pound at the last after he had raigned not many yeares nine and nine moneths he died of the stroke of a poysoned quarrell shot at him at the besieging of the Castle of Chalne Richard the 2. was a great factor for Pope Vrban whom he decreed by act of Parliament to be obeyed as head of the Church yet was he an vnhappie Prince in all his proceedings and at length was deposed and cruelly murdered in Pumfret Castle Henrie the 4. was a great agent for the Pope in persecuting of Christs members in the second yeere of whose raigne was made the statute ex officio wherein they are adiudged to be burned that should hold any thing contrarie to the determination of the Church by vertue of which statute many good men were put to death vnder the raigne of the three Henries one succeeding another But what followed the father and the sonne raigned not long not making much aboue 23. yeeres betweene them and Henrie the 6. holding on the same course against Christs members was deposed from his Crowne Richard the 3. much affecting and affected of the Popes ministers for whose sake the Archbishop of Yorke being Cardinall vndertooke to perswade the Queene to deliuer Richard Duke of Yorke to his vncle as a lambe into the lions mouth and preuailed therein his butcherly end is well knowne how his dead carcasse was caried naked behind a Pursiuant of Armes all be sprinkled with blood and mire and homely buried Queene Mary had both a short and an vnprosperous raigne she lost Calice deceiued in her childbirth left desolate and forsaken of King Phillip her husband before she died and ended her daies in griefe and sorrow But contrariwise as these Princes which yeelded themselues to be directed by the Pope were of all other most infortunate so those magnanimous Kings which maintained the libertie of the Crowne against the vsurped authoritie of the Bishop of Rome were prosperous in all their affaires Edward the 1. first made the statute of Mortmaine that no lands and possessions should be giuen to any religious house without the Kings licence the statute also of Premunire made against prouisions of Bishoprickes and other Benefices to bee purchased from Rome was then ordained King Edward the 3. also abridged and cut short the Popes iurisdiction prohibiting vnder great penalties that none should procure any such prouisions at Rome or prosecute any suites in the Popes Court the cognisance whereof appertained to the Kings Courts King Henrie the 7. would admit of no more Cardinals in England after he was rid of one King Henry the 8. abolished the Popes authoritie King Edward the 6. expelled the Masse and other Popish trumperie yet were all these victorious Kings Edward the 1. against the Welsh Edward the 3. against the French Henrie the 7. against that tyrant and vsurper Richard the 3. Henrie the 8. for his valiant battailes famous Edward the 6. in suppressing of Rebels and other enemies prosperous And concerning the raigne of our late noble Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth whom God in his mercie appointed to be a reformer of religion and a nourisher of his Church what Prince in the world I speake not of this age onely but of many hundred yeeres before can compare with her Maiesties time in any kind of outward blessing first in the yeeres of her life she went beyond al her progenitors Secondly in the length of her raigne she exceeded all but onely two Henrie the 3. and Edward the 3. Thirdly in peaceable gouernment for so many euen 44. yeeres none came neere her Fourthly in loue of the subiects at home Fiftly in honour and reputation among forraine Princes Sixtly in prosperous successe abroad in deliuerance from more then twentie conspiracies at home Queene Elizabeth had no peere Seuenthly adde hereunto the wealth of the kingdome Eightly the purenes of the coyne Ninthly but most of all the purenes of religion Tenthly the abundance of learned men such as no nation vnder heauen hath the like of graue Counsellers and Martiall Commaunders who can but confesse that in all these kindes the Gospell hath brought a rich blessing to this land And as Queene Elizabeth loued and liued in peace so she ended her daies in a good old age full of yeeres and which of all other may worthily be accounted the greatest blessing hath left the kingdom to a most worthie and noble successor a professor and protector of the same faith and religion our renowned King that now is by whose hands we doubt not but that the Lord will accomplish whatsoeuer he seeth needfull for his Church But because this Romish southsayer taketh vpon him to play the blind prophet What is like saith he to be the euent thereof hereafter I had rather others should write and shew their coniecture which I for reuerence to my Soueraigne will here omit And hereupon he hopeth that his prudent Princesse will imitate the examples of her noble predecessors Henrie the 1. and Henrie the 2. in recalling that which they did in their inconsiderate times c. pag. 79. Hereunto I briefly answere that