his maiestie may easely discerne if it may please him to heare our reasons or but only to looke vpon this litle Apologie And surely Sir we assure ourselues that you will alwayes continue to be a mean to his Maiestie euery day better than other for the maintenance and quyetnes of vs and our Religion because you were brought vp in it in your young time and haue made a good profession of it Besides this the famous examples of your noble ancestors which haue been euer renowmed for their godlynes doe direct you to the following of their footesteps For the Histories doe auow vnto vs that your Ancestors of the renowmed house of Burbon for I will not speake of those of late time whose remembrance being yet fresh in mens mindes and will continue honorable for euer among them that come after vs haue alwayes been had in honor for their great zeale towards the Christian Religiō and for their feruent loue to the mayntenance of the crown of Fraunce of the quyetnes of their countrey which are two principall points wherein godlynes shineth forth For first of all the great and dangerous voyages which your Ancestors haue made with men of warre into the East countreys and into Affrike against the Turkes Sarasyns for the great desire they had to aduance the Christian Religion as the two voyages of king Lewis the saint The two voyages of Lewes Duke of Burbon and the voyages of many other princes of their race doe yeald sufficient record of their Religious and godly disposition And although that in those dayes by reason of the great ignorance of languages and of good learning and consequently of the pure doctrine Religion was not so well vnderstoode nor so purely taught as it is nowadayes through the grace of god yet it is not to be douted but that if they had had a purer and cleerer vnderstanding therof they would haue been so much the more earnest and zealous in it And as touching loue and dutifulnes towards their countrey which is the second poynt wherin godlynes consisteth your sayd aūcestors haue geuen so good tryall therof by their contynuall imploying of themselues valyantly in the defence and inlarging of the Crown of Fraunce aswell against forrain enemies as against the disturbers of the publick peace that the house of Burbone hath alwayes iustly had this honorable reporte to haue been alwayes a florishing branch of the bloud Royall and a sure piller of the liberty and safety of the Realme As for example Iaques of Burbon Earl of March and Cōstable of Fraunce gaue good proofe of his loue towards the welfare of his countrey and towards the Crown of Fraunce in hazarding himselfe in many battailes against the English men then almost inuincible enemies of this Realme specially at the battel of Poytiers in the time of king Iohn and also in doing his indeuour with great good will to conclude the peace at Britany and to driue the Companions and Outlawes out of Fraūce which tooke their pleasure in spoyling the coūtrey and in maintayning of trouble in the Realme Also Lewis of Burbon the first Earl of Vādome for that Earldome fell vnto him by his mother made warre against the Englishmen in the time of king Charles the sixt not only in Fraunce but also euen in England and he was a curteous Prince and very profitable to his Countrey aswell in matters of war as of peace His sonne named Lewis also being then Lord great master of Fraunce was in many battailes where he fought valiantly specially at the battaile of Agincourt notwithstanding that he was taken prisoner by the Englishmen with many other great Princes and Lords of Fraunce Likewise he was one of those that toke most paines to make the peace at Arras in the time of king Charles the seuenth for the suppressing of the Ciuil wars which had indured so long time welnere to the vtter destruction of the Realme Iohn of Burbon Earle of Vandome and sonne of the sayd Lewis was also a virtuous Prince and a valyant warryor and aduentured himselfe in many a battaile specially at the siege of Fronsack in the Marches of Burdeloys where he was made knight for his valiant desertes and he was one of the Princes which tooke part with Lewis the Dolphin and with the Dukes of Burbon and Alaunson in setting themselues against the wicked and tirannicall dealings of certayne timeseruers and flatterers of king Charles the seuenth Fraunces of Burbon his sonne a good and stout prince went in the viage to Naples with king Charles the eighth and behaued himselfe nobly in matters both of peace and warre to the honor and profite of the Crowne of Fraunce and of his whole country But I should not soone make an end if I minded to recken vp all the excellent princes of your maiesties most renowmed house of Burbon and much les should I do it if I ment to take vpon me to rehearse their heroycall deedes and vertues which would require many great volumes But I thinke it inough for me to haue named some few of them that might serue for examples to princes and to all other men to speed themselues valiantly in the defence and mayntaynance of the peace of their countrye Which examples wil in my opinion be the better liked of your maiesty because they come not onely of your owne house which hath alwayes been most fruitfull in noble and vertuous princes but also of the Linial discēt of your progenytors For the late king of Nauare your father was the sonne of Charles of Burbon the first duke of Vandome who was sonne of the foresayd Fraunces Earle of Vandome who was sonne to the forenamed Iohn who was sonne to the foresayd Lewis Lord great master of Fraunce who was the sonne of the other Lewis the first Earle of Vandome who was the son of Iohn Earle of March who was the sonne of Iaques Earle of March and constable of Fraunce who was the sonne of Lewis first duke of Burbon surnamed the great duke who was the sonne of Robert of Fraunce Earle of Cleremount and Beawuoysin who was the Sonne of good king Lewis the saynt And so your Maiestie is the eleuenth in order descending in the right line from S. Lewis your great Ancestor whose vertues I hope that God will make to grow more and more in your Royall person making you to be a follower of his steps in that he was a good defender of the Christian Religion a louer of vpright iustice a natiue example of good manners a seuere correcter of partiall corrupt Iudges an vntreatable punisher of blasphemers Atheistes and vsurers and a zealous furtherer of all good reformation But now to come back agayn to my matter I hope that such of the Romain Religion as shall reade this my wryting shall haue no cause to finde fault with me or to say that I deale to roughly with them For hauing once simply and without any bitternesse set down my
still spight of all the corruptinges and darckninges of this world and of the maintayners of them And in very deede God who gouerneth the doings of all men in the world by his prouidence hath reserued still in this miserable world a great number of good and honest mē and of such as loue vertue And like as in the foresayd time of the Ciuill warres among the Romaynes Tacitus sayth that that age was not so barrayn of honest men but that it brought forth some good examples so also may we say that euen in this age of oures how much soeuer it be infected and corrupted yet hath God of his gratious goodnes reserued many still which to follow the pure Religion and vertue haue constantly indured pouerty losse of their goods the cruell murthering of their children kinsfolke and frendes banishment out of their Countrey absence from their houses and an infinite number of other aduersities and inconueniences Which thing geueth vs assurance that our Lord god will alwayes maintayne a certayn number of good men here below which shall imbrace vertue by maintayning good lawes and discipline and follow the light of the truth which abideth inuincible for euer and shall scatter the mistes and cloudes that set themselues agaynst it The worthy iudgement of that great monarch Darius king of the Medes and Persians will neuer slippe out of the remembrāce of men For this king hauing vpon a time made a royall feast to all the Gouernors Captaynes and other Officers of his Dominion which was so great that it extended ouer a hundreth and seuen and twenty Prouinces was contented to heare a disputatiō between three young Gentlemen of Iury that were attendant vpon his own person Of whom the one maintayned that nothing is stronger than wine because that commonly it ouercommeth aswell the great as the small Another sayd that nothing was stronger than a king because that with one only word of his mouth he can make men to be slayne Cities to be razed and Fortresses to be beaten down when he listeth And the third named Zorobabell a gentleman of the bloud royall descended of the line of Dauid vpheld that truth is strongest of all things because it contynueth in force euerlastingly and shall raigne for euer and euer Darius hauing heard this disputation and knowing well how it is most certayne that truth is the thing of greatest strength and of longest contynuance in all the world gaue the prize to zorabable as to him that had been of best opinion and gaue him