he complaine while he hath cause to commend The Reader shall iudge whether those that haue bene admitted by their kings to establish a new Chaire in a state to erect a new ministrie who ly coÌ„trarie to that which they accnow ledge to be the tiue Ministrie of the Almightie who haue full libertie to make profession of a Belief directly opposite to theirs who are admitted to offices dignities and estates who by the benefit of the kings bountie inioy no smale number of townes and Castles for their safetie though all the rest of the French doe absolutely relie vpon his faith the true and sole Refuge of subiectes finally if those who haue large pensions who receaue grate benefits in whose fauour verie aduantagious Edicts are made and inuiolably kept the Reader I say shall iudge whether such people haue cause to complaine of their kings and tacitly to accuse them of ingratitude while they declare them selues loaden with iniuries for reward of their seruices If the Anabaptists had afforded as much assistance to some one of your Princes for the recouerie of his Estats as you pretend to haue afforded to Henry the Great would you counsell him to permit them more libertie then you inioy in France Or inioying so much would you admitt of their complaintes for that they did not iaioy equall libertie with you To conclude I appeale to your owne coÌ„sciences not onely whether all the Princes which professe your beleife but whether euen any of theÌ„ doe so treate curs in their States no I will demande yet lesse I aske not whether ours receaue benefits whether they beare offices whether they be preferred to any degree of honour it is too much I will yet fall lower and onely aske if they haue libertie giuen to professe our religion not openly but euen in secrete with assurance of their life Bezae Epist 4. Non dubitamus Magistratus optimoiure in praefatos Anahaptistas gladiuÌ„ strinxisse Bezade haeret puniend lib. integro Idem Epist. 1. est hee merè diabolicum dogma sinendum esse vnuÌ„quemque vt si voler pereat After you shall haue wellpondered the question which I haue put vnto you you will be able to returne me no other answere saue onely that some grace they receaue in such States to witt that of Martirdome which we doe most highly prise And indeede your authours doe teach that Heretiques are to be bainshed and punished and that libertie of conscience is diabolicall whence you doe prohibite it vs in all places wher you haue power While yet there is a faire differeÌ„ce betwixt your conditioÌ„ and ours you are Nouellists and consequently they whose possession you impeach might iustly haue hindred the exercise of your new beleife Luther and your owne Authours teaching Luth in 1. ad Galat. Luth. â—puâ— S. eâ—d l. 5. that so it ought to be done and practising accordingly Vve are possessours possessing a doctrine which the Apostles left vs by an vninterrupted transmission from hand to hand and therfore we cannot be lawfully repelled vnlesse we be first condemned by a generall Councell which is so far from euer hauing bene done that euen the Princes which imbrace your religion haue not yet condemned vs with any show of iustice since we haue neuer yet bene heard herin you vse their cunning who hauing giuen occasion of complainte complaine first Colloque de Poissy Conference de Fontainebelleau making show of aggreeuance in the same thinge although indeed this libertie is not denyed you and we are exceeding glad that it is giuen you knowing well that as many combats as we fight shall be as many Lawrells for vs and victories for the Church And desireing nothing more then by diligently obseruing the Edicts made in your fauour to meete with the occasions wherin we may bring a way to the aduantage of Truth new spoyles ouer your errours CHAP. III. Section I. MINISTERS FOr if this vvere permitted vs vve vvould make him clearely see that our religion is hated because it admitts no other rule of saluation then the vvord of God contayned in holy vvritt nor other head of the vniuersall Church then our Sauiour Iesus-Christ nor other Purgatorie for our sinnes then his bloode nor other sacryfice propitiatorie for our sinnes then his death and passion nor other merite before God then his obedience offered vp for vs to his beauenly father ANSWERE THe first thing which we are to marke in this point is the Art by which you vse to gaine mens harts and to alienate them from the Catholike Church in which we liue You represent your beleife hated for many reasons by which notwithstanding you pretend to make it commendable before God and man You will haue it to be hated for sustayning in points controuerted betweene vs that which makes most to Gods honour and for condemning in our Faith that which you hold vnworthy of his perfection In this you imitate the old Heresiarkes who opposed the principall points of Catholike religion vnder pretext of conseruing Gods honour more intire For this reason the Schismatikes as S. Cyprian deliuers Apud Cyprian ep 55. Hilar. l. 2. de Trinit solicite nimium ne patrem filius ab eo natus euacuet Marc. 2. Quis potest demittere peccata niss solus Deus Matthae 9. vnder collour of exalting God his mercy communicated with the christians who had sacrificed to Idolls before they had shewed a lawfull repentance For the same cause the