his prognostication and exhortation are both alike they both shew a dreaming and phantasticall spirit His foolish hope we see is vaine and frustrate for her Maiestie left her happie raigne in the same faith wherein she began it and as she did nothing inconsiderately at her entrance but with great aduice so had she no cause to repent her in the end If her Maiesties predecessors were inconstant in pulling downe what before they had set vp she being appointed of God to be a wise builder was not therein to follow so simple a plot As is his hope and expectation such is his lying spirit of prophecying Indeed the Papists did promise themselues a great day at the next chaunge they did not mutter it in corners but clatter it in their vaine pāphlets Parsons made a booke of reformation against that time but blessed be God which hath disappointed their hope I nothing doubt but that righteous Abel shall offer still acceptable sacrifices vnto God in the Church of England when all hypocrites and Popish sacrificers shall hang downe their heads with Caine. Yea and I hold this to be no small miracle that God where such trouble was feared hath with such peace consent of harts and minds approbation of all good subiects acclamation and reioycing of the whole Church of God set the imperiall diademe vpon so godlie christian and vertuous a Prince his head such grace from God few expected all good men desired England I am sure hath not deserued yet God in his mercie hath granted So that we haue iust cause to say with the Prophet Dauid This is the Lords doing and it is maruailous in our eyes It is written of Sylla that after Italy was deliuered from the ciuill warres comming to Rome the first night hee could not sleepe for ioy But wee the Church and
repented of It is to be feared rather that they which die in the popish communion without repentance of their idolatrie cannot be saued For no idolaters can inherite the kingdome of God and he that is vnder the kingdome of Antichrist cannot be vnder the kingdome of Christ. Ye promise saluation to your Disciples as the Pharises did to their proselites making them twofold more the children of hell and your Masses affoord like helpe to the commers to it as the Priests Corban did to the suiters to the Altar We know that out of Gods Church there is no saluation Duae portae sunt porta paradisi porta Ecclesiae per portam Ecclesiae intramus portam paradisi There are two gates one of paradise another of the Church by the gate of the Church we enter the gate of Paradise this gate of the Church the Gospell only openeth which teacheth iustification by faith alone in Christ who is the doore and the way Neither is it like that the Ignatian seducers can promise saluation to others wherein they faile themselues as their owne fellowes haue censured them All Iesuites except they amend their manners and reforme their order are damned for heretickes and thrust out of Gods Church as Apostataes Atheists c. to whom their credulous simple schollers might say as Agesilaus to the Thasians that offered to make him of the number of the Gods First saith he make your selues Gods and then I will beleeue ye can make me one too The second Inuectiue HE would shew that it is more reasonable to giue credite to so many preceding Archbishops of Canterbury then to the three protestant Archbishops Cranmer Parker Grindall these he doth first extenuate and then extoll and magnifie the other 1. For the first he sayth they were of three diuerse religions in substantiall points yea of seuen or eight diuerse religions 2. None of them burned for protestancy quartered for denying the supremacie a Saint for life renowmed for learning 3. Cranmer condemned of high treason proued publikely periured and to haue counterfeit the hands and consents of fifty Clergie men recanted his errour was in the case for relapse for ignorance was hissed out of the common schooles of Oxford p. 215. 4. The Archbishops their prodecessors S. Augustine S. Laurence Mellitus Iustus Honorius c. others 68 in number many most holy and learned men miraculously approued of God p. 126. Therefore it is more equall to credite these then the other The Defensatiue 1. WE depend not for our faith vpon any Archbishops whether Papall or Protestants we receiue not our faith of men neither are pinned vpon their sleeues for our iudgement in Religion the Apostle hath taught vs that we should not haue the faith of our glorious Lord Iesus Christ in respect of persons Iam. 2.1 Yet the three Protestant Bishops rehearsed prouing their faith by the Scriptures are more to be credited then all their predecessors grounding their beleefe vpon humane traditions Neither did they vary as is surmised in the substantiall and fundamental points of religion or were therein of three diuerse much lesse of seuen or eight sundry religions 2. Though to be quartered for denying the supremacy and maintaining the forraine iurisdiction of the Pope be a condigne punishment for trayterous Papists and proper