great giftes and priuiledges aswell for himselfe as for all his wholl nation commaunding that from thence forth Zorobabell should be called the kinges Cosen Which iudgement of this great king ought to be wel considered of all persons and specially of kinges and Princes that they may geue themselues earnestly to the seeking out of the truth in all thinges as well in case of Religion as in Ciuil and worldly affaires and esteeme it more strong and inuincible thā any force of man. For certainly there is neither king nor Emperor fire nor sword payne nor tormēts that euer could quench the truth or ouercome it But forasmuch as in these dayes many men are doutfull in the case of Religiō where they should seeke the truth I will not here forget the rule which the great Emperor of Rome Constantine did set down at the cosicell of Nice in Bithinia for the decyding of the points of doctrine which were to be handeled and treated of there For hauing assembled the Councell together to determine vpon the doctrine that Arrius had sowed at that time When he had made the Bishoppes to take their places euery one in his degree which were to the number of 318. besides the Elders and Deacons that accompanyed thē who were aboue 500. he sate him down among them in a low chaire and made this Oration to them well beseeming his Maiestie and godlynes My Lords and fathers quoth he forasmuch as God hath vouchsafed to put down the cruell Princes by my hand and to geue peace to the world vnder my raign it is meete that you also in this holy assembly should doe your indeuoures to set a stable vnitie and cōcord in the Church For it were to euill an example if after the ouercomming of our enemies the publick peace should now be disturbed by the controuersies and disagreementes of the Shepheards of the Church a thing that would minister occasion and matter to the vngodly to mock our Religion to laugh it to scorn Now then sith we be to treat here of diuine matters we must tak the doctrine of the holy Ghost for our rule and resort to the bookes of the Euangelistes Apostles and Prophets which teach vs what opinion we ought to be of concerning Gods holy law Therfore setting aside all stoutnes of contention let vs seeke the resolution of our questions in the word that is inspired by God. After this short and notable speech made by that great Emperor the Councel was held and the doctrine of Arrius was throughly debated by the only word of God and in the end iustly condemned by those holy Fathers as vtterly contrary to a number of expresse places of the holy Scriptures which auow vnto vs the Godhead and euerlastingnes of the sonne of God which thing Arrius did wickedly deny But I must tell you by the way that in this speech of Constantines we haue three dueties to marke which doe wel beseeme a great Prince The one is to be inclyned to publicke peace and tranquillitie and to procure the maintenance thereof by all lawfull meanes Another is to loue the truth aboue al things chiefly in cases of Religion And the third is to seeke the same truth in the Scripture inspired by God. Now I beseech God of his gracious goodnes to make your Maiesties vertue godlines to shine forth dayly more and more in those holy dueties and to cause your Royall highnes to grow greater and greater in all his heauenly giftes and in all honor and felicitie Dated the 15. day of February the yere of our sauiour Christ 1578. The author of this Apology his Song THe Pope of Rome a thousand Canons bendes Agaynst the Church which doth Gods word imbrace And stoutly forth his own Decrees he sendes The soueraign Lords commaundements to deface Or rather quite and cleane away to chase Presuming proudly for to beare chiefe sway In mannes saluation euery kinde of way He thinkes ere long that noble fort to win And tryumphing aforehand in despight Of heauenly truth he sets him down within Gods Temple boasting euen in open sight Himselfe as God and striues with al his might To maintayne still his Lordly soueraintie Aswell aboue as vnderneath the Skie But thou O Christ our King omnipotent Reach out thine arme and with thy skilfull hand Lay holde vpon the Canons that are bent Agaynst thee by the Romish Tirants band And turne them back at him that hath them
sent To beate his Rampires and his Bulwarkes downe In force wherof he weares his tryple Crowne The time is come to thine immortall prayse That this same Kaytiffe being battered sore With these same Canons of his own decayes And sinking vnder truth to rise no more Lyes beaten down with shame for euermore From day to day forgoing still his strength Vntill his State be wanzd away at length FINIS ¶ THE AVTHOR TO his Booke YE braying Canones which so grounded be Vpon the word of him that raignes on high With thundering noyze let fly your bullets free That men may heare them roaring to the sky But as for you ye Canons whom we see From mouth of brasse to spit out fiery flame Of Vulcanes smoky Forge holde you your peace You bring our Realme to ruine and to shame The others force fond ignorance to cease FINIS AN APOLOGIE FOR the Protestantes IT is well knowen that in these daies there are in Fraunce two sorts of catholickes which are of the Romish Religiō For there are of them that be tractable and desirers and louers of the peace and quietnes of this Realme and such as will not condemne the reformed religion nor those that make profession therof without hearing and vnderstanding them as the others doe but can well finde in their hartes to liue in frendship and fellowship with them and not trouble them in the exercise of their Religion but tary the time vntil God through his grace haue inlightned them and made them to know the errors and abuses which may be in the one in the other and make vs Frēchmen which are now a dayes to wilfully bent apte and willing to yealde vnto reason And there are other some so wilfull and so far run into hatred and enmitie against the reformed Religion and the professors of the same that they preferre their own vnreasonable humors before the peace common quyet of their countrey Yea and euen before the preseruation of the state of the Prince These be they to whom I speake in my Apologie And also to all that are desirous to know in what poynt and for what cause the Protestants do stande in controuersie for Religion against the Romish Catholickes First therfore I desire them all to presuppose that to iudge of a matter before they vnderstand it and to condemne a man without hearing his answere is a thing that ill becommeth not only all Christians but also any other reasonable person For by the law of nature as witnesseth the Ciuil law we ought to heare their reasons and defences whose cause we haue to iudge of therein to doe as we would be done vnto as Nature willeth and commandeth vs And therfore these ouerangry Catholickes which condemne hate and persecute the professors of the reformed religion without vnderstanding it or without hearing them do wel bewray therby that their panges and passions are very strange for that they haue such force as to cause them to forget the law of Nature the knowledge wherof God hath imprinted in the hartes of all men euen from their creation Truly it is a lamentable and beastly thing that a man shold so yealde himselfe to the humor of hatred rancor enuy desire of reuenge such like frenzes as that he should rob himselfe of his naturall wit and cause himselfe to forget the right vse of reasō as you may well see by the doinges of those heady persons I know right well that they haue been accustomed to cloake these passions by saying that the Pope the Counsel of Trent and the Sorbonistes haue long agoe condemned the reformed Religion as erronious and hereticall and that therfore it is to be holden for a resolution that it is naught and to be condemned without farther inquirie of the matter and without any other forme or processe of Law. But hereunto it hath euer been answered as we do still that those which haue thus condemned our Religion haue alwayes been both Iudges and parties And that the professors of the reformed Religion haue not been heard in their lawfull defences So that those which will needes make a president of such condemnations geuē against the parties vnheard be suspected and vncompetent Iudges and do stil fal back agayne into the former fault of condēning men vnheard a thing contrary to the law of nature and shew themselues to be parciall and fond Iudges in that they will needs geue sentence of the thing which they vnderstand no more than a blind man can iudge of colors therfore are worthely noted in way of scorne by that common prouerb That good king of France Lewes the twelfe surnamed the father of his people will neuer be forgotten who being importunatly called vpon by the Bishops and Cardinals of his time to cause a bloudy execution to be done vpon the people of Cabriers and Meryndoll in Prouince who had neither masses nor Images in their churches and were as a remnant of the auncient breede of the Albigions and of the pore men of Lyon which had been all condemned for heretickes did make this worthy wise answere I am a king quoth he ouer