Arians as we reade in S. Hilarie denyed that the sonne was consubstantiall with the Father least the dignitie of the Father might haue bene exhausted by this honour of the sonne For the same the Iewes would not haue Christ to haue power to absolue from sinne rendring that honour to God that it might be reserued to him alone For the same as we find in S. a Amb. l. 1. de poenit cap. 2. Aiunt Nouatiani se Domino deferre reueremiaÌ„ cui solt remittendorum criminum potestateÌ„ resernent Ambroise the Nouatians denyed that the Church had the same power For the same saith S. b August l. 32. contr Faust Quiae ta ia ibi sunt quae Christa gloriam decolorent Augustine the Manichies denyed certaine bookes of the scripture which they said contayned thinges which stayned the luster of the glorie of Iesus Christ To be short diuers others tooke this colourable cloake yet were they all condemned by the Fathers and most iustly because God in the establishing of christian Religion did not search that which was most honorable vnto him selfe especially in our iudgement but that which was most profitable vnto vs as we see planely in these words
the fift part of your subiects to witt the Church men who hold not themselues to belyable to the lawes of your Court yea for their temporallities they haue another whom they accnowledge soueraigne out of your kingdome To which adde that which the Pope pretends and that which he hath alreadie practised yea euen in our tyme to witt that he hath authoritie to depriue your Ma. of life and crowne what remaynes dread souueraigne but that your kingdome is held in homage to the Pope and that you liue and raigne at his discretion onely ANSWERE It is an old trike of craft when one is guiltie of à fault to put it vpon another Yet I stand astonishd to thinke how you dare make vse of if it against the whole Clergie of this kingdome whom you striue to make the king suspect accusing them of faction wherof they are wholy innocent and you generally knowen to be stickers in The nature of your Ministerie deptines you of credit in point of accusing priests for S. Augustine a Hareticorum accusationes coÌ„tra Catholicum prebyterum admittere nec possumâ—â— nec debemm doth teach vs that your accusations nether ought to be nether indeed can be admitted and that it is the trike of heretikes b Aug. Epist 137. Hoeretici non hahendo quod in causa sua defensionis defendant non nisi hominuÌ„ crimina colligere affectant ea ipsa plurafalsissime iactant vt quia ipsam diuine scripturae veritatem qua vbique diffusa Christi Ecclesia commendatur crimiuari obscurate non possunt homines per ques pradicatur adducant in odium de quibâ—â— fingere quitquid in mentem Generit possunt when they haue nothing to say to defende them selues in point of their diuision from the Catholike Church to make à list of meÌ„s faults and following their owne fancie falsly to inlarge them selues thervpon to bring them into hatred who teach the truth which they are notable to find faultie or to obscure Hauing alreadie sufficiently manifested in what manner you susteyned the dignitie of this crowne and how litle occasion you had to draw pride or vanitie from it I will onely obserue in this place that you doe too too far swarue from truth and modestie in saying that you are ill vsed in this kingdome and by assuring yourselues that if you were not hated and hardly treated for maintayning the dignitie therof you should for euer after be exeÌ„pt from all hatted and hard vsage To what purpose did you taxe the two first Orders of State accusing the one of factioÌ„ the other of weaknes preiudiciall to the kings Maiestie but to let the world see that when you beare à splene against any one wtih à wonderfull boldnes you faigne faults to diffame him though withont all fundation for none can beignorant but that if there were any faction it gott entrie by their meanes who out of tyme aÌ„d seasoÌ„ would needs moue à question wherof the Church Nobilitie and the greater part of the three states striue to stoppe the course moued therto by diuers reasons which in à few wonds I will deduce First because the questioÌ„ being meerly spirituall whether God had giueÌ„ power to the Church to depose kings in cases of heresie and in fidelitie when they doe not onely make profession of them but doe also shew theÌ„ selues persequutours of the name of Christ aÌ„d the true faith as also whether this power did aggree with the word of God or no finall whether it were lawfull to vrge all the people to take an oath wherby they should affirme that it was not according to Gods word which being handled in the assemblie a body composed of lay-persons could not intermeddle in it without sacriledge without intrenching vpon the liberties of others mounting into Moyses his chaire laying hand vpon the incensoir and consequently without exposing themselues to the desasters which are wont to follow such impious and sacrilegious enterprises Nay euen the Clergie it selfe of a particular Church as of the Church of France could not decide this point since it belongs to the vniuersall Church onely to define Articles of Faith Secondly because all the kings and states in Christendome hauing interest in this cause one onely kingdome could not iudge of it without the appouall and authoritie of all the rest