vnto such rebellious and disloyall persons as the Iudasites and Baals Priests haue bene found to be yet it is certaine that blessed Cranmer was burned for Protestancie as were learned Ridley godly Latimer zealous Hooper constant Ferrar all Protestant Bishops Cranmers godly life and Episcopall vertues his sobernesse gentlenesse charitie humilitie soundnesse of doctrine diligence in his calling are at large set forth by the graue pen of that faithfull seruant of God maister Fox such as in few of his predecessors are to be found neither his aduersaries are euer able to confound His learning also was well knowne as appeareth by his learned bookes as that of the Sacrament which as he himselfe testified was set foorth seuen yeares agoe then and no man hath brought any authors against it 3. He was acquited and pardoned of high treason and not thereof condemned as he vntruly reporteth stood onely in the case of doctrine he was not periured hauing taken an oath to the Pope onely vnder protestation as he himselfe confesseth And if he had sworne obedience simply to the Pope it was an vniust oath like vnto Herods and not to be kept The law saith Illicitum iuramentum non valet an vnlawfull oath is of no force And their owne Canons say Iuramentum contra bonos more 's non ligat an oath against good manners bindeth not So is the oath made to the Pope it is vniust to Princes to whom due obedience is denied and against good manners in that disloyaltie to the Prince is thereby maintained The Popish Bishops rather were periured that being sworne to the King first tooke afterwards a contrarie oath to the Pope as Bishop Cranmer obiecteth to Bishop Brooke whereas their first oath was lawfull and iust and therefore firmely to be holden Those fifty Clergie mens hands were not counterfeited by Cranmer but subscribed by themselues for the abrogation of the Papall iurisdiction Indeed Fisher charged Archbishop Warrham with counterfeiting of his hand in the sitting at Blacke-friers about the businesse of the kings mariage He recanted his errour and executed iust reuenge vppon his right hand that was the instrument of his rash subscription first consuming the same in the flames of the fire This is no more disgrace vnto him then Peters teares and repentance for denying of his Maister neither was he by their law in case of relapse when he was adiudged to the fire hauing not as yet shewed his remorse of conscience and repentance for his vnaduised act of subscription He was hissed indeed of the young headie schollers but that argueth their temerity not that reuerend fathers simplicity The Donatists serued the Catholike Bishops after the same maner making such a noise that they could not go on in their defence say also that Augustine the other Catholikes were therfore disgraced and put to silence 4. Cōcerning the Popish Archbishops 1. if nūber might preuaile the high priests by a greater proportion exceeded our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles and the pagan sacrificers the Christian Bishops and preachers 2. Many of them were not very holy men whereof some were disloyall to their princes as Thomas Becket to Henry the second Robert Winchelsey to Edward the first Thomas Arundell to Richard the second who was by Parliament adiudged a traytor Diuerse of them were busie malitious vncharitable contentious as Baldwine Stephen Laughton Richardus Magnus had great strife with the Monkes of Canterbury Boniface Kilwaruy with the Archbishops of Yorke for bearing vp of their Masse in London and Kent Iohn Peccham with Thomas Bishop of Hereford such
vobis vtile Ecclesiae dignum posteris But here one thing I cannot pretermit to celebrate the great ioy of your Maiesties subiects for your princely acceptance of poore mens complaints and the readie accesse to your royall person It hath pleased your Maiesty to signifie herein that it is your gracious pleasure and minde in giuing accesse to be so open and affable to euery ranke of honest persons as that they may make their owne sutes to you them selues and not to employ others to be their intercessors Therfore the King is said to go out and in before the people that they may haue free accesse vnto him in time place conuenient that though it be not for the safetie of the Prince to be so open as the Romane Tribunes whose doores night and day were open to all suters nor yet fit to be locked vp and retired as the Persian kings or as Clearchus of Pontus that did hide himselfe and sleepe in a chest or Aristodemus king of the Argiues that did clime vp into his hanging bed by a ladder that no man should come vnto him yet is it honorable as your Maiestie well knoweth and we hope will practise for the Prince often to shew himselfe to his people that they may flocke vnto him tanquam ad salutare sydus as to a comfortable starre as one saith and to be free for all to come vnto as the altar We shall not neede then especially the Ministers of the Gospell to complaine with Ambrose who suing to the Emperour for one