my people to minister iustice vnto them which I cannot do without hearing such as are accused I will therfore heare them before I condemne them though they were Turks or Deuils Hereupon it was told the Kinge that the religion which those of Cabryers and Meryndol did professe had bin often before that time condemned for hereticall and wicked specially in the Councell of Laterane Anno. 1179. Vnder Pope Alexander the third in the time of king Philip Augustus and by the Emperor Frederick the second Pope Honorius the third about the yeare 1217 and by Pope Gregory the ninth who entered into the Papacie Anno 1227. But notwithstanding all these shewes and prouocations this good king would not be led from his determination Saying that he would not stretch his conscience so far as to make a president of the iudgements and decrees of those Popes King and Emperor but would heare the answers of the parties accused before he condemned them And thereupon he gaue audience to the Comissioners of Cabryers and Meryndol And when he had heard thē he sent thether Adam Fume his Master of requestes and Ihon Paruyz his Cōfessor to informe him of their life and doctrine Who made report to his maiesty that it was true that those of Cabryers and Meryndol had neither masses nor Images in their churches but that otherwise they were all well instructed yea euen the very litle ones in the articles of the fayth and in the commaundementes of God and that they vtterly abstayned frō al blasphemous othes and whoredome keping holy the Sabaoth day and greatly reuerensing the supper of our Lord baptisme and maryage Which when the king thus vnderstoode he did not only not condemne them of heresie as he was intysed to haue done but also quite otherwise did pronounce with his owne voyce
and bound it with an othe that he did beleeue that those of Meryndoll and Cabryers were better and more honest people than himselfe or any of his other subiectes And what will you infer of this will you say now that this good king was a Protestant or that he mislyked the Romayn Religion I think there is no man so shameles that dares say so For his life and actes do shew that he was very well minded towardes the church of Rome In maintenance wherof he held great warres in Italy against the Venecians and other Princes that vsurped vpon the patrimonies of the Church But he was a good king and did acknowledge that God had put the Scepter in his hand to minister iustice to all his people and not to condemne the accused without hearing their answere nor to iudge of a matter of importance by the consciences of others but meekly to geue hearing to al matters brought before him not to condemne those thinges for euill which may shew themselues to be good I therfore cōclude thus that those which in these dayes doe so presumptuouslye condemne the reformed Religion without knowing any deserued cause or without hearing such as professe the same vnder color of the condemnatiōs done already by the Popes by the councell of Trent and by the Sorbonistes doe shew therby the great forgetfulnesse of their duty of iudging vprightly And that they cary to slack a hand on the bridle of their conscience in suffering it to depende vpon the phantasticall iudgement of others Lactantius Fyrmian speaking to Constantine the great who was the first christiā Emperor did greatly cōplayn and bewayle that the Paganes and Idolaters of his time did condēne the Christian Religion and had it in disdayn without knowing what christian Religion was and without reading their bookes to vnderstand it These be the very words of Lactātius I doubt not most mighty Emperor Constantine but that if this my work wherby I shew that the Creator of all thinges is the Gouernour of the whole world doe fall into the hands of these vnlearned Religious folke they by reason of their great superstition which maketh them too too impatient will assault me with iniuries spitefully fling the booke to the grounde before they haue read so much as the beginning of it imagining that they should defile thēselues with such a crime as could neuer be wyped out again if they should ether reade it or heare it red patiently Neuertheles I beseech them in duty of humanitie not to condemne my wrytinges if it may be before they doe perfectly vnderstand them For if it be allowed by order of law that Churchrobbers Traytors and Poysoners shall speake for thēselues and argue in their own defence and that it is not lawfull to condemne any of them without examination of his cause It is not againste reason that I should intreate those into whose hands this booke shall happen to reade it or heare it read throughout and to deferre their iudgements vntil they haue read it to the end But I know well the wilfulnesse of that kinde of people to be such as I shall not obtayne this suite of them For they be afrayd least the force and strength of the truth should ouercome them and make them yeald vnto vs and to agree with vs That is the cause of their roaring storming least they should heare vs and of their shutting of their eyes least they should see the light which we bring vnto them wherein they shew the litle assurance that they haue in their own fond reasons For they dare neither vnderstand nor enter into disputation because they know they shall soone be vanquished By reason wherof it commeth to Passe that through their shunning of all manner of scanning and sifting of things by disputation They driue discretion quite away And force and fury beare the sway As sayth Ennius And because they are bente to condemn and vtterly to oppres such as they well know to be innocent they be vnwilling that their innocencie should appeare because they deeme it a greater iniquitie to condemne the innocencye that is apparant thē the innocēcy that cōmeth not to tryall Or rather as I sayde afore they are afeard that they should haue no power to condemne vs if they should heare vs. This was the inuectiue which Lactantius wrote against the heathē in his time who condemned the Christians without hearing them Which reason I wil vse against the impatient catholicks desiring them not to shew them selues like vnto those heathen men in being so obstinate as to shutte their eares from hearing and vnderstāding the doctrine which they so condemne persecute without knowing what it contayneth But if those angry Catholicks which oppose themselues as aduersaries against our reformed Religion and so boldly condemn it wold temper their choller passions with such moderation as to geue place to reason and to set naturall discretion in due place and preheminence Truely I durst make thē iudges of this cause and I am wel assured that they would iudge farre otherwise than they haue done hetherto or doe yet And in deed if the loue of truth haue any place in their harts as I beleue it hath I beseech them euen before God and for the truthes sake to vouchsafe to examine this present defence with setled iudgement and to consider of it without affection For I protest vnto them that I will vse such modestie in my wordes as none shall iustly haue cause to accuse me of rigor First therfore I presuppose that betwixt the Romish Catholickes and the Protestantes there is disagreemēt of doctrine in many poyntes yea euen in the most principall as I will shew hereafter But yet neuertheles both the one and the other doe acknowledge generally the vnitye of the person of Iesus Christ in two natures not confounded The holy Trinitye of the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost and the holy Scripture of the olde and new Testament and therefore they bothe may in this respect be called Christiās howbeit the one more aptly then the other as shall appeare by that which I will say hereafter Now that wee may the better treate of the poyntes which are in question and that all men may the more playnly iudge thereof we will distinctly examine the reasons which are to be considered in this discourse and are commonly alleaged on both sides for the mayntayning of the doctrine of either party and so by comparing the contrary reasons and alegations together the truth will the more apparantly shew it selfe because light is thē most apparant and bright when it is set nigh to his contrary ¶ Of three Maximes groundes or rules whereby a man may iudge of the poyntes of religion which are in questiō The first Chapter FOrasmuch as the whot Catholickes accuse the Religion of the protestantes to be wicked new and heretical and therfore cannot brooke the society of such as professe the same we hope to shew