Thirdly because the holy Sea being interressed in this matter your adherents who haue sworne its destruction and who esteeme the ruine therof their establishment could not be held impattiall iudges though some of them indeuoured to deale in it Fourthly because out of the definition which you aymed at there followed a most euident schisme by establishing an article of faith particular to the Churches of France not Catholike or common to the vniuersall Church whence there followed a diuision in faith Lastly because the decision of this question was not onely of no effect to the health and securitie of kings which was yet the sole end of the question but was euen preiudiciall vnto them as may be seene by that which that great Cardinall and honour of his age wrote vpon that subiect who doth most amply handle this matter with eloquence equall to the profunditie of learning which all the world admires in him These reasons being coÌ„sidered without passion will leaue no doubt in any man but that the Clergie-men were worthy of praise not of blame for refusing to decide a question which was proposed vnto them to a bad end nor did the decision therof belong vnto them And therfore it carries no colour but is quite contrarie to truth to accuse them of faction adding that they and a part of the nobilitie made the king loose his cause For how doe you not blush for shame to affirme this since it is notorious to the word that in all the articles of the Clergie and nobilitie there was no proposition made much lesse any determination of any thing that tends in any the least measure to the diminution of the soueraigne power of our kings and the dignitie of their crowne and that the article presented by the aduise of some of the third order was onely reiected without euer deliberating vpon the contents therof it is a grosse impertinence to say that we caused the king to loose a cause where no iudgment was past and to make his Maiestie a partie in a cause where he onely interposed himselfe by his authoritie to conserue things in the same state in which they stoode If any were cast in their cause it is you who vnder pretext of maintayning the authoritie of kings would haue brought inn a schisme amongst Catholikes As for the letters which the Pope wrote vpon this matter if it be a fault in a father to write to his children to receaue their fathers letters his holines is blame-worthy to haue done that honour to the two orders wherof we speake and they culpable in receauing them Marrie seeing common sense doth teach vs that there
take not vpon thee to iudge the commands of thy betters Finally so b Greg. l. 2. c. 4. in 1. Regum Vera obedientia nec Praepositorum intentionem discutit nec praecepta discernit quia qui omne vitae suae iudicium maiori subdidit in hoc solo gaudet si quod sibi praecipitur operatur Nescit enim iudicare quisquis perfeclè didiceris obedire sainc Gregorie in these tearmes That true obedience doth nether examine the intention of Superiours nor discerne their commands because he that hath submitted all the iudgement of his whole life to one greater then himselfe hath no fairer way then to execute what he is commanded and he that hath learnt perfect obedience knowes not how to iudge Therfore the Iesuites are not to be blamed for making and obseruing a vowe which the Fathers of the primitiue Church doe not onely approue but euen ordayne as a thing necessarie for religious people You say further that they promis this blind obedience to a Generall who is alwayes subiect to the king of Spayne If you had informed your selues well of the truth of the busines you had learnt that it is false that their Generalls are ought to be or were alwayes such for euen Father Vitelesque who at this present is deseruedly possessed of that charge is a Romane borne and the last before him who lately deceased was a Liegois Next you vpbraid them with the Decrees which were made against them but it is sufficient that they were restored and established by the Edict of Henry the Great approued by all the Courts of Parlement in France Vvhich doth sufficiently iustifie the zeale of this order towards kings the affection therof towards the state and the profite which youthes reape of the care they take to instruct them Concerning their doctrine in point of power which they attribute to Popes ouer kinges you had spoken otherwise and more to the purpose if insteed of gathering it out of the writings of some particular men you had receaued it from the mouth of their Generall who in the yeare 1610. made a publike declaration wherby he doth not onely improue and disallow but absolutly prohibite those of his Order vnder most greeuous paines to maintayne vpon what pretext of tyrannie soeuer that it is lawfull to attempt vpon the persons of kings and Princes As touching the secrete of confession I haue not yet vnderstood that they hold any other opinion then that which the vniuersall Church holdeth But it is no wonder since you quarrell with the Sacrament that you imploy all your craft to make this become odious therby to hinder them whom you hold your enemyes because you are the enemyes of Gods Church from hauing accesse to kings persons and from the knowledge of secretes of their consciences wherat you ayme as the last words of your paragrafe doe testifie