Higmus an ancient Bishop adiudged to exile ne sine veste plumario pateretur extrudi extrusus est ipse that he should not be thrust out without his bed and clothes was thrust out himselfe But we praise God for your Maiestie as the same father doth for the good Emperour Gratian of whom he saith Scripsisti tua totam Epistolam manu You wrote an Epistle with your owne hand whom he compareth to Abraham which killed a calfe with his owne hands to entertaine the Angels Nec in ministerio religioso aliorum adiumenta quaesiuit And in a religious worke sought not anothers helpe For the like mercifull disposition in your Maiestie in vouchsafing your selfe to attend the causes of your subiects we say with S. Paul to Onesiphorus The Lord grant that you may find mercie with the Lord in that day Now lastly I craue pardon for my boldnesse and plainenesse of speech not doubting but that your Maiestie approueth that saying of Ambrose vttered of noble Theodosius Neque imperiale est libertatem dicendi negare neque sacerdotale quod sentit non dicere It is nether princelike to denie liberty of speech nor ministerlike not to speake what he thinketh And we are not ignorant of your royall disposition herein to loue those best that are plainest with you which emboldneth me to say with Hierome Mallem apud te verecundia parumper quà m causa periclitari I had rather hazard my credite then the cause but I trust I shall hazard neither by any thing which out of a single heart and loyall affection I haue vttered I haue deliuered my conscience discharged my dutie and I hope not written otherwise then became me I leaue the rest to your princely consideration according to that saying in the Prouerbes Da sapienti occasionem sapiet amplius Thus I end with heartie prayer vnto God so to strengthen your Maiestie with his grace that you may be constant in all goodnesse to the end zealous of his glorie to amend what is amisse to supply what is wanting to cherish the good suppresse the euill relieue the oppressed so shall your Highnesse do that which shall be acceptable vnto God honourable to your selfe profitable to his Church comfortable and ioyous to your owne soule in the end Go forward then noble King in your wel-begun course follow your owne Christian iudgement to practise as you haue prescribed to performe as you haue purposed consider that all the people of this land are your sheepe the Lord hath made you the chiefe ouerseer and Steward according to your princely name both of Church and Common-wealth Of this Stewardship you must one day render account vnto God prouide then O Christian Prince that you may do it with ioy The Persian Kings alwayes appointed one in the morning to call vnto them Arise O King and take care of these things which Oromasdes biddeth thee be carefull of But your Maiesties owne thankfull remembrance of Gods mercies will suffice within to put you in mind and sing as it were in your eares what God requireth and you haue promised and to thinke of Mordecay his speech to Queene Esther Who knoweth whether thou art come to the Kingdome for such a time As for vs we trust by Gods grace to see so happie a chaunge by this chaunge that whereas we had thought our selues vndone we may truly say as Themistocles did who being exiled his countrey was better entertained in the Persian court We had perished if we had not perished God graunt to your Maiestie a long and prosperous raigne to your noble Queene happie continuance with you and length of dayes to your honourable sonne Prince Henrie encrease of all princely graces with growth of yeares and to your royall posteritie to raigne ouer this land if it be Gods will vnto the worlds end and vnto you all an endlesse reward in heauen for your faithfull seruice to Christ here on earth And so I conclude with Ambrose Ipse me citiùs quà m vos obliuiscar si vnquam sermo tacebit loquetur affectus Iacobe Henrice in vestris nominibus adhaerere iuuat delectat in vestri commemoratione requiescere Your Maiesties most humble subiect Andrew Willet The Preface to the Christian Reader THE wise man in the Prouerbes sayth He that medleth with a strife that belongeth not vnto him is as one that taketh a dog by the eares Prou. 26.17 Theagenes was laughed to scorne of all because he would be medling in euery matter and trying maisteries with euerie one in running wrastling fencing as though it were not lawfull for any to haue the victory where he was present Lest therefore I might be thought to be busie in other mens matters and to intermeddle where I need not to speake in a cause where I was not retained and to defend a wrong where I was not iniured first mine answer is this that the defence of the truth belongeth to all as an iniurie offered to the bodie euery member is readie to propulse and an enemie inuading the countrey it is euery mans part to resist Hierome wel saith Feci vt hostes ecclesiae mei quoque hostes fierent I alwaies endeuored that the enemies of the Church should also become mine enemies Augustine also saith Incomparabiliter pulchrior est veritas Christianorum quà m Helena Graecorum The veritie of the Christians is