them euidently that it is not so when we come to the scanning of euery poynt particularly that is in question And for proofe and demonstration of our sayinges we will take for our grounde three Maximes or generall rules which are very certayne and true whereby euery man shall easely be able to iudge whether the same religion is to be reckned wicked new and hereticall or no. The three Maximes are these The first is that that doctrine of Religion whereby God is most honored is the best The second is that that Doctrine which is best builded vpon the worde of God is the moste auncient and true The third is that the Romish Catholickes cannot well accuse that doctrine of heresie which is approued by their own Canones Which three rules or maximes be so cleere euident of them selues that in mine opinion the day or the Sun is not clearer For seeing that Religiō is no other thing than the duty which we owe vnto god It doth folow that that doctrine which teacheth vs to yeld vnto him all dutye and honour and to rob him of no part thereof is a good and true doctrine and that there can be no better Likewise it is certayn that the doctrine which is builded vpon the only word of God ought not to be called new but that we may rather say that it is as olde as the world it selfe In so much that they which doe call it new may not nor cannot so call it in respect of it selfe but onely in respect of their own ignorance for to the ignorāt euery thing that they vnderstand not is new Neither is it to be douted but that it is most true because that God who is the author therof is the truth it selfe and the fountayn of light and wisdome In like maner I thinke that al mē will easily graunt that euen the earnestest Catholickes of Rome can not dispence so much with them selues as to accuse that Religiō of heresie which is approued by their own Canones because the Canones be authorysed by the Popes themselues For the decrees of Gracian from whence I intend to draw the most partes of the Canōs which shal be alleaged were ratifyed authorised by Pope Euginie the third who commaunded that they should be red in the Vniuersytyes and vsed in iudgemēt as they haue bene euer since So that to reiect and condemn the Canons were as much in effect as to deny the Pope and all the Romane Religion But full well I know that hereafter when I shall alleadge the Canons those passionate Catholickes will rise vp and say that there be other canons contrary to these and truly I will not deny but that the bookes of the Canon law are ful of cōtraryeties Yet dare I boldly say and assuredly auow that those Canons which I will alleadge in this booke are of the best and most auncient of al the Canon law which haue proceeded from the best springs fountaynes and from such authors as were most principall in skill and holynes as may easely bee iudged by those that will compare them with their bookes Hauing thus set downe these three Maximes the truth whereof is easelie to be perceaued by euery man of common capacitie yea euen of the grossest sort I am now to apply them orderlye to euery particular poynt And first of all we will treate of Prayer ⧠OF PRAYER The second Chapter THe doctrine of the professors of the Gospell touching prayer is verye playne Their opinion is in effect that we ought to offer our prayers vnto God our maker who is able inough to geue vs whatsoeuer we aske gratious in harckening gentlye to our requestes Who also hath manifested his great goodnes in giuing his euerlasting Sonne to the end that by him our manhoode might haue accesse to his Godhead And therefore they say that in praying to God our creator wee muste alwayes vse the credite and intercession of his Sonne our mediator who may boldly goe to the Father because he is God as he is in the selfsame Godhead and being and disdayneth not also to apply himselfe to men and to be an intercessor for them because he is man as they be Nether is this manner of praying vnto God altogether disalowed of the Romain Catholicks but they wil needes adde thereunto that we must haue also other Mediators and Intercessors to God the Father and to Iesus Christ himself That is to wit the hesaints and the shesaintes which are many in number in their times haue done many a faire miracle For say they if a man would be a suiter to a king in any cause or to his eldest sonne he would not at the first dash preace to their presence but goe to some of their seruants or Lordes of their court And so it seemeth a thing very reasonable and meete that when a man is minded to pray to god for any thing he go first to some of the Celestial court to purchase acces to god to Iesus Christ his Sonne by their meanes and that to doe otherwise were a kinde of dispising of the saints who haue the charge from God to pray continually for the Millitante Church and euery particular person of the same Truely it is not to be denied but that these reasons haue some colour and shew of truth if we shall iudge of God as of man. But hereunto the Protestants reply that we may not iudge of God as of a king or as of another mortall mā for there is great difference God is altogether good and inclyned to doe good But men be they kinges or other are naturally euill and disposed to doe euill both against God their neighbors God vnderstandeth our Prayers assoone as they be conceiued in our harts and before our mouthes doe vtter them But to cause a king to vnderstande our suites we must put them in wryting or tell them by word of mouth and therfore we haue neede of Aduocates to lay forth our cases of Maisters of requestes to preferre our petitions to the Prince or to his councell and of the fauor of great Lordes and councellours to get vs audience and dispatch All which thinges haue no place with god So that to compare the maner of praying vnto God with the preferring of suits vnto Princes is a token that we slenderly consider the greatnes of god And here wee haue to note a proper saying of S. Ambrose which he vttereth in these expresse wordes Those which in steede of resorting vnto God repayre vnto creatures are wont to colour their contempt of God with this miserable excuse That by the menes of those to whō they haue recourse they may attayne to the presence of God as men attayne to the presence of a king by meanes of his officers But I pray you is there any man so mad or so careles of his owne life that he dareth yeald the honor to any of the kings seruantes or officers which belongeth
any thing that we doe here vpon earth but by messēgers And who so should say that this doctrine is hereticall must say also that the Canones and Popes be heretickes which as I take it the Romish Catholickes will be loth to confes This Canon is also confirmed by the holy scripture which beareth witnesse to vs that there is none but god onely that knoweth the secrets of mens hartes and so consequently that it is he onely that can vnderstand our prayers which come rather from the hart than from the mouth The protestantes say furthermore that there are so greate numbers of Sayntes regestred in the Letany of whose Canonysing men doe doubte for as sayth a good auncient Doctor the bodies of diuers are honoured on earth whose soules are buried in hel that in reason we ought to refuse the number of intercessors and contente our selues only with Iesus christ which is the true and pure doctrine that we ought to hold and the Catholicks cānot iustly accuse it of herisy according to our third maxime And hereupon I adde this more that as the protestantes doe hold opinion that we ought not to attribute the title nor the office of mediator to any other thā to Iesus christ no more ought we to do in his other titles and offices as of his priesthood his mediatorship his spirituall reigning his chiefe shepheardship For these be the titles of honor which belong vnto Iesus Christ and are not to be cōmunicated to others how great or excellēt personages so euer they be And truely herein all the world must needs cōfesse that the protestants do shew thē selues to bee best Christians in that they attribute onely to our Lord Iesus Christ the titles of honor that are his and will not communicate them to any other creators what so euer they bee for if they would dispence with their consciences in this behalfe they know right well they might soone be at a poynt with the Romishe Catholicks and shunne many miseries and persecutions which they now indure For there wanteth no more but that they would allow the Sayntes to be partners of the title of mediator the maspriestes to be parteners of the tytle of Sacrificers the doers of good workes of Supererogation to bee parteners of the title of a propitiator And the Pope himself to be partaker of the title of Spyrytuall Kinge and soueraigne Sheaheard And then by and by there would be a peace cōcluded determined and established betwixt the protestants and the romysh Cacholicks But the protestants will by no meanes nor for any cause diminish any part of the titles of honor which belong vnto the sonne of God nor attribute them to any other creatures Whereby it appeareth euidently that men do them great wrong in defaming their doctrine to the King as though his permitting of them to excercise the same were a mean to disposses him of the title of moste Chrystian king For in asmuch as the name of christian commeth of Christ out of doubt they be worthiest of that name which yeld Christ his due honor and glory ¶ Of fayth and good workes The third chapter THe doctrine of the Romishe Catholickes concerning faythe and good workes differeth greatly from that of the Protestantes For the Catholicks hold opinion that only faith without good workes doth not iustifie a man but that it is needful the faith be ayded by good