As for the Equiuocations which you say they vse and teach others to vse before their Iudges I referre you to the Answeres which they so often haue returned you vpon this subiect it shall suffice me onely to shew that blaming equiuocation in in them you practise it your selues nay euen most manifest lyes in matter of faith Vvicklef In the 2. booke on the life of â—videf by whom your french Martyrologe saith it pleased God to awake the world which was buried in the dreame of humane traditions being demanded an accompt of his faith did not he and his vse tergiuersations if we may credit your said Martyrologe who speakes of them in these words Striuing onely to find out tergiuersations and friuolous excuses therby to escape through ambiguitie of words Did not your Augustana Confessio vse equiuocation when it said Cap de Missa Our Churches were falsly accused of abolishing Masse for we doe yet retayne Masse and celebrate it with greatest reuerence Did not Melancton vse equiuocation Apud Hospiman part 2. hister an 25 41. when he did confesse that he and his had made the Articles at Asbroug ambiguous and easie to be turned To what end doth he say that the Articles made at Asbroug were to be changed and to be suted to occasions if he condemne equiuocation They framed ambiguous and guilefull formes of Transsubstantiation saith Caluine Epist 12. speaking of him and Bucere He indeuoured saith Chauaterus to setle a certaine concorde in an ambiguous kind of speach An. 1538. meaning Bucere Vve haue met with a confessing aduersarie For he himselfe teacheth vpon Erasmus that it is lawfull in the affaires of the Gospell to vse colours and clockes Bucere therfore and his fellowes when they grant to Luthere that the body of Christ is truly and substantially in the Eucharist and also that the vnworthy doe receaue it doe they not without compulsion for their owne pleasure yea and euen in matter of faith vse tergiuersatioÌ„s and equiuocations Doth not the same say that the Zuinglians differe from Luther though indeede it is false but in words onely Hospinian part 1. hist Sacram. Doth not Luther vpon this occasion tearme him a sower of words as saith Hospiniane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doe not the same Hospiniane and Simblerus swethish authours relate that Martir did vse for a tyme obscure and ambiguous words in the matter of the last supper In a word your Authouâ—s confesse that your inuisible Church for the space of many ages did professe our religion though with hart and mouth they beleeued yours which they could not doe not onely not without equiuocation but euen not without denying God And yet where is any of ours who doth not accnowledge that he is rather a thousand tymes to dy then to vse equiuacatioÌ„ in matter of Faith or to deny him not onely in hart but euen in word whom we are bound to confesse with both Touching their bookes if cortaine particular men composed any which were burnt what need you to stirre in their ashes Doe not the same Decrees which adiudged them to the fire iudge many of yours worthy of the same flames since they handle the same argument The picture which you mention cannot any way aduantage you since you and they aggree not in the fact for they sustayne that he whom you esteeme conuicted of a conspiracie against his king is wholy innocent of the fact and hold that he dyed for the sole defence of the Catholike religion Vvhence in comes to passe that if there be any errour in this it is errour of fact de facto not of right non de iure of Fact as beleeuing he dyed for his vertue not for his vice not of right as though they sustayned that it were lawfull to murther kings and that to suffer death for that cause were martirdome Now to conclud this Chapter it onely remaynes that we beseech God to shewre downe vpon you the waters of the fountaines of his Grace because being the nature of calumnie to obscure and blacken its owne authours not him
whom they would but cannot stayne with it you stand in so much neede of washing that all the waters of this world are not able to blanch you CHAP. X. MINISTERS THese are they dread Soueraigne who to aduance their priuate designes doe stirre vp tumults and scandalls against vs to cloake their owne proceedings and to the end that the troubles which they make arise may be imputed to their Zeale of religion for they cannot indure a kinge though otherwise Romane Catholike vnlesse he turne Persequutour of his subiects and cause a combustion in his kingdome ANSWERE IT is a great signe of ignorance or malice when he to whom a benefit is done doth publish that he hath receaued an iniurie You complaine of the Iesuites and yet you receaue nothing but good offices of them for it is manifest that that wherin you apprehend your selues iniured by them is onely that they oppose your beliefe which indeede is to your great aduantage Saint Augustine doth teach vs August in Psal 30. Goncil 1. that by how much more we seeke the saltation of heretikes by so much the more we ought to place before their eyes the vanitie of their errours The â—esuites haue no other designe then the saluation of soules and Gods glorie All the meanes which they vse are referred to this end not to tayse tumultes to cause scandalls To labour to reduce you into the bosome of the