The Priests also thus write That there is no competitor vnto the Crowne of England that is a Catholike in whom any probabilitie in the world of enioying the Crowne can be imagined as al men know Thus the Masse-priests were bold to write not long since but simplie and suspiciouslie as though England would afford any competitor to stand vp against the lawfull title of his Maiestie who onely by his royall descent had enterest to succeede in the Crowne which God be thanked we see to all our comforts without any contradiction or opposition to be peaceablie deriued vnto his Maiestie which long may he possesse with honor to Gods glorie We trust then that God which in his mercie hath sanctified this land to professe his Gospell will consecrate it as his Temple to be the piller of truth and candlesticke to hold out the light of his word to the worlds end and that he wil put into the heart of our gratious Soueraigne and honorable Counsellers so to prouide that true Religion may be transmitted vnto posteritie and so blesse the Kings royall posteritie and especiallie his Maiesties dearest sonne and heire apparant Prince Henry that Religion may be so planted in his princely youth that it may grow vp and increase with him It ioyeth me here to remember that couragious farewell which that renowned King Henry the 8. gaue to the Pope England hath taken her leaue of popish crafts for euer neuer to be deluded with them hereafter Romane Bishops haue nothing to do with English people the one doth not traffike with the other at the least though they will haue to do with vs we will none of their merchandice none of their stuffe we will receiue them of our councell no more This Prophesie rather then Proclamation of that magnanimous King we gladlie accept and with all ioyfull acclamation say Amen vnto it Adde vnto this the propheticall exclamation of Roger Clearke Martyr at his condemnation an 1546. at Ipswich fight for your God for he hath not long to continue But most of all are we secured by the prophesie of the Reuelation that Babylon is fallen which we see in part alreadie fulfilled for the tenth part of the citie is fallen alreadie that is the tenth part of that politike bodie of Antichrist which consisted of Monks Friers Nunnes with their Abbeyes Priories Celles Chauntries is ouerthrowne as by a mightie earthquake in the kingdomes of England Scotland Ireland And we further are most sure that after Babylon beginneth to fall it shall not rise againe nor be found no more And howsoeuer God may in iustice deale with some nation in particular for their vnthankfull receiuing of the Gospell to suffer them to be misled againe yet we make no doubt but the generall bodie of Antichrist is decaying and hath receiued a wound irrecouerable Wherefore be it knowne vnto you ye Papists that your kingdome is withering and decaying and ye are they that wax worse and worse deceiuing and being deceiued 1. Tim. 3.12 but the Gospell of Christ shall flourish and they that loue him shall be as the sunne that riseth in his strength Only let vs that professe the Gospell be of good courage let vs keepe the profession of our hope without wauering let vs lift vp our hands that hung downe and our weake knees Let vs not be like as Hierome sayth to those that slacke their rowing Quomodo qui aduerso flumine lembum trahit si remiserit manus retro labitur fluentib aquis quo non vult ducitur Like as he which haleth a boate against the streame if he let go his hands falleth backe and is caried whither he would not so he that is remisse in religion is in danger to fall backe to superstition but the worst I hope is past the beginning of reformation is harder then the perfection as Lampis said of the getting of riches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he got great wealth easily and small hardlie So we hope in God that true religion may more easily be continued then it was at the first founded 3 This Iesuited or rather Iudasited Frier for of that rebellious and exorbitant order he is supposed to be proceedeth on in his frierlie vaine of lying he bringeth in Iohn Riuius to say that they meaning all Protestants be Atheists Epicures deniers of the soules immortalitie p. 11. l. 21. Whereas neither he speaketh of all Protestants but only of certaine dissolute liuers among them neither yet affirmeth them to be deniers c. but that they do runne headlong into sinne as though they did thinke c. that the foule perisheth with the bodie There is great difference betweene him that openlie denieth the immortalitie of the soule and him that by his licentious life may be thought not to beleeue the soule to be immortall Indeede we reade that in the Councell of Constance it was obiected to one of your Popes whom ye hold can not erre namely Iohn 23. Quinimo dixit pertinaciter credidit animam hominis cum corpore humano mori c. Moreouer he said and obstinately