works Contrarywise the Protestants hold that onely faith doth iustify a man without good workes That is to say the faith is the onelye instrumēt wherby Iesus Christ who is the true and efficient cause of our iustification applieth his righteousnes vnto vs and maketh vs to be accounted iust before God his Father through his owne merit without the helpe of our good works Neuerthelesse they confesse that good workes are acceptable vnto God but yet they affirme that good workes are not of such power as to iustify vs before the face of god or to make vs capeable either in part or in al of euerlasting life And they say also that they be not all good works which the catholicks do take for good works For as touching the firste poynte you must consider that the doctrine of the protestants doth tend to attribute the honor of our saluation all wholly vnto our Lord Iesus Christ as vnto him who is the true and onely cause thereof For although we haue neede of fayth whereby to receiue the benefit of Christ who imputeth and applieth his owne righteousnes to all such as beleue in him yet neuertheles he doth remain the onely and altogether true cause of our saluation forasmuch as it is he himselfe which doth also geue vs fayth So as he doth not onely geue vs the drinke of immortallity that is to say his owne righteousnes which he alloweth vs but also the cup to receyue it in yea and he geueth vs both of thē freely and for nothing but onely of his owne liberalitye and grace with out asking or receiuing of vs any recompence for the same And truely if we would goe about to recompence so great and excellent a benefit as is euerlasting life thorowe our good workes it were as much as if a man would purchase a great and rich inheritaunce with a smale summe of bace mony such as in reason should rather be cried downe than allowed For our good workes of themselues bee so vnpure and vnperfect mingled with Ipocrisy and other ill affections that they are not worthy to be presented before the face of God who doth not esteeme such vntoward payments in recōpence of eternall life Notwithstanding when they be done through fayth hee doth accept them in fauour and for good will to his sonne our Lord Iesus Christ vpon whose only desertes our fayth resteth because in that respect they proceeded from the good tree which is Iesus Christ who worketh all our good workes in vs. So as the workes of fayth be good and acceptable vnto god for that they proceed from Christ as from the efficient cause which worketh them in vs but they are full of vncleanes worthy to be reiected in respect that they proceed from vs who serue but as instruments howbeit yet vncleane instrumentes to do them And therfore are they alwayes defyled spotted in some sort for Iesus Christ who worketh them in vs doth make thē good and pleasing to God his Father but yet they doe gather somwhat of the filthy and naturall infection of vs who are the vessels wherin they be made Neuertheles God is so good and gratious that he not only admitteth them as done by Iesus Christ his sonne but also for his sake doth wipe away the spots and vncleanes which are in them and crowneth them with many blessinges as with prosperitie of children temporall wellfare help of frēds in aduersitie moderation in prosperitie discretion happy succes in affairs with many other his benefits wherin he doth more and more shew his great bounty gratious
the Lord thy god c. And the Romish Catholicks doe contrarywise say that in some weeks wee ought not to labour past three or foure dayes or fiue at the most for the rest say they of the sixe ought to bee imployd idlely in keeping them holy and feastfull to the sayntes I pray you tell me is not this a manifest impugning of the sacred inuiolable commaundement of God our creator Is it not a setting of thē selues directly agaynst his holy will I know well it may be sayd that in the tyme of the olde law of Moyses they did make moe resting dayes than the seuēth which was called the Sabaoth day As the feast of the Tabernacles of Trumpettes of vnleauened bread of Easter such others like But the aunswere hereunto is that such feasts were commaunded by the expresse word of god And bee not those feasts which are celebrated in the Romish Church Otherwise in al the sayd feastes of the old law the people did not loyter from their worke yea and euen in the Christian primatiue Church men might worke in tillage vpon the Sonday as it appeareth by a law made by the Emperour Constantine Which sayth thus Let all Iudges Citizens and handicraftes men forbeare their worke vpon the honorable day of Sonday But let it be free and lawfull for the husbandmen to labour in tilling the Earth for often tymes it hapneth that on the other dayes the weather serueth them not so well to sowe their corne and to dres their vines least by ouerhipping so small space of tyme they might lose the commoditye geuen them by the heauenly prouidence Geuen the second daye of Marche in the yeare of the second consulship of Crispe Constantine But there is a Canon taken out of S. Gregory which procedeth yet further and sayth moreouer that those which teach to abstayne from worke vpon the Saterday and Sunday be teachers of Antichrist These are the very wordes of the Canon It is come to my knowledge that certayne people of peruersse disposition haue sowed among you some poyntes of doctrine cōtrary to the holy faythe commaunding men to abstayne from working vppon the Sonday whom what els may we call than preachers of Antichrist who at hys comming will cause men to rest from all labour both vppon the Saturday and Sonday too This Canō doth plainly condemn the doctrine of the Papistes which hold opinion that men ought to do no maner of worke vpon the Sundayes nor on the holidayes throughout the whole yere The protestantes doe in deed confesse that the Sunday ought to be imployed rather in the seruice of God than in any other kinde of trauell And that it is good to obserue that order to the intent that by resting on that day folke may be the better able to go through with their worke vpon al the other dayes of the weeke But to binde mens consciences to that order were no better than to make them Iewes And although the Romish Catholickes finde fault with men for labouring vpon the Sundaies and the other feastedayes yet doe they suffer vsurers and marchauntes to vse their trafficke and to make bondes bargaines contractes paymentes and receits of money vpon their holidaies So as it is commonly seene that the tymes which are chosen for the making of Obligations and such other bondes and bargaynes be the Sundayes and the other feastdaies And that the times appointed for paymēts of money are generally vppon the feastdayes And yet if now a dayes any poore protestant should labor sixe dayes of the week in the fieldes or in his shop to obay God and to mayntayne hys poore family by and by they will cry out that he is an heretick and worthy to be burnt or banished And why so Is it heresy to obay God Now whē when men vse such speeches is it not all one as if they called vertue vice and white black Therefore let them hardily know that their spewing out of such speaches is agaynst God himselfe who will one day well cause them to feele his terrible iudgement and make them know that hee is ielous of his honor and a reuenger of the despight done to his commaundements The ninth commaundemēt also is corrupted by the Catholick sophisters for God doth vtterlye and simply forbid to lye And they are of opinion that it is lawfull to lye for a good intent And not onely to tell a lye by reporting some vntrueth but also to break both promise and oth to Which is contrary to naturall reason whereby the lawe of all nations hath bene brought in which willeth that both the publicke and priuate promise should be religiously obserued kept for the maintenance of humaine societye And it is also contrary to the word of God which not onely reproueth liing but also threateneth the lyer with damnation and commaundeth vs to keep our promise euen though it bee to our owne disaduantage Also it is contrary to the canon law which sayth that all kinde of lyes are sinne and that we ought to keep our othe promise euen with our enemies against whom we make warre For as the Canon sayth expresly Men ought not to seeke peace to the ende to make war but to the end to gayne peace And I would to God that the Romish Catholicks had well obserued these Canons For then had not we frenchmē falne into the calamities and ruine which we now bee fallen into The other commaundementes likewise haue bene greatly corrupted by these Sophisters which name thē selues catholickes As namely the seuenth commaundement which forbiddeth Adultery hath bene corrupted by the goodly counsell of Tollette and by Isodorus which sayeth thus A christian may not haue two wiues nor moe than two but one onely But if he haue not a wife he may haue a Concubine which doctrine the Pope hys vpholders haue Canonised and confirmed thereby the better and more easily to maintayne their shamefull Lechery notwithstanding that the seuēth commaundement and also the auncient Canons prohibit all dwelling or matching together of mā and woman sauing onely in marriage Wherefore for a conclusion vppon this poynte it appeareth openly that the Protestauntes retayne Gods Commaundementes in their purenesse and soundnes without taking aught from them whereby it is euidēt to be sene that their doctrine is the best the auncientest and the fardest from error according to our forsayd maximes ⧠Of the Sacrament of Baptisme The vi chapter ALthough the Romish Catholickes holde opinion that there are seuen sacramentes yet not withstanding to auoyd tediousnes wee will speake here but of two That is to say of baptisme and of the Lordes Supper As touching Baptisme the Catholickes and the Protestauntes do well agree in the principal poyntes which is that it ought to be done in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy ghost with the sign of water But they doe differ very much in the other poynts and