Church is this to stirre vp troubles To confirme the king in his beliefe is it to moue him to persequute you To inuite you to quench the fire which one day will consume your soules call you this to set his kingdome on fire The hurt man hates the surgeon while he is yet lancing his legge but his hurt being healed his accnowledgments follow the beloued surgeon So one day I hope you will laude the Iesuites sith now you onely complaine of them because they affect your wellfaire and striue to procure your saluation They desire peace in this kingdome and in your consciences In which they differ far from yours who take a glorie in troubles and tumults conceauing the fairest fishing to be in troubled waters You will say peraduentures that I misse the marke of truth but to free my selfe of that imputation Luther loc cemm class 5 â—u quereris quod per EuaÌ„gelium nostruÌ„ mundus tumultuatur Respondeo Deo gratias baec voluifieri o me misevum sinon taâ—â—â— fierent I will ingage Luthere your first father in the quarell assuring my selfe that in the iudgement of all the world nor he nor you shall euer come off with your honour Thou complainst saith Luthere that by meanes of our Gospell all the world is in tumult I answere thankes be to God it was my wish that so it should be and woe be to me if so it were not CHAPT XI MINISTERS AT the least Soueraigne they cannot serue vp in our dish that any of our religion hath killed his king nor that any Minister of the word of God did ether in priuate or publike incite any to doe it But contrariwise after so many oppressions and persequutions we seeke no other reuenge but to pray to God for the prosperitie of such as hate vs and esteeme our selues happie enough in seeing your Maiestie a peaceable and happie possessour of his kingdome ANSWERE I Am constrayned against my will to omitt that which concernes your religion to examine that which toucheth your persons My aime in this is to please you by answering you point by point which of my selfe I had neuer vndertaken for feare of displeasing you I will passe ouer in silence to your confusion what Christiernus king of Denmarke and Marie Queene of Scots suffered by yours nor will I speake of the conspiracies made against king Francis the II. at Amboyle and against king Charles the IX at Meaux and others which are more ancient I will onely insiste vpon that which past in the person of the greatest king that euer was seduced by your errour Is it not to will to kill a king to strugle with him and hurle him downe vpon the ground as Gourrie did in Scotland treate the king of great Britanie whom he reduced to such an extreamitie that his sole courage of mynd and fortitude together with Gods assistance conserued him aliue Vvill you dare to say that the condemnation of my Lord Gobans brother was vniust who was conuicted of making an attemptvpon this sacred person These two examples doe clearly confirme that such as haue taken the tincture of your errours doe attempt vpon kings Yet if you be not satisfied with this proofe cast your eyes I beseech you vpon the Epistle monitorie of this great king of whom we speake you shall sind there how speaking of the puritaines of his kingdome who are Caluinists like you he sayth I haue not onely euer since my birth bene vexed continually with Puritanes but I was euen almost stifled by them in my mothers wombe before I had yet seene the world And in the next leafe I would rather trust my selfe in the hands of the robbers of the wilde mountaines or to borderers then to that sort of men Of whom he saith againe in his kingly Present that during his mmoritie they would haue brought on foote a dimocrasie in his kingdome that they calumniated him in their sermons not for any harme they found in him but euen because he was king Vvhat will you say to these authorities you dare not call them in doubt Nor indeed doth Moulins The R. Father Coeffeteau writing vpon this subiect against one of the most learned and famous religious men of his age deny them It is manifest therfore that yours doe attempt vpon the liues of kings It would yet remayne to be shewen whether it were done vpon the instigation of those that doe exercise your ministerie if the testimonies which I haue alreadie produced were not sufficient if any shame be left in you to cause as well your blush as silence vpon this subiect CHAP. XII MINISTERS NOw that which moued vs to make these our humble complaintes to your Maiestie was the last action of Monsieur Arnould Iesuite who openly braged in his sermon in your Maiesties presence that he would vndertake to shew that all the places coted in our Confession of Faith are falsly cited Your Maiestie had therupon a laudable curiositie to heare him deduce his proofes vpon this subiect which he did in his ensuing sermon in words which tended to make vs odious and execrable to your Maiestie condemning himselfe to eternall flames and to vndergoe all sorts of punishments if he did not clearly show that all that is coted in the margent of our confession touchnig our controuersies are false allegations seconding that with many odious words and proposing the example of the Princes of Germanie who doe onely allow of one religion in their contries yea not content her withall he hath put downe his proofes in writing and deliuered