beleeued that the soule of man dieth together with the bodie and is extinguished as the soule of brute beasts But from among the Protestants you shall not be able to shew one that euer so affirmed or beleeued 4 Where he saith their owne generall and approued doctrine especiallie in England that true faith and good works are inseparable conâ—oc Londâ—n 1562. art 12. condemneth such men for infidels and misbeleeuers p. 12. l. 7. First it is vntrue that those words are found in that article though we admit and receiue the doctrine that article faith indeede that good works spring out necessarily of a true and liuely faith but it condemneth them not straight for infidels that haue not this working and liuely faith for there is great difference betweene him that hath the right knowledge of God though not effectual or working and him that hath no knowledge or the same erroneous And if it be admitted that some infidels or misbeleeuers might be found among Protestants and where the Gospell is professed is that any derogation maister Frier to the Church of God or profession of the Gospell which condemneth such Did the Church of Corinth cease to be a Church because some among them had not the knowledge of God and denied the resurrection Or is the popish Church free from infidels and misbeleeuers I would Atheisme and prophanenes had not inuaded the Popes chaire I thinke that Pope was little better then an infidell and misbeleeuer that said to one of his Cardinals quantum nobis profuit fabula ista dâ— Christo how much hath this fable of Christ aduantaged vs 5 Of the like credit and truth are these words that follow that the Protestants haue beene the onely cause of so many Infidelities Atheismes Epicurismes Iudaismes p. 12. l. 20. that euery man among vs is left
Christs natiuitie death and resurrection he knoweth and confesseth But the right Christian faith beside the illumination of the vnderstanding maketh an assured confidence of the heart and setleth the conscience and maketh vs at peace with God and by this faith euery one that vnfainedly seeketh God beleeueth that he will reward them as the Apostle saith He that commeth vnto God must beleeue that he is and that he will reward those that seeke him Here are two parts of faith expressed a knowledge that God is and a beleefe or assurance that God will reward his seekers and followers 4. The argument proposed concludeth well against Papists that he which is doubtfull of faith is much more doubtful to obtaine heauē for a man may haue their speculatiue faith yet be no whit neerer to heauen nor sure thereof But the right faith which Protestants professe doth put them euen while they liue in assurance and in some sort in possession of the kingdome of heauen as our Sauiour saith He that beleeueth in him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is escaped from death to life Wherefore it is an hard and difficult matter with Papists to obtaine heauen or to be assured thereof though they haue the Popish faith But with Protestants after they be endued with a liuely iustifying faith there is no doubt or difficultie in obtaining the reward for we are kept by the power of God through faith to saluation and the end of our faith is the saluation of our soules He therefore that is in the way of faith is sure to come vnto the end which is saluation I may therefore vse against this Romanist the words of Basile You are guiltie of that which you accuse in another It is an hard matter for your followers to obtaine or be sure of heauen and therfore you iudge so of the Protestants But as Augustine saith Quisquis adhuc malus non putet neminem bonum esse Let not him that is euill thinke no man good Because Popish religion is desperate and comfortlesse thinke not euery religion to be so The fourth Probation THe argument here vrged may be framed thus He whom all or most denie to haue title or interest to a kingdome will faintly take it in hand The Protestants make the kingdom of God vncertaine improbable impossible to be obtained and so denie men to haue interest to it Ergo they are the cause that few aduenture so certaine and painfull a worke for so vncertaine and doubtfull recompence The Solution 1. TO the proposition this may bee answered that although in terrene kingdoms where a title is denied of all there is small hope to obtaine because to a temporall inheritance admittance is by temporall meanes and entrance to kingdomes is made by the fauour and assistance of vnited friends yet moued by the iustnes of the title as the Wiseman saith In the multitude of the people is the honour of the King and for the want of people commeth the destruction of a Prince yet in the obtaining of the kingdome of heauen the case is farre diuers for the children of God haue good title vnto it and great interest in it and will earnestly contend and striue for it though all the world say nay as Elias was not dismaied in his course though he thought himselfe to be left alone and to be forsaken of all men 