cōmaundement of the Church of Roome But asfor the supper of our Lord It is no sacrifice but an holy bancket which is prepared to put vs in mynde of thonelye and soueraigne sacrifice whereby our Lord Iesus Christ himselfe was once for all sacrificed for our redemption and to make vs pertakers of his body and bloud by the spirituall and effectuall eating thereof So that there is noe more lykenes betweene the celebrating of the Lordes supper and the celebrating of the masse than is betwixt geuing taking which are things far differyng For in the supper the faythfull receyue the body and bloud of Christ but in the Masse the Priest geueth or offereth vp Christ wholly vnto God the Father as an host of sacrifice Now it must needes be graunted that in this poynt of the Masse the catholickes and the Protestantes doe vtterly disagree And that the same disagreement is the principall cause why the Catholicks do so extreemely bate the doctrine of the sayd Protestants For they esteeme the masse to be one of the principall poyntes of the Christian religion and therfore think it very straunge that the Protestants should be so bould as to reiect it syth it hath dured so long tyme and is cōposed of so many good things drawē out of holy Scripture the whiche the Protestantes seeme to reiect in reiectyng the texts that are taken out of it In deede these reasons geue some likelyhood wherby to iudge so without hearing the other partye But if the Catholickes will vse a little patience and here the replies of the Protestantes they shall not finde them so voyde of reason as they thinke For first they say that the onely sacrifice whereby Christ hymselfe was sacrificed once for all is more than sufficient for the saluation of the whole worlde Yea though he had shed but one only drop of hys precious bloud vpon the crosse It had bene sufficient to haue satisfyed the Iustice of God his father and to washe away the sinnes of all men which should be borne into the world in an hundred thousand yeres if the world shold last so long for that inasmuch as he was the sonne of god the dignity of his priesthoode and the infinite greatnes of hys Sacrifice are of sufficiency and worthines inough and more than inough to doe away the innumerable sinnes of all men hetherto borne or hereafter to be borne And therefore it is great outrage say the Protestants to our Sauiour to crucifie hym new agayne as they do in the masse to obtayne remission of sinnes and lyfe euerlasting for the quick and the dead for it is all one as to say that hys onely once sacrificing of himselfe is not sufficient to take away our sinnes and to obtayne vs lyfe euerlasting because that if they held it for sufficient and perfect as in truth it is it should follow that it were in vayne to do it any more And is it not a great blasphemy to say that the oblation and sacrifice of the death and passion of our Lord Iesus Christ is not sufficient for the saluation of the whole world Truely it is not to be douted for although it be nether auailable nor appliable to any other than to such as beleue in him yet notwithstanding his sacrifice is more thā sufficient to saue all the world And furthermore wheras the Catholickes at the least wise the simple common people imagine that the Protestants in reiecting the masse doe reiect the holy Sacrament of the body bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ they deceyue themselues greatly for contrariwise the Protestantes hold the same sacrament in his true perfection as we haue showed in the Chapter going before Neither do they reiect the textes that are stuffed into the Masse and be taken out of the holy Scripture But they like much better to read learn them in the bible it selfe than in the Massebooke Neither do they reiect the good prayers which are mingled in the Masse but they say it is much better to pray to God with a contynual prayer for Princes Magistrates for the Shepheards of the church for the necessities of all the people for the remission of sinnes for those which are sick and afflicted for the conseruation of the faithfull for the inlightening of the ignorant and for the aduancement of the kingdome of Iesus Christ as they themselues doe than to say an Oremus or particular prayer for euery of these thinges as the Priest doth in his masse which sayth now one Oremus for himselfe and by and by another for the Pope and 〈◊〉 a third for his benefactors and for those that are departed and often times for brute beastes as is done in the Masse of S. Anthony For besides that the most part of the prayers in the masse be not allowable by the word of God It is certaine that men pray more hartely more aduisedly and with greater zeal when the prayer is contynued to the end without interruption than when it is sayd by iumps with often interruption Besides this the people which do harken to the Priestes Oremus cannot set their mindes well vpon the prayer which he is saying because they vnderstand it not nor often times the Priest himselfe To be short therfore by this doctrine of the Protestants God is better honored than by the doctrine of the Catholicks For the Protestants in not admitting any other sacrifice than that which our Lord Iesus Christ himselfe did make of his own body vpon the crosse which sacrifice they esteeme to be very sufficient and perfect for our saluation doe therby yeald the honor and the effect of our felicity vnto our Lorde Iesus Christ onelye wheras the Catholiques doe attribute parte of his honor to the Priest and parte to the sacrifice of the Mas. Likewise the Protestantes doe much better honor God in learning the texts of Scripture in the Bible it selfe which is the very originall Record of his will than those which wil needes learn them in the Massebook where they be confusedly packed and vnaptly applyed And now to shew that the doctrine of the Protestantes which admitte the only Sacrifice of Christ and reiect the Sacrifice of the Masse is euidently grounded vpon the holy Scripture there needeth no other witnes than the Apostle to the Hebrues For first he doth testifie vnto vs that there is none other Sacrifice for the remission of mennes sinnes but Iesus Christ only and that he himselfe by his own bloud hath obtayned for vs an euerlasting redemtion For thus he sayth Christ being become the high Priest of the good things that are to come by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle not made with hands That is to say not of this building nor by the bloud of Goates and Calues but by his own bloud is entered in once into the holy place and hath found eternall redemtion And to the end we should not thinke that Christ is no more a Priest but that although he
god For a true virgine maye wel be misused but she cānot be made a whore because the godly virgine is the church of God and her chastity cannot be defiled by the brothelhouse For the chastity of the minde abolisheth the infamy of the place For the vnderstanding of the which Canon we must haue an eye to the time of the primitiue Church when diuers among the heathen men did put their bondslaues whether they were wiues or maydens into brothel houses and common stewes to rayse gayne of the shamefull abuse of their bodies And it fel out oftentimes that their poore slaues were Christians and yet full ill against their willes they were faine to suffer that shamefull abuse in their bodies and to become as it were open brothels and harlots to make gaine to their Masters wherof they are excused by this Canon as hauing only their bodies abused by a forcible constrainte and not their mindes by consent of their willes Now therfore it may wel be discerned by these Canones whether this doctrine of the Protestants concerning mariage ought to be reputed erroneous or not and whether it be not more agreable to Gods word and the auncient Cannons than the doctrine of the Romish Catholickes And now let vs proceed on ¶ Of princes and Magistrates The x chapter THe Protestants hold opinion that all such as dwel within the lands Dominions or Prouinces of any Prince be they naturall subiectes or free Denizens ought to yeald faithful obedience to him and also to all Magistrates vnder him without any exception of persons or of their