2. It is an impudent slaunder that the Protestants make the kingdome of God vncertaine improbable or impossible to be obtained these are the proper badges of the Popish Church For how doe not they make the kingdome of God vncertaine when they teach that the certitude of remission of sinnes is a vaine confidence and void of all godlines and others call it a faithlesse perswasion of saluation for a man to be assured by faith that hee shall be saued How is it not also improbable seeing if any among thē are likely to goe to heauen their Popes whom they call holy Fathers Christs Vicars hauing S. Peters keyes to whom the spirituall treasure of the Church is committed to whom it belongeth to canonize Saints who are priuiledged not to erre they in all reason and probabilitie should be most sure to goe to heauen Is it probable that they can open heauen to others and commaund the Angels to carrie other mens soules to heauen that they can canonize others and bee excluded heauen themselues And yet they dare pronounce of some of their Popes and those not the worst that they are damned as Bellarmine is reported to haue said to an English Doctor of Sixtus the last that descendit ad infernum that hee was gone to hell as farre as he could conceiue or vnderstand Yea by their doctrine the kingdome of heauen is impossible to bee had seeing they doe ascribe it to mens workes and merits for this I dare by warrant of the Scriptures affirme that he which maketh account to purchase heauen by his workes and not to obtaine it by faith is not like to come thither For by the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified This obiection then might well haue bin spared which reboundeth back vpō their own face Thus are they snared in their owne words and so it falleth out vnto this brabler as it is in Iob He that speaketh many words shall be answered againe If hee be loth to haue the nakednes of his mother discouered he should haue followed Hieromes saying Vis me tacere ne accuses depone gladium ego scutum abijciam Would you haue vs quiet you should not haue accused vs if you had laid downe your sword I should not haue needed to take vp a shield Clitarchus could haue told you Vtter not those things which you are loth to heare your selfe The fift Probation THe Mahometanes were neuer more wicked then after the Persian schisme and diuision amongst them Likewise the Iewes were diuided into many sects and religions at the comming of Christ Samaritanes Pharisies Sadduces Essenes c. whereby that nation c. was drowned and ouerwhelmed in such monstrous and erronious iniquities The conclusion must be Ergo Protestants being so diuided are most wicked c. The Solution FIrst this argument is denied for though among the Infidels and misbeleeuers such as the Turkes are and the Iewes were at the comming of Christ where none hold the truth but al are in error diuisions and sects make them worse yet is it not so among those which professe the trueth 1. For there the diuersitie of sects and the springing and publishing of heresies doth make the defence of the truth more glorious and the defenders therof more faithfull and constant as the Apostle saith There must be heresies euen among you that they which are approoued among you may be knowne 2. And yet in the meane time the authors of schisme
but say with Hierome Non consueui eorum insultare erroribus quorum miror ingenia Whose wit I commend their errors will I not defend 2. What if Luther be vntruly alleaged whereof there is iust suspition because the Citer followeth not the addition at Wittemberge of Luthers workes but another at Ieane wherein it is like the aduersary hath played the part of a corrector and made Luther speake according to their owne sense For some of those bookes which he citeth as colloquium mensal I do not find extant in the addition at Wittemberge where it is most like the authentike copies of Luthers workes are kept Therefore it is not vnlike but they haue vsed Luther as Gregory complained in his time Alij tractatus nostros calumniantes ea sentire nos criminantur quae nunquam sensisse nos nouimus Others cauilling at our tractates do accuse vs to thinke that which we know we neuer thought 3. Those speeches wherein Luther is traduced if they be interpreted with fauour though the sound seeme to be somewhat harsh the sense is not hard In the two first he sheweth what temptations he had how he was troubled with many doubtfull cogitations and sometime euen with griefe as it were plunged in hell that he wished in his heart that he had neuer begun that trouble in the Church and that his workes were burned As though such tentations are not incident to the faithfull seruants of God Dauid was sometime so perplexed that he doubted of Gods promises and thought that all men were lyers Psal. 116 11. that euen the Prophets of God deceiued him Saint Paule also had fightings without and terrours within 2. Cor. 7.5 It should seeme then to be a rare thing for popish professors to feele such conflicts