goods And that they ought to acknowledge and to honor him as Gods Lieutenant vpon earth hauing the sword in his hand to minister iustice to al men and to be the defender and maintayner of Gods commaundements and to cause his Subiectes to obay them Also they hold opinion that all folke ought to pray to God for the preseruation and prosperitie of the Prince and of all other Magistrates And they beleeue that to disobay the prince is a disobaying of God who hath set him vp And that mē must obay him not only for feare but also for the duety of conscience which doth binde vs to obay God and so consequently the Prince whom God hath commaūded vs to obay But the opinion of the Romish Catholicks is that such as are of the clergie be exempted from this generall rule and that they be not the subiects of temporall Princes but of the pope And that so by consequence the prince neither may nor ought to leuy any tribute beneuolēce loane or subsedy of the Cleargie of his Countreis nor of their goods Accordingly as Pope Boniface the eight in one of his decrees expresly forbiddeth all Kings Princes Dukes Earles Barons Potentates Captaines Officers Gouerners of Cities and Castles and all other persons of what estate degree or condition so euer they be to doe the like vpon paine of present interditing and excommunication whereof none other but only the Pope himselfe can geue absolution Also they hold opinion that the Prince whom they tearme secular hath no authoritie in matters of Tenthes nor in matters of Matrimony among the lay people nor in many other such like things Thirdly they hold opinion that the Pope hath power to put down kings and Princes and to depriue them of their Realmes and Principalities as Pope Gelasius vaunteth himselfe in an epistle sent to the Emperor Anastasius wherin he alleadgeth the example of Pope Zachary who deposed king Chelderike of Fraunce from his kingdome not for any wicked doings sayth he but because he was vnfitte to be a king And did set vp king Pipin the father of Charlemaine in his place Also by reason of this great authoritie which the Popes tooke to themselues ouer kinges they be puffed vp with such pride that they compare themselues to the Sun and to Golde and kinges and Emperors to the Moon and to leade tearming themselues the masters of them as the same Pope Gelasius did write to the sayd Emperor Anastasius Euery man therefore may iudge whether doctrine is the better either that of the romish Catholicks which doth so limmit cut short the authoritie of kinges and Princes to augment the greatnes of the Popes and Prelats Or that of the Protestants which doe not challenge but disalow such limitations affirming that the Pope hath no such iurisdiction ouer the Subiects of kings and Princes And seeing that Princes be the Lieutenantes of God here on earth holding their Scepters and Crowne of him No doute but the honor which is done to them is done to God himselfe And so consequently God is better honored by the doctrine of the Protestantes than by the doctrine of the Romish Catholicks The doctrine of the Protestantes is groūded euidently vpon the word of God which commaundeth all men without exception of any person to obay the Prince vnder whose Dominion they dwell not only for feare of his sword but also for conscience sake These be the words of S. Paule who speaketh generally Let euery man be subiect to the higher powers for there is no power but of God and the authorities that be are ordayned of God and therefore we ought not to be subiect for fear of displeasure only but for conscience sake also And hereupon S. Chrisostome saith that this rule is so generall that there is neither Apostle nor Euangelist nor Bishop nor other person that is exempted from the obedience of the Prince And likewise S. Peter speaking to al Christians and to al Gods chosen flock sayth thus Submitte your selues to all ordinance of man for the loue of God whether it be to the king as to the chief or to the gouernors as to those which be sent and oppointed by the Prince to punish malefactors and to prayse the well doers And the reason why euery one ought to yeald obedience to the Prince is because the charge and estate which Princes take vpon them is of God For the Scripture doth call Princes Gods because they are the Lieuetenants of God. And therfore next after God we ought to feare and honor the Prince as sayeth S. Peter Feare God and honor the king And as Salomon doth also teach vs saying My Sonne feare the Lord and the king And it is to be noted that in these textes the king is put next after god as his Lieuetenant presenting God himselfe And we ought not onely to honor and feare the prince but also to pray to God for him and for all those which are in authoritie vnder him that their gouernment may be in peace and tranquility and that we may liue vnder their obedience in the seruing of God with all godlines and goodnes These be the very wordes of S. Paule I warne you therfore that before all other thinges you make intercessions prayers supplications and thankesgeuinge for all men and specially for kings and for al such as are
Shepheardes of the Protestantes do Affor the discipline of the Bishops and the rest of the Romish Clergie It is so corrupted marde that their lyfe doynges and behauiour are directly contrary to the auncient Cannons For first neither the Bishopricks nor any other benefices ought in any wise to be geuen to such as sue and make meanes for them but rather to such as shunne the hauing of them These are the very words of a Cannon taken out of S. Gregory In your writinges you saye you haue greatly sought quietnes But yet by the same you declare that you are come lawfully to the office of a shepheard for like as that office ought to be denyed to such as do greedely seeke it so ought it to be geuen to such as do shun it And as it is written let no man vsurpe aucthoritie but tary the Lordes calling as Aaron did But who is he that seeth not that benefices are at this day geuē to such as hunt for them and to such as runne best so as it is sayd in common prouerbs that horses run for benefices and Asses catch them Let vs now see what kinde of folk they be to whome by the auncient Cannons Bishoprickes and other benefices ought to be geuen These be the wordes of a Cannon taken out of S. Iherom Albeit then that the Lord had geuen his cōmaundement and election for the setting vp of a Prince yet neuertheles the congregation is called together about it The presēce of the people therfore is requisit at the choosing of a priest that euery body may know and be assured that such a one is chosen to the degree of priesthoode as is most excellent amongest the people best learned most holy and most notable in all vertue that when the people haue yealded him this record there may remaine no scruple or occasion to reuoke the election And another Canon sayeth thus He whom men would make a Bishop ought first to be examined whether he be of nature wise and discreet milde of behauiour chast of conuersation sober vigilant of good foresight in his own affaires lowly gentle to speak vnto mercifull learned well instructed in the law of the Lord sharpwitted and of good vnderstanding in the sence of the Scriptures exercised in the doctrine of the Church And aboue all things such a one as holdeth simply the Articles and grounds of the faith And in another Canon are well described at large that behauiors wherunto the Priestes framed themselues in auncient time according to the rule of the auncient Fathers Now then saith the Canon such as are separated from the common conuersation of the world are commaunded by the lawes of the Fathers of olde time to abstain from pleasures of the world to absent themselues from commō playes gaming 's and from the pompe of common feastes and banquets to be sober and shamefast in their priuate behauiour to geue them selues from vsury and vnhonest gayn to seeke to deceiue no man to shunne the loue of mony as the roote of all vices to eschue worldly businesses and offices to accept no degree of honor through ambition to receiue no giftes or presentes for the bestowing of Gods benefites to flee from all false practises and conspiracies to shun hatred enuy and backbyting to keep their eyes from wandring their tongs from walking their gesture from loosenes and wantonnes to yeald proofe of modestie and shamefastnes by the plainnesse of their gesture and apparraile to abhorre all villanous words and works vtterly to refraine the company of widowes and maydens to admitte no women to dwell with them except they be very neere of kinne to them to indeuer to mayntayne the chastitie of their bodyes or els to binde themselues in mariage howbeit but onely once to obay their Elders to forbeare to vaunt themselues with bragging and boasting and finally to apply themselues continually to the reading of the Christen doctrine and to the exercise of Psalmes Hymnes and songs for such ought they to be which intend to geue themselues to the seruing of God that by their laboring to get knowledge to themselues they may minister the doctrine of grace to the people Truely here be many good conditions and vertues And if the priests of these dayes which are so greatly in loue with the tenths of worldly goods had but a tenth part of these vertues the world should not be so corrupted as it is But euery body seeth that now a dayes men of quite contrary conditions are aduaunced to the Benefices Offices of the Church For a father that hath many children doth not seeke to preferre that sonne of his into the ministery which is most gentle and vertuous but him which is most vntoward and vnfit And thereof grow the extreeme abuses corruptions and ignorance that is among the Cleargie And as in olde tyme the teachers and Shepheardes were learned men so did they imploy thēselues to teach others and they that did not so were reputed not onely vnworthy of theyr chardge and vocatiō but also worthy to be abhorred of euery man Thus speaketh a Canon thereof The sowing abroad of the heauenly seede is commaunded vs Cursed be we if we hold our peace Which thing seing that the vessel of election doth feare and cry out at how much more ought we little ones to be afeard Wherfore as it is a great fault in the Shepheards to cōceale the truth which they ought to publishe abroad so is it no small daunger God sheeld it to such as despise their doctrin which they ought to obay And an other Cannon taken out of the counsell of Tollero doth shew that the whole duety of Priestes consisteth in studing the Scriptures in preaching them to the people Ignorannce the mother of all errors sayth the Canon is to be eschewed in any wise by priestes whose duety it is to preach the worde of God vnto the people The priestes are admonished by Paule the Apostle writing vnto Timothie to read the holy Scriptures Be diligent sayth he in reading in exhorting and in teaching and continue alwayes in the same Let Priestes be cunning in the holy Scriptures and Cannons and let all then labour be in preaching and teaching and let them edifie all men as wel by knowledge of fayth as by redresse of maners But where be nowe these Shepheardes whiche geue themselues to preaching shall you finde one such amongest twentye of your Priestes There are none that meddle with preaching saue a few monkes and their so doing is contrary to the profession of monkery For by the Canōs as we haue shewed before it is not lawfull for monkes to preach And as for redresse of māners and examples of good workes where is it to be found Not amongst the Curats and Priestes of this time who for the most part are full of ignorāce which being as the Canon saith the mother of all errors hath layd her belly among them and
S. Ciprian all custome although it be neuer so auncient adde receiued ought to be set aside in respect of the truth all custome which is contrarye to the truth ought to be abolished There is yet another Canon which singeth thus In vayne do they alledge custome which are ouercome by reason as though custome were of greater force then the truth Or as though in spirituall thinges we should not follow that which hath bene reuealed by the holy Ghost Certaynly it is a true thing that reason and truth are to be preferred before custome But if custome be confirmed by the truth it ought to be constaÌ„tly kept and retayned There is yet another CanoÌ„ which speaketh fitly of this matter takeÌ„ out of S. Ciprian saying thus The custome that is crept into any place ought to be no impediment but that the truth shold be preferred and get the vpper hand for custome without truth is nothing els but a geuing of contynuaunce vnto error Wherfore let vs leaue the error follow the truth knowing that in Esdras truth getteth the vpper hand according as it is written Truth preuayleth and getteth the mastery and lyueth for euer and shall indure world without end To come to an end I wil adde this one Canon no more For I should not haue done very soone if I would rehearse all the Canones that are to purpose touching this matter And thus sayth this Canon If only Christ ought to be heard then must we not depend vpon the thinges which other men that haue been before our time haue thought meete to be done but rather vpon that which Christ hath done who is before all For we ought not to folow the custome of men but the truth of God specially seeing that he saith by the mouth of Esay the Prophet In vayn doe they honor me by teaching the commaundements and doctrines of men And in very deede this Cannon should make the whole rable of the Canonistes Decretistes Sarbonists Sophistes and others which handell the bookes of the Romish diuinity to blush for shame that they should strayne them selues to vphold the doctrines which haue bene apparaÌ„tly inuented by men For this one Cannon doth arregne them and coÌ„demne them al in few wordes Now to come to an end of this treatise I pray the Romish Catholikes to vouchsafe to looke aduisedly into the poynes hertofore by me discussed and to examine and ponder them throughly and without passion if it be possible For in so doing I am sure that as many as haue any naturall discression in them shall find that the ReligioÌ„ of the Protestants is a farre other thing then they haue hitherto taken it to be or than it hath bine borne them in hand to be And when they shall perceaue that the sayd Religion at the least is neither wicked nor hereticall nor new as euen the most simple may easely discern by the points before treated of it may be a iust occasion for them if they be not strangely bereft of their right wittes to incline to liue henceforth in peace and concord with the professors of the sayd Religion And herewithall I beseech them to haue earnest consideration of twoo thinges The one is that without a good peace and concord betwixt the Catholicks and the Protestants the state of the Realme of Fraunce will not only run wholy to ruine but also come to vtter vndoing and destruction And he that seeth not this is very grosse ignorant For Ciuill warres when they contynue do neuer bring forth other effectes than the changes and destructions of common weales vnles some good and vertuous men that are louers of the common weale doe fortune to preuent such vnhappy and euil destinies by procuring some good and reasonable pacification as the histories do yeald vs infinite examples therof The other thing to be considered of is this That euery perticular person ought to bethink himselfe that he hath a soule to saue and that he ought to seeke the way of his saluation For to what purpose serueth it to haue gotten honor glory riches and other contentments of the world to him that followeth the way of damnation to his own wretched soule Now he that is determined to seeke the saluation of his soule will he say that he is contented to beleeue as his Curate doth beleeue Such resolution were to foolish and beastly Or will it suffice him to say that he will liue as his Predecessors haue done and follow custome That were also a wronge way and is already condemned by the Canones heretofore alleadged Then ought we to determine with our selues to follow the truth and to imbrace the true doctrine of Christ Iesus but lord Sauior or else we shall neuer attayn to saluation And when we be thus resolued we must take heed that our passions doe not blinde the eyes of our vnderstaÌ„ding cause vs to take blacke for white For if we say stil we haue bene led and brought vp in this ReligioÌ„ my father grand fathers which were good men haue died in the same I haue borne Arms and ventred my life to mayntayne it it were not now for my honor to follow the Religion agaynst which I haue fought I am of the opinioÌ„ that there is no ill in the religion that I hould I am now to olde to learne any other and such other trifling excuses we do greatly deceaue our selues for they are nothing auaileable before god with whom we may not dally in this sort For such shiftes of descant serue to no other ond but to trifle our mindes and to lull them a sleep in ignorance and darckenes that they may haue no skill of their saluation when they depart this world What is then to be done that we may come into the path of saluation we must seek the truth And where shall we find it eueÌ„ there whether Christ did send vs wheÌ„ he sayd search the Scriptures The father of all mercy who hath created and made vs for of his owne glory and honor sake geue vs all such grace that being inlightened by hys holy spirit we may be well edified in the pure doctrine of Iesus Christ hys sonne our Sauiour to the ende that being true Christians in name and effect we may liue in good vnitye peace brotherly and christianly loue together in his holy seruice Amen Τελοσ Tit. liu lib. 1. in praefacione Esd 3. cap. 3. 4. Trip. hist li 2. cap. 5. 〈◊〉 â—nne 〈◊〉 be coâ—â—â—â—â—ed wâ—â—â—â—â—t beiâ—â—â—eard speake nun 〈…〉 Molin de mon. Fran. art 154. 155. 156. e. sicut e. excomunicamus Ex. de haeret Aut. Gazaros C. de haret Diu. Inst. lib. 5. cap 1. The pagans condemned the christiaÌ„s without hearing theÌ„ speake The decrees of Gratian authorised by the pope Annal. sur l. an 1168. The old canons are better theÌ„ the nevv We must not iudge of God as of man. Amb. in epist. ad Ro. c. 1. Math. 7.18 1. Iohn 2.1 Rom. 8.32 1.