in their soule seeing this fresh-water souldier that neuer entred into the lists of these spirituall combats findeth fault with Luther herein In the third sentence obiected Luther doth nothing else but shew his constant resolution of the truth which shall stand in despite of Emperour Turke Pope Cardinals and all aduersaries His peremptory profession thereof might haue bene better qualified in termes which I will not euery where iustifie But his meaning is good that the truth shall preuaile and haue the vpper hand for as Hierome well saith Veritas laborare potest vinci non potest The truth may be blamed but not shamed But as for your gracelesse terme of Gracelesse Luther I doubt not but that he hath least grace that goeth about to disgrace him whom God with many excellent gifts had graced These railing speeches are but like vnto Shemei his casting of stones at Dauid wherewith in the end he hurt himselfe And as Seneca well sayth Ignominias probra velut clamorem hostium ferat saxa sine vulnere circa galeas trepidantia These opprobrious words are like the crie of the enemie a farre off and as stones that do fall downe about our eares without anie hurt So while this railing Rabsakeh vseth no better weapons we are well inough we heare him but feele him not he woundeth his owne credite he hurteth not our cause And we say to him as a certaine Rhodian to an vnshamefast man that made great outcries I regard not what you say but that another keepeth silence We more respect other mens reuerent silence of Luther then his rash loquacitie The second Inducement 1. PRide wine and women are the originals of Apostacie so was it in Luther If pride had not bene they had kept their vow of obedience if wine and riches had not bene they had kept the vow of pouertie if women and wantonnesse had not bene they had kept the vow of chastity But truth is stronger then all c. p. 126. 2. The whole Christian world twenty times gathered together in generall Councell hath giuen sentence with vs many thousands of prouinciall Councels all Kings c. all Popes Fathers Schooles Vniuersities c. all former heretikes haue approued it 3. We haue offered them all trials as great security and safe conduct as Popes Emperours and Kings could giue to come to disputation p. 127. 4. Their owne schollers condemned them Cranmer and Latimer exploded with hissing and clapping of hands in Oxford We neuer had so much as a peece of promise for equality of disputation c. The disputation in the first Parliament to their litle glory that in the Tower no man is ignorant how much it did disgrace them p. 127. The Aduertisement 1. THese three indeed are the pillars of popery If pride were not the Pope would not haue sought to lift vp himselfe aboue Emperours and Kings to tread vpon their neckes cause them to hold their stirrope to kisse his foote the papall hierarchie would not refuse to submit it selfe to the ciuill authoritie If the desire of riches were not the Pope would not so haue pilled and polled all Christian nations with intollerable taxes of First fruits annates tenthes prouisions Archbishops palles Peter pence and such like The first fruits of Bishoprikes in England amounted to the sum of 80000. florenes that is almost 20000. pounds and the value of the first fruits through Europe did arise to the summe of 2460843. florenes that is 553189. pounds or there about If the loue of women and carnall desires had not bin the popish crue would neuer haue condemned lawfull mariage to liue in adulterie incest fornicatiō openly to maintaine courtesans and strumpets as is notoriously euident and practised in Rome their Masse priests would not haue corrupted virgines detained wiues and daughters from their husbands and fathers as the States of Germany complained in the Councell of Norimberge These three then are the pillars of poperie indeed with the which Luther and the Protestants are vntruly slaundered yet hath the truth preuailed according the posie of Darius nobles And whereas he would haue this conclusion put vnder the pillow of the Prince and be awaked out of her dreame lest she should sleepe too long c. the truth is that Queene Elizabeth both awake and asleepe while she liued was resolued of this conclusion for the truth and well perceiued Poperie to be grounded vpon a sandie foundation that outward glorie commoditie pleasure and vanitie were the chiefe pillars of that religion In this faith she liued in this faith she now sleepeth and resteth in the Lord and shall be awaked in the last resurrection to receiue the endlesse reward of the same And though Queene Elizabeth now sleepeth yet God hath raised vp and awaked our gratious Soueraigne to stand vp in her place and to maintaine the same truth You may well put your conclusions vnder his pillow when he sleepeth but when he awaketh he will soone descrie that your Popish instructers are but night birds your best reasons dreames and your religion darknesse and with Darius giue sentence with the truth But of all other this